//------------------------------//
// A Lovely Future...or not. 
// Story: Isn't She Lovely? 
// by TheAmazingMe 
//------------------------------//

"Honey, I'm sorry about your father." Purple said, addressing the elephant in the room finally. 

Lovely shook her head as her mother adjusted her veil. Leave it to her mother to bring up the subject she'd rather avoid on her wedding day. "I shouldn't have expected him to be here." 

Purple snorted. "I should have kicked his sorry plot to the curb a long time ago. At least your stallion has his priorities set. He'd do anything to give you the life you deserve." 

Lovely looked away. "I don't know. Sometimes I feel like he's holding something back." 

"Oh?" Purple asked, curious.

Lovely came back to her senses and waved a hoof. "Oh! Don't listen to me. It's probably just a little cold hooves. He's a great stallion and he's got such a bright future. And he doesn't mind that I write...what I write." 

Purple laughed into her hoof. "One of these days, we're going to have a little talk about where you got some of those ideas, young mare." 

Lovely flipped the veil to cover her blush. "Mom, it's a bit late for that talk." 

Purple laid a hoof on Lovely's shoulder. "You're probably right. Foals grow up so fast." 

Measured entered, properly suited and smiling. "Ladies, it's time." 

*** 

Purple couldn't help but fawn over the little baby colt. "He's beautiful. He's got his momma's coat and his daddy's mane." 

"His muzzle and points are from me too!" Second said from his spot on the second bed in the room. 

"Of course." Purple said kindly. "Have you decided on a name, finally?" 

Lovely crinkled her nose. "You know I wanted to see him first!" 

Purple pointed at the bundle in her forelimbs. "Well, know you see him." 

"He's taking his daddy's name, Story. We decided that a while ago." Lovely said, playing for time. 

Purple pressed. "And his first name?" 

Ignoring her, Lovely's gaze settled firmly on the little unicorn in her hooves. "Momma, he's my world. My life." 

Purple smiled and sat up. "That sounds perfect. Life Story." 

Looking over to her husband, Lovely asked, "What do you think, Second?" 

He looked up cautiously, wincing at the pain in his ribs. "Are you done cursing my very existence?" 

"I wasn't that bad." Lovely protested. Purple and Second exchanged glances.  

Sighing, then wincing again, Second muttered. "I don't know why they ever think having stallions in a delivery room is a good idea." 

Lovely rolled her eyes. "Honey, the name." 

"Sounds better than nothing." He said sourly. 

"He's just sore." Second snorted at her choice of words. "I wasn't going to let him name our colt Second the second. Now he's pouting." 

"Am not!" Second pouted, turning his nose up. 

"Of course not, dear." Lovely conceded. "You just stay over there and keep your dark cloud away from the baby." 

"My dark cloud? You nearly put me through a wall!" Second reminded her, pointing at his bandaged barrel. 

Lovely sniffed. "You told me to stop being ridiculous and focus!" 

"You weren't pushing!" He said. 

Purple cut in. "Enough, you two. You'll wake up the little guy." 

*** 

"I'm the worst mother ever." Lovely said over little Life's cries for attention. She'd tried everything she'd ever heard, but nothing seemed to satisfy the poor teething toddler.

Second winced as Life's cry shot up another octave. "You're just new at this, dear." He said, reassuringly.

Lovely shifted the colt over to her other shoulder, using her magic to keep him from wriggling away. "If mother hadn't gone off to sunny Mareami, I could just have her come live with us." 

Second shuddered at the thought. Though he loved Purple, it seemed the idea of having his mother-in-law around the house wasn't appealing. Picking up the pacifier, Second made another attempt at placating Life. This time, it seemed to work.

Lovely sighed, tears in her eyes. "I just don't have enough hooves." 

"I've been thinking of hiring some help." Second offered. 

Lovely widened her eyes. "Can we afford it? We just built this place, Second." 

He smiled. "Well, that's the other thing. I'm taking over the firm." 

The sudden announcement surprised her. She figured Fine Structure wouldn't just retire. "What? None of the sons want to take over Structure and Sons?" 

Second shook his head. "No. Now it's Structure and Story. Mr. Structure wants to make sure his contacts become my own, so I'll have to do a lot of shmoozing if I really want to take things on. Which means a little more time away from home." 

She rested a hoof on his reassuringly. "I'm sure it'll be fine, dear. Although, yes, we'll definitely need to hire someone to help keep things in order. Maybe even a cleaning service." 

He nodded. "Agreed. You might even be able to get some writing done again." 

She smiled thoughtfully. "I do have a pony at Barleyquin who's been all but begging me to make a comeback." 

Second made a face at her mention of her old publisher. "You know, you could write something a little less...personal." 

Nose in the air, Lovely stood up, lifting Life onto her back. It was the one way she knew that was foolproof at getting him to sleep. "I promise I won't base any characters on you. Not even a ridiculously well-hung one." 

Second followed her as she made her circuit of the lower floor. "You'd write me ridiculously well-hung?" 

"Well, it is fantasy, after all." She remarked drily.

Second pretended offense. "Ouch! See if I don't divorce you with talk like that." 

Lovely snorted. "Oh please. I'm an unemployed mother. You'd lose at least half of your income in alimony and child support. Not to mention this lovely new home." 

Sighing, Second looked over at their son and thanked Celestia he'd fallen asleep. "Fine, I guess I'll just have to keep you. I'm rather fond of this place after all the design work and dealing with the contractors." 

"Not just keep me: keep me happy." She cast her magic around Life to keep him safe as she ascended the stair.

Following behind, Second reassured her. "Always." 

*** 

"Mom?" Life pushed open the door to his mother's solarium. Looking around, he found it difficult to spot his mother among the plants and a fair number of easels.  

Poking her head between a bush and an easel, Lovely spoke. "Life, sweetie, now is not a good time. Momma's working on her presentation for the next Writer's Convention." 

Life pouted, gesturing with one ball-holding hoof. "But you just got back from..." 

Lovely cut him off as she pulled her head back. "That was the Albaneigh Author's Expo. The Writer's Convention is local, dear, so don't worry about me going off again." 

Sullen over the idea of him worrying over her near-constant travel, Life stalked around an easel. "I wasn't..." 

Shooing him away from the front cover designs she was reviewing, Lovely thought quick. "Dear, please. Go ask your father to help you. I love you, dear, but this is important." 

Hanging his head, he put the ball back into his saddlebag. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you more! Now go see your father." Life exited the room, but knew better than to disturb his father. Instead, he headed to the dining room. Taking the ball back out magically, he set it on the table and took his usual seat. Trying to keep himself from thinking about the recent rejection, he made the ball float here and there, zipping around the candlesticks and decorations. 

"You're levitating things, Master Life? I thought you were having a great deal of difficulty with that." Silver asked from behind Life. His sudden appearance took Life by surprise and the ball knocked over the largest candlestick holder. The white taper broke into three pieces connected by the wick. 

Panicked, Life tried picking the candle up and fixing it. "I-I-I'm s-sorry, Silver. I d-didn't..."

Patting the colt's back, Silver shushed him. "It's okay, Life. I can fix that while you tell me about how you learned to levitate finally."

Letting go of the candle with his magic, Life seemed to calm down more as Silver fixed the candle with his own magic. "Div gave me a training tool. It's a pen that attaches to your hoof. At first, it was really hard to use, but I wrote so much that it got a lot easier. I don't even get tired anymore." 

Setting the candle back into its place, Silver smiled. "Congratulations, Master Life! Your parents will be..." Life sat on the floor and let the tears fall silently. 

Lifting the little unicorn onto his back, Silver Platter spoke soothingly. "Now, now, Master Life--" He was cut off as the colt hugged his neck tightly, burying his face into Silver's mane. Silver sighed; he was glad that the foal hadn't accidentally nicked him with his horn this time. "I take it you've tried already?" 

"Mm-hm." Life confirmed. 

Thinking quickly, Silver walked into the kitchen and grabbed a scrap of paper and a quill. "Well, I'll send a note over to the diVolare's and see if little Sogni can come over and help us make chocolate chip cookies." 

Muzzle still in Silver's mane, Life's voice was slightly muffled. "How many?" 

Silver resisted a laugh. It wouldn't be proper, after all. Then again, neither was ruining the young colt's dinner, but Silver decided to blame it on a fake illness. "As many as you can levitate." 

*** 

As Second went off to recalculate the nursery support beam, Lovely sighed. "I'm so sorry, Div. I can't believe this attitude from him." 

"I can." Div said simply. 

"What?" Lovely asked, alarmed. 

Div lowered his head, but then looked Lovely in the eye. "Sorry, ma'am, but Mr. Story is like this all the time." 

Lovely scoffed, certain the foal was playing some trick. "Well, surely not all the time. Don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?" 

"Forgive me, ma'am. Momma Pro says not to be rude at another pony's home, but Mr. Story--" He stopped as Life bumped him. 

"Div!" Life hissed.

"Life! Nothing can get better if you don't say something." Div shot back. Life stared daggers into Div.

"What does he mean, Life?" Lovely asked. 

Div decided to speak for himself. "I mean he feels like Mr. Story..." 

"Fine!" Life roared. "I'll tell her!" 

Lovely set her hooves down on the table. "Life Story, what on Equestria is going on?" 

Life stood, his forehooves and face shaking with anger and nerves. "I'm saying what I should've said ages ago. I hate him. I hate this house. As soon as I can, I'm moving out! Even if I have to live on the street! Happy now, Div?" With that, he stormed upstairs and slammed his door.  

"I think I'd better..." Div trailed off, sliding out of his chair and heading towards the stairway. 

Lovely sat, stunned. She looked to the stallion who'd stood by while the whole debacle played out. "Silver. Tell me the truth. Is Second really always like that with Life?" 

Silver set his tray down and sat at the table. That was when Lovely knew there was trouble. In the years he'd worked for them, Lovely was sure this was the first time he'd ever sat down. "As much as I'd like to say otherwise, it's true. Master Story is quite often critical of young Master Life. Not to mention how he insists on the use of the word 'sir.'" 

"How could I be so blind in my own house?" Then it hit her. All those books she'd published. How easily she'd sacrificed time with her family to meet a deadline or fulfill the request of one agent or another. All the appearances, the interviews, and planning convention panels. She'd let it get in the way.  

Standing, Lovely wiped the tear from her eye. She didn't feel like she deserved to cry. "Silver. I need you to send my resignation to my agent." 

Silver stood with her, but looked confused. "Ma'am?" 

She clarified. "Until I have this problem fixed, I'm never touching a quill again." With that, she followed her son and his friend upstairs. 

When she got to Life's door, she was surprised to find Div still outside of it. "How is he?" She asked softly. 

Div scrunched his nose up and wiped his eyes. "He still won't let me in. He's mad that I told you anything." 

She patted his shoulder. If she couldn't touch Life at the moment, she decided she'd reassure Div. "I'm glad you did. Sorry, again, Div." 

Div looked away. His voice sounded tight. "It's...well, I hope it'll be alright." He stepped away from the door to wipe his eyes again.

Stepping up, Lovely tapped a hoof on the door. She could've unlocked it herself, but figured that would only worsen the situation. Instead, she leaned her face against the door and spoke. "Life, it's me. Please let us in, dear. We should talk about this." Something heavy hit the door and Lovely reared back for a moment. "Okay. We don't have to talk about anything." 

At an impasse, Lovely sat on the floor of the hallway. Div returned to Life's door and followed suit, his back to the door. He called over his shoulder. "Life, I'm really sorry. Please open the door." 

When that failed to get a response, Lovely waited for a while and tried again. "Life, dear. Div is right. Your father and I haven't done very well by you. I...I may have a solution. If you'll just speak to me." 

The pause this time wasn't as long, but certainly longer than either of the two in the hallway would've liked. Slowly, the door opened. Div scrambled to get up and launched himself around Life's neck. Lovely lifted her eyebrows, but smiled knowingly. Life looked at her irritably through bloodshot eyes. 

"I'm listening." He said, voice cracking and surly.

Lovely set her forehooves in her lap. "Your father has a friend who just started his own magazine. I know he's looking for staff writers and I'd already mention you once. He seemed keen on getting a SGU graduate. It might not be the type of work you want, but it'll help to start your portfolio and get you out of here if you want." 

Life looked ready to tell her to go to Tartarus, then Div nudged him with his muzzle. Life sighed. "I'll think about it." 

"I'm sorry, Life." Div said again.

Life shook his head tiredly. "Don't be, Div. I should've spoken up a long time ago." 

"I'm sorry, too." Lovely said, hoping beyond hope that she could make things right.

Life crossed to her and gave her a hug. "I'm not mad at you, mom. I'm just not happy here anymore." 

She patted his back. "I understand. If you want, I could help you find someplace..." 

He pulled back to face her. "No. I'll pay my own way out of here. I have some saved up anyway." 

Lovely nodded. With one hoof, she fixed a stray hair away from his face. "I see. I love you, Life." 

He looked down, then back at her. "I...love you too, mom." 

*** 

"You think you can just scare me like that?" Lovely asked from the doorway.

Second looked up from his hospital bed. "Good to see you too, dear. Is the colt here, too?" 

"No, he isn't." She replied flatly.

He snorted. "You think the colt would have enough respect to come see his father in the hospital. Typical of him, though. Such a foalish--" 

"Don't talk about my son like that. I didn't tell him." She said, walking to his bedside. 

"What?" 

She inhaled and let it out. "Ever since Life graduated and moved out, it's become incredibly clear to me that we failed him." 

"What are you talking about? He graduated from SGU, we got him a job, and now he's on his own. I think we did just fine. It’s obvious who's failed--" 

"I said, don't talk about my son like that!" Lovely said, stomping a hoof as she stepped forward. "He didn't just move out. He galloped out. Aside from a few things, his room is untouched. Life couldn't wait to escape." 

"You're being dramatic. I know he's your only foal, Lovely, but he grew up. We did everything we could." 

"We did everything except show him the love he desperately needed, Second." 

"Of course we gave him love! We provided a roof, food, and the best education. What more could he want?" 

"How about not having to call his father sir?" 

"That was just to teach him respect--" 

"And correcting him every time he stuttered?" 

"But that--" 

"And every time he mumbled." 

"Lovely!" 

"Second! Have you ever told him you love him?" 

"What are you talking--" 

"Answer me, Second Story! Have you told your son you loved him? Even once?" 

"He knows I love him." 

"How? As far as I know, he's never been able to read minds." 

"That's enough, Lovely! I've been through enough today, I won't sit here while you disrespect me like this." Lovely turned around and headed to the door. "Where are you going?" He asked. 

Whirling around, she stared him down. "Do you know who you sound like? My father. Do you remember what happened between him and my mother after he couldn't accept Measured for who he is?" 

Second scoffed. "That's completely different. Life isn't some..." 

"If you dare say a word against my brother, Second Story, so help me I will ensure you never leave that hospital bed." Lovely warned sharply. "You had better start thinking about accepting Life as he is instead of constantly pushing him to be the pony you want him to be. Or you can say goodbye to both of us. Your choice, Mr. Story." 

"I love him." Second said finally. 

"Then act like it. Be his dad." She said.

"Yes, ma'am." 

"Now you worry about getting better so you can tell your son how much you love him." 

"I-I'm sorry, Lovely. I thought I was doing what was best for him." 

She sighed. "I know. We were both wrong about what was going on. I hope he'll really forgive us, in time."