While it was certainly nice to have family staying, Rainbow still had work to do. Today, three days until Thanksgiving, she was setting up to have the other two days off. Most of the airfield was planned to be closed. Only emergency on-call pilots and traffic control had shifts (handsomely paid shifts at that). It was also Twilight's day to work at the library, she had volunteered for a morning. Not that Twilight wished to be away from her family, but she had decided in advance that a little time with her mind on other things would probably be better for her health and everyone else's nerves.
“See you all later!” Twilight shouted to the expanded household as she left. There was a cheerful goodbye from Spike, her parents and Celestia. Luna, never a morning person, mumbled something from deep inside the fleece hoodie she slept in.
“See you Twi'.” Rainbow was already on the porch, holding back a moment for her own goodbye to her partner. Twilight did enjoy a goodbye kiss after all.
They parted ways, Rainbow to jump in her car and Twilight to walk the short distance to Ponyville Library. They had made plans for Twilight to try and get to the airfield and accompany Dath and Captain Sparkle to look at the old planes in the museum.
-*-
By mid-morning Spike was a little bored. It wasn't that having his mom and dad at the house was bad, but with Twilight and Rainbow he had come to appreciate a little extra freedom than his mother wished he had. A freedom that involved a lot more xbox than his mother approved of. Fortunately it seemed, from their group chat, that Pipsqueak and Featherweight were going to the arcade to try out the new cabinets that Old Dimes had ordered in. “Mom, I'm going to meet some friends for a while. Okay?”
“Really Spike? That's wonderful. Outside as well?” Twilight Velvet really was happy that her youngest was finally branching out. It wasn't that Twily was a bad influence, but her example hadn't exactly encouraged Spike to make many friends.
“Yup! I've got my phone. See you for dinner!” The green haired boy had shoved a coat on and was out the door before anyone could comment. Twilight senior chuckled, remembering the varied escapes Shining had made in the past, never once really admitting they were escapes.
“Was that Spike?” Night said from the lounge. He had his nose in a book, as ever. Luna was sat in another chair across the room, also deep into some large volume . A book of folk tales, from the title on the spine.
“Yes, he's off to visit with friends.” She settled onto the sofa next to her husband. His book was a discussion on the shared oral tradition of a certain set of African tribes. Twilight senior was a little vexed that he had nabbed it ahead of her. Scanning the shelves she spotted a nice little bit of light reading. With Celestia spending a few hours on work e-mails and calls and the others in their own little worlds, there was little else she thought should be done.
-*-
Celestia sighed and turned her work phone off. She had made it very clear to the office and her staff that she was on holiday for the afternoons the entire time she was in Ponyville and all day for Thanksgiving. This meant far too many calls and e-mails in the morning. It was getting close to lunch time and she had handled the last query and had no plans to wait for another.
The house was silent, which wasn't unusual in a building full of the studious and academic. As she expected, Celestia found everyone reading in the lounge. “Hello everyone. Sorry that took so long.”
“No problem Tia. More time for me to read.” Luna peered over her book and grinned. Celestia smiled back. It was rather wonderful to be re-united with her little sister. The impish behaviour she had so missed when Luna was off and about back in her life, along with the simple company at home. A family again.
Their other siblings were not close to them despite how much Cadence loved her aunties and even Blueblood, who was also fond of them in his own way. When their parents had died and Luna nearly perished with them it was for a few brief years that she had her sister. Then they had argued and fought. Luna left, dropped off the face of the earth almost. It had been so wonderful to find her again, to put aside their differences.
Most of them anyway.
Celestia could see from the look in Luna's eye that a sore subject was about to be brought up once more. The dark blue eyes were darting between Celestia and the pair of scholars on the couch. Night and Twilight were both unaware and Celestia was putting as much “No.” into her gaze as was possible without speaking.
“We need to talk.” Luna said, shutting her book with a definite thump. That distracted the readers and they too looked up.
“Luna. Now is not the time.” Celestia said, pressing a hand to her temple.
“It has to be the time. Copy Setter messaged me again, the editors want to run the story. She's done all she can to delay short of sabotage.” Luna looked solemnly to a confused Night and Twilight Velvet. “She's old enough that any laws protecting minors have run out.”
It dawned on Night and Twilight just exactly what Luna was talking about. Two worried pairs of eyes focused on Celestia. “I can try asking them to not publish.” Celestia said, knowing it was pointless.
“That will blow it up even more. They would love an official trying to suppress a story. Tia, she has to know before the press let her know.” Luna hated how this was upsetting her sister and would upset her friends, but the risk of silence had worse potential results.
“How do we tell her?” Twilight senior finally said. “I don't want to tell her.” She added, worry drawn across her face.
“We knew a time would come, but I never wanted it to.” Night said, grave and concerned, the usual quip of a good speaker missing from his tone.
“She won't take it well.” Celestia said.
“She will never take it well.” Luna sighed. “I still do not understand why such secrecy was needed. Why you couldn't be open from the start.”
“It felt like it was for the best.” Twilight Velvet said, though when she looked across, the expression on Celestia's face told her that the other woman was feeling differently.
“Now I am not so sure.” Celestia said, confirming her friends thoughts. “After all, the press were bound to start looking eventually, I am surprised it has lasted so far. She was twenty one last year, in her majority and no longer protected by those laws.”
“I know. But every milestone, every time it would have been the best circumstances to tell her, it never felt right!” Night said, now getting indignant. “You agreed then, why does it have to change?”
“Night, the Canter State Enquirer has come across some information they wished to publish.” Luna supplied. “My old college friend, Copy, told me and has been delaying at my request but she can't stop it any longer. It is fully researched and proven as true. There's no denying it is true.”
“Why?” Night asked. “Why run a story like that?”
“Human interest? To discredit any one of you?” Luna shrugged. “The Enquirer has always played third to the Herald and the Chronicle. They want something big to break.”
“So we have to tell Twily now. While we are all here and she is somewhere she's happy and has people to trust.” Night said, resigned and realising Luna's reasoning.
“That seems the case.” Celestia agreed, saddened. She was still standing and couldn't bring herself to meet Twilight Velvet's eye. “Even if she decides to, to hate us... She has Rainbow and all her friends here until a time she might forgive us.”
“We can't just tell Twilight she's adopted!” Twilight senior shouted, standing from the couch. The shout silenced everyone. It was such an emotive response and unexpected from the level-headed woman.
After a few beats Luna seemed to recover. “We have to!” she said from her seat. “It was bad enough for me when the press raked over mother and father's death when I knew every fact. We can't let Twilight find out something like this from some newspaper splash page!”
That seemed to calm Twilight senior a little. It had been an awful time, around Celestia's first campaign for government, the press had dived into the tragic story of her parent's death at their holiday home. It had been carbon monoxide poisoning, Luna had chanced to escape it having fallen asleep on the swing bench on the back deck. The stories and claims thrown about by the news organisations had hurt Luna deeply. Everyone understood that.
“We'll figure something out.” Celestia sighed, finally taking a seat.
“I'd better get Shining and Cadence involved.” Twilight senior said, bringing out her phone. “They both care deeply for her too and can help us set things into order so we can tell Twily.”
It was going to be a fraught afternoon. Though the guests had forgotten that their host was due back at lunch time. Between the debate and their moods no one even noticed the time.
-*-
There was a silence in the house. A tense cessation of conversation that left an atmosphere of hurt feelings. Cadence and Shining had arrived and entered the discussion, both had provided some sort of insight into Twilight's moods and though process, but it wasn't quite enough and things had once more fallen to intense and impassioned debate that led to disagreements and arguing.
It was enough that Luna had elected to sit out on the porch to read. Twilight was counted among her friends, but she would readily admit that she didn't know how to speak to the girl about such an emotive subject. The chill air of the November day was a welcome change to inside the house and her oversized hoodie kept out the cold. The interesting book from Twilight's shelves occupied her time and mind.
As she read, sat in a seat Twilight had certainly put out for this very purpose, a car pulled up. Luna recognised the blue dodge and sure enough Rainbow climbed out. “Hey Luna.”
“Hello Rainbow.” Luna marked her book and looked up. Rainbow would need a warning about the mood in the house even I she couldn't share with her the reason. The pilot beat her to speak though.
Rainbow locked up her car. It was strange, she mused, but for a moment as Luna had put her in mind of Twilight. “Hiding out from panic mode Twilight are you?” She grinned.
Luna frowned. “Twilight hasn't been in since she left with you this morning.”
“She's not here? I thought she had gotten sidetracked. We were supposed to see her at the airfield, Captain Sparkle and dad were looking at the planes with her but she didn't turn up.” Rainbow wasn't worried yet. If any one of their friends or even someone Twilight knew had asked for help or a favour then she was quite likely to have agreed to help. There were plenty of occasions where a small task had taken longer than expected and Twilight lost track of time.
“Maybe she went to visit someone?” Luna suggested as Rainbow thought the same thing.
“Yeah, I'll give her a call.” Rainbow took out her phone and sat on the seat next to Luna's. She called Twilight but the phone rang off. Puzzled, Rainbow re-dialled.
Just as the second call rang off the front door opened. Celestia emerged holding a familiar purple phone. “Did Twilight lose her phone?”
“No, she had it with her when she went to the library for her morning's work.” Rainbow said, growing worried. “She was coming back here to fetch lunch and was supposed to come to the airfield.”
Luna and Celestia both figured out what must have happened “Oh no...” They spoke as one. The expression on their faces immediately putting Rainbow into a state of alert.
Something had happened. Something bad.