//------------------------------// // Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Special Moment with Auntie Twilight (Edited) // Story: A New Home // by APoeticHeart //------------------------------// During the night while everypony was sleeping peacefully upon their pillows, and snuggled up to each other, Twilight softly blinked her eyes open letting out a little yawn. She looked all around her at her friends with a warm smile as she looked at the small child who was sleeping underneath Fluttershy's wing. She quietly stood up, and trotted off her pillow over to the sleeping colt. She gently used her forehoof to very lightly nudge Fluttershy, and lowered her head down to whisper into her ear. "Fluttershy, could you maybe wake up for a little bit?" Fluttershy blinked her eyes open letting out a soft yawn as she looked up at Twilight. "Um, hi Twilight, what's wrong?" She asked in a whisper. Twilight shook her head. "Oh, nothing is wrong, I was just wondering if maybe I could spend a moment with Toby for a little bit?" Giving her a bright smile. Fluttershy returned a smile, and nodded. "Um. of course Twilight." She turned her attention to the little colt stroking his back with her wing. She leaned her head down to nuzzle at his cheek, and whispered in his ear. "Toby, can you wake up for a little bit sweetheart?" Toby stirred a little as he let out a soft yawn. He blinked his eyes open to look up into the beautiful sky blue eyes of Fluttershy. He smiled softly. She gave him a warm smile. "Hi sweetie. Would you like to spend some time with your Auntie Twilight?" He let out another soft yawn, and looked up at her, then over at Twilight who had a blushing smile on her face. "Yes Momma, that would be nice." He quietly got up seeing that everypony else was asleep, and stretched his arms, and legs. Twilight turned to Fluttershy. "Don't worry Fluttershy, I will keep him safe." Fluttershy gave a soft smile, and nodded as Twilight turned to Toby. "Come on sweetheart, I would like to take you someplace special." She used her magic to gently levitate the child up onto her back, and quietly trotted out onto the balcony of the castle. Toby looked up at the stars that filled the night sky along with Luna's moon as they twinkled. He felt a calm breeze soft brush against his skin. "Hold on dear, I am going to take you on a little ride." She looked back at him with wink. He wrapped his arms lightly around her neck. "Okay Auntie Twilight." She carefully flapped her wings to hover up in the air, and looked back at the little colt with a warm smile. She turned he attention in front of her, and started to flap her wings as she started to fly among the night breeze. Toby took a deep breath of the air letting a comforting sigh. She flew above Canterlot which was lit with lights along the streets. She gently looked back at the child who was smiling softly as the breeze blew against his face, and hair. "I want to take you somewhere special Toby. It is a place where I used to take Spike with me when we was young to relax, and enjoy a quiet moment together." He nodded with a smile. After soaring above Canterlot for a few minutes Twilight flew towards a cliff that was on the edge of a forest, and overlooked the city. She carefully lowered to the ground, and laid down tucking her legs up underneath her. She looked up at the sky, and sighed softly. Toby carefully climbed off her back, and sat down on the ground beside, and looked up as well. "It is very pretty out at night Auntie Twilight." He looked up at her. She looked down at him laying a wing softly over him. "Yes it is sweetheart." She sighed deeply. "Toby, can I ask you something?" He nodded. "Yes you can Auntie Twilight." She looked into his eyes. "Toby, when you ran away, did you really believe that we wouldn't love you, because you aren't a pony?" Rubbing along his back with her wing. He turned his head to the side a bit lowering it, and slowly nodded. Twilight gave a sad smile, and nuzzled at his cheek. "Look at me sweetheart." She said tenderly. He turned his head to look into her eyes with a frown. "Let me tell you something, although you may not be a pony, we all love you with all our hearts for you being who you are." She said giving him a reassuring smile. He gave a little smile in return. "Thank you Auntie Twilight." "There is no need to thank me sweetie, because it is the truth." She sighed softly. "You know something Toby, the way Fluttershy cares for you as your Momma, it reminds me of how I care for Spike." He looked up at her curiously. "Spike, Auntie Twilight?" She nodded. "Yes. You see Toby, when I was just a filly I hatched Spike from his egg, and from that moment on I took care of him like he was my own son or my little brother." She looked up at the night sky sighing softly. "When we was growing up in Canterlot, he was the only real friend I had here, and he always made sure I was okay if something bad happened or I was overdoing it with my studies." Toby smiled. "Well, that was good of him Auntie Twilight. That is how I was with Mommy, I always wanted to make sure she was okay, and happy if she was sad." Twilight giggled lightly. "You see, that is another thing you, and Spike have in common sweetheart. Apart from being different from us ponies, you two have such big caring hearts that makes us love you even more." Nuzzling at his cheek. She turned her attention back to the sky while keeping her wing over Toby. "One day Princess Celestia asked me to leave Canterlot to go live in Ponyville, so I could learn the meaning of friendship. Well, Spike being my number one assistant, accompanied me, and that is when I met all of my close friends, your aunties, and momma." She let out a soft sigh. "After we made our home in the library, the townsponies were all first weary, and cautious of Spike for being a dragon, for being different." Toby nodded. "Oh. They weren't mean to him or hurt him did they Auntie Twilight?" Twilight looked at him, and shook her head. "Oh, no dear, they never hurt him or were mean towards him. They were just uncertain of how to deal with a dragon in Ponyville. With time they accepted him as part of the community, and my friends accepted him as part of their family." "That is good Auntie Twilight. I like Spike, he is a very nice, and fun dragon to be friends with." He said letting out a giggle. "Yes he certainly is. However, during his birthday last year he turned into a big dragon who rampaged through Ponyville." Twilight gave the child a sad smile. Toby frowned. "Oh, no. It was an accident though, wasn't it Auntie Twilight?" Asking with concern. Twilight nodded. "Oh, of course it was an accident. He grew because of what is called Dragon's Greed. After he received his presents from me, and my friends, he couldn't stop wanting more stuff that he let his greed the best of him." Sighing softly "How did he shrink back to normal Auntie Twilight?" The little colt asked curiously yet with concern. Twilight gave him a nuzzle on his cheek. "When he grew into a real big dragon, bigger than Ponyville itself, he kidnapped your Auntie Rarity with his tail, and was escaping with her. He was about to escape until he seen a fire ruby that he gave to Rarity in the same day. Rarity didn't know it was Spike to begin with, so she believed that the dragon wanted the fire ruby for himself, but she refused to give it to him, because it was a gift from Spike." She sighed softly. Toby smiled softly. "That was very nice of Auntie Rarity to keep the fire ruby that Spike gave her, and not give it to the big mean Spike." Twilight giggled lightly, and nodded. "That is right sweetheart. After Spike set his eyes on the fire ruby, he remembered giving it to Rarity, and the kiss she gave him on his cheek that he felt guilty of changing into the big rampaging dragon he was. Suddenly he shrunk back to his normal size, and all of us including the town of Ponyville were able to forgive him, and understand that it was only a huge mistake. Although he is a dragon, he is different from other dragons, because he is caring, loyal, and he does his best to help when anypony needs him." She smiled warmly at the thought. "And you all love him, even though he isn't a pony." Toby smiled softly. Twilight nodded. "That is right Toby, we love him for being who is, just like we love you for being who you are." She untucked a foreleg, and rubbed at his tummy playfully causing the child to giggle happily. She giggled along with him as she gave him a kiss on the forehead. He reached up with his arms to hug her around her neck. "I love you too Auntie Twilight. I love all of my new family." He sighed softly. She wrapped her foreleg around his back, and rubbed up, and down. "Hey sweetie, how would you like to stay here, and watch Celestia's sun rise?" He looked up with a bright smile. "I would like that Auntie Twilight." She rubbed at his back some more, and patted it as she used her magic to gently lift him up onto her back to sit. As Twilight and Toby sat atop the cliff, they watched as Luna's moon, and the stars were starting to slowly descend in the horizon. They turned their attention to the castle as they saw Princess Celestia trot out onto the balcony. She closed her eyes, and started to light up her horn. Twilight turned her attention to the horizon past Canterlot. She smile brightly as she looked at the child on her back. "Look sweetheart, the sun is beginning to rise." As she pointed a hoof toward the horizon. Toby looked to see the golden orb slowly ascend against the vast sky as a deep orange glow showered over the two, and the land around them. He smiled warmly as the sun warmed his flesh as he took a deep breath of the morning air. "Mmm.. it is very pretty Auntie Twilight. Thank you for bringing me up here." Twilight sighed softly as the sun warmed her fur, and she smiled back at the child. "You don't need to thank me sweetie, I am glad I brought you up here. It is beautiful when Princess Celestia raises her sun, and when Princess Luna raises her moon." Toby smiled as he watched the sunrise. A moment with his Auntie Twilight that was peaceful that it seemed to last forever. The two sigh softly as they felt the warmth of Celestias sun blanket them in it's golden rays.