//------------------------------// // Anti-Friendship reception // Story: Royal Rebirth: The Life and Times of Prince Dusk Star // by Grey Ghost //------------------------------// Things had calmed down a little in the castle. Mom was still figuring out how to test me without hurting me. That left me feeling a little antsy, but I hadn’t wailed since the first time. Taking a break from studying and research to take a stroll through town. Along the way, we came across two arguing fillies. I peered over mom's shoulder, feeling a wave of shyness come over me. Mom however didn’t seem to have any such issues, putting herself between the two. She does that a lot, really. Butt into others conversations. She’s always meant well, but I don’t think she ever really got the concept of personal space down. “Toola Roola, Coconut Cream, what are you doing?!” “This was meant for my ex-friend,” a little pink filly said. Her mane was sectioned off into pink yellow and red while her tail was purple and blue. She was like a living crayon box or something. In her hoof was a cream pie, poised and ready to be thrown. ‘Hey, don’t waste pies,’ I chided, pouting at the filly. ‘Some of us still can’t eat solid foods.’ “No, you’re my ex friend!” a little blue filly shot back, a similar pie in her own hoof. The two then threw their pies, letting them splatter against the other’s face. I whined, both out of dislike for the non-friendly interaction, and the waste of perfectly good pies. Looking back, it was probably best that they used pies, and not rocks or something. I think mom would have blown a fuse at that much hostility. “Both of you stop!” Mom boomed, flaring her wings out towards them. She then took a deep breath, going on a lengthy diatribe about friendship. “...So you see, friendship isn't always easy, but there's no doubt, it's worth fighting for,” she concluded with a warm smile, closing her eyes. ‘Personally, I would have gone with the Ms.Frizzle approach,’ I commented, barely aware that I had been chewing on Mom’s mane for some time. I spit it out, knowing that she wouldn’t appreciate me teething on her mane. I had to give her one thing though, she did give a pretty good friendship speech. Mom frowned, lifting her bit of soggy mane. “I’m going to put your pacifier on a necklace, so you stop chewing on everything.” Turning her attention back to the fillies, she cleared her throat. “So, did that help the two of you?” The two fillies nodded, giving each other a hug. “Thank you, Princess Twilight!” they cheered before running off together. “I hope that was a good learning experience for you,” Mom said, rubbing my head. “Any friendship problem can be solved by talking it out!” She began to walk again, a bit of a pep to her step. ‘What about a best friend sleeping with my girlfriend?’ I asked her, settling on her back again. ‘Can that be solved with just talking it out?’ I’m actually really glad Mom didn’t understand that one. She takes friendship seriously. She’d have put my ass in a sling for a comment like that. Tartarus hath no fury like Mom on a friendship kick I guess. She shook her head at my babble, a smile on her face. After a moment, she tapped her chin. “That lesson sounded familiar actually.” She gasped, turning and trotting quickly back to the castle. ‘Hi ho Silver, away!’ I cheered from her back, a childish thrill coursing through me. After a few minutes, we were back in the castle and Mom was looking through the bookshelfs. She had placed me in a little chair on top of a table while she stretched out on her hindlegs. ‘Watcha looking for? War and Peace? Dante’s inferno? Holes?’ I inquired, watching as she went from shelf to shelf, in a desperate bid to find something. “Aha! Here it is!” Mom cheered, pulling out a dusty looking book. She hopped down from the ladder she was on, looking pleased with herself. ‘Well, what is it?’ I press, trying to get a good look. “Take a good look, Dusky. This is the friendship journal that mommy’s friends and I used to keep. It’s filled with lessons like the one I just helped those fillies with.” She held it out towards me. “It helped us beat Tirek!” ‘Tirek?’ I repeated. ‘Never heard of the guy. Still, the journal looks like it’s seen better days.’ I reached out, poking the cover. ‘Geez, Mom. And here I thought you were OCD.’ I cringed, realizing she’d hear me say that again. If she noticed it, she didn’t let on about it as she pulled the book close to her chest. “I know it looks a little rough around the edges right now, but don’t judge a book by its cover,” she advised, giggling at her joke. ‘Well, if I had done that, I wouldn’t have touched that weird flower, and gotten myself here, now would I?’ I questioned, sticking my tongue out. She tsked and booped my nose. “I think I have to show this to the girls, they’ll get a kick out of it.” ‘I think they’ll tease you for letting it get that bad,’ I replied, waving my arms around. ‘I mean, it kind looks like you slacked off.’ Mom ignored me and scooped me up with a hoof while she held the journal with a wing. “Come on, let’s go see if we can get the girls to come over.” She giggled to herself as she trotted out of the room. “Fluttershy might be a little slower than usual though, her baby bump is starting to show.” That made me pause. How long had I been ‘in the oven’? I don’t have any memories before being born, so who really knows when I crossed over to this world. I made myself comfy on her back, resting my head between her shoulders. Honestly, I didn’t even have a solid grasp of time. I marked progression by how often I fell asleep still. If I was lucky, Mom and Dad would give me a vague idea of how old I was based on their conversations. At that point, I believe I was about a month old. After a while, Mom and her friends were in the Council of Friendship room, all of them in their respective thrones. I got a seat on Mom’s lap, which in my opinion is far more comfortable than those thrones. No idea how they can stand sitting in them. Maybe they’re magically more comfy for them or something? “Thanks for coming everypony,” Mom started, looking between her friends. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” ‘She found a book she horribly neglected!’ I chirped, waving my arms around dramatically. “What is it, Twilight?” Fluttershy questioned, shrinking slightly. “Do I need to prepare myself?” “It’s this!” Mom conjured up her horribly maintained journal, presenting it to the group. Rarity’s nose twitched and she made a disgusted face. “Ugh what is that thing? Why is it so smelly?” Pinkie leaned forward, heavily scrutinizing the tome. “Wait a minute...” she pulled her head back in an exaggerated gasp. “Is this our old friendship journal? I haven’t seen this thing in ages!” “It’s uh, lookin’ a little overripe,” Applejack commented, glancing over at the journal. I leaned back against Mom’s stomach, watching them gush over the book. Not sure why Applejack put an apple in there. Judging by how it looked, I’m amazed it didn’t start a mold outbreak in the library. I don’t think I really thought all that much about magic back then. I knew it was a thing, but I didn’t really have a base for what it could do. Well, except for blowing giant holes in castles. I knew it could do that. After everyone was done reminiscing about the journal, Starlight created five new copies, via magic. A gasp of awe escaped my mouth, and I watched the display with every ounce of my limited attention span. The original journal spun about, shooting pages into five empty book bindings. The girls oohed and ahhed the spell and Starlight rubbed the back of her head. “I learned this one years ago when I needed to make copies of a certain…” her eyes darted around as she paused. “*cough* Manifesto *cough*.” ‘What? You got a hammer and sickle in your room?’ I questioned, looking up at my godmother. ‘For the motherland, eh comrade?’ I asked, reaching out for her. Starlight noticed what I was doing and grasped at my hoof with one of hers. I focused my attention on comrade Glimglam while Mom and her friends looked through their new journals. Glimmer’s always been rather protective of me. I know why, but, she doesn’t really like to talk about it. “I think now’s a good time to bring up the second part of my surprise!” Mom chirped, putting her journal down. “How would you girls feel about making our journal available for everypony? If we can get these lessons into other ponies' hooves, maybe they'll benefit from them.” Rarity leaned onto the arm of her throne, a sly smile growing on her face. “You know Twilight, I bet those entries concerning your romance with Flash will be very popular~” This got some choice reactions from my aunts. Mom froze, a blush on her cheeks. “W-what entries on Flash and I? I never wrote any of the details about Flash and I’s time as a couple.” Rarity rested on her elbows, giving Mom a knowing look. “What is a romance but an intimate friendship? Are you really going to tell me you didn’t write down the lessons you learned about relationships?” Pinkie shot up in her seat, pointing a hoof at an open page in the book. “Found it! They start on page 184. Want me to read one aloud?” “Pinkie!” Mom shouted, covering my ears. This caused everyone but Mom to burst into laughter. I laughed along, though I Imagine they just thought I was laughing because they were laughing. The next few days were spent with Mom getting copies of the journals placed into bookstores. She even said all the profits from the journals would be used to further fund Ponyville’s school to help the foals there. Once Mom was satisfied with how far the journals had spread, she took Dad and I out for another walk. “So,” Dad started, decked out in full, shiny armor. “Is there going to be a volume two? Maybe cover married life and raising a kid? Bet ponies would love to read it. Especially a certain pink alicorn.” Mom nodded, smiling at him. “I think that could be an interesting idea, though I don’t think I’d call it volume two of the friendship journal. I was considering asking Starlight, Trixie, Ember, and Thorax to write down entries for a sequel though.” ‘We can call it ‘Friendship Journal 2: Electric Boogaloo!’ I added, standing up on Mom’s back, placing my hooves on her head. ‘We’ll make millions!’ Mom giggled, reaching back to pat my head. “Looks like Dusk likes your idea too, Flash.” Dad tapped a hoof against his chest. “I’m an ideas stallion, it’s one of my best qualities.” Mom rolled her eyes, bumping his side with hers. “Your humility is your absolute best quality,” she said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “I certainly hope Dusk takes after you in that department.” Dad grinned, stroking my mane. “We can only hope. It already seems like he’s got your brains and magic.” My enthusiasm dimmed a little, and I leaned into his hoof. Spotting a pair of approaching ponies, I settle back down on Mom’s back, thankfull that I could rely on my shyness. I watched as Dad stepped slightly in front of Mom, his easy going demeanor replaced by that of a professional. I’ve always admired that about him, he can instantly go into his “guard mode” without any issue. Always wished I could make my demeanor do a turn on a dime. I just don’t have that kinda thing in me. Mom looked between the group of ponies, noting their big grins and the books in their hooves. “Uh hello, can I help you?” Mom asked, splaying her wings back to shield me. “We're here all the way from Fillydelphia because we got copies of your friendship journal!” One of the ponies beamed, a unicorn with a baseball cap, holding out the book out to Mom. Mom’s hesitation almost immediately turned into a smile. Stepping around Dad, she looked between the group members. “ Wow! How wonderful! What was your favorite friendship-” She was cut off as several copies of her journal was pushed in her face. “Will you sign them?” Another member of the group asked, an expectant smile on her face. Mom took the offered pen, an unsure look on her face. “Oh, uh, I guess so.” She quickly signed her name in the cover and left a small message about the magic of friendship. “So, what did you think of the lessons?” Taking the books back, one of the ponies shock his head. “Oh, we haven’t read them. These are keep sakes! We gotta keep them in mint condition!” Hugging the book, the pony smiled at the others. “Haha!” Mom was aghast, staring after the group of ponies as they ran off. She sighed, letting her head hang. Dad put a hoof around her neck, pulling her close. “Hey, don’t let that get to you. Someponies are just weird like that.” Gesturing to another group of ponies, he smiled. “I bet they’re having a good friendship discussion.” “Well, I for one found the journal terribly illuminating,” a stallion sitting at a nearby cafe said, earning an excited gasp from Mom. “See?” Dad asked, pulling away from Mom. “We just had a bad-” “I agree. I'm seeing sides of these ponies I didn't know were there. I only wish they'd left Rarity out. She clearly doesn't belong in that book with the rest of them,” the mare across from the stallion said, gesturing with a hoof. “Oh, I know!” The stallion nodded, tapping his hoof against his copy of the book. “Who does she think she is? Certainly she did a good job setting up the Ponyville Days celebration, but does she really think believe it was a success just because of her?” He threw his head back, barking out a haughty laugh “The nerve!” A newspaper rustled at a nearby table before dropping to reveal a distressed looking Rarity. She then took off from her table, letting out long wails as tears streamed down her face. “But that’s not what she was saying!” Mom watched Rarity run off, holding her hoof out. “Rarity!!” Mom turned to Dad as Rarity disappeared in the crowd. “Poor Rarity, having to hear all those awful things. I’m gonna go after her.” Dad grunted, tapping the end of his spear on the ground. “Go ahead.” Turning his gaze to the pair of ponies, he snorted. “I’ll have a chat with these two, about consideration.” A mischievous smile spread across her muzzle as she started to trot away. “Have fun, dear. Hope you make some new friends~” Picking up her speed, she made her way through town, cutting through the market. “What those ponies said wasn’t very nice, Dusk. They hurt your Aunt Rarity’s feelings,” Mom explained, glancing back at me. ‘Yeah, that was so not cool,’ I agreed, holding onto her back as tight as I could. ‘Hope Dad smacks a little sense in them.’ I spread my wings, enjoying the feeling of air through my feathers. Acting on a note of inspiration, I flapped my wings. I flapped my wings a few more times, getting a feeling for the muscles. Then, I tried to see if I could get any lift with them. Grinning, I found it was rather easy to lift off Mom’s back. ‘And I thought flying would be hard!’ I giggle, flying next to Mom’s head. She gasped, reaching out to grab me only for me to drift just out of her reach. “I should’ve seen this coming,” she said, continuously trying to grab me. ‘I believe I can fly! I believe I can touch the sky~’ I sing-songed, staying out of Mom’s reach. “Dusk, come on, please come back to Mommy,” she pleaded, hopping up to try and grab me. “I don’t want to lose you in the crowd.” I hovered a bit, taking a look around. The sudden realization that I was near a crowd sent me right back into her arms, trying to hide myself in her chest fur. She breathed a sigh of relief, nuzzling the top of my head. “I’m very happy that your wings are healthy, but let’s save flying for places where I can keep a better eye on you, okay?” She flashed me a wide smile. ‘Yeah, somewhere where my agoraphobia won’t act up, would be nice.’ Mom placed me on her back again and was ready to head over to Rarity’s when all of a sudden, Pinkie Pie popped up in front of us. “Gah!” Mom jumped back, bringing a hoof to her chest. “Twilight! Isn’t it amazing?! Our journals are everywhere!” Pinkie wore a big grin, bouncing in place. “It’s like everypony has a copy!” “Pinkie I’ve got to-” Mom started, trying to step past the pink mare. “Ponies are stopping to tell me how funny my entries are!” She beamed, standing on her hind legs and throwing her hooves up. “I even had somepony come all the way from Las Pegasus to tell me how much he liked my lessons.” Mom gave her a grateful smile. “I’m so glad to hear some ponies are being inspired by the journals.” Fluffing her wings, she started to pull away. “But, some ponies said some really mean things about Rarity, and I need to make sure she’s okay.” “Aww, that’s awful,” Pinkie said, tilting and lowering her head. She then brought it back up. “Maybe I should make her those teacakes she really likes to cheer her up?” Mom’s response was cut off, when a pony on the side of the path shouted “Hey, look! There’s Pinkie Pie! The funny one!” Following her shout, a bunch of ponies stopped in their tracks, laughing their heads off. Pinkie smiled, giggling with them. “Giggly feedback is the best kind.” Mom wore an uncertain look, glancing between the laughing ponies and Pinkie. “Well, I’m glad your getting some positive feedback.” “I really am,” Pinkie said, nodding. “This was a good idea, Twilight.” Confusion came down on her as the ponies laughed at her comment. “Wait, that wasn’t even funny.” “O-kay, I guess I’ll catch ya later,” Mom told her, shifting on her hooves. “Come on ,Dusk, Let’s go check on your aunt.” ‘I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing a lot more shenanigans because of the journal,” I commented, scooting away from the  entourage Pinkie had gathered. As it turned out, I was right. Rainbow Dash was swarmed with fan filllies, Fluttershy was hounded by ponies, Applejack had ponies forcing their way into her family. The only bright side was that I got to see Fluttershy’s husband, Discord, deal with the ponies that were bothering her. He actually turned one into a ferret. Eventually, Dad met back up with us, and we took refuge in the castle, which helped a lot in my case. “Everypony’s talking about the journal,” Dad commented, taking a seat on a couch and pulling off his helmet. “And yet none of it is about the actual lessons. A few ponies actually harassed me because they, and I quote, “Totally ship Rainbow Dash and Twilight, you waifu stealer!”” I had to bite back a laugh at that one. That so out of place insult nearly had me in a fit. As it turns out, you don’t need the internet to be a neckbeard. “I know,” Mom sighed, taking a seat next to him and placing me between them. “I’m starting to think publishing the journal was a mistake. I haven’t seen a single pony even try to take one of the lessons into consideration.” The door to the den opened, and Starlight trotted in muttering under her breath. “I hope the three of you had a better day than I did.” Taking a seat across from the couch, she let out a long sigh. “You know what ponies kept asking me today?” “Did it involve you being in a relationship with a random member of our group of friends?” Dad guessed, turning to look at her. “”Oh Starlight!”” She gasped, putting her hooves on the side of her head. “”You’re so close to Princess Twilight! Are you two going behind her husband’s back?! Did they let you into their relationship?”” She dropped her hooves, scowling. “And not one of them even referred to Flash by name!” “I’ll take being addressed as her husband over waifu stealer,” Dad replied, shaking his head. “I know Ponyville is an odd town, but this just takes it too far.” “The good news is, I didn't hear anyone saying anything about Dusk.” Starlight glanced at me, her scowl fading as I offered a hug. Levitating me into her lap, she placed an arm around me. “I’d have probably tried pulling a Celestia, and sent them to the moon if they had,” she whispered in my ear, giving me a quick nuzzle. I giggled, hugging her muzzle. ‘Yes comrade, Glimglam! Protect your future overlord!’ Getting away with things like that made all the naps and other foal things worth it, in my opinion. Mom smiled a little as she watched us. “Rarity had it the worst though. I heard so many ponies talk harshly about her.” She let her head hang and gave it a shake. “I don’t know when she’ll leave her boutique because of it. I thought releasing the journal was a good thing. I thought I was helping. How could our friendship journal lead to so much...” She tossed her hooves up, mane frizzing. “Anti-Friendship!?” Dad patted her back. “Calm down, honey. You had no idea this would happen. You can’t be held responsible for how ponies react to the journal.” “Flash is right, Twilight,” Starlight added, “It’s not your fault.” “Of course it's my fault!” Mom cried, throwing her hooves up. “If I hadn't had the big idea to make copies, none of this would be happening! I'm afraid I made life awful for my friends!” Seeing Mom upset, got me rather upset. I spread my wings, fluttering out of Starlight’s hold. Hovering in front of Mom’s head, I gave her the best hug I could. ‘Come on, don’t be sad. You didn’t do anything wrong, Mom.’ Starlight gasped, watching me in awe. “Dusk started flying today?!” She squeed a little. “Aww, look at you go little guy.” She grinned, giving Mom a smug look. “See, Twi? Even Dusk is telling you that you’re being too hard on yourself.” ‘Yeah!’ I cheer, fluttering my wings to maintain my height. Mom sighed, stroking what little mane I had. “I’ll have to get the girls together again. Hopefully we can brainstorm about the best way to deal with all this.” Turning to Dad, she gave him a weak smile. “Your son tried to escaped me today.” Dad chuckled, stretching his wings out. “He’s just getting a feel for his flight muscles. It’s perfectly normal behavior for a pegasus foal.” Giving his wings a gentle flap, he sent me a little gust of air that pushed me away from Mom. “Just be glad he’s not tearing through the place like Flurry.” Mom giggled, nodding in agreement. “Don’t jinx us, Flash. The last thing we need is for Dusk to start raising Tartarus.” She suddenly seemed to realize something, sighing. “We should probably hold off on seeing Storm and Bronze because of this. We don’t need to drag them into this insanity.” Our little discussion was interrupted by a loud series of knocks on the castle doors Mom got up, trotting over to the door only for them to be forced open and quickly closed to reveal a frazzled looking Applejack, with the rest of the girls behind her. “I didn't know where else to go!” Applejack cried, quickly turning her head back towards the door. “I've got so much cookin' and cleanin' and family-in' to do... I ain't got time for anythin' else!” “At least ponies aren’t laughing every time you talk!” Pinkie argued, her mane drooping a little. “Not even I want to be funny all the time! I’m telling you!” Pinkie jabbed her hoof in the air. “My days of hilariosity-ness-ness are over!” Stomping her hoof, she snorted out a small puff of smoke. “You guys think you’ve got it rough?” Dash huffed, hovering in the air with her hooves crossed over her chest. “I can’t even go to the bathroom without ponies telling me how awesome I am. I know I’m cool, but this is just ridiculous.” Pausing for a beat, she looked at Rarity. “Uh, Rarity? What are you wearing?” “My emotions darling!” She proclaimed, striking a pose in what could be loosely described as an outfit. “Stress couture!” I fluttered over, poking her dress. ‘Geez, it looks like you lost a fight with a sewing machine.’ I then blinked, noticing a measuring tape around me. I looked down at it before looking back at Rarity. ‘Uh, what are you doing?’ I bat at it out of instinct, cooing in amusement. I giggled, yanking at the tape and causing it to nearly fall from Rarity’s magic. “Dusk Star, sweetie, I’m trying to get your measurement,” Rarity explained, trying to get me to stop. “You can’t play with my measuring tape.” “Planning on making something for him?” Starlight asked, chuckling as she watched me as I continued trying to play with the tape. “Looks like he has other ideas.” Turning back to Mom, she gestured to the girls. “Okay, so, they had a bit of a hard time.” She cringed as Applejack started to snore. “That still doesn’t mean you did anything wrong!” “Yes, I did!” Mom boomed, her feathers ruffling. “Releasing the journal was my idea, and it backfired in ways I could never have imagined!” “It’s not your fault. It’s everypony else's!” Starlight argued, stamping her hoof. “They’re just focusing on the wrong things and-” she gasped, eyes widening in realization. “Wait here! I got an idea!” Her horn glowed and with a burst of magic, she was gone. Mom shuffled on her hooves, looking at the front doors nervously. After a moment her resolve broke. “I can’t wait any longer. I have to fix this.” As she moved to the door, Dad put his helmet back on, quickly trotting over to her side. Reassured by his presence, she opened the door, being greeted by a crowd of arguing ponies. “Everypony, please stop!” A pony with a notepad and pencil stepped forward. “Princess Twilight, I'm with the Canterlot Chronicle. Quick question, what would you say to ponies who wonder why you moved to Ponyville in the first place?” Spotting me hovering behind Mom’s head, he asked another question. “What do you say to ponies who think you’re less relatable, with the birth of your son?” “Excuse me?” Mom asked, genuinely taken aback by the question. “What’s not relatable about having a baby?” She shook her head. “That’s not the point, my lessons are just as helpful even with my being a mother now.” “Rainbow Dash and Twilight would have made a cuter foal!” some mare shouted from the back of the crowd. “No way! TwiPie all the way!” “This isn’t why I came out here!” Mom shouted, amplifying her voice. “All of you are missing the point of the journal! It’s not about matchmaking or looking cool! It’s about friendship and how to make those bonds stronger!” “Flithy waifu stealer!” A stallion towards the back of the crowd chucked a tomato a Dad’s head. Unfortunately for both of us, he had horrible aim. Instead of splatting on Dad’s helmet, it hit me. Sure it was a tomato, but it was enough to knock me out of the air. A shrill wail tore out of my throat as I landed on my left wing.I curled up, unknowingly conjuring a bubble shield around myself. Dad rose into the air, putting on his best glare. “That’s assault on a child,” he growled, looking to the back of the crowd. “Wanna come quietly or can I add resisting arrest to your brand new rap sheet?” The entire crowd went silent, and everyone just turned to stare at the guy. He dropped a tomato he had been poised to throw, ears pinned back. “I-I didn’t mean to...” “No, but you did mean to assault an Equestrian officer,” Dad countered, gritting his teeth. “Either way, you’d have committed a crime. Not doing yourself any favors.” Flying over to the stallion, he dropped to his hooves, pulling a pair of cuffs from his back. The crowd exploded again, with reporters bombarding Mom with questions. It all just became too much to me, and I ended up teleporting deeper into the castle. Something about wanting to be somewhere safe. Foal magic is about as instinctual as it gets. There was a commotion behind me and I felt a familiar pair of hooves wrap around me. “Shh, Dusk, it’s okay,” Mom whispered, petting me gently. “They won’t bother you anymore.” I latched onto her like my life depended on it. Burying my face into her coat, I cried my eyes out, getting smushed tomato all over her. My left wing was pinned to my side, twitching every now and then. She hummed softly, rocking me gently and hugging me as close as she could without making it uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry I caused all this,” she whispered, voice cracking. “I would’ve never done it if I had known this would happen to you.” “Twilight?” Starlight called, sounding more than a little worried. Stepping into the room, which turned out to be the playroom, she frowned at the scene. “What happened?” “Everything got out of hoof,” Mom answered, turning her head towards Starlight with tears in her eyes. “A stallion hit Dusk with a tomato meant for Flash and then the reporters swarmed us. Dusk got hurt and it’s all my fault!” Starlight put a hoof on Twilight’s back. “Twilight, it’s not your fault.” Glancing at me, her frown deepened. “I hope Flash knocks that idiots teeth out,” she muttered, sighing. “I did find two ponies who wanted to say something to you.” “I’m not sure I’m in the mood for any more ponies with things to say to me today,” Mom said, turning back to me. “I just want to console my son.” “Twilight.” Starlight turned Mom’s head towards the door way. “These little fillies wanted to tell you something.” The two fillies Mom had helped from before stepped into the room, a copy of the journal between them. “We just wanted to say thank you,” the pink filly said, kicking at the floor with a hoof nervously. “Yeah.” The other filly nodded. “Our friendship was in trouble, until we read your journal. It showed us that friends can go through all sorts of tough times, and come through stronger than before.” “We’re better friends than ever thanks to all of your lessons!” the pink filly cheered, a bright smile on her face. “Really?” Mom asked, rubbing my back. The two fillies nodded and hummed in affirmation as they held the journal. Mom stood up, cradling me gently. “You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that. Thank you for telling me, it’s been a long day.” Turning to Starlight, she frowned at my wing. “I think we need to take Dusk to the hospital, I don’t like the look of that wing.” “That’s a good idea,” Starlight agreed before turning to the two fillies. “I think you two should stay here with Spike and the girls until that crowd dies down. The last thing you need is to get caught up in that.” I checked out of the conversation at that point, the pain from my wing and the emotional distress just being too much. I simply clung to Mom, wailing and sobbing. She tried to console me, teleporting out of the castle to avoid the mob of ponies. The sudden disorientation didn’t help, only agitating me further. “I’m sorry Dusk,” she told me, hugging me as she trotted towards the reception desk. “But the alternative was to fight that crowd.” She rang the bell a few times, glancing around the room frantically. A nurse came up a few moments after the first bell ring. “What can I do for you, Princess Twilight?” Mom sighed, gesturing to me. “Somepony threw a tomato at my son. He took a bit of a fall, and his left wing seems to be hurt.” “That’s horrible!” the nurse said with a gasp. “Follow me, I’ll get a doctor right away to treat that.” She led Mom down the hall, not at all bothered by my caterwauling. We were left  in a room while she promised to only be gone a moment. It took me a few more minutes to cry myself out, my crying downgraded to sniffling and hiccuping. I nuzzle Mom’s chest, adding some snot to the tomato staining her fur. The pain in my wing had dropped to a dull ache, though I dared not to move it. Mom never gave any indication that the snot and tomato bothered her, she just hummed softly to me and rocked me gently. “Princess Twilight?” a unicorn stallion asked, peeking his head into the room. “I was told your son has an injured wing?” Mom nodded, setting me down on the examination table. “Yes, there was an incident outside my home and Dusk got caught up in it. I just want to make sure his wing isn’t broken.” Petting my head, Mom kissed my nose. “I know you're scared, but the nice doctor has to cheek your wing.” “That’s right, little fella,” the doctor said, sitting down in front of me without invading my personal space. “I’m going to make that wing all better. And if you’re good,” he levitated over a bowl filled with lollipops, “you get a treat.” I look between the bowl, the doctor and Mom. I flinched a little when he took my wing in his magic, feeling him extending it. He put pressure on various parts of my wing, until he found what he was looking for. I let out a cry of pain, clamping my wing back to my side. “It does seem like he has a small break in his wing,” the doctor said, cutting off his magic. “We’ll get an X-ray done to see how severe it is. Could be something as simple as a fracture.” The doctor smiled at Mom. “It should heal up nicely and Dusk here won’t feel any adverse effects later in life.” The look of relief on Mom’s face at that moment was legendary. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am to hear that.” “Considering how many foals I treat, I think I have an idea,” the doctor replied, chuckling as he wheeled over a machine. He ushered Mom away from me and turned the machine on for a little while. ‘How long is this gonna take?’ I whined, squirming around. I looked over at Mom, starting to reach out for her. The doctor switched the machine off and trotted over to grab a clear sheet. He pinned it up to a board and turned on a light that revealed an X-ray of my wing. He pointed at an area. “As I thought, it’s a hairline fracture. We just need to bandage up the wing and keep it pinned to his side for a bit.” Mom nodded, petting my head. “And he just started flying today.” Leaning off, she let me hug her neck. “At least it’s nothing too serious.” Knowing Mom, she probably thought the worst. “He’ll be back to flying soon,” the doctor assured, picking up bandages in his magic and having them float over to me. After some quick work, my wing was secured to my side. “And there you go, ready to go home.” He then put away the bandages and held out the bowl of lollipops in front of me with his magic. “As promised, your reward for good behavior.” I grabbed one, looking it over. It was one of those flat, small lollipops that didn’t list the flavor on it. Like most things, it ended up in my mouth. Gumming on it, wrapper and all, I reach out for Mom again. She giggled and pulled the wrapper off with her magic as she picked me up. She patted me with her wing and turned back to the doctor. “Thank you so much for your help. What do I owe you for all this?” “Nonsense.” He waved her off, putting the bowl on a counter. “Soothing a foal’s hurt is good enough for me. Besides, it’s not everyday you get to treat the kingdom’s first male alicorn.” Mom smiled brightly. “I appreciate that. As always, Ponyville General is one of the finest hospitals in Equestria.” Her smile faded a bit, and she glanced at the x-ray. “We’re most likely going to need a copy of that for the incident report.” “Of course, Princess,” the doctor said with a nod. “I’ll have one for you printed right away.” “Thank you.” Mom rubbed my back, her full attention on me once more. “I hope this doesn’t make you afraid of ponies.” ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be fine there,’ I told her, hugging her back while I tried to ignore my immobile wing. Closing my eyes, I rest my head on her chest, listening to her heart beat. It didn’t take long for exhaustion to set in, and drag me down into the realm of sleep.