//-------------------------------------------------------// The Hippogriff Effect -by damiranc1- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// The old friends //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Thew new chapter is finished :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png Enjoy! The old friends Mount Aris and Seaquestria were teeming with life as always since its' release from Storm King's tyranny, in which ever newer generations were captured under his rule. When the tyrant himself was defeated, all residents could finally to cut loose. Strangely enough that day, all Hippogriffs gathered gleefully in one big crowd, just after they spotted again the familiar face of the same princess of friendship who they had a chance to meet a few months earlier. The bird-horses alone could not say that about her. The fresh princess of Equestria tried to remain formal, although all could see the stress in her trembling position as the blue Hippogriff accompanying her side, enriched alicorn's position with compliments. Twilight presumed well, she found herself in an awkward situation wherefrom she could not get out so easily. "Attention everygriff!" Sky Beak chirped enthusiastically. "Princess Twilight is here again on our humble doorstep!" The blue hippogriff seemed to be excited about this fact, as his voice took on an unnaturally childish form disturbing to the purple ruler of ponies herself. "But this time..." the adult hippogriff continued, as he grinned toward her. "She will be with us for good!" The inhabitants of Mount Aris fell silent and exchanged glances with each other. Princess Twilight Sparkle moves here? Is she becoming a Hippogriff to learn about their most valuable culture? There were so many questions on their feathered heads that they wanted to know the answer to. "I, as a father of two children with a enjoyable good opinion amongst you" Sky Beak said calmly, as he stood at attention, to utter the following words. "I'm getting married again" The hippogriffs in the cluster gasped with shock at this declaration and glanced at the purple pony standing right next to him, as the realization smacked her in the heart. She was thrown of balance. Yes, she agreed to be his fiancee with heart that the blue hippogriff would reconcile himself as a single father, but she did not previsioned that this one word would not matter for father of her disciple to announce it to everyone he knew. "B-Bu... B-bu...!" Twilight raised her voice, but her meant-to-be fiancé cupped her chin. "Oh, no needs to be shy about it" Sky Beak smiled blithely. "There are many good creatures here who will like you and without hesitation will become your friends" With a little bit of halting bewilderment, some of the hippogriffs in the crowd replied with happy nod. "You see, sweetie?" the adult hippogriff took his claw off from the place of her neck. "You don't have to worry about anything, am I right?" Twilight exhaling with a fake smile and her beautiful eyes darting between Sky Beak and other hippogriffs, nodded. Before the literal moment has passed, all the citizens of the island made a deafening and cheerful screech, that got into her head. Literally, since she didn't even managed to hear her own thoughts. A some another seconds has passed, when a few of tall blurry silhouettes in her dizzy vision started walking in the purple alicorn's direction. "Congratulations Sky Beak!" one of the blue hippogriff's friends in golden armor spoke. "Yesterday, you couldn't get back together after the breakup with Ocean Flow, and here you are. Our old and happy feathery friend!" The male hippogriff guard glanced at Twilight and gently patted her head, ruining her navy mane with purple streaks in the process. "You know..." the hippogriff smiled ruefully. "You can come back to us now after finding a new part of your heart. Others in the sky are starting to worry about you, about your absence..." Sky Beak shrugged at response. "Forgive me, but so far..." the blue hippogriff nudged Twilight causing her to uncontrolably blush. "I have to take care of my family" The hippogriff guard dropped his head. "I understand... So far you have your own private duties..." "That's right" Sky Beak cut in with a soft smile and slowly approached his friend. "But do not worry pal, I will return to sky service as soon as I solve some of my personal business" Twilight just watched silently as her fiancé says goodbye to his friend and lets him and his group withdraw away. The rest of the hippogriffs on this place, after hearing the announcement also left to take care of their own affairs and various stuff like that leaving the two alone. The fresh princess of Equestria finally breathed a sigh of relief, but before she had a chance fully experience that, she felt a hoof and hovering in the air. Sky Beak was up to something again. Literally. "Is the play finished?" the purple alicorn asked tiredly. "Can I go back home to Canterlot?" "The play? What play? What home in Canterlot?" the adult hippogriff blinked. "We both live here, as a new family..." Twilight struggled so that only he would let her go, but the blue hippogriff did not let her go. He held her very tightly still flying. "Let me go!" she cried, trying to break free from the grip. "I want to go home!" "Princess Twilight Sparkle..." Sky Beak calmly said, as he slowly turned down to look at her. "You've sworn an marriage vow to Hippogriff and it can't be broken under any circumstances" The fresh princess of Equestria facepalmed and rolled her eyes, groaning. She suddenly remembered that she had sworn something to him in the library. "What about my family?" she tried to find a different solution. "What about my brother? Some time later they will realize that I haven't sent them any letter!" "Do not worry, fiance" the adult hippogriff replied happily. "You will have a lot of freedom as my wife. I guarantee it to you as your future husband" Twilight at that time had no idea if Silverstream and Terramar's father went crazy, was just kidding or became a loving bird. She doubted, however, that she will be the good stepmother of the two young hippogriffs, considering she knew one of them well. The friendship princess was sure it meant a new day and probably a new family life for her. //-------------------------------------------------------// The youngest ones //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note The chapter is out :) The youngest ones Terramar walked concerned about the room when he realized that his father had not given signs of life since the brightest morning. The young white hippogriff was tormented by the thought that his childish father was caught up in something bad and became the target of gangsters. This could not be said of his older sister who sat close to something appearing to be table. A cheerful and comical pink creature remained... A cheerful and comical creature as before and remained quiescent about her family's problems. And maybe it was for her best, as long as she hang out with her friends in The School of Friendship more time than ever. "Cool down, Terramar!" Silverstream told him with appearing smile. "Our dad is fine and will remain fine. Stop worrying about it and get easy!" The white bird-horse was untouched through her words. The claws apprehensively scrubbing the wooden floor in the room. "You do not understand my feeling..." his voice wavered, immediately upon the anxiety began to increase in his heart. "Dad should arrive home a few minutes ago" Terramar's brow furrowed. "He is never late..." Silverstream's younger brother drilled the hole more bigger than it already was. "I'll stake my life if i was wrong about that!" "Little brother... Snap out of it... Perhaps, he went to sort things out" "Which one?" the white hippogriff frowned. "After all, he took a temporary holidays from his work as a guardian to take care of us" "Meh..." Silverstream shrugged invariably. "Dad may be talking with his friends" "No way!" Terramar slowly turned to look at his sister. "Ever since our mother left, dad rarely talked to anyone around him, even with his closest friends" "Maybe something changed this time" the pink hippogriff put in. "Maybe he decided to talk to somegriff" Silverstream's eyes beamed with joy at the second thing. "Or maybe..." "No!" At thought of that, Terramar shook his head. "Dad needs some time before it will come to his mind! We don't need a new mom!" Silverstream did not respond. Her eyes sticked focused on something behind. She couldn't bring herself not to smile, as spotted something behind her brother's back. "DAD!" "We are talking about him now" The young bird-horse replied dryly. "Don't even try to make him a saint" Funny enough! Soon, as the young white hippogriff wanted to choke out anything related to this awkward topic, he was almost immediately awakened from his reprimand through ecstatic screech from behind. Turning and glancing up, he met the familiar blue coat, white mane and a pair of two brown pupils. "DAD!" Terramar yelled at him, stunned. "You know how much I was worried about you, you mockingbird!?" This, however, did not discourage the two young hippogriffs from cuddling up in his dreamlike fluffy chest, They felt all the warmth accomodated in it. The weirdest thing in it was that instead of misery his father was going through in the last few days, Silverstream witnessed a restored smile, which gradually with time she started to miss so much. "Dad?" the pink hippogriff pointed that out. "...Your beak... It's peculiar..." The adult blue hippogriff blinked summoned by her question to narrow his eyes afterwards in the process. He felt a short-lived angst, which turned into deep fear. "Oh?" her father examined the bony part of the muzzle with a gentle touch of the claw. "Sweetie, is there something on my beak? Does it look different?" "...No... Not that, daddy" the pink hippogriff shook her head in response, as the timid grin escaped her face. "You are smiling" Out of nowhere, Sky Beak laughed, confirming his daughter's beliefs, which she temporarily kept to herself. Terramar was also unable to hide his surprise. didn't know how to describe it with the own words. His dad was crying in the morning, but now? The young white hippogriff thought he was hallucinating or was in a deep slumber from which he could not wake up. "I have a reason for that, sweetheart" the blue hippogriff stated with a smirk. "I'm getting married again!" Each of his children made a sound corresponding to a different activity. Silverstream cooed with a glee, while her younger brother's face met in a direct contact with his talon. "Dad... Did I hear you right?" Terramar growled. "It's only been a week since mom left and you already found somegriff else on the horizon?" "It's not someGRIFF, my son" Sky Beak corrected with a smile. "...but somePONY else" "A seapony!?" his daughter grinned at the mention of that. "Will I have permission to swim with her?" "No, it's not seapony, my lovely seashell" the adult hippogriff shook his head. "Great" the young white hippogriff stated, as he sat on the floor. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, son" Sky Beak stated, taking a piece of scroll from his backpack. "By the way, Princess Celestia herself gave me permission to marry this beautiful mare" The blue hippogriff trailed his fingers down straight down to the bottom with a font made with a pen. "Here is her signature" "Dad, can you just say who she is?" Silverstream asked curiously, apparently being bored with this chatter. "I want to meet her personally" "Of course, of course" Sky Beak joyfully nodded, as he quickly rolled a piece of the scroll and put it away back in the backpack. "She is even here with us!" Silverstream and Terramar exchanged glances with each other, before silently glancing back at their father. "But I can say, you already know her very much!" he added and turned to the door, when he heard hoofsteps coming from there. "Here she is!" The door lazily opened with a loud creak running through the ears of the trio. It was literally a moment when Silverstream and Terramar could see the dark short figure standing there. "Don't be shy, come in" The figure let out a slow sigh and reluctantly entered the room to reveal her beautiful natural look of the purple coat and the navy mane together. "Are you kidding me..." Terramar mumbled with shock going out from his insides. "...right?" //-------------------------------------------------------// The explanation //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note The new chapter is out :) The explanation Twilight with her head lowered and loss of face, came over and stood next to her fiance in the presence of his children in front. Everypony stood there for like a several dozen seconds by measuring the difference of their distance and being caught napping in their minds. "Daddy?" Silverstream first broke silence, peering behind the purple mare in search of her father's new chosen of heart. "What is Headmare Twilight doing here? I gave her the perfect reason for my brief absence from school" Terramar gently nudged her. "Shhh..." he hissed to make her hush, but still not audible enough for his older sister to catch. The silly pink hippogriff still continued anyway. "Obviously I have to explain again..." Silverstream approached the short alicorn and launched to explain herself, without forethought and sparkle of glow about why Twilight Sparkle was even here. "You see, Princess Sparkle..." she elucidated, or at least tried. "The reason for my absence during school ti-" "Keep cool, Silverstream" Twilight Sparkle cut in and shook her head with a soft smile to Sky Beak's daughter's ravishing babbling. "I'm not here to reprimand you. I already know about your mother" The young pink hippogriff quirked an eyebrow and scratched her head, as the another thought came to her mind. "Oh, I understand" she smiled and shrugged. "Dad said he was getting married again, so... that means..." Terramar's eyelids raised up with the feel that his older sister Silverstream at long last get the memo. "...our stepmother is behind you!" Silverstream's younger brother facepalmed at her response and loudly sighed the moment she started looking behind her former teacher again. "No, my little dummy" her father chuckled and shook his head. "I can only say your new mother is standing in front of you" The young pink hippogriff blinked couple of times to the point she quickly scratched her chin. Soon after, she had a foggy in her head. If with Princess Twilight, there was no sight of their stepmother, and Silverstream was sure of it because no one was behind the new princess of Equestria, that meant... Silverstream gasped and stared at the purple alicorn. "You are... my new mother?" "Finally!" the male cyan hippogriff yelled in back. "You acknowledged, sis!" Saddened and sheepish as she looked, Twilight slowly nodded and closed her eyes in shame, entirely expecting such a reaction. She knew that neither her own student nor her brother would be able to forgive her, so she also remained in this position, afraid to look them in the eye. She did not want to replace their mother, but had no choice. "That... sounds... AMAZING!" Yeah... Amazing... That was the word Twi-... Her eyes immediately opened wide. What? Was she hearing things? Impossible! Nopony is happy about their stepmother after biological leaves them like a piece of trash. But that was an exception. "Wait!" Twilight blinked, mouth open, almost out of balance from jolt. "Does it not bother you, that I am usurping the title of your mother?" "...that left us for some random pidgeon?" Terramar added mockingly. "Yeah, count me in..." "Terramar, son!" Sky Beak shouted strictly at this behavior. "Do not reheat this chop! I thought we had already agreed on this matter!" The young cyan hippogriff dryly growled and turned his head at sister. Silverstream twitched in place with a visible wide smile on her beak in some similar way to Pinkie Pie after sugar overdose from swallowing cakes on the table. Amazingly, her shell necklace came out unscathed from the vibrations it experienced on itself. "What?... bother me?" the female pink hippogriff stuck out her tongue, appearing to be appalled by Twilight's question. "This is the best news I've ever heard!" "Oh well, here we go again..." Terramar spoke worried in the background. The whole trio was watching how Silverstream merrily tiptoed to each corner of the kitchen and then met with her family with a loud screech. It was too late for Twilight to cover her ears at the right moment. Why is it always happening to me!? the alicorn screamed inside at the top of her lungs with a need to release all her inner emotions to the outside world. But her whereabouts held her up from doing it in the right time. She had to make a good impression on hippogriffs, although she knew that in a sense after wedding she would become one of them. A wedding and marriage, it was these things that scared the purple mare the most at the moment. What would her parents think if they found out? She couldn't just say that their son-in-law is their age and has a family behind. What else, that so out of nowhere he offered her a love in the library? Not to mention her brother, Shining, who was so proud of his sister and would protect her if there was a need. He was her BBBFF after all. He would have wiped Sky Beak on a sour apple, or worse, pulled the feathers if he found out. Twilight quietly laughed about in how unusual situation she found herself in. Her thoughts knew no bounds and ordered her to calm down, but still the fresh princess and mother of hippogriff duo was scientifically herself. "Twily? Are you alright?" the deep voice broke her from the stupor. "Huh?" she glanced at her fiance. "What? I'm fine!" "Are you sure?" Sky Beak slowly looked down with a worried look. "Your hooves are shaking like a jello" As well as Twilight's wings, which were like putting a handful of ice cubes on them. Numb with every second. Just in time, she avoided Silverstream's screech in her ear, who was temporarily lrking at her. "Twilight, are you really, really, really sure you are not tired?" Sky Beak pushed. "I can take you to the bedroom if you want to take a nap" The purple mare took a breath. Was the blue hippogriff really unable to let it go? Did he had to drill this topic? "Yes, you are right" Twilight replied, barely holding on her hooves. "I got tired of traveling" On Sky Beak's beak appeared a smirk. "You should've said so from the beginning" he teased and nudged her. "I would spare you that chatter with my... OUR children. Follow me" His fiancee listened and accompanied him in the way of the corridor. "Goodnight dad, goodnight mom!" Silverstream shouted. "Yeah... goodnight... mom..." Terramar rolled his eyes and shivered at the mention of last word. //-------------------------------------------------------// The fledgelings //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Finally, I returned to this story. New chapters everyday. Enjoy :) The fledgelings Twilight turned the kitchen upside down, looking high and low to find anything edible for herself, saving the kelps and mussels, which were placed intact on the front of the fridge. The purple alicorn was really deprived of food, dreaming about hayburgers and shake to swallow, like before being the princess of Equestria. She from the bottom of one's heart, craved everything that wasn't seafood or something associated with water. When the refrigerator was fully ravaged, the purple mare rushed to demolished cabinets where the supplies were kept in a desperate hope of finding any trash food. All she found was one homemade ring-shaped bread roll. Obwarzanek. The princess of Equestria licked her lips and levitated Obwarzanek up the shelf to taste the aroma of sprinkled poppy seeds on top. It smelled like childhood memory of visited bakery in the sunny day. Twilight had to admit whoever baked it was an magnificent genius. Nothing more nothing less to think about. She just hoped it wasn't stale. She didn't think much anymore. She yearned to savor every corner of this delicious looking pastry, even If she never saw it in her life. The purple alicorn opened her snout, but stopped in the last second, as she heard a chirp behind. Galloping around in annoyed tone, she stood aghast as she spotted the young purple hippogriff fledgeling with pink streak seated on a table top. Its' eyes were gazing deep at her with a smile. A fluffy tail wagging in different directions. "Momma" The purple pony moved towards the baby hippogriff and shook her head in response. "Y-you must be mistaken, little one" she replied, forming every word after word on her shock. "I'm not your momma... Your parents must be somewhere else, but they are not here" Twilight glanced at the bread roll and slowly levitated it close to the baby's beak. "Are you hungry?" The young hippogriff growled, but didn't respond to her questions. It stared still and babbled happily the same word as before. "Momma" Twilight sighed and raised the young creature with her magic. "Alright, who is the smartarse that left this baby here?" She stopped questioning after hearing another babble in a distance. The alicorn peeked back at the baby birdpony, but the infant stayed with its happy stare, while strange babbling was put on the loop. It was then Twilight gasped, feeling something that crawled on her back. Being gentle, she also lifted it in front of her. "HUH!?" her jaw almost dropped from flabbergasting. "TWINS!?" The both identically looking fledgelings were chattering in the same mood, assuming Twilight knew them all along or they knew her back. The purple alicorn's eyelid twitched in disturbance, yet still trying to maintain her relaxed image. "ANYPON-!?" she yelled out. "I mean... I... ANYGRIFF'S HERE!?" The door in front opened and purple unrolled with a loud squeaks. Twilight's heartbeat stopped and she herself turned paler. It leisurely formed a big mountain of little birds, slowly appearing out of nowhere in her sight. The first fledgelings appeared to climb on her hooves, leaving the mare defenseless. The princess of Equestria tried to sweep away the little toddlers, however, it was more challenging than defeating all Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis combined. In less than a minute, the leader of Mane 6 was camouflaged by a moss of very young creatures that valued and loved their mother. Twilight cannot freely move, trapped in a living army of feathers. "G-GET OFF ME!" the purple pony ordered as nicely as she could with all her tone through her muffled voice. "C'MON THERE LITTLE ONE! PLEASE! GET OFF MY FACE!" The alicorn knew the young hippogriffs would not listen to her, but she just wished to have a breath. The little ones choked her with their weight. Finally, she screamed. Twilight screeched in a rush of a sweat swimming down her muzzle, when she breathed with a faster heartbeat. As she placed her head back on the pillow, her snout met in a direct contact with a beak coated in a darker shade of blue. A beak of her betrothed. Looking above, she spotted his orange pupils peering at her lavender eyes. He was waken up by the noise. Sky Beak, without hurrying, held his head up in stupefaction. "Twilight?" he put down the claw on her forehead. "You're burning up. Are you feeling well? I can't leave you boiling like a soup" The blue birdhorse clutched the glass of water on the bedside table and bent it down close the lips of his hard-breathing beloved. Sky Beak was amazed at how quickly she emptied it. "It's okaaay..." he cooed, gingerly drowing his fingers deep into his fiance's messy mane in a polite manner. "Breathe. Inhale and exhale, inhale and exhale" Twilight listened. Her breaths slowing in seconds. Still deeply enjoying how Sky Beak felt about her and finding herself in a comfort zone. His voice soaked in beauty, but somehow Twilight still remained sweaty and on a verge of crying. "What's wrong, Twilight?" the tip of his finger cleaned her tear. "You can always tell me what's bothering you, and I will hear it" The purple alicorn's voice jammed like a broken VHS record, mixed with coughs. "I... I... I..." she stammered with a sloppy tongue. This time in the shape of a destroyed video recorder. "I... I... I... I... I... I..." The blue hippogriff smiled and sheltered her almost entirely in his wings. "It's okay... Come back to sleep, honey" Twilight felt all the warmth preserved in his feathery body. Like a stroll with a warm blanket, or even better. More blankets. As much as would be perfect for her. Perfect for her... She thought about Terramar for a moment. Her stepdaughter, Silverstream, stood her new mother's presence really well, but what about her stepson. The younger sibling was terribly dry and had to accept his new mother. She didn't understand why he didn't like her, after all, they were friends when she was his sister's teacher. //-------------------------------------------------------// Twilight's brother //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Hello, new chapter's here. Twilight's brother The clear sun rose from the landscape of castle as Equestria itself awoke from a pleasant lethargy. This gave rise to a new morning for the ponies, and not only, ever since the grounds themselves were inhabited by abroaders from remote areas on the map. After wander of Twilight and her friends with Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis, the outskirts of Canterlot were filled with new apartments, some large and some smaller. The throne room inside the castle, was lit by the rays so brightly that it was easy to see every nook and cranny. Probably because the holes from the blast that had occurred there the week before were still lurking there. There was still renovation going on with finest designers from all over the world attempting to do blatant image of the room ahead of the explosion. Spike, meanwhile, all packed from his old home and ready to move to Dragon Lands, slumbered through the previous night beneath the window's feet, maybe upon being awakened by the hoof of The Royal Guard's captain, Shining Armor. "Spike?" the white unicorn asked, a little distraught. "Have you seen Twilight? I couldn't find her at Ponyville Castle" The baby dragon yawned and occasionally scratched his back. "Did you look in the library?" he replied with different question. "Your LSBFF is such an egghead. Maybe she is catching some Z's buried in a pile of books?" "Of course, I visited it" Shining Armor nodded to his adoptive brother's ponder. "I even looked inside the cupboards" Spike sobered up immediately from his sleepiness. "Shining, listen. I know caring for Flurry is not the quietest, but stop treating Twilight like a baby" The white unicorn blinked at attention. "I am aware that my sister has extensive knowledge and is undoubtly more responsible than me. What are you..." he stopped in the middle. "Maybe... you are right..." "Uh-uh" the baby dragon rolled his eyes and smirked. "Classic, old, Shiny, always in charge of protecting his little sister" "I shouldn't make such a fuss..." Twilight's brother let out a sigh. "Twily is a smart filly. I think she went for a walk to get some air" "Are you surprised?" Spike quirked an eyebrow. "A week ago, she became the ruler of all Equestria. It's not like she'll leave it without a look on it, since the sisters retired" "I can see that, Spike. But she can always count on mine and Cadance's help. She is my little sister after all" Spike yawned again, this time with a long sound immitating a siren. "Excuse me now, Shining, but I have to save my energy for the journey to my home" "Understandable, little bro, have a nice nap" As he left the long corridor, Shining Armor yawned in the same mood. He could use one slumber too, after all this rush for his own toddler daughter. By absently rummaging through the doorsteps, he finally felt relieved after sensing a handle to his bedroom. Pushing it, the tired stallion fell on the side of bed, that was shared with mare of his life. "A tough day, isn't it?" he picked up a familiar and relaxing timbre of sound. Shining Armor raised his head up and with caution crawled up the warm bedsheets until it landed on the pillow. "No, no... It's good, sweetie" the white unicorn laughed, hiding the heavy eyelids. "It was only on a brief drive to Ponyville" The Princess of Love tiredly giggled. "Good for you" she said, her heavy eyes opening. "Flurry kept me awake all night without the possibility of squinting" The eyes of the couple wandered to the cradle in the corner, where their daughter peacefully and silently slept. Both wings moving to the tune of gentle snoring. "Isn't she beautiful?" Shining asked, his eyes tracking down every color of his daughter's mane. Princess Cadance approved with a bob of her head, the essence to these wise words. "Needless to say" The filly blithered in her sleep, although unknown about her surrounding, certainly cheerful for her mind. She for sure wasn't going to wake up at the moment. In this beautiful sight, Shining pondered about how beautiful she would be when she grew up. She looked like a little copy of her aunt's. At this point, Shining was thrown off again with a thought about his sister. "Do you think Twilight will prove herself as a mother?" "I'm sure she'll be fine..." the pink alicorn replied tiredly. "This hippogriff has proven to be a great father" The white unicorn raised his eyebrow. "T-This hippogriff?" The Princess of Love turned back to face her husband. "In these signed pape-..." The eyes of pink alicorn stood ahead in thoughts, in the meantime while her beloved stared at her with need of the explanation. "Shiny, you don't know? Twilight now has a family of her own and will get married. She is now living with them in Mount Aris" Cadance out of nowhere began to understand what she had done, by seeing Shining Armor growing paler every second. "Shining... Please, let me explain... " The stallion brought together every fact. His face turning red from anger he was experiencing. The unicorn was like a ticking bomb, his eyelid jumping. "Shiny... I swear. Princess Celestia handed me this letter when I was tired. There was her signature too. How was supposed to kno-?" "WHO IS HE!?" his snapping loud voice bounced off the walls to the point of being squeaky. "Shiny, calm do-" "As soon as I find out where he lives, I swear I'll make a baked turkey out of him and eat it myself!" Shining Armor was agitated, as a stallion he was, and didn't think rationally enough in that state. His wife was aware of that really well. Good thing Flurry Heart was a heavy sleeper, because she would wake up and be out of it again. The pink alicorn didn't want to reassure her again. Now she had to calm her lover down, considering Shining's adamant personality, wasn't easy for her. //-------------------------------------------------------// A new morning in Mount Aris //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Hello, this time longer chapter. A new morning in Mount Aris The pleasant smell of a cooked meal spread throughout the Hippogriffs' house and as well left by way of the open bedroom window. For starters before leaving, the satisfying scent tickled the nostrils of the sleeping young adult mare, forcing her to wake up in a pleasant mood. Twilight's wings started fluttering, as her mind relished the trail of baked goods. The fresh princess of Equestria opened her eyes and extended her flying limbs in in all possible frames of her mind. She did not stop smelling it, silently savoring the wind that became the guest invited inside her snout. As you know, the smell told everything about the taste. The taste had to be ideal. Twilight jumped off the bed and overwhelmed by a feel of relaxation, sniffed it a little more. Entering the kitchen, the purple alicorn met with a stare of no one else but her stepdaughter, Silverstream. The pink hippogriff, untroubled as usual, waved cheerfully to her stepmother. "Hello Pony Mom! Mommy Twily? Can I call you that, Headmare Twilight? I'm not sure if that's the correct synonym for this occasion, well whatever" Twilight uttered a soft giggle. "Twilight is enough" Silverstream squealed in response. "Thanks, I will remember!" The purple mare glanced around the room, concerned about Terramar's and her fiance's absence. Sky Beak was not in bed and something cooked on the stove. It smelled so good. "Where's your brother and daddy?" "In the pantry room" the pink hippogriff replied. "Dad has decided to make some soup today" Twilight looked down and stood thoughtfully, as her eyes marched on the table. There was a bowl of bread rolls in the center. Nothing would have changed in the purple alicorn's behavior, if she hadn't thought she seen the bread rolls somewhere else. "Your dad baked it, if I can ask?" "No" Silverstream shook her head in response. "Terramar made them some minutes ago" The young pink hippogriff pulled out a chair beside her and hospitably giggled. It meant she politely ordered her stepmother to sit down. The purple alicorn, remembering her etiquette, did not procrastinated. "So, uh..." Twilight started conversation. "Today is a... beautiful day?" "Yes, it is" Silverstream responded without hesitation. "How about spending a day at the beach today?" The purple alicorn smiled. "Sounds nice. How your little brother behaves? Has he adapted to me to some extent? Has he accepted me as a mother?" "Yup" her stepdaughter nodded. "He didn't complain to anyone" They both laughed. It came in handy for improvements for the new day, as Twilight was very fond of this young creature's presence. She reminded her of Pinkie Pie. While talking with each other, Sky Beak and his son came out cheerfully from the half-open door and went over to the stove to season the soup with the spices they had brought. The adult hippogriff smiled and flew closer to say hello to his daughter. "Good morning, my princess" he greeted and peeked at his fiance. "...and good morning, my princess" Twilight rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing being aware from embarrasing title. "Good morning, daddy!" Silverstream gripped her father's head in a tight hug. "How is your day? I was chatting with Twilight" Sky Beak sipped his coffee from mug. "And talk as much as you can, sweetie" he grinned enjoying this fact. "Maybe I will give something from myself. For example, I've heard that she doesn't like Quesadillas because it has a cheesy flavor" "Nothing to brag about" the princess of Equestria clapped with sarcasm. "How do you know this? By listening to me while I was sleeping?" "T-that..." Silverstream looked saddened at her stepmother. "That means no more cheese?" "NO!" the purple alicorn shook her head in order to calm the situation down. "I don't mind cheese! I just don't like it when there's a lot of it in the dishes" Silverstream cupped her own chin in a state of understanding. The same time, Terramar served the soup that he made himself. "Oh okay, enough cheese for me! Got it!" Twilight looked down at her wooden bowl of golden broth and felt wonderful when the scent stroked her nostrils. She was interested in knowing the name of this delicacy. At last she picked up the spoon and drank it. "It tastes so good" she finally asked. "What is it?" "Cheese Onion Soup" Terramar replied with a bow. "Hope you don't mind Princess Twilight. I tried to use as little cheese as possible" And Twilight didn't mind. "That's really good! The cheese is tender enough not to feel the difference" she praised. "You are a professional in what you do" The white hippogriff blushed as soon as he heard it. He hadn't expected his stepmother to like it at all. "Y-you... You really think so?" "I agree with Twilight" Silverstream's bowl was already emptied. You didn't have to guess whose doing it was. "It is very nice. I feel warmed up" Terramar stood still, completely taken aback by the compliment. He felt strange like a foal being taken out of a stroller for the first time. "Is something wrong, son?" The poor being deeply hugged his father. His voice trembling from shock and barely speaking anything. He wasn't crying, but was very upset about something. "Hey, hold on there!" Sky Beak caressed his son's back. "Why are you dreary? Are you tired?" Terramar couldn't get a word out. He stopped hugging his father and sat down in the chair next. The white hippogriff looked ahead and stared at Twilight with a feel of guilt, finally calmed down as his face brightened. "I'm so sorry, Twilight Sparkle" he sighed. "I just... I am not used to compliments from creatures other than my mother" "...Son..." "No, no. It's ok" the purple alicorn said, trying to understand her stepson. "You miss her, and this is a natural reaction" The white hippogriff sighed and looked at her. "I... I think I'm ready to accept you as my new parent... I... I don't know..." "You are willing to accept that things are changing in your life, and that is plus" Twilight smiled. "I swear that I will try to be the best mother possible for you" "...Yeah, I understand" "Alright, alright!" Silverstream broke this awkwardness. "When's the dessert?" Everyone laughed. Who wise could ignore the question of the sweetest creature in all of Equestria? //-------------------------------------------------------// A previous night //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Hi. The other chapter is out. :twilightsmile: https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/twilightsmile.png A previous night THE PREVIOUS NIGHT Sky Beak quietly furrowed his brow, paying attention to every hoof step of the purple mare, slowly entering the bedroom and then gloomy fainting after a day of work on the teal bed sheets. The blue hippogriff followed her behind and listened to wearisome mumble which she was imitating. The bird horse waited minute by minute for his beloved to fall asleep, steadily ready for her restful snooze. She looked so beautiful when her eyes were closed. Unable to be sure, he sat down next to her and watched. Twilight slept like a dead man. Sky Beak looked around, hoping no one was watching him. Being sure enough, he jumped to the floor beside the mattress and looked underneath to start rummaging in the most narrow corners. "Where is it..." he whispered with stupefaction. "I'm sure I hid it here..." The blue hippogriff pressed his claw down even tighter and felt a few springs until he finally sighed with relief. Between them he found what he was searching for. After a few uncomfortable arm movements, Sky Beak pulled a small vial with blue glowing liquid. His orange eyes scanned then the thin build of it. "Greetings there..." he grinned, blowing dust off it. "After all these time... I didn't bought you to be trapped and unused in layers of dust forever, after all. You are useful for me" Sky Beak rose his eyes at the other side of the bed. "Now, I NEED you to help her, got it?" The blue hippogriff climbed up and stood above the sleeping mare, who was already in a phase of strong dreams. Her mane smelled like perfume found in the best shops of Manehattan. Her fiancé began to hesitate, with a doubt if he is doing the right thing. Fact, Princess Twilight did not show disgust and did not spoke badly at his presence, and sure, she has shown a little affection, but Sky Beak's dream that she would like to carry their new offspring generations in the future overwhelmed his other worries. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger he thought. The blue hippogriff touched the vial with little struggle on the cork, but as a strong hippogriff as he was, he had managed to open it up. The weird-looking steam escaped outside, with a terrible stench that made itself known. "Yikes..." Sky Beak covered his beak with disgust. "Smells like rotten fish left on the sun..." The bird horse was now forced to do the most challenging part of this task. To slip some amount of the potion for the purple alicorn. Twilight could wake up at any moment. Sky Beak was forced to be careful when it comes to the Princess. He wasn't sure how hard she was dozing. Maybe it was better for her. The blue hippogriff rested his head on the claw thoughtfully. The first and the most standard way to pass the mixture, was through the mouth. There happened to be biggest problem with that. The closed lips of the purple mare made it impossible for simple transfer. Silverstream's father had to think of another idea to do it. ...But the problem was, he had no idea. Without proper knowledge on what to do anymore, Sky Beak spotted a glass of water resting on the edge of the bedside cabinet. The blue hippogriff facepalmed, not understanding why he did not notice it earlier. You nitwit! he told himself with a hint of internal comedy. You only had one job! The bird horse lifted the vial in front of him and tilted it over the drink. The liquid drained off and became part of the other. He then reached for a spoon and mixed it, enough to stop it make a glow. The potion took a form of plain water. Sky Beak proud and full of his personality, yawned and put his head on the pillow. LATER The father of two little hippogriffs gained consciousness immediately after his fiancée sat up straight and screamed with huffing and puffing in the distance. She rested on the wet pillow afterwards and met up with his gaze, almost touching his beak. The blue hippogriff raised the weight of his head and positioned the claw on her forehead. "Twilight?" he asked. "You're burning up. Are you feeling well?" Who was he kidding? It was evident that Twilight had become a living boiler. The opportunity arose. To make his princess really share his feelings. "I can't leave you boiling like a soup" He happily grabbed the glass and held it under Twilight's nose, observing every droplet of drink, with the intention of nothing remaining wasted. As he expected, the drink promptly shrunken thanks to the feeling of sizzling from point of view of Friendship Princess. "It's okaaay..." he cooed, feeling a power of her mane. "Breathe. exhale and inhale, inhale and exhale" Sky Beak smirked as Twilight did as he ordered. Her changing calm breaths were music to his ears. Her cheeks slightly blushing at his sight. "What's wrong, Twilight?" the tip of his finger marched down her teary eyes. "You can always tell me what's bothering you, and I will hear it" "I... I... I... I... I... I..." "It's okay... Come back to sleep, honey" The blue hippogriff used his special weapon. Expanded his wings and eagerly snuggled her with his feathers. Twilight did not hesitate. She slept like a newborn foal after drinking from the bottle. "Good night, Twily" Sky Beak whispered softly into her perked ear. "I am glad that you are feeling the same way as me" Being happy like a child, the blue hippogriff could not utter a word. This potion was working! It was really working! It was amazing! Sky Beak couldn't hold back his tears of joy, just thinking about creating a new family, but he still had to wait for his beloved's first feathers. The Princess of Friendship indeed was in true love with him. And for the first time, the brightest side was, she will always keep him company and NEVER leave. //-------------------------------------------------------// Celestia's explanations //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note New chapter :) Celestia's explanations Princess Celestia swiped her head from right to left in decline for the hundredth time, just as the white unicorn was seething with rage. Cadance kept him company, watching over the shoulder, in the hope that her lover would not hurt any royal guard in contact. "My sincere apologies for some inconsistencies, Shining Armor" the alicorn princess assured him with a helpful hoof. "But it's not like what you think. You're obviously mistaken" "My wife told me everything!" his voice once took on the note of a trombone and once an opera singer. "I know very well that you sold my sister for a poky bits" Her starry mane waving as always, Princess Celestia levitated the newspaper on the edge of her seat, so she could freely look at her former student's brother. "Easy, easy there" her warm voice still remained caring. "I didn't send Twilight for marriage, but to tighten our relationship with the Hippogriff race" The white unicorn squinted. "...What are you talking about?" "Did I ever said that I was a good friend of a hippogriff royality?..." the alicorn princess pondered and then winked. "Yes, that's the case, isn't it, sister?" The sunbathing blue alicorn next, lifted a magazine from her face and nodded. "A better opportunity for diplomacy arose when Mr. Sky Beak visited my doorstep the day after Twilight's coronation" the taller princess continued. "The poor thing was so desperate that he shed a stream of tears at cooperation" Shining Armor raised his eyebrow, slightly pampered from rush of thoughts. "...What?" "Let me explain more" Princess Celestia cleared her throat before explaining further details of her memory. "Though absent, Twilight was offered the role of ambassador, that is, a permanent resident of Mount Aris. For research" she said with a emphasis on the last words. "You know what I mean?" "And you all decided about it without my little sister's consent?" the white unicorn growled. "Do not worry..." the alicorn princess assured once again with a smile. "I'm sure she'd love to move there. It's always warm there and warm sea. Clean living" Shining Armor held his head in thought. He felt confused. "B-but... Cadance mentioned something about Twilight having a family there..." he said with worry. "What's that supposed to mean?" Princess Cadance glanced at her aunt with perplexed look on her face. "Exactly. Somecreature, who slipped me the letter, mentioned something about LOVE and FAMILY" "...that he would LOVE to have a partnership with us. The pony race" Princess Celestia corrected with a stricter tone. "You are taking words out of my mouth" "...uh, the FAMILY part?" the princess of love insisted, really curious behind literal meaning of it and curious. The white alicorn softly sighed, leaning back on her sunbathing chair. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were very surprised by this a little unusual calm build of emotions. "About that..." she pointed out. "Mr. Sky Beak already has a family, two children related to my childhood friend and queen of hippogriffs and seaponies, Queen Novo" she smiled and then spoke. "Sure, Mr. Sky Beak wants Twilight to research the Hippogriff's way of life, but I know there is no bad intention from his side" "Of course, of course" Shining Armor nodded in approval. "I recall my little sister saving the hippogriff race from the hands of Storm King... How much grateful they were to her" "...Don't forget she saved us too" his wife added. "Petrification was not one of the most convenient" "That's what I am talking about!" he snapped. "I can't believe you let that blue parrot just take Twily like that, even for something like research. You were her mentor after all" "Trust me, Shining Armor" Princess Celestia sat up straight. "Twilight knows what she's doing. As you mentioned, she saved you more than once, then why you don't want to give her a try? She gave you a chance with Cadance" The colors of the brother of the purple mare took on a more better color, as the stallion grew calmer. Finally he gave his sister a chance. "Well, alright, maybe I'm exaggerating. But I have my own reasons for that" The pink alicorn nuzzled her husband with a softened expression. Only she in the group knew what he meant. "You are worried. That's understandable, honey. But Princess Celestia is right. You have to give her a chance to get to know the lifestyle of others" The four of them stood there without speaking for several indefinite minutes. "We talk here, but what about Flurry Heart?" Princess Luna finally asked, noting the absence of the little alicorn. "The little filly always sticks to you. Did you leave her somewhere on the playground?" Princess Cadance shook her head in response. "No. She is now under the care of babysitters" "Nice to know..." There was an awkward silence in the place again. Until Shining Armor came with another question. "Isn't Mr. Sky Beak... uh... married?" "First you call him a parrot and now you ask about his married life. If it's just your sense of humor" Princess Celestia giggled. "But yes, he WAS married, now he is free" "What happened, If I may ask?" The alicorn princess sighed. "Two simple words. Separation and Divorce" she explained. "Ocean Flow abandoned the old toys and found a new one" Hearing these words, Shining Armor sensed a bad pain in his gut, but preferred not to show it next to Cadance to avoid her worries. The pink mare stared at her aunts with raising question in her mind. "Do you have a replacement for the ruling of Equestria?" The royal sisters shook their heads. "Why are you asking?" insisted Luna. "You know, Twilight was supposed to be the new princess of Equestria, but well, she lives in Mount Aris, and you have retired. So... who is your regent? There was no answer. Both sisters looked at each other. Sweat seeped from their foreheads and landed on the floor. Were they supposed to take somepony as a replacement? //-------------------------------------------------------// A day at the beach //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Hi :) A day at the beach After swallowing and cramming down whole plates with their family, Sky Beak gave Twilight better details of his morning routine and what other gathering hippogriffs are doing until full night. The purple mare as it was when Spike was first hatched, was curious about what his culture was capable of since leaving Seaquestria. The rest and fun on the beach carried the best entertainment for the younger ones, including Terramar and Silverstream, who missed underwater fun. Twilight watched her stepchildren quietly step by step, them turning into seaponies and jumping into into the surface of water, while doing one's best by writing down everything her fiance told her on the notebook. They both adults were sharing the beach and guarding in case, somegriff was in danger. This, however, did not prevent the transfer of interesting facts. The blue hippogriff admitted he did not like swimming in the water, but was glad that Silverstream and Terramar were enjoying their free time there... and then went over to the general facts about his own race. As long as he spoke, the purple alicorn was eager to listen to his words. She didn't know why, but probably because of that silly, but soothing voice that Sky Beak owned. In a matter of fact, she would even have listened if he was making a description of the railroads throughout Equestria. His voice was also useful as a narrative. When Twilight looked around in getting to know the neighborhood. The tree-like houses and little sized shops in a background of spiral steep streets gave her the feeling of a coziness. The previously dirty and empty place was now a place full of life. The temperature also became pleasant after cleared of rubbish. This island has undergone an amazing metamorphosis, whose beauty was visible in her eye sight. "...and that's how we became great at screeching" he chuckled. "...until you beat it" Sky Beak finally noticed the absence of the purple alicorn. With the gentle flick of his claw, he waved in front of her eyes. Twilight came to her senses and looked at him. "Huh? Have I fallen asleep?" "Nope" the blue hippogriff shook his head. "You fell into a trap of daydreaming, but that's okay. I do too sometimes" The bird horse tilted his head and stared at her wings with curious look. He had never asked about Twilight's life before. Of course, knew her family very well, but never bothered to know how she became a princess in the first place. He wanted to get to know her from the inside. "Pardon me..." Sky Beak clumsily scratched his neck. "...but it's now your turn, Twilight?" "Me?" the princess pointed at herself, but realized she had to give something back. "Alright, if you want to know" Twilight cleared her throat, passing the notebook and pencil over the other side of blanket. She improvised to make Hippogriff listen. It worked, as the blue hippogriff perked his ears up. "It all started 12 years ago, in School for Gifted Unicorns..." she stated. "...my parents saved some bits for me to get there..." Sky Beak stared at every movement of her lips, trying to follow each word. It didn't help when his attention was stained by a beautiful lavender in a direct contact. He concentrated as much as he could, but with closed eyelids to avoid her beauty. "...Rainbow Dash pushed me into a puddle" she snickered at the recall of this memory. "When I shook off all the dirt, I looked like a poodle" The purple alicorn glanced at the father of her student. "Get it? Puddle... POODLE!" Twilight quirked an eyebrow at the hearing of snoring. She looked to the right and spotted that... her fiance slept like a log... The princess, slightly annoyed, walked closer to his ear and screamed. Sky Beak screeched. Bouncing upward, he landed with his head in the sand. All the hippogriffs in the area reacted, initially thinking that somegriff has been mugged. Their fears were all dismissed, when the princess laughed and lifted the blue hippogriff by tail to get him out. They laughed out loud, when Sky Beak tried to get out his head of the hollow. Even General Seaspray, a creature serious in his profession, couldn't hold back his laughter. "What happened, Princess?" his guffawing cooled down, ignoring the blue hippogriff's muffled pleadings. "Silverstream's father metamorphosed into ostrich? Good for him" The purple alicorn growled. "Can you be so kind and help me? I think he's stuck there" "Of course, your highness!" he bowed and immediately ran to his old friend. "I'll be pulling hind legs" They both tried to be careful. Who knows what Sky Beak could break if they placed him the wrong way or pulled too fast. He had to leave unscathed. After a few long minutes, it worked. The blue hippogriff coughed and spat out the wet sand, while being carried by Twilight's magic. His head dirty, innocent orange confused eyes darting between crowd of onlookers and the purple alicorn herself. "Oh, sorry for sleeping... Princess Twilight!" her fiance sheepishly smiled and made excuses right away. "...It's not like I was bored from hearing your story... I WAS daydreaming!" The purple princess chuckled as everygriff else, approaching and making eye contact with the childish creature. "Next time you will remember not to fall asleep when I say something?" she asked, her tone more serious. "Understood?" Sky Beak nodded and saluted, a little nervous from the change of her behavior. "Understood, your highness!" The crowd dispersed, and Twilight, disabling her magic, brought the hippogriff on the ground. Then, she came closer and patted him on the head. "So, as a punishment, you will have to listen to rest of my story in our home" The blue hippogriff spat out the sand one last time and rubbed his tongue from specks of hot dust and wet mud. He was left with an vexatious aftertaste. "Good" Twilight pouted jokingly and looked at the streets. "Wash yourself and I'll wait here. I want to humbly see how your shops and markets look like" //-------------------------------------------------------// The peculiarity of strangeness //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note YAY! A new chapter! The peculiarity of strangeness When Twilight Sparkle thought back, she miscalculated every prospect and hazard of any married couple and how contendendly both sides lived with each other. Like for example.... Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were diligent enough in their attitude, but courageous enough to let Pinkie take a duty of babysitting their foals during bakehouse job. Pound and Pumpkin were always ready to poke fun. This collaboration was beautiful and decent in its own twisted way. The same "twisted" way as her life. At first she never thought about her family quest or about creating family at all. There were always other things waiting for her, like hundreds of Friendship quests with her closest friends or approximately that quantity. ...but then, Alicornhood, Storm King and Royal Sisters' retirement happened like a bolt out of the blue sky. Out of nowhere. ...and... now this... "...Twilight..." THIS! "...Twilight?..." WAS SHE THAT LUCKY!? "TWILIGHT!" A dim voice extremely raised like frequency of wild dolphins, chucking-out and silencing the remnants of purple alicorn's thoughts. Twilight eardrums hurt a lot and steamed from not bargained for confusion. The new Equestrian princess finally snapped her eyes open and saw how the land lies. She noticed being next to her student's house. Sky Beak riveted the eyes on her subtle stare. He passed mid-step just to be sure she feels okay. Anyways, Twilight gave no sign of being sick or something. "You were daydreaming again?" "What is your problem, pal?" she replied to his interrogation, as if it was an shallow insult thrown at her direction. They both plodded through their backyard and stopped meters from the entrance door's handle. The alicorn surveyed the round shiny object with both her eyes. The yellow knob presented itself in a very distinguished fashion. In a shape of a seapony waddling across the ocean. How is it possible she didn't spot that. Her fiance gingerly caught the knob in his grip in front of her eyesight. The purple mare quickly retreated in hope of not being hit by the door sill. "WOAH!" Twilight explained that she was only here for research, though... she wasn't entirely sure about it herself, nor somehow willing to leave this place. The blue hippogriff went out of the way and holding the door, pointed in. "Mares first..." His girlfriend rolled her eyes in amusement. "Do you always have to be so mellow, do you?" "Yes," Silverstream's dad countered. "I have to." The new Equestrian leader shrugged on response, her look seemed smug and gladdened from that. She strolled inside, tapping her hooves and proudly murmured and stopped by Silverstream's room. The door was enlarged like the other doors in the house, due to hippogriffs getting really taller with age in a comparison to ponies. She was sure she heard her step daughter chirping lots of conversation with somepony. Maybe not only somePONY, but also someGRIFF else. Twilight recognized the snarky voice rubbing shoulders with other unruffled one almost immediately. The princess prefered to wait, as Sky Beak arrived to the bathroom. One minute later, the conversation ceased. The next seconds later, door creaked loud, startling Twilight to the point of clenching her jaw. It sounded like rubbing claws on a blackboard. "Dang it, Silverstream... How do you open these without this sound of hovering hyenas!?" the blue griffon growled. "We can become deaf from these annoying yells!" "Greetings, my fellow former students." Both Gallus and Sandbar stiffened up at the familiar tone and looked back at its' direction. Their pupils spiralled for not recognizing their bizarre looks. "Uh, hi, Headmare Twilight!" the green earth pony put in. "H-HOW are you?" "I dunno, how are YOU?" The blue griffon and green pony both awkwardly chuckled. "Good, good. Awesome. We brought you something for hay burgers, ma'am." Gallus raised a weird cardboard package. "We thought you were absent, so we were about to go and try it ourselv-." "HAY BURGERS!? I'M STARVING!" The purple mare in the blink of an eye snatched the cardboard box from her former pupil's claws and zipped with opening it like in an eating competition, but to no avail. Gallus and Sandbar raised their eyebrows and exchanged glances with each other at this chucklesome sight. "Well, uh... Headmare Twi-..." "SILENCE YOU TWO! LET ME OPEN IT!" Twilight Sparkle used her magic aura on the package and bit outer lids with her teeth, but still with no result. She tried this for several elongated minutes. Silverstream left her room and spotted this phenomenon. The pink hippogriff happily clapped her hands in the tune, unaware in her nature of what is going on. Not only her, but even Sky Beak himself, who disoriented stared on the deeds of his beloved, just thinking what kind of animal she pretends to be. It looked like the kids and her played charades. "Oh, I know!" the adult hippogriff began guessing. "It is an female Ursa specimen, who hunted some animal and goes home to give it for her offspring!" The cardboard was still not tampered in any way. The Friendship Princess was definitely confused by that. "What is the meaning of this? WHERE ARE MY HAYBURGERS!?" The blue griffon coughed with such a tone, that it would make him look like an professional. "Well, you see Headmare Twilight... The product in itself is not a hay burger... Alloweth me showeth thee and demostrate, prithee!" "FINE!" the female alicorn gave up. "I'm not in the mood for this..." "Let me demonstrate, your majesty..." Princess Twilight with her magic aura, placed the thingy back on her former student's claws. Gallus smirked, trailing his fingers across the surface of cardboard structure. Then, he opened the package without a struggle. With some loud snaps of bubble wrap inside the box, he took out some interesting machine. Silverstream and her father stared at the thingy with extended admiration, as their beak jaws slowly dropped. "The best invetion, hooves down!" Sandbar presented with a gleeful smile. "HAY B Maker 2! Affords to make multitudes of sandwiches at once!" //-------------------------------------------------------// The new meeting //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note I'm back with strange shipping fic :D The new meeting The books were thrown on a large pile of other books, which by the minute began to resemble a mountain. The mountain itself resembled a homeland and shed tears of the feathery creature that this artistic work inadvertently created. When there were no covers on the library shelf, the blue hippogriff sat on the nearest bench and hid his oversized head in a grip of both claws. Sky Beak felt like a loser, like a naive child who got caught up in some awful plot, despite being If not one of the best but respected guards in his profession. He had a reason to feel that way. Even having a good reputation among other hippogriffs and seaponies that envied him well in his life, issues also gave him a hard time. When Ocean Flow decided to disappear with a letter rapidly written on their bed, the adult hippogriff didn't know if he did something wrong and if he could do or fix anything, that only his beloved would come back to him. Just after Ocean Flow informed Sky Beak in a letter that they would meet together at the shore, there was a bit of a spark in it that she would come back to him. The vision of returning to a normal life, however, overshadowed his eyes. The blue hippogriff's heart broke when his old love regretfully stated that she no longer loved him, but shattered into smaller pieces at her saying she found someone else. Ocean Flow then replied that she would pay maintenance for each of her still beloved children. In this way, she tried to comfort her ex-husband. It was the hardest topic for Silverstream and Terramar when the father had to explain to them that their mother had started a new family away from them. Silverstream tried to stay on her feet, whilst her younger brother was experiencing it the most. His mother was a model for him, and she abandoned him like a dog. As if she didn't care about him, or Terramar was nothing but a waste of space for achieving her needs. Returning to the library, a single father could not control his tears when his head was buried in both of his arms. "Mr. Sky Beak?" the adult hippogriff's ears perked up when a nice and tender tone passed through them. "Are you alright? Can I help you with something?" With some of the fatigue from all this stress, Sky Beak slowly raised his head without even trying to hide all his emotions at the time. Just across the table from which he was sitting, the blue hippogriff saw no one else but Twilight Sparkle herself. The newly crowned Princess of Equestria often focused on visiting the different libraries around the world to gather knowledge about the races. In her presence, Sky Beak let out a screech, but of despair loud enough for other ponies in the nearest corners of the room, as he felt deep humiliation in his soul. The sight of a crying male has always seemed awful in the adult hippogriff's eyes, but a crying male in the presence of a pretty mare? "Something wrong, sir?" the purple alicorn asked worriedly at this sight. "Why aren't you with your family but here?" Twilight walked up to the broken hippogriff and sat down next to him with the thought that somehow the conversation would help him. Her beautiful lavender eyes then focused on a pile of scattered books. "So... this is your doing, am I right?" Sky Beak was too busy to answer wiping his eyes from tears, which made the young princess think he was feeling bad. "S-she... She left us..." he stammered at a momentary break in the middle of the sentence. "She abandoned us for somefeathery else..." Twilight blinked. "...Who?" The adult hippogriff took a heavy breath, trying to stop another tsunami that was just waiting to leave his eyeballs. "M-my Ocean F-Flow..." he muttered sadly. "...She is gone..." The new princess' eyes widened at this reveal. Silverstream never mentioned that her mother just left them for somepony else. She didn't understand something here. After all, Sky Beak and Ocean Flow lived in harmony with each other and neither of them minded, didn't they? The sight of a suffering friend in Twilight's eyes tormented her thoughts with a kind of emotion, that she couldn't describe. The new princess of Equestria had to calm him down. Placing the hoof gently on Sky Beak's back, she began traveling it down his spine next to the wings. When the adult hippogriff raised his head, Twilight's muzzle filled with a smile. "How are you feeling now?" The blue hippogriff under the influence of indescribable relaxation glanced at her. At that moment he saw it. All the beauty he couldn't see during their first meeting at Mount Aris. Dark blue mane with two shades of purple streaks waving under the influence of air from an open window, next to which she sat. Her lavender pupils were decorated by majestic irises and finally her dazzling eyelashes. Sky Beak felt heat arriving into his heart, much as his cheeks flushed under the pressure of it. His beak remained half-open. "...Good... your highness..." he blurted under the influence of her calm voice. "I feel much better" Twilight Sparkle chuckled in response, as the voice of the innocently sounding birdhorse filled her ears. Sky Beak was how she remembered him back in Mount Aris. "Now tell me, Mr. Sky Beak" the fresh princess softly smiled. "Is there anything I can do for you?" The adult hippogriff wiped the tears and glanced around in the hope, that nobody is watching him or the mare to which he began to develop deeper feelings. When Sky Beak was sure enough, that nobody was watching them, he coughed several times. Twilight tilted her head and lifted one of her ears waiting for a reply. "Yes..." the blue hippogriff nodded. "There is something you can do for me, Princess" Sky Beak gingerly caught her hoof and caressed it. "Will you marry me, Princess Twilight Sparkle?" The new Equestria princess somehow managed to hide her shock, but all her emotions inside were confused. She didn't know what to say then, considering how the hippogriff himself looked desperate with this one question. //-------------------------------------------------------// A funny incident at the Hippogriffia store //-------------------------------------------------------// Author's Note Hello, it's ready :) A funny incident at the Hippogriffia store Sky Beak's next "tourism" course was a trip around the districts of the city of Hippogriffia, a place where trade between the hippogriffs was in good stead after the defeat of Storm King. Twilight met many familiar restaurant chains and supermarkets brought there from Ponyville and other Equestria towns, making her feel at home. The blue hippogriff still moderately resentful at the pony princess by an earlier trick she did on the beach, walked sideways to avoid eye contact with her presence. He reared afterwards to present the building in front. "Princess Sparkle, I present to you a grocery store called..." he declared, but his voice trailed off, looking for any logos above. "...called... called..." "What is it called?" Sky Beak held his head up in thought, veins cross-popping on the temple of his feathery head. Every word he thought would sound like gibberish on his tongue. He gave up. "...just a grocery store..." the blue hippogriff replied with a faint shrug. "I am always here when shopping... Food, Drinks and even sweets. Write what you have to write and let's get it over with" The purple alicorn nodded, out of the blue writing everything in her notebook. "That's... nice..." "WHATEVER!" By turning the handle and pushing it, Silverstream's and Terramar's father stopped it halfway, the sound of a bell visible, and pointed at the inside. Twilight appreciated the gesture and entered first. With a first step, the nerdy princess left no stone unturned, picking up the sudden rush of conversations from other hippogriffs, occupying the store shelves with their charming fledgelings hanging out with peers. Twilight quirked an eyebrow as soon as she thought about the hippogriff children. "How is childbirth in your species?" she asked, her pupils being size of the plums. "What kind of care do newborns have after hatching from an egg?" Her fiance stood silent, a little bit confused from given him question. "Hatching?" "Yes" the purple pony replied, lifting up her notes. "What are the most common shell color of your eggs? I am also very curious about the construction" The blue hippogriff softly laughed, his face flushed from how silly it sounded. "You know what, honey?" he changed the subject. "Maybe let's take a look at the shelves first before we get down to things like this. I'll give you some bits to buy yourself something to eat" Sky Beak opened and reached into his bag, but Twilight stopped him by catching his claw. "No, no..." she smiled. "It's fine... I have some with me" The blue hippogriff blinked in surprise, his face now red like a tomato. The pony princess noticed this and instinctively took her hoof. "You haven't seen anything..." her eyes peeked at different direction from sudden warmth in her heart. "...Anyway... Somegriff's turned on the heat... You feel it too?" She received no reply. Twilight glanced at the side where Sky Beak had been standing earlier. The blue hippogriff was guarding by another shelf, he was shopping. The purple mare decided to go to the bread section of the store and pushed her cart. Perhaps buns could be useful for making a homemade hay burgers. Otherwise, she could have moved to the salads. Walking through the crowds of bird horse civilians and their children, she perceived their interactions, helping each other and vice versa. It reminded Twilight of interactions with her friends and how close they sticked together during their adventures. She could always count on their help and chat with them about her problems. Amazingly, some of the hippogriffs bore a resemblance her friends. For example, the white feminine hippogriff with curly dark blue mane, who talked to her friend about fashion. ...or that yellow, pink-haired one, who was buying bird food at the time... or even just pink one eating a packet of cookies from a bag. Each of the Hippogriffs was beautiful in their own way. No need to wear tiring suits or dresses, amazed with their beauty right away. Twilight stood by the shelf of bread and patted her chin, searching for what she was supposed to be searching for. Nope... Not any bun in her eyesight, but still kept looking around for this type of food. Finally she lifted a packet of toasts from a nearest shelf. Placing shopping down in the cart and moving it back, the purple alicorn unwittingly nudged a chest of oranges that fell below her hooves. She growled in annoyance and regretting being klutz, started picking and placing them back. Landing one by one, the orange fruits almost filled the chest up. Twilight wiped the sweat off her brow and then searched around once again. Feeling great, she stepped forward and flinched, as she stumbled over the orange that was literally hiding under her body, to fall with her lips on something with a hard structure. Gasps from outside filled the room. A fuzzy and boney narrow something giving the feeling of plastic or pebble... very warm plastic... Her eyes slowly opened up and immediately froze. Her blood cooled down, her heart stopped and stayed that way for several seconds in the row. Her blush replaced every aspect of her face. Sky Beak stared back, the same embarassment drawn in his expression. That feeling both dominated on each other's snouts. The purple mare tried her best, managing to detach her kiss from her fiance's beak, being on the sudden radar of other hippogriffs. A very humiliating circle of intrigued bird horses, whispering something to themselves. "Uhh... I... I can explain!" the blue hippogriff waved his arms. "I didn't mean..." Twilight quickly grabbed his head with terrified expression, her voice shivering. "Let's get out of here! NOW!" He nodded, instantly getting up and then fleeing, incidentally knocking over somegriff's shopping on the road with their mass. It was a terrible feeling, blocking for both any way of common sense. "Eh..." one of the creatures in the crowd shrugged. "I think they would be a cute couple" Everygriff agreed with this statement.