The white-coated landscape glistened in the sunlight, a frosty expanse through which a solitary snowless path cut. That path was traversed by a train, that puffed merrily as it crossed the countryside and approached a small town in the distance.

With an expert touch, the conductor killed the engine, and the train coasted to a gentle halt on the platform, squeaking quietly as brakes made the train still. Ponies quickly made their way out of the train, looking over their shoulders in mild curiosity as they went.

The cause for their confusion was a small squad of Night Guard that flooded out of the last carriage, taking up positions around the train platform as the reason for their presence made herself known.

Luna stood tall in the sunlight, and at her side, holding the alien child in clean swaddling once more, an unarmored, uncamouflaged Riot Shield, in all his red and green glory.

“Was all this really necessary, Princess?” he asked. “I feel like I’m carrying some sort of time bomb. Or I’m a wanted criminal. Or, for some reason, I’ve missed the fact that I’ve become a pretty, pretty princess. Like yourself.”

“Come now, Captain,” Luna chuckled. “The Guard are here because I am here. And I am here to make sure the move happens smoothly, and that you’re all settled in.”

Riot looked around, and eyeballed the small, swinging sign that hung over the middle of the platform.

“Ponyville. Why am I moving to Ponyville?” Riot asked. “Can’t I raise the kid in Canterlot?”

“You would draw too much attention trying to raise an alien in Canterlot,” Luna argued. “And you know how the nobility will be. They’ll blame everything from slow moonrise to crop failure on it.”

“And Ponyville won’t?” Riot asked with a raised eyebrow, as Luna led her entourage off the platform and towards town.

“Ponyville is a small town,” Luna said. “Filled with good ponies who will hopefully give the child the benefit of the doubt. Not to mention, it also means there will be help close to hoof.”

“Help?” Riot coughed. “I thought I was going to be raising a kid solo.”

“An alien child,” Luna corrected. “As much as I feel that it poses no threat to Equestria, things may yet pose a threat to it, and while your talent for defense is remarkable, you cannot be everywhere - not to mention, as you’ve said, you’re largely ignorant of childcare. You will need help.”

“I’m not that ignorant,” Riot muttered. “Food goes in one end, poop comes out the other. Keep the baby clean, uh... store in a dry place?”

Luna rolled her eyes. “In any case, six ponies I can trust to help live here in Ponyville, the Elements of Harmony.”

Riot cleared his throat in surprise. “THE Elements of Harmony?” he asked, astonished. “Why are national heroes going to be helping me mind a kid?”

“Why is a hero raising the child?” Luna asked levelly as the entourage passed through town square, past a statue of Celestia. “The Elements of Harmony are just six good friends who happen to wield one of the strongest forces I’ve ever known -- their accomplishments aside, they’re good mares. They’ll help.”

There was a clattering of hooves, and Luna held up a wing to halt the procession. Her ear twitched and she nodded.

“Speak of the daemon,” she muttered. “Here they come.”

Six mares shot around the corner up ahead, running fast as they skidded across the cobblestones and made a beeline for the town square. Leading the charge was a purple unicorn that Riot vaguely recognized as Twilight... whatshername. Sprinkles. Twilight Sprinkles? Flanking her was a sky-blue pegasus and an orange earth pony, Rainbow Whatsit and... uh. Riot drew a blank on the orange one. He recalled her being a farmer, and her name being related to what she farmed. Orangejack? That sounded right.

And hiding around the back, a white unicorn, a yellow pegasus and a pink earth pony cantered carefully, galloped and bounced accordingly. R... Rarity, that was the unicorn. Nice and short name, how Riot liked ‘em. Then there was the shy one - Buttershy or something. And there was no forgetting the pink one -- Pinkie Pie. Few were able to make fools of the Night Guard by slipping past them in the dead of night, but she’d managed it. All while carrying a piece of artillery and ammunition to go with it, as it had turned out.

“Princess!” Twilight gasped as she skidded to a halt in front of Luna. “I... came as quick as I could! What...” Twilight wheezed for breath, and broke into a coughing fit.

“What brings you to Ponyville, Princess?” Rainbow asked, clearly in better shape than the unicorn. “Twi here wasn’t really all that clear on the why we had to drop everything. Who’s he?”

“Riot Shield,” Luna said simply. “Riot, meet the Elements of Harmony, who for some reason felt it prudent to drop everything just to come and meet us, even though you likely would have met them all eventually anyway.”

“Applejack,” the orange mare said, tugging her cowboy hat with a hoof by way of greeting. “Nice to meetcha.”

“Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Riot Shield,” Rarity said primly. “It sounds like you’re going to be in town for quite some time.”

“You could say that,” Riot admitted.

“I run the local clothing boutique, Carousel Boutique,” she went on. “If you ever have need for fine clothing, just ask for Rarity.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” Riot said, nodding reflexively.

“This is Fluttershy,” Rarity said, introducing the yellow pegasus, who made clear attempts to scoot behind everyone else in the party. “Fluttershy, why are you hiding so?”

“... he seems angry,” Fluttershy mumbled, reluctantly unscooting back into view.

“I’m not angry,” Riot clarified. “Do I look angry?”

“It’s the eyebrows, I reckon,” Applejack pointed out.

“It totally is,” Pinkie Pie judged, her voice emanating from beside Riot.

“You!” Riot exclaimed. “How did you do that?”

“How did I do what?” Pinkie said, with an air of innocence so pure, it could sell for hundreds of dollars in little five-gram plastic baggies.

Riot decided to leave the fight for another day, and jabbed a hoof at her as she waltzed back next to her friends. “I’ll work it out, one day,” he muttered.

“I’m Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow boasted, taking to the air briefly. “You may have heard of me.”

Riot shook his head numbly. “Nope.”

Rainbow deflated visibly. “Not even a little? Best young flier?”

“You... did a rainboom at the wedding?” Riot asked. “Or something?”

“There we go,” Rainbow clapped her hooves together. “That’ll do. You’ll learn.”

Twilight, having regained her breath, rolled her eyes. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m also the town librarian. What brings you to Ponyville?”

“That is what I wanted to talk to you about,” Luna said. “But as I’m sure the letter said, there was no rush. Shall we go to the Library?”

======

“It’s so... weird!” Twilight exclaimed, examining the small creature that now lay, unswaddled, on the table. “Cute, but weird. It’s like a hairless, scaleless baby dragon!”

“Less handsome, too,” Spike added.

The library just held five people; with the Elements of Harmony electing to return to their homes and work, that left Twilight, Riot, Spike, the alien child, and Luna. And her bodyguard, but nopony was counting them.

“It is not of this world,” Luna stated. “Oddness is to be expected, I think.”

“And you’re raising it?” Twilight asked Riot.

“That’s my job,” Riot nodded. “Seeing as I’m being retired and all, might as well raise the kid while I’m at it.”

The child began to cry, and Twilight picked it up with her magic, making cooing noises. To everyone’s surprise, that just made matters worse, and the child cried louder.

“Wow,” Spike muttered. “Are you sure you’re holding it right, Twi?”

Twilight looked at Spike flatly. “I looked after you alright, didn’t I?”

“You held me upside-down for days, until somepony pointed out that I was upside-down,” Spike reminded.

“Mostly alright?”

“Here,” Riot beckoned with his good hoof, and took a hold of the baby. As he did, the child gurgled and went silent. Twilight’s jaw dropped.

“That’s... odd.”

“Tell me about it,” Luna muttered. “For some reason, the child is only calmed by his touch.”

“Yeah,” Riot chuckled. “We tested it; even Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance couldn’t get the kid to stop crying. Don’t know why.”

“And that’s why Riot Shield is raising the child,” Luna said. “For some reason, the child trusts him almost instinctively.”

“Does the child have a name?” Twilight asked.

“None that I could decipher,” Luna admitted.

“I was gonna call him “Gripper”,” Riot said.

“Why?” Twilight asked.

“You seen what this kid does with those freaky tentacles of his?” Riot asked, holding Gripper within reaching distance of his horn. Like a magnet, Gripper’s grippers reached out, and latched on firmly to the horn, struggling to pull the horn closer to his mouth, a squishy, gummy mess.

“I hope he doesn’t keep doing that,” Twilight murmured. “Ponies will talk, think he’s wierd.”

“More so than the fact that he looks like a hairless, pudgy monkey?” Riot asked.

“Point.”

“I trust that between the two of you,” Luna said, looking at the two ponies, “You will be able to care for... Gripper... until such a time as he no longer needs caring for.”

Riot threw a careful salute, using the gesture as a chance to separate Gripper from his horn. “Yes, Princess.”

“We’ll do our best,” Twilight confirmed.

Luna nodded, and looked to Riot. “If you could send me regular updates on Gripper’s condition, that would be appreciated. Weekly is fine, and if Spike will oblige, you can use dragonfire.”

“No problem,” Spike nodded. “Just don’t decide you want to send letters at, like, two in the morning,” he said, looking at Twilight pointedly.

Twilight giggled nervously. “Who even does that, really?”

Riot snorted, and nodded. “Will do, Princess. Reports, weekly, by dragon fire.”

Luna nodded. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back to Canterlot now.”

The princess of the night turned around, and with her entourage falling in line, left the building. The door swung shut behind her, and the latch closed with a click.

Almost instantly, the baby began to cry, and Riot began to panic, even his magic touch having no effect on silencing the child.

“What is it?” he asked. “Are you hungry? Hurt?”

Gripper just cried harder, and Riot gave the child a firm jostle with his telekinesis.

“Are you broken?”

“Mister Shield!” Twilight grabbed the baby with her own telekinesis, stopping the shaking. “You don’t shake a baby!”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” Riot asked.

Twilight opened her mouth to say something, and closed it again, going a shade of green as she made suppressed coughing noises, holding the crying Gripper back out to Riot, who took his charge back, mystified.

“For a start,” Twilight gagged, “You can change Gripper’s diaper.”

Riot sniffed the air, and blanched, gently placing Gripper on the table and backing away. “Why me?”

“He’s your responsibility,” Twilight pointed out, joining him. “I’m just support.”

Riot swallowed. “Got any spare diapers?”

“Actually, yes,” Twilight said. “I’ll go fetch them, be right back.”

The purple unicorn left, leaving Spike and Riot to stare at the crying Gripper.

“Thank the moon I’m not a pegasus or an earth pony,” Riot muttered.

Next Chapter: Applesauce Estimated time remaining: 12 Minutes