Looking at her bandaged brother, Dinky felt both very happy and very sad. She held off her sniffles as she looked into Sentinel's eyes, and she wondered how it was possible to feel such a strong sense of happiness while you felt such bone aching sadness at the same time.

“You look like a mummy in a museum.” Dinky gave her brother a sad smile and saw him smile in return, which made her feel better. “So, I saved this box you left and I didn’t touch it, so that way I could open it up when you came home.”

“Oh just open it Dinky,” Diamond Tiara said in a frustrated voice. “I’m dying to know what my sweet, hairy Sentinel put in the box.”

“Yeah, open the box, you noodle brain.” Piña gestured towards the box with her hoof.

“I’m really glad that you came home.” Dinky heaved a sigh and wanted to throw herself at her brother for a hug, but she resisted. Doing so would hurt him. “When daddy got the message… I think daddy lost a marble or three. It was scary. He made a funny sound and he got really panicked.”

Lifting the box in her telekinesis, Dinky pulled it closer to where she was sitting beside Sentinel’s bed, on the floor. She broke the twine and began pulling the lid off of the box. It took a little wiggle, but Dinky was careful. She poked her head inside, her horn flashed, and she pulled out one of the hats that was sealed inside of a moth proof bag.

“Be careful,” Sentinel said in warning.

Nodding, Dinky pulled open the bag, careful, without tearing it, and pulled out the hat she found inside. It was beautiful. Dinky felt tears welling up and nothing she did could make them go away. The embroidered twining ivy circled the cap and the bumblebees were similar to her own cutie mark. The soft, deep purple velvet was full of fuzzy tickles as Dinky touched it with the fleshy pad of her snoot to get a feel for it. She plopped it down upon her head.

“It’s a little big, but it still looks good. You’ll grow into it,” Diamond Tiara said. Reaching out with her hoof, she nudged Dinky’s hat and pushed it off to a rakish angle.

“It looks incredible. Now that’s a wizard’s hat. Perfect for Dinky the Bumblemancer.” Piña gave an enthusiastic nod as she studied the hat.

“Sentinel, this is a perfect gift, thank you,” Dinky said. She stood up on her hind legs, braced her front hooves on Sentinel’s bed, leaned over, and kissed Sentinel on his cheek.

“I just thought you deserved a reward for helping Apple Bloom. You did so much. I know Apple Bloom thanked you, but I wanted to thank you as well… just for being you.” Sentinel looked at Piña. “I haven’t forgotten about you. I just don’t know what to get yet.”

“Hey, what about me?” Diamond Tiara asked. “The organiser.”

“Oh, not to worry, I have plans for you…”

The lake was smooth and perfect. The ice was now several feet thick and cleared of snow. Sparkler, who shivered but not because of the cold, used her magic to lace ice skates to her hooves as she also worked to secure ice skates on others.

Loch Skimmer, whose flames seemed to have gone out for a while, giggled as she reached out and used her wing to tickle Bittersweet; the donkey looked dubious about this whole adventure and the tickle made the donkey let out a near silent giggle.

“Hey, Sparky, you be careful on that sore leg of yours,” Rising Star said in a concerned voice as he strapped on his own skates. “I know you say it is okay, but… you just be careful.”

“I’m worried about my Raptors.” Ripple stared off at the carriage house in the distance, her expression pained. “I know I was told that they are going to be okay, and I’m glad to see them, but Flench and Freyja are still pretty messed up.”

“They’re fine.” Rising Star stuck out his neck and kissed Ripple in the corner of her mouth. “They just need rest and recovery. Flench will regrow his beak in time and everything will be okay. You were shooed out of there and told to do something fun.”

“I know… I’m still having some trouble obsessing over things important to me,” Ripple said. “I’m sorry. ”

Every member of Ripple’s herd went still and silent when they heard Ripple’s admission. An obsessed Ripple was a dangerous Ripple. Bittersweet, sensing that something was off, turned her head around and studied Ripple with wide, worried eyes.

“Um, Ripple, love, thank you for being honest with us. That’s the sort of communication we need if we’re going to make things work.” Rising Star lifted his head. “Did I say this right? This feels so weird...I can’t even remember what this is called, this thing we’re supposed to be doing.”

Sparkler shrugged as she cinched her laces.

“I’m gonna fall on my arse.” Loch Skimmer looked at the ice and then looked at Sparkler. “Aren’t you scared, after you fell through?”

“Scared?” Sparkler blinked. “I killed a greater demon and I got hit by a train. There are worse things than falling through the ice. Plus, I got piledrived right through the floor by Ripple. That was actually scary.”

“I’m sorry!” Ripple closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Best thing that’s happened to me. Made me see some sense. Got me motivated to get my life back in order and make a few changes. Made me see what’s important.” Sparkler grabbed Ripple, pulled her closer, and planted a firm, sloppy kiss on Ripple’s lips. “Like you. You’re one of my best friends and a pony that I love a whole bunch.”

His skates now on, Rising Star wobbled out onto the ice, kicking and scrabbling as he tried to keep his balance. He started to slide forward and he leaned into the direction he was skating. Losing his balance, Rising Star slipped, stumbled and flipped over, landing on his back.

There was a faint wheezing as Bittersweet's silent braying came spilling out as the donkey laughed in the only way that she could. She lifted up an ice skate covered hoof and threw back her head as her body was overcome by mirth.

Loch Skimmer wobbled out on the ice, slipping and sliding over to Rising Star, and then she dropped her head. She had a wicked grin upon her muzzle. She pressed her icy cold snoot down into Rising Star’s groin and blew a raspberry against his balls.

“OH NO!” Rising Star cried as he used his telekinesis to shove Loch Skimmer away. He sent her sliding backwards and he could hear ringing laughter in his ears.

“That’s for knocking me up, ya creep,” Loch Skimmer said as she flapped her wings to keep her balance.

Watching her sister, Ripple also tried flapping her wings. In no time at all, she went streaking off, moving at quite a clip over the ice, her movement smooth and certain.

“How does she do that?” Sparkler asked as she watched Ripple, who was now halfway across the lake. “I mean, anything that’s physical… she’s a natural at it. It isn’t fair.”

“Just the way it is for her,” Rising Star replied as he tried to get up on his hooves.

Flapping her wings, Loch Skimmer tried to keep her legs from going in four different directions. She pushed and braced with her hind legs, flapped a bit more, and then began to slide forward in a haphazard way.

A moment later, Sparkler went shooting past and Loch Skimmer grunted in frustration.

“Hey Bittersweet,” Rising Star said, even though he knew the donkey could not hear him. He reached out with his magic to steady her, and Bittersweet wobbled around on the ice. He saw her eyes meet his own and Rising Star mouthed the words, “I love you.”

The donkey blushed.

“Oh feck everything.” Loch Skimmer stood still and pointed at Ripple.

Looking up, Sparkler came to a halt as she watched Ripple skating on her front legs. Her hind legs were held up in the air, and Ripple was tearing around the ice on just her front skates. “Oh come on… that’s just showing off!”

“How does she do that?” Loch Skimmer asked.

“I just asked that question,” Sparkler replied.

As the others watched, Ripple lept, twisted in the air, spun around, landed on her front skates, spun around on the ice, and then went streaking off in a charcoal grey blur with her light blue mane and tail streaking out behind her. She did a flip, somersaulting through the air, landed on her hind hooves, and then pushed off to keep going.

“She could have been anything… a dancer, an ice skater, a ballerina… I don’t know how she moves the way she does.” Rising Star watched as Ripple continued to do her thing.

“I gotta be honest… as part of our goal to be honest with one another… sometimes, I am jealous of my sister. I mean, look at that… it’s just not fair…”

Luna stood beside Erebus as he wobbled. She gave him a nudge to straighten him out and then stepped away so her colt could balance on his own. She watched as his stunted wings fluttered to allow him to keep his balance.

“Mama.” Erebus said as he took a step closer towards Luna. “Mama small.”

“Yes, mama is small. Because she wanted to play with you.” Luna smiled and took a step backwards, and then took another.

“Cadance! Cadance, come back here! You don’t have a diaper!” Berry Punch cried as she took off after Cadance, who giggled as she made her escape. “Don’t run! You’ll only make this worse! Cadance!”

Heaving a sigh, Luna looked at Erebus. “One day, you will run from me I suppose.”

Erebus took off at a clumsy run, wobbled, and then slammed into Luna, bowling her over. The pair tumbled down to the floor together, and Luna’s head thunked into the wooden floor as she tried to shield Erebus from the worst of the fall.

“For now you are content to run at me.” Luna let out a moan and wrapped her small forelegs around Erebus’ neck. She lifted her head and kissed Erebus on the snoot. Afterwards, she gave him a shove to get him back up on his hooves, and it took all of her strength to do so.

As Luna clambered up to her hooves, she was slammed by a pink blur, which sent her sprawling once more. She tumbled down to the floor and bonked her chin upon the wooden floorboards, causing her teeth to snap together.

“Cadance!” Berry cried out in frustration.

“Did a train just hit me?” Luna asked as Berry Punch chased after Cadance, who was blowing a raspberry. Luna did not remember there being stars in the nursery, but she could see them now.

Confused, Erebus sat down upon the floor and whimpered.

“Cadance, mama is too fat to run and I just ate an entire platter of cornbread and several bowls of beans… Cadance…” Huffing and puffing, Berry Punch gave up and sat down. “When Bucky gets back… he can deal with you.”

Rising up, Luna shook herself, wiggled her backside to limber up, and then took off after Cadance. Cadance, seeing Luna coming right at her, squealed and took off running again. Luna lept, tackled Cadance, and alicorn on alicorn violence took place in the nursery.

Luna discovered that Cadance was far stronger than she realised. There was a dreadful moment of realisation when Luna reached the conclusion that Cadance, a much smaller alicorn foal, was stronger than she was.

The tables turned as Cadance tried to wrestle Luna down. Luna had size, but it didn’t seem to be helping as the snuggle-huggle-fight-fest continued. Giggling, laughing, Cadance got her forelegs around Luna’s neck and squeezed.

Struggling, Luna tried to get away from Cadance. Cadance, who was enjoying herself a great deal, stuck her tongue into Luna’s ear and gave it a wiggle. Cadance got her lips around Luna’s ear and gave it a good slobbering.

“UUUGH! Cadance!” Luna cried as she tried to wiggle free. “You fight like my sister!”

Berry Punch watched as the two alicorns battled for supremacy and she began to laugh, clutching her belly and throwing back her head. “Oh no… it hurts to laugh… I gotta get these foals out soon… hahahahahaha!”

Author's Notes:

Alicorn on alicorn violence.

Wait... what was that? Was that a ty—

**Sounds of violence and horrible gobbling**