After that rather draining night at the Doo household, I showed up early at the train station the next day. Since Star was coming, Sparkler tagged along with me. Sure, this was a family visit, but Star would still appreciate having her fillyfriend around. Plus, they were both still young and hormonal enough that, once they’d made sure Storm was alright, they’d probably wanna sneak off somewhere and bang like a pair of horny bunnies. Incidentally, thanks to all the time I’ve spent with Fluttershy lately, I can confirm that rabbits deserve their reputation.
I’ll take a moment now to silently thank Shadow, Celestia, and any other relevant beings that Fluttershy decided to have Angel Bunny fixed. The last thing Equestria needed were dozens of Angel Juniors running around. Plus, the fact that Angel’s balls had been snipped off amused me.
I showed up early, partly in case the train showed up early and partly because I hadn’t wanted to spend too much longer at Derpy’s. It had been just a little awkward revealing I had a bun in the oven right after Derpy told me how much she wanted a kid. Especially when I admitted that I wasn’t sure at all about having one. She might not have said anything, but I could feel the unasked question kind of hanging in the air. She didn’t have a baby, but wanted one; I had a baby, but didn’t want it. There was an obvious solution.
Yeah, aside from all the massive awkwardness for everypony involved, it was a great idea.
Shortly after we arrived at the Ponyville train station, I spotted two other ponies slowly making their way towards us. Storm was trudging along slowly enough that I suspected she still ought to be in bed, not running around Ponyville. Or at least, slowly and painfully hobbling through the town. Twilight seemed to agree, judging by the way she was practically (and at least once, literally) hovering over her guardian.
I smiled and waved as the two of them joined us on the platform. “Hey, cousin, Princess. Glad to see you’re up and about. How you doing?”
Storm dropped down onto a bench with a relieved sigh, then nodded to me. It took her a couple seconds of heavy breathing before she could answer. “I have been better, but for somepony who was hit with several large trees a few days ago I am doing quite well.”
I couldn’t quite meet her eyes. Between what Twilight had said, and what she had pointedly left unsaid, I’d gotten the idea that I came way too close to not having a cousin at all. That was a very sobering thought. Especially since if things had gone bad, the last time we’d ever spoken to each other might have been us butting heads over a bunch of stupid stuff that didn’t really matter. Not the note I wanted to end things on, especially after what had happened to Mom.
I couldn’t really put all those thoughts into words, though, so I settled on something simple but true. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Storm nodded, but didn’t say anything. Twilight didn’t waste any time filling the resulting silence. “So you’re here waiting for your family too, Cloud? I'm sure you’re really expecting your family to show up. It is a big day. It's almost like a happy little accident, considering none of this was really planned.” She turned to Storm, an almost painful looking smile stretching her cheeks. “Who knows, Cloud might have some big news since you two last saw each other. I mean, meetings like this can be a bundle of joy.” There was a pregnant pause as her eyes nervously darted around and one of her ears twitched. “Is anypony hungry? I could go to Sugarcube Corner. They’ve probably got some buns in the oven.”
The princess vanished as she teleported away, leaving us all just a little bit stunned. Rainbow had warned me that Twilight could get a bit stressed out over keeping secrets, but I hadn’t expected her to have that much trouble with it. It was probably a good thing I planned to tell Storm along with the rest of my family, so Princess Purpleplot wouldn’t be holding onto that particular secret for much longer. There were probably laws against stressing out a princess, even one who tended to be a bit naturally high strung.
Sparkler stared at the spot where Twilight had been standing a moment ago, then shook her head. “If you are what you eat, then damn does Spike need to take nuts out of her diet.”
“Her Highness is not nuts,” Storm answered stiffly. “She is just ... well ... this is not particularly unusual for her, at least. The last few days have been difficult for her.”
“Exactly.” I didn’t want anyone focusing too much on what exactly had Twilight so worked up this time. Not if I wanted to keep control over the big news. “Her home got blown up, she’s allowed to be a bit stressed out. As long as she’s not locked up in her basement coming up with crazy plans to blow up the moon in order to win a prank war, I don’t think we need to worry.”
“That was an unusual and rather unique incident,” Storm groused, no doubt feeling obligated to defend her princess’s honor. “Not to mention she was provoked. One of her books had been deliberately misshelved.” That last statement might have come out a little more convincingly if she had managed to look me in the eye for it instead of glancing awkwardly at the far corner.
“Which made blowing up the moon a perfectly rational and proportionate response,” I agreed, perfectly deadpan. Storm’s faintly annoyed glower indicated that she didn’t appreciate my sense of humor. Everypony’s a critic.
Any further debate on Twilight’s lovable eccentricities came to an abrupt end with the return of the mare herself, reappearing in another flash of light and carrying a large box from Sugarcube Corner. She smiled at all of us, though her eyes lingered on my belly for just a second too long. “Hi again, everypony. They had croissants.”
“Cool, thanks.” I opened up the pastry box and snagged a chocolate one. As was the case with anything made at Sugarcube Corner, it was delicious and probably a little unhealthy. After all, Pinkie’s baking style tended to involve butter, sugar, sprinkles, frosting, and just enough flour to hold it all together.
Before I could take a second bite, my breakfast was yanked away, encased in Twilight’s magical aura. A moment later, something else that vaguely resembled a croissant took its place in my hooves. “Here, I had this one made special, just for you. It’s made of gluten-free whole wheat with no added sugar or fat, and stuffed with bean curd. All organic ingredients too, of course. It’s much healthier and still every bit as delicious. Not that your current diet is unhealthy, but it never hurts to improve. Especially when ... well, it’s always good to eat healthy, right?”
I sniffed the thing that was technically still a croissant cautiously, then hesitantly took a small bite. That was enough to tell me that, for all her virtues, Twilight never would’ve been able to use the Element of Honesty. It was not as good as a chocolate croissant. At all.
However, Twilight had unleashed a cute, hopeful little smile that was just begging for my approval as I forced myself to chew and swallow. It was probably the same smile she used on Celestia whenever she’d turned in an assignment. It practically screamed, ‘Did I do good? Please tell me I did good, because I tried really, really hard to get this exactly right!’ Unfortunately I’ve always been a sucker for a cute smile, and Twilight’s adorkable ones are very cute.
I took a deep breath and then forced down another bite, every single one of my taste buds screaming in protest. “It’s ... it tastes really healthy.”
Twilight’s smile shifted from nervously seeking my approval to happy and relieved, the tension leaving her shoulders and her wings resting a bit more naturally. “Good! I’m glad you like it. Maybe I can talk to Pinkie about making more for you.”
Dammit.
Twilight continued on, oblivious to my dismay. “So are you feeling alright?”
I sighed and bit into the technically edible thing I was holding in my hooves. I tried to tell myself that it tasted better now that I was used to it. “I'm managing. Better than I was the other day, at least. Had some time to think it all over.”
Twilight smiled back and gave me a pat on the shoulder. “Good to hear. You know my door is always open if you need anything.”
“Yeah, I know.” I hugged her, and thankfully Storm didn’t get all uptight about the fact that I was publicly showing her princess affection. “Thanks, Twilight. You’re a good friend.”
She returned the hug and chuckled self-consciously. “Well, I am the Princess of Friendship. I think I’m kinda obligated to be a good friend.” She held the hug for just a bit longer than normal, then slowly let go. “So, I bet you’re looking forward to seeing your family. Fluttershy mentioned you wanted to talk to them.”
“Yeah.” I wondered how many of the details Eepy had given Twilight. I wouldn’t have blamed her for needing somepony to confide in, and Twilight would be one of the best choices if only because she already knew I was pregnant.
Storm gently cleared her throat. “It will be nice to see them again. I have not seen Mom and Dad since I moved to Ponyville, and considering how the last time Star was here for a few days went...”
“She brought it on herself,” I opined, grinning at my cousin. “You know I don’t take sides in your off-and-on sibling warfare, but I was almost tempted to warn Star about what happens when you poke a sleeping dragon after she pranked Twilight. Magical prodigy alicorns can take pranks to a whole new level when sufficiently provoked.”
A shiver ran down Sparkler’s spine. “Don’t remind me. Never should’ve let Star talk me into helping her. Or at least, should’ve had the sense to not hit Twilight too.”
The princess grinned at Ponyville’s brat-in-chief. “Sorry, I don’t think that would’ve worked. Considering the circumstances, it would’ve been my princessly duty to help protect my bodyguard from such an unprovoked pranking assault.”
“It wasn’t unprovoked,” Sparkler shot back. “Don’t let that stoic face fool you, she gives as good as she gets. Right before Storm left Canterlot, she stuck a gremlin under Star’s bed.“
“There is a simple, perfectly reasonable explanation for what happened,” Storm answered with dignity and grace, nibbling her croissant with perfect ladylike poise. “I would never lower myself to pull a prank on Star. Such behavior is not befitting an officer and a gentlemare. Though when I heard of the event which absolutely nopony can prove I had any involvement in, I will confess to thinking that my sister is an annoying little brat, and she got exactly what she deserved.”
“Yeah, sure,” Sparkler shot back with a suspicious glare. “I’m sure it’s a coincidence that one wound up under your sister’s bed right after the Patrol cleared out a nest of them in the Canterlot tunnels.”
“As you pointed out, there was an infestation in the city,” Storm countered, her face perfectly blank. “I am sure many ponies had the misfortune of running across one.”
“‘Misfortune’ is a good word for it,” Twilight chimed in, wearing an eager smile that could only mean she was about to give us all a lecture on gremlins. “After all, gremlins are notorious for causing all kinds of bad luck for ponies who cross their path, as well as sabotaging complicated machines. Fortunately, the bad luck they cause isn’t as bad as an entropy curse; it’s usually just extremely annoying.”
“As the princess said,” Storm murmured, the barest hint of a smile on her stoic face. “My sister just had a run of bad luck. Nothing serious. And even if somepony did somehow manufacture evidence that I were somehow involved in the matter, I would point out that Star used her tracking devices to—”
I cut her off with an upraised hoof. “Yeah, I’m sure there’s a long list of back-and-forth between you two. Hay, I’m pretty sure it all started when you threw some cake at Star during your second birthday party because you were jealous that the new baby was getting more attention than you.”
“It was my birthday, and she was upstaging me,” Storm calmly pointed out. “And I was two. You can hardly hold me morally accountable for my actions. Besides, she was six months old. Hardly a new baby anymore.”
Twilight covered her mouth in a vain attempt to hide a giggle, while Sparkler nodded sagely. “Ah, so that’s how the decades-long cycle of revenge started. I bet you two will still be messing with each other when you’re old and toothless.”
“I think there’s a bit of an unofficial truce now,” I pointed out, grinning at Twilight. “When one side of the prank war has an alicorn on it and the other doesn’t...”
Sparkler grimaced. “Yeah, unless we cut a deal with Discord or something, we’re kinda at an overwhelming disadvantage. Star n’I are good, but...”
“Her Highness has you outmatched,” Storm finished for her, nodding to Twilight. “I suppose I owe you my thanks for that, Highness. An unambiguous and total victory over my sister is a rare and precious thing.”
“Glad to help.” Twilight grinned at her, but after several seconds her smile slipped slightly. “You know, it’s really great that your sister has time to visit every once in awhile, and the rest of your family lives in Canterlot. I have to go all the way to the Crystal Empire if I want to see Shiny and Cadance. I don’t know when I’ll have time for that again now that I have so many new royal duties to take care of. Not to mention everything with the castle...” She sighed, her eyes shifting to the large crystalline palace that towered over Ponyville. “I guess I should consider myself fortunate I have somewhere to live after Tirek destroyed the library.”
I flinched sympathetically, and Storm frowned, stepping up. “Highness, I am sorry that I failed to—”
Twilight held up a hoof to cut her off. “It's not your fault, Storm. You nearly got yourself killed trying to protect me as it is. If anyone’s to blame for what happened to the library, it’s the monster that blew my home up.”
My cousin stubbornly set her hooves. “But if I had stopped him, or been present when you confronted him...”
Twilight shook her head. “Or if I had unlocked the Elements box sooner, or if Celestia hadn’t trusted Discord to take care of the problem, or if we’d let her have all our magical power instead of them giving it to me, or...” She trailed off, satisfied that she’d made her point. “We can play the ‘What if?’ game all day. What matters in the end is that everything turned out alright. We stopped Tirek, and he didn’t cause any damage we can’t fix.” She sighed, glancing at her new home. “I miss my old library, but I’m sure I’ll get used to the castle soon enough.”
“It seems nice enough,” Storm opined, looking at the castle far less critically than her princess. “Certainly it will take a while to adjust to the change, but I think it is ultimately for the best. No offense, Highness, but a princess ought to live somewhere a bit nicer than a small-town library. A palace provides a degree of royal prestige that suits your rank.”
“I guess.” From the way Twilight’s shoulders slumped, she clearly wasn’t too enthusiastic about the change. “I mean, it certainly looks very regal. With those big doors, long, featureless hallways, and all the massive and completely empty rooms...”
I trotted up to her and gave her a friendly little nuzzle. “Sounds like you need some ponies to fill the place up, if it’s that empty.”
Storm’s ears perked up. “Actually, that reminds me, Highness. We had been discussing expanding your royal guard, and now that you have an actual palace, this seems like the perfect opportunity to put that plan into action. It would look very strange if you had a palace without even a couple ceremonial guards at the entrance, in front of the throne room, and outside of your private quarters.”
Twilight frowned faintly. “You really think so, Storm? I’ve never needed guards in my bedroom before. I just locked my door before I go to bed. Why would that change just because my house is bigger and fancier now?”
Storm sighed patiently. “Because it is a palace, not a home. A home is a private residence. Palaces are generally seen as much more public. You will likely host diplomatic conferences, perform official government functions, accept petitions from the public, and so on. Not to mention it is expected; if you have a palace without any guards, it will be commented upon. The trappings of royal power—”
“Are vitally important to exercising royal power,” Twilight finished, waving a hoof and allowing the tiniest hint of resignation in her tone. If I knew my cousin, they’d had this conversation before. I suppose she technically had a point that Twilight often didn’t act very much like royalty, but to be honest that was one of my favorite things about her. If Twilight started acting as reserved and dignified as Princess Celestia, she wouldn’t be the adorkable nerd I liked so much. Not to mention it would suck if I had to go past three security checkpoints just to talk to her for a bit.
Twilight thought it over for a moment, then nodded. “I don’t want a bunch of guards scaring everypony away, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have a few around the palace. If nothing else, they can make sure Spike doesn’t start eating it as soon as I turn my back. Though we're going to need to house all those soldiers...”
Storm smiled gratefully. “I already have plans drawn up for that. They’re sitting on my desk.” She paused, and her face fell. “... in the library. Right. I suppose I will need to rewrite that proposal.”
Twilight’s ears fell. “Right. I guess a lot of my old projects have been wrecked too. Replacing the books and my research equipment won’t be too hard; Celestia’s already given me more than enough money for that. But some of the things I lost can’t be bought in a store.”
Storm nodded gravely. “I had a few things there as well. Mostly personal effects—some family photos, my medal from the Equestria Games, and...” She trailed off, her eyes darting guiltily towards me. “Aunt Nimbus’s diary.”
Oh. Oh dammit.
I‘d refused to take the diary out of stubborn pride because Mom gave it to Storm instead of me, and now it was gone forever. Probably one of the last, most personal things my mother had left behind. Something that really would’ve let me connect to her in a way I’d missed out on for years. And it was gone. Because I’d been an idiot.
Storm misinterpreted my dismay. “Cloud, I am sorry about—”
“It’s not your fault,” I cut her off. “No way you could’ve anticipated the library getting blown up by an escaped super-monster. It’s just ... stuff happens, right?”
She nodded glumly. “Yes. Yes it does.”
That rather effectively murdered the conversation, and nopony said much more until Sparkler spotted the train on the horizon. We all waited eagerly as it pulled into the station. Thankfully, Ponyville’s such a small stop that my family was the first and only ones off the train.
Star took the lead, rushing over to Storm and checking her over before hugging her. I took a moment to appreciate the sight of the two of them actually showing that they cared about each other for once. In all likelihood they would go back to lighthearted bickering pretty soon. It’s kind of inevitable with their weird sibling rivalry.
Aunt Wind and Uncle Typhoon were a bit behind Star, though clearly no less worried. Plus Aunt Wind was technically a doctor, even if she was a psychologist rather than a combat medic. Naturally, the two of them fussing over Storm made her shoot a self-conscious look towards Twilight, probably worried that her carefully cultivated dignity and reserve was being flushed down the toilet. Fortunately, the princess was smiling and enjoying the spectacle.
I might have to make a point of getting Twilight’s parents to visit sometime. Turnabout was fair play, after all. Not to mention the fun I could have if Twilight’s mother was one of those types who constantly bugged their daughters to get married and produce grandkids. Maybe I could see about getting Aunt Wind to join me on my current quest to pair Twilight and Storm up. Star’s support was already a given, as long as it annoyed Storm.
Any further plotting about teasing my cousin and our princess came to an abrupt end when I spotted my sister charging me. “Cloudy!” She took off and flew the rest of the way to me, snagging me with a flying tackle-hug. “I've missed you!”
I grinned and returned it in earnest. “Hey there, 'Lula! Missed you too!”
Alula grinned and nuzzled me enthusiastically. “How're ya?”
I answered with the sort of polite lie you always tell kids who ask that. “Just super now that you’re here.” I grinned and ruffled her mane. “What about you? How’s my little bitty baby sister doing?”
“Notta baby,” Alula grumbled, trying to fix her mane. “But I’m good. School's boring, though.”
I couldn’t help snickering at that. Some things are pretty much universal to kids. Well, almost universal. Thankfully Twilight hadn’t overheard Alula’s comment, or my little sister might have found herself on the receiving end of a twenty minute lecture about the importance of education. “Yeah, but you learn lots of useful stuff there, so it's worth it.”
“I guess,” Alula groused. “But school in Ponyville’s more fun. I’ve got friends in Canterlot too, but I've missed Dinky. And you, too.”
“Well, you should be here long enough to visit everypony,” I reassured her. I wasn’t privy to all the details of the education system, but I vaguely recalled hearing that classes had been canceled for the rest of the week because everypony was busy cleaning up from Tirek’s rampage. “Tell you what: we can have a sleepover one night, if you want.” I paused a moment, then hastily amended. “No Crusaders, though.”
Once had been enough. Five high-energy fillies were too much for anypony to handle. Honestly, that whole incident had massively increased my respect for Cheerilee. She must have nerves of steel to handle an entire classroom of screaming children every single day.
Alula grinned and nuzzled me. “A sleepover with Dinky? Yay! Thanks, Cloudy!”
Dad, who had already gotten off the train a while ago, had been hanging back and watching the two of us with a smile. He’d always felt a bit bad about the fact that I didn’t get enough time with Alula since his job kept them both in Canterlot. He stepped up to the two of us, grinning at me. “Alula did mention a few stories about that big sleepover at your house. Don’t worry, I can sympathize with how much trouble it must’ve been. I remember how much of a hooffull it was with just you, Storm, and Star around.”
“And that was with me being old and responsible enough to help,” I chimed in.
“Right.” Dad playfully glowered at me. “I suppose you could interpret the things you got up to as helping. After all, without you giving them ideas for what sort of mischief to get up to, who knows what they would’ve done on their own?”
“Exactly,” I agreed with a disarming grin. “Little fillies were gonna cause trouble no matter what. I just pointed them in the safest, least-damaging direction.”
For some reason, Dad still looked very skeptical of my perfectly reasonable explanation. “I’m not sure your mother’s favorite lamp would agree that your suggestion for a game of indoor hoofball was perfectly safe.” He chuckled and shook his head, pulling me in for a quick hug. “But I suppose you have grown up a bit since then. And it would be good for you to spend some time with your sister. She's been looking forward to seeing you, even if I would’ve preferred to come under slightly happier circumstances.” He paused, glancing over at my cousin. “Though if Storm’s up and moving around, she must be in reasonably good health.”
“She probably ought to be in bed resting,” I admitted. “But then, I’m pretty sure Twilight could make her stay in bed if she really wanted to.” I paused, regretfully discarding several great jokes that I didn’t dare utter within my sister’s hearing. “And hey, it means I get to see my family again. I was actually thinking I needed to come to Canterlot for another visit sometime soon.” I grinned and plopped Alula onto my back so I could focus all my attention on Dad. “So how've you been?”
Now that my hooves were free, Dad gave me a quick hug. “I've been good, though my job has kept me very busy lately. The usual mix of a few bits of frantic crisis management alongside endless weeks of incredibly boring paperwork.”
“Sounds about right.” Back when I’d been at West Hoof, I always heard that Guard work was five weeks of absolute boredom followed by five minutes of absolute terror. “I guess it’s no surprise that running all those guardsponies keeps you busy.”
“Yeah.” He tossed a regretful look at ‘Lula. “I know I haven’t had as much time for family as I would’ve liked.”
Alula pouted from her perch on my back. “Yeah, Daddy never has enough time to play ninjas with me anymore! I only ever get to play with Star whenever she’s not working.”
Dad flinched slightly, and I quickly stepped in to do some damage control. “Well, good news, sis. I’ll have plenty of time to play ninjas with you this week.” Granted, I’d probably have to take it a little easy on account of my new condition, but that shouldn’t be a dealbreaker. I hadn’t really done much research on the subject, but I vaguely recalled hearing that for the first third of a pregnancy it didn’t really make much difference as far as what a mare could do physically.
Dad nodded gratefully to me. “I hope I’ll be able to join you two. It’s going to be a bit of a working vacation with me; there are several matters I want to discuss with Princess Twilight and Storm.” He sighed and shook his head. “Somepony has to keep the Guard moving towards a unified goal without it turning some sort of chaotic hydra.”
I grinned and slapped him on the back. “Lucky you, huh?”
He chuckled and nodded along. “I'd be lying if I said I didn’t want to be Captain of the Guard. The job’s a huge pain in the flank sometimes, but if you want to make a difference by being at the top, you have to own it when you get there.”
“Yeah, kinda how being in charge works.” Much as I like to tease Rainbow for how she runs the weather team, she deserved a lot of credit for the job she did. It was a hard job, but she did an amazing job keeping things running ... well not perfectly, but as smoothly as any organization like that could work.
I spotted Twilight levitating several suitcases, and realized my Dad and ‘Lula probably had bags too. “Hey, you guys need any help with…?” I trailed off as I noticed a unicorn mare I’d somehow overlooked while I was focused on my family. She was pretty cute, with a nice white coat and a simple but flattering pink mane and tail. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t put my hoof on what it was. Maybe I’d banged her at some point? I could remember all my partners since I’d moved to Ponyville, but my college years in Canterlot had been a fair bit wilder. Not to mention stuff like my trips to Las Pegasus.
But more important than the nagging sense of familiarity, the mare had Dad and Alula’s suitcases hovering in a blue magical field. “Huh.” I gave the mare another look, then turned back to Dad and pointed her out. “So ... did you guys hire a porter, or is that mare trying to steal your bags?”
Dad glanced back, then chuckled and waved the mare over. “Right, I should’ve introduced you to her sooner. I guess I wanted to get the family reunion out of the way first.” She trotted over, and there was an odd and slightly uncomfortable pause before Dad said. “Cloud, this is Mage-Captain Twinkleshine of the Royal Magus Corps. Twinkleshine, this is Cloud Kicker, my daughter.”
Twinkleshine smiled and shook my hoof. “Hello. It’s nice to finally meet you—I’ve heard so much about you from your father.”
I returned the hoofshake, trying to hide my confusion. “Er ... I wish I could say the same.” I threw a curious look Dad’s way. “So what’s the deal, Dad? Do you have your own personal magus now, or is she just here to help you out with your business?” Maybe as a consultant for whatever Dad was going to be talking over with Twilight? Having somepony who could translate Twilight’s genius-level discourse about all things magical and friendly into something a laypony could comprehend would be pretty useful.
Twinkleshine smiled faintly. “Not exactly...” She stepped a bit closer to Dad, then shot him a rather pointed look.
“Right...” Dad’s eyes darted between myself and Twinkleshine several times, and silence stretched out until it became almost painfully awkward. “Er ... well, Cloud, the thing you need to understand about this is that—”
“Miss Twinkleshine and Dad are friends,” Alula cut in. “She’s always hanging around and doing stuff with him. She even played ninjas with me once. But after we were done it got kinda weird, ‘cause she said she wasn’t trying to replace Mom.”
Wait, what? I could buy her being a work buddy of his, but what Alula said didn’t make any sense at all. Well, not unless...
Dad cleared his throat, then slowly wrapped a wing around Twinkleshine’s shoulder. “Well ... you see, Cloud. We’ve ... er, we’ve been dating. For about a month now.”
What?
What?!
I tried to wrap my head around what he’d just said, and utterly failed. I tried to manage it a couple more times, with similar success. I glanced to the side, hoping for some backup from anypony else in the family, but they’d already started trotting off towards the palace. “Oh, look! We better catch up or they’ll leave us behind.” I quickly trotted after them, grateful to have an excuse to hold off on answering them for a little bit longer.
I could understand what had happened on a strictly intellectual level. There’s no ironclad rules on exactly how long an appropriate mourning period for a dead spouse was, and Mom had been gone for more than two years. Most ponies would say that was long enough. Hay, I would probably say that if it was anypony else.
But it wasn’t some random stranger. This was my dad. And he was dating. He was with somepony who wasn’t Mom. It just ... it just felt wrong.
I finally turned my attention back to Dad and Twinkleshine, and noticed that both of them were smiling nervously while trading worried looks. Probably because instead of actually responding to the news I was just trudging towards the palace silently, probably with a weird look on my face. I tried to give my brain a quick kick in the cerebellum to get it to a point where it could at least fake politeness. “Oh. So you two ... um ... that's ... er ... congrats, I guess?”
Dad talked very slowly and carefully, and some instinct told me he’d probably practiced this speech a dozen times in front of the mirror. “Thank you. We're both hoping you'll be okay with this. I know this is a bit of a surprise, and it’s probably a lot for you to adjust to, but we’re both very happy together.”
Twinkleshine smiled at me, though it looked just a tad forced and her eyes kept nervously darting back to Dad. “Your father is a really great pony. I've really enjoyed spending time with him. He’s told me a lot about you, and I've really been looking forward to meeting you. I know it’s probably a bit weird for you, but I was hoping we could be friends.”
Friends? Oh yeah, sure, I could totally be friends with her. The only potential problem with that was the teeny tiny, minor little detail that she was banging my dad!
I took another long moment to gather my composure before I started freaking out and causing a scene. Which, if my Dad’s worried look cast my way was anything to judge by, was exactly what he was afraid I would do. After several more seconds, I managed to gather my wits and force my mouth to shift its muscles so I could smile. “Yeah. Sure thing. Hey, if you two are happy together, I'm fine with it.”
“Thank you, Cloud.” Dad and his ... his girlfriend shared another long look. “I was really hoping you two would be able to spend some time together. Get to know one another.”
“Yeah, sure.” That came out sounding a bit more brusque and dismissive than I’d intended. Ugh, I was not in the mood to pretend I was okay with this, but I also didn’t want be a nag about it. So instead I opted for a third option, and tried to figure out why I’d thought Twinkleshine looked sort of familiar. “Though there’s something about you ... I could swear we’ve met before.” I ran through what little I knew about her and hit on an idea. “Did you take any classes at West Hoof while you were training to become a magus?”
Twinkleshine immediately nodded. “Yeah. I was enrolled at the School for Gifted Unicorns, but considering I was going to join the Magus Corp it seemed like a good idea to take a couple military science courses too. That’s why I have dual rank.”
I’d guessed as much. Technically, the Mage Corps had always operated semi-independently with its own ranking and chain of command. Mostly because a lot of magi just weren’t soldiers; the majority of them did all their work in a library or a laboratory. If a magus also had military rank, it meant they’d been trained as a warmage and actually knew how to lead troops on the battlefield.
I made a logical guess from there. “So did you take Magical Coordination with Colonel Lightning?” Considering the class was all about teaching magi and Guard officers how to work together, it was the most likely place I would’ve run into her.
She grinned. “Oh yes, I remember him. I always loved the way he almost seemed to be bouncing off the walls during lectures.”
“Who doesn’t remember him?” Dad cut in. “He’d just started teaching when I went to West Hoof. Probably my favorite professor there.”
“I liked him too.” He’d been one of those teachers who you could almost instantly tell just really loved his subject of choice, and his sheer enthusiasm had been kind of infectious. When I’d gone to his office for some help with a paper, he wound up talking my ear off for nearly an hour.
“Everypony did,” Twinkleshine agreed. “He seemed to be having the time of his life during our practical tests. I admit, it was pretty fun to partner up with a cadet and run through all those...” She trailed off, staring at me with my mouth hanging half-open. “Waaait a minute! Final exams in Colonel Lightning’s class! My partner grabbed a bunch of clouds and hammered them into a fogbank—”
“And then you gave me a clearsight spell,” I nodded as the memories came back. “Then I tightened up that fog so that it turned into clouds pinning down the pegasi, and you hit them with a bunch of illusions and thunderflash spells.”
Twinkleshine grinned. “And that left them all so disoriented and out of position that it was easy to flank them and clean them up.”
Those happy smiles at the memory of our shared victory lasted for a couple more seconds before my brain caught up with all the terrible implications. Sure, I’d already noticed that Twinkleshine was a lot younger than my Dad. Which ... well, I was kinda torn between thinking he was robbing the cradle and being impressed that he still had the old Kicker mojo. But it was a bit different to realize that I’d actually gone to school with the mare who could potentially one day be my new stepmother. That was just ... not a fun thing to think about.
Well, at least I hadn’t banged her. That would’ve made this whole thing ten times worse.
Dad’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, and the corners of his mouth looked almost painfully stretched. “Well ... I suppose it's good that you two have something in common, at least. And if you worked well together ... erm, in school, then I suppose it shouldn’t be too hard for you to get along now, right?”
Twinkleshine nodded uncertainly “Yeah, if we got along at West Hoof I'm sure we can manage it now.” She glanced slightly behind me, catching Alula’s eyes from her perch on my back. “It has been pretty great to spend time with your sister. We’ve had a lot of fun together, right, Alula?”
Alula shot a nervous look my way, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, it was alright, I guess. It was kinda fun playing ninjas with you when you used your magic to make pretend-evil ninjas for me to beat up and stuff.”
I had to admit, that did sound pretty cool. I would have to ask Twilight if she would mind setting up something like that for me. For some reason, I really wanted to show my little sister that I could give her a way better game of ninjas than my dad’s new girlfriend. I smiled back at my little sister. “Well, I guess I’m glad you two are getting along.”
“Yeah,” Alula agreed, not quite meeting my eyes.
Things turned quiet and awkward for a long moment, until Dad awkwardly changed the subject. “Well, it seems like Storm’s doing reasonably well. She was healthy enough to meet us at the station, even if she is looking sore and tired.”
I was pretty sure that had already come up earlier, but I would take anything over the current awkwardness, even a conversation we’d already had. At least Storm’s medical condition was a nice, safe topic. “Yeah, she should probably still be in bed, taking it easy.” I glanced over at my cousin, noting how Star was leaning against her side in a way that looked both sisterly and designed to let Storm rest some weight on her. “I guess she inherited the Kicker Stubbornness Gene. Twilight probably figured just going along with it would be less stressful for both of them than fighting her on it.”
“Her mother’s the same way,” Dad chuckled and grinned at my aunt. “Oh, Wind can be flexible most of the time, but once she sets her hooves it would be easier to move a mountain. She has to be tough to handle those two.” He waved at my cousins.
“What are you talking about?” Twinkleshine asked innocently. “They look like loving, supportive sisters.” She poked Dad in the side. “I always thought you were exaggerating with all those stories about their sibling rivalry.”
Dad opened his mouth to defend his honesty, but I grinned and cut him off. “No no, it’ll be funnier if she finds out for herself.”
There are times when I can be an evil, evil mare.
Before there could be any further discussion on the matter, we turned a corner and the others got their first good look at Twilight’s new home. Dad gave it a quick once-over, and judging from the way his eyes narrowed thoughtfully he was probably more concerned with its defensibility than its aesthetics. Not that I could blame him when Ponyville suffered semi-regular monster attacks. “So that's what it looks like. Huh. Not what I would have expected.”
Twinkleshine smiled and nodded. “It is a bit ... unique. But I’m still happy she has a palace. Really, a princess ought to have a castle.”
Alula cocked her head to the side, frowning. “It looks kinda evil.”
Dad frowned back at my sister, and there was a hint of sternness in his voice. “Alula, that's Princess Twilight Sparkle’s home.”
Alula’s ears dropped, and she ducked down to try and hide behind me. “Sorry, Dad.”
Dad nodded, giving her a faint smile to let her know all was forgiven. I decided to help her spirits a bit more by subtly taking her side. “It does look a bit odd compared to the rest of Ponyville. I’m still getting used to it, but it’s not so bad.”
Twilight opened the front doors, and I took a moment to admire her royal rump as I followed her in. Dad caught me looking and scowled, dropping his voice to a low, private whisper. “Really, Cloud? She’s a princess!”
“Doesn’t make her rump any less cute,” I shot back with a nonchalant shrug. “Besides, Twilight and I go way back, before she had wings.”
Dad blinked, then groaned and ran a hoof down his face. “You didn’t...” He sighed and massaged his temple. “Cloud, please don’t tell me you did things with her.”
“Okay,” I answered with a smirk. “I won’t tell you.”
Dad stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head and mumbled, “Probably happier not knowing anyway.”
“So,” Twinkleshine said, probably trying to defuse any awkwardness. “I think it’s really good that Princess Twilight has a palace now. To be honest, I was kind of wondering when that would happen. She’s been a princess for a year now, and nopony was even talking about building her a new palace or having her move back to Canterlot.”
I shot my dad’s girlfriend a faintly annoyed glare. “Her home got blown up, you know.”
“Oh.” The mare’s eyes dropped to the ground. “Right. I didn’t mean to...”
“Figured you didn’t,” I grunted out, wondering if I’d come down a bit too hard on her. “Anyway, I guess Princess Celestia and Princess Luna knew Twilight would be getting a magical crystal palace from out of a tree or something. Seems like they always have some notion of what’s coming in the future.” I’d long since learned to not ask too many questions about how the Royal Sisters knew things. I guess immortal alicorns are just special that way. “But yeah, Storm's been talking about how her princess needed to live in something nicer than a library.”
Dad nodded and chuckled. “That doesn't surprise me. From her first couple reports, I got the impression that she wasn't thrilled about how it made Princess Twilight look. Princess of the Library doesn't exactly carry a lot of weight, especially as she takes up more duties in Equestria.”
“Yeah, and Storm’s been a bit stiff-necked about protocol and formality ever since she got here.” I grinned. “Probably because Twilight’s too nice, friendly, and grounded to make a properly stuck-up, distant, and haughty princess. I think she’s kind of worried that Twilight being so open and familiar is going to make ponies stop respecting her as a princess. You know, the old ‘familiarity breeds contempt’ thing.” I frowned and shook my head. “Not sure if I buy that idea or not. Especially when Twilight’s supposed to be the Princess of Friendship.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about them,” Dad assured me. “She might be a bit picky about the formalities, but Storm has a good head on her shoulders. I’m sure she’ll work out a balance with Twilight that lets her be open and friendly while still receiving the respect and deference her station deserves.”
“They do seem to have gotten along pretty well once they had a bit to get used to each other,” I agreed. For a moment I was tempted to bring up my suspicions that they might be crushing on each other, but it probably wasn’t the best time. Especially since Dad had just caught me checking out Twilight’s rear.
Twilight turned to face us as well as Storm and her half of the family. “Um, hi, everypony. The guest rooms are on the second floor, left of the stairs. Just stay wherever you want, there's certainly plenty of room in this huge, empty castle. My room’s up on the top floor, and I set Storm up in the room next door.” She paused, then amended, “The one that’s not the library. Well, future library. I don’t have any books there. Yet.”
“I’m sure you have several hundred cartloads on the way already,” I snarked.
Twilight grinned sheepishly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “It’s actually only twenty...” She cleared her throat and tried to regain some of her royal dignity. “Anyway, if you need anything just let me or Spike know, and we’ll get you taken care of. Storm’s going to be in her room, resting.” Twilight paused, then grumbled under her breath, “Where she should have been this whole time, but...”
Star grinned at her sister. “You heard your princess. Get moving, Skunky!”
Storm glowered halfheartedly at her sibling. “Need I remind you that I outrank you?”
Star smirked. “Fine, fine. Get your plot in gear, Captain Skunk ma’am.”
My cousin rolled her eyes, then gave her parents a quick hug before following Twilight upstairs. Since I was the only one who’d actually been inside the palace before, I took over and led them towards the guest rooms.
Alula studied everything with wide-eyed fascination. “Everything here is made of crystals. I hope the beds aren’t too.”
I was about to reassure her, but I hadn’t actually checked any of the guest bedrooms yet. And considering the palace had been here for less than two days, I wasn’t exactly optimistic about all the guest rooms being fully furnished. Well, not unless whatever magic created the palace decided to include blankets, pillows, and everything else a pony needed to sleep in comfort. After all, it had created a huge throne room for them, anything was possible.
Dad continued studying the place, a thoughtful frown on his face. “This is definitely going to need a larger Guard presence than the library.”
“Storm’s already drawing up plans,” I assured him.
“I wonder if the walls are made of magically receptive crystal,” Star asked, tapping one of them. “You’d think it would have to be, since the whole palace was made using magic. I wonder if the princess would let me borrow a couple pieces to experiment with. I mean, there’s probably already a few loose bits somewhere that I could just sweep up.”
“No stealing pieces of the royal palace,” Aunt Wind chided her.
“I said I was gonna ask first,” Star complained.
Dad pointedly cleared his throat, then turned back to me. “Good. I'll talk with Storm about the new Guard contingent later. After we've settled in, and she’s had a bit of time to rest. Maybe over dinner. I know Ty brought everything he needs to make his famous carrot casserole.”
I grinned over at my uncle, and the stuffed saddlebags on his back. He shrugged. “Considering what my daughter’s been through, she could use some comfort food.”
“We all could,” Aunt Wind agreed. “When I heard she was hurt...” A shiver ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the temperature.
“I’m just glad she’s alright.” Star paused for a second, then tried to shake off her sober mood. “I mean, can you imagine how messed up I would be if I got stuck as only child? She already says I’m a total brat as it is...” Her weak smile slipped away as nopony laughed at her attempt at a joke, and she sighed, running a hoof through her mane. “Just ... yeah. Glad she’s okay.” Sparkler stepped over and gave her marefriend a hug. To be honest I’d almost forgotten she was there; I guess she’d decided to stay in the background to let us have our family time.
Nopony else said anything for a bit, until I got to the guest bedrooms. Twilight was right that space wouldn’t be an issue; there were a couple dozen of them, each about the size of my modest little house. Lucky royals. “So ... I guess that’s one room for Aunt Wind and Uncle Typhoon, one for Star.” I grinned and winked at Sparkler, whom I suspected would be bunking there too. “One for Dad and Alula, and one for Twinkleshine, right?”
Dad and Twinkleshine shared a quick look, but neither one of them said anything. It’s possible that I was being just a little passive-aggressive with the room assignments. Now I just needed to find a way to make sure they stuck to them. Maybe Twilight had a spell for that?
Since neither one of them directly objected, I took their silence as consent. “Well, I’m gonna go run a couple errands while all of you settle in, then I’ll be back for some old-fashioned family bonding. Maybe I can get Twilight to tell the story of what happened when Star tried to bring the Great Sibling Prank War to Ponyville.”
Aunt Wind and Uncle Ty chuckled at that, but Dad cleared his throat. “Actually, Cloud, there were a couple things I wanted to discuss with you as soon as we had time.” He glanced pointedly towards the bedroom I’d assigned him. “Alula, would you mind helping your aunt and uncle unpack while I talk to your sister?”
Alula pouted and grumbled. “You could just say you don’t want me to be there without giving me extra work to do...”
Dad shrugged off her complaints. “Might as well have you doing something useful while you wait. And once your aunt and uncle are settled in, you can help Star and Twinkleshine.”
My little sister sighed and rolled her eyes, but dutifully followed our aunt and uncle into their room. Dad opened up the door to his room, and I trotted in, giving it a quick once-over. As I’d expected, the room was pretty bare aside from the most basic necessities. It had everything a pony needed to stay in relative comfort for a few days, but it was severely lacking in the sort of homey touches that could make somepony feel comfortable.
Not that Dad seemed to mind as he got to work quickly and efficiently unpacking his travel bag. He’d probably spent enough time in the barracks that an undecorated guest room still looked pretty nice. “Right,” He pulled out a dress uniform and quickly checked that it had survived the train ride without any of the creases getting messed up, or decorations knocked out of place. “First things first, there’s some clan business I wanted to run by you before I went public with it. It’s ... something you deserve to know ahead of time.”
My ears perked up. “Oh yeah? What is it?” My first instinct was to suspect that it was him doing something with Twinkleshine, but I dismissed that pretty quickly. They’d only been dating for a month, it was way too soon for something like that.
Dad cleared his throat, then looked me straight in the eye. “Cloud ... well, I suspect you’ve known this was a long time coming. Storm’s a very accomplished mare who’s captain of a princess’s royal guard, while you chose a very different path in life. One that’s no less honorable, and I’m glad you found happiness, but...” He trailed off awkwardly, then coughed. “Well, now that Storm is also the chosen wearer of Shadow’s Armor, it’s time I made things official. When I retire, Storm is going to take on leadership of the clan.”
I blinked, and my ears slowly fell flat against my skull. Clan leadership had always worked a bit oddly. Normally the clan leader picked their oldest child, unless there was a compelling reason not to. Like ... well, Storm being better than me, as far as the rest of the clan was concerned. “Oh. Right. I guess it's no surprise I'm getting passed over, considering...”
“Cloud...” Dad snatched me up into a powerful hug. “I'm not rejecting you. Don't think that for a second. You’re my daughter, and I will always love you. However, you made it clear you didn't want to be in the Guard, and while we've accepted your choice, that decision has consequences. Likewise, you haven’t been involved in the affairs of the clan, or even had much contact with anypony outside of the family.”
One of my ears flicked, and I clamped down hard on the urge to say something I would end up regretting. “I know, Dad.” I’d known for a long time that Dad was probably going to pass me over in favor of Storm. That didn’t make actually hearing it hurt any less. It’s one thing to suspect you’re the disappointing kid in the family. It’s something else entirely for your father to officially announce it to the entire extended clan.
Despite my best efforts to keep my emotions in check, I must have been showing something because Dad sighed and tightened his hug on me. “Cloud? Please try and be happy for your cousin. It will mean a lot to her to have your support. You're family. You were practically a big sister to her growing up, and now you’re the only family she has here in Ponyville.”
I knew he was trying to calm me down and win me over, but it was having the opposite effect. It felt more like he was trying to guilt-trip me. My teeth clenched. “Dad, I don't need a lecture from you on top of everything else.”
Dad flinched back as if I’d smacked him across the face. “Cloud...”
I sighed and slumped against him, feeling like a total mule. Which I’d known would happen as soon as I lashed out, but I hadn’t been able to stop myself. “Yeah, I know. I love you, and I know you love me too, and this decision doesn’t change any of that. I know I’d probably be terrible at running the clan, and I’d hate every moment of it.” I leaned up and nuzzled him. “Sorry if I'm a bit on edge, but between finding out you're dating a pony I went to college with, everything going on with Storm, plus the whole pregnancy thing—”
I clamped my jaw shut a second too late. Well. Feathers.
Dad was staring at me with his mouth hanging halfway open. I groaned and ran a hoof over my face, the other unconsciously settling over my belly. “Dammit. That wasn’t exactly how I was planning to give you the news, but ... well, I'm...”
My father closed his mouth, his eyes dropping down to the hoof resting on my stomach, and a slow smile spread over his face. “Cloud, are you…?”
“Yeah.” My shoulders slumped. “I just found out the other day.”
Dad pulled me into a massive bear hug, though he was careful to keep any pressure off my belly. “Cloud, that’s ... I ... congratulations!” He beamed down at me. “No wonder you're out of sorts, with all of this piled on top of your own news!”
I trembled in his arms, leaning against him. “Yeah. It's ... it's just ... too much other stuff just keeps happening when I haven't even dealt with...”
Dad squeezed me supportively. “If I had any idea, I would have waited before dropping all this news on you. You have enough to sort through if you're expecting.”
I waved off his apology. “You didn't know. And ... well, the world’s not going to stop turning just because I’ve got things going on. I’m not the center of the universe.” I smirked. “Everypony knows that’s Rainbow Dash’s job.”
Dad chuckled halfheartedly, wrapping a wing around me. “This is good news, though. I'm really happy for you.”
I pulled his wing tighter around me. “It's ... I'm still not sure if it's good or not.”
Dad blinked, and then his ears wilted as what I’d just said sank in. “Oh. That’s ... want to have a Dad Talk about it?”
“Maybe later.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “Well, I'm going to be here for a few days to see you and Storm. You can talk to me anytime, and feel free to ask me for anything. And if you’d rather ... well, your Aunt Wind and Typhoon are both here too. Your dear old dad, the psychologist, and the priest. That should have you pretty well covered as far as ponies to get advice from.”
I gave him a weak but genuine smile. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll get to work on that tomorrow. I just...” I leaned hard against him. “I’m gonna need a day to deal with all this. You dating. Storm being the heir. Everything.”
His shoulders slumped. “I know, and I wish there was a more gentle way I could have broken the news. I can imagine how it must look for me to be dating a younger mare. I ... to be honest I’m a little embarrassed now that I know you two went to school together.” He froze, then paled. “Oh, please tell me you two didn’t—”
“No,” I quickly reassured him.
“Oh thank Shadow,” he gasped in relief. “That ... would have made this even worse.” He grinned a bit sheepishly at me. “For what it’s worth, I won’t be buying a fancy, expensive carriage or getting a hairpiece.”
“I’d hate for you to become a walking stereotype.” I chuckled and poked him in the chest. “So ... how’d you meet her anyway? Was it a work thing?”
Dad shook his head. “Actually, you can blame your aunt for it. I ... well, after the changeling attack, she started up a group for ponies who’d suffered in the attack. Eventually she badgered me into attending a meeting, and that’s where I met Twinkleshine. We ... we helped each other through some rough spots, and one thing led to another...”
“I think I can guess how it went from there,” I finished for him.
Dad gently put a hoof on my shoulder. “Cloud? Be honest with me. Is this going to be a problem? I know you said you were fine with it, but I picked up a bit of hostility from you. Little things like putting us in different bedrooms ... and making sure Alula was with me as a chaperone. And ... well...”
Being polite about it in public was one thing, but outright lying to my Dad when we were talking in private was crossing a line. And considering what I was going through right now, the last thing I wanted to do was destroy my relationship with my father. “I ... I wish I could say I was happy for you, but I'm gonna need a bit. Sorry, but that’s just how it is.”
“I figured that might be the case.” He chuckled sheepishly. “To be honest, that’s still a better reaction than I was afraid I’d get. I ... I was a little worried you’d go ballistic and accuse me of betraying your mother to replace her with a younger mare.”
“Oh. Well...” I grinned at him, just a little teasingly. “I haven’t completely ruled that out yet. Just figured I’d hold off judgement for a bit. Give you a chance to prove it’s not that.”
Dad chuckled and lifted up his hooves in surrender. “I suppose that’s fair enough. For what it’s worth, it actually took me a long time to realize that she was flirting with me. I suppose I’d been out of the game a long time, and ... well, I was a bit surprised she was interested in me, considering how much younger she is.”
I grinned and nudged him. “I guess we know where I got my skills from, right, Dad?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Oh no. When I was a young college stallion, I was hopeless with mares. Wind always said it was because I seemed too eager, to the point where I came across as kind of desperate.” He chortled. “To be fair, I was a hormonal teenage stallion who wasn’t getting any action. I was desperate.” His eyes turned a bit misty. “But no, your skill at finding partners? That all came from Nimbus.”
I blinked, and tried to imagine my stiff-necked, inflexible mother as a playpony. The image ... didn’t compute. “You’re pulling my leg.”
“I’d swear it by Shadow.” He smiled. “Read her diary, if you don’t believe me.”
Those words instantly killed the good mood, when I remembered that her diary was now a random soot stain in the crater where the library used to be. “I can’t. It's ... Storm had Mom's diary in her bunk at the library, and it was there when...”
“Oh...” Dad’s ears wilted, and he nuzzled me. “Oh, Cloud, I'm so sorry.”
“And now you're...” I whimpered and pressed up against him. “It's ... it's like there's nothing left of her. Like she never even existed.”
“Don't think like that.” Dad took a deep, shuddering breath. “She’ll never be gone. That diary ... it’s just a book. We still have our memories of her, and that’s what really counts. And I will never forget her. She gave me the two most precious things in the world.” He held me tight, leaving no doubt in my mind that he meant me and Alula. “I doubt I'll ever stop missing her.”
“But you're moving on,” I shifted my gaze to the wall. “I guess we all are, right? I mean ... you have to move on eventually, right?”
Dad sighed and nodded. “That’s what Wind told me. It's healthy to move on. Do you know what your mother would say, if she found me wasting my life moping over her?”
“She wouldn’t say anything,” I answered. “She’d just kick your plot.”
“Exactly.” He ran a hoof through his mane. “It's always going to hurt, but I still have too many other things to take care of. I still need to raise Alula, and I want to be there for you too. Just because you’re all grown up doesn’t mean you never need a dad. And being with Twinkleshine makes me happy. It's not like being with your mom, but it's comforting.”
“And we all deserve some comfort.” I took a deep breath and slowly nodded to myself. “I'll ... I'll deal with it. Eventually.”
Dad nodded gratefully. “Give her a chance, please. She really is nice.”
“She seemed alright,” I conceded. “You know, aside from the fact that she’s dating you and she’s not Mom. Which ... is a pretty big hurdle for me right now.” I groaned, and my hooves dropped to my belly. “I just ... hay, half the time I’m still mad at her about stuff that shouldn’t even matter anymore, but at the same time ... I really wish she was here.” Even if it was just so I could yell at her about all the things she got wrong, she would still be here.
I was never really the kind of mare who needed her mom, but ... well, if there was ever time I needed her, this was it.