Shining Armor sat in the storyteller's seat, perched behind his grand platform as he looked across his players. "Anyone see Sunburst?"
The others shook their heads. One adjusted his glasses lightly. "I only just heard he was back. I hope he didn't freak out and skip the session. That would be sad."
"Yeah," agreed Flash Sentry. "I wanted to say bye at least."
"That will not be required!" came a sudden new voice, making everyone at the table jump. The little pony acrobat hopped in place with some effort, hooves spread wide, but they had always been spread wide, caught mid-stunt. "For I am here and plan to stay!"
Shining blinked softly at the animated playing piece. "O... kay... Wow, yeah, that is... interesting." With a glowing horn he plucked up the little pewter figure of their acrobat. "Is that you, Sunburst?"
"It is not," argued the acrobat, shaking their little head with a silly grin on their face. "'Tis I, Sun Hopper; your loyal acrobat. I am ready for adventure!"
Flash suddenly snatched the figure with a quick wing and slapped it down on the table. "Hey, that's cool and all, but we still owe you a hazing."
"Hazing?" The smile faded to concern as the figure meekly hopped back a little.
The first spectacled player gave a predatory smile as he clopped his hooves together. "Of course. We can't have one of our own get a mare without some mild ribbing."
"And congratulations," added the second with a little nod. "I mean, Twilight? Not a bad catch."
Shining suddenly coughed. "Let's not go over the details of what makes my little sister a good or bad 'catch', if you please. Besides, tonight is about Sunburst, even if he intends to continue attending the games."
Excited talk bubbled up as congratulations were gotten out of the way and Sunburst was nudged about good-naturedly.
By the time the game itself resumed, Flash had to ask with a raised brow, "So how will you roll the dice?"
"Oh, uh..." Sunburst hopped slowly in place, looking around. There was a die, almost as big as him, with its many sides. "I got this." He bounced against the die and it wobbled a little before falling a whole one side over. "Or not..." He tapped a hoof against his chin, able to bend and move, though it felt 'right' to be in the default pose the miniature was in before he got involved. "Somepony else is going to have to roll for me, I'm afraid."
"Dibs," called the glasses-wearing pony.
"That's settled." Shining nodded properly. "Now, last time we left off, you were..."
Twilight gently tip-toed from the room. Sunburst was limp in place, his mind fled elsewhere as she had taught him to do. It was adorable, but also something she endeavored to not interrupt. She barely made it out of the door when she felt the presence of another and looked up sharply to see Cadance walking down the hallway with Flurry attached. "Oh, Twilight. What lovely timing."
She smiled nervously, glancing around as if maybe for a distraction, but none were easily available in the crystal hall. "Cadance! Hello there. How are you and Flurry doing?"
Cadance glanced over and down at her little filly who burbled contently. "I think she's fine. It'll be nice when she can answer that more directly, but I'm told that is also when parenthood is put to the real tests." She returned her gaze to Twilight, finishing her trot up to her fellow princess. "I look forward to it. Tell me... do you plan to join the mother's club? We offer delightful benefits."
Twilight's face lit up as she backed away, only to thump against the door she had only just closed.
"Don't be like that, Twilight." She reached out a wing, gently scooping Twilight away from the door. "Walk with me, and I'm not trying to pressure you into anything at all, promise."
Twilight started to walk, the stiffness of that moment fading with the clopping movement. Perhaps a walk was just what she needed, she silently thought to herself as she looked up at the larger princess beside her.
"Twilight... I asked that because... you mentioned you have... done as couples do. That could result in foals, given time and love, and I don't want that to be a surprise, to you, or him." She suddenly smirked a little. "I say that, but it will be a surprise to him. It always is to poor stallions. 'How did that happen?!' they cry, as if they had nothing to do with it."
Twilight felt her redness returning, but, somehow, walking kept it from getting too bad. "Ha... yeah... silly stallions."
She suddenly swept in with a powerful rotation of her neck, face adjacent to Twilight's. "Is that something you want, or are even prepared for?"
Twilight squeaked and jumped away. "I have so many responsibilities!"
"And I do not?" Cadance smiled gently, reaching a wing to tease at Flurry as she walked. "I am a princess, I remind. We have stressful moments all the time, and calamities in need of a guiding hoof. I have things to do, and raising my foal is one of them."
"I suppose that's true..." Twilight shook her head. "But, forgive me for saying this, you are not usually putting yourself in harm's way in titanic clashes to save all of Equestria." She threw a hoof wide. "I'm not sure it would be a good idea for me to... basically retire from that while I do the whole... mom thing."
A hoof suddenly came down just behind her horn, pressing down on her gently as Cadance walked on her other three hooves. "I would not be able to sleep at night if I thought you wanted it but decided against it out of being such a good pony you were afraid the world couldn't wait while you did it. Besides, you have friends who would rise to the occasion, hm?"
A sly smile spread on her snout. "I should imagine Starlight would be quite eager to take your place just one time for world-saving exploits."
Twilight tensed with visions of Starlight rushing into trouble with the other girls and how her brand of magic problem solving could end. "Ah, yeah... So, I think I will just not. I mean, you two--"
"Had a foal basically as soon as we were properly wed. But I'm not saying to do as I did." She raised a hoof to her chest, the one on Twilight quickly clopping down to reestablish her balance. "We are all different, and I want to support you, Twilight... Speaking of that, have you told your parents? They will be beside themselves."
Twilight's ears pricked up with thoughts of her loving mother and father. "You and Shining were the first family to get the news. Actually, I take that back."
Cadance raised a brow as she turned down a new hallway, nodding to a guard in passing. "Who found out before us?"
"His mother was there, in Ponyville." Twilight tossed her head in the vague direction of Ponyville. "She was the first to know."
"Well, that's one parent down then." Cadance chuckled from deep inside. "Does she approve?"
Twilight choked out a laugh. "Approve? I was afraid she'd do something crazy to... push things forward. In the end, she helped quite a bit. She gave me a book that's full of useful advice, and she arranged this lovely little weekend vacation for Sun and myself."
Cadance darkened, though it was hard to see in her pink fur. "You... had a weekend vacation?"
"Oh, yes." Twilight nodded, ignorant of Cadance's reaction. "We went to this delightful convention for antiquarians. That reminds me that we still have other artifacts to examine..." She raised a hoof to her chin. "Did I mention we got a working enchanted crown commissioned by Princess Platinum? Ha, that was a weekend..."
"I see..." Cadance went quiet for a time, walking with Twilight as they wove aimlessly through the halls. "Tell me... Did she arrange a nice comfortable room with a big... bed?"
"And a big hot tub too," agreed Twilight with a smile. "We were some of the cleanest ponies at the convention if the smell was anything to go by." She laughed at her jest before looking around. "Where are we going, anyway?"
"Nowhere in particular." Cadance glanced back to see Flurry was taking a nap. "Twilight, you had... Nevermind. Nevermind." She shook her head slowly as she walked. "I am not your mother, more of a big sister, I suppose. Come to think of it, that is precisely what I am, your big sister-in-law."
"My favorite sister." Twilight leaned over, pressing her side to Cadance and avoiding Flurry Heart. "Look, Cadance... Let me say thank you. I know I'm a little... awkward... but not because I don't appreciate your input. Thank you."
"And it is a pleasure to serve that role." She leaned over and planted a kiss right beside Twilight's horn. "If you ever get confused or scared, you tell me, right away. Don't even hesitate. You know this palace is always open to you, right?"
"Who's scared?!" she squeaked. "I mean... I have it all worked out." A book floated into view. "I'm following the steps and it's working great, like I said."
"About that... What comes next?"
Though his hind hooves couldn't leave the base they were attached to, he bounced and gestured and approximated the acrobatic feats he was accomplishing within the game. "And..."
A die clattered. "14."
"I stick the landing!" cried Sunburst, falling to their tiny knees triumphantly.
Shining politely clopped his hooves. "Very good, you've made it down the trap-filled hallway with some time to spare. Your friends are still looking to you with worried eyes, the boulder racing towards them, you--"
"I pull the lever!" Sunburst made a quick pulling motion before returning to his default stance, hooves spread wide in mid-athleticism. "C'mon guys!"
Flash shook his head softly. "That is both amazing and freaky at the same time." He reached with a wing to nudge his own, less animated, figure forward. "I get out of there."
The game was going well, and fun times were being had. Ending on a dramatic note, a roof coming in to possibly crush them all to paste. "We'll find out what happens next time." Shining's eyes went to the little figurine. "You'll be there, right?"
"Wouldn't miss it." Sunburst bounced in place. "So how is it? Great right? I can still play from Ponyville like this and not say goodbye at all."
Flash set a hoof carefully on the mini's head, holding it still. "Dude, that's awesome, but... it's... not you. I wanted to say goodbye to the fluffy scraggly maned stallion that is my friend, even if I'll get to see him for game day, which is great, don't get me wrong."
"Oh..."
The glasses-wearing pony adjusted those glasses. "Where are you hiding, really? You're still here in the palace, right? We want to say bye as friends, not just as players."
The other player grinned. "Besides, we owe you like a dozen noogies and we can't give those to you like this."
Sunburst hopped back as well as he could with a hoof on him, which wasn't very good. "Oh, well, maybe I should keep hiding then."
Flash tipped him over easily. "Nope, wrong answer. Now you get twice the noogies."
"It's the rule," agreed the first that had suggested it, nodding gravely as if following some solemn tradition. "Now come here and accept your dues."
Shining suddenly smiled. "I'll send the guards if you don't come on your own, and if you're still here, you're not there, so it shouldn't be too hard if I guess right."
"Okay okay!" He wiggled his little metal hooves. "I'm coming. Keep it together." The figure suddenly went solid as if he had never been there.
They prepared to give their friend a proper send off.