The Last of Equestria: New Beginnings

“Mommy! The oven is ready!”

I give the cake pan a little shake to even out the batter and turn to see my precious daughter holding the oven open with her orange-colored magic. I thank her sweetly and put the cake pan into the hot oven using my own, dark magenta-colored magic. She giggles and closes the door, her little ivory-cream colored body bouncing with excitement. She has the biggest grin on her face as she looks up at me with those cute, little orange eyes of hers. I take a moment to adore just how precious and cute she is- especially when this excited- as I set the timer for the oven. Her energetic enthusiasm for helping bake her birthday cake is honestly contagious.

I reach out and gently ruffle her light blue mane she always keeps styled into a short little bob with a few curls. I look over my shoulder and watch as my son carefully- with much concentration- squeezes a few drops of blue food coloring into a bowl of white icing. A small collection of differently colored bowls of icing sit on the counter nearby. He’s sitting on top of a stool close to the counter with his tongue between his teeth as he stirs the bowl of icing he has with a metal spoon. Unlike his sister and I, Larkspur is an earth pony. The food coloring he uses isn’t too far off from the soft blue of his own coat and I’ve always adored how curly his little lilac mane has been. It never fails to remind me of the very flower he’s named after. It’s really the only thing their father ever got right.

“You’re doing a good job, Larky. Do you need any help?” I say as I approach him.

“No mama! I’ve got this!” Larkspur exclaims proudly as he looks up at me.

“Mmhm. You sure do, buddy. I’m proud of you,” I say as I kiss the top of his little head.

“This is gonna be the best cake ever! Sissy’s gonna love it!” Larkspur exclaims happily.

“Darn tootin’ it is! She already loves it, don’t you Ivory?” I say as I hold the bowl steady for my son.

Silence answers my question. I repeat my question as I look over my shoulder. Just that quickly and quietly, my daughter- Ivory Rain- had left the room without me noticing. I call out for her and am met with silence once more. I let go of the bowl and start to leave the kitchen when Ivory comes galloping back in with an even bigger grin on her face. I exhale a sigh of relief I didn’t realize I had been holding. She’s carrying a makeshift gift box made out of paper and glue, meticulously decorated with markers and a little bow made of string.

Usually silence and children mean some kind of mischief is afoot, but I couldn’t ask for more kinder, loving and well-behaved children than my own. Still, I always find myself worried when they suddenly disappear or go quiet. Not because I’m worried they’re up to something or have slipped out the door without telling me, but… well, it feels like it wasn’t too long ago that disappearing and silence meant ‘dad’ was home and that ‘dad’ was pissed. I say dad that way, but while he’s the biological father of both of my children, he never played the part… except for when it meant saving face and making me look- and feel- stupid.

That’s neither here nor there now. He’s gone, locked away for the foreseeable future. It’s been a couple of years since we finally escaped, so to speak, but from time to time I still find myself looking over my shoulder and worried he’ll be there to torment us some more. I don’t like silence anymore, not much of it anyways. I always try to keep us busy or have either the TV or the radio on. I push the thought out of my head as I graciously accept the gift Ivory hands over to me. I give the homemade box a little shake and hear something rattle inside. I open the box and reveal its contents; a special, carefully crafted charm necklace. It’s clear she poured her heart and soul into it as she made it for me.

Threaded onto a pink string are beads in a pattern of yellow, cream, blue and red. The charms are carefully placed in a pattern as well. After the first set of colored beads is a slice of cake followed by beads with the letters ‘H’ and ‘C’ on them. There are more colored beads, then a slice of pizza and more colored beads. The next set of three charms is a raindrop, then letter beads with ‘I’ and ‘R’ on them. Afterwards, there are more colored beads, a red heart charm, more colored beads, then a bright blue flower charm, a letter bead with an ‘L’ on it, more colored beads, a smiley face and then finally more colored beads.

“You made this for me? Hey, ain’t I the one who’s supposed to be giving you gifts?” I question playfully as I admire the necklace.

“Heehee! Yeah, but if you think about it, my birthday is, like, your birthday too! Kinda!” Ivory answers as she sits down and claps her hooves together.

“That so?” I ask as I slip the necklace around my neck.

“Well, duh, mommy. You wouldn’t be a mommy without me and I wouldn’t have a birthday without you,” Ivory explains in a tone suggesting it was clearly obvious “it makes sense, don’t it?”

“Well, when you put it like that, it does make sense,” I say with a chuckle “thank you very much, darling. I promise I’ll always wear it and never lose it. It’s very beautiful.”

“Yay! I’m glad you like it, mama! That’s what my super secret project was. I wanted to surprise you!” Ivory says as she jumps up and hugs my leg tightly.

“Oooh! I was wondering what that super secret project was,” I say as I gladly return the hug.

“You’re really smart, mama, so I probably don’t need to tell you what the charms mean, buuut…” Ivory trails off, looking at me with excited, pleading eyes.

“Buuut?” I ask, encouraging her to continue “you want to?”

“Yes! Yes! Okay, okay, so, the cake is for you because, well, your name! And because you’re super good at making cakes and stuff! Oh, then the first two letters are for your name!” Ivory explains with much- and very adorable- enthusiasm.

“That’s really thoughtful, baby. And the pizza?” I say, playfully feigning ignorance.

“Because we love pizza! Because you take us to get pizza every Saturday! That’s why Saturdays are my favorite!” Ivory exclaims happily.

“Because of the pizza?” I ask with another chuckle.

“Well, yeah! I’m a kid and kids loooove pizza,” Ivory says in a goofy voice “but also because I love spending time with you and bubby. Also also because I brag to the other kids about how cool and awesome my mommy is while we goof in the play area!”

“You tell the other kids about me?” I ask with genuine curiosity.

“Duh! You’re, like, literally the best mom EVER!” Ivory exclaims she peers around me “ain’t that right, Larky?”

“Yup! Mommy is the best mommy ever, ever, ever!” Larkspur chimes in as he licks icing from the spoon he was using.

“Well, shucks. How lucky am I to have such sweet baby angels?” I ask, happy tears pricking the corners of my eyes “and the other charms, baby?”

“The raindrop is because I have rain in my name, then the ‘I’ and ‘R’ are because of my name. The heart is for how much I love you,” Ivory explains “I wanted to add a million hearts because that’s really how much I love you, but I couldn’t fit a million hearts sadly.”

“Oh, then the flower is for Larky because he’s named after a flower, the ‘L’ is for his name and the smiley face is for how happy you make me! The colored beads also represent us! Yellow for mommy, cream for me, blue for Larky and red for our love!” Ivory quickly adds with much excitement.

“I can say with a thousand percent honesty that this is most definitely the best present anypony has ever gotten me, baby girl. I can’t begin to thank you enough for such a wonderful gift,” I say, a couple of happy tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Larkspur calls out.

“Yes, baby?” I answer as I turn to face him.

“Can you help me down? I made something for you too! Sissy helped me make it!” Larkspur exclaims, matching his big sister’s excited energy.

“Wait a minute, I get two gifts? From the two best ponies on Equus? Mommy’s heart is going to melt from the sweetness!” I exclaim as I help Larkspur down from the stool.

I carefully ‘slump’ onto the floor and pretend to ‘die’ from the sweetness overload. Larkspur giggles as he gallops out of the kitchen. A flood of giggles erupt from Ivory as she trots over and carefully climbs on top of me. She gives me fake CPR and places a big smooch on my cheek. I spring to life and pull her into a tight hug. My children are my heart and soul, my purpose for living, my literal everything. I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without them or what I’d do if I lost either one of them. Ivory is such a good filly and an even better big sister. It won’t be too much longer now before Larkspur will be able to call himself a big brother and Ivory will have two little siblings to play with.

As Larkspur comes galloping back into the kitchen, I let go of Ivory and we both stand up. Even though this isn’t my first rodeo with an-almost-ready-to-pop baby bump, I always struggle a little bit to get up after getting down. Ivory does her best to help me and I ruffle her mane again as a quiet ‘thank you’. Larkspur hands me a piece of paper lovingly decorated with a collage of stickers and marker stick figures representing a happy family- our family- playing at the park. I thank him with a big, loving smooch on the head and pin the picture to the fridge with one of the many magnets stuck to the doors. Larkspur beams proudly as he hugs my leg tightly. Ivory joins in and hugs my other leg just as tightly.

“Hey, now. I can’t hug you back if you’ve got my legs!” I jokingly scold with a cheeky grin and a big wink.

“Mwahaha! We’ll never let go!” Ivory exclaims in a goofy voice as she wraps herself around my leg.

Larkspur follows her lead and giggles.

“Well, shoot. Guess I’m stuck like this forever, then,” I say with a fake sigh.

I awkwardly shuffle my way out of the kitchen with two little foals attached to my forelegs and head into the living room. The kids let go of my legs and start a game of tag. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that tomorrow Ivory will be seven and that Larkspur is already four. Time certainly flies, doesn’t it? Sometimes being a parent is weird. On one hoof, you want them to grow up and be successful, kind, compassionate adults, but on the other, you always wish they’d stay this small and cute forever. My littlest one hasn’t been born yet, but it feels like it was only yesterday I found out I was pregnant.

I gingerly feel my plump belly and sigh quietly to myself. I seem to have the worst luck when it comes to stallions. I tried my hoof at finding love again and thought I had found it, only to find out the stallion was married after I told him I was pregnant. After that, he disappeared off the face of Equus, never to be seen again. It hurts, but it took years of torture to realize my value. I don’t need him to be happy, to take care of three kids and myself. At the very least, I gained a friend out of it; the bastard’s wife. Sapphire, I think her name was. Sapphire… oh, I forget now. I’ve only met her twice and after that, we’ve only spoken on the phone. I don’t know much about her, really. I think she’s moved to Canterlot now.

“Admittance spikes continue to grow at hospitals rapidly all over the country. Hospitals in Vanhoover, in particular, have been filled to capacity and overflow patients are now being outsourced to other hospitals outside of the city…”

The newscaster's voice pulls me back to reality as I let out a small sigh. I look over at the television and see a well-dressed mare sitting behind a wooden desk, hooves folded over one another, with a fancy chart backing up the information she relays. The news. It’s been filled with nothing but fear-filled stories about some new illness going around. So far, whatever it is seems to only really be a problem in the bigger, more major cities. Small towns like Ponyville- where we live- have somehow managed to avoid it for the time being. Well, as far as I’m aware, at least. It always starts like it’s the end of the world, then- after a couple of years or so- things go back to a level of normalcy and the ‘world-ending’ illness becomes just another minor thing. No big deal, nopony bats an eye. It’s probably just another new flu. Seems like a million of those these days. The world isn’t going really to end.

“According to reports and eyewitness accounts we’ve received, the infection seems to have started with two nurses at North Star Medical Center in Vanhoover. Officials from the ECDC have warned everypony to stay home as often as possible, thoroughly wash your hooves, wear protective masks and face coverings and- more importantly- avoid contact with anypony who presents with the following symptoms…”

I sigh softly and change the channel to one with age appropriate cartoons for the kiddos. I’m not going to be careless and allow my children to get sick, but sometimes I feel the news makes mountains out of molehills. I make my way to the couch and go to sit down. Just as my rear makes contact with the cushion, the phone in the kitchen rings. I groan and roll my eyes as I get right back up, then make my way over to the phone. I mentally curse the mystery caller as I pick up the phone and answer it with a slight bit of ire.

“Hello?” I answer.

“Hey, hey! How are ya, sis?” My elder brother, Apple Cake, cheerfully greets me.

“Well, thanks to two wonderful little ponies, I’m doing absolutely splendid,” I say, my tone changing to a happier one once I realize who’s calling me.

“Are you busy at the moment?” Apple asks.

“No, not particularly. Waiting on Ivory’s cake to finish in the oven at the moment,” I reply.

“Good. When the cake finishes up, come meet me and Star Dust at the park. She’s bringing Pudgy and Little Dipper with her,” Apple Cake says “the kids can play together with that crazy chihuahua of hers while we… talk. It’s important.”

"Huh? We can't discuss this over the phone?" I question.

"We could… but… Listen, Honey. We know you, you'd probably hang up on us, but this is seriously, well, serious," Apple Cake says with a heavy sigh.

"How cruel, you think I'd hang up on my wonderful big brother during a seriously serious discussion?" I question, pretending to be hurt.

"Yup. Meet us at the park when that cake is done. No ifs, ands or buts, Honey. We don't have the luxury of time, honestly, but… well, just get here ASAP and we’ll explain," Apple Cake says in a rather serious tone "love you, sis. See ya soon."

"Eh? Okay, then. Love you too, Apple. Later gator," I say before hanging up.

Normally, I would pay no mind to Apple or his antics, or Star's for that matter, but he was uncharacteristically serious over the phone. It's a very rare occurrence, so if it's 'seriously serious' as he put it, then it must be. Serious enough he's worried I'll hang up on him if we were to try to discuss it over the phone. Serious enough he wants to meet face to face and bring my kids just to keep me from just storming off if I get ticked off. Smart… but also worrisome. Celestia help me if it has anything to do with that new virus or whatever it is…

I trot back over to the couch and get comfortable as I patiently wait for the cake to finish baking. My sweet, little angels settle down on the couch next to me and watch cartoons with me until we hear the oven timer go off. I get my pregnant butt up off the couch and return to the kitchen with my babies in tow. The cake comes out perfectly golden and smells absolutely delicious. I place the cake on a cooling rack, then place it inside the fridge along with the colored icings I prepared with Larkspur's help. Ivory and Larkspur share a confused look between them before looking up at me.

“I know you want to decorate your cake now that it's finished, but Uncle Apple called. He said him, Auntie Star, Little Dipper and Pudgy are at the park and they want us to come join them,” I explain with a smile “besides, we've got to wait for the cake to cool down, so let’s go play at the park for a little bit and then we’ll decorate it when we get back home. Sound good?”

Ivory and Larkspur’s eyes go wide with pure, precious excitement at the mention of going to the park to play with their cousin and to see their Auntie and Uncle. They give a loud, resounding yes and then run off to get their scarves from upstairs, as it’s a little chilly out today. I gather my own scarf as well as my pocket book and wait for my children at the door. A little roar of hooves comes clambering down the stairs and soon my children catch up to me.

"Ready?" I ask as I reach out and grab the doorknob.

"Yes!!" My children exclaim in unison.

I chuckle as I open the door and lead the two of them outside. We pass by several neighbors, whom we smile at and greet. About halfway there, Larkspur declares he's tired of walking and would like to ride on my back. I happily oblige and scoop him up with my magic, then gently place him on back. Ivory happily trots alongside me for the duration of the trip. Once we arrive, I scan the area for my siblings. I spot them on the far side of the park near the children's play area and then we make our way over. Much like myself, Apple Cake is a unicorn. Our younger sister Star Dust, on the other hoof, is the odd pony out as a pegasus. Her son, Little Dipper, is also a pegasus.

Apple Cake is a near perfect copy of our father with his light green eyes, apple red coat and the sprinkles of dark red freckles around his muzzle and flank. Much like myself, he has a dark brown mane styled into short, rounded curls. His mane is a bit shorter than mine in terms of hair length, though. If I hadn't witnessed her birth, somepony could've once convinced me that Star was adopted. She shares no features with me, Apple or our father. The only thing she shares with our mother is her gold orange eyes. Not that that's completely strange or anything. It happens in most families across the country. Pony genetics are just straight up weird.

Her mane, styled in a messy mullet, is pale yellow with stripes of light grey and a somewhat brighter yellow. Her coat is midnight blue and covered in tiny white freckles, most of which are concentrated around her flank, hooves and face. She also has a wide strip of white from her forehead to the tip of her nose. Their familiar faces bring me joy and comfort as I put Larkspur down and encourage them to go find their cousin, who was already busy playing in the jungle gym. Star's little chihuahua, Pudgy, happily bounces up to my kids- tail wagging a million miles an hour- and 'attacks' them with a flurry of loving kisses.

"Alright, I'm here. What's that seriously serious discussion we absolutely must… discuss?" I question with a bit of teaseful sarcasm.

"Well, firstly, I must say that is a beautiful necklace you're wearin', sis," Star Dust says "is that one of them expensive, luxurious Ivory Rain originals?"

"Thank you for noticing. It absolutely is and it's currently the only one in existence," I say as I show off the necklace like a model would.

"We couldn't find the charms she wanted here, so that's why I took her to Canterlot. That was what our super secret mission had been," Star says with a small laugh "just in case you were wondering."

"You two might be complete dunces, but I trust you with my kids and they trust you. You could take them to the Frozen North and I probably would only slightly question it," I say with a laugh myself “buuut I do prefer to be asked. Of course, there are some certain special exceptions.”

"Good thing we're not ax murderers then, huh?" Apple Cake jokes.

"You? An ax murderer? Mmm, nah, more like an ax wielder," Star says with a loud cackle "your aim is shit."

"That was one time and I was, like, thirteen! At camp!" Apple exclaims with a pout.

“Sorry, but as your siblings, we are sworn by the sibling code to never- under any circumstance- let you live that down,” Star says, mimicking the motions of swearing an oath.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever,” Apple says as he rolls his eyes “but as the eldest, I say… let’s get down to business.”

“To defeat the Huns?” I question with a smirk.

“What? No,” Apple answers with much confusion.

“Worth a shot,” I say with a shrug “then again… I don’t understand the reference… or why I said that.”

“Moving on, ya weirdo. Honey, you’re pregnant and have two small kids-” Apple says, before I interrupt him with more playful sarcasm.

“Holy shit. I’m pregnant?? And I have two kids?? I never noticed,” I say, pretending to be utterly shocked.

“- and Star has Dipper. It’s important we stay together and stay safe from this viral infection that’s going around,” Apple continues without missing a beat “it’s different- way different- from all these other viruses and infections that’ve come before it."

“You know my friend Kyanite? She works for the ECDC. Has for, like, three years or so at this point. Anyways, she warned me that I should take my loved ones and find somewhere isolated to live,” Star explains in a more serious tone “this is a fungal infection. Apparently some of their researchers were sent to this facility out west to study the fungus causing it, but that was before it became a huge problem for the rest of us.”

“Oh, there was something else to it. Apparently it wiped out an entire remote village or something like that,” Star adds.

“I’ve heard rumors that it isn’t curable or, rather, won’t be curable. I doubt that would stop the ECDC or whoever from trying to create a cure, though,” Apple says “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. It’s hit the major cities hard. I think it all started in Vanhoover.”

“It’s what it does to ponies that’s the worst part of it all, really. You’re going to think it’s stupid, Honey, but just hear me out. To put it in really simple terms, it basically turns them into zombies,” Star explains.

“You’re right. I do think it’s stupid. Really stupid. No offense, but of course you two dunces would believe this is the start of a zombie apocalypse,” I say sarcastically as I roll my eyes.

“That’s not what we’re saying… but I guess it might as well be. You know, in all the movies and shows I’ve seen, the majority of those apocalypses could’ve been avoided if ponies had actually listened instead of shrugging it off or just didn’t believe whoever said it was gonna happen,” Star says in an annoyed tone.

“Honey, you love your children more than anything. You’d do anything to protect them, so listen to us so that we can,” Apple says with a pleading look “we’re not kidding about those who are sick. It makes them highly aggressive, among other terrible things.”

I shake my head at the ridiculous notion that they’re suggesting and look over at the children as they play. There’s one thing I can’t argue with. My children are my entire world. I love them with my heart and soul, every fiber of my being… and I’d do anything to protect them, no matter what the cost may be. I feel like Apple and Star are overreacting, but they're both uncharacteristically serious about this. Typically, the roles are reversed. Were this any other situation, I would be the one explaining and pleading and they’d be the ones thinking I was crazy. Something’s not right. I’m starting to get this sinking feeling in my gut that maybe I should listen to them.

“I’m going to buy as large a wagon as I possibly can- maybe two- after we leave the park. We can use Pop-Pop and Maw-Maw’s place up in the mountains. It’s the perfect place to isolate,” Apple says “and if things get out of hoof with this infection and a full-blown apocalypse does occur, we can set up traps and other security measures along the path to the cottage.”

“Hey, while you’re out buying the wagon, go buy us guns and whatnot. I’m sure we’ll need them, but truthfully, I hope we don’t ever have to use ‘em,” Star says to Apple “I can give you extra funds if you need it.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll call up some favors to help with that goal,” Apple says with a nod “let’s be discreet with those for the kiddos’ sake.”

“I-I don’t know about moving that far away. It’s so far from any hospitals,” I say nervously “I’ve never delivered a baby without medical assistance or strong pain meds.”

“We want to stay as far away from hospitals as we possibly can right now. You know that I delivered Dippy on my own and at my house. I can deliver our little nibling, so don’t worry about that,” Star says reassuringly.

“Okay. Fine. We can go, but… can we wait until after Ivory’s birthday party?” I ask as I look over at my daughter.

Ivory catches me looking and waves at me with a big, goofy grin on her face. I smile and wave back at her. She turns her attention to Pudgy, picks up a stick nearly the same size as him and tosses it for him to fetch.

“Honey. We should leave as soon as possible. Tomorrow, in fact. We’re leaving tomorrow,” Apple says with a small sigh “I know, it’s so last minute, but if we put it off…”

“Right. Of course. I’ll finish her cake when we get home and… and I guess we’ll have a celebration with just the seven of us. Eight, if you wanna get technical,” I say as I pat my belly.

“Gather up stuff you’re okay with pawning off. We’ll need as much money as possible. I’ll swing by later, collect it and then pawn all of it off for as many bits as I can manage,” Apple says as he looks between me and Star.

“Good thinking. Let’s also pack light personal bags for each of us, including the kids, for when we’re on the train. Everypony gets one bag,” Star says with a solemn nod.

“Let’s make a game plan for tomorrow and get all of our ducks in a row. That way, we can minimize unnecessary stops or whatever and all stay on the same page,” Apple says with a solemn nod as well.

“Good thinking. Let’s also make backup plans in case any wrenches get thrown into the works… and backup plans for the backup plans,” Star says.

Together, the three of us talk it out and figure out a solid game plan for tomorrow as well as backup plans just in case. Well, it’s more accurate to say Apple and Star come up with these plans and I just agree or give my opinion when necessary. Tomorrow morning, we’re going to mail immediate resignation letters to our employers, then pull out all of our savings from the bank, scrape up every last bit we can find and head to our local gardening-farming shop. Star brought up an excellent point in that the groceries we buy will only last for so long and that we’ll need to do something to keep us as self-sufficient as possible and to avoid unnecessary, ‘dangerous’ trips to towns or cities for supplies.

After picking up bags of soil, gardening tools and seeds, we’ll head to the grocery store. Apple agreed to save a bit of space for toys for the kids instead of just two or three each as he had suggested. While we pick up food, we’ll let the kids splurge a little on toys so they’ll have something to keep them entertained. Star said she would also look into picking up home schooling books and supplies so our children can have an education. She’s also going to grab what we’ll need to deliver my baby as well as baby supplies. Apple is going to handle everything concerning weapons and personal safety, including ammunition. Once we have everything and do a headcount, we’ll buy our tickets, board the train and head to our grandparents’ cottage.

***

An hour later, my siblings and I part ways and return to our respective homes. Ivory and Larkspur excitedly inform me about their grand adventures at the park as I take the cake and icing out of the fridge to decorate it. They pull chairs from the dining table over to the counter by the sink and watch me work my ‘magic’ on the cake. With much love and a lot of skill and practice, I transform the cake base into an edible work of art. Ivory is a big fan of nature and all the beauty the comes with it. In particular, she’s very fond of newts. With that in mind and per her request, it depicts a newt swimming in a stream of water and a second newt watching him from the shore. Judging by her giddy reaction and the grin so big it almost covers her whole head, I’d say Ivory is in love with her cake.

“It looks sooooooo good, mommy! I’m going to feel bad when we cut it up and eat it ‘cause it’s so pretty,” Ivory says as she jumps out of her chair and hugs my leg.

“I’m glad you love it, sweetie,” I say as I return the hug.

I look over at her cake, sigh softly and then look down at Ivory with a sad look on my face. She gives me a puzzled look as I sit down on the floor and bring myself to her level.

“I know how excited for tomorrow you are and I know you’ve been eagerly waiting for tomorrow to come, but… but I have some not so good news,” I say softly as I stroke her mane.

“What is it mama?” Ivory questions as tears of worry form in the corners of her eyes.

“Don’t cry, baby. Please. This is already hard enough,” I reply, trying not to cry myself “I… I had to cancel your birthday party because… well, because we’re moving very far away tomorrow... for a very long time.”

“Mommy, I don’t want to move!” Larkspur chimes in, tears already streaming down his cheeks.

“All of our friends are here, mommy,” Ivory says sadly.

“I know, baby. I don’t like this either, but it’s for our safety, okay? To keep us healthy and safe,” I explain with another sigh “I don’t know if you heard the TV talk about it, but there’s this really, really bad and really, really dangerous sickness going around. We have to leave so we don’t risk getting sick with it.”

“Are ponies dying from it?” Ivory asks with a sniffle.

“I… I don’t know. I think a few have… b-but listen, we… we need to be brave, okay? I know it’s sad and it hurts our hearts to move away from our friends, but we have to stay strong and brave and tough,” I explain in an encouraging tone “can we do that for mommy? We can be big and strong and brave and super tough?”

Larkspur and Ivory look at each other and stare as if mentally debating on whether they could or not. After a moment or two, they both look up at me, wipe away their tears and give me big, brave smiles.

“There we go. Let’s show off our muscles so we can see how tough and brave we are,” I say as I flex my front legs.

My children giggle and copy me. They take it a notch further by showing off different poses. I chuckle at their silliness and breathe a sigh of relief that they seem to understand- for the most part- why we’re leaving on such short notice.

“Oh, also, before I forget… Uncle Apple, Auntie Star, Little Dipper and Pudgy are coming with us, okie dokie? So the two of you will have somepony to play with,” I say as I stand up.

“Really?” Larkspur questions with much excitement.

“Hooray!” Ivory cheers as she hugs her brother tightly.

“I’m going to put the cake up. I need the two of you to go to your room and do something really important for me,” I say as I pick up the cake with my magic “grab your book bags and pack them up with stuff you want to bring with you. There’s a couple of rules, though.”

“Rules?” They question in unison.

“Mmhm. What we pack has to be important. Really important, so here’s the rules; pack some clothes first. Whatever is your favorite to wear. Secondly, you can pick out three toys from home to put in there. We’ll put some more toys in Uncle Apple’s wagon, but we’ll worry about those later,” I explain with a smile “then you can pack whatever else you want.”

“Oh, but we have to leave room to put your toothbrushes and whatnot in there too, so don’t go too crazy with packing. Leave what you’re putting in your bags on your bed and I’ll help you put them inside later.”

“Okay, mommy!” They agree in unison before galloping away.

I watch them for a moment before sighing softly and putting the cake inside of the refrigerator. I hope what Apple Cake and Star Dust said was true. More importantly, though…

… I hope I’m doing the right thing.