There was something fascinating about a teak grandfather clock.
At least to Cadence.
Why couldn’t she stop watching it? Every time she looked at it, she thought of the clock as an enigma. The burning question always arose, and for good reason; but it wasn’t like she hadn’t noticed it before in Twilight’s guest chamber; quite the opposite, really. If anything, it was one of the first things she saw when she stepped hoof in the place; how could she not? The clock stuck out more than a palm tree amongst pines, as it didn’t match the crystal decor. Wood and crystal? Forget about it; might as well paint the place brown.
Regardless, it was a beautiful grandfather clock.
But what made it so attractive, so compelling to the eye? Perhaps it was its pulchritude? The teak casing? The lustre, the gold hands? Or it was the shimmering pendulum, formed by the Sparkle’s family crest, consisting of a star cluster, a shield, a crescent moon, and a heart—each making up the coat of arms? The feeling of content enkindled deep within her, and a smile crossed her face, for she knew it was a blessing for being part of a wonderful family. She was part of the crest, and that feeling couldn’t make her anymore proud.
But then she asked herself, “How long have I been staring at this thing?”
Long enough for the sun to almost be at its peak, and the clock reaching its twelfth hour. It would only be a matter of time until the day panned out—the day she had been waiting for ever so patiently. For the past two and a half months, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Twilight had planned a day for them to spend quality time together. The four of them rarely ever had the time, nor luxury for a special occasion, but they seized the opportunity. After all, why wouldn’t they?
But four? How could there be four? That doesn’t add up, Cadence thought.
The clock’s persistent ticking was the only sound she could hear, and it placed her in a trancing bubble, disconnecting her from the world; it was amazing how a beautiful creation could hypnotize a pony, especially with the pendulum. Incidentally, its ticks and tocks was very much like the room’s own heartbeat, giving the place life.
Cadence’s life.
After all, the clock was hers too, considering she was part of the pendulum. She thought of the clock as a part of her and her family. It told the time, slowly counting toward the future, where she and her family would be together still.
But when she heard joyful cries coming from downstairs, she was free of her trance. “Opal Rose.”
The beeline to downstairs was cut off by a glance to the clock. “I’ll be back. I promise,” Cadence said as she left the guest room. It baffled her that a clock was capable of magnetizing her like that. What was the reason? Maybe Twilight had an answer?
After stepping hoof in the kitchen, the first thing Cadence saw was her daughter jumping up and down around her aunt Twilight. “Can you? Can you? Oh please, Auntie Twilight, teach me how to fly a kite today,” Opal Rose said. She had a pale creamy coat and a wavy pink mane, with splotches of white and orange here and there. A smile crossed the filly’s face, one of which Twilight couldn’t say no to.
“Oh, alright,” Twilight said, ruffling her niece’s mane. “You’re finally up, Cadence. Did you sleep well?”
Cadence moved closer to Twilight. “Just fine. I must say, Twilight, this place of yours is rather cozy. Reminds me of my own castle back at the Crystal Empire.”
“Well, my home is your home. No matter what.”
Cadence giggled. “Right back at you.”
“So, do you know when Shining is suppose to be back?” Twilight asked as she rummaged through her pantry to fetch refreshments for the picnic. “It’s not like him to be late.”
“I’m not sure,” Cadence said. “When he got up this morning, he said he had some business to take care of in Canterlot.”
“Canterlot? But that can take an entire day. Ugh, why does this always happen?”
“Now, now, Twilight, no need to get your mane in a knot.” She placed a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, then smiled. “He’ll be with us, I promise. He’d never miss out on being with you.”
Twilight sighed before taking a deep breath. “You’re right. I just wish things would go as planned.”
“Well, sometimes in life things don’t always go as planned. Not everything can be perfect.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, albeit in a friendly way. “I know.”
“Mommy,” Opal Rose said as she jumped up and down. “When are we going?”
“Soon, little one. Just a little longer.”
“Okay. I’ll go get my stuff from my room.” With that said, Opal Rose left.
“I can’t believe she’s growing so fast, and you seem to be taking it okay,” Twilight said as she latched her saddle bag shut and put on the garden hat Cadence had brought her. There were flowers nestled on its top—white ones to be precise. Lilies. They were Twilight’s favourite flower. “Well…okay, I do believe it. I mean, it’s not that hard to believe.”
A slight titter built its way up in Cadence’s throat. “Well, we figured we should at least try. And look what came out of it. A beautiful filly and new a family member…family? Can I ask you something, Twilight?”
“Of course you can.”
“It’s about that grandfather clock. The one with the family crest.”
“Oh, yes, that one. What about it?” Twilight asked, propping a picnic basket on her back.
“I couldn’t help but stare at the thing for Celestia knows how long,” Cadence admitted. “There’s something odd about it. I’m not sure what it is, really. I could just be overthinking it.” Cadence pulled a few grapes out of a bowl and popped them in her mouth.
“I’m…not sure what you mean. Are you talking about the pendulum with our family crest? Or something else?”
“Everything, Twilight. That clock is so hypnotizing. The way it looks, ticks, tocks, the way it tells time. Ugh, I probably sound crazy right now.”
“Not really, I—”
“Mommy, Auntie Twilight! I got my things,” Opal Rose said, charging in with her small saddle bag on her back. “Are we ready to go?”
“We sure are,” Cadence replied, walking towards Opal while using her magic to place the filly on her back. “You ready, Kiddo?”
“Sure am. Twilight is going to teach me how to fly a kite! It’s in my bag.”
“Yep, I sure am,” Twilight said. “There’s just one more thing I have to—”
A crash erupted from the front door, and a streak of rainbow blurred everypony’s vision, but mostly Twilight’s. When she opened her eyes, she saw Rainbow Dash standing in front of her with a wide smile. “Hey, Twi, you ready to go?”
Twilight was genuinely confused. “Go where?”
Rainbow snickered. “To that picnic you have today. Ya know, with Shining, Cadence, and Opal. You didn’t forget about that, right?”
“No I didn’t. It would be kind of hard to—”
“Great, then let’s get a move on.”
Twilight and Cadence exchanged looks, both of which were nothing but disbelief and incertitude. The two of them fell silent for the longest time, struggling for the right words to dismiss their friend. The tension in the air grew exponentially. As time stretched, it grew heavier, suffocating; it wasn’t long until somepony finally broke the silence. “Um, what’s with all the weird looks?”
Twilight looked down at the ground and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “Um… Rainbow Dash? I don’t know how to tell you this, but…you can’t come.”
A puzzled looked crossed the pegasus’s face. “Say what? What do you mean I can’t come?”
“Cadence, could you give us a minute?”
“Absolutely. Meet you there?”
“Sure thing,” Twilight said nervously.
With a few awkward glances, Cadence and Opal Rose left.
“What do you mean I can’t come with you? What the heck, Twi? I thought you said we’d spend the day together,” Rainbow frowned, leaning against the countertop.
“I know what I said, but…I said it out of impulse.” Twilight motioned toward the front of the castle, and Rainbow followed. “Thing is, though, this picnic is for family only. And…you’re not quite there yet.”
“B-But, but…”
Twilight stopped in her tracks before glancing at her friend. “We’ve been together for no more than two months. We might be really good friends and we might be together, but I can’t quite put you under my family name yet. I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.”
“But, but…” Rainbow was at a loss of words. It was unusual for her to be excluded when it came to doing things with Twilight. Having been rejected from something like this had put a toll on the pegasus. A wave of bitterness, jealousy, and impulse channeled through her veins. Even though she knew Twilight didn’t mean the declining personally, she couldn’t help but question her importance to her.
Was it all rash?
“Fine, go and enjoy your picnic. Clearly I’m not wanted, right? That’s fine by me. Forget it, Twi.”
Before Twilight had the chance to say anything, Rainbow Dash flew off in the sky.
“Rainbow Dash, wait!” Twilight was racing out, only to find herself in front of Cadence.
“Is everything alright, Twilight?”
Twilight sighed. “No, not really. I think I just…never mind. I won’t let this get in the way of our day to come. C’mon, let’s go.”
⁂
The place they went to was a little west of Ponyville. They settled in a flat, verdant valley, where there were a few trees scattered around. There was also a crystal clear stream flowing next to them. The sun was past its peak, and the sky was clear, with the wind being ever so light. The place they had sought out was vacant, serene, and sanguine.
The perfect place for a family gathering.
Cadence put down a blanket while Twilight sorted out all of the food items she had brought with her. Opal Rose was putting her kite together, the exact same way he grandparents had taught her a few days ago. Working for the Royal Canterlot Guard had its perks. Some days, when Shining went to work, he would drop Opal at his parents so that the three of them could spend the day together. Nothing wrong with that, right?
After Cadence had placed down the blanket and Twilight had sorted through the food, the two noticed a faint white speck in the distance. “Is that Shining?” Twilight asked.
“I think it is,” Cadence said.
“Hey, hey, if it isn’t my three favourite gals,” Shining said, running toward them with a wide smile.
Twilight ran over to him and tackled her brother with open hooves. “Shiny, it’s been so long! How’ve you been?”
“Aha, I’ve been good, Twilight,” he said, hugging his sister. When he pulled back, he noticed her crestfallen face. “Twiley, what’s wrong?”
“Oh…oh, it’s nothing to be worried about, I think. Rainbow Dash and I had a fallout before we came here.”
“Oh? What about?”
“She wanted to come, but I told her this was for family only. It didn’t sit well with her. I think I was too harsh. But…let’s not worry about that. Today is going to be a perfect day. Just the four of us.” Twilight used her magic and teleported herself and Shining so they would be next to Opal and Cadence. When the family was all together, she hugged them all. “I love you guys.”
But despite her cover-up act, Twilight was battling an inferno on the inside. Everything had already been considered on the way here…was she being too hard on Rainbow? Did she say it in the best way possible? Or was she denying the fact that Rainbow was part of her family and she didn’t want to acknowledge it? None of those thoughts would be answered here on her own…not unless Rainbow were here herself. Or perhaps there was another way, and she just didn’t find it yet.
Later that day, Cadence and Shining Armor both kept a low-key on their family excursion. They stayed back near the blanket and sipped tea, keeping each other close.
The thought of the grandfather clock was still plaguing Cadence’s mind, however. No matter how hard she tried, its phenomenon went unsilenced. What was so earnest about it? What was so important that the clock reminded in the Sparkle family name? The crest also had her cutie mark—a crystal heart signaturing her as the Princess of Love. Why was it a part of a sublime family that even she couldn’t sacrifice to save her own life for? A piece of her was on that damn pendulum!
But why? Why was the family crest so important? Does it justify the togetherness, the love and dignity that family has for one another? Or was it there to show how pompous one particular family was over another? To show superiority? There were two princesses in the Sparkle family.Somepony help Cadence out here, help her elucidate these strange and unknowable questions that are so simplistic yet complex to her.
Regardless, she didn’t let the predicament engulf her mindset, and instead let her quality time unreel as she nestled closer to Shining under the sunlight.
Meanwhile, Twilight and Opal were out in an open field, where a yellow kite was sprawled out flat on the grass. The winds were light, and there were a few clouds in the sky. Twilight didn’t have many opportunities to spend time with her niece, but when she did, it was an absolute blessing. Every time they did spend time together, all thoughts of work, problems, qualms, and books were eradicated, but this time, it didn’t hold true. The quandary of this morning’s fallout with Rainbow Dash heavily tormented her mind, and it went without rest. All she wanted was restitution, to put this at rest. At the moment, she only hoped that seeing Opal fly a kite for the first time would stupefy her.
Opal ran over to her fallen kite, using her magic to pick it up. Her magical aura had the kite by the spool. The kite, however, was still limp, and it didn’t soar to the sky quite yet. “I’m ready, Auntie Twilight. What do we do now?”
“Not me,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “You. You need to run. But remember to hold onto your spool or else you’ll lose your kite.”
“Can you run with me?” she asked, a smile crossing her face.
Twilight returned the smile. “If that’s what you want, absolutely.”
And so they ran.
Liftoff was a little slower than expected, but once Opal ran, the kite began to lift off into the air, eventually reaching its possible apex.
The two ponies ran and ran.
Twilight struggled to keep up since she wasn’t used to strenuous workouts like this—if one could even call it that. With both eyes glued to the soaring kite, Opal did what she was taught and controlled the kite to make loops in the air, and even made it gyrate. The winds were still light, but it seemed, as though, the further they ran, the more clouds appeared. Soon, they came to a stop and slowed into a walking pace. The kite remained high in the sky.
“You…did it…Opal,” Twilight said between breaths. Winded and wishing for a second wind to magically appear, Twilight stopped in her tracks and sat down. She rested for a few seconds before glancing at the blue yonder above. Nearby distant cloud, a faint speck of some sort contrasted with the cloud.
It was a shade of cyan.
Is that Rainbow Dash? Twilight thought to herself, stunned.
“Opal, wait,” Twilight said as she got up.
“What’s wrong, Aunt Twilight?” Opal asked, running towards her with the kite still floating in the air.
Twilight glanced at the cloud Rainbow was supposedly at; but there was nothing there. “Nothing. It’s nothing.”
“Are you sure? It doesn’t seem like it’s nothing.” Opal was using her magic to reel her kite while she was saying, “Mommy told me it’s bad to lie. Why are you lying?”
A bold question, a bold allegation indeed, but Opal was far from wrong. There was, incidentally, something wrong—and it was so blatantly obvious to her; for Twilight was terrible at hiding things at times, specially when it came to family. “You’re right, Opal. Something is wrong. I’m just not willing to admit it,” she said.
“Wanna talk about it?”
“Not really, no.”
“Mommy told me that you always feel better when you tell somepony what’s bugging you. My Daddy told me that too. Are you saying they’re wrong?”
“No, absolutely, not.”
“Why don’t you want to talk about it then?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” Twilight sighed. Her ears wilted like a fresh lily in the desert after realising how she said it, and to whom. She sat down on the grass, feeling the cool breeze brush upon her fur, somehow conciliating her nerves. Seeing the innocent look on Opal’s face as well put her at even more ease.
“I could try,” Opal said, sitting next to her aunt. The filly was looked down at the ground, kicking blades of grass back and forth out with her hooves, fearing that she might have angered or upset her aunt.
“You’d really do that?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Mommy said that family should always stick together, and that there should never be secrets. And Daddy said that if something is bothering you, family is always willing to listen.”
“I guess you’re right. How’d you get so smart?”
Opal giggled. “Because you’re so smart.”
“Well…if you’re willing to listen, I guess I could tell you what’s bothering me.”
Opal rose to her hooves and beamed. “Yay, let’s hear it!”
“How about we walk back to Cadence and Shining while we talk about it?”
“Okay, Twilight.”
And so they trekked onward, back to where their feelings of panic had originated. On the way there, Twilight talked about the fallout between her and Rainbow Dash earlier that morning and why it was besetting her mind.
“So, after I told Rainbow she couldn’t come to our family picnic because she really isn’t family, she stormed off without saying anything else. I just can’t help but feel guilty for being…” Twilight looked at Opal, who was eagerly listening to her aunt’s plight. “…insensitive. I wish I could take back everything I said.”
“Why don’t you?” Opal asked.
“Because…because I don’t know how to. I don’t even know where she is. I think I saw her on a cloud when you were flying your kite earlier.”
“Sure you do, Aunt Twilight, you just gotta find the right words to say to her. Good friends forgive each other, right? And I mean, c’mon, she’s the Element of Loyalty. There’s no way she’d let you down. And besides…if you two really care about each other like my Mom says, then you’ll be happy.”
“You really think so?” Twilight asked.
“I know so! And you should really think about making her part of our family. You love her, right?”
“I do.”
“Then stop being so hard on yourself, Auntie. You’ll see! The next time you see her, she’ll be so happy to see you! And then you’ll hug it out. You’ll see.”
Without a word, Twilight picked Opal up with her magic and cradled her niece closely. “Why am I so lucky to have such an awesome family?”
“Because you’re awesome!” Opal grinned, propping herself on Twilight’s back.
“Rest up,” Twilight said. “We still have a ways to go till we get there.”
Back at the picnic, Cadance and Shining were both swimming in the water and playing beach ball, tossing it at one another. They used magic to splash each other playfully, gawking and laughing at each other’s looks when one had unexpectedly gotten splashed in the face.
Being here, in this cool stream, made them feel young and happy, similar to how their lives were before their present life; but despite the feeling of youth through their unsurpassed memories, they were glad to have been married; even more so now they had a precious little filly. It was a blessing, a gift to them, and nothing could ever take that away from them.
Their family meant everything to them.
And so did that grandfather clock, at least to Cadence. Still, her mind came back to the phenomenon every now and then, but Shining had done well in keeping her mind distracted, despite him not knowing what was bothering her.
“I wonder when Twilight and Opal will be back,” Cadance said to her husband.
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”
Cadence glanced around to see if anypony was coming toward them, but saw nothing.
And she sure as heck didn’t see the water balloon that was about to be thrown at her head.
Splash!
Her face and mane was immediately drenched with water. “Hey!” Cadence said. “Well, that was certainly rude! Where’d you even get a water balloon?”
“Uh…nowhere,” Shining said, a cheeky smile spreading across his face.
“Hey, look! There’s Twilight and Opal coming now!”
“Where?” Shining looked behind him, and he got a beach ball thrown at his head for payback.
“Ha! Gotcha.”
“Hey, no fair! I wasn’t looking!”
Cadence swam over to him. “You snooze, you lose. Now, c’mon. These waters are getting really cold now.”
When the couple made it back on land, they noticed a cloud hanging a little ways out from where their picnic was. It wasn’t terribly far, or close enough to block out the sun. It was odd that a cloud had appeared out of thin air—especially considering that there were no other clouds around. Something was definitely out of the ordinary here. Cadence and Shining exchanged looks. “One second,” Cadence said.
The princess of Love flew into the sky and soared toward the cloud. As soon as she landed on it, she was suddenly way past the level of conspicuous surprise. “Rainbow Dash!?” Cadence exclaimed. “What are you doing here?” Her voice raised in annoyance as she spoke.“I thought Twilight had already told you—”
“I-I know what she said to me”—Rainbow cut off, looking away—“I just came here to apologize. I didn’t mean to act like a jerk back there and leave her like that. It was stupid and immature of me.”
Indignation dwindling, Cadence said, “Is that so? Let me ask you something then. How do you think she’s going to feel when she sees you here?”
“Err, I’m not…sure.”
Cadance glanced over Rainbow’s shoulder. “Well you better do something fast, because she’s heading this way.”
“Who said I said to—hey!”
Cadenced destroyed the cloud with a wick of magic and teleported herself and Rainbow down below, right beside the picnic blanket.
In the distance, Twilight came to a stop, but Opal Rose was running at full speed, her kite hovering low in the air. “Mommy, Daddy! Auntie Twilight and I flew a kite! It was so much fun!” She ran into their open hooves before pulling back. She noticed Rainbow Dash sitting close by. “Hey, Auntie Twilight…go talk to her.”
Twilight motioned toward Rainbow, who was surprisingly very quiet. She didn’t have much to say right there and then, but it all came to her when she heard Twilight speak. “I-I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash. I’m sorry for excluding you from our picnic.” She looked away, face crestfallen. “I didn’t mean to be so insensitive.”
“Hey,” Rainbow said, propping Twilight’s chin with a hoof. “I should be the one saying sorry here, not you. I acted like a total crazy pony. I was stupid. I didn’t get my way, so I flew off in a fit. I should’ve known better than to do that to you, Twi. And I’m sorry.”
And in all of Twilight’s eagerness, she lurched forward and hugged her friend with a smile.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight pulled back, placing a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and…maybe you are part of this family. I mean, we’ve only been together for three months now, but I do love you. Would it be alright if we made you a part of the Sparkle family?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course not! That’s just…awesome!”
“I just don’t want this to change how we are together, Rainbow Dash. Promise me…”
“I promise.”
A spontaneous burst of light erupted from the vast nothingness of the space around them.
In an instant, Opal Rose was suddenly floating above the ground in an explosion of harmless but blinding light. After a few moments, the light dimmed, and the filly gradually lowered to back down to the ground.
“W-What just happened?” Shining asked, shocked and perplexed.
“Whoa, look!” Rainbow said, pointing at Opal’s flank. “You got your cutie mark, kid!”
Opal looked at her flank and saw an assortment of crystal hearts, ranging from blue, red, green, and pink in its separate square on the crest. “I got my cutie mark!” She jumped up and down chanting it over and over again with glee.“What is it?”
“I’m not sure,” Twilight said, quirking an eyebrow.
“Opal,” Shining said, “C’mon here!” He picked her up and threw up in the air, cheering her on for getting her cutie mark. He nuzzled her nose with his own. “I’m so proud of you! You know what this means, right?”
“I found my purpose in life?”
“That’s right, Kiddo,” Cadence said. She crossed over to the two to join in on the affection, savoring the moment. “Hey, are you two gonna just stand there or are we gonna share this moment together like a family…” Trailing off, Cadence went into deep thought.
She hadn’t even realised that Rainbow and Twilight had joined the group hug. Under her breath, she mumbled, “Family…crest…the grandfather clock! I’ll be back, I need to see something.”
Cadence was off like a bullet. She launched into the sky and flew to the Castle of Friendship with every ounce of energy and speed she had within her.
Before she knew it, she entered the palace in record time and quickly bounded down the stairs that led to the guest chamber.
Upon entering, the grandfather clock stood proudly—just as it had always been. Telling time was a usual thing for a clock to do. But when she neared it and saw the pendulum, there were two more markings on the Sparkle Family crest: Opal’s cutie mark and Rainbow’s cutie mark.
“Thank you,” she said and smiled at the pendulum. “Welcome to the family, Little One.”
