Canterlot
Royal Palace
Royal Greenhouse
The Canterlot Royal Palace was a well-know attraction in Equestria, with tourists visiting the place everyday. One of the palaces that didn't get as much attention was the Royal Greenhouse, though traffic was still heavy as tourists visited to see the rare and beautiful plant life within, some of them being perhaps the last or only of their kind in the world. The greenhouse itself was quite the sight: It was a huge enclosure consisting of five adjoining domes that house thousands of plant species and each emulated a natural biome almost perfectly. Each of the dome covered three point nine acres and was a hundred and eighty feet high, three hundred and twenty-eight feet wide, and six hundred and fifty-six feet long. Within the many plants were a truly breathtaking sight with many in the open so their various scents mixed in the air while others were encased within their own mini-greenhouses.
As a large attraction of its own, Guards were needed to keep thieves off the rarer and/or more dangerous plants. Which was where one of the Night Guards had been assigned to. The Guard was a Winged Thestral Stallion a good head taller than most Stallions and had a dark grey coat, the trademark deep blue webbed mane, wings, and tail and a dark yellow eye. His Cutie Mark was a picture of a sunset with a large dust devil in front of it and over his left eye was a black eyepatch.
This Stallion was Dusk Storm, a sergeant with his own squad that was currently spread out through the greenhouse and keeping an eye open for anything amiss. It was late in the day and the vast majority of visitors had since left to head home or whatever inn or hotel they were staying at with only a few still around, not counting the workers or his squad. It was a bit boring but Dusk in all honesty didn't mind at all, he liked the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere of the greenhouse and after what had happened earlier that day before his shift started the atmosphere was just what he needed.
Dusk had been dating a Unicorn Mare that his twin sister Rose Silver had introduced him to a year ago, only for him to find out this morning that she had been cheating on him and using his clearance to get into areas she wasn't allowed. Thankfully she hadn't got into any of the more serious areas that would have gotten him discharged and likely imprisoned, Needless to say the fight they had after she'd been caught was best left unsaid, Dusk was let off the hook after an investigation and it was discovered she had been going behind his back by using his name to get her into restricted areas.
Dusk had never felt as betrayed as he had then, especially after finding out she had been cheating on him since day one. Heck, as it turned out she had been cheating on another Stallion with him. It was also found out that this Mare had a record of this kind of thing. Dusk wasn't the only one enraged at the betrayal either, the other Stallion was just as angry as he had been. After the smoke had cleared and the Mare was carted off to prison the two had met and talked things out over a coffee, they'd actually became friends fairly quickly and had parted ways on good terms, wishing each other luck and agreeing to meet up again sometime. Now Dust was guarding the greenhouse, patrolling the paths for anypony that should not be there, and the atmosphere was helping him relax from the stress greatly. Rose Silver had been absolutely distraught when she got the news and had come to him crying and apologizing to him, as she had been the one to introduced them to each other. He had merely pulled her into a hug and just rubbed her back until her sobbing stopped and she fell asleep in his forelegs, after she had woken up he had told her that she was not to blame for the mess at all as she had clearly no idea that something like this would happen.
He had already passed and exchanged information with his squadmates several times now and all was well, nopony had tried to steal anything and their shift would be over soon. Dusk pasted by a few of the workers who gave him a greeting as he pasted which he returned with a nod of his head, he didn't really know any of them and with the mood he was in he didn't want to snap at any of them. Though by now his mood had improved considerably, a small smile on his face. He turned a corner to do one last lap before his shift was over and walked, quite literary, into an Earth Pony Mare that was coming from the other way and both due to their angle ended up falling in a tangle of wings, hooves and tails with yelps of surprise and the sound of a full watering can spilling all over them.
Dusk recovered quickly and stood up, shaking the water off and reaching out with a hoof to help the Mare up when he froze at the sight of her. The Mare had a leaf green coat, rose red mane and tail tied up with blue ribbons, and yellow eyes. Her Cutie Mark was a bundle of roses. Dusk had caught glances of her during the shifts here but had never really gotten this close as their paths never crossed, that is until now. Now that Dusk had gotten a good look at her he was stunned by her, she had to be the most beautiful thing in the greenhouse, and that was saying a lot considering the exotic flowers that where here. He was brought out of his thoughts hearing the Mare groan as she rubbed her head and looked up, blinking at the sight of the Winged Thestral in Night Guard Armor.
"Oh, I'm sorry there sir. I didn't see or hear you."
Dusk just gave her a gentle smile and offered a hoof to her which she took with a little smile and stood up.
"It's okay miss, I didn't 'ear you coming either." Which was actually both very surprising and a bit alarming to him as his sense of hearing was very good as with other Thestrals.
"Which I find a bit funny as you are a Thestral so you should have heard or at least smelled me coming." She said with a lighthearted smile, clearly trying to show him that she was only joking. Dusk for his part just gave her a cheerful smile of his own and gave a laugh.
"I'm just as surprised as you are miss...?" He trailed off, not knowing her name.
"Graceful Petals, but you can just call me Grace, everypony here does." Grace said with a little dimple, which Dusk found to be quite cute.
"Nice to met you Grace, my name's Dusk Storm."
"Nice to met you Dusk. If I may ask, how did a Night Guard like you end up guarding the Royal Greenhouse?"
Before Dusk could answer a beeping from his left foreleg was heard and he looked at the watch he used to help keep track of his shifts, which the current one had just ended and the next shift would be coming in a few minutes. Dusk was a little disappointed as he was actually enjoying Grace's company even if they only met two or three minutes ago. Grace, as if sensing his disappointment, spoke up.
"Well Dusk, I'm almost done here. If you want, we could meet at the Castle Gates and head down to Donut Joe's to just chat for awhile."
Dusk thought about her offer of a second and smiled.
"Sure Grace, I'll met you there once I get my armor stored."
They said their byes and went their separate ways, Grace to refill her watering can and Dusk to met with his squad and put his armor away.
A few minutes later
Dusk and Grace met up at the Castle Gates as planned and walked into Donut Joe's, while not the most popular place in Canterlot it was well visited by students from various schools and off-duty Guards for the delicious sweets and nice atmosphere, and low prices. Dusk ordered a cream-filled donut and a cup of coffee while Grace ordered a chocolate cake donut with a mug of hot chocolate, Dusk smiling as Grace told him she loved chocolate a lot after he had asked. Once they got their orders they sat at one of the tables and started talking while enjoying their donuts and drinks.
"So Grace, to answer your question from before; While I'm in the Night Guard I do 'ave day shifts on a more common basis, I don't mind it as my squad is mostly Day Ponies and it gives me more of a chance to 'ang out with them after our shifts plus it allows me to 'ang around with my twin sis when we can."
Grace blinked, then asked,
"Would your sister by any chance be Rose Silver?"
"That she would be lass, I take you know her?"
"Yes, her and I are good friends though because of our work we don't really get much time to hang out. She spoke quite well of you."
Dusk smiled at that.
"Aye, my sister is that way: A sweet and friendly Mare but not one you want to anger."
Grace chuckled.
"Yea, I still remember when she cold-clocked that one Stallion that got a little too "Fresh" with her."
"Indeed, Rose only allows those she trusts to give 'er a good slap on the rump and get away with it."
The two laughed, then Grace looked at Dusk's eyepatch.
"Ah Dusk, if you don't mind me asking..."
"You're curious about my eye lass?"
Grace nodded her head.
"I don't mind, I was actually born completely blind in the left eye and I wear the patch so others wouldn't 'ave to look at the milky-white orb that was suppose to be an eye."
Grace stared at the eyepatch, then asked with a slight head tilt,
"I know another Pony, a Cave Thestral Stallion, who is also blind in his left eye. Perhaps you know him; his name's Blasting Cap." Dusk smiled.
"Indeed I do lass, Blasting Cap is mine and Rose's father."
Grace blinked, and let out an "Ooohhhhh, That would make sense then."
The two of them continued to chat for the next few hours learning more about each other, but eventually they had to head back to their own homes, but they made arrangements to keep meeting up at Donut Joe's after work.
Time Passes
Dusk and Grace quickly became very good friends, enjoying each other's company as they hung out together sharing stories. Rose was very happy the two got along so well, feeling a lot better after what had happened though Dusk had told her to not blame herself. Rose had said that she had been the one to introduce him to his ex-Marefriend but Dusk and Grace had glanced at each other, shared an evil-looking and pounced Rose, pinning her to the ground and tickling her like no tomorrow, with Dusk also giving his sister little nips to her belly which make Rose squeal harder with laughter alongside the tickling both of them were giving her.
After a few months Dusk when up to Grace and asked her if she would be his special somepony, which she answered by tackling him onto his back hugging him like a giant teddy bear and nuzzling him like no tomorrow. Dusk was quite surprised by that but quickly recovered and wrapped his forehooves and wings around Grace, hugging and nuzzling her back happily.
Now Dusk found himself standing with Grace in front of the two-story home of the latter's parents, waiting somewhat anxiously as Grace knocked on the door. Dusk was wearing cherry-red dress suit with a violet undershirt and sea-foam green tie while Grace was wearing a simple Ocean-blue sundress which Dusk thought looked very nice on her, she noticed Dusk's nervous expression and gently placed a hoof on his shoulder, leaning up to gave him a kiss on the check.
"It's okay Dusk, I know my parents will love you, they are very open-minded and in all honesty view the dislike towards Thestrals as wrong and backwards. Part of that being my Grandpa on my dad's size is a Cave Thestral, You'll be fine."
Dusk nodded and drew in a breath, and slowly released it. He trusted her and her word. The door opened with a click to reveal an Earth Pony Stallion half a head taller than Dusk and was quite muscular, he had a dark green coat with an orange mane and tail and bright red eyes. His Cutie Mark was a cluster of Venus Flytraps on a white background. The Stallion noticed Grace first and gave a very warm smile and spoke, his voice unexpectedly soft for a Pony his size.
"My little Petals, it's so nice to see you again." He leaned down as Grace came up to wrap her forelegs around his neck in a hug as he gently return it with one of his own around her shoulders.
"You too dad, sorry I haven't been able to visit as much as I usually do. I've been a little busy."
They pulled out of the hug and the Stallion noticed Dusk, his eyebrows raising a bit but there was no hostility from what Dusk could see, only curiosity.
"Who's your friend Grace?"
"Dad, this is Dusk Storm. A Night Guard and now my Coltfriend." Grace said motion to said Thestral, who gave a nervous smile as the other Stallion's eyebrows raised further up. Grace continued.
"Dusk, this is my dad Trapper Plant, he also works in the Royal Greenhouse but in the deeper areas so we don't really see each other. His job involves handling the various carnivorous plants the place holds."
Trapper gave Dusk a smile and reached forward with a hoof, which Dusk shook.
"Pleasure to meet you Dusk, and no need to be nervous. I'm not gonna try to be the "Intimidating Father", I'm too easy-going for that and I know for a fact that my daughter can handle herself just fine."
"N-nice to meet you too, sir." Dusk replied nervously, finishing the hoofshake.
“Please Dusk, just call me Trapper. Come on inside, both of you,” he said, moving aside to let them in, shutting the door once they had entered. Almost immediately they were greeted by Grace's mother; A lithe Unicorn Mare a little taller then Grace with a rose red coat and spring green mane and tail, both of which were quite long and puffed out, which made them look almost like a cloud, Dusk guessing mentally that Grace's father must love cuddling with her mother. Her eyes were a nice shade of orange and her Cutie Marks was a bundle of various types of flowers. The Mare's eyes were as bight as the sun upon seeing Grace.
"Graceful Petals, my little rose, how are you?"
"Just great mom."
The two shared a big hug as they nuzzled each other warmly, pulling out the elder Mare noticed Dusk.
"And who's this Grace?"
"Mom, this is Dusk Storm, a Night Guard and my Coltfriend. Dusk this is my mother Flower Garden, like my dad she works in the Royal Greenhouse handling some of the very rare flowers."
Flower smiled at Dusk and, to his surprise, pulled him into a hug when he went to shake hooves. He was frozen for a second, but relaxed as he hugged back, remembering the hugs his own mother had given him and Rose before she had "left". Pulling out of the hug Flower spoke.
"Pleasure to meet you Dusk, I knew your mother before she... "left", she was a great Mare and an even better friend."
Dusk gave a sad smile.
"Thank you."
Grace looked confused.
"Wait, Dusk, what happened with you mother?"
"She... passed away from an illness when Rose and I were Foals, leaving us with just our dad who was 'it pretty 'ard by the loss. Thankfully we 'ad dad's long-time friends who 'elped us through the worse of it."
Grace put a hoof over her mouth and walked forward, wrapping Dusk in a hug which he returned.
"I'm okay now Grace, it does still 'urt a little but I know mom won't want me to be stuck in mourning for her."
They pulled out as Flower, wanting a change of subject, spoke up.
"So are you two hungry? I made lasagna."
Grace's eyes brightened considerably and her tail wagged up her dress.
"Ooooh sweet!" She turned to Dusk, "Mom makes an excellent lasagna, you'll love it Dusk."
"Really?" Dusk asked with an eyebrow raised, "Well then, I'm looking forward to it."
"It's nearly done, and then we’ll all be able to sit down and have a nice chat,” Flower told them. “I'm look forward to getting to know the Stallion who’s dating my little rose of a daughter,” she added, before she headed back into the kitchen to check on the pasta dish. As she did Dusk looked at Grace.
"Little Rose?" Grace blushed as Dusk giggled a bit.
"It's a nickname I got after taking care of a weak and badly damaged rose when I was a Filly, I wasn't willing to see it die so I went up to it and started taking care of it. Everypony else believed the rose wasn't going to make it but I refused to give up that easily, and a few days later I was rewarded as the flower had not just healed but also grown greatly in size."
Trapper came up to Dusk and said,
"You should have seen it Dusk, the flower's bloom was bigger the Grace, big enough for her to lay in and not damage the petals." Grace then gave a fond smile.
"That was the day I got my Cutie Mark." Trapper then added,
"And slept in the bloom of the rose." Grace gave him a playful scowl.
"Well it was better than the thorns." Trapper and Dusk laughed.
"I'm only teasing Grace," Trapper turned to Dusk, "We actually still have that rose, magically kept alive, in the greenhouse."
Dusk thought for a second, then blinked as it came to him.
"Ya mean that giant rose in the "Rare Flowers Section"? I've seen it many times during my patrols and always wondered 'ow it got so big. If I remember correctly, it's one of the biggest attractions in the Royal Greenhouse."
Grace smiled proudly.
"The very same one, I'm quite proud of it."
Trapper chuckled as the three entered the living room which had a set of two dark-blue couches with a small coffee table in between them at the center of the room, the white walls giving the room a bit of a cozy feeling which was further enhanced by the brick fireplace that had a flame burning and sending the warmth into the room. Dusk sat down on one of the couches next to Grace as Trapper sat down on the other soon joined by Flower after she pulled the lasagna and set it on the counter to cool.
Once they were comfortable Trapper was the first to speak.
"So Dusk, how did the two of you met?"
"Well it went like this; My squad and I were tasked with guarding the Royal Greenhouse and it was close to the end of our shift, I was taking one more lap just to be sure when Grace and I, quite literary, run into each other and went down in a tangle of wings, hooves and tails with yelps of surprise and the full watering can Grace was carrying spilling all over us." Grace laughed a little at the memory as Dusk added;
"I still don't know 'ow she managed to sneak up on me like that, you would think as a Thestral I would have either 'eard 'er 'oof steps or caught 'er scent coming up."
Both parents smiled and laughed at the story, from there Dusk which some import from Grace told the story of how they first hung out together and how their relationship grew. Both parents frowned when Dusk told them of the break-up he had before meeting Grace but had perked up as the story when on, once Dusk reached the part where Grace had tackled him after asking her to be his special somepony both Flower and Trapper laughed out loud as Grace brightly blushed.
"I will admit Grace gets that from me." Flower said after calmed down. "I did the same thing to Trapper when he asked me the same question." Trapper wrapped a hoof around his wife.
"That she did, knocked me right out of my chair right in front of our whole school. The cheering and clapping were nice and I did quite enjoy the vice-grip hug she gave me." Dusk smiled and looked at Grace, who smiled sweetly back at him.
"I guess that's where Grace gets it from too, not that I'm complaining as I do really enjoy those hugs." Grace leaned against him and sighed as Dusk wrapped a wing around her as he looked back at her parents again, both of whom were smiling at the display of affection.
"Dusk," Flower asked." If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your eye?"
"I don't mind, you see I was born blind in my left eye. It's genetics as my dad also is blind in his left eye." Trapper nodded and spoke next.
"Has it caused you any problems?"
"Not really no, it's never really bothered me as I still 'ave one good eye and my other senses have 'elped made up for the loss of vision. Though it did take some getting use to the lack of depth perception as during my early years as a wee lad I kept running into things, now though I've actually used the literary blind eye to my advantage more then once; most opponents think that because I'm blind in the left eye they can sneak up on me, only to find out that I still 'ave my more finely tuned senses to counter that blindness."
Trapper nodded.
"We had noticed that your ears are on a constant swivel, a habit you picked up?"
Dusk nodded.
"Aye, one of the first actually." Flower then spoke up.
"Well Dusk, would you like to ask us a few questions now."
"Aye I would," He thought for a few minutes then turned back to them.
"If you don't mind, how did the two of you met?"
Trapper went first.
"In the Royal Greenhouse believe it or not, only we didn't run into each other." Flower continued.
"I was on my lunch break when a Stallion, Trapper here, came up and asked if he could sat with me as there were no other spots. The poor Colt was blushing so badly that I though his coat was gonna turn red." She let out a laugh as Trapper picked up from there.
"I'd had a crush on Flower Garden for a long time but never had the guts to talk to her, than my friends got us to sit together by either making sure all the other sits were filled or removing the ones they couldn't, leaving me with no other choice but to sit with Flower.
"He was incredibly nervous, when lunch was over he asked if I wanted to go out on a date. I said yes and he shook trying to not jump for joy, stuttered the time we would meet, and turned around, walking right into the wall face first."
Trapper smiled as he blushed from the memory and Dusk and Grace both started laughing, which increased when Trapper told them that he was so nervous meeting Flower's own parents that he actually fainted, and apparently Flower Garden wasn't much better but she managed to stay standing until Trapper's farther had left the room to check on their supper at the time. They soon sat down at the dinner table and eating the lasagna, which Dusk really enjoyed and even asked for the recipe. During and after supper the four chatted long into the night, sharing stories and getting to know each other better including Dusk seen Grace's baby pictures, much to her embarrassment. Eventually however Dusk and Grace had to leave to head back to their homes but not without Dusk getting another hug from Flower and Trapper whispering to him that he had his approval, Trapper could tell that Dusk was a good Stallion and hoped he was the right one for Grace. Dusk had also learned that Grace had suffered her own break-up the day before they met, she hadn't said anything because it was rather painful for her, the only thing she would say about it is that her ex had went after her with less-then-pleasant intentions and was now in jail.
Dusk didn't ask for anymore information, believing it best to let old ghosts rest.
A couple of weeks later
Dusk was sitting next to the lake located close to Canterlot, waiting for Grace. The poor Mare had been having some stressful days at work and from the fact she would be meeting Dusk's family tomorrow, so Dusk had suggested a nice afternoon swim on their day off work to relax and unwind. He didn't have to wait for too long as Grace came up and he turned to greet her, only to freeze at the sight of her: Grace looked as beautiful as she always had to him but she was wearing a dark red one-shoulder one-piece swimsuit with a green belt and blue buckle and a large cloth red rose on the single strap that went over her right shoulder and a smaller one on the left front of her belt. Now Dusk didn't know much about clothing other than his armor and eyepatch and never really understood why some Ponies would feel the need when for the most part they went around with only their fur coats. He did understand certain situations where it was useful, like to keep warm in cold weather or if wet from swimming. Now, there were a number of Ponies who wore swimwear to keep warm at least a little bit, and make themselves more attractive, which is what was going on with Grace. The suit she wore was nice by itself but the way it hugged her body only increased the look of her curves, which was why Dusk was frozen at the sight of her in it.
Grace giggled at his expression.
"I wanted to try out this suit that Blue (Bluebelle) got me for my birthday and thought this would be a good chance." She walked over to a nearby tree and stood on her hind legs. "What do you think Dusk?"
Said Thestral didn't answer with his voice, he didn't need to, as his body did for him. With a loud "BOING!" his wings had snapped out and were fully displayed for her to see the muscle and well taken-care-of membrane, both of which caused Grace to blush but smile happily.
The two enjoyed their swim after Dusk regained control and he had been right, the swim had relaxed the stress away and they ended the swim with Dusk leaning against a rock with Grace on his lap with his forelegs around her waist, Grace still in her swimsuit.
The next day
Grace let out a small whimper looking up at the large, three-story house that Dusk's family shared, from what her Coltfriend had told her his family was quite large with his dad, twin sister, two aunts, one uncle, and eighteen cousins. She have been shocked at the number, even more so when Dusk told her that his two aunts and one uncle were very active. Dusk looked over at her and laid a wing over her back, a gesture that Grace had come to love very much.
"It's alright Grace, like you told me with yours, my family will love you. From what I understand you already know my dad so there's no reason for the rest to 'ate you."
Grace leaned into his side and nuzzled his shoulder and neck.
"I know, it's just... I don't know, nerves maybe. I just want this night to go well."
"It will me lass," He leaned down and nuzzled her head which Grace leaned into with a relaxed sign as Dusk continued. "I'll be right by your side the whole time."
He reached up and knocked on the door, after a minute or two it opened to reveal a Cave Thestral Mare with a light grey coat and dark blue mane and tail with three stripes of light blue, and green eyes. Her Cutie Mark was a bundle of white roses. At first she appears to be a bit surprised to see Dusk, but that quickly changes as a huge smile appears on her face and she pulls the stallion in for a hug.
“Dusky! I am so happy to see you again.”
Dusk smiled as he returned the hug.
"You too auntie.
Once she released him from the embrace, she looked over his shoulder and only then realized that Dusk hadn't come alone. She looked Dusk again.
"Who's this Dusky?"
"Auntie, this is my marefriend Graceful Petals or just Grace for short." Said Mare gave a small wave with a nervous smile as Dusk introduced Grace to his aunt.
"Grace, this is Moon Rose, one of my aunts and also a gardener by trade."
Said aunt looked shocked at what Dusk had said, blinking and shaking her head before looking at her nephew.
"Dusky... did you say "Marefriend"?"
"I did auntie." Dusk answered as he placed a wing over Grace's back.
Moon Rose looked between the two as her mind rolled over what Dusk had said, before a huge, open-mouthed smile appeared over her face and she scooped to two up in a big hug. The two letting out surprised yelps as Moon Rose pulled them inside the house and closed the door, setting them down after she did.
"Come on in you two, I know the others will be thrilled at the news."
"How many are here auntie?" Dusk asked, worried about overwhelming Grace.
"Only me, your dad, my herd sister, and the triplets. Everypony else is out at Hollow Shades right now and wouldn't be back until later this week." Dusk let out a sigh of relief.
"Okay good, I was worried about overwhelming Grace here with how big the family is." His aunt gave him a smile.
"I can understand that sweetie, meeting a family as large as ours would be a bit much all at once for anypony." She turned and cupped her hooves over her mouth.
"Dusk's home, and he's got some news!"
Within seconds there was the thumping of hooves as the three were joined by five more Thestrals; Dusk's father Blasting Cap, a Cave Thestral Stallion a good head and a half taller than most Stallions with a dark grey coat, the trademark deep blue webbed mane, wings, and tail and a dark yellow eye. His Cutie Mark was a heavy-looking but still small, glowing, spiked bomb with large, blunted spikes and over his left eye was a black eyepatch. Moon Rose's herd sister Shooting Star, a Horned Thestral with light blue coat, yellow and pink mane and tail, and light blue eyes. Her Cutie Mark was five stars flying in a V formation with black trails behind each. And Dusk's two nieces and one nephew; Lilly Nightrose, a Cave Thestral Filly with a royal blue coat, pale pink mane and tail, and yellow eyes. Star Lilly, a Horned Thestral with a light grey coat, yellow mane and tail, and green eyes. And Nocturnal Lace, a Winged Thestral Colt with a blue/grey coat, green mane and tail, and dark blue eyes. The eyes of the three Foals brightened seeing Dusk and charged before anypony could stop them.
"Uncle Dusk!"
Dusk only had time to bring his forelegs up to catch the three before they plowed into him at full force, knocking him onto his back with an "Oooff!" as the three hugged and nuzzled him fiercely, tails wagging like very excited dogs. Blasting Cap and the two Thestral Mares laughed as the sight as Grace held a hoof over her mouth to try an stop her giggles. Dusk for his part just laughed and hugged his nieces and nephew back, nuzzling their heads back as he sat up. Blasting Cap then noticed their guest.
"Grace me lass, 'ow 'ave you been?" He walked up and gave her a hug which she returned.
"Hey Cap, I've been well. In fact, I've been really happy lately."
Cap blinked as he noticed the dress Grace was wearing and the suit his son was wearing, he looked between the two and after a few seconds his jaw dropped and his good eye widened.
"Grace, Dusk, are you two...?
Dusk smiled fondly as he stood up setting the triplets down and wrapped a wing around Grace.
"We are dad, Grace is my Marefriend now."
There was a pause as Dusk's family took this in, before Dusk's other aunt, Shooting Star, reacted.
"You have a Marefriend?!"
Both Dusk and Grace nearly leap out of their skins with the former's wings flaring out and the latter ducking behind him as Star appeared on the tips of her hooves in front of them squealing excitedly and very loudly. Nopony else had a chance to react further as they all found themselves floating in the air via Star's magic.
"Auntie Star! Put us down!" Dusk shouted but Star was too caught up in what he had said to listen.
"You guys get to know one another as I GET ALL THE DETAILS!" Star yelled, practically crushing Dusk in a hug as she turned and bolted up the stairs like her tail was on fire. "Enjoy the snacks, we’ll be back once I get the ENTIRE story!"
Nopony else had time to think of a way to help him as they were suddenly and unceremoniously dumped in the family room as Dusk was dragged upstairs by the very excited Horned Thestral Mare. Grace ended up in a tangle of limbs, tail, mane, and dress. Thankfully for her Moon Rose and Cap helped her untangle herself.
"Thanks, could... could somepony tell me what just happened?"
Moon Rose brushed some dust off Grace's dress. "That was my Herd Sister, as much as I love Star she get's overexcited when it comes to romance, she's harmless unless her family's threatened but..." She trailed off, not sure how to finish that sentence.
"Star's a nice Mare, but she 'ear's that 'er nephew 'as a Marefriend and there's no stopping 'er." Cap said as he sat down on his chair while Grace sat down on the couch with Rose, the triplets stayed back a bit, which Grace noticed.
"Dusky's ex-Marefriend was rather... cold and mean towards the triplets when we weren't around, so they're just wary of you Grace. Give them some time and they'll warm up to you, especially after what Cap here told me of you." Moon Rose explained, Grace blinked and looked at said Cave Thestral who chuckled.
"Indeed I did lass, and don't worry it was all good."
Grace gave him a smile as she reached down and picked up a slice of sausage as the others grabbed their own snacks, munching for a minute then Rose started off.
"So Grace, how did you meet my nephew?"
"Well, it went like this."
Grace recapped how they had met, from literary cashing into each other to the times they hung out getting to know each other, and to where Dusk had asked her to be his Marefriend. Cap and Moon laughed as Grace told them of how the two had given Dusk's twin sister Rose a good tickling, Cap mentioning that Dusk use to do that to her all the time though she would get him back. Grace also told them about herself, her work in the Royal Greenhouse, and about her own family. Moon's ears perked when Grace mentioned the Greenhouse and the two began chatting about plants as Cap got up and when to start supper, saying they would be having pizza tonight. During the time they had been talking the triplets, Lilly Nightrose, Star Lilly, and Nocturnal Lace, slowly approached the couch Grace was seated on. Lace, being the bravest of the three (if only by a little), eventually placed a hoof on the couch and used his little wings to hop onto it next to Grace, who looked down at him with a friendly smile.
"Hello little one," She gently said, lowering herself down onto her belly to be more or less eye level with him. "What's your name?"
Lace paused for second, clearly nervous but still trying to be brave for his sisters, answered.
"Noc... Nocturnal Lace miss, You're Uncle Dusk's new Special Somepony?"
Grace nodded and slowly reached towards him, the Colt shying back slightly but let her touch him, getting an ear rub as a reward. Lance immediately leaned into the rub while making a purring/growl-like sound. Moon was smiling wide as she watched this, Lance was soon cradled in Grace's forelegs as she held him like a cat as Nightrose and Lilly approached, the two soon snuggling up to Grace with the former on her shoulder and the latter against her side with her head leaning on Grace's foreleg.
This was the scene the Cap came back to and Dusk after he had told Star everything and had come back down with an excited Star in tow, the three stopping in the doorway at the sight of Grace cradling Lance and the two Fillies cuddled up to her. Star couldn't stop the "Dawwwwww." while Dusk and Cap both smiled happily at the cute sight.
"Well... looks like the triplets 'ave given their approval." Cap said returned to his chair as Star sit next to her herd sister and Dusk next to Grace, picking up Lilly and setting her on his lap. The Filly hugging him around his barrel, nuzzling his stomach as her tail wagged. Dusk laughed lightly and rubbed her head.
"Lilly me niece, 'ow 'ave you and you siblings been?"
"We've been doing good Uncle, Lance got an A on his test while Nightrose and I got a B+ on ours." The Filly said, bouncing on his lap while he used his hooves to stead her.
"Aye? Well good job to ya three."
Nightrose piped up next.
"Yes Uncle, your Special Somepony is really nice." Lance spoke next.
"Yeah, much nicer than your last one." He nuzzled Grace's chin as she nuzzled his head.
"Aw, thank you you little cuties." Cap, Star, and Moon smiled at this display.
"You're rather good with Foals, aren't you Grace." Moon said.
"I use to babysit when I was a teen and wasn't working in the Royal Greenhouse, found I enjoyed being around Foals and I..." She blushed a bit, "I hope to have at least one of my own someday."
The adults smiled at her, Cap spoke next.
"Well lass, would you like to ask us some questions now?"
So Grace did as she tickled Lance's belly, causing the Colt to giggle and try to bat the tickling hoof away to no avail. Over the next bit Grace learned that Moon Rose also worked in the Royal Greenhouse, handling the rare night-themed plants and tending to the world's only know Lunar Poppy. Shooting Star was a Thestral Mage and taught night classes at the School for Gifted Unicorns and was the mother of the triplets. Grace already knew that Cap was one of The Nine. Soon the time for the pizza let of a ding telling them it was ready and Cap when to take it out and set it to cool, and within a short time they sat down in the dinning room and ate. After dinner they sat on the couches again as Grace leaned into Dusk who put a wing around her, Dusk's Aunties smiled at this gesture.
"You two are so adorable together." Star squealed lightly, Moon placed a hoof on her shoulder to get her to calm down.
"You'll have to excuse her Grace, Star's just really happy that our nephew found a Mare clearly loves him as much as he loves her." Her eyes narrowed slightly and she leaned forward.
"Speaking of that... how well has she been treating you Dusk?"
Grace understandably looked nervous at this sudden change while Dusk tightened his wing around her in an protective embrace.
"Very well Auntie Moon, far better then my ex if that's what you're wondering." Grace nodding her head as she shifted closer. Moon looked at the pair with a firm look, but after a few seconds her face softened and leaned back into the couch, Star facehoofing.
"Sorry about that Grace," She said, "Moon's just making sure, after what happened with his ex..."
"I can understand that Auntie," Dusk said, loosening his grip on Grace. "But I assure you, Grace has been much better to me and I really enjoy her company." Grace smiled and nuzzled him on the cheek.
"I enjoy your company to Dusk." Said Pony smiled and leaned into the nuzzle as the triplets jumped onto their couch and rubbed against them. The two Thestral Mares smiled.
"Well she has my approval Dusky," Star said, "The fact that she's so nice to the triplets is certainly good in my book."
"After I found out how mean his ex was to them caused me to get so mad," Moon added, "If it wasn't for those other events happened I would have..." She trailed off as she tried to calm down, Star rubbing her back.
It was at this point that Cap, who had when upstairs as the others when to sit down, came back holding a large black book on his left wing, Dusk's eyes went wide and he jumped up and made a dive for the book with wings flared. He didn’t get very far as Star’s magic clamped down on his tail, stopping him just as he left the bed and he fell to the floor with an Oooff. Grace looked at him confused.
"Dad! Not the baby pictures!" Dusk said, trying to reach the book as Star's magic covered him and plopped him back on the couch next to Grace.
"Now now Lad, I made a promise to your mother that when you got a Marefriend that I'd pull out the pictures." He turned to Grace with a smirk on his face.
"So lass, what do you say?"
Grace gave a wide smile.
"Oh please, I'm curious to see how adorable Dusk looked were so many years ago."
Dusk double facehoofed as Star and Moon sat on one side of Dusk and Grace while Cap sat on the other, the triplets snuggling in between the two as Star took the book in her magic and opened it in front of them. They when through several pages, Grace "Dawwing" at many of them as Dusk blushed brightly in embarrassment. Of the pictures Grace's favorite was the one with Dusk and his twin sister Rose sleeping on a carpet cuddled together, the latter with her head on the former's neck, Dusk's tiny wings laying loose against his sides. A close second to that was a two-year-old Dusk with melted ice cream all over him and the bowl it was in sitting on his head like an oversized helmet.
All in all, the entire book was wonderfully entertaining, despite Dusk blushing redder than some of the roses in the Royal Greenhouse, especially when the triplets laughed hard at some of the pictures. Grace was happy that Dusk's family, or at least the ones here, had accepted her so well. Dusk had asked why they had never shown his ex his baby pictures, Cap and explained that from the get-go that he had a bad feeling about her and turned out to be right after all. But overall Grace had a get time and she really bonded with Dusk's family, especially the triplets who started calling her "Auntie Grace", much to the Mare's happiness. Eventually however it was time for bed for all of them, the triplets had fallen asleep against Grace and Dusk, their cute snores melting the former's heart.
"They really like you Grace, I've only seen them like that with other members of the family so I think they already see you as part of it now." Moon said as she carefully picked up Lance by his tail, before moving to take him upstairs as Star picked up the Fillies in her magic.
"Seems that way, and I'm really glad. Truth be told, I was scared that you wouldn't like me." Grace said as Dusk laid a wing over her back.
Star smiled as Cap took the Fillies and he and Moon took the triplets to their beds.
"You are a keeper in my books Grace," Star said, "Much more than Dusk's ex. After all, your interactions with the Foals was enough for me and Moon and Cap already knew you before so... welcome to the family Grace."
"Thank you." Grace gave a happy smile as she leaned into Dusk. Star then got a smirk on her face.
"So you two... when can I expect some Great nieces and nephews?"
Dusk sputtered as Grace's face turned a lighter shade of red then her mane and tail.
"AUNTIE!!"
Star laughed, as did Cap and Moon from upstairs, the former yelling down "That's right lad, when are ya gonna give this old Stallion some Grandfoals?"
"DAD!!"
Author's Note
So this was a personal experiment for me, to see what I could make for a story focusing on Romance. Now this is the very first time I've done something like this so not sure if you readers like it or not, but I am open to feedback and constructive criticism.
Hope you readers find this a half decent at the very least.
