A smokey gray colt is left on the steps of the Castle of Friendship. Twilight steps up as his mother. How will our newest little prince handle his life?
When Twilight awakes one morning to a furious pounding on the doors of Castle Friendship, she assumes someone has a very dire friendship problem.
When she opens the door to find an abandoned newborn colt, not a guardian in sight, her whole world turns upside down.
At the prospect of the little foal going to an orphanage, Twilight puts her hoof down, and adopts the colt.
Investigations turn up a terrible orphanage, and a mistreated mare.
Follow along on Twilight's journey of finding love, sleepless nights, sick foals, and the trials and tribulations of motherhood, with a newfound love by her side.
Mild Parental Abuse mentions and descriptions later on, chapters discussing it in any detail will have a warning in the authors notes at the top.
Maybe it was the wind Twilight tried to reason herself back into sleep. The wind could certainly sound like a furious knocking against a door made of crystal.
Twilight groaned, trying to go back to sleep, she glanced at her bedside clock which illuminated the numbers 1:24.
The pounding grew more desperate, and Twilight couldn't convince herself it was just the wind any longer.
Twilight threw off her covers and sighed in anger.
Lighting a candle, she stomped down the stairs heavily, grumbling the whole way down.
"What?!" She shouted as she opened the door, only to be assaulted by a screaming foal.
Twilight looked down in shock, and saw the tiny gray foal, screaming and crying, her scream had obviously terrified the poor thing.
"Oh! Ohoh! I'm so sorry little one!" She soothed, gripping the foal in her magic and rocking them back and fourth.
Eventually the foals cries became little hiccups and Twilight pulled them closer. "Where's your mama little one?"
She looked around for any trace of a mare, but saw none. She hadn't truly expected to anyway, ponies don't leave foals on doorsteps when they want to be identified. She rummaged through the basket, holding the tiny foal on her back, he began to gum on one of her wings.
"Just don't eat it please, I need both to fly." Twilight smiled.
All Twilight found in the foal's basket was a sheet of paper, a small tattered Wonderbolt teddy, and an old patchwork quilt that was falling apart.
When Twilight was sure there was nothing she'd missed, she looked closer at the paper.
His name is Star Chaser, please, find him a better home.
Star Chaser was an accident I wish I could have kept, but I have no home of my own, no family to aid me, and I know he would only suffer and maybe die under my care.
He was born two days ago in -
Twilight could not read the rest, by the end the mare's writing was a mess, and tears stained the paper. Twilight thought maybe she had written it hastily before knocking on her door. The poor mare was trusting Twilight to insure Star Chaser got the life she couldn't give him.
Twilight rubbed her eyes, wiping away the tears that were forming, she knew she mustn't get too attached, no matter how cute the little guy was.
Twilight looked out into the emerging dawn, she knew the mare would probably be long gone now, probably teleported or flew away, but she felt eyes on her still.
"Spike. Emergency. I need help, stat." Twilight whispered poking the sleeping dragon.
She heard the little dragon's grumbling as he began to awaken.
"What could be so important that you need to wake me before sunrise Twili- is that a foal?" Spike asked, staring at the tiny sleeping colt nestled between Twilight's wings.
"It is." She answered.
"Awwww." Spike smiled when the foal tried to grab at Twilight's wings in his sleep.
"He is awfully cute isn't he?" She smiled bringing him close again and letting the tiny foal sleepily tug on her hoof. "The letter said his name is Star Chaser."
The foal began to pout as he looked up at Twilight.
"What's wrong little guy?" Twilight asked and began to nuzzle him, only for her ears to be assaulted by a foal screaming inches from them.
"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow." Twilight repeated as her ears were assaulted by the foals cries.
"I'm just gonna... go out and get us breakfast, that okay?" Spike said as he backed out of the room.
"Traitor!" Twilight called after him as the foal continued to scream.
"Alright, foals, what do I know about foals." Twilight muttered to herself. "Right! Rocking!"
She held the little colt in her magic and began to steadily rock him back and fourth in the air. It had no effect, besides maybe making the crying increase in volume.
"Are you hungry maybe?" Twilight asked. "And I have no food for a foal, okay Sparkle, improvise!"
Cupboards were open everywhere several fresh vegetables and some oats were laid on the counter.
Twilight opened her fridge, and sighed as all she found was apple juice.
"Maybe I can mash it together? Foals eat mashed food when they're weaned. Well little Star Chaser, time to eat real pony food months too early!" Twilight exclaimed as she stuck several vegetables, some juice, and several cups of oats into the blender.
Twilight flipped the blender on and reveled in the noise drowning out the foals insistent screaming.
She glanced at it after a few minutes and shuddered at the goopy paste concoction she'd created.
"I cannot believe I used to eat shiiiii-stuff like this." Twilight muttered. "No more cursing Twilight, you have a foal in the room."
"Hey little Star Chaser, you hungry?" Twilight asked and scooped some of the puree onto a spoon. She held it in front of the colt's muzzle, and he sniffed suspiciously, and then grunted in disapproval.
"Oh but it's so yummy Star Chaser!" Twilight smiled widely. "Here, I'll show you!"
Twilight took a small scoop of the food for herself and ate it with a grimace, then forced a smile. She realized suddenly, it didn't actually taste all that bad. The texture was certainly off, but it wasn't terrible.
"See? Yummy!" Twilight cheered, and tried again to get the foal to eat.
This time the foal opened his mouth wide to accept the offered spoon.
"Yeah, that's right little Star, it's tasty and you need food. It's nice and nutritious!" Twilight smiled as she continued to feed the little foal. "You're smart! Not eating until someone else eats the same food! Do you think you're going to be poisoned? Who would poison a little colt as cute as you?"
The foal suddenly slammed his foreleg down on the spoon, sending it careening out of Twilight's magic and straight onto her head.
"Okay maybe they'd have justification." Twilight sighed. "Oh you're lucky you're so cute."
Twilight nuzzled the foal gently and then continued to feed him until the goopy mixture was finished.
"There, see it's not so bad!" Twilight cheered. "You ate it all up even! Such a good little Star Chaser."
The foal simply watched Twilight with a pout forming on his muzzle.
"Oh, no, no no please don't cry again!" Twilight exclaimed and scooped him into her hooves. "Everything'll be alright little guy."
Despite Twilight's instructions, the colt did indeed begin to cry again.
"I fed you, you don't smell like dirty diper, what do you need?" Twilight asked, wishing the foal could actually answer her.
His tiny face screwed up in pain and he began wailing again.
"Oh, jeez, right, I just fed you." Twilight sighed and sat on her haunches, putting the foal over her shoulder and firmly patting his back until she heard a loud but tiny burp, and shuddered as she felt a warm gooey substance slide down her back.
"Ewwww. Did you have to have bits of food in it still?" Twilight sighed, and found herself a rag to clean up with. "Come to think of it, I should have put this under you in the first place, so it's my fault."
The foal squirmed, and then nuzzled gently into Twilight's chest as she held him close.
"Oh, Faust no, don't do this to me." Twilight exclaimed, feeling her heart practically melt, and nuzzled the colt. "You're too cute."
The foal let out a tiny squeaky yawn and buried his muzzle into Twilight's chest fur.
Twilight gently laid down and stretched her forelegs out, resting the foal between them and against her again, then laid down and rested her cheek against the foals back.
"Twilight! Twiiiiilight!" Apple Bloom called trotting through the castle. "Huh, there some friendship problem she had to go to today?"
"No, the map always sends two ponies, I think, and our sisters didn’t get a blinking cutie mark....unless it called Twilight and Fluttershy." Scootaloo answered.
"So where's Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked.
"Found her!" Apple Bloom cheered and trotted into the room.
"Hey Princess Twilight, we're here for some boo-" Sweetie Belle stopped as Twilight perked her head up sleepily at the three fillies.
"Is that a foal?!" Scootaloo exclaimed, approaching the little colt nestled between Twilight's forelegs. "I didn't even know you were pregnant!"
"Wha-? Oh, yeah, I mean no, I wasn't pregnant, he got left on my doorstep, and Spike sent a letter to Celestia and I'm waiting for her to respond because I honestly don't really know what to do with a newborn foal." Twilight answered.
"Give 'em food, duh." Apple Bloom answered. "I mean, I never worked with a foal before obviously, but I work with the animals on the farm all the time, when a mama don't want her baby we gotta improvise and milk 'em anyway and give 'em somethin' to make it stick so they can digest it easier."
Scootaloo stared at the little foal.
"What are you gonna do with her?" Scootaloo asked, her voice oddly distant.
"Oh, well...I don't know. And it's a colt." Twilight corrected. "I suppose he'll go into the orphanage, or foster care, once the officials have decided that he's actually truly been abandoned."
"No!" Scootaloo yelled. "You can't send him to an orphanage!!"
Twilight flinched backwards at the young pegasus's outburst.
"And why not?" Twilight asked. "I think we know a bit better than a young filly about how to handle an abandoned colt."
"Not if that filly was also abandoned to an orphanage!" Scootaloo screamed, and Star Chaser began to wail again.
"Nice goin' you made it cry." Sweetie Belle scolded her friend.
"Twilight! You can't put him in the orphanage! You just can't!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You're a princess aren't you? You can give him a good life!"
"Me? I'm not even sure I know how to care for a foal!" Twilight answered.
"Nopony does until it happens!" Scootaloo yelled. "And some ponies are even worse at caring for foals than others! You'd be great to take care of him 'til he got a home, or you know, just forever."
Scootaloo hung her head and began to sniffle.
"It was a long time before I got my parents Twilight." Scootaloo said softly.
"Scoots, you sure you wanna talk about that?" Apple Bloom asked gently.
"Yes!" Scootaloo said firmly. "Twilight, I spent so long in an orphanage, it was awful! They try to be good, but they just can't not with so many mouths to feed and foals to keep busy."
"It might be the best place for him though Scootaloo, and besides, you did get adopted Scootaloo, and even have Rainbow Dash as your honorary sister!" Twilight answered with a smile.
"And every day in the orphanage I'd wake up just hoping to either die or be adopted so I wouldn't be alone no more." Scootaloo sniffled.
Twilight felt her heart breaking as she saw the tears fall from the pegausus filly's muzzle.
"Scootaloo, did they mistreat you there?" Twilight asked gently.
"No. Well, not exactly. Some of the foals did get bad foster homes though, most eventually got adopted, like me, but it's awful. There's never enough blankets, your favorite stuffy will most likely get destroyed or stolen, their version of a treat is an apple or something, no cookies, or cakes, or cupcakes, or all those yummy things Pinkie Pie makes. We'd get in trouble for pillow fights! What kinda foal caring place doesn't let a foal have a pillow fight?!" Scootaloo took a deep breath. "But, that's not the worst of it. The worst is seeing your friend walk out with their new parents and hatin' them but being so happy at the same time and you just wanna scream and sob and cheer and it's so awful. You don't get a nice loving hug, or kiss, or nuzzle from your ma and dad, you just feel so lonely."
The little Pegasus sniffled and wiped her eyes.
"Scootaloo, I'm so sorry you went through that." Twilight whispered as she felt the tightness grip her chest.
She glanced down at Star Chaser sound asleep.
"I promise Scootaloo, I'll take care of him until he can find a good home. I won't let them put him in an orphange, okay?" Twilight said gently wiping the tears from the little pegasus.
"Come on little Star, we gotta go to the town hall. And then maybe the store..."
Twilight hummed to the foal as she picked up her meager foal supplies and stuffed it into her saddle bags.
"Spike. I'm going to need you to watch the castle while I'm out, I'm gonna try and get stuff sorted out with Star Chaser." Twilight instructed. "And then pick up some more supplies for the little guy."
"Wait, you're keeping him?" Spike asked dropping his fork.
Twilight nodded.
"Scootaloo seemed adamant that the orphanages are pretty terrible for a foals optimal emotional enrichment. So I think I can handle taking care of him, at least until we can find him a permanent home. He's adorable how hard can it be to find him a home?" Twilight asked.
"Did Scootaloo actually say that?" Spike asked in astonishment.
"Not in that many big words, but yes, she did." Twilight answered with a laugh.
"But, you don't have anything!" Spike exclaimed. "You'll need formula since you're not a nursing mare, you'll need a cradle to keep him in until he can get a crib of his own, you'll need toys!"
"I know Spike, I know. Why do you think I'm going shopping?" Twilight answered. "But the more I get Star Chaser, the less his new parents will have to buy, and the more time they can spend on him alone."
"Twilight, ponies wanting to adopt have stuff bought months, years in advanced!" Spike argued.
"Well then, when we're done using it, we'll donate it to a mare's shelter," Twilight shrugged. "I can't just keep him in a basket."
Spike sighed and hit his face into his claws several times. He saw the direction this was headed, even if Twilight didn't see it yet.
"Anyway, like I said, I have things to buy. I'm taking Star Chaser with me, so you won't have to worry about him." Twilight said and picked up her saddlebags.
"Alright, alright." Spike sighed.
Spike saw Twilight was already falling in love with the little foal, and would probably kill a pony, even Celestia herself, to keep Star Chaser safe.
Spike shuddered at the thought of a battle between Celestia and Twilight.
"The world would end this time." Spike said to himself.
Twilight knocked on the doors of the Ponyville Town Hall and waited quietly until Mayor Mare answered.
"Twilight? To what do I owe this early morning visit?" The mayor asked with a smile.
"I uh, well, a foal was abandoned on my doorstep very early this morning." Twilight answered and pointed to Star Chaser, nestled between her wings. "All he had was a letter saying his name and that his mom couldn't take care of him so asked me to find him a home, but that's a bit hard to just find a home any day, so I'm going to get some supplies to keep him safe and cozy while I work that out."
"Oh dear! The poor thing." Mayor Mare exclaimed.
"Do you think you could get the paperwork and stuff filed and see if there's any missing foal reports? Just in case?" Twilight asked.
"Certainly Princess Twilight! Come back when you are done with your shopping and I shall have the documentation you need." Mayor Mare said softly.
Twilight stepped into the shop she'd never had any real reason to go to before and stared in awe at all the complicated things that seemed to exist for taking care of foals.
There appeared to be a garbage bin specifically for dirty diapers to keep the smell down, and all sorts of toys for different developmental needs. Toys to improve motor skills, toys to improve logic and reason, toys to strengthen a foals legs. Twilight had honestly had no idea how many foal needs could be turned into a toy.
"Um, excuse me, ma'am." Twilight said approaching the counter.
"What can I help you with?" The mare smiled.
"I'd like to know if I can just kinda poof stuff to the side here and then pay for it all at once? I kinda have literally nothing for my-the foal right now." Twilight said softly.
The mare stared at Twilight in shock, unsure how any mother could not get supplies before giving birth. Come to think of it, how had the princess hidden her pregnancy?
"Uh.. yeah, that'll work." The mare nodded.
"By the way, please don't get this out to the press, I'd rather not have Star Chaser be assaulted the next time I step out of the castle with him." Twilight said softly and trotted away.
"Will do..." The mare said gently in confusion.
Twilight immediately returned with a foal carrier that would strap to her chest and barrel to keep a foal secure.
"I'd like to buy this immediately. Please." Twilight said and pulled out her bits.
"That will be twenty bits please." The mare smiled as she rang up the purchase and watched Star Chaser examine all the sights and sounds from the princess's back.
"Um.. could I uh, have some help? I don't really know how these work." Twilight mumbled as she examined the buckles and straps.
"Absolutely!" The mare exclaimed and came out from behind the counter.
"Now, this strap here, it's going to go up between your legs, and then clip in behind the carrier fabric itself." The mare pointed to the aforementioned strap and Twilight gripped it in her magic and carefully clicked it into place. "And now these ones here in the back will make sure the carrier stays secure and attached to you so your foal doesn't end up falling."
Once Twilight had the carrier secured, she picked up Star Chaser again and gently placed him into it.
"Hows that Star? Comfy?" Twilight asked.
Star Chaser squealed happily in response.
"I think you have a satisfied customer. Thank you." Twilight laughed and trotted off to find more foal supplies.
In the end Twilight had picked out a bassinet, a few bottles, several packages of foal milk replacement formula, a large pack of cloth diapers, and a soft squishy circle with bumps and ridges designed for a foal to chew on.
Waving goodbye to the salespony, Twilight poofed all the new supplies into what she knew was one of the castles empty rooms, just to insure nopony was in a room dedicated to anything, and got hurt via falling bassinet.
"Hello?" Twilight called stepping into the Town Hall. "Mayor Mare?"
"Oh! Twilight there you are!" Mayor Mare called and then trotted out of a small room with several papers in her mouth, she set them before Twilight. "These are the papers you'll have to go over and sign and fill in the information. Such as time of abandonment, if you saw anypony, approximate age of the foal, coat color of the foal, you know, official business."
"Oh I know the exact time." Twilight grumbled, realizing she hadn't slept since the desperate knocking had awoken her.
"Alright then Princess, please fill all the spaces and I will file this and inform you if any reports come in of a missing foal that match this information, so far there is nothing though, not here or even in the surrounding towns."
"I didn't really expect there to be." Twilight sighed.
Twilight ran a brush over Star Chaser's coat and picked up a new diaper.
"Didn't I just change you, you little stinker?" Twilight cooed.
Star Chaser simply waved his hooves at her and stared.
"Who's a stinky little colt? Huh? You're so smelly, I didn't know a foal could stink so much." Twilight nuzzled the top of his head as she unstrapped the old diaper and then carefully wrapped it up and stuck it in the special container she'd bought for dirty diapers. "Is that why babies are so cute? Otherwise mama woulda ran at the first stink?"
"That's gotta be it." Spike answered through his plugged nose.
"Oh come on, it's not that bad." Twilight said with a laugh.
"It's poop, yes it's that bad." Spike groaned.
"Hey Spike, you know those papers I got last night, can you put them on the kitchen table for me? I have some stuff I need to go over." Twilight asked and grabbed a clean diaper for Star Chaser.
"Sure. I'll make us some coffee too." Spike yawned as he headed for the kitchen.
Star Chaser happily gurgled and then yawned as Twilight changed the diaper.
"Awww. Are you tired my little Shining Star?" Twilight cooed and began to rock the foal. "You didn't sleep much last night did you? Kept me up all night even. A whole two hours of sleep! But I'm still kickin'!"
The foal only babbled in response.
"Don't you take that tone with me." Twilight teased. "You know exactly what you did."
The foal let out a tiny yawn and closed his eyes while Twilight rocked him.
When she was sure the foal was asleep, Twilight gently tucked him into his bassinet and headed for the kitchen.
"Your papers are right there, and coffee already done." Spike yawned sipping on his own coffee already.
"Spike, have I mentioned I love you?" Twilight laughed as she took a large gulp of the offered coffee.
"A few times, usually when I make coffee." Spike laughed and sat with Twilight.
"Well, it never hurts to repeat, I love you, and I love your coffee." She nodded and picked up a paper.
"This one's just intake papers, the foals who have been abandoned, by whom and when, in case the foal wants to meet his or her birth parents later down the road." Twilight yawned and picked up another sheet, setting aside the first.
"Here's the donation log!" Twilight exclaimed. "Wow, they... they get a lot just from donations."
Twilight's ears went down and she frowned.
"If Scootaloo wasn't exaggerating, this is a serious serious problem." Twilight muttered, and went to sort through more of the papers.
"Taxes, basic taxes at that. Hmm, where's the actual filing information?" Twilight asked herself and began to sift through papers. "Ah, here it is!"
Twilight's eyes roamed over the paper, basic things, foal adoption processing, blankets and food, beds and sheets, laundry deter-what's that?
"Spike, shouldn't donations and expenses at an orphanage line up fairly well?" Twilight asked, reading over the papers a third time.
"What, they don't?" Spike asked trying to make sense of all the numbers on the sheets Twilight held.
"They don't, there's at least twenty-thousand bits of donations missing." Twilight frowned. "That can't be right..."
"Maybe somepony just did the math wrong." Spike answered.
"No I don't think so, the actual expenses line up fairly well with what Scootaloo said, I just didn't fully believe her because even Celestia and Luna donate to the orphanage quite often. And these numbers are way too different to just be simple miscalculation." Twilight answered.
"And that means?" Spike asked very confused.
"It means that the orphanage director, or someone at that level of power, is taking money meant for homeless foals and keeping it to themselves!" Twilight shouted and slammed her hoof on the table in anger. "What kind of pony steals from homeless foals?"
"An asshole?" Spike offered with a smirk.
"Spike! You watch your language!" Twilight scolded. "Though....I think you're right."
Twilight was silent for a long time as she read over the papers again and again.
"Spike, I'm gonna leave Star Chaser with Fluttershy, okay?" Twilight said firmly a spark of anger in her voice. "None of these numbers add up, and I am beginning to suspect fraud and embezzlement."
"Sure, you got all the formula and stuff right? I'll take everything over and help her." Spike asked.
"The instructions are on the package." Twilight answered as she stormed from the house.
"Don't kill anypony!" Spike called after her.
"No promises!" Twilight called back as she stepped out the door.
Twilight triple checked all her supplies as she headed towards her friend's cottage outside Ponyville, Spike alone couldn't handle Star Chaser she knew, so she'd have to ask Fluttershy, and introduce the two.
"You'll like Fluttershy, Star Chaser, she's quite and friendly, and she's great with foals!" Twilight smiled and approached Fluttershy's door.
Twilight knocked several times and then stepped back.
The Pegasus began to greet her and stopped, staring at the foal strapped to Twilight.
"Um... Hi Fluttershy, can we come in?"
Fluttershy nodded mutely.
"Fluttershy, this is Star Chaser, Star Chaser, this is Fluttershy! She's my best friend!" Twilight said happily.
"You had a foal?" Fluttershy finally spoke.
"No, he got abandoned on my doorstep, why do you think I've been missing for days? I've been trying to handle this little guy!" Twilight exclaimed with exasperation.
Twilight picked the foal out of his carrier and set him on the floor of Fluttershy's cottage.
"I've been watching him and taking care of him until he can find a home, Scootaloo seemed to believe the orphanage was terrible so I decided I was going to take care of him until he found a proper home, and go investigate it today. But I don't want to bring Star Chaser because I don't want him to even see an orphanage and then think I'm going to abandon him there!"
"Oh that's terrible. Of course I'll watch him!" Fluttershy said gently and nuzzled the little foal who squealed in glee at his newfound friend.
Star Chaser giggled and grabbed for Fluttershy's muzzle, who snorted at the unexpected invasion, and sent Star Chaser tumbling back.
"Are you alright Star?" Twilight asked, and the foal began to giggle."That's a yes."
"Who would just leave a foal?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, I mean they did knock on my door and insure I was awake and going to answer the door before they ran away. They might have teleported or flew, but...I don't think so." Twilight frowned. "I'm pretty sure she was watching to make sure I'd bring him into the castle so he wouldn't die of cold."
"How could anypony just let a foal stay out in the cold?" Fluttershy asked.
"I don't think anypony can, which is why I think she watched to make sure I was home and would answer. I wish I knew who she was..." For the first time Twilight truly began to wonder about the mare that had birthed Star Chaser, what was her life like? Where did she live? What kind of pony was she?
"Oh the poor dear." Fluttershy whispered.
"Do you think... do you think you could watch him for me for a bit?" Twilight asked.
"Twilight, I Already said I'd watch him." Fluttershy smiled.
"Perfectly understandable." Fluttershy nodded. "Now go do your investigating."
"Thank you Fluttershy, also could you um... not tell the girls? I'd rather do introductions later, personally."
Fluttershy nodded and offered Star Chaser a hoof, which he shortly began to chew on.
Twilight grumbled and hissed as she stomped towards the orphanage in Canterlot, hoping against hope that all her calculations and Scootaloo's eyewitness reports were incorrect.
"What kind of pony steals from a bucking fund meant for foals who lost their parents and homes?" Twilight growled. "One of us better just be wrong in our information. Foals exaggerate, right? Scootaloo might be remembering all of that wrong because she was so lonely. And I might have done the math wrong!"
Twilight took in a deep breath and faked a smile, then knocked on the orphanage doors.
A prim looking pink pegasus mare answered the door. Her orange mane seemed to be ironed straight and her tail had a bow in the end, a cutie mark of a feather was upon her flank.
"Pr-princess Twilight? To what do we owe the honor?" The mare bowed.
"Well I heard about the plight of the orphaned foals through a previous charge of yours and decided I would like to read to them and spend some time with them every week, if that's okay with you." Twilight smiled and held out the book she'd brought, The Very Hungry Parasprite.
"Oh! Well, today was the foals field trip day!" The mare exclaimed.
Twilight heard a babbling of foals and looked hard at the mare.
"Oh well, besides the ones who were sick or injured, or chose to stay behind. One our foals, a little pegasus, he thought he could climb the wardrobe and jump off to fly. He broke his wing. Some of his friends decided to stay back and keep him company so he wouldn't be too lonely." The mare smiled. "There's been a spat of the flu going around as well, so some of them are simply trying to sleep it off."
"Well I could read to them anyway, I won't get sick, Alicorn magic and all that." Twilight waved her hoof.
"Indeed? Well then Princess, please come in, they'll be so thrilled to have company. My name is Wind Whistle, I've been working here about six months. Mostly as a secretary, but I do spend time with the foals as well. It's so rewarding to help them with their social skills and such, though keeping them happy seems a bit of a challenge."
"I imagine, all those little foals without homes, it can't be easy." Twilight smiled.
"Princess Twilight!" A cheer went up and two foals rushed towards her.
"Hi! What are you doing here? Are you gonna adopt one of us?" A little green unicorn asked.
"Oh, no, I'm sorry, I have my own little foal to deal with right now, but, I did come to read to you! I just might start doing it every week, would you like that?" Twilight asked and felt a pang when the unicorn's face fell.
"Oh." She said sadly. "But you said you brought a book?"
"Yep, it's called The Very Hungry Parasprite have you ever heard it before?" She asked.
The two foals shook their heads.
"Well then, it'll be brand new to you! Lets go get your friends and we'll read it together!" Twilight smiled and trotted towards the filly's section of the orphanage and poked her head into the room, her face fell.
The blankets did indeed look thin and tattered, two small toys sat in the middle of the room, with two little fillies sharing them together. A pale blue one had her wing haphazardly bandaged.
"Hello there." Twilight said with a forced smile.
"Princess!" The fillies cheered and ran to Twilight.
"We got visited by a princess!" A pink unicorn cheered.
"Yep, I came to read to you little ones." She forced her voice to be cheery as a rage built in the pit of her stomach. She half wanted to start screaming at Wind Whistle, though logic told her the mare had nothing to do with the state of this place.
"Why don't you follow me and we'll get the little colts too and read the book together?" Twilight asked.
"There's only Tango left, the other colts all went to the field trip." The gray filly pouted.
"Well, lets go get him anyway. You little ones deserve a good story."
And so Twilight ended up in the dining room, with five little foals staring up at her in adoration.
"Do any of you know how to read yet?" Twilight asked.
The singular colt, and the pink unicorn filly raised their hooves.
"Would you like to help me? What are your names?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah! I'm Tango!" The colt exclaimed rushing to sit between Twilight's forelegs and help with the offered book.
"And what's your name little filly?" Twilight smiled at the unicorn who climbed into her forelegs more carefully.
"Strawbsdlkjflake" The filly mumbled.
"You'll have to speak up," Twilight smiled, gently poking the filly.
"Strawberry Snowflake." She said louder, her face flushing even pinker.
"Well, how do the rest of you feel about Tango and Strawberry Snowflake reading to you too?" Twilight asked.
The remaining three foals nodded happily.
"And what are the rest of your names?" Twilight asked.
"I'm Sugar Snow!" A white pegasus smiled.
"Silver Shine!" The silver earth filly answered.
"My name's Velvet Sparkle!" The final brown unicorn filly responded, causing Twilight to snort in laughter.
"That's adorable." Twilight laughed.
Velvet Sparkle's face fell and tears formed in her eyes.
"Velvet, are you okay?" Twilight asked worriedly.
"You think my name is funny." The filly mumbled beginning to cry.
"Oh! No I don't, I mean I do, but not like that! My mothers name is Twilight Velvet! So I thought it was kind of funny to be meeting a cute little filly that shares half my name and half my moms!" Twilight smiled and ruffed up the top of the filly's head. "Your name is wonderful."
"Really?" Velvet Sparkle asked with a wide grin.
"Really, it's a great name, you all have have great names. Now why don't we get to this book?"
A collective cheer went up.
Twilight kept her composure throughout the story time and even leaving the orphanage, promising the foals she'd return the next week.
She teleported home and flung a pillow against the wall, and then screamed loudly.
"Whoa, Twilight, you okay?" Spike asked entering the room.
"No Spike, I'm not." Twilight seethed with rage. "Scootaloo was right!"
"About what?" Spike asked in confusion.
"The orphanage! There were two bucking toys for all the foals! And the blankets looked so thin and ratty! There is no excuse for this!" She screamed. "I swear to Faust, Spike, heads will bucking roll!"
"Deep breath Twilight." Spike instructed.
Twilight took in several breaths and then looked at Spike.
"Thanks, now, why don't we go get Star Chaser, he's spent long enough with Fluttershy and I've spent long enough away from my little foal."
Spike grinned widely.
"He's not going to be adopted is he?" He asked laughing.
"Hey Spike." Twilight called as she held Star Chaser's bottle in her magic.
"What? Need help feeding him?" Spike asked, "I'd be glad to!"
"No, I actually need you to send a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight answered watching the sun rise outside her window.
"We haven't told her about Star Chaser, have we?" Spike asked flatly.
"We haven't." Twilight laughed. "It's been a pretty hectic week."
"It has, at least his cuteness makes up for it." Spike smiled as Star Chaser began to nuzzle closer to Twilight as she held his bottle for him.
"And actually, I wanted to discuss Canterlot Orphanage with her. They must be lying to the Princesses as well if they've gotten away with so much missing money." Twilight answered. "So tell her um... Tell her a unicorn foal was left on my doorstep in the early hours of the morning, and that I need to discuss orphanage matters with her. That's not a complete lie."
"You don't want to admit you've had him for a week now and didn't say anything in a letter?" Spike smirked and sent off the letter.
"No." Twilight blushed. "Oh... I just realized I've gotten so absorbed in Star Chaser I haven't even talked to my friends or introduced him to them!"
Two separate flashes of white magic and suddenly the princesses were in the room with Twilight.
"Oh! Princess Celestia, Princess Luna! You weren't busy?"
"We were not, it is sunrise, Luna has set the moon on it's setting journey and I have raised the sun, nothing to do right now. Also, Luna loves the little ones. Now you say a foal was abandoned... a week ago?" Celestia asked glancing at the little foal.
Twilight's ears lowered in embarrassment.
"Spike! You weren't supposed to put that in the letter!"
"It was true!" Spike responded.
"Yeah..." Twilight flicked her tail nervously. "I got so absorbed in taking care of him that I spaced even sending you a letter about it, I'm sorry!"
"Twilight, be calm." Luna smiled. "It is perfectly understandable that you would become overwhelmed in this situation."
"I suppose." Twilight smiled nervously, and looked down at Star Chaser nestled between her legs.
"Is this him?" Luna asked and laid before Twilight to be on eye-level with the foal.
"It is, his name is Star Chaser." Twilight smiled.
"Hello little Star Chaser, what a beautiful name." Luna whispered.
The foal flicked his ears at hearing his name but otherwise continued to down his formula.
"Well Twilight, we'll get the right paperwork for you then to give him to the orphanage." Celestia said softly watching the little foal happily drink.
"Don't you dare." Twilight snarled.
"Pardon?" Celestia asked.
"Have you been to the orphanage lately Celestia?" Twilight asked angrily.
"I have not, I assumed when you said you needed to discuss the orphanage it would be putting the foal there, is there a problem with it?" Celestia asked with a firm voice.
Twilight nodded.
"I highly suspect the matron is committing fraud. The first day Star Chaser was at my home, three of the local fillies came over, they were looking for some kind of book, but well that obviously was delayed. When I said attempts would be made to place Star Chaser in the orphanage and subsequently foster care, the pegasus filly Scootaloo began to yell and cry. She claimed the orphanage had not been giving enough care and attention to the foals, seeming to only do the bare minimum. Seeing as she had been in the orphanage for some time before her adoption into the family here in Ponyville, I thought maybe she was simply exaggerating the bad, as foals do tend to do." Twilight took a deep breath and continued on, as the princesses watched her. "Now, when I went in to the orphanage I went under the pretense that I would be reading to the foals, I did in fact read to them, they are wonderful little foals, but, I also examined the rooms and Scootaloo was not exaggerating. The blankets are thin, ratty, and would not do much to keep a foal warm in the winter. The toys were minimal as well. I suppose the least I can say for them is that the foals didn't look malnourished, but they certainly are not getting the optimal emotional enrichment foals need for healthy development."
"Those do not necessarily constitute fraud Twilight, caring for so many foals is expensive." Celestia answered.
"That's what I thought too, but then I dug into the records, and things don't add up Princess! There's at least twenty thousand bits unaccounted for!" She exclaimed with anger.
"Twe-twenty-thousand?" Luna asked, stunned.
Twilight nodded.
"I did the math three times." Twilight answered.
"That is... rather odd." Celestia stared out the window with her ears flat against her head. "Are you certain Twilight?"
"Yes." She nodded firmly.
"We will investigate this matter."
"Princess..." Twilight said softly as her heart pounded, dreading the response she would receive to her question.
"Yes, Twilight?"
"I... would you allow me to adopt a foal registered as abandoned?" Twilight asked softly.
"Twilight are you certain?" Celestia asked in shock.
"I am. Princess, I love him." Twilight wiped the tears forming in her eyes. "I'd do anything for him. I even already bought a bassinet, and a toy, and a bunch of formula, and diapers, and Celestia, I can't stand the thought of letting him go!"
"My dear Twilight, you seem to have everything with this little one under control, why on earth would we take him from you?" Luna asked in a hurt voice.
"I'm a single mare living on my own?" Twilight offered. "Ponies don't think very kindly of that."
"First off, you are a princess, so ponies always think highly of you, ponies know you Twilight. Secondly, if you are able to offer this little one all the care and attention he needs to thrive, I do not see why you should not be able to keep him. Provided his birth mother does not come forward. Thirdly, adoption is not our area, but we can help you." Celestia answered and Luna nodded with a smile.
"The birth mother come forward? She abandoned him on my doorstep!" Twilight answered. "I spoke with the mayor, and she said there were no reports but she'd keep her ears open for anything, and there's been nothing! She obviously either can't take him back or doesn't want to!"
"Well then Twilight, your path forward seems clear does it not?" Celestia asked.
"No?"
"I will send over the forms you will need to sign, since you have already spoken with the mayor and she has registered him as a lost foal, and none have come forward to claim him, he would then enter the foster care system usually, but... you are a princess my dear Twilight, and he has already been under your care. I shall help ease the process along and allow for you to adopt him."
"You-you will?" Twilight squeaked as tears filled her eyes.
"I will." Celestia nodded.
"Oh thank you Princess! Thank you!" She cried and nuzzled Star Chaser.
"I'm gonna officially be your mama, what do you think of that my little Star?" Twilight asked softly.
The foal only continued to drink his formula, perhaps complex emotional conversations were out of a foals ability to understand.
Twilight blinked her eyes open sleepily and stretched.
She'd had such a good sleep, she sighed happily as she nuzzled into her pillow. She hadn't slept through the night in what felt like years, though it was really only a week.
And Twilight jerked up suddenly, remembering why she hadn't slept properly, and realizing he hadn't woken her in the night.
"Star Chaser?" Twilight yelled panicked.
"Twilight, we're in here." Spike called.
Twilight ran to where she heard Spike's voice.
"Star!" She exclaimed and ran to nuzzle the foal, no, not the foal, her foal. "I thought maybe someone foalnapped you!"
Spike grinned guiltily.
"Sorry Twilight, he was fussing awhile ago, and you looked so peaceful in your sleep, that I decided I was going to feed him or whatever it was he was after, and now I've just been hanging out with him while he makes attempts to crawl around. It's really cute actually, he keeps falling on his face." Spike laughed.
"That's not cute! That's dangerous! He could really hurt himself!" Twilight fussed.
Spike said nothing, only sighed and shook his head. Mares.
"Would you like to come with me for introductions Spike?" Twilight asked.
"Introductions?" He asked puzzled.
"I haven't introduced Star Chaser to my friends yet! I've been so busy taking care of him and getting stuff for him and checking out the orphanage that I totally forgot! Well besides Fluttershy. And Rarity and Applejack probably know already from the little fillies visiting. I wonder why they haven't come over...."
"Probably figured you were up to your eyeballs in work with Star Chaser and that you'd talk to them when the time came." Spike shrugged.
"Excellent point."
Twilight insured Star Chaser was snug and secure and trotted out the door, heading for Sugarcube Corner, she smiled widely and talked with Star Chaser as she walked.
"Pinkie Pie is going to love you. In fact, everyone will love you!" Twilight exclaimed.
Star Chaser said nothing, choosing instead to stare with wide eyes at all that was passing him by.
The bell jingled and Twilight heard a greeting cut short by Mrs. Cake.
"Hi Mrs. Cake, is Pinkie Pie here?" Twilight smiled.
"She... she is." The mare answered distantly.
"Could you tell her I have something super important to talk to her about?" Twilight asked, laughing at the pony's reaction.
"You had a foal Twilight?" Mrs. Cake asked.
"No, I adopted him. Well, sorta, not officially yet, Princess Celestia said she would send over all the stuff I need to sign." Twilight babbled on. "But, for all intents and purposes, this little guy is now my son."
Twilight smiled with glee and then trotted in place in excitement.
"My foal." She repeated, and then squealed slightly.
There was a second, louder, squeal, and Twilight looked towards her pink friend, who was bouncing all around.
"Twilight!!! I knew my Pinkie Sense was acting up, but I didn't know the Pinkie Sense for "Twilight's adopted a foal"!" Pinkie exclaimed. "It was an eye flutter, ear flops, and two tail twitches!"
Twilight smiled at her friend. "I'm sorry to have confused you Pinkie, but yes, I'm going to adopt this little one."
"Where'd he come from?" Pinkie asked and began making faces at Star Chaser.
"I don't know, he was left on my doorstep, poor little guy. And... I was going to just get him to the orphanage, but then the Cutie Mark Crusaders came over for a book of some sort, and Scootaloo told me the orphanages are really really bad, so I decided to investigate, they are bad, and he's not going there." Twilight said these last words firmly.
"Oh, but you could just foster him." Pinkie said with a grin.
"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "I've been taking care of him, and I've been feeding him, and changing dirty diapers, and cuddling him, and he's not leaving me!"
"Twilight, I'm only joking." Pinkie smiled.
"Oh. Sorry. Hectic week." Twilight laughed.
"Oh Twilight, if you ever need advice, or help, feel free to ask us!" Mrs. Cake said with a wide smile.
"Will do." Twilight nodded. "So, what do you think Pinkie, wanna come with to introduce Star Chaser to the girls?"
"Absolutely!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Ooooh! I need to arrange a super spectacular "Twilight's a mommy now" party! Maybe we can mix it with the foal shower!"
Twilight only laughed, it might actually be nice to have a party for little Star Chaser.
"You know Pinkie, that sounds great, now let's go visit Rarity." Twilight smiled.
Twilight knocked on the boutique doors while Pinkie vibrated in excitement next to her.
"Oh I can't believe it! My friend Twilight is a mommy!" Pinkie exclaimed.
The door opened and Twilight's unicorn friend gave a playful glare.
"Twilight, is this Star Chaser, why have you not come before now?" She pretended to interrogate the alicorn.
"That's what we're here for." Twilight laughed.
"Come in! Come in! I insist, tell me all about it." Rarity exclaimed. "Sweetie Belle told me you'd agreed to to take in a foal to foster to Scootaloo, but I thought it might be a prank of theirs!"
"Well actually... I've decided to keep him." Twilight responded.
"Keep him? You've become a mother?" Rarity asked.
"Yes. Scootaloo told me how bad the orphanages are and I investigated for myself, and then decided I was so angry at them and their mishandling of foals that I was never going to let there even be a small chance of Star Chaser being put into their hooves. And, I kinda completely fell in love with him too." She smiled guiltily.
"And who wouldn't fall in love with this little one?" Rarity asked as Star Chaser attempted to investigate her, grunting in disapproval as his harness prevented him from wandering. "Oh let him out Twilight, he can't wreck much at such a young age."
"You asked for it." Twilight muttered and set Star Chaser upon the floor where he quickly began to crawl around.
"Oh he's just darling!" Rarity exclaimed as the foal rolled over and began waving his hooves in the air in glee. "Twilight do you need help with the little one? I would be happy to!"
"Really? Like... maybe foalsitting once in awhile?" Twilight asked.
"But of course! You've watched Sweetie Belle and her friends often enough, how hard can one little colt be compared to those three?" Rarity laughed lightly.
"Excellent point." Twilight laughed. "But, sadly, I think we have to leave soon, I had intended on introducing him to everyone today, still gotta talk to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who also probably already know from the fillies...."
"Oh, I'm sorry you must leave so soon, feel free to stop by any time I'm not busy with work and I can help you with Star Chaser." Rarity promised.
"I will certainly be taking you up on that offer."
"And now for the Apple's, Star Chaser! They're a great little family. Actually, Apple Bloom lost her mom and dad, just like you, but she had her big sis and big brother to help, and Granny Smith, they're all really great, you'll love them, I promise, I know I said that about Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, but they're all my friends! So they all love you and you'll love all of them!"
Twilight spotted a familiar cyan pegasus next to the barn and grinned. "Oh perfect! Last stop then!"
"Applejack! Rainbow Dash!" She called.
Star Chaser continued his incomprehensible babbling.
"Yeah, they're kinda like your aunts Star Chaser! I've been best friends with them since I moved here!"
"Twilight! I didn't know you was babysittin', don't your princess duties get in the way a that?" Applejack asked as she approached Twilight and Star Chaser.
"Actually... Um.... he was left on my doorstep last week, and that's why I've been missing, I've been trying to sort out everything with him and see if he was foalnapped or something, and then I accidentally fell in love with him and decided I was going to adopt him." Twilight smiled nervously.
"Whoa! Twilight's a mama!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Aw yeah!"
"Twilight, you know just cuz they're cute don't mean they're easy, right?" Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded.
"It's so hecktic and yet so rewarding looking out for him Applejack." Twilight smiled. "I am completely in love with Star Chaser and despite the lack of sleep, I couldn't be happier!"
"Awww... Well when Apple Bloom came tellin' me you told Scootaloo you'd find a home for an orphaned little colt I thought that was the end of it and someone just thought the princess woulda been the best pony for the job! I didn't think ya'd actually adopt him yourself."
"Foals apparently destroy the logical thinking center of my brain when they nuzzle up to me." Twilight laughed.
"Yep, cute little foals tend to do that. You sure you're up to all the not cute?" Applejack questioned.
"Applejack, I've had him a week, I've had the sleepless nights, the dirty diapers, food flung around the room, all of it, and I still completely love him and I swear to Faust if anypony tries to take them from me, they'll get a buck to the head." Twilight nodded fiercly.
"Whoa now, I'm not lookin ta take him from ya Twi." Applejack laughed.
"I know you're not, you're smart enough not to mess with an alicorn." Twilight smiled and then burst out laughing.
The little dragon grumbled and poked his head out of his bed.
"Whaaat?" He asked sleepily.
"Come on, we're gonna get some ice cream! Well, you are at least." Twilight said with a smile.
"For what?" Spike asked, with a large grin, as he shot out of bed.
"For helping me with Star so much, I figured my number one assistant needed a reward for being such a good foal-helper."
"Oh wow! Thanks Twilight!" Spike cheered and stretched.
"Come on, to Colton's Choice Creams!" Twilight cheered exaggeratedly.
"Oh that's the new one that just opened last week! I've been wanting to try it!" Spike exclaimed and quickly followed Twilight.
"Aaafter we drop off Star Chaser at Fluttershy's." Twilight corrected herself and headed towards Fluttershy's cottage.
The little foal made noises of interest as Twilight headed through town with him. He seemed especially fascinated with the fruit carts for some reason, perhaps it was all the bright colors.
Twilight approached Fluttershy's cottage and knocked gently, and Fluttershy smiled wide when she opened the door.
"Oh Twilight! And Star Chaser! Oh you're still just as cute as the day I met you!" Fluttershy exclaimed and began making baby faces at the foal, who simply looked on confused, and then began to laugh.
Twilight smiled. "Are you free for a few hours?"
"You need a foalsitter? Oh I'd be so happy to foalsit for you Twilight!" Fluttershy exclaimed and scooped up the colt from Twilight's foal-carrier. "Who's the cutest little colt ever? Is it you? Oh you're just the cutest!"
Twilight laughed at Fluttershy's baby-talk.
"That's settled then. Here's all his stuff. He's got a little stuffy, be careful with it, it was all his mom left him, he seems to know that too, how I don't know, but not the point." Twilight took a deep breath. "He likes to be fed small bits of formula about every half hour, and there's his blanket, his bassinet, chewy, formula, be careful with the chewy, it likes to attract fur, and make sure you watch just in case he bites it in ha-"
A yellow hoof pushed against her muzzle.
"Twilight, I got this, you are panicking over nothing." Fluttershy smiled. "I'll watch him for as long as you need."
"Or until you run out of formula... I don't think you'd like the screaming that ensues." Twilight giggled. "Thanks 'shy."
"Welcome to Colton's Choice Creams, I'm Cinnamon Flower, I'll be your server today, what can I get for you?" The young red unicorn mare behind the counter smiled.
"Hi! Do you have any gem ice cream in stock for our favorite resident dragon?" Twilight asked.
"We do!" Cinnamon Flower smiled. "I knew we'd stock it when my dad finally got his hooves on this place."
"I'd like that please! Two scoops!" Spike said happily hanging onto the counter.
"Two scoops of Savory Sparkling Surprise coming right up!" She smiled and began to scoop out the sugary treat.
"How do you like living in Ponyville?" Twilight asked.
"Oh it's.... it's alright, it's really good to get a fresh start in Ponyville, things didn't go so great for me in Canterlot." She smiled sadly.
"Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that, I'd be willing to listen if you'd be willing to talk." Twilight said gently. "You know, princess of friendship and all that, kinda my duty to make ponies feel better and have friends."
"Oh no, I don't want to burden you Princess Twilight," Cinnamon Flower shook her head.
"I insist!" Twilight answered. "It's what I do!"
"You sure?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm only treating my number one foal-helping assistant anyway, not like I'm meeting dignitaries or something, though this place is pretty fancy for an ice cream shop, wouldn't be a bad place to host a gathering." Twilight mused.
"Foal helping?" She asked softly.
"Yeah, there was, it's strange really, I got woken up about a month back to somepony just pounding on the doors of Castle Friendship, only to scare the bajeezus out of a little foal because I was so mad at being woken up." Twilight laughed. "I felt sooo bad. I yelled at a foal! I'm terrible."
"Oh and you, you are still caring for him?" She asked.
"I stupidly fell in love with him. I think at the first time he nuzzled into me while I was waiting to take him to Canterlot I was doomed from that moment. And then...well one of the previous residents of the orphanage told me how bad they are, and I just refused to put him there, honestly, I was probably never going to, but that's beside the point." Twilight laughed.
Cinnamon Flower smiled and laughed as well.
"Well then, I'm happy to hear that little Star Chaser has gotten a good home, he deserves it. I had no idea there was anything wrong with Canterlot orphanage." She smiled.
"All foals deserve a good home!" Twilight exclaimed. "Which is why heads are gonna roll at that orphanage."
"Thanks Princess Twilight... for not letting him suffer there." Cinnamon Flower said gently.
"I couldn't in good conscious leave him there when I had the other option of taking care of him myself until he got a good family to love and care for him." Twilight answered. "And... that good home just happened to end up being me."
Twilight fidgeted as Spike ate his second ice cream.
Cinnamon Flower watched the little dragon as she cleaned some of her tables, he was quite neat and polite, for a dragon at least.
"You're right, you're right." Twilight mumbled. "But what if he's not? What if his magic goes out of control and Fluttershy won't ever foalsit again?"
"Twilight, it's Fluttershy, she loves foals! She's used to this stuff." Spike exclaimed taking another large bite of his gem filled treat and watching Twilight's panicked face. "That's why you asked her and not Starlight, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, that is true, Starlight is great just...not all that great with foals." Twilight smiled. "That's okay though, not everyone is good with them."
"Nope, though you're pretty good with Star at least." He smiled.
"He's mine, of course I'm good with him. And I'll have you know I'm very good with other foals too!"
"Excuse me." Cinnamon Flower said firmly, approaching Twilight and Spike. "I hate to say it, but without my dad here helping I'm going to have to close up early to get to classes, would you mind leaving?"
"Oh." Twilight lowered her ears at Cinnamon Flower's tone. "Yeah, that's fine."
Perhaps everypony has a bad day once in awhile. Twilight thought to herself.
"Oh, please don't cry." Fluttershy whispered as the tiny foal's wailing assaulted her ears. "Being happy is so much better."
Star Chaser continued to cry and thrash in his tantrum.
"Oh no." Fluttershy whispered, as her animal friends cowered from the loud noise. "Do you miss Twilight? She'll be back soon!"
The little colt perked his ears up at the mention of Twilight's name and the cries became less intense.
"Aww, that's it isn't it, you miss your mama." Fluttershy cooed and picked up Star Chaser to snuggle him. "She'll be back really soon, I promise!"
Star Chaser grabbed at Fluttershy's mane and began to chew on it while still crying through her mane.
"Oh, no little guy, that's not food." Fluttershy laughed. "Are you hungry? Twilight left some food with you."
Fluttershy stuck a pan of water on the stove and set the flames to a gentle flicker, and Star Chaser began to wail again.
"Oh, that's right, you're probably used to Twilight being able to heat it up in a few seconds aren't you?" Fluttershy said as she set the bottle into the pan. "Well I'm a pegasus, not a unicorn so I can't do that, but I'll do the best I can for you!"
Star Chaser obviously either didn't understand, or appreciate, this assurance and continued to wail at the top of his tiny lungs.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash, and the little unicorn was gone.
"Oh no!" Fluttershy exclaimed and began to look around her cottage, knowing foal magic was minimal and he could not get far.
"Star Chaser! Oh come out little foal! Aunt Fluttershy has a nice toy for you!"
Fluttershy removed her pan from the burner and shut it off, then went to track down the unicorn colt.
She rotated her ears as she trotted through her cottage, listening for the telltale signs of a tiny colt.
Eventually she managed to track him down, crying softly and hiding beneath her bed.
"Come on little Star Chaser, I got a bottle for you." Fluttershy said gently and showed the little colt the bottle she'd prepared.
He looked at her and sniffled as he crawled forward towards the offered bottle. Fluttershy scooped him into her forelegs as soon as he was within reach, and he made a noise of discontent. When she presented his bottle however, the foal's legs waved happily and he cooed gently.
"You're just the cutest little thing, you make me wish I had a foal of my own." She smiled happily. "Maybe not a unicorn though."
"Come on Spike, lets go get my little colt from Fluttershy, I miss him." Twilight smiled.
"What was with Cinnamon Flower making us leave so suddenly?" Spike asked. "If she knew she had classes she should have just made the stuff to go!"
Twilight stopped suddenly, going over the interaction in her mind. Something was nagging at her, and she couldn't place it.
"She's a student." Twilight shrugged. "She probably just got too distracted thinking about work and school and tests and all that junk."
Cinnamon Flower closed shop the second Princess Twilight and Spike had left, she didn't even know how she'd held her composure that long, but she knew she would not last.
Locking the door and closing the blinds she leaned against the wall and began to sob.
"My foal, taken in by a princess!" She said softly. "Oh little Star Chaser, I miss you, but I don't regret it if this is where it leads you."
Tears splashed onto the tile floor as Cinnamon Flower shook with sobs. "I know it's for the best, I know even if my dad had approved that's not enough to care for a foal, and Star Chaser's with a princess, who better than a princess? She can give him anything, he'll want for nothing."
Cinnamon Flower choked on another sob and then gagged as she heaved with loud sobs.
No matter how much she repeated it, no matter how true she knew it in her heart to be, she wished to care for the foal she'd given up.
"It's for the best. It's for the best. He probably already loves her, she clearly loves him, I can't take that from her." She whispered and stood and shook herself, trying to stop the tears as she headed for her room.
Twilight smiled as she watched Star Chaser waddling around the entry-room on unsteady legs.
"He's fast for a little colt! Maybe we can have a race someday!" Rainbow Dash cheered on the little stumbling foal.
"Rainbow Dash." Twilight said flatly.
"What! I didn't say I was gonna race him right now! When he's older!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Oh he's so super duper cute! I can't believe you're gonna be a mama!" Pinkie exclaimed and shook Twilight in a tight hug.
The little colt tottled forward and grabbed Pinkie's tail in his mouth, then began to chew on it.
"Oh that's not for eating!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I know it looks like cotton candy, but it's not, Auntie Pinkie Pie is not for eating!"
"Pipi." He babbled.
Pinkie inhaled sharply.
"Did you hear that?" She exclaimed. "He said my name! He said my name in baby language!"
She squeezed Twilight in an even tighter hug.
"Ow, Pinkie, release." Twilight gasped.
"Sorry." Pinkie answered dropping her alicorn friend. "I just can't believe you're gonna be a mama!"
"Mama!" Star Chaser exclaimed.
The mares went silent and stared at Star Chaser.
"What did he just say?" Twilight asked, staring at her foal with wide eyes.
"Ohmigosh! He said mama! Which is like mommy! But in baby talk!" Pinkie bounced around the room. "First word! First word! First word!"
"I can-I can't believe it." Twilight said gently and scooped up Star Chaser.
"Did you say mama? Huh little Star?" Twilight asked as she began to cry tears of joy.
"Mama!" He exclaimed and giggled as he flew through the air in Twilight's arms.
"Oh you did! You did! Oh my goodness." She pulled Star Chaser in to a tight hug and nuzzled him. The foal nuzzled back in response and hugged her muzzle.
"I'm gonna officially be your mama as soon as the mail gets here, would you like that?" She asked.
"Mama!" Star Chaser exclaimed.
"I don't care how often you say that now, it's not going to get annoying." Twilight giggled.
"You're a mama! I can't believe it!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
"I can't really believe it myself Pinkie, I think I may have lost my mind. But look at those adorable big eyes! Who could say no to that!" Twilight exclaimed. "Especially now that he called me mama!"
"Mail!" Pinkie screamed and bolted for the castle mailbox.
"Is it here?" Twilight asked.
"It's here! It's here it's here it's here!" She exclaimed giving Twilight the letter and bouncing all around. "Ohmigosh, Twilight's gonna be a mommy!"
"I'm already a mommy." Twilight answered.
"Yeah but officially." Pinkie cheered.
"Took long enough for Celestia to send over everything." Twilight sighed. "Though... she did say adoption wasn't her area..."
"Ma!" Star Chaser exclaimed and tugged on Twilight's tail.
"Ow! Star Chaser! We don't pull tails!" Twilight scolded.
"Mama." He repeated.
"That's not an excuse to pull tails, don't you pull that cuteness on me!" Twilight teased and then scooped her colt into her forelegs. "Now, you are going to be nice and secure while mama signs papers, okay?"
"Ma.." He answered.
"I swear, there's like fifty signature places!" Twilight sighed and flipped through the papers, signing wherever was highlighted.
She reached the final paper and line and grinned.
"One more to go girls." She smiled.
"Oh sign it dear! Be Star's mama for real!" Rarity exclaimed.
"I'm already his mama for real!" Twilight argued. "This is just legality."
"Oh you know what I meant." Rarity huffed.
"3.....2....... SIGNED!" Pinkie cheered and blasted her party cannon.
"Hey Spike." Twilight said gently as Star Chaser pushed around a small toy train.
"Yeah?" Spike asked, also playing with a foal toy, a bouncy ball.
"Do you think I did the right thing?" She asked. "Taking in Star Chaser, I mean."
"Of course! He loves you, he even calls you his mommy!" Spike laughed at the alicorn's anxiety.
"But, what if he wants to meet his birth mother someday and I won't be able to help him? We don't know who she was! Or if she'd even want to meet him, and how do you tell a young colt "oh yeah by the way, your mom left you on my doorstep with a note and some small belongings and then took off before I could identify her, sorry!" What if I mess up scolding him someday for something and then he hates me forever? What if he tries to teleport but ends up way high up in the middle of the room and then falls and breaks something? What if he has a magical explosion and hurts himself?"
"Twilight!" The dragon shouted. "I've said your name three times now, dear Faust. You are worrying over nothing. He's always going to love you, foals get mad at their parents scolding sure, but they still love them, you worrier."
"I guess." Twilight smiled guiltily.
"Hey Twi, why don't you go read or something, take a break, I got this." Spike smiled as he sat beside Star Chaser and began to roll a large ball towards the foal, who promptly pushed it back to Spike.
"You'd really do that?" Twilight asked with a smile.
"'Course. You've done so much for taking care of me, it's the least I can do." He shrugged and continued to play with the baby unicorn.
"Oh thank you, you really are my number one assistant." Twilight smiled and stretched, then trotted to her library section.
"Hmm. What to read, what to read, what to read." She pondered. "Ah! Lord of the Reins, I love this one."
She pulled the thick volume from the shelf and set it upon her table, then wandered to make tea for herself. When her tea had stepped long enough she added some honey and lemon and went back to the library.
She was just getting engrossed in her book when she heard a knocking on the doors.
"Buck!" She hissed loudly and slammed the book shut. "Dear Faust, is this like some curse of motherhood? Even if the foal is taken care of by someone else, you never get free time?"
Twilight sighed heavily and went to answer the door.
She threw open the door in exasperation and immediately felt guilty.
"Mom! Dad!" She exclaimed and brought them in for a hug. "What are you doing here?"
"We just felt we'd come visit our favorite daughter!" Twilight Velvet smiled. "Are you free?"
"I'm you're only daughter." Twilight smirked. "And yes. I'd only just started on a book."
"Oh that's right." Night Light pretended to remember as they entered the castle.
"So what have you been up to dear? You haven't sent a letter in so long."
"I've been.... busy." Twilight responded realizing Star Chaser had caused her to completely forget to even send a letter to her parents.
"Twilight! Incoming!" Spike yelled and Twilight was knocked down by a sudden weight against her hind legs.
"Mama." The little foal exclaimed as he crawled onto Twilight.
"Star Chaser!" Twilight laughed. "Why'd you knock me down?"
"Uh, Twilight." Spike said.
"Hmm?"
Spike pointed to her parents, who were staring expressionless at Star Chaser.
"Oh no." Twilight said realizing she'd broken them.
"Spike, you're able to send letters outside of Celestia, right?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, why?"
"Why don't you uh... send one to Shining and Cadance and tell them to come over." She laughed. "Tell them it's an urgent emergency. I broke our parents."
Twilight waved her hoof before her mother.
"Twilight! You had a foal and didn't tell us? Oh no, was the father not around? I didn't even know you were dating anypony!" Her mother exclaimed. "You know you can come to us for anything dear, you didn't have to hide this."
"Backpedal Mom, backpedal." Twilight instructed. "No, I didn't have him. He got left on my doorstep, his birth mother left a note that said she couldn't take care of him and was homeless."
"There's always places that take in homeless expecting mothers...." Twilight Velvet said with a frown. "Even here in Ponyville..."
"There are?" Twilight asked puzzled. "Anyway, not the point, but I actually met with a little filly who'd been to the orphanage and she insisted they were awful, so after I went and verified they were awful, I decided he wasn't going to there, ever... and I'd maybe already fallen head over hooves in love."
"Oh my little baby is a mother!" Twilight Velvet exclaimed as she began to cry happy tears.
"Mom, Dad, meet your grandson. His name is Star Chaser."
"Oh hello Star Chaser, can I hold you?" Twilight Velvet asked and held out her hooves. The little foal glanced at Twilight, and then hopped into Twilight Velvets forelegs for the newly offered snuggles.
"Oh my word, he's so cute." Twilight Velvet said while crying happy tears.
"Careful, he likes to -"
"Ow! Owowowow. No eating my mane!" Twilight Velvet laughed extracting the foal gumming on her mane.
"Eat manes." Twilight finished with a laugh. "Watch your tail too, he's fascinated with them for some reason."
"Like mother like son." Night Light laughed.
"I tried to eat your manes and tails?" Twilight asked with a laugh.
"You did. We even switched shampoos thinking maybe you just loved the shampoo taste, but no, you just loved to chew on tails and manes."
Twilight burst out laughing and then panic set in when she heard knocking.
"Oh! Are they already here? That was too fast!" Twilight exclaimed and rushed to answer the door.
Indeed, a white unicorn and a pink alicorn stood outside Twilight's door, with a little alicorn filly strapped into a carrier.
"Twily! You wanted us to visit?" Shining asked.
"How did you, but... how did you get here so fast?!" Twilight asked.
"We'd already planned a visit. Your parents said they were coming today so we thought we'd come too." Candace smiled.
"Oh! That works out great then! I have somepony you need to meet." Twilight smiled.
"Twilight, do you have a coltfriend?" Cadance asked excitedly.
"No, I promise, no stallion or any male in this picture besides Spike, and um... Star Chaser." Twilight finished and levitated the little unicorn before Cadance. Flurry Heart reached out for the newly offered friend.
"Aww! Twilight! Did you decide to foalsit too?" Cadance asked then stopped and stared, looking between Twilight and Star Chaser.
"... he's yours." She said softly.
"Yes? How the-" Twilight began.
"Twilight, Alicorn of love, remember?" Cadance asked teasingly. "I have a sixth sense about these things."
"Oh, right!" Twilight laughed. "And, yes, he's mine. Come on in and I'll explain everything."
"A foal was left on my doorstep, I adopted them. Done." Twilight smirked.
"That's not good enough!" Shining Armour exclaimed.
"Oh fiiiine, I guess if you want the long version." Twilight smiled.
"I got woken up one morning awhile back, days? What are those? I don't remember at this point. My sleep schedule is so out of whack... anyway, a mare apparently couldn't care for her foal, even though, ya know, there's an orphanage in the next town and I'm fairly certain Mayor Mare could have definitly helped her out and gotten funds or something. She said she was homeless, but..." Twilight trailed off. Surely they'd have noticed a homeless pregnant mare? "Well, while I was caring for him until I could get him to the orphanage myself, another foal who'd been there told me how terrible they were, long story short, I investigated, they are awful, I decided Star Chaser wasn't going there. Ever."
"Oh come on! There's got to more to it than that!" Cadance exclaimed with fake dramatics.
"He nuzzled me and I was doomed." Twilight smiled. "I just... I was going to just take care of him, foster him you know? But then he started getting happy when I was around, and I put him in my arms to calm him and he nuzzled up against me and I didn't know your heart breaking out of love was a thing but it is, I felt it in my heart Cadance that I was never going to let him go."
"If you ever need help with him, I'd be more than happy to." Cadance smiled.
"Me too!" Shining Armour added.
"And of course your mother and I would love to have him once in awhile." Night Light grinned.
There was a collective sigh from the group as they turned to watch the adorable subject of their conversation, who was currently in a minor game of tug-o-war over a stuffy with Flurry Heart.
Flurry Heart tugged it away and began to run with it.
Star Chaser ran clumsily after the little pink alicorn that was racing ahead of him, unfortunately for him, being older, she was much faster on her hooves.
Star Chaser tumbled forwards and began to cry, causing Flurry Heart to swiftly turn around and offer him a hug.
Star Chaser gripped her wing and gently chewed on it while Flurry Heart giggled at the strange tickling sensation, she flailed her legs in glee and began to run again.
Star Chaser pouted at his newfound friend running away.
"Awww, did she escape you my little Star?" Twilight asked with a laugh.
"Catch her Star Chaser, she deserves foal jail after all the sleepless nights. Go catch the fugitive!" Cadance cheered.
"Are you encouraging my son to attack your daughter?" Twilight laughed.
"Yes." Cadance answered, and the others burst out laughing.
"Don't hurt her too bad Star Chaser!" Twilight called.
"She's an alicorn, she's mostly indestructible!" Cadance called back in reply, as the two foals began to chase each other again in a game of tag.
"Did anypony ever even teach the rules for tag? Or do we just instinctively know it?" Night Light asked as Star Chaser became "it" and chased after Flurry Heart.
"Gotta be instinct, I don't even remember learning it." Shining Armour answered.
"I remember learning it." Twilight answered.
"Where, from a book?" Cadance teased.
"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "......yes."
Twilight blushed in embarrassment as the group laughed.
Twilight heard a knock on the door and scooped Star Chaser up onto her back.
"Come on, lets go see who you get to win over with cuteness today." Twilight smiled.
Twilight opened the door to find the mare who worked at Colton's ice cream shop.
"Hello Princess Twilight, hello Star Chaser." Cinnamon Flower bowed. "I have something important I need to discuss with you, Princess."
"Oh, I'll just go put Star in his cri-" Twilight began.
"No, he needs to stay." Cinnamon Flower said firmly.
"Ooookay?" Twilight asked suspiciously.
"Princess, I'm his mother." She said.
"Begpardon?" Twilight asked, feeling an angry spark light in her heart.
"I am his mother, and I want to be in his life as well, please. Just, just visiting at the castle sometimes, that's all." She whispered.
"What?" Twilight asked flatly. "You-you-I you lied."
Twilight said the last words with a hiss and Cinnamon Flower stepped back.
"What, no, I'm not lying, you can do tests even if you want!" Cinnamon Flower responded quickly.
"Oh no, I'm not entirely doubting you about being Star Chasers birther." Twilight spat the last word with venom. "But you left him on my doorstep and might I add, with a note that said you were homeless and had no help, and now I find out, oop that's a lie! Turns out, you have a dad who apparently loves you, you run your own shop with him!"
Cinnamon Flower cowered in fear at the alicorn's explosion.
"I just...I... I don't." She whispered. "I'm too young for this."
"Nopony cares!" Twilight yelled. "If you'd taken him to the orphanage up in Canterlot nopony would have said a bucking word! It's what they do! They handle lost and abandoned foals!"
"I couldn't make i-"
"You're a Faust damned unicorn!" Twilight yelled and Star Chaser began to cry in fear. "Oh look, now you caused me to make my son cry."
"He's my son too." Cinnamon whispered.
"No, he is not." Twilight glared. "You may have birthed him, but he is not and never will be yours, do you understand?"
Cinnamon looked away, now refusing to meet Twilight's eyes.
"I'm sorry to have bothered you Princess Twilight, at the very least, you can tell him who I am someday. Even you wouldn't prevent a colt from finding his birth mother if he wanted to." She whispered and then turned and ran from the castle.
Twilight watched her go, glaring at the unicorn and shaking in anger.
"Trying to get into his life and take him from me!" She hissed. "You abandoned him!"
"She wasn't trying to take him." Spike mumbled.
"What? Yes she was!" Twilight yelled.
"No Twilight, she wasn't. She said she wanted to be a part of his life, not that she wanted to take him from you."
Twilight gave a defeated sigh and hung her head.
"I... I just messed up didn't I?" Twilight asked.
"Big time." Spike nodded.
Twilight screamed in frustration, Star Chaser screamed louder.
"Oh my poor little colt, I'm so sorry." Twilight whispered picking up the colt to rock him.
Star Chaser's crying soon became small sniffles, and he was shortly asleep.
"Spike, should I bring him with to talk to her, or should I leave him here?" She asked.
"I think he should go with. At least you'll have something to bond over, since ya know, he's her son, kinda."
Twilight glared again.
"Her son." She hissed then took in a deep breath. "No, no bad Twilight. She did the best she could, I hope."
Twilight sucked in a deep breath, and entered the ice cream shop.
A green stallion stood at the counter.
"Um, hello sir, are you Colton?" Twilight asked.
"Yes, what can I do for you Princess?"
"I actually, uh... I need to talk to Cinnamon Flower, please." Twilight said.
"What could you need to talk to her for?" He asked harshly. "What did she do something illegal again when she was staying out all night instead of watching the shop?"
Again? Twilight thought to herself.
"It's about St- just... something important. Please go get her for me." Twilight sighed. Perhaps this stallion was part of why Cinnamon had left Star Chaser on Twilight's doorstep.
The stallion sighed and threw down his rag.
"Cinnamon! Get yer flank down here, the princess needs a word with you!" He shouted up the stairs.
The red unicorn slowly walked down the steps, staring at Twilight and Star Chaser.
"Pri-Princess, what do you need from me?" Cinnamon asked.
Her eyes were bloodshot and her mane was a mess.
"What you cryin' for? It's a princess! Show some decency!" Colton barked.
Twilight glared at the stallion.
"Cinnamon, I would like for you to come for a walk with me, please." Twilight said gently. "Official Princess of Friendship duty."
"Okay." She nodded and quickly trotted out the door.
Cinnamon nearly tumbled several times as Twilight led her through Ponyville, too focused on Star Chaser to watch where she was going.
"Sit." Twilight sighed, pointing with a wing to a large tree, Cinnamon meekly walked forward and sat down, she refused to meet Twilight's eyes.
"Is your father abusing you?" Twilight asked firmly as she set Star Chaser on the ground.
"Cinnamon, if he's hurting you, I can help." Twilight said gently, as Star Chaser rolled around in the grass.
Cinnamon remained silent and watched Star Chaser tumble around in glee.
"He's gotten so big." She said gently.
"Yes, he has, now you didn't answer my question." Twilight said firmly.
The mare simply shook her head.
"Who's Star Chaser's father?" Twilight asked, deciding to pursue her first question later.
"I don't know his name." She hung her head and began crying. "He was a black earth stallion, that's all I remember."
"Hey! Hey hey hey!" Twilight lifted the mares head and wiped the tears with her wing. "None of that now, no judgements, I just want to talk."
"Mama!" Star Chaser pushed against Twilight's side.
Cinnamon Flower flinched.
"Shhh Star, not now." Twilight gently scooped up the foal into her forelegs, attempting to quite him so he wouldn't upset Cinnamon.
"No, no, it's fine." Cinnamon sighed. "You're the one who's been raising him, of course you're his mother, I just had him, and then gave him away because I was scared."
"I'm sorry I acted like that Cinnamon. Just, this whole time, I assumed that his mother was some mare who just didn't want to take care of him, and I'm sorry I misjudged you." Twilight said softly, feeling so angry with herself for being yet another judgmental pony against a teen mother.
"Well, I didn't want him. I had the means, but, the ideal situation? No." She sighed. "I never expected you to keep him."
"He nuzzled me and doomed me." Twilight sighed. "You said you didn't have a home in the letter though?"
"You heard how my dad talked to me. I'm sixteen, I can't legally get my own home yet, and I refused to have Star Chaser in that home with him." Cinnamon Flower shook her head and tears fell from her muzzle. "I also thought I wouldn't be tracked down if I said I was homeless, and then he couldn't hurt me or my foal."
"Cinnamon, would you like to stay in the castle with me?"
Cinnamon shook her head.
"I couldn't, not with Star Chaser calling another mare his mom, it kills me every time I see you two together, I love him, I hate you, but I love you, you took him in, you've raised him, you care for him."
"Cinnamon, I want you away from your father." Twilight said firmly. "If he's hurting you, you shouldn't be anywhere near him."
"But, Star Chaser..." She whispered.
"He can have two moms, how complicated is that for a tiny foal anyway?" Twilight asked.
"You, you'd do that?" She asked and began to cry harder.
"Of course I would! He'll grow up knowing his birth mother, and knowing she cared enough for him to give him to somepony who wasn't in a bad situation,"
Cinnamon flung herself at Twilight, hugging her tightly and sobbing into Twilight's mane.
"There there, it'll be alright, everything will be alright." Twilight said gently and patted her back. "So, would you like to live in the castle? I can get you a room set up."
Cinnamon nodded through her tears against Twilight's mane.
Twilight's ears twitched in time to the clock on her wall, Star Chaser was still crying, she'd tried everything she could think of toys, feeding, rocking, burping, even bribery via ice cream, but it had no effect.
"Pleaaase, Star Chaser, please stop crying. Dear Faust please stop! I'll give you a lollypop if you just stop crying!" She exclaimed as she herself began to cry.
"Twilight? You alright?" Spike asked.
Twilight chucked a pillow at him.
"I demand quiet!" She screamed hypocritically.
"It's been an hour." Twilight twitched. "One full hour, and I'm losing it, how are you still able to throw a tantrum over a whole hour? Why Star Chaser? Why?"
Twilight screamed incoherently as the foals cries assaulted her ears.
Cinnamon Flower flinched at the sudden scream as she cowered in the corner, a pillow over her ears, having long since given up on any attempts to calm Star Chaser, even before Twilight, opting instead to attempt to muffle the cries.
"I haven't slept in what feels like three days, my foal has been crying over nothing for an hour, five more minutes and I'll lose it!" Twilight screamed.
"Noooo. Don't start screaming. It's bad enough with him screaming at the top of his lungs." Cinnamon whimpered. "Why won't he stop crying? Did we try everything?"
"Yes we've tried everything! Sometimes foals just cry Cinnamon, you'd know that if you hadn't dumped him on my doorstep!" Twilight yelled.
Cinnamon flinched as if she'd been struck and began to silently cry.
A knocking sound came from the front of the castle.
And now the foal could probably use magic to whack stuff around the room. Twilight thought bitterly, until the sound came again.
Right, right, doors. Twilight reminded herself.
Twilight stomped to the door and answered, to see Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.
"Hey Twilight! We haven't seen you in so long we thought we'd come visit! And then I heard Star Chaser crying and thought, well, maybe we can help with that too!" Pinkie Pie cheered and began to run into the castle. "I got the flour!"
"No Pinkie! Don't you dare get flour all over my castle!" Twilight shouted and picked up the pink mare in her magic, and thumped her onto the ground.
"Ow, did you have to do it so hard?" Pinkie asked as her eyes rolled around in her head.
"Yes!" Twilight snapped.
"Ooooh! I've seen you before!" Pinkie cheered rushing to Cinnamon Flower. "You're the mare who works at the new ice cream shop!"
"Please. Don't talk about that." She whispered as tears ran down her muzzle. "I don't work there anymore, and I don't want to talk about it, ever again."
"Okay then, I Pinkie Promise I won't ever bring it up again unless you wanna talk and then obviously I'll have to bring it up again! Because how can I relate to you if I don't bring up the topic? I mean, that'd be so hard!" Pinkie babbled on.
"Pinkie. Silence." Twilight snarled.
"Oh. Sorry." Pinkie smiled guiltily then her eyes widened. "Sooooo! Twilight! Who is your new friend!"
"Huh? Oh, Pinkie Pie meet Cinnamon Flower, Cinnamon, this is my friend Pinkie Pie, before you ask, yes, she's odd, she's just being Pinkie, it's what she does and it's why we love her. Wait, Pinkie, didn't you say you already knew her?"
"Oh! It's so super duper great to meet you!" Pinkie cheered. "And no! I saw her but I didn't meet her yet! She always hid from me!"
"Hi, I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy reached out a hoof for Cinnamon's, much calmer than Pinkie Pie.
"Oh my gosh! New friend! We gotta throw a party! I don't even remember you moving here, which is weird because normally I know everypo-"
Twilight hovered Pinkie in her magic, and forcefully threw her from the castle.
"I said be quite and I meant it." Twilight said and nodded firmly.
Cinnamon and Fluttershy stared at Twilight.
"Remind me not to piss you off." Cinnamon whispered with a mix of fear and awe. "You just... you just picked up a pony with your magic, twice!"
"Language! There is a foal in the room! Or I'll chuck you out next!" Twilight exclaimed as she began tugging at her mane. "Anypony else?""
Spike shook his head quickly and made to leave the room, claws clicking on the floor.
"I said silence!" Twilight screamed and picked up the baby dragon and put him in a closet. "Noisy baby dragons go in the time out closet!"
Fluttershy ran to cower in the corner beside Cinnamon Flower.
"Is she always like this?" Cinnamon whispered.
"No, normally she's much calmer." Fluttershy squeaked.
"Foal madness?" Cinnamon asked.
Fluttershy mutely nodded, watching her friend stomp around the room in anger.
"She... she's so powerful." Cinnamon said in awe. "Is that why they made her a princess?"
Fluttershy merely shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
"They made me a princess because I'm good with friends. So good with friends, and now a tiny foal throwing a tantrum is gonna be what breaks me!" Twilight kicked out and sent a stool flying, shattering into the wall. Fluttershy let out a tiny squeak and moved closer to Cinnamon.
"If an angry alicorn scares you so much why don't you just leave Fluttershy?" Twilight snarled. "In fact, I'll help you."
The pegasus was lifted in a purple aura and hovered out the door, and unkindly plopped onto the ground.
"There. Now there will be silence, aside from the screaming foal that is." Twilight twitched.
"Princess Twilight, do you hear that?" Cinnamon asked her eyes wide.
"No, I think my ears are still ringing from all the bucking screaming!" She shouted.
Cinnamon pointed to the little foal, his face was a mess and his eyes puffy, but he was asleep.
"Oh my Faust!" Twilight exclaimed and scooped Cinnamon Flower into a tight hug. "He stopped, oh he stopped!"
Cinnamon ducked her head as she felt a blush take over her face.
"Princess, could you let me go?" She mumbled.
"Oh, right." Twilight dropped the mare. "And I told you earlier, just call me Twilight."
"Right, Twilight." Cinnamon smiled and gently picked up Star Chaser, depositing him in his crib.
"Cinnamon?" Twilight questioned.
"Hmm?"
"I'm sorry." She said with her head down in shame.
"For what? You didn't make him cry." Cinnamon answered.
"For... for yelling at you." Twilight answered. "I shouldn't have done that. You're too nice for that. You didn't deserve it."
The mare blushed and then smiled.
"It's alright Twilight, I've heard foals can make a mare do crazy stuff." Cinnamon laughed.
"I need a nap." Twilight mumbled and slumped onto the floor where she sat.
"You should probably go to your bed then." Cinnamon laughed.
"Right, beds, beds are good." Twilight mumbled as she plodded to her room. "You'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself somehow?"
"Yeah, I got it." Cinnamon answered watching the princess carefully. "Go get a nap."
"Hey Cinnamon, you wanna go shopping with me for more foal supplies?" Twilight called, searching for the mare.
"Oh, yeah! I'd love to help you." Cinnamon Flower said with a smile, exiting the kitchen with a rag. "I was just doing some cleaning, where's the laundry?"
Twilight took the rag and poofed it into the dirty basket.
"That's useful." Cinnamon responded with a laugh.
"You haven't mastered the "poof and clean"? I have much to teach you young Cinnamon Flower." Twilight teased the mare who blushed.
"Here's the foal carrier, get Star Chaser." Twilight instructed, strapping Cinnamon into the carrier.
"I-I can carry him? Really?" She asked with wide eyes.
"Really, you've been helping me all week, if you wanted to run off with him, you'd of already done it." Twilight smirked.
"Thank you Pri-Twilight." Cinnamon nodded and went to find Star Chaser.
"Our son is in the crib." Twilight laughed as she watched Cinnamon start to look for him.
Cinnamon Flower blushed again, Our son? If only. No, bad Cinnamon Flower, you stop that. She didn't mean it like that and you know it. She's a Princess! She'd never date you anyway. She scolded herself as she headed for the crib.
"Hello little Shining Star, would you like to go for a little shopping trip?" Cinnamon asked and the foal reached his forelegs up, the universal baby symbol for "up! up!" Cinnamon laughed and gently tucked Star Chaser into the carrier. "And awaaay we go!"
Star Chaser giggled at Cinnamon's antics and flailed his hooves around in glee and began babbling.
"Awww, Star Chaser, you love your mom?" Twilight asked.
Cinnamon Flower stopped dead.
"Yo... earth to Cinnamon." Twilight called waving her hoof in front of Cinnamon's face, Star Chaser attempting to catch it.
"I'm okay, you-you called me his mom?" Cinnamon asked.
"Well you are. And I can't exactly call you his mama, cuz he already uses that name for me, therefor, you get to be mom. Or mommy, but mom is easier on a foal." Twilight answered with a smile.
"You're not joking, right?" Cinnamon asked.
"Do you really think I'm that much of a bi-meanie?" Twilight cut off the curse before it left her muzzle.
"Well no but, I... thought I'd just be allowed to spend time with him, not be a mother." She said gently.
"Come on Cinnamom, let's go shopping." Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Alright, I'm all rea-wait, what did you call me?"
"Cin-na-mom. It's a pun on your name. Your name is Cinnamon Flower, you're also his mom, therefor, Cinnamom." Twilight giggled at her own joke.
Cinnamon burst out laughing and Star Chaser babbled along with the two giggling mares, even if the joke went over his tiny head.
"Shopping?" Cinnamon asked.
"Right, shopping. Let's go." Twilight grinned.
Cinnamon looked at all the supplies with wide eyes, the prices astounded her, and she knew she did the right thing having another mare take in Star Chaser.
"Welcome Princess Twilight!" The shopkeep exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in so long!"
"Uh, yeah, I've a- been having my assistant grab the formula and diapers." Twilight laughed.
"And is this your marefriend?" The shopekeep asked. "Oh, I see why you didn't have the things ready! You meant to adopt and it must have went much faster than you thought."
"Uh... yeah. Let's go with that." Twilight nodded.
Cinnamon Flower did not correct the shopkeep, only ducked her head to hide the blush creeping across her face, and glanced around at all the supplies and foal contraptions.
"Come on, the formula and diapers are this way, I have a bunch of cloth ones that while clean, should probably be replaced by now. If you find anything else interesting let me know." Twilight smiled.
Cinnamon Flower looked carefully over things, not really having a clue what to buy a foal besides milk, and then she spotted something familiar and her mind went back several years, remembering when she was just a filly herself.
A Hearth's Warming Day box, all pretty, signed "To My Little Cinny ~ Love, Mom" a tiny Cinnamon Flower, still a blank flank tore into the paper, and pulled out a pretty doll. A cute little round green creature with big adorable bug eyes, "All the cute! None of the destruction!" the tag read. A stuffed Parasprite. Cinnamon Flower had carried it everywhere, until that night... she hadn't wanted to see it when her mother was gone, and then her father threw it away in a fit of rage, wanting no memory of his wife in the house.
A hoof prodded her suddenly.
Cinnamon Flower leapt into the air with a start.
"Oh, Princess, you scared me." She mumbled as her face flushed again in embarrassment.
"Sorry, but what's up with the parasprite doll? You kinda totally zoned out staring at it." Twilight questioned.
"It...well...nothing Twilight, I just spaced out." She sighed.
"Nope, not buying it." Twilight shook her head.
"It was, well, one like it, was the last gift I ever got from my mom." She teared up and tried to subtly wipe her eyes. "And, when she died, my dad... he didn't handle it well, and he threw out my stuffy. I was five years old, and had to go without my stuffy for the rest of the time I lived there. He never got over it, and I guess... took it out on me, blamed me."
The stuffed Parasprite was brought down from the shelf in a magenta glow.
"I'm buying it for you, is that okay?" Twilight asked.
"No, Twilight, you don't have to do that." Cinnamon cried.
"Is this a "No I feel like you're wasting bits on me" or a "no it's too painful to have a reminder of my mother in the house"?" Twilight asked still gripping the stuffy.
Cinnamon Flower mumbled.
"Didn't catch that." Twilight answered.
"You shouldn't even be wasting time on me, let alone bits." She muttered.
"Alright, into the basket it goes!" Twilight exclaimed and dropped the stuffed parasprite in.
Cinnamon didn't hold back this time and pulled Twilight in for a large hug.
Cinnamon pushed the rocking cradle and Star Chaser squealed with glee, it was his favorite activity, she assumed anyway from the amount of happiness when he would be rocked.
"He really loves you," Twilight smiled, and sighed watching the two interact.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"Of course I'm sure! Cinnamon, you are a lovely mare and especially to a foal you've been helping care for, and birthed on top of that, it's obvious he'd love you! You're very lovable!" Twilight exclaimed.
Cinnamon ducked her head into her forelegs and continued rocking the foal while hiding her blushing face.
Spike stifled a laugh. Man, Twilight sure could be oblivious.
"It's nice to see you two working together." Spike said and sat beside Twilight with his comic.
"Yeah Star Chaser, you love Mom pushing the cradle for you?" Cinnamon smiled as she gazed at the little foal. Not quite so little anymore.
Star Chaser babbled in response.
"Ma!" He squealed.
"Awww. See he knows you're mom too!" Twilight said.
"Oh my little foal, I love you so much." Cinnamon said gently and nuzzled his face. Star Chaser squeaked out a yawn and closed his eyes.
"Looks like the rocking is doing it's job finally." Twilight said approaching Cinnamon.
Star Chaser blinked sleepily a few times and then his eyes remained closed. Cinnamon pushed the cradle for a few more minutes before stretching herself and getting up.
"Twilight, do you mind if I go read in the library?" She asked.
"Not at all, I'll just hang out with Spike and make sure Star doesn't wake up in a tantrum again." Twilight nodded.
Spike waited until he was sure Cinnamon was farther away, and then turned to Twilight.
"She likes you, you know." He said.
"What? Of course she does! We've been raising a foal together!" Twilight laughed.
Spike groaned and buried his face in his comic for a moment, heaving a sigh he reappeared.
"No, Twilight, I mean she likes you." Spike sighed. "Isn't it obvious?"
"No?" Twilight cocked her head thinking over her interactions and relationship with Cinnamon Flower.
"You know, for being the princess of friendship, you're shockingly bad with crushes." Spike laughed. "Let's see, she blushes pretty much every time you say anything nice to or about her, she very obviously idolizes you and seeks your approval, she hangs on every word you say, do I need to go on?"
"That doesn't mean she has a crush on me! She's probably just latching on to the first pony to show her kindness in ages!" Twilight argued.
"And the non-crushy-feelings for your friends who have also hung around and been nothing but nice?" Spike laughed harder. Twilight really was oblivious sometimes.
"But... she's so young!" Twilight exclaimed. "She's only sixteen!"
"And you're nineteen you idiot, that's not weird." Spike answered.
Twilight stared at the floor.
"It was obvious, wasn't it?" Twilight asked meekly.
"It was." Spike began laughing. "So you gonna ignore it? Because ignoring a problem works so well in any other case."
"No!" Twilight exclaimed. "I need to find a way to confront this and end it."
"Why end it? She might be good for you." Spike argued.
"She's too young!"
"She's almost seventeen, and you've only just turned nineteen Twilight." Spike answered.
"And how do you know that?"
"She told me her birthday was coming up next month." He shrugged. "Told me not to tell you because she didn't want you fretting over her. But I didn't Pinkie Promise so hey, don't have to not tell you."
"No, Spike, I'm going to end it. Maybe... ask her out and her seeing that we're totally incompatible romantically would be a nice way to end her feelings for me?"
Spike sighed and rolled his eyes.
"That's the smartest plan I ever heard!" He said sarcastically. "Go ahead, do it."
"I will!" Twilight exclaimed and headed to find Cinnamon Flower.
Spike buried his face into his comic again. Man, Twilight was oblivious sometimes.
Cinnamon Flower was sitting on a pillow, engrossed in a book she'd retrieved from the shelves. As Twilight approached, she saw it was a book on raising foals.
"Cinnamon Flower," Twilight said gently.
"Yes?" The mare looked up from her book.
"I, have something I want to ask you. And before I do, know you are one-hundred percent free to say no, or even chuck that book at my head, okay?" Twilight said.
"Okay?"
"Would you allow me to take you on a date. Well, not like out but, I mean, we'd stay in, I'd make us something nice and we could have a little night for just us." Twilight smiled, wondering where the nerves had come from, she didn't have feelings for Cinnamon Flower, did she?
The red mare simply stared at Twilight with wide eyes.
"Cinnamon? Cinnamon Flower? Hellooooo?" Twilight poked the mares nose, and she shot back startled at the sudden sensation.
"You're messing with me." Cinnamon glared.
"No, I'm not." Twilight answered, wondering what Cinnamon could have possibly been through to think a date was a joke.
"I... I'm a teen mother! And I'm too stupid and shy!" Cinnamon argued.
"Firstly, you're not stupid, secondly Fluttershy was way worse than you when I met her and she's still adorable, thirdly, I've been having you live with me! Surely if I had anything against teen moms as a whole I wouldn't do that?" Twilight shrugged. "Besides, you're not shy around my friends. And you weren't initially shy around me, so why the change?"
Cinnamon ducked her head as she began to blush again.
"Ilikeyou." She mumbled.
"Thought so, so, how about it? A date?" Twilight asked with a smile.
Cinnamon nodded furiously.
"It's a date! How about tomorrow night? We'll stay in and I'll make us some yummy dinner and treats! Fluttershy can handle Spike and Star Chaser for one evening, how's that sound?"
Again a nod, as if Cinnamon could no longer speak.
Twilight laughed at how cute Cinnamon was when she got shy.
Twilight trotted around the kitchen, grabbing supplies in her magic as she went.
She'd read a book all about this, so she knew exactly how she had to set up everything.
Twilight wasn't quite sure if she had romantic feelings for Cinnamon, she knew she didn't not have them, but it was clear that Cinnamon had them for her, and she decided to do something about that. Maybe she had feelings she just wasn't acknowledging, and besides, a date might be nice, even if it didn't work out, they still had Star Chaser to bond over. And if it didn't work out, maybe Cinnamon's crush on Twilight would end once she saw they would be a romantic disaster. Of course, there was also the chance it would work out, which Twilight tried not to be too hopeful towards, just in case. Which lead to Twilight asking the mare out a few days ago, and then setting up their own personal "at home" date, Fluttershy would once again babysit Star Chaser.
Cinnamon Flower was out with Star Chaser for a walk before he would be dropped at Fluttershy's cottage, she'd said she'd stop by and grab them dessert if Twilight gave her some bits. She didn't know Twilight's whole plan, but Twilight preferred it that way.
Twilight thought of the impending date, and her heart fluttered.
"Okay, so maybe there are some feelings there." She laughed nervously to herself.
Spike trotted over with fancy silverware.
"Thanks Spike, once again, you are my number one assistant." Twilight nervously laughed.
"No prob, but after I help with this, I'm outta here." He grumbled.
"Yeah I know, can't let the dragon see mushymush stuff can we?" Twilight teased, and Spike pretended to gag.
"Mares." He rolled his eyes.
Cinnamon tapped her hooves on the table rather shyly and smiled up at Twilight.
"Thanks Twilight, for giving me a chance." Cinnamon whispered. "I know I wasn't exactly good at hiding my feelings."
"You weren't, but, it's kind of cute." Twilight smiled as she caused Cinnamon to blush furiously.
"Right, Twilight." Cinnamon nodded. "So, what did you make anyway?"
"Daisy salads and carrot crêpes!" Twilight exclaimed presenting the salads and treats.
"Oh, wow! Carrot crêpes are my favorite!" Cinnamon exclaimed with wonderment in her voice.
"This is, really nice Twilight," Cinnamon smiled, having finally relaxed enough to be sort of back to herself.
"It is? I didn't royally blow it?" Twilight asked with her ears perked up.
"You didn't." Cinnamon blushed. "I think... I'd like to do this again sometime."
"Oh, wow, okay!" Twilight smiled brightly. "I'm kind of shocked this worked out but, lets roll with it!"
"Why shocked?" Cinnamon whispered, worried the princess thought her below herself.
"We're friends Cinnamon, obviously, I just, I wasn't sure if you being my marefriend might work out or not.... it did work out right?" Twilight asked frantically.
Cinnamon blushed furiously and nodded.
"I really like you, Twilight." She mumbled.
"I really like you, too." Twilight smiled.
"Good, I was hoping you did when you asked me out." Cinnamon responded with a laugh.
"No, I ask out ponies because I hate them!" Twilight exclaimed with fake dramatics. "But seriously Cinnamon, I do like you, like a lot, you're drop dead gorgeous, you're able to discuss books with me, always a plus, I like the cute shyness of you too. You're not so shy you can't do anything, but you're still all blushy when you get nervous and oh my Faust it's just the cutest bucking thing ever! Besides Star Chaser, obviously."
"Well obviously he's the cutest thing in all of Equestira and beyond." Cinnamon laughed gently.
"Indeed." Twilight nodded with a smile.
Cinnamon fidgeted in her seat, unsure of what to do next, she'd never had a date go so smoothly, most of hers ended in total disaster. Well besides the one that caused Star Chaser, and since that whole relationship had blown up, she didn't quite count it as a successful date.
"Cinnamon?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm?" The mare responded, snapping out of her thoughts.
"Can I kiss you?" The alicorn asked gently.
"Wha-really?" She squeaked and her face flushed.
"Yes really. You are too cute and adorable and beautiful and I really really want to kiss you right now. I know you aren't supposed to on the first date and all that, and um, it just it sounds really nice, and you're really cute, and I really want to kiss you and...I'm babbling again."
"Yes." Cinnamon smiled and blushed even more.
"Faust I need to learn to stop the babbling." Twilight cursed herself.
"No, I mean, yes, you can kiss me." She mumbled.
Twilight stared in shock for a moment before carefully pulling the mare towards her in her magic, Cinnamon looked down, blushing even deeper, Twilight could see it even against the red of her cheek fur. Her beautiful green eyes were full of worry and excitement, Twilight could feel Cinnamon shaking slightly.
Twilight hugged the mare to herself and then pressed her muzzle against Cinnamon's. The younger mare stiffened momentarily and then sighed and deepened the kiss.
Twilight pulled away and watched Cinnamon for a response. The mare sucked in a large breath and then exhaled slowly.
"That bad?" Twilight asked as her ears went down.
Cinnamon shook her head and pulled Twilight towards her and kissed her fiercely.
"It was wonderful, I think, I'd like to do all of this again, and again, and again." Cinnamon smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that." Twilight giggled and nuzzled Cinnamon's cheek.
"Wait...wait! Does... um... does this mean I'm dating a princess?" Cinnamon asked in shock.
"It does." Twilight laughed and kissed her again.
"I have gone from a piece of crap who barely cared about me... to a princess. Dang that's some improvement! I'm not worthy." Cinnamon said as her eyes widened. "Holy shit. I'm dating a princess. I'm dating a princess. I'm dating a princ-"
Twilight cut her off with another kiss.
"Hush my darling." Twilight smiled. "You're worth the world, and certainly worthy of a princess, particularly a princess who thinks you are gorgeous and so sweet and talented."
Twilight sighed as she gazed at Cinnamon Flower, she really was stunning.
"Hey, how about we go watch the sunset?" Twilight asked with a smile. "Lets get Spike and Star Chaser too, a little family outing."
Cinnamon Flower nodded and they headed back to Fluttershy's to collect the foal and dragon.
"Spike," Twilight said as she, Cinnamon Flower and Star Chaser watched the sunset.
"Yeah?"
"Could you send a letter to Celestia?"
"Oh! Of course!" Spike answered, and Twilight poofed a quill and parchment into his claws.
"What are we writing? 'Bout Star Chaser?" Spike asked.
"Kinda." Twilight smiled glancing at Cinnamon Flower.
"Ehem, it's been so long since I've done this, Dear Princess Celestia,
I have been reminded of my prior lesson to never judge a book by it's cover. You remember the foal that was left to my care? Well, his birth mother came forward and I've been spending a lot of time with her and Star Chaser together. I thought this could end in Star Chaser being taken from me, but it turns out, we work great together taking care of him. So I suppose dating was inevitable. I now have a marefriend, her name is Cinnamon Flower, and she's the prettiest, sweetest, most amazing mare I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Yes, even prettier than you Celestia.
Signed,
Princess Twilight Sparkle
"Are you sure?" Spike asked worriedly, as Cinnamon's face flushed again.
"Send it!" Twilight nodded.
"Are you sure that was the best thing to send?" Spike laughed after he'd sent the letter away.
"Yes! Fight me Celestia my marefriend is prettier than you, Faust dammit!" Twilight playfully stomped her hoof.
"Oh really?" A voice asked behind Twilight.
"Celestia! Oh crap!" Twilight shouted and backed way. "Um... I ah... I didn't mean it in a bad way, I mean you're definitely number two on the list of prettiest mares... I mean, oh Faust please don't banish me."
Celestia burst out laughing.
"That, was worth the teleport." She smirked.
"You're not gonna banish me?" Twilight laughed.
"No Twilight. Now marefriend?" She asked teasingly.
"Oh, right." Twilight nodded to Cinnamon Flower who bowed deeply.
"Celestia, this is Cinnamon Flower. She's Star Chaser's birth mother, it's how we met."
"So you are who left him in the care of Twilight?"
Cinnamon Flower nodded without a word.
"And I assume you did this because you thought a princess would be the best thing you could get to in your town that could aid your foal?"
Again a nod.
"Well then Cinnamon Flower, you chose well." Celestia nodded and laid in the grass beside the mares.
"You don't mind, do you?"
Both mares shook their heads as they continued to watch the sun setting.
Twilight stretched and yawned as Star Chaser began to cry.
She glanced at her bedside clock, 5:46 am.
"Why did I take in Star again?" She asked with a yawn and trotted to the foals crib. The little colt was crying softly and babbling.
"Mama!" He cheered as Twilight looked down at him.
"Oh, that's why." Twilight smiled and picked him up.
"You hungry? You don't stink so no diaper change, or maybe you had a nightmare?" Twilight yawned again.
Coffee is going to become my dearest friend, isn't it? She thought to herself as she quietly left the room and headed for the living room.
"What do foals even have nightmares about?" Twilight asked him.
"Na." He babbled.
"No? Names? ...Nantucket?" Twilight asked.
Twilight brought out a toy train and set it down for Star Chaser. He squealed happily and began to bang it on the floor and chew on it in turns.
"Maybe I should ask Luna if she knows what foals dream about." Twilight mused looking out at the dawn, where the moon still hovered just above the horizon.
The train knocked into Twilight's hoof as Star Chaser puttered it around the room, making happy noises.
"You like your train Star Chaser? It's a train!" Twilight pointed to the toy and repeated. "Train!"
"Tain!" Star squealed and waved the train around in the air.
"Close enough." Twilight giggled.
"Tain!" He cheered as he brought over another toy, a ball.
"Nope, that one's a ball." Twilight smiled. She pointed to the train, "train," then the ball, "ball!"
Star Chaser looked at Twilight confused.
"Well you gotta learn words Star Chaser, so when you get even bigger you can tell mommy and I what you want for your birthday and Hearth's Warming and just because presents!"
"Show me the ball." Twilight said gently.
Star Chaser did not, instead he began pushing the train around the room again.
"Maybe you'll get a conduction cutie mark in the future." Twilight yawned. "Have to ask the Crusaders to help you when you get bigger! They seem to have had fun searching for their talents, I never did though. Did you know that? I just got so startled because of Aunt Rainbow that my magic went out of control and when Celestia wanted to take me as a student I was just so happy to be a student of magic to a princess that it got me my cutie mark! Magic is amazing, and I hope you'll like it as much as I do."
The train shot forward and gently bumped Twilight's hoof, she pushed it back.
"It's okay if your talent isn't magic though! Maybe you'll love actual big trains, or maybe astronomy, or even gardening!" Twilight smiled. "Yeah, you can do whatever you want, and you can be whatever you want and I'll always love and support you."
"At least he'll get what I didn't." A bitter voice said behind Twilight.
Twilight glanced at Cinnamon, her mane was a bit frazzled, she'd clearly just woken up.
"He will. And you'll know better than your dad and know how to love and support your son." Twilight answered.
"What if I don't?" Cinnamon asked and sat beside Twilight.
"Cinnamon, you've already been doing a wonderful job stepping up as his mother once you were given the proper chance. Your father made mistakes, and you can learn from that, you don't have to make the same mistakes he did." Twilight sighed. "He has his own demons to battle Cinnamon, I hope he learns someday, but he's older and more set in his ways. You're still young, you have more chance to change, it won't be as hard for you. You're already more open with me."
"My father turned into a monster." Cinnamon growled.
"Because grief darkened his heart Cinnamon Flower. Now I am not saying you deserved to be the one who he let out all his frustrations on, but you yourself have said he was better when your mother was around. That means he was raised decent, was treated right, and was a good father and husband at one point. I have faith he can be again." Twilight said.
"You really think he could change?" Cinnamon asked, faint hope in her voice.
"I do. I think maybe spending time away from you, and away from reminders of your mother might be what he needs to heal."
"So, I'm the reason he was such an ass, good to know." Cinnamon rolled her eyes.
"I didn't say that." Twilight sighed. "You being around may indeed have triggered bad memories, but how he chose to handle it, and how he mistreated you, it's all on him. I simply believe all ponies are good, even if it's sometimes deep inside."
"Really?" Cinnamon asked, nudging Star Chaser's ball back to him.
"Really. I mean look at Princess Luna! She went all nutso and tried to cause eternal night, and now look at her, she's beloved, and she's gentle and sweet. Ponies can grow and learn and change, no matter how old they are."
Cinnamon smiled sadly and watched Star Chaser running clumsily around the room.
"They grow up way too fast." She whispered.
"They do." Twilight laughed. "Before we know it he'll have his cutie mark and then even his own business maybe! I wonder what it'll be. Maybe he'll go stereotypical and get stars for a cutie mark, or maybe he'll be good at mining, or kite flying, or art, or Faust I don't even know! There's so much open for him, he has a whole world of potential ahead of him. Thanks to his wonderful mother who gave him that chance at the cost of her own happiness."
"I just gave him away because I was scared." Cinnamon muttered.
"So? You had reason to be scared, you did what you thought was right. And look where it's gotten you now. You have a marefriend who loves you, you have a son who loves and adores you, you have friends!" Twilight exclaimed.
"You know, your friends are really great, but they aren't my friends, I barely know them." Cinnamon smiled.
"They're your friends too now. They like you." Twilight nodded. "How about you go out today and get to know them?"
"But what about Star?" Cinnamon asked.
"He's fine, we're fine, Spike and I were taking care of him alone until you came, we can take care of him again for a day. There's bits in the bag on the counter, take it with in case you find something you want." Twilight laughed.
Cinnamon watched the clouds breeze by as she trotted through Ponyville. She really did want to do something to make up for all she'd put Twilight through. She did have a few bits of her own still, maybe enough for a small gift, maybe she could get another job at the bakery, she did love the baking aspect, even if the ice cream was her favorite thing to make. It was so complicated and fun to just zone out making ice cream by hoof.
Making ice cream with her mother was how she'd earned her cutie mark. She smiled as she remembered the pride in her mother's eyes, she had been so happy for Cinnamon Flower... and then she'd died. And left her alone with a father who hated her and rightly blamed her for her mother's death.
Cinnamon took in a deep breath and pushed the emotions away, she was too good at it, and she knew it wasn't healthy, but she was in public, she could cry later.
She pushed open the door to Sugarcube Corner and inhaled the scents of freshly baked pastries and treats.
"Hi Cinnamon! Come for a treat?" Pinkie Pie asked as she leaned on the counter, scribbling on a paper.
"Yeah, Twilight left some bits for me, and I figured I could get my marefriend some treats for being so nice and sweet."
Pinkie dropped the pen she was holding.
"Marefriend?!" She exclaimed.
"Oops." Cinnamon mumbled. "I thought she'd already told you."
"So that's what the pinkie sense earlier was! Twilight got a marefriend!" Pinkie squealed and clapped her hooves.
"Don't tell her I told you please!" Cinnamon pleaded.
"No promises!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Twilight's favorite is cinnamon sugar cookies, by the way."
"Well then I'd like a dozen of those." Cinnamon said and pulled out the appropriate payment.
"I'm real glad Twilight and you got along so well." Pinkie exclaimed as she put the bits into the register. "I was kinda worried she might get all paranoid again thinking you'd take over as Star's mom. Did you know she actually threatened Princess Celestia because of Star Chaser?" Pinkie laughed and gathered the supplies.
"I didn't, what happened?"
"Celestia suggested putting Star Chaser in the bad orphanage, and Twilight wasn't havin' it. I think Celestia has gotten a lot sorted out, maybe Twilight should go take Star Chaser and you to talk about it with her in Canterlot. Star might like the big city!"
"That doesn't sound like a bad idea actually." Cinnamon smiled.
"Here's your cookies! If you want company going to Canterlot if you decide to go, the girls and I would love to go with. We haven't seen much of Twilight since she took in Star Chaser, being a mommy is a full time job!"
"You know what Pinkie, I'll definitely pass on the message." Cinnamon laughed. "I'm sure Twilight misses you guys."
"I smell Pinkie Cookies!" Twilight called and poked her head around the doorway.
"How did you-" Cinnamon began.
"It's Pinkie Pie's baked goodies! I have a nose for them!" Twilight cheered and picked up a cookie and began munching on it.
"Pinkie Pie wants us and the rest of your friends to go to Canterlot on a little outing apparently."
"Oh, but what about Star?" Twilight frowned.
"He comes with us obviously, she already said so." Cinnamon giggled.
"Right, of course." Twilight laughed.
"Oh... and I um... I kind of accidentally told her we're dating." Cinnamon said quickly.
Twilight choked on her cookie, spraying crumbs.
"Oh crap! I completely forgot to tell them!"
"Well, I did it for you." Cinnamon burst out laughing at Twilight's reaction.
