Twilight stared at the cup of tea sitting on the coffee table in front of her. The room was awkwardly quiet after Dash left, but then again, how could it not be? Rainbow Dash stormed off leaving her marefriend in the room after she just yelled at her father. Blaze was now stuck with a unicorn he had only just met—a unicorn that was dating his daughter. All because Rainbow Dash had to freak out over what was essentially nothing. Twilight couldn’t help but sigh as she looked into the cup.

“Miss Twilight,” Blaze said, grabbing Twilight’s attention from her tea.

“P-Please, you can just call me Twilight,” Twilight replied with a nervous smile.

“It’ll probably be at least an hour before Rainbow calms down, so why don’t you tell me about yourself.” Twilight felt her heart jump. This was part of the conversations she wished she had prepared more for, but now with Rainbow Dash’s meltdown, any mental preparations she had went out the window. She also didn’t have the pegasus there for some moral support, which only made her feel even more awkward.

“Well, I’m the librarian in Ponyville, and I’m Princess Celestia’s student…” She paused for a moment. She was telling him things he probably already knew. The newspapers, when they talked about her, didn’t exactly leave details like that out. “I’m sorry, I’m not good at this…What would you like to know?”

“The usual stuff a parent wants to know about a somepony dating their daughter; hobbies, interests, what you want to do with your life?”

“I like to read,” Twilight offered in all seriousness.

Blaze laughed before he even realized he was about to. Realizing his rudeness, he shook his head. “Sorry, I never thought Rainbow would go for the brainy type.”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that. It was a tad insulting, but Twilight also knew Blaze probably didn’t mean it like that. “I know it might seem a bit farfetched, but I’ve gotten her to pick up reading as a hobby,” Twilight stumbled to get out with a small laugh herself. She was probably making a fool of herself, but Blaze’s relaxed nature put her at ease. She felt like she was talking to Rainbow Dash with how easy it was to talk to him.

“Really?” he asked. “I’m not much for reading myself, but when you live alone, there’s not much else to do.” He made a small motion towards the book on the coffee table.

Twilight laughed nervously. That last statement she knew all too well. When she lived on her own in Canterlot, reading was just about the only thing she did. “I know that feeling…”

“So, how did you two meet?” he asked, shifting the conversation. He reached for his cup of tea, still sitting on the table untouched since he set it down last.

“Well, we met before the last Summer Sun Celebration—you probably knew that though…Umm…” Twilight placed her hoof to her chin, unsure how she should answer.

Blaze chuckled again. “I guess I meant to say how did you two start dating.”

“Oh, well, that’s uh—” Twilight coughed. “That’s a long story. I’m sure you wouldn’t really be interested in that…” She forced a smile, but Blaze wasn’t buying her excuse. “It just sort of happened, I guess…”

“Two ponies dating rarely just sort of happens. If my little girl’s involved, I’m sure there was some story to it.”

Twilight blushed heavily. For the two of them not being close, he certainly did know his daughter well. Then again, he did raise her. Twilight had to be careful here. She didn’t want to tell him the big news without Dash by her side, nor did she want to have him freak out on her. She also wanted to be as truthful as possible. Lies always seemed to have a way of coming back to bite her in the keester anyway.

Twilight sighed. “It’s not the most flattering story, but our friend Pinkie was throwing a party. Rainbow Dash and I got together that night after we had a few drinks, and—uh…” Twilight coughed again to censor her and Dash’s escapades that night. “Anyway the next morning, things didn’t quite go how either of us would have hoped. It was about three weeks before we talked about it, and realized we had feelings for one another.”

“So, it took you two three weeks to get together after a drunken fling?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Twilight wanted to bury herself in the cloud couch under her. Her dad removed any positive embellishments she tried to add, and whittled her story down to a very unflattering portrayal—one that she felt ashamed to hear aloud. “I-I suppose…”

He laughed. “Relax. Rainbow’s an adult. If she’s anything like her mom and dad, I know she’s got to be a regular party animal. Besides, sounds like how I met her mother,” he said in the middle of chuckling.

When his laughter died down, the room got quiet again. It took Blaze a moment to realize he brought up Dash’s mom once more, which he could see made his guest a little uncomfortable. Dash brought her up right before she stormed out, and that made it pretty clear it was a touchy subject. “Twilight, I’m sorry that things turned out like this for you two…This was just supposed to be a meet and greet, I guess…”

“It’s fine…”

“It’s not fine.” He shook his head defiantly. “Rainbow brought you here to introduce you to me, and I had to go and ruin it.”

That didn’t quite seem right. From Twilight’s perspective, Dash was the one to overreact. She took a small sip of her tea to build some courage for a question she had been wondering since Dash blew up. “If you don’t mind, would you tell me about Rainbow Dash’s mother?” Twilight asked after a moment of silence.

“What has she told you about her?” he asked somberly.

“Not much, only that she passed when she was a foal…” Twilight paused for a moment, mentally debating whether she should continue with her statement. With how Dash acted, it was clear he was already aware, so there didn’t seem to be a point in hiding it any longer. “And that you blame her for her mother’s death…”

Blaze stared down at the cup of tea in his hoof for a moment. The sweet, fruity brew was lukewarm already. “I don’t blame Rainbow for her mother’s death…” he said softly. “Firefly was…” Blaze looked up from his beverage, and rest his head against the back of his chair. “Rainbow takes after her mother too much…” he said finally with an almost sad smile.

He stared off into space for a few minutes, leaving Twilight confused. Nothing about what he said made much sense. There were too many uncompleted thoughts in what he said to make sense. Twilight opened her mouth to probe further, but Blaze sighing cut her off.

“Twilight, we’re not a really emotional family. Me and Rainbow, we bury things deep down and forget about them.” Twilight frowned. His response sounded like he wasn’t going to answer her questions. “It was an accident…” he added, setting his cup back down on the coffee table. “Rainbow just happened to be the center of that accident, but it was an accident. There was nothing anypony could’ve done about it.”

Twilight waited patiently for Blaze to continue. She could see the emotions holding just below the surface. His eyes stared distantly across the room as though he were watching events playout that had long since been buried in his mind. He sunk down in his seat, and rest his chin on his hoof. His mouth was barely hiding behind his hoof, but Twilight could still see it. His jaw muscles were clenched from the surge of memories she asked him to dig up.

“I was pretty tore up by my wife’s passing—at least by my standards,” he said abruptly. “I can’t pretend I was strong, and maybe that’s what started all of this…” He laughed just as suddenly as he started talking. “That’s why I said she takes after her mom too much. She always acts like she doesn’t care but she does.”

“I’m kind of starting to understand that, myself…” Twilight said, mostly to herself.

“It took me years to get over her death. Rainbow was almost out of flight school by the time I accepted it. Those first few years were rough on us both. I tried to give her space, but that never seemed to work. She started getting into fights, and causing problems. I knew it had something to do with her mom’s death, but I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m not a doctor, I couldn’t fix it for her…” Blaze slipped his hoof from under his chin and scratched the back of his head. “I think she hated how weak I was, and that’s how all this started…”

He paused for a bit before he glanced over at Twilight. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be putting all this on you.”

“No, I asked,” Twilight insisted. “I’m worried about her…She’s been acting weird since I first insisted on meeting you…”

Blaze cracked a small smile. “You care about Rainbow a lot, don’t you, Twilight…” Twilight nodded with absolutely no hesitation. The unicorn’s determination brought a bigger smile onto Blaze’s face.

He let out a single chuckle. “Rainbow might look a lot like me, but she takes after her mom up here,” He tapped his hoof to his head. “That’s one thing I know about her…She doesn’t like to show things, and pretends like she doesn’t care, even if they’re eating her up inside…I know her mom’s death hit her hard, but she just pushed it deep down…”

“That sounds like her…”

He cleared his throat. “It happened when Rainbow was about four. We were having a picnic on a cloud pretty close to the ground—close for a pegasus, I guess. Me and Firefly were watching Rainbow play near the cloud edge when she stumbled and fell. She was too young to fly on her own.” He tried to clear his throat again as though something were blocking it, but it didn’t seem to help. “Firefly was always faster than me, so she jumped up before I could…” Blaze paused for a moment. That same pain-stricken look in his eyes he had when Dash said he didn’t care came back. “She stumbled on the blanket and some of the food. It shouldn’t have been a big deal, but…”

Twilight waited patiently for Blaze to finish. It wasn’t easy for him. This wasn’t just a retelling of the story, Twilight could see he was reliving it moment by moment in his head. This wasn’t something she wanted to rush—it would be disrespectful of her.

“If she didn’t trip, she could’ve caught Rainbow just a second earlier…We were so close to the ground, and she was going so fast, she barely managed to pull out of the dive. She picked the wrong way to pull out though, and she didn’t have enough space. Firefly crashed into a rock…” He chuckled to himself, hysterically. “Pegasus ponies are pretty durable, but…Firefly slammed into the rock back first just trying to protect Rainbow. She hit a jagged edge and it cracked a few ribs…and one sharp piece stabbed her…Doctors said it punctured her lung.” He swallowed a forming lump in his throat.

“I rushed them both off to the nearest hospital, but they couldn’t save Firefly.”

Twilight found herself looking into her cup of tea. As Twilight stared into the rippling surface of her drink, her mind was at work. The pieces were falling into place of a puzzle she wasn’t particularly proud to be solving. “I’m sorry about your loss…” was all Twilight managed to say.

“It was a long time ago now. Time doesn’t make things better, but it sure as hell makes things not hurt as bad.” He took a small sip of his tea before he stood up out of his chair. “Rainbow thinks I don’t care about her, but I do…She’s all I’ve got left. I was an only kid, and so was her mom, and both our parents are long gone.” Blaze slowly worked his way over to the case on the other side of the room.

He looked towards the top of the case, a small smile working its way onto his face as he stared at the various items held within; trophies, ribbons, medals. “Maybe I’m getting weird in my old age, but I hold onto things I never thought I would. Some of these trophies in here are from Firefly when she was racing, and a few are even mine from when I used to do stunts back when I was a colt, Rainbow’s got a few in here too…” His eyes drifted down to the lower shelves—ones closer to eye level. “I started keeping newspaper clippings about you and her and your other friends’ adventures too.” He continued to stare for a bit longer before his smile finally faded.

“I just wish she knew I cared…” he muttered finally, barely loud enough for Twilight to hear.

“I think she does…” Twilight responded. Her remark drew his attention back towards the couch. “Do you know where she might be? I need to talk to her.”

He stared at her for a moment, unsure what Twilight was thinking. After he saw the determined look in the unicorn’s eye, he tilted his head in thought. “There’s a playground she used to go sulk at a few blocks away. She might’ve flew off there…”

“Could you tell me how to get there?”

------------------------------

Dash stared out at the horizon. The sun was already sinking low in the sky, but she couldn’t really say how long she had been sitting there. The orange glow gave the clouds a golden look. Cloudsdale shined like the crowning jewel of the sky in the late hours of the day. This was why she liked sitting here. Everything looked awesome—but even this sight wasn’t cheering her up today.

She sighed heavily. “Why is he so stupid…” she muttered to herself as she watched the sun’s slow retreat.

“Dashie!” A voice called to her. Rainbow Dash glanced down below her to see Twilight standing on a cloud a dozen or so meters below her. The pegasus sighed immediately upon seeing her marefriend. She wasn’t in the mood to talk, and she knew that’s exactly what Twilight wanted to do. So, Dash chose to ignore the unicorn’s call.

A few seconds after she turned her head back towards the horizon, she heard the poof of a teleport spell overhead, followed by a scream. She glanced up to see Twilight falling towards her. Dash jumped up and before she even realized what she was doing, she was in the air. She flew up to Twilight at a blinding speed, catching the unicorn before she could hit the ground.

“What were you thinking?” she demanded as soon as Twilight was safely on the cloud Dash was sitting on before.

“I needed to talk to you,” Twilight said, huffing loudly.

“Did you run all the way here?” she asked with a growing concern in her voice.

“Yeah.” Twilight barely managed to get her words out. “And teleporting didn’t help much either…”

“Why? I would’ve come back!” Dash scowled at her marefriend. It was reckless and pointless for Twilight to exert herself so much, at least that’s what Dash was thinking. She might have been upset, but her marefriend should have known she would come back for her.

“It couldn’t wait.” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Dash in a hug.

“What’s gotten into you?” Dash instinctively placed her foreleg around Twilight, hugging her back. She gently rubbed her hoof along Twilight’s back. Her marefriend’s breathing slowed after a few moments of her holding her like that.

“I talked to your dad…” Twilight responded after she calmed down enough to speak normally.

Dash groaned. “I shouldn’t have left you there…”

“Dashie, he told me about your mom…” Twilight nuzzled into Dash’s neck. The pegasus’s hoof stopped moving. “Dashie…Your dad doesn’t hate you, he doesn’t blame you, he doesn’t—”

“Stop…” Dash said firmly. “I don’t want to hear it, Twi…”

“Dashie, your mom’s death was an accident.” Twilight pulled away from Rainbow Dash. She slid her hooves up the mare’s body, and placed them tightly on her shoulders.

Dash just glanced down at Twilight’s hoof before she looked back at into her marefriend’s eyes. “I don’t want you to get all psychological on me, alright?” Dash asked with the slightest wince in her eye.

“I want to help you, Dashie. I know it’s not what you want, but sometimes we just need to get things out in the open so you know how to deal with them. It’s been years; you can handle this,” she said with a sincere smile.

The pegasus’s gaze drifted down and to the side. She couldn’t look at Twilight anymore.

The unicorn bit her lower lip. Dash didn’t want this, but after hearing her father’s side of the story, she needed to fix it. Her dad cared for her, and Twilight needed to make sure Rainbow Dash understood that. She swallowed the spit in her mouth to ready her nerves. “Rainbow Dash, you need to stop blaming yourself for her death…”

Twilight could feel the pegasus tense under her hooves. Every muscle in Rainbow Dash’s body froze in that instant. Twilight watched as her eyes glanced to the side to avoid contact, and her jaw muscles clenched tightly together. “I don’t blame myself…” Dash said soft, but firmly.

She was lying. Twilight knew she was. She might have the tone to convince someone else, but her body language was a whole other story. “You can’t blame yourself,” Twilight said again.

Dash’s eyes squinted closed, and the faintest tear started to form. “Don’t do this, Twi…”

“Dashie, you’ve been burying it for so long. Let me help you,” she pleaded. “After talking with your dad, I know why you hate him. Can you please just let me help you?”

Dash squeezed her eyes shut. As much as she didn’t want to play this game, she would. She would do it for Twilight. She cared about her—more than she cared about anyone else in her entire life. Dash also knew Twilight felt the same way. This wouldn’t be out of spite, or because it was the right thing to do—it was purely because Twilight cared about Dash. It wouldn’t be easy, and she knew Twilight would pry and force her into this even if she refused. That was the type of pony Twilight was, one who cared too much to let something go. Reluctantly she nodded her head.

“He was distant after your mom’s death, wasn’t he?” Twilight asked, trying to keep a soft, warm voice. She had to be comforting. She had to be there for Rainbow Dash. The mare was already emotional from their trip here, so Twilight had to be careful or she could hurt the pony she cared about the most.

Dash nodded again. Her expression loosened slightly, giving Twilight more confidence in her approach.

“It hurt, didn’t it,” she added with certainty. “His distance after her passing made you act out. It was the only thing you could think to do.”

“So what…I was angry after it happened…He’s still a jerk, Twi…”

“Dashie, it’s not your dad’s fault. He was angry and hurt too.”

“That’s not an excuse to not give a crap about me!” Dash snapped back.

“He was giving you space…” Twilight paused, making sure she had her marefriend’s attention. When Dash’s eyes met hers, she continued, “Rainbow Dash, he didn’t want to upset you, so he let you have room to breathe. It may not have been what you needed, but his heart was in the right place.”

Dash didn’t respond. She looked down again, trying to avoid Twilight’s warm expression. “I was just a filly…” she muttered.

“I know, but don’t hold it against him. He cares about you.”

Dash groaned as she sulked. “He sure as hell doesn’t act like it…”

Twilight rubbed Rainbow Dash’s shoulder to grab her attention again before she got too upset to talk to. “After her death, you started to blame yourself…” she said on the verge of tears herself. It was a hard question to ask, but Twilight needed to be sure before she pushed forward. “It’s because your dad was distant, you started to feel like that, wasn’t it?”

Dash’s pupils shrunk for a brief moment at Twilight’s question. Her mouth opened to speak, but words wouldn’t come. Her lip quivered. That was a question she had been scared to hear—one she refused to even ask herself. What she had been so afraid to admit was suddenly laid bare before her. A few seconds passed before Rainbow Dash’s eyes drifted downward. Whatever her dad told Twilight, it must have clicked in her. She was reading Rainbow Dash like a book. Dash had never felt so exposed in her entire life. Her body trembled slightly from this naked feeling she suddenly had. Finally, she gave a small, reluctant nod. As horrible as it felt, she knew that if there was someone she could trust with her deepest, darkest feelings, it was Twilight.

Twilight swallowed again. “I thought so…Because of that, you grew to hate yourself, Dashie.”

“W-What?” Dash asked. “I don’t hate myself!” she protested.

“You blamed yourself for your mom’s death after your dad became distant. It’s natural that you would start to feel like you were the one to blame.”

“I-I…” Dash started to speak, but her words failed her.

“You weren’t upset at your dad, you were upset at yourself for making him treat you that way—at least that’s what you thought on a subconscious level.” Twilight rubbed her hoof along Dash’s foreleg for reassurance. Dash’s eyes bounced back and forth as she contemplated what Twilight was saying. A confused, questioning look found its way onto the pegasus’s face.

“I-Is that why…”

Twilight gave her a sympathetic smile. “You consciously shifted those feelings to your dad. You knew he was distant, and your anger was focused on him. That’s also why you’re always trying to be the center of attention, so somepony will love you because you feel like you can’t love yourself after what you did.” Twilight pulled Dash in for a hug. She held her marefriend tightly, and gently rocked her back and forth in her embrace.

Twilight felt Dash wrap her hooves around her. She pressed her muzzle into Twilight’s chest, and a wetness found its way there shortly after. “It’s not your fault, Rainbow Dash,” she said softly. “You can’t blame yourself for an accident.”

“But it is my fault! I was the one playing close to the edge! If I didn’t fall then…then…”

“You stop that right now!” Twilight squeezed her tightly as she yelled. “You can’t keep saying if, Dashie…That type of talk is what can ruin a pony. It only led you to blame yourself for something you couldn’t control. You were a foal, it’s not your fault. Don’t hate yourself for something you didn’t have control over.”

“But…”

“No buts…”

“My dad has to hate me for getting her killed though…” Dash let out a sniffle as she spoke.

“No, he doesn’t. And, I’m here to tell you that you’ve always had somepony who loved you. Your dad, your friends, me—we all care about you, Dashie. Beating yourself up inside for your mom saving your life isn’t going to solve anything.”

Rainbow Dash slowly slid her hooved up around Twilight, and squeezed her in a tight embrace. In just an afternoon alone with her dad, Twilight understood Rainbow Dash more than anyone else ever had. In an instant the dam broke inside her, and she couldn’t hold back a stream of tears. “Why is it when I say I don’t want to do something, we always do it anyway!” Dash cried out into Twilight’s chest.

Twilight only gently stroked her marefriend’s back as she held her. “Because you’re stubborn, and you don’t like to do things that are good for you…” Twilight replied with the sweetest, most caring voice she could muster.

Twilight waited for a few seconds as Dash sobbed into her chest. “I care about you, Dashie…” she added softly. Twilight could feel her nod in understanding. It may not be what she wanted, but Rainbow Dash wouldn’t have realized how she truly felt if Twilight didn’t show her.

“How did you even know all of that?” she asked, still crying.

“Because, I know you, and your dad filled in some of the blanks for me.” Twilight rubbed her cheek against Dash’s mane lovingly. The pegasus might be crying, and she might even sound upset, but Twilight knew this was a breakthrough for her. She only held her marefriend as she let Rainbow Dash cry out her years of repressed feelings.

The unicorn continued to comfort her marefriend as she turned her attention towards the setting sun. A small smile came across her face, though her eyes still weighed heavy from the emotional journey she had just lead her partner through.

Minutes passed as she just sat there with Rainbow Dash, holding the pegasus. Twilight could hear a small sniffle from her lover as she pulled back away from her. “You could be a shrink, you know that…” she muttered with a small, hysterical laugh.

“Only for you,” Twilight replied with a smile.

Dash wiped her eyes with another small laugh. “And I just thought I hated my dad…” Dash leaned into Twilight as they sat there. They both were mentally exhausted. The serene landscape was a welcome sight. As the sun lowered, Rainbow Dash felt her heart relax in a way she hadn’t felt in years. She let out a content sigh. ”I should probably tell him I’m sorry at some point…” she muttered for just the two of them to hear.

“When you’re ready to,” Twilight replied with the same soft tone.

“Rainbow…” a masculine voice said from behind them. They both glanced behind them to see Blaze just setting down on the cloud. The stallion folded his wings as he took a few steps closer to the couple. “I know you probably don’t want to see me right now, but after talking with Twilight I had to think about some things…”

Dash blinked a few times. She didn’t quite know where this was going. “Dad?” she asked cautiously as she and Twilight both turned to face the stallion.

“I messed up earlier…” he said with a sigh. “Twilight made me realize I can’t just sit back anymore. Doing nothing’s pretty much ruined our relationship…”

Dash frowned a bit. She knew it was true, but it wasn’t just her dad’s fault though, even if she wanted to blame him. She hadn’t made an effort herself in years.

“I don’t think I ever told you what happened after I got you two to the hospital that day…” He cleared his throat.

“You don’t have to—” Dash started to say, but was cut off.

“No, I need to say this, Rainbow.” He rubbed the back of his head. “I know we don’t get along. I know I probably haven’t made the best decisions in your life, but I want you to know I do care about you.” He kept a pretty straight face, but Twilight could see him struggling just below the surface.

“You were pretty much fine when I got you two to the hospital. You were just a bit shaken up, but the doctors wanted to keep you under observation for a bit.” He swallowed a building lump in his throat. “Firefly wasn’t doing so well though…”

“I know, Dad…” Dash looked toward the cloud under them. She wasn’t pleased with this conversation, and it showed plainly on her face.

“Rainbow, she knew she wasn’t going to make it…” he said softly. “That whole time though, she kept asking me if you were okay. She didn’t care that she was dying, she just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Dash’s eyes narrowed as the feelings she had buried started to rise to the surface. “I get it! Mom’s dead because of me!” she yelled.

Her dad shook his head. “If it’s anypony’s fault, it’s mine!” he yelled back at her.

Dash’s eyes went wide for a moment as she stared down at the cloud. He gaze slowly drifted up to her father to see him barely holding back a tear.

“It was my stupid idea to go on a picnic…” Blaze rubbed his forehead with his hoof. They could hear him breathing heavily, just trying to keep his emotions in check. When his hoof slid down, he looked up at them. “She tripped on the damn blanket on the way to save you, and if she didn’t…then maybe…” He grit his teeth.

“Mom tripped?” Dash asked in disbelief.

“It was an accident, Rainbow. We can’t blame ourselves. Your mother saved you, and that’s what matters.” He stared at his daughter for a moment before continuing. “Every single day I thank Celestia that she did. If I had lost you too…” He cut himself off, unable to even finish that sentence.

“Dad…” Rainbow Dash stood up. Cautiously she walked up to her father, looking into his face as he tried to avoid eye contact with her. “Are you kidding me? We’ve both been beating ourselves up over this?” she asked, still in disbelief.

“Yeah…” he replied somberly.

Without any warning, Dash wrapped her forelegs around her dad, and hugged him. “Why didn’t you tell me you felt like that! I’ve been beating myself up all this time because I thought you blamed me for Mom’s death!”

He placed a foreleg around his daughter. “How was I going to bring that up?” he asked with a hysterical laugh.

“We gotta stop this…” Dash whispered to him.

“Yeah we do…” He squeezed her tightly once more for a few more moments before finally letting his hoof fall back to the cloud. “Rainbow, I just wanted to say that to you…and I really wanted to let you know I’m happy you found somepony.” He gave a small smile as he pushed her back.

“Dad, no…” Dash shook her head, which made her father’s smile vanish in an instant. She sighed. “I’m the one who messed up back at the house.” Dash glanced over at Twilight who stood up, and walked next to her. The unicorn gave her an encouraging nod. “I took it the wrong way. I’ve been taking pretty much everything the wrong way since Mom died…” She struggled for a moment to swallow. “I’m sorry, Dad…Twi’s helped me realize what I’ve really been upset about, and I just want to say I’m sorry for being so…”

“Thick-headed?” Twilight said with a small smirk.

Dash’s brow furled a bit, but she realized the unicorn was teasing. “Yeah…”

The smile from before worked its way back onto Blaze’s face. Twilight watched as he looked out towards the sunset behind them with that same distant look he had before. This time though, Twilight didn’t see sorrow just under the surface of his eyes, she saw joy. Blaze sighed as his smile grew wider. He let out a small laugh. “She cares about you a lot, Rainbow…” he remarked.

“Yeah…” Dash glanced over at Twilight, giving her a smile. Twilight smiled back before leaning into her marefriend’s side.

“She’s a miracle worker or something. It took her—like—an hour to do what I haven’t been able to do in years…” He shook his head a bit in self-disappointment. “You two are good together,” he said just loud enough for them to hear. Blaze took a step to the side, and glanced up at the sky. “So, when are you two heading home?” he asked rather abruptly.

“Few days. Why?” Dash replied.

“Well, since you two are still going to be in Cloudsdale tomorrow, I’d like it if you could stop by again. I’d like a better chance to meet your marefriend, Rainbow.” He looked back at the two of them with a smile.

“Yeah, I think we could do that.” Dash looked over at Twilight, who was giving her a nod in agreement.

“Alright, see you tomorrow then. Same time’s good—”

“Dad, wait!” Rainbow stopped him right as he unfurled his wings. He turned back around with a confused look. Dash glanced over at Twilight motioning with her head. Twilight’s eyes went wide for a second, and she started to open her mouth to protest. Dash just rolled her eyes before looking back at her dad. “Dad, Twilight’s pregnant…” she said plainly.

He stared at the two of them for a moment, his eyes bouncing back and forth between them. “Okay…” was all he managed. He wasn’t too sure what else he should say. There wasn’t any buildup, or notice.

Twilight let out a low groan, knowing that was too sudden. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before explaining further. “It’s your daughter’s…Not just because she’s been with me, but biologically too. She sired it. It’s Rainbow Dash’s foal in every sense…” Twilight clarified, but it didn’t seem to change the stallion’s confused expression.

“You’re going to be a grandpa, Dad…”

“What?” he asked, taking a step towards the two of them.

“There’s a certain spell that allows two mares to have a child together. We came here so we could tell you that you’re having a granddaughter.” Twilight wanted to just sink into the cloud she was sitting on, hoping that maybe if she could disappear, her embarrassment would disappear too.

“I…uh…I didn’t know magic could do that…” he said as he scratched the back of his head.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Dash asked.

“No? I don’t know…” They both could tell he was struggling to wrap his head around the concept. “Are you sure it’s yours, Rainbow?” he asked to be sure.

“Yeah,” she asked with certainty. “It’s weird, but I know it’s true.” Dash gave a small smirk to Twilight, whose face was bright red. Dash gave her a small nudge to grab her attention.

“Yes, it’s Rainbow Dash’s,” Twilight confirmed.

Her dad sat down on the cloud across from them for a few seconds. “Well, that’s something…” he muttered barely loud enough for them to hear.

“Are you going to be alright with this, Dad?”

He stared down at the cloud. “Yeah…I mean, it’s weird, but…you two seem to know what you’re doing…” He shook his head after a few moments. “It’s just this kind of came out of nowhere…”

“I know that feeling,” Dash said rolling her eyes. “You sure you’re okay though?”

“Yeah…If you two are happy about it, I’m happy,” he clarified for them with an awkward smile. “Just…uh…you wanna tell me how the hay this works tomorrow when you guys come over?”

Dash laughed. “Yeah, I think we can do that for ya, Dad.”

Author's Notes:

The next chapter will focus on the mysterious adventures of the unfinished tea from the beginning of this chapter.