I spent a long time with Cadance after that day. The sun would rise, we’d eat breakfast, and I’d take a morning class over language with her. And in the evenings, she would teach me history, the biology of ponies and other creatures, and another round of language lessons.
Then, at the end of every day, I’d pass out over my notebook she’d given me, where I was practicing their alphabet. She had taught me how to write using my mouth, the way that a few ponies would often do on instinct. At first, I had to get over the taste of pencils and how odd it seemed. But soon it became quite easy, even if I’d dropped it a few times and wiped it off in disgust at the idea of putting it back in my mouth.
Cadance was an absolutely amazing teacher. I can’t say I’d ever had someone so supportive of me, even if it was something as simple as drawing a letter of the alphabet she wanted me to with minimal help. She’d praise and shower me with excitement and love.
Whether because of her amazing teaching or something involving odd alicorn oddities, I found myself learning their alphabet at a rapid pace. By the fourth day, I was already able to read very simple sentences that you’d expect from a much younger foal. Even Cadance was surprised by the growth of my learning; she’d brag about it at dinner practically every night, even as I buried my face in my hooves and pleaded profusely for her to stop.
I think Flurry was getting sort of jealous, not because I was spending time with her mother or anything, but because when I wasn’t learning with Cadance, I was practicing on my own. I will admit, I could have probably set time aside to play with her, but learning something as basic as language seemed really important in my mind. And I didn’t really want any distractions.
But it wasn’t just language; no matter what part of the body Cadance poked, I was quickly able to immediately recite to her what it was called and its function. Including which leylines and how many reside within. And no matter which piece of history she brought back up with me, I could instantly recall it, playing back her entire lesson to me verbatim. I had to admit, it was a little bit freaky at first. I’d never been an academic prodigy or even semi-talented. But it was as if my memory was photographic.
I was in the middle of practicing the set of sentences Cadance had given me earlier that day, stuck in my own head while laying on the living room carpet. Everyone else was off somewhere in the castle, but I was content to practice.
“Does the dash go here or...?" I tilted my head as I mumbled to myself, “Oh, here.”
“Do you ever take a break?” Flurry huffed from behind me.
I flicked my ears in her direction and continued my practice, “Yes.”
She huffed, “It doesn’t seem like it. You aren’t even having fun.” She grumbled as if I were being tortured.
I glanced at her and said, “It may not be the most fun, but I kinda have to do it.”
She pranced in front of me, tapping back and forth between her two front hooves as she whined, “Tomorrow is Hearth’s Warming Eve! Come on, Kieran... Take a break and play with me.”
I smiled but kept my head locked on the page. “I know; maybe tomorrow.”
I suddenly found myself with Flurry lying down on top of my notebook. She folded her hooves and went full loaf, much like a displeased and ignored cat would. I sighed, "Flurry, get off of it. Please.”
She shook her head quite definitively with wide, sweeping head motions, “Nuh-uh. Momma always tells me that not taking breaks is why ponies will get tired and stressed. So we can sit here and have a staring contest, or you can take a break.” She lit her horn like she always did when upset. “That’s an order.” She commanded with a giggle.
I groaned, but I couldn’t help but smile and shake my head. “Alright, I’ll take a break, Cadance doesn’t have a lesson planned for me until after Christmas anyway.”
Flurry smiled gleefully, then tilted her head in curiosity. “What’s Christmas?”
My eyes widened, and I laughed a bit. “Oh, it’s my old world’s version of Hearth’s Warming. They’re pretty similar in most respects, so I’m not surprised I mixed them up.” I glanced down below her and asked, “Can I uh… have my notebook? Before you smear the writing?”
Her eyes widened as she hopped up quickly, levitating my notebook and pencil up and away from me to set them on the table. She quickly laid back down in front of me, laying her head on her two front hooves. “Tell me about Christmas!” She asked happily.
I shrugged. “We do all the same things as ponies, it seems. Holiday trees, presents, lights, and lots of family and food.”
“It’s great, isn’t it?” She said, barely containing her excitement, “I always love Hearth’s Warming. Momma and Daddy always know what I’ll love!”
I smiled and sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. “I’ll be honest, I kind of always hated Christmas.”
Her eyes widened farther than I’d ever seen, and she stood up defiantly, looking at me like I’d conjured another clone. “Wha-What!? Why would you hate Hearth’s Warming?” She asked in disbelief.
I sighed and averted my eyes from her. "Well, Christmas... Hearth’s Warming is all about family, right? Well, even if I did sometimes have a nice day with my brother, it never really felt like we had anybody to share it with.” I shrugged. “I don’t know; it just always felt sad... Like, empty, and depressing. My brother would show up for a few hours with me, but after that, I was alone for the whole day.” I shook my head, trying to remove my emotions. “Can we not talk about that anymore?”
Flurry nodded sympathetically and leaned down to nuzzle me. “Sorry.”
I reciprocated the nuzzle with a small laugh: “It’s not your fault; I’m the one ruining the festive mood you have…”
She walked over to my side and nudged my side aggressively. “Come on, I wanna show you something!”
I tried to stand my ground for a moment, but she eventually pushed me over, and I had to comply as I stood up and raised my brow at her. She bounded over to the other side of the living room with the fireplace and tree. She sat down at the base of the massive tree and looked back at me, patting the ground next to her. I made my way over and sat down confusedly.
She pointed at the bottom of the tree, “Well, this is what an actual Hearth’s Warming looks like!” She happily giggled.
I gazed around at the assortment of colorful presents and the ornaments twinkling in the fireplace’s reflection. There had to be upwards of a hundred presents packed under the tree. It was very pretty; I couldn’t deny that. I laughed a bit and looked over at her. “It does look very pretty, I’ll admit. I didn’t take you as someone with such materialistic values, though.” I said while sticking my tongue out slightly.
She huffed, “I’m not showing you the tree because of that!”
I tilted my head, and Flurry smirked at me, pointing at one of the many presents and the tag hanging off it. “Alright, you’ve been practicing nonstop; tell me what that tag says."
I lowered my head and stared at the assortment of letters; the only one I could make out was an R, and since neither Cadance nor Shining had one in their name, I happily sat back up with a smug grin. “It says Flurry, that’s easy.”
She gave me an even more smug grin, sticking her tongue out playfully. “Well, you’re wrong! Guess you should’ve practiced more after all!” She giggled to herself.
I sat in annoyance and grumbled to myself. I can’t believe I mistook a different letter for their R; it was one of the ones I was sure I had completely learned already…
“Silly, it’s your present.”
My breath hitched, and my head locked onto hers with disbelief. “H-Huh?”
She raised a brow as a large smile covered her face. “It’s your present.” She leaned down over it and inspected the tag. "It says, ‘To: Kieran, From: Cadance, and Shining with Love.’”
I didn’t know what to feel; I was completely and utterly frozen with way too many feelings. Flurry leaned back again, glancing at me to see my conflicting emotions. “There’s presents here for everyone—our aunts, grandparents, everyone in our family.” She poked her hoof at my chest, “And guess who else? You.” She reiterated.
She began pacing the tree, pointing at every present she could see that had my name on it. She was reaching into nearly a dozen presents as my mind went fuzzy, my brain unable to process them. “This one, this one, oh! This one’s for both of us!”
“But… why?” I finally asked with disbelief.
Flurry happily pranced back over gleefully, putting both her front hooves on my shoulders. “Because you’re right, Hearth’s Warming is meant to be spent with family and those you love. It’s not about the presents, but you wanna know what they showcase the best?” She paused for dramatic effect as I held onto every word she said: “That we all love you, and that you’re part of the family!”
That was it for me, I couldn’t grasp a coherent word or sentence anymore. It started with a few tears and quickly evolved into full tears pouring down my cheeks. Flurry seemed more than happy to pull me towards herself in a large hug and seemed not to care when my tears soaked her fur as I buried my face in her neck. I couldn’t even contain the slight whimpering I was making while crying, either.
Flurry rubbed my back with her wings and continued to nuzzle the back of my head. “Don’t be so surprised!.. You know momma and daddy love you.” She told me quietly. “Momma would go to the moon and back to make you happy, Kieran. At least she has said the same about me, so the same goes for you too, alright?”
I nodded slowly and sniffled, and she smiled and patted the top of my head. “There there, little me, it’s alright.”
I backed away from her gently, laughing a bit as I wiped my eyes. “We’re the same size and age…”
She giggled. "Yes, but if I made you to be like me, then you’re technically younger than me by at least a single second or two.” She said in a matter-of-fact tone.
I just rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Maybe you need to be taking classes with me and Cadance. I don’t think that head is working quite the same.”
We both laughed together until we heard hoofsteps approaching, and Cadance walked in. Her wings were slightly ruffled and parted as if she were feeling threatened or startled, and her ears were alert. “I heard crying; is everything alright?” She asked quickly as she came over.
She quickly noticed my red eyes and puffy cheeks. “What’s wrong, honey?” She immediately picked me up in her aura as she sat down, pulling me towards her chest in a secure hug.
“Nothing’s wrong.” I said with a nervous smile.
Cadance’s eyebrow raised, and she looked at Flurry for confirmation. Flurry nodded, and she gave me another look of curiosity. “Well, something had you crying. You can’t hide those tears from me.” She said this while poking my stomach. “I know everything about my little foals.” She put on a fake, evil smile.
I giggled, and so did Flurry. Flurry pointed up at her, “Momma’s don’t know everything! You’re faking it.”
Cadance lifted her eyebrows more. “Is that a challenge, little filly?” She levitated Flurry into her aura as she squealed, then brought her over into her forelegs as well, and she stared at us both with curiosity. “Oh? Is this something I’m not supposed to know about?”
I blushed nervously. “It’s really nothing!”
Cadance glanced at Flurry for confirmation, and she gave a gleeful smile. “Everything is okay, momma.”
She sighed with a large smile. “Okay… Well, if everything’s alright, then I guess it’s bedtime!”
Flurry groaned, and Cadance gave a slight laugh. “You know, if you go to sleep early tonight, you’ll be one step closer to seeing your aunties.”
That seemed to be enough motivation, as Flurry suddenly disappeared in a cloud of smoke that was vaguely filly-shaped. Leaving a bewildered look on mine and Cadance’s faces. She eventually giggled, set her focus back on me, and gave me a loving nuzzle. “I hope you know you can talk to me and Shining about anything, Kieran; we’ll always be here for you, little one.”
I averted my eyes and nodded happily, which she was content with: “Let’s get some sleep then.” She started humming happily as she set me on her back.
“Kieran…” A whisper reached my ear.
“Kieran…” A more insistent whine escaped Flurry’s lips as she poked my cheek.
I rolled over in my tired state, groaning annoyedly. “Is this going to be a recurring problem, Flurry? I like my sleep.” I said with a huff, bringing the pillow up and covering my entire head with it.
“Oh… sorry, Kieran.” She said a bit quietly as she settled herself back down.
Amidst my better judgment, I took the pillow off and looked at her curiously. “What was it?”
She blushed and turned away from me again, showing her back. “Nothing, forget about it.”
I shrugged, about to return to the call of slumber, but as I settled back down again, she spoke up. “Can you ask momma and daddy to adopt you?”
I rolled back over. The look on her face was pleading like a small puppy, and she was clasping her hooves together, begging me for the answer she wanted. I tilted my head. “Why?”
“I-I just…” She looked flustered as her eyes darted around the room. “On Hearth’s Warming, I want to introduce you to everyone in the family as my sibling, not just as Kieran.”
I smiled a bit and laughed. “Hearth’s Warming isn’t just about me. Your family is going to be here to see you, Cadance, Shining…”
“Don’t you dare consider yourself an afterthought.” Flurry warned me with a stern glare.
“I wasn’t going to say that,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just trying to tell you not to worry about me. I’m happy as is.”
She looked down at her hooves and sighed sadly, “Are you still... scared? Of having another family..."
My eyes widened, but my smile softened more. “I was... But for now, I’m just more worried about being a functional pony.” I said while holding my hoof up for emphasis. “And continuing to lament not having opposable thumbs..."
“You know what the greatest Hearth’s Warming gift I could have is?” Flurry questioned me while putting on the cutest head tilt and puppy dog eyes. I could obviously tell where she was going with this: “It would be you becoming my brother!” She pronounced happily.
She lunged forward and attached herself to my front legs. “Come on~” she whined. “It won’t hurt anything to try!” She begged me even further.
I laughed as I tried to pry her off my foreleg, but she had an absolute death grip on me. “Flurry, be serious.” I said, trying to hide my laughter and smile. “No royal family would be caught dead with a street rat for a successor.”
She unburrowed her face from my leg and glared at me. “You are not!” She huffed. “You’re still me, remember?"
“How could I forget?” I asked with a half-eye-roll.
She sighed, “My point is, my point is..." She got really flustered and red, trying to counter my point. Eventually, she grunted in annoyance and stamped her hoof. “My point is that you should just trust me and do it anyway! I don’t care what other ponies think; Momma, Daddy, and I all love you no matter what."
There were the sickeningly sweet words I’d grown accustomed to in the past week I’d been taken in. I couldn’t help but blush wildly and attempt to hide my face. But Flurry shoved her own face right in front of mine, so I couldn’t even do that. “Flurry, why do you-”
“No! I’ll tell you a million times, whether you like it or not.” She interrupted me quickly as she leaned in closer and nuzzled me. “I don’t care what others said about you before; I don’t care about anybody in your past life; I only care about this Kieran. The one right in front of me.”
My body felt frozen without any clue of how to react. “Flurry…” I muttered unsurely.
She pulled away and gave me such a sincere look that I’d have to be a monster to refute anything she said afterward. “I know that you’ve been hurt in the past and that it’s really scary being here after everything that happened…” She paused with a sad look. “Now that you’re here, I’d have a really hard time without you.”
I sighed, gave up trying to hide, and brought my hooves down to give her a final curious look. “Flurry… Thanks, I… I’m just scared to ask.” I mumbled nervously while rubbing my fetlock for comfort.
She nodded eagerly. “I’m positive!” Her horn glowed faintly in the darkness. “You should go ask now; I think they’re still in the living room!” She urged me excitedly. She came up behind me and began headbutting my rump to force me to go.
I jumped from the bed with a sigh and looked back up at her. “O-Okay… I’ll be back.”
She nodded eagerly and shooed me off. “Yes, yes, you will. Now go, new sibling.”
I turned my back to her and headed for the door. “Oh? Am I getting promoted from minion to sibling so easily? Thanks boss.” I said with a small laugh. I heard her giggle as I reached the door; thankfully, she opened it for me and shut it just as quickly as I stepped out.
It was now that I was alone, without the peer pressure of Flurry urging me on, that I realized just how absurdly nervous I was. My legs were shaking underneath me, and I could feel my heartbeat in my throat, which was pounding and felt like a hundred miles per hour.
I could just… sleep somewhere else and pretend I asked them? No, Flurry would easily find out.
Every step I took towards the living room made me feel like I was about to have a mini-panic attack. What if they didn’t want me after all? What if… No, what-ifs never help, and they’re usually wildly overexaggerated.
I brought a hoof up to my chest, placed it where my rapidly beating heart was, and held it there as I took deep breaths. No matter how much stalling I did, the act didn’t really quell the nervousness; it only prolonged the anticipation.
The door to the living room was cracked open, and I could hear Shining and Cadance talking quietly inside. How was I supposed to start this conversation anyway? “Hey, I’m sorta a failure; I was super rude to you at first, acted super edgy, and actively sabotaged your kingdom… But can you adopt me anyway, even though you’re one of the most powerful families in Equestria?”
Like… how do you just… ask somebody to adopt you? I groaned to myself quietly as I lowered my head into my hoof, lamenting the fact that I let myself get peer pressured into this situation.
With disdain for the situation I was in, I steeled myself and took a long breath. Things weren’t going to get easier; I just had to start… So with that in mind, I gently wormed my way through the crack in the door.
As attentive as they were, they both instantly stopped speaking as they looked towards the door. Cadance quickly spotted me and gave me a wide, loving smile. “Kieran, what’s wrong?” Shining fixed me with a curious look as well.
It was then that I noticed my legs had started shaking again, and I quickly rectified that and stood straight as an arrow as I tensed every muscle I could. “O-Oh? Nothing!” I said with a short, nervous laugh. “I just came in here to ask…” I felt a knot form in my throat as I suddenly choked on the air I was breathing.
Cadance tilted her head with a worried smile. “Ask what, honey?”
I felt sweat forming on my brows as I tried not to quiver like a leaf. “I… I-I came to ask if… if you could…” In all my days, I've never thought something would be this hard to say. It felt like I was being forced to say something that went against my very being, as my throat was constricted as if I were being strangled by a snake.
Cadance and Shining were patient as they sat there, giving each other curious and worried glances. But just before Cadance could question me further, I blurted out the question. “Can you get me a glass of water, please?” I finished with an awkward smile. There! I said it! I asked them!
Wait… No, I just asked for water. Now they’re looking at each other worriedly again. They know I was lying, don’t they?
Cadance carefully untangled herself from Shining and smiled sweetly at me. “Of course, Kieran, you should’ve just asked sooner.” Any hint of her worry was seemingly washed away from her features as she gestured to me to follow her. I nodded and trotted a bit to catch up. As I passed by Shining, he was continuing to give me a curious look, which nearly made me freeze up again as I sucked in another breath.
When I caught up with Cadance, she looked at me happily and turned to guide me to the kitchen. “Would you like water? Or maybe some milk? As a filly, I always used to love a warm glass of milk before bed.” She asked me as she began humming sweetly.
I froze momentarily in the presence of another question: “O-Oh, uh, water is fine.” She nodded, and when we got to the kitchen, Cadance gingerly levitated me up and onto a nearby table, setting me down gently as she pulled out a glass and began pouring.
The silence was deafening; other than the sound of the water slowly filling the cup, all I could hear was my still rapid heart beating in my chest. And the quiet was only amplifying that fear. Did I still have to ask her? Maybe Flurry was already asleep, and I could just return without her noticing?
As she was pouring, Cadance glanced my way worriedly, causing me to freeze again, and so I gave her a smile to placate her worries. She seemed unsure of it, but she still smiled back with the same amount of love as she always did.
“Here you go,” she said while approaching with the glass. I nodded and did as I usually did when we ate together, allowing her to raise the glass to my lips. I took a few sips, eventually realizing how thirsty I actually was, and proceeded to drink most of the glass.
Cadance laughed idly. “You were a little thirsty, huh?” She pulled it away when I was finished and then wiped my face for me. “There… all better?” She asked happily.
I nodded; the water did actually help my nerves. Cadance nodded happily back at me. "Good." She levitated me onto her back as she set the glass in the sink.
We left the kitchen, and I sighed internally as my face fell. Of course, I didn’t have the nerves to ask a question like that. I’d just have to deal with Flurry’s disappointment and go back to sleep regardless. And if I wasn’t cut out for asking such a simple question, why should I worry about disappointing anyone…
When we arrived in the living room again, she paused her walking to look at me. “Would you like me to tell you a story to put you to sleep, dear?” She asked curiously.
I shuffled nervously again, my voice getting quieter with every word. "N-No, I’m fine I… Yeah, I’m okay; don’t worry.”
Cadance released a sigh as Shining and her stared at each other for a while. Exchanging looks that were mysteriously translated into words between each other.
Cadance did not head in the direction of Flurry’s room; instead, she laid down right in the same spot as Shining. Before I could even question it, I was levitated off of her back and in between the two on the couch. I looked at her questioningly with fear in my eyes, and Cadance refixed me with that worried look from earlier. “Honey, something is on your mind, and don’t try and tell me it isn’t.” Cadance said sternly.
Shining glanced down at me, his head resting on his two front hooves. “You were shaking like a leaf, little one. What’s going on?” He asked while giving me a small nudge.
Now that I knew they were both onto me, my earlier heartbeat and shaking returned in full force. “I swear, I was just really thirsty!” I said it almost defiantly with a dismissive wave of my hoof.
Cadance laid her head down in front of me and almost seemed to stare through my soul. “Your heartbeat says otherwise. You’ve asked for a drink many times, but you don’t usually act so panicked. You’re not acting like yourself.”
Shining hummed in agreement, “You also took a minute to come up with the idea of asking for a drink. I mean, we know you dislike baths, but if it evolves into a fear of drinking water, we’ll have another problem.” He said with a short laugh.
Cadance giggled at his joke, then leaned in and nuzzled me, squeezing her cheek against mine lovingly. “Please, you can tell us anything, little one. And no matter what it is, we’ll be here.”
Even with their words, I still found my chest pounding in terror, my words stuck in my throat. I was absolutely terrified, and I had absolutely no idea why exactly. But that terror led to tears, which I quickly covered with my hooves as I cowered backwards farther into the couch. I couldn’t hold back the emotion, releasing a few small whimpers. Now Cadance and Shining were stricken with worry, and there was nothing I could do to back out of the situation.
“Oh, sweetie…” Cadance cooed softly.
Cadance and Shining both leaned in closer as I guarded my body like a quivering wild animal backed into a corner. Cadance was seemingly heartbroken for me: “I’m here; I’m right here, little one.” She reassured me as she gently nuzzled my head. “Tell me what’s wrong, please."
Shining looked lost for answers but was clearly just as heartbroken. “We can help. I promise!” He sighed. “Talk to us, please, won’t you?”
I momentarily stopped in my gasping for breath while crying, peeking out from under my hooves at the two that had done nothing but give me unconditional love since I got here. “It’s just a… a scary question.” I stuttered while sniffling through my tears, “Can we just pretend I never left bed?” I mumbled sadly.
Cadance shook her head. “I will not just forget! I’ve never seen my little Kieran so upset other than the night I found you.” She said with a huff. “If you only trust me with whatever is wrong, I’ll make you feel better. I promise, honey.”
“I-I can’t just… say it!” I countered desperately, annoyed by my own weakness, “I’m not deserving of it…” I shook my head and covered my face with my hooves again. I didn’t think they would, but if the answer was no, I honestly don’t know how I’d feel afterwards. Devastated? Relieved?
Shining shook his head and nuzzled my hooves to try and remove them from my face. “Nothing is too scary to ask around those who truly love you. I have a feeling that you’re afraid of the answer we might give. Is that correct?” He studied me for a response, and I momentarily nodded. He sighed and lowered his head in front of mine. His look was stern, but still soft and caring. “No matter what the question is or how we answer it, we’ll still love you afterwards, we promise. I’d bet all my magic on it."
Shining looked over at Cadance for confirmation, and she quickly nodded in agreement as she rested her wing over me. “I’d bet my alicornhood, my kingdom, and all the magic in Equestria if I could. No matter what it is, we love you, Kieran.” She said this as she cupped my cheeks in her hooves and kissed my forehead.
I sighed as my tears seemed to have stopped, my breaths still a bit shaky as I glanced at them both. Well, there was no better time to ask...
“I-I was… I came out to ask if… if…” I pushed past the knot in my throat and took a deep breath. “Can you… can…” I grunted in annoyance at myself as Cadance began petting my mane.
She hummed soothingly, “Just tell us, sweetie; it’ll feel much better after.”
I nodded and took another breath. “I came out to ask if you two... would you be okay with... maybe... adopting me?”
Both their eyes widened, and even though the silence was short, I still felt a wave of shame and horror rise in my body. Surely it was a stupid question? Why had I asked a royal family something substantial like that? But no, Cadance wanted to be my mother, right?
“Is that it?” Shining asked with a confused head tilt.
My body stiffened, and I avoided eye contact as I muttered worriedly, “You don’t have to.”
Shining stuttered in surprise, “N-No! We…” I felt my breath freeze and my stomach drop at the word no. “We absolutely will!” He quickly continued with a chuckle.
But his reaction and my words were quickly drowned out by the short, uncharacteristic squeal of happiness that Cadance released. “Yes! A million times yes!” She said, nearly at the same time as him, as she pulled me into her chest lovingly, “You’re so silly! You were worried I’d be upset about getting to be your momma of all things?”
My breath caught in my throat as I stared at her with wide eyes. I was nearly dizzy in the head at the sudden whiplash of hearing her joy.
Well, I guess it was a stupid question. But only because I was totally underestimating how much they loved me... I blushed madly as she continued to hug me with barely contained restraint. “Is that… really okay?” I asked with a sigh of relief mixed with a bit of confusion.
Shining laughed heartily. “Kieran, you’re adorable.” He took a big sigh of relief as well. “Did you even have to ask, buddy? I’m pretty sure you knew the answer already. What even made you so nervous to ask?” He leaned in and nuzzled the back of my head.
Cadance seemed to calm down a bit as she lowered me in between her front hooves, giving me the most loving smile I’d ever seen, her eyes wide and filled with happiness. “My foal~” she practically sang, “Oh, I love you so much, Kieran.” She cooed as she contained even more happy sounds.
Shining laughed more at Cadance’s reaction and my dumbfounded look. He leaned down closer to me and whispered, “If you couldn’t tell by her reaction, she’s been hoping for this for a while; she’s absolutely over the moon.”
I smiled and released a short laugh as Cadance blushed. “How could I not be? I’ve been wanting a new foal for a decade and a half!"
Shining huffed a bit of laughter and continued whispering to me, “She was about a day or two from asking you herself; she’s been slightly impatient about it around me. I’ve had to talk her down multiple times; I told her to give you space.”
“I don’t care what you say~” Cadance said in regards to Shining in a song-like tone, swaying her head back and forth joyously. “I have a new foal, I’m so happy."
The reality set in quite quickly as I felt warmth and safety radiating from both of them. I finally released all the tension I’d built up and fully relaxed in her grip, which resulted in me releasing a fit of giggling laughter at Cadance’s reaction to the whole situation. My anxiety had been all for naught, and how could I even be surprised?
"Oh, there he is! There’s my Kieran.” She nuzzled me happily. “You’re the best Hearth’s Warming gift I could’ve ever asked for.” She spoke quietly as she rested her head over mine.
“Thanks… I think.” I said with a bit more of a laugh.
She finally retracted enough to see my beet-red face. She realized the overbearingness of her words as she cleared her throat and returned a bit to her usual state of calm she usually kept. Though I had to admit that seeing her less restrained side was surprising, it was equally endearing and even more loving than usual.
Suddenly Cadance seemed to remember something, and her eyes looked at me scoldingly as she was inches from my face. “Now why in Equestria did you say that you’re not deserving of it? I ought to give you extra lessons for nonsense like that.” She reprimanded me while aggressively booping my nose.
My face drained of color. “W-Well, I... I didn’t know if it would look bad for you guys… I’m just some foal off the streets; I’m not special in any way other than getting wrapped up in Flurry’s spell. I’m not royalty.” I listed off quietly.
Shining nudged me, “Well, you certainly are now.” He sighed. “And do you really think we would care so much for our image that we’d say no? That’s just silly.”
“Well, no, I… kinda? I’m sorry…” I stumbled on my words nervously.
Cadance hummed and shook her head. “You don’t have to be special; you don’t have to be royalty; you wouldn’t even have to be a pony.” She leaned in and kissed my head. “You just have to be my foal, and that’s plenty deserving enough for me.” She rubbed my side with her fetlock soothingly.
Shining leaned in more and locked eyes with me. “We don’t love titles around here; we love ponies. And we all love you, Kieran. You’re family now.” I smiled appreciatively, and he nuzzled the side of my face and said, “Welcome home.”
I blushed greatly. “Th-Thank you both... As long as you’re both happy, then I’m happy.”
Shining retracted a bit with a suspicious gaze. “I also have a sneaking suspicion that all of this was a ploy.” Shining examined me curiously, causing Cadance to look at him questioningly. Shining sighed with a short laugh. “Flurry put you up to asking, didn’t she? I doubt you would’ve without her pressuring you.”
Cadance fixed him with what I can only assume was a warning glare.
Shining’s eyes widened, and he quickly leaned in and nuzzled me once again. “Not that I’m unhappy, you asked!” He reassured me quickly. “I didn’t mean for it to come off in a negative way. Whether it was your idea or not doesn’t matter.”
I nodded and nuzzled him back. “I know you didn’t mean it that way.” I replied with a short giggle.
He smiled and poked my stomach. “Great. Now, spill it, am I right?”
I laughed a bit and shook my head. “No, it wasn’t my idea… She really wanted to introduce me to her aunts as her siblings, and well, She was very convincing. I think I let myself get peer pressured.”
Cadance hummed worriedly, “Oh no, why would Flurry…” She trailed off before fixing me with an apologetic frown. “Kieran, sweetie, if you aren’t comfortable with it yet, we can hold off. You don’t have to do it just because she said so. I don’t want to take that choice from you!”
I quickly shook my head and leaned in closer to her chest, maybe with a bit more panic than I’d wanted to. Cadance quickly pulled me in closer once again as I mumbled in embarrassment, "N-No, it's... I’m okay. I’m happy.” I said it sincerely as a warm smile spread from the comfort of her forelegs wrapped around me. “I probably wouldn’t have ever asked otherwise... I get in my own head too much.”
Shining ruffled my hair. “Still, I think we should talk to her; taking advantage of you on something vulnerable like that isn’t okay.”
Cadance nodded. Things began to grow quiet as Cadance stroked my back and held me close to herself. Eventually she looked down at me as I released a large yawn. “For now, I’m going to take my new foal to bed.” She said those words as if they were the best words in the entire world. “Is that alright?” She asked me gingerly as she brushed some hair away from my eye.
I glanced up and smiled with a nod before she placed me on her back. I was feeling the weight of emotions and was already struggling to stay awake on her back. The amount of adrenaline keeping me awake this whole time and willing to ask such a scary question had dispersed, and now I just felt like passing out.
I wanted to stay awake. I wanted to tell Cadance and Shining a bunch more things about how much I appreciated them. However, I still lacked the courage to say them fully; they were nice thoughts. I’d achieved the goal Flurry gave me after all, and that was enough for now.
Cadance and Shining both curled up comfortably under the covers of their soft beds. Cadance held me impossibly close as my head rested in the crook of her neck, the warmth of her soft chest fur feeling like an impenetrable wall of warmth and safety against the cold world sitting just outside the castle walls.
And in that lull of sleep and racing thoughts, I released a small snore, which nearly woke me up once again. Making me wonder for a second if everything that I’d thought happened was just a simple dream.
Cadance laughed and nuzzled me sweetly. “Rest your mind, honey. Some well-deserved rest awaits you. Sweet dreams, my little one.” Those words were like a balm to my soul, as sleep embraced me without trouble.