//------------------------------// // Act II: The Appeal of Motherhood // Story: The Literary Appeal // by HiddenBrony //------------------------------// Fancy Pants took a justifiably long sip from his wine, placing it down carefully on the table in front of him. With a cast from his horn, his fork found itself victim of his gentle grasp, forced to spin about with reckless abandon at his whim. It was a necessary evil Fancy had to commit on the poor piece of silverware, as attempting to grasp spaghetti in his magic would have been quite barbaric. After eating another bite of his spaghetti, Fancy brought his kerchief up to his lips and cleaned them, taking a moment to enjoy the tomato and roasted garlic flavors. By the time he set his fork down once more, Twilight Sparkle had completely and utterly disappeared off the face of the table. His companion, the unflappable Miss Scarlet, was giggling to herself like a schoolfilly fresh out of sex ed. “Scarlet, pardon me if this seems a tad confrontational, but was that really necessary?” Scarlet paused, her smile wavering if only for a moment. “Fancy, my daughter has been dating Twilight Sparkle for the entire summer, and she hadn’t taken the time to let her know that she had been intimate with one of her closest friends,” she reasoned. “ If Twilight is anything the friend I hear her to be, she’d notice the dress as soon as you did and start asking questions.” Reaching out for her napkin, Scarlet Letter returned to her meal. “So I intervened a little. I can only be penalized for... protecting my investment.” Fancy chuckled, tapping his mouth once more with an enchanted hoofkerchief. “And Rarity?” Scarlet nickered, putting her hooves down on the table. “Tactical placement. I needed her to be in the bathroom for Twilight. She’s likely explaining everything she can to Twilight to soften the blow for my little Cherry,” she said, her eyes watching the direction in which both mares fled. “I want this one to stick, Fancy. She’ll stay faithful, unlike those other tramps.” -o-0-o- “Twiii-hiiiihiii-liiight...” Rarity started, an ugly, bullheaded frog threatening to leap out of her throat. “You see, how shall I put this...” Looking back at her friend, Twilight stared with a blank intensity that could easily be likened to the sun itself bearing down at her. “Yyyes, I was with Cheerilee once. It was back when I still attended school, and Cheerilee, she was... oh my, she was just...” Twilight said nothing, but Rarity could feel the intensity increasing. “Mmhm! Yes, well, I guess that part isn’t important.” Any longer in Twilight’s gaze and Rarity’s soft complexion was going to sunburn. “Well, what do you want to know, Twilight?” Blinking, Twilight looked into the bathroom mirror. Ignoring Rarity, she approached her reflection and sighed. “Nothing, really.” “Look Twilight, I’m sorry I– What?” Rarity cut herself off. Twilight sat down, which gave Rarity the chills. It may be a nice restaurant, but they were still in a bathroom. Although the carpeting did feel quite luxurious against the frog of her hoof. Twilight looked past Rarity's reflection, looking for all the world that she didn't want to be here. “Cheerilee had a life before me, you all did. I can’t change what happened, nor do I want to.” Twilight sighed, looking down at her hooves. “Then, if you don’t mind my saying, was the dramatic entrance all about? I may have a flair for the dramatic myself, but it doesn’t really suit you.” Rarity trotted next to Twilight, looking into her friend’s reflection. Twilight raised her head appreciatively, giving the Rarity in the mirror a smile. “It’s not really you, Rarity. I’ve been dating Cheerilee for awhile now. I just feel..." Twilight's words trailed off as she felt something clutch at her throat. Rarity put her foreleg around her friend. Twilight clutched it as best she could, sighing loudly. "I just thought by now she might have told me something important like this.” Twilight put her hoof up to her chest, turning to face Rarity in full. “I understand she doesn’t have to tell me everypony she’s ever been with, but you’re one my closest friends, Rarity.” Rarity tipped her horn next to Twilight’s in a show of affection, pulling Twilight in for a hug. “Yes, and you, mine. Even if you do forget to tell me, me of all ponies, about your love life.” Twilight puffed out her cheeks. “I said I was sorry!” “Do any of the other girls know?” Twilight shrugged. “Applejack knows, we bought apples at her cart once.” However, a thought crossed her mind. “What about Sweetie Belle? I thought she might have told you?” Rarity chuckled lightheartedly. “Twilight, I may not be able to know the time and place of when you started dating, but it’s midsummer. Sweetie’s class is out and about enjoying their break.” Twilight recalled that didn’t account for the ponies who had summer school, or the night classes Cheerilee would teach, which is why her workload hadn’t decreased, and why she still spent countless hours discussing her material for the class. Still, the question remained. Sensing her friend’s tribulation, Rarity placed her hoof gently on Twilight’s shoulder. “Dear, listen to me. Sometimes there isn’t a time where it can come out in normal conversation, and I’ve been far too wrapped up in my work to visit as much as I should.” “I guess you’re right,” Twilight began, but Rarity wasn’t done yet. “And I can only imagine how awkward it would be. You, asking your naive little questions, her, trying not to turn you away with the graphic details.” Twilight was suddenly realizing that for some reason, she was not able to stop the verbal avalanche that the ponies around her were privy to. “Well, hormones can be explained for the age you two were at—” Another failure. “What with me, a beautiful artiste and the cusp of realizing my place in the world of fashion!” Rarity boasted, her eyes sparkling with the memories. “And her, the glam rock queen of the school, touring the county with her band!” Twilight opened her mouth to quiet Rarity, but could only echo, “Glam rock queen? School? The whole country?” That timeline didn't sit well with Twilight, but the way Rarity's eyes were shining, she realized she was embellishing the details. Rarity swooned, her body landing on the chaise lounge chair near the door of the bathroom that she magically pulled across the room to catch her. “The scandal of it all still lights a fire in my heart! Those wild nights in the back of her tour carriage, her songs reaching into my very soul and her hooves reaching—” “Yes thank you Rarity I’m sure this is very important information that I shall write in my next report to Princess Celestia.” -o-0-o- Fancy Pants turned his head, taking great care to choose his next words. “Are these the so-called mares that you called, how shall I say...” “The tramps I slept with?” Scarlet laughed, shaking her head. “Tell me, Fancy, if they were willing to sleep with me when they were claimed by my daughter, how long were they going to stay with her before they broke her heart?” She ran her hooves through her hair, her hooves feeling the edges of the wrinkles she was starting to lose the war against. “I never meant to, Fancy. Not at first, anyway.” Fancy Pants nodded. Names were never uttered, but he and Scarlet still kept close enough to provide support for each other from afar. “It does seem a bit unlike you to steal them from underneath your own daughter.” “Never literally, Fancy,” Scarlet chuckled, her voice a little hollow as she turned away. “Although I might as well have. The first time... I had no idea she belonged to my daughter. That leggy goddess of a mare. I should have recognized her from the letters Cherry would send me from college, but...” “It’s quite alright, Scarlet. You know I have nothing to say about the lifestyle you choose,” Fancy said, giving a sideways glance to the untouched plates of food nearby. “I say, do you think we should ask for to-go containers?” Scarlet drew herself back up to her full height, shaking her head. “No, I don’t think they’ll be much longer. They serve the dishes hot as well, not that you unicorns would ever notice.” Testing her theory, Scarlet tapped her forehoof to the edge of the glassware, feeling the ambient warmth of the plate radiate through her leg. She rather enjoyed the sensation, but after a few moments it became a touch too hot to keep in contact with it. “I do wish you would, though.” “To-go containers?” Fancy asked. “No, butt in on my life more.” Scarlet let herself smirk. “Maybe I wouldn’t keep making mistakes at my age.” Fancy Pants grinned at Scarlet, placing a hoof nearby her in case she needed it. “My my, is Scarlet Letter having a midlife crisis?” At full pout, Scarlet punched Fancy right in the shoulder, her lips pulled taut as she tried desperately not to give Fancy Pants the benefit of her smile. The stallion couldn’t keep himself from chuckling over the very real pain, happy to bring Scarlet back from the sorrows of day-to-day life. “My apologies, Scarlet!” “I’m serious!” Scarlet said, her face completely betraying her as she smiled wide. “You were my voice of reason back in college. Look what’s happened to me once you graduated.” Fancy leaned close to Scarlet, his hoof gliding across his mustache. “From what I recall, you became a hooves-on business pony despite never completing your law degree, defended me in court regardless of it, exploited and changed Equestrian Law by discovering ancient loopholes, became a mother of two beautiful daughter who grew up to be a schoolteacher and, what was it again that Cherry Blossom does?" "Pro Wrestler." "Capital. She's probably quite the talent, there. All that, whilst I played with dresses and overgrown foals dressed in daddy’s money. I say, Scarlet, you really have made a mess of things without my help.” Scarlet leaned back, her pout returned. “When you put it like that, I start to look a little silly.” “Believe me, dear, you need not my help.” -o-0-o- “Are you feeling alright, then, Twilight?” Rarity asked, bringing her friend in close for a reassuring hug. Twilight nodded, returning the gesture. Having successfully put an end to Rarity’s tirade, Twilight felt herself more ready than ever to go out and face Scarlet Letter, even though something still nagged at her. “I’m still upset,” Twilight said, taking a seat on the lounge chair Rarity had scooted up. “But I’m okay now. It was a lot to take in.” Rarity smiled knowingly, “Scarlet has that effect on ponies, believe me. And I wasn’t even there for it– my apologies, of course.” Twilight looked over at her friend, her eyebrow raised. “Rarity, I noticed something about Scarlet that’s been bugging me.” “Like her everything?” Rarity bleated in a completely unladylike fashion. Twilight’s eyes bulged, but Rarity only took it in stride. “What, we’re already in a restroom, there is where a lady can be a filly.” “Er, well, I... guess? But Rarity... I don’t know, but that looked like one of your dresses, wasn’t it?” Twilight turned her head to one side. “It looked tailor-made, too, not one from your usual line.” Rarity sighed through her nose, feigning disinterest. “Yes, well, she wasn’t always a deplorable, womanizing–” At this point, Twilight Sparkle mentally interjected ‘Yes, she was’ in-between everything Rarity complained about, at least until a certain drop, “Prince-ruining, horrid hag of a mare–” “Prince-ruining?” Twilight echoed. A very pregnant pause followed as Twilight heard shuffling at the restroom door. Rather than question it, she allowed Rarity to find her words. “Look, Twilight, I’m not saying I still harbor any feelings for.... him,” she stressed. Twilight already had a good idea about who. “But it was brought to my attention that for years, that horrible brute was taking full advantage of the women at The Red Letter.” Rarity’s forehooves weren’t sure what to do with themselves, but it was plain from where Twilight Sparkle sat that her muscles were tensing and relaxing at an alarming rate. “If it wasn’t for that mare, he could have grown up to be my Prince Charming. Instead he just... uses mares. As if they were just things to be used.” Rarity snorted. Twilight was silent, unsure of how to handle that. She reached out and put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring, but Rarity laughed it off with a gaiety reserved for Pinkie Pie. “Really Twilight, I’m fine. Besides, last I heard he was found in a bit of a sandwich between two stallions, so maybe he never could have been mine.” Rarity exclaimed, leaping off the couch with gusto. “Come now, Twilight, I believe we have food that is growing cold.” Twilight’s stomach agreed. Following Rarity to the door, Twilight passed by her with a silly little trot, eager to get the night over with and return back to the Library, where she hoped Cheerilee awaited her. However, she was met with resistance as the door refused to open. Push or pull, the restroom door wasn’t budging. “What is...?” “Oh!” Rarity chimed in, casting a spell on the lock. “My apologies, but when you burst in here, I took the liberty of locking the door behind you. I didn’t want anypony intruding on us.” Twilight thanked her silently, but as she opened the door and saw the sea of very distressed, very angry mares waiting outside the doorway, she wasn’t sure if it was worth the stampede that followed. -o-0-o- Fancy Pants finally found the end of his wine glass, setting it off to the side as he contemplated water as his next choice. Still, he didn’t really get vacation time like he used to, and it wasn’t very often that he found himself in the company of his old college friends. Perhaps he could live a little and order a second glass. However, he quickly found himself blinking quite hard as Twilight Sparkle and Rarity returned to their seats in a bright flash of purple light. Rarity looked no worse for wear, but Twilight seemed frazzled as if she had been the victim of one too many hooves treating her like an impromptu doormat. Yes, he believed that perhaps a second drink would be in order for tonight. “I wasn’t aware instantaneous teleportation was a possibility with magic these days. Shows how out of touch I am with the current generation,” Fancy jested. Scarlet, for the first time all night, was at a loss for words. Twilight took that time to rearrange her mane into something more manageable, and Rarity retook the reigns of conversation. “Fancy, I do apologize, but Twilight and I found ourselves betrothed to a little girltalk. I do hope you can forgive us for our tardiness.” “It is quite alright. I say, it has been an absolute treat being out with you mares tonight, especially miss Scarlet here. If you hadn’t already guessed, we’re college alumni from Canterlot University. We go very far back,” Fancy explained more thoroughly. “I wasn’t aware you were Twilight’s daughter, miss Sparkle.” “Twilight is a very common name in Canterlot,” Twilight offered, although she didn’t know if that was true in the current year. “It was the number one foal name in nine hundred and eighty-six, and number four in both following years, before falling off the charts again until nine hundred and ninety-six, where it was number seven.” Twilight paused a moment. “996, SE. Although, I heard that it was very popular last year.” Rarity laughed, “Yes, well, it’s been quite an adjustment to refer to the year as ‘One CE’ since Luna’s return, but I hear Rarity is also on the rise. And I must say, to be one of the number one names in year one has a certain quality to it that I believe to be timeless.” “A beautiful irony,” Fancy tipped his empty wine glass in a singular toast to Rarity, prompting her cheeks to flare a red like her wine while giggling like a school filly. Twilight decided not to let Rarity know how much she reminded her of Scarlet at the moment. Or ever. Scarlet, by this point, had found her voice after registering that two ponies had literally just appeared out of nowhere. “My, now isn’t that a trick.” Twilight’s eyebrows raised in her direction. “I heard a rumor, but that really is something to behold in the flesh.” “Er, thank you?” Twilight tried, averting her eyes and closing them. Taking a deep breath, she opened them, looking at Fancy Pants. “Um, if you don’t mind, could I borrow Scarlet for a little bit? I’d like to talk to her privately.” Scarlet made as if to protest, but Fancy Pants cut her off. “Certainly. Rarity, if you’d be so kind as to accompany me to the veranda? I would like to talk about my most recent dress order.” Rarity was already on her hooves by the time Fancy Pants finished his sentence, the excitable mare leading him through the building by the hoof. “Well, they don’t really have a veranda here, but they have an amazing view of the lake if you just follow me through these exits, Fancy. Twilight, do be a dear and make sure nopony drinks my wine! Thank you~!” Rarity called out as she disappeared with the stallion. Twilight Sparkle locked eyes with Scarlet Letter. She stared expectantly back at her as if daring her to say the wrong thing. But Twilight Sparkle prepared for things. And now that she had Scarlet all alone, she could really give her what for. For Cheerilee’s peace of mind, she had to fulfill her plans. “So you knew my mother?” Plans could wait. She had traded far worse things than her own sanity in the pursuit of knowledge. She wanted facts about her mother, and everypony knew that facts were science. “How... how well did you know her? She only talked about her education, never anything resembling friendship.” Even if Scarlet’s friendships often resembled numeric combinations that consisted of multiples of three. Cheerilee’s mother smiled. “We were flatmates,” she stated flatly. “And the reason she never told you about me was that she...” she drifted, and Twilight’s heart leapt to her throat. Because they had a fight? A lov- her mind seized. No, not that. Anything but that. “...was so completely boring.” Okay, maybe not that either. Twilight’s mouth dropped. “What.” “Your mother. She paid so close mind to grades and doing well, she never partied or lived up her college days, and she had the most wonderful body and it went such to waste—” “Hey. That body made me and I’d like to think that I’ve done more than what can be considered a waste!” Twilight argued, her hindlegs picking her off the floor. Scarlet raised her forehooves up in defense. “My mistake, Sparkle.” Scarlet picked up her fork, taking a large bite of her spaghetti before she continued. “For the record, no.” Twilight relaxed on her hooves. “No?” she asked, already knowing what Scarlet meant. “No, I did not partake in sexual relations with that mare,” Scarlet revealed, playing with her fork in one hoof and her knife in the other. Twilight’s stomach felt queasy just looking at Scarlet playing with those utensils again. “Not for a lack of trying, though. Like I said earlier, Sparkle, your father swept her off her hooves before I ever got a real chance.” Twilight breathed out long and slow, feeling returning to the very tips of her hooves. “That’s... better.” “Well, for one of us,” Scarlet quipped. Catching Twilight’s sudden glare, she stood firm. “Your mother is a hot piece that anypony would be happy to have. That doesn’t change when the wedding bells ring.” Twilight folded her ears across her head, clapping her hooves over them. “Please stop.” Scarlet held her breath. However, she relented and blew out a sharp, “Fine! Really now, they say that some ponies tend to subconsciously seek ponies that resemble their parents, but you’re nothing like me. So unlike the rest of them.” “I think that’s why Cheerilee likes me so much,” Twilight retorted definitively. Scarlet laughed, nodding her approval. “And by the way, hooves off. I’m Cheerilee’s girl.” Scarlet’s expression froze for a moment before she settled down into a smile. “And so the truth comes out. Cheerilee told you about what I did to her other marefriends, did she?” “I tortured it out of her.” Twilight made no effort to conceal her techniques at data retrieval. Scarlet’s eyebrows raised in a way Twilight recognized as a way of seduction, but that would not work on her steeled mind. “She hadn’t a choice in the world. She would tell me what I needed to know. And she did. And now we’re here.” Scarlet’s smile never wavered. “My my, Twilight Sparkle. What is it that you’re after? You can’t have come all this way just to tell me something I already know.” Twilight dipped her head down, her eyes hardening. “Names. Three of them. Who hurt Cheerilee. Why.” “And what will you do with that information?” “Nothing,” Twilight said, leaning back on her pillow. There was a harsh sincerity to her voice. Scarlet’s eyes widened in surprise. She found it difficult not to believe her. “But I need to know-” “Absolutely not.” Scarlet said, standing up. “W-what?” Scarlet Letter repeated herself. “Absolutely not. I will not reveal the names of the ponies which I’ve sullied my own name with,” she said. “Twilight Sparkle, you are better than them. All of them. You don’t need to compare yourself to them. Not ever.” Twilight opened her mouth, completely unprepared. “B-but I thought—” “You thought wrong, Sparkle.” And the last time Twilight Sparkle was wrong she turned out very right and saved Canterlot. But the tone Scarlet used wasn’t something she was prepared for– it was orderly. Motherly. “It happens, Twilight. Accept it and move on. You have a mare who Fancy has been trying to not tell me all night what happened to her– waiting for you at home, or that’s where I assume you’ve left her. And you’re here with her mother.” Twilight felt herself stand up instinctually, with a very real urge to go to Cheerilee. “Don’t worry about the dinner, I have more than enough to pay for all of us ten times over.” “Mmhuh,” Twilight mumbled, her brain deciding that thinking was too hard and that maybe it would take up being a mountain hermit. -o-0-o- The next thing Twilight knew, she was standing outside the Blue Mare, standing next to Rarity. “I uh,” Twilight began. “I’m not sure how that went.” The humid summer night air stuck to their coats as they increasingly felt less comfortable to more that stood still, so the pair started to walk numbly forward, trying to recall the last moments of their discussions. Rarity went first. “The last thing I remember was Fancy Pants telling me about possibly opening up a branch of his storefront dedicated to just my designs, and now I’m out here.” Rarity turned to look at Twilight. “The rest was a blur. A big, happy, fulfilling blur.” “I think I’m going to go home to Cheerilee,” Twilight responded. “I have some questions I want to ask her.” “Do be careful with her, dear. She may have patience like tempered steel, but you hold her heart in her hooves. Don’t be too hard on her, would you?” she asked. “Never,” Twilight answered, her eyes tracking the ground near their hooves. “Hey, Rarity?” Her friend paused her stride back home, looking back at Twilight with interest. “Yes, Twilight?” “You never did tell me why you made that dress for Scarlet,” she reminded. Rarity loosed a small chuckle, her eyes trained on the stars. “It’s okay if it’s something important. I don’t know if you or she ever—” “Oh no, Twilight!” Rarity balked, although Twilight could see it was more for show than actual disgust. “Well, you know Rarity, Scarlet has a history of sleeping with Cheerilee's marefriends," Twilight said, her voice edged with mischievous accusation. "But me, Twilight? I would never stoop to something so uncouth." Rarity brushed aside her hair, putting a hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "You know me, Twilight, much better than any old harlot." "I know, Rarity. I know, it’s just... well, you are the Element of Generosity... giving of yourself..." Twilight mumbled, her argument falling to pieces in a way she didn't really mind. Flashing an apologetic smile, Twilight shrugged the question away. Rarity smiled, seeing her friend come to terms with the truth with a joke. Trotting towards home, she glanced back at Twilight, "I'm glad we were open about this Twilight." She looked forward, her grin widening. “So the dress?” And the grin was gone. Rarity stopped, her attempts to deviate Twilight from her story dashed. “My first commission, so very long ago,” Rarity whispered, her eyes glazing over. “I had collected the bits to open my Boutique, and I was still with... well, anyway.” Rarity’s tail swished through the air as she sniffed the night breeze, taking in the scent of the past. “She came by with her mother to congratulate me.” Rarity saw that Twilight was giving her a dopey look, so she clarified. “She loved her mother back then, Twilight. She may have been a teenager but some fillies just get along with their mothers. Just look at me, I’ve always gotten along famously with my mother.” “Rarity, the dress?” “Oh, right, yes. Scarlet came in with Cheerilee and she was so impressed with my starting line... that she commissioned a dress of her own. My very first personalized, tailored work for my Boutique...” Rarity sighed, her hoof pressed against her chest. “I took such care of it, calling Scarlet in when I could... and she'd be there the moment I asked. I dare say it’s one of the most perfect dresses I’ve made– of course, the same could be said of all of them.” Twilight rolled her eyes, but she trotted up alongside Rarity and looked her in the eyes. “You do make beautiful dresses. I’m sure they’re all perfect to the ponies that wear them.” Rarity squeed and nuzzled Twilight in an affectionate hug that probably gave a few night passersby the wrong impression. “Twilight, you are a true, true friend.” “I’ll hold you to that,” Twilight said, giving her friend a hug goodbye. “I guess I have a lot to think about. It’s gonna be a slow walk home.” “I’d say I don’t envy you, Twilight,” Rarity chimed in, her eyes flickering slightly, “But I think we both know that isn’t exactly true.” A faint blush crept up Rarity’s cheeks, averting her eyes. “Do treat her well, Twilight.” As she finally turned to leave, she winked. "Although I must say I am stealing that line for my own personal use. Giving of myself. Clever, Twilight.” Twilight nodded, saluting her friend as if taking an order. Rarity trotted off into Ponyville, leaving Twilight alone. Exhaling long out her nose, she made her way back to the library. It was clear to her that Rarity wasn’t ready to come clean to her entirely about Scarlet, but there was no use in forcing the issue so quickly after squeezing what she could tonight. Deciding that perhaps she’d consult a book about secrets and lies. Chapter thirteen of Asking the Difficult Questions to Your Significant Others that You Want to Make More Significant: For Eggheads (Ninth Edition) covered ex-lovers, if Twilight recalled correctly. And when it came to books, Twilight always recalled correctly. Coming up to the library, Twilight looked up into the windows to see if she could see anypony inside. However, it was pretty clear to her that Spike didn’t spend much time looking out them, and Cheerilee probably was trying not to be seen by passersby at the moment, being at her home so late. Twilight still had to talk to Cheerilee about certain things. Things that weren’t books, unless books were suddenly alabaster unicorns with a penchant for sewing. Still, Twilight patted down her chest fur and gave her fetlocks a once over. Still absurdly long, and in need of being cut. Or maybe Cheerilee liked long fetlocks. Maybe she’d like to brush them. Maybe tie little bows on them and tease her a little, say she feels like Pippy Hoofstockings. She giggled at her own joke. Twilight was so busy in her thoughts that she hadn’t quite cast the spell which operated her door, and she ran face-first into it. Collapsing in a heap in front of the door, Twilight felt the force of her teeth slam into her tongue. She yelped in pain, slamming her hoof over her mouth as she stabilized. “H-hello?” came a hushed voice inside, unmistakably belonging to Cheerilee. “I’m so sorry, but the library is closed. Come back tomorrow~!” Picking herself up, Twilight nudged open the door by turning the latch and entering the hose, her eyes focused on the very clean, somewhat damp pony in front of her. In her mouth were a brush and comb, making Twilight’s heart skip a beat as she cast a quick glance down to her hooves, before hastily looking straight back up. Now wasn’t the time. “Twilight,” Cheerilee breathed, relief cracking all over her face. “You came home, without her.” Twilight drew herself up proudly, even though she tried to hide it. It was the time for action, and she needed to be dramatic so Cheerilee knew she meant business. Chapter seven in the book that was laying down at Cheerilee’s hooves said as much. Narrowing her eyes, Twilight pointed at Cheerilee. “Rarriby!” she bumbled out. A stark silence filled the room. Cheerilee turned her head slightly as she studied her marefriend. “I’m sorry, could you... could you repeat that?” Twilight stood stock still, the color draining from her face as she clamped a hoof on her mouth. “I bib my prongue om rhe boor...” she mumbled, her eyes filling with small tears. Cheerilee trotted over quickly, putting her hooves around Twilight as she lead her to the kitchen. “Sh, sh, it’s okay, Twilight,” she cooed. Twilight would have made a face about how she didn’t enjoy being coddled but decided to make an exception of it for the moment. The discussion could take place later. For now, she had Cheerilee as her tongue doctor. The excitement of that thought caused a stray spark to emit from her horn, the unicorn giggling as best she could. Some things could wait.