Twilight gave a slightly irritated, but extremely relieved, sigh as she, Spike, and Owloysius made their way back into town.
Apparently Emerald, as well as virtually everypony else, had been right when they said that Spike was jealous of Owloysius. It... hurt that she'd been too blinded to realize that, and it served to remind that, despite being Spike's caretaker, she hadn't really taken care of him for the longest time now.
Sure, she'd helped feed him, and bathed him, and generally grew up with him, and she knew him better than anypony else, but she hadn't really been putting him in the forefront of her mind for years now. If she had, then maybe she would've noticed the whole thing sooner.
As it was, the presence of Owloysius putting self-perceived pressure on his job, coupled with her anger and disappointment regarding the fate of her The Astronomical Astronomer's Almanac to All Things Astronomy had been hard on the little dragon. It got to the point where he'd feared that she'd flat out stopped loving him, and he ran away.
That had sent Twilight into a mad panic when she realized that, and it was only thanks to Owloysius' superior eyesight that they'd found Spike's ketchup covered footprints, a remnant of his attempt to get Owloysius in trouble, and followed him into the Everfree. Just in time, as well, since Spike had, somehow, angered a full grown dragon enough that it chased them through nearly a quarter of the forest before it finally gave up.
And thus, here they were, walking through the snowstorm back home.
Twilight shivered slightly, her body warmed only slightly by the dragon sitting on her back,
"Spike, I'd never replace you," she spoke, "You're my brother, you know that?" She felt him fidget on her back, a result of nerves or the cold was unknown to her,
"I know that now," he murmured, burying his face into her mane for warmth, "It was just... hard," he added. Twilight sighed,
"I know Spike. How about I make it up to tomorrow with some of Pinkie's gem cupcakes?" she offered. Spike perked up,
"Sapphire?" he asked eagerly, prompting Twilight to laugh,
"Of course!"
With the mood improved, Twilight felt a gentle warmth settle in her chest, helping to stave off the freezing air. Her eyes grazed the night sky for a moment, finding the moon hanging overhead. She hummed to herself.
Emerald should be out on patrol by now. She felt a little guilty having to miss their usual meeting at the course, but with weather like this, she doubted they'd be able to run it all Winter.
Then again, was that even going to stop him?
She giggled to herself. No, no it wasn't. Emerald just wasn't the kind of stallion to let a little thing like the weather stop him from doing something, especially run his course.
It was a little funny, now that she thought about it. He ran the thing almost religiously at this point, and he took very good care of it as well. It was... slightly endearing, actually. He said it was a gift, right? So he must really think highly of whoever gave it to him.
Had... had he ever told her who gave it to him? She couldn't remember.
Oh well, she'd just have to ask later, then. Preferably after she'd gotten two or three cups of hot cocoa into her system.
A gust of wind washed over her, causing Twilight to shiver.
Jeez, those pegasi had really outdone themselves, hadn't they? It hadn't been snowing for too long and it looked like the snow was already beginning to pile up along the road!
Twilight paused in the middle of the empty street, a strange, foreboding feeling overtaking her.
Sitting before her was a large, pony-sized mound of snow, resting in the middle of the street, not too far from her home.
She frowned. That didn't make any sense. There was no logical way the snow would've settled like that, unless some pegasus brought a cloud down and let it hang there for almost an hour. But even then, it hadn't been snowing for an hour, so how did it...?
Her mind ran circles around the conundrum, for all of a few moments until Spike spoke up,
"Uh, Twilight? It's getting pretty bad out here, shouldn't we head inside?" he asked, startling her from her thoughts. She blinked rapidly,
"Oh... oh! Right, of course!" she agreed, shaking her head free of those thoughts. Even so, she didn't move from her spot, just... staring at the mound. There was something about it that just... didn't sit right with her.
Slowly, she began to approach the snow pile, until she ended up right next to it. Her earlier estimate of the size was correct. If she were to lay flat on the ground, the mound would only be a little bigger than she was.
Cautiously, she reached a hoof out, ignoring Spike's questioning, and prodded the mound.
Nothing happened.
Frowning she prodded it again, and, when nothing happened, she began putting more pressure on her hoof, until it started sinking into the snow and- there was something inside!
She yelped and skidded back a foot or so.
There was definitely something inside the mound, and it wasn't small. Whatever it was, it was warm, almost searingly so compared to the icy snow surrounding it.
Her surprise, laced with a bit of fear, slowly faded, replaced by curiosity.
What exactly could be hiding in a mound the size of a po-?
The fear surged back into her, and she practically leapt at the snow, her hooves working in tandem with her magic to strip the white powder away, spots of green beginning to poke through until she'd cleared it all away, revealing-
"Emerald?!"
Twilight paced nervously back and forth beside her bed, sending worried glances towards it's unconscious occupant.
Emerald had been completely out cold. He didn't respond to anything she'd tried when it came to waking him up either. Calling his name, dripping water onto his face, holding his nose shut, nothing!
She'd even checked him for injuries, something that still sent furious streaks of red through her cheeks twenty minutes later, and she didn't even find anything! Considering how high the snow had gotten, he had to have been out there for at least ten minutes, coupled with the twenty she'd been waiting, and she was beginning to worry.
He had a normal heartbeat, and was still breathing fairly easily, so he wasn't dead or dying, at least. But ponies generally don't stay unconscious for more than ten minutes without some serious brain damage, and that was assuming that magic wasn't involved!
She carefully adjusted his pillow with her magic upon noticing that it had gotten out of place. Even so, her mind was more occupied with trying to figure out what sort of spell could knock someone like Emerald out, and keep him knocked out for so long as well!
Whoever it was, they couldn't be up to any good. The only reason someone would target the town's only guard would be if they were planning something, and something serious. But that opened up a new can of worms, so to speak, since she was pretty sure only she, her friends, and, most likely, the mayor and hospital staff knew anything!
Unfortunately, she had to resort to coming up with different spells based solely on how long he was out, since there wasn't a single trace of magical residue on his body. Not one. Not even his disguise seemed to leave any sort of trace of interacting with his person, and it was driving Twilight mad!
A groan escaped the thestral's lips, causing Twilight to appear by his side almost instantly.
"Emerald?" she asked quietly. His face twisted for a moment, as if in pain, before it relaxed, leaving him as unconscious as ever. She swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty.
What was happening to him?
She contemplated bringing him to the hospital, but a glance out the window discouraged her. The storm was really beginning to rage out there.
She could have tried to teleport the two of them there, but she was still working on the spell. The one time she had done the spell, during that whole ticket fiasco, had been a result of stress, hope, and dumb luck. If she tried it now, who knows what could go wrong.
Her head lowered until it rested on the bed beside his.
"What's wrong...?" she murmured, gazing intently at him. Puffing up her cheeks in defiance, she climbed onto the bed and stood over him, her legs planted firmly on either side of him, until their muzzles were pressed against each other.
She stared intently down at him, at his closed eyelids, as if doing so would somehow provide her the answer she sought.
She stared for a moment longer, before she fell limp, rolling to his side, and contemplated just falling asleep and hoping he'd be awake by the time the sun rose.
... the sun rose...
Twilight shot up, so suddenly that she nearly sent herself toppling off the bed.
Of course! It was so obvious! Why hadn't it occurred to her before?!
"Spike!" she called, rushing out of the room and down the stairs, "Spike!"
"What?" she heard him grumble from the kitchen, appearing a moment later with a gem laden sandwich in his claws, "I'm eating, what's going on?" he asked,
"Take a letter!" Spike blinked at her, then sighed as he went to grab a quill and parchment, "Ahem, 'Dear Princess Celestia, I'm sorry for writing so late, but something terrible has happened! I just found my friend, Emerald, lying unconscious outside and he has yet to wake up half an hour later. The weather is too heavy for me to take him to hospital so I was hoping you might have any advice. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.' Did you get all that, Spike?" she concluded,
"... Yep!" he said, before taking a breath in, and sending her letter.
Twilight let out a breath of her own as the familiar ash trail fled out the window,
"You really think the princess is gonna know what to do?" Spike asked, hesitantly placing a claw on her side. Twilight sighed,
"I don't know, Spike," she admitted, "At the very least Princess Celestia can take him to the hospital," she added, much more hopefully.
Twilight was beginning to panic again. It had been nearly ten minutes since Spike had sent off that letter, and there still wasn't a reply!
Emerald was still just as unconscious as before, and Twilight was getting scared. She didn't know what to do, she didn't have any way to get help, and the one pony she did try to ask hadn't replied yet, and-!
*CRACKABOOM*
The entire library shuddered as the thunder-like booming crashed through the building, the sound originating from downstairs. Twilight stumbled and fell to her rear, her mind running rampantly, wondering just what the fuck was going on?!
She scrambled to her hooves and ran down the stairs, intent on giving whoever thought it would be a bright idea to invade her home like this a piece of her-!
She froze, her hoof hovering inches away from the bottom step once she caught sight of the 'intruder'.
Standing there was Princess Celestia herself, and she looked... tired.
Her regalia was missing, replaced instead by a large pink robe, fit with pink slippers and a sleeping mask of the same colour.
Contrasting her completely, Princess Luna stood next to her, decked out in her full regalia, looking as commanding as ever.
"P-Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Twilight squawked, unfreezing in the middle of her step. She overshot the last step, however, and went tumbling down to the ground, only to be caught in a golden glow, and softly placed back on her hooves.
She went to thank her, but Twilight found her voice stuck in her throat at the sheer... terror on Princess Celestia's face,
"Twilight, where is he?"
She stuttered for a moment, her brain having fried at her expression. The princess' eyes were quivering in their sockets, despite the several bags hiding underneath them. Despite this, her gaze was powerful, commanding even. That familiar warm aura she'd always felt around her had turned cold, making her earlier trip outside seem toasty in comparison.
"M-my room," she stammered out, glancing at the stairs. Without waiting for a further reply, Princess Celestia headed for the stairs, leaving herself and Princess Luna alone in the library. Twilight blinked, not quite registering what just happened, when Princess Luna spoke, her voice cold and authoritative,
"Forgive my sister, Twilight Spa-" she cut herself off, "Please, Twilight, forgive my sister's actions," she repeated in a much warmer tone, coupled with a small, worried smile, "She and Emerald are close. Even closer than he and myself are, though I very much doubt either of them would admit to it," she said, her smile turning a little more genuine as she chuckled, "My sister wasn't the one who bonded with the Element of Honesty, after all."
Twilight tried to laugh at the joke, really she did, but-
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" she asked instead, despite how impossible it sounded. Princess Luna frowned,
"Tell U-me more about what's happened," she said, "did he have any injuries? Are you aware of what he's eaten in the past day? Has he been getting enough sleep?" she listed. Twilight swallowed, turning a little red,
"H-he wasn't hurt. I-I checked him over a-and I didn't find anything," she stammered, oblivious to the sly grin forming on the princess' face, which fell quickly when she looked back at her, "I don't know what's he's eaten, but I think he's sleeping fine. I haven't seen him look tired since our trip to Appleloosa," she said. Princess Luna hummed,
"I see," she said, taking a few steps towards the stairs, before stopping beside her, "You said you found him unconscious? Outside?" she asked, Twilight nodded, "Show me where you found him."
Blinking at the request, she nodded and made her way over to the door, hearing Princess Luna's firm hoofsteps following behind her.
It wasn't too far from the library, a fact that worried Twilight. If he'd collapsed to close to her home, then how could she have possibly missed him the first time around?
Because you were more more worried about Spike, she reminded herself,
"Over here," she called, finding a slightly mushed pile of snow. While the hole she'd dug had been mostly refilled by the still falling snow, it was still easily discernible amongst the mostly flat surface that covered the rest of town.
Princess Luna walked forward, her horn glowing brilliantly. A beam of light started shining on the ground, Princess Luna's horn being the source. It started scanning the ground in front of them, and, after a minute, faded. Twilight turned to the princess, fighting a shiver at the bitingly cold wind hitting her face,
"Did you find anything?" she asked hopefully. She'd never seen a spell like that before, but she felt that she could accurately guess it's purpose.
Hopefully she could ask the princess to teach it to her. After they made sure Emerald was okay, of course.
"No," Princess Luna growled, glaring at the ground as if it had personally offended her, "I did not."
Twilight's eyes flickered down at the pile of snow, a new feeling overcoming her as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Let us go to my sister," the princess said suddenly, gently turning herself and Twilight away from the snow, "Perhaps she has found something I could not." Twilight nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat,
"R-right."
-
-
An ivory hoof brushed a lock of ebony hair away from it's owner's face, tucking it just under the strap of his goggles. Celestia sighed from her place beside the thestral.
When her dear student had sent that letter, she'd already been buried beneath her blanket, the hazy fog of sleep casting over her. In hindsight, it might've been funny.
The sight of the solar princess laying in bed, when suddenly a letter pops into existence above her, landing lamely on her head. She'd check the letter, stare at it for a minute or so, before suddenly bolting out of bed, and nearly running straight through the metal doors of her bedroom, before remembering to open them.
She'd then run out into the night, wearing nothing but her sleeping robe, before all-but-bursting into the courtroom, catching Luna in the middle of eating something between meetings, and nearly shoving the letter in her face.
But even so, Celestia had felt nothing but horror rushing through her at that letter, and how could she not?
She'd spent the last seven years with Emerald faithfully by her side. She'd been the one to bring him to the infirmary when they'd been found. She had been the one to bring him back to society, the one who taught him to read and write, who showed him what good food tasted like, and so much more.
Though she'd likely never say it to him, for she knew without a doubt what he'd say in return, but Emerald was important to her.
He was a loyal friend, a fierce protector, a trusted confidant, a willing ear, an exasperated attendant, and even a powerful Champion.
So what was wrong?
She checked him for injuries, but that was about all she could do. Most magic didn't work on thestrals, so there was no way for her to cast any diagnostic spells on him, and the only kind of magic that did work on thestrals was dream magic, and that wouldn't be able to help them at all.
No offense to her sister, of course, but dream magic was a purely psychological tool. It could help a pony sort out their problems and organize their thoughts, but for something like this?
Unless her sister was even more skilled than she'd let on, then there was nothing for them to do but wait.
She sighed, casting a saddened gaze down at Emerald,
"What happened to you, all the way out here?" she asked him, her voice soft as a whisper, "Why didn't you tell anybody that there was something wrong?"
It was the only solution. Something was wrong with Emerald, and, whatever it was, it was, without a doubt, something he'd been at least partially-aware of.
After all, this was the stallion who forgot to eat for weeks at a time. This was the stallion who prioritized everyone else over himself. This was that little self-sacrificing moron who'd sooner rush into a battle than talk about his feelings.
A soft groan beside her caught her attention, and her eyes immediately refocused on Emerald's face.
Anticipation built in her as his eyes suddenly flickered open, gazing blearily at the brown ceiling.
She watched as his face twisted in confusion, before his ears twitched and his eyes suddenly flickered over to her.
She smiled at him, but rather than the half-snort and several questions she'd expected him to reply with, he suddenly paled, his eyes dilating, before he suddenly shot out of the bed. Or at least, he tried to. Since Celestia was laying on the only open side of the bed, Emerald ended up cracking his skull against the wall, just beneath the window.
"Gah!" he clutched his head, growling slightly. She jumped slightly, reaching out a hoof towards him,
"Emerald? Are you alri-?" His eyes snapped up to her, the sheer panic within them causing her to pause. Unfortunately, he seemed more than able to recognize her sudden hesitation, using the moment to brush past her, though he fell off the bed rather violently in his haste.
She watched in horrified confusion as he scrambled back to his hooves, staring at her as though she had suddenly turned into Him.
"Emerald?" she asked gently, slowly sliding off of the bed, not taking her eyes off of him,
"Moth-Princess," he forced out, as if the words physically hurt him to say. She blinked,
"What's wrong?" she asked, "Twilight found you unconscious outside. What happened?"
Emerald appeared to swallow a lump in his throat, his eyes darting away from her,
"N-nothing Mot-Princess," he said, refusing to look at her. She frowned, and began approaching him. He stiffened upon noticing, and actually began taking a step back in response to her every step forward, further worrying her.
"Emerald," she began firmly, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" he snapped, his eyes narrowing at her, before they abruptly tore themselves away once more.
Celestia's eyes narrowed at his behavior. Whatever was wrong seemed to have something to do with her, it seemed. She'd have to see how he reacted to others first.
With that thought in mind, she cast her gaze to the door, intent on heading down to bring her sister along. As if reading her thoughts, the door suddenly flew open, revealing the very pony she'd been thinking of, with her student in tow,
"Sister!" Luna called, striding into the room with purpose. Had she found something?
"Have you found anything?" she asked eagerly, sending a furtive glance in Emerald's direction. Luna shook her head, to her dismay,
"Not in the slightest. I was hoping that you had, instead," she explained. Celestia glanced between her sister and her student, neither of whom seemed to be aware of the thestral to their left. She sighed, and looked at Emerald,
"Then perhaps we should ask him, instead," she suggested. Twilight and Luna blinked at her, and glanced at the bed. They stared for a moment, before looking back at her, then finally following her gaze to the conscious thestral.
Celestia's lips twitched upward slightly at the way both their faces lit up, though she paid a little more attention to Twilight's reaction than her sister's,
"Emerald!" Twilight cheered, almost jumping at him.
"Wha-S-Sparky?!" he stammered as the excited unicorn wrapped her hooves around his neck, their cheeks rubbing together. Celestia placed a hoof against her mouth, stifling her laughter. Luna didn't have the same restraint, however, though Twilight and Emerald seemed much too preoccupied with each other to notice.
Eventually, Twilight seemed to realize what was happened, promptly turned red, and let go of the flustered thestral.
"S-so, uh," Twilight began, then coughed awkwardly into her hoof, her eyes everywhere but on him, "Wh-what happened?"
"Nothing," he repeated. Twilight didn't take kindly to that response, sending him a narrowed glare,
"Nothing? Noth-I'm not stupid, Emerald!" she snapped, startling Celestia. She'd never seen her dear student this aggravated before!
"I've never thought you were stupid, Sparky," Emerald replied immediately, firmly locking eyes with her, "It's just... nothing happened," he explained, turning his gaze away, "I.... may or may not have slipped and hit my head, is all."
Silence was the only thing that met that response.
He... he slipped?
Celestia just stared at him, dumbfounded. Did he really think they'd believe such a flimsy little lie?
Her confused expression twisted into a frown.
Then again, would he ever use such a flimsy lie?
She shook her head. No! She couldn't be trying to question what she was doing! Even if, and it was a big if, he had really only hit his head, then he shouldn't have been unconscious as long as he had been!
"Emerald," she spoke up once more, her frown deepening at the way he suddenly stiffened and refused to look in her direction, "Please. We're worried. So tell us the truth," she pleaded gently.
"Indeed," Luna spoke up, taking a few steps forward, Emerald didn't react to her approach beyond sending her a glance, before catching sight of Celestia and looking away again, "You should know that my sister and I would never judge you. And I am certain that Twilight would do the same, correct?" she asked. Twilight nodded confidently,
"Of course!"
A low rumble escaped his throat, but Emerald didn't seem particularly angry. In fact, by the way his eyes darted around the room at impressive speed, she'd imagine that he was hunting for some sort of escape route.
Just like he did when they first met.
The thought caused a painful lurch in her chest.
Eventually, however, he seemed to give up, evidenced by the way he just plopped onto the ground, and sighed.
"I was just... thinking of my Mother," he said finally, though it was obvious that he was forcing the words out. She frowned, what about his mother could provoke such a powerful reaction out of the thestral, and just what did it have to do with him avoiding her so much, if anything?
"Your... mother?" Twilight asked, frowning, "I've... never really heard you talk about your family before. Beyond the Clan dynamic you mentioned." Emerald nodded,
"Makes sense, since you're also aware that I was foalnapped when I was six," he added bluntly, causing her to wince, "It was just... taking care of the twins today made me remember some stuff from before then, and I guess it was just..." he gripped his head, as if in pain, "... overwhelming, is all," he finally admitted, his voice strained.
"I see," was Celestia's only response.
The four of them remained silent for a time, before Emerald rose to his hooves,
"Well, I've spent enough time here," he announced, walking over to the door, "it's time I head out for my patrol." Twilight blinked in surprise and stared at him as though he'd grown a second head,
"Pat-? Patrol?!" she snapped, quickly walking forward until she'd cut him off at the door, sending him a glare, though it more resembled a pout in Celestia's opinion, "You just woke up after almost an hour of being unconscious, and you want to work?!" she shouted indignantly.
"That's exactly what I thought back then..." Celestia muttered to herself, a fond smile playing across her face as old memories filled her head.
"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?" Emerald asked, gazing down at the shorter mare impassively. Twilight huffed,
"As a matter of fact, yes!" she insisted, "Not only were you unconscious for the better part of an hour-" she began hotly, "but half of it was spent buried in the snow!" she stamped her hoof, but turned a faint red, "Y-you're staying here for the night!"
-----
Emerald blinked, honestly stunned by her declaration, but he managed to shake it off, disguising the rise of nervousness with a laugh,
"Moving a little q-quick, aren't you?" he quipped, smirking, "I didn't have you pegged for that kind of mare, Sparky." Rather surprisingly, instead of turning into the stuttering little mess she'd usually become, Sparky actually seemed to brush aside his teasing, to his chagrin.
"Oh no, you're not getting out of this!" she intoned firmly, "Ponyville can survive one night without you looking after it, I'm sure," she added, turning her nose up at him, as if daring him to refute her.
He wanted to, really he did. But with Luna and Mo-her in the room, he doubted he'd get far before they stepped in.
In fact-
"I agree," Mo-that mare said, gently brushing her multicoloured mane out of her obviously tired eyes, "You were unconscious for a very... unnatural amount of time," she said, and nodded, "So I'd suggest you getting some rest for the night, instead of your usual activity."
Luna nodded, her eyes dancing between him and Sparky,
"I am of a like mind," she said, then smirked, "Though, with how long you were out in the cold, perhaps you and Twilight should keep each other warm during the night?" she inquired. Both Emerald and Sparky blanched at her, and even Mo-that mare looked at her in confusion.
"Wha-Luna?!"
"P-princess?!"
"Ugh!" Sparky groaned irritably, flopping onto her bed.
Luna and Mo-that mare had left a few minutes ago, with the latter of the two nearly falling asleep on her hooves, an image that Emerald was sure Sparky pointedly ignored.
As it was, he, Sparky, and the hatchling were the only ones left in the house, and, after the comments Luna, Sparky, and Mo-that mare had made, there was no way he'd get away with going on patrol tonight.
And if there was one thing he knew, it was that it was almost pointless to fight a losing battle.
"You alright, Sparky?" he asked, peering down at her, and frowned, "I know Luna's comment was a little... uncalled for, but I don't think it would get you to act like this. So what's wrong?"
Sparky let out a heavy sigh, and sat up,
"It's nothing," she said, "Today has just been... a little hectic," she added. Emerald nodded,
"I suppose. You had Owloysius and Spike to deal with, so I'd imagine your hooves were full." Twilight scoffed, confusing him,
"Yeah, I had my hooves full alright," she muttered, Emerald blinked,
".... What am I missing?"
"Other than the fact that Spike ran away into the Everfree, met an older dragon, made that dragon mad, and got me, him, and Owloysius chased through the forest, not much," she stated sarcastically.
"What?" he asked, blinking madly, "How the-why did-whatever," he muttered, giving up.
"Yeah, all that, plus this whole mess with you-" she snapped, glaring at him sharply for a moment, "-and I really feel like today has lasted too long," she finished, falling back onto her back, before she rolled over.
Emerald frowned, but sighed, and nodded,
"Right... I'm... sorry," he apologized, though he doubted it would help, "I never meant to put any burden on you, or anyone for that matter," he said, muttering that last part under his breath. Sparky shook her head, rolling over to face him,
"It's fine. I've had a lot of practice dealing with hectic days ever since I came to Ponyville," she admitted, causing Emerald to laugh,
"I'd bet."
They fell silent after that, until Sparky decided to speak up again,
"Well, I'm going to head to bed," she said, climbing underneath the sheets, before snuggling her head against her pillow, "I have a lunch scheduled with Applejack tomorrow, and you know how she is." she added, smiling humorously,
"Right," he said, turning to the door, "Goodnight, Sparky." he added.
"What are you doing?" she asked suddenly, causing him to pause. He blinked, and turned around, confused,
"Uh... I'm heading downstairs to sleep on the couch?" he said, phrasing it more like a question. It was only natural, after all. He was the guest, but he sincerely doubted that she had a guest room ready to use, the fact that she and Spike slept in the same room proof enough of the fact, and-
... Why was she turning red?
...
Oh Faust.
"Y-you heard Princess Luna, Emerald," she stammered, avoiding his eyes, "y-you might be a thestral, but you were s-still out there for a while," she paused for a moment, as if steeling herself, before speaking again, this time in a much quicker voice, "A-and so was I! And even if you aren't cold, I am! So... come on!" she said, lifting the blanket with a hoof, providing him with enough room to slip under without issue.
Of course, rather than do that, he just stood there, trying, and failing, to process what she said.
Eventually, however, his mind finally caught up with the situation, but, by then, Sparky had gotten a little impatient,
"C-come on!" she snapped, though it lacked any heat, "I'm getting cold again!"
He stood there for an extra second or two, contemplating his options, before sighing, and following her command.
It.... wasn't like it would be bad. They'd already slept in the same bed together during that one sleepover, though with how awkward it had been he wasn't exactly looking forward to this either.
Then again, last time his crush on her hadn't been developed at the time.
Oh, he was not looking forward to this.
Regardless, he made his way over to the lone mare, before slipping underneath the blanket as she'd asked/ordered.
Immediately he was assaulted with the scent of the mare beside him. Her pillow, blanket, mattress, all of it was completely and utterly saturated with the smell his brain recognized as 'Twilight Sparkle'.
Ink, paper, and blueberries.
The scent that was so completely and utterly her, flooded his nostrils, invaded his mind, washed over his skin, and seeped into his flesh! It cascaded against his senses, each one filled near to bursting with the very essence of Twilight Sparkle.
His mind started growing hazy at the overwhelming, overpowering, overruling scent of her.
"Emerald?"
Her voice snapped him from his momentary trance, though it did nothing to quell the fierce embarrassment that surged through him at having been caught riding the high that was Twilight Sparkle.
"Y-yeah?"
"Goodnight."
He froze for a moment, surprised, but nodded,
"Goodnight, Sparky."
Waking up the next morning had been... pleasant, actually.
Perhaps it was because he'd been up before Sparky, and, therefore, didn't have to deal with her reaction right away. Or maybe it was because it meant that he'd woken up drenched in her scent.
Regardless, it was a nice way to wake up, he mused. He wouldn't mind doing it again.
His eyes twitched heavily at the thought, but he brushed it aside easily, before taking a shower.
In all honesty, he was actually a little reluctant to take one. But, thankfully, he found that even after a thorough shower, having spent all night buried in Sparky's scent made it much harder to be rid of then he'd thought.
Though, he realized not long after of the problems walking into work, smelling faintly of Sparky, could, and likely would, entail. Either because Pinkie would notice, or because someone would make the connection subconsciously, and he really didn't need that.
Hmm, speaking of Pinkie, he hoped she had done well with the twins last night. He felt a little guilty for leaving her to fend for herself all of last night, but, again, nothing much could've happened, considering the twins should've been asleep when he left.
On that note, he pleasantly noticed that his head wasn't beginning to hurt at the thought of the twins.
Testing out this new realization, via repeatedly thinking of the twins playing with their mother, revealed that, yes, he seemed to be functioning just fine that morning.
Though, his mood soured slightly when he realized just why it no longer hurt him.
Still, it wouldn't do to let it bother him. Unlike his crush on Sparky, this new... phase of his would pass. It had to. He couldn't always think of Mother as as his mother, right?
He cursed under his breath. He was doing it again.
Fighting another sigh, Emerald deftly flicked the pancakes he'd finished cooking onto the stack beside him, all of which landed perfectly on target, as usual. He felt a small pit of pride form in his gut, something that, while unusual, didn't seem to be detrimental. Thus, he paid it little mind as he decorated the breakfast with syrup, cream, and some blueberries, before carrying it up to Sparky's room.
He paused before the door, before assuming that Trixie would be just fine cooking breakfast and making Wisp's lunch for the day, and promptly pushed his way inside.
Sparky lay there, completely dead to the world. He blinked in surprise, he'd expected her to be up by now, especially considering the lingering smell in the air from his cooking.
Oh well, not like it really mattered. If anything, it only made it better, since he'd get to serve her breakfast in bed again.
Not that he was particularly looking forward to-... oh who was he kidding? He had hoped this would be the case the second he began cooking.
"Wakey-wakey, Sparky~" he cooed, approaching the sleeping mare, smoothly transitioning the plate of food from his back to his hooves, wafting it under her nose, "It's time to wake up."
Sparky started to fidget as the pancakes lingered under her nose, the smell already working it's way through her system. In hardly any time at all, her eyes began to slowly open, revealing that wonderful pair of amethyst orbs.
Her head raised slowly, her mind clearly still waking up, even as her nose rose higher into the air. She sniffed a few times, and her head quickly turned in his direction. He chuckled at the action,
"Wakey-wakey, Sparky," he repeated teasingly, his words working to clear the daze from her head much quicker than the food,
"Emerald?" she asked groggily, wiping at her eyes with her hooves, peering at him with one eye, "What's that smell?" she inquired, he shrugged,
"Dunno, but these pancakes I made for you just might have the answer," he said, setting the place beside her. That certainly caught her attention, the grogginess practically vanishing at the mere mention of the succulent, fluffy disks.
Emerald pondered, for a moment, on what her reaction would be if he ever made those hayburgers Pinkie mentioned she liked.
He made a mental note to do just that one day.
Then promptly crushed the idea when he realized what it entailed.
Of course.
"You made me pancakes?" Sparky asked, her eyes already hard at work devouring the stack before her,
"Yep," he said, with a pop at the end. Sparky swallowed, a bit of drool escaping her mouth, if Emerald wasn't mistaken,
"They look... delicious," she muttered, before blinking, and suddenly shaking her head, pausing to look at him, confused, "Uh... not that I don't appreciate you making me food... a-again, but... what's the occasion?" she asked, staring at him curiously.
Emerald stiffened minutely. He... hadn't thought of that. In all honesty, the only thing going through his head had been how nice it would be to cook for her again one second, then the next had him suddenly in front of the stove, slaving away at the fifth disk.
"U-uh..." his eyes darted around for a moment, before landing on the strangely empty basket next to the bed, "Spike! He wasn't here, you see," he began shakily, but it evened out as he spoke, "And I figured that since you were nice enough to let me stay the night, that it was only right of me to make you something as my way of saying thanks. Again," he finished smoothly.
Sparky nodded at his explanation, but froze part way through,
"What?" she asked, looking down at the hatchling's bed, "But, Spike was here all night!" she exclaimed, "If he wasn't here when you woke up, then, where is he?!" she yelled, hooves flying up to her mane, looking quite ready to start tearing it out, when-
"Hey, what's with the yelling?" a voice said, causing them to turn to the door, where Spike was standing, looking tired, "It's my day off for Pete's sake!" he continued more energetically, waving his claws around, "I'm trying to sleep!" he finished, before spinning on his heel and stomping down the stairs.
A moment passed, before Sparky let out a breath, a hoof held against her heart,
"Well," she breathed, "at least that answers that," she muttered, "Now," she turned to the pancakes, the knife and fork he'd brought floating up within a lavender glow, "time for breakfast!"
Emerald chuckled to himself as he made his way down the street, with Sparky practically skipping by his side.
Sparky had, once more, indulged herself on his food and had absolutely loved it, something that quite honestly stroked his ego more than it probably should have.
Regardless, it had led to her getting out of bed with a very noticeable pep in her step, though she herself seemed oblivious to it. The rest of town was not, however, and though Sparky remained unaware of it, Emerald was more than privy to the curious, and occasionally jealous, much to his amusement, looks the two of them were receiving.
"Did I mention that you make really good pancakes?" Sparky suddenly asked him, for what he believed was the fifth time, "Because you do!" He chuckled, and nodded,
"Yeah, I think you did," he said, "Several times," he added, before smirking, "Honestly, I might as well give you the recipe if you like them so much," he offered. Sparky shook her head, much to his surprise however,
"No, it's fine. I honestly think I'd prefer it if you made them," she said. Her eyes remained locked firmly on the world before her, leaving her completely unaware of the reaction those words had on the thestral beside her.
Emerald stumbled at those words, his face turning red enough that the heat even spread up to his ears. Some might even say they could see literal steam bursting out of his ears as well. Others could've sworn they'd heard a loud whistle suddenly go off, but they dismissed it, of course.
Regardless of what those others may or may not have seen, it faded when Emerald shook his head, trying his best to look like his heart hadn't just skipped a couple beats, and resumed his casual pace beside Sparky.
"R-right, whatever you say, Sparky."
Somehow, Twilight felt like she'd just won the lottery.
They separated not too long after that, much to the relief of Emerald's furiously beating heart.
At this rate, that mare was going to be the death of him!
Shaking the thought from his head, Emerald made his way over to Sugarcube Corner.
He slipped through the front door, coming face to face with an empty room. He frowned, only for his ear to twitch, revealing that the Cakes were up with the twins, and Pinkie was still in her room.
He hummed to himself, before nodding and proceeding into the kitchen. He'd made breakfast once already, but he didn't mind doing it again, only as an apology this time.
The Cakes, and Pinkie, came filtering down the steps not too long after he'd started, curious, and slightly worried, looks on their faces, which quickly faded upon seeing him in the kitchen.
"Emerald?" Mrs. Cake asked, surprised, "What in the world are you doing? Pinkie mentioned you weren't feeling well, shouldn't you still be resting?" she inquired, brow raised, coupled with an impatient tapping of her hoof. Emerald only shrugged in response,
"I'm feeling significantly better than yesterday," he said, plating the omelets he'd decided to make, since he didn't want to bother making pancakes again.
"Are you?" Mr. Cake asked, gently setting the twins in their high chairs, before moving to set up the table, "Do you know what was wrong? Did you see a doctor?" Emerald shook his head,
"No, I didn't see a doctor, and.... yes, I know what was wrong," he admitted, albeit hesitantly, "It was just a personal issue regarding my.... my parents," he muttered quietly.
"Oh my!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed, rushing over to his side, "Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly. Emerald forced a grin,
"Y-yeah, everything is just... dandy, you know?" he said, though he doubted Mrs. Cake believed him. Her raised eyebrow certainly reinforced the idea.
"Emerald," she urged pointedly, giving him a look he supposed was meant to be comforting. He ignored it,
"Its fine, really," he insisted, "I figured everything out last night. Everything is fine, so just... leave it be, Mrs. Cake," he said. She huffed, turning away from him,
"Well... alright, I'll believe you," she relented, but turned back to him, sharply, "But if I hear that anything like this is bothering you again, you won't avoid telling me, do you understand me young colt?" she demanded. Emerald smirked, and nodded,
"Of course, Mrs. Cake," he lied easily, turning and hoofing her a plate, fit with an omelet, "Enough about that, it's time for breakfast.
Breakfast was simple and quick and, thankfully, fairly quiet as well. Despite that, Mrs. Cake was very clearly staring at him throughout portions of the meal, seemingly under the impression that Emerald would share if she kept it up.
He scowled once their backs were turned, though he was thankful that Mr. and Mrs. Cake had offered to wash the dishes. Her behavior was annoying, as well as unusual. She'd never really expressed much worry or concern over him before, unlike Pinkie, whom she fretted over fairly often.
Perhaps it was her way of getting revenge on him for leaving her foals alone with Pinkie last night?
Regardless, he only hoped it would end once their shifts began.
"Come again!" he called to the retreating pony, the cheer in his voice completely fake. Not that anyone seemed to care, or even notice. Faking that cheer was easy, really, almost too easy.
Did that say something about him?
Whatever. It didn't matter, not to him.
What did matter, was the fact that even after two hours of working, his little.... revelation yesterday was still eating away at him. Work provided very little in the way of a distraction, and it was really beginning to wear his patience down. He didn't like it.
He needed something to keep his mind occupied. He needed time to simply let it stew until he was ready to face it, otherwise it might lead to another breakdown like he'd had yesterday, and he didn't need another one. Especially during the day.
But what could he do to distract himself for the day?
He idly removed his Heavybolts and began cleaning the lenses.
Was there anything he'd been really planning to do in town? Or even out of it?
The first thing that came to mind was, of course, finally paying a visit to Aloe and Lotus. He'd been putting it off much longer than he had Zecora, though recently it had been less 'putting it off' and more 'forgetting that it was a thing'.
Should he do that, then? Maybe head over there during his break and talk with them for an hour?
No... knowing them, they'd probably force him into a treatment, if only to repay him for the bits he'd given them if not because they'd been his old physicians in S.M.I.L.E. Still, he was sort of glad that Bon-Bon had told him about their spa. It was nice to know that they were putting some of their old techniques to use, if only in a different manner than they used to.
He filed the option away for later, greeting and taking the order of a new customer.
He could write a few letters to the others. Aside from Trixie, he hadn't really been keeping in too good of contact with the others, and it might be high time to see how everyone was doing.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He knew that Sapphire was preparing for a tour, and he was aware that Will was working on his self-help routine, somewhere. Gustave was still up in Canterlot, and Spitfire was no doubt running a bunch of new recruits though drill in her little Wonderbolt Academy. Trixie was here in Ponyville, trying, and failing, at getting a job, so he didn't know how long that would last.
It was only Star and Thor who he needed, or rather, wanted, to get into contact with, but there was little he could do about the latter, unless he asked Mo-that mare to send a letter to him personally.
He frowned, before he nodded to himself. It was high time he tried getting into contact with Star!
"Alright you two!" Mrs. Cake's voice announced from the kitchen, "Time for lunch!"
Emerald blinked at the announcement, before his head whipped over to the clock, staring at it dumbly. He blinked, and shook his head.
He hadn't even realized that much time had passed!
Faust, just how deep in his thoughts was he?
"Okay!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing out of the kitchen. His attention moved from the clock over to the pink mare, who continued bouncing all the way to door. He frowned after a moment, but eventually followed her example and left as well.
He sighed, making his way through the usual crowd, his destination aimed towards the Ponyville Post Office, before he paused, and promptly realized that he had no idea where Star was.
He scowled once more, and turned to head towards Horte's Cafe once again.
Getting there took little time, and it took even less to place his order, a plate of pasta.
He sighed, and leaned back in the chair.
He didn't have an address to send a letter to, meaning that his, admittedly rushed, plan to get into contact with Star wasn't fated to take place that day. And so, he was, once again, left with nothing to distract him from his thoughts about Mo-her. Specifically about late last night, after he'd woken from his state of unconsciousness.
Had his reaction been too much? He remembered waking up, thoughts whirling about his mind as images and fantasies about Mo-her had swam through his head, only to suddenly be faced with the real thing. He, of course, had panicked.
He'd taken one look and assumed it had been some strange delusion, and tried his best to get away from it.
His hoof rose, and gingerly tapped the spot just behind his Heavybolts where he'd cracked his head against the wall, wincing slightly.
Even after he realized Mo-that mare before him had been very much real, he continued to try and deny it, only for Luna and Sparky to come in, which, thankfully, got him to start calming down and focus on someone other than Mo-her.
He was startled out of his thoughts by a plate clattering in front of him.
"Enjoy your meal!" the waitress cheered as she walked away, leaving the stallion alone with his thoughts once more. He sighed, and began to eat, thankful for something even as minor as that to distract him.
It was as he finished paying for his meal, already leaving the cafe, that something else came along and, mercifully, distracted him once more.
"C'mon girls!" a familiar young voice called, just as Applebloom came rushing into sight, "We gotta hurry if we're gonna catch mah sis!" She was followed quickly by little Sweetie Belle, who looked much more exhausted by the running than her earth pony friend, as well as Scootaloo, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
The sight of the Crusaders caused a memory to jolt to the forefront of his mind, his gaze almost locking onto Scootaloo's much-too-small wings.
Right, he wanted to talk to her and her parents about the possibility of them being related.
Well, no time like the present, right?
"Scootaloo!" he called, causing the little pegasus to screech to a surprised halt, the other two slowing down and joining her a moment later,
"Uh, is somethin' wrong Mr. Emerald?" Applebloom asked him, all three of them looking confused, and the slightest bit worried, "Cuz we haven't broken anythin' for a couple'a weeks!" she suddenly added. Emerald ignored that last part,
"Nothing's wrong you three, I would just like to talk with Scootaloo and her parents about something," he said. Scootaloo blinked,
"What?" she asked, "Am I in trouble?" Emerald shook his head,
"No, Scootaloo, you're not in trouble,"
"Are you sure?" she asked with a raised brow, sounding skeptical, "Last time anypony wanted to talk to my Mom and Dad it was about my grades," she admitted, sounding slightly saddened. Emerald smirked, and shook his head,
"No, actually. I wanted to talk to them about your wings," he revealed, figuring it would catch her attention, and by the way her head suddenly shot up, it did,
"Wh-why?" she asked, suddenly nervous, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked the same, "I-I mean, there's nothing wrong with my wings Mr. Emerald! I'm just a late bloomer!" she said, her voicing rising a pitch, before it drooped into a quiet whisper, "A really late bloomer..." Emerald nodded,
"I know you are, Scootaloo," he said, causing her saddened expression to morph into a confused one, "But I want to talk to you and them because I think I might know why you're so late, is all."
Her eye's widened almost comically, and she suddenly shot forward, coming to a stop just in front of his legs,
"Really?!" she squealed, staring up at him in awe, "Not even the doctor knew why! You really think you know, Mr. Emerald?" she asked excitedly. He smirked, and nodded,
"I have an idea, but I do need to talk to your parents to make sure, first," he said. Scootaloo, who was practically vibrating with excitement, suddenly hopped into the air, her wings buzzing,
"Yes!" she squealed once again, before grabbing his hoof, and tried to drag him off, "C'mon, let's go talk to them right now!"
Emerald smirked, but let himself be pulled along.
She continued dragging them off, ignoring her friend's surprised cries as they fled, but Scootaloo really didn't seem to mind, much too focused on pulling him in the right direction.
They skirted past ponies as they wove through the market, with Emerald making a mental map of their surroundings just in case. They passed by a few stores, including Sugarcube Corner and, later, Bon-Bon's Candy Shoppe, and soon began creeping closer to the edge of town.
Just before they made it to the edge of the town, Scootaloo took a sharp right, causing him to stumble slightly in surprise, before she took off once again, much faster than before.
Eventually, however, they arrived in front of a small shop, a few buildings down from Quills and Sofa's he noted.
"We're here!" Scootaloo chirped, staring up at the store with a bright smile on her face, her eyes dancing between it and him. Emerald blinked, turning away from the street, and gazed up at the shop in question, a wry smirk forming on his lips.
A two story building stood in front of him. It's walls were mostly white with dozens of large splotches of different colours on it, reminding Emerald of a canvas. There was a pair of windows in the front, leading into a much brighter room that seemed to be filled to bursting with shelves boasting a variety of colours. Gazing up a little further had Emerald's eyes landing on a wooden sign, with the words 'Paint Brush's Art Supplies' painted in rainbow colours, making the earlier comparison make much more sense.
He smirked, glancing down at Scootaloo.
Who would've thought?
"An art store, eh?" he asked, causing Scootaloo to nod,
"Yeah!" she gushed, smiling brightly, "My Mom paints all kinds of stuff! She even painted my scooter!" He nodded,
"That's nice," he said, taking a step forward, "Well, let's get this started."
Scootaloo nodded excitedly, slipping through the door with him not too far behind.
The earlier view from the window remained much the same once he was actually inside, though it revealed that the many items on the shelves were, in truth, a wide assortment of paints, brushes, canvas', and many more items that Emerald didn't particularly recognize.
However his attention quickly focused itself on the mare behind the counter, even as Scootaloo rushed up to her.
She was a pegasus mare with a fluffy orange coat, of a shade much brighter than Scootaloo's. Her dark pink mane and tail were held in a loose bun, with various strands of hair falling out of it. Despite her slightly disheveled appearance, she held a bright smile on her face that clearly showed through her equally bright, blue eyes, which twinkled behind a pair of black glasses.
The mare, presumably Paint Brush, gasped at the sight of Scootaloo,
"Scootaloo!" she gushed, slipping easily out from behind the counter, revealing a mark of a multicoloured paint brush with a trail of paint of the same colour behind it, before wrapping the filly up in her hooves, squeezing her tightly, "Ooohh! How's my little masterpiece doing?" she asked eagerly, gazing down at her daughter with open fondness. Scootaloo wriggled in her grip,
"Moooom!" she whined, "You're embarrassing me!" Paint Brush giggled,
"What?" she asked, "Can't your dear mother love her little filly?" she teased, but let go. Scootaloo backed up, pouting,
"Mooom..." she moaned, but Paint brushed it aside, obviously quite used to Scootaloo's complaints,
"So, what brings you back home so early?" she asked, a hoof reaching up to cup her cheek in thought, "I thought you and your little Crusader friends were out playing?" Scootaloo huffed, her cheeks puffing out in indignation,
"Mom! We're not playing! We're on a hunt to find our cutie marks!" she protested, pointing a hoof at her dramatically. Paint Brush laughed,
"Oh, of course! Silly me," she relented, smiling happily, before a brief glance to the side caused her to notice Emerald, "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there!" she apologized, sliding back behind the counter, "How can I help you?"
"Well, I came here with Scootaloo, actually," he began easily, "I was hoping to talk to you and her father about her wings."
Paint Brush obviously hadn't expected that, judging by the confused blinking. She adjusted her glasses,
"O-oh, um...?" were the first words out of her mouth, "W-well, Scootaloo is still a growing filly, her wings will grow in time, an-" she paused, blinking rapidly, before frowning, "Hold on, who are you, exactly?" she asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.
Emerald hid a smirk.
She was much more cautious than most ponies he'd met. A sign of either a hard life or the influences of something other than a pony.
Like a thestral, which were naturally cautious creatures.
"My name is Emerald," he revealed, "Emerald Skies, to be specific." Paint Brush stiffened, and adjusted her glasses once more,
"S-skies?" she asked quietly, swallowing thickly, "A-any relation to a, um... an Autumn Skies?" she asked. Emerald blinked, running the name through his memory.
Autumn Skies... Autumn...
Ah!
"Why yes, I do believe she and I were distant cousins, if I recall correctly," he said, before frowning, "You'll find, I'm afraid, that I'm a little out of touch with... that part of the family," he admitted, then smirked, "So, I take it you're a Skies as well?" he asked. Paint Brush shook her head, and adjusted her glasses again. A nervous tick, it seemed.
"No, but my husband is," she said.
Scootaloo, who, up until this point, had been watching on confused, spoke up,
"Uh, Mom? What's he talkin' about?" she asked. Paint's eyes widened, as if she'd forgotten her daughter was around,
"Scootaloo!" she yelped, looking at her daughter nervously, as she began wringing her hooves together, "I-it's nothing, really, I mean, your father and I meant to tell you when you turned eighteen, but-"
"Tell me what?" she asked impatiently, hopping onto her back legs as she leaned against the counter, staring up at her mother imperiously, "It's about my wings, right?" she asked, "So shouldn't I know about it now?"
Paint Brush gulped, and opened her mouth to answer, when the bell above the door rang,
"Hey Honey, I just got back and- Oh!" Emerald turned around, coming face to face with a sky blue coated stallion, whose bright purple mane and tail was cut short, leaving his purples eyes unblocked, "Sorry! I didn't realize you were still working," he apologized, grinning at his wife sheepishly, even rubbing the back of his head.
Despite this, Emerald's eyes remained locked, for a moment, on the bright golden armour the stallion before him was wearing.
He smirked.
A painter and a member of the Royal Guard? What a strange set of parents she had.
"Cloudy!" Paint called, glancing at Emerald, "We, uh, have some family over?" she said, sounding unsure.
The now-named Cloudy blinked owlishly at his wife, before turning to Emerald,
"We do?" he asked, looking Emerald up and down, then stiffened, "Uh, which side of the family are you from, Mr....?" Emerald frowned,
"Emerald. And it would seem that I'm from the side you're keeping secret from Scootaloo, yes?" he asked. Cloudy gulped,
"O-oh," he breathed, looking at his daughter, who stared back at him, confused, and, seemingly, a little afraid,
"Dad?"
Her father stared back at her for a moment, before letting out a world-weary sigh,
"Let's... head upstairs to talk, okay?"
"So," Scootaloo began once they'd situated themselves on a couch, "What's going on Mom, Dad?"
It hadn't taken long for Paint Brush to close up shop, and it had taken even less time for the four of them to migrate upstairs, arriving in a cozy looking living room, which connected into a small kitchen off to the right.
The walls and ceiling were a faint green colour, with a light pink carpet covering the floor. There were two couches facing each other, separated by a lone table, both as pink as the carpet. Though there was a single recliner of a much darker green, which Scootaloo had happily taken, leaving him sitting across from her parents.
Along the walls were various picture frames, each one holding either Scootaloo, or other family members that Emerald, of course, didn't know. There were also a few blue and yellow banners that hung over the fireplace, which was off to the left, sporting the Wonderbolts insignia.
He spotted Scootaloo's scooter and helmet leaning against the wall by the stairs as well, along side a much larger one of the same design and colour, either for her parents or herself when she was older.
Paint and Cloudy glanced at each other, a nonverbal debate passing between them, before Cloudy turned to Scootaloo,
"Well, sweetie, the thing is..." he trailed off, biting his lip nervously.
The stallion had undergone a small transformation now that he'd shed his armour.
He was thin, with a set of wings somewhat larger than the pegasus average, though it failed to cover his white shield cutie mark, leading further evidence towards the idea of him being half-Skies, especially considering how he was taking his impromptu visit.
"What?" Scootaloo pressed, leaning forward, "What is it?" Paint sighed,
"Well, dear, the things is... your father is only half-pony," she admitted, getting straight to the point.
The room fell into silence after that, with Scootaloo blinking uncomprehendingly,
"... What?" she asked, sounding unsure, before she frowned, "This is serious you guys!"
"We know, Scootaloo!" Cloudy insisted, jumping to his hooves, "My mom was from a species called thestrals," he explained, "That's why you've never met her." Scootaloo tilted her head, still frowning,
"What? But you said it was because she kept getting really sick!" she accused, causing both her parents to wince.
"We know sweet pea," Paint soothed, frowning sadly, "But... we were afraid that you'd take it the wrong way, since you're one-quarter thestral," she added. Cloudy nodded,
"Yeah! We were worried you'd be scared of me, of the others," he admitted, looking away sheepishly, "We wanted you to be a little more mature before we told you." Scootaloo huffed, then wilted,
"So... so I'm not even a pony?" she asked, her eyes locked on the floor, "Is that why my wings are so small?" she looked up, her eyes beginning to water, "Is that why I'll never get to fly?" she asked, choking partway through.
Immediately responding to their daughter's tears, both Paint and Cloudy practically lunged at her, wrapping her in their hooves,
"No, no of course not sweetheart," Paint soothed, rubbing her daughter's head affectionately, "You'll fly one day, I guarantee it!"
"Yeah, you really are just a late bloomer dear," Cloudy added, "It's just in our blood. We're Skies after all," he said with a smile, though it was faint. Scootaloo looked up, rubbing one of her eyes with a hoof,
"Skies?" she asked, sniffing. Cloudy nodded,
"Yep!" he said, gently spreading his wings, watching in amusement as his daughter's eyes locked onto them almost reverently, "One day, you'll have wings just like mine, I know you will."
Scootaloo looked away, sniffing still. Her lip trembled, before she spoke again,
"H-how do I know you're telling the truth?" she asked quietly, "You-you might just be telling me stories like you did with the Feather Fairy!" she cried, looking up at them.
Taking that as his cue, Emerald stood as well,
"Oh, they're telling the truth, Scootaloo," he said, bringing the attention of the three ponies onto him, "Skies are born with naturally smaller wings, which, when you're older-"he spread his own wings, easily dwarfing Cloudy's in size, "-they end up around this size," he revealed.
"Wow..." Scootaloo breathed, now longer tearing up, then looked up at her parents, "So... my wings will be like your's someday, Dad?" she asked eagerly, her eyes shining. Cloudy laughed,
"Of course, Scootaloo! But I'm sure they'll be even better!"
With that cheerful scene over and done with, the family split apart, all three of them standing before him not too long after.
"So, you're also half thestral?" Cloudy asked, sounding somewhat excited, but it was quickly extinguished,
"Not half. Full," he said, smirking. Paint blinked,
"You don't..." she let the sentence die off, it's message clear. Emerald chuckled, and briefly slipped off his bracelet.
Their eyes widened in surprise as the white glow suffused him for a moment, before dissipating seconds later, revealing his real appearance, only to 'Aww' quietly as he replaced his disguise.
"That was-" Paint began, only to be cut off by her daughter,
"Awesome!" Scootaloo gushed, "Am I gonna look that cool when I'm older?!" she asked, causing Emerald to laugh, but shake his head,
"'Fraid not, Half-pint," he teased, rubbing her mane, "I'm a pure-blooded thestral, you're only quarter-blood, so you're going to look more like your father than me," he said, and clicked his tongue, "Honestly, you're getting the better deal between you and me," he added. Scootaloo frowned, and tilted her head,
"What?" she asked, "Are you kidding?! You look awesome!" she cheered, hopping on her hooves, "How do I get the better deal?" Emerald sighed,
"I'm wearing a disguise for reason, Half-pint," he said, ignoring her huff at the name, "Some ponies are afraid of how I look, and they tend to cause some real trouble for thestrals like me."
"That's stupid."
"Hehe, yeah, it is, isn't it?" he asked, and shrugged, "But that's life, I'm afraid. Stupid stuff happens, and there's nothin' I can do about it. Just gotta live with it, you know?"
He sighed, and spared a glance towards the clock,
"Well, this was... enlightening, but I'm afraid I have to head back to work," Emerald said, eliciting an 'Aww' from Scootaloo, which made him chuckle, and ruffled her mane once more, "Eh, don't worry too much, Half-pint. If you ever wanna hear more about thestrals, just come talk to me, alright?" she nodded, "Great. See you all... eventually," he finished, turning and descending the stairs.
"It was nice meeting you, Emerald!"
"Definitely! You should come by for dinner sometime!"
"Hmm, I'll think about it."
Emerald was, perhaps, in a better mood than he should've been, even as he returned to his place behind the counter at Sugarcube Corner.
He'd established a link to another unforeseen family member, bringing the total up by three. He supposed that, in and of itself, was something worth being in a better mood than usual.
It was entirely because of this better mood that he restrained his panic when a pair of unfortunately familiar faces walked through the door.
"I'm telling you, Lotus!" a pink coated mare, with a silky blue mane and tail held back by a white headband, pouted, "One cheat day isn't going to hurt our diet!"
Her conversation partner, a pony similar enough in stature that their nature as a pair of twins was undeniable, frowned, pushing a strand of her equally silky pink mane out of the way of her sapphire blue eyes.
"One becomes two and two turns to three, Aloe," she snapped, sending her sister a stern glare, "The last time you convinced me to go on one cheat day, we had to schedule extra workout sessions for a month!"
Aloe flinched away from her peeved junior, though her expression remained cheery,
"Aw, come on, LoeLoe!" she pressed, leaning into her sister, "Juuuuust one?" she asked innocently. Lotus growled, and huffed,
"Whatever, Aloe," she snapped, impatiently tapping her hoof against the floor, "get what you want, but I will not be responsible for your extra sessions!" she added, staring at the clock by the door. Aloe cheered, her smile brightening as she eagerly bounded up to the counter, eyes firmly locked on the menu,
"Hiya, Pinkie!" she said without looking at him, "Think I could get five of those amazing chewy-choco-chip-cookies?"
Emerald smirked,
"Sounds like your sweet tooth hasn't shrunk at all, Aloe," he remarked, choosing to bite the blade head on. Aloe blinked rapidly, her eyes fluttering shut in confusion, before she looked at him.
"... Emerald?" she asked dumbly, staring at him as though he was a ghost,
"Aloe?" he repeated cheekily, then glanced past her, his own sapphire eyes locking with a stunned Lotus', "And Lotus?" he chuckled, "It's been awhile, yeah?"
"Emerald!" Aloe cheered, reaching across the counter to wrap her hooves around his neck, "Wow! It's amazing to see you again!" she gushed, nuzzling her cheek against his, before letting go and dropping back to her hooves, smiling brightly, "Boy, I was afraid we'd never see you again!"
"You sound too happy to be saying that," he deadpanned. Aloe blinked, and tilted her head,
"Really?" she asked innocently, before shrugging, "Oh well, what can ya do?" she asked, only for a blue hoof to suddenly whack her across the back of the head. Her hoof flew up to cover the spot,
"Ow! What the hay, LoeLoe?!" Aloe whined, turning to her sister, eyes fake-tearing up in betrayal. Lotus stared her sister down imperiously,
"You don't just go around talking to somebody you haven't seen in four years like that!" she snapped, before turning to Emerald, her bright blue coat turning a noticeable red as their eyes met once more, "I-it's great to see you again, sir," she stammered shyly, bowing her head. She paused for a moment, then forced Aloe to bow her head as well.
"Agh!"
Emerald withheld a sigh.
They hadn't changed much, if at all.
Aloe, the loud, exuberant elder, and Lotus Blossom, the cold, serious junior, who practically turned into a pile of jelly whenever he was around.
To this day, he honestly couldn't tell if she had a crush on him, or was experiencing some form of hero worship. Or, Faust forbid, both.
"So, how've you girls been these past four years? Bon-Bon mentioned you opened up that spa you girls wanted here in town," he spoke, writing down Aloe's order and passing it off to Pinkie in the meantime. Aloe nodded, happily rocking back and forth on her hooves,
"Yup! Its amazing!" she gushed, practically melting at the thought, "It's got everything we wanted too! A steam room, a bathhouse, a massage room, an actual counter for our receptionist, an-!" she was cut off rather violently by a blue hoof crushing one of her own, "Agh!" she yelped, bouncing away from her sister, sending her a teary-eyed pout, "LoeLoe! What was that for?!" she whined. Lotus huffed,
"You don't need to bore him with all those minor details, Aloe!" she snapped, before turning to him, red-faced and apologetic, "I'm sorry about my sister, sir, she still hasn't learned to grow up," she said, bowing her head slightly. Emerald snickered,
"Well then, I suppose its a good thing you're here to reign her in, yeah?" he asked, smirking. Lotus' face went red enough that her ears and neck followed suit, causing her to look more like a strawberry than a pony. Even so, a wide, almost dopey, smile bloomed across her face. She remained oblivious to her sister's curious prodding of her cheek,
"Huh, she hasn't done that in years," Aloe murmured, her ears perking up at the *DING* that sounded from behind him.
Emerald turned, grabbed the cookies from Pinkie with a nod, and returned to the twins, "Alright, here's your chewy-choco-chip-cookies. That'll be ten bits." Aloe blinked, before smiling,
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot," she muttered, fishing through her saddlebag, and withdrew a small stack of bits a moment later, "Here you go!" she cheered, passing them over to him, taking the cookies with the same hoof. She made to turn around, but paused, and looked back at him,
"Hey, when do you get off work?" she asked. Emerald almost started at the sudden question, but brushed it aside,
"Uh, in five or so hours. Why?"
"You should come by the spa," she said firmly, and smiled, "We'll even give you the full treatment, free of charge!" Emerald frowned, and shook his head,
"I appreciate the offer, but I couldn't accept that," he said, "It wouldn't be-"
"You must!" Lotus' sudden outburst cut him off, though if that hadn't, the way she suddenly appeared inches away from his nose would have regardless, "You're probably extremely stressed out, and a stallion as hard working as you wouldn't have any time to relax!" she said firmly, before her voice suddenly faltered, "I-I'll even give you the treatment myself!"
Emerald blinked.
A bit of both then.
"I-I still don't-" he tried stammering, but Aloe cut him off, pulling her sister away from him by the tail in the process,
"You have to, Emm!" she cheered, smiling brightly at him, even as her sister glared at her, holding her tail protectively, "You know how LoeLoe can get about your stress levels!" she added, sending her sister a sly smirk, a rare display coming from the excitable pinkette.
...
Oh dear Faust, she was just like Pinkie.
Though not as random.
"See you after your shift!" she called through the bag in her mouth, happily dragging her sister behind her and through the door, leaving Emerald standing there, beginning to wonder if he should've bolted out the window when he saw them.
He sighed,
"Dammit."
He stared up at the building that loomed before him.
It was a fairly tall building with peach walls and a dark blue checker-patterned roof, which jutted into the sky like twin spires. There were a few windows, each one in the shape of a horseshoe, but each one was filled with white curtains that prevented him from seeing inside. The door was parted across the middle, with each of the two pink sections adorned by a heart. The pleasant scent of roses wafted from the building, either from the various incense from inside, or even the set of rosebushes under the windows.
Of course, the entire image was completed by the golden sign hanging out front, with the image of a tall pony with a very long, flowing mane, the words 'Ponyville Spa' written in flowing silver text in their mane.
Emerald had to admit. They'd used his bits well.
"Well, well, well," a familiar voice chirped behind him, "I was wondering if I'd ever find you here."
"Really?" he asked, turning to face the posh unicorn, noting, idly, that her mane seemed a little messier than usual, "And why is that, Rarity?" Rarity tittered behind her hoof,
"Well, I'd imagine keeping our little town safe at night can get quite stressful," she said, sauntering past him, "I'm quite honestly surprised it took you so long, but I'm glad that you've finally decided to relax a little bit," she added, smiling. Emerald blinked, and frowned,
"You... are?" he asked.
"Oh, absolutely!" she said, gesturing her hoof around, "You have no idea how often I thought about asking you to come along with myself and Fluttershy," she said, and smiled, "But I'm sure you understand why I didn't." she added coyly, "After all, it would've rather insensitive to dear Twilight."
Emerald scowled at her, but made no comment, choosing to slide past her into the spa instead.
For some reason, Rarity looked like she'd just won something.
The inside of the spa was quite different than the outside, with darker pink walls and a purple floor, covered by a multicoloured rug in the shape of a target. There was a door off to the right, but directly in front of them was a beige counter, was a mare who looked strangely like Aloe and Lotus, leafing through a book.
She had a yellowish white coat, with a bright lavender mane, and similarly blue eyes. Like Aloe and Lotus, her cutie mark was of a lotus blossom, further confusing Emerald.
"Hello, Vera!" Rarity sang, striding past Emerald flawlessly. The mare, now named Vera, looked up from from her book, and brightened,
"Ah! Hello Miss Rarity," she said, before glancing back down at her book, flicking through a few pages, before frowning and look back at her, "I'm sorry, but I don't think we have you scheduled for your usual today," she said questioningly,
"Oh, I'm not here for that today, Vera," Rarity replied, smiling,
"How might I help you, then?"
"Well, I was hoping for a simple massage and horn filing. My sister came by with her friends today and... well..." she trailed off, then shook her head, "Well, they seemed a little more excitable than usual today, especially her pegasus friend, Scootaloo." she added, smiling faintly.
Emerald snickered.
That caused the two mares to turn to him, one out of confusion, and the other curiosity,
"Oh? And just what's so funny?" Rarity asked, smiling, "Those three can be quite the hoofful, I'll have you know!" she promised. Emerald chuckled,
"I believe you," he said, smirking, "I've already been victim to their antics when I first came to town. I just thought it was funny, considering that I'm likely the reason the Half-pint was so excited today," he clarified.
"Really?" Rarity asked, her smile morphing into a curious gleam, "Care to explain while we get our treatments?" she asked. Emerald sighed,
"I don't think you'll give me much of a choice," he muttered, and turned to Vera, "Uh, hello?" he began lamely, causing Vera to smile,
"Hello," she replied, "how can I help you?"
"I'm Emerald, Aloe told me to be by when my shift was over," he said. Vera nodded, but paused,
"Emerald?" she asked, he nodded, "Oh! Well it's nice to meet you! Aloe and Lotus have told me quite a few stories about you!" she said, smiling, almost slyly. Emerald grimaced,
"Have they now?" he asked, before glancing over her, "Who are you, anyhow?" Vera smiled, and pressed a hoof against her chest,
"I'm Vera. Aloe and Lotus happen to be my cousins, on my mother's side. And yes, they have indeed," she continued, leaning forward with an intrigued smile on her face, "Is it true?"
"Is... what true?" Emerald asked, not liking the foreboding feeling the question caused in him. Vera pouted, as if she'd expected him to understand immediately,
"Were you the one who gave them the money to open up this place?" she asked again, slightly more impatiently. Emerald blinked, ignoring Rarity's surprised gasp,
"Oh, that?" he asked, relaxing, "Yeah, why?" Vera stared at him, before laughing and leaning back,
"Just curious," she said, though Emerald didn't believe it in the slightest, "Buuuut!~ Let's just say your little donation had quite the impact on our family," she added slyly, before clearing her through, and waving towards the door, "Alright! Just head through that door and all the way to the end. They told me you'd be receiving the full service, on the house!"
Emerald's gaze flickered over her for a moment, before clicking his tongue and following her directions, with Rarity following right behind him.
He heard Vera giggle behind him, but ignored it.
That left him and Rarity traveling through an empty hallway, slipping past various doors towards the lone one on the end.
After, perhaps, a solid minute of silence, Rarity spoke,
"I'm surprised you never said anything," she remarked. Emerald blinked, slightly stunned by the sudden comment,
"What?" he asked, glancing at her, confused.
"You never mentioned donated money to the spa twins," she repeated, sounding strangely serious. Emerald shrugged,
"Yeah, so?" he asked. Rarity sighed, gently brushing her mane over her shoulder with an ivory hoof,
"I've been coming to this spa since the day it opened almost five years ago," Rarity said, glancing up at the ceiling, "While I might not be as close with them as I am with the girls, I most certainly know them better than most ponies in town," she continued, then stopped walking, prompting Emerald to stop as well, "They've told me quite often about their 'mysterious donor' over the years." Emerald frowned, and sighed,
"I see. And?" he asked, feeling just a little unsure.
He doubted the twins knew about his position as Champion, or even that he was a guard. Frankly, once S.M.I.L.E was dissolved, he'd lost most, if not all, contact with everyone in the agency, and they, him.
That meant, quite simply, that they could've told her anything about him, and it could, potentially, lead to some sort of issue he'd have to fix, either by explaining himself, or convincing the twins to help him.
"Well," Rarity continued after a moment, "they always made sure I was aware of just how generous-" she stressed the word, "that donation was. And for good reason. Even for a designer as, admittedly, successful as I am, 15,000 bits isn't exactly an easy amount of money to make," she said, frowning as she eyed him up and down, "So, tell me, Emerald, how exactly did you make that much money, only to give it away?" she asked.
Emerald stiffened for an instant.
This... this was unexpected. He'd been anticipating something a lot more... condemning, honestly.
But still, her reaction was also something unusual.
"Why do you ask?"
It was a necessary question on his part. This seemed completely out of character for Rarity to ask about his finances like that, and even more so to seem... this curious about it.
"Well, you've told us a fair amount of things about yourself in the time we've known you," she began, "You're a member of the guard, you happen to be something called a thestral, and you were once foalnapped when you were six, yes?" she asked, he nodded, "Of course. Now, all of that is quite... unusual, to say the least. Indeed, all of those little facts paints you as a definitively unique individual," she said, giggling slightly, before it stopped, replaced by a curious frown, "But even so, it's not exactly normal for anypo-anybody to simply... give away that kind of money. Even someone like myself wouldn't be willing to part with all of it, so..." she trailed off, staring at him with an uncomprehending gleam in her eyes.
Emerald withheld a sigh.
So that was it, then.
He.... supposed it made sense. 15,000 bits wasn't a small sum of money to most individuals. Even back then, it had been most of his funds, though it would be little more than a dent in his current funds. A sizable dent, yes, but a mere dent nonetheless.
"I never cared much for money," he began, "Thestrali culture, in general, has little use for money in the first place. Combine a few years of living in that kind of culture with ten years in a place where your life was all you had, and I never really developed any personal value when it comes to money," he said, and sighed, "Even after I escaped and was taught by my Mother, I mostly only cared about... well, everything else. It might seem like a lot to you, but, I've always viewed money as a means to an end, rather than the end itself. Sure I'm a little greedy now, but that's mostly because I understand what I can use money for. Helping the ones I care about," he finished.
Rarity blinked, before laughing softly to herself.
"I see," she murmured, before laughing once more, a bit louder this time, "You truly are an interesting stallion, Emerald," she remarked lightly, then nodded, "Well? Come along now, our treatments aren't going to wait forever!"
While he'd been able to convince Aloe and Lotus against the entire spa, he'd been unable to get out of a few of their treatments.
Specifically the mud bath, the nutrient soak, mane and coat care, and finally, the massage.
It had been nice, admittedly. The mud bath was a little odd, at first, not to mention grimy against his coat, but if Rarity claimed it was nice, then he didn't have room to argue, really. The nutrient soak was pleasant, with it's rose scented water and dim lighting adding a nice, relaxing atmosphere to it. The mane and coat care had been nice as well, though he personally didn't feel any different after it.
But the massage?
"Gah!"
That... wasn't working out too well, if he was honest.
Rarity was laid out across from him, sighing happily as Lotus gently ran her hooves across her back. She seemed almost completely absorbed in her own little world, oblivious to Emerald's constant grunts of pain.
Aloe, the excitable little shit, was worried at first that she'd mucked something up, but after some questions, kept quiet so that Rarity didn't hear, she understood the problem easily.
Apparently scar tissue could be subject to pain when getting a massage, a fact Emerald had never bothered to learn.
Aloe suddenly pressed down on a spot just beneath his wings, with less pressure than usual, likely to account for his earlier pains, causing him to shudder.
"Ah..." he groaned, though, not out of pain.
Aloe, who had perked up at finding the right pressure, continued her work, being a lot more mindful of this particular customer than she usually had to be.
He sighed softly once the pain had fully passed, now beginning to relax for once.
"Enjoying yourself?" Rarity suddenly asked, opening one eye to peer at him, smiling,
"I... suppose I am now," he muttered, closing his eyes for a moment, before raising his head, "You're a lot more used to this kind of treatment, though. I would imagine you already knew that,"
Rarity giggled,
"Maaaybe~" she sang, "Though, I must say, it's nice to spend time with someone other than Fluttershy for once," she said, before freezing, "N-not that there's anything wrong with her, of course!" she suddenly spurted, "She's a wonderful mare and I'm immensely glad that she and I are friends, it's just-just-!"
"I get it," Emerald deadpanned, cutting off her stammering. Rarity sighed, and laughed sheepishly,
"Right, of course," she replied, then perked up, "Oh! You were planning to tell me about Scootaloo's improved mood earlier. Do explain, I'm quite curious!" He sighed,
"Oh... right, that," he muttered, and shrugged, "Well, I just told her why her wings haven't grown in yet, is all." Rarity blinked, surprised by the lackluster answer,
"That's... that's all?" she asked, frowning, "What did you tell her?"
"All I told her was that everyone in our family was born with small wings, and all of them have grown up to have larger than average wingspans, is all." Rarity nodded,
"Well, I suppose that would explain her exci-... 'our'?" she asked, having trailed off a moment before, "Did-did you just say...?"
"Hmm? Oh, yeah," he said, and smirked, "Turns out she and I are distant cousins, if I remember correctly," he explained, before he tilted his head, "What were they over at your house for? When I ran into Scootaloo, I believe they were hunting for Applejack," he asked. Rarity suddenly sighed, the previous revelation forgotten, for now,
"I don't know," she admitted, "Sweetie Belle and her friends came around so suddenly that I didn't have any time to prepare for them, and believe me, those fillies need all the preparation one can get," she said, "As far as I can tell, they came around only to take off with some of my ponyquinns in tow," she added, before sighing, "not that I didn't try to stop them of course, but..." she waved to her still frazzled mane, "I'm sure you can guess how that turned out," she muttered, before perking up, "But! Not everything is bad, of course! I actually received a letter from Sapphire Shores earlier!" she suddenly gushed.
Emerald nodded,
"You mentioned one before we went off to Appleloosa as well, I believe. What's this one about?" he asked, feeling curious about what his sister was up to,
"Well, it was more of a warning than anything else," she said, "Apparently, Photo Finish received word about my work and is planning on making a surprise visit to the Carousel Boutique sometime next week!" she began excitedly, "Oh, it's going to be wonderful! I already have Sapphire Shores and Hoity Toity interested and even wearing my designs! Imagine the kind of publicity my dresses are going to get when Photo Finish, Equestria's premier photographer, has entire shows dedicated to my work!" she cheered, "Oooooohhhhh! At this rate, I might even be able to expand the Carousel Boutique into other cities one day!" she fantasized, "Oh, I can just imagine it! My little shop, started and operated from here in little old Ponyville, stationed over in Manehatten, or even up in Canterlot! My suits and dresses would be the talk of the town!"
"City, you mean." She waved him off,
"Of course, of course," she muttered distractedly, "But it all starts here. I just know that getting Photo Finish to like my designs will be one of the biggest steps I can possibly take to take my business to the next level!" she squealed, holding her hooves up to her cheeks excitedly, "I can scarcely wait!"
Emerald sighed at the mare's enthusiasm, letting his head rest against his hooves, reveling in the feeling of Aloe's hooves for a moment.
Suddenly, they stopped,
"Well, that's all, I'm afraid," Lotus spoke up from above Rarity, "Your treatment is over." Emerald sighed, even as Rarity started,
"Oh! Is it?" she asked, glancing up at the nearby clock, and gasped, "Goodness! I didn't even realize how long I'd been talking!" she said, turning to Emerald with a sheepish grimace on her face, "I'm sorry, Emerald dear, I didn't mean to distract you from your massage." He shook his head,
"It's a massage, Rarity, I don't think I'm the one who needs to focus on it," he said, glancing at Aloe, who giggled, but nodded.
"Well, regardless, wonderful work as always, Lotus," Rarity complimented, earning a nod from the younger twin, and turned to Emerald, "Well, we might have to do this again sometime, Emerald, although, perhaps without me talking so much," she added, and giggled.
Emerald considered it for a moment, before shaking his head,
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not too sure I'll be coming here much," he admitted, ignoring the way both Aloe and Lotus smirked at him.
He also ignored the shiver it sent down his spine.
It's not like they could force him to come here...
Right?