Twilight's Life

by DuskShadowTheArkane

Royal Visit

When Velvet awoke, she was immediately greeted by the sight of a cold hearth and her favorite rug in the living room.

I must have fallen asleep while reading, she mused, looking around. Upon looking at her forelegs, a wide smile spread across her lips. There, lying in her embrace, purple eyes beaming up at her, was her little filly. When she met her gaze, Twilight squealed and nuzzled into her mother’s neck as if welcoming her.

“Good morning, my little princess. Did you sleep well?” Velvet asked, gently licking her daughter’s head, grooming her. Twilight started to giggle lightly at the tickling sensation.
Velvet finished her grooming, picked up Twilight and started walking into the kitchen. Upon entering she saw that Night Light and Shining Armor were already up and preparing breakfast.

“Good morning, honey. You slept well?” Night Light asked as he saw her entrance..

“Fuhre. How awout u tu?” she replied through a mouthful of Twilight. Night Light chuckled.

“You might wanna set down little Twilight before talking,” he told her while Shining burst out into laughter. Velvet shot her son an annoyed look before setting Twilight down in a high chair.

“I had a good night’s rest, thank you. How about you, young colt?” she asked, looking at her son again. “Let me guess: Your dreams centered on a certain alicorn princess?”
Shining felt an uncomfortable heat creeping into his cheeks. He avoided his mother’s gaze and his father’s barely hidden mirth and concentrated on counting the chips in the kitchen’s woodchip wallpaper. Night Light and Velvet looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

“Oh Night Light, he SO resembles you when you told your family we were dating,” Velvet choked out through a laughing fit. Night Light shot her an unamused look.

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“Mom, Dad, Brother, Grandpa, I’d like you to meet my marefriend,” a younger version of Night Light said, standing in his parents’ huge parlor. Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle smiled as their son stepped out to get his filly.

“Well this should be interesting,” Night Light’s brother said.

“I should say so,” his father replied.

“I’m so eager to see what nice girl our boy has found,” Night Light’s mother said as he stepped into the room.

“Mom, Dad, Brother, Grandpa: This is my marefriend, Twilight Velvet,” Night Light stated proudly.

“Hi there, nice to meet you,” the mare next to Night Light said. Night Light’s mother fainted.

“MOM!” Night Light screamed as he rushed to her side.

“Well, that certainly was interesting,” his father said while chuckling.

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“Well, I want to see your reaction when facing an older brother who was captain of the royal guard AND a grandfather who was a general,” he replied grumpily.

“But! It all went well in the end, now didn’t it?”

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“Night Light! How could you do this to your own mother? I think it’s high time to send you to military school,” his grandfather bellowed as Night Light helped his mother get up. “As for you,” he yelled, turning to Night Light’s father, “how dare you laugh about this? I surely raised you to be better than this.”

“Yeah, Night Light. What’s wrong with you?” his brother asked, stepping next to his grandfather.

“Well, I’m… I… I… ” Night Light stammered.

“Night Light Sparkle! You will not date this mare anymore! She is a bad influence! We will find a nice, upper class filly for you,” his mother decided.

“But… I… ”

“Night Light?” a voice behind him asked. He turned to see Velvet, his Velvet, with tears in her eyes.

“Now tell this mare to LEAVE OUR HOUSE!” his mother yelled.

“NO! I bucking LOVE her! Nothing YOU are gonna say will EVER change this,” Night Light barked. His family looked at him, utterly shocked.

“Come on, Velvet, let’s go,” he said, turning around to his marefriend again.

“Wait,” his mother yelled.

“What?” he snapped at her. She approached him before gently nudging him aside, stepping up to Velvet.

“So, Twilight Velvet was your name? It is nice to meet you,” she said.

“Indeed. Come, have a seat,” his grandfather called. Night Light watched as his marefriend was surrounded by his family and they began to chatter.

‘What just happened?’ Night Light asked himself.

“Night Light, don’t just stand there, have you even offered our guest a drink?” his mother asked. He ogled her aghast

‘What is this, I don’t even…’

“Night Light,” Velvet said, looking at him with her beautiful smile, “Come, sit down with us.”

His surprised expression changed into a smile as he joined them on the couch, his hoof entwining with Velvet’s.

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“It could have gone better if you hadn’t worn your earrings. And piercings. AND MOHAWK!”

“But YOU liked it, didn’t you?” Night Light blushed as he remembered how beautiful his wife had been that day.

“Yeah, but… and… my mother… ” he stammered. Velvet approached him and nuzzled up to his side.

“Slacken thee, mine hero, thou didth doth well in thine speech to thine kin,” she said in the old language before chuckling. Night Light eyed her with confused eyes before chuckling with her. He went to the high chair where Twilight was watching her family curiously, her head cocked to the side. He stepped up to her and softly nuzzled her cheek. Twilight looked up at him and smiled softly. He bent down and softly kissed her between her eyes. Twilight giggled and bounced up and down in her high chair.

“How are you, my little filly?” he asked while nuzzling her head. Twilight continued to bounce, happily babbling to herself. Night Light looked over to his wife, and Velvet could see a soft glint in his eyes before he turned back and started to tickle little Twilight softly, eliciting delighted squeals from the foal.

Oh my, look at you. You are such a softie, she mused while watching as a squealing Twilight tried to wiggle away from her father’s merciless bout of tickling. She went over and ‘rescued’ her filly from her father.

“All right, that’s enough for now, we have a lot to do today,” she said, lifting Twilight and holding her to her belly. “It’s breakfast time, my filly.”

“Alright, I don’t wanna see that,” Shining said as he left the kitchen for the bathroom.
Velvet shook her head at her son’s behavior before turning her attention to her suckling daughter. Night Light watched them with a goofy smile on his face. Velvet looked up to her husband staring at them.

“What’s wrong, you softie-goofball?” she asked, smiling up at him. He shook his head and leaned down to kiss his wife on the head. Velvet giggled. “What was that for?” she asked him?

“For being so beautiful and endowing me with such a beautiful filly,” he replied, kissing his daughter’s head very lightly as to not interrupt her in her suckling. Velvet softly stroked his back.

“Thank you,” she said, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Gah! Why do I have to walk in on this?!” Shining asked, shielding his eyes. Night Light and Velvet broke apart and looked at their son. Shining blushed and left the kitchen, mumbling a quick “in my room”. Velvet shook her head and started to softly tap on her daughter’s back who had just finished eating. Night Light turned away from the open doorway and looked Velvet in the eye again. She blushed and closed the gap, ready for another kiss. They were just inches apart when a very loud burp came from Twilight, startling them both.

“Whoa, Twilight, on a scale of one to ten, that was a clear twenty,” Shining called, stepping back into the kitchen. Night Light and Velvet looked at each other startled before the whole family burst out laughing.

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“So, what will we be doing today?” Night Light asked as the family had breakfast.

“Well, since we are awaiting a princess for dinner, I need to go and buy the best groceries in Canterlot,” Velvet replied. Night Light nodded before sipping on his coffee.

“Do you need any help with that?” he asked, unfolding his newspaper.

“No, thank you, but there are other things you can do to help,” she replied. “I have prepared checklists for lists of what you both have to do. And make sure to triple check them. Good thing I’m so organized, “she lilted as she got up and gave two scrolls to both Shining and Night Light. Upon receiving it, Shining began to unroll it, only to be greeted with an ever expanding scroll.

“But mom, that list must be at least 10 hooves* long,” he whined.

“15.37 hooves to be exact. Make sure to sync the list and the triple-check-checklist to check everything off. Any questions?” she asked, looking at them expectantly.

“No ma’am,” they both replied, sullenly looking at each other. Twilight clapped her hooves together, giggling at their lament as her mother took her and placed her on her back.

*(1 hoof = 0.5 feet)
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“Well, Twilight, it seems that your daddy and brother will be busy for this day. Which means we have all the time in the world for shopping for clothes and bonding,” Velvet said, setting Twilight down on a changing table. Twilight proceeded to lightly roll around on her haunches. Velvet smiled before softly nudging Twilight with her nose, causing her to roll on her back. “You sure are a little bundle of joy, aren’t you, my little filly?” she asked while changing her daughter’s diaper. Twilight just looked her mother in the eyes before a smile spread on her little muzzle. Velvet smiled at her daughter while cleaning and donning her in a new diaper. She ended with blowing a raspberry on her little belly, receiving a giggling squeal from the foal. Velvet took her daughter and placed her on her back again before pulling three scrolls and a quill out of nowhere and unrolling one of them.

“Well, let’s see. Feeding Twilight: check. Changing Twilight’s diaper: check. Loading a hoof-ful of work unto Shining and Night Light: check.” After checking everything off on her list, she proceeded to unroll the other two lists. “Well, check of checklist of what to do: check. Check of checklist of checklist of what to do: double-check. See, my little filly: preparation and organization is everything.” She smiled back to her daughter, only to notice that Twilight’s head was cocked to the side.

“Meh, don’t worry, you will understand once you’re older,” Velvet said as she and Twilight walked out of the door.

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Meanwhile, in Canterlot Castle, the royal Princess Celestia of Equestria was sitting in her throne room, holding court and listening to some grumpy old noble who was complaining about a family with two foals who had moved next to his estate.

“It’s unbearable, your highness. All this… this laughter and… and… and fun and happiness! I demand them being thrown into the dungeons! I am sure her highness will approve of my petition,” he finished with a haughty smile towards the other nobles.

Oh empty sky, why can’t I just send YOU to the dungeons? Or maybe Griffhala? Or just a volcano? That would solve the problems of EVERYPONY. Celestia forced herself to keep her regal composure although she just wanted to end her time of misery, alias royal court. “My dear subject, are you really asking me to send a family to the dungeons just because they are enjoying their lives? Surely you are joking. I will NOT approve of this petition. As for the noise annoyance, I will personally see to it.” Maybe I should endow them with a bullhorn and their own group of howler monkeys? That’s sure to ‘solve’ the problem. Celestia giggled to herself as she dismissed the court for the day. And now for a nice, relaxing lunch and maybe some cake? Oh, I can almost ta-

“AUNTY CELESTIA, AUNTY CELESTIA!” a voice boomed, ripping her out of her daydreaming about cake and pushing her back into the here and now.

“Was that a manticore screaming my name?” she asked confused. The ‘manticore’ soon proved to be her niece Cadence who stormed into her courtroom. I should never have taught her the Royal Canterlot Voice, Celestia thought before noticing the forlorn expression on her niece’s face. The nobles still around gathered haughtily as they scrunched their noses at the young princess’s behavior, something which further infuriated Celestia.

“I think I said that the court is dismissed for today,” she said, angrily glaring at the few nobles left. At the sight of an almost fuming Celestia, their haughty attitude dropped as they hastened to leave the royal throne room.

“Oh Aunty, I am SO sorry for interrupting, I didn’t know you were still holding court,” Cadence said desperately as the last noble had left. Celestia gave her a comforting smile as she stepped off her throne.

“My dear niece, you don’t have to apologize as you haven’t done anything wrong. What is wrong?” she asked, walking up to her niece.

“Oh Aunty, I’m just so nervous. What if I misbehave? What would the ponies think about it? ‘Oh my, look at that unclad little brat! Typical for the royal family: all show and no substance.’ Oh Aunty, I couldn’t live with myself if I brought shame over you!” Cadence whined, tears starting to build in her eyes.

“Now, now,” Celestia soothed, unfolding a wing. Cadence stepped up to Celestia and closed her eyes as she nuzzled her face into her aunt’s side, feeling the wing closing and encompassing her. Celestia bent down her head, nuzzling her cheek against her niece’s. Cadence sighed as she felt the warmth flow through her, relaxing at the caring gesture of her aunt. “Do you feel better now?” Celestia asked as Cadence opened her eyes. She nodded before nuzzling into Celestia’s withers. “Good,” Celestia said, “Now listen to me.” Cadence looked her aunt in the eyes. Celestia gave her a little smile before continuing. “You are a wonderful pony and the best niece I could ever ask for. I know you will behave perfectly and the Sparkles are sure to love you,” she said, kissing Cadence between her eyes. The young princess perked up.

“Really?” she asked exited. Celestia smiled.

“Would I ever lie to you?”

“No!” Cadence exclaimed happily.

“Now that’s the filly that fills my heart with sunshine,” Celestia said, smiling. “Is there anything else I could help you with?”

“No, “Cadence simply replied. “Thank you so much for helping me, Aunty.”

“You’re very welcome, dear,” Celestia said. Cadence smiled as she walked out of the room. Celestia watched her go as her belly grumbled very loud, startling the present guards. Her white cheeks turned beet red. I guess it’s lunch time, she mused ashamedly as she hurried out of the room

“Whoa,” one of the guards said.

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In the meantime, Velvet and her daughter had reached Canterlot Market. The district was bustling with all kinds of ponies, griffons and even one or two buffalos either trying to make the big money or buying all kinds of things.

“So, Twilight, since we will be catering a princess, and Princess Celestia’s niece as well, it’s important that we only buy the best groceries we can get.” Velvet told her daughter as they walked through the many aisles of the market as she thought about what to serve a princess. She watched a stall where an earth pony blacksmith and a unicorn fishmonger where in a heated argument about something. She caught scraps like “tell me it’s not fresh”, “rotten” and “stinking” before the fishmonger slapped a fish into the blacksmith’s face, establishing a scuffle between them and the merchants around. She shook her head as she continued walking. No matter how noble and snooty Canterlot can be, the merchants are no different to the ones in Ponyville or Appleloosa. She walked around, occasionally looking into stalls, still unsure of what to cook. “Oh, my little filly, I’m SO clueless! What should I make for dinner?”
Twilight, as if noticing her mother’s despair, squirmed and pointed to the ground. Velvet shook her head.

“No, Twily, we cannot eat dirt. But mommy appreciates your help.” Twilight jabbed her hoof to the ground again. Velvet followed her daughter’s hoof and noticed it pointing to a little fungus growing on the ground. “A fungus? But what –“ suddenly she understood. “Portobello! Perfect! Oh, you are so smart, my little filly,” she said, nuzzling her daughter with her cheek. Twilight sighed softly and snuggled into her mother’s neck. Velvet took a moment to revel in the contact. After a few seconds, she pulled back, smiling at her daughter. She began walking again, scanning the stalls for the delicacy. Through all the bustling, she could make out an old buffalo selling the mushroom. She slowly walked towards him, careful not to tread on somepony’s hoof.

“Hello, Sir. I want to make some Portobello steaks for dinner and you seem to be one of the few selling them,” she said, once she had reached the merchant. The buffalo looked up from a newspaper.

“Yes, and this is a rare specimen as well, only growing on the buffalo paths north of Appleloosa,” he replied in a deep voice. Upon noticing Twilight, he smiled gently. “You have a very beautiful filly, madame. May I ask her name?”

“Of course. Her name is Twilight,” Velvet replied, smiling back at her daughter.

“Hello there, little Twilight,” he said. Twilight just looked at him with wide eyes, clutching onto her mothers neck. The buffalo chuckled. Twilight watched him before she gave a soft smile. “She is very cute and astute,” he told Velvet.

“That she is,” Velvet replied. “Now for the Portobello.”

“Of course, madam. As I’ve told you, this specimen is very rare and special. I would like you to taste a piece and tell me your opinion,” the buffalo said, immediately becoming mercantile. He took one of the mushrooms and cut a little piece out of the cap before holding it out for her. She took it and tasted. Immediately she was entranced by the mushroom’s beguiling taste. Each chew renewed the fruity, but spicy flavor and she regretted that she had to swallow it.

“Sir, that has to be the best Portobello I ever had. That mushroom will be the perfect dinner for Princess Cadence,” she exclaimed. The buffalo’s brows rose.

“The Princess? You are awaiting the Princess for dinner? Astounding,” he replied.

“How much is that?” Velvet asked. The buffalo pondered for a moment.

“Normally, it would be 30 bits per mushroom, but since it’s a princess, you can have one for 25 bits,” he replied. Velvet’s mouth dropped.

“25 bits PER MUSHROOM? I’ll give you ten bits,” she told the buffalo. He started to pant with rage.

“TEN BITS? Lady, these are high quality products from the buffalo paths, the only territory not sullied by ponies! These criminals already took a great reservation for their settlers from us! 24 bits!”

“Sullied? CRIMINALS?! The ponies in Appleloosa wanted to make friends with the buffalos, only to be turned down and be terrorized. 12 bits!”

“TERRORIZED?! How dare you? These were the lands of the elders and those ponies took everything without our permission! 23 bits!”

“23 bits? I think I should buy them somewhere else. Maybe an Appleloosan merchant will give me a little discount once I told him I refused trading with a grumpy old buffalo. 13 bits,” Velvet said with a smirk. The buffalo looked as if he was ready to explode.

“Grumpy?! OLD?! How dare you, spinster?! Go to your pony folk and rob more of our lands. Doesn’t matter to me! But don’t come home crying if we kick your flanks. 22 bits,” he replied with an arrogant smile.

“SPINSTER?! Who do you think you are? How about I come over and give you a piece of my mind? 14 bits.”

“I dare you, you hag! 20 bits and that’s final!”

“HAG?! If I didn’t have my filly with me, you would be in for some serious flank kicking! 15 bits and I’ll buy six of them!”

“Deal! And now go away,” the buffalo said as he packed the fungi. They looked at each other before breaking into a roaring laughter. “Oh my, lady, you sure are a tough business haggler. Have a nice day,” the buffalo told her as he could control his breathing again.

“Thank you, Sir, and have a nice day, too,” Velvet replied while wiping one eye with her hoof. She took her bag in her magic and turned around, only to notice that all stalls and the crowd around them had gone still and everypony was staring at them.

“Oops,” Velvet said, giggling embarrassed. “Come, my little filly, let’s go. We have a lot to do.” And with that, she walked into the crowd which dismissed the matter, returning to its bustling rush.

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Meanwhile, Shining had arrived at the first destination for his to-do-list. It was a two-storied building on a main street leading up to the castle. Shining checked his list and his mouth began to water.

“A donut shop? Awesome! And I have to taste-test everything! Let’s see what I have to buy,” he said, pulling out his list again. “Hmm. Whoa! 30 donuts, three pies and two two-layer-cakes? This is going to be the best day ever,” he exclaimed, jabbing his front hoof into the air before practically charging into the store.

“Hello and welcome to ‘Donut Joe’s’,” a brown unicorn with green eyes said as Shining stormed to the counter. “My name is Joe, or as ponies like to call me, ‘Donut Joe’. How can I be of service?” Shining paid no attention as he ogled the showcase which contained the most delicious-looking pastries Shining had ever laid eyes on. “May I help you, young colt?” the baker asked as he stepped around the counter. Shining noticed him for the first time and whipped his eyes away from the display.

“Oh, sorry, I’m here to buy some donuts, pies and cakes,” he replied, his eyes slowly looking at the showcase again. Joe chuckled.

“What’s your name, kid?” he asked, drawing Shining’s attention again.

“Uhm, Shining Armor Sparkle, Sir,” Shining answered, one eye focusing on a cake behind the counter.

“Well Shining, call me Joe. What can I get you?”

“Well,” Shining muttered, watching a cake spin on its plate. “My mother wants me to buy 30 donuts and two two-layer-cakes. And she wants me to taste-test them.” Joe wrote down everything before breaking into a smile.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s do this.” He disappeared in the kitchen, only to come back with a huge batch of fresh-baked donuts. “New batch, just finished them. I got chocolate, cinnamon, glazed, banana, strawberry and what have you. And the cakes: banana, double chocolate, cream, chocolate-peppermint and so forth. Go on, taste them,” Joe said with a smile. Shining picked up a chocolate donut and took a bite. He was immediately assaulted by an explosion of flavor. He closed his eyes in pure bliss.

“Woooooow,” Shining droned out. Joe started to laugh.

“So, what do you think, kid?” he asked while wiping his eyes. Shining sat down on his haunches, staring at the donut in his hoof.

“Wow,” Shining said.

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While his wife, daughter and son were having a good time, and a delicious moreover, Night Light was not having such luck. He had been assigned with getting the beverages for the evening. The good thing was that he had to taste test everything. The bad thing was the fact that the winery Velvet had chosen belonged to his parents. He hadn’t even put one hoof into the store before he was pulled inside and into a hug by his mother, Dazzle Sparkle.

“Oh, Night Light, how good to see you,” she said. “But dear, you are nothing but a stick anymore! Doesn’t your wife know how to cook a proper meal?” Night Light noticed the forced undertone in his mother’s voice. Despite outwardly accepting and welcoming Velvet in the family, it was an open secret that she still disliked Night Light’s choice and always tried to set him up with “a proper lady”, as she would call it.

“Hello, mother. Father,” Night Light said unenthused.

“Why, hello there, son. Nice to see you,” his father greeted. While his mother was an imperious and posh pony, his father, Orion Sparkle, was always friendlier, more welcoming and down to earth. Night Light smiled as he walked up to his father and embraced him. “How is your wife? It must be hard walking around with that huge belly. I remember when your mother was carrying you. She always complained, and complained, and complained, and – “

“EXCUSE ME?! You uncouth brute! Hmpf!” Dazzle replied, scrunching and sticking up her nose in indignation.

“Well, about that,” Night Light said, realizing that he hadn’t told his parents of the birth of their grandfoal yet, “Velvet gave birth yesterday. It’s a very healthy and buoyant filly and we decided to name her Twilight Sparkle.”

“Well, congratulations, son,” his father said. “I’m looking forward to seeing her.”

“Thanks, dad. She is the sweetest foal I ever laid eyes on, even cuter than Shining when he was her age.”

“HOW could you? Your filly was born yesterday and you didn’t immediately tell us OR call us to the hospital? And you gave her such a peasant name? Twilight? How very uncouth of you. I should have expected better from you, Night Light Sparkle, but you obviously chose to follow in your father’s hoofsteps,” Dazzle said, scrunching her nose again.
“Well, maybe we still have a chance to change the name. Maybe something exotic like Pineapple Blossom, or Carambola Bloom, or something classy like Lutetia or mystic like Andromeda or –“

“NO, mother,” Night Light exclaimed determined, “I know you think my wife is just a peasant, but you fail to realize that she is the kindest, sweetest, most generous mare I’ve ever met. And if we think the name is good and our foal likes it, we will definitely NOT change it!” Orion, seeing and sensing the coldness in both Dazzle’s and Night Light’s gazes, decided to step in and change the subject.

“So, son, what brings you to our business?” he asked, hoping to break the ice. Night Light averted his gaze and looked at his father.

“I need beverages for tonight,” he answered. “We’re having one of Shining’s friends over for dinner.”

“Oh, how nice. Who is it?” Orion asked, glad that the tensions were gone now.

“It’s Princess Celestia’s niece, Princess Cadence.”

“WHAT? Our grandson associates with ROYALTY? Oh, I am SO proud of him! Why can’t you be like your son, Night Light? He recognizes a demure mare when he sees her,” his mother exclaimed before shooting off into the back of the store, only to come back seconds later with a tray with five bottles on it in her magic. “I can’t believe that Shining knows not only a princess, but the niece of Princess Celestia HERSELF! Go on, taste! Everything has to be perfect when our Shining bonds with the future Mrs. Sparkle! Royalty, can you believe it?”
Night Light and his father shared a glance before shaking their heads, his father uncorking a bottle of their finest grape juice.

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Three hours later, Shining left Joe’s, five packages on his back and a goofy grin on his face. He pulled out his list to check off “cakes”, only to realize that he had only checked one thing out of many off and had only two hours before he had to be home.

“Oh, come on! Tons of work and so little time! This is gonna be one pain in the flank!” He started to gallop of, only for his stomach to grumble painfully. Looking down, he noticed a huge bulge on his underside.

“Ow. I ate too much pie,” he groaned as he dragged himself along the streets of Canterlot.

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“So, since my little princess was such a good and helpful filly today, mommy will buy her her own plushie,” Velvet said smiling. “Would you like that, my little pony?” Twilight squealed and clapped her hooves together as if confirming her mother’s question. “Well then, let’s go,” she laughed as she and Twilight walked into a small toy store.

“Good afternoon, how can I help you?” a unicorn mare asked as they entered.

“Good afternoon. I want to buy a plush toy for my little filly. Isn’t that right, my little Twilight?” Velvet said as she rubbed her nose against her daughter’s. The employee smiled.

“You really have a cute filly, ma’am. My name is Polly Pierce. What kind of plushie would you like?”

“Hmm. How about you choose, Twily? It’s your present after all,” Velvet said as she slowly walked around the shelving, Polly Pierce always by her side.

“Bahbabah!” Twilight suddenly exclaimed, jabbing her tiny hoof towards a shelf to the left of them. Velvet walked up to it and looked for the plushie her daughter was pointing at. This proved to be harder than expected, as Twilight would try to climb over her mother’s head.

“Ow! Twily, please stay in your carrier. Twily! OW!” Velvet whined as Twilight wormed about her neck.

“Got it!” Polly Pierce suddenly exclaimed, holding a teddy bear in her magic grip.
Twilight squirmed, trying to reach the bear, gradually transitioning into whining. Polly Pierce gave the filly a warm smile before levitating the bear over to her. Twilight squealed in joy, grabbing the bear and hugging it close to her chest, nuzzling it. Velvet smiled at her lovingly, gently kissing her head. Twilight looked up from her toy and smiled at her mother before taking the bear and holding it close to Velvet’s face.

“Dada,” she said, smiling and softly shaking the plushie in front of Velvet’s face.

“Yes, Twily, a bear, and it’s all yours,” Velvet answered her daughter. Twilight giggled and hugged the toy close to her chest again. Polly smiled.

“She must be the sweetest filly I’ve ever laid eyes on,” she stated. Twilight looked over to her before smiling and waving with the bear. “Yes, little filly, this is all yours,” Polly told her as she stepped closer. “May I ask how old she is?”

“Of course. She was just born yesterday,” Velvet answered.

“Oh how precious. May I?” Polly asked, lifting a hoof.

“Sure,” Velvet answered to which Polly began to softly nuzzle the foal. “I hate to break this up, but we’re kind of in a rush. How much do we owe you?”

“It’s alright, take it as a present for such a cute filly.”

“I shall do no such thing! This is such a high quality toy, you deserve to be paid.”

“No, I insist on you taking it with you for free.”

“And I insist to pay you. How much does this toy normally cost?”

“50 bits, but I could never take money from such a cute filly’s mother.”

“I will pay the full price!”

“And I will not take it.”

“All right, how about a compromise? I will pay you half of the price and tomorrow at 3 p.m., we will go out, drink some coffee and have some cake. Does that sound acceptable?”

“Indeed it does. Alright, 25 bits and coffee and cake tomorrow. We have a deal.” Velvet smiled as she took out a bag and placed 25 bits on the counter.

“Have a nice day,” she said as she and Twilight walked out of the store.

“You, too. See you tomorrow,” Polly replied as the door closed. Once outside, Velvet turned to her daughter.

“See, Twily. Always be nice and treat ponies like you want them to treat you.” But then she saw that Twilight was busy hugging and cuddling her toy and apparently didn’t even hear her. She smiled, shook her head, and started to walk home.

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Half-an-hour later, Velvet was standing in the kitchen, preparing dinner. She had pulled the high chair to the counter so Twilight was sitting next to her, playing with her plushie. While preparing the potatoes as a garnish for the Portobello, she stole a glimpse at her filly, only to smile widely as she watched Twilight babble to herself while turning and waving her teddy around, no doubt letting it experience an ‘adventure’. As she watched, Twilight moved her teddy through the air, before squealing in delight, hopping up and down in her highchair. Velvet chuckled, carefully nuzzling her filly. Twilight looked up at her mother and hugged her leg, nuzzling into her fur.

Oh, you’ve gotta stop being this cute, my little princess. You’re too much, Velvet thought before chuckling. She bent down and softly kissed her filly between her eyes. Twilight smiled and held her teddy out to Velvet. Velvet smiled at her filly before taking the teddy and kissing it on its head. Twilight cheered and clapped her hooves together while Velvet hoofed the teddy back to her. Twilight yanked it to her chest before starting to chew on its ear, promptly drooling on it. Velvet watched her filly before stepping back to the stove, starting to cook the potatoes. At that very moment, the front door opened. Velvet turned to see a giant bouquet of flowers hover into the kitchen, followed by a very sweaty Night Light.

“Finally!” he announced, breathing heavily, “I thought I would NEVER make it in time!”

“Ah, honey, finally you’re here. Did you get everything?” Velvet asked her husband while taking the flowers and placing them on the countertop.

“YES! A huge bouquet of the finest peonies in town, the finest cheese for a cheese platter, fresh olive bread, olives, diapers for Twily, a new haircut, fresh hay for hayfries, milk and what have you. By the way, was it really necessary that I get the wine and grape juice from my parents?” Velvet chuckled.

“Well, I thought they should know that they got a granddaughter.”

“ – which she tried to name Pineapple Blossom or Carambola Bloom.” Velvet shuddered.

“Your mother always had an awful taste.”

“Of course, she didn’t want me to marry you. How worse can taste be,” Night Light flattered. Velvet gave a flattered laugh.

“You adulator,” she exclaimed, poking his chest. “But you are right, of course.” Night Light groaned.

“She wanted me to divorce you and find a proper lady for a wife AGAIN,” he said. “Whatever! I don’t wanna think about these things. I’m done for.” Velvet kissed her husband on his cheek.

“You did well, my diligent spouse. And here is your reward,” she said, pointing at Twilight. Night Light dropped everything he was carrying on the countertop before walking up to his filly. He watched as she chewed on her teddy before waving it up and down, constantly babbling to herself.

“She’s so beautiful,” he whispered, a tear running from one of his eyes. Velvet nuzzled up to him and they watched their little princess play and, just for that moment, the world around them ceased to exist – until the potatoes cooked over.

“Oh horse apples! Can you do me a favor? Can you please take Twily and give her a bath?” Velvet asked as she continued cooking. Night Light smiled, taking his daughter out of her highchair and carrying her to the bathroom.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Shining groaned as he heaved himself up the stairs of the front door.

“I will never eat so much pie again,” he mused as he opened the front door. Immediately he was greeted by the most delicious scent he had ever smelled in his life. His pain was immediately forgotten as his stomach informed him that it was time to eat whatever his mother was cooking, galore of course.

“Ah, Shining, there you are,” his father said, walking out of the kitchen, Twilight on his back. “Your mother is in the kitchen. Did you get everything she asked you for?”

“Yes, dad,” Shining replied, “and I took the best cake I could get from this new store, Donut Joe’s.”

“Great. I’m up bathing Twily. Isn’t that right, my little filly?” he asked his daughter, rubbing his nose against hers, Twilight giggling all the while. “Yes it is, yes it is.” And with that, he walked up the stairs. Shining watched them go before entering the kitchen. Immediately his senses were indulged by that scent, its intensity increased tenfold. He dropped everything he had on the kitchen table and let his nose lead him to the stove.

“Shining! Finally!” his mother said, coming out of the larder. “Did you get everything?”

“Yes, mom. I got two apricot pies, one apple pies, two double – chocolate double – layer cakes, thirty Donuts with six different flavors, a huge bowl of chocolate mousse, the candles, a new haircut, a new tablecloth, pink napkins with flowers on them, and what have you. Am I free now?” His mother shot him a displeased look.

“You know, young stallion, this is YOUR friend we’re talking about, so it isn’t asking too much of you to support me in making everything perfect for not only a classmate, but the NIECE of PRINCESS CELESTIA herself,” she announced, poking him in his ribs.

“Ow! Okay, mom, I got it!” Shining stepped back, rubbing his aching front.

“Good! Now go and prepare yourself. Our guest will be here in a short time.” Shining ducked his head as he stepped out of the kitchen, murmuring under his breath.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Twilight sat on a hamper, watching as her father filled the tub with water, hugging her teddy close to her chest. Night Light finished the bath and turned back to his daughter, who gave him a small smile in return while cuddling her teddy. Night Light smiled as he dropped down on eye level with her.

“Are you looking forward to your bath, little Twily?” he asked while rubbing his nose against hers. Twilight giggled, nuzzling into her father. “But before you go into the tub, we have to lay down your teddy for a second.” Night Light enveloped the plush toy in his magic, levitating it away from Twilight. Twilight clung to it, not wanting to let go, causing her to fall off the hamper. She immediately began to wail loudly.

“NIGHT LIGHT! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!” Velvet screamed, running into the bathroom at the same moment.

“I… the bear… how did…? “ Night Light stammered.

“A mother feels when her foal is in distress! What. Did. You. Do?!” Velvet breathed, picking up Twilight and holding her to her chest.

“I… I just wanted to take the b-bear so she could bathe. A-and she wouldn’t l-let g-g-go so I… “

“So you just took it and hurt her in the process?!”

“I-I’m sorry, I… “ Velvet eyed him angrily before cuddling Twilight to her chest.

“Now, now, it’s okay my little filly. Shh,” she calmed, gently licking Twilight’s tears away. She levitated the teddy over to her, working a little spell on it before placing it in her daughter’s tiny forelegs. “There. Now you can take your teddy with you while dabbling in the tub.” She kissed her between her eyes before looking at her husband again.

“Now I have to finish dinner. Tell your daughter you’re sorry!” Night Light slowly approached them. As he closed in, Twilight whimpered, hiding her face in Velvet’s coat.

“Twily, please, daddy is SO sorry. Please.” Twilight, still sniffing and clinging to her mother, turned her face a bit to see her father on eye level. He cracked a small smile, softly kissing her head. Twilight smiled softly before holding out her bear. Night Light chuckled as he gave it a nuzzle before gently taking Twilight from Velvet. “Can you forgive me, my little princess?” he asked, holding her to his chest and glancing into her purple eyes. Twilight answered by snuggling into his fur. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he stated, softly nuzzling her head. Velvet smiled at the display in front of her.

“Well, I’ll get back to preparing dinner,” she said, stepping out.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Does my little filly enjoy the bath her daddy made her?” Night Light asked a short while later. He had been so entranced with his daughter he didn’t notice Velvet stepping out. Now, he sat by the tub, watching as Twilight bounced up and down in the water, swinging her now waterproof teddy around.

“Ahbabah!” Twilight stated, picking up a bubble with her hoof. It popped, causing a bout of giggles from Twilight as she tried to pick up more. They all popped in her hoof, causing Twilight to fall into a laughing fit. She bounced even more, bobbing her teddy around in the water, causing it to flow out of the tub.

“Now careful, Twily. You don’t want to make a mess now, do you?” her father chided her. Twilight answered by swishing her teddy sidewards, bathing him in a huge wave. Twilight laughed even more when she saw her father, soaking wet, his mane hanging over his face. Night Light shook himself before taking her out and placing her on a towel on her changing table.

“All right, you little troublemaker, you find this to be funny? How about THIS?!” he exclaimed, running a very fluffy towel all over Twilight’s ticklish body. Twilight squealed and tried to roll away from her father’s onslaught, but to no avail. He laughed as he continued to rub Twilight dry. When he was finished drying his daughter, he proceeded to give her a new diaper, and then donned her in a playsuit. “Now let’s see what mommy’s doing, shall we?” he asked, lifting Twilight and placing her on his back. Twilight giggled and jabbed her hoof forwards, as if shouting “Away!” . Night Light smiled as he trotted down the stairs.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

As he stepped back into the kitchen, he noticed that Shining was already present, looking as if he had just stepped out of the shower himself.

“Hey, Dad. Hey, Twily,” he greeted, sipping a soda.

“Ah, Night Light, I’ve been waiting for you. Shining, could you do me a favor?”

“Sure, Mom, what is it?”

“Could you take care of Twily for a while? I’m gonna take a nice relaxing bath.”

“Sure, Mom, no problem,” Shining answered, getting up and taking Twilight from his father’s back.

“Night Light, you could use a shower as well. And hurry up, our guest will be here in a short while,” she said, stepping out of the kitchen. Night Light shook his head as he followed his wife out.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Well, Twily, seems it’s only you and me now,” Shining stated, softly poking his sister’s nose. “Which means… I have absolutely no idea what we could do,” he concluded, rubbing his forehead with a hoof. What do you do with a newborn? he mused, watching Twilight chew on the bear’s leg. “Oh, I know!” he exclaimed. “How about we read a comic together?” He picked up Twilight the way he had seen his parents do and carried her to their library. Hmm, I must have made a mistake, he thought, as Twilight wouldn’t stop squirming the whole way. Once he finally reached the library, he immediately set her down on her back, causing her to roll left and right, much to her delight. He smiled before stepping to one of his shelves and pulling out an issue of his favorite Daring Do comic. “Hmm, maybe that kind of comic wouldn’t be fit for a foal.” Shaking his head, he instead opted for a Wonderbolts comic.
Lying down, he noticed Twilight snuggling into his side, staring at him with her sweet purple eyes. Shining smiled and pulled her into his forelegs before opening the comic.

“Look, Twily, it’s Soarin’, the newest addition to the Wonderbolts.” Indeed, a picture of the pale blue stallion filled the first side, introducing him as the newest addition to the Wonderbolts. The next two pages contained an interview with him, asking him about his past and what advice he could give the youth on how to become a Wonderbolt. The following spread contained a “Where’s Soarin’?” picture quiz. “Well, Twily, can you find Soarin’?” Shining asked. Twilight shortly looked at it before pointing on the issue. Smiling, Shining followed her hoof, only to realize that she was directly pointing at the searched-for Wonderbolt. “Whoa! That’s correct, Twily,” he said aghast. “Can you find Fire Streak, too?” he asked, showing her what Fire Streak looked like. Twilight clapped her hooves together before looking at the comic again. At the exact same moment, she poked the comic again. Shining looked and couldn’t believe his eyes. She did it again! A smile spread on his face. “Twily, you’re a genius,” he exclaimed, nuzzling her head. Twilight squealed in delight, again pointing to the comic book. Looking at it, Shining noticed a filly holding a teddy that strongly resembled the one on Twilight’s side. “Yes, Twily, that filly has a teddy, just like you,” he said, smiling warmly. Twilight cheered and picked up her teddy, hugging it to her chest and heavily cuddling it. Shining kissed her head before continuing to read her sister the comic, showing and explaining her everything.

“Oh, would you look at that, Night Light. Isn’t this just cute?” a voice suddenly said. Looking up, he noticed his parents were standing in the doorway, watching them. Turning his gaze towards the clock, he noticed that it was quarter to eight already, meaning they had been reading for three quarters of an hour. Twilight jumped for joy at the sight of her mother and immediately clamped onto her mother’s legs as she picked her up, waving her teddy around and loudly babbling to Velvet.

“Hello, little filly. Mommy is happy to see you, too,” Velvet said, rubbing her cheek against Twilight’s. “Did your brother read you a story? Did you like that?” she asked, cuddling her daughter to her chest, feeling Twilight nuzzle herself into her chest’s fur.

“Thank you for watching Twilight, Shining,” Night Light said, ruffling Shining’s mane.

“No problem, dad. It was a cool time,” Shining answered, smiling.

“All right, now that everything and everypony is ready, let’s set the table,” Velvet said, placing Twilight on her back. The little family smiled at each other before going into the dining room, preparing for their royal guest.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Meanwhile, Princess Cadence and Princess Celestia were on waiting for the carriage which would bring them to the Sparkle’s home. Cadence had taken a light shade of green over the day and was now shaking from the core. Celestia was standing beside her, her stature unwavering and regal as ever. Looking down, she noticed the nervousness emanating from her niece. She bent down to meet her eye level.

“Cadence, my niece, what’s wrong?” she asked. Cadence looked up, shivering on her whole frame.

“Aunty, I’m just SO nervous that I’ll do something bad so the Sparkles won’t like me,” she answered with a shaky voice. Celestia mildly shook her head before opening a wing and draping it over Cadence.

“Sunshine, we talked about this,” she said. “I assure you; you won’t do anything wrong. You are a wonderful young mare and I’m sure you will behave perfectly. Now calm down and think about all the fun you will most definitely have this evening. I mean, you get to see the Sparkle’s filly again, don’t you?” Cadence instantly perked.

“YES! Oh yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes,” she chanted, jumping around Celestia. Celestia only chuckled at her niece’s behavior and laid a hoof on her shoulder as she jumped into another round. A mischievous glint in her eye, she continued.

“And even if they don’t like you,” she said, noting Cadence’s smile drop and a hint of fear scurry over her face, “you are the princess of love, are you not? You can just use a little spell and… “ she explained, waving her hoof through the air at the end of the sentence.

“AUNTY! How could you think of doing something like THAT?!” Cadence exclaimed, looking at her aunt in utter shock. Celestia eyed her niece before chuckling heavily. Cadence gawked at her before she understood her aunt’s joke. “Oh, Aunty, you prankster,” she laughed, gently prodding her aunt with her horn, just as their carriage landed in front of them. Still chuckling, they boarded the pony-driven vehicle, starting their way to the Sparkle residence.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“All right, everything is set and the Princess will arrive in a few minutes,” Velvet announced, Shining and Night Light in front of her and Twilight on her back. “I already made a seating plan, six-times-checked, of course. We don’t want to be unorganized, now, do we? Well, Night Light, you will sit at the head of the table. Shining, you will sit to your father’s left, next to you; we will leave open a space for the Princess, and next to that, on the other end of the table, I will sit with Twily to my left, so she always is in the Princess’ point of view and in my reach should she need anything. Any questions?” They all shook their heads. “Fantastic. Now go and take your places, because the princess could arrive – “ she suddenly was interrupted by the doorbell, “ – ANY MINUTE! GOGOGO! NIGHT LIGHT, FRONT DOOR!” she yelled, dashing into the dining room, Twilight staggering on her back. Night Light took a moment to register the situation before panicking.

OhmygoshtheprincessisherewhatdoIdonow, his mind rambled, why does Velvet always leave in such situations? Wait, what did she tell me?’Front door’? How is that supposed to help… OF COURSE, and with that he ran to the door, opening it while curtsying. “A good evening Princess… Celestia?” Indeed, standing on the doormat was not the Princess of Love, but the Princess of the Sun and sovereign ruler of Equestria herself. Night Light bowed even lower, his nose brushing against the tile floor. “Please excuse my surprise, your highness, but we were not expecting you,” he apologized, looking at her asquint.

“Please rise, my loyal subject, my visit was indeed unannounced,” Celestia said, smiling down at him. “I just came by to drop off my niece personally. And she wanted me to see your foal,” she explained.

“Well, would you like to join us for dinner, your majesty?” Velvet asked, stepping next to her husband before bowing.

“Oh, I couldn’t accept that, Mrs. Sparkle, it wouldn’t be very polite of me to impose.”

“Oh, but your majesty, you could never impose. Besides, I cooked a little more just in case. I have a whole Portobello Steak and enough garnish. And enough cake, pies and donuts for dessert,” Velvet explained. At the mention of cake, Celestia’s mouth watered, the Sparkles, fortunately, did not notice.

“Well, if you invite me so nicely, it would be rude of me to decline, now wouldn’t it?” Celestia asked rhetorically before entering.

“Nothing her majesty would do could EVER be considered rude,” Velvet said, stepping aside to leave her in, bowing as she did. Celestia chuckled.

“Please, my little pony, there is no need to bow,” she said, flashing a benevolent smile that seemed to relax everypony present. “Just relax and let us enjoy this evening.”

“Of course, your highness. Please follow me,” Velvet said. “A warm welcome to you, too, Princess Cadenza. How are you?” she added, noting that they had unintentionally ignored Cadence.

“Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Sparkle, I’m fine, how are you?” Cadence asked, following her aunt.

“We’re fine, thank you,” Velvet answered, stepping into the dining room. “Shining, please welcome our guests for tonight, the Princesses Celestia and Cadenza.” Shining Armor stood up from his chair and bent his head.

“Princesses, I welcome you and bid you a good evening,” he said, looking up.

“Arise, young colt. In the name of my niece, we bid you a good evening as well,” Celestia retorted, also flashing him her calming smile. He stood up, smiling at her and Cadence, before blushing and looking away when meeting Cadence’s gaze. Twilight, who was sitting in her high chair and busy playing with her teddy, looked up before squealing and waving as she noticed Cadence. Cadence smiled as she stepped to the foal before gently nuzzling her.

“Why, hello there, little Twilight, how are you?” she asked, smiling as the filly babbled to her before holding out her teddy. “Oh, what do you have there? Is that a teddy? My, you really must have been a good filly, then,” she laughed, nuzzling the plushie, much to Twilight’s joy, who brought the toy back to her chest, cuddling it.

“I dislike breaking this moment, Princess Cadenza, your highness, but dinner is ready. I suggest that we start,” Velvet said, stepping next to Cadence. “Please sit and make yourself comfortable while I bring the food.”

“Please, Mrs. Sparkle, just call me Cadence. And I’d love to help,” Cadence said, following Velvet to the kitchen.

“Nonsense, dear, please sit down and let yourself be catered like a princess deserves to,” Velvet retorted. Turning around, she added, “Princess Celestia, your highness, as we weren’t prepared for your visit, it would be best if you could take a seat to the left of Twilight, if her highness approves, of course.”

“Why, I would love to. That way I can find out if she really is as cute as my niece told me. Although she has already proved this, I think,” Celestia answered with a wide smile as she sat down next to Twilight. The filly looked up from her teddy and at Celestia. “Hello, little Twilight, are you having a good time?” she asked the foal, bending down to meet her gaze. Twilight smiled and stretched her hoof out, softly poking the Princess’s snout. The whole Sparkle family gasped, Velvet nearly dropping the plate with the Portobello and Shining choking on a gulp of lemonade.

“Twily! You can’t do that! That’s the Princess you’re poking!” Night Light yelled. Twilight, not being used to being yelled at, whimpered before starting to cry loudly. Oh no, what have I done?! I made her cry the second time this day, he mused, jumping up and running around the table. Before he could reach his daughter, though, Celestia had already picked her up.

“Now, now, little filly, it’s alright,” she soothed, holding Twilight to her chest as she folded one wing around her. “You did nothing wrong, there is no need to cry. Your father was just worried. He didn’t yell because he is angry but because he cares about you. Stop your tears, my little pony. It’s okay.” The Sparkles and Cadence watched as Princess Celestia, sovereign ruler of all of Equestria, held little Twilight to her chest, softly murmuring soothing words to stop the filly from crying. Twilight slowly ceased crying, only sniffing from time to time and finally relaxed, a smile on her little face. “That’s right, calm down, everything is alright.” Celestia smiled as she lowered her head, connecting her horn to Twilight’s, exerting a spell, the golden aura spreading from her horn around Twilight’s before vanishing. Twilight squealed as if Celestia had tickled her and nuzzled into Celestia’s coat. Celestia smiled as she levitated the teddy into Twilight’s tiny forelegs.

“Erm, not to sound rude or anything, your highness, but what did you do to Twilight?” Velvet asked, worry and a hint of anger in her voice. She gulped before bowing again. “Forgive me for my insolent tone of voice and for doubting your actions and good will, your highness.” Celestia looked up and chuckled as she saw Velvet bowing again.

“Please, stand up. It is alright for you to question my actions involving your daughter, Mrs. Sparkle. Actually, it is nothing less than expected from a good mother,” Celestia said, setting Twilight down in her high chair. “For what I did: I just placed a little blessing on her, granting her a perfect health and a bright future.”

“Ah, I understand. Well, thank you very much for blessing our filly, your highness. I’m sure she would appreciate it if she understood,” Night Light said, smiling at his daughter who was busy rapping her teddy on the table. “Well, it seems we’re all set, so how about we start eating, your highnesses?”

“That sounds lovely, let us begin,” Celestia said, smiling at the round as they started filling their plates. But behind her smiling façade, her mind was working furiously. How can this be possible?! This needs serious investigation! A foal her age shouldn’t… Her train of thought was interrupted when she realized Cadence was eyeing her with a wary look. Celestia shook her head, clearing her thoughts and focusing on dinner and small talk. She took a bite of her Portobello and immediately forgot about all worries as she delighted in the magnificent taste. “By my sun, this has to be one of the best Portobello steaks I ever tasted. You simply must give me the recipe, Mrs. Sparkle,” she stated after swallowing. Velvet blushed profusely at the compliment.

“W-Well, thank you very much, your highness. It is nothing special, really. I bet it doesn’t even come close to challenging the delicacies that are served to you every day.”

“Please, compared to your skills, my cooks look like mere kitchen assistants,” she joked. If Velvet had been blushing before, it was nothing compared to the shade of red she had taken right now, which resembled a ripe tomato, her white cheeks failing miserably to shroud the color. “I think you would be the perfect cook for my palace.”

“I… that’s… I don’t know… thank you… I mean… ” she stammered, having lost all her wit and coherent thought at being praised by Equestria’s sovereignty herself. Celestia laughed, her warm voice chiming like bells as she turned her attention to Shining, who had been eyeing Cadence the whole time, the fork in his magic grip repeatedly missing his mouth as all his focus was turned to the young Princess of Love.

“Well, young Shining, since this is a friendly get-together, I’d like to find out more about you. Well, at least what I don’t already know from yesterday’s escapade, that is,” she said, eyeing Shining carefully. Shining’s fork hit the plate as all his attention was ripped away from Cadence, an uncomfortably heat creeping to his cheeks.

“Err, w-what do y-you want to k-know, your h-highness?” he asked in a shaky voice. His parents looked at each other before sternly glancing at him.

“Shining, is there something you want to tell us?” his father asked in a calm, but stern voice.

“W-well, um, that will sound pretty funny, you’re not gonna believe this, but I MIGHT have brokenintothecastleyesterday,” he gibbered.

“YOU WHAT?!” his mother exclaimed. “Shining, you could have gone to PRISON! And now you’ll NEVER become a royal guard. Why in Equestria would you do something as foalish as THAT?” Shining shrunk on his chair at the withering glares he was receiving from his parents.

“He meant well with his actions,” Celestia said, turning the attention away from Shining. “The only purpose of this nuisance was so that he could inform Cadence of your daughter’s birth, as he had promised her. As for his future as one of my royal guards: I have talked about this with Cadence and since he already proved his magical abilities and strong sense of duty, I will personally see to him joining the guard. And because of his remarkable resolve, I’m sure that he will ascend to a high rank without any problems.” Celestia smiled to everybody around before turning her attention back to Shining. “Now, back to where we left. I’d like to know how you and Cadence met. She already told me, but I think it would be nice to hear it from your point of view.” Shining, who had been starring at her slack-jawed, shook his head to clear his thoughts.

“W-well, if I remember correctly, it was about 3 months ago…”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Hey Shining, how’s it going? Enjoyed your holidays?” Shining heard a voice behind him. He had just left the auditorium where his principal had welcomed back all students, saying how much he enjoyed seeing them back in his school and reminding them of the rules and mores and all the other stuff that bored him to hay. He turned around to see his friend Dusk Shine approach him with a big smile on his face, wearing a brand new jacket.

“Woah, Shine, is that the newest official Wonderbolts jacket?” Shining asked in awe.

“Sure is. You know that my parents and I spent the holidays in Las Pegasus and that’s where they introduced Soarin’ to the team. In fact, this jacket even has the official colors of Soarin’s flight suit.”

“That’s so cool! I wish I had a jacket like this one,” Shining whined as they sat down. Dusk Shine laughed, jabbing his friend into the shoulder.

“Good day class, it’s so nice to see you again. I hope you had a nice time,” their teacher, Mrs. Heartstrings said, entering the class. “Before we get back to our usual swing, I’d like to introduce a new filly to you.”

“Oh great, another one of this girly ‘does this thing make me look fat’ fillies,” Dusk Shine muttered.

“Yeah,” Shining whispered back, “she’s probably gonna come in and ask all of us to sign her pink bunnyladden folder.”

“Shining Armor, Dusk Shine! No whispering!” Mrs. Heartstrings reprimanded them.

“Yes, Mrs. Heartstrings, we’re sorry Mrs. Heartstrings, it will never happen again Mrs. Heartstrings,” they chanted in unison. Mrs. Heartstrings eyed them warily before continuing.

“Well, as I said, a new filly will join us. And she’s not a normal filly, but the niece of our beloved Princess Celestia herself. I ask you to warmly welcome Princess Cadence,” she said, stepping sideways to reveal… Shining’s jaw hit the ground, for at the front of the class he saw the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on. Her soft, pink coat seemed to shine in the light and her eyes were a deep pool of violet in which Shining felt like he was drowning.

“Please, Mrs. Heartstrings, just call me Cadence,” the young alicorn princess said, slightly embarrassed at always being addressed and introduced as ‘Princess’. “And please treat me like everypony else. I’m here as your student, not your sovereignty.”

“As you wish, Pr – I mean Cadence. Please, sit down so we can start.” Shining, sensing his opportunity, turned to his friend and, with a tiny bit of magic, gently moved him from his chair.

“Um, Pr – I mean Cadence, you can sit here if you like to,” he said as calmly as possible, waving her over and pointing at the now empty chair next to him. The young princess smiled shyly before settling on Dusk Shine’s chair. ‘So far, so good.’ He scooted closer to her before slightly bending over. ‘And now just play it cool.’ “Hi there, I’m Shining Armor, what’s your name?” he asked before noticing his mistake. ‘WHAT WAS THAT?! Retreat!’ “Erm, I mean, I know your name is Cadence, but what I wanted to know was your name. Um, nonono, I think what I’m trying to say is…” Cadence started giggling, making Shining’s cheeks become a fiery red.

“You’re funny, Shining Armor,” she simply said, blushing slightly and turning her attention back towards their teacher. Shining also stared back at the front, but his mind was running overdrive. ‘She thinks I’m funny! AWESOME!’

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“W-well, and that’s how I met your niece, your highness,” Shining finished.

“It sure was a funny day. I remember when Dusk Shine stood up again. He looked as if he was about to strangle you right away,” Cadence giggled.

“Well, erm, maybe I shouldn’t have pushed him off his seat that hard,” Shining guiltily said.

“That explains why he wouldn’t talk to you. Star Shine even asked me if you and he were in some sort of fight,” Night Light said as he helped his wife carry out the used dishes and bring in the desserts.

“Yeah, it took me two weeks to make him forgive me. I thought he would hate me forever. He even forgave me for soiling his new jacket.”

“Well, luckily you two are such good friends. And now let’s enjoy a few desserts,” Velvet said, passing around dessert plates. “What would you like, your highness?” she asked, looking at Celestia. Celestia, who had been enraptured in the sight of a double-layer double chocolate cake, looked up, clearing her throat.

“I’d like to try this cake as well as one donut and a bit of chocolate mousse, please.” Night Light and Velvet exchanged a glance before dismissing their surprise, Velvet handing Celestia the desired treats. The others helped themselves to the delicacies before Night Light decided to carry on the conversation.

“Well, your Hi – I mean, Cadence, if you allow me a question: I always wondered about the aging process of an alicorn,” he said, looking from Cadence to Celestia, “Princess Celestia, it is known that you are older than us and still, you look like you are sixteen.” Celestia chuckled flattered. “And I remember the day when Princess Celestia introduced you to ponyfolk. My question is: How old are you, Cadence?”

“Well, Mr. Sparkle, the aging process of an alicorn is of course different than that of a ‘normal’ pony,” she explained. “For my age, I’m –“ She suddenly was interrupted by Twilight throwing down a plate, loudly and vigorously griping around.

“Twily, what is wrong?” Velvet asked her daughter, standing up from the table and picking her up. She took a bottle full of her milk and tried feeding Twilight.

“W-well, to return to your question, Mr. Sparkle, I’m –“

“BABABAH!” Twilight exclaimed, pushing the bottle away and squirming around in Velvet’s legs, trying to get away.

“Twily, relax, what is wrong with you?” Velvet chided, trying hard to not drop her.

“Excuse me, may I, Mrs. Sparkle?” Celestia asked, examining Twilight’s behavior.

“Yes, of course, HNNG, your highness,” Velvet replied through gritted teeth as Twilight proceeded to kick and hit around herself. Celestia took the filly, smiling gently down at her. Twilight carried on with squirming around, slowly starting to whine.

“Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head, hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed,” Celestia softly sang, gently rubbing Twilight’s belly. The whole family and Cadence were perfectly still as they listened to Celestia’s angel-like voice. Even Twilight stopped her whining, gently smiling up at Celestia, bathing in the warmness of her voice. She yawned lightly, her eyelids slowly drooping as she tried, and failed, to stay awake.
“Drifting off to sleep, an exciting day behind you, drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dream land find you,” she continued. The singing, combined with the gentle belly rubs, slowly proved to be more than Twilight could bear and soon she was fast asleep, snoring slightly.
“Goodnight, my little pony,” Celestia muttered, gently nuzzling Twilight’s face.

“That… was… absolutely wonderful, your highness. Your singing was beautiful,” Velvet said, gently taking Twilight from her. Celestia blushed lightly at the compliment.

“Why, thank you very much, Mrs. Sparkle,” she mumbled as she turned her attention to the desserts laid out in front of her.

“Please, don’t wait for me. I will join you as soon as I get little Twily to bed,” Velvet announced before placing Twilight on her back and gently walking out of the room and up the stairs. Celestia needn’t be told twice and happily took a bite out of a donut. Her eyes shooting open in surprise at the marvellous taste, and she immediately tasted the cake, too, being surprised a second time as the cake’s flavour seemed to thrive even more the longer she chewed.

“My, this cake is delicious. Did you make it yourself?” she asked the present Sparkles.

“Well, no, I bought it from a vendor called Joe. Apparently he has just launched his business, ‘Pony Joe’s’, near the palace,” Shining answered, recalling the friendly unicorn and his stunning hoofwork. Celestia rubbed her chin with her hoof, apparently deep in thought.

“Hmm. Interesting. I shall summon him to my court tomorrow to come to know his craftsmanship better. Now,” Celestia announced, turning her attention from Shining to Night Light, “as to your question, Mr. Sparkle: the aging process of an alicorn is an intricate procedure. First of all, an alicorn isn’t born like a usual foal. While a foal needs about eleven months before it is born, an alicorn will need eleven hundred years to fully develop,” she explained.

“ELEVEN HUNDRED YEARS?! How can that be possible?”

“Well, back in the time when there were other alicorns who inhabited this realm, an alicorn foal was conceived like a normal foal and would also need eleven months. But there exists a second way. A way in which only one alicorn is needed. Instead of carrying the foal, it will be placed in a stasis bubble where it will be nourished and guarded by a steady magic flow. The hitches are that the bubble needs to be provided with the magic of an alicorn from time to time and that the process takes that long. As to your question about Cadence’s age: she is, in fact, roughly your son’s age. She was in her stasis bubble for this long time and was born only lately, relatively speaking. I personally took care of the bubble in which she grew for the past millennium.”

“And I couldn’t be more grateful, aunty,” Cadence said, smiling at her aunt.

“It was my greatest pleasure and the best I did in all that time,” she replied, flashing Cadence the same warm smile she always wore when they had some time for themselves.

“But, excuse me your highness, isn’t there any OTHER way for an alicorn to come into this world?” Night Light asked, still aghast at the revelation of the alicorn’s incubation.

“Well, actually there is a third method. But it differs from the first two as the alicorn won’t have to be born that way.”

“What does that mean, your highness?”

“Well, a very long time ago, long before Canterlot was even built, a prophecy was created which stated that there would be one pony powerful enough to redeem L… to help Equestria to a time of peace and prosperity. ‘One pony who would not only tie the ponyfications of harmony, but would also bring harmony to all tribes, no matter if pony, mule, goat or gryphon’. And this pony would be powerful and pure hearted enough to ascend to the lineage of the alicorns. But to achieve this, this pony would have to possess an incredible amount of raw magic. And in all my time, I haven’t met a pony like this.”

“Wow, that sounds like this pony would have to be a real whammy on the Star Swirl scale, then,” Shining opined in awe.

“I don’t know how to feel about this prophecy. This pony would have to exceed the Star Swirl scale as not even he was powerful enough. And he was the strongest unicorn I’ve ever met,” Celestia said, clearly in thought.

“Incredible. Would that even be possible, your highness?” Velvet asked, re-entering the dinner room and sitting back down.

“I don’t know, to tell you the truth. But I really hope it is. L… Equestria would deserve the peace and unity,” Celestia answered. The rest of dinner went rather quietly; Celestia or Night Light asking Shining and Cadence about school, Night Light telling Celestia about his work at one of her academies, Velvet talking about Shining’s days as a foal (much to his embarrassment) and Celestia telling about her royal duties. After some time, Night Light remembered the second question he wanted to ask Cadence.

“Cadence? There is another thing I wanted to know, if that’s alright.”

“Of course, Mr. Sparkle. What do you like to know?”

“Well, if her highness Celestia is your aunt, then who is, or was, your father or mother?”

“Well, my mother –“Cadence started just as the grandfather clock announced eleven pm.

“My goodness, is it this late already? I think it is high time we departed,” Celestia announced, getting up. “Come on, Cadence.” Cadence looked at her aunt, confused, but still decided it was best to just silently follow her and save her questions for later.

“Please, your highness, you can stay a bit longer, if you’d like,” Velvet said, bowing again.

“No, thank you, Mrs. Sparkle, but we have made use of your hospitality long enough.”

“Well then, we will escort you to your carriage, then.”

“Err, Mrs. Sparkle?” Cadence asked shyly.

“Yes, dear?”

“Could I maybe, I mean if that’s alright, um, see Twilight again before we leave?”

“I don’t really think that would be a good idea, dear.”

“Pleaaase?” Cadence asked with puppy eyes.

“Well, alright, but please, be as quiet as possible. We don’t want to wake her up, now do we?”

“Thank you SO much. It won’t take long, I promise.” Cadence and Celestia followed Velvet up the stairs and into the Sparkle’s bedroom. Velvet softly lit her horn and motioned for them to follow. They walked up to a lavender crib. Peeking inside, Cadence saw the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Little Twilight was lying on her side underneath a fluffy blanket, softly nickering in sleep. As they watched, she rolled over to her other side before softly beginning to suck at her hoof.

“She’s SO unbelievably ADORABLE!” Cadence quietly squealed, barely keeping her voice low.

“That she is, my dear niece. But we really should go out and let her sleep, lest she be roused by a barely contained squeal,” Celestia answered, a little impish grin forming upon her face. Cadence blushed slightly before nodding and stepping out of the room.

“Thank you very much, Mrs. Sparkle. But I think now is the time for us to depart and let you enjoy the rest of your evening. Come now, my niece.” They stepped outside and Celestia worked a little of her magic, a spark emanating from her horn which soon vanished into thin air. A few seconds later, their chariot arrived, ready to bring them back to the castle. Celestia turned back to the family, flashing them her regal smile. “I again thank you for the evening and all your hospitality. Have a very nice evening,” she said as she stepped into the vehicle.

“I, too, thank you very much for the evening, as well as giving me enough opportunity to see your daughter. Have a nice evening,” Cadence said, also smiling, before she turned to Shining. “Well, thank you, too, Shining, and, well…“ she stammered before stepping forth and hugging him, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you at school.”

“Goodbye, princesses; have a nice evening, too,” Velvet and Night Light said together. Shining stood where Cadence had embraced him, murmuring incoherent words as the family watched the carriage be drawn away by the guards at the front before it made its way to the castle.

“Well, that was a very nice evening, wasn’t it?” Night Light asked his family as they stepped back into their house.

“Indeed it was. What did you think about it, Shining?” Velvet asked her son before noticing that he still was standing outside, watching the spot where the carriage had stood, a blush on his face and still mumbling to himself. Velvet smiled as she enveloped him in her magic, gently carrying him inside.

“But didn’t you find it odd how Princess Celestia departed right as Cadence was about to tell us about her mother?”

“I don’t know, Night Light, maybe there are some things that the Princess doesn’t want to share. I mean, even if she is the sovereign ruler of Equestria, she can have a bit of privacy, now can’t she?”

“Hmm. I guess you’re right,” Night Light replied, stifling a yawn. “Phew, that was an exhausting day. I think we can let the dishes wait until tomorrow. I’m down and out!” Night Light said as he schlepped himself up the stairs.

“You’re right, let’s do the cleaning up tomorrow. Come on, lover boy, time for bed,” Velvet said, following her husband and dragging her son up the stairs as well. Shining continued to mumble, watching the door with glassy eyes and fire-red cheeks.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“Well, I think it was a very nice evening,” Celestia said as she and Cadence trotted back into the castle, having landed only moments ago.

“Me, too. And wasn’t the filly just A-DO-RA-BLE?!” Cadence squealed.

“My, Cadence, you really fell for that little foal, didn’t you?” Cadence blushed profusely before bending her brow.

“Well, dear Aunty Celestia, YOU liked that filly, too, now didn’t you?” Celestia smiled before nuzzling her niece behind the ear.

“Yes, I found her remarkably cute. Speaking of remarkable, though, are you not surprised of the filly’s activeness? I mean, she is a newborn foal, after all.” Cadence put a hoof to her chin in thought as they stepped trough the main gates into the castle.

“Hmm, I guess you’re right, Aunty. What do you think it means?” Celestia eyed her niece, unsure of what to say next.

Should I tell her of my hunch? Hmm, no, I probably should examine this thoroughly before bringing her into the loop.“I’m not sure. But what I am sure of is that we should keep an eye on this filly. I’m sure that we will hear something about her in the future.”

“I’m sure we will. The Sparkle family is – yawn – awesome,” Cadence replied with drooping eyes. Celestia smiled before lifting Cadence up and placing her on her back.

“Come on, now, little Princess, it’s time for bed,” she said, trotting up the stairs and going into the direction of Cadence’s room, the young Princess grousing the whole way that she wasn’t tired. Celestia walked up to the huge bed, gently dropping Cadence and pulling the sheets over her.

“Goodnight, Sunshine,” she said, giving Cadence’s cheek a nuzzle.

“Mmmh, Goonign,” Cadence mumbled before falling asleep. Celestia smiled as she watched Cadence shift under her covers, a small smile on her face as well. She decided that she should start her research now, seeing as she had a little free time to spare. She stepped out of Cadence’s room, gently closing the door and making her way to the royal library.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Half an hour later, Celestia was lying on her favourite cushions in her own bedroom, entertaining herself with reading a novel about her student, Star Swirl The Bearded. She couldn’t concentrate on the book, though, as her mind always drifted back to the evening and the Sparkle’s little filly, Twilight Sparkle.

She looked out of her window and up to the moon, deeply in thought. Her eyes filled with tears as she watched it, clearly distinguishing the silhouette of the “Mare In The Moon”, as ponies liked to call it.

Oh Luna. I miss you so dearly. I hope with all my heart that we find the one. The one that will reunite us again after all this time. I’m sorry, Luna. I should have saved you while I had the chance. I miss you. “I really, really miss you, Luna!” she called, letting the tears flow freely now. She threw her head in her hooves and sobbed openly, not caring if anypony heard her for the moment.

“Oh, Luna, please forgive me,” she sniveled. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Celestia gasped before wiping her eyes and clearing her throat. “Come in,” she said in the best regal voice she could muster. The door opened, revealing her niece.

“Cadence? What is wrong? You should be in bed.”

“I couldn’t sleep well, so I wanted to go to the kitchen to get some milk.” Cadence walked up to her, nuzzling into her side.

“You couldn’t sleep? Is something bothering you?” Celestia asked, scooting over to make some space for her niece to lie down.

“No, I guess, I’m just still hyper because of the evening and the Sparkle’s foal. It got me thinking. Do you think they maybe would… would maybe let me foalsit her some day?” Celestia looked at her, mildly surprised

“Why, Cadence, I’m sure they would love for you to foalsit. You know that they like you. And if you take a bit of work off their hooves, I’m sure they wouldn’t refuse your help. But I think it will be some time until you can do that. This filly is still very young and in constant need of their mother. But some day, I’m sure you can,” Celestia said, smiling down at her.

Cadence noticed that her aunt seemed to smile a bit too wide. Something was off.

“Err, Aunty? Is anything wrong?” she cautiously asked. Celestia winced before shaking her head, flashing that same crooked smile again.

“Why do you ask? Everything is just fine, my little pony. Maybe you do need some sleep,” she said, putting off Cadence’s worries. Cadence eyed her warily. Even though her aunt never showed signs of personal troubles in public, she always was honest when they were among themselves. She sensed that her aunt was lying, something she had never done in the past. Going for broke, she looked Celestia directly into the eyes.

“It’s… mother again, isn’t it?” Celestia’s smile fell as she turned away.

“Yes… “ she muttered, avoiding Cadence’s gaze. Cadence pressed her head against Celestia’s chest, nuzzling into her fur. Celestia sighed, taking Cadence into her forelegs.

“Aunty, please remember: it wasn’t your fault. You had to do it to save Equestria.”

“Oh, Cadence, thank you for your faith in me,” Celestia said, kissing Cadence’s head. “But I can’t stop thinking if I could have done something different. And even if I could not, I was the worst sister I could have been. I knew that she was hurting, but in my foolishness, I thought that just spending some time with her would mend her broken heart. I neglected her. And for that, I can never forgive myself.” She stared out of the window again, only for Cadence to turn her head back, making eye contact with her.

“Aunty, you mustn’t think like that. Even if you made mistakes back then, you already paid the price for it. You were forced to live alone, blaming yourself the whole time while living in pain. But you already made up for it. I’m sure mother will forgive everything. Especially when she sees that you took care of me, her own daughter.”

“Oh, Cadence,” Celestia said, hugging Cadence close to her chest. “Bringing you to this world was the best thing I have ever done.” Cadence smiled, nuzzling Celestia’s chest. They laid there in complete silence, basking into the other’s loving warmth. After a few minutes, Cadence cleared her throat.

“Uhm, Aunty?” she asked, a little worried.

“Yes, Sunshine?”

“Could you… could you maybe… tell me a bit about mother?” Celestia looked at Cadence, hesitant to answer. But when she saw her pleading eyes, she decided it was best to oblige. She sighed before smiling at her niece.

“Of course, my dear. Your mother was the kindest, sweetest, most generous sister anypony could ask for. Even though both she and the artworks she put into the night sky were ignored by most ponies, she never lost her vigor to create an even more beautiful sky the next night. I sometimes envied her artistic skill, for my days seemed dull and shiftless. I always looked forward to dawn and dusk, for we would combine our powers and bring forth the most beautiful artworks ever seen by our subjects. Those were the times when we were the closest. We would lay down together and watch our work, talking and just being together like sisters should. Even your creation was a work of her art. She, like you, always was very good with foals. And I knew that she craved to have one herself. So, I taught her the exact process she needed. I will always remember the happiness in her eyes when I told her.”

“But, Aunty, if you were so close and her art was loved by the ponies, how come she became Nightmare Moon?” Celestia visibly winced at the mention of her sister’s alter ego.

“I don’t really know, to tell you the truth. I guess it was more than one reason. I was told by her guards that nopony ever came to her Royal Night Court. So maybe it was loneliness. Or perhaps she was envious of me because the ponies loved and seized the day, but slept through the night. Or she was hurt because nopony ever cherished her artwork besides me. I only know that I should have helped her while I had the chance. It’s not like she was sweet and kind one moment and Nightmare Moon the other. I noticed her becoming cold and repellent, speaking less kind words, sometimes even acting cruel. But instead of helping her, I reprimanded her, arguing with and yelling at her, telling her to clean up her act. Instead of saving her from her path, I merely pushed her farther upon it, only trying to stop her when it was already too late. When she comes back, I will beg for her forgiveness and be the sister she deserves.” Celestia paused to rub a few tears out of her eyes before smiling down at Cadence who was beginning to fall asleep again. “And then I will show her her marvelous daughter, the child she always wanted and we can finally be the family we always should have been.”

“Mmh, I’d like that, Aunty,” Cadence said with drooping eyelids. Celestia levitated a cushion under her head, before kissing her between the eyes.

“As would I,” she said, shifting so she was lying right next to Cadence, placing a protective wing over her. Cadence, eyes finally closing, nuzzled up to her aunt’s side.

“Goodnight, Aunty. I love you,” she said before falling asleep again.

“Goodnight, Sunshine. I love you, too,” Celestia said. Before resting herself, she looked at the moon one final time, gently uttering a last sentence:

Goodnight, Luna. I love you

Comments

[Shadowlord]

“I have prepared checklists for lists of what you both have to do. And make sure to triple check them. Good thing I’m so organized"

It's starting to make sense.

[Speven Dillberg]

“tell me it’s not fresh”, “rotten” and “stinking” before the fishmonger slapped a fish into the blacksmith’s face, establishing a scuffle between them and the merchants around.

Unhygenix and Fulliautomatix? What are they doing?

[Blazewing]

I absolutely love the Sparkle family as you portray them. So full of heartwarming and hilarity!

And I love the relationship between Celestia and Cadence. =)

[SuperPinkBrony12]

Luna is Cadence's mother? Well that's a shocker.

This is just so sweet and I love everything you've done. Seriously f you haven't already you should submit this to Equestria Daily, a fic this good deserves the finest honors.

[Colt in the Moon]

Another amazing chapter!

[Saberus9]

I just love how you can see where Twilight gets her personality traits from. Especially the bits that show up in Cadence and Velvet.

[Dr_D]

THE FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS!

[kingkah]

Aaaaaaaand there goes my heart

[Dragonroar]

HHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGG *dies of cuteness*

[Psycho Kid]

HHHHHHNNNNNGGGGGGGG******** dead

[manuccia]

Amazing chapter. I love this story.

[Iron Nebula]

Yes! Been waiting for an update! Hope to see another soon!

[SPACEWHALES]

So much cuteness!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Celestias Paladin]

Well I've just rear through all three chapters and I am very impressed, definitely earned the SoL tag. Your take on the Sparkle family and the Royal family is excellent and I think I can learn some important lessons from this story: 1) Unicorn mares should be allowed pain meds and magic suppressors when giving birth, 2) Princesses do the best cuddles, 3) Females of the Line of Twilight are very scary. Oh and good work in working in the season finale into this. I look forward to seeing where this will go.

2138267
Not the first time I've seen it but still is very rare. Heritage

[KnoFear]

A summary of this chapter, in response to baby Twilight:

i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/6495355904/h3EDA42C2/

[Kencolt]

And so far nopony has gotten the Asterix reference... wait. I just did. And yes. The fish stink.

Yay me!

[thejayowl]

Another emotional chapter. Well done.

Luna as Cadence's mother? This is an interesting revelation...

[FlyingMushroomxii]

HhhhhhhhhhnnnnngHggggggnnnnnnnnnnnhhggggbhhbggggggggggggghhhhhnnnnngggggggg, cuteness overload,

And there goes mi iPad as well as my heart.

[WeldedSteel09]

That ending was so sweet, that I felt it hit me right in the feels.

[SeventhBrony]

that scene with the buffalo two well versed traders and hagglers going about theit trade
MOAR

[Ninjayorkshire]

This chapter death count is 4 already, HOLY FEELS!

[Raptor Joe]

Momlestia, an Asterix reference, and filly Twilight? Yay!

[Shadowlord]

That was beautiful.

[Alchemystudent]

Luna is Cadence's...mother...what a twist!!!!!

Oh and and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! Diabetes

And I love the prophocy, wraps things up for Twily nicely

[Ghosted Note]

Well, I managed to like and favorite this story before the cute stopped my heart. Well done, sir.

[Havoc Commando]

I must say I've really been enjoying this fic. I found the mother-daughter connection between Velvet and Twilight charming, with the constant need to be prepared dialed down from its typical 11 of the shows twilight to the slightly more manageable levels of Velvet. Young Shining Armor is portrayed well containing both his normal knightly qualities while also remaining a child (I feel people often fall into the trap of making him a "paladin since birth").

Celestia is also very well done mostly being her fun loving self, but also being a kind and loving stand in mother for Cadence, which segways into the next thing I liked. Making Luna Cadence's mother is an interesting move but I believe it adds a lot of potential for later on once she returns (if this fic gets that far into the future I have no idea where you plan to go with this of course)... it does also raise the question of how could Luna miss her own daughters wedding .

One little tidbit I did dislike was the part when Celestia scans(?) twilight and quickly realizes something is special about her, now this in itself is not a bad idea. But to me it just felt like "I can't believe this child's mediclorian count is so high! Not even master Luna's is so great!" or at least that's just how it felt to me.

Beyond that I loved the story and I await your next update =)

[Bluenova]

encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJkDpX7tk1rdzkZHLI93zjsnLSTLw2oOb5N-E0w3D3uvGgwEoEfA

[Shire Folk]

2138230 2138598 2138878

She watched a stall where an earth pony blacksmith and a unicorn fishmonger where in a heated argument about something. She caught scraps like “tell me it’s not fresh”, “rotten” and “stinking” before the fishmonger slapped a fish into the blacksmith’s face, establishing a scuffle between them and the merchants around.

indiandacoit.com/media/01/00/1015058408.jpg
img24.imageshack.us/img24/1231/1414dodgeandspeedpunch.jpg
keeptalkinggreece.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/asterix11.jpg?a9815c

Why hello there Unhygenix and Fulliautomatix! What a pleasure seeing you two and a friendly Gaulish punch-up in the market this morning.

I absolutely loved that reference thrown in there. I'm glad I'm not the only one here who's a fan of Asterix.

Oh, and as far as the rest of this chapter is concerned...

HHHNNNNNNGGGGG!!!

May the Grace of the Valar Protect You

Shire Folk

[Fluttermac36]

That moment between Polly Pierce and Velvet is EXACTLY like my mom and aunt over who pays the bill at dinner.

[Hacofo]

Thank you for saving my Monday morning.
I really like the way you started to develop twilights destiny. :)
Well Luna as Cadences mother? I'm strangely total ok with this, but on the other side Luna is best Princess. ^^
Cute as always.

I hope the wait for the next chapter won't be as long as for this.
But I know quality demands time ;)

[Stellar starry night]

My goodness, I love it! You have a way of expressing the cuteness and feels like no other, makes me hopeful for my own family someday....

[rumblealex]

She caught scraps like “tell me it’s not fresh”, “rotten” and “stinking” before the fishmonger slapped a fish into the blacksmith’s face, establishing a scuffle between them and the merchants around.

Is that .... Ooooooh clever! It's the first time I see a reference to Astérix&Obélix on Fimfiction!
indiansamourai.com/media/00/01/3297661703.jpg
Comment ça il est pas frais mon poisson!? -slap-

The levels of D'Awwws in this fiction should be considered illegal, my heart isn't built to resist that much cuteness.
Please continue.

[BronyTran]

This entire chapter in a nutshell - HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

[Mayhem Darkshadow]

The Amount of Adorableness in this Fic is To Damn High!!!

Excellent job with this and holy sweet Celestia it was long. I enjoyed every bit of it though. Serious way to much cuteness in this my heart exploded in the beginning and didn't stop until the end. I do find the Luna as Cadence's mother thing slightly odd but that's probably cause this is the only time I've ever seen someone make that connection. I also like how the season 3 finale is in a way referenced (at least I think it was ). Can't wait for the next chapter of this magnificent work of fan fic.

[Cheer]

I think I seriously (No fucking joke) actually felt heart pains from reading this. It was kinda scary that cute can actually do that. Do it again. I'm immortal anyway.

[Richforce]

Luna as Cadence's mother huh? Interesting.

[Autism Man]

Good morning, my little princess.

i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/105/262/i%20see%20what%20you%20did%20there%202.png

[DuskShadowTheArkane]

Thank you all for your kind words and your patience with me.
It has been a long time since I updated and it's great to know that you stuck with me all this time.
I hope that this chapter('s length) is enough to make amends.
Congratulations to the ones that found the Asterix reference. I wasn't sure if anyone would notice
And yes, Luna is Cadence's mother. This will be further processed some time later in this story.
My favorite part of this chapter was were I let Twilight try climbing over Velvet's head. I imagined a little filly worming around in her mother's neck, pulling on her mane and everything.
And of course where she denied her bottle like a cranky baby would. And she even got a royal belly rub

2138224, 2138581
Like mother, like daugther
2138267
I tried, but there are things that need much working on
2138423
Celestia cuddle is best cuddle

[theviper1999]

I did love this, but what was meant by L...?
Also the FEALS IS TOO HAIGH!
I loved the asterix reference and the fact that the story all fits together well with the show!

[Spectrumancer]

This chapter gave me diabetes

[RickyB]

The timing of this chapter was great. I loved the Celestia parts. Never gave much thought to Cadence being Luna's daughter. Keep up the good work

[wubstep pony]

Whoa. Plot twist!

[Evilpresident]

Poor Night Light, he tries so hard

[Thunderchaser23]

So much HNNNNNNNNG! Really good job dude! Really really good job! What a twist Cadence being Luna's daughter! That's an excellent idea

[La Vallett1]

First time I saw an Asterix reference in Fimfiction!

Also, love the dinner part.

[Grif_Bladefeather]

deadpool: vegeta whats the scouter say about the adorableness level

vegeta: IT'S OVER NINE....

*slaps vegeta and deadpool* no no we are not demeening this chapter with that joke.

anyway great story so far, so celestia can sense that twilight has the magical power of a full grown unicorn already?

[SeventhBrony]

2139163 or at least updated

[Eden]

1- We need a pic of young Twilight Velvet (with her style)

2- Luna is Cadence's Mother... who is the father?

[emperor nero]

This story is one of those daaw-stories that i really want to like, but i am unable to. It is overall poorly written and by far too oblivious. I cringed a so much at several places during this chapter that i had to stop reading it halfway through.
While you have the main characters down pretty well, you write them in such a way that twilight seems to be the one of highest mental age. You also arise problems and conflics where there is no need for them, then end up just neglecting them or solving them in a poor way. The general feel of the story is "i can never solve this problem. Nvm, solved itself"

As i said earlier, i really want to read and enjoy this, but i honestly cant take to read it.

[Bongo Bongo]

Mrs. Heartstrings