Despite All Odds

When the two ponies had finished, they began to climb up the stairs. “That...actually didn't take near as long as I thought. We started at...around 3 and it's...4:45 now.”

“Normally it would've taken longer but I had such an...attractive I mean, attentive assistant.” Fluttershy said with a wink. Twilight laughed and poked Fluttershy's side and began running up the stairs with the yellow pegasus right behind her. Each girl used their abilities to their advantage to avoid each other.

Finally, Twilight was backed up against the door that lead to the living room.

“Got'cha!” With a flying tackle, Fluttershy slammed into Twilight and sent them both through the door. As they tumbled through the air, both girls couldn't help but laugh like fillies and when they finally landed, Fluttershy leaned down and crushed her lips against Twilight's. Twilight closed her eyes and just kissed back.

“Ahem.”

“Gross!”

The unicorn and pegasus pulled away from each other and looked at who made the voices. There stood Spike and Scootaloo with looks of disgust and embarrassment respectively.

“I know you love each other, but seriously...” Spike said, shaking his head as he walked to his room. Scootaloo just stood there, a dark tinge to her face.

“Umm...Wait up Spike.” The young pegasus ran after the dragon, nearly tripping over her own hooves. Twilight and Fluttershy just looked at each other and began laughing before heading into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

After Scootaloo joined Spike in his room, they began to play one of the board games he had. However, the sight of the two older mares kissing stayed in her mind. “Hey Spike?”

“Hmm?”

“What do you think about the whole...“two mares being together” thing?”

“Personally, I think that if they're happy, they should be left alone but that's just me. Why?”

“Er...no reason. I mean, Twilight is basically your mom so it makes sense that you'd want her to be happy.”

Spike just looked at her strangely and said, “Are you okay? This seems a little...emotional for you.”

“Shut up! It was just a question is all!”

Spike grinned and said, “Scootaloo's becoming a softie!”

“Shut your scaly little lips!” Scootaloo lunged at the dragon, but he dove out of the way and for the next half hour, the two chased each other around, laughing and just having fun.

It was while they were resting that Twilight poked her head in and said, “C'mon you two. Dinner's ready.”

“I'm starving!” Spike said, leaping up off the floor and running past the unicorn.

“Can't wait to see what we're having tonight. No doubt it'll be amazing!” Scootaloo said as she followed Twilight to the kitchen.

What she saw slightly surprised her. On the table was a spread of warm buttery rolls, a pan of hot tomato soup, a bowl of steamed vegetables, a pot of seasoned mashed potatoes and gravy, and to top it off, a chocolate raspberry cheesecake. The young filly was shocked into silence.

“Are you going to sit with us Scootaloo?”

“Yea, c'mon Scoots.” Spike said, patting the seat between himself and Fluttershy happily.

“Oh, right. Sorry. It's just that I'm used to eating such a big meal on Hearth's Warming, not Hearth's Warming Eve.”

Twilight chuckled and said, “My family's always been kind of strange about that rule. You see, my great great grandmother has always taught that the largest meal should be held on the eve of Hearth's Warming so that way, everypony would go to sleep faster so that the next day would come.”

“Oh...That makes sense I guess.” The orange pegasus replied as Spike began to pile food onto his plate. “Thank you...both of you.” Scootaloo said, trying her best not to let the tears that stung the back of her eyes through.

“You're quite welcome Scootaloo.” Fluttershy leaned over and gave the small pony a warm hug. This is what finally pushed the tears past Scootaloo's eyes.

“Is something wrong?” The older flier asked in concern, looking her younger counterpart over.

“No...I'm just so happy that you'd just take me in like this...this is the first meal I've had like this in a long time...”

Twilight got up and walked over to the pony and wiped her tears away and hugged her as well.

“I'm happy I was able to make this Hearth's Warming Eve exponential for you. We really do enjoy your company Scootaloo.” Fluttershy just nodded and the two older ponies gently hugged the younger as she cried in happiness. Spike just looked on with a happy and warm smile.

When Scootaloo had finished crying and wiping her tears away, they all dug into the food, talking, laughing, and enjoying themselves as the day faded into night and the moon took the sun's place in the sky.

When all was said and done, the two youngest were pretty much asleep at their tables. Fluttershy chuckled softly and lifted Scootaloo onto her back as Twilight took Spike into his room.

The pink maned pegasus repeated the steps she had performed the night before except after kissing Scootaloo's head, she said, “Good night sweetheart.”

Scootaloo mumbled something, but afterwards rolled over and faced the back of the couch. Fluttershy giggled lightly and met her marefriend at the foot of the stairs that lead to their bedroom. “Ready for bed dear?”

“Almost. We have to bring the gifts upstairs first.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” The pegasus said with an embarrassed chuckle. The pair headed down into the basement to grab the gifts that had been made and some of the ones that had been purchased a few weeks prior. After all the gifts had been brought upstairs and arranged under the tree, Fluttershy headed back over to the basement. “What're you doing?”

“I'm making sure we didn't forget any. Go ahead and go to bed. I'll be up in a minute.” Twilight nodded and yawned as she ascended. Fluttershy quickly hovered down and grabbed Twilight's present and after placing it under the tree, she flew up to their bedroom.

After crawling under the blanket, the two mares shared a goodnight kiss and fell asleep in their usual position with Twilight curled up against Fluttershy with a wing covering her and arms wrapped around her waist.

The next morning, the couple was jolted awake by the door being thrown open and two energetic youths pouncing onto the bed. “Wake up!”

“It's Hearth's Warming Day!” came the simultaneous wake up call. Twilight's eyes shot open and she resisted the urge to either teleport away or shove whatever had awoken her with a blast of wind. Fluttershy on the other hand, just chuckled lightly and crawled out of bed, stretching as she went.

“You look like a cat when you do that.” Scootaloo said, watching the way Fluttershy moved.

“You see? I told you!” Twilight said, pointing an accusing hoof at her lover.

The older pony just laughed and said, “Okay, I guess I do. C'mon, let's go downstairs and have breakfast.”

Spike then jumped in and said, “I already make breakfast for you two since me and Scootaloo already ate.”

“Scootaloo and I, Spike.” The baby dragon rolled his eyes and ran back down the stairs with the orange filly behind him. The mares smiled and headed down the stairs after sharing a kiss.

“Did you sleep well? I hardly slept at all I was so excited.” Fluttershy said, her wings lightly fluttering against her sides.

“I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Guess the tradition stands strong.” Twilight replied with a laugh. When the two got to the kitchen, they began to eat as the two youngsters ran around the table. As Twilight and Fluttershy finished eating, Scootaloo grabbed the plates and tossed them to Spike, who caught them and quickly washed them.

“C'mon! Presents!” The eager dragon said, pushing the two out of the kitchen and into the living room.

Twilight laughed and said, “Now now Spike, no need to rush. We DO have all day.”

“Yea, we could always open them later.” Fluttershy said, winking to Twilight.

Spike and Scootaloo's eyes widened and they both shouted “NO!”. The older ponies just laughed and sat down in front of the tree.

“Alright, why don't you two open a present?”

Scootaloo sat there, shocked.

“What's wrong Scootaloo? You seemed excited a moment ago.” Fluttershy said, quickly noticing the silence from the young pegasus.

“Well, I was just caught up in the moment...but I wasn't expecting to get presents.”

“Of course you'll get presents. It IS Hearth's Warming after all. All good ponies get presents.” Scootaloo grinned as a present hovered over to her. She began to rip open the packaging much like a Timberwolf would tear into it's food.

“Wow...” Inside was a beautifully crafted blanket that was dark blue with swirly clouds. The filly wrapped it around her and gasped. “It's already so warm! It feels like I've been snuggling with it for hours!”

“I enchanted it so that it would immediately adjust to your body temperature and either keep you warm or cold depending on the surrounding weather.” Twilight said, a glimmer of pride in her eyes.

“Thank you Twilight!” The small filly ran over and hugged the unicorn tightly. Twilight was taken aback for a moment, but with a warm smile she returned the hug. Then, Spike tore open his present.

“Alright! New apron! Thanks Fluttershy!”

“Heh, you're welcome Spike. Why don't you open a present Twilight?” The yellow pegasus said, pushing a small box over to Twilight. The unicorn smiled and after a moment of hesitation, tore into the box much like Scootaloo.

“Wow, thank you Fluttershy.” Inside was a coat that had Twilight's favourite constellations on the outside and warm wool on the inside.

“I figured that since winter was the best time to stargaze since the night sky is so clear if there are no clouds, I'd make you something warm.” Twilight leaned over and gave Fluttershy a quick kiss, making Spike mock-gag and Scootaloo just giggled.

“Your turn Fluttershy.” Scootaloo pushed a present over to Fluttershy and waited.

“It's from...Scootaloo?” The little pony smiled and nodded. Fluttershy slowly unwrapped the present.

“Oh my...” Inside was a small hat with ear covers that was coloured orange like a fox. “Thank you Scootaloo. It's a very nice gift.” The small pegasus beamed happily and the four began to open the rest of their presents.

Finally, after all the boxes had been opened and all the wrappers had been torn off, Twilight said, “I have one more gift for you Fluttershy.”

“Oh? What is it?” Fluttershy's wings quivered in anticipation.

“Come with me.” The older pegasus got up and followed Twilight, but a few seconds later, Spike and Scootaloo followed as well. Twilight dove behind a door and opened only enough to show her head. “Wait out here for a few seconds. Count to ten before you come in.” Then, she closed the door.

After a second of silence, Spike wondered aloud, “I wonder what-” Spike was cut short as elegant notes filtered through the door.

Fluttershy's eyes widened and pushed open the door to see Twilight behind a piano, her eyes closed as notes flowed from the instrument. The three watching her stared in silent awe as music easily came from the piano.

As Fluttershy listened, she couldn't help the few tears that escaped her eyes. As soon as the one-pony symphony was finished, Fluttershy tackled Twilight to the ground and kissed her passionately. Spike just looked away with a blush and Scootaloo just watched, not knowing what to do.

When Fluttershy finally pulled away, Twilight was left breathless. “So...definitely a good thing.” Fluttershy giggled and helped the unicorn up.

“Well...this was easily the most entertaining and amazing Hearth's Warming EVER!” Scootaloo said, jumping into the air and fluttering her little wings.

“Well, there is one last thing...”

“What else could there be?” Spike asked in a confused tone. Instead of answering, Twilight and Fluttershy just walked back into the living room and sat down, then looked at Scootaloo.

“Well...you see, Fluttershy told me about your...situation, Scootaloo.” For a moment, the young pegasus adopted a look of fear. Fluttershy took over from this point.

“We've decided...to adopt you. If you don't mind of course.” The filly was completely silent and the two mares feared they had overstepped their boundaries.

Suddenly, the two found themselves pinned to the ground with small orange hooves squeezing them as tears watered their coats.

Twilight and Fluttershy simply hugged the filly back and allowed her to cry happily.

Elsewhere

“Lyra...Lyra...” The mint unicorn mumbled and scratched her muzzle. “Lyra...”

“Five more minutes mom...I don't wanna go to school today.” Then, a light tickling sensation attacked her ear. Lyra cracked her eyes open after the feeling persisted and saw Bon Bon smiling down at her. The lyre player smiled and leaned up, drawing the candy maker into a kiss.

Bon Bon giggled into the kiss, causing their mouths to vibrate against each other. The cream coloured pony pulled away and said, “Come downstairs. It's Hearth's Warming you know.”

Lyra rolled her eyes and flopped out of the bed and began to stretch and Bon Bon winced as she heard various joints crack and pop.

“Ugh, that's so gross.”

“You still love me,” the unicorn said with a flick of her tail. Bon Bon smiled and just headed down the stairs into the living room that was set up behind the storefront with Lyra just behind her. The room was decorated festively, but still held the humbleness that many ponies had attributed to Bon Bon over the years.

However, there was still the splash of impulse that was easily a testament to the addition of a certain unicorn in her life. The muted greens and reds, while they clashed with the earthen tone of the home's natural colour, they also brought out the tranquility of the home. Lyra smiled and dashed over to the tree. “So where'd you hide 'em this year?”

“I can't tell you that. What if I decide to hide next year's presents in the same place?” The unicorn groaned and grabbed the bowl of cereal that she knew Bon Bon placed in the kitchen for her.

“I'm so glad that you put the cereal in the same spot every time.”

“Well if I didn't, you tear the kitchen apart looking for the cereal so I decided awhile ago that it's just best to put a pre-made bowl of cereal in one spot so you can find it.”

“And for that, I love you,” Lyra said with a mouthful of cereal.

Bon Bon just chuckled and took a seat on the couch beside the minty unicorn as she continued to eat. As Lyra ate, Bon Bon talked about the day up until that point. Finally, the musician finished and the two walked over to the tree.

“You first oh lover of mine,” Lyra said with a bow.

The candy-maker smiled and said, “Why thank you kind miss. I think I shall.” Bon Bon grabbed the first present within her reach and opened it up. “Aww, thank you Lyra.” Inside was the latest edition of Exquisite Eating; Desserts (9th edition!).

“No problem. I can't have my lover behind on the times with all things dessert. Besides, you look so darn cute when you're concentrating on your baking.”

Bon Bon couldn't help the blush that crept onto her face. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

“Is that an invitation?” The unicorn said with a sultry tone as she immediately made her way on top of the cream pony.

“As much as I like where this is going...” Bon Bon reluctantly pushed Lyra off of her and continued. “You should open your first gift.”

Lyra sighed and said, “Fine.” With a small pout, the unicorn picked a random gift and brought it to herself. As soon as it was in her hooves, Lyra shook it lightly while putting it next to her ear.

“Don't shake it too much. Just open it.”

Lyra huffed and quickly tore off the paper. What was inside quickly made tears appear in her eyes. Inside had been an artfully crafted lyre, made from the finest gold for the frame and the highest quality silk enchanted by the most talented of unicorns so that they would never break or split, which eliminated the need to replace the strings.

“I...I can't believe it...”

Bon Bon wrapped a hoof around Lyra and said, “Look on the bottom.” Lyra flipped over the stringed instrument and gasped. On the bottom was engraved 'To my little musician. Play on my dear, play on.'

“It's....it's...”

“It's your old lyre.”

“But how!? I sold it years ago to help pay for my moving here...I never thought I'd see it again!” The unicorn cradled the instrument against her chest, ignoring the tears streaming from her eyes.

“A friend of mine in Canterlot actually found it in an auction. From what I hear, it was up to at least 700 bits before he bought it.”

“Why'd he buy it?”

Bon Bon shrugged and said, “No idea, but he sent me a letter a few weeks ago telling me about it and since he owed me one, I told him to send it to me.” Lyra was silent as she took in the information. “Are you okay?”

Instead of answering, Lyra took the lyre in her magic and began to play a melancholy tune.

The song held a small tone of sadness, but at the same time it made a pony feel as if they had been reunited with an old friend. When her song was finished, Lyra set the small instrument on the table and hugged Bon Bon tightly.

“Thank you Bon Bon...thank you so much...” The candy-maker just chuckled warmly and rubbed Lyra's back comfortingly.

“It's no problem my love. Anything for you.” The rest of the day was spent with the two laying comfortably on the couch while Lyra played the precious instrument given to her by her father.

Later that night, Golden Oaks Library

After Scootaloo and Spike had gone to bed, the two mares rested on the couch before going up to their room.

“So it's official; we're adopting Scootaloo.” Twilight said in disbelief.

“Are you okay with this?”

Twilight just sighed in content and said, “Of course. Besides, I can't back out now. It'd break her heart if I did.” Fluttershy smiled and gave Twilight a kiss.

“I'll head to Canterlot tomorrow and get her aunt's signature,” Fluttershy said.

“Are you sure? I can go if you want,” Twilight suggested.

The pegasus shook her head and said, “It was my idea, so I have to go through with it.”

The lavender pony said nothing but instead got up off the couch and lead the pair upstairs to go to bed.

However, neither pony noticed the pair of eyes that were peering in on them through the window. When the couple went upstairs, the owner of the eyes turned and ran off. When it arrived at it's destination, it whispered what it had seen to a pony in a dark cloak.

The pony chuckled and said, “Then tomorrow...we strike.”

When Fluttershy woke up, she crawled out of bed before she woke Twilight and stretched. As she did, she glanced over at the mirror and watched herself as she did. 'Huh...I do look like a cat...' The flier said with a bemused smile. After she finished, she headed downstairs and began to make breakfast for the occupants of the house.

As she cooked the oatmeal, she heard light hoof-steps behind her. She turned her head and saw Scootaloo yawning and climbing onto the chair closest to Fluttershy. "Oh, good morning Scootaloo. You're up awfully early."

"I can't help it. I'm an early riser." The young pony said with another yawn as she laid her head down on the table.

"Why don't you go back to sleep if you're tired?"

"Can't. Once I'm up, there's no going back to sleep for me. It sucks."

Fluttershy giggled and after a few minutes, put a bowl of food in front of the filly and said, "Well, since you're up, would you like to go to Canterlot with me?"

"Why do you need to go there?" Scootaloo asked with a mouthful of food.

"Since your aunt is your legal guardian, we have to have her sign a paper that transfers custody from her to us."

Scootaloo was quiet as she thought over her reply.

"I can understand if you don't want to go. From what you told me, she took awful care of you so it's only natural if you don't want to see her."

After swallowing some more oatmeal, the orange pony said, "No...I'll go. She still is family after all, even is she is a pain in the flank. Plus I still have a few things to grab that I left there a long time ago."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhmm! Don't worry, if anything goes wrong, you can just Stare her into submission." The two pegasi laughed and Fluttershy sat down and began to eat after giving Scootaloo another helping.

The two laughed and talked up until Twilight finally came downstairs, her mane sticking up all over the place and her eyes half open.

"Good morning honey. I take it you slept well?"

A sleepy grin formed on Twilight's face as she nodded in content. The unicorn took the other seat by Scootaloo and Fluttershy quickly got her a bowl of oatmeal.

"Thanks, love." The lavender pony wasted no time digging into the food as Scootaloo helped Fluttershy wash their bowls.

"Hey hun, Scootaloo is going to be coming with me to Canterlot alright?"

"Mkay." Came the sleepy reply. After the pegasus ponies had bundled up, they headed for the train station to begin their trip to the capital.

"So where exactly does your aunt live?"

"She lived in...the Runshaw district next to a pony named Fleur de Lis last time I was there. I dunno if she still does or not."

Fluttershy nodded and said, "Well if she doesn't live there, we can search for her by name. What is her name by the way?"

"May Ball. She's a unicorn. She explained how she was mom's sister with genetics and all that but...I kinda...didn't listen." The young pony said sheepishly.

The older pony chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I don't really understand it either."

Scootaloo laughed and for the next half hour, the two kept themselves amused at the train station as they waited for their transportation to arrive.

After Fluttershy had left, Twilight started to brew a cup of coffee and began to go through the library's records to see if any books needed to be returned that day. After finding out that no books needed to be returned, the bookworm put her hair up and slid her spectacles onto her face and with a grin, took all the books off the shelves and began to re-shelf them.

About an hour and a half into it, Spike lumbered out from his room, yawning loudly.

"Watch out Spike, I'm-" Her warning was cut short as the baby dragon was sent sprawling to the floor after he tripped over some books. "Re-shelving..." She finished after he hit the ground. Spike just picked himself up and angrily mumbled to himself as he walked into the kitchen to eat his breakfast.

Twilight giggled and continued her work. It was at least two in the afternoon when Twilight had finally finished her task. "Started at ten, ended at two. I'm getting much quicker, wouldn't you say Spike?"

The dragon looked up from the book he had grabbed in the storm of literature and said, "I guess, though I don't see why you have to do this every week. Nopony even checks out that many books at a time other than you."

The magical pony chuckled and said, "That may be true, but it's still good exercise for my magic use and besides, it's fun!" Twilight removed the glasses and took her hair down and asked, "I don't mean to be rude, but did you happen to make lunch while I was working?"

"It's on the table. Hey, do you mind if I go to Dinky's house for a bit?"

"Not at all Romeo. Just be back at five, okay?"

"Thanks Twilight!" The dragon quickly hugged her and took off faster than she had ever seen.

"Heh, wow. He never moved like that for Rarity," Twilight said as she headed into the kitchen for her food. She allowed herself to eat slowly and to actually enjoy her lunch instead of rushing through it like she usually did.

After she finished, Twilight washed her dishes and walked into the main library and sat behind the desk. However, she wasn't there for more than five minutes when a pony burst in through the door.

"Twilight, come quick!"

The unicorn shouted in surprised as she nearly toppled off the chair she was in. "Cloud Kicker? What's wrong?" Twilight asked, her voice carrying a worried tone.

"It's Raindrops. She's hurt and we need to get her to the hospital but we can't move her without magic and you're the closest unicorn."

"Let's go!" The blue pegasus took off and Twilight followed, not bothering to put on her snow gear (which she quickly regretted). However, duty called so she shoved her complaints into the back of her head and followed closely behind the distraught pegasus.

After running down the street for a few minutes, Cloud Kicker turned sharply to the right and Twilight had to double back since she slid in the snow when she tried to stop. She ran after the blue speck in front of her, but slid to a halt when she was met with a wall.

"Now!"

Before Twilight knew what was going on, a blindfold had been fastened around her eyes as she felt a weight suddenly plop down on her back. Instinct took over and Twilight felt magic gather in her horn as she prepared to unleash a spell.

However, her attacked moved first and just as Twilight was about to fire off the spell, a sudden cold and numbing feeling rushed through her body as her magic was cut off. She felt something attach itself to her horn and Twilight collapsed, trying to resist the urge to heave up the lunch she had eaten a few minutes ago.

She failed and sent soup spattering onto the ground as she groaned and convulsed. Her body felt completely cold and she tried to use her magic. Pain shot through Twilight's head and a new wave of convulsions overtook her, making her cry out.

The lavender unicorn moaned and wished that death would come swiftly and take her from this painful existence. While it may seem overly dramatic to other ponies, for unicorns, it was a natural thing to feel this way after being cut off from their magic. To be disconnected from their magic, even temporarily, was a heavily traumatic experience for a unicorn.

"Congratulations Twilight Sparkle; you have just become a bargaining chip." That was the last thing Twilight heard before unconsciousness overtook her.

(Author's Note: DUN DUN DUN! Heh, but in all fair seriousness...Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I haven't been feeling very motivated lately (not to mention I've been distracted...*glares at Xbox*). But, better late than never, no?
Also, by popular request, I did have a Lyra X Bon Bon bit in there (as you all saw obviously) and I hoped you liked it. I know it wasn't long, but I thought the emotional-ness of it would make up for it (I hope). Umm...oh! I also hope you liked the musical selection I had with the blue words and stuff...it took me like...2 whole hours to find one for Lyra's part that I liked >.> Okay, this note is long, so I'mma stop now)