//------------------------------// // Twilight's Unseen Future // Story: Rest of Their Lives // by babyuknowme13 //------------------------------// It was not a normal day in Ponyville. Normal days, at least in Twilight’s experience, involved monster attacks, dangerous spells, friendship conflicts, and somehow finding the strength of will to keep going, even when everything down to her bones drooped in fatigue. So no, this wasn’t a day that could be described as normal. It was even better! This was a great day and she couldn’t wait to share it with her friends. Once more for prosperity, Twilight read the letter she’d just received from the Crystal Empire. Dear Twily, Cadence and I are coming to do a tour of Equestria for a couple of weeks. Conventions, speeches, the usual dignitary things. And it just so happens that we’ll have a couple days free during our travel time to spend with you and all your friends in Ponyville. We’ll be arriving on the sixteenth, after a convention in Baltimare. It’ll only be for a couple of days, but I’m sure we can make the most of it. Anyway, we’re both really looking forward to seeing you. Your BBBFF, Shining Armor. She squealed in glee and did a quick hoofy dance around the room. This was perfect! The surprise she’d planned for him was almost ready and now she didn’t need to think of an excuse to convince him to visit sooner! He’d be here tomorrow morning! Or afternoon, he hadn’t exactly set a time. He really should’ve, he had to know the train schedules and be able to hypothesize his arrival time. Either way, she was excited enough to almost forget about the reshelving she’d planned for the whole library to make room for the new books she’d ordered! She rescheduled it to take place after Shining Armor and Cadence left and went to find Spike. “Spike, call the girls!” She ordered as soon as she found him in the kitchen. “Tell them I have exciting news!” “What news?” He asked, putting away his apron. “That will be a surprise.” She trotted away to look at the room she’d been preparing for Shining Armor. She was almost certain that she had the placement of everything exactly right, but she wasn’t able to remember well. She’d moved out so early and then Shining Armor had joined the Royal Guards as soon as he’d graduated, she didn’t want anything to be out of place. She just knew he was going to love it! “Howdy, Twilight.” Applejack nodded as she entered the throne room. “What’s this ah hear about some exciting news?” “You’ll hear it as soon as everypony else arrives.” Twilight took her seat. No sooner did she sit down before Rarity and Fluttershy arrived together, judging from the state of their glossy hooves and slightly damp manes, Twilight guessed they’d been coming back from their weekly spa trip. “Rarity, Fluttershy, glad you could make it.” She greeted them. “Rarity, how did things go with…” She paused, suddenly not sure that had been the best thing she could say. “Hello, Twilight.” Rarity smiled. “And it’s….Well, Sweetie is taking this extremely well and I’m thankful for that. A date hasn’t been set yet, it seems my parents are kicking up a bit of a fuss due to the scene caused by Sweetie’s accidental magic.” “I’ve been doing a little research,” Twilight sighed quietly as she thought of those new law books due to arrive next week. “And in all cases, accidental magic caused by emotional distress of the foal is laid at the hooves of the stressors.” “Yes, Steady Hoof said the same thing.” Rarity nodded. “I just wish this could be wrapped up already. I just hope word of this doesn’t spread far past Ponyville, that kind of scandal could damage my sales!” “I’m sure everything will turn out fine.” Fluttershy reassured her. “Hey guys, sorry I’m late, I was still dragging clouds when Spike found me.” Rainbow came in through a window. “Rainbow Dash, how’s Fast Pace settling in?” Twilight turned to her. “Uh, alright I guess. Had to set a few ground rules after he had a little accident stretching his wings this morning, but nothing I can’t handle.” The rainbow mare made sure to add. “Ooh, Dashie, you have to tell me when it’s a good time to throw Fast Pace his Welcome to Ponyville party!” Pinkie said as she bounced, literally and Twilight was very carefully not thinking of how she was doing it, into the room. “So what’s up!?” “Alright, now that everypony’s here we can begin.” Twilight pulled up the letter. “Shining Armor and Princess Cadence are coming to Ponyville!” Twilight paused. She hadn’t expected to hear herself in stereo. Pinkie looked across the table at her excitedly. “Uh, right, and” She continued. “They’ll be arriving tomorrow after they attend a convention in Baltimare.” Everypony looked at Pinkie. Pinkie looked at Twilight. “AAANNNDDD?....” The pink mare prompted. “And? What? That’s it.” She blinked. “Oh.” Her bouncy friend deflated. “How’d you know all that stuff?” Rainbow asked curiously. “U-Uuhh….Pinkie sense?” Without another word Pinkie reappeared in her throne and began nervously chewing her lip. Which, was pretty par the course for Pinkie Pie. Twilight was never sure she was interpreting Pinkie’s body language right. Everything the pink mare did was always excessively exaggerated. “Anyway,” She coughed to get everypony’s attention. “Since they’ll be arriving tomorrow, I’d like your help with something.” “Why, of course, Twilight.” Rarity smiled. “You need only ask.” “Come on, I’ll show you guys the surprise I’m planning for Shining Armor’s visit!” She eagerly led them to one of the many guest rooms in the castle. Slowly, Twilight was drafting a basic floorplan of the castle tree, but every time she thought she was finished with one floor she suddenly discovered a trap door or secret compartment. “Ta-Da!” She flung the door open. “It’s his foalhood room!” She explained with a laugh. “He’s going to freak when he sees it!” “A little juvenile for castle décor, but it is a very sweet act, Twilight.” Rarity inspected the thread count on the blanket and sheets. Twilight had gotten Shining Armor’s actual old bedding from her parents and used a rejuvenating spell to restore it. “Oh my, look at the little ants!” Fluttershy admired the ant farm. Twilight had only bought it yesterday, it was the newest addition to the room. She went from friend to friend explaining all the items they found or were curious about. None of these items had the sentimental value for them that it would have for Shining, but they were a good gauge so she had a general idea of how Shining would react when he saw everything. “Giving the surprise is almost better than being the one surprised!” Rainbow laughed as she flew from poster to poster. “…But what if a mare knows the surprise and she really needs to tell the mares next to her or she might explode!?” Pinkie jumped out of the old toy chest to wrap herself around Fluttershy. “Uhm, I would say,” The shy mare shook her head. “No.” “The pony who ruins a surprise has to live with that guilt forever!” Rarity said ominously. “EEEEEKKKKK!” Twilight made a note to repair that wall before Shining Armor arrived. “I know the bar’s set pretty high, but did any of you think Pinkie was being extra weird today?” Rainbow asked. “It is a little concerning.” Twilight allowed. “But she’d tell us if something was really bothering her, right?” “She told us about her decision to move.” Fluttershy reminded them. “Right.” Twilight nodded. “Pinkie Pie knows that if there’s anything troubling her she can come to any of us for help or advice.” That decided she repaired the wall and turned back to her friends. “So, do you girls think you could help me with the final preparations?” She received a chorus of affirmations. “Great!” She pulled out a list. “I was going to have Pinkie Pie cater, I’ll have to find her to tell her later.” Another thing to add to the list. “Applejack, do you think you could make a bookshelf? I have a picture of the one Shining used to have but I wasn’t able to find a duplicate of it.” She held up the picture for inspection. “Yeah, this looks doable.” The farmer agreed. “Ah can do this lickity split!” “Thank you.” Twilight turned towards Fluttershy. “Fluttershy, I’m not sure what to do with an ant farm. I was hoping you could give me some tips?” “Of course!” The pegasus nodded. “Rarity, I don’t want Cadence to feel left out so I thought maybe you could suggest something from your store?” She asked hopefully. “Darling, say no more!” The unicorn held up a hoof. “By the time I’ve finished Princess Cadence will look even better than she did on her wedding day!” “And me?” Rainbow rubbed her hooves in excitement. “You know I’m not the most sporty type,” She raised her wings a little. “So I wanted your help with organizing some activities we could do together.” “No prob!” Rainbow smirked. “Do you know how to play hoofball?” “I know the rules.” Twilight confirmed. “Great, I’ll set up a field for that, and maybe a little relay.” Rainbow considered it. “With eight ponies we’ll have even teams.” “You’re pretty excited about this.” Spike commented after they’d separated. Fluttershy had needed to run home to grab a book on etymology. It galled Twilight that she didn’t have a book like that in the entire library and she made a special note to make sure that wrong would be rectified. “Of course!” She giggled. “Shining Armor always used to give me little surprises growing up, it feels so good to finally be able to do something special for him.” “Tell me about it?” Her assistant requested. Lately he’d been asking for stories of her fillyhood, things she’d done, things she used to enjoy doing with her family. And in childlike curious fashion he’d even asked about things when he’d been a new hatchling. “Well, one of the things he’d do was set up a scavenger hunt for me.” She remembered how much fun she’d had puzzling out the clues. “There’d be little riddles leading me to each new location, at first only around our street, but he branched all over Canterlot when we were both older.” “And at the end there’d be a prize, like a new book, or several new books!” She didn’t have those books anymore, they’d been lost with the old library. “Sounds pretty cool.” Spike commented. “It was.” There hadn’t been as many scavenger hunts after he’d joined the Royal Guard, but sometimes she’d just step outside and find a rolled up scroll sitting innocently outside. Those scavenger hunts had made her feel a lot better about living in the castle with Princess Celestia as a filly. Far from home without her friends, with only an infant Spike for company, she’d been lonely. Finding that first note had told her that she might be moving on, but she wasn’t out of reach just yet. “Was it tough, moving to the castle and all?” He asked her. “A little,” She admitted. “I had to learn fast how to take care of a dragon hatchling, first off.” Burps that set her mane on fire, waking up to find he’d gnawed through the bars of his crib as his teeth came in, taking care of a baby dragon wasn’t easy when she was only eleven years old. “I had to get used to the castle too, I always used to get lost.” Which is why she was making a floor plan of her castle. She’d put maps at strategic locations once she was finished. “But living by myself wasn’t as challenging as you’d expect. My parents came by every day before and after my lessons, Shining Armor would poke his head in whenever he had the time, and even Cadence would visit.” She smiled at those fond memories. “Not to mention all the servant ponies who took care of everything until I was older.” “Yeah, and then I took care of everything.” She heard Spike huff good naturedly. “I thought you liked cooking and cleaning?” She asked mischievously. “More cooking than cleaning, but I do like a job well done.” Her little drake laughed. “But what I really like is helping you organize things.” “And you’re very good at it.” She acknowledged. Twilight worked with her friends getting everything ready, and twice she tried to hail Pinkie on her deliveries down but the mare was obviously busy. Sugarcube Corner must have gotten more deliveries than it could handle, but Fluttershy reported that she’d been able to get Pinkie’s attention and ask her to bring the food. “Thanks Fluttershy.” She sighed with relief. “Applejack, do you need any help there?” The cowpony was bringing in a freshly carved bookshelf, an exact replica of the one in her old picture! “Might on the stairs, don’t want to scratch the varnish.” She tipped her hat. “Thank ye kindly, Twi.” “I’ve got the hoofball field set up, and a relay race with four parts!” Rainbow swooped in, carrying Fast Pace on her back. It was remarkable how much effort Rainbow was putting into bonding with her brother. “It’s got a hurdle part, a guard crawl part, a bucket-step part, and a target practice part!” The colt informed them. “I helped!” “Ya sure did.” Rainbow nodded. “Take a look at it and tell me if you want to change anything later, alright, Twi?” “Sounds good. As soon as we get this bookshelf in we can go.” She promised. The field and relay looked excellent. Hay bales for hurdles, a garden lattice had been set on top of some barrels to make a part where the participants had to do the guard crawl underneath it, some buckets for the bucket-step, and a few baskets of apples for a target section at the end. It was remarkably similar to a training field she’d seen at the guard barracks during some of her visits. They all moved inside to tidy up and put on the finishing touches, and Twilight looked up from her dusting to notice Pinkie lingering by the door. “Pinkie Pie, here let me help you with those.” She levitated the plates onto the table. All her brother’s favorites, along with a few extra sweets here and there. She shouldn’t have expected anything less from Pinkie Pie. “I’d better cover these up so they don’t spoil.” She quickly got a few covers from the kitchen. “Heh, yeah.” Pinkie gulped. “Wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise!!!” She laughed nervously. “Pinkie, there something wrong there?” Applejack asked worriedly. “Wrong? Nothing’s wrong!” Pinkie stated, as she jumped twenty meters in the air to land on the chandelier roots. “You’ll probably feel better if you get it off your chest.” Spike pointed out. “Yeah, come on you can tell us anything! We’re your pals.” Rainbow flew up, half in curiosity and half in worry that the mare would fall. “FINE!” Pinkie inhaled a deep breath. “SHINING ARMOR AND PRINCESS CADENCE ARE GONNA HAVE—!” “A great weekend with their friends.” Twilight forgot all about Pinkie in favor of her brother who’d just trotted through the door. “BBBFF!” She accosted him with a flying-tackle hug. “You’re early!” “The convention we were supposed to attend today got rescheduled for next week.” Cadence laughingly informed them. “So we got here even earlier than planned.” “This is fantastic!” Twilight gushed. “Just wait until you see the surprise we set up for you!” “I’ll take your bags.” Spike came in and gathered the luggage. “Whoof, how much did you pack?” “Don’t mind him,” Twilight began leading them down the hall. “Come and see what we did!” “We’re coming, we’re coming!” Cadence laughed. “Ta-da!” Twilight cried for the second time that day. She was glad they’d gotten all the last minute touches out of the way so everything was just right. “I-Is this?” Shining Armor gaped at the room. “I can’t believe it! It’s my old room!” Twilight joined Cadence in giggling over her brother’s dorky excitement as he ran around inspecting everything. She was so glad her surprise had gone over well, and Cadence seemed to like the present they’d hidden in the closet for her as well. Rarity had outdone herself with that new hat. “This is amazing, Twilight.” Her brother wrapped his strong legs around her. “I can’t believe you managed to get everything, I know some of this stuff is pretty rare now.” “Yes, the collectibles were a challenge, but I’ve been preparing this for a while.” She admitted to him. “Everything’s wonderful, Twilight.” Cadence sighed. She gave a wordless nod to her husband. It still made Twilight giddy inside to remember that her brother was married to the single greatest foal-sitter ever. “There’s more!” She said eagerly. “Rainbow set up a hoofball field and a relay race!” “That sounds great!” Shining Armor lit up even brighter if that were possible. “But,” Cadence gestured again. “Oh, right.” Her brother blushed. “Cadence and I still have a few things to take care of for our itinerary since the plan changed. Is it alright if we meet up at the town square in an hour before we get started?” “Of course!” She was relieved to know they understood how serious it was to reschedule everything to account for the changes. She could hardly wait for the hour to pass before she led them all towards the square. Pinkie herself seemed especially impatient. “I hope we can grab some food before we play.” Rainbow groaned, holding her stomach. “I’m starving!” “Huh, that’s odd.” Twilight looked around, but nopony was there. “They’re usually very punctual.” Cadence was such a good influence on her brother. “Ugghhh!” Rainbow groaned. “I need a hayburger, stat!” She pounded the head of the fountain statue, drawing Twilight’s attention to the scroll held in its mouth. “Could it be?” She gasped. “It is!” She held the scroll in her magical field. “It is what?” Pinkie demanded suspiciously. “A scavenger hunt!” She’d just been thinking about that earlier too! “He used to set these up for me all the time when I was a filly! And there was always a book prize at the end!” “Read it, read it, read it!” Pinkie begged on her knees. “Alright, it says,” She held it up. “You’ve got a scroll, you’re on a roll.” “Why don’t you take a peek, where young ones spend their week. A piece of paper will continue this caper.” She read. “Well, Ah’m stumped.” Applejack scratched her head. “Ah’m no good at riddles.” “Where young ones spend their week.” Twilight repeated slowly. Instantly she knew the answer. “The school!” They all raced there, Pinkie taking the lead and attempting to sniff out the scroll. Twilight wasn’t sure if Pinkie’s nose was good enough to scent it out, but she didn’t think it would be necessary to find out. “What now?” Rainbow asked, hungry belly temporarily forgotten in favor of a challenge. “A piece of paper will continue this caper.” She pointed towards the foal Featherweight who was toting the newest issue of the Foal Free Press. Shining Armor must have planned this out beforehoof to put the next note in the newspaper. “My, that dress the mayor is wearing is simply stunning!” Rarity complimented. “Didn’t you make that there dress?” Applejack questioned. “Yes. What’s your point, darling?” The unicorn mare smirked. “Read faster!” Pinkie urged them, appearing in the middle of the paper to scan all the pages at once. “You know, there’s not really a time limit on these scavenger hunts.” Twilight tried to reassure her. For naught, apparently, as Pinkie had already located the next note. “Though this hall, is rather small. In it you’ll find, files of all kinds.” The party pony read. “Take a look on the back, of the birth certificate of Applejack.” “Ah don’t like where this is going.” Applejack said bluntly. “Oh relax, dear,” Rarity waved her off. “Granny Smith has already shown us the baby pictures.” “Come on, come on, come on, hurry!” Pinkie urged them towards Town Hall. “Here!” Pinkie must have already organized the filing room for the mayor. She found the certificate with ease and nearly shoved it down Twilight’s throat. “Easy, Pinkie Pie.” She scolded lightly. She should’ve guessed something like a scavenger hunt would make her extra excited. “Aw, would you wook at the widdle hoovsies.” Rarity cooed beside her as they took in the picture of infant Applejack. Born on August seventh to Apple Tart and Farm Fresh, there was Applejack gazing adoringly up at the photographer. “Alright, that’s enough.” Applejack turned it around to reveal the note, suddenly bashful. “The next place is where, you can buy a table or chair.” Twilight acquiesced with grace. “Or some comfy beds, to rest little heads.” “Rest little heads?” She repeated. The wording seemed a little different from what she would expect from her brother. Had Cadence had a hoof in helping out this time? “Seriously, nopony!?” Pinkie groaned in frustration. Twilight yelped as she was herded out of the building with everypony else. She frowned and made a note to return Applejack’s birth certificate at her earliest convenience. “A furniture store, it’s obviously a furniture store!” Pinkie stopped right outside a popular furniture store. Twilight had gotten the twin bed for Shining’s room just last week from the same place. “Are you sure?” She asked skeptically. Pinkie screamed in inarticulate rage and rushed inside. Twilight made a note to apologize to the owner for the trouble later and gasped when Pinkie came out riding a brand new crib, price tag still attached, and wordlessly pointed to the note taped on. “It seems we’ve saved the best for last, now it’s time to take a break, we even get a slice of cake!” She read victoriously. “Sugarcube Corner!” They all cheered and galloped off. “Surprise!” Shining greeted them warmly as they stepped inside. “Did you have fun?” Cadence asked. “It was great.” Twilight swelled with happiness. “It was even better because I was able to share it with my friends.” “There’s just one thing missing!” She jokingly looked under and around her brother. “Where’s the book prize?” “There’s still a prize, but it’s a little different this time.” He assured her with a nervous grin. “I don’t understand.” She cocked her head to the side. “All the places we sent you to had something in common.” Cadence told her. “Can you figure it out?” “Well,” She thought about it for a moment. “We went to the school, read the foal free press, looked at a birth certificate, and then a cr—gasp!” She looked disbelievingly at her brother and his wife. They both nodded. “Y-You mean,” She couldn’t bring herself to say it until she knew it was true. “We’re having a baby!” They moved aside to reveal a special foal shower cake. “I’m going to be an aunt?” She realized. “I’m going to be an aunt!” “This is the greatest prize ever!” She hugged them both. “A BABY, TWILIGHT! SHINING ARMOR AND PRINCESS CADENCE ARE GONNA HAVE A BABY!” Pinkie finally exploded with what Twilight realized she must have been holding in all day. So not only did she get a blast from the past with the scavenger hunt, she also found out their family would be growing a little bigger. It was certainly something worth writing in the Friendship Journal about after everyone turned in for the night. Today my brother gave me some exciting news. He and Cadence have chosen to have a foal, and she is confirmed to be two months along. She hasn’t really started showing yet, but it’ll happen soon. I can’t wait to meet their foal! My friend Pinkie Pie found out even before I did, but she kept it a secret so as not to ruin the surprise. I’m very grateful that she tried to keep this day special for me, even though it must’ve been hard to keep from sharing with the rest of us. It’s true what Rainbow Dash says, giving a surprise is sometimes even better than receiving one, and I did both today! I can’t wait to find out what other surprises are in store. With a satisfied sigh Twilight put away her quill and ink. The hour was late, Shining and Cadence had already retreated to their suite. Twilight knew Spike had fallen asleep hours ago, exhausted by playing referee for the hoofball game and race. Now it was time for her to go to bed too. Tomorrow would have more wonderful surprises in store, she was sure.