"Hey! Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called out as she stepped into the library. "We were supposed to start that picnic a half-hour ago! Where are you?"
Closing the door behind her, the pegasus glanced around the room. Piles of books were stacked everywhere, and in the middle of the room, her head resting on top of an open book, was Twilight. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Of course the egghead's been studying all night," she muttered as she trotted up to the alicorn and began shaking her shoulder. "C'mon Twilight, wake up."
"Ugh..." Twilight groaned as she slowly lifted her head from her makeshift pillow. Taking a moment to rub her eyes, she took a glance around her and spotted Rainbow Dash standing beside her. "Rainbow Dash...?" she mumbled, trying to resist the urge to fall back asleep. "What're you doin' here...?"
"The picnic we had planned for today?" an unamused Rainbow Dash answered. "Don't tell me you forgot all about it!"
Twilight blinked for a few moments, not responding until her eyes snapped wide open in realization. "Gah!" she blurted out as she flew out of her chair and began panicking. "Ohmygosh, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about it!"
"How in Equestria did you even forget?!" Rainbow Dash asked as he watched the alicorn zip around the room in a hurry.
"Research!"
"Yeah, I figured THAT out," the pegasus snapped. "What were you even researching?"
"I was trying to find out about Yoshi-" The alicorn froze as another thought crossed her mind. "Wait... Yoshi! Where is he?" she barked as she flew down and checked the basket beside her chair.
Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow. "Uh... what?"
"Oh sweet Celestia, he's not here!" Twilight shouted worriedly after emptying the basket and finding nothing but blankets inside.
Rainbow Dash groaned. "Hey egghead, you mind filling me in on what's going on, or am I gonna have to ask Pinkie Pie?"
"Jeez, calm down, Twilight!" a voice interrupted. The two ponies turned towards the bedroom stairs where Spike was standing, looking at Twilight with an annoyed expression. And cradled in his arms, safe and sound asleep, was Yoshi's egg.
"Uh... heh heh..." Twilight gave a nervous look at Rainbow Dash, who responded with a frown before pointing at the egg.
"I'm assuming that's what you were having a meltdown over?"
Rubbing the back of her head, Twilight sheepishly nodded.
"Don't worry, Twilight," Spike reassured her as he approached her and lifted the egg up so she could get a look at it. "He's just been sleeping with me."
"But I could've sworn he was-" Twilight began as she pointed to the overturned basket beside her.
"The little guy must've had a nightmare, he was shaking so badly when he woke me up," Spike explained as he looked down at the egg with a small smile. "So I decided to let him sleep with me."
"Um... Spike?" Rainbow Dash interrupted, pointing at the egg. "Last time I checked, eggs can't move on their own."
At that moment, the egg moved on its own. It jumped out of Spike's hands onto the floor towards Rainbow Dash, who leapt back in surprise.
"YIKES!!!" she shrieked as she fell over, backing away from the egg as it hopped eagerly towards her. "That egg! It's... it's...!"
"Aww... I think he likes you, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight said with a heartfelt smile while Spike fell over, trying to hold back his laughter.
"Is this another one of your sick experiments, Twi?!" Rainbow snapped as she backed into a bookcase, the egg closing in on her.
"Actually, we found him on the doorstep late last night," Twilight told her. "Someone left him with me to look after him. That's why I've been researching him. Or... tried to, at least."
"'Tried to'?"
Twilight levitated a book from the top of a stack beside her and began flipping through the pages. "I must've looked through the entire library, but I couldn't find a single thing about Yoshi," she explained before closing the book and setting it beside her. "But in retrospect, I should've expected this. He's not from Equestria, after all."
"Well, that's TOTALLY reassuring, Twi!" Rainbow shouted sarcastically as the egg hopped onto her stomach and began happily bouncing in place. "Now how about we get this mutant egg off me?!"
As she shouted, the egg suddenly stopped bouncing. It remained motionless for a few moments on top of Rainbow as Twilight and Spike approached.
"I think you hurt his feelings," Spike said slowly as he crouched down beside the egg, looking a bit nervous.
"Well, if it starts bawling, I'm outta here," Rainbow grumbled, giving an irritated look at the polka-dotted mass on her stomach.
That's when it began to wobble. Everypony in the room froze, staring intently as the wobbling continued.
"Uh... what's happening?" Rainbow asked, suddenly looking nervous.
"I... I think it's hatching," Twilight murmured, her eyes wide in wonder as a small crack formed on the shell's surface.
"Oh boy..." Rainbow muttered under her breath, bracing herself in case the creature breaking out of the egg tried to claw at her face.
As small cracks continued to appear, one large, horizontal crack was widening, creeping along the surface of the egg. All three of the room's occupants held their breath, until the egg finally split into two halves.
"Here it comes..." Twilight whispered excitedly.
The top half of the eggshell slowly rose as the creature inside got his first glimpse of the outside world. He poked his head out, causing Twilight, Spike, and even Rainbow Dash to smile warmly at the sight of him.
"Awww... he's adorable!" Twilight exclaimed.
He looked almost like a baby dragon in appearance, despite the letter claiming he was a dinosaur. His skin was green, with a white belly and orange spikes running down the back of his head. His cheeks were white, with a large green nose taking up most of his head. Mounted on his back was what looked like an unusually small, red turtle shell. A pair of dark blue eyes looked out from just above and behind his nose.
The thing about him that stood out the most, however, was an incredibly happy, unwavering smile. A smile to rival even Pinkie Pie's. And the sight of that smile was too much for the other occupants of the room to handle.
Upon hearing the alicorn's remark, the creature turned his head towards her, grinning widely before opening his mouth.
"Yoshi!" he squealed happily in a high-pitched, baby-sounding voice.
"Whoa," Spike said, looking slightly amused.
"That dragon can talk?!" Rainbow Dash blurted out in disbelief, trying her hardest not to succumb to the cuteness.
"Actually, he's not a dragon," Spike pointed out with a smirk as Rainbow's jaw dropped. "He's a dinosaur."
"And he said his own name!" Twilight cried out, clapping her forehooves together. "That's so cute!"
Rainbow Dash frowned. "That's all fine and dandy... now how about getting him off me?!" she shouted. Surprisingly, Yoshi wasn't startled at all; he only smiled at the pegasus instead, who quickly turned away.
"Oh, right!" Twilight replied apologetically as she lit up her horn. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief as Yoshi, still in the remains of his egg, was levitated off her.
"Ugh... finally," she muttered, getting to her hooves.
"Yoshi!" the newborn exclaimed again as he touched down onto the library floor.
And as he said that, a small glow appeared above his head, inciting wide-eyed looks of wonder from Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow.
"Whoa..." Rainbow and Spike murmured at the same time.
"What in Equestria...?" Twilight wondered out loud, trying to make out the object that was slowly forming above Yoshi's head. "What is that...?"
"That, Princess Twilight Sparkle... is a Star."
Everypony turned in surprise as a familiar voice spoke out from the library's doorway, where the two rulers of Equestria were now standing.
"Princess Luna! Princess Celestia!" Twilight gasped as they entered the room. "What are you...?"
"Last night, I sensed an incredible, powerful magic entering Equestria from another world," Princess Luna explained. "And it comes from the Star that this young one holds." She held up her forehoof, pointing towards the young hatchling in the middle of the room.
"What?!" Twilight's jaw dropped as she turned towards Yoshi. He was smiling widely as Princess Celestia slowly approached him, but the thing that caught Twilight's attention was the glowing object that was now clearly visible above his head.
Princess Celestia looked down at Yoshi with a warm smile. "Welcome to Equestria...
...Star Child."
