//------------------------------// // A Rather Personal Matter // Story: It'll Be Okay // by Leviathan Eclipse //------------------------------// As Celestia rose her sun over the horizon, beams of golden light began to streak across the land, peaking through any uncovered windows, waking anypony unfortunate enough to be facing any said windows. Shining Armor just so happened to be one of those ponies, groaning as the morning lights invaded his room. He began to turn over when a weight on one of his forehooves stopped him. Looking down, he saw the deep indigo with purple and pink streaks that was his little sister's mane. After a moment of shocked confusion, he wracked his mind over why he woke up with Twilight in his bed. A moment later, he remembered the events of the previous night, and with a sigh of contentment, he simply draped his non trapped fore hoof around his sister, deciding to just enjoy this moment of quiet intimacy. Unbeknownst to him, Twilight was already awake, and grateful for the contact. It had been a while since they were just able to cuddle like this. Why don't we sleep together more often, she mused to herself. I come to sleep with him when I have a nightmare, but that wasn't the case last night. I just... didn't want to sleep alone. I like having my own room, but... it also feels empty sometimes. I wonder if Shiny feels the same, Twilight thought as she craned her neck a bit to see her brother's half awake form holding her. Not wanting to disturb her big brother, she followed his lead and just relaxed in his embrace. While the two young ponies enjoyed the late start to their morning, just below them sat their mother at the kitchen table reading over a letter from an old friend. As soon as she finished reading, she noticed her husband making some oat cereal for breakfast. Seeing him brought a smile to her face and an idea to her head. "Nighty, can we talk for a bit? I've got something on my mind," Velvet said, a hint of nerves in her eyes. "Sure Vel, what's eating at you?" Night Light responded, levitating a spoon full of oats to his mouth. "Well... I got a letter from Da-I mean, A.K. Yearling, and well... it sounds like she needs my help with something big," Velvet explains, choosing her words carefully in case her children were to overhear anything. "Apparently, she needs my... expertise in writing her next story. Specifically she, or rather, her character intends to go after an artifact that requires unicorn magic to reach, and she... needs a unicorn's unique perspective on the story to make sure it's... accurate to reality." Night Light's mind digests this information as his stomach digests his oats. "Does Yearling know how long she'll need you for?" he asks, keeping up the charade as he reads between the lines. "She says it will likely be a few months of... intensive research. She's also on a... strict deadline, so I would need to leave as soon as possible to help her," Velvet answered, conflict evident on her features. "Night, what do I do? I can't just leave you to take care of Twilight and Shining, but Yearling wouldn't be asking me for help like this unless it was absolutely necessary. I'd hate to think what might happen if she... can't finish her story in time," she finished, slumping onto the dining room table. "I'll see what I can do Vel, I know how important Yearling's work is," Night assured her as he levitated his now empty bowl to the sink. "If nothing else, Shining could help watch Twilight when he gets home from school." "Do you really think Shining is old enough to watch Twilight on his own? Even just for a few hours a day, not to mention how Twilight would handle herself home alone," Velvet said, conjuring up various scenarios in her mind, each one worse than the last. She was on the verge of a panic attack when Night Light pulled her into a hug. "It's okay Vel, I'll handle this. You just focus on helping out Yearling," Night soothed his anxious wife. He wasn't entirely sure how he would handle it, but he had to stay strong for her. "Get packed, but don't tell Shining or Twilight until I get home tonight. I'll have a solution by then, and you can catch the first train to Southern Equestria in the morning." With a quick kiss from his wife, Night Light teleported out of the house before beginning his canter to the palace. Sooner than he expected, Night Light had completed his paperwork for the day, just before lunch. Not wanting to waste an opportunity, he headed down to the throne room to give his daily activity report to Celestia, and maybe if she was in a good mood, he could ask a favor. After being let in by the two posted guards on either side, Night Light entered the throne room. On muscle memory alone, he stopped at the customary invisible line every guard must memorize before lowering himself to a respectful bow. "Rise captain," Celestia said in her universally calming motherly tone. "What do you have to report today Night Light?" she asked as if she didn't already know. While one might think Celestia grew bored of the apparent tedium, she used this opportunity to gain a fleeting glimpse of the lives of the ponies who serve her. While some see mind numbing paperwork, she saw the lives behind each personnel form. "Long patrol has once again reported no losses of personnel, however a few units have requested extra weaponry to better handle the various threats from Equestria's primal zones," Night Light stated in his practiced officer's tone. "Sargent Nimbus Gust has been recommended for a promotion after fending off a pack of timber wolves, saving her entire squad," he continued, his face as stoic as Celestia's. "Lastly, we have a slew of leave requests from the royal guard, long patrol, and equestrian secret service." As he spoke, he levitated his completed paper work to Celestia who took it in her own magical aura. Once his report was done, it took all his will power not to bite his lip from nerves. Nevertheless, Celestia's expertly honed perception picked up on his unease. "Thank you for the report Night light, was there anything else I could help you with?" Celestia gently prodded, wishing to help out her little ponies any way she can. "Permission to speak freely your majesty?" Night Light asked, already relaxing a bit at his monarch's voice. "Permission granted," Celestia responded, a gentle smile on her face. Taking a deep breath to fully relax his nerves, Night Light spoke his peace. "Your majesty, I seek your council for a personal matter," he said cautiously, not wanting to breach any boundaries. When Celestia stayed silent, he took that as his cue to continue. "You see, my wife Twilight Velvet is leaving for an... important work related excursion. She'll be gone for months, leaving me to care for our colt and filly. "Although Velvet offered to postpone her trip, I reminded her that it was too important to put off." Night Light began to shuffle on his hooves anxiously. "I suppose I was wondering if I could either request leave for the duration of my wife's absence to care for our children, or ask if you knew of any alternatives I might not have considered." For a moment, they were both silent, the princess and her captain both forcing themselves to maintain their stoic appearance. Celestia blinked first, allowing herself a broad smile. "Captain, I think I have a solution that will benefit all parties involved." "Really? What did you have in mind?" Night questioned, unable to keep the surprise from his tone or the shock from his face. "I have recently adopted a pegasus filly as my niece after she saved a remote village from dark magic," Celestia explained. "While she has accepted her role as a princess of Equestria, she's still a bit... overwhelmed by everything happening so fast. So, what would you say to accepting her as a full time foal sitter?" Celestia wore a confident smile as Night Light digested her words. "Uh, I-um... may I meet her beforehand?" He stammered out, "N-not that your recommendation means any less than glowing praise, but if I'm going to trust the health and well being of my children to somepony, I'd like to judge them for myself," Night Light replied, regaining his stoic features. "Of course, please follow me to the gardens, you can get to know her over lunch," Celestia insisted as she elegantly made her way across the throne room. Night Light instinctively bowed as she passed before rising and following approximately forty five degrees behind and to her left. The Canterlot palace gardens are always a grand sight to behold, at least when it isn't being overrun by snooty nobles brown nosing each other. While Night Light was technically of nobility himself via his marriage with Velvet, he never once wanted to claim that title for himself, preferring to rise the social ranks with his own work ethic. Celestia lead him to their destination, a dainty wicker table painted white, set with various sandwiches and a tea set. A pony, who Night Light assumed must be Celestia's adopted niece, was sitting at the table, facing away from the two of them. Celestia walked closer to nuzzle the unfamiliar pony, a pink filly with a yellow pink and purple mane and tail who appeared to be barely older than his son. After filing that little mental note away, Night Light took notice of a feature he wasn't expecting. "Wings and a horn," he breathed out as his eyes bulged. As his higher functions stalled, muscle memory kicked in and he dropped to a respectful bow. The sudden deference shown to her made the alicorn filly frown in concern as she fidgeted in her seat. "Uh, please don't bow sir, uh-I mean, um..." she stalled, not remembering the proper jargon to stop guard ponies from bowing. Thankfully the senior alicorn came to her rescue. "At ease captain Night Light," Celestia said in a gentle, yet firm tone. "Come meet my niece, princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Upon hearing her full royal title, the princess bristled in annoyance, earning a sidelong glance from the elder alicorn. Standing back up to full height, the captain strode over to the two mares before sitting on his haunches a respectable distance away from the royal pair. "It is an honor to meet you Princess Mi-" "Please, just call me Cadence," said the pink alicorn in a tone that broached no arguments. "As you wish, princess Cadence," Night Light offered, quickly glancing at Celestia to double check he didn't just earn himself a court martial. His sovereign gave no indication of offense, if anything she seemed to be giving off an ever so subtle grin of amusement, all but invisible to anypony not looking for it. "I was just talking to our captain here about a rather personal matter I think you might be able to help with," Celestia explained to Cadence. "Oh! Oh, is that right? I, uh, guess I'll help if you think I can," Cadence managed to sputter out, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "Oh yes, I'm quite sure this is something you are specifically qualified for, and will be an excellent test of your new found abilities," Celestia continued with a knowing smile. As Cadence's blush intensified, she looked down to her hooves sheepishly. All the while, Night Light was totally dumbfounded at the exchange, only maintaining his stoic features from years of training and over a decade of active service. What is Celestia talking about? Why is her niece blushing? Why isn't she a pegasus like Celestia said she was? Should I have just kept my mouth shut? These thoughts and many others flew through his mind while the only evidence of his nerves on the outside was a single bead of sweat falling from his chin. While Cadence was too busy studying her hooves and willing herself to not turn into a tomato, Celestia took notice. "Bwa-hahaha!" Celestia guffawed at the expense of her two companions before regaining her composure. "My apologies you two, I just couldn't waste this opportunity," she apologized, much to the bemusement of her niece and utter confusion of her guard. In a rare instance of mental malfunction, Night Light's brain short circuited and he forgot his guard training. "Wait, so you didn't bring me here to vet your niece as a foal sitter?" Realizing her own mistake of assumptions, Cadence looked up to her adopted aunt in mild shock. "Wait, so this isn't a lonely stallion in need of finding love?" Cadence blurted out wanting definite confirmation from her aunt. Hearing both of them spill their beans only made Celestia double over in laughter once again as Cadence locked eyes with Night Light and they both froze like a sheep caught in the head light of the friendship express. Celestia just kept cackling like a mad mare. By the time Celestia finally got control of herself, her two companions had managed to properly introduce themselves and Night Light explained the real reason he was there. While he was ever grateful to his commander for all she had done for him and Equestria as a whole, Night Light couldn't help but feel annoyed with the princess of the sun for the first time in his life. On the other hoof, the prank had successfully broken the ice between the two. If it allowed Celestia a brief moment of laughter, all the better for it. "I can't tell you how much this means to me Cadence. My wife and I were so worried, and here you come swooping in to save the day," Night Light thanked the young alicorn as they made their way back to the castle. "Speaking of," Celestia interjected, "why don't you have my niece over for dinner tonight so Cadence can meet my former student. From what you said, she'd be leaving first thing in the morning, and I'd assume she'd want to meet the pony who will be tasked with caring for her children." "I would be honored your highness. Though, I may need some time to break the news to Velvet... and inevitably wait for her to calm down from her inevitable manic freak out. Two hours after sunset should be suitable," Night Light confirmed, mostly to himself as he did mental math involving his wife's eccentricities. "Very well, in that case you are dismissed for the day, captain. See to your family and I shall send Cadence your way later this evening," Celestia said. "Oh, and be sure to bring your daughter to the castle tomorrow. If Cadence is to be young Twilight's foal sitter, she should be acclimated to the castle grounds in a low stress manner." "Ooh! I can show her around the palace if you drop her off in my room! I can't wait to meet her," Cadence squeed in excitement, lightly prancing in place. With a final respectful bow to the princesses, Night Light made his way back to his office to hang his armor and head home. The sun was still up by the time he walked in the front door, which surprised his wife who was making her way down stairs. "Velvet, I've got some good news," Night Light announced with a smug grin. "I got us a foal sitter for Twilight!" "Oh, that's incredible! Who is she? Is she nice? What are her qualifications? How-" Velvet was cut off with a quick kiss from her husband. "Nighty, I love you, but can you please answer my questions?" Velvet asked, bemused at his default tactic for stopping her tirades. "Well in order, her name is Cadence, she's very nice and looking forward to meeting Twilight, and her qualifications are princess Celestia's personal recommendation, and... the fact she's a princess." Night Light gave a sheepish grin, hoping to reduce the magnitude of his wife's neurotic freak out. "A-a... p-p-p-princess?! A princess is going to be Twilight's foal sitter?!" Velvet squeaked out. "Sweetie, Vel, please calm down... there's more," Night Light grimaced, knowing what was coming next. "Princess Cadence is... coming over for dinner tonight." "I'm sorry Nighty, I think I had something crazy in my ear, could you say that again?" Velvet's eyes went wide at what she thought she heard. "Princess Cadence is coming over for dinner, tonight." Night Light flinched away on instinct and backed away slowly, treating his wife like a wild animal ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. "Oh..." was all Twilight Velvet said as she froze up, eyes wide as dinner plates. "Hey mom? What are you yelling abo-" Twilight was cut off by her mother's impersonation of the royal Canterlot voice. "COMPANY IS COMING!" Everypony in the house was startled by the proclamation. They were then worried for their own health and safety as Twilight Velvet went on a cleaning rampage. Proclamations about fluffing the couch pillows, magically transforming every door knob in the house to a sea shell, and hanging bird feeders on every window rang out through the halls. Deciding to see what all the commotion was about, Shining poked his head out from his room just to see his sister anxiously watching their mother from atop the stairs. "Pst, Twilie! Get in here," he whispered over to the nervous filly. She didn't need a second invitation. As soon as Twilight ducked into her brother's room, the door closed behind her tail. Turning around, Shining Armor laid eyes on a sight that both broke and warmed his heart. Twilight was curled up on his bed, covered horn to hoof in his bed sheets trembling. Making his way to his bed, Shining's brotherly instincts kicked in as he curled protectively around his baby sister. "Hey Twilie, it's alright, mom's just having one of her freak outs. Dad once told me about it before you were born. She's not gonna hurt anypony, she just needs to get it out of her system," Shining reassured his little sister as he gently nuzzled her. "O-okay Shiny," Twilight stammered out. "C-can I sleep in here again tonight?" "Of course Twilie, you can always come to me for anything, you know that right? Even if its something small, I'll always make time for my little sister," Shining soothed as he got more comfortable in his position. "Okay Shiny, thanks. I think I'm feeling a little better, but can I still stay? I don't really have a problem anymore, but..." Twilight trailed off. "Hey, as far as I'm concerned, a lack of big brother cuddles is totally a legitimate problem," he reassured. Twilight visibly relaxed as she let out a sigh of contentment. "Thank you BBBFF, you're the best," she replied, getting herself a bit more comfy in Shining's embrace. "Hey Shiny?" "Yeah Twilie?" "I love you." "I love you too." Soon thereafter, the pair fell asleep, finally able to ignore their mother's manic freak out, a bit after sun set. As Princess Cadence stepped out of her chariot, flanked by her two guards she was pleasantly surprised to see the modest dwelling of the captain of the royal guard. It definitely wasn't small by any means, but it's a far cry from the opulent mansions of various Canterlot nobles. As she made her way to the front door, her guards secured the perimeter while she rolled her eyes at their over protectiveness. If there's one place other than the palace I'd be safe, it would be the home of your captain, she thought before reminding herself why she was there in the first place. "Alright Cadence, you got this! Just like back in the village, just be your regular relaxed fun self, and they'll love you." As Cadence finished her little pep talk, she took a deep breath in, holding her hoof to her chest before letting it out and pushing her hoof away. Having calmed her nerves, she rose her hoof to knock on the door... only to have it swing open to the sight of Night Light and Twilight Velvet. The former offering a gentle smile of recognition, while the latter wore a more... unsettling grin ear to ear. "He-" before Cadence could get a single word in, Velvet lowered to a deep bow, nearly touching her muzzle to the ground. "It is out great honor to host your majesty this evening!" Velvet belted out upon lowering herself. "Sweetie, didn't I tell you not to bow? Honorifics make her uncomfortable," Night Light mumbled to his wife, prodding her in the ribs. "Oh, I'm so sorry dear! Please, do come in! From what Nighty told me, we have lots to discuss!" Velvet said as she lifted her head and gestured with her hoof for the princess to enter. "Thank you lady Velvet of house Sparkle, I shall grace you with my presence this evening," Cadence replied as she walked inside, her nose in their air much to the shock of her hosts. She held that snooty pose for about ten seconds before a smirk crossed her features. "Gotcha." The three burst out laughing for a whole minute before Night Light was able to get control of his lungs again. "I see Celestia has rubbed off on you quite a bit Cadence." "Just a little trick she taught me to break the ice when meeting new ponies," Cadence mentioned as her laughter degraded into minor giggles. With the tension in the household thoroughly defused, the three ponies made their way further inside. "So, when do I get to meet Twilight?" "Oh, we should let them know dinner is ready! I must have forgotten in my frenzy to clean the place," Velvet admitted with a sheepish grin. "Well your home does look immaculate," Cadence insisted, bringing a rosy tint to Velvet's cheeks. "Oh why thank you dear! I do try to keep a tidy home, but when royalty comes to visit, one must make that extra effort," Velvet boasted. "Anyway, Twilight and Shining should be in their rooms up stairs," Velvet said as she began her ascent to the second floor. "Shining?" Cadence asked as her left eye brow took an unplanned trip north. "Oh, he's Twilight's older brother. I'm surprised Night didn't mention him," Velvet explained. "I guess he was too busy gushing about Twilight," Cadence replied as she failed to stifle a giggle. "Well he's starting school soon so he won't be home to watch Twilight, hence the need for a foal sitter." "Well, I'm sure I'll get along with him just fine," Cadence said, imagining a colt not much older than his sister. "Here, I'll introduce you, he should be just in here," Velvet said as she gently opened up her son's room. "Shin-" Velvet cut herself off as she laid eyes on the sight before her. Through the light in the hallway seeping into the room, she could see her son cuddled around his sister, both looking to be in deep slumber. Signaling Cadence to be silent, Velvet then waved her over to see what caught her attention. After quietly making her way over to Velvet, Cadence peaked in the room to a sight that melted her heart. By Star-swirl's beard! That's possibly the cutest thing I've seen in my life, Cadence thought before stepping back so Velvet could close the door. Once the two mares were back downstairs they felt safe talking at a normal volume so as not to risk disturbing the precious display upstairs. "Thank you for showing me that Velvet, but I have to wonder, do they share a room?" "Oh no, Twilight has her own room, but she often sleeps in Shining's bed when she has nightmares," Velvet said before stopping in her tracks, looking contemplative. "Huh..." "What is it?" Cadence asked, a bit of concern in her voice. "Twilight has never come to Night or I for nightmares or the like. She's only ever gone to Shining, though I suppose it makes sense. He saved her life as a foal when he was just a little colt." Cadence's eyes went wide at that. "What in Equestria happened?" "Oh they were playing around some lumber piles Night Light left out and Shining summoned his first shield spell when Twilight knocked it over, and he blew away all the lumber in the process. Some even caught on fire from the sheer magical outburst," Velvet explained. "That's the day he got his cutie mark and his bond with Twilight grew all the stronger." "What was all that lumber doing where your foals could easily bump into it?" Cadence asked, incredulous. "Care to take that one Nighty?" Velvet called to her husband as they finally made their way to the dining room. "Am I ever going to live that down?" Night Light groaned as he served up five servings of dinner. "No, but I still love you anyway Nighty," Velvet shot back before sauntering up and kissing his cheek. "Also, Shining and Twilight won't be joining us for dinner tonight. They're already fast asleep, but go ahead and just refrigerate their servings." "Can do," Night replied as he levitated the two dishes into the fridge before he took his place at the table. The other mares already seated, Night Light took the cushion next to his wife and across the table from the adolescent alicorn. That night, Cadence got to know the heads of the Sparkle household, and grilled the parents on as many details about their children as possible. Allergies, favorite foods, any major boundaries the parents wanted to establish. All in all by the time Cadence left that night with her royal escort, she was practically vibrating with anticipation for the next day. Although, it may have just been shivers from the cold night air. She couldn't wait to officially meet Twilight, as well as her cute big brother Shining.