//------------------------------// // Chapter 8 // Story: Taboo // by Hooves Like Jagger //------------------------------// 8 “No. Let me down.” “Dude, we’re not letting you down before you fess up.” “This doesn’t change anything. I’m not telling any of you about it.” “That’s not fair dude.” “I’m not the one who rigged a trip wire in the middle of the barracks. I appreciate the effort, but once a superior officer sees me hanging from the ceiling it’ll be over,” Thunderhead said, glaring at his fellow guards from his position on the ceiling. The sun was up and he just wanted to get some sleep, but once again the ponies who were supposed to be his comrades were causing him trouble. He glared right at Sprout, who seemed to be the ringleader. “Whose idea was this even?” “It was mine,” a voice said as a hooded figure emerged from the shadows. It seemed like a rather dramatic and menacing entrance considering the situation, but once the pony pulled back her hood it became clear why such bravado was used. “Princess Luna?!” “I desire to know the details as well, Sergeant Thunderhead,” the princess of the night said, throwing off the rest of her cloak. She was wearing puppy print pajamas underneath, suggesting she was supposed to be sleeping herself. It wouldn’t be clear to an outsider why Luna would show up in such a guise among her guards, but the present company had already become accustomed to how her often outlandish habits clashed with her serious demeanor. The trip-wire trap she had rigged up was a prime example. “It was I who provided that this may come to pass, so you will deliver a report on your recent progress.” “I’m not supposed to discuss the details of my assignment with the others,” Thunderhead said, reminding Luna of her own policy. “I’m not supposed to discuss it with anypony but you.” “Then I give you my permission to tell anypony you wish,” Luna said, not one to be denied what she wanted. “Things around the castle have been rather boring as of late, so I wish to hear of your activities. I believe they may amuse me.” “With all due respect, Princess Luna, I’d rather not talk about it. This is my personal life we’re talking about.” Thunderhead couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with the Princess of all ponies. His life wasn’t some kind of soap opera for her to watch and enjoy. “I can understand your hesitation… but I do not really care. You will tell me what I want to know.” As previously stated, Luna was not to be denied. “State for the record officially whether you and Rainbow Dash are an item!” “Is that all you want to know?” “Just tell us this one thing,” Luna said, crossing her heart. “You will be released afterwards.” “C’mon man, just tell us,” Sprout said, imploring him to speak. Others joined in, kindly asking him to answer just one question. Thunderhead heaved a sigh. He couldn’t very well sleep upside down. “Yeah, me and Rainbow Dash are an item.” “Ah-ha! I knew it!” Luna cheered with a chorus of oohs and aahs from the other guards. “Tell us the details!” “You said you would release me if I answered that question!” “I have changed my mind!” Luna shouted, rocking the poor stallion from where he hung. “There are many facets of your relationship that fascinate me. Your time together is very limited, so how are you dealing with that?” “Night after night alone with her,” Sprout shouted up at him. “I think I know how they’re spending time.” The crowd made some very suggestive noises, taunting Thunderhead. “This is ridiculous! I’m not going to tell you guys about that stuff!” “Your Princess demands it!” Luna got the crowd riled up and soon the din they were making was becoming unbearable. Thunderhead felt himself turning red, never having been one to kiss and tell. His relationship with Rainbow Dash was probably the strangest he’d ever had, but not altogether disagreeable. He hadn’t actually talked to anypony about it, but maybe it was time to change that. Even if these guys were just looking for juicy details, it couldn’t hurt to get some outside opinions on it. “Alright, alright. I’ll tell you,” Thunderhead said, calming the crowd down. The guards and Princess quickly fell silent, ready to listen and make snap judgements. “Okay… the first thing you need to understand is that Rainbow Dash has never had a special somepony before. She doesn’t really care what normal ponies think constitute ‘going out.’” “We don’t care about that, man,” somepony in the crowd said. “We just wanna know if you two have gone all the way!” There was a murmer of agreement. “Well… there’s a lot of cuddling and making out, but no. We haven’t ‘gone all the way.’” “Why not?” Luna shouted all of a sudden. “Is it because there is a child in the house?” Even if Luna was kind of kooky for a Princess, it was weird for everypony to hear her talking about this. “I don’t really know why not. We just don’t, alright?” “Have you even tried?” somepony asked. “Yeah, I tried once…” There they were again, laying close on the couch and necking like a couple of teenagers without a responsible adult in the room. Rainbow Dash’s neglected book lay open on the floor where she dropped it once she’d finally given into Thunderhead’s advances. Even on nights she claimed to just want to snuggle a bit, it was easy to tempt her into more once Taboo was off to bed. Most nights he didn’t even have to. Thunderhead had already told himself that tonight was the big night. Now was the time to take things to the next level. It had been a little over a month since their relationship technically began. He originally thought Rainbow Dash would initiate it on her own, but he decided on his own that showing that he was ready could help her along. From where he lay on top of her, he was in the perfect position to get things moving. He started slow, caressing her side with his forehoof. He met no resistance as he moved down towards her flank, even getting her to giggle a bit as he traced its edges. He gently moved up the outside of her leg, caressing it lovingly without going anywhere too sensitive. She jerked a little when he touched her hooves, a place he had learned she was tentative about having other ponies touch; however, she relaxed into it, giving him the go ahead to move forward. He stealthily moved his hoof to the other side of her hoof, to the inside. Carefully and cautiously, he made the long journey back down towards his final goal. He went as easy and steady as he could down to the first bend of her leg, all the while doing his best to keep the brunt of her focus upstairs. He was so close he thought he was practically there. A little further, and the couch would graduate from just being a make out spot. He thought this up until the point Rainbow Dash practically threw him off of said couch. With his back on the floor and his legs in the air, he could clearly see Rainbow Dash’s cross expression staring down at him. “Out.” “Huh?” “Outside, now,” she said, pointing towards the door. “But, I-” “I said now!” Rainbow Dash raised her voice to a harsh whisper, still conscious of the other pony sleeping upstairs. When Thunderhead didn’t move fast enough, she got up and started pushing him towards the door. She ignored all his apologies and attempts to explain himself, shoving him out into the dark on his lonesome and locking the door behind him. “You only tried one time?” Sprout asked. “She made her position on the matter pretty clear,” Thunderhead replied. “I’m not an idiot. Besides, I’m not going to force her into it. If she wants to wait, that’s fine. I don’t plan on going anywhere in the foreseeable future.” “Sounds like you’re serious about this,” Luna said, a smile of a more innocent nature appearing on her face. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this serious about a mare before,” Thunderhead said, blushing profusely. Even if he was in the midst of it, talking about his relationship was embarrassing. “It’s not just about me and her, it’s about Taboo as well. I don’t want anything else but to spend the rest of my life with them as close as possible. It’s come to the point where I can’t even imagine anything else. I love them.” “Well, you’ve far surpassed my expectations, Sergeant Thunderhead,” Luna said, releasing the rope trap. The guard fell to the ground, catching himself in midair with his wings before crashing face first into the floor. He set himself down carefully and bowed before his Princess. “Since you’ve made such a considerable stride forward, I am promoting you to Master Sergeant.” “Really? I mean, I feel like I don’t deserve it,” Thunderhead said, being completely honest. His job had become loads easier in the past two months and all he did was play with Taboo, get physical with Rainbow Dash, and then keep watch after both girls were in bed. “Do not belittle the value of this gift. You have much heart and compassion, Thunderhead,” Princess Luna said. “These are things superior officers need, so keep up the good work. Perhaps one day this assignment will come to an end, and then you can pursue something you believe is worthy getting promoted over.” “Promotions are the last things on my mind, your highness.” “Such a good solider.” Luna let out a long yawn. “Forgive me, but it seems time for us night-dwellers to turn in for the day. Off to bed everypony.” There were a few grumbles from some of the other guards, like a bunch of foals who wanted to stay up late. Their mother scolded and urged them into bed, but Thunderhead needed no further pushing. He gladly retreated to his bunk and got comfortable. Despite how easy his job felt, it always left him exhausted. Rainbow Dash put down her hammer and wiped the sweat off her brow. This Spring was a temperate one, the kind a pony feels compelled to do some work outside. She never fancied herself a carpenter, but today she was helping to add another room onto Fluttershy’s house. After getting married, Time Turner had moved out of his store’s attic and into her place since it was an actual house. There was room enough for them and the rest of the critters around, but the times were changing. The need for a new room on the house had arisen, so Fluttershy’s friends heeded the call to help. Everything was changing. Not just the form of Fluttershy’s house, but the form of her family as well. Not just Fluttershy’s either, as Rainbow Dash could see everypony in her circle of friends slowly shifting towards a new phase in their lives. She sensed that what had started when she adopted Taboo was starting to pick up momentum. The times where just the six of them could gather together whenever it suited them was coming to a close. Times like these were becoming fewer and farther between, but in turn the time was much more gratifying and meaningful. The give evened out the take, in a sense. “A little more to the left.” Rainbow Dash sat down and took a quick rest, picking up her canteen and taking a deep pull. She hadn’t done some good old fashioned manual labor in a while. Practicing flying was one thing, but a body gets used to the same routine day in and day out. A pony needs to throw their system for a loop occasionally. She sat there, examining her own handiwork while Rarity critiqued Pierce’s. “It needs to be higher.” Pierce wasn’t much of a carpenter either. “No, that’s too high.” Neither was Rarity. “Do you want to do it yourself?” Pierce asked, getting frustrated over where to nail down his board. “I’m more of an interior designer than an exterior designer,” Rarity said, smiling at him from her spot in the shade. “Perhaps Applejack will know better.” Applejack was actually something of a carpenter. “If y’all ask me, we should take a cue of Dash ‘ere and take a little break,” the farmpony said, putting down her own tools. The rest of the group agreed quickly, stopping their current duties and moving over to the shade. The sun stood at high noon over the ponies who had been working since it came up, and considering their collective experience in the area of construction they had made impressive progress. “Do you think we’ll finish today?” Twilight asked, resting beside Spike. The dragon looked absolutely swamped, having done most of the heavy lifting while Twilight made sure everything was just so. Between her, Rarity, and Time Turner there were plenty of picky ponies to go around today. “I reckon we could,” Applejack replied. “For just a couple of mares and two stallions, I’m honestly impressed with how well everythin’ is going. I almost don’t wanna go and jinx it.” “We’re pretty much doomed to be jinxed,” Spike pointed out. Something had to go awry, even if just slightly. That’s just how the universe works. “But I’m not stopping until it’s done. I’ll go all day if I have to.” “Oh, you don’t have to go that far,” Fluttershy said. She hadn’t even really wanted her friends to do the larger part of the labor, but she couldn’t stop their collective desire to help. “I’m sure me and Timey could handle it on our own.” “Nonsense Fluttershy.” Rarity stopped her friend before she could say anything too ridiculous. “Turner is just one pony and you are one pregnant pony. You must keep your hooves on the ground and your body at rest. Just leave this to us!” Pierce’s eyes rolled at the world “us,” but other than that everypony was in agreement. “I-I’m not that pregnant yet…” “Please just take it easy, sweetheart,” Time Turner told his wife for the thousandth time. Any other mare would have quickly used their pregnancy as an out to hard work, but Fluttershy didn’t want to put her friends out if she didn’t have to. Time Turner’s job was to get her to believe she had to. “Besides, the sentiment behind the nursery will be so much more if your friends all work together to help build it.” “Well, I suppose…” “Supposin’ is good enough,” Applejack said before she could get any further. “We ain’t electricians, carpenters, or plumbers, but we are your friends. Just let us do what we can for you.” “Here, here,” Rarity said. “We know you’d insist on doing the same for us. It’s only fair we do the same for you.” “Oh, but I haven’t done anything yet!” Fluttershy argued. It was difficult to sway her on this issue. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was clearly spaced out. Twilight was the first to notice the familiar, far away expression on her friend’s face. She looked like that a lot nowadays, but Twilight could understand. She often felt contemplative these days as well. “You holding up there, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, checking in with her. Rainbow Dash’s awareness flitted back down from where it was and settled slowly in the present. She smiled and nodded, a poor indication of holding up well. “Got a lot on your mind?” “Yeah, I guess so.” She could admit this easily. Her concerns were her friends’ concerns after all. “There’s just a lot going on.” “But isn’t it exciting?” Rarity asked, jumping into the conversation. “A nursery for Fluttershy, a birthday party for Taboo, and then I’m getting married! Don’t look so glum! These are all good things!” “I know that,” Rainbow Dash said, struggling to put to words why she felt the way she did. “It’s just busy, you know?” “I suppose, but it’s worth it isn’t it?” Rarity leaned into Pierce, who was still uncomfortable with public displays of affection. He blushed and put a hoof around her, doing the best he could. “At least the summer looks to be relaxing.” “I’ll say!” Pinkie Pie said, suddenly appearing in the group. “Pinkie.” “Yes?” The earth pony spun around and faced Rainbow Dash. “You left your post again.” “Oh… Oh!” Pinkie Pie quickly jumped into action and started bouncing back where she came from. Rainbow Dash heaved a sigh and planted her face in the ground. “I still have trouble believing the Cakes trust her to foalsit.” “It’s Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said. “Stranger things have happened to that mare.” “I need to find somepony more reliable to foalsit,” Rainbow Dash said, in a hushed tone just in case Pinkie Pie was still around. “I mean, I’m find with her keeping an eye on Taboo while the twins are around, but I need to find somepony that I can trust with Taboo alone.” “Well, you’ve got time to find somepony,” Twilight reminded her. “Your commitments aren’t taking you away from her quite yet.” “Well, they will one day.” Rainbow Dash knew this all too well. Being a Wonderbolt and a parent meant being away, and being away for most of the day. “Well, I have a solution.” All eyes turned to Rarity. “Just find yourself a nice coltfriend to look after her during the day.” Everypony started laughing at the joke, but Rainbow Dash’s laugh was somewhat halfhearted. “Yeah… imagine me in love with somepony.” Her heart fluttered a little, but she didn’t dare show it. With Pinkie Pie gone, Taboo and the twins could catch their breath for a moment. The mare was fun to be around, but also notably tiring to be around. She played hard, real hard. Anytime mommy had Pinkie watch over her, Taboo had to ask the same question. “Is she always like that?” “Always!” Pumpkin answered, used to the hustle at the spry young age of two. Her brother wasn’t so gung-ho about it, but she didn’t seem to care or notice. “You should try living with her.” “I like where I live,” Taboo replied, not ready to give up the comforts of her true home. “I’ve got mommy and daddy and Tank to play with.” “I’ve never seen your daddy,” Pound said, getting up from where he had been sitting on the ground. “Where is he?” “He only comes out at night. Mommy says it’s because he sleeps all day.” Taboo had never been told why this was the case, but daddy always said it was just part of his job. Having a job was a strange affair to such a young pony. “That doesn’t make any sense,” Pumpkin said. Taboo thought so too, but her parents didn’t like to talk about it much. “If he didn’t sleep all day, he could come out during the day!” “Maybe he doesn’t have to sleep. Pinkie Pie drinks coffee to stay up all night sometimes.” Pound’s idea sounded pretty solid, but Taboo didn’t even know where to get coffee. She would have to ask mommy about it later. “How are we going to meet him if he only comes out at night?” “He promised he would come to my birthday party, even though it’s during the day.” Taboo smiled at her friends, her wings flapping excitedly behind her. “You’re both coming, right?” “There’s no way we’d miss it!” Pumpkin shouted, galloping into Taboo and hugging her hard. “After you missed our birthday party, we can’t miss yours! We just can’t!” “I’m sorry I missed it, but nopony told me it was happening!” “Mom said the invitation got lost in the mail,” Pound told her. “I thought we could go to your house and tell you, but you live in the sky. My wings aren’t strong enough to fly me up there.” “Don’t worry, I won’t miss it ever again!” Taboo was confident she’d done what was necessary to stay in the loop for the next time around. “I had mommy put it on the calendar so I know when it’s coming next year.” “That’s a good idea,” Pumpkin said, squeezing Taboo a little tighter. The hug was already pretty secure, so Taboo thought her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets for a second. “There’ll be plenty of cake!” “Cake is good,” Taboo strained to say. Pumpkin finally released her, allowing her to collapse on the ground and fill her lungs with air again. Sometimes friendship was dangerous. “We’re having it at my party too.” “Good, because I love cake!” Pumpkin threw her hooves into the sky and shouted her love for all to hear. “Other ponies say I’ll just get tired of it because I’m around it all the time, but I doubt that will ever happen!” “Mommy says I can’t have cake too often or I’ll get fat,” Taboo said. “But Grandma says I should eat as much as I can before I won’t be able to. I don’t know what that means, but she always lets me have cookies when I ask!” “Eating lots of cake gives me a tummy ache.” Pound got an odd look from the two fillies. “What? I do. You know that Pumpkin.” “You’re just bad at eating cake.” Pumpkin put her nose in the air and averted her eyes. “You’re no fun to eat cake with. I want to eat cake with Taboo.” “You don’t have to be mean about it.” Pound furrowed his brow and looked around. “When is Pinkie coming back?” “Pinkie was coming back!” Pinkie Pie shouted, appearing behind him before anypony could get a handle on what was going on. “But Pinkie Pie is back now. Sorry I left, but I just got distracted.” “By what?” Pound asked, even though he should have known better by this point. “My friends were out in front of the cottage talking, duh!” Pinkie Pie replied, pointing her hoof in the general direction she’d just been in. There was a considerable distance between her and the cottage in the first place, so it was unknown to anypony how she heard what was going on or how it could distract her. These were questions the younger ponies didn’t need to fret over. “Ready for some more fun?” “Yeah, I’m ready for fun,” Pound answered, looking over at his sister. “I’m all about fun.” “No you’re not!” Pumpkin glared at her sibling. “You’re the most boring of all of us.” “Am not!” “Are too!” “Am not!” “Aww c’mon you two, it was a trick question anyway,” Pinkie Pie said, but the two twins continued without hearing her. She didn’t hear them not hear her either. “I knew you were ready for fun. I mean, who isn’t ready for fun? Maybe you’re not expecting fun, but if fun comes your way you’re ready for it. Who doesn’t want to have fun? I can’t even begin to think about…” “Well, looks like you’re all having fun.” Rainbow Dash alighted on the ground next to Taboo, who was watching the three other ponies try to talk over one another. Taboo gave her a hug and got hugged in kind. “Everything going fine back here?” “Yeah, they’ll stop soon,” Taboo said, getting used to these kinds of shenanigans. “How is the building going?” “We think we’re going to finish today,” Rainbow Dash told her. “Good, because Fluttershy’s foal needs someplace to sleep.” Taboo nodded sagely, even if her knowledge was lacking. “When is the foal coming?” “It won’t be for a little while.” Rainbow Dash smiled. She was glad her kid could get excited about these kinds of things. As a kid herself, Rainbow Dash remembered not caring much about marriages and pregnancies. She was only getting excited about them now as an adult. “Where is she going to get her foal?” Taboo asked, causing Rainbow Dash to freeze up. “Is it the same place Miss Roseluck is going to get hers?” “Ah… well…” “And since Mister Turner doesn’t have wings, are they going to get a foal without wings too?” “I… I can’t rea-” “Are they getting a filly or a colt?” “H-hey, not to change the subject or anything,” Rainbow Dash said, even if it was a blatant lie. “How would you feel about going to grandma’s and grandpa’s this weekend?” “Aren’t they coming here next week?” Taboo asked, tilting her head to the side and forgetting all about her previous queries. “Yes, but it’s nice to visit them at their own house sometimes. They would like that a lot I think.” They would probably be more than happy to have Rainbow Dash and Taboo for the weekend. Her father in particular had been asking quite frequently when she was going to come again recently. Now seemed like an opportune time for a quick visit. Now was a good time to get away from Ponyville for a little while. “Is daddy going to come with us too?” “… You bet.” In fact, he was the motivation for going in the first place. “I’m serious. We need to talk,” Rainbow Dash said as seriously as she could, even with Thunderhead nipping at her neck. It would have been easy to just forget everything and suck face for the night, but this was an issue that needed to be approached. “Knock it off…” Thunderhead complied immediately, sensing the venom in her voice. Even if she was forcing herself to not mess around, he knew better than to go against her wishes in this area. If they needed to have a serious talk, then it was time for a serious talk. It seemed strange that she waited for Taboo to go to sleep before bringing it up, but Thunderhead realized the subject might be even more so serious. “Something up?” “… We’re going to my parents this weekend.” “Oh? … Oh.” Thunderhead realized what this was about. “Planning on introducing your coltfriend to them?” “That’s the plan.” Rainbow Dash didn’t sound all that confident for some reason, which didn’t sit well with Thunderhead at all. “You’re worried about that? Your mom seemed to like me when we first met and your dad sounds like a chill guy,” Thunderhead said, trying to comfort her. He didn’t have much to go off, considering he knew far less about the ponies in question than Rainbow Dash did; however, they weren’t the ponies she was worried about. “I know they’ll probably like you… but there’s something else I need to tell you… about us,” Rainbow Dash said. She was avoiding eye contact with Thunderhead, which was just another factor in how worried he was getting. He got the feeling she wasn’t about to break up with him or anything, but the fact that he had no idea what was on her mind was unsettling. “The truth is… I haven’t told anypony that we’re seeing each other.” “… Anypony as in-” “Everypony.” Thunderhead blinked a few times, still thinking about what he’d been presented with. He wasn’t sure what to think or feel at the moment, mostly because the shape of their relationship was already so nebulous. Rainbow Dash could see the confusion clearly on his face, so she went on to try and explain herself, but even she wasn’t sure how to come to terms with this. “I didn’t tell anypony right away because I was worried I just got carried away with my emotions that night,” Rainbow Dash told him, her reasoning sound so far. “But then we talked it over and put everything out on the table, and that was when I thought I should tell my friends what was going on.” “But you didn’t?” “Before I could tell them, Rarity reveals to everypony that she’s getting married,” Rainbow Dash said. “I didn’t want to steal the spotlight from Rarity, so I just decided to stay quiet about it for the time being. I decide to wait until Fluttershy gets back from her Honeymoon to fess up, but even after she’s back we didn’t all get together for a while. I guess I could have told them on an individual basis, but I wanted to make one announcement and get it over with. Then Fluttershy calls us all together, and so I’m thinking this is my chance, right? That’s when she announces she’s pregnant. Once again, I feel like I shouldn’t overshadow her announcement.” “It’s been a little while since then, right?” Thunderhead asked, still not fully comprehending. “Why haven’t you told them yet?” “Well, it’s been going on for so long now that I don’t want to reveal that I haven’t been totally honest with them.” Rainbow Dash slumped down and put her chin on the couch. It had been eating at her for a while, but it felt good to actually tell somepony about it. She figured it would feel even better to tell her friends that she and Thunderhead were an item, but the guilt still hung. “It’s silly, but I just can’t get around it.” “They’re going to have to know eventually,” Thunderhead said, leaning down to her level. “The longer you hide it, the worse that feeling is going to get. You can’t keep this a secret.” “Yeah, I know.” She really did know, but this was new territory for her. It wasn’t just embarrassing for her to talk about, but it was even a little scary. Rainbow Dash didn’t know how to deal with matters of the heart like this. “But, you’re not mad about it, are you?” “… No, I guess not.” Thunderhead didn’t exactly sound happy about it. He had been concerned that she was having second thoughts about them, but he figured she wouldn’t have lead into this conversation with an offer to meet her parents if she was planning on breaking up with him. That thought scared him out of his wits, scared him more than he cared for. “When the time comes, I’ll help you explain everything.” “If you’re around.” “Yeah, if I’m around,” Thunderhead said, giving her a little nuzzle. Rainbow Dash giggled and returned it in kind. “I’m not around near enough. I wish I could be around all day” “I’m not even sure what I’d do with you all day.” “You don’t?” Thunderhead gave her a kiss. The pair chuckled and exchanged a few more. “I have a few ideas.” “Of course you do,” Rainbow Dash said with her nose pressed against his. “You’re such a guy.” “But I’m your guy.” Thunderhead leaned in, initiating a deep kiss and guiding Rainbow Dash to a more submissive position beneath him. She always squirmed a bit under his power, but only because she was used to being in control. It was a little game they played: he would have to do his best to get her to honestly admit she was enjoying herself. If he couldn’t do it, she would eventually end up on top of him and fall asleep that way. His reward was getting to slowly watch her nod off in his embrace and then tuck her into bed. Either way, he got a pretty good deal. “I do want everypony to know,” Rainbow Dash said, backing out of the kiss. Thunderhead went in and brought her back, but she giggled and escaped once more. “But I’d rather keep you a secret forever than have to give you up.” Thunderhead replied by diving back in and silencing her. He pressed her body against his own and ran a hoof through her mane, as if to say he understood her sentiment; however, Thunderhead didn’t want to be a little secret. He already knew what he wanted, and that was everything. The house of Taboo’s grandparents was full of all sorts of interesting stuff. Left to her own devices, there were plenty of nooks and crannies to poke around. Mommy had shooed her out of the kitchen until it was dinnertime, so Taboo decided she would do a little more snooping around than she had done last time. She had already seen grandma’s studio where she keeps all her paintings. Some of them didn’t look finished or like something Taboo could identify. It was a dark room too, so Taboo didn’t like hanging around there. Grandpa’s office was pretty boring too. There was just paper scattered all over the place with funny writing on them. Taboo couldn’t read, so the written word didn’t do much for her. The only interesting thing in the room was grandpa’s chair which spun and rolled around. Mommy had yelled at her for playing in it, so she would have to wait until grandpa came home to ask him to play with it again. Taboo had also gone through her mommy’s old room from when she had lived in this house. It reminded Taboo of home, but that was probably because both places were decked out in Wonderbolt memorabilia. None of that was interesting to Taboo, so she had given up on that room. She did find an old looking and thick book bound with a strap behind the dresser, but again her inability to read made this discovery a dead end. It had a pretty picture of mommy’s cutie mark on the front though, so there was that. After these rooms turned up nothing fun, Taboo realized she hadn’t even bothered to explore the room she had spent the most time in: the den. There were cabinets and bookshelves and things to look at in that room. The moment she set to looking around, she struck gold. There were a bunch of big books filled with pictures of two ponies she didn’t exactly recognize. One of them was a rainbow maned mare who sort of resembled mommy and the other was a stallion with thick glasses and a stubbly moustache. Taboo wasn’t sure if this was some kind of picture book about this ponies or what, but the pictures told quite the story. In the first part of the book, the two ponies are exploring a city entirely in the clouds. They are always side by side, whether they’re posing with the Wonderbolts or standing in the middle of a cloud arena. They smile little grins in each of the photos, clearly making a happy memory each time. The pictures take a sudden turn as the two ponies are suddenly wearing pit helmets and wandering through a dense forest. Each picture taken is usually of the spectacled pony running from some ferocious beast, the mare posing with a tiny little animal, or some combination of both. There are other pictures of breathtaking vistas against mighty waterfalls and enormous trees. Taboo never knew places like these existed, but she does know she wants to see them herself one day. The book went on and on with pictures, with each location more exotic than the next. The ponies travel into a desert, to the top of a mountain, out across the sea, into the depths of the ocean, and even the innards of a dismal cave. They toured big cities and worked on busy farms, always with those same smiles. Taboo can understand this easily. It is fun to travel around and see new places and have new experiences. She turns the page again, wondering what kind of adventure the two ponies will go on. The next page is blank. The page after it is also blank. Taboo keeps turning and turning, but the rest of the book is completely empty. She didn’t understand why that would happen. Did the ponies stop going on adventures? Why would they do that if they were having so much fun? She set the book aside and picked up the next book, opening it up to its center. “Oh, why can’t you tell me now?” “If I told you why I can’t tell you, that would give the whole thing away,” Rainbow Dash said, keeping her gaze fixed on the pot of water. It wasn’t boiling, much to her chagrin. “But I feel like I already know what it is,” Palette said, pacing around the kitchen and making Rainbow Dash far more nervous than she generally liked to be. Her mother couldn’t help it; she really did have it pretty much figured out already. “I’m counting on you figuring it out on your own,” Rainbow Dash admitted. She was still too embarrassed to say it out loud to anypony beyond Thunderhead, but this was a baby step in the right direction. “Just promise me you won’t make a huge scene.” “Now Dashie, you know I don’t make promises I don’t intend to keep.” “Grandma?” Just then, a little head popped up over and dropped a book on the counter. Palette recognized the book instantly, smiling as she trotted over to Taboo. Rainbow Dash kept her vigil on the pot, but kept her ears trained on her family. “Is this mommy?” “It is mommy,” Palette said, looking down at the glossy photos of the album. “This is her when she was your age.” “She was small.” “The other fillies and colts teased her for being short,” Palette told her granddaughter, which prompted Rainbow Dash to take a more active interest in the conversation. “But what she lacked in height she made up for in enthusiasm. Me and grandpa had a hard time keeping her from flying circles all around the house.” “She could fly?” Taboo asked, glancing back at her wings. She gave them a few clumsy flaps, but she didn’t even feel remotely like she was going to lift off. “Your mom was a natural.” Palette heaved a sigh, remembering how having her precious little foal zipping around the house at breakneck speed was not the ideal situation for a young mother. Flipping through the album and looking at the pictures of her little filly, she marveled at how Rainbow Dash managed to live past six years old. She turned the page to a particularly harrowing memory. “This is your mommy going off to Summer Flight Camp for the first, and last time.” “I guess it is my fault for being too awesome,” Rainbow Dash said, smiling at that particular memory. The way she remembered it, there was no looming terror of possibly losing an only child in a multicolored explosion. “Is that Fluttershy?” Taboo asked, pointing the lanky pegasi cowering behind Rainbow Dash in one of the pictures. “Mmhmm. She went to flight camp with mommy,” Palette said. “Was she a natural too?” “Ah… well, not at flying.” Palette turned the page, hoping to revisit some less frightening memories. It had been a while since she looked through this album, and she wondered what had taken her so long considering all the things that were going on. Memory after memory came flooding back, good times and bad. Taboo listened to each story in turn, completely entranced by every detail. It hadn’t occurred to her that her mommy had once been a filly too, and Palette had nearly forgotten herself. As she passed the time with her granddaughter, she was reminded that her only child wasn’t a child anymore. *Knock knock* “Uh, I’ll get it!” Palette looked up from the album for the first time in a while to see Rainbow Dash galloping to the door. Her heart jumped a little. She followed her daughter, but she moved slowly. Palette wondered where all that excitement went, and where this anxiety was coming from. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Birdie emerged as well. He watched his spouse walk by him and then stop a little ways from the door. He stood next to her, noting how still she was. She wrapped a foreleg around his as they watched Rainbow Dash prep herself to open up the door. Birdie knew this side of his wife. She was probably nervous, panicking, and thinking that she wasn’t letting it show. Maybe she could fool a stranger, but after so many years of being in love with this mare he knew her moods better than he knew his own. Rainbow Dash was a child who could leave the house for half-an-hour and come back with a million scrapes and cuts. This was the child who picked a fight with every colt that looked at her funny. This was the child that broke the sound barrier just to win a race. Nopony could make Palette worry more than Rainbow Dash could. It stood to reason that Palette did all the worrying that Rainbow Dash didn’t. Palette was a mother who was too aware of her foal’s ability to hurt herself. She hated to see her foal hurt; it hurt her. This wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s newest stunt. This wasn’t another sendoff to a race. This wasn’t flight camp. No, this was a different kind of danger. Palette had put her daughter’s body back together a thousand times, but this time Rainbow Dash’s heart might be on the line. Palette didn’t know if she could fix that if it broke. She held on fast to her own husband, as if her own heart was about to break. “You’re worrying too much,” Birdie said loud enough for both mares to hear. “Just open the darn door and let the poor stallion in.” He squeezed his spouse back. This was his way of telling her not to worry so much. “Right,” Rainbow Dash said, oblivious to what her parents were doing. She took a deep breath and then whipped the door open as if she was ripping off a bandage. The stallion stepped in, taking his spot next to Rainbow Dash. “Uh… mom, dad… you remember Thunderhead?” *Knock knock* There was the lightest of rapping on Rainbow Dash’s childhood windowpane. Had she been asleep, there was no way she would’ve heard it and jumped right out of bed. She had been both expecting and hoping for this visit tonight. She walked on the tips of her hooves over to the window and opened it up, the dull hum of the night invading as soon as the pane was lifted. She hoisted the stubborn window up as far as it would go and popped her head out, smiling at the pony flapping his wings outside. “Hey.” “Hey there.” Quiet. They just hung there like paintings on a wall, admiring each other. The situation was different from what they were used to. “So… how’d I do?” Thunderhead asked. “Mmm… you passed,” Rainbow Dash said, smirking as she ducked back inside her room. Thunderhead swooped down in pursuit, sticking his head through the window. She continued strutting away from him, but the size of the window wasn’t going to let him follow her inside. “’I passed?’ Does that mean they like me?” Thunderhead knew from experience that you couldn’t trust the parents of your marefriend on the first meeting. Until he could gain their trust, it would be assumed he had a secret agenda simply be default. Even if he kinda-sorta had an agenda, it wasn’t devious or anything. “They approve of you,” Rainbow Dash told him, turning back to where he was stuck in the window. She approached him, but stayed just out of reach. “It’s nice they approve of me, but I want to know if they like me.” “Just be happy you have their approval.” “As nice as their approval is, I don’t really need it to go out with you,” he replied. “If you don’t need their approval, why do you need them to like you?” Rainbow Dash said, scooting a little closer to him. She leaned in a little, but still stayed a few mere inches from his face. “I would like for them to like me.” Stretch as he might, he couldn’t close the gap to get to Rainbow Dash. “What did they say about me after dinner?” “Probably nothing that would surprise you,” Rainbow Dash said, feigning a yawn. The look on Thunderhead’s fac implored her to go on. “They said you seem like a nice stallion. They liked how you got along with Taboo, but my dad thought you got along with her a little too well.” “Too well?” “Don’t worry about it,” she told him, but that is, of course, the last thing you say to a pony if you don’t want them to worry about something. “They like your choice of occupation and employer, but they’re still wary of a stallion who sleeps all day and works all night. They talked for a while about how you should try and transition over to the daytime, so we could have a more normal relationship.” “Normal is overrated.” “I told them that.” Rainbow Dash batted her eyes at him and finally moved close enough for the two to at long last share a kiss. “And my dad said he could tell we were rather taken with each other. He ordered me not to get too physical with you, but I put him at ease.” “Sounds like a father to me.” He kissed her again, trying to urge her to come closer. “And my mother thinks you’re cute.” She moved close enough to nuzzle against his neck. “Oh, she said that?” He nuzzled her back, planting a few kisses on her neck. “Do you think I’m cute?” He kept up his affections, getting her to giggle despite her trying her hardest to restrain. She fought back, but Thunderhead had the advantage. “Ack-he-he, stop that!” she whispered. “We’re gonna get caught.” “Not until you say it.” “Grow *snicker* up, you goof.” Rainbow Dash could easily end this by moving away, but something about secretly having a stallion in her room while her parents were just down the hall was much to thrilling to pass up. She never got to have this kind of experience before. “Alright, yes, yes!” “Say it.” “No, he-he! Ack!” Rainbow Dash wasn’t accustomed to this feeling of wanting to lose. “Saaay it.” “Fine! You’re cute!” “How cute?” “Aah-he-he, seriously?” She was having too much fun to think seriously about the question, but it didn’t merit a serious answer anyway. “Not as cute as Taboo.” “Ha, fair enough,” he said, just glad she was taking the teasing so well. He backed off, but touched his nose to hers so he could just stare into her eyes. “Do you think I’m cute?” Rainbow Dash dared to ask, not above getting a little revenge. “Beautiful, actually.” Thunderhead responded without missing a beat, not about to let the tables be turned on him. Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof, immediately flushed red and broke eye contact. He thought it was funny how a mare who basically thrived on having ponies feed her ego could get so flustered like this. “And you’re adorable when you’re embarrassed.” “I’m not embarrassed,” she said, smiling as she looked back up at him. Even if she was clearly embarrassed, there was no way she was ever going to admit it. She didn’t even understand why she felt that way about the compliment. It made her happy to hear that from him, from Thunderhead. Then again, she couldn’t clearly put to words why that was either. They stayed there, one sitting, one flying, both touching at the nose. Rainbow Dash wondered how long she would get embarrassed like this. She wondered how many more times she would sit across the table from her parents with him, covertly scooting their chairs closer to one another. She wondered how many nights they would spend together with Taboo, just talking and laughing until she fell asleep on the couch. It occurred to Rainbow Dash that her picture of the future had changed once again. Once, she had imagined a life where her only company was her friends and her adoring fans, but now that vision felt lonely. Now when she envisioned the days and nights to come, there were two ponies sharing a roof with her. She didn’t want to lose that, not any part of that. A trace of fear found its way into her mind, and she needed to confirm something. “Hey.” “Yeah?” Thunderhead waited for her to speak up again. It took a moment, but once it was said there was no mistaking she had. “I love you.” “… I love you, too.” Now they were both blushing, and both wondering if that could’ve been anymore cliché. Thunderhead had hoped to say something a bit more eloquent, but nothing came to mind. At least he got the sentiment across. “… Ah, jeez, that’s enough for one night,” Rainbow Dash said, literally backing out of the conversation. Even so, her heart was pounding and she was smiling like an idiot. Thunderhead was grinning too and avoiding eye contact. It would’ve been evident to anypony who knew the pair that they were really, truly, stupidly in love. “I… guuuuess I’ll see you tomorrow?” “Of course! Yeah, uh, tomorrow,” Thunderhead said, also wanting a little space to privately celebrate for the night. “I’ll always come back.” He added that last part without thinking that much, renewing his own awkward feeling at how lame he was managing to be; however, Rainbow Dash smiled. Little did he know, but that is exactly what he wanted to hear. “Good night,” she said, backing up towards her bed. “I love you.” “I love you.” They could say it a bit too easily now, but neither one cared. Rainbow Dash was so excited she could hardly sleep and Thunderhead was so happy he abandoned his patrol pattern to just fly wide circles around the house. As far as nights went, this was a good one.