//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Too Good To Be True // by NocturneD85 //------------------------------// Too Good To Be True By NocturneD Edited by Knotwist ooo Ever since Twilight Sparkle ran the DNA test spell days earlier, she had locked herself in her library. Scared of the outside world thinking everypony in her family were nothing but inbred freaks. The thought scared her, no mortified her to no extent. Every few hours she would run the test again and again just to hope she did it incorrectly the previous time, but alas the results were the same as she worked herself into exhaustion. Her sister-in-law was indeed her half sister. The thought of the princess being her family member would have dazzled her mind long ago but now as the times changed, it just sickened her to no end. She forced herself to throw up every time she ran another test. Twilight kept telling herself she was doing it wrong, she went over every detail. Every time it ended with the same result. She would take cold showers, curse to herself and cry herself to sleep. Every morning she still felt sick. She sometimes skipped meals where it started to make her weary, but after her assistant Spike the dragon finally had enough, they had an intervention. Pinkie Pie did not help the situation as whatever she said was complete nonsense, but she brought cupcakes. Rarity lead the charge in Twilight's crisis telling her she can not waste her time doing the test over and over hoping the results will be different. Applejack tells her if she can not deal with the news then it was probably better that she told somepony else besides her friends. Rarity then suggested a doctor. Rainbow Dash just told her to confront her father about the findings. This caused a debate between the friends, as Twilight sat bewildered at her friends attempt to help. Really how would you feel if your bride was really your half-sister this entire time? Twilight not only worried about herself, but also her brother. How would he react? How would Cadence react? "Why not just confront her dad?" Dash asked. "It's obvious he's the pony to go to." "But does he even know?" Rarity asked. "Let alone aware the possibility?" "Well... If he did then he should have stopped the wedding darn tootin." Applejack added. "Hey, it's not going to help if she just sits here." Dash pointed out. "I'm not one for ruining a good marriage either but just think of the hounding those two will get." Rarity countered. "Royalty will surely take a hit for this because Celestia performed the marriage." "There does not need to be any hounding!" Dash argued back. "Just ask her dad." "How come nopony checked for this before the wedding?" Applejack scratched her head. "No girls... Rainbow is right." Twilight stood up finally, "I'm going to ask my dad and try to get the full story." Her eyes wandered, "If there is one." With that said, Twilight Sparkle packed her things, finished some of her business in Ponyville and sent a letter to her parents that she would be visiting them. Though of course, that was only the half truth. Her prime target is her father. She left Spike in charge of the library and asked her friends to check in on him from time to time. This was something she had to do alone. No need to get her friends wrapped up into this mess. While riding on the train, and she had a lot of time to think about what she wanted to ask. She replayed the possible scenarios in her head many times. She could just sit down with her father and ask him straight, but chances are he would deny it or even think she's crazy. She could corner him, accuse him of being unfaithful to her mother and force the answers out of him. All in all it was obvious the latter was the last resort. She finally made it to Canterlot, it took six hours because of the constant stops along the way, but she finally made it. She brought two luggage bags with her and walked off the train. Her parents were there to greet her with a hug and a smile. She figured she would spare the first night for peace, before the storm starts. She and her parents spent some quality time as much as a half a day would let them; seeing a movie, going out to dinner, window shopping. Yet Twilight could not shake the sickening feeling she had for her father. How much she wanted to corner him and demand answers, accuse him of being a pervert. Reluctantly... She kept quiet about it. Her eyes locked onto the aged stallion like a hawk. Her lips tightened with frustration, teeth clenched. After a fun day Twilight laid on the guest bed. What used to be her room was now converted into a guest room. What originally had blue wall paper with stickers of stars and planets, was now replaced with plain green wallpaper. Shelfs were taken down, the room was practically remodeled, it was barely recognizable anymore. Yet her demented thoughts poked at her again and again preventing her from sleeping. Her teeth grit like rocks as her memories of those two kissing, dancing, and flirting with each other resurfaced. It remained this way for hours, Luna's moon slowly dove over the mountains to disappear from Twilight's sight as she looked at the window. Celestia's sun was ready to say hello, when she finally managed to catch some sleep. Not that her thoughts did not move into her dreams. She woke up then looked at the clock on the wall. "11:49 am," She moaned the herself. She never had many days to sleep in but if she did it would always be before ten. She undid the zipper to her luggage and retrieved her bathroom utensils. Brushing her teeth, washing her face and then grabbed a quick shower, but still her conscience felt unclean. After taking care of her business she walked down the stairs to find lunch was being made. A sight she missed seeing, mother making the meals while father just read the paper. Twilight greeted her parents, her parents joked about her being a sleepy head but that rolled off her back. Twilight Velvet made Twilight her favorite, peanut butter and daisy sandwiches. Oh how she missed her mother's version of her favorite snack. She ate happily, well as happily as she could with her eyes were still set on her unsuspecting father. Twilight Velvet then said she was going to a book club later with her friends. She asked Twilight if she would like to go. How could Twilight say no to a book? She accepted and her mother told her that it would be later that afternoon, but first she had to go do some shopping at the grocery store. Orion; her father, was going to stay at home and pay the bills. Twilight volunteered to stay home as well as she wanted to write a letter to her friends. Velvet just shrugged and went off. Twilight watched as her mother left the house, watching her every move to make sure she had everything. The door slammed. Twilight went to the window to watch Velvet walk up the street and then finally turn a corner. This was it, Twilight took a deep breath and walked back to the kitchen where he father was sitting still. She stood still in the doorway, she cleared her throat. "Dad?" The blue stallion looked up, "Yes Twinky?" How much she hated that nickname. "Can we... discuss something?" Twilight frowned. "Sure, pull up a chair." He waved his forehoof as an invitation to sit down. She sat down next to him. "So what's on your mind Twinky?" He asked sliding the bills to the other side of the table. "Um... I just wanted to talk about Shining Armor and Cadance." Twilight rubbed her shoulder. He raised an eyebrow, "And what about them? They do something?" Her eyes wandered, "It's just... What do you think of Cadance?" Orion chuckled. "What do you mean Twinky? As a pony?" Twilight nodded, "Oh. Well she's is a very bright pony and good with kids. I think she's honest, very polite, a bit bossy to your brother. Reason why is that she helped you from time to time. I remember you wanted us to get her to foal sit you all the time when your mother and I went out. You really looked up to her like she was a sister." He chuckled again. Twilight breathed through her teeth. Immediately he picked up on something. "Is something wrong?" "Actually dad... There is something wrong." Twilight stood up from her seat. "And it's about Cadance and your brother?" He asked. "Twilight is it something serious?" "Um. Just a second." She nodded, "I want to get something that will make this easier to explain." Orion frowned and said in a head scratching tone, "Oh. Okay then Twinky." Twilight raced up the stairs and opened her luggage again to retrieve the samples of hair from her tests earlier. Carefully she looked over them again as she raised them to her face. Plastic baggies with hair in them, labeled. This was it, she walked back downstairs to find her father waiting. She sat back down and placed the baggies in front of him. "And these are?" Orion asked, he was confused why his daughter would bring something like this. "I learned a new spell quite some time ago." Twilight frowned. "It took awhile to perfect but now I can do it pretty much accurately with little to no fail." "That's great." Orion smiled. "You were always a fast learner." "It's a DNA testing spell dad." Twilight looked saddened as she sorted through the baggies. "And?" He asked. "Well I was testing it on my friends with their siblings. Then we decided to mix and match for fun but according to how the spell works it worked just as it said it would." Twilight explained, "Now, I want to make sure you're ready for this dad." "Did you find something?" Orion crossed his arms, looked bewildered. "I'm sorry dad but..." She looked up at him, saddened with her lip trembling, "Is there anything you want to tell me before I do this?" "Twilight?" He stood up and held her close, "What's wrong? Come on don't leave daddy in the dark. If it's important then tell me?" She looked up, "Dad?... Do you have any regrets?" "Regrets?" He asked. "Anything dad? Before I show you?" She trembled. "Twilight just tell me!" Orion ordered. He wanted to know what was bugging her, making her distressed. "Why did you bring up Cadance and Shining Armor?" "Damn it dad!" Twilight hollered, "Cadance is my half-sister! You're her father! Explain that!" Orion blinked. He stepped away from his daughter quickly, knocking over his chair in the process among some silverware that was still on the table he brushed past. He shook his head, "You're lying... you have to be." "I'm not." Twilight heaved, "I can prove it." The purple unicorn explained how the spell worked. What the colors represented. And with no surprise, the result came out like before. Her link with Cadance was the same color as before. She then plucked one of her own father's hairs from his head and did the test again. Then showing within seconds, he was her father. He just sat there. In disbelief and quiet. Eyes remaining perfectly centered. "Dad?" Twilight asked. She approached him. "Dad?" Slowly he turned his head to her. Saying under his breath, "I... I can't believe it... I'm... sorry." "I'm sorry dad... but I had to show you." Twilight sat down beside her father. "I want to know the truth..." Orion took a deep breath and slid his head back. Letting his head bang on the wooden frame of the lower cupboard below the table top level. "Truth is... I had no idea. How this could even be possible?" "Dad?..." Twilight asked, "Did you cheat on mom with another mare?" Orion blinked, then took a deep breath, "It was such a long time ago and it only happened one time..." Twilight just sat there and let her dad explain. "You're mother and I were married for three years at the time we had your brother finally. But things really went sour between us because she left her job just to raise a family while I decided I was still going to work. She was stuck at home and every time I came back she was miserable and yelled at me every time. I argued back but it did not do any good. We had a baby finally..." Orion rubbed his forehead a bit then continued, "I worked for a few years at the academy before you were even born. I knew princess Celestia a bit as I was one of her staff for that school. Then I met... one of her sisters Venus who was going to stay awhile at the castle." Twilight knew where this was headed but she let her father continue. "Venus and I... Well it was awkward at first but it eventually became something for a one night stand. Why I did it? I felt pretty unappreciated at home because of your mother yelling at me saying stuff. Her parents talking behind my back saying I was no good. They just did not like me... After I came home, I never said anything and went on continuing loving your mother. I felt like garbage for what I did. But that night..." He looked at Twilight with dead eyes, "That night was one of the biggest mistakes of my life that kept haunting me." "So what happened to Venus?" Twilight asked. "She eventually went back to her own kingdom after that night I had with her. I assume she did not tell the princess anything." Orion said. "So what did Venus look like?" Twilight asked again. Her father shook his head again and again. He took a deep breath, "She had a light pink coat. Had mostly pink and blond mane. Was an alicorn just like Celestia..." Twilight closed her mouth after the jaw dropping description he just said. "Dad... was that the only affair you ever had?" She asked. Slowly he nodded his head, "That is the only one..." "Did Cadance seem, familiar?" She asked. Orion sighed, "Did not cross my mind until now. We never really got to meet Cadance's parents now did we? I mean... well..." He turned his head, "Did you tell anypony else?" Twilight nodded, "Just my friends know... but they promised to keep it a secret." "Does Shining Armor and Cadance know?" He asked. Twilight shook her head. "I did not even tell mom yet, nor princess Celestia... just you." "Right..." Her father nodded, "While I'm going to be gutted by your mother. The princess might have trouble accepting this news as well..." They sat like that for ten minutes, mumbling about how impossible this sounded. Yet was also awful, the possibilities, the signs that slipped past Orion's mind. The thought of those two having relations just assaulted his brain over and over again. It was no doubt that the newly weds already done the deed several times. Orion hated himself, one little affair, lead up to this. The front door opened, "Sorry I'm back so soon. There was really nothing on sale at the store as I hoped for..." Velvet closed the door behind herself as she shuffled the grocery bags with her magic and proceeded into the kitchen. To find her husband and daughter sitting on the floor. "What in Equestria happened in here?" Velvet asked. Slowly her husband looked up. "Twilight found out something interesting about Cadance." Velvet placed the bags on the table top, "By looking at everything is on the floor it's not good. I mean... seriously you two? Can’t clean up?" "Mom, please." Twilight said. "Let me guess, her and Shining Armor had a big fight and you two are upset about it." Velvet chuckled. Reaching for the glass jar of pickles to put it away. “Honey. I love you but this could ruin our son’s life.” Orion hung his head in shame. “Ruin his life how?” Velvet frowned. "Mom, it turns out that Cadance is my half-sister, and dad is her father." Twilight frowned. After that came the sound of a glass jar smashing into the kitchen floor...