The Day Before the Gala
With the storm still thundering off in the distance, Jason flopped on the couch with a groan then pulled a couple of pillows over his head, letting his new sport coat, dress shirt, and Nightshine’s dress fall onto the coffee table. “I had no idea that getting fitted for clothes would take that long,” he said, his words muffled by the couch cushions. “My fee—, uh... hooves are so sore I don’t think I can stand for the next few days. Plus the headache isn’t helping, either.”
“But Daddy, you gotta!” Nightshine squeed and used her wings to propel herself on top of Jason, making him groan from the impact. She slid down between his side and the back of the couch, wiggling her way forward until her snoot found his cheek somewhere under the cushions. She planted a sloppy smooch on his cheek as she settled into a comfy spot, then sighed. “Thanks for the cute dress. I know I’ve already said it like, a thousand times, but I love it!”
“Anything for you, sweetie,” Jason said.
Lily gently laid her dress on top of Jason’s clothes, then sat down next to the snuggle pile. “Well, it was worth it. My dress looks amazing. I’m glad that she was able to tailor it to my size, but... I didn’t think that it would take all day. At least it stopped raining long enough for us to get back home!”
“Heh, yeah, getting our brand new clothes soaked wouldn’t be a good thing,” Jason said with a chuckle. “I don’t think Rarity would have liked us if we let her beautiful work be damaged in any way.”
Lily leaned against the back of the couch, letting a loud and ferocious yawn escape her lips. She eyed the two, wondering if the last bit of space remaining on the couch was big enough for her to join in on the snuggle pile. With the lack of sleep trying to drag her down all day, there was nothing that she wanted more in all of Equestria than to fall asleep, but her stomach grumbled in protest, reminding her that she hadn’t had anything to eat all day. “You two as hungry as I am?” she asked, prodding Jason’s back leg with her hoof as she watched Nightshine lay her head on his back, eyeing her. “Because I could definitely go for a big ‘ol hayburger right now!” She turned her head and looked outside. “Pretty sure I saw a hayburger joint when Luna and I first came here the other day on the other side of town...”
Nightshine’s ears perked up. “Daddy, Daddy, can we go? I haven’t had a hayburger in years!” she said, her mouth salivating at the thought. She scrambled off of the couch, stepping on Jason’s leg in the process. A loud thunderclap made the pictures on the walls rattle, making each of them jump.
“Geez, that sounded pretty close. You think we should get going before it starts raining again?” Lily asked, biting back another yawn. She stood up and stretched, then bounced on the tips of her hooves to keep herself awake.
“Guys, come on!” Nightshine yelled. She looked out the window and saw dark gray clouds rolling in. “It’s looking like it’s gonna start raining soon, and I don’t wanna get wet!” She flicked her mane to the other side of her neck and leaned down, as if she was preparing to pounce. Remembering how Serenity used to count down from three to make everypony do whatever she wanted them to do, a sly grin grew on her face. “Oh Daddy...” She straightened back up and cleared her throat.
“Yes, pumpkin?” came Jason’s muffled reply.
“I’m going to give you to the count of three to get up and take your beautiful date...” Nightshine winked at Lily, who promptly stifled a giggle with her hoof. “...and your hungry daughter out to get some dinner.”
“I’ll pay if that’s the issue,” Lily offered.
“No, no, I’ll pay,” Jason said, flicking his tail.
Nightshine waited a few seconds, idly tapping her hoof against the floor. “One...” Jason didn’t budge an inch. “Two...” She crept up beside him, eyeing his exposed right foreleg. Nightshine bared her fangs and got into position, then sunk her itty bitty little fangs into his leg. “Tree!” she exclaimed, her words muffled by Jason’s leg.
Jason lifted his head and lifted Nightshine up, holding her at eye level. “Really?” he asked with a soft, warm smile. Nightshine nodded, making him wince a bit as her fangs sunk a little deeper. Another loud thunderclap, this time closer than ever before, made him glance out the window. “Yeah, probably a good idea.” He looked back down at Nightshine. “You know you’re going to have to let my leg go if you want me to get up, right?”
“Mhm!” Nightshine let go of him and took a few steps back, then sat down next to Lily as she watched Jason push himself up off of the couch. She trotted over to the door then pulled it open. “Daddy, my tummy is all rumbly!”
“Heh, yeah, mine is too, little one,” Jason said as he shook his head. He glanced at Lily, then beckoned for her to go first. She smiled at him, brushed her mane with a hoof, then walked towards the door. He noticed that Lily was putting a bit more sway into her hips than usual.
“Daddy, stop looking at Lily’s butt and get a move on!” Nightshine exclaimed with a giggle before she bolted outside.
Jason’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes went wide. His ears instinctively flopped back as his cheeks burned with the strength of a thousand suns. His eyes locked with Lily’s as she looked over her shoulders, shooting him a playful, knowing smirk, her eyes telling him she knew what she was doing.
Lily beckoned him forward with a wing, then softly said, “It’s okay, Jason.” She flicked her tail at him and smiled. “I know what the stallions like...” With a short giggle, she pranced outside.
Jason stepped forward, following her out of the house. He locked the door, then said, “I-It’s not that at all, it’s this headache that I have, and I promise I wasn—”
Lily planted a light kiss on his cheek, making his words drift away in the wind. “Does that make your headache feel better?” She draped a wing over his back, letting it come to rest near his neck as she guided him down the road. When Jason didn’t respond, she slowed down, then stopped in front of him. “Um... I’m not overdoing it, am I?” She rubbed the back of her neck as she giggled sheepishly. “I don’t care if you were looking at my butt; I sometimes do or say silly things when I’m deprived of sleep or hungry.”
Jason saw Nightshine sitting on the end of the block, waving at them to hurry up. “Huh? Oh, no, you’re totally fine, Lily.” He felt a few small raindrops hit the back of his neck, making him glance up at the rather ominous-looking clouds. “We... should probably get a move on,” he said.
“Yeah, okay.” Lily settled into a trot next to him. “So you sure that I’m not making you uncomfortable?” She stepped a bit closer to him as they finally reached Nightshine, who promptly fell into step beside Jason.
“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s not you, really. I haven’t, uh... what’s the word I’m looking for?” His muzzle scrunched up as he thought for a few moments. “Oh, courted. Yeah, I haven’t really courted anyone in a while, much less a pony.”
“A beautiful pony,” Nightshine corrected him with a giggle.
“Hehe, yeah, a beautiful pony,” Jason said, nudging Lily’s shoulder. “And I think I can say with one hundred percent certainty that I think you’re the prettiest in town, too.”
“Aside from me, of course!” Nightshine exclaimed, shouldering his front right leg.
“Oh, but of course, little one!” Lily said, lowering her head to Nightshine’s level. She quickened her pace so that Jason’s front legs wouldn’t block her vision, then she playfully stuck her tongue out at her while making a funny face. “So have you tried those products I bought you yet? Your mane and coat look a lot better!”
“Yeah, I know, right? I used everything you got me when I took a shower this morning; I can’t wait to use them again!” she said, shooting her a wide, thankful smile.
“Great, glad to hear it!” Lily returned Nightshine’s infectious smile, though before she could lift her head back up, the heavens released what they had been holding back, the sound of rain hitting the cobblestone road filling her ears. She stopped walking as she looked around for cover, but there wasn’t enough room for three ponies to sit under and wait for the rain to pass, and after a few seconds, she, just like Jason and Nightshine, was soaked from the tip of her snoot to the end of her tail.
Jason felt Nightshine scramble underneath him, trying to stay dry. She wrapped her forelegs around his and peered up at him through his legs. He lifted a hoof to shield his eyes from the rain, but Lily gently placed her hoof on his. She unfurled her right wing and held it over his head, keeping it shielded from the rain.
“That better?” Lily asked. “I saw a pegasus try to do this with his marefriend up in Canterlot a few moons ago, but she ended up soaked; her dress was totally wrecked, too.”
“Yeah, but what about Nightshine? I can’t exactly walk with her under me.”
“Hm...” Lily wiggled the tip of her wing under Jason’s and pulled it out, then let hers come to rest under his. She blushed a bit and avoided his gaze for a few moments, simply enjoying the warmth that his wing provided hers. “How’s that, little one?” she asked, motioning for Nightshine to try out their makeshift umbrella with her hoof.
Nightshine cautiously stepped out from under Jason, then said, “Works fine for me! Onward!” she said in a silly tone before she proceeded to march forward as if she was in the Royal Guard. She glanced up at the wings that shielded her from the elements, unable to keep an excited grin off of her face. Is this what it feels like to have a Mommy and a Daddy?
They rounded the corner, the restaurant finally falling into view. “Aha! There it is!” Lily exclaimed. She quickened her pace, her wing slipping from underneath Jason’s. “Come on, I’ll race you there!” she said as she galloped forward, leaving the other two in her dust. Nightshine followed close behind with Jason bringing up the rear, stopping when she got under the awning of the establishment.
“Daddy, why didn’t you run?” Nightshine asked, cocking her head to the side. She shook herself like a dog, then shot him a sly grin. “Oh, is it because you wanted to look at Lily’s butt some more?” she asked with a snicker, pushing her way through the front doors.
Lily shook herself like Nightshine, flicking her mane and tail every which way to get most of the water out of her coat while Jason futilely tried to dry himself off with his forelegs. “Hey, you just gotta shake yourself like how Nightshine and I just did,” she said, poking him with a hoof.
“Yeah, but I think I’d look kinda silly,” he said.
“But everyone else is doing it,” she shot back. “See?” She pointed down the street where a couple of other ponies were doing the exact same thing that she’d been doing moments ago.
Wondering if she was just playing a trick on him, he stared at her for a few moments before he did his best imitation of what they’d done, flinging water all over Lily. “Heh, sorry about that,” he said with a chuckle.
“No worries! It’s just water, after all.” She pushed the door open and walked inside, the smell of freshly-cooked hayburgers filling her nostrils. “Ah... been a while since I’ve had some junk food.”
“Wish I could say the same, but... where’s Nightshine at?” he asked, spotting her waving at them from a booth near the back. “Ah, there she is." He and Lily wove their way through the tables and sat down. “So on a scale of one to ten, how hungry are you guys? I think I’m at a solid eight and a half.”
A mare wearing a red apron showed up, levitating a small pad and quill beside her. “Hey there! What can I getcha tonight?” she asked with a smile.
“Three waters and three of your biggest burgers with all the trimmings, please,” Jason said.
“No pickles on mine, please,” Lily said.
“Extra onions on mine, pretty please!” Nightshine piped up.
The waitress scribbled down their orders, then said, “Gotcha! I’ll be right back with your drinks and I’ll put your order in at once!” before she trotted away to the kitchen.
“You know... You’re going to have to brush your teeth extra good tonight if you don’t wanna kill us with your onion breath,” Jason said, nudging Nightshine.
“But Daddy, I’m not tired!” Nightshine protested, pushing the sheets off of her. “I wanna stay up with you and Lily!” she said with a pout, crossing her forelegs over her chest floof.
“That might be, but we have a long day tomorrow. We gotta get up to Canterlot, find a hotel, get dressed, and make sure that we don’t get our clothes all dirty. Hopefully it won’t rain tomorrow evening...” he said, pulling the sheets back up with his mouth. “And Lily and I are going to go to bed as soon as you promise that you’re going to go to sleep, too.”
Nightshine’s muzzle scrunched up as she thought. “So if I don’t promise to go to sleep, then I can stay up with you guys?” she asked hopefully.
“Hehe, nope, it doesn’t work that way,” Jason said as he let loose a ferocious yawn, making Nightshine follow suit. “See? You’re getting tired just like me; that yawn proved it.”
“But you made me yawn!” Nightshine stared at him for a few seconds, then humphed. “And we’re not gonna snuggle tonight?”
“That’s up to Lily, but I have a feeling she’s going to ask if we can snuggle, so... how about we snuggle on the train ride up to Canterlot tomorrow morning? That sound fair?” He held out his hoof for her. “Deal?”
“Deal!” Nightshine bumped her hoof against his, then rolled over onto her side. “Goodnight, Daddy...” she said with another yawn and a smile.
“Goodnight, little one,” Jason said, leaning in to kiss her on the forehead. Before he closed the door, he heard Nightshine clear her throat as if she had something to say. “Yes?” he asked with a warm smile as he poked his head back through the doorway.
“I love you...” she murmured, pulling the covers up to her neck.
“I love you more,” he shot back.
Nightshine perked up. “Nuh-uh! I love you more!”
“Hm... I dunno about that; I infinity love you!”
“I infinity plus one love you!”
“Dang it, you got me there!” He started pulling the door shut but he paused, saying, “Get some sleep, kiddo. We’ll make an awesome breakfast tomorrow and we’re going to need your help making it, okay? Plus I don’t want you to be a walking zombie tomorrow night at the Gala.”
“Hehe, I wouldn’t be a zombie! Zombies smell!”
“Speaking of smelly zombies, did you brush your teeth?”
“Yep yep! See?” Nightshine bared her fangs.
“Onion breath all gone?”
“Uh...” Nightshine exhaled through her mouth, then inhaled through her nose. “I have no idea,” she said with a giggle. “Wanna check for me?”
“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “Alrighty, good night, cutie pie.”
“Night!”
Jason gently closed her bedroom door and walked back out to the living room where Lily had already set up a makeshift bed on the couch where they’d first snuggled. “So...” he sat down on the other side of the coffee table, his tail swishing about behind him. “I can take the couch if you want the bed; it’s a lot comfier.”
“But I thought you and I were gonna...” Lily’s voice faltered as she glanced away, a light blush tinting her cheeks. Reign it back, girl... He’ll snuggle with you when he’s ready; don’t want to push him away because I’m feeling needy... she thought, biting her bottom lip as her ears flicked back.
What, snuggle? he thought, trying to figure out what was on her mind. “We can, uh... we can snuggle if you want to,” he said, rubbing his foreleg with a hoof. “But only on one condition.”
“Anything!” Lily blurted out, her ears perking up hopefully. “Um...” Geez girl, chill out for a darn second! “What’s the condition?”
“We snuggle in my bed. I sometimes wake up with a sore back or neck from sleeping on the couch and I don't wanna risk going to the Gala in pain,” he said. "Plus my bed is a lot comfier, too."
“Okay!” Lily said. She stood up and sauntered past him, flicking her tail against his side as she quietly walked down the hall past Nightshine’s bedroom. She sat down next to the bed, waiting for Jason to catch up. He shut the door behind them, then sat down across from her, looking anywhere but her. “Have you ever snuggled with a mare before?” she softly asked, brushing her mane behind her right ear. “And Nightshine doesn’t count; she’s just a filly.”
“N-No, I haven’t,” he admitted.
“You nervous?”
Jason shrugged, then said, “Yeah, a little bit. I guess I’m afraid that I’m gonna do something dumb and screw things up.”
Guess I’ll have to take the lead then... “Don’t be. You’ve been great so far, Jason,” she said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I have a good feeling about you, too.”
“Thanks.” Jason glanced up into her eyes, momentarily admiring their beauty before he glanced at the bed. “So how do you wanna do this?”
“Um... well, that depends. Are you a big spoon or little spoon?" Lily asked. Knowing she had to take the lead, she hopped up onto the bed, pulled open the covers, then wiggled her way underneath them. She flipped over onto her other side, facing him as she used a hoof to fluff the pillow her head lay upon. “So whatcha waiting for, hot stuff?” she asked, playfully sticking her tongue out at him.
“I dunno,” he said as he turned off the lamp on his nightstand. He climbed into bed beside her, then lay down on his stomach a few inches away from her. Once he wiggled underneath the covers, he asked, “So... you wanna be the big spoon or the little spoon?”
Lily pushed her snoot under Jason’s left foreleg and lifted it up, gently pushing him onto his side. She wiggled her way into his embrace, nuzzling his jaw as she hummed softly in content. “Does this answer your question?” she asked.
“Mhm...” Jason draped a foreleg over her side and tugged her closer. “You know, Nightshine likes it when I do this,” he murmured, pushing out his wing. He laid it over her, feeling a little self-conscious as he used his hoof to awkwardly tuck it in around her. His eyebrows furrowed as he felt Lily tense up.
“The Thestral’s Embrace?” Lily pushed herself out of his grasp, rolled over onto her belly, then looked down at him with a curious gaze. “H-How do you know what that is?” she asked in a flat tone that revealed little of her intentions.
“Uh...” Jason rolled over onto his belly as well. “Nightshine showed it to me; she calls it a wing hug.” He straightened up and looked her up and down. “Did I do something to offend you?” he cautiously asked. “I honestly don’t know that much about thestral culture and how it differs from pony culture, and I really—”
Lily pressed a hoof against his lips and shook her head, then dropped her hoof. “No, it’s nothing like that. It’s just...” Lily took a deep breath and haltingly let it out. She looked back into his eyes and placed her hoof over his, then said, “What you did, it’s kinda meant for those that want to show their loved one that they truly and deeply care for them. Many, many moons ago, it was commonplace for families to do so. You see...” She ran her hoof along his upper back and side. “When you put your wing over another in this case, it acts as a barrier between your vital organs and whoever or whatever is trying to do you harm while you sleep. Life wasn’t all relaxed and perfect back then as today is; us ponies have really made great strides in building a civilization here in Equestria. Most of us thestrals like to keep those old traditions alive.”
“Oh, wow...” Jason shot her a warm smile, then placed his other hoof on top of hers. “What other traditions do thestrals have?” he asked, interested in hearing what she had to say.
“I’d be more than happy to tell you all about it, but can we do it on the train ride tomorrow? I didn’t get any sleep last night because I was so furious at Princess Luna scheduling me for the Gala,” she said with an exhausted chuckle. Lily pulled a pillow close, then let her head drop on top of it with a soft thump, making sure that Jason had enough room.
“Well... even though we aren’t in danger, I’m down to try this embrace if you are. It sounds pretty cozy to me,” he said, settling down next to her.
“Y-Yeah, it is.” She extended a wing over his back and wiggled back in, smiling as she felt Jason do the same. Feeling sleep start to take hold of her body, mostly from the warmth of Jason’s wing, she let herself go limp. She struggled to keep her eyes open, but before she finally gave up to drift away into Luna’s dreamland, she placed a light smooch on Jason’s cheek, then nuzzled it in for good measure. “Thanks, cutie,” she whispered, feeling her heart thump in her chest as she rested her head on his cheek.
“What was that kiss for?” he whispered back.
“For being awesome, and...” Lily yawned again, then licked her lips. “And because you have cute fangs.”
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Hey! It's not dead.
So cute!
9692591
so that resurrection spell did work!
it just took some time
I love a good fluffy story from time to time, and this is a good one.
Thank you for not letting it die.
Waiting for more.
So when's the wedding
So how long until Jason unintentionally proposes to Lily and she says yes? I love just how cute they are together and they would make great parents for Nightshine.
Stare long enough into the abyss and eventually another chapter will appear.
This was so cute and cuddly! I really enjoyed it!
Just one thing to say,
D'awwwwwww cx
An update? IT'S ALIVE!?!
Is that cover art by Pusspuss!?
9692892
Yes
Y E E T
Still alive. Nice!
Daaaww i Love this soo Cute~~
So happy to see this updated again. A nice bit of floof to add to the day.
Was thaat a Halo reference back there? Also great chapter, glad to see an update!
9692892
Looks like Pridark
9693065
It is by Pusspuss.
Dying for more, always loved Nightshine.
I'll join the twin chorus that is "d'aaaww" and "it's aliiive"
Always love too see this story being updated! Hope too se it updated more often but take time for the best chapter possable! Keep up the great work!!
9692689
Yes
Now for a potential error:
I think a set of quotes is missing.
9693814
Thanks!
Some nice slice of life fluff. I need this when I want to relax.
Awww, this is positively adorable. Great work.
Such a lovely, sweet chapter.
Either he was really looking that closely or his daughter just thought it was funny.
No problem with that scene, but I forgot how the dymanic between them was so far. I remember that there was a scene where I thought some changes were good which I think we got. Something like a Gardsmare being very emotional about her date instead of her personality stopping at being badass.
I often can't shake of the feeling that it's always the main char that get's embrassed and rarely any other characters.
Since I can't stop looking at a story with a certain prejudice about certain story elements, I have to admit that this is a welcome change again. I mean I like that she reacts a bit insecure now which gives me the feeling that she was really into finally having a special somepony but is scared that she might be losing him again.
If I remember her background right then she had either no time or bad luck with Stallions since she was a Guardsmare.
Even if I should repeat myself, since I don't remember everything only certain big parts, I have to say again that I hope she won't be simply a copy of those overly confident Guards that I don't always enjoy.
I remember now that I probably hoped to see her kind of experimenting with her new love live but also messing up and giving our main char a chance to shine once in a while, to see her being unusual shy and all those things in the right situations. Maybe one such situation could be when they take the next step in their relationship, I have to see which rating the story had again.
edit:
Now I kind of wish they would actually talk about the differences like that humans wear clothes and how that has a different effect on him and all that stuff. This suddenly interessted me very much.
Have they done that already? I only remember that she should know that he is a human.
Okay now at this point I totally feel at home with the story again.
Nice I get rather easily a hang of their personalities again.
Huh?
Okay that looks suddenly akward and again I get the feeling it's him feeling uncomfortable.
Didn't he said something that makes us believe he already was in a relationship once? Or is the question if he snuggled with a pony again?
Okay I liked the chapter really much in a lot of moments, I probably just act a bit protective of the main char because I often got the feeling that in the storys I read he get's always the short stick or how you say it.
It also has to be really rare in the stories here to have a main char that isn't easily or heavily affected by what Lily does in this chapter here as an example. I mean Jason is thankfully already different from whatever I could image as a human or Anon personality, but since I often wish for different personalities i also thing at some point there would have to be a main char who isn't acting so embrassed.
edit: I also can't help but hope that Lily is messing something up herself in her relationship at some point. The picture is suddenly out of my head again, but I think I remembered a proud fighter (in this chase Lily), being so unusual nervous that she/he suddenly starts to make many mistakes) .
9695912
OVER 9000!!!!
So happy!
So much d'awww in this chapter. I was pretty much giggling and grinning while reading the whole time.
"Oh Yeah New Chapter!"
[reads]
AWESOME UPDATE ABYSS!!
What a cute chapter, lots of snuggles.
My goodness i love how adorable this story is!!! MOAR!!! XD love ya abyss. Nice work on this chapter.
Been re-reading this one, almost forgot about it till I seen an update. ^^; Really hope more comes to the story soon. Also just getting by chapter that introduces Nightshine, and noticed her fried Sea Stride? Wondering if we're going to get him back at some point, nice reunion would be cool. :)
This is definitly one if the best stories I have ever read. I hope that the author finishes it but I dont want him/her to rush it. I cant wait for the next chapter. Binged this series in less than a week and it really helps me relax. I like the direction this is heading. Some day I hope someone does a reading of this on youtube with voice acting and everything. This story deserves so much recognition! Thanks for all the updates The Abyss, much appreciated 💙
9703318
No problem! I'll be making this into a book, just like I did with I'll Always be Here for You. If you like family stories with romance, I highly recommend that one; it's my most popular story.
.... I'm afraid to say anything, because I don't want to jinx about what will happened at the gala...
Wait... DAMMMIT!!
Story...'just continue...ehhh
9693063
Halo reference? Where?
And now I have caught up to the present chapter!
Now I play the waiting game.
9721671
the cuteness is very amusing I assure you but hopefully you are planning to bring some more conflict into the story, though i anticipate it happening at the gala with celestia.
Please continue the story
Please can we have more?
Munching at the bit.
More! We require MORE!!!!!!!!! please..
If I had the opportunity to have a book about this fic, I would buy it with pleasure, it is too beautiful.
*sniffs* wow she smells nice.
9904196
The fuck you posting spam on my story for? Don't do that.