//------------------------------// // Wrong For All The Right Reasons // Story: Variables (written by OtterMatt) // by Spabble //------------------------------// Variables by OtterMatt Part 1 - Wrong For All The Right Reasons Caramel had unwittingly been part of a simple social experiment, and somewhere along the line, it had all gone wonderfully, wonderfully right. Nearly three months had passed since the fateful day when he first got the chance to sit down and talk to Twilight Sparkle, the striking unicorn mare who now occupied his thoughts nearly every day. Three months had passed since the night that had precipitated such a drastic change in his life. While she had struggled with the repercussions of their tryst, he had dealt with rejection and misery. He had been ignored and set aside by the adorable librarian, feeling like he was worthless, only to have all of his doubt and pain countered tenfold when she revealed the news that he was going to be a father, and his life was only made better by their blossoming relationship. To the farm pony, Twilight was the light in his sky, whether Celestia’s sun was up there or not. His fellow workers constantly ribbed him about his crush, and even Applejack couldn’t stifle a giggle at his blissful expression seemingly every time she saw him. His new enthusiasm was infectious, and he worked with a lighthearted energy that made the midwinter days fly by—especially as he looked forward to the precious weekend days that he would spend with his marefriend. With most of the fields sleeping beneath their blankets of snow, the workload around Sweet Apple Acres was significantly reduced. Caramel was one of the few hired hooves who stayed on year-round, most of the others taking vacations or other jobs during the non-growing season. It certainly didn’t take more than him and the Apple family to tend to the small, protected grove of winter squashes and root vegetables, and much of his time was spent in maintenance or repairs on the farm equipment and buildings. It made for less focused work, but it gave him time to think, something he was never able to do much of while doing harder labor. Despite his well-deserved reputation for clumsiness, the stallion was very skilled with his hooves. For example, he could easily take apart the entire snowplow he used to clear the pathways, clean and refinish several pieces of it, and put it back together—though usually on the second try, after leaving out one crucial pin halfway through the first assembly. That was much more his style of luck. He finished dusting off the plow he had just worked on as his ears twitched to catch the sound of hooves crunching in the snow. Just as he locked the wheels in place, Applejack rounded the doorway and looked around the newly reorganized storage barn. She whistled appreciatively as she trotted to his side. “Dang, it does look a mite better in here now, Caramel.” He chuckled. “Aww, it’s nothin’, boss.” “Got some plans for this weekend?” Caramel smiled. “Actually, yes. Twilight has to go to Canterlot for some sort of lesson with the princess, and she’s going to show me around the area while we’re there.” “That’s big. Gonna meet her folks?” “I-I—um, ah… Hoo…” he gasped as Applejack’s comment sank into his head. “I don’t know; we never talked about it.” Applejack laughed at his shell-shocked expression, tousling his mane roughly to shake him out of it. “Don’t worry too much about it, sugarcube. They’re great ponies. It’s her brother you gotta watch out for,” she said, winking and nudging him in the side. “I—her brother? Why?” “Oh, he might be a bit protective, bein’ her older sibling and all. He and Twilight are mighty close. That, and he’s the Prince of the Crystal Empire and standing Commander of the Equestrian Royal Guard.” Caramel gulped audibly, his eyes almost pure white and as wide as saucers. Applejack doubled over laughing. “Oh, sugarcube, Ah didn’t—ahahaha—Ah didn’t mean to scare you, oh—phew—Celestia have mercy…” She trailed off, noticing that his expression hadn’t changed. “Uh, Caramel? Caramel?” She waved her hoof in front of his face to no effect. “GahIdidn’twhatthe—” he blurted out as Applejack bounced her hoof off his nose, breaking him out of his horrified trance. “AJ, I can’t meet them!” he whined, his voice pitiful. “She hasn’t told them yet! They’re going to meet the stallion that got their daughter and sister pregnant, and her parents will kill me and their son will cover it up so nopony ever finds me!” Her curious stare seemed to burrow right between his eyes, making Caramel unsure if she was regarding him with more amusement or confusion. “Caramel, relax,” she ordered, encouraging him to breathe. “Look, if Twilight was worried about their reaction, then Ah’m sure she would have already told her family.” He danced nervously on his hooves, not really convinced. “Look,” she sighed, “even if they did take it bad, would you say Twi’s worth it?” He suddenly went still, mulling over her words as he stuttered through several attempts at a response. He cocked his head over to the other side, his expression intense and contemplative. “AJ, do you believe in love at first sight?” Applejack blinked, her head pulling back in surprise at the question. “Well, I don’t rightly know. I suppose it’s possible…” “Because I don’t—didn’t. Not before. But if I’m willing to put up with the worst possible case with her family, what does that make it?” “Well, do you love her?” He thought silently, the enormity of the word weighing down on his mind. “What would you do for her, Caramel? Maybe that’s the better thing to think about,” she said, patting him on the shoulder and turning to leave. “Get outta here, colt, you’re finished for the day. Go have a great time in Canterlot!” As she disappeared from sight around the barn’s doorway, Caramel simply stood in place next to his mended farm implements, surrounded by the smell of hay and his thoughts. Twilight sat in the Ponyville Café, idly chewing at her few remaining hayfries and glancing across the table to where Caramel sat, his own sandwich sitting half-eaten in front of him. Since they had sat down for dinner—no, more like since they had started dating—his eyes had rarely left her. He simply watched her with an intensity that defied her ability to describe. She stared at him, wrestling with the Equestrian language. He watches me like he’s afraid I’ll disappear—no, too desperate. He looks at me like he’s never seen me before—nah, that’s too cliché. He looks at me like he’s hungry—eh, that’s slightly creepy. As she worked through her ideas, the focus drew a concentrated frown onto her face. Caramel’s head cocked to the side. “Twilight, something wrong?” Twilight shook herself back into the moment, thinking merely to brush aside the matter, but she stopped. Well, she thought, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to get an answer from him… She met his gaze evenly. “Caramel,” she asked, “why are you always looking at me so intently?” He wrinkled his nose. “Huh, that’s sort of an odd question. Nopony’s ever asked me that before.” She giggled. “Do you stare at everypony like that, then? That must get awkward at the bank.” Caramel laughed at her humor. “No, just you. I never really thought about it. I just like looking at you more than anything else around me.” He set his elbows on the table and lowered his head into his hooves. “I guess it’s because I like what I see.” Twilight smiled as a warmth spread through her body and up into her cheeks. His response was just so typical: simple and honest, like the thought that he could embellish his feelings had never actually occurred to him. It contributed a lot to her attraction to the farming stallion. Being a bookish pony unaccustomed to romance or dating, Twilight was constantly surprised by the strength of Caramel’s effect on her. The stallion smiled at her blush for a minute before his face fell slightly. “Hey, Twi? I don’t suppose you told your parents about us already and just didn’t mention it to me?” She reached across the table, taking his hooves in hers. “Are you a bit nervous?” she asked. He shook his head. “Nope, extremely,” he said. “I’m a bit terrified, actually.” “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t try to surprise my family with something if I wasn’t at least pretty sure that they’d take the news well.” He pulled back one of his hooves and ran it awkwardly through his mane. “Yeeeaaah…” “Hey,” she said, pulling his focus back to her, “I like you, remember. They’ll come around, no matter what. You can do this, and we’ll all be better off once it’s done.” His smile returned, calm and easy as he stared into her eyes. “For you, Twi, I’d do just about anything.” “Would you finish that sandwich so we can go home?” she teased, her eyes twinkling in the afternoon sunlight. He laughed into his hoof. “Nah. I gotta draw the line somewhere.” Twilight stood. “Well then, let’s go.” Caramel dropped enough bits on the table to cover their meal and trotted eagerly after his marefriend, tugging his cloak over his shoulders with his teeth as Twilight floated hers gracefully across her withers using her magic. They walked side by side down the snow-covered streets, using the cold as their excuse to keep their flanks against each other. They passed out of the town square, bantering back and forth lightly. Caramel quickly switched sides to keep the wind off Twilight, and she walked with her head against his neck, nuzzling him as they approached the library. The ponies made it in the door, shutting out the cold and shaking the slush from their hooves as Twilight conjured up a roaring fire in the fireplace. They both trotted over to curl up on the large throw rug on the floor, nestling in against each other as the flames began to dispel the chill of the winter evening. Caramel started tugging at a nearby blanket, attempting to arrange it over the two of them as Twilight scanned the nearby bookshelves for inspiration. “Where were we last?” she asked. “We fuff fimiffd—pah,” he said before spitting out the blanket. “We just finished the last Daring Do book.” She nodded, looking back to a shelf loaded with all of her old favorites from her foalhood. “Well, something new then. Any ideas?” “Awww, you know I’m always fine with whatever you pick.” Twilight giggled and levitated down a thin book, one barely more than a couple dozen pages and looking a bit worn for use. “Well then. I’ve always loved this one.” Caramel laid his head down on his hooves, and settled in eagerly against Twilight, listening attentively as his marefriend shared her favorite passion in the whole world with him. Her voice flowed out, soft and strong. “The Wainscott Weasel…” Caramel sighed happily as the book flipped closed and the pale purple aura faded away, leaving the two in the firelight, listening to the logs quietly crackling. “Did you like it?” Twilight asked quietly as she settled down against the rug. “I did,” he responded. “It was beautiful, but tragic at the same time. They were from two different worlds, and no matter how much they wanted to be together, they couldn’t, but he still kept coming back…” Twilight nuzzled under his chin. “But sometimes things work out okay.” “Yeah, sometimes.” Caramel tilted his head down until he could bring his muzzle gently against hers, touching their lips together. He watched his marefriend’s eyes close as she sank into the kiss, murring happily against his mouth. He closed his own eyes, letting himself focus only on the feeling of Twilight against him. In the cold night, the warmth of the fire and her body were pleasantly comforting, and the way her breathing jumped when he nipped at her lips with his teeth made him forget everything else around him. She pressed harder against him, coaxing his lips apart with her tongue, gently but firmly working its way in to twist against his own in a way that would have left him weak-kneed had he been standing. He finally pulled back for a breath, watching his mare. Her ears were back against her head, and her face was flushed as she took a deep breath. She stared intently at him, her magenta eyes meeting his. “Um… Caramel?” she whispered. “Yeah?” he asked, slightly apprehensive of what he suspected was to follow. “Do—would you want to, maybe, stay here tonight?” The stallion caught himself just before letting out a sigh of frustration, forcing himself to exhale normally without giving anything away in his expression. “I dunno, Twi, we’ve got an early start to tomorrow. I should probably get to bed before too long,” he said instead, trying to keep his tone bright enough to keep from offending her. Her face fell nonetheless, almost breaking Caramel’s heart. “Oh. Well, I suppose you’re right,” she said slowly, turning off to the side to look at the fireplace instead. Caramel put a hoof gently to her cheek, pulling her head back around to look at her. “Hey, it’s not like that,” he assured her. “I’m going to meet your family tomorrow, and I’m already pretty nervous…” Twilight’s expression softened. “Of course. I’m sorry, Caramel. I didn’t think about that.” He leaned in and gave her one last, intense kiss. “I’ll see you here, bright and early in the morning.” “I’ll be here. Good night, Caramel.” “Good night, Twi.” Even with the slightly sobering farewell, Caramel’s spirits were still very high as he trotted through the plowed streets of Ponyville, heading for his apartment. He passed by darkened houses and closed businesses, the only useful light coming from streetlamps along the way—and from Ponyville’s one and only nightclub, the Hayloft. Caramel had passed by the place so many times he had lost count, and every time it seemed to be a pleasant venue. There was never overly loud music coming from it, and everypony inside seemed to be having a good time, not sullen or drunkardly. Tonight, the doors were shut against the cold, making the building seem more subdued than normal, and out front he recognized Daisy and Lily, the twins who owned the flower shop downtown. He gave them a jovial nod as he trotted along, only to stop short at the venom in the voice that followed him. “Well, would you look at that stallion. Got what he wanted, and now he’s off home.” Caramel turned, confused. “Excuse me?” The two approached him, scowls on their faces. “You heard me,” Daisy challenged, the smell of alcohol apparent on her breath. “We know you got Twilight knocked up.” Lily rounded on him from the other side. “And we know that you aren’t married, or planning to be. Do you commonly use mares for fun, or is she the first?” Caramel backpedaled from between the sisters, unsure of how to deflect their anger. “I don’t—what? No! We didn’t even—” “You make me sick,” Daisy spat. “A real stallion would at least take responsibility for what he did.” “But, you know, you just go have your fun,” Lily said as they turned to leave, wobbling slightly. “Whatever. But don’t think any other mares in town are going to give you a chance after you lose interest in her.” Caramel stood dumbfounded, his face a mask of shock as their words cut into him. He stared at nothing as they disappeared around a corner and left him alone. What was that about? His head spinning and his cheer forgotten, he turned to make the rest of his walk home, unaware that across the street a cloaked white mare was frowning and walking the other way, back along the path he had come from. “Hey, Caram—woah.” Twilight paused and stared, slightly worried at the sight of her coltfriend. His eyes were bloodshot and baggy, but his coat and mane looked fine. It looked as if his body hadn’t even touched a bed during the night. “Hey, Twi,” he said groggily, “I packed a few things.” He nodded back to indicate his saddlebags. “Are… Are you all right?” His head cocked to the side. “Yeah, why?” Twilight floated her saddlebag into place on her back. “Because you look like you haven’t slept at all. Are you really that nervous about meeting my family?” His mouth closed suddenly as his brain processed what she had said. “Yes. I mean, kinda. Yeah, I didn’t sleep much last night. Guess I was just pretty excited.” “Are you sure you still want to go? We can reschedule…” “Nono, now is fine. You’ve got lessons with Celestia, and your family will be together in town. It’ll be a pain if we have to reschedule.” “Oookay…” she muttered, keeping a close eye on him as they walked to the train station. Mere minutes after they had boarded the train and found their seats, Caramel was out cold, his head resting on her shoulder. Gentle hints of a snore sounded on each exhale, making her smile. At least he was getting some rest. The unexpected time to herself gave her a chance to reflect on the tan-coated stallion beside her. He was somehow more than a coltfriend and less than a husband. He was her new best friend and also the father of her unborn foal. She knew he was in for at least some of a rough time from her family. Even if her father didn’t want to scare him a bit, Shining Armor would, and he’d claim that it was his right as her big brother with the same smug-yet-adorable expression that he’d used after he chased off her bullies in school. Of course, Twilight would ask Shining to go easy on Caramel, but what reason was she going to give? Was it because Caramel was her mate? Just because they were going to have a foal together? Was it… because she loved him? Twilight had never gone so far as to say it, not to Caramel. As much as she had wanted to sometimes, it was a conscious choice on her part, to keep from scaring him. While she had no idea how the idea of having a mare’s devotion could be scary to a stallion, her friends had assured her that moving to that confession too quickly could have disastrous results. The thing was, though, she was pretty sure that she did love him. There was nopony else she would prefer to spend time with, and the longer they were together the more her bed began to feel too large and empty at night after he left. And now, here he was going with her to meet her family. While normally, that might not seem such a huge step for most relationships, the commitment it entailed seemed magnified in light of her primary news. How committed was he? Was he intent on starting a family with her? Before her thoughts could really start to weigh down on her mind, Caramel shifted slightly against her side, murmuring in his sleep and wrapping his foreleg around hers. The sight made Twilight smile, banishing her fears and doubts for the time being. This was really all there was to him. There was no guise, no façade. A calmness came over the unicorn as she settled her head against his and let her eyes drift shut for the remaining hours of the trip. Twilight shook Caramel back awake, regretting the need to do so even as the train began to slow as it pulled into the station. He shook out his mane, rubbing the sleepiness out of his eyes with a massive yawn. Looking and feeling much improved, the stallion practically bounded after Twilight as she trotted down familiar streets. She glanced around, pointing out the sights as she led her coltfriend on an impromptu tour of the upper business district of Canterlot. The streets wound around, following ancient paths, leading ever upwards and inwards towards the edifice of the Royal Palace. Caramel’s gaze swung this way and that as his marefriend pointed out item after item along the way, from shops she frequented to banners proclaiming social events she remembered—even if she hadn’t gone to them herself. In a dizzying sort of way, he was getting a great snapshot into Twilight’s early life. The way her voice pitched up nostalgically, the gasp of excitement as she remembered some important event in her life—it made the whole trip worthwhile for him. He looked up as Twilight came to a halt in front of a shop. The brightly colored sign overhead read “Joe’s Place.” Twilight grinned at him. “Oh, I can’t even tell you how often I’d come in here while I was studying,” she said with a giddy laugh, pulling him in the door by a hoof. “Hey, welcome ta Joe’s—well now, ain’t this a thing. Twilight Sparkle…” Twilight ran to hug the stallion as he came around the counter. “Caramel, this is Pony Joe, one of my oldest friends. Pony Joe, this is Caramel,” she said. “Pleasure,” he said in his thick Manehattan accent, bumping hooves with Caramel. “Didja manage ta finally get Twilight’s muzzle out of them books, yeah?” Caramel blushed and chuckled. “Oh, I dunno about that…” Twilight nudged Caramel good-naturedly. “Yes, Joe, he’s my coltfriend.” Joe nodded. “Good for ya both. He treatin’ ya good?” “Very,” she said with a laugh. “S’aright then. He looks like a good ’un. You two want some lunch?” Given the later hour for lunch, the diner was mostly empty, and Joe joined them at their table as they enjoyed the sandwiches and pastries he brought out. Caramel felt a genuine smile growing on his face as Joe told story after story of his diner and the odd unicorn filly who had frequented it—and occasionally tried out a few of her new spells on it. “… Straight through the wall, it went. And that was when I had ta get my third new oven,” Joe said with a hearty laugh. Caramel snorted, his water almost going out his nose. The other two ponies laughed uproariously at his reaction as the earth pony snorted and sputtered into his napkin, unable to stop laughing. “Goodness,” Caramel said between coughs, “I had no idea you were so destructive, Twi.” “Well, I thought that if Joe’s oven could be trained to cook without his help, it would make things easier on him. I didn’t know how hard come-to-life spells were at the time, and I certainly didn’t know it would run away!” “The Guard did eventually track the thing down, halfway to Manehattan. Somepony had even tied a bindle ta it! A hobo oven!” Joe exclaimed, setting all three of them off again. Caramel wiped his eyes, clearing away tears of mirth that had started to form. “Oh, oh, no more, please. I can’t breathe…” “Unfortunately, he’s right,” Twilight said, looking at the clock above the counter. “We need to get to the palace. I have an appointment with the princess.” “Ah, I understand. Thanks for comin’ by ta see ol’ Joe,” the cook said, standing and giving Twilight a fond hug. “And you,” he said, pointing at Caramel with a wink, “you best take care of this filly, ya hear?” Caramel’s mind flashed back. A real stallion would at least take responsibility… “Yes, sir—and thank you,” Caramel responded, swallowing his suddenly returned nervousness and following Twilight as she led the way out of the shop and back into Canterlot. Before long, the two stood before the front gates to the Royal Palace. Despite how large the surrounding grounds were, the castle still loomed well above the rest of the city, dwarfed only by the massive bulk of the mountain itself. The guard at the front gate recognized her easily and waved her and Caramel through, allowing them to wander the grounds as they approached the main courtyards. Caramel’s eyes widened as he took in the sheer size and scope of the palace itself. Not merely a home for the monarchs of Equestria, it also housed the massive support staff and civilian leaders of the land, and included Canterlot University and Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns within its grounds. It was the center of political power, the most popular tourist attraction, the pinnacle of learning, the grandest of event centers, and the seat of justice. From within these walls, Celestia and Luna ruled and guided the land, and the grandeur of the building was a fitting tribute to the majesty it contained. The walls themselves were constructed from the finest white marble in Equestria. Imperfections and inclusions in the stone caught the afternoon sunlight and scattered it across the grounds, making the building sparkle and shine as though the walls were made out of radiant magic. The estate went on for a distance that Caramel couldn’t fathom, the level landscape hewn out of the side of the living mountain by team upon team of unicorns centuries ago. All around them, the grounds were covered with all manner of flora; every bit was maintained to a degree Caramel didn’t even know was possible. Not a leaf was out of place, not a single blade of grass taller than the rest. The reflecting pools glistened in the sun, rippling with tiny wavelets as the fish within swam about. It took several minutes to walk the distance to the doors of the palace, but as Twilight and Caramel approached, the two unicorns standing beside the doors saluted and drew the doors open with a magical gesture. Caramel felt so small and overwhelmed by it all. He was just the simplest of earth ponies; he certainly didn’t deserve to be around such magnificence and opulence as this. He glanced over at Twilight. She didn’t seem the least bit out of sorts—and why would she? After all, she had lived in this palace for years and studied at it for even longer still. Caramel couldn’t help but feel ashamed. Surely, somepony as accustomed to and deserving of such a life was worthy of a pony better than him. His thoughts were cut short as he and Twilight stepped through the doors and into the Grand Hall. Just the entry vestibule to the palace itself was large enough to host social functions for hundreds of ponies, and near the center of the room, the main staircase wove down from the upper floors in a massive double helix. Just stepping down from the last stair was Celestia, clad in her regalia of office and offering a welcoming smile. Caramel instinctively hit the floor, kneeling with his head against the marble tiles without a conscious effort. Twilight trotted forward to embrace her mentor. Celestia released Twilight from the hug, glancing over at Caramel with an amused smile. The earth pony gulped as he realized the floor was so highly polished that he could still see everything going on from the reflections alone, and he knew he was being appraised by the alicorn. “So good to see you again, Twilight; thank you for coming. And I see you’ve brought company along.” Twilight gently kicked at Caramel’s shoulder with her rear leg, urging him to stand back up. “Princess Celestia, this is Caramel.” The earth pony stood on shaky legs, trying to fight the urge to bow again as he nodded in greeting to the ruler. “Uh, Princess,” he muttered. Celestia chuckled. “Don’t be afraid of me, my little pony,” she said gently. “Despite my office, I would simply prefer that you think of my sister and me as friends and allies.” The alicorn spread a wing behind her to bid the ponies follow. “Shall we get on with our lesson, Twilight? Of course, Caramel is welcome to attend as well.” All three ponies walked off together to the Sun Goddess’ chambers, where Caramel gawked at the fact that the antechamber alone was double the size of his entire apartment. The alicorn laughed at his expression. “Impressed?” “Very much,” he gasped. “This room is huge.” Celestia looked around. “It’s okay,” she said with a chuckle. “In all honesty, I don’t actually care for it much. My own chambers are much more intimate and cozy, but since I receive guests and petitioners here, they expect certain trappings to be present. I suppose one must keep up appearances.” Twilight hopped up onto a padded bench and settled in, obviously accustomed to the spot. Caramel settled for a spot fairly close but off to the side. He knew this time wasn’t about him and her; it was all about Twilight and Celestia. Once they were out of the eye of the public and the castle’s army of retainers and staff, Caramel was amazed to see much of the princess’ proper demeanor fade. She began to banter with her student, laughing easily and relaxing in a way he almost found hard to comprehend, as it was so far removed from his mental image of the Equestrian rulers. “So,” Celestia said, suddenly intent. “I haven’t gotten a report from you in almost a month, which is odd enough. The last I got was your primary thesis on love, where you tried to test whether or not opposites attract.” The alicorn began to smile mischievously. “And now you request a time to meet with me—and with Caramel by your side. In twenty years, you never once brought another pony to the palace, much less along for your private study sessions with me. It doesn’t take much to connect the dots, my student.” Twilight flushed red, laying her ears back, a bit embarrassed to be so easily read by her mentor. “Am I to assume, then, that this stallion is of some importance to you?” “You might say that,” Twilight said modestly. Celestia chuckled. “We’ll come to that in time, I suppose. So then, Twilight, what have you been working on in the last month?” Twilight perked up at the opportunity to talk about one of her favorite things in the world: research. “Well, Princess, for this last month, I decided to take a more objective look at love. I began by coming up with a poll to give out amongst the ponies of Ponyville, having them rate attributes of love to determine what facets are most important to various relationships.” The princess nodded along as Twilight spoke, her expression calm and measured even as Twilight got more excited and spoke faster and faster. “I see, and have you found anything from this survey?” “Oh, yes, indeed! As it turns out—at least amongst Ponyville’s citizens—the most often quoted attributes they say are necessary in a loving relationship are honesty, gentleness, loyalty—basically, everything the Elements of Harmony stand for. My thesis seems to be supported!” “And are you satisfied with this result?” “Well, not entirely,” Twilight said, calming and frowning slightly. “There’s still too much bias in the results. As much as I want to believe that this is proof that the powers of love and Harmony are linked—if not the same—the sample size is far too small. I’ve only polled around two hundred ponies, and having lived together for most of our lives, my friends in Ponyville are generally similar enough that some correlation in their results is to be expected. To be certain of my conclusion, I need to expand my survey to more of Equestria and include more disparate types of ponies.” Celestia nodded proudly. “I see you’re learning, then. Do you now see the mistakes you made in your previous experiment?” Twilight flushed, suddenly staring at her hooves with an intensity that suggested that she found them to be very interesting. “From a scientific standpoint, yes, it was a complete bust.” Twilight looked over at Caramel, a small smile on her face. “But I can’t really call it a mistake.” “Ah, so we come to the heart of the matter.” Celestia smiled warmly, and Caramel felt himself starting to smile in response. “I could see it the moment you two walked into the palace. I dare say, Twilight, you’re learning more about love than you could have hoped for.” “I am…” the unicorn said distantly. “It’s harder than I thought, and comes with more hurdles.” “Is it worth it?” Twilight stared straight into Caramel’s eyes. “Yes.” “So, have you two picked a name yet?” “Wait, what?” Twilight sputtered, both ponies turning to stare in shock at the princess, who was grinning like a schoolfilly. “What, did you really think you could hide it from your mentor? The one pony in all of Equestria who knows you better than your own family? You’re practically glowing.” Twilight’s head dropped a bit. “Oh… I guess not…” “That, and Luna felt it necessary to inform me that your dreams have gotten much more… risqué of late.” Twilight blushed clear to her eartips as Caramel’s eyes widened in amused surprise. “I took all the signs to mean that you had learned quite a bit more about relationships.” Both ponies held their silence as Celestia stood to come to them, feeling like foals who had been called on the carpet by their mother for breaking a lamp. The princess touched a wing to both of their chins, gently lifting their heads to look at her. “Do not misunderstand me: I’m not upset with either of you—and I’m so glad you brought the father along, Twilight. I know things won’t always be easy for you from here out, but I’m proud that you’re together.” “But, Princess, we’re not married yet…” Twilight said, still a bit confused. “Oh, I know that,” Celestia responded, teasingly. “How did you know that?” “Simple. If you had gotten married without inviting Luna and I to the ceremony, I would banish you and put you in a dungeon in the place where I banished you to.” “Stop that,” Twilight gently chided Caramel. “Sorry,” he said, still looking back over his shoulder at the palace for the fifteenth time since they had left the main gates. “Celestia—she didn’t really mean that, did she? I mean, she was joking, right?” “I, uh, I’m not totally sure. I’ve never thought about what would offend her that much…” “Wait, didn’t you think that she would do something like that for missing a school assignment?” Twilight shook her head. “No, though I did overreact a bit to that. We thought Celestia might be that mad when Fluttershy thought she had killed Celestia’s pet.” Caramel blanched. “Even that wasn’t enough to do it?” “Well, it wasn’t actually dead. Phoenixes don’t die like we think of dying, but we didn’t know that at the time.” The stallion shuddered, only half from the cool evening air, still not sure if the monarch had been toying with them or not. “Well, can we just not find out for ourselves?” “Agreed.” The two got onto a passing cart, taking the public transportation for most of the way to Twilight’s home. Twilight allowed her mind to drift as Caramel kept panning this way and that, checking out the sights as they rode. “Hey, Twilight? I just noticed that the houses aren’t getting any smaller. Are we still in the rich district?” The unicorn laughed. “Rich district? I don’t know about that, as such, but my family isn’t too badly off. My mother attended Celestia’s school as a filly, and worked for her in the palace until she quit when Shining was born.” “Oh, wow,” Caramel mused. How much more was there to his marefriend than he knew? It seemed that every time he turned around he found somepony else in her family who was associated with power and prestige. Hesitantly, he asked, “So, what does your dad do?” “Oh, he’s a professor at Canterlot University. He met my mom when he was just a new teacher on campus,” Twilight said lazily, swinging her rear legs off the edge of the cart and grinning like a filly. “I bet they’re going to love you,” she assured him. “Yeah…” he agreed halfheartedly. All too soon for Caramel, Twilight told him to jump off, and he found himself following her down a quiet, beautifully maintained street. The sun had long since set, letting in the chill of winter, though Caramel was pretty sure that wasn’t why he was shivering. He had just convinced his legs to not turn and run as Twilight knocked on the front door to a very quaint, understated little house. Almost instantly, the door flew open and Twilight was pulled into a massive hug by her mother. Caramel was ushered into the foyer in her wake, and stood awkwardly by the ornately carved staircase as Twilight and her mother embraced each other and conversed animatedly. From the doorway, which presumably led to the kitchen, came a brightly colored alicorn, who squealed in delight and joined the fray, the three mares chatting in voices that almost made Caramel wince from the pitch. Soon the lone earth pony found himself standing before a semicircle of family, being introduced by his marefriend. “Everyone, this is Caramel. He’s my coltfriend,” she added with a giggle. Caramel, this is my mom and dad—” “Twilight Velvet, but you can call me Velvet,” Twilight’s mother interjected. “Night Light,” her father said simply, bumping his hoof against Caramel’s. “—and, my big brother Shining Armor and his wife Cadance,” Twilight continued. Caramel’s hoof shook in midair. “Oh, wow, I mean, I’ve never met royalty before. Well, not before today, I mean.” Shining laughed and bumped Caramel’s hoof easily. “It’s okay; we’re off duty today, you might say.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cadance said happily with a wink at Twilight. “And even better, you’re just in time for dinner!” Twilight’s mother began shooing all the ponies into the dining room, assigning duties for food carrying and table setting as they went. Caramel found himself setting out flatware with Twilight, which meant he was mostly doing the carrying, since he assumed nopony in a house full of unicorns would prefer that his mouth be on anything they were about to eat with. With Caramel’s head still spinning from the whirlwind introduction, the meal began. From the street, he had assumed that dinner would be in line with his stereotypical view of rich families: quiet, reserved, and maybe a bit dour. Much to his pleasant surprise, the dinner table was a mass of energy and life. Despite both ponies being well into their adult years, Twilight and Shining Armor teased each other relentlessly while Cadance merely rolled her eyes and laughed at their antics. The parents constantly prodded their foals for more information about how their lives were going, even though Twilight skillfully deflected most of the talk away from himself and her, saying she would come to that in time. Cadance seemed particularly interested in him, making small talk and always seeming to ask innocent questions about his relationship with Twilight that made him blush. It seemed to Caramel that he was being studied by the alicorn. By the time the meal ended, Caramel was stuffed. The food was amazing and plentiful, and the good times had him feeling relaxed and at ease, though this sense evaporated the instant Twilight uttered her introduction: “Everypony, I’ve got something to tell you.” Caramel’s body tensed in his chair. He gritted his teeth and waited for the inevitable storm. Twilight, oblivious to his distress, had a massive smile on her face as she looked into the faces of her family and announced, “I’m pregnant.” The silence was absolute. Four sets of eyes widened in response, gawked at Twilight, and turned in unison to stare at Caramel. At that moment, given one wish, Caramel would have chosen the ability to sink into the floor. The sets of eyes belonging to Shining and Night Light narrowed considerably as they stared at him. He gulped, noticing that both wives had put a hoof to their husband’s shoulder, as though encouraging them to keep their calm. Shining Armor remained silent, though his gaze was venomous at best as he sat back. “You’re what?” Twilight’s father asked. “I’m pregnant,” she repeated calmly. “And yes, Caramel is the father.” Night Light stood, staring daggers at the earth pony stallion. “You mean to tell me that you brought him into—” He cut off as a telekinetic tug to his tail sat him back down. His wife shot him a warning glance as she spoke. “Now, dear, let’s make sure we know all the facts first. How did this happen, Twilight?” Twilight blushed slightly, realizing that her family wasn’t taking the news quite as well as she had hoped. She began to tell the story of her experiment, her voice starting off timid but gaining strength as she went on. Around the table, everypony’s expressions shifted with the tale’s telling. Cadance grinned more and more, while Shining’s frown softened but didn’t go away. Her parents were harder to read, though, moving between shame and pride, gladness and pain in a way that was difficult to understand. For her part, Twilight was very honest about her story, making it clear that Caramel was not the one who instigated the relationship. After she finished, the silence returned, but with less of the brooding tension from before. All four ponies digested what they had learned in their heads, glancing at each other. Night Light stood again, calmer but still frowning. “Twilight, thank you for being honest. I realize that what I’m saying and feeling right now is mostly fueled by my shock, and I may feel sorry for some of it tomorrow. Caramel,” he said, turning to stare intently at the younger stallion, “I know you didn’t initiate this relationship, and I see that you’re trying to do your best to make it right, but I can’t say I’m not a bit disappointed in your lack of restraint, and I hope you have the decency to make things right.” A real stallion would at least take responsibility for what he did. Caramel hung his head, nodding his acceptance of the father’s words. “I know, sir. Me too…” “Twilight,” he continued, “I guess I shouldn’t be quite as surprised as I am. You’ve always been inquisitive and devoted to your learning to a degree that’s sometimes gotten you into trouble, and I know you tried to be as careful and cautious as I could reasonably expect.” He sighed unhappily as he sat back down. “I don’t know how to feel just yet; this is all quite a shock to us. I’m sure you understand.” As the silence around the table began to grow uncomfortable, Cadance’s quiet voice asked, “If you were given the chance to do it all over, would you do it differently?” Twilight and Caramel looked over to her, seeing the slight smile on her face. “Just think about it for now,” she added, getting up to take her dishes to the kitchen. At once, the pall of tense silence dissipated, and everypony began to clean up the remains of dinner. Though a bit more subdued, the energy and life began to return to the home. Everypony retired to the living room, where the fire offered a cozy respite from the cold night outside. Caramel felt decidedly awkward, unable to find an acceptable place to lie down until Twilight pulled him down next to her on the carpet, curling up against his side happily. He nuzzled her mane, suddenly unconcerned by what her parents or brother might be thinking. Just being beside her was enough for him. Teas and hot cocoas were finished off, and the married couples drifted off to bed, leaving the young lovers alone in front of the fire, sleepy and content. Caramel nuzzled into his marefriend’s mane, leaving light little kisses on the backs of her ears. Twilight shivered in response, and turned to face him, putting her hooves around his neck and kissing him with an intensity he wasn’t prepared for. He quickly caught up, though, letting his tongue trace the outline of her lips before it was met by hers. He put a hoof around her back, pulling her in close to him as they kissed. Twilight finally pulled back, panting slightly from her built-up arousal. “Ready for bed?” she asked. “Oh, I’m not terribly sleepy yet.” “Not quite what I asked,” she replied, a mischievous grin on her muzzle. Caramel flushed red. “Twilight, we’re in your parents' house!” “It was my house, too,” she countered, blushing herself, “and I’ve always had a bit of a fantasy of bringing my special somepony here.” “What if they hear?” “I’ve got a soundproofing spell, and my parents are heavy sleepers.” “What about your brother? I’d rather not be killed by him.” “He and Cadance are down the hall, in his old room, and I’d be surprised if they weren’t playing out the same fantasy for him right now.” The stallion winced. “Aaaand, there’s something I’d prefer not to think about.” Twilight giggled for a second but quickly became serious as she stared into his worried eyes. “Look, you, I may not be your wife, but I am your marefriend. What’s got you so nervous? As I recall, the worst that could happen already has, and we’re doing okay, so why so reluctant?” Take responsibility for what he did... Caramel traced his hoof across the patterns in the carpet to distract himself. “I just, oh, there’s really no good way to say it…” “Try me,” she insisted. “Well, I wouldn’t say I regret it, but we still made a mistake. I mean, you’re an amazing mare, Twilight. You deserve a special somepony who treats you right, who protects you and all those other things—somepony who is able to control their impulses in favor of your honor. For whatever reason, you got me instead, and I blew it, Twilight. I just, well, I just want to try to do this relationship thing as right as I can from here out. I want you to know that I’m not just interested in trying to, well, to rut you.” Caramel sighed, frustrated at his inability to accurately say what he felt. Twilight was silent for a moment, mulling over his words. “Caramel, I know what you’re saying. And believe me, I appreciate it, I do.” She ran a hoof tenderly through his mane and over his ear. “The fact that you feel that way makes me feel good, makes me feel loved—but there’s a few things that you haven’t considered.” He cocked his head to the side. “Like what?” “First off, our relationship is anything but traditional. I mean, look at us,” she said, waving vaguely at her stomach. “Our first date was me getting pregnant. We’re feeling this all out along the way, and there’s no shame in admitting that we aren’t traditional and that we don’t know how this is all going to play out.” She leaned in, planting a kiss on his nose as she continued. “Secondly, I don’t doubt how you feel about me, Caramel. You’ve never once made me feel like you’re just after my body or my bed. You’re a perfect gentlecolt to me.” She leaned in still further, this time kissing the base of his ear, drawing a gasp from the stallion. “And third,” she said, her voice soft and husky, “you got me pregnant, and as it turns out, hormones make a mare rather eager for her stallion during that time. It’s not polite to keep a mare from what she wants, is it?” Even as his desire for Twilight grew within him, Caramel felt the conflict of the last two days rising in him—love and duty, desire and responsibility all clashing in his mind and pulling him in opposite directions. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “Then, please, let me do this right,” he said softly, staring into her eyes as she pulled her head back, confused. “Twilight Sparkle, will you marry me?” Twilight stared deep into his eyes, as though trying to read his soul through them. She closed her eyes slowly, her mind casting out, thinking over her love for her stallion, his devotion to her, and flickering through all of her fantasies and idle daydreams of what their lives together could be. She felt the pull of her fears, the eagerness of her desire for Caramel that never truly died down, and the uncertainty of the future. Her ears lay back as she opened her eyes, meeting his hopeful gaze. “I’m sorry, Caramel… No.”