One Bolt, Spreading Harmony

by Boltsinger

Royal Babysitting

“Okay, then, I guess it’s time to get a babysitter.” Boltsinger started, pulling a list from his mane. “Let’s see…” He looked around the room at the ponies he’d be going with. “Well that won’t work… Maybe some of the students?”

“No, they have enough on their plate already with their studies.” Twilight argued. “Besides, I’m not sure how good Yona would be with somepony so squishy.”

“I can do it.” Celestia stated, raising her hoof.

Boltsinger looked back at the list, continuing his search. “Cakes have their hooves full right now… Scootaloo just finished her flight practice, so she couldn’t keep up with him right now… The other Crusaders wouldn’t fare much better…”

“I volunteer!” Celestia called out again.

“And all of our go-to babysitters are going with us…” he finished, looking tentatively at the map. “Why’d the map have to call all of us…?”

With a mildly frustrated groan, Celestia raised her hoof to her mouth, clearing her throat. “I volunteer myself to take care of the baby for as long as you’re gone!”

The parents followed the command for attention, looking over at the Sun Princess. Twilight’s muzzle was lined with a big smile, while Boltsinger’s was on the more nervous side. “That’s a great idea!”

“Are you sure?” Boltsinger wondered, looking back at his list.

Twilight elbowed her husband in the side, leaning in close. “What do you mean, ‘are you sure’? This is Princess Celestia we’re talking about!” she whispered. “I know, first hoof, that she’s great with foals! She was my teacher when I was little!”

“I know that.” he replied, sneaking a look at the smiling monarch. “I have absolute faith in her ability as a teacher, a ruler, and a friend… But have you seen her handle a baby?”

“No, but she’s the Princess! She can handle this!” she retorted, giving him a smile of utmost confidence.

Boltsinger smiled back at his spouse. “Okay… But I’m making a checklist.”

---

Minutes later, Celestia and Luna stood in the foyer of the Castle of Friendship, a little colt in the elder sister’s wing. The door had closed, and Luna floated a scroll in front of her. Nova smiled up at the white Alicorn, reaching up and giggling. Celestia grinned back, flaring her free wing. “You want to play some more, don’t you, little one?” The giggle intensified as he spread his forelegs. She returned his sentiment, unfurling her other wing and lowering the foal to the floor.

“Sister, you may wish to go over the list that Boltsinger gave you.” Luna mentioned, floating the list over.

“Yep. List. Got it.” she replied, taking the scroll and tucking it under her necklace. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.” She pranced around the colt, who followed as best he could with an unbalanced walk. “Come, little one! Luna and I have a surprise for you!” she excitedly pranced into the hall, prompting Nova to flap his wings and follow.

She bounded off towards the hallway, doubling back every few hops. Luna rolled her eyes, lighting her horn and opening a nearby closet door. From within the closet, she produced a large bag filled with smaller bundles, dragging it along the floor as she followed her sister. “I will give her one thing. She is certainly enthusiastic.” She followed the two of them through the halls, where they flitted back and forth, laughing all the way towards one of the castle’s many rooms. Once their destination was reached, Celestia took magical hold of Nova, placing him on the floor in the center of the room.

“Nova, did you know that my sister and I went shopping before we came here?” the white Alicorn asked. Nova shook his head, leaning in excitedly. “Well, we saw a lot of things that made us think of you!” She directed her magic at the bag her sister pulled, lifting it over her head and bringing it into the room. “So… How are you at using magic?” Nova babbled back at her, igniting his horn as Luna joined them. “Oh, wonderful!” She motioned to the knot at the top of the bag. “Can you move this?” the colt’s aura appeared around the rope, pulling as hard as he could. After a few seconds of strenuous pulling, the rope came undone, and the bag fell open with a veritable waterfall of toys. Before any of them could hit the floor, Nova’s magic encompassed them, opening them up as the colt flitted between the contents with the giddiest laughter the Princesses had ever heard.

---

Crying.

Lots and lots of crying.

That was all Celestia could hear as she awoke. She jumped out of her bed, looking around frantically. “Nova! What’s wrong?! Did something happen?!” She rushed into the hallway, flapping her wings and soaring through the castle to the nursery. Inside, Nova was squirming in his cradle, letting out cries that pierced the Princess’ ears. She rushed to the cradle, plugging her ears with her wings. “It’s okay, little one, I’m here!” she assured, wrapping him in her magic and lifting him up. “You see? Everything is okay…” As she brought him closer, his volume increased, causing her concern to rise in kind. She kept her hold on him, galloping towards the balcony where Luna stood her vigil. “Luna, I need your help!”

Luna doused the magic of her horn, facing her sibling. “What is it, sister?”

Celestia stepped back, floating the baby forward. “Why is he crying?!”

The Moon Princess rolled her eyes, stepping forward and taking the foal in her wing. “There, there, little one…” she cooed, tickling him with her hoof. At the contact, Nova’s cries began to die down, slowly turning into soft babbling and giggles.

Celestia looked on at her sister and the baby in her wing, letting some surprise show itself on her face. “How did you do that? I picked him up and all it did was make him cry more!”

Luna looked flatly at her elder sister, taking a deep breath. “You didn’t read Boltsinger’s checklist, did you?”

Celestia thought back on the previous evening. Lots of toys, playing until Nova got tired, and then a peaceful sleep after lowering the sun. Through all of it, she had neglected to read a single word. “I’m… afraid not…”

“Well, it would be a good idea to do so.” Luna suggested. “You were the one to volunteer for this, so you must be the one to take responsibility.” She played more with the baby, getting a measure of joy from the foal’s behavior, and a measure of amusement from her sister’s squirming.

“You’re right, of course.” the Sun Princess admitted, stepping up to the other Alicorns. “After all, I deal with the needs of all of Equestria! How hard can it be to care for a single baby?” She showed a confident smile as she lit her horn again, the magic starting to wrap itself around the foal.

Luna lunged forward, placing her hoof on the tip of Celestia’s horn. “Not like that! He doesn’t like to be held like that for very long.” She wrapped her sister’s wing in magic, extending it outward and passing Nova to her. “He prefers to be held directly, if at all.”

Celestia pulled Nova in, holding him to her chest and looming quizzically at her younger sibling. “How do you know that?”

Luna turned around once more, looking back with a cocky smirk. “I read the checklist.” With that, her horn was again alight, her vigil set to resume.

Celestia turned back into the castle, swaying the baby back and forth as she went. “Well, since we’re awake, why don’t you and I get some breakfast?” She made her way to the kitchen, passing by her room to float her necklace, shoes, and crown on as she went. She was met with a diligently-placed high chair at her destination, to which she happily set him. “Now, what kind of food do you like?” Nova pointed his hoof at a cabinet above the counter, some of his magic came upon the handle, pulling it open to reveal a large jar of cookies. The Princess eyed the jar with a knowing grin, closing the cabinet and wagging her hoof. “Ah, ah, little colt, I know better than that.” She resumed her search, opening the refrigerator. The inside was fiercely organized, everything in its place and clearly labeled. As she found the one section with Nova’s name on it, she heard a small laugh behind her. She retracted her head from the fridge, looking back to see a cookie jar floating by and bumping into her flank. She added her own aura to the mix, pulling the jar the other way. “Not right now, Nova. It’s time for breakfast.” Nova’s face soured, tugging the jar back towards him with a defiant grunt. Celestia’s face soured in turn, pulling back harder. “Cookies are not breakfast, little one!” She wrapped more magic around a smaller jar in the fridge, pulling it forward and opening it. She placed it in front of the foal, its mushy orange contents on full display. The little Prince looked at the mashed carrots with a tiny scoff, encasing it in his magic and poofing it away. Frustration started to show itself on the tall mare’s face as she pulled harder on the jar, freeing it from the baby’s magic and holding it with her foreleg. His face scrunched up, water forming in his eyes as he reached for the cookie jar longingly. “I said ‘no’!” She placed the jar back in the cabinet, forcefully closing it and placing another jar of mashed carrots in front of him. “Nova, you will eat your breakfast!” Nova glared at the carrots, lighting his horn and poofing them away with a disgruntled grunt. Celestia stomped her hoof, bringing forth another jar and holding it in front of her. “Please, Nova, you need to eat!” she floated a spoon from the drawer, scooping up some of the food and presenting it to him. He turned away, teleporting the spoon and its contents elsewhere. She repeated the process, offering up another morsel only for it to vanish completely. Another spoon, another blue flash. She took a deep breath, trying again only to meet the same result. Her teeth began grinding as the frustration built up. Another spoon vanished, bringing her frustration to a boil. “Why won’t you eat, you little--” She brought her hoof over her mouth, taking another deep breath. Calm down, Celestia… He’s just a baby… “How about we make a deal?” She sat in front of the high chair, looking the fussy foal in the eye. “If you eat a proper breakfast, you can have a cookie afterwards. Does that sound good?”

Nova looked back at the mare, noting the somewhat desperate smile on her face. He gave a tiny nod, booping her on the nose with his hoof. He wasn’t sure why she was getting so frustrated, but she was a funny grown-up. She placed the jar on the table again, magically lifting a new spoon into place as she returned to her normal posture. She floated the spoon to the carrots, lifting it to the colt. He shook his head, pushing the spoon away with his hoof.

Celestia let out an exasperated sigh. “What now? Am I not presenting it properly?” She flourished the spoon, waving it back and forth like a Pegasus In flight. “Here comes the Wonderbolt, ready to la~and!” As the spoon came in, he tilted his head to the side, shaking his head again. The frustration began to build again, her teeth grinding as her magical focus faded. The spoon fell to the table below, clinking and spilling some of its contents. She facehoofed, leaning in and biting down on the handle. As she raised her head, Nova leaned forward, his mouth expectantly open. What…? After all of that, he suddenly wants it? She put her magic back on the spoon, prompting the foal’s mouth to close. Wait a minute… She bit down on the spoon again, causing the baby’s mouth to open again. She blinked a few times, floating it once more. He closed his mouth, sending a doe-eyed glare at her. “You don't like being fed with magic, do you?” Nova shook his head, biting the air a couple of times for emphasis. Celestia chuckled to herself. “You certainly know how you like things, don’t you?” She held the spoon as directed, putting the business end forward and finally hitting her mark.

---

An hour passed, and Celestia left the kitchen, followed closely by a little orange colt with a piece of cookie in his mouth. She moved at a relatively slow pace, keeping a wing on the foal’s back to guide him along. “Now, then, first we need to raise the sun…” She looked down at the baby, who looked back at her and munched mindlessly. “... Might want to be careful with you on that front…” She walked out onto the balcony, mentally preparing herself for her daily duty, then paused. “How about we play a game once the sun is up? Would you enjoy that, little one?” Nova nodded emphatically, looking out at the starry sky. “Well, then, you just sit back and enjoy the show.” She looked at the eastern sky, closing her eyes and lighting her horn. The magic within began flowing through her, sending her already-flowing mane and tail blowing back as she raised her head. Nova looked at the horizon in awe, the cookie dropping from his mouth as the sky turned the same color as his coat. From the center of the light, a bright yellow orb rose up that reminded him of the picture on Celestia’s flank. He clapped his forehooves together, letting out ecstatic laughter as the sky turned a bright blue. He looked up at the mare next to him, whose horn ceased its glow as she opened her eyes. “There we are. Sun raised!” she turned to Nova, spreading her wings. “So, what would you like to do?” Nova flapped his wings happily, fluttering up and landing on Celestia’s back while she proceeded into the halls once more.

As they trekked through the castle, a small, wingless, purple dragon with green spikes and eyes and a brighter green underside walked by with a yawn, raising his claw in greeting. “Morning, Princess Celestia…”

“Good morning, Spike.” she replied, continuing on her way.

Spike yawned again, waving at the pony and smacking his lips groggily. After a moment, the fact of who he had just greeted hit him harder than a belly flop in lava. “Princess Celestia?!” He ran back over to the Alicorn, jogging beside her long strides. “Wha-what are you doing here?! And with Nova! What happened to Twilight and Bolt?”

“Twilight and the others were summoned by the map.” she explained. “Their mission is in Trottingham, so it’s likely they’ll be gone for a while. As for Nova, I’ve volunteered to care for him while everypony is gone.”

“All of them were summoned? Even Bolt?” he asked, receiving a nod from the Princess. “Wow… There goes the go-to babysitters… Okay. What do you need help with?”

Celestia recoiled, stopping in her tracks. “Excuse me? Help?”

“Well, yeah! I help out with Nova all the time!” he told her.

“I think I have it handled, Spike.” she spat, accelerating to a trot.

Spike rolled his eyes, catching up to her. “I’m not saying you can’t handle it. I just mean that it’ll be easier with someone else to help out! Nova’s a sensitive baby, after all.”

A small scowl formed on the royal muzzle as she thought of a solution. “Fine. Boltsinger made a checklist for me to follow, but I don’t remember where it went. Would you be so kind as to find it for me?”

“Uh… sure! I’ll start right after breakfast.” he confirmed, turning back into the halls. “I’ll send it right to you once I find it, okay?”

Celestia’s trot continued, looking smugly back at the dragon. “That would be wonderful.”

---

Noon arrived, and Princess Luna rose from her rest. She hadn’t been as tired as she normally was upon waking, as the dreams of Equestria weren’t in much disarray for once. She yawned and stretched, venturing out into the castle. “Sister! How are things going with the foal?” she called. The only reply she received was the echo of her own question coming back from the castle depths. “Odd… Usually she’s quick to reply…” She trotted past several rooms, magically opening several doors to check for occupants. The nursery was empty, save for the baby’s things, and the majority of the rooms were barren and unfurnished. Finally, she passed the room her sister had slept in, where she heard someone rustling around, grunting with effort. Her face turned fierce as she plowed through the door, her horn alight and ready to fire. “What are you doing with my sister’s…” she trailed off, seeing scaly purple hindquarters squirming out of the Sun Princess’ saddlebag. She placed her concentration on the dragon’s tail, lifting him into the air and floating him over to her. “Spike? Why are you rummaging through my sister’s belongings?”

The upside-down dragon gave the dark mare a look of surprise. “Princess Luna! You’re here too?”

Luna nodded, lowering him to the floor. “Yes. I am here as long as Celestia is. Does this truly surprise you?”

“Not really. I just thought you’d still be asleep.” He admitted, returning to the task at claw. “Princess Celestia asked me to find some checklist that Bolt made for her. She should be somewhere --” A gust of wind blew into the room, sending many of the things within flying. “.-- around here…”

“I COMMAND YOU TO COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!” came the shouting of the eldest Alicorn. “BY ORDER OF THE PRINCESS!”

Luna and Spike came to the door, peeking into the hallway to see Celestia and Nova flying at full speed. She stepped out into the hall with a smirk. “I believe I can find them from here.” She spread her own wings, taking off after them. She caught up to her sister with relative ease, waving at her as she passed. She focused her attention on the flying foal, picking up speed and reaching forward. As her hooves closed in, a powerful odor assaulted her nostrils, forcing her hooves up to her nose while her wings snapped to her sides. The momentum sent her barreling onto the floor, sliding several feet until she came to a stop. “What was that?!”

Celestia came in for a landing next to her sibling, helping her to her hooves. “That’s why I was chasing him! It seems he needs a diaper change, but he’s not letting me get close!” She shook her head, bringing her hoof up to her face. “Oh… why does he have to be so… fussy!” She extended her foreleg out in the foal’s direction.

“Let me guess… You used magic, didn’t you?” Luna deadpanned.

“How did you know?” the elder sister wondered, not even attempting to hide her confusion.

“I read the checklist.” She flapped her wings, rising into the air again. “Come, then. Let us get him cleaned up.” Celestia nodded, following suit and flying in the direction she had come from while her sister resumed her pursuit.

---

Nova flew through the hallways on somewhat shaky wings. He was used to flying and speed by now, thanks to all the grown-ups with wings that he knew, but he was still getting used to going this fast on his own. He turned another corner, his hoof touching the wall as he went, and sped down the next hall. The grown-up following him was different this time, but he knew he had to keep going. He didn’t want to be trapped in the magic again, and the best way to do that was to fly.

“I’m going to get you, little one!” the dark mare giving chase declared, slowly gaining on him. She wasn’t too far behind him at this point, and her forelegs were outstretched like they were before. He skidded to a midair stop, falling for a moment and turning around. Again, his wings began to flap, flying under the older pony and back through the halls. “He is headed your way, sister!”

The foal flew onward, weaving through the castle with the kind of familiarity that only one who lived there would have. He passed by several doors, looking around frantically for any sign of the other big pony. After a solid minute of no results, he slowed down. He lowered himself to the floor, taking the opportunity to catch his breath as the sound of wingbeats filled his ears. His eyes widened as his ears twitched around to find the source of the noise. A scared shriek left his mouth as he rose into the air. The wingbeats were coming from both sides. He looked back and forth down the hallway, seeing the shadows of big ponies coming around the corner. He flew higher and higher, coming to a hover in the center of the room. Now the grown-ups were visible, both of them heading straight for him. More shrieks came forth as his horn lit up, power building up from within. The mares came closer still as his eyes began watering again. Finally, the wailing began. He released the magic in his horn, creating a flash of blue light and vanishing from the hallway. He continued sobbing and hovering while a loud crash sounded from somewhere else in the castle, refusing to open his eyes for anything.

“Gotcha!” a familiar voice declared. Nova felt a pair of forelegs wrap around him, snatching him out of the air and pulling him down. He squirmed and struggled in an attempt to get free, but found that the grip held firm. “Hey! Don’t worry, little guy! It’s just Uncle Spike!” Nova opened his eyes, seeing the dragon smiling down at him. “You’re okay. They just wanna take care of your stinkies!” The baby’s tears dried up as his smile returned. He reached up towards Spike’s head, pressing his hooves against his cheeks as the nursery door opened.

Celestia entered the room, her hoof resting firmly on her head as she regained her balance. “Is he in here…?” She fell forward, her head hitting the floor. “I really hope he’s in here…”

Spike held the colt in front of him, bobbing him back and forth. “Stinky’s right here, Princess!”

The Princess rose up again, shakily walking towards the changing station. “Splendid…” She turned to the door, waving her sister inside. “Sister! He’s in here!” She stepped forward and lifted the baby with her wings, moving the stinky baby to the top of the station. “Okay… Let’s try this again, and do it right.”

Spike chuckled, starting back for the hallway. “Good luck with that!” he said, patting the white pony on the foreleg as he exited. “I’m gonna go find that list… somewhere less rancid!”

Celestia and Luna each took a position standing over the little pony, looking at each other, then at the colt below. “All right… Time to do this right…” Celestia began, swallowing a lump in her throat. “Without… magic…” She leaned her head in, beginning her work.

Not even a minute later, the scream of Princess Celestia reverberated out of the castle, audible throughout Ponyville. Following the scream came the uproarious and unapologetic laughter of Princess Luna. A yellow magical flash appeared in one of the windows, forming again in another with a loud splash of water.

“I can’t believe he…” the Sun Princess fumed, splashing more water in her face. “... No… calm down, Celestia… He’s a baby…. Baby colts do… that… every now and then.” She dried her muzzle, trotting her way back to the nursery. “I can’t lose my patience so easily. I did volunteer for this, after all.”

As the white mare approached Nova’s room, Luna came to greet her. “Are you alright?” she asked, wiping away a tear of amusement. “The foal is still waiting to be cleaned.”

Celestia returned to the changing station, placing her royal rump on the floor and looking at what lay ahead. “This is just too much… I didn’t expect dealing with a baby to be so… difficult.” She hung her head in defeat. “I really shouldn’t have jumped into this huh?”

“Your enthusiasm certainly cannot be faulted.” the younger sister assured, putting her hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. “But, yes, you were a little too impulsive.” The sisters looked on at the daunting duty before them as a trail of smoke found its way into the room, coming to a halt in front of Celestia to form the very scroll she had been neglecting. Luna smiled, floating the scroll closer to her sister. “Perhaps this might help you streamline things?”

“I think you're right.” Celestia confirmed, taking the scroll and unfurling it to its full length. “Although…” She followed the length of the scroll with her eyes, seeing it bump against the far wall of the nursery. “It may take me awhile to get through this…”

---

“I… think we may need to talk with Celestia…” Boltsinger stated, looking on at the mess that was the foyer. Over the course of their absence, it had been filled with empty boxes, toys, and more mashed carrots than he could shake a mop at.

Twilight walked in beside him, her eyes closed with a relaxed look on her face. “Oh, I’m sure it’s not that…” Her eyes opened, revealing the enormous mess to her. “... bad…”

Boltsinger took off into the castle, quickly making his way to the nursery. “Please please please please don’t be a disaster!” He pleaded, coming to a skidding landing in front of the open door with Twilight landing not far behind. They peered inside, finding a tall white Alicorn laying on the floor next to the cradle, rocking it with her hoof while smiling warmly. “Celestia…? Is everything--” Celestia looked to the door, raising her hoof to her mouth.

“Welcome home.” she whispered, patting the floor next to her. “How was your mission?”

Boltsinger let out a quiet groan, sitting next to the cradle and looking at the bundle inside. “It’s a long story… I’m still tired.” He tickled his colt a little, kissing him on the forehead. The baby opened his eyes, smiling and reaching for his parents. “Were you a good boy for Mama Celestia, Nova?”

Celestia nodded confidently, sitting up. “It was… a challenge… at first, but I learned.” She paused for a moment, then cocked an eyebrow in Boltsinger’s direction. “‘Mama’ Celestia?”

Boltsinger picked his son up, rocking him in his wing. “Yeah. I mean, you’re basically his grandmother.” He passed the colt off to his mother. “So how was it a challenge? You had a pretty detailed checklist.”

“That I ignored at first…” the Sun Princess admitted. “I was admittedly overconfident in my abilities… I thought that it would be easy to handle a single foal… But, if it weren’t for Spike and my sister, I’d have been at my wit’s end!”

Twilight looked up from the baby in disbelief. “But he’s such a sweetheart! How can you of all ponies have so much trouble with him?”

Celestia sighed, pointing to her horn. “I relied on this too much. Speaking of which, why does he get so fussy when you use magic with him?”

Boltsinger chuckled, reaching up and tickling the foal with his wing. “Well, first of all, he likes direct contact. Makes him feel safe. Being stuck inside another pony’s magic makes him feel trapped. There’s also the fact that most of his caregivers can't use magic at all. But even then, he can still be a bit of a challenge.”

“Yes… I’m afraid I learned that the hard way…” Celestia stated, pulling a deodorant spray from the changing station and spritzing her face a few times.

Author's Note:

This is a chapter I'd been looking forward to writing for a long time. Celestia is just so much more interesting when she's not putting up her royal demeanor, and having her challenged by someone so little was just too much fun to pass up! Not to mention, there ended up being some admittedly cute moments...

Comments

[Dxinsider]

ROTFLMAO! Good boy Nova!

[MagicLover2128]

Haha, now that was a funny and lighthearted chapter to enjoy.

[Zapper Frost]

Nova deserves another cookie