>Tonight was the night.
>You were going to meet Twilight's family: Her father, mother, brother, and half-sister.
>All of you had been invited to dinner by Twilight's parents, they wanted to see their kids...and meet you personally.
>Her brother was Captain of the Canterlot Guard and husband to an Alicorn.
>Twilight was probably the most powerful magician since Starswirl himself, if independent research were to be believed.
>So...that must mean that one toe out of line, and her dad would crush your head like a grape or something.
>You shuddered, and Twilight giggled behind you.
>You were already packed, you didn't need much.
>Not like you were staying all week, just for the night.
>Twilight, meanwhile, was trying to bring roughly half the library with her.
>She huffed when her saddlebag again exploded, spilling its contents all over the floor.
>"Fine, fine, I'll take two or three..."
>She looked over at you, just as you were mid panic-attack.
>"Calm down, we're just having dinner and staying for the night."
"Easy to say when your head isn't grape-like."
>The mare blinked.
>"...what?"
"Uh, nothing."
>"Anon, breathe. With me, okay? In..."
>You took a deep breath.
>"Out."
>You exhaled, and still felt just as nervous as you had before.
>She nuzzled your stomach and wrapped a wing around you.
>You had noticed that, lately, she had been getting taller.
>It wasn't fast or noticeable from day to day, but she definitely was.
>Just last month she only reached to your waist.
>You hoped she didn't get taller than you were, but if Celestia and Luna were any indication, Twilight wouldn't reach that kind of extreme.
>After all, even Celestia only reached up to your shoulders, and she was the tallest pony, period.
>"Ready?"
"Been ready for half an hour."
>"Good, help with my bags?"
>You turned, and somehow she had managed to pack what seemed like half the library into a suitcase.
>"I love miniaturization spells!"
>Naturally, it was heavy.
"Ach, Twilight!" You groaned.
>"If you wanna make a good first impression, you have to carry a lady's bags, right?" She asked with an impish grin.
>You shot the alicorn a heated glare, which she just laughed off.
>At least it made you forget about your nerves.
==
>The train ride was completely uneventful, aside from a pegasus trying to hit on Twilight.
>Just because of her new title, ponies thought she was fair game.
>She was not, and you made sure to let him know that when you locked lips with the alicorn.
>The blue pegasus sat back down, grumbling.
>The ponies that just wanted to meet her, however, were fine.
>She blushed and signed a few autographs, before the train ground to a halt at the station.
>You picked up the bag, which again seemed like it was a literal ton, and followed the mare.
>"Not too much further now."
"Good, feels like my arm is going to fall off."
>"It's not that heavy, is it?"
"Twilight, I could bludgeon someone with this."
>"Oh, whoops."
>Yeah, 'whoops'.
"Seriously, what's in here?"
>"Several copies of Daring Do, gonna get Mom to sign them. She's one of the authors, after all."
"Oh, great."
>Captain of the Guard, Most Powerful (ex)Unicorn, and one of the authors of the most popular book series in the region.
>Meanwhile, you had 'exotic' as your most notable trait.
>You were screwed.
>Going by this family, her father was probably ex-special forces or something like that.
>Twilight would occasionally tease you by 'accidentally' flicking her tail too far to the left or right, giving you ample view of dat flank.
>Twilight knew what she was doing to you, while other ponies either didn't notice or didn't care.
>Nudity to them, after all, was a common thing.
>"This is the place!"
>You walked up to a town home that...seemed absolutely identical to the others near it.
>The only difference were the flags out front, which you assumed were her parents cutie marks.
>Wasn't Twilight's, that much you were certain of.
>She knocked on the door.
>"Just a moooomeeeent~!" A singsongy voice called from behind the door.
>The door was pulled open gently by a soft blue glow, and a white unicorn stood at the door.
>Two-tone white/purple hair, and bright blue eyes.
>Cutie mark of three purple stars.
>You saw literally zero traits (other than being a unicorn) from her mother that Twilight inherited.
>Then again, two earth ponies had given birth to a unicorn and pegasus.
>Your knowledge of genetics was null and void here, apparently.
>"Ooooooh! My little Twily's home!"
>She wrapped her daughter in a tight hug, which Twilight returned warmly.
>"Mom, this is Anonymous. Anon, this is my mother, Twilight Velvet."
>Well, fuck. Couldn't call Twilight "Twilight" now, might cause some confusion...
>Nicknames for your mare would be fine.
>"How very good to mee-" Velvet paused when she looked at you towering over her, her mouth hanging slightly open.
>"Mom, you're staring..." Twilight muttered, tapping the stunned mare with a hoof.
"A pleasure, ma'am."
>You stooped down and kissed her hoof, with Twilight giving you an approving smile.
>This seemed to snap Velvet out of her silent confusion.
>"Oh my, such a gentlecolt! I apologize for my rudeness, please, come in!"
>The home was actually rather large on the inside, with a staircase leading to the second floor on the right of the door.
>The living room had a large bookcase covering the far left wall, with a lit fireplace on the far right.
>Hearth's Warming was coming soon, after all, and there was a chill in the air.
>You'd have to ask Rarity for some heavier clothing later.
>Snapping yourself out of your mental lapse, you walked in.
>Twilight levitated her bag off of you, balking at the sudden weight.
"Told you." You said with a smug grin.
>The lavender mare shot you a glance, before opening the bag.
>"Hey mom, I told one of my friends you'd autograph some copies of Daring Do. Do you mind...?"
>"Not at all sweetie! It'll have to wait until after dinner though, it's nearly finished."
>"Are Shining and Cadance here already!?" Twilight nearly shouted, wings flaring in excitement.
>They hit a vase off of a nearby coffee table, and you grabbed it before it hit the floor.
>Couldn't save the flowers that were in it, but saved the important part.
>"Oh, thank you dearie. That would have been a pain to put back together." The older mare said with gratitude, levitating the flowers back into the vase with the same light-blue aura.
"It's no problem, ma'am. Comes with the territory of being around a clumsy alicorn." You chuckled, and the purple alicorn sent you a glare that could melt stone.
>You shrugged it off, having been on the end of far worse.
>Stepping into the kitchen were three ponies.
>Twilight galloped past you like an excited filly, going to the opposite end of the table.
>The purple mare wedged herself between two ponies.
>A pink Alicorn whom you could only assume was Cadance.
>She also had a tri-colored mane, this time pink, yellow, and purple.
>Her cutie mark was obscured by the table, and you weren't going to make an obvious effort to look.
>The mare's mane was in a neat little bun, keeping it out of her eyes and off the table.
>A blindingly white stallion with a blue/light blue mane sat next to her.
>Similarly, you couldn't see his cutie mark, and weren't making too much of an effort to see it.
>His gaze locked to you the instant you walked into the kitchen, eying you up and down.
>"That's nice, Twily..." He said, no longer paying any sort of attention to the two mares.
>You gave him a smile, which seemed to be a mistake when he frowned at you.
>That only left...
>A dark blue stallion sat at the head of a table, talking cheerfully with Cadance...whenever he could get a word in over Twilight.
>He appeared to have a...comb over? Was baldness a thing here?
>His cutie mark, visible from where you were, was made of two crescent moons, waxing and waning.
>One was larger than the other, with the smaller one inside the empty space of the first.
>He lifted a pot of tea over to the table, when Shining cleared his throat for attention.
>"Dad, we have...another guest."
>"I know, Shining. Unlike you, Twilight actually let us know beforehoof." He replied, cheekily grinning.
>He stood and walked over, taking stock of you.
>You weren't sure what to do, so you simply stood there.
>"The name's Night Light." He said after a moment, walking to your front and holding out his hoof.
>You took it and shook it.
"Anonymous, Anon for short."
>"Wonderful!"
>After a moment, he went back to the head of the table, then returned to his conversation.
>"So, this Crystal Empire..."
>"Oh yes, lovely place." Cadance replied, lowering her cup of tea. "You two should visit some time, I'd be glad to have my family over!"
>"I think we shall, once Velvet here finishes her new book!" He laughed heartily, and the mare in question blushed.
>This was the guy you thought was ex-special forces?
>Twilight went to the empty side of the table and took a seat.
>You joined your mare, and she wrapped a wing around your shoulder.
>You responded in kind by wrapping an arm around her.
>Twilight giggled.
>"Shining, Cadance, this is Anon."
"Hi there, nice to meet you two. She speaks very highly of you both." You greeted.
>You defaulted to 'formal' when in uncomfortable situations, which had gotten a sideways look or two.
>"Good to meet you, Anon!" Cadance replied with a smile.
>The pink mare 'stealthily' bumped Shining after a moment, who was still giving you a cautious look.
>"Oh, uh, yeah. Nice to, uh, meet you too."
"A pleasure!" You replied with what you hoped was a disarming smile.
>Your teeth showed, and Shining noticed the canines.
>No, most decidedly NOT disarming.
>"Dinner's ready~!" The white mare sung, levitating the hot tray over to the table.
>You knew where Twilight got her singing voice, at the very least.
>You looked into the tray.
>Vegetarian...enchiladas?
>It was as if they were just begging for a mess.
>Her parents seemed to be treating this as just another family dinner.
>Good, that meant they were...at least faking being comfortable around you.
>Twilight hummed in approval, apparently knowing what you all were in for.
>"This was the last meal I had before leaving for Celestia's school." She mentioned off-handedly, before levitating two to her plate. "Very spicy, but oh so good!"
>This aught to be a treat then. Spicy you could do.
>Silverware was near your plate, as if her parents were making special accommodations just for you.
>Twilight leaned in to you for a moment.
>"Are you okay?" She whispered.
"As well as I can be. Nerves are still slightly shot." You quietly replied.
>"Don't be nervous, my parents liked you even before they met you. I've already told them you were a different species, as well as everything you've done for me."
>She winked at you as she pulled away, going back to her meal.
>You lifted two of the bean-filled tortillas away as well, idle chatter going across the dining room.
>"So, Anonymous..." Shining started.
>You looked up, food still in your mouth.
>"What is it that you do, exactly?"
>You held up a hand, and Twilight translated when Shining was visibly confused.
>"It means 'hold on'. Don't worry, none of us at Ponyville got it at first either."
>You swallowed, before replying.
"I work at Sweet Apple Acres usually."
>"Usually?"
"Sometimes that work dries up, so I go on supply runs in the Everfree Forest for Ponyville. That's a rather lucrative business."
>"Mmhm..." Shining replied quietly, seemingly puzzling something out in his head.
>"Dear, you haven't touched your food. Is something wrong?" Velvet said after a moment.
>"No mom, nothing." The stallion slowly replied. "Other than the fact my sister's dating a *carnivore*, no."
>If he was expecting a worried or violent reaction from his parents, he didn't get it.
>They were either hiding it well, or truly didn't care much.
>Cadance quirked an eyebrow curiously at Twilight, who in turn rolled her eyes.
>"We know, Shining." Night said with a visible shrug. "As long as he takes care of my daughter, he's fine by me."
>"Which he has, dad. Trust me." Twilight cut in with both visible and audible praise. "He's done more for me in a year than most have done in five."
>"Then that's all I need." He replied in turn, returning to his dinner with a small smile.
>"So, when are you two getting married?" Velvet asked sweetly.
>Both you and Twilight choked.
===
 
>Dinner finished without another incident, and you helped wash dishes.
>Shining, not to be outdone, dried them.
>You were pretty sure it was to keep a close eye on you.
>The two of you were alone in the kitchen, and your nerves were at their peak.
>Night Light and the three mares were in the living room.
>If her father wasn't going to do anything, fine.
>Twilight's brother, though...
>"So, what are you, anyway? I thought carnivores couldn't eat vegetarian dishes." Armor asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm a human." You replied. "Omnivore, I can eat most anything that isn't outright toxic."
>It was like your first week in Ponyville all over.
>"Why am I only just now hearing about you?"
"I couldn't tell you, ask Twilight."
>"No, I mean 'you' as a species."
"Ah, that. Well, freak accident sent me here. I'm not native to Equestria at all, only one of my kind here as far as I know."
>The stallion balked at that, before slowly backing out of the room.
>That was a bother.
>Who was gonna dry the dishes now?
>You guessed you were, great.
>Another few minutes passed, and you finished up the dishes.
>You joined the family in the living room, sitting on the couch.
>Twilight nestled herself against you, book in her magical grasp.
>You wrapped an arm over her, reading over her shoulder.
>Even at a family gathering, she was a bookworm. It was lucky you could keep pace.
>To be fair, it seemed like the conversation was dying down anyway, the ponies simply enjoying the company of their significant other.
>Velvet was snuggling against her husband, and he kissed her lightly on the neck.
>Cadance, however, seemed to be missing Shining Armor.
>It was then that said stallion came back downstairs, with a bucket of what appeared to be soapy water.
>The stallion overturned the bucket and dumped it on you.
"Wh-what the fuck, dude!?" You shouted in shock, jumping up as both you and Twilight were drenched.
>"My Oubliettes and Ogres guidebook has a page on humans! They're carnivorous demons from another dimension, and easily banished with warm, soapy ocean water!"
>The silence was thick enough to cut with a knife, as both you and Twilight stood there dripping.
>"Look at Twilight's neck, she has bruises!" Armor continued. "OBVIOUS fang marks!"
>Twilight's cheeks turned a bright pink, and she avoided eye contact with everyone in the room.
>Twilight's parents appeared to be holding back laughter.
>"I didn't have ocean water on hand, so I figured adding table salt would work..." The stallion continued dejectedly, noticing you were still very much not 'banished'.
>Cadance audibly face-hooved, before standing.
>"Shining, what are you DOING?" She moaned, walking up to drag him off. "You KNOW that book was revised, right? They're helpful sprites as of edition two point five."
>You lost it.
>Any anger you held at that moment was just flat out gone, replaced with incredulous laughter.
>NOW you knew where the occasional pen and paper role play at the library came from.
===
>Night had finally fallen, and the two elder ponies excused themselves to bed.
>Shining Armor and Cadance, too, had gone upstairs, presumably to Shining's room.
>Twilight had dried both you and her off, and you were both currently sitting by the fire, blanket draped over your shoulders.
>The mare was in your lap, reading...right before she nodded off.
>You chuckled, moving to the couch as you had no idea where Twilight's room was.
>You'd prefer to not accidentally push open Armor's door by accident and catch them doing something intimate.
>Shining Armor came back down the steps just as you thought this.
>"Listen, I...need to apologize." He said.
"Keep it quiet, Twi's asleep." You whispered, and the stallion nodded.
>"I'm sorry I thought you were a...demon from a role-playing guide book."
>At your arched eyebrow, he continued.
>"It's just, what you told me and what the book says matched up exactly. Even the general description of what a human looks like is the same."
>"I thought my baby sister had been tricked and was in danger."
>You chuckled.
"If you knew what I've gone through for her already, you'd think she's the one endangering me."
>Twilight yawned in your arms, rolling over to nuzzle your chest sleepily.
>Armor smiled softly.
>"Alright, I get the message Twily."
>He looked back to you.
>"Take care of her. I find out she's been hurt, it's your flank I'm comin' after." The blue-maned pony said with the hint of a grin.
"I always take care of what's mine." You replied with an equal grin. "Also, you need to show me this game at some point. Sounds a lot like a game I had back home."
>His grin only got wider.
>"What class?"
"Paladin."
>"...I think you and I will get along just fine."