//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9 
// Story: The Phoenix Tear 
// by CartoonNerd12 
//------------------------------//

"So, you do this every day?" Sunset asked Fluttershy while they were in the gardens with Screw Ball holding out acorns for a couple of squirrels eating from her hooves.

"Uh-huh. I love making sure the animals get all they need." She took some bird seed out to make a trail and the birds came to peck and follow it.

"From morning, noon, and night." Screw Ball noted.

Sunset giggled, "Where's your dad?"

"He's sleeping in. He never gets up early and he doesn't like to be around the animals that much. But he puts up it because he loves Mom so much."

Sunset smiled, "How much does he love her?"

"A lot. They start getting so mushy around me that I have to remind them that I'm still in the room with them so I don't feel grossed out."

"Now, Screwy, it's not that bad. Your father and I can't help it when we're in love. We have a special connection that goes back to before you were born."

"I know, I know. You freed Daddy from a stone prison and you offered to be his friend, and then you two fell in love…"

"That's… one way of putting it."

Screw Ball conjured up a bowl of salad with a cherry on top, "I'm going to give this to Angel and Angel Jr."

"Screw Ball, what have I told you about spoiling the rabbits…?"

"You know they're not going to leave their burrow so easily for the party tonight, Mom…"

Fluttershy sighed, "You're right, but you are to tell them it's for this one time and you are not to give them the salad until they clear of the area."

Screwy nodded, "Got it." She floated away.

"You certainly have a remarkable daughter…" Sunset commented.

Fluttershy found herself beaming with pride, "She takes after her father. Even if she looks like a pony, you noticed her eyes."

"They're… pretty hard not to miss…"

"They're what make her unique in the way her father has all kinds of animals in him."

"And that's what made you so attracted to him?"

"He intrigued me… When we first met, though, I was frightened of him, with his powers and cold demeanor. But I got past it when I remembered what was at stake: he would have to go back to a statue in the maze with ponies watching him and there would be nothing he could do about it… No pony or creature should have to go through such a fate no matter how horrible they've been… I just knew I had to help him, to make him understand he could use his powers for good and that he could be a friend among ponies."

"But… he became more than a friend, didn't he?"

Fluttershy blushed and looked around, "It was here I discovered my true feelings for him… By then, he had already fallen in love with me, so it was up to me to decide where my heart lied… with him…"

"And this was when all of you were forced to marry some pony else, right? Twilight told me a little about that."

The cream-coated pegasus nodded, "Mother was doing it to protect us, but at the time, we didn't know that. We thought she was forcing us to marry stallions we didn't know anything about…"

"Instead, you wished to marry those you did know and love."

"Yes."

Discord, meanwhile, had come over some time ago to surprise his wife and daughter when he had overheard Fluttershy talking to Sunset. He decided to hide from view to eavesdrop. For a while, his ears were burning because they were talking about him, but he ended up dousing them with his tears by redirecting them upwards to put the fire out. He was touched by what Fluttershy was telling Sunset about him and her.

Fluttershy suddenly heard bawling and looked behind a tree to see her husband crying, "Discord! Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" he wiped the last of his tears and shook out his ears, "That was the most beautiful speech I ever heard you about us… You really do feel that way?"

She smiled up at him, "Of course I do… I love you…"

He picked her up and embraced her, which she happily returned, "I love you, too…"

But their warm embrace was interrupted by a loud yell, "MOMM!"

"Screwy?" both parents said.

Screw Ball levitated in, "Mom! Come quick! The rabbits- Oh, hey, Dad. When did you get here?"

"Screwy, the rabbits?" Fluttershy questioned.

"Oh, right. You have to come! The rabbits have overpopulated!"

"What?!" Discord, Fluttershy, and Sunset gasped.

Screw Ball panted as she quickly explained, "I was heading over to the burrow to feed Angel and Junior the salad when I noticed that Junior had a lot more siblings than last time! Now their burrow is too full for all of them to fit in!"

Discord snapped his fingers in accusation, "I knew it! Angel Bunny has a harem! That play-rabbit!"

"Oh, dear! We have to move all those rabbits to someplace where they can be free to roam around!" said Fluttershy.

"And to not ruin the party." pointed Screw Ball.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Sunset offered.

"That's all right," Discord popped on a dogcatcher's uniform and held a net over his shoulder, "We got this covered, since I'll be putting them somewhere over the next region…" He smirked with mischievous grin on his face, but snapped out of it when he heard a cough and looked down to see his wife giving off a scowl. He patted her head, "With your permission of course, my dear."

Fluttershy turned to Sunset, "You go on ahead. I believe you were to going to meet with Rainbow Dash next, right?"

Sunset nodded, "I am."

"Then she should be at the jousting area, over there," she pointed over to the stadium near the castle.

"Thanks, and good luck with those bunnies!" she trotted off.

Screw Ball waved at her, "Thanks!" She muttered under her breath, "We're going to need it…"

Rainbow Dash was on one side of the arena while Soarin' was on the other side. Rainbow was trying to get her armor on as she called out, "Squire! I need some help with this armor!"

"Coming!" Whirl Wind rushed over to help his mom.

"Squire! My helmet!" His dad called out.

"Be right there!" Whirl quickly flapped to the other half of the stadium.

Both his parents were shouting commands back and forth. Whirl was starting to get exhausted and collapsed in the middle of the arena, being a few feet away from both his parents. He said to them, "You know, this would be a lot easier if I had a little brother!"

Dash and Soarin' exchanged glances and blushed. Even if they were a yard away from each other, they could tell the other was embarrassed by their son's outburst.

"You know you could easily get a little sister, too." pointed Rainbow.

"No thanks! I've seen what sisters have done to Dignity and Fire Spark! They've gone sappy! I need a brother who takes order from his older and better-looking brother." he gave a smirk.

His parents were about to comment when Sunset came running in, saying, "Am I late? Did I miss the joust?"

"Nope," replied Soarin'. "You're just in time."

"And you get to start us off," Rainbow led her to a seat and gave her a handkerchief. "It's simple: you just wave this thing and you give the signal for us to begin."
"Gotcha." Sunset said.

Whirl Wind sat beside her, "And I'll be here to judge to make sure they're playing fair."

"Which won't be the case." gestured Soarin'.

"True, but one of us will end up a sore loser."

"Just you wait! I'll beat you soon enough. Sooner, even!"

RD pshawed, "If you say so, hon. I'm just trying to be realistic."

With determination in his eyes, he declared, "Then let's get on with this and then we'll see who the realistic one is!"

She rolled her eyes as she got into position with the both of them holding on to their lances on either side.

"Are you ready?" Sunset asked.

"Oh, they're ready." stated Whirl Wind. "Give it to them."

Sunset lifted the hankie up with her aura, "Ready… Set…" She put it down, "GO!"

Rainbow and Soarin' charged at each other. To Rainbow's surprise, she got knocked over and landed in a patch of wildflowers.

"Ha-yh!" Soarin' cheered, "Yes!" he hoof-pumped.

"WOW! Way to go, Dad! That was probably the first time you ever beaten Mom!"

"Speaking of which…" he cringed and quickly went over to offer his wife a hoof to get out of the flower patch, "No hard feelings, honey?"

"None whatsoever! That was awesome! I'm so proud of you!" she wrapped his hooves around his neck and kissed him on the lips. "Now I know what I have to do to make you win…" she grinned.

"For the record, you can push my buttons anytime…" he twitched his brow.

"Whoa, now. Easy there, babe. We have a crowd watching us…" she sniffled while pointing back to their son and Sunset Shimmer.

"You okay?"

She sniffled again, "I'm fine. Just got some pollen up my nose. A few more jousts should shake it out."

They went back to jousting for a while till suddenly, a voice cried out, "Sunset Shimmer! Over here!"

"That's Pinkie Pie," said Rainbow. "You better get going."

"You're right," she started taking her leave. "This was a lot of fun. Thanks for inviting me."

"No problem." both Soarin' and Dash said.

Sunset waved back to the headstrong couple and headed off to find the super duper party couple already setting up for the garden party.

"Hi, Pinkie, Cheese, and Cotton."

"Hi!" the family replied together with smiles on their faces.

"Hey, everything looks pretty good so far."

"Just following Rarity and Twilight's instructions." explained Pinkie.

"With a few additions." said Cotton Candy.

"Oh? How so?" Sunset questioned.

"Well, with it being a garden party," simplified Cheese, "we thought of putting in gardening tools for the guests to do some gardening!" He pointed towards a shovel, hose, wheelbarrow, and a rake by the refreshment table.

"That's… an interesting idea." But Sunset wasn't sure if that was what Twilight had in mind.

"I know, right?!" Pinkie excitedly said. "Do you have garden parties where you're from?" She got into the mare's face.

"Well… no. We don't have parties at all, actually…" she nervously chuckled.

There was a pause with them blinking until they broke the silence by gasping dramatically, "NO PARTIES?!"

Then, when Cheese fainted, Pinkie had to slap him out of it.

Cotton asked with big eyes, "But how can you not have a party at all? How can you celebrate special occasions?"

Sunset rubbed her neck uncomfortably, "The truth is… we don't…"

At that point, Cheese was coming to, but when he heard what Sunset said, he fainted again.

"You poor thing!" Pinkie started hugging her tightly. "To live such a life without having a party to make you feel happy and jubilant!"

"Yeah, it's… pretty bad…?"

"Pretty bad?! Try the worst, most awful, terrible, distressing, unpleasant, nauseating, brutal, horrid, awful, miserable, saddest thing in the whole entire world!"

"It is?"

"You got to let me do an awesome, spectacular party for you on your next birthday! When is it?"

"In six days."

She gasped and had a wide smile spread across her face, "Are you serious?! That's Twilight's birthday, too!"

"I know. She told me."

"This is fantastic news! I can do a big birthday party for you and Twilight!"

That perked Cheese up and had a wide grin along with Cotton.

"Oh… That sounds amazing, and I would give anything to have an actual birthday party… but… I'm afraid I won't be around to see it…"

The family gave out disappointed groans.

"I really want to stick around, but I have…"

Cotton took over, "A guardian that forbids you from going outside and you must return before she discovers you've gone missing or else, there would be serious consequences?"

Sunset gaped while Pinkie and Cheese looked down at their daughter in confusion.

"How… How did you…?" Sunset was still shocked.

Cotton shrugged, "Just a hunch."

Sunset begged, "Please, don't tell Twilight. She has enough to deal with already. I don't want her to worry about me…"

"But… if you would tell someone…" started Cheese.

"No! No one can know! It's too risky! Promise me you won't tell Twilight?"

The three gave each other worried glances, but eventually, they said, "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Sunset was confused by this strange ritual, but if it was a way to keep the secret about her life with Starlight Glimmer, then it didn't matter as long as the promise was upheld.

She thanked them and turned to Pinkie, "I'm supposed to meet with Applejack now. You know where she is?"

"She's in the castle's kitchen." she pointed to the castle.

She nodded her head and set out.

"Spike, how are those sandwiches coming?" Applejack asked her husband, who was next to her preparing food for the party.

"Just about done!" he held up a tray when suddenly, a burst of green fire smoked the food and he gave out a yelp.

AJ turned back to see their daughter wiping her nose, "Sugar Cube, we talked about this…"

"I'm sorry, Mommy. I felt a sneeze coming on and I couldn't help it…"

She sighed, "That's alright. Just make sure you're away from the food next time."

"Okay."

"Hey, Jewel, catch." Spike threw an apple, which Apple Jewel caught it and sunk her fangs into it. Spike wipe his claws, "That should help prevent any more fire hazards."

Sunset was standing near the counter watching the peculiar family working. She asked, "So I take it it's a constant problem?"

"It is, but we're working on it," explained Applejack. "Spike had the exact same problem as a kid."

"Really? How did you fix it?"

"It's not so much as fixing it as it was controlling it better. I use my fire whenever I need to and it doesn't cause a fire emergency."

"So hopefully in time, Jewel will have better control over her fire-breathing and everything will alright." said AJ.

Sunset nodded in agreement.

By that time, Rarity walked in with her husband and children and Twilight and her family. Dignity, Gemstone, Fire Spark, and Starling went over to Apple Jewel while the parents went to check on the food preparations.

"Well done, Applejack." pointed Rarity. "This is precisely the right size morsel needed."

"You can thank Spike for that. His claws were able to cut them into small amounts."

"But of course. Spikey-Wikey was capable to handle the task!" she ended up pinching his cheeks.

While Rarity was busy fussing, Twilight went over to Sunset, "Hi."

Sunset smiled, "Hi."

"So, did you have a good time with my sisters? I know they can be a bit much, but I love them…"

"They were great. I never had such fun before them. I was glad I was able to get to know them better. I just hoped they liked me as well."

"I'm sure they did. We like making new friends whenever some pony comes to us."

"Twilight, this really has been the best time of my life meeting all of you."

"I'm so glad to hear that."

Suddenly, Rarity came over and addressed Sunset, "Sunset, you must attend the garden party with us."

"Me? At a garden party? Oh, I don't know…"

"Oh, please? I was just talking to Applejack and she tells me that you are a delight to be around! I've been so busy helping Twilight that I hadn't a chance to properly get to know you. At least at the party, we could do so."

"Well…" she turned to Twilight, who had hope in her eyes, and finally said, "All right, I'll come."

"Wonderful!" Rarity clapped her hooves together and went back to the food just as Sunset gave off a look of uncertainty.