Truth of the Heart

by Rose Quill

Meet the Parent

Chapter 3

Meet the Parents

"Are you sure you don't want a hoof with all of that stuff, Spike?" Sunset asked as she, Twilight and Spike made their way through the streets of Tall Lake towards the Sapphire Grand Hotel. Spike seemed to be tottering under the weight of all their luggage, and it was a miracle to Sunset that he hadn't fallen over already.

"No," Spike growled from under the mountain of cases so large that Sunset could only see his claws. "I'm just fine."

"You don't look fine," Sunset replied.

"Look," Spike said tersely. "I don't usually get to save the world, I don't get to fight the monsters, I don't get sent on missions across Equestria, I don't even get to solve people's friendship problems. But I do have one job, and that's to carry heavy things, and so I'm going to be the best...carrier of heavy things that there ever was, and no one's going to take that away from me."

"Okay, sheesh, I was only asking," Sunset said. "No need to get all snippy about it."

Since he was so insistent upon his own ability to take care of it, Sunset left him to it and trotted a few paces until she had caught up with Twilight. Around them loomed the spires of Tall Lake, the shining skyscrapers rising up out of the ground to impale the sky. Most of them were hotels, judging by the signs adorning them, with smaller bars and restaurants nestling between them.

If proof were needed that Tall Lake was a resort town, wholly dependent upon the tourist bit, then a glance down its main street would have been proof enough: glitzy hotel, bistro, homely griffon bar, upmarket restaurant, family restaurant, cafe, convenience store, nightclub, motel. Everypony here was catering to the needs of the visitors, with the possible exception of the theatres that were, arguably, producing art. Rickshaws rolled up and down the streets, and crowds drawn from across Equestria and beyond made navigating the pavements as difficult as sailing any sea. There were ponies of all races, even the nightponies so rarely seen outside of Princess Luna's guard, there were zebras, buffalo, griffons, Sunset even caught sight of a yak. Gaudy shirts were on display as often as sharp suits and dresses, and Sunset couldn't begin to count the number of ponies wearing sunglasses. It was probably the sort of place you had to get up before down in order to set out your towel by the lakeside if you wanted to get a space.

Sunset tried to work out what it said about Twilight's parents that they had chosen this place for their anniversary celebration. She had expected...well, honestly, she had expected Twilight's mom to be an older Twilight, even though she knew that rationally that was completely ridiculous - Sunset's mom had been the soul of patience and serenity, but it wasn't as though you could associate Sunset with either of those things - but it was all she really had to go on. But this...Sunset couldn't see Twilight being really happy in a place like this.

"Is it me or does this place seem a little...artificial?" Sunset asked. "Like...why does anypony come here, except because it is a place that ponies are known to come?"

Twilight shrugged. "The lake is supposed to be beautiful, though I've also heard it's a little overcrowded these days. Personally I'd prefer to vacation somewhere with a little more culture, but it isn't my party."

Sunset smiled. Do I know you or what? Better than I know your folks, clearly.

"There it is," Twilight said, pointing upwards at one of the tallest buildings in sight. The Sapphire Grand Hotel certainly lived up to its name. It was so tall it probably represented a flight risk to passing pegasi, and the walls were covered in some sort of special paint or tiles that gave them a shimmer affect like the whole tower was made out of living ocean or something. The name of the hotel was spelled out in giant gold letters affixed above the revolving doors, which constantly spun as ponies moved in and out of grand lobby.

As Sunset and Twilight approached, the porter outside tipped his hat to them. "Welcome to the Sapphire Grand. Can I take your bags for you?"

"No thanks," Spike said immediately. "I got this."

Unfortunately at that point he banged into the glass framing one set of doors and knocked himself on his backside, cases and bags scattering everywhere.

"Take it easy, Spike," Twilight said. "Thank you, sir, your help would be much appreciated."

Spike glowered a little as the porter helped him pick up all the luggage, but said nothing to protest Twilight's decision. Twilight herself headed through the doors, with Sunset a step behind her, and into the lobby itself. It was as expensively decked out as the exterior, with exotic plants growing in exquisitely decorate pots, and seaweed patterns crawling up walls set with precious stones that glittered in the blue-tinted sunlight streaming in through the skylight. The lobby furniture was ultra-modern, but still comfortable looking, and ponies sat here and there throughout reading the days newspapers and the latest stylish magazines. Sunset had the weirdest feeling that some of them were watching her, but shook off the feeling as being completely ridiculous.

"Twily!" a tall, powerfully built white stallion cried out happily as he made his way through the crowd towards them. Sunset didn't recognise him, but she did recognise Princess Cadance beside him, and it didn't take a genius to work out that this must be Twilight's brother, Shining Armour, of whom Sunset had heard but had not met, until now.

"Big brother!" Twilight sounded just as happy to see her brother as he was to see her, and the two embraced in the lobby without any care for who might see them. "And Cadance, it's so good to see you again. Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake!"

"Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" they finished together, chuckling softly.

"I'm so glad you could make it," Twilight said. "You're always so busy."

"Yeah, but how could we miss out on Mom and Dad's anniversary?" Shining Armour asked.

Cadance looked at Sunset and smiled. "And Sunset, how are you?"

Sunset nodded affably. "I'm fine, thanks. I'm better than fine, actually, I'm great." She stepped forward and held out one hoof towards Shining Armour. "I'm Sunset Shimmer, and you must be Shining Armour. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

Shining Armour reached out and bumped her hoof with his own. "The pleasure's all mine, Sunset. Cadance has told me a lot about you, and Twilight's letters talk about you as well."

Sunset grinned. "Good things, I hope."

"You make Twily happy," Shining Armour said. "That's all I really need to know. As long as that stays the case, you're alright with me."

Sunset's smile widened. "Thanks. I was worried you were going to be some sort of overprotective big brother and threaten to mess me up if I didn't treat Twilight right."

"Oh, I will," Shining Armour said earnestly. "I just didn't want to make things awkward by saying it out loud; honestly I thought that was a given."

"I'm standing right here, you know," Twilight said. "And it's not like I'm a kid any more."

"You'll always be a kid to me, Twily," Shining Armour said idly, rubbing her head with his hoof.

"The kid who keeps saving you," Cadance murmured.

Shining Armour blushed, "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Sunset chuckled. She didn't feel anything like the nervousness around Shining Armour that she had felt before meeting him. Sure, he was protective of his sister, but so was Sunset herself, that didn't make him a bad guy. In fact he seemed kinda nice, even if he wasn't as smart as his sister. No, she could get on with Shining Armour, and he seemed willing to get on with her as well.

Perhaps this will all be easy after all, Sunset thought, thinking of the ring burning a hole in her saddle bag. Parental consent, here I come.

"Do you two already have your room?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, we got here last night," Cadance said.

"Mom and Dad are here too, you're the last ones," Shining Armour added. "But they're in the spa, so Cadance and I were going to get some lunch. Do you want to join?"

"Of course," Twilight said. "But we should probably get our room first."

"You stay here and catch up," Sunset said. "I'll get the room key."

"Okay," Twilight said, kissing Sunset on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Sunset said. She caught a glimpse of Spike coming through the door with the porter. "Hey, Spike, over here."

"How are you doing, Spike?" Cadance called.

"Hey, Cadance!"

Sunset left them to it as she strode over to the reception desk. The grey unicorn managing it did not look up, so Sunset coughed.

When he still didn't look up, she rang the bell.

"I've got a room booked for the next four nights in the name of Sunset Shimmer," Sunset said. They had booked the room under her name, rather than that of Twilight, so that the paparazzi wouldn't be there waiting for them.

"Sign here, please," the unicorn said, still not looking up as he levitated a form into Sunset's face.

Sunset signed.

The unicorn at the desk still didn't look at her as he levitated a pair of keys off a hook on the wall behind him. "Here you go, loft fourteen on the top floor."

"A loft?" Sunset demanded. "We paid for a suite with a lake view."

"I beg your pardon Miss...ah, Shimmer, was it? I'm sorry, but there are no other rooms available in the hotel, lake view or otherwise." He looked up at her with what seemed like an almost malicious glint in his blue eyes. "Of course if you are not happy with this room we will offer you a full refund, and you are welcome to see what other hotels might be available at such short notice."

Sunset scowled. She didn't buy for one second that the only room available was a loft on the top floor - apart from anything else she could see several keys still hanging on the wall behind the reception desk - but the only hotels likely to still have rooms available for tonight were cockroach-infested flea pits or youth hostels were mares slept twenty to a room and used a communal shower. Neither prospect was particularly appealing. If she made sufficient fuss she could probably get a better room, but starting a screaming match in the hotel lobby in front of everypony - especially in front of Cadance and Shining Armour - would only embarrass Twilight, and that was the last thing that Sunset wanted.

So she sighed. "No, I'm sure that Loft Fourteen will be perfectly adequate."

"Oh, do you have our room key?" Twilight asked as she made her way to the desk. "Great! Where is it?"

The receptionist blinked. Then he swallowed. Then he stammered incoherently for a little while before he managed to make some words come out. "P-p-princess Twilight! This reservation was for you? But, but the name said-"

"The room was in the name of my marefriend, Sunset, yes," Twilight said. "I didn't want too many ponies to find out I was coming here, you know. So, is that our room."

"Y-no!" the receptionist squeaked, his horn glowing cerulean blue as he yanked the keys to Loft Fourteen away. "That was...aha...that was a mistake on my part, terribly sorry, terrible mistake, I would never dream of...ahaha...ahem. No, you're room is the Celestial Suite on the fifth floor, two doors down from the Solarium. I'll just get somepony to take your bags. BELLHOP!" He struck the porters' bell so hard that a dozen bellcolts converged upon the desk at once. "Take Princess Twilight Sparkle's luggage to the Celestial Suite! Right now!" He smiled obsequiously. "Please enjoy your stay at the Sapphire Grand, Your Highness, and if there is anything at all that you require please don't hesitate to let me know or any other member of staff know, we will all be terribly happy to assist you."

"Thank you," Twilight said with a smile as she handed him an modestly sized ruby. As far as Sunset was concerned he deserved a kick up the rear end, but you had to tip in these places, even for lousy service, if you didn't want to find that fleas had somehow gotten into your bed.

"Oh, no, thank you your royal highness," the receptionist said, getting up from his seat to bow.

The room to which they were led was as well appointed as one would expect from one of the most expensive hotels in Tall Lake. The bed four poster bed was hung with crimson sheets, and the mattress was embraced by a golden duvet. The carpet, which felt so soft underneath Sunset's hooves, was a dark pink, as were the coverings of the chairs and the couch.

"Not bad, considering we'll only be in here to sleep," Sunset said. "Not bad at all."

"Says the pony who actually has a bed," Spike said. "I have to sleep on the couch."

Twilight sighed. "You're too young to have a room of your own, Spike, I'm sorry."

"Besides, didn't you used to sleep in a basket?" Sunset asked. "I'd have thought a cough would be paradise by comparison."

"Why don't you try it?" Spike suggested.

"That's enough, Spike," Twilight said. "If it's really uncomfortable tonight, then I'll see if we can get a second bed, a child-sized one. Now, we should probably go back down if we don't want to keep Cadance and Shining Armour waiting."

"Why don't you head down first, Spike," Sunset said. "We'll be right behind you." Or maybe not. That bed did look rather inviting.

Spike shrugged. "Okay. Suit yourselves. Don't be too long though, I'm too hungry to wait around."

He left the room, closing the door rather sharply behind him.

Twilight blinked. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

Sunset's eyebrows rose. "You know we don't have to go out to lunch. There are other things we could do, just the two of us."

Twilight rolled her eyes, but the flush spreading to her cheeks at the same time told Sunset that Twilight had not been ignorant of the idea herself. "It's a little early, don't you think?"

"Twilight, you ask how many kisses of yours,
Would be enough and more to satisfy me," Sunset whispered, bearing down on Twilight as she strutted across the soft pink carpet.

Twilight chuckled. "Oh, my, the poetry again."

"As many as the grains of Libyan sand,
That lie between hot Jupiter's oracle," Sunset said, kissing Twilight's neck again and again between works, burying her muzzle in Twilight's mane.

Twilight laughed, though she was kissing Sunset herself by now. "I know we don't get a lot of privacy, but come on, it's the middle of the day."

"Or as many as the stars, when night is still,
Gazing down on pony secret desires," Sunset had once believed that technological advances were the greatest superiority that humans had over ponies, but since falling in love she had come to appreciate their love poems. She kissed Twilight's ear.

"I swear to Celestia, you are completely impossible!"

---

In the end they both went down to lunch, if only because they were both hungry and there's nothing like the sound of loud stomach's growling to kill the mood faster than a dragon...anywhere. When they got back from lunch, followed by a few hours getting shown around the city by Cadance and Shining Armour, it was time to get ready for dinner.

Sunset climbed out of the shower and stood in the steam filled bathroom, the towel under her feet rapidly becoming completely waterlogged as she wrapped around towel around her head and, with one hoof, wiped a patch of the mirror clear enough to see herself in it.

What she was...well, her. She had looked better, she had looked worse, but of course she hadn't even really start to get ready yet. She'd shine like a dragon's hoard by the time she was done. She pushed a fiery red lock of her mane out of the embrace of the towel so that it feel down between her eyes, and smirked.

"Better already," she said. Sunset frowned, and cleared her throat. "Sunset Shimmer, sir, damn glad to meet you!" she stuck out her hoof, before scowling. "Nah." She cleared her throat again. "You must be Nightlight, sir, I'm Sunset Shimmer. Hmm. Sunset Shimmer, sir, it's a pleasure, no it's an honour to meet you. It's an honour to meet you? What am I, some kind of sycophant? An honour to meet you, come on, get it together Sunset."

She coughed loudly, and cleared her throat again. "Mr Nightlight, may I please marry your daughter? Mr Nightlight, may I please have your permission to marry your daughter? Sir, may I have your blessing to ask for Twilight's hoof in marriage? Ugh. I really wish Tirek hadn't destroyed the library until after I found a book on how to do this right."

Twilight knocked on the door. "Sunset? Are you okay in there?"

Sunset started. "Yes! Yes, I'm fine, totally fine."

"I can hear something, are you talking to yourself?"

"No," Sunset replied. "Well, maybe a little. It's no big deal, everything's just great."

"Oh. Okay. Are you coming out?"

"Just a minute," Sunset said.

When Sunset did come out, Twilight was already dressed in a full length gown of royal purple, trimmed with fine golden thread and capped sleeves that were almost falling off her shoulders, with a large lavender bow upon her back adding the perfect finishing touch.

Twilight shrugged. "What do you think?"

Sunset could feel the colour rushing to her face. "You look...very nice."

Not that Sunset looked like a slob herself in he dress that Rarity had made for her: the skirt was much shorter than Twilight's, covering her things by leaving her legs exposed, but what skirt there was consisted of three layers, one of red sandwiched between two of gold. The bodice was crimson, and sparkled with miniature rubies sewn into it, while the sleeves and the neckline were both an aquamarine blue green, the same as Sunset's eyes.

Thus dressed to impress, Sunset, Twilight and Spike in his tuxedo descended down into the lobby, where Shining Armour and Cadance were waiting for them along with an older couple who must be - at last - Twilight's parents.

"Twilight!" the mare, Twilight Velvet, shouted as she caught sight of her daughter. "Oh, my little baby, it's good to see you again." Twilight Velvet was still good looking for an older mare, with only a few bags under her eyes to demonstrate her age. Her coat was a light grey, like chalk, and her mane was a peppermint mixture of purple and white. She wore a necklace of pearls clasped tightly around her throat, and she wore a floor length gown of lilac taffeta with few adornments, save for a few miniature seed pearls sewn around the neckline.

"Hey, Mom," Twilight said, sounding both affectionate and embarrassed at the same time as she submitted to her mother's warm embrace. "How's it going, Dad?"

"Just perfect, sweetie," Nightlight said, giving his daughter a kiss on the forehead. Twilight's father, a short - he was barely taller than his wife, and certainly smaller than either his son or daughter-in-law - blue stallion with a mane that was only a few shades darker than his coat, look almost as well preserved as his wife. He did not wear a tux, like Spike and Shining Armour did, but was instead dressed in the formal frock coat and cravat favoured by the older generation.

"And how are you, Spike?" Twilight Velvet said. "You look like you've grown."

"Yeah, I'm two inches taller! Thanks for noticing, Mrs Velvet," Spike said.

"Now that we're all here, shall we get going?" Nightlight asked. "Our reservation is for eight."

"Just a minute Dad, there's somepony you have to be introduced to, first," Twilight said. She stepped aside, revealing Sunset to her parents. "Mom, Dad, this is my marefriend, Sunset Shimmer."

Sunset said nothing for a moment as she stood under the gaze of Twilight's parents. She coughed to clear her throat. Now or never. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir, ma'am. Your daughter is a wonderful mare."

"I'm well aware of that," Nightlight said, his voice chillier than a winter breeze.

Cadance frowned, but Twilight Velvet simply chuckled mildly. "Never mind him, dear, you know how stallions are about their daughters. It's wonderful to finally meet you, we've been told so much about you."

"Indeed," Nightlight murmured. "From numerous sources."

I'm guessing that means that they know about the whole stealing-Twilight's-crown thing then?

"Sir, I-" Sunset began.

Twilight came to Sunset's defence before she had to speak for herself. "Dad, Sunset isn't the same mare that she used to be. Whatever you've heard about the things that she did in the past, I've forgiven her and so should you."

Nightlight's eyes narrowed for a moment. "I guess I'll have to try, won't I?"

Sunset would have breathed a sigh of relief, but that would have involved admitting that she was scared to begin with, and she wouldn't do that. So she settled for an inward sigh. At least he didn't bring up my father. Maybe he doesn't know. That would be good, I can cope with answering for my own actions, but I don't want to have his held against me as well.

He doesn't sound as though he'd give me permission if I asked right now, unfortunately.

"Now, shall we go?" Nightlight asked. "If we're late, they'll give our table away."

They swept down the street in grand procession, drawing the eyes of more than a few passing ponies on the street - Sunset strutted her stuff for them, until she caught Nightlight giving her side-eye and stopped with some reluctance - until they arrived at a fancy looking restaurant with the name The Barnyard written in gold letters upon a green background. A griffon stood outside the door, checking the names of the ponies queuing to get in against a list, while a minotaur loomed over his shoulder.

There was a large queue to get in, but that seemed to be for ponies who hadn't made reservations since Nightlight led the entire party past the line to give his name to the griffon outside.

"A table for seven in the name of Nightlight."

"Of course, sir, go right in and give your name to the maitre'd."

They went inside a restaurant that was dimly lit, with a mixture of candles on the tables and red lights above, where a minotaur in a suit was leading a jazz band in some swing music, and where a maitre'd with a moustache greeted Nightlight and Twilight Velvet warmly, as if he knew them, before showing them to a table in the corner of the place.

"Do you come here often?" Sunset asked.

"At least once a year," Twilight Velvet said. "We actually met on vacation here at Tall Lake, and Nightlight proposed in this very restaurant."

"I had the ring put in the champagne glass," Nightlight said. "I cringe when I look back."

"Oh, don't get embarrassed darling, I thought it was very romantic," Twilight Velvet replied.

Hmm. Consider putting the engagement ring in the champagne flute.

They took their seats. Twilight's parents of course sat next to one another, and Twilight took the seat next to her father even as Shining Armour sat next to his mother. But when Sunset went to take the seat on Twilight's right Nightlight said, "Spike, why don't you take the seat next to Twilight."

Spike hopped on to the chair which Sunset had been about to claim, leaving Sunset sitting between Spike and Cadance. Sunset couldn't be certain, but she was almost sure that she detected a slight triumphant gleam in Nightlight's eyes.

You don't like me very much, do you?

Over the course of the next couple of hours, Sunset began to wonder if she had made a mistake in coming here, and it wouldn't have been better letting Twilight and Spike come on their own. It had to be said that Twilight Velvet was friendly enough, as were Shining Armour and Cadance, but as this was the night of Twilight's parents then the conversation naturally enough focussed on family matters: jokes that only they got, stories that only they remembered, memories that only they shared. They weren't making a deliberate effort to shut Sunset out, but she felt a little shut out all the same.

But you had to expect these things when you went to your marefriend's parents' anniversary, and Sunset could have borne it with a smile - Twilight was having a good time, and wasn't that what really mattered - if it hadn't been for Twilight's dad. He only spoke to Sunset to ask her some sort of pointed question: he demanded to know what Sunset did for a living, and harrumphed when Sunset explained that she didn't actually have a job; it was only her need for his permission to marry Twilight that stopped Sunset from pointing out how incredibly rich that was coming from a stallion whose own daughter had spent her entire life in education right up to the moment she became royalty. When Sunset had tried to explain that she spent her days working on inventions that might, in the long run, be of great benefit to Equestria he had turned his nose up at that too. Whenever anypony else had tried to include Sunset in the conversation, he had always changed the subject to keep her out of it.

She was getting a little bit sick and tired of his passive-aggressiveness, to be honest. If he didn't like her that was fine, but have the guts to say it to her face and let her answer back.

So it almost came as a relief when, just before the cabaret was due to start, Nightlight rose from his seat and said, "Miss Shimmer, I wonder if I could have a word with you in private."

"Of course, sir," Sunset said, though the last word stuck in her craw so badly it was only with great effort that she could force it out from between her teeth. She followed Nightlight away from the table, ignoring the confused looks of Twilight and the others, into a little alcove corridor that led to the bathroom.

"I feel I ought to commend you," Nightlight said. "You've been incredibly patient, moreso than I would have expected."

Sunset frowned. "Are you going to tell me that this was all a big test of my character."

"No," Nightlight said firmly. "But I was hoping to get a rise out of you that would prove that you weren't fit to be in my daughter's life."

Well, at least we've got that out in the open. I guess. Sunset sighed. "Listen, sir, you clearly don't like me for some reason-"

"For some reason?" Nightlight said. "Do you think that I'm an idiot, Miss Shimmer?"

Sunset said nothing at all.

"I know who you are," Nightlight continued. "I know what you are, I know what you did."

"I will not deny that I made some mistakes and did some things that were wrong," Sunset said. "But I am not the same pony that I was then."

"I highly doubt that that's the truth," Nightlight said. "What I suspect is more likely is that, having failed in your initial plans, this show of repentance has been for the sole purpose of gaining my daughter's confidence, the better to advance your ambitions by other means."

Sunset laughed aloud. "Is that what you think? You think that I fooled Twilight, that this is all just a game so I can get power? Oh, come on. What have I done to make you even suspect such a load of ponyfeathers?"

"I knew your father, back when he was a guard," Nightlight said. "I even counted him a friend once. He fooled me, the way that you're fooling Twilight Sparkle now. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

Well, this isn't good. "I'm not my father," Sunset said. "All the things that he's done, leave me out of them."

"Is that so," Nightlight said. "You're not in contact with him in any way?"

"I haven't spoken to my father in years," Sunset snapped.

"You lied about who your father was to Twilight Sparkle," Nightlight pointed out.

"Because I was ashamed of him and worried about what she'd think, not because we're in cahoots for shady motives."

"So he isn't the brains behind the little operation you have going in Ponyville?"

"There is no operation," Sunset snarled. "I'm not my father's puppet, and I'm not lying to Twilight Sparkle about the way I feel-"

"Your father-"

"I am not my father!" Sunset yelled. "You want to call me out on the things that I've done then go ahead! I apologise for my mistakes but I won't run from them, and I own the things that I've done for good or bad. But you call me over to throw my dad in my face? To question me about him? To act like I'm working for a guy I haven't seen since he walked out on his family? You can go to Tartarus! I don't have to take this, not even if you are Twilight's father. Have a nice night."

Sunset stormed out of the restaurant and onto the street, ignoring Twilight crying out for her to come back.

Comments

[Kabia]

Interesting. So there is more about Sunset's parents than was told. Nice job with Twilight's father and Sunset conversation. Besides a few misspells, not much else to add till the next chapter.

[00RaiserGundam]

Nightlight, you really messed things up.

[Woomod]

3 Chapters in and you haven't hit the premise.
Pacing.

[Bryan Luna]

I really don't know what to say here, Nightlight's behavior was absolutely unacceptable. It was also very predictable as well. This story is solid on the whole, but could definitely do with less of that kind of thing.

I'm sorry that this is not more useful feedback, but that was just confusing on some level.

[brisa_mlp]

The receptionist blinked. Then he swallowed. Then he stammered incoherently for a little while before he managed to make some words come out. "P-p-princess Twilight! This reservation was for you? But, but the name said-"

At that moment the receptionist knew he fucked up

"Y-no!" the receptionist squeaked, his horn glowing cerulean blue as he yanked the keys to Loft Fourteen away. "That was...aha...that was a mistake on my part, terribly sorry, terrible mistake, I would never dream of...ahaha...ahem. No, you're room is the Celestial Suite on the fifth floor, two doors down from the Solarium. I'll just get somepony to take your bags. BELLHOP!" He struck the porters' bell so hard that a dozen bellcolts converged upon the desk at once. "Take Princess Twilight Sparkle's luggage to the Celestial Suite! Right now!" He smiled obsequiously. "Please enjoy your stay at the Sapphire Grand, Your Highness, and if there is anything at all that you require please don't hesitate to let me know or any other member of staff know, we will all be terribly happy to assist you."

that's better
Really Nightlight you've gone too far you left protective and went to accusing

[brisa_mlp]

"I am not my father!" Sunset yelled. "You want to call me out on the things that I've done then go ahead! I apologise for my mistakes but I won't run from them, and I own the things that I've done for good or bad. But you call me over to throw my dad in my face? To question me about him? To act like I'm working for a guy I haven't seen since he walked out on his family ? You can go to Tartarus! I don't have to take this, not even if you are Twilight's father. Have a nice night."

... hope you see the light
that was terrible