I was adding more foals’ ties to their display when the shop’s bell rang.
“Good morning Muffins!” I greeted, when I saw who it was. “What can we do for you today?”
“I need a signature for a package, please,” Muffins said.
I smiled at Muffins, as she came toward the counter. “I can do that.”
She looked toward the doorway to the back of the shop. “Is Coco in?”
“She is.”
Muffins gave me a mischievous grin. “Good. They’ll be happy to hear that.”
“They’ll?” I asked.
Muffins acted if she had not heard me and placed a slip of paper on the counter. “Sign here, please.”
I grabbed a pin, with my magic, and signed the package receipt. “I take it you’re not going to give me a hint about what is going on.”
“I promised I wouldn’t.” Muffins put a stack of letters on the counter, beside the package. “I brought these in, instead of leaving them in your box.”
“Thanks.” I glanced at the letter on top of the stack. My eyebrows rose, when I saw it was from Filter and addressed to me. “That was fast.”
Muffins puffed herself up and made a show of adjusting her mailmare’s hat. “Equestria Mail Service is the fastest and most reliable carrier of documents, letters, and parcels in Equestria.”
I chuckled. “I can’t argue that.”
“Pin, is that Muffins?” Coco asked from the back of the shop.
I grabbed the top letter from and stuck in a random spot lower in the pile of mail. “It is,” I called back to her.
Coco trotted out from the back of the shop. “Muffins! How are you?”
“Doing fine,” Muffins said. “How about you?”
“Great, but super busy!” Coco said.
“You ready to head up to Manehatten?” Muffins asked her.
“Very close, but there are a couple of things I still have to button up.”
Muffins glanced at me. “Get those ears up. She’ll be back.”
I forced my ears back to vertical. “I don’t know,” I joked. “If she gets a break from here and me, she might decide not to come back.”
Coco gave me a look. “That’s not happening.”
“Rarity could ponynap you,” I said.
“That’s not going to happen either.”
I grinned. “Sassy might ponynap you.”
Coco gave a light snort. “That’s a little more likely to happen, but I doubt it.”
“He’d rescue you anyway,” Muffins said.
“True,” I agreed. “If I couldn’t do it alone, I have a couple of friends in the Guard.”
“A big friend, if you're talking about Filter,” Muffins said.
“That would be one of them,” I confirmed. I tapped my chin with a hoof. “Now that I think about it, though, I might not ask Silent for help, since he’s Sassy’s coltfriend.”
“Don’t forget, you have a Wonderbolt or two you could turn to too,” Muffins reminded me.
“I’m not worth all that trouble,” Coco said, waving a hoof.
“I disagree,” I told her.
The shop’s bell rang again, as Amethyst opened the door and stuck her head into the shop.
“You’re still here!” Amethyst said, her eyes on Coco. “ Good! I thought Rarity might have gotten you.”
“Funny you should say that,” I said, and Coco gave me a light poke in the side.
After shaking her head at me, Amethyst waved at Muffins. “Hey, Mom!”
“Hello to you too sweetie,” Muffins said in return. She took the slip of paper from the counter and tucked it in a pouch in her mail bag. “I better go. You’re about to have visitors.”
“You two, stay right where you are,” Amethyst said, pointing a hoof at Coco and me. “I’ll be right back.” She and Muffins shared a quick hug, and then they both went out the door.
“I wonder what’s going on,” Coco said.
“There’s no telling.”
“I thought big cities were supposed to be the wild, unpredictable ones.” Coco looked at the pile of letters. “Anything interesting?”
I acted as nonchalant as possible. “I’m not sure. I haven’t looked at all the mail yet.”
“All the mail?” Coco looked at the stack of letters again. “Strange, since they’re still in a neat little stack.” Coco gave me a suspicious look. “I get the impression somepony is up to something.”
I smiled. “Maybe.”
The store’s bell rang again.
“You didn’t have to stay right there, but thanks,” Amethyst said, holding the door open. She glanced behind her. “Ready?”
“Ready!” a voice that sounded like Piña said.
“Good,” Amethyst said and let Dinky, Pinch, Piña, Noi, Kevin, and Rumble to the shop.
Pinch and Dinky had on their saddlebags, and the other foals were carrying three privacy screens that looked like they had come from Rarity’s boutique.
“Pinch, you’re up,” Amethyst said.
Pinch walked up to Coco and me. She stood tall and, in an official sounding voice, said, “We are here on behalf of Princess Twilight Sparkle. We would like you two to take part in a study that could be beneficial to Equestria. While your participation is not mandatory, we would appreciate it.”
I shrugged. “Can’t see why not.” Coco and I met each other’s eyes. “How about you?”
Coco nodded, turned to Pinch, and told her, “We’re in.”
“Do you have someplace private where we could do this?” Kevin asked, seeming a touch nervous.
“Sure,” I told him. “Come on up to our apartment.”
Amethyst’s eyebrows rose and she grinned. “Things are far along enough that it’s ‘our’ apartment now?”
I blushed.
“We’re going to get some good readings from him,” Noi said.
“Noi!” Pinch chided, “Don’t say things that could skew the results.”
My curiosity grew at their exchange. “What is the study about?”
“We can’t say,” Pinch said. “It might alter how you react.”
Dinky, who looked more nervous than Kevin, nodded.
“Dinky, are you okay?” Coco asked.
“I’m fine,” Dinky all but squeaked in response.
“Dinks, everything’s going to be fine,” Amethyst said and hugged her sister across her shoulders.
“Everything has worked so far, right?” Piña asked.
Dinky nodded.
“Then it’s going to work this time too,” Rumble said.
“I’ll get the store’s sign,” Coco said.
“I’ll take them up, then.” I waved for everypony to follow me. “This way.”
As we went up the stairs to my apartment, I smiled. It had been a while since so many hoofs had gone up the stairs, and I enjoyed the sound.
I opened the door to the apartment and asked, “How much room do you need?”
“Just enough for the three screens and for a couple of ponies to fit behind each of them,” Amethyst said.
“It might be a little tight, but that shouldn’t be a problem,” I said. Using my magic, and with some direction from Amethyst and help from the foals, we arranged the den so they could put the three screens up while allowing room for everypony to have space to sit.
Coco walked in, as the foals finished putting up the third screen in front of the love seat. “What do you need us to do?”
Dinky explained, “Amethyst is going to show you some cards, and you just have to do what they say.”
“That’s it?” Coco asked, tilting her head.
There was a soft magical noise from Dinky’s saddle bags.
The foals and Amethyst all turned towards Kevin, who blushed. “Sorry.”
“I can’t believe I forgot to turn that off!” Dinky said. Her hooves fumbled with one buckle on her saddlebags in her haste to get it open.
“Wait until you’re behind a screen!” Pinch told her in a whisper. “We don’t want them to see!”
“Not see what?” I asked.
“We’ll tell you after the experiment,” Amethyst said. “You two get on the love seat and behind the screen, and we’ll get everything else set up. Dinky, you’re on the left. Kevin, you’re on the right. Recorders and time keepers take your spots.
The foals arranged themselves behind the screens, save for Pinch and Rumble, who joined Amethyst and sat at the edge of the screen in front of Coco and me. There was a flash of green light, which I assumed was Kevin dropping his earth pony disguise.
“Everything okay, Kevin?” Coco asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kevin said. “Dropping my disguise helps with what we’re doing.”
“Are you two comfortable?” Amethyst asked.
Coco and I told her we were.
“Good.” Amethyst’s tone turned more formal as she told us, “What we are going to do is ask you to do a series of things with your special somepony. We will take measurements of various aspects of your interactions. Please say nothing to each other or the administrators of the test. Do you consent to taking part in this study and allowing a changeling to feed off your affections for each other?”
Amethyst looked at me. “I consent,” I told her.
“I consent,” Coco said, when Amethyst looked at her.
“Great!” Amethyst broke her serious act and smiled. “Before we continue, please sign these forms. Twilight insisted we be formal about all this.”
Pinch presented Coco and me each a pen and a set of forms which we signed and returned to her along with her pens.
“Now that the preliminaries are out the way, the test can begin.” Amethyst leaned back to look at one of the other screens. “Time keeper one, are you ready?”
“Ready!” Piña said.
“Time keeper two?” Amethyst said, looking toward the second screen.
“Ready!” Noi said.
Pinch provided Amethyst with a set of index cards from her saddlebags. She then retrieved a stop watch from another pouch and fiddled with its knob. After setting it, Pinch said, “Synchronize time… now!” and pushed the knob down.
Amethyst presented the back of the card, which had ‘Number 12’ printed on it, to Pinch and Rumble. She then showed the front of the card to Coco and me.
The front of the card read, “Hold hooves with your partner and think caring thoughts about them.”
Coco and I held hooves and looked at each other. As the time went on, my smile grew as the pleasant but odd feeling of the test sunk in. Coco smiled back at me, appearing to me to have the same reaction to the prompt.
Rumble announced, “Actions observed.”
“Recording done,” Piña responded.
“Recording done,” Noi said.
Using the cards, Amethyst prompted Coco and me through a series of tasks, some of which required Coco and I to be touching or thinking about each other while others directed us not to have contact with each other or think about each other, and the foals took down their observations. I tried to figure out what they were trying to observe, but could only guess it had something to do with loving feelings that Coco and I were having.
“We’re finished!” Amethyst declared, as she put away the last card from the stack.
“We can keep going, if you need more readings,” I said as Coco and I continued to hold each other, her head tucked under my chin.
Pinch giggled. “Thanks, Uncle Pin, but I think we got enough.”
“You can come out now,” Amethyst said. When the foals stepped into view, she held a hoof out. “I’ll take those results, please.”
Dinky watched with a worried expression as Noi, Piña, Pinch, and Rumble gave Amethyst their papers. She bit her bottom lip, as Amethyst took the results and tucked them into a manila envelope and then sealed it.
“Dinks, you don’t have to worry about a thing,” Amethyst said. “Nothing went wrong with any of the tests.”
“But is it good enough for Twilight?” Dinky asked. “Is it going to be accurate enough for the Guard to use?”
Amethyst tucked the envelope in her saddlebags, put them back on the floor, sat back, and then held her forelegs out to Dinky. “Come here.”
Dinky rushed up to Amethyst and gave her a hug.
“Dinks, it doesn’t matter how the tests come out,” Amethyst told her, giving her a hug back. “What you have done to come up with the concept and get everything to work is amazing. Do you have any idea how proud of you Mom, Dad, and I are?”
“It doesn’t do anypony any good if it doesn’t work like it’s supposed to,” Dinky said.
“It works just fine,” Kevin said. He put a hoof on Dinky’s shoulder. “It’s even sensitive enough to pick up when I took a nibble of Pin’s love when Miss Coco tilted her head.”
Coco glanced at me, and I blushed.
“What is ‘it’?” Coco asked.
“You can show them now,” Amethyst said. She let go of Dinky and patted her on the back. “Go on. I’m sure they’ll be impressed.”
Dinky went behind the first privacy screen. When she stepped back into view, she was carrying what looked like the face and mechanical housing section of a mantel sized clock. Dinky placed the device on the coffee table, and everypony moved so they could see.
The face of the clock was modified so that at each number there was a small gem. Where the hands of the clock would have been, in the center of the face, there was a larger gem.
“This is an affection harmonics frequency interference indicator,” Dinky said.
Piña snorted. “Tell them what it is in Ponish.”
Dinky, after giving Piña a dirty look, told us, “It’s a feeding changeling detector.”
“Really?!” Coco leaned closer to the device. “How does it work?”
“Show them,” Noi urged, trotting in place. “It’s super cool!”
“Miss Coco, would you hug Uncle Pin again?” Dinky asked.
Coco giggled. “Sure.”
Even before Coco hugged me, the central gem on the device glowed and two of the outer gems on the face of the device nearest to Coco and me glowed with softer lights of their own.
“Go on!” Rumble said and prodded Kevin on the shoulder.
Kevin gave Coco and me more of his focus, and the central gem on flickered.
“Dinky, that’s awesome!” I said and from the device up to her. “This is some advanced magical artifact work.”
Dinky blushed. “Thanks, but it’s not.”
“It seems like it to me,” Coco said. “How does it work?”
“It uses the same stuff Dad’s fireworks are made of to detect love and to power the gems” Dinky explained. “When a changeling feeds, it messes with the love, which is a form of magic, that is flowing between two ponies a bit, like getting interference on a radio, and the center gem picks up on that and flashes since it’s a lot more sensitive than the little ones.”
Rumble grinned. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“Very cool!” I agreed.
“So it’s a love detector?” Coco asked.
Dinky looked disappointed and shook her head. “It’s not as accurate as Dad’s fireworks. To get it to work right, we had to adjust it so it picks up any kind of affection. We still haven’t figured out how to tune it so it only picks up on loving feelings and still work like it’s supposed to.”
“Tell her who the ‘we’ is,” Amethyst prompted.
“Dad, Pinch, Kevin, Princess Twilight, and me,” Dinky said.
“So you’re an official research assistant too now?!” Coco said. “Congratulations.”
“I’m not sure if they’re going to keep me after the project,” Dinky looked towards Amethyst’s saddlebags. “I think Princess Twilight is going to see if the detector is reliable enough, before she invites me on the team or not.”
Kevin snorted. “Princess Twilight picked you up off the floor, and hugged you, and called you a genius, when you showed her what you and your dad built. Even if she hasn’t made it ‘official’ official, I think she’d have a fit if you didn’t keep helping us.”
Dinky glanced toward Pinch and then averted her eyes. “It depends on what you two think about it. If either of you don’t want me on the team, I won’t make you take me.”
Pinch gave Dinky a disbelieving look. “Dinks, are you still worried I’m going to get jealous or something?”
“Being research assistants is kinda your and Kevin’s special thing,” Dinky said.
“You’re not putting moves on Kevin are you?” Amethyst said in a teasing tone.
“No!” Dinky said and then covered her mouth with her hoof and looked ashamed. “I’m sorry Kevin. That came out wrong. You’re great, and I like you, but...”
Kevin laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I got what you meant.” He gave her a thoughtful look. “Why do you want to get involved in the research?”
“I’m like Dad. I love studying about magical artifacts and how they work. I thought I could use that to help,” Dinky said, looking down at her device and sounding small. “I won’t force myself into something when I’m not wanted, though.”
“Of course we want you!” Pinch said. “You’re our friend! You’re super talented and have helped us to find out more about changeling magic in the last few days than we have in a month.”
Dinky looked up at Pinch with a surprised expression.
“Dinky sandwich!” Piña declared, and she and Noi took Dinky in a hug.
Noi giggled, as the device lit up. “There’s no doubt we're friends now.”
“Yep!” Piña agreed. “We have proof!”
“Thanks, you two,” Dinky said through a giggle.
Kevin continued to study Dinky. “Dinks, there’s more to you wanting to be part of this isn’t there?”
Dinky looked back to her device. “I remember when Mom told me about how she got her cutie mark by blowing bubbles to cheer up a filly that had gotten bullied.” Dinky looked at Kevin with a determined expression. “Even if I don’t get my cutie mare for it, if I help you and the other changelings get away from that nasty queen I would be so happy and-”
Dinky’s words halted, as Amethyst used her magic to levitate Dinky from Piña and Noi’s hug, lift her over the coffee table, and take her into a hug of her own. “Dinks, I-” Amethyst hugged her sister tighter. “You’ve become such a wonderful mare, I don’t even know what to say.”
Dinky, hugged Amethyst back. “Thanks, Sis.”
“It picked that up too,” Noi said, looking at the device’s glowing gems.
Amethyst put Dinky back down on the floor. “Of course it did. I love my little sister to pieces.”
“No nibbles, so far, though,” she said and cut her eyes toward Kevin.
Kevin’s muzzle scrunched in feigned irritation. “I’m not taking any love right now. If I keep ‘nibbling’, we might find out if it’s possible for a changeling to get fat.”
“Awww, I wanted to see the light show again,” Noi said. “It’s pretty neat, being able to see you eat too.”
Kevin seemed to become self conscious at Noi’s comment. He looked down at his natural form, glanced toward the kitchen, and then looked towards me. “Can I step in there for a second and-”
“Kevin,” Pinch said in a kind but authoritative tone. “What did Princess Twilight say?”
“You’re right. I shouldn’t hide what I am unless I need to for my safety.” With a reluctant expression, Kevin closed his eyes. For a second, he was enveloped in a flash of green fire. When the fire dissipated, Kevin had assumed his earth pony disguise again.
Kevin opened one eye and then the other as if worried about what he would see as he looked at Coco and me. “That wasn’t so bad.”
“See,” Pinch said in a kind way.
“What do you mean ‘wasn’t so bad’?” Coco asked him.
“I got some curiosity, but no fear or-”
“Fear?!” Coco ears angled down in hurt. “How could we be scared of you?”
The central and the closest gems on the device to Pinch glowed.
“I wish you would quit doing this,” Pinch said and gave Kevin a hug. “You’re worrying over nothing, you’re hurting yourself, and you’re making ponies who know you feel bad.” Pinch gave Kevin a little shake. “I know you’ve picked up ‘bad’ reactions before, but ponies get anxious and surprised when unicorns cast unexpected spells, right?”
“I know. I know.” Kevin hugged Pinch back. “Thanks, Pinch.”
“You’re too nice of a pony for anypony to be afraid of you,” Pinch assured Kevin as she hugged him closer.
The central gem on the device flickered.
“There’s some readings for you, Dinky!” Noi said and laughed.
Piña looked up from the device and stared at the hugging pair with her mouth open. “Sis?!”
Pinch, her face a bright shade of red, said, “Don’t go there, or I’ll ask Rumble and Noi to hug you and see if we get any readings from him!”
Dinky broke out into giggles, as Piña, Noi, and Rumble blushed.
Pinch’s attention went from one of the trio to the next in rapid succession. “You mean…”
“They helped me test the prototype,” Dinky said. She looked toward Noi and asked, sounding hopeful, “When did the device glow?”
“It didn’t pick me up again,” Kevin said. “It got Pinch’s affection the same time I did.”
“It doesn't get anything from you?” I asked.
“Not one time, so far,” Dinky said. “I thought something was wrong with it, when we couldn’t get it to work with him, but it works fine for everypony else.”
“Twilight’s pretty sure it has something to do with changeling’s absorbing love but not being able to share it among themselves real well,” Pinch said.
“I promise I feel for you,” Kevin told her, looking vulnerable. “I promise,” he repeated with almost desperate urgency.
The gems on the device glowed again, as Pinch took Kevin into a hug. “I know you do.”
*****
As Coco and I walked toward the train station, she bumped shoulders with me and gave me a smile. “We’ll see each other in a couple of weeks. It’s up to Satin as to the exact timing, though.”
“I know. It doesn’t mean I won’t miss you.” I looked toward one pouch of her saddlebags. “Woofs, take good care of her for me. I’ll admit I’m jealous she’s going to be snuggling with you and not me, but if you keep her happy and safe I can live with it.”
Coco giggled. “I could have gotten you a plushie to snuggle with.”
“Thanks, but it wouldn’t be you.”
“Woofs won’t be you for me either, but since you won him for me he’s going to be my connection to you while I’m gone.”
“They’re they are!” Piña said to the ponies gathered near her on the station’s platform.
Coco smiled, sighed, and shook her head. “I wasn’t expecting this to turn into a big deal.”
“You’re a big deal to all of us,” I told her. “So you leaving us, even for a little bit, is a big deal too.”
As soon as Coco stepped onto the platform, Dinky rushed up and hugged her. “We’re going to miss you!”
“I’m going to miss you too,” Coco said, and hugged Dinky with a foreleg. Coco sat down, as Noi, Piña, Pinch, and Sweetie Belle joined in on the hug. When the fillies let go of her Coco looked toward Kevin and Rumble.
“Can we hug her too?” Kevin asked Rumble, sounding unsure.
“You better!” Piña said.
Pinch and Noi nodded in agreement.
Rumble grinned at Kevin. “Trust me; it’s fine.” He gave Coco a hug. “Travel safe.”
“I will,” she told him. She released Rumble and then hugged Kevin. “I need to ask everypony a favor,” Coco said, looking at each of the fillies and colts.
“We’ll watch out for Uncle Pin for you,” Pinch promised.
Coco smiled. “Thank you.”
Rarity hugged Coco. “I know we’ll see each other soon, but take care of yourself until then.”
“I will,” Coco said.
Rarity let Coco go and gave me a teasing look. “Now you can give her a hug.”
“The train will depart in ten minutes!” a conductor announced. “All passengers, please take your seats.”
I took Coco in a hug. “Take care and be safe.” I kissed her forehead and then touched my nose to hers. “I love you.”
She kissed my nose and gave me a hug back. “I love you too.”
*****
I grinned as I gave Berry and Barrel’s back door three soft knocks. I did not have to wait long, before the lock turned in a quiet way.
Barrel opened the door and smiled. “You’re right on time.”
“Do they have a clue?”
Barrel chuckled. “Not one. They think it was a regular sleepover. Come on in.” After letting me in, he shut the door with care not to make any noise.
Barrel led me to the kitchen, where Berry, Piña, and Pinch were having breakfast.
“Good morning, Pin,” Berry greeted me, with a grin.
The girls’ attention snapped to me.
“Ukle In?!” Piña asked with her mouth half full.
Berry gave Piña a mother’s disapproving look.
“Orry,” Piña said, covering her mouth with a hoof.
“Good morning,” I said.
“We didn’t know you were coming for breakfast,” Pinch said.
“Your father and I did,” Berry confessed.
Pinch looked to Berry. “What’s going on?”
“We have a train to Canterlot to catch this morning,” I announced. “We’re going to meet everypony else who’s going at the station. Rumble and Thunderlane flew out yesterday, so we’ll meet them there.”
There was a quiet moment, as the fillies fit things together.
Piña’s eyes widened. “Satin had the foal!”
I smiled and nodded. “The message came late afternoon yesterday. There weren’t too many details in the message, but we know she and the foal are doing just fine.”
Piña ran from her spot at the table and hugged me. “Are we heading straight to the hospital?!”
“They’ll be home by the time we get there,” I told her, in a wheeze, and returned her hug.
“Sorry Uncle Pin!” Piña released some of the pressure from her hug and turned her head toward Pinch. “Scarf that down, Pinch! We’ve got to get packed!”
*****
“Keep up!” Berry said to the rest of us, as she and Piña led our group at a near trot towards Satin’s and Stormbreaker’s.
“I think they’re excited,” Amethyst joked to Muffins.
“A little,” Barrel said, and chuckled his deep laugh. “I have to say, though, Berry did an outstanding job of keeping things bottled up until this morning.”
“After Uncle Pin showed up, though, she uncorked,” Pinch said and giggled.
“Keep it up you two,” Berry said.
“Good thing we’ve been training, huh Dinks?” Pinch said, as she trotted along by Dinky’s side.
Dinky giggled and nodded. “Yep! I didn’t expect to be in a race so soon after the Running of the Leaves.”
Berry and Piña’s pace had us at Satin’s in a short time. They stopped at the front door and looked back at me with expectant expressions.
“What?”
“You should be the one to knock,” Piña said. “You’re her brother.”
“Thank you,” I said, stepped to the front door, and gave it a series of gentle knocks.
A few seconds passed, and the door opened.
“Aunt Study!” Piña said in an excited whisper. She took Mom in a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here too! How are they doing?”
“They are sleeping on the cloud chair,” Mom told her, in a quiet tone. “Storm is right there with them.”
“On the cloud chair?” Piña asked, tilting her head.
“You will understand, when you see the little one,” Mom said. She stepped out of the door and made room for everypony. “Come in, everypony.”
As everypony else filed past and into the house, I hugged Mom. “I take it she was right.”
“She is my daughter,” Mom said with pride and hugged me back. “Let us go inside. I want to see everypony’s reactions.”
I followed Mom into the house and grinned. Piña was standing so close to the edge of the cloud chair I could not tell if her chest was touching the cushion or not. Berry was close enough behind her that when Piña’s tail wagged with enough excited energy it hit the insides of Berry’s forelegs.
Stormbreaker smiled at the sisters. “I take it you got the message,” he whispered to them.
“We did,” Berry whispered back.
He looked down toward Satin, who was tucked under his wing. “Satin,” he whispered and gave her a soft nuzzle. “We have some more visitors.”
Satin’s ear flicked. “Mmmm.” She turned her head and was close to being nose to nose with Piña. When Satin opened her eyes, she giggled. “Well, hello.”
“Are you okay?” Piña asked, her voice filled with worry. “I know things can go wrong when...”
Satin touched her nose to Piña’s. “I’m fine. I’m still sore, but the healing potions have helped a lot. It wasn’t as horrible a process as I thought it was going to be, but I can tell you it’s not something you want to go through unless you really want a foal, though.”
Berry nodded. “That’s about what I felt coming out of it.”
Pinch and Dinky took positions on one side of Berry’s while Muffins moved to stand on her other side. All of them had their ears perked and their full attention focused on Satin.
Satin raised up and looked back at where Stormbreaker’s wing covered most of her body. “It was worth it though.”
Piña pranced in place with light hoofsteps. “Can we see?”
“Sure,” Satin said. Stormbreaker lifted his wing from Satin and she moved a bit from him. In between them, curled up on a blanket, was a sleeping pegasus colt.
“He’s so cute!” Piña breathed. “He looks like Storm, but he’s got your mane and tail.”
“He’s got her eyes too,” Stormbreaker said and kissed Satin’s temple.
“I’m a double aunt now,” Piña said with glee. “What’s his name?”
“Intense Rain,” Satin said.
Mom and Summer Rain, who were standing side by side, smiled with pride.
Stormbreaker grinned at Rumble, who was sitting on the couch with Summer Rain, Thunderlane, and Storm Chaser. “What’s it feel like, being an uncle?”
“I’m not sure yet,” Rumble said. He looked up from the foal and smiled. “It’s pretty awesome, so far, though.”
Rain stretched as if trying to make more contact with his parents.
Using her magic, Satin levitated Rain and his blanket and placed them in the space between her forelegs and her chest.
Rain wiggled until he nestled up against Satin’s chest and then settled back into a full sleep.
“He’s a snuggler,” Summer Rain said.
Satin gave Stormbreaker a smile, as he closed the small gap between them and put his wing over Satin again. “Just like his father.”
Everypony spread out around the den, settled down, and started quiet conversations with each other. I sat on a sitting cushion with my back leaned against the wall, watching the ponies around me, and letting my thoughts drift.
“You okay?”
I gave my head a light shake and looked up at Amethyst. “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not. You’re out of place,” she said and gave me a nudge. “Scoot over.” I did, and Amethyst sat down on the cushion beside me. “There. Now you're with somepony too.”
I grinned at her. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t properly organized.”
“You should be. Organization is very important.” She bumped shoulders with me. “What was running through that head of yours?”
“This feels right,” I said. “I was thinking about why everypony getting together feels so…”
She bumped me with her shoulder again. “So what?”
“Relaxing? Happy? Safe? Right?” I shook my head, feeling none of the words fit. “I can’t describe it.”
Amethyst grinned. “Deep down we’re herd animals. This is natural. We’ve come together to celebrate a recent addition. Bonds are getting made, others are being strengthened, and everypony is feeling out their new roles or reaffirming their spots in the group.”
“Natural.” I smiled. “I think that’s the word I was looking for.”
Dinky and Pinch approached us, carrying a sitting cushion between them.
“Thank you,” Dinky said to Pinch and put the cushion beside the one Amethyst and I were sitting on. “I get Ammy, you get Uncle Pin.”
Amethyst snorted. “I take it, I'm moving.”
Dinky grinned. “Yep!”
We arranged ourselves so that Pinch took Amethyst’s spot at my side, while Amethyst sat on Dinky’s sitting cushion with Dinky’s back against her chest.
“Sisters make the best backrests,” Dinky said and looked up at her sister. “Thanks Ammy.”
Amethyst gave an amiable snort. “I’m glad I can be of use.”
“How is the study coming along?” I asked.
“I got the raw data organized and now it’s off to Twilight for analysis and review.” Amethyst lifted her head and smiled. “While I can’t say what she’s going to find, from what I could make of the tests’ results it looks promising.”
“I hope so,” Dinky said.
Pinch giggled, as she looked at Rumble, who was talking in whispers with Stormbreaker. “He tried to be cool about it, but he’s so happy to be an uncle his wings are puffed up.”
“Piña’s not much better,” Dinky said. “I can’t tell who’s more excited, her or your mom, though,” she said, nodding towards where Berry, Turner, and Muffins sat together.
“It’s a tie,” Pinch said.
I looked around the room and studied how everypony had paired up or gathered together. “All right, Ammy, what am I missing?”
Amethyst gave me a curious look. “What do you mean?”
“How did we four end up over here together?”
Amethyst did a quick scan of the room, and her ears drooped a little. “That’s an easy one. We’re the ponies who’s special someponies aren’t here.”
“Or who doesn’t have one,” Dinky said with a sigh.
“I’m sorry about Pip,” Amethyst said. “When you got him to dance with you, I thought you had him.”
“He was being nice, when he danced with me,” Dinky said. “That’s all.”
“What did I miss?” I asked Pinch in a whisper.
“Pip went to the Celebration with Tulip Swirl, but gave Dinky a dance,” Pinch informed me.
“Oh.” I winced in sympathy. “Ouch.”
“Considered joining the herd with Rumble?” Amethyst suggested. “I’m sure Piña and Noi would share.”
Dinky smiled. “Nah. Rumble’s stretched pretty thin as it is.”
Pinch giggled and then covered her mouth with a hoof.
“You have to share, after laughing like that,” Amethyst said.
“Kevin said that if we ever came across ‘results’ like him that Dinky could lure them in all by herself with as much affection as she has for everypony,” Pinch said.
I chuckled. “I could see that.”
Dinky snorted. “I don't know whether to be complemented or not.”
Amethyst leaned back against the wall, holding Dinky in her forelegs so Dinky remained against her, and gave a thoughtful hum. “If anypony would appreciate as much love as you have for everypony, it would be somepony like Kevin.”
Pinch gave Dinky a grin. “Would you consider it?”
Dinky took a long, thoughtful pause before she answered, “If it would be anything like you and Kevin, I… I think I might.”
“He’s awake!” Piña reported to the room with an excited whisper.
Rain made fussing noises and shifted his position.
“I’m sorry,” Piña whispered. “Was I too loud?”
Satin smiled. “No, sweetie, he’s hungry.”
“How can you tell?” Rumble asked.
“It’s about long enough since he ate, and the noises he’s making,” Satin said and nuzzled Rain. “Hold on for just a minute, my little raindrop. We’ll need to go upstairs, first.”
Rumble looked confused. “We could get him a bottle real quick for you, so you don’t have to move. Where do you keep them?”
“Thank you, but we’re not using bottles with him,” Satin said.
Rumble blushed. “Oh!”
“I have a suggestion,” Dad said, getting to his hooves. “How about we step outside for a few minutes, so you don’t have to move?”
Summer Rain gave Dad an amused glance. “I forgot Canterlotians are more… conservative about such things.”
Dinky tilted her head and asked, “What do you mean?”
“I used to nurse Stormbreaker on a cloud, with a full view of the sky, and with family and friends around,” Summer Rain explained. She laughed at Dinky’s surprised expression. “I take it nursing is not a common sight in Ponyville either?”
“Some families are more open about it than others,” Thunderlane told her. “But it’s not done in public all that often.”
Summer Rain gave him a curious look. “Why not? There wouldn’t be anything shown you don’t see everyday.”
“Ground based foals were more prone to predation, in the past, so mares would find safe and secluded spots to nurse them,” Piña explained. “Now, it’s considered a private time for mares and their foals to have together.”
“I’m impressed, Piña,” Berry said.
“I’m not sure I’ll ever get the courage to nurse in public, but I don’t mind if ponies I know stay in the room,” Satin said.
“You never know,” Summer Rain said and grinned. “You might get there one day. You’re already on a cloud.”
Dad levitated his hat from the coat hook on the wall as he neared the front door. “Those who wish to join me, now is the time.”
“And we’ve lost Pin,” Amethyst said, as I stood.
“I think you lost me too,” Rumble said, gaining him a giggle from Piña.
“You’re a pegasus!” Summer Rain teased him. “You should stay for the cultural aspects of the event.”
Thunderlane told her, “Rumble’s more of a Ponyville pony than a Cloudsdale pony, in some respects.”
“Ah, I see,” Summer Rain said as she watched Rumble trot out the door.
“I think I’ll step out too,” Storm Chaser said.
Barrel, the last one of us to step outside, shut the front door behind him and chuckled. “Give it a few minutes, after he’s finished, and another bit of excitement will happen that’s not so pleasant for eveypony involved is going to happen.”
Dad nodded with a knowing expression. “As Father used to say, ‘You put it in one end and it’ll come out the other.’ ”
Rumble looked up to Storm Chaser. “Uncle Chaser, should I have stayed, as a pegasus?”
“You don’t see me in there, do you?” Storm Chaser patted Rumble’s back with a wing. “Don’t mind Summer. She’s a bit of free spirit. Even among pegasi, there are variations as to nursing practices. If you’re not comfortable with it, this is the best place to be.”
After a bit of time, Dinky and Pinch stepped out the door. Dinky looked pale and a touch queasy as she walked alongside Pinch.
“Is everything okay?” Barrel asked them.
“Mom, Summer, and Satin started talking about what it was like when they were having foals,” Pinch said, doing her best to keep her tone neutral, but a small smile betrayed her amusement. “It got a little too graphic for Dinky.”
“I’m never having a foal,” Dinky stated. Some of her color came back, as she looked past everypony and pointed a hoof. “That’s Mister Filter!”
“I think that’s Miss Sassy and Silent with him,” Dad pointed out.
“Mister Filter!” Dinky called and raced down the sidewalk toward the approaching ponies.
“I think she’s focused on the big guy,” Barrel said.
“It would seem so.” Dad smiled and shook his head. “She’s a bundle of energy isn’t she?”
Rumble nodded. “She almost beats Piña and Noi.”
As soon as Dinky got to Filter, she gave him an enthusiastic hug and said something muffled against Filter’s coat.
Filter laughed and returned her hug. I could not hear what Filter said, but he turned his head as if talking to Silent and Sassy. Sassy said something in return, lifted her nose in the air, and acted as if slighted. Dinky let go of Filter and rushed to give Sassy a hug. Sassy, dropped her act, grinned and hugged Dinky back.
Dad smiled and turned to watch Dinky lead Sassy, Filter, and Silent down the sidewalk to join us. “Good afternoon, everypony.”
“Hello Mister Insight,” Silent said.
“How is Satin doing?” Sassy asked.
“She and the foal are doing well,” Dad told her. “Satin’s feeding Rain in the den, in fact.”
“When you say ‘feeding,’ you mean giving the foal a bottle… right?” Filter asked.
“No bottles involved,” Barrel explained. “She’s doing it the natural way.”
“Oh,” Filter said and blushed to his ears. “That’s why everypony is outside.”
“Not everypony is outside,” Storm Chaser said and grinned at Filter’s surprised expression.
“Good for her,” Sassy said. “I don’t know if I could do it, but I’m proud of her.”
Silent looked back and forth between Filter and Sassy. “I get this feeling I’m missing some context somewhere.”
“In Canterlot and Manehatten, nursing a foal is not done in public,” Filter said. “It’s considered a private thing.”
“What?!” Silent snorted. “In bat pony colonies nopony would even give it a second glance. Back home, mares nurse their foals in groups. It’s considered a bonding time for new mothers and a way to make supportive social connections.”
Rumble’s blush matched Filter’s in intensity. “When you say ‘nurse their foals in groups’ you mean they… share milk their milk with other pony’s foals?”
Silent grinned. “Yes, bat pony mares will nurse each other’s foals if one of them is having a hard time producing milk.”
“That’s… practical,” Sassy said, sounding as if she were still deliberating about the notion.
Silent looked at Sassy in a concerned way.
“Silly pony. Don’t look so worried.” Sassy kissed Silent’s nose. “I have always agreed with the old saying, ‘When in Roan, do as the ponies there do’.”
The front door opened again, and Mom and Piña stepped out.
“Hello again!” Mom greeted the newest arrivals. “We did not think we would see you three until later.”
“We had to come see the little one,” Sassy said. “These two had the day off too, so we came on.”
“Rain’s through, so everypony can come in now,” Piña said. She looked at Rumble, who still had a blush on his cheeks. “You okay?”
Pinch giggled. “Silent was telling us that bat ponies nursed their foals in groups and would even nurse each other’s foals.”
Piña raised an eyebrow at Rumble. “You realize earth ponies and ponies in herds who have foals at the same time do that too, right?”
“No,” Rumble admitted.
Dinky glanced at Pinch, and they both giggled. “I think parts of Rumble’s world have been rearranged,” Dinky said.
“Miss Study,” Filter said, sounding like a colt and fidgeting from hoof to hoof.
One side of Mom’s mouth turned up in a smile. “Yes, dear?”
“Do you accept hugs?” he asked.
Dad chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen her turn one down.”
Mom gave Dad a look and then told Filter, “I do. If you are asking to give me one, I would be glad to have a hug from you.”
Filter took Mom in a gentle hug. “Thank you.”
I had not realized how much bigger Filter was than most unicorns, until I saw Mom in his forelegs. She could not quite reach all the way around Filter’s barrel, when she returned his hug.
“You are quite welcome, but I am not sure what you are thanking me for,” Mom said.
“For putting me in contact with Pepper Dance,” Filter said. “I told her about what was happening with Saffron. When I told her how much Saffron had been paying for peppers, she couldn’t believe it. She’s gotten in contact with Saffron and they’ve already worked out a deal for Pepper’s family’s farm to supply peppers to the Tasty Treat.”
“I take it you got a bit of recognition for being the catalyst for the deal from a certain protective pony?” Mom asked.
“I did, and a good bit of appreciation from the pony he’s protecting.” Filter let Mom go. “I still have some work to do to gain his trust, but I think it was a good start.”
Mom released Filter and patted his shoulder. “If you would like another suggestion as to a connection, please come see me.”
“I will.” Filter gave her a slight bow. “Thank you again.”
“I’m surprised Miss Rarity and Miss Coco are not with you,” Dad said to Sassy.
“They will get here tomorrow,” Sassy said. “I got a telegram from Rarity saying they had to catch a later train than they had hoped.”
“They’re together?” Dinky asked.
“Sort of.” Sassy explained, “They’re both in Manehattan, doing their own thing, but they were planning on coming to see the foal together.”
“Oh,” Dinky said.
Mom met eyes with Pinch and Piña and they shared a mischievous smile among them. “Please, everypony, come in,” Mom said.
I stepped aside, as Mom led the others into the house.
Filter moved towards me with strides that were too casual and controlled. When he got close enough, he whispered, “I got your letter yesterday. I’ll be glad to.”
One of Silent’s ears rotated towards us, as if he heard what Filter had said.
“Great,” I said. “Now all we have to do is figure out when a good time to set everything up will be.”
Silent, who was at the back of the group of ponies entering the house, turned towards us with his ears at attention and an eyebrow raised in intrigue.
“Put your ears away, you snoop,” Filter said. “You heard nothing.”
“Sure I didn’t,” Silent said and grinned.
Being the last pony back into the house, I shut the door behind me. I remained standing, somewhat trapped against the door by the others, as greetings were exchanged and the newest trio of ponies went to see the Sassy and Rain.
“Oh my goodness he’s precious!” Sassy said. “What pretty eyes too!” She nodded with approval. “He got the best of both his parents.”
“His eyes!” Pinch said. She looked toward Dinky with an expression I could not interpret. “I hadn’t even thought about it.”
Dinky tilted her head. “What do you mean?”
“They’re like Kevin’s,” Pinch said and looked back at Rain, who seemed to look back at her with curiosity.
Satin regarded the two fillies with an amused expression. “Like Kevin’s?”
“They’re pretty,” Pinch said, after a slight pause. She blushed and said, “They’re like gems.”
“That’s my boy,” Stormbreaker said and tickled Rain with a hoof. “He’s not even walking yet and he’s getting fillies’ attention.”
“Kevin’s your research partner with Princess Twilight, right?” Satin asked Pinch, after giving Stormbreaker an amused shake of her head.
“He’s a bit more than that to her,” Piña told Satin. She looked toward Pinch. “Foals’ eyes are like that because they’re taking in a lot of magic to help them...” Piña trailed off and her eyes widened.
“Develop and grow,” Dinky finished for her. She looked toward Pinch, and they shared a glance.
“What is his name?” Silent asked, after the silence got awkward.
“Intense Rain,” Satin told him.
“Oooo, good name,” Silent said. He paused and looked toward Mom and Summer Rain. “To get a name like that from his grandmothers is pretty cool.”
“Does that mean you are going to have a second one so you can name them after the grandfathers?” Sassy asked.
Satin blew out her cheeks with a puff of air. “I think I’m going to take some time to recover before we even think about another one.”
Stormbreaker looked around the room. “Did Coco and Rarity not come with you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you guys without them.”
“Coco will come tomorrow with Rarity from Manehattan,” Mom said and glanced toward Piña and Pinch, who smiled at her with matching grins.
Pinch giggled. “Coco and Rarity couldn’t get an early train, but they’ll be here before we know it.”
“Oh, I see,” Satin said and smiled. “Coco will arrive with Rarity.”
Swish.
Oh no, I thought, as I figured out what they were up to.
“What is going on?” Amethyst whispered to Dinky.
Swish.
“Watch Uncle Pin,” Dinky said, with a light giggle. “I’ve never seen it, but Piña and Pinch told me about what happens.”
“I can’t wait for Coco to get here,” Pinch said and looked toward me with an expectant grin. “I’m sure Cocowill think Rain is the cutest thing ever, when she gets here and sees him.”
Swish. Swish. Swish.
I glanced back at my tail and sighed, as laughter and giggles broke out around the room.
Rain fussed and squirmed.
Piña’s ears snapped to attention. “What’s wrong?” She cooed to Rain. “You were so happy a second ago. Were we too loud this time?”
“That wasn’t it.” Stormbreaker’s muzzle scrunched up. “I just got a whiff of what’s bothering him.”
Piña took a sniff and then gave a snort. “Yep!” she said and covered her nose with a hoof “That’s got to be it.”
“I”ll take care of him,” Stormbreaker said and kissed Satin’s temple. “You stay right where you are.”
“Would you like some help?” Mom offered.
Stormbreaker gave her a sheepish grin. “Some help and pointers would be great.”
Summer Rain shook her head. “I thought I had done better than that in raising you.”
“You did, but I haven’t changed a diaper since Rumble was little,” Stormbreaker said, as he picked up Rain with caution.
Rumble flinched in embarrassment.
“Sorry, Rumble, but it’s true,” Stormbreaker said. He told Summer Rain, “I know when to ask for help, and I’m over my head with this one.”
“A wise stallion,” Storm Chaser said, as Rain cried in earnest.
“Just a second, kiddo, Daddy’s going to help get you out of that messy diaper in just a minute,” Stormbreaker said. He and Mom stepped from the room and further into the house.
“Uncle Pin, we can help you with that again,” Pinch said, pointing to my still wagging tail.
“I would appreciate that,” I said, and took my previous spot beside Amethyst, turning so Pinch and Dinky could get to my tail.
“You’re a good sport,” Summer Rain said to me, as the fillies began braiding. She watched them work on my tail for a minute or two, while the other ponies in the room chatted, and her eyebrows rose. “You two have some talent there!”
“We could do your mane and tail next,” Pinch offered, and Dinky nodded.
“You sure?” Summer Rain said. “I wouldn’t want anything fancy, just a fishtail for my tail and something simple for my mane would be nice.”
“We can do that!” Dinky said.
Mom and Stormbreaker, who had Rain tucked against his side in a wing, walked back into the room.
“He’s feeling much better now,” Stormbreaker said. “He should be safe to hold for a bit too.”
“Speaking of that, please give him to Pin,” Mom said. “He has not held him yet.”
“I’ve got the camera,” Dad said.
Stormbreaker held Rain out to me. “Here you go.”
Being careful as I could, I scooped Rain from Stormbreaker’s wing and tucked him against my chest. “Hello, little guy.” I smiled as Rain’s eyes studied my face. “I’m your uncle Pin. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a while now.”
Dad took a picture. “Good one,” he said.
“Wow, he’s warm,” I said, as Rain’s body heat registered with me. “He’s got soft wings too.”
Rumble looked at Rain, and then up at me with an unspoken question in his eyes.
“Have you gotten to hold him?” I asked.
Rumble shook his head.
“Come here,” I said. When Rumble got close enough, I transferred Rain to him.
“Put your foreleg under him like this,” Piña said to Rumble and demonstrated how to hold a foal with her forelegs. “Perfect!”
“You’re right, Uncle Pin, he is warm,” Rumble said. He smiled at Rain. “I’m Rumble. I’m your uncle too.” Rumble gave Rain a mock serious look. “We’re rare ponies, so we’re going to need to stick together and watch out for each other as much as we can.”
“We’re going to be counting on you to help him grow as a pegasus, since I lack the requirements for that,” Satin said.
“You can count on him,” Piña said. “Rumble can help anypony get better at anything.”
Rumble blushed. “Thanks.”
“Sounds like we might have a new training partner,” Dinky said.
Satin laughed. “He’s a little too little for that right now.”
“What about making him our honorary mascot until then?” Dinky asked.
“I like that idea!” Piña said. “All in favor!” she prompted.
“Aye!” the foals voted unanimously, gaining them a curious look from Rain.
Rumble grinned and touched his nose to Rain’s. “Welcome to the team, little guy.”