Halcyon Hearts

by TheMyth


Chapter 22

With a groan and hesitant eyes, Blaze Stream awoke to the sun shining through his room. He looked out over the empire, where the crystals sparkled as the sun’s rays shone upon it. Blaze had to admit that it was beautiful, but when he heard a second voice next to him, he smiled down upon that which found even more beautiful.

Twilight fluttered her eyes open and looked up to the face of her coltfriend lying next to her. She smiled softly at him, feeling his hoof running through her mane. “Morning, Blaze,” she she greeted, closing her eyes to the touch of his gentle hoof.

“Morning, my princess...” he replied back, kissing her gently on her soft lips.

“You know I’m not a princess,” Twilight giggled, raising her head to be on level with Blaze’s.

“Too bad, would have been interesting to see you with wings,” he said, slyly placing his hooves to her ribs before engaging his attack via tickles.

Twilight laughed and squirmed, finally getting away from the menacing hooves. “Well, I don’t think I could handle the stress of being a princess.”

“I dunno about that. You seemed pretty fine handling that commissioner.”

“That was only one situation where I was making hundreds of checklists, setting up events for royalty, reorganizing the library-”

“About that,” Blaze raised his hoof to silence her for the moment. “I think we ought to only sort out the books in category from now on... makes things easier for both you, the librarian, and for the pony looking for a book.”

Twilight smiled sheepishly, her face imitating a tomato. “You really think so?” she asked, looking into his eyes.

“Yeah, I mean it’s cool to be organized in life... but too much of a good thing is equivalent to a bad thing...”

“Like medicine?”

“Like medicine,” Blaze mimicked Twilight to prove his point.

Twilight nodded and smiled before looking out to the window, taking in the beautiful view. “It’s a lovely day today, isn’t it?”

“Sure is.”

“Why don’t we go out around the Empire today? Maybe we can find some souvenirs to take back to Spike and Light.”

“You mean like a date? With your brother around? He’s probably got every guard in the city keeping an eye on us.”

“Relax, Cadance took care of that.”

“For how long?”

Twilight thought for a minute. “Good point. Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t you and Shining spend some time together?”

“...What?”

“Yeah! When you spent some time with Spike, the two of you got along better. Maybe we need the same thing here.”

“Spike didn’t have the desire or ability to kill me!”

“And neither does Shiny... well, maybe the ability, but...”

“I’m not doing this.”

Twilight blinked. This had been the first time he had flat out refused to do something she wanted.

“Please?” she said, giving a pouting look.

“No.”

“Pretty please?”

“No.”

“Fine,” she said, getting serious. “Do it, or you're sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Blaze actually smirked at this threat. “...Twilight, there’s hundreds of empty rooms, you can’t banish me to the couch.”

“...Cadance makes this look so easy,” Twilight sighed. “Look, please do this? I know he’s acting stupid about this whole thing, but he is my BBBFF. I really want you two to get along.” she asked him nicely, sticking out her lower lip and moistening her eyes to impersonate a puppy’s.

The red pegasus sighed, planting a hoof to his forehead. “Why do I always get stuck with the icky jobs?” he asked himself out loud, before looking to Twilight. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

Twilight squeed and hugged him tightly, before loosening her grip and facing his eyes again. “Besides, if he does cause you trouble... you can defend yourself.”

“Are you insinuating what I think you are, Twilight?” he asked her, cocking his brow.

“Well, it’s not like he can easily beat you... I mean, by all accounts, you could have beaten him in that duel because of his attacks using too much magic,” Twilight explained to her coltfriend.

Blaze shrugged. “I suppose so,” he said, getting out of the bed and furling his wings. He groaned again, looking back at the wings. I guess I need to preen these again soon. His eyes widened and he looked to Twilight. “What you think your brother will say about the ‘outing’?”


“Absolutely not!”

Shining Armor stood outside his room, looking dreadful from having to sleep on the couch after a rough duel he had the previous day. He stared at his little sister Twilight as though she had grown another set of legs.

“Please, Shining, can’t you just do me this one small thing?”

“Twiley, I love you, but what you are asking me is just plain crazy...”

Twilight groaned, furrowing her brow in frustration. “Can’t you just forget about the other day?” she asked him, though the answer she had predicted already.

“Ha! Forget this?” he pointed to his battered body. “Besides, all I want to do today is just get some rest...”

“Rest? From what?”

Twilight and Shining looked to the side to see Cadance trotting up to the two of them, looking as cheerful as she would on any beautiful day.

“Morning, Cadance,” Twilight nuzzled her sister-in-law, before stepping back to allow her passage to her miserable husband.

“Good morning Shining,” she greeted her husband happily, not noticing the frown on his face.

“Hey,” he said, sounding rather flat and exhausted.

“What were you two talking about?”

“Well, it’s nothing impor...”

“I was suggesting that Shiny and Blaze spend some time together and get to know each other.”

Shining Armor’s eye twitched as he had unpleasant memories of when Twilight would bring up the plush toy that he slept with until he turned thirteen once, right in front of Cadance. It had been the single worst thing she could have said at that moment, but it only got topped by this one.

“That’s a good idea,” Cadance said. “I’m sure after a bit they’ll get along just fine.”

“I don’t know, I’m tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Gee, I wonder,” Shining Armor said, figuring that he had nothing to lose at this point.

Apparently, he truly didn’t. “Alright, look, I’m sorry about making you sleep on the couch. How about this: if you hang out with Blaze today, I’ll let you back in and...” Cadance leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Slowly, his pupils got smaller and his grin got wider.

“Well, if you insist, I will,” Shining Armor declared, suddenly looking happier about the whole thing. “Come on, Blaze, there’s a sports match downtown...”

The Prince of the Crystal Empire practically dragged the former convict out of the room. It was scarcely necessary, as there was a great deal more hatred Blaze would have to have toward another stallion before he denied him a bounty like that.

“You think this will work, Twiley?” Cadance leaned in to Twilight’s ear, looking at the two stallions that left.

“I’m sure it will,” Twilight assured. “Besides, do you want to spend every Hearth’s Warming Eve putting up with those two fighting? Every family get-together will be ruined. Best they get along now.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Twilight turned to Cadance, cocking her brow at her. “What did you whisper to Shiny to get him to agree?”

It was Cadance’s turn to turn red when Twilight’s question came to her. “Let’s just say, it’s one of the many marriageable activities we engage in...”


Shining and Blaze remained quiet when they were walking down the street towards their destination. Neither smiled nor frowned at the other, not even looking to their opposites. Shining’s eyes rose to the sky and he sighed.

“Great weather we’re having today,” he said casually, hoping to get a response at least from the pegasus.

Blaze merely nodded his head. “Yeeeeah...” he replied plainly, looking around the busy market they were passing through. “You know, I’ve heard stories of this empire. Thought it was all hogwash,” he commented, barely audible to Shining’s keen ear.

The white unicorn smiled for the first time in Blaze’s company. “Well, it’s amazing the things that happen in Twilight’s life, with her and her friends.”

“And family, too,” Blaze chimed in, turning his head to Shining’s. “Kind of weird how you and her foalsitter got together in the end.”

Shining’s lips curled in a squeezed smile, looking down for a moment before straightening himself. “Well, if it wasn’t for Twilight... I would have never met Cadance at all.”

Blaze chuckled, shaking his head. “If it wasn’t for Twilight, I would still be stuck working for that disgusting pig...”

“Yeah,” Shining replied dryly, remembering the reports of the conditions Blaze mentioned when working for Bloodwing. “Well, you only did it ‘cause you had no choice in the end...”

“Either that or have Light killed,” Blaze’s eyes turned furious for a moment as he scowled. “There was no way I was going to let that happen...”

Shining bit his lower lip, looking to Blaze. “You really went through a lot for that colt of yours, didn’t you?”

“And I was willing to go through more if it meant that he would have a happy life ahead of him at least.”

Shining Armor nodded, not sure what to add to that.

“You looking forward to your kid?”

Shining Armor blinked. “Excuse me?”

Blaze shrugged. “You were asking me about my kid, I figured it was a good place to continue on.”

He nodded. “Well... I think Cadance really wanted a foal... she was hinting at something, anyway, and she was frisky. This one night...”

“Ah,” he shushed him. “You only brag about that to a stallion if they can brag back, and I’m pretty sure in this case, you don’t want to know.”

Shining Armour shivered. “That’s right.”

“So... what? Looking forward to the kid?”

“Well, yeah...” he admitted slowly. “I guess...”

“You guess? Now’s not the time you need to be thinking about that kind of thing.”

Shining Armor glared at him, but it quickly evaporated. “Look, weren’t you worried when you took Light in?”

“No, I was fourteen and stupid back then. If I had worried, I would have stayed put in that orphanage until Celestia closed it down.”

“So... are you saying that worrying is good?”

“In this case, maybe a little is,” Blaze said. “Not too much worrying, though. I see parents worry all the time about what their kids are doing. You hear about all those adult blank flanks who are where they are because their parents smothered them to the point they never got to do anything.”

“Yeah... I had a few in my ranks back in Canterlot. They had nothing else they could think to do...”

“Exactly. So worrying means you’re thinking, which is good, but too much worrying means you’re over-thinking, which is bad. If you’re worried about being a parent, it’s good, just... don’t worry too much.”

Shining was surprised to hear such wise words from a stallion he thought was just a con. How many times have I been wrong, only for Twiley to correct me? He sighed and gave his first genuine smile to Blaze. “I guess you’re right.”

“So let’s review, worrying can be good but overdoing it is a bad thing...” he pointed to his skull, grinning. “Got it memorized?”

“Yeah, got it...” Shining said dismissively, looking ahead to a stadium. “Looks like we’re here...” He said as he went to the ticket booth, where he got two VIP tickets for free. “One of the many perks of being royalty.” he smirked as he handed his ticket to Blaze.

Blaze only laughed and mumbled. “Among other things...”


“Ooooh! This is so divine!”

Rarity groaned as she was given a massage by one of the employees of the spa in the palace. Cadance had suggested that since Blaze and Shining were out in town, she and the others would have a Mares’ Day Out. The first stop would be the spa in the palace.

Applejack was resting on her stomach as a masseur was tapping her back continuously. “Ya said it! Oh!” Applejack sighed out, her voice vibrating thanks to the massage.

Rainbow only smiled as her hooves were being down. “Yeah, this is... sometimes...” she muttered, feeling a little too girly.

“Oh Rainbow, why do you always object to anything that is mare-like?” Rarity asked her as she relaxed in the hot spring now.

“Just because...”

“Because?”

“Nevermind, ok?!”

From another hot spring, Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes to the friends. “This always happens when Rainbow does something ‘girly’,” Twilight commented to an amused Cadance.

Cadance merely giggled. “I wouldn’t complain too much,” she said softly, rubbing her stomach a little as a demure smile was present on her face.

“You must be excited,” Twilight asked as she knew what Cadance was thinking of.

“I am,” Cadance agreed, or at least she did through words. In her tone, it seemed to be another matter entirely.

“Are you worried about something?” Twilight asked.

Cadance pawed at the ground for a bit. “Well...”

“Darling, are you worried about being a mother?” Rarity asked.

“It’s not that so much. It’s... I’m worried about Shiny.”

“Why, is something wrong?” Twilight asked quickly.

“...Back when we were dating, I thought he was perfect... like a knight in... well, shining armor.”

“Hence the name!” Pinkie chirped.

Cadance nodded. “Yes, but... the day I was rescued, and found out what happened between him and Twilight, I was shocked. It seemed so unlike him. But I forgave him. He was brainwashed, after all. But lately... the way he handled Twilight dating Blaze... he seems irrational. I used to think it was cute how protective he was of his sister, but now...”

“I’m not really seeing too much of a problem,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. The others looked at her. “What? Shining Armor is clingy. We’re solving that problem already. I don’t get why we need to keep talking about it.”

“It’s just... I couldn’t picture him acting this way. He always seemed so kind...”

“You couldn’t picture him acting like a pony?”

“Rainbow Dash!” Applejack scolded.

“What? Shining Armor isn’t perfect. I thought it was a given that nopony is.”

Cadance was actually stunned. “Well, I guess it never occurred to me...”

“So, you were expecting a completely flawless marriage where you never disagreed on anything and nothing went wrong?”

Cadance opened her mouth to say that wasn’t what she meant, only to close it when she realize that it was exactly what she meant. She just never realized how foalish it was until Rainbow Dash had put it so bluntly.

“You’re right,” Cadance responded, a steady smile forming on her muzzle. “Nothing in life is perfect, after all...”

Rainbow grinned and went into the bath Twilight and Cadance were in. “Yeah. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be a happy life,” she told her as she patted her back.

“Your daughter is lucky to have you as a mother.”

Blood starting flowing rampantly in Rainbow’s cheeks as she looked away after the compliment. “Well, I try,” she laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

“And your coltfriend must be a very fortunate stallion...”

Rainbow blushed even further, her smile vanishing as she fiddled with her hooves in the water. “Well, I don’t have one...”

Cadance was shocked again by what Rainbow said. She turned to the others who only nodded, some more slowly than others. “Have you ever given it any thought?”

“I did, but... what with raising Scootaloo and training with my dad, I don’t see any time for that sort of thing!”

“Love always makes time for you,” Cadance whispered the wise words to the cyan mare’s ear. “Besides, I think there is somepony you have your eyes on...”

Twilight and the others’ heads turned abruptly to the news, and no sooner were they all crowding Rainbow like she had struck gold. Twilight and Fluttershy just remained still, the former not wanting to break the promise that she had made.

“Um,” Rainbow chuckled, her cheeks glowing redder with every second. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cadance.”

“Let’s just say, my talent does not lie...” Cadance replied, finding a little mirth in Rainbow’s situation and her friends’ growing curiosity of who the stallion might be.

“Ya gonna tell us, Sugarcube, or wha’?”

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Can we have a ‘Coltfriend and Marefriend’ party for you and the mystery colt? Can we!? Can we!?”

“Darling, don’t keep us in suspense!”

“I’m not keeping you in suspense... that’s the mysterious stallion’s job.”

As the girls kept talking, Twilight bit her lip to keep from blurting it out. Things were going to get very interesting for Rainbow Dash very soon...


It wasn’t often the Crystal Empire got to see any of the Wonderbolts perform. Being a fairly new province in Equestria, it wasn’t programmed into their tours. Still, with some push from Celestia, the Wonderbolts were making an appearance here, and Shining Armor and Blaze were currently watching from the skybox.

“So, basically, this is a Wonderbolt Show for the insanely rich?”

“Basically,” Shining Armor said, leaning in the one thousand bit worth massage chair provided for him.

“I don’t know, this seems like it takes the charm out of it...” Blaze said, though he took an hor'dourve from the plate a butler offered him.

“Relax, once the real match starts, there’s all the intensity of the bleachers without the obnoxious fans getting in your way.”

“Ah, I see, this is a way to look down on the common pony.”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Shining Armor protested. “Do you have to make a joke out of everything?”

“Hey, relax, I’m just yanking your chain.”

“Yeah, and it’s getting on my nerves.”

“Okay, this is a step backwards,” Blaze muttered. “Isn’t the whole point for us to get along and you to get whatever it is you're into from your wife?”

“...Good point,” he said, remembering what was on the line. “Well, sports is a good stallion bonding activity, so this should work.”

Blaze sighed, leaning back. “So who’s competing?”

Shining Armor checked the program. “Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, Spitfire, Soarin, and Lightning Jack.”

“Soarin’s here!?” Blaze jumped out of his seat and pressed his face against the window and looked down on the Wonderbolts, identifying Soarin among the others.

The white unicorn’s arched his brow at Blaze’s sudden interest. “Yeah... why do you ask?” he asked Blaze, but the red pony was not listening.

“If Rainbow were just here...”

“What about Rainbow Dash?”

Blaze’s attention turned to a confused Shining, the latter standing up from his seat and joining Blaze. “Well, I can’t say...”

Shining furrowed in brow in slight frustration. “Why not?”

“I promised not to.”

“Oh,” Shining shrugged and took his seat again. “Take your seat, will you? The race is about to start...”

Blaze shrugged and took his seat again, reclining in the comfort of it. “Say, what do you think Twilight and the others are up to now?”

“Beats me...”


Cadance smiled and sighed as she took a bite of her own dessert: ice cream topped with mustard and pickles. She heard a groan from the others and looked to them with confusion. “Why are you all making such faces? This is so good!” she reached out a spoon and scooped up a generous portion. “Here Twilight! Try some.”

Twilight pulled her head back in disgust and shook her head. “I’ll pass, thank you,” she told her sister-in-law, both amazed and horrified at how she could digest such a meal. I’ve read books on odd appetites during pregnancy, but this...

“Are ya sure tha’ there is safe fer the youngin’?”

“Of course, Applejack. You know, I think apple sauce would work just great with this...” she pondered out loud.

Rainbow leaned into Applejack’s ear. “Don’t do it, please,” she whispered desperately to her friend.

“Ah’m not gonna let her touch it...”

“In fact,” Cadance mused, “I wonder... what’s the bulk rate at Sweet Apple Acres? What would a few thousand bits get me?”

“...Let me help ya with that,” Applejack said, picking up an apple sauce pan and dumping it onto the already-existing ice cream, much to the disgust of her tablemates.

“I think I’m glad I had my kids the non-messy way,” Twilight sighed.

“Ditto,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

“Well,” Cadance said with a sly smile, “that also means you missed out on the really fun parts...”

Twilight blushed heavily. “C-Cadance!” she shrieked. She kept forgetting that her foalsitter wasn’t exactly as wholesome as she had thought.

She shrugged. “I’m sure you and Blaze...”

“No,” she said too quickly, her blush deepening. “I-I mean... we agreed...”

“Calm time, Twiley, I was kidding,” Cadance chuckled.

“Still, Blaze is pretty handsome,” Applejack laughed. “Ya got any idea when you two are...”

“We agreed to wait a few months...” she muttered. “We already are moving pretty fast... I’ve already practically adopted Light...”

Cadance giggled. “You’re growing up. I remember when I was tucking you in at night...”

“Well... that’s why I was hoping Blaze and Shiny could get along... I don’t want them fighting every time we get together...”

“Relax, I’m sure those two are having a great time...”


“I don’t believe that!”

“I know... Soarin was totally an inch ahead! He won!”

The two continued expressing their disapproval at the outcome of the race while reclined back on their seats.

Blaze shook his head with his brow furrowed, frustrated of the outcome. “Well, can’t be helped, I guess… Rainbow Dash did say that Fleetfoot is the better derby racer.”

“Hmmm, though it can be argued that Soarin has more speed in the group…” Shining trailed off, thinking back to another race where Soarin won by a mile ahead.

“Not lately,” Blaze spoke blankly, reaching over for a drink of soda. “He’s losing speed with his diet of apple pies.”

Shining laughed at the statement. “Really? Well, in terms of speed, who do you think is better now?”

“Rainbow Dash, of course.”

“So you’re not putting yourself on the top speedsters?”

Blaze shook his head with a wry smile. “Didn’t say that, but if we had to include stunts and shows… I’d say I fall into the top category.”

Shining titled his head, looking at Blaze skeptically with an arched eyebrow. “You ever seen the Sonic Rainboom?”

“Nope,” Blaze shook his head, before grinning smugly. “But you’ve never seen the Pyro Ring…”

“That’s another thing that’s been boggling me,” Shining lifted himself from his reclining position and sat up straight. “How the hay do you do that? Pegasi don’t have magic to create stuff like flames.”

Blaze’s grin vanished, being replaced by a serious look on his face. “Actually, all ponies have a bit of magic inside of them, including earth ponies…”

“Huh?” Shining was confused, but continued to listen to Blaze’s words.

“From what I learned working with Bloodwing, all ponies have a source of magic inside of them… which varies from what race the pony is from. Pegasi magic is primarily concentrated in the wings, hence why we’re able to fly in the air even though our wings look too small to support our bodies. Earth ponies’ magic is primarily focused in their hooves, hence why they have an affinity to the soil they walk on… and why they make excellent agricultural workers,” Blaze counted down everything that he remembered, from the notes Bloodwing made and from others that came from an unknown source.

“What about unicorn magic?”

He looked at him. “You mean you never bothered to figure out how your own magic works?”

Shining Armor shrugged. “I just learned what I needed. I guess Twiley tried explaining it a few times, but I could never understand anything she was saying.”

“Well, a unicorn’s horn lets them pull magic from around them. Magic exists everywhere there’s life, even in the air. A horn is just a conductor that allows them to harness it.”

“So... what makes Twiley so powerful?”

“Just like earth ponies and pegasi, unicorns have magic in them as well. The horn allows them to absorb magic. So every pony already has a reservoir in them. Twi... I don’t know. The Princess analyzed her a few times from what I heared, but nopony was able to figure her out.”

“Uh huh... so how’d all this get you fire powers?”

“As crazy as Bloodwing was, he was a genius. He claimed he found research from somepony... he never said who... and built on their work, on how to access the magic deep within a pony and convert it to whatever usage they needed. It’s what he did to me...”

Blaze’s tone got Shining to drop the subject. Something told him that it was too touchy a subject.

“You think Bloodwing’s gone for good?”

“I know he is.”

“Why?”

“Bloodwing was a genius, but he was impatient... his mind was everywhere at once. His lab was filled with half-finished notes and projects. The only reason he stuck with the alicorn project for so long was because there were so many facets of it that needed to be figured out. When he got bored with one part, the next one relieved him of that. And even then, Black and Blue had to help him focus. Trust me, he wouldn’t have waited. He would have attacked by now.”

“If you’re sure...”

“If I wasn’t, I’d be looking for him myself. After all those years, I wouldn’t risk Light’s safety like that.”

Shining’s eyes softened when Blaze finished speaking. “Light means a lot to you?”

“More than my own life,” Blaze muttered as he reclined back on his chair. “Hence why I’m glad Twilight and her friends helped rid of Bloodwing’s work for good… got Light a better life now, and lengthened my lifespan considerably…”

“What? What do you mean by that?” Shining’s eyes cocked in confusion. “Were you dying over there?”

Blaze sighed, looking up to the ceiling with a somber look. “Even though that I gained the manipulation and generation of fire, it acted as a double-edged sword… shortened my life span with each usage,” he turned his head to Shining. “You saw what happened to Blue, with his over-usage of his magic…”

Shining grimaced as he remembered fighting Blue and seeing him turn into ice and shatter.

“The same would have happened to me if I overused my power.”

“Then why the heck are you still-”

Blaze raised his hoof. “Thankfully, Celestia is also smarter than what she looks…” Blaze smirked at Shining’s baffled look. “She knew how to have me use my magic and not have my lifespan depleted thanks to that, instead of gentling me like she did with Black.” He looked over to his wings and smiled softly. “I guess she saw some kind of use for them in the future…”

Shining shrugged with his eyes closed. “Well, don’t tell her I said this… but I think she’s playing with her cards too close to her chest.”

“Meaning?”

“She doesn’t tell you her whole plan until the very end,” Shining looked up to the ceiling too, sighing. “It’s like, she’s always testing us for some grand plan of hers…”

Blaze shook his head, thinking back on him meeting Celestia and remembering how she healed him personally. “Well she is gifted, no doubts there… but she is not a goddess…”

“Explain the immortality, then?”

“Alicorn physiology, exceedingly long life spans yes… but not invincible,” Blaze noted plaintively. “I think there was the matter of your wedding, where Celestia was wounded by the changeling queen?”

“...Right.”

“See? They’re powerful, but they can be killed. Still, theoretically, if nothing came across to challenge them, they could live forever.”

Shining Armor was silent for a moment. “It’s weird hearing you talk like a scientist.”

He shrugged. “Part of the deal. I had to help Bloodwing in his lab all the time. You pick things up that way.”

“Well, I guess I can see how you and Twiley got along.”

“Hey, even with what Bloodwing taught me, I can hardly keep up with her sometimes. When she finds out something big she starts rambling on, and I can hardly follow.” He thought for a minute. “Honestly, if it wasn’t for her morality, I think she could have done everything Bloodwing did and more.”

“But she wouldn’t... she doesn’t want to take over Equestria.”

“Neither did Bloodwing, really. He just wanted to figure out how things work. He saw Celestia as an obstacle and decided she needed to be removed.”

There was an uncomfortable silence afterward.

“Maybe we better go back to watching the races...”


“Cadance, please... hold still,” Rarity said as she tried to untie the mess that was Cadance’s mane. “Honestly, who thought up this hairstyle?”

“But... it looks good on me, right?”

“It looks about as good as this manestyle can look on anypony.” Rarity slowly turned the mirror towards Cadance’s front, and there was a dreaded silence that followed before Cadance’s jaw dropped.

“But... ah!” Suddenly the pink alicorn let out a wail and began sprinkling the floor with her tears. “I look hideous!”

“No, no, you look fabulous, darling!” Rarity tried to assure.

Pinkie giggled. “Yeah, like a real princess!”

“You’re just saying that!” Cadance wailed.

Twilight gulped and slowly trotted towards Cadance, trying her best to gently lift her up from the ground. “Please, Cadance, we can fix your mane and you’ll look so beautiful that-”

“Beautiful!?” Twilight stepped back in fear, seeing Cadance’s face turn sour as expired milk. “I’m so ugly Twilight! First I turn as fat as a whale and now I have a disastrous manestyle! Even Shining thinks I look ugly!” she fell into Twilight’s shoulder and started sobbing again, shaking uncontrollably.

Stroking her mane softly, Twilight looked up to her friends for help. She moved her lips, not daring to make her voice be heard by Cadance.

“What do I do?”

Fortunately, Fluttershy came to the rescue. “Excuse me, Cadance?” she spoke softly, causing Cadance to lift her head up to reveal red eyes. “If it will make you feel any better, why don’t we try to get your mane out of that mess again? I’m sure Rarity didn’t mean to make it that way…”

Cadance blinked, looking to Rarity for confirmation. The latter nodding her head furiously, wearing a broad smile. “You think this can be fixed?” Cadance asked Fluttershy.

“Absolutely, if anypony can fix it… it’s Rarity,” Fluttershy assured the princess of love, smiling gently.

“Alright…” Cadance removed herself from Twilight’s hold, but her eyes looked down on her visibly swelled-up belly. “But what am I going to do with this?”

Surprisingly, Fluttershy giggled at Cadance’s question. All her friends looked at her as though she was insane, and they looked at Cadance in fear of another wailing. “Cadance, you should know better than that. Your body is not just for you, but for your growing foal inside,” she placed a hoof to the belly. “Just remember, with everything you put into your body… it’s all for a good cause, for your foal.”

Cadance was silent for a few seconds, before letting out a little ‘oof’ and looking down on her stomach again. She blinked in surprise and slowly smiled again. “You’re right, Fluttershy. I’m sorry, all of you…”

Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. “Darling, you have done nothing wrong to warrant an apology to us. Besides, I’ve never really tested this manestyle before.”

“Wonder why it was thought of in the first place?” Rainbow asked out loud, wondering why this mane style was needed in the Equestrian Games biddings.

“You know, I’m not sure... but I guess it looks pretty good, right?”

At that moment, Shining Armor and Blaze entered, back from their long day at the track, and they suddenly stopped.

“Whoa, what’s with the mane?” Blaze asked.

And thus, the wails came out anew.


Back in Ponyville, Scootaloo sat with her back against a tree, one that she had made sure was pre-bucked. Yawning, slipped in between sleep and consciousness, the hot summer day not letting her decide which state would be preferable.

“What are you doing out here?” Light asked, walking up. “Did you already finish your part?”

“Not really,” Scootaloo answered sleepily. “Whenever I tried to cut anything, Apple Bloom kept saying I was doing it wrong, and she just took it from me and told me to find something else to do.”

“I know what you mean,” he said, sitting next to her. “She certainly knows what she’s doing... why did you guys never try building anything before?”

“We did! I built that stage!” She stood her ground a moment, then sighed. “I guess I’m not as good at it as she is.”

“Hey... you think maybe that’s her cutie mark?”

“I hope so. I want my cutieceañera!”

“I think our parents do, too. Dad and Twilight keep talking about how to make it good. I bet that’s what they’re doing right now.”


Shining Armor sighed as he pulled the covers up. How his wife had banished him to the couch when there were hundreds of bedrooms in the castle was beyond him. “Well... today wasn’t so bad...”

“Oh, shut up.” Blaze moaned, laying on the couch next to his. It was going to be a long night.