//------------------------------// // The Picture, Part One // Story: The Breaking Straw // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “But it’s true, your grace,” Officious said to DJ. “Look…just…it’s too early in the morning for this shit,” DJ replied. “I’m working on a side project and I don’t have time for this.” “Oh, but you must!” the adjutant insisted. “Why, do you know what happened the last time this occurred?” “No, but you’re going to tell me whether I like it or not,” came the drawled response. Either impervious or oblivious to sarcasm, the stuffy pegasus continued. “It was during the time of Princess Gemstone. She was concerned that there was not enough concern being given to the jaguar incursion and so she refused to sit in for one – she felt she needed to be leading her troops. And when that happened, Prince Caliber refused to sit in as well, and as a result – to this day we have a blank spot in the archives where their official picture is!” “Oh, the horror,” DJ groaned. “But didn’t they have other pictures painted of them? I swear I thought I saw one in the museum last time I went.” “Yes, well….” Officious adjusted his lapels. “They did pose for other pictures in their due time. But the first picture is just that – there is never another opportunity to regain what is lost! It is special and thus you must plan for that cherished moment!” DJ looked up from her keyboard again. “Wait, are we talking about an official photo, or metaphors for virginity?” Officious looked at her as though his eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets. “I, uh….” “Look, tell you what: I’m sure I have a macaroni picture of the family somewhere that one of my sons made for class. Maybe we can use that?” “Macaroni…picture?” “Or maybe a crayon sketch my daughter did.” “Crayon…sketch.” “Or possibly an acrylic oil on canvas that I did during my blue period while watching Bob Ross.” Officious blinked. “Wait…you don’t have a daughter, do you?” DJ rolled her eyes. “Wow, you’re so quick. Ninja-like skills there, I see.” Officious sighed. “Your grace….” “No. I can also say that in other languages, too, if you want to hear those.” He sighed and started to depart. “Oh, don’t go away mad, Officious…” she stated. “Really?” “Yeah – just go away.” “DJ,” Twilight began. “I don’t want to do it, okay? It’s kinda creepy. Just the thought of an ‘OFFICIAL PORTRAIT’—” This part she said in a faux-echoing voice while moving her arms to emphasize a large picture, “—makes me wonder if I should break out Soviet Union iconography and shit. They used to do it, there too.” Twilight sighed. When her niece had ideas in her head, there was no stopping her. “Just think. People will have to parade past my picture, double-file, goose-stepping on a red carpet while I stand there in the picture looking like Stalin. Or maybe Yeltsin. Whatever.” She frowned. “Trust me, I look hideous in olive green and red.” “DJ, you’re being ridiculous.” DJ continued nonstop. “Hell, I don’t even know the lyrics of the Soviet anthem. I’m sure there’s references to communism, borscht and Olympic doping in there somewhere, but really, Twi, that’s about it.” Twilight facehoofed. “Are you done?” she asked a minute later. “Look, I just…I think it’s a bad idea.” “Yes, it probably is, but we’ll manage. Why are you so dead set against this?” “Because clearly you are unfamiliar with the ways of human children.” The unicorn looked at her oddly. “I don’t understand.” “Good – that’s usually the first sign of wisdom.” “DJ….” The humanized pony huffed. “Fine. You ever try to get a kid to sit still for school photos? It just doesn’t happen. Somewhere in our DNA are genetic instructions not to sit still. Ever. It’s probably in the weird-shaped mitochondria, not the normal ones. It just. Does. Not. Happen.” Twilight just gave the air a Why me? look and continued to listen. “And so, keeping in mind that you either have to resort to tranquilizers, illicit drugs or taxidermy to keep children still for photos, imagine this happening in a painting. Where you have to sit for much longer. I’d probably get apologies and acceptance from Rarity before my boys sit still for a picture.” “DJ, you know that’s not likely to happen.” “And so my point is made.” “DJ, you need to do one with your family. I can sympathize, really: I thought sitting for a painting was a waste of time myself. At several points I wanted to see if I could develop a spell to speed up time just to make the pain end. But this is for more than just taking up residence in the gallery at the Royal Museum or the one at the palace.” “Wait – there’s two?” “Yes, didn’t Officious tell you?” “No, I tuned him out the moment he started saying about what an honor it is and making unintended sexual references or at least comments that I could easily twist into some.” “Why am I not surprised?” Twilight sighed. “Look…I know you don’t like the idea. But doesn’t the precarious situation that Luna is going through right now mean anything to you?” “I fail to see how she and Robin are tied into this.” “Easy. Tia’s been trying to get them to sit down for their official portrait as well, but in their case, many painters refuse to do it. They…it’s like many of them are saying that neither Robin nor Sterling belong in this family, and Luna has not been taking it well. I was hoping that if you were to do yours, it would at least show them that humans do deserve to be a part of this family.” “What about Spike?” Twilight frowned. “They took forever to do his. He was scheduled to do his originally when he was twenty-five but for, quote unquote, ‘reasons’, painters were busy for five years. It actually took Celestia commissioning the royal portraitist from Griffonica to do Spike’s that anypony paid attention…and then they complained forever about the insult to their livelihoods and standing. Not once did they care about how my brother felt.” “I didn’t know.” “Of course you didn’t. This all happened long ago, so it’s water under the bridge now. But it’s happening again. And I would hope that you would care about what goes on in the family enough to do so. I know you try to stay clear of royal happenstance, but this really isn’t a time when you can, DJ. Not if you care about Luna.” “You really hit below the belt, don’t you?” “I do what I have to do, you know that.” “Fine. But we do this my way and quite frankly I don’t care what the portraitists think. If they don’t like what I come up with, then I shall have to quote them wise words, passed down from time immortal since the dawn of human wisdom.” Twilight wondered what DJ meant. Then she cocked a brow; chances were, DJ was being sarcastic. As usual. “And that is?” DJ smiled. “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you get what you need.” “Wow, who said that?” “Mick Jagger. Besides, it was either quoting a song or saying ‘eat a dick’. The former seemed slightly politer.” The next day, a phone rang in a large house in Milton, Georgia. A lanky teenager picked up the phone. “Byrd residence.” “Hello, Jack, this is DJ Martinez. How are things?” Jack Byrd struggled to remember the name, before recalling the name. “Oh, hi, Ms. Martinez. Things are doing great here. How about you?” “Can’t complain. Is your mom home?” “Yeah, sure. She’s in her studio right now.” “Oh, that’s right you guys recently moved, didn’t you?” “Yeah, Mom needed a bigger place for her studio. Give me a sec, gotta take the phone out to her.” Jack stepped out of the house and walked across the backyard to an adjacent building on the land. As he walked in, he found a pony at work on a large screen, futzing away with a picture on Photoshop. “Hey, Mom? I have DJ Martinez on line for you.” Sepia Byrd grinned. “Thanks, Jack.” She took the phone from him and said, “Heya, Dee. You could’ve just called on the cell.” “I tried but didn’t get an answer.” Pia facehoofed. “That’s my fault – I keep forgetting the local cell tower’s on the fritz. Gotta call the phone company about that, but I keep forgetting, since we have an old landline we keep for emergencies. Anyway, what’s up?” “You still doing photography, Pia?” The unicorn grinned. “You say that like you don’t know I’m one of the most in-demand photographers in the country. In fact I’m working on touchups for a shoot I did for the cover of Breaktacular’s annual print edition.” She tapped a few buttons before adding, “Originally, it was supposed to be a montage of several top-selling artists, starting with Heavy Hittah.” “Oh? How’d that go?” A frown came over Pia’s muzzle. “Apparently because we mares put out pheromones that make men attracted when we’re attracted, clearly it means that the only reason I was hired for the photoshoot for a star rapper was because I wanted to have sex with him while pretending to take pictures. Nevermind that my husband is the publisher for the website and magazine that Neanderthal was lucky enough to be on the cover of, clearly I was supposed to strip down and get in, ahem, ‘pony style’.” There was silence over the line for a second before DJ spoke again. “Did you kick him in the balls?” “Didn’t have to. One of the other guys I was taking a picture of – Jonathan Maria, the lead singer for Rocks the Pants, came in and saw him leaning over me. Guy pulled him away and said if he did that shit again, he was going to kick his ass.” Though DJ couldn’t see it, she could hear the smile on her friend’s face. “Totally nice guy. Also helps that his band’s good too.” “So what happened?” “Well, a little later Richard came by and saw I was flustered. I explained what happened and Jonathan backed me up, and now, Richard tossed the issue and is doing a special issue on nice guys in rock – and asked Jonathan and his band to curate the issue.” She laughed. “So nice guys do win in the end. Anyway, why’d you call?” “Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor.” “Sure, all ears. What’s up?” “Well, I have to do my royal portraiture with me and my family, and for some reason, they somehow think that kids are going to sit still for those things.” Pia laughed. “Oh, don’t remind me. I’m still recovering from when we had Melissa do hers at the beginning of the school year back in October. I swear, I love my daughter, but at that point I was hoping my horn would grow back so I could cast a stasis spell on her to get her to stop moving like a doped-up cheetah!” “Well, I was figuring that the rules say ‘portrait’ and technically not ‘painting’, I was hoping if you were—” “Say no more. I’m always free for a friend. Besides, now that the photoshoots got changed, I’ve got all the time in the world. Where do you need me to be?” “Would you mind coming to Canterlot? I can get you a pass for the portal.” “Oh, no, not at all. Besides, it’ll give me a chance to bring the kids by to see my family’s graves in Dodge Junction. They’ve never seen them before, so I thought they might appreciate finding out where I came from.” “Well, just let me know when you can, and I’ll arrange everything.” “Sure. Give me a couple of days to arrange everything and I’ll send you an email with the details.” “Sounds good. Thanks, Pia. I really appreciate it.” “Hey, what are friends for, right? Besides, it’ll give me a chance to shine my spotlight in a place it hasn’t been before.” “Talk to you later, then. Bye!” Pia hung up the call, then dialed another number in. “Hey, Gladys. You up for a trip to Canterlot?” Meanwhile, back in Canterlot, DJ had no sooner hung up the phone than someone knocked on her door. Someday I will actually get some writing done around this madhouse, the humanized pony rued as she opened the door. “Hello, DJ,” Elusive said, waving. “May I come in?” “Hi, Luse,” she said, making her way so her younger brother could come in. “What brings you here?’ “The latest crisis between you and Mother, of course,” he said weakly. “Do I even want to know?” “Probably. Mother found out that you’re scheduled to do your official portraiture soon and because she thinks that you’ll do something ‘off the wall’ and ‘beyond the pale’, she spent a substantial amount of money to hire Body Color to paint your family’s portrait.” “I thought the family that was having the portrait done were allowed to choose?” “That’s just the point – she doesn’t think you could deal with the responsibility, so she went and did it for you,” Elusive explained. “That would be bad enough, but I’m afraid I’m not done yet.” “But wait there’s more,” DJ said in a dull agreement. “May as well tell me what I get with the bamboo steamer that’s absolutely free.” When he looked at her oddly, she explained, “Human joke. Go ahead.” “We…that is, Butter and I…had made the mistake of hiring Color to do our official portrait after we wed.” Elusive sighed. “How do I say this politely?” “When am I ever polite, Luse?” “Point. Well, I suppose there’s no way to sugarcoat it: he’s a specist and tribalist. Sadly, I did not find out about this until the picture was nearly complete, but he’d harangued Butter for being a ‘mudsquatter’ who was only with me for my family’s name and riches. When I found out I was incensed, but Mother insisted that she would take care of the matter. We ended up using his portrait, though she forced him to waive the commission price. Truthfully, we probably should’ve pulled his royal warrant as well, but he does have a family to take care of and I would not want them to suffer for their boor of a father and husband.” “Okay, so if this guy is a grade-A asshat, why did she hire him? I thought she loved my kids. No idea how she feels about Mike, but as I get it, she loves the boys.” “I suspect the intent is not directed towards them or even Mike,” Elusive said, and it was what he didn’t say that made it all clear. DJ facepalmed and muttered several choice words in Spanish. “Do something about your mother,” DJ told him, “or else I’m going to.” “All things considered maybe you should talk to her, DJ.” “Luse, I didn’t say I’d talk to her, I said I’d do something. Said something, by the way, will probably involve a noose, a pinebox and criminal statutes.” “So you want me to talk to her?” he asked thickly. She smiled and clapped, a gleeful expression on her face. “I’m so glad I have an understanding little brother!” “Why me?” he groaned. “Why me?” she groaned. “Mother, if you would just listen to what DJ—” “No. I will not have that…that…human…make a mockery of such an important occasion!” Rarity cried as she lay on her fainting couch. “Does she not realize the importance of this? Of how it will make us all look?” “Mother…you choosing Body Color as the official portraitist might not have been a good idea.” “Oh, posh. I know the, ahem, ‘gentlestallion’ may have made some mistakes in the past, but we are pony! We are meant to be forgiving and understanding, you know that? Isn’t that the crux of our species and society?” “Yes, but—” “Oh, but nothing, my dearest darling son. I am your mother and I know what is best in this circumstance. And even though that…human…doesn’t know what is best for her, I must look out for my grandfoals. I won’t let them suffer because their mother is a boorish, obstinate harridelle!” She patted him on the cheek. “As a father, you will understand this someday, son. I would expect the same from you if it ever came to it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work.” Elusive groaned. A couple of days later, DJ sat waiting by the portal at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “Thanks for arranging this, Cadance,” she said to the alicorn. Cadance nodded. “It’s quite alright. I remember how my first official portrait was, and I can understand the trepidation. Still, it’s an important part of royal life, so we must bear it.” She sighed. “I remember the time before my first official portrait; it was a dark and stormy time, filled with bandits and manticores….” “I detect a bit of sarcasm there,” DJ said with a grin. Cadance chuckled. “Honestly, DJ, nopony likes them. In this day and age, I’m not even sure why we do them, and I’m sure the rulers of Human-Earth probably feel the same way. I know I’ve got to sit for one with my son as soon as he’s of age and I am not looking forward to that. Hell, I’m sure that Twi isn’t looking forward to sitting for one with Dawn, either, but it’s something that royalty and nobility has to do.” “Couldn’t, you know, Celestia change that law?” “I’m sure she could,” Cadance agreed, “but some things are even beyond the royalty, if that makes sense.” DJ folded her arms and grunted. “Well, I don’t like it.” The portal then activated, pulsating to life. A few seconds later, a humanized unicorn came walking out of it, holding the hand of a younger girl. Behind her was a teenage boy and an older man. Behind them was a group of REG personnel carrying several cases behind them. Bringing up the rear was a boisterous gryphoness, barking orders and having fun doing it. DJ went over and hugged her friend. “Heya, Pia, how goes?” “Oh, you know how it is as the only other member of the humanized pony club, right?” DJ giggled. “Founding member and club president – membership has its perks, right?” Pia laughed all the more. “Well, you sure convinced me!” The two bounced around like old friends and for Cadance, it was rather disconcerting seeing DJ acting…well, like a normal person rather than the taciturn near-curmudgeon she was usually known to be. Part of her wanted to go hunt down DJ’s husband to find out if what she was watching was real or if she was just losing her mind. “Oh, this is normal, your highness,” Gladys said, as if answering Cadance’s thoughts. “When they get together they act like long-lost sisters or something. It’s kinda odd, I know, but hey, Pia’s my friend, so what can you do, right?” Richard watched as his wife goofed off with her friend like a pair of giddy teenagers. “Honestly, it’s good to see her unwind now and then. From what I know, same for DJ as well.” “You have no idea,” Cadance said flatly. Done with her brief moment of jocularity, DJ turned to Gladys. “Hey, Gladys, how’s the wing?” The gryphoness moved it gingerly. “I’m taking it day by day, you know? I mean, I’m glad that they were able to catch the tumor in time, but….” She shrugged her wings. “Thanks for asking, though.” DJ then went over and hugged Richard. “And Richard! Looking good as always! Wife running you ragged?” He laughed. “As always, she’s a handful. But I doubt you’re treating Mike any less so.” “Guilty as charged.” She then went over to look at Jack. “Man, you are growing up, kid! Find a girlfriend your style?” Jack blushed and scratched his head. “Not really, Mrs. M, but thanks for asking.” DJ laughed breezily and went over to hug Melissa. “And you’re growing so big, you know that? Cute as a button, though.” DJ sighed. “Makes me wish I had a girl.” “No you don’t, Dee,” Pia told her with mock-sobriety. “No, seriously!” Cadance continued to look at DJ with complete confusion. This was not the mare she – or she suspected, anypony – in the family knew. This was an entirely different mare, and if it weren’t for the fact that the alarms were silent, the alicorn would have suspected that it was a really bad changeling impostor. Meanwhile, DJ was about to say something, when her phone went off. She spent several moments on it back in what Cadance charitably called “DJ Mode” before she apologized, explaining she had “Rarity problems” before heading off in a huff. Cadance watched as DJ stormed off. “Well, as you’ll all be staying in the castle, please, let me show you all to your rooms and then give you the tour until DJ gets back.” The romance alicorn sighed, wondering when that was going to be. “And that’s what I saw!” Cadance told Luna less than an hour later. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I swear, I would have imagined the whole thing!” “I know,” Luna said sadly. “And I know that she’s only like that around Sepia Tone. I think it’s because they understand each other better than any two ponies in either reality.” “How so?” Cadance asked, and when the night alicorn explained, Cadance turned away in sorrow. “I hadn’t heard about that,” she said. “It was during a period you were throwing yourself into your work,” Luna told her. “Besides, even we cannot keep up on all of our subjects; and as I understand it, Pia is a dual-national, so it would hardly be likely for us to keep abreast on the injuries of Equine-Americans. In any case, she has recovered wonderfully and is proving to be a vital asset for us.” “Asset?” Cadance inquired. Luna nodded. “She serves so, indirectly. First, by being an example of ponies excelling in our work over there. Despite the years that our two species have been exposed to one another, there are still some that do not trust ponies. They think we have ‘motives’ and plans. And of course, there are specists there, just as we have them amongst our own kind. But it is the second point which I feel is more important.” “And that is?” “She makes DJ smile. And from what I understand, oftentimes that is not a common-enough occurrence for our taciturn young mare.” Luna thought about it for a second. “Maybe I should arrange an informal dinner for tomorrow night. That way we could get them together. DJ obviously invited her friend over for the official portrait, so perhaps by letting them unwind in a more comfortable setting, we can find out exactly what’s going on. Because otherwise, we’re going to see inevitable conflict between her and Rarity.” “Cosmos forbid that happens – again,” Cadance sighed. “What?” Rarity’s shriek was enough to make Cerise wince. “That…that….” The mare sat down, furious and unable to say another word. “Even at the end of the day, she vexes me!” “I’m sorry, Rarity,” Cerise said with sympathy. “I know she’s always been a problem for you.” The unicorn sighed. “Were all humans as marelike as you, my dear Cerise, perhaps our two civilizations would be even closer. As it is, I am proud that I at least have you by my side. Now, what were you able to dig up about this…photographer…she hired?” “Apparently Mrs. Sepia Byrd is a renowned photographer in her field and is an old friend of Sandalwood’s.” Cerise continued to read off her tablet. “She’s been hired a couple of times by Princess Celestia to take official photos during her visits to North America. She is thirty-three, born in Dodge Junction—” “Dodge Junction? So she’s a pony?” “I don’t think so, your grace. There’s also a Dodge Junction in Kansas, so she is likely human. Two children, a boy and a girl; married to Richard Byrd, who is publisher and CEO for the Atlanta Online News Group, who own several influential local news websites, from Atlanta’s A-Frame to, locally, The Ponyville Clarion.” Rarity sighed. “And for a moment, I had thought that I would have somepony I could reason with. No doubt this ‘Sepia Byrd’ is some bubble-headed silly human woman.” “I have a picture of the family; best thing we could find during a quick Hooftap search.” Cerise handed over her tablet, which showed a picture of the Byrd family, with a human woman holding a newborn, while a proud father stood behind them both. To the side, a young boy smiled for the camera, complete with toothy gap. Looking at the picture, Rarity couldn’t help but wonder if the thieves that had taken Sandalwood from her had made any pictures like this. Proud parents, knowing they had stolen something that wasn’t rightfully theirs. The family looked adorable and happy, and it made Rarity ache all the more for what she had lost – worse, what was being denied her because of her brainwashed daughter. “Arrange a meeting for me with Mrs. Byrd, if you please,” Rarity said. “Friend or not, I’m sure I can convince her to see things my way. I will not stand for my grandsons’ official portrait to be ruined by their mother’s own whims, and whatever qualities this Mrs. Byrd may or may not have, I am quite sure that as a mother, even she can understand propriety and decorum.” That night, DJ had her friends over for dinner. Given that Pia had adopted much the same eating habits that DJ had, it was a chance for the humanized pony to flex her cooking skills. And after a night of some of her family’s tried-and-true enchiladas, the group now sat in front of a demolished table’s worth of Mexican food while Jack offered to watch over the younger ones so the adults could talk. “Oh, I’m gonna get soooo fat,” Gladys groaned. “You really have to give me this recipe, DJ. I swear Gilgamesh is going to love them.” “Gilgamesh?” DJ looked coyly at the gryphoness. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned him.” Pia laughed. “He’s a new gryphon nurse that started working for Eris a few months ago,” the humanized unicorn explained. “She fixed them up on a date and they’re now busy practicing making eggs on a regular basis.” Gladys blushed good-naturedly at her friend’s jibe, and the rest of them laughed. “So, now that I’ve dented your food bill,” Pia told her, “want to tell me what this whole thing is about?” DJ went over and rehashed the whole thing, with Pia occasionally nodding or tapping something onto her cellphone for notes. DJ then went on to talk about how important the whole thing supposedly was, and even though she didn’t want to do it she was going to both for her family’s sake for Luna’s as well. “Yeah, I’ve heard. Is it true that Luna had a love child with a human?” Pia asked. “I mean, I don’t mean to pry into your family business much less royal affairs, but….” “I’ll let her discuss it,” DJ said. “I got a call from her office an hour ago and given that you are all staying at the palace for the duration of this ordeal, she offered to host an informal dinner for us all. You can talk to her then and get her opinion. Who knows? She might just want to hire you as well.” “That would be great,” Pia admitted. “Given that I’ve worked with Princess Celestia, I’m hoping that she’s as personable.” “Luna’s great, trust me. I love my aunt dearly and she adores me, even though we’ve been at loggerheads from time to time.” “You? Butting heads with someone?” Pia drolled. “I can’t believe that.” DJ sucked down the rest of her beer. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, ha ha. Should’ve gone into comedy, Pia.” “I love my day job too much, sorry.” She grinned and then added, “Anything else I should know?” “Yeah. Only that I’m doing this photoshoot because it bucks the trend and it hasn’t been done before. So call me a rulebreaker, but I figured it was time that the family got some modernization in the house.” “Maybe we can do both at once,” Gladys commented. “Remember that project I told you about that’s going on over at Georgia Tech?” “The Rembrandt Project?” Pia asked and Gladys nodded. When DJ gave her an unusual look, Pia explained. “There’s a student at Georgia Tech that recently built a robot that’s designed to take photos and paint perfect oil-painting recreations. Some kid built it as part of a robotic experiment, but something like that could really come in handy. You could get your picture taken and have both of them done!” DJ grinned. “That’s a great idea! I knew there was a reason I liked you.” “Flattery will get you everywhere, Dee,” Pia said with a laugh. Gladys looked at the clock. “Well, I don’t know about you, but since we don’t have to get started on this project for a few more days, it’ll give me a chance to fly back home and see my folks. I’m sure they’ll want to know how I’m doing.” “Where’s home?” Mike, who had been mostly quiet during the evening, asked. “Seaddle. Equestrian-born and raised, that’s me, though my parents were Griffonican. In any case, I’ll probably go there for a few days, then come back and look into getting ahold of the kid with the Rembrandt bot. That work for you, Pia?” Pia nodded. “It’ll let me take a day trip out with the family to Dodge Junction. Then, we’ll be able to set things up, we can talk about exactly how you want it and then do lighting tests in the location and the like. Do you know where we’re going to do the shoot?” “There’s a parlor in the west wing of the palace that’s been traditionally used for these things,” DJ told her. “I figure it looks more elegant than our place here, so I’m not about to buck tradition in that regard. Luna and Twi would have my head if I did that.” “Well, sooner or later you’re going to have to listen to reason, hon,” Mike told her. “Yeah, well, reason is not my forte. I’m a writer, remember? I’m a fabulist and that’s just how shit works!” she said with a giggle. “But yeah, let me talk to Luna tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do. I’m sure she’ll want someone she trusts do take care of this picture, and I trust you, so I can put in a good word.” “Well, I’d very much appreciate that, DJ. But yeah, it’s getting late and we probably should be heading back.” “I’ll call for a duty REG vehicle,” DJ told them. “It’ll make for an easier time for you to get back onto the compound.” “I thought the palace grounds were open, though,” Richard asked her. “Not during the nighttime,” Mike told them. “Security’s gotten tighter since the invasion and though things are starting to get back to normal around here, well, this just might be the new normal. Maybe it’s just the influence of human thought patterns, but after a second fight against changelings, they’re starting to take security more seriously than I’ve ever seen it.” Twenty minutes later, the grateful family stepped out of the SUV, giving a thankful wave to the REG driver on duty before waved off and headed back to the motor pool. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’m going to take a walk around the grounds,” Pia announced. “I hear they’re beautiful at night, and I never had the chance to see them when I lived here.” She paused. “Well, when I lived here in Equestria. I never actually lived in Canterlot, per se.” “You know what? That sounds like a great idea,” Richard told her, putting his arm around his wife’s shoulders. In turn, she gently wrapped her tail around his leg. “I know that look,” Jack said with a grin. “C’mon, Melissa – let’s give them some time alone, okay?” “I don’t wanna go to bed!” the young girl whined. “We won’t. We’ll see what’s on TV, okay? But let’s leave Mom and Dad to take their walk and you and I can watch cartoons or something.” Agreeing to her brother’s bribe, the two went off towards the nearest entrance, leaving their parents to head towards the grounds. “It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Pia said, walking slowly and enjoying the cloying scent of the flowers sprayed throughout the garden. “Luna creates these starscapes every night and I’ve missed so much of it.” Richard looked into the sky. “Still hard to believe that stars don’t work quite the same way that they do back home. Are they really the same thing?” “I don’t know. We never really covered that in school, admittedly,” Pia told him. “And given that a lot of what the kids are learning at school is so different than what I knew, I really don’t know what to say. I grew up amongst this, though.” “And it’s made you oh, so lovely,” he told her, scooping her up in his arms and bringing her up to eye level so he could gaze into his wife’s loving eyes. “You’re a flatterer, Richard.” “You’re worth flattering, Pia.” “Ahem.” The two lovers turned to see a palace page standing there, looking extremely skittish. “Uh…Mr. and Mrs. Byrd?” “That…would be us,” Pia told him. “Can I help you?” The young stallion awkwardly shuffled his forelegs before sitting down and reaching into a satchel on his side. “Yes, I have two documents for you, if you will.” He handed them over to them. “Thank you,” she said to him, looking at the two envelopes. One was a traditional scroll, bound by a midnight-blue silken ribbon, while the other was more modern stationery, sealed in the back with eminence-purple wax. “Thank you,” he said. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” Without anything further to say, he tore off away from the two. “Skittish kind of guy,” Richard noted. “Well, he did catch us in an…interesting moment,” Pia said with a smirk. She then opened the scroll. “Well, this is interesting.” “What’s that?” “We’ve been requested to join her highness Princess Luna for dinner tomorrow night. Nothing formal, just a get together. I wonder if DJ knows about this?” she said, referring to the formal invite in her hoofspace. “Wouldn’t surprise me,” he said with a shrug. “And the other?” Pia opened that as well and the smile on her face turned into a frown. “And here’s where the headaches begin. Remember what she told us about her biological mother?” “Rarity, the Knight Elemental of Generosity?” “The one and the same,” Pia told him. “We’ve been summoned to meet with her for breakfast.”