Running With Babies

by Princess Maxii

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Romance, Original Character, Spike
Length: 10514

Sequel to 'Running While Preggers'. Jasmine and Spike raise their children while facing the reality that they might be social outcasts.

Jasmine and Spike have beautiful babies together. They have helped saved Equestria but how will they take care of a litter of draconaquus/dragon hybrid babies and help them deal with being unique?
Read and find out!
The third story on the Spike X Jasmine Trilogy!

Published 2015-01-27 04:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2017-01-23 20:29:35 UTC

Act 1: 01

Book One

Arriving

The group stopped to rest in the station of the Crystal Empire. Jasmine, the raven-haired, female draconaquus, nuzzled Spike. Spike grasped her in his arms and smiled.

"We're here!" he exclaimed. The group cheered and eagerly looked around for any sign of ponies they knew.

"Reckon Cadence would meet us here?" Applejack asked. Twilight nodded.

"Of course. We've come on time. I sent her a message via Spike." The drake in question grinned and held his girlfriend even closer.

"Yup. I'm the best way to send mail. Can't go wrong with this bad boy." He blew out a small green flame to prove a point. Fluttershy chuckled. Wolf Grey, a mysterious and carefree pegasus, took her bags and dragged them off the platform. Fluttershy shook her head and followed.

"C'mon, guys, Wolf Grey's got the right idea!" George Fleur Party, Twilight's boyfriend, trotted after the two. Twilight sighed in that 'isn't-he-so-cute' way and tugged her bags off the platform. George then realized he'd forgotten to get his own bags. Eclipse LunarSol, the captain of the Celestial Guard, handed them to him with a smug look.

"Forgot something, GG?"

"Ah... yea... thanks." he said, blushing. Pinkie giggled and nudged Big Mac, who was holding his, Zecora, Rarity, and Shy Heart's luggage. Rarity, Shy Heart, a friendly but mellow unicorn, and Zecora were holding four of Jasmine and Spike's kids. The infants were wrapped up in blankets and snoring. Night Flower, a cat-sitting griffon and Shy Heart's boyfriend, and Rainbow Dash held the other two.

"We better get going guys! Don't want to miss meeting Cadey, do you?" Pinkie chirped before bouncing happily off the platform and on her way to the Crystal Empire castle. Every pony started walking and soon, they could see the castle coming into view. They continued to walk, murmurs of awe and interest filling the air along with the chirps of birds and the random noises of wildlife mixed with typical town sounds. A Crystal stallion walked by the group with a colt. The stallion gave the group a smile and waved before walking away, the colt not far behind.

"Nice to know the ponies here are friendly." Jasmine whispered to Spike. The group continued on. The castle was right in front of them now and they started to chatter excitedly. There was Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor waiting for them at the entrance, four Crystal guards watching the group warily.

"Cadence!" Twilight squealed. She ran up to her former foal sitter and they did their usual greeting.

"Sunshine, sunshine
Ladybugs awake!
Clap your hooves
And do a little shake!"

George cleared his throat, which probably wasn't the best move since that caught Shining Armor's attention and made him narrowed his eyes at him. Twilight, on the other hand, turned and blushed. She returned to her spot next to George.
"Well, this is our group from Wakonda. Every pony, these are Princess Mi Amora Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. Of course, you can just refer to them as Princess Cadence and-"

"I'd rather not have every pony call me prince." Shining shuffled his hoof in the dirt. "Not quite comfortable with it."

"Oh, please." Cadence teased. "You'll get used to it."

"Come on in every pony. You've all come a long way." Every pony carried their things inside and handed Spike and Jasmine their kids. Jasmine snuggled her babies and kissed Spike tenderly. He blushed.

"Get a room." George said playfully. Eclipse, Applejack, and Pinkie chuckled. Twilight started to gesture to ponies and introduce them.

"This is Big Macintosh. Big Mac or Mac for short. This is Zecora. You've heard of her right? This is Wolf Grey. Grey for short. This is Eclipse LunarSol. Eclipse for short. This is Shy Heart. We call her Heart or tee for short. Well, mostly Heart. This is Night Flower, we just call him night flower." Night Flower frowned. He crossed his forelegs. Twilight shrugged. "This is... uh... I actually don't know. This mare just followed us... for some reason..."

"Oh, I'm the nurse. I just want to hang with you guys. No biggie."

"But your name...?"

"Oh! My name is Willow Tree."

"Well, um, Nurse Tree is here so... ah... I don't know what to say about that. But lastly, this is George Fleur Party."

"GG!" Pinkie hollered.

"GG for short." Twilight nuzzled George. Shining and Cadence's eyes widened. Cadence smiled but Shining gritted his teeth.

"Sup." George gave a brave smirk.

"Welcome all." Shining walked off, obviously peeved. Every pony cheered.

Every pony decided to scout the castle out or check the empire. The castle was huge and beautiful. It sparkled like jewels in the sun. The rest of the empire was whole different kind of beautiful. The building were colorful and festive. The ponies were kind and they sparkled just as bright as the castle. The rock candy was especially the best. It was fun, but it was getting late. Every pony decided to find places to crash. Jasmine and Spike got a room in the hall where the Elements normally housed themselves when they spent the night. Night Flower took Shy Heart to a hotel. They promised to hang out the next day. George was surprised when Twilight offered to let him sleep in her room.

"I mean, you can sleep on the little mini couch that's there." Twilight said, blushing.

"Ah... sure. I could... I could do that."

"Really?" Twilight wrapped her hooves around his neck. "Great! Let me see if every pony else has a place to sleep." The Elements, of corse, were covered. Wolf Grey decided to rest in a cloud, Eclipse moved in with her husband and three fillies, and Big Mac decided to follow Night Flowers' idea and take Zecora to a hotel.

Once the night was at full swing, everypony settled down and went to sleep. They were excited to have reached their destination on time and they couldn't wait for the beginning of their new lives. Jasmine put the babies to sleep and curled up next to Spike. She couldn't help wondering about something. She noticed that Princess Luna, Discord, and Science, her large zebra rat, were nowhere to be found. She knew that they hadn't even bothered to show up when everypony was leaving. She figured they were traveling by their own means or that something had come up. Jasmine sighed. She hoped that the three were okay, especially Science. Jasmine yawned and closed her eyes. She was drifting off into a deep sleep when one baby, Sookie, started to cry. Once one baby cried, the other woke up too and soon, all of the sextuplets were crying their eyes out. Spike sat up and frowned. Jasmine yawned and turned to him.

"That's on you, mr. daddy." she smirked. Spike got up and dragged his feet, feeling exhausted. "Oh come on. You can't be that tired."

"I am that tired."

"Well, get used to it. You'll be waking up at this time for months." Spike groaned.

He shouted to the heavens, "WHY MUST YOU CRY, BABIES, WHY!?"

Act 1: 02

Running 'Round

Jasmine snuggled Spike and gathered their children together. Spike watched as the little ones nursed and sighed as they began to fall asleep again. They'd kept him up all night and he was ready to try and get some shut-eye. He yawned and curled up next to his beloved but just as he closed his eyes, a hyper pink mare came bouncing in and began to talk a million miles a minute.

"So, now that it's morning we can totally hang out together with all our friends and we can play with the little babies. Such cute Lille cutie wooties! We can show them off to Shining Armor and Cadence since their the babies' god parents...or would they be god siblings or god aunty and uncle? I think they should be god aunty and uncle but I've never heard of that and if I've never heard of it them it must not exist but if it doesn't exist that means I can invent the phrase and if I do that then it will exist and there won't be a problem with it anymore but then there's also the problem that ponies might think it's silly and get really frustrated when I use the term but I won't really mind as long as you don't mind and approve of the phrase because you'll be the one using it. But then again, I don't want anypony to get frustrated so I'm still not sure if I should still say god aunty and uncle or just stick with god parents even though it is technechly incorrect."

"Oh, c'mon Pinkie...I just wanna sleep." Spike groaned. Jasmine laughed.

"Good luck on that. We won't be getting any sleep with these little ones." She nuzzled Bubble, who yawned and cuddled closer to Plateous. Sookie whimpered and pounced on Cherok who, in turn, woke up Draven and Flo with his whining.

"Aww! Their just so cute! I can't wait until their a few months old!" Pinkie gushed.

"Why?" Jasmine asked.

"Oh, Pinkie used to watch the Cake twins a few months after they were born." Spike explained. "They were a handful but she ended up doing a lot better then we expected."

"I told you I could do it!"

"Trust me, Pinkie. We knew you'd pull it off somehow. It's just first baby jitters."

"I'll say!" Pinkie giggled. Jasmine brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes and raised a brow.

"What do you mean, first baby jitters?" she asked.

"Well, non of us had really been around any newborn foals around that time..."

"...So everyone was super happy to see those cutie pies and it was almost like the twins were their foals!" Pinkie and Spike giggled together and hoof/claw bumped. Jasmine laughed.

"I suppose I had to have been there, huh?" She stretched and got to her feet. "Well, since it's obvious we won't be getting any more sleep today, how about we explore?" Spike stood and gasped.

"Oh, that's right! You've never been to the Crystal Empire!"

"Well, better get a move on! We're going to have a super funerific day!" Pinkie bounced in place with a huge grin on her face.

"Oh, but who'll watch the kids?" Jasmine glanced at the infants with worry.

"I can! I've got experience!" Pinkie chirped.

"Uhh...I dunno...Pinkie..." Spike said nervously. He glanced at his lover and they exchanged looks. "I mean, we can take them with us..."

"Nonsense! You sound just like Mr and Mrs. Cake! You go and enjoy your day while I take good care of these little angels!" Pinkie managed to push the draconaquus and dragon outside of the room with little effort. "Tell me all about how much fun you had when you get back, bye!" She gave them a gentle shove and slammed the door. The couple glanced at each other and shrugged. They headed down the hallway...

Snookie woke up first. She was the first to notice that her mother wasn't there. The tan colored infant looked around and whimpered when all she saw were her brothers and sisters. She nudged Flo, who began to growl for being awakened. Snookie whimpered until Flo finally lifted her head and let out a loud yip. Draven groaned in annoyance. His sisters were really interrupting his nap. Snookie whimpered again, crawling over Cherok, Plateous, and Bubble, and stopped in the spot where their mother was supposed to be.

Flo noticed that they were on the bed alone and let out a whine. Draven opened his eyes and looked around, wondering what was going on. Flo's eyes filled with tears and she crawled next to Snookie. Bubble yawned and watched Draven, Flo, and Snookie scoot around on the sheets, searching for their mother. Where was their mother? She crawled past her wailing brother and sisters and to the edge of the bed. Plateous was watching her, half awake, and yawned. Cherok headed towards her, curious of what she was doing.

There were pillows... huge... massive... pillows all along the edges of the bed. They made Bubble feel small, well, smaller than she was, anyway. She tried crawling over them... just to see what was beyond those massive pillow gates... but they were to high for her to get over. She let out a frustrated wail, calling her brothers over. Cherok was at her side in a few moments, Plateous a few hoof lengths away, trying to get over the pillows himself.

Bubble watched him before growing bored and started pushing one of the pillows with her forelegs. Cherok found this interesting and starting pushing the same pillow. Plateous joined them, interested in the new game his sibling had created. The three pushed, and to their surprise, the pillow moved! Bubble let out an excited squeak, which alerted her other three siblings in the center of the bed. They came over, curious of the new game and joined in on the fun.

They pushed together, causing the pillow to slowly... oh so slowly move over the edge of the bed. There were several squeals of surprise when the pillow finally toppled over the side and hit the floor with a 'plumf'. They all paused for a few seconds, letting their victory soak in. Flo laughed and and began babbling excitedly. Sookie wasted no time in rushing to get off the bed-prison. It was time to find mommy!

"Careful, little one, you might fall!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. She picked Sookie up and bounced her gently in her hooves. "Aw, you're so cute! You babies and your little adventures."

Sookie babbled angrily at the pink she-demon. She wasn't her mother! She squirmed and twisted away from the kisses and hugs, wailing out to her siblings. Bubble was about to head towards the edge of the bed too but Pinkie plopped the pillow in it's place. Draven squeaked in surprise. It was as if they hadn't done anything! One by one, they began to cry of their defeat.

"Don't cry! I've got your bottles ready. Look, their right here!" Pinkie scooped them all up and somehow managed to give them all their bottles. Silenced by the deliciously warm and yummy drinks, the babies began to nod off. What were they doing? What were they crying about again? Their adventure was quickly forgotten as their bellies filled. Pinkie burped them and placed them in the bed-prison again. Sookie yawned and rolled over to cuddle Cherok.

No, not a bed-prison anymore. Just a bed, made for napping.

Jasmine and Spike entered the room with grins on their faces. Pinkie was on the carpet with the sextuplets climbing on her and babbling to each other. She giggled and smiled at the returning couple. Cherok clamped down on her ear and giggled. Draven was playing tug of war with her tail when Flo slipped off of Pinkie's barrel and crashed into him. Bubble bounced on Pinkie's head and smiled down on Plateous and Sookie. The two stopped chewing on Pinkie's foreleg to babble at her before Sookie saw her parents. She squealed and crawled towards them.

"Hi sweetie! You missed me? You missed mommy?" Jasmine cooed, picking up her daughter and nuzzling her. The other infants left Pinkie and rushed to their parents too. Spike sat on the carpet and the little ones jumped on him and nuzzled him and yippee at their mother to join in. Jasmine chuckled and sat, letting Sookie greet her father as well.

"Seems like they had a great day." Spike said. He nuzzled Jasmine. "Doesn't it?"

"Oh, yes. Thank you for watching them, Pinkie."

"Anytime!" Pinkie bounced over to them and smiled. "They had quite the adventure today." The couple glanced at each other.

"They did, did they?" Spike smiled.

"What kind of adventure? Was it action filled?" Jasmine nuzzled Plateous.

"Oh yes! They searched for the missing Nourisher after discovering it's absence. They searched far and wide before finding a huge wall blocking all who try to exit. They struggled to get over it but failed. Then, they learned of the magic of teamwork. Together, they managed to topple the Great Wall and see freedom in it's truest form..." Pinkie paused to gently poke Sookie in the belly. Sookie laughed as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Jasmine and Spike leaned forward, waiting to hear the rest. "Yes?" they urged. "What happened next?"

"It was time for a bottle!" Pinkie chirped and bounced past them and out the door. "See ya later!" Sookie watched the pink mare go with interest before curling up by Plateous.

"What a way to end a story." Spike murmured. Jasmine just laughed.

Author's Note

I've written ahead chapters so if you want to include an OC in my story, please tell me so I can include them in the next possible chapter I am working on at that time.

This story will be updated on time. Updates will be weekly, every Tuesday.

Act 1: 03

Relaxing Day

It was a warm day in the Crystal Empire. Everypony was outside, enjoying the weather and spending time with friends, especially the large group of traveling friends. Cadence had thought it was a nice idea to have a little get together to just relax and get to know everypony. She'd chosen a large field with good shading and a nice view of the the Crystal Heart.

Sookie whimpered. It was boring to watch the older ponies and creatures talk and mingle together while she and her siblings were stuck in the protective embrace of their mother. She let out a mewl, just to alert her mother to her discomfort. Jasmine gave Sookie an affectionate lick and smiled.

"Now, don't you cry, little one. Mommy's right next to you." she said. Flo sighed and nuzzled her.

Being an infant, Sookie only got the gist of what what her mother was saying. She began to get fussy, showing exactly what she wanted, or so she thought. To Jasmine, the infant was either hungry, tired, or needed changing. She rose and placed the sextuplets into the gated play area by a rather small tree. The infants mewled and looked at each other in confusion. Where was mom going?

Eclipse LunarSol handed an apple to Applejack and smiled. The farm mare took a bite and chuckled. "It ain't as good as one from Sweet Apple Acres but it sure is tasty." Eclipse laughed and waved a hoof.

"That's all I needed to hear," George Fleur Party joked. "That these crystal apples are Applejack Approved!" This line earned laughs from everypony as they dug into their own food. Twilight put a hoof on George's and nuzzled him.

The group was in the more open part of the field, bunched loosely together and with the play area in their line of sight, should any of them turn their heads. Spike was among them, talking and gathering some food stuffs to bring to his beloved. Wolf Grey eyed the last carrot the drake had selected and his stomach grumbled.

"Hey, how about we share that carrot, huh?"

"It's not for me but you can have half," Spike broke the carrot in half and handed one end to the pegasus. Wolf Grey took it and grinned.

"Thanks, bud."

"No problem." Fluttershy, who was conversing with Rarity and Zecora, stopped talking and pointed a hoof in the direction of the play area. Rarity and Zecora turned to see Jasmine approaching the group.

"Jasmine!" Rarity called. Everypony's head turned to see the female draconaquus smile and wave shyly.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm not you know... chatting it up and such... I wanted to give the kids a hug and then I just didn't want to get up."

"Who can blame you?" Night Flower said, smiling and putting a forleg around Shy Heart. "Those babies of yours are so cuddly."

"And they can be so sweet," Flutterhshy added.

"Not to mention that their so cute!" Shy Heart squealed.

"Their cuteness in which we are so fond," Zecora began, gesturing to Jasmine and Spike. "Maybe it is a product of your strong bond." Twilight gave George a kiss on the cheek. Shining Armor nuzzled Cadence and she giggled. Wolf Grey glanced at Fluttershy and they blushed. As all the couples in the group began nuzzling and showing affection, Rainbow Dash gagged.

"Guys, come on. Don't get all sappy over kids."

"When you find your special somepony and/or have foals of your own, we'll see who'll be one of the 'sappy ones'." Eclipse said, waving a hoof at the hovering pegasus.

"Pffft, please! Like I would ever get that sappy," Rainbow folded her forlegs and gave a cocky smirk. Cadence shook her head with a smile and kissed Shining Armor.

"Boy, she has a lot to learn."

Eclipse only smiled and gave Rainbow a knowing look. "You wouldn't get that sappy?"

"That's what I said!"

Applejack grinned. "Ya might wanna restate that statement, sugarcube." Rarity laughed and leaned on Pinkie for support.

"What's so funny? All I said was-oh..." Rainbow Dash turned a bright shade of red. "I meant, I wouldn't get sappy at all! I would be cool! 20% cooler than all this mushy gushiness!" Spike covered his mouth to prevent the giggles from escaping. Jasmine smirked.

"Oh, Rainbow, darling. You musn't worry. When you get sappy, I'm sure it'll be much cooler than you think now." Rarity flipped her hair with her hoof and smiled. Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"I've got some apples, some oranges, a cupcake, and half a carrot for you," Spike said, handing a small baggy to his girlfriend. Jasmine accepted it and kissed him tenderly. He blushed.

"I love how you've been in bed with me more than once and you still blush like crazy," Jasmine murmured. Spike leaned over and bopped Jasmine's nose with his. She blushed.

"See? I'm not the only one who does it," Spike turned away and blushed more. "Besides... I think you look even cuter when you blush..." Jasmine smiled and blushed harder. Rainbow Dash gagged again.

"These freaking lovebirds are killing me!"

"I think it's cute..." Shining said. Eclipse nodded and looked a bit sad for a second. She looked off into the distance and sighed. "Missing your family?" Shining asked her. She nodded, unable to speak at the moment. "Where did they go?"

"I was able to see them right before they got on the train to Hoofington." Eclipse lowered her gaze. "They'll be back soon, but not soon enough... I miss them like crazy."

Pinkie, Fluttershy, Shy Heart, and Jasmine practically jumped Eclipse to give her a hug. She fell to the ground and they piled on top of her, squeezing like there was no tomorrow. She laughed and tried to push them off.

"Guys, you really don't need to-"

"Don't be sad! Turn that frown upside down!" Pinkie wailed.

"Please...if you don't mind..." Fluttershy added.

"They'll be back before your now it! And we're all here to cheer you up!" Jasmine chirped.

"I'm sure they miss you just as much so that means you guys can feel the love," Shy Heart said. "You can feel it really deep in your heart."

"The sap is so real right now! Jeez!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Spike bit into an apple and smiled. Applejack and Rarity blared at Rainbow fiercly before joining in on the hug.

Sookie watched her mother hug some pony and narrowed her eyes. She was beginning to get hungry and it didn't look like her mother was bringing any bottles... Flo yawned and rolled over into her nosy sister. Sookie inspected her sister and babbled in frustration. Flo didn't have a clue what was irritating her sister so she let out a wail. Draven looked up but then looked away in disinterest. Cherok, plateaus, and Bubble began to crawl to their distressed sisters to figure out what was the problem.

Flo grabbed Cherok with her claws and giggled as she played with his face. Cherok pulled away and fell over into Plateous. Flo and Sookie giggled, quickly forgetting why they were distressed. Draven craned his neck to see what was so funny. Plateous hit his little head a little too hard so he rubbed it and tears filled his eyes. Cherok watched his brother curiously. Flo and Sookie stopped laughing and watched as well. Plateous began to cry, tears like a waterfall down his face. Draven narrowed his eyes and pouted. The others watched their brother and began to tear up as well. Soon, all the infants (except for little Draven) were crying their eyes out.

Jasmine's ears perked up at the sound of her infants crying. Everypony got quiet. Twilight blinked, "I think your cubs miss you," she said.
Jasmine turned in their direction and her ears drooped.

"Oh, my poor babies. They probably miss me already-"

"Relax. I'll go spend some time with them." Spike started to go towards the infants when Applejack whistled to him. He turned.

"Why not just bring 'em on over here?"

"Their so cute! I wanna hold one!" Pinkie chirped, bouncing in place. There were murmurs of agreement.

"I wouldn't mind holding little Bubble again..." Fluttershy said.

"Ah, kids. Their so much not like cats," Night Flower sighed. Shy Heart and Rarity gave him odd looks. "What?"

"You know, I wouldn't mind playing with Sookie. She can be so rowdy... just like me!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "She's gonna be awesome when she's older. But not as awesome as me, of course."

Eclipse smiled and chuckled. "Remember, you two, we're all family. Now, bring your little ones over here to play."

Act 1: 04

Outside Ambitions

"Spike, I'm going to hang with Princess Luna and Discord for the afternoon. Do you think you can watch the kids until I come back?"

"Sure. It can't be that hard."

"Just remember that you have to burp them after you feed them."

"Alright."

"And to check their diapers every now and then."

"Okay."

"And to clean them up after they have their bottles."

"...Got it..."

"Oh, and don't forget to-"

"Alright! I get it! Seriously, Jazz, I got this. I'm fine, they'll be fine... we need to start splitting 'baby time' more evenly because it's starting to feel like you're the dominant parent here..."

"Oh, sweet heart... It's because I am the dominant parent."

"Ha ha, very funny."

"Oh, you know I'm teasing, love. Later! I'll tell Luna and Discord you said hi!"

Jasmine flapped her wings and looped into the air. She loved the feel of the breeze in her hair and especially enjoyed the warm rays of sunshine on her back. It was a great day for a fly, especially with her two friends. Luna was flying beside the female draconaquus, smiling and pulling a few stunts of her own. Discord watched the two with an amused expression.

Jasmine turned to him. "Do our loopdey loops amuse you, Dis?" Discord grinned.

"I haven't see you two play around like this in a while," Discord eyed Luna. "Especially you, Moon Head."

"You make it seem like I'm a bore," Luna said, flying in between the draconaqui.

"You are!" Discord exclaimed. Jasmine shot him a venomous look and he threw his arms up. "What?"

"Oh, Discord..." Jasmine shook her head and turned to Luna. "Princess, you're certainly not a bore."

"Thank you, Jasmine."

"You're just a little... moody." Luna's smile melted into a frown.

"Moody?"

"Oh, don't take it the wrong way..."

"Yea, don't take it the wrong way that you're moody and boring," Discord said.

"I'm just saying that ever since... you know... your sister... you've been..."

"Depressed. You've been really depressed and moody and boooring," Discord stated. Jasmine glared at him. "Jeez, what?"

"Jazz, am I really all that?" Luna asked.

"No, Luna. Discord is just being a goofball, as usual."

"Hey!" Discord grinned. "I'm a lovable goofball."

"Look! There's the Crystal Mines I was telling you two about," Luna pointed at a large cave in the distance surrounded by small trees and bushes. "That's where he crystal ponies find those rare gems you and Spike like so much."

"Awesome sauce!"

"Flying is boring me. Let's just-" Discord snapped his claws and they appeared in front of the caves large entrance. "-teleport there!"

"Okay, okay, we're here! First one inside is a rotten egg!"

"What do you have against rotten eggs? I call favoritism over fresh eggs!"

"Draven, get down here this instant! Sookie, stop jumping on Plateous! Bubble, please don't cry..." crash "Hey! Don't do that! Isn't it nap time?! Go to sleep! No, wait, don't move that from there-" thud "Not the lamp! Cherok, come here! Flo, what are you-?" crack "Jasmine's going to kill me... There's no way I'm going to be able to clean all this up before she gets back..."

The infants yelled happily together and threw another lamp on the ground. This was so much fun! Their mother not being home was like all the rules were just made to be broken. Sookie and Flo grabbed and lamp that was on the floor and started rolling it towards ther father. Bubble watched quietly while Plateous and Cherok giggled and made an even bigger mess. Draven jumped onto his fathers' head and clung to him with his tiny claws.

Freedom will be miiiiine!

"Draven, I am not a climbing post!" Spike didn't notice Sookie and Plateous push a fallen lamp behind him as he took an yep backwards. He stumbled over it and fell backwards, hitting the ground with a yelp. Sookie and Flo laughed, their other siblings joining in. "I'm really starting to rethink how this day is supposed to go." Spike groaned. Sookie hopped onto his chest and started jumping up and down triumphantly.

We have tamed the Daddy Monster! I'm the mighty adventurer!

The other infants decided to join in on the fun so they climbed onto their fathers chest and stomach and began to jump together, giggling all the while. Spike grunted and rubbed his head. "Well, at least you're not breaking anything else." crash "Nevermind..."

"I found a big purple one! I can totally give this to Spike as a gift!" Jasmine yelled and she eyed and especially large gem. Luna swiveled her head in the female draconaquus' direction to get a glimpse. She smiled and nodded.

"It is beautiful indeed."

"You should taste it first, so you know how good it is before you give it to your little boyfriend," Discord said, an odd note in his voice. Jasmine glanced at him before looking away. Luna watched them with a puzzled expression.

"I'll just wait until he gets it for him to tell me what it tastes like... better yet, I know he'll most likely share," Jasmine glared at Discord. "Because his kindness is one of the many things I love him for."

"Such a night in shining armor you have."

"Comrades..." Luna's eyes darted from either draconaquus and she put up a hoof. "Can we talk about Spike later? You guys shouldn't-"

"Of course, Princess. I should be talking about friendship stuff with my friend, right Dis?" Jasmine folded her arms.

"Exactly, friend."

"Speaking of friendship topics, I have so much to tell you about the gossip I heard..." Luna began saying. Jasmine and Discord listened intently, picking up gems all the while.

George and Cadence galloped down the hallways and skidded to a stop in front of one of the many doors. They looked around, unsure if Spike was still home. There was a loud bang followed by a crash inside and they immedietly knew he was still there. George leaned forward and knocked several times.

"Spike? Are you okay in there?" George asked. There was some shuffling before the door opened to reveal a very tired and stressed dragon.

"Do I look okay?"

"Wow, what did they do to you?" Cadence asked, inspecting Spike from head to claw. "You look like...well..."

"Hell," George finished for her. Spike and Cadence gave him odd looks.

"Hell...? What's that?" Cadence cocked her head to the side.

"A bad place where I'm from," George answered. Spike was about to ask a follow-up question but sighed and shook his head instead.

"Please help me clean up this mess and put these younglings to sleep before Jasmine comes back!" Spike gestured wildly to the out-of-control infants making a mess in the room.

"Alright, but you owe me after this," George trotted past the distressed drake and picked up a cracked lamp off the floor. "Jeez, these little cuties did all this? What did you do, give them a bag of sugar?" Spike rubbed his neck sheepishly. George and Cadence stared at him. "You didn't give them any sugar, did you?!"

"Well, not sugar as in, well, sugar. I gave them some...ice-cream..."

"We have to calm them down before Jasmine gets back. She's gonna freak!" George picked up all the damaged objects off the floor while Cadence gathered up the infants and tried to put them to sleep.

"Good thing Jasmine's not here, huh?" Cadence said.

"Why is it a good thing I'm not here?" Jasmine asked from behind Spike, who was standing right in front the open door. He froze and turned around slowly, a nervous smile plastered on his face.

"Oh...hey...Jazz..."

Jasmine looked around the room, her expression switching from confusion to shock to irritation. "Spike..." she growled.

"That's my cue to dash!" George bolted past them and into the hallway. He ran into Princess Luna and Discord and said to them, "It's a mess in there. If I were you, I'd stay back. Spike's about to get his ears nagged off."

"What?" Luna raised a brow. Discord grinned.

"If there's one thing I know, it's that you stay far away from a mare when she's mad." With that, George continued down the hall. Princess Luna and Discord went to the door and inspected the room for themselves.

"What a riot! Spike isn't so perfect after all!" Discord laughed. He stopped immedietly when Jasmine glared at him.

"I'm not even going to say anything... I'm just going to walk away and pretend the room isn't a mess and the younglings aren't bouncing off the walls," Jasmine sighed and walked away. Spike sighed in relief.

"I think we should clean this up while she's doing that," Spike suggested.

"We?!" Discord was about to fly away but Luna grabbed him.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?"

"Oh, you're no fun."

Act 1: 05

Willow's Whims

Willow Tree Knocked on the wooden door and waited patiently for somepony to answer. Spike opened the door looking tired and irritated. He grumbled a greeting to the brown mare and gestured for her to come in. She walked past him and saw Jasmine inside. She looked tired too. Her hair was tangled and her fur was ruffled. Draven and Sookie were screaming their heads off and tugging on their mothers tail. The other four infants were playing around on the covers of the bed.

"Wow, you guys really getting the hang of 'The Parent Look'," Willow said, chuckling.

"I swear they do this on purpose. They sleep all day, except for when I watch them, of course, then, they have random outbursts during the night," Spike groaned.

"Well, I wouldn't say that, Spike..."

"What do you mean?"

"They don't sleep all day. They take short naps and they most certainly do not do what they do on purpose."

"So, they knock stuff down and climb all over me by accident?"

"What? Yes... no... They can't be held accountable for what they do."

"Jazz, they are capable of much more than you think."

"Their just babies, Spike!"

"Babies that secretly plot about how to make trouble and messes for their parents!"

"Spike!"

"Jasmine!"

"And Willow Tree, together in the house but apparently, the couple forgot she was there and began arguing over the antics of their offspring!" Jasmine and Spike turned to look at the strange nurse. "What? I'm having a little fun here."

"We weren't arguing... We were just... discussing things... about our children," Jasmine said, glancing at Spike.

"Sorry you had to see us arguing, Tree." Spike apologized. Jasmine glared at him. "What? No sense in denying it."

"I just said we weren't arguing,"

"But that wasn't true..."

"You're not supposed to say we were fighting, Spike."

Willow Tree waved a hoof in dismissal. "I was enjoying the show, actually."

"But we were."

"That's not the point!"

"What point?!"

"Spike!"

"What?!"

"For the love of Celestia..." Jasmine facepalmed and rubbed her forehead. "I don't even know..." Spike stared at her for a second and she glanced at him.

"You need a hug?"

"Yea... Come here, my crazy dragon."

"Aw, my sweet draconaquus..."

"Okay, now I'm bored and disgusted," Willow Tree said in a flat tone and reached into her saddlebags. She pulled out a sleeping figure and threw it at the hugging couple.

Gah! Ouch! The sleeping creature rose and yawned and stretched. Jeez, I can't even enjoy a midday nap nowadays.

Jasmine and Spike stared at the creature, a fuzzy, striped, and very large zebra rat. "Science?! Is that you?" The rat, obviously named Science, grinned and squeaked excitedly.

Oh, hey! What's up, Jasmine! Science looked Spike up and down. Hey, Spike. I see you're still with her. She hasn't gotten tired of you yet?

"Science..." Jasmine said in a warning tone.

"Still the same old rat attitude, I see." Spike mumbled.

Hey! I'll have you know that I am as young as I look...and I look very young!

"Yea, you keep thinking that," Willow said, rolling her eyes. "Anyways, I thought it would be fun to watch you guys, specifically Spike, listen to the meaningless chatter the funny-looking rat has to offer!"

"What is wrong with you?" Spike groaned.

"Well, I like sparkly vamponies and I enjoy your awkwardness. That's two things."

Can I be the babysitter?! Science squeaked.

"Why?" Spike questioned.

"Since when do you like babies?" Jasmine asked.

Please. I don't have to like them. I just want to sit on the babies! Willow was on the floor, laughing loudly in seconds. Jasmine and Spike shared a look before face clawing.

"And that's what a babysitter is," Jasmine said. "Do you understand why you can't sit on the younglings now?"

Science nodded. Yea, I do but now the whole babysitting thing seems much less exciting.

"What's exciting about sitting on babies?!" Spike asked in exasperation. Science gave him a sideways look.

Everything. Willow Tree laughed again and turned towards the door.

"As fun as this is, I wanna see if Night Flower is making a complete fool of himself with Shy Heart," she said as she headed out. Science didn't even bat an eye.

We should totally hang out with her more, Jasmine. Oh, and Spike?

"Yes?"

If you scratch behind my ears, I'll be your besty forever.

Once outside, Willow Tree had only gotten so far before she ran right into a big, pink cloud. She stared at it in wonder, noting its large size and strange color. She also noticed that it smelled very sweet. Touching it with her hoof, she realized that it was very fragile. Some of the soft, pink fluff stuck to her chocolate-colored hoof as she pulled it away.

I wonder if...? Willow put the fluff to her lips and licked it off her hoof.

"Just as I suspected," she mumbled. She sat on her haunches and ripped off more of the fluff. "It's a cotton candy cloud. Why would anypony leave such good candy to waste?" She ate the candy cotton off in her hoof and leaned forward to nibble on the candy cloud itself. "This tastes amazing...wait what's this?" She lifted a hoof and saw that it was dripping with a brown, sweet-scented liquid. "Could this be...?" lick. "Oh my goddess...It is! It's freaking chocolate milk! Where's a cup when you need it?!" Willow grinned and hopped around. Then, she stopped and frowned. "Boy, if that wasn't chocolate milk...this would've been a whole different situation..."

"I'm glad you're enjoying my handiwork but can you stop eating my resting place?" Willow looked up, startled to see a rather amused male draconaquus staring down at her. "You're disturbing my beauty sleep."

"Beauty sleep?" Willow scoffed. "Trust me, that won't help you even a little."

"My dear, are you calling me ugly?" Discord chose that moment to distort his face in a comical way.

Willow took a step back with a yelp. "Now you've made it worse! Besides, I wasn't calling you ugly. I'm just saying, you aren't what I would call a 'pretty boy'."

"Ah, you mares and your standards. Would you prefer me like this?" Discord snapped his claws and turned into a stallion. Willow's jaw dropped and she stared in surprise. "Dashing, aren't I?" Willow didn't respond. She blinked. "Speechless?" Discord appeared next to her and he wrapped a hoof around her barrel. "Do my pony hooves excite you?"

Willow shook her head and pushed him away. "First of all, ew. Second of all, nopony says 'dashing' anymore," Willow thought for a moment. "Well, except for that Rarity girl. Don't know what's up with her. She's a born snoot, you know?"

"While I do agree, seriously, stop eating my bed. I'm really trying to take a nap here." Willow took a glob of fluff from the cotton candy cloud and stuffed it in her mouth. She smirked at Discord's irritated expression. "You...don't comply to orders or rules very well...do you?"

"What gave it away?"

Discord smiled. I think I can learn to be friends with this one.

Willow scowled. Why the heck is he smiling at me like that? "You better not be getting any ideas, Mismatch!"

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it, Little Miss Fiesty."

Act 1: 06

The Sitter

Science watched the couple leave with a bored expression. She was starting to regret offering to watch the little ones. The younglings were wrestling with each other when she finally returned her attention to them. Sookie was the first of the younglings to notice that there was a different one watching her and her siblings. She had no clue who or what Science was but she noticed that Science was different. They went about their day, observing the zebra rat from a distance. From what they could gather, the six of them against her would be fun. It was not long before Science noticed that their little eyes seemed to be constantly watching her.

What're you looking at? Science asked. Sookie narrowed her eyes and circled her. Flo, Bubble, Cherok, Draven, and Plateous stopped their playing to watch their sister inspect the new one. Sookie gave her siblings a smile and they all turned to look at Science. What?

What Science didn't know was that the younglings were planning something; their escape. Sookie was the one to try to get the message to the unsuspecting rat. She wailed and screamed, pulling Science her tail towards the door, and the others giving giggles of encouragement. Science sighed and rolled her eyes. She led the sextuplets to the door.

I figured you rascals might want to explore a bit. Science stood up on her hindlegs and reached for the doorknob. Maybe you guys want to have an adventure or something... I think it'll be fun for all of us.

Jasmine and Spike were flying side-by-side over the city as they headed towards their friends, who were awaiting their arrival in the heart of city. Jasmine was explaining the days plans to Spike as they traveled. "Okay so... Discord and Luna want to meet up with us and we'll all go together to get Shy Heart and Night Flower," Jasmine said to Spike. Spike nodded.

"What about Wolf Grey? Or Eclipse?"

"Wolf Grey is on a date with Fluttershy."

"Really? I didn't know that he-" Jasmine placed a claw on Spike's lips and smirked.

"Spike, there's a lot of things you don't notice. They've been eyeing each other basically since they met."

"Thay have?" Spike asked, looking surprised. Jasmine gave him an exasperated look. "What? I didn't notice anything..."

"Oh, Spike," Jasmine laughed to herself and shook her head. Spike blushed and nudged her playfully. They began to play around a bit, flying in circles and showering each other with kisses and nuzzles. It was only of a few minutes of this before Spike's expression changed to one of worry.

"Do you think Science and the kids are alright?" he asked. Jasmine bit her lip but smiled.

"I'm sure their fine. Science is responsible... and I'm sure the younglings won't cause too much trouble..." She scanned the area around them and her eyes lit up when she saw two familiar figures. "Oh, look! There they are! Hi guys!" Discord and Luna were next to each other. Luna's unamused expression contrasted greatly to Discord's enormous grin.

"You're late," Luna said. Spike shrunk a little at her tone. Jasmine smied.

"Oh, what's the harm in a few minutes?"

"Plenty when there's other ponies waiting for us." Luna spread her wings and motioned for the rest to follow.

"Why didn't we all just meet here?" Spike asked.

"Because those love birds are across town."

"On the bright side, we get to listen to Willow Tree's day," Discord chirped as they took off.

"Willow Tree isn't-" poof "-here," Luna stared at the nurse, who was very angry at the moment and immediately began to yell.

"Disord! You little-"

"Oh, hello, my fiesty little firecracker. What's up?" Discord chuckled.

"Well, I was taking a nap before you randomly conjured me up!"

"Well, that's not entirely my fault, you see."

"And why not?!"

"I recall trying to take a nap not to many days ago and you began eating my bed." Willow blushed suddenly and smiled sheepishly.

"Oh... oh yea... I guess I did deserve to be disturbed then..." There was a pause, then, Willow went red. "But you could've gotten me back days ago! You choose to get payback now?!"

"Yup. Just to annoy you," Discord laughed. Jasmine, Luna, and Spike snorted and shook their heads.

"Outrageous!" Willow shrieked. She began to swear continuously as they flew.

Okay, so this should be a good place to have fun, huh? Science sat in a patch of grass and sighed as the younglings cautiously began to explore. They were in a small, grassy field which was only a fifteen minute walk from the castle and directly outside of Emerald Woods. Science had only let the younglings get so far before she had an amazing idea.

Hey, kids! Do you guys want to explore the woods? It'll be just like the old times with Jasmine and I... Sookie and the rest cooed in what sounded like agreement and began to follow Science deeper into the woods. As they walked, Science noticed the oddly shaped green fruit that grew from the trees. Their rough-looking surfaces reflected the light, making Science instantly think of shiny emeralds. She wondered for a brief second if the fruits were edible and more importantly; whether they tasted good. Bubble mewled in distress as her little stomach began to growl and snapped Science out of her thoughts. Sookie, Plateous, Draven, Cherok, and Flo stopped to comfort their sibling before they realized something; they were hungry too! Soon, they were all crying, ready to head home.

Science herded them up and led them in the direction of the exit when she heard a rustle in the bushes. She looked around and nudged the younglings forward. Thats our cue to go... I thought there were no wild beasts out here... Sookie babbled in protest but Science just picked her up and hurried the little ones as the rustling continued. There was a low growling coming from their left. Stay back! I know karate! Science yelled. The rustling stopped for a second, making Science relax before something jumped out and landed right on top of her.

HEEEEEEELP! I'M BEING MURDERED! Science screamed. The younglings watched in fear, then in curiousity. There was a hiper Cocker Spaniel puppy covering Science with her slobber as she licked her in eagerness. Ew...! What kind of beast kills with its tongue? Science finally opened her eyes and screamed again. GET OFF ME, YOU DIRTY MUTT!

Shy Heart looked up with a startled expression. Night Flower nudged her.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine... but did you hear that?" Shy Heart swiveled her ears around, trying to pinpoint the sound. Night Flower frowned. "Girls, do you hear that?" Jasmine and Luna stopped talking to listen. Spike turned to Night Flower.

"Do you hear anything?" hear asked.

"No... not really..." Night Flower shrugged.

"Maybe it's just girly paranoia?" Spike suggested. Jasmine, Luna, and Shy Heart glared at him. "Uh... or maybe... um... I'm going to be quiet now..."

It's going to eeeeeeaaaaaaat meeeeeeeeeeeeee! The group turned their attention to the shrubs to their right and were surprised to see a certain zebra rat, a jumpy puppy, and six grinning babies jump out.

"Science?" Spike said.

"Why are you out here with the children?! Do you know how chilly it is out here? They could get colds! They could've been bitten by something!" Jasmine shrieked. She scooped up her younglings and nuzzled them. "Are my little darlings alright?"

"Science, what are you doing here?" Spike asked. Night Flower glanced at Shy Heart, who was eyeing the puppy.

I took the little ones out for fresh air... then this BEAST came out! Science shook her paw at the puppy, who barked and gave her a lick. Ew! Disgusting mongrel!

"Funny how an animal refers to another as disgusting," Luna said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, what an adorable puppy. What'll we do with her?" Shy Heart asked.

"What do you mean?" Spike said.

"Well, we can't leave her out here all alone... She's just a pup," Night Flower responded.

"Well, I can see if Fluttershy will take her. She's very fond of animals, as you know." Jasmine spread her wings. "I think we should head back now, anyways."

"I'll carry the pup," Luna offered. She cradled the pup in her hooves and spread her wings. Everypony headed out of the woods and back in the direction of their homes.

"I think I should ask Pinkie to watch the kids again..." Jasmine muttered.

Aw, c'mon, Jasmine! I had fun with the little ones today!

"Maybe they can take turns babysitting, Jazz. They both seem to enjoy being with the younglings." Spike suggested.

"Good idea, Spikey." Jasmine nuzzled him and placed a kiss on his cheek. He blushed and smiled sheepishly.

That was on thing I didn't miss while you were gone. Bleh.

"Wait... You missed us? Even me?"

I didn't say that...

"Ha! Admit it! You're warming up to me!" Spike grinned.

Oh boy...

Act 1: 07

Dog Days

George Fleur Party trotted down the hallway, trying to be as silent as possible. As he passed the room where Jasmine and Spike were sleeping, he kept an eye out for a specific door. The door he was looking for stood out from the rest. It was white and sparkling like the rest of them but the image of Shining Armor and Cadence's cutie marks were in the center of it. He had to be very stealthy when he passed that door. He was going to meet Twilight to spend some quality time with her and Shining Armor was the last pony he wanted to run into along the way.

George basically tiptoed past their door, hoping and praying that Shining didn't use his weird sixth sense to figure out that he was passing. He had finally passed the door and nothing happened. With a grin on his face, George began to trot to Twilight's room.

"Why, hello, George."

George froze and turned slowly with a forced smile plastered on his muzzle. "Hey... Shining Armor... What's up?"

"Oh, nothing. Just heading out for a stroll. I see you had the same idea." Shining closed his door as silently as he had opened it. George glared at the door for a second, silently cursing it for not making a sound. "Where are you headed?"

"Uh..." The green unicorn had the feeling that the stallion in front of him knew the answer to that question already. "N-nowhere in particular..."

"So, you're just walking around, hoping to run into one of your friends?" Shining Armor began to walk alongside the nervous green unicorn. George gulped.

"Er... I was thinking of... hanging out with Twilight as well..."

"Oh?" Shining's voice was frighteningly calm. "There's not a lot of things for you two to do this late in the night."

"Knowing Twilight, she'd find something," George muttered. "Usually involving a book, too."

"Listen, George, I think we need to have a little talk," Shining started. "I know you and my little sister have a relationship going on right now and I must be intimidating, being former captain of the Celestial guard and all..."

"Eh... you can say that again."

"...but I just want you to know that you don't need to be so nervous. I'm not going to kill you or anything... without reason... If you hurt my sister in any way..." Shining stomped his right fore-hoof on the floor, the sound filling George's ears then fading away. "Got it?"

"Understood," George replied. Shining Armor abruptly turned and walked away in the opposite direction without a word and disappeared around the corner. George felt a terrifying mixture of relief and fear before cautiously continuing his journey to his marefriend's room.

George was not the only pony that was up and about that night. A few of his friends were spending some time together with Fluttershy. Jasmine was trying to get some sleep while Spike watched the pup play with the younglings. Wolf Grey was in the other room looking for some interesting games for all of them to play while Fluttershy went back and forth, catering to her guests. Wolf Grey came back with a three player game when there was a knock at the door. Fluttershy answered it and was pleased to see that it was Eclipse LunarSol. Fluttershy let her come in. Eclipse waved to everypony and gave the pup a pat on the head. The younglings giggled as the Cocker Spaniel bounded around them and barked in excitement.

"They really like her," Spike said, giving the pup a scratch behind the ears. "And she's so cute!" Fluttershy and Eclipse nodded.

"She really likes you all too," Fluttershy added.

"What're you gonna name her?" Eclipse asked Spike.

"Name her?" Spike glanced at the stray warily.

"Yea. You can't have a puppy with no name."

"What do you mean?" Spike said. "We're not going to keep her."

"Why not? She can keep the little ones company."

"But pets are just as much trouble as babies. I should know. I had a phoenix once."

"A phoenix?" Eclipse murmured. Fluttershy nodded with a smile.

"Spike, you did take very good care of your phoenix." the yellow mare said. Spike rolled his eyes. She was obviously siding with Eclipse.

"She'll tire them out, too." Eclipse added.

Spike paused for a moment. "Enough to make them sleep all night?"

"Well...sure!"

"If we keep her, the kids will all have a playmate, sleep at night, and Jasmine and I will be able to sleep properly again!" Spike shouted. Jasmine, who was snoozing on Fluttershy's couch, groaned and rolled over to glare at Spike. "Oops... Sorry."

"What's with all the hype now?"

"I was just telling Spike that you two should come up with a name for this little cutie," Eclipse explained.

"What about... Fluffy?" Spike suggested.

"Eh... Could be better..." Eclipse shrugged.

"She's so jumpy... so... How about Jumpy?"

"Really? Would you want to be named Jumpy?" Eclipse frowned. Spike blushed. Fluttershy giggled. "What about Sam?"

"Sounds better. Unique. Like a Dimond Dog or something." Eclipse nodded in approval.

"The name really fits. I'll go get some dog supplies for you," Fluttershy started to make a pile of dog essentials.

"Eh, but I still say the name still could use some work but it's better." Eclipse shrugged again.

"Sam it is!" Spike exclaimed.

"Wait... we can't get a puppy! That's even more mischief to deal with!" Jasmine groaned.

"But it also means a better sleep at night," Spike grinned.

"Oh, then it's totally worth it!"

"That's what I said!" Jasmine and Spike grinned. Wolf Grey walked in from the other room with a four player game and rolled his eyes when he saw the two jumping around merrily with Fluttershy watching with a grin.

"You guys are weird."

Author's Note

I changed the puppy's name. This is much better.

Act 2: 01

Strengthening the Moon

Cadence, Shining Armor, and Luna sat together in silence, tension thickening the air to the point that it was hard to breathe. At least, that's how it felt for Luna. Her heart was heavy and her mind full of doubt. They were in the crystal throne room, the walls sparkling brilliantly in the afternoon sunlight, pink crystal floors shining as if they had just been polished. A red carpet from the door to the base of the large thrones. It was beautiful, perfect even.

It made Luna sick.

She couldn't stand seeing everything run so smoothly and everypony being so happy, going about their lives like everything was okay. Secretly, she wished she could do the same. But everything wasn't okay.

"Princess?" My sister isn't here. Come back later, Luna thought bitterly. "Luna?" Luna blinked and squinted. She hadn't realized she was staring blankly out the window. She wondered how she looked while doing it. Had she said something out loud?

Cadence put a soft, pedicured hoof on Luna's shoulder. It was supposed to be comforting. But it made her flinch. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," Luna lied. Everything was wrong. Look at her hooves. Their even shinier than the floor! "I was thinking. I didn't mean to get so wrapped up in my thoughts."

"If you need help with anything or you just need to talk, I'm here." Cadence said. "We are both here."

"Noted," Luna said a bit too harshly. She softened her tone. "Thank you."

Shining was looking at her, sympathy filling his eyes. "When are you going to start construction? Eclipse sent out a few of her forces to scope out the damage and give us an idea of the work that needs to be done. I know it's a little soon to be talking about this . . ."

Luna turned her head slightly, looking at Shining out of the corner of her eyes. "We'll return in a week."

Cadence's hoof went rigid on Luna's shoulder. "So soon?"

"More than half of Canterlot is in ruins and who knows how many ponies are dead." Luna turned fully and looked Cadence square in the eyes.
"I know that she was your aunt as well as my sister. But she would not have wanted our once beautiful capital to stay in its current state for so long." She would've been half done by now, I bet.

"I understand, but you don't need to rush into anything, princess. Cadence and I can offer our own assistance to Equestria and I can even come along to help in person-"

"That won't be necessary, Shining Armor. You are needed here. I will inform the element bearers and they, as well as their loved ones will come back to Equestria."

Cadence nodded, tears forming in her eyes. She sniffed and smiled. "Please remember that if you want to talk I'm here for you."

"Of course." Luna bowed her head and walked to the gigantic gold and crystal doors, opening them with her magic and walking through, leaving the royal married couple to themselves. Luna could still hear Cadence sniffling softly. She always was an emotional one.

"I've already informed Twilight and the rest that we'll be leaving for Equestria in a week. They've gone out to settle any businesses or other loose ends and have already started to pack valuables." Eclipse said, standing at attention in front of Luna.

"Good. And have your pegasi scanned the damaged areas of Canterlot?"

"Yes, and it appears that the civilians have already begun making their own repairs. Also, it seems that damage to surrounding towns and cities are minimal. Just airborne rubble and sparks."

"At least she concentrated it to one area," Luna mumbled. That area being more than half of Canterlot, our once beautiful capital! "We'll fix it."

"We certainly will, your highness." Eclipse nodded, a determined look on her face. She bowed and trotted out, leaving Luna by herself. It was quiet for a moment before Luna sighed.

"I know you're here." Silence. Hearing things? Luna shook her head and frowned. "Don't make me have to find you."

"You're no fun." Discord appeared in a flash in front of Luna. He had a grin on his muzzle and a cup of chocolate milk in his claws. Jasmine appeared behind Luna with a familiar brown earth pony in her clutches.

"Aw, you were right, Willy. She knew we were here the whole time." Jasmine put the mare down and pouted. Discord chuckled.

"Quit calling me that." Willow Tree scowled.

"Why are you three spying on me?" Luna asked, not even sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"Simple. We wanted to check on you." Jasmine fluttered over the dark alicorn. "We haven't had some fun time in a while."

"I figured you would've went mad by now." Discord yawned and flashed Willow a smile. Willow's scowl deepened. "Careful, you'll ruin that pretty face of yours."

Willow turned beet red, but Luna couldn't tell if it was due to embarrassment or anger. "Why I outa club you upside your head!" Willow waved her hoof to express her annoyance and Luna couldn't help but chuckle.

"I assure you that I'm very sane. But I wouldn't mind relaxing for the rest of the day. We have a lot of work to do once we go back home."

"Oh yea, in a week, right?" Willow asked, her expression softening. Discord embraced her.

"Missing me already?" he cooed. Willow responded with a growl.

Jasmine clasped her claws together. "I'm so glad you're coming with us! You definitely need a break!"

Luna sighed and let herself be led by the three. After this, we won't be able to just hang out. Willow Tree trotted beside her to her left, glaring at Discord, who was covering above and enjoying bugging the mare. Jasmine was to her right and was humming some jolly tune.

Leave it to my friends to bring me back to sanity.