//------------------------------// // Ch.4 - Big Sister Midnight // Story: The Witching Hour - Chaos is Change // by Chaotic Ink //------------------------------// “Now remember Midnight; you promised to be civil while Orange is here,” Summer said, reaching over and trying to fuss with her daughter’s mane while they waited on the train station platform Monday morning. After the events on Saturday, Midnight had told her it was alright to send a letter back to Manehattan and let Orange and Autumn know they could come and see her as well. As far as the kirin was concerned, the only reason Orange was coming was because Autumn was too young to ride the train alone but she would be civil for her mother and sister’s sake. Midnight snorted and took a step back and away from the hoof. “I remember mom and enough with the mane already!” “Did you even brush it this morning?” Summer asked. “Have you brushed it at all these past four years?” Midnight let out an exasperated snort. It was true; mothers never changed. “I like it the way it is.” “I mean it looks like you live outside-” “I’m a wood cutter; I practically do,” Midnight retorted. “-and you make up Squeaky’s mane so nicely,” Summer continued as if Midnight hadn’t said anything, “that it’s beyond me why you don’t put your own mane up even a little.” Midnight looked over at Sapphire, her face a perfect picture of ‘Help Me’. Sapphire giggled and shrugged. The kirin was on her own when it came to Summer, just like she was when Ruby came. “You’re no help,” Midnight snorted at her, then turned back to her mother. “I put Squeaks’ mane up because she looks better like that and because she actually likes it. I, on the other hoof, like my mane the way it is.” Summer let out an exasperated sigh. “For somepony who doesn’t like being considered a wild beast, you make little effort to not look like one.” “Mom!” “I can see the train!” Sapphire said, pointing down the rail and stopping the argument. Both of them turned their heads to look. Indeed the train was coming, slowing down to stop at the station. “Oh, here they come! Midnight, you stand back here next to Sapphire and wait for me come over with them,” Summer said, pushing Midnight and Sapphire a few steps back and more into each other. “I want to get them both ready to meet you.” “Sure mom,” Midnight said with a nod, allowing the grinning Summer to get into position closer to the train. “Nervous?” Sapphire asked when she saw the smile on the kirin’s face was a bit strained. “A little bit,” Midnight conceded. “I mean, I was nervous about being a mom after all was said and done with what happened with Squeaks, but she and I had kind of bonded already. Autumn and I have an even bigger gap between us in age; what if instead of a big sister I…” she trailed off. “I may not have any siblings,” Sapphire told her, “but I get the feeling from seeing others like Rarity and Applejack that the bond is just different between sisters than it is between a parent and a foal. You’ll be a great big sister.” Midnight was glad her black coat hid her blushing. “Thanks.” She gave her a quick wing hug, one which the pegasus returned, then turned back to watch Summer. The unicorn was embracing an orange pegasus that had just come off the train and Midnight suddenly found herself trying to suppress a growl. Summer had told her that before meeting Windstorm, Orange Glow was more of a childhood crush than somepony she was serious about and the pegasus had respectively bowed to his rival, even if his feelings hadn’t gone completely away. After her father left, Orange had become more and more an emotional rock for Summer, until she found herself having the same feelings for him as he still had for her. Midnight still wanted to bite him, hard, but a very small voice at the back of her mind said what happened wasn’t his fault at all. She’d indulge it… for now. When they were done Summer and Orange came up to them. “Midnight, you remember Orange Glow, right?” Summer asked pointedly. In an attempt to cover her extending fangs Midnight smiled broadly. “Hello, Orange,” she said between her teeth, reaching out a hoof for him to shake. “Hello, Midnight, it’s great to see you happy and healthy,” he told her, shaking her hoof. “Where’s Autumn?” Midnight asked, quickly retracting her hoof and looking away from Orange to Summer. “I thought she was here, too?” Summer took a step to the side and looked at a spot behind Orange’s legs. “Autumn? Don’t you want to come and meet your big sister?” After a few seconds a small, grey foal with the same blue eyes as Summer and Midnight and bright orange mane as Orange stuck her head out briefly, then shot back behind the pegasus stallion. “Oh, come now.” Summer stepped back and around Orange and a moment later was pushing the foal in question out into the open. “Autumn, this is your big sister Midnight. Midnight, this is Autumn.” Midnight and Autumn stared at each other in silence for a whole minute, one trying to figure out what to do next while the other was too scared to move. Finally, grinning sheepishly, Midnight lowered herself to about Autumn’s eye level. “H-Hi, Autumn… I-” Before Midnight could finish, Autumn’s eyes shrunk to pin pricks and she bolted back behind Summer. “Uh…” Midnight lifted her head, a look of hurt clear on her face. “Autumn!” Summer scolded as she looked around at her youngest. “That’s no way to treat your big sister!” “It’s alright mom,” Midnight said, taking a step back to stand with Sapphire. “Autumn,” Summer said, ignoring Midnight, “we are not leaving this train platform until you say hi to your sister.” “She’s scary mommy,” Autumn said plaintively, looking up at her parents as if begging for them to agree with her. “She’s not scary honey,” Orange tried. “She’s just different from other ponies. You’re different from the other foals and they aren’t scared of you.” That was a bit of a stretch; Autumn was the only pegasus foal in their building while all the others were unicorns. “But she’s a dragon,” the filly tried again. “She’s only part dragon,” Summer explained. “She’s what we call a kirin, but she’s just as nice and safe as any other pony; more so, since she’s your sister.” Autumn peaked her head out again to look at Midnight, only to duck back behind Summer again when the kirin smiled at her. “Autumn,” Summer said warningly. “Sorry,” came the quiet response from behind Summer. Midnight nodded. “Apology accepted,” she said back, almost just as quietly. “Alright then,” Summer said, somehow managing to sound both pleased and unhappy at the same time, “now that we all know each other, how about we head back to Midnight’s and get settled in?” ----------------------------- Squeaks let out a silent sigh as she sat on the couch, sucking on a watermelon while she waited for her mom and the others to come back. Windrunner was on the other side of the couch reading a magazine while she kept an eye on the filly. Squeaks had decided to stay behind instead of going to the train station because so far the past day and a half for her had been, at the very least, awkward. Midnight had told her that the mare, Summer, was her mother, which meant that she was Squeaks' grandmother. A grandparent was something Squeaks had no experience in. She'd heard that most grandparents were very nice and liked to spoil foals whenever they saw them, but there were a few that could be very mean as well, like Dinky's grandma, and that worried Squeaks. Her mom had acted very hostile towards Summer when they had first seen each other so Squeaks thought of her as a bad pony. Then they went off into the Everfree and came back crying and saying everything was alright. The sudden change of attitude had confused not only Squeaks but Sapphire and Windrunner as well. The adults, at least, had gotten over their confusion but Squeaks had stayed reluctant, even to the point of doing her best to have one of the others between her and Summer anytime the two were in a room together. There was also the way Summer looked at her, like she was happy, confused, and uncomfortable all at the same time. Midnight had tried to get the two to interact and Summer had even seemed willing but Squeaks just shied back behind Midnight. She hadn't been comfortable around Windrunner at first either, but then Windrunner hadn't made Midnight angry at all. There was also the fact that Summer was sleeping in her bed. Since she had a bunk bed and there were no more guest rooms available, Midnight had told her that Summer would be sleeping in her room. The filly had not liked that idea at all and at the first chance she got she snuck back downstairs to Midnight's room. The kirin had argued that she was perfectly safe alone in a room with Summer, but in the end relented and let Squeaks sleep with her for the night. Midnight had relented the second night as well because, since Summer had paid extra for express delivery of her letter and apparently so had Orange, word had come that the two ponies would be coming from Manehattan and they would also need a place to sleep. Since Squeaks was so against sleeping in her own room with her grandmother, Summer and Autumn would get Squeaks' room while Orange got the couch. Squeaks had no problems with the arrangement; she loved cuddling up and sleeping under her mom's wing. To her it was the absolutely safest place in the world she could be while the other ponies were in the house. "Are you alright Squeaky?" the pegasus asked her from the other side of the couch, eyeing the filly with a hint of worry. "You're awfully quiet today." Squeaks pulled her fangs out of the fruit but continued to stare down at it. "I don't think I like Sum- I mean, I don't think I like grandma very much." "Is there any particular reason why?" Windrunner put her magazine down and turned towards the filly more. If they were all going to spend the week together (Summer had apparently cashed in some vacation and personal days before she left) then it would be for the best if the filly got whatever was on her chest off it, though why ponies considered problems to be on their chests the desert pony had no idea. Still the small bat pony refused to look up at her but her wings flapped in discomfort. "Mom didn't like her when she first came here." "Yes, but they seemed to make up." "But how can somepony be super mad with another pony one minute, then be hugging them the next? It doesn't make sense." Windrunner thought about it for a minute. "I... don't really know either. Your mother really was angry with her but whatever she was angry about they seemed to work it out in the woods. Maybe whatever she was angry about turned out to have a simple solution they hadn't seen before or perhaps Summer came to apologize for whatever happened and that's all Midnight wanted to hear. Whatever the case may be, Midnight is getting along with her mother and you should try to get along with her as well." Squeaks nodded and put her fangs back into the melon. She guessed she could try a little harder. Then her ears perked up. "They're back," she said, turning to face the small hallway with the side door. Windrunner had just gotten off the couch to get the door when it swung open. First through was Sapphire, quickly followed by both Midnight and Summer, then finally an unfamiliar pegasus stallion and filly came in and closed the door behind them. While the two newcomers followed Summer into the kitchen, presumably to put down the bags they had brought in with them, Midnight and Sapphire entered the living room. Both Windrunner and Squeaks saw that Midnight looked worried as she entered. "Hey," the kirin said in a tired voice, bending over to nuzzle Squeaks who eagerly returned it. "Is everything alright?" Windrunner asked, looking from Midnight to Sapphire. "It seems that Autumn Light, Midnight's younger sister, is a bit scared of her," Sapphire said. "I shouldn't be surprised," Midnight said, laying down so that her head was resting on the couch cushion Squeaks was on. "Only ponies from here and who knew me from when I was little aren't scared when they first see me." "I'm from Canterlot and Cloudsdale and I never had a problem with you," Sapphire said, moving closer to the kirin. "Neither was I," Windrunner added. "I wasn't either," Squeaks said, sounding proud. Midnight raised an eyebrow at her. "Squeaks, the second you saw me you went tearing into the Everfree the other way." The bat filly's ears drooped. "W-Well, I didn't go far..." All three adults snickered and Midnight nuzzled her again. "I know Squeaks. Listen," Midnight's face became serious. "This week is going to involve a lot of things neither of us are used to but at least promise me you'll try and get along with your grandmother and... aunt, okay?" Slowly, reluctantly, Squeaks nodded. "O-Okay mom. What about grandp-?" "The only thing you need to know about Orange is that he's married to your grandma." Midnight interrupted, her teeth bearing slightly. Sapphire and Windrunner gave each other worried looks. "Well," came Summer's voice from the hallway. Everypony in the living looked over to see Summer, Orange, and Autumn coming in to join them. "How about we all get to know each other?" ----------------------------- "So... has mom read any good books to you lately?" Midnight asked as she moved her blue piece a few spaces. Autumn's eyes flicked up to her then back down at the board. All but one of her yellow pieces were on the board while Midnight only had a single blue piece. The game of Trouble had been Summer's idea after she had asked Squeaks what kinds of games she played. As it turned out, it was one of Autumn's favorite games and almost before any of them could blink Summer had come back down with the game in her magic and almost as quick had it set up so that Autumn and Midnight could play. When that was done, she had gone back into the kitchen to play with Squeaks and her favorite game: Uno. The idea for games had come up after the introductions had all gone around. It had been short as only Sapphire, Windrunner, and Orange had really greeted each other. Orange already knew Midnight and both Squeaks and Autumn had stayed behind their respective parents. Squeaks at least had said hello after a look from Midnight, to be polite. Autumn had to be coaxed out and only whispered out greetings. Saying hi to Squeaks had required even more urging and Midnight was sure that had been because Squeaks had features similar to herself. That and the fact that Autumn had to look at Midnight to see Squeaks. Orange had been just as surprised as Summer had been when he had asked the two pegasus mares to talk about themselves. Then again being an aid to the princesses and growing up among buffalo weren't stories one heard every day. Both of them had been equally interested in Orange's work, as well as hearing that he and Summer had grown up in the same village as foals. Midnight acted completely disinterested the whole time, even yawning widely at one point. Sapphire and Windrunner had left after that, Sapphire saying somepony needed to watch the front while Windrunner said she would go out and at least mark the next few trees they would work on. Before leaving, Sapphire had given the kirin a pointed look. "You know, being hostile to Orange might be sending Autumn bad signals as well," she had whispered. Midnight had simply snorted at that. Seeing that neither Autumn nor Midnight was going to start any conversation, Autumn hiding and Midnight looking uncomfortable, Summer began talking with Squeaks. It was all the general kinds of questions an adult would ask an eight-year-old: how was school, did she have any friends, what were her favorite toys, etc. It had been during this that Summer had asked what kind of games Squeaks usually played and when Squeaks had rattled off Trouble, Autumn visibly perked up. Seizing the opportunity, Summer suggested playing a few games while they talked. Midnight chipped in that they should also try playing Squeaks' favorite game, Uno, while they were at it. Summer had agreed happily, but when she had brought the games down she had told Midnight to stay in the living room and play with Autumn while she and Orange played with Squeaks in the kitchen. Both fillies had looks of horror on their faces but no amount of buts and puppy-eyes could dissuade the adults. It had been an eye-opening moment for Midnight that both she and her mom where both in agreement over their respective little ones getting to know the other adult. After years of near-constant arguing, though, it was nice to finally be on the same side for once. It was also weird that both Squeaks and Autumn would act in identical fashion to one another but, then again, Squeaks was simply a shy filly, almost certainly due to her upbringing, and Midnight was sure Autumn was just acting the same because of her. From what Summer had told her before they had arrived, Autumn was actually quite friendly and hardly ever had a problem walking up to a pony and saying hi. It was a bitter pill for Midnight; after a year in Ponyville she could actually almost forget the looks of terror other ponies in other places had given her. Now, here was her own sister giving her the same look and it reopened those memories. It was that fact, however, that made Midnight decide that this time had to be different. Autumn was her sister and family was the one thing you should never be scared of. Maybe that had been part of the reason she had been so angry with Summer the whole time as well but either way Midnight wanted to get along with her sister, just like she wanted Squeaks to get along with Summer. So, after the game had started, Midnight had started asking Autumn the same questions Summer had asked Squeaks. Unfortunately, Autumn looked more at the board than anything else. 'At least she's not constantly looking back at the kitchen' Midnight thought. "You know, I remember some of the books mom read to me when I was little," she tried again. "There was a book about a rabbit, one about a bird, even two books about an octopus and a family of wingless dragons." Unless the kirin missed her guess, she could have sworn Autumn had looked up at her with surprise, but the filly's head went back down the moment Midnight turned back to her. "Maybe it was because I'm part dragon, well wyvern, but I really liked that story." Midnight tapped the bubble with the dice and moved her piece. She turned to look at the window when she was done. "Mom read it to me a lot... heh, she even did the noises for me when she read." Out of the corner of her eye she could see Autumn looking up at her but couldn't make out the look on her face. "I think I liked it so much because no matter what the family stayed together, and even after they got lost they found each other in the end. Maybe that's why I liked it so much, because in the end everything turned out alright." She turned back towards Autumn, who once again lowered her head to the board game. This time, however, the blue eyes flicked up and held hers for a second before dropping back down to the game. 'That's a start, I guess' "Anyway, have you ever had a mango?" ----------------------------- "Uno," Orange said as he put down a yellow five. Squeaks looked down at her two remaining cards, then at her grandmother. She had five cards in her magic, so she wasn't a threat just yet. She looked back down at her own cards, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated on the two. She could just put the one card down and then let Summer go but she could just as easily give Orange the winning move. The other card could be just as damning but then if he didn't have a similar card she could almost certainly win. After a brief hesitation Squeaks put down her card; reverse yellow. "Uno," she said back, challenging him to have a wrong card. Orange looked at the card, to her, then back to the card. "Red reverse," he said, putting down his final card. "UGH!" Squeaks grunted, slapping her last card down on the table, a red two. "Sorry Squeaky; that's just how it works sometimes," he said with an apologetic grin. "I bet I could beat you at Go Fish," Squeaks pouted. She hardly ever lost at Uno and here Orange was beating her for a second time in a row. "I'm willing to let you try," Orange told her with a smirk. "You're on!" Squeaks said, then her back legs twisted inward slightly. "After I go to the bathroom." With that the bat filly was off her chair and running up the stairs. "You can be really manipulative sometimes," Summer said with a laugh. Orange shrugged. "If her wanting to beat me helps her open up, I don't see a problem with a little goading." Summer laughed again, but she had to admit he was right. While Squeaks had been very withdrawn when they started, she had begun being more open and even talkative once the game got into full swing. By the end, not only was she talking but was becoming competitive with Orange. He had almost won that first game and Squeaks had seem to take it as a personal challenge to her skill in the game. One thing that did bother Summer as they played was that, while Squeaks had begun calling her grandma with less hesitation, she called Orange by his first name. She was sure Midnight had something to do with it. "Summer, everything alright?" Orange asked, noticing how his wife's face had become a bit annoyed. "I'm just tired of Midnight acting the way she does towards you. Did you even notice that Squeaky didn't call you 'grandpa' even once?" Orange let out a sigh. "Summer, I'm not Midnight's father and I'm not going to try to be. Not because I dislike her," he said, stalling Summer, "but because I know if I ever tried to replace Windstorm she would never forgive me. True, I'd like it as well if she would stop growling every time I enter the same room she's in but all I want is to be her friend and to be there if she needs me; that's it. And if I'm not going to ask Midnight to call me dad, I'm certainly not going to ask her foal to call me grandpa." Summer let out her own sigh. "Orange, I've known you since we were foals and I just have to ask; is there anything that offends you? Windstorm always seemed to want to bite your head off and Midnight never seemed adverse to taking a piece out of you either, yet you just sit there and smile like nothing's wrong." "Windstorm was a wyvern, Summer. I could hardly blame him for being territorial and as for Midnight, well, she can be just as possessive. I can't fault either of them for having draconic natures." Summer shook her head. "More patience than a rock," she mumbled. ----------------------------- "Autumn, why aren't you getting along with your sister?" Summer asked as she got Autumn ready for bed. "I know you just met her but you're usually so friendly with other ponies." Dinner had shown that there had been little to no progress between the filly and kirin, even though it was clear Midnight was trying. Autumn spat out the water she had been using to rinse her teeth into the sink. "She's part dragon, mommy!" "So?" Summer asked, wiping her daughter's face clean of left-over water and spit. "You like that book about dragons; what's so different about Midnight?" Autumn hopped down from the stool Squeaks usually used and followed Summer out into the hallway. "Well... she's really big." "So are the dragons in the book." "Nuh-uh! They're only... this big!" Autumn spread out her front legs to about the size of a dog. Summer had to suppress a snort of laughter. "No Autumn, dragons are much bigger than that, even the ones in the book. In fact Midnight is actually small for dragons." Autumn thought about that as she followed her mother into Squeaks' room. "Well... she still looks all scary and stuff." Summer cocked an eyebrow at her. "How does she look scary?" "Because she's big, and black, and has sharp teeth, and has big wings with claws on them!" Summer sighed heavily. She had to admit that to a three-year-old Midnight was more than just big and had sharp teeth and claws belonging to things that tried to eat ponies. Add in the black coat and Summer could suddenly see that to a foal, Midnight could easily be mistaken for some kind of monster that lurks in their closets and tries to gobble them up at night. 'She really does seem cursed sometimes'. "Autumn, since Midnight is your sister, that means she's my little girl as well. That means that, just like you, I know her better than anypony else, so believe me when I tell you that she would never, ever, try to hurt you in any way. All she wants to do is be a good big sister, so please promise me tomorrow you'll at least talk with her? After all, you two may have more in common than you think." Autumn frowned at this, but finally gave a quiet "okay". With a satisfied nod Summer levitated Autumn up for a good-night kiss, then up and into the top bunk. "Good night Autumn dear." "Good night mommy." 'And I think I have an idea on how to help you two along.' ----------------------------- "Sounds like you had a good time today," Midnight said as she put the story book on her night stand. Despite her best efforts she could hear a bit of resentment in her own voice. She knew it wasn't fair to Squeaks to sound like that but the situation with Autumn really bothered her. "Yeah, grandma is fun to be with." Squeaks said with a small smile as she curled up next to Midnight. "But Orange was fun to play with, too." The thestral felt her mother suddenly go ridged. Looking up, she could see Midnight looking towards the bedroom door as if she could see through it to Orange laying on the couch. She looked angry, too. Before Squeaks could ask what was wrong, Midnight snorted and adjusted herself on the bed. "Well, I'm glad you had fun regardless." "Did you have fun playing with Autumn?" Squeaks asked when it seemed Midnight had cooled down enough. "That's Aunt Autumn, Squeaks," Midnight told her. "But... I thought aunts were supposed to be older than their... um..." "You're her niece, and yes, that's usually how it is, but on rare occasions a niece or nephew can be older." "So I have to call her that? What if she doesn't like it?" Midnight thought about it for a second. "We'll ask your grandmother about it tomorrow. Right now I think we could do with a bit of shut-eye. Good night, Squeaks." Midnight turned off the lamp and kissed Squeaks on the forehead. "Good night mom," Squeaks said back, squirming back under her mother's wing. It was only as she was drifting off that she realized that Midnight never told her how her day with Autumn had gone. ----------------------------- Tuesday morning seemed to come all too quickly for Midnight. It had only felt like a few seconds but the clock on the night stand had gone from 11:09 PM to 8:11 AM. She had stayed up reading after Squeaks had fallen asleep (thanks to her draconic eyes she could very easily read in the dark) but it was obvious that the situation with Autumn was eating at her more than she liked to admit if she had slept a full nine hours. Part of her felt that they were going about the situation all wrong. What if forcing Autumn to spend time with her actually made things worse? Maybe they should all just take a step back and let Autumn come to her on her own. Then again, if she was acting so different than usual, maybe keeping a distance would give the filly an excuse to never get to know her. Midnight laid her head back down on a pillow. 'It's too early for this' she grumbled silently. A stirring under her left wing made her lift it up to reveal Squeaks just waking up. The small thestral yawned widely, giving Midnight an impressive view of her fangs, and when she was done she looked up at her with a smile. "'Morning, mom." "Good morning, Squeaks. Sleep well?" The filly nodded. "I always sleep good in your bed." Midnight nuzzled her and rested her head down by her. "So, what are we going to do today?" Squeaks asked her as another yawn escaped her. "I don't really know. We need a few groceries so maybe a trip to the market but other than that..." the kirin shrugged. "Maybe we could all go to the park?" Squeaks suggested. Another shrug. "Maybe." She rested her head back down and closed her eyes. As Squeaks thought of what else they could all try to do a scent wafted past her nose. Stopping her train of thought, she took another, deeper sniff. "What is it Squeaks?" Midnight asked, one of her eyes cracking open. "It's... cooked fruit? And... *sniff sniff* ...pancakes!" Intrigued, Midnight raised her own head and sniffed. It took a moment but she also caught the scent. An explosion of memories came to her, and her mouth was instantly watering. "She didn't..." "What?" Squeaks asked, perplexed. "Only one of the best breakfasts in the whole world!" All hints of sleep were gone as Midnight did her best to bolt out of bed without hurting Squeaks and made a bee-line for the kitchen. ----------------------------- Summer looked up from the stove as Midnight barreled into the kitchen from the living room and Autumn from the stair well. "FRUIT SALAD PANCAKES!!!" they both yelled in unison. "With extra mangos and cranberries," Summer told them. Both Midnight and Autumn seemed to be in awe. "Of course, only good girls who sit next to their sister get my famous Fruit Salad Pancakes, so..." Summer motioned to the table and it was only then that the two siblings noticed each other. Midnight smiled awkwardly and edged over to the table, taking a seat on one of the cushions and trying to act as non-threatening as possible. "Good morning Autumn," she said, giving her a soft, toothless smile. Autumn looked from Midnight to the pancakes several times before she, too, edged up to the table next to Midnight, climbing up onto one of the chairs. "Autumn," Summer said in a disapproving tone, "what do we say when someone tells us good morning?" The filly hesitated a bit but finally said back to Midnight, "good morning." "That's more like it," Summer said approvingly. "What's for breakfast?" They all turned to see Squeaks enter the kitchen, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Mom's making Fruit Salad Pancakes!" Midnight told her, her mood rising as she motioned the filly to take the seat opposite her. "Trust me, you'll love them!" Squeaks went around the table to the seat her mother had pointed out for her. They had to be good to make her mom act like they were the same age. Once Squeaks was seated Summer laid out three plates, forks, and knives, as well as several bottles of syrup and jellies. "Now I already knew you had a few things like maple syrup and apple butter but I figured I'd be making these eventually so I bought a few more things on Sunday." Squeaks and Autumn looked in wonder at the three different syrups (maple, blueberry, and raspberry) and five different jams/jellies (apple butter, orange marmalade, strawberry jam, grape jelly, and peach jam). Midnight seemed more occupied with the pancake stack next to Summer by the stove. Said plate was enveloped in a blue aura and hovered over to the table. "Remember Midnight, these are for everypony," Summer chided as she set the plate down. The kirin pulled her tongue in and snorted in dismissal. "Obviously," she retorted. Squeaks and, surprisingly, Autumn chuckled at this but a third chuckle from the stairway caused Midnight to turn and found Sapphire observing the scene. "You seem excited about something," she said as she walked into the kitchen. "Several very delicious somethings," Midnight informed her as she deposited three large pancakes onto her plate, which she then proceeded to drown in apple butter. "Midnight, could you help Autumn with her food before you inhale yours?" Summer asked. Ignoring both Squeaks' and Sapphire's chuckles, Midnight turned to Autumn and her food. "Okay, just..." She tried to reach in front of the filly with both wings, her fork and knife held each in a wing-claw, but it was apparent that with the size of her wings she would only succeed in pushing the filly off her seat. "...just give me a second here," Midnight told her as she opened her right wing to go around Autumn to reach her plate. The filly was startled for a second as the large, black wing practically enveloped her, but something about it was calming as well. It was almost like being wrapped in some sort of umbrella/blanket that protected her from the outside world. The unsure look Midnight was wearing as she cut her food also helped ease Autumn's fears of being so close to the kirin. The half-dragon actually looked... scared to her, and monsters are never scared. "Thank you," Autumn said quietly. Midnight nodded back at her and when she was done she brought her wing away and went back to her own food. Which she promptly rolled up a whole pancake, dripping apple butter, and stuffed it whole into her mouth with a look of contented bliss. It didn't last. "Midnight!" Summer snapped. "Whaa!?" the kirin asked indigently, doing her best to chew, talk, and keep all the food in her mouth at the same time. The effect made her look like an oversized black chipmunk and both Squeaks and Autumn began laughing. Sapphire tried to stifle hers in an attempt to keep the look of a mature adult for the foals and disapproving friend for Summer's benefit but the whole thing was too much for her as well. "You may be an adult and this may be your house but that doesn't mean you can think you can eat like a pig!" Summer scolded. "Now either eat your food like a civilized pony or you won't get anymore!" Midnight made to object, mouth still nice and full, but the look Summer was giving her, a look that would make even Celestia and Luna cower if their own mother could still give it to them, convinced her that compliance would be the better part of valor. The kirin shut her mouth, chewed what was left of the food in her maw, then began cutting the food still on her plate into bite-sized pieces. Relatively, of course, out of defiance. As satisfied as she realized she would be, Summer turned back to the stove. Through her laughing fit, Autumn looked back and forth from her mother to Midnight. The kirin had gotten the same look on her face as she and her friends did when they were in trouble. That was something else monsters didn't do. Maybe... maybe that was because Midnight wasn't a monster... ----------------------------- "Well, at least things seem to be getting better," Rarity told Midnight. "Though you really can't expect her to go from fearing to loving you in less than a day. Besides, they'll be here the whole week, so you'll have plenty of time to get to know one another." "I know," Midnight sighed. "Don't worry Midnight; family always comes around in the end," Applejack said from behind her stand. Midnight had gone out after breakfast (why did it have to end?) to do some shopping and also to find Rarity and Applejack to see if they, as fellow older sisters, had any ideas about what she and Autumn could do together to help bond. As luck would have it both of them were already at AJ's apple cart when she'd arrived. "Indeed," Rarity agreed. "No matter what kind of arguments Sweetie Belle and I have, we always make up with each other. You'll see Autumn come around in no-time." "It's too bad the Social ain't this week," AJ said. "It's a great way to bond with yur kin." Midnight raised an eyebrow. "The 'Social'?" "It's a day of games and contests for mares and fillies. It's called the Sisterhood Social because it was originally for sisters, but we've gotten a bit lax over the years since not a lot of families 'round these parts have two or more fillies," the farm pony explained. "Now we get mothers and daughters, aunts and nieces, and even cousins sometimes. Berry Punch and her daughter Ruby Pinch have already signed up, as well as Dinky Hooves and her aunt Sparkler." "Didn't Sparkler just get here?" Midnight asked. "Yeah, but from the sounds of it they're gettin' along like two peas in a pod." Then Applejack remembered what they were talking about. "Sorry." Midnight only grumbled. "Perhaps a stroll through the park would help things along?" Rarity suggested. "A foal her age could spend hours there having fun playing all sorts of games. Even Sweetie Belle and her crusader friends are actually taking a break and going there for some fun today." Midnight thought about it for a minute. It wasn't exactly the place she spent a lot of time at but then again it might be better for Autumn. If part of the reason was that the filly felt trapped in the house with her, then time out at the park might help her ease up and get more comfortable around her. Maybe they could even agree on a game, though Hide-and-Seek probably wouldn't be a good idea to suggest. "Mind, it was only a suggestion," Rarity said when the kirin had been silent for a bit. "No, it might actually be a good idea; even Squeaks brought it up earlier. I'll talk to you guys later." Grabbing a couple of apples and hoofing AJ the required bits, Midnight left to finish her errands. ----------------------------- "Orange, I want to talk with you about something." The pegasus stallion looked over at his wife, momentarily taking his eyes off the five foals they were watching play in the schoolyard. After Midnight had left on her errands, Squeaks' friends had shown up asking if Squeaks could come out to play. Summer had volunteered herself and Orange to watch them, allowing Sapphire and Windrunner to do their own jobs. This had the added bonus of taking Autumn along to try and get her acclimated to the bat filly as well. "You know I'm always ready to listen." "I know but..." Summer hesitated a moment, looking towards the foals, Squeaks and Autumn in particular. The idea had firmly entrenched itself when she first thought of it but now that she had him alone to talk with she was suddenly feeling nervous about the whole thing. "Maybe I shouldn't... " Orange touched her reassuringly with a wing. He hadn't seen her this nervous about something in a while, not counting the news about Midnight. "Summer, whatever it is, just talking about it won't hurt anything." "Have you been getting tired of the city at all?" she blurted out. "I mean, have you ever wanted to move back to someplace rural, like where we grew up?" "Hmm...," Orange thought for a moment. "I have on occasion. I love photography enough but it would be nice to be able to live someplace like home again. Why?" "Well..." Summer bit her lower lip. "I've been feeling that way for a while now. I never brought it up because I was hoping Midnight would come back one day and I wanted to be there when she did. On top of that, any private school we send Autumn to is going to be filled with fillies and colts that might start making bad impressions on her." "We could always send her to public school," Orange offered. Maybe it was their rural backgrounds but neither of them had ever developed the high-society attitude that many of their peers exuded. It worried both Summer and Orange that even being friends with foals with the same attitudes might cause Autumn to start behaving like another Shining Star or Crystal Goblet. "We could, but..." Summer hesitated. "Orange, I'm tired of the city. I took one look around Ponyville and I knew it was the place I wanted to spend the rest of my life. You, Autumn, and Midnight are all the family I have left and I want us all to be close." "What about our careers?" Orange asked. "I guess we could at least start here with the money we've saved, but we'll need jobs again eventually. And Midnight is an adult now, Summer. Now that you two have settled things she can always come visit us in the city." "I've already got an idea about jobs out here. Do you remember me telling you a little while back about how Fancy Pants wants a rural branch?" "Yes..." Orange said uncertainly. "Something about an untapped market or new photo shoot location?" "Both, actually. Fancy thinks that having models take photo shoots in more rural locations might convince country ponies to buy a dress or suit or two. That means an office in a town like this one." "This all sounds a bit too convenient," Orange said. "It was in a memo," Summer told him a bit defensively. "He wanted to know if anypony had any ideas and I didn't say anything because... well, I already told you why." Orange nodded. "Alright, that solves that problem, but Summer, did you ever stop and think about what Midnight would think of the arrangement?" Summer gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?" "I mean that I don't think Midnight would like us all moving in to her house even if she had the room. She might take it as you trying to take over her life." Summer stared at him a few moments, then she started laughing. "What?" he asked indigently. "Orange," Summer said as she calmed down, "I never said anything about moving in with Midnight! Sweet Celestia, we'd be at each other almost every other day and making everypony miserable! No, I was thinking about buying our own home here in Ponyville, one like Midnight's were we can set up the business in as well." Orange thought that over for a few minutes. "I... guess that's good then." "What's still wrong with the idea?" Summer asked, becoming more annoyed than nervous at this point. "Well, it's just that moving is a big deal. We need to find a house in town, sell the apartment, move all our things out here and set it up in the new house... it's a lot to think about." "Wait, does that mean you agree?" Summer asked. Orange stayed quiet a little longer. "Yes, I think it would be a nice idea." Summer let out a sigh of relief and leaned back into the bench they were sitting on. The city had been her home for more than twenty years but now, after all this time, she could almost feel like she was really coming home. ----------------------------- "So, um, just... just do whatever you want for now and we'll head back home for dinner at sunset," Midnight told Autumn as they reached the lake at the center of the park. After getting home around lunch and telling Summer over sandwiches what Rarity had told her about going to the park, her mother had jumped at the idea and had immediately told Autumn. The filly, of course, looked like she'd rather not but in the end Summer gave her no choice. Squeaks had added in her own two bits and said that Autumn could take a toy with her if she wanted, so the filly was carting a ball with her as well. Another thing that had perked Summer's interest was when Midnight had told her she had run into Mayor Mare on her way home. The politician had been in great spirits when the kirin ran into her and she was more than happy to share her reasons. Apparently that morning she had received a letter from the princesses themselves saying that several building projects, homes mostly, would soon begin in several empty plots of land and that the crown was funding them all. While that was nice and all, it was the second and third parts of the letter that had made the mayor jump for joy. The princesses also said that any building projects, including repairs and renovations, would be covered by them as well as long as a formal work order was sent to them. This meant that several structures that needed work, such as the town hall and the water tower, could now be repaired without raising taxes or waiting either months or years to raise the funds. Lastly, they were going to fund an actual police force for the town. Nothing fancy or elaborate, but enough so they could say the town actually had one. It was good news to those in the Storm Household as well. The plans Midnight, Sapphire, and Windrunner had been discussing and haggling with the local construction companies about could now be paid for by the crown. As well as a new house for Summer, Orange, and Autumn as no new houses had been built since Midnight had moved in. Summer hadn't said anything to Midnight about moving to town yet; they had the rest of the week for her to be in a better mood to drop the announcement. The kirin yawned widely as she settled on the sandy shore of the lake to watch Autumn play. It wasn't as nice as the sandy beaches off Baltimare, but they would do for now. She had offered to play with the ball with her, but Autumn had only shaken her head timidly at Midnight's question. So the kirin found herself laying on the sand watching her sister kick and chase after said ball, with only the odd pony passing by to break the monotony. Time passed this way for nearly an hour before something strange happened. Midnight was watching the water, contemplating going for a swim and seeing if that somehow would get the filly's attention when she felt the air pop next to her. Turning her head sharply she found herself nearly nose-to-nose with a frazzled looking Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight?" Midnight finally asked after a minute of taking in the other mare's appearance. She looked like a pony that either had too much coffee or had been through the worst of a wind storm. Though the manic, almost unblinking staring was more indicative of mental instability. Knowing Twi, Midnight chose the latter. "Midnight!" the unicorn responded. "I heard earlier from Rarity that you were having problems becoming friends with your little sister, and as a good friend I thought I'd offer my help!" The equally manic smile grew. "Uh, no thanks Twilight. This is something that needs to stay between me and Autumn," Midnight told her, hoping that would send the crazy mare away. No such luck. "But, how can you two be bonding if you're over here doing nothing while she's over there playing!? Don't worry, I can fix that!" Before Midnight could make any kind of protest, Twilight waved her horn and both Autumn and the ball disappeared then reappeared next to the kirin, Autumn staggering slightly from the unwarned teleport. "There! Now, the first thing you two need to do is-" "Twilight, we seriously don't need your help," Midnight interrupted, keeping her temper in check for Autumn's sake as she used a wing to steady the filly. "This is something between Autumn and myself, so could you please leave us alone right now?" "Oh Midnight, anypony with a knowledge of psychiatry can see that you two are working through some issues and, as such a pony, it is my responsibility to help you two work through this." "I said no Twilight, now as a good friend I expect you to respect my answer." Turning to Autumn with a soft smile, Midnight bumped the ball back over to her and motioned for her to go back to playing. "But, but-!" Twilight stammered as Autumn moved away with the ball. Before she could form a cohesive protest, Midnight's hoof reached up, grabbed her frazzled mane, then painfully pulled in down so that her face was lower than Midnight's. "Twilight, I am doing my best to keep my temper in check so that Autumn doesn't become even more afraid of me. Now, you are making an already short fuse even shorter, and if I have to yell I am going to ROAR in your ear so that you're deaf for the rest of the day. For the last time, we don't need you here, so GO. AWAY." With that Midnight released Twilight's mane and the unicorn only hesitated a second before teleporting away. Midnight sighed unhappily and laid back down. She was going to bite Rarity later. Almost a minute later something touched her again, this time bopping her lightly on the nose. Her head snapped up and she found the ball sitting in front of her. Looking around she saw Autumn, not a pony's length away, looking from the ball to her and back again. "I'm not mad," Midnight said, lightly tapping the ball towards her. The filly edged a little closer until she was in legs-reach of the toy, then she tentively reached out a hoof for the ball. Midnight reached out and pushed the ball all the way over to her. The filly grabbed it, said a quick "thank you", and ran off a little ways with it. The kirin once again let out an unhappy sigh but this time she wouldn't let herself lie back down and stew in her own unhappy thoughts. She stood up and again contemplated going for a swim before she saw a bunch of sticks under several of the trees off to the side. An idea came to mind and she went over to fetch them, all the while keeping an eye on where Autumn was. She returned to her spot a minute later with several sticks gripped in both wing-claws and her mouth. Setting them down next to her, she laid back down on the sand and picked up two sticks. She laid them down parallel to each other and almost as far apart as they were long, then took two more sticks and laid them down once again parallel to each other but this time perpendicular to and on top of the first two. She continued like this until the square-shape stack of sticks were even with her chest. She was about to get up to get more when the ball once again came her way, only this time it struck the stick tower, knocking it over. Midnight looked up to see Autumn stop a few hooves away and looking as if she'd just broken something expensive. "I'm sorry!" she said, looking form the pile of sticks to Midnight. "The ball bounced off a tree and-!" "It's alright Autumn," Midnight said, trying to calm the filly. "It's just a pile of sticks; I was getting up to get more anyway." She kicked the ball back over to her and left to get more sticks. To her surprise Autumn was still there when she got back, examining the knocked-over stick tower and seemingly to have forgotten the ball entirely. "I told you it was fine Autumn," Midnight said as she dropped her haul. The filly jumped slightly but this time the nervousness was hardly there. "I was just wondering what you were building," she told the kirin. 'Wow, a whole sentence,' Midnight thought with actual surprise. 'Maybe this...' "I was just stacking sticks into a square, like this..." She reached out and began stacking the sticks again like she had before. To her amusement Autumn actually began getting excited. "I build these all the time with mommy and daddy whenever we go to the park back home!" the filly told her. "Can I build one too?" "Of course, just grab some sticks and build away," Midnight told her, waving a hoof at the stick pile. The kirin laughed silently to herself as Autumn practically dived onto the stick pile and in a few minutes they were both engaged with their towers. It all went down almost exactly like everypony had said it would. All of Autumn's concentration went into building her stick tower to the point that she was going under Midnight's legs to get a better look at some angles. At one point she even asked Midnight to lift her up so she could see down the center of the tower. They finally stopped when the towers were both taller than Autumn. "That was fun," Midnight said as they stepped back to admire their work. "Yeah..." The kirin couldn't help but notice the unhappiness in the filly's voice. "Something wrong?" Autumn squirmed slightly. "It's just... whenever I build with mommy or daddy, I ask them if we can use mud to keep them together but they always tell me no because I'll get dirty." Midnight thought about that for a moment, then a smile spread across her face. "Well, you want to know something about older sisters?" Autumn nodded slightly. "They help you break the rules sometimes." Midnight walked over to the water, scooped some up in her wing, then headed over to a bare patch of dirt near the edge of the sand and dumped the water on it. After mixing it up with her hoof she went for water two more times, after which the spot was nice and muddy. Autumn looked up at her. "Really?" she asked enthusiastically. Midnight nodded. "Really." Autumn squeaked in delight as she hurried over to the mud, got a hoofful, then went back to her tower and began carefully applying it. With a chuckle to herself Midnight also got some mud and began pasting her tower with it. They were almost done when Autumn got a little too excited and a glob flew from her hoof and hit Midnight in the chest. "Sorry!" Autumn said, looking guiltily at the mud-covered spot. Midnight looked from the splotch, then to Autumn, then back at the mud. As an answer, she flicked a bit of mud from her own hoof onto Autumn, splattering her small barrel with wet dirt. Autumn looked down at the dirt on her, then looked up at Midnight with an annoyed expression. Of course Midnight could only laugh at it. That is until Autumn went off to the mud spot and came back with more in her hoof. It only took a second for Midnight to figure out what was coming next. "Don't you even think-!" *splat* "-about it." The kirin now had large glob of mud stuck to her chest and barrel. "So that's how we're going to play, are we?" Before Autumn could get away Midnight reached out with her wings and gathered the squirming foal up in them, making sure not to hurt her with her wing-claws. "What are you going to do?" Autumn asked nervously, realizing she was caught. Midnight calmly walked over to the mud spot and held her younger sister over it. "Get even." With that she gently dropped the filly belly-first into the mud. Her laughter at the antic was interrupted by yet another splattering of mud on her coat. "I'm hit, I'm going down!" she laughed, "falling" into the mud next to Autumn. She got hit with mud again, this time with some actual force behind it. "I said I wanted to build with mud, not play in it!" Autumn said angrily. "Now I'm going to get in trouble!" Midnight looked over at her and saw that the game was indeed over. Autumn had an angry look on her face as well as tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry," she told her, "but you know what else big sisters are good for?" Autumn shook her head as she tried to wipe mud off herself. "Getting out of trouble." Once again she scooped up Autumn into her wings and began carrying her toward the lake. "What are we doing now?" Autumn ask apprehensively. "Washing the mud off," Midnight told her matter-of-fact like. "But, there's no bath tub here!" Midnight raised an eyebrow. "I see a rather large one right in front of us." Autumn turned and looked at the lake they were heading for. "But that's not a bath tub!" "All a bath is, is water in a hole." "But I can't swim!" "Who said anything about swimming?" Autumn felt herself slide out of Midnight's wings and into the cool water, which only came up to her chest. "Now you wash up here while I go in deeper." Before Autumn could say anything Midnight had jumped up and gotten air born. "Cannon ball!" She yelled out when she was a couple of lengths away. Tucking her wings in, the kirin proceeded to fall into the water. The ensuing splash and wave drenched the filly in shallower water, so when Midnight made her way back over to her, Autumn looked like a half drowned gray-and-orange rat. "At least most of the mud is off you now," Midnight said with a smile. Her answer was to be splashed. Thus both sisters engaged in trying to splash the other into submission, getting almost all the mud off in the process. When they had finally tuckered each other out Midnight helped Autumn onto her back so she could rest out of the water. "Are we having fun yet?" the kirin asked her as she settled herself down into the water. She hadn't bathed liked this in some time and the feeling of water surrounding her was a nice one. 'I should do this with Squeaks some time.' A gentle tapping on the back of her neck made her turn to look at Autumn. "Everything alright?" she asked. The filly nodded. "I'm... I'm sorry I said you're scary," Autumn told her. "That's alright," Midnight said. "I know I look like something from Nightmare Night to a filly your age; to most ponies actually, with my fangs and size..." "And the teeth, and eyes, and the roaring..." Autumn added. "You're still scared of me, aren't you?" Midnight asked as the filly trailed off. Autumn only nodded slightly. Midnight bent back and nuzzled her the best she could. "Like I said, I can't blame you. Plenty of ponies have been scared of me. It's just that, well, you're my sister and I just don't think sisters should be scared of one another." "I'm not that scared of you," Autumn protested. "It's just that..." "The way I look, I know," Midnight said a little warily. Then she brightened up. "But, we still have the rest of the week to spend together; maybe by then you won't be." Midnight got up and got out of the lake, deposited Autumn on the ground, then shook herself like a dog to the amusement of the filly. "Alright, it's getting close to sunset so we better start heading home." "But, won't mommy ask why we're all wet?" Autumn asked as she got the ball and washed it off. "Ah, but mom is a unicorn and forgets we fliers can self-dry easily." Midnight opened her wings for emphasis. "But, daddy says I'm too young to fly," Autumn protested. "Well, daddy isn't here right now," Midnight said a bit tersely. "But I understand if you're too scared to fly with the big bad kirin..." "I am not!" In the blink of an eye Autumn was next to Midnight and trying to climb up on her. With a laugh Midnight lowered herself so Autumn could climb on. "Can we come back and build again tomorrow?" Autumn asked as she got herself situated. "We can come back every day this week if you want," Midnight told her. Autumn nodded. "I'd like that." 'Me too' the kirin thought as they took off. 'Me too' ----------------------------- 'I DON'T LIKE THIS!' "Midnight, hold still!" "Stop dabbing me with acid and I will!" Summer snorted. "Midnight, it's peroxide, not acid." The kirin grunted but held still as her mother dabbed more medicine on her. On the way home from the park, Midnight and Autumn had spotted something happening on the ground, something that seemed to include her six charges. Upon landing the two had found out that, in an attempt to solve a friend's problem to write to Princess Celestia about, Twilight had decided to make a problem. It involved a doll of hers, Farty Pants or something, and a spell called 'Want It, Need It' that was causing everypony who laid eyes on the doll to fight over it. Given her natural immunity to unicorn magic, Midnight figured she could get the doll away from the fighting ponies long enough for Twilight to turn off the spell. Unfortunately, she hadn't counted on there being so many pegasi, or that the unicorns would start hurling everything not tied down at her, or just how hard Big Mac could buck. By the time Princess Celestia arrived, the kirin was curled up in a ball at the bottom of a pile of ponies. When she had finally realized that she was no longer being ganged up on, she had summarily hit Twilight with the doll several times and told her she hoped Celestia did send her back to Magic Kindergarten for doing something so stupid. Ignoring the glares from the others, Midnight had collected Autumn and resumed their flight home. It hadn't all turned out that bad. Autumn had seemed genuinely concerned about all the little scrapes and bruises her older sister had gotten while at the same time really impressed that she could take such a beating and not have a lot more. As soon as they got home, Summer had begun fretting over Midnight's state and immediately tending to her wounds. Autumn and Squeaks, the heartless traitors, had laughed the entire time at the kirin's discomfort. The situation became a little better when they told her how their time at the park was otherwise, sans the mud and dip in the lake. "Well, I'm glad everything went so well," Summer said, dabbing at another spot. "Which is good, because I have something to tell you." Midnight groaned. Why did ponies like to deliver bad news when the other was in a good mood? "What is it?" "Midnight! Sunny Skies has come to visit!" Sapphire called out from the front. "Well, I talked it over with Orange, and we're going to move here to Ponyville!" "She says she wants to talk with you about somethings you said and did to Twi... light?" Sapphire stopped as she entered the kitchen. Sunny Skies looked over her shoulder, her unhappy look quickly changing to one of confusion. Sapphire could only groan. "Now why is your eye twitching?"