Gel slowly wakes up, her nose twitching as something brushes against it. She raises a hoof to brush it away, frowning deeply. Corporal, if you're trying to prank me, again, I will tan your hide... She doesn't get a response back, piquing her interest enough for her to open her eyes.

All she can see is silver.

She blinks in confusion, trying to understand what's going on. ...did I get new sheets? She strokes the object, feeling it under her hoof. ...no...it's too warm for that...and fluffy...what's going on?

The silver object lets out a purr to the touch. A pair of orange eyes attached to a vulpine face turn sleepily to her before they close again. A small pink tongue sticking out of the muzzle.

...too cute... She coos softly, happily nuzzling the creature in front of her. ...how did you get here, little one? She pulls her journal off the nightstand and skims it, blinking in surprise. ...three pets? I suppose this one's really cute...but where are the other two?

A purr from behind her answers half of her question. Turning her head as far as she can to look behind her, she sees a small ball of gray-blue fur. ...aww...that must be Selena...now all that's missing is Specter... She looks over to Rhino, giggling a bit. ...maybe I should wake him now... She reaches forward, gently shaking him with a hoof so she doesn't squeeze the fox between them.

The shaking doesn't wake the stallion, but his mane moves on its own. After a moment, a piece of it separates, revealing itself to be the squirrel in question. He peers at the mare with his small golden eyes as if to say, 'Why did you wake me up?'

She sheepishly smiles, her hoof still on the other pony's shoulder. "...s-sorry, Specter...I-I was trying to get Rhino up...h-he has work today, after all..." She moves a lock of her mane behind her ear, embarrassed. "...s-so...d-did you sleep well?"

The squirrel sleepily nods. He looks down at the stallion a moment before crawling over onto Gel near the other sleeping balls of fur. He curls up next to her, flicking his bushy tail over himself.

She blinks, feeling the emotions from the animals. ...I didn't know they gave love, too...of course, I don't think I ever had a pet, before... She sighs softly, letting her eyes drift closed for a moment before a thought occurs to her. ...how do I get them off without upsetting them?

The answer comes from above, literally. The light of Celestia's sun, taking advantage of the unclosed curtains, shines a pure beam over the five forms in the bed. Gel, being turned on her side away from it, doesn't get the full force, but Rhino does. He shifts on the bed, letting out a small groan and throwing a hoof up to block the light. The movement proves to be enough to stir the pets into a semi-awake state as they each partially raise their heads.

The mare sighs in relief, carefully moving around the kit between them to kiss Rhino on the cheek. "...morning, love...have any pleasant dreams?" I hope they don't do this every night. Otherwise, it'd be hard to have any fun with him...

He rubs his eyes with a hoof as he answers. "You know, you always ask me what I dreamed about. I think I'll turn the question to you today. How were your dreams?"

"...well, I'm a lucid dreamer..." She blushes brightly, averting her eyes. "...s-so I...chose to dream about us, last night..."

He chuckles. "Sounds fun. I've heard about lucid dreamers, but never actually met one..." He yawns. "I might have to ask you about that sometime when I not laying here about to keel over." He slides out of the bed and onto shaky hooves, taking in the scene of the mare and pets. "Awww..."

Gel playfully rolls her eyes. "...yes, it's cute...but I kinda have things to do, today..." She holds out a hoof to him, giving him a small smile. "...care to help a mare out of bed?"

He smiles softly at her as he gently levitates all the pets off her and onto the bed itself. Once he has them off, he grabs her hoof and pulls her out of bed. By the time this is done, all the pets are fully awake and walking towards the edge of the bed closest to the ponies. The stallion chuckles as he leans down to nuzzle each of them, even if Selena pretended she didn't want it.

She giggles at this, leaning down to do the same, nuzzling Rhino immediately afterwards. "...you really do have a way with them, don't you?" She tilts her head, raising a hoof to her chin. "...when do you suppose they'll get to see you at work?"

As she's distracted, the kitten decides to leap onto her back. As soon as she's there, she curls up into a ball and falls back asleep.

He looks at her curiously. "Why would the pets need to see me at work? I'm not against it, I'm just curious as to your reasoning."

She facehoofs, realizing how indirect her words were. ...I really don't want to worry the pets...I hear some animals have a fear of his kind of workplace... She slowly lowers her hoof, giving him her best blank look. "...you tell me, Doctor...isn't it normal for a newly-acquired pet to visit you?"

It dawns on him. "Oh, that's what you mean. Well, I suppose I could bring them in today if I wanted. It's really just a checkup with maybe the first of a few boosters. What do you think?"

"That sounds good. Like I said, I need to take care of a few things before I go to work." Mostly minor stuff around the house, but I digress. She glances around, trying to see if she forgot anything. ...oh, yeah. I should probably get something for his birthday...what would he like, though?

He nods before leaning down to the furry trio. "Alright then little ones, let me get cleaned up and then you'll be coming to work with me today." He looks over to Gel. "Would you mind putting some of the toys we got them in my saddlebags while I'm in the shower? Also a bit of each of their foods, we have to make sure they get the nutrition to keep growing."

"I'll be sure to do that." She carefully sets Selena on the ground before turning to gather the toys. ...let's see...what all did we get them, again?

A tug on her tail causes her to jolt in surprise. Turning to look, she sees the kitten batting at her tail and jumping on it. ...aww...I'd put that toy in Rhino's bag, but I kind of need that... She giggles at her own joke before putting the toys she figured they'd enjoy the most into the bags.

Mercury decides that since everypony is busy, it's time for breakfast. So he scampers off towards the stairs in his little silvery streak. Specter watches this before simply gliding down and landing on the saddlebags, burrowing a little into them as he peeks to see what's inside.

She smiles at him, shaking her head a bit. "...curious one, isn't he?" She grabs a bit of each of their pet food, putting them in separate bags and marking them with their names. Okay, so Specter has the herbivore mix, Selena has the carnivore mix and Mercury has the omnivore mix...which is pretty much the herbivore and carnivore mix mixed together... She smirks, putting the smaller bags into the other saddlebag. ...this reminds me of a logic puzzle...always love to do those...

Eventually, Specter too, goes downstairs to get breakfast. Selena has the idea as well, but she decides on a different approach. She lightly paws at Gel's legs meowing cutely.

She leans down to her, cooing softly. "...would you like me to get you some food?" She happily nuzzles the kitten, enjoying the affection coming from her.

The blueish-grey kitten simply meows in response. She does her best adorable face, which at this point in her life is pretty darn effective.

Gel giggles, lifting the cute cat onto her back. "Let's go get your food, hmm?" She heads downstairs, humming a slow, graceful tune even as the lyrics play in her head. This day is going to be perfect... She pauses at the foot of the stairs, confused. ...where did that song come from?

Another meow sounds from her passenger. Accompanying that is the subtle dual sounds of rustling food from the other two small eaters in the house.

She sheepishly smiles, heading into the kitchen to get her food. She consults the journal for a moment, frowning slightly. ...okay, so her food is in the pantry... She opens the cupboard, pulling out a scoop and getting some of the food. ...and the silver bowl is hers... She looks at the three bowls, seeing that one of them was a lot fancier than the others. ...she apparently requested that while we were purchasing their items...huh... She pours the food into the fancy bowl, smiling softly. "...there you go, Selena...please enjoy..."

She lets out a single pleased meow before gracefully dismounting and starting to daintily eat her food. Contrastly, Mercury is going all out to scarf down his food, and Specter is sitting up and holding each piece in his paws while he eats it. All three tiny critters look content as they munch away.

Gel lays down and watches them, smiling softly. "...you're all so interesting in your own ways..." She sighs, resting her head on her forehooves. ...I wish I could converse with them...

After a few more minutes, Rhino comes down the stairs, smiling at the three little ones just finishing up their meals. He remarks to Gel. "You know... I think we're going to do just fine raising them."

She looks up at him, nodding a bit. "...so do I..." She moves over to him and gently nuzzles his cheek. "...you'll make sure they get what they need, right, love?"

"Of course." He nuzzles her back before turning to the pets. "Alright little ones, I'm gonna go ahead and grab some breakfast myself before we head out. Go ahead and say goodbye to Mom while I'm doing that."

She blushes brightly, a wisp of steam coming off her head. ...Mom? She shakes her head, trying to dispel her embarrassment. "...I'll see you all later, alright?" She strokes each of them with a hoof, smiling kindly at them.

They all crowd around her, rubbing on her with affection. They each make their various noises as they look up at her with their eyes.

She blinks, starting to feel woozy. ...wow...t-that's a lot of affection...I-I should head out... "...um...I-I'll be right back...see you later..." She trots out of the kitchen and leaves the house, her head still swimming a bit. ...first stop...nausea medicine...second...a gift for Rhino's birthday...here I go! She heads down the street, a bright grin on her face. This should be the best present he's ever gotten!

Rhino chuckles. "From never having a pet to having three, I guess it can be a bit overwhelming..." He chomps down the last few bites of his breakfast. "Alright fuzzies," he kneels down, "load up." The three climb onto him, Specter taking his spot on the head, Mercury in center back, and Selena above the cutie marks. The stallion carefully settles his saddlebags on and leaves the house himself, locking it behind him. "And away we go."

***

Gel frowns, raising first one earring then another, trying to figure out which to wear. "What do you think?" She turns to the silver fox, tilting her head to one side. "Would he like the diamond studs better, or the gold hoops?"

Mercury swishes his tail as he looks between the two. After a moment, he noses towards the diamond stud, giving the gold hoops a small growl.

The mare smiles, leaning down and happily nuzzling him. "Thank you, my little kit." She turns back to the mirror, putting the smaller pair in her ears. "...dear Luna, I'm so nervous...I hope the restaurant is fancy enough..." She puts on her frameless glasses as she smooths out her blue sundress. She does a little spin, giggling at how the dress billows behind her before a thought occurs to her. "...I'm not overdressed, am I?"

The kit rolls his eyes as he walks up to her and rubs her leg to reassure her. After about a minute of this he goes behind her and starts nudging her towards the door out of her room.

She blushes brightly, embarrassed. "R-right, I should see how Rhino's doing." She steps into the hall and up to his door, hesitating for just a moment before quietly knocking. ...I wonder how he looks, right now...

Rhino looks up from where he had been finishing buttoning up his deep red shirt. "One second." He looks over to the bed where Selene is sitting next to a red and black striped tie. He levitates it over and starts trying to tie it correctly, unfortunately, being out of practice, this goes less than stellar. "Umm, go ahead and come in, I'm just finishing up."

Gel enters, blinking in surprise at his outfit. "...w-wow...y-you look...really handsome..." She sheepishly smiles, stepping forward and taking his tie in her magic. "...l-let me fix that for you..." Thank goodness I've had practice with this before...

He smiles sheepishly at her. "Thanks Angel, I've never been really good with these." He looks her over. "You look beautiful by the way."

She blushes brightly at this, smiling kindly. "...t-thank you, love..." She finishes with his tie, nodding satisfactorily. "...that should do it..." She leans forward and tenderly kisses him, giggling a bit.

He chuckles as well. "Excellent, now I can finish getting ready." He floats over a suit jacket and slips it on, buttoning the two buttons at the bottom. "And the final piece..." A black fedora with red ribbon around the base of the dome slides towards him on the bed. The brim lifts to reveal Specter underneath it, offering it to him. "Thanks Specs." Rhino dons his hat then turns back to the mare. "How do I look?"

She stares in stunned silence, a wisp of steam forming from the top of her head. "...a-amazing..." She coughs, shyly averting her gaze. "...w-we might want to leave, soon...I-I think the reservation's at eight..."

He nods. "Alright..." He looks hesitantly at the gathered pets. "Are you sure they'll be alright while we're gone?"

"I'm absolutely sure, love." She gently nuzzles his cheek. "We need to trust them. Besides..." She leans close, whispering in his ear. "...I think Specter might keep them in line..." She turns to leave, brushing her tail against his chin playfully. "...let's go, Rhino..." She waves to the two on the bed. "See you later, little ones."

She turns to the doorway, seeing the silver fox in the middle of the hallway. She smiles kindly, leaning down to nuzzle him. "You, too, Mercury."

He purrs as she nuzzles him, going into the room and climbing up to Rhino's bed with the others after. The stallion looks at the little critters a moment before leaning down and wrapping all of them in a hug. "You guys be good and be safe while we're gone." He turns and follows Gel.

Once the owners are out the door, all the young pets look at each other. Mercury flips over onto his back and idly paws at the air. 'Well, I'm bored, anything you two had in mind to do before I go crazy and just start doing whatever pops into my head?'

Selena rolls her eyes, curling up into a ball. '...as irresponsible as always, I see...' She flicks her tail over her nose, uninterested in the kit's words.

The fox flips over and crawl over to her. 'Come on, Selly, haven't you ever wanted to be a little wild? You can't be refined all the time.'

Specter interjects. 'There is such a thing as too wild you know.'

Mercury scoffs. 'Yeah and then there's you, I'm not sure you have any wildness in you.'

The kitten opens one eye, looking at the two of them with mild annoyance. 'Can you two keep it down? I'm trying to catch up on my beauty sleep.'

Specter winces. 'Sorry Selena, I'll try to keep him quiet.'

The kit scoffs. 'Good luck with that. I'm grabbing Bubbles and we're going exploring.' He jumps off the bed and goes through the toys until he comes up with a squeaky rubber fish. He turns and squeaks it derisively at them before walking out of the room, head held high.'

She stares after him before turning to the squirrel, bemused. 'Where, exactly, does he plan on exploring?'

His nose twitches. 'Well, we've only been here a day, no way we've seen everything. Though... I hope he doesn't mean to go out into the backyard, Rhino would have a fit.'

Selena sighs, uncurling herself. 'Agreed.' She stretches momentarily before gracefully leaping onto the floor. She looks up at him, a weary tone in her voice. 'I suppose we'll have to see what he's up to.'

The sudden sound of a rattling cabinet from what sounds like the downstairs bathroom makes the squirrel nod. 'Agreed, and quickly.'

The two make their way downstairs, Specter simply gliding down while Selena has to take the stairs. They reach the bathroom door which is being held open by the fish toy to keep it from shutting. A shuffling sound can be heard from inside.

The kitten enters the bathroom, sliding for a moment before righting herself. She carefully approaches the cabinet, hearing the noise coming from it. She sits outside it, tail twitching slightly. 'We know you're in there, Mercury. Now be a dear and come out, hmm?'

The cabinet cracks open, revealing a pink nose with the rest of the face covered in a fluffy white towel. 'I am the towel ghost! Beware!'

Specter snickers but still manages to get a comment in. 'I think if anyone has the right to be a ghost around here, it's me.'

Selena groans, holding a paw over her eyes. 'Why must you disorganize their linens?'

'Oh lighten up, kitty.' A balled up washcloth comes soaring out of the cabinet, bonking the kitten on the head before unfolding and draping over it. 'I wonder what else is in here...'

'If you keep that up, darling, then you'll be finding trouble.' She pulls the cloth off herself, frowning at the fox. She doesn't realize that her fur has become filled with static electricity. 'I implore you, please leave their towels alone.'

'Never! The realm of the great Silver Lord shall never be conquered!' He peeks his head out. 'Though visiting princesses are welcome.' Specter is unable to speak at this due to trying to hold in his laughter.

The kitten brushes her fur back into place, her head down to hide a small smile. 'I'm glad we both agree on one thing.' She paws at his nose, smirking coyly. 'You are coming out, though, one way or another.' She purrs, turning and sauntering towards the bathroom door. 'A princess always gets her way.'

The squirrel looks at the kit. 'I think she has something planned for you, and I am both curious and afraid to find out what it is.' He climbs up to one of the towels hanging off the rack on the wall. 'I'll watch from way up here, in the safety of the sky towel fortress.'

Selena puts a paw on the fish, eyes narrowed. 'I wonder how Mom and Dad would react to finding you in here, and their towels all messed up?' She raises the paw, licking it as she watches the fox disinterestedly.

Mercury looks away. 'I'd just employ your strategy and pass off everything I do as cute so that they don't have the heart to so anything but coo over me.'

Selena frowns at this, realizing that she was losing the debate. 'Touche.' She turns to leave, nose turned up in distaste. 'Fine. Have your petty victory.' She glances over at the kit, a twinkle in her eye. 'I'm still their precious princess.' She exits the bathroom, heading up the stairs.

The kit looks at the spot where the feline just was, a smile slowly forming on his face. Specter shudders at this. 'I don't like what i see in that look of yours...'

A vulpine face turns to him. 'Good, then you'll agree when I say that you should probably go get an alibi so she doesn't think you were in on what I'm about to do.'

The squirrel's ear twitches. 'Is that my blanket calling? I'd better go check on it, bye!' He scampers off quickly, at first just running to a different part of the house, but turning back and heading to the room he knew Selena would be in just so he can make sure things don't get out of hand.

The fox gathers up the biggest towel he can find and starts quietly creeping up the stairs with it folded on his back. Peeking into one of the bedrooms, he sees Selena curled up and trying to sleep. Stealthily, he creeps up to just below her, flipping over on his back and setting the towel on his feet. With a sudden push, he launches it into the air, where it unfolds like a canvas and quickly envelopes the feline.

For a moment, there is no response. Slowly, building like a snowball rolling down a snowy hill, a growl comes from under the towel. She leaps off the pony-sized bed, landing on top of the fox and pinning him, the large cloth easily covering his form. 'I may not be one for fighting, but I can handle myself when I need to.'

She daintily steps off, heading over to her fancy pet bed. 'Next time, dear, don't mess with a lady.' She curls up on her purple silk cushion, enjoying the shade of her gazebo.

Specter decides to use this moment as he glides down and lands on top of the covered form. He puts one knee up in a victorious pose. 'The Silver Lord is conquered, crushed by the wall of his own fortress! Now begins the reign of the Black Knight!'

A voice comes from under the towel. 'The Silver Lord shall rise again!'

The squirrel brings over the fox's blankets and piles it on top of him. 'Not today he won't.'

Selena opens an eye, looking at the two of them. 'Unless you both want the wrath of the Gray Princess on you, you'll be quiet while she naps.'

A loud squeak from underneath the pile of cloth causes Specter to look under it in curiosity. Mercury puts on an innocent face as he points to the squeaky fish next to him. 'Don't look at me, it was Bubbles.'

Soon enough, the front door opens, the couple returning from their date. Gel frowns slightly, sitting down in the hallway. "...well...that was...unexpected..."

The stallion nods. "Yes... I don't think I could have ever seen that coming... I'll admit I'm a bit conflicted as to whether we should go back or not."

She shrugs, giggling a bit. "Well, at least we got a free dessert out of it." She steps further into the house, starting to take off her earrings. "I would go back for more of that gelato, but that's about it."

"Fair point." Rhino unties his tie and unbuttons his jacket. "I'm about worried about how the little ones faired." He starts up the stairs.

"I'm sure they're just fine." Even so, she follows him, nudging open the door to their bedroom.

Selena steps through the gap, looking up at them and mewing happily.

Rhino sits down and brings the kitten into a hug. "There's my little girl. Where are the two other rascals at?"

The bluish-gray kitten points into the room, indicating the white towel in the middle of the room, which is currently draped over something.

He walks in, grabbing one end of the towel in his magic and lifting up. He smiles when it reveals the two male pets lightly dozing, the fox using his fish toy as a pillow. "Awww..." He motions Gel over so she can see.

She walks over, putting a hoof to her chest. "...aww...that's so cute..." She blinks, looking at the towel in confusion. "...isn't this one of your beach towels, love?"

He takes another look. "Huh, so it is. I guess they got into the towel cabinet..." He chuckles. "I guess they had their own fun while we were gone."

She giggles, quietly leaning against his side. "...it sure seems so..." She sits quietly for a moment before looking up at him, blushing a bit. "...have you ever...wondered what they think?"

He nods. "I've always been one to say that pets are smarter than we give them credit for. But they seem content with their lot in life, so I don't think we need to treat them any differently than we already do."

Gel quietly nods, looking down at the kitten currently weaving between her legs. "...I suppose you're right..." She yawns softly, starting to take her dress off. "...I think it'd be best for us to go to sleep, soon..." She playfully pokes his shoulder, smirking a bit. "And you should join me...no fun tonight, though." She places her glasses and earrings on her nightstand, hanging up her dress and pulling out a set of socks.

"I find that ironic as you just start stripping in front of me in my room." He shakes his head as he starts taking off his own formal wear. "Besides, the little ones are present, no way I'd let us do things like that while they're watching."

She rolls her eyes, slipping the socks on and sliding into bed. "I wouldn't do that, even if I was in heat." She smiles as Selena leaps onto the bed and curls up in the center of the mattress, up against Gel's belly. "...it seems our little princess just swiped Mercury's spot..."

He chuckles as he sets the other two pets on the end of the bed, where they begin to stir. "I'm sure they'll find their own spots." As he settles into the bed as well, Specter climbs up onto one of the pillows, draping himself over Rhino's head. Mercury makes his way up and curls himself into the crook of the stallion's foreleg. "See? Everyone's comfy."

She giggles, leaning forward and tenderly kissing him. "...good night, love...good night, little ones..." She closes her eyes, sighing softly as she lets herself drift off to sleep.