It was a sure sign this day was going to be a disaster when Zany suddenly started crying in his highchair.
"Oh goodness," Fluttershy said, taking her baby into her hooves.
"Not again!" Discord groaned. "What's he crying about this time?"
"Maybe he's hungry."
"We just fed him six gallons of chocolate milk!"
"That's it! He needs burping!"
Fluttershy laid him over her shoulder and patted him gently on the back. He let out a burp loud enough to shake the entire castle.
"P.U.!" Discord exclaimed, summoning a plug for his nose. "No more chocolate for you, mister!"
The infant started wailing again.
"Now look what you've done!" Fluttershy scowled.
"What?" Discord said. "I didn't think he'd take it that hard!"
He covered his ears as Zany's cries grew louder. "Shut up! Your sister was never this whiny!"
That very same sister burst into the kitchen.
"Mom!" Screwball panted. "In the garden! The beavers and chipmunks are at it again!"
"Oh dear," Fluttershy squeaked. "Here, take Zany."
She dropped the baby into her husband's paw and claw before following her daughter.
"Oh, sure!" Discord complained. "Give me the hard job!"
Zany wailed again to make sure he was being acknowledged.
"I know, I know!" his father yelled.
He sniffed the foal's diaper and put the nose plug back on. "Yep, it's the diaper."
Discord snapped his fingers so Zany's dirty diaper was replaced with a clean one. Sadly, the baby would not stop whining. The draconequus sighed, as he had prayed it would not come to this.
"Please do not cry, my dear," he sang. "Your daddy is still very here…"
But Zany still wouldn't cease his tantrum and started kicking his hooves.
"Oh, come on! It worked on your sister!"
Just outside the kitchen, Thunder and Lightning were engaged in a paintball match.
"Come back here, you!" Thunder yelled, shooting blue paint at her.
Lightning laughed as she jumped out of the way. "You shoot like a girl!"
"Hey, take that back!"
"Catch me if you can!"
"Yah!"
He fired again, but this time, the paintball soared past its target and into the kitchen, hitting Discord squarely in the back of the head. Zany stopped crying for a moment and chuckled at the situation.
"Uh oh," the twins said.
Discord's head spun around like an owl's, his eyes glaring dangerously at the two hooligans.
"That," he uttered, "was a mistake."
He slowly set his son down and made a four-star army helmet appear on his head and a machine gun in his paw and claw. The twins watched in horror as he aimed the terrifying weapon at them.
"Say hello to my little friend."
The two teenagers did not hesitate to run.
"You won't get away that easily!" Discord shouted as he flew after them.
In the living room, Prism was concentrating on her math homework so she could help Gemstone when she came over.
"Ugh," she groaned. "I hate long division."
Her ears perked up when she heard two screams and a battle cry, followed by a series of shots.
"What in the…?" she said, turning around.
She saw the paint bullets just in time to duck out of the way. They missed her, but not the paper on the coffee table.
"My homework!" Prism cried, picking up the paint-splattered sheet.
"Hide us!" the twins exclaimed as they jumped over to Prism's side of the couch.
Their sister angrily waved the piece of paper in their faces. "You guys always ruin my stuff! Mrs. Cheerilee's gonna kill me if I…"
"Gotcha!"
Discord's head popped up behind the couch and the twins made another break for it.
"Come and fight, you miscreants!"
"Uncle Discord!" Prism whined. "They destroyed my homework!"
"Not now, Rainbow Junior! I've got twins to annihilate!"
"But they killed my homework!"
"And I'm gonna kill them!"
When Fluttershy returned, she found the living room walls and furniture covered in paint, her husband chasing the twins around with a machine gun, and Prism chasing Discord around with a painted piece of paper.
"Discord, where's Zany?!" Fluttershy demanded.
Discord stopped in his tracks for a moment. "Where's Screwball? Wasn't she with you?"
He gasped and summoned a second machine gun. "IF SHE'S WITH THAT CHANGELING BOY, I'LL BLAST THEM BOTH TO KINGDOM COME!"
He teleported away before Fluttershy could ask again about Zany. Her answer came when she heard him screaming in the kitchen. She gasped when she saw her baby floating upside-down and banging pots and pans.
"Oh, goodness!"
Fluttershy zoomed over to Zany, cradled him in her hooves and tried to calm him down.
"Hush now, quiet now…"
Her singing was interrupted by shouting in the other room: "Look what you did!"
"It wasn't our fault!" Thunder insisted. "Uncle Discord's crazy!"
"You were the one who hit him!" Lightning exclaimed, punching him in the shoulder.
"You were the one who dodged out of the way!"
"Why you guys gotta ruin everything?!" Prism screeched.
By the time Fluttershy re-entered the living room, her husband was there, scolding Screwball and her changeling boyfriend, Mothball.
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TWO THAT YOU ARE NOT TO COME WITHIN TWELVE INCHES OF EACH OTHER?!"
"Dad, we were only holding hooves!" Screwball protested.
"Oh, but holding hooves leads to kissing, and kissing leads to making out, and making out leads to…"
"Would you cut it out?! I'm nearly sixteen! Don't you trust me?!"
"Oh, I trust you." He darted his eyes at the changeling. "It's him I don't trust!"
Mothball hid behind Screwball. "Don't let him hurt me!"
"Fix it!" Prism shouted as she shoved her homework in the twins' faces.
"It's covered in paint!" Lightning retorted. "How can we fix it?"
"IF YOU EVER GO NEAR MY DAUGHTER AGAIN…"
"STOP BABYING ME!"
"WAAAAAH!"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS WRECKING MY STUFF!"
"WAAAAAH!"
"YOU'RE ALWAYS GETTING IN OUR WAY!"
"I CAN HOLD HOOVES WITH WHOMEVER I…"
"WAAAAAH!
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST…?"
"WAAAAAH!"
"I WILL RIP YOU APART UNTIL ALL YOUR INSIDES ARE…"
"SINCE THEY DAY YOU WERE BORN YOU'VE ALWAYS…"
"WAAAAAH!"
"WHY DON'T YOU EAT IT WHILE YOU'RE AT…?"
"QUIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEET!"
Every pony, including Zany, fell silent and turned to the angry yellow pegasus.
"Screwball, stop sneaking off with Mothball! It's irresponsible! Discord, get off their backs! They're in love! Deal with it! Lightning, Thunder, apologize to your sister! Prism, the answer is six!"
The filly glanced at her ruined homework. "Doesn't do much good now."
Fluttershy turned to her husband. "Discord, fix it!"
Not taking his eyes off her, Discord snapped his fingers and Prism's homework was clean and pressed.
"As for you two," Fluttershy snapped as she flew into the twins' faces, "I've told you hundreds of times not to paintball outside of the arena! You'll both have plenty of time to think about what you've done while you're cleaning up every bit of paint in this house!"
"What?!" the twins exclaimed.
"That'll take forever!" Thunder whined.
"Well then," Fluttershy huffed, "I suggest you get started."
The twins glared at their sister while Discord watched his wife in awe.
"I love it when she does that," he whispered.
Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at him. "You're helping."
"No prob."
He raised his fingers to snap, but she stopped them with her hoof.
"No magic."
He groaned. "Can I at least summon a mop?"
"Alright. But if anything comes to life, you're sleeping on the couch tonight! Screwball, take your brother!"
After Fluttershy handed Zany to Screwball and Discord zapped up three mops, the draconequus let out a dreamy sigh.
"I taught her well."
"Aunt Fluttershy!" Prism called. "Can you help me with my math?"
Fluttershy groaned as she gripped her head. "Fine!"
The filly followed her into the kitchen, but as soon as they got there, Fluttershy collapsed into one of the chairs and her head flopped onto the table.
"You okay, Aunt Fluttershy?" Prism inquired.
The mare raised her head slowly to look at the filly. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I've just…ugh! So much has been going on lately! I haven't had a break since the Grand Galloping Gala! With the baby and Screwball's boyfriend living here and us taking care of you for the weekend…"
She trailed off as she let her head fall again.
"Gee," Prism said, glancing down at her paper. "I…guess I'll figure this long division stuff out myself."
"That'd be nice," Fluttershy said in a muffled voice.
"Maybe you need a vacation, Aunt Fluttershy."
"Oh, I couldn't do that," the mare said as she rose again. "Last time I left Zany with a babysitter, he was kidnapped by changelings."
Prism grinned as a thought occurred to her. "I can watch him!"
Fluttershy shook her head with a smile. "That's sweet of you honey, but you're too young to be handling a baby."
"Come on! I can get my cutie mark in babysitting!"
"But you're only nine, and Zany's no ordinary baby…"
"Then get Screwball to help me or something! The point is, you don't look too good and I wanna get my cutie mark."
"Prism…"
"Please?"
"But you don't know the first thing about taking care of a…"
"Then teach me! Please? Please, please, please, please!"
Fluttershy found that she had lost her voice as the filly pouted right in her face.
"Well…"
A loud crash from the living room interrupted her train of thought.
"Great going, Lightning! You dropped the bucket!"
"Me? It was your elbow!"
"Yeah, but you nudged it with your shoulder!"
Fluttershy forced a smile. "You know what? We really need a vacation!"
"Yes!" Prism cheered, her tiny wings fluttering with excitement.
"But Screwball, Mothball and the twins have to stay with you!"
The filly shrugged. "No problem."
She wasn't going to miss out on an opportunity to show her older siblings that she could do something grown-up.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Discord was holding the twins apart to keep them from killing each other.
"As chaotic as this is," he said, "you two are making even more of a mess with all this fighting, and the messier this place gets, the more trouble I'm going to get in with Fluttershy and the more I'm going to have to clean up!"
"Actually," Fluttershy said, flying up to him, "I have a better way to spend the day."
Discord dropped the twins and grinned excitedly. "What did you have in mind?"
She pulled him aside. "Discord, how long has it been since we've had quality alone time together?"
He tapped his chin as he thought about it. He couldn't think of a recent time it had been just the two of them. Even at night, they were always so exhausted from the baby that as soon as Zany was asleep, they would collapse on the bed. Even when Zany wasn't causing trouble, Discord was always making sure that changeling was keeping his distance from Screwball and Fluttershy would be feeding all her little pets in the garden. Whenever they did find themselves alone, something would always interrupt them, like Zany's cries or Screwball asking if she and Mothball could go out.
Indeed, life had gotten in the way of things.
"Let's see…" he thought aloud. "It was…right after the big changeling fiasco."
Fluttershy looked at him wearily. "Eight months ago."
"Wow. It has been a while since we spent any real time together."
She smiled up at him. "Then what say we take the day off and go to the spa or something?"
Discord huffed. "Honey, we have a spa right here."
"I mean go someplace far away without having the children interrupting us," she whispered slyly.
"Mmm," he moaned. "Sounds tempting, but there's no way I'm leaving Screwball alone with that little stinkbug!"
"Honey, they've been together for months. Can't you trust them?"
"And what about you, constantly fretting over Zany?"
"Screwball's a responsible big sister and will watch over him. Besides, she's got help from her friends. And, as a bonus, you won't have to clean the house."
Discord still didn't trust leaving Screwball and Mothball alone together, but his wife's humongous, adorable, pleading eyes were impossible to resist.
"Oh, alright."
Fluttershy grinned and called upstairs. "Screwball!"
Screwball teleported in front of them, her little brother in her hooves.
"Your father and I are going out for the day," her mother explained, "and we're leaving you in charge."
"Okay, Mom," Screwball replied.
"But while we're gone," Discord commanded, "you and that changeling boy aren't getting anywhere further than first base, understand?"
"What's first base?" Prism asked.
Lightning patted her younger sister's head. "You'll find out when you're older, squirt."
"And no wild parties," Fluttershy insisted, talking especially to the twins. "You two are to finish cleaning up this room before doing anything else. Screwball, make sure the animals get fed their lunch, okay?"
"Ooh!" Prism said, jumping up. "Don't forget about me!"
"Oh, yes. Prism wants to learn about taking care of foals, so…"
"I'll teach her what she needs to know," Screwball finished.
Fluttershy beamed with pride at her daughter, but then her face turned serious. "And please don't let Zany out of your sight, after what happened last…"
"Relax, Mom. I would never let anything happen to Zany. Isn't that right, little bro?"
The baby gurgled in agreement, which made Screwball smile and cuddle him close. Prism grunted at the sight. Thunder and Lightning never hug me like that.
"You wanna hold him?" Screwball asked, noticing how Prism was looking at Zany.
The filly nodded excitedly and held out her hooves as Screwball handed the infant to her. Prism had to pull him to her chest so she wouldn't lose her balance. He was a lot heavier than she guessed him to be.
"How old is he again?" she asked.
"Thirteen months," Screwball replied. "In due time, he'll be walking. You know, without the aid of magic."
Prism cried out as Zany tugged some of her hair with his mouth.
"Oh, don't worry," Screwball assured her. "That's just a sign that he likes you."
"Well," Discord said, clapping his paw and claw together. "Looks like they'll be okay on their own!" In a flash, a Hawaiian shirt appeared on his torso, along with a pair of sunglasses on his head and a suitcase in his claw. "Come on, honey! We're free!"
"Just one moment," Fluttershy said. She floated down and kissed her son on the forehead. "You be good now, sweetie. Mommy will be back soon."
"Mommy!" Zany squealed.
Fluttershy giggled. "Yes, that's right."
"Fluttershy!" Discord called from the doorway. "Let's go before the spa closes!"
The pegasus rolled her eyes as she followed her husband out. "Alright, alright. I wasn't taking that long."
The twins waited a while after they had shut the door and then turned excitedly toward their friend.
"So what's the plan?" Lightning asked.
"Yeah, we gonna throw a party or what?" Thunder pleaded.
"No, guys," Screwball said seriously. "My parents are counting on me not to burn the house down." She blushed. "This time. Besides, I've gotta take care of my brother here."
"Don't forget I'm helping!" Prism piped.
Lightning laughed. "You? Take care of a baby? Please! You can't even take care of yourself!"
The filly narrowed her eyes at her sister. "Yes, I can! What about all those times you left me home alone or at the park, huh? I was just fine on my own!"
Screwball blinked in surprise. "You left your sister alone at the park?"
"Just once," Thunder insisted.
"Twice!" Prism exclaimed.
"We didn't just leave you at the park!" Lightning hollered. "You kept wandering off all the time!"
"Well, it's not like you were watching me or anything!"
"You were supposed to stay close to us the entire time!"
"How do you expect me to do that with you two flying so fast?"
"It's not our fault you can't fly! And what about the second time when we were playing hide-and-seek? You gave up searching for us!"
"Cuz you guys cheated and changed hiding places! It's no wonder Mom can never trust you and leaves me with Aunt Scootaloo all the time!"
"No! Mom leaves you with Aunt Scootaloo because you're so immature that you need constant supervision!"
"Ugh! Why you gotta be such jerks?!"
"Why you gotta be such a baby?!"
"Stop it! Just stop it! You've been picking on me since the day I was born!"
"Cuz you've been a pain in our flanks since the day you were born! Waking us up at odd hours, wandering off and getting us in trouble, pestering us when we're trying to do our homework…"
"And what about you? Never taking time to play with me, never helping me when I need help, always wrecking my stuff, acting like I don't exist…"
"Can I say something?" Thunder asked.
"NO!" both sisters shouted.
"You have no idea what it's like being responsible for some pony else!" Lightning declared.
"I know that if I was the older sibling," Prism snorted, "I'd be a lot better at it than you!"
Their quarrel was interrupted by Zany's whines. Screwball picked her brother up and glared at the Dash sisters.
"That's enough, you guys!" she commanded. "Now you've gotten Zany all upset. Come on, Prism. We'll take him upstairs and calm him down."
Prism sent her siblings one last angry look before following the chaotic pony.
"Now when changing his diaper, you must be careful when you open it up, because baby colts like to…well…"
"I think I get it," Prism said.
They were in Zany's nursery and Screwball was showing Prism how to change a diaper. Usually, she would just zap a clean one on, but Prism didn't have magic. Since Zany didn't need a new diaper at the moment, they were practicing on dolls. Mothball, because he didn't have anything better to do, was sitting beside them and trying to put the diaper on his pony doll. It was easier for him because he had the horn.
"Like this?" Prism asked, holding up her newly changed doll.
"Perfect," Screwball commended. "Of course, it'll be a lot harder doing it on an actual foal."
She gasped suddenly and turned around to see her brother tugging on her tail.
"Oh," she grinned, taking him into her hooves. "He wants to play."
Prism scrunched her nose in confusion. "How do you know?"
"When you spend so much time with a baby, you just know. His favorite game is peek-a-boo."
Screwball set the infant down and covered her eyes. "Where's Zany?"
Prism gasped as the little colt vanished into thin air. She was about to scream when he reappeared on top of his sister's head. Screwball uncovered her eyes and looked up with a smile.
"There he is!" she exclaimed, grabbing him.
Zany laughed and wriggled in delight. Then Screwball brought him to her face and blew a raspberry into his belly, which made him laugh even more. Then he opened his mouth and cried:
"Suh! Suh!"
"You want a song?" Screwball asked.
"Suh! Suh!" Zany repeated clapping his hooves.
"Okay. I know your favorite."
"Watch this," Mothball whispered to Prism.
In a flash of light, a puppet theater appeared before them and five ducks on metal sticks popped into the window. Prism and Mothball made themselves comfortable as Screwball began to sing:
"Five little ducks went out one day…"
The five ducklings bounced around as if they were waddling.
"Over the hills and far away…"
A hill appeared in the background, which the little ducks went over before disappearing beneath the window. A larger duck then came into view.
"Mother Duck said: quack, quack, quack, quack!"
The Mother Duck opened her beak with every "quack!"
"But only four little ducks came back."
And, sure enough, four of the duck puppets returned. Prism glanced over at Zany and could've sworn he looked sad.
Screwball continued singing until all the little ducks had come back to their mother. By that time, Zany's red spiral eyes were closed.
"Ooh," Screwball whispered, quietly poofing the theater away. "Looks like it's time for his nap."
Prism and Mothball watched in awe as Screwball floated over to the crib and gently placed Zany inside. After pulling a quilt over him and tucking a stuffed dragon in with him, she leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead. She and the others then slowly tiptoed out of the room and closed the door.
"Wow," Prism uttered.
"Yeah," Mothball whispered. "Isn't she great with kids?"
"He'll probably be up in an hour or so," said Screwball. "In the meantime, how about some lunch?"
"Oh, finally!" Mothball exclaimed. "I'm starving!"
"Here you go, sweetie."
A large chocolate shake appeared in the changeling's hooves and he eagerly began slurping it up. All he ever ate these days was chocolate, as it was a near substitute for love. That was one of the reasons he and Screwball were perfect for each other, because that's what she usually conjured up.
A few minutes later, Screwball and Prism sat in the kitchen, chewing on peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches. Mothball had taken the platter into the living room to give to the twins. Prism then noticed her homework still sitting on the table and asked Screwball for help on the next question. Fortunately, Screwball was pretty good at math.
"And when you bring the seven up here…" Screwball said as she was finishing up her explanation.
"The answer is seventeen!" Prism exclaimed. "I get it now! Thanks, Screwy!" The filly paused as she looked up at the older filly. "Gee, you're good."
Screwball tilted her head. "At math?"
"At everything! You take care of Zany, you make great sandwiches, and you helped me with my homework!"
Prism surprised her by hugging her foreleg. "I wish I had a big sister like you."
Screwball laughed nervously. "Well, gee, Prism, that's really nice of you, but…don't you already have a big sister?"
The pegasus frowned. "Yeah, but she's not a real sister, like you. Thunder's no better."
"Aw, don't be like that. They really do care for you, Prism. The twins and I have been best friends since we were in diapers. They're not such big jerks like you think."
"Then why are they always picking on me?"
"They're probably just jealous."
"Of what?"
Screwball was about to answer when the crow of a rooster echoed throughout the house.
"One sec. Some pony's at the door."
"Did you get a new doorbell?" Prism asked.
"Daddy changes it every week or so."
When Screwball opened the door, she found Applejack standing there with an orange baby buggy.
"Aunt Applejack!" Screwball exclaimed, welcoming the cowgirl in. "What are you doing here?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Didn't yerr parents tell ya? They were supposed to watch little Applespike today while I was helpin' with Pinkie's party."
The teenager's spiral eyes widened. "Oh gosh! They must've forgotten! Mom and Dad just stepped out for the afternoon."
This worried the farm pony. "Oh. Well…that's a shame, cuz…Spike's in Canterlot helpin' Twilight with her wedding preparations, the kids are with friends, Big Mac and Cheerilee are out and Granny Smith's just too tired today to watch a baby! And I can't take Applespike with me! Last time I took him to a party, he melted the cake!"
"Melted? Not burned?"
"No, melted." Applejack sighed. "Guess I'm gonna have to tell Pinkie I can't make it…"
"Now hold on!" Prism exclaimed as she rushed into the room. "We can still watch Applespike while you're busy! Another baby gets me another chance at getting a babysitting cutie mark!"
"Oh, right," Lightning snorted from the couch. "Have a nine-year-old take care of two babies."
Applejack glanced around nervously. "It's just you kids?"
"Yeah, but I'm always watching Zany and Applespike," Screwball insisted. "Plus, I've got help."
"I don't know. Can ya really handle a half-dragon, half-pony baby plus a spawn of Discord?"
Screwball rolled her swirly eyes. "You ask that all the time! It'll be a cinch with my chaotic powers keeping them in line."
"I'm still not comfortable with leaving my baby alone with a bunch of…oh, Prism, don't stick yerr hoof in there! His fangs are comin' in and he breathes fire!"
"Yipe!" Prism squealed as she wrenched her hoof away from the baby carriage.
"Relax, Aunt Applejack," Screwball assured her. "Everything's under control."
The cowgirl bit her lip. "Well, okay. I trust ya, Screwy." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out an extensive list. "Now, here are some important things to remember."
As she opened her mouth to speak, the long piece of parchment fell on Prism's head.
"It's okay," Screwball said. "We still have a list from last time."
"Yeah, but I made revisions," Applejack insisted.
Prism lifted the list away from her face to read some of it: "Keep his milk at a steady temperature of 86.7 degrees, otherwise he won't drink it. There's a fireproof hanky in the bag in case he sneezes. If he starts chewing on stuff, give him his teething ring. If he gets hungry, there's some crushed amethyst in the bag. Don't feed him a whole one or he'll break his teeth. Don't give him any garnet. He hates garnet."
"Everything's in the bag," Applejack said, pointing to the baby bag tucked beneath the carriage. "Now, if he gets really fussy, give him his binky. If he eats it, there's a spare in the bag, and a spare for the spare."
"Yes, yes, I know," Screwball grumbled. "He's in good hooves, Aunt Applejack. You just go have fun."
"Right, right." The cowgirl leaned over the buggy and patted her foal's green head. "You be good now, Lil' Spikey. I won't be long. I'll be back at five."
Applejack then kissed him on the forehead and reluctantly went out the door. Prism stood on her back legs so she could peer into the carriage and look at the strange foal that was now sucking on his binky. He looked like a regular foal, with orange fur and a tuft of green hair on the top of his head, until you saw the little tail decorated in green spikes coming out of his diaper. You would know for sure that the baby wasn't normal when he opened his green reptilian eyes.
"How is it possible for a pony and a dragon to have a baby, anyway?" Prism couldn't help but ask.
Screwball cringed. "Ask again when you're older. Come on, let's get Applespike situated in the nursery."
As Mothball and Prism followed her upstairs, the twins watched in envy.
"How do you like that?" Lightning said. "They barely noticed we were even here!"
"Yeah, those babies sure are cute, aren't they?" Thunder agreed.
Lightning pouted and looked at the paint-splattered wall. "We need to refill the bucket. Where do they keep the cleaning supplies around here?"
"Why not just ask Screwy to poof some up?"
"She's too busy with the little ones," she huffed as she leapt off the couch. "Besides, this'll give us a chance to explore."
Thunder sighed as he followed his sister down a hallway of doors. There were so many rooms in this house that they couldn't remember what was where.
"How come we always have to clean up the messes?" Lightning questioned as she opened a door to a basketball court.
"Um…didn't we make the mess?" Thunder replied as he peered into a room filled with bouncy balls.
"Yeah, but even when it's not ours!" The next door led to the inside of a barn filled with cows and pigs. "Remember when Prism was five and broke the cookie plate?"
"Sure, but she was little. Kids never have to clean up their messes."
Thunder yelped as a manticore roared in his face and he quickly slammed the door shut.
"Little kids get away with everything."
"And what do we do?"
They shared a look and said together, "Clean up after them."
"Man," Thunder grunted. "What I would give to be a kid again."
"And never have to do any work," Lightning agreed.
The next door she opened revealed a small garden of blue grass with a pink stone path leading from the door to a well.
"Hey, check this out."
Thunder turned to see what his sister was looking at. "They have a wishing well here?"
"Thunder," Lightning said, rolling her eyes, "this is the Castle of Chaos. They have everything here."
Her brother stepped toward the well. "You think it might actually grant wishes?"
His sister shrugged. "Uncle Discord created this place, so I wouldn't be surprised. Let's find out."
They walked up to the well and Lightning's hoof touched a small pot of bits with Discord's face on them. They looked up and saw the sign that read: 1 bit=1 wish.
"Cool," Lightning said, taking a Discord coin from the pot.
"Wait," Thunder said, touching her hoof. "You've seen those movies. The whole "be careful what you wish for" thing? Every time some pony's wish comes true, there's always a catch!"
His sister rolled her eyes. "This isn't a movie, bro. This is real life. And I wish for a motorcycle."
"No!"
But Thunder was not quick enough to stop her from tossing the coin in the well. After they heard a small splash, a large, red motorcycle appeared beside them.
"Whoa!" Thunder gawked.
"See?" Lightning smirked, hopping onto the vehicle. "What I tell ya?"
She pressed the handlebars, but frowned when the engine didn't start. Thunder couldn't help but laugh.
"You got your motorcycle, alright. Too bad it didn't give you a working one."
"Shut up," Lightning grunted, sliding off the bike.
"I'd hate to say I told you so…"
"Then don't, or else you'll get my hoof in your cheeks!"
"Okay, chill!"
"Let's make another wish," she said, picking up another coin. "Only this time, we'll be more specific."
"What you gonna wish for?" Thunder asked.
"You know how we were talking about how Prism gets away with everything because she's the younger sibling?"
He groaned. "Yeah."
"And how she said if she was our big sister, she'd be better at it?"
"Yeah, right! Like she could handle something like that!"
"I just wish she knew what it was like to be the older sibling," she said, dropping the coin into the well.
"Yeah," Thunder muttered, picking another one up and throwing it in. "And I wish we could be the younger siblings."
Lightning stiffened as her brother's coin hit the water. "Uh, Thunder, do you really think that was a good…?"
She was cut off as a flash of light blinded them.
"Ah," Discord sighed as he stretched out on the massage table. "We should've done this years ago!"
Fluttershy, lying on the table next to him, sighed in agreement as the spa mare gently rubbed her shoulders. "Better late than never."
The spa mare massaging Discord jumped back as the draconequus suddenly shivered uncontrollably.
"That's strange," he muttered once it had ended.
"What's strange?" Fluttershy asked.
"I just sensed a magical imbalance somewhere."
Fluttershy's eyes widened with concern. "You don't think Screwball or Zany…?"
"Nah, they're probably just playing an elaborate game or something, but whatever it is, Screwy can handle it."
Fluttershy relaxed and slid her eyes shut again. "You're right. It's probably nothing to worry about."
Screwball, Mothball and Prism watched as Applespike slept in his buggy, sucking on his pacifier.
"Man, babies are cute," Prism whispered.
"Aren't they?" Screwball replied quietly. "I think I might have some of my own, someday."
Mothball gulped at the thought. "Um…"
Their heads shot up when they heard the sound of babies crying.
"Do you hear that?" Screwball asked.
"Is Zany awake?" Prism inquired.
They all turned their heads and saw that the chaotic infant was sleeping peacefully.
"But," Mothball stammered. "If they're not making that noise…"
"Let's find out what is," Screwball finished.
The three of them walked out into the hallway and followed the sound downstairs, through a second hallway and to an open door. Once they looked inside, they gasped at the source of the crying.
"Oh…" said Mothball.
"My…" said Prism.
"Celestia," said Screwball.
Before them was a garden, and in that garden was a well. Sitting against that well were two tiny, light blue foals in diapers. The one on the left had a short, but wild, orange and yellow mane with a thin streak of red in the middle. The other had a mane just as wild, only black and blue with a streak of purple. Both of them had red-violet eyes. They were bawling their eyes out.
They were much younger, but their identities were unmistakable.
"Thunder and Lightning?!" Screwball exclaimed.
Prism was in hysterics. "Are those…but how…my…twins…brother…sister…they…babies?!"
Screwball rushed over to the crying infants, took Lightning in her hooves and tried to calm her down. Mothball did the same with Thunder.
"How did this happen?" he asked, looking at his girlfriend. "Did you do something?"
"Why would I turn my best friends into babies?" Screwball said, narrowing her eyes. "Besides, I haven't perfected age spells yet!"
"Then what the heck happened?!" Prism demanded.
Screwball glanced at the sign on the well. "Huh. Dad never told me he put in a wishing well."
"Wishing well?! They wished to be babies?!"
"It would seem so."
"Well, don't just stand there! Do your chaos magic thing and turn them back!"
"Didn't you hear me? I can't do age spells! Sure, my magic is advanced, but age spells are difficult, even for chaotic beings!"
"Why don't we just use this wishing well and wish them back?" Mothball asked.
Screwball shook her head. "You guys know nothing about wishcraft, especially where my dad is concerned. With every wish comes a price. Wishing them back might bring unexpected consequences."
"How so?"
"Well, if we wish them big again, they might grow to be fifty feet tall."
"What if we wish them back to normal?"
Screwball sighed. "Mothball, how many times have I told you there's no such thing as normal?"
"Hmm. I'm beginning to see your point."
"I can't take the risk of something bad happening. Dad should be able to turn them back."
"Then teleport over to that spa and bring him back!" Prism demanded.
"No! He and Mom deserve a day off! We'll have to wait until they come home."
"What?! Don't you understand the situation here?! My brother and sister are babies!" Prism paused as the scowl on her face slowly disappeared. "My brother and sister are babies." A wide grin took its place. "My brother and sister are babies! Do you know what this means?"
"We have more diapers to change?" Mothball replied, holding the whining Thunder away from him.
"That means I'm the oldest sibling!" Prism cackled as she glanced between the baby twins. "You hear that, guys? I'm the big sister now!"
The filly jumped back as the two infants cried in her face.
"Well, if you're the big sister, then…" Mothball placed Thunder in her hooves and ran. "Here!"
"Hey!" Prism screamed as the changeling raced out of the room.
"Mothball, come back!" Screwball hollered. "Coward."
Prism gulped as she stared at her whining brother. "How do you get these things to stop crying?"
"They're probably hungry."
She summoned two bottles of milk which floated into the twins' mouths. They stopped crying and sucked on the nipples in satisfaction. Screwball held Lightning's bottle up and signaled to Prism to do the same for Thunder.
"Man, they sure are hungry," the filly observed. "Then again, they've always had a huge appetite."
Thunder then closed his mouth and milk poured onto his face. He then spat some out with a laugh.
"Thunder!" Prism hollered, practically shoving the bottle down his throat. "Keep it down!"
"Gently," Screwball whispered.
"But he…"
"Shhh. He's only a foal."
"No, he's not! He's fifteen!"
"Well, right now, he isn't."
Prism grunted as she pulled the empty bottle out of her brother's mouth. "There. All done." She held Thunder up in front of her and smiled. "You know, bro? You're kind of cute as a…"
He interrupted her by opening his mouth and upchucking half-digested milk. Prism gawked as she looked down at the mess on her chest.
"Did…did you see…?"
"Oh boy," Screwball said, setting down Lightning and taking Thunder. "Some pony drank a little too fast."
Prism's mouth was open in disbelief as she watched Screwball calmly put Thunder over her shoulder and pat him on the back.
"But he…he just…aren't you gonna punish him or something?! He just puked all over me!"
"He didn't mean to."
"Of course, he did! It's Thunder Dash!"
"I'll clean it up for you."
In a flash, Prism's fur no longer smelled and was all clean. It didn't make her any less angry, however.
"Screwball!"
The girls looked up to see Mothball standing in the doorway and looking very worried.
"Applespike and Zany are gone!"
"Gone?!" Screwball gasped.
"I went to check on them and they're not in their cribs or anywhere in the nursery!"
"Oh boy. Zany's playing hide-and-seek again!" She put down Thunder. "Prism, you watch the twins while Mothball and I look for the boys."
"What?!" Prism exclaimed. "You're leaving me with the little devils?!"
"It won't take long. Zany won't go far since Dad put the magical baby barrier around the castle. I just wish he wouldn't take Applespike on his little excursions!"
She and Mothball vanished before Prism could protest. She glanced down at her now baby brother and sister, who were giggling in delight.
"What are you looking at?" she demanded.
Suddenly, a foul smell filled the air and Prism covered her nose. She looked at the twins and groaned in annoyance.
"No. There is no way that I'm…"
The babies then started bawling.
"Okay, okay! I'll change your stinky diapers!" She glanced around the garden. "As soon as I find some."
She then remembered Applespike's bag and figured there must've been diapers in there somewhere. Then she recalled that they were in the nursery, which meant she would have to carry both her brother and sister upstairs. This would not be an easy task, because she could barely hold one baby without stumbling over, and she couldn't walk on two hooves.
Then she had an idea and turned to the twins.
"Who wants a piggyback ride?" she asked, squatting down.
The babies stopped crying and then cheered in excitement. Prism cringed as they crawled onto her back and cried out when they clutched to her mane and tail for support. When she was sure they were settled on her back, she attempted to rise.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed. "How is it at one-foot-tall, you guys are as heavy as rocks?"
Prism made slow, steady steps. She cursed her tiny wings, knowing this would be easier if she could fly. She also knew the stink from the twins' diapers would take forever to wash out. It didn't help that they kept bouncing up and down and kicking her in the sides. She felt like she was going to lose it when Thunder started pulling at her mane.
When she finally made it into the living room, she heard the crow of the rooster. She groaned as she started trotting toward the door.
"This day just keeps getting better and better!"
She opened the door and gasped when she saw a yellow earth pony with green eyes, freckles and an orange mane tied into two braids. It was Thunder Dash's girlfriend.
"Apple Blossom!" Prism gasped.
"Howdy, Prism!" Apple Blossom greeted warmly. "Is yerr brother here?"
The pegasus filly cringed as she tried to hide the foals behind her head. "No! He, uh, stepped out!"
"Oh. Well, I was hopin' he could go to Cheese's party with me today. Do ya know when he'll be back?"
"Uh, who knows? He might take hours! In fact, he's probably on his way to the party right now! Why don't you go see? Bye!"
She was about to shut the door when Apple Blossom looked down and stopped her. "Wait."
Prism followed her gaze and noticed Thunder reaching up and trying to grab at one of her pigtails. Prism glanced at her half bare back.
"How did…?"
Apple Blossom giggled as she picked up the baby colt. "Who's this little darlin'?"
"Uh…" the filly stammered. How could she explain to this girl that that baby was her boyfriend? "My, uh…baby cousin! Yeah! These are my cousins!"
"Hmm, should've figured. This one looks just like Thunder. I didn't know you folks had cousins."
"Well, we do!"
The earth pony sniffed the air. "Phew! They could use a change, though."
"Right! Hey! Since you're here, why don't you help me carry them upstairs and get them changed?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be at the party by now…"
"Great! Come on!"
Apple Blossom shrugged and followed the filly up to the nursery. The earth pony's eyes widened when she saw her cousin's empty baby buggy.
"Hey, didn't Auntie Applejack leave lil' Applespike here?"
Prism gulped. "Uh, yeah! He and Zany are…playing hide-and-seek! With Screwball! Outside!"
She began rummaging through Applespike's baby bag before Apple Blossom could question further.
"Aha!" the filly cried out as she produced a clean diaper.
She then frowned once she realized there were three holes in it.
"What the…?" she said, looking through the extra hole.
"Oh," Apple Blossom chuckled. "Auntie Applejack and Uncle Spike cut that for Lil' Spike's tail."
"Well that doesn't help me with Thu…I mean, my cousins, because something else can come through that hole!"
"Calm down. There's a package of diapers in the corner there."
Prism looked to where she was pointing and sighed with relief. "I'm saved!"
She decided to change Thunder's diaper first, since his was the smelliest.
"Hold still!" she grunted. "Stop…moving! Ew, gross! What have you been eating?!"
After a tough battle, Prism finally managed to get the diaper secured on her brother. She sighed in exasperation.
"Here," Apple Blossom said, setting Lightning next to Prism. "I did the lil' lady for ya."
"But…" Prism wheezed, "how…?"
"I've had to change Applespike's diaper a few times. It takes practice. Look, I'd love to stick around, but I promised Auntie Applejack I'd help her out a bit. I swear, sometimes that gal works too hard."
"Wait…" the filly gasped as Apple Blossom walked out of the room. "Don't…leave…me…"
She collapsed onto the rug. She didn't even flinch when Lightning started chewing on her tail.
"I hate my life," Prism groaned.
She stiffened when she heard laughter above her and looked up to see Thunder walking on the ceiling!
"What in the…?"
She gasped when Lightning floated past her head.
"You've gotta be kidding me! Even as babies you guys are better flyers than me!"
She had to get them down. She couldn't control them while they were up there. She jumped up and fluttered her wings as hard as she could, but they could only get her up a few inches. She lashed out her hooves at Lightning, but her sister laughed and dodged out of the way, allowing Prism to fall on her stomach.
"I'm starting to think you guys did this to make my life miserable," she grumbled. "Is that it?! Is that why you made that stupid wish?! Don't you guys have anything better to do than to ruin my life?!"
She cried out in pain as she felt something sharp at her back leg. She lifted it to find Applespike sinking his teeth into her skin. Applejack certainly wasn't kidding about his fangs!
"Hey, get off!" Prism cried, trying to shake him off.
Applespike immediately let go and started crying. Prism then remembered something Screwball had told her: Never shake a baby. It'll harm them.
Great, now she was the bad guy.
Then she heard a poof and felt something atop her head. Her eyes glanced up to meet a set of red spirals. She yelped as Zany floated off her head.
"Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Now I've got four babies!"
The chaotic foal flew up to Thunder and Lightning and gurgled, as if he was speaking a secret language. The twins then clapped their hooves and the next thing Prism knew, all four foals had vanished in a flash of light.
"Oh boy," Prism said, searching frantically around the room. "I'm in big trouble now!"
She screeched as Screwball appeared in front of her.
"Is he here? I sensed him in here!"
"He just left with Applespike and…" the nine-year-old gulped, "the twins."
Screwball put her hoof to her mouth. "Oh no. Mom is going to kill me!" She gasped. "So is Auntie Applejack!"
"You? What about me? How am I going to explain to Mom and Dad and Aunt Scootaloo that not only did I lose the twins, but they got turned into babies?!"
"Okay, relax. With the magical baby barrier up, Zany won't be able to teleport himself or the other babies outside the castle. Hopefully, he didn't get himself stuck in a wall again."
"But they could be anywhere!"
"We'll find them. Here." Screwball summoned a stuffed pony and handed it to Prism. "Use this to lure them out." She then poofed Zany's stuffed dragon into her hooves. "I'll use Sir Fangs-a-lot."
"Where do we look though? This place is huge!"
"Mothball's out in the garden, so how about you take the first and second floor and I take the third and fourth floor?"
"But how do we tell the other that we've found them?"
Screwball tapped her chin and then a metal earpiece appeared in each of their ears.
"We'll hear each other through these devices. Don't worry. We'll find them."
Screwball held her hoof out and Prism bumped it.
"Let's do this!" the latter exclaimed.
"Found them yet?" Prism asked thirty minutes later.
"Negative in the bouncy room," she heard Screwball say through her earpiece.
"They're not over by the pond," Mothball said (Screwball had given him an earpiece too).
"They're not in the pool," Prism groaned. "Come on! Where could four babies hide?"
"Well, two of them aren't ordinary babies," Screwball sighed, "and three of them can fly."
"What else could possibly go wrong?"
The crow of a rooster answered her question.
"Please tell me those are your parents!" Prism whined.
"I don't know," Screwball said. "I'm too afraid to answer it."
The filly grumbled and trotted back to the living room. This time, Gemstone was at the door, her saddlebag on her back.
"Hi!" she beamed. "Sorry, I'm late, but I forgot the way again. You know, with me not knowing my right and my left and all…"
"Gemstone!" Prism exclaimed, putting her hoof to her face. "I completely forgot! Look, this is a really bad time and…"
"Let her in!" Screwball said into her ear. "We could use all the help we can get!"
"What's going on?" Gemstone asked.
"Gem," Prism said, pulling the unicorn into the room, "we really need your help!"
"Oh dear. What happened?"
The pegasus took in a deep breath. "I convinced Aunt Fluttershy to take the day off because she looked so tired and I wanted to see if I could get my cutie mark in babysitting but Thunder and Lightning said I couldn't handle something like that and I said I'd show 'em! So Fluttershy and Discord left us with Zany but then Aunt Applejack showed up with Applespike and then Thunder and Lightning turned themselves into babies and started crying and puking and pooping and pulling on my hair and then Zany and Applespike disappeared and took the twins with them so now there are four babies flying around the castle here and if we don't find them, we're gonna be in so much trouble so WE NEED TO FIND THEM NOW!"
Gemstone stared at her friend in confusion. "Um…what?"
Prism groaned. "Zany, Applespike and the twins, who've turned into babies, are missing and I need your help in finding them!"
"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so? Wait, hold on. Did you say the twins, your twins, turned into babies?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you later, but now, we need to find them!"
"Okay. Um, where do we look?"
"You take hallway on the left, I'll take the one on the right."
"Which way is left?"
"Never mind, just come with me!"
She grabbed Gemstone's hoof and dragged her down the hallway on the right.
"So how did your brother and sister turn into babies?" Gemstone asked.
"They made some wish in a wishing well."
"There's a wishing well here?"
"Apparently!"
They stopped in their tracks when they heard a crash that sounded like falling pots and pans.
"The kitchen!" Prism exclaimed.
She and Gemstone raced back in the direction they came and into the kitchen. They gasped when they saw the mess. Applespike was on top of the fridge, Zany was opening drawers and taking out the silverware with his magic, Lightning was playing with a flour sack and covering herself in the substance, and Thunder was banging a frying pan against the stove.
"What's that noise?" Screwball asked through Prism's earpiece.
"They're in the kitchen!" Prism replied.
She reached for Zany but backed away when he waved a butter knife at her.
"But your brother's got a knife!"
The chaotic baby laughed and vanished in a flash. The silverware dropped to the floor.
"Never mind. He's gone again."
"Did he take the others with him?" Screwball asked.
"No. They're still here."
"Okay. Mothball and I will continue searching for Zany while you two handle the others."
"But there's like three of them and two of us!"
"Just keep them in your sight and don't let them hurt themselves!"
Prism sighed. "Why do I always get the hard job?"
This entire time, Gemstone had been staring at her friend like she was crazy. "Who are you talking to?"
"Screwball. She wants us to handle the others while she and Mothball find Zany. Looks like you'll get practice at being a big sister, Gem."
The unicorn gulped as she watched Lightning spill a bag of sugar and Thunder bang his frying pan against the ceiling. "Okay."
"You get the twins. I'll get the dragon off the fridge."
"Why don't you get the twins? They're your siblings!"
"I don't have time to argue, Gem! Just help me!"
Gemstone sighed. "Fine."
She started with Lightning, since she wasn't flying at the moment. She picked up the tiny filly before she could tip over a sack of potatoes.
"Now, now, little Lightning," Gemstone said sternly. "It's not nice to spill things that don't belong to you."
The unicorn firmly placed Lightning in Zany's highchair, despite the pout on the infant's face.
"Now stay there, while I go get your brother!"
Meanwhile, Prism had been moving a chair in front of the refrigerator while watching Gemstone.
"How did you do that?"
Gemstone shrugged. "I don't know. That's how my mother talks to me when I misbehave."
"Well, whatever you're doing, keep doing it!"
The unicorn glanced up at the flying colt. "Easier said than done."
Prism climbed on the chair, but still wasn't high enough to reach Applespike, so she topped her tower off with Fluttershy's many cookbooks. Gemstone, meanwhile, was also standing on a chair and trying to catch Thunder.
"Thunder!" she cried. "You get down here this instant or…I'll take your dolls away!"
"He doesn't have any dolls!" Prism shouted, shaking her head.
The pegasus filly grinned when she was finally at eye level with the dragon-pony.
"I got you now."
Applespike's only response was a sneeze. That wouldn't have been so bad, if the baby didn't have fire breath. Prism yelped as the top of her head ignited with green flames.
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" she shrieked, jumping off her tower. "My head's on fire, my head's on fire!"
"Oh my!" Gemstone exclaimed, leaping off her chair. "Hang on!"
The unicorn picked up one of the pots on the floor, filled it with water in the sink and splashed it on her friend. Prism gasped as she slowly got over the shock. Then she narrowed her eyes in anger.
"That's it! No more Miss Nice Pony!" She hopped onto the pile of books. "I'm coming for ya, baby!"
Applespike only laughed tauntingly and thumped his tail on the fridge.
"Oh, you think this is funny, huh? Come here, you!"
She lashed out her hoof at him, but the dragon-pony stuck out his tongue and crawled out of the way. Unfortunately, he didn't see where he was going and dropped off the edge of the refrigerator. Prism gasped.
"Gem, do something!"
The unicorn made an equal gasp and rushed towards the falling baby. To every pony's surprise, blue light engulfed the infant before his head hit the counter. Gemstone's mouth was open as he floated over to her.
"I didn't know you could do that!" Prism gawked.
"Neither did I!" the unicorn exclaimed as she settled the dragon-pony into her hooves.
Applespike had his eyes closed during the fall. He was confused as to why he hadn't hit anything yet. Then he felt hooves around him and opened his reptilian eyes to see who was holding him. Those eyes widened at the sight of a pretty white unicorn with shiny, curly blue hair and eyes like sapphires. He had never seen any pony like her.
The dragon-pony then gurgled with glee as he nuzzled his face in her soft fur.
"Aw," Gemstone said, cradling the tyke in her hooves. "He's so adorable!"
Prism was astonished once again. "How…how'd you get him to be so…calm?"
"I don't know. Maybe I just have a thing with foals."
"Well, can you get Thunder down before he brings the ceiling down on us?"
"Hey, I've only got so many hooves!"
"Use your magic thingy then!"
"But I've never really done anything like that before, and I didn't expect…"
"Just try!"
Gemstone sighed. "Okay."
She looked up at Thunder and tried to concentrate. She thought about bringing him down and suddenly, blue light engulfed his back hoof and slowly tugged him to the floor.
"Wow," Gemstone uttered. "Who knew I could do that too?"
"Finally!" Prism grunted, going over to her brother. "Okay, mister! You're in a time-out!"
She lifted him by his diaper and shoved him in the highchair with Lightning, making it cramped for the two of them.
"And stay there!" their sister shouted.
"Don't be so cruel," Gemstone said as she stroked Applespike's tiny head. "They're only babies."
"Why does every pony keep saying that?! You've seen how much trouble they can cause!"
"But look at them!" the unicorn spoke in a high-pitched voice. "They're so cutesy wootsy with their wittle hooves!"
The sound of a rooster made Prism groan in exasperation. "Now what?!"
She left Gemstone to look after the babies while she went to answer the door. She secretly prayed it was Discord and Fluttershy, so Discord could turn the twins back to normal, but the pony standing in the doorway was the last one she'd expected to see.
It was Kicks with a rose in his hoof.
"Hi!" he squeaked.
Prism put her hoof to her head. "Oh man, not now!"
"I know you said no to going to the movies with me, but I thought you might change your mind, or I could at least give you this…"
"Kicks, this is a really bad time, right now! I'm having a mid-life crisis here! And I'm not even ten yet! So could you just go home and…?"
She shrieked when something landed on her back. She turned her head and gritted her teeth when she saw what it was.
"Zany!"
She tried to grab him, but he evaporated before she could. Then she felt something pull her hair and tail, that something being Thunder and Lightning.
"You little monsters!" Prism shouted as they flew out of her reach.
"What the hay…?" Kicks said as he watched the twins fly toward the chandelier.
"Prism!" Gemstone cried as she rushed into the living room with Applespike on her back. "The twins flew out of the…" She paused when she saw Kicks. "What's he doing here?"
Kicks glanced at the rose and shoved it in his mouth before the unicorn could notice.
"He's, um…" Prism stammered. "He's um…here to…he needs help on his homework too! Yeah! And his parents couldn't help him this weekend! Right, Kicks?"
The colt nodded frantically, his cheeks still puffed up. Gemstone cocked her head.
"Then why'd he ask you?"
Prism bit her lip. "Um…because I was the only one who said yes! Right, Kicks?"
Kicks nodded again, still not opening his mouth.
Gemstone stared at them for a moment and then shook her head. "Never mind. Maybe he can help us here. I don't think my magic can reach that high."
That was right. Kicks could fly! He could reach the twins! As soon as Gemstone's attention was drawn toward the flying babies, Prism turned to the pegasus colt.
"Okay, I'll go to the movies with you," she whispered, "but only if you help us catch those babies!"
Kicks nodded, but he looked like he was in pain.
"You okay?"
The colt spat out what was left of the rose and coughed. "Thorns."
Prism cringed. "Ouch."
"Yeah."
"Now go up there and catch those babies!"
"Right."
He spread his wings and fluttered up towards the chandelier which the twins were rocking back and forth. Prism cried out when Zany reappeared and started dancing on her head. Screwball materialized above them and shouted:
"There you are!"
Zany squealed and zoomed off Prism's head.
"Come back here!" Screwball called, chasing after him.
"I'll get him!" Mothball declared as he hovered into the room.
Above, Kicks managed to snatch Thunder, but the infant grabbed his ear and gave it a hard tug.
"Ow!"
Crying out in pain, Kicks let go of the foal, who snickered as he escaped.
"You're not getting away with that!"
So Kicks chased after Thunder, Screwball flew after Zany and Mothball started pursuing Lightning. Then Applespike started crying with all the ruckus and Gemstone rocked him in her hooves, trying to calm him down.
Prism looked around at all the chaos happening and found herself on the verge of tears. Finally, she put her hoof down and screamed:
"UUUUUUUUGGGGGHHH!"
The scream was loud enough to bring every pony to a halt.
"I can't take this anymore!" the pegasus filly shouted. "I'm fed up with all this running around! I don't wanna be the older sibling, okay?! It's just too much!"
She crouched down, put her face in her hooves and sobbed. Every pony watched in amazement, not recalling a time they had ever seen the tough little filly cry. Kicks floated down to her and cautiously put his hoof around her. She didn't object.
Suddenly, light enveloped the twins and in a flash, they were back to their teenage selves. They looked down, realized they were in the air and flapped their wings before they could fall.
"Thunder! Lightning!" Screwball exclaimed, snatching Zany before he could get away again. "You're back!"
"What…?" Thunder said, scratching his head.
"Just happened?" Lightning finished, mirroring her brother.
Prism raised her tear-streaked face and lit up at the sight of her older siblings. The twins floated down to her and looked at her with concern.
"Kid," Lightning said, "what's wrong? Why are you cry…?"
She was cut off when their sister threw her hooves around them both.
"You're back! You're big again! Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! I'll never complain about being the younger sibling again! You guys are the best big brother and big sister ever!"
The twins looked at each other in confusion. "Huh?"
"You mean you guys don't remember?" Mothball asked.
"What's going on here?" Kicks demanded. "How did they turn into…?"
"I think I know how to explain this," Screwball said, summoning a movie screen and popcorn. "Age spells, I cannot do. Windows into the past, however, I can do."
When the film had finished, the twins had their mouths open in astonishment.
"Wow," they both said.
Lightning looked to Prism. "You were a terrible big sister."
The filly hung her head. "I know. But it was hard! And you guys were flying around like crazy!"
"How do you think we feel having to watch you all the time? We were actually glad you couldn't fly away." The older sister looked away in guilt. "Then again, we weren't always the best of babysitters. Based on what I saw in this flashback, we were just about as bad as you were: always neglecting you, blaming you for everything…"
"Not so fun being the younger child, huh?" Prism smirked.
"Yeah, well, it's not so fun being the older child either."
"I think I know that now."
Lightning wrapped her hoof around her sister. "But you're right. We have been taking you for granted. After all, you did try to keep us out of trouble today. You might've been a lousy big sister, but you tried your best."
Prism grinned. "Thanks. You're a lousy big sister, too."
The two laughed as they embraced each other.
"I can't believe Apple Blossom saw me in a diaper!" Thunder exclaimed.
"What I don't get," Gemstone said, "is why you two turned back when you did."
"Hey," Lightning said. "I think I know. When Thunder and I were at that wishing well, I wished that Prism would understand what it was like to be the older sibling. I guess when Prism knew how difficult it was taking care of us, my wish came true and we turned back."
She frowned when she finally noticed Kicks. "Hey, isn't that the kid you're always fighting with at school?"
"No!" Prism and Kicks said at the same time.
"Do you suppose they're alright?" Fluttershy asked her husband as they approached the castle.
"We only left them alone for a few hours," Discord said as he opened the door. "What's the worst that could've happened?"
Fluttershy gasped at how spotless the living room was. Even Discord was surprised, but not at the cleanliness of the room. All the children were gathered in the living room, and no pony was fighting.
Lightning was at the coffee table with Prism, Gemstone and Kicks, helping them with their homework. Thunder and Mothball were playing peek-a-boo with Applespike, while Screwball was floating around the room, bouncing her brother on her back.
Lightning was the first to notice the couple in the doorway. "Oh, you're back!"
Screwball floated down to her parents. "Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad! Did you guys have fun?"
"I…I'm impressed," Fluttershy said.
"As am I," Discord uttered.
Fluttershy took Zany into her hooves and saw that he was still happy and healthy. "I guess I got all worked up over nothing. You all did a good job taking care of things while we were gone."
Applejack appeared beside them and lit up when she saw her baby.
"There you are!" she exclaimed, rushing to Applespike and picking him up. "You've been a good boy?"
Every pony cringed. Gemstone, however, walked up to Applejack with a smile.
"He was darling, actually."
Applespike giggled as he reached out his hoof and gently nudged the filly's blue curls.
"Huh, I think he likes ya," Applejack smirked. "Like father, like son."
"What do you mean?" Gemstone asked.
"You'll find out sooner or later."
"So Gemstone," Prism said, putting a hoof around her friend. "Still think you'll make a terrible big sister?"
The unicorn shook her head. "No. I just hope baby girls aren't as troublesome."
Prism raised an eyebrow. "Baby girl?"
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! We found out yesterday. Mummy's having another filly!"
"Wow," Thunder uttered. "Congrats!"
Lightning smirked. "I know you'll be a better big sister than me, kid."
"Gem!" Applespike piped.
"Lil' Spikey seems to think so," Applejack chuckled.
"Maybe we should leave you kids alone more often," Discord observed.
"NO!" the children screamed.
The adults blinked in confusion. Discord folded his arms across his chest.
"What happened?"
Screwball bit her lip. "Let's just say that we should really get rid of that wishing well, Dad."
"Wishing well?" the draconequus repeated. "What wishing well? I never installed a wishing well in here."
His daughter blinked. "But if you didn't put it in, and I didn't put it in, then who…?"
Every pony directed their attention towards Zany, the only other chaotic being in the house. Prism huffed.
"Nah, it couldn't be."
When no one was looking, Zany glanced over at Applespike. The two babies winked at each other and snickered.
Later that evening, Prism and Kicks walked out of the movie theater, laughing themselves silly.
"That was terrible!" Prism exclaimed.
"Nothing like the books!" Kicks declared.
"And that Ahuizotl costume? Totally fake!"
"Faker than my grandma's teeth!"
They were so busy laughing that at first they didn't notice the group of colts staring at them. When they did, their eyes widened. They were all colts from school, and among them was Pin Cushion, Kicks' best friend. Prism and Kicks looked at each other in panic.
"Hit me," the latter whispered. "Now!"
"Oh, uh…"
The filly threw up her hoof, hitting him square in the jaw. He fell backward and dropped what was left of his popcorn. The colts shrugged and walked away. When she was sure they weren't paying attention, Prism loomed over the injured colt.
"You okay?"
Kicks smiled up at her and whispered, "Thank you!"
She rolled her eyes. "I'll never understand boys."