The Sparkle Family Reunion

by sunnypack

First published 15th of May, 2015

An honorary sister. An adoptive family dragon. Two princesses. A prince. The two most overbearing parents in the world. A loony grandma. The Sparkles are coming to visit.

Twilight hasn't really been responding to her mother's letters. It wasn't really her fault, there was so much going on in the meantime! She thought she could have swept it under the rug, but now they're going to visit?! What's a mare to do?!

An appropriately apologetic fic to MustacheMerlin.

1 - Greetings, We Come In Peace

*BURP*

Luckily, Spike was in the middle of dusting crystal shelves, or his breath will most likely have left permanent scorch marks. He wryly considered the scrolled parchment that had appeared in emerald flames. Emerald flames that would have carbonised the old library’s shelves. It was a good thing that their new residence was mainly fireproof, he wouldn’t know what to do if flames from a dragon set the whole place ablaze. Starting fires was something he was good at… stopping them was an entirely different matter.

Looking back at the scroll, he realised the seal was from Princess Luna. Curiosity won over the little dragon and he broke open the seal, unwinding the parchment to read its contents.

Dear Noble Dragon,

Spike grinned. This was off to a good start. At least it wasn’t addressed to Twilight like it always was. ‘Noble Dragon’, eh? Nice title. Could he keep it?

We regret to inform you that due to some confusing scheduling mishaps, we have received an inordinate amount of gems. It will be hard to process them all at Canterlot castle, what with the gem-obsessed nobility nearby. We’d come to a decision and we’d rather trust a gem-eating dragon than anypony in Canterlot with safeguarding these precious materials. My sister and I will be along sometime to drop them off. Please let Princess Twilight know.

Fare thee well,

Princess Luna

P.S. No need for any fanfare, it wouldn’t do to let everypony know we’re lugging along a cartload of gems.

The parchment fell to the floor. Gems?! They expected him of all creatures to safeguard gems?! His claws twitched, his mouth was already salivating at the delectable image of the veritable hoard of gems the Princesses were no doubt in possession of. He shook his head, trying to dispel the pleasant fantasy.

No, no, no! Not good.

He snapped his claws. Wait! Maybe Twilight could figure out a spell to stop him from eating the gems. He spotted Twilight scrabbling down the stairs. That was strange, she looked…

He started. Twilight had that expression again. The ‘we have to save Equestria from certain death’ one.

That, or it was ‘we ran out of quills again’. The behaviour was infuriatingly similar. Twilight scanned the chamber, spotted Spike with a reared head and beelined straight towards him.

“What’s wrong, Twi’?” His voice warbled in the large chamber of the castle grounds.

Twilight stumbled to a stop in front of the dragon, her antsy hooves unable to keep still as she regarded him with a look almost akin to pure unadulterated terror.

“This is bad, Spike,” she groaned. “Really bad.”

“Did you forget to order a book? Is Ponyville on fire? Are we under attack? No wait, Nightmare Moon has returned and we’re all going to get eaten alive?!”

Twilight stopped fidgeting and stared at Spike. It looked like his unorthodox inferences had temporarily derailed her thoughts.

“How the hay could any of those happen?” Twilight spluttered with a frown.

“What? They really could. Crazy things tend to happen around here.”

Finally, Twilight conceded the point with a dip of her head. Her gaze drifted out of focus. With the intensity of her concentration, the little dragon could almost see her weighing on a scale, in mid-air, of all of the potential disasters and comparing it to current situation at hoof. With a snap, Twilight savagely shook her head, the motion of it freeing a few mane strands, and she returned to her panicked state.

“No, I’m pretty sure this is worse than all of them combined,” she surmised.

Spike swallowed, his eyes widening apprehensively.

“W-What’s happening?” he squeaked, almost afraid of the answer.

Twilight hoofed over a letter wordlessly. Spike took it hesitantly. At least it wasn’t Princess-related.

To my favourite daughter,

It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen each other! I was getting worried that something might have happened, what with you disappearing off the grid and becoming a Princess. We know you like to make your own decisions and we respect that, goodness me, signing up to an exclusive school for gifted unicorns was something we were both proud to support! But I’d still like to keep in touch. I know, I know, I’m sure you’re busy with your studies and you’ve got your own life to live. Sometimes sending a letter once every half a year can get difficult. What would I know? I’m just your mother.

Spike tore his gaze away from the writing, the last few sentences slowly sinking in, his jaw dropping.

“Half a year?!” he spluttered.

“It was a busy year!” Twilight mumbled. Spike considered the statement. He cast his mind back over the year.

He accepted it with a diplomatic nod of his head. Then he glanced back at the letter.

“She doesn’t sound too happy,” he added in the ensuing silence. The letter had been pretty snippy.

Twilight clasped her hooves above her head, sinking to the floor with a pitiful moan.

“I knooow, but it gets worse…”

Spike returned his attention to the letter, quickly picking up where he left off.

Since you’re too busy to write us a letter, I’ve decided to give you a lovely surprise! The whole family is coming to visit! We thought it would be a good idea since there’s a lot of space in that shiny new castle of yours. Yes, I do happen to keep up with the news, I’m in Canterlot, not Appleloosa. I think it’s a lovely opportunity to get together. This time you can’t beg off with saving Equestria again and if there is a national crisis, let your friend Discord handle it, he’s such a sweetie. Your helpful mother has included a list of the guests that are to come. Don’t worry, it’s only a small family gathering, just immediate members. Be sure to hide any cider from your grandmother, you know how she gets when she sees it. I’ve sent the invitation to your best friend as well, she’s practically family. Oh, I do look forward to catching up with my daughter, particularly with any new and exciting developments that may or may not be life-altering. We’ve got to talk about the thing. Your brother’s already doing it, dear! Oh, but I’m so excited to finally see you again! I should end this letter before I run out of ink!

Best Wishes! See you soon!

Your Mom

P.S. Mind your mother, darling, I already went through my crisis. — Dad

Spike shook his head, they were just as eccentric as he remembered them. Wait, there was something else in the letter… He cocked his head.

“Best friend?” Spike queried.

Twilight pressed her head to the crystal floor of the castle.

“Moondancer? We’re not that close anymore!” Twilight moaned and pawed at the floor. “Ooooh, this is what I get for not putting my notes in the Cloud before the library exploded!”

Spike glanced at the gentle puffs of ‘clouds’ floating around the room. If he squinted, he could see the fine layers of white paper and text that made up the wispy structures of the gently levitating magical constructs. With a faint pulse and silvered glow, the clouds of textual matter converged above Twilight and seemed to grow… heavier.

“You know, Twi’, I don’t think these ‘Cloud’ things are ever going to take off. They seem so… transparent. Like anypony could read your notes.” He shrugged. “Besides, can’t only unicorns use them?”

“THE CLOUD IS THE FUTURE!” Twilight shot back. Spike cringed.

“Okay, yeesh!” He flapped the letter. Best not open that can of worms. “What are you going to do about the family reunion?”

Twilight jolted up, her ears perking.

“I know a spell!” she exclaimed, bolting across the room.

“Twilight, TWILIGHT! Hang on, stop! No.” Spike skidded across the room and blocked the doorway. Twilight tried to edge past him, but he folded his arms and stared the frantic alicorn down with hooded eyes.

“Come on, Twi’, why’s it so bad having them come over?”

Twilight bit her lip.

“It’s only a small spell,” she whined, eyes wide and pleading. Spike shook his head in response. It was obvious she was avoiding the question.

“Twilight,” he stated flatly. “The last time I heard you say that, the kitchen exploded.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes. “I don’t get it, cooking should be like chemistry, but with food! Why is it so hard?!”

Spike rubbed a weary claw over his face. Twilight was dodging the question.

“Twi—” he started, but the alicorn wilted, a moan interrupting the beginnings of a misgiving lecture.

“Oh I know, Spike! It’s just that… it’s just that…” She trailed off, a hoof tracing circles on the floor.

“Just what?”

“It’s just that Mom’s been getting this thing…”

“A thing?”

“Like all her recent letters have all been all about this… thing.”

“What thing?” Spike’s nose wrinkled in confusion.

Hooves flailed. “You know…” Twilight glanced around. “About things…”

Spike shrugged. “I don’t get it.”

Spike regarded Twilight as she worked her jaw, trying to frame her thoughts in a way that he would understand.

“The thing!” Twilight stressed. “I don’t know what this thing is, but she sounds serious!”

Spike blinked.

“Woah,” Spike replied. He blinked, trying hard to understand the implications Twilight was stressing… and failing miserably to come to the same conclusions. “Woah,” he repeated. He shook his head, giving the alicorn a curious look. “So, what’s the thing?”

Twilight’s right eyelid twitched. It should have been a warning sign, he should have backed out of the room right there.

“I mean you know what the thing is, right?”

A vein pulsed.

“No I don’t, Spike! I need to know what this thing is, it’s driving me crazy!”

“Calm down!” Spike exclaimed, his face full of Twilight’s snorting muzzle. He pushed it away with a claw. “Why don’t we approach this rationally?” Twilight was a logical mare. She’d calm down if she sat down and thought about it for a while… right?

Twilight nodded glumly, most of the steam taken out of her with the simple statement of reassurance. The dragon relaxed as she nodded.

“Right,” she said. “Rationally. Just gotta think about this logically.”

Spike smiled. That seemed to work. Twilight just needed to think things through—

“I know!” Twilight blurted. “I’ll just ask my friends! Surely they know what to do in this sort of situation?!”

Then again, Twilight tended to overthink things. Spike recognised the mad gleam seeping back into her eyes. She was going into panic mode again. He tried one more last ditch tactic. If he could get her talking, then maybe surreptitiously signal to Owlowiscious. He glanced at the perch and saw the owl fast asleep. Traitor. He took a breath. He was on his own.

“Listen, Twi’ I really think you should— woah! Hey!”

The remaining words were slammed back down his throat. With a jerk, the dragon found himself enveloped in Twilight’s magical aura. He plopped on Twilight’s back as she took off. It was all he could do to grab her mane as she charged through the double doors and out of the castle.

“It’ll be okay,” Twilight muttered more to herself, than to the dragon. “Applejack will know what to do. She’s got a big family… and a reunion…”

Spike was impeded from making a reply with each juddering knock of Twilight’s bony shoulder to his face. The successive blows were doing a really good job of scattering his already jumbled half-formed thoughts. One or two managed to get through and a general feeling was nagging the dragon. Spike couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he was supposed to mention to Twilight… He strained for a while but eventually gave up and mentally shrugged. If he couldn’t remember then it couldn’t be important, right?

Author's Notes:

I haven't been terribly active lately, mainly because real life sort of sneaks up on you and delivers its blows straight to the kidneys.

This story was a pretty fun idea and I'm going to go directions with this through my idea mill. Thanks for sticking around with me and as always, my temporally established readers, thanks for reading!

2 - Family Matters

It’s not everyday that an alicorn crash lands through a window while you were eating breakfast. One thing that never really crosses Applejack’s mind is, ‘Gee, Ah wonder how’d everypony would react to an alicorn crashin’ into our table while we’re tryin’ to have a meal’?

But that particular question and more were answered as a purple blur tumbled through their centuries old vintage window and upended an equally aged vintage table. She eyed the suspicious pile of feathers, cracked glass and shifting wood, not knowing what to expect. She thought a large bugbear might have invaded her home. A purple bugbear. She bit her lip. Probably not as likely.

There was a familiar moan from the wreckage.

“What the—oh hickory haystacks! Twilight, are you alright?”

From the debris and detritus, something that resembled a pony staggered out of the wreckage of what was to be a good family meal. Now the meal lay somewhere within the ruins and half-covering a bedraggled princess. Twilight clambered out and surveyed her attentive audience somewhat unsteadily.

Apple Bloom had a spoon halfway to her mouth, but no table to set it back down on. Granny Smith held aloft a pie she had only just retrieved from the kitchen, while Big Mac looked at the broken table and silently added it to the ever-growing list of repairs scheduled for the week. The steadfast pony supposed having a princess crashing through your window and upending family furniture was a mild improvement to the Cutie Mark Crusaders doing it.

“Twilight?”

Applejack was worried for her friend, but even she couldn’t keep a glib undertone of exasperation. You’d think one would get used to property destruction in Ponyville, but every time it happens it’s a whole plethora of frustration. Little did she know, her brother was having the exact same thoughts. With the resounding scrape of a chair, Big Mac levered himself from his seating and dragged his hooves out of the room.

“Gettin’ the—?”

“Eeeyup,” the stallion replied, a little snippy, she didn’t really blame him.

Applejack tried again. “Twilight?”

This time the alicorn was able to focus on Applejack. She shook her head slightly and both eyes snapped to Applejack’s own. “Hey, Applejack! Just the pony I was looking for!”

“Hay, sugarcube,” Applejack greeted hesitantly, she trailed off as she groped around for words and came up short.

Granny Smith piped up in the ensuing silence. “Not that we sure ain’t happy to see you, Twilight, but why through the window?”

Apple Bloom finally decided to place the spoon on her chair and clambered out of her seating. “Are you okay, Princess?”

Twilight shook her head, but her eyes went slightly out of focus. “Fine!” she replied in a way that suggested it was anything but. “You’re good with families, right?”

Applejack glanced back at Granny Smith and Apple Bloom.

“Ah’m too old fer this,” Granny Smith replied to the pleading look. The mare got out of her chair and headed to the kitchen. “If you’ll pardon me, Ah have some cookin’ to do.”

Applejack went back to eyeing the alicorn warily. “Now sugarcube, not that Ah don’t appreciate you… dropping by, but couldn’t you have used the front door? Even Rainbow checks to make sure the window was open.”

Apple Bloom joined her sister during the observation of a rare moment when one of Applejack’s friends finally became aware of the destruction they’d caused.

Twilight twitched, looked at the mess, and then let out a gasp. “Oh, Applejack, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s alright, sugarcube,” Applejack replied uncertainly.

“Yeah, it’s not like Ah liked that table anyway,” Apple Bloom put in helpfully. Applejack shot her sister a glance. She returned the look with an exasperated huff. “Did you see Big Mac? He looked mighty mad, sis’.”

Applejack softened. “Yeah—” a thought struck her “—Apple Bloom, would you mind helpin’ him out?”

Apple Bloom pouted. “Aww Applejack—”

“Now, Apple Bloom.”

The filly sighed, visibly trying to suppress her curiosity. Under Applejack’s watchful gaze, she retreated, going out the front door. Applejack returned to Twilight, watching the alicorn fidget. Something was definitely on her mind, and it wasn’t the fact that she had destroyed part of the house. The farmer lead her friend to the adjoining room, brushing off a few splinters of wood and glass along the way. She sat her down on the couch and looked her friend in the eye with an expression that brooked no concession.

“Now, tell me what happened.”

Twilight rubbed an embarrassed hoof through her mane. “It’s kind of stupid.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, but kept silent.

Twilight pushed on. “It’s my family.”

“Your brother?” Applejack tapped a hoof nervously. “Is something wrong with the Crystal Empire?”

Twilight stared at her friend then shook her head. “No! I mean yes it has something to do with them, but no no, not the Crystal Empire. My family’s coming over.”

Applejack took a few moments to digest the bombshell. “Hay that’s wonderful, sugarcube! When’s the gathering? How many are there? What would you like me to do?”

Twilight looked liked she bit a lemon, but didn’t say anything.

“Uh, Twilight? You don’t seem all that happy.”

Twilight grimaced, but didn’t say anything, letting the silence speak for itself.

Applejack hazarded a guess. “Is there some problem with your family?”

Twilight hesitated then shook her head. “It’s not a problem, per se…”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to let the silence speak for itself.

“They’re a bit eccentric,” Twilight admitted. She nervously ran a hoof down a wing in a comforting gesture. “I mean Dad’s always been alright. Mom can be overprotective sometimes. Shining has been the best. Granny… she’s something special, and individually I can handle them…” Twilight shut her mouth and blushed when she realised she was babbling. “Anyway, it’s just that…”

“Together they’re a bit of a hoof-full?”

Twilight nodded.

Applejack nodded genially. “Huh, it’s funny apart from your brother you’ve never really mentioned your family, but now Ah can see why.” She smiled at her friend. “It’s only natural to get a little antsy when they come. You want to make a good impression.”

“More like damage-control.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Apple Bloom’s voice called out from the front door. “Hay Twilight? Spike’s here and he’s a little grumpy.”

Applejack glanced back quizzically at her friend. Twilight started, looking really guilty.

“Why’s that, Apple Bloom?” Applejack called back.

“He said she dropped him a while back.”

Twilight groaned as Applejack shot her an unimpressed stare. “I’m sorry, I had a lot on my mind.” Twilight slided off the couch and took a deep breath, looking visibly calmer. She didn’t look convinced, but it didn’t look like she thought Equestria was on the verge of collapse anymore. “Thanks, Applejack.”

“No worries, sugarcube. Just don’t get all tied up in the small stuff,” Applejack said, then gestured to the dining room. “And Ah’d be happy to help out if you need anythin’.”

“No!” Twilight said quickly. Then she scrambled out of the room, darting around Apple Bloom returning. Applejack scowled, staring after her panicked friend.

Apple Bloom sidled up to her sister and leaned in conspiratorially.

“You’re totally spyin’ on her family, aren’t ya?”

“You’re dang right, Apple Bloom.”

———————

Spike greeted Twilight with crossed arms and a tapping foot.

“Hello, uhm, my number one assistant!”

Spike raised an eyebrow, not looking as usually pleased with the title as he would be in normal circumstances. He kept silent, letting his posture do all the talking.

“Hey, I’m sorry about—”

Spike raised a claw and massaged his forehead with care. Claws were dangerous tools that should be kept away from the eyes most of the time. He took a deep breath and sighed.

“That’s right,” Spike said. “I had something to tell you, except you went into ‘Twifright’ mode.”

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, but closed it belatedly when she remembered that she had dropped him near thirty feet in the air. She cocked her head. How did he land safely?

“You’re spacing out again, Twi’.” Spike’s irate undertone cut through her scattered thoughts. “By the way, I landed in a hay bale.”

“How did you—”

“You were talking to yourself.”

“Oh.”

“So?”

“So…?”

Spike huffed. “So what did you talk about with Applejack?”

Twilight started. “Oh, right! She told me not to worry.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“And you believed her?”

“Not in the slightest.”

Spike snorted. “It’s probably good advice.”

Twilight shook her head. “What are you talking about? That’s horrible advice. She’s never seen my family.”

“Maybe you should, you know, invite your friends? It’d probably smooth everything over.”

“No!” she exclaimed, then wiped a hoof across her face. “My brother is okay, but Mom? Dad? No way.”

“Twi’…” Spike gave her the raised eyebrow look. “You’re overreacting.”

“No I’m not. It’ll be fine, perfectly fine. Fine, fine, fine!”

“You said fine like five times.”

“That’s perfectly fine. I can say fine as many times as I like.”

“That’s not the point Twi’.” He sighed. “Anyway, there’s this other thing I have—”

“Wait! I can probably create an exclusion zone around my castle. If I time the spell right…”

Spike watched as Twilight galloped down the path, neglecting the fact that she could have flown her way back to the castle. He shook his head and glanced back at Applejack who was standing a modest distance away.

“You heard all of that.” It was not a question.

“Eeyup.”

“You know what we have to do, right?”

“Eeyup.”

Spike smiled gratefully. “You gather Fluttershy and Rainbow, I’ll get Pinkie and Rarity.”

Applejack nodded, then hesitated. “Actually,” she said with a raised eyebrow. “Mind if I take Pinkie and Rarity?”

“Shucks, almost got away with it,” Spike mumbled.

Applejack chuckled and patted the little dragon on the head. “One day, Spike.”

——————

It wasn’t long before Twilight was back in the castle.

“Okay, all I need to do is find a spell, find a spell, find that one spell.”

Her jittery gaze settled on a book recessed in a shelf. One labelled ‘Do not touch! Dangerous!’.

Twilight bit her lip. Couldn’t hurt to take a look, right?

——————

“Honey, dear, buttercup…” Night Light’s deep and soothing voice would usually be able to calm any histrionics, but the mellow tones fell on deaf, twitching ears.

“We’re going and that’s final!” Twilight Velvet shot back. “Not writing back to all those letters I sent, the nerve of my daughter!”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it,” Night Light reassured. He tried a different tack. “She was awfully busy during this year. She’s saved Equestria numerous times, she’s a Princess now! We’re proud of her.”

Remarkably, that argument seemed to take some of the steam out of Velvet.

“Maybe we could just forget the whole thing and give her a chance to send us a letter?”

An ear twitched, a tail flicked and a head cocked, considering. Then her eyes hardened and Night Light repressed the urge to sigh.

“My boy Shiney has been able to send me replies and he’s a grown stallion! A Prince, too! My little colt is settled down with a wonderful mare. I bet I’ll have grandfoals within the year! I’m worried about Twilight, dear. She’s so wrapped up in her career, she’s bound to be lonely.”

Night Light didn’t look so sure. “She seems happy.”

Velvet shook her head. “No, no, no, she just seems happy. Behind that smile is the tinge of loneliness and heartache! She needs a family there to support her. She needs a special somepony.”

“You want more grandfoals don’t you?”

“Well it wouldn’t hurt! It’d give me a reason to visit too!”

“Velvet, dear,” Night Light pressed. “Aren’t you… overreacting?” He hated using that word, but sometimes it worked.

“I’m not overreacting,” Velvet replied a tad too quickly to suggest she wasn’t. “I’m fine! Perfectly fine!”

Night Light put at his disposal all the years of experience his marriage had given him in one last effort.

“Are you worried our foals don’t need us anymore? They grew up awfully fast.”

Velvet fidgeted. “It’s not that…”

Night Light drew a hoof around her neck and led her to the sofa. “Really, dear? Is that all?”

Velvet played with a stray mane. “We’ve never had much of a connected family. When I see my little foals growing up and moving away, I feel like we’re cutting threads, one by one.” She sighed. “Dear Celestia, I hardly get letters, let alone see them.”

Night Light finally realised the crux of the matter. He’d been easy-going, admittedly, but he did miss seeing their little bright faces around the house.

“Okay, dear, I understand wanting to visit,” he said gently, giving her a light kiss on the forehead. “But really? Hinting at romance? You know how awkward our little Twilight is.”

Velvet wrung her hooves. “That’s what I’m worried about! She’ll end up lonely like Miss. Wibbly!”

Night Light raised an eyebrow. “The old mare that lives down the road?”

“Yes!”

“She’s happy, dear, someponies like being alone.”

Velvet bit her lip. “Not my little Twi-twi!”

Night Light patted his wife on her shoulder. “Love, my dear, comes differently to everypony. Just give her a while.”

For a moment, Night Light relaxed as Velvet nodded slowly.

Good, he thought. Disaster averted.

Then Velvet’s ear twitched, her expression became a mixture of thoughtful and scheming. Night Light fought the urge to suppress a groan. He’d been with his wife long enough to recognise that look.

“What is it, dear?” he asked reluctantly.

“You know, we’re not experts in love,” she began, her hooves gesturing in the air like she were weighing her thoughts.

Night Light rolled his eyes, sensing there was a trap, but not seeing the form of it.

“Yes…” he replied cautiously.

“So, maybe we should ask the opinion of sompony we do know who are experts!”

Night Light gaped at his wife, knowing exactly what she was suggesting.

“Hey now wait a minute—”

“We’ll ask Shiny and Cadance to set them up!” Velvet exclaimed, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

Night Light gaped at her. “That’s got to be the most—”

“Amazing idea ever, I know!” Velvet replied blithely ignoring her husband’s groan.

“Remember why you married her,” he muttered to himself. “Remember why you married her…”

“Nighty, dear, I want you to get a directory from Ponyville and Canterlot.”

He took a deep breath, curious despite himself. “And why is that, honey?”

She blinked at him as if he were a foal for asking such a simple question. “Why to make a list of all the potential partners my little Twi-twi can date! We can all go through the list together. I can wait to show this idea to Shiny and Cadance!”

——————

Shining Armor shivered as he stepped on the train.

“Is something wrong, Shiny?”

The former Captain glanced back in the direction of Canterlot.

“I-I don’t know,” he replied warily. “I felt an ominous premonition.”

Cadance gave him a small peck on the cheek. “Ah, a dark and brooding Shiny… I like it.” She giggled as he turned blush red. “A cute Shiny is almost as nice.”

Shining Armor shot Canterlot one more look. Maybe it was just a few misgivings about seeing his parents again. He shook his head. Mom was ecstatic when he revealed his feelings for Cadance. He had nothing to worry about… right?

Author's Notes:

Whooo update. In a looooong while. Yep, finally. Got around to it. Finally.

As usual, bug me for updates and I'll prioritise around them.

Next Chapter: The Power of... Matchmaking?

As always, my ludicrous-speed readers, thanks for reading!

P.S. One rough passthrough from editing, sorry! Some very minor edits. Some more minor edits, thanks cyberlord4444!