//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Mother of a Star // Story: The Star Child // by Joeycrick //------------------------------// "Star Child?" "That is correct, Twilight," Princess Luna answered as she stepped up beside her older sister, the two alicorns looking down at the young hatchling. "You notice the Star floating above his head, do you not? That is the source of his power." "Whoa..." Twilight kept her eyes on the object floating just above Yoshi's head until it vanished, disappearing into his body. As it did so, the dinosaur giggled happily. "Wait..." Rainbow Dash took a step back, eyeing Yoshi with a worried look. "What kind of power are we talking, exactly?" "That, even I do not know, Rainbow Dash," Princess Celestia replied. "But what I can tell you is that is a special power, one that'll allow him to achieve amazing and great things." "Pfft..." Rainbow Dash scoffed, clearly not impressed with the Princess's answer. "That's reassuring. And if he's not from Equestria, then where'd he even come from?" "Wait... the letter!" With a flash, Twilight teleported to her desk and began rummaging through it. "Come on... here it is!" She levitated a scroll of parchment and ran over to Princess Celestia. "This was with his basket when he arrived." "Hmm..." Princess Celestia's brow furrowed as she took the letter and began reading it, with Princess Luna looking over her shoulder. "I see..." she muttered. "So his homeland is in danger, and he was sent here for protection..." She raised her eyebrows as a thought occured to her. "But this is curious." "What is?" Rainbow Dash asked, cocking her head to the side. "According to this letter, whoever sent the child to us knows about Princess Twilight's accomplishments," Princess Luna answered, placing her forehoof on her chin in thought. "But at the same time, Yoshi is clearly from a world completely different to ours. So how they know about Equestria is indeed a mystery." "You think Discord had anything to do with it?" Twilight asked. "I'll ask him the next time I see him," Princess Celestia answered firmly, rolling up the scroll and levitating it towards Twilight. "But for now, all we can do is honor the wishes of Yoshi's parents and take care of him until they return." "I'll watch over him," Twilight promptly declared, grabbing the scroll with a determined look on her face. "His parents entrusted him to me, after all." She then turned to Yoshi, grinning widely. "You hear that, Yoshi?" she exclaimed playfully. "You get to live with us in Ponyville! How does that sound?" "Yoshi!" the dinosaur cried out happily, jumping up and down excitedly before hopping out of his shell and sprinting towards Twilight with his arms outstreched. The Princesses smiled warmly as he hugged Twilight's foreleg, nuzzling it gently with his nose. "Aw... that's just adorable," Spike muttered, crossing his arms with a smug smile. "It's almost like he thinks you're his mother, Twilight." Twilight merely chuckled and lowered her head, allowing Yoshi to nuzzle her cheek. Rainbow Dash, however, was focused on something else. "He wears shoes?" she blurted out in disbelief. Sure enough, a pair of bright orange shoes were covering the hatchling's feet. Twilight lifted her head slightly and looked down. "Huh," she muttered upon seeing Yoshi's shoes. "That's a bit strange, I'll admit." "Princess Twilight?" Twilight raised her head as a piece of paper was levitated towards her, courtesy of Princess Celestia's magic. "This was inside his egg. It's... it's from his parents." As Yoshi continued to nuzzle Twilight's leg, the alicorn took the letter and quickly read its contents. "Yoshi the Dinosaur... We love you more than anything in the world. Make us proud." And right below the writing were a pair of what looked like pawprints, presumably from Yoshi's parents. "Yoshi the Dinosaur..." Twilight repeated, looking down at the hatchling with a sad smile. "We'll take care of him. We promise," she said as she gently brushed the back of Yoshi's head with her free hoof. Princess Celestia cleared her throat, catching everypony's attention. "My sister and I must be off now," she said as she approached the library door, Princess Luna right behind her. "I trust you'll let us know how everything is going with him, Twilight?" "Of course, Princess," Twilight answered with a nod. Satisfied, Princess Celestia turned to the dinosaur standing beside her, giving him a warm smile. "Farewell, Star Child," she said, catching his attention. Yoshi turned towards the doorway as the two elder alicorns spread their wings. "Yoshi!" he called out as they took off into the sky, rocketing towards Canterlot. Yoshi ran outside, coming to a stop as he looked up towards the sky at Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, his tail wagging with excitement. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. "Alright, Yoshi," she said, catching the dinosaur's attention. "Come inside, we've got some things to take care of." "Hold it, Twi!" Rainbow Dash shot out, screeching to a halt in front of Twilight as she prepared to step inside. "Aren't you forgetting something?" "Huh?" Twilight raised her eyebrow in confusion, resulting in an impatient groan from Rainbow Dash. "The picnic! Our friends are at the park already!" she shouted, throwing her hooves up in exasperation. Twilight's eyes widened. "Oh right!" she exclaimed, slapping her forehead. "I'm so sorry about-" "Yoshi!" The excited squeal caught the attention of Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike, who all turned towards the source. Yoshi was still looking out at the town of Ponyville, his eyes sparkling with wonder as he spun around, taking in the sights around him. Watching him, Twilight suddenly got an idea. "Hey Yoshi! How about we introduce you to the rest of my friends?" "Yoshi!"