Sweet Affection: Future Tales

Chapters

Awkward Honesty
Honesty is Tough
Old Regrets
Finding Happiness
Responsibilities
Trying to Adjust

Awkward Honesty

The next day in Ponyville, Rumble was still in bed, relishing from his enjoyable night of rest. While he loved his job, it could be exhausting to a pony. Though even in his dreams he was cooking, not necessarily a bad thing as he did have nice dreams of cooking for a large crowd and everyone enjoying his food, in addition to his dreams of still being a Wonderbolt.

As he slept, he felt a pony nuzzling him on the cheek, the stallion waking up to a beautiful sight, "Hey Sweetie Belle."

"Morning handsome," Sweetie Belle said.

Rumble sat up, stretching a bit as he looked at the clock, "Wow, late in the morning. Such a strange sight."

"You do work a lot, so a little extra sleep doesn't hurt," Sweetie Belle said.

"Well I guess I should get my lazy self out of bed then," Rumble said, then felt his wife's hand on his chest.

"What's the rush? The kids ate, Sunny's sleeping, Scootaloo's playing foalsitter," Sweetie Belle said, climbing into bed with her husband, laying on top of him. "You and I can stay in bed a bit longer, spend a little time together."

"I can't pass that up," Rumble said, Sweetie Belle locking him into a passionate kiss, the stallion rubbing all over his wife's body, especially her flanks, arguably his favorite physical feature from the mare, aside from her eyes, the constant bedroom eyes she expresses most of the time.

Sweetie Belle broke away, stroking her husband's face, "Sometimes I wonder, why do you need to work? You have a lot of bits saved up from your days as a Wonderbolt, you could just stay here with me all day."

"I like being busy, plus relying on what we have doesn't seem financially smart," Rumble said. "We're not that rich, plus you said you want more kids, I want to make sure they're properly taken care of."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," Sweetie Belle said. "I just really want more of you. I do get lonely sometimes, and somedays you've even had to sleep over at Canterlot because of how busy things get."

"That hasn't been easy for me either, I hate being away from you and the kids for so long," Rumble said. "I mean, who's gonna feed you all?"

"Hey, my cooking's gotten better," Sweetie Belle said. "At least I don't burn everything."

"Yeah, your food's edible," Rumble said. "At least enough not to make a pony gag."

"You're so terrible," Sweetie Belle said, kissing her husband again. "Come on, you did teach me a thing or two, I can make some stuff."

"Yeah, you at least made some good waffles that one time, I was so impressed," Rumble said.

"All thanks to you," Sweetie Belle said. "So, Rumble, when do you want to try for that baby?"

"Sweetie Belle, I'm always ready to try for a baby," Rumble said. "Even when you're not in heat. But are you sure you're ready? Usually we wait a bit."

"I know, but I'm not really getting any younger," Sweetie Belle said. "We're in our mid-thirties, I don't know how many more kids we can have before we get too old to have or take care of them. I know we had to take it slow at first, but I think now's a good time to really bring them in."

"Yeah, I see your point," Rumble said.

"Speaking of kids though, I think Cozy wants more kids, so she might ask you for help," Sweetie Belle said.

"Does she need my help specifically? I mean, there's other stallions she could ask," Rumble said.

"Cozy doesn't have a lot of friends, and she's not comfortable making a kid with a pony she doesn't know," Sweetie Belle said. "You know I'm alright with it, you just need to be alright with it too. You helped Dinky and Apple Bloom twice, I think you can help Cozy out again."

"I'll think about it," Rumble said. "I just feel weird if I'm with a pony that's not you."

"I know, but at least it's not often," Sweetie Belle said. "For the most part, you're all mine, and that's how I want to keep it. Even if I do have to share on occasion.”

"Yeah, me too," Rumble said. "Alright, if you want to try for another baby, just let me know when."

"There's a reason I came here now," Sweetie Belle said, grinding her body against Rumble's. "I want to try now."

"Oh...yeah, I'd love that," Rumble said, blushing from the feeling, already feeling ready. "What about the kids?"

"Like I said, Scootaloo's here, she did sleep over last night," Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh yeah, hope she's doing alright," Rumble said. "She gets lonely when the kids stay with Pickle."

"We gotta find her someone new, she deserves it," Sweetie Belle said.

"Sure, I'm down with that," Rumble said. "So, do you want to lead? Or should-agh!"

Sweetie Belle had already inserted Rumble inside her, rocking her hips a bit. "Let me take the lead, try not to yell, if Sunny wakes up, we won't be able to continue for a while."

"Be gentle then," Rumble said, feeling the insane pleasure running through his body.

"You're telling me to be gentle?" Sweetie Belle teased, rocking her hips again, really getting rumble to feel it. "I gotta toughen you up."

"Real funny..." Rumble said, moaning in pleasure as Sweetie Belle moved her hips. "Sweetie Belle...do you want to move to Canterlot? This way you don't have to worry about me spending time away from here."

"That's not necessary..." Sweetie Belle said, feeling pleasure of her own. "I can manage...so can the kids. Plus, our friends would miss us too much. And I know you also want Cumie to be close by."

"I should check in on him, feels like I haven't talked to him much lately," Rumble said, rubbing Sweetie Belle's body.

"That would be nice," Sweetie Belle laid back on top of Rumble, still moving her hips. "We should make an effort for Cumie, our kids would love that."

"We all would," Rumble said, bringing Sweetie Belle in for a kiss, holding her tight as the two continue their sexual pleasures. "How long do you think you can last?"

"Depends on you, this could be one of the rare moments where I tire you out and not the other way around," Sweetie Belle teased.

"If I let you," Rumble teased back.

"I'll take that challenge, I know you well enough by now to really make you squirm in pleasure, like this," Sweetie Belle began vibrating down below, nearly getting Rumble to yell. "I know you love that, and with you suppressing the urge to yell, I can only imagine the sensations going through your mind."

"I'll get you for this," Rumble jokingly declared. "I can hold out, so if you want that baby, you're going to have to work it out of me."

"Oh I will," Sweetie Belle said, circling her hips. "Like I said, I know all your in-bed weaknesses, and I'm hitting them all."

"I look forward to it," Rumble said as he let his wife pleasure him. Regardless of they are successful or not, Rumble is always down to have a session with his beautiful wife.

Later in the day, Cumulon was seen flying over the skies ahead while his two moms had a picnic down below.

"Another day, more intense flying," Cozy Glow said. "I'm amazed he almost never gets tired, I don't think I have that kind of energy."

"He probably gets it from Rumble, I don't think I've ever seen him get tired," Barley said.

"I have," Cozy innocently said. "I've seen him get very tired."

"I'm sure you have," Barley said. "Tell me, was he tired the day you two created Cumie?"

"No, he wore me out that night," Cozy Glow said. "Pretty sure I was already asleep by the time he 'planted the seeds'."

"Well, now I have a new goal, because I don't think I've tired you out that way," Barley said, winking at her wife.

"You're welcome to try anytime you'd like," Cozy said, looking up again. "Still, I hope he's not overdoing it."

"Cumie's a smart kid, he won't tire himself out," Barley said. "If he gets exhausted, he will stop and rest up. I've taught him that pushing too hard could backfire, and I know Rumble's told him that too."

"That's good, I just hope he's not putting too much pressure on himself," Cozy said. "Being the son of a top level Wonderbolt's athlete is a lot to live up to, plus he's also trying to be like you."

"He doesn't need to be, he needs to be his own pony," Barley said. "I mean, I looked up to Rainbow Dash, but I still made my own mark."

"Rainbow Dash...Cumie mentioned wanting to train with her," Cozy Glow said.

"Are you alright with that? I know you were worried because you weren't sure if he was ready," Barley said.

"I'm still not sure, but he has been training hard, even Rainbow Dash mentioned he had potential," Cozy Glow said.

"He got props from Rainbow Dash? Whoa, that's actually impressive," Barley said. "Well maybe not that impressive, he's got Rumble's genes and my genius guidance."

"Well hopefully that's enough for him. Though to be honest, I do worry about him training with Rainbow Dash, she's very intense," Cozy Glow said.

"She's not that intense these days, especially after having kids of her own," Barley said.

"Kids she's probably training to be Wonderbolts as well," Cozy Glow said. "Some habits just don't go away."

"So, does that mean you're still planning to take over Equestria?" Barley teased.

"That wasn't a habit, it was a goal. And that goal is currently benched," Cozy Glow said, though sinisterly grinned at Barley. "Of course, if the opportunity presents itself, I may try again. After all, who can resist ruling the world?"

"Hey now, you do anything bad, and I'll have to punish you," Barley playfully warned.

"Oh would it be a bad thing if I were in charge?" Cozy Glow said. "I still say I would make a great Princess of Friendship, and since Twilight is busy with other things, this could be my big chance."

"Do you miss being an Alicorn?" Barley asked.

"Of course, I love power," Cozy Glow said. "But don't worry, even if I become Princess, you'll still be my wife. We'll rule as the Two Princesses of Equestria."

"I'm not the Princess type, that's better suited for pretty girls like you," Barley said.

"You're pretty too," Cozy Glow said. "But I get not wanting to be a Princess, it is a tough job."

"WHOA!" Cumulon said, crashing into a nearby tree.

"You alright, sweetheart!?" Cozy Glow asked.

"I'm fine!" Cumulon said, flying out of the tree and back into the air.

"I'm still a bit concerned about him overdoing it," Cozy Glow said.

"Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him," Barley said. Suddenly she heard Cozy Glow sneeze. "Oh, are you still sick?"

"No, just some stuff left over," Cozy Glow said. "I'm fine."

"Well if you do need some extra rest, don't hesitate to let me know," Barley said.

"It's sweet when you care, but really, I'm fine," Cozy Glow insisted. "Let's just enjoy our picnic."

"AH!" Cumulon crashed again, both his moms getting worried.

"Ok seriously, I need to check on him," Barley said.

"Yeah, me-" Cozy Glow sneezed again. "On second thought, I'll stay back."

Barley flew over to her stepson, seeing him shaking the leaves from his body, "Hey, are you focused alright?"

"Yeah, it's nothing really, just losing a bit of control," Cumulon insisted.

"You're usually better than this, what's up?" Barley asked.

"I guess, I just have a lot on my mind," Cumulon said. "Between getting better at my flying and dealing with this awkward crush that Apple Bush has on me."

"Oh wow, you're still bothered by that?" Barley said. "I guess it makes sense, if you want we can go and talk to Apple Bloom about it."

"What would she even say?" Cumulon asked. "What if she gets weirded out? What if she thinks I instigated the crush?"

"She won't, Apple Bloom's a lot cooler than that," Barley said. "Let's go find her stand."

"Right now?" Cumulon asked.

"No time like the present, let's go," Barley said, leading Cumulon away. "Cozy, we're going to pay a visit to Apple Bloom."

"Alright, I'll just go home then, I think I need a bit more rest," Cozy Glow admitted. "Have fun!"

"It won't be!" Cumulon said.

"Oh chill out Cumie," Barley said.

Cozy Glow scratched her head in confusion, "Golly, wonder what that's all about?"

Down the street, Apple Bloom was still running her stand, having accepted payment from Kettle Corn. "Have a nice day, give Skedaddle my regards!"

"Will do," Kettle Corn said as she made her leave.

As Apple Bloom reorganized her apples, she took note of her friends, "Hey Barley, hey Cumie."

"Hi Apple Bloom, nice day today," Barley said. "How's business?"

"Doing well as usual," Apple Bloom said. "So, what can I get ya? Or did ya come by just to say 'hello'?"

"Well, Cumie here has some worries to get off his chest," Barley said, then nudged her son. "Go on, you can tell her."

"Cumulon nervously kicked his hooves, "Promise you won't think I'm weird when I say this?"

"Ah would never think such a thing sugar," Apple Bloom said. "Go on, tell Auntie Apple Bloom what's on yer mind."

"It's...about Apple Bush," Cumulon said.

"What about her?" Apple Bloom asked. "She hasn't been unkind to you, has she?"

"No, it's not that, it's the opposite, she's been very kind to me," Cumulon said. "But, she's been a bit...too kind."

"Too kind?" Apple Bloom asked. "How so?"

"I...I think she..." He leaned in to whisper his confession to the older apple. "I think she has a crush on me."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened in shock, the realization settling in, "Ooooh, dang...You know, ah was worried about this, but then ah thought, 'What are the odds', you know and now...wow."

"Yeah," Cumulon said. "I want to tell her I don't like her that way but, I don't know how to do it without hurting her feelings. I mean, I tried just telling her that I see her like a sister, but she just gets more and more determined."

"She might have picked that up from me, and well, pretty much mah whole family," Apple Bloom said. "She is an apple after all, even if not by blood."

"What should I do?" Cumulon asked, still looking conflicted. "How can I get her to not like me that way?"

"Sorry sweetie, ain't much ah can tell you," Apple Bloom said. "Yer gonna have to be honest with her."

"But what if I make her cry?" Cumulon asked. "Worse, what if her brother gets mad?"

"Oh he's all bark and no bite," Apple Bloom said. "Look, ah ain't thrilled with Apple Bush getting emotioanlly hurt mahself, but you owe it to her to be honest. Sometimes honesty can sting but if you really do care, you'll tell her how you feel."

"Still though..." Cumulon said. "I don't know if I can do this."

"Just be as gentle as you can, but not too gentle," Apple Bloom said. "You gotta be firm with her. She's probably going to be upset regardless, might as well be as honest as you can be without actually trying to hurt her feelings."

Cumulon worriedly looked to the side, thoughts flashing through his head, "I just hope she doesn't hate me for this.”

"She won't, she'll be mad fer a bit, but she'll get over it," Apple Bloom said.

"I hope you're right," Cumulon said, making his leave. "Come on Barley."

"Oh, give me a sec," Barley pulled a bit out. "I'll take an apple for Cozy, she's still a bit under the weather."

Apple Bloom presented an apple, "It's on the house."

"Thanks," Barley took the apple. "See you later."

"Bye now," Apple Bloom said. It didn't take long for her to grow a bit concerned, "Maybe ah should talk with Rumble, might be time fer the kids to know how they came into existence."

Within Ponyville, Luster Dawn had made her way out of the School of Friendship, her day of classes finally over. "I should head on over to Sugarcube Corner, I could use a shake. I'll come back later and see if my friends want to do a study session, we do have those upcoming exams."

From the distance, a pony was calling her name, "Lusty!"

"Huh" Luster Dawn turned around to see her friend from The Crystal Empire, "Flurry?"

"Hey Lusty," Flurry Heart said, settling beside her. "How's it going?"

"It's going well, bit surprised to see you, I thought you would have gone home by now," Luster Dawn said.

"I slept over at Auntie Twilight's Castle, then I came here," Flurry said. "I want to spend a little more time with my favorite pony."

"That's sweet of you," Luster Dawn said. "I was on my way to Sugarcube Corner, let me buy you a shake."

"How kind of you," Flurry said, following her friend.

The two arrived at Sugarcube Corner within a few minutes, the two taking a table together. Within moments, Pinkie Pie had made presence known, "Welcome to Sugarcube Corner, may I...Flurry!"

"Hi Pinkie," Flurry greeted.

"Oh it's so nice to see you," Pinkie said. "And you brought your friend, Luster Dawn!"

"That's me," the Unicorn said, sheepishly waving.

"Technically Luster brought me here," Flurry said. "But I enjoy coming here, so win-win."

"We enjoy having you here," Pinkie said. "What can I get for you two?"

"Vanilla shake," Luster Dawn said.

"I'll take chocolate," Flurry said.

"Coming right up," Pinkie said, dashing into the kitchen, right past the Cake Twins.

"Check it out, Flurry Heart," Pumpkin said.

"Should I try to woo her?" Pound asked, brushing his hair back.

"Something tells me she won't be interested, I wouldn't waste my time," Pumpkin said. "Besides, you're on duty."

"Alright, maybe later then," Pound Cake said.

Luster Dawn tapped on the table, "So...how are things at The Crystal Empire?"

"Busy, per usual," Flurry said. "Daddy's keeping everything in line, mom's making sure everyone is happy. Soon that's going to be my duty."

"Are you excited about that?" Luster Dawn asked.

"Eh, I mean, I don't mind helping ponies, but it seems like a lot of work," Flurry admitted. "I'm not sure if I can handle it."

"Oh sure you can, you're a kind hearted pony, I think you can handle anything you put your mind to," Luster Dawn said.

"You make it sound so easy, I mean it's not as simple as 'Believing in Myself', that I can probably do," Flurry said. "Reality still hits hard."

"Don't I know that," Luster Dawn said. "I'm still having issues of my own in school, like I have friends and all, but I still feel like I haven't fully grasped the concept of Friendship. It just feels like I'm going through the motions."

"Even Auntie Twilight had a similar problem, that's why Princess Celestia gave her Friendship Lessons," Flurry said.

"She's giving those to me too, weird since I don't think anyone else has to do them," Luster Dawn said.

"They might have too, all of Twilight's friends eventually did Friendship Letters," Flurry said. "Consider it an honor, it means she has high faith in you."

"I still never got that," Luster Dawn said. "Like why is she interested in me?"

"Maybe she sees something special in you," Flurry said. "Just like Princess Celestia saw something special in her."

"So...does this mean I'm going to be an Alicorn Princess one day?" Luster Dawn jokingly asked, getting a laugh from Flurry.

"Oh that'd be amazing actually," Flurry said. "Seriously, you're going to be fine, I'm here for you, and I will travel all the way to Ponyville if you need me to."

"Thanks, you're really sweet," Luster Dawn said. "This is why you're going to make a great Princess in The Crystal Empire."

Within moments, a tray of shakes appeared, to the surprise of the two girls, it was delivered by Lil' Cheese. "Here you go"

"Aw, Lil' Cheese," Flurry said, cupping the foal's face. "You're just as adorable as ever."

"I know, Pumpkin tells me all the time," Lil' Cheese said. "I have to go now, see you later."

"Bye sweetheart," Flurry said as the foal left. "Aw, he's such a cute little guy, I wish he was my little brother."

Luster Dawn raised her eyebrow, "Wait, that's a boy? I thought Pinkie Pie had a daughter."

"Just because he's cute, doesn't mean he's a filly," Flurry said. "Just ask Rumble, cutest boy in Ponyville back in the day."

"Were you even born at the time?" Luster Dawn asked.

"Pfft, cute, I've seen pictures of him at a young age, like I said, cutest colt," Flurry said.

Later in the day, Apple Bloom had knocked on the door of a certain house to see a certain father to her children. The door was instead answered by Sweetie Belle.

"Apple Bloom? This is a surprise, what are you doing here?" the Unicorn asked.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, is Rumble here? Ah gotta talk to him, it's about Cumulon," Apple Bloom said.

"Sure, hold on," Sweetie Belle called inside. "Rumble! Apple Bloom's here to see you!"

"Apple Bloom's here?" Scootaloo said, walking over with Sunny. "Hey, how's it going?"

"Scootaloo, yer here too?" Apple Bloom asked.

"I've been helping watch over Sweetie Belle's kids all day, guess I just haven't gone home yet," Scootaloo said.

"Sure seems like it," Apple Bloom said, then saw Rumble trotting over. "Oh good, ah got something to say to ya."

"Is anything wrong?" Rumble asked.

"Eh, sort of, it's Apple Bush," Apple Bloom said. "Try not to freak out when ah tell ya."

"She's not hurt is she?" Rumble asked.

"She's fine, but...well, she kind of has a crush on Cumie," Apple Bloom said.

"Oh...is that all?" Rumble asked, the three Crusaders furrowing their brow at him. "What?"

"Cumulon's your son, and Apple Bush is technically your daughter, since yer the one who got Dinky pregnant with her!" Apple Bloom said.

"Oh right...yeah, I can see why this is awkward," Rumble said.

"Rumble, maybe it's time you told mah kids who exactly fathered them," Apple Bloom said.

"Wait, I can't do that!" Rumble said. "They might get weird about it."

"Well they gotta know someday, obviously Dinky and I didn't create them since scientifically speaking, ah can't get her pregnant, and she can't get me pregnant," Apple Bloom said.

"Actually, I heard of a spell that allows two mares to have babies," Rumble said.

"What spell? I've never heard of it!" Sweetie Belle said.

"I heard Lyra and Bon Bon mention it when they were talking about their own kids," Rumble said.

"Lyra was just being sarcastic! They had a donor!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Really? Who was it?" Rumble asked.

"I don't know, some stallion named Noteworthy or something," Sweetie Belle said. "Not the point anyway, you need to tell them soon because they're gonna want to know."

"Caramel Seed already asked about it, Dinky and I had to dodge the question," Apple Bloom said. "You gotta tell the kids that you helped me and Dinky conceive them, they gotta know."

Rumble awkwardly rubbed his head, "I want to but...I already get weird looks from the kids who know I'm Cumulon's father, what if word gets around about my...you know, escapades?"

"That you had sex with a bunch of different fillies?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, yeah, it just sounds awkward," Rumble said.

"No one has to know who you slept with," Scootaloo said. "They at least know you slept with Cozy Glow, what's the big deal if they know you helped two fillies become moms? You did a good thing."

"Yeah, thanks to you, Dinky and I have two lovely kids," Apple Bloom said.

"I'm happy to help but..." Rumble seemed so embarrassed. "I still can't believe how many fillies I've been intimate with."

"Was it really that many?" Scootaloo asked.

"Well, aside from Sweetie Belle..." Rumble began. "There's you Scootaloo, and you Apple Bloom."

"Oh I remember our night, best night of my life," Scootaloo said. "You did me way better than Pickle has done me."

"Funny, I said the same thing to him about Tender Taps," Sweetie Belle said. "Still the worst sex of my life. He tried but wow he sucked, and not in a good way."

"Wonder what Twilight thinks of him then?" Apple Bloom said.

"There's also Dinky, obviously," Rumble said. "And Cozy Glow."

"So, that's only five," Apple Bloom said.

"And Diamond Tiara," Rumble added.

"Dang, forgot about that," Apple Bloom said.

"There's also Barley, a bit more unique but it happened," Rumble said.

"Right, damn, you slept with my former sister-in-law," Scootaloo said, somehow finding the humor in this. "Was there any other girl that we never knew about? Like Kettle Corn? Or perhaps Flitter? Maybe even Babs, or Silver Spoon. How about Flurry Heart!?"

"Alright, now everyone's being weird," Rumble said "It's not a contest you know."

"Hey you had sex with so many cute girls, be proud," Scootaloo said. "Still, was there anyone else?"

"That's it, I don't think...wait," Rumble scratched his head. "I think there was another filly, but things were so crazy that night, it felt like a blur."

"Do you remember her name?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I think...it might have been Wind Sprint, I don't fully remember though," Rumble said.

"Wind Sprint? The Buck Ball girl?" Scootaloo asked. "Damn, you really got around, didn't you?"

"Honestly, I've made out with a lot of girls trying to get over Sweetie Belle, but it just didn't fill the void she left behind," Rumble said.

"Aw, you have me now at least," Sweetie Belle said. "And look, it doesn't matter how many girls you slept with, in the end, I got you to myself, plus all that experience really gave me pleasant memories."

"If he got you good in your backdoor, he learned that from me," Scootaloo said.

"Ah may have taught him a thing or two," Apple Bloom said.

"Well I have you girls to thank for any great session with Rumble then," Sweetie Belle said.

"You can thank us by inviting us to your next one," Scootaloo teased.

"Don't put ideas in my head now," Sweetie Belle said. "I might take you up on it."

"Please don't," Rumble said. "I like Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, but one of them is married and the other...well we did have some awkward moments in our past."

"You know I'm over them, right?" Scootaloo asked. "Remember, I turned you down in the end, because even I came to realize that Sweetie Belle was better. I'd go far to say that I'm more jealous of you for having Sweetie Belle than the other way around."

"You're such a tease, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said.

"Uh, are you flirting with my wife?" Rumble asked.

"Maybe," Scootaloo said, grinning at Rumble."

"You are such a pain at times," Rumble said. "Look, point is, I'll talk to your kids soon Apple Bloom, just give me time to figure out what I'm gonna say."

"That's fine, take all the time you need," Apple Bloom said, making her way out the door. "See y'all tomorrow."

"You know, I should leave too," Scootaloo said. "You two might have quite a bit to discuss."

"Sure, come back any time," Sweetie Belle said.

Once both visiting mares left, Rumble went to take a seat on his couch, "What do I do now?"

"Now, you have to tell those kids the truth," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, one of them likes Cumulon, that's a bit weird and it sounds like he's uncomfortable with it."

"I don't blame him," Rumble said. "I'll talk with him tomorrow then."

"Do you want me to be there?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It might help," Rumble said.

"Then I'll be there, alright?" Sweetie Belle said, kissing Rumble. "We'll get through this."

"Thanks, I love you," Rumble said.

"Love you too," Sweetie Belle said. "I'm gonna set us up some dinner."

Rumble's eyes widened, "So…is it the waffles?”

"I didn't cook it, Scootaloo did," Sweetie Belle said. "Honestly, I know we’re both honest about my lack of skills, but you could at least pretend you like my cooking once in a while. Or at least have some faith in me.”

"Well, I love your singing, does that help?" Rumble asked. "I think you're way more talented than Songbird Serenade."

"Wow, how flattering," Sweetie Belle teased.

At her home, Cozy Glow was laying in bed, still trying to recover from what illness remained when Barley came into the room.

"How are you feeling?" the Pegasus asked.

"Well, I'm not sneezing as much, I just want to make sure it's all gone," Cozy Glow said.

"I can help you sweat it out," Barley said, climbing into bed with Cozy Glow, getting a blush from her.

"Sure...if you want to," Cozy said.

Barley pressed her vaginal entrance against Cozy's getting a gasp from the girl, "Fast or slow?"

"Start slow, I don't have the energy for a sudden rush," Cozy Glow said.

"Alright," Barley gently thrusted, earning a moan from her wife. "Hey, Cumie's going through something awkward with Apple Bush, he might need our help soon."

"Awkward how?" Cozy asked, moaning a bit.

"She has a crush on him, so he told Apple Bloom, Rumble may have to tell those kids he's their father," Barley said.

"Golly, that might be awkward," Cozy Glow said. "I hope things turn out well."

"Me too," Barley said. "We gotta be there to help Rumble."

"We will," Cozy Glow said. "A little faster please."

Barley nodded and picked up the pace, Cozy Glow feeling at bliss and hoping this would be the last of her illness.

That evening back in Canterlot, Twilight and Tender Taps looked down from their castle, seeing Flurry making her way back.

"Think she had fun in Ponyville?" Tender Taps asked.

"No doubt she did," Twilight said.

"Think she's in love with Luster Dawn?" Tender Taps asked.

"Could be," Twilight said. "Anything's possible."

"Got that right," Tender Taps said. "Come on, its dinner time, Sugar Belle made something nice for us."

"I'm excited to find out," Twilight said, she and her husband going back inside.

Love may have definitely been in the air, as Flurry looked fondly back at Ponyville, a satisfied smile on her face, "See you tomorrow, my rising Dawn."

Honesty is Tough

The next day at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom was making her way to her daughter's room, knocking on the door, "Apple Bush, you in there sweetheart?"

While she was hesitant to answer, Apple Bush eventually spoke up, "I'm here mom..."

"Hey sweetie, ah made you yer favorite breakfast, why don't you come on down to the kitchen?" Apple Bloom said.

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," Apple Bush dejectedly stated.

Apple Bloom sighed in worry, "Listen honey, ah know what you were told yesterday was a big shock, but it don't change much. Yer still mah daughter, the only difference is that, well, now you know how you were born."

"I liked it better before, when I thought you were my mom, and the magic of love is what got my other mom pregnant," Apple Bush said.

Apple Bloom slightly chuckled to herself, while that may sound silly to most, she knows that her daughter just has a very wild imagination, one she usually tried to encourage as she appreciated creativity. "Well, ah do love yer other mom, and ah love you. So ah hope that's enough."

"I feel so silly now though, I bet everyone thinks I'm dumb," Apple Bush said, still in her own despair.

"No one thinks yer dumb, honey," Apple Bloom said.

"I do," Caramel Seed said from nearby.

"Hey can it, squirt," Dinky scolded.

Apple Bloom groaned in annoyance, "No one thinks yer dumb, or means it if they say it. Look, I'll keep yer food warm, when yer ready to, you can come out and eat it at yer own pace."

"Alright mom..." Apple Bush said.

Hoping for the best, Apple Bloom went down the hall, though she knew this might take a bit of effort. Her daughter received quite a shock the day prior, it's understandable that she needs some time to process her feelings.

"She's still really upset, huh?" Dinky said, coming to greet her wife.

"Ah don't know what to do now, ah mean, maybe she was better off thinking ah really was her mom," Apple Bloom said.

"You are her mom, you raised her, you love her like a mom should, blood doesn't mean a damn thing," Dinky said. "Just like I love Caramel Seed, even when he's being a little punk."

"Hey!" Caramel Seed shouted in annoyance.

"You are sometimes," Dinky said. "But you're my little punk."

"Ironic ain't it?" Apple Bloom said. "You birthed Apple bush, yet it seems like she turned out like me. Ah birthed Caramel Seed, yet he turned out kind of like you."

"That's a good thing, really makes it feel like a team effort between us," Dinky said. "Look, Apple Bush will be fine, she has my DNA, and I get over things pretty quickly."

"Uh, no you don't," Apple Bloom said. "You get mad plenty of times over dumb things and stay like that fer days."

Dinky gasped dramatically at that claim, "I certainly do not! How dare you!”

"See, yer gonna get mad at that too, ain't ya?" Apple Bloom asked.

"No!" Dinky insisted, trying to play it cool. “Not mad at all.”

"Look, you know ah love ya, but you can be...a bit much at times," Apple Bloom said. "Sometimes it's a good thing, and sometimes it can be a pain."

"Keep that up and you aren't getting any of this..." Dinky gestured to her body, "Anytime soon."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes, dropping it, "Fine, I'll let it go."

"That's a good wife," Dinky said, giving a kiss to Apple Bloom. "So...should we have sex now?"

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrow in surprise, "Uh, ah got farm work to do, and a daughter to tend to. Yer sexual urges can wait. Besides, weren't you upset just a second ago?"

"Yeah...but I still want sex," Dinky said, not even hiding her urges.

"Later, maybe if you help me out there, we can finish faster and ah would have more time for you," Apple Bloom said.

"Sweet, soon we're gonna make outselves another baby," Dinky said, trotting off.

"Dinky, you don't have a...ugh, forget it," Apple Bloom said, trotting off.

Elsewhere at the Cloudsdale Flight school, Cumulon is preparing to go out and show off his skills to a group of judges, with both Barley and Cozy Glow showing their moral support.

"This is it, the moment he was training for," Barley said.

"Gee, I really hope this talk that Rumble had with Apple Bush helped," Cozy Glow said. "Think he finally put it out of his mind?"

"One way to find out," Barley said.

Cumulon readied his wings and took flight through an obstacle course. For this part of the race, it was more about speed than anything fancy, of course Cumulon was more than confident in how fast he was, and it did not take him long to finish his set.

"Awesome speed Cumie!" Barley cheered.

"Like it's any surprise, he's got good genes," Cozy Glow boasted.

"Sure does," Barley said. "I just hope our judges liked it."

Down below was the quartet of Night Glider, Sky Stinger, Vapor Trails and Rainbow Dash, who were overseeing the tryouts.

"So, what are everypony's thoughts?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"He's fast, that's for sure," Night Glider said.

"Great at maintaining control too, especially with those turns," Vapor Trails said.

"Yeah good point, with that speed, turning's hard, but this kid's really got it" Rainbow Dash said.

"If I had one critique, he just doesn't seem charismatic enough," Sky Stinger said.

"Well we can teach him that, but skills mean just as much, if not more," Rainbow Dash said. "After all, Wonderbolts are all about talent, and Cumulon has the talent."

"Still, there might be one tiny, glaring problem," Night Glider said.

"Oh yeah? What would that be?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"His...parent situation," Night Glider awkwardly admitted.

"Huh? Parent situation?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh yeah, isn't he the son of Rumble and Cozy Glow?" Sky Stringer said.

"Yeah, he is, what about it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I mean, don't you see the issue Rainbow Dash...about how strange it is?" Night Glider said.

"Not really, I mean Rumble and Cozy Glow used to date, which means they got it on, of course they had a baby together," Rainbow Dash said.

"It just feels irresponsible of him," Night Glider said. "Like, one of our own doing something like that."

"Irresponsible?" Rainbow Dash scratched her head in confusion. "I mean, yeah he had a kid without realizing but he took responsibility and took career of the baby and his mother, even after he married Sweetie Belle he allowed Cozy Glow and her baby to stay at his house and treated Cumulom no different than any of his children."

"Even if we look past that, this still raises some issues. Like, it basically tells the world that Rumble, a former Wonderbolt, had a colt with a filly who once tried to take over the world," Night Glider said.

"I highly doubt anyone's going to care that much," Rainbow Dash said. "Starlight, Discord, even Luna have caused trouble and they're welcomed into Pony Society."

"Are they really though?" Sky Stinger asked. "I mean, all these years and I don't think anyone trusts Discord. Plus Cozy Glow hasn't really made any effort to really improve her image."

"Yeah, since returning, she's basically isolated herself from everyone aside from Rumble and a few others," Night Glider said. "Ponies are starting to talk, they're worried that she could snap back to her evil ways any second."

"That's baloney, I mean yeah Cozy Glow isn't in the public eye but that's because she doesn't want to be," Rainbow Dash said. "Look, it's been like fifteen years give or take, and not once has Cozy Glow shown any signs that she's still evil. Plus Barley, who flies with us, is actually married to Cozy Glow, and no one seems to have an issue with that."

"Eh..." Night Glider did not seem too confident in that statement, "I mean...she's still the subject of talk. I mean, she's not exactly super popular. Rumble's popularity was helped by the fact that very few knew about him and Cozy Glow."

"You're all being ridiculous, I mean Vapor, what do you make of all this?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Um...well..." Vapor Trails seemed a bit hesitant to say much at first.

"Something up?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well, I mean, regardless of what anyone says, I don't think Cumulon being made into a Wonderbolt is inherently a bad thing," Vapor said. "I mean, no one really needs to know who his mother is, do they?"

Rainbow Dash looked a bit disappointed by that answer, "Well yeah, they probably don't really need to know, but it shouldn't matter if they do. I mean, I hope you're not suggesting that we actually go out of our way to hide it, I bet ponies don't even remember the terrible stuff that Cozy Glow has done."

"They do..." Sky Stinger said. "I mean, just earlier today I noticed some Pegusai were eyeing Cozy Glow."

"Maybe they thought she was cute, I mean she is a really cute pony after all," Rainbow Dash said.

"There might be more to it than that," Night Glider said. "I mean, even here I hear gossip about Barley being married to a villain."

"Don't get us wrong, we know Cozy Glow isn't evil," Sky Stinger said. "But she did leave a pretty bad scar on Ponykind."

"She also saved ponykind," Rainbow Dash reminded. "It was her who teamed up with me, Twilight and other good creatures to defeat Grogar."

"Well...yeah, but still, not sure if that's enough for ponies," Sky Stinger said.

"You serious? In what world is that not enough!?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Cozy's not the same filly she was once before! Plus what does any of this have to do with her son? He hasn't made mistakes! We're judging him based on what he can do, not what his mother has done."

"I mean, in the end, this comes down to Spitfire, she's still in charge of The Wonderbolts," Sky Stinger said.

"You leave her to me, I'll talk some sense into Spitfire if I need to," Rainbow Dash said.

"You're the one best suited for that," Night Glider said. "Anyway, we should move on to the next applicant."

"Uh-huh, sure," a now bitter Rainbow Dash said, very upset with the way things were currently going down.

A little bit later, Barley and Cozy went to meet Cumulon in the locker room, Barley having brought a bottle of water for her son.

"How you feeling kid?" Barley asked. "Confident in this?"

"You bet, I bet my skills totally blew them away," Cumulon said. "Thanks to the training I got from you Barley, and dad too."

"I wish I could help, but I'm not much of a flyer," Cozy said.

"It's fine mom, just your support is enough for me," Cumulon said.

"Yeah, moral support goes a long way," Barley said. "You leave the tough stuff to me and Rumble."

"Sure thing," Cozy Glow said. "I'm just eager to see Cumulon get his chance. Hard work deserves a pay off."

"Damn right," Barley said, then to her surprise, saw Rainbow Dash coming into the locker room. "Hey, Dash, what's up?"

"Hey Barley, how's it doing?" Rainbow Dash asked. "How's your brother doing?"

"He's fine, living up the Bachelor life," Barley said. "I wish he and Scootaloo would get back together, but that doesn't look like it’s happening at all."

"Things happen for a reason," Rainbow Dash said. "Anyway, I came by to check on Cumie."

"I'm doing fine, thanks," Cumulon said.

"So...anything you can tell us?" Cozy Glow asked, leaning in close. "How are his chances, did he get the spot? Is he going to be a big star?"

"Uh...well, I personally liked him, and everyone else agrees he's very talented," Rainbow Dash nervously said. "The selection process however, it's a bit iffy."

"Iffy how?" Barley asked. "From what I've seen, it's usually straightforward. There's a flight test with an obstacle course, and the team observing decides if that pony is cut out for the Wonderbolts Academy, or straight to the team."

"Yeah, that's usually how it is," Rainbow Dash said, nervously smiling.

Barley looked a bit suspicious now, and nudged Cumulon, "Hey, I gotta talk a bit with Rainbow Dash, mare to mare stuff, mind waiting outside with Cozy?"

"Uh, sure," Cumulon said, making his leave alongside his mother.

Once the two were gone, Barley focused up on Rainbow Dash, "Alright, spill it, what's going on?"

"Oh nothing really, its just that...well, there's some concern about letting Cumie onto The Wonderbolts, its nothing he did persay, more what...someone he knows did."

"Just get to the point Rainbow Dash, what's happening?" Barley asked.

"The Wonderbolts are hesitant to let Cumulon join The Ranks because of the fact that his mother is Cozy Glow," Rainbow Dash said.

Barley raised her eyebrow in confusion, "I'm sorry, but what?"

"A lot of ponies are still bothered by the things that Cozy Glow did apparently, they're not quite ready to move past that," Rainbow Dash said.

"But what was forever ago," Barley said.

"I explained that to them, but it's still not enough," Rainbow Dash said. "None of them trust Cozy Glow at all, and by extent, they don't trust Cumulon."

"That's bullshit though, I mean, mad over something that happened so long ago!? Back when Cozy Glow was just a filly!?" Barley said. "I mean, yeah she did some evil deeds but she hasn't caused trouble since! She's been a good citizen, what's the point of helping a pony get redeemed if that pony's going to be treated like garbage for the rest of their life?"

"I wish I could say I'm surprised, but Trixie has mentioned that ponies still judge her for her mistakes," Rainbow Dash said. "Plus Starlight admits ponies still give her strange looks. Even Tirek, Chrysalis and The Sirens admit they don't like being in Equestria too much because ponies tend to side eye them."

"Some much for the Magic of Friendship then, just some dumb fucking illusion that does no actual good for the sake of Equestria," Barley said.

"You're angry, and you have a right to be, this is straight up garbage," Rainbow Dash said. "I'll do my best to make sure this nonsense doesn't take off and that Cumulon gets a fair shot, but if I were you, I'd give him fair warning, there's a lot of crap that's happening right now."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Barley said, making her way out of the room, still in a foul mood.

Rainbow Dash groaned in disappointment, knowing that there's so much unnecessary drama among the Wonderbolts.

Outside the room, Cozy Glow was waiting with Cumulon, while there she could spot some other Wonderbolts walking by, seemingly unwilling to give her any eye contact. This wasn't new for Cozy, ponies to this day still seem to avoid her. Granted it has lightened up a bit in recent years, it does get tiring.

One of the reasons Cozy doesn't care about going out much these days is because of the treatment she gets from others. Seems like ponies truly do hold mistakes over the heads of others.

Now she has to wonder if that's why Rainbow Dash seemed so nervous before, and if that's why Barley wanted to speak to her alone. It was then that her wife had come out of the room, and she did not look happy.

"Barley, what's wrong?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Tell you later, lets go," Barley said, escorting her wife and stepson away from The Academy.

In Ponyville, Flurry and Luster Dawn were once again hanging out together, this time at the park, the two having a picnic.

In the distance they could spot young foals playing, including the children of Skedaddle and Kettle Corn. Even Button Mash was out with Babs and Joy Mac, two of the three playing video games but at least they were together.

"So, how are things at The University?" Flurry asked.

"Busy, I have so many papers to write," Luster Dawn said. "I don't mind the amount; I just wish I had enough time to make it perfect."

"Why don't you tell Auntie Twilight, she can probably arrange an extension of sorts," Flurry said. "She'd want the best quality possible."

"I can try," Luster Dawn said. "Hey, question, do ponies ever ask you what it's like being the first pony who was born an Alicorn?"

"Oh yeah, all the time," Flurry said. "I really don't have much to say, I mean I don't know why I was born an Alicorn. I thought it was because my mom was one, but Auntie Twilight had two kids and they're both unicorns. Makes sense since Auntie Twilight was originally a Unicorn before she got her wings."

"Ever wonder what type of Unicorn you would be if you weren't born an Alicorn?" Luster Dawn asked.

"That's hard to say, I mean my dad's a Unicorn, but my mom was born a Pegasus, I could have been one or the other," Flurry said. "If I ever have a baby, I wouldn't even know what that baby would be, I could give birth to another Alicorn for all I know."

"Speaking of having babies, I heard this rumor that you've had a lot of boyfriends, is that true?" Luster Dawn asked.

"No, and I'm not even sure how that rumor even got started," Flurry said. "I mean, I did sort of have a boyfriend once, Pound Cake, but that was when we were kids, I haven't dated him since then."

"Oh...would you date him?" Luster Dawn asked.

"Probably, he's a nice boy," Flurry said. "Of course my true love has always been Rumble, and I think Pound knew it so he kind of gave up on me. I hope he finds somepony else."

"He might," Luster Dawn said. "Still, how in love were you with Rumble?"

"Super, I mean you've seen him right? How absolutely sexy he is? His silky mane, his pretty eyes, his large wings, his muscular body and his toned butt," Flurry said, her blush growing more and more. "I envy Sweetie Belle for having Rumble. The only other time I had a crush on a pony was Cozy Glow."

"Oh, that one..." Luster Dawn said. "To think she used to be evil."

"Yeah, she was pretty bad once, but she's not that way," Flurry said. "At one point, I could have had her too, once I got old enough. But by then, she had already found somepony else to be with. Of course, she did grant me a...ahem, very special date." The filly began to blush, "One I would remember for a long time."

"What kind of date?" Luster Dawn asked.

Flurry shook her head, her face turning completely red, "It's nothing."

"Hey girls," Sweetie Belle greeted, the filly out with her four kids, as well as Scootaloo. "Having a picnic?"

"We sure are," Flurry said.

"You've been around town a lot lately, Flurry, gonna move here?" Scootaloo asked.

"I wish," Flurry said. "I like Ponyville, it's a bit quieter than The Crystal Empire."

"It's not that quiet, it can get a bit chaotic here," Scootaloo said.

"Most ponies said most of the chaos died down when you two and Apple Bloom finally grew up," Luster Dawn said.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Come on, we weren't that bad."

"Ponies still have nightmares about your chaos," Luster Dawn said.

"That's bullshit!" Scootaloo said, then took a punch from the sides, "Ow! What gives!"

"Don't use words like that in front of my kids! I don't want them picking up your bad language!" Sweetie Belle scolded.

"They're not even here," Scootaloo said, gesturing a few feet away, they're over there, minding their own business.

"Oh, kids, don't wander too far," Sweetie Belle said, trotting over.

"But they're...eh, it's her kids," Scootaloo said, then focused back on the two. "Well bogus rumors aside, what's new with you two?"

"A bunch of papers at school," Luster Dawn said.

"Oh right, I heard the other teachers were going nuts with that," Scootaloo said. "Me, I don't do papers, because it means having a lot to read, if I give you a writing assignment, I keep them simple. Why write five hundred worlds when you can tell me in a decent paragraph. Less is more, quality over quantity, stuff like that."

"You sound like a fun teacher," Flurry said.

"Damn right I am," Scootaloo said. "Soon my kids are probably coming to the school, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing since this is a school to teach Friendship, and that would mean my kids suck at making friends."

"They probably just need a little push, I'd love to have them as classmates," Luster Dawn said. "I'll give them some teaching advice."

"Well speaking of my kids, I gotta go see them soon, make sure they're holding up ok," Scootaloo said. "Pickle's a great father to them, but they can be a lot to handle, which is surprising because he's a Wonderbolt, yet he can't handle two kids."

"A testament to their abilities," Flurry said.

"Got that right," Scootaloo said.

"Say, where's Rumble?" Flurry Heart asked.

"Probably on his way to see The Apples, he told Apple Bush something big and well, it was a disaster," Scootaloo said.

"Sounds tough," Flurry said.

"That's an understatement," Scootaloo said, then saw Snowflake whiz by with Sweetie Belle giving chase.

"Snowflake! Come back! Don't run off on your own!"

"Seems like Sweetie Belle is a bit overwhelmed herself," Scootaloo said. "I'm gonna keep an eye on the other kids, make sure they don't try anything sneaky."

"We'll help," Flurry said. "I would like kids one day."

"Uh yeah, me too," Luster Dawn said.

"Don't let some adults fool you, it's totally worth it being a mom," Scootaloo said.

Meanwhile with Rumble, the boy was on his way to Sweet Apple Acres, passing by a somewhat familiar Pegasus, one who recognized him immediately, "Holy crap! Rumble!?"

"Huh?" Rumble turned to see the Pegasus. "Do I know you?"

"Of course you do, it's me, Wind Sprint!" the filly said.

"Oh! Wind Sprint! Wow I did not recognize you," Rumble said. "How are you? How's life?"

"Great! Man it's been too long, we don't communicate enough," Wind Sprint said.

"Yeah sorry, you do travel a lot for your Buckball games," Rumble said. "Plus your Wonderbolt Schedule is intense too, makes me happy I retired."

"You left quite a hole when you did," Wind Sprint said. "But still, you and I made a great team along with Pickle and Barley."

"Do you keep in touch with them?" Rumble asked.

"Oh yeah, actually I'm on my way to Pickle's house, between you and me, we stared dating," Wind Sprint said.

"Oh...oh wow, you did?" Rumble said. "You and Pickle?"

"Yeah, it started a couple of weeks ago, we caught up, stared talking, then the next thing I knew, we were getting pretty close with one another," Wind said.

"Well I'm happy for you, but being with Pickle's a big deal, I mean he has kids after all," Rumble said.

"I know, and I'm fine with that, they're really cute kids," Wind Sprint said. "Plus Barley makes it work, she's the stepmother to the baby you and Cozy Glow had."

"Oh yeah, she's great too, I'm glad Cumie has a good parent, and I'm really happy Cozy Glow found somepony who loves her," Rumble said. Suddenly Wind Sprint got inexplicably close. "Uh..."

"Remember when we were together? The good times we had?" Wind Sprint said. "Do you remember the first time we had sex?"

"Uh, what's this all of a sudden, and when did we have sex?" Rumble asked.

"You remember, that party, you had a bit too much to drink, I took you home, and you went to town on me," Wind Sprint said.

Rumble could vaguely remember that, he had one glass of wine too many, and while his memory was fuzzy, it did come back to him a little.

Wind was a bit smaller than him, not as small as Cozy Glow but enough so that when he penetrated inside her, it felt super tight on him. He then remember the look in Wind's eyes, how sensual the feelings were as he trusted into her. Perhaps it was because she reminded him of Cozy Glow that he couldn't remember well, because in his mind, that's who he was doing it with.

Rumble nearly forgot how in love he was with Cozy Glow at one point, if things didn't work out with Sweetie Belle, Cozy Glow would more than likely be his wife right now. Still, Wind's reactions that night, the way her eyes dilated when he thrusted into her, then her gasps when he did her from behind, utilizing both of her entry points to their fullest. Wind had a very comfortable butt, and as a foal who loves the butts of fillies, Wind places pretty high on that scale.

"Yeah, I remember," Rumble said ."Guess you're part of the list."

"Oh there's a list now?" Wind teased. "Anyway, sorry if that was random, but maybe because I had sex with Pickle recently that I started comparing him to you. He did well, but you definitely placed the bar high. Sweetie Belle's a lucky girl, she gets you every day."

"Yeah, usually," Rumble said. "Well, I'll see you around then."

"Bye Rumble," Wind said, making her exist.

Rumble had to wonder if there was any other time he's been with a filly and didn't remember, "I feel like I've also gotten intimate with Lily Longstocks, but maybe it's my imagination. Doesn't matter, she did end up dating that guy with the bad teeth."

He arrived at Sweet Apple Acres later, making his way up the farm's path. It was then that Dinky seemed to notice him while bucking for apples.

"Yo, Rumble! What's up!?" Dinky said.

"Hey Dinky, how's it going?" Rumble asked. "How's Apple Bush."

"She's...not well," Dinky said. "Really did not expect her to be this bummed out."

"Well she feels like her whole life is a lie, mind if I go and talk to her a bit?" Rumble asked.

"I'm fine with it, just make sure she is," Dinky said.

"I will," Rumble said, making his way inside. While there he spotted his brother, along with Applejack and Apple Bloom. "Hey there Apples."

"Hey, Rumble, how's it going?" Thunderlane said.

"Good to see ya, Sugarcube," Applejack said.

"Are ya here to see Apple Bush?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeah, is she available?" Rumble asked.

"Not yet, she needs a little more time to adjust to this," Apple Bloom said. "Yer more than welcome to stay but ah doubt she'll come see ya."

"Well maybe I can give it a shot," Rumble said.

"Can't hurt to try," Thunderlane said. "It'll do her some good, even if its just a start."

"Thunderlane's got a point, she's going to have to face this sooner or later," Applejack said. "Honesty is an important Element after all."

"Of course you would say that," Apple Bloom teased.

"My point is that, Apple Bush was given a shocking revelation, accepting that is going to be something she has to come to grips with, even if its difficult," Applejack said.

"She's a strong girl, she can handle this," Thunderlane said. "As long as its at her own pace. In a week or so, she'll move past this."

"I hope so," Apple Bloom said. "I'm still a bit worried about her, she's never been this sad before, it's really unsettling. I'm so used to that beautiful smile of hers, it reminds me so much of Dinky. But now...ah don't even know. Ah hope she don't see me as less of her mother."

"I don't," came Apple Bush's voice, getting everyone's attention. "Hey everypony, sorry if I worried you."

"Oh it's fine hon, how are ya feeling?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Still kind of trashy," Apple Bush looked up at Rumble. "Hello...'dad'."

"Uh, you can just call me 'Uncle Rumble'," The boy nervously insisted. "Your parents are Dinky and
Apple Bloom, that's always going to stay the same."

"It doesn't feel the same though, I was happy thinking that I was related to Apple Bloom by blood, that it was magic that got Dinky pregnant with me," Apple Bush said. "What a joke, I feel so stupid."

"Well, it's a magical world, your thoughts weren't that out there," Rumble said.

"Honey, you know ah still love ya," Apple Bloom said.

"I love you too, I just hate that we're not related by blood," Apple Bush said, wiping her eyes. "I just want you to be my mom."

"Ah am yer mom," Apple Bloom said, hugging her daughter. "Being related by blood don't mean anything. Cumulon loves Barley, he's not related by blood, but he still loves her, and ah love you. Ah carried you in mah arms when you were a baby, ah fed you, loved you, all the things a mom does. Some things are greater than blood."

"She's right, you've never been any less of an Apple to any of us, that's why Apple Bloom gave you yer name, to remind you that you are a true Apple, right down to the core," Applejack said.

Apple Bush wiped her eyes again, feeling a bit better, "Alright."

"Looks like you're still adjusting to this," Rumble said. "Maybe I can come back another time, right now I think what's best for her is family time. Rebuild a little, and when you're ready Apple Bush, come to my house, you and I can talk. Not a father to daughter thing if you don't want to, but just so I can help you understand things a little better."

"Ok," Apple Bush said.

"I really did not mean to hurt you, and I do love you, not just because you're my daughter by blood, but because you're family regardless," Rumble said.

"We'll all go to yer place, Caramel Seed needs to hear this as well," Apple Bloom said.

"That sounds good," Rumble said. "I'll get out of your manes now."

"Oh come now, you came all this way, at least stay fer some dinner," Applejack said.

"Yeah, I want to catch up with my little brother," Thunderlane said.

"Uh, sure I don't mind," Rumble said. "Think I can bring a little back for Sweetie Belle? And Scootaloo since she's staying there still."

"How long is that gonna be?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Well she isn't doing much at home, and she likes being busy," Rumble said.

"Just keep an eye on her, she can get weird sometimes," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, of course," Rumble said.

"That being said, I'd be happy to make sure they got something," Apple Bloom said.

"I'll make a pie fer your family, ah know yer little colt loves mah pies," Applejack said.

"Oh yeah, he said you're his favorite aunt because of that," Rumble said.

Dinky, who had just come in, spoke on that subject, "I resent that!"

That garnered a bit of laughter from the Apples and Rumble, grateful for the smiles that can still touch their faces.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, while Tender Taps was tending to some Royal Duties, in place of Twilight for the sake of giving her a break, Prince Blueblood made his presence known.

"Ah, Tender Taps, I've been looking everywhere for you," the Prince said.

"What is it Blueblood?" Tender Taps asked, somewhat annoyed. He did not care much for this stallion.

"I hear talk that The Changelings are coming over for a feast soon, and that they're bringing Chrysalis with them," Blueblood said.

"Well yeah, she's one of them," Tender Taps said.

"But you of course know how much fear she strikes into the hearts of ponies, many fear she could change back to her wicked ways at any moment," Blueblood said.

"That's bogus, she's been our friend for many years, she's not gonna betray us now, what could she have to gain from it?" Tender Taps asked.

"Even if it has been a while, one can't be too careful," Blueblood said. "I don't want to risk anything bad happening to Princess Twilight."

"If I thought anything bad could happen to my wife, I would be the first to object," Tender Taps said. "Trust us, nothing will happen, it's just the same stupid paranoia that's been going on for years, honestly it kind of pisses me off."

"Just keep an eye out, just in case, I don't say this to worry you, I say it to put us at ease," Blueblood said, then made his leave.

"Pain in the flank," Tender Taps grumbled. "Like really, what is the-"

"Tappy!" Twilight called, getting his attention.

"Twilight? What is it?" Tender Taps asked, getting greeted with a surprise yet welcome kiss.

"I'm pregnant!" Twilight said, showing the test. "We're gonna have another baby!"

"No way!" Tender Taps said, literally dropping everything. "That's...that's fantastic! Dusk and Dawn are gonna have another sibling! Holy smokes! I'm gonna be a dad again!"

"And I'm gonna be a mom again!" Twilight said. "I can't wait to tell my friends!"

"Do the girls know?" Tender Taps asked.

"Not yet," Twilight replied.

"Let's tell them, they're gonnq be so happy!" Tender Taps said. "At least...I hope they don't get jealous."

"They won't, come on," Twilight said, leading her excited husband away.

Meanwhile at Sweetie Belle's house, she had put all her kids to bed, very satisfied with the fun they had that day.

Scootaloo was sitting on the couch as Sweetie Belle passed by, leaping onto the couch herself.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, if I told you I was thirsty, would you let me drink your teat milk?" Scootaloo asked.

"Don't be stupid, go get some water if you're thirsty," Sweetie Belle said.

"But its so far away," Scootaloo joked, though Sweetie Belle was bemused. "I'm kidding."

"Scootaloo, I like you, but that perverted humor really needs to go," Sweetie Belle said. "I know we both did it once but that was a long time ago."

"It was fun though, honestly you did me better than Rumble did," Scootaloo said. "He's got the right 'tool's but you got the moves. Kind of want to be in the middle of that one day."

"Ask Rumble, though I make no promises," Sweetie Belle said.

"You know, it's funny," Scootaloo said. "I used to wonder what it would be like if I married Rumble, never thought about marrying you. What kind of couple would we be like?"

"How should I know?" Sweetie Belle said, getting up. "Anyway I gotta make dinner since Rumble's going to be late. So he better not complain about my cooking.”

Before she could make her way into the kitchen, Scootaloo yanked her tail, bringing Sweetie Belle back to the couch. She then crawled on top of her, looking her in the eyes for a brief second before engaging with her in a kiss, taking the Unicorn girl by surprise.

Scootaloo did not hold back on her kiss, she jammed her tongue in deep before pulling back, Sweetie Belle laying back in shock.

Eventually Scootaloo herself began to feel a bit awkward and slightly ashamed of what she did. She slowly backed up toward the door when it opened, startling her.

Coming in was Rumble with some food, "Hey girls, I hope you're hungry."

"I...I gotta go!" Scootaloo dashed out the house in a hurry, surprising Rumble.

"What was that about?" Rumble looked over to his wife, who was still in a state of shock. "Uh, Sweetie Belle?"

"Huh?" Sweetie Belle took note of Rumble, now herself feeling ashamed of what happened. "Hi dear."

Rumble could tell something was bothering Sweetie Belle, "Did something happen?"

"Kind of...sit down, I have something I need to tell you," Sweetie Belle said. For Rumble, surprises were not over quite yet.

Old Regrets

The following morning was a great day in Canterlot for Tender Taps. Twilight was pregnant, and he would be experiencing fatherhood with a new child, and he looked forward to that. Eleven months could not come sooner.

Many noticed the great mood Tender Taps was in, he just could not stop smiling, and the reason why was hardly a secret since he and Twilight shouted it to the world.

As he strolled through Canterlot's castle, he came across one familiar student from Twilight's school, one who has made her presence known well the last few days. "Oh, Luster Dawn, good to see you."

"Hi Tender Taps, I hear you and Princess Twilight are expecting another child," Luster Dawn said.

"Sure are, Twilight and I have been talking about having more kids, though I am surprised she wanted to go through with the idea," Tender Taps said. "I mean, she has been busy as of late, but I think she just likes having another child to take care of. Which is great because I love being a father, and having more kids to parent is a treat."

"I trust Princess Twilight will be able to manage her time then?" Luster Dawn said.

"Oh yeah, Twilight's a pro at managing time, it's one of her best qualities," Tender Taps said. "She wouldn't do anything she thought she couldn't handle. She can run Equestria and be a mother at the same time, in addition to checking in on both the School of Friendship and The School of Magic."

"Princess Twilight is a very hard worker, and I respect that a lot about her," Luster Dawn said. "But what about you and your performance commitments?"

"That won't be an issue, I can limit my performances to Canterlot if need be, or just take a break, I've done it before, and not to brag but I'm such a hot commodity in the performance business that I can take a break with no consequence," Tender Taps said.

"Yeah, you are quite a big name, fitting for the pony who married Princess Twilight," Luster Dawn said. "Do you see yourself slowing down?"

"Not for several more years, I love performing, it's my whole thing," Tender Taps said. "Ever since the day that the Cutie Mark Crusaders helped me earn my Cutie Mark, I knew that my dream of being a performer was something I was destined for."

"Oh yeah, you know The Cutie Mark Crusaders," Luster Dawn said. "I don't know them too well, what were they like when they were foals?"

"Excitable, curious, and reckless," Tender Taps said. "Apple Bloom had such an adventurous personality back in the day, and Scootaloo was really daring, something she hasn’t lost her touch on. Sweetie Belle held back a bit but she was just as willing to go along with her friends' crazy ideas."

"Sounds like quite the adventure with those fillies," Luster Dawn said.

"Oh you have no idea, I mean you couldn't imagine the drama that ensued when Rumble first got together with Sweetie Belle, it was a match making nightmare," Tender Taps said.

"Match Making?" Luster Dawn asked.

"Originally we were trying to help Rumble hook up with Scootaloo, but through some big misunderstanding, he ended up with Sweetie Belle," Tender Taps. "She calls that the best accident of her life, who would have thought such a misunderstanding would lead to their relationship."

"That is strange, what do you think would have happened if Rumble chose Scootaloo instead?" Luster Dawn asked.

"That's a question we've all been wondering," Tender Taps said. "Honestly, they probably wouldn't have lasted. I mean Rumble and Sweetie Belle did break up for a bit, and Rumble dated a lot of girls, including Scootaloo."

"Flurry said that Rumble was very popular among fillies back in the day," Luster Dawn said. "Sounds like it holds some truth to it."

"You bet, I couldn't think of a lot of girls who didn't like Rumble," Tender Taps said. "I mean, even Diamond Tiara liked him, and she used to be a snob."

"Flurry mentioned liking him too," Luster Dawn said. "He is pretty handsome, so I don't blame her. I've even had a chance to talk to him on occasion, he seems so friendly."

"He's very friendly, though he's had his bad days," Tender Taps said. "Rumble hasn't always been an upstanding guy."

"I almost find that hard to believe," Luster Dawn said. "Has he really been that bad?"

"Not bad per say but..." Tender Taps sheepishly rubbed his head. "It's just that, not to judge but his biggest flaw is his romance life. Things are great for Sweetie Belle now but back in the day, he really messed up, like he screwed up royally."

"How so?" Luster Dawn asked.

"You know how he has a son with Cozy Glow?" Tender Taps asked. "That was a result of him basically cheating Sweetie Belle."

"He cheated on her?" Luster Dawn asked. "Like, he slept with her while he was with Sweetie Belle?"

"Not exactly, I mean they conceived that baby after he broke up with Sweetie Belle, but he still cheated on her with Cozy Glow first," Tender Taps said. "He said he didn't mean to, and that she kissed first but he still played his part. He broke Sweetie Belle's heart, and then he actually went on to date Cozy Glow after flirting with a bunch of other girls. A bunch of stuff happened since then, including mistakes on Cozy Glow's part. Point is that eventually she gave birth to their son, but by that point, Rumble had gotten back together with Sweetie Belle, so by then, it was Cozy's turn to be screwed over."

Luster Dawn tried to make sense of the situation, she was left with more questions than answers, "How did Rumble get back with Sweetie Belle after cheating on her?"

"I'm really confused about that myself," Tender Taps said. "Look, don't take this as me hating on Rumble. He's a really nice guy and he regrets a lot of things and did all he could to make everything right again, but sometimes I can't help but feel like he's made so many mistakes that it's amazing his life is so normal. At least normal as it can be. I'm happy that I only have Twilight and she only has me, my relationship with her feels more normal than anything Rumble's had. It should have just been him and Sweetie Belle, Cozy Glow should not have gotten mixed up with that."

"Sounds like he made a lot of mistakes, but he's gotten better, hasn't he?" Luster Dawn asked. "He's not the same guy he was back in the day."

"No, he's gone back to how he was the first time I met him, sort of," Tender Taps said. "He's at least ditched his jock nature."

"That's good," Luster Dawn said.

"You know it's weird, the first time we met him, he was really shy, and his voice was pretty high pitched. The moment his voice got deeper though, he just seemed so different. He got way more confident, I mean, he already seemed confident when he was dating Sweetie Belle, but that voice change did wonders. Guess once he sounded like a stallion, that just added to his confidence boost."

"Hard to imagine him as shy," Luster Dawn said, thinking about the stallion. "I mean, maybe not too much, he's usually reserved, but he just seemed to ooze confidence. Mainly since he was a Wonderbolt."

"Rumble was one of the best, it's surprising that he retired already, guess he found his true passion in the kitchen," Tender Taps said.

"Finding your passion isn't always the easiest thing to do, I've had to do a lot of soul searching over the years," Luster Dawn said. "I'm still not confident in what I want despite having my Cutie Mark."

"Cutie Marks are an indication of your talent, but that doesn't always mean it's a reflection of what you desire," Tender Taps said. "I lucked out because my mark was about being an entertainer, something I actually wanted to do. Your mark can help, you just need to understand it's meaning, something the Cutie Mark Crusaders can help with."

"That sounds like a good idea," Luster Dawn said. "Maybe I should head down to Ponyville and see if I can speak with them, hopefully they can help."

"There is hardly a problem those girls can't solve," Tender Taps confidently stated.

Meanwhile in Ponyville, an annoyed Sweetie Belle was seen angrily sitting on the couch, "I still don't know what to do regarding Scootaloo. I can't believe she did what she did last night! I thought her flirty talk was just her joking around, I can't believe she was actually serious! Doesn't she know I'm happily married!?"

"I'm not happy about it either," Rumble said, the stallion sitting next to her, stroking her mane. Sweetie Belle nuzzled up beside her husband to get comfortable, always happy to be in his embrace. "But I am surprised. How did Scootaloo end up being romantically attracted to you?"

"Well, we did experiment with each other once," Sweetie Belle shyly admitted. "Didn't think anything would come of it, I mean she ended up with Pickle after all. It didn't last but she really did seem to like him."

"Eh, I mean I didn't see it," Rumble said. "Pickle felt like too much of a rebound, I hoped it could last but I'm not exactly surprised that it didn't."

"You really think so?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I mean, Scootaloo clearly found him attractive but nothing really said that she was in love with him," Rumble said. "Come to think of it, I think Scootaloo was the same way with me. Back when she had a crush, she only seemed interested in the physical attraction more than anything romantic, after the two of us got intimate, she kind of broke off."

"So, Scootaloo gets intimate with you and she loses interest," Sweetie Belle said. "She gets intimate with me and wants more. I'm kind of flattered that I maintained her interest but I would have preferred if she kept her emotions to herself. That or channel that to finding somepony else. I mean, there's plenty of single stallions, aren't there? Or single mares?"

"Well how many of them are even good enough for Scootaloo?" Rumble asked. "I mean, I'd like to think she tried reaching out and it didn't work. Honestly, I almost feel bad for her."

"Well I'm still ticked off that she came on so strongly to me," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, what if our kids saw that? They'd be so confused. Ugh, I feel so dumb for letting that happen, I just want to blast Scootaloo to the moon!"

"Lets not go that far," Rumble said. "We just need to have a word with her, she's still our friend and we both know she never means harm, she just acts without thinking."

"It's still not ok," Sweetie Belle said.

"I know, and we will let her know that, but we need to keep cool heads about it," Rumble said. "I know how you feel, I've had girls get too advancing myself."

"Tell me about it, I remember when Scootaloo did that to you too," Sweetie Belle said. "Then there's Cozy Glow, who was super advancing."

"Oh yeah, I did not handle Cozy Glow that well," Rumble said. "Something about her is just so...convincing."

"Well, she does specialize in manipulation, makes sense given her Cutie Mark," Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh yeah, something about a Rook being the strongest piece in chess or something," Rumble said.

"It's not the strongest piece, but it is the most dangerous," Sweetie Belle said. "From what I've gathered, Rooks are usually underestimated, but when a pro player uses one, it can be used as the ultimate tool to achieve checkmate. It does make me wonder what Cozy Glow had to do to earn that Cutie Mark."

"She's probably had a lot of time practicing deceit, I mean she is an orphan, she probably ruled over her orphanage," Rumble said.

"You really think so?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Just spit balling," Rumble said. "Still, when do you want to deal with the Scootaloo situation?"

"Sooner than later," Sweetie Belle said. "Probably should let Apple Bloom know too since she's the only other one of us who knows Scootaloo so well. She'd be able to help."

"Oh boy, wonder how she'd react?" Rumble said, thinking about the Apple Farmer.

"I'd like to see her reaction too, I mean you remember how she was when we first got together, how it affected her plan to put you and Scootaloo together?" Sweetie Belle said. "Oh the irony."

"Yeah, that is ironic," Rumble agreed.

"Not to mention, she was pretty mad when you and I broke up because of Cozy Glow kissing you," Sweetie Belle said. "You know, maybe we shouldn't tell her, I mean she's already got a lot on her plate, I mean her kids just found out you're their father."

"Hey just because I got both those girls pregnant, doesn't make me those kids' dad," Rumble said.

All Sweetie Belle could do at that moment was raise her eyebrow in confusion, "Uh, Rumble..."

"Yeah I know what I said sounded stupid, don't rub it in," Rumble said. "You know what I mean anyway."

"Don't forget to make time for that, this is a big deal for those kids," Sweetie Belle said. "Regardless of what you consider yourself, you're the reason those kids came into existence."

"Yeah I haven't forgotten about that," Rumble said. "Say, is it weird that I got so many different girls pregnant?"

"Depends on the context, with the Apples, you only got the two moms pregnant so they could have kids," Sweetie Belle said. "For Cozy Glow, well that's a whole different story but helping girls have kids isn't really a bad thing, at least I don't think so."

"It's just not how I envisioned my life, I thought I'd have one wife and kids from that wife," Rumble said. "Now I have an ex who had my baby and two other mares who needed my seeds."

"Rumble, what's done is done, you really need to stop worrying about this stuff," Sweetie Belle said. "No one's judging you for any of this, you haven't done anything wrong, and anything you did do wrong, you corrected. You did a favor for Apple Bloom and Dinky, that's a good thing. Cozy Glow was an honest mistake and you still managed to take good care of her and your son until Barley came along."

"I guess you got a point," Rumble said.

"Look, I know our life's a bit weird but considering everything we've been through, from battling evil Kings, to Changeling Queens, Sirens and Centaurs, even evil goats, I think you can handle this situation you're in with having a baby with another mare and having helped two of them have their own kids. I mean, who's to say you won't be helping more mares have kids one day," Sweetie Belle said. "It could happen, Cozy might want another baby, so would Apple Bloom, and I'm honestly ok with you helping out, because in the end, I get you to myself way more than they do."

"Yeah, you're right, I guess I'm just worrying over nothing," Rumble said. "You're a great wife Sweetie Belle, and as generous as your sister."

"Thanks, you're sweet," Sweetie Belle said, kissing Rumble. "By the way, have you checked on Cumie lately? Wasn't he flying yesterday? For a chance to join The Wonderbolts camp?"

"Oh right, I should go and check on him," Rumble said, getting off the couch. "I bet things went great."

Meanwhile in Cozy's home, the filly looked furious, "What do you mean you're not going to sign him on!?"

Rainbow Dash, who had come by that morning, was meeting with Cozy Glow and her wife Barley, and needless to say, she was already worried, "Hey I want him on board, but ponies are a little concerned since...complicated reasons, like...well, given certain parental linages...or at least the hierarchy of it all..."

"It's because I was a villain, right?" Cozy Glow asked. "They don't want the son of a villain!?"

"I mean, it could be a bit more than that," Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Sure doesn't sound like it!" Cozy Glow said.

"Rainbow Dash, when you told me about this yesterday, I thought you would try to fix things," Barley said. "You're the new Wonderbolts Captain after all, I mean if Spitfire was still in charge I'd somewhat understand, but this should be your call."

"It is my call, but I do have to make sure the others are alright with it, otherwise there could be anarchy," Rainbow Dash said.

"This is just plain discrimination!" Barley said. "Cozy Glow did something bad, that's true, but she hasn't done anything bad since then! She's been a great pony, she doesn't deserve any of this!"

"I know she doesn't, but that's the consequence to former villains," Rainbow Dash said. "Starlight's been through this so has Discord, and even Luna. Sorry to say, but this is the life of a former villain."

"Fine, they want to unfairly blame Cozy Glow, that's one thing," Barley said. "Letting this affect Cumie is where I personally draw the line."

"Look, I'll keep at it, but ponies can hold one heck of a grudge," Rainbow Dash said.

"No shit," Barley said. "You know what, I'll go and deal with them myself if I need to."

"Whoa, easy there, don't go start a commotion," Rainbow Dash said. "Look, let's go into the next room, you and I can talk things over."

"Fine...I'll be back in a second Cozy," Barley said, leaving with Rainbow Dash.

Cozy Glow thought for a moment, considering the situation she found herself in. Because of her prior actions, now her son may not have a chance to be in The Wonderbolts, and she didn't find that fair. She couldn't let this slide, so she took it upon herself to fly off, ready to handle things her own way.

At Wonderbolts HQ, Rumble had gone over to check on things himself. He passed by all the ponies and even came across a pair, that being Pickle and Wind Sprint. "Yo, how's it going!"

"Huh?" Pickle took note of the stallion, "Oh, hey Rumble. Surprised to see you here. Finally coming back?"

"No, my Wonderbolt days are behind me," Rumble said. "I'm just here to see if there's any information about my son Cumie. I know he's trying to join The Academy."

"Yeah, there was a tryout yesterday, but we hadn't heard anything," Wind Sprint said. "Maybe one of the higher ups know. I'd say go find Rainbow Dash, but she left earlier."

"Hey, Rumble," Came the voice of Night Glider. "What a surprise."

"Hi Night Glider, just stopping by," Rumble said.

"He's asking about his son, Cumulon Gleam," Wind Sprint said. "He was wondering if you had any information about his Wonderbolts tryout."

"Oooh, right," Night Glider said, a response that worried Rumble. "That's going to take a while, I'd probably pop back in another time."

"Oh, well alright," Rumble said. "Keep me posted."

"Sure," Night Glider said.

"Well, see you three around," Rumble said, taking off, leaving Night Glider relieved.

"Hey, is something up?" Pickle asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Night Glider said, flying off. "Gotta go."

Pickle scratched his head in confusion, "Wonder what that was about?"

"Something's feeling kind of fishy here," Wind Sprint said. "You think Cumie's not gonna make it in his spot?"

"I doubt it, he's a talented flyer, and my sister's been training him so it isn't due to lack of skill," Pickle said. "Something else must be up."

"We should look into it," Wind Sprint said. "Lets go."

Meanwhile Rumble was flying back down toward Ponyville, passing over Sweet Apple Acres, thinking about what happened before, "I really feel like I should do something right now. But, well maybe Apple Bloom has it under control."

"Hey bro!" Thunderlane said, having spotted Rumble and flew up to greet him. "How's it going?"

"Hey Thunder, I was thinking about going down to see Apple Bush, just in case she needed some attention or something," Rumble said.

"She's doing well right now, she's slowly but surely coming to terms with this," Thunderlane said.

"That's good to hear," Rumble said. "Hey, did I do the right thing?"

"By telling her about you being her father?" Thunderlane asked. "Or rather, that you helped conceive her?"

"I mean, it just felt pointless in the end, all it did was make things worse," Rumble said. "All this over a crush she had a Cumulon, I mean, we could have just waited for her to move on or something. Now she's probably embarrassed on top of all this."

"She might have needed to know someday, but that's just my opinion," Thunderlane said. "Look, we all know you didn't mean to hurt her, sometimes the truth can be a shock, but who knows, this might bring your families closer. You gave Apple Bloom and Dinky children, you helped them become parents, that's a good thing. Those kids now owe you their existence."

"I guess you’re not wrong about that, but still..." Rumble said. “I’m just having so many doubts right now.”

"Hey, you did good bro," Thunderlane said, rubbing Rumble's mane. "Don't doubt that."

"Heh, thanks big bro," Rumble said, still looking down at the house. "I hope things do go back to normal."

"If they do, you'll hear it from me, or Applejack," Thunderlane said. "Better yet, you'll hear it from Apple Bush."

"Well I should...oh wait, I might need your advice about something else," Rumble said.

"Sure, what is it?" Thunderlane asked.

"It's, a bit embarrassing to say, don't tell anyone yet, especially Apple Bloom," Rumble said.

"You have my word," Thunderlane said. "What happened?"

"It's Scootaloo, she...kissed Sweetie Belle, very intimately..." Rumble awkwardly admitted.

"...Did you get pictures?" Thunderlane asked.

"I will punch you!" Rumble warned, Thunderlane easing back.

"Just a joke," Thunderlane nervously insisted. Of course Rumble barely believed him. "Did you talk to Scootaloo about this?"

"Not yet, it's going to be so awkward though," Rumble said.

"Well you gotta get it done," Thunderlane said.

"Yeah, I know," Rumble said. "Things are so confusing, I just wanted a normal married life with just me and Sweetie Belle, now all these mares are involved somehow, like what's happened to me lately?"

"Eh, life varies between ponies," Thunderlane said. "Don't think too much about it."

"Sure, alright, well see ya," Rumble said, flying off.

"Yeah, take care," Thunderlane said, returing to the farm.

From below, he saw that Apple Bloom and Dinky were outside, the two mares greeting him.

"Hey Bro-in-law," Dinky said. "Had a nice chat with Rumble?"

"Yeah, sure did," Thunderlane said. "He's got a lot on his mind."

"Apple Bush should be ready to speak to him about this soon, she's calmed down a lot since finding out about Rumble," Apple Bloom said

"That's good, I think Rumble definitely wants to make sure theres peace between him and Apple Bush," Thunderlane said. "Weird how she's more upset than Caramel Seed."

"Yeah, he totally doesn't give a crap about this," Dinky said. "Which I guess is alright."

"Yeah, totally," Thunderlane said. "Never change Dinky."

As Rumble flew back towards his home, he spotted Scootaloo trotting across the path, seemingly not going anywhere in particular. Now was as good of a time as any, "Scootaloo!"

"Aw shit..." Scootaloo knew this was not going to go well. Reluctantly she turned around to face her friend. "Hey Rumble, how's it going?"

"Good, very good, considering you kissed my wife," Rumble said. "I hope you're aware of how dumb that was."

Scootaloo sighed in annoyance, "I know I shouldn't have done that, and you have a right to be mad. But I couldn't help it, taking care of those kids with Sweetie Belle, feeling close to her, I just felt certain feelings."

"I don't get it, wasn't it me you had a crush on? How did it end up going to Sweetie Belle?" Rumble asked.

"I've liked her for a while now, and we have been intimate with each other once, a long time ago, so I guess I was craving that type of affection again," Scootaloo said. "She actually gave me the best sex of my life."

"I thought I did!" Rumble said, somewhat offended.

"Well, among guys you did, but Sweetie Belle, she just had those moves like, damn," Scootaloo said. "I mean you know, you and her have sex a lot."

"Of course, she's my wife, I tend to have sex with my wife," Rumble said. "That's not a privilage you have. But of course you know that since you...well, you know."

"Since I was once married?" Scootaloo said. "Yeah, I remember that. Really thought I had something with Pickle, but I just couldn't make it work. Romance just isn't for me, I mean the only ones I've really cared about were you and Sweetie Belle. Now I can't have either of you, it really bums me out."

"Scootaloo...I'm sorry to hear that," Rumble said. "But-"

"I know, it doesn't excuse my actions," Scootaloo said. "If you want, I'll just not see Sweetie Belle again after this."

"Don't get carried away, I mean you two are still friends, you can work things out," Rumble said.

"I can't, I'm afraid to try," Scootaloo said, the girl feeling a bit teary eyed. "All I can think of is what I don't have. I failed as a wife, as a mother and as a friend. Maybe I need to leave town, start over somewhere else."

"No don't do that," Rumble said. "Scootaloo, you can't just run from your problems, you have to run towards them."

"Run towards them?" Scootaloo asked. "How?"

"Face them, you care about Sweetie Belle don't you?" Rumble asked.

"Of course I do, I'm practically in love with her, but I'm not gonna come between you two, not again," Scootaloo said. "I won't risk breaking your family apart just because I can't figure out my own issues."

"Scootaloo, I don't want you to leave, my kids really like you," Rumble said.

"Only because they don't know I kissed their mom," Scootaloo said. "Rumble, I appreciate your kindness, but that's the last thing I need from you right now. You should be mad at me."

"I know, but I can't help it, we're friends, and friends forgive," Rumble said.

"Wow you're dense as fuck," Scootaloo said. "Let me spell it out for you, I wanted to have sex with Sweetie Belle, that's how I felt last night. What if I want to again? It's hard to control my urges, and I might risk really pissing her off. I mean, have you seen her magic? She'll destroy me."

"Wow...you are such an overreactor," Rumble said.

"Excuse me!?" Scootaloo shouted.

"You expect me to believe you can't control yourself? Like where is this even coming from? You really have a flare for dramatic stuff, don't you?" Rumble asked.

"Are you fucking serious right now!?" Scootaloo asked. "How can you treat this like a joke?"

"Because I know you well enough that you are more than capable of learning from your mistakes," Rumble said, gently stroking her mane. "Look, just try to make peace with Sweetie Belle, won't you? You know she loves you."

Scootaloo began blushing from the contact, "Geez, I forgot how nice you could be. Reminds me why I used to be in love with you."

"Scootaloo...I really wish I could find somepony who could love you like you deserve to be," Rumble said. "One day, hopefully."

"Yeah, sure, one day," Scootaloo said.

A bit later at the Wonderbolts Academy, Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail were walking and talking with Fleetfoot, discussing things regarding upcoming Wonderbolts schedules and new talent.

"You think we should give Cumulon a chance?" Vapor Trail asked. "I mean, he can't help who his mother is."

"I mean, maybe, but what if he turns out to be evil too? What if he tries to take over The Wonderbolts to conquer Equestria, what if it's all a ploy from his mother to get back on top?" Sky Stinger asked.

"Isn't that an overreaction?" Vapor Trail pointed out.

"Better safe than sorry," Sky Stinger said.

"Better safe than sorry, huh?" came Cozy Glow's voice, the filly making her way over to the trio. "So, you're the ones who refuse to give my sweet little Cumie a chance, all because of little ol' me."

"Oh, Cozy Glow...what brings you here?" Sky Stinger nervously asked.

"Well I hoped to have a word with you since you're being pretty mean and naughty in not letting my sweet little Cumie join your Wonderbolts, all because you think he can take over, or worse, that I can take over," Cozy Glow said, stepping forward. "You fools forgot one thing, if I wanted to take over, I would have done it by now, because I have the resources to do so."

"R-resources?" Sky Stinger asked.

Cozy Glow gestured behind her, "Have you met my friends?" Emerging were Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Sonata Dusk, Chrysalis and Tirek, Cozy's former allies in evil. "They were all curious by what you had to say too."

"Yes, what is this about you not giving our dear friend's little colt a chance to be a Wonderbolt?" Adagio asked.

"That's not very nice," Tirek taunted, grinning in a sinister manner.

"Hey! You can't come here and just intimidate us like this!" Night Glider said.

Chrysalis then appeared right in front of her, startling the mare, "Or what?"

"My friends don't like unfairness, so you have a choice here," Cozy Glow said, sinisterly stepping forward. "Give my sweet little boy a chance, or face our wrath, your choice..."

About an hour later.

"WHAT WERE YOU SIX THINKING!?" Came the voice of a very angry Twilight Sparkle to the six former villains, all of whom felt a bit awkward now. "Why! Like really, why would you go out and do something that stupid?"

"In hindsight, I guess what I did was pretty bad, huh?" Cozy Glow nervously said, then shut her mouth the moment Twilight began glaring at her. "I'll just stop talking now."

"To be fair, Princess, those Wonderbolts were behaving in a very discriminatory manner," Tirek said. "They refused to allow Cozy Glow's son to join their ranks because of her shortcomings."

"So, you decided to fix the problem by acting like villains!?" Twilight asked. "That's really bad for your image! Tirek, you could have ruined relations between Equestria and the Netherlands! Chrysalis, you could have made things really bad with The Changelings! Adagio, along with Aria and Sonata could have made things complicated with my brother and The Crystal Empire!"

"Look, Twilight, maybe I overreacted, and I'm really sorry," Cozy Glow said. "I'm just so mad that ponies treat us like filth, despite our attempts to fit in! I know this happened to Starlight, Luna and Discord but that doesn't make it any better."

"She's right, ponies still think I'm going to feed on their negativity or something," Adagio said.

"I'll fix that, but please don't make a mistake like this again," Twilight said, then turned to her friend. "Rainbow Dash, make sure things are fixed on your end too."

"I will," Rainbow Dash said. "Alright, everyone back to your own Kingdoms."

"Wait, how's Flurry been doing?" Sonata asked.

"Fine, she's gotten really close with Luster Dawn," Twilight said.

"Ooooh, how close?" Sonata asked.

"Ask later, move your ass," Aria said.

Twilight sighed in frustration as the former villains left. "That could have been a disaster."

"You handled that really well," Tender Taps said. "But wow, Cozy Glow was not messing around, the power of a mother's love for her child."

"Something I look forward to experiencing again," Twilight said, rubbing her stomach. "Still, Cozy and the others had a point, they should not have gone through this. I guess years wasn't enough to make ponies forget."

"They literally helped save the world, I guess it takes more than that, and years," Tender Taps said.

"I'll figure this out soon," Twilight said. "Actually, I should have figured this out long ago, they deserve that much."

"Hopefully this Wonderbolts thing serves as a wake up," Tender Taps said.

"Yeah, I hope so," Twilight said.

Meanwhile at Rumble's house, the boy had brought Scootlaoo to his front doorstep, the girl apprehensive, knowing what's on the other side. "What if she gets mad?"

"She probably will get mad, but it's important that you resolve this, that's what friends do," Rumble said.

Scootaloo still seemed worried, so she took a breath, ready to do what she had to do, "Alright, let's do this."

It was time to address some issues.

Author's Note

It ends next chapter.

Finding Happiness

That night was a bit of an awkward night at two different homes. First at Cozy Glow's house, the mare had returned home after being chewed out by Twilight for aligning all the villains together under the threat of a fight.

As soon as she got home, she could spot Barley on the couch, her significant other looking slightly irritated, "So...what did you do today exactly?"

"Uh...I had a reunion with a bunch of dear friends of mine," Cozy Glow said, trying to play this off as no big deal.

"Dear friends, as in, former villains?" Barley asked.

"Well, they may or may not have to take over Equestria once or twice, but they've reformed," Cozy Glow said. "Plus they're like family to me, we've been through a lot together, like the time we were statues for five years."

"I get that you're close with them, and I respect that, but having them threaten Wonderbolts is a really, REALLY bad idea," Barley said. "Suppose they got the wrong idea and thought the six of you were turning evil again? I do not want you ending up as a statue all over again, or taken away from me in any way at all."

"It won't happen, Twilight loves us, we're basically her friends now," Cozy Gow said. "At the very least, Flurry Heart would vouch since she loves Sonata and Soanta is basically her big sister by this point."

"I know Flurry's close with Sonata, but I don't know if that would be enough," Barley said.

"Flurry and I also had sex together once, I was her first too, so we have that bond," Cozy Glow said.

"Uh, yeah, you mentioned that too," Barley said, the girl a little weirded out. "If I recall, you had to get that out of your system before you ended married me. Looking back, it feels strange waiting on Flurry like that."

"Hey you got me in the end, that's all that matters," Cozy Glow said. "My point here is that a little incident like that is not enough for Equestria to condemn us as evil, I mean, we still have rights after all, that can't be taken away from us. Plus Tirek is Royalty."

"Tirek's not even King though, his brother is," Barley said. "And something tells me his brother would not be happy with what Tirek did either. Now I'm really serious here Cozy Glow, what you did was unacceptable. Do you have any idea how I would feel if you were taken from me? Or how Cumie would feel?"

Cozy did begin to feel ashamed, if only a little bit, "I know that would have been bad, but I did what I had to do, and I did it for Cumie. They weren't going to let him be a Wonderbolt over some dumb nonsense. Like they're blaming him for stuff I did when I was a villain!"

"So your way of fixing that, was by acting like the villain they remember you as?" Barley asked, still clearly annoyed.

"Hey I'm just showing them what a villain I can be if I want to, they should be grateful that I put that life behind me," Cozy Glow said. "I nearly took over Equestria when I was just a filly, imagine what I can do now that I'm a grown mare."

"That's the problem, Cozy," Barley said. "You're already not as trusted because of your takeover attempts. Twilight did a lot for you and the other former villains so you'd be able to co-exist with everyone. Given what you've all done, be grateful no one was banished."

"I mean, they let Discord and Starlight get away without consequence, is it that hard to believe the rest of us did?" Cozy Glow said.

"Well...yeah," Barley said, recalling those instances.

"Plus there's Luna, and Tempest Shadow, they're both doing just fine too," Cozy Glow pointed out.

"Alright, maybe you did get off pretty easy, still doesn't mean ponies will trust you, and after what you did, it's going to make them trust you less," Barley said.

"I wouldn't have done it if they weren't being unfair to Cumie," Cozy Glow said. "Honestly, Twilight should be yelling at The Wonderbolts!"

"Then let her handle it, I mean even Rainbow Dash is trying to do her best to help Cumie get in, don't make more work for her," Barley said, now affectionately stroking Cozy's mane. "Please, just give it time."

Cozy Glow sighed in defeat, much as she believed in what she did, she could understand that she may not have handled things well, "Alright, I'll do my best to leave it in Rainbow Dash's hooves, though that will be easier said than done. I still think what everyone did was really terrible. Cumie didn't ask for me to be his mother, he was just the result of the time Rumble was in love with me. Love created Cumie, so why should he be hated for that?"

"I can't say," Barley admitted. "It's tough for me too, I thought being his stepmother would help him more, but I guess there's only so much that can do for him. But I never give up, and neither does he. Just like his mother who birthed him, and his father as well."

"Yeah, you're right," Cozy Glow said. She leaned in to kiss Barley, the two mares enjoying every second of this blissful moment.

"Hey, if you still have any leftover frustrations, now would be a good time to vent them out," Barley said. "In bed I mean."

"Ooh, that sounds nice, maybe we both have some issues to work out," Cozy said, shifting her eyebrows up and down.

"Totally, I'm gonna make you wish your delicate little vagina wasn't so sensitive," Barley said, grinning perversely.

"Oh Golly..." Cozy Glow said, her face turning red. "Oh my poor little pu-"

"Mom! Barley!" Cumulon called from the kitchen, snapping the two mares out of their dirty talk. "I'm hungry!"

"Ah! That's right, I was supposed to cook tonight!" Cozy Glow said, lamenting her choices yet again.

"Eh, we'll call a pizza guy," Barley stood on her hind legs to bring Cozy in for a hug. "Then do some eating out of our own."

"I'd like that," Cozy Glow said, kissing Barley once again, prepping her for a night of passion.

Back in the home of Rumble and Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo was standing before the two homeowners, awkwardly facing the floor. She could feel the tension from just being near Sweetie Belle, knowing that her childhood friend must be feeling very unhappy.

Rumble felt a bit awkward, he hoped one of the two girls would have started talking by now, but they were standing in silence for a couple of minutes, Scootaloo too shy to talk and Sweetie Belle seemingly holding in some rage.

"Well, guess I should say something, huh?" Rumble said. "Let's just get straight to the point here. Sweetie Belle, you're mad, and for good reason. Scootaloo came on a bit too strong with her advances."

"Kind of. I mean, it's alright if she has a crush on me, I don't blame her," Sweetie Belle said, puffing her mane a bit. "But the fact is that I'm taken, I already have a husband who I love and I'd rather that my friend, who knows I'm married, not force a kiss on me. I mean, you are so lucky that none of my kids saw that, Scootaloo."

"Yeah, I'm aware of how bad that would have been," Scootaloo said. "I really wasn't thinking when I kissed you, I was just...desperate."

"Are you still feeling the sting of breaking up with Pickle?" Rumble asked. "I know you handled it well when it happened, but has anything changed since then?"

"Well, not totally," Scootaloo said. "It bums me out sometimes, but we would have been more miserable together. Like, I thought I liked him, he seemed really cool, but only because he reminded me of you Rumble. That and I was just desperate to be with somepony and I ended up with Pickle. We did try to make it work but things just fell apart."

"No bad feelings toward him either?" Rumble asked.

"None, I still talk to him, we raise our kids together, lately they've been spending more time with him though since he's the cool Wonderbolt dad, that and he obviously has a better paying job so he provides for them more," Scootaloo said. "But seriously, things are cool with us, I still see my kids, but maybe not as much as I would like."

"Have you told Pickle that?" Rumble asked.

"I tried to once, then I think she started feeling sorry for me or something," Scootaloo said. "I didn't want the pity so I just avoided it."

"Scootaloo, you really should be more honest with your feelings, otherwise they bottle up and lead you to do strange things," Rumble said. "Like kissing my wife."

"How exactly do you feel about me, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Like, do you just find me attractive or are your feelings for me strong?"

"I can't say," Scootaloo said. "I mean, I definitely find you attractive, and I feel strongly for you, I just don't fully know that feeling. I'm the type to react on emotions to know if they're real, like the time I kissed Tender Taps after Rumble unintentionally broke my heart."

"Yikes..." Rumble lamented.

"Hey, I did say it was unintentional, you didn't set out to hurt me or anything, so I don't fault you," Scootaloo said.

"I know, but I do wonder if I should have been more aware of your feelings," Rumble said. "I just had tunnel vision regarding Sweetie Belle, she was the only one on my mind at the time, even before I started dating her."

"Hey look, I should have just told you, not that it matters, I mean we tried dating and it still didn't work out," Scootaloo said. "Starting to wonder if I'm just not cut out to be anyone's girlfriend, I mean, how often can I screw up when it comes to relationships?"

"Don't say that, you make for a great girlfriend," Rumble said. "You're already loyal as a friend, you're tough and capable of taking care of yourself, you just need to find someone."

"That's the thing, each time I do, it never lasts," Scootaloo said. "The brief time we dated, or at least the night we had sex, that's when I should have finally had you, but something just felt off. Like, my mind was telling me that I finally accomplished my goal, I got the cutest guy in the village as my boyfriend. But deep down, I couldn't help but think about Sweetie Belle, and how you two not being together just felt so wrong."

"Funny, so you think that me and Rumble belong together," Sweetie Belle said. "How does that equate to you suddenly pining for intimacy with me? I mean, you spent the last couple of days either complimenting my body or offering to do...things, with me. I don't mind the flirting, but I do mind the action."

"It's...complicated," Scootaloo said, still feeling a bit awkward.

"Well now's as good of a time as any to tell me," Sweetie Belle said. "Did you actually want me? Or is this some type of ploy to get between me and Rumble? Like, you aren't trying to set me up as a cheater so that Rumble dumps me so you can have him for yourself, are you?"

"Huh!? No way! I wouldn't do that!" Scootaloo said. "I would never want to break you two apart!"

"Then why did you kiss me!?" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Shh, easy Sweetie Belle, it'd be really bad if our kids heard this," Rumble said.

"I'm sorry but I really need answers, and I want them now!" Sweetie Belle said. "Scootaloo, we've been friends for years and I do want to be able to move past all this, but you need to give me answers here. Otherwise I don't think I can see you ever again."

"Huh? You don't mean that...do you?" Scootaloo asked, some hurt in her voice. "We're supposed to be Cutie Mark Crusaders, we're bounded forever by our Cutie Marks."

"Then prove that our Friendship means something, be honest with me," Sweetie Belle said. "At this point, I'll accept anything as long as you're just being straight, lay it on me, don't beat around the bush."

"Easy Sweetie Belle, you know Scootaloo's really shy when it comes to emotions," Rumble said.

Sweetie Belle huffed in annoyance, "Well, I'm at my limit."

"Aren't you overreacting just a tiny bit over one kiss though?" Scootaloo asked. Big mistake, something about that just made Sweetie Belle even more mad as she could tell from the look in her eyes. "Alright, bad call, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to call it an overreaction."

"Scootaloo, why don't you have a seat and I'll brew you some coffee or something," Rumble said.

"Eh, kind of want chocolate milk," Scootaloo said.

Rumble raised his eyebrow, "Really?"

"Yeah, really," Scootaloo said.

"Alright...if that's what you want," Rumble said, making his leave.

Scootaloo plopped on top of the couch, thinking this whole thing over. Things were going downhill fast for her, and she needed to fix this before she lost her friendship with Sweetie Belle, and that could even lead to losing more Friendships on top of that. After all, Apple Bloom is bound to find out about this.

Sweetie Belle sat next to her friend, at least friend for now, until this was resolved, friend was a loose term. But Sweetie Belle didn't want their friendship to end, after all these years, it was worth fighting for.

"You know, I forgive mistakes," Sweetie Belle said. "And I do want to forgive what you did. I know it was just a little kiss, but I was afraid that kiss would lead to so much more."

"How did you feel about it?" Scootaloo asked. "I know it made you angry afterwards, but how did you feel in the moment?"

"Well, I'm ashamed to say that, I nearly found myself enjoying it," Sweetie Belle said. "Something about your embrace and that look in your eyes, I could feel the passion. You didn't just feel physical attraction, there was emotion behind that kiss."

"Well, glad I made you feel nice, even if it was for a second," Scootaloo said. "Sometimes, I still think about the time you and I first had sex. It was so random, but it felt so needed. I never thought about it growing up, but you are a very beautiful filly. If I focused things differently at the time, you and I probably could have been a couple."

"Yeah, maybe," Sweetie Belle said.

"I know I did something dumb, and I'm really sorry," Scootaloo said. "I just feel so lousy lately, mainly because of me and Pickle splitting up. I know I acted all cool about it, and I mostly was, but honestly...I feel so guilty."

"Guilty? About what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"I don't think I ever loved him, I think I just wanted to be with someone," Scootaloo said. "I started comparing him to Rumble, and to an extent, you."

"I can understand that, I did something similar with Tender Taps, that's why we eventually broke up," Sweetie Belle said. "I do feel bad about that."

"It's a terrible feeling, isn't it? I shouldn't have put Pickle through that, he didn't deserve it," Scootaloo said. "I don't totally regret marrying him, at least we had some awesome kids together."

"You love them, and they love you," Sweetie Belle said.

"Got that right," Scootaloo said. "Anyway, that's one of the reasons I came here, I figured I could make up for my poor choices by helping you out. But while I was here, I started to remember why Rumble fell in love with you. Something about how kind you are, how affectionate you are as a mother, you just started appearing as so attractive to me. It just reminded me of when you comforted me when I needed it. Back when we had sex, I just enjoyed it so much, next to Rumble you were the best I've had in my life."

"Thank Cozy Glow, I got to experiment with her first," Sweetie Belle said. "You can ask Rumble, he was there, and so was Barley."

"Lucky them," Scootaloo said. "Look, I really am sorry I goofed up so much. I guess I just liked what you and Rumble had and I wanted so desperately to be part of that. Rumble was the first stallion I fell in love with, and you're the first mare I developed feelings for. I'm ashamed to say that if it were Rumble at home while you were away, I probably would have made a move on him too."

"So, you're in love with both of us?" Sweetie Belle asked. "That's just so ironic though."

"Sure is," Scootaloo said. "And it's wrong too, I shouldn't have these feelings, but here I am. I don't know what to do with them."

"Wish I knew," Sweetie Belle said.

"Well, I'll figure it out," Scootaloo said. "I'm not gonna let it weigh me down though, romance is nice, but there's more to me than that. I'm a pro on a scooter, I'm so good even Lightning Dust hires me to do stunts."

"Yeah, I went to one of yours shows," Sweetie Belle said. "Rumble seemed more into it than I did, but you do great."

"Yeah, I'm basically a Washout by this point," Scootaloo said. "Even though Washouts are usually former Wonderbolts, but an exception was made for me since me and Lightning Dust are buds."

"Ironic that you, Rainbow Dash's little sister, are on the same team as Lightning Dust," Sweetie Belle said.

"They put the rivalry aside," Scootaloo said. "Plus Lightning Dust is pretty chill these days too, she and Dash don't have that heavy beef. Plus Lightning Dust found Trixie after all."

"Right, it all comes back to that," Sweetie Belle said. "Hold on...Rainbow Dashn never got with anyone either, did she?"

"Oh...yeah, she didn't," Scootaloo said. "She's still single. Shame too, she's a beautiful mare, she should have found somepony."

"Isn't there anyone she liked?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"She did, but it never worked out," Scootaloo said. "I know she liked Soarin, but he got with Fluttershy. She also liked Thunderlane, but he got with Applejack. I think even once admitted to me that she would have hooked up with Rumble if she had the chance to."

"Just what I need, another mare crushing on my husband," Sweetie Belle teased. "To think, all of her friends got married too. Twilight has Tender Taps, Pinkie has Cheese Sandwich, even my sister hooked up with Coco Pommel. I did not see that last one coming...well maybe a little but I didn't even know my sister liked mares."

"Wonder if Rainbow Dash likes mares?" Scootaloo said.

"...Didn't she like Spitfire once?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Spitfire got with someone else though, I think so at least," Scootaloo said.

"But that means she likes mares...and you like mares too..." Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo raised her eyebrow, "What are you getting at."

"Have you considered ever asking out Rainbow Dash?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Uh...Rainbow Dash is like an older sister to me, I can't ask her out," Scootaloo said. "Plus, she's older than me too."

"Twilight married a younger stallion," Sweetie Belle pointed out. "You and Rainbow Dash have a similar age gap too."

"Well yeah but...I really don't know about this," Scootaloo said. "It'd be too weird."

"Aside from me and Rumble, Rainbow Dash is the only other pony you really care about, isn't she?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Well yeah, she means a whole lot to me," Scootaloo said. "That doesn't mean I feel that way about her."

"Look, I can't make you ask her out, but it is something worth considering," Sweetie Belle said. "I can't see you two failing, you care a lot about each other. Even if it feels like a sisterly bond, even that can change."

"Look, I know Tender Taps had luck in hooking up with Twilight, but that doesn't mean I will have any luck with Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said. "How do I even do it? Just go over and ask her out? She might not take it seriously."

"Then don't ask her like it's a date, just offer to hang out with her," Sweetie Belle said. "I mean, you two keep in contact, don't you?"

"Yeah..." Scootaloo said. "I see her pretty frequently. It's just awkward sometimes because she keeps sympathizing with me splitting up with Pickle. I appreciate it but it gets a bit annoying."

"See, she cares," Sweetie Belle said. "Might transition well."

"...Look, I'll think about it, alright?" Scootaloo said.

"That's fine, the choice is yours, if you think you'd be fine without asking her out, then by all means, stick with that," Sweetie Belle said. "We'll help you come up with another way to process your emotions."

"Yeah...maybe," Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle's suggestion did more than she thought however, her mind did start to consider the possibilities of hooking up with Rainbow Dash. But she would have to consider that later. "So, we're good with the fact that I kissed you, right?"

"Yeah, it's good," Sweetie Belle said.

"I'm glad Rumble's forgiving, maybe it's because the idea of two mares kissing secretly excites him," Scootaloo said.

"Oh yeah, Rumble likes that," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't mind putting on a show for him too. So next time you want to kiss me, save it for Rumble's entertainment."

"Should we try?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sure, but keep it discreet," Sweetie Belle said. "Funny, he once told me that if he could, he'd do the same, but with another stallion."

"Oh yeah, I'd love to see that," Scootaloo said. "Imagine Rumble and Tender Taps."

"That's my favorite fantasy," Sweetie Belle said. "Tappy did admit that he would have considered dating Rumble once, it feels like the one scenario we never got."

"You girls mention me?" Rumble asked, trotting back in with Scootaloo's drink.

"Hey Rumble, you took your sweet time making one drink," Sweetie Belle said.

"Sugar Dandy was in the kitchen and asked me to whip something up for her real quick," Rumble said.

"Oh that's nice of you," Sweetie Belle said. "Uh, does she have an idea of what's happening though? Like did she overhear any of us?"

"Briefly, she wasn't sure what was happening but said that since we're adults, we need to figure out our own issues," Rumble said.

"As long as she doesn't get too curious," Sweetie Belle said. "Anyway, I think I figured out Scootaloo's issues. Long story short, she's in love with both of us, but she'll work past that by potentially asking out Rainbow Dash."

"Yeah, pretty much," Scootaloo said. "Still no guarantee that I will even ask her out though."

"Well, that's great, and if you ever need help with that, we're here for you," Rumble said. "So anyway, was that it?"

"Well, Scootaloo was hoping she could stay for dinner," Sweetie Belle said.

"I was?" Scootaloo asked, before earning a slight glare. "I mean, yeah, I was."

"That's cool with me," Rumble said. "Regardless of everything, you're still our friend Scootaloo, and I care a lot about you."

"You're such a sweetheart Rumble," Sweetie Belle said, leaning in to kiss her husband.

"I love your kisses," Rumble said, leaning in to return the kiss. "I hope you love mine."

"I do...." Sweetie Belle glanced to her friend. "You're almost as good as Scootaloo."

"Hey..." Rumble playfully teased.

"I doubt I can beat Rumble, he's a stallion of passion," Scootaloo said, standing right beside him, glancing at him with flirty eyes.

"He sure is," Sweetie Belle said, also standing beside him with flirty eyes.

Rumble raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Uh, I'm not sure what's happening, but I think I like it."

Later that night, Rumble found himself liking things even more. With his permission, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had a make out session on his bed, one he would enjoy for the moment, taking in the sight. He doesn't mind sharing Sweetie Belle once in a while with a pretty mare, as long as he's in on it. That's a special kind of trust that Rumble shares with his wife.

Scootaloo stuck her tongue in Sweetie Belle's mouth, fully taking in the taste as she glanced at Rumble, seeing full well just how excited he was getting. Suddenly she trailed her tongue down her friend's body, landing right at her vaginal entrance, taking some licks like it it were an ice cream cone.

"Ah...oh Scootaloo..." Sweetie Belle said.

Scootaloo took a few more licks before noticing something often unexplored. "Hey, Rumble, wanna join me on this part?"

Scootaloo took a teat and began to suckle on it, getting more of a reaction from Sweetie Belle. Seeing how happy it made his wife, Rumble lined up next to Scootaloo and sucked on the other teat.

"AH! That's so much!" Sweetie Belle shouted.

"Oooh," Rumble pulled back. "Should I stop?"

"NO!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "Keep going!"

Rumble obeyed and resumed his suckling of her teat, sharing with Scootaloo as they both enjoyed the teat milk that would come out as a bonus. Each would alternate between teats and her vagina, leaving Sweetie Belle in bliss.

"Still think threesomes aren't idea Rumble?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Once in a while, in the end, I prefer you all to myself," Rumble said.

"Same here, but it's nice to share, and you always seem so...adventurous with others," Sweetie Belle said.

After a while of alternating, Scootaloo pulled back, laying next to Sweetie Belle. "This looks like fun, can I try experiencing it?"

"Sure...but I was just about to cum," Sweetie Belle said.

"I'll make sure you reach that climax, just give me this for a second," Scootaloo said.

Obliging, Rumble and Sweetie Belle lined up next to each other and each took in one of Scootaloo's teats, sending the girl on a blissful ride.

"Ho...ly...shit!" Scootaloo shouted. "Oh sweet Twilight!"

"Keep your voice down, the kids are sleeping," Sweetie Belle warned, then went back to it.

"Also, Twilight?" Rumble joked. "I'm still not used to that."

"Hey shut up and suck," Scootaloo said, Rumble obliging. Similar to before, Rumble and Sweetie Belle took turns, alternating between teats and vagina, Scootaloo enjoying each one. Though shd did find herself favoring Sweetie Belle's suckles while Rumble was great with his tongue. Makes sense since he'd do this to Sweetie Belle on a regular basis.

After a few minutes, Sweetie Belle pulled back, "Alright, you had your fun, now give me my climax."

"Sure, but make sure I get mine too," Scootaloo said.

"Wait, I have an idea," Rumble said. He took Sweetie Belle and placed her back first on the bed while Scootaloo was on top.

Rumble lined up behind the two, pressing their entrances together as he squeezed through both, earning a gasp.

"Alright, here we go!" Rumble said, thrusting hard into the girls, taking turns alternating between Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"D-damn, I forgot how nice this felt," Scootaloo said, relishing her feeling.

"Welcome to my world," Sweetie Belle said, taking it in as well.

"Gee, if kissing you means getting rutted by Rumble...I should kiss you more often," Scootaloo joked.

"Don't push your luck," Sweetie Belle warned, gasping from the pleasure.

Rumble knew how to do this, and it was just as pleasurable as it was torture. He would trust until he felt one of them was cumming, then pull out into the other and repeat the process. It gave him a sense of control, and allowed him to maximize his time with both girls so the fun didn't end too fast.

"Just let me have my orgasm Rumble, I'm waiting for it," Sweetie Belle whined, hugging Scootaloo hard.

"Yeah same," Scootaloo said, feeling intense. "I really need that feeling."

"Sure, in time girls," Rumble said, keeping this up for several minutes, leaving both girls wanting more. It was a surreal feeling, from how soft Sweetie Belle was to how tight Scootaloo was. In time he felt his own climax coming. "Get ready to be filled, who wants it?"

"I do, but Sweetie Belle's your wife, so fill her up," Scootaloo said.

"No, you're our guest, you can get filled up," Sweetie Belle said.

"Eh, I'll alternate," Rumble said. Eventually his time came and he first started filling Sweetie Belle before quickly switching to Scootaloo, leaving both satisfied with the feeling, the same that allowed them to reach their climax.

"Oh wow...that was awesome," Scootaloo said, rolling off her friend. "Thanks for letting me be part of this."

"No problem," Rumble said.

"And, maybe you can still join us now and again," Sweetie Belle said. "Just make sure you behave."

"Oh totally," Scootaloo said. "Man though, this feeling. I feel so hot..."

"Uh, you're not in heat right?" Rumble asked.

"No, I don't think so," Scootaloo said, then began chuckling. "Imagine if I was though, another girl you got pregnant."

"Don't joke about that," Rumble said. "That reminds me, I should talk to Apple Bush soon."

"Oh yeah, that's quite a journey for you, hug Rumble?" Scootaloo asked.

"You have no idea," Rumble said.

"Well good luck, I'm off, bye Rumble," Scootaloo gave him a quick kiss. "Bye Sweetie Belle." Scootaloo gave her a kiss before trotting out of the room.

"Uh...shouldn't she shower?" Rumble asked. "Also why did she leave? She could have stayed."

"Maybe it would have been awkward if she stayed more than she wanted to," Sweetie Belle said.

"Ah..." Rumble said. "So, up for more?"

"Do you even have to ask?" Sweetie Belle said, Rumble crawling over as the two began to engage with each other once again in a sexual manner, only this time, it was just them.

They weren't the only ones that night. At Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom and Dinky were rubbing against each other in their favorite position.

"Remember, no cheating with that spell Sweetie Belle taught ya," Apple Bloom said.

"But you love that spell," Dinky said.

"I'm serious, you cheat, ah leave you wanting more," Apple Bloom warned.

"Oh, alright," Dinky said, still contemplating if it was worth it or not.

At Cozy's house, while she laid in bed, Barley laid above her, the two in position that gave each other access to their private regions.

"Ah...easy Barley," Cozy Glow said as Barley really got in with her tongue.

"You knew I was out to teach you a lesson," Barley said, once again using her tongue hard against Cozy's vagina.

"Ah...ah..." Cozy Glow moaned in pleasure as she struggled to return her tongue to Barley. "It's so weird but I still love it!"

Within the castle and in their room, Twilight and Tender Taps were making out on their bed, the two wrapped in each other's embrace.

Twilight felt something poking her, not to her surprise, she saw one of the best parts about her husband. Lowering down, she placed her mouth over her prize, sending Tender Taps into a bliss.

"Twilight...your mouth is so warm," Tender Taps moaned. He allowed his wife to really enjoy her prize.

Twilight kept going, faster and faster until she felt her mouth being filled by what Tender Taps had to offer, swallowing it in one gulp. "Filling." She crawled over and placed herself on the top position as she began to ride on her husband.

"I love you so much, Twilight," Tender Taps said.

"And I love you Tappy," Twilight said, doing her best to keep her husband satisfied.

The following day, Rumble had made his way over to Sweet Apple Acres where he spotted a certain filly playing. "Apple Bush?"

The filly whom he birth turned to him, awkwardly waving at the boy. "Hi Rumble...or should I call you 'dad'?"

"Just Rumble is fine," the boy said. "I brought someone who wanted to see you."

Out came Cumulon Gleam, the boy awkwardly waving at the girl whom he shared a father with. "Hey..."

"Hi Cumie..." Apple Bush said.

"I'm sorry you feel embarrassed about asking me out before, I should have said something but, I didn’t know how you'd take it," Cumulon said.

"I didn't mean to keep it a secret either, I just wanted to you to see Dinky and Apple Bloom as your parents," Rumble said. "But, I do want you to know something. I care so much about you, not just because you're technically my daughter, but because you're the daughter of my best friend. Your mother Dinky and I, we did a lot together, she was my first real friend and she was always there for me when I needed her. When she wanted a baby, I was more than happy to help, and as a result of that, you were born. The first daughter of Dinky and Apple Bloom."

"Your true parents, who still love you just the same," Cumulon said. "I know it's a bit weird at times, it was weird for me growing up with my parents not being together. I mean they were but not romantically, but I still felt like I had parents, and even Sweetie Belle was like a mom to me, she loved me like her son so I never felt weird about my situation. So you shouldn't feel weird about yours."

"You, Apple Bush, are the result of a true Friendship, to help with True Love," Rumble said. "Please, don't lose your smile, it's an adorable smile."

Feeling overwhelmed with joy, Apple Bush rushed over to hug Rumble, "I know you don't want me to call you dad, but I'm glad you are. If a stallion needed to help mom, I'm glad it was you who did it."

"No problem," Rumble said, returning the hug. "I love you."

"Love you too," Apple Bush said,

From the distance, Dinky seemed satisfied at this result. "Sweet, no more tension."

"Got that right," Apple Bloom said. "In a way, this brings us closer, don't you think?"

"Oh totally, Apple Bush is the best thing Rumble's given me," Dinky said. "Or rather, the best thing he's given us."

"Couldn't agree more," Apple Bloom said.

The months passed by, close to a year, which a lot had changed. For starters, Cumulon finally got into the Wonderbolts, thanks to assistance from Rainbow Dash, Rumble and Barley.

Speaking of Rainbow Dash, after a show, she had gone out to see someone really special, that being a very pregnant Scootaloo, the two embracing in a quick kiss as they waved to a nearby Rumble.

"I still say she was in heat that night," Rumble commented.

"Rumble, it's been months, move on," Sweetie Belle said.

"Still, that's like...how many fillies I got pregnant!?" Rumble asked. "I basically knocked up all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Don't say that so loud! Also you didn't get Babs pregnant," Sweetie Belle said.

"Wait, she counts?" Rumble asked.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes and smiled at Rumble. "You're a dork." She then brought him in for a kiss. "I still love you."

"Love you too," Rumble said. He then spotted Cozy Glow, the filly also a few months pregnant, the girl waving to him, as did Barley, the two having a seductive look on their face.

"At least Barley agreed to let Cozy have the baby again," Rumble said.

"Oh give it time, especially after Barley retires, which could be in a year or two," Sweetie Belle said.

Rumble sighed in annoyance, "Well, sure, why not?"

In addition Twilight had just given birth to a brand new, baby colt, something her twin daughters were super excited about the moment they entered the room.

"A new brother!"

"Hey, he almost looks like me," Tender Taps said, glancing down at the young Earth Pony baby. "And you too of course Twilight."

"Yeah, he does," Twilight said, holding the child in her hooves. "Our little boy, Sky Rhythm."

"Great name," Tender Taps said.

"Really great," Dusk Step said.

"It's alright," Dawn Stomp said, earning a slight glare from her sister.

"We should call your brothers," Tender Taps said. "Hopefully they can bring their families, assuming Flurry can take her eyes off her girlfriend just long enough to see her new cousin."

"Oh let Flurry and Luster Dawn enjoy each other's company," Twilight said, recalling how happy she was for the two.

Back in their room, the two were passionately in each other's embrace, having agreed to be exclusive to each other some months prior.

"I love you, Luster Dawn," Flurry said.

"And I love you, Princess Flurry Heart," Luster Dawn said, the two engaging in a kiss to signify the love they both shared.

Author's Note

Well that's that. Truth be told, I wasn't really feeling it with this story, so sorry if it was disappointing. I tried doing something different with the inclusion of OCs, it didn't work out as well as I would have liked, guess it's really just not my thing. Anyway hopefully these characters should have a proper ending, sorry if anything seemed forced.

I don't think I can do another story in this timeline, anything else I do would need to be something different, which can happen, but I need to feel motivated to doing so. Until then, I will see you in another story.

Responsibilities

When they were foals at the ages of eleven and twelve, both Rumble and Sweetie Belle had fallen in love. It was a love that seemed nearly impossible at points, given the rough start the two had. It was completely by accident that they ended up together, but it worked out tremendously.

They have been through a lot since getting together, their first major obstacle coming courtesy of Apple Bloom, the farmer filly trying to set Rumble up with Scootaloo, the filly who had originally crushed on Rumble, but fortunately, by the end of it, the two prevailed with Scootaloo seemingly letting go of her crush.

Then came the arrival of Queen Chrysalis, the evil Changeling trying to capture the foals as hostages in an attempt to take over Equestria, a plan that was ultimately thwarted by Princess Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer. It was the first big adventure for Rumble and Sweetie Belle as a couple, and the start of many.

However, Chrysalis was not done, enlisting the help of The Dazzlings, a group of Sirens consisting of Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, as well as King Sombra, she tried for revenge amid a planned Festival Twilight had for the foals. Unfortunately for her, their plans were thwarted, Sombra was defeated and once again, Friendship prevailed.

Next came the biggest obstacle, one that would forever change the dynamic between Rumble and Sweetie Belle, that being the nefarious filly Cozy Glow, who while trying to help other villains overthrow Equestria, fell for Rumble and drove him and Sweetie Belle apart after two years as a couple, albeit only for a few years. During that time, she developed a relationship with Rumble, one that was cut short upon her defeat in Canterlot.

Finally came the big showdown five years later as Equestria's heroes faced off against forces led by Grogar. The Elements, along with Rumble, The Crusaders, Cozy Glow, and even some reformed villains had put a stop to Grogar's plan, however, and all was at peace, and Rumble was reunited with Sweetie Belle.

Finally, years later, at the ages of nineteen and twenty, Rumble and Sweetie Belle had gotten married, cementing their love for one another and having three lovely children together. Those children were a young Pegasus colt named Cloudburst, then a Pegasus filly named Sugar Candy, and finally a Unicorn Filly named Snowflake. A fourth one was on the way, the two were excited for their next child.

These were not Rumble's only children however, during his time with Cozy Glow, he had gotten the filly pregnant, one that remained in suspended animation for a few years due to Cozy turning to stone alongside Chrysalis, Tirek, and The Dazzlings. Almost a year after her release, she gave birth to a Pegasus colt named Cumulon Gleam.

While she did not get to marry Rumble as she had hoped, Cozy Glow took comfort in at least finding a soulmate in Barley Barrel, the two falling for each other over a few months. The two had officially married and are currently living together in their own home alongside their son Cumulon.

In addition, Apple Bloom and Dinky had gotten married, and through Rumble's help, the two welcomed their own children, their daughter Apple Bush, who was a Unicorn, and their son Caramel Seed, who was a Pegasus. Scootaloo and Pickle had briefly been married, having twins named Cumber Patch and Sky Rider, one boy and one girl, both Pegusai. Diamond Tiara married Chip Cutter, and the two had a son named Emerald Curve, an Earth Pony. Even Babs Seed and Button Mash had married and had an Earth Pony daughter named Joy Mac.

Finally was the marriage of Twilight Sparkle and Tender Taps, the two having twin girls named Dawn Stomp and Dusk Step, both of them Unicorns. Being the daughters of a Princess wasn't easy, but the two made do, especially with the help of their supportive father.

And now, sixteen years into the future, Rumble is a retired Wonderbolt who now works in the Canterlot kitchen under his boss Sugar Belle, where he happily prepares food for ponies. Sweetie Belle of course is a stay-at-home mom, with a now one-year-old Pegasus daughter named Sunny Sprinkles. Her children keep her running around during the day, not that she minds of course, as a mother she knows it is her duty to be there when her kids need her, and she took pleasure in being there for them.

It started in Ponyville. With a kiss to his wife Sweetie Belle, former Wonderbolt Rumble was on his way to the Canterlot Train Station, another day at work, and a busy one too. Twilight was setting up a dinner plan for the many rulers across the land, so Rumble and his team had to cook up a lot of food, befitting not only ponies but griffons, dragons, changelings, hippogriffs, and yaks as well.

As he trotted, he passed by a stand run by his friend Apple Bloom, "Howdy Rumble."

"Oh, hey Apple Bloom, how's business?" Rumble asked.

"Not picking up just yet, but it will," Apple Bloom said. "Like it usually does."

"Well Ponyville loves its prized Apple family apples," Rumble said. "They have for generations."

"Got that right," Apple Bloom said. "So, off to work?"

"Oh yeah, big order to fulfill, according to Sugar Belle, it's one of our most ambitious days," Rumble said.

"Sounds like a big occasion," Apple Bloom said.

"It is, the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia are coming to meet with Twilight for...something," Rumble said. "It's Royal stuff, nothing I know much about."

"Well, you never let Twilight down before," Apple Bloom said. "Ah know you got this under control."

"Yeah, it's nothing I can't handle," Rumble said. "Plus, I got an amazing team helping me out, and a great boss in Sugar Belle."

"Sounds like you two get along pretty well," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, she's great, when she's not worried or stressed out," Rumble said. "It doesn't happen often, but when it does, she can lose that sweet nature of hers."

"Happens to the best of us," Apple Bloom said. "Well, ah won't hold ya, you go on then.”

“I’ll see you later, also tell Dinky and the kids I said ‘hello’,” Rumble said as he trotted off.

The stallion took his train to Canterlot, a somewhat short trip given that Canterlot is not that far away. Of course Rumble knows he could easily just fly there but he does bring materials from home on occasion, and sometimes when he does fly, he might drop something or make a mess. He would also risk flying straight into the kitchen, and he does not want to annoy Sugar Belle, she is a nice mare but when angry, can be a pain to be around.

Upon arrival in Canterlot, Rumble trotted toward the castle, same as always even if under a different ruler. Twilight of course was a great leader for Equestria, who did everything she could for her subjects. Even more she was a great wife to Tender Taps, who himself was beloved among many in Equestria.

It wasn’t even Tender Taps’s prince status that made him beloved, he was still an active performer and loved to entertain others. Of course even he had those who were jealous of him, believing her was not fit to be the husband of Equestria’s ruler, how there were many others who were more qualified.

Tender Taps never cared about any of those statements, he only cared about being with Twilight and proving to her each day just how much he truly loved her.

Rumble passed through the halls, making his way into the Canterlot kitchen where Sugar Belle was giving out the orders needed.

“You, prepare the stew, lots of it,” Sugar Belle instructed. “You, make sure those salads have proper seasoning. You, only the finest drinks! Hurry, no time for dilly dallying!”

“Hey Sugar Belle,” Rumble greeted, getting the mare’s attention.

“Rumble, glad you’re here, I have a list for you, it’s a long one,” Sugar Belle said, passing it on to the boy. “I need you to keep track of the entrees, all of them. The Duke and Duchess must be satisfied with our course.”

“We haven’t let any royalty down yet, I doubt we’ll start now,” Rumble said.

“Exactly, we’re not having an off day just yet, now let's get our flanks in gear!” Sugar Belle ordered.

Rumble quickly made his way to the cabinets, grabbing all the materials that he needed for the order. It was a big one but nothing he couldn’t handle, it wasn’t their first go at this after all, he still remembers the time Tirek and Scorpan came by for a dinner feast with Twilight and her family. Tirek had quite the appetite, but Rumble was up to that challenge.

Meanwhile in the main halls, Twilight was eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Duke and Duchess. Tender Taps trotted into the throne room, joined by his twin daughters.

“Hey Twi, is the Royalty almost here?” Tender Taps asked.

“Not yet, they will be soon though,” Twilight said. “I just hope our staff can make the meals with no trouble.”

“If they can handle Tirek’s appetite, I think they’ll be fine here, I mean it’s just the Duke and Duchess,” Tender Taps said.

“And some escorts of theirs, we need to be absolutely hospitable,” Twilight said. “It’s good to maintain the Friendship between our two nations.”

“Oh like Friendship was dependent on the perfect dinner,” Tender Taps said.

“It’s not just the dinner, it’s the thought behind it,” Twilight said. “Any time I have to meet with Royals from another country, I have to do everything in my power to make them feel at home, it’s my duty as the Princess of Equestria.”

“A job you do remarkably well at,” Tender Taps said.

“Thanks to you, I really appreciate you being by my side,” Twilight said.

Tender Taps trotted over to his wife, taking her hoof in his, “Anything for you.” The two shared a kiss, one their daughters mock gagged at, which Tender Taps noticed. “This will happen with you two one day.”

“Ew, no way,” Dawn Stomp said. “I’m never getting married.”

“You say that now,” Tender Taps said.

“I wanna get married one day,” Dusk Step said. “It looks fun. Is it fun daddy?”

“Very fun, when you fall in love, you feel like anything’s possible,” Tender Taps said. “Granted you girls are young and shouldn’t worry about this for a while, but the day you two do feel that way about somepony else, well you know where to find me and your mother, we’ll be there to help you figure your feelings out.”

“Or we can ask Auntie Cadance,” Dusk Step said. “She’s the Princess of Love.”

“Speaking of Cadance, I wonder if I should have invited her as well? I’d love to catch up with her, my brother and Flurry,” Twilight said.

“Are Flurry and Luster Dawn still doing that Friendship stuff?” Tender Taps asked.

“It’s not ‘stuff’, Tappy, it’s building a connection,” Twilight said. "And yes, they are. Flurry and Luster Dawn have built quite a bond together, I must say they clicked very fast as friends. Cozy Glow was right on the mark with that one."

"Yeah, good on Cozy Glow to set those two up as friends," Tender Taps said. "Anyway I think you still have time to invite your brother and his family, it would give Flurry and Luster Dawn a chance to hang out again."

"Plus, I want to see Auntie Cadance," Dusk Step said.

"And Uncle Shining," Dawn Stomp added.

"This works out, our kids can see their relatives, Luster Dawn can see her friend and you look like not only a good ruler but a great sister, aunt and mother," Tender Taps said. "Ponies like the simpler qualities of an individual, more personal life stuff."

"Is that why ponies love you, daddy?" Dusk Step asked.

"Sort of, see whenever I take you girls to the park or something, ponies tend to gush because they see me being a dad," Tender Taps said. "Personally, I don't like it when I get too much attention drawn to my personal life, because me spending time with you is for us and not them, but word spreads and more good publicity comes to my shows because I'm the good father of two very adorable fillies."

"Isn't being married to mom enough to make you famous?" Dawn Stomp asked.

"I'm not in this for the fame, honey, I married your mom because I love her, and I spend time with you because I love you," Tender Taps said. "I enjoy my job because it's fun, not because I want to get famous. I mean, fame is nice but it can't replace happiness, and that's what you girls and your mom give me every single day."

"And that girls, is why I married your father," Twilight said, trotting over to gently stroke his mane. "His kind nature is just as attractive as his gorgeous face."

Tender Taps began to hide his blush, "Come on Twi, we both know you have the looks, not me."

"I think you're handsome daddy," Dusk Step said.

"Aw, my sweetie little angel," Tender Taps said, kissing his daughter on the forehead.

Dawn Stomp got a little jealous and wanted her dad's attention too, "Well I think you're an incredible dancer daddy." The girl followed up with a wide smile and big sparkly eyes.

"Dear, you don't need to compliment me just to get my attention," Tender Taps said, kissing Dawn Stomp's head. "You always have my attention."

It warmed Twilight's heart seeing her husband so gentle with their children, being a father was a truly natural experience for him.

"Well, I'll go and send the invites to my brother and his family," Twilight said. "If you can Tappy, stop by the kitchen and make sure the catering is going well."

"I'm sure it is since Sugar Belle's a great boss and you have a guy like Rumble working on it, but I suppose a quick peek wouldn't hurt," Tender Taps said.

"That'd be a relief, thank you Tappy," Twilight said. "Alright girls, time for us to go check on Uncle Rumble."

"Yes daddy," Dusk Step said.

"You got it," Dawn Stomp said.

The two left, leaving Twilight to herself again, "Well, I should see if Spike can get a letter sent to Cadance, or maybe I can just fly up towards The Crystal Empire. Then later I can check in with the Duke and Duchess, or just have Spike do that instead. Should be easy enough."

Down in the kitchen, Rumble is getting the food prepared at a proper order, Sugar Belle keeping everyone and everything on track.

"So far so good, keep it up team, especially you Rumble," Sugar Belle said.

"This isn't too hard, like I’ve mentioned before to my friends, if we can handle Tirek's appetite, I don't think there's anything we can't handle," Rumble said.

"Ugh, Tirek, that's such a nightmare," Sugar Belle said. "I don't know what I'd do without you Rumble. If neither of us were married, I think I'd be in love with you."

"I get that a lot from other mares," Rumble sheepishly admitted. "The first batch is ready to be sent up."

"Great," Sugar Belle called to her team. "Come on, hurry on now!"

As they carried everything off, Tender Taps had made his way into the kitchen alongside his daughters, "Hey, how are things going here?"

"Sup Taps," Rumble said.

"If it isn't our dear Prince," Sugar Belle said.

"Come on, you know you don't need to call me 'Prince', I'm still just Tender Taps," the boy said.

"That you are, just as humble as ever," Sugar Belle said. "Did you need something?"

"Twilight just wanted me to see how things were, she's planning on inviting her family from The Crystal Empire," Tender Taps said.

"Oh, if she is, I'll make those sweets that little Flurry Heart likes," Sugar Belle said.

"Flurry would definitely like that," Tender Taps said.

"Uncle Rumble!" Dusk Step said, getting his attention.

"Hey sweetheart, how's it going?" Rumble asked.

"You're really busy, do you like being busy?" Dusk Step asked.

"It's more that I like a challenge," Rumble said. "Anything that seems hard, I like to do, to prove just how awesome I am."

"That's so neat!" Dusk Step said.

"You're a total boss," Dawn Stomp added.

"He's not the boss, Sugar Belle is," Dusk Step said.

"You know what I mean, dummy," Dawn Stomp said.

"You're the dummy!" Dusk Step said.

"Hey now, no calling each other 'dummy', you're both very intelligent girls, something your mother put a lot of effort into," Tender Taps said.

"Yes daddy," Dusk Step said.

"Sorry dad," Dawn Stomp said.

"That's my girls," Tender Taps planted a kiss on each head. "I love you both so much." He then hugged the two. "My two pride and joys."

"Daddy, come on," Dawn Stomp said, pulling away.

"Fine, more for Dusk Step," Tender Taps said, hugging his other daughter.

"That's adorable, nothing purer than the bond between parent and child," Sugar Belle said, then noticed some ponies slacking off. "Hey! Get your flanks in gear!"

Meanwhile in Ponyville, Cumulon Gleam was flying in the skies with his stepmother Barley, the mare trying to teach the boy some tricks.

"You have to really extend your wings kid, really soar through the sky," Barley said.

"Like this?" Cumulon stretched out far, but was too focused on doing it right and ended up crashing into a cloud, accidentally causing a lightning strike onto a house below.

"Hey! What's going on up there!?" Bon Bon shouted.

"Sorry Bon Bon!" Barley said. "Trying to teach my son some tricks! I'll get that fixed."

"Just be careful up there!" Bon Bon said, making her way back inside.

Cumulon took his head out of the cloud, "Dang, I can't do it right."

"You'll nail it kid, you just need a bit more work, that's all," Barley said, wiping some cloud from his head. "Remember, you're top level at the Academy, and at such a young age too."

"I know, and that means I have to try harder than anyone else, so I can be like you and my dad," Cumulon said.

"You don't need to be like either of us, you need to be you, alright kiddo?" Barley asked.

"Sure Barley, I'll keep trying, I'll make you proud," Cumulon said.

"You already make me proud by existing," Barley said, hugging the boy. "I'm so happy to call you my son."

"And you're a great mom," Cumulon said.

"So, what do you say champ, want to keep trying?" Barley asked.

"Mind if we grab something to drink first?" Cumulon asked.

"Sure, if you're tired, I can carry you on my back," Barley offered.

"I'm good, thanks," Cumulon said.

The two landed down, making their way toward a convenience store to get some water. Barley looked around for something else while she was there. "Maybe I can bring something back for Cozy Glow while she recovers from that cold."

While there, Cumulon caught the attention of Apple Bloom's daughter, Apple Bush.

"Hey bro, it's Cumie!" Apple Bush said.

"Huh?" Her brother Caramel Seed took note. "Oh cool, wonder if he's practicing his flying."

"Well he is with his stepmother, and she is the flyer out of his two parents," Apple Bloom said.

"Three, he has two moms and one dad," Caramel Seed said. "Just like we technically do."

"Yeah I know, but we never met our dad so I don't count us, plus I think Sweetie Belle's also technically a mom to him, I think," Apple Bush said. "Should we go say 'hello'?"

"I don't think he wants to be-HEY!" Apple Bush got dragged toward the stepmother-stepson duo.

"Cumie!" Apple Bush called, gaining an awkward reaction from the colt.

"Hey Bush, Hey Seed," Cumulon said.

"So, out practicing?" Apple Bush asked.

"Y-yeah," Cumulon said. "I'm just grabbing water."

"He's doing great, really pushing his limits," Barely said.

"That's great, say, do you want to come over later? Show me those tricks of yours?" Apple Bush asked, batting her eyes.

"I'll think about it," Cumulon said, grabbing his water. "I gotta go."

"Cumie wait, I need to pay first!" Barley groaned and left the bits on the counter. "Sorry about that."

"No trouble," the clerk said.

Barely turned to the two Apple kids, "Cumie's just stressed, he ascended to the top pretty fast and now he's trying to live up to expectation."

"Well I believe in him," Apple Bush said.

"He'd be happy to know that," Barley said. "I'll see you kids later."

"Bye," Apple Bush said, her brother also waving. "I like Cumie, I want him to be my boyfriend."

"In your dreams, pretty sure he sees you as more of a little sister," Caramel Seed said.

"Oh give it time," Apple Bush said.

Outside Barley caught up with her stepson, "Hey kid, what's the hurry?"

"Huh?" Cumulon asked.

"You seemed pretty eager to get away from Apple Bush, any reason?" Barely asked.

Cumulon shook his head, "It's embarrassing, and really weird."

"Oh come now, how bad can it be?" Barley asked. "You can tell your mom what's bugging you, I won't judge."

"Well, it's Apple Bush...I think she has a crush on me," Cumulon said.

Barley's pupils dialated, the mare immediately speechless, "Are...you positive?"

"Very," Cumulon said.

"Oh...I see..." Barley said.

"Dad helped Apple Bloom and Dinky have kids, didn't he?" Cumulon asked.

"Yeah...he never told them because things were already complicated with you, me and your mother," Barley said. "He didn't think it was a big deal."

"Well, it is, now everything's all awkward, a girl who's basically my sister has the hots for me," Cumulon said. "I mean...why!? Out of all of us, why me? Uncle Pickle has a son doesn't he? Why isn't Apple Bush crushing on him!? Kettle Corn and Skedaddle have kids that we know, both boys, why not them!? Diamond Tiara has a son, and he's rich! Why not him!?"

"Well Diamond Tiara used to bully Apple Bloom, maybe it was awkward for the kids to date," Barley said.

"THIS...is awkward, Barley!" Cumulon said. "I have to get her to be interested in one of the other boys. Or girls, is she interested in girls?"

"I don't think she is, then again I didn't think I was until I made out with your mother," Barley said.

"Ew, I don't want to hear about my parents being all lovey-dovey," Cumulon said.

"Oh you're such a dork," Barley said. "I can see why Apple Bush likes you."

"Barley!" Cumulon shouted.

"Easy kid, we'll figure this out," Barley said. "Let's go flying again."

"Yeah, that should take my mind off this," Cumulon said. "Let's go."

At her home in Ponyville, Sweetie Belle was seen rocking her baby daughter, humming a lullaby to get her to sleep, suddenly overhearing something fall.

"Who did that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"That was me mom!" Cloudburst said.

"Pick it up and put it how it was!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Yes mom, sorry mom!" Cloudburst said.

"It's alright dear, just be careful, you're worth more to me than whatever that was, take care of yourself" Sweetie Belle said.

"Yes mom," Cloudburst said.

It was busy being a mom, but Sweetie Belle loved it. She loves all her children dearly, because they were made with love. They are living proof of how much she loved her husband Rumble, and they were good kids too. A little bratty on occasion but that was to be expected. Relatives of her and Rarity were expected to be a bit on the bratty side.

"Mom! Snowflake keeps messing up my room!" Sugar Dandy shouted.

"I did not!" Snowflake insisted. "I'm cleaning it!"

"No you're not! Mom!" Sugar Dandy shouted.

The shouting bothered her baby Sunny Sprinkles, getting her to cry, "No, no, it's alright honey, mommy's here."

"MOM!" Sugar Dandy shouted.

"Sugar, please stop shouting!" Sweetie Belle said. "Snowflake, I know you're not trying to be bad, but please don't bother your sister for a bit, alright?"

"Ok...sorry," Snowflake said.

"Don't be sorry honey, you didn't do anything wrong!" Sweetie Belle called.

"She did though!" Sugar Dandy said.

"Sugar, enough!" Sweetie Belle said, then heard a door knock. "Wonder who that is?"

She placed her daughter on her back and opened the door to reveal Scootaloo, "Sup Sweetie Belle. Busy day?"

"With four high maintenance kids, you bet," Sweetie Belle said.

"Where's Cozy Glow? Figured she'd be here," Scootaloo said.

"She's sick at home, caught a cold after coming back from The Crystal Empire," Sweetie Belle said.

"Oof, that sucks," Scootaloo said. "Having a second pony would have been helpful."

"Yeah, especially since Snowflake loves Cozy Glow," Sweetie Belle said. "Out of all my kids, she seems to love her the most for some reason."

"Makes sense, after she was born, Cozy seemed glued to her, like if she desperately wanted another child," Scootaloo said.

"She's talked about it a few times, I told her that if she's ever interested, she could borrow Rumble again," Sweetie Belle said.

"I'm surprised she only considered Rumble and not Pickle," Scootaloo said. "That way the baby is blood related to Barley."

"She's not interested in Pickle, she prefers Rumble, because he's more handsome," Sweetie Belle said. "Given our kids, that's not a surprise."

"Well yeah, Rumble's handsomeness plus your beauty made the four cutest kids in Ponyville, aside from my own," Scootaloo said.

"I'm still talking it over with her, I think she feels awkward asking because Rumble and I are married now, so it feels more restricted," Sweetie Belle said. "I don't blame her, goofing around like this was fun when we were all dating but now, it feels different."

"Well think about it this way, there's nothing wrong with a little fun on the side," Scootaloo said. "Plus Rumble's helping Cozy be a mom again, and you two clearly love and trust each other that even if you're physically with someone else, you're each what the other wants."

"That's true, and I know Rumble wouldn't ever be with a girl unless I was alright with it, actually, he would prefer it if I was in the room with him," Sweetie Belle said. "That I'm alright with, because it lets me have fun too."

"See, it works out," Scootaloo said. "Good thing you're willing to do it with a filly, bet Rumble appreciates that."

"Oh he definitely does, I mean it's been so long since we goofed around like that but I remember how excited he got," Sweetie Belle said. "Somehow, seeing him with another filly gets me excited too in a way, it brings out some jealousy and makes me want to do better than her. Just hearing about it gets me all riled up. Like when he was with you."

"Oh yeah, I was so sore the next morning, have you ever been sore?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sometimes, he's usually gentle with me though, but some days I tell him to go all out," Sweetie Belle said. "Boy do I end up really sweaty."

Scootaloo chuckled a bit, then rememebred the baby on Sweetie Belle's back, "I don't think we should be talking like this in front of your daughter, it feels weird."

"Sunny's too young to understand us, but I get what you mean," Sweetie Belle said. She noticed her baby was asleep, "Come with me to the crib."

The two went upstairs, passing by some rooms. Her oldest daughter had her own room while her second youngest and her son shared a room at their request since Snowflake didn't like sleeping by herself. This left at least one bedroom for her and Rumble and a few spare rooms. It was a farily big how since Rumble and Sweetie Belle did want a big family, plus there was a time that Cozy Glow stayed there until she got a house of her own.

Sweetie Belle noticed the mess in each room, and did her best to resist her mom voice for now, she'll save that for later.

The baby had her own room, right next to where Rumble and Sweetie Belle slept. The mother placed the baby in her crib, setting the mobile.

"There you go my sweetheart," Sweetie Belle said.

Even Scootaloo had her heart melt upon seeing the baby sleep, "She's adorable."

Sweetie Belle took a step back and stepped on a rattle. She turned to pick it up, Scootaloo getting a nice glance of her friend as she did so. "Looking nice as usual Sweetie Belle."

"Better give this to her," Sweetie Belle placed the rattle in the crib and left the room, Scootaloo following.

"You're a natural as a mother," Scootaloo said.

"Thanks, you do great too," Sweetie Belle said. "You make it work even though you and Pickle split up."

"Key is Friendship, something Pickle and I have," Scootaloo said. "He's a great guy, he just wasn't the guy for me. But damn if he isn't a good father."

"That's good," Sweetie Belle said, turning to leave again, Scootaloo catching more views of her rear. Scootaloo began imagining Sweetie Belle in bed, seductively laying across the mattress, times like this she wanted to swap places with Rumble if it meant going for a wild ride with her childhood friend.

Once downstairs, and sure she was out of earshot of the kids, Scootaloo spoke up, "I'm just gonna say it now, considering you had four kids, you look like you're still in great shape. I bet Rumble appreciates how plump your butt is, I know I would if we were together."

"You are such a pervert," Sweetie Belle teased, shaking her rear. "But the key is exercise, I'm not an athlete but I do enough to stay in shape. Of course most of my butt is fat from my pregnancy, it just went back there."

"Not a bad thing," Scootaloo said, gesturing to her own rear. "Mine's just more firm and tone, helps being pregnant only once, even with twins."

"I hope you get married again, you need a pony to appreciate your fine looking butt," Sweetie Belle said.

"I'll find somepony, since I like mares and stallions, I have more options," Scootaloo said.

"Well, far as stallions go, I know a few you might like that are still single," Sweetie Belle said. "I'll help you find somepony, Scootaloo."

"No rush, but I do appreciate the thought," Scootaloo said. "Anyway, seems like you need a bit of help, I'll stick around until Rumble gets home."

"Thanks," Sweetie Belle said.

Later that day, back in Canterlot, the feast was fully prepared, Twilight happily sharing the excitement alongside Tender Taps as the two welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Maretonia.

Shining Armor, Cadance and Flurry were also present, the latter seen sitting near Luster Dawn.

"What a marvelous banquet you've prepared for us, Princess Twilight," The Duchess said. "You really went all out."

"All credit goes to my chefs, especially my head chef Sugar Belle and best cook Rumble," Twilight said.

"It was nothing really," Rumble said.

"Rumble, I have heard of you," the Duke said. "Former Wonderbolt and now prized cook. You are multitalented my boy."

"Thank you sir," Rumble said.

"We shall enjoy this fine feast," The Duke said. "In time, Princess Twilight, we shall go more into detail about our other business, but I think we'll be happy to help you endorse the social events for your School of Friendship, alongside the School of Magic."

"Oh, that's great, thank you sir!" Twilight said.

"Well, I'm hungry, so let us dig in," The Duchess said.

Rumble felt flattered knowing that Royalty enjoyed his food, and Sugar Belle was relieved to had led yet another successful feast, and was very grateful to Rumble for his service.

Twilight and Tender Taps sat together with their children, enjoying the feast as well, alongside her family.

Later in the day as Twilight, Shining Armor, Cadance and The Royalty of Maretonia were discussing their royal business, Rumble was getting ready to leave.

"I should get back home, my wife probably misses me," Rumble said.

"You worked hard today Rumble, take the day off tomorrow, you earned it," Sugar Belle said.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Rumble said. "But if things get bad, you know where to find me."

"I think I can handle it," Sugar Belle said. "Anyway I should head back home myself, I have my own family to tend to after all."

"You go and do that, I have a wife to wait for," Tender Taps said.

"Alright," Rumble looked around. "By the way, where did Flurry and Luster go off to?"

On the roof of the castle, the two fillies looked to the distance.

"If you squint your eyes, I bet you can see my castle," Flurry Heart said.

"No way, it's way too far," Luster Dawn said.

"Come on, give it a go," Flurry said.

Luster Dawn did as told, finding absolutely nothing in the distance, "I don't see anything, are you messing with me?"

"Come on, use those pretty eyes of yours," Flurry said.

Luster still could not see anything, the mare giving up, "I swear you're making this up."

"It worked for me the other day," Flurry said. "But to each their own."

"You're so full of it," Luster Dawn said. "Still, gotta say, it's always nice to spend time with you."

"Yeah, I enjoy it too, you're a great mare Dawn," Flurry said. "Sometimes, I just want to live here, so we can see each other more."

"You shouldn't, you're a princess, it's important for you to stay at The Crystal Empire," Luster Dawn said.

"I know, but it sucks sometimes," Flurry said. "I just...want to do more, you understand that, don't you?"

"Yeah, to an extent," Luster Dawn said, then looked down. "Hey I see Rumble."

Flurry looked down, smiling at the stallion she cared deeply about, "The first pony I fell in love with. He's a great guy, and an even greater father and husband."

"He is handsome," Luster Dawn said. "Great cook too, that's an ideal life partner, someone who can cook."

"Certainly benefits Sweetie Belle, she sucks at cooking," Flurry said. "Well anyway, let's just enjoy the rest of this sunset, for however long it lasts, when the sun goes down, that's when I go home."

"I will see you again, really soon though," Luster Dawn said, nuzzling Flurry.

"Yeah, I know," Flurry said, nuzzling Luster Dawn back.

Moments later, Luster Dawn realized something, "Wait, doesn't Princess Twilight set the sun? How is she doing that if she's busy-"

"Just be quiet and enjoy the view," Flurry said.

When Flurry eventually went home, Luster Dawn did too, Twilight noticing how sad her new apprentice was. Her long-distance relationship with Flurry did have benefits, but also heartache.

Twilight would have to do something, especially for her niece and her top student, who was admittingly a bit stubborn about Friendship. In time Twilight would figure something out, after all, she is the Princess of Friendship.

Trying to Adjust

The next day started off quite simple, Rumble was making his way over to the home of Cozy Glow, Barley Barrel and his son, Cumulon Gleam. After what he had been told the previous day, it seemed like he had a lot to figure out with the boy, this going beyond just flying lessons.

The stallion knocked and waited, still thinking over another visit he had to make later in the day in regard to Apple Bloom, Dinky as well as their son and daughter.

It didn't take long for the door to open, revealing Barley Barrel, "Hey Rumble, this is a surprise."

"Hi Barley, I'm here to see Cumie," Rumble said.

"Sure, come on inside," Barley said, then called out to her stepson. "Cumie! You got a visitor!"

“It’s not Apple Bush is it!?” Cumulon called.

“No, it’s your dad!” Barley called.

As Rumble stepped into the living room, he could hear Cumulon coming downstairs, cautiously peeking into the living room, "Hey dad.”

"Hey son, great to see you, how's it going?" Rumble said.

"It’s great to see you," Cumulon said. "Everything is fine here.”

"Is your flying going well?" Rumble asked.

"For the most part, been a little distracted lately, so I end up crashing more than I would like to," Cumulon said.

"Major rule of flying, if your head's not clear, neither will your flight pattern," Rumble said. "When I was in The Wonderbolts, one rule I was given was that being levelheaded is important."

"Yeah, Barley tells me the same thing, but I've been dealing with some...odd things lately," Cumulon reluctantly said.

"It's about Apple Bush, that right?" Rumble asked, earning an awkward and shameful reaction from Cumulon. "I get why that's distracting, I mean it's weird knowing that a girl with the same biological father as you suddenly developed romantic interest."

"I'm not even ready to have a girlfriend, I'm too shy around other fillies" Cumulon said, the colt then hearing stifled laughter from his stepmother. "What's so funny, Barley?"

"Sorry, I'm just surprised that Rumble's son is shy around fillies," Barley said. "I mean, Rumble already lost his virginity by the time he was your age."

"TMI Barley!" Cumulon said, a somewhat embarrassed Rumble agreeing.

"Hey I least I left out the fact that he got your mother pregnant at that age," Barley said. "Then she got turned into stone for five years along with Tirek, Chrysalis and The Sirens, which according to Rumble was the worst thing the Equestrian Princesses did and hated them for years about it."

"Barley!" Rumble shouted in annoyance. "Are you done?"

"Wait...mom got turned into stone when she was pregnant with me?" Culumon asked.

"Yeah, she did," Barley said.

"I...was turned into stone, before I was even born!?" Cumulon said.

"That you were..." Barley said. "Wow, kind of sad when you think about it, I mean imagine if the villains got out like a thousand years later, you probably never would have known any of us."

Cumulon's eyes were about as wide as they could be right now, a moment of dread filling his mind, "Well thanks for that image."

"Hey you would have been fine, probably," Barley said. "You may have been raised by villains but still."

"You done, Barley?" Rumble asked. "Or do you have more unfortunate what-if situations in mind for Cumie?"

"Well imagine if the villains won when Cozy and her friends were freed by the real Grogar?" Barley said. "You would have been Cozy Glow's husband instead and Cumie would have been raised as a disciple of evil."

"Yes, and you'd probably be dead," Rumble said.

"Yeah, good point," Barley said. "Good thing none of that happened. Everyone got their happy ending, you got Sweetie Belle, I got Cozy Glow, and Cumie isn't a product of evil."

"That sounds like a weird timeline to be a part of," Cumulon said, thinking it over. "Still, not too thrilled to know what happened, I mean, I know my mom was a villain once but was she really that bad?"

"Well she did steal all magic once," Rumble said. "Plus she teamed up with some villains and took over Canterlot castle, all when she was around your age."

"I really can't imagine that, my mom's so...I don't know, chill," Cumulon said. "I mean, she can get a little scary when she's mad, and I've seen her be sassy and all but she doesn't strike me as that evil."

"Time changes ponies," Barley said. "Of course, I haven't seen her do much evil up close, for that you might want to ask Princess Twilight and company about that. Or actually, Rumble, you've seen her evil, what's she like?"

"Well she definitely had a lot of bitterness and resentment, mainly because she got the wrong idea of what Friendship was about," Rumble said. "I still find it terrible that she got sent to Tartarus at such a young age, all because Twilight failed at teaching her proper Friendship."

"Mom's actually been to Tartarus?" Cumulon asked.

"Oh yeah, she was there for quite some time too," Rumble said. "I mean, at least Twilight nowadays regrets her decision but it was still a really screwed up thing to do, and I never got why Twilight even thought that was a good decision."

"Wasn't it Luna who dropped her off? That's what Cozy told me," Barley said.

"It was..." came the voice of Cozy Glow, the mare making her presence known. "After I stole all of Equestria's magic, my plans got thwarted by Sandbar and his friends, then all the Princesses showed up, Luna dragging me to Tartarus in a cage. Funny, I thought she liked children, but I guess that was just her trying to look good."

"That's an interesting story mom," Cumulon said. "It's weird, I can't picture you as evil. All I see is the mare who's been nothing but kind and nurturing all these years."

"Well of course, it's because I love you Cumie, you made me wanna be a better pony," Cozy Glow said, her son looking quite proud of himself. "With help from Rumble, Barley and The Cutie Mark Crusaders of course."

"Thank goodness for that," Cumulon said. "Well what matters is that you're not evil. Though, I get the feeling you were probably a pretty badass villain."

"Oh I was, I was an alicorn once after all," Cozy Glow said. "I once knocked out Princess Celestia, so I was really strong."

"So cool," Cumulon said.

"Uh, maybe not say that it's 'cool'," Rumble said. "She is an old Equestrian Princess."

"Hey she attacked a child, she deserves the disrespect," Cozy Glow said. "Then I got ganged up on by Twilight and her friends, for heroes of this world, they're very cruel to children."

"Cozy..." Rumble scolded.

"Hey you thought so too, in fact you're the one who came to save me from Twilight," Cozy Glow said. "You were always so chivalrous, it's why I was in love with you back in the day."

"Oh, so this is when you two were dating?" Cumulon asked.

“Yeah, basically,” Rumble said. “So at the time, it sucked for me to see what was happening with Cozy Glow.”

"Actually, thinking about it, I was pregnant with you at the time," Cozy Glow said. "Though I didn't actually know I was pregnant when I turned into an Alicorn and went to fight Twilight."

"Hold on, if you were an alicorn at the time, does that mean Cumie here might have gotten powers from Grogar's bell?" Barley asked.

"Wait, I might have powers!?" Cumulon asked.

"If you did, you might have lost them when our abilities were taken away," Cozy Glow said. "So sorry kid, no special powers for you."

"Dang, I wanted superpowers," Cumulon said.

"Work on your speed and that's as close as you'll get," Rumble said.

"Yeah, your innate Pegasus Speed is your superpower, keep at it and eventually you'll be nearly unstoppable in the skies," Cozy Glow said.

"Which I will help with," Barley said. "Soon, I'll teach you the Barrel Family specialty."

"There's a specialty?" Culumon asked.

"Sort of, it's complicated," Barley said. "It's more of a show rather than a tell."

"Uh-huh..." Cozy said. "So, Rumble. Little surprised to see you here, not that you aren't welcome, I just wish I knew you'd be coming, I would have made you something."

"Seeing my son is more than enough," Rumble said. "And I came because Cumie's been having...girl issues."

"That's way to tame of a term, this is beyond 'girl issues', this is straight up weird shit," Cumulon said.

"Cumie, I didn't raise you to use such words," Cozy Glow scolded.

"Barley says it all the time though," Cumulon said.

"You rat," Barley said. "I only said it once too."

"Somehow I doubt that," Cozy Glow said.

"In my defense, Cumie is a teenager, so technically it shouldn't be a big deal," Barley said.

"Sure, whatever, we'll discuss this later," Cozy Glow said. "Anyway Cumie, is this about Apple Bush having a crush on you?"

"Yeah, it's super weird! I mean, she's my sister!" Cumulon said. "I know she has different parents than I do, but biologically, we have the same dad."

"A fact that Rumble has never shared with any of the kids he fathered," Barley said.

“That was only two other kids! You make it seem like I had more kids with more mares!” Rumble said.

“Still, two kids is too many,” Barley teased.

"To be fair, this is one of the reasons I was hesitant to be a 'donor' for mares who want babies," Rumble said. "I mean, I'm not the only colt in town, why do all the mares want me to father for them?"

"Oh come off it, the only families you helped was this one and Apple Bloom's," Barley said. "Granted this one was an accident, you still only willingly helped Apple Bloom and Dinky. Diamond doesn't need you to have kids because she has a husband, same with Babs and Kettle Corn. Scootaloo had a husband, but at least she had kids with my brother before they split. There's literally no one else who would ask."

"Well Flurry Heart might be interested sooner or later," Cozy Glow teased.

"Oh Sweet Celestia, I don't think I can do that," Rumble said.

"Shouldn't it be 'Sweet Twilight'?" Barley asked.

"Not...the point," Rumble said, a bit annoyed by the needless correction. "My point is that I cannot father a kid for Flurry Heart and...wait, is she even in a romantic relationship?"

"She could be..." Cozy Glow teased.

"Well...is this relationship with a guy?" Rumble asked. "Perhaps Pound Cake, he's more than capable of giving her a baby, since you know, he's a guy."

"It might not be Pound...it could be a nice, lovely young mare," Cozy Glow said.

"As long as nothing is confirmed," Rumble said. "Here's hoping she finds a guy to be with, and if she ends up with a girl, let her find another guy to knock her up."

"Oh Rumble, you just don't seem to realize how valuable you are as a love partner, after all, you help create gorgeous babies," Barley said.

"I guess..." Rumble bashfully admitted. "Anyway, we're still getting off track here, I need to fix this situation and fast."

"I think you should tell Apple Bush that you're her birth father," Cozy Glow said. "That might get her to back off."

"But if I do that, it might weird her out," Rumble said. "Plus, what if she gets embarrassed over her crush on Cumie?"

"She's gonna have to find out one day," Barley said. "Better she does it now than later, this way she can move on with her life."

"Plus things are already weird," Cumulon said. "For me at least."

"Not to mention, it's important she knows how she came to be," Cozy Glow said. "She already likes you, if she finds out you're her father, she might be even more excited, same with her brother."

"Caramel Seed doesn't like me as much," Rumble said.

"Yeah but...it just feels so abrupt," Rumble said. "I mean, imagine going over and being like 'By the way, I'm your father'. It just feels strange, not how I imagined it at all."

"How did you imagine it, then?" Barley asked.

"Uh...honestly, I haven't thought of that," Rumble said. "Maybe it could have been in the middle of an epic battle, the perfect chance for a bit of drama?"

"Rumble, Equestria's been at peace for a while now, at this point that's just a fantasy," Barley said.

"If you want, I can create a dire moment for you to tell her," Cozy Glow said. "I can be that evil filly you once knew."

"No, I'd rather you didn't," Rumble said.

"Oh, what a shame, after all, part of me would not mind trying to take over again," A sinister Cozy Glow said. "It probably wouldn't be hard, Twilight wouldn't expect me to usurp her throne."

"Cozy, this isn't funny," Rumble said. "Don't do anything suspicious."

"I won't..." Cozy said in a sneaky way, Rumble glaring in mistrust.

"Seriously Rumble, you do need to tell Apple Bush," Barley said. "Crush or not, it's time she knew."

"Alright fine," Rumble reluctantly admitted.

"I'll go with you two," Barley said. "Just so that you have extra backup."

"Same here, I want to be supportive," Cozy Glow said.

"Thanks, I appreciate it, let's go," Rumble said, leading his son as well as his son's mother and stepmother away as they ventured towards Sweet Apple Acres.

Back home with Sweetie Belle, she's seen brushing the mane of her daughter Sugar Dandy. "You need to manage your mane a bit more dear, there's way too many knots."

"I need a better brush, or a comb," Sugar Dandy said.

"This one's fine as is, it's about getting in deep," Sweetie Belle said, brushing her daughter's hair, careful not to pull at it.

"Where's daddy? Did he go back to work?" Sugar Dandy asked.

"No, he had to go see Cumie about something," Sweetie Belle said.

"Flying lessons?" Sugar Dandy asked.

"Something like that, also some father-son type stuff," Sweetie Belle said.

"Hey, mom, why did Cozy Glow stop living with us?" Sugar Dandy asked. "I kind of miss having her and Cumie around."

"I know you do, but Cozy Glow wanted to start her own family," Sweetie Belle said. "Since Cumie's her son, he had to go with her."

"Yeah I get that, but, it felt weird without them around," Sugar Dandy said. "I know Snowflake misses her a lot too."

"I know, Cozy Glow loved you kids as much as her own son, just like I love her son like if he was my own foal," Sweetie Belle said. "But, sometimes you gotta make changes and certain sacrifices in life. But, if you want, you can sleepover at Cozy Glow's house for a bit, you know she loves having you over."

"I'll think about it," Sugar Dandy said.

Sweetie Belle did the finishing touches, "Alright, your mane's all better now, try to maintain it."

"I'll do my best," Sugar Dandy said, then trotted off, running past Scootaloo carrying a sleeping Sunny Sprinkes.

"Hey Sweetie Belle, I helped that son of yours out with some chores," Scootaoo said.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Sweetie Belle said. "He wasn't too difficult?"

"No way, Cloudburst is an amazing kid," Scootaloo said.

"He's a good colt, but he can be a bit careless at times," Sweetie Belle said. "He just has a bit of a short attention span."

"Don't we all?" Scootaloo said, kneeling by Sweetie Belle. "Your littlest one is asleep."

"Thanks Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle said, taking her foal off Scootaloo's back. "Hope you're sticking around more often, it's much less tiring than on my own. Rumble obviously helps when he's home but usually he's working."

"Someone's gotta bring home the bits," Scootaloo said, sitting next to her friend. "So, Rumble's off breaking the situation to Apple Bush?"

"Yes, and he's not too happy about it," Sweetie Belle said.

"I don't blame him, I mean who'd want to be in that type of situation?" Scootaloo said.

"It sucks but it has to be done," Sweetie Belle said. "I probably should have gone with him, but being a mom is a full time job."

"Your kids are lucky you're so involved in their lives," Scootaloo said. "You are probably the most attentive mom in Ponyville, most attractive too."

"How can I be the most attractive when you're still living here?" Sweetie Belle teased.

"Don't, I will take that as flirting and I will drag you upstairs and make you forget all about Rumble," Scootaloo joked.

"Pfft, all talk," Sweetie Belle said, Sunny then wiggling a bit. "She's hungry, time to feed her."

Sweetie Belle laid across the couch and allowed her baby to have access to her teats, the child drinking the milk from her mother.

"You're doing that on purpose," Scootaloo said.

"Doing what?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Laying on the couch like that, letting your baby drink your mom-milk, all where I can see you," Scootaloo said.

"It's called Teat-Feeding, you did it too," Sweetie Belle said. "My baby's hungry, I'm not gonna hold off on it because you're here, if you feel the urge for sex, you can go to my room and handle things with your hoof."

"Only if I can use a picture of you to help," Scootaloo teased.

"I'll take a picture of my flank and give it to you if you want," Sweetie Belle teased back.

Scootaloo began laughing a bit, "Wow, imagine if Rumble overheard this. Think he'd suspect something?"

"No, he's more mature than that," Sweetie Belle said.

"Well yeah, you and I are friends, and friends mess with each other," Scootaloo said, tickling Sweetie Belle's right cheek.

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle yelped.

"Sorry, couldn't help but," Scootaloo said, getting off the couch. "I'm gonna go check on Snowflake."

"Sure, sounds good," a mildly annoyed Sweetie Belle said as Scootaloo trotted off. "She's so weird sometimes."

At Sweet Apple Acres, Rumble, Cumulon, Barley and Cozy Glow had arrived, spotting Apple Bloom on the farm, moving a cart.

"Hey, Apple Bloom," Rumble greeted.

"Huh?" Apple Bloom spotted the group. "Oh good, yer all here."

"I'm ready to get this over with," Rumble said. "This is going to be so awkward."

"It is, but Apple Bush needs to know," Apple Bloom said, making her way inside.

"It's almost time," Cumulon said. "After today, no more Apple Bush."

"You know, it's weird that she likes you, I mean even if Rumble wasn't your dad, isn't she technically your cousin?" Barley said.

"My brother may have hooked up with Applejack, somehow, but that doesn't mean they'd be directly related," Rumble said. "Like let's say Dinky was a guy, Apple Bush would have her DNA and Apple Bloom's, and share with Applejack, but not Thunderlane. Also Dinky's the one who ended up having Apple Bush, Apple Bloom carried Caramel Seed."

"You helped with that one too, didn't you?" Cumulon said. "That means you got four mares pregnant."

"Big deal, Cozy was an accident, Apple Bloom and Dinky needed a pony to help them with kids and Sweetie Belle's my wife, all understandable," Rumble said.

"Did you just call me an 'accident'?" Cozy Glow asked, worrying Rumble.

"You know what I mean," Rumble said. "Honestly, I'm surprised Thunderlane never noticed, but he is dense."

"Where is he? I haven't seen him lately?" Cozy Glow asked.

"He's still a Wonderbolt, so he travels sometimes," Rumble said. "He didn't retire early like I did, mainly since he doesn't really know how to do anything else."

"Didn't he teach you to cook?" Cozy Glow asked.

"Yeah, that doesn't mean he's talented at it, he makes edible food, not grand feasts," Rumble said. "He doesn't even have to work, Applejack's farm makes a lot of bits, but he likes being busy."

"I still find it surprising he never ended up with Rarity," Barley said.

"They had trouble making it work," Rumble said. "Plus, Rarity ended up picking that cute mare from Manehattan."

"Oh yeah, Coco Pommel," Barley said. "Didn't think Rarity was into mares, but then again, I didn't think so either, until I met Cozy."

"Aw thanks, funny I think Sweetie Belle's the reason I realized I liked mares," Cozy Glow said.

"Wonder what made Apple Bloom realize?" Barley asked.

"Does it matter? Just like who you like, it doesn't need to be a big reason," Cumulon said.

"Point taken," Barley said as Apple Bush made her way over.

"Hi Uncle Rumble, mom says you're here too...Oh, hi Cumie..." Apple Bush said, the girl blushing as her brother, who was right beside her and her two moms, gagged at the sight.

"Hey Bush..." Cumulon said. "Um, dad here has something to tell you."

"Right, I do..." Rumble said, clearing his throat as he looked down to the filly. "Now, Apple Bush, I hear you like Cumulon."

"I sure do, he's dreamy," Apple Bush said.

"Yes, I'm sure he is in your eyes," Rumble said. "And it's cute that you have a crush, shows that you're growing up and we're all proud of you for that."

"Dad, get to the point," Cumulon said.

"Don't rush me," Rumble scoded, the looked back to the girl he fathered for his childhood best friend. "Now, there are some issues. For starters, you are obviously aware that Cumulon is my son."

"Well yeah, everyone knows that, and it's alright that you had a baby before you got married to a mare you didn't really love," Apple Bush said.

Cozy Glow furrowed her brow, "What was that!?"

"Easy Cozy, she didn't mean anything by it," Rumble said, then turned back to Apple Bush. "Now, you know about my accident regarding Cozy and-"

"Seriously!? Again!?" Cozy shouted.

"Dude, use your words better!" Barley scolded.

"Fine, I DID love Cozy Glow, and I still do, I just didn't love her the way I loved Sweetie Belle, but back when I believed I loved her, I got her pregnant," Rumble said.

"This was before you found out she was evil right? I heard she did some pretty bad stuff," Apple Bush said.

"Oh you bet she did," Dinky said.

"Dinky, what the heck is that about!?" Cozy Glow shouted.

"This is taking too long," Rumble groaned in annoyance. "Look, Apple Bush, I'm sorry to tell you, but there's a reason you probably shouldn't be focusing your attention on Cumie here."

"Is it because Aunt Applejack is married to your brother?" Apple Bush asked. "I mean, I get he's technically my cousin but we're not actually related, plus he's more part of Cozy Glow's and Barley's family than yours or ours so it's less weird."

"You are actually related though," Rumble said, confusing the mare.

"How?" Apple Bush asked. "I did a lot of research and there is no relation."

"Do you know who your father is?" Rumble asked.

"I...don't have one," Apple Bush said. "I only have two moms."

"Right, but for a baby to exist, a mare and stallion need to work together," Rumble said. "So, a guy needed to get one of your moms pregnant."

"Really? I thought my moms got each other pregnant," Apple Bush said.

Everyone collectively looked amazed to hear such a fact against basic biology, making this even more awkward than it was.

“So…how smart are you with basic science?” Caramel Seed asked

“Caramel honey, don’t say things like that to yer sister,” Apple Bloom warned.

“But isn’t is a type of magic that lets mares have babies with each other?” Apple Bush asked.

“I don’t think that type of magic exists, otherwise my assistance for a lot of things wouldn’t be needed,” Rumble said.

“Dude, seriously?” Barley said.

“You know it’s true,” Rumble replied.

"Apple Bush, I can say for a fact that Apple Bloom did NOT get me pregnant with you," Dinky said.

"And Dinky did not get me pregnant with Caramel Seed here," Apple Bloom said.

"Huh?" Apple Bush asked. "When how-"

"It was me," Rumble said. "I got your moms pregnant, once for you and once for your brother. Cumulon is technically your brother as well."

Appe Bush's world immediately collapsed, the filly barely processing this, refusing to believe it to be fact, "You're...you're joking, right? You're not my father, you're just my uncle. I don't have a father, I have two moms."

"Apple Bush honey, ah know it's hard but it's true," Apple Bloom said. "When Dinky and I got married, Rumble agreed to help us have babies so we can be moms."

"But..." Apple Bush couldn't believe what she was hearing. She should have known it takes a mare and stallion, but she's heard talk of magic that lets mares have babies, though now she doesn't know if that's true or not, suddenly terrible realizations came crashing down on her.

"So, you're my father then?" Caramel Seed asked. "Aw, I wanted it to be someone cooler."

"Hey, I'm the one who gets you those neat birthday presents, son," Rumble said, then looked back to Apple Bush. "Hey, are you doing-"

"Get away from me!" Apple Bush shouted, the girl now crying. "I can't believe you tricked me all these years!"

"I wasn't trying to trick you, I...just didn't think I needed to tell you," Rumble said. "I was already your uncle and we were pretty close."

"Not close enough to tell me you're my father apparently," Apple Bush said, the girl wiping her tears. "I feel so stupid now."

"You're not, no one told you, and I should have but you were so happy with your moms that it didn't seem to matter," Rumble said. "I just wanted to make sure they had kids."

"I...I need to be alone," Apple Bush said, immediately running off.

"Apple Bush!" Apple Bloom called.

"Leave her be," Dinky said. "She needs time to come to terms."

Rumble groaned in frustration, "I knew this was a bad idea."

"No, it's fine, she needed to know," Apple Bloom said. "We'll make this right, ah promise."

"I hope so," Rumble said, feeling sympathy for the young girl.

"Let's go home," Barley said, leading the young stallion away. He knew there was much more to fix now, that would take some time however.

Meanwhile in Canterlot, Flurry Heart and Luster Dawn are in the castle courtyard together, enjoying a tea party picnic with one another.

"So, tell me, how would you compare Canterlot to The Crystal Empire?" Luster Dawn asked.

"Well it's less shiney, but it's still a nice city," Flurry said. "I have a soft spot for The Crystal Empire, it's still my favorite place to be, but I still find Canterlot appealing in it's own way."

"The Crystal Empire is visually stunning," Luster Dawn said.

"How about you? Canterlot or Ponyville?" Flurry asked.

"Ponyville, I feel too ordinary for Canterlot," Luster Dawn said.

"A town is what you make of it," Flurry said. "But Ponyville is your home."

"It is, but...I'd definitely shift views if it meant seeing you more," Luster Dawn said. "Sucks we live in two different cities."

"I'd say the same, but as Princess, I can't leave my Kingdom," Flurry said. "Would you ever move there?"

"I'd feel just as out of place," Luster Dawn said.

"Even if you're with me?" Flurry asked. "I mean, I'm a princess and you're a common pony, but we get along great."

"I see you as more than a Princess, I see you as Flurry Heart," Luster Dawn said.

"Well then, that's how you need to see The Crystal Empire, just another place to live," Flurry said. "It's your choice, one you don't need to make now since it's too soon to be asking anyway."

"Yeah, guess so," Luster Dawn said. "I feel...really comfortable around you Flurry. I'm not the most social pony but you just have that appeal and charm to you that I feel like I can tell you just about anything."

"That's good to know, a Princess has to be approachable after all," Flurry said.

"You're very approachable," Luster said, the mare blushing a bit, Flurry following suit.

From above, Twilight was seen observing the two with satisfaction, leaning on the edge of the rail "It's working out so well, I owe Cozy Glow big time for this."

"Careful, she might use that to her advantage," Tender Taps said, the stallion standing behind his wife. "Wow...great view. My favorite sight."

"This castle does have a great balcony, you can see forever," Twilight said. "Canterlot, Ponyville, so much to see."

"Oh I see something way better than all of Canterlot," Tender Taps said, gently stroking Twilight's flanks. "I see something all to me."

"You little perv," Twilight teased, turning around to sit on the balcony, spreading her legs. "Here's a better sight for you."

"A tastier sight too," Tender Taps said, looking around quickly before leaning in to take a few licks. his wife moaning. "Rumble can't make anything like this."

"How flattering," Twilight said, wincing as Tender Taps took a few more licks. She used her magic to teleport them to her bedroom, letting Tender Taps go to town. "Where are the girls?"

"They're with your parents, I promised to pick them up in an hour," Tender Taps said, resuming his work.

"Oh my mom won't mind waiting long," Twilight said, wincing some more. "Hey, you think Flurry and Cozy will be happy together?"

"They seem like it," Tender Taps said, replacing his tongue with his hoof. "Why?"

"I...kind of...want them to...be together more," Twilight said. "Stick it in please."

Tender Taps laid Twilight back as he stuck himself inside his wife, the stallion wincing in pleasure. "What do you propose?"

As he thrusted, Twilight tried getting her words together, "I'll see if I can convince Shining Armor and Cadance to let them stay together somewhere, maybe at the Empire, maybe in Ponyville, or here in Canterlot."

"I'd suggest Ponyville, less nobles and they can be themselves," Tender Taps said.

"Yes, indeed," Twilight said, huffing a bit. "Who knows, maybe they'll find love with one another."

"That'd be great, soon Shining and Cadance can be grandparents," Tender Taps said.

"Imagine that," Twilight said, wincing more. "Speaking of babies, I might be in heat, be careful where you want to finish today."

"I'll take a chance," Tender Taps said. "I don't mind having more kids with you."

"Same, I love being a mom," Twilight said.

Tender Taps kept going until he came to his climax, filling up his wife with several days worth of unused seeds, "Well, it might happen again."

"Now the back," Twilight said, pulling out and laying on her stomach, positioning her rear up. "Do it."

"Wow, you might be in heat," Tender Taps teased. "Well, as you wish, your highness."

Things were definitely going through changes, something Rumble felt as he got back home, and met with Sweetie Belle.

"How'd it go?" his loving wife asked.

Rumble stroked her mane, looking into her eyes. "It...could have gone better."

"Tell me all about it," Sweetie Belle said, taking a seat as Rumble began to unload, hoping to find the resolution to this problem sooner than later.