//------------------------------//
// Hope For the Future. 
// Story: Equestrian Eeveelution. 
// by Symphonicdysonince 
//------------------------------//

Ow. Ow. Ow. I hobbled around the eggs, turning them as needed. I had woken up this morning with very bad leg cramps, and Rainbow had told me to take the day off. With Lulu looking after Peewee, I figured I could rest in the Daycare today.

I couldn't really turn the eggs since my legs weren't cooperating, but I could still watch over them. I frowned as I looked around the Daycare, my worries and fears creeping back up on me. As I fretted, I felt an odd urge well up within me. Once I couldn't stand it anymore, I stepped into the rooms center.

"What are we doing wrong?" I began to sing. "Something we've yet to match?" I stepped closer to my first egg and ran a paw across it. "A month has since passed, and yet you've still to hatch?" Turning around, I curled in on myself. My ears drooped as my fears sunk in and took root. "And I wake up with these worries, and they leave me felling spent. Yet, all I see in you," my eyes drifted to the egg across from me, "is all you represent!"

I stood, stepping around the eggs as I sang the next few lines. "What bright futures lie ahead? What great feats will you do? What will you make your own? Where will your lives take you?" I paused halfway through the eggs as I pondered Luke's words. My frown deepened, knowing that he is right, that we will need to tell everypony the truth eventually. I sighed as I considered the consequences that would have. "And what futures can we give with all the faults of our own? Even with our knowledge gained and the strength that we've honed?" I blinked back tears as I placed my head against the nearest egg. "How can we put our mistakes on our future flung light?"

A voice answered from the door way, singing in time. "Pray to the hope that they burn bright!" Yomega ducked into the daycare, and weaved around the eggs I hadn't on his way to me. He looked over each one with a small smile. "What bright futures lie ahead? What great feats will you do? What will you make your own? Where will your lives take you?"

He stopped once he reached me, pulling me into a tight embrace. He lifted me to be on eye level. "No! Though we know not how, our mistakes, we'll set them right!" He sang out as he placed me back down.  He hooked a paw around me and pulled me into the center of the room. "And through our darkest hour we'll stand, continue our fight!" He placed a paw around me as we looked out over our brood.

He smiled down at me, and encouraged a smile out of me with a light shake. We started singing together. "What bright futures lie ahead? What great feats will you do? What will you make your own? Where will your lives take you?"

Feeling hopeful, I stepped forward. I could hear Yomega stepping back outside. "Let not the pain of our past mar the paths you choose." My expression firmed as my resolve grew. "And your spark of light we wouldn't dare to lose!"

I backed into the door way, smiling as I did so. "Your bright futures lie ahead and great feats for you to do! This world you'll make your own by where your lives take you!" I finished with a nod, and stepped back out of the Daycare.

And promptly fell off the ramp.

I lay on my back and glared at Yomega. He tried to stifle his snickering as he lifted me up to my paws. I shook my fur out without taking my glare off of him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to ask you what your were being moody about, but..." He nodded towards the doorway. "I didn't take you for a singer?" He paused and I watched him mull his thoughts over. "How the hell did I know what to sing when I joined you?"

"Even more credence to the Heartsong Theorem." I sighed. I leaned into the larger canine. “I get what you were trying to say, though. But, it is hard.”

“It’s the waiting that’s doing it.” He smiled down at me, giving my shoulder a little squeeze. His ears twitched as we let the silence grow. “You might want to clean up a little.”

I hopped out of his legs, scurrying towards the Daycare’s entrance. “Oh, god. Conner’s coming around the corner soon, isn’t he.”

“He won’t be alone.”

I huffed as I furiously scrubbed my face clean. “It’s that damn rabbit, isn’t it. I swear, if he wants another foot race...!”

“Nope.”

“Don’t make me play twenty questions, here!”

I heard him chuckle. “Should I let them know you’re not ready yet?”

I started to flatten my fur out, paying extra attention to my tail and face. “Nah, let them come. I’m as good as I’m going to get. Not without Rainbow brushing me out…” I glanced behind me to see Yomega opening his eyes. “Message sent?”

“Yup. They should be here soon.” The Espeon tugged on my tail. “I don’t think that our guest will fit in there with you inside it.”

“Oh?” I hopped out of the Daycare and smoothed the last of my fur down. “Now I gotta know which pony it is. Wait, wait!” I held a paw up. “Don’t tell me! Is it Thunderlane, out from the hospital? No wait, Cheerilee and Fluttershy, the school teacher wants us for a bio lesson? No, wait, I got it! It’s Little Timmy, fresh from the well!”

“Wrong on all accounts!”

“Damn!” I giggled. “Oh, I needed that…”

Yomega nodded. “I thought you were channeling Zann for a moment there. I was starting to worry.” He hooked a paw around me and pulled me back into the Daycare. "C'mon, you hold our egg, I'll turn it."

No sooner than we had curled up then we heard someone call out. "Hello!"

I glared at a smirking Yomega. "You planned this, didn't you?" I hissed. I turned to face the doorway. "Come on in!" Spotting a pair of distinct black legs approaching, I considered the size of the room. "Or... As much as you can, anyway!"

Luke managed to jam his head and shoulders into the Daycare. He took a quick look around the room and the eggs before focusing back at us.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" He asked.

"No." I carefully shifted my egg. I wonder if he can figure out the eggs... I swallowed my worries. "We're actually glad that you're here."

He took another glance around. "Jeeze, and I thought that Ember and I were 'active'." He smirked.

Unbidden, my mind shot back to my conversation with Rainbow the night we arrived. My thoughts drifted to the experiment I was thinking of trying.

"Well, aren't you adorable when you blush."

And it must of shown on my face. "You know, if you could get him alone, you could find out if being in heat is needed for an egg to pop out..."

I didn't do the nasty to get my first egg!

"And you can check if off heat sex can do it! it's win-win!"

I guess...

"S-so, the eggs?" Luke stammered. I could see a slight blush seep through his fur.

Oh, Arceus, that's right! He can see aura!

"We would really appreciate it if you could tell us what you can feel from them." Yomega spoke up. I was able to read him like a Daring Do book, so I knew he was laughing on the inside.

Luke reached a paw out towards the egg. "May I? It's easier when I'm touching."

"I do hope he meant the egg."

S-shut up, Brain!

"We could always show him where it came from, but he might need to touch that, too."

OH MY ARCEUS, Brain!

"You may." Yomega shot me a mirth filled glance. "Down, girl. Or just ask him to scratch it for you." He readdressed the Lucario. "We really just need to know if there's anything wrong."

Luke placed his paw onto the egg. Closing his eyes in concentration, his expression subtly shifted from what he was feeling. Eventually, it settled on a frown as he opened his eyes. "There's something else here, something is keeping it from hatching."

Claws immediately sprung to mind. "W-what?"

Noticing our concerned looks, he hastened to explain. "As far as I can see, it's not only not harming the egg, it's actually keeping it healthy." He closed his eyes again, obviously going back for another look. This time, he jolted back with a cry of pain.

I rushed up to him, giving him a quick shake. "Luke! Talk to me! Are you okay?" I saw his eyes regaining focus. "What happened?"

"I'm fine, just numb." He assured as he sat up. "I... saw something, though. I'm not sure where it came from, but I think that it was trying to stop me from seeing what was in the eggs.It looked like some kind of... dark claw thing."

"D-did you say..." I slowly backed towards the entrance. "... Claw?"

Yomega cut in. "Are you sure that's what you saw?"

"Yeah, why?" Luke tilted his head in confusion. "Do you know something about that?"

"Oh, do we ever..."