//------------------------------//
// Jealous? 
// Story: Foalhood Days 
// by KayeStar 
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And they weren't surprised to discover they were right.

After Eos  recovered, Celestia returned to her usual antics of hyperactivity and  mischief. And it was easier to get away with it. Having kept her parents  on her toes when she was the only child, having a newborn around seemed  to make it a cinch. She set a new record with sliding on the roof at  sixty-four slides in a row without getting caught. She'd definitely show  Luna how to do this when she got older.

"A  partner in crime," Celestia thought as she was dragged inside by her  exhausted father. She'd be unstoppable! Without thinking, she rushed off  to her room, leaving Astraios no time to scold her as he was distracted  by the sight of his wife fast asleep with her head in a wash tub.  Astraios nudged her awake and walked her to bed, but they both fell out  as soon as they made contact with the comfortable piece of furniture.  Thankfully, their flop on the bed hadn't awoken Luna, who fell asleep  mere minutes ago.

However, as weeks passed, nighttime was proving to be a different story.  Celestia could keep herself occupied during most of the day with no  problem, but nighttime was when she wanted her parents' attention, and  Luna was her competition in that. At first, she just tried to sleep to  avoid Luna's crying, but she soon became fed up of her baby sister  getting all the attention, and for what? Crying. She hated having to  wait until Luna was quiet for her parents to read her a story or sing  her a lullaby. Besides, if she let Luna have their attention all day,  why couldn't she have her parents all night? Luna was a cute baby, but  Celestia was the big kid in this house. She was going to show Luna!

If Luna cried at night, Celestia threw a tantrum. She cried as long as  Luna did. If Luna got an extra feeding, Celestia wanted more food too.  Luna was fussy during a bath? Celestia refused to take one at all.  Celestia drew the line at diapers, though she almost gave in to the  thought of wearing one when she saw how her parents fussed to clean Luna  up. Why didn't they fuss like that to clean her up?

One thing often said about parenting was it forced one, especially a  mother, to learn patience they never thought they'd have. Celestia's  parents hadn't been an exemption to this unwritten rule, but that  learned patience was a far distance from infinity.

Finally, one night, that fuse blew.

Luna  was inconsolable, crying endlessly for a reason her parents could not  find. While they scrambled to calm her, Celestia eventually joined in,  impatient for her parents to read and sing her to sleep, wailing as  loudly over Luna as she could. With two children wailing their small  hearts out, the stress finally erupted, and Eos's and Astraio's target was a  mere few feet in front of them.

"Celestia, that's enough!!"

Shocked out of her tantrum, Celestia quieted instantly. Astraios took Luna off  of Eos's hooves while the latter silently, but furiously, ordered  Celestia to her room. Celestia needed to no words to know she was in  deep mud as her mother followed behind. She would've been genuinely  tearful if she hadn't tired herself from her fake tantrum. Eos closed  the door behind them, unintentionally slamming it, but that was just  another sign to Celestia she best not so much as breathe in the wrong  direction, or else, not that she wanted to know what the "or else" was.

"In your bed! Now!"

Celestia scurried into her bed and under her cover, though Eos quickly yanked it from over her head. Celestia held it wrapped around her as she  looked into her mother's furious eyes, mouth clamped shut.

"Celestia, you are not a baby!" Eos scolded her. "You are too old to behave like that!"

Celestia wanted to mutter something about how things were unfair, but she thought better of it.

"Sometimes,  Luna needs both of us just like you! When we calm Luna down, we will  pay attention to you! You are not to leave your room any more tonight,  young lady!"

Eos trotted out without a word more, leaving a disheartened Celestia wrapped  like a bundle alone to reflect. Though all Celestia really did was pull  the cover back over her head and sniffle softly.

After  what felt like an eternity, Luna finally cried herself to sleep. Her  exhausted parents set her down in her bassinet before passing out in  their own bed. They hadn't even been able to stay awake long enough to  pull themselves up onto the bed.

Three of the home's four residents were now deep in slumber.

The  one who remained awake was packing a small saddlebag, not caring for  any noise she made because she doubted she could be heard. She threw in a  blanket and one of her stuffed toys. She peeked outside of her room,  looked both ways, and walked out across the short distance toward her  parents' room. Quietly, she popped her head in. The sight failed to  surprise her. She'd waited and waited, and took the hint when the wait  proved for naught.

She turned  away, grabbed a piece of fruit from the kitchen, and walked out the  door, opening and closing it as quietly as possible.

"Bye-bye."