Chapter 5: An Assortment of Surprises
Spike and Tinder were sitting at a table nicely decorated with a flower in a vase, a large checkered tablecloth and fine china. When Twilight had said it would be no trouble to make dinner for the three of them, Tinder had not been convinced she was telling the truth. She was frantically going from the back room to the front parlor, setting things down and picking things up. It took almost half of an hour to finally serve the food: a wonderful smelling soup that Tinder didn’t recognize. Twilight levitated the large pot onto the table under a wooden plank and picked up her guide book again, flipping to the next page.
“Then set the soup to cool for a few minutes before serving. So…that’s it? I’m finally done?”
“Twilight, this looks delicious,” Spike remarked, licking his lips. “But aren’t you going to set yourself a chair?”
Twilight looked at the table and seemed to notice for the first time that there were only two chairs, two bowls and two sets of cutlery. “But…but I followed the instructions to the letter! This shouldn’t have happened!”
“Is it possible,” Tinder offered, “that you merely read a section on two-pony dining?”
“Huh?”
“Well, think about it. Two chairs, two bowls, the really nice, ambient table decor, and fine china? Seems more like you set up a date rather than a dinner.”
“It...but...at the time...” Twilight began frantically flipping through the pages of her book, desperately trying to find the name of the chapter she was in. Her eyes widened when she found it. “'Dinner for two'...Shoot! I was in such a hurry, I didn’t even notice.”
“It’s alright, Twilight,” Spike reassured, getting up from his seat at the table. “I’ll set up another chair. You take mine.”
Before she could reject the offer, Twilight found herself being escorted to the now vacant chair. She sat down when she realized it was futile to resist, and Spike went to find another seat for himself. Tinder glanced at Twilight every so often as they sat in silence. She was looking around the room, too ashamed to make eye contact. The situation did seem rather odd, having just the two of them at a table.
“Thanks again for dinner,” Tinder piped up, trying to break the tension. “I really… appreciate the invitation.”
“Oh, of course,” replied Twilight sweetly. “I wish your siblings could have come, too. I made plenty of soup, and it’s a very easy recipe. Tastes wonderful, as well.”
“It smells wonderful.”
“Uh huh...”
Silence took over once again. It remained quiet until Spike finally dragged a large chair over to the table and plopped down on it. Then, realizing he’d forgotten silverware, he got up again and vanished into another room, returning a few seconds later with a clean bowl and a spoon. Twilight magically floated the ladle into the air and served each of them a helping of soup. Tinder blew on his before taking a large spoonful and shoveling into his mouth. It burned his tongue just a bit, but it had cooled sufficiently, and it tasted amazing.
Dinner was not nearly as quiet. Twilight asked about the first day of school, and Tinder promptly retold the events of that afternoon. The discussion eventually became more broad, and the focus of the evening drifted from eating to talking. Spike ate in silence as the two ponies rambled on through dinner about spells, and life, and their various interests and hobbies. After a while, he got up and left to do his chores before bed, and the two ponies continued on.
“So, Tinder,” Twilight asked cautiously after a discussion about magic, “I meant to ask earlier, if it’s not too much trouble, why you have such a funny name.”
Tinder thought for a moment. The question was one he was familiar with, and though he hadn’t given it much consideration, he had an answer. “It has significance. Maybe it’s not a traditional pony name, but my parents were…idealists. They wanted us to know we were special, I guess.”
“So what you’re saying is, your name has a special meaning?”
“Yeah. My siblings do, also. Mine means ‘Fire,’ Airy means ‘Light,’ and Warden’s…means something along the lines of ‘Home Keeper.’ To the credit of my parents, they all fit each of us perfectly. I’m the passionate one who loves what I do, Warden takes care of us, and Airy keeps us on track.”
“How well do you get along with your brother and sister? Being adopted must be quite—”
“Woah, wait. We’re not adopted.”
Twilight blinked. “You’re not?”
“No. It’s not typical, but it’s perfectly possible to have a unicorn, a Pegasus and an earth pony born to the same two parents.”
“I need to brush up on my genetics, it would seem,” Twilight thought aloud, staring off into the distant bookshelves.
“And I get along with them just fine. Airy can push my buttons sometimes, but that’s expected. Warden and I confide each other all the time. We’re best friends, and I respect him.”
“Is that so? Warden was here not too long ago, you know, and he seemed pretty upset about something. Do you know what it was?”
Tinder shook his head solemnly. “I confronted him about it, but he told me to ask him later.”
“You should probably go do that. It’s getting late, and Spike needs to do his chores anyway—” Then Twilight noticed Spike was missing for the first time. He’d already done most of his chores, and was cleaning the dinner dishes as they were speaking. “—and…stuff.”
“Well…yeah, you’re right,” Tinder conceded. “This was a great evening. I feel alot better now. Earlier I’d been upset about leaving the city, but now I think Ponyville won’t be nearly as bad as I thought.”
“I’m glad. That was the whole idea, after all.”
It dawned on Tinder that he had not been on a date, and that Twilight was in fact just warming him up to life in Ponyville this whole time instead. He started to blush in embarrassment and hid his face before the heat in his cheeks became apparent. “Thanks again,” he said as he started for the door.
“Wait, Tinder!” Spike called. “You forgot your book!”
In the commotion of the afternoon, he’d nearly forgotten what he’d come to the library to get in the first place. His face turned even more red, and both Twilight and Spike could see it when Tinder turned around. He took the book from Spike, set it in his bag, and bolted for the door. Once he was outside, the cool evening air began to reduce his rising body temperature. His day had not amounted to anything significant, but Tinder had gotten to know some of the ponyfolk in town. In that short time over dinner, he’d discerned what kind of pony Twilight was as well: kind, generous, talented and smart.
Pretty, too, he thought to himself.
But suddenly that wasn't important to Tinder. Right now, he had an older brother who needed his attention, and family always came before new friends. He rushed into town, heading to Surgarcube Corner as fast as he could.
-~-~-~-~-~
Felicity bounced alongside Applejack as the trio made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. The sun was still setting, and Ponyville was starting to wind down for the day. Apple Bloom made a remark every few minutes about how hungry she was, much to Felicity’s irritation. She was hungry also, and her new friend’s constant reminders were not helping her cope. As they passed by Sugarcube Corner, Apple Bloom let slip another comment.
“Hey Applejack, can we get some food at Sugarcube Corner?” she asked.
“We’re gettin’ dinner when we get home, so no.”
“Ms Applejack,” Felicity tried, “I’d like to say ‘hi’ to Mr. Warden, and he’s working the day shift with Ms Pinkie Pie. Could we stop here please? I promise not to ask you for food.”
“Oh...well, alright. Ah guess we can pop in there. But remember, we’re not buyin’ anythin’.” Applejack looked to her sister. “Understand, Apple Bloom?”
“Uh huh,” she replied, disappointed. Applejack strode ahead to open the door, and Felicity nudged her friend with a wink and a smile. Together they waltzed inside and immediately saw what they wanted: sweets. Pies, cakes and muffins lined the interior of the shop, filling the air with a delectable scent that left the fillies drooling in place.
“Hey there, Pinkie Pie,” said Applejack, addressing her friend. The mare was moving a pie from the foyer to the kitchen, accompanied by a burly blue stallion. “Hello again, Warden.”
“Evening, Applejack,” replied Warden evenly.
“Hey!” burst Pinkie. “What’re you guys doing here?”
“Felicity wanted ta’h say ‘hi’. Oh, an’ I wanted ta’h ask ya’h if there was a chance ya’ll still had that delicious recipe for candy apple coating?”
“Nope! We just returned it to the library,” said Pinkie, dismayed. “Sorry.”
“Actually, Pinkie,” Warden interjected, “I wrote that recipe down after we found it. I have it in the kitchen, if you want me to get it.”
Pinkie blinked at Warden. “Why’d you write it down? It was in the cookbook!”
“I wanted to be able to make it again. That batch of candy coating we made earlier was delectable, but I neglected to save any for my family. I figured I could take it home.”
“Well, shoot, that’s convenient,” said Applejack happily. “Mind if I get a copy of that there recipe, chef Lightheart?”
“Your flattery has swayed me,” laughed Warden.
He led Applejack into the kitchen and disappeared behind the swinging doors. Pinkie watched them until they were gone, then turned to Apple Bloom and Felicity, who were staring wide-eyed at her.
“Pinkie Pie, we’re rilly hungry,” explained Apple Bloom quickly. “Got any free goodies?”
“Well, let’s see...” replied Pinkie, thinking for a moment. “I don’t know about free, but I do have some delicious cookies—”
“They have to be free,” Felicity cut in. “And Applejack can’t know about it, see?”
The mare’s eyes lit up. She understood what they were getting at. “Okie dokie...lemme see what I can do.”
Then Pinkie peered around behind the counter and started rummaging through the objects behind it. Every passing second, the two filly friends grew more and more impatient. Felicity began tapping her hoof rapidly in an attempt to remind Pinkie Pie that time was an issue. Finally, after many aggravating seconds, the pink mare returned to view with a large, gray jar. She opened the lid, reached inside, and grabbed two wrapped pieces of candy.
“Ah!” exclaimed Felicity. “Perfect.”
“This is my leftover stash from Nightmare Night,” explained Pinkie. “It’s not much, but...it’s free!”
“Well, it’s good enough f’er me,” said Apple Bloom, taking the piece of candy in her hoof and unwrapping it. “Thank ya’h kindly, Pinkie Pie.”
“Don’t mention it!” Then she skipped back into the kitchen to fetch Applejack and Warden.
Felicity looked around at the various sweets and pastries, unable to decide what was the correct course of action. She had to be an example to Apple Bloom, so stealing was out of the question, but on the other hoof she was really hungry. It wasn’t until the three older ponies returned from the kitchen that her mind was made up. “What’d you make, Warden?”
“Huh? Like, just now?”
“No,” Felicity corrected, “today! Like, what’ve you been doing all day?”
“Baking,” he replied flatly. “I made a batch of cookies, a few pies, a birthday cake—”
Pinkie Pie jumped in front of him. “—for somepony! That you don’t know.”
“I also made a few cupcakes, with Pinkie’s help. They turned out really good.”
“Really?” Felicity’s voice implied disbelief, and Warden gave her a quizzical stare. “I didn’t know you could bake so many sweets. I’m sure Ms Pinkie Pie helped you out a lot, though—”
“Hey now,” Warden argued. “I’m a decent baker, I’ll have you know. I used to make the orphans sweets all the time! Don’t you remember—”
“Yeah, yeah, you made really nice cookies. I’m talking about this cake you mentioned.”
Warden stopped cold. He dare not fall into the trap. He would not succumb to her provoking. “No, you can’t have any.”
“Then I don’t believe you made a cake at all,” she replied flatly. “I want to see the cake, or I’ll just assume you’re lying to impress me.”
Applejack opened her mouth to say something, but Warden beat her to it. “Little Missie, I’m not falling for it. Applejack has already told me what you two are having for dinner, and if I were you, I’d leave room for plenty of real food.”
That got Apple Bloom’s attention more than anything else. “What’d she say? What’d you say, sis? What’s fer dinner?”
Applejack laughed. “We’re havin’ a good ol’ fashioned Apple Family dinner. Ah even invited Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle an’ Rarity over; that’s how much food there’s gonna be.”
At the mention of Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Felicity lost control of Apple Bloom. “C’mon, Felicity! We need to get ta’h the farm, now!”
“What?!” Felicity cried, unable to fathom being beaten twice in one day. “Why?”
“Ah can’t tell ya’h. It’s somethin’ ya’h gotta experience.”
“What, a good ol’ fashioned Apple Family dinner?” She tried and failed to copy the southern accent. “It sounds nice, but what does it entail?”
By then, Applejack had already started for the door, and Apple Bloom lacked the patience to answer more questions. Instead, she dragged her slightly taller friend out the door and into the evening sunset as they made all haste for the farm. Inside the Corner, Warden was breathing slowly, trying to get a grip on himself.
“You almost blew it!” Pinkie finally exploded.
“I’m aware,” Warden replied glumly. “Sorry, Pinkie.”
She perked up. “It’s okay. I don’t think she caught on.”
“I appreciate the help with all this. I’m glad the Mayor put me here as my job.”
“Me too! I love meeting new friends.” Then Pinkie hopped toward the kitchen. “Now, c’mon! We need to get this party set up, and we’ve only baked one layer of the birthday cake!”
Warden obliged her, following back into the kitchen. It was going to be a long night of endless baking, but it would be worth it. Come tomorrow, everything would be ready, and he could relax for a little while.
-~-~-~-~-~
Felicity's eyes widened as she stepped into the Apple family dining room. A burly red stallion was carrying out a large plate of steamed vegetables while an elderly green mare set plates around the table. The expansive chamber was very plainly decorated, but the table itself had been specifically dressed up with white candlesticks and a horn of plenty. Various scents emanated from the kitchen area beyond, all of them suggesting apple-related desserts. Apple Bloom, trying to be a good host, pulled a chair out for her friend. “Sit next t'ah me, Felicity!”
She obliged, taking a seat at the chair offered to her. The rest of the Apple family sat down as well, with all the food on the table before them.
Applejack spoke up. “Well, let's dig in—”
“Woah, now,” said the stallion. “What about our guests?”
“Oh, right. Felicity, this here's Big Macintosh and Granny Smith, my brother and my...granny.”
“WHO'S THERE?” cried Granny Smith, confused.
“Nice to meet you both,” said the filly sweetly. The family was so tight-knit, it made Felicity a bit jealous of Apple Bloom. She wished she had a family like her.
“Ah didn't mean her,” Big Macintosh corrected. “Ah meant Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”
“They're not here yet?” Applejack remarked, confused.
“Nope.”
“They did get invited, ra'ght?”
“Eeyup.”
“...Well, I guess we can start without—”
A loud knocking resounded throughout the room. Applejack, almost as hungry as the fillies by this time, stood up grumpily and made her way to the front door. Behind it stood three ponies; Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo both ran past Applejack on their way to the food, but Rarity waited outside.
“Applejack, I'm so sorry we're late,” she said wearily. “I had to...err, talk with Sweetie Belle.”
“About school, ah reckon?”
“Yes. Why? How did you know?”
“Tinder told me earlier today about what happened. He's fairly sure that Sweetie Belle didn't do nothin' wrong willingly.”
“You mean, like, she was forced to?!”
“Not necessarily. Ah mean, she was...entah'ced. Long story short, Tinder said it won't happen again.”
“Oh...well, alright then,” Rarity replied cautiously. She found the notion of her sister acting up in school just as ridiculous as Applejack had, but the hollow promise didn't seem to appease her. “Take care of them both, and...”
“Yup, we'll take good care of 'em. Well, good-na'ight, Rarity.” Then she slammed the door shut and turned to go eat, when suddenly another knock on the door sounded. Applejack almost didn't go back to open it, but when the knocking persisted, she conceded. Rarity was still there, a mild frown and irritated eyes glowering back at her. “What?”
“You're not going to invite me in for dinner?” she whined.
“Wha—” Applejack stopped, realized what she was doing, then replied with a hint of sarcasm, “Oh, sorry. Rarity, won't ya'h join us for dinner?”
“I'd be delighted, darling!” Rarity replied happily, not noticing the sarcasm. “Thank you.”
Applejack shut the door and the two friends trotted into the dining room together. Rarity stopped to observe the decor, but remained silent until she went to sit down. “What's the occasion?”
“No occasion,” replied Applejack. “Just thought we'd have a nice dinner, s'all.”
“I have a hard time believing that,” Rarity replied with an inquiring glare. “You seem awful short with me today, Applejack. What's bothering you?”
“A'hm hungry!”
Rarity sat down at the table. “That's no excuse to be rude.”
Applejack didn't reply. By then, she had already stacked a heaping pile of vegetables onto her plate and was getting ready to chow down. Likewise, everyone else started gathering food from the table, and the ceremonial stuffing of faces commenced. The only sounds anyone heard after that was the smacking of lips and the crunching of various vegetables being devoured hungrily. Everypony was hungry – and understandably so, considering how late in the day it was – but only Rarity maintained her composure in the face of temptation. Felicity, who was across the table from her, spoke up between mouthfuls.
“Ms Rarity, aren't you hungry?”
“Yes, I'm famished.”
“Then why aren't you eating?”
“I am, dear, just not as...rapidly as everypony else. I'm a lady, and just because I'm hungry doesn't mean I can throw manners out the window, so to speak.”
Felicity looked down at her plate and considered how much she had eaten. Watching Rarity control herself in the face of temptation had reminded her that she had promised Tinder she would behave. Slowly, Felicity picked up a piece of steamed carrot and took a small bite, chewing it meticulously and thoroughly before taking another. Rarity watched in silence as the filly took after her example, and smiled warmly at her.
Dinner continued as scattered conversation drowned out the sounds of dinner. The Cutie Mark Crusaders told Felicity about their clubhouse, and about what they planned to do for the rest of the night, while Rarity conversed with Applejack about the arrangements for the sleepover. Before everypony knew it, all of the food was gone and dessert was brought out. Apple pies, cakes and fritters stacked higher than Felicity were laid out on the table, and soon everypony was scrambling for the biggest pieces. The piece of pie melted in Felicity’s mouth, every bite a steaming journey of appley goodness.
“Wow,” she commented to Applejack. “This is rilly good!”
“Thank ya kindly,” came the reply. “The Apple family takes pride in their apples.”
“I simply cannot stay any longer,” said Rarity suddenly, standing from the dinner table. “Thank you all so much for dinner. It was simply scrumptious.”
“Gotta be somewhere, Rarity?” prodded Applejack curiously.
“I do, actually. I'm meeting Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash at the boutique for a...special preview of my newest line of dresses. I'd invite you to come, Applejack, but you've got your hooves full with the girls.”
“Naw, it's alright. You have fun with yer...uh, dresses.”
Sweetie Belle got up from her seat to hug her big sister goodbye before Rarity strode out the front door. Felicity stared curiously after her, feeling even more jealous of her new friends and their siblings. She wanted what they had; happiness, family and security were scarce growing up in an orphanage. But Apple Bloom, who had gotten out of her chair by that time, took hold of Felicity's hoof and started tugging her toward the door, causing her to lose track of her thoughts.
“C'mon, Felicity! Let's go up to my room!” she said anxiously.
“Yeah! We need to get as much crusading done as we can.” Scootaloo added.
“Y'all need to remember to go to bed early,” said Applejack curtly. “The summer's over, and y'all have school in the mornin'.”
“We will!” called Apple Bloom as she yanked Felicity out of the dining room. Up a flight of stairs and around a corner the little squad ran, running as fast as their little legs could carry them until they reached a moderately spacious room. Scootaloo locked the door behind them and Sweetie Belle dove into her overnight bag, pulling out of it three stitched capes with a large, blue emblem sewn into it. Each of the three fillies donned one, then looked at Felicity quizzically.
“We'll need to make you a cape,” noted Scootaloo.
“When I said I wanted to be a part of this, I didn't know it entailed wearing a silly cape,” laughed Felicity. “Who made those?”
“I did!” Sweetie Belle chirped.
“They're cute and all, but they’re...I don't know. Funny.”
“Have some pride,” Scootaloo interjected. “We're the Cutie Mark Crusaders, after all. We want the world to know our quest!”
“Speakin' of which,” Apple Bloom said, “you told us you know the secret to gettin' a cutie mark.”
All three fillies looked at Felicity pleadingly, who stared back with amused disbelief. “No, seriously, it's not a secret. All it takes is time.” They all fell to the ground, disappointed.
“Aww, that's nothin' new!” moaned Apple Bloom. “Everypony keeps telling us that...”
“Because it's true,” laughed Felicity. “Cutie marks appear when a pony figures out what makes them special. Don't you girls have anything you can do that no one else can?”
They looked at one another inquiringly, then shook their heads.
“Nothing? Really?”
“We know what we can't do,” mused Sweetie Belle. “We've been keeping a list of things to try, and so far we're pretty sure none of us can bake, climb, swim, hang-glide, zip-line, bowl, or hunt chickens.”
“Well, that's not… hunt chickens?”
“Yeah, don't ask.”
“...Well, that's not very productive,” Felicity finished.
A knocking on the door drew the attention of the fillies away from the conversation. Applejack's voice emanated from behind it. “Girls, go to bed. It's gettin' late.”
“Ah, shoot,” Scootaloo pouted. “We didn't get anything done!”
“There's always tomorrow,” Apple Bloom offered. Each of the girls took a spot in the room and laid out a sleeping bag, save Apple Bloom, who simply got into her own bed. She stared at the canopy sheet for a moment while the others got adjusted. “I'm not tired.”
“Me neither,” Felicity agreed. “I usually don't go to bed until Tinder tells me a story.”
“You still need a bedtime story to go to sleep?” laughed Scootaloo mockingly. “You're older than I am, and I don't need that stuff.”
“I don't need it,” Felicity shot back. “It's just...a comfort.”
“Well, maybe Sweetie Belle could sing us a song,” Apple Bloom hinted. Sweetie Belle shook her head.
“No way. I hate singing in front of a group.”
“It's just us here,” Felicity argued, intrigued by the idea.
For a moment, silence fell over the group. It wasn't broken until Sweetie Belle stood up clumsily in her sleeping bag and started humming a few notes. Before long, she was singing a song Felicity had never heard before; it sounded like a lullaby, but Sweetie was singing it too quickly and too loudly for anypony to sleep. However, as the song went on and on, it dawned on the older filly that her new unicorn friend was a talented singer. Sweetie Belle's rendition of 'Hush Now, Quiet Now' ended with impressed silence that lasted a few moments.
Felicity spoke first. “Sweetie Belle, that was...incredible!”
“Yeah, you're totally an amazing singer!” added Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle blushed.
“That might be your special talent,” Felicity said bluntly.
All three of the fillies stared at her, wide eyed. “What?!” they cried in unison.
“No, seriously. That's something very cool, and only Sweetie Belle can do it. Didn't you think of that sooner?” They stared at Felicity blankly. “Girls, I know for a fact that finding your special talent is not something you do by crossing off activities on a list.”
“If you're so sure, wha'y don't you have y'er cutie mark yet?” countered Apple Bloom.
“I'm...I...” Felicity didn't know. She had always wondered why she didn't have a cutie mark; it had never been important before now, so it wasn't a big deal at the time. “Because...I don't know what I'm good at yet, I guess.”
“That's silly!” said Sweetie Belle. “You're really smart! Your cutie mark is probably a brain, or something.”
“Eww! I don't want a brain on my flank!”
The fillies began laughing at the thought of a brain cutie mark. Felicity began to realize then that she was becoming part of a group, something larger than herself. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were here friends. She pondered silently if families were like groups of close friends, like this, but her thoughts were interrupted by the Crusader’s talks of adventures and cutie marks. They continued talking well into the night, up until Applejack once again reminded them to get some sleep. All was silent after that.
-~-~-~-~-~
Tinder was trotting up to Sugarcube Corner when he saw a group of Pegasus ponies fly overhead. They were flying at a leisurely pace and appeared to be carrying supplies of some sort. It caused him to burn with jealousy for the slightest moment; then it occurred to him that it was awful late for ponies to be flying. When they landed at Sugarcube Corner ahead of him, it piqued his curiosity even further. It was too dark for Tinder to identify them individually, but that didn't stop him from going inside after them.
The lights were all on inside Sugarcube Corner. Warden was up on a stool, hanging a pink streamer across the sill of the front door. He looked down at his younger brother and smiled sarcastically. “Is it later already?”
“What's going on?” Tinder inquired.
“I thought you were just messing with me at the library. You really don't remember?”
“Remember what?”
The three Pegasus ponies Tinder had followed inside were all at the back of the store, each carrying a package with decorative wrapping and a colorful bow. He recognized them as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash from the party the night before. The third one turned around to the unicorn and revealed herself to be Airy Lightheart.
“It's Felicity's birthday tomorrow, silly!” she teased him.
Tinder froze. He'd never celebrated a birthday for the orphans before, so it seemed surprising to him that his siblings had remembered something as obscure as Felicity's. “How do you know?”
“Remember that letter Mr. Gardens sent last year, with the donation and the cake?” reminisced Warden. “Airy kept that letter, in case we wanted to contact Mr. Gardens. We have his address; and, slightly more relevant, we have the date he wrote it.”
“So we put two and two together, and boom!” Airy made a waving motion with her hooves. “And now we're throwing a party for Felicity's birthday!”
“But...but why? We never celebrated it before.”
“Well, she's basically family at this point,” Warden said thoughtfully. “We would do the same thing for each other, and we don't know how long we'll have her with us.”
A single tear started forming in Tinder's eye at the thought of Felicity leaving. He blinked it away, shunning the thought along with the tear, but the pang in his heart persisted. He didn't want to think about it now, and he certainly didn't want to acknowledge the truth of the statement. “You're right, Warden. As always. How can I help?”
“It's getting late, and you have to help at school tomorrow, don't you? Go home and get some sleep, and don't let Felicity catch on. After school, just bring her casually over here.”
“Easy enough,” Tinder concluded. Rarity walked in through the door and bid everypony a good evening before using her magic to levitate a roll of streamers and starting to beautify the place only she knew how. Tinder took the opportunity to act on his premonitions from earlier. “Warden, since the streamers are...being taken care of, mind if we talk privately?”
“Oh, yeah...sure.”
The two brothers stepped outside. Warden remained silent as Tinder compiled his thoughts. “What's up with you recently? You're very...solemn.”
“It's Felicity, and this whole party. Airy insisted on the whole thing. You're really attached to the filly, and everyone else loves her too.”
“Yeah? And?”
“As much as I hate to say it...she's not ours to keep. Any day now somepony is going to come and claim her. I'm just scared that when the time comes, you two won’t be able to give her up.”
The pang Tinder felt earlier slowly rose to his throat, cutting off his steady breathing. “Warden, n-now's not the time for—”
“For what? Truth? Tinder, this is what I was afraid would happen.”
“She doesn't want to leave—”
“That's not our decision, or her's.”
Tinder couldn't speak anymore. Everything in him wanted to lash out at Warden, to make him shut up. But it wouldn't make him any less right, and the younger brother knew that in his heart. That was why he was angry, and hurting Warden wouldn't make him feel better about it. Instead Tinder laid his head onto his brother's back and wept for a few minutes, letting the truth of the situation overwhelm him wholly. He couldn't move past this, so he decided to shoulder the burden, as Warden had. He would never act the same around Felicity, and he knew she would catch on to that tomorrow at school.
“I know this'll be hard,” Warden said quietly, “but you need to keep the party a secret. It's the least we can do, considering how much she's meant to us. After all, we wouldn't be here today without her.”
That much was true. Tinder had yet to determine whether or not being in Ponyville was a good thing, but so far he had not been disappointed. And he loved Felicity; she deserved a special party, with all that she'd been through. “I know. I'll...t-try.”
“Good. Get some sleep, alright? Let's not focus on this right now. She's still with us for the time being, and...personally, I want to see to it that this is her best birthday ever.”
“I...agree. Thank you, Warden.”
“Go to bed, Tinder.”
“Yes sir.” The younger brother rarely addressed the older as sir, but when he did, it was out of respect, and never out of spite. They parted ways with a brotherly embrace and Tinder sulked back to the cozy little home their parents had once owned. Warden went back inside to finish up the preparations, unsure if sending the unicorn home by himself was a smart idea.
-~-~-~-~-~
It didn't surprise Herb Gardens that the orphanage doors were locked, yet he felt undeniably sad nonetheless. His daughter would not be here – he had known that prior to his visit – but he had to see the abandoned building for himself. The large glass windows were gray and lifeless, and there was no furniture inside to liven the otherwise dead building. All that remained was a sign on the door, redirecting any orphanage inquiries to the mayor at town hall. After he read the sign, Herb determined that standing still was not going to solve his problems, and that the hopeless scene was not helping him either.
Slowly he made his way deeper into town, trying to find his way around the bustling metropolis. The street signs led him through a busy marketplace on his way to the town hall. Ponies trotted past him without so much as a passing glance, occupied with their daily lives. It saddened his lonely heart to see so many lives wasting away to make ends meet, and yet he sympathized, because he knew what it was like. He'd been there himself not all that long ago.
One pony was busy rearranging his stall on the corner of the market. He appeared to be rotating in some new merchandise; snow globes, by the looks of it. Herb wandered closer out of curiosity and inadvertently drew the attention of the owner.
“Welcome to Dainty Knicknacks. Those globes are on sale, if you're buyin'.”
Herb looked over at Mr. Dainty and smiled apologetically. “No, I'm just...browsing. Sorry.”
“Don't worry about it, stranger. You're dressed awful nice for someone browsing, though.”
“I'm not from around here. I have business with the orphanage.”
“Hmm. Shame, what happened to that place. I had an unfortunate run-in with the young Lightheart unicorn the day before the court hearing.”
Herb, suddenly very interested in the shopkeeper, pressed the issue. “What happened, exactly?”
“Poor boy was trying to save a little girl, and he ran straight into my stall. They payed me back for all the damages, but they kicked the poor boy and his family out of town.”
“And...what became of the orphans?”
“Transferred. All but the Gardens girl; she's with the Lighthearts, as far as I know.”
“AND WHERE ARE THEY?”
Mr. Dainty reeled back in shock. The marketplace had hushed rather suddenly, and Herb looked around to see many pairs of eyes staring awkwardly in his direction. The busy crowd moved on after a few moments of silence, but Mr. Dainty continued to stare blankly at the angry pony before him.
“I'm...not...sure?” he replied meekly.
“Sorry,” Herb apologized. “My name is Herb Gardens. Felicity is my daughter.”
The older pony's eyes widened in revelation. “Oh, that explains a lot! Though, I hate to inform you that I'm not entirely sure where they are now. Some say they left town.”
“How did they leave town?”
“By air, methinks. That's what Warden told me they were going to do when he dropped off my money, but I can’t be sure they actually did it. Not unless they had some extra bits and a place to live outside the city somewhere.”
“Which way is the Transportation Center?” urged Herb anxiously.