Chapters Prologue
Let’s begin with the basics. A fine, peaceful day in the old town of Ponyville. Many things have changed over the years. Pinkie, now the owner of Sugar Cube Corner, has rebuilt the once so simple bakery into an inn, nursery, and other things.
Our story begins in said inn. A grey Earth stallion, his mane and tail colored black, with a very odd cutie mark, his eyes as red as the mark, is playing about with his youngest foal, a blueish purple filly, her mane as black as her father’s, her tail having a slight stripe of dark purple . He would occasionally tickle the filly’s tummy, lifting his hoof whenever he wanted to give the filly a pause to catch some breath.
From the staircase, a greenish blue pegasus came down, her purple mane swaying a little, watching her husband and daughter play about, smiling brightly at the ponies she called her family.
“Morning, Moonshine!”, said the stallion, smiling just as bright as his wife. “Mornin’, Hero!”, replied the pegasus, having a slight southern accent and a playful tone in her voice. She would call DrakeFang ‘Hero’ for something he did a long time ago for her. What, that will be a later part of this story.
Moonshine happily sat down next to her family. Not long after this, a young colt entered the inn lobby as well. This colt, his coat as red as flames, a blond mane, looking awfully similar to Drake, yawned and sat down on the other side of the couch where his sister and father were playing.
“Hi, dad, Moon, little sis.”, the young colt said to his family, smiling at his family. The filly looked at her big brother, immediately beaming at him. “Ho Sho”, the filly exclaimed, as she was incapable of speech.
Hot Shot simply smiled back. “Learning fast, aren’t you?” The filly giggled back at those words, showing a subtle sign of pride for almost getting her brother’s name right.
Hot Shot looked straight at Drake. “Hey dad. I’ve been wondering. You sometimes say that you worry about your past. Is it really that bad?”
DrakeFang looked straight back at Hot Shot, with a slightly surprised look on his face. “Are you sure you wanna know that?"
Hot Shot nodded, and stared at his father, hoping Drake would tell him. “Well, most kids my age know what their parents were like when they were young. Yet, I’ve never heard your story. So yeah, I wanna know more about you, dad!”
Drake nodded in agreement, and put StarFang on her mother’s lap. “Then I’ll tell you. Hope you’re ready for an unbelievable story?”
Hot Shot reacted excited. “TOTALLY READY, DAD!” The colt had never shown such curiosity before, but it made Drake smile, knowing his son was actually interested in his father’s history.
“Then listen well, son. Because you’re about to hear things unlike you’ve ever heard…”
Chapter 1: The Story Begins...
Chapter 1: The Story Begins…
“See, I wasn’t born a pony, Hot. I was born as a being known as humans.” Hot looked at his father curiously. “Humans? What are those?” Drake was stumped. How would he explain a colt what humans were? He didn’t even make an attempt to explain. “Does it matter?”, he asked his colt in a rather teasing way. “I…guess not?”, asked Hot, waiting for his father to continue his story. Drake smiled, yet his face looked a little more serious now.
“Alright. Anyway, I was born in a kingdom called Chikaria.” “Chikaria?” Hot looked at Drake curiously again. “I don’t know a place in Equestria called Chikaria. Miss Cheerilee never mentioned it in Geography class…” A small chuckle came from Drake. “Of course not, silly colt. Chikaria is a kingdom in another world. So, I’m from a world other than Equestria.”
The colt’s face clearly gave away he was surprised. A little shocked, but also having that ‘yeah right’ look. “So, what you’re saying is, you’re an alien?” Once more, Drake chuckled. “I guess you could say that, yeah. Now, can I continue?”
“Sorry.” Hot began listening again, a bit excited to hear the rest of the story.
“Now, this kingdom was one driven by power. Or at least, during my father’s reign.” Drake’s face began looking more and more serious. “Every king that sat on the Chikarian throne, would eventually go insane with the power granted by said throne.”
“Every king that-…” Hot’s face clearly showed surprised, and he began thinking for a bit. “Dad, are you saying that grandpa was a king there?” Drake nodded. “Yes, the last one of Chikaria, too.”
“Then, that makes you a prince!?” Hot smiled brightly. “Yeah, I’m kind of a prince indeed.” As Hot heard those words, his smile became even brighter, if possible at all. “Then, since I’m your son, that makes me a prince too!?” Drake laughed at his son’s question. “Well, when you look at it, yeah, you’re a prince too, Hot.”
Hot began hopping around in excitement before sitting down again, thrilled by the fact that he was, in a way, royalty. “OK dad, now I’m really curious about your history!”, emphasizing the word ‘really’.
“Well, you would think that me being a prince meant I lived a happy, luxury life. But sadly, son, I lived the exact opposite way a prince should live.” Once more, curiosity filled Hot’s face. “And why’s that?”
Drake began to show a little more sadness. “Well, to put it simple, your grandpa had this law, where if a child wouldn’t be born above a certain level of power, he would be killed at birth”
Shocked, Hot’s face went a little pale. “Really? Why would he do that, why make up such a law?” Again, Drake's face became less happy. “Your grandfather was mad with the power of the throne, remember? Thus, he wanted nopony-“ Drake quickly corrected himself- “nobody, as humans would say it, to be weak in his eyes.” Hot began to look a little worried. “But, you were strong enough, right, dad?” He gave away a small smile, hoping Drake would say yes.
Drake closed his eyes, and a short silence filled the room. “No, I wasn’t. Thus, I was meant to die.”
Hot’s face looked even paler. “But, if you would’ve been killed, then how are you here?”
“As I said, you will find anything I’m about to tell unbelievable. Now that we have somewhere to start off from, listen very closely, for this is the story of how I came to be a pony….”
Chapter 2: The beginning of a kingom's end
Chapter 2: The beginning of a kingdom’s end
Moonshine had gone to her room, as little StarFang had fallen asleep, leaving only Hot Shot and Drake on the couch. Seeing how Moonshine already knew this story, she didn’t even worry about staying there. “Instead of telling you, Hot”, so Drake spoke, “I’ll make it easier and show you my story.” His eyes glowed for a second, the room around them changing, as if fading away around them, and suddenly, like ghosts, they stood in what appeared to be the main room of a castle, much like Canterlot’s. Only, this one looked a little…less happy, less colorful. As if not designed by ponies at all… Hot looked around, but Drake made him focus on the scene.
A woman, dressed in a blue gown, walked into the room, one hand touching her back, the other a very bloated belly. This woman clearly was in the last stage of pregnancy, or at least she appeared to be.
She walked up to a man. The man, wearing an armor, a crimson red-colored cape attached to it his hair hanging over his cape, turned around at his wife, and couldn’t help but smile. “The time is almost here, Ariana…Soon, our kingdom shall have its prince…” The woman smiled back, but couldn’t manage hiding the fact she was struggling with her back. “Indeed, Lucius. But, what if he won’t be born strong enough? What if our baby…must be killed…?” Lucius laughed at his wife’s remark. “It is our son, Ariana! In no way shall he be weak!” Ariana smiled back, and as she turned around, her face became a little darker, as if she would try and kill Lucius any time soon.
Hot nudged Drake in the side. “Take it that’s you in there, Dad?” Drake nodded. “Indeed. Now, we’ll skip a little, shall we?” He lifted his hoof, the scene fading away like before, and fading back to a new scene, with Ariana now holding a little boy, crying and looking at Lucius with a desperate face.
She screamed at him. “Lucius, you can’t do this! He is our son! Your son! A prince!” Lucius’ face was empty and cold, as if all happiness had been sucked away. “That boy is too weak to be a prince…Let alone a part of MY kingdom!” He had a dagger in hand, and lowered it at the baby, Ariana turning quickly, thus making the dagger miss. Lucius dropped the dagger, and grabbed Ariana tight. His eyes were tearing, and a panicked tone filled Lucius’ voice. “Run, Aria. Take our son, and run, as far as you can. Don’t look back, and hide before I lose myself forever…” He let go of Ariana. She ran out of the room with Drake still in her arms, panicked and crying. Lucius dropped to his knees, crying over the loss of two people that were very important to him.
Drake lifted his hoof again, and the scene changed into what seemed to be a normal, old house. Ariana had gone through some changes over the years. Her hair had become lighter, no longer raven black, but greyer. She sat in a chair, and a 6 year-old boy stood next to her, holding her hand.
Ariana sighed, and showed a sad smile to the boy. The boy smiled back at her, but his face became serious right away. “Mother? Is Father really as bad as you say? Did he really not love me?”
“More than that, Drakey.”, Ariana said to her son. “He wasn’t even the king. He stole the throne, but I don’t know from who…”
Hot looked at his dad, confused with the words Ariana spoke. “Uh, Dad, I thought he WAS the king?” Drake nodded at his son. “Yes, Hot. She was lying so I would begin hating him, as she intended even before birth. “ Hot nodded, and focused on the scene again. It faded again, and changed into Ariana and Drake, now about 12 years old, standing in front of two weaponed, armored men. “This, Hot, is an important part. for this part will show you how my darkness began…”
Chapter 3: Following the path to darkness
Chapter 3: Following the path to darkness
Drake and Hot watched the scene, and both saw the armored, weaponed guards talk to Ariana and her son, though not making a sound. Judging from the guards’ facial expressions, it wasn’t a nice conversation or a peaceful arrest. Hot Shot was confused. Why couldn’t they hear anything? Did he become deaf? He looked up at his dad, the real, pony version that is, and saw that he shed a tear.
“Dad? How come we can’t hear them? What’s going on here?” Drake glanced at Hot, and then back to the scene. “I can’t remember. My fear of finding out the truth behind it won’t allow me to hear them.” Hot Shot looked at the ground. “We don’t have to move on if you don’t want, Dad. You’re hurt enough as it is. I’m causing you more pain.” Drake looked shocked, and turned his head at his son. “Not at all. Hot, you deserve to know this. You need to know who I was.”
Hot Shot nodded, glancing back at the scene. Ariana had made a hand signal at Drake, telling him to run away. The boy did, and one guard lashed at Ariana, piercing her with a spear, the blade of it showing through her back. The other guard returned to his companion as Aria’s lifeless body fell before his feet.
Drake ran through the forest behind him, crying, completely in panic. Hot Shot and his dad decided to follow the boy. They couldn’t be seen, so it mattered little. Following the boy to the heart of the forest, where he had stumbled upon an old hut, Hot once more looked confused.
“This is your world, right, Dad?” Drake nodded. “Why do you ask?” “Because your kid self just ran into Zecora’s hut in the Everfree Forest…” The woods did look like their Equestrian counterpart. Even the hut had that atmosphere the zebra’s had. The scene changed again, and now the boy, Drake and Hot were standing inside the hut, right in front of an old man.
“Do be welcome, child~”, the old man said, his voice sounding a bit dark, but kind. Drake appeared to be sitting down on a chair in front of him. “Who are you?”, the boy asked the man, whom responded with “My name matters not. But you, young Xiroth, you are the one that does.” The boy’s eyes widened, and he asked him “How do you know me?”. The man chuckled, and sat down, a kind smile showing on his face. Hot Shot couldn’t help but smile as well, glancing at his dad, who’d been watching the scene with a slight hint of anger in his eyes. “Who was he, Dad? He seems like a kind man.” Drake’s expression didn’t change at all. “That, Hot, is the man whom I had put trust in, only to get it betrayed.”
Hot looked worried, and glanced back. The man was still talking to the boy. “You have lost your mother, and your father wants you gone. Let me help you, young prince. I can make you the king your father wants you to be.” The boy’s expression turned not really happy, but relieved someone was there for him again. “How will you help me?” The man waved a hand, floating several objects under a purple-ish smoke. “Become my pupil, and I can show and teach you the ways of darkness. I can make you more powerful than anyone in this kingdom.” Drake hesitated to answer. The boy began thinking, and after a while, he looked back up at the man.
“Deal.” The boy reached out his hand, and the actual Drake, the pony one, looked away from the image. Hot Shot noticed his dad looking away, figuring out Drake thought it was the worst mistake he made in his young life. “Dad, are you sure you wanna keep showing me all this?”
Drake nodded. “From here on, Hot Shot, things will get ugly. Do you want to carry on?” Hot Shot looked determined. “No matter who or what you were back then, Dad, I won’t look at you any different than I do now. You’re the father I look up to, not the guy that made mistakes.” Drake couldn’t help but hug his son, and together, they watched the boy as swirls of darkness engulfed his hand.
The boy’s path to darkness had begun…
Chapter 4: The last steps
Chapter 4: The last steps
In the flashback, years had passed again. The boy that took the man's lessons had now grown into a fine young man, somewhere between 19 or 20 years old. He stood outside the hut, on a hill, watching over the kingdom that would've been his, had he been strong enough at birth.
He didn't show any homesickness or such, though. No, the look in his eyes showed anger, hate, and vengeance. Hot Shot saw it right away. "This is the part where the fateful day began, right dad?" Drake nodded at Hot, and watched the scene again. The old man walked up to Drake, looking even older than the previous flashback. "This is it, young prince. Today you have become ready to destroy the kingdom and its ruler that shunned you for so long." The young man, or Drake, rather, nodded, and wordlessly looked back at the kingdom. As the man just seemingly vanished into shadows, something that Fang tended to do at times, Drake jumped off the hill, perfectly fine, slowly walking towards the kingdom.
In Drake's head, thus around Fang and Hot, the old man's voice spoke. "Do not hesitate, do not hold back. All that you need to know is kill~" The words lingered around them as they watched Drake enter Chikaria, killing the gate guards instantly, at a speed that made it look like Drake didn't even move. He didn't put up any defenses. Many guards began gathering around Drake. Two of the guards seemed older than the rest. They looked at the young man standing alone in front of them, a bit shocked.
"It's him...", one of them spoke. The other replied with "The boy that escaped that day. But he looks so...different." Drake indeed looked different than his child counterpart. This Drake's eyes were filled with hatred towards the guards that had killed his mother in front of his eyes. He released a beam of shadows on a random building, prompting the guards to attack. Seemingly out of nowhere, Drake summoned a sword, and began killing the guards surrounding him easily and merciless. This wasn't the warrior Hot knew. That was not his father.
Fang rested a hoof on Hot's shoulder. "Remember, Hot. I'm not that Drake anymore. I don't kill anymore." Hot nodded, still watching 'his father' kill about. When Drake finished killing the guards, he went deeper into town, killing any civillian on his way. Fang looked away with every victim he made, the screams filling his head, causing him to cry. The flashback scene even began fading.
Fang didn't want to show all this to his son. Not because of what his son would think of it, but because he was scared of the screams. Of the monster he had become. Of himself. The scene was almost completely gone, until Hot lightly punched Fang's shoulder.
Hot put up a smug grin. "Come on, man up, dad. You're not a cryfoal, are ya?" Fang looked surprised, and the scene re-appeared again. By now, behind Drake, corpses laid on the ground, all throughout the kingdom as he walked towards the castle.
Fang had calmed down. "Hot. What follows now is the battle that ended my life in Chikaria. Are you ready to see it?" Hot Shot nodded determined. "Like I said, I don't care who you were, or what you did. What matters to me is, you're my dad. And I'm your son. And I'm proud to have a strong dad like you." With that last sentence, he gave his father a wink.
The last steps were taken. Drake opened the castle door, and Lucius sat in the middle of the throne room, smirking at Drake. An eerie silence filled the room, and Drake looked back, the hatred burning in his eyes. Lucius stood up, and spread his hands, almost as if motioning Drake to give him a hug.
"Welcome once more, son..."
Chapter 5: Give in to the Shadows
Chapter 5: Give in to the Shadows
The young prince's gaze became even colder, and he simply replied with 'I am not your son'. Hot Shot looked worried, knowing what would be coming. "This is it, right, Dad? You fought him, didn't you?" Drake nodded at his son. "Yes. Now, you better pay attention. From here, words won't be shared anymore. The only sound you'll hear now, will be those of-"
The prince suddenly summoned his blade as Drake excaimed the word 'swords', and lashed at Lucius. Giving off a stifled laugh, he blocked Drake's attack pretty easily, and pushed him back. "You are still weak, Drake. But it does not matter anymore. You have destroyed the kingdom you were meant to take over anyway."
The king and the prince's eyes were locked. The battle had begun. Lucius fired off some flaming spheres, with Drake dodging them all, going for a barrage of slices with his blade, all being blocked by Lucius. Drake would return the same attacks, as he inherited the skills from his father. Their power was even, and all of a sudden, Lucius grinned at his son, leaving a surprised look on Drake's face. "What's so funny?", Drake asked in an intimidating voice.
Lucius laughed. "You became strong after all, Drake. But I don't think you are strong enough to stop-" Before finishing his sentence, a large ball of fire had formed in his hand "-THIS!" Lucius' eyes widened along with his grin, and a wall of fire got shot at Drake. The prince jumped up, dodging up, and with the most intense rage, he rushed down, hitting his head with two fists, using great force.
Lucius couldn't help but fall over because of this, laying down on his back. Drake pointed his blade at Lucius' neck, panting wildly. As Drake was about to strike Lucius, he got stopped by him shouting "STOP!"
Drake paused and saw Lucius crying. The once so ruthless king was now laying on the floor helplessly. "You've proven your strength, son. Go on. Finish it." Drake lowered his sword at this. Hot Shot looked surprised at this. "You didn't kill him after all?" "Just watch." Lucius looked surprised as well, but relieved at the same time.
A voice began talking in the prince's head. "What are you doing, Drake? Finish him now!" "I can't! Not after this!" The prince grabbed his head in his hands, and Lucius quickly grabbed Drake's shoulders. "Son, I'm so, so sorry! I never meant to- I was so relieved when you got away!" Drake pushed him back. "Shut up! Just shut up!"
Lucius stood still. "Drake. Having you sentenced to death was not my worst deed as a king to his subject. It was the worst I could do as a father to his child..." Drake looked up surprised, and around his legs, swirls of shadow began swirling. Lucius didn't know what happened. As Drake slowly let his hands slip off his head and hanging, he was a complete being of shadows, and looked up at Lucius, his eyes glowing blood red and a malicious grin filling his face.
"Bye bye, daddy~"
Lucius' face became pale, and he screamed in agony as several black tendrils began stabbing him over and over, and the now possessed Drake finished it with a wave of darkness, obliterating Lucius' body in the process, leaving nothing behind but a rubble of what once was a majestic castle.
Hot Shot eyes stood wide, and as he glanced to his father, he saw that he was crying. The human version, however, was laughing, before reverting to his normal human state. He fell down to his knees, screaming upon realizing what had happened. Out of nowhere, something that seemed to be a gate appeared next to the prince. And without thinking twice, he jumped in, hearing a familiar voice hum a lullaby.
The gate closed, and the prince began feeling changes. Changes unlike any other...
Chapter 6: Life in Equestria began
Chapter 6: Life in Equestria began
The scene in front of Drake and Hot Shot faded, and now, they saw what was on the other side of the portal. A crater had formed where a certain grey stallion had landed. The prince was no longer his human self. Hot Shot recognized his father in the flashback right away.
The pony stood up. "W-where am I...", he muttered, his eyes only half-open, and he dropped on his back again. He stared at what he hoped would be his hands, but instead, he noticed they were hooves. He screamed in terror, panicking. "I-I'm a horse! W-why am I a horse, where the hell am I!?" He jumped slightly when he heard a balloon deflate behind him. "Silly pony, you're in Ponyville, of course! You OK?" Drake made his best attempt to act like a pony, trying to stand on all four hooves. As he turned, he saw a pink pony looking at him with a bright smile.
Hot Shot chuckled. "Is that Pinks? She looks happier than usual there!" Drake responded to Hot. "Yeah, but that's before she began tampering with shadows." Hot nodded and looked back at the funny scene before him. The pink pony carried on talking. "I'm Pinkamena Diane Pie, but call me Pinkie Pie! Or Pinkie. Or Diane. But no Pie, they should only be eaten, not named. Or do they? Naming pies sounds funny. Hey, you like having fun, like parties? Ooh, you're a new pony, so you should get a PARTAY-" Her mouth got covered by Drake's hoof, yet it didn't stop Pinkie from talking.
"I'll call you Diane. It's weird though. Why are you all pink? I never saw horses with that colo-" He stopped talking as he saw Pinkie still ranting, and began getting a rather annoying look on his face. "Could you stop talking for just a moment?" Pinkie paused and nodded, her smile remaining as bright. "Thank you. Now uh, you said I was in Ponyville, right?" Pinkie nodded again. "The most fun place in Equestria!" Drake nodded in confirmation. "Oh, but you never told me your name, friend! What do they call you?" Drake looked stunned. "U-uhm... I'm...Drake." Pinkie looked confused. "Is that a nickname? Like I call Rainbow Dash Dashie? 'Cuz Drake's not really a pony name."
Once more, Drake was at loss of words. A pony name? So, these horses -no, ponies - all had these names that made little sense. "Uhm, yeah, it's short for Drake....Fang. Yes, DrakeFang. That's my name." Pinkie giggled. "What a weird name. You must be from very far away. Where are you from, Drakey?"
Drakey? Did she call him Drakey? Oh well, it didn't matter that much. Drake began thinking. Where was he from? He seemed to have forgotten. When he tried recalling what happened before his arrival near Ponyville, all he could see was an empty void. "I...don't know where I'm from." Pinkie jumped and gasped a bit. "You don't know where you're from!? That's terrible! Come on, I have a friend down at the library, maybe she can help you!" Pinkie started dragging Drake to the library, and the scene faded again, with Drake and Hot Shot standing in the lobby of the Sugar Cube Corner again.
"And from that day, Hot, I began living here in Equestria.", Drake said with a warm smile, knowing that if even his own son could accept his past, he could do so too. Hot Shot simply nodded, and hugged his father. He didn't care about the fact he was 14 years old, the usual age of which he figured hugging your parents would be childish. "I'm glad you did, dad. Otherwise I wouldn't get to know you." Happy tears welled up in Drake's eyes, and he hugged his son back.
Behind them, they heard a 'ding' sound, and Pinkamena stood behind them with a fresh batch of muffins. "Get over here, you cryfoals. Can't eat all these on my own." Drake and Hot shared a glance and a grin. Both jumped over the couch, rushing at the muffins, laughing all the while. Their bond as a father and son had deepened. Pinkamena couldn't help but smile brightly at it all.
Drake was happy. He lived in a world that accepted him, no matter if he was strong or weak. For that, he was thankful. And he'd be sure to live that life to the fullest.
Epilogue
After they had finished the muffin, father and son sat down on the couch, the two of them sighing happily.. Pinkamena decided to join them and sat down next to them, and smiled at a certain teenage filly entering the lobby. The filly's coat had a light amber-colored tint, and her mane had shades of red. She looked like a pegasus, though her wings were not feathered. No, these wings appeared to be dragonic. She soundlessly giggled at Pinkie, motioning her to be quiet. From behind, she placed her hooves on Hot Shot's eyes, now giggling with sound. "Guess who?", she asked him teasingly.
Hot Shot couldn't help but chuckle and gently take hold of the hooves covering his eyes. "Hey Parker", he replied, chuckling all the while. Parker walked around the couch and sat snuggled against Hot Shot. Parker was a filly Hot had met a while back. Through some events, the two fell in love with each other, and Parker lived at the Sugar Cube Inn. Hot Shot smiled at her and wrapped an arm around her. They were the most adorable couple, or so Drake thought, chuckling at the sight of the two lovebirds.
"What were you guys doing?" Parker was curious. "Oh, we just finished Pinks' delicious cookies." Pinks was a name Hot gave Pinkamena. Basically, any young pony of Hot's age called her that, and even some adults did. Parker simply smiled and nuzzled Hot. "Pity I missed it, brother~", said a voice suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. Hot Shot's eyes slightly widened. That's where he knew the voice of the old man from! He looked up behind the couch and saw him standing there. He was a pony very similar looking to Drake, almost a copy. However, this pony had a small goatee and his mane was longer. The scars on the stallion's face showed that he had suffered in a great battle.
"You're the old man...uncle Shadow." He quirked and eyebrow and glanced at Drake. "You showed him your past, Drake?" Drake simply nodded. "I had no choice. He deserved to know." Indeed, Shadow was the old man, a dark being that had corrupted and literally entered Drake's heart. After a big fight in Equestria against Shadow, during that time known as Dark Entity, Drake and him split up. Slowly, Entity began developing his own heart and emotions. When his heart had become complete, Drake and Foggy, a friend of his, re-named him ShadowFang, to show that they would be brothers from that day.
Shadow glanced back at Hot. "Yes I am, nephew. And looking back at it all, I am not proud of it." Hot Shot shrugged and smirked at him. "I don't care. I told Dad the same. It doesn't matter who you were back then. Who you are now is what really matters." Shadow paused and then smiled at the two teenagers, yet retaining his stern, serious look. "Wise words, Hot. Be sure to keep them to heart." The young pony nodded, and proceeded nuzzling Parker, his attention all focused on her.
Parker stopped for a moment. "What're they talking about, Hot?" Hot chuckled. "I'll tell you all about it during a nice picnic." She hugged him, giggling. "I'll hold you to it~", she said teasingly.
While the teenagers were busy focusing on each other, the adults kept talking. And the day flew by like any other would.