> Family
>  by Talon and Thorn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> New Arrival
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raindrops trotted back and forth in the waiting room, how long would they be? It had to have been hours by now. Not watching where she was going she walked into one of the cloud chairs which lined the walls, it turned out to be solid enough to unbalance her, causing her to land heavily on her rump. Hissing, she angrily kicked out at the offending chair and watched with satisfaction as it dissolved into a shower of rain and sunk into the clouds that made up the floor.
 
“Don’t do that!” said Auntie Ladybug grabbing the filly by one of her forelegs and dragging her back to the surviving seats.
 
For a moment Raindrops wanted to fight back, to strike out at her aunt, but she managed to keep herself under control, closing her eyes and counting to ten just like Doctor Issues had told her. She hated having to see the Doctor, it wasn’t like she was sick, regardless of what the other foals at school said behind her back. She was just angry, she seemed to always be angry these days. Angry enough to cripple Hoops, whispered a dark voice in her head, sick enough to enjoy it. She shook her head violently to try and dislodge the voice, she wasn’t like that, he’d deserved it after what he said about her mother when he’d heard she was having a unicorn foal, laughing at her when she spun out trying that triple twist in gym had just been the last straw. She shook her head again, nopony deserved that.
 
Auntie Ladybug rested a leg on the distressed filly’s back. “Look I’m sorry Drops, I know you’re bored, but you’ll have a little brother soon, won’t that be good?”
 
“No!” grunted Raindrops, she hated being called Drops, “I don’t want a stupid brother, why is he all that everypony wants to talk about?”
 
Ladybug sighed. “You're jealous, I know, I felt the same way when I found out your grandparents were going to have your mother. I thought they would stop loving me once the new foal was born, but you know what? Love’s not something that gets smaller the more ponies its spread between, there’s always more of it to go around. My parents loved me, and your mother, just as much.”
 
Raindrops frowned, that didn’t sound too bad, but what would her parents think when she lost her temper with the new foal, when she hurt him. She shuddered, there was no way they could love her if she did that, maybe she didn’t deserve to be loved.
 
“Anyway,” continued Ladybug not noticing her niece’s dark mood, “Think of all the fun things you can do with your brother!”
 
“I suppose so,” mumbled Raindrops not seeming convinced. “Auntie what happened...” She was interrupted as a nurse in a crisp white uniform entered the waiting room, she checked a clipboard and looked up. “Ladybug? Raindrops?” she asked.
 
Auntie Ladybug turned to her. “Yes,” she said.
 
“Congratulations, your sister had her foal with no complications, he’s a very healthy colt. Both mother and baby are doing well.” Ladybug let out a deep breath that Raindrops hadn’t noticed she’d been holding.
 
“Thank goodness!”
 
The nurse turned to Raindrops. “Would you like to meet your new brother?” she asked.
 
“I suppose so,” muttered Raindrops, scuffing her hooves through the floor.
 
“Come on,” said the nurse with a bright smile as she led the two mares into the room she had just come from. To Raindrops’ surprise it was quite large, with several holes high up in the wall to allow sunlight and fresh air in. Even stranger, most of the floor was covered by a large carpet, and it wasn’t sinking through the cloud. Enchanted furniture which would float on cloud was very expensive, she knew her mum and dad had looked into getting something like it for their house and that it would have cost more than a whole ground house by itself. The thought made Raindrops scowl again and she looked around the room for the creature that had caused that decision to have to be made.
 
She noticed her mother, Shutterbug, first of all, slumped near the middle of the carpet looking tired and drawn, her coat wet with sweat. She was resting her head against Raindrops’ father Dewdrops. Then she noticed the horrible, home wrecking creature that had just entered her life, and was going to not only steal her parents, but also destroy her home. Her first feelings were not, as she had expected, anger or hatred, but surprise, it, he, was just so small. A tiny little figure of a pony seemingly made almost entirely of leg who probably wouldn’t have even come up to her chest if he could stand. Getting his legs under him seemed to be a major challenge for the little creature at the moment. He managed one then two then one would slide away and with a little bleat of frustration he would tumble to the ground again.
 
With a smile Shutter Bug reached out with a leg and pulled the foal closer. “Raindrops, I’d like you to meet your little brother, Snails.” Seemingly without her conscious volition, Raindrops’ wings carried her towards her family. “Snails, this is your big sister Raindrops.”
 
The tiny foal looked up with wide eyes at his sister as she hovered nearby, seemingly amazed by her. He stuck out a long leg in her direction and waggled it around trying to reach her. Raindrops dazedly reached out a leg of her own and the two of them touched. The little leg wrapped around her own with surprising strength, his colours are just like mine, she thought, just a little darker. She carefully tried to pull her leg away but the tiny pony kept his grip and she found herself lifting him up, his other three legs locked underneath him wobbling slightly, he looked down in wonder and then let go of his sister, with a squeak of triumph that brought a smile to Raindrop’s face he found his balance and swayed in place for a moment.
 
“He’s standing!” gasped Shutterbug, “Already! It looks like we might have an athlete in the family!” The foal took one unsteady step, then another until one of his forelegs slipped and he collapsed face first onto the carpet, he blinked for a moment before bursting into tears.
 
“Maybe not,” said Dewdrops reaching forwards to comfort his son. The little colt’s cries quieted a little as he squirmed against his father's grasp. “Would you like to hold him Raindrops?” he asked.
 
Raindrops shook her head violently, she’d break him! And then her parents would hate her forever!
 
“Are you sure?” said Shutterbug, “I think he likes you.”
 
Raindrops looked at the still sobbing colt being held in place by his father. “What if I do it wrong?” she asked unsure.
 
“I’ll show you,” he said starting to pass the foal over to her, “Put your leg here and bend it like this.”
 
As gently as she could Raindrops put a slightly shaky arm around the foal who quietened almost instantly and looked up at her with big aqua eyes full of trust. He snuggled against her chest for a moment before he started to sniff the air and struggle. Was she doing it wrong? thought Raindrops, was she hurting him? She tried to fight back her panic.
 
“It looks like someone’s hungry,” noted the nurse gesturing for Raindrops to put the foal down. As she did so, Snails walked, with noticeably less wobble this time, towards his mother and started to bump his head against her stomach. “Let me help you get him started.”
 
Raindrops frowned for a moment wondering what was going on, then she remembered some hoof curlingly embarrassing lectures from school and turned away before her brother started his first meal. To one side her father was talking with Auntie Ladybug. “The doctors say the two of them should be out of here some time tomorrow,” he said, “Thanks for offering to help, we need to move our things by then so we can settle into the new place.”
 
Raindrops' heart dropped as she remembered what was going on. It was that wingless freak’s fault that they had to move to a ground house. It wasn’t fair, she didn’t know anypony on the ground, and they were moving to some nowhere place called Ponyville. They didn’t have any of the cool stuff Cloudsdale had, no theatre, no cloudiseum, they probably didn’t even have books down there. She tried to curse her little brother and his disability, but her heart wasn’t really in it. She hadn’t expected him to be so small, or to look so cute with his little nub of a horn and that big smile.
 
Dewdrops must have noticed his daughter’s expression as he reached over to her and pulled her into a big hug. “I know this is a big change for you but you’ve been really good,” he said, “I’m sure you’ll make all sorts of friends in Ponyville.”
 
“Can’t we stay in Cloudsdale? Please?” she whined into his wing.
 
“You know your brother can’t walk on clouds,” he said gently. “He can’t live up here, it wouldn’t be safe.”
 
Pouting, Raindrops turned back towards her mother hoping to get some support, she was glad to see that her brother had apparently finished his meal. The nurse was helping her mother to her hooves while the foal was tottering around with more confidence on his stick thin legs. Looking up, his gaze locked with his big sister’s and he gave a snort before starting to gallop towards her, his legs seeming to take on a life of their own beyond the control of his body, dragging the rest of him along after them.
 
The whole thing looked so silly that Raindrops couldn’t help but laugh, then realisation hit her; Snails was running towards the edge of the carpet where the ground became cloud, cloud he couldn’t walk on! “Snails!” she cried, but it only seemed to attract the capering foal more. Her father noticed the danger as well and began to move to intercept his son, but he was moving too slowly, far too slowly. Quicker than thought, Raindrops rushed forwards and grabbed her brother just before he could fall off the edge of the carpet and plummet through the floor. Surprised, he let out a frightened bleat as he found himself in his sister's arms. “Don’t worry,” she whispered to him, “I’ll never let you fall, I’ll protect you.” She blushed realising what she’d just said. “I mean, you should be more careful!” she half-heartedly scolded the foal. Leaning forwards, Snails licked his sister’s face, before letting out a great stinky belch.
 
Gagging she gently carried him back to her mother. “That was very good of you saving your brother like that Raindrops,” she said, “But the doctor’s cast a cloud walking spell on him as soon as he was born, the carpet’s just a precaution.”
 
“Oh,” muttered Raindrops feeling a little silly now. Her mother rested one wing around her and another around Snails who had slumped down next to her and fallen asleep, apparently tired out by his short run.
 
“But you didn’t know that, you were a very good big sister.” Shutterbug kissed her daughter on her head. “I know you don’t want to leave your school and all your friends.” Raindrops sighed, she guessed she didn’t really have many friends since the incident with Hoops, even Rainbow Glider had been keeping her distance recently, “but we have to move for Snails,” continued Shutterbug, “It might not seem very fair to you, but you’ll get to make new friends, and see all sorts of things you never would up here.”
 
“I suppose so,” muttered Raindrops. Maybe it wouldn’t be as bad as she thought it would be.
 
“Think of it as an adventure, one you and your brother can take together.” Raindrops glanced over at her brother and a little smile played across her muzzle, he did seem sort of fun. “Now,” said her mother, “Let’s have a family photo!” She produced a camera from somewhere and passed it to Ladybug while Dewdrops came over and put one foreleg around his wife and rested the other on his daughter's back. Raindrops gently picked up Snails, trying not to wake the sleeping foal, and Shutterbug wrapped her wings around her whole family as the flash went off immortalising the moment.  
> Picnic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whistling to herself, Trixie put down her quill and carefully folded the letter she had just finished, taking care not to smudge the ink as she placed it into an envelope and sealed it. One piece of personal correspondence to be delivered to the post office when she had a free moment, or when she next bumped into Ditzy, whichever came first.
 
She sighed; it was a shame she hadn’t had a chance to visit her family recently, or for them to visit her, but at least she could still keep in touch with them via letter. Since she had moved to Canterlot half her lifetime ago she hadn’t gotten to see them as often as she’d like to. Luna had let her visit for holidays so she’d kept up to date, but it did feel like they were growing distant. Several of her cousin’s hadn’t even been born when she’d first become Luna’s student. As for Little Harpo, the youngest, she’d only seen him once and he’d hardly been a month old then, when had that been? Six months ago now? Trixie tutted, she really should plan something soon, maybe bring the girls with her? She was sure they’d like a tour of Le Grand Facile, maybe they could go for the Summer Sun festival? Standing up from her desk and stretching Trixie glanced over at her calendar meaning to check when she was free, but instead a note on today’s date caught her eye: -
 
Picnic with the Girls - Don’t forget!
 
Whoops! She rushed to the window and looked up at the town clock tower, she had less than an hour to get ready! And she’d promised to prepare the food this time! Her heart rate slowed a little as she remembered that she’d gotten most of the shopping done yesterday. Still, she needed to prepare and pack it, but she should have time. She trotted into the residence’s smallish kitchen and took out a large wicker basket. She searched through the various cupboards and drawers for the food stuffs she’d need.
 
She and her family had used to go on picnics a lot, just head out of the city, find a more or less dry patch of bayou and set up there, plenty of food and good company. Once they had eaten their fill her grandfather, Quartermoon, would put on a private magic show for them, making sure he involved all the family. Once he had passed they had kept up the tradition, each of the family members would put on their own act. Aunt Moonsinger, as her name suggested, usually sang, normally something operatic that they could all join in with. Her husband Sky Shaper, although not a professional, was a decent comic. Trixie’s oldest cousin Limelight wasn’t a bad dancer, but she felt that her next oldest cousin Sharp Minded let the family down a bit. She normally carried out some memory trick, telling you what day of the week a date in ten year’s time would be, something like that; it wasn’t like it was a real skill, still the Great and Powerful Trixie had enough talent to make up for that.
 
The tradition had become even more important to her after Trixie had become Luna’s student. When she managed to visit they’d go picnicking again and as the family grew the new arrivals proved to have their own talents. Night Echo turned out to be a talented ventriloquist; of the twins, Tumult was quite the aerial acrobat, not quite up to Dash’s level, but still impressive for a foal, while his sister Serenity was a decent poet. Even the babies showed talent, Bunny was just as acrobatic as her brother even if she was earthbound, and Little Harpo, despite being less than a month old, seemed to have an interest in anything stringed that could make noise. Trixie smiled at the memory, perhaps Lyra could give him lessons.
 
That was an idea, maybe she could talk her friends into putting on a show this afternoon, carry on the family tradition with her friends. Was there really a difference between friends and family anyway? she pondered. If you really loved someone, did it matter if you shared blood or not?
 
Just in case her friends did agree to the show Trixie decided to pack her cape, it was filled with a few tricks she could carry out. If they did put on a show then Lyra could play her instrument, Cheerilee was sure to be able to show off some interesting talent or other and Carrot Top, Raindrops and Ditzy could probably think of something to do. She’d have to suggest it when they met up.
 
Shaking herself from her thoughts she turned back to the hamper and considered what to put in it. She was always surprised how unadventurous most of her friends were when it came to food. She kept trying to introduce them to new things but they kept returning to their old favourites. It wasn’t like her cooking was bad, she’d learnt at the hooves of one of the best cooks in all Neigh Orleans. The whole family agreed that Moonsinger’s meals were magnifique.
 
Trixie looked down at the options before her, should she try to get her friends to try shrimp again? She’d had a small pack imported for her own consumption; they weren’t as good as they were fresh, but they were still edible, particularly if dipped in marmalade. Maybe Cheerilee would try some, the teacher was the most adventurous of her friends and Trixie would be surprised if she hadn’t tried seafood at least once during her travels. Maybe she’d even gone fishing at some point. Trixie’s uncle had once tried to teach her to fish, the pegasus preferred to lie out on a cloud over a pool in the bayou and snooze until he got a bite, or didn’t, he seemed equally happy either way. He’d had to adapt his technique a little to teach his land bound niece. They’d set up their rods on the shore and waited, and waited, and waited. As a filly Trixie had been a touch hyperactive, it seemed to run in the family, from the little she’d seen of her Bunny was a little dynamo as well, and the time had gnawed at her until she’d decided to take matters into her own hooves. Her uncle had been awoken by the splash as little Trixie pounced on a passing fish, he’d had to drag her from the water but she had managed to keep her grip in the slippery creature, it had been almost as big as she was, the whole family had eaten well from her efforts.
 
She smiled at the recollection, her uncle had taught her a surprising number of things over the years, fishing, haggling, sewing, Trixie was even surprised by the amount weather control knowledge she’d picked up. In a way, she supposed Sky Shaper was a bit like Cheerilee, they both loved teaching foals. Maybe Raindrops was a bit like him as well, they both worked weather control and loved it.
 
Maybe that was part of why she loved her friends so much, they reminded her of her family? She could maybe see a little of Limelight in Ditzy, her eldest cousin had often had to be a surrogate parent to her and Sharpie when her aunt and uncle were busy. He was talented in other ways too, he’d been involved in some of the largest shows in Neigh Orleans; it was a shame his skills were behind the scenes. Trixie didn’t think she could stand to see others getting all the applause for things she had done, although he seemed happy with the situation.
 
She paused her packing for a moment, was that how Carrot Top felt? The farmer seemed to have so many skills, not only in growing her crops, but also selling them, alchemy, herbalism, she even managed to keep her irrigation system going almost single hoofed. She’d always thought the meek earth pony should have advertised herself more, step forwards and take her own bows, but was she just happy the way things were? Like Lime was? Trixie couldn’t quite get her head around the concept.
 
At least Carrot Top was proud of her mane. That was an idea, maybe she could ask Carrot Top to sell her a bottle or two of her shampoo to send home to her family for Hearth’s Warming. Serenity was very vain about her coat after all, it was common for the filly to use all the hot water in the house to make herself look her best.
 
Trixie looked down into the basket now part full with goodies, she should hurry up, what next? Oh yes, she’d bought a dozen mixed muffins; from Sugar Cube Corner last night, that should be enough for all the girls and a few extra for any guests. Lyra had mentioned Bon Bon would be coming if the shop was quiet, and Ditzy would of course bring Dinky, Raindrops had said Snails would like to come as well, it would give Dinky some company. Having her two top fans around would increase the chance she would be asked to perform, maybe she could pack a few smoke bombs alongside the muffins, as long as they didn’t get mixed up things should go fine.
 
She knew Dinky had been practising the few tricks Trixie had shown her; maybe she’d start making her own shows soon, she might even be teaching Trixie a few things in a year or two. When she’d last picnicked with her family she’d been surprised how good Night Echo’s ventriloquism act has been, the teen pegasus had certainly learnt a lot while Trixie had been in Canterlot. The show had even given her a few ideas on how to improve her invisibility spells to make it even harder for anypony to locate her. That reminded her, her cousin’s theatre school variety troupe was due to perform at the royal concert hall in Canterlot in a few months, she should make sure she and the girls got tickets. Maybe she could talk the producer into letting her warm up the crowd before the show; she was sure it would be a big hit by itself, but a smattering of Great and Powerfulness wouldn’t hurt to crank up the reviews.
 
Smiling at the idea Trixie looked down at the basket again, sandwich time! But what fillings to use? She glanced around her kitchen at all the possibilities, plain cheese? Jam? Daffodil? She thought she had some crocuses left over as well. She sniffed at some potato salad she found at the back of the pantry and recoiled from the stench, maybe not. She threw a whole sliced loaf in the air catching each slice in her aura, buttering them and adding a mix of fillings before letting them drift down to the table in a neat pile. She bowed to an imaginary audience for a moment, there was never a real one around when you wanted one, before packing the sandwiches away.
 
The basket was almost full now, just room for a last few things. Raindrops had mentioned she’d liked the cream filled donuts that Sugar Cube Corner had started to sell recently. Trixie scrambled around for the box she had gotten yesterday only to find it empty. Yes, they were rather nice, and expensive. Trixie weighed out her coin pouch for a moment. No, she probably shouldn’t get any more this month.
 
Trixie shrugged, she’d never been that great at holding on to money, she was more of a live for today type. Her cousin Sharp Minded had been better at budgeting. As a filly, much to Trixie’s annoyance, her cousin always seemed to have enough for sweets when she wanted them, whereas Trixie used all her allowance up in a day or two. Really, the two of them could not have been more different despite being more or less the same age, and having to share a room. Trixie’s half of the room had been covered in posters of their grandfather, whereas Sharpie’s was almost bare, well apart from her power ponies collection. She had all the dolls, sorry, action figures, carefully sealed away in a glass case and all the comics in individual bags; she wasn’t even sure if her cousin ever read them, she was such a dork. That was probably why she became an accountant, mused Trixie. Still, it wasn’t all bad. Sharpie had been able to give her some very useful advice once she moved to Ponyville and accidentally blew a good chunk of her working budget when she submitted the wrong paperwork, although she was sure Sharpie would hold it over her head the next time they met in person.
 
Maybe she didn’t get on perfectly with all of her family, there was always going to be a little friction with someone as innately annoying as Sharpie, but that didn’t mean she didn’t love the mare. Still she had a good relationship with most of them. Trixie considered for a moment, would her feeling for her cousins any different if they were her siblings? No, in fact she’d never really understood the difference. Why should she love them any less because they were her aunt’s children rather than her mother’s? She’d grown up with them, how did that make them different from being brothers and sisters? Moonsinger was one of the best parents she knew, despite not being her biological mother, and Sky Shaper was far more of a father to her than the salaud she happened to be descended from.
 
Did it even matter if you were related or not? If Trixie had been adopted by a stranger rather than her aunt after the death of her mother, would the ponies she was raised with be less her family? Was there even a difference between friends and family? She loved her friends as if they were her own sisters, and she would make sure that someday, someday soon, her friends and her family would meet, all those closest to her in the same place.
 
Looking down she noticed her hooves had finished packing the whole bag, she lifted it with her aura and balanced it on her back. Her legs sagged a little, maybe she’d packed a little too much? No, she was sure her friends would manage to eat it all. She turned back to the clock, just about the right time as well, she’d be able to get out to the woods and meet them there. Maybe once they finished their meal they’d like to see her latest tricks, or at least be too loaded down with food to be able to get away once she started.
 
With a grin Trixie swung open her door and stepped out into the sunshine beyond with a song in her heart.




> In Loco Parentis
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheerilee ran her gaze over her foals checking that they were all safe and happy. Here a pair of fillies were throwing a ball back and forth, there a small herd was playing tag, and over there more were gathered in a huddled conversation. She smiled, everything seemed normal. Of course they weren’t technically her foals, but for several hours a day she sort of borrowed them from their parents, protected them and cared for them like they were her own family. There was an ancient pegasus term for the relationship between teachers and their students, in loco parentis, in place of the parent. It had originally been a bond where the master would teach the student the art of war and be required to die in their place until the training was concluded. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but she did take her responsibility seriously.
 
Still, it was nice to have a little time to herself. Sometimes, when she had lots of marking to do, she’d have lunch inside the schoolhouse and leave the kids to themselves, but when possible she liked to spend her time near them. Maybe it wasn’t the most relaxing of breaks but she wanted to be there on hoof if they needed her. She had propped herself on a bench near a table in the shade of her little school; from there she could see almost every corner of the playground while still having a sense of privacy.
 
She carefully unwrapped her rather meagre lunch, she was on a diet after realising she’d put on a bit of weight recently. It was surprising given all her adventures since having become the element of laughter but she supposed she was a little more sedentary than she’d been as a younger mare. She sighed as she looked down at the rather unappetizing cucumber sandwich in front of her, the dry hay seemed even less attractive. Why did things that were good for you taste so much worse than things that were bad? Case to point, there, part hidden under a napkin, was the block of toffee that Bon Bon had given her to sample when she’d last bumped into her. It was apparently a new recipe and Bon Bon wanted her to review it for her. It certainly smelt amazing, and she’d been so good at keeping to her diet so far, surely she deserved a little treat? She carefully lifted the sweet onto her hoof and sniffed it feeling the scent waft into her nose, her mouth began to water as she opened it...
 
“Miss Cheerilee!” came a cry from near the ground. Covering up a sigh, Cheerilee put down her untouched treat and turned to see which of her charges needed her this time; it was a sky blue coated filly with a two tone purple mane through which the tip of her horn protruded.
 
“What is it Tootsie Flute?” asked Cheerilee with a practiced smile.
 
“Miss Cheerilee, me and Dinky were playing with my ball when I managed to throw it really hard and it zoomed up into the sky like a balloon it got stuck in a tree and now we can’t get it back!”
 
Cheerilee glanced at the toffee with sad eyes, no treat for her right now then. “Ok Tootsie, I’ll give you a hoof,” she agreed, wrapping up the remains of her lunch. She was sure none of her kids would touch it while she was away, but she didn’t want to leave too much of a temptation in place.
 
The two of them trotted across the playground to the medium sized tree which dominated one corner of the school yard. Beneath it sat Dinky Doo staring up into its branches. Cheerilee glanced up and could just about make out the ball that was lodged near the top of the tree. “You got it really high,” she noted.
 
“Yeah, I had a surge,” replied Tootsie sounding a little embarrassed, “I didn’t mean to get it stuck up there.”
 
“That’s alright dear,” Cheerilee made to note to herself to mention it to Tootsie’s parents. It wasn’t the first time she’d lost control of her magic recently. Unicorns near puberty often suffered sudden temporary increases in their powers, she recalled Lyra snapping a few strings back in the day, but if it kept happening they should get her checked out. Better safe than sorry. “Now let’s see about getting it down.” She considered for a moment, it was probably too high for her to poke with a stick and the tree wasn’t really strong enough for her to climb. She could buck the tree but she didn’t want to risk damaging it, maybe she could throw something or... ah, yes a little extra lesson. “Ok girls, how do you think we can get the ball down?”
 
“I don’t know Miss Cheerilee,” said Dinky, “It’s too high for my magic.” Her horn lit for a moment but fizzled out.
 
“I suppose we could climb,” said Tootsie looking unsure. “But it’s a long way.”
 
“Yes, it’s far too dangerous for that,” agreed Cheerilee, she was glad she was having the conversation with Tootsie rather than Scootaloo, she would probably already be half way up the trunk. That filly seemed to be into climbing recently, probably the bad example she had been set on the recent trip to Canterlot; that Baron Mix, or whatever his name was, had a lot to answer for! “If you have a problem and you can’t solve it, you ask for help!”
 
“I thought we did Miss,” said Tootsie looking unsure.
 
“Yes, but you can always ask your friends. Featherweight, can you come over here for a moment?” she called.
 
The thin pegasus looked up from where he had been chatting to Rumble. “Miss Cheerilee?” he asked looking nervous.
 
“Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble. Could you fly up there and retrieve Tootsie’s ball please?”
 
“Not a problem,” he said before gracefully ascending to the top of the tree. Cheerilee smiled, she had chosen correctly, the colt was one of the better fliers in her class. With a quick kick he knocked the ball out of the branch and sent it falling back to earth. Stepping back a few paces Cheerilee allowed it to bounce on her head several times before rolling it along her back and using her tail to swipe it towards its owner so it came to a stop at her hooves. There was a little gasp from several of the foals around. Nice to see I’ve got a career in hoofball if teaching doesn’t work out, she thought.
 
“There you are,” said Cheerilee, “So if there’s something you can’t do yourself you should ask a friend for help, and together you can get it done.” That was a good moral for the day, she thought, probably worth a slice of toffee.
 
“Yeah,” said Featherweight returning from the top of the tree. “Because pegasus are the best tribe.”
 
No, thought Cheerilee, her mood souring, she was not going to have talk like that in her playground, even if he probably didn’t mean it in a bad way. Better to nip this in the bud now. “Each tribe has its own strengths you know.”
 
“But nopony but a pegasus could have gotten that ball back,” he boasted.
 
“Well many unicorns could have used their aura to get it down, and earth ponies could have shaken the tree.”
 
“Well maybe,” he muttered no seeming that convinced.
 
“Could you give me your camera for a moment?” she asked, it seemed to almost be attached to him, she’d only just managed to persuade him not to wear it in class. Nervously the colt complied. “Thank you. Now what would you do if something like this happened?” Quickly she lifted one of the rocks that marked the border of the school grounds and carefully dropped the camera’s strap under it before letting it fall. “How would you get the camera back?”
 
Featherweight looked appalled for a moment then dropped to the ground and pulled at the camera with no effect, after a moment he leaned heavily against the rock trying to shift it without any success.
 
“Girls,” said Cheerilee, “Would you help him, please.”
 
Looking confused, the two unicorns ignited their horns and tried to help their classmate. Together they could just about move the rock but not enough to free the strap. While they tried, Cheerilee glanced around the playground for a possible volunteer. She noticed a short grey earth pony colt with a curly mane nearby, Truffle Shuffle, perfect. The colt and Tootsie Flute had been flirting like mad for the last few months, of course given their age that only meant a lot of mane pulling and giggling behind their hooves, but she was sure he would be happy to be able to show off in front of the object of his crush. “Truffle dear,” she called, “Can you come over here for a moment?”
 
“Sure Miss Cheerilee,” said the short colt cheerfully, he noticed Tootsie and averted his eyes, meanwhile a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. So cute, thought Cheerilee.
 
“Featherweight's camera has gotten stuck, do you think you can lend a hoof?”
 
“Uh, ok,” he said wandering over to the rock and pushed against it. For a moment, Cheerilee worried she might have underestimated the rock’s weight, then with a grunt the colt put his back into it and the rock started to lift slightly. Without prompting, Dinky and Tootsie used their aura to help support the weight while Featherweight rushed forwards and grabbed the camera, pulling it free.
 
“There you are,” said Cheerilee with a smile, “All three of the tribes have their own strengths, but they are even stronger all working together.”
 
“Yeah,” said Featherweight cradling his camera protectively, “I get it.”
 
“Thanks for your help,” said Tootsie hugging Truffle who was glowing red with embarrassment, “You’re very strong.” Cheerilee hoped they would name their first foal after her.
 
“Would you like to play ball with us?” said Dinky to the two colts.
 
“Sure,” said Featherweight.
 



 
“You take that back!” came a shrill cry.
 
“No! It’s the truth and everypony knows it the truth!” came a retort.
 
Pausing half way back to her lunch, Cheerilee looked around for the source of the voices. To her surprise she saw two fillies standing almost snout to snout, one grey coated with large glasses and the other pink with a delicate crown on her head. Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara? What could they be fighting about? They had used to be the best of friends, although their relationship had started to deteriorate a little recently, they seemed to spend less time together than they used to. It was a little sad but it was only to be expected, Luna knows Cheerilee didn’t spend much time with all of her friends from school anymore. In addition, Silver had been rather quiet for the last few days. Normally she was one of the first to raise her hoof in class, but she’d been more reserved recently. Cheerilee shook herself out of her introspection, she should intervene between the feuding fillies before things got out of hoof.
 
“Girls!” she called. “What are you arguing about?”
 
The two fillies jumped apart with matching guilty expressions on their faces. “Nothing,” they mumbled.
 
“Well it certainly sounded like something,” said Cheerilee.
 
“Well...” began Diamond.
 
“She said her daddy was more important than mine!” blurted out Silver.
 
“Well he is!” insisted the pink filly.
 
“No he’s not, all your daddy has is a big shop, mine has contacts all across Equestria and even further than that! Just last week he got a vase all the way from Chooma.”
 
“Shouma,” corrected Cheerilee automatically. This was a tricky one. Looking at it objectively Filthy Rich probably was a more important pony that Sterling Silver, he was after all a member of the town council and maybe the richest pony in town, if not by much, but she could hardly break the heart of a little filly by telling her that, or inflate Diamond Tiara’s ego anymore. She’d had enough trouble with these two when they went through their ‘looking down on blank flanks’ phase a few months ago, she didn’t want any more problems. “Silver, why do you think it’s important that your father is more important that Diamond’s?”
 
“Because he is! He’s a really important pony! He’s the most important pony!” She stamped a small hoof on the ground in agitation her tail lashing about. She seemed really upset about this.
 
“I’m sure he’s one of the most important ponies in the world to you,” said Cheerilee soothingly, “because he’s your father, and Diamond’s father is the most important pony to her because he’s her father, you both love them very much, and they love you. But why is it important to you that she says your father is more important?”
 
Silver chewed on her lip for a moment, blinking quickly. “Because... because... because I heard daddy’s secretary say that business was down one... one whole percent this quarter. That means we’ll be poor ponies, and poor ponies don’t live in big houses so we’ll have to move!” Tears started to roll down the grey filly’s cheeks. “That sort of thing doesn’t happen to important ponies, so it can’t happen, it can’t!”
 
Cheerilee moved to comfort the distressed filly, and maybe teach her a little more about percentages, but to her surprise Diamond got there first and was hugging her friend. “You’ll never be a poor pony,” she said, “If you do have to move you can live with me and daddy! We can have sleepovers every night!”
 
“Thanks,” mumbled Silver leaning against her friend.
 
“Girls,” said Cheerilee, hugging both of the little ponies, “One percent really isn’t very much.” Given how much Sterling Silver made it was probably more bits than she’d see in a year, but still not much on his scale. “You won’t have to move because of that.”
 
“R...really?” said Silver looking up, her glasses making her eyes look huge.
 
“Really,” said Cheerilee, “Your father is an important pony, but you’re probably the most important pony to him.”
 
“Just not as important as my daddy,” piped up Diamond.
 
Cheerilee tried to stop herself grinding her teeth, the filly seemed to just want to spoil the moment. “That doesn’t really matter, I’m sure you’re the most important pony to your father as well.”
 
“I suppose,” said Silver wiping her glasses.
 
“Yeah,” agreed Diamond, resting one leg on her friends back, “both of us and our daddy’s are very important ponies!”
 
“Yes,” agreed her friend with more enthusiasm. Together the two of them ignored their teacher and started to march across the playground.
 
For a moment Cheerilee wondered if she’d created a pair of monsters, but at least they were happier now. She might not agree with all her little charges but she still loved them and was glad Silver felt better, she should probably ask Stirling to have a talk with his daughter about the situation. Peering over at the town hall clock Cheerilee decided she just had enough time to finish her meal before the break was over, and that she definitely deserved a treat now. She turned back towards her seat near the schoolhouse.
 
“Miss Cheerilee!” came a panicked cry and she felt a small body bounce off her barrel. She turned to see Scootaloo picking herself up, the poor foal seemed frantic, tears were dripping from her eyes. “Miss Cheerilee, meandSweetieBellwereplayingwithastickandIturnedandIhitherintheeyeandshe’sbleedingandthere’sbloodandshe’shurtandit’smyfault!” Even before her brain had fully translated the garbled message Cheerilee’s legs were already galloping in the direction the foal was indicating. There sat Sweetie Belle, one hoof held tightly to her eye, her white coat tinged red. Trying to fight down her panic, Cheerilee pushed through the small ring of ponies that had formed around the injured foal.
 
“Sweetie! Are you alright!?” she asked.
 
“My eye!” exclaimed the little filly, “It hurts!”
 
Trying not to panic Cheerilee carefully prised Sweetie’s hoof from her eye dreading what she would see. To her relief the organ itself seemed to be undamaged but there was quite a deep cut only a short distance above it, blood oozing from it. Objectively she knew that the injury was relatively mild, head wounds bled quite a bit. A gash like this wasn’t likely to be serious, but blood was coming out of one of her children! She struggled to maintain control, panicking would only set off the other foals. “It’s not that bad,” she said, with only a little waver in her voice.
 
“It hurts!” moaned Sweetie
 
“I know,” said Cheerilee nuzzling the injured filly, not caring if she got blood on her coat, “But we can go back to the schoolhouse and put a plaster on it and you’ll feel all better.”
 
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!” cried Scootaloo still in tears.
 
Cheerilee dithered for a moment; she wanted to comfort the distressed pegasus, but she had to see to Sweetie’s injury first. “Scootaloo, could you go and get the first aid kit please,” she commanded, that should get her focused on something useful and help calm her.
 
Blinking the little pegasus nodded and rushed off towards the school house barging past several other foals her wings blurring. Cheerilee gently helped the injured child follow in her classmate’s wake. Soon they arrived at the school, where Scootaloo had grabbed the box of bandages Cheerilee kept for just such occasions. She wished she didn’t have to use it quite as often as she did, but she supposed a few bumps and skinned knees were all part of growing up. She took a damp sponge and carefully wiped at the unicorn’s head while mumbling soothing nothings, Sweetie fidgeted it a bit but mostly held still. As she had expected, the wound itself looked much smaller now the blood was gone. Still she made sure to pick out the few tiny splinters in it, and cleaned it out with some iodine. The foal yelped in surprise at the stinging but otherwise was very brave. Finally Cheerilee fitted a bandage over the wound with tape, it would hurt a bit getting it off her coat, but it was better to keep it from getting dirty.
 
“There we are Sweetie, all done, and you were very good,” Cheerilee reached into the first aid kit for her secret cure all and presented the filly with a large lollipop, Sweetie took it and started to suck contentedly. “Now,” she said her tone turning darker, “How did this happen?” She turned to Scootaloo who was hovering nearby, her head hanging low like a condemned criminal.
 
“We... we were playing,” mumbled Scootaloo, “I... I was a guard.”
 
“And I was the princess,” added Sweetie brightly, seeming much recovered now.
 
“I found a stick, I was pretending it was a spear and I spun around and Sweetie was standing there, I didn’t know she was so close! And I... the stick... I’m sorry, I’m really really sorry.”
 
Cheerilee took a deep breath, she really wanted to tell the young pegasus that everything was alright, but she could have really hurt Sweetie Belle; you had to be cruel to your foals sometimes, even if it hurt. “You hit Sweetie in a really bad place, a little lower and you could have blinded her,” she said strictly.
 
“I know! I know!” wailed Scootaloo.
 
“But you didn’t, and she’s going to be alright, but you have to be more careful, real guards train for a long time to use spears so they don’t hurt themselves or their friends.”
 
“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry!” cried Scootaloo.
 
“I know you are,” said Cheerilee resting a hoof on the distraught filly, “But it isn’t me you should be apologizing to.”
 
“I’m sorry Sweetie, I really am, I’ll be more careful, no more sticks!”
 
“That’s ok,” mumbled Sweetie, hugging her friend, “How can you be my guard without a spear? I shouldn’t have gotten so close when you were swinging it around.”
 
Cheerilee smiled at the two fillies as she started to pack up the first aid kit and returned it to its place, hopefully not to be used for quite some time; she didn’t like having to patch up her foals.

She glanced over at the clock tower again, time to call the kids back inside again. She looked over at her unfinished meal, well that was one way to lose weight, she thought. Still maybe she deserved a treat tonight, a glass of wine to wash down Bon Bon’s toffee? That sounded about right after solving all the playground’s problems, In loco parentis indeed. She glanced around at all of her foals, and knew she wouldn’t have it any other way. She took the school bell in her mouth and shook it vigorously, “Come on children! Time for more learning!” she cried. As one her family turned to her and began to tramp back into the classroom.

> Sick Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Silver Script looked over his little kingdom with pride. It might not seem much compared to Luna’s realm, but in this little office in this town he was monarch. His staff might not be much more than half a dozen ponies but they were some of the best postal workers in Equestria; and he was their king, and, he thought sometimes, father to them all. He glanced around to make sure that everything was working as it should; he nodded to the sorters as they neatly split the incoming mail into piles based on what part of town they related to, and smiled at the delivery staff as they loaded up with sacks of post ready to whisk it off to their waiting customers. Ball Lightning sat ready for anypony who wished to send out mail at this early hour, he wanted to be back on the delivery route but he’d strained his horn carrying too much last week and Silver wanted to make sure he didn’t overdo it. Finally there was Late Delivery, the office’s latest apprentice, rushing over to deliver Silver’s coffee, everything was perfect! He frowned, no it wasn’t; there was a hole, a space in the whole process. Where was Ditzy Doo?
 
He checked the roster. As he suspected, she was on shift this morning and she was hardly ever late; she only lived above the post house so she could hardly be delayed coming in. Confused and a little worried, he turned towards the door directly linking the post office to the Doo residence. He didn’t like using it, or even knocking on it, it seemed an imposition. He preferred to use the outside door at the back of the building where possible, but it seemed stupid to go outside just to come in again.
 
Then, as if summoned by his thoughts, the door opened and Ditzy appeared. He let out a little sigh, he’d been worried for a moment. Then he did a double take, the young mare looked terrible. Her eyes showed none of their normal bright shine, instead they were bloodshot and glazed, she moved slowly and painfully, like the weight of the world was on her back. “Ditzy?” he asked in concern.
 
“Sorry, I’m late,” she croaked. “I overslept and by the time I got Dinky off to school... It won’t happen again.”
 
“I don’t care about that, you look terrible!” she took a few hesitant steps forwards before staggering against a table. He swooped over towards her and took her by one leg steadying her.
 
“I think I caught Dinky’s flu, but I’ll be fine,” she weakly protested, letting out a rasping cough.
 
Silver nodded, the little filly had been off school sick for most of last week and Ditzy had cut several shifts to make sure her daughter was alright. Still the foal had recovered and Silver had heard her little hooves rushing off to school earlier. “You are not fine,” he rested a hoof on her head, “You’re burning up!”
 
“I’m fine!” she insisted, taking a step forwards and almost falling over, forcing Silver to take her weight.
 
“You are not, you can hardly stand let alone work!”
 
“I... I can’t afford the time off.”
 
“You already have one of the best attendance records in the office,” he insisted. “What would Dinky do if you work yourself to death?” After knowing her for several years he knew all her weak spots. “We can work something out about pay anyway.”
 
Knowing she was defeated, Ditzy let the older stallion help her up the stairs into her home. “You should see a doctor,” he insisted.
 
“I’m not that bad,” a further cough proved that a lie, “I just need some rest.”
 
He nodded. “Let’s get you to bed.” Ceasing to protest, the grey mare let him lead her into the adjoining room. It wasn’t quite as tidy as he had expected, a small pile of tissues had built up by the bed and the sheets were dishevelled. As quickly as he could he straightened them and let the sick mare slump into bed.
 
“I’ll be fine now,” she rasped, “You can go.”
 
“No, I need to make sure you’re alright first,” he was worried, she was sicker than he’d ever seen her before, she was normally quite hearty.
 
“But you need to run the post office.”
 
He grinned. “We both know that I’m the least useful pony down there, they’ll miss you a lot more than me.”
 
“But the mail...” she insisted as he gently laid the blankets over her and tucked them in around her.
 
“Will be fine, Late has been around for over a month now, he can take up some of the slack; even me and Parcel can do a run if needs be.”
 
“But...” she protested weakly, her eyes already starting to droop.
 
“Just get some sleep, I’ll take care of everything.” He quickly disposed of the tissues and made sure the dispenser was refilled. He opened the window slightly to let some fresh air in then filled a bowl of water by the bed in case she woke up thirsty. He glanced down at the now sleeping mare, relaxed she looked so very young. She was normally so full of energy and worked so hard at everything she did that it was easy to forget how young she was, hardly more than a filly. He checked her sheets again to make sure her wings weren’t pinched. “Get well soon,” he whispered before leaving the room and gently shutting the door.
 



 
It was so hot, she tried to draw a breath but it felt like she was being smothered. Gasping, Ditzy tried to struggle but she was being restrained, something was holding her down, trapping her. Panic flared in her breast, she had to get away, she had to fly free.
 
“Ditzy!” came a soothing voice from nearby, “Ditzy, it’s alright, calm down, everything's fine.” She recognised the voice, she couldn’t put a name to it, but she trusted it, the voice meant safety. It even seemed to drive away some of the heat as she felt something wet and cool being placed on her brow. Relaxing, she let herself drift back into the darkness that surround her.
 



 
“How are you feeling now?” asked the voice.
 
Ditzy blinked and looked around the brightly lit room. It took her a second to recognise it as her bedroom and the figure next to her as Silver Script looking worried. She tried to speak but her throat felt cracked. “Thirsty,” she managed. The older stallion carefully lifted a bowl of water and held it before her so she could lap at it, the cool liquid felt so good.
 
“Not too much at once,” he warned. She nodded and lead back against her pillows, despite just having woken up she felt exhausted. “How are you?” he asked.
 
“I... a little better I think,” she said trying to give a reassuring grin, in truth her whole body ached.
 
“I’ve got some carrot and tomato soup on the stove if you feel up to it,” he said. “I met your friend Carrot Top in the marketplace, she sent her regards, and the carrots.”
 
She nodded and he left the room and seemed to return almost instantly, with a large bowl of dark orange liquid. Maybe I asleep again thought Ditzy pondering the seemingly lost time as she struggled to free a hoof from the bedclothes. Silver stopped her, and once again held the bowl from where she could drink from it, it was a little embarrassing but it made her feel cherished. “What about work?” she asked when she had eaten what she could.
 
“All done,” he said, “Me and Parcel did your run, you know I like to keep my hoof in,” he grinned. “More or less everypony on your route asked about you, they all hoped you’d feel better soon. You’re really loved around these parts. Late really stepped up to the plate as well, I can see that colt going far.”
 
“What time is...” she asked looking at the window and the bright light streaming in.
 
“Mid-afternoon, you’ve been asleep all morning.”
 
“Dinky, I should get Dinky,” she complained struggling against the sheets.
 
He rested a hoof on her. “Don’t, I’ll get her, we’ve got an hour or so anyway.” She lay back again, exhausted by her brief activity. Silver rested a hoof on her head. “Better,” he muttered, “But you’re still feverish. If you’re not better by tonight I’m calling a doctor whether you want one or not.”
 
She opened her mouth to argue, but his expression brooked no challenge. She lay in silence for a little while then she glanced over at Silver. “What’s that?” she asked nodding towards a letter tucked into his uniform.
 
“This?” he asked. “It’s from Rising,” he said with a smile.
 
“Your sister?” she asked. She had never met the mare, she was only about half Silver’s age and worked in an observatory up in Cloudsdale. Her and Silver’s parents had died when she was young and the older pegasus had more or less raised her by himself.
 
“Yes, she and Salt are trying for a foal, which she’s told me about in more detail than any brother should know,” he shuddered.
 
“That’s nice,” she yawned, the warmth in her stomach from the soup was making her sleepy again.
 
“No it’s not! She’s not old enough for that, she’s only a year or two younger than you...” he recognised his mistake. “Sorry.”
 
“No, you might be right, it can be better to wait, but from what you’ve told me she loves Saltlick and he loves her, wouldn’t you like to be an uncle for some cute little foal?” she teased.
 
“Maybe...” he wavered and his eyes flickered to the picture of Dinky at the bedside, “Anyway I better get your cute little foal before she misses you.”
 
“I can...” she said struggling to get up.
 
“You don’t need to, just lie there and get better, that’s an order,” he said.
 
Defeated she slumped back into her pillows and let sleep overtake her again.
 



 
Dinky bounded out of the school yard waving a hoof at Twist’s retreating back. Today had been a good day, it had been arts and crafts and she and the earth pony had built a model of Canterlot castle together, she’d used her magic to put the pointy bits at the top of the towers on and she hadn’t damaged even one. She’d gotten a little sticky, from all the paste, but it had just washed off, unlike Snips and Snails who needed to have patches of their coats shaved when they somehow glued themselves together, again!
 
She glanced around for her Momma, eager to tell her about her day. Normally she walked home by herself, but since that big storm last month Momma had collected her most days. Momma hadn’t looked well this morning, but she had told Dinky that she would collect her so she would be there, Momma was always there, well almost always. She frowned as she didn’t see her mother and a little trickle of fear started to break into her world view.
 
She did see Silver Script and his dog Parcel trotting up to her. “Dinky,” he called.
 
“Hello Mr Script,” she said politely, reaching up with a hoof to pat Parcel, the dog was bigger than she was but sat there placidly, tail thumping against the ground. She’d asked Momma if she could get a dog, but she’d said their house was too small for one like Parcel. She’d asked for a small dog instead, maybe a puppy, but she’d been told that puppies grew up into big dogs. “I’m waiting for Momma.”
 
“Ditzy isn’t feeling well today,” said Silver kneeling down a little stiffly to look at the filly. “She sent me to get you.”
 
Dinky frowned a little. Momma had told her not to go anywhere with strangers but Mr Script wasn’t a stranger, he was Mr Script. She’d known him for almost as long as she could remember, he’d foalsat for her a few times when Momma had to go out of town. “Ok,” she said. “How is Momma?”
 
“She’s caught the flu I think, like you had. She just needs a day or two in bed, then she’ll be right as rain.”
 
Dinky shuddered a bit. She’d had the flu last week and she’d felt all icky for days. Momma had stayed with her most the time to make her feel better. Poor Momma, she had to do something to make her feel better.
 
“Come on,” said Silver, “I’m sure she’ll feel better when she sees you.” Dinky nodded but Silver couldn’t help but notice a trace of despondency in her gait. “Parcel’s been getting a little flabby recently, I think he could do with a little exercise, don’t you?” he asked, patting the dogs back. Dinky’s eyes shone for a moment as the dog obediently knelt and she scrambled onto its back. Parcel stood, easily bearing the foal’s weight. Dinky leant forwards on the large dog’s back, burying her face in his thick coat.
 
“Mr Script?” she asked as the three of them set off, “Can we stop to get something nice for Momma on the way?”
 



 
They had ended up stopping at two places on the way back, first Sugarcube Corner where Pinkie Pie had promised Dinky that she would be hosting a ‘glad you’re feeling better’ party for her mother soon, and then to Bon Bon’s where Lyra, helping out behind the counter, had sent her best wishes to Ditzy. Silver was proud that the outsider that he’d given a job to many years ago was now such an accepted part of Ponyville. In both occasions Dinky had apologised that she didn’t have any bits to pay for the purchased treat and told Silver she would pay him back when she got her pocket money. In both occasions he’d waved away the offer, he didn’t mind occasionally treating either of the Doo girls.
 
The two ponies and one dog made their way back to the post office later than Dinky would normally be home. Silver feared that Ditzy might be worrying about her daughter and might have tried to rouse herself from her sickbed to go looking for her. That could cause her to hurt herself, and he didn’t want that on his conscience.
 
However, upon entering the house he could just about make out gentle snores emerging from Ditzy’s bedroom. He warned Dinky to be careful not to wake her mother and the two of them tip-hooved into the room to check on her. A quick examination seemed to suggest she was improving; her sleep didn’t seem as interrupted as previously, and her brow, although still warm, wasn’t as hot as it had been. Silver replaced the damp flannel on Ditzy’s head and then gently lifted Dinky so she could get a good look at her mother and hug her before he took the little filly back to the living room.
 
He did a quick search of the kitchen and decided what to make the filly for her dinner. Luckily, it seemed Ditzy had gone shopping not too long ago and there was quite a bit of choice. He wasn’t much of a cook, but years of trying to get his sister to eat a proper diet followed by some time living alone had given him some basic skills. He eventually decided on boiling some pasta and mixing up a sauce to go with it, he hoped Ditzy would be feeling well enough to try some. Dinky sat somewhat subdued doing some homework, he could tell she was worried about her mother but didn’t want to tell him, she was trying to be brave.
 
Once the filly had finished her work he asked her to help him with the dinner, it would get her mind off her mother for a while. He gently lifted Dinky onto his back so she could see the sauce and use her aura to gently stir it. Silver was amazed at how much her magic had improved over the last few months, he remembered when she could only produce a few sparks, where did the time go? When they had finished, they put a plate of food on a tray with Dinky’s treats and once again entered Ditzy’s bedroom. This time the sick mare awoke as they opened the door and blinked tiredly at her daughter.
 
“Dinky?” she muttered.
 
“Momma, you’re awake!” said the little filly, jumping onto her mother’s bed.
 
“How was your day at school?” she asked, her voice, although still scratchy, sounded much better than earlier.
 
“It was great, me and Twist got to make a model of the castle and I put the towers on and I didn’t break any of them!”
 
“Thank you for collecting her,” said Ditzy to Silver, “I better get started on dinner.” She started to struggle with the covers.
 
“No need,” said Silver indicating the tray on his back, “It’s already done.”
 
“I helped!” piped up Dinky.
 
“She was very good.”
 
“And I got you a chocolate muffin for afters, and a bag of lemon drops because they made me feel better when you got them for me when I got sick,” added Dinky.
 
“Thank you dear,” said Ditzy struggling to sit up while Silver put the tray in place.
 
“Come on Dinky,” said Silver, “We better eat our own before it gets cold.”
 
“Can we eat with Momma?” asked Dinky.
 
“Now, I don’t want to get food all over...” said Ditzy.
 
“It shouldn’t be a problem,” said Silver slipping from the room and returning with another two trays of food. The small family ate together and then Dinky spent the evening talking about what she had done at school today, Silver smiled at the story and added his own tales of today’s postal run. Soon the eyelids of both Doo mares started to droop.
 
“Time *yawn* time for bed Dinky,” said Ditzy struggling to lift her daughter off the bed.
 
“Don’t exert yourself, I’ve got this,” said Silver resting the drowsy filly onto his back.
 
“Night Momma,” murmured Dinky reaching out for her mother.
 
“Good Night Dinky,” said Ditzy reaching out to hug her daughter and to kiss her forehead.
 
Silver carried the sleepy foal over to her room, she just about managed to brush her teeth and get ready for bed before collapsing into her sheets. “Goodnight Dinky,” he said.
 
“Mr Script, Momma’s going to be all right isn’t she?” asked Dinky, a little catch in her throat.
 
“She’s going to be fine,” he said, leaning forwards and laying a leg over the filly gently hugging her, “You were sick but you’re better now aren't you? Your mother will get better as well,” he ruffled the filly’s mane with a hoof. “She’s a tough mare. Now you better get some sleep.”
 
“Mr Script...” she asked again, “Normally Momma reads me a story before bed. Could you, could you do it?”
 
“Of course,” he said, picking up a large book from the bedside table. He smiled as he examined it, he’d used to read the same thing to his sister when she was younger. He opened it at a marked page and cleared his throat before starting to read. “Once upon a time there were two sisters...”
 



 
“And they all lived happily ever after,” concluded Silver looking down at the slumbering filly in front of him, he carefully draw the sheets up around her and turned to douse the light when he saw a wavering shadow in the doorway. “You shouldn’t be up,” he said.
 
“I had to see her to bed,” said Ditzy leaning against the door frame, “Besides, I’m feeling much better now.” She yawned again.
 
Silver walked over to her and felt her head again, it did seem her fever had broken. He felt relieved, it looked like her illness was leaving as quickly as it had arrived, but there was no reason for her to overdo it. “You still need your sleep,” he said.
 
“I don’t know how I can be so tired after sleeping all day,” she walked over to the bed and gently adjusted the sheets slightly before kissing Dinky’s head again. “Good night dear.”
 
“Night Momma,” mumbled Dinky.
 
Smiling, Silver lead Ditzy back to her bed and made sure she didn’t need anything. “Thanks for looking after me,” she said.
 
“No problem, I’d do it for any of my fam... my friends,” he said, making sure she was tucked in.
 
“I’ll be back to work tomorrow,” she promised.
 
“No you won’t. I don’t want to see you back until next week, you need time to recover, and I don’t want you infecting the rest of the staff. We’ll sort things out later, sick days are there for a reason you know.”
 
“Thanks,” she mumbled her eyes starting to close.
 
“I’ll check on you tomorrow and make sure Dinky gets ready for school,” he said to the drowsing mare. He walked towards the door and doused the light. “Good night Ditzy.”

“‘Night,” she mumbled. She didn’t say it out loud but Silver liked to think she added ‘dad’ to the sentiment.
> The Argument
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hi honey, I’m home~!” sang Lyra as she trotted in through the door.
 
“How was your day?” came an answering cry from within. Lyra sniffed the air, judging by the delicious smell Bon Bon was working in her kitchen.
 
“Not bad,” said Lyra, trying to keep the excitement from her voice, “I played a bit in the park, only made a few bits though. I bumped into Ditzy, she looks like she’s finally shaken off that flu, she had some post for me. You’ll never guess...”
 
“That’s nice,” interrupted Bon Bon, “Did you pick up that Vanilla extract I asked for?”
 
Lyra blinked, she knew she’d forgotten something. “Sorry I forgot, we can get it later.”
 
“Lyra!” cried Bon Bon, her slightly flour stained face popping up from behind the kitchen door as Lyra approached. “They’ll be closed! I need it for this new toffee recipe I’m trying out! I gave you one job to do!”
 
Lyra scowled a bit, Bon Bon hadn’t told her it was that important. “Sorry, but wait until I tell you what my letter was about.”
 
Bon Bon humphed and then sighed as she approached wiping a hoof on her apron. “I’ll have to throw away the whole batch, that’s almost fifty bits down the drain,” she complained, “But fine what was in your letter?”
 
“You know I went to that audition up in Canterlot the week before last, the one Octy set me up with?”
 
Bon Bon frowned. “The one where you said the director was undressing you with her eyes despite you not wearing anything?”
 
“Yeah,” she’d forgotten about that, hopefully the mare could be a bit more professional in the future. “Well I got the position, I’ll be supporting the Cloudsdale operatic group on their tour, I’ll even be on stage for some of it.”
 
“That’s wonderful sweetie, when is it?”
 
“The tour itself is next month, between the 8th and 21st, rehearsals will be starting next week!”
 
Bon Bon blinked for a moment. “So you'll be away on the 10th then?”
 
“Yeah, I guess so, I think we’re on the road to Trottingham then.” There was something about that date which rang a bell but she wasn’t sure what, it probably wasn’t that important.
 
“Lyra, that’s the day of the Equestria Deserts National! You promised me you’d be free to help me then!” moaned Bon Bon.
 
“Oh,” Lyra felt her stomach drop, how could she have forgotten that? her lover had been going on about it all month, working so hard to prepare and getting all stressed about it. “Look I’m sorry, but this is a really big thing for me, it could open all sorts of doors if it goes well.”
 
“So could the deserts contest for me! Its the biggest show of it's type in the whole country! I had to work so hard to place!”
 
“Look, I’m sorry but I can’t just put off the whole tour to help you for one day. I’ll see if Carrot Top or Trixie can help, they know more about cooking than I do.” She moved up and tried to put a conciliatory arm around Bon Bon but she shrugged her aside and turned her back.
 
“I know, but this is important to me, and I wanted you to be there with me.”
 
“With the money I get for this gig maybe we can go on a holiday somewhere, just you and me.” She tried to embrace Bon Bon again and this time the mare did not push her away.
 
“I suppose so,” she sighed, “How much are you getting?”
 
Lyra grinned as she said the figure. “That... that’s quite a bit,” gasped Bon Bon sounding shocked.
 
“Yep, a few more gigs like this and you can be my kept mare,” she joked, “You’ll never have to make another sweet as long as you live!”
 
To Lyra’s surprise, Bon Bon’s face screwed up in a scowl. “What do you mean by that?! I like making sweets, it’s my special talent!”
 
“Yeah but come on, you don’t make a lot doing it do you? We can only just pay off the mortgage on this place plus the cost of ingredients. You’re working your hooves to the bone for almost nothing!” This had long been a point of contention between them; Bon Bon seemed happy with the situation but Lyra couldn’t help but think her Bonny should be making more given how hard she worked.
 
“I do all right!” she snapped, “I’ve made more than twice what you’re getting for this ‘gig’ so far this year, and not all of us can just laze around in the park most the time and call it working.”
 
Lyra blinked as that comment sunk in, Bon Bon seemed to realise she’d gone too far and raised her hoof to her mouth. “I’m not being lazy,” growled Lyra scowling, “I have to practice really hard, they don’t let just anypony play in the opera you know! It’s not something anypony could do like cooking!”
 
Bon Bon’s hoof dropped from her mouth and she glared at Lyra. “What do you mean by that?!”
 
“Well come on, it’s not like it’s that hard to mix up a bunch of sugar, flour and stuff and put it in an oven.”
 
“Well if it’s so easy why don’t you try it then? Oh wait, you can’t make anything even close to edible.”
 
“You said you liked my pancakes!” exclaimed Lyra, she was really proud of her father's pancake recipe.
 
“I said that to be nice, you could probably use that batter to fix potholes. Even Trixie wouldn’t eat them!”
 
“Is that so? Well maybe I was being nice when I told you your donuts were the best I’d tasted, Pinkie’s were much better, not so dry!”
 
“When have you been tasting Pinkie’s donuts!” she sounded shocked.
 
“That’s not important! It's not like you’re the only pony in town capable of making sweets. You're lucky I'm here to help out with the finances, this place probably would have gone under by now without me.”
 
Giving her a death glare, Bon Bon turned on her heel and stalked back towards the kitchen. “Well if you feel that way about my cooking I guess you won’t want dinner tonight!”
 
“Maybe I don’t,” cried Lyra turning back towards the front door.
 
“Where are you going?” asked Bon Bon looking back at her.
 
“I don’t know, I just want to get some air,” grumbled Lyra.
 
“Why don’t you go back to the park and laze around waiting for ponies to throw bits at you!” mumbled Bon Bon under her breath just loud enough for Lyra to hear.
 
“Goodbye,” she yelled Lyra slamming the door behind her.
 



 
Fuming, Lyra stamped her way through the twilight streets of Ponyville getting some strange looks from the few ponies she passed. How did Bon Bon get off calling her lazy, saying her practicing in the park wasn’t important! It brought money in and it kept her skills sharp. Maybe she didn’t constantly have gigs lined up, but she got enough. Bon Bon was being unreasonable, expecting her to help her with that desert thing when she could be playing in concert halls all around Equestria, something actually important.
 
Still, she remembered how happy Bon Bon had been when she’d passed the qualifiers for that contest. The silly pony had been so nervous before hoof, she had been sure that she didn’t have the talent to make it to the finals. Lyra had had to tell her again and again just how talented she was, how she was one in a million, and how lucky Lyra was to... to have her.
 
Lyra shook her head, struggling to hold on to the heat of her anger as the biting cold of reality started to descend on her. Cooking was easy, right? Bon Bon just had to mix some things together... starting really early in the morning, then working in a shop all day, then perfecting recipes in the evening while Lyra got to laze about in a nice warm bed or spend time with her friends.
 
No... no, she shook her head, it wasn’t like that. She brought in the money to let Bon Bon do her cooking, her concerts paid well! A few times a year, whispered a voice from the back of her head; Bon Bon brought in money each and every day, she had to. The mortgage, the bills, they wouldn’t stop just because Lyra hadn’t had a gig in a few months.
 
What had she....
 
What had she done?
 
She couldn’t have just wrecked her and Bon Bon’s relationship... she couldn’t be that dumb. Lyra’s breathing picked up as panic started to rise in her. They’d argued before, once or twice, but this seemed worse, so much worse.
 
She had to fix this! She had to fix this now!
 
She automatically turned back to Bon Bon’s... to their home, and her hooves started to gallop down the street. Gritting her teeth she forced herself to halt and bring her breathing back under control, she needed to do something more, something to prove she really was sorry.
 
She had an idea.
 



 
Bon Bon clutched her pillow tight burying her tear stained face into it, she’d really messed up this time. How could she have said those things? She and Lyra had had arguments before but rarely as bad as this one, Lyra had actually left! Couldn’t bear to be in the same house as her! What if she didn’t come back? What if she moved in with her dads again!
 
Why had she said those hurtful things? She knew Lyra was sensitive about not always being the most active pony and her work still being somewhat sporadic, but she’d still brought it up again. She was such a bad pony! But Lyra had been cruel too; money had always been a sore point between then. She didn’t like to think that there was no reason why Lyra would stick with her and that she didn’t need her at all; but in, hindsight, it was clear she’d taken Lyra’s joke about being a kept mare too seriously. Still, she worked really at her job, was it too much to ask for a little support from Lyra?
 
Her ears suddenly twitched as she made out a sound from downstairs. “Bon Bon, are you in here?” came Lyra’s faint voice. Almost without thinking Bon Bon was off the bed and starting to gallop down the stairs towards the door.
 
“Lyra!” she cried, as she reached the bottom and careened heavily off the wall before rushing into her rather surprised lovers forearms. For a moment they just stayed there holding each other, she couldn’t even remember what they were fighting about.
 
“I’m sorry, please don’t ever leave me!” mumbled Bon Bon into Lyra’s minty, and surprisingly damp, mane, was it raining out?
 
“Bonny! You’re here!” cried Lyra.
 
“I never should have said you were lazy!” admitted Bon Bon.
 
“No, no you’re right, I can be lazy. I didn’t mean to say you don’t have talent, cooking is really hard! You’re amazing at it!” exclaimed Lyra before kissing Bon Bon fiercely on the lips.
 
They remained locked together for a several moments before relaxing in each other’s arms. Bon Bon noted a large puddle forming under Lyra water was dripping off of her sodden coat.  “Lyra, why are you soaking wet?” she asked.
 
“You just have that effect on me babe,” said Lyra with a grin.
 
Bon Bon raised an eyebrow and tried not to giggle.
 
“Um, well I got you this,” she used her aura to levitate a small bottle into view.
 
Bon Bon glanced at it looking puzzled. “Vanilla extract? But the store’s closed by now!”
 
“Yeah well Arkwright lives above the store so I just kept knocking on the window until he responded.”
 
“And?”
 
“And he threw a bucket of water over me, but he eventually offered to sell me that, for only three times what he should have,” she gave an awkward grin.
 
“Oh sweetie,” said Bon Bon before sniffing the air, it smelt like something was burning! Her eyes went wide. “My toffee!” she cried before rushing to the kitchen. By the time she could drag it out of the over her hard work had been returned to a charred block of molten sugar. With a sigh she chiselled it off of the tray and into the bin.
 
“I’m sorry I said cooking was easy,” admitted Lyra from behind her. Bon Bon tensed for a moment remembering the cruel words. “It’s just that you make it look so easy,” continued Lyra.
 
Bon Bon turned to see her lover towelling herself off in the doorway. “I’m sorry I said you were lazy,” said Bon Bon, “I know you work really hard at your music, and I know everypony loves to listen to you play in the park.”
 
“I’m sorry about not being able to make your competition thingy, I’ll say I can’t make the tour, I’m not really into pegalopian music anyway,” said Lyra shrugging.
 
“No,” said Bon Bon shaking her head, “I know how important that is to you, how big a career boost it could be. I just,” she slumped into a seat in the kitchen, “I just really wanted you to see me do well in the contest, I... I really wanted you to be proud of me.” She’d worked so hard at the qualifiers, she wanted to be the hero for once rather than Lyra.
 
“Proud of you? Of course I’m proud of you!” cried Lyra moving across the kitchen. “You make the best sweets in all of Equestria!”
 
“I’m not that good, Lyra you’re... you’re so far out of my league it scares me sometimes,” she admitted
 
“Bon Bon, what are you...” Bon Bon held up a hoof to silence her.
 
“Sweetie, you got a scholarship to the princess’s school, you’re one of the elements of harmony, you’ve saved the world... several times, look how much you can make for a few weeks work! Someday,” she choked, “Someday you’re going to realise you don’t need me anymore, you can find somepony so much better than me, you’ll be rich and successful and happy,” her voice started to break, “And I’ll just be Bon Bon of Ponyville, with my little sweet shop barely breaking even.”
 
Lyra leapt forwards and engulfed Bon Bon in a huge hug, she leant her head against her lover and Bon Bon felt the hum of her magic pass through her. “Bonny, you are so special, so talented; you set up this place all by yourself, you got to the final of this contest and you’re going to win it, you are amazing. I just lucked out getting you, and if you don’t see that, well I’m going to have to work harder to make sure you do see, right?”
 
Bon Bon closed her eyes, maybe... maybe she knew that but it really helped to have Lyra say it out loud. She smiled, holding Lyra close, “Right.”
 
“Now do you forgive me for all I said?” asked Lyra.
 
“Of course I do Sweetie, we're family. You don’t kick out family, just because they get angry and say the wrong thing,” just look at her mother, “If you did there wouldn’t be any families. Do you forgive me?”
 
“Of course,” said Lyra hugging Bon Bon closer. They stayed there holding each other for a while.
 
“Bonny,” said Lyra eventually. “Do you really not like my pancakes?”
 
“Well,” replied Bon Bon a little awkwardly, she hoped Lyra would have forgotten about that, “I think they could do with a little work, I can help you.”
 
“Ok.” agreed Lyra
 
There was another pause. “What were you doing trying Pinkie’s donuts?” said Bon Bon recalling the previous argument.
 
Lyra tensed. “I... I couldn’t help myself, she just had them laid out in the open and they looked so good I had to have a taste, sorry.”
 
“That’s alright Sweetie,” said Bon Bon through slightly gritted teeth, she wasn’t keen on her sweetie trying other pony’s treats but she could make some exceptions. “You can try other foods as long as you come back to my kitchen at the end of the day.”




> The Sweat of her Brow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Happy Hearth Warming, Carrot Top!” cried Trixie as her friend opened her door.
 
“Happy Hearth Warming!” replied the farmer frowning slightly, “I didn’t expect to see you until tomorrow’s party.”
 
“Ah, well I saw the perfect present for you up in Canterlot, but I don’t think it will keep long so I thought I should deliver it now.”
 
“Oh! Thank you,” Carrot Top looked around, the representative was dressed in her normal performing costume of star covered hat and cloak but she didn’t seem to be carrying any packages. “Where is it?”
 
Trixie spun around on the spot causing her cape to flare out. “As you can see I have nothing under my cloak, or in my hat.” She levitated the millinery off her head and up ended it. “Oh wait, what’s this?” she gasped in mock surprise as a long thin wrapped parcel appeared from the hat, it kept growing until it was about as long as Trixie with a lump at each end. “Ta da!” declared Trixie.
 
Carrot Top stomped her hooves in appreciation. “Wow! What is it?” she asked.
 
“Open it and find out!” enthused Trixie, floating the present over to Carrot Top.
 
Carefully, Carrot Top started to peal the wrapping off the gift. She would have torn it away but she didn’t want to damage whatever was below. “It’s a... tree,” she said once it was revealed. She supposed it made sense, but it wasn’t the kind of present she would have expected from Trixie.
 
“It’s a peach tree! You mentioned that you liked peaches when we went to that restaurant last month, and how expensive they were. I saw this and a few others like it at a market up in Canterlot yesterday, and I thought 'well, if Carrot Top likes peaches so much why not get her something that will grow them?' It wasn’t very expensive either... not that that’s important,” she said, quickly backtracking.
 
Carrot Top blinked. A peach tree! Why did it have to be a peach tree of all things? But Trixie couldn’t know, she was just being nice. She put on her best fake smile. “It’s lovely, thank you.”
 
“Don’t mention it! After all, you did give me that shampoo to send home to my family. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll be up to your ears in peaches before you know it!”
 



 
Carrot Top sat slumped in one of her old chairs, staring across the room at the peach tree leaning against the far wall. She and Trixie had chatted for a while before the magician left to carry on spreading Hearth Warming cheer to other ponies.
 
Why a peach tree? thought Carrot Top. There had never been a peach tree successfully grown at Golden Harvest farm, never! Her grandmother, like her, had always loved the taste of the fury fruit, but there was something about the soil; it was wholesome and nutritious to almost every other type of plant, but peaches, peaches didn’t grow here.
 
One of her first memories of the farm was her grandmother burning the rotted remains of a peach tree. The old mare hadn’t given up though, it had become something of an obsession for her; year after year she’d tried again and again to grow one. Every spot on the farm, every fertilizer known to pony kind, shade, wet, dry, her grandmother had tried all of them without success. If the original Golden Harvest hadn’t managed to grow a peach tree, how could she? Most of her farming skills came from her grandmother’s books, this tree was no doubt destined for an early grave. Was it even worth planting it? She glanced over at the unfortunate tree, already its few leaves were wilting; if it wasn’t planted soon, and in something larger than the small pot it had been sold in, it would die.
 
Sighing she got off her seat and trotted over to get a better look at the sapling. It was a young tree, it probably wouldn’t produce much fruit for a year or two at least, even with the benefit of earth pony magic. Still, it looked healthy, it wasn’t a bad length and quite thick, no sign of disease or parasites. It was rather late in the year to plant it according to her grandmother's carefully annotated journals; it should have been in the ground a month, maybe two ago. Carrot Top tutted as she examined it near the root, it seemed to be one continuous plant; most peaches were grafted onto a different rootstock to improve their hardiness, this wasn’t. That would make it so much harder to grow, that was probably why Trixie got it so cheap; still, it shouldn’t be...
 
No, she thought; she couldn’t be considering planting it, she would merely be delaying the inevitable. She should get rid of it, maybe pass it on to another farmer? Somepony who could grow the thing, Applejack would no doubt be able to produce record crops from it in a few years. That thought caught her, it would just be another example of how much better the Apples were than her, she snorted. Besides she couldn’t just give away Trixie’s thoughtful gift, what if she asked about it?
 
Carrot Top sighed, she was going to have to plant it now. It was too late to start tonight so first thing tomorrow then. She should check through her Grandmother’s books to make sure she did things correctly. Motivated, Carrot Top spent a moment straightening the sapling before trotting off to get her books.
 



 
“Good morning everypony,” cried Carrot Top as she stepped out into her fields. No pony replied, which wasn’t surprising as she was talking to her plants. “We’ve got a new family member starting today.” They might not be very talkative, but when she worked alone it seemed less insane to talk to the vegetation than to just talk to herself. In some strange way she even considered herself as a mother to her plants; she fed and cared for them, helped them grow up strong, just like a mother. Although mothers didn’t eventually tear up and eat their children. Well, not good mothers anyway.
 
Even in the midst of winter there was some life on Golden Harvest farm. Trees and larger plants slept away the winter, even young carrots could keep through the winter allowing an early harvest, as long as they were prevented from freezing, as the piles of warming straw placed here and there were intended to do.
 
Carrot Top had spent a good chunk of last night reading up on peaches and her grandmother’s previous attempts to grow them. They actually seemed quite cold resistant; in fact, they needed to be kept cold for a while in order to grow properly. Which was just as well, she thought, glancing at the thin layer of snow on the ground. Still, she would probably need to wrap her new arrival to stop it freezing. Peaches apparently also needed full sun and good ventilation; after a bit of thought she’d decided to put it in the north western corner of her land which should cover those requirements. Although it would be outside her irrigation system, but she could water it by hoof without too much effort.
 
Shivering slightly in the cold, Carrot Top tightened the straps on her padded saddle, then took her trowel in her mouth ready to start. It didn’t take her long to excavate a hole large enough for the new tree. She packed the bottom with a layer of fertilizer including her own secret ingredient, a few of her own hoof shavings. Her grandmother used to swear by them, it was generally agreed that earth pony magic was expressed in their hooves, and well it couldn’t do any harm. She had heard rumours of some earth ponies in remote areas having their remains shredded after death and being used to fertilize their crops. Although gruesome, it did touch a chord in her; after pouring all your life into helping the plants it did seem fitting that your death would help them as well. Still, that was going a bit far. Her grandmother was buried in Ponyville cemetery alongside her husband; Carrot Top did have to admit the grass there did grow very lusciously but that was probably due to all the care it got from the visitors rather than any property of those interred there.
 
Shaking herself from her thoughts, she returned to the house and got the sapling. She removed it from its pot and carefully shook off as much of the old soil as she could without damaging the roots before lowering it into the ground and covering it all up with layers of soil and fertilizer. Finally, she carefully circled the tree three times changing direction each time. It was an old superstition about earth pony magic, that such a walk put extra power into the ground to nurture the vegetation. Just a superstition, but still, she knew enough old ponies around here that took the walk around their whole property each morning and evening and their gardens or farms did well.
 
“There you are Peachy, welcome to Golden Harvest,” she said gently patting the tree, before standing back to admire her work. To her eye the tree look happier already, it was still rather bare but it didn’t look quite as wilted. “Now how about a drink?” She walked over to her watering can and carefully started to empty it about the roots.
 
She considered for a moment, a watering can will only get you so far. To really nourish a plant you needed rain and the pegasus magic it contained. She thought about her worryingly small weather budget for the season, a few clouds wouldn’t be that expensive would they? She shook herself, she couldn’t really be considering throwing away money on Pea... on this plant, could she? It was going to die anyway, why throw away good money after bad. She glanced up at the tree again and its wilted leaves.
 



 
“No, be careful, don’t flood it!” cried Carrot Top rushing forwards to try and block part of the rain falling onto the soil.
 
“Carrot Top! I know what I’m doing! This is my speciality remember?” said Raindrops carefully massaging the cloud beneath her.
 
“Sorry, but he’s new, only a foal really,” said Carrot Top fussing at the bottom of the tree.
 
“A foal? Are you sure you’re not spending too much time alone up here?” asked Raindrops with a raised eyebrow as the last water was wrung from the cloud. “Well, that’s that done. You're lucky we had this still in stock, it’s mostly snow from now on.”
 
“Thanks for coming up here so quickly, I owe you for this.”
 
“It’s my job. So you ready for tonight’s party? Done all your Hearth’s Warming shopping?”
 
“All ready,” said Carrot Top sounding a little distracted, “So that was forty bits then,” she counted out the coins carefully from a distressingly small bag.
 
“Call it twenty, they were old stock we needed to get rid of anyway.”
 
“Are you sure?” asked Carrot Top looking up.
 
“Yeah,” said Raindrops taking the coins. “See you tonight!” she cried as she took off into the sky.
 
“Bye!” cried Carrot Top to her retreating friend. “That was very nice of her, wasn’t it Peachy? I’ve got some really good friends. Now we better get you wrapped up and out of this cold.” She began to add a layer of fresh straw around the bottom of the sapling and to gently wrap an old burlap sack around its branches.
 



 
“And how is everypony today?” asked Carrot Top of her plants. Winter wrap up had just passed and it was time to get down to some serious farming. No more free time for her for a few months at least. Still, she wouldn’t give it up for anything.
 
She carefully started to uncover her young carrots to see how well they had done over the winter. The pegasus had promised no more frost from here on and she hoped they were true to their word. She sighed as she noticed that one bed of plants had gotten drowned during the thaw, its poor inhabitants were probably rotten mush by now. Still, it could be much worse, it was only one bed.
 
“And how are you Peachy?” she asked turning to the tree, as expected there wasn’t an answer. She dreaded to see what was under the warming wrap she had put around the tree the month before last. She’d done what she could for it but she feared she’d just been tending to a corpse all this time. The curse of Golden Harvest would claim another poor peach tree; if her grandmother couldn’t grow one, what hope did she have?
 
She gingerly started to uncover the sapling trying not to look at it. She opened just one eye to peer at the carnage, but to her confusion the tree looked quite good! It had lost a few leaves and those that remained were yellowed, but that seemed to be due to the lack of light rather than any infection; in fact the surviving greenery looked rather succulent. She quickly circled the tree. The trunk was unblemished, the soil was a little dry but that was easy to remedy, her first rain of spring was due the day after tomorrow.
 
She sat back for a moment ignoring the mud under her, she hadn’t expected this. Could she... could she have broken the curse? Done what her grandmother could not? No, she shook her head. So the plant had survived the winter, now was not the time to celebrate' there was so much else that could go wrong, would go wrong. Still it was hard not to feel a little proud.
 
“Looks like the two of us will be together for a bit longer Peachy,” she said with a grin.
 



 
Carrot Top’s eyes shot open at the sound of the wind slamming against the window shutters. What was going on? No storm was due for weeks! She looked around her bedroom, it was still dark and the wind was howling outside. It must be a storm in from the Everfree; Granny Smith had been muttering something about her hip acting up yesterday that was a good indication of wild weather, well 50/50 anyway. She blinked a few times; the storm seemed to be mostly wind, and it didn’t sound like the rain was very heavy. The house could take it, it had stood through worse over the years. The advantage of mostly grounded plants like carrots was that wind didn’t affect them much, the Apples would have a bigger problem she grinned, then felt bad about grinning. Maybe she’d lose a fence or two but most of her crop should be fine. She crawled back under the nice warm thick covers, she could get back to sleep for a few more hours and check out the damage once the storm had blown itself out; she could probably even offer a hoof to anypony else who needed it then. Her eyes started to drift closed again...
 
Peachy! Her eyes snapped open again, what about Peachy? She’d had all sort of problems with the peach tree over the last few months, as expected the soil was wrong in some way, and he hadn’t been growing well. She’d put all her, and her grandmother’s knowledge into helping him; she’d tried lime, manure, gravel, everything to try and put things right for him. He was a tough little tree and he’d managed to limp through so far. She thought she might have figured things out with the latest mix, but it was still touch and go. He’d just started growing a lush crop of leaves and a few new branches, this wind could destroy all of those! It could even uproot him! She struggled to her hooves shivering in the cold and the sound of the wind whipping past, then paused. Maybe this was for the best? Maybe a quick death at the hands of the elements would be cleaner, more honourable, than a slow poisoning as she kept tinkering with the soil?
 
No! She stamped a hoof on the wooden flooring, no! She was not going to give up on him, he’d managed to fight through all her treatments so far, she was not going to give up on him now! She rushed down through the house, pausing only to throw on her rain cape and boots before pushing the door open. The wind caught her almost straight away trying to throw her back into the house. Struggling, she staggered out into the grounds and heard the door slam behind her. It was worse than it seemed from the inside; the wind whipped her mane into her eyes, and the ‘not very heavy’ rain would have made it hard to see even if it hadn’t. Squinting, she looked around for Peachy. There he was, still clinging to the ground but bending at a dangerous looking angle in the wind. He was still intact, most of his leaves remained as well.
 
Pausing for a moment, she considered what to do; she’d need rope to tie him down with to stop him snapping, then some sort of windbreak to protect him? It would need to be tough to stand up to this weather. With a plan in mind she pushed her way to her small storage shed which seemed to be surviving the storm so far and gathered the tools and equipment she thought she’d need.
 
Gritting her eyes against the wind she staggered over towards the sapling. “Don’t worry Peachy, Momma’s here!” she snarled, and then blushed, very glad there was no one else around to hear her. Quickly, she stomped several pegs into the ground and used them to tie off some ropes to hold Peachy's trunk steady. Satisfied, she turned to the next part of her job just as a further gust hit her, reaching icy fingers under the cloak and tearing the garment from her back. She spun and tried to catch it with her teeth but it was already gone, flying high into the sky. She shivered as the rain started to soak into her coat. “So you want to play it that way, eh!” she screamed at the sky shaking a hoof, “Fine then! But I’m not letting you win, you’re not getting Peachy!”
 
Gritting her teeth and working like a mare possessed, she slammed more pegs into the ground and using all her strength drove wooden posts into the soil as deeply as she could. Finally she started to spread a thick tarpaulin between them, angled to deflect, rather than resist, the force of the wind. She was just about to place the last section when a strong gust ripped the material from her grip and sent her sprawling into the mud. Worse, from behind her she heard a shocking crack of overstressed wood.
 
For a moment she screwed up her eyes not wanting to see the damage, wanting to pretend everything was fine, then she steeled herself and looked. It could have been worse, just. Peachy’s trunk remained intact, for the moment, but his largest branch hung at an awkward angle held on only by a thick strip of bark. She took a step forwards to investigate further when she was jostled by a further gust. She would have to finish the windbreak first or any further work could be for vain.
 
Quickly she threw herself back into her work dragging out and securing the last section of tarpaulin. The wind howled its impotent fury, but her work held, for the moment. In the area of calm she had created she finally took a breath and realised she was shaking, the cold and wet and shock were catching up on her. Why was she trying so hard for this one little tree? It would at best make a hooful of peaches in several years’ time, probably not even enough to sell. Why was she even trying?
 
Because she wanted to prove to herself that she could! Because she wanted to be able to do something her Grandmother couldn’t, as heretical as the idea seemed, because she wanted to prove to herself she wasn’t going to be a quitter, and because her friend had gotten her that tree!
 
Taking a deep breath she staggered to her hooves and plodded over to the injured tree. It was worse than it had seemed at first glance, the branch had torn away a large chunk of the wood splitting the tree to its heart. In better conditions she might try to secure the damaged section and prop up the branch hoping the tree would heal by itself, but this was not better conditions. If the windbreak failed the branch would be torn off and the tree ripped in half unless something drastic was done. There was no other option, she would have to amputate the branch, cut it as high as she dared and cover the injured section with tar to keep out any rot, even so she didn’t rate the tree’s chances. It seemed so unfair, she’d tried so hard! She wanted to stamp the ground, to shout at the storm again, but she knew neither would help, so instead she reached down and took her saw in her mouth.
 
She blinked the water from her eyes as she positioned the tool on the injured limb. “I’m sorry Peachy,” she mumbled as she started her gruesome work.
 



 
“Who’s a handsome tree then?” asked Carrot Top, “Look how strong your branches are! Why, they’re thicker than my hoof! You’re such a big guy aren't you?” She paused, was she really flirting with a tree? Maybe it had been too long since she last had a stallion in her life, she should accept one of Cheerilee’s offers to go ‘prowling’ down at Berry’s one of these days. Still, everything she had said was true.
 
It was almost a year since the storm and Peachy was growing great. She’d finally figured out how to deal with the soil problem, although it was hard work keeping the conditions right. Peachy was probably going to remain an only child, she wouldn’t have time to care for any more Peach trees. Still, it certainly seemed to be working. No longer was Peachy a sapling, he was on his way to becoming a full grown tree. The scar from the lost branch was still visible on his side but the rest of his foliage was starting to burst forth, buds were even forming. If she was lucky she might even get some fruit this year. With a smile she leaned forwards to water his roots, then she frowned, the lower leaves seemed rather yellowed and wilted. Dropping her watering can she started to examine the leaves in more detail, there were several small semi-circular holes at the tips of the youngest leaves. Something was making a meal from Peachy!
 
Quickly, she moved from leaf to leaf; most of the newer leaves seemed to be affected and some of the buds as well. She couldn’t see anything actively eating now, it was too early for caterpillars and the marks were wrong. What could be doing this? She paced backwards and forwards for a minute. Maybe this was some sort of judgment for her hubris, for thinking she could grow peaches, that she could in a few years do something that had foxed her grandmother for half her life? No, no, she could do this, she was a good farmer! Maybe there was something in her grandmother’s notes about this? No, she’d read them all, and few of the trees the older mare had grown had ever made it this far. If she was going to find a solution she would need another source of information.
 
She patted the tree on its trunk. “Don’t worry Peachy, Mamma’s going to go into town and make everything better.”
 



 
“Good morning Carrot Top,” said Twilight Sparkle brightly, “I don’t often see you at the library.”
 
“Yeah, sorry, I don’t have much free time on my hooves,” admitted Carrot Top.
 
“A common problem around here,” said the librarian a little sharply. “Anyway,” she continued with a smile, “How can I help you?”
 
“Um, do you have any books on farming?”
 
“Oh lots, I don’t understand why but half of the books here when I started were about crop management. I’ve had to work quite hard to diversify the collection, we didn’t even have many of the classics you know...”
 
Carrot Top’s natural reaction told her to just sit quietly and wait for Twilight to finish her rant before interrupting, but time might be of the essence. “Peach trees,” she said.
 
“Sorry?”
 
“I’m looking for a book on growing peach trees, particularly what might eat them.”
 
“Well I’m partial to them myself,” giggled Twilight before noticing Carrot Top’s expression, “Sorry, let me have a look.” She led Carrot Top through the stacks and began to pull out a few books with her aura. “This one’s on fruit trees in general, this one about garden pests...”
 
With a sigh Carrot Top dropped the large pile onto a desk and cracked open the first one, this could take a while.
 



 
Carrot Top blinked her tired eyes. It had taken most of the day but she thought she’d solved the mystery. She also know a lot more about Peach trees than she used to, maybe she should visit the library more often, it seemed her grandmother’s books weren’t the only source of information available to her. Apparently it was earwigs eating Peachy; they started early in the year and caused the semi-circular bite marks she’d seen. They were mostly nocturnal so she wouldn’t see them feasting on the young tree. Now she only needed to think of a way to deal with them. The books had a few suggestions, but most seemed too expensive for her farm.
 
She glanced into the growing gloom outside. She better leave soon, heavy rain was due all night. She watched as Raindrops shoved a large mass of clouds into place.
 
That was it!
 



 
“I’ve talked to the earwigs, Miss Toppington,” said Snails, “And they say they’ll keep away from your tree as long as you put out some scraps for them every day.” He glanced back and forth a little nervously and lowered his voice. “If they do come back try smearing a little grease on the trunk, they don’t like that.”
 
“Thanks Snails,” said Carrot Top dropping a few coins into his hoof, that colt certainly had a bright future ahead of him in pest control. She watched as the happy foal trotted off towards town, and probably a rendezvous with Bon Bon’s place. “Right Peachy,” she said turning to the tree, “That should be that dealt with, you should start feeling better soon.” She grinned as she saw a fat honey bee buzzing towards one of the small flowers that had burst open on the trees branches over the last few days.
 



 
“Is this for me?” asked Carrot Top, “Oh you shouldn’t have!” The gift in question was one of the first fruits from Peachy. Although not overly laden, the young tree had produced roughly half a dozen peaches this year. Maybe they were a little small, but to Carrot Top’s eyes they were just perfect. She reached up and hardly needed to touch it before it fell into her hoof; she slowly turned the pinkie fruit looking for any sign of rot or infestation, but no, the fruit seemed intact and unharmed.
 
She let out a sigh, almost two years' hard work all for this fruit. For the longest time she hadn’t thought she could do it, that she was doomed to fail, but she had never given up. She had thought that because her grandmother couldn’t do it she couldn’t, but she had learnt an important lesson: she wasn’t her grandmother. She still loved the old mare, and knew she still had much to learn from her, but she didn’t have to spend her whole life following in her hoofsteps, she had it within her to exceed her ancestor’s accomplishments. She was her own mare. She closed her eyes and imagined the kindly old mare’s smile, she was sure she would have been proud.
 
Opening her eyes again she glanced around at her leafy family, lit by the late afternoon sun, all grown by her own hard work, by the sweat of her brow. It might not be the most productive of farms but it was her’s, like it had been her grandmothers, like it would, hopefully, be her own foals’ one of these days.
 
She turned back to Peachy and examined the other fruit, maybe another few days and they’d be ready and she could expect even more next year. She might even have to pick off some of his blossom to stop him breaking under the weight of his own fertility, but that would be next year’s problem. In the meantime a fruit salad, she thought, add some apple, carrot, grape and she could share it with her friends, Trixie probably deserved a whole peach to herself for getting her Peachy in the first place, maybe Snails too.
 
However, the first fruit was hers. She lifted the peach to her muzzle and sniffed enjoying the smell. Perfect.
 
She opened her mouth and bit into the succulent fruit.
 
It tasted sweet.  




> Growing up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And make sure you get everything down, I know how hard it can be to follow their language but everything needs to be recorded exactly!” said Rector Agostino, waving his hooves theatrically.
 
Luna nodded gripping her quill tightly in her aura. If the functionary had known who she actually was he would no doubt be even more flustered, probably hysterical, but to him, and the rest of the staff she was Celestina, one of the many scribes taking part in the trade talks between Cavallia and Zaldia. The real Celestina had suddenly decided to follow her dreams, literally, with a legionary who had suddenly come into a considerable sum of money after the death of a very distant relative in Equestria, leaving the young couple with enough to buy out his commission, elope, and set up a small farm to raise their future foals in.
 
“Here she comes!” came a cry from further down the hall.
 
“Positions everypony, we must all look our best for the Exarch!” cried the Rector as he struggled to straighten his robes. The legionaries and other delegates all quickly froze at attention in two rows at either side of the chamber as between then strolled the Mi Amore Cadenza, Exarch of Cavallia, The Reborn Sun, Lady of the Heart, Beloved of the People, Protector of the Crystal Sea, Marshal of the Heart, and as known to only one individual in the room, Cadence, Luna’s daughter.
 
Although the method of Cadence’s conception and birth had not been that of mortal ponies, Luna considered her the blood of her own blood, and with that she felt came certain responsibilities. Which was why she was here. It was only a few years since the previous Exarch of Cavallia had passed on and Cadenza had been elected as his successor by the Chamber of Cardinals. The decision not been unanimous, however, and a sizable minority of the Cavallian nobility were hostile to the idea of the alicorn taking the supreme role in their government. Not least as her immortality would make any future hope of themselves or their descendants sitting on the throne moot. It was this issue that made this conference all the more important, Cadence had to prove to her people that she was a strong, capable ruler and the other party in the meeting would not make this easy.
 
Cavallia and Zaldia had a long history of feuding, and although they currently held a tenuous peace, there was news of Zaldian troops carrying out manoeuvres near the border and other saber rattling exercises. Equestrian intelligence suggested there was a strong possibility of a pre-emptive attack in the next few months and, given the reported relative sizes of their military's' Cavallia would likely come off worse in any exchange. Equestria had made an official position that it would not help any act of aggression on either side but both countries had politely pointed out that this was an internal matter.
 
All these factors together had made Luna decide to come here today in disguise. It was not unique, she had at times previously felt the urge to send part of herself to visit her daughter incognito, and on an occasion or two actively meddle in her affairs. Now, as then, the actions made her feel slightly dirty; she knew she should not be interfering with her daughter’s life, but the fact Cadence had not asked Equestria for aid felt like a personal slight, which stung a little. She knew how hard the life of a monarch could be, how isolated you could be, how the weight of decisions could weigh down on you. She had not been there for her daughter’s early life, had deliberately cast her away, had even tried to lock away her divinity; nothing could make up for that, but at least she could try to make her daughter’s life a little easier, couldn’t she?
 
“Celestina!” came a hiss from the pony next to her drawing her out of her introspection. She blinked, wishing she had chosen a persona whose name was less like her sister’s. She straightened just as the Exarch and her elderly consort came to a halt not far from her. The junior alicorn wore the crown of her position on her brow, carefully balanced around her long tapering horn, and a relatively simple white robe with intricate gold threaded edges. Her consort, Cartasole wore a similar but even less ornate outfit, his head and patchy mane were bare. He was clearly in the twilight of his life and Luna wished she could spare her daughter the pain of the curse of mortality that she would no doubt feel within in the next few years.
 
Still there was no doubting the love between the alicorn and her husband despite how brief its flowering would be. It was a shame that that love could never be fruitful; Luna’s heart dipped at the thought of the night Cadence had come to her, and she had been forced to tell her daughter than no union of alicorn and mortal would produce a child, regardless of the love involved. Her daughter’s solution, adoption, had been one that Luna herself had never considered; in fact, she was a little surprised that her daughter’s adopted daughter, Annunciata, was not present. She was, among other things, one of Cavallia’s top diplomats. Although she had taken many lovers Luna had never formally acknowledged a consort or adopted any children, although she had held some ponies as children of her heart over the centuries.
 
Cadence had done things quite differently. She had formally married, adopted, and even kept links with the descendants of the family Luna had left her with all those years ago. Luna had always feared that such events would lead to civil strife in Equestria, although Cavallia and Cadenza had seemed to have survived so far. Still, the filly was young, so very young compared to Luna; she had not yet lived with the relentless passing of generation after generation.
 
“Thank you all,” said Cadence with a gracious nod, “for the long hours you all put into organising this meeting, just so I could look organised,” there was a little nervous laughter around the room, “But we must not slack at this last moment,” she slowly trotted in a circle to look all the servants in the eye. “The Zaldian delegation will no doubt try to provoke you. Do not let them, you are all better than that. This is a place for words of peace, not actions of war. Although if it does come to that we will be ready!” she let her words hang in the air for a moment. “Now let’s get in there and show them what we can do!” she cried with a smile. A round of stamping rolled around the chamber, and Luna could not help but smile and join in. She noticed Cadence lean gently against her aged consort as if seeking his support.
 
At a second nod from the Exarch the door to the meeting chamber was opened and the delegation marched in to take their positions. The chamber was splendid, open at one end to a balcony giving a view out into the ocean beyond sparkling in the early morning sun. A cool breeze flowed into the chamber keeping the temperature tolerable. The table itself was made of polished marble and contained, bowls of fruit and vases of wine for the delegations to refresh themselves with, around it were velvet covered chairs. The walls were covered by exquisite art and were inlaid with gold and silver. The room showed all the wealth of Cavallia; trade with us, it said, and this could be yours. Luna approved of the sentiment and hoped that King Zuzen of Zaldia would as well.
 
Along with the other scribes Luna was bustled into one of the alcoves around the walls of the chamber; there they would be unobtrusive but still close enough to record all that was said. Luna quickly cast a spell on her quill to ensure it would make its record without her conscious control, no need to have to split her attention or draw attention by not doing her cover persona’s job.
 
Cadence, Cartasole and the other members of their party took their seats on one side of the table and talked quietly amongst themselves while awaiting the arrival of their Zaldian counterparts. They were late, probably on purpose, thought Luna, already attempting to provoke their hosts. Zuzan would never show such disrespect to her, she didn’t know how Cadenza could stand for it. She glanced over to her daughter and noticed her rhythmically waving a hoof in front of her, which she recognised as a breathing exercise. Apparently this meeting was more stressful to the younger alicorn than she let on. Cartasole turned and kissed his wife on the lips, the exchange between the elderly pony and the alicorn who looked young enough to be his granddaughter might have looked almost obscene, if you did not know her true age. Cadenza sighed and ceased her ritual.
 
There was a soft knocking from the door and at an unspoken command the delegates stood. A moment later the door was opened by a pair of legionaries and in marched the Zaldian delegation. The contrast to the Cavallians could not be starker. Rather than simple robes the Zaldians were dressed for war, even the scribes wore abbreviated armour like outfits with quills held in sheaths. The king himself wore a full suit of armour, tiny intricate rune covered platinum plates interlocked and coated a felt under layer, which allowed them to flow like fabric while providing protection both physical and magical.
 
“Introducing King Zuzen of Zaldia,” began a herald in Equestrian, it had been decided to be the least objectionable common language to both sides, “Master of the Platinum Kingdom, Lord...”
 
“This is an outrage,” bellowed King Zuzan pointing a hoof to the right of Cadence. Guards on both side of the hall tightened their grip on their weapons. “That a slave be allowed to take part in such discussions! This is an insult to Zaldia that I will not allow to stand!”
 
Luna noticed Cadenza’s nostrils flare and her tail whip from side to side. “My.... Exarch Consort Cartasole is not a slave,” she hissed seeming to barely maintain control.
 
Luna gritted her teeth, Zuzan obviously knew just where to strike her daughter to get a reaction.
 
“You deny he was once, as you say in your flowery language, an indentured servant? A slave?” replied Zuzan.
 
“No, that is public record, but his hard work paid off his servitude long ago, he is a free pony now, and my beloved.”
 
“In Zaldia once a stallion allows himself to be a slave, he is always a slave, no mere payment can change that! He has no place here, except, maybe to serve at our table. I demand he is removed immediately or these talks will go no further!”
 
Cadence took a step forwards resting her forelegs on the table she glared angrily at her opposite number. “This is my country, King Zuzan, not yours. You are in no position to...”
 
Cartasole rested a hoof on his wife’s barrel. “Calm Mi Amore,” he whispered, “If our guest objects so strongly to my presence I am happy to withdraw, you know my place is not at the debating chamber, I am far more useful in the bed chamber,” with a smile he kissed her before slipping off the chair and slowly hobbling towards the door, when he reached it he turned to the King and gave a wide smile before looking to his wife, “Try not to be too long joining me.”
 
She returning his smile for a moment before turning back to the King. “Has this removed your objection?” she asked face placid.
 
“For the moment,” said the king with bad grace, he lifted his helm from his head revealing a flattened white mane before placing it heavily on the table.
 
Luna fumed where she stood, as her quill started to dance over its parchment. This was not good, Zaldia was making unreasonable demands and Cavallia had just caved in to them. Zuzan was making good use of his country's position of strength to keep Cadence wrong hoofed. She had hoped her daughter would play the game better than this.
 



 
“No, that is unacceptable!” exclaimed King Zuzen slamming a hoof on the table, “We reject any tariff on our export of gold; you are trying to stifle our mining industry and favour your own, even though they produce a less pure product!” He reached out for a goblet and took a sip of wine before returning it to the table to be refilled by a passing servant.
 
“King Zuzen, there are few other nations that seek to import gold given it’s... unfortunate implications, and the tariff is needed to fund road building work in our border provinces,” explained Cadence soothingly, “It favours both of our nations to have better transport in that area. It is the same reason your people have given for the charges on our wine exports, like that vintage you have just sampled. It was made at my parent’s vineyards, it is run by my nephew now.”
 
The king looked at the goblet thoughtfully for a moment before taking another sip. “Maybe... if we were to remove our tariff would you agree to the same?”
 
In her alcove Luna could not help but grin, Cadence had apparently studied her opponent well, he was rather overly fond of the fruit of the vine. It had been rather too long since she had sampled some of Cavallia’s most famous export herself, maybe she could pick up a case or two while she was visiting. She shook herself, she knew where that could lead. Her country, and her daughter, needed her head clear right now.
 
As she had expected the trade negotiations were long and extremely boring. She was glad her quill was on automatic, she would probably have fallen asleep if she’d had to keep up with all the minutia. Still, she was not pleased with what was going on. Zuzen had always been an aggressive fool, but in their meetings he had at least treated her with some respect. Here, however he took every opportunity to belittle Cadenza and her land. It made her blood boil; if this was how Zaldia treated other nations that were on a more equal hoofing to it then maybe it was time for Equestria to step in. An embargo would hurt Zaldia much more than its larger neighbour. She was even more upset by her daughter’s reaction to the insults, she just sat there and took them! Even apologizing on occasion, had the girl no spine? The upstart king was only a mortal whereas she was an alicorn. Luna considered it a personal failing, she had not been there to instruct her daughter and she had fallen into bad habits. How could she train her? Show her what she could truly be? Did she need to take matters more directly in hoof?
 
She was broken from her thoughts by Cadence. “I believe we have achieved all we can here for the morning, I think a recess is in order, until the noon heat has passed? To give us time to consider the events so far, and to allow heads to cool somewhat?”
 
The King looked like he was going to argue then nodded and the various functionaries started to pack up their things.
 
“King Zuzen,” said Cadence, “May we speak in private for a moment before we riposo?”
 
The king narrowed his eyes suspiciously before nodding. “Very well, as long as it is brief. I have important duties to attend to.”
 
“Thank you, it will not take long and I think you will find it very educational.” The two of them walked towards the balcony. Intrigued, Luna carefully crafted a spell so that nopony would notice her disappearance before turning invisible and carefully following her fellow monarchs. Outside, the sun was beating down on the sleepy city below and the sea, which stretched as far as the eye could see. In the harbour a significant number of ships sat at dock. “Beautiful is it not?” asked Cadence taking a deep breath. “I do love to come out here when I have the time, it gives one such a wonderful perspective on Roam.”
 
Unseen, Luna nodded; she loved to look down on Canterlot as well. She cocked her head, Cadenza seemed more confident now than she had at the conference table.
 
“Yes, I am sure it allows you to oversee your realm, they must seem as ants to you,” mumbled Zuzen staring at the docks.
 
“No, that is not what I mean. Out here I can see my city and I can see that it is larger than I am, that my people are far more important and numerous than I am. Do you see something of interest King Zuzen?” she asked.
 
“Those ships,” he pointed out to the sea, “I do not recognise them.” Luna followed his gaze, they were large but with sweeping curves, clearly ships of war from the weapons mounted on them. She had not been informed that Cavallia’s navy was so well equipped. Maybe she should invest more in the Equestian navy; it did seem rather under ponied at present.
 
“Oh, yes they’re new,” explained Cadenze calmly, “My dear daughter, Annunciata, offered to name the flagship after me, but after she designed them I thought she should have the honour. We have quite a few of them, beautiful aren't they? Fast too, maybe half again the speed of our standard polyremes. They could reach Zaldia in only a few days, despite being rather larger than most of your ships; they mount more ballista as well.”
 
The Kings face fell. “I... I did not know... I had heard...”
 
“You didn’t think they’d been finished? Oh, we perfected them a few years ago now; and look, there are their troops.” She waved a hoof down towards the docks as, before the king's horrified gaze, line after line of armoured ponies marched or flew past in perfect lockstep to form up into blocks around billowing standards.
 
“What... what units are those?” he asked his throat dry.
 
“Them? The 26th to 32nd legions I believe; I’d have to ask some of my staff for certain.”
 
“But... but Cavallia only has twenty five legions!”
 
“I’m afraid your reports seem to be rather out of date, they completed their training recently under my son in law General Scipio. I do hope my knowledge of your forces is rather better; your troops on our borders are the 2nd, 6th, 18th and 25th cohorts right? Along with part of the 1st magi circle, all under general Esti? I do hope her leg gets better, training accident last month wasn’t it?”
 
Luna’s mouth dropped, she had not been aware of any of this. Cadence had managed to raise this force without even her closest allies being aware of it. She had underestimated her filly, but what did she intend to do with such strength?
 
“You do... you do not intimidate me with all this!” said the king trying to drag his eyes away from the sight below.
 
“I do not want to intimidate you, I want to show you what you are facing. Many of my advisors wanted me to keep all this secret, but then you might attack thinking us an easy target and many many ponies would die proving you wrong. This way you know what the cost will be, and I hope you see it will be too high.”

Regaining some of his fire, the king fumed. “You would not be so calm if you did not think Equestria could save you from our wrath.”
 
“I am sure Equestria would act to secure its own interests if it came to war, but I have not asked for their aid. Cavallia is capable of standing on its own four legs.” Cadence turned and for a moment Luna thought her magic been penetrated, then her daughters gaze carried on past. “Oh, and if I wanted to intimidate you I would only have to do this,” she continued as her horn glowed for a moment and Zuzan felt the warding on his armour fail almost instantly, the platinum plates starting to bend under the alicorn's magical grip pressing hard against his flesh. Cadence moved closer and whispered in his ear. “In my country it is what a pony makes of his life, not how it starts that is important. My husband has made a great deal of his life.” Then her horn went out and the pressure on his chest was gone. He stood for a moment breathing hard, his heart pounding.  
 
“Now,” continued Cadence in a calmer tone, “Two things can happen here today, you can take my right hoof offered to you in peace and friendship, and we can agree a fair and amicable trade agreement between our nations which will provide prosperity for all,” she held out her hoof, “Or you can take my left and you can return to your people and start a war which will lead to the death of thousands of ponies on both sides,” her face hardened and for a moment she seemed her true age, “and I assure you, you will be one of them.” She relaxed and her tone became lighter, “Think about it, carefully. Now I have important duties to perform with my husband, we will reconvene in two hours.” She turned and trotted back to the main meeting room leaving the king alone and shaking slightly.
 
Luna stood unseen, blinking in shock for a moment before a wide smile stretched over her face. Her daughter, her daughter had managed all this, had protected her people. There was no way that King Zuzen could continue his aggressive policy now, not after seeing this. The stallion was a brute, but he wasn’t this much of a fool. This would hurt his pride, true, and his standing in his own country. Cadence might be storing up trouble for the future; she was yet to develop the long view her mother had, but Equestria could easily... no, she would lend aid if it was requested, but her daughter had shown that her own people could protect themselves. She did not need her mother’s help. For a moment that thought was a cold weight in her heart, but it was quickly melted by the warmth of her pride. Cadence had performed perfectly, and to act as she had to put him at ease... if she had ever needed proof as to how good a leader, and actress, her daughter was, this was it. With effort, Luna retracted her wings. She wanted to soar, to cry out to the world how proud she was of Cadence, but she should remain hidden; today’s triumph was on her daughters head alone. She had no doubt she would feel the need to make sure her child was safe in future. but this proved that she did not need her hoof held.
 
Her daughter was truly her own mare.
> My Family's File
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vicereine Puissance looked up from her papers and blinked at the one of a kind Pferdreich cuckoo clock mounted on the wall. It was the masterwork of Frozen Kettle and despite being over three hundred years old it had not lost nor gained as much as a second in all that time. Which was odd, as she was sure that the hour was much later than it showed. She yawned, it had been a long day and she didn’t seem to have the stamina she used to have. She briefly considered going to bed early, but no, she still had so much to do. True, she had finished her official work, but she had other more personal duties to attend to. She rapped a hoof on the table and one of the servants discretely positioned about the room swooped in to collect her papers and to spirit them away to wherever they would be needed to carry out her will.

She paused for a moment to glance around the walls of her office, they were covered with exquisite portraits showing ponies of all ages; her children, grandchildren and great grandchild all looked down at her. “My family’s file,” she commanded, and nodded as another servant carefully positioned the relevant documents in front of her. She flipped through the latest reports; for their own safety she had several agents positioned near to each of her descendants, allowing her to keep constant tabs on them and ensure that no harm would come to them. These agents produced regular reports and that allowed her to guide her family down the best route for them.

Most of the latest reports were as expected: Galant’s company had started to diversify its holdings into coal mining as she had suggested, she had arranged for the loan he needed to do so to be provided at a preferential rate from one of her banks. It was a pleasant surprise to find that her youngest daughter, Prudence was pregnant again with her sixth foal. Puissance did wonder if she was trying to outdo her mother on that front, a subtle act of rebellion? As was the fact she had not told her mother of her condition when they had met at Wallflowers' ball last week. Still, it did not matter; she was happy to see her family continue to grow.

She frowned as she continued to review the papers in front of her, not all of them were as pleasing. Her grandson Contrail had once again tried to refinance his sky chariot hire business. She had explained to him that he would have her full support in this endeavour, if only he remained as a director alone; but he kept insisting that he enjoyed actually acting as a chauffeur, a role that was well below his station. So far two unexpected safety inspections and a certain amount of pressure on his rivals to reduce their charges had not dampened his obsession. It might be necessary to take some more drastic actions to ensure he fell into line, possibly foreclosure, she already indirectly owned his mortgage? She considered for a moment. No, things were not that dire yet, she still would prefer him to take up the appropriate position in the company rather than destroy the whole, potentially profitable, endeavour. A further investigation into his partners might reveal some leverage which could be used to get them to pressure their colleague into following her request.

She flicked through a few more pages tutting as she went. Why did her family have to be so wilful? She only wanted what was best for them, why did they keep fighting her? She, after all, had so much more experience than them. She guessed it was something that they inherited from her and her husbands. It was admirable in a way, if only they would channel it in the ways she bid.
 
Sighing, she looked at her granddaughter Violet’s file. Puissance had great hopes for her. She seemed to have, until recently, the makings of a fine noble, so her grandmother had maneuverer her so she was courted by Archduchess Nobility of Trot's son, who was an excellent match for her. Certainly the stallion was not perfect, he had a laugh that could cut glass and could not by any stretch of the imagination be considered bright. Still that was a positive benefit, he would be easy to manipulate and that would make up for any lack of sparkling wit.

Still Violet insisted that she wished to choose her own husband, and had the audacity to select a common school teacher, of all things! Her agents had been unable to find anything incriminating on Violet’s betrothed, and all attempts to subtly bribe the stallion to turn down Violet had been rebuffed. She considered her other options; it was probably time to step things up before the situation got further out of hoof. She noted that the school he worked for suffered from overcrowding; maybe Book Worm wouldn’t accept aid for himself, but he might feel differently about the school itself, or she could threaten to have the place closed down. Book Worm's inevitable rejection of her would be hard on Violet, but it could be kept from the papers. Once the messy business was complete and she was married with her first foal destined to be the next Archduke or Duchess of Trot she would understand. Maybe she would be happier with her school teacher, but that was a minor concern next to the power she would add to the family by wedding Nobility’s scion.

Flicking through her personal correspondence she found herself a little disappointed that there was no letter from her granddaughter Light Speed, she had used to enjoy her monthly missives. Her last letter, four, no six months ago now had been scathing, accusing her grandmother of arranging for her friends to be imprisoned. That had been a mistake, Light was never supposed to have discovered that, the agent responsible for letting her find out had been punished most severely. Still it had been for Light’s own good, her so called friends had been using her, she would understand over time. If it cost her the love and respect of her granddaughter, then she was willing to pay that price, if it meant she was safe. No pony would prey upon her family! 

It was just a shame; she remembered Light as a foal, she had been so talented at school. Puissance recalled being presented with a homemade Hearth’s Warming card from the foal covered in coloured paper, it had been quite unique. It and the other gifts she had received from her family were now packed away in careful storage. Puscience looked around her office, at the antique furniture and glittering ornaments. Maybe it could do with a little brightening, should she unpack some of those personal treasures? No she could not risk them getting damaged.
 
Closing the folder, Puissance rubbed her eyes again before glancing down at the picture on her desk, it showed three young ponies, so young, two stallions and a mare in wedding attire. A small smile cracked her face as she gently ran a hoof over the photograph. It was her wedding, and not a day passed when she didn’t miss her husbands. It was because of them that she had to keep control of her family, because as long as her family survived they were not entirely lost to her. Really, it was no surprise that her family was so wilful given who had sired them. Dear Midas had been the most intelligent pony she had ever met, so focused, always several steps ahead of any rival. Many had thought of him as cold, but he had shown her the strength, the passion, that lurked beneath his icy exterior. Together there hadn’t seemed to be anything they couldn’t do, but maybe their relationship alone would have been too intense; without a buffer between them, they would have fought, or maybe have burnt too brightly and flickered out. Luckily her beloved Flashing had always been there to stop that. He knew just what either of them needed to bring them back down to earth. He had been a born comedian, able to reduce her to tears of laughter with just a few words. Despite his jokey demeanour he was no mere clown. Maybe not as smart as Midas, he was just as much a genius as his brother-husband had been. He was always open to new experiences, new ways of thinking; on the few occasions when she or Midas were unable to power through a problem, Flashing could think his way around it.

Despite their differences the two stallions had been close friends, even before she had met them. She had found both of them so very attractive in their own ways. Her parents had very much approved of Midas, adding Califerlong to their holdings would have be a great boon, but they strongly disapproved of Flashing; the second son of a Duke was considered below their eldest child. They really hadn’t understood her feelings, had only seen the importance of succession. She had feared making a choice, of having to break the heart of one of her beloveds, feared that any competition between them would break their friendship as well. It had been Flashing who had come up with the idea of the joint marriage; it had been mildly scandalous back in the day when he had proposed to both of them, but her heart had told her that it was the correct path.

She owed it to her husbands to ensure their line continued safe and secure, and it was always their line, although some of her children showed clear signs as to who their sire was. Galant was the spitting image of Midas at that age, but she had never considered any child as belonging to any particular one of them, they were all children of all three of them. Even after Flashing had passed at far too young an age she still considered him the part-father of the rest of her children. Without Flashing’s physical presence her relationship with Midas had cooled. The two of them had thrown themselves more and more into their work to hide their loss until many years later her second husband had passed as well; but despite it all she had never stopped loving him.

Blinking, she wiped her eyes of the moisture that had gathered there, she pushed aside the file and it was once again taken by a servant to be hidden away with the rest of her more sensitive records. Looking up at the clock again she noted the time that had passed, it would probably be best if she retired for the night, as always she had a lot ahead of her tomorrow. Thinking about her family always made her feel maudlin; maybe she should plan a trip to the vault, being around her special ponies always made her feel better. Why was it that total strangers understood that she had to protect them, whereas her own family tried to resist her at every turn? She stood from her seat only straightening with effort. Reading her intentions, one servant opened the door from her office to her bed chamber for her while another glided in with a hot drink. She briefly considered asking them their names, but it was never good to get to familiar with the staff. Before following them, she paused for a moment and turned back to the desk, picking up the wedding photograph and gently rested her lips on it.

“Goodnight my loves,” she whispered, “See you both soon.”





> Missing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

         The soft wind from the west reminded Cheerilee of the brush of lips from a shy lover, both in its gentle touch on her coat and in its calming warmth. It was mid spring, and at that time of day when the sky was already dark and splendid with the brilliant mural of stars crafted by Princess Luna, but it was still early enough that light still poured from the windows of most of Ponyville’s residences, bathing the night with a welcoming yellow glow.
 
        It was the time of evening when Berry Punch would be at her most busy, her tavern packed full of revellers enjoying drink and music before heading home. Cheerilee could already see her older sister in her mind’s eye, imagining the smooth, easy manner in which Berry Punch flitted about her bar counter responding to orders with the aplomb and grin of a mare in her element.
 
        The tavern sat comfortably nestled in the circle of shop fronts that surrounded the town hall, the wide two-story building sharing the same simple and welcoming stone and thatch roofed construction that made up most of Ponyville’s architecture. A nice large pair of swinging wooden doors led straight into the tavern common room, and Cheerilee stepped through swiftly, taking in the familiar scenery with a practiced glance.
 
        It was a bit less busy than was common for this time of evening, but Berry Punch was still in full swing keeping her patrons well supplied with their choice of drink, all while taking time to listen in on multiple conversations and add in her own two bits. Usually she had another pony, Fizzy, helping her work the bar, but it looked like this was a day off for him. Berry Punch caught Cheerilee’s entrance and the two sisters shared a brief look, Cheerilee tilting her head towards a side table to which Berry Punch returned a quick, small nod. Berry Punch went right back to conversing and serving her patrons while Cheerilee took a seat at one of the tables sitting up against the wall.
 
        A few of the ponies present noticed Cheerilee, and she got an assortment of warm hellos and waves, which she returned with small smiles. The patrons quickly noted, however, that she wasn’t inviting conversation, so she was politely left alone. The older patrons, the ones who’d frequented Berry Punch’s tavern often and knew what day it was, understood why Cheerilee was here and merely gave her solemn nods, one pegasus stallion even lifting his drink in a short toast.
 
        Gradually the evening winded down, and one by one the ponies drank their last drinks and with warm laughs and farewells trotted, stumbled, or in one lightweight unicorn mare’s case was carried, out the doors. Cheerilee watched as Berry Punch went and pulled in her ‘Open’ sign from outside. She didn’t bother locking up the doors. One of the benefits of living in such a pleasant town like Ponyville; you could trust your neighbours.
 
        “Want your usual?” asked Berry as Cheerilee stood and trotted alongside her sister towards the bar.
 
        “Oh, I think I’ll try being adventurous this time and let you pick something,” Cheerilee said as she slid onto a bar stool and rested the elbows of her forelegs on the counter, “Surprise me, sis.”
 
        Berry Punch gave Cheerilee a wry half grin as she went to her liquor cabinet, “Just remember, you asked for it.”
 
        A companionable silence ensued as Cheerilee watched her sister mix a pair of drinks. She was only slightly concerned she didn’t recognize the combination of liquids Berry was mixing up, and she could smell the sharpness of the alcohol clearly. At Cheerilee’s raised eyebrow Berry Punch chuckled.
 
        “Been experimenting with a few new mixes. Don’t make that face, Cheery, I’ve tested these out myself. Geez, give me some credit!”
 
        Cheerilee wiped the scrunched up expression off her face and let out a brief laugh, holding up her hooves, “Okay, okay, I’ll trust you.”
 
        When the mix was done the drink was poured into a pair of tall shot glasses, a pair that Berry Punch only broke out on special occasions. The liquor was a near bursting neon green and Cheerilee eyed it dubiously for a second as she balanced it on her hoof. Berry Punch, drink in hoof as well, gave Cheerilee an encouraging nod and held the drink out to toast.
 
        “To sis,” she said.
 
        Cheerilee’s eyes lidded as long buried feelings of melancholy rose to the surface like the bubbles of long held breath underwater finally breaking free, “To sis...”
 
The glasses clinking together sounded to Cheerilee’s ears like a forlorn cry, but she reflected that was probably just the mood she was in colouring things. She didn’t flinch as she knocked the drink back, letting the scalding green liquid blaze its way down her throat. Whatever Berry had mixed it burned ferociously, while filling Cheerilee’s nose with the scent of tangy fruit. It left a faintly sweet aftertaste that reminded her of peaches. The drink left an intense warmth in her gut and she could feel that warmth spreading out to her head rather quickly.
 
“Phew... potent,” she said, licking her lips and holding out her empty glass for Berry to take and refill, “Just what is this stuff?”
 
Berry Punch’s tail wagged as she worked up another mix, “Combination of things. Got some fruits in from the import market in Manehattan, all from Zebrica. Wanted to add something exotic to the tap. What do you think?”
 
“I think I ought to visit Zebrica sometime,” Cheerilee said as she downed her second round, shaking her head as the effects of the potent drink beat its way past her usually stout constitution.
 
“Heh, well... kind of like having you around... “ said Berry, who contemplated her own second drink with saddened eyes before swigging it down even faster than Cheerilee had. A stiff silence followed, and both mares starred, not at each other, but far and away, each viewing their own memories. In Cheerilee’s mind she was seeing another mare, one who looked so much like herself, with a cocky smile that Cheerilee could remember so clearly even after six years.
 
“I’m not going anywhere, Berry,” she said, but Berry Punch just shook her head.
 
“No promises you can’t keep, Cheery. You’re a knight now. That whole Tambelon business? Who knows where Luna will send you next... or if I’ll see you come back.”
 
        There was a hesitant pause before she added, “Just like Cherry Blossom.”
 
        Cheerilee’s face screwed up a bit and she said, perhaps too quickly, “It's not the same. Even if something goes wrong doing my duties as a knight, you’ll know what happened. Luna wouldn’t leave you wondering.”
 
        “I know, I just don’t want to toast to two sisters who aren’t here anymore,” Berry Punch said, pouring herself a third round. Cheerilee shook her head when Berry gave her a questioning look and gently pushed her empty shot glass away. After Berry put away that third shot of lime green liquid, so intense it seemed to glow as it slid down Berry’s throat, her face was turning that rosy tinge of a mare well on her way to being plastered. Cheerilee sighed. These toasts weren’t meant to go to the point of putting them under the table.
 
        “Ya know,” Berry said, voice a tad slurred, “Given you got that fancy Right of Approach, you think you could ask the Princess to... to try looking again?”
 
        Tension rippled through Cheerilee, and she took in and let out a deep breath, “Berry, it’s been six years. There’s nothing to look for.”
 
        “You don’t know that!” Berry snapped, though without much force, and more with that familiar long held hurt Cheerilee knew she kept buried inside her, too. Berry’s expression softened, “You don’t know that for sure. Nopony does.”
 
        “What do you want me to say?” asked Cheerilee, holding out her hooves, “When the Bluesurf went missing they searched for months. That was six years ago Berry. What good would going to Luna about it now do?”
 
        Berry didn’t say anything, just stared at her empty shot glass as if debating whether to go for round four. Cheerilee could almost see the memories slipping through her little sister’s mind, recalling the events that she herself could remember so vividly after all this time.
 
        Cherry Blossom was Cheerilee’s twin sister. Rambunctious, energetic, aggressive, it was Cherry Blossom who’d opened up Cheerilee’s otherwise shy early disposition and got her viewing the world in a different light. If not for Cherry Blossom’s adventurous nature it was possible Cheerilee wouldn't have acquired the taste for it herself, travelled the world the way she had for so much of her youth. Cherry Blossom had channelled her own energy towards sports, earning a cutie mark that put the mare squarely in the wrestling ring where she seemed to revel in physical competition. So much of Cheerilee’s own skill in hoof to hoof had been sparked and honed by early sparring with Cherry.
 
        Cherry had been good, so good she’d risen in popularity while still pretty young. Before she’d even hit twenty Cherry Blossom, now the Mystery Mare (mask and all), was set for a shot at the championship. She’d gone on a two week vacation to the Acaporko Islands to celebrate her success. Cheerilee would have gone, but she’d been studying for becoming a schoolteacher by then. The last time anypony saw Cherry Blossom she’d been boarding a passenger ship called the Bluesurf for the trip home.
 
        The Bluesurf never made it to the port in Manehattan. It’d gone missing somewhere in the calm straights between Acaporko and the mainland.
 
        It’d been a complete mystery to everypony. Search parties of pegasi flyers and swift Equestrian navy ships swept the area for days, then weeks, and even onto months. They started by searching the most common routes ships took for that trip, for the tourist business was booming and ships like the Bluesurf made that trip dozens of times every year. The ocean of that region was among the calmest and safest in the world. Storms were practically unheard of. Sea monsters more myth than a real threat. Pirates hadn’t threatened that region for centuries. The Bluesurf itself was a stout ship with an experienced crew, with a reputation as among the best of the merchant fleet that operated that travel route.
 
        How it vanished was utterly unexplainable.
 
        No wreckage. No bodies. Nothing.
 
        It was as if the Bluesurf had simply been plucked off the face of the world... with Cherry Blossom along with it.
 
        The memories left Cheerilee feeling the keen hole her twin sister’s disappearance left, but over the course of six years she’d come to accept the loss. She’d moved on, mostly. She missed Cherry Blossom, but she knew her twin well enough to understand that if Cherry Blossom saw Cheerilee fall into depression then she’d get hit with a Spinning Appleoosa Roll so hard it’d made her see birds for days. The thought had run through her mind to try and take up Cherry’s old mantle as the Mystery Mare, yet she felt in the end Cherry would’ve been prouder of Cheerilee if she stayed true to her own cutie mark. So Cheerilee had buckled down, studied harder than she ever had in her life, and made it into the ranks of Equestria’s educators. Wherever Cherry Blossom was, Cheerilee wanted to make sure her twin wouldn’t be let down.
 
        She’d thought Berry Punch had also moved on, these toasts on the anniversary of the Bluesurf’s disappearance just a way to honour their sister’s memory. The pain dug deeper than Cheerilee thought, because Berry Punch looked terrible, eyes red and puffy. But maybe that was just the fourth shot doing its thing. Cheerilee thought that perhaps it was a bit... different for Berry, being the older sister. Cheerilee had grown up with Cherry, but Berry had been there the day both twins had come into the world and had helped raise them. Did Berry feel like she’d failed as an older sister? Cheerilee couldn’t quite work up the courage to ask.
 
        “I dunno whut gud it’d do,” Berry said at last, “But anything’s better’n not knowin’. She’s the Princess fer moons freakin’ sake! Gotta have a... a... find stuff spell or... I dun know. Just so tired Cheery! So tired uv not knowin’...”
 
        Any more words got choked up in the sobs that followed. Cheerilee, holding back her own tears, slide right over the counter without a thought and wrapped Berry up in her hooves. Berry didn’t show any shame or hesitation in burying her face in her sister’s mane and letting the bawling commence, fully and unreservedly. After a bit Cheerilee decided to stop trying to act tough and joined her sister. Even thinking she’d moved on from it Cheerilee couldn’t deny the swelling of memories and all the pain the silent loss of her twin had left in her. She missed her sister.
 
        And was just as desperate as Berry Punch to know the truth about what happened to the Bluesurf.
 
        Sometime later Cheerilee carried a tired and passed out Berry Punch up the stairs to the second floor of the tavern, which was Berry’s apartment. Cheerilee carefully and gently laid her sister down in her bed, tucking the covers up over the now slightly snoring older mare. Cheerilee patted Berry Punch’s mane tenderly, and listened to Berry murmur in her sleep. It sounded like Cherry Blossom’s name.
 
        Cheerilee hung her head, “G’night sis.”
 
        She was a tad tipsy herself as she left the tavern, stumbling slightly on the long trek back to her own house. As she walked she passed by the Residency of the Representative of Luna’s Night Court in Ponyville... the house of Trixie Lulamoon. Cheerilee looked at the Residency with a thoughtful expression slowly making its way onto her faintly drunk features.
 
        Would it be so crazy? Six years. What could be left to find? Whatever happened, any evidence would have to be long gone, right? It had to be impossible... right?
 
        As impossible as six common mares defeating the Tyrant Sun.
 
        As impossible as the return of Tambelon.
 
        As impossible as traveling to an alternate dimension.
 
        Cheerilee had to admit, her definition of “impossible” had taken quite the beating over the past year and a half. Perhaps...
 
        She shook her head, “I’m just drunk. Just drunk.”
 
        But the idea didn’t leave the back of her mind as she trotted onward to her home. It sat there, resting at the back of her mind as she moved through her living room, putting food into the many fish tanks dotting her cluttered home. The idea remained lodged firmly, like a pebble stuck in a horseshoe, inside Cheerilee’s brain, even as she clambered into bed and drew the covers up to her neck.
 
        Turning in her covers, gradually letting sleep worm its way around her consciousness, Cheerilee looked at one of the many pictures lining her bedroom side table. One of them was of a pair of young fillies. Through the picture was black and white, Cheerilee’s mind vividly painted the image with the magenta colours of the two fillies, both of the young ponies sharing the same gleaming green eyes. One’s mane was cut shorter than her twin sibling’s, with sharper bangs, but there was no mistaking that cocky, fun loving grin as Cherry Blossom rested an elbow on Cheerilee’s back. The picture had been taken back when they were both foals no more than seven.
 
        As sleep took her, Cheerilee murmured the question that was now stuck inside her, demanding an answer with reawakened fervour.
 
        “Where are you, Cherry?”