Night Light sighs as he, Shining Armor, and Twilight Velvet get up to leave. “Aww, I was hoping to take the chariot again.” He glances over to his mare, “We take the train everywhere. I thought you’d be a little more excited to be in the air again!”
“I know!” Twilight Velvet exclaims, shaking her mane while her eyes close, a wide smile on her muzzle. “The wind in your mane, the open skies around you! It just makes you feel so alive!”
Night Light continues over Shining Armor’s moan, “The trajectories, the planning! All the little checklists that we get to run through before we take off!” He rubs his blue head against Shining Armor’s white tinged with green, “They’re still parked at the library, right?”
Shining Armor nods with great reluctance, leading the way to the Golden Oaks Library, Night Light following closely.
Twilight Velvet lingers, glancing towards her filly and Doug. She casually remarks, “So, if you two just happened to go to the train station, there might be somepony there eager to meet ya. Just saying.” She winks, hurrying after Night Light and Shining Armor.
Doug’s hand rubs Twilight Sparkle’s ears, her head trying to stay in contact as he gets up. The rest of the herd quickly gets a nuzzle of their own, all smiles and little waves as the two depart. “So, your parents certainly seem nice enough. Too bad we didn’t get to do that Ogres game with Shiny, though.”
Twilight Sparkle rolls her eyes, “You stallions and your fantasy games. You realize he’s the Captain of the Guard, right? He gets to live that stuff!”
“I’m sure we all appreciate a little escapism. I bet he loves playing the mysterious rogue, slinking from one shadow to another as he tracks down a mysterious bandit.”
“Nope! He was always the paladin in, well, shining armor who rode in to save the day.” Twilight Sparkle snickers, shaking her head. “Even though we had to change the module so it was a Princess in the tower instead of a Prince!”
“And he’s finally gotten his Princess,” Doug remarks to himself as they arrive at the train station.
“What was that?” Twilight asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, just remarking how nice it must be to finally find that special somepony.” Doug sits down next to one of the benches off the main drag. He folds his legs underneath him, eyes on the horizon and the small puff of smoke steadily getting closer.
Twilight hops onto the bench, though she frowns even as his arm comes up and around her. She hops right back down, pushing herself into and laying across Doug’s lap. His hand rests on her back, idly twisting as she cuddles closer. “Mm, it is, isn’t it?”
The moment doesn’t last long before Twilight looks back towards the library; she should have brought a book or something. At least Doug is comfortable enough. She writhes back and forth, trying to find that perfect spot that keeps eluding her. Well, it’s probably because her orientation is wrong; her head should next to his, and their hips together. “So, you know who we’re waiting for?”
“Nope. But I’m sure we’ll know when we see her. Him. Them?” Doug scratches his chin, Twilight squirming against the lack of hand on her.
Both turn to look at the incoming train as a merry whistle rings through the air. Ponies and their luggage pour out of the two passenger cars. Residents of Ponyville, maybe a tourist or businessmare or two, but nopony recognizable to both Twilight and Doug.
Until a certain pink pony stretches her wings as she exits the train car, her horn dragging along a single pink suitcase emblazoned with the same blue heart on her flank.
Twilight Sparkle gasps at the same time that Princess Cadance spots her, twin trilling shrieks rending the afternoon air. The purple unicorn dashes towards the pink alicorn as the pink alicorn drops her suitcase, matching Twilight stride for stride. The two screech to a halt just as their screeching comes to a halt.
They joyously bounce back and forth on their hooves, practically muzzle to muzzle. They chant in a singsong, “Sunshine, Sunshine!” They drop down to their barrels, hooves covering their eyes. “Ladybugs Awake!” rings out as they pull their hooves away from their eyes. They reach their hooves towards each other as they sit up, smiling as they tap out a quick pattern, “Clap Your Hooves!” before they spin around, “And Do A Little Shake!”
Twilight and Cadance’s flanks shake back and forth before Twilight presses against her, their cutie marks smooshing together. Twilight drops down, rolling on her back as she giggles like a schoolfilly. Cadance glances to her flank as she drops down, smiling pleasantly at the filly she used to foalsit. One hoof rubs the spot where they touched, a long sniff of the lavender aroma.
“Oh, Twilight, it’s so good to see you!” Cadance glances down her belly at Doug, the human holding a hand against his mouth and hiding the smirk underneath.
“I can’t believe you came! I mean, I knew that you were coming, but it just kind of slipped my mind, and now you’re here!” Twilight’s grin grows slightly manic, “Did you want to do anything? Get anything? See anything?” She motions towards Ponyville, the train station now mostly empty besides them.
Cadance chuckles, “Oh, Twilight, you haven’t changed a bit. Well, except for this!” She pouts just a little as she motions towards Doug, “And I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!” Her voice raises to a light whine, “Twilight!”, though she can’t keep the disappointed look on her face for long at all.
“I know, I’m sorry, it was all so sudden, and then I got caught up in these games that we were playing, and then it was our first night together, and-” Twilight gasps as she looks to Doug, rolling to her hooves, “Oh, I haven’t introduced you! Cadance, this is my stallion, Doug. Actually, is stallion the right word? I mean-”
“Stallion is fine,” Doug chuckles, reaching a fist to the pink alicorn getting to her hooves. “Cadance, very nice to see you again.” Twilight’s eyes raise, her mouth opening slightly.
“The pleasure is all mine,” replies Cadance, trotting forward to lightly knock Doug’s hand to the side. She embraces him in a crushing hug, Doug’s arms quickly reaching around and returning a vice-like squeeze. “You have to tell me everything.”
“Twilight didn’t do that already?” Doug smirks as they break apart, glancing at the purple unicorn.
Cadance smiles, first to Twilight and then to Doug, “She told me her side, but I want to hear it from you!”
Twilight says, quite puzzled, “Wait, you two know each other already?” She steps next to Doug, a slight frown at the revelation.
“Yup!” comes the cheery reply. “Oh, Doug, the two of you are so precious together. A beautiful bride and her handsome groom.” Cadance nuzzles Doug, "I can tell you two will have many long years of joy to share together." She nuzzles Twilight, though she frowns at the slight hesitation of the unicorn.
Twilight asks, somewhat brusquely, “When did this happen?”
Cadance glances to the deserted train station around them, then back to Doug. “Um, six years ago, or so.”
“Just about,” Doug confirms.
“And we’ve seen each other once a year or so since then. Oh, Doug, you will let me watch when your love is made manifest with her, yes?” Cadance hits Doug in the shoulder, her smile creeping larger as she winks, “Oh, who am I foaling, of course you will, you love showing off for me.”
Twilight’s eye muscles begin to tire from raising so much. Made manifest?
“But it’s been too long!” Cadance whines; she plops down next to Doug, her head resting against his shoulder as she rolls to her back and into his side. “Celestia’s sooo close, and you didn’t do anything this year! Or the year before that!”
“What are you talking about?” asks Twilight, glancing between Cadance and her stallion. Her breath quickens, her pulse beats loud in her ears, her eyes narrowing.
Cadance ignores Twilight, her horn rubbing playfully against Doug’s side as she lays her head in his lap, looking up at his face. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you don’t want the spell to succeed! So you could take me all for yourself!” Her muzzle purses, trying to hide the smirk desperately forcing its way to the surface, “What a naughty stallion, trying to coerce a poor, innocent mare into brooding for you! You should be ashamed of yourself, mister!”
Doug flatly states with a deadpan look, “Innocent?”
Twilight’s voice rises, “Okay, now I’m really confused.” Her breath comes out in a hot huff; this is her stallion that some tramp is making moves on! Wait, did she just refer to Princess Cadance as a tramp? Omygosh, Princess Cadance could join the herd! Omygoshomygoshomygosh!
“You didn’t tell her?” Doug asks, glancing to the mare who has gone quiet in his lap, her eyes focusing on Twilight. At her delayed shake of the head Doug says, “Well, I didn’t either, I thought it was a personal matter for you.”
Twilight pushes forwards, pressing Cadance further into Doug’s chest, “This is perfect! Doug, you have to consider her! Cadance is beautiful, and kind, and caring! I mean, you don’t need to me to tell you all that, but she is!”
Cadance’s soft voice says, none of the joking tension from before, “Um, Twilight, it’s-”
“Oh, it’s just my old foalsitter and my new stallion! It’s perfect! You’re perfect!” Twilight nuzzles Doug, then Cadance, “I mean, how many ponies can go around spreading love wherever they go!” She begins prancing around, shouting, “You’re marrying Cadance! You’re marrying Cadance!”
“Jeez, I didn’t realize you spotted me,” Shining Armor says as he walks up from around the single room train station. He glances at Doug, his eyes slightly narrowing at the alicorn still snuggling in Doug’s lap. His voice drops a little, “Or I missed something.”
“Sup,” Doug says, casually raising a hand in greeting. “Your family is crazy, you know that?”
“You get used to it.” Shining Armor lays down next to Cadance, his saddlebags dropping next to him. “Did you tell her or did she figure it out?”
“I’m treating it like when I got split in half,” Doug says, Shining Armor’s eyes raising to prompt Doug to continue. “Let her play it out, make whatever wrong conclusions she wants, then laugh about it later.”
Shining Armor chuckles as Twilight continues prancing around, completely unaware. “Got to let her learn her own lessons. If she doesn’t learn, then you’re right back to the beginning.” He glances to Cadance, “You convinced him yet?”
Cadance rolls her eyes, “I’m trying, but somepony is a little too oblivious at the moment.”
“Moment?” Doug snarks.
Cadance stops her eyes from rolling, just to start them rolling again. “It doesn’t have to be Twilight, of course, but any of your mares. Celestia is so close, and watching two ponies doesn’t help.”
“Watching two ponies what?” Twilight asks, her prancing temporarily complete.
“Conceive,” Cadance easily replies, Twilight’s eyes widening.
“O-oh,” Twilight says, nervously glancing to her own belly. “I… That’s a big step.”
Doug reaches a hand over, rubbing Twilight’s mane, “Whenever you’re ready, Twi. No pressure.”
“You’ll let me watch, of course, right?” Cadance says, her eyes beaming at Twilight.
“Why would you want to watch?” Twilight asks, glancing between Doug, Cadance, and Shining Armor, lingering on her brother.
“Well, it has to do with being an alicorn.” Cadance sighs, as she sinks into Doug, one hoof dropping down to his belly. “We, which is to say Celestia, Luna, and myself, have… difficulty… conceiving with another. But with Doug’s magical nature, or lack thereof, there may be hope for us. Celestia has been researching a way for Shining Armor and myself to have a foal of our own, but we need Doug here to get a move on.” Cadance lightly nudges Doug in the gut, “You need any help?”
“You and Shiny?! Cadance and my brother!” Twilight’s eyes open wide, her beaming smile growing even larger, “You’re marrying Cadance!” She pronks around, “You’re marrying Cadance!” before she turns back to shake Shining Armor, “When? Whenwhenwhen?! I can’t wait!”
“Well, Twily,” Shining Armor calmly states, “It’ll have to wait until we get the go ahead from Celestia. That she’s confident the spell will work.”
“Aww,” Twilight moans, huffing as she rests her head against Shining Armor. “Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.”
“Oh, there is one thing,” Shining Armor says, waggling his eyebrows.
Twilight rolls her eyes as she pushes her brother away, “Yeah, I got that from before. I meant with the spellwork! This is so exciting!”
“Yeah, Celestia would appreciate that, getting another set of eyes on the problem. She’s been playing this quite close to the chest, as she’s very worried about the success or failure of the spell.” Doug scratches Twilight’s head as she walks over to him, resting her head against his chest and Cadance.
“Mm,” Cadance says with a nod. She glances over to the closed ticket counter; it would be hours until the return train. “So, what can we do to pass the time?”
“Oh, I’ve got an idea,” Doug says. He lightly pushes his hands against Twilight’s flanks. The unicorn stands, an awkward glance to her brother as her tail flips aside regardless.
“Um,” Twilight says as Shining Armor grins, one hoof reaching into his saddlebags. He withdraws a small bag, a quiet clink from inside.
Cadance groans, “Oh, the things I do for you.” She shakes her head as she gets up, moving to lay on the ground next to Shining Armor, “And it isn’t even Hearts and Hooves Day!”
“And that’s why I love you,” Shining Armor says, sharing a quick kiss with Cadance before he dumps the dice out onto the ground. “Now, who wants to play some Ogres and Oubliettes?”