LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME

Chapter 4: I Can't Go for That

Twilight wrote down “cake”, and stuck the end of the quill in her mouth, sucking on it. “Hmm... how many guests you think will show?”

“Well, a good estimate from your side would be around twenty,” Velvet replied. “Our family has never been all that prolific, and we've scattered pretty far; not to mention we tend to be loners by nature.”

Cheerilee added, “You can put down fifteen for my side, though I kinda doubt that many will show.”

“That few?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“Well,” Cheerilee drawled, “Due to... certain events in our past, much of my family cut us off as a 'lost cause'. While I do miss Nana, I can see now why Mom cut off all contact with her. She wasn't very... open-minded.” Twilight put a reassuring hoof on hers, for which Cheerilee smiled at her.

“Put me down for an even dozen, but like Cheery, I doubt that many will show beyond Mom, Dad, and my little brothers,” Spitfire added.

Twilight looked at her. “You too?”

She nodded, then shrugged. “Yes, but for different reasons. We were just never that close as a family. Dunno why, it's just how it's always been.”

After a quick, almost imperceptible glance at Trixie, Twilight looked up at Celestia and asked, “What about you, Princess? Anypony you want to invite?”

Celestia shook her head. “No, though you may want to invite some ponies around here. I'm sure there are several old instructors at least who'd love to see you tie the knots.”

Twilight blushed hard at the imagery the Princess's words brought to mind. “Princess, please. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with what we're going to do for the ceremony as it is without thinking about it,” she said with a sigh.

The alicorn smiled down at her student. “You'd better get used to the idea soon, Twilight. The day will be upon you before you realize it.”

“Okay!” Twilight said too brightly, “Moving on to the next thing, we have, lessee... dresses!”

Cheerilee noticed Trixie standing a little off to the side with a downcast expression, so she quietly sidled up to her. “You okay?” she whispered.

Trixie looked to her in surprise, but quickly calmed down. “Yeah, I'll be okay,” Trixie whispered back absentmindedly.

“You want to talk about it?” Cheerilee ventured. “My sister tells me I have a good ear, and she should know, being a bartender.”

Trixie shook her head. “No. I just... Well, it's... I have no family to bring to this.” she whispered. “My- my parents... Do you remember the fire that swept through the merchant's quarter about fifteen years ago?” She saw the teacher nod, and continued her story. “Well, my parents were among those who perished that day. It happened when I was little, and the only family I had to take me in was an elderly great aunt. She was nice enough, and she did try, but...”

“She just wasn't your parents?” Cheerilee offered.

Nodding, Trixie replied, “No. I always got the feeling she looked on me as a burden. Like it was my fault her favorite niece died. It... it leaves an impression on a filly. She never came out and blamed me, but I could tell. She turned a little cold to me after that.” Trixie shook her head. “I must have imagined it, or she felt guilty, because when she passed on shortly after I started doing shows for money, she left me enough in her will to buy my stagecart.”

The showmare wiped away a tear as she stared at the floor. “I- I also get a little angry when I hear ponies taking their families for granted. I know that's not the case with you and Spitfire, or even Twilight, but...”

Cheerilee laid a hoof on her shoulder. “I understand. Growing up without, you're extra sensitive to noticing these kinds of things.”

“I guess.”

“Okay, fine,” Twilight said loudly, gaining everypony's attention, “So far We have Summer Bloom, Sweet Reeds, Sunset, Midnight Bloom, and- at Mom's request- Twilight Serenade. Any other suggestions for our first baby's name? All serious suggestions will be considered, but only one will make it, so give it your best shot.”

Cheerilee walked over with Trixie and said, “What about Glam-” She stopped dead when she saw Twilight's arched eyebrow and serious expression. “Just kidding, just kidding,” she said, raising her forehooves defensively. “How does Dusky Dawn grab you?”

Twilight's face contorted as she considered it. “It's a bit... masculine for a filly's name, isn't it?”

“Perhaps,” the teacher admitted.

Twilight looked to the wall clock and grumbled. “Well, I guess we should wrap this up. We need to be at the train station in an hour, and we still need to stop by Mom and Dad's place to pick up the baby stuff.”

Velvet waved a hoof in dismissal at her. “Oh Twilight, Sweetie, we can ship all that to you later once you're home. But you're right that we need to go. Traffic on the roads at this time will be terrible, even with the guards clearing a path for you.”

Celestia rose to her hooves. “We'd best find your brother, then,” she said as she walked to the door. “He'll want to see you off as well.”

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

The trip back home was much easier than the one to Canterlot. The five of them had a private room in one of the cars all to themselves, and talked freely about baby names, and their future together. There was even friendly arguing as Spitfire refused to back down on naming her first foal Starslayer. By the time the train pulled into the Ponyville station, she had almost convinced Twilight to accept the name by adding Twilight to the front of it.

“I dunno, Spitfire, it just sounds so... ostentatious. And what if Luna is offended by it?” the librarian asked as she unlocked the front door.

Spitfire came up even with her and intertwined their tails together. “Hon, we can't live our lives worrying about what others think of us. The only ones we can truly please are ourselves, so trying to live up to others' standards just isn't practical. Everypony has different standards.”

Twilight nodded reluctantly as they walked into the foyer. “I know, but Luna is different. She's a friend; and friends by definition matter more than most.”

“Trixie understands, Twilight,” the showmare said, walking in behind them, “but if she is truly a friend, then Trixie doubts she will be truly offended if you offer her an explanation that there is no malicious intent behind it.”

“Maybe,” Twilight replied, “but I'm still not completely sold on the name, Twilight in it or not. The poor filly will be teased pretty mercilessly.” She sighed and sat on the couch. “Remember when that insipid vampony series came out about a decade ago? Well, I happened to still be in school at the time, and let me tell you, it was not a pleasant experience to share a name with that. It would be one thing if the protagonist was likeable, or even relatable, but she was just such a- a- a...”

“Mawkish character?” Cheerilee supplied.

Twilight smiled at her. “Thank you. When she wasn't mooning over the vampony or the lycanequus, she was jerking them around by their hearts and being useless so they could come to her rescue. She had no personality traits other than 'love interest', no depth, and no redeeming qualities. She-”

Spitfire put a hoof to her lips, quieting her down. “We get it, Hon; it was a terrible series.”

Kissing the hoof before gently pushing it away, Twilight said, “Then you can imagine what it was like sharing a name with that...”

“Literary equivalent of a gilded cow patty?” Cheerilee offered.

Twilight considered before nodding. “Yeah. That.”

“I thought you might take that route, so I looked around here for something that might help.” Spitfire said. She flew over to a shelf in the non-fiction section and pulled out a book halfway to the ceiling. Flying back, she placed the book at Twilight's hooves.

“10,001 Ways to Deal with Bullying?” Twilight asked.

Spitfire nodded. “Chapter twelve is titled 'So your parents named you Hoody Doo'.”

Twilight winced at the name. “Ouch. Suddenly, Twilight Starslayer doesn't sound so bad.”

Spike walked in, sorting through the mail. “Bill, bill, 'You may have already won ten million bits,' bill, ooo! Record club!”

“Ugh, Spike, not again. You know that 'ten records for a bit' is just a scam to lure you in,” Twilight replied.

“But Twilight, I... I...” Spike's eyes went wide and he let forth a great belch of green smoke that coalesced into a scroll wrapped in a red ribbon bearing Celestia's royal crest.

Twilight snatched the letter up in her magical field and unrolled it. “I wonder what the Princess could want this soon after a visit?” She read the letter for a bit before smiling wide. “Good news, everypony! The Princess has given us a mission!”

“And how is that good news?” Spike asked. “Every time she gives you one of those, we end up in a fight for our very lives, trying to prevent the next great world threat.”

Smiling at her assistant's attitude, Twilight tutted. “Oh ye of little faith, Spike. The Princess would never send out a dangerous mission to an expectant mother.”

They all turned to Cheerilee whose hooves went to her belly protectively. “What?”

“The Princess wants the five of us to return the library books she borrowed for us when we're done with them,” the librarian said.

Spitfire cocked her head at her. “You mean we gotta go back to Canterlot?”

Twilight grinned at her. “Nope! She borrowed these from Nyx in the Everfree!” She jumped down from the couch to her hooves and danced in place. “We get to go back to that awesome library!”

“Wait, why do I have to go too?” Spike asked.

Twilight nosed under his legs behind him and brought her head up, tumbling him over onto her back, and trotted around the room with him hanging on to her. “The Princess wants you to socialize with more of your own kind, so she suggested I bring you as well. Ooo, this is going to be great!” She jumped up , knocking her passenger from his perch, who tumbled off and grabbed on to her tail as she raced around the room like an excited filly. “I can't wait to go!”

“There's dragons at this library?” Spike practically shouted.

Finally ceasing her capering, Twilight turned to him and nodded. “Just one, as far as I know, but he's super nice and helpful.” She paused, then smiled at him again. “A lot like you, now that I think of it.”

Spike blushed a little, then stretched with a huge yawn. “Well, I don't know about you all,” he said with a belly scratch, “but I'm hitting the hay. This trip was exhausting.”

His yawn seemed to start a chain reaction of yawns from all of the mares. “He's right,” Cheerilee said when her jaw popped back into place. “Three of us do have to get up early.”

Spitfire looked a little down at the prospect of tomorrow. “Ah well. I guess all good things must come to an end. So long vacation. It was nice while it lasted.”

“Are you sure about this, Spitfire?” Twilight asked. “It's almost an hour each way for you, and I would think that after all that practice you put in on the field, flying home would be the last thing you'd want to do.”

The Wonderbolt nuzzled Twilight under her chin and smiled. “If it's for you girls, I can live with it.”

Spike could be heard fake-gagging all the way up to his room.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

The first half of the day seemed to fly by to them. All four mares got up early to see off Cheerilee and Spitfire to their respective jobs. Trixie tried to stay up and help Twilight prepare for her class that afternoon, but fell asleep quickly afterward. Having a full belly of pineapple cream of wheat didn't help in that regard.

Around mid-morning, The two of them went to see Rarity to place an order for their big day. “Really Twilight, I never expected to get an order like this from you of all ponies,” Rarity exclaimed when they explained what was needed.

Twilight shook her head in amazement. “Believe me, I never expected to be placing an order like this in my life. Could we...” She looked around nervously as if there was anypony but the three of them to overhear, then whispered, “Could we keep this confidential? Other than family and close friends like you, there won't be many ponies attending.”

Rarity smiled and batted her eyes at her friend. “Of course, but if may?”

“Yes?”

The white unicorn looked abashed at what she was about to say. “Don't you think that maybe you're rushing into this a little fast? I mean, you've only been with them for a little over a week; no offense, darling,” she quickly amended to Trixie, who just shrugged nonchalantly. “Shouldn't you wait a little while before...”

“Normally, I'd agree with you wholeheartedly,” Twilight replied, “but certain circumstances have necessitated the unseemly haste.”

Rarity leaned in, asking, “What circumstances, if I may ask?”

Twilight hemmed and hawed for a few minutes, looking uncomfortable until Trixie finally lost her patience and blurted out, “Oh, for Celestia's sake! Cheerilee's pregnant!”

Rarity's jaw dropped as she stared between Trixie whom had revealed the information, and Twilight whom wasn't denying it. “But, but, but, how? I mean, you're both mares, and-” Her eyes went wide and a sickly look came over her. “You didn't!”

Looking confused, then shocked, Twilight waved her forehooves around in denial, replied, “No! No stallions involved! Not now, not ever! Not for my mares!”

Trixie smirked and threw her hooves around Twilight's neck from behind. “Oh, don't be so shy, lover! You tamed the three of us with that magnificent tool of yours! We'll happily sing your praises from the mountaintops!”

Rarity's pert rump plopped down to the floor in shock. “You mean all this time, you've been a...”

“No!” Twilight shouted. “I'm a mare through and through, honest! One hundred percent! She's talking about a spell I found that... sorta gave me... the necessary plumbing. Temporarily, that is.”

The seamstress closed her mouth for the first time in minutes and gulped. A snort of laughter came shortly thereafter, followed by her silver bell-like laugh. It took her a few moments before she could contain her mirth enough to say, “Oh, my. You four are just too adorable!” She leaned in close and whispered, “Do you think you can teach me this spell?”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight's class that afternoon was the most interesting to date. As soon as she walked in, she was barraged by questions from the foals.

“Are you gonna marry Ms. Cheerilee?”

“Nuh uh, she's gonna marry Trixie! My Daddy said so!”

“No way! She's gonna marry them all!”

“That's stupid, Snails, you can't marry more than one pony; it's against the law or something.”

Twilight put a hoof to her lips and let out a mighty whistle that echoed around the classroom. Silence immediately followed. “Whom I marry is my own concern, and not any of yours, nor your parents. I'll thank you all to leave my private life private.” She turned around to the blackboard and began drawing a diagram on it. “Now let's begin with a review of our last lesson: meditation.”

She turned back to the class and pointed to the finished cut-away picture of a unicorn with arrows flowing into it, and more flowing out of the horn. A pointer rod landed on a point just below the unicorn's horn, producing a THAP sound. “Who can tell me which chakra point is located here, and why is it important to meditation?”

Two hooves went into the air, and Twilight pointed to the smaller of them. Dinky stood in her seat and said, “That's the Ajna chakra which is associated with the third, or pineal eye. The pineal eye interprets magic, allowing us to understand how it works.”

“Very good, Dinky.” She pointed to another foal. “Snails, why don't you come to the front and give us a demonstration of your meditation technique.”

Cheerilee had only seen her teach for two weeks now, but it amazed her how rapidly her students were learning from Twilight. Incredible. They've come so far in such little time. The tutors the Ministry usually send over are so jaded, that Snips and Snails had learned next to nothing from them, but now she's got them meditating... successfully!

Indeed, Snails was sitting in the butterfly position with each hoof touching its mate, creating a closed circle of magic. He was ever so slightly, levitating off of the ground to the teacher's amazement.

She reminds me of myself when I first started teaching. I hope that not coming in every weekday will keep her from burning out and turning jaded on them, Cheerilee thought to herself.

Twilight walked around him, nodding in approval. “Notice how he doesn't let outside influences distract him. This is how it's done, ponies.” She barely touched him on the knee, and sent him drifting towards the desk. “Very good, Snails. You may return to your seat.”

As the colt walked back, Twilight opened her history book. “Class, please turn to page eighty two in your history texts. Sun Glimmer, why don't you start us off?”

Cheerilee practically melted into a puddle of goo in her seat in the corner. Dear Celestia, she has such a big brain! I just want to ravage her right here in front of every pony! I don't care who watches, I want her! The poor mare was so hot and bothered, that she started discretely rubbing her thighs together in an effort to get some relief, but none was to be found.

As soon as class let out and the last student disappeared, Cheerilee pounced on the unsuspecting Twilight. All protests were silenced as the teacher locked lips with her dream mare. Cheerilee backed her up to the desk, and pushed her up on it, knocking a stack of papers to the floor.

Twilight pushed the hungry mare back weakly. “Cheery, stop,” she moaned as the earth pony nibbled on her neck, leaving a bite mark behind. “We promised... no fun stuff... unless we're all there...”

Cheerilee straightened up a little, giving them both some breathing room. “I'm not that sure I can wait that long, Twilight. I need you now!” she whispered fiercely. She took a few deep breaths, then opened her eyes. “Alright. I'm okay now.” She tried to back up, but didn't get very far. “If I'm going to let you up, you need to let me go,” she said with a smirk.

Looking down, Twilight saw her legs wrapped around Cheerilee's waist, and her tail flipped up between her lover's legs, up on to her back. She chuckled weakly and released her prisoner. “I have to say that I'm feeling more than a little bothered right now, myself. When I started, I never would have believed that teaching could be so... stimulating.”

With her eyes lowered seductively, Cheerilee moaned her approval. “Mmm, I agree. Seeing you up at the blackboard has given me all sorts of ideas. Nasty ideas. The kinds of ideas we can't use in front of... the foals.” She kissed her again, and aroused beyond reason, Twilight returned it with equal fervor, allowing herself to be laid upon the desk again.

“What in the name of Celestia is going on?”

The shouted question so surprised the two mares, they broke the kiss and hid behind the desk almost faster than the eye could follow. They peeked out to see an enraged Trixie glaring down at them, a bag of groceries spilled onto the floor. “I leave you two alone long enough to shop for dinner, and I find you entwined like two horny teenagers!”

Twilight ventured out a little to say, “Um, Trixie-”

“No! I don't want to hear excuses!” she shouted back, causing the librarian to duck back down again until just her eyes were visible. Lowering her voice to a low growl, she said, “The four of us are going to have a talk about this when Spitfire gets home.” With that, she turned around and marched to the door, picking up the groceries, waiting for them to leave first.

The wait was one of the most awkward they had experienced in a long time. Spike took this opportunity to test the lock on his door and see how loud his phonograph could get without blowing out his eardrums. Twilight and Cheerilee weren't so lucky, and just shot each other awkward looks every so often across the table as Trixie worked in the kitchen to prepare dinner, while keeping an eye on them.

Spitfire walked in, loudly proclaiming, “Honeys, I'm ho-” She stopped as soon as she saw the three in the kitchen, the strange tableau setting off alarm bells. Hoo, boy. What happened? “S'up, my ponies?” she asked, going for the relaxed approach.

Trixie looked at her, then glared at the “criminals” at the table. “I caught these two making out in the classroom. Even though we all agreed to only do... that with all of us present, they blatantly broke one of the few rules we agreed upon!”

Spitfire sighed and sat down at the table. I should have known it was this. “Trixie, that's something I've been meaning to bring up. We're not all going to be together when the mood strikes us, and-”

“Oh, not you too!” the showmare angrily interrupted. “What's next, having sex with anypony? Orgies with the whole town? Why not just invite other creatures in on it, too? Why keep it limited to just ponies?”

“That's not what I'm saying-”

“Then what are you saying, Spitfire? Because from here, it looks like you're okay with making this relationship open to the world!”

Twilight cleared her throat nervously. “Trixie, Sweetie, that's not what she meant.”

Trixie turned to her and viciously said, “Don't you 'Sweetie' me! I don't want to hear it from you! You can't even control yourself long enough for all of us to be present! You don't get a say in your punishment!”

“Now hold on there soldier,” Spitfire said in her best Drill Instructor voice. “There's no call for you to be acting like a bitch!”

Reeling back as if physically struck, Trixie glared daggers at the pegasus. “A bitch am I? Then maybe this bitch should sleep in the doghouse!” She ripped off her apron and stormed out of the library, making sure to slam the door behind her.

Unable to think of what to do, Twilight just stared at the door, whimpering as Cheerilee hugged on her and cried, and Spitfire turned off the stove and pulled down the bottle of cooking sherry, and took a long pull from it.

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

Plain Sight smiled as she walked through Ponyville, waving and smiling at the occasional pony that actually noticed her. The stars were out despite the street lighting; an event that rarely happened back in Canterlot. I hope Twilight settles here for good. It's such a nice, friendly town. Quiet for the most part, too. Just as she finished that thought, a blue blur raced past her so close, it clipped her side. “What the hay?”

Minuette ran up to her, looking especially frazzled. “Ma'am? What are you doing here?”

“Visiting,” the spy replied. “What's going on? Why was Trixie running off like that? And who is watching Twilight?”

The unicorn danced in one spot, obviously anxious to run after Trixie. “It's awful, Ma'am. They had a fight, and Trixie ran off! High Hide is still watching the library while I ran after her.”

Plain Sight's eyes narrowed dangerously, causing Minuette to gulp audibly. The earth pony's feelings about Twilight was a well-known secret among her subordinates. “Now you listen to me, you little buck-up. You go over to Rarity's and pull Cloudchaser off her detail and the three of you sit on that library; literally if you have to. Not one of those three mares is to go anywhere unescorted. I'll go look after our showmare.”

Not bothering to stick around long enough to salute, Minuette ran as fast as her legs could carry her towards the house next to the Carousel Boutique. Plain Sight turned and ran in the direction in which she last saw Trixie running. It wasn't long before she came to the park, and saw a pony shaped lump laying under a tree.

Creeping closer, she could make out that it was indeed the sought-after unicorn. Trixie was huddled in a miserable pile, openly sobbing. She was far enough out of the lamppost's light that a pony would have to really squint to see her, but to Plain Sight, she stood out like a beacon. The earth pony bit her lower lip, debating whether or not to reveal herself. A particularly ragged sob made up her mind for her. “You okay?”

Trixie's head darted up, and she looked in the direction of the voice, spotting her right away. She wiped her eyes with a hoof, asking, “Who are- Oh, it's you.” She turned away to look at the stars. “Trixie does not think you'll have to worry about her now. Twilight Sparkle obviously doesn't need her anymore. She has the other two now; not to mention any pony that catches her fancy.” Try as she might, she couldn't keep the raw hurt from her voice, and just saying that nearly caused her to break down into tears again. It was a supreme effort of will that kept her somewhat collected. “Who knows? Maybe she'll take you in, too?” The hurt turned to hate, and Plain Sight actually cringed from the venom.

Plain Sight pushed down the urge to defend Twilight from anypony, and took a deep breath. “What happened? Maybe I can help.” Even she was shocked at how even her voice sounded.

“Didn't you hear me?” Trixie snarled. “I said 'SHE DOESN'T! NEED ME'!” she shouted. “She doesn't... love me anymore.” came the final whisper.

Walking around, Plain Sight laid down in the grass before her, and looked her dead in the eye. “Roadapples.”

“You don't know!” Trixie retorted. “You weren't there! You didn't see them... rutting like base animals. If I hadn't walked in when I did, there's no telling how long they would have been at it! Or who they would have let join in!”

Plain Sight's slap echoed across the park, lingering on the air, and left a burning welt on Trixie's cheek. “You know as well as I do, that isn't true. She loves Spitfire. She loves Cheerilee. And she loves you. Other ponies may share her heart, but no others will share her bed.” She sighed, but didn't lose her stern countenance. “You need to talk to her about what's bothering you. Running away will solve nothing.”

A voice in the distance calling Trixie's name caught their attention for a moment. When Trixie turned back to face Plain Sight, she found her gone.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Limnear walked through the mostly-empty dungeon, following her escorts, a pair of large unicorns whose identical appearance was as intimidating as their size. The party stopped in front of a cell, and on of the unicorns said, “We'll be waiting down there as usual. Try not to take too long, Ma'am.”

The griffoness nodded and watched them disappear back around the corner, just out of earshot. She turned to the cell which contained a young griffoness, barely out of puberty. “How are you doing, Silva?”

The younger griffon looked up at her, but didn't raise her head. “Are they going to let us go home?”

Limnear smiled at her. “Not yet. We've removed the roadblock from the negotiating table, so we can at last actually discuss things civilly.”

Silva raised an eyebrow at her. “You had Uncle Birinj removed? How did you manage that?”

Limnear chuckled at her reaction. “Oh, it was quite simple once he slipped up and called Princess Luna 'Mad Mare' to her face. You've never seen back-flapping until you've seen a 'Diplomat'- emphasis on 'dip'- stick his talon in it and stir. It's a memory I'll cherish forever,” she said with a satisfied smile. Sitting down, she said, “Needless to say, he's no longer welcome in Equestria, and has been escorted to the border. Luckily, I have enough pull back home to be appointed 'Interim Diplomat', and take over until a suitable replacement is sent.”

The younger griffon sat up, interest plain on her face. “So you can get me and Forty out? I mean, we're under the age of consent or something, aren't we?”

Raising a claw, Limnear calmed her down. “Easy there. It's not that simple. Directly involved or not, you were part of the group responsible for a rather long list of crimes; crimes which in our own country are punishable by death.” Silva gulped and held a claw to her throat. “Luckily, nobody was hurt or killed as a result of your group's actions, and Equestria's laws are a bit more lenient in that regard.”

Leaning close, she said, “Let's not mince words though, you are still deep in the crapper, here. Lifetime sentences are not unheard of for your crimes. Lifetime with hard labor.” Leaning back, she glared sternly at her kid sister, remembering all the times they had as fledgelings. “Luckily, you have me on your side. I can get you off with a lighter sentence since you and Great Fortitude are minors, but I need you to work with me.”

“What do you need?” Silva asked.

“You'll release a written apology to the public, lamenting your involvement in this mess, and condemning the group's actions and rhetoric,” Limnear replied. “Furthermore, you will throw yourself on the mercy of the Princesses, and beg their forgiveness. Do this, and I can all but guarantee that your punishment will be... endurable for you both.” She sighed and looked sad. "As for the others, I can guarantee nothing. You and Forty are only offered this protection due to your young ages. The others are adults who should have known better.”

Silva considered this, then asked, “And Forty will be protected too?” Limnear nodded, and was joined by Silva's. “Then I accept as long as he does too.”

“Thank you, Silva,” Limnear said. “This is a big load off my mind. And Dad will be proud of you, taking your lumps like a real griffon.” Her words seemed to put a little more backbone into her sister as she straightened up.

Limnear stood and brushed her rump off with her tail. “If you'll excuse me, I need to go see Ava in the maximum security wing. Stay patient, Little Feather. Soon this will all be behind you, and you can go on with your life. Who knows,” she said as she walked away, “you might even like your punishment.”

Author's Notes:

Do you hate me yet? Do yah, huh? I wasn't planning on this particular plot point to come to the fore just yet, but what can you do? This is what happens when you try to write a story organically; it sorta takes over.

I put some of the suggested names in there for fun. We'll see which one reigns supreme. Just remember that although her appearance and special talent are pretty much set in stone, the first filly's name is still up for grabs; and all the other fillies everything is up in the air. If you want to make an impact on the story, go to my most recent blog post and leave a message there.

The usual disclaimers go here. I own the arrangement of the words, Plain Sight, Limnear, Silva, Great Fortitude, Uncle Birinj, and High Hide. All others belong to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.