Chapter 1: Relationship's & surprises

Dreams Do Come True:Side Story:Always Been At Your Side

By

Sparknanator & Southpawfight614

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The early morning silence was broken by the sound of a heavy wood door slamming, as an angry wine-red unicorn left his humble treehouse home, soon tailed by an equally angry lavender mare. These two were once happy newlyweds, and proud guardians of a royal prince. But after they got married, they soon ran into financial and emotional troubles, which got the best of the two normally serene and smiling lovers. Supporting a rapidly-growing Alicorn prince, and an equally ravenous Adolescent Dragon, put their bitpurses “tight” at best.

“Twilight, we have got to find a way to feed ourselves and those two food vacuums.” A snarling Shadowfoot growled at his wife, who he couldn’t look straight in the face when he was angry, because it always broke his temper. This was no “haha, it’s ok.” Matter. Their finances were truly strained at this point, and since Shadow wasn’t required to send those letters to the princess anymore, he had no income. The only other income came from the occasional transfer from Twilight’s brother or parents.

“If a certain somepony would get off his rump and find some real income, we would be fine!” Twilight screeched, angry, but exasperated at the same time. Though she truly loved her upstanding, understanding, caring, smart, and sometimes goofball husband, his merits did not put food on their table. Money wasn’t always the root of their arguments, but it was the most common.

“The library is paid off, as well as the loans for the wedding! Why is it so hard for you to put a few extra bits in our wallets, Shadow?”

“Open your eyes, Twilight. There is no real income. Those who already have jobs struggle to keep them, those who don’t struggle to find them.” Shadow growled, a bit on the mean side. “You’re the prodigy of the Great and Powerful Celestia, and also her son’s babysitter. You figure she would toss a few bits our way…” Shadow grumbled.

“BEING A PRODIGY IS NO EASY TASK, ESPECIALLY FOR WHAT IS EXPECTED OF ME! MY TEACHER PAID FOR OUR WEDDING AND HOME, DID YOU FORGET?” Twilight yelled, now on the verge of breaking into tears, or asking for a divorce. That stopped Shadow in his tracks. This time, he rounded on Twilight, assuming a full-height stance. Very slowly, enunciating each word, he spoke.

“No, I did not forget your great and powerful teacher set us up with the home and wedding of our dreams, and I would ask you kindly to not throw it in my face. Did you forget I was dropped here purely for Star’s benefit?” Twilight knew she had overstepped her bounds, venting her frustrations on the one Stallion who looked at her twice.

“No, Shadow, I didn’t mean it like that…please…I’m sorry…” She said, trying to bore holes into the cobbled path below her hooves, for she now felt lower than the dirt the path was laid in. For all he was, Shadow did not take disrespect lightly, especially when he still felt like a stranger to this land.

“I know you’re a stranger here, Shadow, but it’s time you stepped up and became the stallion I know you can be.” She approached her angered husband, whose special talent was supposed to be negotiations. Gingerly, she approached her husband, nuzzling him, which slowly turned into a delicious kiss, much akin to when they had first kissed. In that same moment, all of Shadow’s frustration seeped away.

“Twilight. You haven’t kissed me like that since…”

“Since the first night we made love, Shadow…I’m doing my best to keep us afloat, but I need your help. For Spike, Star, and…” Then Twilight stopped herself, afraid of how he may react to what she’d almost said. Her friends already knew, but she refused to tell Shadow, especially since they were arguing.

“and who, Twilight?” asked Shadow, immediately knowing by her abrupt stop and voice tone she was leaving someone or something out.

“Never you mind, love.” Twilight implored him, hoping he would let it rest for now. “Just promise me, you’ll find employment soon. We can’t live off of my savings forever.

I know, Twilight. It’s difficult. It’s a shame my backstory didn’t follow me into this universe.” Shadow chuckled to himself.

“Backstory…? I don’t follow…” Twilight asked quizzically, now forgetting the argument and wondering why he would say such a thing.
“
You do remember I used to be a human, right?”

“Yes, of course. How could I forget. It’s your deep dark secret…aside from those magazines I found on your side of the bed.” She told him, coyly.

“Hey! Those aren’t mine! Or, aren’t anymore…eheheh…”

“Am I not sexy enough for you mister ex-human” Twilight said, rubbing up against the most sensitive part of his flank with hers.

“what? no! whoa! Hey! We’re in public, Twilight!”

“Well, Rarity showed me this place in the park….” She hinted once more.

“Mare, you better not…” Shadow warned his wife, sternly, but faltering.

“Better not what?” She said, but did anyway, grazing on his ear with her teeth.
“You did it anyway…” Her action sending shivers down Shadow’s spine and other places unspeakable.

“Back to the nature at hand.” Shadow coughed, assuming his best professional tone, partly for the sake of his next statement, and partially partly to stop himself from rutting Twilight in the middle of the street at 7am.

“I will most certainly keep pursuing employment, but until I find stable income, keep an eye on those two. They’re thick as thieves and eat ten times as much as their weight.” Shadow huffed.

“And in my backstory, I am a particularly well-to-do unicorn.”

“But in this moment, you are not and never will be unless you get a move on.” Twilight said, kissing him one last time before they parted ways. “And by the way, that WAS an invitation, Shadow.” Twilight said, trotting off, purposefully bouncing her flank as she walked. That would get him for sure.

Momentarily hypnotized by his wife’s rear, Shadow shook his head. Daylight was burning away, and he needed work soon.

As Shadow proceeded along the main drag of a sleepy ponyville, he stopped at the bulletin board, looking for any new jobs that may have been posted within the early morning. Much to his disappointment, there was nothing readily open for the next few hours. What was he to do with the time at hand, he wondered. he then heard a fight going on somewhere down the road. Pointing his ears toward the ruckus, he distinctly heard Applebloom, and then Scootaloo, followed by the little brat named Diamond Tiara.

“What are those fillies up to now?” Shadow wondered to himself. Fights between these few were notoriously common, mostly because Tiara was spoiled rotten, and found nothing better to do than harass the three blank-flanks known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Rounding the corner, he saw Tiara push Applebloom down into a mud puddle, while her equally-rotten friend Silver Spoon giggled maliciously.

On the verge of tears, Applebloom picked herself up and ran off, Scoots tailing her, while shouting insults back at the pair of rotten fillies. What they were not paying attention to, was the massive unicorn right in their path.

with a heavy thud, Scootaloo and Applebloom ran into each one of Shadow’s forelegs.

“Girls, are you alright?” Shadow asked the pair, knowing the answer already.

“We’re OK, Mr. Shadow..” Applebloom sniffled, being helped up by Shadow and Scootaloo.

He admired Applebloom’s strength, much like her sister and brother, but she was still young yet.

“No, you’re not.” Shadow said, stern but gentle. “I saw the whole thing. And those two need to be taught a lesson.” Shadow grunted, walking up towards the pair of still giggling fillies.

“You two, over here, now please.” Shadow said to the two, making sure they heard and saw him.

“Who are you?” Diamond Tiara demanded of Shadow. We all know Shadow doesn’t take kindly to disrespect.

“Girls, I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare. All I want to know, is why you are always so mean to those two poor fillies over there. If you can’t tell me, maybe your fathers will. They are both respected members of our fair ponyville, as am I, so naturally, I know things.”

“You don’t scare me, you striped freak!” Diamond Tiara shrieked.

“I’m not here to scare you. I just want to know why you’re always so mean.”

“Well, they’re the only two blank-flanks left in our school, not including that dodo bird named Sweetie Belle.” Silver Spoon snickered.

“And they’re poor, unlike us.” Tiara chimed in.

“And how is it fair to treat them so differently? What if you were in the same situation as those three? I doubt they would treat you any differently. They might even be your friends.”

“I don’t want them as friends. I have my daddy’s money and that’s all I need.” Diamond Tiara said defiantly.

“In that case, you two really are rotten little fillies, and you’re both coming with me.” Shadow then levitated the pair in his crimson magical aura. Though this was probably illegal, it was still quite early in the morning and nopony would be around, hopefully.

“Hey! put me down, Where are you taking me?! I demand to know!” Diamond Tiara shouted

“I’m taking you to apologize to Misses Applebloom and Scootaloo, and then to your respective fathers to have them deal with you personally. I’m going to set you down, but if you run off, you’ll be right back in my grip, learning the finer points of a mid air backflip, capiece?”

“Yes, Mr. Shadow.” The usually defiant pair of fillies said solemnly.

After apologies were given and thus, accepted, the fillies were now in front of both their fathers, suffering a severe tongue lashing, Shadow right on their little wiggly tails.

After punishments were given, the three stallions adjourned to Filthy Rich’s study for an early drink, and thus, the topic of employment came up.

“Shadow, my good stallion, I’m grateful you brought Tiara’s action into light for me. Teasing is one thing, but violence, entirely different.” Filthy said as he sipped on his bourbon.

“I don’t agree with either practice, Sir.” Shadow said, lowering his glass onto a cork coaster in front of him. “Kids will be kids, yes, but behavior like that must be stopped early, or it will carry on through all of their educational years and into their adult lives.”

“How can you be so certain, my good man?” Filthy retorted.

“I was in the same schools, same classes, with the same ponies, for many years. I was one of the victims of that sort of thing through all those years. And sure as Celestia’s sun, those that didn’t mature became rotten ponies whose only aim was to make others miserable. School friendships are superficial at times, and their friends they once had, left them.”

“That’s..quite deep, Mr. Shadow. I wouldn’t expect a gentlepony such as yourself to know of such things.”

“I wasn’t always the pony you see before you.” Shadow said solemnly, reflecting on what he remembered of his past life, which was slowly fading, as life in equestria took over.

“I could use a gentlepony like yourself for my company. How would you like a job, Shadow?”

“Wait, a job?” Shadow asked, dumbfounded.

“I heard it through the grapevine you may be looking at financial trouble, my good Stallion.”

“Rarity...” Shadow grumbled. “She must have overheard the argument this morning” Shadow thought to himself.

“And I could use a pony of your integrity and common sense to put my employees on the right track. So what do you say?”

“What kind of position are we talking, sir?” Shadow asked. He would take the job anyway, but he wanted to know what he was getting into.

“I was thinking, upper management?” Filthy told the Stallion before him.

“Management, honestly?” Shadow said, now totally blown away.
“Well, yes. I need a driving force, and you’re it. not many ponies would be brazen enough to drag a young filly to her home against her will, without fear of repercussions.”

“Trust me, I was fearing, alright.” Shadow chuckled. “Thank you sir, I’ll happily take the job. When will you need me?”

“10am Sharp.Today. And wear a tie at least. Casual Friday isn’t until tomorrow. Matter of fact, get yourself a nice collar-tie combo, on me.” A bag of bits plopped itself on the table next to Shadow. More than enough for even the most dressiest of fashions.

“Holy Celestia sir, are you sure I need all of that?” Shadow asked, dropping the bits into a saddlebag.

“Sign on bonus, plus first week’s pay, plus a few extra for teaching my daughter a lesson. I take it we have a deal?”

“We most certainly do.” Shadow said as the last of their drinks were drained from the blue crystal glasses they were drinking from.

***

Shadow, now officially employed, jogged as fast as he could to his home. Judging by the bag of bits he carried, He and Twilight would be much less concerned with finances for a good long time.

“Twilight!” Shadow yelled joyfully as he burst through the front door of the library. Instead of being greeted by a certain lavender mare, he heard a loud thud, followed by a flurry of papers and the smell of burnt fur. Shadow blinked, and then looked toward the now-demolished bookcase, where a dizzy and disoriented Shooting Star was laying, groaning softly.

“Dafu...?” Shadow said, just now noticing the gangly young Alicorn was, for all intents and purposes, knocked out.

“My goddess, boy. What have you gotten yourself into now?” Shadow trotted over, lifting Star onto a nearby chair.

“Was trying..teleport...” Star groaned, nodding back off. It was then that Shadow noticed Star’s muzzle looking a little crooked. Though it wasn’t bleeding, yet, it was bound to be painful. Shadow sighed heavily, then proceeded to look for his wife, whom had heard the ruckus and now came from the basement. Twilight’s mouth dropped to the floor, and couldn’t seem to lift itself back up.

Sensing her thoughts, Shadow spoke up. “Star’s fine, I think. He’ll be sore, and possibly concussed, but fine after a little while. He tried to teleport like Aunt Twilight.” Shadow laughed. “But, your bookshelf, not so much. I’ve got amazing news, by the way.”

Finally snapping out of her stunned silence, Twilight finally spoke, still in disbelief. “News, honey? what news?”

“I’ve found a job with a particularly pretty pay rate.” The bit bag plunked onto the table, seemingly unaffected by the purchase of a hundred-bit collar and tie.

“Shadow, that’s...probably more than I’ve earned in my entire life. How?”

“Well, Mr. Filthy Rich seems to see me as some sort of visionary, and a new figurehead for his employees. I’m his new VP of Employee Relations. I make sure everypony is happy with their jobs, and keep morale up, which leads to higher productivity. Basically, I’m a well-paid sugar pill.”

“If that’s your monthly income, we could easily afford a bigger home.” Twilight said, Amazed.

“Well, after subtracting my sign on bonus and the few extra bits I was given for talking some sense into Diamond Tiara, this is my weekly pay.” Shadow said, seperating his weekly from the rest. A healthy pile of about 200 gleaming bits was looking back at Twilight, some even freshly minted, with no dirt, dust, grime, or hoofprints,

“But, Twilight, we are not buying a bigger home. If we continue living as we do, and managing our bit flow, we’ll be set for months, if not years, depending on if I can keep this job.”

“Shadow, I should mention I have some news, also.” Twilight said, a different, gentler tone in her voice.

“Really, what’s that, love?” Shadow asked.

“Shadow, I’m pregnant.” Twilight said. Then, silence.

“Preg-what?” Shadow asked, unsure of what he heard.

“Pregnant, you big red dummy. With not one, but two foals.” Twilight continued.

“Twilight, that’s...amazing!” Shadow was overjoyed. He was going to be a father! officially! His equestrian life had now come full circle.

“We’ll definitely need a bigger home, Shadow. At least within the next year. We can’t avoid it when we have two foals on the way. And those two adolescent clowns need separate rooms. They’re not kids anymore.”

“And why exactly is Star not allowed to go back to Canterlot?” Shadow wondered aloud.

“Celestia and Luna can defend themselves from attack. Star can’t yet. Not well, at least. And with Celestia all but destroyed by Queen Cheeselegs, we’re pretty much his only defense against attack.

“And spike?” Shadow plodded on.

“Spike’s too nice to act like a real dragon. He’s not mean, scary, or vicious. and he’s still 12.” Twilight said matter of factly.”

“and pretty much your son, hence my stepson..” Shadow groaned.

“yeah, seems about right.”

“I HEARD THAT!” Spike shrieked from above. “I can too be mean and vicious and stuff!”

“you startled the witch!” Shadow yelled, getting clueless expressions from his wife.

“What...?” Twilight asked.

“Human joke. Nevermind.”

“Well anyway, we should start looking for a bigger home. I won’t sell the library, though.”

“We won’t need it.”

“This has been my home for close to four years. it means a lot to me.

“Then you can pay someone to watch it.”

“Fine.”

Thats right everypony the Sparknanator & Southpawfighter614 writing team is back I hope you liked the chapter now warning I can not be sure when updates will come for this but I hope you all like it