//------------------------------//
// S7 E3: A Flurry of Emotions (What If?) (Bonus Chapter) 
// Story: My Little Pony Friendship is Magic What If?: Volume 6 
// by SuperPinkBrony12 
//------------------------------//

Being the organized and "neat freak" pony that she was, Twilight often had a schedule. She would often make a list of all the important things she had to get done in a single day.

And so it was that the young princess was talking with Spike as they trotted through the castle together. "Okay, Spike. Remind me again what I have to get done today." Twilight told her assistant, first friend, and more or less adopted son.

Spike unraveled a scroll, cleared his throat, and began to read. "Well, you're visiting the sick foals from Cheerilee's other class today."

"Ah yes, I remember. Nurse Redheart stopped by this morning to tell me about it," Twilight recalled. "I still can't believe an entire class worth of ponies came down with the Horsey Hives, and on school picture day too. It's a real shame."

Spike nodded. "So, since you volunteered to go read to them, you're going to pick up some reading material from Cheerilee at the school house. And you're also going to buy some toys for them at the local foal store. On top of that, you're going to order some cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner to take to the hospital staff."

"Whew!" Twilight exclaimed. "Seems like I've got my work cut out for me today, that's a lot to squeeze in. Even with teleporting, it'll still take quite a while. But I can't let those foals down, not after I gave my word I'd be there," After this bold declaration, the alicorn opted to change the subject a bit. "So, how's Starlight doing today?"

"Trixie's absence is definitely hitting her hard, but I think she's slowly coming to terms with it," Spike commented. "It's only been a few days after all."

"Still, I'm worried about her. She hasn't left the castle since that day," Twilight recalled with noticeable worry in her eyes, as she and Spike made their way to the entrance hall of the castle. "She really needs to get out and see the world. And maybe even make a new friend or two."

Spike just replied. "I'm sure Starlight will come around eventually, and she'll be as eager as she always was," Then a thought struck him. "You're not planning on dragging her around with you on your rounds today, are you?"

Twilight shook her head. "I'm not sure it'll do the foals any good to see Starlight moping around. Plus, she's not much of a story teller. At best, I might ask her to answer the door if anypony shows up while I'm gone."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, which struck both castle occupants as odd. "I wasn't expecting company," Twilight commented, as she trotted to the door. "Better see who it is."

And as soon as the young alicorn had opened the front doors of the castle, she was surprised to be greeted by a trio of familiar ponies: Her older brother, Shining Armor, his lovely wife Princess Cadence, and their infant daughter Flurry Heart! "Surprise!" Shining Armor and Cadence both called, as Shining held Flurry in his hooves! But the two adults looked quite frazzled, as if they'd just gotten out of bed.

"Ah, a visit from family. How nice." Spike commented with a smile.



Twilight immediately took hold of Flurry with her magic and opted to blow her favorite niece a raspberry, right on her little tummy. Flurry giggled in delight, even kicking her tiny legs about a bit. "Hiya, Flurry Heart. How're you doing?" Twilight playfully cooed, before setting the tiny alicorn down in her stroller.

"Oh, I'm fine," Shining Armor spoke up in a mock foal's voice. "But I was hoping my favowite aunt could watch me fow a few houws."

"A few hours?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. Apparently, one of Shining's old friends from the royal guard, Spearhead, has a pop-up art show at the Ponyville Cafe, and he invited us to attend," Cadence explained. "It was sort of a last minute decision, so we haven't had time to arrange a foalsitter for Flurry."

"I assume Sunburst is unavailable?" Twilight questioned.

Cadence nodded. "Flurry played a little too rough with him last time she was in his care. He wasn't hurt or anything, but we figured he needed some time off from foalsitting."

Satisfied with the knowledge, Twilight happily declared. "I'll gladly watch Flurry Heart for you guys. I'm sure she'll appreciate getting to spend some quality time with her Auntie Twily. Isn't that right, Flurry?"

Flurry giggled and babbled, which Twilight took to interpreting as a yes.

However, Spike spoke up and unfurled a scroll. "Twilight, there's no time in the schedule for a foal, especially not Flurry Heart. We'll be all over town today."

"Then we'll just have to make time," Twilight declared. "I'm not missing out on the chance to spend time with my favorite niece."

"But what about the hospital visit and the foals sick with horsey hives?" Spike protested. "You promised to read to them."

"Horsey hives?!" Cadence exclaimed with fright! "I don't want Flurry Heart to be anywhere near foals if they have that, I don't want her getting sick before she's had all her shots!"

Shining sighed and hung his head. "It's okay," He said to his wife. "We'll just have to tell Spearhead we can't make it. It's kind of our fault for not planning ahead and making arrangements before we got here."

"No, it isn't fair that you have to miss a chance for the two of you to do something together, just because I can't watch Flurry Heart all day," Twilight protested, before suddenly a thought struck the alicorn. "But I know somepony who does, somepony who hasn't set hoof outside this castle for several days now."

"You mean..." Spike began.

Twilight winked. "I sure do," She teleported away and came back seconds later with Starlight in tow. "Starlight Glimmer."

"Huh, wha... what's this is all about?" Starlight questioned, her eyes darting all around.

Twilight whispered into Starlight's ear, explaining everything. "Oh," The grayish-purple coated mare commented. "A-are you sure that's a good idea? I don't have a lot of experience with foals, especially not on Flurry's level."

"Relax, it'll only be for a couple of hours," Twilight reassured her student. "And Flurry won't give you too much trouble, will you, Flurry? You'll be a good little foal for your Auntie Twily's friend, right?" She winked at the foal, who tried to wink back but found it hard to do so and ended up squinting her eyes to achieve the intended effect.

"I still don't know if this is a good idea, Twilight," Starlight nervously commented. "I mean, what if I mess up, or worse?"

But Twilight protested with a shake of her head. "Starlight, look, I know you're still upset about everything that happened between you and Trixie. But you can't stay cooped up in the castle all day everyday, you need to get out and interact with other ponies. Think of this as a distraction, a chance for you to take your mind off your troubles," Then she added. "It doesn't even have to be for the entire day, I just need you to keep an eye on Flurry Heart while I run my errands and read to the sick foals. That shouldn't take more than three to four hours tops."

The unicorn looked down at the tiny alicorn, who was looking back up at this grown-up rather curiously. She'd seen her around a few times before, mostly with Mr. Sunburst. Anypony who knew Mr. Sunburst couldn't be all bad. Maybe she'd be just as fun as her Auntie Twily? She certainly couldn't be as stuffy as her aunts Celestia and Luna, they were no fun at all.

Starlight was surprised when Flurry levitated herself out of her stroller, and hugged Starlight's leg. An "aw" escaped the mare's lips, she just couldn't say no to such an adorable face. "Well, I guess a few hours of foalsitting won't be so bad. You're sure the spells Sunburst cast at her crystalling are still holding up?"

Cadence nodded. "They do keep her power fluctuations under control, but she can still levitate and teleport if she wants to, so keep a close eye on her."

"And if you're gonna be taking care of her, you'll need some supplies," Shining spoke up and levitated over some jars of green colored goop. "Mashed Peas, her favorite."

"And Diapers," Cadence added, levitating over an entire box worth. "Uh, extra diapers. Oh and backup extra diapers."

"Mashed Peas, her favorite," Shining declared as he brought over more jars of the foal food. "Wait, didn't I just say that?"

Starlight was trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. "Are all of these foal supplies really necessary?" She questioned.

"Okay, so maybe not the backup extra diapers," Cadence commented with a slight giggle. "We're not gonna be gone that long. Oh, and one more thing," Lighting up her horn, the princess of love levitated over a stuffed snail. "This is Whammy, her favorite toy. If she ever gets antsy or fussy, just give it to her and it should calm her down."

Twilight cooed. "Oh, I see, just like I had Smarty Pants and Shining Armor had Brutus Force."

Shining blushed. "Which I totally don't still sleep with by the way."

"It's okay, B.B.B.F.F, I still sleep with Smarty Pants sometimes. That is, whenever I can 'borrow' her from Big Macintosh." Twilight teased with a giggle.

"You're sure everything's under control, Twilight?" Cadence asked. "You're certain Flurry Heart won't be too much trouble for Starlight?"

Twilight nodded. "You two deserve a day off from parenting, and like I said I won't be gone for long. You guys just go ahead and enjoy yourselves."

"Okay then, I guess we'll see you later," Shining declared, then he and his wife departed though not before calling out. "Goodbye, Flurry Heart. Be nice for Auntie Twily and Miss. Starlight."

"Come on, Spike," Twilight spoke up a moment later. "Let's get going! We need to pick up toys, a book, and some snacks for those sick foals! The sooner we leave, the sooner we can be back to relieve Starlight of her foalsitting duties," But before she departed, she quickly pulled her student aside. "Don't hesitate to call if Flurry proves to be too much to handle, I can always cut short my reading time or send Spike back to help you out."

"How am I supposed to contact you?" Starlight wondered.

"Just use this," Twilight instructed, giving Starlight a small, earring shaped device. "I'll have this on the whole time I'm gone. If you need to reach me for any reason, just put it on. I'll instantly be able to hear your thoughts. But remember, it's for emergencies only."

The student lightly scoffed, waving a hoof. "Oh relax, Twilight. Everything will be just fine. Like you said, you'll be only gone for three to four hours. I'm sure one foal won't be too much trouble for that span of time. Heck, I'll probably wear her out and have her ready for a nap by the time you come home."

"I wouldn't be sure if I were you." Spike commented under his breath.

"What was that?" Starlight questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh uh, nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Spike protested, and then quickly he said to Twilight. "Can we go already?! I've got a really good story we could tell the foals, The Dashing Dragonlord!"

Twilight playfully laughed. "You would like that, my son. But I don't think the kids will be very interested. I was thinking more along the lines of Gusty the Great. It was one of my all time favorite stories as a filly." And then pony and dragon departed the castle.

"Okay, looks like it's just you and I now, Flurry Heart," Starlight commented as she turned to the foal. "What do you wanna do first?"

The answer to the question soon revealed itself, as Flurry's stomach began to grumble. "Hungry already?" Starlight questioned, before she realized something. "Actually, I don't know when you usually get fed. Still, guess we'd better satisfy your rumbly tummy. Good thing your folks left plenty of Mashed Peas, your favorite."

Starlight gently scooped the foal up with her magic, unaware of the fact that the little alicorn made a face. Why didn't her parents understand, she HATED Mashed Peas!





Shining Armor and Cadence made their way to the Ponyville Cafe, the art show already in full swing by the time they arrived. Fortunately they had taken the time to clean up their appearance, so their manes and tails were back to their usual well kept state. But they both soon discovered that Spearhead had a rather "unusual" sense of art, one that they could not really comprehend.

At least that's what the royal couple thought as they observed a rather unusual and contorted art piece. Shining even went so far as to comment. "Is this art or... a mistake?"

"Honestly... I have no idea," Cadence replied with a most puzzled look upon her face. "But who cares? At least we're not changing diapers."

Just then, Spearhead himself made himself known. He was a sturdy pegasus with a coat a moderate tangelo in color and eyes the most brilliant cyan. He had a light and moderate blue mane and tail styled almost like a mohawk, and wore a dark pink scarf with lighter shades of pink. His cutie mark was (fittingly) three spearheads. "Shining Armor! Cadence!" He happily exclaimed as he rushed up to them. "How are the new 'rents? Gimme some hoof," After high hoofing both of his guests, the pegasus embraced them both in a hug. "Oh, it is so good to see you dudes! And Shining Armor, my it's been a long time! You haven't aged a day."

Shining chuckled. "Trust me, I may not look it, but on the inside I feel like I've aged a good year or two. Being a father will do that to you," Then he added. "And we're glad to be here, we're having a great time! I can't even remember the last time Cadence and I had some time to ourselves since Flurry came into our lives!"

"She's adorable, but she's also quite the hoofful," Cadence commented. "I thought my experiences with foalsitting had me prepared for motherhood. Boy was I was wrong."

Spearhead chuckled. "A shame you couldn't bring the little one with you, I'd love for her to get to meet her Uncle Spearhead."

"Honestly, I don't think looking at art's Flurry's thing. She prefers to make her own, in more ways than you might imagine," Shining replied to Spearhead. "But I gotta say, Cadence and I wouldn't trade this for the world. We're loving all the... art!"

"Uh, that's actually a trash can." Spearhead commented as he noticed where Shining's eyes were drifting.

Realizing his mistake, Shining hastily corrected with a laugh. "So it is! I knew that!"

Spearhead then added. "Ah, but hey, who's to say it's not art? Art can be anything that speaks to you. It changed my whole world," Leading Shining and Cadence along to a huge, black piece of paper, he added. "Check it out, this is my latest piece - 'A Thousand Nights in a Hallway'."

Staring at the empty paper, all Cadence could say was. "Wow, I guess nighttime in a hallway can be pretty dark."

"Indeed, there is none more dark." Spearhead declared in a completely serious tone. It seemed that his sense of artistic vision was... an acquired taste.

"Yeah. Totally." Shining remarked, hoping his friend wouldn't notice how beyond baffled he was.

"Hey, it's better than the alternative," Cadence spoke up, attempting to be optimistic. "Usually we're covered in Mashed Peas by now. Or worse."





Using her magic, Starlight carefully taped a new diaper to Flurry Heart's rear, breathing a sigh of relief when the job was done. Unfortunately, that was only one problem that was taken care of. There was still the matter of Mashed Peas that were splattered over all the dining room walls.

"When they said Mashed Peas were your favorite, did they mean your favorite to decorate an entire room with?" Starlight questioned the foal, who just laughed and clapped her hooves as if it were all a game. With a groan, the unicorn realized she wasn't going to get any answers out of her charge. She just lit up her horn and summoned over several sponges, and a bucket of warm, soapy water. With a flick of her horn, the sponges started scrubbing the walls, removing all traces of the disgusting green mush that had been plastered onto it during the feeding session earlier.

All the while, Starlight kept one eye on Flurry, as if she thought the alicorn would get into more trouble the second she wasn't looking. "Seriously, how does Sunburst put up with you?" She remarked, looking the foal square in the eyes. "No wonder your parents need a break, you must drive them completely crazy. Especially when you..." The mare trailed off, not even bothering to continue the thought.

At last the walls were clean, as were Starlight and Flurry. "Swear to Celestia, if I ever have foals, they better not be as troublesome as you," Starlight remarked, as she again took Flurry into her magical embrace. "Well, feeding time's done, finally," But just then, the unicorn's stomach let out a huge growl. "For you anyway, not for me. We'd better fix that," And suddenly, a thought struck the mare. "You know what, why don't we go to Sugarcube Corner? Pinkie can probably give me some pointers on how to take care of foals, since she watches the Cake Twins all the time. And you could probably make some new friends."

Flurry seemed to be satisfied with her caretaker's decision, as she more or less cooperated as she was placed into her stroller and buckled in securely. Starlight made sure to levitate over Whammy to keep the foal occupied. "Can't forget that. She'll need it when I set her down for a nap later." She thought, and then pushed the stroller out of the castle doors and into the bright sunshine. Stored inside a small pouch, was the earring shaped device Twilight had given Starlight earlier.





As luck would have it, Sugarcube Corner was mostly unoccupied as Starlight carefully parked the stroller near the entrance and took Flurry out of it, carrying her inside.

Pound and Pumpkin Cake were off to one side near the counter, playing with their toys and paying no attention to the world around them. And behind the counter was none other than Pinkie Pie herself.

Starlight carefully placed Flurry next to the twins, gently encouraging her. "Go on, introduce yourself. They're only a year or two older than you."

Pound stared at Flurry with his brown eyes, and Pumpkin the same with her blue eyes. They eyed the newcomer in their midst suspiciously. Flurry, for her part, just sat there and maintained an innocent expression. For a moment or two, not a sound was heard, the three foals just looked at each other, as if daring the other to say something. But the moment passed, and the twins accepted the newcomer without hesitation. Happy giggles and gurgles could be heard from the tiny trio, as they played with the toys.

Satisfied with this scene, Starlight turned her attention towards Pinkie Pie as she made her way up to the counter. Only now did the unicorn notice her appearance was a bit... disheveled. Her mane had a few bangs sticking out. But there wasn't time to fix that, she trotted up to Pinkie and greeted. "Hello, Pinkie. Sorry to drop by on such short notice. But you won't believe the day I've been having."

Pinkie took no notice of Starlight's appearance at first, she cheerfully greeted. "Hey, Starlight, glad to see you out and about again. I was starting to get worried about you," Then she added. "Here for a treat? Don't worry, I've got your favorite already prepared. Strawberry cupcakes with lavender frosting and a hint of vanilla! My 'Pinkie Sense' told me you were coming."

"But how did it know my favorite sweet?" Starlight questioned.

"It didn't, but the file in my party planning cave did," Pinkie explained. "Speaking of which, I gotta dig up some files. Let's just say, somepony has a lot of apologies to make," She then pulled on a lever and declared. "B.R.B!" Before she disappeared down a trap door, only to resurface a moment later with a huge stack of paper files that she plopped down onto the counter.

Meanwhile, unknown to either pony, there was trouble. Pound and Pumpkin both wanted to play with a toy balloon, and they refused to share it. They both tugged at it back and forth alternatively.

Flurry tried to get the attention of Starlight, tugging at her tail. But the unicorn payed no attention, she was too busy paying for her cupcakes to take any notice. And the mare she was talking to wasn't going to be of any help either, she was busy chatting with Starlight.

Well, if the grown-ups weren't going to be any of help, Flurry decided that she would just have to take matters into her own hooves. Since there was no second toy balloon in sight, the alicorn went for the next best option to stop the fighting. She grabbed the balloon with her magic and carefully broke it in two. "That way," The foal figured. "They'll both have half of the balloon to play with." She gave the basket to Pumpkin Cake and the canvas to Pound Cake, smiling at the two as she felt confident that she had solved the problem.

Unfortunately for Flurry, the twins didn't share in her opinion. As far as they were concerned, she had ruined their toy. Immediately, they chased after her, determined to get back at her. Flurry, with the help of her magic and her wings, stayed one step ahead of the foals. But the twins were not so easily bested. Since they couldn't get Flurry themselves, they opted to grab some cupcakes that had been left out, and fling them in Flurry's direction!

Flurry dodged the cupcakes, which splattered against the walls, staining them with various colored frosting!

By chance, Pinkie happened to glance in the direction of the mini food-fight, and her eyes widened enormously! In the process, she accidentally ripped up a paper that had been held in her hooves!

"Oh no, not that face!" Starlight exclaimed. "Please tell me it's not what I think it is! Tell me it's not..." But then the unicorn turned around and saw that indeed it was!

The Cake Twins continued to hurl cupcakes at Flurry, who kept dodging them as they splattered on the walls behind her. The interior of Sugarcube Corner was quickly being decorated with various colors of pink, blue, and yellow frosting.

"Pound Cake! Pumpkin Cake! You stop that at once!" Pinkie sternly called with a whistle! That did the trick, the Cake Twins stopped right in their tracks. Of all the ponies they didn't like to upset, Pinkie Pie was the one they went out of their way to try and be nice for. Something about her behavior when she stopped being all sweet and silly, frightened them.

Starlight, for her part, pulled Flurry close with her magic. Then she turned to Pinkie and asked. "Uh, what's your favorite dish, Pinkie?"

"The sampler platter." Pinkie glumly answered.

Starlight sighed. "Then, I guess Flurry and I will take two of those, to go."





While Starlight and Pinkie Pie were dealing with the aftermath of the great cupcake war, Shining Armor and Cadence were trying to find something to be intrigued by in Spearhead's art exhibits. The parents couldn't help but feel like perhaps they had chosen wrong, maybe this wasn't worth a day off from parenting.

Their thoughts were interrupted, as Spearhead showed off a display of hoof prints covered in what looked like a chocolate substance. "Feast your eyes. This one's called 'A Kitchen Guard's Journey', and it's based on a true story," Spearhead boasted. "Shining Armor can tell you all about it."

"Oh..." Was all Cadence could bring herself to say. She hadn't even really been paying attention to Spearhead's words.

But the art seemed to stir something deep inside Shining Armor, as he stared down at the art piece and suddenly commented. "This reminds me of the time Flurry got into the chocolate pudding, and we found little chocolate hoofprints all over the carpet."

Cadence giggled. "Oh, that took forever to clean up! But remember how cute her little face looked when we caught her in the act?"

Shining chimed in, fondly remembering that event as if it were yesterday. "Yeah, she was like 'Uh-oh!'" And then both he and his wife laughed. "Gosh, that feels like it was only yesterday. Has it really been almost half a year since then?" The stallion thought to himself. "Next thing you know, she's gonna be outgrowing her crib in the blink of an eye."

Spearhead, for his part, just commented. "Whoa, art is so evocative! But I wasn't even going for that memory! Score!"





Back at Sugarcube Corner, Starlight held the two parts of the broken toy balloon in the light turquoise glow of her magic. With a flick of her horn, the balloon was put back together as good as new, like it had never been broken in the first place. "There we go. Better?" Starlight asked the Cake Twins, as she carefully presented the toy to them.

Pound and Pumpkin eyed the balloon suspiciously for a moment and gave it an inspectory tug or two. The balloon held. They looked back up at Starlight and gurgled something akin to a "Thank you."

Meanwhile, Pinkie (with Flurry held in her grasp) had just finished scrubbing the walls clean of cupcake frosting. She had exhausted several buckets worth of soapy water, and at least two brushes that would need to be cleaned out.

Starlight then carefully levitated Flurry back over to her, breathing another sigh of relief as she sat down on one of the chairs near the tables. "I am so sorry about all that, Pinkie Pie," She sincerely commented. "Honestly, I don't know you do it with the Cake Twins. You make it look so easy."

But Pinkie only laughed. "Experience makes all the difference, Starlight. Trust me, the first time I foalsat these two bundles of joy, they practically drove me up a wall. Compared to them, Flurry's a piece of cake."

"Great, so it's just my own inexperience that's causing all these problems," Starlight sarcastically remarked. "That makes me feel so much better."

"Hey, I'm sure Sunburst had it just as rough as you do the first time he had to take care of Flurry Heart," Pinkie chimed in, as she went over and picked up the twins. "I'm sure you'll get better eventually. At least now you know not to take your eyes off a foal. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to give the twins a bath and set them down for their afternoon nap."

"Then I guess a playdate with Flurry is out of the question." Starlight frowned.

"Afraid so. Sorry I can't be of more help," The pink party pony apologized. "But foalsitting these toddlers is gonna keep me very busy. And then there's all those apology treats to tend to. Enjoy your sampler platters though."

Starlight watched her pink party friend disappear up the stairs with the twins in tow, then turned back to the young alicorn she was still tasked with watching. "She's still not worn out yet. But maybe a quick tour of Ponyville will do the trick?" The inexperienced foalsitter thought to herself.





With that goal in mind, Starlight was now wheeling Flurry through town in her stroller. But the foal showed no signs of tiring out anytime soon, it was almost as if she had no "off" switch.

"Okay, things aren't working out... quite like I hoped they would," The unicorn nervously chattered to herself, all the while pushing the stroller around with no particular destination in mind. "But it's okay, it's okay. I can manage," She began to ramble. "Everything's going to be okay. I mean, it's all gone bad so far. But I can't imagine it possibly getting worse. It CAN'T get worse! It just can't! If it does I'll... well I don't know what I'll..."

But before the unicorn could say anything more, she was cut off by a huge spray of milk right to her face, courtesy of Flurry Heart. The foal apparently had tried to drink from the bottle, unaware that Starlight had presented it the wrong way (the nipple facing away from the foal). And as a result, the milk had squirted out when the alicorn tried to unseal the top.

Starlight shook her head, shaking off the milk. She took one look at Flurry, whose eyes seemed to be full of worry, and told her charge. "It's alright, that was Auntie Starlight's fault. It's what she gets for not paying attention. Besides, I needed that squirt to the face."

Flurry just continued to babble, before all of a sudden the stroller zoomed past the hospital. The very same hospital where Twilight was more than likely inside, reading to all those sick foals. Now that the alicorn thought about it more, she swore she could faintly remember hearing the grown-ups mention something about a hospital. But a hospital was for sick ponies and doctors and nurses, and Auntie Twily wasn't one of those.

She didn't belong in that hospital, she was supposed to be tending to her favorite niece.

Well, there was only one way to rectify that problem. Flurry was prepared to seize control of her stroller, crash it through the front door, and get her Auntie Twily out of that place.

Starlight, however, was one step ahead of the foal. "Oh no you don't! Not this time! Auntie Starlight's not letting you get away!" Starlight firmly declared, enveloping the stroller in her magic, pulling it close, and locking its wheels with a flick of her horn.

Furious at being thwarted, the little alicorn pouted and turned her head. This Starlight was not her auntie, not if she was going to spoil her fun like this. Even Mr. Sunburst never tried to stop her from seeing somepony, he just took the liberty of taking Flurry there himself. So what if this Starlight pony had been with Mr. Sunburst and Auntie Twily a couple of times? She didn't owe this stranger anything, and her parents had told her to be careful around strangers.

Sensing that the foal was going to be difficult, Starlight began to dig through her saddle bag. She'd taken the liberty of packing some supplies, just in case. "No, no, no. Come on, where is it?! I know I didn't forget it!" She complained, tossing aside a box of diapers, jars of Mashed Peas, empty baby bottles, and even a pacifier. Of course, she made sure to keep the objects enveloped in the light turquoish glow of her horn. At last, she pulled out the object she'd been looking for. Whammy, Flurry's stuffed snail.

"Look who I have, Flurry Heart!" The weary foalsitter called out, holding out the stuffed snail and shaking it a little. "It's Whammy, your favorite toy!"

Flurry snatched up the toy in a heartbeat and clutched it tight, she LOVED Whammy! Wait a minute, what was she doing? Starlight was just using the toy to exert control over her, trying to prove that she was an auntie. Flurry wouldn't give her the pleasure. The foal picked up the stuffed snail and without a second thought she threw it out of the stroller!

At that very moment, a stallion dressed in a white gown of some kind came strolling along, whistling a tune to himself as he wheeled a cart. He didn't even notice when a stuffed snail landed right on it, as he wheeled his cart right through the front door of the hospital.

But Starlight had noticed! "No! Not Whammy! Of all the things to lose, it can't be that!" She cried out and rushed after the stallion while shouting at him! "Stop! Please!" But it was no use, all she got for her troubles was a door slam to the face! The stallion was gone, and Whammy with him.





The news was slow to sink in for Flurry, but once it did her reaction was swift! Tears welled up in her eyes and she began to wail loudly, kicking her legs all about! Her horn began to glow its bright yellow aura, and she suddenly disappeared right before Starlight's horror stricken eyes!

"Oh no! Flurry, you get back here!" Starlight demanded, before she lit up her own horn and tried to follow Flurry!

But without a lead on the foal's destination, keeping up with the young alicorn proved difficult. Especially when she seemed intent on turning the whole hospital upside down to find her plushie.

As luck would have it though, just as Starlight was beginning to tire out from the constant teleporting, she spotted the cart Whammy was resting on just outside a room on the first floor. Apparently, the stallion wheeling the cart had stopped there and parked the cart outside for whatever reason.

Taking advantage of the situation, Starlight quickly snatched up the plushie. That was one problem taken care of, but how to solve the matter of finding Flurry?

Well, Starlight needn't have worried. Because at that moment there came a crash down from the hall! "Could it be?" Starlight wondered aloud. She ran to the source of the disturbance, finding an overturned janitor's cart, and the stallion from earlier holding Flurry firmly in his hooves while she kicked about. But he wasn't the only one there, Nurse Redheart also happened to have stumbled upon the scene, as had Doctor Stable. All of them had pronounced frowns, as a huge puddle of water covered the floor from the cart right up to where the ponies were standing.

"Miss, I believe this foal is yours," Doctor Stable said quite sternly. "And I kindly suggest you keep a closer eye on her from now on. You're just fortunate the only thing she spilled was water."

Starlight carefully pryed Flurry from the janitor's hooves, still clutching Whammy in her magic. Then she teleported back outside the hospital, though not before apologizing. "Sorry for the mess."

Once outside the hospital, Starlight plopped her charge back into the stroller and sternly scolded. "That was a very bad thing to do, Flurry! Somepony could've gotten hurt!"

Flurry didn't seem to notice, she was too busy holding onto Whammy as if she feared she would lose it again if her grip at all loosened for any reason.

"Hey! I'm talking to you, and you will look me in the eye!" Starlight demanded, stomping a hoof down in protest! "Didn't your parents teach you any manners?!"

Flurry's response was to stick out her tongue and blow a raspberry at Starlight.

Unfortunately, the little taunt proved to be too much for Starlight. Already on edge and stressed out from everything else she'd put up with all day, she angrily shouted! "You little brat! You did a very bad thing, Flurry! And I have half a mind to tell everypony just how ill behaved of a trouble maker you are! And I hope if I ever have foals of my own, they don't turn out to be as spoiled as you are! You're a bad baby!"

Almost immediately, the unicorn regretted her outburst. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..." She began to apologize, but Flurry just wrapped her wings around her tiny body and started to sob softly.

Starlight gulped. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, that wasn't very nice of me. What you did was wrong, but I shouldn't have raised my voice and called you a brat and a bad baby," In a sincere tone of voice she added. "You're young yet, you don't know better. I should know better. All day long I've been so focused on how you drive me up the wall, and I never even stopped to realize I don't know the first thing about you. You weren't trying to give me a hard time, you just wanted somepony to be your friend," And she hung her head. "Some auntie I turned out to be. I never should've agreed to foalsit you in Twilight's place, not when I don't know a thing about foals," Digging into her saddlebag, she pulled out the earring device Twilight had given her earlier in the day. "I'll get somepony who actually understands you, somepony that can be trusted to keep you out of trouble and be there for you when your parents are not. You'll have a much better time with Auntie Twily."

However, as the unicorn mare moved to place the device on her left ear, Flurry carefully fluttered up and snatched it away, shaking her head. She then lightly booped her caretaker on the nose and made a funny face, before lowering herself to Starlight's chest and nuzzling her.

It didn't take a genius to realize what Flurry was trying to say. "You forgive me? You actually wanna spend time with me, even after all that?" Starlight inquired.

Flurry looked up and nodded, trying to wink again but only managing to succeed in nodding her head.

Reluctantly, Starlight put the earring shaped device back in her saddlebag and sealed it shut. "Well, I guess if you wanna give me another chance, who am I to disagree? Now, are you gonna be a good little pony for your Auntie Starlight?"

Flurry babbled something incoherent, which Starlight took as a sign that the little alicorn would obey. "Alright. Well, we'd better clean up the mess you made. And then I think we need to put you down for a nap, you don't wanna be all cranky when your parents come to pick you up."





Back at the art display, Shining and Cadence were finding it hard to forget about Flurry. Everywhere they went they saw things that reminded them of her. By now, tears were starting to fall from their eyes. But they didn't care.

"This one kind of reminds me of Flurry's hair." Cadence commented as she looked at a picture of a purple and blue icing colored cake.

"Uh-huh," Shining nodded, before he stared at a small golden shield. "And this one reminds me of Flurry too."

"How so?" Spearhead asked.

"It's small... like her!" Shining answered. And then he declared. "I-I can't do this anymore! Spearhead, not that this hasn't been great, but—"

"Say no more, man," Spearhead interrupted. "I get what you're trying to say. My art has always spoken to me about what I love. But knowing that it spoke to you about what you love speaks to me."

"What...?" Shining questioned. "Spearhead, this isn't the time to be vague."

"Then go to her, man!" Spearhead encouraged. "Cherish all the time you can get! Those memories are more important than my art!"

"Thanks, Spearhead! Sorry to drop out like this!" Shining replied, and then he and Cadence rushed away to find Flurry!





The two parents returned to the castle a short time later, and as they opened the door they heard sounds of giggling and magic zaps echoing through the halls of the castle.

"Flurry?! Where's our little foal?!" Shining called. Before all of a sudden the little alicorn appeared before him. "Ah!" He briefly exclaimed, before he pulled his daughter close and cooed. "Oh, we missed you so much! Yes we did! Yes we did!"

Flurry excitedly babbled as Starlight and Twilight appeared in the front hallway, clearly trying to convey something.

"But it looks like you had a great time without us." Cadence concluded.

"Well, not entirely," Twilight explained, nudging Starlight forward. "But I think it's best if you hear from Starlight, like I did."

Starlight swallowed a lump in her throat and explained. "I'm afraid Flurry got into some mischief, but it wasn't all her fault. I thought I could handle her for a few hours, and didn't take the time to really get to know her. I thought she was just trying to give me a hard time, when in reality she didn't know better. But Flurry taught me an important lesson today. It turns out that being the best aunt ever isn't about spending the most time with your niece, but spending quality time with her. Oh, and she taught me a really cool bear game, so I guess I learned two things."

Twilight smiled and then added. "I found the two of them playing that bear game when Spike and I came home. She should be all tuckered out now and ready for a nice, long nap."

"Where is Spike, anyway?" Cadence wondered. "I don't see him with you."

"Well, let's just say I needed a special apology delivered to some ponies. And Spike had a story he wanted to read to the foals," Starlight answered. "Twilight was okay with it, dragons can't catch pony diseases, just like ponies can't catch dragon diseases."





At the hospital, Spike was reading to the sick foals from his favorite novel The Dashing Dragonlord. "'The dashing dragon warrior breathed a scorching flame from his snout, then chuckled to himself as he flew into the sunset. 'If you can't stand the heat, don't fight a dragon!''" He narrated, standing atop a cart with his fist clenched up not unlike the hero himself.

"Wow, you're even cooler than I'd thought you'd be!" A random foal commented. "You should read to foals more often, Mr. Spike."

"Thank you, Peach Fuzz," Spike replied. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better see how the hospital staff are enjoying their apology cake."