//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 
// Story: Maybe Love Bites 
// by Fat1thatyoulove 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 13 – Maybe...Is sometimes all you need

The bright day's sun bounces from the crystally streets and as a results you squint your eyes a little as you continue to hold the trot down the city you have come all too familiar with.

Truthfully, the Crystal Empire has never given you as bad of an experience as Canterlot...But at the sametime you do not understand why your kids decided to pick the two cities you hate the most to live in.

You drift from your thoughts as the mare's voice beside you starts to whittle away at your mind.

"...So what do you want to tell Violet?"

You shift your gaze too the light blue scarf wearing lavender mare as you nod your head a little, "I wasn't planning on saying anything unless she asked."

Twilight gives a little sigh as she drops her head a little, which causes her mane that she had styled like her mothers to part a little around her horn, "A-and you're sure he wasn't coming?"

For a moment you pause as you try to maintain your laid back expression. You did not actually end up telling Twilight what Aerolight said yesterday, instead you went with his first comment and like him you use it here as you shrug, "He has to work."

The word rolls Twilight's eyes as she shakes her head, "I just don't understand why StoneGem wouldn't let him go. Sure he says he can be a little hard headed at times, but everything else he says about Aerolight is good... I just don't understand why he wouldn't let him take the day off?"

Your faked persona starts to fade a little as you give a half smile and nod your head.

Twilight's head shoots up a little as her posture comes up a little, "I think I will have to send StoneGem a letter when we get back."

Your ear flicks to the comment as you speak up, "Maybe we should just let Aerolight do his own thing..." You give a little sigh as you shrug again, "He is a big colt, he can make his own decisions."

The lavender mare's eyes widen a little as she turns to you with a questioning look.

Her stare catches your eye as you squint to her, "What?"

The stare holds for another minute as she cocks her head a little, "I'm starting to think that gray mane is starting to affect your judgement. Maybe I should ask Rarity if she can make some dye in your color when she and Spike get back."

Wanting to forget your thoughts about your distant son you nod your head as you take hold of the light comment with your own quick remark, "If you keep telling Rarity to make mane dye we'll end up blonde or something."

A faint one ha laugh comes up from the mare as she turns her head back from you with a know it all tone, "I'll have you know that my mane doesn't have a gray strand in it, thank you very much."

You lean a little closer to her as you just stare to the mare's mane, all the while making sure the mare sees your lean out of the corner of her eyes.

She does, and finally gives into her questioning as she takes a hoof away from you on the street you both trot down, "There's nothing in their so you might as well not look."

A faint chuckle comes up from you as you take a deep breath, "I'm surprised you would even suggest changing my mane..." You cock a little smile to her as you speak up, "Weren't you the one that said I looked sexy with it like this?"

The mare quickly shakes her head as a faint blush comes to her, "Sexy? I-I don't even think I use that word." Her composure comes back to her fast as she speaks up, "I said you looked very distinguished."

You nod to the comment as you turn your eyes to the two story house that now comes within a few hooves.

Twilight's voice changes a little as she looks to the door you both quickly approach, "I hope Futty told us the right time to show up..."

Her hoof comes to the door as you both stall outside for the moment.

However, the door quickly comes open as you both blink a little surprised to the duller dark blue unicorn stallion at the door.

"Dad?" Twilight gives a little smile to the older stallion as Night Light steps aside, "I was wondering when you two would show up." The mane that no longer comes to a point in front of his eyes like it use to holds his smile as he watches you and Twilight come inside, "...I was surprised we we're able to make it here before you two. Aren't you supposed to be the younger couple?"

His eyes come to you as you pass by him, "Or maybe not."

You give a little smile to the grayless maned stallion as you nod to him, "Hello Night Light." The stallion returns the little nod as you now shift your eyes to the four other ponies sitting in the little living room.

However, your eyes lock to the light purple mare that now stands from her seat on the couch as she trots over towards you and Twilight.

"How you doing sweetie?" Twilight steals the first hug as you instead turn your head back to the three stallion in the room as you nod to them.

Sparky now stands from his own seat as he trots past the older darker coated pegasus with dark blue mane and a duller red stripe that zigg and zaggs through the mane. It is a little weird to see Sparky's dad Volt here, but you quickly pass the thought off as you realize it really would not be fair for the stallion to be trapped in a room of Sparkles.

You quickly turn your eyes to where the white stallion sits in a chair off to the side. But before you can speak up to either of the three ponies in the room your eyes come to the light purple mare that has now moved to you.

Without question you bring a hoof around her as you bring her in for little hug, you whisper into her ear as you hold the embrace for a moment, "Hey Violet..."

Like most things in your life that have brought that warm fuzzy feeling of being a dad, it comes to an end as the other stallion comes up towards you with a little smile and voice, "Hi Mr.Sparkle."

You open your half shut eyes as you release the mare from your hold. It's always kind of struck you as odd how the younger pegasus has continued to call you by your last name...But probably telling him that you would break his wings if he ever did anything to your little girl probably had a lasting effect...Especially seeing as how it was their wedding day.

Either way, you give a friendly nod to him as Violet starts to move from your side.

Night Light quickly moves to reclaim his seat at the comfortable couch before you or Twilight can even move. Shining's now ringing out voice actually aids him in his little quest, "What kept you two huh? I know Princess Celestia couldn't have had you doing anything today, she was way to busy with yesterday's little get together."

Twilight's voice comes up to the comment as she starts to trot a little more into the room, "What was that for anyways?"

Shining just waves his hoof to the comment as he speaks up, "Honestly I have no idea. But it was in no way a Grand Galloping Galla."

Not really knowing what he's talking about you turn your attention back to the two young ponies as your eyes catch Violet's hooves.

The slight smile to your face fades as you look over her smile, "Aerolight?..." You blink for a moment trying to come up with something to say as you just shrug a little, "He had to work-..." Your words quickly falter the mare's smile a little and as a result you change your words as you continue, "But he should be able to stop by later."

Violet nods her head but before she can speak her hooves up another mare's voice comes up as the white mare finally pokes her head from around the half wall that blocks the kitchen, "I knew my mind wasn't playing tricks on me."

Your eyes turn a little towards the sauce and food stained apron the mare has on as she beckons Violet and Twilight, "Violet now that your mother is here I think it's time for one of you to learn how to cook something."

The words flick the lavender mare's ear for a moment but she stays silent as she just trots into the already cramped kitchen that the alicorn mare stands in. Violet follows after the words as Sparky now nods to you.

"Velvet won't let anypony in the kitchen."

The stallion's comment brings a little smile to your face as you start to follow after him into the living room the stallions in the house now have control over.

- - -
(A little later)

The conversations in the close to tightly packed room have held a warming feel that can and will melt away any bad feelings that anypony has.

Truthfully, a slam packed room of ponies would not be your first idea of a nice get together and the harder wood chair you have sat on definitely adds to that thought. However, you can't help but smile to the conversations that continue to run around the room, sure everypony sitting around you is a stallion instead of your normal group of friends but that actually has a nice appeal to it that you don't normally get in Ponyville.

As the slight laughs of the room begin to die down your ear flicks to the sound of a mare sighing behind you.

You turn your gaze to Twilight as her horn glows bright to float one of the same hard wood dining chairs next to you.

However you bring a little smile to your face as you look over the mare whose coat has a little bit of flour powder in it.

A faint chuckle comes up to you as you like everypony else look over Twilight, "Did you get kicked out of the kitchen?"

"Yes she did."

The quick response of the white mare standing behind your chair makes you jump a little but you turn to her as her voice continues to ring out, "Now everything is ready but the mash potatoes got cold." Her hoof comes up to you as she nods her head to the kitchen, "Care to help dear? Violet is keeping the ice cream cold."

A faint laugh comes up to you as you think to yourself, what kind of diner starts off with ice cream and potatoes? You hold your little smile as you start up from your seat and towards the kitchen, as you trot into the room Velvet's voice comes up, "Alright all you stallions, find a way for us all to sit down and eat."

You stop in the kitchen as your confidence drops a little to the mass amount of bowls and plates that await a feast fit for a king...A smile quickly runs to your face as you move next to the Queen of the city, "Where are the-..."

"Potatoes, here you go." Cadence doesn't turn her head from the bowl in front of her as she wiggles her hoof to the table behind her, "Use the table to set it down on."

You turn your head to the table the slightly bored light purple mare sits at, her horn holds a faint light blue glow to it as a large glass container continues to frost over and over again.

Her eyes shift to you as you set your own bowl of food down, "Feeling better?"

Violet gives a little smile as she nods, however her smile is brought to a halt as Sparky's hooves come over the table.

The stallion who floats a little from the ground gives a little smile as he speaks up, "Sorry Violet we need to move the table."

Violet and your magic quickly pull the food from it as the table slides a little more towards the family room.

You hold your amused smile to the organized chaos of the ponies and flashes of magic in front of your ears bring in the sound of Twilight trying to take command of everypony in the room. You look over the scene as your magic wraps over the bowl next to you with a brighter green glow, note to self, always bring a clipboard for Twilight.

Your thoughts quickly turn back to the bowl of food as you watch a faint bubble of heat pop to the mashed potatoes. A faint wheezing laugh comes up from the chair the light purple mare sits at as she holds the cold container in her lap for the moment.

You cock a little smirk to it as you trot a little aimless from her, just wanting to try and walk off the fact you most likely just ruined your one job.

As you take a little step from the kitchen however your ears pick up a faint sound to your right.

Knock knock knock...

You freeze a little to the sound as you turn your head to the door, but you only stare blankly to it for a moment as you quickly open it.

The sudden and quick opening of the door takes the dark cream stallion by surprise as you and him both lock eyes for a moment. Beside you the mash potatoes still float but that doesn't take the stallion's eyes as he speaks up with a low voice, "A-am I late?"

You shake your head as he nods.

"Dad...I'm sorry." The words crack a sad and proud smile to your face as you quickly jet your hooves forward in a big hug to the stallion.

Aerolight doesn't fight the embrace as he closes his eyes for the moment just to enjoy it... However you break the hug as you try to hold some kind of light hearted and understanding feel, "Here." You float the slightly hot bowl to the stallion as he quickly brings his hoof up to it to stop it from falling.

You cock a little smile to the stallion as a faint tear in your eye pops up, but you hold your voice as you speak up, "You get to set the mash potatoes out."

Aerolight nods as he trots in with a smile to all the ponies in the house.

Violet is the first to notice the stallion's trot as her magic to the frozen block of ice cream drops a little, she quickly takes hold of it as she stands from her seat and trots to the stallion for a hug.

The young stallion takes hold of the embrace as he speaks up, "Hey sis...You doing alright?"

However, the light hearted moment that you got the chance to see is brought to an end as Velvet trots over to float the two items from the poines, "Oh hiAerolightTakeyourseat."

The rushed voice brings a little chuckle to the stallion as he and Violet turn their attention to the sight you now shift to.

Your smile drops as you look over the way Twilight had them set the table.

The couch and two comfortable chairs have been pushed up to the dinner table and a few end tables that the ponies must have gotten from upstairs or something.

Most of the chairs don't match and half are not even from the room, but you ignore that fact as you come towards the makeshift table that starts to be set by all the unicorn's magics that spark to the room.

You find your seat next to Twilight towards the middle as you sit back to the uncomfortable chair you left.

However as you listen to all the conversations around you a smile starts to creep over you. Sure most of the comments are just complaints about why you all are not in the castle but as you look around the table you realize something...

You came to this world leaving..your family, and friends and later  even your memory. A faint chuckle comes up to you as the chatter around the room pounds a little to your ears. However you just push the noise aside as you move a hoof to rest on the lavender mare beside you.

The know it all voice comes down from it's commanding as she gives you a little smile to the hoof squeeze you give her left hoof. However the fact she has no idea why you're smiling only widens your content grin as you take a relaxing breath that fills your nostrils with all of the food that starts to float around the table.

End of chapter 13