Rise and Shine

by Skijarama

IV - The Two Sisters

It took a harrowing experience and the fear of loss for Sprout and Honey to realize that they cherished the foals as if they were their own. Though there was no blood connecting them, they loved one another with all their hearts all the same. And for a long, long time, they were all happy to just live their lives...

---

Celestia grunted with effort, her horn sparking with golden light. The log in front of her shifted in place slightly and raised an inch or so off the ground. A bead of sweat formed on her brow. She could feel the strain in her horn from the effort of lifting something so heavy. Her legs began to bend as if under an incredible weight, and her teeth ground together.

Sprout stood beside her, watching intently. “You sure you got that?” he asked with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk.

Celestia snorted. “I got it, dad,” she answered. She poured more power into her horn and screwed her eyes shut. “Come on, log!” she thought, growling with strain. “Move!”

Finally, finally, she managed to lift it up to where she needed it to be. Moving quickly, she floated it over and deposited it into the wagon hitched to Sprout’s back. The log landed with a thunk, making the wagon rock and groan under the stress. The far end of the log rose up behind Sprout’s wagon. All it needed was a flag or something and it’d make for the world’s thickest banner.

Sprout let out a low whistle, then gave Celestia a far more appreciative smile. He reached over to ruffle her pink mane, making her laugh. “Well, I’ll be darned. You’re getting better with that thing!” he said cheerfully. “Good job!”

Celestia playfully swatted his hoof away, then shot him a big grin. “Heh. Thanks, dad.”

Sprout smiled back down at her. His eyes turned up to look at the sky, and his smile faltered. “Ah. It’s getting late. We should probably be heading back,” he said.

Celestia turned them to the log. It had taken all of her might to lift the hefty thing, and Celestia was beginning to wonder if Sprout could actually pull it. She turned to her adoptive father with a furrowed brow. “You sure you can pull that? It’s pretty heavy.”

Sprout answered by setting into motion, pulling the wagon back onto the path. The wheels clattered and groaned under the stress, but he made good progress. He flashed her a big grin over his shoulder. “You got the funky magic stuff, but I got the muscle!”

Celestia pouted at him, cantering to catch up. “Oh yeah? Well, I can fly!” she flared her wings for emphasis. “I got you beat by two!”

“Maybe you do,” Sprout answered slowly. He leaned down to grin in her face. “But we both know I got more experience.”

Celestia gaped at him. Oh, the nerve of this adult! She thrust her nose up in a display of mock indignity, drawing another laugh from him. Sprout reached over to ruffle her mane yet again, earning a disgruntled whine from her.

In the seven years since Celestia and Luna were taken in, both of them had grown considerably. Celestia was now about half as tall as Sprout, her horn just brushing the underside of his shoulder. Her wings were a lot larger now than they had been before, allowing her to take to the skies with ease.

Today she had left their isolated mountain forest home to harvest trees for firewood in the future. This had been the first time Celestia was allowed to tag along to help him load the wagon. It was a task she had taken to with much enthusiasm, the roots of that interest beginning with her old fascination with her father’s work around their home, and the many times she had offered to help however she could.

She eyed the big log again. It was large, albeit far from the largest they could have gone for. She had a feeling Sprout had decided to fell a smaller tree out of a desire to not overwork Celestia. She had had to work herself to the bone, strengthening her magic, just to get him to bring her along for this task in the first place.

A thought occurred to her, and she glanced up at Sprout. “So how come we can’t use this wood for firewood right now?” she asked curiously.

Sprout glanced back at it. “Ah, well, you see, fresh wood like this tends to have a lot of moisture or something in it. So when ya light it up, it makes a lot of smoke. Great for signal fires or if you wanna choke somepony to death, but not all that good for a household fireplace. We gotta let it dry out first before we can use it for the hearth. We’ll probably be using this wood next winter.”

Celestia nodded slowly in understanding. “Ooooh, I gotcha.”

The two walked on in silence for a while, following the well-worn path that Sprout had pressed into the dirt from his many trips through the woods. Celestia looked up and took a deep breath, allowing the smell of pine trees to fill her lungs. The cool air was invigorating, reminding her of the fact that they had only just left winter behind a few weeks ago.

It came as a relief to both her and her sister that the warmth was coming back. As the only ones with wings, it often fell to them to manage the weather over the land so Sprout’s crops could grow in peace. And with their altitude being so high and their location so remote, the weather was often challenging to wrestle into obedience. They had managed, but it had been challenging.

The shafts of sunlight striking through the branches told her it was getting on towards dinner time. They had a substantial haul, and Celestia was only too eager to get back and chow down on some of Honey’s cooking. A spring of excitement entered her step at the prospect, and her stomach audibly growled in anticipation. Sprout eyed her from the side and chuckled in amusement.

“Heh. Hungry there?”

“Yup. So are you.”

“I am not.”

Growl.

Celestia shot Sprout a knowing smirk. “Are too.”

Sprout laughed again, playfully shoving Celestia. “Heh, you little twerp. Okay, fine, I admit it, I’m hungry.”

The two shared another laugh before lapsing back into peaceful silence. The trees thinned out slightly, and soon enough they crested the top of a slope, and the clearing they called home came into view. Honey was on the porch at the moment, looking to just be enjoying the late afternoon quiet and fresh air.

Sprout heaved a relieved sigh at the sight of the house. “Finally,” he said. Once they were clear of the trees, he threw his hoof into the air and waved in greeting. “Hey, hon! We’re back!”

Honey looked up and quickly rose from her seat. She cantered out to meet them, her wide eyes glued onto their haul of wood. “My goodness… Did Celestia gather all of that?” she asked in shock.

Celestia puffed up with pride. “Uh-huh!” she declared, pressing a hoof up to her chest. “I put it all in the wagon!”

“She did, aye,” Sprout answered, unhitching himself. “That horn of hers is a scary thing. But I did all the chopping.”

Honey smiled at that. Once Sprout was fully unhitched from the wagon, she walked forward and wrapped her forelegs around him in a welcoming embrace. Celestia gagged in mock disgust when the two shared a quick, happy kiss.

Sprout pulled back a second later. “So, how have things been back here?” he asked.

Honey untangled herself from the hug and looked off to the side, a softer look coming onto her face. “It’s been pretty quiet. Luna spent most of the day helping me out around the house before heading to her room.”

Sprout hummed at that. “Good to hear.”

Honey nodded, then turned to Celestia. She knelt down until she was at eye level with the foal and held out her hooves. Celestia took the hint and shot forward, wrapping Honey up in a warm hug of her own. Honey smiled and buried her face in Celestia’s long, wild pink mane. “Mmm. Did you have fun out there?” she asked after a moment.

Celestia nodded eagerly. “Uh-huh!” she chirped before pulling back. “I had a lot of fun! I wanna help him again next time he goes out to collect wood or build something!”

“Heh. We’ll see,” Sprout replied, ruffling her mane for the umpteenth time that day. “Just don’t overwork yourself, you hear? You’re ten.”

Celestia pouted at him, her wings ruffling at her sides. “So?” she asked indignantly.

“So,” Sprout replied with a roll of his eyes. “You’re still growing, ya know? Don’t wanna go breaking anything because you overdid it, now do ya?”

Celestia frowned. She wouldn’t overdo it! She was better than that! A lot better than that! Nevertheless, she nodded in understanding. It wouldn’t do to go bickering with him about it.

Celestia withdrew from her hug with Honey at this point, who chuckled at the exchange and rose to her full height. She smiled down at Celestia and nudged her toward the house. “Now, why don’t you go on inside and play with Luna? I need to talk to Sprout for a second,” she said.

Celestia didn’t even think to question what her adoptive family would need to talk about. She smiled, nodded, and galloped into the home. The interior was much as it had always been. The door to her and Luna’s room was standing slightly ajar as Celestia approached. Drawing near to it, she slowed down, being sure to keep her steps quiet. She didn’t want to startle her scaredy-cat of a sister. She leaned forward and carefully nudged the door open with an audible creak. The room beyond was dark. The curtains had been drawn shut, drowning out the sunlight.

Celestia’s eyes were drawn to the bed on the right, and her smile grew. She saw no fillies, but she did see a large lump under the sheets of the bed. They were shifting slightly, and Celestia could just make out the sound of wood scraping against wood, and a quiet voice whispering to itself.

Celestia’s grin grew, and she cleared her throat to announce her presence. The bundle jerked before shooting upright, throwing the blankets off. Celestia giggled at the sight of her beloved little sister, Luna, looking back at her with her big, turquoise eyes. Her pale blue mane was a disheveled mess, and there were two of Sprout’s carved wooden toys held in her hooves.

Celestia leaned against the door frame and tossed her mane. “Hey, sis. Hiding in the dark again?” she asked knowingly.

Luna’s eyes lit up. She cast aside the toys and leaped from her bed to charge and tackle Celestia. The two fillies giggled merrily as they fell to the floor, hugging each other tight. Luna leaned back a second later to paw at Celestia’s chest. “You’re back!” she said with a wide smile. “I missed you, Tia!”

Celestia rolled her eyes and nudged Luna back. “Heh. Lu, I was gone for a couple hours, at most,” she said. “Not that long.”

“It felt longer to me!” Luna protested, pawing at Celestia again in spite of her insistent nudging. “A lot longer!”

Celestia chuckled. She wrapped her foreleg over Luna’s shoulders, pulling the smaller filly close and into a headlock. Luna yipped in alarm and squirmed as Celestia began to give her sister an affectionate noogie. “Yeah, yeah, you can never stand it when I’m gone, huh?” she asked.

Luna kicked and struggled, but Celestia had always been far stronger. “Sis! Haha, hey, lemme go!” she protested, trying to sound angry through her giggles.

Celestia waited a little bit before she relented, allowing Luna free from her grasp. The two were quiet for a moment, with Luna calming down from her giggles and Celestia just watching her. Her heart warmed and fluttered at the sight of her sister’s delight, and she could not stop the smile from spreading on her face.

As much as she loved to help Sprout out or play weird games with him, nothing gave her more happiness than seeing Luna smile and laugh. Nothing made her feel more whole or complete.

A few seconds passed before Luna held a hoof up to pinch at her nose, a mischievous look in her eyes. Celestia tilted her head. She did not like that look.

“You stink,” Luna remarked.

Celestia’s wings unfurled slightly, an undignified squawk coming out of her. She was unable to resist the urge to smell at her pits. The stench of old sweat was unmistakable. Still, Celestia shook her head vehemently. “I-I do not!”

“You stink,” Luna repeated with a giggle. “You’re all sweaty.”

Celestia’s cheeks puffed up. She lowered her chest to the ground and gave her tail a few flicks, like a cat about to pounce on its prey. Luna got the look on her face of a filly who now regretted her recent life decisions.

“Okay, let’s make you stink too, then!” Celestia declared before pouncing on her baby sister.

Luna squealed in delight as the two barreled head-over-hooves into their room. Celestia had Luna pinned on the ground and began to mercilessly tickle her sides while using her larger body to keep Luna pinned and spread as much stink as she could. Luna squirmed and fought back as hard as she was able.

Eventually, Luna managed to squirm free of Celestia’s grasp. She quickly jumped up onto her bed and spun to face Celestia. “Meanie!” she snapped in spite of her huge grin. She leaned down to sniff at herself and gagged.

Celestia grinned triumphantly. “See? Now you are the stinky one!”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Yuh-huh!”

“Well, you’re still stinky!” Luna barked, jabbing a hoof at Celestia.

Celestia gasped. The sheer audacity! The nerve! There was only one response to such a scandalous remark! She leaped up onto her own bed and grabbed her pillow in her golden magic aura. “I am not!”

Luna lifted hers in turn. “Yes, you are!”

Celestia thrust her hoof at Luna. “This means war, little filly!”

Luna raised her pillow up high. “Okay! CHARGE!”

The two fillies leaped at one another, pillows brandished and ready for a battle of the ages. And as the first epic clash of the filly stink wars began, Celestia used her magic to close the door to their room so they could beat each other senseless with their pillows in peace.

---

After a long and brutal pillow fight, Celestia and Luna withdrew from their room to the startled and exasperated laughter of Sprout and Honey. They might have possibly gotten just a little bit carried away in their little struggle. Both Luna and Celestia had emerged from their room covered in pillow stuffing, and quite messy and sweaty to boot. Not that anypony could prove it wasn’t Luna’s fault, dad!

Regardless, the two had been taken down to a nearby river to wash themselves off by Sprout while Honey got dinner ready. The two had splashed at each other, but only a little bit this time. Their impromptu pillow fight had drained them of much of their energy. It was worth it, though, for how fun it was.

Sprout looked the dastardly duo over with a skeptical look as they continued to rinse in the stream. After a few more moments, he nodded in contentment and nodded his head back. “Alright, you little rascals, let’s go. Food’s probably ready, and I reckon you’re clean now.”

Celestia turned and nodded. With a small flap of her wings, she jumped from the water and shook herself dry, Luna following shortly after. Once the two were prepared, Sprout gestured, and the trio made their way back to the house.

“What’s mom making for dinner?” Celestia asked, following alongside Sprout with an eager bounce in her step. “I’m starving.”

“I remember,” Sprout chuckled, glancing down at her. “I think she’s making vegetable stew tonight, nothing fancy.”

“Are there carrots?” Luna asked with distaste evident on her face.

Sprout shrugged. “If there are, I expect you to eat ‘em, little missy.”

Luna stuck her tongue out with a comical ‘blegh’ sound. Celestia giggled at her expense but did not say anything on the matter. As amusing as it was that her little sister didn’t care for carrots, it wasn’t like she was in any position to criticize her for it when she could barely stomach grapes.

The journey passed without incident, and the trio stepped in through the front door of the home before long. Celestia walked face-first into a wall of wonderful, mouth-watering smells, making her eyes shine and her stomach growl. Her eyes shot over to the counter, where Honey was just pouring the contents of the cauldron into a series of bowls.

“The kids are clean!” Sprout announced, closing the door behind him.

Honey set down the ladle and turned to him with a warm smile. She then looked down at the foals. “I see that. They’re a little puffy, aren’t they?” she asked, snickering into a hoof.

Celestia pouted. “Wha- hey!” she whined, but still looked down at herself. To her dismay, she was, indeed, quite puffy. She had been since she jumped out of the water and dried herself off earlier.

A collection of amused titters went around the room, causing her to blush slightly. Her horn lit up with magic and she was quick to force her fur to lay flat, making her glow like a little sun for a second or two as she worked her magic. Once she was satisfied that she no longer looked like a particularly pouty cloud, she cantered to the table and took a seat. Luna was close behind her, still snickering in amusement.

Sprout pat her on the back as he took his place to her right at the table. “Heh. Sorry, kiddo, but you’re just too easy to tease.”

Celestia grumbled, shooting him the stinkiest glare she could manage. This in turn only elicited another chuckle out of him. Luna also pat Celestia on the back once she was settled in the seat on her left. Honey came to the table a moment later, setting everyone’s plates down in succession.

“Thank you,” Luna and Celestia said in unison. Celestia’s mouth was positively watering, and she couldn’t find it in herself to wait any longer. She began to eat the moment Honey sat down across from Sprout, savoring the deliciousness of Honey’s cooking. Luna, just beside her, started eating a second later, showing far more restraint. She often sifted through the broth with her spoon as if hunting for undesirable elements to be purged.

Like carrots.

As the family ate, they talked about this and that. Sprout shared his ideas for more things to add to the house or the grounds around it, Honey shared ideas for new recipes she wanted to try, and Luna and Celestia chimed in with what little input their young minds could provide. There was the occasional round of banter and teasing thrown in every conceivable direction, drawing laughs, snorts, and agitated pouts from everypony at that table at least once.

It was nice. It was everything Celestia wanted. Her family by her side, a warm dinner filling her belly, the satisfaction of having made herself useful around the house and the surrounding land, and the joy of just getting to have all of this to begin with. The joy of having Sprout and Honey here to care for her and her sister, to make them smile and laugh and be there for them when they needed somepony to.

“Unlike some ponies...”

Celestia paused when that bitter thought crossed her mind. She shook her head to dismiss it outright. There was no longer any point in thinking about her. Celestia had waited, and nothing had come of it. This was her family, now, and they were perfect. They were all she needed.

---

The family didn’t stay up long after eating. Celestia and Luna had helped Honey tidy up around the house before bed, and Sprout had seen fit to tell them a story before tucking them into their beds for the night. It was a story about his time with the Earth Pony tribe before he met Honey, and about their constant bickering and squabbling with the two other tribes.

He talked about how the Pegasi was more often than not a group of elitist, militant brutes who were only kept from outright invading the lands of the other tribes by the raw physical might of the earth ponies, while the unicorns were made up of snobby, self-entitled mooks who turned their nose up at anything with a speck of dirt on it. They got so absorbed in their ‘refinement’ and ‘intelligence’ that they overthought basically everything, and the practical concerns of dealing with the pegasi were one of the only things that kept them in check.

He talked about how the three tribes, in spite of their constant infighting, depended on each other to survive. How the unicorns were responsible for raising and lowering the sun and moon in order to maintain the cycle of day and night. How the pegasi tended to the sky, bringing rain and wind and snow to maintain the cycle of the seasons. How the earth ponies tended the land, tilling the fields and growing the crops that kept the ponies of all tribes on their hooves.

Celestia listened with fascination and interest, but not so much because of the actual content of the story. She already knew why Sprout and Honey had left the tribes behind to live up here in the mountains away from everypony else. She was more interested in hearing about the other ponies in general.

In all the time she had lived here, Sprout, Honey, and Luna were the only ponies she had seen face to face, and only one of them had either wings or a horn. It had never really occurred to her all that much in the past, but now that she was thinking about it, there was something she wanted to know.

“Hey, dad?” she asked, interrupting him just as he was explaining how the pegasi had once tried to extort his old farm for more crops.

He turned to her with a curious look. “Hm? Yes, Tia?”

She shifted slightly and sat up in bed, letting her wings unfurl slightly. She lifted a hoof to touch at her horn, bringing emphasis to the extra appendages. “What about me and Luna? What are we called?” she asked. She racked her brain, trying to think of the name, but she had never actually heard Sprout or Honey refer to anypony else like her and Luna before.

Sprout blinked. “Oh. Uh… well, that is the question, isn’t it?” he asked with a weak chuckle.

Luna tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

Sprout shifted in his place between the two beds. “Well… see, the thing is, Honey and I don’t actually know what you two are called. You’re the only case of ponies with wings and a horn we’ve ever heard of, much less seen. We’ve kinda just taken to calling you ‘winged unicorns,’ but somehow, I get the feeling that’s not quite right.”

Celestia pursed her lips in thought, furrowing her brow at that. Winged Unicorns, huh? Bit of a mouthful, wasn’t it? There was probably another, proper name for them, but it didn’t really matter all that much. They were the only two that there were if Sprout’s assessment was to be believed. In truth, they could probably name themselves. But with her mind starting to wander off to sleep, she didn’t have it in her to think of a good name right now, and so she let her head fall back onto her pillow.

“So… does that make Tia and I snobs and brutes?” Luna suddenly asked, her eyes slowly widening.

Celestia looked over to see Sprout staring at Luna as if she had grown a new head. “W-what?!” he asked with a confused laugh. “Why would you be a snob or a brute?”

“Because pegasi are brutes and unicorns are snobs,” Luna reiterated, her wings twitching under her blankets. “And Tia and I are unicorns with wings. So are we…?”

There was a beat of silence before Sprout openly laughed. He leaned over and kissed Luna on the forehead, right above her horn, drawing a smile out of her. “Nah. you’re not snobs or brutes. You’re our little sun and moon. You’re sweet and wonderful, and we’re so glad to have you here to brighten up our days.”

Luna giggled at the kiss, then tilted her head slightly. “But… are all the unicorns snobs?” she asked after a moment. “Are all the pegasi brutes?”

Sprout paused at that, then shrugged his shoulders. “Honestly? There are probably good ponies in both of those batches, but I haven’t met many of them myself. Not that it matters,” he reached down and booped Luna’s nose, drawing another giggle out of her. “Because Honey and I are raising you two right.”

Luna giggled, then reached up to hug Sprout around the neck. “Thanks, daddy. I love you.”

Sprout returned the hug with a foreleg before pulling back. “And I love you, too. Both of you,” he said. He then turned for the window and glanced outside. He cringed. “Oh, and that moon is really high. It’s time for you two to get some sleep.”

“Aaaw, but stories,” Luna whined, then yawned in epic fashion.

Sprout shook his head. “Nah, kid. Sorry. More stories tomorrow, though. Deal?”

Luna grumbled quietly, burying her face into her pillow. A second later she spoke up. “Deal.”

Sprout nodded, satisfied. He turned to ensure Celestia was tucked in, then made for the door. “Sleep well, you two. Goodnight!”

“Goodnight, dad!” Celestia called after him as he pulled the door shut, plunging the room into darkness.

Celestia lay there in silence, allowing her mind to wander as sleep slowly crept up on her. She thought back on Sprout’s words about the other tribes, and about how she and Luna weren’t like the pegasi or unicorns. She could only assume it was because they had been raised by earth ponies, and so the elitism and brutishness of the others hadn’t had a chance to take any root in her mind.

Whatever the case, Celestia smiled. She was glad to know she was just fine the way she was, and the way Luna had smiled on being told the same was heartwarming in the extreme. She allowed that mental image to fill her mind as she finally began to drift off to sleep…

...Only for the rustling of Luna’s blankets to draw her back to the waking world. Confused, Celestia cracked open an eye to see her little sister slinking out of bed. She moved slowly and quietly, so as to not make any noise, though she was failing quite spectacularly. Celestia didn’t move, merely watched as Lun tip-toed across the room and, with a flick of her magic, quietly opened the window. The room began to cool as the night air slipped in.

Celestia couldn’t help but smile. “This again?” she thought in amusement. It had become something of a ritual, and she found herself wondering when, if ever, her little sister would grow out of it.

Luna unfurled her wings and flew out through the window. She vanished from view, and Celestia could hear the subtle creak of the wooden ceiling. She lay there for another couple of minutes before slipping out of bed herself. She stretched and then took to the air, flying up and out of the window. The cool night air rippled through her mane, and her eyes closed for a second as she took it in. She let out a quiet, pleased sigh as she climbed in altitude, then opened them to begin her descent.

She looked down and spotted Luna sitting on the roof of their bedroom, her eyes upturned toward the stars. Celestia smiled softly and entered into a slow, descending glide. She alighted on the roof behind Luna, giving her wings a few final flaps to keep her steady. She didn’t say anything. She simply walked up to Luna’s side and sat down.

The two sat there in total silence for quite some time. Luna’s eyes remained fixated on the stars and, in particular, the great crescent moon that presently hung in the middle of it all. Her lips were pulled back into a small, gentle smile, and her eyes shimmered with awe, wonder, and what could only be described as love.

“They’re dancing again,” Luna whispered, nodding up at the sky. “See?”

Celestia hummed, draping a wing over Luna’s back to keep her warm. She looked up at the sky, focusing on the stars. They were shimmering and twinkling softly, as they usually did. Luna had long taken to calling their shimmers their ‘dance.’ She leaned into her sister’s side. “I see. Beautiful as always.”

Luna’s smile grew, but she didn’t say anything else. The two were content to sit there in idle silence for quite a long time. It felt like hours. The moon slowly inched across the sky. The night air grew steadily cooler as any leftover warmth from the sun bled away into that cool, inky abyss. The silence was periodically punctured by the hoots of owls or the calls of nocturnal animals.

A chill breeze washed over them, and Luna shuddered. Celestia pulled her closer and nuzzled into her mane, sharing their body heat. A thought occurred to her, and she smiled. “Hey, wanna sleep up here tonight?” she asked enticingly.

Luna gasped, pulling back. “But, but, mom and dad don’t like it when we do that!” she protested. “And what if it rains?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Please, I cleared the clouds out this morning. There’s not gonna be any rain. We’ll be fine. And besides…” she looked back up at the heavens, smiling wider. “I dunno about you, but I kinda wanna watch them dance some more. Can’t do that inside, though.”

Luna was quiet for a few more moments. She then gave a small nod and smile. “O-okay. Alright.”

Celestia beamed. She reached out to ruffle her sister’s hair, then leaped from the rooftop. Moving quickly, she gathered up their pillows and blankets from their room, along with the spares from their end table, and then came back up to the roof. In a few moments, she and Luna were snuggled up together in a cocoon of blankets, their heads resting back on their pillows, and their sleepy eyes glued to the heavens.

It was peaceful that night, and Celestia found herself falling asleep even faster than she had been in her bed. Whether or not it was because of the soothing light of the stars, or the warmth of her sister cuddling up to her, though, she did not know. All she could be sure of was that she was beyond happy that night, bathed in the light of the moon and her sister’s warmth.

Comments

[JMP]

Nice to see Luna get her proper introduction as an actual character, and not just an infant/toddler. Heartwarming to see her and Celestia's relationship. They're all a very nice family. And Luna's fascination with the moon continues. Sprout already calls the kids "little sun and moon", and I wonder when those connections will be forged.

[StarzGecko]

Very sweet story. I wonder if Sprout & Honey will have a kid making the child being the ancestor of Cadence & BlueBlood?

[Sunny_and_Auri_23]

As usual, I don't really know how to form words to say anything meaningful.

So have this:
memegenerator.net/img/instances/59492280.jpg

[The Voice in the Water]

I think it's interesting that Celestia has an instinctive understanding of how to control the weather. And, the little foreshadowing details about Luna having nocturnal tendencies.

[Level Dasher]

That was very sweet. I love Slice of Life stories, and even though this isn't tagged as such, this chapter certainly feels like one. Great job.

Great for signal fires or if you wanna choke somepony to death, but not all that good for a household fireplace.

How to Kill Ponies 101

“I see that. They’re a little puffy, aren’t they?”

This made me think of that split second at the end of Hakuna Matata.

Sprout shared his ideas for more things to add to the house or the grounds around it, Sprout shared ideas for new recipes she wanted to try,

Wuh-oh.

[Skijarama]

10633361

That was very sweet. I love Slice of Life stories, and even though this isn't tagged as such, this chapter certainly feels like one.

Give it a minute...

[Iron Comet]

I am so loving this story.

[Amos Anon]

Luna stuck her tongue out with a comical ‘blegh’ sound. Celestia giggled at her expense but did not say anything on the matter. As amusing as it was that her little sister didn’t care for carrots, it wasn’t like she was in any position to criticize her for it when she could barely stomach grapes.

Oh, you HEATHEN. Grapes are the nectar of life! Carrots, though, I hate.

[Skijarama]

11154540
I rather like carrots, but something about how the skin of the grape folds in my mouth just makes me gag. I dunno why. O.o