"What should we tell him?" Trixie asked in a hushed voice. They'd carried Stark to his bedroom, letting him recover on his bed. They kept their voices down to let him rest.
"About the sister thing?" Twilight asked.
"I mean about his father."
"Anything but the truth."
"But I was going to tell him the truth!" Trixie said. "I think he could have handled the idea that his father was Shining Armor. But now that he knows that I'm your sister, well, I think he'll be able to put two and two together and he is NOT going to like the answer."
"So what should we tell him?" Twilight asked. "I mean, how many stallions have you... I mean, you know."
"Okay, first of all, I don't appreciate the implication." Trixie huffed. "But more importantly, who among that actually-short list has he already met?" She asked. Twilight gave her a puzzled look. "He asked me who his father is. I wanted to wait to tell him once I had spoken with you. But I did tell him that he'd already met him before."
"What if, what if he doesn't remember what I said right before he passed out?" Twilight asked, hopeful.
"In that case it would be okay if he knew that Shining Armor was his father."
"Shining Armor is my father?" Stark said from the doorway.
"Starswirl! How long have you been standing there?" Twilight asked as she opened his door the rest of the way.
"Long enough." He said, letting the silence ensue after.
His parents' minds scrambled for some explanation, anything, anything at all to say to break the silence. Twilight braced herself for the worst, for him you yell, or cry, or run. But his expression was unreadable. After everything he had been through, all the adventures and disasters, this was the moment that broke his mind, she feared.
He just stood there looking back and forth between them. He should have felt surprised, or hurt, or angry. Or felt some combination of upset emotions. But he didn't. He might not have understood the details of the matter but he knew the important parts already. They were his parents and they loved him. He loved them. And he was wise enough to understand that whatever happened, they had their reasons for keeping things from him. There was only one important question left that he needed the answer to.
"Who else knows?" He asked calmly. The question was so simple it was unexpected. Twilight spoke first.
"Well, um, uncle Shining knows." She said.
"Obviously."
"And our parents. You grandparents."
"Obviously." No other names came. "Anypony else?" He asked. Twilight shook her head.
"No. That's everypony." She said quickly.
"Okay." He said calmly. "Here is what's going to happen. I'm going to pack a weekend bag, and tomorrow I'm going to go to the Crystal Empire and visit Uncle Shining."
"What are you going to do?" Twilight panicked. "You're not going to tell Cadence are you? You can't! She'd be devastated!"
"I'm going to do exactly what I said. I'm just going for a visit. They always complain about how little time they spend with me anyway. And I just-" He sighed and rubbed his cheek with his hoof. "It's just something I need to do." He stepped back into his room and opened a bag on his bed. "I'll be fine. I promise." His parents left his doorway, letting him be. Outside of his range of hearing, Trixie pulled Twilight aside.
"He took that news... surprisingly well." Twilight said.
"You didn't tell him about Celestia?" Trixie asked.
"Shining and our parents knowing, he would have figured that out on his own. But he respects Celestia so much. And I know she'll never broach it with him. There's no need for him to not be able to look at her the same way again."
The Friendship Express pulled away from the Crystal Empire station. A crystal guard pony had a sign reading Starswirl. Twilight had Spike send a message ahead that Stark would be visiting for the weekend. Shining and Cadence made arrangements for him to be picked up at the station. He trotted over to the guard.
"I'm Starswirl." He said.
"I know. This way please."
It wasn't his first time in the Empire. Far from it. He'd been there many times before with his Madre and her friends. But every time, he still couldn't get over the magnificence of the place. The acute architecture, the shimmering skyline, punctuated by the enormous Crystal Palace, and the streams of aurora. He could certainly see why it was the number one tourist destination in Equestria.
He took in the sights in peace. His escort, pulling the chariot, seemed to care less for conversation. And that suited Stark just fine. But as distracting as the city was, he couldn't keep the task ahead from his mind. He was going to see his father today. Sure he'd seen him before. Many times even. But even when looking back on those memories through the filter of this new knowledge, it wasn't the same. He'd known the stallion, Shining Armor, his entire life. But somehow, it still felt like he was meeting him for the first time today.
"Here we are." His chauffeur said as the came to a stop. Stark looked around them. The castle was still a few blocks away yet. He didn't mind walking, but still.
"We haven't reached the castle yet." He said.
"Quite right. The Prince is in the Colosseum." He motioned to the stadium beside them. "He has given instruction that you are to meet him here."
"And the Princess?"
"She will be joining him shortly after she finishes her day court session at the palace." He said. Stark waited a moment, trying to reassess his plan. "Right through there sir." The guard said, pointing to the main entrance. An attendee was waving over to him, clearly expecting him.
"Right."
She waved him through the gate and he walked inside the stadium. He had been in there once before when the Equestrian Games were held there. It was only the second time that had happened since the Empire had returned. But his view was from up in the stands. Today he was walking out onto the field. It looked quite a bit different from what he remembered. The entire field had been redone.
"LETS GO LADIES!" Came a shout from across the way. "ARE WE GONNA GALLOP OR ARE WE GONNA TROT?" It was his uncle Shining.
It was his father
He was shouting at a group of ponies running laps around the edge of the field. He hadn't noticed Stark yet. "MOVE! MOVE! MY WIFE CAN RUN FASTER THAN YOU!" As Stark got closer, Shining saw him approaching. His stern glare yielded to a bright smile. "Oh, hey Starswirl! I was looking forward to you getting here. Did you want to play a scrimmage of hoofball with the team?" Shining grabbed a hoofball out of the equipment bag. Stark watched the group of fillies finish their last lap of running.
"Um, hoofball isn't really my thing." Stark said.
"Oh. Okay." Shining said, tossing the ball in the air to himself a couple of times. "How about just a bit of catch then?"
"Catch isn't really my thing either."
"Hmf. You sound like your mother." Shining huffed.
"Trixie?"
"No, your other moth- you know who I mean. Twilight."
"Yeah, I knew who you meant. I call her Madre." Stark reminded him.
"I remember now. Sorry about that." Shining apologized.
"It's okay." Stark frowned.
"Hey, are you still upset about your birthday?"
"Yeah, a little I guess."
"You know, there's an inverse correlation between exercise and depression." Shining said, throwing the ball to him. He almost caught it but bobbled it in his hooves before dropping it.
"Shining?"
"What's up?"
"Happy Father's Day."
"Thanks. But I don't think that really applies to me, since I'm not a father." Shining said.
Stark just gave him a look. His eyes said it all. And Shining could see it. He didn't want to. He hoped like hell he was wrong, trying to keep up the bluff on his face. Stark went in for the kill, slowly raising his eyebrow. Shining swallowed nervously. Stark felt a little bad. He didn't mean to put him on the spot like this. But he needed to talk to him before Auntie Cadence got here.
"When did you find out?" Shining asked.
"Yesterday."
"Who?"
"Mom. And Twilight too, sort of."
"Why?"
"I asked."
"..."
"..."
"Hey coach!" One of the fillies said as she ran over. "We're done our run."
"Okay. Good practice today girls. Go hit the showers and I'll see you this weekend for the game." Shining said. She smiled at Stark and jogged off with the rest of her team. He looked back at his dad. Shining looked back at him. "So what now? Are you going to tell Cadence?"
"Of course not! I'm not trying to hurt anypony. It's just that... well, when I found out, I wanted to come meet you." Stark said.
"Yeah, but it's not like you've never met me before." He said.
"I know, but now... it still kind of feels like I'm meeting you for the first time. Do you know what I mean?" He asked. Shining put his hoof around him.
"Actually, yeah. I do." He held him for a long moment. "Listen I'm- I'm sorry I couldn't be your father. It was- things were- did your mother tell you... how?" Stark nodded.
"Bachelor party. Before she met Twilight." Stark said.
"Right."
"..."
"..."
"Dad," Stark whispered. Shining looked down at him. "I think I would like to play catch."
"I'd like that too... son."
Back in Ponyville, Twilight sat down at the table for lunch with her wife. Trixie chewed on her daffodil sandwich that her sister had made for her. It was still such a strange concept to her, as she looked across the table at the lavender mare reading her book. They didn't grow up together. They never had that familial relationship. She was her sister by blood and title only. Starswirl's recent curiosity only now reminding her of it. But she did wonder now.
"Twilight?" She asked. She looked up from her book.
"Yes?"
"Has it ever bothered you about our relationship being, well, you know?"
"Incestuous?" Twilight said bluntly.
"For pony's sake Twilight! I'm trying to be tactful about this. But, yeah, that's what I mean." Twilight put a ribbon in her page and set the book down.
"Why do you ask? I mean, why do you ask now? What brought this on?" Twilight asked.
"Well, it's just that, with Starswirl asking about it, it kind of got me thinking about it myself." She said, idly making little circles on the table with her hoof.
"You don't regret it do you? Us being together?"
"No, no! Of course not. It's just that I've been thinking about it these last couple of days. I guess I was just wondering if you ever did though." Twilight put her hoof on hers.
"Trixie, do you remember what I said on our wedding day?" Trixie blushed and nodded. "When we said our vows, I meant them. Even as I knew the truth about us, there was never a doubt that I loved you. Our- relationship is like... gravity. It is what it is. It's a fact of our lives. But it's not something that we need to consciously think about everyday. But it's certainly something we shouldn't forget about either. And there's nothing that we can do that's going to change it."
"What about your gravity spell? And Discord the other day?" Trixie asked in provocation. Twilight gave her ear a playful nip.
"You know what I mean!" She said. "Remember when Tirek tried to destroy Equestria? You and Starswirl were holed up, hiding in Sugarcube Corner."
"I think he just wanted to hide there to be with that Pumpkin filly." Trixie interjected, giggling.
"Anyway," Twilight continued, "when he destroyed the old library, I had only a second to rescue everyone inside. But I could only find Owlowiscious. In that moment I thought for sure that you two had been killed!" Her eyes started to water at the vivid memory. "And then, then-" Twilight choked up. It was Trixie's turn to hold her.
"I think all of Ponyville remembers what happened then." Trixie said, recalling the exchange of the two magical juggernauts clashing. The landscape of the region still bore the scars of that battle to this day.
"My point is," Twilight said, wiping her eyes, "I didn't think I was avenging my sister and nephew that day. I was avenging my wife and son. That's who you are to me, who you've always have been. And you always will be." Trixie hugged her tighter.
"How do you think things are going with Starswirl in the Crystal Empire?" Trixie asked.
"I don't know." Twilight sighed, resting her chin on Trixie's shoulder. "I just hope-"
"What?"
"I just realized that today is Father's Day."
Cadence watched the hoofball wobbled erratically as it sailed through the air. Shining had to run in to close the distance and make the catch. She made her way down the stairs of the arena toward where they were playing on the field.
"You have to give it a bit more spin on the release so that way it has more control." Shining advised. He backed up a ways and blasted it across the lawn. It arced through the air with absolute precision. Starswirl didn't have to move an inch. He put his hooves up for the catch, just in time to miss it as it careened off of his skull yet again. Cadence cringed, but had to stifle a giggle. She'd know the colt his entire life, and he was never much of an athlete. She was actually impressed that Shining was able to persuade him to take part at all.
"Ooh, sorry kiddo." Shining said. "Try giving it another throw." Starswirl picked up the ball and rubbed his head.
"Wouldn't it just be easier to just use magic?" He said, levitating it and giving it a perfect spin as it suspended in air.
"Yes," Cadence called out. "but it wouldn't be fair." They both looked over to her.
"She's right." Shining said. "Hoofball is a game for everypony to play. Earth ponies can't use magic. And it wouldn't be very fair if pegasi just flew with the ball across the field. The rules have to be the same for everypony. No wings, and no magic. Now come on, give it another throw." Starswirl's next throw was an improvement. A little less wobbly, a little more distance. He was a promising novice. Shining didn't have to run nearly as far forward to catch it this time.
- SLAM -
A blind-sided Shining went tumbling as the ball went flying from his sprawled form, lofting down into Cadence's waiting hooves.
"And the quarterback is toast!" She said triumphantly, spiking the ball.
"I think you mean receiver-" Shining groaned.
"Is toast!" She repeated. "Come on. It's time to eat anyway."
Dinner was more or less uneventful. The food was good. But then the difference between eating at one princess's residence to another wasn't particularly jarring. To be honest with himself, Starswirl wasn't really sure what to expect anyway. He sat at the table with Shining and Cadence and they made small talk. They had already been sped up on current events in his life just the other day at his birthday party.
He sat and ate dinner with his biological father and unbeknownst step-mother. But it didn't feel any different from the last meal that they shared. His knew knowledge didn't really change the way it felt. It still felt like Uncle Shining and Auntie Cadence. Realistically he didn't expect some kind of warm embrace of a home-coming. "How would that even work?" He thought.
It wasn't like he suddenly expected some kind of strange joint custody, where he would stay with his dad on the weekends on a regular basis. He wasn't the stallion who raised him. His Madre was right. It didn't matter who the sperm donor was. His parents were back in Ponyville. After the meal he excused himself to his room.
His travel bag had been delivered to his temporary quarters while he was out playing. It waited for him on the spacious bed. He unpacked his bag, laying out his things. Among them was the book that Princess Celestia had given him. He set it on the desk to read later. Something jingled at the bottom of his bag. He upturned the pouch and poured out the final items.
His overnight bag was one of a matched set that his Madre had gotten. One, he used for his travel bag, another, she used to store her Nightmare Night costume during the year. He'd grabbed the wrong bag by mistake. Her Starswirl the Bearded costume laid on his bedding. He folded it neatly and put it back in the bag before settling down at the desk for a quiet evening.
As the evening dusk gave way to Luna's night, his quiet was supplanted by the rhythmic thumping of the headboard in the next room.
- Thump thump thump thump... -
He stifled his nausea and threw his book and the notes he'd taken into the bag and stepped out into the hallway. A passing guard stopped him.
"It's after hours young master. You should be about on your own." He said.
"Yeah, I know. But I was just going to find a quiet place to read for a bit." Starswirl said.
"You could go to the library. I just need to know where you are for accountability."
"I understand." He said. As a young prince, he was used to this kind of limited freedom.
"Do you need me to show you the way?"
"No, my Madre, Princess Twilight showed me where it was the first time I came here."
"Okay then. But don't wander elsewhere without letting one of us know please. But may I ask why your room is unsuitable for reading?"
"The noise from the neighbors." He said. They both stood in silence, straining their ears. They could both hear the thumping of the bed frame from the royal chambers.
"Ah, that. At it again. It's like that every night. We've learned to just tune it out." The guard said matter-of-factly. Starswirl trotted down the hall to the library in the palace wing.
Cadence watched her husband going at it, sweat pouring off of his fur.
"If you keep it up you're going to break the bed frame." She said.
He didn't break his frantic pace. "Yeah- -but it hurts- -to do crunches- -on the floor!" He said between sets of abdominal reps. He kept doing his speed crunches on the bed while she got into her pajamas and brushed her teeth in the bathroom.