"Mom invited you back to Manehattan to tell you something?"

Zephyr and Scootaloo were at home discussing a letter Harpsong had sent them. She had requested Zephyr to go to Manehattan because she had some important news to share that she didn't want to say over letters. Said letter also mentioned that Scootaloo, Fluttershy, and even Rainbow could come along if they wanted.

"Seems so. I got vacation days piling up so, while it's only for today and tomorrow, I guess I could use them up. Did you want to go as well, Scoots?"

Scootaloo beams at the question. "Would I? Is the sky blue?"

"I'll take that as a yes, though I should have figured as much. Alright, we'll ask Shy and Rainbow if they want to come as well." He was interrupted by knocking at the door. Who should the two see after answering but Applebloom and Sweetie Belle with their sisters. "Hello, everypony. What's the occasion?"

Applejack shook her head. "Ah' need to focus on certain parts of the farm that Applebloom can't help with. Since Big Mac and Granny Smith have left for Baltimare, you were the only other pony ah' could think of to take care of her."

"Same thing with mine and Sweetie Belle's parents." Rarity let out a discontent sigh. "They've gone to Las Pegasus, leaving my sister with me. However, I received a massive order for dresses and I don't want to leave her alone."

Zephyr scrunched his muzzle at the explanations. "Thing is, I was just about to go ask Rainbow and Shy if they wanted to come to Manehattan with me to find out what my mom wanted to tell us. The only way I COULD look after your sisters as well is if they come with me."

"Oh that's fine! Gives Sweetie Belle a chance at seeing more of Equestria more outside of Ponyville and Canterlot!" Sweetie Belle suddenly found the clouds outside interesting, trying to hide the fact she was recently at the Crystal Empire.

"As much as ah'm worried about her, ah'm sure Applebloom will be fine with yer' family. Just be careful when ya' reach Manehattan, alright?"

The fillies all beam as they started chatting amongst themselves as to what Harpsong wanted to say. Zephyr rolls his eyes. "Then it's best you get them prepared for the journey. We might be gone for a few days so don't be surprised if it happens. Meet us at the train station once you're ready."

The older mares nod before collecting their sisters to help them pack for the trip. Zephyr turns back to Scootaloo. "In the meantime, I'll ask Shy and Rainbow as well. Be sure to have your bags packed as well, Scoots!" The filly nods before heading to her room.

Fluttershy had to turn the offer down. "My animals have been acting up recently and I don't know why. That's why I should stay behind and make sure they don't get too out of hoof."

"Hmm, strange. Maybe they're sensing something's amiss? Alright, I'll be sure to inform you of what mom tells me after we get back." He made sure to nuzzle Fluttershy before waving goodbye.

Similarly, Rainbow had to decline for work-related purposes. "We just received a massive shipment of rain clouds for use tomorrow so I need to sort that out. I'm sure you'll be fine with Squirt and her friends being along!"

"Will you be fine? I suddenly feel bad for--"

"Don't worry about it! Go visit your mother since it's been some time the two of you have visited. Say hi to your father for me as well!" She pecks Zephyr on the cheek with a cheeky grin before flying off to continue her work.

Hmm... I'm willing to bet bits to doughnuts that Pinkie and Twilight are busy with something as well. I wonder if this isn't a sign of something... oh well, no sense thinking too hard on it.

Not long after the train pulled into the Manehattan train station, three fillies and a Falconite disembarked and made their way into the city. Scootaloo immediately noticed something. "We're not going to mom's place?"

"We will, but her letter stated that she wanted us to go to a specific address first if we arrived before a certain time. I'm guessing it has to do with what she wants to tell us." Zephyr was a bit suspicious of the address, thinking it seemed less like a house one and more like a business one.

When they arrived, they were surprised to see that it was a school with a security guard out front. When Zephyr showed him the letter, he smiled. "Go on in. I'm sure you'll be in for a big surprise!"

The guard quickly switching to cheerful made the fillies excited as Sweetie Belle looked at the school. "Did Mrs. Windstorm become a teacher? That would be amazing!"

"Ah' thought she had her band, though?" Applebloom found the idea a bit farfetched, but she still couldn't hide her anticipation.

"Guess we'll find out. She told us to come to this specific room."

The group stops in front of one door and Zephyr knocks on it. "Come in!" When the four of them entered, Harpsong was sitting at the desk doing some paperwork. When she looked up, she beams. "Zephyr! Scootaloo! You even brought little Applebloom and Sweetie Belle!"

"Hi mom! Sorry Shy and Rainbow couldn't come, they were busy with other things."

"That's quite alright. I DID drop the invitation on you suddenly. Have a seat and I can get to what I wanted to tell you!" Harpsong motions towards the sofas in the corner.

When all were seated, Scootaloo gives her mom a questioning look. "So did you become a teacher? Seems kind of weird you had us come here instead of home."

That got a chortle out of Harpsong. "More than a teacher, I became the principal of this school!"

One could hear a pin drop in the stunned silence that followed. Eventually, Applebloom had a wide smile. "You were able to become principal! Ya' really are a super mom like Scootaloo said!"

"What about your band, mom? Did something happen?" Zephyr wanted to shoo that elephant out of the room.

"Turns out one of my band mates wanted to retire to look after his ailing mother. Truthfully, we haven't been as active recently so it ended up being a good time to disband."

Sweetie Belle thought of something. "How did you become principal? It doesn't seem like a job somepony can just... walk into."

"Actually, the reason why I wanted to become one might be approaching now." That got confused looks when there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

"Mrs. Windstorm, ya' called for-- APPLEBLOOM?!"

"Babs! Yer' here!" The four friends hugged each other with laughter. "So this is the school you were talking about when you mentioned transferring schools!"

Harpsong nods. "Actually, not long after I first met Babs, I was overcome with a desire to try and straighten out the Manehattan school system. However, that's too much work for two ponies, myself and Medi of course, and there would be too much subterfuge from those benefiting from the current system. Turns out, the previous principal, while also wanting to create a much safer school space for the fillies under her care, was getting too old and had to retire."

Zephyr connected the dots from there. "So you were able to talk with her and managed to convince the school to make you the new principal? How much resistance did you get from the teachers?"

"A fair amount of course, but I was able to convince enough of them that the vision I had for the school would align with theirs and the previous principal's. Medi took over as vice-principal as he wanted to support me but wasn't big on being front and center." That got a knowing eye-roll from Zephyr which Harpsong giggled at.

Babs beams at her new principal. "Mrs. Windstorm managed to convince my folks to transfer me to her school. While there are still some foals who think themselves too big, ah've been having a MUCH better time!"

"Thank you so much for helping mah' cousin, Mrs. Windstorm!" Applebloom couldn't help but hug her, which her friends and cousin followed suit with.

"It's my pleasure! Though I'm not doing as much work as I should be at the moment. Vice-principal Medishy insisted I take it easy and let him do as much of the work as possible. Apparently he was able to apply what he learned during his job at the Weather Factory here."

Scootaloo suddenly looked concerned, which was mirrored by Zephyr. "Are you feeling alright, mom? I don't want anything to happen to you..."

"Ehehe... something DID happen to me and was the main reason why I invited Flutershy and Rainbow as well. You might want to sit down for this." Everypony did so with apprehensive looks, which Harpsong smirked at. "While I still can't believe it happened this late in my life... Scootaloo, you'll be getting a younger sibling in the near future!"

That confused the fillies but Zephyr caught on very quickly as his face turned to a mixture of surprise and sheer joy. "Mom... you're pregnant?!"

"At the late age of 36 no less!"

When it finally clicked for the fillies, Scootaloo suddenly had the biggest smile she could ever make. "I'll have a little brother or sister... I'LL HAVE A YOUNGER SIBLING!!!" She started hopping around while buzzing her little wings out of pure happiness while her friends just sat there with shocked looks on their faces.

Zephyr couldn't help but hug his mom with both hooves and wings. "Congratulations! Now I understand why dad wanted you to take it easy! He doesn't want you too stressed out!"

"Yeah I understand that. I'm able to to do enough around here to ensure I won't get accused of slacking off after getting in, but even some of the teachers who are parents themselves are telling me to take it easy!"

Scootaloo manged to calm herself down enough to hug her mom. "To think I started with no family, yet here I am celebrating getting a younger sibling now!"

"Now now, let's not overwhelm your mother." Medishy had entered the room with a knowing smile. "But I would be lying if I said I wasn't overjoyed over the news as well."

"Of course, dear." The parents nuzzle before Harpsong clears her throat. "Since the school day is over and it's the weekend, would little Babs like to have a sleep over at our place as well? Another thing I'd like to show you is the new house we moved into in preparation for the baby. While the last house worked fine, I wanted a bit more room for potential guests as well."

"Can we?!" it was Sweetie Belle's turn to be overjoyed. "This is going to be a fun night!"

"Ah' have to introduce you to the Manehattan branch of the Cutie Mark Crusaders after we're settled!" Babs looked like she can't wait to get going.

"I have to stay behind a bit longer to deal with some admin things, but I'll be home in time for dinner!" Medishy waves at the group before heading back out.

"We'll go with Babs to her clubhouse after we find out where the new house is!" Scootaloo was now hyper and wanting to make the most of the rest of the day.

The next day passed by as expected. The fillies hung out with Babs and the Manehattan Cutie Mark Crusaders most of the day. They had found out that one colt got his Cutie Mark not long after joining, but decided to stay and help those who had yet to get one. That made the Ponyville Cutie Mark Crusaders update their oath in honor of the colt's kindness and wanted to do the same once they got theirs.

Harpsong was doing her best not to show it, but it was clear she was fatigued and nauseated throughout the day. Medishy mentioned that both are symptoms of pregnancy and was the reason why he wanted her to take it easy and have breaks. Another symptom she showed was a sudden increase in craving cheeses and other milk-based products, though she did her best to stay away from ice cream.

Zephyr, while making sure to attend his mother, also visited his old job at the Manehattan mini-Weather Factory. Despite how long it had been and all the new faces, some of the management still recognized the Falconite. They even mentioned that they weren't surprised when he somehow became renowned for preventing Ponyville from blowing over due to rogue wind currents. It was a blast from the past Zephyr wasn't expecting.

At the end of the day, Zephyr made sure to flex his expanded cooking repertoire by cooking cheese and mushroom quiches. It helped his mother quash her cravings and was enjoyed by all, though Scootaloo made sure to say his pancakes were still the best.

As everypony turned in for the night, who should Zephyr see in his room but Discord. "Lovely new crib your parents have got here! Nice and roomy too!"

"Sheesh, Discord. If you're going to come into my room, at least buy me dinner first!"

That got a howl of laughter from the Draconequus. "This is why I love hanging out with you! You always got something witty to say back to me!"

"Even though a good chunk of the time you always managed to win the wit contest afterwards." While such results are expected, Zephyr still couldn't help but pout over it.

"It's the principal of the matter!" Discord, while enjoying his usual spiel of messing with Zephyr, decided to get a bit more serious. "As fun as this is, I actually am here for a reason. Princess Twilight Sparkle would like to cordially invite you and your family to her coronation tomorrow morning!"

Zephyr got stuck trying to figure out what was going on, like a radio on an invalid frequency. Discord stuck a tuning knob on him and adjusted it until Zephyr finally realized what was said. "Twilight became a PRINCESS?! When did this happen?!"

"Tonight, actually! She just ascended into an Alicorn after one final test from Princess Celestia."

"... Don't tell me I missed the character development AGAIN?"

"Well... not really, it was more of a rehash of everything she's learned during her time in Ponyville. You should have seen the chaos that was going on in Ponyville before then! It was GLORIOUS! Who knew the Elements of Harmony had a sense of humor?"

That got an undignified snort of laughter out of the Falconite. "Remember one of them is 'Laughter'. Mind giving me the context?" Discord merely gives Zephyr a 'context pill' which he swallowed. Seeing all the events flash through his mind, he was dumbfounded by everything. "So... everypony's Cutie Marks got switched around, Twilight had to fix it... through song somehow, and after it was all done the Elements of Harmony blasted her into oblivion. That makes JUST as much sense IN context!"

Discord suddenly had the beard and outfit Twilight had on last Nightmare Night. "Ol' Starswirl was kookie at times, but he was also brilliant. Perhaps that unfinished spell of his was made knowing that whoever finished it would ascend after a test? Or perhaps Celestia co-opted it for that purpose and he had different intentions for it? We'll never know!"

"Right... anyways, thanks for the heads up... especially because you're taller than me." That got a chortle from both males. "However, something tells me we'll be late for the coronation considering we're in Manehattan and we have to take the train."

"Actually, I'm more than willing to whisk you all to Canterlot at the crack of dawn to make sure you get the best seats! Only the best for one of my friends!" Discord bows at that.

"if that's the case, why not just stay for the night. You should, at the very least, meet my parents. Though... it's not that I don't trust you, but please be careful with my mom. She's got two lives for the price of one right now."

That surprised Discord. Even pre-reformation, the one thing he outright refused to mess with was the sanctity of newborn life. Partially because of the chaos that came from said new life being born. Being invited to stay the night also threw him for a loop. "Alright... but don't be surprised if your parents don't like me."

He was wrong. While Medishy was nervous as expected, Harpsong was far more positive about the sudden extra house guest after hearing that Discord was friends with both Fluttershy and Zephyr. "I don't see why you can't stay the night! Especially if you're willing to take us all to the coronation yourself!"

"Why thank you, Mrs. Windstorm! Also, congratulations on the baby!" He summons a baby bib and rattle to give the expecting mother. The rattle had a mind of its own, which amused her.

When it was almost time to go to sleep, Discord, after giving Zephyr's room a temporary make-over to suit his tastes, gave the Falconite a curious glance. "You know, there's something that's been bothering me for a while. Why did you try to go down the relatability path with me? You had a taste of what I was doing back when I first released myself."

Zephyr sighed as he got comfortable. "Because... believe it or not, my mental state wasn't always stable. You already know that for the longest time, I believed friendship to be a hindrance at best and an actively bad thing at worst."

"And it was Fluttershy and her friends that finally reached you? If they managed to reach me to a degree, anything's possible!"

"Yes, but while growing up... I had some 'phases' I went through. To start with, I read through legends and imagined myself the hero being the one who solves the issues and defeats the villians in the end, finally earning the respect of everypony around me. It was during that phase I learned about you, Discord, and that's why I knew your name."

That got a laugh from the Draconequus. "I really was flattered you knew about me!"

Zephyr cleared his throat as his mood darkened a bit. "But that phase... didn't really last long. For a short time after, there were times I wondered if there was any purpose to me being in Equestria... to continuing to live with the suffering I was going through..."

"You mean to say..?"

"I wanted to take my own life when I felt like I was in a bottomless pit of despair. I'll say why I didn't in a bit because it was also the reason why I never committed to my next phase. Tell me, my new friend, does the phrase, "I'm going to die and I'm taking EVERYONE with me" sound familiar to you?"

That definitely got a grimace. "In essence, you wanted to destroy the world including yourself out of rage against everything you went through. As boring a motivation as it is to me, it's still one I take seriously because no life equals no chaos... even back before I was reformed!"

"Hmm... I guess, even without the Elements of Harmony, you would have stopped me anyways if I went down that path."

"Perhaps, depends on how entertaining you made the process. Regardless, what stopped you both ways?"

"My mother." That got a surprised look from Discord. "And no, she never had to talk me out of anything herself. The only thing that stopped me from such a dark path or premature end was... the thought of "my mother would be sad if I did so". She was to me all my life... what Fluttershy is to you now: the only one who stood by me all my life no matter how hard it got for the both of us."

Discord chose not to say anything, now understanding why Zephyr tried the relatability path with him outside of his connection to wind. It brought him back to when he first started causing chaos in Equestria, doing so because he felt like none of the ponies ever saw him as an individual and, in turn, never saw them as anything more than playthings. Fluttershy reached him because she re-awoke a desire he had long thought abandoned: a desire for someone to share joy with.

While the fillies were a bit unnerved by Discord, they were happy to hear about the coronation and the offer of a quick teleport. He even thought ahead and gave Zephyr his fancy suit for the occasion while the rest of his family dressed up for it as well. Once everypony was ready, the Draconequus whisked them all to Canterlot.

With how early they were, the only ones there before the start of it were Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight's friends. Fluttershy beams at Discord. "Thank you for bringing my family, it means so much to me!" Discord bows with a smile before teleporting away.

Zephyr and Shining Armor salute each other, though the Falconite noticed something with a small grin. "You definitely look like your dam is close to bursting, Captain."

"What can I say? To see Twily where she is today..."

Cadance pats her husband on the shoulder before noticing Harpsong's nauseated look. "Mrs. Windstorm, you look unwell. You don't need to force yourself!"

"Heh, don't worry about me. I really wish to attend the coronation... of one of the ponies who saved my son from his self-condemned fate so long ago..."

Medishy nuzzles his wife at that. "Well, hopefully your morning sickness doesn't get any worse mid-proceedings."

"Wait wait wait, what? Morning sickness?" Rainbow Dash burst that out in confusion, which was mirrored by her friend's looks.

That got a chuckle from Zephyr. "No time like the present before it distracts from Twilight's moment. Mom's pregnant!"

Rainbow looked shocked while Fluttershy let out a soft squeal. "I'm going to have another younger sibling?! I'm so happy!" She ends up doing a small dance with Scootaloo.

"Well shucks. Ya' keep expanding yer' family and you'll end up as big as the Apple Family!" Applejack couldn't resist injecting that bit of humor. "That's going to be six of ya'!"

"More birthday parties!" Was Pinkie's addition to the conversation.

"Then I'm glad we came as early as we did, Shiny. In gratitude for everything your son has done for us..." Cadance approached Harpsong and conjures a small heart that flies into the mother's chest. "As Alicorn of Love, I give you and your child my blessing. May your foal grow up strong and healthy!"

"You honor me, your highness!" Thanks to Cadance's action, Harpsong felt a bit better as Medishy wrapped a wing around her. Rainbow nuzzles Zephyr after the display, wanting to get some time in with her boyfriend before the proceedings started.

After Twilight arrived and going through various speeches, including one in honor of her friends while on the balcony, she was stopped by her older brother and sister-in-law. After a word with them, Zephyr took the time to approach. "You really have earned this, Princess Twilight. Considering it was you and your friends who managed to teach a pony like me how much friendship can be positive, undoing years of foalhood trauma."

"You were willing to change, Zephyr, never forget that!" Twilight smiles at the Falconite. "Though we haven't been friends for as long, it was no less valuable to me. You gave me insight where other may have overlooked and those lessons I have taken to heart. Me... and everypony else, including your girlfriend!"

"Darn it, now I've got liquid pride leaking out!" That got a joyful laugh out of everypony as Twilight's friends group hug her.

During the parade, Rainbow and Fluttershy managed to drag Zephyr out with them as they walked down the chariot's path. It was clear that a lot of ponies knew what a Falconite was now and many marveled at the ancient Pegasus strain being part of the coronation parade, feeling like it made Twilight's ascension even more special. With one final chorus that even he joined, it was the dawn of a new age.

And thus, does the sun set on an era
And rise in the dawn of one anew
But the challenges of life are not over
Only biding their time to claim their due

So celebrate while you can, ponies
enjoy your revel while you are able
For threats still linger in the dark unknown
Seeking to make your world unstable

Author's Note

Here we are: the end of season 3 and chapter 60 of this story. I hope you all are enjoying to thus far, but we're nowhere near done!