//------------------------------// // Chapter 72: Parents: Take Two // Story: The First Steps of the Rest of Your Life // by Rhino //------------------------------// ***Tuesday, Day 93*** **Noon** *Canterlot* Twilight and Volt walk from the library wing of the palace with unsatisfied expressions on their faces. Volt sighs heavily before grumbling. “Well that was a waste.” Twilight shakes her head in disbelief. “I still can't believe that in the entirety of the Canterlot Archives, there wasn’t a single mention of these ‘Refined Diamond Dogs’. A day and a half of looking, for nothing.” “Yeah well at least I can enjoy the fresh air for a little bit before we have to go to your parents.” He says, trying to look on the bright side but only coming off as nervous. She looks back at him. “You aren’t worried about meeting them are you?” The sea-green stallion swallows. “Well, I would hate for them to get the wrong idea.” The purple mare stops so that he catches up and they can walk side by side. “What do you mean?” “Well like I said before, I don’t want to have a repeat of the incident with your brother. We should win them over with our relationship normally is.” He ends with a hopeful smile. Twilight blushes and looks away at the mention of the last family encounter. “Right, I learned my lesson last time.” He simply looks straight ahead with a small smile. “I know. I just wanted to make sure.” The two unicorns arrive at a house in what would be considered the upper-middle class area of the city. Going along with what could be considered the major color scheme of the city, the two story house is mostly off white with a dull gold colored roof. Like many of the houses on this street, it has a very decent sized yard, small hedge wall lining the street, and a few tasteful pillars holding up the porch cover. It looks to be easily able to house four ponies with rooms to spare. “Well here it is. The house I grew up in.” Twilight says, gesturing proudly with a hoof. Volt tilts his head backwards to see the roof as the sweat sparks off his brow. “So it is...” She playfully bumps his side with her own. “Hey, no need to worry now. They will love you just like I do.” “Thanks Twi. You always know how to make me feel better.” He leans in to kiss his marefriend only for the door to fly open. A stallion with a light blue coat and a dark blue mane stands there with a sword held in his magic and a ferocious look on his face. “Prepare to die you dirty daughter defiler!” Volt seems to freeze in place while Twilight stands in front of him. “Dad stop! What are you doing?” Her father lifts the sword higher into the air. “I am taking revenge on him for brainwashing you into...” A small snicker escapes his mouth before he simply bursts out laughing as he sets down the sword. “Oh I can never keep a straight face for these jokes.” Twilight is unamused. “Dad! He was nervous enough and there you go playing jokes on him!” She turns to her coltfriend. “Are you okay, Volt?” Volt continues standing in place with the same horrified expression he put on when the stallion opened the door. The blue stallion is the first to get an inkling that something is wrong. “He doesn't look like he’s breathing...” Twilight immediately scans Volt with her magic. “His heart stopped....HIS HEART STOPPED!” “Calm down, calm down. We can just get him to the hospital and-” The dark blue stallion says calmly before he is cut off by his daughter. “How are you so calm?! Dad, you stupid joke went and-” The mare herself is cut off by a loud thump as sparks shoot off Volt’s chest. The electric unicorn gasps loudly as he regains his breath. Twilight instantly wraps him in a hug. “Volt, you’re okay!” Volt looks around in confusion. “Huh? What?” Meanwhile, Twilight’s dad laughs heartily once again. “Well played indeed. The classic fake death. I’ll admit you got me good.” His laughing fades as as he smiles brightly at the couple. “Come on in. My name is Night Light, and I think you and I will get along great.” The stallion walks back inside and leaves the door open. Twilight holds Volt at arms length as she admonishes him. “Volt why didn’t you tell me you could stop your heart on demand like that?” She shakes her head. “Nevermind... Well, I guess you manage to win my dad over in record time so I guess it worked out. Just tell me next time so I don’t have to worry.” She heads inside. “Wait, what happened?” Volt stands on the porch quite confused as he idly rubs his chest with a hoof. “And why does my chest hurt?” ***Rhino*** **Ponyville** *Afternoon* I hum to myself as I leisurely skate to the train station with Pinchy on my back. My parents were due to arrive today, so I was a bit nervous about how they would react to my adoptive daughter. In the end though, I figured there was nothing I could really do until they actually meet, so I simply put it in the back of my mind. We arrive a few minutes early as we come to a stop on the boarding platform. I swivel my head around to look at my pink passenger. “Are you ready to meet them Pinchy?” She nods, giving me a little salute. “Yes, Dad!” “Last minute questions?” She puts her hoof on her chin, silent for a moment. “...should I call them grandma and grandpa, or by their names? And should I mention my dream or keep that a secret?” I think about this a moment. “I think their names would be too formal. Not sure what Dad wants to be called, but I know Mom explicitly stated years ago that she doesn’t want to be called grandma. She said to call her Mimi. As for the ninja thing... I’ll leave that up to you. No promises on how serious they’ll think you are about it though.” “Okay, then!” She giggles, turning to look down the tracks. “...Dad? They won’t be too worried about where I’m from, right?” My smile becomes legitimately nervous. “Oh I’m sure as soon as my mother gets me alone she’ll squeeze all the information about you right out of me...she is very good at that. Probably one of the first things that will come up is frantic explaining on my part as to why I delayed telling them about you.” I gulp. “Yeah... some of this is going to be very awkward for me.” She gently pats my cheek, smiling at me. “I can help explain it to them, if you’d like. Maybe it’ll make it less awkward?” My ears flick as I hear the approaching train whistle. “If you want to I suppose, I’ll provide supplementary explanation when needed, but it would be interesting to hear all this from your perspective.” The train comes into view as it rounds the hill near town. “Well... here we go.” A mere moment later and the train is pulling in, the wheels hissing loudly as the brakes are applied. I step back against the wall of the platform as the doors swing open and ponies come pouring out. I use my height to my advantage as I try to look over the crowd and spot them. Pinchy actually climbs on top of my head to help me look. Soon enough, the platform is clear of all but a few ponies milling around and I soon spot the particular two we are waiting for. I wave to them and they smile, heading over to us. As they get within distance of us, both of them stare wide-eyed at the pink filly on my head. They get to normal speaking distance but neither of them says a word. I leave the silence where it is for a minute, wanting to let it all soak in for them. “Hi, Mimi!” Pinchy, naturally, is the one to break the stalemate. Mom shakes out of her stupor and looks at me with a smile. “Aww, you remembered what I told you I wanted to be called.” She looks back up to the filly. “And I take it this little one is ‘Ruby Pinch’ that we’ve suddenly heard about?” I smile and nod. “Yep, this is the little one that’s got me wrapped around her hoof.” She leans forward, offering a hoof to shake. “Nice to meet you!” I feel a sudden shift of her weight as she leans too far and slips off. With a spike of adrenaline, I lean forward and catch her with my teeth by the scruff of her neck. Pinchy giggles, blushing softly in embarrassment. “Oops! Sorry about that!” I let out a relieved breath as I set her down. "Be more careful next time, okay?" Dad simply chuckles. “Well, she certainly is spirited.” She trots up to my father, staring up at him with wide eyes. “...Dad sure takes after you...” The mustached stallion chuckles again before leaning down and looking at her. “And what makes you say that?” “You’re really tall!” She holds her hooves up, grinning widely. “And you both are smart unicorns, too, right? After all, Dad said you worked in the library!” “Is that what he told you?” He looks at me questioningly. I clear my throat. “Actually Pinchy, I said that Mom worked in a library at one time. Dad never has.” She blinks, putting a hoof on her chin. “...oh. I guess I got it mixed up.” She giggles, sheepishly smiling. “My bad!” Mom finally cracks and gathers Pinchy in a hug as she hovers above the ground, her red wings keeping her aloft in her happiness. “Oh, I can’t believe it! My first grandfoal! A little earlier than I expected, but still wonderful!” She nuzzles Pinchy as Dad and I look on in amusement. Pinchy happily nuzzles her back, giggling a bit more. I smile as I ask. “Shall we take this little love fest home?” Everypony nods, even as Mom comments, “Fine, but I get to hold her!” She flies in slow circles as Dad and I walk home, watching the two of them. As we arrive at the house, Dad calls out to the still-flying pegasus. “Mist, are you just gonna hog her all to yourself?” “I’m thinking about it!” Came the cheeky reply just before Mom alighted on the front porch and set the filly down. Pinchy immediately gives Mom a hug. “Thanks for the snuggles, Mimi!” She beams brightly at her before turning to Dad. “Did you want a hug, too?” She holds out her little forelegs, looking up at him with her wide eyes. I am forced to look away from the cute onslaught as Dad answers. “Aww, well, since you offered.” I peek back to see the two embracing. Atta girl, cute them into submission. As Pinchy pulls away, she rubs his fur with a hoof. “...you feel like a towel right out of the laundry.” She looks up at Dad, smiling brightly. “I like it!” Bio blinks, nonplussed. "Umm, I'm glad? Do you always describe what other ponies feel like?" She shakes her head. “No, just when I have something to compare them to!” She turns to Mom, beaming brightly. “You’re really soft, but I can’t think of a comparison!” She tilts her head to one side, thinking a bit. “...I wonder if I’m forgetting something...” The filly is silent for a moment before she turns and heads into the kitchen. “Milk time!” Mom looks after the filly as she exits. "You're sure she isn't yours biologically? She certainly seems to have gotten you and your father's milk love." I look frankly at her. "That's not the only thing, but no, she isn't mine by blood. Which is actually something I wanted to make sure you guys were okay with...” Dad adopts a thoughtful look. “Well, I definitely didn’t see it coming, we expected biological grandfoals. However, I have no problems with this arrangement. She seems to be a fine and happy filly. What more could we ask for?” Mom pipes up with a comment. “But just because we are fine with it, doesn’t mean we aren’t going to press you about how it happened.” She points a feather in my direction to emphasize her point. I feel myself shrinking under her gaze. “Well, umm-” A small detonation from the kitchen cuts me off and sends me running into it along with my parents. As soon as we enter, we are greeted to the sight of Pinchy, her face covered in soot. Right next to her is a glass of milk, and there are crumbs all over the floor in front of her. I let out a sigh of relief at the sight, glad it wasn’t something big. A washcloth covered in my aura wets itself in the sink as I walk up to the filly and wipe off her face. Once she is clean, I give her the milk and ask simply, “Again?” She nods, quickly drinking the milk to hide her blushing face. The red pegasus mare looks at our calm faces, astonished. “What?! Something explodes next to your daughter and you act like this is a normal thing?” I look at her seriously. “It is a normal thing, it’s been happening for a week now.” She narrows her eyes at us. “Explain.” Pinchy raises a hoof, beaming brightly. “I can do that! When I came here, my magic had to adapt!” She pauses, putting a hoof to her chin and turning towards me. “...that’s about all I could understand of Twilight’s explanation...what was the rest of it, again?” Dad beats me to it. “The magic in this town doesn’t feel any different from normal... why would she have to adapt?” Uh oh. I flounder as I try to decide how to answer that question. “She... umm... well... you see...it’s...” Pinchy takes another gulp of milk before she speaks up once more. “They would have to find out eventually, Dad.” She turns to my parents, sheepishly smiling. “Truth be told, I’m from another dimension. That’s not a bad thing, right?” I groan loudly and perform a double facehoof as I mutter to no one in particular. “Way to hit them over the head with it, Pinchy. I didn’t have a way to break it to them yet...” “...oops.” Her ears lay flat against her head. “I’m sorry, Dad...” I suddenly have an idea. “Tell you what, how about since you put it out there, you explain it?” She blinks, confused. “...where should I start? The part where you came to my dimension, or the part where I came over here?” I shrug while grinning. “Don’t look at me, this is your story. Do what you want with it. I’m actually interested to see what your side in all this was like.” “Okay, then.” Pinchy climbs onto my back, carefully holding the glass in her teeth. As soon as she situates herself, she turns to my parents. “It all started when he hosted a ‘Question and Answer’ show in my universe. I’d heard so much about him from Twilight, and when I found out I was to be one of the guests, I was ecstatic!” She pauses, apparently wanting to gauge their reactions. Both of them seem to have entered neutral listening mode as Dad asks, “And this ‘other Twilight’ knew so much about him... how?” “Oh, uh,” she averts her gaze momentarily, thinking about that, “I think she talked with him when she brought him over?” I look over to the side as I say quietly, “Not brought voluntarily...” The mustached unicorn nods and motions for her to continue. “Anyways, I finally got to meet him, and it was in front of a camera! I was so nervous, I swear I almost got the hiccups!” She nervously laughs. “I was asked my questions - something about my life’s goal, I think - and then I had to leave the stage. Oh, and I thought he was a ninja when I first met him. I even asked him what this was to prove it to myself.” She pulls out her wooden kunai, smiling brightly at them. Dad is once again the one to comment as he looks to me. “So you’re a ninja now?” I shrug. “Why not?” He looks back to the filly. “Why do you have one of those anyway?” He points to the kunai. “That’s easy!” I feel her lift two hooves off my back. I turn to see her striking a pose, pointing with the wooden knife. “I’m going to be a ninja, and protect everyone I care about!” Mom seems unsure about this. “Oh... that’s... great?” Pinchy falters, turning to the red pegasus. “...is something wrong, Mimi?” She rustles her wings. “Well, not necessarily, it’s just most foals tend to have a certain job as their dream so ‘ninja’ isn’t something I expected.” The filly shrugs, putting her kunai back in her mane. “I read a lot, I guess. And I prefer to think of it as a ‘protector’. ‘Ninja’ is just a cool name I use for it!” She giggles, covering her mouth with a hoof. The red pegasus laughs along with her. “Well, I can’t be mad at that. So, what happened next in the story?” “Oh, well, the next day, he came over to my friend’s house! He was so kind, agreeing to help teach Dinky magic!” She gently nuzzles my neck, giggling a bit. “I worried that we were imposing on him. It was supposed to be a vacation for him, after all!” Mom comments this time. “I suppose helping your little cousins was good experience for that.” I nod as Pinchy continues, providing hoof motions now to enhance the narrative. “Then there was a couple of situations - his bout with sensei and the invasion - but those don’t really need much attention, in my opinion.” She starts to gesture with a hoof. “After those, we spent the last couple of days together, and then he left...” A sad expression crosses her face. “...that was the longest summer ever...” I hug her as the overall emotion in the room heads south. Pinchy hugs me back, smiling softly. “...after two and a half months, I couldn’t take it any more. I had to see him again! So I asked Twilight to create a portal to bring me and my friends over, we ended up getting here during the music festival.” I am the one to say something during this pause. “An eventful morning to start off a series of eventful days.” The filly gently places a hoof on my cheek. “Sorry about poking you with my horn like that, by the way.” She turns to my parents, resuming her explanation. “Anyways, after another few days with him...I...I just couldn’t go back. He was the closest thing to a dad I ever had.” She giggles, resting her head against my neck. “He’s strong, sweet, yet capable of being strict if he needs to be. For a while I thought that just made him my idol...but then he took the time to comfort me. Make sure I was okay...” Her voice trails off, and she seems unsure of how to continue. I nuzzle her as I take up the narrative a moment. “Suffice to say, her mentor and I discussed Pinchy’s situation there and her possible place here. Emotional talks were had, then she became my daughter.” Mom and Dad have given up speaking for now and are simply listening. “A while back, my magic started adapting to how this universe’s works.” Pinchy giggles, tapping her horn. “I was taught to gather energy from my environment, but that doesn’t really work here. I think Twilight said something about my magic mirroring Dad’s?” She turns to me for confirmation. I nod. “Yes, because I’m the source of magic she is closest to most often. Thus leads us back here, the small explosions are from her essentially relearning how to use magic. This includes the usual instabilities that come with that.” The pegasus mare nods. “Yes, we got lucky you had more internal surges when you were young.” Meanwhile, Dad has a more mystified look at the story. “So, all that really happened?” I nod and he looks down for a moment before coming back up with a small smile. “Well, I guess, no matter how it came about, we have a new addition to the Nexus family.” Pinchy tilts her head to the side, thinking about this. “...does that make me Ruby Nexus? Because that name sounds awesome!” I tussle her mane as I say teasingly, “But then what would I call you if not ‘Pinchy’?” “Ruby is good. After all, it’s the name you gave me!” She beams brightly at me. I put on an obviously fake sad face. “Yeah, but everypony gets to call you that, I like having my own name for you.” Her little forelegs flail, her eyes wide. “I can still be your Pinchy, Dad! Ruby Pinch Nexus!” Her horn lights up, the words starting to form in the air. The blue unicorn stallion interrupts the little mini drama fest. “You know your name doesn’t have to change right? It’s a family name, meaning it’s more of a way of identifying the family as a whole without having to put it in your name if you don’t want to. Sort of like how Rhino here is technically ‘Rhino of the family Nexus’ even though he legally only has a one word name.” “I know!” Pinchy giggles, waving her hoof. “I just thought it was a nice thought!” Her light words poof into smoke. “...aw.” I rub her mane. “Don’t worry, that’s what the lessons are for. Do you really want to be ‘Ruby Pinch Nexus’ though?” “Why not? It sounds like an epic name!” She leaps off my back, bouncing in place. “Not to mention it has both the name you gave me and my family name!” We all head back to the living room as something occurs to Mom. “Come to think of it... how is that marefriend of yours taking this development?” Pinchy waves her hoof. “Mom’s warming up to the idea. We even spent some time together a few days ago!” My winged parent nods. “Ok good, I was worried this might have been too much for her.” Dad looks at the clock on the wall. “Well, we can’t hang around too much longer today since we need to make sure the inn still has rooms available. We’ll still be around for another day or two, but was there anything else we needed to know right now?” Pinchy opens her mouth to speak, but is interrupted by a squeak from her mane. She looks up, surprised. “Lucky? Is that you?” The white mouse pops out, a golden bit in his mouth. Mom shrieks loudly and instantly flies and hovers near the ceiling. I wince as I rub my ringing ears. “Been awhile since she put her lungs into a shriek like that...” The pegasus doesn’t say anything as she has her eyes locked onto the small bit of white fur in Pinchy’s mane. The filly looks up at her, frowning softly. “Mimi, it’s alright! Lucky’s my friend!” He taps her horn with the bit. “Oh, thanks! A couple more and I can afford that one thing!” Mist laughs nervously. “Right... a friend...” She slowly flutters down but maintains her distance from the rodent. I look to Pinchy. “What is this surprise you’re trying to afford anyway?” She stares blankly at me for a moment. “...nothing special?” She quickly turns and starts walking to her room. “...got the date right...right?” I watch as she leaves, curiously. “I wonder what that was about...”