I sigh contently as the high noon's sun warms my underside as I lay back with my forelegs crossed under my head. It's not too hot, nor too cold; with a slight breeze helping the temperature stay at the perfect degree. With a lazy gaze I glance to my side and look out at Ponyville park. The long grass sways blissfully in the slow wind as ponies go about their peaceful day, playing, socializing, getting to their destinations. There isn't a cloud in the sky or a frown in the town. Today couldn't be a better day.

"And get daddy!" Luna cheers as Tempestive tries to climb up my side. I chuckle and look down at him as he sets his hooves on my stomach and tries to pull himself up. Luna's on the other side of the blanket with all of our picnic supplies below the two of us. When Tempestive finally makes it on top he giggles in triumph and starts to crawl up me.

"And where do you think you're going?" I ask as I bring my arms around and trap him in a hug.

"Nao!" He yells happily as he tries wiggle out of my grasp. "Nao nao nao naooooo!"

"C'mere you!" I bring him up to my face and blow a raspberry on his little belly, making him squeal and try to kick me away. I do it again, getting similar results, and bring him back to the blanket so Luna can join in.

"Here comes mommy!"

"Nao daddy!"

PFFFFFFFFT

We assault him with kisses and raspberries for a few more minutes until the sides of our cheeks begin to go numb. We relax back and let him settle between the two of us. Luna lays back and stretches out, letting out a content sigh of her own.

"Yeah, that's right. Show it off." I tell her as I ogle her a bit. Not a single change in diet or a single minute working out and she's practically back to her original weight. I'll never get it.

"Don't be a perv around Tempestive." She scolds with a slight smirk. She rolls back to Tempestive and brings him to face her. "Mommy.... mommy, say mommy."

"Dad-dy."

"That's right." I tell him, getting an irritated look from Luna.

"Noooo, mooooommmmmmy." She says slowly, trying to get him to mimic her.

"Nao, daaaaaaaddy." He tells her, making Luna deflate in defeat.

"By the way, him saying no to everything is your fault." I tell Luna, but am ignored.

"Come on, mommy. Just once Tempestive, please?"

"Mmm.... mmmm... mmmm." He struggles to sound out, getting Luna to perk up.

"That's it, say it. Mommy, mooooommmy. Mommy, come on, you can do it." She eggs him on, scooting closer to him.

"Mmmm... mmmm... nao."

"UUUUUUUHHG!" Luna rolls back in total defeat for the thousandth time this week. I laugh and pull Tempestive over to me, smiling in my easily attained victory.

"That's my boy." I gloat as I hold him close, nuzzling his side. "Who loves you most?"

"Daddy."

"Damn straight."

"At least I cried when he was born." Luna says bitterly, going her usual route for defeat.

"I don't get why you won't let that go already. I was happy-"

"Just not enough to actively show it? I cried, Celestia cried, Shadow cried-"

"Shadow only cried because she thought we were replacing her-"

"It still counts." I roll my eyes and look back to Tempestive.

"Hey, say mom already so I can get out of trouble." I tell him as I nudge his side a bit. He rolls onto his side and holds my muzzle in his hooves, feeling it up out of curiosity. "Say mom."

"Nao."

"Mom."

"Nao."

"You know you're lucky it's your birthday." I tell him as I press my muzzle into him, nuzzling his chest a bit.

"One whole year, can you believe it?" Luna reminisces as she scoots to my side and joins me in nuzzling Tempestive.

"Nao." Great timing kid.

"One year, and he's already talking and trying to walk. I could have sworn I saw him trying to fly the other day-"

"All normal for a foal his age." Luna tells me, again.

"Eenope. My son is a genius, just like his father." Luna nudges me playfully as we share a laugh. Tempestive rolls onto his back to look up at the two of us, giving a long yawn as he reaches for Luna's muzzle.

"Happy birthday sweetie." Luna whispers to him as she kisses his forehead.

"Let’s head home, someone here needs a nap." I tell Luna as I give her a slight nudge. She looks to me and leans over, giving me a soft kiss on the lips.

While she wraps Tempestive up and gets him into his harness, I gather all of our belongings and toss them into our basket. Once done, I throw the basket onto my back and we head back home. We keep quiet in hopes of having Tempestive falling asleep during the walk home, but sadly he's wide awake when we make it to the door. During the day he doesn't seem to sleep that much. We'll play with him until he passes out, then a few minutes later he's back up with all of the energy he had before. I want to just pass it off as a pony thing, but... I'm just not sure.

"Well, so much for a nap." Luna muses as she brings him into the living room. She brings him out and sets him on the new carpet. She sets a few toys around him before walking off to the kitchen. "So, I'll go get the cake and food while you stay here and watch over Tempestive."

"Yeah, wait, no. I have to go to Moosden to get Shadow and the others. Not to mention I have to talk with the traders from the Crystal Empire." I tell her as I take a seat next to Tempestive as he chews on a building block and rolls onto his side.

"I'll only be out for half an hour or so. Can't they wait?" Luna asks as she steps back into the living room.

"The last time that pompous... guy, waited ten minutes I had to sit there for an hour listening to his rant. Can't the food wait a few-"

"Ponies are going to be showing up soon Miles-"

"Where's my favorite nephew!" Celestia cheers as she rushes in from the front door. She runs past us and goes straight for Tempestive, picking him up in a tight hug while she kisses his cheek.

"Nao nao nao NAO!" He yells as he tries to push her away. She laughs and hugs him again, rocking him from side to side.... idea.

"Hey, want to watch him for a bit while we deal with some errands?"

"What?" Luna asks, dumbfounded. "Miles, nopony has ever watched Tempestive without one of us being there-"

"And thank you for the faith little sister." Celestia says as she sets him back down. "If memory serves me correctly, I did manage to raise you, dear sister."

"It'll only be for a few minutes. An hour tops. Not to mention I'll be sending Shadow, Butterscotch, and E'Claire in a minute. She can handle this." I assure Luna, getting an uneasy look from her. She glances between Tempestive and Celestia before sighing in defeat.

"Fine. Diapers and wipes are in the hall cabinet as well as upstairs in his room. If he gets too fussy give him half a bottle, I don't want to ruin his appetite for later. Pacifiers are on the table in the kitchen-"

"Luna, I've got this under control. Just go already." Celestia tells her. She glances between the two of them before kissing Tempestive's cheek and running off.

"You've got him, right?" I ask as I step towards the back door.

"Miles, I can handle a foal just fine. Go and take care of your errands okay." She reassures me. I think about it for a moment before nodding to her and heading out back. I'm sure she can handle him... it'll only be for a few seconds until I send the girls over... yeah.

I take the mico platform and walk through Moosden at a brisk pace, trying to get out of the cold air. I always forget to bring a sweater here, with Ponyville being so much warmer and all. A quick trot through the open square and I make it to the girl's home, where I hear some raised voices. Concerned, I open the door and step inside.

"- so for the last time will you get your sparkly flank out of my house and- Captain!" Butterscotch says before snapping to a salute. The trader from the Crystal Empire, Elusive, continues to glare at her despite my entry. He's a scrawny pencil pusher with a white coat and highly styled teal hair. Someone I'd peg to find in Rarity's shop way too often.

"At ease private, what's going on?" I ask as I shut the door behind me. Training for her ended a month ago, but I guess it's good to see the discipline staying with her. Though sometimes it gets weird when Shadow's around.

"Well-"

"To start with!" Elusive cuts Butterscotch off. "Your shipment of timber is three days late, your receptionist was missing from her post, your little 'community' of misfits have been eyeing my crew ever since we arrived, and nopony seems to want to work with us!" He snaps at me with his sassy high pitched voice. This... is going to take a while.

............................................................................................................................................................

I lay down and watch Tempestive play with his building blocks as Miles makes his way out the back. He's just... too adorable! With his bright green eyes, his scruffy tuft of black air, his little wings, those squishy cheeks-

*Door shuts*

His scared look, the sadness coming over his face, the tears welling up as the biggest frown imaginable takes over.

"It's okay sweety, mommy and daddy just had to go run a few errands-"

"Waaaaaaaaaaahhh!" He screams as he begins to cry. I quickly pick him up and try to sooth him.

"They'll be back soon-

"WAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

"It's okay, aunty Celly is here-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Thanks kid. I levitate him to my side and begin to walk around the room, rocking him gently in an attempt to get him to calm down, but he only cries harder. When I bring him back into my hooves he stops wailing, but I can see how upset he still is. Maybe he needs a diaper change? After a quick check I find him to be clean and dry. Maybe he's just hungry?

I try to set him down, but he begins to cry again, so I continue to hold him up in my hooves. I take him into the kitchen and levitate all of the materials for a bottle, mix it together, warm it up, and feed it to him. He takes it in his hooves and eats away.

"Okay, easy enough. That's all you wanted, just a little bobby and milk, huh, sweety?" I ask him as I sit down and watch him eat away. He gets about halfway through the bottle before he drops it and begins to pout. So, I pick up the bottle and give it back to him. He eats for a few seconds before throwing the bottle back down and pouting even more. I try it again and get the same results, irritating me slightly.

"Okay, so I guess you're not hungry. Hmm, do you need a change? ...no, clean. Maybe you just want to nap? Is that it?" I ask him as I hold him in front of myself.

"Nao."

"Okay, let's try taking a nap." I tell him. I bring him up to his room and take a look around it. A crib sits at the end of the bed while with a wooden chest labeled 'Temp's Toys' lays beside it. Beside the window is a changing table with all of the supplies I'll need. The rooms walls have been painted blue with the ceiling being white. A few toys lay about the room, but other than that it's fairly well kept.

I take him to the crib and try to lay him down, but he fusses more the further away he gets from me. After a quick thought I decide to lay on the small bed with him until he falls asleep, nestling him so he's tucked under my wing. If he's anything like his mother, I'm sure this'll knock him right out. Sure enough, he snuggles against my side and yawns loudly, content with the warmth coming from my side. I smile as I watch him slowly fade into sleep, his eyelids weighing heavily on his innocent little green eyes.

Once I'm sure he's asleep I go to move him into the crib, but he grumbles and fusses. He hasn't falling too deep into sleep yet, so I wait a bit longer. Oddly enough, the longer I wait, the more he seems to wake. After about five minutes his eyes open back up and he's wide awake. I try to wait it out, but when he begins to climb over me I call it quits.

"So much for a nap." I tell him, making him giggle.

"You're lucky you're adorable or I wouldn't have any of this." I tell him as I squint my eyes at him and nuzzle his nose. He laughs mischievously and tumbles onto his side, still looking up at me. I chuckle and watch him while he continues to climb up my side and fall back down. He's a rambunctious little colt, that's for sure. Probably gets that from his father. Luna was more of the quiet, reclusive... cry baby.

"So, what should we do now?" I ask Tempestive, getting a quizzical look from him.

..........................................................................................................................................................

I hum to myself as I trot down the path to my home from Ponyville, Pinkie skipping alongside me. Behind me I levitate a few trays of food; most of which prepared my the Apples, a large covered bowl of punch; a secret receipt made from Pinkie, and the birthday cake; fresh from Sugarcube Corner.

"Thank you again for offering to help set up today, Pinkie." I tell her, breaking her from her random rant.

"You don't have to thank me, silly! Parties are my specialty, especially when they're for my friends!" She tells me, cheerful as ever.

"I just hope Celestia can handle him on her own. Is it normal to worry about this kind of stuff? I mean, she took care of me when I was little, not to mention this country. But... I still can't help but worry."

"That's just the good mom sense kicking in. The cakes felt the same when I watched their foals for the first time on my own. And all they did was fly around the room, faze through walls, and cover themselves in watery flour! And they were just a unicorn and pegasis! I'm sure a single alicorn is nothing." I stop dead in my tracks and watch Pinkie continue to skip and sing. "Luna? you okay over there?"

"What? Yes, of course. Let's just.... hurry on back home, before anything bad happens... to the food. Because I'm worried the food will go bad... or will fall onto the ground... or might catch fire-"

"I hate it when that happens." Pinkie agrees as I speed up, trying to get home as quickly and sanely as possible. Within a few minutes I rush through the front door and find Celestia laying on her back in the living tossing Tempestive into the air.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" I yell as I run in and catch him before Celestia could, dropping all of the food.

"MY TURN!" Pinkie yells as she runs in and jumps onto Celestia.

"OOF! Well, glad to see you made it back." Celestia says before she levitates Pinkie off. "And he's fine you know. We were just having a little bit of fun." I look him over quickly and note the massive smile on his unharmed face.

"Oh... of course. Sorry, I guess I over reacted just a little-"

"She thought Tempestive was going to catch fire." Pinkie tells her as she picks up the food. Sadly, the cake is completely ruined.

"You thought I was-"

"Oh no! The cake, what are we going to do!?" I feign in order to change the subject.

"I gotcha covered!" Pinkie tells me as she pulls out a light blue cannon and fires it.

PARTY

Confetti and streamers fly everywhere as the canon flies out the front door from the recoil. I moved to cover Tempestive from the colorful shrapnel, taking a good hit myself. When the debris stopped moving and the ringing in my ear stopped, I turned to see my entire house decorated for a party. Streamers, table cloths, party hats for everypony present; Tempestive included, all in their appropriate places and setting.

"How-"

"Don't question. Just accept." I tell Celestia as I remove the party hat on my head. I glance over to the dinning room and note the birthday cake sitting on the table with a single candle in it. One day, I am going to learn the secrets of that darned contraption.

"Baby brother!" Shadow yells as she comes running in from the back door. She darts straight to us and slide to a stop, d'awing at him. "His hat is so cute! Can I hold him?"

"Where's your father?" I ask as I pass him off to her.

"How do you trust her with him but not-"

"He's talking with Elusive, trying to get him to calm down." Shadow tells me, cutting Celestia off thankfully. "He was getting mad at mom, and I think she punched him because he started crying... or at least it sounded like that."

"And E'Claire?" I ask as I walk over to the kitchen, beckoning everypony with me.

"Holding back mom."

"Ah. Well, can you do me a favor and watch him while I go and get things ready? Celestia will help too." I tell them, getting an eager nod from Shadow. She runs back into the living room. Celestia hesitates for a moment before I nod to her to follow, getting a nervous smile in return before she walks to the living room as well.

"So, what's up first?" Pinkie asks from the kitchen table, stirring something in a mixing bowl she seemingly conjured from out of thin air.

"Right, first we should get the table set up out back. Then..."

Together the two of us get everything prepare for Tempestive's birthday party. Setting up tables, getting the food out, changing a diaper, getting the picnic blanket out and squared off, fighting off the wolves so they wouldn't eat all of the food, changing another diaper, going to Moosden and dragging Miles back here, changing another diaper. All of this before the first guest begin to appear.

First to show up were the Apples. Applejack, Hammer, Applebloom, Big Mac, Fluttershy and little Rampant Growth. Sadly Granny couldn't make it, she was feeling a bit under the weather and had to stay in bed.

"Is she doing alright?" I ask Applejack and Fluttershy. Bic Mac and Miles walk off on their own while Shadow and Applebloom bring the little ones inside.

"Ah, it ain’t nothin ta be worried 'bout." Applejack assures me. "She always gits like this around the colder seasons. messes with 'er joints 'n all."

"Last winter she nearly missed Winter Wrap Up from this. She sends her regards and promises to make it up to Tempestive." Fluttershy adds.

"Oh, that's not necessary. But thank you. I just want to see her healthy, that's all." I tell them, giving them each a reassuring smile. "Hows the farm doing with all of the dividends from the government?"

"Well, things are gettin tough, but we'll manage. Just like we always do." Applejack says before Fluttershy could say anything. I can see the look of concern in Fluttershy's eyes, so I let it stay at that for the time being. I'm sure it's tougher than she's letting on to, but its not like there's much I can do. The Griffin Colonies need much more severely than we do.

"Well, if you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask." I tell her, though I know she won't. Not until it's a real problem at least.

"Good luck with that!" We all look up to see Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Scootaloo flying down with little Jet Spectrum in Rainbow's saddle. "Where's the birthday boy at?" She asks when she lands.

"He's inside with Shadow and Applebloom." I tell them. "Thanks for making it today."

"Hey, can I bring Jet inside?" Scootaloo asks eagerly.

"Sure, take the bag with you." She tells her, passing the saddle over to her. She takes him and scurries inside excitedly.

"So hows working for the Ponyville weather team Soarin?" I ask him as well all head over to one of the tables and take a seat. He chuckles a bit before pouring himself a glass of punch.

"Well, it's not quite what I was expecting..."

......................................................................................................................................................

I chuckle at Tempestive as he rolls over and focuses completely on chewing the teething toy in his hooves. The other foals in the room lay beside him in the middle of the open area near the fire place Dad recently had installed in the living room. Each of them have a toy distracting them as they lay about on the carpet. Scootaloo and Applebloom lay around them with me, encircling the foals between us so we can watch them more easily. Celestia seems to have wandered off into the kitchen, but that's alright. Mama Luna knows to hide the goodies from her.

"Ahm tellin ya, there has ta be a catch." Applebloom says for the hundredth time.

"Really? Give it a rest already Bloom." Scoots drones.

"There aint no way that that's all there is to the deal, there has ta be some secret Miles isn't tellin us." Bloom continues.

"Why would my dad lie to me? You know him, he can't lie to us. He can't even say no to us." I tell her, getting Scoots to smirk.

"I can't believe he still thinks that sugar cereals are for foals to grow up strong and stuff." Scoots snickers, getting the rest of us to laugh.

"How long has he been here now?" Bloom asks.

"Feels like forever... but in a good way. Anyway, foal sitting for special talent tutoring is all there is to the deal. Plain and simple. You learn Terradisian engineering, I learn about stealth and stuff, Sweetie gets to listen to all the music she wants, and Scoots... what are you getting exactly?"

"Mom said she train me to do sonic booms. Even if there's a catch I'm still going to do it. No way am I passing up on a chance to learn from the greatest flyer in all of Equestria-"

"Ya think being her daughter would make her less of a fanfilly." Bloom leans in and says to me under her breath, making me chuckle.

"... and then the world! So why do you think there's a catch?" Scoots asks, making us sit up right.

"Cause it doesn't make sense. We're only watchin them once a week for a few hours at most! Ah don't want to get anymore chores than ah already have ta do. Ah know they're planning somethin'. Ah can feel it." She says as she looks out back and glares at Dad.

"Do you really want to know?" We all jump a little from Aunty Celestia's cool voice coming from the dinning room. "I may or may not know why they want all of you to foal sit every Saturday night. And I may be willing to tell you, for a fee of course." She adds with a smug smirk.

"Dea-"

"No! No deal!" I cut off Applebloom. "Aunty Celly, Mama Luna said that we're suppose to hold you to your diet. That means no sugary snacks before eating!"

"Fine, no deal. But I'm telling you know, there is a catch." She tells us before sauntering back to the kitchen, giving us a cool, even look.

"Shadow, c'mon let's just show her where Luna's hidin' the cookies!" Bloom tells me as she stands.

"No! If we don't hold her to her own diet, she's going to explode! As she puts it." I tell her as I stand.

"She doesn't actually explode... doesn't she?" Scoots asks, sounding a bit too hesitant.

"Of course not ya feather head. She's just dramatizing." Bloom rolls her eyes.

"I knew that you country bumpkin! I was just joking!" Scoots defends quickly, standing up and facing off with Bloom.

"Sure ya were cloud-for-brains." I try to get them to stop, but bloom cuts me off before I could say anything thing.

"Mud mucker!"

"Air head!"

"HEY GIRLS!" Sweetie Bell yells as she runs in from the front door, followed shortly after by Spike and Rarity. Applebloom and Scootaloo back off from one another and greet her, as if nothing had happened, while I pry myself from underneath the kitchen table... when did I even get here? "Are you guys foal sitting for his birthday or something?"

"Everypony else is in the back." I explain, getting Spike and Rarity to take their leave. The four of us take our places around the foals, glad that they were too distracted with building blocks and chew toys to wander off.

"Hey Sweetie, doncha think the deal we made fer foal sitting is weird?" Applebloom asks.

"No, if they want a date night then I'm happy to help. Plus, I get to-"

"Wait, wait, wait a second. What do you mean date night?" Scootaloo asks to clarify.

"I heard Spike and Rarity talking about it a few nights ago. They all just want to free up a night in the week to spend together, so they discussed it together and decided having us watch the foals while they were out was the best choice. After a little persuasion of course."

Dad... and Mama Luna... having weekly date nights...

"Oh that's disgusting!" I blanch when I put one and one together. "They can't do that anymore! They already have one!"

"Just because they have one doesn't mean they can't do that." Sweetie defends. I look over and share a mortified look with Applebloom. I didn't want to know this, I really didn't want to know this! I feel like I just relearned about the birds and the bees!

"Okay I'm lost," Scootaloo admits. "What's going on?"

"Don't worry about it." Applebloom tells her, visibly shivering.

"Hey girls," Dad calls from the kitchen door. "Can you bring out the boys, we're going to start doing the presents."

"Okay Dad!" I call back, glad I couldn't see him. We all grab our little brothers, and cousin in Applebloom's case, and take them out back. I pause for a second when I notice how many ponies actually came today. I know most of them pretty well, I guess I just didn't expect this many ponies to come to a one year old's birthday party.

Most of the Spartans are here, we're only missing Damian and Sǐ Yè. A few royal looking ponies are here, but I don't know their names. Those two mares obsessed with humans are here, though I don't know why. I mean, Dad went to like... two of their meetings. But I guess they were kind enough to make it today. Regina's here. I kind of expected her to be, being Lunas best friend.

So many ponies, here, for my little brothers first birthday. So.... many....

"Okay, girls. Give me Tempestive and try to keep Shadow from running away." Dad says. I shake back to reality when he lifts Tempestive out of the carrying pouch and brings him over to Luna.

"Let's get something to eat." Sweetie Bell says as she nudges me along.

"Right... food. And... stuff." I mumble to myself.

"So, what should we do when school lets out for the weekend? I was thinking we should see if we could have a slumber party at Shadows." Sweetie suggests, receiving positive responses from the others.

Luna nuzzles Tempestive when I take a seat beside her, making him squirm and smile. I give him a kiss on the side of the head before setting him down on the ground and set a piece of chocolate cake in front of him. Sure enough, it gets his attention immediately and he plasters his hooves in it before shoveling some of it into his mouth. The rest, as predicted, ends up around his face.

"How could something be that small be that adorable?" Regina asks, smiling down at him.

"I would say genetics, but looking at Miles..." Elly chuckles.

"Ha ha. Funny eagle." I retort, knowing it would set him off.

"Excuse me? Eagle? I am hawk and proud, so don't you forget it! I did not come all this way, do your training, and piss off that many birds to be generalized by you! Luna, get mad at him." He commands.

"Miles, I'm mad at you." Luna tells me quickly, giving me a cheeky smile.

"Give it a week, you'll get over it." I say, getting a playful smack from Luna. "Anyway, you were about to finish up with your country's story." I tell Regina, getting her to look back at me.

"Right. So, after those wars, our nation was divided into five separate kingdoms. For a long time, they would wage war on one another in an attempt for supremacy. At the bloodiest point of the Countless Wars, one of the kingdoms fell, as did one of the Great Sphinxes. It was at this point that Ulfric rose up and united all of the kingdoms. But, since none of the kings were willing to give up their positions, he instead made them into a collective group of kingdoms, know as the Colonies-"

"Why are we getting history lessons at a one-year-olds birthday party?" Ellzy drones, sulking in the historical knowledge.

"We're leaving in three days to inspect the Griffin Colonies. We need to know as much as possible about their history if we're going to understand anything." I tell him, making him sulk even more.

"I already-"

"The only thing you know how to do is how to get tail." I cut him off.

"Hey! That's an unappreciated art! It deserves it's respect!" He defends, making me roll my eyes.

"Ellzy... you gay." We all look back to see Damian, CC, Patches, and Hammer walking towards us. Damian is wearing a heavy cloak that hides most of his body; his staff being the only giveaway.

"I guess I learned it from one of my superiors. You know, the only one without a kid to prove anything." He retorts, giving a knowing look to CC.

"... fuck." Damian sighs in defeat. "Anyway, where's the birthday boy? I want to give him his present already." He says cheerfully, trotting up to Tempestive and I. He reaches forward, wanting to hold him apparently.

"If you drop him-"

"Ye of little faith." He cuts me off, taking Tempestive in his hooves. He tosses him up a few times, scaring the crap out of me and Luna, before holding him above his head, much to Tempestive's delight. "I dub thee.... STORMAGEDDON! LORD OF THE CHOCOLATE CAKE!"

"Miles..." Luna says worriedly.

"Okay, you're scaring the wife. Give back the foal." I tell him, taking him back.

"Lame. Anyway, this is from me and CC." He says before giving me a wrapped gift.

"Aw, what'd you get him?" Ellzy asks before taking the gift and shaking it, listening closely.

"A stuffed strawberry." Damian replies.

"..."

"No we didn't." CC tells me, nudging Damian out of the way. "We got him some teething toys."

"Thank you." Luna tells them, moving the gift aside.

"... I forgot a gift." Patches says sadly.

"That's alright, being here is enough. Plus, he's only one. I don't think he'll care all too much." I tell him, getting a warm smile in return. "You just lose holding privileges."

"... damn. I MEAN SHOOT!" He corrects quickly, making us laugh. I set Tempestive back down so he can finish his cake, much to his enjoyment. We all look to Hammer and wait for him to do or say something. It takes him a moment to notice we're looking to him, but when he finally does realize, he begins to panic.

"Um.... I got... him a gift. I totally got him a gift! It's... right... here!" He says proudly as he quickly produces a clear ball from Backpack.

"Don't lie, you completely forgot-"

"I did not! See, I got him a... clear ball. What colt wouldn't want a clear ball? Clear balls are all the craze right now. You wouldn't know that because you're so old, Miles!" He defends, holding the ball up as if it was the greatest gift of all time.

"I'm older then Miles." Luna points out flatly.

"... APPLEJACK! SAVE ME!" Hammer yells before running away.

"Well, that entertained Trixie so." We look over to the left side of the house to see Trixie walking towards us. She has a bundle on her side that has a tuft of silver hair and a dark purple horn sticking out. No doubt her little filly, Scaena Nox. "We have arrived to wish Tempestive a happy birthday, isn't that right sweetheart?" She sits before us and pulls the bundle before us, revealing Scaena's bright blue eyes.

"Trixie, it's good to see you again. How long are you going to stay in town this time?" I ask, making her blush... and no doubtingly making Luna a little mad.

"Well, maybe a few days. There's an illusionist convention in Trottingham next week that we must attend." She tells us, jostling Scaena to emphasize the we. "Anyway, we brought this for Tempestive."

She levitates a wrapped gift over us and sets it down in front of Luna, who picks it up and sets it by the pile of other gifts in the back. From there we decide to start unwrapping gifts, after cleaning Tempestive of course. How he could manage to get all of the cake around his mouth instead of inside, I'll never know.

The gift unwrapping goes by fairly smoothly. Most of the gifts he gets he seems to have little interest in, going for the wrapping paper or boxes instead. Once all of the gifts have been unwrapped though, he finds the clear ball from Hammer and becomes enthralled by it. At first he tries climbing over it, seeing as it's nearly as big as him. Slowly but surely, Rampant Growth sees the ball and becomes enthralled by it as well, crawling towards it quickly.

Big Mac and I share a look before watching the rivalry unfurl. Sure enough, the ball rolls out of Tempestive's grasp and comes to a stop between the two of them. They both go for the ball and try to take it at the same time. With both of them pulling, the ball stays between them, making them struggle to win over their prize.

"Nao nao nao NAAAOOOOOO!" Tempestive yells as he fights to get his ball back, pulling with all his might. When they both give it their final go, the ball suddenly pops up from their grasp. They fall back as the ball lands between the two of them, practically in the same spot. They both sit up, go sour face, then begin to cry their hearts out while reaching for their mothers; who instantly go to comfort them. Big Mac and I share another look, seamlessly telling each other 'next time'.

From there, the rest of the day goes by as it did at the park. People talked, people laughed, I punched Damian, and Tempestive clung to his prized ball. Slowly, but surely, people started leaving as the day neared it's end. Giving their love to Tempestive and wishes for better days to come. If the days could go by as they did today, I don't think that will be a problem. This was assuredly, one of the better days.

By the end, Tempestive was completely knocked out, so we took him to bed. Of course, when we lay him down in his bed, he began to fuss, so Luna sang for him until he went back sleep. I wrapped a wing around her and listened to her soothing voice, letting it calm me as it lulled Tempestive.

'Somewhere, over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dream that you dreamed of

Dreams really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops

That's where

You'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dare to

So why, oh why, can't I?

Well I see trees of green

And red roses too.

I'll watch them bloom

For me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

Well I see skies of blue and I see clouds of white

And the brightness of day

I like the dark and I think to myself

What a wonderful world.

The colors of the rainbows

So pretty in the sky

are also in the faces

of ponies passing by.

I see friends shaking hooves saying,

How do you do?

They're really saying,

I...I love you.

I hear babies cry

And I watch them grow

They'll learn much more

Then we'll know.

And I think to myself,

What a wonderful world.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops

That's where

You'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dare to

So why, oh why, can't I?'

By the end, he's sleeping soundly in his crib, content with the world. We watch him sleep peacefully for a bit before I kiss Luna on the cheek and usher her out. We go to bed, equally content with the world and its better days.

..........................................................................................................................................................

I mumble a bit when I hear Tempestive crying softly. He's probably just hungry or woke up too damn early. I feel Luna beside me and see that she's still asleep, so I pry myself from bed to take care of Tempestive. In the hallway I pause for a moment when I hear voices. At first they sound distant, but when I quickly begin to wake up, I realize that they're coming from Tempestive's room.

I run to his room and tackle the door open-

"Shhh, he's just fussy. Don't wake him any further." Spatium tells me as she cradles Tempestive in her hooves, with Tempus sitting beside her looking down at him.

...

...

...

...

...

"WHA-" I start to yell before something holds my mouth shut. Tempus whispers something to Spatium, getting a nod from her, before standing and walking to me. He motions with a hoof to be quiet before letting go of my mouth. I try to say something, but at this point I've simply lost my ability to. He walks around me and begins to fix the door with his magic, leaving me to gape at Spatium.

"So, there are probably many questions you have at this point." Tempus quietly says from behind as he messes with the door.

"... you could say that." I force out, turning to him and poking his side, making sure he's actually there. He is.

"I am here Miles. I am alive now." He tells me, swatting my hoof away.

"But... I saw you-"

"Die?" He asks with a smirk. I shut my mouth and swallow the lump in my throat when he says this. He sighs and sets the door down to look me straight in the eyes. "Yes. It seems that we'll never be able to share that tea. Somepony, somewhere, will take that shot. And yes, it will kill me-"

"But, you're here. Now. You're alive! How is that possible!?" I ask, my voice raising slightly.

"Miles, I am Tempus. Master of time. We will have tea tomorrow, whenever I decide tomorrow is." He tells me, that smirk coming back onto his face. I try to process what he said, still trying to get over the shock of his being here.

"But... but..."

"I know what you are going to ask next. Why leave Celestia and Luna afterwards. For that, all I am allowed to say is that it was for the best outcome. I know that doesn't give you what you want, but it is all I can say." He tells me, loosing his smirk for a stern look.

"... what I was actually going to ask was how did Spatium live." I tell him, getting nod in return.

"Spatium... is my greatest weakness. I tried, and failed, to go on without her. When I came to her... well, things didn't go as planned." He says with a soft chuckle.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask.

"Well.... hmm, how to put this? Let's just say, at my death that you saw, she was not pregnant." He tells me. I put one and one together, getting him to laugh. "In time, you will learn the lessons I've had to. And you will understand why I did what I did."

"... why the secrecy? Why not let Luna and... Luna!" I try to run to wake her, but slide back when Spatium grabs my tail with her magic and pulls me back.

"They cannot know of our existence." Spatium tells me flatly. "If they were to, things would not play out as they would."

"So you leave your children to fend for themselves!? How could you possibly do that to them?!" I demand from them. The glance to one another share a sad look, making me back off slightly.

"It wasn't easy." Spatium says quietly, turning her attention back to Tempestive. "I didn't want to leave them. And I didn't for a while. But... when he showed me what could happen, and should happen... I didn't really have a choice. Do not mistake our absence with a lack of love for our children Miles Eremita. I have hated every moment of not being able to speak with my daughters. There are times I wish I could go back and hold them one last time, but am plagued with the foresight that I can't. I can't, Miles."

"... what is this outcome? What are you planning?" I ask Tempus, getting another sigh from him.

"I cannot tell you. If I were to tell you, then it would change the outcome. You have to go through life not knowing the outcome, making brash thoughts, and never speaking of our lives again. Spatium and Tempus are dead Miles, you now share that burden. Can you handle it?"

I sit down and look between the two of them, trying to piece together what they have planned and why they did what the did. Tempus can travel through time, so the Tempus I knew was much older than this one. I guess I can understand that, seeing that I was sent through time myself a couple of times. Spatium is alive because Tempus loved her too much to let her go, something I can respect but can't wrap my mind around.

She can know of his 'death' but Luna and Celestia can't? And now, I can know about that truth. Spatium had to fake her death to learn this, am I to die next? He hasn't said I died yet, just the truth behind their disappearance. Can I not tell them something so big? Can I, not only as their brother and husband, but as a Spartan not tell them about this.

"I don't think I can-"

"It was a rhetorical question Miles." Tempus tells me, cutting me off.

"But-"

"Oh please, you still haven't told Luna you dropped Tempestive the last time you were changing him."

"He was squirming too much and he only fell a few centimeters!"

"And yet you tell her everything else that happened that day. And you know what else, I know you're going to keep our secret. Do you want to know why?" He asks smugly.

"..."

"I already know you won't tell, because I've already seen it." I stare at him for a while before sighing in defeat. He's right. I have no reason to tell them. It's not like telling them would force Tempus and Spatium to suddenly show up and confront them. They had to endure seeing their children grow up, attempt to kill each other, and then have children. I think they can over look a day of screaming and crying.

"I don't like this." I settle on.

"I never asked you to like this, just to accept it." Tempus tells me. "Now, onto our other little problem."

"Problem? What's wrong?"

"Well, it would seem that Tempestive has grown a tendency to stop time to take his naps. This is only a problem because it's going to make him grow up faster than normally."

"He's stopping time... to take naps?" I ask, slightly confused slightly. Though, it would explain why he hardly ever naps for more then two minutes.

"Yes, though we have grown fond of spending time with our grandson, we have to ask that you start draining energy from him before he sleeps. He's starting to get to that age where he starts to form memories, and... well, he's not allowed to remember us, now is he?"

"No... I suppose that would be bad."

"Good. Now, you may go to sleep, we'll take care of him. And don't worry, we'll always be watching after him. He will do great things, I promise." I pause for a moment before awkwardly leaving the room, stopping at the door. I have to take a moment to determine if what I just saw was real or not.

When I come to the realization that it is in fact real, I burst inside to ask the plethora of questions I have, only to find them missing. The rooms only occupant is a sleeping Tempestive. I walk over to check on him and find him holding onto a note.

'Nam optimus exitus.'

Tempus ac Spatium

The song sung in this bit was Somewhere over the rainbow, by..... IZ, for short.

The color of the ball was picked by you guys (majority vote).

And lastly, Man of War now has a group called: Mow Universe. This is where you guys can discuss what ever it is you want, where I'll give glimpses into the other parts of the MoW universe, as well as other things to come.

Brony on!