My Little Pony: A Race Against Time

by CJ Esmerio

Checking In

Author's Note:

“My Little Pony” and “Equestria Girls” are owned by Hasbro, and Stardust Balance was created by the Warrior of Twilight.

“Thank you so much for looking after my garden while I’m away on vacation, Twilight.”

Unaware of the small stream of Equestrian magic that had entered her watering can, Sci-Twi happily nodded her head as the principal of Canterlot High handed her a set of keys to the gardenhouse in front of them. “I really appreciate it… and I’m pleased to see that you came to help her today, Stardust.”

A small smile appeared on the face of Stardust’s Equestria Girls counterpart as he Celestia a small shrug, and as the principal walked away, he placed the right headphone earbud into his ear while turning on his mp3 player. “Just don’t expect me to show up here with you every day, love.”

An amused Sci-Twi rolled her eyes while Spike’s dog counterpart said, “To be honest, Star, I’m still surprised that you’re here in the first place.”

“Didn’t have anything better to do, I guess,” replied EG Stardust, who was slightly telling a small white lie since he actually would have been able to find something that was better than looking over various plants, but ever since his interaction with Kronos, the young teenager had been doing whatever it took to prevent the world-watcher from permanently sending him to a place that was a thousand times worse than whatever hell was like.

Besides, seeing how excited his girlfriend was as she told Spike that this would expand her knowledge of botany felt good enough for him, and as they entered the plant-filled building, EG Stardust’s smile grew a little more as the glasses-wearing teenager began to sing while sweeping up the small mess on the floor.

Give a little and you
Get a little and you
Care a little and it starts to show

Then, she began to start sprinkling some water into some of the smaller potted plants before she went to the bigger ones.

Growing things is easy
If you just give it room to grow

“Oh!” giggled Sci-Twi, noticing that a row of small plants were happily moving around. “Well, hi there, little guys! How are you doing?”

The plants responded by singing in the same kind of tune as Sci-Twi, who happily bobbed her head back and forth to the catchy beat.

Give a little 'cause ya
Care a little and ya
Try a little and it starts to show

Growing quick is easy when you just
Get some room to grow

After giving them some more water, Sci-Twi continued to do the same with the rest of the plants, but since the water was contaminated with magic, it was causing the plants to grow even taller, as well as coming to life.

[Twilight]
Starting small but growing taller
All ya need's a little love
A little care
A little for you, a little for you
And maybe just a little more over there

In just a matter of seconds, all of the plants had come alive, and were singing to the young teenager, as well as asking for more of the water from her watering can.

Give a little 'cause ya
Care a little and ya
Tip a little and ya make it more
Growing big is easy when you just
Get a little bit more!

However, it wasn’t long before they had grown tired of waiting, and some of them had begun asking for seconds, much to Sci-Twi’s surprise.

“Ooh. You, too? And you? Well, okay. More?

To make matters worse, the plants were arguing amongst themselves while they individually asked a nervous Sci-Twi for more water.

[Plant Soloist 1]
Gettin' a little isn't quite enough to satisfy
[Plant Soloist 2]
I'd like a little more, please
Can you help me? I'm a-dyin'!
[Cactus]
Please, I'll be your best friend
You can tell me all your woes
[Tree]
Shove over just a little bit
I need some room to grow!

A worried Spike hurried over to EG Stardust, who was standing in the corner, with both of the headphone ear pieces placed in while he searched for a song.

[Plant Soloist 3]
Come on, Twilight, help me out
I'm thirsty, I need love
[Plant Soloist 4]
Over here, I need some
[Plant Soloist 3]
Hey, bud, you don't gotta shove!

“Stardust!” cried Spike, and after realizing that he couldn’t hear him because of whatever song EG Stardust was listening to, the small dog used his mouth to yank out the headphone jack from the young teen’s media-playing device.

“Hey!” EG Stardust glared at the green-furred canine. “Spike, what have I said about-”

Help us, Twilight, we need more
That's the water we adore
Just a little extra taste
Don't let a droplet go to waste

“When the hell did all of this happen?” asked EG Stardust, looking at his worried girlfriend, who was trying to keep her watering can away from a pair of grown plants that were trying to take it away from her.

“I don’t know! I was just watering, and… then, they all-”

Help us, Twilight, we need more
That's the water we adore
Just a little extra taste
Don't let a droplet go to waste

Taking a closer look at the watering can, EG Stardust pointed at it, and said, “There’s magic inside of that thing, love! Stop watering the plants!”

“What do you think I’m trying to do?” replied Sci-Twi, with slight irritation.

Help us, Twilight, we need more
That's the water we adore
Just a little extra taste
Don't let a droplet go to waste

Then, an idea popped into EG Stardust’s head, and he walked over to a nearby nozzle. “If it’s more water that they want…”

Whoosh!

A few seconds later, EG Stardust turned off the gardenhouse’s sprinkler system, and all of the plants had returned back to normal, while he, Sci-Twi, and Spike were now soaking wet.

“Oh, and Twilight?” They looked over at the doorway, where a returning Principal Celestia gave her student a small piece of information that she’d forgotten to mention earlier. “Just be careful not to overwater the plants. Have fun!”

As she walked away, a frustrated EG Stardust gritted his teeth together before yelling, “Why in the hell did she not f-”

Whoosh!

He was interrupted by the arrival of water that came from a faulty sprinkler roof-heads placed above EG Stardust, now getting even more wet, and a sheepish Sci-Twi handed her boyfriend an umbrella.

---

As Starlight, Casey, and Miles went back into the library, the middle-aged pony said, “Thank you again for allowing me to rid your body of whatever Rowan had convinced you to take. Now, you’re back to your old self again.”

Casey nodded his head, but he looked like he’d just been through a really bad experience. “Thank you for handing me a bucket before it was too late… I’m definitely going to enjoy taking a nap in my bed - oof!”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” remined an amused Starlight, who was glad that nothing terrible had happened to her friend, aside from him having to throw up a few times, and after placing Twilight’s thick notebook into his hooves, the light-orange pony gave a sheepish grin.

“Ah, right… um, Miles?” Casey looked over at the aged Pegasus, and he asked, “Do you remember anything about, um, what might have made Rowan use the Silver Staff to send me into Stardust’s world?”

To his slight dissapointment, Miles shook his head in response. “I’m sorry. I wish I could answer that for you, but most of my memories back when Rowan was in control of my body are a little fuzzy.”

Worth a sbot, then, I guess, thought Casey, giving him a small smile. “That’s alright, Miles… um, hopefully the next time we see each other, it won’t be that much of a surprise.”

“I completely agree with you on that,” replied Miles, chuckling as he shook hooves with the two young ponies, and waved good-bye as they stepped through his world’s version of the Crystal Mirror.

Then, once Casey and Starlight were back in the library, the light-orange pony placed his girlfriend’s notebook onto the table, and looked over at Starlight. “Think you could make me some of that special tea you drank after you performed a memory spell on yourself?”

“Sure,” replied the pink unicorn, who began to walk out of the room. “So, how do you think it’s going with Twilight and Beck?”

Casey just gave her a small shrug. “As long as he doesn’t give me a reason to hate him more, I’m fine with whatever she does to help reform the guy.”

---

Location: CHS Rooftop (Jack’s World)

As she tapped her foot on the ground, an irritated Rainbow let out a sigh, and she crossed her arms. “What’s taking her so long to get here?”

“We’ve only been here for five minutes, Rainbow,” replied Applejack, speaking in a dry tone.

While Rainbow rolled her eyes, a concerned Fluttershy said, “I hope nothing bad’s happened. She seemed a little bit off this morning.”

“Oh, don’t worry, darling, I’m sure that she was only like that because today’s Monday,” replied Rarity, who was currently looking through a fashion magazine.

Pinkie Pie continued to munch on a sugary cupcake that she’d brought as a snack, and Twilight was just keeping quiet since she already had an assumption as to what was the important news that Sunset wanted to tell all of them.

And speaking of Sunset, said human being was currently waiting behind the door that would take her to the rooftop, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to do. Nothing will change, Sunset… nothing will change.

Once she felt like she was ready, Sunset opened the door, and slowly walked over to her group of friends, with Rainbow crying, “Well, look who decided to finally show - ow!”

“Just ignore her, sugarcube,” said Applejack, after thumping the blue-skinned teenager on the back of her head.

“Is everything alright, darling?” asked Rarity. “You and Jack didn’t get into a heated argument or anything, did you?”

Sunset shook her head, and she replied, “Oh, no, it’s nothing like that… I just, um… s-something unexpected happened during the final days of winter break.”

“Ooooh! What was it?” wondered a curious Pinkie, while Twilight continued to remain quiet, even though she knew part of what Sunset was referring to.

Just tell them. It’ll be fine.

The bacon-haired teenager sighed, and rubbed the back of her neck with her hand as she said, “I… er… am now… expecting.”

Only Twilight understood what Sunset had meant by that; everyone else was now confused.

“Uh, expecting what?” questioned Rainbow, tapping the side of her head with her finger. “A late Christmas gift or something?”

Sunset shook her head, and she replied, “Me and Jack are… expecting… a child together.”

Once she said that, all of her friends quickly became aware of what Sunset was implying, except for a still-confused Rainbow. “Like for adoption or-”

“Sunset Shimmer!” cried Pinkie, who was now standing in front of her, with a glaring expression. “Do you mean to tell us that you... are having… a baby?”

Too surprised and nervous to speak, Sunset quickly nodded her head, and Pinkie said, “Then, that only means one thing…” Her frown suddenly turned into a huge smile. “We get to throw you a baby shower party!Ohhh, this is so exciting - we could do all sorts of…”

Before Pinkie could go on and on with what could happen at a baby shower, a surprised Rainbow said, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! So, you’re pregnant?”

“That’s what she’s been trying to tell us, ya airhead,” replied Applejack. “Still, can’t say I’m surprised you didn’t know since you don’t got no siblings like me, Twi, Fluttershy, and Rarity.”

As the two of them started to argue with each other, Sunset became surprised - and relieved - that her friends hadn’t reacted in a negative way, and this was quickly noticed by Rarity.

“We aren’t upset or anything like that, Sunset… it’s just… well, like you said, unexpected.”

She does have a point there, thought Sunset, while Twilight was finally able to speak.

“How did Jack react when he found out?”

Pausing her argument with Applejack, Rainbow said, “Well, it couldn’t have been terrible since she’s standing in front of us, and is still wearing the ring he ga - wait a second…” She took a closer look at Sunset’s left ring finger, which now wore two beautiful rings. “Is that a…”

“My God, that ring is gorgeous!” interrupted Rarity, who had also noticed it. “Did he ask you the big question, as well?”

“Wait, what?” cried a surprised Twilight.
“You mean you’re both expecting and engaged?” said Fluttershy.

A sheepish Sunset nodded her head.

“Whoo-hoo! That means a baby shower and a pre-wedding party!” shouted an excited Pinkie, with tons of fun ideas now swirling around inside of her head.

“Whoa, hold up now, let’s back it up a lil’ bit,” said Applejack, remembering what Rainbow had first asked. “So, what happened when Jack found out that you two were, um, gonna be havin’ a baby?”

Flashback - The Night Before

With the pregnancy test device still in her hands, Sunset let out a sigh, and she said,“Jack, I… I think… I’m pregnant.”

After hearing Sunset say those words to her, Jack had momentarily found himself unable to respond, and was just looking at her with a slight gape of his mouth.

Well, no anger is definitely a good sign, thought Sunset, clearing her throat before continuing to talk. “I know this… isn’t something we pla-”

“This. Is. [BEEP]-ing awesome!” yelled Jack, taking his girlfriend completely by surprise, and the next thing she knew, he was lifting her up in his arms, spinning around in a circle while laughing with joy.

Before she could even say anything, Jack gave her a deep, passionate kiss on her lips, and then, he pulled away with a wide, toothy grin on his face. “Best start to a new year ever!”

“Y-you mean that… you aren’t upse-” said Sunset, who was interrupted by Jack giving her another kiss.

“Hell no, I’m not upset, love!” replied her excited boyfriend. “This is freakin’ fantastic, I’ve always wanted to be a father!”

And, because he couldn’t find anything else to say, Jack continued on with passionately kissing Sunset, but after a while, the bacon-haired teenager found herself pushing him away just a little.

“Jack, I’m glad and relieved that you-”

“Oh, [BEEP], hold on a sec,” exclaimed Jack, setting the expectant teenager gently down on the bed while he got down on one knee, and Sunset’s heart began to beat faster.

He isn’t going to… actually… right now, is he?

“Sunset… love… my beautiful goddess…” He then revealed to her a ring box, and Sunset found her eyes starting to water up. “I may not have some kind of well-thought out speech that’s been prepared for when it was the right time to do this, but I can’t think of any other moment that is more perfect than right now to ask you this one important question.”

Jack opened up the box, revealing a very beautiful and sparkling engagement ring that matched perfectly with the promise ring already on her finger, and it was now Sunset’s turn to be speechless as he asked, “Will you marry me?”

No words whatsoever were able to come out of her, so a teary-eyed Sunset just nodded Yes to Jack, whose smile grew even wider as he placed the ring on her, and then, he said, “Time to celebrate!”

“Wha-” Sunset was about to ask him what he meant by that, but she quickly got her answer from Jack resuming their make-out session, and while Sunset’s hands went to the sides of his head, Jack placed his around her waist, followed by holding onto the bottom of her shirt so that he could lift it up over-

##########

“Gaaahh! T.M.I., Sunset, sheesh!” cried Rainbow, waving her arms around in order to stop Sunset from continuing so she could avoid seeing an unpleasant image in her mind, and the sheepish teenager gave her an apologetic look. “No wonder you’re pregnant - ow! What, it’s true, ain’t it?”

“So, who else knows about you being… um…” Fluttershy tapped her own stomach for a little bit, and Sunset made a gesture to everyone around her, but before the yellow-skinned teenager could speak, they all heard the familiar voice of Jack yelling from down below.

“In your [BEEP]-ing face, Sentry!”

Sunset immediately let out a groan, and placed the palm of her right hand against her forehead. “I told him not to do this.”

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

Why didn't you respond to my comment?

[CJ Esmerio]

8775348
My apologies... you can find the Stardust story on here; just type it in the search title