Rarity, Sweetie, and Snickers met outside the Carousel Boutique and stared at it in awe. Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Twilight were by the pony they had been closest to through the day and watched as the group stood at the edge of the property, looking at the purple shop and home.

Sweetie took the first step and stopped. “Sweets, whatever is the matter?”

“Call me Sweetie, Rarity,” she smiled at her older sister and was quickly embraced in a hug.

“Oh, that’s so nice to hear. Let’s go in, Snickers, would you like to ride on my back like before?”

He shook his head. “Nah, good hooves,” he waved one at her. As a group they walked together with Sweetie and Snickers stay close to Rarity’s underbelly as they neared the door. Rarity stood close to the wall and turned the handle.

“Be ready, I’ve told you before what to expect. The last thing we want is to be caught unprepared for the next strike.”

They nodded from her sides while Rarity’s friends hung back and looked at the scene with worry. The door was pushed in quickly and a loud ‘bang’ came from inside, party decorations came flying out of the doorway and landed haphazardly across the path and Pinkie shouted ‘surprise’ to an empty doorway.

The three giggled and walked around the corner into the house and were assaulted by a second party cannon. Rarity cast a shield too late and was now wearing a conical hat, a lei, a party horn was in her lips, and she smelled cotton candy, as though some were rubbed on her snout. The foals were the same.

Sweetie and Snickers were trying to lick their snouts in a comical way and were frozen like that for the rest of time when Featherweight snapped a photo of them with a Poloroid. The picture was promptly grabbed by Pinkie and stuffed into her mane. “Surprise number two!”

Snickers, Sweetie, Rarity, and Rainbow snorted into laughter. Pinkie giggled and hugged them all in one embrace, then let them go.

“Surprise number two’s are the worst!” Sweetie giggled and Rarity nodded in agreement.

“Quite, especially during important events.”

“Or when you got the sneezes,” Snickers added and even Rarity had to sit down to control herself from falling over.

Rainbow sighed first and flew to the punch bowl, getting two cups and flying to Sweetie and Snickers. “Here, drink up.”

They took the offered beverages and sipped them, looked at one another with wide eyes, then drank it all.

“Sweets, Snickers!” Scootaloo and Apple Bloom called in unison and trotted up to them. “Surprise!” Scootaloo said and moved closer to Sweetie. “Can I hug you, or are you gonna hoof fu me again?” she grinned, somewhat hopeful Sweetie would.

“Call me Sweetie, and I need a hug from my best friends.”

The other two gasped happily and ran to the two sitting side by side, knocking them over in a group hug full of giggles and nuzzles. “Ah missed ya so much, both ‘a ya.”

Snickers was blushing from the nuzzles and tried to shy away. “Woah, I’m not that kinda colt. Not yet, anyway.”

“Sweetie, ya gotta tell us how ya got yer mark! Maybe we can do the same and get ours,” Apple Bloom and Scootaloo pulled themselves free and looked at their flanks.

“I think you should tell us your secret, Sweetie, soon. Applejack’s getting upset from having to clean sap out of our coats so often since you were in the hospital.”

“Yeah, sis’ gettin’ tired of our ideas. Without you, we can’t stop from crashin’ inta trees or gettin’ covered with somethin’ sticky!”

Scootaloo agreed. “Yeah, we’re talking sap, glue, honey, putty, syrup, sugar…”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “So much syrup, wasted.”

Sweetie rolled to her hooves. “Okay, I’ll tell you how I got mine. Snickers, you coming?”

“Nah, I haven’t had cake for a few hours. I need my fix,” he licked his lips and ran to the table covered with slices of cake. He bit the lip of a plate and transferred it to his back, turned, then bumped right into a mare he didn’t know. His cake wobbled on his back, but stayed. He thanked a few stars for saving the cake.

“Hi, I’m Miss Cherilee. I’ll be your teacher starting Monday, you must be Snickers. It’s going to be a pleasure teaching you about everything a young colt like you would want to know, and then some.”

“Uh, hi. Yeah, I’m Snickers and I wanna eat my cake…”

“Oh, I see that. But, I want you to know that Saturday I have to meet with you for an assessment, I’ve already told Rarity about it. We have to know where you stand in your education.”

He nickered. “Lady, you have no idea.”

Miss Cherilee fought the urge to frown at his attitude. “Okay, I’ll see you later. Enjoy your cake and ‘Welcome back home’ party.”

“Oh yeah, I will and am.” He walked around his future teacher and made it to a table where he slid the cake from his back. He leaned down to take a bite and it was heavenly. Carrot, banana, lemon zest icing covered the fluffy cake underneath that had three layers with jelly or jam between them. A variety of nuts added a nice crunch he just learned he loved and he took another bite before finishing the first.

“Hey, slow down, dude. Gotta pace yourself, or you’ll choke or get a tummy ache,” Rainbow giggled with Applejack beside her wearing a party hat on top of her stetson.

He didn’t dignify Rainbow with a response, but looked at the hat on hat action and tried to smile.

Sweetie was sitting in place while her friends pronked around her, happy with the tale of Sweetie’s mark, while Rarity stood by the punch with a slice of cake on a plate, a cup of punch wrapped in a napkin, and Twilight asking her questions between bites of a sandwich the purple mare had found on a tray by the kitchen.

Behind it all, Pinkie watched from the gramophone, happy everypony was happy.

Rarity lay in her bed with Snickers and Sweetie by her sides. They were full of snacks and sweets, tired from a long evening of playing and having fun, and happy to be home and accepted. “So, how was your day?”

Sweetie moaned and held her extended belly. Snickers did the same and Rarity hummed a laugh. “I see, nothing else, then?”

“I made friends with the girls again,” Sweetie said, then hiccupped.

“I kissed Diamond Tiara.”

The bed rocked as the sister moved to look at him. He wasn’t cocky or smug, just silently suffering as his insides cramped slightly. “You did what, young stallion?!”

“Eh, it wasn’t sweet or anything, it was where I kicked her when she was down.”

Sweetie and Rarity sighed, falling back onto the bed. “I don’t know if I could stand having her as a niece in law.”

Snickers finally reacted by sitting up and regretting it, but looking over Rarity at Sweetie regardless. “What the fuck, Sweetie?!”

His mouth was sealed with blue magic. “That’s another bit in your jar, stop speaking that way or I’ll have to escalate your punishments. Recall your first hours here?”

His stomach rumbled and for the first time in a while, he cowered back from her. “Y-yes Miss Rarity. I’m sorry.”

She grabbed him with a foreleg and pulled him to her barrel. “None of that, now. I won’t have you living in fear of me, and I’m not Miss Rarity to you. We’ve established this.”

He pulled against her and groaned. “I’ve gotta go barf, I ate way too much,” he said casually and left the sisters in bed.

“Is he really gonna do that, Rarity?”

“I imagine so. Let’s not listen to that, else I may join him.” Her horn lit and the room was cast with a shimmering blue glow across the walls. “So… Sweetie, is it? What changed your mind in the few hours between out talks?”

“I just remembered that there were good times when I was Sweetie and being Sweets was because of the bad. Fluttershy and Snickers really helped. I know it’s not the same as before, but I kinda feel okay being back here and being me again.”

“That’s lovely! Tomorrow we should all go to the spa, I think it’s needed more than we know. And there’s one thing we have to work on, too.”

Sweetie looked at her sister. “What’s that?”

“Well, do you still want a special somepony?” Sweetie blushed and buried her face in her sister’s side. “Sweetie! What have I told you about your horn? You’re so careless I should just wrap a cloth around the tip.”

Sweetie moaned. “Do we have to get me a special somepony? I was just looking before.”

“Maybe so,” Rarity said happily, “but you’re growing up and your first estrus will be next year. You have to have your eyes on someone… er, somepony, right?”

Sweetie shook her head. “No, nopony. I don’t want gross kisses and to feel a stallion that way.”

Rarity giggled loudly this time. “Somepony’s thought about it, haven’t you?”

“No!” Sweetie practically shrieked in embarrassment.

“Ohhh, this is wonderful. Who is it? It’s not Snickers, is it?”

“Ew! Gross,” her expression matched her meaning. “He’s family, no way.”

“Technically, he’s not. But, I won’t press that issue. Who might it be that has your heart in their hooves? Hmm…”

“Don’t guess… he’s not even here.”

Rarity’s eyes widened and she hugged Sweetie to her side again. “Oh, oh my. I knew, but I didn’t think that much into it. Like us leaving…”

“Yeah, plus he was like, almost eighteen. That’s over twice my age, isn’t that gross?”

“Certainly not, darling. He would have been a fantastic father to your foals,” she teased and got hit in her side as a result. Pain shocked between her ribs and across her barrel.

“Stop it, Rarity!” Sweetie’s voice cracked and squeaked.

“Ouch, okay, okay. But, was he the first you’ve felt such things about?”

“Maybe.”

“No pony else?”

Sweetie looked at Rarity again, this time with frustration. “None of your business. And don’t ask,” she said as a headache started to build. “Ugh, now I’m getting another headache. Can we stop talking about this stuff, please?”

Rarity dropped the topic as quickly as Sweetie mentioned her headache. “What do you plan to do tomorrow? It should be quite relaxed, so will you spend it with your fellow crusaders?”

Sweetie rubbed her temples. “Yeah, they told me I’m a crusader forever! I’m gonna help them and Snickers find their marks, next.”

“That’s lovely, dear. Just remember that your mark is going to be as unique as theirs, so don’t try to get one the same way.”

“Well… we’re gonna try a couple things like I did, but they can’t sing; so we’ll find something for them just for them.”

“It’s so nice to have you back to the filly I remembered when we were having our little escapade. I loathe to have seen you turn into a monster chasing ponies and doing horrible things to them, like this.” Rarity turned to her side and began tickling Sweetie with her hooves and magic, getting her to kick and flail her legs as she tried to escape.

“Rarity, stop! Stop… I’ve gotta pee.”

Rarity stopped and let Sweetie run from the room and turn to the stairs. Now that she was alone she lay back and looked at the ceiling, counting the boards and trying to match them to what other parts of the same tree they were from. Snickers entered the room and climbed onto the bed.

“Welcome back Sni-” she heaved. “Sweet Luna’s tailhole, Snickers. Brush your teeth after vomiting, please!”

He groaned and climbed from the bed. “That’s another bit for your jar now,” he said passing the field of magic, leaving her alone in silence.

“Fluttershy would certainly love this silence,” she said as she spritzed perfume between the bed and the doorway. “Perhaps a visit to her cottage is due… I think Snickers would love to see it.”

She rolled to her side and looked at the closet. “Where did he go?! I couldn’t have teleported him that far, could I have?” she pouted and rolled back, replacing the perfume and grabbing a random book from her bookshelf. She began cycling through books and gave up. “Where are those two?”

Sweetie met Snickers in the bathroom and joined him brushing his teeth, both felt better and worse. Sweetie watched her nephew finish and step back. “Waif, Ah gofa quifon.”

“Okay,” he said and leaned against the wall by the door. A few seconds passed and she held the toothbrush in her magic.

“Are you happy to be back?” He cocked his head curiously. “I mean, you weren’t here long, and when you were, you were bad and then not as bad. I didn’t really ask before now, but what do you think changed to make you happier before,” she pointed to her flank, “all that.”

He shook his head, sighing. “I dunno. Maybe it’s pony nature to be good and happy, or it was. Something happened and we changed, but when I felt the virtues all at once for the first time it started something in me. I cared about you two, I never really cared about anypony or anyone. Now, even though I’m not sure about a home, I have a family.”

Sweetie grinned and hopped down, rushing to hug him. He looked away and accepted her embrace. “You’re the best pony I ever wanted in my family.”

“Heh, thanks.” She broke the hug and nuzzled his cheek. “Yeah, I’m gonna head back, okay?”

“Oh, okay. Have you checked your room out yet? It’s been a while.”

“No, I was only here a day and didn’t even get to sleep in it. You went to the hospital, remember?”

Her ears fell and her tail followed. “Oh yeah, but it wasn’t your fault.”

“I know, I guess. If I didn’t knock those bottles down…”

“We’ve been over this a million times,” she stomped her hoof in finality, “I scared you and you ran. If anyone’s to blame, it’s me for waiting until you were busy to scare you. I could’ve waited until after, so drop it,” her horn brightened, bringing her toothbrush to task. She turned, smacking her tail across his rump and he hopped out of the room.

“Fine, doesn’t make anything any better, though.”

He dodged a sphere of water she tossed and then ran around the corner. The smile he sported from the moment of fun stayed with him while he walked to his room.

He looked in and it was as boring as he’d left it, except for a small wrapped box on the bed. He knew it wasn’t there before and pulled it to the floor, then opened the lid. He fell back onto his flank and covered his mouth with his forehoof as he felt his eyes welling with tears. His other hoof picked a blue cloak from the box that had the logo of the Cutie Mark Crusaders on it.

He held it to his chest. “Can I please go ten minutes without crying?” he cursed himself.

“But that’s just what colts do,” Sweetie said from the doorway and walked to his side. The cloak was tugged from him and draped over his back. He stood up so she could smooth it over his back and clasp the collar latch closed. “I was gonna tell you with Rarity, but you’re one of us now.

“You’re not a Ponyville native, but you’re here to stay because you’re in our hearts.”

Sweetie giggled when he hugged her tightly and nuzzled into her neck. “Th-thank you, so much. Y-you’re the best thing to happen to me.”

She patted his back. “Yeah, Rarity’s kind of a bitch.”

“Sweetie Belle?!” They froze, Snickers still hiccupped and they both looked at the mare in the doorway. “That may be true, but you shouldn’t say such things about me, after all I’ve done for you since you were a yearling.”

“Sis…”

“Tut-tut. At this rate I’ll be able to open a new boutique in Canterlot with how much your jars will fill. Honestly,” she fluffed her mane, “I leave you alone for five minutes and the truth is finally revealed.”

They looked at Rarity and moved side by side. They whispered a couple words to one another, nodded, then returned their attention to Rarity, who watched with curiosity.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, charge!”

They charged Rarity and she let them tackle her into the hallway and peppered her with kisses and tickles to the point Rarity couldn’t cast a spell to defend herself.