If one is around even the most besotted, lovestruck couple that could be found in the winding ways of the world, there will come a time when even such intertwined hearts are roused and irritated to the point of argument that cannot be set aside for a later moment. The here and now, the couple will find, is the only moment that can encompass all of their fears and frustrations that have been put aside in efforts of good will and compromise, the bloated, boisterous machinations of human will now a great and terrible monster of their own making. And as it has always been, since the day mankind first discovered he could use his voice to fight back against the will of another, that swift descent into such pits of negative feeling come with one small step that could just as easily not have arisen at all.

Twilight, more than eager to see nothing but darkness or the interior of her eyelids, was trying her best to keep her tone in check when speaking to such an eager face. “I’ve said it dozens of times before, Cadance. The answer is no.”

“Not even a try?” the older woman asked, trying to turn her pout into a teasing, cloying smile as she gave the dark-colored object a shake. “I know what you like and it’s been a while- come on, it’ll feel-”

“Painful. Like every other time before, and I don’t want to feel it again, thank you very much,” Twilight cut through, pushing Cadance’s reaching hand away for emphasis. “I know it’s your thing, but it’s not mine. It just hurts too much- so stop.”

“And you’re positive-?”

“Cadance-”

“Alright! Just wanted to try to shake things up a little, that’s all,” Cadance relented, tossing the rubber accessory over her head and sending it crashing into the open closet. “Sorry for asking.”

“No you’re not, you’re upset that we won’t get frisky.” It wasn’t a difficult thing to surmise, seeing as Cadance had been quite handsy since she had returned home that evening. For a woman who claimed to be an expert in love, her desire for it lacked subtlety.

“Yeah, because we leave for Manehatten tomorrow and I doubt we’ll be able to get up to much when we’re spending our nights at your family’s place,” Cadance said, as though it were the most obvious thing. “Come on, just a little bit, it’ll be fun…”

“I am not in the mood, Cadance. If I was, you’d know and you’d be struggling not to scream. Please, just let it go, for one night,” Twilight huffed.

Cadance looked genuinely hurt by her girlfriend’s words. “Is it so bad that I want to enjoy loving your body-”

“What? Oh, come on, Cadance! Are we having our ‘Vacation Fight Moment’ before we even get started?”

“I’m not trying to fight, I just want to know-”

“Well you’re being immature, I just want to go to bed,” Twilight answered. “So just stop and let me read so I can calm down and actually feel tired enough to sleep. Please.”

“Sure. I’ll leave you alone. But first you’re going to tell me what’s got you so prickly because I don’t want to sleep next to a cactus,” Cadance said. Before there was a chance to protest she was atop Twilight, her glorious body holding down the woman and forcing her attentions to remain on the disgruntled face that could not be easily ignored. “I’ve got all night, you know.”

Twilight slammed her book shut with a venomous glare. “How are you older than me? I swear, you act your shoe size, not your age.”

“Well right now it’s out of love,” Cadance retorted- and giving the younger woman a quick kiss to prove it. “So out with it because you’re being mean.”

Twilight, now pushed to such a mood that even attempting to speak was out of the question, gave a roaring groan and acquiesced. “Fine. You know what my problem is? We are going to visit my mother, who –if you recall- drunkenly molested you and- and, uh… jeez- you know what you did, you know what she did. That night. And now, six years later, I am taking you to my grandparent’s house; you will be near my mother, whom you played like a fool, and my grandparents who have never met you- they don’t even know you. Now, because of you, me, and my mother having a history, I have no idea how to explain any of this! So when you and I just waltz on in to their house, I’ll have to find a way to explain, ‘Oh hey, this woman who’s twelve years older than me is my girlfriend and she’s also had sex with my Mom!’ Because that,” Twilight snarled, “is something I have no idea how to explain, like, at all. And you are not helping me do any of that at all!”

Cadance had yet to take her gaze elsewhere but dead center of Twilight’s own, she not showing an ounce of emotion as the young woman’s words tumbled out of her mouth like rocks down a mountainside. When she was certain that the fretted monologue was over, she leaned in and kissed her yet again, this time more slowly, more gently. “Twilight?”

“You’re not helping! Just give me an idea of what I’m supposed to do or something!”

“First, you’re going to relax. Take a deep, slow breath. In… and out,” she said, with a look that suggested it was more an order.

Twilight, shaken out of her mind for a moment, realized how charged her body had become; chest heaving, shoulders tight, breath coming in rapidly… the advice had been more necessary than she had known. One long breath came in her lungs, then exited with softness. “Sorry…”

“So am I. I should’ve guessed you were nervous,” Cadance said. “But if you need my help with something, I need you to tell me. I can’t always guess, OK?”

“Yes, I know, I just-”

“Was stuck being worried,” Cadance guessed. “But now you’re not stuck, so let’s try to think this over for a little bit. And I’m right here to help you make sure that you don’t freak yourself out again, OK?”

“I know, I know. It’s just different,” Twilight admitted. “I can bring someone with me, and I don’t think they’d bat an eye. If it was just some girl- yeah, it’d be different but I think I’d be able to smooth it over.”

“But because it’s me specifically…”

“It’s going to cause a whole lot more fireworks because of how many kinds of ‘different’ my grandparents will have to deal with. And that’s not even taking in how Mom will deal with it all,” she said. “Please don’t think I’m blaming you for anything. I promise I’m not.”

“I don’t, not at all. Trust me, I’m not exactly eager to see your mother again after- you know,” Cadance replied. “So do we have anything that we think could soften the blow of such a surprise?”

Twilight, the ever-brilliant thinker, was pushed to the height of embarrassment by her inevitable answer. “I have absolutely nothing. I can’t think of anything to say, save that I’m bringing someone with me. But even that’s not really enough.”

“Then… we just wing it,” Cadance said. “I’ll let you take the lead on this, and I’ll back you up on whatever you say. How’s that sound?”

“A bare minimum.”

“Ouch.”

“It’s still true,” Twilight said, sounding more reproachful than she’d meant to.

“What more can I do? I just… trust that you can figure this out when it comes to it. I’m certain they love you more than you think, and you’ve got more capability to deal with this than you believe of yourself. You’ll be able to see it through peacefully when the time comes.”

It wasn’t the greatest of assurances, but it was all she had. Twilight’s half-smile was all she could give in return, and hope that the long trip tomorrow wouldn’t be a ride of a thousand deaths. “So how about you get off of me so I can try and fail to get some sleep?”

“Only a little bit,” Cadance replied, slowly slithering her way off Twilight’s wry form, though not allowing the woman she adored to be free from her grasp. “In case you thought you were getting away…”

Twilight groaned and a wild hand pawed for the lamp switch, turning the bedroom to darkness and hoping she could find slumber before the sun rose once again.

Their long journey began gloomily, the weak fall sunlight unable to pierce through the thick cloud cover that had come in overnight. A miserable, damp day lay before them as they journeyed northwards, the cold weather not quite cold enough to turn the rain into snow; a horrid sleet met them in the early hours of the morning, while a frigid rain threatened their progress all the more.

A late morning stop for coffee let the two women surmise the situation, and they found it wanting. “If we don’t move quickly, this stuff is going to freeze over when the sun goes down.”

“Should we stop?” Cadance asked. “I don’t think we should risk driving if the roads are going to be that bad.”

“I don’t think so. We’re going to the suburbs, not the heart of Manehatten itself,” Twilight answered, though the speedometer showed a subtle increase of pressure on the pedal. “I’m more worried about traffic on the turnpike, if we’re going to get stopped anywhere particular.”

“How far away are we?”

“Umm… Five-? Six hours? Depends on how this all goes.”

“And you’re sure you don’t want to take a break and let me drive?” Cadance inquired.

“I’m sure. It’ll be easier if I keep going, since I know the route.”

The beautiful woman shrugged and turned back to try for further sleep, a move that disgruntled Twilight. It was understandable, but she was still envious. There had been little in the realms of sleep last night.

The weather took its time in turning to fairer skies, even if the heavy gray that was the clouds did not relent in its presence. The sleet turned to rain, and the rain to soft emptiness of absence as the dampened world turned dry and allowed the scene of mourning become something forbidding instead. Twilight, knowing just to what she was headed, found no comfort in the lack of earth-bound tears; there was an ominousness in the world now, held hidden by the rain and now free to taunt her worried mind.

Hours passed by slowly, and Cadance eventually joined her in the journey across the roads as she turned from the dreaming world to the waking one. Twilight’s responses were at first terse, quick; a gentle reprimand was reminder enough that she could relax instead. There would be enough trouble when the time came- she had no need to add to it beforehand.

“So what are your grandparents like?” Cadance asked as they drifted slowly through the miasma that was the turnpike. “I don’t think you’ve talked about them much.”

“They’re- well, grandparents. I guess. I’ve always enjoyed being around them,” Twilight answered. “Are they supposed to be a specific way?”

“Aren’t all grandparents super jovial and doting?” Cadance replied. “I bet they think you’re a prodigy, knowing that brain of yours.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “My Grandpa certainly does. My Grandma never seemed to know much of what to do, but I want to give her benefit of the doubt. She wanted to be a housewife and a mom since she was a girl, and that’s all she’d ever wanted. I guess the idea that her granddaughter could grow to be capable of a lot more was just… a lot for her take in.”

“And she still loves you just the same, I bet.”

Softness overtook the edge of anxiety that had been so difficult to cast aside, memory taking prominence. “When I was really little, she gave me this doll for a birthday present. Mom said I wouldn’t let anyone touch it, that I treated it like it was more fragile than a real baby was.”

“Aw…”

“Oh hush!” Twilight said with a grin. “My Grandma said it was something my Mom had had as a kid, and that she’d had as a kid- and apparently my Grandma’s Mom had owned as a kid herself. So I guess it was a big deal that she let me have it.”

“It is a big deal,” Cadance said. “Where is it? I haven’t seen it before.”

“Last I remember, I’d left it at home with Mom somewhere,” Twilight answered. “So it might be up here, at this point. I’ll have to ask.”

“I guess you will… what’s your grandfather like? What’s his name?”

Twilight had no capacity to hold back a laugh now. “Weekend Warrior- no, I’m not joking. He’s never called himself anything else, and Mom never called him by anything else either. He’s a retired veteran, and I guess he never saw himself as anything else. To me, he’s just Grandpa. He’s always been the best person I know, you’ll love him. Everyone does.”

“Sounds like an inspiration for a certain sibling of yours…”

“Shining loved talking to him for hours,” Twilight confirmed. “It was his chance to carry on the family legacy. And now he does, so it’s extra special for them both.”

“Was he disappointed you didn’t try out for anything?” Cadance asked.

“No, he never mentioned it,” she answered. “He’s Grandpa. He just wanted us to be cared for, to… to just be secure, and safe.”

“I bet he’s proud of you.”

“Yeah. I hope he is.”

The car turned from the highway and down to suburban streets, passing by main roads and off into shadowed neighborhoods that held home to trees of all kinds and shapes, ancient trunks harboring branches that covered across the entirety of the lanes below and leaving the early evening in darkness as they traveled along. Before too long, Twilight made a turn and pulled them into an elongated driveway where a dusted Cadillac lay outside an overstuffed garage.

“Well… we’re here.” Twilight felt her heart pounding painfully against her ribcage.

“Mhm. And they know we’re coming, right?”

“They know I’m bringing someone special,” she added. “As to how that goes over...”

Cadance felt for Twilight’s hand and gave it what strength she could, a smile on her lips displaying her own nerves regarding the ordeal. It was not to be easy for either of them. “We’ll see through it together, I guess,” she murmured.

“Yeah.” Without another word, the two women departed from their seats and walked up the stained cement path to the door where light shown through, and hoping that the nerves they held could not be so easily seen. One last breath, and Twilight gave a knock. “Oh please.”

A few seconds later, then the door opened to reveal a heavyset man with a gregarious expression upon his face, he pushing aside the outer door to greet them. “Twily!” he roared, the thunderous sound a perfect match for his jovial features. “And just when I thought I wouldn’t see you tonight!”

“Hi, Grandpa,” Twilight said happily, her voice swiftly becoming muffled as she was taken into his embrace. “It’s good to see you. Sorry it’s been so long.”

“And so am I! That only makes me all the happier that you’re here!” Warrior released his granddaughter from the depths of his grasp and turned to the awaiting Cadance, who greeted the massive man with a queasy, uncertain smile. “And we certainly haven’t met, otherwise I’d remember it! You’re Twilight’s… girlfriend. I’m right? Aren’t I?”

“I’m- I’m Cadance,” she whispered, offering a trembling, outstretched hand while Twilight looked on with a heart that seemed ready to burst. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Warrior took her in, a quick glance down and up with an unreadable expression that matched his silent tongue. “Twilight?” he asked gravely.

“Y-yes, Grandpa?” was the shaky reply.

“Well done. She’s at least an eleven.”

The unexpected response set Twilight to coughing, and Cadance found herself suddenly struggling not to laugh- and then struggling to breathe as the man’s back-breaking affections turned to her and nearly crushed bones.

“Ow! Oh my gosh-”

“It’s wonderful to see you both, come on in!” Warrior roared. “I’m sorry that I’m the only one to greet you, my wife, Velvet Gleam, and my daughter, are both out and about right now.”

Only one at a time, then, Twilight thought with relief. “Where is Mom, anyway?”

“With your grandmother. Gleam had to made a stop at the hospital last week- she’s fine, mind you. Just a cold that decided it needed to be pneumonia,” he said, taking notice of Cadance’s expression of concern. “The joys of growing old, darling- you’ll find out soon enough. They should both be back in a couple hours, Velvet wanted to stop and grab a few things from the grocery store before coming home.”

“Well at least that,” Cadance said. “I’m glad to hear she’s OK.”

“Aren’t we all? Come on, I’ve got a bottle of brandy I was just opening up, I’d be glad to share it with you,” Warrior declared. “Now just give me your bags –no, not a word of protest- and you two take a moment to stretch and relax. I’m sure the weather wasn’t pleasant in the slightest!”

“That’s one way of putting it,” Twilight murmured, and the two women slumped over on the nearby couch as they took in their surroundings. Darkened, but a comfortable place to be- even if the aged house was showing its cracks. Homey, open spaces were there and seemed perfectly suited for growing company. It would be a pleasant visit. “Better now that you can stretch out?”

“Ooh…” Cadance slunk back deep into the cushions of the old couch, breathing a sigh of deep satisfaction as she felt her sink and sink until it seemed she would be enveloped into them fabric. “Old couches feel more comfy than new ones, I swear. I could fall asleep right now.”

“What, you didn’t do enough sleeping when we were driving up here?” Twilight teased.

“I offered multiple times to take the wheel, Ms. Grumpypants.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have taken no for an answer.”

“That’s how you get arrested, Twilight,” Cadance replied.

“Well you have been a bad girl…” Twilight purred. The combination of exhaustion and the delight from her grandfather’s warm welcome was putting her into a mood that wasn’t quite family-friendly-

“And here we are!” Warrior said delightedly, returning to the living room with a crystalline bottle of brandy in one hand, and a trio of glasses in the other. “I’ve got you set in the guest room, across from Velvet. It’s a daybed with a trundle, but at least it will be comfortable.”

“Thank you, very much,” Cadance replied warmly, all the more grateful as he placed a glass full of brandy in her hand. “You didn’t need to go to such trouble.”

“Of course I did, you’re my guests!” Warrior declared, “and for one as special as you are to little Twilight… cheers, the both of you!”

It was turning out better than expected. Twilight happily took to her brandy, perhaps egged on by the weariness upon her bones. One strong gulp later and she was set to coughing, garnering laughter from her more experienced companions.

“Not a fan of brandy, are we?” Warrior asked.

“It’s strong, Grandpa!” Twilight wheezed, feeling as though her nose were streaming. “Please tell me you didn’t make this yourself.”

“What? Oh, no, not at all- but it is a special case, an aged cask I received from a friend of mine up near Yonkers. We served together back in ’73, he wanted me to have it for old times’ sake.”

“Twilight’s not as enthused by alcohol as others can be,” Cadance remarked. “It’s a good foil for me, so she keeps me in check. Although, she did find some splendid mead not too long ago. If we’d thought about it, we might have brought some of it with us for tomorrow.”

“And that would’ve been welcome, I haven’t had mead since I left Catskill back in ’64. But before we go any further,” Warrior said, giving his glass a stir, “I’m curious… How long did you think you’d be able to hide such a creature from the prying eyes of your family, Twilight?”

“Huh?”

“Well, if you expect people to not notice her, I think you’ve already failed in that regard. So how long have you two been together?”

“Well…” Twilight was certain she was getting a positive reception, especially since he seemed to be acting so courteous to Cadance- but how to explain the intricacies of such a relationship? “A- a few years, Grandpa. We did long distance for a little while when I was finishing up school, then I moved back home and we’ve been together since.”

“In the same house?”

“Umm…”

Warrior’s gaze darted between them both before giving a shrug. “Not like Gleam wasn’t pregnant with your uncle before we got married,” he said. “Just no accident babies, alright?”

“Grandpa! That doesn't even make...” Twilight wasn’t sure which emotion was going to win out in the maelstrom, but the embarrassment was certainly having its way with her mind at first. It didn’t help that Cadance was laughing right along with him.

“So how on earth did she find one such as you?” Warrior asked of Cadance, pouring her a light addition of brandy to her glass before adding a substantial amount to his own. “Don’t misunderstand me- she’s my favorite granddaughter! But Twilight always seemed more interested in books than she ever did in girls…”

“Then you’re going to love this,” Cadance said with a grin. “Would you believe she came to me first?”

“No!”

“And was by far the more confident one,” she added, sneaking a glance over at Twilight to make sure that she did indeed want to slump over in shame. “Made herself practically irresistible. How could I say no?”

Warrior laughed, and Twilight wanted to sink through the floor. It was going perhaps too well, Cadance and her grandfather already creating a wondrous rapport. How had it all happened so easily?

“Say… you both hear that?”

Twilight loosened herself from her mind’s machinations and let the sloping silence of the outside world enter her ears. It was not an absence of sound, but a natural quiet. Created by…

“Snow! Well, that’ll keep Gleam and Velvet stuck where they are,” Warrior muttered. “It’s coming down thick, I wouldn’t be surprised if the roads turn into a mess.”

“Jeez…” Twilight glanced out at the world outside and saw the thick blanket of white descending down, trying to form on the lower surfaces of earth and man-made creation that would contain it. “It’s as heavy as what we dealt with this morning.”

“You were safe coming up here, right? Twilight?” Warrior asked slowly.

“Yes, Grandpa, I promise,” Twilight answered. “Come on, it’s me. You know how I am.”

“Yes I do,” he muttered before turning to Cadance. “She drove all the way despite being tired, didn’t she?”

“Oh, you do know her well.”

Warrior’s glare was that of disapproval, Twilight trying to ignore the piercing of her spirit that came with it. “What?”

“Twilight…”

“OK! Yes, I’ll be more careful next time. I promise,” she said.

“Stubborn as always,” Warrior murmured. “Come on, then. Let’s all relax for a little while, then I suggest you two get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

Twilight had little to say for the rest of the evening, more or less content to let the friendly banter between Cadance and her grandfather continue on peacefully. She was eager to hear his stories of younger days, and he to hear of she and Twilight’s adventures together. It was all warm and teasing, playful and gentle-hearted. It was the first good sign she’d had, and the sight of it made Twilight feel heavy as she lay there on the couch.

“Alright, we seem to be losing our favorite girl,” Warrior remarked as Twilight’s chin suddenly found her chest. “I’ll close up shop so you two can take the hint. I’ll see you both in the morning!”

“Goodnight, Warrior,” Cadance said warmly, and when the great man was out of sight she turned to her beloved. “You take the shower first. I’ll be quick tonight.”

“Yeah.” Twilight was in no mood to argue and toddled her way to the bathroom where the warm water awaited her beckoning. A slow shower helped her tired muscles relax even further and it was the struggle of her night to relinquish her form from the comfort of the steaming flow. Changing into lighter, more comfortable clothes was a wonderful sensation on her skin, made all the better by the lightweight mattress and bedsheets onto which she fell. It had been a very, very long day.

Cadance reappeared not much later, hair still sopping wet as she fell onto the lower bed with a sigh, letting herself be taken in by the comforts that had been offered to her. “This is so nice,” she murmured.

“Yeah.”

“Your Grandpa’s really sweet, Twilight,” she said. “He really loves you a bunch. I’m glad I got to meet him.”

“Yeah. I am, too.”

“Tired?”

“Extremely,” Twilight said, and Cadance’s laugh that came in response was sympathetic.

“Well, I won’t keep you from dreaming any longer,” the older woman whispered, leaning over from her place on the daybed to stretch down and place a soft, sweet kiss on Twilight’s lips. “Sweet dreams, Love.”

“Night, Princess.”

To Twilight’s great surprise, it did not take her long to drift off to sleep and leave the waking world behind. Where she had expected resistance and discomfort had instead been given presence to comfort and safety, and the exhausted confusion she had borne all day now felt like an iron weight across her shoulders. Only sleep would relieve her of it, and glad was she for when relief came.

The first thing Twilight noticed when she slowly returned to the waking world was the cold that had crept into her skin. The additional warmth that came from body heat was no longer multiplied, simply she alone beneath the comfortable bedsheets. Through bleary eyes that protested at being opened, she turned to face upwards and her gaze turned to the daybed, surprised to find it empty. Cadance must have already woken up and departed without rousing her. Just how late is it? The pale light that was entering through the curtained window seemed to indicate morning was certainly here in some measure of strength.

“Well, look who finally rose from the grave!” Warrior greeted as she walked out into the living room, Cadance having taken a place on the recliner. “You must have been right out of it to sleep that long, it’s almost eleven.”

“Feeling better?” Cadance inquired.

“Yeah. A ton, really,” Twilight said, yawning and still feeling burdened by the heaviness of a deep slumber. “Mom and Grandma not back yet?”

“The snow fell thick last night. They likely won’t be back till this afternoon when the roads are cleared,” Warrior answered. “Your Grandmother is feeling much better, by the way. Velvet said she was practically tearing to be out of that hospital.”

“Sounds like her.”

“A tenacious woman, is she?” Cadance mused.

“And rules with an iron fist, like nothing you’d believe,” the burly man answered, eyes held strong with a serious gaze. “When I left for my second tour, I was gone for nearly two years, and suddenly she had all these ideas of being ‘in charge’ and that it was ‘her house’ that she could run as she pleased.”

Cadance hesitated. “How’d that work out when you came back?”

“Hell, I didn’t fight through the bush just to die here. I let her keep it that way!”

Typical, Twilight thought, though she couldn’t keep the smile away at response to such a dumb joke. “Is there any breakfast, Grandpa?”

“Bacon and biscuits are on the stovetop for you, and there’s coffee in the pot.”

A quick trip to the bathroom to splash water on her face first, then a steaming cup of coffee to help seal her escape from dreamland. The bacon was no longer warm but still crispy and tasteful, easily paired with the fresh biscuits. It wasn’t a massive meal, but that was no matter; Thanksgiving was here, and the real fun would come later.

When she arrived back in the living room with food and drink in hand, it was of little surprise to see Cadance and Warrior continuing their rapport from last night. Her Grandfather’s affable nature had easily charmed her girlfriend with only a few words, and the sight of it was a soothing thing for the younger woman to behold. This was a reunion she had worried would falter, but instead Cadance had been just as swiftly welcomed into the fold as Twilight had the day she had been born.

“Twilight?” Warrior’s voice poked through her inner dialogue, one well-armed by the pleasantries of breakfast.

“Mhm?”

“How quickly did you end up completing your Master’s?”

“Uh…” Twilight paused. “Like just the thing itself, or all of college?”

“Wait for it,” Cadance murmured-

“All of it, if you please.”

Why was she embarrassed by this? “Well, I, uh… got my Bachelor’s in two and my Master’s… in the other two.”

Warrior stared at her as though he couldn’t believe his eyes, Cadance laughing all the while at his stupor. “I told you,” Cadance said as she continued to giggle, “she’s scary. And the worst part is that she actually loves it, too. She likes working that hard.”

“It’s not that- well, it’s just work,” Twilight said, trying to get over herself and join in the mirth. “It’s not like I did anything super crazy or anything.”

“You told me you wrote your senior thesis in two hours,” Cadance countered.

“OK, so maybe that’s a little weird.”

“Did you bother to sleep at all during those four years?” Warrior asked lightly.

“I didn’t do anything abnormal! I just got it all done really fast.”

Cadance simply shook her head, knowing no argument would really be satisfied. “You are such a nerd.”

“Wanna talk nerds? You’re a principal, Cadance,” Twilight countered.

“You want to know what she calls me when we’re alone?” Cadance asked Warrior playfully.

Cold, cruel horror. “Oh, don’t you dare!” Twilight cried, not sure she’d be able to handle the humiliation of hearing such a thing spoken aloud in front of her own kin.

Cadance, in a fit of wondrous maturity, stuck out her tongue at her young girlfriend. “Can’t stand the heat? Step away from the fire,” she crowed.

Twilight wanted to say something back- something fierce, funny, and just the perfect balance between a real jab and something playful. It just so happened that now wasn’t the time for such a thing, and she simply spluttered as the vocabularies of spoken tongue failed her.

“Well, she’s certainly no delicate flower,” Warrior remarked. “No wonder you like her so much.”

“I’m gonna think of something, I swear,” Twilight promised. Cadance grinned and blew her a kiss, leaving the young neuroticist unsure of whether or not to laugh or simply continue stewing in her frustration.

“Oh come off it, both of you,” Warrior said gently. “Holidays are meant to be fun. Now come on, let’s watch the parade. You know, I went and saw it myself when I was a boy. My father took me…”

The morning departed and the high glow of the afternoon sun came, the three companions spending their time in laughter and playful joy. Warrior was an easygoing referee, and Twilight soon found her ability to go toe-to-toe with her beloved yet again. The frustration faded as light teasing came naturally once more, and peaceable natures regained their will. It could have continued on for hours-

“Hey! Now, there we are,” Warrior remarked, peering out the window as a grey-green sedan pulled into the driveway beside Twilight’s car. “I wondered what was taking them so long.”

“Grandma’s here?” Twilight’s stomach clenched in true force this time, the realization that her mother would be with her enough to revive the nerves that had grown dormant; the memories of a disaster, all the shame that had come with it, were about to come to a boiling point.

“Looks like it. And about time, too. Your mother said she’d have the side dishes covered for the meal.”

Twilight looked over at Cadance, who appeared just as nervous as she now felt. This wasn’t going to be some simple thing that was easily brushed aside. If things were to go wrong, it was going to happen the moment the two women walked through the door. It’s going to be OK, it’s going to be OK, Twilight told herself. Just breathe, and it’ll- this is gonna suck.

The thin wooden door was pushed aside and a familiar form of Twilight Velvet poked through slowly, the woman’s attentions more focused on her companion than the occupants of the room she had entered. Behind her, a gentle grip of the wrist helping steady her still-weary limbs, was the aged figure of Velvet Gleam, a somewhat hunched woman who possessed a look of faded beauty that had not yet totally declined in the face of age.

“There we go, Mom. You’ll be back in no time, I promise,” Velvet said softly, a pleasant warmth in her eyes as she spoke to her kin. “It’s just you being tired, don’t fret about it.”

“I’m not fretting, it’s just harder than it was when I left, that’s all,” Gleam murmured anxiously.

“Oh, don’t worry yourself, Peach!” Warrior said, coming over and giving his wife a hug and kiss as greeting. “You’ll be ruling the roost again before you know it. Now come on, take a seat, I’ll keep you company while the girls help get the rest of dinner ready. Sound good to you, Little Love?”

Warrior’s remarks to his daughter fell on deaf ears, for all the powers of observation and focus that she possessed had been settled fully, and solely, on the one visitor she had never expected to see again for the rest of her life. Eyes held violently wide, mouth agape, the mere sight of Cadance –in her ancestral home no less- had put Velvet into shock.

Gleam was relinquished from her husband’s grasp and, when catching sight of her daughter’s bewilderment, followed the open-mouthed gaze to Cadance, who was struggling not to squirm beneath the weight of this sudden, inevitable scrutiny. “And who are you?” she asked. “We haven’t met before, have we?”

“Oh, Cadance?” Warrior said pleasantly. “No, you haven’t. See, darling, this is-”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Velvet demanded, her voice ringing like a stroke of iron and breaking Twilight from the depths of her panic.

“Um.” Cadance, usually the one to be more calm and controlled, was at a loss. Face turning red, and her mind likely now swirling with horrid memories, her appearance gave no suggestion that she would find the means to recover swiftly.

Oh damn it all, I’ve got to save this! Twilight realized. “Hi, Mom,” she managed to squeak out.

“Why is she here?” Velvet said, her eyes darting between her daughter and the woman she abhorred, a slowly growing horror taking form on her face-

“Oh, you’ve met Cadance before? You should be proud, Velvet, Twilight chose well-”

“Oh my god- you did not!” Velvet cried, staring at her daughter in such disbelief that it was enough to take whatever semblance of courage the young woman had possessed. “Twilight, have lost your goddamn mind?”

“Easy now!” Warrior called, realizing that something had gone very amiss. “Velvet, what’s the matter?”

“Who are you?” Gleam asked again, looking at Cadance and Twilight with roiling confusion. “Are you a friend of my granddaughter or something?”

“So- uh, Grandma,” Twilight said, trying to find her voice and regain some control of this rapidly spiraling chaos. “This is Cadance -Cadance, this is my grandmother- Grandma, Cadance is-”

“Twilight!”

“Cadance is my… girlfriend,” Twilight said rather lamely, wishing she’d put more force into her words. “We’ve been dating for a few years now, so…”

“She’s what-”

“Twilight, what is wrong with you?” Velvet asked of her daughter, still seemingly held in a state of horror. “You told me that you wouldn’t see her again, why did you lie to me?”

“We got back together when I was working on my Master’s. Mom, it’s been fine. We’re happy, alright?” Twilight replied. “It’s not like last time, I’m not some immature, inexperienced kid. It was my choice, anyway.”

“It- Twilight, what is going on?” Warrior asked. “Please, fill me in.”

“Cadance dated Shiny for a while, and then we got together after I graduated high school for a little while,” Twilight answered, trying not to let the shame from such an awkward answer burn its way through the skin of her face. “It’s sorta weird, I know-”

“Oh that is bullshit and you know it, Twilight!” Velvet said, anger now coming forth to take the place of her shock. “This whore,” with a point to Cadance who flinched at the action, “groomed my daughter and then starting sleeping with her when she was still a student!”

Gleam gave a horrified gasp, and Warrior turned to Cadance with a grave, almost disappointed expression on his face. “Is that true, Cadance?” he asked, perhaps hoping that it wasn’t.

Cadance, who had clearly been floundering, now was assuredly drowning. “Well- so, I-”

“What?” No, Cadance! Don’t just agree with her!” Twilight said, her own anger entering the field. “No, she didn’t. I went to her- both times! Cadance didn’t think it’d be right to date a girl right after she graduated but I wouldn’t wait. And then we started up for real when I was in my third year of college. She didn’t do anything wrong either time!”

“Bullshit!” Velvet was in a rage now, inching closer and looking as though she would love to pop a hand across Cadance’s face. “You know exactly what she did, you can’t just defend her like that! She manipulated you and don’t you deny it, especially after she- she…”

As Twilight watched her mother falter, the anger within that had become like a roiling sea in the storm pushed her ever on. “Go on,” she challenged Velvet, fury pushing aside whatever thoughts of shame that could possibly come at the revelation. “Say it. It’s not like you weren’t there.”

Velvet was stuck. Her anger was fierce, but she knew full well to disclose the truth would leave her subject to humiliation.

A soft hand fell on Twilight’s shoulder, and the soft voice of Cadance entered the fray. “Twilight, it’s not a big deal,” she said lowly, “I can just-”

“No. No! You’re not doing anything wrong by being here! I want you here and it’s not your fault that Mom was acting like a stupid drunk!”

“Twilight, you need to relax,” Warrior cautioned-

“Yeah, Mom. I know- you got shit-faced drunk and you tried to have pathetic, drunken sex with Cadance,” Twilight yelled, feeling absolutely brazen. “But you’d gotten so sloshed that you creamed all over her clothes instead and then passed out on the couch. You’re just mad because you made yourself look like a total idiot!”

“Twilight, that’s enough, this isn’t helping-”

“How dare you!” Velvet hissed, coming right beside her daughter and leaving no space in which to hide. “At least I got better and- and actually am ashamed of what I did. You- you’re knowingly with the woman who tricked you, and- and me, to…”

“We both grew up,” Twilight said firmly. “Accept it. I’m happy with my choice. I lead, I keep us balanced. Just let it be.”

Velvet was truly struggling now, seemingly caught between a whirlwind of emotions and a surplus of words that didn’t know how to be spilled out in proper form.

“Alright, this is all very interesting, but all this anger is not going to solve anything,” Warrior said, trying to punch through the diatribe. “Now, it’s going to be a strange holiday but we can all relax, enjoy ourselves, and accept Cadance as a new member of the family. We are happy to have her here with us, even if we don’t know it yet. She’s a lovely woman who’s made Twilight very happy, and she’s been a good influence on her-”

“Bullshit,” Velvet countered her father, not letting her gaze be ripped away from her daughter’s still-defiant eyes. She leaned in and whispered, “It’s us or her, Twilight.”

There had been low blows, words said in anger, emotions let slip and given excess leash- but this was something different entirely, a far more cruel cut across the heart. “What?” Twilight whispered.

“I won’t see her with you. I- I can’t,” Velvet said, eyes misting as she forced herself to speak on. “You know I can’t. So if you want to be with Cadance, then- then I will not have you as my daughter anymore. Or ever again.”

Twilight couldn’t find the words to respond. Of course she couldn’t, what sort of thing could be said in the face of such a threat? She backed away from her mother’s resolve and found herself wrapped in and held fast by Cadance’s embrace, the two women now standing as strangers in foreign territory. It was an unthinkable, horrible decision to be forced to make.

Warrior, still trying desperately to salvage the situation from completely burning the house down, turned to his still-silent wife. “Gleam,” he said at last, “this is Twilight, of all people. The smartest of us, the sweetest. Surely if she loves Cadance then that’s good enough for the rest of us, isn’t it? All the foolishness of years gone by can be forgotten.”

Gleam looked at her husband, then at her daughter, before finally finding Cadance and Twilight standing there, anxiously awaiting the hammerfall. Maybe, just maybe, it could work out in the end.

Please, Grandma. Twilight had nothing else she could hope to say. Please, just-

“You ruined my granddaughter,” Gleam said coldly, her frigid words cutting like the reaper’s scythe as she glared at the wilting Cadance. “She was a good girl, sweet and quiet and never a cross word across her tongue. Now she’s become some… some kind of pervert. Because of you, you despicable slut!”

It was the last straw, Twilight’s anger now absolutely blazing. “Oh, so it’s her fault that I made these choices?” she roared. “Like I don’t have autonomy! Well too bad, because this is all my idea! And so,” she added, taking Cadance in her hands, “is this!” And without another word she took Cadance’s lips to hers and upon them placed an incredibly forceful, fiery kiss.

Gleam gave a shriek and Velvet raised an arm to strike-

“That is enough!” Warrior said, his voice thundering through the maelstrom and bringing the chaos to a halt. “I did not shed blood and life in some jungle hellhole for any sort of violence to happen in my home! This will end- now!”

“Twilight, come on,” Cadance whispered, trying to drag the younger woman away from the scene. “Just a little further-”

“You two, to the bedroom,” Warrior ordered, “I’ll deal with these two. Just wait for me there.”

Cadance took no time in heeding his words, resorting to having to push Twilight out of the living room and down the hall to the guest room, slamming the door shut just as a fresh wave of shouts came to meet their ears. “Well,” she muttered, “Well- damn.” The beautiful woman turned from the chaos that was beyond the door and faced Twilight with no small measure of vexation. “Why did you do that? You knew that wouldn’t help things!”

Twilight barely heard her, still held in the realm of untamed, feverish emotion that ruled over reason. She didn’t want to respond, only to act or shout aloud yet again- but the hot, painful feeling of such thoughts went away just as quickly, leaving her consumed by the hollow void of a stomach that could only be called horror.

“Twilight! Come on, answer me!” Cadance insisted. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, I really am. But why didn’t you just try to talk her down?”

“Mom disowned me,” Twilight whispered.

“She- wait, Velvet disowned you?”

“She said if I wanted to stay with you, she’d disown me,” Twilight whispered, the magnificently terrible reality crushing her bones. “And- and now, I’ve gone and… she doesn’t want me anymore.”

Cadance’s horrified look swiftly changed to sympathy, she embracing Twilight tightly and trying to help soothe the pain from such a deep, fresh wound. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I’m sorry, I’m… I’m so sorry.”

They waited. Raised voices and stomping feet passed by their door as the hours passed, not a single knock or call for their presence coming by. When the darkness had begun to fall, the door clicked open and in came the hulking figure of Warrior, looking weary as though he had just fought a war’s worth of violence in a single battle.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.

Warrior sighed, slumping over as he took a seat on the bed. “Well, the dinner is ruined,” he muttered. “And I wish that was the least of the problems.”

“What happened? What did Mom say?”

“She…” Warrior’s eyes held a lifetime’s worth of grief. “She refuses for you to be in the same house as she,” he said. “And your grandmother…”

“She wants me arrested?” Cadance guessed.

A miserable, barking laugh. “She told me to come in here and kill you,” Warrior replied. “I tried my best to convince them, Twilight. I promise I did.”

Twilight guessed at what that meant. The stinging in her eyes was happening too soon, the lump in her throat far too large. “I messed everything up, didn’t I?”

“No, you did not,” Warrior impressed upon her. “You and Cadance have been nothing but wonderful, joyous company- and I am very glad of you both. But I can’t convince them of the same, and I don’t know how long they’ll stay subdued.”

“We understand,” Cadance said swiftly. “We’re really sorry to have made such a mess.”

“My daughter made the mess. Now I’ll see if I can help her clean it up.” Warrior gave his granddaughter a strong hug, in which he spoke of all the regrets and pains and sympathies he couldn’t figure out how to voice. “I’ll keep trying. I’ll get through in the end.”

“Goodbye, Grandpa.”

“Until next time, Twily.”

Quickly, quietly, the two woman grabbed their things and made for the door where Warrior awaited them, a heavy bag of leftovers in his hand. “For when you make it home.”

And without another word, into the black of the early night they went.

It was somewhere past two when Cadance pulled the car in beside the pump, the drying tank having been protesting its thirst for the past ten miles. The ride had been in cold, stony silence, perfectly befitting the dark lifelessness of the road upon which they had traveled. It would be more packed when morning came- and by then, it was the hope that they would be safely in their own bed when dawn decided to make an appearance.

“Pass me my wallet, would you please?” Cadance asked. “My purse is beneath your feet now, I think.”

Silently, Twilight leaned down and grabbed the requested item and placed it in her beloved’s hand, eyes still staring out blankly.

Cadance bit her lip. Maybe just not yet. She stood there in the cold as the gas filtered on down, giving them the strength for one last push to be homeward bound. She’d have to say something eventually. As she finished and set the pump back in place, the welcome toastiness of the cabin was a welcome relief from the frigid air outside. And Twilight sat there, still so quiet.

“Twilight?” she ventured. “Twilight, I’m sorry. I know I’ve said it before, but- but those stupid things I did years ago, I wish I could take them back. I guess your mother was right about me.”

“No she wasn’t,” Twilight said flatly. “She never was.”

“Are you OK, Twilight?” Cadance’s heart ached at the sight of the woman she loved so utterly defeated.

“I’m just angry at what she said about you,” came the answer. “How petty and selfish would I have to be to care about anything else?”

A hand reached out, trying to find Twilight’s well-hidden pair, to reach for fingers that did not want to be caressed and loved and given warmth of human comfort. She resisted and resisted, trying to be out of reach of the woman who adored her, only for each effort to bring new pain and tears that finally broke down the barrier. Twilight simply sat there as Cadance tried to shush the agonies into silence, letting the young woman weep in mourning.

Twilight had lost her family.

Author's Note

Fuck's sake that got long. Shit.

Wanted to portray some accuracy here. Think I did alright.

Keep reading, if you want.