Golden Dawn arrived early at her, now brother’s, house, where the family was. They were waiting inside. It was going to be the last day she was able to see them in a long while.

Her mother answered the door. The door was always locked.

“Dear,” Bobbin said, hugging Golden Dawn. “I am surprised you are alone. I thought you might bring Shining Ire with you.”

Golden Dawn was confused. “I’m here to have one last planned day with my family before I leave for the military. I am here to spend time with all of you.”

“I just thought you two were together.”

“Oh,” Golden Dawn flatly stated. “Well, yeah. That is where it has ended up. It started innocently, like we said.” Golden Dawn shrugged, leaving it unfinished. “But I’m here to see you. I live with her, not you. I see her all the time. Especially since I stopped working at the diner.”

“Well, if you want to invite her, she is practically family. She matters in your life.”

“Thanks Mom,” Golden Dawn smiled. “I might call and see if she wants to join us. Her parents don’t know either. Anything.”

Golden Dawn lost her smile. “It’s all still so new, and…”

“And you are leaving,” Bobbin finished, smiling. “Plans for that?”

“After Basic Training we will reevaluate things. I’ll have a better feel for my future. I will know my next training and all. Its 16 tough weeks. We want it to be solid, but neither of us know enough to make that choice.”

“You think somepegasus else will catch your eye?” Bobbin asked.

“Catch my eye, maybe. But my heart is a different matter. As ready as I am, as sure as I am, I am unsure where this will go.”

“Go,” Bobbin said. “Call her and invite her over. I was expecting her to be with you. A mother knows.”

Golden Dawn chuckled. “But how?”

“You confided in me long ago,” Bobbin smiled. “It’s not hard for me to see these things. I know my daughter.”

Golden Dawn greeted everypegasus in passing as she went to the kitchen to make the call. Shining Ire was shocked, but was going to come over.

Golden Dawn stepped out into the living room to open up to her family. It obviously wasn’t the time. Batten Sword was distracted keeping Ace quiet while Raid was sleeping on the couch, head back, mouth open with drool leaking out of the corner of his mouth. Golden Dawn joined Bobbin and Summer in the corner where they were talking quietly. It was a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Shining Ire was having her own lazy afternoon and didn’t rush over. Golden Dawn answered the door when Shining Ire knocked.

“You guys all lock your doors,” Shining Ire commented. “You are all serious about it. Even knowing pegasi are coming over.”

Golden Dawn shrugged. “Its safest. But that choice varies by family.”

Golden Dawn coughed to get the room’s attention. Raid coughed on his drool and then looked at them.

“Ah,” Raid nodded. “I was wondering if you would show up. It was Shining Iris, right?”

Golden Dawn shook her head with a smile at her brother. It was the Raid she knew. Taking it as it was.

“Shining Ire, as in the flower.”

“Well, I hope Golden isn’t too bad in bed. I used to have to drag her ass out of bed for school. I thought I drooled, but she is a waterfall and half the time her body isn’t in a good sleeping position.”

Shining Ire was unsure what to say, but Golden Dawn was giggling.

“I got better,” Golden Dawn fired back. “A bit. Restraints were considered after the third time of me booting her off the side for a very rude awakening.”

Raid was ready to fire right back. “You had the ruder awaking I assume.”

“Waking me up is always rude and ill advised!”

“And yet you are going to have to deal with some buff, intimidating pegasi yelling at you and dragging your ass out of bed each morning. You better learn to sleep proper.”

“When do I do anything proper?”

“Yeah,” Raid rolled his eyes. “You are screwed for Basic Training. You are going to have a tough time adjusting. And you won’t get to break them like you did Mr. Paper.”

“I forgot about him,” Golden Dawn chuckled. “His hard ass has to be softer than they will be, which means I am fucked.”

“You joined of your own free will!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Golden Dawn replied, flipping him off with her wing.

Shining Ire was not used to Golden Dawn having a partner to banter with. “This was an unexpected introduction.”

“I bet Mom saw it coming,” Raid shot back. “But no. Not a surprised. She was going to have to come with some stranger at some point because her peers had her black listed. At least you two met first as friends. Always better than just hunting for a mate.”

Golden Dawn got Shining Ire to join her and Raid on the couch.

“You make it sound so… aggressive?”

Raid chuckled. “It is. Here anyway. I gather it isn’t in the rest of the city. Romance is very calculated for most couples.”

“You and Summer?” Shining Ire asked. She felt like it was open enough to freely ask that question.

“Oh, I hunted him badly,” Summer laughed, joining the conversation. “I chased away Fritter, who he was hunting. I was aggressive and open. I rudely shot down a dozen stallions, in public.”

“But Raid, well I learned to call him Raid and relax. He surprised me and I fell in love with the pegasus behind the outer shell I was hunting.”

Shining Ire was unnerved, but relaxed. “What exactly were you hunting?”

“Well,” Summer said, trying to put things in an easy to understand manor. “Both parents worked. He grew up in a larger house. I wanted a little sister because I only had a jackass of an older brother. Mind you, this was before Golden knew she was a filly fooler. There is a good age gap.”

“Both of the kids had no problems with being being born. Even though I would be carrying the foals, it was important to consider. Its, at least, an old mare’s tale here that both sides matter for the ease of a pregnancy.”

“Then there were the other shallow things about how tall, big, what the mane was like, and other physical attributes that don’t matter. He covered most of those.”

Raid snorted. “I thought she was crazy. She is, but not as much since she made me hers. She was hot, and had a solid background. But I had little I needed. I was the prize. And to be wanted so badly,” Raid shrugged. “Well that was hot and made me feel pretty and special. I knew there was more to her than hunting me and what I saw. And I am not sorry I said yes. She is a dreamy firecracker.”

Shining Ire was trying not to laugh as she shook her head. “You all live in a crazy, foreign world that is backwards.”

“Hey,” Summer shrugged with a smile. “It landed us this place without a fight. That is a big deal. Even though I can’t get a my job back, we don’t need both of us working. Our parents bought it and owned it. They passed it on, assuming they would stay here until they retired. We still live in Raid’s bedroom, not the master. Housing is hard here.”

“See,” Golden Dawn said, nudging Shining Ire. “That is why I was perfectly happy with my place.”

Batten Sword took his focus off of Ace for the first time. “We started out in a similar place. We were renting that place. As soon as we knew we were pregnant, we had to get aggressive with a solid home. We made the leap to here. It was just in our grasp. We put in a lot to get and keep here, especially when Golden came along, but it was worth every bead of sweat and restless night.”

“That is why I am elated that the military does free housing!” Golden Dawn declared. “It’s important to those of us who live here.”

The day was calm and smooth. Shining Ire was just accepted and they were not hounded with questions. The day was focused on them all as a family, enjoying each other.

Dinner was all of Golden Dawn’s favorites. More than enough food was made. Bobbin wanted her daughter to have some of each and not miss anything.

It was late when they left and very late when they got back. Tomorrow was the day for just Golden Dawn and Shining Ire. That was all they had planned. Sleep in and stay in. Monday, Golden Dawn would be gone before Shining Ire had to be at work.

Next Chapter: Story 1 - Breaking Dawn Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 53 Minutes