Darkness settled over Ponyville after a long day intended for thoughtful reflection. For some, the day was ending, for others, it was only beginning. For a few, their work never ended.

“I am very sorry to have interrupted you,” Violet Velvet said in an apologetic voice.

“Think nothing of it,” Sunset Shimmer said. She looked at the older mare. “What brings you here?”

“Telegraph. Official Crown dispatch,” Violet replied.

“Bartleby, darling, would you, could you, be so kind and fix our guest something pleasant to drink?” Sunset Shimmer turned her head and looked at Violet. “Anything in particular that you would like? We have tea, coffee, and cocoa.”

“Tea would be wonderful.” Violet made herself at home and sat down upon a round cushion placed on the floor, which sat beside a low table intended for serving low tea.

“I’ll get right on it,” Bartleby said as he climbed out of his chair and got to work.

“So what is happening?” Sunset Shimmer asked. She sat down on a round cushion beside Violet and got herself comfortable. Using her magic, she began to pull tea cakes and biscuits from an ornamental metal breadbox. She also pulled out a silver tray to place the assorted goodies upon.

“We’ve captured another crystal unicorn.” A triumphant grin spread over Violet’s face. “A group calling themselves the Manehatten Knights, a group that has helped a great deal during Manehatten’s reconstruction after Tirek’s rampage, they encountered the crystal unicorn. Turns out they’ve been trying to figure out who has been sabotaging the reconstruction efforts. There was quite a fight and several of their number died. A very helpful drake got involved, he works in the city lifting girders into place and offers his services as a living crane. Anyhow, they took the crystal unicorn alive and pummeled him into submission. He’s sitting in Canterlot right now and Shining Armor is about to go to work on him.”

“This is fantastic news!” Sunset Shimmer’s whole face brightened. “I mean, it’s tragic that there are a few dead, but some heroes, real heroes, came and saved the day.”

“Common ponies rising up in defense of their home and their country.” Violet took off her half moon reading glasses and began to polish and clean them with a soft cloth she produced out of her jacket pocket.

“Trixie understands… there was a point in Trixie’s life where she would have ran away from trouble.” Trixie lifted her head and held it high. “But now, Trixie has a family. Trixie has students that look up to her. Trixie has a home. All of these things are worth fighting for.”

“Indeed.” Violet slipped her glasses back on to her face. The middle aged mare turned to look at Sunset Shimmer. “You are needed in Canterlot. Shining Armor would like to have you there as soon as possible.”

“Tomorrow morning?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“Tonight if possible,” Violet replied.

Slumping down, Sunset Shimmer sighed. “I guess I’ll go right after tea.”

“We can come with you.” Trixie looked at Sunset Shimmer and gave her a soft smile.

“No, you don’t have to do that. It’s cold out there and I’ll be busy in Canterlot and—”

“We can come and help you. Ease your burden. Besides, I am in need of access to the royal library for our little project.” Trixie, looking hopeful, waited for Sunset Shimmer’s response.

“Fine, we can all go. I don’t even need to ask if Bartleby wants to go.” Sunset Shimmer looked over at the griffon, who was measuring out tea into a small mesh strainer.

“I would very much like to visit with King Tannis, Queen Agnetha, and Prince Beauregard,” Bartleby said in a cheerful voice.

“Come morning, I have my own task to look after. I have to go to Appleloosa. Going to be a long trip.” Violet eyed the tea tray and felt her stomach gurgle. She let out a tiny sigh and resigned herself to good manners. She would wait.

“What’s in Appleloosa?” Sunset Shimmer asked.

“A couple of bodies that have been completely desiccated and dried out,” Violet replied. “No, we don’t know what caused it. Fever Cure and Mask are coming down from Canterlot on the morning train, and then we’re all going down to Appleloosa together. I am not looking forward to the trip. Something about the description gave me the heebie jeebies.”

Sunset Shimmer felt a cold chill go crawling up her spine. “Creepy…”

Having tucked her two smaller sisters in, Dinky settled into bed to read by hornlight. Sukari seemed spooked about something, she was quite upset, but would not talk about what was wrong. Dinky worried that Sukari might not be capable of explaining what was bothering her. Dinky’s ears perked as she heard Harper humming a tune to calm Sukari down.

Each day, Harper was becoming a little more musical, given to humming, drumming on the floor, and even trying to sing. Even Dinky could see that Harper showed talent as far as music went.

“You know, getting those bunk beds was stupid,” Piña said from the top bunk.

“Why is that, Piña?” Dinky lifted her head and listened.

“They sleep together. I think if you stuffed one of them into the top bunk, they’d both start crying,” Piña replied in a low, soft voice.

“Hmm, maybe.” Dinky looked over at the bed where her little sisters were laying. She saw Sukari’s mouth open in a wide yawn. “When Cadance is ready to leave the nursery, I wonder where they will put her?”

“Plenty of room in the bed with Harper and Sukari.” Piña stuck her head out over the edge of her bunk and looked down at Dinky. “I miss sleeping together.”

“I do too.” Dinky looked up and saw Piña looking down. “You know, you could fit Bell Heather in the bed with them too. It’d be a long time before they’re big enough to crowd each other out.”

“Even if they did get big, I don’t think it would matter,” Piña said.

“Why is that, Piña?”

“Our parents sleep in a big bed. But if you’ve ever gone in and seen them when they are all asleep, they’re all piled together in the same spot and most of the bed is empty,” Piña replied.

“Yeah… that’s true. Except now that mama and Berry are both so big, they’ve needed a little more room.” Dinky thought about her mother and felt an odd sense of longing. “I miss sleeping with my mama.”

“I remember when I was really, really little… I would sneak out of my bed, go creeping down the hall, and then get into bed with Berry when I was scared. Like when it was thundering or the wind was howling.” Piña, her eyes half closed, smiled.

“I feel bad for Sentinel. He sleeps in a room all by himself,” Dinky said. “I wonder if he’s lonesome.”

“You shouldn’t be in here,” Sentinel said in a low whisper. He looked at the griffoness cub that had made herself at home, sitting in his chair in front of his desk. Her crest was raised in a way that made him feel worried.

“Why?” Boadicea tilted her head to one side. “You’re a good colt. You wouldn’t do anything untoward with me, would you?”

“That’s not the point.” Sentinel held up his hoof. “We’re both—”

“You let Diamond Tiara in here with you.” Boadicea turned her head around and looked at the things on Sentinel’s desk. She reached out her talons and picked up a drawing. “What’s this?”

“That’s—”

“Diamond Tiara,” Boadicea said. “This is saucy… the way she’s biting on her hoof, I like this.” She lifted the picture higher and moved her head closer to have a better look. “Does Diamond Tiara know that you drew her in this position?”

“She posed for that picture,” Sentinel replied as he stared down at the floor, his cheeks on fire. He was unable to look at Boadicea. “Diamond Tiara laid down on my bed, rolled over, and told me to start drawing. She bit down on her hoof as I was sketching and she made those eyes at me.”

“You spent a lot of time sketching her teats.”

A shrill squeak escaped Sentinel and then a whimper. “I wanted them to be perfect, she deserves to have every detail be perfect…”

“So… why were you looking at this when I came in?” Boadicea asked in a teasing voice. She turned and looked at Sentinel while still holding the picture of Diamond Tiara.

“I… I was studying my own work, trying to see how I could improve… I don’t like how I drew her knees or her elbows, they don’t look right and the next time I draw her I want them to be perfect.”

Giggling, Boadicea put the picture down and watched as Sentinel stood squirming. She had succeeded beyond her wildest expectations in getting the colt flustered. She hopped down out of the chair she was sitting in and walked over to Sentinel. She extended a wing, stroked his cheek, and then stood beak to snoot with Sentinel.

“I could pose for you… would you like to practice your strokes?” Boadicea batted her eyelashes as she continued to brush her wingtips over Sentinel’s cheeks.

“Nyah-umph,” Sentinel mumbled, his utterance incomprehensible.

“Get your paper, get your charcoal sticks, and then you tell me how you want me to pose,” Boadicea said in a low whisper. “Just make me look pretty, like you did Diamond Tiara. That’s all I ask.”

“Ayuh.” Sentinel nodded.

“Come on, get a little exercise. You won’t fall, I won’t let you.” Lyra made a gesture as Derpy took a few cautious steps. The golden glow of Lyra’s magic was wrapped around the whole of Derpy’s body, making the pegasus lighter.

“Come on, let’s get you in the tub,” Bon Bon said as she stood in the bathroom door, waiting, watching, feeling anxious. Derpy’s movements were stiff and Bon Bon felt a pang of worry.

“Bonnie, be gentle when you shove her through the door, try to press in on her sides first if you can and then try to ease her through.” Thistle sat on the floor, Bell Heather beside her, watching as Derpy made her way to the bathroom.

“I really gotta go pee.” Derpy eyed the door and stopped walking. “Every day it is getting harder to fit. It hurts going through there.”

“Wait, let me pop the door off of the hinges maybe… that would give us a few extra inches… see how the door itself sticks out into the doorway?” Lyra peered at the doorway and then back at Derpy.

“What do we do with the door? If we prop it up against a wall, it could fall over on a foal,” Bon Bon said, her face crinkling with worry.

“I pull the door off of the hinges, I get Derpy into the tub, when she’s comfortable in the water, I take the door outside and put it on the back porch… and then we get used to not having a door on the bathroom.” Lyra’s lips pressed into a pucker of concentration. “Maybe tomorrow, we ask some of the woodworker griffons to widen the door frame and hang a wider door.”

“That seems reasonable.” Thistle got up, took a few steps, and then stood beside Derpy. She patted the grey pegasus on the shoulder. “Be careful with her wings, she’s carrying a lot of water weight right now and they’re probably tender. Don’t bang them on anything getting through the door.”

There was a loud screech as the bathroom door was lifted off of its brass hinges. Lyra levitated it out of the bathroom, moving it in a skillful manner, and then lay it down atop of the bed, out of the way.

Grunting, Derpy began walking again. She spread her wings out, stretched them, and then positioned them straight up, pointing them above her body, trying to reduce her profile as much as she could.

“Suck it in!” Bon Bon cried as she rose up on her hind hooves and placed her front hooves just behind Derpy’s wings.

“It kinda looks like Bonnie is mounting Derpy,” Thistle said, giggling and covering her mouth with her hoof.

‘Mount mount mount… you keep saying that.” Lyra shook her head.

“I’m lonesome and needy. I need to be mounted.” Thistle stopped giggling and gave Lyra a serious look. “As much as I like a little filly on filly action, I am in dire need of a good hard di—”

“Thistle! Foals!” Bon Bon cried as she shook her head.

“Oh, see, that’s what I mean. I need to be mounted to make those,” Thistle said in a soft, innocent tone that was impossible to be angry with.

Working in tandem, Lyra and Bon Bon began trying to get Derpy through the door. Removing the door helped, Derpy’s ribs weren’t scraping along the rough edge of the door. Lyra pulled and tugged with her magic, while Bon Bon pushed Derpy from behind, shoving her through the doorway with gentle nudges and bumps.

“It sorta looks like Bon Bon is humping Derpy—”

“Thistle!” Bon Bon squeezed her eyes shut. “So help me, if you say one more word, I am going to work you over later until you beg me for mercy!”

“I want to watch!” Derpy said as more of her bulk was shoved through the door. “I’m so bored! I can’t take it anymore!”

“Word,” Thistle said in bold defiance. She grinned, revealing needle teeth.

“The kelpie is impossible,” Bon Bon muttered. She rolled her eyes and gave Derpy another gentle shove. “This is impossible… I really hope I don’t have twins! We can’t keep doing this! Umph! Get through the door!” Bon Bon braced her hind legs, squeezed Derpy’s sides with her forelegs, and then used her hips to bump Derpy forwards.

“Thistle’s right. It does kinda look like you are humping Derpy—”

“Lyra Heartstrings, you are so dead!”

“Oops, too far!”

Author's Notes:

Draw me like your Fancy typos...