Nearly nine years had passed since Princess Twilight had taken Morning Shine and Eclipse in, but Friendship Castle had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the beautiful crystal structure; and it crept into the front door. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Nine years ago, there had been lots of pictures of light orange unicorn filly, with an indigo mane with pink and blue stripes and purple eyes - but Princess Sparkling Radiance was no longer a baby, and neither were the Glimmer children. And the mantle held a multitude of photos the three foals playing together, and a big family portrait.
And Morning Shine and Eclipse led a perfectly normal life, until one fateful day...
“Rise and shine every pony!” Twilight said.
Morning Shine woke with a start. She rolled out of bed and went to nudge her younger brother awake. Eclipse responded by levitating his pillow and throwing it over his head.
“Every pony up!” Twilight said bursting in the room, causing both foals to be startled and Eclipse to fall out of bed.
Shine heard her trotting toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. The siblings walked out of the room to help their ‘aunt’ with breakfast, and Eclipse tried to remember the dream he had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a dragon in it. He had a funny feeling he’d had the same dream before.
“Good morning Auntie Twilight,” the two said drowsily.
“Good, you’re up,” she smiled. “Morning Shine? Could you watch the hash browns for me please? I want to make sure everything is ready before we leave to the Canterlot History Museum,”
“Does every place that we go to have to have an educational purpose?” Eclipse groaned.
“All the more reason to go,” Twilight responded.
“Where’s Radiance?” Morning Shine asked.
“And Uncle Flash?” Eclipse added.
“Radiance is packing the essentials and Flash is-” Twilight was interrupted by a loud snore coming from upstairs. “I’ll go get him,”
Even though Flash was technically family, he always had a rather bad temper. And that temperament was normally taken out on Morning Shine and Eclipse, even if they didn’t do anything intentionally. Twilight would defend them though, and so would Radiance. A few minutes later Twilight came back down with a grumpy Flash, and a ready to go Sparkling Radiance.
“Morning Shine make sure those hashbrowns don’t burn! And Eclipse, stop slouching!” Flash Sentry barked.
“Dad, just because you didn’t get enough beauty sleep doesn’t mean you can take your grumpiness out on Morning Shine and Eclipse,” Sparkling Radiance retorted.
Flash grumbled as he picked up his morning paper and coffee. The five sat down and started eating when the Ponyville clock tower struck eight.
“Oh my gosh! It’s eight o’clock! We’re going to miss the train to Canterlot!” Twilight shrieked.
“But what about-?” Radiance started.
“No, time for breakfast! We’ll get something on the train!” Twilight shouted as she teleported everyone to the Ponyville Train Station with a ‘POP!’.
Half an hour later the five had arrived in Canterlot and headed to the museum. Flash reminded everyone ‘no funny business’ while they were there. But Morning Shine and Eclipse felt it was directed mainly towards them. They looked at each exhibit and all of them, except Twilight, were practically bored out of their mines. There were many ponies there, mostly adults and field trips on tour.
“And this is the exhibit of the Great Magic War, the final battle of Sire’s Hollow-” the tour guide started.
‘Sire's Hollow? Isn’t that where my parents, Eclipse and I lived?’ Morning Shine thought.
Morning Shine started walking towards that section of the museum when she felt a tap on her shoulder.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Flash demanded.
“I overheard a tour guide talking about The Great Magic War. And I wanted to see the exhibit,” Morning Shine stated.
“I told you no funny buis-” Flash started.
“Flash,” Twilight stated calmly. “I’ll handle this,”
Flash stormed off. And went to find Radiance and Eclipse.
“I don’t think you’re ready for that exhibit yet, Morning Shine,” Twilight said.
“But Auntie-” Morning Shine started.
“I’m sorry Shine, but a no is still a no. Now come on, Sparkling Radiance found a endangered species exhibit,” Twilight grinned.
Twilight lead Morning Shine to the endangered species exhibit. But Morning Shine was still curious and turned her head around looking back longingly.
“What did you find Radiance?” Twilight asked.
“A massasauga, or Sistrurus catenatus, native to North Amarerica,” Radiance responded.
Twilight smiled at her daughter, and then saw her husband reaching towards the glass.
“Flash! Don’t tap that class! You’ll irritate the snake.” Twilight hissed.
Eclipse moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid ponies drumming their hooves on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Eclipse’s. It winked. Eclipse stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. He looked back at the snake and winked, too. The snake jerked its head toward Flash.
“I know,” Eclipse murmured through the glass, though he wasn’t sure the snake could hear him. “It must be really annoying.”
The snake nodded vigorously.
“Was it nice in Amarerica?” Eclipse asked.
The snake jabbed its tail at the sign again and Eclipse read on: This specimen was bred in the museum. “Oh, I see - so you’ve never been to Amarerica?”
As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Eclipse made both of them jump. “HEY, TWI! LOOK AT THIS!”
Flash, along with Twilight, Radiance, and Morning Shine, made their way back to the snake's enclosure. Ponies from all around gathered to see the snake and what it was doing. Eclipse in the process being shoved to the floor. Then the ‘oos’ and ‘ahhs’ turned into screams of terror. Eclipse sat up and gasped; the glass front of the snake’s tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. Ponies throughout the exhibit screamed and started running for the exits.
As the snake slid swiftly past him, Eclipse could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, “Amarerica, here I come… Thanksss, friend.”
The keeper of the exhibit was in shock.
“But the glass,” he kept saying, “where did the glass go?”
The director himself apologized over and over again, to Twilight. When they got home Flash pulled both Eclipse and Morning Shine aside.
“What did you two do?!” he demanded.
“I - I don’t know!” Eclipse stammered.
“Don’t lie! You did something!” Flash said, his voice level rising.
“Uncle Flash, we honestly don’t know!” Morning Shine protested.
“Flash!!” Twilight shouted her voice cutting through the castle corridor. “That is enough! They are growing unicorns, and so is your daughter! And growing unicorns have magical spurts that are unpredictable! I should know, I was a born a unicorn!”
Morning Shine and Eclipse backed away, trotted up the stairs, and closed their bedroom door behind them. But they could still hear their ‘aunt’ arguing up a storm.
“They have been living with us for nine years, Flash! They’re practically family! When are you going to start treating them like one?” Twilight finished, and marched to the library to leave Flash to ponder on his actions.