Chapter 8: Family Time
“Has it been lonely for you?”
“What?” Melon Cream looked up from the mug of hot cocoa she’d been staring at for the past few seconds. Inside, she winced at the realization that she’d spaced out in front of her guest.
“Not having Scootaloo around as much?” asked Rainbow Dash, who was presently sitting across the table from her, “I mean, she still lives here. But she’s out of the house so much and she’s even started having dinner with Dawn’s family.” Since the time the two of them had talked about Scootaloo’s future over lunch at the restaurant, Rainbow and Melon had been meeting occasionally for meals to chat, giving Scootaloo’s mother a chance to better know one of the most important ponies in Scootaloo’s life.
“Well…I suppose…” said Melon with a small sigh, “I mean, Scootaloo is bound to move out someday. In a sense, I guess you could say that I’m avoiding Empty Nest Syndrome by getting inoculated a little bit at a time.”
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t exactly sound like the best thing in the whole world.”
Melon sagged. “I suppose not. Scootaloo’s becoming more independent, especially now that she’s found her cutie mark, her special somepony; she even has a part-time job already. Stars and stones! She’s learning to do things that most ponies could only dream of…”
Rainbow snorted. “Yeah, she’s learning to do stuff that I’ve never even thought possible and I’m the pony who can do the Sonic Rainboom.”
“And yet, she’ll always be my little filly,” finished Melon softly.
“Are you lonely?” asked Rainbow again.
“…Yes.”
Rainbow set down her mug and walked around the table so that she could wrap the older mare in a hug. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“It’s not your fault,” said Melon, “It’s not Dawn’s fault either. It’s not even Scootaloo’s fault. This is something I would have had to go through, one way or another. My little filly is growing up.”
“But it’s not as easy to handle alone, is it?” asked Rainbow.
Melon winced at the unpleasant reminder of the fact that somepony very important was missing from this whole equation. Furthermore, she had ultimately been the one to remove him from the equation. “I suppose it isn’t,” she said.
Rainbow smiled. “You know, you’re not so old that you couldn’t get back into the whole dating scene. Maybe you’ll find somepony.”
“I’m not sure…” said Melon, “I know I chose this, but part of me…” She groaned. “…Part of me just wants him to come back, to let things go back to how they used to be…or, at least, how I thought they used to be, before I learned the truth. I just put so much of my life into living with him. But now…”
It was old news at this point. It would probably go down as one of the cleanest divorces in Equestrian history. With Cirrus Stratus’ behavior on the night of Scootaloo’s First Flight Party on clear display, there had been no chance of him getting custody of Scootaloo. Considering that Melon made enough to support herself and her daughter on her own (albeit less easily than with two ponies to share the financial burden), she hadn’t even needed to sue for alimony. She hadn’t wanted to either. She’d simply wanted to sever ties with that stallion as cleanly and neatly as possible, to excise him like a tumor from her life. She had hoped that doing so would make it easier. But it seemed that some cuts couldn’t be made cleanly.
Rainbow squeezed Melon a little tighter. "We'll think of something," she said, "I've got it! Why don't you come the next time the girls and I go to the spa."
"Are you sure?" asked Melon, "I wouldn't want to intrude..."
"Don't worry about it," said Rainbow, letting go of the older mare and returning to her side of the table. As she sat down, the cerulean pegasus began to rummage around in the saddlebags she'd brought with her before pulling out a thick manilla envelope. "Before I forget, I also wanted to drop off the squirt's Hearth's Warming gift. I figured you could hold onto it for her."
Rainbow slid the envelope across the table to Melon, who picked it up and opened it. As she scanned the contents, her eyes widened. "Rainbow! This...! We can't possibly-!"
"It's not a problem," said Rainbow with a smile, "Even though this is in her name, it's going to be held in trust by you until she's old enough."
"That's so generous," breathed Melon as she slid the documents back into the envelope.
"Aw, it was nothing," said Rainbow, her cheeks flushing, "I mean, it's not like I'm gonna have much use for it once I join the Wonderbolts. It's something I had in mind ever since I realized that I'd be leaving once I joined."
"Thank you so much," said Melon, tears running out of her eyes, "I can tell Scootaloo's going to love this. This will mean so much to her."
"Hey," said Rainbow, "It's the least I could do for my little sister."
"Please come in," said Fluttershy as she and Caramel stepped away from the door to allow the two ponies outside to come in. Fluttershy closed the door behind them while Caramel took their coats and scarves. "I had no idea you were going to come visit," said Fluttershy, "You should have told me."
"We figured we'd surprise you," said the mare, her eyes glittering with amusement, "Seeing as you decided to surprise us."
"Indeed," agreed the stallion, "It was a bit of a shock to find out we were grandparents. It was an even bigger shock to find out through the newspaper, rather than from you directly."
Fluttershy's cheeks turned bright-red. "Um...well...There's been a lot going on and....I guess I just...forgot..."
"Forgot to tell your parents that you'd gone and adopted somepony?" The stallion raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"Um...well...you read the article," Fluttershy pointed out, "There were...circumstances."
"Enough about that!" exclaimed the mare, looking around eagerly, "Where is he?
"In the living room," Fluttershy squeaked. Oh dear. She had no idea how this could go. Her parents had clearly read the article, so they would know all about Dawn's condition. What they made of it was a mystery.
Fluttershy's mother darted out into the living room, where she saw Dawn and Scootaloo, still waiting by the abandoned game board. As the mare's eyes fell on Dawn, she let out a squeal of absolute joy and launched herself at the colt.
Before her hooves could even reach him, Dawn vanished from view and the mare's flying tackle instead landed on the pillow he'd been occupying. Dawn seemed to materialize behind her. staring at the mare in confusion.
"Dawn," said Fluttershy, rushing into the room in the wake of her mother, "This is Posey, my mother."
"Mother?" Dawn looked between Fluttershy and the other mare. They shared the same color scheme, though Posey was shorter and stockier than her daughter.
The sound of heavier hooves drew Dawn's attention to the stallion coming up behind Fluttershy. The stallion was easily tall enough to be a match for Big Macintosh, albeit with none of the Apple stallion's bulk. Instead, his figure was slimmer and much more aerodynamic.
Seeing the path of Dawn's gaze, Fluttershy stood aside to let the colt get a better view of the stallion. "And this is Silverlight, my father."
Dawn blinked, his gaze switching back and forth between Silverlight and Posey. "Then these are..."
"Yes," said Fluttershy, "They're your grandparents. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet them before now."
Silverlight appeared to ignore Fluttershy, stepping past his daughter and marching into the room. He stared down at Dawn, his gaze stern and commanding. "Say it," he said.
Dawn raised his eyebrows, not entirely sure what he was being asked to say.
Silverlight snorted impatiently. "You know what to call me. Say it!"
Dawn blinked. "Um...Grandpa...?"
Like somepony had flipped a switch, Silverlight's demeanor did a complete one-eighty as his face burst into a radiant, beaming smile, his eyes directed at the ceiling as he heaved a blissful sigh. "Ah! My life is complete."
Before Dawn could react, he was swept up by the stallion into a bone-crushing hug. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to be called that!" exclaimed Silverlight jubilantly as he danced about the room, squeezing the ebony colt in his forelegs. "It's real! I'm a grandpa!"
Dawn squirmed and tried to wiggle free from the stallion's embrace. However, he had just barely pulled away when he was intercepted by another pair of forelegs as Fluttershy's mother decided to get in on the action.
"You can't hog him to yourself," declared Posey as she hugged Dawn against her chest. "Now what do you call me?" she asked the disoriented colt.
"Grandma...?" A few other terms came to Dawn's mind, but he figured he knew which one she wanted to hear and which ones would get his mouth washed out with soap.
Posey let out a triumphant squeal as she whirled in the air, Dawn still clutched in her arms. Dawn let out a resigned sigh, realizing that the squeal sounded all too familiar. She's mom's mom alright.
"Mom! Please put him down!" demanded Fluttershy. Not waiting to see if Posey complied with her request, Fluttershy flew up and quickly pried Dawn out of her mother's legs and Fluttered back down to the couch, her arms wrapped protectively and much more gently about Dawn. They settled onto the couch in their usual mode of embrace, Dawn comfortably curled up against his mother's chest while her arms and wings wrapped around him from behind and she rested her chin on top of his head. She glared sternly at her parents. But the sight was a little too cute for it to be intimidating, so Posey and Silverlight merely laughed instead.
"I'm sorry dear," said Posey, "We just got a little carried away. Your father and I have been waiting to find out we were grandparents ever since you moved out to live on your own. We'd always figured that you would find somepony special and give us a grandfoal to spoil. We never figured it would be the other way around."
Fluttershy's hold on Dawn tightened slightly as her cheeks turned pink.
Scootaloo jumped up onto the couch next to Dawn and Fluttershy, glancing sidelong at the colt. "Your grandparents are cuckoo," she whispered softly.
Dawn only raised an eyebrow as he returned her look.
"And who's this?" asked Posey as she noticed Scootaloo.
Realizing that she was now the object of Posey's attention, Scootaloo froze. "Um...Hi. I'm Scootaloo."
"Is she yours?" asked Silverlight, casting another suspicious glance at Caramel, who flinched under the older stallion's gaze.
"What? No!"
"Dad!" admonished Fluttershy, "Behave." She unfolded one of her wings from around Dawn and used it to draw Scootaloo up against herself. "This is Scootaloo. She's actually Dawn's special somepony."
Posey let out a gasp as her eyes widened. "You've adopted a son and he already has a special somepony! Does this mean that, someday, I could have Great Grandfoals?"
Dawn and Scootaloo's cheeks broke out in identical blushes. "What they hay!" exclaimed Scootaloo.
"Mom!" gasped Fluttershy, "It's far too soon for that?"
"Uh...yeah," agreed Scootaloo, "We're still in school, for one thing."
"I know dear. I'm sorry," said Posey, "I just get a little carried away."
"A little...?" muttered Dawn. Only the lightest jerking of his mother's chest behind him betrayed Fluttershy's silent giggle.
"Now then," said Silverlight as he settled onto a cushion next to his wife, "There's only one last question left to ask." He sharply turned to look at Caramel, his gaze fixing the tan stallion into place. "Who is this and why are you staying at his house?"
"Uh...that's two questions," said Caramel with a nervous grin, trying his hardest to relieve the tension he was feeling.
"Dad." Fluttershy's tone wrenched Silverlight's gaze away from Caramel and back to his daughter, who was looking at him sternly over Dawn's head. "This is Caramel. He's my special somepony. He invited Dawn and I to stay with him for the season." Fluttershy was barely able to make the last sentence heard over her mother's celebratory squeal.
Fluttershy looked at Caramel and smiled, flicking the wing that wasn't holding Scootaloo and beckoning him to join her on the couch. With a small smile, the tan stallion did as he was bid and planted himself on the cushions next to his fillyfriend.
"Why are you only staying with him for the season?" asked Silverlight.
Fluttershy, seemingly oblivious to her father's intense scrutiny happily relayed the details of the situation.
"Well...that's unorthodox," said Silverlight as his daughter finished.
"It sounds perfectly sweet to me," Posey retorted, "I'm so happy you've found yourself such a nice stallion Fluttershy."
"Thank you mom," said Fluttershy, smiling shyly at her mother as she wrapped her wing around Caramel, pulling herself up against his side. The act earned another, quieter squeal from her mother.
Silverlight, however, still didn't seem convinced. "And you're just going to move back out when winter's over?" he asked skeptically.
"Well, of course," said Fluttershy, "After winter, I'll need to start taking care of all my animal friends again."
"And you're just going to keep doing this?" asked Silverlight, looking at Fluttershy, "Or were you ultimately planning on moving in with this stallion?"
Caramel flinched hearing Fluttershy's father refer to him as "this stallion." He got the impression that Silverlight didn't exactly approve of him, but couldn't exactly put his hoof on why.
Fluttershy blushed. "Um...well...we haven't talked about anything that far ahead," she said.
"Your grandpa is kinda scary," Scootaloo whispered to Dawn, who could only nod slightly at her words.
"How long have you been in a relationship?" asked Posey, seemingly much more pleased with the situation than her husband was.
"Uh..." Fluttershy unfolded her wing from Caramel's back and began counting off her feathers. "We started dating around midsummer...then..." She looked over at Caramel. "Five months...?"
"Five and a half...about?" answered Caramel with a shrug.
"Close enough," agreed Dawn.
If anything, this only seemed to agitate Silverlight further.
Scootaloo was finding the familial tension a little much to bear. She glanced at the clock and faked a gasp. "Oh would you look at that," she said, "My mom's expecting me home real soon. I'd better be going." She pulled herself out of Fluttershy's wing and made for the door. "It was nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. 'Shy."
"I'll walk with you," said Dawn quickly, shooting a plaintive look up at his mother, who nodded and released him to join the filly.
The two of them rushed out into the hall and quickly got into their winter garb before darting out the door, leaving Fluttershy and Caramel alone with Fluttershy's parents. Caramel watched the foals go, desperately wishing he could join them.
"So..." The tone of Silverlight's voice forced Caramel's ears flat against the side of his head as Caramel turned to look at the older stallion, desperately fighting to keep a whimper from escaping his throat.
"So," repeated Silverlight, "Tell us about yourself."
"Um...uh...." Caramel had to fight to find the words, shuddering beneath Silverlight's scrutiny. Suddenly, he felt Fluttershy's wing tighten its hold. Looking over at Fluttershy, he saw his fillyfriend smiling warmly at him. Slowly, she leaned her head over and nuzzled up against his neck. The action helped ease Caramel's tension...somewhat.
Turning back to Fluttershy's parents, Caramel did his best to smile politely at them. "I work at Bon Bon's candy shop," he said.
"Oh! You're a confectioner!" exclaimed Posey, looking quite happy to learn this, even if her husband didn't share her enthusiasm.
"That's right," said Caramel.
"What kind of candies do you make?" she asked.
Letting out a small, relieved breath, Caramel happily indulged her, explaining the different candies and confections he made at the shop, more than a few of which had been his own inventions. Talking about what he knew made it a little easier for him to participate in the conversation, although he could feel Silverlight's eyes boring into him all too clearly. Ultimately, Caramel wasn't able to keep from breaking out in a mild sweat as Silverlight watched him intently throughout the evening. Sheesh, and the night started out so nice too.
Scootaloo and Dawn took their time, choosing to walk, rather than fly to Scootaloo's home. Dawn's impression of his grandparents was initially positive. They hadn't even paused for a second at the sight of his eyes. Since they'd found out about him through the newspaper articles, they would know all about his condition and the situation surrounding it. Yet, they hadn't brought it up even once. He was fairly certain that they had been waiting eagerly for grandfoals to dote on.
That said, the cold, almost menacing way Silverlight had been treating Caramel had made Dawn more than a little nervous. The colt found it strangely odd that his prospective father, rather than he himself, was the one getting unpleasant treatment. Realizing that he'd essentially abandoned Caramel to what was probably turning into an interrogation made a jolt of guilt shoot through Dawn's gut and he quickened his pace, resolving to get back and hopefully help Caramel through the situation.
The two of them arrived at Scootaloo's house. The filly opened the door and smiled at Dawn. "I guess you need to head back," she said, "But you could probably stay here for a little bit."
"I'd better not," said Dawn, "I get the feeling dad is going to need some help with this."
"Okay," said Scootaloo, "I'll see you tomorrow."
Dawn nodded. They shared a quick kiss before Dawn took to the air and began winging his way back to Caramel's house.
Scootaloo sighed as she watched the colt go. She went into her house, closing the door behind her and followed the quiet sounds of conversation into the kitchen. As she looked around the corner, she gasped. "Rainbow Dash!"
"Hey there squirt!" said Rainbow, stepping away from the table so that she could catch Scootaloo as the filly jumped right into her arms, "You're back early. Everything alright at Dawn's place?"
"Well," said Scootaloo as she pulled away, "Everything was fine. We were all playing some games together when Fluttershy's parents showed up..."
Rainbow froze, her eyes going wide. "Fluttershy's parents?"
"Yeah! They're pretty crazy."
"Scootaloo!" gasped Melon, looking down at her daughter, "That's not a nice thing to say about your coltfriend's grandparents."
"Not nice, but pretty accurate," muttered Rainbow, "Wow! Poor Caramel. If I remember 'Shy's dad right, he's probably giving the poor guy the third degree." Rainbow looked down at her honorary little sister. "How'd they handle Dawn."
"They went crazy over him," said Scootaloo, "I thought they were gonna kick the bucket out of happiness."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," muttered Rainbow.
"Am I missing something?" asked Melon Cream, looking between Rainbow and Scootaloo in confusion.
Rainbow sighed. "Well, Fluttershy's parents always mean well and they're really nice overall. I think they keep trying to make up for what 'Shy had to go through during Flight School."
"Oh...that..." Melon's mind flashed back to the first time she'd talked with Rainbow about Scootaloo's future.
"They were the ones that sent her there, so they feel kinda responsible for how she was bullied all the time," explained Rainbow, "And after Fluttershy dropped out, they decided to move to Las Pegasus, where they didn't have to deal with as many tribalists. They love her and accepted her decision to stay in Ponyville without any problems. But Silverlight got really protective of her and he can get pretty harsh when he thinks a stallion is trying to put the moves on 'Shy." She shuddered. "I'd hate to think of what he's gonna do to Caramel since he and 'Shy are actually dating."
"I'm sure Caramel will be fine," said Melon, "Fluttershy's able to stand up for her own decisions."
"I guess," agreed Rainbow, "But it's probably not gonna be easy for the poor guy.
"So, about this idea to stay with the stallion for the season..." said Silverlight, "It's only temporary, right?"
"Well, yes," said Fluttershy, "Once spring comes, all of my animal friends will either be waking up or migrating back and I'll need to move back to my cottage to take care of them all. They wouldn't like it this far inside Ponyville." She paused as the thought occurred to her. "Oh, and Caramel's neighbors probably wouldn't like it very much either."
"That's an understatement," said Caramel with a chuckle as he imagined the look on his neighbors' faces as Fluttershy moved a veritable menagerie into his house.
"You don't seem too troubled by this," said Silverlight, still staring hard at Caramel.
"Well, with Dawn, things are kinda complicated," said Caramel, "This season's sort of like a test case, to see if we can really get along living together."
"So far it's been going very well," interjected Fluttershy as she snuggled against Caramel with a happy sigh.
The stallion nodded his agreement. "But," he continued, "if we were to decide to try something more...uh...permanent, I'd probably sell this house and move in with Fluttershy at her place."
"And why would you do that?" asked Silverlight.
"Well, I obviously couldn't ask Fluttershy to give up her animal friends," said Caramel, "It wouldn't be right, seeing as she loves them so much." His words prompted his fillyfriend to shift so she could kiss his cheek.
Caramel would have loved to enjoy the feeling, but his attention was instead stolen by the flaring of Silverlight's nostrils. It looked as thought he older stallion wanted to punch him in the face. This isn't gonna end well.
"I'm a bit curious," said Posey, frowning slightly, "You said this season is a test case. What do you mean by that?"
"Well," said Caramel, scratching the back of his head, "Dawn isn't your usual colt and it's not like I can be a regular father to him. So what we need is to really get a feel for each other and figure out how we fit together as a family." He smiled. "I figured that this was the perfect opportunity to try it, the three of us living together as a family."
"And do you like it?" inquired Posey, leaning forward, her smile returning, "Having a son."
Settling back, Caramel thought about the three of them curling up together in front of the fire, the occasional awkward conversations he'd had with the colt, even Dawn's consternation from their attempt at Family Game Night earlier that evening. "Yeah," he said, a blissful feeling flowing through him, "Yeah, I do."
Before the conversation could pick up, Caramel found Fluttershy's hooves on either side of his muzzle as she turned his head to face him. A second later, she planted a firm kiss on his lips, letting her own lips linger for a long moment before she finally pulled away. "I like it too," she whispered.
Posey's hooves flew to her mouth and she let out a nearly inaudible "Eeee!"
Silverlight, on the other hoof, looked as though he was on the verge of exploding.
The sound of the door opening and closing echoed through the void in the conversation. "I'm back," called Dawn from the hall as he trotted in and climbed up between Caramel and Fluttershy on the couch.
Posey blinked and looked at the clock. "I think that's our cue to go," she said.
"What? Wait!" Silverlight protested as Posey latched onto his arm and began to drag him towards the front door.
"Come now dear," admonished Posey as she pulled her husband out into the hall so that they could get their winter-wear back on, "It's not as though we're leaving right away. We have a few days at the very least."
Silverlight looked as though he wanted to protest, but a single look from his wife stopped him cold. With a resigned sigh, he relented and began to put his own coat on.
Fluttershy followed them out into the hall, watching as her parents got dressed. "How long will you be staying?" she asked.
"A week," said Posey, with a smile, "That's as long as we were able to get for vacation time before we have to be back at Las Pegasus."
"I see..." said Fluttershy, her smile wavering, "Maybe we can meet for lunch tomorrow."
Posey turned and pulled her daughter into an affectionate and, fortunately, gentle hug. "Of course we can dear. How about we meet here tomorrow and go out. Will your colt and coltfriend be joining us?"
"I'm afraid not," said Fluttershy with a sigh, "They both have work tomorrow."
Posey froze. Behind her, Silverlight paused as well, both of them giving Fluttershy a confused look. "Dawn has a job?" asked Posey.
Fluttershy nodded. "Oh yes," she said cheerfully, "He works at the new teahouse by the library. He really likes it."
Her parents shared a confused glance before looking back at Fluttershy. "My," said Posey, "That's rather surprising. Doesn't he have friends aside from his fillyfriend?"
"Yes," said Fluttershy, "But they all work there too, so he gets to spend plenty of time with them all."
"Really...?" Posey wanted to ask more, but decided that enough was enough for the evening. "We'll talk about it some more tomorrow. I want to hear everything about what's been going on."
"Of course," said Fluttershy, waving as she saw them off. Posey was leading the way, with Silverlight following reluctantly behind.
Fluttershy closed the door, pressed her back against it and slumped down to the floor. "Oh my," she sighed.
"Are you alright?" asked Caramel as he moved forward to wrap his arms around her.
Slowly, Fluttershy nodded and leaned into the embrace. "Yes. I'm sorry about my parents. They mean well, but...they can be a little...much."
"I get what you mean," said Caramel, "I get the distinct impression your father didn't like me very much."
"He's like that every time he thinks a stallion is interested in me," said Fluttershy, "He's just very protective. He'll come around eventually...I think...I hope..."
"Me too," agreed Caramel, thinking that he probably wouldn't survive the older stallion's wrath unscathed. Turning, he looked at Dawn, who was watching them from the door to the living room. "How about you?" he asked.
"Well, they seemed nice enough to me," said Dawn with a shrug, "But I don't know if I can handle any more of those hugs."
"You might have to get used to it," said Caramel with a chuckle, "They aren't the only pair of grandparents you're going to be getting out of this. My parents are pretty eager to meet you too."
Seeing Dawn's eyes widen made Caramel chuckle a little bit more, "Oh don't worry, they're a lot more even-keeled. I think you'll get along pretty well with them."
"Did you tell them about Dawn's condition?" asked Fluttershy as the family moved back into the living room.
"After the article came out, yeah," replied Caramel, "They already knew that I was dating you and that you had adopted a colt, but I didn't tell them about Dawn's eyes." It hurt a little to think that he'd been keeping secrets from his own parents, but Caramel understood that the risks had been too high at the time. Even though he believed with every fiber of his being that there was no way in Tartarus that his parents were members of the Cult Solar, if they knew about Dawn's condition and spoke about it then there might have been a chance of somepony from the cult hearing about it.
"I hope they leave it until later," said Dawn, "I don't think I can handle more than one set of grandparents at a time." Fluttershy started giggling and Caramel laughed out loud. The two of them leaned down to nuzzle their son fondly as they retired to enjoy the remainder of the evening in quiet relaxation.
"Our dear little angel has grown up," cooed Posey as she and her husband slowly winged their way back to the inn, "I'm impressed that she has such a mature, well-behaved colt."
"He's an odd sort," said Silverlight, "But not too bad. We'll have to have some stallion-time together."
"I'm sure he'd appreciate that dear," said Posey, giving her husband an amused smile, "Fluttershy seems to have found herself a nice stallion too."
Silverlight's good mood seemed to evaporate. "I don't like him."
"Of course you don't," said Posey with a roll of her eyes, "But he seems a pleasant fellow, so go easy on him."
"I don't trust him," said Silverlight, seemingly oblivious to what his wife had just asked, "He seems shifty to me. What if he's trying to take advantage of our daughter?"
Posey sighed and rolled her eyes again. In a sense, it was her husband's way of coping with what had happened. She had tried to compensate for the past by giving Fluttershy as much affection as she possibly could whenever the opportunity presented itself. Silverlight apparently compensated by behaving in the most stereotypically stallionly manner a father possibly could. She remembered their last visit when Silverlight had been sure Fluttershy had been eyeing that massive red specimen of a stallion who proceeded to shrug off Silverlight's efforts at intimidation with nothing more than a few syllables.
Now, not only was there a stallion that Fluttershy was showing a genuine interest in, but one who was reciprocating that interest. Not only that, but the two of them had already progressed quite far in their relationship if they were already living together, even if it was only temporarily. Just how far was something Posey planned on finding out when she met Fluttershy in the morning.
"I sincerely doubt that," she said in response to her husband's speculation, "Fluttershy has excellent judgment and it would take a very special stallion to get through her usual shyness. Her friends are looking out for her too and Dawn seems to be a perceptive colt. If none of them have any problem with her choice of coltfriend, then I don't think there's anything to be worried about."
Silverlight huffed and fell silent. It was clear that he wasn't in agreement. But he'd at least decided to keep his thoughts to himself for the time being. His silence persisted all the way back to the inn.
The door to the bedroom slowly opened admit Storm Front as he pushed his shoulder against it. His wings were beating rhythmically, keeping him a short distance of the floor as his legs cradled the sleeping Flitter. The mare hummed and nuzzled into the warmth of his chest as Storm carried her across the room to his bed, where he laid her down.
Working slowly and gently, so as not to disturb her, Storm untied the ribbon from around her hair and hung it from one of the bedposts. Then he pulled up the covers, tucking them around his fillyfriend, who only responded by rolling onto her side and pulling the blanket and comforter tighter around herself. Storm couldn't help but smile at the sight and leaned over to gently kiss Flitter's cheek.
Flitter had fallen asleep while the two of them had been lounging in front of the fire. Storm couldn't bring himself to wake her or force her to endure the outside cold in order to take her back to her own home. Instead, he'd opted to simply put her to bed and take the couch for himself. No doubt she'd be teased mercilessly by Cloud Chaser and Thunderlane, but at least she would be warm and comfortable for the night.
After making sure that his fillyfriend was tucked in, Storm left the house and took to the air. Banking, he angled his flight towards the teahouse. Though the outside lanterns had been extinguished, there was still a sliver of light shining out from under the door, which was uncharacteristic, given the hour.
Storm dropped to the ground outside the door and smacked a hoof sharply against the wood. A few seconds later, Arkenstone's voice echoed from within. "Come in."
Coming in, Storm took a second to shake off the snow that had accumulated on his fur and feathers before continuing inside. Arkenstone was at the table, a large pot of tea and three cups laid out before the stallion. Red River was already there as well, the azure stallion sitting a short distance away from Arkenstone and facing perpendicular to his fellow earth pony. Storm settled down across from Red and, together, the two of them turned to regard Arkenstone.
The settings for the tea were a bit different than usual, more formal. The pot was larger than most of Arkenstone's wares, made from a fine porcelain, white and inlaid with blue and gold. Storm was quick to recognize the quality of its craftmareship. The cups that accompanied the pot were shorter and broader, more like small bowls than cups. They were of the same make as the pot and adorned with the same patterns. The teapot rested on a small brazier that would keep the contents warm throughout an extended session. The final component to the setup was a plain white napkin, folded into a neat square in front of Arkenstone.
As Storm took his seat, Arkenstone took the first cup and wiped the rim with the napkin. He then poured a tiny quantity of tea into the cup, not even a full mouthful. Raising the cup to his lips, Arkenstone completely drained it with a single swallow. After that, he wiped the rim with the napkin again before setting the cup in front of Storm, who nodded solemnly. Arkenstone repeated the process again before setting another cup in front of Red, who accepted it with equal gravity. Arkenstone then performed the same procedure with his own cup before pouring each of them a full serving of tea.(1)
Storm stared silently at the amber brew swirling around his cup for a moment, pondering Arkenstone's actions. This is more serious than I thought. Storm raised the cup to his lips and drank deeply draining the cup in three sips. Setting the cup down, the pegasus turned to regard Arkenstone and raised an eyebrow. "What have you learned?"
Arkenstone nodded and began to relate the information he'd learned from Luna regarding the Cult Solar's actions. It had been a few days since Nightmare Night, but Arkenstone had decided to try and see if he could learn anything more through correspondence with Shining Armor. Sadly, all he had learned was nothing more than a confirmation of what Luna had already told him.
When he finished, Red and Storm were both silent. They'd helped themselves to the tea and were on their third cups, thinking hard about the information that had just been relayed to them.
"A master of the Mountain Root..." Red shook his head slowly. "It looks as though our worst fears have been confirmed. So the Cult Solar did have a fighter of Willow's caliber in their ranks."
"An even higher caliber," corrected Storm, turning his gaze back to Arkenstone, "I'm afraid this is over our heads. If he's really coming here, then it's going to fall to you."
The blind stallion nodded in agreement. "Yes. Unfortunately, we cannot necessarily guarantee that I will be able to intercept him right away. If that is the case, then I will need you to waylay him, buy as much time as you possibly can."
Red River frowned. "This isn't like dealing with a practitioner of the Gale King or the Still Way. Most fights involving a pony of even moderate skill in the Mountain Root are decided in an instant. They always try to end things with the first blow whenever possible."
Arkenstone nodded. "Yes. It won't be easy. Even more importantly, when he comes, we will likely have to evacuate Ponyville."
"Evacuate them to where?" asked Storm Front
"Sweet Apple Acres," answered Red River, "Granny Smith is a Mountain Root Master as well. Even though she might not be up for fighting all that much anymore, I think she can keep the area secure."
"Yes," agreed Arkenstone, "That is the best option right now. One way or another, it will fall to us to deal with Terra Heart when he comes to Ponyville."
"Dawn's progress has been nothing short of phenomenal," Red pointed out, "In the few months since we last dueled, his skills have advanced considerably. Do you believe he might have a chance."
"Of victory?" Arkenstone shook his head. "No. If Terra Heart really is a master of the Mountain Root, then none of Dawn's blows will even be able to touch him."
"The same could be said for us," replied Storm, "Neither Red nor I could hope to scratch him at our level. If we are going to buy time, it might very well be at the cost of our lives."
Arkenstone's lips compressed into a tight line. "I'm sorry. I don't want it to be this way, especially when you've both found so much to live for..."
"It's fine," said Red, sounding strangely cheery, given the gravity of their conversation, "It's what we were hired for isn't it? If anything, having something to live for makes it more likely that we'll be able to do something. Having a reason to keep living makes you stronger."
Storm nodded his agreement. "We won't die if we can help it."
"I certainly hope so," said Arkenstone, "The only real issue with this situation is when Terra Heart will show up."
"That's been bothering me since you told us about the situation," said Red, "If the Supreme Pontiff had been thinking about sending Terra, why did he bother issuing an order to the rest of the Cult to keep them from acting. Given the lines of communication, by the time that order reached everyone it was supposed to, Terra could have already come and gone."
"In other words, the reason the Supreme Pontiff sent that order out was because he was not planning on having Terra Heart act immediately," deduced Storm Front.
"They're waiting," agreed Arkenstone, "But until when...And for what? Given the situation, the longer it takes for a resolution to be reached, the more agitation will form amongst the members of the Cult Solar, making it harder for the Supreme Pontiff to maintain order. Why is he waiting then?"
Red shrugged. "I haven't the faintest clue. I'll talk to Mayweather and see if she has any ideas as to why they would want to delay action. But if it's a decision made by the Supreme Pontiff, then it may be for reasons unrelated to the actual doctrines of the Cult itself."
"Perhaps we should consider the negative conversation," said Storm Front.
Red River turned to look at his old friend, while Arkenstone's ears swiveled in Storm's direction.
"The negative conversation?" asked Arkenstone.
"It's something I learned as a civil servant in Guoxia," explained Storm, "As martial artists, we are all familiar with the principles of duality, negative and positive, yin and yang. That applies to many things, including conversation. For every conversation, there is what is said and, sometimes more importantly, what is unsaid."
"In other words, we need to consider what the Supreme Pontiff's orders to the rest of the Cult Solar are not saying," said Red.
Storm nodded. "Since we have nothing to help us understand what the Supreme Pontiff and his Cult would gain from waiting, perhaps we should instead ask: What do they stand to lose by acting immediately?"
Red thought for a moment before turning to look at Akenstone. "Let's say...this Terra guy decides to show up tomorrow...What would be the immediate consequences of that?"
Arkenstone tapped his chin for a moment, paused to take long sip from his cup...tapped his chin some more...took another sip...refilled his cup...took another sip...
Finally, his eyes shot open, displaying featureless white that stared sightlessly ahead of him. "If Terra were to attack immediately, then, regardless of the outcome, Princess Celestia would have all the evidence she needs to begin a full-scale investigation of the Cult Solar. Until now, our proactive options have been limited because, from the law's perspective, it's been the actions of a few radical members. But if a member, second to the leader himself, were to take action, it would make it more than enough evidence for us to investigate. We would be free to root them out with every tool in our arsenal in order to find the leaders and bring them to justice."
"So that's why this Supreme Pontiff fellow pulled this stunt," said Red.
"Not quite," said Storm, "If that were the case, there would be no need to order a cessation of hostilities at all, much less issue a statement claiming that his own second-in-command would be coming to kill Dawn."
"Well, he certainly couldn't stop them forever," said Arkenstone, "When one fosters that kind of fanaticism in one's followers, it becomes the sort of thing that can't simply be switched on and off at the instigator's convenience. At some point, action from the top of the organization is required if ponies are to maintain their faith in his leadership."
"In other words, at this point, Dawn's death would actually be an inconvenience to him," murmured Storm.
"Oh!" said Red as it finally clicked in his head, "It's a stalling tactic. He's trying to keep his Cult in check because, if Tera were to kill Dawn now, it would lead to Princess Celestia and the authorities taking too close a look at what he's doing."
"Which means that there is something the Supreme Pontiff is actually doing," added Storm, "And his priority is to keep anypony from looking and finding out what that is before he's finished it."
"I think we've all had the sneaking suspicion that the Cult Solar's great leader isn't exactly a true believer," said Red, "A lot of the things we've heard about what he does seem more pragmatic than spiritual; the emphasis on secrecy and 'humility,' a 'path' that ponies have to work their way through to simply see him, and now pulling back the reins on his little army of fanatics to keep them from acting out before he's ready..."
"If that's the case, then the article about Dawn may well have caused him more problems than we realized," concluded Arkenstone, "He has something...a project, let's assume...that he needs to complete. However, he can't afford anypony taking too close a look at what that project is."
"But then the article comes along," said Red, picking up the thread, "And suddenly all the ponies, maybe the ones who are supposed to be working on his project, are up in arms about Dawn and want to go after the kid."
Storm jumped in. "But that would cause progress on his goal to suffer. On top of that, it would invite too much scrutiny from Princess Celestia and the Guard, so he issues an order to stop them from acting out and, to keep them from getting impatient too quickly, states that the most powerful pony in the Cult, both politically and physically speaking, will resolve the situation, but is clearly holding him back in order to buy more time."
All three stallions went silent. After all that had happened, after all the fights, after all that the colt that the three of them had had mentored, in one form or another, had suffered, here was the first real ray of light in their situation, a chance to turn the tables on Dawn's antagonists. If they could take the initiative, then the Cult Solar might finally be eliminated. Dawn, the ponies with that same condition, and Princess Luna herself, would be able to breathe easily without having to worry about a mob of deluded fanatics quietly seeking their deaths.
"Now that we have an idea of what the Cult Solar is up to, the question is what we do about it," said Storm pensively.
Red's ears perked up and he blinked. "Appleloosa!" he said abruptly, "Let's start there!"
"Why Appleloosa?" asked Storm.
"It is a place where we know the Cult has gained a strong hoofhold," Arkenstone pointed out.
"It's more than that," said Red, "When Applejack's relatives were visiting, her cousin Braeburn mentioned something about a construction project, some kind of temple."
"I see..." said Storm, "...Given the Cult Solar's modern iteration's emphasis on secrecy and 'humility,' an ostentatious, public place of worship would seem to go against that doctrine."
Arkenstone nodded. "I'll inform Shining Armor right away." His head turned in the direction of the library. "Neither he or Spike are going to be happy about being woken up at this hour."
Still, it couldn't be helped. There was no knowing when Terra Heart would arrive. Also, there was no knowing when the Supreme Pontiff's mysterious goal, the entire reason he had stalled the Cult Solar's actions against Dawn, would be reached. Time was of the essence.
"I guess that's it for the night then," said Storm, "We'll have to be very careful from here on out."
"Do we want to inform Dawn of this?" asked Red.
Akenstone froze with an expression that the other two stallions had never seen before on his face. In the course of their discussion, not to mention all their past interactions with him, they had seen Arkenstone stop because he was pensive about something, thinking about it deliberately and carefully. But this was the first time they had seen him even momentarily paralyzed with pure indecision.
"I...I do not know..." Arkenstone sighed. "For his safety, it is best if he is prepared. But..."
"Learning just how seriously he's being threatened would sure ruin his holiday," said Red ruefully.
"I have a feeling that dying because he was unprepared for the threats he might face would make his holiday infinitely worse," retorted Storm.
Arkenstone sighed. "There really isn't any choice. I will tell him tomorrow. If anything, we should regard him as our peer and treat him as such. He deserves our respect."
The other two stallions nodded. Silently, the three of them agreed to adjourn for the night. Storm Front flew back to his house while Red made the long trek through the snow back to Sweet Apple Acres. Meanwhile, Arkenstone, after some writing, traveled the much shorter distance between his teahouse and Twilight's library. Unlocking the door with the key she'd given him, he soundlessly made his way across the floor and up the stairs. His ears turned in the direction of Twilight's bed, where he could hear the faint sound of her breath. After a moment, he turned his attention to the large basket a short distance away, whose inhabitant was snoring softly.
Feeling slightly guilty, Arkenstone walked up to Spike's bed and began to gently prod the young dragon. "Spike," he whispered, "Spike...I need you to wake up please. I'm so sorry about this, but I have an urgent letter I need you to send..."