//------------------------------// // 10 – Stop the Presses // Story: Acts of Love // by Krickis //------------------------------// Act II Every First Time ⠀ Chapter Ten Stop the Presses ⠀ ⠀ There were first times, and there were last times. Perhaps more often than not, one was also the other. The first weekend they had taken Morning home to Ponyville had also marked an end to their time without kids. They were not limited by being moms; they could still be anything else they wanted to be. But from that moment on, and for the rest of their lives, they would be moms. It had been a month and a half. A wild, crazy, stressful, wonderful month and a half. From that first time they took Morning home to this day, they’d run the gambit of emotions. But despite her continuing doubts, Twilight ultimately felt like it had been worthwhile. And now it was the last time. The last time that they’d visit Small Steps, the last time that they’d take Morning home with them. And that marked the start of the rest of their lives. It was cliché to think of it that way, and really, it had started on that first weekend. Or maybe it started when they decided to adopt Morning, or when Sunset had first visited. There were thousands of places Twilight could draw the line of where the rest of their lives started, but this was one of them, and it was a big one. Twilight sat in the Small Steps lounge, waiting for Morning to get out of school. They’d made arrangements to get her out of school a month early, which Morning had been ecstatic about right up until she found out Twilight had already prepared a curriculum for that month, so it wasn’t like she was really missing it. This was the last time she would attend this school, and she would have a week off to visit Canterlot, but she would make up that week once she started homeschooling. That would be another first time. Twilight’s first time teaching Morning. And there was no telling just how many first times were to come. It was all a little overwhelming. “What are you thinking about?” Fluttershy asked, and Twilight realized she had no idea how long she’d been staring off into space. She smiled, happy to have her wife here with her to keep her grounded. Wives, actually – all three of them had come to take this big step together. “Just thinking about Morning’s education. I hope I’m a good teacher.” “You will be,” Fluttershy said with an encouraging smile. “Besides, it’s only for a month, then Cheerilee will take over when the school year starts again.” “Yeah, I know.” Twilight forced a smile. Really, she knew that Morning could completely skip the final month of school and it wouldn’t make a huge difference. She was only in second grade, and most of their curriculum was just going over what she already knew so Twilight could get a feel for how Morning was doing in each subject. Sunset smirked. “Just don’t go overboard with the advanced calculus.” That got Twilight to grin. “What, afraid our daughter is going to wind up smarter than you?” Normally this would be the part where Sunset would say that wasn’t possible. She loved to flaunt her ego, after all. Instead, what she said was, “Trust me, nothing would make me happier. But well, that comes at a cost, you know?” Twilight was touched that her wife was so concerned about Morning, but she still snerked. “Sunset, I’m not teaching her calculus. We’ll be going over basic arithmetic, reading comprehension, and age-appropriate social studies.” “Right. Sorry.” Sunset shook her head. “I was just joking, it just…” Fluttershy put her hoof on Sunset’s. “We understand. The things that happened to you won’t happen to Morning.” That was something Fluttershy and Sunset could relate to much more than Twilight could. Unlike them, she’d had a great childhood. Well, maybe she could have used some more friends, but she didn’t have any complaints about how she was raised. She would just have to learn from their example. And while they may only be Twilight’s parents, she knew all three wives would rely on their advice. She turned all of this over in her head as they waited for Morning to show up. Before she knew it, she was zoning out once again. The wait wasn’t long in minutes, but it still took its time. As they waited, Ginger Snap came for one last talk. “So are you ready to be moms full time?” That got Twilight back into focus, but nevertheless, it was Sunset who answered. “A little bit ecstatic, a little bit terrified, I think.” Ginger Snap chuckled. “Yes, that is the feeling, isn’t it?” “Do you have any kids of your own?” Fluttershy asked. “Not yet, but my fiancé and I have talked about it for after we get married.” “Fiancé?” Twilight smiled. “We had no idea you were engaged. Congratulations!” Ginger Snap nodded. “Thank you. He works here as a cook. No surprise that we decided when we’re ready, we’re adopting.” “You’ll make a great mom,” Fluttershy said with a smile. Twilight nodded. “You’ve certainly got some experience working here.” “I’ve picked up a thing or two, but I’m sure it’ll be another thing entirely when it’s my own foal.” “Any last-minute tips for us?” Sunset asked. “I don’t know, I think you three got through to her better than I ever could.” Ginger beamed at them. “Morning has been so much better behaved this past month, and I’m pretty sure we know who’s responsible for that.” Twilight blushed. “Oh, I don’t think we did all that much. Morning just needed a little boost is all.” “Speaking of Morning…” Ginger gestured towards the door, which another caretaker held open as kids filed in. Morning came in towards the end and walked straight up to the four mares. “Hi! Are we ready to go?” Fluttershy giggled. “Are you ready to go? I don’t see any luggage…” “Oh! I’ll be right back!” Morning started to run off. “No running!” Ginger Snap called after her, causing Morning to slow down. “We better go with her to make sure she doesn’t forget anything,” Twilight said. Sunset nudged her. “You just want to spend more time with her.” Twilight grinned. “Well… so what if I do? I’m excited.” “I am too,” Fluttershy said. “Let’s go check on her.” Usually Ginger Snap left the three of them to do things with Morning on their own, but this time she came with them. The four mares walked through the halls together, stopping at Morning’s open door. “I’m ready!” she said as she struggled to carry two suitcases behind her. She certainly looked ready. Twilight had never seen the room so empty, and she looked up at them eagerly despite struggling with her luggage. “Here, let me get those,” Twilight said, lifting the suitcases in her magic with ease. “Do you have any goodbyes you want to say?” Fluttershy asked. Morning hesitated. Clearly she hadn’t been thinking of that, but she seemed to think of someone worth saying goodbye to. “Uhm, I guess I could say goodbye to Spring Blossom…” “Alright, let’s go find her.” Fluttershy used a wing to guide Morning out of her room. She looked back one last time, then walked out with the four mares. They didn’t have far to go. Ginger Snap brought them to a nearby room, and she knocked on the door. “Spring Blossom? Are you in there?” The door opened and a light green earth pony looked up at them. “Hi, Miss Ginger. Hi, Morning. And, uhm, Princesses.” Twilight wondered if they had failed as Morning’s new moms by never having met this filly before. She was the only pony at Small Steps that Morning had counted as a friend, and they’d never thought to introduce themselves until it was time to say goodbye. “I’m leaving for Ponyville,” Morning said. “So, uhm, bye.” “Oh, okay. See you on Monday.” Morning looked up at the others, and Ginger Snap took over. “Morning isn’t coming back this time. From now on, she’s living in Ponyville with the princesses.” “Oh.” Spring Blossom kicked at the ground. “Not even to visit?” “I, uhm…” Morning looked at the ground. “Maybe we can come back to visit,” Sunset said. “I liked visiting with all you kids before we knew we were going to adopt Morning, and I’d like to visit you all again. Morning can come with me when I do, if she wants to.” “I, uhm, that would be fun,” Morning said, but Twilight wasn’t sure she really believed the little filly. She might want to see her friend, but she probably had mixed feelings about coming back to Small Steps herself. Twilight had another idea that Morning might find more appealing. “If it’s not against the rules, maybe you could come over for a sleepover sometime. Then Morning could show you Ponyville and the castle. Would you like that, Morning? Having your friend over?” “Oh, uhm, yes.” Morning looked up and smiled. She still sounded awkward, but it was probably just an awkward situation. “Is that okay, Miss Ginger?” Fluttershy asked. “We do allow the kids to sleep over at friends’ houses, so it should be fine. It’s a little out of the ordinary for her to be going as far as Ponyville, but we’ll know she’s with good ponies, and that’s the most important thing.” “That’d be fun,” Spring Blossom said, sounding much more certain than Morning had. “Are you leaving right now?” “Yeah, we have a train to catch,” Sunset said. “Speaking of, we really should be on our way.” “Okay…” Spring Blossom looked at the ground then walked over to hug Morning, who returned it awkwardly. “I’ll miss you.” “I’ll miss you too,” Morning said. Twilight didn’t like to see friends part, but she did like that Morning had such a nice filly as a friend. She hoped they really would get to have her over to visit sometime after Morning was settled in. The fillies pulled apart and Spring Blossom waved. “Bye, Morning.” Morning waved back. “Bye, Spring Blossom.” Then it was time to go. Morning turned to Twilight, who smiled at her and led them towards the entrance. Once again, all four mares walked together with the filly. Since Twilight was carrying Morning’s things, Sunset got the door. Twilight thought as they crossed the threshold that it was for the last time, then she thought it wasn’t really since they might come back to visit. Maybe ‘last times’ weren’t really all they were cracked up to be after all. “So this is it,” Ginger Snap said sadly as she brought up the rear, and Twilight realized why she had been tagging along with them all day. Fluttershy nudged Morning. “Go say goodbye to Miss Ginger.” Morning walked over to the caretaker, who was blinking away tears. “Oh, Morning… I’m going to miss you, you know? But I’m so happy you have such good moms to look after you.” “I…” Morning looked around, clearly unsure of what to say. “I’ll miss you too, Miss Ginger.” “Can I get a hug before you go?” Morning stepped closer to oblige, and Ginger Snap gave her a tight hug. “You be good for the princesses, now.” “I will be,” Morning said with a smile. “I’m a good filly.” “Of course you are.” Miss Ginger wiped her eyes and smiled. “And don’t forget you can write to us.” “We’ll make sure she writes once she’s settled in,” Fluttershy said. “I won’t hold you up any longer, then.” Ginger Snap took a step back towards the door and waved to them. “Take care!” Everypony waved to the caretaker and said their goodbyes, then they turned and walked down the road. Maybe it wasn’t for the last time, but it was still a big deal for the little filly. Twilight caught her stealing glances behind them as they walked. “Don’t be sad,” Twilight told her. “We can visit them, and Spring Blossom can visit us too.” “Yeah, I know,” Morning said, turning back to face ahead. She didn’t look back again. Twilight wasn’t really sure of what to say as they walked to the train station. This was a good day, and they’d all been excited about it. But then, this was a colossal change for Morning. It would be impossible for her to not be feeling some complicated emotions right now. Unfortunately, no one else seemed to know what to say. It wasn’t a long walk to the station, at least, but it was made longer by walking in silence. Thankfully, Fluttershy filled it a bit by humming as they walked, which Twilight thought lifted all of their spirits just a little. Although she knew they reached the station with a little time to spare, Twilight still checked the train time posting to make sure. It never hurt to double-check, after all. “We’ve got a little time to kill. Is anyone hungry? We could grab a couple of cinnamon buns to share.” “That sounds good to me,” Sunset said, and the others gave their agreements as well. There was a sweets vendor they liked to stop at if they had the time, so they made their way to his stall. He smiled as he saw them. “Hello, Princesses. Here for your weekly cinnamon rolls?” “Yup!” Morning said happily. He smiled at her, then looked over the group. “How many do you want?” “Two, I think,” Twilight said. They were big, so two ponies could share one. “Coming right up.” The vendor got out a couple of plates for them and grabbed two cinnamon rolls out of his case. He set them on top of the counter and rang them up on his cash register. “That’ll be four bits.” Since Sunset was the only one with clothes, she always carried their money. She got out the bits and passed them to the vendor. “Here you go. I’m gonna miss this little ritual.” The vendor put the bits into his open register. “Oh yeah? Why’s that?” “I’m not coming back!” Morning told him excitedly. “I’m living in Ponyville from now on!” “Really now?” he asked. “And what about me, huh? What am I supposed to do without my favorite customers?” “Uhm…” Morning thought for a moment, seemingly believing it was a serious question that he wanted her to answer. “You could come to Ponyville?” The vendor laughed. “What, and compete with the legendary baker who saves Equestria in her spare time? Next you’ll be telling me to open a doughnut shop in downtown Canterlot.” “You must be pretty well travelled,” Twilight observed. “If you know Pinkie Pie and Donut Joe, I mean.” “I met Joe in Canterlot a while back, never met Pinkie Pie. But well, when you’re that famous and still baking cookies for the local sweet shop, word gets around.” “I suppose that makes sense,” Twilight said. “We’ll stop back in if we’re ever here to visit. We think we’d still like to visit the kids at Small Steps once in a while.” “Sounds good!” He turned to face Morning. “Now, you take care of these three, alright? They’re counting on you.” “I will!” Morning promised solemnly, getting a snicker out of all of the adults. They found a bench and took a seat, Twilight next to Fluttershy, and Sunset and Morning across from them. Each of them shared with the pony they were next to. Sunset pushed hers closer to Morning. “Have as much as you want. This is a celebration stop, too.” “Okay!” Morning tucked into the sweet while Sunset picked at it idly. Fluttershy and Twilight ate more along the lines of Sunset, picking at theirs little by little. “What are we doing this weekend?” Morning asked. “We don’t have a lot of plans,” Twilight answered. “We don’t have to try and cram a bunch of fun into a couple of days anymore, after all. But we were thinking we could go out to celebrate tonight. We could go back to that restaurant you liked, or go to a new place.” “The one with the cheesy bread?” Morning asked. Twilight smiled. “That’s the one.” “I think we should go there.” “Well then it’s settled,” Fluttershy said before taking a bite of the cinnamon bun. “Next week we’ve got something planned, though,” Sunset said. “We’re taking you to Canterlot so you can meet Celestia and Luna.” Morning stopped chewing and looked up at Sunset. She swallowed uneasily and asked, “Really?” “Really,” Sunset said. “They’re nice, you’ll like them. Cadance and Shining Armor are gonna try to make it too, and they’ll bring Flurry Heart.” “The, uhm, the princess and prince of the Crystal Empire?” Morning asked. In a way, Twilight was pleased Morning knew who they were. Cadance and Shining were pretty well known, but it was good that Morning knew the notable Equestrian figures. But on the other hoof, that meant she might have some lofty ideas of who they were. “Shining Armor is my brother,” Twilight said, unsure if Morning had known or thought about that fact. “He’s like, the biggest dork. And Cadance used to be my foalsitter when I was a filly. She’s really nice, and they’re both really good with kids. They’re not scary ponies, I promise.” Morning nodded weakly. “I know it’s a lot all at once,” Fluttershy said gently. “But this is the last of the family you still need to meet. And that includes Luna and Celestia. They’re like family to us too.” “Okay.” Morning returned to the cinnamon bun, but she didn’t eat it with quite the same fervor she had before. Twilight wanted to reassure Morning that there was nothing to be afraid of, but she wasn’t quite sure how to do that. Twilight remembered the first time she met with Celestia. There had been a lot going on that day, but once it sunk in who Celestia actually was, she’d been pretty intimidated. Maybe there was something to that. “What was it like when you two first met Celestia?” Twilight asked her wives. “Oh well, you were there when I first met her,” Fluttershy said. “We never really talked one on one until after we were dating, and even then, it’s not like it happened much. I was scared, but then I learned that she’d just a pony and she’s really nice too.” Twilight nodded, knowing that Fluttershy had included that last part for Morning’s benefit. There was a distance between Fluttershy and Celestia, and it wasn’t anypony’s fault. Celestia was not an easy pony to get close to, and Fluttershy was still a little shy. “I think I threw up,” Sunset said with a smirk. “Thankfully not in front of her or anything. But like Fluttershy said, she was always… always wonderful.” Sunset turned to look away, and Twilight wasn’t sure what to do. There was a distance between Sunset and Celestia as well, and that was less easy to explain. “Luna’s different, though.” Fluttershy giggled. “I was terrified of her the first time we met. But then she’s become so special to me.” “Yeah, Luna’s great.” Sunset smirked, and Twilight internally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed she wouldn’t have to do or say anything about Celestia right now. “The first time I met Luna, she broke the ice really quickly.” “Broke the ice?” Morning asked. “It means she made it easy to talk to her,” Sunset said. “She’s really good at that. And I hated Cadance when we met, but that was a long time ago. We get along much better now.” “Why did you hate her?” Morning asked. “Well, because I wanted to be a princess. I was jealous because she got to be a princess even though she’s younger than me.” “But, uhm, you are a princess,” Morning said. Sunset ruffled Morning’s mane. “Sure, but I wasn’t back then. Not until I married Twilight and Fluttershy.” Twilight looked at a large clock in the center of the platform. “Only a few more minutes before the train gets here. We better finish up these sweets, or pack them up to eat on the train.” They quickly finished off the remainder of their cinnamon rolls, then Fluttershy stopped to clean up Morning’s face. By the time that was done, the train was pulling into the station, so they all lined up to get aboard. As they stood and waited, Twilight smiled at Morning. This was it, it was really happening. Things had been set into motion almost two months ago, but this was the start of something truly special. She’d had her doubts, and sometimes she still had them. But even so, she was excited. The train doors opened, the ponies on board got off, and then they walked on board. Whatever came for them, it would come for them as a family. That’s what this day meant – they were a real family now, and Twilight couldn’t wait to see what they would achieve together. The train trip was generally uneventful. They passed the time playing kid-friendly card games like Go Fish and Old Mare. Twilight was learning to get used to playing the same games over and over, which was something that kids did a lot, as she was told by both her parents and Ginger Snap. Still, getting used to it didn’t exactly mean that she enjoyed it. She had fun for a few rounds, but by the time they were finishing the two-hour-long trip to Ponyville, she was thankful for the break. They put away the cards, waited for the train to come to a stop, and got their things together to leave. Twilight noticed there were a lot of ponies outside of the train, but she didn’t think much of it. It was a Friday, and she didn’t know where this train was headed next. Hollow Shades wouldn’t draw a big crowd, but if it was headed to Canterlot, that might do it. Of course, she learned better as they were departing. The moment they stepped off the train, camera lights began flashing and ponies started asking question after question. Twilight stopped in place. It had been a long time since reporters had gotten to her, but there were a lot more than usual and she hadn’t been expecting them. Sunset pushed past her and started barking orders. “Make way, make way! You all know I’m still the Captain of the Twilit Guard, right? No touching or I can and will make you back off!” Twilight shook her head and looked back at the others. In addition to Morning and Fluttershy, she saw there were a number of ponies behind them trying to see around, either to see what the commotion was or why they were stopped. Twilight swallowed and forced a smile. “Morning, we’re going to head straight for the castle. Stick close to us, okay?” “O-Okay…” Morning shrunk back, but Fluttershy guided her forward with a hoof. Sunset cleared a path in front of them, sometimes quite literally by creating a magic barrier that ponies had to step out of the way from as it advanced. The questions were hard to make out, but they were all about Morning. The four of them pushed ahead, Sunset clearing their path, Twilight following with Morning’s bags, and Fluttershy in the rear with Morning herself. Even with Sunset’s magic and despite her warning, ponies were pressing right up to them, all trying to get a picture of the royal family or have their questions answered. They all stuck close together behind Sunset’s barrier. “Hey, watch it!” Twilight said as a pony sidestepped the barrier and bumped right into her. “Just one question for Pony Magazine!” Twilight sneered, but not directly at him. She instead just looked at the ground and kept pushing onwards. “There you are!” a familiar voice said from above them. Rainbow Dash swooped down and butted somepony away to get in close to the triad. “As soon as I saw the crowd, I knew something was up. What’s going on?” “We’re just trying to get home,” Twilight said, then an idea occurred to her. “Actually, can you fly Morning to the castle? I know she’s not used to flying, but there’s just so many reporters…” “Of course!” Rainbow looked around a bit. “Where is she?” “What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked. “She’s right – Aaah! She’s gone!” “She’s gone!?” Twilight whirled around and saw that Fluttershy was right. “Sunset, stop! Morning’s missing!” “Missing!?” Sunset turned around as well, looking around wildly. “So help me God if anypony here laid a fucking hoof on her…” “I’m so stupid!” Fluttershy winced. “How could I let her out of my sight, I had her right with me!” “Hey, don’t beat yourself up,” Rainbow said. “We’ll fly overhead while Sunset looks on the ground. We’ll find her.” Sunset raised her voice and called, “Morning! Morning Glisten! Where are you?” When there was no answer, she pulled the suitcases from Twilight’s magic. “I’ll teleport these to the castle, then teleport back and look for her. Better me than you, since you can fly.” “Okay,” Twilight said, though her voice was just another thing that probably got lost in the crowd. She looked over the sea of ponies and felt like she herself was going to get sucked into it, to drown under its waves. “Hey.” Sunset reached through Twilight’s thoughts with a hoof on her shoulder. “We’ll find her.” Twilight nodded a few short, sharp nods. “Right. We’ll find her.” Sunset nodded once, slow and deliberately, then she teleported away. “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said. “I’m so so sorry, this is all my fault, I just…” Twilight wanted to console Fluttershy, but she didn’t have time to do that and search. “Come on, let’s get looking.” Fluttershy nodded and took to the air along with Twilight and Rainbow. Once airborne, Rainbow gestured to each of them, giving them all a different direction to search in. Twilight nodded and flew off in the direction Rainbow had instructed. Twilight scanned the ground as well as she could, but she wasn’t sure it was working too well. All she could see was the reporters, many of whom were still shooting pictures of her. This wasn’t Fluttershy’s fault, of course. It was Twilight’s. She was the one who had decided to tell so many ponies about the big day, it was no wonder word got around to reporters. She should’ve known better, should’ve kept this a secret. Twilight felt a familiar tightening sensation in her chest. This shouldn’t be happening. If only she’d been more cautious, it wouldn’t be happening! What if they couldn’t find her? What if something happened to her? Wherever she was, she was scared and alone and they weren’t there to make it better! Flying became hard as Twilight’s breathing became strained, so Twilight landed. Better that than crashing because she couldn’t stay airborne. That was just another of many reasons she felt like a failure, though. She could have carried Morning in her magic, or kept her under her wing. She could have teleported herself and Morning to the castle like Sunset had done with the luggage. She could have just kept her mouth shut and none of this would have happened. She couldn’t even manage to keep searching; her daughter needed her and all she could do was try to breathe through a panic attack! “Uh, are you okay, Princess?” somepony asked. Twilight turned to see a reporter, his camera lowered. She gritted her teeth. This wasn’t her fault, this was their fault. “No, I’m not okay! You… you… you vultures are everything wrong with Equestria!” Twilight took off into the air again, her anger winning out over her panic. Why did reporters always have to butt into her life? Why couldn’t they just mind their own damn business!? It barely pierced through her anger, but Twilight saw a flash in an alleyway. It had to be a reporter, butthat made no sense; they weren’t over there, so why would a reporter take pictures of some alleyway? Could it be…? Twilight shifted course to go down the alley, and she saw Morning backing against a building with another pony reaching out a hoof to her. Twilight put on a burst of speed and landed in between them, causing the reporter to stumble and fall backwards. “What is wrong with you!?” Twilight demanded, stamping her hoof. “You see a lost filly and you still just want your cover story, huh!?” “I-I-I…” the reporter shook his head. “No, I –” “Save it!” Twilight turned to Morning and scooped her up in one foreleg. Morning was crying, her poor baby girl was crying. “It’s okay now,” Twilight told her. She turned back to the reporter. “And you should be ashamed of yourself! ‘Local reporter cares more about his cover story than a little filly’. There’s your damn headline.” Twilight walked off, cradling Morning in her foreleg. Reporters kept trying to swarm them, so she screamed and pushed them all back with a magical surge. She knew she’d regret getting hostile with the press later, but right now she just didn’t care. Besides, it caught Rainbow Dash’s attention. The pegasus swooped in, not quite touching the ground. “You found her!” “Yes,” Twilight breathed out. “I’m taking her home. Can you tell Fluttershy and Sunset?” “On it!” Rainbow sped off, so Twilight turned back towards the castle. It was a long walk, and they were surrounded by reporters, so she sighed. “Morning, I’m going to teleport us home. You’ve probably never teleported before, but just stay close to me and it’ll be okay.” “O-Okay…” Morning sobbed, breaking Twilight’s heart. She closed her eyes and welled her magic up in her horn, then they disappeared. When they reappeared, they were much closer to the castle. Morning clung to her tightly, so Twilight nuzzled against her. “Are you hurt?” “N-No…” Morning rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Twilight…” Twilight pursed her lips to keep from crying. “Why are you sorry? You haven’t done anything wrong.” “You’re not mad at me?” “Oh no, of course not.” Twilight took a deep breath. “I’m angry at myself, not at you. I told ponies you were coming, and this is what happened.” Twilight started walking, but she didn’t put Morning down. They reached the castle soon, and Twilight was all too happy to walk through its doors. Only when she was on the other side did she put Morning down. Sunset had left Morning’s things in the entryway; she must have been in a hurry to get back. “Uhm, were those bad ponies?” Morning asked. “They’re… well, they’re reporters. Do you know what that is?” “Uhm, ponies who write the newspaper, right?” “Some of them are. Some of them work for magazines too.” Twilight gathered Morning’s suitcases and brought them upstairs. Morning followed, and she kept explaining as they walked. “The thing with reporters is that they don’t usually care about other ponies much. Sometimes they act friendly, but what they really want is a story. And you getting lost today… well, I’m afraid it might have given them a story to tell. ‘Royal moms can’t keep track of their own foal! Read about on page seven.’ ” “I’m sorry… I tried staying close to Fluttershy…” “This isn’t your fault,” Twilight said gently, reminding herself to keep her anger in check. She was furious, but that didn’t mean she had to show it. “Anyway, I’m just glad we’re home. The press shouldn’t be too much of a problem once they get used to you being here. We may have to do some interviews though…” “I, uhm…” Morning fidgeted in place. “I don’t think I want to go out tonight after all…” Twilight frowned, but she couldn’t blame Morning for that. “That might be for the best. Maybe we can go out tomorrow night if ponies settle down by then.” Before Morning could respond, Sunset and Fluttershy walked into the room. Twilight had been so worked up she hadn’t even heard them enter the castle. “Thank goodness you’re safe,” Fluttershy said as she hugged Morning. “Where’d you find her?” Sunset asked. “In an alleyway with a reporter,” Twilight said flatly. “He was taking pictures of her! I saw them when the flash on his camera went off.” “Fucking hell…” Sunset muttered. “Language, Sunset,” Fluttershy chided, although she didn’t look up from Morning. “Uhm, he didn’t take my picture,” Morning said. Twilight cocked her head to the side. “But I saw the flash. You probably just didn’t notice.” “It was my horn…” Morning said. “I was trying to use a spell, but I couldn’t do it.” Sunset ruffled her mane. “Don’t worry, Twilight and I can teach you magic now that you’re living with us. And using magic on other ponies is probably not the best idea anyway.” “I didn’t mean to… Sometimes when I get angry my horn just starts doing things…” “Latent magic,” Twilight said, then shook her head. “It’s normal for unicorn foals, but we’ll go over all that another time. What matters right now is that we’re safe. What do you say we work on getting your stuff unpacked?” “Okay. But, uhm, Fluttershy has to let go of me first.” They all laughed, and Fluttershy let go of Morning. Rainbow Dash, whom Twilight hadn’t noticed was still around, stepped into the room. “How about I go run damage control while you get Morning settled.” “Good idea.” Twilight sighed and showed her friend a smile. “Thanks, Rainbow. You’ve been a big help today.” “No problem! And hey, now that Morning is here for good, we should get together sometime. I need to get to know my awesome new niece, you know.” “Of course,” Twilight said. They’d been introducing Morning to their friends slowly here and there, but it had been a while since Morning and Rainbow spent any time together. Rainbow said her goodbyes, then saw herself out. Twilight placed a smile on her face and turned to Morning and the others. “Now then, let’s get you settled into your new home.” The day had been something of a disaster, and Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about it. This had happened because of what they were. They were princesses, and that meant that Morning was a magnet for the press. If they had been normal ponies, this wouldn’t have happened. For the first time since they had decided to do this, Twilight gave serious thought to whether or not they were doing the right thing. Little by little, she’d become enamored with Morning, and she couldn’t stand the thought of losing her, but at the same time… If they had been normal ponies, this wouldn’t have happened. It all came back to that fact. Over and over, that was what Twilight thought about. If they had been normal ponies… That was an issue that had no easy solution. Worst of all was that something like this could easily happen again. Twilight shuddered to think of Morning being thrust into another situation like this. More presently, Twilight would have to deal with the fallout of this incident. She’d insulted various members of the press, and even used her magic on them. True, it was only to push them away, but it could be portrayed very negatively. Which was why Twilight found herself staying up late into the night preparing a public statement in the event that she’d need to make one. She also drafted several letters to send to notable publications explaining her regret over her actions and extending an invitation to talk about it in private interviews. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the candle on her desk. It was burning low, and it had been a while since Fluttershy had tried to get her to go to bed. With a sigh, Twilight pushed her work aside. She picked up the letters in her magic and stood up. After blowing out the candle, Twilight left the room and entered the main bedroom. Sunset and Fluttershy were cuddled up in bed, and Twilight smiled as she watched them sleep. She only had moonlight coming through the open window to see by, but she could make out Sunset’s larger silhouette curled around Fluttershy’s smaller one. She knew that when she entered the bed, Fluttershy would welcome her into it with a kiss before cuddling up to her. Sunset, if she even woke up, would just grumble and fall back asleep just as quickly. It was just what Twilight wanted, but she had to drop off the letters into their outgoing mail first. So she left the room, closing the door gently behind her so as not to wake her wives. As quietly as she could, she crept downstairs. The front doors to the castle were not quiet, and Twilight didn’t like to open them in the middle of the night if she could help it. Thankfully, Fluttershy woke up before the mail was collected, and they had a system worked out. Twilight set the letters down on a table near the doors, which Fluttershy would know meant they were supposed to be sent out, and she’d drop them off on her way to take care of the animals. With that taken care of, Twilight made her way back upstairs. Truthfully she was more exhausted than tired; she was worn out from the events of the day, not sleepy. But either way, a nice soft bed and a cuddle with her wives would be welcome. But first, a detour. Once she was upstairs, she stopped at Morning’s door. Ever so gently, she pushed the door open. The room was lit by a nightlight, which would be enough to see Morning sleeping peacefully. Except Morning wasn’t sleeping. She was sitting in bed, looking up at Twilight wide eyed. Twilight frowned and stepped into the room. “Hi, Morning. Why aren’t you asleep?” Morning looked down at her bed. “I’m sorry…” “You don’t have to be sorry, I’m not upset.” Twilight took a seat on the bed. “You didn’t have another nightmare, did you?” Morning shook her head. “No. I couldn’t sleep.” “Aww, I’m sorry.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile a little as she felt like she was beginning to understand something about her daughter. “I should’ve known when you didn’t fall asleep during your bedtime story. You always fall asleep during stories.” Morning fidgeted. “Do not.” Twilight giggled a little. “So what’s keeping you up? Too much excitement today?” “I guess…” Morning looked up at Twilight and then back down. “I keep thinking about those bad ponies… What would they do if you didn’t find me?” Twilight reached out and brushed Morning’s mane with her hoof, a gesture that she knew she wouldn’t have made even a few weeks prior. “They aren’t all bad ponies. I shouldn’t have made it sound like they were, I was just angry when I said that. Maybe some of them aren’t very good ponies, but they aren’t evil or anything. They would’ve brought you to the castle, but they might’ve written a mean story about it too.” “I don’t want anyone writing stories about me…” That was exactly what had been on Twilight’s mind all day. She wanted to protect her daughter from it, but there was no sense in trying to deny their reality. “That’s going to be part of living with us, I’m afraid. We’re famous, Morning. Ponies write things about us, and they’re going to want to write about you too. But we can try to make sure they write nice things about you.” “Oh…” This was an important conversation they needed to have with her. Although no one expected her to, technically Morning was still being fostered by them rather than outright adopted, which meant she could still call it off if she wanted to. She needed to know what she was signing up for. But just because it was an important conversation didn’t mean they had to have it now. “You know, when I was your age, sometimes I’d sleep in my parents’ bed when I couldn’t sleep in mine. Do you think you might want to come sleep with me, Sunset, and Fluttershy?” “Is that okay?” Morning looked up at Twilight. It was a little hard to make out her expression in the low light, but she was pretty sure Morning looked like she liked the idea. “Of course it is. And we’ll protect you from all the reporters, or anything else you’re scared of.” “Okay.” Morning got out of bed, so Twilight followed suit. She shut off the nightlight, then led them out through the hall by hornlight. Neither Fluttershy nor Sunset stirred as Twilight opened the door into their bedroom. Morning hung back, as if she was having second thoughts. “Come on,” Twilight said gently. “It’s okay.” Morning walked gingerly into the room, and Twilight helped her onto the bed, which was large and not designed for fillies. That seemed to be enough to get Fluttershy to wake up a little. “Twily?” “Yeah,” Twilight said softly. “Morning’s with me, I told her she could sleep with us tonight.” Fluttershy sat up and looked at Morning. “Of course she can. Did you have another bad dream?” “No, I just couldn’t sleep…” “Today was a lot for her,” Twilight answered. Sunset grumbled, so Fluttershy shook her awake. “Sunset, Morning is sleeping with us tonight.” “Huh?” Sunset lifted her head and blinked at Morning. “Is something wrong?” “She’s just a little overwhelmed is all,” Fluttershy answered. Sunset yawned. “Yeah, okay. Heh, guess you get to pick who you’re sleeping between.” “Oh, uhm, I don’t know…” Morning looked down at the bed. Twilight giggled, seeing what the problem was. She didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by picking between them. “I think Sunset’s pretty well settled in over there, so how about you sleep between me and Fluttershy tonight.” “Okay.” Sunset was the first to lie back down. “Good night, everyone. Love you all.” “Good night, Sunset,” Fluttershy said. “Come on, Morning. Come get settled in.” Morning lay down in the bed as Fluttershy covered her in their blanket. Twilight lay down on her other side and brushed her mane gently with a hoof. “If you have any bad dreams, feel free to wake any of us up.” “Okay,” Morning said. “Good night, Morning,” Fluttershy said. “Good night, Twilight.” “Good night,” Twilight said. “Uhm, good night.” Twilight wanted to say something else, but she hesitated. She was kind of jealous of something Sunset had said. She said she loved them all, and that included Morning. Maybe she was just half asleep and wouldn’t even remember saying that, but she’d become the first of them to say ‘I love you’ to their daughter. It was strange. Twilight had more doubt than any of the others when it came to being a mother, but she was realizing more and more that her doubts weren’t stopping her from one important realization: She did love Morning. If anything, today had crystalized that idea. When she thought of the panic she felt of losing her, and how fiercely protective of her she had become in those few minutes, well… what else could she call it but love? She wanted to say so, but she didn’t want to overwhelm Morning either. She was new to family, and this was a big step. “Love you both,” Fluttershy said. Twilight looked at her to see she was looking directly at Twilight and smiling. Twilight smiled too. “Love you both,” she said. Morning didn’t say anything, but that was okay. It was a big step, and they weren’t going to rush her. She was probably worried about what to say, and – oh, wait, no she was asleep. Twilight suppressed a giggle at the realization that her daughter had already fallen asleep so quickly once she was with them. Really, that said more than words ever could anyway. Twilight gently kissed her on the forehead before lying down to sleep herself. “Love you, Morning.”