Finding Your Family

When everyone left that Morning, Spike and Scootaloo expected they'd be back by the afternoon. Instead, the first one to arrive at their house was Pinkie Pie and her three boxes of sweets; one leftover, one sampler with two of everything, and one baklava. She immediately went into party planning, but with some urging from Spike, downgraded to something simpler; a private dinner party with very few guests. It was meant as a way to welcome them back without overwhelming them. Pinkie eventually agreed, but with the caveat that there would absolutely be a block party not too far into the future with the same theme, specifically to introduce them all to the neighbors.

As Pinkie moved into the kitchen to start preparing for a smaller dinner party, Sweetie Belle arrived, tackling Scootaloo against the wall with a big hug before alerting them to the cooler she'd brought, with punch. It was strawberry kiwi, with orange sorbet on top in little scoops. Pinkie quickly whisked that away as Lofty and Slash came in with their dresses.

Next was Apple Bloom, Cudgel and Smolder. Apple Bloom and Smolder carried pies, and Apple Bloom came forward to give a less excited but every bit as caring hug. Cudgel was carrying a new plastic figurine of Kin'nrath, Dreadbeast of the Desolate Sands, a gift from Big Macintosh after they bonded over their separate adventures, both of which were penned by Spike himself.

Holiday and Barb were the last to arrive, having gone for a long walk through a nearby park. It would have been a quicker walk, but Barb kept stopping to look at and smell the flowers. There weren't a lot of flowers in the dragon lands. She'd even picked a few wild ones for her mother.

It wasn't long before everyone was sitting down to dinner, except Pinkie Pie, who was rushing through the kitchen to make sure everything went smoothly.

"Why didn't ya tell us y'all were back?" asked Apple Bloom through a mouthful of nachos. "We'd a' been here yesterday mornin' if we'd a' knew."

"We weren't here until the afternoon," answered Scootaloo. "We were still moving in. We are still moving in. Not quite finished putting everything away. I wanted the house to be spotless before inviting anypony to come see us."

Sweetie waved her hoof. "Oh, come on, darling, your best friends don't care if the house is a little messy. In fact, we'd even help you clean it up. What kind of ruffians do you think we are?"

Scootaloo snorted. "You're starting to sound a lot like Rarity."

"Oh, forgive me," huffed Sweetie. "Here and I thought she was my sister and role model."

"Ya sure are talkin' like 'er, though," noted Apple Bloom.

"And you talk like Applejack does," snarked Sweetie.

"Whoa, whoa, guys, let's not fight..."

"Whatever you say, "Rainbow,"" they said in unison before giggling.

"What?" Rainbow Slash looked up toward them, not sure why they had called for her. "What's happening?"

"Nothing, dear," smirked Spike. "They were talking about your aunt. Go back to your food."

"You still could have come out to see us this morning," offered Sweetie Belle. "Twilight's out of town right now, so Spike has the free time."

"Well, I took that into account," countered Scootaloo. "I wanted to spend some time with him before he had to go back to work."

Apple Bloom smiled slowly; a lecherous grin. "Oh... You wanted to spend some "alone" time with him."

Scootaloo blushed. "Well, no, but yeah."

Sweetie looked around for a bit, confused, before it dawned on her. "I see..."

"And on that note, we have some news," smiled Scootaloo.

"Three more?!" gasped Pinkie Pie from the kitchen doorframe.

Apple Bloom scowled. "Y'all just came back! Now you're leaving fer another ten years?!"

"What?" said Scootaloo. "No! I'm not leaving again!" She pushed her claw forward. "We've just been engaged!"

Everypony's jaws hit the floor as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom inspected the ring. Meanwhile, Lofty and Holiday were looking at Spike.

"Is this that ring you were arguing with the jeweler about?" asked Lofty. "The one that he tried to talk you out of because it wouldn't make a good engagement ring?"

"Yeah," said Apple Bloom. "Aren't engagement rings s'posed to have diamonds or somethin'?"

"This one's way better than a silly old diamond," gushed Scootaloo. "Look, that big one is me, that one there is Spike, and these three in the middle are the kids."

"Really?" Cudgel climbed up on top of the table to try to see it better. "Which one's me?"

"Why are there jewels in the ring?" asked Barb. "Aren't they supposed to be for eating?"

Scootaloo closed her claw and held the ring against her chest. "This ring represents a lot to me. The very family we made together is now brought back in this ring. I don't want to lose this ring, ever, because what matters most to me is right there on the back of my claw."

"Way better than some diamond," agreed Lofty. "That jeweler didn't know what he was talking about."

Holiday chuckled. "Our wedding bands were made of braided silver. No stones, just a series of interwoven bands, stronger together than any could ever be apart."

Lofty took her hoof and gripped it tight. "They were twisted, too. If you looked at them from the side, they would resemble tears. But if you put them together, it would form a heart."

It was only then that Scootaloo saw Pinkie Pie shuddering. "Pinkie? You okay?"

Pinkie composed herself, then pulled a clipboard out from who-knows-where, along with a novelty oversized pen. Lacking a pair of normal reading glasses, she pulled out of her mane a rather large full-face mask, complete with moustache nose filter, party horn so other ponies could hear where she was, and a banana nose because... well, she thought it was funny. Also, it could act as a snorkel in poolside reading emergencies. "Welcome to Ponyville party. Engagement party. Bachelor party. Bachelorette party; probably the same night. Bridal shower. Wedding. Reception." She looked at Spike and Scootaloo "Birthday parties?"

"We just had them," answered Scootaloo. "A couple days ago."

"Wait, birthday parties are a real thing?" asked Rainbow Slash. "Those are normal? I thought it was something my mom made up."

Pinkie tucked the clipboard and pen behind her back; an amazing feat, considering the size of the pen. "Party planning is a serious business, and I take it very seriously." She bopped the banana on her nose, and it swirled around a bit as she blew the party horn.