Chapters At the hospital, the doctor informs two spouses of the situation. It was simply a moment of uncertainty. Outside of the room waited a young stallion who seemed to be as equally worried. Not much was said afterwards, and they took the carriage home after the check up was done.
"It'll be alright Twilight." Night Light assured his wife. "Things will work out."
"But honey..." Twilight Velvet whimpered. "Did you hear what he said? The baby... might..."
"Sh, it'll be alright. We still have Shining Armor, don't we?" he reminded her.
Velvet smiled at Shining Armor as he gave a nervous grin back to her. Though, Shining Armor had something else in mind. About a few months ago, he was told that he would have a sibling soon. He was extremely excited to have a little brother or sister. He could teach him or her everything he knows! And he'll be their best friend as well! What better then a friend who lives at your house? He couldn't help but ask.
"So... About that brother or sister...?"
Twilight Velvet broke down and cried waterfalls. Night Light held her and comforted her well he gave Shining the It's not going well, change the subject! look. Shining takes a look around to help find some sort of distraction. Quickly, he spots a basket up ahead.
"Uh, hey! Look! There's something on the sidewalk!"
The parents look out and tell the stallions to stop the cart. Getting out, they see that the basket is making noises. Night Light takes the first look of what it was. He levitates the blanket away, and reveals what it was. Sadly though, no one knew what it was.
"What is that?" Night Light questioned.
"It looks kinda like... a baby." Shining points out.
"But... It's hooves! There... are things coming out of it!" Twilight Velvet described it.
"Yes, and there's no fur except on its head." Night Light added. "Must be a deformed foal that no pony wanted."
"That's so sad!" Shining stated.
"Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Night Light sighed. "Let's go."
"Wait..." Twilight stops the two. She looks at the whimpering baby and holds the basket. Night Light begins to sweat realizing where this is going. "I... Think we should keep it."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! We can't just take some colt off the street! Or... Filly... Whatever it is! We don't know a thing about this pony!"
"But it's just a baby! And besides, we did promise Shining a sibling."
"I get a mutant pony for a brother or sister!? Sweet!" Shining cheered.
"But, honey-!" Night Light pauses as he gazes at his wife's adorable pout. He struggle to fight off any more, and submits. "Fine, we'll take it."
The two cheered as they went inside the carriage while Night Light looks to the stars.
"Please give us strength."
At the house, Shining was sent outside of the room again while his parents were changing the creature's diaper. At the moment, they were still deciding what they should name it. Shining listened to the conversation of the two in discussion of the naming.
"How about, Dawn?" Night Light suggested.
"That... no, I'm sorry, but that's not a name for a boy sweetie." Twilight Velvet remarked.
"Better than Twilight Sparkle. That's obviously a name for a girl too!"
"If I had a filly, I would name her that you know."
"Hmm... How about we name it after me? I mean, if you get a girl, you'll name it Twilight. So how about we name this little guy... Night Shine?"
"Oh... That's not a bad name actually!" Twilight Velvet admitted.
"Shine Buster's a good name too!" Shining Armor suggested to them from the other side of the door. The parents laugh as they finish up changing the diaper. They walk out with the baby in levitation and shows it to Shining Armor.
"Shiny! Meet Night Shine! Your new little brother!"
Chapter 1 - Twilight Sparkle
It was only a few weeks. Though news that the foal may not come still lingered upon Twilight Velvet's mind, it was slowly healed thanks to the caring of their new adopted son, Night Shine. Night Light was watching Shining impressing his new little brother. He had a knack of showing off skills that were quite... something.
"Look Night! I'm standing on my hind legs!" He tells him. The baby was clapping and cheering before Shining lost his balance and fell. After that, Night laughed with his father at Shining's disaster of an entertainment.
"That was a fine display Shining! Very note worthy!" Night Light stated.
"But at least I can do it longer than you can dad." Shining stated.
"Is that a challenge?" Night questioned.
"Maybe it is."
The two stared off before having the contest of endurance. The two do a standoff, making Night Shine laugh. Twilight Velvet was simply chuckling at this.
"You two look ridiculous. What are you trying to prove?" she questioned.
"That Shining's old man still has a few tricks up his hooves." Night Light answered.
As time passes, the two continue to do this ridiculous contest. However, something happens. Twilight Velvet's mood shifts.
"N-N-Night? H-Honey?"
"Yes dear?" He asked while still glaring at his son.
"M-My water! I-It broke!"
The two slip up at the same time and fall on the floor, making Night Shine laugh hysterically. Night Light gets up and says, "WHAT!?"
"Oh sweet Celestia! I need to go to the hospital!"
"Shining! Get a carriage!" Night Light ordered. Shining Armor complied and did as told. After he ran out, Night Light went to his wife and helped calm her.
"Okay sweetie, breathe in and out. Breathe in and out. Breathe-"
"Horses on saddles! I know how to breathe dear!" Twilight complained. "You need to help me get outside!"
"Right! I think the wheelchair the doctor lent us is in the basement! I'll go get it!"
Night Light rushes through the room, passing his youngest son by an inch. A while later, he returned with the wheel chair and nearly hits his son again. The baby then takes the moment to wander away. After Night Light gets his wife on the wheel chair, Shining comes back and informs his parents, "I got a carriage! We just need to get Mom on it!"
"Alright! Shining! Come help me get your mother in there!"
The three left the house as they entered the carriage and made a mad dash to the hospital. Unknowingly to them, they left the door open and Night Shine to wander on his own.
The carriage stops at the hospital, and the two stallions bring the mare to the emergency room. The doctor brings her to a room and hooks her up to the machines. Magic was used to ease the pain, and let things run more smoothly. Shining was having the time of his life. He's getting ANOTHER sibling! Can life get any better? Unfortunately, the father wasn't sharing the same feelings. Right now, he was wondering how he's going to keep the house quiet. As Twilight Velvet relaxes some more, she smiles and says, "I... I can't believe it. It's actually happening...!"
"Another foal to the family." Night Light grins. "I have to admit, this is pretty amazing."
"Yeah! First Night Shine, and now another brother or sister!? Which one is it mom?"
"I don't know... but I have a feeling it's..." The mother pauses as she realizes something. "Wait... Where's Night Shine?"
Silence floods the room as they all stared at each other. Finally, the loudest scream that was enough to wake all the babies in the facility was made.
"MY BUCKING BABY IS AT HOME ALONE!?" Twilight Velvet yelled angrily.
"Shining! What were you thinking!?" Night Light questioned.
"Me!? You told me to get the carriage!!" He retorted.
"It's both your fault!" She screamed before grunting in pain. "Agh!"
"Honey!"
"Mom!"
"Miss Velvet, please calm yourself!" The doctor told her. "All this stress is bad for the baby!"
Twilight Velvet nodded with eyes still closed. She turns to the boys and says, "Bring... him... back... or my heart... will explode..."
The two run out of the hospital and back home in hopes to find Night Shine.
Night Shine was excited! He was crawling into a brand new world! The ponies around him seemed to acknowledge his presence by staring at him and screaming as they run away, probably to inform their companions of his crawl through town! Night Shine was also intrigued by what there was to see. Especially the castle up ahead. With that sight to see, Night Shine made his way to the pretty building! Little did he know, there was another friend waiting for him.
Meanwhile, in the castle, two bickering cousins on the verge of murder can be heard outside the castle walls. Cadence, a beautiful pink alicorn with a gorgeous purple mane was scolding at her lesser white unicorn cousin, with his prince blonde mane, Blueblood.
"Why do you have to keep bothering the maids and butlers with such trivial matters!?" Cadence questioned.
"They're not trivial!" Blueblood claimed. "My hooves needed a hooficure, my mane needed combing, and my drink needed to be brought."
"You were literally IN the kitchen when you asked for all that! The lemonade was ON the counter! Which was only a few feet away from your seat! And why did you bring the masseuses all the way from the spa chamber when it's RIGHT NEXT TO YOUR ROOM!?"
"They must serve every whim royalty demands is that not right?"
"My world, you're lazy."
"How dare you! If you weren't my cousin, I'd throw you into the dungeon!"
"Why not try working ? I help around the castle unlike you."
"I help!"
"Oh really? With what?"
"I give the peasants something to do so that they may live in the castle with a purpose."
"You are beyond help."
Nearby, Night Shine somehow made his way on the castle walls. Playing on the funny shaped walls, he climbed up a step and climbed down a step as he made his way to wherever it took him. For a baby that was barely a year old, he was pretty smart. (In a way). But that intelligence would not save him from a misstep. He finds himself falling close to the shouting duo.
"How dare you wench!"
"What'd you call me!?"
"You heard me! I called you a-" Suddenly, Night Shine falls on Blueblood and bounces off of him. He suddenly screams and half faints. "AAGH! I'm being assassinated! I knew some pony was jealous of me enough to do this! I've seen it coming! I suspect Cadence! Augh..."
Falling overdramatically to the floor, Cadence catches Night Shine with her levitation. She stares at the baby as it smiles at her. She suddenly awed at the creature.
"Oh? Who might you be Mr. cutie?"
"Cutie!?" Blueblood screamed as he jumped up and scolded her. "That... THING tried to assassinate me!"
"It's a baby." Cadence pointed out before putting Night Shine up to her face. "Who's a cute baby? You are! Yes, you are!"
The baby giggles at the pink mare and pokes at her horn. Blueblood simply rolled his eyes.
"Repulsive." He snorts.
Cadence shoots a fireball at Blueblood, making run away screaming, "FIRE! FIRE! SEE!? CADENCE IS TRYING TO ASSASSINATE ME!"
Cadence happily trots off with her new companion in her telekinetic grasp.
As Night Light and Shining Armor arrived at their house, they saw the opened door and realized the worst possibility.
"You don't think?" Shining asked his father.
"That Night Shine might have wandered out on his own? Maybe." Night Light stammered. "Let's see if he's in there just in case!"
The two ran in and looked in every nook and cranny, from the kitchen to the living room, the baby's room to Shining's room, and the master bedroom, but no avail. The two met up again and asked.
"Did you find Night Shine Shining?"
"Did you find Night Shine Dad?"
They screamed as they ran out of the house and looked at their entire neighborhood.
"He's got to be around here somewhere! Let's ask around!" Night Light suggested.
As they ventured out to the suburban territory of what is Canterlot, in hopes to get some answers. Luckily, they meet many that have seen him.
"Oh! That thing was your son?"
"That was your baby brother?"
The stallions nod yes quite rapidly.
"Yes! Have you seen him?"
"Do you know where he went?"
"No, I got too scared at the thing."
"I closed my eyes and hid in the corner, so no."
"That thing's a pony?"
"Who are you talking about?"
The boys pound their head as they start to panic even more. Not knowing what to do, the dad suggests something drastic.
"Okay, obviously no pony knows where he is. So... You're going to tell your mother-"
"What!? Why do I have to tell her!?"
"Because it is a stallions job! Plus, I do not want to be the one who tells your mother that we lost Night Shine forever."
"Night Shine isn't gone forever! He's just... gone for a while..."
"Even so, she's not going to be happy."
"But I don't want to be the one to tell her!"
"How about a contest then?"
The two stare off before continuing the previous contest. Together, they did a hind leg standoff in the middle of the neighborhood. First one to fall tells Twilight Velvet the news.
As Celestia strives to listen to the noble's attempt to negotiate an unfair trade before simply saying no and giving a long description of why not, she starts to wander off in her mind.
If this is where my subjects are headed, I'm going to lose it.
"Aunt Celestia!" Cadence calls out. "Look what I found!"
"Oh praise the sun!" She spoke softly. "Excuse us, it seems my niece has something to say to me."
The noble nods and bows before leaving their presence. Once he left, Celestia turns to Cadence.
"Make it long and descriptive. Every detail."
"Okay! Well, it started when I was outside arguing with Badblood until this little angel fell on him and brightened up my day! Look!"
Cadence shows off Night Shine to Celestia, which made her heart melt. That adorable smile challenges all foal everywhere. She nuzzles the baby and says, "Oh! Aren't you just precious?"
"Isn't he?! Can I keep him?"
"Heavens no!" Celestia rejected. "You're far too young to be caring for a colt! Let alone a foal!"
"But... He has nowhere else to go." Cadence whimpered.
"I suppose I can take care of him." She thought. "But I must first see if he has any medical conditions. He looks as if he has some sort of disease on his hooves."
"Your right! And the lack of fur is a bit concerning too." Cadence added to that note.
"Let me hold him. I'll do my own scan before I go do the check up."
As Cadence releases her grasp on Night Shine, Celestia carried him only by the diaper. The reason why she didn't grab all of him was because Blueblood came in whining.
"AUNTIE! CADENCE SET ME ON FIRE!"
"Huh?" Celestia turned, not noticing her lack of hold on Night Shine. The diaper rips and Night Shine falls on the floor. The three stared at Night Shine as he didn't move or cry or anything. Finally, the mares screamed.
"OH MY BUCKING SUN!!!"
At the hospital, Shining smiled triumphantly while Night Light lowered his head.
"Tell no pony of our contest." He says sternly. As Night Light looked to his wife's room, he had a huge gulp before walking to the room to give his wife the demising news that may literally make her heart explode. That was until Celestia and Cadence ran by them with the baby in their telekinetic hold. Night Light and Shining Armor drop their jaws as the princesses run off with Night Shine.
"I need to see a doctor NOW!" Celestia yelled.
"Your best doctors! If they're not busy of course!" Cadence added.
Twilight Velvet saw the two run by the window with Night Shine. Her eyes shrunk as she yells, "MY BABY!"
"Miss Velvet! Please calm down!" The doctor asked.
Twilight Velvet also saw her boys run after the princess. She couldn't believe the day she was having.
Night Light and Shining Armor raced their way to reach Celestia and Cadence in order to get Night Shine back. They kept calling them in order to get their attention.
"Princess! Princess Celestia!" Night Light called.
"Hey lady! That's my brother-!" Shining was bonked on the head by his dad in annoyance.
"That's rude Shining!"
"But she has Night Shine!"
"I know, just keep trying!"
Over by Cadence, she heard the stallions in the back and tells Celestia.
"Auntie! Those guys are calling you!"
"Ugh, I don't have time for requests! This baby needs treatment! Where's the medical room for newborns?!" Celestia questions.
"Over there!" Cadence points to the left.
They quickly turned and entered the room. The men followed after them, and thus, the four plus the baby were finally in the same room.
"What do you want!? Can't you see we have urgent business!?" Cadence scolded the two.
"B-But!" Shining stuttered.
"But nothing! I need to check on my son!" Celestia stated, already declaring it as her own.
Night Light was shocked. Was the princess adopting him!? "No! Wait! Hold on! That's MY son! You have MY son right there!"
"What!?" They yelped.
"Yes, so please give back my baby brother! Please!" Shining begged.
Celestia had on a nervous look. She stares at them before turning to the head injured baby, who had fallen on its head and has yet to woke up. She smiles slightly before saying, "Uh... P-Please give us a moment so that we may check his condition."
"Condition?" Shining repeated.
"What did you do to my son!?" Night questioned.
"Uh... We sort of... Dropped him on his head... and he won't wake up..." Cadence muttered.
The boys dropped their jaws once more as Celestia clenches her teeth in the bad news. The father wasn't pleased.
"My wife is going to kill me... after I kill her with the news I have to tell her..."
"M-Maybe Night Shine will wake up later! Let's just bring her to Mom for now." Shining suggested.
"Princess, with all things good and godly, please prevent me from striking my wife using words that will end her life." Night Light begged.
As Twilight Velvet was currently giving birth at the moment to another member of the family, the group came in.
"Hey Honey! We found-"
"AAAUGH!!"
Shining Armor and Cadence fainted while Celestia and Night Light covered their eyes too late. The doctor wraps up the purple foal and says, "It's a girl!"
"What!?" Night Light said as he raced over to his wife's side. "She's... beautiful dear..."
"Show the kids their new little sister." Twilight Velvet told him.
"Unfortunately, your son as well as my niece has fainted." Celestia informs them. "I'll just bring them to the other room to rest."
After the three left, Night Light brought Night Shine to see his new sister. As they got close, the foal's horn shot a spark at Night Shine, making him wake up. He cried and cried, making his sister cry as well.
"Oh thank goodness, he's alive." Night Light sighed in relief.
"What was that?"
"Uh, I mean, they're so cute!"
"Yes... They are..." Twilight Velvet sighed. "By the way. Why did the princess foal nap our son?"
"That's not important right now. What we should be asking is what her name is going to be."
"I already told you what her name is going to be!" she stated.
"Really?"
"Yes! I did!" Twilight bonks her husband on the head. She hold the baby close and says her name.
"Her name will be Twilight Sparkle."
Chapter 2 - Shining Armor
Night Shine and Twilight Sparkle are now five years old. Things change from having a couple of new members to the family to having very talented children. Night Shine has taken what was a joke from his brother the hind leg standing, and tries it out for himself. Twilight disapproved.
"Night! You should stop doing that! You'll fall over and cry again!" She whined.
"Y-You're just jealous that I can do it and you can't!" Night claimed.
"Am not! I just don't want to get Mom and Dad to pick you up from a little fall again."
"L-Look! I'm walking on two legs!" Night showed off. "Ha! Take that Twilight!"
"Oh yeah!? Well I can do it too!" She claimed as she got up on her hind legs. However, she couldn't last very long. Only a few seconds passed before she fell backwards and hits the back of her head on the table. Night notices and goes back on all fours as he went to Twilight's aid.
"Twilight! Are you okay!?" He asked.
"Oh... It really hurts..." She cried.
Night sees blood, and starts to get scared. He races to the other room and calls out his big brother. "SHINING!"
"Huh!?" He comes out to check on his siblings. "What is it!? What's wrong!?"
"T-Twilight's bleeding! She fell and hit her head on the table!"
"Oh my gosh! Twilight!" Shining runs to her and checks her condition. "It's not too bad. Don't worry, I can make it go away."
"A-Alright..." She sniffled.
A while passes, and Twilight's head bandage is now covering the wound. Shining sighs as he asked, "Feel any better?"
"Mmm-hmm." She nods.
"Okay. Now then, what happened? How'd you hit your head on the thing? I know you're smarter than that."
"It was an accident." She claimed.
"Accident while doing what? That table was pretty tall when you think about it. You can't hit your head on it even if you just standing unless..."
"I was standing on my hind legs, like Night Shine." Twilight admitted.
"The kid's still at it? Maybe I've been doing that too much." Shining thought as he held his chin. "Anyways, why'd you do it? You never thought it was funny to begin with."
"I'm just so jealous of him Shining! Do you see how well he can do everything even though he doesn't have magic?"
"How so?"
"Well, at dinner, he always hold his forks and spoons with his hooves so easily! He can even spin them in his hooves too! Why aren't our hooves like that? I can't use my magic yet, but he can do more things than me even though we're the same age!"
"Ah! So you are envious of him." Shining chuckled. "But you don't have to copy him you know."
"But Shining! It's so unfair! Why is he so special? Why can't I be like him? Instead, I have these dumb hooves."
"Now Twilight, remember that he isn't a pony like us. Not to mention that he isn't a unicorn like you." Shining reminds her. "He doesn't have it his way either. So just let him have what he has. I'm pretty sure he wishes he was like us too you know."
"Really?"
"Yeah! In fact, I think I need to talk to the little guy right now."
Night was in his bed, head deep in pillow. Shining knocked on his door, alarming the boy of somebody's presence. Night Shine doesn't answer, allowing no resistance made to Shining's entrance. The stallion sits next to his brother as his head doesn't move from its spot.
"Is Twilight okay?" He asked without moving his face away from the pillow.
"Yeah, she just needed some help on the spot. She's good." Shining informs him.
"That's good." He sighs.
Shining Armor wasn't about to let his brother wallow away in despair. He continues his efforts to bring him up again. Or at least out of the pillow. Otherwise, what kind of a big brother would he be?
"So, I heard you tried to stand on your hind legs again."
"Yeah... It was pretty dumb of me to."
Twilight happened to be listening by the Night's room. She only peeked a little bit, but not to wear Shining could spot her head.
"I heard you did pretty good standing on you hind legs." Shining commended him. "You even walked around, right?"
"I don't want to do it again." he states.
"Why not?"
He brings his head up and shows the tears rolling off his face. "Because I got Twilight to hurt herself!"
Twilight's eyes shrink as Shining comforted Night. Night wiped the water off his face as Shining placed his hoof around him.
"I'm a bad brother Shining." Night sighed. "I just wanted to do things like you all can. But instead of being cool, I just got Twilight to hurt herself!"
"Copying me in order to be cool huh?" He chuckled.
"I know you didn't do that joke in a long time, but I still think it's funny! I thought Twilight might laugh too, but instead..."
"So you just wanted to impress Twilight like how I impressed you?"
Night Shine nodded as he wiped his eyes once more. "I... I know I can't do those magic tricks like you do. I know Twilight will be able to be more like you someday. But since I'm older than her, I thought I could still make her laugh like you did for me. But instead, I get her to do them too, only she got injured."
"Come on Night Shine. You're thinking too much into it! Besides, you two are only a few months apart! She's not that much younger than you."
"So... What should I do?"
"You should just be yourself. If you want to copy me, that's fine. But don't do it to impress anyone. Twilight will love you like a sister no matter what. Regardless if you make her laugh or not."
"You think so?"
Suddenly, Twilight runs in and calls out her brother.
"Night! Of course he's right!"
Twilight hugs Night tightly as she reassures he saddened brother.
"I don't care what you do! You'll always be my brother!"
Night simply hugs his sister back and smiles. Shining grins and leave the two alone.
On another day
Night is watching his big brother as he trains in the public reserve center. Shining was trying to work hard in order to join the royal guard. Night has always admired his brother to the point where he wants to be like him. So what if he can't use magic? He'll find other ways to be like him. Today, he wanted to prove himself worthy.
"Shining! Can I train with you too?" Night Shine asked.
"What?" Shining responded with a raised eyebrow. "You're too small for this Night. You could get hurt."
"Nuh-uh! All you're doing is playing on the playground!"
"This isn't a playground!" Shining claimed. "This place was made to work out a stallion so he can be ready for any challenge that comes his way. Maybe in a few years, you can try."
"Shining! That's not fair! I think I could do just as good!"
"Alright mister." Shining grinned smugly. "Go ahead! I want to see you try."
Night pouted at him before going on his fours and attempting the course himself. Watching him run through it was like watching a fish swim on land. Night tried his best to run through the tires, but was constantly tripping. The balance beam was hard, because Night was always out of balance, and fell into the mud. Hurdles were the worst, because, no jump was high enough at all. He constantly hits his head on them each time. Shining laughed as Night got up and continued.
Sadly, he wasn't enjoying this as much as he thought. Soon came the climbing part of the exercise. The wall before him was tall. Very tall. Night gulped as his big brother called him back.
"Night, might as well give up here. You're never going to climb that thing."
Night wasn't about to let his brother get away with that. He used his hooves, which became surprisingly useful. The things around his hoof wrapped around each object he needed to hold onto. Shining noticed how high up he was going. Almost reaching the top even! Night Shine was getting excited. His hind legs felt much better in this position. Crawling on his fours always hurts his back, but this position felt... natural. He couldn't explain it, but it was certainly getting into place.
So close to the top. It was only a few inches away. However, as Night Shine made his way up and Shining wished he had a camera, a slip up happened. Night Shine is now almost falling off the wall. Shining Armor notices and rushes to his aid.
"Night Shine!"
Quickly using his levitation, he manages to catch the boy before he hits the ground. After putting him down gently, Night hugs his brother tightly.
"Hey! You okay there?" Shining Armor asked.
"I... I was so scared...!" Night cried.
"It's alright now. Everything is okay." Shining Armor assured him. He placed his hoof over Night and brushed his hair. After a while, Shining commends Night for his ability. "You know, that was pretty good. You made it up pretty high."
"Really?" He asked while looking up to him.
"Yeah! Hey, maybe someday you can be a royal guard like me."
"Y-You think so?"
"Someday, we can become one!" Shining told him. "So let's not give up just yet!"
Night Shine's eyes sparkled at the thought. Someday, he can be a hero, standing alongside Shining Armor. With that in mind, he smiles widely.
"Then someday, I wanna be a hero like you!"
Author's Note
A chapter about cute moments.
There's NOT ENOUGH CHEESE.
Chapter 3 - Twilight Velvet
Twilight Velvet was cooking up breakfast for her children. As time passed, she recalls of the time Night Shine had started walking on his hind legs, claiming it is more comfortable than his all fours. Though she wouldn't have believed him, she decided to let her son learn on his own about defying the body of a pony. Her husband and her eldest son have already found out the hard way about standing on hind legs too long. They haven't walked with them in weeks because of it.
Twilight Velvet places the pancakes on the plates, and brings them to the table. With everything set, she calls her family down to eat.
"Breakfast is ready every pony!" She alerted them.
They come down with excitement, because of the smell that was in the air. Shining knew all his life that his mother's pancakes were something not worth missing. His sister Twilight Sparkle knew all the same. But they were never able to beat the father there, because.
Poof! And there Night Light was. Standing by his wife.
"Pancakes!" He yelped like a colt.
"No fair dad! You teleported!" Shining whined.
"Yeah! No fair dad!" Twilight Sparkle agreed.
"You two have horns." he countered. "Someday, you can do it, and maybe then you can beat your old man."
As the family sat down for breakfast, they got to devouring it before Twilight Velvet could even levitate her fork. She looks around and sees Twilight attempting her levitation on Night Shine's pancakes. She was very close to stealing some away from his plate, but her mother knew better.
"And what do you think you're doing young lady?" the mother questioned.
"Uh... Trying to help lighten the load?" she grinned innocently.
One quick look made Twilight do what was right. She levitated the pancake back to Night Shine's plate. Even though her actions were wrong, her father congratulated her.
"Good job Twilight! You're getting your levitation down!" Night Light commended her.
"I know, right?!" She replied. "I'm hoping to learn more spells like you and Mom!"
"That's great Twilight!" Shining Armor added.
"Um... Have any of you seen Night Shine?" Twilight Velvet asked.
They all exchanged looks and simply shrugged. Before the mother could call him, they see him coming down the stairs. This time, on all fours.
"Sorry I'm late." He apologized. "I haven't been feeling good."
"Well, that's what happens if you walk on two legs like some minotaur." Twilight Velvet lectured him. "It hurts your legs, your posture, your body, and can even do some major damage."
"Oh... That must be why... heh, sorry Mom." He apologized once more before sniffing the air. "Are those pancakes?"
"Yep! Come on Nightly! Sit next to me!" Twilight told him.
"Okay then...!"
Night Shine took his time to get up on the chair. As he lifted his fork, he coughed a bit.
"Uh... Night, you alright?" Shining asked.
"I... Uh..."
"You look a bit pale son." Night Light pointed out.
Night Shine looked up for a minute to see his family getting extremely blurry. His head started to feel painful, and his body felt frail. No much later, he started to wobble back and forth. His family stared at him before he fell on his pancakes head first. The family gasped and quickly tried to wake him.
At the hospital, Night Shine was on the bed. His family was very worried. The doctors were checking him over and over again, with nothing to report at the moment. What was a normal day was now a dreadful moment of silence.
The father was holding his wife, comforting her. She was tearing up and was shaking. Scared of what had just happened. Is her son going to be okay? Is there something wrong? Can he be treated.
The brother fared no better. He was trying to calm his sister who never stopped asking questions. Only showing the same amount of fear as the rest of them.
"What's wrong with Night? Is he sick? Is he tired? Is it because I tried to steal his pancakes? Did he hurt himself? Is he poisoned? Will he be okay?"
Shining only patted his sister lightly in hopes to make her feel better. Finally, the doctor came back. He looked to the parents and waved over to them to talk. They quickly get up and go to him.
"D-Doctor? Is he alright?" Velvet asked.
"I... Don't know what to say really..." He said grimly.
"What do you mean by that!? Doc, you can't tell me my son is dying!" Night Light yelled angrily.
"It's difficult to say. We can't exactly find out what's wrong with him."
"What do you mean!? You're a doctor, are you not!?" He complained. "Who else am I supposed to ask about this then!?"
"Let me explain the situation then!" The doctor replied vigorously. After they simmered down, he continues. "We can't find what's wrong with him... because we don't know what he is..."
"What do you mean?"
"You claim that he is a birth defected earth pony that you adopted." He began. "But after doing a scan, we couldn't find much organs or organ systems that fit similar to a pony. Whatever you adopted, it's not a pony."
"What... You're saying my son isn't a pony?" The mother questioned.
"Exactly that miss." He responded with sympathy. "Sadly, he's not even any other species we know of. Not even a minotaur, and that's the closest we have in our database."
"What should we do then?" Night Light questioned.
"It's beyond our medical help at this point. His condition seems to be worse. We're not sure if he's sick or if this is just how his species grow."
"Can't you just give him some sort of medicine? Any kind of medicine?" Night Light asked.
"We could kill him if we just randomly gave him pills." The doctor quickly rejected. "I'm afraid we're no help to you here. Unless we have some data on his species, it'll be too dangerous to do any curing on him."
The nurse came back with Night Shine in her hoof. He was breathing loudly, as if it was hard for him to stay alive. The mother took him in her hoof and cradled him. the tears rolled down from her face as she watches her son slowly dying.
Days went on quietly. Night Shine ate as much as he could, which wasn't much. He always got tired in the middle of the meal. There were times when he would give up eating and skip it. No matter what she made, it was simply not enough to break this curse.
Twilight would keep talking to her brother until he was entertained enough. When he was sleeping, she lets him sleep. When he wanted to ask how she was, she'd give a story. When he just wanted her around, she stuck around. There were times when Twilight cried seeing her brother not leave his room.
Shining took the role as the big brother even harder. He would make everything comfortable for him. His pillow if needed fluffing for his head. His blanket if he needed to be tucked in. A heater if it was too cold. A fanning if it was too hot. He even played some music. However, Night Shine asked he never even poke a violin ever again. Even so, he greatly appreciated all of Shining's efforts. But the grim feeling was that they both felt as if he was just making the coffin comfortable.
The dad was doing all the research he can on Night Shine. He described Night and posted the news all over in hopes that some pony will arrive with the knowledge to cure him. But with little skill in the subject, Night Light was simply placing his hope on luck.
A week later, some pony came. His gray coat along with his mischievous mustache was enough to alert ponies that he was up to no good. The suitcase however said, he was simply on business. Arriving at the house with a polite knock, the father opens the door with bags under his eyes.
"And... who might you be?" He asked.
"Ah! Hello! You must be Night Light!" He greeted. "My name is Subtle Sample. I'm here about the news you've been posting. About a creature of unknown species?"
"Yes...?" He replied with a bit of excitement.
"I may be able to help. May I come inside?"
"O-Of course!" He said aloud. "Oh my goodness! I thought it was all over!"
He lets Subtle in and calls down his wife with newfound energy.
"Honey! Come down! This stallion is here to help us!"
"Really!? Hold on!" she screamed from upstairs. She ran through the hallway and looked down to see the visitor. As she went down the stairs, Twilight and Shining peeked from up above, making sure they weren't seen. After she climbed down the last step, she greeted herself to the stranger. "Hello, I'm Twilight Velvet. You said you can help our son?"
"Yes, I can." Subtle answered.
"That's great news!" Twilight Velvet sighed in happiness. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear this!"
"I understand that you two are quite pleased to have some pony assist you in this matter?"
"We thought he wasn't going to make it." Night Light stated. "His condition seems to worsen every day that goes by. But you'll be able to help, right?"
"Yes, with our skills, we'll solve all of your problems and more." Subtle stated. "You probably won't even need to pay a single bit. All I need is for him to come with me."
"Of course!" Night Light agreed. "What facility are we going to?"
"The animal researching facility."
They stand there not believing what they heard. Is this some sort of insult? Some joke that some kids wanted play on? Night Light wasn't amused. Neither was Twilight Velvet.
"Is this some joke to you?" Twilight Velvet questioned. "He's not some sort of pet!"
"Please hear me out. I have an explanation in all of this." He claims.
"You have five-, no, three minutes to do it before I kick you out right now." Night Light growled.
Subtle Sample straightened his throat and puts on a merchant's smile. "Now, as you have informed the public, your son is an unknown species, am I right?"
They nodded, not sure where this is going.
"This is where my facility comes in. Now, don't take the name of our research as an insult mind you, but we are always willing to do whatever it takes to learn about a species. Place your child under our care, and we will not only get our information about his species, but what is wrong with him and how we can cure him."
As reassuring as that may be, it sounded too good to be true. Night Light then asked, "What exactly will you do to our son once brought there?"
"We will bring him in, take some samples, scan him." He answered. "Some... experiments, all necessary to learn everything about him."
Twilight Velvet heard enough. She stopped him from speaking as she raised her hoof to his mouth.
"Stop. We're done here." She declared. "I will not let my son be your lab rat!"
Subtle Sample glared at her and looks away. "So be it. But remember. Without our help, you're son is still heading towards a grave without any pony to learn about it."
He leaves with a huff and trails off. Night held Twilight close and made sure he was nowhere near the house. But there was something wrong.
And what was wrong was that he was right. No one else is willing to do the work, and Night Shine may not have long to live. The mother is worried of what she should do. Take the chance of letting strangers poke needles around him? Or let him suffer through this unknown dilemma? Twilight went upstairs and sees her two kids spying on them.
"You kids should go back in your rooms." She recommended.
Shining nodded and pulled Twilight a bit to get her to do the same. She however stayed.
"Mom! Do you have another pony that's gonna cure Night?" She asked. "H-He's going to be okay, right?"
She didn't know what to say. It was painful to hear her daughter ask questions. She easily knew how worried she was. Twilight loved her brothers, and to have one close to death, it was too much to bear. She had to do something. She is the mother after all.
Cadence was shopping at the stores, hoping to find something with her hard earned bits. That's saying something seeing how she was working hard on foal sitting. As she trotted through the district, she noticed a poster on the window of a store. She read it and saw a familiar face. Reading it made her eyes shrink, and quickly got her to stop what she was doing and head back to the castle.
The day was beyond bland. The day was silent. The day was tiring. The family is lost, knowing that one of their own is suffering. Hanging on life and death. Hopefully, it's a fluke. A normal thing of whatever species he was. But knowing how much suffering there was, it only made them scared.
Twilight Velvet was thinking about what to do. All she wanted to do was embrace her son. But for now, she must try to think of a way to make him feel better.
Then, something else happened. A knock on the door alerts the household. The mother opens the door to reveal the most surprising guest in all of Equestria.
Princess Celestia.
Author's Note
Boppity beep boop! I'm cold right now.
Guess the next chapter title.
Celestia sat across from Velvet and Light, unsure of what was going on. Twilight and Shining watched from upstairs as Celestia gives them some time to cope with everything, especially since they’re in such a dire situation at the moment.
“Take your time.” Celestia tells them. “I know you two have been through a lot.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Night Light nodded.
Twilight Velvet looked down and thought about something to say. With the simplest one being obviously the first to asked, she says, “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you here?”
“I heard that one of your sons is quite ill.” Celestia explained. “And I know that you cannot afford or find any pony that will be willing to do research on him without taking it… so far.”
“Where are you… going with this?” Night Light questioned.
“With my staff and my abilities, we can figure out what is wrong with him.” She offered. “I promise you no experiments of any kind will be tested on him unless it is absolutely required for his health.”
Night Light and Twilight Velvet’s eyes widen, and the kids upstairs gasped at each other. They stared at the Princess as she doesn’t falter in giving aid. The family could barely speak or even move. Twilight Velvet manages to bring some power into herself in order to continue her questioning.
“This… is wonderful, Princess, but may I ask… why?”
“Well…” Celestia says while letting her eyes stroll upwards. “I haven’t forgotten about almost kidnapping your son on accident. As well as how much my niece simply adores him so much. There are other reasons as well, but most importantly, it is in the interest of his survival. If he truly is not of pony origins, then we should keep what is the last of his species alive.”
Night Light held his wife’s shoulder, and asked, “Honey? Are you alright?”
“I don’t know if… I really want to help Night Shine, but what if…-”
“What are you waiting for!?” Twilight Sparkle exclaimed, running downstairs and facing the adults.
Shining caught up to her and gently pulled her back. “Twily! We shouldn’t be here!”
“If we can save Night Shine, why don’t we just do it already!?” Twilight cried. “I don’t want him to be sick anymore! I want him better right now!”
“Twilight…” Velvet cooed.
Twilight turned to Princess Celestia and begged. “Please Princess! If you can help my brother, please do it! I don’t want him to die!”
Celestia watched the crying filly look up to her with such hope. The princess dons a motherly smile and says, “I will, as long as your parents agree. And I will make it to where he will not be harmed while he under my care.”
The adults face each other once more, and continue the discussion. “Now, are we in… agreement?”
Night Shine was on the bed of an unfamiliar room. He looked around and saw many ponies in white masks and rubber gloves. Some ponies had on glasses and brought with them clipboards. He can hear the voices talking of research, scanning, and medicine. He can also hear a soothing voice comfort him along the way.
The pink and violet blur goes in front of him and says, “Don’t worry… Big sister Cadence will watch over you… You’re going to feel a lot better… trust me… ~! ”
Night Shine, although a bit blind, didn’t hesitate to smile. As he waits patiently for whatever to happen, the researchers to their job.
Hours pass, and the doctors finally return with results. Princess Celestia and Cadence stand before him as he gives them a summary of what they have found.
“So, how is he doctor?” Cadence asked.
“What were you able to find?” Celestia inquired.
“He’s very unique, to say the least.” The unicorn stated. “He doesn’t seem to have a normal… er… body like all of the other species.”
The two looked at each other confused. Celestia than asked, “What do you mean?”
“For one, he’s very malnourished, and needs protein. He’ll need to eat meat.” He pointed out. “Not only that, but he has no magical resistance whatsoever, and has concocted the slumber sickness.”
“Slumber sickness?” Cadence scoffed. “That’s silly! Only babies get it. And even then, it’s not this bad.”
“Yes, were the case of a creature with magic within their body. This boy however carries little to none at all. If this continues, he’s going to sleep for good.”
The two stumbled a bit from hearing that. It’s a frightening way to go. “What do you suggest we do then?” Celestia asked.
“I would try to pool in magic to the boy.” He explained. “But it’s risky. Too much, and he may not control it. Too little, and it might not be enough. We’re very unsure of what to do at the moment, so I was sent to ask what you would recommend.”
Celestia held her chin for a moment, deep in thought. Considering the chances, she too thinks that they should play it safe. But in the meantime, enough magic for him to wake is just what they need.
“I’m going to pool in some magic to test the theory.” Celestia declared. “Bring me the boy. Cadence, go and find a griffon merchant, and bring him here.”
Cadence complied and left to do as told. The doctor leaves and returns with Night Shine. Celestia lightly taps her horn on the boy, and allows a small surge to go in. Nothing seems to happen, so she does another gentle tap. He doesn’t wake, but Celestia persists. She keeps at it four to five times until he blinks a bit. He scratches his head and looks up to the princess, suddenly making him widen his eyes and shrink a bit.
“W-Whoa…” Night Shine muttered.
“Hello there.” Celestia smiled.
“H-Hi…” He replied, fearing the tall mare looming over him.
“Why, you were sick for a very long time.” Celestia informs him. “How do you feel now?”
Night Shine looked down and gave a wide frown. “I’m… really, really hungry… I also can’t feel my hind legs very well…”
“Oh my… We’ll need more checkups with you.” Celestia thought.
Night pressed his thumbs in his hands and avoided eye contact with the tall, crowned mare. As she placed her horn onto his forehead, it shines and sparks a bit onto Night. Nothing seems to change however.
“Can you feel them now?” Celestia asked.
“A bit…”
“Try walking.” Celestia suggested.
Night got off the cot and attempted to stand on all fours. The doctor saw this and stopped him. “No, no! You have to walk on just your hind legs.”
“But… Mom said…” Night was about to debate, but the doctor continued.
“You are not a pony, young lad. You are… well, we’re not sure yet. But your species doesn’t get around like that. You walk on only your legs. These here? On your forelegs? These are hands.”
“What are… hands?”
“They are used to grab and hold something firm. It’s natural for you to do so, like your species.”
Night looked at his hands for a moment and looked to the doctor and asked, “I’m… not a pony?”
“No.”
“Than what am I?” Night wondered, tilting his head with a small frown.
“You are the son of Twilight Velvet and Night Light. Brother of Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor.” Celestia answered. “You, are Night Shine.”
Night looked down in though and gave a small smile. He looked up to the princess and asked, “Um… who are you?”
“Just call me, Auntie Celestia.”
Author's Note
Apologies for everything my friends. Here's a chapter, and another coming soon.
On a sunny morning, Night is accompanied by Cadence as she makes sure his health is in check. He seems to be stable so far, and he’s coming close to accepting his alien nature. The only thing that seems hard on him is that he’s still in the castle. Until everyone is sure that Night Shine is okay, and no more checkups will be needed, he’ll need to stay in the castle until then. He barely sees his family, but that doesn’t mean they don’t visit. The castle hours are just inconvenient at these times.
But today is pretty convenient! Shining Armor and Twilight will be coming over soon. Night Shine couldn’t be happier, but he tends to forget about it because of Cadence. She’s extremely fun to play with. She also lets him eat some sweets during breakfast and dinner. She tends to spoil him, and Night loves it.
“Alright Night, what would you like to do today?” Cadence asked.
“Can we hoof ball again?” Night requested. “It’s really fun!”
Cadence smiled and poked the boy’s nose with her hoof. “You sure love sports~! Don’t you?”
Night scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Maybe?”
Going to the open courtyard, Cadence brought out the ball. In a couple of rounds, they played over and over. Night Shine kept using his hands, which wasn’t cheating apparently, because there’s no ‘Cannot use hands’ in the rule book of Hoof Ball. As frustrating as it may be, Cadence actually knows her way around the ball.
She actually won even with Night’s appendage advantage. By the time the game was over, the usual winner takes the throne.
“No fair Cadence!” Night complained.
“How’s it not fair?” Cadence questioned, smirking in victory.
“You’re too good at this game! I need, like, ten ponies to beat you!”
“Or maybe you just need your big brother!” Shining chimed in.
The two turned to Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle entering the courtyard. Night smiled widely as he ran to them and gave a family hug. Cadence smiled at the scene. It was so sweet to see them together.
“So, I heard you were being watched over by Princess Celestia and her niece Cadence.” Shining stated.
“That’s right.” Night Shine nodded.
“Has she been treating you well Night?” his brother asked.
“Yeah! She’s super nice! She lets me eat cake and candy, and she also makes me less sick than before!”
“I’m glad to hear that!” Shining grinned. He looks up to Cadence and says to her, “Thanks for everything. You have no idea how much this means to us.”
“It’s no problem.” Cadence replied honestly.
“Hey Night!” Twilight called out. “Let’s play together!”
“Do you want to play Hoof ball?” Night suggested. “You better be careful though! Cadence is really good at the game!”
“Oh really?” Shining smiled. “Not as great as your big brother though, right?”
“No, she’s much, much better!” Night bragged.
Shining stood still as he declines the greatness of his brother to his caretaker. Cadence giggles some and hugs him a bit. “Oh you~!”
“It’s true though! Cadence is like a big sister!”
“Buuuut~! You love your big brother much more, right?” Shining questioned.
“How about your little sister?” Twilight asked.
“Settle down you three.” Cadence told them. “There’s no need for jealousy here.”
Night laughed a bit while Shining was trying to impress his younger brother. It’s been too long since he’s seen him, and he’s already forgetting how much Night used to admire Shining. In any case, Shining had to beat Cadence at something. Thinking about it, he has an idea.
“Hey, how about a game of hoof ball?” Shining suggested.
“Yeah! Hoof ball!” Twilight and Night Shine cheered.
“Good idea. We’ll play a team of two.”
“That’s fine.” The older brother agreed. “I’ll have Night on my team.”
“Alright then! Twilight, is it? You’re with me!” Cadence told her.
The kids cheered and prepared to play the game. Night Shine was having a great time with his family and his big sister as they came together to play with him.
Meanwhile the parents, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, were having brunch with Princess Celestia. The three talked about many things, but the most concerning one was of the boy, Night Shine.
“He seems to be doing fine.” The princess told them. “He required some things none of us were aware of until we did a checkup. He’s not a pony, but a creature that walks on two legs and eats meat among his other food groups. He also for some strange reason, possess no magic.”
“How was he able to stay out this long without magic?” Twilight Velvet asked. “When we found him, he was very healthy. He lived most of his years without such an event. Why now?”
“That is strange…” The princess agreed. “Tell me, where did you find him?”
The two looked at each other before turning to the princess. “He was in a basket.” Night Light told her. “We took him in when we passed by the basket on the way home.”
“Hmm… I wonder who were the original parents of this boy…” The princess wondered. “And why they left him in the middle of nowhere.”
“There were some days I wondered that.” The mother told them. “But I thought that for now, all I wanted to do was make sure he grew up fine and healthy.”
“It seems that we are safe from any health issues for now.” Celestia stated.
“Speaking of health issues.” Twilight Velvet brought up. “So, if he was unable to make any magic, how were you able to give him some?”
“The answer is within your question.” Princess Celestia said. “I pooled in my magic to him. Something you and your family will have to learn how to do.”
“I see!” The father spoke. “Well then, we should see a demonstration then as soon as possible.”
“Don’t jinx Night Shine dearie.” The mother warned him. “I don’t want anything to happen under such short notice.”
Just then, Twilight Sparkle came rushing through and screamed to her parents.
“Night fainted!”
Wrapped in a cozy blanket and sitting beside Cadence, the doctor does another checkup on the boy.
“Say ah ”
Opening his mouth with an “Ah”, the doctor looks around. With a couple more procedures followed by a magic examination, the doctor puts away his clipboard and asks, “How long have you been playing?”
Night looked away and said, “1 hour.”
“Night Shine…” The doctor said sternly.
He sighed and said, “3 hours…”
“Without another pooling?” He said with a huff. “Night shine, you know better than to over exert yourself. Your magic capacity has severely dropped, so you have to take as much rest while we keep pooling in magic.”
“I’m sorry.” Night shine apologized.
“It’s alright Night Shine. You were just having fun.” Cadence assured him.
“You’re not off the hook either miss.” The doctor commented. Cadence jumped a bit before the doctor continued. “You know just as well as he does about his condition. You should have done a pooling before this happened.”
“I’m sorry.” Cadence apologized.
“Just don’t let it happen again.” He sighed. “After all, I worry for you Night.”
“Thank you Doctor Syrup.” Night told him.
“Your welcome.” He replied. “Now that you need another pooling, I suggest you do it with your family watching. They need to see the procedure in order to understand what must be done.”
“Aren’t you excited to see your parents again Night?” Cadence asked him.
“Of course! It’s been a really, really long time since I saw them!” Night exclaimed.
“No shouting until your pooling mister.” Syrup warned him once more.
With that in mind, they exit the office. Going to Night Shine’s room in the castle, the family awaits. A hug from his parents and his siblings came forth, squealing in excitement.
“You’re alright!” his sister Twilight spoke.
“We were so worried!” His mother Velvet stated.
“Don’t scare us like that!” His father Night Light told him.
“Are you feeling better?” His brother Shining asked.
Celestia and Cadence smiled before tapping their hoof on the ground to get their attention. Once the hug ended, Night Shine went to the bed and lied down. He waited patiently as Princess Celestia explained everything.
“What I’m about to show you is how to give Night Shine magic in order for him to stay awake and healthy. You should all learn this in case anything happens when we are not available to assist him.”
Beginning the demonstration, Celestia placed her horn onto Night Shine. Her magic flowed through and swirled into the boy. His body glowed for the time being up until three minutes passed. Once it was done, Celestia raised her head and a newly energized Night rose from his bed.
“How are you feeling Night Shine?”
“I feel a lot better!” He said smiling widely.
Twilight Sparkle was astounded by the process. The once tired looking Night Shine from back then turned into the old energetic Night Shine she remembers. With such an amazing feat to bring her brother back to his older, better self. She was inspired.
“So magic will make him better?” Shining Armor asked.
“He needs to be given some every now and then since he cannot make his own.” Cadence explained.
“I want to learn more about magic.” Twilight Sparkle thought.
“It is very useful, especially for the sake of Night here.” Celestia stated. “With magic, he can live how he wishes to. Perhaps someday, his magic capacity will be large enough to only need to recharge once a month, or longer.”
With that in mind, Twilight had an idea. She went up to her brother and said, “Night Shine! I’m going to learn as much as I can about magic to make sure you feel better!”
Night smiled at his sister’s ambition. Cadence stood beside Twilight and said, “That’s a great idea! I hope you succeed.”
Author's Note
It takes a long time to get all of the moments I want in this story, so I have to think about how this story goes a lot before edit and post. Sorry again for all of the delays.
Sadly, the delays will never cease.