Apropos of the Sinners

by SpitFlame

Part VI – Chapter II – In Expectation

Cluster and Airglow arrived in Ponyville much later than what was planned for, having reached the station house just over an hour after the break of dusk. There were several delays with the coachponies back in Fillydelphia, and to top it off, Cluster, who at first seemed to be all in a hurry, had inexplicably lost his haste, as if waiting in some kind of unknown expectation. The thought of Nova leaving so soon, and that strained look on his face, which bordered on a sort of hidden resentment, stuck with Cluster for a long time afterwards.

But worst of all was his unseemly encounter with the so-called Marble Solid. From what Cluster gathered of his own lone findings and investigations, Marble Solid was somehow the "mastermind," so to speak, behind the strange reports of disappearing magic all around Equestria. But what he found completely incomprehensible is that there was very little action being taken to understand these events, neither by the Equestrian government nor anypony else at all. In fact, these reports were being treated more as an inconvenience to be ignored than something to promote serious inquiry. The company with which Black Rover worked in Balitmare, as well as the Tic Tocs from the Flying Rift Express, and even some of the ponies he encounters along the way—all this tied back to the name Marble Solid.

So why would he just reveal himself? Cluster went on thinking along the journey. I just so happened to have found a lead to the Flying Rift, then "he" shows up. Is any of this connected, or am I getting ahead of myself? I just can't seem to put this together. If only I had the answers.

Unfortunately he did not reach very good conclusions; and like I said, they arrived in Ponyville very late.

The very first thing Airglow did was rush to Golden Oak Library. Tired though she was from the trip, still feeling overwhelmed with the previous events of her life, and even having forgotten the reassurances Cluster had made to her (or even that he was running after her), she barged right in Golden Oak without even knocking.

"Olva!" she called out, darting her eyes everywhere in search of the librarian. Something made a noise from the other room, then the door opened and Olva strode in, concerned at first, almost beside herself, but her eyes instantly went wide.

"Airglow, honey!" she cried in return, and it was as if they communicated without words. The two of them hugged each other very affectionately. They both started to cry into each other's arms. Cluster, for his part, watched by the door entrance, looking to the side, clearly being put off by such a lovey-dovey scene.

Well... what did you expect? he thought.

For a moment Airglow pushed aside any and all previous doubts about Nova to the back of her mind. She was having her joyful moment, and for once was ready to accept all of Olva's hugs and kisses.

"Airglow, please, please never do this to me again!" Olva wheezed, tears pouring from her eyes in streams. "I can't handle it, my heart is weak, it can't take it. I-if you... were t-to pass away..." But her throat tightened, and she burst into another fit of tears.

"I promise I won't!" exclaimed Airglow, her expression never dimming. She closed her eyes and hung her head over Olva's shoulder for a second. "Hey, where's Twinkie? Is she—"

"Oh, Twinkie, right, yes, yes," prattled Olva, dragging Airglow by the arm to the kitchen, as if afraid to let her go. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. "Ah, yes. Twinkie is... Should I go wake her?"

"No, no, please don't. Let Twinkie sleep. She'll see me tomorrow morning, it'd be better that way. That should put her in a good mood."

Cluster took the liberty to step inside the library, letting the noises of Olva's continual weeping fade in the background. He scanned the bookshelves with curiosity, with a certain eye for something to stick out, something dubious. He was very much so deep in thought, as it were.

But eventually Airglow's reunion with Olva came to happy, albeit drawn-out, end. Upon seeing Cluster, Olva got into a bit of a flutter, rushing to him as if to make the initial acquaintance of a pony she admired.

"Oh, it's your brother!" exclaimed Olva, characteristically pressing a hoof to her chest, as if ready to orate a speech. "My dear Cluster, my eternal gratitude for taking care of her, oh, you're such a good soul, a thousand blessings your way! Oh, Princess Celestia really is the wisest of us all to have picked you."

"Hey, Olva," Airglow cut in with a jovial smile, striding back to Cluster's side, "I forgot to ask, but I was hoping I could stay at Cluster's place for the night. If you don't mind...?"

"What? Me, mind? Why, Airglow, why ask such foolish questions? He's your brother, of course you can go with him; he's our protector! He may as well be qualified to save all of Equestria!" Olva was, of course, delving into some mild exaggerations, a reflection of these intense and emotional reveals, but she was so carried away to see Cluster—of whom she held an almost perfect image—that she did not seem to notice it herself.

"Thanks, Mrs. Velvet," Cluster warmly approved, smiling that sincere smile which struck Olva, so rare it had been.

Olva blinked. "Oh, Cluster, my dear, whatever happened to your horn?" she asked suddenly.

"This?" He thought for a second, looking aside, as if distracted. "I guess you could call this an occupational hazard. But don't worry, it's nothing. These things happen."

Airglow simply chuckled nervously, still not sure herself of the precise cause of his broken horn.

They did not leave all at once, Olva could not even have imagined it. She demanded that they stay a little while longer, for tea, or anything, really. The whole time Olva gazed at them with a beaming smile; every once in a while she would interrupt, taking some pride in the fact that she had lent a helping hoof in raising Airglow and, almost by extension, could consider Cluster part of the family. She had even started to make numerous promises, grand and optimistic ones, like how Airglow would eventually inherit the library, or that Cluster would always be able to depend on her no matter the circumstances, financial or otherwise. Airglow and Cluster listened to all this with smiles, nodding away to let Olva have her moment.

But then, catching them completely off guard, Olva brought up Nova, and told them a story they were not ready for.

"It's terrible, just terrible!" she exclaimed, gripping the edge of the table. "Just this evening Nova ran into this place like a madpony; he was completely wild, demanding that I fork over thousands of bits to him, almost threatening me! He was wild! I didn't know what to do!"

"Wait, Nova came here!" said Airglow in great shock, and all at once some uneasy foreboding took hold of her. "What did he do all that for? You also said 'threaten'? Really?"

"Like I said, it's terrible!" cried Olva, almost swooning.

"I never could have guessed he'd come here of all places," muttered Cluster.

"Oh, of course not, my dear. Who could blame you? No, it's really something out of this world..."

"Do you know if he's still here, in Ponyville?" he asked.

The response they got simply added to the surprise. They were informed that another pony—a self-proclaimed artillery captain by the same of Sharp Heat—came to visit around two hours after Nova. What's more, he had said that Nova took off to Baltimare.

And all of those lingering doubts Airglow had been harbouring, pushed to the back of her mind for the sake of Olva, all came flooding back in with no mercy. Something else, some kind of morbid fear mixed in with a sober understanding that disaster lay in store, rocked Airglow to her very core. She had glanced a few times at Cluster, not being able to discern any change in temperament or signs of dismay on his face, only to realize, Of course, Cluster is just putting on some pretense. He doesn't want to make this anymore unpleasant for Olva than it already is. But the reality is that he's just as worried as me.

After they bid their farewells (after some reluctance on Olva's part), they walked back to Cluster's house mostly in silence. In some ways Airglow was trying to set aside her feelings, trying as best she could to reason everything out. All of her present resolve still hung on the hopes that Cluster, in any case, had some plan of which he had not yet informed her. She was ready to accept most consequences, in spite of her attained resolve; simply too much stood before her and tormented her. But the thing was, the deciding factor in her mind, was Cluster's complete alteration in not only outlook but attitude as well. She felt it, truly in her troubled heart, that he would be able to fix everything if he put his mind to it, which she assumed that he had. It was a small semblance of hope in an otherwise sea of darkness.

When they reached the house, Cluster stopped at the porch, gave her an important look, and said, "Another pony has been staying here for the past month now, just so you know that before entering. She'll be staying here till I move out to Canterlot."

"Somepony is... here with you? Who?" she asked slowly, almost stammering.

"Her name is Daisy Sprawl. You're gonna see something you won't expect..."

Airglow almost cocked her head back at such an ominously worded remark. She kept looking at him, even after they entered and stopped in the living room. The hearth was burning with low embers, Airglow observed, so it was clear that somepony else had definitely been there.

His house still looked the same since her last visit. She took a seat on the couch, again the very same one from the night of the Summer Sun Celebration. Airglow simultaneously had many expectations of what Cluster would tell her, yet at the same time said nothing, politely waiting on him.

Then all of a sudden, catching even Cluster off guard, Daisy shot out from one of the other rooms into the living room; she was not out of breath, yet she could barely speak, looking entirely out of her wits, looking even dazed, as it were. She strode right up to him, not even noticing the pegasus filly next to him.

"Cluster! Oh my gosh, there you are!" she babbled, stopping in front of him and wildly pointing to the room from which she came. "It's... it's..."

"What is it, what happened? Daisy, calm down!" said Cluster quickly, looking worriedly at the direction of her hoof.

"My apologies for showing up uninvited," said Princess Celestia, revealing herself from the entryway and walking into the living room.

Airglow and Cluster—but Airglow most of all—were dumbstruck. Airglow watched in a stupefaction as the Princess herself approached them, finally getting a good look at her in person. She was so tall, so majestic in figure, and her multi-coloured mane was extraordinarily beautiful to say the least.

But this time a difference stuck out: Princess Celestia had a saddlebag, a white and gold one, strapped around her waist. She gave a cheery, friendly smile in the face of the stunned ponies. And suddenly Airglow dropped to the ground, bowing, not knowing what else to do.

"Y-Your M-M-Majesty," she exclaimed in a breathless voice. She was quite literally at a loss for words.

"Why did you come here tonight, Celestia? I thought I asked you to come tomorrow," put in Cluster, having overcome the initial surprise of her presence; but he asked his question so offhandedly, with such a lack of inflective reverence that was expected of everypony who addressed the Princess, that this very display shocked Daisy and Airglow even more. They each shot him wide-eyed glances.

"What'd you think you're doing, Cluster!" said Daisy in a frenzy. "You're supposed to address her as 'Princess' or 'Your Majesty'! Not... not..."

"Yeah, yeah..." Cluster waved her off her fatuous claims, glancing at his sister for a moment, then turned around and said resolutely, "Celestia, let's you and I go to the back room; Daisy, Airglow, you two stay here, get to know each other; well, that's all."

"Oh, that won't be a problem at all; it was very nice to get to know you, Daisy Sprawl," said Celestia. "Airglow Sky." She nodded at Airglow, who went stiff and started bowing her head up and down, saying nervously, "The pleasure's all mine, Your Majesty!"

Cluster withdrew with Celestia into the back room, leaving Daisy and Airglow numb with astonishment.

After a few seconds they looked at each other.

"So..." Airglow began awkwardly enough, in order to break the ice. "You're a friend of my brother?"

* * *

Cluster offered Celestia a seat, but she declined. He himself crossed one fore-hoof over the other and leaned his shoulder on the wall. Celestia made mental note of several things, in reaction to how Cluster stood before her with a sort of trusting and unstrained demeanour: something unquantifiable had lit up in his eyes, quite unlike the last time she had seen him, and, more than that, his gestures were much less mechanical than before, more openhearted; she even expected him to start smiling all of a sudden. And she was right.

"Would you like some tea?" he asked with a smile.

"Tea would be lovely," she replied, "but unfortunately I must decline. I again extend my apologies for coming earlier than expected, without forewarning, but I'm behind schedule as is, so I picked today." She returned the smile. "It's really good to see you, Cluster."

It was obvious that she wished to catch up on many topics of interest with him, and even spoke with the air of reassurance that this would not be the last time they talked, that there would be time for casualness sooner rather than later.

"Last time we talked was at the Summer Sun Celebration," he said. "That was a little too long ago, I know, and ever since then I've gone silent. But... not without reason."

"Oh, I'm sure you had good reason, that's not why I'm here at all." And suddenly her voice took on a more solemn tone; her smile waned slightly, but did not disappear entirely. "I wanted very much to put myself at ease by seeing you in person. Ever since I learned about what happened with the Flying Rift incident—even after I received your letter—I still wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Well then, consider yourself put at ease; I'm okay. And I know there's something else you want to bring up, isn't there?"

"I won't insult your intelligence," she continued, "so I assume you're already aware of a special package being shipped across Equestria, known only as the 'elixir.' Surely you must have heard of it."

"You mean the elixir of immortality?"

Celestia's eyes widened for a split second, not of surprise, as though he had discovered some long hidden secret, but of a confused curiosity.

"Immortality, you say?" she mused. "Well..." Her eyebrows seemed to crease, at least he thought so. "Perhaps. There are a plethora of elixirs that exist, each with their own unique properties. A hypothetical elixir of immortality shouldn't be ruled out."

"I came to that conclusion when I overheard one of those hijackers on the Flying Rift talk about their 'mortality,' or some such. I know it's just an assumption, but since immortality is, I'd imagine, such a sought-after trait, it makes sense there'd be all this commotion over it."

"That is a sensible conclusion, although I've yet to see strong evidence of this so-called elixir having been stored on the Flying Rift." She pursed her lips, looking at Cluster somehow distractedly, as if something had momentarily diverted her attention. "And your horn?" She inclined her head forward.

"Oh, this? This is—"

"Alicorn magic, I presume?"

"How did you...?" said Cluster, nearly cocking his head back, but he reminded himself who he was speaking to. That obvious, huh?

"I never would've guessed that you'd reach that stage so soon," said Celestia with a certain impressiveness. "But..." Now her smile completely waned and was gone for real. "Those terrorist groups, the train property itself—I shudder to imagine how the bad the situation was, to have pushed you so far."

He shrugged. "Somepony had to do something."

"It must have hurt, didn't it? To use so much power?"

"I'm alive. That's all that matters."

"And the hospital bill?"

"I've got all of that covered. It's not a problem at all."

Celestia looked fixedly at him, with that same feeling therein which he had gotten so used to, but this time something unprecedented took hold of her, something more ominous. He observed all of this and frowned, more at himself than at her.

"I'm no mindreader," she started, sighing, "but I can make an estimation as to what your next course of action will be. Correct me if I'm wrong, but are you thinking of going after the elixir yourself?"

"Of course not, Celestia," he replied readily. "If the incident at the Flying Rift is any indication of what this 'elixir' business holds in store, I want no part of it. Least of all now," he said in a lower voice. "Most I'll do is investigate what motivated the terrorists, but even then... I'm not sure yet."

Celestia let out a thoughtful hum, and, turning around, said cryptically, "I would advise against that."

"You think it'll be that dangerous?"

"I can't say for sure. I thought..." For a heartbeat he could have sworn he saw her left eyebrow twitch. "No, I won't say it now," she continued. "Just know that there's much more to this than you're aware of, and it would be in your self-interest to stay away from the problem before it grows out of control. Cluster," she enunciated with particular emphasis, shooting him a kind of hard glance, the well-meaning kind a mother gives to their misguided child, "I have business that I must attend to, and so I say this not as a polite request, but as a serious and stern suggestion for your consideration: stay out of the clear, and don't go looking into this panic. You wouldn't want to put your family in any danger, would you?"

"No, but..." Cluster began, but he instantly changed countenance. "Wait, is this about those political tracts, the ones that criticize you? Do they have anything to do with this?" he asked, getting more animated.

"I've yet to give those any serious thought, but I know you have no connection to them."

Is she only saying that to me because she's figured out some link between those tracts and the elixir? Or is she trying to say something else that I'm just not catching up on?

"Truth to tell, what led me to tail the Flying Rift were those reports pertaining to the disappearance of unicorn magic," said Cluster as he began pacing back and forth. "I considered bringing it up, since it seems so important, especially when the tracts sprung out of nowhere. Doesn't seem coincidental to me."

"We will see in due time, Cluster."

"If you think the ponies who're vying for this so-called elixir have something to do with any of this, or they intend to start some kind of disturbance, just say it. If yes, then I'll withdraw. And haven't you thought of putting an end to these pamphlets, seeing as how whoever started them will be making an appearance next month, at the Autumn Festival?"

"And violate a pony's right to their freedom of expression?" she replied with considerable surprise. "Whoever do you take me for, Cluster?" And she let out a soft chuckle, a smile finally returning to her lips. "No, it's quite alright. It won't be a problem. Many of the board members of the Equestrian Council, including myself, are dealing with this whole issue. Those tracts and pamphlets were even pushed out of the front page by the Flying Rift incident, so yes, it really isn't an issue. Still, take caution. I would even advise you to stay in Ponyville until everything clears."

Cluster stopped in place, and before he could reply, she added, "For the sake of transparency I'll tell you outright that I had two goals in mind in coming here. First, I wished to make sure you really were okay and not just trying to sound tough in your letter. Second, to learn what you intended to do after the Flying Rift, and because you're still my student, I reserve the right to know. Thank you for satisfying my wishes, my faithful Cluster. That is all."

Having snapped these final words with the utmost resolution, she started out the door.

"But I still don't understand, what 'business' are you attending? Are you going to find the elixir?" put in Cluster hastily, following her into the living room. But he went quiet, having interrupted whatever conversation was going on between Daisy and Airglow. Upon entrance it was very obvious that they had taken a liking to each other, judging by the bright and goodnatured expressions on their faces, and how they were laughing just then. When Celestia walked by they immediately lost all of that chattery and even hastened to position themselves next to each other.

Celestia gave them friendly nods, they returned with profound bows; Cluster followed her to the porch and stopped there.

"Now I want my wishes satisfied," he said, lowering an eyebrow. "Did you perchance figure out that there are multiple of these 'elixirs,' and that's why you inadvertently implied it'll take long to solve the issue?" He had thrown this question more as a shot in the dark, just to get her reaction, nothing that was rigorously thought out.

But Celestia gave him a solemn and almost weary look. "I know I can't keep everything from you," she said quietly, with a sad smile of defeat, "you truly are the most extraordinary unicorn I've ever met. It will be a very long time before another surpasses you in terms of raw magical talent."

"I appreciate the compliment," replied Cluster slowly, not without narrowing his eyes, as if searching for something.

"As far as speculation is concerned, I can tell you that there are likely many different groups going after a similarly named 'elixir' artifact. What connection do they each have to one another—whether they're all working together, or some are working independently—that remains to be seen. But after much debate with the board members, we've concluded on certain courses of actions—actions, mind you, that a regular pony such as yourself shouldn't get involved in."

"Like I said, I won't get involved. But, you know, don't blame me for being curious. That and..." He frowned. "And I want to make sure we're all safe."

Celestia opened her mouth, but said nothing; she turned to face him, with a meditative expression, as if he had gotten her full attention for the first time. The way he spoke had some hitherto unseen sincerity to it—or rather, not sincerity, but something more vulnerable and tenderhearted; whereas before, in the Princess's experience, Cluster had always fashioned his words with the hint of some prepared comeback, now it was different. But in spite of this seeming tenderheartedness, he still had a touch of grit to his voice, as if he were in pain but was trying to suppress it, all to imply that something deep inside still troubled him, and he would not be upfront about it.

He's always been tenacious, but whatever brought about this change, it might prove to be... "As long as you don't behave unwisely, you should be fine," said Celestia, but paused to clear her throat; she was surprised by how dry her throat had gotten. "And I know you," she continued. "I know you're capable of great judgement."

"I'll trust you, Celestia," he said, flashing her a weak smile. "Take care."

"You too, my student." She took a step off the porch, her wings flared, and with immense force she propelled herself into the sky. Cluster watched for a minute as her figure grew smaller and smaller from afar, till it dashed away from the moon's light and was taken in by the cover of darkness.

Celestia's just as stumped as I am, isn't she? he thought. She's being honest, I think. It's almost like she's trying to stop a leak before the dam breaks, before something gets out of control, and that she's still trying to figure things out. Whatever that "something" happens to be is anypony's guess. She's definitely going to look for the reason which caused the attacks on the Flying Rift, but my mention of the disappearing magic didn't invoke much of a reaction. Has that already been solved? No, like she said, maybe it's best if I stay out of it and let the royal council handle things from here.

Cluster's eyes instantly went wide as another recent memory struck him. Damn it, I forgot to tell her about Marble Solid! He obviously has something to do with this. But... will I have to worry about him from now on... if I really do intend to stay out of it?

He silently stood there for some time in contemplation, almost giving himself a headache, as it were. But he decided not to think about it too much.

I'll write to her as soon as I can about this intel, he resolved.

In all this thinking he didn't even hear the door creak from behind him.

"Um, Cluster?" Daisy strode up right next to him, darting her blinking eyes between him and the empty space he was gazing upon. "Is Princess Celestia gone?"

"Yeah, she's gone."

"Oh! Well..." she started, tilting her head. "You wanna come back inside? Um, oh, your sister's really nice," she added sweetly, as if to encourage him.

Cluster turned around, gesturing with his hoof for her to go in first, then he followed suit. Having shut the door, he approached the couch, though that contemplative yet sad expression remained with him.

"Hey, Cluster," said Airglow curiously, hopping off the couch, "what'd you and the Princess talk about?"

"She just wanted to ask me a few questions, mainly about the Flying Rift incident." He stopped at the couch but did not sit down. "Hey, Daisy"— he turned to her —"how's Aurora doing? Sleeping soundly?"

"Yeah, I just got done feeding her around an hour ago," said Daisy with a bright smile. "She's in the crib right now."

"Aurora? Crib?" babbled Airglow, not sure who to look at. "Is somepony else here?"

"Aurora's my daughter," replied Cluster flatly.

"Oh, your daughter..." muttered Airglow, looking up. "Wait!" She froze, her memory bank failing her. She darted her dumbfounded gaze even faster between Daisy and Cluster, and then all but flew up to him. "You have a daughter!"

"Yeah, I do," he said, again with the same casual and flat tone.

"As in..." Airglow's ears drooped, visible confusion highlighting every feature of her face. "Your adopted daughter?"

"No, biological daughter."

"Biological, as in...?"

"Come on, surely you've been given the birds and the bees talk before."

Judging by how Airglow did not react to his wry comment, she seemed to have accepted this new groundbreaking fact rather wholly. She sat down, thought for another second, then said, though not with very much energy, as if deep in thought, "I mean, congratulations, but... who's the mother?"

"Um, I-I am," Daisy jumped in somewhat quickly, lifting her front hoof a bit. She responded to Airglow's resurrected astonishment with a nervous smile.

"You?" Airglow pointed at Daisy, then looked back at Cluster. "And you?"

"Yeah," said Cluster with a faint blush, rubbing the back of his head. "It's our child."

"Cluster..." Airglow let out in a breathy voice, eyes glittering with unexpected tears. The corners of her mouth shot up into the biggest grin he'd ever seen, right before she threw her arms around him. "I just knew there was some mare out there that you loved! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

"Yeah, okay, okay!" said Cluster in a vexed and exasperated voice, receding his neck and raising a hoof. "Don't make it weird, Airglow."

But Airglow did not hear him, having flown right up to Daisy, grabbed her hoof with both of hers, and stared right at her with bright, bedazzled eyes. "You're so-o-o-o lucky to be starting a family with Cluster! He really is amazing, isn't he? Isn't he?"

"Y-yeah, he really is!" replied the frightened Daisy, with polite and timid attempts at backing away. She responded to Airglow's cheery giggles with her own forceful and wooden ones. She glanced at Cluster and mouthed the phrase "help me."

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Cluster deftly ran up and placed a hoof on Airglow's shoulder, drawing her attention to him, flashing her a warm and buoyant smile, speaking with the cheeriest and most upbeat voice he could muster. "Why don't I show you our dear Aurora? She's so adorable, sis, you're gonna love her!"

Apparently this display was effective. Airglow turned completely to him, beaming, almost hopping on her hooves. She gleefully nodded her head, like a filly who was about to open her first present on Hearth's Warming, as he began to lead her upstairs.

Wow, thought Daisy, watching Cluster lead his ecstatic sister away, he's a pretty convincing actor.

* * *

It was about thirty minutes later, and in the bathroom down the hall, on the second floor, the noise of a shower subsided. The curtain was pulled apart, and out stepped Airglow, completely drenched with heavy wisps of steam clinging to her body.

"Ahh, that's so nice!" she prattled blissfully, landing on the mat and grabbing hold of a white folded towel from the metal holder. She started drying herself off, finishing with her mane, around which she wrapped the towel. It had been a while since she took a shower, though she had tried her best not to explain. The soothing sensation of hot water falling rapidly on her, face to the shower-head, feeling the numerous spray points—there really was no better feeling.

After having seen Aurora dozing off in her crib, combined with the shower, and Airglow felt all prongs of tension and anxiety slip away from her. A warmness spread inside her, one she did not want to let go. The foal was indeed very adorable, and she couldn't help but stare at it with starry, almost tearful eyes. She felt happy for Cluster, for Daisy, and even for herself.

Unfortunately the foal had woken and started to make a fuss. That was when Cluster recommended her to go clean up, and to take as long as she likes. Weirdly enough—not that Airglow dwelled on it for long, but she still found it weird—was that Cluster had asked Daisy to bring the bottle of milk that was still in the fridge. That was when Cluster fed Aurora himself and Daisy watched by the doorway.

Why a bottle? thought Airglow during the shower while her eyes were closed, basking in the steaming water. Sweet Aurora barely looks older than a month. Aren't mares supposed to feed their foals, with their...? Nah, I'm thinking about it too much. I'm sure there's a reason. It's probably because I'm here, and they didn't want to make it look weird.

Still, the thought stuck to her almost half-consciously, as it were.

"I hope I wasn't the one who woke her up," muttered Airglow, leaning over the sink and wiping a spot of steam off the mirror, gazing somewhat absentmindedly at her reflection. She blinked a few times, looked aside twice, and took the towel off her head. Her mane, still slightly wet, flopped down over her face; she pushed it aside and kept staring.

Should I get a mane-cut? she thought again. It is kinda long. She blew a strand of hair that was still over her face and smiled. Or maybe not. I kinda like it long.

Having thoroughly dried off, she stepped out of the bathroom and starting making her way to the stairway, but her attention was caught by the door to Aurora's room which was cracked open. She stopped, having nothing better to do, and curiously peeked through.

Cluster sat there, looking over his daughter. His chin rested in his arms which were folded together, leaning on the crib. Airglow stood there for a while, not knowing why herself, simply observing the still image of her brother. What struck her was his expression: he was smiling, but there was something sad about his smile. His gaze was cloudy and somehow wistful. He looked at his daughter with a sense of loving care, longing, yet gloomily.

Airglow heard several whispered words coming from Cluster's mouth, but she could not make them out.

"You really have your mom's eyes," he said in an undertone. Aurora was quietly asleep, softly snoring and tugging at a blanket draped over her. "She would've been so happy to see you now..." Cluster went on even more quietly; he narrowed his eyes, and his smile slowly vanished.

Airglow smiled, and she was just about to leave them be, but she caught the tiniest glimpses of something trembling on Cluster's face. She squinted her own eyes, trying all she could to see through the darkness.

Cluster let out a long, heavy exhale; he brought a hoof up to wipe the tears that started to run down his cheeks.

"I'll protect you no matter what," he said, bending forth and very gently planting a kiss in Aurora's forehead. The latter squirmed for a bit, then resumed her sound sleep. "No matter what happens, you'll be safe."

Airglow was still staring, as if frozen in place, when all her senses rushed back to her and she was prodded on the shoulder by Daisy.

"Oh, hey," said Airglow quietly, backing away from the door.

"Did you have a good shower?" asked Daisy, smiling.

Airglow returned the smile and nodded. "It was something I didn't know I needed. Thank you so much."

"I'm really glad to hear that. If you need anything else, just ask." She looked at the door, then back to Airglow. "Is Cluster in there?"

"Yeah, he is. Aurora's sleeping right now. But... you know, I still find it crazy that I'm now an aunt. It's just so weird."

"You think so?" Daisy looked up for a moment.

"It's just that—I thought aunts were supposed to be old, y'know? Not somepony like me," she tittered, then sighed. "Yeah... maybe it's just me." Airglow's eyes suddenly softened, and still with that simple-hearted smile she took a step closer to Daisy. "You and Cluster must really love each other," she threw in gaily.

Daisy shot Airglow a look, but she suddenly cleared her throat. "Right, right," she chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.

"Come on..." Airglow batted her lashes, slowly backing Daisy into a corner. Daisy's excusified chuckling buckled and gave way to an impetuously nervous stare at Airglow's grin. "You gotta describe it to me more. I'm a sucker for this sort of thing, especially when he's involved."

"Um..." said Daisy dumbly, ears slanting down. What had gotten into her!

"Do you really love my brother?"

Daisy gulped. They held their stare for at least five seconds. All of a sudden Airglow dissolved into a fit of laughter, the kind of laughter which is mischievous at first but instantly turns to an innocent confession; almost falling, she leaned against the wall, holding her sides.

"Oh, sorry, I'm so sorry!" she said between titters, returning to her previous, more genuine smile. "That was so bad of me! I'm just joking around! Really, that was so silly, I don't even know why I did it. I must have caught that behaviour from Cluster..."

"R-right, that was a joke, yeah, right, I knew that..." Daisy exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding. She tried matching Airglow's cheerier mood, but it didn't hold; some new wave of encouragement seemingly swept through her and blazed out in her downcast eyes. She timidly crossed her legs. "But... yeah, you're right, I love him," she muttered, barely audibly enough to be heard, then muttered again, "I do love him."

"I think I get it now," said Airglow. "I mean, I think I understand why he's changed." She gestured at the door to Aurora's room. "I could never come to terms with what he was thinking before the Summer Sun Celebration, but now he must be a lot happier, right?"

"I guess so," she said, looking almost solemnly at Airglow. "But sometimes, I get the feeling that when he becomes happy, or when he tries to be happy, he's in pain."

Airglow blinked, not expecting such a comment.

The door behind her slowly opened. Cluster stepped out into the hall, closed the door, and approached them.

"Aurora's sleeping, she was just hungry," he said to Daisy. "And I can see you finished taking your shower, sis. Oh, by the way," he emphasized, looking at Airglow with slight concern, "do you really want to sleep over tonight? Aurora might start crying in the middle of the night—it's happened before—so I can't exactly promise you a good night's sleep."

"It's fine," replied Airglow. "I wouldn't mind at all, even if that were the case."

"Right. Anyway..." Cluster started heading to the staircase. "You guys can hit the hay whenever you'd like. I'll be in the living room for a bit."

Daisy and Airglow exchanged glances. Daisy in particular seemed stirred, having uttered those last few words, while in Airglow's case she could not shake that frigid air which suddenly started to come off of Cluster. Still, something else more openhearted and sensitive radiated from him as well, filling Airglow with some newfound hope that did not exist before Fillydelphia.

She and Daisy smiled courteously to each other. They parted ways in the hallway.

Cluster had hardly sat down on the couch when Airglow descended the steps as well and sat across from him.

"You want to stay here, too?" asked Cluster in surprise.

Shoot, I didn't even consider that he may want some alone time. "My bad, I'll go somewhere else," said Airglow sheepishly.

"No, it's fine," Cluster cut in before she could leave the couch. "Just got a lot on my mind, that's all. Want to think some things over. You can stay."

Airglow placed her fore-hooves between her legs in an almost childlike stance, pressing her back to the couch, trying to get comfortable. She cast a glance at the hearth, now burnt out, with a spiff of smoke releasing from the charcoal every now and then.

But she had a lot on her mind, too. Cluster was looking at her somehow attentively, yet with a preoccupied stare, evidently waiting for her to initiate some kind of conversation.

"What?" she said automatically.

"It's nothing, but"— he leaned forward, hunching his shoulders —"you look like you want to tell me something."

Airglow bit her lip, but immediately released it, having become conscious of what she was doing. "You think... Sharp is gonna be able to figure out whoever sent those bad guys to the Flying Rift?" she said suddenly, her face going hot for some reason.

"Sure. He's a capable guy, plus he's serving under Celestia." Which reminds me, he's here in Ponyville right now. I should go talk to him when I get the chance.

Cluster leaned his right cheek on his hoof. He and Airglow sat there in silence, and yet he noticed the distracted and almost unconfident expression on her face.

"I didn't know how to word it before," she said suddenly, "with everything that's happened. But now that it's all calm waters for now, I've been meaning to ask you for advice, or..."

"Advice?"

"No, not advice," she said again, shaking her head. "It's not advice. Sorry, I didn't phrase that well. It's just"— she looked at him more intently now; he lifted his cheek from his hoof —"I know that you've begun acting differently, ever since Fillydelphia, and I think that's really great and all. It's even encouraged me to ask you, because I really trust you, so... um... okay, here goes." She took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for something. She went on, "Have I ever told you the first time somepony asked me out?"

Cluster's ears perked at such an unexpected question, but his expression remained relatively unchanged. "I don't think so," he said.

"Well, you know, I'm a fan of romance novels, ever since I was little, and in those novels the guy always asks the girl out, and it's usually a high school setting. I remember how those scenes are often written—they always crown it as an important moment in the story, always a big deal, with how their hearts flutter, and how the girl is described as feeling like she's being lifted off her hooves. I know it sounds really dumb, but it was always a small dream of mine to have that happen to me. Then it... it did."

"I don't see what's so dumb about that," said Cluster. "Seeking romantic affection is completely normal. I've dated my fair share back in high school."

"But that's what I didn't understand. One day, during my first year of high school, a colt came up to me during our lunch break and asked me out. But I didn't feel anything. He was a nice guy, don't get me wrong, and he seemed really eager. But that fluttering in your heart, that rush of blood to your face, the feeling of floating off the ground—I didn't get any of that. Nothing. Needless to say I turned him down. That night I went to bed thinking if he did something wrong, or if something was wrong with me. That's when it hit me—there was never any colt I really liked, I mean, 'liked' liked, you know?"

Cluster was surprised, but astutely kept silent and stared at his sister, hoping she would express herself more clearly.

Airglow observed his astuteness and added, though with evident hesitation, "Is it... weird... for mares... to like... other mares?"

Now Cluster definitely did not know what to say. He shifted on the couch, looked around the room for a brief second, then said, "Well... I really have no idea. But does it matter?"

Though Airglow was hardly maintaining eye contact with him, instead timidly tapping her hooves together. Her whole composure betrayed some kind of concealed embarrassment. "I mean," she said in a barely audible voice, twisting her mouth to the side, "it could matter a little bit. Would it be weird if I liked mares?" She looked up at him.

Cluster's eyes lit up, and he at once came to understand what she meant. Though, to be blunt, it is funny that it took him that long to understand.

His whole face softened. And, smiling warmly and wholeheartedly, he rose from his couch, strode up to her, and embraced her in a hug. At first she was caught off break, but was almost instantly put at ease.

"It's not weird at all," he said, looking at her. "Like whoever you want to like. Nothing about you could ever change."

Now Airglow realized all at once that her previous apprehensions pertaining to this fact had seemed like so many bad dreams—impossible and even silly to fret over. She happily rested her head against his chest, and for a whole minute they stayed like that. She accepted her brother's affections without compromise.

"Thanks," she said, smiling. "I think I needed to hear that. I love you, brother."

"Love you, too, sis."

Little by little a warm ease of mind—that feeling she had felt the week prior when meeting Cluster at the hospital entrance—returned to her. She had always loved Cluster, ever since they met, but now she saw him somewhat differently. After that minute they separated and did not bring up the topic again, felt no need to. Everything that needed to be said and done was said and done.

"You wanna go to bed now?" asked Cluster, noting the time.

Airglow happily nodded, and the two left the couch. But just then three very hard, very distinct knocks came from the front door.

"Huh, who could be out here at a time like this?" he remarked. He went to the door, opened it, and was very surprised to see a guard, one decked out in full armour save for the helmet, standing at attention.

"Forgive me for intruding on your privacy at such a late hour, but this is urgent," said the guard. He indeed had a very grave expression. "Are you Cluster Tale?"

"Is something the matter?" asked Airglow from the stairway.

"Yeah, I'm Cluster Tale," replied Cluster. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, sir," began the guard, his frown growing more and more anxious, "I bring you very tragic news concerning your father, Bronze Pocket."

Author's Note:

If this was part 1–2 Cluster, he'd probably be cruel and make some joke at the expense of Airglow's sexual orientation. All in all, Airglow was smart to wait till now to tell him.