Flash Sentry bounced the foals in his lap as he sat on the bed, smiling as they shrieked with glee. Dusk Glow scrunched his face at his father’s silliness, the little unicorn biting his hooves to keep the giggles at bay. Star Chaser, on the other hoof, flared her wings with joy, flapping ecstatically. Kissing the tops of their heads, Flash’s voice dipped low to grab their attention.
“Dusk, Star, is mommy’s horn for...dipping in whipped cream?”
“No! No!” they cried.
“Is it for...popping big balloons?”
“No! No, daddy!” they laughed.
“Is it for...digging holes in the garden to plant flowers?”
“No! Not dirt, daddy!” Dusk shook his head furiously.
“Fwowers!” Star shouted, boosting herself into the air. Flash caught the filly in his wing, smushing the two into a sibling sandwich.
“Well, what’s it for?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in deep thought.
“Magic!” Star cheered. The little unicorn’s horn flared a brilliant orange before puttering out.
Flash put a hoof to his own forehead, looking down at them with amazement. “Oh, that’s right! Now I remember. And Star, Dusk, are mommy’s wings for...flipping pancakes?” he asked, hauling both youngsters over his shoulders and dipping them upsidedown. Their legs scrambled over his back as they squealed with delight.
“No! No!” they said.
“Are they for...piling bath bubbles way up high?” Flash held them each by the barrel, laying on his back while his kids balanced above him.
“Noooo!” They recoiled at the mention of being clean.
“Are they for...giving great big hugs?” Flash tucked the foals under his chin, wrapping his wings around them and raining down kisses.
“No!” they pouted, apparently fed up with his questions.
“No?” Flash scoffed. “Mommy never uses them for great big hugs?”
It was a rare moment of silence as the twins furrowed their brows, reconsidering their answer. “Yes!” they decided. Flash laughed. That was easy.
“Yes, she does. But what does she really use them for?” he asked.
“Fwying!” Star answered.
“That’s right! You know, you two are just so smart. I think you both have mommy’s big, nerdy brain stuffed in there,” he said, tapping the sides of their heads. The twins grinned at their father’s praise. A new voice floated from the doorway, causing three pairs of ears to swivel towards the entrance.
“Ah, yes, my most attractive quality. My big, nerdy brain,” Twilight said, smirking as the foals jumped up from their father’s chest. The alicorn princess had shed her regal form, choosing to keep herself at the height of most regular ponies.
“Mooommmyyyyyyy!” the twins howled, racing past a minefield of toys and coloring sheets and books. Somehow, the two managed to make themselves sound like an entire herd as they stampeded towards their mother.
Princess Twilight Sparkle sat on her haunches, scooping the twins into a heartfelt embrace. Her words were velvet-soft, sweet like honey. It made Flash’s ears tingle. “I missed you both so much today. Did you have fun with daddy?” she asked.
“I drawed a middotaw!” Dusk said, concentrating hard as he floated a crumpled slip of paper off the floor. Twilight examined the art very seriously, looking to her husband for help deciphering the blob of red and black crayon markings. Minotaur, Flash mouthed, picking his way through a woodblock castle.
“Oh! Well, I think you did a wonderful job. And what did you do, Star?” Twilight asked.
“Casso defi-def-deffins—” Star screwed her face in frustration as her tongue fumbled around in her mouth.
“Take a breath and sound it out, sweetie,” Twilight said.
“Kas-sul. Kassul. Dee-fents. Deefents,” Star said, looking up to see if she was right.
“All together now, hon,” Twilight encouraged, smiling warmly.
“Kassuldeefents!”
Flash ruffled the filly’s mane. “Good try! But, yes, castle defense was her favorite. She kept everyone in Canterlot safe from monster dolphin-butterfly hybrids and an evil timber wolf warlock.”
“Oh my. It sounds like you had a much more interesting day than mommy,” Twilight said. The twins nodded, yawning as they clung to their mother. “What do you say we pick up some toys and have a little nap so auntie Luna can see you before she has to go to work?”
“Woona!” They looked at each other, wriggling from under Twilight’s hooves before getting to work cleaning their room.
Both parents watched their foals work, sitting comfortably beside each other. Flash turned to kiss his wife, nibbling at her bottom lip to make her giggle. “I think we have the only foals in all of Equestria who are actually excited to sleep.”
“Luna is a miracle worker, honestly.”
“Also, for the record, your big, nerdy brain is my favorite part about you,” he said, sneaking another kiss while Dusk and Star were distracted.
“Is that really all I am to you, Flash? Just a pile of grey matter with hooves?”
“Mmm, I’m pretty sure if I think hard enough I can come up with some other attractive qualities,” he mumbled, brushing a hoof over her flank. He felt her shiver under his caress.
Pressing her lips against her husband’s ears, Twilight let the warmth of her words tickle his sensitive fur. “I propose that we get these two to bed so you can give me a full report about what you think.”
“Woof. Nothing gets you going like a good assignment, does it?” Flash smirked, dodging a wing to the shoulder. “Alright, alright! Let me wrangle these two and read them a quick story, then we’ll see about that report, your highness.”
“Keep it up and you’re going to lose teleportation privileges for a week, bucko.”
“Does it get you riled up knowing I’m going to bring my A-game? For the report, get it? Like it’s homewor—”
The stallion was cut off by a throw pillow to the muzzle, smiling as his wife rolled her eyes. “I sentence you to detention. Forever.”
“Is it wrong that I like the sound of that?”
Twilight only shook her head, pulling back the covers for Star and Dusk to tuck them in. Pointing towards the twins’ bookshelf, she didn’t even need to ask Flash to retrieve their favorite story—Big Star Little Star, a tale about a griffin who flew through the cosmos making friends with constellations to aid her in her journey. Exciting and educational.
By the end, Star and Dusk were fast asleep, leaving their parents to watch their little chests rise and fall. Flash and Twilight pressed their lips to the foals’ snouts, leaving them to see their aunt in the dream realm. Walking wing in wing, the couple strode down the hallway, content to talk about their day and possibilities of the future.
