The wind going west was always something wonderful to feel on my skin. The summery-spring air had a certain flavor to it that one could only find in May, and I loved to ride this time of year. Spending the last few years in Canterlot for college was a big change of pace, but I was glad to finally get the summer off so I could go home. As much as she denies it, Mom was right, Luna is kind of a slave driver.
Of course, that was my fault in the first place. I learned what I could from mother about spellcraft, but she’s been out of the game for so long that she can only teach so much.
I’d never left Underhoof and I’d always planned to go visit other places one day, so I couldn’t refuse when she gave me the offer. I left a lot of my friends at home, so it’ll be nice to see them again. Funny to think that I might not have ever interacted with any of them if Mom never showed up on that October day seven years ago. How time flies.
I’d decided against moving a whole bunch of my things back home for the time being as I still wasn’t finished with my degree, so I rode my bike home. It’s a long drive from Canterlot to Underhoof, but I hadn’t done one in a few years at this point.
Taking the extra couple days to have my bike at home wouldn’t be so bad, and I got to see the countryside again. Equestria is a beautiful place, and one day, I’ll see it all.
When the grasslands changed to early wheat crops, I knew I was getting close. I pulled back on the gas and flew past the speed limit. I was excited to see everypony again, and it was finally setting in that I was almost home.
Just a little bit further, just a little bit further… I passed over the next rise, and sure enough, there was that wall of fog I remember growing up behind. I let off the gas and shifted down to neutral, rolling my way in town. The humid air, the smell of wheat that permeated the place, the slow flowing river gurgling below the bridge into town.
I’m home.
I took the bike back into third and turned right onto River Road, passing Crystal Drive and checking to see if the Pies had their gate open. The estate was a little ways down, but not so far away that it was caught in the fog. It was closed, unfortunately, so that meant they weren’t taking visitors at the moment.
I’m sure Pinkie already made it home since she decided to fly, but I bet she’s still asleep. It’s only ten in the morning, and she’s had a lot of early mornings these past few weeks. I sped up a little, passed the old house, and finally, to ours a little further away.
After mom moved in, we decided it was time for an upgrade. Dad’s book hit it off, and the first one in the series is on track to have a movie made soon, so that’s exciting. The garage was closed, and nopony had a car or a motorcycle out in the driveway, so it didn’t look like anypony was home.
That’s unfortunate. I bet she took her with her, wherever she is.
I pushed the face of my helmet up and kicked the stand down as I pulled in. Once I made sure I had the keys in my pocket this time, instead of leaving them there and killing the battery like I did last month, I headed inside. For once, the front door was locked, so I fumbled my keys back out and opened it.
Huh. They must really all be gone.
Just to be sure though, as soon as I got in the house, I called out,
“Dad? Mom? Is anypony home?”
The layout was much like the old house, but there were two more bedrooms on each floor, this time with a garage and a pool in the back. We finally put a fence up out back, so Applejack officially considers it ‘a yard.’
“Dad’s out, and Mom is with Aunt Luna. Welcome home sis!” From the other side of the house happily trotted out the five-year-old, whom I’d assumed was with one of his parents.
Gee, who was supposed to be watching you?
Rather than let my face show that, I smiled and approached the colt.
“Hello Dusk♥” I wrapped a wing around the little white unicorn and then took my helmet off. “So, where is Dad? Did Mom take Dawn with her? Why did they leave you here alone?”
Again, crime isn’t much of a thing in Underhoof, but it still happens, and these days, we live in one of the fancier houses in this little place.
“Dad just went to get some food for tonight. He couldn’t get what he needed in town, so he went to the bigger city up north. He said he’d only be gone for a couple hours.” I sighed.
That’s Dad alright.
“What about Mom and Dawn?”
Dusk was a little forgetful. You could tell him a list of things, and then have him remember two or three at the most. He’ll be six in October, so that’s not really too bad for his age. He shows a lot more promise in the magic field now than I did at his age, so I can only wonder what he’ll end up doing later on.
He came out much darker, but these days, he has a pink-white coat like his mother, green eyes like his father with our family gold flecks in the iris, and a black mane and tail with deep violet and blue streaks, not too dissimilar from my own.
“Dawn is with her, and like I said, they’re with Aunt Luna.”
I brought a hoof to my face. She took her with her after I left!? Ugh, that is so like her!
I unzipped my jacket and took it off to stretch out my wings. Riding with them out is a massive pain in the ass because they’re always trying to catch air and lift me off the bike. I either have to stuff them in something, or focus half my attention at clamping them to my sides to make sure I don’t lose hold of the bike. I crashed like that once, and that was… not a good day, to say the least. The first one was a gift. The second, I had to pay for myself.
“So they are… Well, how have you been? I haven’t seen you since Spring break.” The colt nodded and then lead me to the TV in the living room… where he’d discovered Iron Hoof 7.
Ooh boy. That brings back some memories.
“I was digging through some stuff when I found this thing. I’ve been playing all morning.”
By ‘this thing,’ I’m sure he meant our ancient Ponystation 4 that had been sitting in my closet after it got replaced with the 5.
Digging through some stuff. Sure.
Since we moved to Canterlot for school, Pinkie and I don’t get much time to play anymore, but I wonder if he’ll be surprised when his big sis knows what she’s doing in this game… I could feel the smile forming on my face, but tried my best to hide it.
“Did you now? Do you like it?” He nodded and went back to the couch to pick up his controller.
“I do! I can’t do it all the time, but I was playing in practice mode and I got this guy to do something cool! Normally, if you move the controller like this,” he did what I can only imagine was either an intentional quarter circle forward 1, or a failed crouch dash 1, “you get this move.” Jin took a step forward and did his armor crush.
“But if you kinda wait after the first part…” he had his character run up to the dummy, and then did a proper CD1, resulting in the electric. “…you get that! Isn’t that cool!?” his dummy exploded in red lightning, screwing off to the ground.
Immediately, my mind brought up the steps that follow this into a combo.
Talk about memories. Goddess. We took a road trip to a tournament for this. What a nightmare that was.
I smiled and laughed to myself, but Dusk caught me.
“Was that funny?” I shook my head.
“No, no, I’m just… thinking back, is all. Have you pulled Ox into this yet?” He shook his head.
“No. He said he was with Pappy today, so he couldn’t play. He’ll be here later when everypony comes for the party though.” I nodded and then decided I’d teach him something.
“Well then. I guess I’ll just have to play with you.”
“Yay!” The little unicorn jumped on me and I caught him in my forelegs. I rubbed the base of my horn against his and hugged the little colt tight.
It’s good to be home.
“I’m back! Dusk, can you come help me with the groceries?”
“Dorya!” And thus ended my little brother. The colt sighed and then answered Dad.
“Yes sir,” he said, dejected. The white unicorn started to get up from my lap, but I pulled him back in and kissed his head.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve been playing for years. It takes time, but you’ve got a lot of that ahead of you. You’ll get it one day.” Dusk’s ears perked up, and more enthusiastically, he went to help Dad.
The blue stallion walked in the house with four different bags in his magic, and two more in his teeth. I took the two out of his mouth with my own magic, and another from his.
“Geez, are you feeding all of Underhoof?” We set the bags down on the kitchen counter, and then Dad turned to hug me. I was taller than him now, so it was a little strange for me. He’d gained a few gray hairs here and there, no doubt due to Dawn and Mom, but he wasn’t too bad off. He stopped trying to grow out that pathetic excuse for a beard after Mom finally settled in, and if anything, that was worth it alone. It was really bad.
“Honey! Welcome home. I haven’t seen you in a few months, how were your last few weeks?” I shrugged.
“Eh. It was mostly tests, and none of the fun kinds. I spent most of that time keeping Pinkie on task slash from having a mental break down. My stuff was easy, hers was… less than that.” Dad sucked air in through his teeth.
“Ouch. Celestia picked her up from the airport yesterday night, and she did seem pretty wiped when she stopped by to say hi. How was your drive?”
I puffed air out my snout. She never did stop driving ponies around. She knows everypony in town and is on a first name basis with half the state, I swear. I suppose that I get it now though.
She got me my own bike when I was fifteen, and some of my best memories are of when we used to go on rides together. Well, that and her wearing that ridiculous foal carrier. It wasn’t legal to carry Dusk or Dawn around like that, and she should’ve never been driving the bike while she was pregnant, but Mom is extra-legal as it is.
“Pretty good. It’s been a long time since I went for a long distance one, so this was nice. I stopped to take a few pictures of the sunrise this morning, I think they turned out pretty well. Speaking of Mom, why is she in Canterlot?” He shrugged.
“Beats me. She said she needed to see Luna, snatched Dawn out of her bed, and then teleported away.”
I scowled. She wasn’t around to do it though, so I just found the sun and put my gaze there.
“That is so like her.” Dad nodded.
“Of course it is. I remember she took somepony to Canterlot to ‘check out the university’ on a Wednesday morning a few years back.” I chewed on my hoof.
So very like her.
Dusk staggered his way in the door with two bags of food in his magic, and another in his teeth. The poor foal was barely holding up.
Should I let him try to struggle his way here, or should I help? Should I do it where he knows I helped? Or should I just do this silently?
Slow step after slow step, it looked like he was going to make it, so I decided to let him do it.
I’ll help if he loses it.
Sure enough, his knees buckled a little before he reached the counter, and I caught everything and set it down.
“Almost,” I said as I helped him up. He sighed.
“I could’ve done it…” Dad shook his head.
“Maybe if you were a year older. I promise, you’ve got plenty of time. Just be patient.” Dusk groaned.
“Always with the patience. All four of you.” I shrugged.
“Well, if anypony knows a thing or two about waiting, it’s your mother and your aunt. Trust goes a long way.”
The sparkly green-eyed colt raised a brow at me, then rolled his eyes and went back into the living room.
“Whatever. I’m gonna practice that thing until it works all the time.” I chuckled.
“Yeah, good luck with that.” His execution is worse than Pinkie’s was all the way back then. Of course, he’s like me, so he’ll be at this until he figures it out.
Poor kid. You’ve brought this upon yourself.
I turned back to Dad and said,
“Well, I’d planned to go see all my friends since I was home, but Dusk was alone and I didn’t want to leave him like that.” He nodded.
“Sure. Just make sure you’re back in time for the party.”
“Yes sir!”
I hadn’t been on the road for five minutes before I noticed Dash fly by. She pulled a loop to slow herself, and I pulled over to say hi.
“Ha! Look at this loser! Dressing up like her mom, trying to be a bad bitch on a bike. How’ve you been?”
Rainbow hovered gingerly above my passenger seat, and then let herself float down as if she weighed nothing. She’d cut her mane short in the last year or so since I saw her, and she was dressed up like her own mother.
“Interesting choice of words for a half pint. Where’d you get the suit?”
She was wearing a Wonderbolts jumpsuit with a pair of goggles over her forehead. Last I heard, she was going to South Dartmoor University for Air and Performance Sports. The Wonderbolts were the ‘professional level’ of said sports, so if this was real, that meant…
“I got signed! Can you believe it!? They came to me! I’m gonna be a pro!”
It wasn’t that much of a surprise. Rainbow had gained a few hands over the years, but she was definitely on the small side for adult mares. That, however, worked to her advantage in her chosen field, since it made it easier for her to come out of dives and the like. She’s very fast and precise with her wings. I remember watching her get her cutiemark during a race one day when she almost lapped all the other pegasai in the girl’s school. I nodded.
“I can believe it. Honestly, we kind of expected this way back in like… 14. What are you doing about school?” She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, I have to finish that, unfortunately. It’s not a ‘requirement’ on the books, but really, it’s a requirement. At least a few years of military service, or a four-year degree in an athletics field. I’m guaranteed to have a spot on the main team once I finally finish, but for now, I’ll just be practicing with them and working on the sidelines until school is done. I’ll get paid for it, and I get free trips around the country, but none of the ‘fun’ until later. I still get to fly for the school though, so I guess it’s not all bad.”
When we finally got to see the pictures of her mother, Fluttershy made the connection and figured out that she was a Wonderbolt before she joined the military. She suffered an injury after an endurance race and ended up unable to fly for long periods of time, or even at competition level speeds. She still had her aerospace background to fall on, so she was easily accepted into the Air Force as a pilot later on.
Her dad doesn’t like her racing again, nor does he want her to pursue something as hard on the body as air performance is, but I guess he doesn’t have a choice in that now. He was always worried about Rainbow repeating her mother’s life, but this looks like another step in that direction.
“I see. How is your dad taking this?” She let out a breath and rolled her eyes.
“Oh, you know, same as usual. He is not happy with me. Things at home are kinda tense right now. I didn’t talk to him before I accepted the job, and this only happened a few weeks ago after I won a comp in Cloudsdale. Didn’t tell him I was even in that to begin with, so…”
I sucked in air through my teeth.
“Yikes. Geez, you should’ve at least let him know you were halfway across the country. When did this all start?” She sighed.
“Oh, ya know, sometime last year. I made the varsity team, and he told me not to join, and I did it anyways.” I took a deep breath.
“Dash, please.”
“Come on, I was just doing what I thought I should do! It’s my life, not his!”
“I get it, but you have to at least talk to him about it. He doesn’t have to like it, but he’s your dad, he should know about things like that. He probably just-”
“Doesn’t want me to end up like Mom, yeah, I know. Look dude, I’ve had this conversation with him a few times. He just doesn’t get it.” Dash crossed her hooves and pouted on my passenger seat.
Hmm.
“Have you tried talking to Mom about it?” She frowned.
“Yours?” I nodded. “No, why?”
“Well, she’s really good at that. Dealing with family issues and all. If you’ll remember, she got Rarity’s parents remarried, and they’re still together. She’s been around for a while. If she could stay put for five minutes, she might even make a good counselor to somepony.” Dash shrugged.
“I mean, I guess? I don’t know. Where would I even see her to ask? It’s not like we’re around each other often. I don’t even think Dad knows her.” I put a hoof on her shoulder.
“Everypony knows Celestia, especially in this town. You know what? We’re having a welcome home party later tonight. Come by and bring your dad with you. I’ll steal my sister away, and that should give you a chance to talk to her.” Dash snorted.
“Man, you are just the worst. Butting in on my problems like you’re my friend or something. ‘Aight, I’ll swing by. I’ll drag the old bastard if I have to, but we’ll be there.” I crossed my forelegs.
“You’re damn right I am. Good, I’ll see you later.”
After seeing the future Wonderbolt, the next pony in line would be Rarity, so I continued down the road until I hit the highway and turned right.
As I came up on their house, I saw that her gate was open and there were four cars in the driveway, meaning everypony was home. It was somewhere closer to noon on Sunday, so I can only imagine they were watching a hoofball game. That became something of a family event after Rarity’s dad moved out here, and not much has changed about that.
Mom caught them fighting once, and I’m not sure they ever dared to defy her again. Either that, or she really did help them root out the problems in their marriage, one or the other. I like to believe she has the capacity for ‘nefarious evil,’ but I know better.
Having Dusk, and maybe that thing with the comet changed her, but not enough to make it seem like she was a different pony. She still cares, she’s still nosey, and she’s still unpredictable.
I pulled in beside the violet vehicle with the rhinestones on the license plate that I knew to be Rarity’s car, and parked the bike in the grass. I walked up and rang the doorbell, and Rarity happened to answer.
“Ah! Twilight, darling, why didn’t you tell me you were home? Come in, I’ll-”
“What the fuck was that!?”
“You call that a flag!? He was just playing the game!”
“Are you fucking kidding me!?”
Rarity’s face froze and very quickly, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
“On second thought, maybe not.” I laughed and we trotted over to the bike.
“I see you guys are having a good time. How’ve you been?” Rarity smiled and shook her head.
“Oh, you know. Hoofball Sunday comes again and everypony is ready to attack the referees. Ever since Father got a job teaching at the state university, these afternoons have become… much more lively. The season is almost over though, what with school being nearly out, so the championship games are what’s left. We’re in the finals, so it’s particularly important to them.” I nodded.
“I see. Shouldn’t he be there? I know he’s not head coach, but-”
“No, no, he actually took the last week of school off for me. I wanted to go to Applewood to look at art schools and see what’s what, and they got all up in my business about it, so now we’re planning to go cross-country together as a family. I’m finally finished with that awful associate’s degree so now I can actually do something I want to. If there’s anything I miss about Mother’s old job, it would have to be the money. It was better that she quit in the long run of course, but it was at least nice at the time. I’m the one trying to blow our finances on a liberal arts degree anyways, so I should be the one to pay for it, but you know how they are.”
Rarity ended up getting involved with the girl’s school theatre department sometime in 2014, and started making costumes for the plays. Her cutiemark showed up shortly thereafter, and she figured that she could’ve gotten it ages ago if the divorce hadn’t ‘numbed her,’ as she puts it, to her own feelings. It was only apparent to her after her parents remarried how screwed up she really was because of it.
She was descending into a porn addiction on a level close to Fluttershy, drowning her sorrows in anything that felt like affection, all the while desperately trying to get her mother’s attention by any means.
We met at a good time and she’s thanked me a few times over the years for being her friend. I needed her just as bad as she needed me at the time, but she really believes that getting involved with my family changed how she could’ve turned out.
We keep in touch, but I haven’t actually seen her in person in almost half a year. We all still text each other, but Pinkie and I are usually halfway across the country, and Luna usually has me doing things during the breaks.
“Well, that sounds like it’ll be fun. Where are you thinking of going? Canterlot has a few schools like that too.” She shrugged.
“Really, I have no idea. I’ve never had any ‘formal’ training in my craft, and everything I know I learned from Mrs. Lace down at the clothing store in town. We’re taking the month to visit several places, and I’m sure we’ll go by Canterlot to see the Castle Gardens again. If nothing else, Father will finally get his wish and have that RV he always wanted.” I nodded.
“Yeah, he used to talk about that a lot, didn’t he?” She raised a hoof and leaned her head to the side.
“Oh, I’m almost certain he’s using me as an excuse to get it. Not that I mind of course, the cookie business has been doing well lately, and we’ve had a good sum of extra money coming in from that, if you can’t tell by the brand new MX-5 they bought for Sweetie,” she said through clenched teeth.
A few years into playing stay-at-home mom, Rarity’s Mother decided to start looking into selling her family cookies around town. They appeared at fundraisers, drives, and church and charity events, and eventually enough ponies convinced her to try and sell them commercially. The business has been slowly rolling into something bigger with each year that passes.
As it turns out, she’s from a long line of pastry makers from Cheval, and her cookies are somewhat famous over there, as made by other ponies in her family.
They have a unique texture to them that gives them a light and crispy kind of feel, even though the cookies themselves are actually kinda big. It’s almost like eating sweetened pie crust that’s a little bit thicker than usual. It’s very odd, but very popular here.
They never decided to try and remodel one of the shops in town, so instead, they had a second kitchen added to the house specifically for the bakery, and she sells them online. Mom delivers for her sometimes, and we’ll get free cookies on occasion. Dawn and Dusk are never upset about it, so I guess it’s not a bad thing. I furrowed my brows.
“Why would they get her a car? She’s not even old enough to drive.” Rarity threw her hooves up in the air.
“I know! That was my complaint! Why spend the 30,000 bits when she doesn’t even need it yet!? But no, ‘she’s getting her permit, we want her in something she's familiar with when she starts driving on her own.’ Rubbish. I learned how to drive in my mother’s death trap that is the Viper, and I can still keep up with her behind the wheel! More importantly, they got the one with the turbos! Why!? Was safety not the reason for this? Why would you give a new driver access to something that powerful and that light at the same time? Goddess, it’s frustrating.” Rarity shook her head and sighed.
“Well, that was my rant for the day. How are you?” I chuckled.
“Oh, I’m fine. Pinkie took the BAR again last week, so I’ve had a few rough ones trying to keep her sane. She knows it all this time, but you know how she is, she panics in tests like that.” Rarity nodded.
“Of course. She never made the advanced class for that very reason. Goddess, I remember the summer we spent trying to tutor her. She’s an awful test taker. I still don’t understand her decision to go into law. It always felt so out of character for her.” I shrugged.
“Neither do I, but she says she likes it, and she survived two years of this stuff, so I’m inclined to believe her. Her mother has been doing it for all of her life, so I really don’t find it too surprising.” Rarity shook her head.
“Whatever you say. I’m just concerned about the success she’ll have. Her cutiemark isn’t quite geared for that profession. As good as she is at talking to ponies and making friends, I still find it hard to believe she’s considering pursuing a judgeship instead of something more… social, I suppose.” I sighed.
“I know. She worked at a bakery in Canterlot last summer and she loved it there. I don’t know why she doesn’t just do that, but again, she says she likes her classes, and I’m almost tempted to believe her. She looks like she has fun in the debate room, so maybe that’s actually the case. Fifteen years, and I still don’t know what goes through that head of hers sometimes.” Rarity shrugged.
“Enh. Maybe one day. How did it go with that guy, by the way?” I immediately jumped to cover her mouth.
“Are you out of your mind!? Don’t say things out loud, she’s always watching!” I whispered, searching the sky for any signs of magic.
She wasn’t kidding when she said it would take a century for me to detect her presence. She pops out of nowhere all the time, and I never see her coming out of the teleportation spell. She won’t even teach me the trick behind it, and she’s made it a point to make me figure it out myself.
It was true. I met a stallion in Canterlot, and we get along. The problem is, Mom. My lazy, irresponsible, carefree mother found out the first time I started getting close to a colt, and she made it her business.
Family records, medical history, criminal records, everything. His distant uncle had been arrested in a state far, far away from here, and she brought it up the one time I invited him over for dinner. Needless to say, he didn’t last long.
My current, and I hesitate to even think the word, coltfriend, has been kept in explicit secrecy and I’ve always had barriers and wards up any time I’m with him just to make sure she can’t find me. I even set up duplicates with moving paths in hopes I can trick her into believing I’m somewhere else. It’s very stressful. Rarity threw my hooves off her mouth.
“Goddess, I was just making friendly conversation!” I pulled my hooves back and put them together.
“I’m sorry. I really like him, I’m just… not ready to let either of them know of the other’s existence.” She rolled her eyes.
“That’s all you had to say. I get it, she’s unhinged. Anyways, what are your plans for the summer? I’ll be gone most of May and part of June of course, but we don’t leave until next week. The old man still hasn’t decided on which RV he’s going to get, and we’re going to visit dealerships starting tomorrow.”
What are my plans? I hadn’t really thought on that.
“To be honest, I don’t have any. Well, I suppose I wanted to take my siblings to Equestrian Flags at some point, but that doesn’t have to happen on a specific date.” Rarity raised a brow.
“You mean to say, you wanted to take Dawn to Equestrian Flags, correct?” I straightened my lips.
“Okay, so maybe that is the case, but I’m sure Dusk would have fun. We could bring Oxford, and maybe his parents, or the rest of the Apples. I don’t know.” She huffed and shook her head.
“You’re going to spoil that filly.” I stomped my hoof.
“She’s mine, damn it! I was the one who changed all her diapers! I was the one who raised her for the first three years of her life! That stupid old mare sat around and played with her boy while I did all the work! It’s not fair!”
Most of that was true. Mom did in fact change some diapers, and she also breast fed the baby until Dawn was off of that, but I spent all the time with her. As soon as I saw her, I knew that she and I were going to be the best sisters we could. I loved taking care of her, I loved playing with her. I never had an older sister, so I got to play the role of the one I wished I had.
There were some questions raised on how she had the foals of a dead stallion… again, I suppose, but I recently learned about a time spell that had never been completed that was created by the Sun Queen in the middle of her reign over Equestria. She said she never got it to work right and eventually scrapped it, but I don’t believe it. It’s unlike her to give up on anything, and especially something that important. Rarity shook her head again.
“Denial is a hard drug to quit, Twilight. I certainly hope that this stallion you’re with is prepared for the crazy that runs in your family. I’m a little concerned that that poor filly is going to have to grow up with two mothers until you really move out.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, shut up. I think I’ve been lectured enough today. Are you going to be at the party?” She smiled and nodded.
“Yes, princess.” I scowled at her.
“Uh-huh. And don’t you forget it. Make sure you bring the rest of your family. Dad bought enough to feed town, so you might as well.”
Rarity laughed and made her way back to the front door as I mounted my bike.
“Of course, darling. See you later.”
As the case seems to be, I ran into the next pony on my list as she was flying… somewhere. I know her house is in the northeast side. Underhoof is laid out a lot like a grid over a big circle, the circle in this case being the river that surrounds town. Pinkie and I live on the southeast side of town.
Because Canterlot is kind of smack dab in the middle of Equestria’s eastern coast and I absolutely loathe driving through big cities, I decided to take I-70 to I-29, and then the state highways to get home. We’re about two hours west of Rainbow Falls, the city that sits at the crossroads of I-90 and I-29, and because driving there is like injecting myself with the plague, SD-18 is what I typically take home.
Where was I? Oh, right, Fluttershy. Rainbow lives on the south side of I-90, and Rarity lives a little ways down I-90 past the east side of the river in a big house with a lot of land. Not that that’s hard to come by here, but all the same.
Fluttershy lives north of I-90 in the ‘middle class’ community type ‘suburban’ area we have, even though there’s nothing ‘urban’ about Underhoof at all. For good measure, Applejack lives on the northwest side with her grandfather’s pear orchard. Fluttershy was heading west, and with some groceries, so I was at a loss for what she was up to.
“Hey!” I called out. The yellow mare looked up, spun around, and then locked her eyes on me.
“Oh, I recognize that helmet.”
I pulled over and took a seat on the nearby bench just outside one of the many storefronts that lined I-90. The town had grown a little since the whole comet thing, but not that much. The yellow pegasus gingerly floated down, swooped, and then fell slowly into the bench next to me and gave me a hug.
“You’re back! How’ve you been? It’s been, what, six months since you were home?” I nodded and hugged her back.
“It has. It’s good to see you. What are you up to?”
“Oh, I was just dropping some of this off at the shelter, then headed back home. How have you been? Are you doing well at school? Is… is Pinkie okay now? She was… not much of a pony person yesterday…”
After I ended up destroying the comet instead of diverting it like we’d planned, a ton of the shards that weren’t burned up in the atmosphere plummeted to the ground and destroyed areas around the city limits. We were lucky that nopony was hurt, but there were several animals displaced, and lots of angry farmers that had crops burned to the ground thanks to the comet.
Fluttershy signed up to help the shelter take in rescues, and she got her cutiemark shortly thereafter. This was maybe… a few days after I hit the comet. She was the first, not counting Applejack and I, to get it. We had a good idea of what everypony’s mark would look like thanks to the elements literally printing them onto our guitars, but we weren’t really sure how they would be achieved.
The river was low for a few years, lots of trees were uprooted or burned, crops were short, it wasn’t a good time for Underhoof. She took a job at the shelter and has worked there part time ever since.
Working with the animals gave her something else to focus her time on, and that ended up helping her break her addiction for… well, as good as it could.
I hadn’t felt the full effects of puberty just yet before the comet, and in the next year, is when I really got it bad. Applejack’s brother Macintosh was… a point of interest to be sure, but I would later learn that he was that for a lot of ponies, some of whom, suffered consequences for it.
More or less, I understood her issue better after I started to feel it myself, and her, Rarity and I ended up getting through it together.
“Oh, you saw her?” I asked. Shy nodded.
“I did. She said hi, she asked about Gummy, and once she got a little time with him, she went home and passed out. She was a little moody, and I certainly wouldn’t have called that a pleasant visit. What about you?” I shrugged.
“Not much. Dusk went exploring in my room and found the Ponystation 4 and Iron Hoof, so I spent my afternoon bullying him. I decided to drive the bike home, so I took a couple days for the fun of it. My tests this semester were mostly General Ed., so I think we all know how that went. I spent more time quizzing Pinkie for the BAR than I did actually studying on my own.” She nodded.
“Ah, I see. That explains all the bugs on your jacket. Lots of morning driving?” I sighed.
“Oh, absolutely. I probably drove through thirty small towns on the way here, you know how they are about speed limits. They’re all speed traps, all of them! I skirted a ticket at least twice.” Fluttershy giggled.
“Sounds like something your mother would do.” I shook my head.
“I know. I’m not on Dawn’s level of mother-y-ness, but the older I get, the more I see the similarities. I’m pretty sure I should be terrified.” Shy shrugged.
“Oh, I don’t think that would be all bad. She really is a good pony after all.” I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to give that one a hard maybe. Morally gray is about as close to ‘good’ as she gets in my book. Anyways, how have you been?” Shy tilted her head.
“Oh, I don’t know. I finished my associate’s out this semester, and I’ve been accepted into the state college to do the rest of my accounting degree, but I’m unsure of the logistics for that. On the one hoof, it’s only a two and a half hour drive. I could apply for a dorm and just come home over the weekends to see Ox and the rest, while keeping up with the shelter.
It shouldn’t be too much work since the math is relatively simple… er, easy for me anyways, but on the other hoof… that’s five hours of driving every week. I don’t really like driving as it is, so… I’m thinking about waiting until we move to go somewhere closer, or just trying to do as much as I can online and taking maybe a semester or two in the dorms.” I furrowed my brows.
“Ox and the rest? Do you mean Oxford?” She frowned.
“Do you know another pony that goes by ‘Ox’? Of course I do, he’s… Oh my goddess, I never told you.” Now I frowned.
“Never told me what?” She straightened her lips.
“A-are you going by the orchard?” I nodded.
“Well, I wanted to see everypony before the party, and I figured I ought to see the Apples since I’ll be home for a while.” She sighed and nodded slowly.
“Okay. I was heading that way anyways, so…” she gestured to my passenger seat and I shrugged.
“I mean, sure I guess. It might mess with your dress though.” She shook her head.
“I ride enough, I’ll manage.”
“Howdy, Twi! Ah didn’t know ya’d made it back already. Mac! Yer wife’s home!”
Fluttershy nodded and stepped in the farm house, and I had to take a minute to process that. When the big red, bearded stallion approached, lifted her, kissed her, and took her grocery bags from her, I still wasn’t sure it’d settled in. Mac took the bags to the kitchen, and then his son approached the yellow mare.
“Hi Fluttershy.”
“Hello Oxford♥ How is my little stallion today?” It was when she picked up his son and referred to him as ‘my little stallion,’ then it set in.
“You married Mac!?” she put the deep violet colt down and nodded.
“Sorta. The weddin’ ain’t fer another month, but they’ve been engaged fer a more than half a year now. How did ya not know? Ah coulda swore we told everypony…” I raised a hoof in disbelief.
“What the hell!? Why didn’t I know!?” Shy shrugged and Ox came over to hug me.
“Hi Auntie Twi.”
I lightly hugged the little colt back, but I was still in a sort of dazed state staring at the two of them.
“Hi Ox.” Shy shrugged and started playing with the pendant I didn’t notice earlier.
A green apple split in half with a pink butterfly over it. Yes, that is indeed a wedding pendant with both of their cutiemarks on it. Does Luna know? What does she think about this? Does that make her a marital cousin to me now? What the fuck.
“I-I really thought we told you… I’m so sorry.” I shook my head and found a seat on the couch.
“Okay, okay, whatever, just tell me how…” I motioned a hoof around her, “this came to be. His mother knows right?” They nodded.
“Of course, she encouraged it,” she said. Shy took a seat next to me, and then Ox came to sit on her lap, which was all kinds of weird for me, and Applejack took the armchair.
“Hey y’all, Pappy needs my help, so Ah’ll be back in a bit. Nice ta see ya again Twi,” Mac said after he came back out of the kitchen.
He waved to everypony, then blew a kiss at Fluttershy, and then she gave him a look. I knew that look. I’d seen my own mother make that very same face enough times to make me vomit. I know what that look does to stallions, and she did it on purpose.
Goddess this is weird.
That look is how Oxford was made. As the story goes, not only did Luna take Mac to a ritzy hotel once during her stay that week in 2013, she did it several times. She later had the displeasure of learning that her ‘big strong stallion that knows how to use that thing between his legs’ was also capable of impregnating alicorns.
If either of them had been males, there would be bastards upon bastards upon bastards related to each of them dating back all the way to the 900’s when Mom was starting to lose the will to live.
Because they’re both females though, it takes a very sturdy seed to plant in alicorn soil. Not just anypony can do it, however, the Apples are famously potent, and known for their numerous offspring.
For a couple years there, they tried to raise Oxford together. Being the Queen and all, it was very difficult to get away with what she’d done, and hiding the baby was near impossible, but with Mom’s help, they managed. However, there was a close scare, and Luna hadn’t learned the lesson the first time and nearly had a second child.
Mom did something horrible and interrupted Luna doing something dumb again, and it was at that point that she made the decision to give Mac up and fund Oxford’s expenses until further notice. You didn’t have a teenager that looked like Mac back then around the castle for no reason, after all.
She usually comes by once a month to see her son and spend the day with him, but she still had a very dangerous relationship with Mac as far as I could tell. Mom would typically chaperone her sister to prevent further incidents, but her visits to Underhoof were much less frequent while I was with her in Canterlot.
I suppose Fluttershy must’ve snaked her way in at some point, but this had to have been going on for a while now. Oxford is fairly shy and doesn’t warm up to anypony easily. If he’s running up and hugging her, then he really knows her.
“S-so, this started about eight months ago…” I brought my hoof to my forehead.
“I was here after the fact, and nopony told me then either? We had a Hearth’s Warming party! Everypony was there! How did I not know!?” Applejack rolled her eyes.
“Oh, put yer wings down. Ya know how Shy’s felt about Mac fer a while now, this ain’t that unexpected.” I sighed and rubbed at my temples.
“Explanation, go. When did it start, where was Luna involved, what’s going on now, everything.” Shy put a hoof under her chin and then began thinking back. It took a while, so I sat there and looked over my ‘cousin,’ whom I’m fourteen years older than.
A dappled deep reddish violet coat with black spots, light violet freckles, a two-tone mane and tail of orange like his father, and streaks of navy blue like his mother’s original coat, even with the sort of ‘starry night sky’ effect Luna’s mane has in them. He has his father’s green eyes, with his mother’s golden flecks, the family trait, and he’s relatively large for a colt his age, which makes us think he’ll be absolutely massive later on. He came out as an earth pony, so he’ll have much more to adjust to than I did when I got my cutiemark. Poor kid.
“Well… maybe this has been going on longer than that. Er, let’s say that it wasn’t ‘official’ until eight months ago.” Applejack nodded.
“As far as Ah could tell, Shy was around a lot after Luna sent them home. As ya know, it almost got out that Mac was her f…” Applejack’s eyes wandered over her nephew and then to the ceiling. “‘Special somepony,’ Ah suppose, and Celestia made the executive decision ta have Luna break off the relationship. Ironic, all thin’s considered, but again, they are sisters. So, naturally, after Mac came home, he was a little depressed.
Ah’m not entirely sure about his feelin’s on everythin’. He never could’ve married her, and he knew that from the start, but Ah think somewhere along the way, he might’ve even developed real feelin’s fer the Queen. Ya don’t just get inta an accidental relationship like that and then almost make a second foal a few years later.
After Shy took notice of it, since we still hung out ta talk once a week, she must’ve picked up on it and started tryin’ ta cheer him up.” Fluttershy nodded.
“He seemed sad and lonely, and I…” blush flooded her cheeks and she started to circle the tips of her hooves. “W-well, you know… He’s always been special to me. I was finally eighteen and things just kind of… moved forward from there. I started coming over on something like a daily basis, and then this guy started treating me more like Applejack than a stranger.”
She looked down and smiled at the colt as she stroked his mane. He reciprocated and leaned into her a little more.
Good goddess, this is weird.
“I think it was after Ox accepted me that he really started to look at me as somepony that could… fill the gap, I suppose. T-things um… m-moved quicker than I um… w-was prepared for, and… and you know how I was, and n-now that I had the r-real thing right in front of me…” Shy clammed up, but I figured I knew where this was going.
“So uh, yeah. Ya know how Mac is, and since he has a habit of doin’ thin’s backwards, they’d already ‘consummated’ before he proposed. Finally got around ta that last September. She ain’t pregnant yet, but she’s been gettin’ sick an awful lot lately, so Ah’m not too sure about that.” Shy rolled her eyes.
“I am not! I took a test yesterday, it’s still negative!” Applejack raised a brow.
“Uh-huh. Sure ya ain’t. Don’t forget sugarcube, apple seeds root deep.” Shy pouted and shook her head, but Applejack smirked.
“Well. That’s something alright. What about his mother?” I asked. Applejack nodded.
“Oh, right. She’s fer it. Ya know Celestia’s feelin’s about motherhood, so she nags on her pretty hard about doin’ this ta him. Since Shy decided ta hop on the train ta Sweet Apple Acres-”
“I really wish you would stop calling it that.”
“Ah will not, and Ah will never stop, sis. Anyways, Ox likes her, so Luna’s okay with it. ‘The current Element of Kindness should be a more than capable stand in for me until he’s grown,’ were her words specifically.
It’s probably fer the best anyways. Even with yer mom takin’ up some of Luna’s duties ta give her a day with him once a month, she can’t give him the time he needs with her. Luna hasn’t even been by since March, so Ah’m almost sure that’s part of why Celestia went up there today. Ah mean, she told me about it, so why else?”
To be fair to her, Luna is still the Queen and still manages a lot of what goes on in the government, specifically on the foreign relations side of things. However, I tend to side with mother in this argument. It’s true that she has a hard job and she’s been doing it for millennia at this point, but having a mother is easily the most important thing in the world.
That’s not to say that fathers aren’t also important, but especially as young as Ox is, now is the time when he would need her most, and, well, she’s not around. She might try, and Shy might be the mother of his siblings one day, but Fluttershy will never be his mother.
The sons, and they will probably all be sons based on the things I’ve heard about Mac’s… physiology, they have together are going to end up very different than Ox. And if Shy does manage to override the position of ‘mother’ in his head, then he’s going to have to suffer through watching her die one day. Speaking of… I should probably ask about that too…
“So, wait. What about the orchard? Wasn’t Mac supposed to take Sweet Apple Acres at some point? Are you guys going to move down there after the wedding, or…?”
Both mares scratched at their manes.
“Yeah, that’s uh…”
“W-we really haven’t figured it out yet.”
“Okay, so… as it stands, our cousins still take shifts at the orchard. Mac ‘owns it,’ but they still run it and keep it producin’. Problem is, thin’s are a little complicated now. None of us wanna separate Ox from his cousins. We think it’ll probably be best if he’s around some ponies that are like him, and he and Dusk might as well be brothers since they were born just days apart.
The other problem stems from the Acres and our cousins startin’ ta want a bigger piece of that pie. He’s 23, he shoulda taken the Acres five years ago, but he was too busy bein’ Luna’s f- uh, stallion ta actually do that, and we… really never could explain exactly why Mac couldn’t come take over the orchard. So, we either need ta have somepony go down and take over, or give it up, and Ah will not give anypony outside my blood my Pa’s birthright. What Ah think will probably end up happenin’ is that Ah’ll end up down there, and possibly in the near future. Ah go down there once a quarter fer a week as it is, so Ah might just have ta bite the bullet on this one.” I frowned.
“Bite the bullet? Do you not want it? I thought your whole thing was that you were going to be an Apple farmer one day.” Applejack sighed and shook her head.
“Well, it’s complicated, alright? Ah want ta have my own orchard one day, and Ah want my own big family and all that, but, Ah didn’t want ta do that immediately. Ah’m hardly twenty, ya know? Ah skipped out on college fer Ox, and Ah guess Ah hadn’t really thought too hard on it, but Ah still expected Mac ta take the Acres.
Ah thought Ah was gonna be free ta do what Ah wanted and go find my own patch of land ta set roots in later. And it’s not as if Ah’m about ta abandon my kin just ta screw off ta who knows where. Broken bonds are hard ta repair.
Ah had plans ta see the world. Ah haven’t spent hardly anythin’ over the years, and Ah’ve been sittin’ on this pile of bits hopin’ that Ah could use ‘em ta travel ta all the places Pa toured while he was servin’, but now… Ah’m just not sure that’s in the cards.”
Geez, that isn’t a fun place to be in. In all fairness, this is Luna’s fault through and through, but there’s not much anypony can do about it now. She seems to value what happens to Ox more than herself though, so… I guess that’s just Applejack being Applejack.
“What is Applebloom doing?” she shrugged and put her chin on her hoof.
“Oh, nothin’ yet. She’s starts tenth grade at the girl’s school next fall, so she’s got a couple years before she does anythin’. She and her friends are lookin’ inta signin’ up fer the military together, so who knows where she’ll end up. If she doesn’t end up doin’ that, Ah’m thinkin’ of havin’ her come back ta Palomino with me and just goin’ ta college somewhere nearby so Ah can have some help.” She took a deep breath and shook her head.
“Ah don’t know. We’ll do somethin’ and this’ll get worked out one way or another. Either way, one of the two of us needs ta be around them just in case there’s another foal next year or so. We didn’t even have primary care of him until he was three, but even then, Ox was a hoofful. Runnin’ the orchard and tryin’ ta raise foals is more than a two pony job sometimes.” I nodded.
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me that. I know all about it. Dawn was my job for the first three years. I uh… I suppose I could help you out for a little while if you do move down there over the summer. It would give me a chance to see Palomino, and I really don’t have much going on as it is.”
Applejack shook her head.
“Y’all got yer own life ta tend ta, don’t go jumpin’ inta mine.” I shook my head.
“No, I mean it. You’re my friend, and I want to help you out. It would be good for me. Hell, we could make it a family trip and just bring everypony for at least a week. That farmhouse has the space doesn’t it?”
Applejack scratched at her cheek.
“Twi, ya don’t have ta-” I stood up.
“You know what? I do. You always do this to yourself. You always try to pick up the slack anywhere you can, and it’s always you who suffers for it. I’m going to help, and you’re going to like it.” She raised her hooves.
“Alright Twi, goddess. Do whatever ya want.” She shook her head and smiled. “Fuckin’ nosey is what ya are.”
Fluttershy quickly clamped down on Ox’s ears and scowled at the orange mare.
“Applejack, please! We’ve talked about this! You were doing so well too…” Applejack threw her head back in exasperation.
“Son of a bitch. This is Pa’s fault. Mouth of a damn sailor and he sure did pass that on.”
Shy gave her another death stare and then she backed off.
“Alright, alright, Ah’m done, promise.” Shy finally removed her hooves from the colt’s ears.
“Now Oxford, remember not to repeat anything your Auntie Applejack says, okay?” he nodded.
“Okay. Twilight, are we goin’ back ta yer house soon? Dusk said he found a new game, and Ah really wanted ta play it.”
Are we? What time is it?
I took out my phone to check, but as I did, I got a call from Mom.
“Talk about timing.” I answered and put the speaker up to my ear. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Oh, just wondering where you were. You do realize it’s almost seven, don’t you? Your little sister is so looking forward to seeing you, after all.” I think I felt my eye twitch.
“I see how it is, I know your game. I’m over at Applejack’s. We’ll be there in a bit.” She wasn’t in the same room, but I could just feel her sneering at me through the line.
“Do you now? My dearest Twilight, I don’t think you know any of my games. Though, a request to get some cookies out of Mrs. Belle, if you would.” I glared at the non-existent image of my mother.
“Oh, you bet I will. I’ll see you there.”
“Mmkay, bye♥”
“Bye Mom.” I ended the call and put the phone away to find five pairs of eyes on me.
“Is… is that normal?” Applejack asked. I sighed.
“Yes, unfortunately. This happens often.”
Ox wanted to ride the bike, so I ended up taking him with me while everypony else piled in Fluttershy’s sedan… that Mac drives, apparently. By the time we arrived, it looked like everypony else was already here, what with all the cars lined up in the driveway and along the roadside.
I dismounted and then set Ox on the ground, and he immediately ran for the door, no doubt excited to see his cousin.
To his surprise though, his mother answered the door, and his face lit up like a firework. He jumped on her, and she caught him and spun him around, showering his face with kisses all the while and tickling him.
I always feel a little sad, when I see them like this. Luna loves her boy to death, but just doesn’t have the time to raise him like she wants. She might’ve even loved his father, and that is the real shame. Oxford will be around forever, but Mac has already moved on. A shame, really. A damn shame.
She waved to the rest of us and then took him inside. We all piled in the house, and Pinkie was the first one to see me.
“Oh wow, you really did finally make it home.” I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. Do you know anything yet?” She shook her head.
“No, I probably won’t get results for a few weeks. I felt better about it, but I don’t know. I’m just hoping I didn’t fuck up that stupid sheet this time.”
After I was given the offer to go to Canterlot U, I told my friends I would be taking it. Everypony was happy for me… save for my best friend. We’d initially planned on going to the state college together, but I still had things I wanted to do, and Canterlot has the best magic program in the country, on top of Luna throwing internships my way for some particularly high-profile spell craft firms. It was perfect for what I wanted to do, though I wasn’t that keen on leaving my friends behind. Of course, then Pinkie surprised everypony by saying she wanted to go to Canterlot U for law, to the pleasure of her mother and disbelief of everypony else.
In a single year, her GPA went from something like 2.75 to 3.5 after two semesters of straight A’s. It was unprecedented, and she almost made it into the dual credit advanced class. She was accepted into the program after making a middling score on the entrance exam for that, and she’s thrived in the environment… somehow. It’s tests and reading and debates and case studies and sitting in on judiciary hearings, and nothing I ever thought her capable of, but here she is. Were it not for her awful test taking skills, she might even be at the top of her class. I gave her a pat on the back.
“You better make it this time. I gave up a month for you. That’s my time you wasted.” She smiled and rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, sure, your time you were going to use to get back into Iron Hoof. If anypony knows you at this point, it’s me.” I waved her away.
“Bah, whatever. Now then… where is…”
“Twilight!”
Before I even had the chance to look for her, I was dive bombed from the second floor by my little sister. The audio cue gave me a chance to prepare myself for impact, but it seems she’d learned a little bit in the two months I’ve been away, and swooped before she slammed into my face. I snatched the little pegasus out of the air and hugged her tight.
“Hello Dawn♥”
On October 1st, 2014, my cousin Oxford was born. Three days later, Dusk was born on October 4th. Almost a year on the day later, Dawn was born on August 30th, 2015. Mother swears we all have the same father, and based on the way they look, I wouldn’t be able to disagree with that. I’ve always had my suspicions about that moment when they shifted places back on the day of the comet, and the ‘jars’ comment bounced around in my head for years until I was told a little about the colonies that were publicly unveiled in 2018.
Fluids have to be conserved up there, and water is the most valuable resource. There are just closets of jars upon jars of water kept in cold storage in the event of a system failure. As cold and calculating as mom can be, she could’ve taken advantage of that and kept some ‘fluids’ of her own for later use. It’s the only way that makes sense anyways, but she’d never admit to anything that went on that day.
There was a very small chance she could’ve come out as an earth pony, a very high chance she could’ve come out as a unicorn, but our little Dawn entered the world with wings.
Like her father, Dawn has a smoky dark gray coat, and a wavy mane that was dark blue like mine, but the colors change toward the ends of it. It goes from that blue to violet, red, orange and ends in yellow at the tips. Mom liked to keep it in braids as it’s very long and she is short for her age. It has some strange property to it too, as every time we cut it, the colors shift like she must always have a gradient in her mane. The tips of her wings also have a similar gradient, but that transitions from her shoulders to the outer primaries, not too dissimilar to her mother’s wings. She has her mother’s eyes, but a more lean and stocky body like her father, unlike the rest of us.
I’ve also come to believe that she’s the reason that Mom has yet to have another. Provided she still has some ‘fluids’ hidden somewhere, anyways. Dawn is a lot like her mother. As a matter of fact, we’ve come to the conclusion that she has her mother’s personality.
She’s a wild child, a firebrand, ready to go and do anything at a moment’s notice, and always wanting to be out in the sun playing. She’s played every sport, she’s always the first to talk to somepony, and she is a hard extrovert. It tires mom out, so more often than not, she is put in my care, because the only pony Mom can’t deal with is herself.
That isn’t to say she doesn’t love her or play with her herself, but the old mare just finds it difficult to keep up with the perpetual energy this filly has. I remember one day before she’d learned to fly, Mom had the idea of playing catch with Dawn so she got used to being in the air. We still do it sometimes, and as she’s gotten older, mother has put more and more power into her throws.
Needless to say, Dawn was flying at an early age, and she shows a lot of promise in that area. Luna even says she remembered a time when she saw pictures of Celestia as a filly back on their home world, and she’d come out as a pegasus back then too. I’m a little afraid of ending up like mom, but Dawn is already there, and nopony was ready for that.
I played with her for a while as everypony got settled in, and then she saw that her brother and cousin were playing a game and demanded a turn. With her out of my mane (literally), I went around and talked to everypony. Rainbow and her Dad were battling it out with Mom acting as referee, Luna was talking with Mac, Shy, and Jack about their plans for the orchard, Rarity and Pinkie were talking about the shops around Canterlot and our arts programs, so I found myself with Dad off in the corner with the drinks. The house was full and lively, and it was nice just to observe.
“Well, is this what you wanted?” I asked him. He took a sip of whatever was in his plastic red cup and shrugged.
“I suppose. I would’ve liked it if Dusk and Dawn were mine by blood, but as we learned, that’s just not possible. Still, a full house, some lovely kids, a beautiful loving wife, and a daughter with ‘saved the world’ as one of her accomplishments though? I think that’s more than enough for somepony like me. What about you? Are you happy with this life so far?” I leaned back and thought about that.
I grew up for the most part without a mother. Everything I knew was taught to me by this stallion and his son. Until she showed up, I had no idea what I wanted out of life, or even what life was supposed to be like. I was passive and willing to accept everything as it was and move on expecting nothing to change. And then she showed up. Everything changed for me in a drastic and explosive way. Life was hectic and chaotic, and dare I say it, fun. I don’t think I even realized how I felt or that anything was wrong, that was just the way everything was. It’d always been this way, so why should anything change?
“I guess I am. I’d never thought about it much, but I’m not sure what I would’ve done if Celestia never showed up. Of course, that’s not to say I wouldn’t have rather had my mother the whole time, and I’m sure I would’ve liked to have my real father, but I think you were a pretty good dad. If anything, I think I just wish things hadn’t gone so bad with Shining while he was still here.
Even after all these years I still look back at all the things we did together and remember how much fun we had. I haven’t seen him in eight years, so I worry that I’ll forget him completely one day. You know how Mom gets when she talks about ponies she’s met, I just don’t want that to be me with him just yet.”
Dad swirled around whatever was in his cup and took another sip.
“Well, I was going to keep this a surprise, but I suppose you should know before hoof. I know how you are about surprises, so… he should be here sometime soon.” I blinked.
“Shining?” Dad nodded.
“Yes.” I blinked again.
“Really? Why?” Dad nodded and took a deeper swig.
“So, you haven’t been around much in the last few years, but I was called a while back. He was getting married and he wanted me to be there. Of course, I was skeptical because there were a number of things I was concerned about, the chief among those his mother, but… he’s grown up. He’s not the bad boy he was before, they really whipped him into shape in the military. He’s toured a few places, has a couple achievements under his belt, and he met a mare up north and they have a daughter now.
She’s a real sweetheart, but he’s… clearly on a leash in that relationship. A little advice for your future, if you meet somepony, don’t try to control or change them. That’s just not a thing. Whoever you come to love is going to be the exact same person in 20 years that they are in the moment.
To that end, I even managed to play nice with Velvet over that weekend. Things are still difficult there, and she’s since remarried to a stallion that I don’t particularly care for, so that only makes it harder, but I can be in the same room with her and not have an argument break into a fight.”
Huh. I sure did miss out on a lot at school. Though, I’m betting he didn’t tell me because he wasn’t sure he wanted to let Shining back in my life. Speaking of…
“Does Pinkie know?” He nodded.
“I told her before I planned this. It was his idea, actually. He said he wanted to try and make things right. A lot has changed of course, but like I said, he’s grown up a lot, and so have the both of you. I figured if anypony needed to be okay with this it would be her, and she said she was. I didn’t think you’d care either way, honestly.” I frowned.
Well, he’s not wrong. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I don’t think I have any strong feelings at all. Maybe that’ll change once I see this mare he’s with. A daughter huh? I wonder how old she is? Though, that’s probably a question I should ask him directly.
“I guess… I’ll just have to make that determination on my own. Thanks for letting me know.” Dad nodded, and then was whisked away in gold magic.
“I need this, I’ll give it back in a bit,” Mom said. She took Dad and the rainbow maned pegasai upstairs, mostly against their wills as far as I could tell.
For the next half hour or so, I wandered around the house and checked in with everypony. Luna had joined the kids to play a few rounds with her son, though she seemed less… familiar with the game than Mom ever did, so they were evenly matched. Everypony else had traded conversation partners, and it looked like they were all having a good time. When Mom and the rainbow manes came back, they were finally ready to be social, and it looked like some kind of accord had been struck. Then, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll be there in a minute!” Dad called from upstairs. I noticed Pinkie had drifted by me and I could already tell she was nervous about this.
“Are you gonna be alright?” I asked. She nodded and gave me a quiet,
“Mmhmm,” then moved a little closer.
Geez, are you your sister?
Dad opened up the door, and in walked Shining, his wife, and quite possibly one of the cutest foals I’ve ever seen.
The, I suppose stallion now, had grown a big bushy beard that was trimmed almost to a flat surface under his chin and he had a few scars on his face now. It was clear that he’d become a stallion over time because something about him looked… more mature. It might’ve been the beard, but he was working on that back when I knew him. This was something else. The white coat I remember was a little duller these days, his two-tone dark and light blue mane and tail was cut relatively short and was neatly combed and slicked back, and he’d come dressed in military civilian wear.
His wife was… almost strange to see. It was like if you took Pinkie, gave her wings, and made her go on a diet. Pinkie isn’t really ‘overweight’ per say, but she doesn’t work out either. This mare was toned and fit, easily a gym subscriber.
She was a little taller too, but the body shape was very similar, if with slightly more gratuitous hips. She had a pink coat that matched Pinkie’s, a tricolor mane in distinct yellow, magenta and violet that curled at the ends, and her wings had a slight violet gradient to them. She was wearing blue shorts and a white T-shirt with his cutiemark on it, and a wedding pendant that went well with her red-violet eyes. The other mark on it was a sort of diamond heart or something like that, though I’ve no idea what that might mean she does for a living.
More importantly than either of them was the adorable little pegasus she was carrying. Big blue eyes like her daddy, a very pale pink coat, not quite to Dusk and Mother’s degree, but something that suggested co-dominance for that gene, and a bushy, curly, little violet mane and tail with light blue streaks in it. I had to contain myself from just running to play with the foal, and I wasn’t quite sure I liked the implications of that.
Do I want foals?
“Shining, Cadance, welcome! How was your trip?” Dad asked. The mare answered.
“Oh, it wasn’t that bad. I haven’t been outside of Canterlot much since the move, so it was interesting to see the countryside on the way here. I never realized how many wildflowers grew along the roadsides, it was much more colorful this way than I expected. Very pretty.” Shining nodded.
“It was a little difficult to find our way here though. I lost my GPS signal no less than three times just trying to figure out where my next turn was. Believe it or not, I actually drove a lot of the way by memory. I knew I-90 was what I was looking for, so as soon as we got on that, I just drove until I saw the fog.” Dad scratched at his head.
“There’s really only one cellular service that likes South Dartmoor, all the others have pretty spotty coverage around here. Here, let me introduce you to everypony.”
Dad went around and had everypony meet his son while he showed off his granddaughter, but we however remained sort of in the corner and watched. I caught a few glances from him, and I still wasn’t sure what to make of him just yet. With Pinkie acting the way she was, it must’ve turned on a sort of protective instinct, so I was being wary. Of course, that all melted away when I got to hold the baby.
Good goddess, this one is just too cute♥
I had a sudden realization that my Mother’s words came out of my mouth and nearly had to sit down right then and there.
They said their hellos and explained how they met and got hitched. We learned that she’s a jeweler initially from Crystal City way up north that moved to Canterlot when she was young. She’s an only child in a family of two working parents, so she spent a lot of her time in high school going out and partying. She and Shining met one day on a blind date that one of her friends set up. He’d just returned from overseas after a particularly trying job and needed some other ponies in his life, so his friend set him up too.
The irony of it all is that neither of them were really looking for anypony to settle down with and then ended up married the next year, with a foal the year after that, yet neither of their friends are with anypony, and they were both looking.
They seem to get along well, and there was a dark sense in me that said Shining enjoyed having a more dominant personality around him, as one could easily tell who was wearing the pants in this relationship. He was actually the one wearing pants right now, but that’s just semantics.
They went on a little while longer, but after a while, Shining approached the two of us and asked if he could talk to us alone. Dad must know me pretty well, because in the end, I really don’t think I did care either way. If I get to play with Flurry, then I think I’d enjoy seeing him more, and if not, I still have Dawn for a little while before she hits that preteen phase. More than anything else, I think I was just glad to know he was still around and in a better place. I still consider him my big brother, after all.
Nothing. No emotion at all. So many memories, so many of them twisted and spiraling out of control, yet here I am, here he is, and I feel… nothing. It’s like I’m looking at a stranger. Some bearded stallion that I should know, but don’t. This is that mare’s whipping boy, and he is one hundred percent down to be that for her. I knew verbal abuse was a thing in Twilight’s family, but this is some level of masochism that I’ve only seen in anime with Fluttershy.
They’re gonna fuck when they get back to their hotel, and if that kid has a sibling in a year, it wouldn’t surprise me. It’s a sort of strange relationship, but they seem to like each other, so good for him I guess.
He pulled us aside after his wife fell into a conversation with Rarity, Celestia and Luna, and his dad had taken the baby.
“Hey, can I… talk to you guys?” he asked.
Oh boy. Here it comes.
“Sure. Why don’t we go outside? It’s a little loud in here,” Twilight said. She doesn’t seem to feel weird about all this either, but I expected that from her. That’s just how she is. She either gets super involved and is immediately concerned about every little detail, or she just doesn’t care.
We moved to the driveway and gathered around Twilight’s bike. He leaned up against one of the cars, and we took a seat. He stared up at the sky and said,
“So, it’s been a while, huh Sis?” Twilight nodded.
“You’re telling me. You’re like a different pony now. I barely recognize you. Married and a kid without even letting me know. How old is she?”
Again, she’s more concerned about the foals. She loves Dawn and Dusk to death, especially Dawn, and the moment she sees another little foal, she goes all goo-goo eyed over it. This mare has baby fever and I doubt she even realizes it. Sigh.
“Oh, Flurry is six months old. She was born in the middle of a snowstorm in December, which is where the name comes from.”
“Ah, I was wondering about that. I was a little concerned she was named after a frappé or something. Cadance has that um… ‘upper-class mare’ attitude about her as far as I’ve seen.”
Oh no, she easily grew up as a lonely rich girl, but never got the reconciliation that Rarity did when her parents got back together. She’s not too bad, but she’s definitely got a spoiled streak, and maybe a little of ‘it’s my way or the highway’ mixed in there. He likes that though. I bet she steps on him. He nodded.
“Well, you’ve got me there. She’s from my mom’s kind of crowd. Believe it or not, she really toned that down after Flurry was born, but it used to be worse. I love her though, so I put up with it. How are you guys? I see… plenty has changed for you.” He motioned to Twilight’s wings.
For a minute there, she didn’t even register what he was talking about until I poked at her feathers.
“Oh! Right, yeah. No, definitely. Mom showed up out of the blue one day, these happened when I got my cutiemark seven years ago, and I have two siblings from the same parents. Plenty has happened. It’s one hell of a story, but it’s a long one.” Shining stroked his beard.
“Yeah. Cadance has Flurry on a pretty tight schedule, so maybe another time.” He scratched at his mane and then finally looked at me. “So… because so much has changed and the three of us are all different ponies now…”
No, no, I can assure you, I’m… not as different as I wish.
“I… wanted to… clear the air, I guess. I have a daughter now, I’m on track for an upper-level royal guard position, and my life is pretty stable. But, the things I did… to both of you, really, still haunt me. I came back to see Dad and give him some time with Flurry of course, but… I want to apologize. To you, more than anypony else.”
Aww. He really feels bad about it. He’s grown up so much. Too bad I can’t say the same…
“I was not a good kid. My mother was abusive, my father never set any rules, and I hated my parents. You… weren’t the only one in this town I took advantage of, and because I was just… a spoiled brat really, and I never got caught. It was a real wakeup call for me when Dad uh… well, when he finally snapped. I made a decision to be somepony else right after that, but it still bothers me that I never got the chance to say anything. I would’ve come back to do this years ago, but uh… Mom, ya know?”
I nodded, though I really had no idea. If anything, I’ve just realized that I was acting like a spoiled piece of shit over the years. My parents are great, and save for the occasional fight I got in with Limestone, my family all loves me. I was never neglected, I was never mistreated by them, I just thought that was the case. This guy was the source of most of my underlying issues, even if early on Limestone and I were… not friends. But again, I still feel nothing. I don’t quite understand the numbness.
“Anyways, I’m sorry. For… all the things I did to you both. I don’t expect forgiveness, but either way, I’m glad I got the chance to say my piece.”
But really, was it all him? We didn’t have a sexual relationship until the end. He was more like a big brother to me for most of those years. Maybe he wasn’t the source of most things, and that was just a singular thing in the host of mental issues I have. I’m just broken, just like everypony else. Really, we’re more similar than anything else. He just has a better excuse for being a piece of shit than I do. Ha!
I couldn’t contain it for very long and started giggling to myself.
Aren’t we all just confused pieces of shit trying to coexist in a world that would kill us without hesitation?
“Was… was that funny?” he asked. Twilight shrugged and I shook my head.
“No, no, I get it. I get it exactly. You were a piece of shit, but… so was I. We did something bad together, and it took a lot for me to change too. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go when I was asked about it a few weeks ago, but now that we’re all here and everything’s in the air… I kinda feels like old times, doesn’t it?”
The white stallion leaned back on the car and found the sky again.
“Yeah, I… suppose it does,” he said. Twilight leaned back and looked at them herself.
“Well, you guys were shitty ponies. I was a good little filly.” I raised a brow at her.
“Really? Because I remember a certain somepony had it rough in her teens. Not to mention that she was anti-social and mean and rude. To be honest though, she still kinda is.” Shining nodded.
“I’ll never forget the way you used to bully Pinkie, good goddess. You had a large vocabulary at that age, you knew all kinds of words to throw at ponies.” Twilight was taken aback.
“Ah! How dare you side with her! Talking to me like that. My aunt is your boss ya know.” He blinked.
“That’s… not really her in there is it? Like, Queen Luna?” She frowned.
“What other massive black alicorn do you know of? If you think that’s a shock, then you should know who my mother is. The white one, Celestia, is the Sun Queen.” He blinked again, then went back to staring into space.
“Huh. That’s so crazy. Who could’ve thought?” I shrugged.
“You’re telling me. I was present for all the crazy shit from start to finish. I watched Twilight smash a meteor from space. I took a picture, and I still don’t believe it happened. 2013 was one hell of a year.” He narrowed his eyes at her.
“That was you?” She nodded and smiled.
“Yeah, that was me. Hey, watch this.”
Twilight raised a hoof in the air, and no doubt was about to do her ‘party trick,’ as she calls it. Her mother makes sure she’s always in practice and that anypony who held on to their elements plays for her at least once a month. I tried to learn a while back, but I can’t even get my combos right in fighting games all the time, the guitar is like a bigger, more complex controller. I always get bogged down by the motions, so I never kept up with it. She and Applejack however, did. She flicked her wrist, and in a soft flash of light, that black Axe guitar covered in her cutiemark appeared.
“Wow. Look at you. I’m not sure I even know what kind of spell that was, and that’s what I do for a living.”
Twilight brought the guitar to her and raised her brows.
“Oh, so you’re a Spell Analyst now? I always thought you’d end up in the field as a caster.” He nodded.
“I was good for this town’s standards, but there are ponies in this world that are way more talented than I am. I’ve always been better at defense anyways. My job usually has me on duty detecting spells in the air to make sure nothing unexpected happens. I’m on the sentinel team for the Air Force right now, but I’ll be moving to the Royal guard starting in the fall.” I let out a short chuckle.
“Sounds kinda boring.” He shrugged.
“It is, but it’s also really important. The whole comet thing changed how far out in the atmosphere we look for energy signatures, and these days, we bounce signals and information between the colony bases too. I’ve seen some stuff, and I’ve only been in this position for a few years. Being on tour is scary, but the information attacks are something you only read about in conspiracies. When something does happen, it pays for us to be waiting for it.” Twilight put a hoof under her chin.
“Hmm… That’s a class of magic I wasn’t aware of. I’ll have to look into that when we get back to Canterlot in the fall.” His ears perked up.
“Canterlot?” She nodded.
“We go to Canterlot U. I’m in the spellcraft department, and she’s there for law. She took the BAR last Thursday, and I’m really hoping she passed this time.” I rolled my eyes.
“I’m sure I did. You were on my ass 24/7 for two weeks, I’m pretty sure I got most everything right. My only worry is that stupid fucking sheet. I’m an awful test taker, but I do really well on written portions.” Shining nodded.
“Oh, I feel ya there. Standardized testing sucks, but it’s the best measuring stick we’ve got. I’ll have to have you guys over sometime though, we live in Canterlot and I work at the mountain base on the north side.” Twilight shrugged.
“Sure, I guess I wouldn’t mind. Provided… I get to play with Flurry. That’s my one condition.” He chuckled.
“Don’t you worry, if I’m home, I get the baby, fact. Cadance has Flurry ninety percent of the time, so she needs a break whenever I can give it to her. Her parents aren’t really ‘involved’ with us, and Mom is… well, Mom, so I just take Flurry around sometimes when Cadance can’t. I’m sure she’d be thrilled to have you take care of her if you wanted.”
Twilight lit up and I had to laugh.
“Goddess, you are just like your mother.” She scowled at me.
“Don’t say things like that! I know, I know. It’s the worst.”
She shook her head, and then Shining reached into his pocket to pull out his phone.
“Looks like the wife needs me, so I’m gonna head back inside. I’m glad we got to talk. It really means a lot to me.” We waved.
“Yeah, it’s alright. It was… probably good for us too,” I said.
And then there were two…
“So? What’d you think? Still nervous?” she asked. I shrugged.
“I guess not. He reminds me a lot of your dad now. Not the same pony for sure. Almost like he grew up into a normal dude, despite being such a fucked up teen.” She nodded.
“Oh, absolutely. It’s nice to know he’s doing so well though. I never really hated him, but I couldn’t forgive what he did to you either. Not exactly cold, but not exactly warm feelings, ya know?”
I sighed and leaned back on the bike.
“Yeah. I’ve got kinda mixed feelings, but… I guess it doesn’t matter now. He’s moved on, and so have I. Either that, or I have a serious case of Stockholm’s and I can’t blame him for anything.” Twilight giggled and shook her head.
“No, no, I think… you’ve just grown up a little, is all. That’s behind us, and the future… looks pretty bright, I think.”
We sat there like that for a while, until I noticed something shiny falling in the sky.
“Hey look, a shooting star! Make a wish!”
I know exactly what I want… maybe… but… I know I can’t have it either.
Twilight huffed and got off the bike.
“Oh hell no! Last time I did that, I got way more than I bargained for.” She gestured at her wings and I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, come on, was it really all that bad?”
“I got hit in the head, a houseguest that turned my life upside down, a mother, a brother and a sister, and I had to help raise children! I was the one who took care of that little filly for the first three years of her life, don’t you believe a damn word that fat ass says! All I wanted was to meet my mom, I didn’t ask for a whole family! Never again.” I waved her away.
“Oh, whatever, you love those kids to death, and I know you love your mommy♥” She scowled at me and shook her head.
“Whatever. Have fun wishing on your burning rock. I’m going back inside.” She turned her tail and started walking away.
“Seven years, and you’re still just a spoilsport!” She turned her snout up and huffed at me.
“I am. It is my title and ponies all across the land shall know it, and they shall bow before their princess. The Princess of Spoiling Sport.”
I laughed, she laughed, and after a wave, she closed the door behind her. I made myself more comfortable on the bike and continued to watch the stars. It was relatively clear tonight, nice and warm, but not too hot, and a little humid. I saw the star again and sighed.
“I wish…”
The snake-like creature, a mishmash of parts that didn’t belong, slithered through the night sky, looking down below for the destruction he’d planned. To his surprise though, there was none to be found. What was even more surprising, is that there was a new signature not unlike the one that’d burned him all those centuries ago. He noticed a pair of eyes on him, and the more he focused, he heard a voice.
“I wish… I could find somepony like her.”
In the moment, he remembered an old rule that he was cursed with, and this was an opportunity. He smiled his snaggle-toothed smile and began to consider what to do next. A dark sense of joy and the sweet taste of future revenge danced on his tongue, and now, he had an idea.
“Oh dear me. My, my, my, these ponies never learn, do they? The saying goes, ‘wish upon a star,’ but does anypony ever question why the saying exists in the first place? Somepony is always listening. And better yet, sometimes those wishes are granted. One must always be careful… when wishing upon a star…”