As Midnight and Twilight faded from Asgard, Bob couldn't help but give an annoyed sigh from the conversation that he had just had with the dark stallion. Having his parents their at that very moment just made the situation worse. It was a good thing that Celestias parents had taken Marina from the area just a few minutes prior, or things would have been far more awkward for the bunch.

"Bob, did you really have to give our son an ultimatum like that? Was it really necessary?" May, Midnights mother asked as Tom continued to give the almighty one a glare from beside her.

"I'm sorry my child, but I have come to realize one thing when it comes to your son. Expect the unexpected." He sighed again as he ran his fingers through his bearded chin.

"However..." He paused, looking back up to them. "I believe my decision may have altered his fate, no matter how dire it seemed."

"I know our son is a hot head, no pun intended." Tom smirked only to cause his wife to groan and roll her eyes. "But I seriously doubt he would destroy everything that you said he would. Even if he was enraged and wanted to destroy everything in sight, I don't think he would."

"You did not see, or feel the hatred that he was exerting when he faced the information that his young ones had perished. Although a facade at the time, it was enough to cause even me to shudder." Bob stated quietly as he looked away in shame. the others just staring at him in utter shock.

"There was only one other time that I have ever felt something even close to that...." He trailed off for a moment before looking back toward the two beings before him. "That moment was when my brother rose up against me.... and I sent him to Tartarus, banishing him from this realm, and into one of his own."

Silence...

Long, uninterrupted silence...

"But..." May began. "Does that mean he won't be able to join us here... when his time comes?" She squeaked out as tears began to form in her eyes. Tom coming to her side and bringing her into a loving hug as he looked up to the almighty one for an answer as well.

"If my words affected him to the extent I had hoped, then he will have an excellent chance to join us all here in Asgard." He smiled softly seeing their joyful expression. "But..." He paused causing them to look worried once more. "If he continues to let his hatred and power take further control of his actions. Then there is no guarantee that he will be able to pass on into this realm." He sighed, turning and walking away from the two. His own emotions beginning to flare as he silently cursed himself.

"Why... Why does this always have to be so hard... every... single... time... since the dawn of existence!" He growled to himself before vanishing from sight.

XXX

"Come on dad! You promised!" Starlight whined toward his father as he kept jumping up and down on his back, attempting to stir the dark Alicorn from his slumber as he lay in bed.

"Ugh.... Star..... Do you have to be so loud?" Midnight groaned as he pulled a pillow over his head, impaling it onto his horn as he attempted to stuff it into his ears.

"Give me a little bit to wake up, get some coffee, and some breakfast. Then I'll be happy to take you to Ponyville to see your friends." He sighed softly as the jumping ceased.

"Dad." Starlights monotone caused the stallions feathers to ruffle slightly as he lifted the pillow and peeked at his son only to see his nose slightly scrunched up. "It's two in the afternoon. You've been asleep all day. SO!" He stated loudly as he jumped from his fathers back and onto the bed, trotting up to in front of his father and stealing the pillow from him. "If you don't get up and take me to Ponyville, I'm going to tell auntie Luna about your little photo collection of her that you have." He snickered seeing his fathers eyes go wide.

"WHAT?! H-how......." He paused giving his son a sly grin. "You little bugger! You don't have access to my storage portal. How would you know about those photos." He chuckled, trailing off as he watched his son grin.

"Because you just told me." He snickered, seeing his father facehoof.

"Alright you little blackmailer, I'm up." Midnight groaned as he rose slowly from bed, stretching his legs and wings one by one.

"Finally!" Starlight sighed. "Now then, I'm sure my aunts have plans for helping me get my cutie mark today. But I want to make sure that I bring enough bits in case we need to get anything." He pouted pitifully to his father only to cause him to smirk.

"A few bits huh." He smirked. "I'll tell you what, you forget about those pictures and I'll give you an allowance to spend on whatever you want."

Starlight gave his father a deadpanned looked that just screamed smartass remark incoming.

"Dad, I'm royalty. Mom is the ruler of all Equestria, and I can do whatever I want because I'm her son." He smiled defiantly. "So if I ordered a shop keep to just hoof over whatever I wanted, I could."

Starlight was about to give his father another defiant grin but it quickly faded into that of worry as he was frozen in place.

"Now you listen here my boy." Midnight began as his expression turned sour, his gaze threatening as it bored into his son. "Just because you are royalty, does not mean that you have free reign to do as you please. You will respect each and every being on the face of this planet in the same manner as they would respect you. If i hear of any being that you have crossed in any other manner than pleasant. Then you will be grounded in more than one way for quite some time."

Starlight sat there in stunned silence for a moment before blinking rapidly. "Um... I'm... sorry father. I don't know what came over me." He stated in a more regal tone.

Midnight chuckled softly as his expression returned to normal. "I believe that you are just getting a little anxious is all. Not only to get your cutie mark, but to meet your other aunts today. So how about we skip the formalities..." He laughed as his horn lit up, the two of them vanishing from sight and reappearing just outside Raritys boutique in Ponyville. "And we just get on with the show?"

Starlight blinked a few times to readjust his vision, quickly smiling as he saw the boutique standing right in front of him.

"YAAAAY!" He shouted as he bolted through the front door, nearly tearing the bell from its position above the door and scaring a certain ivory pony who gave a startled yelp.

"Oh my goodness!?" She shouted out seeing the young Alicorn prince bolt into the boutique only to pause as he spoke up.

"Hi aunt Rarity, is Sweetie in her room?" He paused only for a moment until she gave a slight nod. "YAY!" He shouted, bolting up the stairs and toward the young unicorns room.

"Now what in the..." She began but paused as a certain dark Alicorn strode through the front door. "Darling? Whatever are you doing here?" She asked only to pause yet again as Sweetiebelle and Starlight bolted down the stairs laughing.

"Come on Star, Applebloom has a lot of plans we can try out today to help you get your cutie mark." She giggled, pausing in her stride to hug her sister and brother-in-law before bolting out the door with Starlight.

"Um... What just happened?" Rarity asked giving a very confused look.

"That, my dear, was a young colt being very excited to try for his cutie mark." Midnight laughed as he trotted over to the ivory unicorn, giving her nose a kiss to knock her out of her revery.

"And my sister?" She asked, cocking a brow.

"An eager patron that wants to help said colt achieve that goal." He laughed.

"So that means..." She smirked for a moment.

"That we have plenty of time to do whatever we want." Midnight smirked back. "But not as roughly as before." He continued as he nosed her side making her giggle out.

"Yes, that is a shame. But once our little one is born." She purred. "I'll have to make up for all that lost time." She growled playfully pulling the dark Alicorn up the stairs, quickly using her magic to lock the door and turn the sign around to closed.

"So Sweetie, what do you think Applebloom has planned for us to try out?" Starlight asked giving a huge smile.

"I'm not sure, but she did say that it was going to be a lot of fun." She giggled as they continued bolting down the path toward Sweet Apple Acres.

"I sure hope so, considering I've been cooped up in the castle for over two months now because of father thinking I need to be protected all the time." He groaned, rolling his eyes.

"I'm sure he just worries about you because he loves you." Sweetie giggled, smiling down to the young colt.

"That may be, but I'm a big pony now. I can take care of myself." He huffed as they continued along their path.

"I remember Applebloom telling me that same thing before she met Zecora. The whole fiasco turned out alright in the end, and we all made a new friend. But Zecora wasn't too happy that Ponyville was afraid of her to begin with." Sweetie tutted as the farmhouse came into view.

"Yea yea, I heard all about that from Zecora when she visited the castle a few weeks back. She has a weird way of talking." He chuckled, sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes. Sweetie giving another giggle at his antics.

The two young ponies had finally arrived at Sweet Apple Acres just in time to hear a loud crash come from within the farmhouse, followed by some yelling. As the two made their way onto the porch, they peeked in through the window to see what had just transpired.

"AB, ah told ya teh not be building stuff in the living room. Ya'll know AJ is coming back tehday an the doc done told her teh get some bedrest cause she's carrying." Big Macintosh groaned as he began to pick up several pieces of whatever it was that Applebloom was attempting to construct.

"But big brother, ah was fixing this fer sis so she wouldn't have teh move'round so much. If'n ah could only get the dern thing teh work right without exploding..." She trailed off as she rubbed her chin in thought. Both of the ponies within the farm house being brought back to reality by a knock at the front door.

"OH! That must be Sweetie and Star! Ah told'em ah was gonna help try an get Star'is cutie mark tehday. Ah'll seeya later big brother." Applebloom giggled seeing her brother sputter in an attempt to scold her for rushing out the door and leaving him with the huge mess to clean up within the living room.

"Hey Sweetie, hey Star!" She chirped happily as the young farm pony rushed out the door, nodding for them to follow her as she galloped away quickly from the farmhouse. The three of them hearing Big Macintosh yelling from within.

"So what did you have planned for us to do today?" Sweetie asked as she galloped up next to her best friend. Starlight to her other side gently flapping his wings to keep up.

"Oh ah've got a few plans. But ah was wonderin what ya'll like teh do Star." Applebloom smirked slightly seeing his slight confusion.

"Well..." He trailed off for a moment as he began to think over the things he like to do all the time as a possible hobby or permanent interest.

"Father always helps me learn new spells, that's a lot of fun. Then there is fighting members of the Royal Guard to test my limits. Dash has been helping me learn a lot about flying since mother reassigned her to part of my private guard when she isn't doing shows with the Wonderbolts. I'm not as fast or as good of a flier as she is... yet." He snickered.

"Don't ya'll have any other interests though? Ah mean, yer ah Prince'n'all. Don'tcha do anything asides all them royal duties?" AB asked giving a slightly confused expression.

"Other than father managing to get me away from royal duties from time to time, all I do is study and try to learn proper etiquette. Mother says I'm too young to learn the inner workings of the political system, and father argues with her a lot about giving me more free time because I am still a foal, to them anyway." He sighed as they came to a stop finally, taking a seat in a cushion of grass alongside the road.

"Well, you may still be young, but we think you're a lot more mature than what others see you as." Sweetie giggled slightly pulling the young Alicorn into a hug.

"Th-thanks Sweetie." He sputtered slightly giving a hug back.

"Aww, ain't ya'll just the cutest couple." Applebloom snickered causing them both to shove each other apart.

"WE ARE NOT!" They screamed in unison.

"And ya'll even say the same thang when yer flustered." She giggled. "Sure looks like young love teh me." She cackled as she bolted down the path with the two right on her heels. Both yelling out at her as their faces burned ten shades of red.