It was a beautiful spring morning in the Crystal Empire. In a certain house on a certain street, Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst lay in bed. Life was good. Starlight was able to go to Ponyville whenever she wanted thanks to some of her own magical innovations, and that helped in her role as a guidance counselor. Sunburst was doing his best to teach Princess Flurry Heart, and was proud that she flourished as much as she did. The two of them stretched themselves awake, looking each other in the eye.
“Hey there, handsome.” Starlight greeted.
Sunburst put on a dopey grin with a nervous laugh. “Hey, yourself.”
Starlight inched her head closer to his. “I love waking up to you every morning… It makes me want to…”
Sunburst followed suit, inching just a little bit forward. “Want to what?”
She moved even closer. “Makes me want to…”
Sunburst took his turn. “Yes?”
The two Unicorns came close enough to nearly touch noses, both with enamored smiles on their faces. “Makes me want to do this…” She puckered her lips, making Sunburst do the same as they began to close the distance. As they were about to make contact, a strange, awful feeling welled up in the mare's stomach. She lurched back, throwing the blanket off of herself and running for the nearest wastebasket to hang her head over and let out that witch demanded freedom.
Sunburst slowly sat up, floating his glasses onto his muzzle and looking curiously at his special somepony. “Hm… Wasn't expecting that…”
Starlight and Sunburst slowly walked into the Crystal Empire castle, the stallion’s hoof held firmly on the mare’s back. Starlight’s head hung low, her earlier sickness still lingering in the back of her mind. They made their way into the throne room, where Starlight sat against the wall. Flurry galloped to her Crystaller immediately, guiding him to another part of the castle. Starlight waved a shaky farewell to her favorite stallion, walking over to the throne upon which Princess Cadence sat. “Good morning, Princess…” She lit her horn, pulling forward a scroll. “Today, you have--”
Cadence put her hoof on the parchment, moving it aside to look at the mare holding it. “Are you okay, Starlight? You look ill.”
“Ill? What do you mean, ill?” She asked, averting her eyes. “I’m just fine! Just having a few…” Her cheeks distended again, bringing her hoof over her mouth with a woozy groan. She took a moment to right herself, giving the Alicorn a lop-sided smile. “Just a few issues. It’s nothing!”
The Crystal Princes squinted, stepping over to the Unicorn and examining her. “That certainly doesn’t look like nothing.” She encased the smaller pony in her magic, focusing her horn on different parts of her body starting from the tip of her horn. “Let’s see what’s going on…”
Starlight began to squirm, sending a glare at the Alicorn. “Hey! Cadence! What are you doing? Put me down!”
“Not until I find out what’s wrong.” Cadence stated, moving slowly down her body with her spell. A light began to shine from within the magical mare, growing brighter the closer the Princess came to her midsection. Finally, she landed on her belly, where the glow reached its peak. Her eyes widened, letting Starlight loose from her magic. “I see…”
“See what?” Starlight wondered, finding her balance and facing the ruler. “What did you find?”
Cadence put her hoof over her heart, performing her patented calming technique. “You… may need to sit down for this.”
The door to Flurry’s room burst open with a force unlike Sunburst had ever felt. “SUNBURST!!!” The stallion and filly simultaneously jumped, landing a few feet away and looking to the doorway. There stood Starlight, seething with anger and surging with an aura that told the would-be wizard that he was in serious trouble. She stomped up to him, holding the clasp of his cloak with her magic. “Come with me… You and I need to talk.”
Sunburst began to shake. The look in Starlight’s eye was like nothing he had seen before, and it terrified him like nothing else. “Um… W-what is it you need to talk about…?”
Starlight pulled him in closer, getting nose-to-nose with him. “Nothing I can say in front of Flurry Heart.” She turned around, stomping out the door with the terrified teacher in tow. “Come on!”
Starlight closed the door behind them, letting Sunburst go and starting down the hall. “You need to take responsibility.”
“Responsibility?” He repeated, readjusting his cloak. “Responsibility for what?”
A frustrated growl came out of the mare. She spun around to face the stallion, aggressively pointing to her belly. “FOR THIS!!!” She stomped towards him again, keeping her hoof on her belly as she went. “You did this to me, and you need to take responsibility for it!”
“I don’t understand...“ He looked closely at the emphasized belly, giving it a soft poke with his hoof. “Did you put on weight or something?”
Sunburst was pulled up to Starlight’s angry face in an instant. “Are you saying I’m fat?!”
“No! No! Not at all!” He backed off, waving his hoof between them. “You’re beautiful! But… why would you think something like that?”
The mare’s growl grew ever more fierce. “I’M PREGNANT, YOU IDIOT!!!” She pulled on his hoof, putting it up against her belly. From within, he felt an extra spark of magic, sending a peculiar warmth into his body.
The warmth from within Sunburst’s favorite mare brought shock to his eyes while dropping his jaw. “You’re… pregnant?” He looked up at her furious face, going into a wide grin. “That’s incredible!” Starlight’s face softened at his reaction, letting out a yelp as he pulled her into a tight embrace. “We’re gonna have a foal of our very own! I love you so much!” He gave her one squeeze before releasing her and pacing around the hall. “We need to set up a room for it, and figure out when it’s due, and… Oh! I’m gonna have to do research on how to take care of it!” He put his hooves on his cheeks, excitedly pulling down on them. “I can see the books now!”
“Why are you so excited?!” Starlight asked, slamming her hoof into the floor. “I just told you that I’m going to have a baby! Why is that so wonderful?!”
“Isn’t it obvious?” He ran over to her again, putting his hooves on her shoulder. “It’s because we’re having a baby! We’re bringing a new life into the world! What’s not to be excited about?”
Starlight paused a moment, taking the chance to get a better look at him. They had both begun hyperventilating with sheer emotion. There was a smile like she’d never seen plastered onto his muzzle, like he was ready to take on the world. She looked inward, finding something extremely different in her own heart. This was something she was not prepared for. “You… don’t understand…” She moved Sunburst’s hooves from her shoulders, beginning a long trudge down the hallway. “I’m going to Ponyville…”
Starlight plodded down the crystal hallways, headed for the teleportation array. Her thoughts were a jumble with the gravity of her situation. I don’t see how he can be so excited… I know how wonderful having a foal is for most ponies, but… I’m not exactly most ponies… “Maybe the girls might understand it better…” She stopped at the arrangement of crystals, breathing a sigh and slowly reaching her hoof out.
“Starlight! Where are you going?” A shrill soprano called out amidst the sound of hooves on crystal. Starlight looked to the source of it, seeing Trixie frantically galloping her way. She skidded to a stop next to her best friend, grabbing the hoof and pulling it to her. “I just heard the news! I can’t believe you’re having a baby!”
“Yeah… Neither can I…” She pulled her hoof away, making for the crystal.
Trixie pulled the hoof back again, looking her in the eye. “So… Why don't we go celebrate? You don't get news like this every day, you know!”
“I don't know, Trix… I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it.” She put her hoof in her belly, gently rubbing it back and forth. “Maybe getting a little perspective can help with that.”
Trixie gave her an understanding nod, quickly turning back to a smile as she spread her forelegs. “That doesn't mean you can't enjoy the moment, though!” Her hooves came to Starlight's cheeks, forcing her into a smile. “Come on! Be happy! You're gonna be a mommy!”
Trixie's hooves fell away, causing the corners of Starlight's mouth to drop in kind. “Yeah… That's what I'm afraid of…”
And that was all the illusionist needed to hear. “Oh.” She looked over to the glowing crystals next to them. “So, you wanna go to Ponyville, huh?”
“Yeah… I'm hoping the girls might be able to help me figure some things out.”
“Well, you're not going anywhere without the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrrixie by your side!” She reared up, flailing her forelegs for emphasis. “Just let me get my things, and I'll go with you, okay?”
“Okay, okay, I’ll wait for you.” Starlight relented with a small laugh. “Just don’t take too long! I’ve still gotta be at the school if they need me!” The magician sent her a confident nod, galloping back into the castle. Starlight turned back towards the array, putting her hoof back onto her belly and letting her thoughts take hold until more hoofsteps came toward her. “Alright, Trix, you ready to--” She faced the source, finding Sunburst in the same frantic gallop she’d seen Trixie in before. “Sunburst?! What’s going on?”
The stallion slid to a stop in front of her, breathing heavily and holding his hoof out. “Don’t… leave… without me!” His rump fell to the floor as his breathing began to even out. “I don’t know what it is that I don’t understand, but you and I are in this together!” He lifted his head to look her in the eye. “Where you go, I go! Got it?”
With a soft smile, Starlight put her hoof on her special somepony's shoulder. “Got it.”
In the throne room of the Castle of Friendship, Boltsinger hummed to himself as he swept the floor. The throne room had gotten a buildup of dust as of late, and he found himself with the free time to take care of it. With a twirl of his broom, he started for the glowing crystal array that served as their quick access to the Crystal Empire and the friends who lived there. He found himself wondering just how some of them were doing, as he hadn't seen them in quite some…
POOF.
Boltsinger’s wings instinctively flapped away from a sudden flash of white next to the crystals at the end of the room. Standing where he had been was three Unicorns and a travelling wagon, with the pony pulling it grandly raising her foreleg. “THE GRRREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRIXIE… and friends… HAVE ARRIVED!!!”
“I can see that!” Boltsinger called. The Unicorns looked up, finding the Pegasus hanging on one of the branches of the chandelier. He loosened his grip, righting himself and landing atop the wagon. “Good to see you, Trixie, but could you maybe not bring the wagon into the throne room next time?”
“I can try, but I won’t make any promises!” The magician replied, detaching herself from the wagon. “But, I’m not the one you should be worrying about right now.”
Boltsinger jumped down from the wagon, eyeing his friends with a curiously cocked eyebrow. “Oh? And what should I be worrying about?”
Starlight averted her eyes with an awkward laugh. “Worried? No reason to be worried at all!” She started a walk past the map, keeping her pace slow and careful as Sunburst rushed to her side. She sent the cloaked stallion a quick glare. “Sunburst, ease up! I'm pregnant, not cripp--” Her eyes widened, slowly turning her head to the bluenette. His jaw was slowly but surely dropping, with his hoof raised toward her. “Now, Bolt, I know you think you heard a certain word, but--” She was cut off by her own yelp as a streak of orange and blue snatched her up. The very next instant, she was in the comfiest chair in the library. A second later, a blanket was draped over her, followed soon by an end table with a lamp on top, a plate of various snacks, and a cup of steeping tea. “What the…?”
“Anything else you need?” Boltsinger inquired, standing firm at the side of the chair.
“Yeah… Maybe an explanation?”
Boltsinger blinked, wondering what she meant. “Explanation? For what?” The mare’s only response was a flat expression and a gesture to all of the things around her. “Oh… That.” He scratched his mane with his wing, looking away for a moment. “Well, you said you were pregnant, and I just kinda… acted on instinct.”
“That was instinct?” She asked, recoiling to the point of hitting the back of the chair. Boltsinger gave her a bashful nod. “But that was almost Pinkie Pie levels of efficiency! How in Equestria is that just instinct?!”
“It becomes instinct when you’re a dad.” He retorted, turning to the door. “You get comfortable. I'm gonna go get Twilight.”
Starlight rolled her eyes, deciding that prying about it wouldn't be a good idea. She waved him off, floating over a book and opening it up. I guess this part isn't so bad, having the support of my friends… It's just… “I wish I knew how to say it…”
“Say what?” Sunburst wondered, trotting over alongside their favorite stage magician. “Is there something wrong?”
She gave him a soft smile as he sat beside her, floating his hoof over to rest in hers. “There's nothing wrong… I'm just…” She looked at Trixie, taking a deep breath. “Just surprised to find out about…” She patted her belly. “... this.”
Trixie looked at her best friend's expression carefully. After all they had been through together, she had come to know when Starlight had deeper concerns, along with what those concerns might concern. She thought to reply, but found herself cut off by a squee that pierced the ears of everypony in the castle. That instant, Twilight appeared in front of her former pupil, her hooves already on her shoulders. “Congratulations!” She pulled her into a hug, the excitement practically radiating out of her. “I can't believe you're going to have a baby!” She retreated from the embrace, taking a long inhale. “How long has it been? For that matter, how did it happen?! Do you want us to set up a bedroom for the foal here at the castle? Does Sunburst's house even have enough room for a baby? Knowing you two, I bet it's going to be the most magical foal in all of Equestria! Might as well be an Alicorn, am I right? I bet you two are so happy with the news… I know I couldn't be happier!”
“Yeah… Happy.” She lingered for a moment more, pulling the blanket off of herself. “You know, as much as I… love... sharing the news, I think the school needs us.” She climbed out of the chair, taking a stretch and making for the door. “We can talk more afterwards.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, breathing a sigh and following suit. “Okay, fine. And, Sunburst?”
“Yes?”
“How would you like to help with the baby today?”
Sunburst's glasses fell from his muzzle at the request. “Wait, what?”
“I mean, it's a good idea.” Boltsinger stated, bringing a muffin from the kitchen to the dining room. “If you're gonna be a dad, it's best to have at least some parenting practice.”
Sunburst adjusted his glasses, casting a glance over to the resident baby. “I suppose, but I’m a Royal Crystaller. I have experience with babies.”
Boltsinger chuckled, placing the muffin in front of the colt. “You have experience with Flurry from when she was a baby, yes.” He sat next to the high chair, giving his son’s mane a tussle. “But that doesn’t mean you have experience with all babies.” He leaned on the high chair, bringing his muzzle close to Nova. “You’re a whole different pony, aren’t you, little Prince?” Nova giggled, booping his daddy on the nose and floating the muffin into his mouth. “And we’re gonna show Uncle Sunburst just what that means, aren’t we?”
Sunburst leaned in next to the foal, giving him a smile of his own. “Oh, come on, he can’t be that difficult.”
“Haven’t you handled Nova before?”
“Honestly? No.” He floated another muffin over from the kitchen, dropping it into the baby’s expecting hooves. “Every time you two leave him with somepony in the Crystal Empire, it's either Cadence, Shining Armor, or Starlight.”
“Oh yeah.” Boltsinger shrugged. “So you really only have experience with Flurry, huh?”
Sunburst nodded, lighting his horn to create various patterns in front of Nova. “As Crystaller, she's my number one priority. I look after her when she needs me, teach her, and lately I even take her places. Not that she really needs me to do all of that anymore.” He breathed a sorrowful sigh, shaking a rattle made out of magic. “Actually, Starlight's pregnancy has some pretty convenient timing.”
The Pegasus cocked an eyebrow, finding himself hit with a pang of realization. “Actually, that reminds me… You said something about Starlight being angry about all this. Why in Equestria would getting pregnant tick her of so much?”
“Your guess is as good as mine…”
Starlight sat in her office, leaning against the desk with her hooves on her temples. behind her sat Trixie, and across from her sat a distressed-looking pony. “So… Let me get this straight… You think your friend doesn't like you anymore because you didn't do well at feeding the bunnies?” The pony gave her a confirming nod, eliciting a groan from Starlight. “Okay, first of all, that bunny is no ‘angel’, so don't feel bad about him acting up. Second, do you honestly think your friendship would end based on that? Why don't you go talk to her? If she's as good at it as you say, she probably wouldn't mind helping you out.” The pony perked up, reaching over the desk and shaking Starlight's hoof before bolting out of the room. She lit her horn, taking a peek into the hall through the doorway. At long last, it was empty, forcing a sigh of relief out of the mare as she slumped back into her chair. “Finally! I thought it'd never end…”
“Well that's a weird thing for a guidance counselor to say…” Trixie noted.
Starlight's attention snapped back to lay upon the azure mare. “Excuse me?”
“What? I'm just saying that you normally aren't in such a hurry.” She explained, gesturing with her hoof as if she was pointing to notes on a list. “Or so impatient with the students, or irritable, or just overall snappy.”
“I am not snappy!” Starlight snapped.
Trixie pointed a casual hoof at her. “You see, that is what I meant by ‘snappy’.”
Starlight recoiled with a furious blush and a cloud billowing from her horn. “Yeah… well… You'd be ‘snappy’ too if you were in my hooves!”
“Would I?” The magician wondered, giving her a curious side-eye. “Would I really be snappy and angry just because I was pregnant?” She brought her horn to life, raising Starlight over the desk and placing her in the chair on the other side. “How about I be your guidance counselor today?” She climbed into the now-vacant office chair, floating a fresh cup of cocoa to her troubled comrade. “Why are you so mad about having a baby?”
Starlight alternated looks between her belly and her friend. Trixie was resting her head on her hooves, which were in turn supported by her elbows on the desk.The look on her face mirrored what she tried to do with the students that came in seeking help, letting her know that the desire to do so was genuine. She growled to herself, finally allowing herself to relent. “It’s just that… Having a baby isn’t the problem. It’s… well… it’s being a mom that scares me.”
The gaze of sincerity Trixie had worked to maintain decided to fall away, replaced with abject confusion. “But… You give good advice to these students all the time! You teach the Princess of Friendship lessons about friendship! Why, you went face to face with an evil Changeling queen and saved all of Equestria! Why would being a mom scare you?”
“Because I also took the Cutie Marks off of an entire village full of ponies, taking away their free will and demanding conformity due to a personal vendetta against the very concept of Cutie Marks.” She countered, bringing her hoof to her foreleg. “Oh, and then when that was taken away, I went back in time to try and erase the event that set almost all of Equestria’s recent history and current events in motion!”
Trixie rolled her eyes, waving a hoof between them. “So what? I’m the one who brought the Alicorn Amulet to Ponyville and enslaved the whole town just to get back at Twilight for humiliating me. But look at the pony I am now!” She brought her hoof over her heart, showing her cocky smirk. “I’m the Great and Powerful best friend to one of the best ponies in history!”
Starlight smiled for a fleeting moment, only just long enough for her thoughts to return. “But what if my foal is like me in all of the wrong ways? What if they become some horrible supervillain that plunges Equestria into eternal darkness and it’s all my fault?” She hung her head, repeating to herself that she couldn’t be sure, or that she just didn’t know.
Trixie took a long look at her first true friend. She had numerous comments on why she was wrong, hundreds of ways to make light of it and sound clever. They seemed like fun, and most times, she knew she’d say something along those lines right that instant. This was not most other times, however. This was her best friend in the whole world. She needed the truth. She mentally tossed aside all of her jokes, quips, and self-gratifications, leaning over the desk with a serious look on her face. “Starlight, listen to me.” Starlight looked back at her, foregoing any attempt at hiding the uncertainty she felt. “What your baby will be doesn’t have anything to do with your past.” She magically pulled on the mare’s hooves, bringing her forward and placing them in her own. “It’s all on you. If you don’t want your foal to be a supervillain, then don’t teach it to be one.”
“So, I should just hide my past from them?”
Trixie shook her head. “Personally, I think you should tell them about it.” She sprang up to stand on the desk, holding herself up on her hind legs and grandly gesturing with her foreleg. “Spare no details! Can you imagine what an amazing story that would be? Who needs some dusty old books when you can experience the life of Starlight Glimmer?”
“You know what? That actually sounds like fun!” Starlight affirmed, rising to her hooves. “You might be right! Maybe this won’t be such a disaster after all!” Her hoof found its way to her belly once again, rubbing gentle circles on it. “What do you say, little pony? You think we can pull this off?” Trixie smiled down at the confidence her advice had inspired with some confidence of her own. She made to get down from the desk, opening her mouth to respond when a familiar cry pierced the walls, causing something to click within the purple-maned mare.
The run to the castle was faster than Starlight thought it might be, as if she were being spurred on by something. She felt a pang of need to be where this crying was coming from, even despite the pain that was beginning to assault her ears as she and Trixie got deeper inside. Last she had seen, Sunburst was assisting Boltsinger with caring for Nova, and those were two of the most capable ponies she knew at handling babies! They turned a corner, heading towards the stairs, where the blue mare felt something at her hooves that forced her to the floor.
“Owwwwwwwww… What was that?” She looked behind her to see what the bump may have been, eyes widening at the sight. “Bolt?!”
The stallion in question lay on the floor, holding his hooves and wings over his ears and squirming in pain. The Unicorns each rushed to his side, Starlight shaking him rapidly. “Bolt! Are you okay?”
“Loud…” He wheezed, opening his eyes to look up at his friends. “... Too loud… Pain…”
“Where is Nova?”
“Dining room… With Sunburst”
Starlight breathed a sigh, patting the Pegasus on the side. “Trixie, can you stay with Mister Super Hearing? Maybe get him a little further away?”
Trixie nodded, magically hoisting the stallion onto her back. She strained a little at his weight, but gave Starlight a salute. “You have my… great… and powerful…” Her knees began to shake. “Oh, you know the rest!” She began slowly walking back the way they had come, letting Starlight continue her trek alone.
Eventually, she made it to the dining room doors, which were vibrating from the cries beyond. She took a deep breath, reaching for the door. She paused for a moment, her hoof simply hanging there. “It can’t honestly be that bad, can it? I mean, Bolt is only out of commission from this because he has those super ears. It’s not like one baby’s crying would be enough to incapacitate somepony, right?” She gave herself a firm nod, putting her hoof on the door. “Unless… He has his dad’s volume…” She shook her head, strengthening her force and her resolve. With one push, the door was open.
And she went flying back to the wall behind her from the sheer force of the sound. She strained to see what was inside, finding Sunburst cowering on the floor by a hovering Nova. The baby’s hooves clutched his head, as if he was in some kind of pain, which only made the crying grow louder. Her horn came to life, the magic spreading around her to both shield her from the force, and move her forward. She floated up to the tiny pony, putting her hooves on either side of him. “Hey, Nova! What’s wrong?” She wrapped her forelegs around him, pulling him close and carefully cradling him. “Why are you crying, little guy? Everything’s okay! Aunty Starlight’s gotcha!” His wings stopped their flapping, but his hooves remained where they were. His ears folded down as if to muffle any noise, but it didn't seem to be helping. He looks like he's in pain... Does that mean he has his dad's ears, too? In that case… The magic around her body dissipated as her horn flared with more intensity. From the tip cam a small beam that rose above them, expanding out into a bubble that surrounded them. In the instant the bubble touched the floor, the echo around them stopped. Starlight continued rocking him, touching the tip of his horn with her own to send a gentle warmth through him. “There, now… It was just too loud, wasn’t it? Do you feel better now?” His crying began to die down, letting his hooves fall away from his head as he opened his eyes.
What the little Alicorn saw above him was not what he expected. Normally, when he was held like this, it was either his mommy or his daddy, sometimes Mama Celestia or Mama Velvet, but this time… This time the comfy forelegs and the warm smile came from Aunty Starlight! She'd never held him like this before! Not that he didn't like it, of course. But it felt almost like she was a mommy, too. It gave him a measure of peace, and he nuzzled into her, warmth and all.
“You ready to get out of this bubble now?” She asked, stroking the colt’s mane. He babbled a confirmation, hugging her tighter. She softly nodded, dispelling her bubble of silence to reveal them to the gawking stallion by the table. She put Nova back in his high chair, tussling his mane affectionately and turning to Sunburst. “So. Can you tell me what happened to make Nova cry so loud that the echo hurt his ears?”
Sunburst adjusted his now-cracked glasses, stepping over to the foal. “I don't know what happened! All I did was pick him up! Then he started crying, and I tried to soothe him like whenever Flurry had a fit, but then he just screamed louder!”
“Let me guess… You used magic the whole time, didn't you?” She was met with a nervous nod, prompting her hoof to meet her forehead. “Of course you did…” She took a deep, calming breath, pulling her special somepony over to sit next to the colt. “One thing you should probably know about Nova is that he hates to be held with magic. Nopony knows why, he just doesn’t like it. Handle him with direct contact, and you’ll be fine.”
“I guess Boltsinger had a point when he said that my ‘experience with babies’ didn’t reach very far…” Sunburst admitted, letting out a weak smile. “Thanks for… you know… being there…”
Starlight let out a smiling sigh. “It’s no problem, Sunburst. Just… try not to assume things will be the same with every foal.” She placed her magic on his hoof, pulling it towards her belly. “I expect this one is gonna be a horn-full as well, and I’m gonna need all the help I can get!”
The simple mention of ‘help’ sent a ray of light straight through the stallion’s mind, widening his smile. “THAT’S IT!” He shouted, leaning in and planting a kiss on Starlight’s lips.
Starlight eased out of the sudden contact, cocking an inquisitive eyebrow. “What’s it?”
“The thing I’ve been thinking about! The thing with my role in the Crystal Empire and--” An audible whine cut the wizard’s train of thought short, drawing the Unicorns’ attention to the high chair, where Nova had scrunched up his face. His lower half squirmed back and forth, sending a rancid smell into their nostrils. “You know what? It can wait. We can discuss it at length with Twilight later.” He moved past Starlight, making for the baby. “For now, let’s focus on more immediate concerns.” He lit his horn, getting a goofy smile to appear on his muzzle.
Starlight dove in front of him, putting her hoof on the end of Sunburst’s horn to douse its aura. “Whoa, now! Let’s not make the baby cry again!” She carefully lifted Nova in her foreleg, wincing from the smell that came from below. “How about I take care of the diaper and you… observe for now. Okay?” Sunburst nodded in agreement, following closely as they made their way upstairs.
The school day had, at last, ended, but Twilight’s office remained occupied. She sat behind her desk with her husband and assistant at either side of her, and her baby in her forelegs. Across from them sat Starlight, Sunburst, and Trixie, the stallion of the trio wiping off his freshly-repaired spectacles. Twilight looked between them all, landing her gaze on Sunburst. “So, Sunburst. You said you had something you wanted to ask us?”
Sunburst nodded, straightening his back. “Um, yes. I was wondering if, maybe, you had room for us at the castle, at least until we can get a place of our own.”
Starlight and Trixie's attention snapped onto Sunburst, wide with disbelief. “What?!”
“You want to move in?” The Princess inquired.
“That's right.” He confirmed. “The timing couldn't possibly be better!” He turned to Starlight, putting a hoof on his foreleg. “I know I wasn't all that understanding this morning…. I was so excited about being a dad that I didn’t even think about what this might be doing to you. And then I got all confident in my parenting skills.” He rubbed his neck with his hoof, shooting a glance at Nova. “And… well, you know how that went…” He looked back to his favorite mare, bringing his determined face with him. “You said yourself that you need all the help you can get, so why not have the help of all of your best friends?”
Starlight found herself again reminded of why she loved this pony as much as she did. Her warm smile from before had come back in force. “I appreciate that, really, but what about your responsibility to Flurry Heart?”
“Flurry hardly needs me anymore.” He dismissed, turning away. “If I taught her any more, she’d be in advanced magic lessons. I think she’s not quite there, yet. But she’s set to start school in the next year, anyway. She doesn’t need me anymore.” He faced her one more time. “But you do. And I wanna be there for our baby!”
He gave her a smile, and she gave him a tackle and a kiss, lingering on him for several seconds. Finally, she separated from him, looking over to her former mentor. “Well, you heard him! What do you say?”
To use the word ‘ecstatic’ to describe the look on Twilight's face would have been a gross understatement. Her dimples were pulled so far back that her cheeks turned red from the sheer strain. She sprang out of her chair, only just barely remembering to keep herself aloft when she became airborne. “ABSOLUTELY!!!” Nova winced at the noise, giving off a whine. Twilight looked at her foal with renewed sense, gently squeezing him. “Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. Mommy was just so happy to have Aunty Starlight coming home.” She passed the baby off to Boltsinger, giving one final cheek kiss to each of them before wrapping Starlight and Sunburst in her magic. “Come on! Let’s make arrangements right away!” And with a flash of magenta, they were gone.