The Return of Tambelon

Flurry and Eclipse sat opposite to each other around a table in Sugarcube Corner, waiting for their cupcakes to be served. They were alone, mostly because it was still early in the morning. The Corner was usually crowded, so Eclipse and Flurry were lucky to find it empty.

All the while, Eclipse was tapping his forelegs nervously on the table. His behavior quickly got on Flurry’s nerves.

“Ugh, would you please stop?” Flurry finally spoke, slamming her forelegs on the table. “This is so annoying!”

“Fine!” Eclipse snapped back, folding his forelegs across his chest. “I always thought that having the daughter of the Princess of Love with me would help me in a situation like this, but turns out you’re useless.”

“Daughter of the Princess of Love. I’m not my mother. It’s not my fault that you had false expectations.”

They smiled as Pinkie popped up in front of them, bubbly as ever. “I’m so glad you two came to visit us!” She said, a wide smile on her face. “I’ve been wondering when you would show up again. You really should visit more often.”

“I keep telling myself the same thing!” Eclipse laughed sheepishly.

Suddenly, the sound of a baby crying came from upstairs.

“Oops, looks like Surprise woke up.” Pinkie started up the stairs. “Pumpkin Cake, please serve the cupcakes to Flurry and Eclipse instead of me.”

Upon hearing the name ‘Pumpkin’, Eclipse’s ears stood up and his eyes opened wide, gaining a giggle from Flurry.

“I’m on it, Pinkie,” a soft voice responded, before the tray of cupcakes floated in an aura of magic and a young unicorn filly emerged from behind the counter. The filly had a butter-yellow coat, an orange mane and deep blue eyes. She trotted toward the table and placed the tray on it.

On the side of the tray that faced Eclipse sat four cupcakes, while the side that faced Flurry had a small mountain of cupcakes on it.

“I hope you enjoy the cupcakes, I baked them myself this time,” Pumpkin said, flashing Eclipse a timid smile.

Eclipse just sat there, not saying anything. After a few seconds, Flurry finally spoke.

“Ahem, thank you so much, Pumpkin.” Flurry shot Eclipse a frown.

Eclipse shook his head and finally managed to speak. “Oh, um, yeah, thank you! I’m sure they will be delicious.”

Pinkie came back from upstairs, but with a baby on top of her head. It was a white pegasus filly with a golden mane, her magenta eyes bubbling with energy. Pinkie grinned as she saw Pumpkin and Eclipse staring at each other and blushing.

“Hehe, so cute!” Pinkie said to herself, then turned her gaze up to her daughter. “Don’t you agree, Surprise?”

Surprise cooed and nodded as if she understood what her mother had said.

“Enjoy.” With that, Pumpkin Cake trotted back toward the counter, but she kept staring back at Eclipse, which caused her to collide with a table.

Eclipse was lost in thought as he watched Pumpkin, but his musing was quickly interrupted with a loud munching sound that ended as fast as it started. He turned to Flurry and stared at her with shock, as he found that half the mountain of cupcakes that was in front of her had been eaten.

“Yum, that was delicious!” Flurry said, licking her lips.

“Delicious? How? You practically inhaled those cupcakes. How did you feel any flavor?!” Eclipse said sarcastically.

“Oh, please! I’m an Alicorn. I need more food than normal ponies.”

“More food is something, and eating like a black hole is something else.”

“Oh, somepony did his astronomy studies!” Flurry clapped her forelegs excitedly.

Eclipse simply face hoofed in response.

Pound Cake slowly poked his head out from behind the corner, his brown eyes fixated on Flurry Heart. When Flurry noticed him, she waved her hoof and smiled, getting the same response from the white colt but with a light blush.

“I have to say…,” Eclipse started, a smirk on his face. “For the daughter of the Princess of Love, you’ve been really good at hiding your crush on Pound from me, until now.”

Flurry chuckled. “No, I wasn’t good at hiding my crush, but you were too dumb to notice it.”

Eclipse slumped his head on the table in defeat. She always has a comeback ready to insult me, doesn’t she? he thought.

“I can tell from the aroma that my wife isn’t the one who baked the cupcakes this time, but they smell very similar,” an orange stallion with a brown, frizzy mane said as he entered the Sugarcube Corner, carrying a big bag over his shoulder.

“Uncle Cheese!” Flurry and Eclipse exclaimed in unison, standing up from their seats.

“Hey there, kids! Long time no see,” Cheese replied.

Flurry and Eclipse were about to leave their seats and give Cheese a hug, but Pinkie quickly glomped him before they could move.

“WELCOME HOME, CHEESY!” Pinkie cheered, before slamming her lips on Cheese’s in a short kiss.

“Blech!” Eclipse said, making a disgusted face.

“What’s wrong, Eclipse?” Flurry whispered, an evil smirk on her face. “Don’t you wish to do the same to Pumpkin?”

Eclipse flinched in shock, his cheeks as red as ever. “W-what?! There’s no way I would do such things to my Pumpkin...I mean Pumpkin!” He turned his gaze away and whispered to himself, “At least not in public!”

Flurry giggled, causing Eclipse’s blush to deepen.

“You’ve been gone for a whole week, Cheese! I get a little lonely in your absence,” Pinkie said, eyes half-closed.

“Alright, alright! I’ve been traveling a little too much lately,” Cheese admitted with a smile. “I promise I won’t do this again. From now on, I shall spend more time with you and Surprise.” He locked his nose with Pinkie’s, allowing Surprise to jump from her head to his.

“Flurry, I think we should leave them alone now,” Eclipse said, leaving his seat.

“But you haven’t eaten your cupcakes yet.”

“I’ll take them with me.” Eclipse scooped the four cupcakes in his magic. “Now let’s get out of here, for their sake as well as ours!” With that, he and Flurry started out of the Corner.

“Oh, wait, we didn’t pay for the cupcakes.” Flurry stopped at the Corner’s door.

“The cupcakes are on us this time,” Pinkie replied, not taking her eyes off of Cheese.

“Just let us get out of here!” Eclipse whispered to Flurry, before dragging her out of the Corner and made her trot in front of him.

“But you have to admit, Eclipse, that was pretty OOF!” Flurry’s statement was interrupted as she bumped into a blue unicorn mare with a silver mane. “I’m sorry, mis…” Flurry looked up and stared in awe at the mare in front of her.

“Well well well, if it isn’t Princess Flurry Heart and Prince Eclipse!” the mare said.

“Trixie!” Flurry wrapped her forelegs tightly around the blue unicorn. “I missed you so much!”

“Me too,” Eclipse added. “But I won’t be able to hug you as long as Flurry is glued to you like this.” He took a bite from one of his cupcakes.

“....and I won’t be able to breathe!” Trixie managed to say, causing Flurry to let go.

“Sorry!” Flurry said with a blush.

“It’s okay.” Trixie patted Flurry on the head, smiling warmly. “You’ve grown up so much, Young Princess. It feels like only yesterday I saved you from the changeling hive in the Metamorphosis incident!” Trixie held her nose high as she finished her statement.

“Great, here we go again!” Eclipse groaned.

Trixie looked at Eclipse from the corner of her eyes, letting out a sigh. “But of course, I didn’t do it alone.”

“But you sacrificed yourself to save us. I’m in your debt forever!” Flurry nuzzled Trixie’s foreleg. She then turned to Eclipse and whispered, “You’re just jealous that she didn’t save you too!”

“For the record, she, and the others, saved my mother, whom without I wouldn’t have existed!” Eclipse whispered back.

“Speaking of the ones who helped me save Equestria, has any of you seen Discord?” Trixie asked, putting forelegs together under the chin and staring dreamily into the space.

“Uh, I’m sorry, Trixie,” Eclipse spoke, scratching his neck. “I did ask my mom. She hasn’t heard anything about him, either. Not even aunt Fluttershy has seen him.”

“Oh, I see,” Trixie sighed at the ground, her ears folded back.

“Don’t worry, Trixie. He disappears for long periods, but he always comes back,” Flurry tried to cheer, floating close to Trixie and patting her on the back.

“The wait for me isn’t as easy as it is for you guys,” Trixie said, turning her gaze away.

Flurry landed and exchanged a sad look with Eclipse, the two trying to come up with something cheerful to say.

“Anyway, enough about The Great and Powerful Trixie’s emotional life!” Trixie faced the young royalty again, managing a cheerful, cocky smile on her face. “See ya later, my faithful friends!” We that, she threw a smoke bomb on the ground and ran away.

Flurry and Eclipse coughed for a few seconds, then Eclipse managed to speak.

“Did she really need to do that?!” Eclipse coughed again.

Flurry replied with a shrug. “I wish she told us the story of the Metamorphosis incident again before she left.”

“Oh, please! You know she twists many facts when telling that story. It’s better to ask Starlight to tell it instead.”

“I know Trixie twists a lot of facts. That’s why I like her story; it feels more like a fairytale.” Flurry grinned sheepishly.

Eclipse stared at Flurry in disbelief. “Ponies like you and Trixie are what convinces me that history books shouldn’t be trusted,” Eclipse coughed one last time. “Though, I kinda feel bad for her, ya know…”

“Yeah. She and Discord are a marefriend and a coltfriend...I mean Draconequus-friend?” Flurry shook her head. “You get my point.”

“I do. I hope Discord returns soon. Trixie isn’t the only pony missing him.”

After a moment of awkward silence, Flurry spoke.

“So, where do you wanna go now?” Flurry asked, before she remembered something. “Hey, I just remembered. Aunt Rarity is making a dress for me. Let’s pass by the Boutique and see if the dress is done.”

“Sure, why not.” Eclipse agreed, taking a bite from another cupcake. “That will give me an opportunity to see uncle Spike! Then we can pass by the Castle of Friendship. Aunt Twilight and Uncle Flash sure could use some company.”

With that, Flurry and Eclipse made their way across Ponyville, ponies from the town greeting the young princess and prince as they passed by.

-oOo-

Twilight sat around the table in the castle’s kitchen with Flash Sentry, eating her breakfast slowly. She pushed the food around with her spoon, staring at it with a blank expression. Eating grew harder for Flash with every passing second, as he watched his wife being completely lost in her thoughts and barely eating.

“Okay, Twilight, please tell me what’s wrong,” Flash said, placing his spoon aside.

“Nothing,” Twilight sighed, leaving her spoon sink in the dish.

“Is it about ‘it’?” Flash asked, getting no response. “Twilight, I told you to not worry about it so much.”

“You don’t understand,” Twilight finally spoke. “Not...not having a baby is just a part of the problem, but it’s a big part because it only rubs salt in the wound,” she turned her gaze down, ears folded back.

“Then what are the other parts of the problem?”

Twilight sighed again. “It’s just that I’ve been seeing my friends less and less lately, and each one of them now has their own families and....and foals. I, on the other hoof, don’t have foals. You get to go on missions and see your fellow guards, but I can’t do the same with my friends.” She covered her face with her forelegs. “I’m afraid those days are behind us.”

“Twilight, we are a family even without foals. I mean, look at Fluttershy. She doesn’t have foals but she’s living happily with Danny Changeling.”

“Fluttershy has dozens of animals in her cottage whom she treats as her own kids. But you and me are living completely alone in this huge castle ever since Starlight and Spike left! We only have books, books, books. If there’s one thing I learned ever since I came to Ponyville, it’s that books can never replace friends!” Twilight replied firmly, tears welling in her eyes.

“Hey, calm down now. It’s okay.” Flash trotted to Twilight’s side and wiped her tears, wrapping a wing around her. “If you really feel like you’re spending less and less time with your friends, we can deal with it. I’m sure we can arrange some event to gather you all again.” He lifted Twilight’s head up to meet his gaze, flashing a reassuring smile. “And it’s true we don’t have a foal, but we don’t have a foal yet.”

Even though her husband’s words helped a little, Twilight still had the big part of the problem. “We tried everything, Flash. You heard the doctor. There’s nothing wrong with me nor with you. Doesn’t that mean something?”

“It just means we need to try harder.”

Twilight chuckled, even though she tried to hold it back. “Was that supposed to be funny?”

“Well, you chuckled, so I guess it was funny.” Flash braced himself, fearing that his joke had made things worse.

Twilight chuckled again, giving Flash a light, friendly punch on the shoulder. But her grim expression returned quickly.

“Oh come on! What should I do to cheer you up?”

“You’re not the problem, Flash. I know you’re doing your best. And I’m sorry if I ever made you feel like you’re not enough. No, you’re always here by my side. I just wish...” Before Twilight could finish her sentence, a loud knock was heard on the castle’s doors.

Immediately, Twilight teleported in front of the door and opened it, getting greeted with a familiar couple of unicorns, one orange and the other purple.

“Starlight!” Twilight threw her forelegs around the purple unicorn, totally ignoring her husband, Sunburst.

“Ah...hi.” Sunburst waved his hoof, failing to get any response from Twilight.

“Don’t worry, Sunburst,” Flash said as he arrived at the door. “I’ll give you the greeting that my wife forgot to give you.” Flash then punched Sunburst in the shoulder, knocking him to the ground.

“Ouch! If that’s how she was going to greet me, then thank goodness she didn’t!” Sunburst exclaimed, as he stood up and fixed his glasses, rubbing his shoulder in pain.

“Hehe, sorry!” Flash grinned, waving his foreleg in defense. “I’m a royal guard. I’m used to greet my fellow guards like that.”

“Did I look like a royal guard to you?” The crystaller raised an eyebrow.

“Get over it, man! I’m just glad to see you.” Flash placed his foreleg around Sunburst’s shoulder.

Sunburst sighed, a little smile appearing on his face. “Good to see you too.”

“I haven’t seen you in ages, Starlight!” Twilight said, breaking the hug but keeping one foreleg on Starlight’s shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m terribly sorry,” Starlight replied, an apologetic smile on her face. “I know the letters aren’t as good as a visit. I promise to visit you more often.”

“Let’s take a walk outside. I’m getting really bored from the castle’s interior.” With that, Twilight and Starlight trotted in the garden around the castle, discussing all sorts of things in their way.

-oOo-

Celestia levitated her cup and sipped, but nothing intered her mouth. She looked down to find it empty. She had been so immersed in her conversation with Cadance and Luna that that was the third empty sip she took from the cup.

Sombra had always been fascinatedby how the three princesses could talk so much. Even though he rarely felt like a third (or fourth) wheel with them, but he still wished that Shining Armor was present, and it would’ve been better if Spike came along, too.

“I see Flurry and Eclipse are taking their time,” Celestia commented, pouring tea into her cup.

“Yes. Let them have fun,” Cadance replied, showing only a little bit of concern. “I just hope they don’t do something reckless.”

“Oh, I don’t think they would,” Celestia chuckled. “Would they?”