//------------------------------// // The Love of a Mother // Story: I'll Do Anything for You // by The Abyss //------------------------------// Twilight trotted inside the doctor’s office in Celestia’s castle, folding her aching wings. She had arranged for Scootaloo to get examined by the best doctor in the land, knowing that a second opinion could bolster Scootaloo’s confidence if they were given the answer that they were all hoping for. Earlier this morning, she had sent a letter to Celestia asking if they could have Scootaloo checked up, and thankfully, Celestia said yes, also saying that they could come in around noon. “Hey, what kept ya?” Rainbow asked, opening a wing for Twilight to sit under. “I was starting to think that you weren’t gonna make it.” Scootaloo was sitting on the edge of the doctor’s bench, letting her hind legs sway back and forth. Twilight sat down next to her, laying her head against Rainbow’s neck. “I was, uh... getting some things set up for our date tonight.” She sighed and smiled when Rainbow draped her wing over her back, purging the wintery cold from her feathers. “Oh yeah?” Rainbow lightly nuzzled Twilight’s cheek. “What sort of things?” “It’ll be a surprise, Dashie. But don’t get your feathers all rustled; tonight’s gonna be awesome.” Scootaloo giggled. “What about Spike and me? What’re we gonna do while you’re gone smooching all night?” Twilight closed her eyes and blushed at the thought of her and Rainbow making out. She and Rainbow usually only shared quick pecks on the cheek, and had only kissed a couple of times on the lips. The idea of spending a night with her marefriend, alone, made her legs quiver in nervous excitement. “That’s Spike and I, Scootaloo,” Twilight corrected her with a grin. “And Mom and Dad were gonna take you guys to a nice restaurant first, then you’re going to get ice cream and see a movie.” “A movie? Awesome! I haven’t seen one since Rainbow and I binge-watched Daring Do last summer!” Scootaloo stood up and gleefully hopped around the bench, using her wings to give her an extra bit of air with each hop. “Yep! Aside from Cloudsdale, I heard that Canterlot has the biggest screen in all of Equestria! Kinda makes me jealous that I won’t be able to go, though...” She glanced at Twilight and shot a sly wink at her, making Twilight chuckle. “Don’t you worry, you and I...” She glanced at Scootaloo and grinned. “Are gonna have even more fun... just the two of us.” Twilight fought back a squee as she thought, Tonight cannot come soon enough! “Can’t wait, my little bookworm,” Dashie murmured, nipping the tip of Twilight’s ear. “Glad to hear it,” Twilight replied, her voice equally as soft. “I’ve waited so long for us to go on a date, but...” “We’ve just been so busy with adult things.” “Yeah. So to make up for all the times we could have gone out, I’ve planned this evening to be the best date ever!” Twilight said, her voice bubbling with excitement. “I got us some nice new dresses, a reservation at the best-rated restaurant in town, and...” Her lips formed a small ‘O’, then she grinned at Rainbow as she clammed up. “Hehe, you almost made me spill the beans! I guess the rest is just gonna have to be a surprise, Dash. Don’t wanna spoil the fun, right?” At that moment, the doctor walked back inside. He looked up from his notes and spotted Twilight. “Ah, Miss Sparkle! How wonderful it is to see you again! It’s been much too long!” Twilight recognized the aging unicorn instantly. “Doctor Heart!” She let Rainbow’s wing slip from her back as she stood up to greet him. “I haven’t seen you since I was a filly! How’ve you been?” “Fairly well, thank you!” Doctor Heart looked her up and down with a gentle smile. “My my, you’ve grown so much! If my memory is correct, I think the last time I saw you was when you were just seven years old. Time sure flies, doesn’t it?” he asked with a chuckle. “I still can’t believe you’re an alicorn now. When I heard the news, I could not believe my ears.” “Yeah, I’m still getting used to having, well... wings.” She looked over her shoulder at Rainbow. “But my marefriend, Rainbow Dash, has been teaching me a lot.” “Is that so?” Doctor Heart chuckled as he adjusted his white coat. He glanced at the notes in his folder. “So now young Scootaloo has not one, but two esteemed ponies teaching her how to fly, hm?” “Yes, well... we’ve run into a bit of a snag,” Rainbow said, moving to sit beside Twilight. “The reason we’re here is to get Scootaloo’s wings tested. She’s still having trouble getting in the air, and it’s starting to worry me... well, us,” she said, motioning between her and Twilight with a hoof. “A doctor back in Ponyville said that she’d never be able to fly, but after hearing Twilight talk about you this morning, we figured that we’d get a second, and better, opinion from you.” “Hopefully she didn’t talk bad about me!” the doctor said with a laugh before looking at Twilight. “I know how much you hated getting shots.” He looked over at Scootaloo. “She cried for hours after one tiny shot!” he said in an exaggerated whisper. “We’ll just have to see how tough you are when I give you your shots today.” “Hey, I did not!” Twilight said in mock indignance, taking a step back. Everyone in the room stared at her, making her clear her throat nervously. She sat down and chuckled, then said, “Okay, fine... it was more like twenty minutes, but it was a big shot and it hurt!” She stomped a hoof on the ground, then heard Rainbow muffle a snicker. She shot a dirty look at her. “Oh please, I’m sure you cried even longer than I did!” Rainbow snorted and shook her head, looking at her in disbelief “Oh yeah? You don’t have any proof of that!” she said, a grin nearly splitting her face in two. “We will soon! Remember how we’re going to introduce Scootaloo to your parents in a few days? I’m sure they’ll have all sorts of stories of you at the doctor!” Rainbow’s grin faded and her ears drooped. “Heh, you better not ask them!” “Yeah? Or what?” “Or... or... I’ll withhold snuggles for a week!” Twilight gasped. “You... you wouldn’t dare! ...would you?” she asked, her voice coming out more meekly than she intended. Rainbow giggled. “Nah, of course not. I’d be missing out just as much, if not more, than you!” “Ladies, ladies...” The doctor used his magic to lay a tray full of needles on Scootaloo’s bench. “Can we get back to the task at hoof? Scootaloo here has never had any sort of shots before, at least that’s what her records show here. It’s a wonder that she hasn’t gotten sick all of these years.” “Oh, um... wow, really?” Twilight glanced at Scootaloo to find her quivering in a ball. “Is this true? You’ve never gotten a shot?” Scootaloo slowly shook her head, her eyes never leaving the three large needles on the tray. Twilight closed her eyes and sighed, rubbing her temple with a hoof before she looked back up. “What about a dentist? Have you seen one lately?” “N-never,” Scootaloo croaked out. “Never ever?” Rainbow’s eyebrows furrowed. “What about the spa? You ever go there to get your wings done?” “Uh... nope.” “Huh... guess that’s gonna be on the list of things to do when all of this blows over.” Twilight nodded at the doctor. “Go ahead and give her her shots, please.” “W-wait, what about Spike? How come he d-doesn’t have to get shots?” Scootaloo asked, her ears laying flat on her head. “And I thought we were here to just get my wings tested!” “We are, Scootaloo, but it’s better to get the shots out of the way. As for Spike, that’s because he’s already gotten all of his shots.” Twilight rubbed Scootaloo’s leg, making her look up at her with a tiny smile. “He’s out getting lunch with my parents right now.” Scootaloo shied away from the doctor as he stepped up to the tray. Her eyes flicked to Twilight’s. “It isn’t gonna hurt that bad, r-right?” “You’ll just feel a little pinch is all. Besides, you’re a tough filly like me, right?” Rainbow asked, nuzzling Scootaloo’s cheek. She paused. “Well, I’m not a filly, but you’re still tough like me! You know what I was trying to say, right?” Rainbow asked with a slightly nervous chuckle. “Y-yeah,” Scootaloo said, relaxing a bit as she laughed with Rainbow. The doctor lifted the first needle with his magic, and after wiping a patch of fur on Scootaloo’s leg, he asked, “Are you ready? I promise it won’t hurt that much. Trust me, I’m a doctor. I know what I’m doing.” When Scootaloo hesitantly nodded her approval, he lowered the needle and gave her the injection. “See? Not bad at all!” “Hey, yeah... It wasn’t bad at all!” Scootaloo snickered and looked at Twilight. “I can’t believe you cried from that! I’ve had worse falling out of bed!” she said as the doctor gave her the second shot. “Come on, I was three years old when I got my shots! You have a decade of time on me. It’s not fair to compare us like that.” Rainbow nudged Twilight. “Yeah, she’s got a point, Scoots. It’s like you telling yourself six years ago that it’s easy to pull off a ten foot jump while spinning your scooter beneath you. You had just started riding back then, and there’s no way that you could have landed a trick like that back then.” “Oh.” Scootaloo humphed. “I guess so. You guys just made me think that getting a shot would hurt a ton, and... it’s really not that ba—ouch!” She winced as the doctor injected her with the last shot. “I was gonna say that it hurts when you don’t expect it,” Twilight said as Scootaloo rubbed her leg, eyeing the doctor with a wary gaze. “And now we can get your wings looked at, right doctor?” “Mhm! Just follow me to the next room!” Twilight followed the doctor across the hall as Rainbow let Scootaloo hop onto her back. “See? I knew you were a tough filly,” Rainbow said as Scootaloo plopped down between her wings. “And now we get to the good part. I can’t wait for the doctor to tell you that you can fly!” The doctor stood before them back in his office where he’d given Scootaloo the shots, a folder tucked under his leg. Twilight noticed he wasn’t smiling, and all of his mirth from before had vanished like an ounce of snow in a flaming hot pan. She snuck a glance at Rainbow and saw a big smile on her face much like the one that Scootaloo was wearing. Oh no... they’re gonna be so let down when he says that she can’t fly. My very first date with Rainbow could be ruined! She bit her lip and looked up at the doctor when he cleared his throat. Doctor Heart sighed as he sat down before them. “Listen, there’s really no easy way for me to say this, but... after running every test in the book, I... have to agree with the previous doctor’s assessment.” Rainbow’s ears flopped down. She felt as if a boa constrictor had wrapped itself around her, tightening down around her chest and making it hard to breath. “What exactly are you saying, Doctor Heart?” She pulled Scootaloo in between her forelegs and rubbed her leg with a hoof. The doctor looked down at his hooves, then set the folder onto his desk. “My results pretty much show what the first doctor told you three. The reason that Scootaloo can’t fly is because of her unusually small wings. I’ve never seen a case as extreme as hers, and if she isn’t already flying at this point, I’m not sure if she’ll ever fly.” Twilight felt a tear well up in her left eye as her stomach twisted itself into a knot. “I see... Thank you for your time, doctor. It was nice to see you again.” The doctor nodded in reply. Standing up, Twilight walked out of the room and out into the hallway, leaving Rainbow and Scootaloo with the doctor. “Come on, little one,” Rainbow murmured, sluggishly placing Scootaloo on her back. She stood up, nodded at the doctor, then joined Twilight out in the hallway. “Are you... okay, Twilight?” Rainbow asked softly, the door clicking shut behind them. She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. Twilight wiped her eyes and threw on a fake smile. “I think so. But what about Scootaloo?” Several moments passed in silence. “I don’t know. She hasn’t said a word since the doctor... well, you know what he said.” She pursed her lips and glanced over her shoulder. “Uh... you alright?” she asked, expecting a flood of tears. Scootaloo smiled wistfully at her. “Yeah,” she said after a moment. “I’m fine.” “R-really?” Rainbow asked, cocking her head to the side. “I sorta thought you’d be crying your eyes out by now.” “Nah. Like you said, Rainbow, I’m a tough filly.” Scootaloo slid from Rainbow’s back. She looked up at Twilight and opened her eyes wide for a second, making sure that Rainbow couldn’t see. “Yeah... you were very brave getting those shots today,” Twilight said as she rubbed Scootaloo’s back. “Say... Rainbow? You mind if I take Scootaloo up in the clouds for a few minutes? We can meet you back at my parents’ house.” She felt Scootaloo climb up her hind leg and onto her back. “Please? There’s something I’d like to talk to her about, one on one.” “Well, so long as you tell me about it later, I don’t really see a problem with that. I’m gonna grab some donuts for us so we can all snack out when you guys get back. Sound good?” Twilight nodded. “Sure does! Ready, Scootaloo?” “Mhm,” Scootaloo murmured, wrapping her legs around Twilight’s neck. Twilight cantered down the hall with Rainbow at her side. As they made their way outside, Twilight nuzzled Rainbow on the cheek and whispered, “When you get back home, keep your eyes on the sky, Dashie.” And with that, she took to the sky, leaving Dash alone on the ground. She flew upwards in a casual loop, letting an updraft carry them up high above the city. Spotting some fluffy clouds nearby, Twilight leveled out and flew to the closest one. Folding her legs under her, she settled down on the cloud and relaxed, laying down on her side. Scootaloo walked around until she was standing in front of Twilight. “So...” she said, her head hung low. She sat down and rubbed her foreleg where the doctor gave her the shots. “Yeah...” Twilight glanced away, the wind ruffling her mane as their conversation lapsed into silence. After a minute, she saw Scootaloo stand up, her head still hanging low, then settle down between her forelegs, her side pressed up against her breast. Twilight hummed in content as Scootaloo laid her head on her right foreleg. After a few more moments of silence, Twilight sighed. “I’m sorry that you didn’t get the answer we wanted, Scootaloo. I know how much flying means to you,” she said, her voice light and soft, barely audible above the wind. Scootaloo nuzzled Twilight’s breast in silent thanks. “It’s okay, I guess. I kinda already knew what the doctor was gonna say before going in to see him, but hearing him say that I’ll never fly hurt.” She felt a tear slip from her right eye, leaving a tiny trail down her cheek. “It hurt a lot.” Scootaloo felt her cheek grow cold from the wind, but she didn’t raise a hoof to wipe her tears away. “After seeing that folder back home, I thought my life was over, that all of the things that Rainbow told me were never going to come true.” Twilight’s mouth grew dry. She licked her lips, at a loss for words. “I... Listen. Rainbow believes in you, and you should too. This morning, I thought of a way that could potentially allow you to fly, albeit for a short duration.” Scootaloo’s ears perked up at that. She wiped the tears from her eyes and sat up so she could look at Twilight. “Huh? W-what do you mean?” she asked tentatively, her voice trembling with hopefulness. “Well... we know that you can hover above the ground by flapping your wings really fast, which results in you burning up all of your energy, which in turn makes you fall back to the ground. I can’t make your wings bigger, nor can I give you those butterfly wings that I gave Rarity all of those years ago. But, what I can do is give you most of the energy I have through a rather easy spell, which in theory, would allow you to stay aloft for a much longer period of time. If you want to give it a shot, we can. It’ll feel rather strange though, like you’ve just been force-fed a ton of coffee. It’ll wear off pretty fast when you fly, even if you’re standing still, so if I perform this spell, you would have to fly seconds later if you want to take full advantage of it.” Scootaloo’s eyes lit up. “That sounds great! But... what about you? How would it affect you?” “I’d just feel really, really tired. To be honest, I’d have to eat a lot and take a long nap to regain the energy that I would give you. But if this would allow you to fly, even for a very short time, I think it would be worth it. After all, I—” Scootaloo rushed forward and wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s neck, nuzzling her all the while. Twilight was taken aback by the sudden sign of affection, but that didn’t stop her from wrapping a leg around her. Scootaloo stepped back. “So... if it isn’t going to hurt you, I think... I think I’d like to give this a shot. I want to prove those doctors wrong!” “That’s the spirit!” Twilight stood up and lit her horn. “Stay perfectly still, okay?” She lowered her head until her horn was resting on top of Scootaloo’s head, then clenched her eyes shut. A deep thrumming sound came from her horn, its light growing in intensity. Scootaloo closed her eyes as the light became too much to bear. It felt as if ants were crawling all over her body, her wings tingling all the while. She opened them slowly as the sensation of pure energy coursing through her veins turned into a fierce confidence, and then moments later, the light faded away. Twilight opened her eyes just as she collapsed, her legs unable to support her weight. She panted heavily, her chest heaving up and down. Her vision was blurry at best, and the tips of her hooves were numb. Scootaloo rushed to her side. “Twilight! Are you okay?” She nuzzled Twilight’s chin with the tip of her nose, hoping for a response. “Yeah...” Twilight groaned in between pants. “I think I... overdid it, though. I feel like I... could sleep for... a week... Mmm... that sure sounds... nice.” “Take some back! Please! I don’t like seeing you like this!” Scootaloo begged, her eyes wide. She pushed Twilight’s shoulder with a hoof, rocking her back and forth, wishing that she’d get up and tell her everything was okay. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight mustered what little energy she had left and sat up, much slower than normal. “I’m fine, little one. See? I just need... a minute.” Scootaloo humphed. “Fine. I’ll wait right here until you tell me you feel better!” She plopped down against Twilight’s side and crossed her hooves. “And there’s nothing you can do to make me go, either!” Twilight chuckled. “I’m fine, Scootaloo, really! I bet Rainbow’s already gotten us those donuts, so why don’t we go surprise her? I’m sure it’d mean a lot for her to see you flying, especially after what that doctor said.” “Uh-uh!” Scootaloo shook her head. “I’m not leaving this cloud until you do!” If I just glide most of the way, I think I can make it. Twilight stood up and spread her wings. “Oh, is that so?” she asked with a sly grin. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she stepped up to the edge of the cloud. “First one to the house gets the first pick of the box!” Scootaloo walked up to Twilight, then looked over the edge of the cloud. She took a few steps back and glanced up at Twilight. “Can you, um... fly below me in case I fall?” “Of course! I wouldn’t have it any other way, Scoots,” Twilight said, using Rainbow’s affectionate nickname for their daughter. Scootaloo giggled in relief, then climbed up Twilight’s hind leg to sit down upon her back, just in front of her wings. “Ready when you are!” Scootaloo said, patting the side of Twilight’s neck with a hoof. Twilight readied her wings, then looked over her shoulder. “Listen, if you just feel comfortable gliding down to the house, you can do that too.” Scootaloo vigorously shook her head. “Nuh-uh! You said that it would let me fly, so I’m gonna fly!” “Okay then!” And with that, Twilight threw herself off the cloud, finding a breeze in the general direction of her parents’ house. She felt Scootaloo’s weight disappear from her back, so she looked up, adjusting her flight path to match Scootaloo’s. Scootaloo flapped her wings as hard as she could, and as soon as her hooves left Twilight’s back, instead of finding herself hovering, she found herself soaring higher and higher than even before. “Woah!” she exclaimed, momentarily freezing in midair. Twilight’s airspeed had already given her a bit of a speed boost She dipped down, flapping her wings a little slower, and found that she was able to overtake Twilight’s glide path with ease. She banked to the left, then right, then left again to burn off some speed so that Twilight could catch up beneath her. Spotting the house several blocks down the road, Scootaloo banked slightly to the right, always keeping an eye on Twilight. She saw Rainbow trot through the gate, cantering up to the front door. “Hey, Rainbow! Look at me!” she called out, her voice all but lost in the strong headwind. Noticing that she was losing altitude rather quickly, Scootaloo flapped her wings as hard as she could, barely regaining her previous altitude. Twilight heard Scootaloo call out for Rainbow and knew that she wouldn’t be able to hear her at this distance. Leveling out on a smooth glide path that would put her roughly in the front yard, Twilight mustered up the last little bit of energy she had, then lit her horn. She performed a simple, yet taxing, amplifying spell and whistled as loud as she could. Rainbow’s ears perked up when she heard somepony whistle from behind and above. Turning around, she saw a small orange blob rocketing towards her. There’s no way that’s... Oh my gosh, it’s Scootaloo! Dropping the box of donuts on the path leading up to the door, she jumped into the sky and hovered fifty or so feet above the ground, her forelegs outstretched. With a wide smile, Scootaloo figured out what Rainbow wanted. She flared her wings to bleed speed, but found herself falling instead of slowing down. She tried to flap her wings again, but couldn’t sync them up. She looked for Twilight, but as she spun towards the ground, all she saw was a blend of colors from her surroundings. “Don’t worry, I gotcha!” Rainbow said, swooping in to catch Scootaloo in her forelegs. She flew them to the ground moments before Twilight landed nearby, her horn lit. “Scootaloo, how... What were... You were so awesome!” she exclaimed, nuzzling Scootaloo on the cheek so hard that the filly lost her balance, collapsing onto the ground in a heap. Rainbow tickled her stomach with a hoof, unrelenting as Scootaloo writhed beneath her, giggling uncontrollably. Twilight walked up to them on shaky legs, folding her trembling wings back to her side. Rainbow looked up, then wrapped her in a ferocious hug. “Thank you,” she whispered, tears of joy dripping from her eyes. “I don’t know what you did or how you did it, but thank you.” Twilight gingerly laid a hoof around Rainbow’s back, her grasp weak. Her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Rainbow pulled back. “T-Twilight?” Her eyes ran up and down Twilight’s worn-out form. “What’s wrong?” she asked, her voice holding no small amount of worry. Twilight panted softly. “I’m fine, I... I just need to go rest. If we’re gonna go out later, I need to go take a nap.” Spike and Twilight’s parents walked outside, wide smiles on all of their faces. “How were you flying, Scootaloo?” Spike asked, helping Scootaloo back up to her hooves. “I can’t believe that the doctor was able to get you flying in just a couple of hours!” Scootaloo bit her lip, then wistfully smiled at Spike. “He... didn’t. It was all Twilight.” “Wait, huh?” Spike scratched his head, looking back to find Twilight and Rainbow munching away on some donuts.. “Yeah, what did Twilight do?” Night Light asked. “Whatever she did, it left her not looking so good...” “Well, she sorta gave me most of her energy just so that I could fly for a minute,” Scootaloo admitted, watching Rainbow and Twilight walk inside the house, their wings draped over the other’s back. Looking up, she saw Night Light purse his lips, a grim look on his face. “I still can’t believe that Scootaloo can fly now!” Rainbow said, helping Twilight walk up the stairs. “I... know,” Twilight panted. “You’ve said that like, fourteen times now.” “Yeah, but still! How’d you do it? Especially after the doctor said she’d never fly?” Rainbow shouldered open the door to their room. “Bed... first. Questions... later.” Twilight’s legs felt like they were jelly. If it wasn’t for Rainbow helping her up the stairs, she probably would have collapsed upon the first soft thing she found. Rainbow guided her to the bed, then pushed her on top of it. Twilight flopped down onto her stomach, then pulled a pillow over to lay her head upon. She groaned as she relaxed, most of her muscles feeling like she’d just finished working out for an entire day. Letting her wings unfold, she spread them wide, covering the width of the bed. “I feel... cold,” she murmured. “Hey, don’t worry, Twi... I’m here.” Rainbow hopped onto the bed and settled down on Twilight’s back, covering her with her body. She loosely wrapped her wings around Twilight’s belly, then started massaging her wing joints with her hooves. She heard Twilight sigh happily, her wings twitching from her ministrations. “Gods above, that feels wonderful...” Twilight whispered, a small smile tugging at her lips. She pulled the pillow closer to her, laying her head down on the far end of it. Many minutes passed in silence as Rainbow worked relentlessly. After she finished with Twilight’s wings, she moved up to her shoulders and spent a good few minutes working on those. Placing her hooves on either side of Twilight’s head, Rainbow leaned down and planted the softest of kisses on the side of Twilight’s neck, wishing that she had access to Twilight’s lips. After a few more kisses, Twilight folded her wings, giving her enough space to lay down next to her. Rainbow slid off of Twilight’s back and laid a wing across her folded wings. “So... you wanna be the big spoon or the little spoon?” she asked, a blush tinting her cheeks a light pink that contrasted nicely with her fur. “Big spoon, please,” Twilight whispered. “I wanna hold you close, Dashie.” She gingerly rolled onto her side and tugged the covers up. Rainbow rolled onto her side and pressed her back into her belly. “Hehe, I can see why you like being the big spoon so often... you’re so warm, soft even...” “Yeah, it sure is great, especially when you have the cutest mare in all of Equestria,” Rainbow said, her blush deepening. She felt Twilight’s wing wrap around her belly, then felt a hoof weave its way in between her forelegs. Rainbow grasped it without a second thought, wincing when she felt that it was cooler than usual. After several moments of silence, she murmured, “What did you do? For the cutest mare, you don’t look so good right now...” Twilight chuckled. “I know why Scootaloo can’t fly, and what I did confirms it.” “Yeah, her wings aren’t big enough, right?” She felt Twilight nod. “Mhm, but there’s another aspect to it, too. She burns through all of her energy before she can really fly, so I’m thinking that her body can’t store the energy she needs that allows us, and all other pegasi, to fly normally. The reason why I’m so exhausted is because I gave her most of my energy, allowing her to fly for a very short time.” “Wow... so whenever she wants to fly, she could just go to you?” Rainbow asked hopefully, already knowing the answer. “Um... yes and no.” Twilight smiled as Rainbow tucked her head in beneath her chin. “As you can see, to let Scootaloo fly for even a minute leaves me completely drained,” she said with a yawn. “So yes, she can fly with my energy, but it would leave me vulnerable. I feel as if performing even a simple levitation spell would leave me panting right now. This is... just a short term solution until I can find a way to let her fly like us.” Rainbow frowned, hearing the disappointment clearly in Twilight’s tone. “We’ll find a way, Twilight. With me by your side, and with Spike as your faithful research assistant, nothing is impossible.” “R... right.” Twilight yawned again. “Mind if we take a nap for a while? I don’t want to be a zombie for our date tonight...” “Of course... Anything for you, Twilight.” Wanting to check up on his daughter, Night Light crept up to the door and peeked through the crack. Instead of finding Twilight alone in bed, he found Rainbow nestled safely in Twilight’s grasp, snuggling in the most intimate of ways. Both Twilight and Rainbow had small smiles on their faces as they slept away. Night Light huffed, unsure of what to do. His hoof rested on the door knob, half of his mind telling him that what they were doing was inappropriate since they were still in the formation stages of their relationship. Back in his day, snuggling like that was typically done between married couples. Licking his lips, he started to push open the door, but felt a sharp tug on his tail. His head whipping around, he found his wife with a mouth full of his tail. He cocked an eyebrow at her, then shut the door and followed her down the hallway, away from Twilight and Rainbow. “What is it? he asked. “Were you about to go wake them up?” Twilight Velvet asked, getting right to the point. “Yes! I don’t feel comfortable with them sleeping together like that, in such an intimate way, too!” Night Light snapped. “I won’t have it in my house.” “Really?” Twilight Velvet deadpanned, then chuckled. “And that’s not all! Scootaloo said that Twilight gave her most of her energy! And judging by how she looked when she came home, it looked as if she was near death!” “Honey, I know you worry about her... I do too!” Twilight Velvet placed a hoof on her husband’s shoulder. “But she’s a princess now; I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.” “But what if she went too far? What if she gave up all of her energy? She could have died!” Night Light stomped a hoof on the old wood floor. “Yes, well—” “Died, Velvet!” Night Light glared at her, his nostrils flared. “I’ve told her a thousand times to never use spells like that. She knows better! Just because Princess Celestia has given her access to those forbidden spells doesn’t mean that she has the right to use them!” “Dear, I’m sure she knew the risks when she used the spell, but—” “Listen to me!” Night Light snapped. “It’s a forbidden spell for a reason. Lots of unicorns have died while performing that spell, and I won’t have our daughter become another statistic.” Twilight Velvet nodded slowly, then sighed. “I understand. Why don’t we talk to her tomorrow, after the date? I’m sure this was just a one-time thing to bolster Scootaloo’s feelings.” Night Light humphed, then relented. “Oh... alright then. I just want to impress upon her that that spell should not be performed under any situation, but... I guess it can wait until tomorrow. Don’t want to ruin their first date night, eh?” “Exactly. I’m glad you think so. As for the issue of them snuggling like that... don’t you remember how things were back when we were dating? You couldn’t keep your hooves off of me.” Twilight Velvet grinned slyly and stepped up to her husband, a hoof tracing small circles on his chest. Night Light took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck with a hoof, glancing away from his wife. “Yes, well, be that as it may, it doesn’t change the fact that I think they’re taking things too fast. They’ve only been together for a couple of months, and they’re even going on their first date tonight.” “Come on... you know they’ve been friends for years,” Twilight Velvet said, stepping up to him once more. “And them not being able to go on a proper, romantic date is excusable due to events out of their control. With all that has happened, I think things turned out pretty good for those two.” She sat down and grabbed one of Night Light’s hooves in her own. “Can you let them have this? I checked up on them earlier, and they looked so happy with each other, just like how you and I were back when we were their age. Knowing how we were back then, it’s easy to tell that they’ve fallen hard for each other.” Night Light chuckled. “Yeah, I noticed that they’ve become really close, too.” He looked back down the hallway, then sighed. Turning back to face his wife, he smiled at her, then said, “I suppose we can let them be.” Twilight Velvet scooted up, then kissed her husband. “Glad you think so, dear. Come, let us go see how Spike and Scootaloo are doing. If our little lovebird isn’t awake in a few hours, I’ll just have to go wake them up.” “With a cold bucket of water, I hope!” Night Light said with a deep chuckle, ignoring the playful glare from his wife as he trotted down the stairs.