In a quaint little townhouse in Canterlot lived two members of a once four-member family. They were the parents, with their children all grown up and off in different corners of Equestria living the lives they made for themselves. Their merits were put on display along the house's walls, along with the pictures that displayed their life stories.
The oldest child, born a colt with white fur and a mane and tail with two shades of blue, was shown from his infancy to adolescence, and all the way through his years as a Canterlot Guard. He earned his highest merit as Captain, as seen in one picture at the bottom of the staircase, with his then greatest accomplishment - with his then engaged mare, the Crystal Princess.
The youngest, a filly with a lavender coat and purple mane with two different pink stripes, was seen from the day she was born, to seeing her BBBFF off for Military Academy. Her timeline of pictures also depicted her first day as the land's ruler's personal student, her move to a little town of Ponyville with her new friends, and even some of events taking place there over the years. One of the parents' favorites was her on her birthday, where she stopped by with her friends after a party at Canterlot Castle, hugging them both and to say two words-
"Thank You."
Every wall told those stories and many more, including of events following greater events. Shining Armor, the son, and Twilight Sparkle, the daughter, their lives spread out across the home of their parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet. There wasn't a day gone by that at least one picture would catch their attention and have them reminisce in their children's upbringing.
They each had their personal favorites, each for their own reasons. One of Night Light's was Shining Armor as a young adult, bringing his marefriend Cadance over to dinner with the family for the first time. Of course the family knew her already, being Twilight's foalsitter, but it was the first time she was over as more than that, and Shining felt very nervous. Night Light remembered having to pull his son over to somewhere private to talk to him and assure that things will be fine and to calm down. After that, it was a wonderful night of fun and enjoyment. Next to that photo was the royal couple on duty, for the first time as husband and wife.
Another favorite of his was one of his little Twilight when she first moved to Ponyville. She wrote to home asking for a few things to be sent down that she didn't have in her room at school, but instead of using a mail service, he brought the items down himself. The picture was of him showing her friends a sun-shaped night light and why she needed it, his daughter groaning in embarrassment, and the moment captured on film by a hysteric Spike. This picture hung upstairs, only in sight by him and his wife, much to Twilight's request after first finding it hanging in the kitchen. He chuckled to himself when he saw it, as he always would, and began to descend downstairs.
For Twilight Velvet, there were so many pictures and memories she would call favorites. With Shining Armor, it would've been one sitting on the fireplace mantle, showing the results of him as a foal using his magic for one of the first times.
She remembered that day all too well, trying to cook in the kitchen when it all went wrong so badly the oven blew batter out like Pinkie Pie's party cannon. Batter covered everything in the kitchen, everything except Velvet, who found herself covered by a strange pink sphere. This was magic she didn't conjure, nor was Night Light in the room, but she turned to see a pink aura glowing around a little point of batter of an infant's high chair. Using her hoof, she cleaned the batter away to reveal a smiling Shining, who casted the spell himself. It was the start of a string of magical insanities that bested her motherly duties, but it was one of her favorite days.
For Twilight, there was one from her first months as Celestia's prized pupil she'd never forget. It was Velvet's birthday, and Twilight was unable to finish with her studying in time to race back home and join the celebration. From what the little unicorn had to explain, she saw the time and began to panic so badly, she set off her magic and used a spell she never even attempted before, and that was the teleportation spell. At the family's home, she appeared out of thin air, just a foot above the dining room table, and Velvet's birthday cake, and fell straight onto the cake. Night Light caught the perfect photo of Twilight, jumping happily into her mother's arms yelling "Happy Birthday!" and Velvet just looked completely surprised.
Velvet walk passed that picture as it hung by the kitchen entrance, making her way towards there to start figuring out what to make for dinner. But something stopped her, right in her tracks, and not for the first time as it has happened several times in the last few weeks. There were three large frames hanging on a nearby wall, all of different events that shared one common theme.
She turned to stand in front of the three pictures, staring at each of them with a smile on her face. Now, every picture had their meanings, but within the last year, these pictures had so much meaning. These three weren't the only copies in the home, but the ones put in greatest display to share with anypony who would come to the home. They were the newest set of displayed accomplishments, perhaps some of the best to ever imagine.
Night Light had gotten to the bottom of the staircase when he found his wife staring at those pictures. He could tell she was lost in a different dimension of her thoughts, so he said nothing to disturb her right away. Instead he walked up next to her, without making a sound, and stood to look at the pictures as well.
All that was there was silence, shrouding the outside of their minds as their consciouses ringed with familiar noises and voices. The pictures served as the sources for them, and they could remember so many different things said or heard. A couple minutes would pass before Night Light would speak.
"I know what you feel," he said. "It's pride."
Velvet looked on at the pictures in agreement. "We could call us lucky to have such two foals like them," she said.
Night Light nodded, and then replied "They both fulfilled their destinies."
"And I think we fulfilled our destinies as parents as well," Velvet added, with greater pride in her tone.
"Yeah," he answered. After another moment of looking, he took his hoof and reached for hers, holding it gently in his. He gave her a loving look in his eyes that followed with a just as loving tone to his voice. "Hey..." He had grabbed her full attention, just as he wanted to remind her of something she always knew
"...I love you."
She gave him the same facial expression, and shared the loving emotion he was showing just as much if not more. "I love you too," she replied, and then the two leaned their heads towards each other.
Their lips met for a most loving and compassionate kiss, having a hoof of theirs holding the other's. They went from the world of the past to be lost in to the present, in their love that will last their entire futures. The sun began to glare into the room, not even bothering their attention away from each other as the light reflected off the framed pictures' glass.
The three pictures did shine bright thanks to the sun, but the glare made it just difficult enough to avoid a fully clear view. When it faded, you could see them clearly and their origins and stories.
The top picture was a portrait taken from Twilight's Princess coronation. It showed the entire Sparkle family together, some showing their joy more than others. In the back row was a happy and content Night Light next to his son, who tearing up with 'liquid pride' while his wife used her magic to levitate a hoofkerchief for his use. In the front row, from left to right like the previous, was Spike looking over at the new princess. Twilight was shown fighting to keep tears in her eyes as she had one of her new wings wrapped around a teary-eyed Velvet, and another holding an overjoyed Nyx, who couldn't help but grab her around the neck for a nuzzling hug.
Under that picture was a younger picture taken at the Crystal Empire, this one centered around Shining Armor and Princess Cadance, the latter holding a newborn baby, all surrounded by the Mane 6, Spike and Cutie Mark Crusaders. It was from when the Equestria Games took place at the empire, the first time they could all gather together without there being any sort of threat or trouble in a long time (excluding the ice cloud ordeal). For the royal couple, it was the first picture of their new family of three with most of the extended family, saving the foal's grandparents who offered to take the picture, right in front of the Crystal Heart.
The last one was a picture that was very different, with a large group in a very different setting. It was somewhere nopony had ever been to before that day, a place where great things were accomplishments almost mandatory to its citizens and guests alike. Velvet and Night Light's infamous daughter was in that picture, and made sure to have multiple copies made.
/)∞(\
The evening hours were ending as Celestia's sun was starting to set, and Luna's moon about to bring forth a new night. The parents had finished having dinner, and wrote a letter to their son about visiting with gifts for their new grandchild. The freshly sealed envelope sat on Velvet's desk, along with the first drafts of her latest novel, ready to be mailed the next morning when the mailmare would come. It was all set to the side as Velvet placed a large, thick book on the desk to look through, holding a few special slips in her hoof.
On the cover of this book simply read "Family Album." It was Velvet's most treasured item, holding within memories from the day Night Light proposed to her, to where the family was in the present. She would open it every so often, to look back at the many wonderful years the book displayed, or when she could use a spirit lifting. The last time she needed that was the first Hearth's Warming with the family's two newest alicorn members. She had Nyx for company and showed her the album, which cheered her up from a depressive state, and grew her closer to her adopted granddaughter.
"So many memories," she thought to herself, "and so many more to add on still." She opened the book, and began to go through pages by the chunk to find the right sections. "Time to add some of the newest ones."
Velvet turned page after page of the book, sifting through many pictures in the process. Her search reached towards the near end of the book and its last few pages. Each side of them had a few pictures, but not enough to fill them, not yet at least. There were themes of each page she set the pictures to, along with being in chronological order, for the most proper display possible. She lifted her hoof to set down on the desk three new pictures she could finally add to the filling pages.
"OK now," she said to herself, sifting through the pictures on the desk. "This is still the section of the whole family, so I'll need... Here we go, Twilight's coronation."
She took the photo and carefully placing it in the book, securing it firmly in the corner holders of the page. It sat on the bottom left, directly under a picture of Nyx making a snowpony with her Uncle Shiny and Twilight, and one of Velvet and Twilight reading books outside on a glorious spring day. With the addition of the then whole family from Twilight's coronation added to it, that left an additional spot for a new picture. Soon enough, that spot will be filled.
"OK, now onto the next section," she murmured, turning a couple pages ahead to the next section.
It was the first of the two newest parts of the book, showing the family that was her son and daughter-in-law. There were several pictures already, from the wedding and reception, to some from their honeymoon, to the start of their new lives at the Crystal Empire, and more that showed all sorts of events. This included their first time meeting Nyx, and Cadance's very long (as she described it) pregnancy.
"Here's an open spot," Velvet said, finding the perfect place to add a new picture. "Next one to add, the family and friends of my sweet little grandbaby."
The next picture was an easy reach, laying on top of the last picture to go in the album. It was a blank page she always tried to leave open ahead of time, so it went in the top left corner, starting the new section just right. Another perfect fitting picture now entered the book of memories, continuing one story by adding a new chapter to it. Now there was just one more to add to the album until the next picture is taken.
/)∞(\
If Twilight Sparkle inherited any behavioral traits from her mother, it would clearly be stress, perfectionism, and organization. The latter was the biggest one, as Twilight Velvet prided herself to make sure everything, and truly everything, was in check and proper order, including the photo album. Not only was each picture in appropriate order of date, but she made sure to write down the date and small description on the back of each one. The next picture to go in, one of the most unique still needed that before going in.
Velvet turned just a couple pages into the book, the last section that quickly grew in the last few years. It was the section for Twilight's family, which had technically three beginnings. The first one started with a picture of Twilight in her filly years, with a newly hatched Spike sitting on a table sucking on the end of his tail.
Several pictures later started the second, pictures of her and her best friends after her move to Ponyville. All of them were there - Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie - some with just one of them, others with a couple or all of them, all during events of so many occasions. The first of them all was of the whole group together, Twilight's first picture with her new friends, who would all help teach her the greater values of friendship and grow up into the Princess she now was. A tear tried to escape Velvet's eye, but it didn't escape, not until the last of Twilight's section.
"She's grown up so much," she said quietly, her voice mixed with emotions. She turned the next page over, which started her daughter's third section- her own family. "Who knew her biggest accomplishment, came from one little filly she calls her little girl..."
The third section was of Twilight and her closest family outside of the bloodline. There was of course Spike, Owolicious and Peewee, and lastly, her daughter Nyx. Many pages were covered from as far back as when Nyx was hiding her identity with clothes and enchanted glasses, and each one going through so many times.
There was when Nyx first got her cutie mark and showing it to the CMC, trying to practice using her limited magic and hovering with her wings, and even when Twilight came home with the legalized adoption papers. Every memory possible was captured and shared, some good and others bad, but life, as displayed in the album, always has its ups and downs. This section kept growing more and more, displaying how Twilight has taken Nyx and her role as a mother, and kept it building and growing stronger. All these captured memories did more for Grandma Velvet than her daughter's family even knew.
Going through each page and seeing the pictures, Velvet thought to herself "Twilight, to this day I still have my doubts about you being a mother so soon...
"But your stories, your dedication, your photos, you've proved me and your father wrong. Nopony deserved to be Nyx's mother but you. I'm so proud where you've come in your life with her, with your friends..."
Her thoughts stopped as she turned to the last page with pictures on it. There were already three pictures on it, leaving the bottom right corner open. One was of Twilight and Nyx at the last Summer Sun Celebration, the former's first display of royal duties.
The second was just Twilight with two of her newest friends, both from a very different place called Mobius. The third was a similar picture, but this time with Nyx included, jumped up on the two-tailed fox's back, and Spike on Twilight's, taken at the Crystal Empire train station before both parties returned to their respective homes. These pictures showed the beginning of Velvet's daughter's new life as one of the most trusted ponies in all of Equestria, and she couldn't be prouder. As some began to say, only her could manage to do all she's done.
Before she put the new picture in the book, Velvet flipped it over, and used her magic to levitate a quill and parch it with ink. After a couple quick dips in the parchment, she was ready to write the details she recalled of the picture. But before she would write anything, she saw something written there already. She could tell by the horn-writing that it was by Twilight, done in blue ink and neatly done on top of it. A corner had a date and small title, which she read aloud-
"6th of May, 2014
Mobius Celebration
&
Happy Engagement..."
Scattered across the back were many names, most in full and some abbreviated that, when flipped over, properly identified everyone on the picture. Velvet read through each one, going in a clockwise path going into the bottom center, where she found some familiar names, and a "Me" for Twilight. She turned the picture back around to have another look, pinpointing where her daughter and granddaughter were, next to the 'couple of the day,' to best put it.
She didn't know this couple, or even most of those in the picture for that matter. They met only once, twice for a certain few, and that was it. But her daughter and friends knew them best, and where they were in that picture was a very special day for many reasons. Again, it was a moment of pride for the mother to see how much of a life her daughter has made for herself.
She decided to just add a couple little notes of her own, as small descriptions on her part. Using her quill with ink, black ink to be specific, she made two additions to the back of the photo-
Under "Me," she put "Twilight" with just enough open space above the former and under another's name. Then, up in the corner with Twilight notes, she added "Twilight's Family."
Done with writing, she set the quill back in a jar of parchment, and held the picture with her hoof, making sure not to smudge the ink. She gently took the picture, turned it back around, and inserted it into the album, tucking each corner into the holders. Once it was in, she paused to take another look at it, and the story she heard her daughter tell her about via letter from Twilight that accompanied the pictures-
"Eight years ago, the new friends we've come to know traveled across a galaxy to stop an evil army of conquerors. On the last day of the war, it came down to a girl fulfilling her destiny by willing to sacrifice herself to protect those she cared for. In the end, their greatest threat appeared and took her away from life, but not without leaving behind a new era of heroism and unity that would lead to her best friend, her closest friend, the one who loved her more than anything, to help in her resurrection.
"Every year on that date, the same group and many, many others join together to reflect on those events, and remind others that nothing will bring their spirits down. My friends and I look forward to being part of this for the first time, and witness a celebration that promises many surprises. In all honesty, I've never seen Nyx so excited to go somewhere new and learn about all she can (even though I'm trying my best to hide the same thing but starting to fail in the process...)"
With that letter was another, this one from Nyx, who wanted to tell her grandparents how magical and loving the day was. The two letters began to mesh together in her thoughts of such a wonderful story. That, and recalling what her daughter told her about earlier in the year, it was clear that these new friends were very special. And that picture showed just how right the descriptions were.
The picture, like its larger display below those of Twilight's coronation and Shining and Cadance's family and friends, showed a group of friends - the biggest group photo to date. This time though, it was an interdimensional variety of friends, taken on a world known as Mobius. It was from the Team JAG Band Anniversary Concert, where worlds of many reflected on eight years since the day the Metarex War had ended. A giant group was shown together in their own poses, with what looked like an endless crowd of an earlier in the backdrop.
Included in the group were the ban of Mobius's greatest heroes - Cream the Rabbit, Cheese the Chao, Rouge the Bat, Knuckles the Echidna, Amy Rose, the Chaotix detectives Vector the Crocodile, Espio the Chameleon and Charmy Bee, Maria Robotnik, Bokkun, two mechanical beings called Decoe and Bocoe, scientist Dr. Eggman, one of the many humans Chris Thorndyke, the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog, and hidden in the background by Maria, Shadow the Hedgehog.
There was also all the band members - stage managers and brothers Phineas and Ferb, the Lyoko 'princess' Aelita Hopper, professional music duo Ami and Yumi, Dan Fenton who was also known as ghost hero Dan Phantom, and the band's newest members Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable.
Scattered around the group were the band's founders, and Team JAG leaders, the Master Four - the Darkness warrior Jason, Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum, legendary warrior Gohan, and King of Games Yugi Moto, occasionally known as Pharaoh Atem.
Also scattered were the massive group's newest friends from Ponyville - Pinkie Pie seen jumping in mid air, a stylishly posed Rarity, a happy and most collected Applejack, Fluttershy as she stood by most of the Cutie Mark Crusaders - Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo - along with the aerial-posing Rainbow Dash.
Standing near the center was Twilight and Nyx, with the alicorn filly standing in front of her mother. The two stood in their places looking overjoyed, much like nearly the entire group, because of what happened just minutes before the picture was taken. Neither could help it, because the two in the very front center had made an incredible and very public display of love - engagement.
The two in the center were Tails and Cosmo, the two who first discovered Equestria and their pony friends. The two stood side by side, the fox on the left and Seedrian on the right, an arm across each other's back, their heads leaning onto each other's, and his right hand holding her left hand in open view. On their faces showed perhaps their happiest smiles and eyes underlined with joyous tears, and her left hand showing a small sparkle of light from her ring finger.
This was because during the last song, a song called "What If," the whole show stopped so he could bring her to the center of the stage, get on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage. It was a well kept secret by him and a selected few that, after revealed, paid off as she accepted the proposal. He would've broken out in overwhelming joy if he didn't put focus on giving her a beautiful new engagement ring. It was the start of the rest of their lives together that they shared with friends old and new, and for what that day meant to them and so many others, it couldn't have been done in any better way.
And to show the strong bond they wanted so many worlds to share with Equestria, when everypony got on the stage with the group, they approached Twilight. Tails whispered something to Cosmo about the coming future, to which she seemed to have enjoyed the idea. The couple had requested the Princess of Friendship to be the one to marry them on their wedding day, to which the alicorn and her overhearing daughter became overjoyed even more than witnessing the proposal. Twilight was honored and accepted the request, while Nyx squeed in joy, all just before a Seedrian known as Blood told the massive group to pose for the picture.
She may have had no direct involvement with any of this, but Velvet's pride grew all the more at the thought. Her own daughter - a knowledgeable pony, a Princess, a mother - given an honor to do something so special for good friends. She brushed a tear from her face before it could begin trailing down her cheek and land in the photo album.
"I'm so proud of you, my little Twilight," she said quietly. "You're a pony of countless wonderful qualities."
A flip of the album's page showed the opposite side, empty and waiting for more pictures to add more memories. What she also noticed was how it was also the last page of the book, revealing the inside of the back cover that had five different cutie marks displayed - hers, Night Light's, Shining Armor's, Twilight's, and the newly added section for Nyx. Of course the cutie marks were important, but it also displayed the end of the album.
Fortunately, she had a desk drawer filled to the top with blank pages to add to the book. She opened the drawer and pulled out a few pages, and then opened the book's binding to add them in the back, plus at least one extra in each section. The pages were added, and the book was closed to rest from use another day. Leaving the book on her desk, Velvet left it to snuggle comfortably with her husband, and see another day conclude, but not before a discussion about bringing the family together again soon.
Author's Note
This is a special story I've worked on since May, especially after a took a couple reads of Pen Stroke's stories.
Thanks to a comic I found on deviantART, I wanted to work with a different perspective to connect the MLP universe with my Taismo universe, and set the stage for other stories to come.
I hope you enjoyed this new story.