Little Foal, Big Problem
Despite this being her third visit to the Crystal Empire in less than a year, Starlight still found herself feeling giddy, like a young school filly. Maybe it was just her relief at being temporarily freed from her friendship studies (Starlight didn't necessarily hate them but she still found it hard to interact without using or talking about her magic), or the change in scenery compared to Ponyville. Whatever the reason, Starlight found herself beaming brightly, and feeling as warm as Celestia's sun.
Of course, Starlight already had a destination in mind. "I know Sunburst is Flurry Heart's crystaller now, and a foal like that is quite demanding. But surely he can't be so busy dealing with her that he would forget to respond to the letters I sent him," She thought to herself, as she trotted off to find the house Sunburst lived in. Despite his duties to the royal family, Sunburst still preferred to live in that humble little building a good distance away from the crystal castle (probably a good thing he knew how to teleport between the two). "Either way, I'm sure he'll be happy to see me again. I sure have missed him." A faint blush formed on Starlight's cheeks as she thought again of the stallion that had been her childhood friend. Starlight was aware of this, but shrugged it off, thinking it was just her embarrassment for all the things she'd done after Sunburst had left her.
"Maybe I should tell him about Trixie?" Starlight thought outloud to herself, as she approached Sunburst's house. She quickly shook her head. "If he's read my letters, he should know about her. And if Trixie was right when she mentioned bumping into him while on tour in the Crystal Empire, the two are at least aware of each other's presence, and that they're both my friends." Starlight then trotted up the steps to the front door, and lightly tapped it with her hoof.
Sunburst pushed open the door, and his glasses seemed to nearly slide off his face in surprise. "Starlight?" He called, as if he'd seen a ghost. "What an... unexpected surprise. I wasn't expecting to see you today. I mean, not that I mind having you around or anything. It's always nice to see an old friend again."
Starlight blinked, was it her imagination or did Sunburst just blush slightly? Rather than draw attention to a possible trick of the sunlight, Starlight simply looked at Sunburst and smiled as she explained. "Bet you're wondering why I'm here? Well, Twilight decided I could use a break from my friendship studies, and I figured the Crystal Empire would be a nice change of scenery for a little while. I thought about sending you a letter, but then I decided it would be best to see you in pony. For some reason I haven't gotten a reply on any of the letters I sent to you."
"Oh, your letters?" Sunburst asked, as he scratched his head with a hoof. Then he remembered. "O..oh, yes, your letters. I'm really sorry Starlight, I was.... gonna reply to you... but..."
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Starlight asked Sunburst, suspecting he was trying to think of an excuse.
Sunburst immediately shook his head. "N...no, I just forgot about them! Yeah, that's it! You wouldn't believe how busy a royal crystaller can be! Suffice it to say, there's a lot more work involved than I thought! I've even had to pick up a couple of books on foalcare, most of 'em imported from Canterlot since the ones here in the Crystal Empire contain... outdated information to put it mildly."
"You should've just written to me," Starlight chuckled. "Twilight's castle has a library chalk full of books on almost every subject known to ponykind! And I'm pretty sure there's a foalcare section last time I checked, not that I've really needed it."
"I guess I hadn't thought of that," Sunburst realized, and changed the subject. "So, how long you gonna be staying in the empire for, Starlight?"
Starlight put a hoof to her chin, as she pondered for a second. Then she said to Sunburst. "Not really sure, probably for a few weeks. Maybe two to three months tops. I was thinking I could stay in one of the guest rooms of the crystal castle."
"That means you'd be seeing me almost everyday," Sunburst commented in a seemingly nervous sounding tone. "Flurry Heart can be extremely demanding. In a lot of ways it's like I'm her back-up dad or something. But I guess somepony has to help keep her magic under control."
"I thought you fixed her power surges?" Starlight asked, eyeing Sunburst with concern.
Sunburst nodded. "I did, but that doesn't stop her normal power growths, and neither does it take away her ability to use magic all together. All it really does is make sure she's not powerful enough to shatter the crystal heart again, or teleport too far. She's even started to mimic her dad's shield spell a little."
"Wow, no wonder you haven't had time to answer my letters!" Starlight exclaimed. "I don't think even Pound and Pumpkin Cake are as much of a hoofful as Flurry Heart, and I've seen them drive Pinkie and the Cakes crazy multiple times. Heck, they've even given me a hard time, and I've never had to foalsit them."
"You're lucky," Sunburst chuckled, then added. "You got any big plans for today or anything?"
"Not really. I was just thinking of getting my sleeping arrangements set up, then doing a bit of sight seeing, before having dinner, and sending a letter to Twilight letting her know I've settled okay," Starlight answered. Looking at Sunburst, she questioned him. "Why did you want to know? Were you expecting me to be busy?"
Sunburst stepped back, as if he hadn't expected Starlight to ask him such a question. Hastily he replied to her. "No no no. I just thought that maybe you were on assignment from Princess Twilight, or possibly another changeling looking to come here and live among ponies."
"Who do you think I am, Thorax?" Starlight replied, and both she and Sunburst shared a laugh at the comment. Then Starlight spoke up. "Speaking of Thorax, how is he exactly?"
"He's been good, Flurry Heart sure seems to love him," Sunburst commented. "I think he's really fitting in around here."
"Spike will be glad to hear that," Starlight smiled, and then said to Sunburst. "Well, if you've nothing else to say, I guess I'll get going and see you later. Hope you can find the time to at least prepare your responses to my letters, so they'll be ready when I come back to Ponyville." And with that, she turned and set off for the castle.
Sunburst watched Starlight disappear into the distance, then he breathed a small sigh of relief and wiped some sweat from his brows. "That was too close. I can't believe I slipped up and asked such an obvious question!" He thought to himself. "I've got to be more careful and play it cool! I still need to think about how to best present the question to Starlight, and determine if she actually likes me in that way. I mean, I don't want to risk our friendship on a very slim possibility. What could she even see in a washed up magic student turned foalsitter like myself?"
About an hour later, Starlight had been shown to her room in the castle. It was a quaint little guest bedroom, not anything particularly fancy but it was suitable.
Upon emptying the suitcase she'd brought with her, and making sure everything was the way she wanted it, Starlight turned and with a smile she exited the bedroom. Once out in the castle hallways, she was surprised to bump into Sunburst. "Oh, hello again. You here because of Flurry Heart?" Starlight immediately inquired.
Sunburst shook his head. "Princess Cadence sent for me, she said it's urgent. But she didn't specify the details. All I know is, I mustn't keep her waiting." And before Starlight could say or ask him anything, he took off.
Princess Cadence was waiting in the throne room for Sunburst, alongside her husband, and of course their pride and joy, Flurry Heart. "Thanks for coming on such short notice, Sunburst." Cadence greeted with a smile.
Sunburst bowed before the crystal princess as he asked her. "How may I be of service, your majesty?"
Cadence looked across to Shining Armor and winked, then she instructed Sunburst to rise as she told him. "Shining Armor and I will be busy entertaining some important delegates today. As a result, we'll need someone to watch Flurry Heart, and considering your experience as her crystaller, I'd say you're more than qualified for the job."
"What?! Me?!" Sunburst exclaimed. "Controlling Flurry Heart's magic is one thing, but foalsitting her for an entire day is quite another! Besides, I'm not really prepared! Why can't somepony else do it? I mean, what about that one royal guard? Flash... whatever his name is. I thought he was great with kids?"
"Maybe school aged ones, but certainly not a pony like Flurry Heart," Shining Armor giggled. "And you needn't worry, we've already taken care of the supply problem. Food, diapers, toys, everything you could ever need and then some."
Cadence added. "You'll be greatly compensated for your time, and we're really sorry we have to spring this on you last minute. But the alternative would be tending to Flurry Heart while meeting with the delegates. And Flurry Heart would find the whole thing boring."
Sunburst felt extremely tempted to still say no, he knew he still had little experience taking care of a foal. An entire day with one as powerful as Flurry Heart was sure to drive him crazy. But he took one look at Flurry Heart, resting comfortably in her little rocker, and any will to resist that he had drained away. "Fine, I can watch her for you guys for one day," Approaching Flurry Heart, he picked her up with his magic and cooed. "You won't give Uncle Sunburst a hard time today, will you?" Flurry Heart just giggled, and lightly booped Sunburst on the nose with a hoof.
"Great!" Cadence happily exclaimed with a smile, and levitated over several boxes of diapers, changing supplies, jars of foal food, a few pacifiers and rattles, and even a stuffed snail. "This should be more than enough for the day, but if you need more just inform one of the castle staff and they should be able to give you what you need," She instructed. "And make sure she doesn't wander off. The Crystal Empire is a big place, it'd be very easy for her to get lost."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Flurry Heart," Sunburst vowed, bowing his head once again (though making sure to tuck Flurry Heart into her stroller first). "You have my word as her official crystaller." And with that, he departed the throne room, pushing the stroller with his magic while also stuffing all the foal care supplies into a magic sack for sake keeping.
Sunburst hoped to get Flurry Heart back to his place as soon as possible. But those plans were soon interrupted, for he had no sooner left the castle grounds, when he ran into Starlight once again. He quickly ducked behind the carriage as he blushed, and hoped Starlight hadn't seen him.
Starlight had. She giggled, as she said to Sunburst. "We really have to stop meeting like this. I mean, three times in one day can't be a coincidence, can it?"
"N-no, I mean y-yes, I-I mean... I don't know!" Sunburst stuttered.
Starlight eyed the foal carriage and its occupant, smiling upon seeing Flurry Heart poke her little face out from underneath the blanket. "Oh, hello Flurry Heart," Starlight cooed, trotting over and bending down to kiss the foal. "Is Sunburst foalsitting you again?"
"Unfortunately... yes," Sunburst confessed. "And for an entire day no less, per the instructions of the royal family. At least they gave me all the supplies I could need, and then some. I don't really think a foal goes through that many diapers in the span of a day."
"Oh, you'd be surprised at how fast diapers are depleted," Starlight commented. "The twins don't go through as many anymore, but from what Pinkie tells me, they used to go through up to half a pack a day."
Sunburst gulped, hoping that Starlight was joking. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, Starlight. But I really must be going, I think it's almost time for Flurry Heart's next meal!" But as he turned to leave, a light bulb suddenly went off inside his head. "Actually, now that I think about, why don't you help me out? I mean, you've been around foals for a while now, right?"
"Right," Starlight nodded in reply. "But... I've never actually had to foalsit them. At best I've just had to keep an eye on them for a minute or two while Pinkie was occupied. I've certainly never changed diapers, and I thank Celestia for that!"
"Well, I can probably take care of stuff like that," Sunburst quickly offered. "All I'd really need help with, is feeding Flurry Heart and maybe keeping her distracted if she starts to get fussy. Trust me when I say, you do NOT want to be on the receiving end of one of her temper tantrums. One time she actually turned me into a potted plant, and that's an experience I could live without."
Starlight found herself unable to suppress a chuckle at such a mental image. She could actually remember Twilight saying something about how she'd done the same to her parents by accident as a filly. "I... guess I really don't have anything better to do," Starlight pondered, and said to Sunburst. "Alright, I suppose I can help you out. But remember, I'm not changing diapers, not even one! I've had a hard enough time putting up with the stench when the Cake Twins do it."
"Good thing I know a spell for that. Now come on, let's get going before Flurry Heart starts getting impatient. I'd rather not give her a reason to try and run off." Sunburst firmly replied, as he went back to pushing the stroller and instructed Starlight to follow him. As the two made their way through the streets of the Crystal Empire, Sunburst found his thoughts drifting from time to time over to Starlight. "Why do I feel so strange around her? We're just friends, for now," He thought. "How exactly do you even start a relationship after years of being apart? We've only been reunited for a couple of months. Oh, I really should've asked Cadence for advice." And he mentally kicked himself for not thinking to do so when he'd had the chance.
Sunburst was not the only one thinking about things though. Starlight had thought for sure her eyes were playing tricks on her, but she could've sworn she'd seen Sunburst blush upon running into her outside the castle. "Why is he acting so sheepish?" She mentally pondered. "Is he maybe secretly a changing that's been impersonating Sunburst all this time?" Starlight immediately shook her head at the thought. "That would be completely ridiculous, aside from Thorax I don't think any changelings know I exist. But then, what would reason Sunburst have to act so odd? Could he be hiding something from me? What if he's already seeing somepony else?! Oh, I knew I should've asked him the last time I came here!"
Flurry Heart seemed to sense something was off with the two grown-ups that were watching over her, and she knew she had to do something to get them to stop wearing those frowny faces. Flurry Heart always hated seeing anypony upset. So she did the only thing she could, she lit up her horn and teleported out of her stroller, straight onto Sunburst's muzzle.
"Gah, Flurry!" Sunburst exclaimed, stopping in his tracks. "I can't see!"
Flurry Heart just giggled and began making funny faces, hoping that would cheer Sunburst up.
Starlight quickly came to Sunburst's rescue, pulling Flurry Heart off Sunburst's face and depositing her back in the stroller. "Here, why don't you occupy yourself with this, Flurry Heart?" She asked the foal, as she gave the young princess a rattle. Sure enough, Flurry Heart started shaking the rattle all about, and forgot about the frowny faces of Sunburst and Starlight.
Sunburst breathed a small sigh of relief, glad to be able to see again. "Thanks, Starlight. Don't know what got into Flurry to make her do that," He lightly commented. "She's never done anything like that before."
"Hay if I know," Starlight replied with a giggle. "I don't speak foal, and I don't know of any spells that can translate foal speak into Equestrian. Assuming such spells even exist."
"Well, maybe tomorrow we can try to spend some time researching that?" Sunburst offered. "It'd actually be pretty cool to understand how foals think and talk, not to mention how they see the world."
"You're not the only pony who's wondered about that," Starlight replied to Sunburst. "And that library research trip sounds like a plan. Maybe I can even write to Twilight and see if there's any books in Ponyville or Canterlot that have what we're looking for."
"That would be lovely! It would sure help when dealing with Flurry Heart." Sunburst commented, eyeing his young charge.
"Or the Cake Twins," Starlight giggled. "I don't know how Pinkie can keep up with them so effortlessly, and she won't tell me her secrets."
Unbeknownst to either of the adults, Flurry Heart was secretly smiling and giggling. Her little intervention had worked better than she had anticipated, her mommy would be so proud of her.
They arrived back at Sunburst's house, just as Celestia's sun began to shift from directly overhead to starting to lower, casting an afternoon glow over the empire.
Starlight unbuckled Flurry Heart and examined her diaper carefully, relieved to not detect any foul odors or feel any damp spots. Meanwhile, Sunburst was busy moving all of Flurry Heart's supplies to a safe location, storing the diapers and changing supplies off to one side, placing the jars of foal food on the table in the center of the room, and setting aside room for a makeshift play area to deposit the toys and rattles. All the while, Flurry Heart clung tightly to her stuffed snail.
Just as soon as Starlight and Sunburst had entered, and the door was closed behind them, Flurry Heart's stomach gave off a growl. Both unicorns knew what that meant, it was feeding time.
Sunburst went to get one of the jars, while Starlight carefully placed Flurry Heart in one of the small stools that served as chairs for the table. Flurry Heart looked at Starlight, as if she thought Starlight would be the one feeding her.
Carefully setting down a jar of some strangely colored goop, Sunburst called Flurry Heart's attention over to him. Unscrewing the lid and dipping a spoon into the goop, he proceeded to lightly levitate the spoon towards Flurry Heart's mouth. "Open wide for the aeroplane." He cooed, trying to take a note from the few foalcare books he'd read.
Flurry made a face, stuck out her tongue, and turned away.
"Come on, Flurry Heart. It's mashed peas, your favorite," Sunburst cooed more, trying to move the spoon towards Flurry Heart's mouth. "Open the tunnel for the choo choo train." He proceeded to make a couple of faint choo choo noises, which Starlight giggled at. But Flurry Heart still refused to open her mouth. In fact, she used her magic to grab the spoon, and fling some of the goop towards Starlight!
Thinking quickly, Starlight conjured up a shield spell to protect her face from the incoming projectile! But in the process, she bounced the goop towards Sunburst, who had no time to react before he was hit square in the face with the mashed peas. "Oh my gosh, Sunburst!" Starlight exclaimed, as Flurry Heart laughed and laughed while kicking her tiny legs about in delight. Starlight immediately glared at Flurry Heart. "You think that's funny, do you?!" She scolded, casting daggers at the baby alicorn.
"Starlight, that's not how you scold a baby," Sunburst explained, wiping his face clean with a rag and stepping forward. "It helps if you keep your voice down so you don't scare her. You have to be firm but fair, otherwise the message doesn't get across," Sunburst quickly picked up Flurry Heart and in a straight but soft tone he said to her. "We do not fling our food at other ponies, Flurry Heart! That was a very naughty thing to do. If you do that again, you'll leave me with no choice but to put you in time out."
Flurry Heart seemed to get the message, as she looked at Sunburst and Starlight with a face that practically could've melted even the coldest of hearts. Starlight sighed, she had to remember that Flurry Heart wasn't as old as the Cake Twins, and thus wouldn't be as knowledgeable about right and wrong. "It's okay, Flurry Heart. I know you probably don't like your food, but you need to it if you want to grow up big and strong like me and Sunburst." Starlight said in the sweetest tone she could manage.
Sunburst dipped the spoon back into the jar as he said. "Alright, let's try again."
Although Flurry Heart mostly cooperated for the rest of the spoon feeding, she still ended up managing to get traces of the mashed peas onto Starlight (who had taken the blows intended for Sunburst). So Sunburst sat Flurry Heart in a corner of the room that had been cleared of all books and anything that Flurry Heart might be able to grab with her magic, while Starlight slipped upstairs to wash off the goop.
"Who knew foalsitting could be so difficult?" Starlight thought to herself, as she used a rag to clean off the last remaining traces of the mashed peas. "Pinkie Pie and The Cakes make it look so easy."
Starlight came back downstairs, just as Sunburst was letting Flurry Heart out of the make-shift time out corner. "That should hopefully teach her not to fling her food every which way. At least none of it got on the walls though, thank Celestia." He said to Starlight.
"I think I can see why Flurry Heart doesn't like that stuff very much though, I accidentally got some of it in my mouth," Starlight said, and gagged. "Even burnt cake tastes better than that. That foal food should be classified under cruel and unusual punishment."
"Maybe next time I'll try the 'Cream of Banana'," Sunburst suggested. "Now then, why don't we..." But before Sunburst could finish his sentence, Flurry Heart's horn lit up, and she disappeared with a poof. "Oh no, not again!" Sunburst groaned.
"What do you mean 'not again'?" Starlight asked Sunburst, before she saw the look on his face and realized what he probably meant. "Don't tell me, she's done this to you before, hasn't she?"
"Sadly, yes," Sunburst admitted, facehoofing. "She seems to love doing this every single time she's in my care. And from what I can tell, she never does it to anypony else. It's like I'm her favorite victim or something," With a sigh he said. "Well, I better get to tracking her down. At least the good news is her teleportation powers are very limited. So she's around here, somewhere."
"How about I help you look for her?" Starlight offered. "After all, they always say 'Two heads are better than one'."
"I'd love that very much." Sunburst commented in reply, before he gasped upon realizing the wrong word had unintentionally slipped out.
"Love?" Starlight asked, wondering if she'd misheard somehow.
"I-I meant like! Now I-I'd...better go find Flurry Heart before she gets impatient and teleports to a new hiding place!" Sunburst hastily added, and zipped away before Starlight could say anything else.
"Okay, something is definitely up now," Starlight thought to herself. "Once I find Flurry Heart, I think I need to ask Sunburst just what's going on and why he's acting so strange. This isn't the Sunburst I know and love." And with this in mind, she set off to start searching the house for Flurry Heart. Since Sunburst was searching the ground floor, Starlight decided to search upstairs, starting with the most obvious location, the bathroom.
Starlight searched every room, checking every nook and cranny for a sign of Flurry Heart, but she found nothing. Just as she was starting to wonder how Sunburst was doing, she heard him shout out. "Ah-ha, there you are! Did you really think you could hide from old Sunburst?!" But as Starlight raced downstairs, she heard a giggle, followed shortly by Sunburst shouting. "Oh come on! Really?!"
"What happened?!" Starlight asked, as she rushed into the study and found Sunburst surrounded by a pile of books, with Flurry Heart nowhere to be seen.
"Flurry Heart was hiding behind these books, but when I peeked my head in and found her, she went and teleported somewhere else," Sunburst said with a groan. "I hate when she does that!"
"Any idea where she might have teleported to?" Starlight asked, hopefully.
Sunburst shook his head. "All I know is, she's gonna try to find someplace where she thinks nopony will look for her. And unfortunately, there's all kinds of good hiding spots for a foal like her in a place like this."
"Hm, that.. is a problem," Starlight considered, as she put a hoof to her chin in thought. But then she realized something. "There's one room upstairs I didn't check yet, your bedroom!"
"Starlight, wait!" Sunburst called out, but it was too late to stop her. Starlight disappeared in a flash. "Oh no, I forgot to put my journal away! If she finds that, my secret's out of the bag and she's sure to laugh at me!" He thought to himself, now wishing more than ever he knew enough about magic to be able to put a spell on his journal so that prying eyes wouldn't be able to read it without permission.
Starlight reappeared a few seconds later, holding a squirming Flurry Heart in her magical embrace. "Here she is, safe and sound." Starlight said to Sunburst.
Sunburst breathed a much needed sigh of relief as Flurry Heart giggled, while she was set on the ground. "So, I take it you didn't read my journal then?" He asked Starlight.
"Journal? What journal? I was too busy looking for Flurry Heart to notice anything else." Starlight immediately replied, shooting Sunburst a confused look.
"She doesn't even know it exists!" Sunburst realized, and quickly told Starlight. "Oh, it's nothing. Just your imagination. Don't you think I'd tell you if I had some kind of secret journal or something? Besides, what would I have to hide?"
Starlight eyed Sunburst with suspicion, but soon her attention was drawn to something else. She sniffed the air, and plugged her nose as a sour note assaulted her nostrils. She looked at Flurry Heart, briefly unplugging her nose against her better judgement. Sure enough, the stench was emanating from the foal.
Sunburst didn't need to ask what the problem was, largely because he could smell it too. He quickly scooped up Flurry Heart as Starlight ran off while saying. "Looks like you've got your hooves full. I'll just, leave you to it!"
"Great, the task I could most use her help with, and she runs away before I can ask." Sunburst mentally sighed, and picked up a spare diaper, wipes, foal powder, and a changing mat. This wasn't the first time he'd had to change a diaper, he just hoped that this time Flurry Heart would cooperate.
Sunburst was quite relieved when he was able to tape up the new diaper, and toss the old one into the trash can out back. After washing his hooves, he helped Flurry Heart to stand, and took in several breaths of fresh air.
"Is it over?" Starlight called from upstairs, too afraid to come down without reassurance.
"Yup, the coast is clear, Starlight." Sunburst replied.
Reluctantly, Starlight made her way back downstairs, very much relieved to no longer smell the foul odor from before. Then she looked at Sunburst and when she did, she couldn't help but laugh herself silly. Sunburst had a diaper stuck on his forehead, and traces of foal powder covered his face and mane. "You look absolutely ridiculous!" Starlight exclaimed, wiping away the tears from her laughing so hard.
"I could've really used your help you know," Sunburst lightly glared at Starlight, as the diaper was removed. "Flurry Heart wouldn't hold still for a second. Having an extra pair of hooves would've been extremely beneficial."
Starlight tried not to look guilty. "Well, uh... is there anything I can do to make up for it?" She asked, hopefully.
"Actually there is," Sunburst said with a smile. "It's nearly time for Flurry Heart's nap, and usually she has a bottle to help calm her down first," Using his magic, Sunburst hoofed a baby bottle full of milk to Starlight. "Can you heat this up for me? I'm gonna be busy just keeping Flurry Heart under control, she absolutely hates having to take naps."
"Now that, I can do!" Starlight beamed with pride. "One nice warm bottle, coming right up!" Despite only having seen The Cakes do it once or twice, she knew what she had to do to properly heat up the bottle. A short time later, it was ready, and Starlight offered it to Flurry Heart. Flurry Heart drank it down without hesitation.
When the bottle was finished, Sunburst picked up Flurry Heart and patted her back a couple of times. Before Starlight had a chance to prepare or react, Flurry Heart unleashed a massive belch that whooshed past Starlight at a speed that would've made Rainbow Dash jealous! "Whoa, what in the wide world of Equestria was that?!" She exclaimed, as Flurry Heart giggled. Sunburst was giggling too, which Starlight found most odd. "Why are you laughing?! What's so funny?!"
"It's your mane, Starlight!" Sunburst said in between fits of laughter. "I think there some was magic contained within that belch, and it must've affected your mane!"
"What are you talking about?!" Starlight asked, not feeling any different. But when Sunburst levitated over a small mirror for her, Starlight saw what he was laughing about. Somehow, her mane and tail had turned into a single shade of green, a most sickly shade at that. Starlight thought for sure she'd die of embarrassment, as she struggled to light up her horn and turn her mane and tail back to normal.
Once Flurry Heart had been set down for her nap and was snoring away peacefully, Starlight decided the time had come to ask Sunburst what had been on her mind since seeing him earlier in the day. Sitting at the same table that she'd sat at when she had confessed her terrible past to her childhood friend, Starlight took a deep breath, as she tried to read Sunburst's body language for any clues. "Sunburst, we need to talk." She said, trying her best to sound serious.
"What do we need to talk about, exactly?" Sunburst asked, even though he had a pretty good clue what Starlight meant.
"It's about your behavior," Starlight told the stallion. "You've been acting awfully strange lately.... stranger than usual I might add."
Sunburst opened his mouth to speak, but he clammed up. He had no idea how to phrase he wanted to say properly, and didn't want to make himself sound like a fool.
Starlight paused, and an uncomfortable silence started to fill the room. Fortunately, before it had time to truly linger, Starlight broke it by saying to Sunburst. "I get the feeling there's something you want to tell me. Something extremely important. Whatever it is, I promise I won't judge you for it. I just don't want to keep wondering when my friend is going to tell me what's on his mind, especially since I'm just barely resisting the urge to find a spell that will let me see for myself."
Sunburst took a deep breath, he'd figured he would need to have this conversation eventually. He just hadn't expected it to be so soon. "You really wanna know that badly, huh?" He asked Starlight, who nodded in approval. That was all the encouragement Sunburst needed to take the plunge into the unknown. "Well the truth is, I love you Starlight! Like really, REALLY love you! But I've been afraid to tell you, for fear that if you didn't feel the same way, it would jeopardize our friendship. I didn't want to risk it, not after we'd just rekindled it a few months back."
Starlight was all but speechless! "Why didn't you just tell me earlier, Sunburst?!" She exclaimed, nearly leaping up with excitement right then and there. "I love you too! It took me some time, but I started to realize I felt that way about you shortly before I accompanied Twilight and Spike here during the changeling scare. I actually thought about confessing to you in a letter, but since you weren't responding to any of them, I decided it would be better to do it in pony."
"You really mean it, Starlight? You're not pulling my leg or anything?" Sunburst asked, hopefully. "If you're already seeing somepony else and you're just trying to spare my feelings, it's okay."
"Who could I possibly be seeing besides you?" Starlight asked Sunburst.
"What about Trixie? You said it yourself, the two of you are best friends," Sunburst replied. "And you two have a lot in common. You probably deserve somepony like Trixie, a pony who's at least able to make a name for herself as a magician. Whereas I'm just a washed up magic student stuck foalsitting the heir to the crystal throne."
But Starlight only shook her head. "Sunburst, I don't care about the fact that you're not some big, important wizard, anymore than I care that Trixie's just an illusionist, and not exactly a Great and Powerful one if we're being honest," She told him. "The only thing I care about, is the fact that you'd think I'd only love you if you were powerful and famous. I love you for who you are, regardless of what you do or what you've become. Is that really the only reason why you've waited until now to tell me?"
Sunburst sighed and hung his head, he couldn't believe he'd been so shortsighted. "When I got my cutie mark and left that little village we lived in together, I vowed not to come back til I'd made a name for myself. But when I couldn't make it through magic school, I was too ashamed to come back and show my face. Then when I learned about how you'd always been waiting for me, and how you got so bitter about the fact that I left you that you became evil, I felt guilty," He explained to Starlight. "You became a bad pony because I wasn't there for you."
Starlight protested. "I chose to do what I did through my own thoughts and actions. You had nothing to do with it other than being a motivating factor," She then added in a softer tone. "Don't blame yourself for what happened to me. We've both done things we regret, but we can't change the past. We've put it behind us, so it's time to move on. I love you, Sunburst. And I'd be glad to be your marefriend. I only wish you'd told me sooner that you felt this way, then we could've saved all this trouble," She then got up and gave the stallion a kiss on the cheek, making Sunburst blush bright red. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that." She told him.
Sunburst smiled despite the blush, and pushed his glasses back into place. "Thank you, Starlight. Thank you for just being you and helping me see what I was too blind to see before. I can't believe I was so stupid."
Starlight just laughed. "Hey, you're not the only one who's done stupid things," Then she changed the subject as she asked him. "So, what would you say to a date tomorrow, just between the two of us?"
"Thanks again for looking after Flurry Heart on such short notice," Cadence said to Sunburst that evening, as Flurry Heart was placed back in her rocker. "She wasn't too much trouble, was she?"
Sunburst shook his head. "Nah. Between Starlight and I, we had everything covered. More or less." He replied.
"So, by any chance, are you available again tomorrow?" Shining Armor asked Sunburst.
"Actually, no," Sunburst admitted with a faint blush on his cheeks. "I kind of told Starlight I love her, and she agreed to be my marefriend. We're going out on our first date tomorrow afternoon. She won't tell what she has planned, but she says it's going to be extra special."
"Well, congratulations, Sunburst," Cadence smiled. "Do you need love advice? As the Princess of Love I'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions."
Sunburst simply said in reply. "No thanks, I think I've got everything under control. Sorry I can't foalsit Flurry Heart for you guys, I hope it doesn't interfere with your plans or anything."
Shining Armor laughed a little as he told Sunburst. "It's fine, we'll find somepony else to watch our little princess. You go and be happy with the mare you love. That's an order."
"Yes sir!" Sunburst firmly nodded, and then dashed out of the throne room as thoughts of Starlight filled his head.
When Sunburst was out of sight, Cadence looked across to her husband and said to him with a knowing wink. "Looks like I was right, those two just needed a little nudge in the right direction."
Shining sighed a bit, as a slight frown formed on his face. "Guess I owe you ten bits, huh?" He asked his wife.
Cadence chuckled. "Never make bets on love when your wife is the Princess of Love. And don't forget the other part of the deal. Next time Flurry Heart needs a change, it's your turn to do it."
"I remember," Shining sighed. "But I was hoping you'd forgotten. Still, I guess it's worth it to see Sunburst and Starlight so happy together," Looking at Cadence he asked her. "Do you think they'll get married and have foals of their own someday?"
Cadence could only giggle at the question. "Maybe, but that's a very big maybe. One that's probably years and years away."
"Thank goodness," Shining remarked, sighing in relief. "Flurry Heart is more than enough trouble as it is. She's adorable, but she can be quite the hoofful. And I'd rather not start having to run a daycare service anytime soon."