What's great about this is that I'm writing most chapters at the library. It's painful as hell, mind you, but I'm getting it done.

Special thanks to IHeartFantasy for teaching me how do that god-forsaken line.


"Have you ever thought that you weren't good enough?"

The question was spurred on a sunny day, a sunny day with no real harm to anypony. Shining Armor looked over to his wife, his virtuous, beautiful, so many months along wife, and frowned. "What are you trying to say, darling?"

"What I said, sweetness," said Cadance, kissing his horn. "Have you?"

"Not especially," said Shining Armor. "I mean, I could, I guess, but I don't take that much time to think things over like that."

"So, that's a stallion thing?"

He smiled at her. "Most likely, yes."


Adam was bored.

His son stared up at him with wide spaced eyes. He was a sickly foal, not very strong, but there was an ounce of love towards him, a tiny little ounce that you could barely see in fault of the layers of finely-woven hatred. His scruffy blonde hair—it wasn't a mane, not really—hung over his eyes. "Papa?" he wheezed.

"Yes, son?"

"I…I wub you."

Adam looked down at him, then slapped him squarely across the face. "Love doesn't exist, you idiot," he hissed, standing up in the cave. "All that exists, my prodigal son, is hate. Don't forget that."


Firefly was skipping through the palace when she heard a soft moan.

Is it a ghost?

she thought, her eyes growing large in her head. She stepped by the bedroom it came out of and peered inside. Cadance was on the bed, the sheets clustered around her, sitting in a pool of blood.

"Oh my God," whispered Firefly, walking in. "Aunt Cadance? What…what's happening to you?"

"I think the foal's coming, sweetie," said Cadance, her face contorted into a mask of pain. "Please, get your uncle…or…aaaahhh!"

She let out a piercing scream and collapsed a little on the bed. Firefly bit her lip, tasted blood, and ran down the hallway, screaming for help.

"Please!" she shouted. "Anypony! It's the Princess!"

Immediately, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor were by her side. "What's wrong with Cadance?" asked Shining Armor, barely listening to her and running down the corridor.

"She…blood…I don't know!" pleaded Firefly, her long eyelashes fluttering. "Will somepony help me?"

"Of course, honey," said Celestia, galloping towards Cadance's room. "Oh my God…"

Cadance whinnied, back to an animalistic mindset. Firefly had to be imagining…had to be…but what that a tiny horn?

"Oh, my, it's crowning," said Celestia, starting to panic. "Okay, does anypony here know anything about foals?"

"No clue," said Shining Armor, his hoof holding Cadance's. "Is it too early, or—?"

"No," gasped Cadance, and Firefly saw beads of sweat articulating around her forehead. "On time, I think. I think."

Firefly looked around and saw a white stallion. "No," she muttered, running towards him. "Please. They've been trying so hard, Despair!"

Despair sighed. "You'll have to bargain with me."

"Take…take my life instead!"

He repeated the gesture and kissed her on the brow. "No."

"But the baby—"

"Won't be going anywhere," he said, smiling slightly. "It'll live, Firefly, I promise."

"Thank you," she said, kissing him full on the mouth. "Thank you so much."

He disappeared, and crying filled the room. "It's a girl," said Celestia, looking on in utter amazement and the tiny filly, who was despite being covered with blood, utterly adorable.

"Aria," whispered Cadance quietly, staring at her baby, who let out another cry. "What's wrong with her wings?"

"Nothing. They're just like that for all pegasi and alicorns," said Celestia gently. "You should've seen Firefly's….Firefly? Is something wrong?"

The small mare looked up, smiling weakly. "I just…I just had my first kiss," she whispered, her eyes full of stars. "And…it was perfect."


A short chapter, but YEAH! ARIA! Review like crazy please!