My Little Pony: Small Town Life

by Mythic Night

Ep 19 - Family in Fillydelphia - Part 2

The next morning, Sunny slowly awoke with a grumble, well-rested but too comfy to want to leave the bed. Just as the fog was clearing from her mind, she noticed something pressing up against her back, and she gasped and blushed as she realized just what that something was. It seemed that Silver was suffering from a common morning ailment, and their spooning certainly wasn’t helping it at all.

A smirk grew on her face as she stroked the hoof still wrapped around her waist. “That better be me you’re dreaming of,” she murmured teasingly to her sleeping lover. Her smirk grew mischievous as she decided that Silver needed a bit of stress relief after the night before. She slowly rolled around to face him, causing part of the stallion to be sandwiched between them, and then she began to gently grind her belly against him.

Silver’s quiet moan was music to her ears as her ministrations got a reaction from him, and his eyes slowly opened to look at her. “Sunny…?” he mumbled tiredly. Now that he was awake, Sunny gripped his shoulder and gently rolled him onto his back, laying atop him. “What are you doing?” he wondered.

She grinned down at him as she said, “We’re going to spend the day relaxing, so I thought that we could start the day off right…” She gently ground against him, prompting another quiet moan from the stallion.

“I… I don’t have a problem with that,” he responded, his hooves reaching down to grip her rump.

She giggled at the grope. “I didn’t think you would,” she murmured before she leaned down to draw him into a deep kiss, their tongues dancing together as they lost themselves in the moment.

Just as they were starting to get into it, they both jumped at a sudden knocking on the door. “Silver, Sunny, are you two awake?” Fable called from outside. “Breakfast is almost ready!”

Sunny grimaced at the horrible timing, and hoped that Silver would make something up to chase her away. Unfortunately, they weren’t quite on the same page, and he responded with, “We’ll be down in a minute!”

“Okay sweetie!” Fable said as she trotted away.

Sunny sighed in frustration. Most stallions would tell their mother, “Go on without us!” or “We’ll be a while!” but Silver was still new to this relationship business, and wasn’t thinking about the needs of his mare. She would teach him what he needed to know, and he would learn, especially since she had a fine lesson to teach him on this particular subject.

She smiled down at him, and they shared another passionate kiss, the stallion beneath her moaning into her mouth as she ground herself against him. She slowly broke the kiss, knowing just how turned on Silver was, and she chose that moment to roll off him, climb out of bed, and start heading to the door.

Silver blinked at the unexpected stop. “Wait, where are you going?” he wondered.

“Downstairs for breakfast,” she replied. “After all, you told her we’d be down in a minute.”

He frowned at her. “Well, yeah, but what about… this?” He motioned to his condition and raised an eyebrow.

Sunny smirked as she said, “Consider this a lesson, sweetie; stallions aren’t the only ones who get pent-up.” With that, she left the room, leaving Silver to his own devices. True, she wasn’t much better off than he was, but at least she could hide her excitement.

He grimaced at the door. “That mare can be downright evil sometimes…” he grumbled, glancing down at his not-so-little problem, and realizing all-too-late the error of his ways. Well, it’s not going to take care of itself…

Sunny sat at the dining table, directed by Silver’s mother to just relax while she finished up breakfast, and it was a few minutes later when her unicorn lover finally joined her at the table. “I was starting to wonder if you going to join us for breakfast,” she said with a knowing smirk, which grew into a wicked smile at his grumbling. “So, what did you learn?”

He shuffled uncomfortably, but answered, “When a beautiful mare is offering herself to me, everything else can wait.”

She grinned. “Well look at that; he can be taught.”

Silver blushed at that, but knew that he deserved her playful mocking. “I’m sorry.”

Her grin faded into a warm smile, and she kissed his cheek. “I forgive you, though you better make it up to me tonight.”

He smiled and nodded. “I will, I promise.”

Unbeknownst to the two lovers, Fable happened to be heading toward the dining room to serve breakfast when their conversation began, and she stood there blushing at the doorway as she took it in. To think that her little colt had grown up and found himself in an intimate relationship with such a lovely mare… it was a bittersweet realization, to be sure. Not my little colt anymore… she realized, feeling a sense of melancholy at the thought.

It was at this moment that her husband, Lightning Strike, came down from his shower, his blue coat still slightly damp, and he noticed his lovely wife standing there. A sly grin grew on his muzzle as he quietly trotted up behind the distracted mare, and lowered his head to nip playfully at her croup, causing Fable to yelp and jump at the unexpected bite.

“Wah!” she cried out, the platters of food levitating around her trembling in her magic before she was able to regain control once more. She scowled as she turned around to look back at her husband. “Don’t sneak up on me like that, Strike!”

He grinned shamelessly in response. “Sorry love, but when I see a sexy little thing like you I just can’t help myself.”

Fable’s pink face turned red, and she was left sputtering. “G-go sit at the table!” She stepped into the room with the platters levitating around her, and he stepped into the dining room to take a seat, though his wing stretched out to brush playfully against her cutie mark as he passed her by. She gave a squeak at the touch, and batted at her husband, though he just chuckled as he dodged out of the way as he took his seat.

“Incorrigible flirt…” she muttered to herself as she shook her head, and began placing the platters on the table. She had made quite a feast for the lot of them, one platter holding a large batch of scrambled eggs containing chopped green peppers, onions, mushrooms, and tomatoes, with salt and pepper for flavor. Another platter held a pile of hash browns, and a third platter held many slices of toast. The fourth and final platter held a pile of pancakes.

“Wow Mom, this all looks delicious!” Silver said, his mouth watering at the offerings.

“Sure does!” Sunny added, not sure what to go for first.

“Well dig in, everypony!” Fable said, going to fill her own plate with scrambled eggs. Everyone followed her advice, and each got their plates filled up with plenty of food. Everyone was feeling quite hungry, after dinner had been cut short the night before.

While Silver eagerly devoured his breakfast, Sunny took her time, savoring her meal, and she glanced at his parents. Strike whispered softly into Fable’s ear, the mare smiling softly even before he planted a tender kiss on her cheek. “You two seem to be quite affectionate,” she remarked.

Strike grinned as he explained, “Well, you see, Fable’s the breadwinner of the family, and I’m just the trophy husband, so I have to earn my keep somehow.”

Fable smirked at that. “You’re not just a trophy husband; you’re also good breeding stock,” she added with a playful grin.

“Ugh!” cried Silver, covering his ears. “Mom, Dad, please stop!” He had almost forgotten how bad they could be together. They were so very much in love even after all these years, but that didn’t mean he liked the mental images he got every time they flirted with each other!

Sunny couldn’t help but giggle at Silver’s pain, though she was kind enough to change the subject for him. “So, what’s the plan for today?” she asked the couple as she started eating her breakfast.

Fable answered, “Well, this morning, I was hoping we could get to know more about you. Yesterday we spent a lot of time talking about everything that had happened in Ponyville since Silver moved there, but we didn’t get to know too much about you.” Her smile fell, and she looked down at her plate as she added, “I’d hoped that we could get to know you better over dinner last night, but then… well…”

Sunny’s ears folded, and she nodded knowingly. “Ah, yeah…” Silver frowned at the memory, but said nothing as he continued to eat his breakfast.

Fable cleared her throat. “Anyway, I was hoping that we could spend some time this morning getting to know you, and after that, perhaps we’ll take you on a tour around Fillydelphia. I’m sure you’d like to see the sights while you’re here, right?”

“That sounds great,” Sunny agreed. “So, what did you want to know about me? Ask away.”

And so, for the next couple hours, Silver’s parents questioned Sunny on all sorts of things, trying to learn about and understand the mare dating their son. She was open and honest, answering every question they had, eager to show his parents that she was worthy of Silver, though they seemed more relieved than worried about the relationship.

Sunny also made a point to get to know Silver’s parents, hoping to learn more about the ponies who raised the stallion she loved. Admittedly, she had a hard time not turning it into an interview with her favorite author. Among the things she learned about them, she discovered that the feather tucked behind Fable’s ear did indeed belong to Lightning Strike, something to do with their first date, though that first feather was tucked away for safekeeping while Strike would give her a new feather with each preening.

It was late in the morning when the three of them ran out of questions for each other, each content with what they’d learned, and Sunny was glad she hadn’t made a fool of herself. With a beautiful, albeit cloudy day ahead of them, the four of them headed to the front door, eager to show Sunny around their hometown.

“What’s there to see here in Fillydelphia?” she asked as they left the house. She had never visited the city before, and knew almost nothing about it, so she had no idea what sort of tourist attractions were to be found.

Fable grinned as she answered, “Oh, all sorts of things! Let’s see… There’s the Fillydelphia Zoo, the Greatwood Gardens, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Eastern Penitentiary, and plenty of other things to check out. Fillydelphia’s an old city with a lot of history, and lots to see and do.”

“There’s also events and festivals that happen around here as well,” Strike added as they trotted down the sidewalk.

Sunny was impressed. “Sure sounds like a lot to experience… I honestly don’t know where I want to start.” After a moment of silence, though, she said, “I suppose before we get into all that major stuff, maybe we could go and check out the area? I admit, I’m curious to see more of the town where Silver grew up.”

“That’s fair,” Silver replied. “I’m living in your hometown, might as well let you see mine.” He grinned, and added, “Maybe while we’re out, I can show you my favorite arcade.”

“I’d like that,” she replied, letting the trio lead the way.

And so, the four of them went along, leaving the residential area to head into the nearby shopping district. Silver felt strange trotting through his old neighborhood, and it occurred to him just how much he’d grown attached to Ponyville since moving there only a couple months ago. Fillydelphia may be his hometown, but Ponyville had become his home.

They walked through the busy streets, and Sunny looked around at all the various businesses. They soon came across a book store, one of Silver’s favorite places when he still lived in the city, and Fable ended up signing a couple autographs for some fans who were visiting the shop.

The four of them continued along for a time, pausing here or there to point out a particular shop or restaurant to Sunny, until a voice cut through the crowd. “Well I’ll be… If it isn’t Silver Streak,” said a voice from behind them.

Silver’s ears perked, and a smile grew on his face, while Sunny’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face around here, Silver,” said another voice.

Unfortunately for these newcomers, Sunny took that as a threat, and nopony threatened her special somepony! She quickly spun around to glare at the trio of stallions, and shouted, “You best back off or you’ll be eating your own teeth!” Silver and his parents looked at her incredulously, shocked to hear her talk like that.

The trio winced and backed off, the green pegasus cowering behind the large red earth pony. “Woah, easy, it was a joke!” he said in hiding.

“Yeah, we don’t mean any harm!” added the other pegasus, a blue stallion with a white mane.

Sunny simply growled and stomped a hoof in response, causing the trio to step back cautiously. The stomp snapped Silver out of his stupor, and he quickly moved between her and the trio of stallions. “Woah, Sunny, stop! These are my old friends!”

She blinked, looking between him and the three stallions. “Wait, these are the guys you were telling me about? The ones you met at the arcade?”

“Yeah,” he replied, nodding.

She flushed, ears folding as she looked anywhere but at the stallions she’d just threatened. “I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know. I just heard strangers threatening Silver, and I reacted.”

The three relaxed, glad that they weren’t about to receive a beating by an angry mare. “It’s alright,” replied the big red stallion with a golden mane. “No harm done.”

Silver grinned as he trotted over to the trio. “It’s great to see you guys again!” he hoof bumped the three of them, glad to see his old friends once more.

“So, who’s that mare?” one of them asked.

He grinned and turned to Sunny. “Sunny, allow me to introduce you to Brick Breaker,” he motioned to the red earth pony with the yellow mane, “Spring Storm,” he pointed out the green pegasus with the dark green mane, “and Cloudy Skies,” he finished by motioning to the blue pegasus with the white mane. “Guys, I’d like you to meet my special somepony, Sunshine,” he said, wrapping a foreleg over her shoulders.

The three of them simply blinked owlishly at Silver and Sunny, not quite believing what they’d just heard. “I’m sorry, did you say special somepony?” Cloudy Skies asked.

“That’s right,” Sunny confirmed, nuzzling Silver gently. “I’m here to visit his parents and check out his hometown.”

The three of them looked at one another, before Brick said, “I didn’t realize you were even interested in dating.”

“Neither did I,” he replied, grinning. “Things have gone so well in Ponyville; I’ve made new friends, I’ve found love, and I’ve never felt happier.” His grin fell a bit as he told them, “But still, I missed you guys. I missed hanging out with you all. I wish I could tell you about everything that happened in Ponyville, but…” He looked to Sunny, frowning, feeling torn between catching up with his friends and showing Sunny around the city.

Sunny chuckled and nudged Silver toward his friends. “Go on, sweetie, go hang out with your friends. We’ve got plenty of time for whatever we want to do, so you should catch up with them while you can.”

“You sure?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m positive. We can tour the city later.”

Fable smiled at Sunny and said, “While Silver’s hanging out with his friends, perhaps you and I could bond over some shopping?”

“Oooh, that sounds like fun!” Sunny agreed.

“Ugh, mares shopping…” groaned Lightning Strike. “Hey Silver, you and your buddies mind if I tag along?”

“Not at all, Dad,” Silver replied. “Where were you guys headed, anyway?”

“The arcade, of course!” replied Cloudy Skies. “It’s gonna be great having a fourth player again. I hope you haven’t gotten rusty at Helmet!”

Silver stole a quick kiss from Sunny before the five of them headed off for the arcade, leaving the two mares to themselves. “Well, lead on Fable!” Sunny said, excited to see what she could find in Fillydelphia.

= = = = = = = = = =

Sometime later, Silver, his father, and his friends were hanging out at their favorite arcade, the eldest stallion trying his hoof at a game while the friends talked. “So, let me get this straight; since you moved to Ponyville, you got a welcome party with half the town in attendance, you met Princess Twilight, Princess Luna, AND Princess Celestia, you got yourself a girlfriend, and you’ve gone clubbing, WITH one of the princesses…” said Storm, going through the abridged tale Silver told them.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Silver replied with a nod.

“You realize how crazy that all sounds, right?” asked Brick.

Silver snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, it sounds pretty crazy, doesn’t it? But it’s all true… So, what have you guys been up to since I left?”

Brick spoke up, telling him, “Well, remember how I was working on getting that business loan before you left? The bank came through, and now you’re looking at the founder of Mithril Entertainment!”

That was news to Silver. “Whoa, really? You started your own game studio?” He remembered Brick Breaker telling him about his dream to make his own arcade games, but he didn’t realize his friend was working so hard to make that dream a reality.

Brick grinned and nodded. “I did, and I hired these two clowns to help me,” he added, motioning to Storm and Cloud, who swatted him and ruffled his mane for the good-natured jab. “We were actually headed to the arcade to relax, and maybe get some inspiration from our favorite games. It was just coincidence that we found you along the way.”

“Gotta admit, I thought you just forgot about us,” Cloud said, smirking. “Haven’t heard a word from you since you moved to Ponyville.”

Silver winced, feeling guilty about that, among other things. “Yeah… About that… I know I wasn’t a good friend to you guys when I was here. I took you three for granted, and I didn’t make the effort to bond with you guys outside of the arcade. I’m sorry I wasn’t a better friend.”

The three of them glanced at one another before they broke out laughing, much to Silver’s confusion. “What’s so funny?” he wondered, not at all expecting that response.

Storm spoke up, stifling his laughter to say, “Wow, have you actually been worrying about that?”

Cloud grinned as he told Silver, “Seriously, buddy, you don’t have to apologize for anything. We know how you are; you were never the kind of pony who liked to hang out, and we accept that.” Brick and Storm both nodded in agreement.

“Not everypony is going to be a social butterfly, and you shouldn’t feel guilty about that,” Brick added.

Silver let out a long, shaky sigh as relief swept over him. “I’m so glad you guys aren’t upset with me. I’ve learned a lot about friendship since I moved to Ponyville, and only now do I realize how important you all were to me.” Their amused smiles faded as they heard him say that. “I didn’t have any friends when I was a foal, and it hurt me in ways I’ve never told you about. You guys gave me a chance, and I’ll always be grateful for having you in my life.”

Brick chuckled softly, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “Gee, Silver, I didn’t realize we meant that much to you.”

He smiled, and told them, “You guys saved me from crippling loneliness, even if I wasn’t aware of how much it hurt at the time. I’ll be going back to Ponyville in a couple days, but I’d like to keep in touch with you three; if I could get your addresses, then I’ll be sure to write to you guys often. And maybe when you aren’t so busy with this new company, you could come visit Ponyville to meet my new friends sometime.”

“That sounds good to me, buddy,” Cloud replied. “Until then though, why don’t we get warmed up with some Helmet? We’ve been missing our mage!”

Silver grinned and nodded, glad that he could finally thank his friends for being there for him.

= = = = = = = = = =

A few hours after they went on their shopping trip, Sunny and Fable made it back home to put away their purchases. They hadn’t gone wild with their bits, doing far more window shopping than anything, but it had been fun for both of them. Sunny enjoyed seeing what was available at a big city like Fillydelphia, and she took advantage of the wider variety of goods.

“I can’t believe you actually bought that book,” Fable said, looking curiously at the bag Sunny carried from the nearby book store.

Sunny grinned as she pulled out her new copy of 202, a book of various positions to use in the bedroom, complete with pictures and pieces of advice. “What? It’s not like I’d be able to find myself a copy of this back in Ponyville.” She grinned as she added, “Besides, Silver was the first one to buy a book like this.”

Fable’s eyes widened as she looked to Sunny. “Really?”

She giggled and nodded in response. “Oh yes, a book called Basic Bedroom Spells. Technically speaking, he bought it for a contraception spell. Good for him being the responsible one, but I’m more interested in what we could do with all those spells.”

Fable blushed, thinking about a similar book sitting in her nightstand upstairs. “So, you two use spells in your… escapades?” she asked.

“Well, no, at least not yet,” Sunny responded. “We’re still learning about each other, and we’re both perfectly happy with how things are now, but eventually we’ll want to spice things up.” She sighed softly, putting the book back in its bag. “That being said, if I bring up erotic spells or exotic positions too soon, Silver will think I’m getting bored, and it’ll hurt his self-esteem. I’ll show him these books eventually, but for now, I’m content.”

Fable grimaced as she thought of other things that had hurt Silver in the past, causing issues that she thought Sunny needed to know about. “Speaking of Silver, there are some things I think you need to know about.” She turned toward the living room. “Come, let’s sit down and talk, shall we?”

“Okay…” Sunny replied warily, wondering what this was about.

The two of them trotted into the living room, where they both sat on opposite sides of the coffee table. “So, what did you want to tell me?” Sunny wondered.

Fable’s ears folded as she said, “I don’t know if he ever told you this, but Silver had a lonely childhood. He didn’t have any friends, and spent all his time studying. The crippling loneliness caused him to have some… quirks, which you should be aware of.”

Sunny smiled, already aware of what Fable was getting at. “I already know he talks to himself,” she declared.

Fable was shocked by that news. “Really? He told you?”

“Not at first,” she admitted. “I found out one day, when Silver was busy studying his spellbooks. We talked, and he told me about his childhood, and how it led to him talking to himself to cope with his loneliness.” She had a sad smile on her face as she remembered that conversation. “Silly stallion thought I’d break up with him for being ‘crazy,’ but I told him it was just a quirk, and not something to be ashamed of.”

Tears welled up in Fable’s eyes as a wave of relief washed over her. “He told you, and you accepted him anyway…” She brought a hoof to her muzzle and choked back a sob. “Oh thank Celestia… You seemed kind and understanding, but I was so worried about telling you his issues; if I caused you two to break up, I just… I couldn’t handle the thought of hurting Silver again.”

Sunny frowned. “’Again?’ What do you mean by that?”

Tears streamed down Fable’s cheeks as she wept from overwhelming guilt, a pain she’d held onto for far too long. “Silver suffered because I was a terrible mother,” she answered. “His brother was a rowdy colt; getting into fights, playing sports, things like that. Silver was quiet, and kept to himself, but he was getting good grades in school and staying out of trouble, so I thought everything was okay.”

Her eyes glistened as she took in a shaky breath and continued, “But then, one day, I was upstairs gathering the laundry when I heard Silver talking to someone. I thought that maybe he had a friend over, so I went to his bedroom to say hello…”

Fable clenched her eyes shut and choked back a sob, covering her muzzle as she tried to regain her composure, the memory of the day almost too much for her to bear. Fortunately, Sunny could guess what happened. “And when you got there, you found him alone, right?”

She nodded in response. “Yes… I asked him who he was talking to, and he answered, ‘myself’ like it was just a normal thing.” She sniffled, and added, “I asked him why he talked to himself, and he told me he didn’t have anyone else to talk to. I had no idea he was so alone…”

Fable wept as her story continued. “Strike and I had a meeting with his teacher, and that’s when we found out that Silver didn’t have any friends at all. She told us that he kept to himself, and didn’t interact with any of the other students. It was news to the both of us.”

Sunny frowned. “Why didn’t she do anything about it before then?”

Fable smiled sadly as she replied, “His teacher was in charge of a whole classroom full of foals who got in trouble and struggled with the subject material; she didn’t need to worry about a smart, well-behaved little colt.” Sunny grimaced in frustration, but she understood; the squeaky wheel gets the grease, and all that.

“We put him into therapy after that, hoping that he’d at least get the socialization that he needed,” said Fable. “I also took breaks from my writing throughout the day to talk with him, and make sure he was doing alright.” She chuckled sadly, and added, “I’m sure it must have bothered him, having me poke my head in so often, but I didn’t want him sitting alone all day.”

Sunny smiled at something Silver mentioned a while back. “He told me he helped you with the Scarlet Sword books from time to time, said you bounced ideas off him when you were stuck. I’m guessing that was one of the ways you got him to socialize with you?”

Fable chuckled and nodded. “Guilty as charged, though I’ll admit he really did help me out a few times. He even came up with a plot twist I hadn’t considered. Anyway, things went on like that for several years, until Silver finally met those friends of his, and his therapist decided that he didn’t need to come in any longer.”

“Sounds like things got better for him,” Sunny reflected.

“For a time,” Fable replied, her smile fading. “And then Tirek attacked… He was so afraid, he felt so vulnerable and there was nothing his father or I could do to make him feel safe.” Fresh tears began streaming down her cheeks. “When he told us he was going to move to Ponyville, I was so scared for him; he suffered such loneliness when he had us right here in the same house, so I worried about what would happen if he didn’t have family or friends around.”

She fixed a teary-eyed smile at Sunny. “But things worked out in the end… He made new friends, and he finally found love. For a while, I thought he’d always be alone, until we got that letter just days ago. I was overjoyed to hear that he’d found someone, and I am just so happy to know that that someone turned out to be such a wonderful pony.” She sighed wearily. “It’s nice to know he found happiness, even after all that… After I failed him…”

Sunny frowned at Fable as she got off her couch. “Fable, you need to stop beating yourself up over this,” she told her, trotting around to sit next to her. “From what you’ve told me, Silver’s issues weren’t anyone’s fault; at most, the fault could be placed on his teachers for not saying anything until it was too late.”

“But I’m his mother; I shouldn’t have needed someone to tell me something was wrong,” she countered.

“It’s just like you said, Fable; Silver was getting good grades in school and staying out of trouble, so why would you have thought something was wrong? Besides, we both know how introverted he is, so keeping to himself just seemed normal.” She placed her hoof on Fable’s shoulder, and looked the elder mare in her eyes. “It wasn’t your fault, Fable. You did nothing wrong.”

And just like that, the dam broke, and Fable broke down sobbing. Sunny gently pulled her into a hug, holding her as she cried and cried. Strike had told her repeatedly that it wasn’t her fault, but she always assumed he was just being a loving husband. To hear Sunny tell her that with sincerity made her finally believe that maybe she was truly blameless; maybe she didn’t need to feel guilty anymore.

As she held the sobbing mare, Sunny told her, “The truth is that you’re a good mother, no matter what you think of yourself. A bad mother wouldn’t have gotten her son into therapy, nor would she talk with him every single day to make sure he was doing okay, and a bad mother certainly wouldn’t be agonizing over her son’s problems for years and years.” She smiled, and added, “You’ve done a good job raising Silver, and you should be proud to have brought up such a fine stallion.”

Fable could only nod as she sobbed into Sunny’s shoulder, the tears washing away years of guilt and pain.

= = = = = = = = = =

“Honey, we’re home!” Lightning Strike called out as he and Silver returned home after hanging out at the arcade, and getting a tour of Brick Breaker’s new game studio. The technology was beyond him, but he had to admit that the arcade games he got to play were fun, and he could see them becoming a big business.

“Welcome home, sweetheart,” Fable replied as she trotted over to the front door to greet her husband and son.

Strike’s smile immediately fell as he saw his wife’s red, puffy eyes. “What’s wrong, Fable?” he asked, trotting up to her. “Talk to me, babe.”

She smiled sheepishly as she told him, “I’m fine, dear.” It was true; it felt like a weight had been lifted off her, now that she had finally shed the guilt she’d held for so long.

“You don’t look fine,” he replied, gazing at her with concern as he caressed her cheek.

She nuzzled into his hoof, and told him, “Sunny and I had a talk, and I just got a bit emotional, that’s all. We can talk about it later…”

Strike looked unconvinced, but sighed and nodded in resignation as he wrapped his forelegs and wings around his wife. “I worry about you sometimes…”

Fable giggled softly and nuzzled into his neck. “And you’re sweet for worrying.”

Silver was concerned for his mother, and looked to Sunny, hoping for an explanation. She merely smiled at him and mouthed “later,” respecting Fable’s desire for some privacy on the matter. There was also the matter of how to tell him about his mother’s longtime issues; she would need to be tactful of the topic.

Fable slowly pulled away from her husband, glancing between him and Silver. “Are you two feeling hungry? I was about to start on dinner.”

“Dinner sounds great,” Strike replied, leaning over to give his wife a kiss. He still felt concerned for her, but he wouldn’t press the issue.

She hummed happily as she returned the kiss. “You three just relax, I’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.”

“Want some help with that?” Sunny asked.

Fable smiled and shook her head. “Thank you, but no. It’s going to be a simple meal, nothing that requires any extra hooves.” With that, she left the trio to themselves while she headed to the kitchen to start on dinner.

Strike elected to do a simple workout, and he trotted off to their personal home gym, leaving Sunny and Silver to their own devices. Sunny winced internally, knowing Silver would want to talk about the conversation she had with his mother. She’d hoped to postpone that particular conversation, but Fable refusing her help in the kitchen left her with no way out of it.

“Let’s head upstairs, and see what you and Mom bought,” Silver said, going toward the staircase. Sunny followed along, not looking forward to the coming discussion.

They soon reached his old bedroom, a few bags sitting on the bed from her little shopping spree with Fable. “So, uh, about your mom…” she began.

“Stop,” said Silver, raising a hoof. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Sunny blinked, then shook her head. “No, at least, not yet. I need to figure out what to say…”

“Then we won’t talk about it yet,” he replied. “I trust you to tell me when you’re ready.”

She smiled, glad to put that conversation aside for now, in part because that day was supposed to be about fun and relaxation. “I promise we’ll talk about it later.”

“Good… So, what did you guys buy?” he wondered, looking at the bags on the bed.

She was happy to show him the various goods she purchased, which consisted mainly of clothes and books, until they were called down to eat.

Dinner didn’t take all that long to cook, consisting of tomato soup with elbow macaroni noodles, salted and peppered for flavor. It was a simple meal that Fable made for her family many times in the past when she didn’t feel like doing anything complicated. It was also her favorite comfort food as well, something she needed after the emotional conversation she and Sunny had earlier.

The topics at the table consisted of Sunny and Fable’s shopping trip, and Silver and Strike’s time at the arcade and their visit to Mithril Entertainment. They also made plans to bring Sunny to some of the major tourist attractions the next day. It was a relaxed atmosphere, far different than the night before, when Silver and Swift’s argument marred an otherwise lovely day.

Eventually dinner was finished, and Fable excused herself as she headed up to bed soon afterward. Silver and Sunny decided to make it an early night as well, though sleep wasn’t part of their plan; after all, he still needed to make up for his mistake that morning.

Strike remained in the kitchen, putting away the leftovers and rinsing off the dishes to make things easier on his wife. After that, he headed up the stairs for bed, pausing at Silver’s door when he heard a muffled cry of “Oh, Silver!” from the room.

There’s a distinct difference in a father’s reaction to such activities, depending on if they had a son or a daughter. For fathers of daughters, anger is the most frequent reaction, as they’ve spent years trying to protect their little fillies from brutish, disrespectful stallions. For fathers of sons, on the other hoof…

“Heh, that’s my boy,” Strike murmured with a grin as he trotted down the hall toward the master bedroom. There he saw Fable laying in their bed, writing in her diary. He laid down next to her, waiting for her to finish writing her memoirs before asking, “So, want to tell me what got you so emotional?”

Her ears folded, and she told him, “Sunny and I talked about Silver’s childhood.”

“Ah,” he replied knowingly.

“There’s more though,” she admitted. “I told Sunny how I felt; I told her that Silver’s issues were all my fault…”

“Fable…” he began, only to be silenced by a gentle hoof pressed to his lips.

“I know, I know…” she replied. “I’ll admit, I always thought you were just being a kind husband, telling me it wasn’t my fault.”

Strike frowned, but remained silent, in part because of the hoof still on his muzzle.

“I don’t know why, but I just started pouring my heart out to Sunny,” she explained. “After I got done telling her everything, she explained how none of it was my fault.” She moved to lean against Strike, laying her head on his shoulder as he wrapped a foreleg around her. “She also told me that I’m a good mother, because of everything I’d done to help Silver. Between her sincerity, and seeing how happy Silver’s become, I thought, ‘maybe she’s right… Maybe I can let go of the guilt…’”

“She was absolutely right,” he told her, glad that someone finally got through to his wife. “So, did you finally let go of that guilt?”

She nodded slowly. “I did… Sunny was kind enough to comfort me as I cried and cried, and let out all those years of pain… But when I was done, I felt like a weight had been lifted. I don’t feel burdened by the guilt anymore.”

Strike couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he held his wife. “Sunny sure is a special mare, isn’t she? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say her special talent was mending broken hearts. I mean, first Silver, and now you…”

Fable smiled and giggled softly. “Yeah… I hope Silver knows just how lucky he is to have her in his life.”

“Oh, I’m sure he does,” Strike replied with a knowing smirk.

Comments

[harts fire]

wow I know this chapter is about family bonding but wow this chapter is more about healing and helping family accept life in general.
this is a vary strong chapter exultant righting Mythic Night.

[Mythic Night]

8131626 I'm glad you're liking it so far! Only one more part to go, and I hope that you'll enjoy the emotional depth that will continue to be part of this little arc!

[Grekoy]

Part 3?

[Mythic Night]

8226808
It's up now, go check it out!