Cup was sitting by the unlit fireplace, her mind feeling so full and yet at the same time completely blank. Was she doing the right thing? It was hard to tell.

The memories of what Mayhem had done had been transmitted right into her mind. She had seen every act of cruelty he had committed, starting with pretending to kill all the parents of the children just to get them to accept that he wasn’t messing around and ending with threatening to kill them. And, by his own admission, he had seriously intended to do it because he couldn’t stand that they wouldn’t submit to him.

Just those two moments alone would be enough for her to want to keep him away from her children, but then there was everything that happened in-between; removing their memories and turning them into strangers to each other; having them fight against the worst things Equestria had faced like Nightmare Moon and King Sombra…

When he had had some sense knocked into him he was extremely remorseful, even trying to lock himself away. She sighed loudly, wishing that could have just been the end of it, but of course it wasn’t. Fluttershy talked him into staying and working on self-improvement, and her kids fought her hard to be able to play with him again.

She had to wonder if she’d ever be able to do the same as her kids. If a friend of hers had gone evil and tried to kill her would she be able to forgive them? Would she fight to the end to bring them back to themselves, or distance herself? If they were remorseful would she be able to accept their apology after going down such a dark path?

She tried to put herself in their hooves, but no matter how she tried she just couldn’t see it happening. At the least, it wouldn’t be something she’d just overlook the second they showed regret.

It had taken her a very long time to acknowledge Mayhem’s remorse. His bad actions took precedence over his attempts to make up for it. Her children’s words held little weight since they couldn’t be unbiased, and even Twilight’s words didn’t do much to sway her.

In the end, she had to acknowledge that Mayhem was a child. A child with unlimited power. And even if Mayhem had been the one to talk them into it, her children had acted irresponsibly when they had the chance to get such power themselves. There definitely was a danger in a child having too much power.

His weekly wish-granting sessions had been going well. There had been no further incidents, but she had wondered if that would be enough for him. She got her answer just a few weeks later. It wasn’t. It only created a longing for the next chaos day when he could cut loose.

At least this time Mayhem came forth himself and admitted the issue, and Twilight found something that stuck. She had talked him into trying things without his magic, and he had taken to it like a fish to water. Mayhem was getting so caught up in his hobbies he lost track of days.

That was the biggest relief to her. Magic was a part of him, just like it was with Pound and flight. She didn’t want to put a hard ban on using any magic at all, but if he was choosing not to use his magic since it made thing more fun then it was one less worry for her.

She wished that magic suppression had worked properly on him. Without his magic he was just an ordinary child, but what he had going on now was the next best thing.

She let out a sigh, thinking of his response to her breaking down earlier. He showed consideration for her feelings and was willing to postpone seeing his friends if it meant he wouldn’t cause her distress.

All signs pointed to him truly reforming, but she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She could only hope that her children and Twilight had been right in putting their faith in him.

***

Pound and Pumpkin were glancing at one another out of the corner of their eyes. “So… what do you think, Pound?” asked Pumpkin.

He moved his eyes away from her to their mom. “I don’t know, Pumpkin,” he responded. “but something has got her down. She’s been so quiet since we came back home.”

“Yeah. She barely said a word during dinner.”

“What do I think? I think our mom needs some loving kids.” He smiled.

She nodded. “I agree. There’s a frown that doesn’t belong here, and we need to turn it upside-down.”

They went to their room, making drawings of their mother and writing positive things about her.

They showered her with love, but while she clearly appreciated it she still seemed to have a weight on her they couldn’t get rid of.

After a time they decided to stop dancing around the issue and address it directly.

“Why are you sad, Mom?” asked Pumpkin.

“And what can we do to get rid of it?” asked Pound.

Cup sighed. “All will become clear tomorrow. You’ll certainly be happy, even if I’m not going to be.”

He sucked on his cheek. “Why… why would we be happy about something that’s upsetting you?”

“As a mother you sometimes have to make sacrifices for your children. Like I said, you’ll understand tomorrow. Don’t concern yourselves with my feelings. Just look forward to your surprise tomorrow.”

They couldn’t make heads or tails of that statement. Did their parents nearly go broke buying them some gift? What kind of sacrifice was she making? Why couldn’t they just have the surprise now?

In any case, it was hard to feel excited about whatever was coming when their mom was so down about it. Auntie Pinkie was still her same excitable self, but they noticed their dad was a little subdued too, though not nearly to the extent of their mother.

Something big was coming, and they mainly just felt nervous in a bad way.

The two woke up in the morning, wandering the house for any sign of the surprise, but everything looked the same as normal.

They found their parents in the kitchen. “Good morning!” Pound said brightly, trying to keep the mood up.

“Good morning, Pound,” said Cup in a monotone.

“You know, we’ve been trying to figure out the surprise since yesterday, and why we’re supposed to be happy when you’re not. Whatever it is, just get it out of the way.”

Cup looked up at the clock. “Well, you woke up at a good time. It should be here within the next ten minutes. As soon as you see it you’ll understand everything.”

Pumpkin sat down at the table. “I can’t stand the suspense. Can’t you just tell us?”

The corner of Cup’s mouth rose slightly. “Ah, but what fun would that be?”

The next few minutes seemed to pass unbearably slow. It was a relief when the doorbell rang.

Carrot got up. “I sure hope that it’s here. This is hard enough without getting worked up for nothing.”

The twins looked at each other. “Should we… follow you?” asked Pound.

“We’ll bring it to you.” said Cup, the two of them leaving the room.

Pound and Pumpkin felt their hearts beating in their chest. They heard the door opening in the distance, and some quiet talking. After that they heard hoofsteps returning.

“Hello!” Twilight said brightly.

“I don’t think Twilight’s the surprise,” said Pumpkin, not turning around.

“No, I’m sure not, but I brought it with me.

“Close your eyes you two. We have something special for the two of you.”

They complied, feeling their chairs magically lifted off the ground and turned around.

“Hello!” said a voice they hadn’t heard in so long, yet instantly recognizable.

They both opened their eyes, hardly daring to believe it.

It really was true. There before them was Mayhem. Just as they were told, it clicked instantly why their parents had been so off.

They hopped out of their chairs, running to him and nearly knocking him over as they hugged him, happy tears coming down their eyes.

“Mayhem!” said Pumpkin.

“It’s been way too long,” said Pound.

Mayhem returned the hug, a sense of rightness in the world. “I’ve missed the both of you so much.” He broke down in tears as well. “I’ve been working my butt off trying to make myself a better person, all just so I could see my friends again.

“Your mom asked to talk to me yesterday, and we had a talk. She doesn’t trust me yet, but she’s willing to give me the chance to prove myself to her.”

The two of them released him. “I guess that’s to be expected,” said Pound. “She is our mom.”

“But we’re not worried,” said Pumpkin. “We know in time she’ll understand you like we do.”

“I sure hope so,” said Mayhem. “I don’t want Twilight to have to chaperone me forever.”

Twilight rubbed his head. “Are you still on that? Guiding you in the right direction and making sure you stay on that path are parts of my job. Just like Starlight, you have exceptional power that would only go to waste if you fell to darkness and had to be locked away.

“Besides, I’m no snob. I delight in spending time with children of the new generation and seeing them enjoy life. Royal duties can sometimes be a little overwhelming, so doing nothing more complicated than just keeping an eye on you is a great way to wind down and allow my brain to rest.

“So, for the last time, stop thinking you’re a burden on me. Okay?”

He nodded. “Sorry, Twilight.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re trying to be considerate of my feelings, but I have no issues with you. Now, go play with your friends.”

“Okay.”

Cup sighed. She really did want to trust in Mayhem. She just needed more time seeing him in person. “Well, now you know the surprise. Don’t disappoint me, Mayhem.

“As for you two, I said to him yesterday that I haven’t changed my stance on him. I’m only giving him the opportunity to prove himself to me. I’m still having difficulty just having him so close.”

Pound nodded. “I understand, Mom.”

“Me too,” said Pumpkin.

She put on as much a smile as she could manage. “Well… let’s not dwell on the past. I’m going to start breakfast.”

She left the room.

Pumpkin let out a little sigh. “Well, just because I understand doesn’t mean I don’t wish she wasn’t so uncomfortable.”

“Does it annoy you?” asked Twilight.

“What? No! All day yesterday she was really down. We just don’t like seeing her upset.”

“Well,” said Mayhem, “she told me that only time will start to win back her trust. I can’t do anything about that besides never seeing you again or continuing to be on my best behavior.

“And even if I was willing to sever all ties between us it still wouldn’t quite make her feel safe, since if I went bad then who knows who could be caught in the crossfire. Even if she doesn’t want me to be around you I think she probably knows that you’re one of the things holding me back from becoming who I was in the past.

“Just think about how different things could have been if I had chosen anyone else besides all of you. I don’t think they would have been able to get through to me like you did. Defeat me through unity, maybe, but not redeem me.”

Twilight rubbed his head. “I think Fluttershy could have done it. No matter how bad you became I don’t think you’d ever lose yourself so much you’d harm a hair on her head.”

Mayhem bit his lip. “That’s wrong. I would never attack her, but I knew she would suffer with Pound and Pumpkin missing. When I was done with them I talked about getting comforting from her about my missing friends while knowing I was the reason they weren’t around.”

“Hey!” said Pound, hugging him. “This is a happy moment for us. Don’t start beating yourself up about the past. “

“That’s right!” said Pumpkin, hugging him also.

Mayhem sighed. “I know… it’s just hard. I love all of my friends and my mother, but we’ve mainly had good times. It wasn’t until I met Spring Meadow that I really came to understand the hurt that comes along with a severed bond.

“Even if we were apart we could still talk through the notebook.” His eyes grew wet. “She had no way of talking to her brother when she needed his support the most.

“And because I got to see her sadness with my own eyes, and everything she went through in the three months she didn’t have him, it only makes me understand just how terrible what I did was. I can understand why it was, and still is, hard for your mother to tolerate me now.”

He closed his eyes, thinking of Cup’s breakdown the day before.

“This is all a part of the growing up process,” said Twilight. “As children, we sometimes don’t act in the best interests of others and behave selfishly. And sometimes words just aren’t enough. Sometimes you have to see the results of your actions before you truly understand why what you did was wrong. That’s how you develop empathy and care for others.

“So, while you shouldn’t be happy about what you’ve done, you can take solace in the fact that you’ve learned from the experience. Don’t dwell on it. Just keep pushing forward.”

He nodded. “Okay, Twilight.”

About ten minutes later Cup called them in.

They all sat down at the table, seeing plates of pancakes and toast. They dug in hungrily.

Carrot was drinking a morning coffee. “So do you have any plans for today?” he asked. “You had a night to prepare, Mayhem.”

Mayhem shrugged. “Not really. I don’t care what we do, as long as it’s with my friends.”

Carrot let out a little sigh. “Cup told me about your conversation yesterday. I won’t harp on and say things she probably said already, but I do hope you don’t do anything to squash the little bit of faith we still have in you.”

His tone was a little stiff, but he didn’t seem nearly as tense or angry as Cup did.

Mayhem nodded. “I’ve been learning a lot since I saw you last.”

“I know that, but this is still hard for both of us. Just please be on your best behavior. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”

Mayhem nodded again, glad that Carrot wasn’t yelling at him. It had been uncomfortable enough the day before with Cup.

When they finished up with breakfast the twins helped their mother wash the dishes before they all headed to the living room.

For a short while the three children just smiled at each other without saying a word. Mayhem could feel the hearts of his friends, so familiar.

The twins similarly felt his, the missing piece that had been away for too long.

“It finally happened,” Pound said happily. “It’s been too long a wait. I was starting to think we were never going to see you again after Flurry’s cu-” He grunted as Pumpkin shoved him.

“Let’s not dwell on the past, Pound!” Pumpkin said in a frosty tone, glaring at him. “Let’s just get to playing, alright?”

For a few moments he couldn’t understand why Pumpkin was giving him the stink eye, but then it sunk in that he had almost casually blurted out that Mayhem had disobeyed all the parents by sneaking into Flurry’s cutecenera.

If that got out then they could say goodbye to having him back.

Pound gulped, laughing awkwardly. “Right, right. Sorry.”

Thankfully, none of the adults seemed to think anything odd about it.

Pumpkin went upstairs to grab some toys and games for them to play with.

“So what have you been up to lately, Mayhem?” asked Pound. “You would tell us how you were doing and say that you were learning new things and getting along with those other kids with the wishes, but apart from the first wish session you haven’t gone into much detail the past two months.”

“Well,” Mayhem replied, “I didn’t want to tell you everything. There’s only so much paper in those notebooks, and I couldn’t exactly send you new ones.

“Besides, I had to save some stuff for when we finally met in person again.”

“Fair enough.

“I’d sure like to hear what you’ve been up to, but I don’t want to exclude Pumpkin.”

A minute later Pumpkin returned, levitating stuff that she set on the table.

“Okay, she’s back. So spill!”

“Spill what?” asked Pumpkin.

“Anything,” Pound replied. “I want to hear the details of our time apart.”

“Oh.”

Mayhem grabbed a puzzle from among the stuff Pumpkin brought down, opening the box and dumping it. “There you go!” Mayhem said with a smirk.

The twins gave him quizzical looks. “Huh?”

“You told me to spill it, so I spilled it.”

A few seconds passed before Pound rolled his eyes and Pumpkin slapped a hoof to her face. Immediately after that they all began laughing.

“Is that what we’ve been waiting for all this time?” said Pound, wiping away a tear. “Bad puns?”

“Could be,” Mayhem replied with a giggle.

He picked up one of the pieces, flipping it over so the picture was on top. “Well, I think the biggest thing of all is Spring Meadow.”

Pound started grabbing pieces and flipping them over too. “What about her?”

“She’s come so far. She suffered for three months with such heavy feelings, but every week when I see her again it feels like she’s a different pony. She doesn’t have to force her smiles anymore, and she’s able to be honest about her negative feelings.”

Pumpkin’s horn lit up as she began to separate the edge pieces from the middle pieces. “I’m so glad to hear that. Back when I first heard about her it reminded me of the past. Me and Pound got into a huge fight, and I knocked him into a bookshelf. The momentum brought it back right onto Pound’s head.

“He broke a leg and nearly died. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. So I know all about guilt for unintentionally sending your sibling to the hospital.”

“Wow!” said Mayhem. “You never told me about that.”

“Well… I just don’t like to think about it much. I’m sure you get that.”

Mayhem gave a somber nod. “Yeah.

“The first week I brought Spring into our sessions I found out that she had been feeling guilty for a different reason regarding her brother. Forest was spending all his available time with her, and she thought she was just being a burden on him.

“This time Twilight stepped up, and Spring learned her brother had been acting strong for her sake, but he felt just as guilty over what happened as she did.

“She had to learn that, just by being by her side, that was helping him to recover. It was letting him make up for the past.”

“But he saved her life,” Pound said, connecting edge pieces as he kept glancing at the box for reference. “What did he have to feel guilty about?”

“Yeah,” said Pumpkin, connecting a few more pieces. “How could he have predicted he’d crash?”

“He just hated he wasn’t around to sooth her hurting heart,” Mayhem replied, “so he pledged to be there for her as much as possible until the cracks in her heart healed.

“She, in turn, had to see how his heart was hurting, and realize that she had the power to glue his back together too. She had been thinking she couldn’t do anything in return for him, but she had the power all along.”

He set down the piece he was holding, a lump in his throat. “It really meant something special to me, solving my first friendship problem. Mainly because Twilight stayed out of it and left it all to me that first day.”

Pound nodded, his eyes growing misty. “We know that feeling. Masky, Flurry, you… it always feels so special to help someone through their issues.”

“I still remember,” said Pumpkin, blinking tears out of her eyes. “Peppermint had been so miserable before I met her. She was so jealous of her new baby brother, feeling like she was being replaced, or was only good as a babysitter.

“I talked her into talking to her dad, and seeing them breaking down hugging each other made me really feel like I had grown up a little. I had done it all myself, using everything I had learned about friendship.”

All of them reflected for a short time.

“So what else?” asked Pound as he grabbed another piece and put it in its place. “We already knew about Spring Meadow before.”

“Well,” Mayhem replied, “I’ve been learning a lot about myself lately.”

He sat back. “Let me ask you two an important question.”

They followed suit, turning their attention away from the puzzle to give him their full attention.

“What would you think about getting a piece of my power permanently?”

“That would be awesome!” said Pound.

“Yeah,” said Pumpkin. “Totally cool!”

Twilight put a hoof on Cup as she started to react. “Keep calm and listen,” she said reassuringly. “This isn’t going the direction you think it is.”

Cup gave her a dirty look, but complied.

Mayhem shook his head. “I knew you would say that, but it’s the wrong way to look at it.”

“What do you mean?” asked Pumpkin.

“I know it sounds great to have my kind of power, but I had a long talk with Twilight where I found out that my boredom was coming from it.”

“Why?” asked Pound.

“I thought that just having some time every week to go completely chaotic with my powers was all I really needed, but in reality it just led to me looking forward to those weekly sessions all the more. You can’t just have one good day a week, with the rest being all bad days, and expect to live a happy life.

“Yeah, it sounds great to be able to make anything happen with your imagination, but there’s only so much you can do with it before you realize how much it stunts your growth.”

“Stunts your growth?”

Mayhem nodded. “Twilight made me realize I was far too dependent on my powers to do everything for me, and so she tasked me with learning how to operate without it.

“It may seem to you that the only difference between making something on my own and doing it with my magic is the amount of time it takes, but it’s so much different than that. It’s about learning and growing and developing skills that I wouldn’t have if I didn’t put in the effort to learn it myself.

“With my magic I can just create anything I want and have it come out perfect, but without it I actually have to learn how to do it properly and it takes up time during the day. That’s what makes it so much fun.”

The twins looked at each other for a short while before glancing back at him. “Well,” said Pound, “when you put it that way…”

“Yeah,” said Pumpkin. “I see what you’re saying.”

“I mean, flying took me months and months of practice, but when I finally hovered and then flew it just felt so fulfilling. When I had your power I could fly with ease, but it just wasn’t the same.”

“I guess when you have everything there’s nothing to fight for.”

“Exactly,” said Mayhem. “That’s the lesson Twilight taught me, and it’s changed my life for the better. There’s so much before me to try, and it makes me push myself in a way I never did in the past.”

Cup let out a long breath, releasing some pent up stress.

“Hey, Cup?” said Mayhem, turning in her direction.

She jerked a little at his call. “Um, yes?”

“Would it be alright if I used my magic to show them some pictures of the things I’ve been learning to do?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“Twilight said that if I want you to respect me then it starts with respecting you first. I know I make you anxious, so I want to do with you like I do with Twilight. When I’m out with her I put her in control of me and the magic I use. That way I know I’m not doing anything wrong.

“So I’m putting you in charge of me today. I’ll ask your permission before using my powers so that you always know my intentions when I snap.

“This is hard enough on you. I don’t want to cause you any more anxiety.”

Twilight grinned, restraining herself from clapping.

Cup looked surprised by his thoughtfulness. “I do hope you’re not just trying to butter me up.”

He shook his head. “No. It’s like I said to Pound and Pumpkin: seeing Spring Meadow’s situation made me see how valuable the heart is and how far it reaches. It’s not worth it to do something that makes them happy but makes you miserable.

“And I don’t want you to force yourself to go along because you think it’ll make them happy. You’re already doing that just by having me here. I don’t want to add any more burdens to you.”

Carrot blinked. It seemed those two months of growth really had shaped him into a better person.

Pinkie giggled.

Cup inclined her head slightly. “Well, thank you for your consideration, but that alone isn’t going to sway me.”

Pound bit his lip. “Come on, Mom. He’s trying here. Do you have to keep emphasizing that you’re not a hundred percent with him yet?”

“I agree,” said Pumpkin. “Don’t be so discouraging when he’s taking your feelings into consideration.”

“It’s not my intention to be discouraging,” said Cup. “Going with his bridge building metaphor your bridge was made out of boulders, which is why it was so easy for you to repair yours. On my side that bridge is more like pebbles. He’s laying the foundation to recreate it, one step at a time, but it’s naturally going to take longer to recreate my bridge.

“If he continues to do things like this it may come a little faster, but because the material is so small it’s still going to take considerable time. That’s all I’m saying.”

“I get it,” said Mayhem. “I’m willing to be patient as long as you’re willing to give me a chance to prove myself.”

To his friends he said, “Don’t get upset, you guys. This is all a test for me. I have to show that I’m capable of handling it or else your parents will never be able to move on. It’s just like Spring Meadow. It’s been a few months now and she still occasionally has her Sombra rear its ugly head, but she’s getting better every week.

“Even if it takes years to find every last pebble, I’ll do it for the sake of my friends.”

That made the twins grin. “Sounds good to me,” said Pumpkin. “We know you can do it.”

“Sure can!” said Pound. “So long as we put our hearts together there’s nothing we can’t do.”

“As to your query,” said Cup, “I grant my permission.”

“Thank you,” said Mayhem, bowing his head to her.

He snapped, and a photo album appeared. He opened it to the first page, getting a nostalgic look on his face.

“Well, don’t laugh, but I’ve been learning a lot of new hobbies lately.”

“Why would we laugh at that?” asked Pound.

“Well… it’s just a little embarrassing for me. You can ask Twilight. She’ll tell you how scared I felt when she tried to get me into some new hobbies.”

Pumpkin’s eyebrow went up. “What’s scary about that? Unless your hobby was going waterskiing on sharks I don’t see what’s so terrifying.”

“I’m… just not used to not being perfect. I mean, with my magic. Doing all sorts of wacky stuff with my magic is what made our days together fun. I wasn’t sure if you’d feel the same way about me if I never used my magic around you.”

“Come on, Mayhem!” said Pound. “Nothing will ever change the way we feel about you. A true friend loves you for who you are and nothing less than that.”

“I mean,” said Pumpkin, “if what happened during the superhero adventure wasn’t enough to break our friendship then nothing will.”

“I know, I know,” said Mayhem. “I remembered you saying something during the sleepover that it was me, and not my power, that made your birthday special. Like I said, it’s just hard for me because I’m not used to doing stuff the normal way. Anything I’ve ever wanted I could just get with my power, so I’ve never been open to criticism about the things I’ve made because they’ve always been perfect.

“I’m not so pathetic anymore. I’ve been learning to accept my imperfections and work with them rather than always needing to be perfect.”

“That’s great,” said Pumpkin.

“Doesn’t mean I’m not still a little nervous about letting you see the very first atrocity I created on my own.” He sighed, closing the book and setting it down.

“Twilight took me to see her mother so we could all do a craft project together. It was a lot of fun, even if it was scary at first.”

He got a happy blush on his face. “Twilight’s mom is so awesome. Seeing me for the first time she didn’t even react to how unusual I am. And when I brought it up she told me that she grew up with strange since they had Spike and then gave me a hug only a mother could give.

“She treated me almost like her own child.”

“Aww,” said Pound.

“And we’ve been doing stuff together every week. She’s super fun to be with.

“That’s when I learned about another connection. Sometimes nothing personal weakens the feelings one has for another, but they just drift apart because they have their own lives to lead. She was so happy we showed up because she doesn’t get to see her children and grandchildren that often. I mean, they’re royalty in charge of an empire and a town.”

“Hmm,” said Pumpkin, resting her head on her hoof. “I never thought about it like that. Eventually, me and Pound are gonna move out and start our own families.”

“Hey, guys!” Carrot said loudly to get their attention. “Maybe now isn’t the best time to be talking about you not being around anymore, huh? None of us in this room want to be thinking about that concept after what happened a few months ago.”

“Oh… right.” She blushed. “Sorry.”

“Thank you, Carrot,” said Cup with a slight shiver. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s giving me anxiety.”

Pound pulled at his sister. “I think they’re in need of emergency hugs. STAT!”

“On the job!” Pumpkin replied.

The pair trotted over and hopped on their parent’s laps to hug them tightly.

After a few minutes Cup and Carrot were settled enough to allow their children to resume playing.

“Let’s finish up this puzzle already,” said Mayhem as the two returned, “then I’ll show you what I’ve been learning.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Pound.

With the three of them focused it only took another few minutes to finish up.

Once they broke it up and put it back in the box Mayhem picked up the photo album, hugging it to himself.

He let out a moan. “Oh, I’m nervous, but I have to be brave.”

He sighed and set it on the table as the other two kneeled on either side of him.

He opened the book to the first page, showing the baby pony he had made out of popsicle sticks. “Working with popsicle sticks was kinda easy when we were just working out of a book where I just had to follow directions, but it got a little scary when I had to make something up on my own.

“I decided to make Twilight’s mom a baby out of sticks since she kept ribbing on Twilight to give her a grandchild.”

That made Pound and Pumpkin chuckle.

“I know it looks terrible, but I was still inexperienced at the time.”

“I don’t think it looks that bad,” said Pound.

“It’s not great,” Pumpkin said honestly, “but for your first attempt it could have been a lot worse.”

Mayhem began flipping through the pages, showing them the myriad of things he had created from his hobbies. “I’ve been getting new books and new materials so I can keep learning new stuff and mastering the old stuff. The experience I’ve been getting has made everything so fun that now I don’t just spend all week waiting for one special thing.

“Shoot, I took out the woodcarving book the day before wish day, and a part of me almost wanted to cancel it just because I had a specific project in mind.”

“Really?” asked Pound. “Now that’s impressive.

“When Twilight was talking about the difference between using a special power to do things and how a normal person does them she brought up how a woodworker would make a desk. She challenged me to do something like that, but then dialed it back to something simpler like a bird house for Mommy’s animals.

“That’s why it was so distracting. I wanted to do something special to make Mommy happy, but I didn’t want to disappoint my friends.”

Mayhem flipped a few pages until he got to the picture of the birdhouse he had made, giving it a gentle smile. “I told Twilight this, and I’ll say it again now. It may not be perfect, but it’s perfect to me. It has it’s imperfections, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be loved… just like all of us.”

The twins hugged him. “Got that right!” Pound said strongly.

“We love you for all your imperfections,” Pumpkin said warmly.

“And I love both of you,” Mayhem said, his eyes getting wet. He had missed them so much.

With Cup’s permission he created a bunch of popsicle sticks and assorted materials to do crafts with.

For the next hour they just did arts and crafts. Mayhem had gotten good enough he didn’t need the book. He felt a sense of odd satisfaction at the slightly jealous looks the twins gave him as they compared their creations to his.

Just knowing that even without his magic he could create something that was superior to someone else’s creation made him feel empowered. He really didn’t need to rely on it to be successful.

“Okay,” said Pound. “I give up.”

“Yeah,” Pumpkin said right after. “You’re just too skilled for us.”

“Come on,” said Mayhem. “It’s not about skill. It’s about having fun.”

“That so?” said Pound slyly. “Don’t think we didn’t see you smirking at us.”

“Who, me?” he responded innocently.

“Don’t make us crush your fancy-pants pony model,” said Pumpkin. “You won’t be able to fix it. We just have to ask our mom not to give you permission.”

“That’s low,” said Mayhem.

They gave each other dirty looks for a few more seconds, then they all burst into laughter.

The day continued on, and Cup found it hard to keep her misgivings. One good day wasn’t going to erase all her negative feelings, but she was happy that it was such a low-key day. Mayhem’s self-inflicted stipulation to ask her before using his brand of magic made things less stressful for her.

After lunch they all went outside to enjoy some physical activities. The twins took their pets and they went to the park to play.

They were at the park about an hour before going home to play some board games.

About three o’clock Cup brought the day to an end.

The three children were disappointed, but they didn’t fight her.

The three hugged each other for as long as they could get away with.

Cup walked over and called out Mayhem’s name. He quickly let go, thinking she was going to scold him for stalling.

To his surprise she rubbed his head and even gave him a slight smile. “Today wasn’t nearly as bad as I imagined it was going to be. With Twilight confirming that magic suppression doesn’t work on you I thought today would be nerve wracking, never knowing what a snap may hold.

“Thank you for being considerate of my feelings. Perhaps my bridge isn’t quite made of pebbles after all.”

That made Mayhem smile wide.

“That being said, don’t get ahead of yourself. Just because I said that doesn’t mean everything is fine between us. If you truly want me to forgive you then just keep doing what you did today and continue to prove to me you’re someone that I can trust.”

He saluted her. “I’ll keep doing my best, Mrs. Cake.

“I’m really sorry that I got so out of control. I know you’re not ready to accept my apology yet, but it’s still something I want to say.”

She considered him for a short while and then with a little sigh gave him a hug. “You’re right that I’m not ready for that yet, but I can still appreciate the sentiment you’re trying to convey.

“I gave you six hours, and for today that’s all I’m willing to give. Next weekend we can try again.”

She released him, and Pound and Pumpkin both came over to give him one last hug.

“You’re so in!” Pound whispered in his ear.

Mayhem giggled. “You guys… thank you for everything. I wouldn’t be the draconequus I am today without you lending strength to my heart and giving me something to fight for.”

“That’s our job,” said Pound. “Friends for life.”

Mayhem floated up near Twilight, hugging her. “And of course I can’t forget about you. You’ve done so much for me to help me get to this point.”

“Just like she did for me,” said Pound. “She taught me that I shouldn’t use violence to solve my problems. That’s how I got Drill Bit to reform.”

“All of us are growing up together,” said Pumpkin.

“You sure are,” said Twilight. “I’m very pleased with all of you.

“Now, before we overstay our welcome, let’s get you home, Mayhem.”

“Okay, Twilight.” He waved to his friends. “Goodbye. See you next week.”

“Bye, Mayhem!” They both waved their hooves at him as they teleported out.

Twilight smiled as Mayhem began to share all the details of the day with Fluttershy. He was so happy.

She was glad things had gone so well. She knew her brother and her sister-in-law didn’t bare a grudge against Mayhem, so maybe next time she could talk Cup into having Flurry there as well.

As he got his social circle back it would only make him push that much harder to keep them around.

Author's Notes:

Sorry if it seems a little sparse on details near the end. I was over 6 thousand words and didn't want to make it too big.

Probably going on hiatus for a while after this. Since the final official arc is going to be something big and tense it's something I'd rather write out the majority of before posting it daily to keep the hype up. So I'll probably be MIA for like two months. Hopefully less, but considering I want to end off with a bang I don't want this to be a post as I finish kind of arc.

Some good news, though. I've already written the two aftermath chapters that'll close out PAPT 2, so that's a little less to be done.

No telling how long it's going to be in the end, but I'm estimating about 9 chapters.