//------------------------------// // Back To the Beginning (Alternate Outcome) // Story: The Family of The Night // by Night--Mist //------------------------------// Please note that most of this chapter will have the same text as the previous, but the end will have a different outcome and some change in text, so, please, don't freak out and say I double posted the same thing. It had been some hours since the party had started and Moon Dust had fallen asleep, and it was wrapping up. Many of the nobles in attendance had expressed their deepest sympathies for little Moon Dust and commented on how well he was recovering. Artemis thanked them gratefully. Course a few tried to sway Artemis into trying to get some laws passed that would favor their own gains, but Artemis was no rookie, and knew they thought they could get to him so he could coerce Luna into agreeing to it, knowing that Luna herself was a tough shell to crack bringing their "ideas" to her straight forward. Just like her sister, and her husband. Moon Light had a great time with her friends who all said that Moon Dust was fun to hang out with just like her, and they all felt sad that her brother had to go through all the torment he had been through. Some of the orphans that knew Moon Dust had been at the party as well, all now part of loving families, and back to full health themselves, and they even told a few stories of Moon Dust's tenacity when he was at the orphanage, and on more then one occasion, had taken the blame for something the caretakers had deemed as misbehavior, even if normal families would see it as kids being kids, and how they were amazed at how far he had gotten from the orphanage. Even one said that Moon Dust promised that as soon as he had found somepony that he knew he could trust, he would make sure they knew of what the orphanage had done to all of the children. He'd save them. And he did. They just never expected the Family of the Night would be their salvation, but also stated that Moon Dust more then deserved his place in the royal family for all he had done for the rest of the orphans, all the more proving he was meant to be an alicorn, even if they weren't aware of his true lineage. Moon Light was proud to call Moon Dust her brother. But back at present, Artemis had come in to see Luna wrapping her body in a circle around their tiny son, who was sound asleep on the den bed, not tossing or turning for any bad dreams. He looked so peaceful. But Artemis wasn't the only one entering the room. Moon Light was of course sleeping on his back as well, catching a little nap herself. Following in behind was Celestia, Cadence, and Shining Armor, with little Love struck prancing next to her mother, and of course Twilight Sparkle, their most recent princess. Luna knew this was to be a discussion for all of them to speak their view points on whatever Artemis had to say, so to let her son and daughter keep sleeping, she cast a spell to keep any noise from waking her children, Artemis had Love Struck follow her into Moon Light's and Moon Dust's bedroom, where he set his daughter down on her bed, and Love Struck bounded up onto it. He turned on the Playstation Lunar in the room, and allowed her to start playing, and stated he would come in later after the family was done with their discussion. Then he closed the door and set a sound barrier over it, so Love Struck wouldn't hear what the family was saying, but they could hear her in case she called for them. "So, I understand you wanted to talk to us all about Moon Dust. Is something wrong? Have the doctors stated something bad about his condition?" Celestia inquired. "No, it's not that at all. Moon Dust's recovery is making great progress. In the few weeks since we got him back in our lives, he's improving very well, and we couldn't be happier about that," Artemis stated. "Oh dear. There's gonna be a "however". Father always told us that the best way to know somber news is coming, is getting the best news to start the conversation," Cadence stated. Artemis chuckled, "You know me too well little sister. Yes, we are happy with the recovery of our little Moon Dust here. However....... we feel somewhat, well, robbed." "Robbed how, if you don't mind me asking?" Celestia asked. Luna sighed, "While we are happy for how events turned out in recent weeks, we feel a hole in our hearts for the time we haven't been able to spend with Moon Dust." "But he still so very young like Moon Light. You still have so much of his childhood to spend with him," Twilight pointed out. Luna shed a tear before Cadence interjected, "It is true Twilight, but I think I know what is going on here. Being a mother myself, I know full well why they feel robbed. Moon Dust is their biological son, and technically Moon Light's older brother. But the way he came into the Lunar Family, while what happened was for the better of others, unlike Moon Light, they never got to have the moment of seeing Moon Dust open his eyes for the first time, never got to cradle him. Never got to witness his first magical burst, many things parents should have been able to do for their child." "Yes, we were robbed of memories we would have wanted to share with him further on in his life," Luna stuttered through her tears. Artemis placed a hoof on his wife as she bent down to gently nuzzle her exhausted son. "We know we can not turn back time to reverse things and cause things to play out differently. We know that disrupting the flow of time, even the slightest change of events, could send things cascading down a path that could be disastrous. However, I do know of another suggestion. One I think would actually be helpful in this situation," Artemis stated. "Oh, what might this alternative solution be, brother," Shining Armor pondered. "It's an old spell I have knowledge of, and have even used a few times. For good reasons, and perhaps for a good prank on others once in a while. It's an age spell. I had placed it in the restricted section of the castle's library, for I had not wanted others to be using this for malicious reasons," Artemis answered. "A wise decision. And I believe I have read that spell once, though it's been a while........ are you saying you wish to turn Moon Dust into a baby?" Celestia inquired. "Well, not just Moon Dust. Moon Light and her group of friends as well, which includes the CMC. I know they all became very fast and close friends of Moon Dust as well, and it would feel wrong to have such an age gap between Moon Dust and his sister. While many were busy with the party, I had talked to Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, about this, and they are approving the go ahead, as long as they are able to keep their own memories in tact. I agreed with that. Which is why I was bringing this to your attention, before I even actually performed what I had planned," Artemis stated. "I see. You plan to also induce a memory manipulation of sorts don't you?" Cadence suspected. "Indeed I do, but I won't be manipulating anypony's memory to demonize anyone who hasn't done so themselves or anything like that. And I won't make everypony completely forget what happened at the Orphanage, or who was our tiny little hero to bring what happened to light. All that will be made for every pony to believe, is that after the party, while Moon Dust's and Moon Light's friends were playing, Moon Dust felt a little under the weather, and when he sneezed he let off a magical burst that accidentally reversed the age of his sister, and their friends," Artemis explained. "Do you think you could include Love Struck in that spell brother?" Cadence requested. "Why sister?" Artemis asked. "Well, one, I would love to see my little Love Struck toddling around again. Two, I feel her age shouldn't gap her younger cousins by a huge margin. And three, I know that you considered it before hoof, but felt it should be left up to me to decide if she should be included," Cadence teased. "Am I really that predictable?" Artemis joked. "Yes," Luna, Celestia and Cadence all said in unison. Twilight laughed, "Well, I know I am not directly related to Moon Light and Moon Dust, but I see no reason I would disagree with this course of action. I just wonder how much it will effect Moon Dust to start at the stage of a baby." "Well....... I have actually considered to take it a step further with Moon Dust," Luna chimed in. "A step...... further sister?" Celestia wondered. "What I mean is, because he is my biological son, I may take his age reversal to where I was still expecting him. I'd be pregnant with Moon Dust," Luna explained. "And Moon Light?" Cadence wondered. "She would be a little over a year old by the time Moon Dust would be due to be born. Unless you want to keep the two of them twins dear," Luna turned to Artemis. "Well, that would have to take a little more thought dear. I understand where you are coming from honey, but are you sure you want to go through pregnancy again at this point, after all that has happened in recent days?" Artemis inquired. "I'm willing to do so for Moon Dust's sake, and to be able to get back time we were robbed of," Luna stated. "Well, knowing that the memory manipulation spell won't be used on us and a few others, and that it won't be used for a malicious purpose. I think everyone is for the age reversal of Moon Light, Moon Dust, Love Struck, and their friends. But the question remains of how far back to we want to reverse the age of Moon Dust. We all need to be aware of many factors to consider in this case, before we just blindly vote one way or the other. So I say that we all put it to a vote," Twilight suggested. "Seconded," Celestia agreed. "Alright, well, lets put together our pros and cons before we make our final decision," Shining Armor stated. Soon they were putting together a list of reason why they should do one or the other for Moon Dust's age reversal. After considering everything that was put out, they agreed that they would reverse the age of Moon Light to a filly that was a few months short of a year old and Luna would be pregnant with Moon Dust, The CMC and some of the children of the night's other friends, would be about a year old, and Love Struck would be a toddling 2 year old, Plus two other unexpected outcomes that would be revealed later. After Luna cast a sleeping spell to cause Love Struck to fall asleep, Artemis got to work. Soon, lights glowed in the Lunar Chambers and a couple of Hotel Rooms in Canterlot, and then another spell was cast to cause everyone to thing the age reversal they were going to see was by an accident of Celestia coming down with a cold with a random magic burst, changing the blame to herself, not wanting her nephew to take the blame for it. Afterward the light dissipated, Luna was seen on the Lunar bed with a big round belly. Far larger that what would have been Moon Dust himself filling it as a baby foal, but most likely to give him the extra protection from outside forces. The glow Luna gave off with her pregnant form showed why many called her the "Mother of the Night". Cadence popped into Moon Light and Moon Dust's bedroom, and saw that Moon Light and Love Stuck were now sleeping in a crib, with pacifiers in their mouths and hugging each other cutely in their sleep. Had she been a lesser mare, she would have fainted from a cuteness attack. "The grils will be in for quite an adorable surprise when they all wake up," Cadence pointed out. "Indeed they will," Luna agreed, as she gently nuzzled her tummy and felt her son kick in his dream state.