Even though the door was shut, the squeal of childish glee from down the hall still roused Twilight Velvet. She laughed as she sat up in bed, hearing her eldest thunder down the hall to bang on his sister’s door. “Twily!” Shining Armor shouted with all the restraint of a four year old in front of a birthday cake. “It’s Christmas!! Wake up!!”

Throwing on her robe and tucking her feet into slippers, she padded out of her room as Shining reached it. “Merry Christmas, Mom!!” He pivoted, banging on his sister’s door again before ducking back into his own, trying to rouse his fiancee.

Velvet shook her head, heading towards the stairs...only to stop at the sound of voices from Twilight’s room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she paused to listen.

Her daughter’s voice was unmistakable and much louder than her companion’s. “Sunny! Wake up! It’s Christmas morning!”

“Dun wanna...” came the reply, followed by some grumbling. It seemed like Sunset Shimmer was not a morning person even on holidays. “Stop squirming...can’t snuggle you when you move this much.”

“I don’t want to stay in bed! It’s Christmas! That means stockings and presents and breakfast, Christmas movies and music and just so much I want to share with you that we do!”

There was a groan. “Sparky...it’s...” The voice went quiet, then came back ten or twenty seconds later, flat and toneless. “Why is it six thirty AM, Twilight? Why is your brother banging on the door at six thirty in the morning on a holiday, and why are you trying to pull me out of bed this early? The sunrise hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet!”

Velvet stifled a laugh behind her hand as her daughter answered, “Because it’s Christmas! We always get up super early and open stockings and have breakfast, then do presents. And I really really want to give you your presents!”

There was a long suffering sigh that was not nearly as pained as Sunset made it sound. “You are lucky I find you impossible to resist when you make that face, nerd. Alright. I’ll get up, but I demand coffee as recompense.”

Giggling from both girls ensued, and Velvet shook her head as she continued her way to the stairs. She may have had to pretend that nothing was going on between them, but it didn’t mean she didn’t find the budding romance between the girls to be sweet. Though she hoped that maybe Sunset would help Twilight find the courage to open up to them about the matter. It had been almost three years since she’d come out to Cadence and she still showed no signs of telling the rest of her family.

Cadence popped her head into the living room, spotting Velvet on the couch with her laptop. “Velvet? Do you have a minute?”

Seeing her look so serious, Twilight Velvet closed the computer. Editing the next chapter could wait. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?” She asked the young woman who was practically another one of her children.

“Do you remember what Shining mentioned on Thanksgiving? About Sunset?” She bit her lip nervously.

“Yes. I also remember telling you all to leave the girls alone about it. What did you do, young lady? Please don’t tell me you tried to play matchmaker.” Velvet prayed that wasn’t the case. “Sunset is emotionally fragile.”

“I swear, I didn’t play matchmaker...but I thought you needed to know the truth. They’re dating, and have been for a while. Twily asked for my advice on what to do about her feelings for Sunset and I encouraged her to be honest.”

“So it was mutual?” She was surprised...but not overly so, not after numerous nights of poking her head into her daughters room and finding the pair snuggled up together in Twilight’s bed like a pair of sleeping kittens.

Cadence giggled. “…Twily has it so baaaad…” she told Velvet. “She’s getting better at hiding it, but she’s smitten.”

She shared a chuckle with her future daughter-in-law. “They both are, it seems. I am glad that Twily is still coming to you. It’s good that she has someone she is willing to share what’s going on with her....and thank you for keeping me in the loop about it.”

“I don’t want to overstep,” Cadence replied, “I feel honored that Twilight trusts me, and I do want to give her good advice, but I’m not her parent. It’s the other reason I wanted to talk to you....I know they’re going to get physical at some point, and I wanted to know what you wanted me to do if Twilight comes to me about it for advice or with questions.”

Velvet nodded. “I know, Cadence, and thank you. But really, if I’m honest, I trust your judgment—you know my daughter as well as I do, if not better in some ways, and you’ve been nothing but careful and sensitive with her feelings for a long time. We all want Twily to be responsible, to be healthy and safe, and to not jump into things without looking, so I know that’ll be part of whatever advice you offer her when the time comes.” A wry smile crossed her face. “Besides, you know as well as I do that telling a teenager ‘No,’ is like hanging a sign on your neck that reads ‘Do it anyway and lie to me about it.’”

They shared another laugh. “The good news is they’re both girls so there’s no chance of a pregnancy scare,” Cadence joked. “That removes a whole subset of concerns, questions, and worries. It never happened with Shining and I but I knew way too many girls in high school and even college who had them.” She leaned over to hug Velvet. “I’ll try to keep you up to date, Velvet...and I want you to know I’m still trying to encourage Twilight to tell you guys, but...”

“Her anxiety?”

“Isn’t it always?” Cadence sighed. “She seems more confident with Sunset, so maybe....”

“She will tell us when she’s ready, sweetheart. We can be patient, and offer her the love and reassurance she needs both before and after. Her and Sunset both.”

Velvet stood before the coffee pot, waiting for the first drops of ambrosia to hit the hot glass. While the rest of her family were firmly morning people, she had more in common with her children’s partners. Mornings were evil, and should be outlawed from happening before ten AM. She heard a shuffling sound behind her, her hand pausing on its way to the cabinet. “Good morning, Sunset,” she offered. “And Merry Christmas.” She set out four mugs—no one wanted to find out what would happen if one was to give her children coffee this early when they were already so chipper. “Be a dear and get me the creamers from the fridge? And the chocolate syrup, if you would. I think the three of us who would rather still be abed will need the extra boost this morning.”

Sunset grunted something unintelligible, but obediently brought her the creamer and the bottle of chocolate syrup. Baleful blue-green eyes glowered at the pot as if she was trying to will the coffee to percolate faster. “They always this perky this early on Christmas?” she mumbled, watching Velvet prep the mugs with varying amounts of cream, sugar, and syrup for each person.

“Since they were little. Shining taught it to Twily early—when she was three, he tossed her on top of our bed at six on the dot and she recited, loudly, all of the reasons we had do be up right then or it would ‘ruin Christmas.’ I think he’d spent all week teaching her that. These days it’s hard to believe he’s a grown man in his twenties and that she is a junior in high school when the holidays come around. Christmas morning, they might as well both be five years old.”

Sunset managed a somewhat sleepy, amused smile. “It is pretty adorable,” she admitted without seeming to realize what she said, her head turning to where she could see Twilight excitedly looking over the various stockings.

The older woman could see the affection written on the teen girl’s face, and she smiled. “I hope you don’t find our holiday traditions too jarring compared to what you grew up with,” Velvet offered gently. She didn’t want to upset Sunset by bringing up her family, but she did want the girl to feel included and not just like a bystander. “Was there any tradition you had that you really liked? Maybe we can add it in.”

Sunset turned back towards her, rubbing her neck. “It...was always…kinda hectic when I was little around the holidays. Lots of fancy, official parties for adults that I only got dragged to because I needed a minder.” The words were spoken quietly, with a flat delivery, and Twilight Velvet felt her heart twinge with sympathy for the girl. “…I guess if there was anything that was a tradition, it was sharing a cup of cocoa in the evening and reading our favorite holiday stories aloud. My…” and there was the waver in her voice, so quick that Velvet almost missed it. “…mom…always liked doing character voices…” Sunset shook her head, then reached for the mug that was usually hers on weekends, pouring coffee into it. “Don’t worry about it, Mrs. Velvet. I’m fine with your traditions.”

“I don’t know…I think cocoa and stories sounds like a wonderful idea.”

That made the redheaded girl freeze up, coffee cup halfway to her lips. She didn’t say anything, but Velvet caught the shimmer of unshed tears. Blinking rapidly, Sunset moved to head into the living room, almost smacking into a disheveled and half asleep Cadence. The pink woman made a zombie-like groan that might’ve been a ‘Merry Christmas’ and Sunset pointed towards the coffee pot before continuing her trek out the door.

Velvet busied herself with sipping her coffee and finishing the final preparation for the two breakfast dishes she was about to stick in the oven: a larger one with bacon, eggs, and sausage poured over a bed of already crisped hashbrowns, and the smaller vegetarian variant of the recipe.

Cadence nursed her own drink, glowering like a moody teenager when Night Light patted her shoulder cheerfully when he came in to retrieve his. “Merry Christmas, ladies! I hope you're prepared for the annual Christmas shenanigans—Sunset is out there fending off the kids. I figure she’s got about two minutes before they overwhelm her defenses and get to the presents she’s protecting to try and figure out what’s in them.”

Setting the oven timer, Twilight Velvet sighed. “And you left her alone, Night? Do you want to still have two children when we go back in there?”

He snorted with laughter. “She’d never hurt Twily.”

His wife gazed at him coolly. “I doubt she has any such compunctions about your son.” Her point was proven when Shining Armor yelped in the other room. “See?” Topping off the mugs for her and Cadence, Velvet nudged them towards the living room. “Let’s go stop the Christmas bloodshed before it ruins the sofa.”

They reentered the living room to find a smirking, if tired, Sunset guarding a stack of presents, Twilight on the floor giggling like a maniac, and Shining Armor pouting and rubbing his chest through his shirt.

“Merry Christmas,” Velvet told her daughter, one brow arched. “Sunset, sweetie, you can just put your gifts over by the tree with the others. We open those after breakfast, and these two know better than to go manhandling presents under the tree.” She gave her children a stern look.

Once Sunset had stuck her presents under the tree, Night Light started handing the stockings out to their recipients. Twilight explained to Sunset, “We always have a big breakfast, so we open stocking stuff while it cooks.”

Sunset stared at Night when he pulled out a hidden stocking and pressed it into her hands. The soft fabric was decorated with little holly wreaths, and the white band at the top had her name embroidered into it in fancy lettering that matched everyone else’s. “I...for me?” she stuttered, eyes roving the room to find everyone smiling at her. “...you...you didn’t have to...”

Twilight set her own stocking aside to hug her. “We wanted to,” she said gently.

“We invited you to spend Christmas with us, Sunset,” Night Light pointed out. “We wouldn’t do that just to make you watch us have a holiday. This is your Christmas too.”

She hurriedly wiped her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, before trying to misdirect the attention. “Alright, nerd,” she asked, tweaking Twilight’s nose. “What’s the tradition on this?”

Velvet watched her youngest light up, pulling Sunset down to the cushions on the floor with her and explaining the very complex and traditional process of “guess the stocking stuffers”—basically shaking the package and guessing what fun, tasty, or practical items were wrapped up inside. It was a game her children had played since they were little, after realizing that nothing in the stockings was fragile; typically, stocking contents ran the spectrum from useful products like a new toothbrush or deodorant or a hairbrush to snacks like candy or cookies or nuts, to little fun things like gum or dollar toys or gift cards for music or books or games. Their newest member to the holiday madness dove into the game with enthusiasm, laughing and giggling with Shining and Twilight like she’d always been there.

Velvet smiled, and Night leaned over to hand her the stocking he’d filled for her. “Merry Christmas, dear,” he murmured, before glancing at the kids—three giggling messes with a less grumpy Cadence surreptitiously taking pictures with her phone. “Think she’s going to like the gifts?”

“I know she will.”

He chuckled, his voice a whisper just for her, “Now if only she’d work up the courage to kiss our daughter as easily as she warmed up to this holiday...” he quipped.

Velvet swatted his arm. “Stop trying to play matchmaker, Night. I swear, sometimes you’re as bad as Cady. I know you’d prefer that to Twilight bringing home some random girl that you have to threaten, but let the girls sort themselves out.”

Night Light shook his head. “It’s not that. I trust Sunset—someone who looks at our little girl the way she does would die to keep her safe and happy, without so much as a second thought. I want the kids to be with people who not only make them happy, but will look out for them the way we do.”

She leaned up to kiss her husband. “I forget how insightful you can be when you bring your head back down from outer space. Still, leave the girls alone. They’ll figure it out and tell us in their own time.”

Laughing again, he settled into his chair with his own stocking and they enjoyed going through what they had gotten each other as fun little treats. Sunset had started a paper war with bits of wrapping paper, beaning Shining armor in the head. Unbeknownst to her, Shining was keeping her occupied while Twilight tried to see how many present bows she could stick to Sunset without notice. (The answer turned out to be a lot.) This prompted a chase around the living room, through the dining room, up the stairs and back that ultimately ended in Twilight being tickled until tears of mirth streamed from her eyes.

Velvet eventually herded them all into the dining room for breakfast, shaking her head ruefully because some days it felt like trying to herd cats. Breakfast was a boisterous affair now that the coffee had kicked in, though she drew the line at a food fight when Shining Armor thought it would be a good idea to flick a hashbrown at his sister. A stern glare and the use of his middle name brought him to heel quickly enough.

With six sets of hands, the breakfast aftermath was easily cleared, and the family soon found themselves returning to the living room. Velvet handed her son and Sunset trashbags with firm instructions to pick up the paper they’d gotten everywhere in their war, while Cadence and Twilight began divvying up the presents by who they were for. Twilight slipped her mother a slim, oddly shaped package when Sunset wasn’t paying attention, and Velvet tucked it behind her in the chair. It had to be the final gift for a reason.

Velvet slid under the covers next to her husband after having checked to make sure the girls were asleep. They were, of course, tangled up together under the covers, unaware that she had stepped in and out of the room in silence, much to Velvet’s amusement.

Night Light looked up from his book as she settled in beside him. “You’ve got that look in your eye. What’s on your mind?”

“Do remember what we talked about after Thanksgiving—about Sunset?” Velvet asked after a moment.

“I do,” he answered, tipping his glasses to look at her over the top of them. “You do realize Christmas is a week away and we have Sunset here until Saturday morning, correct?”

She nodded. “Do you think we can get it done in time for Christmas? Sunset and I...talked...today...and I want her to have some tangible reinforcement that she’s welcome here.”

Night grinned boyishly at her, the lively, mischievous smile she’d fallen in love with decades ago still warming her inside. “With our daughter, queen of planning and lists, and Cady and Shining’s help? Without a doubt.”

Once some measure of order had been restored, the family went around the room, opening their gifts one at a time in a round-robin fashion that let each person show off their various acquisitions gleefully. Sometimes the gifts were practical, sometimes they were fun, with everyone getting something for everyone else.

Just like with the stocking, Velvet watched Sunset marvel and tear up at the pile of gifts addressed to her. “You...you guys...this is too much, really...” she told them, trying to blink back the moisture. “I don’t deserve all this...”

“It’s not about what you think you deserve, Sunset,” Night Light said firmly. “It’s about what you mean to the members of this family. You’re Twilight’s best friend and we love having you here with us. You’ve enriched our lives by being in them.”

Twilight pulled Sunset into another hug, mouthing a ‘Thank you,’ towards her father over the redhead’s shoulder. It was a hug that Shining and Cadence both joined in on soon enough, just like the emotional hug at Thanksgiving—though not before Cadence snapped a picture.

Gifts were opened, much to everyone’s delight and awe, but the ones Velvet enjoyed watching be opened the most were the ones involving her daughter’s best-friend-turned-girlfriend, Sunset’s eyes lighting up with every subsequent gift. There was one of those fancy brew-by-the-cup coffee makers from Cadence with a card that read “Welcome to a family of morning people from those of us who aren’t,” a small crockpot and a selection of vegetarian recipe books for it from Velvet, a nice telescope from Night since the girls had been up to the planetarium and the observatory more than once for fun, and a collection of graphic novels Shining thought she might enjoy reading—though his more sentimental present was in the card, where Velvet knew he’d written down his badge number and personal extension at the station, encouraging Sunset to ‘not be afraid to ask for me if you need help.’ Added to that, the family had thrown in a new winter coat with a nice warm scarf that had Sunset’s stylized red and gold sun on it, a pair of warmer winter boots and a decent pair of gloves, a personalized ceramic mug: “If I was meant to be a morning person, I’d be named after the sunrise,” a statement she’d grumbled on more than one Saturday morning while she struggled to wake up, a pair of warm winter pajamas and fuzzy slippers, and of course, the traditional tacky Christmas sweater that everyone should own. In Sunset’s case, it depicted a sleigh being pulled by a horse, something that made her laugh far harder than Velvet would have anticipated.

Of course, Twilight’s gifts got more of a response, but Velvet smirked and chalked that one up to young love. The first gift she’d gotten Sunset was an actual musical composition book, filled with blank sheets for music—according to her daughter, Sunset was actually quite talented musically, and had been playing around with writing songs. The second gift was much more sentimental, and Velvet watched Sunset’s face go awestruck as she pulled it out of the box. Twilight had put together a scrapbook and photo album, using pictures Cadence and her mother had been taking on the sly for months of the two girls as well as some of her own for the backbone of the book, but had printed out custom stickers, quotes, funny titles, and added in things like ticket stubs for their trips to the museums or movies, flyers and adverts from their favorite places, schematics and plans of things they’d built or upgraded together, all in an emotional and funny trip down memory lane. Sunset’s reaction was so intense that for a second, Velvet wondered if the girl would actually kiss her daughter in front of them. As it was, she expected the pair to retreat at some point during the day to express how they felt about their gifts from each other in private.

Equally interesting were the gifts from Sunset to everyone else. She had obviously taken time and effort to give things that each person would enjoy and appreciate.

For Shining Armor, she and Twilight had worked on the gift together: a custom made coffee thermos and lunchbox. Made of a mixture of metal and insulated materials, it was a sturdy construction designed with customizable dividers, meant to maintain the food temperatures. The outside was made to resemble technology from his favorite superhero movies, complete with LED lights, a docking port for his phone and a small solar cell to charge its lights and provide power to allow him to recharge his phone. It made him giddy with glee, and he hugged both girls tightly.

Cadence unwrapped a fairly heavy package to reveal an old fashioned looking leather-bound volume with a blue gemstone heart set in the center of the cover. Inside, its pages were filled with neat curling handwriting, handwritten with an old fashioned pen and ink, illustrated with whimsical, fanciful images of colorful equines. Slowly turning the pages, Cadence looked to Sunset curiously. “It’s...a collection of stories and poems. I put them together in one volume for you and added pictures,” the redhead explained.

“You drew these?” Cadence ran her finger over the picture of a pink winged unicorn.

Sunset nodded. “Yeah. I’m not the best artist, but I thought you might like them.”

Velvet leaned over to look. “Was there a reason behind your choice in unicorns?”

The teenager turned bright red. “...I guess you could say that I’ve always had a sort of soft spot for unicorns and ponies.”

Cadence was reading through the opening story. “I love it,” she told Sunset. “This is a treasure, Sunset. Thank you.”

Twilight received several gifts from the other girl, the first of which was a motorcycle helmet that matched Sunset’s own, but in Twilight’s preferred color scheme with her favorite six pointed star on the side. “Gotta protect that nerd brain of yours, Sparky, but now you can’t get into me about not wearing one too.” The second present was a pair of tickets to an event at the Canterlot observatory during a rare meteor shower—Twilight squealed with joy and lunged at Sunset across the carpet, knocking her girlfriend flat on her back with a massive hug. Sunset laughed and patted the smaller girl on the back. “I take it you like it?”

“Yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! Thank you thank you thank you!”

Sunset carefully pushed herself back into a sitting position. “I’m glad you like it, Sparky.”

The last gift given out by Sunset was for Velvet and Night, a large, rectangular, fairly flat box. Inside was a simple frame, containing a painting. It was a stylized piece with all of the members of the family depicted, including Spike. It was clear that Sunset had tried to capture what she saw in each person, and Velvet felt genuinely touched by the gift.

“Sunset, sweetie, this is beautiful. You did this?”

The teen looked flustered. “I did. Do you like it?” she asked shyly.

“I love it! You did such a good job!”

Night leaned over. “It really is well done. I’m looking forward to hanging it up. There is one thing though...” he added, and Sunset looked suddenly worried, only for it to melt into confusion when he continued, “...it’s unfinished. You’re not in it.”

Sunset shook her head. “Why would I be in it?”

The anticipation in the air was palpable, as Velvet retrieved the last, hidden gift and offered it to Sunset. “We have one more present for you, Sunset.”

Twilight bounced eagerly on her toes as Sunset unwrapped the carved wooden plaque. Amber skinned fingers traced over the words “Sunset’s Room” and the carefully done rendition of her sun icon, before she looked up. “I...I don’t understand....”

Cadence started explaining as everyone got up and started guiding the girl towards the stairs. “I’ve never actually officially lived here, but when I was twelve, Velvet and Night gave me my own room. I spent so much time here, they thought I might like a space for myself, which came in handy when I started coming over to babysit Twilight.”

Velvet patted Sunset’s shoulder, and Twilight slid an arm around the redhead’s waist. “We gave Cadence her own room because we wanted her to know she was as much a part of the family as Shining or Twilight, and that no matter what, she would always have a home here.”

“And now,” Shining added as they stopped in front of what had been the spare room next to Twilight’s, “We wanted to do the same for you.”

Night Light pushed the door open with great ceremony, revealing the room. Gone were the sheets more appropriate for relatives to sleep on, replaced by colors and designs meant to appeal to the tastes of a teenage girl. The walls had posters tacked up on them, a number of Sunset’s favorite bands, movies, and video games represented (Twilight had been happy to supply that knowledge), and the bookshelf had been cleaned off, open to anything that Sunset might want to store there. Most of the rest of the furniture was the same, but a guitar stand had been added along with small photo frames on the nightstand and desk that held pictures that didn’t make it into the scrapbook/photo album.

“This room is yours to use as you want—we spruced it up for you, and the dresser is empty, so if you want to keep a few changes of clothes or pj's here you can. We know you have your own place, but this is your space too.” Night Light smiled at her. “We consider you a part of this family.”

Sunset stared, her eyes overflowing with tears, looking from the room to the various people present. Twilight still gripping her around the waist, turned it into a hug. “Merry Christmas, Sunset.”

The redhead sniffled, “You guys...I...I don’t know what to say...this is...” She broke off, turning into Twilight’s embrace to cling to her, mumbling something that Velvet couldn’t make out but that her daughter seemed to understand.

“I know exactly what it means to you, Sunny, and we mean it...you have a family in us. No matter what.” Twilight rubbed Sunset’s back, providing an anchor for the other girl.

Velvet stepped forward and drew both girls into a larger hug. “We care about you, Sunset. You’re a bright young woman with so much potential who has been handed some terrible circumstances for one so young. You are just as deserving of love and people who care about you as any other person, and I promise you, you have that here. We consider you a member of this family.”

Sunset let go of Twilight to collapse against Velvet, burying her face in the woman’s shoulder and sobbing. The older woman’s heart ached—these weren’t tears of grief or distress...this was the broken weeping of a child so long lost and neglected that she’d completely become inured to the emotional suffering in her own heart until something brought it to the surface. She felt her own daughter disengage so Velvet could enfold the crying girl in her arms in their entirety, murmuring soft assurances. Velvet knew that this had been a long time in coming, and that all she could do was be supportive while Sunset bled out the poison she’d kept in for so long.

Twilight met her mother’s gaze, stepping closer again to rest a hand on Sunset’s back, communicating that she was still there. The dark haired teen had talked in private with her mother a few days before about this very event coming to pass.

“Mom?” Twilight was twisting a pillowcase in her hands as she helped her mother make up the bed with brand new sheets.

“What is it, Twily?” Velvet responded as she tucked the sheet under the mattress.

Fidgeting, she sighed. “...I’m...worried...about how Sunny’s going to react.”

Stopping, she looked at her daughter over the top of her reading glasses. “What way do you think she is going to react?”

Twilight bit her lip. “...she...there’s a lot of bad feelings she doesn't like to talk about. When I first told her that I wanted to be her friend...she cried, Mom. Not little tears, like when you're happy, but...” Her brow furrowed. “Like...the time I broke my arm...or the way Dad did at Grandpa Fire Light’s funeral. Like she couldn’t believe anyone would want her as a friend.”

Velvet could see where this was going. “You think the room will get a similar response?”

Her daughter nodded, starting to pace, the pillowcase practically twisted into knots in her hands. “I...I don't know if anyone has shown her love since her parents died, Mom. The supposed guardian she had before she came here certainly didn't! I...” she blinked back tears. “...I don't think Sunset believes she deserves to be loved, any more than she thought she deserved a friend.”

Sitting on the half made bed, Velvet drew her daughter into a hug. “Sweetheart, I know it's hard to think about how someone you care about has been abused or neglected, but it will be okay, I promise. We are going to do everything to make sure Sunset doesn't ever feel like that again, by giving her a place with our family, and let her know that we love her.”

True to her word, Velvet ran her fingers through Sunset’s wild locks soothingly. “It’s okay, sweetie, just let it all out. We’ve got you.”

Cadence caught her eye and tilted her head towards Shining. Twilight Velvet gave a subtle nod. “We’re going to go make everyone some hot cocoa. Extra marshmallows all around?” Without waiting for an answer, she patted Sunset’s arm and then took Shining Armor by the hand to pull him along.

Night Light stepped out for a minute as well, but only to retrieve a small tissue box and a cool, damp rag. He set them on the desk, before stepping closer and squeezing Sunset’s shoulder to let her know he was there as well, without crowding her. It was a sentiment shared by the rest of the family when Shining and Cadence came back with mugs of cocoa, offering silent support by just being present. The whole family stayed that way, until Sunset Shimmer finished crying out a lifetime of buried hurt, loneliness, and doubt.

So yeah.

Lot to unpack here.

We see things, finally, from the parental perspective, and more specifically "from the Mom perspective." Because unlike cartoons, where all the adults seem to have been hit with the stupid stick, real adults--especially ones invested in the lives to the children in their care--are not as oblivious or obtuse as teens think. And when you get parents like Velvet or Night Light, who clearly care about their kids, and who have been on top of their daughter's mental health difficulties for years, they are going to notice things.

I have to admit, this chapter relied heavily on not just my experiences with my own mother, but on my editor/beta-reader, who is a mom herself. (As I have no spawn, and thus, have very little understanding of parental minds.) So major thanks to her, even more than normal, lol. She's amazing, you guys, I swear. This story would not be what its become without her.

The other thing this sort of hints at is part of the backstory I have with Cadence's presence in the Sparkle family, and the idea that she's been a fixture throughout Twilight's life as older sister, babysitter, and secondary female role model. (Its actually a pleasant backstory that doesnt involve dead parents, so I guess I'm one up on Disney, right?) More than that, Cadence also has a strong rapport with Velvet, which I felt was important.

Coming up with the presents was fun, as was just writing the whole Christmas events all around. And the idea that both Shining and Twilight are basically five-year-olds when it comes to holidays is just...something I could totally see.

Lessee...yes, Shining's lunchbox might be a loose nod to the MCU, because I can absolutely see Twilight looking at Stark's tech and going "...I can build that." Cadence's book was basically Equestrian fairy tales, stories, and folk tales. Including a carefully retold version of her own pony counterpart's Ascension, done in the style of a myth like that of Nightmare Moon, illustrated by Sunset, of course. Our girl had to rewrite them in the human written script anyway, so she ended up adding her own illustrations. Don't ask how much sleep she gave up for this.

....And yes, the feels at the end there. For all Princess Celestia wasn't abusive, she was distant, detached, and extremely busy. Children need attention, time, and they need to know they are loved...especially ones who are insecure about that instead of feeling like its a given. While it may not have been intentional--after all, we've yet to see Celestia's side of the story--Sunset's emotional needs were neglected at very critical points in her development, and in a lot of ways, she's never dealt with it. She's still in that healing process that started with taking the magic rainbow to the face, but its going to be a long, hard journey filled with all kinds of unexpected hitches and pitfalls and emotional mires that are going to catch her by surprise at times.

In the end, I do want to make it clear that I'm not justifying Sunset's awful behavior--she was a nasty, mean-spirited, manipulative person and a horrible bully, and those things are never okay. But...I suppose I'm taking a page from Hey Arnold! and recognizing that that kind of behavior doesn't evolve in a vacuum. Children don't just wake up and say "I'm going to be a little asshole to everyone now." People don't just do that. Every thing about a person in their present is the result of a step in their past.