//------------------------------// // Home and Hearth (Twilight) Part 4 // Story: dC/dt ≠ 0 // by I Thought I Was Toast //------------------------------// Righteous anger simmered in the pit of my stomach, only just kept in check by the knowledge that it would only make things worse. It was unreasonable to expect Shining to know everything about changelings. If anything, this particular fiasco was my fault for not realizing Mo was stressing just as much as I was. I found Mo outside in the cold Mount Canter air, the wind slicing through the streets. It stabbed passerby like an icicle spell to the heart, and it left even the heartiest of ponies shivering if they hadn’t prepared adequately for the assaulting cold. Mo stood unflinching in it, his eyes behind his haws and a frown on his face. His joints were literally locked in place as he stood in the middle of the street and let the wind bombard him. The few ponies who were braving the streets right now stared as they struggled past him, but he hardly seemed to notice. Only when I approached him did he respond, bursting into flames to leave Wicked in his place. I took the chance to wrap my wing around him and cast a heating enchantment on him. “Ve’re sorry.” He hummed, his gaze still off in the distance. “Ve should not have lost control like that.” “Hey, you’re not the one who should be sorry….” I pouted, nuzzling him a little. He didn’t nuzzle back. “Ve don’t deserve to go back in there, Twilight.” He tried to pull away, but I wouldn’t let him. “Ve messed everything up.” “No, you didn’t.” I leaned into him. “My parents loved meeting you.” “They probably hate us now.” “They do not!” I huffed. “Now come on and come back inside with me.” “No.” His voice was so flat it hurt. “I can’t face them right now, Twilight. Not like this.” “You don’t have to face them immediately.” My horn sparked to life as I teleported us to my room with a flash. “Just stay here, with me, and relax. It’s my turn to listen to your worries.” “Ve’re not worr—“ “Careful what you say.” I kissed him on the cheek. “You wouldn’t want to lie.” He shivered a little. “Ve’re not that worried.” “Better.” I smiled, pulling us both into a seat on my bed. “Now, tell me everything.” My coltfriend remained silent, eyes closed, slowly breathing in and out. I waited patiently for him to collect himself, squeezing him every so often when his breathing hitched momentarily. When he finally spoke again, his voice was soft yet full of emotion. The flat, monotonous drone was gone, replaced by an echoing stutter that he didn’t even try to hide with his current guise. “M-most of it was petty, stupid stuff that seems pointless now.” Mo latched onto my forehoof with his and leaned into me. “I’m s-so glad your parents like me—that I have a chance to know what that’s like. I-I was so worried the wedding had made them—“ He stopped, gripping my hoof tighter for a moment. I could feel the holes in his hooves clenching and unclenching beneath the illusion of flesh and blood. “I-I guess it must run in the family.” The image of Wicked buckled and warped as he gave a strangled chirp, his wings shifting beneath mine. He took a moment to set it right, trying and failing to grin sheepishly at me. “Even Shining was trying his best, and he has every right to want me dead.” “No, he doesn’t.” I had to interrupt. “Yes, he does.” There was no stutter this time. “What Mother did to him was unforgivable. She may have dressed it up as a necessity for the invasion, but—“ “Shh….” I put a hoof to his lips. “It’s bad taste to talk about your mother while we’re in my bedroom.” I nuzzled him gently. “We should just be happy Shining is trying. You know he didn’t mean to insult you like he did, right?” “Yes…” he mumbled around my hoof. “Then tell me why you blew up at dinner,” I whispered, pulling back my hoof and looking into his eyes. “Don’t try to distract me with all the worries you found were ungrounded.” He gazed back at me for a few moments, his face neutral. Finally, he burst into flames and left himself a mini Mo. He snuggled up to me, and leaned forward, booping his snoot into mine. “Can ve show you something?” His eyes bored into mine and his horn sparked, echoing the question. “Right here, right now?” I glanced at the door to my room. “I don’t know if that’s—” “Please.” This time it was a peck on the lips. “Ve— Ve could just explain it, but I want you to understand.” I bit my lip. “Well… you know how this’ll look, right?” “You’ve been hanging out with me too long,” he chuckled. “They aren’t spying on us right now, I promise.” He heaved a sigh. “Believe me, I’ve been checking. They’re busy having their own discussion downstairs.” “Alright, then.” I smiled. “Let’s do this.” He leaned forward, putting his horn to mine and casting the readied spell. Time seemed to slow as my mind exploded with foreign memories and emotion. Countless glances into the lives of other changelings – mostly lords – flashed before my eyes, and the taste of leather, sickly-sweet, artificial sugar, and bitter leaves danced on my tongue. It felt like an eternity as they passed, but when they did, I was given glimpses of Mo as he saw me. The sweet taste of daffodils dominated now, yet there was also the taste of leather and sour milk buried deeply underneath the flowers that grew with every kiss. We reached his memories of the days leading up to the trip, and I tasted lemonade as he saw me fretting. The sour milk grew ranker and ranker, but he said nothing as he kept assuring me things would be alright. When we got to Canterlot, it started to fade into sweet cotton candy as he met with everypony, but every time somepony pried into how physical we’d been, the sourness surged. Then we reached dinner, and— Mo pulled back before the maelstrom of emotions overwhelmed me. “Twilight…” he trailed off momentarily, eyes glazing over, “...for over a thousand years, physical relationships have meant nothing more to changelings than food or favors or fun. When I kiss you and ve imagine what the future holds…” He shook his head and looked into the depths of my eyes. “I want something deeper with you, something meaningful…. I want to be more than a predator….” Oh, Mo…. I leaned in and squeezed him tight with my wing. Wrapping my tail around him, I nuzzled my head into the crook of his neck and poured my feelings out to him as I tried to think of something to say. For the next few minutes, we just sat and enjoyed each other’s company. He thrummed and stroked my mane in thanks, while I hummed and tickled his chin with my ears. “You know, if you’re planning on saving yourself for the wedding, I’ve got news for you.” I giggled as he suddenly fought to keep his wings under control, discordant cricketsong filling the air. His whole body burned a verdant emerald, and I had to fight not to blush myself. “Sure, I’m not ready now, but it’s only a matter of time.” I gave him a slow, gentle kiss, nibbling on his chop a little as I pulled away. “And if I had to wager a guess, you’re probably just as nervous about the prospect of proposing on three knees as you are about proposing—” Ah, there was my blush. “—making the beast with two backs….” There was a sudden pounding through the floor as Mom poked it with a broom and shouted up from below. “Twilight! We’re heading out to tonight’s pageant! Are you going to be okay staying home alone with your coltfriend?!” Mo and I started at the noise and pushed each other off the onto the floor with a thump. “Is that a yes, dear?! It sounds like a yes! We can give you privacy if you two decided to move things forward!” Oh, for the love of— Mom! “Use protection!” Dad! “Don’t worry about Shiny! I have him on a leash!” Cadance! “We’re not doing anything, you guys!” I kissed the small lump of chitin beside me on what may or may not have been the check before getting up and storming downstairs. I came upon everypony in the hallway and glared at them, only sparing a small smile for Flurry and Spike. “Seriously, stop it.” I stomped a hoof. “It bothers him when you talk like that. He’s absolutely terrified of making a mistake.” “It isn’t a mistake if he loves you, Twilight.” Surprisingly, it was Shining who spoke out. “I— Ve— He—“ I tried to find the words to express what he’d shown me. “He knows that, alright? That’s why he wants to take things so slow. Please don’t pester him about whether or not we’re—“ I glanced at Flurry. “—paying homage to Sleipnir.” “Who’s Sleigh— Sle— Sleepner?” Flurry asked with wide-eyed innocence. “Nopony you need to worry about,” Cadance chuckled, running a hoof through her daughter’s mane. “He’s just an eight-legged colt who’s famous for both his speed and his stamina.” “Woah!” Flurry reared her head back. “Eight legs?! I want eight legs!” Mom and Dad snorted in laughter. “What? What’s so funny?!” My niece pouted, pulling out her puppy dog eyes. “Nothing you need to worry about, sweetie.” Mom smiled at her, ruffling her mane. After a few fidgets and squeals of laughter from her grandfoal, she turned to me, her smile growing. “You and your coltfriend are welcome to join us, you know, since you two are doing nothing.” “I don’t know if—” “We’d love to join you. Thank you for the offer, Mrs. Velvet.” I turned my head so fast my brain had to play catch up. Wicked Smooth was standing by the stairs, smiling and bowing his head in thanks. “Please, call me Twilight.” Mom giggled. “Mrs. Velvet makes me sound old.” “I would if I could, but then I might mix you up with your daughter.” “If you confuse me for my mother, Morpheus, I’ll use you as a test subject for Applejack’s new insecticide.” “True. True. It can be confusing.” Mom waved a hoof dismissively at Mo. “I have quite a few stories about that from when Twilight was younger. So many young, hopeful fillies and colts showed up on our doorstep without ever realizing Twilight basically lived at the castle.” “You can tell me about some of them on the way there, Mrs. Velvet.” He walked past me to the closet to grab our scarves. He gently wrapped mine around my neck and pecked me on the cheek. “You ready?” “Are you?” I furrowed my brow. “I’m well enough, thanks to you.” He gave me a small smile. “It’ll be good to go out and do something.” “If that’s what you want, then I will gladly go to the Hearth’s Warming Pageant with you.” I hugged him. He hummed appreciatively, returning the hug with a kiss. “Might want to get us private seats, then. I plan on spending the whole time productively.” I tittered. “You’re going to point out all the inaccuracies, aren’t you?” “You know me too well for your own good, Twilight.” He laughed, entwining his tail in mine as everypony started out the door. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” It was late in the night when we got back from the pageant. One thing had led to another. We’d met some friends of my parents at the play, and they’d invited us to go caroling. Then, after that, we ran into Moondancer and my other Canterlot friends – who were also caroling – and they invited us all for hot chocolate and donuts at Joe’s. We’d stayed until well past closing, and had to carry Flurry and Spike home – the former sound asleep, the later desperately trying not to and failing. As soon as we walked in the house, the little drake stumbled groggily up the stairs while Cadance and Shining levitated Flurry to her room. The rest of us gathered in the kitchen for one last little chat before bed. “Tonight was… nice….” Mo was at the window, staring out into the night. “You have nice friends here.” “Thank you.” Mom, Dad, and I broke into laughter as we answered simultaneously. “Some think Canterlot is full of nothing but snobs and nobles.” Dad sipped at the cocoa he’d grabbed last second to go. “What those ponies often forget is that a city is more than its highest class. There’s a lot of good ponies just trying to make a living.” “Think you might be able to teach that to a couple hundred changeling aristocrats?” Morpheus chuckled darkly. “You’ve done so well raising your own children, I’m sure you could handle more.” “One more? Maybe.” Mom giggled, waggling her eyebrows at Dad. “A couple hundred? Pass.” “I wouldn’t mind a few more sets of hooves cantering through the house.” Dad grinned. “Oh, Celestia, are you two serious?” I didn’t know whether to dance on my frogs or wrinkle my face. “You’re not really going to give me a baby brother or sister, are you? At my age?” “I said a few more sets.” Dad’s grin widened. “You’ve made it clear we won’t be getting grandfoals from you any time soon. Why shouldn’t we take initiative?” Definitely time to go squick. Mom and Dad making foals was just… just wrong…. I shuddered. “Because you’ve got Shiny and Cadance to make you more grandfoals?” That mental image wasn’t much better, but it did beat Mom and Dad. “I’m not too sure they want more right now.” Mom stole a sip from Dad’s cocoa. “Flurry Heart is such a dear, but she’s so high maintenance. If we’re lucky, your father and I can land some nice, normal foals this time.” “What do you mean by normal?!” I gave a strangled squawk. Mom patted me on the back. “No offense, dear, but you and Shiny weren’t exactly normal when you were little. He once rolled down the street in a shield right off the side of Mount Canter, and you once hatched and brought home a baby dragon.” “Third, fourth, and fifth times the charm.” Dad laughed. “If we’re quick about it, you might even get them as a present next year.” “Three new siblings…” I muttered to myself. “It’s madness, absolute madness.” “Uh, Twilight? Ve believe they’re joking.” “Oh, we’re one hundred percent serious.” Dad took another sip of cocoa. “It’s just funny to watch little Twilight deal with it. She used to beg us for a little brother to play with Spike.” “I was like seven!” I threw up my hooves. “I thought all you had to do was ask the stork!” “Shh….” Mom held a hoof to her lips. “Other ponies are sleeping, young lady.” “Sorry….” I shook my head. “It’s just a lot to take in. Are you actually serious?” “We are.” Mom nodded. “Your father and I have been discussing it for a while.” “I think I need a drink.” I set my head in my hooves. “Cocoa?” Dad held up his cup. “Pass.” I groaned. After several seconds of silence, Mo spoke, “What— What was it like for you, raising Twilight?” “Oh, she was an adorable, magical, little monster.” Dad stared wistfully into the distance. “I have fond memories of her flinging mashed peas through the walls and knocking out the neighbors.” “Oh, I think I have a picture of that in the photo album!” Mom squealed. “Just give me a sec and I’ll go get it!” Oh hay, no. “Really?” I gave Mo a look from between my hooves, and he smiled sheepishly. “What?” He fidgeted. “I’m curious. Ve mostly know you as Twilight Sparkle, prized pupil of Princess Celestia, Element of Magic, and Slayer of Changeling Hearts.” Mo stifled a grin. “Ve don’t actually know that much about your home life.” “Found them!~” Mom trotted back into the kitchen with a smile and five books. Sitting at the table, she opened the one labeled ‘Baby Pictures.’ “Aww… just look at those little, rainbow butt cheeks.” Mom squeed, pressing her cheeks together with her forehooves to dampen the sound. “I completely forgot about when she ate the parks scheduled rainbow.” “Mom!” I hissed as Mo inched over to look. “And this is from when she teleported onto the bookshelf to reach her picture books.” “Always the avid reader, aren’t you?” Mo grinned at me as I twitched. “You really are cute, you know.” He frowned as a piece of my mane sprang out of line. “Come on, Twilight. It’s all in good fun. I’ll show you mine later, if you want.” He chuckled. “I was the fattest little larva you’ll ever see. Mother was most proud she managed to pass my egg.” That was simultaneously too much and too little information. “Whatever…” I sighed, shaking my head to clear it. “If Mom doesn’t get it out of her system this trip, it’s bound to happen sometime.” “Oh! This is it!”Mom held the photo up triumphantly. “This is when she knocked out the Paisley family with supersonic mashed peas. They moved after that, and our insurance rates went through the roof.” “Those smashed peas are orange.” My coltfriend arched his brow. “She transmuted them into carrots.” Mom giggled. “Made it much more difficult for us to claim the insurance.” “Oh, show him the time she made booming boom boom—“ Dad gave a bark of laughter. “No! Show him the time she transmuted her rattle into gold to make it sparkle!” “You better show him the time Spike ate my homework and the time Shining accidentally ate a sapphire cupcake,” I muttered. “I refuse to be the only one embarassed here.” “All in good time.” Mom smiled. “We just reached your adventures in pottery.” “Oh, no…” I groaned. “Are those klein bottles and… cubes?” Mo tilted his head to the side “Hyper cubes.” Dad puffed his chest out. “Like I said, she was an adorable, magical, little monster. She once brought home a stray Hound of Tindalos.” “I let him go!” I huffed. “Only after he shed stray angles everywhere.” Dad slurped the last of his cocoa down and levitated his cup into the garbage can. “Oh, I take it all back, dear. Who cares if our next one is normal? How many parents can say their daughter pulled a comet from orbit to study it?” “Yeah, I can see this isn’t going to end anytime soon, so I’ll be going to bed.” I looked at my coltfriend. “You coming with to make your little cocoon?” “I think I’ll wait a bit to see where this goes.” Mo hummed. “Besides I think I’ll be more comfortable in the living room.” Oh, you beautiful, sneaky bug. You were getting revenge for me, weren’t you? I could already imagine the looks on my parents faces when they stumbled across a full-fledged web and cocoon stuck to their ceiling. “Alright, then. Goodnight.” I blew him a kiss, and he shivered a little, licking his chops. “Goodnight, Twilight.” “Goodnight!” My parents waved absentmindedly, still looking at the photo albums. “Oh, yeah, they’re totally serious.” I shook my head as I left the kitchen. “They weren’t even that excited for the baby pictures when I was dating Flash. I wonder what it’ll be like… having another baby brother….” I mulled it over as I climbed the stairs and found myself smiling when I reached the top. Knowing Mom and Dad, I’d probably end up sister to the Emperor of the Kirin or something.