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Well, spring has finally arrived. All the snow has melted away to reveal the lush green trees and grass once more. It still baffles me that these plants in Equestria stay green and full all year round when it comes to the flora around Ponyville. I suppose there really is magic in the air.

Before anyone wonders about it, I already made it clear in an earlier entry that I really do not have anything to say about the Winter Wrap-Up event in Ponyville. I just do not really enjoy activities in large groups. I merely stuck with Fluttershy throughout the entirety of it, although Rainbow Dash did break away from her squad so she could be present when we woke Tank up from his hibernation. Those two really are tight in ways I would never expect between the fastest pegasus in the world and a lumbering tortoise.

Furthermore, I feel it is necessary to mention the dream I experienced before I awoke. Overall, nothing of any real significance occurred. I fell asleep and found myself dreaming of a walk down a forest path with the sun peeking through the canopy before Nightmare Moon joined me. Not much worth mentioning really happened. It was a fairly idyllic experience, just walking through nature with one of my dearest friends by my side.

It was not until near the end that something came up that caught my attention. While we relaxed around a bubbling spring, the sun had begun to set and the stars were starting to come out. While stargazing, I took note of the glimmering stars. They brought to mind a name that I had all but forgotten about. I knew it was a sensitive topic to bring up and had even been told no further information could be revealed to me. However, that did not stop me from trying. I attempted to ease my way into the topic while turning to look at the Princess of Dreams lounging beside me. "You know... Spring is here now. Is that operation about that Starlight Glimmer girl happening soon?"

"Actually, yes. Two midnights from now, the raid will commence. The squad I will be leading has already arrived in Manehatten and are being briefed on the mission. It will not be long now." Nightmare Moon replied as she turned her gaze to the moon as it rose above us. Apparently unsatisfied with it being a half moon, she cast her magic to bring the rest of the moon out of the planet's shadow and allowed the full moon to present itself in all of its pale glowing glory.

"Cool... Wait, it's happening that soon?" I asked in return, having lost track of time. Was the first full moon of spring really getting that close?

"Well, I did say that the raid will happen at midnight under the first full moon of spring." My friend replied while keeping her gaze directed at the moon above us.

I too cast my gaze at the moon while the bubbling spring around us was the only other source of sound at the time. "Huh... Got here fast... Now, I know you said that you couldn't really bring up anything else that happens regarding this case, but... Are you sure there's nothing else you can tell me about it? It does make for quite an interesting conversation topic."

It was merely my curiosity talking at that point. I was genuinely curious about the case as it drew closer to its inevitable conclusion. I was not expecting to get anything new out of Nightmare Moon, so I was quite surprised when she turned to look at me. "Well... Considering that nothing I tell you now will result in any detriment to the outcome with such little time left, I suppose I can reveal a few things to you. It's not like she is able to eavesdrop on us to begin with."

"Really? Well, I'm all ears. Has anything new come up?" I asked in return as I leaned a bit closer.

Nightmare Moon's response was not what I expected. Nor was it a pleasant response. "Unfortunately, yes. Just three weeks ago, the night watch patrolling the castle halls reported a disturbance near the Canterlot archives. Specifically the Star Swirl the Bearded wing."

I raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. I was not even aware that Star Swirl the Bearded had a section of the archives named after him. "Star Swirl, huh? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Well, for one, it is the most secure section of the archives due to the advanced nature of many of the arcane spells that are contained within. Many of them were created by Star Swirl himself, hence the name. And somepony managed to infiltrate it without the night watch even knowing until the unknown party began to depart." Nightmare Moon explained while looking noticeably uneasy and focused.

"Infiltrate... As in made it past the guards and into the archive without anyone in Canterlot knowing until they were on their way out? Sounds like they noticed entirely by a stroke of luck." I retorted while trying to imagine exactly where the archives are in the royal palace. I might have passed by them at some point during a visit.

Nightmare Moon continued while casting her gaze towards me. "Quite so, especially considering that this particular wing of the archives remains locked at all times. It would require the teleportation spell to bypass the gate and not many can cast it. Aside from myself and everyone in the royal family, the only known users of that spell are Twilight Sparkle, yourself when clad in your magic armor, and apparently some traveling performer who refers to herself as 'Trixie the Illusionist'. It's a very tricky spell to master, yet someone not on that list has proven capable of using it to infiltrate the archives right under our noses."

I paused in silence for a moment. While it did make me briefly smile to hear of Trixie at the time, why was she bringing this up when all I wanted to know was if anything new had developed in the mass kidnapping case regarding Starlight Glimmer. And then it hit me. "Are you seriously saying that Starlight Glimmer herself came all the way to Canterlot and infiltrated the archives without anyone noticing until she was on her way back to the train station?"

"I wish I was joking, but we got a confirmation once the cloaked sneak boarded the train. It wasn't until a passing guard noticed someone standing just outside the gate leading into the Star Swirl wing from around the corner. Indeed, the unidentified trespasser used the teleportation spell to escape the archive and placed itself not far from the palace. But our stallion was quick to spread the word to me and the rest of the royal guard throughout the city. The trespasser was spotted making its way towards the train station, wrapped in a black cloak. One of our guards was ordered to remove his armor and follow. When the suspect boarded the train, he boarded as well. It was only after the train departed that she lowered her hood." Nightmare Moon explained while gazing down at the water below us before turning her gaze to me with such a serious look in her eyes. "We got a match. It was Starlight Glimmer."

I felt an unexpected chill flow down my spine upon hearing this. She was in Canterlot just recently? And probably stopped in Ponyville to swap trains without me even knowing it? Knowing that I came that close to crossing paths with such a dangerous individual is quite a scary thought. Nightmare Moon continued with a subdued tone, almost as if she was worried someone might be listening in. "Our contact followed her from train to train, eventually arriving in Manehatten where the guard was already on alert. They were under strict orders to observe without intervention. One by one, our guards would follow and observe her as she made her way out of Manehatten and towards the barren outskirts that undoubtedly led back towards her hideout. They ceased following her once she was out of Manehatten, but it was enough to know where she was going. As of right now, she is likely back in that nameless village."

"Dang... Well... What do you think she was there for? And why go to Canterlot in the first place? I thought she was trying to keep a low profile." I then asked while trying to comprehend what I was hearing. It was like something out of a spy novel.

"That is the puzzling part. Once she departed, I was on the scene with investigators to try and piece together what she was even doing in the archives. However, it did not take long for us to notice that one book was out of place. Everything in the archive is listed in alphabetical order and one of the tomes was not where it should have been. And the contents chilled me." The Princess of Dreams muttered quietly while looking noticeably jarred. "The contents of the tome we found were of time manipulation magic."

This piqued my curiosity even further while at the same time making no sense to me whatsoever. What could someone even want with time travel? And that is assuming it is even possible. "That...uh...seems like an oddly specific type of spell to go looking for."

Nightmare Moon mirrored my own puzzlement at first. "Indeed. Especially considering the fact that the spell itself was never completed. Even Star Swirl was never able to perfect a spell for unrestricted time travel. The closest he ever got was developing a far more downplayed spell that only allows the user to travel back in time a few weeks at most and only remain in the past for a few minutes before getting dragged back to the present. At first, I assumed that was what Starlight Glimmer was after despite the fact that it was borderline useless to her. But then the investigators detected a few drops of dried ink on the floor..."

Ink? On the floor? As in ink from an inkwell used for writing on a scroll? "Wait... Are you really assuming she..."

Nightmare Moon's tone became increasingly grim. "I do, James. I have every reason to believe that Starlight Glimmer brought with her an inkwell and blank scroll and copied the contents of the tome's information about that incomplete spell so she could study it herself back home without leaving behind a trace of her having ever been there. This failed, obviously. We know she was there and it was all without her knowing we found out. For the time being, we are allowing her to believe she slipped in and out of Canterlot without anypony being the wiser solely to avoid prematurely provoking her. Granted, I do not expect someone like her to be able to finish the spell if not even Star Swirl could. But the fact that she is in possession of this forbidden knowledge is highly worrisome. I suspect that after our first attempt to infiltrate her stronghold, she may have become paranoid knowing that somepony managed to escape. She may have sought this spell as a failsafe in case her ambitions fail in the long run. But what she intends to use it for, assuming she can even do what Star Swirl could not... Whatever her desires, it can't be good. The Wonderbolts have reported no changes in the town from what they have seen during their daily surveillance, but this still does not bode well..."

I looked down at the water before us, seeing the moon reflected in the rippling surface. This was a lot of information to take in and a rather frightening development in a kidnapping case the vast majority of the world does not even know about. What is this Starlight Glimmer psycho even really aiming for? Finally, I felt the need to ask a difficult question. "Do you...think she can finish that spell?"

My royal friend let out a long sigh while she too gazed down at the rippling water before us. "I'll be honest. Knowing that even Star Swirl failed to finish it, I would say no. But my intuition... It says otherwise. As unlikely as it sounds... I would only be jesting myself if I said that Starlight Glimmer is not capable of it. Even in such a short timeframe. She has been keeping one of the lowest profiles I have ever seen, yet was cunning and bold enough to come this far for such a spell despite the risk of detection. She took that incomplete spell home to study it for a reason. She intends to finish that spell. What for? We can only speculate. Perhaps as a means to get what she desires if her plans for that village fall apart. All I know is that this raid cannot fail. She has become a grave threat to Equestria and I fear what her twisted psyche will do to our world if she is left to her own devices. In two days, we will have our answer."

I crossed my arms while I looked to the sky. A megalomaniac and small scale tyrant with the power to travel through time as she sees fit. And we still did not know her real motives for any of her actions. Definitely a risky situation. Would we have known if she had used that spell at all? I had not noticed any temporal anomalies recently nor inexplicable changes around Ponyville. Perhaps she really is saving something that reckless for an absolute last resort. With how cunning and cautious she has been thus far, I cannot imagine her taking any risks unless things fall apart around her. "Well... It sounds like you and the royal guard know what you're doing here. I'll just leave that to you. So... Uh... Any less creepy topics you want to talk about?"

Eager to change the subject, Nightmare Moon tried to crack a smile. "Well... The Grand Galloping Gala is coming up next month. It will be my first time, so I'm rather excited to see what the fuss is all about. My sisters have even commissioned your friend Rarity to weave a dress for me so I may look my best for the occasion."

"Rarity's putting something together for you?! I think she's been a bit hushed on a certain project she's been working on for a while. She's always got something concealed behind curtains in her room." I replied while being quite thrilled about seeing Nightmare Moon at the Grand Galloping Gala for the first time. I almost forgot that Celestia had sent out tickets to me and my friends a few months back. It is just so easy to forget about that event. At least for me.

"Well, we are trying to keep it a surprise. And I certainly hope you will look your best for the occasion, my friend." The Princess of Dreams replied with a more sincere smile. It really has been a long time since I last wore that robe. I hope Rarity has been keeping it ready for me. It is a shame I do not wear it more often.

Before long, I felt the world ripple in a way that is difficult to describe. Was it really time for me to awaken already? "It feels like it's too soon... What, do I have a schedule to keep?"

"Perhaps. A shame we cannot enjoy this longer, but your body seems to have other plans." Nightmare Moon muttered before gently nuzzling my cheek. "Well, it was pleasant spending what little time with you I could before having to make the final preparations. I will see you again at the Grand Galloping Gala. Wish us luck."

"You're Nightmare Moon. You don't need luck. All you have to do is scare that psycho into submission." I retorted with a bit of a smirk. Starlight Glimmer probably is completely unaware that Nightmare Moon even still exists in this world. That is going to make for quite a frightful revelation when the time comes.

My royal friend cracked me a rather sly grin as her eyes became engulfed in an intimidating white glow. "Oh, I intend to do just that! She will know to fear the Mare in the Moon!" After a brief cackle, the glow in her eyes faded as they returned to normal. "But in all seriousness, even with all of these unexpected developments, I have high hopes on the outcome of this mission. We will be getting those hostages home safe and sound. Mark my words."

Just as I was about to provide a retort, I suddenly found myself lying in bed with my eyes directed to the ceiling. I could hear the shower going in the bathroom as steam wafted through the open door. I grumbled to myself while still feeling rather drowsy, "Well, that sucked. I didn't even get to say goodbye..."

Before long, I was freshened up and ready for the day. I joined Fluttershy and Scootaloo at the kitchen table for breakfast with omelets and French toast drizzled in powdered sugar. Not much happened in regards to Scootaloo. She really hates being cooped up at home in winter, so she was eager to go outside and finally ride around on her scooter now that she could remove the sled attachment and put the wheels back on. Funny thing is that she actually started to miss winter once spring arrived, probably because she is restricted to smooth roads while that sled attachment lets her go anywhere so long as she has snow. And Ponyville always gets lots of snow.

Being a Sunday, Scootaloo was eager to hurry up and go hang out with the rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders now that things had warmed up just enough for them to start using their clubhouse again. Before Fluttershy and I could finish our own share of the breakfast, Scootaloo rushed outside and was soon on her way on her scooter with her little wings buzzing. We watched her roll down the path from our house and into Ponyville so she could head south and into Sweet Apple Acres. "Spring fever, I assume."

"She really doesn't like being stuck indoors for too many days. It's really nice that spring's finally here." Fluttershy added while she sipped her orange juice. She then glanced away from me before asking, "Say... Don't you have something planned with Pinkie Pie today? And something in the evening too?"

"I do? Uh..." I then took a quick look at the calendar on the wall. The current day was circled. It was only then that it jogged my memory. "Oh, right! Pinkie Pie offered to give me some pointers in baby care or something and... Right. I promised Eleina that I'd foalsit Button Mash for the night. Something about it being her wedding anniversary? I think I'll be staying the night too, if I remember. Will you and Scoot be OK until I get home tomorrow?"

Fluttershy did not seem bothered at all. She then asked with a playful wink, "Oh, we'll be fine. Maybe I'll even have some of our friends come over for a slumber party. You won't mind missing out, will you?"

"Heh, I'm sure you will. It's cool. Me and Button should have a fun game night ourselves while we're at it." I replied while already looking forward to having a good evening with the colt. Before long, we finished up breakfast and I headed out on my way. I think Pinkie Pie wanted me to show up in the morning because Mr. and Mrs. Cake close up Sugarcube Corner early on Sundays.

Even though spring is here, it is still a little on the cool side. I had to wear a light jacket Rarity put together for me. I walked into town with a slip of paper in hand that had an address scribbled on it. Apparently it was where Pinkie Pie wanted me to meet up with her, which is surprising since I know she lives in the loft at Sugarcube Corner. I wandered through Ponyville and up and down streets I was not very familiar with. Where was I even supposed to meet her?

I finally found the address I was looking for. It seemed to be just any old house in Ponyville that was largely interchangeable with most other homes in town. Was she housesitting? "OK then... Hope I got this right."

I gave the doorbell a ring and waited no more than ten seconds before I got a response. The door opened to reveal Pinkie Pie standing on the other side. "Hi, James! You ready?"

"Ready for what?" I asked nonchalantly. I was not even entirely certain of what I was there for. I was going in with absolutely no expectations.

Pinkie Pie led me into the living room as I found myself in a rather cozy home of Ponyville. It did not look familiar, although I was quick to identify whose house it was. On a shelf near the fireplace was a picture frame of Mr. and Mrs. Cake holding their son and daughter for the photo shoot. I knew right then why I was there. "Oh, now I remember. So, where are the little scamps?"

"Oh, right behind you." Pinkie Pie replied while pointing at me. When I turned around, I found none other than my employers' filly and colt ready to pounce on me from a shelf. Little Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake. They let out little childish giggles as they jumped at me and almost knocked me down, although I am sure Pinkie Pie was ready to catch me if something went wrong.

I let out a chuckle and held the two little ones in my arms, finding it cute that they were so happy to see me. I have not interacted with the two toddlers very often, but they seem to have developed a liking to me. Probably because they like it when I pet them. They are like an appealing fusion of a human baby and a puppy. "Heya, kiddies. Been a while. What's happening?"

I carefully lowered the two toddlers to the floor and gave them a gentle scratch behind the ears. They really like it when I do that. Pinkie Pie seemed to take note of this and said, "Wow, they like it when you rub your fingers on them like that? I wish I knew that on my first night foalsitting them!"

"What, don't you like it when you get pet too?" I asked in return before reaching out and scratching Pinkie Pie behind her left ear.

"I dunno! I never got to... Ooh, yeah! That's the spot! Right there." She then replied while even beginning to reflexively kick her hind leg. I had to suppress a laugh as I watched Pinkie revel at my touch. The two foals beside me even found Pinkie Pie's reaction to be funny since they just giggled at her.

"A little to the left... A little higher... Oh, wait! Almost forgot what we're even doing here!" Pinkie Pie then spoke while breaking out of her distraction. "We're here so I can introduce you to the ancient secret art of foalsitting! That should give you a jumpstart on when Gladesong comes along!"

I was undoubtedly a little nervous about the whole thing. I have not had the best first impressions when it comes to babies, although I was going into this suspecting that baby ponies have a few quirks that makes tending to them a bit more enjoyable. "Well, I might as well figure it out while I can. You're calling the shots, Pinkie. So, what's first?"

"Well, we don't need to stay too late. Mr. and Mrs. Cake close up Sugarcube Corner kinda early on Sundays, so they'll be home in a few hours. And you've gotta be somewhere this evening, right?" Pinkie Pie explained while also keeping an eye on the toddlers as they started playing with some toys nearby.

"Yeah. Basically keeping an eye on Button Mash until the morning. It's his folks' anniversary or something." I retorted while not expecting the task of keeping an eye on a 9-year-old colt being quite the same experience as watching a pair of toddlers.

"Ooh! Having fun out on the town and a little quiet time in a hotel somewhere, huh?" Pinkie asked while we turned our attention to the two foals as they played on the floor. Pound Cake's colors have always puzzled me. Carrot Cake definitely has her father's mane, but Pound Cake does not really look like either of his parents with his creamy tan coat and brown mane. Although considering that Twilight Sparkle's purple coat does not even remotely match either of her parents, maybe genetics has something to do with it. This may also explain why one is a pegasus and the other is a unicorn while both of their parents are earth ponies. I never did get around to asking their parents about that. But I digress... Wow. I have not written that phrase in a long time.

I was really unsure of what to do, so I just followed Pinkie Pie's lead. She had a long list of things to do. Maybe too long. Or was it shorter now than it was before? Regardless, we first started off by just playing with the little ones. They seemed very fond of Pinkie Pie and liked to stay around her even while playing. Pound Cake liked stacking things and knocking them over while Pumpkin Cake had a penchant for gnawing on things. What helped alleviate that habit was the fact that her parents had gotten her some rubber chew toys to gnaw on that kept providing some amusing squeaks. Where Pinkie Pie dedicated her time to Pumpkin Cake, I played with Pound Cake by helping him put together various block formations so he could bowl them over. He really liked it whenever I pet him, especially around the ears.

This went on for a while and was quite relaxing. I was even surprised by how smart the two foals are despite being toddlers. I suppose those large brains in their skulls might contribute to them being sharper than the average human toddler. These ponies do have big heads. Before long, it was time for lunch. Pinkie Pie and I carried the two to the kitchen and put them in their booster seats. They sure have gotten big over the year since I first arrived in Ponyville. I would say they are getting pretty close to how big Scootaloo was when we first met. I guess ponies tend to develop slowly after a certain point.

Pinkie Pie fetched a few bowls of mashed fruits or vegetables from the refrigerator and popped them in the microwave oven for maybe thirty seconds or so. They were pretty warm by the time they came out. As I carried one over to the toddlers, Pumpkin Cake was cutely sucking on her own hoof while Pound Cake pounded on the food tray in impatience. I tried talking to Pound Cake in an attempt to connect with the little colt. "Here you are, sir. One order of mashed squash for your culinary pleasure."

Almost unsurprisingly, the two toddlers did not seem all that interested in the food that was before them. We tried coaxing them to eat, but they were not too keen on it. I decided to try and entice them with it while I snatched up Pound Cake's bowl. "Hey, this stuff is better than it looks. Here, let me taste it."

I then scooped up a bit on my fingertip and slurped it off. "Mmmm... See, this tastes...just...uh..."

The two foals started laughing at the faces I was making. Does all baby food really taste like that?! Pinkie Pie looked up at me and asked, "Uh... Are you OK?"

I grimaced at the taste before I replied, "No wonder they don't wanna eat this junk! This is the blandest food I've ever tasted! There's next to no flavor!"

Not planning on letting the two toddlers eat something so flavorless, I snatched up the bowls of mashed squash and carried them over to the kitchen counter. "They deserve better, so I'll fix this up somehow. Let's see if I can turn this into butternut squash."

"Ooh, you mean that yummy stuff?! You hear that, you two? James is gonna make something special for you!" Pinkie Pie then said to the two little foals, who then cheered and pounded their food trays in excitement.

"Well, I'm no chef, so I don't have the best idea of what I'm doing." I replied while getting some butter out of the fridge and searching the spice cabinets after setting out a small bowl. "I'm just experimenting and hoping I get it right."

I scooped a big dollop of butter into the bowl and topped it off with a light sprinkle of brown sugar, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and a dab of paprika. I then put the bowl in the microwave oven and watched through the door as the rotating bowl's contents blended together in a puddle of melted sweetened butter. Once that was done, I stirred the steaming mixture together and spooned them into the two bowls before mixing it all in. The piping hot concoction blended well with the lukewarm mashed squash and balanced out the temperature nicely. Pinkie Pie sniffed the air as I stirred it all in and said, "Mmmm, that does smell really yummy!"

Once they were all set, I brought over the two bowls and set them out before the two foals. They sniffed their lunch before starting to really dig into it with delight. I crossed my arms and watched, pleased that I was able to make something that babies would like to eat.

After that, it was time for a bath. At least it would have been had I not noticed a faint odor in the air as I lifted Pound Cake out of his chair. A quick sniff of the air and I was dreading what was about to happen. "Uh oh... I guess it's time for a diaper change?"

Pinkie Pie seemed rather used to the concept by that point while she lifted Pumpkin Cake out of her chair. "Good thing we're doing this before they're finally out of diapers this year, huh?"

I frowned before looking at Pound Cake, who just smiled and cooed while he waved his arms a bit. I sighed in resignation and muttered, "The one part of this whole gig I'm never gonna get used to... Well, you better show me how it's done."

"That's exactly what I'm here for!" Pinkie Pie replied before setting Pumpkin Cake on the table before rolling the filly over onto her back. I stood to the side to get a proper view, both so I could see past Pinkie and so I would not have to see too much. I especially took note of how Pinkie used a container of talcum powder before closing up the new diaper. It was all over and done with in just a moment and Pumpkin Cake seemed quite pleased with her new diaper, although I cringed in disgust when I saw Pinkie Pie lift the used diaper up by her teeth before tossing it into a nearby waste basket. "OK, now it's your turn!"

"OK then, Pound Cake..." I grumbled while laying the colt on his back as Pinkie Pie looked on. With some hesitation, I undid the diaper's straps and averted my eyes while removing it. Not just because I did not want to see the mess that he had left in it, but also I was not willing to look at his... I am not going into any further detail on that. Regardless, I did everything I had watched Pinkie Pie do from applying the powder to closing up the diaper and securing it in place on a very satisfied Pound Cake. "OK then... Worst part's over."

"Yeah, that's something I don't think anypony really likes to deal with. At least Pound Cake likes you!" Pinkie said in return while looking down at Pound Cake. He giggled as he held his arms up to me for me to hold him.

I was unsure of what to say. With such little experience in handling babies, I was at a loss of how to respond to the little colt who was clearly imprinting onto me. We have met a fair number of times before, but this was the first time I had spent so much time around him and his sister. I reached down and lifted the colt up and just looked at him while he looked back. He reached out to me as if he wanted a hug, so I pulled him closer to me only for the little guy to place his hooves on the side of my face for leverage and adorably nuzzle my face. This took me so far aback that I could only chuckle and nuzzle him as well. "Man, my bro's kid could take some pointers from you. That kid was such a grouch of a baby."

Pound Cake just giggled while probably not really understanding what I was saying. Since they had only just been swapped into clean diapers, Pinkie and I felt it was too soon for a bath. To help pass the time and wear the two foals down for a nap, we took them to the living room for a bit of playtime. However, when I took my eyes off of Pound Cake for just a moment, I found that the colt had disappeared. Knowing that babies should never be left alone while also knowing that those two foals are likely more cognitively developed than most human babies their age, I was unsure if I should be concerned or not. "Uh... Pinkie? Have you seen Pound Cake?"

It only took her a few seconds to stop frowning while she pointed at the ceiling. "Have you looked up lately?"

"Eh?" I then looked up and turned around to find Pound Cake standing right on the ceiling, but with his little wings flapping. At first, I was speechless as the colt looked down at me with a smile while just a few inches above my head. I did not even know it was possible for a pegasus to walk on a ceiling by using their wings to propel themselves upward. While upside-down. I looked at Pinkie Pie and exclaimed, "Not even Rainbow Dash can do something like this! Is this normal for babies?! Those wings look too small to lift him like that anyway..."

Pinkie Pie just giggled in dismissal while helping Pumpkin Cake stack some colorful word blocks up. "Oh, pegasus foals do that a lot! Not sure how they do it, but they're really strong fliers when they're that young! Maybe it's all that pent-up impulsive energy? I wouldn't really know since I'm an earth pony."

"Well, whatever..." I grumbled before looking up at the giggling colt. I then gave him a smirk and reached up before grabbing him around the middle between my hands. "Good thing these houses have such low ceilings."

Pound Cake whimpered in disapproval as his wings stopped flapping. However, I did not lower him from the ceiling at first. I eyed his hooves as they stayed upon the ceiling. "Wait a minute..."

I took a step back, prompting Pound Cake to take a few tiny steps forward. I did it again slowly to help him walk along the ceiling. He started to smile and then laugh while I began to smirk. I started to walk backwards while helping the little colt walk all over the living room's ceiling as Pinkie Pie and Pumpkin Cake watched in amusement. "Spider-Colt. Spider-Colt. He'll walk on ceilings until he molts."

Pinkie Pie and Pumpkin Cake just laughed or chuckled at the little skit I was putting on. But then Pound Cake went and lightly chomped on my arm, probably because he was taking the 'spider' aspect of my chant a little too seriously. At first puzzled by this, I quickly thought up a way to play off of this. "Oh no! I've been biting by the Spider-Colt! His venom is seeping into my veins!"

I quickly put Pound Cake down before rolling onto the floor and pretending to convulse. "Venom...taking effect... Can't..."

Not wanting to drag this charade out for too long, I then played dead as I let myself go limp. I felt Pound Cake start feeling over me and muttering incoherent baby babble before he started crying. Pumpkin Cake joined in too, probably sincerely believing that something bad had happened to me. Opening my eyes just a crack, I saw the two foals sitting on their haunches next to me, although Pound Cake was also leaning over my chest and resting his head on me.

Feeling somewhat bad that I had fooled those two as well as I did, I responded by reaching out and gently petting them behind the ears. This quickly got their attention as their crying slowly came to a stop and I opened my eyes fully. "No worries! I'm OK! I was vaccinated, so Spider-Colt venom doesn't work on me."

Tears still fresh on their faces, the two foals started laughing while I kept petting them around the ears. That seems to be their sweet spots. Pinkie Pie then trotted over to me and asked, "Having fun yet?"

"Surprisingly, yeah! I wasn't expecting to enjoy this stuff so much." I replied as I sat up, the two foals on my lap. I kept petting them on their heads, but then had another idea. I then rolled onto my side and grabbed Pumpkin Cake before starting to playfully gnaw on her head. "But now that venom from the Spider-Colt has trigger a mutation in me! Now I am Spider-James and must inject my own venom! Nom nom nom nom nom nom nom!"

Pinkie Pie just burst out snickering even as the two foals laughed and giggled. However, I was then surprised to see Pumpkin Cake's tiny horn on her head become engulfed in a billowing light blue aura. I was even more surprised when her entire body was coated by the same aura. Somewhat startled, I let go of her and watched as she floated up to the ceiling and flipped herself over until she was standing on it. She then started to walk along the ceiling while singing the same jingle I was singing while helping Pound Cake do the same thing a few minutes earlier. Well, not so much singing as saying 'nah' over and over, but at least she was on-key.

I watched the new Spider-Filly walk along the ceiling with the use of her own levitation magic without saying a word. I then turned to Pinkie Pie and said, "That's not possible. There is no way a filly that young can be cognitively developed enough to maintain the kind of focus necessary to cast magic. Let alone a spell that advanced!"

My fellow foalsitter just lifted her hooves while she shrugged her shoulders. "Don't look at me! Twilight says these magic spurts just come and go! She probably won't even remember doing it in a while."

"Well, regardless... I don't feel comfortable watching this." I grumbled while standing up and grabbing Pumpkin Cake around the middle. "OK, Spider-Filly. That's eno... Eh?"

She suddenly started walking over my head and right down my back before stepping off the back of my leg and onto the floor. When she did, Pumpkin Cake was approached by Pound Cake and they both started 'singing' the rest of the jingle in unison right to the very end. They really seemed to dig the whole Spider-Colt thing I had started. I even let out a little snicker as they laughed together at the end of the tune. "OK, I'll admit it. You baby ponies are quite entertaining."

Playtime did not go on for much longer before Pinkie and I carried the two toddlers to the bathroom. Time for a bath. While Pinkie Pie got the tub going, I removed their diapers and set them aside. Thankfully, they were not dirty yet. But once I set the diapers down, I turned around to find that the two foals were nowhere to be seen. I immediately felt my heart jump into my throat, but noticed that the door leading out into the hall was closed. They could not have gotten out. Pinkie Pie was still busy dealing with the tub as it filled, so I left her alone and decided to try and locate the two little imps. They could not have gone far.

I did not search for long before I noticed something odd about the medicine cabinet over the sink. There seemed to be a tuft of brown hair hanging out through the bottom. I had no idea a foal could even fit in one of those. Sure enough, I found both foals snuggly tucked into the cabinet with looks of giddy anticipation. Rather than respond suddenly in a way that might prompt them to run and make my job harder, I spoke in a calm tone of voice. "Your bath is nearly ready, sir and madam. If you would kindly follow me, I shall get you accommodated."

My gentlemanly approach seemed to confuse the two foals as they looked at each other. That gave me enough time to grab each one in my arm and carry them over to the tub. They did not put up a struggle, probably because they found it kind of fun to be carried in the arms of someone. I then asked, "Bath all set?"

"Just let me add the bubble bath and... Done!" Pinkie Pie then took a step bath to let me lower the two toddlers into the tub. They immediately started splashing and stirring the water to conjure up some bubbles to play with. I also reached out and removed the little blue bow that was holding up Pumpkin Cake's mane so it would not get soaked as well. While I did so, Pinkie Pie pulled out a box that was filled with bath toys. "Can't forget these!"

Pinkie Pie then set a small plastic boat adrift in the tub. Pound Cake took an immediate interest in it and started pushing it about. I decided to join in by providing some commentary. "Captain, there seems to be a hippocampus off to port! What? Have you been hitting the whisky again? Like I said, there's no call for alarm unless a kraken is spotted."

The two foals did not pay my words much mind, although Pinkie Pie was quite entertained. I then set a rubber duck afloat in the tub, which Pumpkin Cake then started to gnaw on. The rubber toy squeaked with each chomp. Finding another rubber duck in the box, I put it in the tub and started moving it over to Pumpkin Cake. Distracted, she let go of the other one and turned her attention to the one I was holding. I then reached out to the other with my spare hand and started making them drift together. I then started making some rapid-fire quacking sounds while making the two toy ducks wobble around. This proved entertaining enough to make the toddlers giggle and pretend to quack too, although Pinkie Pie just gave me some funny looks. "Uh... What was that?"

I looked at my friend and cracked an awkward smirk. "Two ducks having a conversation. Ever seen one?"

There really is not much else to mention about that part. Pinkie Pie instructed me on how to properly shampoo the two foals and that was pretty much it. Once the tub was drained and the two toddlers were about as dry as they were going to get, I managed to get Pumpkin Cake's bow back onto her mane and get them back into their diapers. We could not get them completely dry since they are not entirely used to hairdryers, so they would have to just dry out naturally for a little while.

Next up was nap time, but the toddlers seemed to have a bit too much energy left to properly settle down for some sleep. Pinkie Pie lowered herself to the floor a bit to look right at the two foals. "Looks like somepony's not ready for bed yet! Guess we better fix that, huh?"

The two foals hopped up and down before taking off running up and down the hall while laughing. They just had so much energy in them for being so young. While the two foals kept passing me, I started to think that the best way to wear them down for a nap would be to tire them out. And what better way to do that than to chase them?

I looked to Pinkie Pie and whispered, "Hey, I got an idea. Let's play a bit. I'm gonna play the part of a giant chasing the little kids. You wanna join in?"

"Ooh, you mean like roleplay?! Sure, I'm game!" Pinkie sounded like she almost knew exactly where I was going with this. I was just trying to have fun and only those kids would not think I was being weird.

The two toddlers started galloping my way again, so I took the time to stomp my foot down in front of them to stop them. They came to a sliding halt and looked up at me while I crossed my arms. I then took the moment to clear my throat and then began speaking loudly like a giant of a man built like a brick outhouse. "All right! This time, we play new game! Giant man versus tiny baby man!"

"Oooooh, now I really know where you're going with this! Hang on! I'll be right back!" Pinkie Pie then said before running into a nearby room and closing the door behind her.

"What?! Well, OK. Anyway..." I then looked down at the two foals at my feet and bent over and looked at down at them. "Too many little men on this team! Now's a good time to run!"

I think the two of them finally figured out that I was just playing around and began to laugh. They then took off down the hall and into their bedroom. I waited for them to get out of sight before I started lumbering down the hall like a giant. "Keep crying, baby! You're sooo small! It's funny to me!"

I then stepped into the room and found the two toddlers sitting in the middle of the floor side by side and just looking up at me with smiles. Maybe they were finally getting tired and were just giving up. Regardless, I marched up to them and looked down at the tiny foals. "Ha! Dominated! So tiny!"

But then they pulled a fast one on me. Pumpkin Cake pulled out a little toy saw and Pound Cake pulled out a toy hammer. They then looked up at me with very menacing grins. I was not entirely sure what to make of this, but it seemed the two toddlers were trying to 'fight back' against the giant. Eyes wide, I gave the only response I could after a moment of awkward silence. "Ooooh, this is bad!"

Cackling like little imps, the two of them pounced upon me and caused me to stagger back into the wall while they clung to my shoulders and kept smacking me with their toys. They were only made of plastic and the hammer even squeaked when I got bonked with it. Regardless, I tried to play the part I was in and staggered out into the hall. "Aaaaaaggghh!!! Who sent all these babies to fight?!"

I ended up dropping to my knees while feigning exhaustion even as the two toddlers continued to beat me with their toys. However, they suddenly stopped and even dropped their toys. I looked at the colt and filly who were hanging onto my shoulders and saw that they were looking up. When I did the same, I found a rather unsettling sight before me. Pinkie Pie was standing before us on her hind legs while wrapped in a red latex suit or something of similar composition while clutching some sort of pump device connected by a tube to a tank on her back. To top it off, she was looking at us through a gas mask. All the pieces came together as I began to realize what kind of device she was holding in her arms. Dropping my facade for the moment, I asked, "Uh... Pinkie? That's just a prop, right?"

She tried to say something to us, but it was amusingly muffled by her gas mask. However, she then pointed the business end of her device right at my face. My eyes opened wide, as did those of the two foals on my shoulders, as I noticed something right under the tube-like mouth of the device. A blue pilot light. I am pretty sure Pinkie Pie then said 'Open wide!' from behind her mask, but I was not going to just lie there and get my face blasted off by a torrent of flames. "NOOOOO!!!!!"

I scrambled to my feet and ran back down the hall with the two foals on my shoulders shrieking in fear. I heard that device go off with a rush of gas spraying towards me. So certain I had just been set ablaze, I let out a yell as I simultaneously tried to keep my act up. "FIRE, FIRE, FIIIIRRRRREEE ACH!!!"

I started coughing and came to a stop as yelling in that deep gravelly voice finally started to take its toll on my voice. "Oh my god, that is hard on my throat! I can't keep doing this! Hey, Pinkie? Can we try... Eh?"

Something was off. I did not notice the smell of burning wood or even feel the heat of fire. Indeed, when I turned around, I saw no trace of there having been any fire. And where was Pinkie Pie?

I looked at Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake as they hung on my shoulders while they looked back at me in confusion. Where had she gone? I walked down the hall and soon peeked into the playroom as I noticed a quiet tune playing that sounded really retro and catchy. And when I did peek into the room, I was in for a surprise. Pinkie Pie was dancing and prancing around in that getup, her pump device spraying out rainbows as she sang with that gas mask muffling her. I think that device also had a cassette player in it somewhere if I was hearing that music. I even sang along to it for a moment. "When you believe in magic...in a young girl's heart..."

I quickly set the two foals down as they became eager to go in and play around. They were jumping up to catch the rainbow streams that came out of her pump, but could not grab anything that was simply a harmless gas. I finally decided to get Pinkie Pie to stop and notice me by tapping on her head. The music came to an abrupt stop while Pinkie Pie pulled off her mask and looked at me. "Hi, James! Having fun?"

"Uh... I guess. I really wasn't expecting you to channel the Pyro quite that well. You seriously had me thinking that was a real flamethrower for a minute." I replied while seeing Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake trying to play with the lingering rainbows.

This surprised Pinkie Pie, who then let out a shocked gasp. "Are you loco in the coco?! I'd never torch you! Not with a Y7 rating, at least!"

"Uh... Rating?" I asked in return, finding this sudden mention of a rating system to go completely over my head.

"Oh yeah, and it's right up there in the corner!" She then said while pointing up and behind me. But as I turned to look up in the corner of the room, she suddenly yelped, "But don't look at it! If you see it, it'll crash your word processor when you write about today later! Or make your typewriter's ink supply burst. You know, whichever you're using."

Not understanding Pinkie Pie's warped logic in the slightest, I just decided to follow her advice to avoid provoking anything. Regardless, the two little foals were starting to become rather tired by that point and were reluctant to play. Taking that as the point that they should be put to bed, Pinkie and I carried Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake to the nursery. Even though they had a pair of cribs, it seemed they were meant to share one for the time being. I was not entirely sure if having the room painted in various cool hues like shades of blue was for the best to help babies get to sleep, but I do hear it is a calming color.

Pinkie and I set the two drowsy toddlers into the crib. I then pulled the little pink quilt that was kept in there to cover them with and pulled it up to their chins. But as I started to pull my hand away, Pound Cake reached over the quilt and placed his hoof on my fingers. He just looked at me without a sound. "Uh... Pound Cake?"

I just looked back at him while the baby pegasus looked at me. Something about those brown eyes looking at me without looking away just melted my heart. I was entirely unsure of what to say or do. Thankfully, Pinkie Pie stepped forward to get a closer look. "Awwww, looks like somepony likes you."

Not wanting to step away from the kid, yet knowing I should not keep them from napping, I tried to end our silent conversation the best way I could. I reached down and placed a soft kiss on Pound Cake's forehead before doing the same to Pumpkin Cake. I then whispered softly to them, "Sweet dreams, little ones. Mr. James will see you again soon."

I was glad to see the two of them promptly settled in and went to sleep. Pinkie Pie and I carefully and quietly left the room to avoid disturbing them. Once we were back in the living room, Pinkie Pie looked at me with a very pleased expression. "For your first time, you did pretty well! Then again, I didn't have somepony supervising me the first time I took up the whole foalsitting thing."

"Thanks... Although I doubt I'll ever get used to the diapers." I replied while Pinkie Pie fetched a pitcher of lemonade from the kitchen. She poured us both a tall glass each. "I think I've got a couple of hours before I need to be somewhere. Anything been up with you lately?"

Pinkie Pie sipped from her glass while also looking contemplative. "No, nothing out of the ordinary... Oh, wait! I did have a really weird dream just last night. Not sure if you wanna hear about it though."

"It can't be that bad. What happened?" I asked out of curiosity. Someone as silly as her must have some interesting dreams now and then.

Probably out of caution, Pinkie Pie glanced around to check if anyone was watching. "OK the coast is clear. I don't think I'd want the kids to hear this one. Anyway, not that much happened. But I did end up meeting up with somepony I had never seen, but somehow knew."

An uneventful dream with an unexpected encounter. Sounded ominous, if I am to be honest. "OK... So, who was it?"

Pinkie Pie seemed surprisingly calm as she began to talk. "Well, all he said was his name is Dave. Just Dave. And... I dunno why, but... I just knew this guy had made me do some...really terrible things to my friends. Like...things I can't even imagine. Things I don't wanna even guess. All I knew was... I really HATED this guy and knew he had to pay for what he made me do. Whatever that was."

"That's pretty dark coming from you, Pinkie. I can't remember the last time you've ever hated anyone." I retorted while sipping my drink. It almost sounded like she was just recounting a creepy campfire story.

Regardless, she continued unhindered. "I know, right?! I can't remember the last time either! But... I'm serious! I hated this guy! And I wanted to make him pay for what happened to my friends! And so, I pulled out a giant rubber chicken and... Well, I started beating him with it."

I just stared at her in bewildered silence without saying a word for a moment. After several seconds of awkward silence, I asked, "You started beating this guy with a rubber chicken. A giant soft bouncy rubber chicken... Uh... Doesn't sound very lethal to me. Are you sure you hated this guy?"

Pinkie Pie just rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but it was all I had. But I still kept beating him with it for hours. And eventually, he finally stopped moving. How many times did I even whack him with that?"

"You killed a man...with a giant rubber chicken... I don't know if that's morbid or hilarious." I said while having no idea how to even react to such a claim.

"Uh huh! I don't know how it happened, but he was finally dead just a few minutes before I woke up. And you know what the really funny thing about it is? Like...really ironic? I never saw a drop of blood. Not one! He didn't bleed at all!" Pinkie Pie then said with an unexpected smile. "But when I woke up, I felt really rested and satisfied... Like I finally did something I needed to do for a long time. I don't know who that Dave guy was, but I'm glad I finally got to make him pay for whatever he forced me to do to my friends."

Unsure if I should stay any longer, I chugged down the rest of my drink and made my way for the door while grabbing my jacket. "That's... Uh... That was a really interesting dream you had! Anyway, I've got plans for tonight and I really need to take care of a few things. Same time next week?"

"You're heading out already?! Well, OK. And sure! Gotta whip you into shape before Gladesong gets here! Have a good one, James!" Pinkie Pie replied as she waved goodbye. Once I was outside, I considered my options. After only a moment of thought, I decided to go visit Rarity. It had been a little while since I last stopped by.

The trip to Carousel Boutique was rather uneventful, although I did notice a few subtle differences around Rarity's house once I started to draw near. It seemed that a number of flowers had been planted around the perimeter. I suppose Rarity hired a local gardener to spruce up her home's exterior just in time for spring. I pushed the door open and was about to call out for Rarity before my eyes scanned the workroom before me.

Rarity must have been getting ready for the Grand Galloping Gala. Many suits and dresses in varying states of completion were strewn about the place on mannequins for display. I had forgotten how much business she gets at this time of year. I was just about to call out for Rarity before I saw her gallop out from behind a haphazardly placed curtain and placed a top hat upon a mannequin that was clad in a suit before rushing right back from whence she came. However, I was quick to notice that she did not seem to be in a good mood. Quite the opposite. She seemed to be on the verge of panic.

"Uh... Rarity?" I asked while starting to approach where she was likely standing. I could hear the sound of a sewing machine at work and found her using one when I stepped past the curtain. I immediately noticed something was amiss. Whenever Rarity is stressed or overworked, her beautifully curled mane becomes frayed and uneven. "Hey... Are you OK?"

Without even looking over her shoulder, my distressed friend spoke rather quickly. "So sorry, darling. Don't got time. So many designs to finish, so little time!"

"You...don't look so good... Can I get you anything?" I asked while not feeling very comfortable seeing Rarity in such a state. Her job can get quite demanding when she has so many orders to finish, even though the Grand Galloping Gala was still a few weeks away.

Rarity kept her response quick and short. "No, just need to focus for now! Need to...get these all finish before... Where did I put that blue fabric..."

She was just so stressed. I felt bad for her. And while it may have been best if I just left her to her work, I could not just leave her there while so overwhelmed. Maybe she was just too worried about not reaching her deadline despite having plenty of time to do it. Taking it upon myself to try and help her relax, I got down on one knee and wrapped my arms around her from behind. "Hey... It's gonna be OK, Rarity. You've got plenty of time."

I felt her quiver in my embrace, yet tried to remain focused on what was before her. "James... I know. I know it'll be fine, but I must get this done today!"

I was not deterred. Being that stressed at the time could not be good for her. Against her pleas, I only increased my affections to try and coax her into relaxing as I tenderly kissed her neck. "Shhhh... You have plenty of time, dear. There's no need to work yourself into a panic over this. You've done this before. You'll do it again just fine."

Once I began to place those kisses along Rarity's neck, she just melted into my embrace with a sigh. All that tension just oozed out of her as she succumbed to my touch. Slowly, she turned to look at me as those beautiful azure eyes gazed into mine. "Oh, darling... How can I ever stay this worked up in your arms?"

I merely smiled without a word. I kissed her along her jaw and down her neck once more, causing her to quiver and gasp in delight. I then bared my teeth and gave her neck a gentle nibble, prompting the beautiful mare to let out a yelp of glee. She began to rise up on her hind legs and threw her arms around me. "James... Hold me, my love..."

I did as she requested. My arms wrapped around her for a tender embrace with my hands stroking her back. Before long, our lips joined for a deep and loving kiss. I heard her sigh as our tongues danced, so much more relaxed than she had been just minutes earlier. I soon lowered a hand down to her waist and slid my palm over the smooth curves of her flanks while being mindful of her cutie marks. It was just what she needed to finally calm down and focus on something else for a bit.

Our embrace and kiss did not last for much longer. To my surprise, Rarity looked at me with a very flushed face filled with need and apprehension. "My dear... I know you only just got here, but... I need to...take care of something upstairs... May I be excused for a bit?"

I saw nothing wrong with that. She did not seem to be focused on work, so perhaps there was just something she wanted to tend to for relaxation's sake. "Sure thing, love. I'll be down here if you need me."

Rarity responded with a quick peck on the cheek, but did not smile. She seemed more embarrassed than anything as she ran to the edge of the room and up the stairs. I noticed that Mitta was not around, so it was likely Rarity's assistant was out fulfilling errands for Rarity to make sure her supplies remained stocked throughout this busy season. With nothing else to do, I made my way to the kitchen to get myself some water.

I found Opal taking a nap on the table while basking in the sun. Not wanting to wake her, I kept quiet while only turning the sink on a moderate water flow to fill my glass. While looking at the calendar on the wall, I started to think about Rarity. With how much work she has on her plate, she could use a drink herself. I began rooting around in her cabinets for some tea while I set the kettle on the stove. I was impressed by the variety. She must have had half a dozen kinds. I went for raspberry tea and plucked a few bags from the box and set them in the teapot to be steeped once the water was boiling. I waited until right when steam was starting to spout from the kettle before taking it off and pouring the water. I did not want to wake Opal with the whistling.

Right as I was about to take a seat at the table, I thought I heard a faint noise. The house was very quiet with nothing else going on in it, so I remained still and listened carefully. Indeed, there was some sort of noise in the air. Occasional mumblings that were spread out seconds apart. Was that Rarity's voice?

My attention was directed to an air vent set into the upper wall near the door. Being as tall as I am compared to the ponies the house had been designed for, I had no trouble putting my ear up to it. I could definitely hear Rarity somewhere on the other end. She was...saying my name. Was she calling for me? No, she was speaking as if I was in the room with her. Some of her words were still indecipherable, but... Was she really doing what I thought she was doing?

I became increasingly curious while at the same time somewhat amused. From the sound of her voice, she must been... Her words suddenly became replaced by loud yelps as she squealed my name before becoming much quieter. A crooked smile upon my face, I stepped back from the vent and snickered to myself. "Wow, Rarity... No wonder you needed a few minutes to yourself."

Knowing that she was done with whatever she was doing, I decided to head upstairs to check on her. I climbed the stairwell and headed down the hall to her room and knocked on the door. A moment later, it creaked open to reveal a happy Rarity on the other side. She had even fixed up her mane. "Hello, darling! I'm feeling much better now. You were right. A little relaxation was exactly what I needed."

"If by 'a little relaxation' you mean a visit to Mr. Foot-long, then yeah. I can see why you're looking more at ease." I retorted while a snide smirk as I stepped into the room. I was greeted by a lingering smell hanging in the air. A familiar musky scent that I am intimately familiar with.

Rarity, ever trying to play the role of a sophisticated lady, feigned ignorance. "Foot-long?! I have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Then please explain what that smell is I'm noticing right now." I crossed my arms and looked down at my nervous friend. She froze, face turning red in embarrassment. "Rarity. Let's just say I've made love to Fluttershy enough times to recognize that smell. This odor hanging in the air is the smell of a highly aroused mare."

Rarity could not even begin to contest my claim. She brought a hoof to her face and groaned, "Caught me red-hoofed... Yes, I did have quite an...itch to scratch."

"Just be glad Mitta wasn't here. I could hear you through the air vents. You'd have a fair bit to explain to her." I retorted with a snicker. While flattering that she was obviously thinking of me during her little masturbation session, she could have gotten herself in trouble had the wrong person been home.

"You did?! Ooooh dear, I'm so glad you told me that... Still, I won't have to worry about that for much longer at this rate." Rarity yelped in shock before averting her eyes to glance at nothing in particular.

That last line caught my ear. "You won't? What, is she moving out?"

Rarity cast me a calmer smile and said, "Well, before the year is over if all goes well. We've been looking into getting Mitta her own place. There's a little cottage not too far from here that is available for purchase and I've been helping Mitta save up. Her current plans are to continue working here for a while longer. She really has been a big help and has been easing the pressure on me by assisting with inventory."

"Good to hear things are looking up for her. She really does deserve the best after all she's been through." I replied before glancing around the room. Off to the left of the door were a pair of curtains hanging over circular frames to conceal something in the middles. I began to approach them and asked, "Hey, whatcha got over here? Are these... Eh?"

I was stopped as my hand was coated in a glittering light blue magic aura before being pulled away. "Oh no no no no no! So sorry, darling, but those are off-limits to absolutely everypony! I'm not finished and they are not to be revealed until they are completed and not a day sooner."

I immediately grew suspicious of what was behind the curtains. I then turned to Rarity and asked smugly, "Let me guess... One of these is for Nightmare Moon, right?"

Rarity's eyes opened wide in shock. I definitely got it right. Considering that I could not have guessed that unless I had a very strong reason to suspect it, she gave up the ghost and explained. "Well, yes... One of those is a custom design commission by the Princess of Dreams herself. I'm quite excited to get done for her as it is the very first commission I have ever received from the royal family. But even so... Please allow me to keep it secret for now. It's been requested that it be kept under wraps until Nightmare Moon finally dons it herself during her very first Grand Galloping Gala."

"Fair enough. First impressions are important for someone with such a sullied history." I replied while turning my gaze to the other circular curtain. "And this one?"

"Absolutely not. Nopony is to see that until the day the Grand Galloping Gala. No exceptions. I'm very focused on this little side project of mine." Rarity then explained sternly, clearly not willing to let me sneak a peek.

Seeing that she was not going to budge on this debate, I decided to let the topic go. "OK, I'll wait. Anyway, I just started brewing some tea downstairs. Would you like some before I leave?"

"Oh, you're such a dear! I was just considering brewing some myself! Please, let's." Rarity retorted in joy before following me downstairs. The tea was still hot, so Rarity dropped a few ice cubes into the teapot to help cool it down a bit while also replacing the water that had already evaporated from the boiling temperatures.

Rarity soon spoke while stirring a dollop of honey into her tea, "So, how is Fluttershy? Is she still able to get around just fine?"

I smiled a bit while thinking about my lover back home. "Oh, she's doing just fine. No difficulties getting around. She's really enjoying her pregnancy. Maybe a bit more than one would expect."

My beautiful friend raised an eyebrow in response. "Enjoying it? Ooh, I see what you mean. I trust things tend to get rather heated once the lights go out?"

"You kidding? I'd say her sex drive is stronger than ever. She's already thinking about having more foals after Gladesong is born." I retorted with a bit of a chuckle while stirring some honey into my own teacup.

Rarity snickered while holding a hoof to her mouth. "Ohohoho dear... Who would have guessed that tender little Fluttershy would be so good at pleasing her stallion? She really has been full of lots of love for as long as I've known her. It's so good knowing she finally found the right man to settle down with."

"Yep. Life's been pretty good lately." I said quietly while sipping at my tea, my thoughts going back to Fluttershy and then to Mitta while taking note of her absence. In all honesty, not much of interest happened during the rest of my visit nor anything worth talking about. Right after Mitta got back with some supplies, I headed out on my way as the time approached 4 PM. It was time to get to my destination for the night. But not before going home and grabbing a few clean bits of clothing for tomorrow.

After wandering around for a bit, I came to what was surely Button Mash's house. Hoping I was not showing up too late or too soon, I knocked on the door. A moment later, the door opened to reveal none other than Eleina. "Oh, hello! You're just in time, James!"

I was about to offer a reply before I noticed what Eleina was dressed up in. I have already gone on about how amazingly attractive she is, but I was left momentarily spellbound by what I was seeing. The motherly mare before me was dressed in a flowing black frock with a pearl necklace around her throat and some noticeable eyeshadow over her eyelids. She was really prepared for a nice night out somewhere. "Uh... Heya, Eleina. Going somewhere fancy?"

"Well, it is our anniversary. Button's father and I are staying overnight in Canterlot, so we needed you to watch over Button Mash until we get home tomorrow. It should be while he's at school, so you shouldn't have to stay past the morning tomorrow." Eleina explained while letting me follow her into the house. The aesthetics of the house were very pleasing and cozy, my feet resting upon a blue carpet spread out through the living room. Once inside, Eleina called out. "Button! Your foalsitter is here! Come say hello!"

I could hear the soft steps of someone coming down the hall nearby. "Mom, I said I don't need a foalsitter! I'm a big colt now! I don't..."

Button Mash immediately stopped talking and stared in surprise the instant he emerged from around the corner and got a good look at me. After maybe five seconds of silence, I raised my hand and waved at him. "Yo."

The adorable little colt immediately went from annoyed to ecstatic in an instant before galloping right up to me. "No way! You're my foalsitter, James?! This rocks!"

I dropped to one knee and removed Button's spinning beanie before petting him through his mane. "Yup. It's just you and me tonight."

"I know you two are good friends and I know you'll be on your best behavior. If you don't feel like cooking tonight, I left a few bits on the counter for pizza. Any questions?" Eleina then said while pointing into the kitchen nearby.

"Nah. I'd say we're good. I'll make sure Button stays out of trouble tonight." I replied before standing up again.

Eleina began to make her way to the door, appearing to be in a bit of a hurry. "Great! There's a list instructions on the fridge. Just a few things you need to know. And James, feel free to use the master bedroom when you go to sleep. Just please make the bed in the morning. Now, I better get going. The train should be leaving within the next half hour. You two have fun!"

"Bye, Mom! Love you!" Button Mash replied while waving goodbye. The beautiful mare trotted out the door and closed it behind her, leaving me silently complimenting her husband on having found such a gorgeous mare to be his wife.

Following off of that note, I smirked a little and spoke quietly, "Your mom is really hot, Button.

"Hot? Nah, she's cool." Button Mash replied while completing missing my point. Not that he was wrong. She is pretty cool in her own right. Now that we were alone, Button Mash looked up at me with an excited grin. "So, whatcha wanna do?! Wanna play Super Norico Bros.?"

It was no surprise to see Button go straight for the video games. As much as I love a good game, I felt I should take the time to get acquainted with the house. "Sounds good, but give me a little while first. Just need to take care of some necessities."

"OK then! I'll be in my room upstairs." Button replied before trotting down the hall right outside the room. I then stepped into the kitchen just down the hall out of the living room and looked around. It still amazes me how low stoves tend to be in some houses. I had to squat just to reach for the knobs. But what caught my eye the most was that the floor was lined with blue carpeting. Who puts carpeting in a room where messes from dropped food is all too likely. Due to the risk of me making a mess in a kitchen that is not suited for human use, I decided to take Eleina up on her offer to order a pizza later.

I went over to the fridge and examined the note Eleina had left for me. Nothing unusual. Stuff like not letting Button Mash have candy before dinner and only two scoops of ice cream for dessert, making sure he is in bed by 9 PM, that sort of stuff. Did not sound too unlike what my mother would have told my own babysitters so many years ago. Seemed easy enough to follow. I then stepped out of the way to allow Button into the fridge when I noticed him come around the corner. While he fetched a drink, I went over to the counter to collect the bits while also looking over a takeout menu for the local pizza parlor. However, not even thirty seconds later, I heard Button Mash start crying behind me. "Aaaaghaha!!! Moooohahahooommm!!!"

"She left five minutes ago, Button!" I said loudly while glancing behind me, both startled and annoyed that he would start crying out of nowhere like that.

Tears still streaming down his face, Button stopped crying immediately while giving me a rather embarrassed and surprised stare. "Oh... Never mind!"

"What's wrong anyway? Did a bug bite you?" I then asked while stepping over to him and squatting down. He did not seem hurt. The only thing I found different from the last time I saw him was that he was holding a juice box in his hoof.

The little colt grimaced before holding the juice box up to me. "I lost."

"Lost what?" I asked before taking a closer look at the side of the box. It seemed to be one of those 'peel and win' things where you peel something off of a product and see what the message under the flap says. The message was clear.

Sorry, you lose... Better luck next time.

I actually got a bit of a laugh out of how silly and insignificant this was. "Oh, Button! This isn't something worth crying over! The prize probably wouldn't even have been that good anyway. When you go into this, expect to lose and be pleasantly surprised if you win. It's not the end of the day if you don't win."

"Oooooh... OK! I get it!" Button replied while looking completely recovered from the emotional shock. He took the juice box back and sipped from the straw before chucking it into the kitchen's waste basket. Still thirsty, he reached into the fridge again and pulled out an identical juice box and stabbed the provided bendy straw into the top before slurping away. He soon noticed another tag on the side and pulled it off with a look of excitement, but then looked at me with a stare that seemed more annoyed than upset. He lost again. However, he then began looking all over the box and asked, "What IS the prize anyway?!"

While Button Mash looked the box over, I looked towards the clock on the far wall. Barely past 4 PM. A bit too soon for dinner. To pass the time, I decided to take Button Mash up on his earlier offer. "So... What's this about Super Norico Bros. you were talking about?"

In a rather amusing fashion, Button slurped down the rest of the juice hard enough to cause the box to implode on itself. "Oh yeah! Right this way!"

I followed Button Mash down the hall and up some stairs. I think the second floor might have been an attic at some point since the halls were narrow and wooden with few lights illuminating the place, although I did see a framed picture here and there. However, Button's room was quite vibrant with a pale purple carpet. He had an oval mirror tall enough to see himself in, a blue desk, a chest for toys or whatever he had in it, and a little bed with a blue frame along with a wall-mounted lamp sticking out above it. But before I could look around at anything else, something in the corner to my left caught my attention. It seemed to be a boxlike device with a screen on the front and an orange casing. It even had a handle on the top for carrying it. "Hey, what's this? Looks really retro."

Button Mash looked over at the device, but did not seem very interested in it. "That? Mom found it in the attic and showed it to me. She said she and Dad played it all the time a long time ago, but I just don't get it."

I decided to try the device out myself. I lifted it out of the corner and set it on the floor, finding it to be a lot heavier than it looked. There were old smudges and such here and there on the casing, so it definitely saw a lot of use over the years. There was a red switch on the side, so I pulled it down to see what would happen. The screen turned on, displaying in archaic oversized raster graphics two white rectangles at each side with a white line going down the middle that seemed to have a white square in the middle. I could hear the old device humming like an older CRT television monitor. Aside from that, nothing happened. I took a moment to ponder the ancient device before me. "Well, it's no Brown Box, but... Oh, wait! I get it! It's Pong! That's about as retro as you can get with this stuff."

"Huh? Pong?" Button Mash asked while he came over to the ancient gaming console. He looked past me at the screen while not appearing very interested.

"Yeah, it's basically the very first arcade game in history. You know how tennis and ping pong works, right? Well, Pong is that in video game format. But... How do you play?" I explained before looking down. The casing stretched out towards us to provide a type of control panel with two knobs set into it. They seemed like they could only move up and down. "Maybe this does it?"

I firmly placed my finger on the left knob and tried moving it forward. The left rectangle on the screen responded by moving up. This seemed to start the game since the white square I noticed in the middle moved out of the line in the middle and drifted to the right on an angle. The right 'paddle' responded on its own and moved to stop the square, causing it to bounce back. I moved the knob down as needed to line up my paddle with the 'ball', blocking it and sending it back along the screen. After a couple more passes, Button Mash seemed to get the idea. "Ooooh, so that's how you play it?!"

"Yep! Pong might be beyond retro, but it gets tricky fast." I replied as the movements of the ball sped up. Before long, the other paddle could not keep up and the ball slipped by. The game did not seem to keep score, but it did let out a dull beeping jingle to signal me winning a game. I then looked to Button and asked, "You wanna join in? We've got another knob there."

"Uh... OK!" Button retorted as the game was reset for another round. He put his hoof down on the right knob and pushed it forward, triggering the game and causing his paddle on the right to move up while the ball went in my direction. I moved my knob to take control of the left paddle, managing to block the ball and send it back to Button. As simple as the game was, we kept playing for six rounds before turning the device off. I won more than half, but Button did pretty well himself. "Huh! That was pretty fun after all! I guess I know why Mom and Dad liked it."

I pushed the power switch back up and carried the device back over to the corner. "I'm sure it was back in the day. These days, something that simple is only really good for the novelty factor. Anyway, what do you have to play?"

"Oh, I've got a bunch! We've got Super Norico Bros., Templevania, Hoover's Adventure..." Button Mash said excitedly while he started going through his game collection in the drawers under the monitor. While he was distracted, I took a closer look at the monitor itself as I felt something was not right about it. It looked like a bulky television set with a green border set around the screen that was adorned with a pair of yellow lightning bolts, but something was off. I could see a game cartridge set into the top and the game controller was plugged into the front somewhere in the bottom corner while an empty controller slot was next to it. It seemed that the television actually was the game console itself. I guess standard televisions are something of a novelty in this world, so video game consoles need to provide their own display.

"Found it!" Button then called out as he pulled a game cartridge out of the drawer and quickly replaced the one on top of the monitor with it. He then plugged a second controller into the front for me. The controller was remarkably similar to a NES controller, so much so that it could warrant a lawsuit if Nintendo ever found out about it. He then hit the power button on the monitor's bottom left corner. The screen turned on and we were greeted by an 8-bit title screen. "How about 2-player? I'll play as Norico!"

Super Norico Bros., huh? It definitely looked quaint and very retro, even for 8-bit games. Still, I knew that this game was probably a classic. I took my controller in hand while taking a seat on the carpet. "So, that means I'm stuck as Weegee, huh?"

"Weegee? I don't think that's his name. It's... Oh, my turn!" Button replied before turning his attention to the screen. The little sprite showing the character seemed to depict a little stallion on two legs in a red cap and overalls. Easier to animate than being on four legs, I guess. Button did rather well, getting all the way to the end of the first level as a catchy tune played through the monitor's speakers. The level was even suspiciously similar to one I had seen before. Complete with brick blocks and a flagpole at the end. Even the power-ups were similar, except they were bales of hay and red peppers instead of mushrooms and flowers. I guess it all makes sense in context when you think about it. Very quirky, but that is how I like it. The next level took place underground. With the layout looking so familiar, I started getting a sneaky idea in my head.

I waited until Button Mash was almost at the end to take the pipe back up to ground level. Once he got by the falling platforms, I spoke up. "Button, wait! There's a secret here that you can get!"

"Huh?! A secret?! Where?!" The little colt said excitedly while just barely stopping his character from going into the pipe. He took everything I said very seriously, probably because he looks up to me as a veteran gamer.

I took a quick look at the Norico character on the screen. He was still big, so he could still break blocks. I then pointed at the ceiling of blocks that were above the pipe and just under the score counter. "OK. Break this, this, and this, but don't break this one that's against the pipe."

"Got it!" Button Mash did just what I said, making his character jump onto the pipe and breaking the three blocks in the ceiling as directed. "OK, now what?"

I then pointed at the screen and said, "Now, stand right on the edge of the pipe here, crouch, and then jump backwards while crouching until you're right under this brick. Keep trying until something happens."

"OK! Like...this? Or this?" Button then asked while doing just what I said. It took a few tries, but he finally got somewhere His character eventually got stuck on the edge of the wall and began to glitch through it and into the room set behind the pipe. "Whoa! I didn't know I could do that! Huh? Where's the number on the warp pipe?"

"I dunno. Try going down it and see what happens." I replied while starting to smirk. He was walking right into my trap.

"Sweet! Down we go!" Button Mash said in excitement as he carried out this trick for the very first time. As he went down the pipe, he turned to me and asked, "How'd you know about this trick? I thought you've never played this before."

"Just a hunch." I lied, smirking at the thought of his imminent reaction.

Right after going down the pipe, Button Mash found himself in the first water level of the game. However, there was something wrong with the level counter. It had gone from 1-2 to just -1. Button did not seem to notice right away and began to swim. "Oh, it's a shortcut to the first water level! Nice! Thanks, James!"

"No problem, Button." I said while trying to hide my smirk. It was about to get interesting, to say the least.

The level went by just fine at first. Button made his character swim around the fishes and zigzagging jellyfish and made it to the end with a pipe ready to get him out of the level. But when he went through it... "What the... Hey! Why am I back at the start?!"

Instead of being back on solid ground, Button Mash found himself back at the start of the level with the time limit still ticking down. With a look of frustration on his face, Button just started swimming through the level again. "Maybe I need to do it twice..."

It wasn't until he got through the level a third time that Button Mash was absolutely fuming. "What's the deal with this thing?! I keep getting sent back to the start and I'm running outta time! James, what do I do?!"

I finally laughed and said, "Welcome to the Minus World, Button! Enjoy spending the rest of your days in the watery abyss!"

"Minus World?!" Button yelled while taking a closer look at the top of the screen. "Minus 1?! James, you tricked me! I'm stuck! How do I get out?!"

"You don't. You just keep swimming until you run out of lives." I replied smugly while trying to not laugh.

I was not able to keep myself from laughing for much longer. Once the timer was down to fifty seconds, Button yelled in frustration. "JAAAAAAMMMMMEEEESSSS!!! I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!!!"

Oh my lord, I was howling in laughter as Button Mash yelled and raged and hissed trying to get his character out of the level. In the end, it was futile. The timer finally ran out and Button's character dropped off the screen with a life lost. Button dropped his controller and roared with his hooves on his head. "THIS IS STUPID!!! WHO PUTS THIS KINDA GLITCH IN A GAME?!"

"I'll never know why that glitch made it into the game myself. Maybe someone on the development team was feeling really sadistic and sneaky one day." I said while trying to stop laughing. Regardless, the level preview screen came up and showed my character and its remaining lives. Where Player 1 was mostly red, mine was green. I then picked up my controller and prepared myself. "OK, it's my turn. It's Weegee Time!"

Button Mash had no idea what I was talking about, but he watched with great interest as I sped through the level like it was my own backyard. He especially got surprised when I jumped and found the first 1-up box right after the starting point. "Hey! How'd you know that was there?!"

"Years of practice, Button. And a big hunch." I replied while moving on and collecting a red pepper so my character could throw fireballs. And then I got the bouncing invincibility orb and sprinted through all the walking tree stumps and frogs and reached the flagpole. I then spoke up in my best impersonation, "Oh yeah! Go Weegee!"

My little friend applauded while forgetting all about his character being trapped for the rest of the game in a watery prison. "Wow, you're good at this! How long have you been playing games?"

"Me? Well..." I crossed my arms and pondered for a few seconds as the game went on autopilot to drop my character into the underground level. "At least twenty years. I started gaming when I was around four years old. Wasn't very good at it at first, of course. Hand-eye coordination takes time to build."

I played through the level just like Button Mash did, only I also broke through the stacks of bricks and ran atop the brick ceiling and in front of the score counter up to the end of the level. Right as I was getting close to the pipe leading back out, Button Mash spoke up in a sneaky tone of voice. "James, wait! There's a secret here too! You want me to tell you how to find it?"

With my character standing in front of the pipe, I looked at Button as he displayed a most devious grin. I knew he was just trying to trick me into following his character into the fake warp pipe, albeit rather ineptly. I could go over the ceiling and into the warp zone properly, but I decided to forego it this time. With a smirk on my lips, I moved my character into the pipe. "Nope!"

"Oh, come on!" Button yelled in frustration. Still bitter over having been trolled so well, he just hunched forward with his arms crossed. For the next level, he did not offer much of a response as I made my character jump across many raised platforms to avoid falling into the bottomless pit below. And then I made it to the first castle. The chiptune music took on a rather spooky and fast tempo, giving the level a sense of danger since those castles always have a boss at the end.

Button Mash momentarily forgot about his anger towards me now that things were getting dangerous. "Whoa, I almost never get this far! I always have to take the warp zone to get ahead."

"I know this game seems hard to most younger players, but you'll get better over time." I replied while jumping over lava pits and avoiding rotating bars of ghostly blue flames. And right towards the end, spooky blue fireballs started coming in from the right. I was most curious of what the boss looked like. "Well... Let's-a go!"

I proceeded out to the bridge and found the enemy slowly shifting back and forth. It seemed to be a type of green frog draped in a cape. "Huh? Did they swap Bowser out with Wart? That guy almost never shows up in anything."

"Huh? That guy's King Croak. What're you talking about?" Button Mash asked while understandably confused over my words.

"Croak, huh? Well, I'm gonna croak this toad!" I replied before having my character bombard him with a flurry of fireballs before he could even spit fire of his own at me. Sure enough, several fireballs later caused the false king to turn into one of those walking tree stump enemies and fall off the screen.

"What?! How'd you do that?! Why did he turn into a Stumpy?! I never knew you could that with fireballs! I thought you had to drop the bridge." My little friend yelled in shock as he learned something new about the game. Definitely brought back memories of my most ignorant days as a gamer.

"No idea, but I bet we're gonna have to do this seven more times." I replied before going to the far right and jumping over the end of the bridge. The victory fanfare started and I found my character standing before what seemed to be a type of character with a flowering busy for hair. "Thank you, but our princess is in another castle. What, did they seriously turn Celestia in a damsel in distress?"

I went on for three more worlds until I finally lost a life with a mistimed jump in the third castle. While Button Mash did enjoy the show, he was eager to get back to playing. "OK, my turn... Huh? -1?"

I let out a muffled snort as I was reminded that Button was stuck in a level he could not escape from. Without a word, Button Mash sent his character swimming through the level and avoided enemies up until he reached the pipe that led him back up towards the goal. Instead, it dropped him right back off at the start. The frustrated colt then looked at me with a silent scowl while I struggled to hold in my laughter. He then deliberately made his character swim into the first fish that showed up to lose a life out of futility. "I hate you."

"Oh, I hate you too." I replied playfully enough just to mess with him. I then snatched up my own controller, knowing I would outlast him in the end anyway. "Well, time for Weegee again!"

I got by the castle level well enough, but had to resort to jumping over the boss at end due to there not being enough item boxes in the level to give me fire power. And once the next level started, I noticed a small creature floating near the top of the screen. It seemed to be a cat floating on a small cloud. "Uh... Lakitu?"

Next thing I know it starts dropping bombs from above. And when they land, they grew legs and started to walk around. "OK, so now Lakitu throws Bob-ombs instead of Spinies now!"

"Uh huh. And what's a Lakitu?" Button Mash asked as I started to sprint through the level. It was no surprise that he did not get what I was saying at all.

I retorted while jumping and hopping along as if I was trying to perform a speedrun, "I'm not expecting you to get it... Oi, Lakitu! You were always a lot funnier when you were Mario's cameraman in Crashdance22's stuff!"

Once I reached the end of the level, I took the moment to check the time. "Hey, Button. What time is it?"

The colt looked around and maybe saw a clock on his desk. "Uh... A little past 5 o'clock. Why?"

"Dinner time!" I replied before reaching forward and turning the console off.

"Hey! We were still playing that!" Button yelled in irritation despite the fact that his character was stuck in an unwinnable situation.

"What're you talking about? It's not like you could've gotten out of the Minus World anyway. Besides, who's up for pizza?"

That got him to stop complaining right away. He then galloped to the door and said, "I am! Let's go! I know the way! Come on, Weegee!"

Having too much fun, I provided a rather weird response that I am sure no one in Equestria would understand. "That's Mama Luigi to you, Button Mash!"

My choice of words caused Button Mash to look at me with an utterly perplexed stare. Did I say something that unnerved him? After a moment of awkward silence, I sighed while placing my hand on my forehead. "OK, that's enough fun... Let's go get some good eats."

For as long as I have lived in Ponyville, I never really knew there was a pizzeria in town. And I soon found out why. It was located in a section of Ponyville I tend to not have reason to pass through. Much to Button's delight, there was an arcade cabinet in the not far from the door once we got inside. "Ooh, they've got games! James, may I have a bit or two?"

I checked my pockets for my money. I still had the bits necessary for a pizza, but I decided to give him two bits from my own pocket. "OK, but no more than this. We're getting the pizza for carryout, so we won't be staying long."

"Got it! And thanks!" Button replied before galloping over to the game cabinet. While he did that, I headed to the counter to order. It was already relatively busy in there, so I was lucky there was not a line at the time.

I decided to flesh out our pizza by ordering a number of healthy ingredients. Then again, I doubt any vegetable could be considered unhealthy. I ordered a large pizza with mushrooms, spinach, broccoli, and even some corn and potato slices. And for a twist, I requested a garlic olive oil sauce over the default tomato sauce. The bits Eleina had left for us was just enough to cover it. Once that was done with, I went over to check on Button Mash. The arcade cabinet was a tabletop variant, so I could easily look down at it. "So, what's this? Uh... Pac-Mac?"

"Yeah, it's an oldie! Wanna watch?" Button replied as the game started up with a little orange circle close to the middle in a maze of blue lines. And just above the orange circle was a cage of sorts holding what seemed to be... Um... I thought they were ghosts at first, but I think they were scurrying beetles.

"Sure thing! Can't go wrong with Pac-Man or anything similar to it... And those things there. Blinky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde, right?" I replied while pointing down at the four red, blue, pink, and yellow enemies.

Button Mash seemed genuinely confused while he looked at me mere seconds before the game started up proper. "Uh... I don't think that's what they're called. Are you sure that's their names?"

I snorted in mild amusement, not surprised I got them wrong. "Well, that's what I call them. I think Clyde used to go by another name once, but... Well, let's face it. Life ain't easy for a boy named Sue."

Button did not offer a response since he had to focus on the game. The 'wakka wakka wakka' sound of Pac-Mac gobbling up the many pellets lining the rows of the maze was constant he was also being careful to not let the ghosts... I mean beetles chase him into a corner. Button made certain to also put those four power pellets to use, making the beetles turn blue and slow down before gobbling them up for extra points. As expected, their disembodied eyes rushed back to their starting point to regain their bodies. Due to the simplicity of the game, there is not a whole lot I can really say about it. Button Mash got relatively far, even triggering a pair of interludes while doing so. But just as he finally ran out of lives, I heard our number get called. Button Mash quickly put in his initials of B.M for his high score before leaving the pizza parlor with me while I carried our pizza home in a box.

While we walked, Button Mash and I traded tips and knowledge about various games he owns. Some sounded intimately familiar to me despite being developed in a world I am not native to. I was really interested in trying out Hoover's Adventure once we finished with dinner. Once we got back to Button's place, he rushed to the kitchen and pulled up a seat while I went to the refrigerator for drinks. While I grabbed him another juice box, I grabbed a bottle of sarsaparilla. Button Mash was wiggling on his stool in anticipation as he waited for me to open the pizza box. "Wow, it smells really good! What toppings did you get?"

I then took a seat after twisting the cap off my cold drink and set Button Mash's juice box right in front of him. "See for yourself. I just hope you're not picky when it comes to veggies."

I was a little concerned about Button Mash being a bit disdainful towards veggies. Aside from Scootaloo, I have not really had to feed a kid in Equestria before and she is a bit older than Button. Fortunately for me, Button's herbivorous tastes shone through as he looked like he was on the verge of drooling at the sight of the pizza before him. "Soooo good! You really didn't hold back!"

"Yep. Wanted to make sure you got your veggies. Dig in, Button." I replied while lifting a slice. Button did the same and devoured the first slice rather fast.

I am surprised by just how much that kid can eat. He ate half of the entire pizza before he finally slouched over the tail and let out a groan. "Uuuuggghhh... Can't eat another bite... That was some awesome sauce though..."

"Guess we should wait a while before dessert, huh?" I said with a bit of a smirk as I watched that colt look way too satisfied with his meal.

"Ugh... How about milkshakes? Those are really good and smooth... Mom left the recipe in the corner." Button Mash said with a groan. He pointed over at the kitchen counter, making sure I knew where it was.

Milkshakes sounded pretty good, so I was all too willing to try making some. I then went over to the counter and snatched up the note with the recipe on it while feeling confident I could at least make some without causing a mess on the carpet. "Sounds like a good idea, Button. But no milkshake races, all right? I saw what happened last time you were hanging out with Scootaloo at Sugarcube Corner."

Button sounded kind of embarrassed by that reminder. "Heheh... But at least I..."

"I don't care how many bits you found under the table! I could hear you yelling from the kitchen and you were annoying the other customers!" I spoke up while gathering some strawberries and bananas. "Scootaloo wasn't very impressed with you either."

The little colt shut up right after that. He probably was not proud of himself from that day. Regardless, I followed the recipe for strawberry banana milkshakes. There were a few others to choose from, but I went with the one I was most likely to enjoy. After adding the fruit into the blender along with some milk and ice cubes, I turned it on and watched as it was all liquefied into a pinkish slushy substance. I then poured the concoction into a pair of tall glasses and brought them over to the table with a straw in each. "I need to remember to ask Fluttershy if we should consider buying a blender. I didn't know making this stuff is so easy."

Button quickly took a sip and immediately looked quite pleased. "Mm! This is just as good as Mom makes it!"

"Well, it's not exactly a complex recipe... And I made sure to leave the strawberry tops on. That stuff's good for you." I retorted before sipping from mine. Indeed, it turned out well with the strawberry and banana flavors blending in such flavorful harmony.

While we sipped away at our deserts, I happened to notice something on a little display shelf nearby. It seemed to be a toy train model after some of the locomotives that pass through town on a daily basis complete with two passenger cars. Although while it looked really good for a scaled down reproduction, it looked more like something that was meant to be played with. "Hey, is that yours?"

As I reached for it, Button suddenly spoke up in almost a panic. "Don't touch it!"

I froze with my hand just above it. "Huh? What's wrong with it?"

Button Mash's response was not at all what I expected. "Every time I play with it, it catches fire! I already had two of those catch fire and I almost burned the house down the second time! Good thing it was next to the window so Mom could toss it outside with a dustpan..."

This sounded absolutely preposterous. A toy model train that is prone to catching fire? What, was it a manufacturing error? Not convinced that it was dangerous, I lifted the whole thing off the shelf. "Well, that can't be right. Let's take it outside and see what's wrong with it, if anything."

Button did not object, but he stayed right behind me the whole time as if he was afraid of it. Once we were just outside the house, I sat down on the doorstep and began to look the train over. There did not seem to be any electronic components. It was made almost entirely of wood. No switch to turn something on at all. I decided to try playing with it myself to see if anything would happen.

I took a closer look at the train's wheels while searching my memory. There were four wheels on each side with the two in the back connected by a coupling rod. I pushed the train back and forth along the step behind me and briefly adopted a British accent. "I fail to see what the problem is, Edward. Maybe you should avoid having races with Percy. And especially not with Gordon while he's pulling the express."

"Edward? Percy? Gordon? Who are they?" Button Mash asked while he watched warily as if fearing the train would blow up in my hands.

"Meh, just names from something I used to watch a looooong time ago. Every kid likes trains." I replied before putting the train on the ground before me. "Well, looks fine to me! I guess the previous ones were just weird. Have fun, Button."

Satisfied that there was nothing wrong with his favorite train toy, Button Mash pounced on it and started making it roll along the ground with his hoof on it. "Cool! Thanks, James!"

I watched for a moment while Button Mash had fun with his toy, finally pushing it hard to make it roll along the ground on its own for a few seconds. "Chugga chugga choo choo!"

However, we were in for quite a surprise once the train rolled to a stop. The instant it stopped moving, the train...burst into flames. The look on Button Mash's face showed utter bewilderment and even some frustration as he could only stare. I too was at a loss of words momentarily. Slowly, I turned my gaze towards Button. What did he do? Rather unsettled myself, I then muttered, "Everything you touch gets destroyed..."

Button did not take this well. He looked down at his hooves in shock before bursting into tears and calling for his mother again. I sighed and walked over to him before lifting the crying colt into my arms and carried him back inside while letting the toy train burn itself out on the ground away from anything the fire could spread to. "She left two hours ago, Button... Anyway, let's get you the rest of that milkshake. You don't have to worry about that catching fire."

A minute later, Button slurped away at what was left of his milkshake while drying his tears. The sweet flavor seemed to calm him down. I slurped away at mine. "You think we should just leave that thing out there? I'm not sure of how to deal with it."

"Yeah, maybe... I'll tell Mom what happened when she gets home tomorrow." Button Mash replied halfheartedly. I suppose that incident put him off of playing with toy trains for the rest of his life. What a shame.

Once we had finished with those and I had placed the glasses in the sink, I looked back at Button Mash. "So... Any other games you wanna play? Got any other two-player titles up there?"

"Uh... Yeah! Come on, let's go play!" Button replied with a delighted spring in his step while he galloped out of the kitchen and upstairs to his room. I followed at a leisurely pace and soon found him checking his stash of game cartridges. "Found it!"

I watched as he swapped out the cartridge on top of the monitor with a new one before immediately turning the system back on. A brief chiptune jingle played as the title screen came up amid a cloud of drifting bubbles. I cocked my head to one side as I read the title. "Burble...Gurgle?"

"Yeah, and it's for two players! Hard too! I don't think we'll beat it, but Mom likes to play it with me." Button Mash replied while pushing the second controller towards me.

Once I took the controller in hand, Button got the game started with the intro showing two frogs in bubbles drifting back and forth. One green and the other blue. While looking at them, I quickly realized something. "Wait... The protagonists are called Burble and Gurgle? Sounds like something you'd call a couple of bumbling henchmen on a cheesy 80s cartoon show."

"Hey, I didn't name them! And here we go!" Button Mash retorted as the two characters drifted down into a room as the very catchy theme played. A few enemies then floated up onto screen that looked like walking balls. I found myself controlling the blue Gurgle and quickly got to work spitting bubbles at the enemies to trap them and then pushing into or jumping on them to make them pop and send them tumbling. And once they hit the ground, they turned into fruit to be acquired for points. Button Mash seemed surprised by how quickly I caught on. "Hey, you're good at this! Are you sure you haven't played this before?"

"I told you before, Button. I'm an old pro at games like this." I said with a smirk as our characters were engulfed in bubbles and dragged down to the next floor. This went on for a while until maybe half a dozen floors later. The floor layout made it tricky to ascend and the various enemies just would not drop down to lower levels. After a few minutes went by of me and Button trying to bounce on our bubbles to reach the upper floor, we got a surprise as the screen suddenly froze while two words in red text suddenly rose up on screen as a sudden alarm played. HURRY UP. "Oh, that can't be good..."

"Oh no no no no no! Hurry! We've gotta get rid of them before it shows up!" Button shouted in a panic as the music sped up. The enemies became agitated too and even changed colors to make them seem angrier as they sped up. And roughly eight seconds later, a very grim jingle played for about two seconds as a ghostly bone-white specter showed up in the corner, causing Button Mash to completely lose it. "AAAAGGHHH, NO! NOT HIM!!! GET AWAY!!! HE'S TOO SCARY!!! I WANNA GET OUTTA HERE!!! MOOOOOOM!!!"

While Button Mash overreacted like I had never seen before, I managed to keep my cool enough to reach the enemies, trap them in bubbles, and pop them. The instant the humbled foes were sent tumbling through the air, the music returned to its original tempo and the spooky chaser ghost disappeared. Button just stared at the screen for a moment in silent disbelief while I hurried to gather up the dropped items. The bewildered colt then looked my way and asked, "How'd you do that...?"

"Defeat all the enemies and Baron von Blubba disappears. At least I think that's his name." I explained while we were being taken down to the next floor.

Button just seemed confused by that name and started to reach for a stack of booklets near the monitor. "Huh? I'm pretty sure he's not called that. I think the manual said he... Oops, too late! Next floor!"

Our game went on for a fairly long time. It was not until the 25th floor that we finally ran out of lives. And there are supposed to be a hundred floors in the game. Not something you can really do in an hour. "Well, that was fun. What's next?"

"How about Hoover's Adventure? It's for one player, but we can take turns." Button replied while swapping out the cartridge for another.

"Hoover, huh? Doesn't roll off the tongue like Kirby does, but at least it's a more respectable vacuum cleaner company." I retorted quietly, not expecting Button Mash to get it. A sense of nostalgia came over me as the intro screen showed a square being drawn, followed by eyes, a mouth, little stubby arms and feet before finally being given a gray paint job. I had a hunch of why the character was so colorless, but would wait to see how the game plays before making assumptions.

The game allows for multiple save files, so Button went and started a new game. We watched as a brief intro was played as catchy music began to play. A little 8-bit cutscene showed the titular Hoover going up against some stubby armored knight enemy with swords drawn in the canopy of a forest. Under them were the words 'Macadamia Meadow'. I saw what was coming next. With a mighty swing, the knight knocked Hoover's sword out of his grasp and sent it falling into the corner of the screen and getting stuck in the little text reading 'Hoover's Adventure'. Backed up to the edge while looking understandably nervous, Hoover then turned the tables by suddenly inhaling the knight, swallowing him, and suddenly regaining a sword. I grinned like a child in a candy store. "Oh yeah, copy ability! This is gonna be good!"

The little Hoover character came crashing in on what seemed to be a meteor that burst upon crashing into the ground, leaving the little guy stuck in a confined space that seemed to be an overworld of sorts with a border set over much of the side of the screen that seemed to display astrologic objects like stars and crescent moons. The only thing one could interact with at first was a single door with a 1 above it. Which Button then made Hoover enter.

I was expecting the level layout to be something familiar, but I was delighted to find that while the aesthetics felt familiar, the layout and enemies were not something I recognized. My sense of nostalgia was tingling, but it was also a new experience. I am unsure of even how to describe the various enemies in the game, so you will just have to play it yourself to see. Sure enough, Hoover soon gulped down an enemy and the screen flashed as he acquired a 'zap' ability that causes a lightning bolt to curve in an arc in front of him. "Heh... I remember back when I rented a game like this when I was a little kid and couldn't even figure out how to copy abilities. I only knew how to suck and spit enemies like the previous game."

I think I could have worded that a bit better, but Button did not seem to find anything weird about it. "There was one before it? This is the first game about Hoover. I'll bet there's gonna be more!"

We really lost track of time playing all those games. From Templevania to Dr. Norico to Legend of Luna, there were quite a few titles in Button Mash's possession that felt both new yet very familiar at the same time. Eventually though, I had to check the clock. 8:30 PM. "Whoa, where'd the time go? It's about time for you to get ready for bed, Button. Do you prefer to wash up before bed or after waking up?"

"What?! But it can't be that late! Come on, how about some Buck-Out?" Button yelped in desperation while trying to stall for time. I knew he was having a lot of fun having a friend over who enjoys things that he does, but I still had to put my foot down and abide to his mother's wishes.

I crossed my arms and gave Button my sternest stare. "Button... Your mom said to have you in bed by 9 PM. You've got school in the morning. So go wash up. I really don't want your mom being mad at me."

Button Mash opened his mouth to try and argue, but probably understood that we would both be in trouble if we did not abide to Eleina's instructions. With a disappointed frown, he turned off the console and placed his beanie on his bed before walking out of his room to find the bathroom.

While waiting for Button Mash to be done bathing for the night so I could wash up myself, I took the time to look around the house for anything I may have missed that needed to be cleaned up. All I really found was the blender and the glasses we had drank our milkshakes from, so I took the time to clean them out in the sink. I then looked outside to check on that toy train that had caught fire. By then, it was just a charred husk and was in no danger of catching fire again. Not wanting to disturb it without Eleina seeing it, I left it alone. After that, I decided to pass the time on the living room sofa with Button's Joyboy. The game that was already in it was Super Norico Land. I made sure to turn up the volume knob on the side to really enjoy the simple soundtrack.

Before long, I heard the light tapping of hooves coming down the stairs. I glanced over my shoulder to see Button Mash emerge from the hall, his mane and tail lightly moist. "Hey, James? Can you get me some... Hey! That's my Joyboy! Careful with it!"

I understood where he was coming from with his concern. Most people would be alarmed to see something they value in someone else's hands, especially something as fragile as an electronic. Still, if that Joyboy was built the way I suspect it is, he had no reason to worry since that little thing is likely as tough as a brick. Even so, I reached out and patted his head to calm him. "Yeah, I know it is. And I'm being careful. Don't worry, I always take good care of my electronics. Unlike us, game consoles don't heal from scratches and dents."

With Button Mash calmed down, I passed the Joyboy back to him. "Anyway, you needed something?"

"Um... Nah, I'm good. So... I guess I'll get to bed now?" Button then asked while taking his gaming device in his teeth.

A quick glance at the nearest clock revealed that it was 9PM on the dot. I nodded and said, "Yeah. But I'll still be here in the morning. I'll stick around long enough to see you off to school."

Button Mash tried to hide his exhaustion, but I could tell he was rather tired. He managed to resist a yawn while keeping his teeth clamped onto his Joyboy. "OK... Thanks for making everything so fun tonight, James. Good night..."

I watched as Button Mash walked out of sight and back upstairs. Once I heard the door close, I went around the house and turned the lights off before I went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for bed myself. After maybe fifteen minutes, I put on some clean boxers and wrapped a towel around my waist. Having been given permission to use the master bedroom, I expected to find some cozy accommodations there. But when I did get there, I could only stare at the bed in silence for a moment. "I forgot how small these beds can get in Equestria..."

Even though the bed was wide enough to accommodate two occupants, it was still only just short enough to hold two ponies. Thankfully, I was not entirely unaccustomed to sleeping with my legs bent. The rest of the room was quite nice though, with a closet on my right that was bordered by two potted plants, a dresser to the left of the bed, and another to the left of the door with a lamp in the corner on a end table. I turned the lamp on to produce an illuminating glow before taking the time to get used to my surroundings. After a few minutes, I was about to turn the light off when I noticed the door creak open. It almost startled me to see someone coming in without me hearing them coming, but I relaxed when I saw it was just Button Mash. "Phew... You almost spooked me for a second, Button... Hey, it's well past 9, you know. Why are you still up?"

Button Mash quietly approached me while almost looking a bit embarrassed. "I...can't sleep. I tried, but I just can't."

"Well, what's wrong? Just got hit with a case of insomnia?" I asked in return while being way too familiar with such a thing.

I let Button hop up onto the bed as he replied, "I dunno... But... Uh... When I have a hard time sleeping, Mom sings a lullaby to me... Please don't laugh."

I must confess that Button Mash does seem a little old for lullabies. How old is he now? Nine? Maybe ten? Even so, I felt no real disappointment towards him. In fact, taking the opportunity to try a lullaby sounded like something I should practice before Gladesong finally gets here. "I see... Well, I'm not your mom, but maybe I could sing something for you."

Button's eyes lit up in brief excitement, although he still looked pretty tired. "You can?! Nice!"

"Well, I'll try. Now... What song should I sing?" I mumbled while trying to think of something I could sing. I have never sung a lullaby to anyone before, so nothing immediately came to mind besides the classics like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Maybe I should ask Fluttershy how that My Little Pony nursery rhyme goes sometime. However, in the back of my mind, a song came to mind. Something that is mostly meant for relaxation and something a gamer like him could appreciate. "OK, I've got one. Now, just get comfortable and we'll begin."

"Oh boy, this is gonna be good..." Button Mash said quietly while snuggling his head up on the pillow next to me. He was trying to pay attention, but he was really eager to get to sleep.

I lied down on the bed myself and began to gently drag my fingers through Button Mash's mane. I began to hum the tune to set the mood only to follow it with the lyrics while constantly maintaining a quiet mellow tone of voice. "Brave the snow through the bitters of the Pale. Rest your feet, come and listen to the tale. Raise your mug to the legends of the frost. Through our songs, they will never be lost."

Button's eyes were already starting to flutter a bit as he tried to stay awake and listen. That smile told me he was enjoying it as I continued to sing quietly. "Tales that will never be lost... Kept in the legends of the frost..."

The next segement of the song was a bit of an improvisation from me since they were in a fictional language I could not hope to become fluent in. Not to mention they were meant to be sung in a thunderous tone. So instead, I merely opted to hum the tune as if it were an instrumental. Once that ended, I skipped the refrain and went on to the next verse. "Once and always a part of history. Long remembered warriors be. Distant thunder echoes of the past. Through our voices, forever to last. So raise your mug to the legends of the frost. Through our songs, they will never be lost..."

Before I could even wrap up the song, I noticed that Button Mash was not even really paying attention anymore. Instead, his eyes were closed while he breathed deeply in a steady rhythm. I quietly checked to see if he was awake by stroking his mane. No response. He was out like a light.

I contemplated carrying the colt back to his room, but decided to not disturb him. The bed was wide enough for us both. I quickly got comfortable under the covers myself, finding the mattress to be delightfully firm. Glancing at Button Mash again, I smiled and was tempted to place a kiss on his forehead before resisting the urge. I was convinced he is a bit old for that. "Sweet dreams, Button."

I got to sleep no problem, although I cannot really recall what I dreamed off. When I did awaken the following morning, I found Button Mash still lying beside me with his back turned. A quick glance at the clock on the wall revealed that it was roughly 8 AM. He had maybe an hour to get to school. Gently, I placed my hand on the colt and gave him a gentle shake. "Hey... Button, I know your folks aren't back yet, but you need to get ready for school. It's Monday, you know."

"Is that so...?" I heard Button say without turning to look at me. Had he been awake the entire time? I then got quite a surprise as he suddenly looked over his shoulder at me with a deranged grin. "Mr. James?!"

I will admit, that got me to jump a bit. Not that he suddenly looked at me while feigning sleep up to that point, but because he was wearing a false mustache on his face. Where did he even get that?! As Button Dash burst into laughter in response to me almost falling out of bed, I immediately took it as an act of revenge for getting him stuck in that Minus Level last night. "All right, I guess we're even now. That was payback for -1, right?"

"Yep!" Button replied before yanking the moustache off his face and jumped over me and onto the floor before putting it back in a purple box on the dresser. I guess that is something his dad wears when he wants to look a little extra classy without having to bother growing his facial hair out. I know the feeling. Letting that hair grow too much can feel a bit irritating, so I always shave every few days. The colt then turned to me and said, "I'm gonna get ready for school! Can you make breakfast?"

"Sure thing, Button. I'll be down in a bit." I retorted before climbing out of bed. While Button ran off to his room, I headed to the bathroom to tidy my hair and get dressed. I decided to skip the morning shower to make certain I would not keep Button Mash waiting. I got downstairs first and went looking through the kitchen for what to cook. Still worried about making a mess while cooking, I just settled on cereal and fruit while hoping Button Mash would not mind.

Button Mash soon came trotting into the kitchen clad in his favorite beanie and his saddlebags. As soon as he sat at the table, I poured us both a bowl of oat cereal while setting out a couple of bananas and a pile of strawberries. Joyios, I think it is called. Honestly, are people in this world really not aware of similarly named products on Earth and come up with names that are identical in function for the sake of preventing lawsuits that will never happen?

While we munched away, I looked at the adorable colt munching away. "So... How was last night? Did I do a good job?"

Button looked at me and gave me a bit of a sophisticated smirk while tweaking his upper lip. However, he then looked surprised and poked himself there before grinning sheepishly. "Oops. Thought I was still wearing that moustache. Well... You did pretty good! I hope Mom and Dad need you to foalsit me again sometime soon! It was awesome having you over."

"Likewise, Button. Almost felt like being a kid again hanging with you. You're fun company." I replied while reaching out and lifting his hat off before tussling my little friend's mane.

Before long, we finished every last scrap of food on the table despite how simple it all was. Button Mash did not complain. He soon looked at the clock. Twenty minutes until school started. "Uh oh. I better get going."

"Sure thing, Button. You got everything you... Eh?" I then started to ask before I was caught by surprise when Button trotted up to me and gave me a hug. He did not even say anything. After maybe eight seconds of silence, I could only smile while I returned the favor. "Have a good day, Button. And tell Scootaloo I said hello."

"OK. And you have a good day too. Let's get together again sometime, all right?" Button Mash replied with a smile while he looked up at me. I replied with a nod and smile. I then watched as Button trotted out of the kitchen and soon heard the front door close. I peeked out the window and saw the little colt making his way out of sight and off to school. Good kid, that colt.

Not wanting to leave the house in any sort of disrepair, I went around tidying up anything that needed cleaning. I did the dishes and made the beds. Thinking that was all I had to do, I decided to write a note for Eleina. I snatched a long sticky note off the refrigerator and took a seat at the table. "Eleina, I hope you and your husband had a good time last night. Button Mash was great. Didn't get into trouble and was a lot of fun to spend time with. If you ever need someone to foalsit him again, feel free to ask me. I'll be working at Sugarcube Corner when you get home, so head on by to pay me for keeping an eye on him. I'll pass you a chocolate drop when you show up too. Signed, James."

I set the note on the table and began to head out, but froze when I stepped outside and saw that charred husk of a toy train still sitting out where we had left it. Feeling it would be a bad idea to just leave that there without an explanation, I hurried back inside and started adding to the note. "P.S. If you saw the burned toy train out front, I have no idea what happened. Button says it is not the first time it happened, even though I inspected it thoroughly before letting him play with it. I considered disposing of it once it burned out, but I decided to leave it there for you to evaluate when you got home. Any ideas on what the deal is with these things? Button Mash doesn't have pyrokinesis, does he?"

With that all done, I headed out and went to work. The rest of the day went by without a hitch with nothing else really worth mentioning aside from Eleina coming in like I asked and passing me some bits for watching her son. Just your average Monday.

Now I am writing this all out on my typewriter as the moon hangs in the sky. It is such a nice night that Fluttershy and I will be going out for a cool night stroll once I finish up with this... Wait... The moon?

It is full.

Right... Midnight strikes in less than an hour. Very soon, Nightmare Moon will be leading that raid on that outpost to rescue the captives being held by that Starlight Glimmer woman. Well, knowing that it is Nightmare Moon calling the shots, choosing not to surrender would be a stupid idea. I know things will work out, although I cannot help feeling worried about this.

Well, enough of that. Time to go. Spring nights are just such a joy and Fluttershy is waiting by the door for me.