> Home For The Holidays
>  by pabrony
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> WHAT?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She still hasn't returned your last message?" Twi asked me as we began the second hour in the waiting room of the doctor's office for the girls' six-month checkup. "It's been nearly two months since you last wrote to Twilight to find out how things are going."

"I know and it's beginning to worry me," I said as Solaria tried wiggling out of my grip. "Come here you." I returned my attention to my wife. "I know she's been overworked with the school and all but she's never gone this long without replying."

Twi tapped her chin as she usually does when she starts thinking. "Maybe you should send her another message in case she missed the last one," Twi suggested after a minute or so. "It happens here with texts sometimes."

"SOLARIA RADIANCE AND GLEAMING DUSK!" called the nurse.

"Point taken," I replied. "I'll shoot her another one when we get home."

"Sounds like a...Gleaming, no!"





"Brrrr," I said as Twi and I entered the kitchen with the girls. "So much for the weatherman's prediction of upper forties today."

Twi set Solaria's carrier on the floor and proceeded to unbundle her while I did the same with Gleaming. After a quick change of clothes, we set them free inside the playpen to cause whatever mischief they desired. I, meanwhile, went to fetch a certain book from the nightstand. By the time I returned, Twi had set up shop on the couch with a pair of mugs filled with hot cocoa, her feet on the coffee table, and her cane beside her on the couch as though she was saving the seat for somebody.

"So what are you gonna write to her?" Twi asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. 'Hey how is everything?' 'Whatcha been up to?' Maybe 'Answer your dang messages'," I said with a slight growl.

Twi put her arm around my shoulders. "Sunny, calm down. We don't need an interdimensional incident just because your friend is probably busy."

I gave her a small kiss and put the pen to the paper.



Dear Princess Twilight,
I haven’t heard anything from you in a while and was wondering if everything was okay in Equestria. Please write back as soon as you get this.
Your friend, 
Sunset Shimmer



Roughly an hour passed before the journal began glowing and buzzing. To my surprise, it wasn't Twilight's writing that answered.

"Well? What did she say?" Twi asked me as I read the response. 

"WHAT THE HELL?!" I shouted, causing the babies to start crying. "Sorry, girls," I cooed as I picked up Solaria and handed her to Twi and then got settled in with Gleaming. 

"Sunny, we really need to work on your temper," said Twi. She popped a pacifier into Solaria's mouth in an attempt to settle her down. "Now...what did Twilight say?"

In an attempt to calm Gleaming down i rocked her back and forth in my arms. "She didn't say anything," I replied.

"So what has you so ticked off?"

"It was Starlight that replied to my message!" I said as Gleaming began chewing on her hand.

"Starlight? Why did she answer?"

I took a deep breath and slowly exhaled so I could keep my temper in check. "Because Starlight is now the headmare of the School of Friendship and the Friendship Castle is now hers."

"Hers?"

"Yeah. Twilight moved back to Canterlot."

Twi gave me a puzzled look and asked if Starlight elaborated on why she did that. I told her that if she levitated the journal over to me, I would read the entire message to her.

Once the book was in my possession, I flipped to the last page with writing, cleared my throat, and read Starlight's response.



"Dear Sunset,

Sorry it's been quiet from this end but between Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow attempting to take over Equestria and Celestia and Luna’s retirement, we've had our hooves full. The reason I'm answering and not Twilight is because I'm now the headmare of Twilight's Friendship School and I'm in charge of keeping the Friendship Castle kept up to standards (translation...it's my house now. Haha). But I was given these responsibilities because Twilight is now the ruler of Equestria and has moved into Celestia's former castle in Canterlot. The mirror is still in Ponyville in case you decide to visit, in case you're wondering. 

Anyway, I have to get back to the school in a few minutes so I'll write again later.

Your friend,
Starlight Glimmer

P.S. Did you happen to make it to the coronation? I don't recall seeing you there.



I closed the journal and angrily tossed it to the floor. Twi sat beside me with her mouth agape while she bounced Solaria on her right knee.

Following another growl, I began to vent about the b.s. from my mentor. "She's been my best friend for nearly three years-"

"Ahem!" Twi interrupted, clearing her throat.

"Okay, she's been a close friend for the past three years. Better?" Twi nodded her head. "Anyway, something this major, you would think she would want me to be there a join in the celebration. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of her, but it still ticks me off that she never once mentioned that she was going to take Celestia's place."

"Maybe she figured that we wouldn't be able to make it because of the girls," Twi said, playing devil's advocate.

Gleaming finally got settled and began to squirm so I set her floor with her sister. "Bull crap," I grumbled. "She knows that one of the girls would be willing to watch them if we went. The fact that I consider her one of my best friends and she shut me out of something this big, it breaks my heart just as much as it makes my blood boil."

Twi held my hands as my temper slowly ebbed. "Sunny, how about we go to Equestria this weekend? I mean, it's Hearth's Warming over there, after all. We could stay with your parents and then make a surprise visit to the princess."

I smiled at her suggestion and as I leaned in to give her a kiss, something fell between me and Twi's face. I reached down and picked up the object in question. 

"Don't look at me," said Twi as I showed her the mistletoe. Both of us then looked toward the floor where both Gleaming and Solaria were looking back at us with huge grins on their faces.

After a quick chuckle, Twi levitated the journal and pen back to me. I opened it to the first blank page and began a different greeting.



Dear Starlight Glimmer…


> KEEP AWAY!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Me and Twi stood just inside the front door with the girls in their car carriers as we waited for Rarity to pick us up and take us to the portal. Gleaming was teleporting her mittens on and off her hands every couple seconds and laughing each time she did it. Solaria was busy blowing spit bubbles with her tongue and trying to undo the chest clip on the carrier belt. Twi was twirling her earmuffs in her right hand while I sent Rarity another text asking how much longer she would be.

"What did she say?" Twi asked when the reply came.

I looked down at my phone and read the text aloud. "She said, 'running behind. Limo driver overslept. Five minutes tops.'"

Twi rolled her eyes. "So, about another fifteen minutes?"

"If we're lucky," I said with a laugh.

"Here," Twi said, tossing her earmuffs to me, "hold these until Rarity gets here."

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"I am going to sit down. My leg cannot take standing this long."

Good thing she's gonna have four in an hour or so, I thought with a slight chuckle.

I put Twi's earmuffs around my neck and squatted down to playfully pop some of the bubbles Solaria was blowing. It was cute how she was still trying to undo the clasp on her carrier even with her mittens on. We didn't get to play in the foyer for more than a couple of minutes before there was a sharp knock on the door.

"DARLINGS!!! I'M HEEEERE!!!" sang a voice from outside the door.

"Come on in, Rarity," I answered. 

She poked her head in the door and looked at me in feigned shock. "How on earth did you guess that it was me?"

"You're the only one that calls everybody 'darling' all the time and we were expecting you," I deadpanned.

Rarity gave a small titter at my response and asked where Twi was at.

"She's in the den, waiting on you."

Moments later we heard Twi's signature footsteps on the carpet on her way back to the foyer. "That was a lot quicker than I thought you would be," Twi said. "Usually when you say five minutes, it ends up being more like twenty to thirty minutes."

"To be fair, it wasn't me that sent the message. Jackie stole my phone the last time and replied to Sunset," Rarity replied. 

"Jackie?!" Me and Twi said in unison.

Rarity turned a shade of red resulting from the embarrassment that I had never seen before. "It's my, um, pet name for my dear, sweet, adorable, lovable-"

"Rarity, you don't need all the romantic adjectives," I interrupted. "We know that you're talking about Applejack."

"Hehe, yeah," Rarity said with a sheepish smile. 

I put my arm around Rarity and pulled her it tight. "There's nothing wrong with having a pet name for your significant other. I know you've heard us call each other by our pet names," I said.

Rarity smiled and replied. "Yes, but I'm pretty sure that your pet names didn't come during coitus."

Me and Twi looked at each other and became cherry red from that statement.

Rarity gasped as the realization set in. "Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, darlings."

"Quite alright, Rarity," Twi replied.

It was about then that the front door opened and Applejack poked her head inside. "What in the hay is taking so long in here?" she asked, slightly annoyed. 

"Oh, noth-"

There was a sudden "poof" and Applejack's stetson and Rarity's fuzzy hat disappeared from their heads. I knew what happened but there was a matter of finding their headwear before we left. So the four of us began searching the house for the missing accessories.

I immediately went to my game room since that's usually where most of the items go. Upon entering the room and flipping on the light switch, I heard two distinct sounds of something teleporting. Applejack's stetson was laying on the beanbag chair upside down. 

This is too easy, I thought as I walked over.

Sure enough, as I leaned down to pick up her hat, a flash of blue light lit up the room and the hat was gone. I searched through all the shelves and drawers to make sure neither it nor Rarity's hat had been teleported to any of those places. Once satisfied that the room was clear, I turned off the light and exited the room.

"Rares! Ah found...never mind," Applejack shouted.

"Twi? Have you checked the fridge yet?" I asked as I passed the bedroom where she was searching.

"The fridge?!" Applejack and Rarity both asked.

Me and Twi chuckled before she answered. "Gleaming sometimes teleports things into the refrigerator," she said. "And no, I haven't checked in there yet."

"Jackie, dear, would you mind checking in the lavatory for me?" Rarity said as she stood outside the bathroom door.

"Seriously?" Applejack deadpanned.

"I am absolutely serious. That is someone else's private area. A lady does not go rummaging through someone else's personal things," insisted Rarity. "Besides, lavatories aren't always the cleanest rooms in a person's house."

"Excuse me?!" Twi shouted from the kitchen.

"Now ya done it. How many times do Ah gotta tell ya not to bad-mouth someone's bathrooms?" Applejack asked with a smirk.

"You never told me such rubbish," she shot back.

I began to laugh like an idiot as I searched through the kitchen cabinets. Just like a true married couple, I thought.

While Applejack and Rarity continued to argue over who was going to check the guest bathroom, I walked to the master bathroom to look in there. I heard something either teleport into or out of the bathroom when I walked in. 

"REFRIGERATOR IS CLEAR!" I heard Twi shout.

I opened the shower door, followed by the sink cabinets, the laundry basket - which had dirty laundry in it - and as a last resort, lifted the toilet lid. No hats anywhere. 

As I headed back to the den, I noticed that Applejack come out of the guest bathroom holding something behind her back. "There. Ah looked in the bathroom for ya. Happy now?" 

"Did you find my hat?" Rarity snapped.

"Uh, not really. But…" Applejack pulled her hand from behind her back. "...Ah'm sure ya might be able to wear this somehow."

Rarity's face became a mixture of green and red when she saw what Applejack had. "I will not wear a plunger on my head. Who knows where that's been and what it's touched," she griped. "That is simply revolting. Why would you even suggest such a thing?"

Applejack couldn't reply from laughing so hard. To be honest, neither could I. One of the chairs skidded across the floor in the dining room as a fit of laughter joined from there.

Amidst the laughter and Rarity's screaming, I managed to pick up the sound of Gleaming teleporting something close by. I had an idea but I needed to get Twi's help. Once everyone calmed down and Applejack replaced the plunger, I had Twi distract Gleaming with something so that she would lose interest in the hats.

After a few minutes of trying, Twi got Gleaming to focus on her mittens once again. Rarity, Applejack, and I rechecked everywhere in the house now that we knew neither of the hats would be going anywhere else. Applejack checked out the guest bedroom and my game room. I looked through the kitchen once more. Rarity looked in the nursery and den.

"All clear in the guest room!"

"Likewise with the den."

I opened the refrigerator and was nearly concussed when the milk jug shot out from being spring-loaded with the stetson. "I got your hat, Applejack," I called.

"Thank ya, Sunset," she said when she got to the kitchen to get it. "I'm guess-"

"EWWWWWWWWWW!!"

Applejack looked at me in confusion. "What the hay?"

I shrugged my shoulders and followed Applejack to the nursery. What we saw was something that you couldn't make up, if you knew Rarity, that is. In the corner near the changing table was the diaper pail. On the lid of the diaper pail laid a very fuzzy, navy blue hat. Rarity had one of her hairpins in her hand trying to pluck the cap from its resting place. 

"Don't just stand there. Help me get this off of this icky bucket."

Applejack did what her girlfriend wouldn't and grabbed the accessory in question. She then set it on Rarity's head which resulted in a shriek of disgust.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Rarity screamed, flinging the hat out into the hallway. "Sunset, dear, would you mind if I borrowed your shower to wash my hair really quick?"

"Rarity, y'all will be just fine until we get home," Applejack deadpanned. 

"Bu...bu...but all the poo germs…"

I pinched my nose and chuckled at her reaction. "Rarity, you do realize that it was on top of the lid, right? The dirty diapers go on the inside," I said sarcastically. 

Rarity - unsure of what to say next - nibbled on her fingertips nervously. Her eyes kept darting back and forth between her hat and the diaper bucket. "Could I have a grocery bag to put it in?"

"Seriously?" Applejack asked. "It's just the lid of a diaper pail. Jeez, are y'all gonna be this fussy about changing diapers if we ever adopt a youngin'?"

A dumbfounded look came over Rarity's face as the realization of what could happen down the road struck her. "I...I don't know."

The three of us headed back to the foyer where Twilight was still playing with Gleaming. Rarity continued to fuss over her hat being on the diaper pail while carrying it by the corner. Applejack continued to tease her over it. And I grabbed a plastic bag from Walmart for Rarity.

"All ready to go?" Twi asked.

"Just about. Rarity is putting her 'filthy' hat in a bag for the trip back," I replied using air quotes.

"It'll be just...a...sec...ond…" Rarity trailed off.
> Inside Starlight's Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Whoa!" Twi exclaimed as the portal spit us out onto the castle floor. "No matter how many times we go through that thing, I'll never get used to the swirly it gives us."

I couldn't help but laugh at her comment. "Did...did you just s-say sw-swirly?" I managed. 

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you know...what a swirly is?"

"..."

I explained what a swirly was through my giggling and how many of them given as the bully of CHS. I also admitted that I wanted to give her one during the Friendship Games while she was stealing everyone's magic. Her reaction wasn't what I expected. Instead of being offended and yelling at me, she just laughed it off like I was joking; which I wasn't. 

"How did the girls do?" Twi asked. 

I looked at the girls - who had ended up on my back - and saw them looking around the room in awe. It didn't take long after that for things to go haywire. A navy blue aura had enveloped Gleaming's horn and the books in the room began teleporting from shelf to shelf. Solaria, however, just had a bright green aura surrounding hers.

"It looks as though they're fine," I said as I tried putting things back.

"That's good. Hey, do you think Rarity will be ok? Solaria did a number on her when she swiped her gem creation ability," Twi replied. She stood up to head out of the mirror room and immediately collapsed. 

I levitated the girls to the floor and trotted over to check on Twi. "What happened?"

"I…I don't know," she said as she attempted to stand again and immediately collapsing. "I can't stand on my own. My left rear leg doesn't have any strength and my left front isn't much better," she explained as she began to panic.

I set a hoof on her chest. "Babe, calm down. Give me a few minutes to think of something."

"But-"

"No buts. Worst case scenario, I'll see if we can get a wheelchair from Ponyville General."

With an unsure look, she responded, "There's no way for me to hold onto a cane, is there?"

"Probably not." I paused for a moment to ponder some options when it hit me. "Can you keep an eye on the girls?"

Twi tilted her head in confusion. "Yeah. Why?"

I told her that I had remembered reading about a first aid spell that might help her out. The catch was that I had to see a medical spellbook and didn't know if Starlight had one. After making sure that Twi was going to be okay with the girls, I left the mirror room.

I called out to Starlight as I walked down the hall. Must still be at school, I thought. I arrived in front of what used to be Twilight's library and gently pushed the door open. Oh boy. Somepony doesn't have the same organizational skills as a certain alicorn.

Resigning myself to the fact that without Starlight's help I would have to check each book individually, I started from the bottom left shelf and worked my way up.

I began to mentally read the titles of each of the books as I looked at the spine of each one. Legends Of The Everfree Forest...How To Be A Better Pony...Soup For The Unicorn Soul...Rainbows Rock...The Self-Help Guide To Overcome Bitterness...Friendship Is Forever...Sleepless Snuggles. Geez, she has got everything but spellbooks in here. I pulled a thick book that lacked a title on the spine from one of the shelves to see what it was. Dr. MILFLove? Is this some sort of relationship advice book? After opening it and reading a few pages, I quickly slammed it shut. Okay. I didn't realize that Starlight was into that stuff.

"Need help?" I heard over my shoulder causing me to just slightly. I spun around to see Starlight standing in the doorway wearing a white shirt with a gold broach, dark purple skirt, and reddish-violet blazer.

"Gah! N-n-no, I, uh, was, ummm…" I stammered as I stalled for time as I felt my face turn to fire.

A knowing grin appeared on Starlight's face. "You found 'Dr. MILFLove', didn't you?"

I pressed the book against my chest as the blush continued to spread across my face. "No! It's just you, uhhh, caught me off guard. That's all."

Starlight let out a chuckle. "Don't worry. Sunburst had the same reaction when he learned what it was," she said.

"Where did you get this?" I whispered as I set the erotica back on the shelf.

"Well, I was in need of something new of that nature since everything else that I currently have does nothing for me. So I visited your world one day and hung out with Juniper. We stopped in a bookstore and she highly recommended it," Starlight said. "You should really check out the chapter where he-"

"No, thank you," I interrupted. "The first half of chapter one was enough for me."

"Eh, suit yourself," she said. "So what brings you to my humble library?"

"Are you aware of Twi's disability?"

"Disability?" Starlight asked, scratching the back of her head.

"Yeah. You see on Valentine's Day - which is my world's name for Hearts And Hooves Day - Twi was involved in an accident which nearly killed her." I then went on to explain everything that happened; the details of the wreck, Twi's injuries, and her subsequent depression. "When we arrived in the mirror room a few minutes ago, her limited mobility had transferred to her pony form."

"Really? How so?"

"Her left rear leg has absolutely no strength-"

"That shouldn't be too big of a problem."

"Let me finish. Her left rear leg has no strength and her left front is too weak to compensate for that. Because of that, she can sit but not stand," I elaborated. "I remember reading about a spell years ago that might help her to limp along at the very least. You wouldn't happen to have a first aid or medical book anywhere, would you?"

"No but I think I know which spell you're talking," she said, rubbing her chin with the back of her hoof. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the 'I Like To Move It' spell."

"Yes! Yes! That's it! That's the one!" I exclaimed excitedly as I jumped up and down. "Please tell me that you remember how it goes."

Starlight laughed and waved one of her hooves at me. "Pffft. Of course, I do. It was part of Twilight's training to be a staff member of the School Of Friendship. I personally think it's a great idea. It's so basic...wait. You mean to tell me that as advanced as you are in magic you can't perform it?"

"Well, it's not that I can't perform it, more like I don't remember it," I replied with a nervous chuckle.

"You read the title of it and skipped over it, didn't you?" she deadpanned.

"Maybe."

Starlight went over to a small desk that was in the corner to pull out a quill and some parchment. She started to scribble something down, however when I tried to see what it was, she put up a barrier to keep me away.

"What are writing?"

"Nothing that you need to know about," she teased.

I rolled my eyes. "Uh-huh. Listen, I'm gonna go check on Twi and the girls. I'll meet you back in the mirror room."

"Sure thing," she replied 

"SUNNY!!! HELP!!!" I heard Twi scream as I exited the library. 

I broke into a full gallop to reach her, thinking that something happened to either Gleaming or Solaria. When I entered the mirror room, I had to do my best to keep from dying of laughter. Twi was flat against the floor with her hooves covering her head. Above her were books floating around the room, surrounded by the same green aura that matched the glow surrounding Solaria's horn; adding to that were books teleporting from place to place.

"Having trouble?" I asked with a small snicker.

Twi peeked out from under her hooves. "Very funny. Solaria crawled up against me a couple of minutes ago and borrowed my magic," she whimpered. "Almost immediately she had books flying off the shelf. I nearly got a concussion from one of them. Luckily, Gleaming teleported it away just inches from my face."

I lit up my horn and moved Solaria away from Twi. "Naughty girl, Solaria. Taking mommy's magic again," I said with a smile as held her in front of my face in my magic. I gave her a kiss and set her down near Gleaming while I levitated all of the books back onto the shelves.

It was around this time that Starlight joined us in the room with the parchment in her mouth. She set it down in front of Twi and spun it around so that she could read it.

"What's this?" asked Twi as she struggled to a sitting position.

"It a first aid spell," Starlight answered. "As long as you keep this active, you'll be able to limp along under your own power."

A confused look came across my wife's face as she read the spell multiple times. "Starlight, is there a way you could translate this spell into a visual diagram? I haven't exactly learned how to use magic by reading spells from a book," she explained.

"I can't exactly translate it to pictures and diagrams but I can teach it to you."

Twi agreed to that and while she was learning to channel her magic from her horn to the left side of her body, I continued to put the books back on the shelves. Easier said than done. For every three books I put away Gleaming transported two more to another part of the room.

Roughly five minutes or so later, Twi finally was able to muster up enough magic to attempt the spell. Her horn had a faint glow to it that very slowly intensified as the minutes ticked by. Meanwhile, I enlisted the help of Starlight to distract Gleaming so that I could finish getting all the books put back into place.

It had been roughly twenty minutes by the time we were ready to head to the train station for the final leg of our journey to Canterlot. Twi had enough magic channeled through her body to support herself on three of her four legs. I looked in the main hall where the Hearth's Warming tree was and noticed a gaggle of pictures on the wall.

"What are all the pictures on the wall over there?" I asked Starlight. 

"Those?" 

"Mhmm."

"Those are pictures of me, Twilight, and the rest of our friends from the last few years," she responded cheerfully.  "I had copies of them made when Twilight moved to Canterlot."

"Oh, cool," I said before walking over to look at them. I scanned them one by one to see what each one was. They were mostly pictures of Twilight, the pony versions of my friends, Spike, and others. About halfway down the line, however, my giddy, bubbly, Pinkie-like mood slowly began to sour.

After the pictures of her coronation that followed her ascension, there were a half dozen pictures from the Fall Formal fiasco, including one of me holding a mortar trowel. Thanks a lot, I thought angrily. So what else is there?

More adventures; the local forest taking over Ponyville, Fluttershy and some local quartet, Rainbow Dash posing with one of the Wonderbolts, and Twilight and her friends posing in front of her newly grown castle. Then came a few photos from the Battle of the Bands. For some odd reason, I was only in one of them.

Twi - noticing my sudden mood change - limped up beside me and sat down. "Sunny? Is everything okay?"

"No. No, it's not," I grumbled. "Take a look for yourself."

She looked over the pictures and scratched the back of her head. "I don't see what you're so upset about."

I had her take a second look at all the pictures from our world. "Notice anything?"

"Now I do. You're only in two of them."

"See how I'm portrayed? One where I'm fixing the school behind a group photo. In the other one, I'm in the background while the others are ponied up and singing," I complained. "I understand not including me in the Fall Formal pics but they could've left that one in their phones. I mean, the selfie that I took with Rarity and Fluttershy that Spike photo-bombed isn't even among these."

Twi nuzzled me and told me to ask Twilight about it tomorrow. Reluctantly, I agreed that it was probably the best option and stood up to leave. Just before we left, however, I glanced at the final picture on the wall.

"WHAT IN THE  <CENSORED> HELL?!"