//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4: All Our Lives 
// Story: A Sort of Homecoming 
// by Closer-To-The-Sun 
//------------------------------//

It was morning at the house. In the kitchen, Stellar Flare was preparing breakfast for the entire house while still wearing her pajamas. A sweet scent was starting to fill the air from her cooking. The pleasant aroma was enough to awaken the rest of the inhabitants of the house. The first to enter were both Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer, still dressed up in their pajamas.

“Oh, good morning, you two!” Stellar Flare greeted from her position in front of the stovetop.

“Morning, mom,” Sunburst replied with a yawn.

“Good morning, ma’am,” Starlight spoke as she took a seat at the kitchen table, “What is that? It smells wonderful.” Sunburst took the seat next to her. The table was already set with plates and glasses.

The praise from Starlight Glimmer caused a smile to appear on Stellar Flare’s face, “Banana pancakes, I thought it would be nice to cook Sunburst’s favorite breakfast for your visit!”

Sunburst smiled, “Oh, thank you, mom.”

Not a moment later, the fourth pony entered the kitchen, Firelight. Like the others, he was still wearing his pajamas.

“Good morning, all,” Firelight greeted as he entered.

“Ah, good morning, Firelight,” Stellar Flare welcomed.

“Anything I can do to help cook breakfast?” he asked.

“Oh, no need to worry about that,” Stellar Flare said as she flipped a pancake in the pan. “However, if you’d like to help, you could fetch the orange juice out of the refrigerator.”

Firelight nodded and trotted to retrieve the juice. He then took and placed it on the table where he saw both Sunburst and his daughter.

“Oh, good morning, Sugarplum.”

Starlight reached for the carton of orange juice almost immediately as it was sent on the table, “Morning, dad.” She poured herself a glass.

“How....” Firelight was a bit unsure about what to say to Starlight, “How are you doing this morning?”

“Hungry,” she simply answered as she took a gulp of juice.

“That’s what happens when you only eat sweets for dinner,” Sunburst jabbed.

“Not like you helped with bringing me those cookies!” Starlight snarkily replied.

“Like you were going to say no to chocolate chip cookies.”

Firelight smiled as he watched the two younger ponies have their back and forth. “Well, other than ‘hungry’, are you feeling better?”

Starlight looked to her dad. The smile on his face reflected onto her. “I am doing better now, dad.”

“That’s my chipmunk cheeks!” Firelight said as he used his hooves to pinch at one of Starlight’s cheeks.

“Please let go, dad,” Starlight asked.

Firelight did as he was requested, with Sunburst snickering a little.

A few moments later, Stellar Flare made an announcement, “Go on and take your seats; breakfast is ready!”

As each pony took their seat, Stellar Flare used her magic to plate two pancakes on each plate. Then, she added whipped cream and assorted berries to each stack. Finally, Stellar Flare took the plates and placed them in front of each pony. She then took her own plate and sat down herself.

As the banana pancakes were set down, almost immediately each of the ponies wasted no time beginning to eat their breakfast. The kitchen echoed with the sound of the utilities against plates.

Halfway through her pancakes, Starlight paused her eating and spoke up, “I want to apologize for last night.”

“Oh hun-bun, you have nothing to apologize for,” Firelight was the first to reply.

“No, I do,” Starlight insisted, “I didn’t mean to outburst like I did and then seal myself off in Sunburst’s room like that. I think I’m just struggling with a number of things about....everything going on with you two....”

“Like how they keep intruding in our private lives so much?” Sunburst joked in-between bites.

To Starlight’s surprise, both Stellar Flare and Firelight actually seemed to silently laugh at Sunburst’s comment. “It’s not just that, though that is a big factor,” Starlight said as she tried to hide her own smile. She continued with a bit more solemn attitude, “It’s also about the two of you....being together.”

The older two ponies of the table seemed stunned by Starlight Glimmer’s words.

“Wait, let her explain,” Sunburst was quick to clarify.

Starlight did just that, “What I mean is that I was having some issues with the two of you being together. Like how you two are always so nosy in our lives, and now even more so with the two of you teaming up against us, endlessly bugging us.”

“Well, we certainly are going to now!” Stellar Flare happily joked, to which Firelight chuckled at.

“Like that,” Starlight pointed out, “I don’t need more intruding on my private life, my dad does that plenty on his own.” She sighed as she continued, “But it’s more than just that, it’s just how it seems you two are just throwing caution to the wind and getting married. I....I don’t know how to really feel with this news, especially with how the two of you keep pushing us to move our relationship at your pace, and not ours.”

Stellar Flare absorbed what Starlight said before looking to her son, “Sunburst, do you feel the same way as Stalright?”

“I have to agree with Starlight,” Sunburst stated, “How you both keep pestering us has gotten old really quick. We both just wish you would let us go at our own speed. On the other hoof, it still surprises me that you two are already talking about marriage so quickly.”

Both of the older ponies looked at each other and returned to look at the younger two with a smile. Firelight spoke, “It’s completely understandable to be concerned for us. But I assure you both, this is not something either of us take lightly. We have known each other longer than both of you have been alive,” he seemed to find his own comment amusing as he chuckled. “We’ve been friends for so long, with our highs and our lows, our disagreements, and so on.”

“We have shared many laughs, just as we each have been a shoulder for the other to cry on in a time of need,” Stellar Flare explained as she reached to Firelight’s hoof with hers, “We’ve been so close for so long, it just seems like a logical step for the two of us. But we assure you, we both had reservations about this next step, especially with how you two would feel about such.”

“It is true,” Firelight agreed, “We were worried dearly about how my pumpky-wumpkin and Sunburst would feel about Stellar Flare and myself. Honestly, we were scared if we were doing what’s right for them more than what was right for us. The first and foremost important thing for both of us is our children.“

Stellar Flare smiled as she looked at Firelight, “Now you see why I love this stallion.”

Both Stellar Flare and Firelight looked at each other lovingly and closed the gap between them. They lightly brushed noses with one another, much to Starlight’s displeasure.

“Please, not in front of the breakfast!” The rest of the table laughed at Starlight’s comment. She then continued, “Well, despite me being disgusted at the thought of my dad and my boyfriend’s mom talking about marriage....”

“Yeah, I think the family tree might be a little....off now....” Sunburst quickly interjected.

“....if the two of you being together makes you both happy, then who am I to stop you?” Starlight continued, ignoring Sunburst’s comment. “I know the two of you aren’t perfect, just like I know we aren’t. But you’re our parents, and we love you and support you with your decision. Just as you did us.”

Firelight and Stellar Flare both had smiles on their faces. “You know, back when you two were little, both Stellar Flare and I had our issues with one another. It was how we felt the other’s child wasn’t good enough to be friends with ours,” Firelight explained.

“It is true, I didn’t think Starlight would be good enough to cheat off my Sunburst’s tests,” Stellar Flare commented.

“But we both learned that there are many things that we love about the other’s child. The most important being that if the pony means a lot to our child, then they mean a lot to us,” Firelight finished.

“That’s all that truly matters to us,” Stellar Flare reiterated.

Sunburst smiled, “Thanks, mom.”

Starlight nodded, “Yes, thank you, both of you.”

“And thank you to you two as well,” Stellar Flare smiled back to the younger ponies, “We love you both dearly.”

With a smile, Firelight then changed the subject, “Now that we talked about that, I believe it’s time we addressed the elephant in the room: Starlight, don’t you think it’s time we do something about Sunburst and his fashion sense? I’m sure we can do something about that beard and that cloak of his, don’t you think, hun-bun?”

“Thank you, dad!” Starlight loudly concurred with the same sentiment, “I’ve been saying that to Sunburst since day one! That beard has been driving me mad for the longest time. And that cloak is fine, but he can look so much better if he puts in just a little effort!”

Sunburst was a bit taken back by Starlight’s agreement with her father, “Oh come on, it’s not that bad. Right, mom?” He turned to look at his mother.

“Dear, I’ve been wanting to get rid of that thing for so long!” Stellar Flare candidly said.

“Of my cloak or the beard?”

“Both!” she cheerfully answered.

Firelight had a lightbulb go off in his head, “Oh, I’m starting to get some ideas for an entirely new wardrobe for Sunburst! I’m thinking preppy meets bohemian! I believe it would truly fit his style!”

Stellar Flare was quick to agree, “Oh, I believe that would look great for him! Especially if we can just tidy up that overgrown mane and tail of his! In fact, I do have one of my barber sets with me, we can see if we can start to tame all that hair of his!”

“Oh, marvelous idea, Firelight!” Stellar Flare clapped her hooves together, “I can get some of the magazine clippings that I’ve saved to help for just such an occasion!”

As the older ponies started to gossip back and forth, the orange stallion sighed as he looked at Starlight Glimmer, “Why did you have to get them started on this?”

“Just getting the family drama started now,” Starlight wickedly smirked.

“How about I tell them about how you still get lost in the school that you run?”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

END