"Yay, we made it!", Flurry Heart cheered as she ran happily to the top of the hill. She ran in circles and rolled around in the grass, feeling it tickle her body.
"Flurry, calm yourself.", Shining Armor softly commanded, as he placed a hoof on her shoulder.
Princess Cadance trotted alongside of him. She wasn't wearing her chest plate or her crown. It seems she thought she would take a break from wearing them, especially on a special occation like a picnic. "Besides, we can't get comfortable yet, until we have everything set up.", she said, levitating a picnic basket off her back and placed it on the grass. Her daughter quickly got up before she laid a royal blue picnic blanket flat on the ground.
Flurry's stomach growled. "When are we going to start eating?", she asked. "I'm hungry."
"We're about to, Flurry.", Cadance said softly. She took a seat on the blanket, with her husband alongside on her left. Her bubbly little daughter was the last to sit down, at her right side. With her magic, she brought out three sandwiches with seperate combinations of ingredients. "For me, lettuce and tomato." She placed the sandwich in her hooves. "For Shining, ham and cheese." She handed Shining his sandwich. "And for Flurry - her favorite - peanut butter and jelly."
"Yay!" Clapping her hooves, Flurry happily accepted the sandwich and took a big bite out of it. Tiny crumbs and little dots of smudged peanut butter and strawberry jam bombarded her lips as she munched.
Cadance and Shining watched while chuckling. They looked at each other in amusement, before they started munching on their own sandwiches.
Flurry licked her lips, cleaning off the little scraps that remained after her first bite. As she opened her mouth to take her second, a butterfly landed on the tip of her ear, making her gasp in fright.
The two parents turned to see Flurry taking shaky breaths as the big-winged bug remained still on their daughter's ear. Cadance soothed her by putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't be scared, Flurry.", she crooned. "It's a butterfly. It's not going to hurt you."
Flurry relaxed and finally took a second bite of her sandwich. It was at that moment that the butterfly had flown off her ear. "Huh.", she said while chewing. She swallowed before continuing. "That wasn't so bad." She and her parents shared a laugh, then resumed to eat their lunches.
At last, their sandwiches were all finished up. "I must say, this is amazing.", Flurry said, looking around the grassy area. "Sitting outside, eating food, enjoying the warm air. This is what a picnic is like."
Cadance chuckled. "That's right, Flurry.", she said.
"Well, that's not the reason why we brought you here, Sweetheart.", Shining said. He used his magic to pull out a Princess Cadance and Shining Armor mini figures out of the picnic basket.
Flurry gasped as she looked at them. "Those toys look like you and mom.", she said. She looked at the picnic basket in confusion. "But, why were they in there?"
Shining let out a muffled chuckle. "That's because, I'm going to tell you the story of the day I met your mother.", he explained. He glanced over to Cadance. "And with these, I'm also going to show you how it went. Plus, she's going to help me by saying the things she said to me that day." He looked around himself. "If only I could find a little set for me to place these."
Flurry glanced at her mother's midsection with a smile. "How about mom's belly?", she suggested, as she pointed to her mom's thin skinny middle.
Cadance and Shining looked at their daughter with blank stares. The pink alicorn looked down at her stomach, then back up at her child. "Is there a reason why?", she asked.
"Well, mom, you're covered in fur.", Flurry explained. "And your chest is round like a hill."
Shining inspected the details of his wife's underside as he leaned in for a close look. "She's got a point, dear.", he said, smiling. "Besides, I do honestly think that's the perfect set for these."
Cadance looked down at her stomach again and her lips curled into a smile. "Ok.", she said. "If this is what you want, Flurry, then I won't have any problem with it." She scooted directly between her husband and child and laid down on her back. Her forehooves behind her head and her flat belly exposed to the small models.
"Now, watch very closely, Flurry.", Shining said as he gently placed the two mini figures on his wife's slender womb.
Flurry scooted closer to Cadance's barrel and leaned in closely at the toys on her mother's pink belly.
Shining began to Narrate and move the toys around. "I was just walking along the sidewalk in Canterlot, minding my own business.", he said, making the Shining toy walk in style. He also made the Cadance toy approach it. "Then, this beautiful young mare bumps into me and says..." He nods to Cadance.
"Oh, sorry.", she said in illustration. "I didn't see you walking here."
"And I said 'Oh, it's alright'.", Shining said, continuing on with the story. "'It happens to most ponies. By the way, I'm Shining Armor. And you are?'"
"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. But you can call me Cadance.", Cadance said. "I was just on my way to my favorite hill. Care to join me?"
"I nod to her 'yes'.", Shining said. "So, we made it to the hill (the one we're sitting on right now) and walked to the top together." He moved the small models in a walking motion up to the center of Cadance's plump chest. "We sat there watching the clouds go by and we asked each other questions about our families and what we do. I told her I have my parents and Twilight and she told she had her aunt Celestia (which explains the wings). I told her I was in the Castle Guard Training Academy and she told me she was a foalsitter for little fillies (the sweet ones mostly). Then, right as the sun was setting among the horizon, I told her 'thank you for bringing me here. It's a really nice place'. And she said..." He nods to Cadance.
"You're very welcome.", Cadance said. "If you you feel like coming up here again, come see me."
"I told her 'thanks, and come by my place and meet Twilight, you'll love her when you meet her'.", Shining said.
Cadance giggles. "Will do.", she said.
"Another thing, will you be my special somepony?' With glee, she tells me...", Shining said, nodding to Cadance again.
"Are you kidding? Of course I will.", Cadance said.
The toys in Shining's aura walked down from the pink alicorn's chest back down to her belly, then they walked away. "And that, Flurry Heart, is how I met your mother.", he said, putting a hoof to Cadance's cheek and removing the small models from her underside and back into the basket.
Flurry Heart was amazed. "Wow.", she said. She looked around the hill and back to her parents. "So, this is the hill you sat together when you first met?"
Shining Armor nodded. "That's right, Sweetie.", he said.
Flurry turned to her mom. "And, Mom, is Princess Celestia really your aunt?", she asked.
"Of course, Flurry, along with Luna too.", Cadance said.
"How did I not know this from you guys?", Flurry asked.
"News flash, Flurry, there are some kids who don't know much about their parents.", Cadance said. "Even you."
"Hey, back then, dear, you were chubby as Twilight.", Shining said.
Cadance looked at her husband blankly. Then blushed while smiling bashfully. "Well, maybe I was, a little bit.", she said.
Flurry giggled. "Mom, you were chubby when you were young?", she asked.
Cadance turned to her daughter, before elavating herself with her elbows. "Well, Flurry. Believe or not, but your old mom had a round tummy when she was young.", she said, giving her stomach a pat. She glanced at Flurry's belly. "And should I say, you're a little chubby as well." She reached over and prodded the filly's tummy, adding a vocal "boop" to the poke.
It made Flurry giggle. She returned the gesture but did it a little differently, she used a hoof to boop her mother's belly and used the other to do a double boop at her mother's chest. She wistfully looked at the hill. "So, ever since meeting each other that day, you two still kept dating?", she asked.
"Of course, Flurry.", Shining answered. "Even through the dangers Equestria goes through, we still loved each other to no end."
Flurry tapped her chin. "So, you two think that I might fall in love one day?", she asked.
"You could, Flurry, when you're older that is.", Cadance said. She then gave a teasing glance. "In fact, that colt you're always hanging out with at kindergarten, do you adore him?"
"What, no way.", Flurry said dismissively.
"I can tell you do.", Cadance teased in a sing song tone.
Seeing that her mother's belly was still left wide open, Flurry playfully grinned. "Mom, do you know what happens to mothers that tease their children about liking somepony?", she asked.
"I don't think I do.", Cadance said. "What?"
"They get attacked by the tickle bunny.", Flurry teased, as she started to tickle her mother's belly.
Cadance burst into a fit of ticklish giggles as she tried to bat away at the tiny hooves attacking her stomach. "OK. Ok. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.", she said, as the tickling subsided. She laid her head down on the picnic blanket, as her round chest puffed in and out while catching her breath.
A thought came to Flurry's mind. "Um, can I ask a question?", she asked.
"Sure.", Cadance said, finally sitting up. "What's on your mind, honey?"
"Does Aunt Twilight have a true love?", Flurry asked.
Cadance and Shining frowned. "I'm afraid not, Flurry.", the pink alicorn said sadly.
"Oh.", Flurry said, disappointed. "Will she ever get one?"
Shining shrugged. "We're not sure, sweetheart.", he said. "But, maybe someday, she will."
"Ok.", Flurry said hopefully.
Cadance grinned teasingly at her daughter. "Just like how you'll have that colt become your true love.", she said cheekily.
Shining smiled at her, slyly.
"What?", Cadance asked.
"Flurry warned you about teasing her about who she likes.", Shining said playfully, grabbing his wife and turning her sideways. He locked his forelegs around her underarms, holding her place. "Get her, Flurry." He left her belly open to her daughter.
Flurry giggled. "Looks like the tickle bunny is back.", she said. Her mother's tummy was all hers.
Cadance watched helplessly as Flurry inched her hooves closer to her mom's womb. Although, she was smiling. "Ah! No! Not the tickle bunny!", she cried, as her daughter attacked her belly again. Without any desire to make her little filly refrain, she accepted her fate and let Flurry tickle her to no avail. She'll just keep on laughing for a while, probably throughout this picnic that turned into a private tickle party.
