Feeling weary, Star Swirl sat down in a chair, puffed out his cheeks as he settled in against the soft cushions, and then tried to tune out the rest of the world. It was a real test of his abilities to raise these two foals. Both were as strong as earth ponies, had the courage and flight of pegasi, while having the curiousity and magic of unicorns.

Heaving a sigh of exhaustion, Clover, who was clever, sat down in a chair beside Star Swirl, who was bearded. It was Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy’s turn to run after the foals for a while, and when they grew exhausted, Puddinghead and Smart Cookie would take over. Princess Platinum of course, being the gracious princess that she was, supervised everything while offering inspirational words of encouragement.

“The white one is a joy, she is perfect in every way, she is as sweet and adorable as the day is long,” Star Swirl said to Clover as he began to stroke his magnificent long white beard with his hoof.

“The blue one is nothing but trouble. She is foul tempered, cantankerous, she is a sour foal and she is so very jealous of her sister,” Clover replied to Star Swirl.

The pair shared a sigh as they watched a blue foal go flapping past on stubby wings, giggling in not at all subtle maniacal manner as she went through the door. A moment later, Commander Hurricane came running through the room with Private Pansy hot on his fetlocks.

“Halt! You made me say it twice!” Commander Hurricane bellowed as he went thundering past. “Halt, or I shall be forced to say ‘halt!’ again!”

“Come back here you little windigo spawn!” Private Pansy cried as she kept up with Commander Hurricane.

“Who is watching the white one?” Clover asked as she sank even deeper into the cushions of her chair.

Almost as if on cue, the white foal pranced into the room, her stubby wings flapping. She was beautiful, she was as radiant as the sun, and she filled the room with life affirming warmth. Her radiance inspired all those who viewed her, revitalising bodies numbed by exhaustion, restoring vigour to those who were weary.

Of course, this radiance and warmth may have been because she was on fire once again, blazing as bright as a flare, and she ignited the wooden door as she pranced through the doorway. Star Swirl and Clover both cried out in panic as both discovered they weren’t quite as exhausted as they thought. They were on their hooves in a hot second, trying to fireproof the room, extinguish the door, and keep their comfortable chairs from burning to a cinder.

“Oh biscuits, everything is on fire again!”

“Yes, but think of the bits we’ll save on heating!”

Moving with swift assurance, Star Swirl lifted the white foal in his magic, holding back her flames as he lifted her up, while Clover worked to put the flames that blazed throughout the room. The white foal was giggling and her smile shone as bright as the sun. Reaching out, she booped Star Swirl on the nose with one burning hoof.

Then, in the most adorable way one could imagine, she yawned, making a tiny squeak.

“The sun is going down and just like clockwork, she is ready for bed,” Clover said, giving voice to her observations. “She operates on perfect celestial mechanics and her behaviour is almost predictable.”

“Come back here you little blue tyrant!” Commander Hurricane demanded as the blue foal continued to elude him. “It is almost time for bed!”

“No!” the blue foal replied as she flew back into the room that had just been on fire.

“Her first word… and it is one of defiance,” Private Pansy said as she rose into a hover and then flew after the blue foal. “Come, little blue foal, come to bed and I will sing to you!”

“Good luck with that.” Star Swirl patted his smouldering beard and made certain the last of the fire was out. He hadn’t lost too much, it was important to keep one’s beard when you were called ‘the Bearded’ as part of your name. “She has spent most of the day asleep. She’ll go to bed when the moon goes to bed.”

As the white foal yawned once more, Star Swirl, who had a kind smile and who had found his second wind, trotted off to put her to bed, so she could lay down and have sweet, pleasant dreams in her flame retardant cradle.

Clover, being clever, followed after Star Swirl and when he put the white foal to bed, Clover stood beside him and smiled down at the foal blazing in her cradle, which was tucked into a fireplace. To say that the good little foal slept like a log was an understatement.

“All of this because of a kiss,” Star Swirl said in a low voice as the foal crackled in the fireplace. He stood by the fire, warming his bones, and enjoying Clover’s closeness.

The white foal yawned one last time and her flames became more like a glowing ember. She closed her eyes, settled down into her cradle, and as darkness spread over the land, she went to sleep.

For Commander Hurricane and Private Pansy, the night would last forever, because this was the night that the blue foal would refuse to go to bed…

“That is a very silly story,” Twilight Twinkle said as she looked up at her auntie Celery.

Surrounded by entirely too many foals on all sides, Princess Celestia was surprised that her bed could even hold all of all them. She felt every little body around her, pressed up against her, their reassuring warmth filling her with feelings of love and affection.

“I suspwect that aunt Cewestwia is twelling us a fabwicwation,” Gloaming Guard said.

“Shut up, snotface!” Twilight Twinkle shoved her hoof into her twin brother’s face.

“Now now, behave, both of you.” Celestia looked down at Twilight Sparkle’s foals. Both had rich purple pelts like their mother. Both had blue hair like their father. Gloaming Guard was a unicorn like his mother had been, and Twilight Twinkle was a pegasus.

“I liked the story,” Barley said just before he yawned. He smacked his lips and rested his head upon his own twin sister, Brandywine, who kissed him.

“Oh yuck! You kissed your own brother!” Twilight Twinkle cried as she recoiled in horror. “Colt cooties!”

“Brothers are gross,” Ditzy said as she cuddled up closer to Twilight Twinkle.

“Hey!” Dizzy said in protest of his sister’s words. He pushed his black mane out of his eyes and tried to see past his hair. It fell right back down over his eyes and left him blind. He huffed in frustration.

“Sisters are icky,” Blue Streak said as he peeked out from beneath Celestia’s wing. “And they smell funny too.”

“We do not!” Twilight Twinkle protested, glaring at her other brother.

“We smell like soap and cookies.” Ditzy blinked and tried to focus her eyes. “Colts smell like plots—”

“Now now,” Celestia said, and then sighed as she summoned her patience.

Feeling squished, Bell Heather lifted her head, yawned, and then dropped her head upon Barley’s back. He was soft and he didn’t smell like plots. He smelled like strawberry soap.

“Did they really keep you in the fireplace?” Twilight Twinkle asked.

Laughing, Celestia dropped her head down and kissed the foal on the cheek. “It is time for bed. The sun has long since gone to sleep and so should you.”

Groaning, Tourmaline shook her head. “The bed is full of cookie crumbs… I’ll never get to sleep.”

“I wonder what Luna is doing,” Blue Streak said as he struggled to hold in a yawn. After a moment, he lost, and his tiny muzzle was split open by an enormous yawn.

“I suspect that Luna and the foals with her are doing pretty much what we are doing,” Celestia replied. “Only for them, the night is just getting started. Now go to sleep.” Reaching out with her magic, Celestia turned off the lights and the illumination in the room was the fire burning in the grate. She heard a tiny squeak as somepony yawned and she reveled in the warm, pleasant feeling of drowsiness.

“We should post a guard… I know my sister Crisis and Bandua… they will come for us in the night while we are sleeping,” Brandywine said in a worried voice.

Blinking, Celestia discovered that she was now wide awake.

Author's Notes:

I was feeling very silly. Don't know if regret.