A few years have passed since Diamond Jewel's birth, now a foal of age 5 she has been through a lot; as she grew up her mother Luna had regained her full strength and now was able to do her duties as Diarch of Equestria, not only that she could now take over for Celestia on nursing her foal herself as she wanted to before but could not since her body was not mature enough at the time to handle the lactation spell Celestia had caste on herself to feed Diamond Jewel because Luna was weakened by The Elements of Harmony when she was changed from Nightmare Moon; now after the also scary times involving Discord's revenge, Chrysalis' invasion, Tirek's Revenge, and Luna's inner demon being conquered, Luna can now raise her foal in peace....hopefully.
Luna was enjoying the peace that Equestria was in, a new friend forged by now Princess Twilight's efforts, and her inner demon of guilt from being Nightmare Moon defeated; it was a normal day in the capital, but there was a small problem...Diamond Jewel, was missing.
"You there! Guard!" Luna called out to a grey pegasi guard.
"Yes! Princess Luna Mam?" the guard asked.
"My daughter is missing! Have you seen her?" Luna asked panicked.
"I believe I saw her heading to the gardens" the guard replied.
"Thank you!" Luna said bolting off to that direction.
Luna was now in the gardens and looking frantically for Jewel in the most likely places she would go, the problem was....Jewel running off was her playing, she did this often and yet.....Luna was perhaps what one calls, a 'Helicopter Mom' and forget's what play to her daughter was....thus Luna's panic attack.
"Jewel?! Jewel!?" Luna called out, she was hesitant to use the 'Canterlot Voice' of which she feared would frighten her daughter and thus never used it no matter what even if Jewel was perceived to be out of range.
Luna then decided however to finally use it, but only half as loud as the voice is.
"JEWEL!?" Luna called out; suddenly....she heard something, it sounded like....
"Jewel?" Luna headed to the source of the noise, after walked a few hooves she heard....giggling; she moved toward a bush where she heard the giggling.
"Jewel?~....You know mommy doesn't like it when you run off like that..." Luna said shakily bending down to look under the bush; sure enough, there under the bush smiling brightly and giggling was Diamond Jewel.
"Jewel!" Luna said relieved to see her daughter, Jewel then said laughing.
"You found me mommy!"
"Yes I did...but you scared me" Luna said laying down to be eye-level with her foal.
"Mommy, I'm just playing~" Jewel said in defense.
"I know Jewel, just play differently please?" Luna pleaded.
"Aw!~...." Jewel groaned in protest.
"I know you are having fun deary, I just worry when I can't find you" Luna stated gently, "Can you play something less scary?" Luna asked in addition crawling under the bush to get closer to Jewel.
"O-kay...." Jewel said looking unhappy, Luna saw this and then reached out to place a hoof on her daughter's cheek.
"I love you Jewel, okay?" Luna said sweetly.
"I love you too mommy" Jewel said now crawling out of the bush, she hugged her mother upon exiting the bush.
"So, is there something you want to do?" Luna asked trying to bring Jewel's spirit up, Jewel thought for a moment before looking up at her mother.
"Hide & Seek?" Jewel asked, Luna sighed as a result.....she just got done finding Jewel, now she wanted to do this again?....But Luna had an idea.
"Alright Jewel, but first...close your eyes please?" Luna asked.
"Okay" Jewel said, Jewel then closed her eyes; Luna then caste a spell on Jewel without her knowledge, the spell she knew was cheating but as long as Jewel did not know....it would be fine, at least now she can find Jewel without worrying of losing her.
"Okay Jewel, you can open your eyes" Luna said, Jewel then opened her eyes and asked a question.....uh oh.
"Mommy what was that?"
"Nothing sweetie, it was nothing" Luna lied, she hoped Jewel would buy it, "I was looking around to see where I can hide so I can play" Luna added to sell the lie.
"Oooh~ Okay mommy" Jewel said; this was good Luna thought, but since Jewel bought it she now had to act and she had to play along.
"Okay, now close your eyes again and I will hide, then you come looking for me" Luna said.
"Okay" Jewel said doing as she was told; Luna then went off to find a hiding place hard enough to give Jewel a challenge but easy enough for a foal to do, Luna then called out to tell Jewel to begin her search.
Jewel began to look around the garden, she looked in the opposite direction of Luna's hiding spot for a short distance before she turned around to head back where Luna was secretly hiding, Jewel kept looking for about 3 minutes before Luna gave her a small help; within a few more seconds to a minute Jewel then crept up on Luna who knew she was found yet played like she did not know.
Jewel crept up to her mother, going in from behind her though thinking her mom had no idea she found her, upon being inches from her mom she reached out with her hoof; Jewel then tapped Luna on her left hip and shouted.
"Found you!"
Luna pretended to be startled and turned quickly to look at Jewel, she the replied.
"You found me alright! I thought I hid good" Luna said smiling brightly.
"You helped me mommy" Jewel scolded.
"I did not want to scare you too like you scared me" Luna said hugging Jewel.
"I was not scared mommy, I would have found you" Jewel said.
"Just being nice Jewel; now ready for me to find you better this time?" Luna said.
"Yeah, but you can't find me!" Jewel taunted as she ran into the clearing but waited for her mom to come out of her hiding place.
"Okay Jewel...give me a moment" Luna said now standing next to her again, "Okay, I'm closing my eyes now" Luna said and then did so and waited until she heard her daughter leave.
Jewel soon was gone and Luna sensed it, after Jewel was gone Luna went looking for Jewel but this time she had a little help to help seek her out; Luna then went into the castle looking for Jewel since she was detected galloping in that direction, she then came across the same guard she yelled at in fear.
"Lose her again your Majesty?" the guard asked seriously.
"No sir, I know exactly were she went" Luna said slyly as she moved on.
"Good luck your Majesty" the guard said.
"Thank you but...luck is not needed" Luna said as she moved down the hall.
Luna move through the halls looking for Jewel, according to the spell she was close but it was a little upsetting Jewel again ran off and made it harder for her to find her, perhaps she should have told Jewel to stay in the garden....so it was her mistake not Jewel's.
Luna then came upon a hall lined with guards, Jewel must be hiding among them.
"Oh where could she be?" Luna asked aloud, "She has to be somewhere....", as she walked among the guards she thought she heard a giggle.
"Oh I wonder....I thought I told you to not run off and scare me~" Luna called out knowing exactly where Jewel was but played it up, Jewel then giggle.
"Where are you?~" Luna called out knowing she was on top of her already, Jewel kept quiet even though it was pointless, though Jewel did not know this.
"Found you!" Luna said bending down to see her foal hiding behind a guard, Jewel squealed playfully and laughed.
"You found me! you found me!" Jewel chanted as she crawled from behind the guard; the guard in question kept his face but if you looked closely...a subtle smile could be seen.
"I did, but you should have chosen a easier hiding place" Luna said as she hugged Jewel then walked off.
"No~ that's not fair" Jewel protested.
"Okay then, how about just hiding closer to where I was?" Luna suggested.
"Okay mommy" Jewel agreed.
"Good; I had fun Jewel, thank you for playing with me" Luna said nuzzling Jewel.
"Welcome" Jewel cooed kissing her mother's cheek.
"I have to go to work now okay? See you later, love you" Luna said kissing her daughter and hugging her.
"Okay....bye mommy, love you too" Jewel said; a guard then came and escorted Jewel away.
Luckily for Jewel she had made friends in a school she was enrolled in and she got along well, she then decided to ask if her friends could play her, so she asked the guard if he could help her, the guard agreed to and soon they visited the homes of each friend and soon they had a play date arranged with all 5 of her friends and the spent the day doing what foals do.
While playing around they received very special guests, Princess Cadence and Twilight then arrived and came across the playing foals.
"Hello little ones, hi Jewel" Cadence said.
"Hi Cadence!" Jewel said galloping over to hug Cadence, "Hi Twilight" Jewel said in addition then moving to hug Twilight.
"Hey Jewel, how are you?" Twilight asked.
"Good; I played Hide and Seek with mommy, now playing with friends" Jewel told the two.
"Really?~ Sounds fun" Cadence said smiling.
"It was, mommy got scared though" Jewel said looking a little guilty.
"Oh...I see, you hid well and scared her?" Twilight asked.
"Yes....." Jewel said.
"Ah I got you; but you had fun later did you?" Cadence asked.
"Yes we did"
"Then that's what matters" Cadence said hugging Jewel.
"Thank you" Jewel said.
"Welcome sweetie" Cadence said.
"Aw!~ How cute! I thought I heard foals playing" a voice said, it was Celestia and she then walked down the stairs to meet with the two visiting Alicorns.
"H-h-h-hi P-Princess" one foal a blue pegasi said.
"Hello little one" Celestia said giggling warmly.
"Hello Aunt Celestia" Cadence said.
"Greetings Cadence, Twilight" Celestia said now standing in front of them.
"We are here for the meeting" Cadence said.
"I know" Celestia said diverting her attention to Jewel by bending down.
"Hello Jewel" Celestia said.
"Hi Celestia" Jewel said moving to hug Celestia's muzzle.
"Having fun?" Celestia asked.
"Yeah" Jewel replied with a beaming smile.
"Good, keep having fun while Twilight and Cadence talk with me; your mom will be done shortly also" Celestia said.
"Okay" Jewel said smiling before she takes off to play with her friends again.
"She is so cute, she is growing into a beautiful mare" Celestia remarked.
"That she is, she was so cute as a baby" Cadence said.
"Yes she was, she loved you when she met you" Celestia recalled.
"I know, near endless entertainment playing with my face, or tickling...you name it" Cadence recalled.
"Aw!~ I remember that, that was adorable! I remember seeing that and when I did....oh it was too cute!" Twilight said.
"I know...now then, as fun as it is to recall Jewel's past, we have important business" Celestia said almost reluctantly.
"Right then" Cadence said as then she and Twilight moved on with Celestia.
The three alicorns moved around the playing foals being watched by parents and guards alike and headed up stairs.
Time passed again and soon Luna returned from her duties and found Jewel still playing with now her friends, she then walked up to the group of foals and spoke.
"Hello little ones, everypony"
"Greetings your Majesty" one parent said.
"Hi Princess Luna" a foal pink unicorn addressed.
"Hello deary" Luna chimed warmly, "Jewel dear? You having fun?"
"Yes mommy" Jewel replied going to hug her mother.
"Good! I am happy you are, how long are your friends staying?" Luna asked.
"The most of us will be staying for a little while, it is a honor to have our foals be Princess Jewel's friends" one noble, a grey pegasus mare said.
"That sounds good, perhaps they could have dinner?" Luna asked.
"That would be a privilege Princess Luna" another mare, a lavender unicorn said.
"Excellent! A dinner it is" Luna said warmly.
"Yay!" Jewel and the foals said; now this evening was going to be busy, a dinner gathering for Jewel and her friends.
TO BE CONTINUED.