> Northern Lights
>  by MysteriousStranger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Wedding of Applejack and Rainbow Dash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Ponyville was covered with a familiar white blanket of snow. The town was almost empty; everypony was inside, trying to keep themselves warm. In a cottage on the outskirts, close to the Everfree Forest, a lavender Unicorn found herself in front of the fireplace. She wasn’t alone; Angel Bunny was sleeping on her lap. Twilight was looking through a photo album with photos of herself, her friends and family, all smiling into the camera. At the moment, she was looking at a very old one, taken before she and Fluttershy had even started to date. She was in the middle of the group hug, all of her friends a part of it. She remembered Spike taking that photo. On the next one, Rarity was kissing Spike on the cheek. The dragon’s blush was very noticeable. Twilight couldn't hold her giggles.

“What’s so funny, Twi?” Twilight quickly glanced at where the voice had come from to find her wife quietly closing the door. Fluttershy approached to the Unicorn her without making a sound.

“I was just looking at the album, remembering the old days.” They shared a kiss. “Remember this one?”

“Oh, yes… That was a nice picnic. It was a few weeks before I developed a crush on you…”

“Really? Wow, I didn’t know about it until a few months later. Did you seriously spend that much time secretly admiring me?”

Fluttershy nodded while blushing. She, then, sat beside Twilight and rested her head on the Unicorn's shoulder while they kept looking at the photos in the album.

“Tell me, honey, are they asleep?” Twilight asked.

“Yes. They're so cute when they sleep. Spike falls asleep almost instantly, but our little filly needs some company, even when she’s sharing the room with Spike.”

“I think that’s cute, but she'll learn how to sleep alone. She just needs more time…”

“I guess that you’re right, but I love watching her falling asleep. She’s so… Angel?” The bunny had woken up because of the talking. He hopped to the door and opened it, shaking his fists at the mares before slamming the door.

“I think that we were talking too loud.” Twilight giggled and Fluttershy did the same. They kept turning the pages, remembering all the adventures and fun they'd enjoyed with their friends. Then, they came across a picture with Applejack and Rainbow Dash kissing under an apple tree. They were wearing wedding dresses.

“That was a beautiful day… do you remember, Twi?” Fluttershy commented serenely.

“Of course I do. I remember every detail.”

They kept staring at the photo as they remembered that day, two years ago.


***


“I don’t like this dress… I hate wearing it!” The cyan Pegasus muttered to her mare of honor.

“Rainbow Dash, you promised to wear it at least once for your wedding. By the end of the day, you can take it off!”

“I didn’t promise to wear it, I lost a bet with Applejack. I hate losing…”

“Even if it's with your future wife?” Twilight said, giggling.

“Especially if it's against my future wife!”

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash. Just smile. Remember that you're marrying the pony you love.”

“I know… I just wanted to look cool, you know? Not like this...”

“No matter what you wear, you'll always look cool to Applejack.”

The rainbow-maned Pegasus sighed. “You’re right… Thanks, Twilight…” Rainbow Dash said, putting a hoof on her mare of honor’s shoulder.

“That’s what friends are for!” The Unicorn said with a smile before both of them looked at the guests.

The guests were almost the same as Twilight and Fluttershy’s wedding, but instead of their family, those seats were occupied by Applejack’s. They were in the front row, alongside Spike, Fluttershy (who admitted she wouldn’t survive being in front of so many ponies again), and Scootaloo, who said she prefered to to stay with Rainbow Dash and let her friends be the flowerfillies. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were standing under an apple tree. Princess Celestia was speaking with Fiddlesticks and Octavia, along with her sister and Rarity beside her. A few moments later, the doors from the house opened, and Pinkie Pie trotted out. She trotted happily towards the altar and nodded to the musicians. Fiddlesticks and Octavia started to play the Wedding March as Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Babs Seed trotted alongside the carpet, throwing petals while Applejack appeared from the house alongside Big Mac. She walked to the altar where Rainbow Dash was waiting for her. Princesses Celestia and Luna got back to their positions as soon as they saw Pinkie Pie appear from the house, so did Rarity. Applejack finally arrived and kissed her brother’s cheek before standing in front of the cyan Pegasus. The party pony got in her position as well. The Princess of the Sun began speaking.

“Fillies and gentlecolts. We are gathered here today to celebrate the union between Rainbow Dash and Applejack. The love these two share is pure. Two more Elements of Harmony have found love. They will now read their vows.”

Twilight approached Rainbow Dash and gave her a piece of parchment, who began to read it in a high voice.

“Applejack, I honestly never thought I would fall in love with you or anypony else, but I did without realizing it. After Fluttershy told us that she was in love with Twilight, I realized that I couldn't keep my feelings a secret forever. But I thought you would never love me. It wasn’t until you kissed me that I realized that I was wrong. But I wasn’t ready to show it to everypony else. I'm glad that Twilight and Fluttershy caught us kissing, causing the truth be revealed." She looked toward the lavender Unicorn beside her, who blushed and looked away. Rainbow continued. "It was a relief, really. Since it was no longer a secret, we could show our love in public. But, of course, it wasn’t always awesome; we had our bad moments… But after a huge fight we had, I realized I was nothing without you... Applejack, you make me look cooler, and I promise I’ll be loyal to you and I'll stay by your side until the day I die.”  Rainbow Dash kept her eyes on the farmer pony beside her, who had tears streaming from her eyes.

“Applejack, your turn.” Princess Celestia said. Pinkie Pie approached to Applejack and gave her the piece of parchment where the farmer pony had written her vows. She cleared her throat and began reading.

“Rainbow Dash, everyday with you is an adventure. Ah never thought Ah would make you work, but Ah did it and Ah never had to ask you. Ah’ll never forget the day Ah kissed you for the first time. It was an accident, but the best accident ah had. When you asked to keep our relationship a secret, Ah panicked. If somepony asked me, Ah would probably have said everythin’ since Ah hate lying and Ah'm not good at it, but, luckily nopony asked. Ah thank Twilight and Fluttershy for discoverin’ us; the guilt was consumin' me!” The cyan Pegasus scratched her head, feeling guilty for that. “After that, everythin’ got better. Ah’m glad that mah family approved of you... Ah know that we both made mistakes, but one of mine almost ruined our relationship, but it made our bond stronger instead… The next day, you forgave me and proposed to me… Ah’ll remain by your side, for the good and the bad. Ah love you, sugarcube, and nothin’ will change that, because Ah know you are the only pony ah can love, my soulmate…” She looked at the Pegasus in front of her. She was trying not to cry, but a single tear had escaped nonetheless. 

“Necklaces?” Celestia continued with the ceremony after a few moments of silence, only interrupted by the sounds of sobs from the guests. Rarity approached the couple with the necklaces on a pillow.

“Rainbow Dash, do you promise to stand by Applejack's side, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part?"

“I do.” Rainbow Dash said as she put the necklace around Applejack’s neck.

“Applejack, do you promise to stand by Rainbow Dash's side, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, 'till death do you part?"

“Of course Ah do.” Applejack said as she put the necklace around Rainbow Dash’s neck.

“Then I pronounce you mare and mare. You may now kiss.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and prepared to kiss Applejack, but Applejack was impatient. She threw her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck and pulled her in for a passionate kiss--their first kiss as a married couple. Everypony in the crowd applauded happily, stomping at the ground in approval.
> A Filly in Need
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and Fluttershy continued staring at the photo in mutual silence. After a few more moments, Twilight spoke again.

“Good memories. They are an inseparable couple, like us.”

“I’m really happy for them. We also kept our promise. Now all of our friends have a special somepony, but we still get together as if nothing's changed, just the six of us…” Fluttershy asured.

“Yes… Rainbow and Applejack have a filly to look after besides Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and we have a filly too. Pinkie Pie aslo adopted a filly herself a few months ago, even though she’s married to a stallion.” Twilight said with a smile. "She wanted to give an orphan an opportunity; to show her that there’s still good ponies out there.”

“Yes, I remember…” Fluttershy said, caressing Twilight’s mane comfortingly.

The lavender Unicorn kept changing pages. Trixie was in some of the more recent ones, along with the rest of their friends. Her last visit was six months ago. "She really changed for the best."

“Yes, and I’m glad that she hasn’t forgotten about us.” Fluttershy commented while looking at a photo where the blue Unicorn was smiling at the camera (or trying to) beside Twilight and Fluttershy.

“Of course she didn’t, honey! She finally found the magic of friendship and she will never abandon us.”

“She said she would be back soon… I want to see her again.”

“Me too. We only have to wait a little longer. She'd never break a promise.” The couple kept looking at the different pictures until they came across another wedding photo. This time, it was Lyra and Bon Bon’s wedding, eight months ago. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. They came back to Ponyville today carrying a foal!” Twilight excitedly said.

“Really? Wonderful, born on Heart and Hooves Day... What a lucky little foal! Colt or filly?”

“Filly. They named her Trotting Paradise. She’s an earth pony.”

“I want to see her!”

“You will, because we will visit them very soon!”

“Yippie!” Fluttershy said in a low tone, causing the Unicorn to hug her.

“You are so cute, Shy!” Twilight said before kissing her wife. When the Unicorn pulled away, Fluttershy made contact with her lips again without opening her eyes. After a few more kisses, they hugged again for a long time. The photo album fell to the floor on a random page. When they broke the embrace, they stared into each other’s eyes before hearing the noise of hooves quietly coming downstairs. The couple looked at the door that led to the stairs only to see how a filly walked in and stood still. She was a blue Unicorn with a blonde mane; one eye was yellow, and the other one was blue. The filly yawned.

“Aurora, what are you doing up? You’re supposed to be asleep!” Fluttershy said as she approached to her daughter.

“I’m thirsty…”  The filly said, her eyes were barely open.

“Oh, you poor thing. Let me get you a glass of water!” The timid Pegasus disappeared into the kitchen quickly.

“Thanks, mommy…” Aurora said before yawning again. Twilight could she that her daughter could barely keep herself on her hooves. Fluttershy returned a few seconds later with a glass full of water.

“There you go, hun.”

Aurora drank her water and fell over soon afterward, evidently asleep.

“What did you put in her water!” Twilight commented jokingly, prodding her wife with a teasing hoof.

“Very funny, Twilight! Do I need to remind you what happened after you proposed to me?” Fluttershy said with a smile before putting the filly on her own back. “I’m going to take her back to her bed.”

“I’ll be waiting right here.”

As Fluttershy climbed the stairs, Twilight put the glass back on its place in the kitchen and trotted to the fireplace, picking up the photo album and sitting down in the spot she was in earlier. She was no longer searching through random photos. Instead, she was looking for a specific one. She found it fast because she was particularly fond of this specific picture and she and Fluttershy looked it at often. Her wife returned moments later.

“I’m back… What are you looking?”

“Our favorite picture.”

Fluttershy trotted closer and peered over Twilight's shoulder to see the photo. It showed herself resting by the same fireplace they were beside now, with Aurora sleeping on her lap. Angel Bunny and Spike were sitting beside them. Twilight took the photo out of the album.

“Our first Heartwarming Eve as a family…” Fluttershy said with a single tear of joy streaming down her face.

“I can’t believe it's already been a year... Do you remember when we found her?” Twilight said, also starting to cry.

“Of course I do. I will never forget that day…”

Staring at their daughter in the photograph, they started to remember.


***


They first met her during the first few days of winter, a year ago. The days before the fateful encounter, everypony was preparing for the season. Applejack and her family were bucking the last few apples left from harvest season while her wife was preparing with the other pegasi to move the clouds for the snow. Rarity always had more to do in this season with the new fashion trends. Fluttershy spent the last week building burrows for the forest critters with Spike’s help. Twilight had the task of wandering around the own to make sure they were going to finish in time. So far, there were no complications.

“Twilight Sparkle, is everything ready for winter?” Mayor Mare asked when she saw Twilight walking on the streets.

“Yes, we're prepared for another winter! We shouldn’t have any problems when the pegasi let acommodate snow couds!”

“Wonderful! I honestly don’t know how we got through all these years without your help.”

“I’m happy to help, Mayor! I don’t want to be rude, but…”

“I understand. you have to make sure that we are indeed prepared for tomorrow, right?”

“Never hurts to double check, or triple check! I’ll see you later, Mayor!”

“Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle!”

Twilight waved at the mayor as she looked over everything on her checklist one last time. Once she finished with that, she was ready. It was late afternoon when she started to head home. On the way, she overheard Rainbow Dash giving orders to her fellow pegasi, who saluted her and flew away in different directions.

“Way to keep their spirits up, Rainbow! I see that the Wonderbolts Academy is teaching you well!” Twilight yelled, making the cyan Pegasus jump in surprise. She looked down to see her friend.

“Oh, hey, Twilight!” She landed in front of the Unicorn. “What’s up?”

“I've just finished triple checking. We're ready for winter!”

“Awesome! Are you going back to the cottage?”

“Yes, I think that I need some rest. I've been trotting around Ponyville all week and Ijust want to sit on my couch…”

“Sounds like a plan! Well, I have to get back up there. See ya later, egghead!”

“Bye, Rainbow Dash!” The rainbow-maned pony got back to the cloud she was on before and plopped back on it. Twilight let a small giggle out and made her way home. When she arrived, she decided to tell her wife that she'd gotten back before entering. She headed to where she built the burrows with Spike and saw her talking to a couple of snakes.

“Oh, please, go inside your burrow or you’ll freeze…!” The timid pony said, but the snakes didn’t move. “Please go inside… It’s very warm in there, W-Wait, where are you going!?” The snakes suddenly started to slither away, heading towards the Everfree Forest. Twilight decided to lend Fluttershy a hoof and teleported in front of the reptiles, who stopped at the sudden appearance of the Unicorn.

“I would listen to her if I were you. You don’t want to freeze, do you?” The snakes shook their heads slowly and they made their way back, entering their burrows. Fluttershy sighed in relief and headed to where Twilight was, smiling.

“Thank for helping me, Twi!” She said before kissing the Unicorn on her cheek.

“I’m always happy to help, Shy. Thank you for teaching me not to be afraid of them.”

“You’re welcome. Are you finished with the triple checking?”

“Indeed I am, honey! How about you? Where’s Spike?”

“I asked him to collect more nuts for the squirrels; I accidentally counted wrong. I’m glad that he was here to help me.”

“That’s why I asked him to stay with you. I figured you would need some extra help.”

“Thanks, love… Once he comes back, we’ll be finished.”

“Excellent. Everything's in order!”

Spike returned a few minutes later. Once the nuts were in the squirrels' burrows, they happily headed inside. Twilight laid on the floor next to the fireplace while Fluttershy rested her head over Twilight’s mane. Angel Bunny was trying to get Fluttershy’s attention, but failed to do so. He sighed, heading to where the mares were, and laid down in resignation. Spike appeared from the kitchen.

“Hey, Twilight… I was wondering if I could visit Rarity… to see if she needs help.”

“Sure, Spike, but make sure to be here by the time the moon lights Equestria, okay?”

“I will,” the baby dragon said as he left the cottage.

A few days passed and Ponyville was completely white. Snowponies could be found everywhere. Fillies and colts were constantly playing in the snow, and so where the bearers of the elements. Pinkie Pie was making angel ponies in the snow whereas Rainbow Dash and Applejack were throwing snowballs at each other and Rarity, who, in a flare of anger only ever present by ruining her manestyle, joined the fight. Twilight and Fluttershy were watching their friends from a safe distance, tails intertwined.

“You know, Flutters, Do you want to join them.”

“Join them...?” 

Twilight was already making a snowball with her magic. She threw it at Fluttershy, who didn’t have time to dodge it. The lavender Unicorn laughed and moved a few steps away from her wife. After the yellow Pegasus recovered from the surprise, she made a snowball and threw it at Twilight, but she dodged it just in time.

“Missed!” Just as she said that, Fluttershy threw another snowball at her. It hit its target this time. Both mares trotted to where their friends were--the snow fight was now a free-for-all!

After hours of fun, they went their separate ways. Pinkie went back to Sugarcube Corner, Rarity following behind because she wanted to buy something. Rainbow Dash and Applejack went to look for the crusaders who were planning to spend the night at Sweet Apple Acres. Fluttershy wanted to go home, but Twilight had another idea.

“Let’s go for a walk, to the restaurant close to Ponyville. Shall we?”

“Why?”

“I just want to feel this snow a little longer before drinking some hot chocolate with my wife.

“Okay. It's a good idea…”

They started to walk, but halfway to the restaurant, Twilight noticed something on the ground and stopped.

“What is it, Twi?”

“Look over there...” The bookworm pony said, pointing to the side of the road. Something was glowing. They trotted to the strange phenomenon and they noticed a blue horn protruding from the snow. They cleared the snow and they were shocked when they found a blue filly Unicorn with a blonde mane and a bag under it, unconscious.

“What is she doing here…!? Is she…?” Fluttershy managed to say when she recovered from the shock. Twilight put a hoof on the filly’s chest and she was relieved when she felt a heartbeat. However, it was weak.

“She’s still alive… but barely. We have to take her to our cottage or she'll freeze to death!”
> A New Member of the Family
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Is she going to be okay, Doctor?” Twilight asked. They were at their cottage now, in Spike’s room. The dragon had gladly given his bed up for the young Unicorn to rest. Fluttershy was by the filly’s side, as well as the young dragon and Angel Bunny. Twilight and Doctor Hooves were at the door of the room.

“Yes.” He said. “Luckily, you brought her here as soon as you found her. She must have passed out shortly before you saw her. She’s just sleeping now. But I must say, I've had many different patients, but I've never seen this filly in particular.”

“Neither have I... What about you, guys?” The lavender Unicorn looked at the gang surrounding the bed.

“I haven’t…” Fluttershy said.

“I've never seen her.” Spike said, shrugging. Angel Bunny shook his head.

“Well, we have to know who she is to contact her family.” The doctor pony said, looking at the sleeping Unicorn.

“Let us take care of that. You should go home, doctor. You've done enough. Thank you for coming.” Twilight said.

“I couldn’t refuse when the life of a pony was at risk! Call me if you need me, okay?”

“We will Dr. Hooves. Let me take you to the door.” The bookworm pony said as she and Doctor Hooves disappeared into the other room. Twilight got back minutes later and approached the filly. She was covered by blankets and breathing slowly. She didn’t suffer any serious damage since she wasn’t in the cold for long.

“Do you think she will be fine, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked, still looking at the filly Unicorn.

“You heard the doctor, Shy, she’s out of danger. What we need to do now is to find out who she is and where her family is.”

“Maybe there’s something in her bag that could help?” Spike said as he approached to the bag laying on his table.

“Let’s check it out!” Twilight said, following the young dragon. They opened the bag and began their search. The lavender Unicorn found something solid and took it out to see. It was a photograph of a happy couple with the same filly that lay on their bed now. Twilight smiled when she saw the photo and took it to her wife.

“Look, honey, those must be her parents.”

The timid Pegasus examined the photo and smiled too. “They look so happy… I wonder where they are. We have to take their daughter back to them.”

“If we don’t find any directions in her bag, we can ask Princess Celestia. She must know what to do.”

“I know where they are… but you won’t like it." Spike said as he brought a piece of paper and a frame to the mares. Twilight took the frame first and read the text in it.

“Oh no… It’s a certificate from the Cemetery of Hoofington… Is she…?”

“Yes…” The dragon gave the piece of paper to Twilight. “It says 'Orphanage of Hoofington.' there.”

“Poor little thing… What was she doing so close to Ponyville then? Why was she alone?” Fluttershy said as her vision began to swim.

“Those are questionwe can ask her once she wakes up…” Twilight said as she trotted over to comfort her wife. Fluttershy hugged her and cried into her chest. "We’ll take her back once she recovers, Fluttershy. Don’t worry…"

“But she needs parents, Twilight! What if she was unhappy there… What if she escaped?”

“Fluttershy… How can you even think that…?”

“Think about it: Hoofington isn't far from Ponyville, she was carrying a bag and she was alone. What other explanation could there be?”

Twilight thought for a few moments, but she couldn’t come up with another explanation. Fluttershy had a solid argument.

“We need to adopt her…”

“What!?” Spike and Twilight yelled at the same time. Fluttershy covered their mouths with her hooves.

“Shh… You're going to wake her up!” She whispered.

“But, Fluttershy… adopt her? Do you really think that it's a good idea?” Twilight whispered back.

“Yes, I’m sure! I think we're ready, Twi... We have love to give to a poor filly in need, and she needs parents who love her! Twilight Sparkle… I want a filly, a family.”

The lavender Unicorn never saw Fluttershy so sure of herself before. Twilight glanced at the filly Unicorn, still resting despite the yelling. She took a few steps closer to the filly and gently put a hoof on her forehead, caressing her. She couldn’t help but smile when little Ynicorn smiled on her sleep. Twilight, then, glanced back at her wife again.

“Alright, Flutters, We’ll adopt her…”

Fluttershy grinned widely and hugged her wife tightly. “Thank you, thank you!”

“But only if she wants to. We’ll ask her when she wakes up.”

“Yes, You’re right; it’s her decision too… She must like us…”

Twilight was about to say something else but they heard weak moans. They looked at the filly and saw her yawning and her eyes barely opened. But she opened them widely when she saw that she was in an unfamiliar place. She looked around and realized that she was also surrounded by unfamiliar ponies.

“What happened!? Where am I!? Who are you!?” The filly asked in alarm.

The couple, Spike and Angel noticed something about her eyes. Her left eye was yellow and the right one blue. But they acted as if it was nothing for now.

“Calm down, We found you unconscious outside. You're safe now.” Fluttershy said soothingly.

The little Unicorn calmed down a little, but she kept breathing fast. "You… Saved my life…?”

Twilight smiled warmly. “Yes… You could have frozen out there if we didn’t happen to find you. What’s your name?”

“A-Aurora… Thanks for saving me. Where am I? Who are you?”

“You're in Ponyville. I’m Twilight, and this is my wife, Fluttershy. Those two are Spike and Angel.” Only then did Aurora notice the dragon and the bunny. She jumped in surprise.

“W-What is he?” She pointed at the young dragon, shaking.

“I’m a dragon… A baby dragon… You've never seen one?” Aurora shook her head.

“No… I've never left the orphanage… I only saw Pegasi and earth ponies besides Unicorns… Wait a minute, are you two married?”

The couple nodded, smiling.

“I didn’t know that mares could get married to each other…”

“As long as two ponies are in love, there’s no reason why they can’t get married.” The timid Pegasus said.

“Forgive me if I was rude, but, this is all new to me…”

“What were you doing all alone, so far from your hometown?” Twilight suddenly asked, unable to keep the question to herself anymore. Fluttershy eyed her, surprised that Twilight went straight to the point. Aurora sighed, and without looking at anypony, she spoke.

“I… Escaped…”

“Why did you do that?” This time Fluttershy was the one who spoke.

“I was unhappy. None of the other orphans liked me; they were always bullying me…”

“Why?” Fluttershy asked again.

This time Aurora looked at them. “Because of my eyes… They called me Eye Weirdo… I-I couldn’t stand it anymore, so, I took my stuff and ran away… I didn’t have a sweater and didn’t think that it would be so cold…”

“It’s winter and it's snowing. Not a good season to run away.” The lavender Unicorn said.

“I know, but… I really wanted to leave. I couldn’t stand being there for another second! I really hate that place and I won’t go back ever again!” The filly hit the bed with her hooves to prove her point. Twilight hugged her.

“Calm down, we understand… Fluttershy,” she glanced toward her wife who was strangely silent. She seemed to be thinking about something. When Fluttershy heard her name, she blinked before speaking.

“How can some ponies be so mean? There’s nothing wrong with your eyes. They’re beautiful; you have nothing to be ashamed for.”

“Y-You won’t make fun of them?” The filly asked in confusion. Twilight looked into her eyes, still holding her.

“There’s nothing wrong with them and nopony should be making fun of you for having heterochromia iridum…”

“Hete what!?” Everybody in the room but Twilight asked.

"Heterochromia iridum is a result of the relative excess or lack of melanin. It’s rare and it can be inherited or be caused by genetic mosaicism, chimerism, disease, or injury… I came across it some time ago while I was studying.”

“Back at the orphanage, they told me that my eyes were already different when I was left there. I was told that my… my parents… died by a strange disease when I was a foal not long ago. They believed I was old enough to know the truth… ”

“Oh, I'm Sorry, Aurora…” Fluttershy climbed onto the bed and hugged the little Unicorn. Twilight used her magic to show her the photo of Aurora and her parents.

“We found this when we searched the bag to see if we could contact somepony you know. Both your eyes are blue here… Maybe you got heterochromia iridum when your parents were ill…”

“It makes sense.” Fluttershy agreed. “Whatever got to your parents… It just made your eyes change color. You were lucky…”

“I don’t know… sometimes I wish I died with them… Nopony cares about me. I was given less food than the rest of the orphans and I only had one blanket… I have nowhere to go, just memories… horrible memories…”

“Don’t say that, we care about you!” The bookworm pony exclaimed.

“You do? But you don’t even know me…”

“We’ll get to know you… If you want to stay here, that is…” Fluttershy said.

“Are you offering me your… home?”

“Yes, we want to adopt you. You deserve a family and love. We have plenty of love to give, if you accept us… We understand if you don’t want to--” Fluttershy was cut off by Aurora’s voice.

“Yes, of course I accept you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” The young filly hugged both mares tightly.

“We’ll take good care of you! But now, I’m sure that you need a good sleep.” Twilight said as she put Aurora back on the bed and covered her with a blanket. The filly yawned.

“I’m so tired… But I don’t want to be alone…”

“I’ll give you company!” Spike finally spoke.

“Good idea, Spike!” Twilight said. “What do you think, Aurora?”

“You won’t hurt me…?" Aurora asked in a worried tone.

“I wouldn’t hurt a fly. Don’t worry!”

“Then, okay!” Spike jumped on the bed and covered himself with the blanket. Angel Bunny also hopped on the bed and laid at the feet of the bed. They quickly fell asleep.

“We should do the same, love…” Fluttershy whispered to her wife and both of them left to their bedroom.

“We’ll need another bed. We can get one tomorrow after we get the paperwork to adopt Aurora done.” Twilight said as she laid on her bed.

“Good idea. I hope that Spike doesn’t mind sharing a room…” The timid pony said as she embraced Twilight.

“I don’t think that he'll mind. The room is big enough for both of them.” The Unicorn kissed Fluttershy's forehead. “Good night, honey.”

“Good night, love…” Both of them fell asleep moments later.


***


The next morning, Fluttershy woke up first. She lifted her head from Twilight’s chest and leaned up to her lips, softly kissing her and waking her up. “Good morning, love.” Fluttershy said, smiling.

“Good morning, honey… How did you sleep?”

“Like a foal. Speaking of which, we should wake Aurora up for breakfast. I’ll wake her while you make breakfast.”

“Oh yeah, Aurora!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Don’t tell me that you forgot about her…”

“It takes me a few moments to fully wake up, Shy, and you know it!”

“I’m just teasing with you.” Fluttershy said, kissing her forehead. “Let’s go.”

They left their bedroom together, but they took separate ways moments later. Fluttershy went to Aurora and Spike’s room whereas Twilight went downstairs.

When the Pegasus opened the door, she found Spike, Aurora and Angel Bunny in the same spots as last night. They all looked so peaceful and cute that Fluttershy didn’t want to wake them up. But she had to. She gently used her hoof to wake them up.

“Morning’s here, time to wake up!”

They all half-opened their eyes. Spike stretched his claws, Aurora yawned, and Angel Bunny reluctantly stood up, annoyed at being woken up.

“Good morning, Fluttershy.” Spike said as he jumped off the bed.

“Good morning, Spike. Angel Bunny, you should stop doing that, you can’t sleep all morning!” The rabbit got off the bed and turned his back to his owner, crossing his arms. “Angel!”

“Leave it to me, Fluttershy.” The young dragon said as he approached the bunny. “Are you hungry, little buddy?” Angel Bunny widened his eyes and started to jump out of happiness. “Then let’s go to see what Twilight's making us!” The bunny rushed out the door, opened it and left. Spike smiled proudly and looked at Fluttershy. “We’ll see you downstairs, Fluttershy!” And he left too, leaving Fluttershy and Aurora alone.

“Are you going to get up, Aurora? Twilight’s making a nice breakfast. Are you hungry?” The filly kept her eyes on her hooves, which were placed on her lap. After moments of silence, Fluttershty spoke again. “Aurora?”

“I-I’m a little confused… Please clear my doubts, F-Fluttershy…”

“What is it? Something’s wrong?” The Pegasus was starting to get worried.

“I wasn't dreaming, right? When you told me that you wanted to adopt me? It seemed too perfect to be real and I’m afraid that it was just a dream…”

“Of course it was real! We really want to adopt you. In fact, we're going to the orphanage today to sign the papers and make it official.”

“Really?”

“Yes, but you’ll have to come with us. Do you think that you'll be able to step in the orphanage one last time?”

The filly Unicorn jumped off the bed toward Fluttershy, hugging her. “Yes, I will survive as long as I’m not alone!”

“You won’t be alone ever again… We’ll be there for you, always supporting you. Now, let’s head downstairs and get something to eat!”

Aurora kept looking into Flutterhsy’s eyes. “Can I… You… Can you carry me on your back?”

“Of course, dear.” Fluttershy helped Aurora get on her back. “Hold tight!” And both of them headed downstairs happily.

After breakfast, Twilight, Fluttershy and Aurora headed to Hoofington. Aurora was on Fluttershy’s back, wearing a sweater and covered by the Pegasus’ wing. The couple had their tails intertwined. They didn’t tell their friends where were they going to surprise them. If any of them went the cottage, Spike would say that they went out to walk in the snow.

The way to the town was silent, Aurora curled up under the wing. Twilight and Fluttershy didn’t say anything; they would let the filly be the first to break the silence. They knew that she didn’t want to go to the orphanage again.

They finally arrived at Hoofington after a long walk and Fluttershy could feel the filly’s heart race. The town was almost empty, and not many ponies were in sight. It looked as if it had been abandoned for many years. Some stores and houses were covered with wooden planks.

“T-The orphanage is… around that corner…” Aurora sounded nervous. No surprise there. The couple nodded and went to where Aurora told them. The place was at the end of the street. They trotted faster, wanting to leave the town as soon as possible. When they got to the front door at last, they knocked on it three times. After moments of waiting, the door opened, revealing a pink pony using old robes.

“May I help you?” She said.

“Hello, I’m Twilight Sparkle and this is my wife, Fluttershy. We want to adopt a filly.”

The pony looked from one mare to the other before letting them in. She headed to a desk, took some papers out and sat down.

“If you'd be so kind as to wait a moment, I’ll be showing you the orphans shortly.”

“That won’t be necessary. We've already decided which one to take.” Twilight said.

The pony looked at them, surprised. “How is that possible? You haven’t even seen them!”

Fluttershy moved so one of her sides were facing the pony and lifted her wing. The pony jumped in surprise.

“We found Aurora close to our home in Ponyville. After talking with her we decided to adopt her. She agreed so we came here to sign the papers.” Fluttershy explained to her. The pony kept staring at the filly.

“But how…? We were looking for her everywhere… Do you realize how worried we were for you, Aurora?”

“I’m sorry… But, I had to leave. I was very unhappy here… Nopony loves me…” Aurora said, nervously.

“Of course you are loved!”

“No, I’m not! Everypony teased me, I’m always served less food than the others and I only have one blanket… I don’t regret leaving, because I found two incredible ponies who love me for who I am and are willing to accept me. For the first time since I was a foal, I’m happy. I finally have a family.” Aurora spoke in such a serious tone that everypony's jaws droped. When Aurora realized this, she hid herself under Fluttershy’s wing. The owner stared at the filly for several moments before looking at Fluttershy and Twilight.

“If you follow me, I’ll give you the papers necessary to adopt her.”

“Thank you!”  Twilight said as they followed the pony. Aurora didn’t move from under the wing, causing Fluttershy to get worried. The pink pony wrote something in a certificate and then passed the paper to the couple.

“Sign here, and Aurora can leave with you.” They signed the paper. “Now, sign this one. It will stay achieved.” They signed another piece of paper. “Congratulations, Aurora is now your daughter.”

“Thank you so much!” Fluttershy said as she tried to approach the helpful mare, but she backed off.

“Now, if you excuse me, I have a lot to do. Have a nice day.” She turned and left the room, leaving the new family alone.

“I can’t blame you for leaving, Aurora… Let’s get out of here…” The lavender Unicorn said as they left the orphanage. When they were making their way back to Ponyville, Fluttershy couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Aurora, Are you okay?”

“Yes…”

“You're really quiet…”

“Can we visit one more place before we go? I don’t know if I’m ever coming back here…”

“Sure, dear, just tell us where to go.”

The couple, guided by Aurora, arrived at a church. They went behind it to where a graveyard was. The filly asked to be alone for a few moments as she headed to two gravestones. Twilight and Fluttershy waited at the door for her. The Unicorn rested her head on the Pegasus, who covered her with a wing. Tears started to escape from their eyes.

Aurora didn’t come back until several minutes later, looking up at the mares with Her eyes wet.

“I… wanted to say goodbye to them… I wish I could've met them… But I have a new family now. I know they would be happy for me; they would have wanted me to move on…” The filly, then, hugged Fluttershy. “I love you, both of you…!”

“We love you too, Aurora… We will always be there for you, as we promised yesterday.” Twilight said as she hugged her daughter. “We should get going, though. We have friends to introduce you to!”

“Really!? What are we waiting for then, let’s go!” The filly was jumping from happiness.

“Stay still Aury, I’m trying to get you on your mommy’s back!” The lavender Unicorn said as she giggled. The filly obeyed and stood still, and Twilight used her magic to levitate Aurora onto Fluttershy’s back.

“Wow, can I do that too?”

“Yes, you can. I’ll teach you how to use your magic soon!”

“Yay, I can’t wait!”

The family looked back one last time at the graveyard and started their way back to Ponyville, talking happily about the new life they'd just begun.
> Mane Six: The Next Generation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

 As Twilight and Fluttershy continued admiring the photo, many memories came back to them as if they'd only happened the day before. Looking at the photo of their daughter, all the moments they shared with her returned to their minds.

“And we introduced her to our friends the same day she oficially became our daughter. None of them were sure if they heard right! We can’t blame them, though; we never even discussed the possibility of adopting a foal.” Twilight said as she kept looking at the image of Aurora in their album.

“We then introduced her to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. Poor Aury was so nervous! It surely was the first that time other ponies of her age were nice to her.” Fluttershy commented happily, “But she eventually played with them. When she got back, she was so happy that she finally had friends!”

“She’s smiling all the time now. She never mentioned Hoofington or the orphanage again and we didn’t either. I’m glad that we helped her to make her happy.” The Unicorn managed to say before yawning and closing the book. “I’m heading to bed. Are you coming, Fluttershy?”

“In a minute. Let me put the album back on its place, love.”

Twilight nodded and gave her a peck on her lips before trotting upstairs. Fluttershy, then, placed the book above the fireplace, just beside the crystal figure Fluttershy gave Twilight on their first anniversary. The timid Pegasus admired the gift for a few more moments before heading to their mini-library. She took a book out of the shelf and opened it, putting a marker on one of the pages. She sat down and began reading a book titled The Golden-Maned Filly and the Three Bears. She was trying to memorize every single children's story so she could narrate them Aurora, even though most of the stories were for younger foals. But even so, she decided to give her daughter the childhood she never had. She spent forty minutes reading stories and re-reading them until she could tell every single detail without looking. She put the books back and headed upstairs to join her wife. She quietly opened the door and stepped in her bedroom without making a sound. Twilight was snoring softly. Fluttershy approached the bed and climbed into it silently. She didn’t want to wake her wife up, so she decided to face the opposite way instead of cuddling her as usual, but as soon as she did so, Twilight turned, she moved closer to her and embraced her tightly.

“What took you so long…?” The Unicorn mumbled. Fluttershy was about to reply but Twilight snored again. The Pegasus sighed and closed her eyes, holding Twilight’s hoof with her own. It didn't take long before she had also fallen asleep.


***


The next morning, the couple was still sleeping, smiling in their dreams. However, mornings didn't remain peaceful for long anymore. Suddenly, the door opened and Aurora trotted to the bed, she climbed it up and began bouncing up and down on it.

“Wake up, mommies! It's morning already!”

“Alright, alright, Aurora, we’re up! Please stop jumping before you hurt yourself!” Twilight said as she sat up, rubbing her eyes. The blue filly obeyed, sliding off the bed.

“Did you wake Spike up, dear?” Fluttershy asked after she yawned and stretched. But it wasn’t Aurora who answered the question.

“Yes, she did…” The dragon commented as he entered the bedroom, also yawning. “Like yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that…”

“I always wake up first and I get bored… I want company! Besides, I’m hungry!” The blue filly happily said.

“You go downstairs, we’ll be there shortly.” The lavender Unicorn promised as she climbed off the bed. The filly unicorn grinned and trotted downstairs, taking Spike with her.

“She’s such a sweetheart, isn’t she?” The yellow Pegasus commented, getting off the bed as well.

“Yeah… She’s always energetic during the mornings, but she slows down as the day goes on.”

Fluttershy approached Twilight while the later was talking and kissed her.

“Good morning, love. I like how she is during the evenings. You know, when she’s at her limit and sits on the couch and asks us about our life before meeting her… She’s such a good listener. Shall we go down?”

“Yes!” Twilight said with a nod. They walked downstairs and to the kitchen right next to each other, seeing Angel Bunny on their way there.

“Good morning, Angel Bunny! How did you sleep?” Fluttershy asked the rabbit when she saw him, but he just yawned and fell to the floor face down. Twilight used her magic to put the bunny back to bed and returned to her wife’s side.

“Five more minutes, right?” They giggled and continued on their way to the kitchen. Aurora was already sitting with her hooves on the table. She looked at her mothers when they entered the room.

“Spike is already cooking; he shouldn’t take long!”

“I hope you slept well, dear." Fluttershy said as she kissed her daughter’s forehead.

“I did! How about you?”

“We certainly did!” Twilight replied with a smile, taking her seat. “What are you planning to do today, Aury?”

“I’m going to see the rest of the crusaders after breakfast, if that’s okay!”

“Of course you can. But don’t forget to bundle up. We don’t want you catching a cold.” The Pegasus said in a worried tone as she went to the kitchen.

“I will, mommy, don’t worry! I’ll use my favorite coat that Auntie Rarity gave me!”

“Good.” Fluttershy trotted back to the room with four forks, placing them on the table and sitting. Spike appeared five minutes later with two plates of pancakes, putting one in front of Fluttershy and the other in front of Aurora.

“Thank you, Spike. Aury, wait until everypony else is sitting before eating!” Twilight scolded just as the blue filly lifted her fork.

“But mom, I’m hungry!” The filly protested.

“Listen to your mom, Aurora!”

The young unicorn placed the fork back on the table with a sigh. “Fine, Sorry…” Spike came back moments later with two more plates of pancakes, one of them with gems. He placed one in front of Twilight and sat with his own.

“Now you can eat, dear.” Fluttershy said with a warm.

“Finally!” Aurora took the fork again and started to eat. After breakfast, Aurora ran upstairs while Twilight and Spike went to the library (not before saying goodbye and receiving a kiss from Fluttershy). The filly Unicorn got back a few minutes later, wearing a purple coat.

“I’ll be back later, mommy!”

“Wait! Aren’t you going to give me a hug?” Aurora hugged her mother and then dashed outside. “Be careful, dear!”

“Yes, mommy!” The filly yelled as she disappeared in the snow. Now Fluttershy was alone with Owlowiscious in the room.

“...I’ll prepare Angel Bunny’s favorite breakfast before waking him up. He'll be so happy! Do you want the same as always, Owlowiscious?”

“Who?”

“Okay then. Would you mind keeping me company while I prepare the food for both of you?”

“Who?” Fluttershy waited until the owl stood on her back before going to the kitchen.


***


Aurora trotted as fast as the snow allowed her to the Crusader's club house. She jumped the fence when she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and kept trotting, almost colliding with a snowpony that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were making.

“Hey, Aurora! Watch where yer goin’!”

“Sorry, Applejack I’m in a hurry! Is everypony at the club house already?”

“Yeah, sugarcube, only you and Cutie aren't.”

“I better hurry then... Bye, Applejack! Bye, Rainbow Dash!”

“Hey, that’s not how I told you to call me!”

“Okay, sorry… Bye, Awesome Dash!”

“That’s better. See ya around!” As Aurora left, the farmer pony gave her wife a soft punch on the shoulder. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Awesome Dash? Did you seriously asked her to call you that?”

“Why not? It makes me look cooler!”

“Very funny, but if you don’t mind, I’ll keep callin' you Dashie.” Applejack said with a smile.

“You can call me whatever you want, AJ…” The cyan Pegasus nuzzled her nose with Applejack’s. She then gave her a peck on her lips and let her wife rest her head on her shoulder as they watched the snowpony.

When Aurora arrived to the club house, she knocked on the door. Somepony cracked the door open slightly.

“Password?”

“The birds will sing.”

“Come in.” Scootaloo said as she opened the door, letting her friend in.

“Thank you, Scoots!” Aurora said as she entered. She saw Apple Bloom talking with Sweetie Belle and a pink filly Pegasus with an orange mane and green eyes. Her name was Flying Feather, the daughter of Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They turned to see her when she approached them.

“Good morning, girls! Sorry for being late!”

“Yer just in time, Aurora. We were about to begin discussin' about our plans for today! We're goin’ to find out if we can get our cutie marks for ice-skatin’ first!” Apple Bloom exclaimed.

“And if that doesn’t work out, we can always try to get one for being plant experts! All we need to do is ask Twilight for a book about botany!” Sweetie Belle bounced excitedly.

“I told you, Sweetie Belle, it’s winter... Most of the plants are under the snow!” Scootaloo said with an impatient tone as she approached to the group.

“Oh, yeah… I’m out of ideas.”

“We’ll come up with somethin’ if ice-skatin’ doesn’t work! Now, we only have to wait for Cutie and we can go!”

“She always takes her time to come… She’s so slow!” Flying Feather stuck her tongue out.

“She doesn’t like to trot so she always walks everywhere. We have to be patient with her.” Aurora said.

“Fine… Five more minutes or we’ll leave without her.” The pink Pegasus said after sighing.

“Fifteen.”

“Ten.”

“Alright, ten, but not a minute more!”

Somepony knocked on the door six minutes later. Scootaloo cracked the door open slightly.

“Password?”

"T-The birds will sing?"

“That’s the one, Cutie, but it wasn’t a question.” Scootaloo said as she let the last member in.

“S-Sorry… ” Cutie whispered as she walked in the club. She was a cyan earth pony with brown eyes and a purple mane.

“The meeting started ten minutes ago… You're always late, Cutie!” The pink Pegasus sad as she angrily approached a scared Cutie.

“I… I’m sorry, I promise to arrive in time next meeting…”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“I’m trying to get here earlier…”

“Maybe not enough.”

“Girls, please, we are all friends here!” Apple Bloom intervened, standing between Flying Feather and Cutie. “Now Feather, apologize to Cutie.”

“But…”

“Now!” The pink Pegasus sighed.

“Fine… Sorry, Cutie…”

“It’s okay…”

“But next time I’ll go to Sugarcube Corner and bring you myself!” Everypony in the room sighed. They couldn’t win against the brash pink Pegasus.

“Alright, everypony, we are all here so let’s get goin’ to the frozen lake!” Apple Bloom announced as she opened the door. The crusaders put their coats on and left the club house, ready to get their cutie marks.

Ice-skiing didn’t work out as expected. Only Cutie seemed to be able to do it; everypony else kept losing their balance and couldn’t even stand up.

“Cutie, how come you can keep standin’?” Apple Bloom managed to ask before falling again.

“Well… My mom taught me…”

“Really? Can you teach us?” Aurora said as she tried to approach the cyan pony.

“I can try…” For the next few hours, Cutie tried to teach her crusader friends how to skate on ice. Flying Feather lost her patience fast and threw her ice skates away, sitting on the snow as the rest of her friends kept trying to learn. They managed to stay standing after the lessons, but still couldn’t skate properly. When they started to get hungry, each of them went to their homes to eat and decided to reunite again in the afternoon. They spent the afternoon playing, making snowponies and threw snowballs at each other. They had so much fun than they didn’t realize it was time to go back to their homes until their families came looking for them.

“Sweetie Belle, it’s starting to get dark! Why don’t you spend the night with me, darling?”

“That sounds like fun, sis!” Sweetie Belle said as she left with Rarity, waving at their friends.

“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Feather, come on! Time to get back to the farm!”

“Okay!” The three fillies shouted in unison before following Rainbow Dash. They also said goodbye.

“Time to get back home, Cutie! I’ll bake you your favorite cupcakes!” Pinkie Pie promised as she put the cyan filly on her back.

“O-Okay…” Pinkie Pie left, trotting happily with her daughter on her back. Before leaving, she hugged Fluttershy and Aurora.

“Come on, Aurora… Let’s look for your mother and then get back to our warm home.” Fluttershy said as Aurora approached her.

“Okay!” Aurora hopped onto Fluttershy’s back and they left to the library. Once there, the older mare knocked on the door and, after a few moments, Twilight opened the door.

“Oh, honey, Aurora!” Twilight kissed Fluttershy. “You’re just in time, I was just about to close.” The lavender Unicorn and Spike walked out and closed the library before they all headed back to the cottage. Aurora told them about her adventures during the day while her parents listened to every detail and were glad that she had fun. Then it was Twilight’s turn to tell them about her day. Winter was always the season that ponies came to the library to get books since they all want to sit by the fire, reading. This day was no exception. The last two ponies left moments before Fluttershy and Aurora’s arrival.

The family arrived at their home. The filly Unicorn quickly headed to the fireplace and sat next to it the moment the door was opened. Fluttershy trotted to the kitchen with Spike while Twilight sat next to her daughter, who rested her head against her mother as soon as she sat. Angel Bunny appeared from upstairs as soon as he heard the door opening. He went to the kitchen.

After dinner, Aurora could barely keep her eyes open. Twilight put the Unicorn on her back and headed to her bedroom, alongside Fluttershy and Spike. After they put her to bed and covered her with blankets, Aurora yawned.

“Which story are you going to tell me now, mommy…?”

“How about The Golden-Maned Filly and the Three Bears?” The blue filly listened closely as the pegasus began the story. “Once upon a time, there was a filly walking in a forest. Her mane resembled gold…” Aurora fell asleep in the middle of the story, with a smile on her face. Fluttershy caressed her mane and moved to let Twilight kiss the filly’s forehead.

“Good night, my sweet Aury…” The Unicorn then turned to the dragon’s bed. “Good night, Spike.”

“Good night, girls…” The mares opened the door to find Angel on the other side, patting his foot impatiently and with his arms crossed. He then hopped onto Aurora’s bed and let his head rest on the filly’s hoof. The couple smiled and headed to their bedroom. It was time for them to sleep as well.
> A Close Encounter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months had passed and it was now spring. Flowers were in bloom once again and all the critters were out of their burrows. A white view was now replaced with a green one. Winter clothes were now back in the closets, ready to be used next year and apple trees had their fruit ready to be eaten by hungry ponies. It was a beautiful morning… A morning that a certain blue filly Unicorn couldn’t enjoy because she was busy practicing magic with her mother.

"Try again, Aury… Now!” Aurora focused on the branch in front of her. She was trying to make it bigger but she still had no success. They had been practicing since the month after she'd first arrived in Ponyville and got a new family; deciding to rest during winters. Aurora was now capable of doing various kinds of magic spells now, but since Twilight decided to increase the level of magic, it became hard on her. Once again, she failed to make the branch bigger. It just kept levitating and falling after a few moments when Aurora dropped it in exhaustion.

“I… Can’t… Sorry…” The blue filly was catching her breath. She didn’t get to have a break since breakfast and it was almost time for lunch.

“Alright, we’ll call it a day.” 

Aurora collapsed, panting.

“Remember that after lunch, your mother and I are going to visit some friends.” Twilight continued.

“Yeah… Lyra, Bon Bon and Trotting Paradise, I remember.”

“You're going to see your friends, right?”

“Yes! We are going to explore the fields around Ponyville. I’m so excited!”

“That sounds nice, but be careful. Don’t go too far and don't go into any caves, am I clear?”

“Yes, mom…”

“Good. Now, let’s get inside... I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry!” They both entered the cottage and were met with lunch already served. Fluttershy came from the kitchen when she heard the door opening.

“Oh, I was just about to call you! How was the training?” The Pegasus asked, smiling.

“Not so good…” Aurora sadly sadly as she sat.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked, her gaze drifting over to her wife.

“She still has problems in changing the size of an object, but she’s doing great! I’m sure that she will make it soon; we just have to practice more!"

I promise to try harder, mom… ”

“Don’t worry, Aury, we still have time for the exam. We won’t do it until you're ready.”

“Okay… I just don’t know why I can’t do it…”

Fluttershy was now next to the filly, nuzzling her cheek with her nose. “Maybe if you clear your mind first, you’ll do better. Rest well tonight and try again tomorrow, dear.” Fluttershy said as she patted Aurora’s head.

“I will try… thanks, mommy!”

“You’re welcome, dear. Now, let’s eat!” After lunch, Twilight, Fluttershy and Aurora left the house; Spike and Angel Bunny waved at them before closing the door. The couple headed to their friend’s house whereas Aurora headed to the Crusader's Club House.


***


“Password?”

“Rainbow Dash is number one.”

“Come on in, Aurora!” Scootaloo grinned as she opened the door.

“Ah still don’t know how you convinced me to use that password.” Apple Bloom said as she rested a hoof on her forehead.

“I have my charm.”

“Anyway…” Sweetie Belle said, appearing from behind Apple Bloom. “Now that you’re here, we can go to explore!”

“Huh? Am I the last one?” Aurora glanced behind Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to see Cutie smiling shyly and Flying Feather staring back at her.

“I had to go to Sugarcube Corner myself to make sure she wouldn’t be late again.” The pink Pegasus said in an inpatient tone. Cutie looked away, embarrassed.

“I’m sorry…” She said in a low tone, her friends barely able to hear her.

“Don’t worry about that, Cutie. Maybe next time you can get here before us!” Sweetie Belle giggled to the cyan pony, smiling warmly, but the shy filly looked down.

“Shall we get going then?” Scootaoo questioned, breaking the moment of silence.

“Oh, yeah! Let’s go!” Apple Bloom exclaimed as she put her bag on and headed to the door. Everypony else took their bags too and followed her. Aurora grabbed the book about Herbology she asked Twilight to get the day before and put it in her bag before catching up to her friends. The crusaders walked for two hours, still able to see see the town behind them. They were going to take samples of plants from the surroundings of Ponyville.

“Alright, Crusaders! Let’s search for plants and compare them with the book that Aurora brought. Spread out!” Apple Bloom commanded. The fillies dispersed in different directions, each of them taking flowers and other plants from the ground and putting them in their bags. They spent an hour collecting samples before making a circle and comparing them to the ones in the book. It wasn’t easy. There were hundreds of different plants in the book, and when they did find the ones they were looking for, the name was strange and its description was long and complicated. After another hour of boredom, they gave up when they saw that none of them had a cutie mark. Aurora put the book back in her saddlebag and, like everypony else, she threw the plants she collected away. When they were on their way back to Ponyville, however, Aurora suddenly tood still. She looking to a different direction. Her friends noticed it and approached her.

“Aurora? What is it?” Sweetie Belle called her friend but the blue filly didn’t show any sign of hearing them, so they decided to look to whatever had gotten her attention. It was a cave.

“Why are you lookin' at that cave?” Apple Bloom looked away from the cave and to her friend.

“What could be in there? Aren’t you curious?”

“We know what’s in there, probably a dragon!” Scootaloo nervously commented.

“A dragon? Why don’t we go say hi?”

“Are you mad!? We shouldn’t bother a dragon! We should just leave it alone.” Flying Feather suddenly said, giving Aurora a look.

“I agree with F-Feather… we should just go…” Cutie whispered.

“You girls go ahead. I’m going in.”

“What!? Aurora, come back here!” Apple Bloom yelled at the blue Unicorn, but she kept walking towards the cave.

Before entering it, she turned. “Did you forget that I live with a dragon? How different can it be from Spike?”

“An adult dragon is nothing like a baby dragon, Aurora! Come back!” Sweetie Belle tried to reason with her friend, but her warning fell on deaf ears. Aurora turned back to the cave and entered it. The rest of the Crusaders trotted toward the cave and followed her hesitantly. It was dark. They couldn't see anything. Even so, there was a glow ahead of them--the glow that gems produce. The five fillies whispered Aurora’s name. The later replie after a few calls. They headed to where Aurora’s voice came from.

“Alright, you entered a cave, now let’s get out of here before we wake up the dragon!” Apple Bloom whispered urgently.

“Not yet; look at that glow! I’ll take Spike some of these gems. He'll be so happy!” The blue filly said, also whispering.

“If there are gems in here, then that’s another reason to leave. It means that there’s actually dragon in here!” Sweetie Belle tried to push her outside, but her friend resisted.

“We aren't leaving until I have some gems!” Aurora said, almost yelling. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle covered her mouth with their hooves, but it was too late. The glow disappeared, and a movement could be heard, along with deep breathing. A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the darkness and a roar could be heard.

“Let’s get out of here, now!” Flying Feather exclaimed as she grabbed Cutie’s hoof and directed her to the exit. The rest of the Crusaders followed after, yelping all the while. They could hear the sound of the dragon’s claw’s hitting the ground, so they moved faster. They soon left the cave,, but the dragon was still hot on their tails. It was about to get out of the cave when a magical barrier blocked the entrance. The beast tried to escape using his claws to break through, but it was too strong.

“I won’t be able to hold it forever, kids! Escape while you can!” The crusaders looked to where the voice came from and saw a Blue Unicorn with lavender eyes focusing on her magic.

“Auntie Trixie?” Aurora asked in surprise.

“Just... go!” Trixie yelled, her eyes still closed.

“And leave you alone with it? No way!” Flying Feather shouted, shaking her head.

“There’s nothing you can do but get back to Ponyville. I’ll be fine! I can take care of myself!” Trixie promised, giving them a sincere smile, though she looked like she was having trouble with the spell.

“I think we should do as she says, we have to go…!” Cutie suddenly spoke.

“We are not leaving her!” Scootaloo gave her friend a stern look.

“Maybe if one of us looks for help?” Apple Bloom questioned before turning to Flying Feather. “Bring Twilight and Fluttershy; they'll know what to do!”

“That won’t be necessary!” Flying Feather replied, pointing to the road that lead to Ponyville. Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were galloping toward them. They saw the fillies first, and then Trixie holding the dragon inside the cave.

“Fluttershy, come with me! The rest of you go with the kids!” Twilight commanded and they split up. The fillies hugged their respective family when the mares got to them, but Aurora could only watch her mothers and Trixie.

“Twilight, is that you?” The blue Unicorn said, surprised when a stronger magic barrier appeared in front of hers.

“Yes, don't give up, Trixie! Fluttershy, try to talk to the dragon. We’ll keep it inside so it won’t hurt you!”

“I can try…” Fluttershy approached to the barrier. “Excuse me, good dragon? We don’t want to hurt you… can you tell us what’s wrong?” Fluttershy’s voice seemed reach to the dragon because it calmed down and it stopped hitting the barriers.

“I was sleeping peacefully in my cave, just taking a nap before continuing on my way. But I’m a light sleeper. I heard something, and I woke up to see those ponies. I thought they wanted to steal some of my gems so I chased them.”

Fluttershy looked at Twilight, who in turn looked at her daughter, not exactly happy.

“Aurora, could you come here for a moment?” The filly Unicorn slowly walked towards her mother. When she looked at her, she was sad. “This dragon says that you went into his cave and that you tried to take some of his gems. Is that true?”

Aurora slowly nodded. “It was my idea… They tried to stop me, but I didn’t listen…”

Twilight became furious. “And after I told you to stay away from caves!? Why didn't you obey me!? Do you realize how dangerous that was!? You put your friends in danger!” Tears started to fall from the filly’s eyes. “We’ll talk about this when we get home... You're in big troubles, little girl now get back to your friends!”

Aurora slowly turned and headed back to where she was, not daring to look at her friends. Apple Bloom put a hoof on her shoulder. After watching the scene, Fluttershy spoke to the dragon again.

“I apologize for the behavior of my daughter… It won’t happen again. You can go back to sleep…”

“Fine, I won’t hurt them. Will you remove this thing now?”

“Oh, yes, we apologize for that too.” Fluttershy said, stepping back. The Unicorns let the barriers fall as the dragon turned and vanished in the dark. Trixie turned to see her friends, but her sight was blocked by Twilight’s mane as she hugged her.

“Thank you for saving them, Trixie. We're so lucky that you showed up when you did!” The lavender Unicorn said as she hugged her friend tighter.

“It was nothing, Twilight. I did what I had to.”

“How are we going to repay you?” the timid Pegasus as she approached her friend.

“You don’t have to do anything. Your friendship is enough.” The three mares went to where the rest of the ponies were.

“Let’s go back…” Twilight said, purposefully ignoring her daughter gaze. Aurora looked at Fluttershy instead, feeling terrible.

“Mommy… I’m sorry…”

“I can’t help you, Aurora…” Fluttershy furously said before all of them started to walk back to Ponyville in complete silence.
> The Past of an Unlucky Unicorn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I said I was sorry, mom!” Aurora shouted through her tears.

“Saying sorry isn’t enough, Aurora! I told you not to enter any caves, but you disobeyed me!” Twilight was furious, she was yelling like she never did before. They were alone in Aurora and Spike’s room. Fluttershy couldn’t stand the yelling, so she went downstairs with the company of Spike and Angel Bunny. They'd arrived home half an hour ago.  

“I… I thought I could handle it, since Spike…”

“Spike is a baby dragon! I literally looked after him since the day he was born. He’s used to being around ponies. But that was a wild dragon that was born away from ponies-- it's not the same!”

Aurora sobbed, but didn’t say anything.

“Dragons don’t like when somepony enters their cave and tries to take their belongings. They're very greedy about gems!”

“I didn’t know!” The filly suddenly exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hooves. Twilight glared at her, but she then sighed.

“I suppose that it’s my fault, too… I should've told you before…” The lavender Unicorn said calmly before turning and trotting to the door. After opening it, she spoke without looking back at her daughter. “You’re grounded for three weeks.”

“What!? That’s not fair!”

“You’re right.” Twilight glanced back at Aurora with an emotionless expression. “I should be grounding you for two months.”

Aurora gulped before replying sheepishly. “Three weeks doesn’t sounds so bad.”

“I thought so. You're also forbidden from leaving your room until dinner. You have a lot to think about, little girl.” Twilight turned again and she left the room, ignoring her daughter's crying as she closed the door behind her.A lone tear escaped from one of Twiligh's eyes, but she removed it with a hoof. It was hard for her to do this, but Aurora had to learn that there was a punishment for disobeying. She slowly walked downstairs and went to the living room where her wife was sitting on the couch by herself. The Pegasus glanced up when she heard somepony coming.

“You… weren’t too hash on her, were you…?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“She has to learn, honey… I tried not to, but she put her friends in danger. I should've told her more about wild dragons before…” Twilight sat on the couch right next to her wife, with her hooves on her own lap. Her eyes were focused on them and her shoulders were hunched. Fluttershy put one of her hooves on Twilight's.

“It’s as much your fault as it is mine. We should have seen it coming. We never told her anything, and because of that, she thought that all dragons were like Spike…” Fluttershy waited for Twilight to say something but she didn't say anything. She only moved when she breathed. Fluttershy moved closer and hugged her. “The important thing is that everypony's okay.” Fluttershy said before kissed her head.

Twilight returned her embrace. “We're lucky that Trixie was there to help them.”

“Yes… She said she would be stopping by soon.”

Twilight, then moved her head so her sight was trained on the extinguished fireplace. “I’m in debt with that pony… First, she saved you, and now she saved our daughter… I don’t know how to repay her…”

“You’ll find a way, love, but you did a lot for her, too. You introduced her to Zecora so her magic could improve, she’s successful now and most importantly, you gave her your friendship. We all did.” The Pegasus used one of her hooves to move Twilight's head so she was looking at her. Fluttershy kissed her on her lips, then her cheek and finally her neck before resting her head on the Unicorn's mane in a hug. Twilight returned it, but she was still depressed. They were holding each other for around ten minutes before there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” The timid pony said as she went to the door and opened it. “Oh, Trixie! Come in, I’ll make some tea.” Twilight stood up and went to greet their visitor.

“Thanks, Fluttershy. I could use something to drink.” Trixie commented as she entered the cottage. “Hello, Twilight.”

"Trixie... I--"

The blue Unicorn interrupted her friend by raising a hoof in front of her, already knowing what Twilight was going to say. “Please, I have already said that it wasn’t a problem. I couldn’t leave fillies alone with a dragon.” Trixie took off her coat and bag and she put them on a chair before continuing speaking again. “We have much to discuss, but first… How is she?”

“Grounded, three weeks. She won’t be joining us today; she’s forbidden from leaving her room until dinner.”

“Poor girl, but it’s only fair… She can’t escape from her punishment…” Trixie said, concerned. Fluttershy came from the kitchen seconds later.

“It’s the only way she'll learn from her mistakes…” The Pegasus put three tea cups with tea sacks in them on the table. The three mares took a seat.

“Oh, honey, where are Spike, Angel and Owlowiscious?” Twilight inquired as soon as she realized that they weren’t there.

“They couldn’t stand the yelling, so they went into town…” Fluttershy answered with a sad expression, but she then smiled and looked at the blue Unicorn. “So, how’s your career going, Trixie?”

“It’s wonderful. I brought you presents from Fillydelphia.” Trixie magically took three boxes from her bag. “This is for you, Twilight, and this is for you, Fluttershy. I have one for Aurora, too… I wanted to give it to her personally, but…”

“You can give it to her if you stay for dinner, Trixie.” Twilight suggested as she took Aurora’s gift, which was a big one, and put it inside a drawer.

“I would love to, but I want to visit the rest of the ponies. I got presents for them too, now that I can afford them, and then I’m going back to Zecora’s to sleep.”

Twilight sighed. “I understand… maybe another time.” In that moment, they could hear a whistle coming from the kitchen.

“The tea is ready!” The Pegasus said as she went to the kitchen. She returned moments later with the teapot. She served the guest first, then her wife, and herself last. The mares sipped their drinks before continuing talking.

“So, is Pinkie’s husband back?” Trixie asked with interest.

“He got back a few months ago, but he left after two weeks… It’s not easy being a royal guard, believe me, my brother was their captain before he went with Princess Cadence to the Crystal Empire…” Twilight replied.

“I’m sure it isn’t. Poor Pinkie Pie and Cutie... I think I’m going to visit them next. I’m sure they will like their gifts! Speaking of which, open yours! I want to see if you like them!”

Twilight and Fluttershy opened their presents. Their eyes widened and a smile appeared on their faces when they saw the gifts. They both had a small figure of themselves made of wood. They were standing on a pedestal with a plaque that read: Thank You. The couple looked at their friend, smiling.

“We're the ones who should be thanking you, Trixie…” Fluttershy happily said.

“I’m glad that you like them.” The blue Unicorn grinned and took another sip of her tea. “This is delicious, Fluttershy!”

“Thank you.” The timid pony looked away sheepishly, then took another sip herself. “So, how did you happen to appear just in time to save the girls?” She asked after putting her tea cup back on the table.

“It was just a coincidence, really. I was walking down the road and I thought I saw somepony walking in the cave, then I saw the rest of the fillies entering as well. I tried to get inside to stop them, but I heard a roar and saw all of them getting out. As soon as they got out, I blocked the entrance to make sure the dragon couldn't escape. If you hadn't shown up, the barrier would have been broken...” Trixie told her story, staring at her tea. She, then,  looked back at her friends when she finished.

“We also heard the roar.” Twilight spoke after several moments of silence had passed. “All of Ponyville did. There was no doubt that it came from a dragon. When the whole town trotted to their homes for safety, we and our friends followed the roar, knowing that our fillies were still out there. We couldn’t just leave them alone... We were so relieved when we found you there, Trixie. If it weren’t for you…”

“Twilight, I did what anypony would have done. I’m just glad that I arrived on time.” The magician ponny said with a warm smile. The mares finished their tea soon after. “Oh, finished already? Sorry girls, but I have to go visit the rest of our friends. I’ll talk to you tomorrow!” Trixie put her coat and saddlebag on and headed to the door.

“Trixie, wait!” Twilight called her friend when she had opened the door with her magic. The lavender Unicorn opened the drawer in which she put Aurora’s gift and took it out with her magic. She headed to where Trixie was. “Go upstairs and give it to Aurora…” Trixie took the gift with her magic, surprised. “And tell her… that she can come down…”

“I will.” Trixie said, recovering her smile as she headed upstairs. She knocked on the door before entering the bedroom. Aurora looked at her and jumped in surprise when she saw her visitor.

“Auntie Trixie! I thought I heard you… But, I’m not allowed to leave my room.”

The blue unicorn glanced at the filly. Taking a full look at her appearance. She didn’t seem to be fine. She'd obviously been crying for a long time. In fact, there were still tears coming from her eyes. Aurora wiped them and looked away from her guest; she was too sad to smile. “Listen, Aurora, I…”

“I’m the worst pony in Equestria!” Aurora suddenly exclaimed, bursting into tears again. Trixie rushed to her side and embraced her.

“No, you’re not. Curiosity is normal for a pony of your age, especially with your past trapped between walls… We all did something stupid at least once--it’s called experience. Now that you did it, you won’t do it again, right?”

“No… I won’t put my friends at risk again, or make my moms worried… I wish I had listened to my friends, to my mom… Now they're mad at me and I lost my friends…” Aurora sobbed and Trixie held her tighter.

“Fluttershy and Twilight did what they did because they love and care about you. Aurora, you’re lucky to have two ponies who love you… I wasn’t as lucky as you…”

The blue filly looked up at the older mare, distracted from her own sorrow. “You… Didn’t…?”

Trixie shook her head. “I had parents, but they never cared much about me… So, I ran away as soon as I was able to. I travelled from city to city doing magic tricks to impress other ponies. I'd only get enough bits to get by, but that didn't matter much back then. It wasn’t easy, and I adopted my father's attitude when I talked to anypony. I never had friends and I didn’t think I would need them… Not until I met your mother. Although at first we didn’t get along and I did something horrible in our second meeting , circumstances made us meet once again, but this time she taught me about friendship. I couldn’t believe what I'd been missing. Only now am I finally able to smile, truly smile, and I suddenly find myself surrounded by ponies that care about me--surrounded by friends.” Trixie smiled and a tear rolled down her face.

“Auntie… Why are you crying?”

The blue Unicorn wiped the away.

“I remembered something. Some time after befriending your mother, Pinkie Pie made a party especially for me… I was remembering those happy memories… I envy you, Aurora. You have everything I wished for right now, and I've only just gotten it a couple of years ago. You’re the luckiest pony in Equestria…”

Aurora was able to stop crying during Trixie's speech. She hugged the older mare even tighter. “Thank you, Auntie… I feel a lot better now!” 

Trixie returned the hug. When she pulled away, she remembered the reason she'd come into the filly's room. “I have something for you!” She levitated the gift toward the filly, who eagerly took it.

“I wonder what it is…!” Aurora said as she opened it. Inside, there was a framed photograph of herself and Trixie, which was taken when they first met. In it, Trixie was smiling at the camera and Aurora had a shy smile on her face; she was always shy around new ponies. “I love it! Thank you so much, Auntie Trixie!” The filly Unicorn hugged the older mare once again.

“You’re welcome, Aurora.” Trixie said as she returned the hug. “Now, I have more good news for you!” She moved slightly so she could see the filly's expression. “You're allowed to leave your room. Your mom told me that you can come downstairs.”

“Really? I want to go now!” The blue filly excitedly said as she bounced.

“Alright, but, where are you going to put the photo?”

Aurora levitated her gift to the table.  “I’ll ask my mom to put it on the wall later so I see it every time I come here!”

Trixie giggled before finding herself being dragged by the young Unicorn outside the bedroom and downstairs. Aurora let her go before entering the living room, nervously.

“H-Hi… Mom, Mommy…” Both Twilight and Fluttershy turned when they heard their daughter’s voice. The Pegasus hurried to hug the little Unicorn. Aurora put her hooves around her, but her eyes were focused on Twilight’s. The lavender Unicorn slowly moved closer to them and hugged her alongside Fluttershy.

“You’re still grounded for three weeks, you know?” Twilight said, not breaking the hug.

“I know… ” Aurora replied, hugging her mothers tighter. “I love you… both of you…”

“We love you too, dear…” Fluttershy kissed the filly’s forehead.

“I would love to stay, watching this beautiful view, but, unfortunately, I must leave.” Trixie said as she took her coat and bag and headed to the door. She turned before opening it to see the family still hugging as if they hadn’t noticed that their visitor was about to leave. “Goodbye, I’ll see you tomorrow!” The magician pony tried once more. Twilight waved her hoof in the air, not turning nor breaking the family hug.

“See you tomorrow, Trixie.”

Trixie smiled before opening the door and slowly closing it behind her. She didn't want to interrupt the family's happy moment.
> Dating and Fillysitting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two weeks had passed since the incident with the wild dragon. Aurora still wasn’t allowed to leave the cottage's boundaries, not that she attempted to do so anyway. As always, she would practice magic with Twilight everyday. She'd made so much progress that it even impressed her mothers. Not only had she learned how to change the size of a branch, but she could also do it with various things and even switch the place of two objects, but it left her exhausted. Aurora could also receive visits from her friends to make sure she was doing fine. 

Even though she wasn’t allowed to play with them for another week, Twilight and Fluttershy did let them talk. Her friends' visits made the blue filly very happy; she hadn’t lost her friends after all. She commented about her worry to them once.

“Lose us? What are you talkin’ about? We wouldn’t stop bein’ your friends just because you've made a mistake!” Apple Bloom exclaimed in surprise.

“But… If it wasn’t for Auntie Trixie…”

“Maybe… But we still wouldn’t hate you. Sometimes curiosity takes over and you can’t help following it…” Scootaloo said.

“Just listen to us next time, okay?!” Flying Feather interrupted impatiently.

“Sorry about that…” Aurora apologized as she looked away, sad.

“Feather, don’t be so rude! It’s okay, Aurora, we forgive you. At least you learned a lesson and you won’t do it again” Sweetie Belle said.

“Whatever…!” Flying Feather snorted as she turned away, glaring at nothing in particular

“We're glad that you’re okay. We all are, and that’s what matters, A-Aurora…” Cutie said in a low voice.

“Thanks, girls… I really appreciate it!” Aurora said as she hugged her friends. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle hugged her back right away, but Flying Feather tried to resist. In the end, she was forced to hug them too. Cutie hesitated, but she finally gave in to the group hug.

...That happened during their first visit the day after the incident. The crusaders came day after day, and they would talk for a while before Aurora was called back inside. One of the nights during her last week of punishment, Aurora was called from her room while she was reading a spells' book.

“Listen, dear. Your mom and I are going out tonight. Your godmother is going to take care of you since Spike still needs to sleep all night. Your friend Sweetie Belle is coming as well.” Fluttershy said to her daughter as she was getting ready by the mirror. She was wearing a dress.

“Sweetie Belle and Auntie Rarity are coming? Great!” Aurora jumped out of happiness. “Am I allowed to have a slumber party?” She asked with a smile.

“Just for tonight.” Twilight said as she came from the bathroom. She was also wearing a dress, and ready for her date. “You have our permission to do whatever you want tonight, but go to sleep early and listen to auntie Rarity. Understood?” The lavender unicorn said in a serious tone.

“Yes, mom!” Aurora replied, looking down.

Twilight kissed her forehead. “Try not to make too much noise, though. Don’t wake Spike up.” The bookworm pony smiled warmly.

“We’ll have our slumber party down here then!”

“Good idea!” Fluttershy said. Moments later, somepony knocked on the door. Twilight opened it to find Rarity and Sweetie Belle on the other side.

“Good evening, darlings! I hope I’m not too late… You look wonderful!” Rarity said with a grin.

“Thanks. We are going to a fancy place, after all!” Twilight said as she let them in. Sweetie Belle instantly went with Aurora. Fluttershy and Twilight gave their daughter one last hug before leaving.

“Have fun on your double date with Applejack and Rainbow Dash!” The fancy Unicorn yelled from the door.

“Thanks, Rarity!” The lavender Unicorn shouted back as she left.

Rarity turned to face the two fillies. “I’ll prepare your dinner. You two have fun!” The fancy pony said as she headed to the kitchen.

“Okay!” Both fillies responded in unison. Sweetie Belle turned to see her friend. “So, what are we going to do?”

"Well, I can go to my room and get a couple of sleeping bags and then we can tell stories!” Aurora suggested.

“I would love that! I’ll wait here.”

Aurora trotted upstairs and headed to her bedroom. She stopped by the door and quietly opened it, when suddenly something white jumped on her and made her fall. Though she was scared to death, she'd been able to keep herself from screaming. “Oh, Angel! How long you been there?” The bunny ignored her and hopped downstairs. Aurora got back up and entered her room. Spike was snoring. She slowly went to her closet and took two sleeping bags and a blanket with her magic, leaving the room without making a noise. She turned and whispered just before she closed the door, “Good night, Spike…”


***


“Thank you for your orders; we will bring them to you as soon as they are ready.”

“Thank you.” Twilight thanked the waiter and turned to see Rainbow Dash. “So, how’s parenting going, Rainbow Dash?”

“I’m not going to lie, egghead. It’s hard, but it's totally worth it. I have to admit that I was scared at first, but AJ helped me get through!” Rainbow Dash finished by looking at her wife.

“Ah couldn’t just leave you hangin’, Dashie.” Applejack nuzzled her neck. Rainbow Dash accepted it and continued speaking.

“How about your parenting life, girls…? How’s Aurora?”

“Well, she’s doing okay. She only cried when we got back from the incident with the wild dragon, but she’s not mad at us… She understands that what she did was wrong.” Fluttershy sadly said.

“She wouldn’t hate you, sugarcube. Yer just doin’ your job as parents. Ah’m glad to hear that learnt from her mistake.” Applejack said.

“Oh, yes she did! She acts like nothing happened and she never tries to leave home. Trixie came to visit us a couple of weeks ago and gave her a framed photo which Aurora insisted on nailing on the wall beside her bed.” Twilight smiled.

“Trixie stopped by our farm too and she also brought gifts for everypony! That pony sure holds us high esteem” Applejack laughed light-heartedly.

“Of course she does! And arriving just in time to save our fillies… We owe her a lot!” The lavender Unicorn commented. “I was thinking that we should do something for her, what do you think?”

“Ah think that’s a great idea, sugarcube. How about we take her to the park and have a picnic?" The farmer pony questioned.

“Yes! Oh, that sounds great! I’ll tell her tomorrow, and we can have it the day after tomorrow!” Twilight excitedly chattered.

“We're in, Twilight!” The cyan Pegasus smirked.

“You know that I’m in too, love.” Fluttershy nuzzled her head on Twilight's neck. “And I’m sure that Rarity and Pinkie Pie will too.”

“They sure will! Speaking of Rarity… I wonder how she's doing with Aurora and Sweetie Belle?” Twilight put a hoof on her chin.

“We can trust Rarity, love. Don’t worry, they're fine.” The timid pony rested a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, who in turn sighed and closed her eyes.

“You’re right, honey… Rarity didn’t take work with her, so everything is going to be fine.” The bookworm pony opened her eyes and turned to see the cyan eyes of her wife, who was smiling warmly. She was about to lean in to kiss her, but she heard the sound of plates being put on the table.

“Here are your orders, ladies. Bon apetit!” The waiter bowed and left.

“This looks delicious. Time to eat!” Rainbow Dash grabbed the fork and began eating.

“Dashie, we're in a fancy restaurant; chew with your mouth closed!” Applejack scolded, softly hitting the back of Rainbow Dash’s head.

“Buf yfou eat like thiff too!”

“Yes, but at home, not outside!” The farmer pony said, trying to sound angry, but her smile betrayed her. Twilight and Fluttershy noticed that she was trying not to laugh. Rainbow Dash swallowed her food.

“Alright. Sorry, 'honey'… How am I supposed to take you seriously if you laugh?” Applejack had her hoof on her mouth to suppress her laughter; it wasn’t the right place to do so.

“Sorry, Dashie, but yer funny when you talk with your mouth full!”

“Oh really?” The cyan Pegasus remarked, shoving more food into her mouth.

"But, seriously,  do it at home. This ain’t the right place.”

“Alff…” Rainbow Dash stopped chewing and nodded.

Twilight looked at Fluttershy. “Shall we begin?” Fluttershy nodded and both mares joined their friends.


***


“He heard something. He didn’t want to turn around and see, but he couldn’t resist the temptation. When he turned… Slenderpony was a few inches away from him!” Sweetie Belle stood up with her forehooves in the air. “Nopony ever found that stallion again. Not a trace…” 

Aurora was shaking. It was her idea to tell horror stories, but she never thought that Sweetie Belle would know such a frightening story.

“Do… Do you think S-Slenderpony is… Real?” The blue filly asked with a shaky voice.

“Nopony knows for sure… Those who dared to go into the forest never came back…” Aurora was covering her face with her hooves, so Sweetie Belle magically took a pillow from behind her friend and threw it at her, causing Aurora to jump and scream before racing into the kitchen at a high speed. Sweetie Belle burst into fits of laughter. Rarity came from the kitchen with Aurora holding onto one of her hooves.

“I think that’s enough ghost stories, girls… It's bedtime.”

“Y-Yes, that’s a good idea, Auntie Rarity!”

“Aww, but we were having so much fun, sis!” Sweetie Belle protested.

“I'm sorry, but it's getting late. Twilight and Fluttershy will be home soon, and I promised that you would be sleeping by the time they got back.”

“You don’t want to get your sister in trouble, do you?” Aurora asked, now calmed down.

Sweetie Belle sighed. “Fine, we’ll go to sleep now…” She said as she went to her sleeping bag and crawled inside it. Aurora did the same. Rarity moved toward her sister and kissed her forehead.

“Good night, darling.”

“Good night, sis!”

“Hey, no kiss for me, Auntie?”

“Of course there’s one for you too.” The fancy pony said as she went to where Aurora was laying and kissed her forehead too. “Good night.”

“Good night, Auntie Rarity!” Both fillies yawned and closed their eyes, falling asleep instantly.

I knew they were tired! Rarity thought as she sat on the couch and took the fashion magazine she brought out. She heard something and turned to find Angel hopping toward the fillies. He'd just finished eating the food Fluttershy left him. He started to sniff Aurora’s nose, and softly touched it with his own. The blue filly barely opened her eyes and put a hoof on Angel, hugging him. The bunny closed his eyes and fell asleep. But, wha...?! I wonder how Aurora managed to do that! Fluttershy told me that he never sleeps with anypony… She got back to her magazine after the thought. She finished it and was about to fall asleep when she heard the front door open and Twilight’s head appeared. She used her hoof to call Rarity outside, who didn’t hesitate on going. She closed the door once outside.

“Good night, girls! How was your date?” Rarity whispered.

“It was wonderful! We'll do it again when we can! How are the fillies?” Twilight said, also whispering.

“It wasn’t hard. Looking after them during the night is better than during the day when I’m working. Any time you need me, I'm willing to fillysit for you!” Rarity said.

“We would love to call you if you’re free, Rarity…” Fluttershy began, but the fancy pony yawned. ”Oh, I see that you are tired. You should go to sleep…”

“Yes, I need to rest… A lady needs her beauty sleep… Will you send Sweetie Belle back to my boutique tomorrow?”

“Sure! As long as you don’t mind if she stays for breakfast.” Twilight said.

“I don’t mind at all…” Rarity yawned again. “I’m better get going now. Good night, darlings.” She said, hugging her friends.

“Good night, Rarity! We’ll see you tomorrow.” Fluttershy said. They broke the hug and Rarity started to leave. The couple quietly entered their home and closed the door behind them. They followed the soft breathing that came from in front of the fireplace, and found the two filly unicorns and Angel sleeping peacefully. They didn’t dare to do something that might wake them up, so they headed straight to their bedroom. They put their dresses back in the closet and crawled onto the bed. They covered themselves with the blanket, and Fluttershy embraced Twilight like every night. She let her head rest on her wife’s chest, listening to her heartbeats.

“Good night, 'Shy…”

“Good night, Twi…” Both mares quickly fell asleep after that.
> The Hooded Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash did as promised and they told Pinkie Pie and Rarity about the plans they had for Trixie. They, of course, agreed to have a picnic with their friend. All that was left now was telling Trixie about it. Twilight was on her way to the Everfree Forest, but she saw the familiar hooded pony walking to Sugarcube Corner and followed her. The lavender Unicorn entered the bakery behind Trixie, who hadn’t noticed her. The hooded pony headed to the cash register with Pinkie Pie behind it.

“Howdy, Trixie! How can I…?”

“Shh! Pinkie Pie, I don’t want to be seen here, remember?”

“Oopsie, I forgot, sorry!” The party pony giggled. “How can I help you, costumer-I've-never-seen-before?”

Trixie face-hoofed and was about to reply, when Twilight appeared from behind her.

“Hello, Pinkie! Hello, mysterious pony!”

“I’ll just take six chocolate muffins.” Trixie said to Pinkie Pie before turning to see Twilight, whispering to her. “Hello, Twilight. I can’t talk much now; I have to go back to Zecora’s after getting these muffins.”

“I see and I don’t want to waste your time, so I’ll be quick. The girls and I are planning to have a picnic inat the park next week and you're invited. Will you join us?”

“You know I can’t refuse such an offer. I wanted to do something with you guys before leaving next week, so this sounds great!”

“Leaving already? We hoped that you could stay a little longer…” Twilight said with sadness as she pawed with a hoof on the ground lightly. 

After seeing this display, Trixie sighed before smiling. “I suppose that I can stay for a week or two more.”

“Really?!” The bookworm pony hugged her friend tightly. “Thank you, thank you!” Trixie accepted the hug faking annoyance but she did it with a smile. Moments later, they heard voices coming from the kitchen.

“Be careful with that, Cutie… Good, like that! Now, come with me!” Pinkie Pie appeared, smiling as always. Cutie followed her mother as she carried the tray with Trixie’s muffins on her head. Twilight and Trixie had to approach to the counter in order to see the filly. Once Pinkie Pie took the tray and put it on the counter, they could see that Cutie had her usual worried expression that reminded Twilight of her wife. The party pony put the muffins in a box and gave it to Trixie, who magically took hold of it.

“Thanks!” The blue Unicorn said, placing her bits on the counter. “I better get going now, I'll see you later!” Trixie turned and left.

“Bye!” Twilight waved at her friend before turning to see Cutie. “Hello there, Cutie! How are you?” She asked politely.

The cyan pony barely looked up. “F-Fine…” Cutie just stared at Twilight, afraid of saying something that she shouldn’t. Twilight smiled and looked at Pinkie Pie.

“Pinkie, I would love to buy five muffins: one with gems, another one with carrots, and three of chocolate.”

“Okey dokey lokey! I’ll be right back!” Pinkie Pie turned and trotted back into the kitchen. Twilight looked at Cutie again.

“...You have such a sweet voice, Cutie. Have you ever considered singing?”

“S-Sing? Me? N-No, no, no, I get nervous when I’m being watched by so many ponies…” Cutie shook her head and she spoke quickly.

“Maybe if you practiced…”

“N-No, I won’t do it… Never! I… I barely can talk in front of anypony… even to you and my friends… I don’t think that I will be able to make any more friends. I'll be alone forever…”

“Don’t say that, Cutie... You’ll have more friends, and somepony will surely love you for who you are. But you’re still a bit young for that…”

“I'll grow up barely speaking to anypony but my friends… Who would love me…?”

“...You remind me of somepony. She was just like you, very shy and afraid of talking to anypony but her friends. But, even so, when she fell in love, she got the courage to confess. It wasn't easy, but she did it, and to this day, she doesn’t regret it. She's got married and now has a daughter. She's also more confident around other ponies. Not much, but she got better.”

“W-Who is this pony?”

“My wife, Fluttershy.”

"R-Really?"

Twilight nodded. “Yes. I wouldn’t lie to you, Cutie, so don’t be afraid and don’t worry about finding your special somepony just yet. Enjoy what you have now."

“Thanks… I won’t forget it, and I’ll try to… to talk more…”

“Yes, please, don’t give up!”

Pinkie Pie returned with Twilight’s order. “Here you go, Twilight! There's an extra one in there on me, and I won’t accept no as an answer!”

“Thanks, Pinkie! Now, I should return. I didn’t plan to be away for so long. By the way, Trixie accepted our invitation!”

“Sweet! Goodbye, Twilight, and say hi to Fluttershy and Aurora for me!”

“I will. Goodbye, Pinkie! Goodbye, Cutie!” “

G-Goodbye…” Twilight left Sugarcube Corner and headed towards her home to tell her wife the good news.


***


The next week, school had just ended for the day and the crusaders were walking together.

“So? When are we going to do today?” Scootaloo asked.

“Can we reunite in three hours? I have to practice magic with my mom.”

“Sure, Aurora! That's ain’t a problem. We're reunitin’ in three hours!” Apple Bloom exclaimed before whispering so only her friends could hear. “The password will be 'the river will flow.' ”

“Why do we always have weird passwords?" Scootaloo commented, sticking her tongue out in distaste.

“Because that’s what passwords are, Scoots…” Sweetie Belle replied in a scolding tone. “This way, ponies we don’t want in our club can't enter. You should know who I mean.” She finished as she turned back and saw both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon laughing a distance away. Sweetie Belle quickly looked away from them and to her friends again.

“Besides, it’s fun!” The farmer filly added with a grin. “Don’t you think?”

“Yeah, whatever…” Flying Feather said.

“Y-Yes, they are fun… But I sometimes have problems remembering them…”

“That’s why we make them easy, Cutie! Don’t worry, we will never make somethin’ hard.” Apple Bloom replied.

“Okay, good… Thanks…”

“You don’t need to thank us! Hey, let’s go through the park!” Sweetie Belle said, pointing at the park.

“Good idea, Sweetie Belle. Let’s go!” Apple Bloom commanded as she shoved a hoof into the air. They all increased their pace, all but Cutie, who was pushed by Flying Feather to make her move faster. They wandered through the park until they came across a couple of familiar faces. Aurora recognized them before the other fillies, excitedly waving at them.

“Lyra, Bon Bon, hello!” The mares in question looked up and waved back. They were with their young foal, Trotting Paradise. She was yellow and had a cyan mane. She didn't have a horn or wings. The crusaders approached to see the foal up close. Trotting Paradise had blue eyes, and was much younger than the other fillies. Apple Bloom moved her head closer to Trotting Paradise and the foal put her tiny hooves on her nose and giggled.

“She likes you, Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle smiled.

“Ah think she does!”

“She likes everypony. I think she will get on well with everypony when she grows up!” Bon Bon said, watching her playful daughter.

“If she learns to make your delicious sweets, she'll be a success!” Lyra grinned, also looking at her daughter.

“I bet she will, unless she decides to play an instrument... I think she will be able to do anything she desires!” The cream pony replied.

“She WILL be able to do what she wants; she has two wonderful mothers that will take care of her the way she deserves!” Aurora exclaimed with passion. Trotting Paradise was still playing with Apple Bloom and both of them were still giggling. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were watching them while Flying Feather was sitting away from them with her hooves crossed, impatient. Cutie quietly approached Aurora and opened her mouth to say something, but after hesitating, she didn’t say anything.

“Where are you girls going?” Bon Bon asked, smiling.

“We were heading to our homes so our families don't get worried.” The blue filly said.

“Oh, we understand… Maybe someday you could visit us? Our little Paradise needs more contact with other ponies besides us.” The candy maker pony giggled.

“Maybe I should come with my mothers next time… Yeah, I’ll come next time!” Aurora excitedly said.

“Can we go now?” The pink filly asked with impatience.

“Alright…! We’ll see you next time, Bon Bon, Lyra!” Apple Bloom said as she stopped playing and moved from the foal to her friends. Trotting Paradise extended her hooves, trying to get the farmer pony to come back. “Ah feel bad for leavin’ like that… We were havin’ fun…” Apple Bloom commented as they left the park.

“We were going to make everypony worried if we wasted any more time, do you want that?” Flying Feather retorted.

“I guess not… Aurora, what're you doin’?” The crusaders turned to see that their friend had stopped and was looking back.

“Shh! I think I saw somepony looking at us from behind those trees.” Aurora said, pointing at two trees beside each other. After a few moments of watching them, Flying Feather spoke.

“You’re just imagining things; it was probably nothing!”

“I agree with Feather.” Scootaloo frowned lightly. “I don’t see anything either.”

Aurora sighed and turned to her friends again. “You’re probably right… Let’s go.” She said as they continued on their way to their homes. But little did they know that Aurora was right, and behind those trees two hooded ponies were watching them.

“I told you to be careful! They almost saw us!” One said to the other.

“But they didn’t… We should send a message to our leaders to tell them that we found them.” The other one spoke.

“Yes, let’s go.” The hooded ponies galloped away from their hiding place.


***


Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Flying Feather went back to the farm when they reached the fork in the road. Sweetie Belle had only just left. Only Aurora and Cutie were left. They were silent for a while; every time Aurora tried to start a conversation, Cutie would just nod or answer with a single word and remain silent after, so the blue Unicorn gave up. Cutie only spoke when they were about to part ways

“Aurora, I… I was wondering if… If someday I could… v-visit you…” She lookd away from her friend when she finished.

“Of course you can! You don’t have to be nervous to ask! But it has to be the day after tomorrow, since I have to practice magic today and our parents are getting together tomorrow in the park.”

“O-Okay… Thank you…”

“I’ll see you later, Cutie!” Aurora said, surprising her friend with a hug.

“G-Goodbye, Aurora…” They parted ways, Cutie heading to Sugarcube Corner and Aurora to the cottage, not having a clue that they were being watched before.
> What Could Have Been a Perfect Day...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, after practicing magic, Twilight, Fluttershy, Aurora, and Spike were discussing their plans for the day.

“So, your mother and I are having a picnic with our friends today. What are you going to do today, dear?” Fluttershy asked to her daughter.

“I’m also going to hang with my friends. If you're going to the park, we're going to the fields outside Ponyville. That way, we'll have plenty of space to play hide and seek!”

“Okay, but please…” Twilight began, but she was interrupted by Aurora.

“I've learned my lesson, mom... I won’t do anything dangerous again.”

“Just making sure, Aury. Have fun with your friends!”

“You too, mom and mommy!"

The older mares giggled and Twilight looked at Spike.

“Will you look after the cottage and the critters while we aren’t home, Spike?”

“Don’t I always? I’ll gladly do it again, Twilight. You can trust me!” The young dragon stated, puffing out his chest in pride.

“I know I can!” Twilight and Fluttershy prepared a basket of food while Aurora sat on the couch and read about various types of critters and how to take care of them. She found the critters which one of her mother looked after fascinating and wished to spent her life with them, but she also loved magic and wanted to follow in Twilight’s hoofsteps. She spent most of her days inside studying magic, using her free time to hang out with friends, which meant that she wouldn’t be able to look after any critters. She wouldn’t be able to study magic and look after the critters at the same time. She talked about it with Fluttershy once, but the mare only told her:

“Do what you want to do. You don’t have to be the same as us, dear. It can be anything and we will support your choice no matter what."

Since then, Aurora spent some of her free time investigating other things. But so far, only magic and critters caught her attention. She tried fashion and baking, but she either got easily bored or she wasn’t able to do it.

Finally, the time came and the family was ready to go their separate ways. They said goodbye to Spike and Angel Bunny and they left to Sweet Apple Acres. Aurora hugged her mothers and trotted to the clubhouse. Twilight and Fluttershy left to the park with Applejack and Rainbow Dash shortly after.

“Roses are red.”

“Come in, Aurora!” Scootaloo stated, allowing her friend entry.

“Aurora! Good, we're all here!” Apple Bloom said when she saw the blue Unicorn. “Now we can go to the fields to play!”

“Yay!” The fillies yelled excitedly and left the clubhouse, heading to the outskirts of Ponyville. When they arrived, they had plenty of space to play and there were a lot of hiding places: trees, bushes and piles of branches everywhere.

“Alright, who starts countin'?” Apple Bloom said.

Sweetie Belle looked around and picked five branches at random. “Let’s use this; whoever gets the smallest one counts!”

“Good idea, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo exclaimed. Everypony took one and showed them at the same time.

“You count, Feather!” Aurora said with a smile.

“Ugh, fine!” Flying Feather said, frowning in irritation. She turned to face the tree and buried her face into it.

“Count to one hundred!” Apple Bloom said. The pink Pegasus grumbled in response and began to count as the rest trotted away. Aurora had to take Cutie by the hoof to make her hurry.

“Ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred! Alright, ready or not, here I come!”


***


“Thanks again for doing this, girls… I’m glad to have friends who care about me somewhere!” Trixie grinned as she magically took a cup of tea which Rarity had served her.

“You don’t have to thank us, darling. This is what friends are for!” Rarity exclaimed as she served another cup of tea to Rainbow Dash, whose belly was being used as a pillow by Applejack. Pinkie Pie was sitting beside Trixie, eating a sandwich with her usual smile. Twilight was resting her head on Fluttershy’s lap, who was caressing her mane.

“I love picnic days with my friends... Just sitting and relaxing, enjoying the beautiful sun which Princess Celestia gave us.” Twilight commented.

“Yup! It’s good to rest from the hard work at the farm and enjoy ourselves, don’t ya think, Dashie?” Applejack said.

“Are you kidding? I was born to rest!” Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. It was a wonder how she could sound proud for that.

“Ah’m surprised that your cutie mark isn’t a pillow!” The farmer pony laughed.

“Hey, take that back!” The cyan Pegasus exclaimed, trying to sound offended but she was smiling. “Do it or I’ll make you!”

“Make me then!” Rainbow Dash tried to stand up, but was too lazy to do so. “You know what? Say what you want; I don’t care…”

“My lazy Dashie.” Applejack cuddled into Rainbow Dash’s belly, making the pegasus wrap her hooves around her in an embrace.

Everypony else watched the scene with a warm smile until Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed, “Hey, I have an idea!” Everypony jumped in surprise. “Why don’t Trixie and Twilight have a friendly magic duel sometime? We could go outside Ponyville and have it there!” Trixie and Twilight (who was sitting up now) glanced at each other.

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea!” Twilight began. “We never actually had a fair one since you had the Alicorn Amulet. What do you say, Trixie?"

“I like the idea… Just for fun! No jealousy nor mystical amulets. I’ll be glad to have one someday!” The blue Unicorn replied. She, then, used her magic to take a muffin. Twilight did the same, but took two and gave one to her wife.

“Thanks, love.” Fluttershy said before taking a bite of the muffin. “Pinkie, you always make them delicious. How do you do it?” She asked after swallowing.

“I can’t tell you, silly. It’s my secret and I can’t share it, even to my friends!” The party pony giggled. They began to talk about random things; Trixie mentioned how everypony loved her acts now and that she was thinking about heading to Maneice.

“Maneice?” Twilight commented. “Do you know how to speak their language?”

“Sì, Twilight lo parlo fluentemente.” Trixie said with a perfect Italian accent.

“Wow, I didn’t know that!” The lavender Unicorn exclaimed in amazement.

“I speak many languages, Twilight. I have to since I go everywhere! But I’m afraid that I will be away for a long time; I don’t know exactly how much, but I’ll let you know when I do.”

“I see… Then we better have fun before you leave!” Twilight said, trying to hide her sadness. Everypony else wasn't as good at it and Trixie noticed, so she cleared her throat.

“But we have three weeks to have fun, so we’ll make them worth it! Enough about me, though.” She turned to Pinkie Pie. “I was wondering how your husband is, Pinkie.”

“He actually wrote to me yesterday. He said that he misses us and will try to come next week or the one after that!” The pink pony said, recovering her smile.

“Then I'd better stay; I want to see him! I've only seen him once.” The Blue Unicorn grinned. Everypony had recovered their smiles.

“Really? Why didn’t you tell us before, darling?” Rarity said, unable to contain her excitement.

“I wanted to save it for today, since we were going to have a picnic!”

“I can’t wait for him to be here. I'm sure that Cutie was happy to hear about it, right?” Fluttershy asked.

“I didn’t have the chance to tell her yet! I got the letter when she was playing with her friends and when she got back, I had too much work and she was asleep before I'd finished. I tried to tell her today but she told me that she was heading out and when I was about to tell her, Flying Feather appeared and took her by the hoof and left, so I’ll wait for her return!” Pinkie Pie explained almost incoherently, but her friends understood.

“She will love to hear this!” Applejack commented.

“Do you have something planned for when he comes?” Rainbow Dash smiled.

“Not yet, but I’ll think of something!” They spent the rest of the picnic talking about random things again, enjoying their time together.


***


“I found you, Feather!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, pointing at her friend in a tree.

“How did you know?” The pink Pegasus questioned as she climbed down the tree.

“It’s not hard to find a pink pony in a green tree… Besides, one of your wings was poking out!” The white Unicorn giggled. Flying Feather sighed and slowly walked to the tree where the seeker counts, and sat with her hooves crossed while Sweetie Belle continued with her search. She headed to a bush near the tree where she'd found Flying Feather. She could hear breathing coming from within it.

“I found you, Cutie!” Sweetie Belle chirped excitedly, forcing the timid pony out of her hiding spot.

“A-At least I wasn’t found first this time…” The cyan pony said while she headed to the seeker’s tree. Sweetie Belle now headed to a pile of branches and removed some with levitation, but there was nopony there. She continued on her search elsewhere. She trotted to a mud pool and saw hoofsteps, so she decided to follow them and eventually found Apple Bloom behind a rock.

“Hey there, Apple Bloom! You know, mud leaves a trace!”

“Ah knew you would follow them, but it was too late when ah saw mah hooves dirty!” The farmer pony said as she headed to where her discovered friends where. Sweetie Belle soon found Scootaloo under a pile of leaves and Aurora on another tree. They all gathered together at the seeker's tree.

“So, what do we do now?” Aurora asked curiously.

“...How about you little fillies come with us?” A strange voice echoed from behind them. The crusaders turned to find four hooded ponies.

“W-Who are you?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, shaking.

“We only want to help. Come with us.” One of the hooded ponies said. The crusaders galloped away, but the ponies gave chase.

“Let’s split up girls, they can’t chase us all!” Apple Bloom shouted and they went different ways. When they did so, the hooded ponies focused on Aurora, Flying Feather, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom. When Sweetie Belle realized it, she called for Cutie to follow her and both of them hid inside a pile of branches nearby. The Unicorn put a hoof in her friend’s mouth. They watched helplessly as the hooded ponies reached their friends, and couldn’t do anything to stop it. One jumped on Aurora, causing her head to hit the ground, leaving her unconscious. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo made a wrong turn and hit a dead end. But the last stranger wasn’t so lucky. Flying Feather was fast and dodged every time the hooded pony tried to grab her, and finally hit him by taking the branch of a tree and letting it go when the ponynapper was close enough. The hooded pony clutched his nose, giving Flying Feather enough time to gallop to Ponyville. After seeing this, one of the hooded ponies tried to chase her, but was held back by his partner.

“Leave her… We’ll catch her soon enough. We have these three to take to Damashooves.”

“What about the other two?”

“They're clean; we just want them. Now let’s go to the meeting point... Our other partner should have the foal by now” Without another word, the hooded ponies helped their partner and left with Aurora, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. They hadn't realized that Sweetie Belle and Cutie had heard it all.

“We have to go back to Ponyville and tell everypony!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed once the ponynappers left and took Cutie by the hoof and galloped as fast as she could back to Ponyville.


***


The seven friends were still having their picnic when Flying Feather arrived, exhausted.

“Easy there, Fly! What’s wrong?” Applejack said, noticing her daughter's expression.

“P… Problem… s… something bad… happened.” The pink filly panted out as she tried to catch her breath.

“Where are the rest of your friends?” Twilight inquired, starting to get worried.

“Ponynapped!” Sweetie Belle shouted as she and Cutie cantered to their friend's side. “Some hooded ponies came and took Apple Bloom, Aurora and Scootaloo away!”

“What?!” All the mares exclaimed at the same time, shocked.
> Maternal Instinct
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sweetie Belle and Flying Feather explained what had happened to the older mares while Cutie remained silent. They were with their respective families. Fluttershy fainted onto Twilight’s lap. Applejack hugged Flying Feather, who didn’t resist while Rainbow Dash breathed furiously with fire burning in her eyes. Rarity held her sister tightly and Pinkie Pie was doing the same with Cutie. Trixie was trying to help Twilight to wake up Fluttershy. The lavender Unicorn hadn't said a word.

“Twilight, what are you thinking about?” Trixie asked after several moments of silence, noticing her friend’s expression.

“...I’m wondering why they'd be ponynapped. You heard what happened--the hooded ponies were only after Aurora, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Flying Feather… They specifically chased them when the fillies separated, and they said that Sweetie Belle and Cutie were ‘clean.’ What did they mean by that? And the foal they mentioned...”

“Aurora, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Feather… Then the other foal. All of them must have some similarity…” Trixie meditated.

“Well… They all have something in common, but…” Rarity commented, causing everypony to look at her.

“But what, Rarity? Rainbow Dash asked with impatience.

“I don’t know how to say this without making it sound bad, but… all of them have two mothers. Could that be the connection?”

“That’s a stupid reason to ponynap! I don’t think…” The cyan Pegasus was interrupted by Twilight.

“No, that makes sense... There are ponies who would do anything to hurt same-sex couples!”

“And the foal?” Trixie asked.

“Trotting Paradise!” Everypony gasped.

“What are we going to do?!” The fancy Unicorn exclaimed.

“Trixie, go check on Lyra and Bon Bon while I take Fluttershy home. All of you should do the same.” Twilight commanded.

“We’ll meet at Sweet Apple Acres in a couple of hours to discuss what to do. Flying Feather is in danger as long as the ponynapers are still around.” Her friends nodded and took their leave. Twilight used her magic to lay Fluttershy on her back and started her way to the cottage.


***


“This can’t be happening… Not my dear Aurora, no, please no!” Fluttershy was laying on her bed with a blanket on. Her fever was high. Twilight stood beside her, trying to calm her down. However, she didn't have much luck since she was just as worried as her wife. Moments later, there was a knock at the door and Twilight could hear Spike opening it.

“Twilight, it's Trixie!” The young dragon yelled.

“I’ll be right there!” Twilight replied before turning back to her wife. “I’ll be back soon, Shy. Try to get some sleep.” The timid Pegasus did her best to nod. Twilight trotted downstairs and saw her friend already sitting on the couch.

“Spike, I need you to go with Fluttershy while I talk to Trixie.”

“Sure, Twilight!” Spike hurried upstairs with Angel Bunny following him.

“Hello, Trixie. Do you bring good news?” The lavender Unicorn inquired as she sat with her friend.

Trixie shook her head.“I’m afraid not. Trotting Paradise was ponynapped too.” She looked at Twilight with a sad expression.

“Oh no… Lyra and Bon Bon must be devastated…”

“They are… Bon Bon couldn’t speak at all. She kept crying despite Lyra’s efforts to calm her down. They're both destroyed; Lyra couldn’t stop crying, either.” Twilight didn’t say anything, so Trixie continued. “They didn’t hear anything. Whoever these hooded ponies are, they're experts at what they do.” Silence ruled the room for several moments--moments in which only breathing and birds singing could be heard until Trixie finally spoke again. “I must say, Twilight, You seem to be taking this very well.”

“I didn’t want to break down in front of Fluttershy…” Twilight said before looking away. Trixie could see a tear falling from one of her eyes. “Besides… crying won’t solve anything.”

“It'll make feel you better…”

“Only having my daughter back will make me feel better.”

“I’m so sorry, Twilight…” The blue Unicorn placed a hoof on Twilight’s. “I’m here if you need me.”

“Thanks, Trixie… You're a good friend.” Twilight wiped the tear away with her free hoof. “Listen, I have to go to Sweet Apple Acres now. Would you mind helping Spike take care of Fluttershy?”

“Of course I don't mind.”

“She’s trying to sleep now. Make her some tea when she wakes up.” Twilight stood up and headed to the door with Trixie following behind her. The bookworm pony turned after opening the door and hugged Trixie. “Thanks again, Trixie…”

“Please be back soon. In moments like these, you need to be with your wife.” Twilight gave her a confident nod and headed to the farm as fast as she could.


***


“Twilight! Good… Where’s Fluttershy?” Applejack said as she let her friend inside the barn.

“She’s awake now, but she has a high fever… she won’t be coming, but Trixie and Spike are there to take care of her. How are you feeling?” She asked as both of them walked to the rest of their friends.

“How do you think ah'm feelin'? Mah sister, Scootaloo Aurora and Trotting Paradise have been taken away to Damashooves… Don’t you feel bad too?”

“Terrible… I want them back--I want my daughter back…”

“But what can we do, Twilight? Damashooves is far away from here and we don’t know even know how to begin our search if we go there!” Rainbow Dash joined the conversation. Twilight and Applejack had arrived now  and they could see that Rarity and Pinkie Pie were already there.

“We can’t all go… You heard what the fillies said; they'll be back for Feather.”

“What are you proposing, darling?” The fancy Unicorn questioned.

“...I’m going to Damashooves to rescue the fillies myself.”

“WHAT?!” All the mares exclaimed at the same time.

“Are you crazy?!” Applejack yelled, clearly disapproving her friend's decision.

“Well, Applejack, you and Rainbow have to stay with Feather, and I would like somepony else to look after my wife. I trust Trixie and Spike, but they would appreciate an extra hoof.”

“But, Twilight, you can't do it alone!” Rarity protested.

“I have to, Rarity. I promised my daughter that I would always be there for her. I won’t break my promise!”

“Damashooves is far away from Equestria; the Princesses won’t be able to help you and it’s not the same!” The cyan Pegasus tried to reason with her friend.

“Maybe not, but I will tell her to send guards to watch over Ponyville in case they come back.”

“Are you actually goin' to go?” Applejack said.

“Is there anything we can say that will change your mind?” Pinkie Pie spoke quietly.

“No, Pinkie… I’m leaving tonight on the last train, and I won’t come back until I find them and bring them back home.” Twilight noticed her friend's worried expressions. “Don’t worry about me, girls… I’ll be fine and the fillies are fine. From what we heard, they don’t want to hurt them.”

“They already did… they're hurt inside.” Rainbow Dash said. The lavender Unicorn turned and headed to the exit of the barn, opened the door and turned away. She was crying silently.

“I… I have to go get ready for the trip… Take care…” Before any of her friends could say anything, she closed the door, walked a few steps and she wiped her tears before teleporting.


***


Night arrived and Twilight was already at the train station, waiting impatiently for the train. She told Trixie the situation and rejected her request to accompany her. She asked her to stay and take care of Fluttershy. She also told her that her friends might check them periodically. She then wrote to Princess Celestia, explaining the details of what happened and asked her to send guards to Ponyville. Her response surprised her: she didn’t try to stop her, she wished her luck instead. Princess Celestia also told her that the guards would be arriving first thing the next morning. Her friends also tried to stop her one last time, but she ignored them. The lavender Unicorn didn't want to leave without saying goodbye to her wife, but when she entered to their bedroom she found her sleeping, Twilight kissed her on her forehead and left. Fluttershy smiled in her sleep when she was kissed.

“Come on, you're half an hour late!” Twilight angrily exclaimed at the empty station, pacing impatiently. “What’s taking them so long?!”

“Sometimes trains take time, sugarcube!” Hearing the familiar voice made Twilight freeze on the spot. She, then, slowly turned to see Applejack approaching her.

"Applejack? What are you doing here?! There’s no turning back--I’m leaving whether you like it or not!”

“Ah know, sugarcube. Ah'm not here to stop you." Applejack said before standing in front of her friend. "Ah'm here to go with you.” It was then when Twilight noticed that her friend had a bag.

“What?! No way, I have to do this alone!”

“Twilight, mah sister and niece are there too. Ah’m going! Yer not the only pony who made a promise! No buts! You told me, years ago, that there are times that we feel that we have to do somethin’ alone and don’t need any help, and you were right! Now look at you doing the same. Please, Twilight, you know it’s true... You need help and Ah’m going to help you, whether you want it or not!”

Twilight thought for some moments, trying to find a way to reject her friend, but she couldn’t. Doing it would turn her into a hypocrite; Applejack had her cornered. She sighed. “Alright, fine… But what about Feather and Rainbow?”

“I told Rainbow what Ah was plannin’ to do and she didn’t stop me; she just told me to be careful. They are goin’ to be fine, don’t worry. Did you tell Princess Celestia what's goin' on?”

“Yes. She will send guards. They should arrive in the morning.”

“Good, then they will definitely be fine! Look, that’s our ride.” The farmer pony said, pointing to a train in the distance.

“I think you’re right! Wait, do you have a ticket?”

“Eeyup! I bought it after you refused to listen to us today.”

“Seems like you were determined to come with me!” Applejack smiled sheepishly in response as the train stopped at the station.

“All aboard for Damashooves!”

“Last chance, Applejack... Are you sure?”

“Course Ah am. Let’s go!”
> Welcome to Damashooves
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ride was long and silent. They were the only ones in the whole train. Twilight was reading a map of Damashooves to get familiarized with the place, but the city was too big to memorize every single corner of it. However, knowing Twilight, she would do her best. The lavender Unicorn put the map back in the bag after a couple of hours. Applejack, on the other hoof, spent those two hours just looking out the window, hoping that everypony would be okay and wondering what her wife and friends might be doing without them. She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn’t realize that she was hungry until her stomach could be heard by her friend.

“Applejack, you’re starving.”

“What? Oh, yeah… Ah brought some apples, do you want one?”

“Yes, please. I just realized that I’m also starving.” The farmer pony took two apples from her bag and gave one to Twilight. “Thanks, Applejack.” She took a bite. “Can this trip take any longer?”

“Damashooves is outside of Equestria, sugarcube, so Ah think that we'll be here for a while… Why don’t you get some sleep? Ah’ll wake you up in a couple of hours. We will need to be fully awake to find our fillies.”

“Good idea, I could use some rest… “ She finished eating her apples before laying on her seat. “See you in a couple of hours, Applejack.”

“Good night, Twi.” As soon as Twilight closed her eyes, she fell into a deep slumber. She was a more tired than she'd initially thought. As they'd decided earlier, Applejack woke her up two hours later; it was her turn to rest. Twilight spent her two hours reading more about Damashooves, trying to learn the differences between that city and Ponyville. Damashooves was a desert town, a poor desert town, but it hadn't always been that way. Something happened two years ago that made most of the city poor, with guards patrolling every street. The city was now under control of a mysterious group--Twilight guessed that they had to be the ones who took the fillies. She was determined to leave Damashooves with them and answers. When she was about to wake her friend up, she heard a pony calling.

“Next stop, Damashooves in fifteen minutes!”

Twilight hurried to wake Applejack up. “Applejack, we're here!”

“Huh…? Wha...?”

“We'll be arriving in fifteen minutes!”

“Already?” The farmer pony stood up and made sure everything was in her bag while Twilight closed her book and put it inside her own bag. The train stopped and they got out; there were no other passengers, so the train left as soon as they stepped outside. The mares were received by a dusty train station that looked like it had been abandoned for years. They decided to move on and find the fillies and leave as soon as possible. They started walking around the town to find clues that would lead to the ponynappers, but as soon as they arrived, everypony was looking at them and whispering into each other’s ears. They all had looks of pity, wearing old robes. The mares took their foals away, avoiding Twilight and Applejack as if they were dangerous; the stallions only watched them.

“Why are they looking at us like that…? Applejack?”

“Maybe because of this.” The farmer pony pointed to a wall that was filled with posters and photos of them and their friends--all of them had something written under it. The ones of Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Lyra and Bon Bon just said "Fillyfooler, call the guards if you see her." But the one of Twilight was different; it said "Extremely dangerous fillyfooler, call the guards and leave if you see her."

“What does this mean? Why are these things here?” Twilight said, approaching her poster and removing it. “Extremely dangerous? I've never done anything wrong in my life! None of us have!”

“Ah think we should hide for now…”

“Why?”Applejack pointed to where a couple of guards were talking to a citizen and turned to them.

“You two, stop!”

“Let’s get out of here, now!” Applejack exclaimed, taking Twilight by the hoof and galloping in the opposite direction. They climbed a ladder and dropped it when they were on the roof, hitting both guards. They jumped from rooftop to rooftop until they reached a dead end--the next building was too far to reach by jumping.

“Now what do we do?” The bookworm pony asked, looking at her friend. Wind blew their manes and they smelled a familiar scent, Twilight didn’t recognize it, but Applejack did.

“Ah know! Do the same as me.” The farmer pony said as she approached the edge of the roof where pigeons were standing. They flew away as Applejack got closer. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before jumping off the roof, diving muzzle first. A sound was heard, but it wasn’t of her hitting concrete; it was softer.

“Applejack!” Twilight trotted to where her friend had leaped and looked down, but she couldn’t see anything. “Applejack, where are you?!”

“Jump!” She heard her friend’s voice.

“What?!”

“Just do what Ah say! Jump, Twilight! Have faith and make that leap!”

Twilight gulped and approached the same spot where Applejack was. After mentally counting to three, she jumped with her eyes closed, too afraid to open them. She landed on something soft. She opened her eyes, but everything was dark. “What is this?”

“A wagon full of hay. I can recognize the smell of hay anywhere.”

“Hay! I should have known!”

“Shh! I hear hoofsteps…” Both of them remained silent as they listened carefully.

“I’m sure that here’s where she jumped. I don’t see her... Maybe she’s gone.”

“Let’s search here just in case. She may be hiding... Starting with this wagon.” The hoofsteps started to become louder as the guards approached.

“There's two.” Applejack whispered. “One’s coming to my side, the other one to yours. We’ll have to knock them out and hide them here at the same time... Ah’ll give the signal.” Twilight nodded, but she wasn’t sure if her friend saw her. They waited a few moments until they saw the guards’ hooves searching the hay. “Now!” Both Twilight and Applejack emerged from the hay, grabbed the guards and hit them in the head, leaving them unconscious. Then, they hid them in the hay. After that, both of them jumped from the wagon and ran to an alley, watching more guards trotting past.

“Looking for the fillies won’t be easy with the entiere town after us… What will we do?” The Unicorn asked. The situation was out of their hooves. Suddenly, it all made sense. They were the most wanted ponies and their daughters had been ponynapped; these hooded ponies didn’t ponynap their fillies by coincidence, they were after them and they knew that somepony would try to rescue them, so they placed wanted posters in the city and patrolled it--but why them? What did they do to deserve this?

“Psst, over here, strangers!” The mares jumped in surprise and looked behind them to where the voice came from. There stood a stallion wearing a white robe with red lines and a hood, which was off. The robe covered his entire body, but still appeared to be comfortable enough to move in. His attire and expression made it obvious that he had his share of secrets. He was a brown earth pony with green eyes and a dark brown mane. “Quick, before they see you!” The stallion opened a door next to him and pointed inside. “Now!” Twilight and Applejack looked at each other. They weren’t sure if they could trust him, but they didn't have a choice so they hurried inside. The stallion entered and closed the door behind him. The place wasn’t very big and it was dusty. It had just one room and a counter with books behind it. On the floor there were some sleeping bags.

“Who are you? And why are you helping us?” Applejack suspiciously asked.

“My name is Iron Strong.” He said as he walked to a blanket hanging in the wall and removed it, showing a hoof formed in the wall with stones. “I belong to the Brotherhoof of Equality. Welcome to Damashooves. We’ll help you find your fillies.” Both mares stopped looking at the hoof and instead stared at Iron Strong.

“How did you know?!” Both mares exclaimed in unison.
> The Fillyfooler Removal Order
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iron Strong turned toward the mares, who were now looking at him suspiciously. “We have spies around the city, tracking every movement of the F.R.O. Yesterday, their field agents came back with your fillies and our spies heard that they were with the most wanted. In other words, you.”

“F.R.O.?” Twilight confusedly asked.

“Fillyfooler Removal Order. They are led by two mysterious ponies whose faces we don’t know. We aren’t even sure if they're unicorns, pegasi, or earth ponies. They never leave their castle.”

“They have a castle?” Applejack's eyebrow rose.

“Yes, it's north of here.” The brown pony moved over to a map on the wall. “Right there.” Twilight and Applejack approached. “We're planning to attack it next week to free all the colts and fillies taken away from their parents. It will be risky, but we're prepared.”

“You have to take us. Please, that’s why we're here!” Twilight pleaded to the stallion.

“I don’t know... It’s dangerous. Do you have experience fighting?”

“Yes. You have no idea what we've been through. We're more ready that you think!” Applejack exclaimed proudly, puffing out her chest to prove her point.

“She’s right. You don’t know what we're capable of. You must let us go with you!” Twilight said, almost crying. “Please, you have to…” Iron Strong glanced from one mare to the other, and sighed moments later.

“Fine… I’ll fill you in and give you our robes so you can walk around the city without being seen. You must be careful--your faces may still reveal your presence…” Before he knew it, he was hugged by Twilight.

“Thank you... We'll never forget it!” she broke the hug after a few moments.

“Please follow me.” Iron Strong said as he opened a door that lead into a bigger room with a table in the middle. The walls were filled with blueprints and notes of the castle. Iron Strong went to another room and came back with two robes similar to his seconds later. “Okay, unless you have questions, I will start telling you what the plan is.”

“Ah have one.” Applejack stated, raising her hoof. “Who exactly are you and what does the Brotherhoof of Equality do?”

“Good question; you must know this.” Iron Strong stood up and looked at the opposite direction, facing one of the maps of the castle. “The Brotherhoof was born the same day the F.R.O. took over city and claimed that love between two ponies of the same sex illegal. Those who opposed them were pursued. Some were captured, while others escaped and formed the Brotherhoof.” The stallion turned to see the mares. “But not all members are ‘Fillyfoolers’ or ‘Coltcuddlers’, like me. My wife and I believe that same sex relationships don’t hurt anypony.”

“Of course our relationships don’t harm anypony!” Twilight slammed her hoof onto the table.

“Our Brotherhoof knows that, but not the order.” Iron Strong calmly replied. “They have been brainwashing the citizens with their propaganda since they've arrived, and as you've just seen today, it works. They actually think you’re dangerous. We try to fight back the propaganda, such as removing the posters you saw, but it only works for so long before they put them back up again. We knock out all the guards we can and take them as prisoners, but their numbers are many. We can only defeat them if we take their castle and capture their leaders--something that we will try next week.”

“Then you can count on us!” Applejack raised her hoof for emphasis. “We'll free all those poor ponies by next week!”

“And for that...” the brown stallion began as he sat back down, crossing his hooves in a secretive way. “You’ll need to know the plan.”


***


Back at Ponyville…

Five days had passed since Twilight and Applejack left. Fluttershy was feeling better, but she only spent her days sitting on the couch. Pinkie Pie and Cutie were usually there to keep her company. Trixie disappeared two days after Twilight and Applejack had.

“Now, Cutie, take this tea to Fluttershy while I take these cookies out of the oven, would you?” The pink pony smiled warmly.

“Yes, mom…” the shy filly said as she slowly approached the couch where Fluttershy was staring blankly at the extinguished fireplace and petting an asleep Angel Bunny. She didn’t notice the filly until she quietly cleared her throat. “Um… Fl-Fluttershy?”

“…Oh! Yes? S-Sorry, Cutie… I didn’t see you there…”

“I brought you some tea…”

“Thanks… I need it…” the timid Pegasus took the cup of tea and sipped it.

“A-Are you feeling better, Fl-Fluttershy?” Cutie asked, gazing sadly at her.

“No, not really… First, they take my daughter, then my wife abandons me, and later, Trixie leaves without telling anypony why… I’m far from feeling better, Cutie…”

“Twilight didn’t abandon you… My mom told you why she left.” Cutie said as she sat next to her.

“In times like these I need the company of my Twilight… She shouldn’t have left.” Fluttershy said as tears fell from her eyes. When she noticed this, Cutie put a hoof on her lap.

“Please, don’t cry… Twilight is fine and so are Aurora and the others…”

“H-How can you know that…?”

“I don’t, but I have faith. All we can do now is be positive. I believe that they'll be back soon…”

Fluttershy wiped her tears away and smiled at Cutie. She hadn’t smiled since Aurora was taken. The Pegasus hugged Cutie. “Thanks, Cutie… I must have faith. I know Twilight and Aurora, and I know they're going to be fine… Besides, Applejack’s with her.” Cutie hesitated, but she soon returned the hug. She'd never hugged another pony beside her parents. After a few minutes, Fluttershy broke the hug. “Thank you, Cutie… I feel better now.” She continued to smile.

“Um… You’re welcome…” the cyan pony nervously said.

“Is there something wrong, Cutie?”

“N-No, nothing….”

“Really? Your voice is shaking.”

“N-Never mind… I can ask you later…”

“Ask me what? You can ask me anything. I’ll help you if I can. Don’t you trust me…?”

“What? It’s not that I don't trust you! But I don’t think it’s a good time…”

“Ask me now. I really want to help you…”

“O-Okay…” Cutie took in a breath as if this revelation would take all her courage. “Twilight came to Sugarcube Corner some time ago and she told me that there was a time that you were as shy as me.”

“I’m still shy.”

“But you seem so happy… What makes you smile? I have friends like you, the love of a mother and a father, my dream when I was back at the orphanage. But, why can’t I smile?”

“Well, it is true that friends helped me to smile. But the first time I actually smiled in my life was when I saw critters for the first time.”

“Critters?”

“Yes. I really love taking care of them. It was then that I got my cutie mark. Cutie, once you find what you're good at and get your cutie mark, I promise that you'll always smile. Just be patient until you find your special talent.”

Cutie looked at her hooves and thought for a few moments. “All I have to do is wait…?” She finally said.

“Yes. I trust you’ll be fine. Believe me, I was worse than you at your age.”

“That can’t be true.” the cyan pony said, trying to smile.

“Really. I’m a Pegasus that didn’t learn to fly until I was much older.”

“Why?”

“Well, to be honest… I’m afraid of heights…” Fluttershy closed her eyes, expecting to hear laughter, but it never came.

“Fluttershy, why are you closing your eyes?”

“Oh, um, nothing… I think I need to sleep.” As soon as she said that, she heard Pinkie Pie’s voice.

“Sleep?! Not now! At least try one of my cookies first; it'll make you feel better!”

“Okay…” Fluttershy said as she took a bite of a cookie. “It’s delicious, Pinkie!”

“I told you it would make you feel better.”

“I’m sorry if I’m bothering you, girls… Surely you want to spend time with your husband, Pinkie, and Cutie with her father.”

“We're worried about you, Fluttershy. We're here to help you!”

“Yes. Besides, daddy is busy…”

“He’s in charge of the guards protecting Ponyville. We can’t bother him, but he does have Spike with him!” the party pony said, grinning. It was true that she wanted to spend time with her husband, but he really was busy and Fluttershy needed her.

“Thanks, but I’m going to bed now… Good night.”

“Rest well, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said as her friend climbed up the stairs, with Angel Bunny in her hooves.

“She seems to be better now…” Cutie commented when she heard a door closing upstairs.

“Yes. And we want to keep her like that. Remember, not a word about what Trixie told us before leaving.”

“I won’t, mom… I p-pinky Promise…”

“That’s my girl! Do you want a cookie?”

“Yes, please… Thanks…”

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was laying on her bed and covered herself with the blankets. She put the bunny on the bed, but he didn’t wake up. “Twilight… Please be safe, and bring Aurora back home..." 
> A Remorseful Stallion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Let us out of here now!”

“Scootaloo, stop it. They won’t let us out!” Apple Bloom exclaimed in annoyance.

“At least I’m trying to do something! I don’t see you looking for a way to escape!” the orange Pegasus angrily said.

“There is no way out! We're just three fillies and a foal trapped inside a stone room with a wooden door that we can't see through! While you're wastin' your time, I’m busy tryin’ to keep Trotting Paradise from cryin'!”

“Why are you so negative?!”

“Ah’m not negative, Ah’m realistic! There’s nothin’ we can do.” The farmer filly turned and approached Trotting Paradise, who smiled at her. Apple Bloom held the foal comfortingly until she'd fallen asleep, unaware of the danger she was in. Scootaloo turned with a sigh of impatience and trotted over to Aurora, who was silent in a corner.

“And you! What are you thinking about?!” The orange filly demanded.

“All my bad memories from when I was at the orphanage are coming back... Trapped inside with nothing to do and all the orphans fighting. I thought I would never live through those days again, that I would be happy forever, but I was wrong…” The blue Unicorn turned to see her friend’s face. Aurora was crying. “I-I don’t want to live like that again! I want us to be friends… I want my parents…” Her vision was blurred with tears. She began crying once more. Scootaloo's expression switched from anger to pity in the span of a second. She hugged her sad friend comfortingly. Aurora returned the hug. “I… I've lost count of the days we've been trapped here. I just want to go home…”

“We all want that, Aurora… I miss the farm, Rainbow Dash, Applejack… I want to see them again. I wonder what they're doing now.” Scootaloo said.

“I hope they find us soon. I don’t even know where we are…” she sobbed out and hugged her friend tighter. “Thanks, Scoots… I needed that…” Aurora smiled a bit.

“Anytime, Aurora…” Scootaloo said as she wiped her friend’s tears away. She then stood up and went to where Apple Bloom was playing with Trotting Paradise. “Listen, Apple Bloom… I wanted to say that... I’m sorry. It’s just that I’m tired of being here. I didn’t want to yell at you…” Apple Bloom turned back around. She looked sad. The earth pony was holding the yellow foal to her chest with one of her hooves. She was still asleep.

“Ah’m tired of being here too. Ah just want to go home… But all we can do now is wait and be optimistic… Ah understand you just lost your patience; Ah’m not mad at you. Apology accepted.” Scootaloo smiled and looked at Trotting Paradise.

“It must be hard on her. I don’t know how you got her to go to sleep…”

“Ah have mah secrets…” Apple Bloom said as she watched the foal closely. Then, she carefully put her on her back before looking at Aurora, who was now approaching them.

“Hey, Aurora. How are you feeling?”

“I’m feeling better now…” the blue Unicorn said, her smile directed at Scootaloo. “Thanks.” Scootaloo smiled back. In that moment, they heard a voice coming from outside.

“Take a break. I’ll watch them for a few minutes.”

“Yes, sir!” They heard hoofsteps fading into the distance. The door opened after a few moments. A hooded pony entered and closed the door behind him. He brought food for the fillies and milk for the foal.

“I brought you some lunch. I hope they're not treating you too badly.” the hooded pony said.

“Thanks, and no…” Aurora replied warily. “Why are you so nice to us…?”

“I never agreed to ponynap innocent fillies, but it’s not easy to leave the order."

“Can’t you tell us your name? Where we are? Or help us to escape?” Scootaloo questioned persistently. The hooded pony removed his hood. Underneath it, he was a blue Unicorn with a darker blue mane.

“My name is Night Light, second in command of this order. First would be my wife, Twilight Velvet."

“She has the same name of my mom…” Aurora said.

“Not surprising in the least. We're her parents.”

“What?!” the fillies suddenly exclaimed, almost waking Trotting Paradise up.

“You… Didn’t know, huh? That's no surprise, either. Why would she mention us after what we did to her…?”

“I've never heard of you, sir. What did you do?” Aurora inquired with a sympathetic tone.

“Something I've regretted since the day my wife came up with the idea of ponynapping foals of same-sex couples. Taking a happy filly or colt from a home full of love to offer them isn’t right. I saw that when I met a pony whose parents were both stallions. Their foal seemed to be happy, a happy family… But my wife didn’t care. She ordered the foal to be taken away from them. I will never forget their faces when she did it…” Tears streamed down from Night Light’s eyes. Aurora approached him and lay a hoof on his shoulder.

“Grandpa…”

“Please…” the blue stallion began as he took a few steps away from the fillies. “I don’t deserve your compassion. Someday I’ll tell you why… If I can. Right now, I must go back. I’m not allowed to leave the castle or spend too much time away from my wife. I can’t help you to escape, but I can tell you where we are… Damashooves.”

“Damashooves?” Apple Bloom questioned.

“I know where we are!” Aurora suddenly exclaimed. “I found this place when I was reading one of my mom’s books! But... we're very far from Ponyville.”

“Yes.” Night Light spoke again. “I don’t know anypony outside who could help me rescue you, and I can’t do it alone. I've heard that there’s a group fighting the order, but I could never leave the castle long enough to contact them.“

"At least we know now that not everypony here is bad… And there are ponies outside who want to help us. Thank you, sir…” Apple Bloom said.

“I’ll be back when I can.”

“Bye!” The filles said as the stallion left.

“...At least he talked this time.” the orange filly commented. “Before, he would just leave us the food and leave…”

“And we know where we are now,” the farmer filly added.

“And we know that there are ponies trying to fight this order, and that I have family here.” the blue Unicorn said as she smiled.

“We may see our families again!”


***


Outside the Castle: Day of the Attack

Twilight and Applejack were ready. They'd spent the week training and knew the plan perfectly. They'd inspected the castle from every angle, and thanks to their new robes, they weren’t recognized. Sometimes when they were walking through the city, a poor pony would step in front of them and ask for bits, but they were never carrying any. They also occasionally came across drunken and crazy ponies who would push them if they got too near. Both of them felt bad for these ponies, but there was only one way to help them: take the castle and get rid of the F.R.O.

They were now having a reunion with the Brotherhoof in their hideout. “You remember the plan, right?” a member of the Brotherhoof asked them.

“We do.” Applejack said seriously. “Twilight and Ah will be enterin’ from the roof. We are to wait until the rest of the Brotherhoof attacks from the sides and front. While the Order is still confused, two Pegasi will take us inside and to the roof. We rescue the foals and help them escape through the very same roof before helping you with the siege.”

“Good. It won’t be easy, but if it works, the F.R.O. will be history!” the member of the Brotherhoof exclaimed passionately. Iron Strong approached them.

“You have memorized the map of the castle, and you know how to get to the cells. Be quick, release all the foals and go back to the roof! They must be reunited with their families again.”

“We will, Iron Strong. You can trust us!” Twilight said, also serious.

“I trust you. Now go! You will know when to advance when you see the castle under siege.” Both Twilight and Applejack nodded and left the room. Two robed pegasi followed them. They galloped to the indicated place and sat, waiting for the signal.

“No turning back, Twilight… Are you ready?”

“Scared… But I won’t abandon them. I’m ready, Applejack… As long as we follow the plan and aren't seen, we'll be fine…”

“We’ll need all the luck in Equestria to get through this… Just wait a little bit longer, girls…”

Meanwhile in the cells...

Everypony was asleep when the door was suddenly thrust open to reveal two guards entering the cell. Then, Twilight Velvet herself entered, her face covered with a hood.

“Which of you is Aurora?!” Her voice dripped with hatred. After several moments of silence passed, she spoke again. “Who is Aurora?! If you don’t answer, you'll all be punished!” The blue filly slowly walked in front of her friends.

“It’s… It’s me… Please don’t hurt them.”

“Take her!” The guards obeyed their leader and took Aurora away.

“Don’t be so hard!” Aurora cried out in pain.

“Silence! I’ll take you to a special cell where you’ll be all alone!” The fillies could hear Twilight Velvet say before she closed the door, waking Trotting Paradise up and making her cry.

“Shh… It’s okay, Paradise. Try to get back to sleep…” Apple Bloom tried to calm the foal down as she carried her.

“Why would they take Aurora like that?” Scootaloo asked worriedly.

“Ah… Ah don’t know... But Ah hope she's okay..." Apple Bloom sadly replied.
> The Siege of the Castle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, Applejack and the two pegasi didn’t move a muscle while they waited for the siege to begin. There was no indication that the operation had begun yet. The guards still milled about regularly. “If this works, we’ll have our old lives back by tomorrow!” Twilight confidently said.

“This'll work, sugarcube, don’t worry… This week has been really hard, bein' away from Dashie and Flying Feather… Ah miss my family…” Applejack sadly said.

“I still feel bad for leaving Fluttershy like that… But I had to come to look for our daughter; I couldn’t just sit around and cry for losing Aurora--I had to do something!”

“You did the right thing, Twi. Don’t let anypony tell you otherwise. Besides, Trixie is with her and Ah’m sure that Princess Celestia’s guards will protect Ponyville from the F.R.O. You got nothin’ to worry about.”

“Thanks, Applejack… I’m glad that you came along. There’s no way I could have done any of this without you. I would've been caught the moment I put a hoof in this city…”

“Yer welcome, sugarcube. That’s what friends are for: to support you when you need help most. Ah just did what Ah had to. Ah would have come even if mah sister and Scootaloo hadn’t been taken.”

“I wouldn’t have accepted that. I would've asked you to stay with your family…”

“And Ah would have tagged along anyway. Dashie is strong. She can take care of herself and the family.”

“Applejack, if--”

“It has begun, look!” Twilight was interrupted by one of the pegasi, who was pointing to the castle. Endless waves of the Brotherhoof were storming into the castle and the guards had only just sounded the alarm. The mares stood up and watched the guards and their reinforcements hold their own against the Brotherhoof. It was time to start their mission; the roofs and walls were deserted. The pegasi lifted off, grabbing Twilight and Applejack and took them to the castle. As expected, the F.R.O. below were too busy holding the Brotherhoof off that they didn’t look at the sky where their real problem was. The pegasi dropped the mares on one of the roofs. Twilight and Applejack rushed down the stairs and stopped by a door. They could hear hoofsteps from the other side.

Applejack peered into the keyhole. “...They’re gone.” she said after seeing the guards walk away. She opened the door and kept it open for Twilight to enter. The room was big, with columns and a few empty cardboard boxes nearby. There were two doors on the opposite side of the room.

“We have to take the left exit--the other one leads to the outer wall.” Twilight stated as she made her way to the correct door, followed by Applejack. But when they were about to open it, loud hoofsteps resonated from the other side. The two shared a panicked glance before lunging back as quickly as they could into the closest possible hiding spot--the cardboard boxes. The door slammed open and two guards entered with steely eyes, not even bothering to close the door behind them. Twilight and Applejack dared not move in the slightest, so all they could see were the two ponies' hooves from below the boxes' flaps.

“Stay here, I’ll go outside to help!” one guard ordered to the other. The second nodded in response and remained completely still as his superior disappeared into the door they'd deemed led to the castle's outer wall. The guard that had stayed behind stared at the two doors ahead of him, his muscles stiff and his flank facing the two infiltrators. Twilight didn’t dare move just yet, but Applejack did. She slowly and quietly began crawling toward the guard, using the box as a disguise.

“Applejack, what are you doing?!” The Unicorn whispered to her partner. Applejack stiffened and stopped her creeping. The guard turned, but when he didn’t see anything suspicious, he focused on the door again.--just a few boxes.

“Is there somepony there?!” The mares held their breaths as the guard looked around with a stony expression, his ears perked. He took a few steps in their direction, but he only looked around and gave no attention to the boxes that littered the floor. “It must be my imagination…” he finally muttered, returning to his post.  

The mares allowed themselves to breathe again. “Be quiet, Twilight!” the farmer pony whispered back harshly to her friend before continuing her silent approach of the oblivious stallion. After a few seconds that seemed to drag on forever (Twilight could swear that she heared a clock ticking), Applejack was right behind the stallion. She suddenly shed the box and tackled him in one fluid movement, covering his mouth with her hoof to prevent him from calling for help. However, he wasn’t going to give up that easily. The guard struggled. He was trying whatever he could to get Applejack’s hoof out of his mouth.

“Ah don’t think so!” The farmer pony gritted her teeth as she pressed down more. Unluckily for her, the guard managed to get up and was able to get a punch in her face. “Yer going to need more than that to beat me!” Applejack said after She spat blood out.

When Twilight saw that Applejack had been hurt, she couldn’t keep herself at bay any longer. She revealed herself from her hiding spot and used a stunning spell on the stallion, who fell unconscious immediately. The bookworm pony approached the guard hotly. “You do not hurt my friends!”

“Well done, sugarcube! But that was dangerous; you could've hit me.”

“…Are you okay?”

“Are you kidding? A few punches won’t stop me!”

“But your mouth… It's bleeding.”

“Don’t worry about that. Really, I’m fine!” Applejack promised as she wiped the blood from her mouth with a hoof. She smiled to further ensure her friend that she was alright, but Twilight looked unconvinced. The farmer pony sighed and changed the topic tactfully. “We have to hide him.”

“Let’s put him under a box and return them where they were before going on.” Twilight said before dragging the unconscious stallion with her magic until he was hidden completely from sight underneath a box. She then used her magic to return Applejack’s box to its original spot.

“Ready? Let’s go.” This time, it was Twilight the one who followed Applejack. They went through the door and quickly crossed the corridor until they found a cross. They had to keep moving forward to get to the door that lead to the stairs into the basement where the cells were, but a door opened and two guards trotted from the room straight into the other corridor. Luckily, the door covered them from sight and they weren’t spotted. Twilight and Applejack let their breaths out and continued into the basement. They checked through the keyhole to see if anypony was on the other side before proceeding. Downstairs, they saw yet another door. After checking inside, they opened the door and found the room with the cells.

“Applejack, check the ones on the left while I check the right.” Applejack nodded and headed to the first of the cells, but it was locked. But that didn't stop her. With an annoyed grunt,  the earth pony brought her rearhoves up and bucked the door open with a strength that could only be matched by her older brother, Big Mac. It opened slowly. The farmer pony entered and returned with two scared colts and a filly. She continued to the next door and repeated the procedure as Twilight headed to the first door on the right. She used her magic to open the door.

"Is there anypony in here?" she called out as she entered the cell.

“Twilight? Is that you?”

“Apple Bloom?” Two figures emerged from the darkness: Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, the latter carrying a sleeping Trotting Paradise. The fillies trotted to hug the mare when they realized that she was, in fact, Twilight.

“We thought we were never goin’ to see you again!” Apple Bloom exclaimed wth tears in her eyes as she hugged the Unicorn.

“I’m glad to see you too, girls!” Twilight said with just as much emotion as she hugged them back. “Are you the only ones in this cell? Where’s Aurora?” Both fillies' bright smiles receded, leaving them with dark eyes and grimaces.

“We don’t know… She was with us for a while, but a mean mare came in and took her today. We haven’t heard from her since then.” Scootaloo said with a frown. Twilight let out a sad sigh.

“I have to find her… I won’t leave until she's with us. Put Paradise on my back.” She waited until Apple Bloom had laid the foal on her back before escorting them out of the cell. In that moment, Applejack appeared from another cell with more colts and fillies.

“Sis?” Applejack looked to where the voice came from.

“Apple Bloom?” The two fillies ran toward Applejack and hugged her tighter than they did Twilight.

“Ah missed you, big sis!” Apple Bloom's tears finally escaped as both she and Scootaloo embraced her older sister.

“Ah missed both of you too, Applejack… I’m glad that both of you are okay!”

“And Trotting Paradise was with them, too.” Twilight commented as she caught up with them. “But Aurora was taken somewhere else… ” she finished sadly. Her shoulders sagged.  

“Don’t worry, Twi, we’ll find her… But first, we have to take all of them to the roof.”

“I know… It'd be better to take them to safety before looking for my daughter…” After releasing all the kids, Twilight and Applejack led them upstairs. After making sure that there was nopony in the room with columns, they entered. Applejack was in the front. She took a few steps forward and turned to see the group.

“Alright, listen to me. We're takin’ all of you to the roof. Once there, there will be pegasi ready to pick you up and take you to safety.”

“Not if I can prevent it!” the unmistakable voice of a mare echoed directly behind Applejack. But before she could face her, the female guard revealed herself from behind a column near Applejack. She took advantage of the element of surprise and kicked at one of Applejack’s rear legs, breaking it immediately upon contact.

“Aaaaagh!”

“Applejack!” Apple Bloom' scream echoed through the room. Twilight casted a stunning spell on the mare guard. It was so strong that it shoved her back and into the wall that was meters away. She then trotted to where Applejack was laying with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. “Sis… Are you okay?”

“My leg… It’s broken!”

“Don’t worry, Applejack! We’ll take you out of here…” But as soon as Twilight finished speaking, the right door thrusted open and three black-hooded ponies entered, their horns sticking out from underneath. Twilight stood in front of her friend to protect her, making sure none of Applejack was visible. However, Twilight could see that if she attacked one of the ponies, the other two would be able to easily dispatch her. So, she just kept looking at them, waiting for an opportunity to attack, but before she knew what was going on, the hooded pony in the middle stepped back and stunned the other two. Twilight stared in disbelief.  “What just happened?” 

The black-hooded pony removed her hood to reveal a blue Unicorn mare with a silver mane and lavender eyes.

“Nopony hurts the friends of the Great and Poweful Trixie!"
> Defeat Your Mother
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Trixie?! What…?! How…?!" Twilight had never been so confused in her life. Before her stood Trixie, donning the hood of the ponies who'd taken the fillies away. And, though she'd promised to stay with Fluttershy, she was here and not there.

“Allow me to explain, Twilight.” Trixie said as she stepped away from the unconscious ponies and toward her friends. “I left Ponyville a few days after you came here. And before you ask: I didn’t leave your wife alone. I asked Pinkie and Cutie to look after her after making them pinky promise to not to tell anypony that I came here to help you. You don’t have to worry about her, Twilight, she's surrounded by friends and by Pincess Celestia’s guards, led by Pinkie’s husband. You needed my help more.”

“Thanks, Trixie… You came all the way here to help us… Risking your life again…”

“You taught me about friendship, Twilight. You must stop underestimating me. I’m willing to do anything for my friends, even if it means risking my life every once in a while. The first time I did it was to clear my name… But I'm now doing it for you.”

“We appreciate that, Trixie,” Applejack barely managed to smile friend despite the pain in her broken leg. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were next to her while the rest of the rescued foals were a few steps behind. Some wore blank expressions, others cried into their forelegs, and a few were walking around comforting their friends. “But, how did you enter the castle?”

“That was pretty easy, Applejack. This organization is very stupid! You just say ‘I hate fillyfoolers’ and you’re in! But to be more convincing, I had to be my old self… I have to say, I don’t miss it. But they weren’t as ignorant as I'd initially thought, seeing as how they wouldn’t let new recruits enter the cells. Because of that, I never could see the foals.”

“Bein’ your old self was enough to get you in? You're very brave to infiltrate the F.R.O., but why didn’t you join the Brotherhoof instead?” the farmer pony asked with just a hint of accusation.

“I only learned of them after I'd entered this order; I was told to be cautious of the Brotherhoof. But from the inside, I was able to get information that you may be interested in hearing.”

“Does it has to do with Aurora? We didn’t find her in the cells.” Twilight asked, leaning toward Trixie with interest.

“Actually, it does! Before the attack on the castle, one of the leaders took her to a cell closer to their personal room. And I know their names!"

“Please tell me!” If Twilight wasn't close to Trixie yet, she was now. If the circumstances had been different, it would've been considered an invasion of privacy.

“Night Light and Twilight Velvet.” When she heard those names, Twilight gasped and fell back onto her flank. Her mouth resembled an 'O' at this point, and her eyebrows furrowed. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?" Trixie questioned, wondering what could have caused this sudden change in her friend's demeanor. Applejack was the one who answered, her voice shaking.

“The leaders... They're her parents.”

“What?!” Trixie was shocked to find out this new information. “How is that even possible? I thought that since you never mentioned them, they were dead!”

“They are to me.” Twilight firmly said, recovering her voice. She stood up again, but her head was hung low and her eyes were averted. “Two years ago, they came to Ponyville and tried to destroy my relationship with Fluttershy… And they almost managed to do it. That night I told them that I didn’t want to see them again. A month after getting married with Fluttershy, I received a letter from Princess Celestia saying that they left Equestria. And two years ago this city was taken over by two mysterious ponies... How did I not see this coming?!” She stomped her hoof into the ground.

“But your dad isn’t bad, Twilight!” The three older mares were surprised to hear Apple Bloom speak up.

“What makes you say that, Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“He… He visited us while we were here. He talked to us and gave us food. He told us his name and that he was related to you, and that he regrets what he was doin', but couldn’t get out… We saw him this mornin’, but he didn’t tell us who he was until today, but later, that mean mare came and took Aurora away!”

“It must have been when the siege started!” Twilight frowned. “She saw that the Brotherhoof was approaching and she must have known that I was coming along since we were spotted the day we first arrived here!”

“She won’t get away with this!” Applejack snorted as she suddenly stood up, but the pain radiating from her broken leg was too much to ignore. She collapsed with a grimace.

“Sis!”

“You aren't coming, Applejack. Go to the roof with the foals!” Twilight ordered strictly.

“No way, Twilight; I won’t let you do this alone!”

“You have no choice, Applejack. You can’t fight under these conditions!” Twilight turned and addressed Trixie, “Take her to the roof along with the foals; pegasi will come and take them to safety. If somepony asks, tell them you know us.” Twilight then levitated the now awake Trotting Paradise to Trixie’s back.

“What are you going to do?” The blue Unicorn asked, worry laced in her tone.

“...I’m going to pay my mother a visit.”

“Without help?”

“Yes, Trixie… This is something I have to do alone.”

Trixie sighed. “As you wish… Do you know how to get there?”

“I've memorized a map of the castle. Please, help Applejack stand up and leave.” Trixie wasn’t convinced, but after seeing the determination in Twilight's expression, she decided it was best to just do as she was told. She headed to where Applejack lay and helped her up before leading everypony upstairs.  

After they were out of sight, Twilight turned and she went through the left door. She trotted down the corridor until she happened upon a cross, where she turned right. At the end of this hallway, there was a spiral staircase and a door on the next level. Twilight made her way up silently and peeked into the keyhole. When she deemed it safe, the Unicorn continued through another corridor. When she took another turn, she found herself face to face with two guards and a hooded pony. Behind them, an iron door stood suspiciously. Twilight recognized the voice of the hooded pony as he spoke.

“Why are you here?” asked none other than Night Light. Twilight didn’t answer at first, taking a moment to analyze the situation. She couldn’t risk attacking if Aurora or any other ponies were behind the door since she could hurt them. Besides, even if she could dispatch these three ponies, there could be more guards within the cell. The two ponies beside Night Light were Unicorns as well, so if she attacked one of them, her father and the other guard would be able to easily overpower her. Plus, she didn’t know how strong her father's magic was. She sighed.

“You know why I’m here; I came for my daughter. I’m taking her back home, where she has a family who loves her. Now step away or I'll have to hurt you!”

Night Light placed a hoof on his chin before speaking again. “...Do you love her?”

Twilight looked at him confused. “O-of course I love her! My wife and I gave her a home when nopony else would. We made her wish come true: to be loved… I can’t say the same about you, creating this order to destroy love and take away happiness from families…” She wiped a tear that fell from her eye. “I’ll say this one more time: get out of my way!” There were a few seconds of silence in which Twilight glanced from pony to pony until Night Light made a move. He removed his hood and, without a second to waste,  he began to charge a spell. Twilight was prepared to cast a shield, but the stallion didn’t aim at her--he rounded on his surprised guards and stunned them. The bookworm pony eyed at him as he approached her.

“Your daughter is in there. Take her and leave before it’s too late!” Night Light whispered before leaving the way Twilight had come. The lavender Unicorn watched him until she heard the door closing behind him. At first, she contemplated this strange turn of events. but then, she remembered what Apple Bloom told her. Twilight then trotted toward the iron door and used her magic to open it.

“Mom!” exclaimed Aurora at once.

“Aury!” But Aurora wasn’t alone. She was being held by Twilight Velvet so tightly that it almost appeared as if she was strangling her.

“I gave you the opportunity to correct your mistakes, but you didn’t listen! I won’t let this filly to be the victim of your bad choices!” Twilight’s mother said before using magic to destroy the wall behind her. The explosion shook the entire room and clouded Twilight's vision, forcing her to wait for the smoke to clear. When the dust disappeared, Twilight ran through the hole to pursue her mother. When she made it out, she found herself on a tower. Pegasi were flying above her, carrying the rescued foals to safety.

“Twilight Sparkle, this filly needs a normal family. If you really love her, leave!”

Twilight recognized her mother’s voice and turned to where it'd come from. She found her mother smiling manically in the middle of a lined team of hooded ponies. “Where is Aurora?!” Twilight demanded angrily.

“Safe, for the moment.” Velvet replied, glancing at the door behind her meaningfully before looking back at Twilight.

“If you so much as scratch her…!”

“I’m doing this to protect her! Do you think I want to see her suffering from all the harm you're causing her?!” Twilight Velvet was furious, speaking with disgust.

“I would never hurt her!”

“But you will!”

“What do you mean?!”

“I know what I’m talking about! My father died from disease when I was a filly, and my mother… ‘fell in love’ with another mare. But she didn’t ‘love' my mother, of course not! While they were together, my mother only suffered. She was hit and insulted by her, but she still wanted to be with her, until one day that mare abandoned her for another. My mother couldn’t stand it, so she killed herself, leaving me on the streets. I don’t want the same to happen to her!” She pointed to the door behind her and the hooded ponies.

“Look, mother, I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m not like grandmother. I’m not going to abandon Aurora, and neither will my wife! We really love each other and our daughter!”

“Your marriage is bound to fail! You will eventually hurt her and I’m not going to let you do that!” As she spoke, Velvet’s horn started to glow with a dark aura. She cast a spell on all of the hooded ponies and stole their magic, leaving them unconscious. “I've learned a few tricks. I knew you would try and take her! Let’s see how well Princess Celestia has trained you!” She launched a spell at Twilight almost before she could react. It was moving so fast that Twilight was barely able to cast a barrier when it hit her, but it did little to protect her. The spell broke through the shield and threw her a few meters back. Twilight didn’t have time to recover before she was hit by another spell that sent her flying backwards. Velvet approachedto  her daughter and continued kept casting spells, showing absolutely no mercy. Twilight tried to defend herself with another barrier, but it was broken just as quickly as the last.

"She's out of control!" Twilight said to no one in particular.

“Come on, you haven’t even attacked yet!” the white Unicorn taunted, not giving Twilight a chance to rebel. She was totally overwhelmed by the dark magic her mother was casting one after the other. Velvet was enjoying watching her daughter suffer. With tears streaming down her face, Twilight finally decided to fight back. Counter-attacking her mother’s spells, she began to stand up. Then, when she'd momentarily stunned Velvet, she cast a more powerful spell that hit Velvet and thrust her into the door behind her. Twilight was bleeding from her nose and one of her hooves, but she didn't notice. All she could feel was an uncontrollable rage she never thought she would ever feel.

“You raised me! I became Princess Celestia’s faithful student thanks to your support, I improved my magic, and I got married! You're supposed to be proud, not trying to kill me!” Twilight screamed through her teeth in a vain attempt to alleviate some of her anger.

“Proud? For raising a fillyfooler? I've never been so ashamed! It doesn’t matter what you did, you blew it away the moment you decided to be a fillyfooler and marry a dirty mare!”

“You've crossed the line!” Twilight was breathing furiously. “You can call me a fillyfooler, you can hurt me, but you WON’T insult the kindest pony in all of Equestria!” Twilight’s horn was glowing brighter and brighter as she spoke, angry tears still trailing down her muzzle as she casted the strongest spell she could on her mother, but Velvet countered. Both spells collided with enough power to knock an unsuspecting pony off their hooves they produced winds strong enough to cut through Twilight's skin.

“We both know what will happen if one of us stops!” the white Unicorn shouted over the howling wind, but her evil tone still carried over. Twilight kept concentrating, trying to ignore her jeering comment but heard it anyway. She did know what would happen if she got tired before her 'sweet' mother.

She would die instantly.

"I can’t lose now; Aurora and Fluttershy need me! I can’t leave them like this…!" Twilight kept repeating to herself in the hopes it would help her stand her ground. But she was already starting to feel exhaustion wash over her. Unfortunately, her mother didn’t seem to be getting tired in the least. The dark magic she'd acquired and the power she'd stolen from her followers had made her incredibly strong. Twilight’s magic was starting to weaken under the strain, and Velvet’s magic was nearing her. She didn’t see a way out of this.

I’m sorry, Fluttershy… Aurora… I've failed you… A tear of sadness trickled down from Twilight’s eye. She wasn’t ready to die--there were so many things she wanted to do with her life, so many years she wished to spend with her friends and family. Twilight could not keep up with Velvet's magical endurance any longer. Her magic faded out of existence. But just as the fatal spell was about to reach her, a powerful shield surrounded her. It reflected the spell into the sky, almost hitting a Pegasus from the Brotherhoof. Twilight had her eyes closed, ready to accept her inevitable fate, but when she realized she hadn't felt any pain she opened her eyes and saw the magical barrier protecting her. That was when she noticed her mother on the other side, furious, staring at something behind Twilight. The bookworm pony looked behind her and saw the pony responsible for saving her life: Night Light.

“...I couldn’t just leave you alone, knowing how much stronger your mother had gotten!” He seriously said.  

“Night Light, what do you think you’re doing?!” Twilight Velvet was livid.

“You've taken this too far, Velvet! I don’t think our daughter is a bad mother--just look at her! She travelled to the other side of the world just to save her daughter! I saw honesty in her eyes as she told me what she was doing here and I believe her.”

“Don’t be an idiot, Night Light, she will never be a good mother as long as she’s married to another mare!” the white Unicorn said, glaring at her husband with contempt.

“You're the one who is being an idiot! I'm sorry for telling you this, but I've made my decision and I will stand up for our daughter and granddaughter!” the blue stallion stated firmly as he stepped in front of Twilight.

“Very well. Today, I’m becoming a widow!” Velvet's horn was enveloped in a dark aura once again, signaling that she was about to cast a spell. She smiled with an evil expression as she released it at Night Light, but both her husband and daughter dodged it. Night Light attacked Velvet with a spell too, but she dodged it. The blue stallion charged at his wife as he sent a barrage of spells at her, but he either missed or Velvet dodged them. Soon Night Light had reached her, but Velvet didn’t move. She blocked him with her body. Their faces were inches away.

“I don’t recognize you anymore… Where’s the sweet mare I once fell in love with?” Night Light asked with sadness despite his angry expression. The white Unicorn didn’t answer. She pushed her husband aside instead. Night Light lost his balance and fell, but surprisingly Velvet didn’t attack him as he stood up. She just kept staring at him with contempt. “That’s enough!” Night Light yelled as he prepared to attack her one last time.

“Dad, no!” Twilight tried to stop him, but it was too late. He attacked her with a powerful spell that Velvet didn't even try to dodge. Instead, she casted a magical mirror in front of her, which reflected the spell  back at Night Light. They were too close to each other and the spell was fast, leaving him with no time to evade it. He was sent flying backwards by the power of the spell and landed a few meters back, bleeding badly. Twilight watched in horror as her father tried, and failed, to get back up. His wounds looked serious. Velvet laughed maniacally. Twilight turned to her mother, her blood boiling with anger, and charged against her. It was such a surprise that Twilight had managed to pin her down before her mother could react. Velvet's horn started to glow, Twilight was faster. She casted a stronger spell at Velvet’s horn, who cried out in pain. Twilight released her moments later and stepped aside. Her mother tried to attack her, but for some reason her magic wasn’t working. The fatigue long past due returned to her and she was too weak to move. Her eyes had returned to normal.

“What... What have you done to me…?” the white Unicorn could barely manage to speak.

“I blocked your magic. You won’t be able to use it to harm anypony else anymore.” Knowing that her mother was too weak to move, she quickly trotted towards her father.

“Dad, You're…”

“Don’t worry about me… You shouldn’t... After what I have done…” Night Light began, but was cut off by his daughter.

“Looking after Aurora and saving my life? I’m getting you out of here, alongside Aurora… Your granddaughter…” Twilight gave her father a warm smile. “Thanks… Dad…” In that moment, Trixie and Applejack appeared from the stairs.

“What the hay happened ‘ere?” Applejack asked after seeing the demolition.

“Applejack? Trixie, I told you to get her out of here!”

“I tried, but she refused to leave without you and Aurora! I couldn’t convince her to leave with Apple Bloom and the others.”

“Applejack, you should be at the hospital right now…!”

“Don’t worry ‘bout me, sugarcube, I’ll be fine! So… You… did you…? You know…” Applejack wondered aloud as she looked Velvet over closely. The mare had her eyes closed, but was quick to snap.

“I’m still alive, fillyfooler!” Applejack stepped back, returning to where Trixie was.

“No, I didn’t…" Twilight replied, ignoring Velvet. "She might've lost her mind, but she’s still my mother… I've blocked her magic. Princess Celestia will decide what to do with her. Could you girls help my father? He’s…” Twilight sadly glanced over at her dad, unable to finish.

“Yes, of course!” Trixie said as both she and Applejack approached Night Light.

“He needs medical assistance. Take him to the Brotherhoof's base of operations; they have surgeons. Also, alert a couple of brothers to take my mother… I’ll get my daughter back. We're all going to be back to Ponyville tonight!” Both Trixie and Applejack nodded and helped Night Light downstairs, doing their best to avoid his injuries. As soon as they were out of sight, Twilight turned and approached the door that her mother was protecting. Twilight destroyed the lock with her magic and opened the door. Inside she found a blue filly with a blond mane. Aurora's back was facing her, and it was clear by her shaking that she was crying.

“Aury?” The filly stopped moving and slowly turned to see her mother.

“Mom?” Aurora called. She then stood up and galloped towards her mother, hugging her.. “Mom! I knew that you would come, I just knew it!”

“Sorry for taking so long… I’m so glad you’re okay...”

“I missed you, and Mommy too… Where is she?”

“She’s waiting for us back at Ponyville. Ready to see her again?”

Aurora nodded excitedly. “Yes, yes!”

Twilight put her on her back. “Here we go!” she said as she walked past her mother. Members of the Brotherhoof were already taking her.

“I love you, Mom…” The blue filly hugged Twilight’s neck.

“I love you too, Aury…”


***


“Good job, everypony! The castle has been taken and the dictators fallen! Damashooves can once again be free from tyranny, thanks to the help of our newest members!” Every single member of the Brotherhoof, even the ones that were injured, were listening to Iron Strong’s speech at the front of the castle. Next to him was Twilight (with Aurora still on her back), a bandaged Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Trixie and Night Light, whose wounds were treated as best as they could be. Iron Strong looked at Twilight. For the first time since she'd met him, he seemed genuinely happy. His eyes twinkled and a lopsided grin adorned his face. “Anything you want to add?”

“Yes.” Twilight said, stepping forward. “We all had something to do with this success. Everypony helped to free the foals and end this madness! I intend on taking my mother to Princess Celestia, who will judge her for her actions here. As for my father…” She looked at Night Light and nodded. The stallion cleared his throat and did his best to walk over to where his daughter stood.

“First of all, I want to apologize for all the trouble I have caused… I’m willing to accept any kind of punishment you want to give me. But if you let me, I'll help you rebuild this city to how it was before--and even better. I will not be returning to my old home. I wouldn’t feel right, but I won’t stay here if all of you don’t want me to.” There was silence for a few moments before Iron Strong spoke again.

“Let us decide. Who thinks that we should let him stay and not receive any kind of punishment?” Everypony raised their hoof. Some ponies in wheelchairs did their best to show their agreement with whatever limb was left uninjured. “Who thinks that we should kick him out of Damashooves?” Not a single pony raised their hoof. “It’s decided then. You're staying and will help us rebuild the city!” Iron Strong smiled at Night Light.

“But, I don’t deserve this…” the blue stallion frowned.

Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. “You’ve been forgiven, Dad… Mom was mostly the one responsible for this, and she doesn’t even regret her actions. You still have a heart.” Twilight beamed at him.

“Thanks, Twilight. I’ll do anything to redeem myself... Starting with Damashooves.”

“You may not come back, but we can still visit you, right, Aury?”

“Yes! I want to see you again, Grandpa!”

“That’s very kind of you, thank…” he was cut off by a tight hug from Twilight. Many ponies cheered at that.

“I’m going to miss you, Dad…”

“The heroes of Damashooves, everypony!” Iron Strong exclaimed and the Brotherhoof's cheers escalated in volume. Twilight broke the hug and spoke to the Brotherhoof one last time.

“Thank you, everypony, but we have to leave! If you ever need us, don’t hesitate to call us!”

“We will… May you return safely to your homes.” Iron Strong bowed to the mares.

“Thanks… We will not forget your kindness, Iron Strong…” Twilight turned to her friends. “I don’t know about you, but I just want to go back to Ponyville now.”

“Ah’m down for that!” Applejack said, smiling.

“Nothing would make me happier.” Trixie commented, also smiling.

Twilight looked to Aurora on her back and saw her sleeping. “Poor little thing, she’s so tired… Let’s go to the train station!” Her friends nodded in reply. They began their trek back to the train station, the loud celebrations of the Brotherhoof resonating behind them. Applejack was escorted by Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, and everypony was happy to be going back to their normal lives. 
> A Happy Ending
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The way back to Ponyville was silent. Aurora was sleeping on Twilight’s lap while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were leaning their heads against Applejack’s legs, passed out. Trixie was sitting next to Twilight with a snoozing Trotting Paradise on her lap.

“Ah can’t wait to take a long hot shower when we get there…” Applejack commented quietly, not wanting to wake the fillies up.

“Me neither… I hope that Fluttershy is okay. After going to sleep and waking up to find out that I wasn’t with her… She must be really worried…” Twilight said with sadness.

“You regret leavin’, sugarcube?”

Twilight shook her head. “Not at all. I had to go. I mean, we rescued our fillies and liberated an entire city from an oppressive and evil organization!”

“Not to mention all the foals you returned to their families.” Trixie added.

Twilight nodded. “Do you think we'll ever see them again? Iron Strong and the others?”

“If we decide to visit Damashooves again, I'm sure that we will.” the farmer pony replied with a smile.

“You're right… I promised my father I would visit him.” the lavender Unicorn said as her gaze slowly traveled to the train window and out at the fast-moving scenery.

“Will they be okay? Will they be able to hold your… mother?” the blue Unicorn asked, unsure.

“Yes. She’s not dangerous to anypony anymore… I blocked her magic and unless I return it to her, she won’t be able to use any kind of magic."

“Good…” Applejack said just before yawning. “Ah don’t know about you girls, but I’m sleepy…”

“Yeah, me too… How about you, Trixie?”

“I’m also tired… I haven’t slept well since I left Ponyville…”

“Then I suggest we all sleep; it'll make the trip shorter…” Twilight yawned out. “Sweet dreams, everypony.” It didn't take long before everypony fell asleep.


***


"Did you like the cupcakes, Fluttershy?" the pink pony asked anxiously, grinning at her shy friend who was sitting on the couch of her cottage.

“Mmm, yeah… It’s delicious, Pinkie…” Fluttershy said, trying to smile.

Morning has arrived to Ponyville, which was still being guarded by Princess Celestia’s guards. Pinkie rarely left Fluttershy’s cottage during the past week, and only did so to help Mr. and Mrs. Cake or to check on her other friends. But every time she did leave, she always left Cutie with Fluttershy so she had company besides Spike and Angel. The shy pony refused to leave her cottage, so it was up to Spike and Pinkie Pie to feed her critters.

After Fluttershy ate the last cupcake, Pinkie Pie and Cutie headed to the kitchen to clean the tray. When they were returning to the living room, Pinkie Pie saw Trixie looking at her from the window. Pinkie Pie was about to scream of excitement but Trixie covered her mouth with a hoof and gestured with her head to meet her outside. The party pony turned to see the back of her friend's head on the couch.

“Fluttershy? I’m going out for a few moments; will you be okay alone? I won’t take long.” The yellow Pegasus didn’t turn around, but Pinkie Pie could see that she'd barely nodded. “I’ll be back soon! Come with me, Cutie.”

“Y-Yes, mom…” the cyan filly said as she followed her mother outside. Pinkie Pie trotted to where she'd seen Trixie and found her standing not far from the window.

“You’re back!” the pink pony exclaimed as quietly as she could, trying to hide her joy so Fluttershy wouldn't hear. "Have you found Twilight and Applejack?"

“I found more than them.” Trixie said as Applejack, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Aurora and Twilight with Trotting Paradise on her back appeared from behind the bushes. Seeing that Pinkie Pie was about to yell, Trixie covered her mouth with a hoof again. After she realized that they were really there, the pink pony removed Trixie’s hoof from her mouth and galloped to her friends, hugging them tightly. Cutie did the same with her own friends. “I can’t believe that you’re all back! I’m so happy!”

“P-Pinkie, please! We can’t breathe!” the farmer pony coughed out, turning blue. Pinkie Pie let them go.

“Sorry, but I’m so, so, so glad that you’re all back! What happened to your leg, Applejack? And Twilight, are those… injuries?”

“We’ll explain everything later, Pinkie.” Twilight said. “Right now, I just want to relax and see Fluttershy.”

“Me too… Ah need to get back to the farm with Rainbow Dash.” Applejack said. “Ah need to rest my broken leg.”

“Okie dokey lokey! We’ll catch up later, then! I’ll leave you alone; I’m sure you'll want that, Twilight.”

“Yes, thank you, Pinkie. I need to speak with Fluttershy and I would appreciate the privacy.”

Pinkie Pie  nodded. “Come on, Cutie! Let’s go see your dad!” Cutie hesitantly broke away from the hug and followed her mother, waving back at her friends.

“I’ll return Trotting Paradise to Lyra and Bon Bon. Later, girls!” Trixie happily said.

“Goodbye, Trixie, thanks!” Twilight replied as she, Applejack and the fillies waved at her.

“Anytime!” The blue pony replied as she left, waving back. Twilight turned to see Applejack.

“Applejack… I can't thank you enough. I would never have done it without your help.”

“Ah wouldn’t let my friend do somethin' like that alone. You needed somepony by your side.”

“I did… I’ll see you later. Take care, Applejack! Send my regards to Rainbow Dash.”

“I’ll see you later, sugarcube, and I will.” the farmer pony said as she hugged Twilight. She then headed back to the farm with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo following closely. Twilight looked at her daughter.

“Ready to see your mommy again?”

“Yes!” Aurora exclaimed without hesitation, nodding fast. She followed her mother inside the cottage. Once they entered, they closed the door and were met with the sight of Fluttershy sitting on the couch.

“Pinkie, Where did you go?” Fluttershy asked without turning her head. Her voice made Twilight feel extremely guilty for leaving; the tone had gone beyond depressed.

“Our club meeting was a bit longer than we expected.” the filly blue Unicorn said, causing Fluttershy’s ears to perk. She smiled widely and galloped over to hug her daughter.

“Oh, dear, you’re back--you’re back! I missed you so much!” Fluttershy started to cry of joy.

“I missed you too, Mommy…” Aurora hugged her mom back, crying her own tears as she did so. But, in a moment Fluttershy  abruptly pulled away and began checking every part of her body for injuries.

“Are you hurt? Were they mean to you?”

“Mommy, I’m fine! Thanks to Mom; she saved me and everypony else!” Fluttershy raised her head and looked at Twilight, who was smiling nervously. It was the first time Fluttershy had acknowledged her since they'd made their presence known. Twilight didn’t like Fluttershy's expression; it was torn between anger and sadness. The blue filly noticed this  and was about to say something when the door that leads to the stairs opened, revealing Spike and Angel Bunny.

“Twilight! You’re back!” the baby dragon said as he ran up to hug the pony that'd looked after him since he was an egg. Even Angel Bunny hopped up to hug the Unicorn. Twilight returned their hug, but her mind and eyes were still on Fluttershy. “Where have you been? You found Aurora! Twi, I…”

“Spike…” Aurora began quietly. “I think that we should give them some space…” She led both Spike and Angel Bunny outside, closing the door behind her. The cottage was silent for a few minutes, where only the breathing of the mares could be heard until Twilight spoke.

“Honey, I…”

“Don’t ‘honey’ me, Twilight Sparkle! Do you know how hard this week has been for me?! I woke up hoping to have you by my side, but I found Trixie instead, telling me that you'd left Ponyville! She wouldn’t tell me where you went and then, she was gone too! Pinkie was here to take care of me but I never left the cottage--I didn’t feel like doing anything because my family was missing! I only ate because Pinkie is good at persuading!” She cried more and more as she yelled. Twilight didn’t dare open her mouth again, understanding that Fluttershy needed to take all her pain out. “I didn't talk to anypony other than Pinkie and Cutie… I thought that you would never come back…” This time her sobs became louder and Twilight couldn’t keep her hooves to herself any longer. She hugged her wife tightly, and Fluttershy cried into her chest freely. “I-I love you, Twilight… I need you… Never leave without saying anything again… Please…” Twilight kissed Fluttershy’s forehead as she held her close. The timid pony kept crying and sobbing for several moments before Twilight spoke again.

“Fluttershy… I wanted to be by your side, but I couldn’t just sit and wait for the worse… I had to find our daughter. I knew where she was and I brought her back--with help, of course. There won’t be a next time because I won’t let it happen again. Honey…” Fluttershy looked up at her wife, her body still wracking with sobs and her eyes covered in tears. Twilight used a hoof to wipe her tears away. “I love you… I would never abandon you, nor Aurora. I’m happy here, and I could never ask for more.” Without warning, Fluttershy kissed Twilight passionately. Twilight returned the kiss, her forelegs wrapping around Fluttershy’s neck. Minutes passed and neither of them wanted to pull away. Around ten minutes had passed when they finally broke the kiss.

Fluttershy hugged her wife tightly after they pulled away. “I missed you so much, love… But thank you for bringing Aurora back.”

“I brought everypony back… Ouch!” Twilight broke the hug with a wince, scaring Fluttershy. “Honey, it’s not your fault; you didn’t know…”

“What is it?” Fluttershy worriedly asked.

“I have some injuries that need to heal… Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…”

“Oh, my! Why didn’t you warn me?”

“I didn’t want to get you more worried. They'll heal, I promise.”

Fluttershy took a closer look at Twilight, and noticed that she had injuries everywhere.  “I’ll prepare a bath for you!”

“You read my mind, honey! But could you do me a favor?”

“Anything!”

“...Bathe with me.”

Fluttershy blushed. “A-Are you serious?”

Twilight nodded. “Why not? Now that I’m back, I want to spend all the time I can with you… And tomorrow, we’ll have a picnic with all of our friends and Aurora’s friends! What do you think?”

The timid pony smiled. “That’s a great idea, love! I’ll be in the bathroom; come up when you're ready.” Fluttershy nuzzled Twilight’s cheek and headed to the bathroom. Minutes later, the front door opened and Aurora, Spike and Angel appeared.

“Hi, Mom!”

“Hello, Aury, Spike, Angel. I’m going to go take a bath now; it'll help my injuries heal.”

“Where’s Fluttershy?” the baby dragon asked.

“She’s going to help me bathe. You know how she gets when somepony's hurt.”

“Mommy worries too much sometimes… But that’s why I love her; she’s so kind!”

Twilight nodded. “Your Mommy is a wonderful pony, Aury. I don’t want to keep her waiting. See you in a few minutes.” The bookworm pony smiled and headed to the bathroom.

“I want to sit down.” Aurora said after her mother was gone. She plopped down on the couch. “I missed this couch!”

Spike sat next to her, followed by Angel. “Welcome back home, Aurora.” the baby dragon said with a smile.

Aurora hugged him. “Thank you, Spike… I missed you too…”

One year later...

Twilight woke up first. Like every morning, a sleeping Fluttershy was her first sight. Today was an important day. Twilight felt something holding her and removed the sheet to investigate. A sleeping Aurora was hugging her tightly. Twilight smiled and carefully got up, trying not to wake her up yet. However, Aurora started to move her hooves as if she were trying to find something, so the lavender Unicorn used her magic to slide Aurora closer to Fluttershy and turned her to the other side; her hooves found Fluttershy and she smiled in her sleep. The timid pony pulled the filly closer to her chest, still sleeping and smiling. Twilight grinned and used her magic to cover them with the sheet before quietly heading to Spike and Aurora’s room. She opened the door and approached her number one assistant.

“Spike.” she whispered. “Spike!”

“Mmm, what?” the baby dragon questioned groggily as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“I need you to help me prepare breakfast before Fluttershy and Aury wake up.”

“Alright.” He simply replied. He jumped off the bed and he followed Twilight downstairs. Once there, they found an angry Angel Bunny patting his leg impatiently on the floor next to his bowl.

“Are you hungry, Angel? Just give me a second,” Twilight whispered, heading to the kitchen. She cut some vegetables up and took them to Angel’s bowl, who started eating as soon as she'd placed the food into the bowl. The bookworm pony giggled and headed to the kitchen again and, with the help of Spike, she prepared a delicious breakfast for the family.

Ten minutes later, back at the bedroom, Fluttershy was just waking up. Opening her eyes, she didn’t see her wife but felt something on her chest. The Pegasus smiled warmly when she found her daughter. She softly moved her, waking her up.

“Dear, it’s time to wake up…” Aurora yawned and stretched.

“Is it morning already?”

“I’m afraid so. Come on, after breakfast we have to go to Canterlot. Are you nervous?”

“A little bit… But I've been preparing for three years for this and Mom told me that I’m ready.”

“I know that you can do it. Your mom knows what’s she talking about; she took the exact same exam when she was a filly. She passed it, gaining both her cutie mark and Spike.  Well, she had help from Rainbow Dash by accident, but that’s why she's trained you so much. You won't be getting any extra help.”

“I know, but I still I can’t help being nervous… Will you be with me when I take the exam?”

Fluttershy patted Aurora’s head. “Of course we will, dear. Now come on, let’s see if your mom is downstairs.”

The blue filly nodded and followed Fluttershy downstairs. They were both pleasantly delighted at the sight of breakfast ready on the table.

“Twilight?”

When she heard her wife calling her, the lavender Unicorn appeared from the kitchen, smiling. “Oh, hi, honey, and Aury! You woke up just in time for breakfast!”

“Yummy!” Aurora exclaimed as she trotted to her seat. Twilight approached Fluttershy and gave her a peck on her lips before heading to her own seat. Fluttershy sat next to her and, moments later, Spike appeared from the kitchen with his own plate.

“Now that we're all here, let’s eat!” Twilight said and everyone started to eat.


***


"Good luck, Aurora! We’ll be cheerin' for you!"  Apple Bloom said as she hugged her friend. All of Twilight, Fluttershy and Aurora's friends were at the train station to wish Aurora luck before they headed to Canterlot.

“Ah’m sure you can do it, sugarcube.”  Applejack encouraged the blue filly, patting her head.

“Of course she will! She was trained by Twilight!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed proudly. Twilight smiled at her friend, silently thanking her.

“You’ll be marvelous, darling. Just concentrate on what you are doing and forget about your examiners.” Rarity advised wisely.

“I’ll do that. Thank you, auntie Rarity.” Aurora replied, smiling.

“And remember, I’ll throw you a party when you get back!” Pinkie Pie grinned.

“Thank you, Pinkie Pie, I…” The blue filly began, but was interrupted by Sweetie Belle.

“You'll be fine, don’t you worry!” the white filly said, almost yelling.

“Yeah, remember that this is what you've been preparing for!” Scootaloo added.

“We’ll be waiting for you…” Cutie timidly said.

“Good luck, I guess…” Flying Feather commented in her usual bad mood. Aurora hugged all of her friends just as the train arrived. Twilight and Fluttershy got in first, followed by Aurora moments later. She turned around to see her friends one last time before the train started to move.


***


The family was at Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns just outside the examination room, finishing their last minute preparations.

“Remember, dear, we’ll be by the door cheering for you.” Fluttershy said, hugging her daughter.

“Thanks, Mommy!”

“Show them what you can do!” Twilight grinned, placing a hoof on Aurora’s shoulder.

“I won’t let you down, Mom, I pinky promise!”

Aurora turned, sighed, and prepared to open the door, but she was surprised when it was opened by somepony else’s magic. Princess Celestia herself was in the evaluation room and smiled warmly when she saw her subjects.

“Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Aurora. We've been waiting for you.”

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed as she and her family bowed. “I didn’t know you would be here!”

“I wanted to surprise you! And I wanted to make little Aurora more confident, seeing that somepony she knows is one of the examiners.”

“Y-You're going to evaluate me… personally?”

“That’s right, Aurora, unless you don’t want me to.”

“No! I mean… Of course I don’t mind! I-I...”

“Easy there, dear…” the timid pony said, nuzzling Aurora’s cheek from behind. “Princess Celestia being here means that she has faith in you and she came here to encourage you! Right, Princess?”

“That’s quite correct, Fluttershy. I’m sure that Aurora has a lot of potential and I would like to be the first one to evaluate her. We should start now, though, seeing as how other gifted Unicorns have yet to be tested.”

“We understand, Princess.” Twilight said before looking at her daughter. “We’ll be right behind you.” The blue filly hugged both of her parents and entered the evaluation room. Twilight and Fluttershy entered as well, but they stayed by the door. The examiners were sitting at the back of the classroom while the Princess of the Sun stood in front of the chairs. Aurora headed to the blackboard. In front of it, there was a table with a white dragon egg with red spots on it.

“Well, Aurora? We're waiting.” The blue filly looked back at her parents who waved at her and smiled warmly. Aurora looked back at the examiners and Princess Celestia.

“I-I’m ready…”  she nervously said to the examiner before turning to the egg. Twilight trained her for this--she knew how to do it, so why did she suddenly forget everything?! The blue filly gulped and focused on the egg. Why did I have to forget how to do it now? Come on, Aurora, concentrate! You worked too hard to just fail! You don’t want to let your parents down!

“Well, Aurora? We're waiting.” The examiner called again.

“Y-Yes, sorry!” No more time to think! I hope I do it right… Aurora’s horn started to light up and her magic hit the egg. She focused as much as she could. Silence filled the room for several moments--a silence that was broken by a crack. Aurora stopped casting the spell, but didn’t dare open her eyes.

“Open your eyes, Aurora.” A majestic voice echoed throughout the room. The blue filly opened her yellow eye first and was amazed at the sight. Before her, there was a baby dragon chewing on his tail. He was crimson and had lavender eyes. The spikes atop his head and back were the same color as his eyes--a lavender similar to Twilight's fur. Aurora smiled and took a closer look at him. The crimson dragon put his tiny claws on her nose.

“He’s so cute…” Aurora said, nuzzling him.

“You passed your exam, Aurora, congratulations!” Princess Celestia said, now next to the filly. Twilight and Fluttershy trotted to their daughter and hugged her.

“I’m so proud of you, Aury, I knew that you could do it!” Twilight said, crying of joy.

“You can start school right away, Aurora. I would be honored to have you here.” The Princess of the Sun said, smiling warmly.

“Th-Thank you, Princess Celestia.” the blue filly replied, unsure. Fluttershy noticed her uncertainty.

“Is something wrong, dear?” Fluttershy asked, looking into her daughter's eyes. The family broke their hug.

“N-No, Mommy! I’m fine and happy to have passed the exam!” Aurora exclaimed, grinning nervously. Fluttershy didn’t fall for it.

“Something’s bothering you… Are you sure you want to enter the school?”

“Of course I want to!”

“Aurora…” The timid Pegasus gave her a serious look.

Aurora sighed. “No… I really don’t want to study here…” She looked at Twilight, who was surprised to hear that. “I just did it for you, Mom… I'm sorry…”

“Why didn’t you tell me anything, Aury?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“I-I didn’t want to let you down… I know how much you wanted me to study here… At first I did want to come here… But with time that wish faded… I wanted to tell you, but you were so happy… I just couldn’t do it…”

The lavender Unicorn was silent for a few seconds, but she hugged her daughter tightly soon afterwards.

“I’m sorry, Aury… I should have asked you if you really wanted to enter… I wanted you to follow my steps so badly that I forgot to make sure if it was what you wanted… I was being selfish; I'm sorry… Please say something the next time this happens, okay?”

“I will, Mom, thank you…” They hugged for a few more moments before breaking the embrace. Aurora turned to Princess Celestia.

“Sorry, Princess… But I’ll have to decline… I want to learn magic, but I want my mom to be my teacher… I’ll learn on my own… I don’t want to come to the city. I prefer the ambiance of Ponyville, surrounded by nature and beautiful critters I love and like to take care of… I don’t want to leave my home; it’s the place where I recovered hope and where I’m happy with friends and family… I hope that you understand, Princess…”

“Of course that I understand, Aurora. You have to follow your heart and do what you love. And I think you've just found your path, look.” Princess Celestia said, pointing to her flank. Aurora, Fluttershy and Twilight looked at it as well. THey saw that it was shining white. After a few seconds, the shining faded to reveal Aurora’s cutie mark. It had three lavender butterflies with three sparkles, also lavender, surrounding them. The blue filly was so happy that she jumped of excitement, yelling, and hugged her mothers tightly.

“My cutie mark! I finally got my cutie mark!”

“Congratulations, dear!”

“We're proud of you!”

“It seems that you love your parents very much, Aurora. I've seen ponies get the same cutie mark as one of their parents, but never from both at the same time.” the Princess of the Sun said, watching the scene with amusement.

Aurora broke the hug and turned to the Princess. “Yes, I do, Princess. They saved my life multiple times and provided me a new home. They accepted me when nopony would… I would do anything for them.”

Both Fluttershy and Twilight caressed Aurora’s cheeks. “We love you too, dear…” the timid pony said.

Twilight looked at Princess Celestia.

“Thank you for everything, Princess Celestia, but we have to get going now. We have a celebration waiting back in Ponyville.”

“I understand, Twilight Sparkle. I won’t take any more of your time. Before you leave, don’t forget about your gift.”

“A gift?” Aurora confusedly asked.

Princess Celestia nodded and used her magic to levitate the baby dragon to them. He was sleeping. Twilight used her magic to hold him as Princess Celestia released him.

“But I thought she would have to look after him if she entered the school...” Twilight questioned in confusion.

“She passed the exam and wishes to learn from you. You're a great teacher, Twilight Sparkle, so she will take the baby dragon home and raise him as you raised Spike.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia! I won’t fail you!” Aurora happily said.

“I know you won’t; you proved that to me today.” Princess Celestia said warmly. Twilight put the newborn dragon on Aurora’s back and he immediately wrapped his tiny claws around Aurora’s neck and smiled, making the filly smile too.

“Good thing that we added that extra room to the cottage! Right, Twilight?” Fluttershy commented with a giggle.

“Yes! What're you going to name him, Aury?”

“Hmm… I was thinking of Titus.”

“That’s a nice name, dear!” Fluttershy said as she looked at the baby dragon. “We should make Titus a bed as soon as we get home.”

“I’m ahead of you, honey! I was already thinking about the materials to use! Well, we better go now... Thanks again, Princess Celestia!”

“Take care, my little ponies! We shall see each other again!”

The family turned and walked away with their new addition to the family, ready to begin a new chapter of their lives.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

16 Years later…

“Here you go, cute birdies! Don’t worry, there are enough seeds for everyone, so don’t push!” Aurora said as she scattered seeds into the grass. The birds chirped their thanks before taking off to their nests. The blue Unicorn was at the plains near her parents’ cottage, feeding the critters and studying advanced magic so she could match her mother’s expertise one day. Aurora glanced at her old home and saw a crimson baby dragon heading toward her with a box.

“Here. I bought the nuts you asked me to, Aurora.”

“Thank you, Titus! You’re a wonderful helper.”

A blush, though hard to see past his naturally red face, brightened his cheeks. “I just like to help, that’s all!” The baby dragon scratched the back of his head and smiled as he opened the box. Aurora levitated the nuts and, just as she had earlier, tossed them into the field. Moments later, squirrels were already milling about, chattering to themselves excitedly.

“There you go. Take as much as you need and share with your family and friends!” Aurora grinned as she watched the squirrels grab their nuts left. Once she was sure all the nuts had been taken, the blue Unicorn pulled out a book and began reading it. This was normal for the two, and they always came out to the fields every day. It was relaxing and beneficial at the same time. As the Unicorn continued her study of magic, Titus watched as butterflies flew above him. They had not a care in the world as they fluttered aimlessly. One landed on his nose. Titus’ eyes were crossed as he stared at the butterfly that, strangely, was the same color as the ones on his friend’s flank.

“Hey, Aurora…” 

“Hm?”

“When will I get my wings?” Longing was evident in his features as he watched the butterfly that’d landed on him fly away.

“When you grow up, Titus.” Aurora replied without looking up from her book. She suppressed the urge to sigh. Titus had asked her this question many times before, and the answer had never changed. For some reason, he always felt the need to bring it up when they were out in the fields.

“I can’t wait that long! I want to be able to fly so I can take Sweetie Belle to the ends of the world and back!”

“Titus, that won’t happen.” Aurora giggled despite herself. “You’re too young for her.”

“You’ll see… I’ll go out with her one day and you’ll be all like, ‘Oh, Titus, I should have known that you would win her over with your handsomeness and awesome skills!’ ”

“As if I’d ever say that…” The blue Unicorn smiled as she flipped to the next page.

“You’re just jealous because you haven’t found your special somepony yet!” Titus claimed as he approached Aurora. He grinned when he saw his friend blush.

“And you haven’t either! Besides, I don’t mind. I’m good on my own and with my friends; I don’t need a special somepony.”

“You don’t need me?” Aurora patted the baby dragon’s head.

“Don’t be silly! I mentioned you. You’re my friend, and a wonderful friend at that!” Titus blushed in embarrassment. 

“I-I knew that…” Aurora ruffled the spikes at the top of his head before levitating him onto her back. Her book found its way into her saddlebag. 

“Let’s go tell Mom and Mother that we’re leaving.” Aurora said as she began walking toward the cottage.

“I don’t understand why you have to tell them… You moved out a month ago.” 

“They’re still my parents and they love me; they need to know.”

“I know, I know…” grumbled the dragon.

“And remember not to mention Angel in front of my mom.”

“He died five years ago!”

“You know how sensitive she is, Titus. Don’t pour salt into the wound!”

Titus sighed. “Fine…”

Aurora smiled. “Thank you. You’re such a good dragon!”

“Whatever.” the crimson dragon mumbled and crossed his arms, but his voice made it clear he was pleased. When they arrived at the cottage, Aurora knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Fluttershy on the other side.

“Oh! Hello, dear. It’s nice to see you, Titus!” the timid pony said with a warm smile.

“Hi, Mom! I came to return this to Mother.” Aurora said as she used her magic to give Fluttershy the advanced magic book.

“Thank you, dear! I’ll be sure to give it to her as soon as she gets back.”

“She and Spike aren’t back yet from their surprise visit to Aunt Trixie?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “Not yet. She always takes her time when she visits Trixie. You know how she is.”

The blond pony giggled. “Yeah, I know. Oh, and I’m going to go on that trip with my friends I told you about.”

“Okay, but please be careful…”

“Don’t worry, Mom. We aren’t fillies anymore; we can take care of ourselves.”

“But even so. Promise me that you’ll be careful.” Fluttershy’s eyes delved into Aurora’s own, and the Unicorn had a feeling that even if she had wanted to, she wouldn’t be able to avoid that gaze.

“Fine, I promise… I have to go pick them up now, so see you later, Mom!”

Fluttershy pulled her daughter into a tight hug. The younger mare felt wings brush against her side before she broke away. “Goodbye, Aurora, Titus! Have fun and I’ll see you later!”

As Fluttershy closed the door, Aurora started her walk toward the library. She craned her neck back at Titus and frowned. “Why didn’t you say anything, Titus?”

“I didn’t know what to say that didn’t involve the rabbit…” His eyes were diverted away from her questioning gaze and his claws gripped at her mane tighter than necessary. 

“You could have asked how she was or what she was doing… There were tons of things you could’ve said without mentioning Angel! You know how much she cried when he died…”

5 years earlier…

A new morning had arrived to Equestria. Aurora yawned and jumped off of her bed with ease. She looked around the room in search of her friends. For some reason, Spike wasn’t there, but Titus was still asleep and Angel remained on his pot at the foot of Aurora’s bed. The blue mare headed to Titus’ bed and woke him up.

“Titus! Wake up, you lazy dragon!”

The crimson dragon jumped at the sound of her voice and glared. However, a yawn overtook his anger and he spoke simply. “I’m not lazy! I just rest before I can get tired…”

“Wake up or I’ll kiss you on the cheek!”

Titus jumped off of his bed at once. “I’m up, I’m up!”

Aurora giggled and patted Titus’ head before heading to where Angel was. “Angel, you sure seem tired, but it’s time to wake up… Angel…?” The blue mare gently pushed the bunny with her hoof, causing his paw to drop limply. “Oh no… Angel Bunny…”

“What’s wrong, Aurora?” Titus asked in confusion as he turned toward Angel.

“He’s… He’s not breathing…” It was then that Aurora realized that Angel was completely still. When she pushed him again, it seemed like he was heavier. Angel Bunny was no longer with them.

“What do you mean?” the crimson dragon asked, still not completely understanding.

“He’s… He’s dead… He must have died while he was sleeping.” Aurora was about to start crying when the door of her room opened and Fluttershy entered.

“Good morning, dear, Titus! Did you sleep well?” the timid pony asked with a smile.

“Y-Yes, Mom, thanks! And you?” Aurora’s voice wavered as she smiled nervously. Then she whispered to Titus. “Go find my mother, quick!” Titus nodded and rushed out of the room.

“I slept well too, Fluttershy, thanks!” He stammered as quickly as he could before disappearing out the door. 

“Someone woke up with more energy than usual.” Fluttershy commented with a giggle as she entered the bedroom fully. She nuzzled her daughter’s cheek. “You didn’t give him extra sweets last night, did you?”

“N-no, Mom, I swear!”

“Remember that he’s still a baby, and too many sweets would be bad for him.”

“I know, Mom. I didn’t give him sweets.”

“I believe you; I’m just making sure.” the timid pony said before turning to Angel. She seemed surprised that he was still sleeping. Aurora’s heart skipped a beat and she gulped. At this point, there was nothing she could do to prevent her mom from finding out. “Angel Bunny, why are you still sleeping? Morning’s here, and you’re normally next to your plate at this hour… Angel Bunny?” In that moment, Twilight arrived with Titus and Spike. Fluttershy turned to see her wife, but her smile faded when she saw her expression.

“Twi… Why the sad face…? What happened?” Fluttershy worriedly asked. The bookworm pony walked to where Angel was and examined him briefly before turning back to Fluttershy.

“Honey… Titus told me something terrible… And I just confirmed it…”

“What terrible thing? Twilight, don’t scare me…”

“Fluttershy… Angel… He… He passed away… I’m sorry…”

To say that she was shocked was an understatement. She shook her head slowly. “No… That’s not true… That’s not true!” Fluttershy lifted Angel’s body and cradled him to her chest, rocking him back and forth. “He’s just sleeping deeply, you’ll see! Angel, Angel wake up! Angel Bunny, please!” The shy Pegasus burst into tears as the realization finally dawned on her, and she hugged her critter best friend as if he were life itself. Twilight placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, tears streaming down her and the dragons’ faces. 

“Fluttershy… he was old and sick. You knew that it was only a matter of time. We had to help him to move and to eat. At least he’s not suffering anymore. He’s in a better place…”

“B-but… I couldn’t say goodbye… I wasn’t ready!” Fluttershy sobbed. Twilight embraced her tightly, careful to not accidentally drop Angel.

“We’ll give him a proper burial, honey… It’ll help you feel better…”

Fluttershy nodded into her wife’s chest and cried for a long time. Eventually, she decided she needed some time alone and walked out of the room. When she was gone, Twilight turned to her daughter and Titus.

“After today, I don’t want any of you mentioning Angel in any way… That goes for you too, Spike.”

“We won’t!” exclaimed everyone at once. Twilight smiled.

“Thank you. Now, let’s go…” As Twilight finished speaking, everyone began walking outside to bury Angel Bunny.

Back to the present…

“She didn’t stop crying that day… And it took a whole week before she was able to smile again.” Aurora finished, wiping a stray tear away. Titus was still silent, also remembering that tragic day.

“It was really sad to see Fluttershy in that state… I wouldn’t want to make her live through that again.” the crimson dragon said in a sad tone, but Aurora knew he didn’t like feeling that way. She figured that was why he’d changed the subject. 

“So… Where are we going now?”

“To the library. We’ll ask Lancer if he knows where his aunt is.” the blue Unicorn replied, regaining her smile.

“We’re going to see Sweetie Belle? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?! Do I look okay? How are my scales?”

“As if that would help!” Aurora giggled out.

“Thanks for the encouragement, Aurora!” The crimson dragon sarcastically snarked. She could almost feel him glaring at the back of her head. 

Aurora shook her head with a grin, but continued trotting until she finally arrived at the library. Upon entry, she found a white stallion with a blue mane and green eyes inside. An unfurled scroll with two yellow sparkles on either side of it was his cutie mark. “Hi, Lancer!” Aurora called. The stallion instantly looked up to where the blue mare was.

“Oh, hello there, Aurora! It’s nice to see you again! Have you come to pick up another book for your mother?”

“Not this time, Lancer. I’m looking for Sweetie Belle. Do you know where she is?”

“Right here!” Sweetie Belle’s musical voice resonated from the kitchen. Like Aurora and the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she’d gotten her cutie mark a while ago. Sweetie Belle’s had a heart and a microphone with a musical sheet beneath them. She hugged her friend when she’d gotten close enough. “I’m done with the food and ready for the trip! Hello there, Titus!”

“H-hi, Sweetie… Belle…” the baby dragon nervously said, his blush much more prominent than earlier that day. Sweetie Belle giggled, aware of the dragon’s feelings but pretending she wasn’t. All of Ponyville knew.

“Let’s pick Cutie up; she’s closer.” Aurora suggested. Sweetie Belle nodded.

“Okay, one sec!” Sweetie Belle went back to the kitchen and returned with a basket. They bid Lancer goodbye and headed to pick Cutie up.

“She must be helping my sister. You know that she loves that.” Sweetie Belle commented, smiling as they trotted towards the Carousel Boutique.

“That’s the only place where she can actually smile after all!” the blond pony said with just as much enthusiasm. She was glad that her timid friend had found her special talent and could enjoy herself.  All the way to the boutique, Titus kept staring at Sweetie Belle with a certain glimmer in his eyes. The Unicorn in question pretended she hadn’t noticed. Finally, they reached the boutique and Sweetie Belle knocked on the door. Rarity opened it moments later.

“Hi, sis!” Sweetie Belle was quick to hug Rarity. Her older sibling returned it with a similar amount of vigor, giggling.

“Sweetie Belle, darling! Aurora and Titus, hello!” The marshmallow-colored pony pulled away with a contagious smile. 

“You’re here to pick up Cutie, right?” Both Sweetie Belle and Aurora nodded. Normally, Titus would’ve done so as well, but he was too mesmerized by his crush to do anything but watch. Rarity smiled knowingly, reminded of a time that seemed like forever ago. “I’ll call her.” She turned back toward her shop, “Cutie, your friends are here!”

“I’m coming!”  A low voice could be heard and seconds later Cutie appeared from behind Rarity. “Hi, girls, Titus! I… um… I’m ready...” The cyan pony stepped out from the boutique and turned to her employer with a bashful smile. “I’ll be back in a few days, Miss Rarity.”

“Please, just call me Rarity. Have fun, all of you!”

“Thank you, Rarity! Let’s go, everyone!” Aurora exclaimed as she waved at Rarity. Then, the group turned around and headed to Sweet Apple Acres. 

“I can see that you’re really happy to be a tailor!” Aurora commented, glancing at Cutie’s cutie mark meaningfully. It consisted of a thimble with a needle and thread beside it. The two items clearly described a talent in sewing.

“I am. I still can’t believe that I found my talent! Tailoring is so much fun. Besides, what could be better than working with a friend?”

“That always comes in handy. Your boss is the best friend of the mom of one of your closest friends!” the blue Unicorn said.

“Y-yeah… Your mom was nice to recommend me to Miss Rarity, Aurora.”

“She was happy she could help. When you got your cutie mark I asked my mom to ask Rarity to help you as soon as I could.” Aurora smiled as she recalled her own good deed.

“Th-thank you, Aurora. You’re such a good friend.” Cutie tried her best to smile, but it came off as more of a grimace. At the very least, it was better than when she was a filly.

“Anything for my friends!” Aurora winked at her, which led to Cutie blushing. The group continued walking until they eventually made it to Sweet Apple Acres, where they found the rest of their friends helping their family with apple bucking. They were too busy to notice the new arrivals, but Rainbow Dash spotted them after kicking a cloud free of its rain for the trees.

“Apple Bloom, Scoots, Feather, your friends are here!” the cyan Pegasus remarked just before she landed next to her wife.

“Yay! Hi, girls! Oh, and hi, Titus!” Apple Bloom beamed as she and her sister and cousin went to hug their friends.

“Ready for the trip?” Sweetie Belle inqured as she returned their hug.

“We sure are!” Scootaloo turned to Applejack with an eager smile. “Are we done, Aunt?”

“We can handle it from here. You can go ahead, sugarcube. Enjoy the trip!” Applejack tipped her hat respectfully. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Flying Feather joined their friends excitedly, but made sure to wave before trotting away.

“So, how’s apple bucking, girls?” Titus asked from atop Aurora. 

“This is the best apple bucking season in five years! Ah’m so glad I found my cutie mark!” Apple Bloom bounced up and down happily before displaying her pride and joy for all to see. Her flank was decorated with an apple and a blooming blossom on top of it. “Right, niece?” Apple Bloom added with a smirk, turning toward her niece.

“Y-yeah, whatever!” the pink Pegasus stammered and raised her nose in the air. But despite that display, her tail had moved out of the way to show off her apple pie cutie mark. Then she sent Apple Bloom a half-hearted glare. “And don’t call me niece…”

“But you are mah niece, silly!” Apple Bloom poked her hoof into the proud pony’s chest with a giggle.

“But we’re almost the same age; it’s weird!” Flying Feather snorted and stood up tall to prove that they were the same height. 

“Okay, okay! Don’t get mad…” Apple Bloom backed away a bit and almost hit Sweetie Belle in the process.

“I wish I could help more, but I’m not very good at it…” Scootaloo lamented with a sigh. Her shoulders hunched over, but even from her position she could see her cutie mark. There was a purple lightning bolt, with a wheel not unlike that of Scootaloo's former scooter attached at the broad end. A white wing was connected to the wheel, spread majestically outward. The cutie mark was clearly testament to her speed and agile abilities. “If I could only find a way to help with this…”

“You’re doing great Scoots, don’t worry!” Apple Bloom promised as she patted her cousin’s head.

“If you say so…” The orange Pegasus replied, but her spirits hadn’t improved in the least.

“So, Trotting Paradise is still on Fillydelphia with her parents?” Sweetie Belle Asked.

“Yes, she is still visiting Bon Bon’s parent’s and should be back by the end of the week.” Aurora answered.

“Oh, too bad… I wanted her to come with us…” Apple Bloom sadly said.

“Yeah, me too…” Scootaloo said, also sad. Everyone kept talking as their path led out of Ponyville. They eventually got to a town that seemed abandoned. Everyone but Aurora started to worry.

“Aurora, why don’t we go around this town? It’s giving me the creeps.” Titus finally admitted. He had been shivering ever since they’d left Ponyville, but he’d been trying to be brave to impress Sweetie Belle.

“I agree with Titus. Maybe we should go back!” Sweetie Belle suggested and everypony else nodded.

“No, There's something I need to do here first. We have to keep going.” the blue Unicorn said without turning around. Her friends, seeing that she was determined to continue, trotted to catch up with her. Aurora didn’t stop walking even as she reached a graveyard. Her friends stayed behind, confused as to what she was doing. Titus remained on her back.

“Um… Aurora? What are you doing?”

Aurora didn’t say anything as tears started to run down her cheeks. She pulled out a couple of flowers from her saddlebag and placed them on two graves.

“T-they’re my biological parents, Titus. They gave me life and I must pay my respects to them. I never got to actually meet them, but I will always miss them, even if I found a nice family… Thank you, Mom and Dad…” The blonde pony wiped her tears away before starting to walk outside the graveyard. When everyone saw her state, her friends let her pass without a word. It was clear even to Flying Feather that she needed some space. Then, the friends left the town and continued on their journey.