“Wow…” Taz said as he blinked his eyes clear a few times as he strove to shake off the results of the long-distance teleport. He wasn’t the only one dealing with the aftereffects. The oldest one of them—in physical age anyway, second oldest in terms of age—was also trying to blink her eyes clear of the effects.

It wasn’t Echoside’s first teleport. In fact, it was her fifth, but it was her longest.

“Spill!” Vela shouted. “When did you two meet? How’d you start going out? How long have you been going out? What’s with the bites?”

“I don’t know, Vela, how long have you and Flash been going out?” Starlight countered.

“Wait, you two are going out?” Blaze asked his brother, shocked. “But she knocked your teeth out!”

“Sis, what’s she mean?” Dayspring asked.

Ana was a gasped. “Vela, you hate Flash!”

“I don’t hate anyone!” Vela shouted back.

Nighttide burst into laughter. “Oh please, you’re a bigger bitch than me.”

“Hey, don’t call her that!” Flash yelled.

“Sis, she said a bad word,” Dayspring said from atop Vela’s back.

“What in the world did I get myself into,” Echoside mumbled.

“Everyone SHUT UP!” Taz yelled. His vision was coming back and he now saw that even though they had teleported to the edge of Ponyville, their fighting was beginning to draw a crowd. He sighed, knowing that he couldn’t just leave it. They needed to work together on this, they needed to be together on this, and that meant they needed to reach an understanding about who was now with whom.

Like it or not, Aurora’s right, we are hiding things from each other.

There was no reason they should follow his command, and yet they all did. Everyone present kept quiet and turned to the earth pony. They were all surprised and unused to him losing his temper like that.

Taz looked around, slightly surprised himself that they had listened. “Okay, we’re going to walk and talk at the same time, I trust we all know how to do that?” he asked, earning eight nods in return. “Good, this way.”

The black earth pony lead the way with his unusual entourage following behind him. As he found a path to the Everfree Forest that he thought would lead to where the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters once stood, and more importantly, underneath it, the Tree of Harmony.

When he thought they were out of earshot of any other ponies, he said, “Echoside, Starlight, we’re starting with you two. Speak.”

“Why in Tartarus would I listen to you?” Echoside protested.

“Uh, he’s a prince, duh?” Blaze said.

“Bat-pony laws, we only obey Luna and her kin.”

“Oh, you mean me?” Nighttide asked as she looked back at the bat-pony.

That took Echoside aback. “Who are you?”

“Luna’s daughter,’ Nighttide said with a smile.

“Luna doesn’t have a—” She saw it, deep in Nighttide’s sky-blue eyes. She saw the truth. It wasn’t that Nighttide resembled Luna; rather, she saw the age of the mare; her true age, something that the eyes would always reveal. Echoside’s muzzle fell open. “Why weren’t we told?”

“It’s… complicated,” Starlight mumbled.

“I am indeed Luna’s daughter, and if your law says you must obey me, I’m ordering you to also obey Taz, and to answer him.”

“What… what do you want to know?” Echoside asked; her mind still trying to wrap itself around this new development.

“The bite marks,” Vela said. “How old you are, and why did you think it was appropriate to bite a thirteen-year-old princess on the side of the neck.”

“How you two started going out,” Blaze asked.

“How Starlight actually managed to fall for somepony,” Nighttide said.

Taz didn’t look back; he kept walking and said, “Let’s start with who you are, how old you are, and why my niece has... what I suspect to be your puncture marks on the side of her neck.”

Starlight, embarrassed beyond belief, blushed and looked away from everyone. Echoside just sighed before saying, “My name is Private First Class Echoside. I’m a member of the Night Guard in defense of Luna and Equestria’s night. I joined the guard when I was sixteen and left to make my own way in the world. That was four years ago.”

“You’re twenty?” Taz asked.

“Yes,” Echoside side, her chest distended a little in pride.

“And you know that Starlight’s only thirteen—”

“Taz, you of all ponies have no right to talk about dating someone older than you.”

“My parents know about it.”

“Yes, when you told them we were going to happen regardless of how they felt and after we had sex,” Nighttide added, kissing him on the side of the cheek.

“That’s different.”

“How so?” Flash asked.

Echoside turned to Starlight. “Does he always stick up for others?”

Starlight nodded. “When they’re being unfairly attacked, yes.”

Taz replied to Flash’s question. “Nighttide’s never bitten—” he paused. “I mean, she’s never left marks—” he stopped again. “We’ve never risked inj—”

The stallion shut up and lowered his head. His arguments defeated before he could even finish one of them. Nighttide and he had done all that and much more.

“They're only seven years apart, Taz. Our parents are nine years apart and you and Nighttide are like four hundred years, plus,” Ana said. “I don’t see why you’re making a big deal out of this.”

“Four hundred forty-eight,” Starlight added.

“Four hundred forty-eight years apart,” Ana stated with a nod of thanks to Starlight. “If you have an issue with them being together, I suggest you look at your own relationship first. Also, if they’re happy, isn’t that all that matters? Unless you don’t want them to be happy, which would be totally stupid and selfish.”

Starlight suspected that while Ana was technically fighting for the former, what she really wanted was the latter.

There was noticeable silence before Vela spoke up. “So… we’re just cool with Echoside sucking Starlight’s blood?” Her tone said she was anything but cool with it.

“Any worse than you dating your cousin?” Starlight asked.

“Second cousin, and being that your mom is pregnant with her brother-in-law’s—my dad’s—foal, and your sister is in love with her uncle, I don’t think you have much to say in that regard,” Vela stated, smiling as she played her trump card. Given, she didn’t really see anything wrong with any of it; it wasn’t even the worst thing she’d done.

“What sort of fucked up family dynamic have I gotten myself into?” Echoside asked, wide eyed.

“The type that might not have you arrested for being with a thirteen-year-old,” Nighttide replied.

Taz came to a stop as he reached a fork in the path. “Starlight, which way? Echoside, explain.”

“Left,” Starlight said.

Echoside sighed; this was sensitive to her; it was almost like being forced to explain—in intimate detail—your last orgasm to a whole bunch of teenagers you just met, but she was under orders. “I assume you’ve all heard the rumors about my kind?”

“Meat eating?” Vela said.

“Blood drinking?” Nighttide asked.

“Afraid of light?” Flash added.

“Hunts and gobbles up little foals that disobey their parents?” Blaze asked, a little scared. His words caused Dayspring to try and hide himself on his sister’s back behind her pack.

“Yes, yes, no, and hell no,” Echoside said, looking in shock at the white pegasus.

“What?” Blaze asked in shock. “It’s what I heard.”

Flash facehoofed. “Bro, you and I are going to have a talk.”

“Is she really going to gobble me up?” Dayspring asked his sister, scared.

“You know I’d skin her alive if she ever tried,” Vela replied as she sought to calm down her brother.

“Ha, I’d like to see y—” Echoside’s comment was cut off by Starlight. The blue unicorn shook her head and pleaded with her eyes for Echoside not to go there.

Echoside looked up from Starlight and back to Vela; only now did she really take in the spear holstered across the hippogriff’s back, near her pack. When she first saw it, the spear looked like nothing more than an ornate weapon: highly detailed and expertly crafted of course, but nothing special beyond that. Echoside herself had trained with such weapons and found them ungainly to say the least. But now she took a moment to really look at it.

As with all ponies, Echoside’s talent matched her cutie mark, or more precisely, her cutie mark matched her talent. She was an armorer, her skill was in the forge, working with metal crafting, forging, and fixing armor. She had a natural talent for it and could spot the small flaws and weakness in any piece of armor brought to her.

Every piece of forged metal has some weakness, some small flaws that she could spot. Given, she could never hope to fix them all, it was simply a fact of life. But she prided herself on making them as small as possible, as insignificant as possible.

Her jaw dropped as she took in the spear, really took it in. She had no knowledge about its magical properties, it’s creation, the vows that were sworn to it, or the abilities it would grant its user. She didn’t need to know any of that. She knew it was special for one small detail; a detail only she could spot.

The spear was flawless, utterly flawless. Echoside couldn’t spot a single blemish in its shaft, hilt, or blade. If she didn’t know better, Echoside would say the spear was brand new, forged by a master blacksmith.

There was no doubt in her mind that spear had seen combat, real combat. She could tell that just in the way the hippogriff carried it. Most likely she had used it in the Nightmare Moon attack.

The gouges Echoside remembered seeing in the floor of the dining hall came to mind. She gulped and nodded her understanding to Starlight.

Echoside was beginning to understand just why General Night Watch had been able to retire early. These ponies, they had power, real power; power that made concepts such as troop movements and tactics irrelevant.

“You were saying, Echoside?” Taz asked, gesturing for her to continue.

“I um…” she closed her eyes and took a deep breath; suddenly wishing she was somewhere, anywhere, else. That thought went away when she felt a coat press up against her own. Turning her head, she saw Starlight’s piercing green eyes gazing into her own. Her short rainbow mane was hanging over her ears, and a wonderful smile was upon her muzzle.

The smile told Echoside this was worth it. She wasn’t dumb; she knew the risks of a relationship with somepony so young, especially when that somepony was a princess. But every time she had almost convinced herself to stop it, that smile would come back to her mind. There was just something about Starlight; something Echoside had never felt before from anypony else she had ever been with, mare or stallion.

“We do drink blood,” Echoside said. “We normally get it from our prey, creatures we might hunt. It’s part of our biology and heritage. Well, we can also drink each other’s blood, but it’s rare for us to do so. Think of it like a bonding experience. A giving and receiving of yourself to the one you… love.” Echoside smiled at Starlight when she said the last part.

Starlight took over. “I met Echoside the other night, when Twilight asked me to get the armor for everyone. She was rude, crude, and obnoxious. But there was just something about her. Something I couldn’t get out of my mind. I’ve never known anyone like her, but Ana was the one that told me I was in love.”

“But you didn’t believe me,” Ana said with a teasing smile.

“Yeah, yeah, you were right. Anyway, Ana got us to go on a date, and despite it being a… a disaster, at the end of the night, we… well, kissed.“

“And that’s how it turned into extreme necking?” Vela asked.

“Well, no. See I’ve never kissed anyone before. Especially not like that. When we did, I didn’t adjust for her fangs and she kinda… bit me, on the lip.”

“It was a total accident,” Echoside said. “I really didn’t mean too.”

“It’s true,” Starlight confirmed. “She didn’t mean to, but when she did, I… Um… I knew what it meant for her race, and it um… it wasn’t all bad.”

“So you wanted to try the real deal?” Vela asked.

Starlight nodded. “I asked her to, wanted her to.”

“And you just thought…” Flash asked Echoside.

“In for a bit, in for a pound? I was already bucked when I unknowingly tried to take a thirteen-year-old princess out to a bar. And then when it... well, happened, when she shared herself with me. I… I… felt something.”

“You fell in love?” Ana asked.

Echoside looked up, her grey cheeks blushing a little. “I think I did. She... look, I acknowledge that this is strange to all of you, trust me, it’s no different for me. I have a very… low opinion of most of Equestria’s royalty. But Starlight… she… I didn’t plan this, any of this. I was happy with my go-nowhere job. Or at least I thought I was, and then I met her.”

As she looked around, Echoside saw that most of them had, in fact, been won over to her side. Starlight and her interpreter were a given. Luna’s daughter seemed to nod her understanding. She couldn’t read the big hippogriff. The small one was still unsure of her, but Echoside figured that had more to do with the story the dumb pegasus had said. The two pegasi themselves also looked unsure, but in the end, she suspected that it was the black earth pony that she had to win over. That, in the end, it was his opinion the group looked to.

For the first time since they started walking, Taz turned to look at her directly. Somehow, his magenta eyes carried a weight that belittled his age.

“Flash and Ana are right. Whatever my personal feelings about it, I really don’t have a say. I can’t really say she’s too young when I’m with someone almost five-hundred-years old. And as far as the bite marks, well, we’ve done a lot worse than what you two have. However…”

Echoside tensed up.

“If you hurt her, we will hurt you.”

“Understood, prince.” Echoside didn’t know why, there was no reason for it, and unlike some of the others she knew she could take him in a fight, but that didn’t change the fact that he kinda scared her.

“And you will tell your parents about her when this is over,” Taz said to Starlight.

The blue unicorn didn’t back down. “Fine, whatever.”

“I mean Shimmering Night too, not just Ataxia.”

Starlight cursed a little under her breath. “Fine, but I’m telling Ataxia first.”

“That’s fine, as long as Night knows too.”

No pony mentioned that very soon, Night might not be around to tell.

Taz took one last look around. “Anyone else have a problem with Echoside? Speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I don’t want her to abduct me!” Dayspring shouted.

That caused a round of laughter to break out.

When it was over, Taz wiped a tear from his eye. He glanced around to everyone present, seeing smiling faces on everyone, everyone but Dayspring that is. “Okay, moving on then. Flash, Vela, you’re up!”

Taz started walking down the left path, fully expecting everyone to follow suit. They did.

“So, how’d you two get together?” Ana asked.

“Yeah, I’ve never pictured the great Empress Princess Vela with someone before,” Nighttide said.

“And you were always afraid of her, talking about how you didn’t like her!” Blaze protested to his brother. “She even knocked your front teeth out!”

“You’re really going to make us do this?” Vela asked, one part in disbelief and one part in threat.

“I had to do it, now it’s your turn,” Starlight said.

“Yes,” Taz replied.

“Are you dating Flash, sis?” Dayspring asked.

The girl sighed, loudly. Flash went to speak so she didn’t have to, but was immediately stopped by the mare’s wing slapping against his muzzle, shutting him up.

“We got together the night after my mom punished me. I needed someone to sleep with and Flash was my first choice, happy?” Vela asked, expecting that to be the end of it.

It wasn’t.

“Wait, what? You two slept together‽” Taz asked, shocked.

“You’re having sex?” Ana asked.

“Flash… is that why you didn’t sleep in our room the last two nights?” Blaze asked.

“Yes, yes, and yes. Can we move on now?” Vela asked with a roll of her eyes.

“WHAT‽” Everyone shouted.

Vela looked annoyed that ‘that’ hadn’t been the end of it like she hoped. Flash looked like he’d rather be anywhere else right now.

Echoside stared at Vela with a smile upon her muzzle. “Oh, naughty mare!”

What she failed to see was the look Starlight was giving her. Does she want to? I… Do I want to? Starlight thought.

“Go Flash!” Nighttide said with a shit-eating grin.

“Sis, does that mean you and Flash—” Dayspring was cut off when Vela looked at him and raised an eyebrow, all but saying to be quiet about that.

“Details, details, spill!” Ana shouted excitedly.

Taz wanted to point out that shouting in the middle of the Everfree Forest was probably a bad idea, but he wrote that off. With these companions, there wasn’t anything in the forest they actually needed to be afraid of. Red himself could ambush them and he’d put his bits on the nine of them.

What’d mom say about overconfidence?

Shut up, ehh… me.

“So what? We bucked. It was just two times and we both needed it. That’s it!”

“You don’t go from mortal enemies to sleeping together in one night!” Ana said.

“Hey, get off my back!”

“Then how about you tell the truth?” Taz cut in. “There’s no need to lie to us.”

“This… this wasn’t a one night thing. Was it? You two… ever since we went to the Crystal Empire you two have been different around each other. When you comforted Flash after…” Starlight said, her mind putting the pieces together.

“You’re imagining things,” Vela said while Flash looked outright hurt.

“And then when Aurora punished you by making you sleep in your own bed… that’s why you asked Flash to come slee—” Starlight found herself unable to finish her sentence. In a fit of rage, Vela pulled out the spear and pointed it right at her face.

Taz had enough. He extended his ability and everyone present shuddered as they found their natural abilities and magic removed. It even removed the magic from the spear; it being her first time, Echoside gasped upon the new feeling.

“What are you?” she asked.

“That’s not a topic for now. Vela, spear down and come up with the truth before we really have a talk with Aurora once we get back,” Taz said.

Flash moved to Vela’s side and softly nuzzled against her. He could feel the tension in Vela. She didn’t care if they knew about them being together, physically anyway. But the line of questioning Starlight had begun touched a sore spot in the mare, her emotional side. “Here’s the truth,” Flash started; only to earn a pleading look by Vela. He gave her a soft smile of understanding before continuing.

“She’s been helping me deal with mom’s death for a while. When she asked me to come to her room, I agreed and kinda… broke down. You’re right, Starlight. She’s been helping me for almost six months now. In that time we kinda developed feelings for each other and that night, we just… umm… consummated it.”

“I believe there’s a bit more to it than you're saying,” Ana cut in. “While I can’t really say what to think about Vela’s feelings… I know that you love her,” she smiled at Flash, who blushed slightly.

Vela holstered her spear and Taz retracted his power.

Unable to hold herself back, Nighttide said, “Now if you’ll only accept that Taz and I love each other.”

There was a collective silent gasp as those words left the mare’s mouth and made themselves known to everyone present.

Oh dear Luna, she just had to go there, Taz thought.

“I don’t have to, nor will I! What you two have isn’t natural! It’s nothing more than a perversion!” Ana shouted.

“What’s unnatural about a mare falling in love with a stallion she’s not related to‽” Nighttide replied with venom in her voice.

“You throw the word love around mindlessly, but what meaning does it have to you? All you were meant to do was use and abuse him.”

“That’s enough!” Taz screamed. “I’ve had enough of this nonsense. Ana, you need to stop this right now. Don’t make me regret you coming with us.” He then turned to Nighttide, his gaze lovingly but also pleading. “Nighttide… love, don’t give her any more fuel. You know what we have and if she doesn’t accept it, then that’s an issue she will have to deal with on her own. Fighting about it won’t change anything.”

“I feel like I’m missing some context here,” Echoside whispered to Starlight.

“More than you could ever know,” Starlight whispered back. “Whatever you do, don’t get involved under any circumstances.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t want to get on the bad side of either one of them,” she replied.

“No, I think it’s time we had this out!” Nighttide replied, shocking Taz. “For years she’s been giving me the stink eye, and if everyone else is baring their secrets, maybe we should have this conversation too.”

“Secrets, like using him? Trying to trick him into falling in love with you, and then, when he actually does, we’re supposed to believe you’ve turned over a new leaf? How do we know this isn’t just part of your plan?”

“MY LOVE FOR HIM IS TRUE,” Nighttide growled and her form waved. “I know how to treat him right!”

“Sure. How to abuse and lie to him,” Ana snorted.

“You little brat, I’m going to hurt you,” Nighttide burst out, her form splitting into her shadow; causing Echoside to cry out and jump back in shock.

She was only stopped as Taz got into the way and laid a hoof upon her shadow form. Surprisingly, she didn’t turn back; as Taz was trying to reason with her, not control her.

“Please, listen to me. She can’t destroy what we have if you don’t give her more fuel,” Taz said calmly before lowering his muzzle, kissing her shadow. “I love you, and that won’t change.”

“What you have is a lie!” Ana shouted.

“Don’t listen to her, my love,” Taz whispered, planting more and more kisses on her. “Just think about us, think about our absolutely wonderful times and ignore her. ”

Amazingly, Nighttide’s form didn’t seem to move. It stayed in place as the mare thought about her response. Then as suddenly as she had transformed, she retook on her pony form. “Ana, what we have is love, I love him, and he loves me. I want to spend the rest of my life with him, and he wants the same. It’s just a shame you can’t recognize love when it’s right in front of your muzzle.”

“He doesn't know what he wants.”

In a calm, rational voice that belittled their fight, Nighttide replied, “If that were true, I wouldn’t be pregnant, would I?”

“WHAT‽” everyone cried out, even Taz.

Nighttide lowered her head and then turned to Taz. “I meant to tell you, I really did, but…”

“You were scared?” he asked gently.

“Yes,” she whimpered, just to be stopped as he raised her muzzle and kissed her.

Ana couldn’t pick her jaw off the floor. But that didn’t stop any of the others from talking. “I know how, but… how?” Starlight asked. “I mean, you’re not really a pony, but, I guess you are?”

Nighttide turned to her. “I don’t know. I started to feel a little strange a month ago and when I looked inward, I could just... feel her.” Nighttide placed a hoof on her stomach.

“Her?” Taz asked.

She nodded. “She’s a part of me; she doesn’t affect my shadow melding or healing, but I can feel her getting... bigger.”

“I’m… I’m going to be a dad?”

“Well, you two have been fucking like bunnies,” Flash said with a laugh.

Ana huffed and turned; she had intended to turn this situation her way, but now it was even worse than before. She knew that it would be nearly impossible now to get him out from under her influence.

Echoside saw Ana drop her pack and turn to leave. She lightly tapped Starlight with a hoof.

“What? I want to know more abou—”

The bat-pony pointed to the dark-blue unicorn walking away from the group. “I don’t know if we need her or not, but if we do…”

“I’ll go talk to her,” Starlight said as she made her way to follow Ana.

“What are you going to name her?” Blaze asked.

“Sis, does this mean Nighttide has a baby in her stomach?” Dayspring asked Vela.

“It does,” Vela confirmed.

“Are you going to have one too because of Flash?”

Vela’s beak opened. “I…”

She wanted to deny it, to simply tell him no. Somehow, she couldn’t. Her thoughts in that regard were somehow pleasant. She just couldn’t explain why or how.

A white hoof rubbed Dayspring’s back. “Maybe, one day,” Flash said with a smile, earning a smile in return from Vela.

As the group kept pestering Nighttide with a million and one questions, Echoside’s eyes stayed glued to the trail that Ana and Starlight had taken. She turned to the group and cleared her throat, loudly.

“Yes?” Taz asked.

“Forgive me, prince, I know it’s not my place, but I get the feeling that tensions are running high right now. Maybe we should set up camp here and allow everyone to calm the buck down?”

It was then Taz noticed the two missing ponies, and the fact that the sun was about to go down. “That… might be a good idea.”

Ana’s trail wasn’t hard to follow. Starlight followed the unicorn over a small hill as her sister sought to put as much distance between herself and the group. In the end, Starlight found Ana looking down over a ridge. The dark-blue unicorn was sitting on her haunches, her posture sloped, her tail wrapped around her legs, and her head hanging loosely.

What took Starlight aback though was that she had expected to hear her sister crying. Ana wasn’t; she was just sitting there, completely still, save for the soft rise and fall of her body as she took small breaths in and out.

When Starlight approached, Ana spoke without even looking back at her. “Why?” Her voice was so soft, so weak.

“Why what?” Starlight asked.

“Why am I not crying?” Ana asked.

“Ana, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t. Please don’t do that.”

Starlight sighed as she walked the rest of the way to her sister. She didn’t say a word. She simply sat down with their coats touching each other.

“Why me? Why is it me that has to be so unlucky? Everyone’s got someone to love. Taz got that… that… and Vela and Flash… Now even you got somepony in your heart,” Ana said.

Starlight wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything. It wasn’t until Ana gazed up at her with those bright red eyes of hers that she knew her sister was waiting for an answer. An answer she simply didn’t know.

Starlight sighed. “I don’t know why, or even how, Ana. But there is something I do know. Do you remember a while ago when I always said I’d never find anyone to be with? That I always thought love was for other ponies and said I’d never fall for that trap?”

Ana nodded.

“Look at me now. I found it without ever wanting it. If it can find me without me even looking for it, I know deep in my heart that it’ll find you too.”

“I-I thought it had. I thought I just needed to fight for it.”

Starlight brushed part of her sister’s purple mane from her face. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s that you’ve just gotta be open to what comes your way. I think… I know why you weren’t able to cry, Ana. It’s because you knew you’d never be with Taz, not really. You’ve always known, haven't you?”

“If Nighttide hadn’t—”

“Nighttide has nothing to do with it and you know it. You have so much love in your heart... love for your family, love for me, love for your friends, and love for him. But he’s never reciprocated that love, not in the way you’ve wanted. You can’t force someone to feel something for you that they simply don’t.”

Ana mumbled, “If I had just fought harder…”

“No, it doesn’t work that way. Even if Nighttide never mentioned her pregnancy, even if she wasn’t even pregnant, you would’ve lost. You and I both know that,” Starlight whispered.

“But he was my special somepony…”

“No, he was your friend. He’s always been your friend. And if you apologize for your behavior, he’ll always be your friend.”

“But… Nighttide…”

Starlight smiled. “Ana, you don’t have to be her friend, you don’t have to like her, but you have to accept her. For Taz, and his foal.”

For the first time since Starlight found Ana, she saw a tear fall from Ana’s eyes. It was quickly followed by another, and then another. Starlight wrapped a hoof around her sister’s shoulders and pulled her in for a great big hug.

Ana sobbed openly into Starlight’s coat; she sobbed for everything she had lost, and, more importantly, for her behavior.

“They’re going to need us, they’re going to need all of us, and you. We have to work to make sure that Taz’s foal has a place to live, that she’ll grow up big and strong. Don’t you want to be a part of that?”

“I do,” Ana sobbed into her coat. “I really do!”

“Then how about we go back? I think you know what you have to do,” Starlight said softly.

“I-I… I don’t have to like her, right?” Ana asked, never removing her head from where she buried it in Starlight's coat.

“No, but you do have to stop fighting with her. After all, she’s going to be a mother, and you don’t want to hurt her family, especially not Taz.”

“Yeah, I guess that wouldn’t be fair to beat up on a pregnant mare,” Ana said, chuckling a little.

Starlight chuckled too.

When the two made their way back to the encampment the tents were already set up, and someone had a fire going. They walked around to the group of ponies talking in the center. Echoside, with her enhanced night-sight, saw them first and got up to move by Starlight’s side. Ana walked up to everypony and cleared her throat.

“I’d, um… Nighttide?” she looked up at the dark-blue pegasus.

“Yes?” Nighttide answered.

“I just want to say, I’m… I’m sorry.”

Nighttide had expected everything. Everything but this, her jaw fell open in surprise; as did Taz’s, and just about everyone else's.

“And what are you sorry for?” Starlight asked, trying to help.

“Nighttide, you and Taz are together. I’ve been… unfair in that. I may not really… well, like you, but Taz does. I can see that you two love each other and I was wrong to say you didn’t know what love is.”

“Sis, is that supposed to be an apology?” Dayspring asked.

Vela closed his beak with her claw. “Shh, it’s more than we could’ve expected.”

Taz was the first to collect himself. “So, is this the end of the barbs between you two?”

Ana nodded, ashamed of her actions.

“Ana,” Nighttide said.

Ana looked up, her red eyes meeting Nighttide’s sky-blue ones. “Yes?”

“I accept your apology.”

Taz smiled at both mares. He loved Nighttide more than he could ever say, but him and Ana had been the best of friends for his entire life. It had felt wrong for the two of them to fight, especially as they were fighting over him. “Ana, come sit by me. We warmed up your dinner already.”

“Actually, can I sit by Nighttide? I’d kinda like to hear about my... um… cousin.”

The nervous tension filled the air until Nighttide broke it by saying, “Sure, you can even feel if you want. She’s not kicking yet, but there’s a little bit of a baby bump.”

“I still can’t believe Taz didn’t notice that,” Vela said.

“I just thought she was getting a little fat,” Taz replied. Earning shocked stares from everyone in the group. “IN A CUTE WAY!” he quickly added.

With a hoof upside his head and a round of laughter later, the group soon found themselves enjoying a wonderful campfire with great company.

Author's Notes:

Note: due to it's size ch 9 will be delayed a week to give my editors more time to look it over (it's about 20k words).

Sorry for the delay. You can expect it on the 24th.