Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with a headache. Cadance usually, having worked in childcare most of her life before becoming a princess, wouldn’t be too concerned about that. But Varian wasn’t a pony, and every time he got sick she got concerned. Usually, it was fine, Quirin had warned her that Varian was a sickly child and sure enough he’d had small colds and flus pretty consistently for the first year or two. But after that he’d gotten healthier, and now that he was seven he was rarely sick. So the headache had worried her, but she’d assumed it was only a cold congestion causing it and that she was worrying too much. 

Varian’s headache had been persistent for two days, but he was still energetic and bright like usual once given some medicine. Still, she was being cautious and decided she would keep an eye on him and have him stay home with her while Shining Armor went with Flurry to visit Twilight. Varian was a little upset he couldn’t go, but he didn’t seem to mind once Cadance promised they’d spend time together. When Sunburst came to tell her Varian was sick in bed the next day, she’d expected to go in and find her son sleepily ill but mostly fine. She’d intended to just check in on him throughout the day, ensure he was made some healthy soup, and just spend the evening with him until he was able to sleep.

But he’d been far sicker looking then she’d expected. He was a little pale, he was lethargic, and when she pressed one of her wings against his head she could tell he was warm. But she had things she had to do as a princess, and she had convinced herself that he’d be alright in Sunburst’s care until she was free. It would only be a few hours of paperwork, and then she could take care of Varian herself, and even then she knew that Sunburst would take good care of him. She’d finished all the things that absolutely had to be done before she went to check on him again, but she could tell by Sunburst’s worried facial expression that things had gotten worse.

She sent Sunburst to get a doctor, deciding then and there that she wasn’t going to risk him getting any worse without a doctor taking a look. She sat at his bedside, closing the blinds on the room when she realized it seemed Varian’s headache was being egged on by the light.

“Thanks mom…”

“How do you feel sweetie?”

“Really cold.”

She frowned, even though she wasn’t surprised considering how feverish he was.

“It’ll be alright sweetheart, you just have a fever.” Cadance knew Varian was a smart enough boy to already know that he was sick, but he seemed comforted by the words still. 

She kept talking with him until Sunburst and the royal family physician arrived. She was a kirin named Pepper Bark, and she’d been with the family since Varian was little and had worked hard to understand the differences in human anatomy compared to all other creatures. She put one of her forelegs against Varian’s forehead and frowned, looking at Cadance.

“This started with a headache?”

“Yes. It went away with medicine and I thought it was just because he was getting sick, like usual. But this isn’t a cold or flu.” Cadance answered.

Pepper nodded, before she got into her doctor bag and began checking his vitals. Cadance and Sunburst watched worriedly, before Pepper seemed to come to some kind of conclusion and relaxed slightly.

“I think he has meningitis.” She explained, looking at them. “The symptoms are the same.”

“Isn’t that bad?” Sunburst asked.

“It can be, but I’m sure we’ve caught it in time.” Pepper explained, heading to the door. “I need some more equipment, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“I’ll come with you to help carry anything you need.” Sunburst insisted, the kirin nodding and the two leaving again.

Cadance was even more worried than she’d been before, but she did her best not to show it since Varian, while he was feverish and seemed somewhat confused, was still awake and might notice if she seemed upset. She wasn’t aware humans could get meningitis, otherwise she might have tried to have someone make a vaccine for it for Varian, most foals were vaccinated against it, she had been and while Flurry was still too little for it, it was scheduled. She hadn’t thought to ask Quirin about such things, if the man would even know. Pepper Bark had worked hard concocting vaccines for him based on illnesses she theorized humans could get. Even if Pepper was concerned about meningitis, Varian was still too little for a vaccine for that too. 

Varian tried to look over at her, presumably to ask her something, but he seemed to get dizzy or nauseous and went quiet. Cadance moved closer and helped him sit up, just in case, but it seemed the wave of nausea wore off.

“Mom?” He looked up at her, clearly a bit scared.

“It’ll be alright sweetheart.” She nuzzled him a little, gently out of worry of causing him any pain. “You should try to rest, you look tired.”

She helped him lay down, pulling his blanket up and singing a lullaby in an effort to ease him to sleep before Pepper Bark and Sunburst could return. She knew Varian was hemophobic, he didn’t really seem to like shots when he did get them, and she knew he was definitely not going to like the treatment for meningitis. Cadance looked as the door opened again, Pepper and Sunburst back and Sunburst looking at Cadance.

“I know none of us have gotten sick from Varian’s illnesses before, but I’m going to write to Shining and Twilight to take Flurry in for a check up just in case.” He said, Cadance nodding.

“Please do. Thank you Sunburst.”

Pepper set up the IV next to the bed, and Varian clearly recognized what it was because he looked up at Cadance fearfully.

“It’s just antibiotics sweetheart. It’ll be okay.” Cadance assured, getting into the bed and putting him on her lap.

She was trying to offer him any comfort she could, and Pepper waited until Varian relaxed a little before asking him to see one of his arms. Varian only hesitated for a moment before he held out the arm closest to her, burying his face into Cadance as he felt Pepper sterilize his arm. Cadance held him, holding his head tenderly and, recalling something that had brought him comfort in the first year or so of his life with them, unfurling a wing to cover him and blocking out his ability to see what Pepper might be doing. He relaxed a little and sniffled, eyes looking up at Cadance who gave him a small smile. Pepper got the IV feed in, Varian wincing a little but relaxing that it seemed over, though when he looked at his arm he whined a little seeing the tube.

“I know honey, I know.” Cadance used her wing to make him look up at her. “But it’s the only way to make you feel better, okay?”

“Okay…”

“Mama’s going to be right here with you.” Cadance promised, brushing his bangs out of his face. 

Pepper gave her more pointers about what to look out for, and Cadance had a temporary room made in the castle for Pepper to stay in for the next few days. Cadance had no intention of leaving Varian’s bedside until she knew for certain everything would be alright. She carefully moved out of the bed once it was clear Varian had fallen asleep, pulling the blanket up and sitting by his bedside.

The next few days were hell, she’d never been so afraid in her life. Defending Equestria was easy in comparison, she had actions she could take to do it. But all she could do now was sit and try to comfort Varian when he was awake, and try to keep his fever down. Pepper came in periodically to do more tests, and kept insisting things were going overall well all things considered, but it didn’t make Cadance feel any better.

She felt that she should have realized sooner it wasn’t just a headache, but Varian had only complained about the headache. He was always hard to wake up in the morning, and he never complained about any neck pain. Cadance had her head resting on the bed, it made it easier for her to know when Varian woke up, which had been rare over the past few days. She had tired herself out trying to ensure his comfort and safety, keeping the room dim, reading to him when he was awake, trying to keep him cool, anything she could do for him. She woke up feeling Varian stirring in bed and lifted her head, Varian rubbing his eyes and looking at her.

Despite having slept for most of the past two days, he still looked exhausted. At the very least, he seemed less confused than he’d been the day prior.

“Hey mom…”

“Hey Varian… how are you feeling?” Cadance put a foreleg against his forehead, relieved that at least the fever seemed to be a little lower then it had been the day prior.

“Uh… still not great.” Varian admitted, looking up at her. “But I am kind of hungry.”

He hadn’t expressed hunger over the past few days, Cadance felt a wave of relief before getting up and going to the door, asking the nearest servant to bring some food. She then returned to the bedside, pouring a glass of water from a pitcher of ice cold water that had been brought earlier. Many of the maids, and of course Sunburst, were also clearly worried about Varian and likely about Cadance herself as well. She knew she wasn’t taking the best care of herself, she’d only eaten occasionally, whenever he was asleep, and she’d only left the room briefly to use the restroom and other small errands. She didn't want him to feel pressured to eat when he wasn't feeling well. Sunburst had taken over checking over the paperwork, luckily he’d been working for them long enough that he knew the Empire as well as she did. 

She helped Varian get sat up to drink and soon eat, and he looked at his arm with the IV with a small frown.

“... It’s pretty serious huh?” Varian looked up at her, despite still being so young he was of course smart enough to know that if it were just a cold or flu he wouldn’t have that.

“It could have been. We caught it fast.” Cadance assured, setting up a small table meant for the bed. “You’ll recover just fine, in a week or two.”

Varian nodded a little, and they both looked over as a maid brought in some food. Cadance felt a wave of relief seeing Varian actually eating with some intent for the first time in a few days. He’d nibbled a little here and there, seemingly in an effort to ease her mind. This was the first time he seemed to be eating because he was both hungry and wanted to eat. 

“How many days has it been?” Varian asked.

“Four.”

“Really?”

“You’ve slept through most of them, but yes.”

Varian rubbed his eyes before he looked up at her, though he winced a little.

“My neck still hurts.”

He'd only complained about it a day or so in to the treatment, which made Cadance feel immensely better because it meant they had caught it early.

“I’m sorry sweetheart. That’ll go away soon, I promise.” Cadance gently pet his hair.

They both were a little startled when the door swung open, though it made sense once a frazzled Shining Armor stepped into the room.

“Hey dad.” Varian greeted, though his tone revealed how tired and ill he still was despite how happy he was to see the stallion.

“Hey, son.” Shining came over, giving Cadance a kiss on the cheek before he leaned over to give Varian a hug. “How do you feel?”

“Uh… better than yesterday.” Varian answered after a moment.

“That’s good.” Shining gave him a smile before looking worriedly at Cadance.

She knew she probably looked like a mess, and he was probably now worried about her, but she wasn’t really willing to leave Varian while he was awake.

“I’m alright.” She insisted gently, picking up the Daring Do book she had ready. 

She read out loud to Varian until he fell asleep, she and Shining quietly going to the door to talk.

“Hon, you should take a break. Now that I’m home, I can watch him for a bit.”

“I know I should but… where’s Flurry?”

“Twili insisted she and Spike would watch her until Varian was doing better. She knows we’d want to focus on Varian until he was in the clear.” Shining explained.

Cadance made a mental note to thank Twilight, before Shining insisted she go shower and eat. She did, but returned as soon as she could, sitting down at the bedside again. It was the first time either of their children was seriously ill, and it had her on edge. Even with Pepper insisting he’d be alright. 

“Cadance, there was no way we could have known or predicted this.” Shining nuzzled her, and she gave him a weak smile.

“I know… but… I still feel like I could have done more. Maybe… maybe if when he told me he had a headache the first day I should have-”

“You did what any parent would do, Cadance.” Shining insisted. "He's not exactly a stranger to headaches, with how much trouble he has sleeping."

She sighed, looking at the sleeping child again.

“I promised I’d keep him safe. Not just to Quirin, but to myself. I told myself I’d show him as much love as I was shown when I was adopted.” Cadance brushed his bangs out of his face.

“I know, Cadance. But there are just some things we can’t protect him from. He’s not even old enough for a vaccine for this.” Shining mentioned, Cadance sighing.

“I know…” 

“You’re doing great, dove.” Shining insisted, pulling her closer.

She felt reassured, though she still had no intention of leaving the bedside still. If she could offer even just a little comfort to Varian while he recovered, she was going to be there to do it.

It was the longest two weeks of Cadance’s life, but as Pepper Bark took Varian’s temperature once more she could tell Pepper was pleased. Varian had just been happy the intravenous antibiotic feed had been removed. He’d been more of himself the past few days, awake more and fully aware. Cadance only left his side briefly still, but the fact he hadn’t been completely miserable and had almost seemed like he’d just been normally sick and was recovering from a cold or flu, not the serious ailment he’d had made her feel much better. Pepper Bark did a few more tests, but every test she only seemed to get more relieved as she went over them.

“It looks like you’ve made a full recovery.” Pepper explained, getting into her bag and handing Varian a lollipop. 

“Thanks Doctor Pepper.” Varian smiled, putting the lollipop to the side.

It wasn’t surprising he wasn’t really feeling up to sugar yet, but Cadance was just relieved that he looked mostly back to normal.

“Everything is okay?” Cadance asked, Pepper nodding.

“He’ll be alright. He might need to take it easy for a few more days, but you caught it early. There shouldn’t be any lasting effects.” Pepper said, smiling at Varian. “Now we know something important about humans though. I’ll make sure a vaccine is prepared for when he’s old enough to have it.”

“Thank you, Pepper.” Cadance sighed.

“Now you need some rest.” Pepper insisted, Cadance smiling a little sheepishly. “I know better than to tell a mother not to spend every waking moment caring for their children when they are sick, but now that it’s passed I have to insist you get some rest now. He’s probably still a little sleepy himself so take that opportunity to nap yourself.”

“Right. I will, Pepper.” Cadance promised.

She waved the physician off, looking as Varian tapped her to get her attention.

“Yes sweetheart?”

“I’m sorry for scaring you so much mama.” Varian hugged her, and Cadance hugging him back.

“It’s not your fault Varian. I’m just glad you're feeling better.” Cadance rested her head on top of Varian’s, feeling for the first time just how tired she was. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t do anything while your father and sister were gone after all.”

“It’s okay mom.” Varian picked up one of the books and sat in his bed, looking up at her. “Can you sit with me a little longer?”

“Of course.” She smiled, sitting in the bed next to him. “Daring Do and the Masked Thief of Marapore.”

Shining saw Pepper leave, seeing as he was outside with Flurry and Twilight, and the mare had stopped to let him know that Varian was alright and should recover totally. He was relieved, and felt as though a huge amount of stress immediately left him. He was a little concerned, though, come dinner time when Cadance and Varian didn’t arrive. He peeked into Varian’s room and smiled a little seeing Cadance sound asleep with Varian, who was also sleeping peacefully cuddled into Cadance. He smiled and closed the door carefully, content to let the two sleep. He knew they both needed it.

Chapter Text

Shining was, mostly, used to those sudden epiphanies you get that someone you love has changed. Seeing the first wrinkle on his mother’s face, it had been a somber reminder but something he knew would come. When his little sister had gotten her cutie mark, when his little sister had earned alicorn magic, those had been sobering reminders that his little sister was growing, and now was all grown up. When Spike molted and got wings, he had to realize his baby brother was no longer a baby.

Realizing his son was a preteen already was something else. He’d realized Varian was eating quite a bit more than he’d ever had before and was generally complaining about being hungry or about growing pains, and he’d been growing quite a bit faster lately. Varian had run off with his aunt and Flurry to go to the Tasty Treat for lunch, considering they were visiting Canterlot and it was his favorite. Leaving Shining Armor with Cadance with his parents to catch up.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Cadance asked, having been watching Shining pace.

“I just didn’t realize how much Varian had grown. He’s already thirteen.” Shining admitted, pacing. “It feels like it was just yesterday he turned five.”

“Oh, this.” Velvet laughed a bit, “I remember the first time I noticed how big you’d gotten.”

“That’s different, mom, you and I are so close. But I feel like I barely know Varian. I know he and Twilight have more in common, and I understand why he might feel closer to Cadance but… he’s growing up so fast.”

“You sound just like your father did that summer before he dragged you to Maretime Bay on that fishing trip.” Velvet laughed.

“Maretime Bay…” Shining paused, remembering the trip.

He’d been out for a week just between him and Night Light, which sounded like just what he and Varian needed.

“Great idea mom.”

“Uh, son, wait a minute don’t you remember-” Night Light started, watching as Shining hurried out.

“Some things they need to learn on their own.” Velvet pat him on the shoulder.

Varian knew his dad was working on something, but he figured it was a new training session or perhaps he was setting up another scavenger hunt for him and Flurry. He didn’t expect his dad to take him on a father son trip to some place called Maretime Bay, but he was open to the idea. He was just confused as he packed the items Shining had told him to make sure he had.

“Do you even know how to swim?” Flurry asked.

“Yes I know how to swim.” Varian rolled his eyes. “What are you and mom doing while we’re gone?”

“Spa weekend.” Flurry answered. 

“Mom could really use a nice spa weekend. I just wish I knew why dad suddenly wanted to go on a fishing trip with just me.”

“Mom almost told me but she said I would tell you. I think it’s a surprise?”

Varian tilted his head to one side before he shrugged it off, getting his bag and walking out of his room with Flurry.

“Well, have fun with mom.” Varian waved, Flurry waving back.

“Have fun with dad.”

He could tell it was just a little awkward for her to say that, and he’d admittedly nearly stumbled on his words himself. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Flurry was closer to Shining and he was closer to Cadance, but it wasn’t like he didn’t love Shining and Flurry didn’t love Cadance. Shining had more in common with Flurry, and Cadance had more in common with Varian, it was just a fact. Varian looked at the baseball cap he was handed, pulling his goggles down around his neck and putting it on. 

“Maretime Bay… I don’t think I’ve ever been there.” Varian admitted, looking at his dad. 

“Well, me and your grandpa went on a trip like this when I was about your age.”

That somewhat explained it, it was a little family tradition, and Varian didn’t mind the idea of the trip. The Crystal Express arrived at the location pretty quickly, Varian had learned about the differences between the bullet train compared to most locomotives only recently but he was still impressed by the speed it reached. He looked around the little seaside town, he’d never been there before and considering it seemed small he was a little more willing to meander a little while Shining got their supplies from a stall. Unsurprisingly, the locale had attracted a lot of hippogriffs, but otherwise it was surprisingly full of earth ponies. Varian looked at the fishing gear he was handed, following Shining down toward the beach.

“I got us lots of camera film so we can take plenty of pictures. And I picked the same little beach house dad took me to all those years ago.” Shining explained excitedly.

“Beach house? Isn’t that going to be a little sandy?” Varian asked.

Shining immediately felt a little panicked, Flurry didn’t care much about dirt, grime, sand, or even discomfort most of the time. Varian might be a little more delicate than that and the salty sea air and sandy beach might not have been a great idea. Varian didn’t care about his messes, he’d often be covered in chemicals or grease when coming out of his lab but he would spend quite a while getting cleaned up afterwards. Varian had made little ‘bath bombs’ that were one of the baubles he’d often have on hand. Varian didn’t have a layer of fur to make it easier to ignore the sand. They arrived at the shack, Shining feeling a little more self conscious about the choice seeing how beat up it looked.

“We’ll be careful and wipe our hooves- uh, feet.” Shining insisted, opening the door and feeling immediately worse seeing how much sand was in the little shack. “After we clean up.”

Varian put his bags down and picked up a broom, beginning to clean up, humming to himself as he did so. He noticed his dad was cleaning with fervor that he didn’t understand, other than maybe he wanted to be done and get to the fishing part of the trip. Varian went over to his bag and got out one of his cleaning baubles.

“Hey dad, heads up I-” Varian started, turning and tripping on a bag strap, falling face first onto the floor.

Shining gasped and went to rush over, the soap bomb exploding and causing him to slide, crashing into one of the hammocks in the shack. He lifted his head, trying to see through the soap suds but relaxing a little when he heard Varian laughing. 

“Are you okay dad?”

“Yeah I’m fine. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Varian stood up, coated in the suds from the soap. “I mean it’s not the first time I’ve tripped.”

He laughed again, picking up the camera and snapping a photo of Shining, shaking it and showing Shining just how silly he looked. He was completely trapped in the hammock and had suds all over his face, and he laughed at himself seeing how ridiculous he looked. 

“Alright well, mind helping your old man out of this?”

“You're not old.” Varian walked over, trying to help unravel him from the hammock.

Shining appreciated Varian’s defense of his age, but he was a bit too embarrassed at how the trip was starting on bad footing. Luckily, once they cleaned up the suds it was clear that Varian’s little bauble had helped tremendously, and Shining smiled and tousled his hair.

“Nice idea Varian. Worked like a charm.”

“Well, I do use sand in some of my experiments and I don’t want to track it everywhere.” Varian admitted, looking a little bashful.

Shining immediately began to worry that he hadn’t shown how proud he was of Varian and his inventions by the way he was acting. He didn’t understand almost a word of any explanation he’d gotten over the years, but he knew what Varian was capable of was impressive. No wonder he and Varian weren’t close, Cadance had no problem understanding what Varian had to say and encouraging him in ways that he needed.

“So weren’t we fishing?” Varian asked, snapping Shining out of his thoughts.

“Yeah uh, let’s go.” Shining got his life vest on, Varian doing the same.

They’d been out on the water for hours, Shining fussing about sunscreen every two hours. They’d learned that Varian, having no fur, was more susceptible to sunburns a long time ago, and he wasn’t about to risk Varian getting a sunburn on this trip. The other thing that had him stressed was just how quiet it had been, he knew fishing was a slow effort but they hadn’t gotten a bite all afternoon. He felt like he was forcing Varian into conversations that felt like they were going nowhere.

Varian, for his part, was enjoying the relaxing day, he hadn’t really had this much time to just him and his dad and having the chance to ask him about his time as Captain of the Royal Guard was a rare treat. He could tell Shining was stressed, but he couldn’t really figure out why. He just had to assume that calm hobbies like fishing just weren’t something that Shining could easily do. Varian had gone fishing before, usually with Applejack or Big Mac to help supply Fluttershy’s animal shelter with food for the piscivores, and they never seemed as stressed as Shining did now.

And never in a boat, Varian found himself looking over the edge and looking down at the deep cold sea water with curiosity. He’d been to the sea a few times, just not Maretime Bay, usually Mount Aris or Manehatten. Both of them were on the Celestia Ocean, not the Luna Ocean, and he could tell it was much colder.

“So how uh, how’s… school.”

“I graduated?” Varian looked over, Shining clearly having already remembered Varian wasn’t in public school anymore and looking embarrassed. “Oh but if you mean my lessons with Sunburst, they’ve been going okay. I think.”

Shining relaxed, looking at Varian, “You think?”

“I dunno, I guess I just don’t feel much like a prince, you know? I don’t know if any creature looks up to me like they do mom or Aunt Twilight.” Varian admitted.

“Well, I know how that feels. I love your mom and I always knew I wanted to marry her but that meant being a prince and whatever that entailed for me. But I wouldn’t trade the life we have together for anything.” Shining admitted, pulling Varian into a little side hug. “And trust me, I still feel like I don’t know what I’m doing, you’re mom makes it all look easy.”

Varian smiled up at him, both of them jumping as something finally bit onto one of the fishing poles. Shining gestured to Varian to grab it, Varian doing so after hesitating for a moment. Shining Armor wanted to get a picture of Varian pulling the fish up, but he quickly realized that this ocean fish was a lot bigger and perhaps a little too strong for Varian to pull up on his own. He reached to hold onto his son, gasping as the fish suddenly yanked Varian out of the boat and into the water. Shining stood up, looking frantically for the boy and only relaxing once he surfaced.

“Are you okay Varian?”

“Yeah, dad. I’m fine.” Varian got himself back over to the boat, Shining helping him back onto the boat. 

He was shivering and looked like a miserable wet kitten, and Shining once again felt mortified. He started getting them back to the shore, shielding Varian from the cold sea breeze the best he could with his body, carrying everything back inside while Varian went to shower the sea water and now sticky sand. Shining sighed and flopped into his hammock, rubbing his face. 

“Okay, I can salvage this. Uh… oh, Maretime Bay is old, there’s gotta be an antique shop around here. Varian loves antiquing.” He sat up, grabbing the pile of papers he’d nabbed at the train station and looking through them before he felt a pang of doubt. “Or was that Twilight? Or was that Sunburst?”

He quickly tried to act like nothing was wrong as Varian entered the main room of the shack, still drying his hair with a towel, dressed in his more casual tee shirt and pants. Shining was relieved that he was at least right that it was Varian who liked Starsong Melody’s music, he was currently beginning to spiral and believed he didn’t know his son at all.

“What’s all that?” Varian asked.

“Oh uh, just looking for a nice place to have dinner.” Shining lied, but he did realize he needed to do that. “Want to help go through these?”

“Sure.” Varian smiled, taking one of the pamphlets and looking through it. 

In all reality, Shining was hoping to notice Varian take an interest in one of the other sights as well, because he really didn’t think fishing was the way to bond with his son. Varian, unfortunately, was hyper focused on the task at hand.

“Most of these are good for hippogriffs and ponies so I think we’ll find something to eat pretty much everywhere, and I don’t know if we’re going to find something that isn’t seafood around here.” Varian admitted.

Shining was reeling, he was sure he’d seen Varian eat almost predominately fish, did he not like fish? 

“Dad? Are you okay?” Varian asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. You know how it is, just a little tired from… being in the sun all day.” Shining lied. “Do any of the places sound specifically good to you?”

“Well, I don’t get fried fish too often, since Guenther doesn’t like making ‘carnival food’.” Varian mentioned.

Shining felt a wave of relief that his son did, in fact, eat fish and that he didn’t make that up in his mind. 

“I can’t remember the last time I had junk food.” Shining admitted, smiling at Varian. “Alright, let’s go.”

They made their way through the semi crowded boardwalk of Maretime Bay, Shining desperately trying to understand the experiment Varian had been working on lately. There were words he thought he knew the definition of but he clearly had no idea what they meant in the context Varian was using them, and he was totally lost. They arrived at a smaller fish and chips spot, the hostess hippogriff mare looking shocked as she clearly recognized them.

“Prince Shining Armor? And his son? Here? Uh, I mean, welcome to the Sea Breeze Fish and Chip shop, I’m Surf Star.”

“Nice to meet you.” Shining smiled.

“I knew creatures said the young prince was omnivorous but I guess I never expected royalty in my little shop.” Surf Star admitted, taking them to a booth.

Shining appreciated that she clearly was sitting them somewhere private, despite clearly not having anticipated important guests.

“Alright so, as a hippogriff I am more familiar with our fish dishes but my pony chef slash husband tells me that the seaweed salad is his favorite.” She offered. “And I know it’s probably a little weird to ask but maybe pass my thanks to your sister, Princess Twilight Sparkle? If it wasn’t for her and her friends I would never have met Seaspray, you know because we’d all still be in Seaquestria.”

“Hey I get it, I wouldn’t have met Cadance if she wasn’t Twilight’s foal sitter.” Shining admitted, sharing a smile with Surf Star. 

She took their orders, looking over as a young hippogriff came in.

“Mom mom, did you hear? Prince Shining Armor and his… son… are…” She slowly trailed off, staring at them before she gasped and flew off.

“Well she’s energetic.” Shining chuckled.

“Sorry, that’s my daughter Summer Shores. She’s a big fan.” Surf Star admitted. “She absolutely loves alchemy and potion making and technology, she was blown away by your speed boat design, the one that runs on the material that, when spread, promotes reef health?”

Varian clearly was surprised to be the one spoken to, nearly spitting out his water.

“Oh, me. I thought you meant dad. Uh… really?”

“Oh yeah, that and the bathysphere. They’ve become popular around here to see the cold reef, it’s unique to this part of the Luna Ocean.”

“Hey, we should check that out.” Shining mentioned. “I’ve never gotten to see the bathysphere in person.”

“I didn’t know they were doing so well.” Varian admitted.

He knew his inventions were in use around Equestria, Cadance had told him as much and she and Sunburst were putting the bits they made aside for Varian to do with what he wanted when he got older. He just hadn’t really run into it in this way before, and he was flattered but unsure what to say.

“Well, it might not be a transformation pearl, but it’s a great way for non-swimming creatures to see around the sea.” Surf Star smiled. “Me, I like the speed boat. It’s great for water sports. I’ll be back soon with your meal.”

Shining was a little upset with himself that Surf Star clearly understood enough about what Varian was up to to hold a brief but educated conversation with him. He understood very little about what was said, he didn’t even know his son had made some kind of new speed boat. 

“Dad? Are you okay? You seem stressed.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m fine. Sun… still.”

Varian wasn’t completely convinced, but he was happy to talk about the reef growing compound he’d made. 

The rest of the trip felt like as much of a disaster as the start. The bathysphere tour had started well enough but they’d gotten startled by a kraken, the crab monster having caused more than a few problems on the tour. Shining knew he had to have been visibly bored by the antiquing, which he felt terrible for. The remaining fishing had gone somewhat better but he still had a feeling that the activity was a poor choice. Varian was sitting on the beach their last evening in the town, Shining watching from nearby feeling completely down. 

“Oh just go talk to him.”

He jumped, looking to see Surf Star, who he assumed was Seapray, and Summer Shores.

“But mom-”

“He’s just a kid like you, trust me.” Surf Star insisted. 

Shining smiled a little, “He hasn’t had some creature to talk to about this stuff since his friend Nova went to explore the Potion Ocean, I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

Summer Shores hesitated but slowly walked over to Varian, and after some time the two seemed to be happily chatting about something.

“He’s a sweet kid.” Seaspray mentioned. “But you look totally stressed dude.”

Shining sighed, “It’s that obvious? I wanted to go on this trip so we could bond, but almost everything went wrong.”

“I’m guessing he reached some kind of milestone, and you realized how big he’s getting.” Seaspray mentioned, Shining nodding. “Man, it’s part of life. As long as he knows you love him, I think it’s all good.”

“But what if he doesn’t know that? I have no idea what he is saying sometimes, he knows way more about science than I ever did.” Shining stopped talking as Seaspray put a hoof on his shoulder.

“Dude, just talk to him. Just tell him that you don’t really get it, but you are so proud and happy about how much joy it brings him. I dunno what Summer talks about most of the time, between all the science stuff and make up, but I can tell she’s happy. That’s what matters.”

“That uh… makes a lot of sense. And sounds weirdly familiar.” Shining admitted, thinking.

“Parenting is the hardest thing you can ever do, no matter how your family began.” Surf Star added. “But in my opinion as a mom, that kid seems like he’s pretty happy, and he loves you.”

Shining felt a lot better, looking as Summer and Varian walked over.

“Hey dad, can I give Summer our mailing address?”

“Sure thing.”

The ride home was short, but Shining was determined to explain himself.

“I don’t really get scrapbooking, but hopefully mom will like all these pictures.” Varian mentioned, holding up one that had apparently snapped right when Varian got pulled into the water. “Grandma will love this one.”

Shining chuckled a little, “Say, Varian. I’m sorry about the trip.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing went how I wanted it to, I just… I wanted to spend time with you so you’d know that I love you as much as I love your sister, but-”

“Dad, I know you love me.” Varian interrupted. “I just know you and Flurry have way more in common, and someone has to make sure she doesn’t shoot someone’s eye out with that bow. And I had a great time.”

“Really? But… the sand in the shack and you falling in the water and-” Shining thought through, realizing despite how he’d panicked, Varian had been smiling and laughing most of the time. 

“It was fun. Sure, a lot of unexpected stuff happened, but considering how often my chemicals explode because my calculations weren’t perfect, I’m used to the unexpected.” Varian admitted. “And I got used to learning to roll with it.”

Shining smiled a little, the two sharing a hug, “Well, as long as you had a good time.”

Shining felt another small feeling of deja vu before he realized exactly why it felt familiar, chuckling a little.

“What?” Varian looked up at him.

“When I was about your age, my dad took me on the same trip. And I think we had a pretty similar talk to this one, now that I’m thinking about it.” Shining admitted a little bashfully. “Only you know, I was the jock and dad was the scientist who felt like he was struggling to feel connected to his teenage son.”

Varian laughed a bit, Shining smiling and the two falling into a happy chat about the trip, Varian’s new friend, and anything that came to mind.

Chapter Text

Varian didn't know he had other grandparents, besides grandmare Twilight and grandpa Night Light. He knew that Cadance's mother, Allora, did come up some times but he never thought about her as a living being who might show up in his life. Until a few hours prior to the the time they were set to arrive, when it had really set into him that they were visiting and he was going to meet her for the first time. Wherever Allora lived was quite a distance from most of Equestria, practically out on it's own from his understanding, so leaving to visit wasn't particularly easy for her, and going to visit wasn't so easy for them. He tucked himself into Cadance, the movement being noticed by both his parents.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Cadance asked.

"Are you nervous about meeting your grandmare Allora?" Shining asked, and Varian nodded after a moment. "She's really nice, Varian, don't worry."

"You've met her?" Varian asked.

"I haven't got to visit much, but I do when I can." Cadance explained. "I wanted her to meet my boyfriend, when we started to seriously date, and when we got engaged we visited her again. But then things got… busy."

Varian nodded a little, "So… this is the first time she'll be seeing Flurry too?"

"That's right." Shining nodded. "And according to her letters, she's very excited to meet both of you."

Varian smiled a little bit, but he still felt a bit anxious. They eventually arrived in the small village that Cadance had grown up in, Varian staying close to Cadance as they disembarked the train. She seemed to understand he was nervous and hid him under her wing as many ponies rushed over to greet them.

"Cadenza, you brought your little ones didn't you?"

"Oh look at that baby! She's so precious."

"Where's the other one?"

"Everyone, everyone please. Varian is a little shy, and pretty nervous." Cadance said.

Varian was relived as the ponies all backed off, and he peeked out from under the wing. He was a little surprised to see what seemed like most of the village there, though considering many citizens of the Empire had come to welcome them home he wasn't too surprised. Though clearly, Cadance knew a lot more of them then she did back in the Empire. They were all happily cooing about him and Flurry Heart, which made him relax a bit though he was still unwilling to leave Cadance's side.

"There you are, Mi Amore Cadenza!" A voice greeted happily, and Varian saw Cadance immediately smile.

A mare he was pretty sure he'd seen in photos came over and kissed Cadance on the cheek three times, or at least it sounded like it, and Cadance returned what Varian was pretty sure was a greeting. Thinking on it, he'd seen his mother greet others like that, and only her, so he had to assume it was custom from the area she was raised.

"Allora, it's great to see you." Shining added, leaning in as the mare greeted him with two cheek kisses. "I'm sorry we weren't able to bring the kids to meet you sooner."

"Oh, I understand completely, you all have been through so much." Allora assured. "I am just glad to have you all here visiting. And look at her, she is the spitting image of you when I found you. This must be Flurry Heart."

Allora smiled at Flurry, who happily babbled and reached for her, Shining handing her over carefully so Allora could hold her. Flurry was delighted and happily giggling as Allora bounced her in her arms and spoke to her in some dialect of ponish Varian didn't recognize. Or maybe it was a different pony langauge, it didn't sound much like any ponish he knew.

"Looks like she's already a fan of her nonna." Shining smiled, glancing over at Cadance.

Or rather, glancing under her wing, knowing that Flurry's happy noises would likely be enough to get Varian to come out. As expected he did come out from under Cadance's wing, though he was hesitant to go over to Allora. Though unsurprisingly, Allora noticed his hesitancy and was ready.

"And this sweet bambino must be Varian." She gave him a warm smile, which combined with how much Flurry clearly already liked her, let Varian relax and give her a small smile back.

"Uh… hi." Varian greeted.

Flurry pulled Varian over with her magic, Allora smiling a little and patting Varian's head.

"No need to be shy, I've heard so much about you and what a smart boy you are." Allora said, Varian smiling up at her with less nervousness. "Come, come, let's get your things to the house."

"How has Prismia been?" Cadance asked as they walked.

"Ah, Prismia actually left to go to geology school recently." Allora admitted. "But I have never seen her so excited."

"As long as she's happy, that's all I wanted for her." Cadance smiled.

"She promised to keep in touch and has been, though her studies have just begun." Allora explained.

The house was pretty big, it reminded Varian of his old home in Old Corona with the farmland around it in some ways, though the style of building was completely new to him. The inside, though, was very different, his old home had always been sparse but this house was full of art, knickknacks, color, plants, very busy but somehow cozy. Allora insisted on watching him and Flurry while his parents got settled, and she smiled over at him.

"Are you hungry?" She asked, bouncing Flurry again as the filly looked around at the knicknacks on the wall.

"A little, we were on the train all morning." Varian admitted.

Allora smiled and gestured for him to follow, and Varian followed her into a very lovely, and likewise well decorated, kitchen and dining room. She put Flurry into a high chair and put some toys in front of her to entertain her before she started putting something together.

As it turned out, making food was one of the ways Allora showed love, and Varian was getting used to that. He was also used to getting little random snacks every now and then and having a smaller dinner because of it. But, unsurprisingly for him, he found himself waking up early in the morning because of whatever it was that made it so hard for him to sleep. He heard movement in the kitchen, and decided to see who it was.

"Varian? Is everything alright?" Allora asked worriedly as she looked over. "It's so early for a little one to be awake."

"I have trouble sleeping sometimes." Varian admitted. "What are you doing awake?"

"Well, since this is the last day you'll all be here with me and we won't see each other for some time, I'm making one of Cadance's favorite dishes, but it takes a very long time to make it right." Allora explained, helping Varian get on a chair so he could look into the pot. "Would you like to help?"

"Okay." Varian liked having something to do, even if he wasn't sure he'd be any good at cooking. "Hey, what does nonna mean? Dad says we should call you it but I didn't ask him why."

"Oh, well, it means grandmother." Allora explained.

"Huh. Okay." Varian smiled at her.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been in the kitchen with his nonna, or what exactly they were making aside from it having a red sauce like a lot of the food he'd been eating at her house. Cadance came in after a while, carrying Flurry, and stopped and smiled a little bit seeing them. Varian was covered in flour, now that he and Allora were working on another step that had them making some kind of pasta by hand.

"I was wondering where you were. Look at you, spending quality time with your nonna." Cadance smiled, nuzzled her face against his.

"Morning mom. We're making your favorite ravioli." Varian said, Allora smiling.

"He's such a little helper, like you said." Allora smiled at him, before peppering his face with kisses.

It tickled, clearly based on the laughter, and Cadance smiled watching the two continue to work together.

Varian saw his nonna maybe once a year, because of the distance, but every time he was sure of a few things. One, she'd coo over him and Flurry like they were still babies, two, she'd kiss his face fully knowing he was ticklish, three, she was going to ask how he'd been eating. So now that he was eleven, and he stepped off the train to the small vineyard village, he wasn't surprised as Allora was waiting for them and greeted him happily. And even though it tickled, he did kneel over so Allora could pepper his cheeks with her usual kisses. He wasn't sure how she could smash her muzzle against his face so quickly without hurting her nose, but he didn't mind.

"Hi nonna." He greeted between giggles.

"Look how tall you're getting! Are you eating enough though, you look thin." Allora mentioned, looking him over.

"He's in another growth spurt." Cadance explained. "Quirin was very tall, so Varian might grow a lot in the next few years."

"Ah so he just needs to eat more for his growing body." Allora smiled. "That is a job for me."

They spent a week or two in the village every year with Allora, and it was always a nice break from lessons and from royal duties. Varian didn't really have friends in the village, but he usually spent his time with his family anyway. They were visiting for Allora, after all, and he did enjoy cooking with her or helping her in her garden. Unfortunately, it still happened from time to time that he didn't get enough sleep for long enough and over time it would get him feeling sick with a pounding migraine. And this was one of these times.

He was hiding in the room he and Flurry usually shared in Allora's home, though the filly had left earlier and told their parents he wasn't feeling well. Cadance and Shining came to check on him and offered him some comfort before he got them to go ahead and go enjoy the day. There was nothing they could do to make his migraine go away, and he wanted them all to enjoy the time they had in the village even if he couldn't. They still had insisted on staying long enough to help him block out as much light as they could before they went, which he appreciated. The house sounded quiet, at least it did when he was awake, though eventually he woke up completely and was relieved to find the migraine finally seemed to be over.

"Varian? Are you awake?" Allora's voice came, very quietly from the hallway.

"Yeah nonna." Varian answered, sitting up.

He heard the door open, and Allora peeked in with a small lantern and smiled gently seeing him.

"How are you feeling?"

"A bit better. Just a little headache left over." Varian admitted.

"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I brought you something for that, and some soup. You haven't eaten all day." She brought in a little tray for him to eat off of that she clearly had ready, but Varian appreciated it even if there had been a chance he wouldn't be up to eat when she checked.

Now that he wasn't focused on the pain or exhaustion, he was very hungry and while he recognized the smell of the soup he was sure he'd never had it at Allora's before.

"I know this soup… oh, mom makes it for us when we don't feel good." Varian realized after a moment, smiling a little. "I guess she learned it from you?"

"That she did. She didn't get sick as often as I hear you do, though she didn't have such trouble getting to sleep either." Allora admitted worriedly.

"Mom and dad are worried about it too. I try to get to sleep but it just… doesn't happen sometimes." Varian sighed.

"Well, hopefully we'll find something to help." Allora assured. "I know you're getting too old to be read to, but since it's just the two of us I was thinking it might be a nice calm activity for us to do together."

Varian did feel a little too old for a book, though it did look like the one Allora picked out was a bit longer, but he couldn't say no to her. Besides, it seemed like she's stayed in to make him soup for if or when he woke up and felt up to eating, the least he could do was sit there and listen as she read him a story. Especially when he only got to see his nonna for a week or two a year.

Chapter Text

Varian and Flurry got off the train very quickly, both of them laughing as Twilight pulled them into a hug very quickly. Tempest smiled down at them and gathered their bags.

"Aunt Twili your fur is tickling me." Varian said between giggles, pushing her face away.

"Aww your getting so big." Twilight smiled, nuzzling her face against him anyway. "I'm so excited to have you two staying with me for a while this summer."

"We're excited to be here aunt Twili." Flurry smiled.

"Did you two make any plans for your visit this year?" Tempest asked.

"Only one, to go support Scootaloo during the flight competition she's entered. It's really important to her, since she joined flight camp late she feels like she needs to prove herself more." Varian explained.

"I can understand that." Tempest admitted with a nod.

"And of course I'll be happy to take you both to cheer on Scootaloo." Twilight confirmed. "I remember when me and the girls went to cheer Rainbow Dash on in one of these."

"When she pulled off a Sonic Rainboom!" Flurry smiled.

"I don't know if Scootaloo is going to aim to do that, don't get too excited. I mean, I know Scoot will have something to show off but she's not really a speed flyer, at least not like Rainbow, she's more of a… a technical flyer. She's fast but she's better at quick changes of direction and flying through obstacle courses." Varian explained.

"It'll still be cool to watch!" Flurry's excitement clearly would not be curbed, but Varian didn't mind that.

As they were walking to the castle, Varian spotted Scootaloo outside of her home reading something.

"Hey Scoot!" Varian greeted.

Scootaloo jumped, quickly turning to look at them and blinking a bit, rubbing her eyes quickly.

"Hey Varian, you're here already huh?" She forced a smile.

"… Scoot what's wrong?" Varian asked.

"Oh, nothing important. I'll be fine." Scootaloo assured. "I should uh, let you go get your stuff unpacked, I'll go get the girls and meet you at the castle later okay?"

"Yeah okay." Varian nodded, watching as Scootaloo grabbed her scooter and headed off.

He noticed the letter she'd been reading left on the ground and picked it up while Twilight and Tempest were busy talking about what had gotten into Scootaloo. He pocketed it, intending to give it back to her when she came to hang out, though he was curious to know what it said.

Varian finished unpacking his clothes for his visit, once the girls had left for the night. He and Flurry might not have spent more then a couple weeks with their aunt total in a year, but she insisted on having rooms that were just for them in case they ever did want to visit. It was a nice gesture that made them feel welcome, but moreso Varian was pretty sure it was because Twilight still hated how empty her castle often felt. Which also helped explain Trixie and Starlight still living there, despite the fact they could easily afford their own place. With Spike and Gabby gone so often on friendship missions, Varian knew his aunt got lonely. He sat down on his bed, hearing the crinkling of paper and pulling out the letter from his pants pocket.

He had basically forgot about it, between spending time with Twilight and Tempest, the girls where Scootaloo at least seemed to feel a little better, and dinner. He hesitated a moment, knowing that reading his friends private mail was wrong, but he also knew that whatever this letter was about had upset Scootaloo. And she hadn't been willing to explain what was bothering her, even when Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom had tried to ask. Even when Twilight had tried to bring it up, not too subtly, Scootaloo had avoided the topic. He sighed before he opened the letter, feeling terribly guilty but reading over the letter a few times over. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt so angry as it really settled into him what he was looking at.

Scootaloo's parents had been, finally, on their way to make an appearance in her life, to come watch this competition that was really important to Scootaloo. Something she'd told them about months in advance so they could make time. But on the train back toward Equestria they'd run into a colleague who convinced them to join him on whatever he was going to be doing somewhere else. The apology near the bottom was so weak, he knew Scootaloo's parents were always away doing their job but he hadn't really understood why for most of his life. Now, he understood it a lot better. They were just like Ulla, thinking about their wants above their own child and not understanding how much that hurt.

"Vari?" Flurry's voice made him jump, and he looked up from the letter. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, uh… no." Varian admitted with a sigh. "I know I shouldn't have read it, but… this letter was from Scootaloo's parents."

He handed it to Flurry, who read it pretty quickly before she looked up worriedly at Varian.

"… Is there anything we can do to help Scootaloo feel better?" She asked.

"…" Varian thought for a moment, before he smiled with determination. "I might have one idea."

"You do?" Flurry smiled.

"But it has to wait for morning." Varian insisted, getting his pajamas out. "And I'm going to need your help."

"Okay!" Flurry smiled. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight sis."

The next day, Varian headed to Sweet Apple Acres after breakfast. Twilight seemed to understand Varian was on a personal friendship mission, and luckily didn't seem to want to interfere. He knocked as he got to the barn, Apple Bloom opening the top part of the door and smiling.

"Oh hey Varian!"

"Hi Apple Bloom. Uh, there's something I need to tell you and I'm going to preface it by saying I know reading other creatures mail is wrong." Varian explained, holding the letter out.

Apple Bloom looked at him skeptically before she took the letter to read, frowning as finished it, "No wonder Scootaloo was so upset yesterday…"

"I know Scootaloo doesn't want to talk about it, for whatever reason, and I don't wanna push her, but I think it'd really help if we got as many of Scootaloo's friends and families at the event as possible." Varian explained.

"Well shoot, we can do that." Apple Bloom smiled. "An' I bet the reason ya came here first was to find Rainbow Dash. Luckily she's still asleep, she won the tug of war ta wake her up today."

Varian laughed a little hearing that.

"Exactly. Aunt Dash is really important to Scootaloo, and so are aunt Dash's parents. I asked Flurry Heart to fly up to Cloudsdale to make sure they were invited." Varian explained as he came in with Apple Bloom.

He went up to the master bedroom and knocked, walking in and smiling a little seeing Rainbow Dash loudly snoring, even as he knocked again more loudly.

"Aunt Dash?" He said, walking over. "Aunt Dash?"

"Huh? Oh, hey Varian." Rainbow greeted, yawning and stretching. "What brings you here this early in the morning?"

Varian explained as Dash got up and got herself some coffee, and she paused once she heard what Scootaloo's parents were up to. She looked angry, unsurprisingly, but she pulled herself together.

"And you want to give Scoot the turn out she deserves." Rainbow surmised, Varian nodding. "Of course we will. Thanks for letting me know, Varian."

She pulled him close with her wing to give him a noogie, Varian laughing and trying to squirm free.

"Aunt Dash c'mon, I have other creatures to go talk to." Varian pleaded.

"Alright alright, just don't work yourself too hard kid." Dash insisted, watching as he headed off.

Doing the plan he'd had in mind was easier then he'd expected, what was harder was keeping it secret from Scootaloo. She was definitely suspicious he was up to something, but luckily no one had let her in on what he'd been up to. Cloudsdale was as busy as ever during these events, and because of the spell being used to let him walk around he was already basically tethered to Twilight. It was a little frustrating for him, though, seeing as she wasn't as focused on making sure the other non flying creatures were staying close. Pinkie was far more likely to wander, as was Cheese, but he didn't want to complain too much. Besides the party pony pair, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Braeburn, Soarin', Discord, Fluttershy, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Babs Seed, Tempest, Gabby, and Spike had all arrived with them.

"Aunt Twili I'm fine, really." Varian assured.

"I know I know but…" Twilight looked around. "It's just a little busy."

"It always is during these kinda events Twi, relax, Varian ain't one ta wander off. Well, not anymore anyway." Applejack laughed a little. "Sides as long as he stays kinda close yer spell will hold, he don't need to be right next to ya."

"And we're not gonna get kidnapped in Cloudsdale of all places." Flurry added.

"It'd be really inconvenient to kidnap someone who can't stand on the clouds." Varian added jokingly.

"Well your pretty light, they could princess carry you." Sweetie Belle teased, Varian blushing and nudging her face away.

"Stooop."

"Light as a feather." Apple Bloom added, pretty easily nearly nudging him over.

"You're an Earth pony that doesn't count." Varian laughed, trying to push her back.

Varian looked around, relaxing as he saw Starlight arrive with Scootaloo's two aunts, Mr and Mrs Cake and the twin, and Cheerilee, waving to them as the group met up.

"I'm so glad you all could make it, Scootaloo seemed down today." Lofty admitted worriedly.

"We wouldn't miss such a big day for Scootaloo." Sweetie Belle smiled.

They went into the arena, Scootaloo looking over and smiling a bit, "Hey guys."

"Hey Scootaloo." Apple Bloom greeted.

"You all didn't have to come… It's not a big-" Scootaloo started.

She was cut off by some very enthusiastic cheering, Scootaloo looking over to see Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof. She tilted her head and looked at Rainbow.

"What? This is a big deal for you Scoot, they showed up for my flight camp races of course they wanted to see you fly today." Rainbow shrugged, wrapping a wing around Scootaloo.

Scootaloo might have intended to counter that, but she looked back as they heard the door open with a similar voice sighing in relief.

"We made it." Diamond Tiara walked over cautiously, Silver Spoon right by her.

Alongside them was Snips, Snails, Smolder, Yona, Ocellus, Sandbar, Gallus and Silverstream. Snips and Snails seemed to be focused, making it clear the two young unicorns were focused on the spell.

"Sorry, this spell was a little harder to learn then we expected." Snails admitted as he walked over.

"I've never seen Snips and Snails focus so hard on something." Silver Spoon added with a light teasing tone.

Scootaloo looked around a bit, clearly trying to find the words, before she was called back to the contestant area.

"Well go on Scoot, we'll be there to cheer you on." Babs assured.

She nodded a bit, heading to the back and thinking as she did her stretches.

"Did you see all those earth ponies and unicorns?" One pegasus asked another.

"Oh yeah, it looks like almost half of Ponyville is here. I guess they're here to cheer somepony on." Another said.

Scootaloo was sure they were exaggerating so she peeked out, but she realized that, despite being sure practically everyone she'd known already was there, she spotted even more creatures she knew. Thunderlane, Ditzy Do, Doctor Hooves, Roseluck, Lyra and Bonbon, Sugar Belle and Big Mac, it seemed that as many Ponyville residents made it as they could. She shook her head, confused, before she went to find Rumble, sure he was competing as well, to ask him more about it.

"Rumble, almost all of Ponyville is out there." She mentioned.

"Yeah? Oh, right, that was a surprise for you." Rumble recalled. "See, Varian was worried about how sad you seemed about someone not being able to make it to watch you, so as many ponies as could make it came to cheer you on. I thought about stepping out of the competition, but Diamond reminded me that you wouldn't forgive me if I did that so, ya know."

"Varian convinced half of Ponyville to come?" Scootaloo asked.

"I think it's more that Varian told everyone who knows you that you were upset and everyone wanted to help you out." Rumble explained, elbowing her gently. "You have a lot of friends Scootaloo, none of us would want to see you fail because you felt alone. You aren't."

Scootaloo smiled after a moment, looking at Rumble, "Well, you better fly your best Rumble, our hometown is counting on us to do Ponyville proud."

"I'm on it." Rumble nodded.

Scootaloo had nailed the obstacle course she asked for with perfect points, winning the award for technical flying that year much to her delight. The incredibly loud cheers for her from every creature there when she accepted the trophy really cemented how warm the moment felt. Rumble won his category as well, in speed, and the two went over to the group once everyone was safely back in Ponyville.

"Thanks every creature. But what possessed you all to do that for me?" Scootaloo asked, tilting her head.

"Varian told us you were upset about something and you needed support." Diamond explained, looking over where Varian shifted nervously on his feet. "He didn't tell me what exactly, but I'm sure that's personal."

Scootaloo tilted her head, still confused how Varian had known so much about what was bothering her, before she walked over to him once she thought they might be able to talk alone.

"Varian?"

"Oh uh, hey Scoot. You did great." Varian smiled.

"Thanks. So… what did you find out that made you do this?" Scootaloo asked.

"… I found the letter from your parents." Varian admitted. "I know I shouldn't have read it, but I… I could tell whatever it said really bothered you. And… I couldn't let them ruin something else for you."

"Something else?" Scootaloo tilted her head.

"I noticed that they didn't come to your graduation. Or any of the flight camp events. Or really anything that matters to you. As long as I've known you. I don't think I even know what they look like." Varian admitted. "And I know you always send them a letter or an invite so it's not like they don't know. I don't know what their problem is but… I was tired of seeing you get hurt by them. I didn't want this to be ruined by them too."

Varian had stepped away a little, looking into one of the small streams that made their way through Ponyville. Scootaloo stared at his back a little, as it really sank in. She'd been forgiving, overly forgiving according to her aunts and now she had to agree, to her parents when she was younger. The older she got, the harder it got to ignore though. And Varian… well, he'd told her and the girls about Ulla, about how she willingly left when he was really little and, unlike in Ponyville where Scootaloo's aunts, Mrs. Cake and eventually Rainbow Dash stepped up to care for her, Varian only had his father. Varian spent so much time alone, because Ulla left for her own selfish reasons…

"… I guess I never thought about it but we have a special common bond, huh?" Scootaloo asked, walking over to him. "Hey, Varian, I'm not mad, okay? I… I guess I didn't realize how much I was letting it get into my head. Thank you for reminding me I have a pretty great family, without them. And great friends too."

She pulled him into a hug with her wing, Varian relaxing a bit and hugging her back.

"Anytime Scoot." Varian smiled a little, trying not to break down into a ticklish fit as she rubbed her face against his.

"Between the wings and this your making it really hard to ever make it up to you, you know?" She joked.

"Hey, you girls were my first ever friends. That's more then enough." Varian assured.

"Well just know you can always count on me, okay?"

"I already knew that, Scootaloo. I know I'm just a human kid and I can't fly or anything, but I'll always have your back too, the best I can anyway."

Scootaloo smiled after a moment and nuzzled him again, "You're not just a human kid Varian. Someday I hope you'll see how super crazy smart you are. Or at least that you are a great friend."

"I guess with you saying it so much I have to believe it." Varian admitted. "At least a little."

"There you two are." Twilight's voice got their attention. "Scootaloo, how does an impromptu sleep over at the castle sound? The other girls already ran off to get their things."

"Sure thing!" Scootaloo smiled, looking at Varian. "Be there in a flash."

Varian likewise hurried back to the castle with Twilight to prepare a room for the surprise sleep over. Varian tried not to feel embarrassed by Twilight's monologue about friendship and how proud she was as they set up the sleep over.