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// Hurry Down to Appleloosa To-knight 
// Story: A Dreamy Hearth's Warming 
// by Anzel 
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A surprise trip to Appleloosa had not been part of my Hearts and Hooves Day agenda. In fact, it was about as far from it as possible. Today was intended to be very special and very quiet. Coral Knight was going to spend the day with her self-proclaimed Grammy Luna, and Clem was destined to sleep his day away with his aunts Winterspear and Iridescence.

It would have been the first Hearts and Hooves Day in years that Crystal and I were going to be alone. Between Coral's self-decided guard training and trying to encourage Clement to be interested in more than napping and relaxing, being a parent was exhausting. I had been really looking forward to some private time with my wife and I knew she had been, too.

There was always the next year, though, and it was rare for Dream Pop to show up unannounced with an invitation like this. I felt like I owed it to her after all she had done for me in the past.

In a way, part of my plan had come to fruition. Crystal and I got to cuddle the whole trip while Dream Pop entertained our foals with stories about her adventures in Equestria. She'd had a lot over the years. I'd settled down, and she'd sped up.

As we pulled into the Appleloosa station, Coral set her small forehooves on the window and peered outside. "This is where you're from, Dream Pop?" she asked.

Dream Pop pressed up against the window right beside her. "You bet! I'm not here much, but it will always be the place I call home." 

Coral's nose wiggled. "That is good, I guess. It doesn't look very defense-ibible, though. There aren't even any walls!"

Crystal looked over at me with one brow raised.

I could practically read her mind from that silent look. "I can't help it if she likes playing the same kind of games I play. You know as well as I do that this behavior seems to be genetic."

My wife sighed and started to stand. I helped her up and said, "All right Coral, Clem, I need you two to be on your best behavior today. We're going to be guests. Let's not insult our hosts by decrying the lack of fixed fortifications."

Coral huffed, "Fine!"

Clem idly pushed his hoof against his sister's face. "I'd just fly over them anyway."

"You can't fly over anything," Coral shot back.

Dream Pop scooped Clement up in her hoof and giggled. "He can't yet, but he will! He'll be a strong flyer like his dad! Just like you'll be good with magic! Now come on, you two, let's go!"

As the three of them hurried off together, Crystal lingered behind with me. "You know, she's actually not much younger than me," she said.

"I do, what's your point?" I asked.

"We're not old ponies," was her response.

I nuzzled her cheek and took her hoof in mine. "No, sweetie, we're not. Don't compare yourself to Dream Pop. She has the energy of four ponies half our age. Besides, can't we both just pause and enjoy the fact that somepony else has willingly stolen our children and seemed happy about it? This is the first moment alone we've had in forever."

Crystal idly poked my nose and grinned at me. "You're terrible."

"I know, but—"

She put her hoof over my mouth. "Don't you dare say it, Silent Knight!"

With a grin, I moved her hoof. "We've already got a third one, and if sh—"

The hoof poked my mouth again. "I said no!"

I shrugged and stood up to my full height so she couldn't stop me from saying, "As you like. I'm just saying, you seem to really enjoy making them, so they're not irreplaceable."

Crystal mock-glared at me and the two of us made our way off the train and onto the platform where Dream Pop stood with our foals, already able to keep them under control better than I could. She was a foal psychologist, after all. I'd have to compare notes with her later.

"Ready to go home?" Dream Pop asked.

"Lead the way," I replied as we all headed off together. Appleloosa was small, especially compared to Canterlot, so it didn't take us long.

Dream Pop's family home was right off the town square at center of Appleloosa. As a matter of fact, it was constructed directly across from the town hall. Much like the other buildings nearby, it was comprised wholly of wood. It was painted a cheerful yellow color from the base to the pitched roof.

Crystal knew more about architecture than I did, so I wasn't sure what type of house it was other than three stories tall and narrow. It certainly wasn't designed by the same pony that had done our home, the one that had fallen out of favor until my wife bought one of his houses and renovated it. Now, everypony in Canterlot wanted one. It had done immense things for our property value, too.

"Your family's house is lovely, Dream Pop," Crystal said.

"Thank you! We built it ourselves after the original building that was here burnt down," Dream Pop explained as she trotted up the front steps.

Coral asked with a curious tilt of her head, "What was it before?"

"Oh! That's a fun story. It was originally a cat ho—"

The door opened, thankfully interrupting Dream Pop before she could finish that thought. A middle-aged teal mare stepped out onto the porch and squealed "Dream Pop!" in delight before throwing her hooves around the mare.

"Momma!" Dream Pop squealed with equal delight, the tones almost matching perfectly.

Momma Pop shared little in common with her daughter, other than the shocks of light pink that stood out in her hot pink mane and tail. Her eyes opened and focused on us over Dream Pop's shoulders. "Oh my word, darlin', I know I was getting onto you about settling down, but this is a bit much."

"What's that, Momma?" Dream Pop asked before looking back at us. "Oh! No, it isn't like that at all." She started to giggle as she let her mother go. "Although, well, they are family. Anyway, go inside so I can properly introduce our guests!"

"I wasn't complaining, honey, but all right. You do your thing. You always do," Momma Pop said before going inside.

Crystal looked over at me, a brow arched. This time she was questioning what we were doing here. I wondered the same thing.

"This was not part of my plan," I said flatly.

Coral Knight nodded resolutely. "It was not in the dos… dosy… dosy-yay."

Dream Pop motioned with a hoof. "Come on, everypony. It's introduction time," she said as she skipped inside.

Crystal set a hoof on my flank and gave me a light push. "Secure the room, Colonel."

"Aye, ma'am," I replied before heading up the stairs and into the house. That is where I found several other ponies looking at me, their curiosity rather obvious on their faces.

"Okay, everypony," Dream Pop started as I looked at the shockingly similar group.

First and foremost, there were four other mares that all shared the same colors as Dream Pop, just in different places. There was also two stallions, one middle-aged that I assumed was her father, and one that looked younger than me.

"This is Colonel Silent Knight, Captain of the Canterlot Guard, Celestia Cross Recipient, Adviser to Princess Luna, and Former Commander of the Black Dragoons," Dream Pop announced in an extremely formal way. It was like when I was part of Luna's House Guard and went to galas with the princesses.

I blinked in surprise, unsure what to say. That was fine, apparently, because the tallest mare said, "A coltfriend. How interesting."

That was when Crystal came in through the door with Coral and Clem, raising every brow in the room.

Dream Pop continued, "And this is Crystal Wishes, Founder of the Flower Foundation, Best Selling Romance Author, CEO of the Pure Leaf Press, and a board member for Jet Ventures."

The tall sister grinned. "I withdraw my statement. Now it is interesting!"

Dream Pop wiggled her ears before motioning to Coral and Clement. "Cadet Coral Knight and her little brother Clement Knight."

Crystal and I lingered near the threshold, unsure of what to make of the situation. We seemed to be on display for evaluation. Before I could react, Dream Pop started pointing a hoof.

"All right, now string bean over there is my oldest sister, the Honorable Sweet Tart. She's a Barrister of the Crown and the Chief Justice of the Central Canterlot Circuit Court. And he isn't my coltfriend!" Dream Pop squeaked.

Sweet Tart bobbed her head briefly, bouncing her rose-pink mane that matched parts of Dream Pop's. "As you say."

The hoof then jabbed to the next sister, based on height in descending order. "And this is Bubblegum. We call her Double Bubble, though, because she has two PhDs: one in Equestrian Literature and the other in Applied Mathematics. She's the next oldest."

Bubblegum smiled at us and said in a soft, sweet voice, "A pleasure to meet you both."

"Next, and after me I might add, is Pop Rocks! She's an Archaeologist and Ethnologist. One of the top ones in her field! She has even been to Saddle Arabia like you, Crystal!" Dream Pop explained before pointing out the smaller mare that shared a light pink coat color with Sweet Tart, but had a short blonde and orange mane.

"Charmed," Pop Rocks said.

Dream Pop's hoof then shifted to the last mare who had the same creamy orange coat color as her. The little mare practically vibrated with excitement as Dream Pop said, "And that is Sugar. She's an Orthodontist and Oral Surgeon. We call her Sugar Rush 'cause, well—"

Sugar's response was extremely fast and unintelligible. All I caught was ‘super' and ‘you.'

"She said that she is super happy to meet you," the younger stallion said.

"And that is my little brother Toast," Dream Pop added, introducing the stallion whose coat looked the color of bread with a mane that indeed seemed toast colored. "He's a pediatrician."

"Just," Sweet Tart added with a light smirk.

Toast's nose wrinkled. "I do important work!"

Dream Pop just kept going like nothing happened. "And these are my parents, Pretty Palette and Doohickey!" She pointed out the pony that had greeted us and the older stallion. Good to know my detective skills were still on point.

Coral looked up at her mother and said, "I've already forgotten who all of these ponies are."

Honestly, I had to agree there. It was way too many ponies way too fast.

Crystal looped a hoof over our daughter's mouth. "Shhh."

Doohickey, Dream Pop's father, came over to me and offered a chocolate-colored hoof. "Welcome to our home for this special occasion. You must be good friends to my Dream Pop if she invited you along."

I bumped my hoof to his and smiled. "Yes, sir. She and I have been through a lot together."

Coral marched up to me and said, "Colonel, I'm going to check the perimeter and make sure everything is buttoned up."

"All right, Cadet," I replied idly before turning to Pretty Palette. "On behalf of my family and myself, I want to thank you all for inviting us into your beautiful home for this special occasion."

Pretty Palette flushed and waved a hoof at me. "Any friend of Dream Pops is a friend of ours. Especially special friends."

Dream Pop giggled and shook her head. "It isn't like that, Momma! I told you that already."

Coral worked her way past Sweet Tart and Bubblegum to check one of the windows. "This seems secure, Colonel."

Bubblegum's brow arched, and she leaned down to my foal. "Sweetie, you're very diligent, but do you even know how to spell colonel?"

My little filly, in her endless wisdom, looked over at Dream Pop's sister and smiled. "No, ma'am, I'm only just a little older than three," she chimed before hurrying off to the next window.

"All right then! Everypony is here, so let's get to the mingling. Toast, Silent Knight, why don't you come with me," Doohickey said, motioning into a parlor off the main room.

"Certainly," I replied as the three of us trotted off.

Sugar called out after us, but it was indistinguishable to me again. She spoke too fast. I caught something about ‘stallions' and ‘Toast.'

The parlor was clearly the area the stallions kept to on a daily basis. Everything was made of wood. From the hardwood floors, to the plank ceiling, to the panel walls, it was rustic wood everywhere.

Two big easy chairs sat in front of a stone hearth that was filled to the brim with pictures. There were a few sitting pillows as well, but those didn't seem like they got a lot of use.

Toast stretched and then plopped himself down in one of the easy chairs. "It's really nice to not be as outnumbered as usual."

Doohickey smiled and shook his head. "Come now, Toast, your sisters aren't that bad." He then looked over at me and his voice lowered. "I see you've got a colt and a filly. You best hope that one on the way is another colt. Never let them outnumber you."

I chuckled and trotted over to the mantel to examine some of the pictures. "I'll keep that in mind. My wife assures that the current one is a filly though."

"You'd better stop there, then. Although it took me six times to get Toast, and he was worth the wait," Doohickey said, and that yielded a smile from his son.

"Coral hardly fits the princess mold, so I think Crystal feels outnumbered already," I replied idly while snooping. I was curious about these pictures because every single one seemed to include Dream Pop.

There was Sweet Tart at what looked like her law school graduation. She was a young adult, wearing her robes and holding her diploma. Beside her was Dream Pop, also in robes and holding a diploma. Only, she was a filly and probably only a few years older than Coral.

In another picture, I found Bubblegum at her graduation ceremony. She had a doctoral diploma in her hooves. Once again, I was looking at a young adult next to a now older but still filly-aged Dream Pop.

Then there was Dream Pop by herself, probably around the age Crystal started at Canterlot Academy. She had on robes with more cords than I knew existed, holding two diplomas.

Toast cleared his throat. "We keep them chronological for guests. It's easier to explain that way."

Dream Pop was in every picture. Every time one of her sisters had earned some sort of diploma, she had, too. At least in the picture of her and Pop Rocks they appeared to be in the same place in life.

Doohickey settled beside Toast and chuckled. "All of my foals are talented, which is a mystery to me. I'm good at what I do but I'm no genius, and neither is my wife. Dream Pop, though, she's something else altogether."

He had a fond look on his face that I could identify with. Both Coral and Clement made me proud. My daughter was dedicated and diligent to the guard life, but she also understood the importance of friends and family. And even though my son seemed like he was lazy, in reality he was just content. He didn't stress out about anything and I could respect that.

Toast nodded in agreement with his father. "That's one way to put it. Every time one of us took an interest in something, she did, too. She said she'd never know what she wanted to do until she did everything. Sweet Tart went to law school, so Dream Pop followed her. I went to medical school, and she followed me.

"Although, in her defense, she'd already been through most of that training with Sugar. I think by the time she got to me it was just so I didn't feel left out. It was nice to have her there, though," Toast explained.

"Since all of your daughters and son seem to have important jobs, I imagine that is why your holiday moves so often?" I asked.

Doohickey rocked back in his chair. "That's the size of it. Palette and I don't really travel or leave the town too often, and Toast works here in Appleloosa. The girls, though, they're all over Equestria and sometimes the world. We take any chance to see everypony together when we can."

As a relatively new father, it was tough to imagine my own foals being gone for more than a few hours, much less weeks or months. What would I do without Coral literally following in my hoofsteps, or Clement nestled on my back? I wasn't sure how Doohickey could be so calm about it. My kids were still foals and just the thought of them leaving gave me anxiety.

It was definitely something to mull over, but now wasn't the time. I finished snooping on the photos and settled in front of the fire to give Doohickey and Toast my full attention. "Well, I'm honored to be a part of the reunion."

Doohickey's bushy moustache twitched as he grinned. "Now, let me give you some advice just in case you end up with another filly…"