The Nature of Nurture

I trot through the town, my mind still running through the exchange with Apple Bloom again, repeating like a broken record. Guilt scratches and burns at my throat as is I’ve gone and swallowed live coals.

“Boo!”

I jump slightly, glancing over my shoulder to glare at Rainbow Dash as she breaks up laughing.

“Rainbow Dash, that isn’t funny,” I snap, not bothering to hide how irritated I am. “You could have started Brio crying.”

He doesn’t seem to bothered though. Rather, he’s squirming, giggles and echoing Rainbow, repeating “boo!” over and over to himself.

“Sorry, whatever,” the cyan pegasus says, rolling her eyes. “So anyway, you said we could go swimming down at the river today,” she reminds me as she lands lightly, folding her wings.

I grimace, realizing that I’ve forgotten. “Consarnit Dash, I’m sorry, but I just can’t,” I say, shaking my head.

She pauses, blinking in shock. “What do you mean you can’t? You told me you’d be done with your farm chores for the day by now,” she points out, her eyes narrowing into a glare.

“I am, but I need to talk to Twilight. It’s been more than a week and I can’t get Brio to eat anything, and it’s starting to really worry me,” I tell her, rubbing Brio’s head.

Rainbow huffs, stomping. “He seems fine, if he can wait a week I’m sure he can wait one more day.”

“Listen, Dash,” I say, pulling my hat down over my eyes. “I’ll go swimming with you tomorrow, alright?”

“Not alright,” she snaps. Before I can say anything else, she takes off in a rainbow blur and races off. It seems everyone’s frustrated with me lately.

Hopefully Twi isn’t included in that, though. “You aren’t mad at me, are you?” I ask Brio as I start walking again, sighing.

He looks up at me, beaming. “Boo!”

I head into the castle without knocking, since Twilight probably won’t be able to hear me from the library. Of course that’s where I head-after all, that’s the room of the castle where she spends the most of her time anyway.

To my surprise, it’s empty, except for Spike, who seems to have fallen asleep in an easy chair, using a piano book as a blanket. His breath is soft as he turns over with a smile, murmuring something about flying and Rarity. I slip back out the door as quietly as I can, careful not to wake the baby dragon.

I’m not sure where else I could be, but I really shouldn’t be wondering around her house. But as I walk back towards the front door, I hear sound coming from a little ways down the hall.

I follow the sound down into a small kitchen room. It has a dim lamp hanging over the table, but most the light comes streaming through the crystalline windows, dappling the flower. The crystal tree-castle creaks slightly in the wind, giving the little room a peaceful feeling.

Twilight is sitting at the table, smiling sleepily down. She’s got a stack of books three tall, each quite a good bit thick. A fourth book is open in front of her, with a diagram on one page and a thick block of text on the other. Next to her book is a little blue cup with steam wafting up from it. It smells like pine needles, and daisy leaves are floating on the dark green tea. I watch wordlessly as she yawns, magically turning the page of her book.

As she does, she sees me standing in the door way, jolting slightly. “Hmm? Oh, Apple Jack, how long have you been standing there?” she asks, a few strands of the pink in her mane falling across her dark violet eyes.

I pause, blinking. “Huh? Oh, hey sugar cube, sorry to spook you,” I say, pushing my mane up out of my eyes, clearing my throat in embarrassment. I nod to the chair across from her. “Mind if sit?”

“Oh, sure!” Twilight says. Magically, she slides a bookmark into the book and shuts it, levitating it to the top of the stack. She stands, smiling. “I’ve been reading up on sirens and child rearing-there’s quite a bit of fascinating information on both those subjects, once you look into them. Can I get you some tea?”

“Ah, thanks but no thanks, Twi,” I say, taking my hat off, I set it on the table, sitting back with a sigh. It’s good to see her so excited to have Brio around, instead of frustrated like she was at the beginning. I can’t help wondering what changed, but I guess it isn’t really my business. “I was actually here to ask you about Brio,” I say, nuzzling the little fellow gently.

Twilight pauses, sitting back down. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, I’m worried about feeding him. He won’t eat any proper food, and since you said that sirens feed of negative emotions, I was wondering how to make sure he’s eating?”

She smiles, fondling her tea cup thoughtfully. “Well have you had an distressing situations lately? Anything stressful?”

I nod, chuffing. “More than I’d like, honestly,” I say, glancing down at the brim of my stetson, my mind starting to wander.

Twilight looks up at me, concerning shadowing her expression. “Is everything alright Apple Jack? Is something wrong?”

Some ponies seem to think Brio’s a crime against nature, Rainbow’s cross with me, Big Mac’s keeping secrets, Apple Bloom is moody, and Granny Smith is more than a bit touched in the head.

“No, I’ve already handled the problems,” I tell her. The lie is salty on my tongue, burning down up my throat like bile. But shucks, I don’t want my friends worrying about me. They have their own problems to handle.

She nods, but I’m not sure she believes me. “Well either way, the negative emotions from situations like that should be all the physical nourishment Brio Vesper needs.” She hesitates, then smiling, starts chattering away about her book. “Anyway, I was just reading that playing classical music as babies fall asleep can strengthen their mental capacities as they age-and when he gets older I was thinking we could get him one of those toys where they have to fit the blocks into the holes with the matching shapes, to get him learning shapes early. Oh! And I have some classics you could read to him,” she rambles, beaming.

I just smile and nod, not really understanding what she means by most of it. “Maybe you could read the classics to him,” I tell her, my skin flushing with embarrassment as the topic of reading comes up. “Shucks, I’m sure he’d love hearing them from the princess of books.”

Twilight offers a dimpled smile, considering that as she lifts her tea cup, sipping it thoughtfully. “That might be fun,” she muses.

I pause, picking my hat back up and setting it on my head. “I should probably get going. I need to pick up the cloth diapers Rarity’s got for me.”

“Can’t you just buy some from the store?” Twi asks, tipping her head to the side with a thoughtful frown.

I shrug, flicking my tail at the thought of the awful clerk at the baby store. “It’s a long story. Thanks for your help Twilight. I need to go drop Brio off at the farm now. Maybe Big Mac can set him down for a nap while I swing by Rarity’s.”

Twilight lights up, squealing in an adorable girly moment. “Oh, idea! I could babysit him for you while you get the diapers!”

I pause, blinking. “Do you think you could put him down for a nap for me?” I ask, surprised.

“Sure! I think the castle has a nursery with a cradle. And Spike’s a baby dragon, and I’m always taking care of him. I mean, how hard can little Brio be?” Twilight says excitedly, straightening her pile of books, beaming.

I can’t say no to that face. “Sure thing, sugar cube. If you ever need me, you’ll come find me, right?”

Twilight levitates the baby carrier off my back, Brio still in it. He giggles, excited as he floats into the air. “Don’t worry Apple Jack, he’s in great hands with me. I’ve read lots of parenting manuals!”