“All right, all right, calm down everyone!” Mom shouted over the commotion of multiple conversations, drawing all eyes to her. “Now I now that we’re enjoying this magnificent feast that my darling wife and friends have made, but there is something that we need to do before we’re stuffed to a point of needing a nap.”
“Too late,” Aria said, poking Pinkie to wake her the rest of the way up.
“And as the hosts, Twi and I will go last,” she continued without pausing. Twenty-three years of family Thanksgivings allowed her to keep her momentum when someone would interrupt. I saw her eyes zero in on me. “How about we start with the youngest couple present?”
“Seriously?” I deadpanned. “I have made no secret about how thankful I am for all of you guys and Lighty especially.” I squeezed my husband’s hand tightly. “Especially him.”
“Well, I’m glad I’m able to take part in this wonderful family’s traditions,” Light said. “Because we beat some long odds getting to where Midnight and I are. I’m thankful for every dinner and visit and that day back on the beach.”
I saw the warm smile spread across Mother’s face as she lifted her wine glass. “Hear, hear,” she said softly.
“I’m glad I’ve got such a wonderful bunch for family,” Rory spoke up. “I love you guys.”
“Even me?” Beach asked.
“Even you, squirt,” my sister laughed.
“I am thankful for all the opportunities I’ve had in life,” Rhapsody said. “And that I managed to get early acceptance to culinary school.”
There was a round of clapping and congratulatory words at the announcement.
“I’m thankful that Tina is finally sleeping through the night,” Adagio said, with emphatic agreement on Sandalwood’s face. “I’d forgotten what that was like for a while there.”
All the mother’s around the table nodded in agreement.
“Middy was the worst about it,” Mom said.
“Mom!”
“It’s the truth,” she said. “You seemed to fight us if we tried to put you down early. It was exhausting.”
“I couldn’t have been that bad,” I groused, crossing my arms.
“You’ll understand when you have your first child,” Mother said with a sly wink.
I glanced at Lighty, both of us flushing furiously at the thought that flickered between us. I didn’t need my folks knowing that we had started talking about it. His folks already knew because he told them everything that he was comfortable with sharing. Which was almost everything.
“i’m sure,” I said, hurriedly raising my glass to my lips, hoping the blush color of the wine would be blamed for the color on my cheeks.
“I’ll tell you what I’m thankful for,” a voice said from the living room, causing us all to look in that direction.
A pair of women walked in, carrying a couple of large bottles.
“Some great friends to share a holiday with,” Princess Twilight finished, her wife Fluttershy leaning against her.
Mom got up and went to hug the pair. “What brings you over?” she asked.
Fluttershy smiled and hugged the red-head in turn. “We always hear such wonderful stories about the times you guys share, we thought we’d stop by this year.”
“But I thought it was a dinner?” Aunt Sparky said, looking at the partially empty platters on the table.
“It’s something of a misnomer,” Mother said, smiling at her counterpart. “Many families have it in the mid afternoon, and we tend to follow that out of tradition and convenience.”
“There’s plenty left,” Mom said, motioning to me and Lighty. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”
I brought one of the spare chairs over as we all shuffled to fit the two additional guests. I looked at them, mentally cataloging the slight differences between Mother and Aunt Sparky, Aunt Fluttershy and Ms. Fluttershy.
“I’ll second her sentiment,” Mother said. “Great friends, loving family, and some relative peace in the time being.”
“You only say that because you don’t have to hold court,” Princess Twilight said with a smile.
“Speak for yourself,” Mom grumbled. “You know I’ve been taking some of your court appointments since you opened the school. You know how I feel about court half the time.”
“I can always ask Starlight to cover the court at times,” Twilight said. “Or cancel it.”
“Let’s not drag work into things,” Mother said firmly, locking eyes with Mom. I felt the faint vibration of their connection, reminding me of the similar one I had with Lighty.
“You win,” Mom said before turning to her fellow princess. “What’d you guys bring to the party?”
Fluttershy held up one of the bottles. “Applejack laid these bottles down the year Meadow was born,” she said. “Figured they had aged enough.”
“Aged Equestrian cider?” Mom said. “That’s going to be a nice treat.”
Adagio turned to Beach before he spoke up. “None for you, you’re too young.”
“Aww,” he pouted.
I have to say that the prospect of Equestrian Ale sounded good to me. I leaned over to Lighty.
“You ok driving home tonight instead of me?”
He looked at me with a smile.
“There’s a bottle back at the house,” he said. “I was going to keep it for Hearth’s Warming.”
“Good going,” I said, leaning over and pecking him on the cheek.
“So, I’m thankful that we all made it here safe and healthy,” I heard Aria say. “And we've got a lot of memories good and bad with each other.”
Mom sat forward. “I’m thankful for so much,” she said, her face taking on a somber look that she rarely wore. “I’ve got a gorgeous wife, two beautiful daughters and a sweetheart of a son-in-law. I have a lot of great friends and all of us have been brought together out of a lot tough circumstances…but we beat them all, and come out stronger and better for it.”
She raised her glass, freshly filled with some rare Equestrian ale. “To family,” she said.
The sound of the repeated response was deafening, and the warm glow stayed with me as I unlocked the door to our apartment that night. As we got ready for bed, I felt Lighty wrap me up in a hug as I tried to button the warm pajama top.
“I’m thankful that I’ve got such a lovely wife,” he whispered in my ear.
I smiled and leaned back, running a hand along his arm.
“You could have said that at dinner,” I said softly, turning in his grasp.
He smiled at me as my arms went around his neck. “I think it’s something a little more personal like this,” he breathed. “More intimate.”
“Well, I like it,” I said, tilting my head back. “Say it again.”
He smiled. “I have such a lovely wife,” he said, kissing me lightly between his words.
“Don’t ever forget it,” I said.
“No chance,” he said, leaning down and kissing me.