The day had finally arrived and Team Avatar were well on their way to the Crystal Empire for the Crystalling of the newborn child. Each member came with a bearing for the child. Asami had a Future Industries baby ratel, Mako held a teddy bear and Korra made a small little tiara for the baby, which according to the invitation, was a girl. She used her ice based powers to create the base, adding several gemstones Rarity had given her for the final touch. It was styled to look like a crystal heart. The gift sparkled in the light.
Rainbow Dash yawned from her seat, waking up from her nap, looking over at Applejack's gift, which was covered by a blanket. "Um, Applejack, what is that?"
"Oh, just a little somethin' for the young'un." Applejack pulled the blanket off, using her mouth, to reveal a wooden baby crib with apple imprints on it. The pony smiled proudly at her work. "Made from genuine Sweet Apple Acres apple trees. We make 'em for all the Apples, and anypony related to Twilight is practically family."
Twilight felt deeply touched by both the gift and the comment. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's okay... But it's no Cloudsdale mobile! Bam!" the pegasus proudly showcased the baby mobile with rainbows, clouds and lightning bolts hanging off of them.
"Ooh! Pretty!" Pinkie commented as she taped on one of the hanging lightning bolts. The touched caused it to shall off and shatter on the floor. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the pink pony, who smiled apologetically.
"Well, a mobile is real nice... as long as you have somethin' to lay in so you can look at it." said Applejack, tapping her hoof to the crib.
"And a fetching blanket to keep you warm." Rarity said as she placed a blanket she had made for the child and placed it neatly on the bed of the crib, making it look even more adorable.
"I'm sure Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will love all our gifts." Twilight said, "But I think they're more happy we'll be attending the baby's Crystalling."
"I'm so excited!" Korra said as she placed the tiara into its gift box and then into her shoulder bag, "We haven't been to the Empire ever since…" the Avatar hesitated to continue, since the Sato heiress was sitting right beside her and Mako.
"Since I got possessed by NightMara and cursed the Crystal Heart and nearly doomed the land to an eternal dark winter?" Asami finished for her friend, crossing her arms while the couple beside her blushed awkwardly. Asami only giggled, "Guys, it's fine. It doesn't bother me anymore."
Korra chuckled and smiled in relief, "That's good. Besides, I'm not one to dwell on the past."
From another seat, in opposite corner of the train from the three humans, Starlight and Sunburst sat together with Spike. "How does the Crystal Heart work, exactly?" Sunburst asked, "I've heard about it before, but details are still a bit sketchy.
"It's magic is still pretty hard to understand, even for the Crystal Ponies themselves." Mako explained, "What we do know is that it's powered by the ponies' love and light, which spreads across the Empire and Equestria."
"Without it's magic, the entire Empire would be lost to the Frozen North." said Flash Sentry.
"Wow, this Crystalling sounds pretty important." the male unicorn said. "You guys sure you won't need a few extra hooves to help out?"
"No, I think we'll be good." Twilight said with confidence, making Sunburst frown in disappointment, his ears pressing against his head. "Besides, we don't want to get in the way of you visiting your dad, Sunburst."
"Right…really appreciate it." he said with uncertainty.
Spike, the little dragon in front of them, smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry, everything will be just fine."
"Thanks, Spike. I'm just…really worried about seeing my dad again. I don't know how he'll react to me being a cop now.."
"Well, lucky for you, I am the right hand assistant to the Princesses of Friendship! Whenever you get stumped, I'll be there to coach you. I even brought with me a list of steps to take when seeing old friends again." the little dragon pulled out a scroll from his back, which rolled onto the floor, extending on and on across the train floor, making the two unicorns laugh nervously. The little dragon had definitely taken after his friend. "Step one, head to your friend's house and get you two started on the right hoof." Spike read out loud, which only made the two groan simultaneously.
"Star, are you sure you want to do this?" Sunburst asked, "You know you don't have to feel forced to see him. I'll understand."
While it was true, Starlight was afraid, she was even more afraid of not being a good friend to Sunburst. She was scared, she was nervous, she was anxious, she was all these things but more importantly…she cared about Sunburst. She would never forgive herself if she backed down on her word now.
"No, I'll be fine. I promised I'd be there for you, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Sunburst felt deeply touched by her words. He knew she would be there for him…he was just scared she'd have to deal with the consequences latter on. He hoped he would be wrong about this father this time.
Flash and Twilight watched them from their seat. "They really are perfect for each other." Flash said, his girlfriend nodded in agreement.
The train came to a stop and the team boarded off. Twilight immediately spotted a familiar pony waiting for them at the station. "Shining Armor!" the alicorn exclaimed joyfully, which resulted in waking up the sleeping unicorn prince, who had been snoring when they arrived. He shook his sleepy head and smiled upon seeing his little sister.
"Twilight…!" he greeted, his voice sounding…incredibly tired. Not only did he sound tired, but he looked terrible. His mane and tail were a complete mess, he had bangs under his eyes and they could even see a few little hairs under his chin. Not only that, but his breath didn't smell all that good either.
"I didn't know you were meeting us!" Twilight said.
"Of course I am! It's me, right here. Here I am. Why wouldn't I come meet my sister? Though we have met before, heh-heh…"
Korra arched an eyebrow "Are you alright? You don't look so good."
"Never better! Being a father is amazing! And wonderful, and amazing, and confusing, and amazing, but surprising too, you know? I mean, not that you'd know. You wouldn't know, I know... You know?" the exhausted prince forced a smile, his eyes widening and his irises shrinking to indicate he was loosing his mind. Once he realized he wasn't fooling anyone, he took a step back and sighed. "Sorry. I haven't really slept since Cadance had the baby. Come to think of it, she hasn't either. It sure would be great to get a break."
"Oh, of course!" Twilight said, placing a hoof on her brother's shoulder, "I don't know what I was thinking! You two probably need all kinds of help!"
"Luckily for you, you've got Team Avatar on your side!" Korra said with great confidence as she wrapped her arms around Mako and Asami, bringing them in closer. The three of them smiling proudly.
Shining Armor could already feel the weight being partly lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks you guys."
Mako, Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry stood before the prince, straightening themselves and saluting to the prince, "Sir, waiting your orders, Sir!"
Sunburst saluted as well, only for Twilight to giggle, "At ease, soldier. You, Starlight and Spike go on and see your dad. We'll take care of things from here."
Spike gave her a salute, "Aye-aye, Princess!" he said before marching ahead.
Starlight gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah, really appreciate it, Spike." he said nervously as he followed Spike.
Sunburst laughed nervously, "Yeah…" he said before saying the next thing through gritted teeth a he followed the two, "Appreciate it."
Once they were gone, Twilight turned back to Shinning Armor, "Alright, big brother, let's go see this amazing baby pony!"
Everyone else gave a deadpan stare when they saw Shinning Armor snoring, while muttering, "Ahhh… the baby…"
Korra cleared her throat before gently waking up the sleeping prince. "HEY SHINNY!"
"AH! I'M AWAKE!"
(~)
The two unicorns made their way around the stunning Crystal Empire. Starlight wanted so desperately to explore the place, see the sights, admire the architecture, but sadly her curiosity was clouded by her nerves. But, she had already promised she'd go with him. She could tell Sunburst was scared, so was she, but she remained strong for him. Even if his father would resent her in some way, at least she would know she had done her part and was there for Sunburst. It was strange, caring about another pony really thrived her to become better. She wasn't doing this for her, she was doing it for him.
Spike noticed the concerned looks on their faces, "I know you're both a little worried about this reunion, but you don't have to be. You've got me and Starlight with you."
"Right." Starlight muttered to herself, feeling more and more unsure of herself.
Sunburst abruptly stopped when he saw a gigantic statue of the little dragon, carrying a Crystal Heart in his claw. "Wait a sec, is that…you?" he asked in awe.
Spike stopped for a moment to see he was pointing at the statue. "Huh? Oh yeah, it sure is. Now, where did you say your dad's house was? Down the left side street or the right?"
"Why is there a statue of you in the Crystal Empire?" Sunburst asked curiously.
Starlight was startled when a female crystal pony appeared, answering Sunburst's previous question, her eyes sparkling in awe as she explained. "Because Spike the Brave and Glorious saved all of us from King Sombra!"
"And then again during the Equestria Games!" said a secondary Crystal Pony, equally enthusiastic at telling Spike's heroic tale.
"Really?" Sunburst's asked in surprise. He had no idea this little dragon was such a hero.
"Really!" A male crystal pony replied and shook hooves with Spike, "Big fan."
"When were you going to tell us about this?" Sunburst asked, even more interested.
Spike blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "Nah, it's no big deal."
"It most certainly is!" a swarm of Crystal Ponies surrounded the little dragon and his two friends, surprising them all the more.
"Please tell us about your heroic tale, Spike the Brave and Glorious!" one little filly asked, her crystal eyes shimmering adorably.
"It's okay, Spike." Sunburst insisted, "I think we can spare a few minutes."
Starlight didn't know if to say something or not, but then again, maybe waiting a few more minutes would ease their nerves a bit. Besides, she was just as interested to know about Spike's tale. The two unicorns levitated two bags of popcorn and sat down as a group of crystal ponies surrounded Spike, eager to once again hear his tale.
(~)
Shining Armor led the group down the crystal hallway unto they reached the baby's nursery, which was adorned with a pink heart at the top of the door. "Before we go in, I should probably tell you. Seeing the baby might be a…bit of a shock."
Korra only chuckled, "Come on, Shinny. We've seen babies before."
"I once saw one being born." Fluttershy said, reminiscing the time where she saw Pema during her time of labor when Rohan was born.
Twilight used her magic to open the door and allow themselves to walk in. "Besides, after everything we've been through, I doubt seeing a baby will be such a challenge."
The entire group walked into the nursery, where the new mother, Cadance, and the alicorns, Luna, Celestia and Leilani awaited. Cadance appeared exhausted with dreary eyes and messed up mane and tail. The alicorns bowed and allowed the group to walk towards the crystal bed, where the most adorable little light pink bundle of joy rested soundly, wrapped around in a cyan blanket. Korra allowed Twilight to go first, her heart leaping once she saw the child up close.
She couldn't believe it, she was an aunt. Everyone in the team was absolutely enchanted by the newborn child. She was of light pink in coat color with a long unicorn horn, light purple hair with cyan streaks and a cute tiny little nose that made them want to rub their own against to give her nose kisses.
Korra was especially moved to see the little one. She had seen a human child be born, but never a baby pony. It was just as beautiful as when Rohan was born.
"Oh, I wish Bolin was here to see this." Asami said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the baby, her hands against her cheeks in awe.
"She looks so peaceful." Mako said, whipping away a single tear that escaped his eye.
"I saw that, tough guy." Rainbow said with a smirk, elbowing his shoulder.
"What? No, I just had something in my…okay, so I'm not made of stone!"
Flash smiled proudly at his girlfriend as she leaned in closer to see her niece. "Hello, little one." she said softly, "It's your Aunty Twilight. I've been waiting so long to meet you."
"Twilight, look she's waking up." Flash said as the baby began to wiggle, her eyes fluttering open. They were a stunning light blue that reflected the brightness of the crystals that made her room. She wiggled even more, unraveling the blanket that was wrapped around her, revealing her tiny pony body, adorable hooves, tail and ears. However, it wasn't the hooves or ears everyone was looking at.
Multiple gasps were heard when the baby was now completely exposed to the group, wearing a blue diaper and cooing in the most adorable sound they had ever heard, but even more shocking…were the large pair of pink feathered wings that sprouted out the moment she wiggled out of her blanket.
Korra and Mako, on the other hand, only stood there in confusion, not gasping or gazing in shock, just standing there with hands on their hips. Korra arched an eyebrow at everyone's reaction. "Seriously? This is such a big shock? Bumi getting airbending was more jaw dropping!"
"You're not even a little surprised?" Asami asked, more amazed to see Korra so perfectly calm.
"Not really." Mako said casually. "Celestia and Luna were born alicorns, so it's really nothing too new."
Korra explained next, "Not to mention, our genetic structure is incredibly strong, so it's highly possible for alicorns to be born naturally even if only one parent is an alicorn." she said. The baby let out a burbling sound with its mouth and began sucking on her tiny hooves. "Awww!" Korra swooned and wrapped the baby in her arms, tickling her chin. "Hey, little cutie. Who's a little cutie, you are! Yes you are!" the Avatar cooed, making the baby giggle.
Asami shook her head, trying to recollect her thoughts, "So, alicorns can be born and made?"
"Only by accomplishing a great princess worthy deed, darling." Rarity stated.
"Even if she is born with them, the little one still has a lot to learn when it comes to being a true princess." said Celestia, as she smiled at the little baby, still in Korra's arms. She felt so comfortable taking care of a child. She could get used to this motherhood business.
Pinkie Pie then popped up excitedly. "Wow! A unicorn, and a Pegasus! So she could be a super-strong flyer and have crazy baby magic!"
"Well, I know all about super-strong flying!" Rainbow Dash said as she made a soft air flip to emphasize her point, crossing her hooves and smiling confidently.
"And Korra and I can help keep tabs on her magic!" Twilight said, as the baby cooed in Korra's arms.
Mako approached the child, feeling his heart swell up when she giggled upon seeing him. He tickled her little chin, making her giggle and rub her tiny little pony nose against his hand.
"You want to hold her?" Korra offered.
Mako looked at her in slight surprise. He had never held a baby pony before, let a lone a baby alicon. Still, Korra gently placed the child into his arms and before long the baby was comfortably snuggled in his embrace. "Hello little one." he said as the baby reached out her hooves to touch his face, making him smile. To his amazement, Mako was a natural when it came to holding babies. It felt so right to be carrying a child in his arms, seeing them smile and giggle as they looked at you with their innocent eyes.
The baby let out an adorable yawn, indicating she was getting sleepy. Mako gently placed her down on her bed. But once she was placed, her nose crinkled. Everyone was eagerly awaiting for a cute little sneeze.
A powerful beam of light came shooting out of the baby's horn the moment she sneezed, shocking everyone in the room, forcing them to step back. Their eyes widening in shock as the beam blew a hole right through the ceiling. One of the pony nursemaids poked her head from one of the floors, the top part of her hair completely singed.
All eyes fell back on the baby, eyes wide and jaws dropped. The baby rubbed her nose and went to sleep.
Korra blinked, her mouth wide open. "Okay…that I wasn't prepared for."
Leilani rubbed the child's sleepy head. "Just as expected. Her magic is more powerful than that of a newborn unicorn. Perfectly normal for alicorns, but a tad dangerous for normal ponies."
"No kidding!" Mako said, his eyes still looking up at the damage done by one little pony.
"Uh, guys." all head turned to Flash Sentry, who stood by the window, and pointing his hoof towards the many ponies arriving. "Looks like the crowds have already started forming."
Pinkie Pie pulled out an empty green ballon and blew on it, inflating it instantly and wrapping a string around it as she allowed it to rise her up from the floor. "This Crystalling is gonna be some party!" she said as the ballon lifted her up, only to pop a few seconds latter.
Cadance looked at her equally tired husband while their baby sucked on her mother's hoof. "Do you think we should call it off?" she asked the father.
Rainbow Dash scoffed while crossing her hooves, "Um, we've all faced a lot worse than baby magic."
"I can't imagine canceling such a beautiful and important ceremony over something so potentially adorable!" Rarity said.
Korra nodded her head and smiled at the sleeping baby alicorn. "I agree. Besides, knowing now how much magic she really has, this Crystalling is more important than ever."
"Korra is right." Leilani said, "The powerful magic of the the Crystal Heart will help stabilize her magic for the time being." the alicorn queen turned to the pink alicorn, "Perhaps you should address to your subjects and remind them of that." she said.
Princess Cadance nodded in agreement before lovingly kissing her daughter's forehead. The four alicorns exited the nursery, though Cadance looked back to take one last glance at her little girl. Despite her powerful and unpredictable magic, she still loved this child more than life itself. She hatted having to leave her now, but she would soon have all the time in the world to spend with her.
Shinning Armor snored, resting on the pillows of his daughter's bed. His sister gently nudged him awake. "Shining Armor! Do you have everything you need for the ceremony?"
Shining Armor managed to weekly wake himself up, processing Twilight's recent question. Once he did, the poor prince's sleepy eyes widened so much he looked as if he were going mad and started pacing around the nursery in a panic frenzy.
"Oh, no! I still have to interview the honor guards, choose the purity crystal, and pick a crystaller!"
"You already did." Korra reminded me, "It's me."
"Oh, right. AH! What about my fitting? I haven't even--"
"Alright, take it easy." Twilight managed to calm her brother down by holding his shaking body still. "Pinkie can stay here with me and Korra and keep an eye on the baby."
Pinkie Pie squeed in reply, while the little baby was attached to her face, to which Pinkie Pie did not mind whatsoever. Even if the child was touching her very eyeballs.
"And we'll all help you with everythin' else." Applejack said to reassure the prince…only to arch in eyebrow once he started snoring again, resting on the crystal floor, shaking his back leg like a dog.
"That is, if you can stay awake long enough to tell us how." Mako said with a deadpan stare, which mirrored Rarity's.
(~)
Meanwhile, back with Sunburst and Starlight, the two were actually pretty fascinated with Spike's tale about how he saved the Crystal Heart, just as much as the large crowd of crystal ponies that had formed over the course of his storytelling.
"…and that's how we found the Crystal Heart, defeated King Sombra, and saved the Empire." Spike concluded. The crystal ponies cheered for their hero.
A couple of crystal fillies chanted, "We love you, Spike!"
"Tell the one about the Equestria Games!" one of the fillies said eagerly.
"Well, as much as I love reliving my heroic deeds, my friends and I have somewhere to be."
"Awwww!" the little fillies sighed in disappointment. Sunburst's expression fell but remained silent. As fun as it was to hear about Spike's adventures, there was no denying the inevitable. The ponies all sighed in disappointment but complied none the less and dispersed.
Sunburst looked down to the ground sadly and Starlight placed a sympathetic hoof on his shoulder. He sighed. "Let's go get this over with."
(~)
Sunburst could feel his stomach turning once they reached his father's house. It was a crystal green quartz house with a roof that resembled an orange wizard's hat with diamond shaped windows. It looked very small, but no doubt big enough for a single pony.
The moment they reached the doorstep, Sunburst hesitated. So many questions were running through his mind right now. Would his father be proud? Had he finally come around? Would he say something mean to Starlight? The latter was more worrisome for him. If he did this Starlight would be heartbroken, and she had gone through too much already.
Seeing his hesitation, Spike shoved Starlight forward. Motioning her to go to him. She gulped but walked on over to Sunburst, placing a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. This immediately placed his mind at ease. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the crystal door. For a moment, all was silent until the door creaked open. Sunburst tried to peek inside, seeing mostly darkness.
"Um…hello?"
From a small opening a yellow male unicorn with orange hair, styled into a messy mohawk-like style, with a thin orange beard and wearing a pair of glasses over his nose looked through the opening. His eyes were purple, appearing darker in the dim lighting.
"Yes? What can I do for you?"
"It's… It's me, Sunburst."
Upon hearing the name, the door immediately burst open to reveal Sunburst's father, Blazing Saddles. He looked a great deal like his son, minus for the coat and eye colors, as well as the way they choose to wear their hair. Sunburst's hair was brushed to the side while his father's was a somewhat messy mohawk. "Oh, Sunburst! I'm so happy you could make it!" Blazing Saddles surprised his son with a tight hug. All of Sunburst's previous worries slowly started to fade. Maybe his father had changed after all.
Blazing Saddled was so thrilled, and relieved, to see his son back. However, his happiness quickly changed to surprise when he saw a familiar female unicorn behind his son. She had grown much from when they were children, sporting a new beautiful hairstyle.
Blazing Saddles released his son, his gaze still on the girl. "I see you brought Starlight Glimmer." he said, his tone sounding…anything but excited to say the least.
And just like that, all of Sunburst's previous concerns returned. "Yeah, from when I was little. You know, before I went off to magic school."
"Yes, of course I remember!" Blazing Saddles approached the unicorn, who smiled nervously but tried her best to hide it. She could practically hear her heart pounding like crazy in his presence. My goodness, it's been a long time hasn't it? What, uh, what have you been up to?"
Starlight felt her body tense. She knew she couldn't just upright and tell the stallion about her past mistakes. Even Sunburst didn't know the minute they saw each other again. But, in this case, it would probably be best if he didn't know at all.
"Me? Oh! You know, some of this, some of that, different... stuff. Right now, I'm sort of part of the new air nation now."
"Oh, you're an airbender? How…interesting. So, what brings you here?"
"I was just accompanying the Princesses of Friendship to see the royal Crystalling."
Blazing Saddle's eyes widened upon hearing this. "The royal princesses? You're with them now?"
"Yeah. I'm a new friend." so far so good, Starlight thought.
"So, Dad, what have you been up to?" Sunburst asked. "In your letter you never told me what you were doing since you moved here."
"What? Oh. Y-Yes! Uh, y-yes, what I do, I um…I just got a job as the new magic history professor here and I still have a lot of papers to grade, but I can squeeze a few moments with my son and his…friend. Come on in."
The two unicorns entered the establishment with Spike in tow. The little dragon whispered to Starlight, "See? You've not nothing to worry about." he said.
Maybe he was right, maybe everything would go well for Starlight….or so she thought.
(~)