Cinnamint was usually a timid colt, somewhat of a fraidy-cat, as other foals were keen on reminding him. Nopony who knew the boy on a personal level would ever guess he would willingly go to the home of not one, but two dragons. The very idea was somewhat laughable.
Once Cinnamint had calmed down he recalled hearing about Pearl's father in the news from time to time. They never mentioned the defender of Equestria lived in the same backwater town he did though. Or that he was actually a pretty nice guy, Cinnamint had always pictured him as some sort of cold, unfeeling, bruiser. Much to his surprise Equestria's prince was friendlier than most ponies he knew. He decided it would probably be alright to ask some questions.
"Is it true that you were hatched by Princess Twilight when she was a kid? Does that make her your mom?" Cinnamint asked as he held onto the harness on Spike's back. They were just walking, but safety was still important.
"Twi hatched me, but she was too young to care for me. Princess Celestia is the one who raised me until I left with Twi for Ponyville, the rest is history." Spike replied as he continued down the dusty paths leading to his home.
"Oh, that makes sense. My moms won't even let me have a pet yet." Cinnamint said somewhat embarrassed.
"I have a pet, his name is Cob. Aunty Twilight made him out of science." Pearl said proudly. She was currently perched on Macintosh's yoke as he walked alongside Spike.
"Well you'll get a chance to introduce them, we're home." Spike said as he came to a stop.
Sure enough the group was outside the enormous home surrounded by apple trees. Cinnamint had pictured some sort of cave, or underground cavern, but the giant home was still quite impressive. It was easily more than three times the size of his own two-bedroom home.
Upon being shown in Cinnamint was surprised to see it very much like his own home, but scaled up. He suddenly felt very stupid for thinking things were going to be so different because Pearl and Spike weren't ponies. His mother would have told him that she had raised him better than to make such assumptions.
Spike hung his harness on a hook near the door and grabbed the dial on his chest, turning it back up to his actual size. He preferred being himself while in his own home. He stretched himself for a moment, as if he had just woken up or gotten out of a confined space. Cinnamint's eyes were as wide as dinner plates after seeing Spike grow nearly three times his former size. He quickly turned to Pearl in excitement.
"Can you do that too? Get all big and stuff?" He said, practically hopping in anticipation.
"Nope, Daddy's shrinky thing is the only one. Aunty Twilight said she'll make me one when I grow up." Pearl explained as she mimicked turning an imaginary dial.
"You kids go play, we're gonna get started on dinner. It's the First Monday of the month, and that means?" Spike asked his daughter with a playful grin. Pearl thought on that for a moment before a twinkle came to her eye and a smile lit up her face.
"It's Lasagna night!" She said doing a celebratory jump. Her tail swept back and forth of it's own accord.
"That's right, with rubies and garnets. Of course we'll be making some fit for ponies too Cinnamint." Spike added.
"Isn't it kind of early for dinner?" Cinnamint asked looking to the wall-clock. It read four past four PM.
"We make everythin from scratch here on the farm." Macintosh explained.
"Oh, our Lasagna is usually frozen cuz my moms are usually really busy." the colt replied.
"Well, I hope you'll enjoy fresh. It's Pearl's favorite." Spike informed the colt. Pearl nodded happily in confirmation.
After setting up the television in the living room for the children Spike and Macintosh headed off to the kitchen to prepare the lasagna. Cinnamint waited as Pearl brought out her toys and something the young colt assumed was a cat.
"What is that?" He asked as the fuzzy creation wiggled it's way out of Pearl's arms.
Cob landed on the floor with a soft thud, seemingly unfazed by the drop, likely because he had no bones. It waddled up to Cinnamint and looked up at him for a moment, seemingly appraising the newcomer for whatever reason. With surprising speed Cob began climbing the boy, coming to rest atop his head. Cinnamint was too frightened to move until Cob came to a stop.
"What's it doing?" Cinnamint asked nervously as he was unable to see Cob.
"I dunno, he likes climbing stuff. That's Cob, I told you about him on the way here. He just sorta does whatever he wants when he isn't being snuggly." Pearl explained as she rummaged through her bag, pulling out assorted objects.
After she was finished Cinnamint looked over the objects, they were obviously the various souvenirs Pearl had spoken of. There were fangs, scales, claws, and even what appeared to be spikes similar to the ones going down Pearl's back, albeit much larger. She small chest from out behind the sofa and placed them in the container. Cinnamint removed Cob from his head and placed him on the sofa as he watched Pearl.
"These are all the stuff Daddy got me from his fights. He won't let me go with him to watch, so I asked him to bring me something every time. I didn't get anything today cuz he's already fought a hydra." Pearl explained as she carried the chest over to a tall stack of shelves. She placed it on the bottom shelf behind a large stack of photo albums.
" I'd be too scared to do that. Why would you wanna be near monsters that wanna hurt ponies?" Cinnamint asked.
"Cuz I wanna be just like Daddy when I grow up. Daddy is tough! He fights the bad guys so nobody gets hurt. He says Equestria is his hoard, Ponyville and our family especially." Pearl explained, though she didn't sound very sure herself.
"What's a hoard?" Cinnamint asked, he couldn't recall hearing that word before.
"I dunno, Pa told me about it once. It's what dragons care about most, like treasure and stuff. He says Daddy and me are special though, we don't need treasure cuz we got family." The young dragoness elaborated.
"I think I'd rather have family than treasure. Treasure would be cool, but I'd miss my moms." Cinnamint reasoned.
"I could eat it I guess?" Pearl added with a shrug. She may have been smart for her age, but concepts like hoarding were still foreign to her. She knew she loved her family though, that's what was important.
As the pair played with Pearl's toys they got to know each other better. Pearl enjoyed hearing about Cinnamint's passion for making candy, while Cinnamint likewise enjoyed hearing about Pearl's amazing family. Other than Screwball and Skyla, it seemed she didn't have any friends her age. Something Cinnamint could relate to, he had never shared any interests with the foals in his neighborhood and was often picked on.
Pearl even shared his interest in things like comic books instead of sports, she even had all sorts of rare comic books her father had given her that he had collected as a child. Cinnamint lost terribly at Pearl's Haystation video games, however he couldn't use his magic yet so he had to try and use his hooves to play. Pearl was bright enough to realize her advantage and recommended they switch to something they would be equals at.
After three rounds of rock-paper-scissors Pearl realized she knew very little about normal pony games. Until today Screwball had been the only pony she played with on a regular basis. Normal was definitely not her strong-suit.
"Okay, so what do you normally do for fun?" Pearl asked, somewhat annoyed at herself.
Cinnamint thought about it for a minute, as it wasn't an easy question. His life was mostly routine. Other than making candy with his mother he didn't do much else that could be done with multiple ponies, or dragons.
"I usually make candy, but my mom always helps. Other than that I usually listen to my other mom play music or color." Cinnamint admitted.
"We can do that! I've got lots of coloring books!" Pearl said excitedly.
She ran out of the room, switching to all fours for speed. She returned several moments later with a stack of activity books and the largest box of crayons available to ponykind in her arms.
"I've got one for Daring Do, Harry Trotter, Pony Rangers, and one with cute animals and stuff." Pearl said as she laid out the options.
"Could I get Pony Rangers?" Cinnamint asked. Pearl only nodded and passed the book to him. She took the Daring Do book for herself and began coloring in a picture of Ahuizotl.
The pair chatted contently until Macintosh came to tell them to wash up for dinner. Cinnamint, being a well mannered colt let Pearl go first. After both children had washed their hands/hooves Pearl showed Cinnamint to the dining room. Spike's specially made chair was empty at the head of the table. Macintosh sat at the other end awaiting his husband as he tossed a large bowl of salad for the meal. Pearl took her seat on an unoccupied side, Cinnamint taking the spot opposite her.
Spike emerged from the kitchen soon after holding two rather enormous pans of lasagna. His tail gripped a basket of garlic bread to accompany it. He placed them on an ornate cloth to prevent the table from being harmed by the heat. He then took a knife to one of the pans and cut it into even slices. He passed a good sized piece to Cinnamint on a plate before giving Macintosh his own slice.
Cinnamint took a bite's worth of the homemade meal onto his fork and blew on it before trying it. As soon as the lasagna hit his tongue he was sent into an almost euphoric state. It was the best tasting thing he had ever eaten. It was as if he had died and gone to heaven, gotten sent back to Earth because it wasn't his time, and given a meal cooked by Faust herself as an apology.
"This is amazing!" Cinnamint said through a mouthful of lasagna.
"Thank you, glad you like it." Spike said modestly. He and Big Mac had both been cooking from a young age, they had gotten pretty good at it.
Cinnamint watched with great interest as Spike drew a claw through the other pan of lasagna, cutting it just as he had with the other pan. Cinnamint was about to question why he would do that while there was a perfectly good knife he had used just a moment ago, but got his answer beforehand. He saw glittering gems in the lasagna, cut cleanly. Cinnamint was somewhat worried that Pearl's father could cut gems with his fingers but had no reason to distrust the kindly giant. He had claimed he was adding them to one of the pans.
Spike passed Pearl a slice which she started in on eagerly, the heat obviously not bothering her whatsoever. He took a slice equaling about half the pan onto his own plate. Cinnamint assumed that he needed more food because of his size. As they all began eating conversation picked up.
"So, Cinnamint. You said you had two mothers? Are they from Ponyville originally? I might know them." Spike asked before he took another bite of his lasagna.
Cinnamint finished his current mouthful before trying to reply, now remembering his manners. However as he opened his mouth to speak a loud banging was heard from the living room. Macintosh excused himself to go and answer the door. It would probably be better if Cinnamint's mothers didn't get scared to death by Spike.
A couple minutes later Macintosh returned with two mares. One was mint green unicorn with a similarly colored mane with white stripes in it, her cutie mark depicted a lyre. The other was a cream colored earth pony with a curly mane consisting of dark blue and pink, her mark was three pieces of candy. They both looked rather tired and hungry, understandable as they had been stuck between Ponyville and Canterlot all day on a train.
Spike looked them over for a moment as they came in. He recognized the earth pony as the owner of the local candy store though he didn't know her personally. The unicorn was somewhat more familiar, though he hadn't talked to her in quite some time. He knew she had lived in Ponyville for awhile but hadn't had a chance to speak to her.
"Well, it's a small world after all. How have you been Lyra?" Spike asked as he used his tail to pull chairs out for his new guests.
"Spike? You actually remember me? I haven't talked to you since I went to school with Twilight." Lyra said happily as she took a seat for herself. She sat unlike any pony else in all of Equestria, upright with her front legs at her side just like Spike and Pearl.
"Of course I do, you started sitting like that when you saw me do it. Even though Twilight tried to tell you you shouldn't because it would hurt your back since you weren't a biped." Spike reminisced.
"Ha, can't believe how big you've gotten. You didn't even come up to my neck back then." The mare said as her wife took the chair beside her.
"Yeah well time flies, I've even got my own husband and little girl now. I see you've got a fine family of your own now too." Spike said as he looked from Macintosh and Pearl to Lyra's family.
"Right, you already know Cinnamint, this is my lovely wife Bon Bon." Lyra said planting a kiss on the mare's cheek. Bon Bon looked Spike over before speaking.
"Thank you for taking care of Cinnamint while we were unable to. I've seen you in my store from time to time, but I don't recall you being so... big?" Bon Bon said nervously.
Spike smiled and turned the dial on the M.A.C. down and began shrinking again. Lyra, Bon Bon, and Cinnamint watched intently at the seemingly impossible feat. Pearl merely continued eating, she saw this all the time and there was lasagna to be had.
"Neat right? Twilight whipped it up for me so I can live with ponies even while I keep growing." Spike explained.
"I get one too, but I'm not big enough." Pearl pouted. She wanted to use magic like that too. Lyra and Bon Bon smiled knowingly at the young dragon. Regardless of species, a five year old is still a five year old.
"That is our lovely daughter Pearl who needs to wipe the tomato sauce from her face. We have company sweetie." Spike said as both an introduction and a reminder to his daughter.
Pearl grabbed her napkin and wiped the majority of the sauce from herself. Scales were much easier to clean than fur.
"Hello, I'm Pearl. I'm friends with Cinnamint. Would you like some dinner? It's lasagna night!" Pearl said pointing to the dish of still hot cuisine.
Bon Bon was about to decline politely, but her and Lyra's stomachs answered for her.
"Yes, thank you. That would be lovely." The candy mare said in an even tone. She was truly grateful to them for taking care of Cinnamint, but didn't want to impose further if necessary. Though it did smell heavenly.
After plates were fetched from the cupboard and filled with the regular lasagna the mares joined in on the meal. Conversation started back up with their guests as they ate. Lyra told them about her job as the in-house musician for one of Celestia's favorite restaurants. Bon Bon and Macintosh even discussed her interest in buying some zap apples for candy making purposes.
The kids finished eating before the adults and went back to play while they talked over a few drinks. Nothing too strong, just some cider or wine. It was still the work week after all.
"So about Cinnamint, if you don't mind me asking, did you guys use a donor? Cinnamint looks a lot like the two of you. A family member maybe?" Spike asked.
"Actually, we went to this little clinic in Fillydelphia called R63. They have professionally licensed mages that turn mares into stallions and vice versa. The spell lasts twenty-four hours and has no adverse effects. After you fill out the paperwork you go into a room, get switched, and leave. Whatever you wanna do is up to you but it costs an awful lot. Plus they keep your cutie-mark photo on file in case you try and commit a crime or something. Lyra went into the room a mare and came out a stallion. Eleven months later I gave birth to Cinnamint." Bon Bon explained.
"Huh, you know, Twilight and Trixie have been thinking about foals. Maybe I should tell her about that." Spike said to Macintosh who nodded in agreement.
"If you don't mind, could you tell us about Pearl? We're kind of curious as to how she came about too." Lyra added.
"Well, it's a little hard to explain. But the long story short is that Pearl's biological parents were living in the Everfree in a cave when they had a falling out. Dragon divorce is most often lethal to one or both of the couple. In this case both, though when I found them the female was still alive, but only just. She entrusted me with Pearl's egg and the knowledge of how to care for her and about our people using magic. Almost five months after our little girl was born, and we've never regretted the decision to raise her." Spike explained as he ran through a whole spectrum of emotions. There were many feelings held within the story, most he didn't like to think about but Peal was more than worth it.
"Wow, that's way more exciting than me becoming a dude for a day." Lyra replied somewhat enviously. Bon Bon face-hooved at her wife's comment. Lyra had never been good at reading situations. However she was surprised to find Spike chuckling at her comment.
"You guys should hang out with us and the other couples sometime. Us, Twilight and Trixie, and Fluttershy and Discord. Shining Armor and Cadence join us occasionally too." Spike offered.
"What? We aren't important ponies like all of you. We wouldn't fit in with you guys." Bon Bon said waving the notion off with a hoof.
"Ah ain't nothin special neither, an despite what ponies think about our family an' friends they're all just normal ponies at heart. Cept' maybe Discord, he's alright though." Macintosh assured them.
Lyra gave Bon Bon a pouty look that melted the mare's heart. The earth pony sighed as she relented to the powerful puppy-dog eyes.
"Alright, we'll give it a shot. When's the next time you had planned on getting together?" Bon Bon asked, still skeptical about it.
"This Saturday. We do it twice a month." Macintosh replied with a smile.
"We'll need to find a sitter." Bon Bon said quickly. It was somewhat obvious she was looking for an excuse.
"Apple Bloom sits for Pearl and Screwball whenever we step out. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching such a well behaved colt like Cinnamint. Besides the girls really like him according to Pearl." Spike informed them.
Bon Bon brightened at the news that Cinnamint was getting along with children his own age. The main reason she rejected the offer to go out with the others was that Cinnamint required a lot of attention. At least that's what she constantly told herself.
Maybe I'm hovering too much? Is that why he hasn't made many friends yet? Bon Bon thought to herself. It certainly seemed that way, as soon as she wasn't around he had managed to make two friends in one day. It was hard to argue with facts that stared her right in the face.
"You know what? I think it's a great idea. Cinnamint isn't going to get better at socializing until I give him room to grow." Bon Bon said with a tone of finality before downing her glass of wine.
"That's the spirit! Cinnamint told us you two run yourselves ragged, it sounded like you could use a break." Spike said before finishing off his own, much larger drink.
After several drinks the mares began the trek back into Ponyville in the night. Lyra wobbled a bit, she wasn't as hardy as her earth pony wife and had always been poor at holding her liquor. Cinnamint lay sleeping across Bon Bon's back. It was over an hour past bedtime.
"Ya know, our son did alright. Pearl's a pretty little thing isn't she?" Lyra asked as she looked to Cinnamint on her wife's back.
"Lyra, they're five years old. It's a bit early to be planning the wedding." Bon Bon chuckled.
"You just wait and see Bonny, I can feel it in my gut." Lyra said before stopping suddenly.
...
"Wait, no. That's not romance." Lyra said just before becoming reacquainted with her lasagna.
Bon Bon just sighed and shook her head at her drunken unicorn's antics. Although she had to admit, Pearl did seem fond of Cinnamint and he was awful fond of her. It wouldn't be such a bad thing, but hopefully not so soon. She still wanted her baby boy to be a baby boy for awhile.