Shorter than the last chapter, I know, but I wanted to post SOMETHING after so long. I'm not dead, but I have had A LOT of things to deal with in a little something called the 'real world.' Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Danielle smiled a little sleepily as she relaxed in her new favorite chair in the house. She had gone out and bought some comfortable furniture, shrinking them down in the store for her to enlarge later when she placed them around the house to her liking. While the house had a ways to go for it to become a true home, it was a good start and Danielle was seriously considering the idea of keeping the house after this job was done.

She was currently reclining in the armchair she had bought, Riley in her lap as she lazily stroked her fingers through the napping filly's mane. Ponies were suckers for someone with fingers petting them. All of them. It was an undeniable fact and Danielle knew that all too well as she petted Riley.

Near her on the couch, Cadence was taking a nap with Flurry tucked under her wing, not asleep but close to it as she lay on the comfortable cushion. Luna was in a nearby armchair, curled up and sleeping comfortably for her duties later that night.

It had been decided with no issues whatsoever that it was a lazy afternoon to do nothing and everyone was making the most of it, no one wanting to go out into the snow again anyway. Danielle had nothing to do until later that day so she could afford to spend her time bonding with her new adopted daughter.

Danielle smiled as she worked her fingers through Riley's lush green mane. In the short time she had known her, she could tell that Riley was a sweet heart that wasn't very sure of what her place in this world was at the moment. She needed a stable home life before she could figure that out and Danielle sighed, knowing she would have to settle down somewhere for a while to get her what she needed.

Now that she had confronted Luna and Celestia, she should stay in Equestria, for Riley's sake if nothing else, and the Canterlot/Ponyville area would be best. As long as Celestia stayed away from her for the foreseeable future, she could handle living here and acting as a guardian and protector.

Say what you wanted about her, but she WOULD give any of her children, adopted or otherwise, anything to make sure they had a long and happy life. She guessed it was because she had never had a good childhood herself that she saw that part of life as so precious. Still, she wasn't looking forward to Riley's teenage years, that was for sure. Luckily, she had grown so used to it from her previous children that she knew how to handle it with few problems.

She was brought out of her thoughts when she heard someone knocking on her door, signaling that she had a visitor. Raising an eyebrow at that, she looked down to see that Riley hadn't woken from her nap but Luna had, being a very light sleeper when she wanted to be.

Danielle and Luna looked at each other before the human opened the door. Her curious look instantly turned deadpanned, annoyed even. "Tia…what a surprise."

Celestia smiled down at her, looking a little sheepish at coming unannounced like she had. "Danielle. Is this a bad time?"

"No, you're just interrupting nap time," said Danielle, her annoyance growing slightly.

"Sister, what are you doing here?" Asked Luna, making herself visible from behind Danielle, frowning at her elder sister.

"I cannot come visit?"

Danielle sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "What do you want, Tia? Really?"

The large Alicorn looked slightly sheepish and looked at everyone in the house, who were all now fully awake and curious as to what was going on. She turned back to Danielle, who still looked fairly annoyed. "I know you are not my biggest fan at the moment, but all I am asking for at the moment is to talk. That's it. Preferably somewhere private."

Danielle continued to stare at her before sighing again, rolling her eyes. "Fine. Follow me. Riley, I'll be right back, just give me twenty minutes, max, okay?"

Riley nodded, moving closer to Luna surprisingly and Danielle left the house, Celestia following her as she walked to the side of the house. Casting a barrier around them so they couldn't be heard by anyone around them, she looked at the large princess. "I'm waiting."

Celestia sighed, looking down for a moment as she regarded the human in front of her cautiously. "I noticed that you and Luna's relationship is recovering nicely."

Danielle's eyes narrowed and Celestia mentally winced, obviously now realizing that that wasn't the right thing to say. "Luna might have hurt me, but she is truly apologetic about it and I trust her. What do you want, Tia?"

"Honestly?" Celestia's shoulders slumped and she sat down in the snow. "I'm not sure. I've wished for you to come back, so I can apologize, for centuries, and now that you're back…I can't figure out what to say." She let out a breath that was visible in the cold, the mist hovering between them for a moment before it dissipated. "I want to get to know you again, as I want you to know me as well. I know, I have no right to ask you for anything, but I really wanted to just see you again with my own eyes, make sure I had not imagined seeing you yesterday when you fought Discord."

Danielle's eyes slightly softened, but were still hard by the time Celestia was done. After a few long moments, Danielle gave her a look. "You're asking me for a date?"

"Well, that is a simplified explanation of what I had said, but correct," said Celestia, smiling slightly now.

Danielle breathed in and out slowly and carefully, her eyes closed for a moment before she opened them again. "I need to know a few things first. First, what is the status of Shining Armor? I am not letting Cadence go anywhere near Canterlot alone if he is there and she's staying with me for now, which makes her my responsibility."

Celestia winced. "Former Captain and Prince Armor is currently being investigated for several crimes, including but not limited to domestic abuse, child abuse, and several questionable decisions he had made in his tenure as my Captain. As much as I don't want to take sides in this conflict, I admit that I do trust Princess Cadence more than Shining Armor with this."

"And the status of her as Princess of the Crystal Empire?"

"Intact, I assure you. Once all of the bureaucracy is finally over, it will be safe for Cadence to go back to the Empire. I hate to say it, but there were several citizens there that approved of Shining Armor more than Cadence and they will have to be taken care of before she can take the throne again."

Danielle sighed. "Politics. Until then, she's staying with me and that's non-negotiable. Good thing that Riley and Flurry get along for the most part. Now, if I were to accept this date you are offering, what would I be expecting?"

Celestia smiled at the change of topic. "There is a very nice mixed restaurant in Canterlot that caters to every species and it would be no problem for me to arrange for a private setting for us. Say, Saturday night?"

"Three days away…" Danielle thought about it and slowly nodded. "Fine. I have a date with Cadence tomorrow night and Luna the night afterwards, so that leaves Saturday night free for me." She noticed Celestia's face fell when she mentioned her other dates and she smiled a little vindictively at that. "Celestia, I'm single, that means that I'm allowed to date around again with no strings attached. If you want me to pick you, then work at it."

The large princess frowned but slowly nodded. "Very well. I can see that my normal methods won't work…like always with you."

Danielle smirked and Celestia rolled her eyes at the look, which of course only made the human's smirk grow wider.

The human among the two of them finally sighed. "Alright, subject change to something more serious. What is the status on these missing ponies?"

Celestia frowned in worry. "I…am not sure. There doesn't seem to be a pattern except that the disappearances started on the west coast and continued east until it came here. My spies and agents cannot find anything at the moment, though they are looking into it."

Danielle frowned as well. That implied that the disappearances started around what used to be California or Oregon and was now here in the Ponyville/Canterlot area. Canterlot was built where Washington DC was and Ponyville is in northern Virginia, about thirty miles from the capital.

It always weirded her out that Equestria used to the United States, but that's what happened when humans had been gone for so many millennia.

"Now, about your fight with Discord," said Celestia, her tone becoming more lighthearted.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "Is this the part where you try and scold me for fighting with him in a populated area? Because in my defense, I wasn't expecting him and wasn't thinking straight. Who in their right mind could think that Discord could be redeemed or even try?" She paused and looked at Celestia knowingly, her eyes narrowing as the large princess looked sheepish. "You."

"In my defense," said Celestia, purposely using her own words on her, "I did give Twilight the means to take him down again at any moment. And I trusted Fluttershy the most with the task as she had been heavily resistant to his abilities the last time he escaped."

Danielle stared at her for a moment before sighing, looking at the cloudy sky in exasperation. "I don't like it. I really do not like it…but I guess it's too late to tell you how stupid your idea was, so I have to put up with it. The moment he screws up again, which I know he will, I'm taking him down, hard."

"I believe that he has feelings for Fluttershy…and she does too."

"…Of course she does," said Danielle, letting out a breath in frustration. "I take it she was the pegasus yelling at me to stop pounding on him? That would make it harder to beat him if he screws up again."

"Relax, Danielle," said Celestia, smiling knowingly at her. "You always did tend to worry too much about possible threats."

"And you always buried yourself in running the country too much to be healthy and you start getting bad ideas as a consequence," Danielle shot back, though she was smiling too. She then sighed and shook her head. "Dang, we're arguing just like old times, aren't we?"

"Too true," said Celestia, still smiling as she stood up on four hooves again. "I should get going. But I am looking forward to that date."

Danielle waved her hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, just pick me up when you're ready to go. And yes, I'm the girl for this date so you have to pick me up and plan everything."

Celestia shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll see you then." She spread her wings and took off, leaving Danielle watching her go with an odd look on her face.

Sighing, the lone human in the world made her way back into the house to see that everyone had been listening at the door. Raising her eyebrow at them, she smiled when they all pointed their hooves at everyone else, indicating who they were blaming. Rolling her eyes with a smile, she wasted no time in sitting down in her comfortable arm chair again, Riley jumping into her lap for her to continue to pet her again.

XXXXXX

Letting out a breath slowly and deliberately, Danielle pursed her lips slightly as she wondered what exactly she wanted to say and how to say it. She was currently leaning against the wall of Riley's room as the young filly brushed her teeth, getting ready for bed.

This conversation she would have with Riley would not be fun, but necessary.

"Miss Danielle?" Asked Riley, curious as to why her guardian was in her room, looking serious.

The human smiled slightly and sat down on Riley's bed, the filly cocking her head to the side in confusion. "Riley, we need to have a talk about a few things. Nothing bad, just to clarify a few things, okay?"

Riley nodded slowly and a little nervously as she jumped onto the bed as well. Danielle let out another breath and looked down at her adopted daughter, giving her a fond look. "First, I want to make absolutely sure that you're okay with everything that's happened in the last few days. Any questions you have?"

The filly frowned before nodding. "You and Princess Luna, how close are you two?"

Danielle smiled, chuckling. "Luna and I were together/together a…very long time ago. We had a bit of a falling out about a thousand years ago but we're going to try and see if we make it work again."

"Two mares can be together?"

"I'm not really a 'mare'," said Danielle, smiling and Riley rolled her eyes. "But yes, it is possible and actually fairly common in mare dominate towns like Ponyville. Now in Stalliongrad in Germany, it would be more common for…well, I think you get the idea there. Luna and I worked out pretty well as she's partially immortal as a naturally born Alicorn while I am immortal."

"Wait, so…Princess Cadence and Princess Twilight aren't immortal?"

Danielle shook her head. "They are both ascended Alicorns, starting off as a pegasus and a unicorn respectively. They'll both live a little longer than average, maybe a few extra decades, but no, they're not immortal. The part of that spell that gives even partial immortality was removed after an…incident."

She was not going to mention Astelle, as that would be a bad idea all around.

"And Flurry Heart?"

The human opened her mouth, closed it, and turned thoughtful. "That…is a very good question. She is a naturally born Alicorn, even if she didn't come from two Alicorn parents, so she has a very good chance of being partially immortal as well. We'll just have to wait and see on that front." She shook herself and looked down at Riley again. "Any other big questions?"

When Riley shook her head, Danielle nodded and continued. "Then we can get to the real reason I wanted us to talk. After my fight with Discord, you said something that worried me, that it didn't matter if I destroyed a part of Ponyville as long as I put it back together again."

"Well, you did."

"Riley, I put innocent lives at risk in my blind anger. If I had been thinking clearly, I would have taken the fight to the outskirts of the town where there wouldn't be any chance of anyone getting hurt."

Riley hesitated before slowly nodding, seeing the logic in that. Danielle continued, "Riley, I know we haven't known each other long, but I already care about what happens to you and I want what is best for you. Soon, you have to go to school-"

"Do I have to~?" Riley whined a bit, interrupting her.

Danielle gave her a stern look and the filly shrank slightly, causing the human to sigh. Running a hand through Riley's mane softly, the filly slowly relaxed again and she leaned into the touch after a few moments.

"Yes, Riley, you do need to go to school. The question is which one you want to attend as there are a few options. Would you like to go to the same school as Sweetie-Belle and her friends, or the one for gifted unicorns in Canterlot? You don't need to choose now, but when you are ready…"

Riley sighed and nodded, toying with a small hoof for a moment before looking up at Danielle. "I'll think about it."

Danielle nodded with a smile and, giving her adopted daughter a final hug, she left the room for her nightly patrol. Knowing that Cadence and Flurry would be fine without her for a few hours, She didn't feel bad about leaving them in the house, especially with several new wards on it to protect everyone inside.

Checking various places around Ponyville via flying was fairly boring as it really did seem like a normal sleepy town, especially with the snow on the ground everywhere.

She was about to call it a night when she spotted a butter yellow pegasus near that cottage she had found a few nights ago. The mare was tending to something in a tree but Danielle couldn't tell right away what it was.

Remembering that this mare had been one of the few yelling at her to stop fighting Discord the other day, Danielle frowned in thought, wondering if she should keep going or talk to her. After several long moments, she shrugged and flew lower, able to see what the mare was doing up close.

Smiling, Danielle watched as the pegasus mare was apparently tucking in some birds and squirrels in the tree, wishing them a good night and asking if they needed anything before bed. The sheer acts of kindness made it far too obvious that the mare was the embodiment of the Element of Harmony in question.

Humming, seeing that she hadn't been noticed yet, Danielle created some soft noise just loud enough for the mare to hear, bringing her attention away from her work in her general direction. The mare saw her and squeaked, her eyes widened as she paled slightly, eyes darting everywhere for an escape route.

Danielle mentally sighed and smiled as much as she could. "Hi, you're…Fluttershy, right? Celestia told me a bit about you."

"P, Princess Celestia?" Fluttershy asked shyly, hovering in place as she flapped her wings rhythmically. "I…uh…"

"It's okay to be scared of me, Fluttershy," said Danielle, a bit sadly as her smile turned sheepish. "I know I didn't give off a very good first impression to most of the town, what with the Discord incident and all." She shrugged and continued, "Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and apologize for scaring you a couple of days ago." She turned to leave.

"Um…" said Fluttershy quietly, clearly not sure what to do or say. "Are you really old friends with the princesses? Oh, uh, you don't have to answer if you don't want to…"

Danielle turned back curiously and her sad smile returned. She gestured toward the ground and they both landed, Fluttershy a bit grateful that she didn't have to strain her wings after what was probably a long day for her. "I knew both Princesses Celestia and Luna a long time ago, before the whole Nightmare Moon thing." She breathed in and out slowly. "Look, I am sorry for beating up your…friend, Discord," she made a face at the mention of him, "But we really hated each other a while ago and I just acted, not thinking about what I was doing."

Fluttershy nodded, accepting the apology but also seeming to argue with herself about something. "Would you like to come inside? You don't have to, but if you want to get out of the snow…"

Blinking, Danielle's expression turning a bit amused. "If I would not be imposing."

"You wouldn't. I don't have any guests over and Angel is more grumpy than usual, so I could use the company."

Danielle nodded and they both headed for the front door of the cottage, opening the door for the pegasus, who nodded gratefully as they entered. Looking around, the human nodded at the homey, comfortable feel the home had. It actually reminded her of a cross between Hagrid's hut and the Burrow back before all of this happened to her. A small examination could also show that various animals were also scattered around the room, including birds, mice, chipmunks and a surly looking rabbit on the couch, looking impatient at getting attention from the pegasus.

Though the rabbit in question did look both annoyed and fearful when he saw Danielle before he ran off, probably to find a hiding place until she left.

"Would you like some tea?" Asked Fluttershy, playing with her hooves on the floor as she looked at Danielle expectedly.

"Thank you, but no thank you," said Danielle, sitting down at the offered chair Fluttershy gestured toward. "I don't want to take up too much of your night." Fluttershy nodded and sat down on the nearby couch.

For several long minutes, neither spoke and allowed the silence to surround the room, though it wasn't uncomfortable. Fluttershy was clearly not a mare that needed background sound all the time and Danielle was patient enough to simply sit there for them to gather their thoughts.

Danielle finally sighed and looked at the mare near her. "You really are the Element of Kindness, aren't you? I really can't sense any unease in you right now."

Fluttershy looked at her in surprise before giving a soft smile. "Well, I…you don't seem that bad right now, so I have no reason to be scared."

"Even after you saw what I'm capable of?"

The mare shook her head. "I think you had a good reason for fighting Discord, and you were punished by the princesses unfairly. I think it balances out."

Danielle snorted as she smiled. After a few more moments, she chuckled and relaxed into her chair. "If I could tell you something in confidence? When I bore the Elements of Harmony with Celestia and Luna, I had both Magic and Kindness." She emphasized the latter, to Fluttershy's slightly widened eyes at the information. "That might be why I wanted to make sure you didn't fear me. I don't know."

Fluttershy was silent for a moment, humming as she mulled over Danielle's words, before smiling gently. "Is it strange? Being here, in Ponyville?" Danielle cocked her head slightly, questioningly and Fluttershy elaborated. "Twilight told me about an adventure she had once, where she had been human a couple of times. I've never seen any in this world, but I don't think there are too many of you…"

As she trailed off, Danielle had a sudden flash of memory, a mirror that led to another world she had studied once. She shook it off and sighed, her eyes dimming slightly as her gentle smile grew a little more forced. "I'm the only human left in the world. I'm immortal, Fluttershy, I can't die. Even Celestia and Luna can be killed, even if they are so durable that it would be extremely hard to do so, but not me."

She sighed and ran a hand through her hair, a lost look appearing in her eyes for a moment before it was gone the next. "I am eternal, never dying, never aging, never being able to move on and see my old friends and family again. Never seeing any of the various children I adopted a long time ago ever again, just…" She paused as she tried to organize her thoughts. "I am a constant that is even more persistent than Celestia and Luna, just as much as Discord. I do my best to help, to use the power I have to aid others as much as I can."

She gave a humorless laugh as she thought about that. "I'm not perfect, and I never thought that I was. I love, I hate, I try to help, I lash out at those I dislike. I…" She trailed off, not sure what else to say. Had she ever really talked about this stuff with anyone? She didn't even notice the soft tears leaking down her face as she was so lost in her thoughts.

Fluttershy, who had remained silent as Danielle talked, hummed slightly and gave Danielle a reassuring smile. "I think you're good." Danielle looked at her through slightly damp eyes and the shy mare continued. "I saw you adopted a young filly and she is starting to trust you. A bad pony wouldn't do that."

Danielle gave a soft laugh and looked at her oddly. "Sorry, but…you just reminded me of something an old friend used to tell me. She used to tell me I had a 'saving people thing.' I know it's extended to ponies as well."

Fluttershy gave a comforting smile and nodded. "Rainbow Dash has something similar to that, as do most of my friends. I think you will fit in."

Element of Kindness indeed, Danielle thought as she settled herself for a lighter conversation before she had to go home.

XXXXXX

"July 23, 1991," said Twilight as she read the next part of the journal for her to watch. She was starting to get tired of watching memories for the day and was planning on this being the last one before she went to bed.

She really found this fascinating, getting to know someone by looking through these memories. At the back of her mind, she knew this was probably breaking some sort of rule about personal space but she was just too curious to stop now. Spike had gone to bed, it being far too late for him to stay up so she was on her own for this memory. She just hoped it wasn't that long.

Touching her horn to the paper of the book again, she felt the now familiar sinking sensation and the castle faded around her to be replaced by the Dursley house on Private Drive. Wincing at the sight of these extremely bland walls again, she immediately looked at the cupboard under the stairs again.

Not having to wait long, an almost eleven year old Danielle stumbled out of her cupboard sleepily, yawning. Twilight really tried hard not to wince at the clearly second hand clothes the human was wearing, knowing she wouldn't subject anyone, let alone a young girl, to wear their MALE cousin's old castoffs.

Twilight watched as Danielle entered the kitchen to see Petunia working on some pot on the stove, seeing the young human's nose wrinkle at the horrible smell it was producing.

"Um," said Danielle, looking at the pot, which seemed to be filled with gray water, "what is this?"

Petunia turned to glare at her for asking a question before snorting. "Your new school uniform."

Both Danielle and Twilight blinked at that as they both noticed fabric in the pot as well as the water, probably Dudley's old clothes. "Ah…what does the uniform look like again?"

Petunia gave her an unpleasant look. "Gray. It'll look like everyone else's when its done."

By the look on her face, Danielle doubted that very much and Twilight wondered what horrible school would force their students to wear such a bland color.

The door to the kitchen opened and both Dudley and Vernon entered, both with unsettled looks on their faces from the smell of Danielle's new uniform but neither commented on it, simply sitting down at the table. A few minutes later, as Danielle started getting everything out to make breakfast, they heard the clink of the mail slot.

"Get the mail, Dudley," said Vernon, pulling out his morning paper and flipping to a certain page.

Dudley, who had a long stick in his hand for some reason, looked at him. "Make her get it," he said, pointing at Danielle as she cracked some eggs.

"Get the mail, girl."

"I'm making eggs."

"Poke her with your smelting stick, Dudley."

Twilight stared in bemusement as Danielle dodged the stick and left the eggs with Petunia to get the mail. Curious, the Alicorn followed Danielle to the front door and saw that there were three items. A postcard, an envelope that looked like a bill, and a strange one with Danielle's name on it. The lavender pony had to squint to read the address, but what she saw filled her with horror.

Miss Danielle Potter

The Cupboard Under the Stairs

#4 Private Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey

Under the address was a coat of arms of a lion, a badger, an eagle and a snake, all surrounding a large letter H. What filled Twilight with horror was the obvious sign that those people who sent Danielle to these awful humans knew where she slept and had not done anything about it.

She had no doubt that those old humans and the giant that had dropped Danielle here had also sent this letter. The old female human had even said that these humans here were horrible and she had allowed it despite any reservations she had.

How long had these people known about Danielle's living situation and had not done anything? How many times could they have come to rectify her home life but had, again, abandoned any responsibilities toward her? This address proved that either these adult magical humans could have solved a young girl's problems with her life and hadn't done so, or they were truly more ignorant and neglectful than she had thought possible.

She didn't like the idea of either outcome.

For her part, Danielle just stared at the letter addressed to her in surprise, the shock of getting anything addressed to her must have left her speechless and unable to respond. The human girl shook herself out of her shock moments before Dudley grabbed Danielle's letter from behind her before she could react.

"Dad, Dad, she's got something!"

"Get back here!"

Chasing after her whale of a cousin didn't do much as Dudley got to his father before she could do anything. Breaking into the kitchen, Danielle's eyes widened at seeing Vernon already holding the letter, Dudley smirking at her. "That's mine!"

Vernon scoffed. "Who would be writing to you?" He flipped the envelope over and read the address along with the coat of arms below it. It didn't take long before his normally red face turned white, eyes darting across the words on the parchment frantically. "Pe, Petunia!"

His wife took a millisecond to take in the situation and seemed to know exactly what was going on. Her own eyes were wide, breathing now frantic and shallow as she stared at the envelope, horrified. "Vernon. Oh my goodness…Vernon!"

Twilight honestly thought that was melodramatic but it seemed to snap the obese man out of his reverie and looked at everyone in the room. "I want to read that!" Yelled Dudley as he attempted to take the letter from his father when the older man stood, glaring at both children in the room.

"OUT! OUT OF THE ROOM, NOW!"

Without so much as a warning, he picked up both children by the scruff of their necks, Danielle choking slightly, and threw them out of the kitchen in a heap. Dudley quickly got to his feet and tried to see what was going on through the keyhole as his cousin recovered and glared at him reproachfully.

Twilight was just amazed that someone could by that cruel to family members as Danielle really did look like she couldn't breathe for a moment there. The idea of family doing that to each other was such a foreign concept to her. She had seen Dudley be a bully to Danielle, and had seen a lot of evidence of emotional and psychological abuse, but Vernon throwing his niece out bodily from the room…

Listening, the two humans and Alicorn were able to hear what the two parents were talking about in the kitchen.

"Just look at this address," said Petunia, sounding distressed. "They know where she sleeps! Do you think they're watching the house?"

"Watching, maybe even spying," said Vernon, the sound of his shoes on the tiles implied that he was pacing.

"What do we do, Vernon? Do we write back? Tell them we don't want a…"

The sound of pacing stopped. "No, we won't respond. We don't tell them anything. We'll ignore it."

"I don't think that'll work," said Petunia, sounding skeptical.

There was a loud thud on the wooden table, Twilight assuming Vernon had banged his fist into it. "I won't have one in the house, Petunia! We swore when we took her in that we would put a stop to all that rubbish!"

Twilight swallowed, not liking the sound of that. It was almost impossible that they were talking about anything other than magic, but one couldn't just get rid of it. Limit it, yes, make it inaccessible, of course, but no one could just remove magic from a person or pony.

The scene around her skipped forward to later that day and Twilight saw Vernon now back from work, opening the door to the cupboard under the stairs. Danielle didn't say anything the moment she saw her uncle, just narrow her eyes and gave him a look. Vernon was clearly trying to be polite as the smile he was giving looked painful.

"Danielle," he said, looking like actually saying her name was a swear word, "your aunt and I have been talking, and we think you're getting a little too big for this cupboard."

Considering that it would have been too small for someone half her size, it was amazing he hadn't been arrested for child neglect and child abuse already. Twilight's eyes narrowed, wondering what his game was as Danielle did the exact same thing. "Why?" She asked slowly.

"Don't ask questions!" Said Vernon loudly, his voice shaking some spiders on the cupboard ceiling loose. Forcibly trying to calm himself down, he put that painful smile back on his face and continued. "Just…take all of your things to Dudley's second bedroom."

That only made the Alicorn's eyes widen, making her freeze.

'They had a bedroom for her this whole time…AND THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT TO HER!' If the house truly did not have the extra space for Danielle, she could, very reluctantly, accept that the cupboard could work in the short term. But this, finding out that the Dursleys had a second bedroom for their fat pig of a son while depriving their niece of that space, was not only cruel, but completely inhumane.

Watching Danielle move her things into her new room, Twilight suddenly had a thought and she felt the beginnings of guilt come to her. Just days ago, she had denied Cadence and Flurry a room in her castle when she had too many to spare herself.

As soon as the guilt appeared, it vanished like magic. Cadence shouldn't have left her brother…right? She was…in the…right, correct?

Twilight groaned, rubbing her head with her hoof as she felt like she should feel more guilty than she did about her treatment of Cadence and her daughter…her own niece…

The pony's head felt like it was about to explode and she focused on the memory to distract herself from her own conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Dudley's second bedroom, now Danielle's room, was full of junk and looked more like an unkempt storeroom. Twilight shook her head at the sight of broken gadgets and toys, unread and dusty books, and the cot in the corner looked ready to fall apart, but it was still better than the cold floor of the cupboard. It had only taken Danielle one trip to move everything she owned to her new room and, after gently placing them on the bed to sort later, the human girl in question sat on the cot in contemplation, breathing in and out slowly.

From downstairs, they could hear Dudley whining. "I, I need th, that room! Make her g, get out!"

Both Danielle and Twilight snorted in disgust and the human girl sighed, resting on her back as she stared at the ceiling, likely trying to figure out what to do now.

The memory sped forward to the next morning and Twilight was in shock when she saw what Dudley was prepared to do to get his second room back. The fat boy had done everything from whack his parents with his stick, been sick on purpose, thrown a turtle out through a greenhouse roof (Twilight was angry on Fluttershy's behalf on that), had several tantrums, and he still didn't have his room back.

For her part, Danielle simply sat at the breakfast table as her aunt actually prepared the food that morning, looking at everyone at the awkward atmosphere. Vernon and Petunia kept glancing at each other, almost like they had had a fight recently and tensions were still high.

The tension only grew louder when they heard the click of the mail slot.

Vernon instantly got to his feet and bolted out of the kitchen, determined to get to the mail before anyone else. Dudley was hot on his heels, too curious about what the big deal was to keep his wide behind in his chair. Danielle continued to sit at the table, looking wistful, but knowing that she wouldn't be able to overpower her obese relatives so her common sense overruled her curiosity this time.

It didn't take long before the sounds of Vernon and Dudley wrestling in the hallway died down and ripping paper could be heard, indicating that Vernon probably had found another letter to Danielle and destroyed it.

Twilight could only shake her head in bemusement as the memory skipped over and over again, showing that more letters came each day in increasingly implausible means. 'If these humans could send all of these letters, wouldn't their time be better spent just to come in person?' It didn't really seem like it made sense to her, but that was just her opinion. But really, why use magic to hide the letters inside of egg shells, or other ridiculous ways when coming and explaining everything in person would be more efficient?

Several days after the first letter had appeared, it looked like the Dursleys were about to catch a break. Vernon seemed to be in a particular happy mood at breakfast that morning, which was not a good sign. "Ah, fine day, Sunday. In my opinion, best day of the week. No mail today, no sir."

An odd custom to not receive mail on one of the days of the week, but far be it from a magical winged unicorn to make judgement calls on something like that.

Vernon helped himself to his food, so distracted that he didn't notice he was spreading marmalade onto his newspaper. "Not one single blasted letter today! Not one-"

He was cut off when a letter shot out of the chimney and smacked him in the back of the head. Slowly, everyone turned to look at the rumbling chimney before it started shooting about forty or so letters out rapidly like bullets, flying around the living room and kitchen area. Petunia shrieked, pulling Dudley to the floor and Vernon cried out in alarm but Danielle, smirking, started grabbing them out of the air.

When the redheaded girl rushed out of the kitchen, Vernon seemed to know exactly what she had and bellowed like a wounded hippo, rushing after her. "Give me that! Give me that letter!"

Danielle was tackled to the floor in the hallway, her uncle trying to wrench the letters out of her hand as she was squeezed to death due to his bulk. It didn't help when the nailed up mail slot broke and even more letters came streaming in.

"That tears it!" Yelled Vernon as he finally grabbed the letters his niece had. "We're going far away from here. Meet me by the car in ten minutes. Just pack some clothes, no arguments."

Everyone swallowed at the dangerous look in his eyes and rushed to their rooms to pack, not wanting to provoke the fairly insane man. Twilight could only shake her head at the stupidity of not only Vernon, but also of the people sending these letters. Again, a simple visit to the house in person would eliminate the problem, instead of trying to give Danielle and the Dursleys severe paper cuts due to flying letters. Also, if these magical humans were this determined to give Danielle this letter, then running halfway across the country wouldn't help.

The Alicorn watched as Danielle packed her meager clothes supply into a simple and unadorned backpack, sigh heavily, and walked outside to the car. The look in her eyes proved to Twilight that Danielle didn't really care for this, but had to go along with it in fear of her uncle going even more crazy than he already was.

Their trip was constantly postponed as Dudley kept trying to bring fancy electronics and other things he didn't need. Still, Twilight glared when Vernon cuffed his own son upside the head for holding them up, threw out the useless gadgets, and threw the bags into the boot of the car.

While the memory didn't show the entire trip, Twilight saw that the dysfunctional family drove for hours in a seemingly random direction. Vernon didn't answer Petunia when she tentatively asked where they were going and so the family rode in silence. They didn't stop to eat or drink all day and just kept driving. Twice, Vernon would turn and drive in the opposite direction for a while. "Shake them off. Shake them off," he said every time he did this.

They stopped at a small motel for the night with only two beds in the room. Vernon and Petunia got one, Dudley got the other while Danielle was forced to make herself comfortable in the plain armchair in the corner.

That morning, their continental breakfast was interrupted by a woman who was probably the manager of the motel. "Excuse me, is one of you a Miss Danielle Potter? We just got about a 'undred of these at the front desk." He held up one of the letters and even at a distance, Twilight was able to make out the address.

Miss Danielle Potter

The Small Armchair

Room #17, Railview Motel, Cokeworth

Twilight shook her head with a sigh, all of her worst fears about this magical community growing by the minute. Danielle raised her hand, probably on instinct, when Vernon slapped her hand down.

The woman stared at the display.

"I'll take those," said Vernon, following the woman out of the room.

Twilight groaned as the memory sped on again, showing the humans on the road once more. It was clear that Vernon was trying to find a safe haven away from the letters but since they were being delivered by magic, it would be almost impossible for them to get away entirely.

Several times throughout the day, Vernon stopped the car, get out, look around, shake his head and start driving again. He did this at the top of a multi-level parking garage, the middle of a suspension bridge, and a random field home to several dairy cows.

With another time skip, the car was now being parked on a random beach. Vernon got out of the car, locked the others inside and walked off in a seemingly random direction, making the three still in the car look at each other worriedly.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Asked Dudley, sounding oddly resigned to the fact as he silently bemoaned the fact he had missed all of his television shows and that he had never gone so long without playing one of his computer games.

Petunia didn't answer as they sat in the car, looking extremely bored and worried. The three humans and one Alicorn looked at the sky as more and more dark clouds moved in, the wind picking up as a storm started to brew.

After about half an hour, Vernon was back and he was smiling. He had a couple of shopping bags and a long thin box, not answering his wife when she asked what he had bought. "Found the perfect place," he said, his smile a bit maniacal.

Getting out of the car, they followed him a short ways and they saw where they would be staying for the night. Twilight was looking in horror at a possibly two room shack on a large rock sticking out of the ocean maybe an eighth of a mile off the coast. Vernon's smile did not reassure any of them, "This fine gentleman has agreed to lend us his boat." He gestured to an old man who would look at home in a horror movie, "I've already got us some rations, so all aboard!"

This was far too much for Twilight, who's eye was twitching again, but she was too curious to see where this was going to leave the memory now so she was toughed it out, knowing that Danielle made it out of this okay.

By how much the young redhead was shivering in the boat, it looked freezing as water kept splashing into the boat as they rowed it toward the hut on the rock. It really made the Alicorn wish she could help as even a simple warming charm would do much to alleviate the problem, but she was in a memory, only able to see but not touch or interact with in any way. So Twilight could only sigh and watch as the humans finally made it to the hut and make their way inside.

The interior of the hut was exactly what one would think. The wood was soaked through and smelled heavily of seaweed. There were only two rooms, a living area that only had a disgusting looking couch and an empty and damp fireplace and a bedroom with an almost as bad looking bed inside.

As Petunia tried not to gag and started to at least make Dudley a bed on the couch, Vernon brought out his rations, which turned out to be a bag of chips each and four bananas. He tried to start a fire in the grate but the empty chip bags just smoked and shriveled up. "Could do with a few of those letters now, eh?" He asked.

His good mood was definitely due to the idea that no one would be crazy enough to deliver mail all the way out here and if Twilight didn't know Ditzy, she would agree with him. That wall eyed pegasus would find a way, she knew it, but she wasn't here and she doubted a non-magical human would do the same thing.

Everyone turned in early that night but while the three Dursleys at least had some kind of bedding, Danielle was forced to find the softest bit of floor she could and use her remaining clothes as a blanket, shivering the entire time as she tried to get warm.

It all made Twilight want to help even more, as Princess of Friendship, she was starting to get a sense of what someone truly wanted, even if they didn't know themselves. A bit creepy, but all the Alicorn could tell that all Danielle wanted was someone to care about her. It didn't matter who or what, just someone to either act as a friend, role model, parent or other. It broke Twilight's heart to see the little girl like this, especially when it became Danielle couldn't sleep and to distract herself, drew a circle in the dirt on the floor. Inside the circle, Danielle wrote three words that made Twilight's heart break even more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANIELLE.

Looking at Dudley's watch on his fat wrist, it showed that it was almost midnight. The two girls, one human and the other pony, watched as the time ticked on until it was a few seconds away to the new day.

Then, the watch gave a short beep that it was midnight.

BOOM!

Everyone jerked toward the door from where the boom came from. There was someone outside the door, knocking to come in.

Twilight, wondering who it was, was suddenly and rudely thrown out of the book and back in her own body in her castle, wondering who in Equestria could that have been.

XXXXXX

Used to waking up early on her various adventures, Danielle was no stranger to being the first one up. Still, she was used to being up only when her internal alarm went off and not due to external stimuli. Therefore, when Danielle woke up earlier than usual that morning and felt that something was on the bed with her that hadn't been there before, she was instantly alert and awake.

"Hands…"

With a blast of magic and a yelp of pain that was instantly silenced, Danielle was glaring at the intruder in her room, let alone her house. The offending party showed that it was a sea green unicorn mare with a mane that alternated between green and white. Her eyes were orange and her cutie mark was a lyre, proving that she probably had a speciality in music.

Getting out of bed, Danielle made her way to the currently levitating mare that had a modified body-bind on her, forcing her into a position only somewhat uncomfortable for a pony but still allowed her eyes to move frantically.

"Breaking into my house, stupid. Breaking into my room, very stupid. Who are you and why were you examining my hands?"

The body-bind undid itself enough for the mare to talk but all it did was allow her to fully express herself. "Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! An actual human! And she's using magic on me! I have so many questions I want answered! Oh, I'm Lyra and I am the most renowned human expert in Ponyville. I just had to meet you when I heard you were in town and your fight with Discord really proved how tough humans really are. Oh and-"

Danielle sighed and rubbed her face with her hand, knowing it was far too early for this. She let the mare talk for another few moments before she made for the door, a levitating Lyra behind her as she still babbled her questions. Riley, still sleepy, poked her head out of her door and frowned as she watched what was going on before going back into her room, not wanting to get involved.

When Danielle opened her front door, she blinked when she saw another pony with her hoof raised, apparently about to knock on the door. The earth pony in front of her had a cream colored coat, a two-toned mane of light and dark purple and a cutie mark of a trio of candy. "Hello?"

The mare cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly at me. "Uh, excuse me, but have you seen…" she trailed off as she noticed Lyra still babbling questions behind Danielle and her expression turned exasperated. "There she is. Lyra, it's me."

"Bon bon!" Lyra chirped cheerily, unable to wave or move any part of her body. "I've done it! I found a human!"

"Yes, you and the rest of the town," said Bon bon, sounding tired of this. She turned to Danielle, who now looked faintly amused. "Sorry about her, she gets a little…excessive sometimes."

"If I give her to you will you try and prevent her from breaking into my room at night?" Asked Danielle.

Bon bon placed a foreleg to her face and groaned before she nodded. Danielle levitated Lyra out the door and dropped her, undoing the modified body-bind at the same time. The sea-green unicorn didn't seem fazed at all and bounced back extremely quickly. "I have sooooo much to tell everyone! Just wait, Bon bon, I'll-"

She was silenced when Bon bon shoved a hoof into her mouth, glaring at her. "We're going back home and I'm giving you the personal space talk again!"

"Again?" Lyra whined as the other mare grabbed the unicorn's tail with her teeth and dragged her off through the snow. Lyra, now on her belly as she was dragged off, still waved to Danielle as they left. "I LOVE YOU!"

Danielle wondered if she could make a ward that blocked stalker fan girl unicorns as she went back into the house to make breakfast, sure that everyone was awake by now.

XXXXXX

It took some time for the both of them, but Danielle and Cadence agreed that if they were going to go on one date to see how it went, they might as well do it right. Danielle took in a deep breath as she adjusted her dress, a modest green one that fell past her knees and barely showed off any cleavage, which she appreciated. Being a redhead, green suited her very well and Rarity did a very good job on it.

"Yes, I thought so," said the fashionista unicorn herself. Rarity was standing in Danielle's room as she examined her work and nodded in appreciation. "You look fabulous, darling, as I knew you would in that ensemble."

"Thanks Rarity," said Danielle, nodding as she examined herself in the mirror. It wasn't fancy enough to take to a gala, but for a simple casual date, it was stunning. "Thanks again for foal sitting Riley and Flurry. I don't think Cadence and I will be out too long, just a few hours."

Rarity waved a hoof dismissively. "Think nothing of it. I've watched my sister enough times to handle two fillies like those two. Especially since they are nothing like Sweetie and her friends."

"A bit full of energy, are they?"

The fancy unicorn gave a dramatic sigh. "I love them to pieces, but they can be exhausting at the best of times. Oh yes, they have gotten better, but even a few years ago they were a nightmare. It was actually Fluttershy that managed to get them to calm down enough for me to watch them on a more regular basis."

Danielle nodded, internally chuckling at the thought of a trio of hyperactive fillies driving their sitter crazy. "I'll have to meet the other two, then. I've only met Sweetie-Belle so far and not for too long."

"Sweetie-Belle is having a sleep over herself with her friend Applebloom," said Rarity. "And I had no orders to take care of so I can spend a few hours helping a new friend prepare for her date. Though the fact that it is Cadence was a surprise, darling. I didn't even know anything was wrong with her marriage."

Danielle nodded mutely for a moment before taking another deep breath. "Yeah, apparently they didn't want anyone to think that anything was wrong. Well…I better make this date one to remember. I'm just nervous as I haven't been on one in over a thousand years."

It still surprised Rarity to hear how old her new friend was but she took in stride as much as a lady could. "I want to say that it is something you never fully forget, but I'm not so sure how much it affects immortals. Still, I know you will be able to woo our princess of love with confidence."

Danielle tried hard not to chuckle at that. "It's just a casual date, Rarity. It's nothing serious. Cadence and I both know that." She figured she had adjusted her dress enough and nodded. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Remember that neither of the fillies have eaten yet so I'm afraid you'll have to make something for them. I've found that Riley is a bit picky about eating green vegetables while Flurry will eat almost anything. There are some books that Riley likes in her room and-"

"And I'll be able to handle everything else while you enjoy yourself," said Rarity primly, now almost pushing Danielle out the door. "I have everything well in hoof here and you have nothing to worry about."

Danielle sighed as they went down the stairs to the living room, grabbing a handbag on the way out, Cadence and the two fillies waiting for them. The Alicorn of love was wearing her standard princess ensemble of her tiara, chest piece and horse shoes, but they had been polished until they were gleaming and it was obvious she had spent more time on her hair and coat than usual. All in all, she looked stunning while not making herself go overboard. Again, it was a simple date and not the Grand Galloping Gala.

Cadence smiled at seeing Danielle approach, looking very good in that dress of hers. "Danielle, you look beautiful." The human blushed slightly but nodded with a grace she had perfected over the years. The mare then turned to the two fillies. "Flurry, behave for Rarity, alright? Don't cause any tantrums, be in bed by the time I get back-"

"I get it, mom," said Flurry, smiling as she hugged her mother. "Have fun."

"Riley," said Danielle, bending down so she was closer to the filly's eye level. Riley didn't look very enthusiastic about being left behind while her guardian went on a date night but she tried to give a weak smile of understanding. Danielle gently rubbed the filly's ears with a sad smile of her own. "I'll only be gone for a few hours, I promise that I'll be back soon. And I know you still have your mirror, right? You can call me up if you really need me."

That made the green filly's smile grow slightly and the two shared a brief hug before they separated. "Okay, take care of them Rarity. I don't think you have too much to worry about but-"

"Danielle Potter, I will be fine with these two," said Rarity, a little sternly but smiling as well, showing that she was teasing. "Go and enjoy yourselves."

Both Danielle and Cadence took a deep breath and nodded, Danielle opening the door for her date and Cadence accepting with a smile as they walked into the snow covered streets. It was early evening so there was still some daylight but the cold weather required them to use a warming charm on themselves to keep the chill out.

"They'll be fine," said Cadence as they walked to their destination. "Flurry isn't one to cause mischief for no reason any more and Riley is strong. They'll be okay with Rarity."

"I know," said Danielle, nodding as she tried to smile to her date. "Sorry, I just haven't been on a date in centuries and I'm just worried about the girls. I'll be alright by the time we get there."

Cadence smiled and softly bumped into Danielle's side. "I haven't been on too many dates myself so you're not the only one nervous. Come on, we're supposed to enjoy ourselves out here."

Some tension visibly drained from both of them as Danielle nodded, her smile becoming more genuine. "Yeah, you're right. Let's enjoy ourselves. We've earned an evening to just ourselves like this."

Her smile widening slightly, they finished walking to the restaurant in comfortable silence about a minute later. The Gilded Truffle was Ponyville's only semi-fancy restaurant and one would normally need a reservation to get in, but due to the winter weather around them, it would seem that it wasn't as busy as usual.

Considering that Ponyville only had a cafe, a bakery and a fast food place other than this restaurant, options were pretty limited unless they wanted to go to Canterlot.

Walking inside, again Danielle holding the door for Cadence as they entered, they found that it was exactly what the human had been expecting. While it wasn't a super elitist or snobby restaurant, the employees still wore crisp and clean uniforms, there were a few chandeliers on the ceiling and the lights were dimmed somewhat to make a somewhat formal dining experience.

The host's kind smile faded somewhat at seeing Danielle but it brightened at Cadence, obviously recognizing her. "Welcome, two for tonight?"

They both nodded and were led to a booth near the back of the restaurant where they weren't obvious, but not hidden entirely. It gave them the illusion of privacy while not making it obvious and Danielle had to nod at the choice, seeing that the host was either lucky to give them this booth, or she knew what she was doing.

Both sitting down, the host gave them the menus. "A server will be with you shortly."

Nodding to her with a kind smile, she left and Danielle wondered if she should peruse the menu or talk to Cadence. It had been so long before she had done something like this that she was starting to get nervous again.

"Danielle, please, relax a bit," said Cadence over her own menu, making the human look up at her. "I promise that I won't bite."

Danielle sighed and nodded again. "Sorry, again." She frowned slightly before giving the mare a knowing look. "Empathy power?"

Cadence looked surprised for a moment before she nodded. "It's a bit of a side-effect of becoming Princess of Love. I can sense what emotion someone close to me is feeling if I focus enough. I don't use it all the time, but sometimes it's hard not to pick up something."

Danielle nodded in understanding. "I have a similar problem with…I suppose you could call it minor telepathy. It's not really that, but close enough in that if I don't focus on keeping somebody out, I get a read of their surface thoughts."

"You can tell what someone is thinking as they are thinking it?" Asked Cadence, surprised and impressed.

"I have to focus at least some every week or so to keep up my mental barriers so I don't accidentally find out everything about everyone," said Danielle with a shrug. "I don't like it and when I slip by accident, it has gotten me in trouble, but it's just one thing I have to live with."

Before Cadence could say anything, their server finally approached with a smile. "Evening madams. Are you ready to order?"

It became apparent they weren't as they had barely glanced at their menus and they both shook their heads. "Sorry," said Cadence apologetically, "we could use some more time. But if you could bring us some water, that would be wonderful."

"Water sounds good," said Danielle, agreeing.

The server nodded and left politely, this probably happening more than a few times before. Now alone again, Cadence looked back at Danielle with interest. "If you can read my surface thoughts, than what am I thinking right now?"

Danielle gave her a look but Cadence was smiling almost teasingly, making the human chuckle. "Okay, okay, we'll play your game." She was silent for a moment as she looked at the mare in front of her before her eyebrow raised. "Really? Was that a fun nursery rhyme when you were younger or something?"

Cadence smiled with a small blush of embarrassment. "Yeah, that was a silly song and dance I came up with when I was a foal sitter as a teenager. The fillies and colts loved it."

Danielle shook her head in bemusement as the server brought their water, whom they gave a nod of thanks to. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake. Well, I would be surprised if fillies and colts didn't like that song."

The princess of love snorted and smacked Danielle's arm slightly from where she was sitting. "Jerk. I was very popular with them as a teenager."

"Oh, don't get me wrong," said Danielle, smirking as Cadence was starting to do the same, "It's very cute. You were no doubt very good with young ones even back then so I would say that motherhood suits you very well. I've seen you with Flurry and Riley. You're a natural."

Cadence blinked before she blushed, feeling flattered by the very honest and candid response. In order to hide her blush, she looked at her menu as she finally started to pick what she wanted. Danielle's smirk turned into a genuine smile as she did the same, giving them both some time to recover.

After a few more minutes the server came back to ask for their orders. Considering that the dining room wasn't even half full, it was clear that the employees were having a slow night and that suited the two just fine. "Are ready to order now?"

Cadence nodded and went first. "I'll have the lasagna with a daisy salad, thousand island on the side, please."

When the server turned to her, Danielle turned back to her menu. "I'll have the stuffed manicotti with roast asparagus on the side. For an appetizer, I'll take the house salad but could I get it without the flowers on it?"

"Of course."

"Perfect. Oh, and blue cheese dressing on the side if you could."

The server nodded, writing it all down before taking their menus. "I'll put these orders in. It should not take too long." He left with a promise to refill their glasses and the two were alone again.

"No flowers, huh?" Asked Cadence, looking curious.

"The salad in question came with daisies and lavender, which I can't really digest," said Danielle, smiling faintly. "Humans aren't really made to eat flowers like that."

"I've been meaning to ask about that," said Cadence, sounding curious. "I noticed yesterday but didn't ask but…you have fangs, right?"

Danielle looked confused before her eyes lit up with realization. "Oh, you mean my incisors? Humans just have two sharper teeth on our upper mouths that are there for eating meat."

"You're an omnivore?" Asked Cadence, sounding interested. "I've only ever seen you eat vegetarian, so I wondered…"

"I mostly eat whatever the locals of the area do," said Danielle, leaning back in her seat comfortably. "The griffins are mostly carnivores but they can eat plants as well so it was pretty common to eat the same as they were when I stayed with them before coming here to Ponyville. Honestly, I was getting a little tired of constant meat based dishes by the time I left, so coming to Equestria was fine by me after that."

"So…I take it you won't eat me, right?" Asked Cadence. Her tone was teasing, but there was a very small hint of nervousness in there as well.

Danielle looked appalled at the very idea. "I would never eat a pony, Cadence. Even among carnivores and other omnivores, I never eat anything that is sentient or can think for itself. The griffins mostly eat fish, and the other game animals there were not sentient."

Cadence felt the very minute amount of tension leave her and she nodded. Danielle noticed and she sighed. "Cadence, I get it, you know. Ponies are a prey based creature, while griffins, dragons and even humans are predator based. It's in a prey's nature to fear predators."

The mare blinked but shook her head vigorously. "Oh, no, I didn't mean it like that! It's just that…I've never really spent time with the non-pony races but the few I have seen with fangs, like Sombra, well…they were evil and…"

Danielle smiled and held out a hand to calm Cadence. "It's fine, really. I've just dealt with the whole prey and predator thing before and the very moment some ponies learn that I can eat meat, they instantly think I want to eat them. That's the farthest thing from the truth as I have no intention of ever doing that, especially since I've adopted several ponies in my long life and I was engaged to two Alicorns."

Cadence sighed and nodded with a smile, honestly relieved that she didn't ruin their date. Their orders arrived shortly after and they thanked the server before starting, silent for several minutes as they ate. The young princess feeling even more foolish than before when she saw how much Danielle was enjoying the stuffed pasta dish she had, clearly eating a vegetarian plate. "How is it?"

Danielle looked up from her plate and nodded, a contemplative look on her face. "Not bad. I don't want to speak ill of the restaurant but between us, the filling is a little bland as all they used was ricotta. I actually make a dish similar to this that I think is better, honestly."

"Oh?"

"I make stuffed shells that I've made both for myself and royalty once or twice and I've never gotten a complaint. Basically, it's standard large pasta shells filled a combination of ricotta, feta and mozzarella cheeses along with cooked spinach. Cover the shells with seasoned tomato sauce with more cheese on top and stick it in the oven. Once it comes out, it's to die for."

Cadence smiled at the description of the dish and the passionate way Danielle described it, wondering if the human would either make it for her, or teach her how to make it later. She herself wasn't a bad cook and this sounded both good and relatively easy to make as well.

As they ate, their talk turned to more idle topics. Cadence explained how she didn't know who her parents were and that Celestia was the only parent she had ever known. Danielle had paused at that, wondering something but she didn't say what, just in case.

Danielle talked a little about a couple of her old friends during her school days when she was a teenager, of what she could remember in any case. Even though to her it had been an extremely long time ago, she could still remember their faces like it had been the previous day.

"You miss them."

It was a statement, not a question and Danielle sighed, her head down as she nodded. "I don't really like how I left them, honestly. I mean, I pretty much told Hermione I was leaving and then let her tell the others. I didn't want some sappy good-bye where they all tried to talk me out of leaving my country of origin, but it was time for me to go. They wouldn't get it. Hermione did, but it was clear she didn't understand why I had leave alone."

Cadence's eyes softened as her smile turned more gentle and understanding. "Sounds like she might have liked you more than a friend."

"I couldn't have been with her," said Danielle, sighing as she twirled the last of her food with her fork, staring at it for a moment before she carefully ate it. "At that point, I was partially immortal while she wasn't. It wouldn't be fair for either of us to try anything like that when it couldn't work out long term."

Cadence gave her a look and Danielle only barely noticed. "I'm not even partially immortal."

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I…" Danielle sighed and rubbed her face with her hand. "Cadence, I really do like you. I can't say I'm in love with you or anything, but I do like spending time with you."

Cadence's eyes softened again and she nodded, sighing herself. "Same, honestly. I didn't really expect anything from this date other than a fun and semi-romantic evening. You've been a proper lady and extremely sweet to me. I do feel something for you, but…"

Neither spoke for several minutes, both lost in their own thoughts. If nothing else, they would leave this experience as closer friends at least.

"There's something I've been meaning to ask you," said Cadence, getting Danielle's attention again. "Is it strange? You, being in a relationship, even engaged once, to a pony? I mean, you're human and, well…"

Danielle took in a breath and nodded, smiling at her understandingly. "I get it. Honestly, humans never really got the whole human/non-human relationship thing back in my time. Even then, it was almost strictly humans with humanoid beings." She was thinking of goblins and Veela now. "Back then, and please don't be offended by this but, ponies weren't sentient back then. They were little more than dumb minded beasts of burden that couldn't even talk."

The human stared at a nearby window for a moment, looking at the night sky outside. "When I woke up from my coma with Celestia and Luna, romance was the last thing on my mind. I was in a new time, a new world really, that could use my help and I did all that I could assist in anything I could. When I was satisfied with my life and ready to settle down with a partner, a girlfriend, it didn't take me long to realize that as the only human on the planet, I would have to be with another species. I couldn't exactly wait for who knows how many millennia for another human to suddenly appear out of nowhere. I had set up a life for myself so the idea of trying to go back via time travel was very…unappealing. The mirror portal to another universe was also out as it just didn't…seem right to be there. It was just something wrong that made me want to leave and my instincts are rarely wrong.

"Like I told you before, Luna and I just…clicked. We were the very thing we had been looking for in a partner, a girlfriend and possibly wife, that it seemed cruel to push her away for something as stupid as a species barrier. Yes, I'll admit that there was a time when I was still strictly a human-sexual, but after so long…I gave in and fell for a sentient magical talking pony. Plural if you want to include Celestia in that as well.

"It actually helped when I thought of it more as falling for an alien than an animal. Like Xenophilla or something. I can also be with them and they with me because of the whole immortality thing, making us perfect for each other."

Cadence's smile grew the more Danielle spoke and neither realized that they had no more food left on their plates, or that the server was holding himself back from approaching their table to clean up. 'She really doesn't let something as small as species get in the way of love, she's honestly perfect for my aunts.'

"That's incredibly sweet, Danielle," said Cadence out loud, smiling happily and a bit teary eyed as she rested her head on her forelegs. Danielle was completely red but was smiling herself, like she needed to get everything off her chest and the mare in front of her was a great outlet.

Danielle sighed as she allowed her plates to be taken away. "Cadence, I have to ask, were you honestly expecting to fall for me on this date or were you solely just trying to get me with Luna and/or Celestia?"

Cadence's expression turned wistful for a moment before sighing. "I wanted to go on a date with a possible friend, Danielle."

While that didn't really answer the question, it also answered everything at the same time. Danielle sighed and took Cadence's hoof with her hand, squeezing gently. "I'm sorry."

The mare blinked away the dampness in her eyes and smiled sadly. "I want us to be friends for a long time, Danielle." She blushed slightly but continued. "Maybe friends with benefits at some point, but…"

Neither said anything but nothing more needed to be said. This date hadn't really been an evening to determine their compatibility for a relationship, it was to help the other heal from whatever issue was plaguing them.

As messed up as it was, Danielle did feel better and more prepared for her upcoming dates with Luna and Celestia. Cadence also got to enjoy herself in a semi-romantic environment and forget about her ex-husband for a while.

They had both needed this and their friendship was stronger now, but that was all it probably would be for the foreseeable future.

When the check came it didn't make Danielle blink at all as she paid it with no problem along with a generous tip. Leaving the dining establishment, Danielle checked the time and found that they still had another half hour before Rarity expected them back. They had spent more time eating than they had thought.

"You want ice cream?" Asked Danielle, looking at Cadence with a hopeful look.

Cadence looked at her and gestured to the snow around them. "It's just barely above freezing right now, Danielle, and it's getting colder."

"Hot chocolate?"

The Alicorn paused as she thought about it, before nodding and they headed toward the nearby cafe, not saying anything as they walked. To the both of them, it felt like they had just gone through an intense therapy session and a lot of things were raw and exposed between them, making them both feel vulnerable.

Cadence paid this time, much to Danielle's chagrin, and they both sipped the hot beverage as they walked to the human's house. When they were about a hundred yards from the front door, Danielle sipped her drink and sighed. "You know, I do care about you, Cadence."

"I do too."

"If there's anything I can do to help, with anything, just ask."

"…Thanks, Danielle."

Both smiled at each other, understanding just how their relationship had changed without saying anything to each other. They were friends, very close friends that might have benefits in the future, but at the moment they were content with what they had. Danielle vowed to get Cadence something nice for helping her out so much as the entire date just seemed like the Alicorn helping her through her problems. The Princess of Love would make a damned good psychologist.

Walking through the front door to Danielle's house, they saw the cute sight of Riley and Flurry curled into balls as they slept next to each other on the couch, Rarity relaxing in the human's favorite armchair. Seeing them, the fancy unicorn smiled at the two of them and got up from the chair. "Evening you two, enjoy yourselves while you were out? These two were perfect angels the entire night."

Danielle nodded with a sigh, feeling that things would get better now. "Yeah, I feel better after that. I hope that I can call upon your services again to foal sit, Rarity?"

"If they are well behaved like these two, then I would love to, darlings."

"I'll pay you in the morning when I feel more awake," said Danielle as Cadence gently picked Flurry up in her magic, being careful not to jostle her too much. "That's also not negotiable, I will pay you back for looking after my ward and daughter, Rarity."

The Element of Generosity sighed before nodding. "Very well, if you insist. I would do it for free but if you are being stubborn about it…"

They said good-bye to the fashionista and they separated to their own rooms, Danielle carefully laying Riley in her bed without waking her before moving into her own bed, ready to sleep.

Hopefully without some crazy unicorn waking her up early in the morning.

I HATE SHORT CHAPTERS! I know this doesn't feel like a short chapter to anyone but me, but there you go. I have no idea when I'm going to update again, but that's real life for you, isn't it?