One morning, five-year-old Neoma woke up to her parents calling her downstairs for breakfast. When she got to the kitchen, Luna and Phoebus greeted her with smiles.
"Let's tell her now," Luna said to Phoebus, who nodded. "Neoma," Luna said, her voice soft and breathy as she turned and knelt down to her daughter's level, "you're going to have a new little brother or sister." She smiled.
"Really?" Neoma squealed excitedly. "Yay, yay, yaaayyy!" She bounced in a circle and suddenly stopped, looking around. "But where's the foal?"
"In mommy's belly," Phoebus told her, ruffling his daughter's mane. Neoma’s eyes grew as big as saucers as she looked over at Luna.
"Mommy, you ate the foal?" she whimpered, staring at Luna's still flat stomach. Luna and Phoebus both burst out laughing as Neoma watched in confusion. After Luna had caught her breath, she started to speak.
"Daddy put the foal in my belly," she explained, choosing her words carefully. "When a mommy pony and a daddy pony love each other very much, the daddy pony puts a foal in the mommy pony's belly, and then the mommy pony's belly gets really big, and the foal comes out of her body."
"Oh, okay," Neoma said, "but how did daddy put the foal in your belly, mommy? Did he cast a spell to give you a foal?"
"Yes, something like that," Luna said, trying not to laugh as she exchanged a glance with Phoebus.
Later, Celestia, Sombra, and Summer arrived for dinner.
"Guess what, Auntie Tia? Guess what, Uncle Sombra? Guess what, Summer? Daddy cast a spell on mommy and put a foal in her belly, and now I'm getting a new brother or sister!" Neoma announced. Celestia and Sombra both exploded with laughter, and they were quickly joined by a mortified Luna and Phoebus. Summer and Neoma just looked at each other, wondering what was so funny.
"Well, congratulations, you two," Celestia said, hugging her sister and brother-in-law. "It's about time!" She grinned and gently patted Luna's belly.
A few months passed, and one night, Neoma heard screams from her parents' bedroom. She was kept out of the room for hours, but luckily Celestia and Sombra were there with Summer to keep her company. Finally, Phoebus opened the door.
"Neoma, mommy and daddy have a surprise for you," he said, smiling, "but you have to be very careful, okay?"
"Okay, daddy," Neoma said, following him into the bedchamber. Luna sat up in the bed, cradling a tiny bundle.
"Neoma, come sit with me," she said gently. Neoma did as she was told, climbing up into the bed to join her mother. Luna shifted slightly and angled herself so that Neoma could see what she was holding: a newborn alicorn filly with a pale pink coat, turquoise eyes, a sky blue mane and tail, a crystalline horn like Neoma’s, and feathery pale pink wings.
"Neoma," Luna said, "meet Cassiopeia. She's your baby sister." She handed the newborn foal to Neoma and said, "Be very gentle, she could get hurt easily."
"Wow," Neoma gasped as she looked down at the foal in her hooves. "You're gonna be my best friend, Cassie." She cuddled the filly close, knowing she would always adore her little sister.