The disadvantage to having such a large estate was that it was difficult for one to find their children anywhere. Fluttershy had been wandering around for hours before she found hers over by the duck pond.
Screwball stood over her baby brother as she covered her eyes. "Where's the baby?"
Zany giggled as he vanished from sight. His sister opened her eyes and looked around. She smiled once she spotted the infant in the tree above. She floated up to him and snatched him.
"Here he is!"
The baby laughed as Screwball tickled his tummy.
"So this is where you two have been all day!" Fluttershy exclaimed, flying up to them. "Having fun?"
"Loads!" Screwball declared. "Isn't Zany just the cutest wittle baby you've ever seen?"
Her mother chuckled as she patted the infant's head. "I'd say he's tied with you. Screwball, honey, have you packed your things? Remember, we'll be staying in Canterlot for a week."
"Oh, I did that hours ago! Mom, why can't Zany come with us?"
Fluttershy sighed and took her baby into her hooves. "We're going to be very busy, and the Grand Galloping Gala is no place for a baby. Besides, who knows what kind of magical surges Zany will get while we're there? He might turn the ballroom to ice, the castle to gingerbread, put spiders in Princess Flutterby Lily's bed..."
"One little harmless prank and you're labeled for life! Come on, Mom! I can keep him in line. The princesses haven't even seen him yet!"
"Perhaps another time, honey, when things are less hectic."
Inside, Fluttershy was crying at the thought of leaving her precious baby boy behind. He had rarely left her sight since he was born! She would not let anyone other than Screwball or Discord handle him! She figured Applejack was feeling the same about leaving Applespike.
"I don't know about this, Granny Smith," said Applejack. "Taking care of two foals plus Wynona and the other animals can't be easy, and Applespike can be a handful!"
"And there's no telling what Zany will do!" Fluttershy exclaimed.
"Now don't y'all worry about yerr little ones!" the elderly pony assured them. "They're in good hooves here!"
"Don't forget to feed him every hour!" Applejack reminded her. "There are some sapphires in the cupboard for when he gets picky! And if ya need to burp him, point his head away from anything flammable! Oh, and don't forget his seven-hour bubble bath has to be super bubbly! And keep your hoof away from his mouth. His teeth are starting to come in."
"Ouch!" Cinnamon Roll cried out, pulling her hoof away from her baby brother's crib. "She's not kidding!"
"And make sure Zany doesn't drink too much chocolate milk," Fluttershy advised, "because then he gets hyper and his magic gets out of control! You have to read him a bedtime story and sing a lullaby, otherwise he'll never get to sleep!"
"And Applespike will make a fuss all night if he doesn't have his binky!" Applejack insisted.
"I got it covered, hon!" Granny Smith declared. "After all, I had to take care of you, yerr brother and sister."
"That was different! Big Mac and I were practically grown up and Applespike and Zany aren't like other foals!"
"Yeah," Cinnamon Stick nodded. "Just last week, the little tyke singed my eyebrows while I was feeding him!"
"Ya see?!"
Spike chuckled as he laid a claw on his wife's shoulder. "Little Applespike will be fine, honey! I think we know by now there's nothing Granny Smith can't handle."
"What about Zany?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. "His actions are unpredictable! What if he teleports himself into the Everfree Forest and gets attacked by Timberwolves?! What if he turns invisible and can't turn back?! What if…?"
Discord clasped his claw over her mouth. "Quit worrying, dear! Nothing bad is going to happen to our baby. He is a Discord, after all!"
"Now come on, girls!" Spike insisted. "We're going to miss the train!"
The draconequus groaned. "For the thousandth time! I can get us all there in a second!"
"But train rides are fun!" Cinnamon Roll declared.
"But they take forever!"
"You can go ahead if you want, Dad," said Screwball, "but I want to take the train. You know, and spend alone time with Mom..."
Discord stiffened. "What are you talking about? I love trains!"
Cheerilee entered the house with a saddle bag on her back. "Is every pony all set to go?"
"One second," Screwball said.
She turned to Zany and made her old stuffed dragon appear in her hooves.
"Here, little bro," she said, handing it to him. "Sir Fangs-a-lot will keep you company."
The baby looked curiously at the toy and put its claw in its mouth.
"No, it's not for eating!"
She silently put a spell on Sir Fangs-a-lot, causing Zany to squeal and release it from his mouth.
"You be good, alright?" she said, rubbing his belly.
"Everything will be okay!" Fluttershy assured her son frantically. "Mommy will be home soon!"
Discord reached in and ruffled his hair, causing him to giggle. Meanwhile, Applejack and Spike were saying their final goodbyes to their baby.
"No frying any pony, ya hear?" Spike said.
"Ya really think he'll be alright?" Applejack whispered.
"He'll be fine!"
Discord had to pry Fluttershy from the crib.
"You have nothing to worry about, honey!"
"No!" she screamed. "He needs me! I have to stay with him!"
He sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice."
He snapped his fingers and teleported her into his arms. She kept kicking and screaming, trying to get to her baby.
"Have fun, y'all!" Granny Smith waved before she shut the door.
When she turned around, she gasped. Zany was missing from his crib.
"Now where'd ya scamper off to?"
She heard laughter above her head and looked up to find the infant on the ceiling.
"Aw, nuggets."
"Do you have the tickets, Red?" Pinkie asked her husband at the train station.
"Let's see," the red-headed orange pony said as he dug around in his saddle bag. "They should be...huh? I seemed to have misplaced them!"
"What?!" Pinkie screeched. "Red, the train is leaving in five minutes and Twilight is expecting us and if we don't show up she'll think we've forgotten all about her and she'll forget us and I'll be such a terrible friend and..."
"Wait, I think I know where they are!"
"You do?"
"Yeah, right..." he reached behind her ear and pulled out five tickets. "...here!"
Pinkie squealed. "I love it when you do that!"
"How does he do that?" Rarity marveled, scratching her head. "He has no horn, no sleeves, no nothing!"
"When are the others going to show up?" Cherry Pie asked impatiently.
"Yeah!" Raspberry Pie demanded "Where are Thunder and Lightning and Prism and Rainbow and Soarin...?"
"And Screwball and Dinky and Cinnamon Stick...?" Blueberry Pie continued.
"And Discord and Fluttershy and...?"
"Okay, okay!" Gemstone screamed. "We get it!"
"The Apples should be coming soon," Rarity responded, "along with the Doos and the Discords. The Dashes will be arriving at the Gala with the Wonderbolts."
Spike came panting onto the platform, followed by the rest of the group. "Sorry we're late, guys, but it took a while to drag Fluttershy away from Zany."
"I just know something bad's going to happen!" Fluttershy shrieked as she struggled in Discord's grasp. "I have to go back to him!"
"Honey, he's fine!" Discord insisted. "You're getting all worked up over nothing!"
"The train for Canterlot is leaving!" the conductor called from the train. "All aboard that's going aboard!"
Twilight Sparkle paced around her room, trying to settle the worries that were swimming in her mind.
"Keep it together," she said. "So what if there's another chaotic being flying around? Screwball turned out okay, and Discord hasn't caused trouble in years!" She groaned and stomped her hoof. "Then why am I so bothered by this?!"
She thought she had sorted this out long ago! After saving her life, making her friend the happiest mare in the world and raising his powerful daughter so well, shouldn't Discord have her complete trust?
Since Screwball was born, she had feared the child would lose control and Equestria would be in a state of unrest once again! It was not that she did not love Screwball. She was her goddaughter after all. She was a little crazy, but she was also as sweet as Fluttershy. One night, the little filly had caught Twilight in the library and had summoned a swarm of fireflies to give her light. But despite her sweet moments, there were times when things got out of hoof.
When she got angry at some pony, spiders would appear in their bed or something would fall on their head! At last year's Grand Galloping Gala, she had made the chocolate fountain explode! Twilight shivered as she recalled how the filly had turned her horn into a candy cane. It was no mystery where she had gotten that idea.
Now there was a second child of Discord. She had only seen him once at his birth, when he had made all the baby bottles in the hospital come to life. What if he turned out like his father had?
Of course, Discord was Twilight's main concern. Sure, he seemed good now, but what if he had a relapse or something? There was no predicting what he would do!
A knock brought Twilight out of her train of thought.
"Come in," she called.
Once she saw who was at the door, she stiffened. Standing there was a pegasus guard with a golden coat, blue eyes and a blue tail. He used to be taller than her, but being an alicorn for so long had increased her height and now they were at the same eye level.
At this moment, she would have preferred Discord.
For a while, neither of them said anything. They only stared at each other. Twilight tried to utter his name, but the shock muted her.
The guard shook his head and straightened up. "Twi...I mean your highness. Your friends have arrived."
Twilight snapped out of her trance and nodded. "Yes. Thank you...Flash."
She avoided his gaze as she walked out the door. She stopped when she heard his hoovesteps behind her. She turned to look at him, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"Princess Cadence had me transferred to your guard," Flash Sentry said.
"Why?"
"She didn't say. Anyway, my duty is to you now."
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Very well. Carry on."
Twilight turned her back to him and continued on her path with her nose in the air. Flash Sentry followed her further.
"Actually, Twilight, I wanted to talk..."
"Oh, so we're back to a first name basis again?" the alicorn snapped.
"That's what I wanted to talk about."
"Well, it's a little late for that, isn't it?!"
"Maybe it wouldn't have taken so long if you hadn't ignored me for the past..."
"You'll have to excuse me. My friends are waiting."
"Twilight, why won't you listen to...?"
"Good day to you, sir."
She picked up the pace and resisted the urge to look back. That had been the first time they had spoken to each other in years.
When Twilight reached the entrance hall, the group had already met with Flutterby Lily. The youngest princess had her mother's pink coat and her father's blue mane and stood at average height. She raced up to Screwball and they did their traditional greeting:
"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
Flutterby Lily laughed. "Have you all gotten taller?"
"Maybe," Dinky shrugged. "Or you're getting smaller."
"Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Fluttershy!" Twilight called as she rushed down the steps.
Her best friends greeted her with a hug.
"Geez!" Pinkie exclaimed, looking up at the alicorn. "And here Lily was saying the kids have gotten taller!"
Twilight gasped at the sight of Spike. "Not as much as Spike has, that's for sure!"
As she embraced her oldest friend, she was shocked to find that she went up to his neck now. It seemed like only yesterday that he had hatched out of his egg.
"I'm so glad you're all here! Come on! Lily and I will show you to your rooms."
As they trudged through the corridors, Rarity gave Twilight her usual pestering.
"Twilight, darling, there's this friend of Fancy Pants' who is around your age and..."
The alicorn groaned. "No, Rarity! I'm not getting roped into another one of your blind dates!"
"Oh but Twilight, you're the only one of us who isn't married! We just want you to be as happy as we are!"
"Rarity, I hate to say this, but alicorns are immortal. I have plenty of time to find a special some pony and I will get one when I want one!"
The unicorn sighed. "Oh, very well."
"By the way, where is Fancy Pants?"
Rarity's face grew whiter than usual. "He, um...has a business conference and couldn't make it, but he might make it to the Gala."
"Hey!" Pinkie piped. "Is that Flash Sentry? Hi, Flash!"
Twilight stopped in her tracks to see the stallion in front of her. There was that awkward silence again until Flash bowed courteously.
"Your highness."
Twilight nodded. "Sir Sentry."
He then stepped out of her path and let her pass. Twilight bit her lip. It was all she could do to stop herself from crying.