Special Thanks to The Cake Devil for editing this chapter.

Two hours before chapter 2.

Golden Tongue skipped merrily down the halls of Canterlot castle, dressed in the standard fluffy, frilly yet complementary/classy uniform adorned by all members of the castle maids staff. Humming a random tune that popped into her head, she shook her head and hips in time with the tune. Occasionally, on her trip she would wave over towards a guard posted over by a wall, or next to a yawning corridor, and though she knew they were not allowed to wave back, she knew that they wished her a good morning in return, some with a slight nod of their head or a faint flickering of a smile at the corners of their mouth.

This was how Golden stared every day, trying her best to spread happiness and pleasantry as far as she could. Even employed in a small, mostly powerless job, she found that kindness and happiness were just as vital a skill as accounting or guarding, even if ponies would disagree she considered it a more subtle skill.

Though she wouldn’t describe herself as subtle, not in the slightest, everything from her high pitched bubblegum sweet voice, to her sunlight yellow fur and ruby red mane and tail screamed ‘I’m here everypony’ Not to mention she was completely disaster prone, she was almost a magnet for accidents. It was often said in her presence by her own mother, in jest, that if she was left tied to a chair in an empty room, somehow something was going to catch on fire. And that was testament on the mare's body. Slight cuts and scrapes all over her body was symbols of that. Not a day went by that the mare didn’t sport a new plaster or sometimes if it was bad enough a stitch.

But she didn’t let that bother her, there were always ponies around to help her, and often enough it was a nice ice breaker to meet a new pony, who in her mind was automatically nice through the process of helping her to her hooves. Yes, to her there was a silver lining in everything, even in her little daily accidents. She just didn’t like it happening to often though. She wasn't masochistic or anything like that.

Turning a corner, she spotted another friend of hers, a Pegasus stallion adorned in full golden armour of the Sol guard, who was conversing with a Thestral counterpart of the Lunar guard, by the door of Silver Tongues office. Based on the straightforwardness of the conversation, and the formal cadence of the stallion’s voices, it seemed like a debriefing signalizing the changing of the guard. At least that was what Golden surmised.

“Heya Steel Wing!” She yelled in her usual bubbly tone, waving happily to the butch, grizzled, older stallion who turned from the Thestral towards her.

“Oh, hello Ms Tongue, it’s nice to see you, but could you keep it down? Your uncle is working on something very important and as always he likes everything dead silent when he works.”

Golden pulled back sheepishly, smiling apologetically. “Sorry Steelie, I thought he wouldn’t be so busy this early in the morning.”

“Well... I suppose I should be heading back now, it’s all quiet on this end Steel, not much to report, I’ll see you tonight.” The Thestral announced, moving away from the door and towards the barracks, or possibly his family, based on the age of the pony.

“Yes take care of yourself Scale.” Steel bid farewell with a curt nod, before turning on point back to Golden Tongue. “So Ms Golden, I take it you’re here to see your Uncle.”

“Yeps, he said he had something super important that he wanted me to do, said I was the only one who could know about it, and that I shouldn’t tell anypony about this super, super secret meeting. Only me, Celestia and Silver know about it. Can you believe that!?” Golden exclaimed followed by a gleeful giggle as she stamped her hooves in excitement.

“...” Steel Wing just stared blankly at her, opting not to answer, instead letting the little mare work it out for once. With a small smirk on his face he counted down from ten until the realisation hit the mare smack across the face.

“Yep he didn’t even tell me what it was about, only that I have to be here early and not tell ponies that...that I’m...oh… I just told you didn’t I!?” Golden bellowed falling to the ground and facehoofing with both hooves simultaneously. “Oh, Uncle Silvers gonna kill me!”

Steel laughed giving her a sympathetic pat on the back with his wing. “It’s okay, Golden. If it makes you feel any better, I already know something’s going down today.”

Golden removed one of her hooves from her eyes looking up at the aged stallion with optimistic eyes. “You did?”

“Affirmative, there’s something in the air around here today, when you’re in the guarding business as long as I am you can just smell trouble. And I’d say that today’s just reeking of it.”

Golden got back on all four continuing to stare at Steel with optimism and now awe. “Wow, you can smell trouble, what does trouble smell like?”

“Rotten cabbages.”

“Really?”

It took all of five seconds for the stallion to break his straight faced facade. “No silly, it’s just an expression. Now let’s not keep your uncle waiting, shall we?” He answered with a merry chuckle.

“Oh? Oh! I almost forgot, I’m gonna be late, silly me, thank you Steely, I’ll try and see you at lunch if I’m not too busy.” Golden stated frantically, as she raced over towards the door.

“Wait! Golden don’t run, the doors *Slam*...locked.”

“Owey...my nose!”

Steel shook his head as he stared down at the mare head over hooves on the floor. “*Sigh*, let’s get that under a tap.”

Silver Tongue rubbed his tired bloodshot eyes, grabbing his pot of lukewarm coffee with a shaky, twitchy hoof, carefully pouring it into a cup. He didn’t even bother to put any cream or sugar into it, seeing it as only a barrier between himself and his precious mistress, the coffee bean. Also, as testament to the stallion’s gentlemanly ideology, he only drank straight from the coffee pot two times that night.

A soft yawn broke his concentration on the cup and his bloodshot eyes darted across the room over to a small weather-worn and antiquated dark blue basement by his desk, he watched carefully as she,a small little bundle of fluff and feathers, turned in her sleep, mumbling some incoherent infant noses. Silver watched with utter trepidation as the baby moved her tiny body over to the other side of the cot but sighed in relief, when he realised that the child was in a deep rem. Though it didn’t stop him from sipping from the mug as quietly as physically possible. The last thing he needed right now was for her to wake up ‘cranky’, after finally getting the infant back to sleep. It had taken all night to get the child to sleep, it was only when dusk broke that Silver noticed the whole night had passed him by. And with that any chance of sleeping.

Silver had never entertained the idea of having a child of his own. He liked foals, calves, and hatchlings as much as the next pony. But, ultimately, he knew that he just didn’t have it in him to raise one on his own. Perhaps someday that might change, but after all the chaos of last night caring for the little girl and simultaneously writing down an intelligent structurally concrete speech for Celestia in light of the fallout yet to come of Luna tour, or the ‘Griffon incident’ as he had been calling it these last few days, he was well and truly happy to be childless.

And also, A new reason, more importantly than any of the others in his mind, what clinched the deal on not having foals for many more years, was because this was the first night that he was introduced to the utter incomprehensible horrors of diaper changing. It was only as he stared into that abyss that he knew he would never be the same whole stallion that he once was. And prayed only that his nightmares of a nappy filled world would only haunt him in his sleep.

Thankfully today was the day, the day Celestia would take the hatchling off his hoofs and tell Luna about it, for better or worse. And Silver could finally get some well-deserved rest, at least that was what he prayed would happen.

Walking over towards the sleeping bundle, despite himself, the edge of his lips curled upwards. Despite the hell the hatchling had put him through that night, he had to begrudgingly admit, the hatchling was diabolically adorable in just about everything it did, even in this case, just sleeping. It didn’t help that the hatchling was tiny for its age, at least if you compared it to a foal its age, but that wouldn’t last long, in another three or four years, the hatchling would get a lot bigger. Once Hatchlings were weaned off their mother's milk and given the correct protein, they shot up like a sunflower. That’s what the head director at the orphanage had warned both himself and Celestia. But for now, it would stay around the size of a small dinner plate.

“Hopefully you won't be as round as a dinner plate.” Silver Tongue chuckled at his own joke quietly, as he pulled the displaced blanket over the hatchlings tiny brown body, which had been kicked off in her sleep. He almost pulled back, when suddenly one of the hatchlings claws clasped around a part of his hoof. But found himself giving a gentle ‘Ahh’ as it pulled it over towards her chest, cuddling into it.

“We need to get you a teddy little lady. Can’t have you stealing pony’s hooves for your personal hug pillows.” Silver tongue chuckled again, but despite what he said, he dared not move, instead enjoying the little scene of tiny griffoness snuggling against him and the warmth her tiny body provided.

SLAM

Silver tongue nearly jumped out of his fur as he turned to the noise at the door. It sounded like somepony drove a wagon at it. Then as quickly as he had turned he flicked back to the hatchling holding his breath as she squirmed again, moaning and searching for the stallion's hoof.
Staying perfectly still, Silver looked for any sort of replacement within his reach. Finding nothing on hoof, he pulled a handkerchief out of his pockets, folded it up and placed it gently into the basket.

Thankfully the sleeping infant didn’t seem to notice the difference and latched onto the makeshift hoof with fervour. Snuggling into it and subconsciously munching on the tip of it with her beak, as she continued to dream.

Silver wiped the sweat from his brow then turned back to the door with an angry pout at the incongruous sound, as he heard the tumbler and latch unlock.

“Let’s get that under the tap now.” Steel stated in a slightly jejune, but no less caring fashion that came with dealing with the numerous accidents as a result of being friends with the clumsy mare.

“Mokay” Golden stated meekly, holding one hoof to her sore nose and the other on steels shoulders for support.

“Easy does it, watch the carpet now don’t trip.”

“My mon’t.”

As soon as Steel was past the egress of the door, he gazed around the room spotting the hefty stallion instantly and fixing him an apologetic glance. “Sorry sir, your niece was a bit too giddy to say hi.”

“I meel on my mose.” She muttered again as she gave a weak wave to her beloved uncle.

Silver Tongue sighed shaking his head, as he tip hooved over towards them both. “I’ll take it from here Steel.”

“Are you sure sir, I don’t mind.” Steel stated as he unhooked himself from Golden’s foreleg and made way for Silver to replace his position of holding Golden up.

Silver looked back over to his desk with his peripheral vision, making sure that the bassinet was obscured from view, before answering.
“Thank you, but it’s fine Steel, I need to discuss something important with my niece here, and unfortunately it’s confidential.”

“I understand sir.” Steel answered with a quick salute, he knew that in his profession there were times to ask questions and times to make oneself scarce. It wasn't hard to tell by Silver’s tone which one was required at that moment.

“Oh and if it’s not much trouble could you send a guard over to Celestia chambers, tell them to tell her that it’s almost time, and also, make sure to close the door quietly behind you. I can’t stress how much I need silence right now.”

Steel gave Silver a lopsided stare at the uncharacteristically serious cadence in Silver voice, but quickly corrected himself. “Of course sir, anything else?”

“Not right now Steel, thank you very much.”

“Mhank you Steel, Morry about the tmouble.”

“Shh Golden, no talking until I get you into the bathroom you silly filly.” Silver jokingly chided, as he guided her towards the office bathroom, but stopped himself just short of the precipice and waited until he heard the main office entrance door close behind him. Once he knew it was just himself, Golden, and the bundle of fluff in the room, he proceeded onwards with his cocksure niece.

“Sit over there by the sink whilst I get something to stop the bleeding, and please don’t touch my beauty products, I swear it took me a better part of the day to re-alphabetize them after you knocked them over.” Silver commanded, as he walked over towards a cabinet reaching in for a first aid kit he had used more times than he dared to count.

“Morry Uncle.” Golden whispered weakly, looking down at her hooves in shame.

“Oh hush Golden, we both know it’s not your fault, well, most of the time it’s not.” Silver explained, as he grabbed a cotton cloth in one hoof dousing it with some pungent chemical cauteriser. “Now hold still, this is going to sting a little, okay are you ready? Alright, on the count of three, one…two-three!”

“I knooooOOOoouch pony feathers that’s stingy!” Golden hissed, as the chemical cauterisation agent that Silver had applied to a hand towel touched her nose.

“I told you to hold still.” Silver stated casually, as he reach over and applied the cold compress to her nose.

“You didn’t even give me time after two!” Golden explaimed.

“Yes because you always flinch after three, element of surprise Golden.” Silver explained with a cheeky smirk.

Golden’s only response was to blow raspberries back at her uncle, but with the wet compress on her muzzle and the heat in her face, it looked far more comical than it did petulant.

After a while Silver removed the compress from Golden’s muzzle, satisfied that the swelling had gone down to an acceptable level. “How is your ear anyway, you didn’t have any dizzy spells on the way here did you?” Silver inquired with a sympathetic tone.

“No it’s been really good today.”

“Well that’s something at least.”

“Hey Uncle Silver, I know you and Princess Luna were only gone for a few months, but I missed you a lot.” Golden stated as she leaned in to hug Silver.

Flinching a bit at the invasion, Silver quickly melted into the hug. “Haha so did I Kiddo. How’s my sister doing anyway, is she still driving every pony she meets up the wall as usual.”

“Mom’s fine, she can’t wait for you to come over to the house, she want to hear everything about your royal trip. You know how she keeps talking about traveling.”

“Oh, well I’ll try and make it over as soon as I can, but I can’t say for sure, *sigh* it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks.” Silver tongue
lamented, as he couldn’t help but envision, with expected trepidation, what this morning's press conference would bring, and what sort of fallout will come from it. Especially in the case of the little hatchling.

“How was the tour, oh oh! How was Griffonstone?” Golden chirped breaking Silver from his brooding thoughts in the worst possible way. “I bet it was a blast, not many ponies go there, that’s what all my guard friends tell me. It must have been so much fun!”

Silver left eye twitched as a PTSD treasure trove of horrific images flung to the forefront of his mind. “Y-Yes...fun.”

“Oh Oh did you try the food, Mom says that her friend has a griffon friend who cooks classic griffon style raw vegetables and it’s apparently scrumptious, did you know they have the biggest food markets in the whole of Eques, Steel says it’s because griffons like to barter, even more than ponies do. He says it’s something to do with their culture, I think I can’t remember.”

Silver felt another PTSD flashback at the rain of rotten fruit and veg and meat came flying down on his defenceless pristine coat as he raced through a labyrinth of fish stands. He fought back a gargled scream that lodged itself deep in his throat.

“L-let’s not talk about that, right now (or ever). Right now I’ve got a very important thing I need to show you.”

“OH OH, what is it, is it from Griffonstone, did you get me a souvenir, Oh tell me tell me!?” Golden stated hopping up and down in excitement, she may have been in her early twenties but any filly or mare or pony in general still enjoyed the idea of getting presents.

“Shh, quiet, quiet, you can’t make any noise, understand Golden!” Silver growled in a syncopated whisper. His lack of sleep had left him very much depleted in the patients department, and with Golden, he required it at max at the very least, when dealing with his hyperactive niece.
Golden nodded vigorously, still giddy at the notion of seeing something from Griffonstone.

“I mean it Golden, no noise, none, not so much as a peep out of you, if a mouse squeaks in here, I want it to be the most deafening noise in the world compared to you, are we clear.”

Golden nodded even more vigorously almost doing an impression of a heavy metal fan listening to his favourite band, or a balloon caught between two different fans.

“Okay, so yes, I have something that’s technically from Griffonstone, at least in origin. But first it’s imperative that you understand the gravity of what I am asking of you. Hey! Golden stop looking behind me it’s not behind me okay. Look at me in in the eyes, okay? Okay then.

Understand you are among a very few selection of ponies who know about this, and that’s because your family and I trust you more than any pony.”

Golden almost gasped as she fought back a simultaneous blush and tear that threatened to roll down her cheek “I trust you too uncle Silver.”
“Haha okay shhh sweetie, I know you do. So, here is what I need you to do, I want you take what I’m about to show you and wait in the room opposite Lunas tower chamber entrance. There all you have to do is wait until Celestia, or myself, comes to find you, no pony else. Don’t let go, or lose sight of this for a second. And do not let anypony know what it is. If anypony for whatever reason come in and asks, tell them it’s a welcome back basket of fruit for Luna, or a stack of dirty laundry or something I don’t care so long as they don’t look or come near it. But do not let them see it. Do I make myself clear Goldy.”

“As clear as a crystal empire pony, sir!” Golden chirped, giving a mock salute.

“Right okay then. Well with that being said I have a little lady for you to meet.” Silver announced with a mysterious tone in his voice, waving Golden to follow him into the office room.

“Huh?” Golden questioned, almost tripping over her front hooves, as the wording took her by surprise,. But true to her word, as soon as they stepped out of the office she was as silent as the night.

Both ponies tip hoofed their way back into the office. Silver moved first behind his desk and then after looking behind it for one second, motioned for Golden to come have a look.

When Golden looked down at the basket she almost lost the air in her lungs.

Inside holding the embroidered handkerchief with an abbreviated moniker S.T. stitched in silver on the side, in her claws and beak, was perhaps in Golden's eyes the fluffiest white feathered baby griffon she had ever laid eyes on. It was also her first time seeing one, but that was not the point.

Moving further in, Golden instantly noticed the stunningly vibrant purple feathers around her eyes. The tiny little beak on her face and the rough spiky bed hair on her head. A point that confused Golden was the little tips of feathers that constituted as her mane had little tips of black all on the tips. Like somepony had dunked them in ink, she wasn't sure if that was normal for a griffon. But then again griffons came in all shapes and sizes.

Almost shaking in excitement and gushing over the overwhelming adorableness of the little feather figure under her, she held out as long as she could, praying she could keep herself from making a sound. That was until she noticed the tiny little bushy tail moving back and forth under the child’s beak. Accidentally, the baby was tickling itself in its sleep and when the tail flick around her nostrils the hatchling sneezed itself awake. For just a moment. Before almost drunkenly closing its eyes once more.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

“She's so fluffy!” Golden roared out as she squealed in glee diving towards the baby griffon.

“Golden! What did I just tell you about being loud?”

“Sorry sorry, she’s just so cute, ah look at her curled up into a little ball, I just want to hold her so tightly and pinch her little feathery cheeks.”

“Well, I won’t deny she is very delightful to look at. I don’t know about pinchable cheeks.”

“Ah but the cheeks are the cutest part, she got little baby fat cheeks like you.”

“Yes I suppose it is cute… Wait, what’s that supposed to mean!?”

“What’s her name uncle?” Golden asked with an inquisitive high pitched tone, gazing intently at her uncle.

Silver rolled his eyes, wondering if he would ever meet a mare who wouldn’t insult or make his life hell. So far the count was zero. “She doesn’t have one Goldy, or if she did it’s lost to us.”

“What!?”

Silver pinched the bridge of his nose. “Golden, I swear to the great fields above, one more outburst and I’m kicking you out of this room via the window!”

Galvanised by the notion that the hatchling was nameless Golden began pacing back and forth in front of Silver Tongue. “Why did no pony give her a name, what about her mommy or daddy, how bad of a pony do you have to be to not give her a name?”

“She doesn’t have a mother or father Goldy she is an, I mean was, an orphan.”

Stopping mid step Golden’s ears flattened to the back of her skull. “Oh oh, I’m sorry, I just meant, oh you poor little thing, what happened?”
Silver gave a world weary sigh, staring back down at the incognisant infant. “I’m not at liberty to say, but, well, it wasn’t pretty, but her parents did everything they could to keep her safe. At least their efforts were successful in that regard. She certainly is going to grow up in the safest place on Eques.”

Lowering her posture and her head enough to stare down at an even level with the sleeping hatchling, Golden remembered her little mantra, every cloud, a silver lining. “Well… I guess that’s something, At least we can do everything possible to make Snoozy happy here in Canterlot castle.”

“Snoozy?”

Yepers, that’s her name, look how peaceful she is when she sleeps. She’s practically born to sleep cute, she’s a sleep champion and if no ponies going to name her then I will.” She finished puffing out her chest in defiant pride.

Silver couldn’t have rolled his eyes further than he did at this moment. “Golden, sweet heart. For one, Snoozy is a terrible name for a pony let alone a griffon, and for the other, she’s not yours to name. As I was about to say she has a new mother. One that, well, for better or worse, is going to give her her name. Though her aunt might have more say in that department.”

“So who's this awful mother who won't even give this precious wittle gem her own name?”

“...Luna.”

“Wait! Waxing Luna, the janitor?”

“What, no, Luna Luna.”

“Luna Luna Vela, the Thestral pony who guards the royal vault?”

“No the Luna the Only Luna that--

“You mean The Luna Only Luna--

“Princess Luna for buck's sake!” Silver screamed at Golden in frustration before shoving a hoof into his own mouth, snapping his gaze back at the infant, realising the damage had already been done.

Almost immediately the tiny kitten sized Griffon opened her beady doll like eyes at the shock of the scream coming from Silver Tongue and proceeded to burst into tears.

“Oh great Silver, now look what you did!”

“Me! But you, I--”

“There there sweetie little baby, let's get you away from mister yelly pants over here.” Golden cooed, picking up the little hatchling almost like she was fine china, and simultaneously shooting a venomous glare at Silver who stood aghast at how the situation had suddenly turned him into the bad guy.

“When all this is over, I’m going to Mexicolt, I swear by the sun and moon, even if I have to back flip my way there, with my limbs bound.” He muttered to himself, as he trotted over to the desk and slammed his head down onto the table.

“How did you do that!?” Silver quietly bellowed, pointing a hoof at Golden who was now rocking the disgruntled infant back to sleep, in the crutches of her foreleg.

“What?” Golden asked, with mild amounts of shock as the interrupted silence of the room rang out in Silver bellow.

“How did you make her go back to sleep, It took all night just to get her to sleep, but you, you did it in five minutes!?”

Golden chuckled softly. “Haha it’s simple, I just sung her a little lullaby whilst I rocked her softly back to sleep, and she went out like a fluffy lamp.”

Silver smacked his cheek in order to get his jaw up from the floor. “But, but, but I did that for three hours last night and she only got louder!”

Golden shrugged her shoulders. As she began brushing the little trickles of tears still on the griffonesses feathers, and simultaneously stroking the feathery mane of hers. “Whelp that’s because you don’t have my secret technique down.”

“Oh yeah and what’s that?”

“Uncle I just said it was a secret, jeez and I thought you were the smart one of the family.”

“Evidently not.” Silver muttered, rolling his eyes and fighting the urge not to slam his head onto the desk once more. Instead, he opted to grab another cup of coffee from the side of the room. At least caffeine understood his pain.

The infant squirmed pleasantly in Golden’s foreleg, and much to her surprise, gave off a little almost inaudible chirp in her sleep, identifying at least in Golden’s mind that she was having a pleasant eventful dream.

“Oh my gosh Silvy, she just chirped, she actually just chirped I heard it! She even sounds like a little robin redbreast, do you remember, remember uncle, the ones that used to be in the bushes in grandma's farm, Oh I think I’m in love.” Golden squealed as she began to shake with excitement, nuzzling her cheek over the top of the hatchlings head.

Silver snorted, but adorned a more pleasant grin on his muzzle as he sipped his coffee, and looked over his speech preparations, proofreading it for what would be the final time. “Yes the expert at the orphanage explained that hatchlings chirp when they’re happy, or sometimes for attention, or even simply because they can, though mostly it’s a way for them to expresses that they’re hungry, so I have a good inclination that this little filly will be wanting her morning feast quite shortly. At least she has good timing on that front.”

Golden stroking the cheek of the hatchling as she kept her near her chest looked up at Silver with a raised brow. “By timing, you mean…?”

Silver raised himself tiredly from his seat, walking around the table he set his coffee down with a sleepy tired sigh. “Yes, it looks like it’s about time to set the plan in motion. You remember what you were meant to do.”

“Um, wait for Celestia inside the room next to Lunas room?”

“Yes that’s correct, and what are you meant to tell anypony who asks what’s in the basket?”

“Um I have a basket full of… dirty err, fruit for Luna?” Golden demurely answered.

Despite himself Silver chuckled, “Close enough. Just as long as no pony looks and you don’t let her out of your sight. Celestia and I won’t be long... I hope.”

“Um Silver, not that I don’t mind taking care of Snoozy here, but what are you going to be doing whilst I’m taking care of her?”

Silver turned to his typewriter face away from him in the middle of the desk, peeling off the last page from it, he set it down on top of a forbiddingly large amount of other papers to the right of the desk and hooked them under his left forehoof.

“I’ve called a large press conference, with the princesses permission, I’m setting off now to hand her her speech and supervise the conference, for which she will be the keynote speaker, it's going to be quite a gathering, as I understand it, any reporter worth his salt will be there.”

Golden blinked in surprise. “Oh, what conference is that?”

“The one where Celestia tells Equestria that her sister hates griffons. And how Luna adopted a Hatching against her will.” Silver stated with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders.

At those words Golden’s eyes almost bulged out of her sockets. “Um, you’re not going to actually say that, are you uncle Silvey.”

Silver shook his head, adorning his own impish smirk, Stacking the papers neatly and putting them in the crevice of his foreleg “No, not exactly that blunt, as much as I would love the payback. I’ll be wording it much much better than that, but it will be focusing on reform, forgiveness and most importantly the addition to a new member of the royal family, which I’ve saved for last. I’ll spin it differently of course. But hopefully it will cover all the bases, I’ll admit I borrowed heavily from the speech Celestia gave addressing Discords reform. But I’ll be stating how Luna has been away for a very long time and so has a draconian view of griffons that has remained yet unreformed; and obviously I’ll be put more sisterly love into the speech.”

“Um, that sounds good and all uncle, but what happens if Luna finds out you said all those things, but you didn’t tell her you were saying them, or, I mean you got Celestia to say all of them.” Golden asked in a worried tone, as she put down “Snoozy” gently into her little bassinet.

Silver actually paused for a moment to think on that question, a question he had posed to Celestia after she had adamantly and enthusiastically adopted his radical plan. Despite his confidence in his own abilities to prognosticate events and read ponies. He too was stumped on Luna’s true reactions to this. Though he had some ideas. “I’ll admit, I don’t know, but I’m confident in Celestia’s ability as a diplomat and her understanding of how to handle her own sister. Regardless to this, Luna is the last pony we need around right now, this needs to be done quickly and with surgical precision. I’ve already heard off the record reports that the latest cargo ship from Griffonstone will arrive in Shanghoof tomorrow, if even one of those sailors go to the presses with a lick of proof, I.e. a single griffon newspaper on the day's events in Griffonstone, this story will spread like dragon fire. This speech will hopefully take some of the fuel out of the story. It won’t get rid of all of it mind you, but it will be nowhere near as catastrophic… At least that’s my hypothesis.”

Golden sat there, listening to the plan in full attention, and even nodding at some of the finer points, even if some of the nuances of it went over her head, having not heard the full story herself, she had little to base these accusations on. But she trusted her uncle enough to know he wouldn’t be lying about something like this. However, ever the caring pony her thoughts were more towards the innocent party in this affair “...And so where does Snoozy fit into all this?”

“As I was getting at, Luna’s adoption of the hatchling will be the main focal point to end on. It won’t take away any of those damaging stories however. But in time, with enough reporters now invested in their knew royalty, plus all the cute photos of the two bonding together and the inevitable false stories from vox pop eye witness accounts of ponies, who will probably swear on some baseless story, about how they were there when Luna adopted the little hatchling, by rescue her from the jaws of some humongous hydra and adopting her on the spot. It may eventually just drown out the controversy altogether, if the planets align in all the right places. Honestly once it’s out, I’ve come to realise that these stories just write themselves.”

Golden bit her lip tightly as she looked back down at the infant, still feeling very uneasy about all of this. Something wasn’t right in her uncle’s plan. “So, um that sound all good and stuff...Well actually no, that sounds like a bunch of lying and cover ups, but don’t you think that giving Snoozy over to Luna might be bad for her, I think Luna is one of the most awesomest pony ever, but if she's going to be mean or unsupportive of Snoozy I wouldn’t want her to be looking after her, not at all.”

“Well to address your first concerns Golden, that’s just backstabbing politics as usual, I'm not okay with it, but it's my job to protect the royal family, a guard protects them physically through any means necessary and I protect them spiritually, and on paper.”

Golden tilted her head in confusion. “That still doesn't sound good, or healthy?”

“Yes Golden that’s why I have to lie to myself, so please don’t unravel my little mental justification.” Silver quipped back, with a practiced repressed tone.

“Oh sorry uncle, but... wait? You still didn’t answer my first question?”

“Sorry, I think I went on a bit of tangent, what was it again?”

“Oh um, is Luna looking after the baby really a good idea at this time.”

Silver threw his head back laughing, almost slapping his foreleg in jest. “Oh Tartarus no, that’s why Celestia will take her into here care.”

“What do you mean, Luna’s not going to get her, like at all?” Golden asked taken aback by her uncle’s declaration.

“OH! Hahaha good fields above no! Didn’t I just tell you about what she did in Griffonstone.”

“...Actually no you didn’t.”

“Oh, well then, let's just say that, after what I saw of Luna's more ugly side, and to be fair she does have a very loving side, but regardless from what I saw of her that day, there's no way in Tartarus that Luna is ever getting near that hatchling, we both decided, and I’m pretty sure Luna would find that agreeable as well.”

Golden felt like her tummy was doing somersaults all the way around her body, she suspected before, but now she knew this plan was all sort of wrong. “But, but if that's the case then how will Luna learn to love her, this won’t solve anything, she’ll just be the same pony.”

Silver tongue shot gunned back the remainder of his coffee, finishing it with a small burp as he walked towards the door stopping by a small mirror mounted on the wall, in order to check his appearance for the final time. He answered Golden through the mirror, as he straightened his clip on tie. “*Sigh* Yes, but hopefully I'll be long long dead by the next royal tour, or whatever else happens.”

Golden stepped forward, but didn’t know what to do with herself, she didn't have the vocabulary of her Uncle or the skills of scheming and planning, but she had an enormous reserve for the right and wrong and right now she needed her uncle to know what he and Celestia were doing was doing. “This isn’t right uncle, Luna loves foals there's no reason she wouldn't love Snoozy, once she gets to know her, if she did some bad things to griffons then she needs to know that hurting others is nasty and wrong, think of all the friendships she's missing out on, Snoozy might be the only one who can change that. Even if Celestia takes care of her, eventually Luna and her lives will cross over, it would be horrible for her if part of Snoozy family didn’t accept her. What if I grew up with you hating me or the other way around?”

Siver shut his eyes grunting as his mind snapped as a wave of guilt and tiredness hit him, though other ponies would laugh at him for saying it, Golden was far smarter than ponies gave her credit for, and she didn’t pull punches. That was for sure.

But it was far too late, the wheels had been set in motion, and he couldn’t have what she was saying clouding his mind, not today.

“Oh for the love of…” Silver almost yelled before catching his temper and turning back to his niece and beckoned her over to the middle of the room, so as not to have to make him raise his voice. “Look, Goldy, first of all stop calling her Snozzy before it sticks, and second of all, Luna will never ever fall for this, no matter what anypony says to her, she hates griffons down to her shin bones. If even Celestia couldn’t make her like griffons what chance do you think this hatching will have. 'Cute' Luna out of her bigotry? It just doesn’t work that way in the real world.”

At that moment, “Snoozy” turned in her crib giving another faintly inaudible chirp in her sleep, drawing a loving drawn out “aww” from Golden who peered over lovingly.

Silver resisted with every force in his being, not to strike his head against every wall in the room.

“Gah! Never mind, my point still stands, it’s been decided, the hatching will never set hoof or claw or paw inside Luna’s quarters, Luna will have as little integration with the baby as we can help and there’s absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt no bucking way in heck she’s ever going to be alone with the little darling, not by the gods intervention nor by ponies!”

Author's Notes:

Sincerest apologies, it seemed like my once a week statement from before turned out to be horrifically false. But in my defense, it has been so hot in England recently that I was unable to stay in my room for more than a quarter hour. And we British people only experience warmth when we are given our daily stipend of gruel from our factory owners. Also it was unfair for me to assume my editor doesn’t have anything better to do than await my chapters on beck and call. At least I hope he doesn’t, though I wouldn’t mind the ego boost.

Regardless I hope you have enjoyed, the next one will actually be forward in time, just in case you thought I had some sort of back in time fetish...Which is ridiculous, and I certainly won't be discussing this any further… I mean who would even cater to something like that... I don't you know!