//------------------------------// // 6 – A Perfect Day // Story: Acts of Love // by Krickis //------------------------------// Chapter Six A Perfect Day ⠀ ⠀ A new day was a second chance, and Fluttershy was thankful for it. They had messed up with the party, that much was obvious. But it was a new day, and things would be better. Not that it had been all bad. Dinner had been a little awkward, but much less so than the party was. And Fluttershy couldn’t help but smile when she remembered tucking in Morning with her wives. There had been some good times after the bad, and today was a chance to make those good times grow. Fluttershy couldn’t wait to see what the day brought them. But first, she had to get out of bed. Twilight and Sunset were both sleeping, so Fluttershy had to be careful so as not to wake them. It was a little challenging since she slept in the middle, but she was used to it – no one ever woke up as early as Fluttershy did. Slowly and carefully, Fluttershy made her way out of the bed. She stopped to look back at her wives as she did. Twilight mumbled in her sleep and reached across the space Fluttershy had been in to rest her hoof on Sunset, who only snored in response. Smiling to herself, Fluttershy left them to sleep in. She closed the door softly behind her as she left so as not to disturb them, then made her way towards the stairs. Along the way, she considered checking in on Morning. Of course, she’d just be sleeping, but something in Fluttershy compelled her to pop her head into the filly’s room to see for herself. She probably would have, but she wasn’t sure how light of a sleeper Morning was, so she resisted the urge. Instead, she made her way down to the first floor, where she stopped into the kitchen. She was only going to get a drink before heading out to work, but she found something even better. “Oh, good morning,” Fluttershy said to Morning Glisten, who was using a stool to reach the cabinet with the glasses. “Didn’t expect to see you up this early.” “Oh, hello.” Morning blushed and turned away from the cabinet as if she thought she might be doing something wrong. “I was just trying to get a glass of water…” Fluttershy got a glass for Morning and filled it from a pitcher of water in the fridge, then passed it to the small filly. “Here you go.” “Thank you.” Morning stepped down from the stool and took a drink. Fluttershy got herself a glass of water as well, then smiled at Morning. “So do you usually wake up early like this?” “Yeah, I like being up early,” Morning said, sipping on her water. “It’s nice to be up before everyone else.” Fluttershy giggled. “Well, I hope you don’t mind if I’m up with you. I’m the only one who wakes up early in this family. Well, until now.” “I don’t mind,” Morning said. “What do you usually do when the others are sleeping?” “I go to work,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “Remember how I told you I work with the animals? Well, in the mornings, I go out and make sure they’re all fed and that they don’t need anything.” “Oh. That’s pretty cool.” Fluttershy beamed. While she had certainly never cared about being ‘cool’ before, hearing her daughter say she was cool was completely different. ‘My daughter,’ Fluttershy thought to herself, and she had to resist the urge to hug the little filly. It wasn’t completely official yet, of course, but things were in motion and nothing short of Morning changing her mind would stop them now. Fluttershy had to pull herself off her cloud to address Morning. “Would you like to come with me? You could see all the animals and what I do with them.” “Oh, uhm…” Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to. But some of the animals are pretty cute.” “I… I guess I’ll go.” “Yay! But uhm, first I’m going to make some tea.” Fluttershy filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove, then got herself a mug and the loose tea mix. She turned back to Morning. “Do you like tea?” “I’ve never had it before,” Morning said. “Oh, well, would you like to try it? You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it.” “Okay.” So Fluttershy got two mugs out, setting them down by the kettle. She put the loose tea in infusers and placed one in each mug, as well as sugar. While she waited for the water to boil, she turned back to Morning. “So how did you sleep?” “Not that good. I kept waking up…” Fluttershy frowned for the first time since she ran into Morning. “You didn’t have bad dreams, did you?” Morning looked off to the side, almost like she was afraid Fluttershy would be upset that she hadn’t slept well. “No, everything just felt weird.” Fluttershy nodded. “It’s all new to you. A new room, a new bed, a new house, and a new family. You’ll settle in soon, though.” “I do like it here,” Morning said, fixing her attention on Fluttershy who smiled in turn. “I’m glad. And we like having you here.” Morning shifted in her seat. “Even though I was bad yesterday?” Fluttershy extended a wing to brush against Morning. “Yes, even after yesterday. Didn’t Twilight explain how that was our fault too?” “Yeah, but…” Morning looked up at Fluttershy, then turned away. “I don’t know…” Fluttershy had a feeling she did, in fact, know. But it was okay, because Fluttershy thought she understood what was going on. “Morning, you’re really not in trouble. And you don’t need to walk on eggshells around us, I think we’re all understanding ponies.” “Uhm, what does that mean?” Morning asked. “Walk on eggshells?” “It means to be extra careful. You know, if you had to walk on eggshells, you’d have to walk very carefully to make sure you don’t crush them.” “Oh. Okay.” Fluttershy hoped she got the message, but she wasn’t too used to talking to younger foals. But then the tea kettle whistled, so she filled their mugs instead of thinking of a better explanation. She set Morning’s on the table, but told her, “It’s not ready yet. The tea has to steep.” “What’s that mean?” “See that ball in there? That’s the infuser, which has tea mix in it. So it has to soak in the water until the water turns into tea. It takes a few minutes.” “So it’s not tea yet?” Fluttershy smiled. “Not yet. Right now it’s just hot water with some tea in it.” Morning nodded, then stared at her tea mug as if it was going to do something interesting. “Besides,” Fluttershy said as she took a seat, “it’d be too hot to drink now. By the time it’s ready, it should be cool enough to drink.” “Does it taste like cocoa?” Fluttershy giggled, and Morning blushed a little. “No, it doesn’t taste like cocoa. Is that the only hot drink you’ve had?” “Yeah. Are there other hot drinks?” “A few. In the winter, we’ll make spiced cider. That’s kind of like apple juice with cinnamon and other spices in it, and it’s a hot drink.” “Oh.” Morning turned back to watch the infuser, cocking her head to the side to watch it from a different angle. Fluttershy decided to distract the filly by telling her about their plans for the day. “So we were thinking… How would you like to go to Cloudsdale today?” “Cloudsdale?” Morning shifted her focus from the mug to Fluttershy, scrunching her face up in confusion. “But I’m a unicorn.” Fluttershy nodded. “We’ll take a hot air balloon there, and then Twilight or Sunset will cast a cloud walking spell on you so you can walk around. Then while we’re there, we’ll watch an aerial race.” Morning looked back to her tea. “I’ve never been to Cloudsdale…” It would have surprised Fluttershy if she had, of course, but she didn’t say so. Instead, she just reached across the table to put her hoof on the filly’s. “We don’t have to if you don’t want to. We’ll be very high up, and even though you won’t be in any danger, it might be scary for a little filly like you.” Morning sat up straighter. “I’m not scared!” Fluttershy frowned a little. She wanted Morning to agree to go, but only because she wanted Morning to want to go. She didn’t want her to do it just to prove she was brave enough. “Okay,” Fluttershy said with a smile. “But even if you’re not scared, it’s up to you. We can always do something else today.” “I… I guess we can go to Cloudsdale.” A smile played at Morning’s mouth. “Will I really be able to walk on clouds? I thought only pegasi could do that.” Fluttershy giggled. “Yup! Twilight’s used the spell to help our friends go to Cloudsdale to watch Rainbow race before.” At that, Morning broke out into a grin. “Cool!” Smiling to herself, Fluttershy stirred her tea a bit. Although it was just an idle action, Morning mimicked it. “You know, I was born in Cloudsdale.” “Why’d you come to Ponyville?” When she was younger, that question would have thrown Fluttershy off. Now, she just kept smiling as she answered, “Cloudsdale wasn’t a good place for me. My mom died when I was young, and then I just had to get away from there.” “Oh.” Morning looked into her tea. “So, uhm, are you an orphan too?” “I’m…” Fluttershy thought carefully how to explain to a child as young as Morning. “Well, my stepfather didn’t die, but… He was a bad pony. He used to hurt me when I was little. But I got away from him, and I don’t talk to him anymore.” Morning looked up at Fluttershy. “But why would anypony want to hurt you? You’re so nice!” “And you’re sweet. But the thing is, bad ponies don’t need a reason to be bad. That’s just how they are.” “So…” Morning folded her hooves and looked down at them. “Having a bad pony as your parent doesn’t… doesn’t mean you’re a bad pony?” “Of course not.” Fluttershy frowned. “Why would you think that?” “I don’t know.” Morning bowed her head. “I just don’t know my parents. I… I don’t know if they’re good ponies or not.” “Oh, sweetie… I don’t know your parents either, but I do know that you are a very good pony.” Morning didn’t say anything else, and Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to say either. She looked towards a wall clock and saw that the tea had steeped for long enough anyway, so she pulled out the infusers and dumped out the soggy tea mix into the trash before putting the infusers in the sink. “Sip it slowly,” Fluttershy instructed as she returned to her own seat. “It shouldn’t be too hot anymore, but I don’t want you to burn yourself.” Morning took a little sip, then reared her head back. “It tastes funny.” Fluttershy couldn’t hold back a giggle. “You don’t like it?” Morning took another sip. “I don’t know…” “You don’t have to drink it if you don’t like it. I can get you something else if you want. We have a few kinds of juice.” Morning took a slightly bigger sip of the tea. “I think it’s okay. It’s just different. Definitely not cocoa.” Fluttershy couldn’t stifle a laugh. “Twilight really likes cocoa, so we make it a lot.” “I like cocoa too.” Morning was still eyeing her drink with skepticism. “We didn’t have it too much, though.” Fluttershy nodded and took a sip of her own tea. “There are a lot of kinds of tea. I picked out a pretty mild one since it’s your first time, but some are fruiter and some are more floral.” Although she still looked unsure, Morning kept drinking. “I think I like it.” Fluttershy laughed and drank her own tea. They talked about the foods and drinks that Morning liked, which Fluttershy took careful note of. She was relieved that it didn’t seem like Morning was too picky of an eater, and she looked forward to making her meals that she would enjoy and introducing her to new foods. They drank their tea, and Morning seemed to find her enjoyment of it grew as she got used to it. She said she liked flowers, so Fluttershy decided to try something more floral next time. If the two of them were the only early risers in the family, they would have plenty of chances to talk in the mornings. Once they were finished, Fluttershy put their mugs in the sink. She found out that Morning hadn’t brushed her teeth for the day yet, so she instructed the filly to go do that while she took care of washing the dishes. Morning ran off, and Fluttershy hummed to herself as she cleaned out the mugs. She thought of how far she had come. From a scared little filly who felt all alone in the world to a mother with a family of her own. Once she finished washing the few dishes they had dirtied with their tea, she went upstairs. Morning was leaving the bathroom as she reached the top of the stairs. “Ready to go?” Fluttershy asked. “Uh-huh!” Morning nodded and smiled. Fluttershy nodded, but she took a detour to her bedroom. Twilight and Sunset were sleeping soundly, so rather than wake them, she walked into Twilight’s study and scribbled a note about where they were going. She left it by the bedside table, then left the room. With that taken care of, she led Morning back downstairs and into Ponyville. They made their way through the town, Morning sticking close to Fluttershy as ponies greeted them. It was something Fluttershy hadn’t thought to prepare for. Everypony wanted to know who the young filly was, and Fluttershy wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to introduce her as her daughter. She wanted to, she wanted everyone to know that Morning was her daughter, but she wasn’t sure how Morning would feel about that. In the end, she decided to just tell ponies, “This is Morning Glisten. She’s helping me with the animals today.” At least everypony was friendly and took that as enough of an answer without pressing for more. Fluttershy got the feeling that Morning would struggle if she was put too much in the spotlight, something Fluttershy herself could relate to all too well. “Is everyone that talkative around here?” Morning asked once they finally made it through the town. They were walking through the edge of Ponyville, approaching Fluttershy’s cottage. “It’s a friendly town.” “Oh.” Morning looked down, and Fluttershy got the feeling she wasn’t exactly thrilled about that. Maybe once she got used to it she’d be more open to everypony, Fluttershy reasoned. For now, animals were probably going to be easier on Morning. They approached the cottage and Fluttershy led them around to the back. Although it was officially still her cottage, Fluttershy hadn’t actually lived there in years. It was not, however, uninhabited. In addition to various birds, mice, and other small creatures, the house had one notable occupant that had moved in some time after Fluttershy had left. And as they walked into the backyard, they found Discord lounging on a hammock. Although there were several trees around, the hammock was instead connected to a large candy cane on one end and held up by a small balloon on the other. Soft snores filled the air. Although Fluttershy walked forward, Morning held back. Fluttershy stopped and turned back to her, then let out a soft giggle. “Don’t worry,” she said quietly, “Discord is a friend. He won’t hurt you.” “That’s Discord?” Morning said, perhaps a little too loudly. The snoring stopped as Discord rose to a sitting position, letting out a yawn as he stretched. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what time he usually got up, so she hoped they hadn’t disturbed him too early. “Good morning, Discord.” “Is that Fluttershy I hear?” Discord slid off the hammock, but instead of appearing on the ground, he popped up beside Fluttershy. “You’re up early.” “I’m always here this early,” Fluttershy pointed out. “I don’t normally see you though. What are you doing sleeping outside?” “Outside? Fluttershy, whatever are you talking about?” Discord snapped his fingers and four walls fell around them. They were all painted to look exactly like the outside area, and Fluttershy was sure they hadn’t been there before. Still, she knew better than to question it. “And who is this?” Discord asked as he spotted Morning. Fluttershy smiled. “Discord, this is Morning, she –” “Oh, but Fluttershy, you shouldn’t have!” Discord snapped his fingers and Morning flew into the air towards him. “I promise I’ll take very good care of her! Why, I’ll love her as if she was my very own.” Fluttershy quirked her head to the side. “What are you –” The next thing Fluttershy knew, Morning was wearing a draconequus costume. It was adorable, but Fluttershy worried the shy filly was going to become overwhelmed. “Discord, that’s not –” “Oh look at us, like two peas in a pod!” Discord hugged Morning, who seemed to be too bewildered to respond. “I told you about her, remember?” Fluttershy flew up and gently pulled Morning away from Discord. “She’s the filly we’re adopting.” “Oh…” Discord pouted. “But I’ve already named her! Lady Stormasushi the Third!” “She already has a name, Morning Glisten.” “So that’s what you meant. I thought you were just telling me it’s morning right now.” Fluttershy sighed, but she was smiling. In his own way, she knew Discord was trying to play with Morning. She was a little worried it would prove too much for the filly, but she knew that this was toned down for Discord. “So then where are you and the little one off to today?” Discord snapped his fingers and Morning’s draconequus costume became a hoofball uniform. “Full contact sports?” Another snap and Fluttershy was in a hiking uniform. “Braving the Everfree?” One more snap and Discord himself became a lion. “Wild animal taming?” He let out a roar, which caused Morning to scream. Fluttershy glared and stomped her hoof. “Discord!” Discord frowned. “Was it something I said?” “Change us back. Now.” Discord rolled his eyes, but with another snap everything returned to normal. Fluttershy turned away from him, focusing instead on Morning. “There there, it’s okay. Discord didn’t mean to scare you, he just… got a little carried away.” “Oh come on.” Discord folded his arms. “I’ve done scarier things than that in my sleep…” “Discord, she’s six,” Fluttershy said sternly. “I wasn’t scared…” Morning muttered. “See? She’s fine!” Discord said. A sharp look from Fluttershy silenced him. “Come on, Morning,” Fluttershy said gently. “Let’s go take care of those animals and leave Discord to think about what he did.” Fluttershy led Morning into the house through the back door. It led directly into the storeroom where Fluttershy kept the animals’ food. She had meant to use the back entrance to avoid disturbing Discord, not expecting him to be outside when they arrived. Not that disturbing him was high on her list of concerns at the moment. She knew how Discord was, but she expected him to make more of an effort. For her sake, if not for Morning’s. But she pushed that away to show Morning a smile. “So what I do is I take these saddlebags, and I fill those with a little of each different kind of food for the different animals. If any of them are hurt or sick, I make sure to bring extra for them. Mostly they can forage and hunt for themselves, but I make sure anyone who isn’t feeling well still gets to eat.” “How do you know if any of the animals are sick or hurt?” Morning asked, looking into a bag of birdseed. “They’ll let me know. Right now, all the animals are okay, as far as I know, so we won’t bring any extra food for anyone. If we do run into any that aren’t doing so well, we’ll have to come back and get extra food for them.” Morning watched as Fluttershy strapped the saddlebags to herself. “Those are big saddlebags. How many animals are there?” Fluttershy giggled. “A lot. But don’t worry, we won’t be too long. Mostly I only carry a little of everything, but there are so many different kinds of animals around Ponyville that a little of everything winds up being a lot.” “Oh, okay.” Fluttershy explained what the different foods were, and what they were for. The young filly paid attention to everything, which made Fluttershy happy. She thought about maybe getting Morning her own saddlebags for future trips. Fluttershy did already have an extra pair, but Morning would be too small to carry the adult-sized ones. “Do you want something to eat or drink while we’re here?” Fluttershy asked. “I’m, uhm, a little hungry.” Fluttershy kicked herself for not thinking of food before. She was used to Spike, who was preparing meals for himself long before Fluttershy arrived. But Morning was not Spike, and she was only six years old. If Fluttershy was going to be her mom, she had to remember things like breakfast. “Let’s see what we can find to eat.” Fluttershy took off her saddlebags and led them to the kitchen. They wouldn’t have a lot of choices, but she did keep it stocked with a few things that she could make herself for lunch if she was working late with the animals. A few minutes later, Fluttershy was preparing Morning a daffodil sandwich. It wasn’t exactly an ideal breakfast, but at least she’d have eaten. They sat at the kitchen table while Morning ate and Fluttershy sipped on a glass of water. “You know, this used to be my house,” Fluttershy explained. “Really?” “Yup. Before I married Twilight.” “When was that?” “Oh, let’s see…” Fluttershy smiled as she looked back over the years. “Four, almost five years ago now. Since then, Discord’s lived here.” “Discord is… weird…” Fluttershy didn’t think ‘weird’ was the word Morning was looking for. Discord had frightened her, but she didn’t want to admit to that. “Discord doesn’t really know how to act around kids. I’m sorry he can be a little much…” “So, uhm, is this his house now?” Morning looked around. “It doesn’t look like the kind of place he’d live.” Fluttershy chuckled. “I don’t think he’s changed anything since I was living here. And I don’t think he really lives here. It’s, uhm, it’s hard to explain.” “It’s called a pocket dimension,” Discord said, catching them both by surprise. They turned to find him in the corner of the room, with a rain cloud floating over his head. “I can put it anywhere, but I’ve left it at the cottage since Fluttershy abandoned it.” Fluttershy sighed. “Discord, is there something you want to say to Morning?” Discord looked at the young filly, who swallowed a mouthful of her sandwich. He frowned at her for a moment, then turned away. “Do you… like flowers?” Fluttershy cocked her head to the side. Morning looked at her quizzically, clearly expecting Fluttershy to give her the answer. Fluttershy just shrugged. “Uhm… I guess so?” Discord held out his paw, and a bouquet appeared in it. He gave it to Morning, who took it uncertainly. “Uhm, thank you.” Morning frowned. “I… don’t think I can carry this all day though.” Fluttershy stood up. “We can leave it here and get it on the way back. I should have a vase in the cabinet here.” “I have a better idea.” Discord snapped and the flowers floated out of the bouquet, into the air, and then into Morning’s mane. Fluttershy almost winced, imagining how much of a hassle it was going to be to get them out later, but she didn’t want to turn up her nose at Discord’s peace offering. For her own part, Morning was grinning. “I like it! Is there a mirror I can see?” “Of course!” Discord grabbed hold of the storm cloud and stretched it out, working it like taffy. When he was done, he threw it to the ground, where it popped back up as a mirror. Unfortunately, it was a funhouse mirror, which didn’t really help Morning see what she looked like. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind at all. She giggled as she made faces at her reflection. Fluttershy found a smile after all. Even if the flowers proved to be a hassle later, it would be worth it to see Morning and Discord getting along. “Come on, we can look in the bathroom mirror.” Fluttershy led Morning to the bathroom, where she grinned at her reflection. “So pretty!” Fluttershy couldn’t resist giving Morning a quick hug. “Yes, you are.” She led them back out, where Discord was waiting nervously, as if he expected Fluttershy to tell him off again. Morning smiled at him. “Thank you, Mr. Discord.” Discord laughed. “Mr. Discord, that’s a new one. What do you think, Fluttershy? Does it suit me?” As he said ‘suit’, Discord snapped and was wearing a three-piece suit. Fluttershy laughed. “I like you just being Discord.” “Fine.” Discord snapped again and returned to normal, although he floated through the air on his back. Morning tapped on Fluttershy’s shoulder, and she bent down so the filly could whisper in her ear. She smiled at Morning’s suggestion, then turned back to Discord. “Do you want to come with us to check on the animals?” “Oh, well, I’d hate to impose…” “Okay, we’ll see you –” “Fluttershy, please, no need to twist my leg!” Discord’s reptilian leg spun around and detached, as if he were a toy. “If you insist, I suppose I could accompany you.” Fluttershy giggled as they walked back to the storeroom, and she slipped the saddlebags on again. It was going to be an interesting day. Working with Discord was not easy. Fluttershy cared dearly for her friend, and she loved spending time with him, but there was a reason she didn’t usually try to get him to help with the animals. Simply put, he was more nuisance than help. But he made Morning laugh, and that was worth a little extra hassle. And, to be fair, he did make Fluttershy laugh as well. It was, as expected, a very interesting day. Even so, Fluttershy found herself ready to head home for lunch when the time came. She was looking forward to showing Morning Cloudsdale, and she knew that her wives would be excited to spend the day with her as well. By the time they arrived, the others were awake. Spike offered to make them lunch so Fluttershy could relax after working, and Morning told the others about her day with Discord. “I’m glad you had fun today,” Twilight said as Morning finished. “And she was so well behaved,” Fluttershy said proudly. “Even when Discord was being a bit of a hoofful.” “I thought he was mean at first, but he’s just silly,” Morning said. “Oh trust me,” Sunset said, “he can be a total –” “Sunset!” Twilight shot her a sharp look. “– pain,” Sunset finished with a slightly offended look. Morning tilted her head at the two, causing Twilight to facehoof. Fluttershy just giggled. Everyone was waiting for Sunset to slip up and swear around Morning. It was less a matter of ‘if’ but rather ‘when’ it would happen. Spike popped his head out of the kitchen. “Lunch is ready. Someone wanna give me a hand getting it into the dining room.” “Coming,” Twilight said, rising to her hooves. Fluttershy smiled at Morning. “Can you go tell Night Light and Twilight Velvet to come down for lunch?” As she expected, Morning looked uncertain. Fluttershy understood, but she wanted her to see that Twilight’s parents weren’t anything to be afraid of. “Do you know where their room is?” Sunset asked. Morning shook her head. Sunset smiled and stood up. “Alright, we’ll both go. Come on.” The two of them walked upstairs, so Fluttershy made for the kitchen. Before she could walk in, Spike came out carrying a big bowl of macaroni and cheese. “Need a hoof?” Fluttershy asked. “No thanks, we got it,” Spike answered. As he walked past, Twilight came out levitating various sides and drinks for everyone. Fluttershy chuckled to herself, wondering why she thought they’d need any help when Twilight was there. She followed them into the dining room, where she busied herself by preparing a plate for Morning. She still wasn’t really used to how much a filly Morning’s age would eat, so she just guessed as well as she could. Morning and Sunset came down a few minutes later with Twilight’s parents. “You’ll never believe this, but we found them in the library,” Sunset explained. Twilight chuckled. “What? My parents? Never…” “You know,” Twilight Velvet said, “inviting a mare like me to live in a place with its own library was the worst thing you could do. I never need to leave the house anymore.” Night Light chuckled. “She says that, but we’re going out dancing tonight.” Twilight frowned a little. “But then Spike will be home alone.” Spike rolled his eyes. “Twilight, I’m seventeen. I can be home alone.” “I know that, I just worry you’ll be lonely.” Spike just chuckled. “Maybe I’ll go see into town and hang out with Big Mac or the Crusaders. I don’t know, but you don’t have to worry about me, Twilight.” “Fine, I won’t worry,” Twilight said in a defeated tone, as if worrying about Spike was the thing she wanted to do most and he’d just foiled her plans. They probably would have brought Spike with them, but the cloudwalking spell didn’t work on dragons, and he had grown far too big to ride on one of the other’s backs. Fluttershy made a mental note to plan some bonding activities that Spike and Morning could both attend. They talked about their plans during lunch. Morning didn’t talk too much, but when Fluttershy asked if she liked her food, she said she did. She knew the group was a little too large for the shy filly, so she didn’t press for more than that. As they were finishing and getting cleaned up, Twilight pointed out that they had to hurry to make it in time. Fluttershy nodded and offered to get Morning cleaned up while the others cleaned up from lunch. “I’m clean!” Morning protested. Fluttershy giggled. “You have cheese on your muzzle.” Morning stuck out her tongue to try and lick off the cheese. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and guided her to the bathroom. “I don’t have to take a bath, do I?” Morning asked. “I don’t want anything to happen to my flowers.” “No, we’ll just clean up your face, make you all nice and pretty again.” Once Morning was in front of the bathroom mirror and could see her face, she started to rub it off with her foreleg. “No,” Fluttershy chided. “If you do that, you will need a bath. Hold still.” She wet a washcloth and wiped away at Morning’s face, getting the cheese out of her fur. “There, all done. You can dry off on that towel over there.” Morning walked over to a hanging towel and used it to dry her face while Fluttershy rinsed off the washcloth. She hung that up to dry as well, then they left the bathroom. “Ready to go to Cloudsdale?” Fluttershy asked her. “I guess so,” Morning answered, apprehension clearly in her voice. “It’ll be okay. All three of us will be there.” Morning nodded, and they went to the kitchen to find Sunset and Twilight. They announced they were ready to go, so Twilight led the way out of the castle. Sunset seemed to notice Morning was following along with her head hung down. “Hey, nervous?” “Uhm… a little…” Sunset smiled. “You know, I don’t have wings either. When we get to Cloudsdale, I’ll cast the spell on me first and show you that it works.” “Okay…” Morning didn’t really seem convinced, but Fluttershy expected she wouldn’t be until she was safely standing on a cloud. They made their way through town as Sunset did her best to cheer the filly up. It didn’t really seem to work, but at least she tried. Then all at once, Morning stopped walking. She noticed the hot air balloon in front of them and craned her neck up to look at it. “We’re taking that up to Cloudsdale?” “That’s right,” Twilight answered brightly. “If you want, I can explain how it works.” “Hey, it’ll be okay,” Sunset said. “We’ll be right beside you the whole time. It’ll be fun!” A pink mare with a blonde mane took note of their arrival and smiled. “Princesses! I’ve been expecting you. And who’s this little one?” “Hello, Cherry Berry.” Twilight placed her hoof on Morning’s shoulder. “This is Morning Glisten. She’s the little filly that we’re adopting.” “Oh, really?” Cherry Berry regarded the three mares. “I didn’t know ponies like you could adopt.” Twilight frowned. “Ponies like us?” “Oh! I didn’t mean it like that.” Cherry Berry winced. “Not because you’re gay or anything, but because there’s three of you. Not that I have a problem with that, of course, I’m just, er… You know what, forget I said that!” Fluttershy didn’t really mind the comment; she knew it was based on ignorance, not malice. Twilight and Sunset both looked irritated, but neither of them said anything. “Let’s get going then, shall we?” Cherry Berry said, a little extra cheerfully. They all filed into the hot air balloon, which Morning wasn’t big enough to see over the edge of unless she was standing on her hind legs. Perhaps that was for the best; looking down at the ground below was quite the view, but it would likely scare the poor filly. “Everyone ready?” Cherry Berry asked. “Yeah, let’s go,” Sunset said. Her irritation seemed to wear off as she scooted closer to Morning. Twilight stood on the filly’s other side. As they took off, Twilight explained what Cherry Berry was doing. She told Morning about how hot air rose, which was how the whole thing flew, and about how different altitudes had different wind currents, which would allow Cherry Berry to steer them in the right direction. Fluttershy wasn’t sure how much of it Morning really understood, because as soon as they were airborne, Morning barely seemed to pay attention to anything besides what she could see of the world outside the balloon. “Do you want to take a better look?” Sunset asked as they rose higher. “I…” “It’ll be okay,” Sunset said. “You’re safe in here. And if you fell, I could catch you in my magic, or Twilight or Fluttershy could fly down and catch you.” “Okay.” Morning put her front hooves on the edge of the basket and very gingerly lifted herself up to get a better look. Sunset put a foreleg around her to hold her in place, which was probably to make her feel better as much as for safety. “What do you think?” Twilight said nervously. “If it’s too much, we can –” “We’re really flying!” Morning said excitedly. “Look at how small everything looks! All the ponies down there look like ants!” Fluttershy looked over the edge herself, impressed with Morning’s bravery. If she couldn’t fly, Fluttershy would probably be terrified of the sight. She could hardly imagine a six-year-old filly being so brave. Twilight started to extend her wing, then seemed to change her mind. Fluttershy had to smile, imagining Twilight thought nopony had noticed. Morning wasn’t the only one awkwardly figuring out this family thing. Fluttershy could tell Twilight was questioning her every action around the filly. But they just needed more time together. Fluttershy saw that more clearly today than she had at any point before. Spending the day with Morning and bonding over animals had really shown her that becoming a real family might take time, but that it was going to happen. She already loved the little filly, and she knew the others felt the same. Although she may not have been paying very close attention, Twilight continued to explain things to Morning as they flew towards Cloudsdale. She talked about what they were seeing, and about what they would see once in the pegasus city. It was a nice flight. Travelling by hot air balloon was not a fast way to travel, but it was a pleasant one. And besides, they had planned for the trip to be a longer one. It was getting late in the afternoon when they arrived, which meant the race would be starting before too long. Even so, they couldn’t rush Morning’s first time stepping out onto clouds. “Don’t do anything until I cast the spell,” Sunset said as the balloon hovered over Cloudsdale. “Okay.” Morning nodded. “I’ll go out first,” Twilight said. “Fluttershy will be the one to take you down, okay?” Morning nodded again, so Twilight flew out and glided the small distance to the ground. “I’ll go next,” Sunset said. “But first, I’ll cast the spell on both of us.” Sunset’s horn glowed, and a magical aura covered her body. As it went away, she smiled at Morning. “Will… will it hurt?” Morning asked. Sunset chuckled. “No. It tickles a little, but it doesn’t feel too much like anything.” She lowered her horn, which glowed again. She tapped it to Morning, who started glowing as well. She looked between Sunset and Fluttershy for a moment, then she stopped glowing. “Is that it?” “That’s it,” Sunset said. “Watch.” She jumped out of the basket, landing on the cloud. She twirled around to show that it was solid under her hooves, then smiled at Morning. “Your turn. Ready?” Morning swallowed. Fluttershy laughed. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to jump. I’ll lower you down, and I won’t let go of you until you’re standing on your own.” Morning nodded once more. “Okay.” Fluttershy hovered in place, then picked up Morning. She fluttered over to the clouds, then gently lowered the filly until her hooves were touching. “It’s… it’s so soft!” Morning said as Fluttershy set her down. “See? Everything is okay.” Twilight smiled. “Just don’t go near the edge. If we have to go from one cloud to another, one of us will carry you.” “Alright!” Morning jumped around playfully on the clouds. Fluttershy smiled to herself, glad that this was an experience she could share with her daughter even though she was a unicorn. “Alright, frolic this way,” Sunset said, jerking her head in the direction of the stadium that the race would be held in. “We’ve got a race to catch.” Morning did as instructed, hopping along as the others walked to the stadium. Fluttershy walked on one side of her, Sunset on the other, Twilight leading the way. “Will I be able to do magic like this someday?” Morning asked. “Maybe, if you work at it,” Sunset said. “That was a pretty complicated spell, though. Not just every unicorn can cast it.” “Of course you can!” Twilight said. “You can do anything you set your mind to!” “But it’s okay if you never get that good at magic,” Fluttershy pointed out. “Everypony is good at different things. Twilight and Sunset are both really good at magic, but other unicorns have other talents, like Rarity with her dress making.” Twilight flew into the air a little bit and hovered by Morning. “Although if you did want to learn about magic, I could always teach you! I think it’d be fun!” “I… I’m not very good at magic…” “I wasn’t either when I was your age.” Twilight gestured to her cutie mark. “But then when I got my cutie mark, everything clicked into place. So don’t worry if it takes some time.” Fluttershy giggled. “Twily doesn’t want to say it, but she really just wants to teach you.” “It’d be fun for both of us!” Twilight insisted. “Uhm, excuse me?” a passing pegasus asked. “But how are you unicorns walking on clouds?” Twilight seemed to be in a good mood, because she giggled as she explained the cloudwalking spell. The pegasus just shrugged it off and went about on his way. He wasn’t the only one to take an interest in them either. Of course, that was to be expected. On top of being recognizable figures – especially Twilight, considering she was an alicorn – two of them were unicorns. They were an oddity, to be sure. But at least it was different than in Ponyville. In their little town, everyone knew them personally, and everyone wanted to know who Morning was. Here, they just wanted to say hello to the princesses, or to know how unicorns were walking around the city. It may have still been a little much for Morning, but she seemed perfectly content to just be walking on clouds. Fluttershy was also happy that it didn’t require as much thought over what to say. And, of course, she had Twilight and Sunset to answer the questions. That helped a lot. Slowly but surely, they made their way to the stadium. It was a little easier once they got inside, since ponies were focused on other things. They got themselves some snacks, then found their way to their seats just as the announcer introduced the racers. “Have you ever been to a race like this?” Twilight asked Morning, who was sitting between her and Fluttershy. “No. There was a race in Hollow Shades once, but uhm, I didn’t go to it.” “I’ve never been to one either,” Sunset said. “I went with Rainbow once,” Twilight said. “I wanted to see what it was all about. It was fun, but I’m not as into races as Rainbow is.” Fluttershy giggled. She’d also gone to a few over the years, always at Rainbow’s behest. “No one’s as into races as Rainbow is.” “I think Pinkie is these days,” Sunset pointed out. “She and Rainbow always go – Oh, it’s starting.” The racers had already taken the field, but one caught Fluttershy’s eye. He was a green stallion with a silvery blue mane. Fluttershy squinted at him, then pointed him out to her wives. “Did anypony catch the green stallion’s name?” “Uh, I didn’t,” Sunset said. “Sorry, no,” Twilight said. “How come?” “I think I know him…” Fluttershy kept her eyes fixed on the green stallion. He’d certainly grown a lot, but still, it could be him… “On your marks,” the announcer called out, eliciting a cheer from the audience. “Get set… go!” All the racers were off, but Fluttershy kept her eyes on the green stallion. She watched him slowly climb through the ranks. He was good, but so were the others. Fluttershy smiled, silently cheering him on. And then she got her answer. “Coming in from the back of the pack, rookie racer Windfall hovering in tenth place!” “Windfall!” Fluttershy said with a grin. “It really is him!” “You know that pony, Fluttershy?” Sunset asked. “Yeah, he was one of Rainbow’s friends back in Cloudsdale.” Fluttershy smiled wistfully. “We used to all go out for ice cream together.” “Rainbow’s never mentioned him,” Twilight said. “I guess they didn’t keep in touch when she moved to Ponyville.” “They did for a little while.” Fluttershy shook her head. “But you know how it goes, life happened. They lived in different cities, saw each other less and less. I don’t think either of them meant to drift apart, but it just kinda happened.” “She’s gonna be so jealous,” Sunset said with a smirk. “Should we cheer for that pony?” Morning asked. Fluttershy smiled. “Yes, let’s all cheer for Windfall.” For his part, Windfall did pretty well. But he wasn’t racing against teenagers anymore; these were professionals, and he was still new to the pro racing scene, judging by the fact that the announcer had referred to him as a rookie racer. He fought to keep his place in the lower top ten, which Fluttershy considered pretty good for a rookie. Not that she had much experience in the matter, but he was one of over thirty racers, and he stayed in the top third pretty easily. Sure, he wouldn’t be going home with a medal, but Fluttershy was proud of him. And on that note, he did gain some new fans with this race. In the end, Fluttershy couldn’t even remember the name of the mare who had come in first. But Windfall had come in seventh, and Fluttershy was happy for him. Even just making it into the pro racing circuit was a big deal, and she knew he would only get better. She wanted to go down and meet him, but Morning had started yawning halfway through the show, so they decided it was best to go back to the castle. “Some filly’s had a big day, I think.” Fluttershy smiled as Morning fought to stay awake on the walk back. There was no more jumping around on clouds for her. Fluttershy wondered if they should’ve factored time in for a midday nap. “I’m not tired,” Morning insisted, but she let out a yawn. “Alright,” Sunset said with a smirk. “I’m sure you’ll be up to help Twilight then. She’s reorganizing the library!” “I’m… a little tired,” Morning relented, causing the adults to laugh. They found Cherry Berry waiting for them with the balloon. She smiled as they walked up. “How’d it go?” “It was nice,” Twilight said. “Not something we’d normally do, but it was a fun change of pace.” “Glad to hear it. We ready to set off then?” “Sure are.” Twilight climbed into the basket, followed by Sunset. Fluttershy picked up Morning and flew the two of them in, then Cherry Berry took them up into the air. Even though they were going down, they had to go up a little bit to get in the right air current to go to Ponyville. Twilight was trying to explain that to Morning, who had other things on her mind. “Brr, it’s cold up here,” Morning said. “It is a little bit,” Fluttershy agreed. The sun had gone down, and they were up very high with strong winds. She extended a wing over Morning, who tucked in closer for warmth. “Fluttershy saw a racer she knew,” Twilight told Cherry Berry as they began their descent. “From back when she lived in Cloudsdale.” “Oh nice! Did you get the chance to say hi?” “No,” Fluttershy said softly. “Someone was looking a little tired.” She had expected an insistence from Morning that she wasn’t that tired, but none came. She wondered if she was really that afraid that they’d put her to work in the library, but when she lifted her wing a little to get a better look, she saw that Morning was asleep. She giggled, and the others all crowded around to get a look. “I guess she really was tired,” Twilight said. “She had a big day.” Fluttershy lowered her wing so that it was covering Morning once more. “She was up early, then she met Discord and helped with the animals, then Cloudsdale… Poor thing must be exhausted.” “I don’t think she’ll be complaining much,” Sunset said. “Something tells me she’s enjoyed today as much as we have.” Fluttershy nodded and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled, enjoying the feeling of being snuggled up close with her daughter. “I’m really happy we did this.” “Me too,” Sunset said, and Fluttershy opened her eyes to look at her. “Who would have thought a pony like me would ever be a mom.” “I would.” Twilight nudged Sunset. “You’re great with kids, and you care so much about other ponies. I think you make a great mom.” “Yeah, well…” Sunset looked down at what little she could see of Morning underneath Fluttershy’s wing, then she nuzzled against Twilight. “I guess I’ll do okay, as long as I have you two to help me.” “We do make a good team,” Twilight said with a smile. “More than a team,” Fluttershy said. “We make a good family.”