Friendship is Magic: The Seventh Element

by Master Mr B

"When the sixth element is revealed, a special element can appear that is a combination of the other six. It serves as the controller that bounds the power if the six elements together. But nobody, not even the royal sisters, have ever uncovered this...Seventh Element..." Follow my OC as he takes part in the adventures of FiM. And possibly win the heart of Twilight Sparkle...

153. A Flurry of Emotions

A Flurry of Emotions

Pony's Log Number 703: One would think now that her magic has been stabilized that she would be much easier to babysit. But a baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do...

One day at Twilight and Mario's castle, Nurse Redheart had come to pay a visit to the alicorn couple.

"Oh, Princess Twilight and Prince Mario!" said Nurse Redheart as she, Twilight, and Mario were walking down the hall. Spike was walking behind them with a long scroll, "Everypony in the hospital is so excited for your visit today!"

"We're never too busy to visit sick foals," said Twilight.

"True," said Mario, "It's still hard to believe that little foals find me so popular."

"Oh, honey," said Twilight, "Of course your popular with foals, they know about how you've defended other foals from bullies. Plus Diamond Tiara talks about you nonstop when she volunteers there every so often. They can't wait to meet you!" Mario chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad I can make their days just a little bit brighter," said Mario, "especially when they have to deal with illnesses."

"True," said Twilight, "I can't believe a whole class just came down with the horsey hives!"

"On school picture day, too," Nurse Redheart added. It was then the very class picture was shown on screen of all the little foals covered in red spots and looking miserable. Cheerilee just had a very uncomfortable look on her face as she looked at them nervously.

"Ugh, horsey hives are the worst," said Mario, "Honey, remember when we got them?"

"How could I not?" said Twilight, "We ended up getting them at the same time. And I know for a fact that I didn't just read books the whole time we were in the hospital. I remember us playing games together and reading stories to each other."

"Yeah," said Mario, "Getting sick was more fun when you had a friend at your side."

"That explains why you both ended up with the chicken pox together too," said Spike.

"Good times, good times," Mario remarked with a happy sigh as Twilight giggled.

"As much as good friends can help with the healing process," said Nurse Redheart, "Seeing the two of you would help too. Oh, the poor dears really do need cheering up."

"We'll do our best," said Twilight, "We'll bring snacks, my husband and I will read to them, and get them gifts."

"Food and presents always cheer me up," said Spike. Nurse Redheart, Twilight, and Mario all smiled and nodded in agreement. Twilight and Mario then escorted Nurse Redheart to the front door and opened it for the nurse pony to leave.

"We'll see you soon!" said Twilight as she waved goodbye.

"Buh-bye," said Mario as he waved as well.

"Okay, if we want to be at the hospital by lunch, then we'll have three hours to buy get well presents, borrow a book from the schoolhouse..." Spike sighed, "and pick up treats."

"Um, couldn't I just bring all six of my talking train stories for the reading," said Mario, "That would reduce one thing on that list."

"Um, no offense, honey," said Twilight, "but I would like to read something of my choice."

"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess," Mario teased as Twilight stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyway, it's alot," said Twilight, "but if we stick to the schedule, I know we can get it all done." Spike didn't seem so confident and it showed on his face.

"Yeah, knock on wood," said Spike bluntly.

"Give us some credit, Spike," said Mario, "In fact, let me set us a time table so we know how much time to spend on each task. I can even create us a few time buffers so we have some flexibility for the unexpected."

"Now that is called smart planning!" said Spike as he handed Mario the checklist, "Go for it!" Mario had just grabbed the checklist when there was some knocking at the front door.

"Wonder who could that be?" said Mario, "Diamond Tiara said she was helping Apple Bloom with some chores at the farm for the day. And Starlight is with Shenran and Fluttershy since they're helping her re-channel her magical power." Twilight decided to simply open the door to find out. There before them were Cadance, Shining Armor, and little Flurry Heart.

"Surprise!" said Cadance and Shining Armor together. While Flurry Heart was all cheerful and happy. Cadance and Shining Armor both looked frazzled and even their manes were very messy. Also, at least in Mario's eyes, they looked a tad mentally unstable. Mario and Twilight both gasped as huge smiles appeared on their faces.

"Oh, my gosh!" Twilight exclaimed, "How's our favorite niece?" Twilight and Mario leaned forward as Flurry Heart extended her little fore-hooves so the alicorn couple could each nuzzle her cheeks. Twilight and Mario each kissed her cheek.

"I'm good!" said Shining Armor in a baby voice to make it sound like Flurry Heart, but the two alicorn knew it was him, "I was hoping my favowite aunt and uncle could watch me for a few houwrs."

"Hope you're not too busy," said Cadance as she and Shining Armor gave the alicorn couple some pleading smiles.

"Actually, we kind of are-" Spike was then cut off by both Mario and Twilight as they each put a fore-hoof over his mouth.

"Busy?" said Twilight and scoffed, "Would the best aunt ever be too busy to spend time with this adorable little one?"

"And would the best uncle ever be too busy for this little cutie?" Mario added, cooing at Flurry Heart as he kissed her forehead. Flurry Heart, Cadance, and Shining Armor just smiled and said nothing. Spike then appeared from the left of the baby buggy and pointed at their checklist.

"No!" Twilight replied with a smirk.

"Sure, we do have things to do today," said Mario before smirking as well, "But as you've always said to me, Cadance. I now say to you. We'll make time!" Cadance gave him a teary smile and wasted no time embracing him happily. Twilight just smiled at the touching moment. Spike just rolled his eyes.

He knew there was going to be trouble.

(Main theme)

A little later, Twilight was just holding Flurry Heart with her magic as she peppered her check with kisses and then blew a raspberry at her little tummy. Flurry Heart giggled happily.

"Who's a little cutie? Who's a little cutie?" Mario cooed as he lightly ticked her tummy, making Flurry Heart giggle even more. Cadance and Shining Armor just smiled as Spike had a weary look on his face while he stood behind Twilight and Mario.

"Flurry! We've got a surprise for you! Don't we, dear," Twilight told the little alicorn baby as she gave her husband a wink.

"Ah yes, we do!" said Mario, giving wife a wink as he looked at Flurry Heart, "Are you ready to see what it is, sweetie?" Flurry Heart nodded as Twilight put the baby on her back. She and Mario then walked up to a set of double doors. Twilight then set Flurry Heart on the floor. The little alicorn baby tried to stand on her four hooves but then plopped into her stomach.

"Ooh...are you okay, Flurry?" Mario asked concerned. Flurry Heart just stood back up, smiled cutely, and danced on her little hooves with her tongue hanging out.

"Well, aren't we an excited little filly," said Mario as Flurry Heart just smiled at him.

"Just a couple of toys that reminded us of Flurry," said Twilight as she went to open the double doors. Mario's eyes shrunk as he saw how quickly Twilight was opening the door.

"Honey, wait! Don't...UGH!"

Mario was too late. Twilight opened the door and huge pile of wrapped presents came tumbling out, burying both Mario and Flurry Heart. Twilight gasped as well as Shining Armor and Cadance in the background. Twilight quickly used her magic to find get Flurry Heart out of the pile of presents. Flurry Heart just giggled happily and the others were surprised to see Mario holding onto her. Cadance and Shining Armor sighed with relief.

"I was gonna say the presents had piled up," Mario remarked, "You okay, Flurry?" Flurry Heart hugged the side of Mario's face before hovering back down to check out one of the packages.

"I'm excited to show you we've done some shopping for Flurry Heart," said Twilight. Mario just watched Flurry Heart as she picked up a package and examined it curiously. Cadance just chuckled.

"Oh-ho-ho, you're both so sweet," said Cadance, "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I can't help myself!" said Twilight, "Best Aunt Ever!"

"Don't forget Best Uncle Ever too!" Mario added.

"Actually, you're title is Best Husband Ever," Twilight said sweetly and pecked his lips, making Mario put on a dazed smile and his cheeks turned pink.

"Did I mention I'm crazy about her?" Mario remarked with a sigh to as Twilight giggled.

"Well, you are my Schmoopy teddy bear," Twilight remarked, which made Mario blushed deep red. Cadance, Spike, and Shining Armor snickered.

"It's been a long time since I've heard you call me that," Mario remarked.

"Really? I'll make sure you call you that again, my Schmoopy," Twilight replied with a cute smile. Mario blushed deeper red as everypony except Flurry Heart snickered loudly to avoid laughing. Mario then recovered and then gave Flurry Heart a package that had gold stars on it.

"You gotta open this one!" Mario told Flurry. Flurry then tore open the wrapping paper and inside of it was a toy train that had the same colors as her mane and fur.

"I had this train painted in the same colors as you," said Mario and then turned to Cadance and Shining Armor, "and it's soft like a plushie so she can use it like a cuddle or sleep toy." Flurry Heart used her magic to pick up the train and set it on the floor.

"Woo-woo!" Flurry Heart tooted as she rolled the train across the floor, "Woo-woo!"

"That's right, Flurry," said Mario, "A train go "woo-woo!" But they also go chugga-chugga!" Flurry Heart raised an eyebrow at him curiously.

"Make the train move and I'll show you," said Mario. Flurry Heart smiled as she took control of her toy train with her magic.

"Now departing from the castle, the Flurry Express," Mario announced, "All aboard! Chugga- chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga-chugga, woo-woo! All aboard! Chugga- chugga-chugga, chugga-chugga-chugga, woo-woo!" Flurry Heart clapped happily and then hovered onto Mario's back, giggling and clapping happily.

"Oh, you want me to be the train?" Mario asked playfully as Flurry Heart clapped excitedly.

"All aboard the Mario Express! All aboard!" Mario announced, using his horn to sound like a train whistle and then began to make the sounds of a train as he marched quickly about the room. Flurry Heart just giggled as she enjoyed the ride. Cadance and Shining Armor just chuckled quietly to each other.

"Okay, time for the Mario Express to arrive at the station," said Twilight. Mario then came to a stop by Twilight, making his horn give another toot and then made a hissing sound with his teeth.

"Open this one, Flurry," said Twilight as she set the baby alicorn down on the floor and put a polka dotted present in front of her. Flurry Heart did and found that inside the package were two teddy bears. One was blue and the other was red. Flurry used her magic to pick up the blue bear, then growled as she held it, and giggled again.

"Exactly!" said Twilight, "They're bears! You're one smart cookie." Twilight gave Flurry Heart a wink.

"Mmmmm, coooookie..." Mario hummed as he got behind Flurry's ear and peppered it with kisses, "Nom. nom, nom, nom." Flurry Heart laughed.

"Honey, no eating Flurry!" Twilight teased, "She's not a real cookie!"

"Fine," Mario said, pretending to pout, as Flurry snickered quietly to herself. Mario just smiled back at the baby alicorn as Twilight used her magic to pick up the red teddy bear. As some elegant music was played in the background, Twilight used her magic to make the red teddy bear dance gracefully about some books on top of a nearby shelf. Flurry Heart and Mario were rather impressed as they gave Twilight some applause.

"Brava! Brava! Fantastico!" Mario said, using a light Italian accent as he spoke. Flurry Heart then used her magic to pick up the blue bear to try and mimic Twilight's dancing. Flurry Heart's efforts were anything but elegant, but Mario was rather impressed.

"That's some good dancing there for such a young foal," said Mario, "And you're only going to get better!" Flurry Heart smiled as she continued to try to make her blue teddy bear dance. It was then Twilight's red teddy bear danced gracefully across the background from right to left. Flurry Heart's blue teddy bear was right behind her, twirling upside down on its head.

"Wow, never seen a ballerina and a break dancer do a duet together," Mario remarked with a chuckle as Twilight and Flurry Heart kept playing with the bears, "and this is coming from a pony who seen two ponies do a dubstep and classical violin duet." Mario then went to follow his wife and niece as Spike, Cadance, and Shining Armor just watched the three ponies play together.

"We'll just put Flurry's things over here, Twily and Mario!" Shining Armor called out.

"Uh-huh, totally," said Twilight in a rather distracted tone.

"I've got this, honey," said Mario, "You two have fun." Flurry Heart then whimpered sadly.

"Aw, don't be sad, sweetie," said Mario, "I'll be back soon. Just gotta talk to your mommy and daddy, okey-dokey?" Flurry Heart smiled and nodded. Mario then walked up to Cadance and Shining Armor.

"Okay, I see her baby buggy," said Mario, "what else she got?" Shining Armor then used his magic to hand over some baby food.

"Mashed peas, her favorite," said Shining Armor.

"And diapers," said Cadance as she used her magic to hand over one package of diapers, "Uh, extra diapers. Oh, and backup extra diapers. Heh." Cadance then handed over two packages of diapers and then added three more.

"Mashed peas, her favorite," said Shining Armor as he used his magic to hand over another jar of the baby food and then blinked, "Wait, did I say that already?" Poor Mario and Spike were then buried alive under a pile packaged diapers and more than two jars of baby food. Spike was the first to poke out of the pile.

"Uh-huh," said Spike as a matter of fact.

"Oops," said Shining Armor as Mario poked out of the pile next.

"Gee, I don't think you packed enough diapers, Big Sis," Mario remarked bluntly.

"Really?! I thought I packed plenty of diapers for..." Cadance said worriedly, blinked, and gave Mario a glare, "Oh for pony's sake! You and your sarcasm!" Mario laughed and even Spike and Shining Armor snickered.

"Gotcha that time didn't I, Cadance?" Mario teased with a smirk.

"Nevermind," Cadance remarked with an eye roll and then blinked again, "Oh, this is the most important thing of all - her Whammy." Cadance then used her magic to give Spike a tan colored snail with a green shell.

"Aw, that's a cute little snail toy," said Mario.

"I take it Flurry named it?" Spike asked with a smirk.

"Yup," said Cadance, "If she gets fussy, just give her the Whammy and she'll calm right down." Mario hummed impressively.

"Ah, that definitely might come in handy," said Mario. Shining Armor noticed that Twilight was still playing with Flurry Heart.

"You getting all this, Twily?" Shining Armor asked.

"Whammy. Got it," said Twilight. Mario just rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry," said Mario, "If she forgets, I got it all covered. See? I took notes!" Mario held up a small scroll with writing on it.

"Good," said Cadance.

"Where are you guys headed, anyway?" Twilight asked as she put Flurry Heart onto her back. The alicorn baby continued to play with her teddy bear with her tongue sticking out from the side of her mouth.

"You remember my friend from the royal guard, Spearhead?" Shining Armor asked as Twilight walked up to them and stood between Mario and Spike. The three ponies just had blank looks on their faces.

"Honestly, all of your friends' names are very similar," said Spike.

"I think I might remember him," said Mario, "but it's been so long...maybe Shenran told me about him way back when..."

"Well, he has a pop-up art show at the Ponyville Cafe," Shining Armor explained, "and we decided to go at the last minute."

"We're not exactly art enthusiasts," Cadance explained.

"Seriously?!" Mario remarked, "You were always pushing me to try artistic things growing up!"

"Because you actually have artistic talent and a good eye for detail. Maybe even to a fault," said Cadance as a matter of fact and glaring at him irritably.

"Oh...heh...right, Sis," said Mario sheepishly.

"Nevertheless, we could really use a night out," said Cadance, giving Mario and Twilight a pleading smile.

"You mean "day"?" Spike corrected.

"That's what I said!" Cadance replied quickly as she looked about, "Isn't that what I said?"

"Mmm...Mm-mm," said Spike, shaking his head, Twilight just smiled and nodded, and Mario just nodded with a knowing smirk on his face.

"Either way, are you two sure you can watch her?" Cadance asked. It was then Flurry Heart started to suck on Twilight's ear. She then cuddled the side of Mario's head and then sat back down on Twilight's back.

"Uh-uh-uh!" Spike grunted as he reminded Twilight and Mario of the list.

"Mmmh..." Twilight whimpered as Flurry Heart hugging Twilight and squeaked cutely.

"Like I said before, Cadance," said Mario confidently, "For you, we'll make time!"

"That's right, honey," said Twilight, "Have no fear! The best aunt ever and best uncle ever have everything under control!" Spike just made a long face. Cadance and Shining Armor smiled, looked at each other, and then the former used her magic to pull Flurry Heart over to them so they could give the baby a kiss goodbye. Flurry Heart then flew back over to Twilight afterward.

"Thanks again, Twily and Mario," said Shining Armor as he and Cadance went to leave.

"Wait up!" said Mario as he handed them both a small pouch of bits.

"What's that for?" Shining Armor asked curiously as he took the pouch.

"You both looked a bit frazzled," said Mario in a gentle but honest tone, "You might want to freshen up at the Ponyville spa before you head to the cafe." Cadance and Shining Armor then looked at each other and sighed.

"That would be a good idea," said Cadance slowly, "We'll pay you back."

"Forget it," said Mario firmly, "Go have fun on your date and we'll see you in a few hours." Cadance and Shining Armor smiled and nodded as they took their leave. The front doors had barely closed when Spike spoke up.

"Okay, let's grab that Whammy thing, collect some freight cars, and go," said Spike. It was then Flurry Heart teleported in front of them.

"Uh-uh!" Flurry Heart replied, shaking her head, and held her blue bear with her magic as she growled playfully.

"Oh, you want to pretend we're the bears," said Twilight, "I suppose we have time for a quick game."

"Do we, though?" Spike asked as he glared at the Twilight and Mario.

"Yes, we do," said Mario firmly before giving Flurry Heart a devious smile, "and we're hungry for a Flurry cookie! Grrr!" Flurry Heart smiled as she flew for her life. Twilight then growled as well as the two alicorns chased after the baby pony, leaving the blue and red teddy bears behind.

"Hey! All right!" said Twilight as she growled like a bear, "We're gonna get ya!"

"Momma bear and daddy bear are hungry! Grrrr!" Mario added playfully. Spike tried to run after them, but stepped on the red teddy bear.

"Ugh!" Spike grunted and sighed annoyingly as he landed on his face, "You both should catch her soon, 'cause we've got lots to do! Horsey-hives-covered foals counting on us, remember?"

"Got it!" Mario and Twilight shouted together as they and Flurry Heart continued to fly about the foyer.

"I'm catching up!" Twilight called out, growing like a bear.

"You can't escape a hungry bear! Grrrrr!" Mario added. Flurry Heart looked back and squeaked as she increased her flying speed to get away. She then looked back again as Twilight and Mario growled at her playfully. Mario then whispered something to Twilight, who smirked in reply as they disappeared from view. Flurry Heart then noticed that Twilight and Mario were gone.

"Huh?" said Flurry Heart, wondering where her aunt and uncle went. The two alicorns then snuck up on her.

"GRRRRRR!" Mario and Twilight growled to surprise her. Flurry Heart whimpered as she covered herself up with her large wings and put a yellow bubble shield around herself as she floated down to the ground. Mario and Twilight, with worried looks on their faces, landed as well.

"Oops," said Mario worriedly, "Guess we over did it."

"Uh-oh," said Twilight in agreement, "Sorry, bug. Did that scare you?" Twilight then pressed her face against the bubble.

"It's okay," said Twilight, "It's just Auntie Twily!"

"And your friendly and lovable, Uncle Mario!" Mario added as he pressed his face against the bubble as well. Flurry Heart timidly removed her bubble shield and then stuck her tongue out at the two of them.

"Bleh!" said Flurry Heart as she blew a raspberry playfully at the both of them. She shook her head about while making funny faces. Mario laughed.

"Oh, you are such a silly little filly," said Mario, "and quite a magical one too." Mario and Twilight then gave the alicorn baby a hug.

"Indeed," said Twilight, "You know, that was a pretty advanced spell for somepony your age. Looks like you're already taking after you Auntie Twily and Uncle Mario." Twilight then gave Flurry Heart a wink. Flurry Heart, in the most adorable thing ever seen, tried to wink as well, but had some trouble doing so, and then just gave them both a smile.

"You are just too cute!" Mario cooed as Flurry Heart giggled.

"All right, that was pretty adorable," said Spike bluntly, "But now..."

"Okay, okay," said Mario in exasperation.

"We know, Spike, we're leaving," said Twilight. Flurry Heart then stood up on her hind legs when her stomach gave a grumble. Flurry Heart then clutched her stomach, feeling a little embarassed at the rumbling.

"Looks like somepony is hungry," said Mario.

"I just have to feed her real quick," said Twilight as she used her magic to open up a jar of baby food and went to feed Flurry Heart with a spoon. Flurry Heart blew a raspberry and leaned away as the spoon came toward her mouth.

"Come on, Flurry," said Mario as he tried to feed her, "Here comes the choo-choo train. Chugga-chugga, woo-woo! Going into the tunnel!" Mario then tried to put the spoon in her mouth, but then Flurry Heart used her own magic to grab the spoon away and then fling the baby food on it at the two alicorns.

"Yikes!" Mario yelped as he and Twilight leaned away just in time to avoid getting hit as the baby food splattered against a nearby wall.

"Why do I get the feeling Cadance and Shining Armor forgot to tell us something?" Mario pondered skeptically to his wife and Spike. Spike just crossed his arms and glared. Twilight just smiled sheepishly.

Once Cadance and Shining Armor had gotten a quick message and their manes cleaned and brushed, they headed over to the Ponyville cafe where the Art show was in full swing. Several ponies had come to examine his artwork. But, as Cadance and Shining Armor said before, they weren't very...artistically inclined. So at the moment, they were standing side by side as they examined what look like a cluster of shields and a spear that was bent badly out of shape. Cadance and Shining Armor couldn't help but make faces as they pondered, thought they understood, but looked at each other and frowned.

"Is this art or...a mistake?" Shining Armor asked his wife.

"I have no idea," said Cadance and then tried to perk up, "But who cares? We're not changing diapers." It was then a red sand colored stallion with two tones pastel blue mane and tail, wearing an apple red and pink patterned scarf appeared. This was Spearhead.

"Shining Armor! Cadance!" said Spearhead in a surfer's accent as he appeared between the couple, "How are the new 'rents?" Cadance and Shining Armor smiled.

"Gimme some hoof," said Spearhead, "It is so..." he grunted as he and Shining Armor shared a high-five, "...good..." He then offered a high-hoof to Cadance, who just used her elbow to return the gesture, which was strange since she and Mario exchanged high-hoofs with each other all the time, "...to see you dudes! Hey, thanks for coming." He then gave them both a tight hug at the same time.

"Of course!" said Shining Armor, "We're having a great time! Loving all the...art!" He then pointed to something nearby with a fore-hoof. Spearhead gave him a puzzled look while Cadance just smirked.

"Uh, that's a trash can," said Spearhead. It was then Amethyst Star went to throw something away and saw Shining Armor spotlighting the trash can. She backed away nervously, which made Shining Armor flinch at his mistake and possible embarrassment.

"So it is!" said Shining Armor quickly and sheepishly, "I knew that!"

"But hey, who's the say it's not art?" Spearhead replied, "Art can be anything that speaks to you. It changed my world. He then walked up to the foreground as Cadance and Shining Armor followed behind him.

"This is my latest piece," said Spearhead as he showed them a painting...that was completely all painted in black, ""A Thousands Nights in a Hallway"."

"Wow," said Cadance as she looked at the painting, "I guess nighttime in a hallway can be pretty dark."

"There is none more dark," said Spearhead in a very serious manner.

"Yeah. Totally," said Shining Armor in a baffled and also in the same surfer tone. Cadance just looked at her husband and rolled her eyes.

"We're just so happy to be here," said Cadance, "Usually we're covered in mashed peas by now."

Back at the castle, Twilight and Spike found themselves in that very same predicament and covered in mashed peas. Twilight was worried, Spike had a long face, and Mario...was nowhere to be found for the moment.

"When they said mashed peas were her favorite...," said Spike when a glob of the baby food smacked him in the face. Flurry Heart just laughed as she walked about in her seat Twilight had given her to sit and eat.

"...did they mean her favorite thing to decorate a room with?!" Spike finished angrily as he wiped the baby food off his face. Flurry Heart then used her magic to chuck several globs of baby food at them. Behind them the wall and column was covered in the baby food. Flurry Heart just kept laughing and chucking baby food at them.

"Aw, come on, Spike," said Twilight, "That wasn't too bad."

"Yeah," said Spike sarcastically, "and we're only twenty minutes behind schedule." Twilight blinked as felt her heart skip a beat.

"Twenty minutes?!" Twilight said in shock and then exhaled, "It's fine. We can totally do this."

SPLAT!

Flurry Heart then chucked some baby food at her face.

"Honey?!" Twilight cried out, "Help me!" It was then a large wooden shield appeared and Mario was hiding behind it wearing a military dome hat.

"Wife was hit! Wife was hit!" Mario shouted as if he was in the middle of a battlefield, "Gotta get her to safety until the Flurry's attacks have subsided! I'm gonna cut across the axis and try to draw her fire!" Mario then charged across the table to get to Twilight when...

"HELP!" (cue Wilhelm Scream)

Flurry Heart unleashed several globs of baby food at Mario, directly hitting him hard in the face and knocking him off the table as Flurry Heart hit him with more globs of baby food.

(Lose a life fanfare)

And Mario was down for the fight. Twilight just had a "seriously?!" look on her face when another glob of baby food hit her in the face. Twilight just chuckled sheepishly as Spike just rolled his eyes.

"We are in big trouble," Spike said quietly to himself, only to get another glob of food in his face.

Later, once Mario had recovered and they worked together to clean up the mess, Mario gathered up a pair of freight cars, created some buffers around Flurry Heart's baby buggy so he could pull her along with the train. And the three ponies and Spike quickly headed to Ponyville's only toy store, conveniently named Ponys'R'Us. Other ponies were busy shopping as Twilight, Mario, and Spike entered the store. Twilight and Mario were each pushing their own shopping cart and Flurry Heart was sitting in Twilight's shopping cart.

"Okay, we just need to grab some toys and we are outta here," said Twilight before giving her husband the stink eye, "And no trains or Monopoly game boards!" Mario snorted.

"And no Trivia Pursuit or jigsaw puzzles either!" Mario shot back as Twilight blew a raspberry at him. The two ponies then walked down the aisles as they used their magic to fill the baskets with various toys into their own shopping carts. Flurry Heart watched at first, but then tried to get their attention by roaring like a bear. Twilight and Mario smiled at her.

"You want to play, don't you?" Twilight asked, but then Spike got between the alicorn couple and showed them the list.

"We get it!" Mario snapped as he used his magic to push Spike and the list behind them. Then Mario got an idea and whispered it to his wife.

"Well, we know a game that's even more fun," said Twilight before leaning toward Spike, "And more efficient." Twilight then look back at Flurry Heart, "Playing race carts! Which one us will win the race?! Uncle Mario or Auntie Twilight?" Flurry Smiled excitedly.

"Three...two...one...GO!" Mario shouted.

"Ha-ha!" Twilight cheered.

(Cue "SNES Mario Circuit music)

Flurry Heart giggled with glee as she stood on her hind legs in her seat while Mario and Twilight sped up and down the aisles collecting toys with their magic. They were both going so fast that even Flurry Heart's lips were flapping from the momentum.

"I'm gonna beat you!" Twilight called out playfully.

"You forget you married the fastest racer alive?" said Mario.

"Careful, dear," Twilight teased, "You're not a young stallion anymore." Mario snorted since they were both still considered young ponies from an age perspective. Then he smirked.

"There's still a few good years in me, old lady," Mario teased back as he zoomed ahead. Twilight gasped.

"Oh you are gonna pay for that!" Twilight shouted, "Let's get him, Flurry! Woo-hoo!" The three ponies laughed as they finished their shopping and rushed toward the check-out stand where the salespony was just waiting patiently for them. Surprisingly, Twilight and Flurry finished first with Mario in second as their shopping carts skidded to a stop.

(Cue "SNES 1st place" victory fanfare)

"I beat you! I beat you! Na-na-na, na-na-na!" Twilight taunted as Mario smiled and rolled his eyes. Flurry Heart giggled.

"Whatever, you won this round," said Mario dismissively and then added smugly, "But don't forget that it took two of you to beat me!" Twilight and Flurry Heart both stuck their tongues out at him and laughed. Mario rolled his eyes again, but just chuckled as Spike finally caught up with them.

"Nice thinking, Twilight and Mario!" said Spike, clearly out of breath.

"Best Aunt Ever!" Twilight shouted.

"Ahem," Mario remarked, waiting for her to call him best uncle.

"What? You lost!" Twilight retorted as Mario blew her raspberry. Then they began to unload their carts so they could pay for all the toys. Flurry Heart started getting a little fussy and tugged on Twilight's tail to get the purple pony's attention.

"Hang on, Flurry," said Twilight as she pulled her tail out of grabbing range and continued to put the toys onto the counter, "The race cart's taking a pit stop."

"You'll get another race some other time, sweetie," said Mario, "Once we're done paying for these toys, you'll get another ride on the Mario Express." Mario then made his horn go "toot-toot", "Won't that be fun?" Flurry Heart just looked a little sad.

"Oh cheer up, Flurry," said Mario, "Your Auntie and Uncle just have things to do today. Just sit tight for a bit and we'll have some more fun. Okay?" Mario then kissed Flurry Heart's fore-head as went over to give Twilight the bits needed to pay for all the toys. Flurry Heart then got an idea. She quietly hovered over to Mario's cart. Then, using her magic, she made the shopping cart roll away from the group. Mario had just finished giving Twilight the sack of bits when he gasped loudly as he saw Flurry Heart rolling away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mario asked as he grabbed the front of the cart, but then found that he hadn't made the cart stop moving and his hind hooves were sliding across the floor.

"I thought Sunburst limited your magical pow-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer!"

Before Mario could finish speaking, Flurry Heart made the cart zoom ahead, weaving between ponies as they raced down the aisles once more. Mario panicked as he was now holding onto the shopping cart for dear life since his hind legs couldn't make the cart stop.

"Flurry! Yikes! Wha! Whoa! Slow down!" Mario cried out, "Flurry, stop this crazy thing!" But Flurry Heart didn't listen but just kept giggling happily as the cart raced down the aisles. Then they were heading straight for a large display stand filled with plush toys.

"Oh no..." Mario groaned.

THUD!

They crashed into the display of plush toys, burying the two ponies in a pile of plushies all over the floor. Spike and Twilight heard the crash and they, along with the salespony, rushed up to the mess.

"I'm not a detective," said Spike as he grabbed a plush toy to reveal Flurry Heart underneath it, "but I think we got a suspect."

"Huh?!" said Twilight in shock as she gave Flurry Heart a firm look. Flurry Heart looked worried as Twilight then blinked.

"Wait, wasn't Mario supposed to be watching you?" Twilight asked as she looked around for her husband, "where is he?!" Flurry Heart then tossed away some plushies as Mario sprouted out of the mess, his eyes swirling about.

"I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Ponys'R'US colt," Mario sing-sang and then shook his head to snap back into reality, "Ugh...sorry, honey. Flurry's got quite the magic grip." Flurry Heart then snuggled the side of his head as Twilight glared at the both of them. Spike then pointed at the list once again and Twilight sighed.

"Well, we'd better get to cleaning," said Twilight as she put Flurry Heart on her back, "we've got no time to waste."

"Right, dear," said Mario, "Shouldn't take too long with two of us doing it." Together, the two alicorns used their magic to put all the toys back on the display.

"Easy," said Mario as they all turned to leave.

"Thanks, but they were organized by color," said the salespony bluntly. Mario and Twilight snorted. Flurry Heart just bit her lower lip innocently and tried not to draw attention to herself.

"Oh, picky, picky, picky," Mario remarked as he and Twilight put the toys back on the display according to color, loaded up the toys into one of Mario's freight cars and they were on their way to their next stop.

While Mario was known for being able to run at high speed, his top speed was significantly reduced because of Flurry Heart. He knew that running at anything above 100mph was very dangerous for a baby foal. In addition, Twilight made Mario transform his harness so it was built for two ponies as they raced down the magic tracks toward the Ponyville school house. Despite the limit to their top speed, Twilight seemed to be satisfied.

"Yes!" Twilight panted as she and Mario arrived at the schoolhouse and she looked at her pocket watch, "We gained back a whole five minutes from running here!"

"Alright!" said Mario as she and Twilight shared a high hoof together.

"Yeah, but if you add that to the forty minutes we were already behind..." Spike added, "we're...fifty-five minutes behind!" Twilight and Mario both replied by giving Spike a death glare.

"I mean..." Spike stuttered with a nervous chuckle, "Yay, team?"

"Mm-hmm!" said Twilight in reply.

"Let's just grab a book or two and get going," said Mario, "Good thing I packed my train stories despite a certain purple pony's opinions about 'em." Twilight just rolled her eyes since she had told Mario to leave them behind, but figured it might gain them back time if it helped them limit how many books to borrow and their time at the schoolhouse.

Once inside the schoolhouse, Spike was checking out some book shelves in the foreground, Cheerilee pushed forward a rolling bookshelf toward the alicorn couple as Flurry Heart just sat quietly in her baby buggy, which had been uncoupled from the train and rolled inside so the baby alicorn could sit quietly in it.

"Thanks for helping us out, Cheerilee," said Twilight as Mario stood beside her, "Sorry, we were late."

"We were discovering the hard truth that a pile of plushies doesn't make a soft landing pad," Mario remarked as he rubbed his still sore head. Twilight just gave him the stink eye.

"O...kay..." said Cheerilee slowly before recomposing herself and speaking to Twilight, "Oh, no problem. But I gotta say. I'm surprised you came to me for a book. Don't you have a huge collection? I've been told you're husband's gets you several dozen books a week." Twilight blushed as Mario just smirked and said nothing.

"Yes, but-" Twilight was then cut off when she heard the sound of Flurry Heart bouncing up and down in her baby buggy.

"Sorry, one second," said Twilight as she used her magic to make Flurry Heart be still. Flurry Heart gave an annoyed grunt and extended her fore-legs for some attention.

"Hmm, is there anything in here that would keep you busy..." Mario pondered aloud as he looked about the classroom. Spike then climbed up the side of the baby buggy and held Flurry Heart's so called "Whammy" plushie. Twilight then held the toy with her magic and gave it to Flurry Heart. Flurry Heart quickly took the snail and hugged it.

"Sorry about that," said Mario as Twilight smiled sheepishly, "As big as Twilight's book collection is, we don't have anything a young foal can enjoy other than my talking train stories. And my wife insists we find something other than those books to read to sick foals." Twilight just rolled her eyes before speaking up.

"Plus we didn't think the foals would be interested in The Unabridged History of Amulets in pony Latin," Twilight added.

"Yeah, it was good you came to see me," said Cheerilee, "How about the complete collection of Ponyville Fables and Stables?"

"Ooh, those we could read together, honey," said Mario.

"Mmm, too long," said Twilight.

"Aww..." Mario groaned.

"I'd prefer to read a book solo," said Twilight, "Your talking train stories aren't made for two storytellers either."

"Fine..." Mario remarked as he gave Flurry Heart a wave to her know he wasn't ignoring her. Flurry Heart smiled and waved back. Cheerilee then presented another suggestion.

"Alien Alicorns vs. Space Pirates?" Cheerilee suggested next.

"Well, the science there is preposterous-"

"Then how about this one?" said Mario as he held a book titled Pony Wars: The Complete Saga.

"No," said Twilight firmly, "Besides, you don't read that to young foals."

"Oh really?" said Mario as he gave Flurry Heart a nod. She then put on a serious face as she held up a toy laser sword in her fore-legs. Twilight was shocked Mario had already introduced Flurry Heart to the fictional world of Pony Wars.

"And remember, the Force will be with you...always," Mario recited in a British-Scottish accent as Flurry Heart swing her little plastic sword about. Twilight then used her magic to take away Flurry Heart's plastic laser sword and glared at her husband. Mario and Flurry Heart just glared back.

"Looks like Auntie Twily forgot how to have fun," Mario said to Flurry Heart.

"Hmm..." Flurry Heart hummed and nodded in agreement.

"Hey, don't go turning her against me!" Twilight warned. Mario laughed.

"Lighten up, sweetie, I was just teasing," said Mario as Flurry Heart chuckled to herself. Mario then leaned in to speak with the alicorn baby, "You sit tight for a bit while Uncle Mario puts this away. Okay?" Flurry Heart just smiled as Mario headed back to where he had found the book on the shelf. Spike then appeared between Cheerilee and Twilight.

"How about Burnferno, Warrior from Within?" said Spike, "It's about a handsome dragon warrior who slays evildoers with his breath and has snappy comebacks!"

"Oh, so he's basically you but with real muscles and just as big of an ego?" Mario asked off screen.

"Hardy-har-har!" Spike replied indignantly. Twilight giggled.

"Let's borrow that for you and keep looking," Twilight told the little dragon.

"Eh," said Spike as he sat down in the floor to read the first page or two of the book.

"What else?" Twilight asked as Cheerilee pondered and looked at the other side of her rolling book shelf. Meanwhile, Flurry Heart was just playing with her Whammy a bit but then grew bored and tossed it aside. She saw Mario putting the book away when some book beside it fell off the shelf.

"Oh for pony's sake," Mario grunted annoyingly and went to try putting them back into their proper place, but saw Flurry Heart watching him, "I'll be there soon, Flurry!" Flurry Heart sighed and then looked to see Cheerilee offer Twilight another book, but the purple pony shook her head. Flurry Heart was now starting to feel ignored as well as bored. She looked around the room and noticed the blackboard that had some writing on it. Flurry Heart gave a giggle as she quickly teleported to the blackboard and got a piece of chalk. Just a few seconds later, Mario had finally put the books on the shelf.

"Finally!" exclaimed Mario as he turned around, "Sorry to keep you waiting Flurry, but you know Auntie Twilight likes books shelved in a certain..."

AAH-OOOOO-GAH!

The pupils of Mario's eyes stretched out and his jaw dropped when he saw where Flurry was and what the little filly was doing.

"Uhh...h-h-honey..." Mario whimpered as he tapped his wife's shoulder.

"Not now, dear," Twilight replied and didn't bother to turn around.

"Uh, how about Gusty the Great?" Cheerilee suggested.

"Ooh, that was one of my favorites when I was a filly! Mario's too!" said Twilight, "We'll take it!" Cheerilee noticed that Mario looked uneasy, then winced when she saw that the alicorn prince was starting at. She pointed at the sight with a shakey hoof and her teeth chattering.

"Mm, should I go with something more current...?" Twilight asked, puzzled by Cheerilee's face.

"Honey, turn around!" Mario said firmly. Twilight finally did and gasped. There was Flurry Heart, she had messed up all the writing on the chalkboard so she could draw pictures of herself, Twilight, Mario, and Spike. For a baby, her drawings were pretty decent. They weren't just squiggles in but actual shapes and sizes that looked like three ponies and little dragon. You could tell who was who.

"Ta-da!" Flurry Heart said happily. Twilight blinked and then glared at her husband.

"Honey why didn't you-" Mario looked her straight in the eye with a deadpan expression and raised an eyebrow, making Twilight go from looking stern to feeling sheepish, "Oh...you did try to tell me...heh...my bad..." Twilight then sternly pulled Flurry Heart back into her baby buggy.

"Cheerilee, we are so, so sorry!" said Twilight, "I didn't even hear her leave!"

"Same here," said Mario as he looked at Flurry with a raised eyebrow, "I forgot our little niece here knows how to teleport." Flurry Heart just looked rather sad and pointed at her picture.

"It's a nice picture, Flurry," said Mario in a gentle but firm tone, "but next time, you need to ask us if it's okay to draw on somepony else's blackboard." Twilight then used her magic to grab an eraser and cleared the blackboard, much to Flurry Heart's disappointment.

"There, all clean," said Twilight as she finished.

"Great," said Cheerilee, "Now I'll just write it up again...!" She then picked up a piece of chalk, "With my mouth." Cheerilee then reluctantly got to work.

"Ehh..." Twilight chuckled sheepishly and got ready to leave.

"Hold up, honey," said Mario, "I can fix that."

"Mario, we don't...mmph!?" Spike was cut off as Mario quickly used his magic to roll up the checklist and shoved it into his mouth.

"Quiet you!" Mario said sternly. He then walked up to the chalkboard as Cheerilee looked at him closely. Then a huge chalk dust cloud appeared as Mario restored all the writing in under ten seconds. Cheerilee was so shocked that the chalk in her mouth fell out. Twilight and Flurry Heart were most impressed.

"It pays to have a good photographic memory," said Mario as he walked up to his wife, "Let's roll!" Twilight nodded and they headed out of the schoolhouse. Spike followed behind with a long face, not bothering to pull the checklist out of his mouth until they were outside.

Back at the cafe, Spearhead led Shining Armor and Cadance toward a piece of artwork that was on the floor.

"Feast your eyes," said Spearhead as he showed the couple a painting of various random hoofprints, "This one's called "A Kitchen Guard's Journey"!"

"Oh..." said Cadance with lots of uncertainty in her voice.

"This remind me of the time Flurry got into the chocolate pudding," said Shining Armor, "and we found little chocolate hoofprints all over the carpet."

"That took forever to clean up!" said Cadance, "But remember how cute her little face looked when we caught her?"

"Yeah," said Shining Armor, "She was like "Uh-Oh!"" Shining Armor and Cadance both laughed.

"Whoa, art is so evocative!" said Spearhead as she gave himself a hoof-pump, "I wasn't even going for that memory! Score!"

Back in town, Mario and Twilight were pulling their train as quickly and safely as they could to their next location. Spike could tell the alicorn couple was looking rather overwhelmed.

"Honestly, Twilight and Mario," said Spike, "I don't even want to tell you how late we are. Should I just cancel our visit to the hospital?"

"What?! Cancel?!" Twilight exclaimed, "We can't cancel, Spike! The sick foals are counting on us! And the B.A.E. would never throw in the towel like that!"

"B.A.E.?" Spike asked.

""Best Aunt Ever"?" said Twilight and then glared at her husband, "And I know the B.U.E. wouldn't throw in the towel either!"

"B.U...never mind, I figured that one out," said Spike annoyingly. Mario noticed his wife's glaring and then a determined look appeared on his face.

"You're right honey," said Mario, "If there's one thing I want Flurry Heart to know about me, even us, is that we don't let a few setbacks let us down. We don't go down without a fight and we'll get to that hospital one way or another!"

"I know we will, dear," said Twilight, "Besides, this errand is gonna be different."

"How do you figure that?" Spike asked.

"Because Flurry can play with the Cake twins and stay out of trouble! Best Aunt Ever!" Twilight cheered as she made herself and Mario charge ahead. Spike just glared and as the couple took off.

Did you ignore Mario's stories about babysitting the Cake twins? Spike wondered.

Twilight really did ignore all my stories about babysitting the cake twins didn't she? Mario thought with a long face as they continued their way to Sugarcube Corner.

"Once they were at Sugarcube Corner, Twilight wasted no time setting Flurry Heart next to Pound and Pumpkin Cake, who were just playing together. Pound was giggling to himself when he and his sister saw Flurry Heart. Flurry Heart felt a little shy, especially when the Cake twins gave her skeptical looks. Then Pound and Pumpkin each offered Flurry Heart a toy to play with, which helped Flurry Heart relax.

"Wonderful!" said Twilight, "They're friends already!"

"Twily, you are so clueless sometimes," Mario said to himself.

"Huh," said Spike, "I shouldn't have doubted you."

"Thanks!" said Twilight but then blinked, "Wait, you doubted me?" Spike just gave a nervous squeak in reply and shrugged his shoulder. Twilight then noticed that Mario was playing innocent.

"Honey, did you doubt me?" Twilight asked, demanding an answer.

"Uhh...oh! Look! Pinkie's at the counter," said Mario quickly, "didn't you want to discuss that idea you had on the way here?"

"Oh, right!" said Twilight, "thanks for reminding me." She then turned to Spike, "Spike, you watch Flurry. Mario and I will take care of everything else." Spike gave the alicorn couple a salute. Twilight rushed up the counter where Pinkie was waiting. Mario walked up to Spike and got into his face.

"Don't take your eyes off of them for one second! That's an order!" Mario said sternly and through his teeth.

"Yes, sir," said Spike nervously as Mario went to catch up with his wife.

"Hi, Pinkie Pie," said Twilight quickly, "How's it going? I need to pick up the cupcakes for the foals at the hospital! And can you do apology treats?"

"I'm good," said Pinkie and grabbed the box loaded with cupcakes, "Here they are. Of course I can!"

"You got that list ready, dear?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah, right here," said Mario when Twilight took his beret and smacked him in the head with it.

"Ow!" Mario yelped and fixed his beret, "That was for before wasn't it?" Twilight just chuckled and then turned to the pink pony.

"Do you still have a giant file on everypony's favorite treat?" Twilight asked.

"In my secret party planning cave!" said Pinkie, "Thanks again, big brother, for helping me with that file-sort-tation a few weeks ago." Twilight blinked.

"I didn't know you did file-sort-tations," said Twilight to her husband.

"You never asked," Mario replied smugly.

"BRB!" said Pinkie as she hit a button on the cash register to make a lever appear beside her. She then pulled the lever to fall down the trap door.

"Thank goodness that lever didn't drop me down a trap door this time," said Mario.

"I thought it was cute seeing you soaking wet with a cragadile biting your tail," Twilight remarked as Mario gave her a death glare. It was then Pinkie appeared carrying a very tell stack of papers.

"Hee-hee!" Twilight giggled excitedly, "Remind me to tell you later how amazing you are. Cheerilee?"

"Eh, I am pretty awesome," said Pinkie smugly, "But that's because I have big brother streamline my files every month." She then grabbed a sheet of paper to read Cheerilee's favorite treat.

"Cherry oatmeal cookies with yellow sprinkles," Pinkie replied.

"Great!" said Twilight, "Can you write "sorry" on them?"

"I've got a stamp for that!" said Pinkie as she took the stamp and printed a pony with a sad frown on Twilight's forehead. Mario laughed at Twilight's expense, until she took the stamp and pasted the same stamp over his fore-head and smirked. Mario just made a long face.

Back with the babies, Flurry Heart was just playing with some blocks. Despite Mario's warning, Spike was reading his list and not paying much attention to the three babies at all. Suddenly, Pound and Pumpkin started fighting over a balloon toy. Spike hadn't even noticed, but Flurry Heart certainly did. She quickly tossed a block at Spike and made grunts as she pointed to the fighting twins while standing on her hind legs, hoping Spike would do something.

"Hey, you guys! No need to fight!" Spike told them, but the two twins were determined not to share, "Uh...Hang on! I'm sure there's another one!" Spike then rushed to the toy box and started tossing toys about, "Ugh, no, not this one...Oh, that's cute..." Flurry Heart just watched the cake twins fight with a worried look on her face, especially as their baby yelling got louder. Flurry Heart then used her magic to grab the balloon away from them and used it to tap the back of Twilight's head to get their attention.

"Hold on, sweetie," said Twilight, not turning around, "We'll play in a second." Flurry Heart then bopped Mario's head. He looked back and noticed the two crying twins and Flurry Heart gesturing at them and the toy.

"Oh, I see," said Mario, "They're fighting over the toy. And where is..."

"Honey, I need your help right now!" said Twilight, forcing Mario to turn around, "Spike can handle it." Mario tried to protest, but Twilight put a fore-hoof over his mouth and pointed sternly to his list. Mario felt rolled his eyes, wondering why Twilight couldn't read the list herself.

Back with the babies, Flurry Heart was feeling disappointed that neither Mario or Twilight would help her. The cake twins were both bawling their eyes out. Flurry Heart then got an idea. She used her magic to disconnect the balloon and the basket and gave Pound the now deflated balloon while Pumpkin got the basket. The twins just looked at the piece of their toy as Flurry Heart smiled.

There said Flurry Heart in a dialect only babies could understand, No more fighting! Now you each can play with the balloon now! Pound and Pumpkin were not impressed and glared at the alicorn baby fiercely.

You broke our balloon?! Pound snarled as he tossed his piece away.

Who said you could break our toy?! Pumpkin added angrily as she tossed her piece away as well. Flurry Heart cowered back.

I...I...was only trying to help! Flurry Heart protested fearfully.

GET HER! Pound shouted as he and Pumpkin charged at Flurry Heart. Flurry Heart quickly put up her bubble shield and flew away for dear life. Spike was still searching for the other balloon toy and hadn't noticed a thing. Same was said for Twilight and Pinkie. Mario couldn't notice since Twilight wouldn't let him take his eyes off the list.

"The toy store," Mario said bitterly under his breath.

"Yes, the salespony at the toy store," said Twilight to Pinkie.

"Apple strudel cupcake with caramel drizzle!" Pinkie replied. It was then Flurry Heart flew past a table loaded with cupcakes. The cake twins wasted no time chucking them at Flurry Heart. Flurry Heart yelped as she did her best to dodge and avoid getting hit by all the flying treats. The cake twins relentlessly continued firing the cupcakes all over the room. Pinkie was about to read another sheet of paper when an alarm sound went off from her mouth, winced, and ripped the paper in two. Twilight noticed.

"Oh, no," said Twilight, "You're making the same face Cheerilee made." Mario just had a deadpan face that could've rivaled Maud's.

"There's something really bad behind us isn't there?" Mario asked bluntly as he and Twilight turned around. Twilight cringed as she saw the entire room was covered in cupcakes and frosting with Pound and Pumpkin cake sitting in the floor with blank faces. Flurry Heart was nowhere to be seen. Mario just kept his deadpan expression as he looked at his wife.

"Ugh! Okay, I get it!" Twilight snapped, "You could've prevented this and I stopped you." Mario just snorted.

"I wouldn't have had to interfere if some dragon had been watching them like he was supposed to!" Mario remarked as he gave a fierce glare...to the cake twins. Pound and Pumpkin just gave him squeaky and innocent smiles. Pinkie just had a weary look on her face, unsure of what to think about what had happened.

"Pinkie," said Twilight since she knew the pink pony was upset, "remind us what your favorite treat is."

"Mmm...the sampler platter," said Pinkie with a sad smile on her face.

"We'll take three of those," said Twilight wearily as Flurry Heart hovered beside Twilight.

"Why three?" Mario retorted, "It doesn't take a genius to know Flurry Heart isn't fully to blame for this, if at all!" Mario glared again at the Cake Twins, who just kept smiling innocently. But they did exchange nervously looks at each other.

"Well you know Pinkie eats enough treats for three ponies anyway," said Twilight, "We owe her that much for all of this." Mario sighed.

"These apology treats are gonna take a beating to our budget aren't they?" Mario remarked. It was then Spike popped out of the toy chest holding a second toy balloon.

"Aha! Told you I'd find another one," said Spike as he turned around. He then gasped as the toy balloon deflated as he found everypony staring at him, especially Mario, who looked furious.

"Didn't I tell you not to take your eyes off of them for one second!?" Mario snapped as he stamped a fore-hoof to the floor. Spike just chuckled nervously to reply when a cupcake that had gotten stuck on the ceiling went splat right on top of his head.

Once they helped to clean up the mess, they were running once again to their next destination. Spike was now clinging into the front of the baby buggy since Mario and Twilight had it coupled in front of them rather than behind. Spike held onto the front of the baby buggy since he couldn't run that fast and was holding a baby bottle in his claw.

"Uh...Twilight? Mario?" Spike tried to ask.

"Out of the question!" said Twilight sternly, "We are not cancelling!"

"We're gonna make it to the hospital or bust!" Mario snapped, "No thanks to you!"

"I said I was sorry!" said Spike, "Besides we..."

"It's going to be okay," said Twilight to herself as she started to panic, "It has to be okay! It's been so terrible so far it can't possible end up- blub-blub-blub-bulb-blub-Oh..." Twilight was then cut off when Spike squired the bottle of baby formula into Twilight's face.

"Uh, sorry," said Spike, making it clear the squirting was an accident. Twilight just shook her head dry and sighed. Flurry Heart just tried to get the bottle from Spike.

"No, I needed it," said Twilight.

"And good timing too," said Mario, "She almost said the worst possible thing you can say regarding our circumstances." Twilight went to protest but then sighed.

"Yeah, you're right," said Twilight, "it was on the tip of my tongue."

"Well, I was gonna say, we're here," said Spike as a familiar general hospital appeared in view. Twilight and Mario both screeched their train to a stop so quickly that Spike went flying ahead a few feet and landed on his back. Spike also dropped the bottle from the sudden braking and Flurry Heart easily caught the bottle in her fore-hooves. Fortunately, Spike wasn't hurt and quickly stood up and recovered.

"And we're only four-and-a-half minutes late!" Spike added, hoping the fact they recovered that much lost time would help the alicorn couple feel better.

Did he forget that this is Twilight and Mario he was talking to?

"Four and a half?!" Twilight and Mario exclaimed together. Then the two ponies charged forward, making Spike smack into the front of the baby buggy again as the two ponies charged forward.

Within a minute, Twilight and Mario had unloaded their train, uncoupled the baby buggy, and headed to the room where all the sick foals were staying in. The foals were very happy to see the alicorn couple. Mario and Twilight wasting no time handing the foals the toys and treats. As much as Twilight wanted to avoid it, the foals were quick to ask Mario to read his talking train stories and ended up reading all of volume one to the foals. Then Twilight immediately took over with the reading her favorite book, Gusty the Great, to the foals, who began to listen to the story attentively while holding either a toy or a cupcake. Even Spike was listening to the story along with the foals. This left Mario alone to play with Flurry Heart. At first, Mario wasn't having no problem keeping Flurry Heart busy. When he was reading his talking train stories, he included her to make the train whistles and other sounds. Once Twilight started reading her book, he and Flurry were playing together. But as much as Flurry Heart loved playing with Mario, she was getting rather tired of Twilight ignoring her all the time. Mario could tell as Flurry Heart kept glaring and snorting at his wife.

"Flurry Heart, your auntie just has this bad habit of ignoring ponies when she's trying to do things," said Mario, "I'm sorry to say she does it with me too."

"Hmph!" Flurry Heart pouted, crossing her fore-legs angrily.

"I know it isn't right, sweetie," said Mario, "and we'll make sure she knows it once she finished reading her book. So don't feel like she being mean or doesn't care. Twilight cares about you and I do too! Now come on. You're Uncle Mario want to play with you!" Mario then went to tickle her tummy to make her laugh again, but Flurry Heart just swatted his fore-leg away and kept pouting. Mario just sighed sadly to himself.

""...and while nopony had ever tried to reach Cloudsdale on hoof"," Twilight read aloud, ""Gusty the Great was not deterred! She and her unicorn warriors marched up the hill. But suddenly they encountered..."." Spike and the other foals listened attentively and anxiously.

"What?!" Spike gasped, "What was it?!"

""It was the treacherous Grogar"," Twilight continued reading aloud. Nearby, Mario was still trying to find way to play with Flurry Heart, but all the alicorn baby wanted to do was complain in baby talk about how Twilight was still ignoring her. Even holding her favorite whammy wasn't doing much good to calm her down.

""...and Gusty could tell he was ready for battle"," Twilight continued, ""Gusty called out to the unicorn warriors-" OW!" Twilight then yelped as Flurry Heart angrily grabbed Twilight's tail and gave it a firm tug. Twilight saw Flurry Heart glaring at her.

"Honey, I thought you were playing with her," Twilight asked sternly.

"I was!" Mario snapped, "but she's tired of playing with me. She wants to play with you!" Twilight sighed before leaning toward the still glaring baby.

"Not right now, Flurry," said Twilight, "These foals really want to hear this. Now play with your Uncle Mario for now." The sound of a kettle whistle went off as Flurry Heart's face turned deep red. She then gave a loud scream and went into a temper tantrum. Mario flinched at the sight. But neither pony noticed that Flurry Heart's kicking and screaming had sent her whammy flying out of the room and onto a random doctor's rolling cart as they walked past the room.

""We can fight Grogar together!"" Twilight kept reading and completely ignored Flurry Heart's temper tantrum, ""and the Unicorn warriors shot magical beams into the clouds that wove into one! The beam, stronger than a thousand armies, shined down!"" As Twilight kept reading, Mario tried to settle Flurry Heart down.

"Flurry, please take it easy," said Mario gently, "I know you don't like that Twilight's ignoring you, but going to pieces isn't gonna make her pay attention to you. Believe me, I would know..." Flurry Heart simply faceplanted the floor in frustration. Then Mario noticed as she got back up that she started to make panicking noises and was looking around rather anxiously.

"Flurry, what's wrong?" said Mario when he noticed her teleport to her baby buggy and was looking around. Mario looked puzzled until he noticed something was missing.

"Wait a minute, where's your whammy?" Mario asked as Flurry Heart gave a loud whimpered and continued searching around the baby buggy, "Alright, alright, just settle down, sweetie. We'll find it. Just don't go...Flurry!" Before Mario could tell her otherwise, Flurry Heart teleported over to one of the hospital beds where a filly was listening to the story. Flurry Heart quickly raised the pillow to look behind it and then let go.

"Flurry! Flurry!" Mario said in a loud whisper as he rushed over to the little baby alicorn, but then she teleported from the bed to a dresser and popped out of the top drawer.

"Flurry, you need to calm down and stop teleporting," said Mario in a gentle but firm tone, "And most importantly, don't leave the room!" Flurry Heart teleported away from the dresser to the middle of the room and flew right out of the room.

""It wrapped around Grogar and pulled him to the ground"!" Twilight kept reading, clueless to what was going on with Flurry and Mario, """Don't let him escape!" yelled Gusty"."

"Flurry, what did I just-" Mario didn't finish as Flurry Heart teleported away as she flew into the hallway. This caused Mario to skid to a stop.

"Oh, no!" Mario exclaimed, for now it was his turn to panic and began to sweat heavily. He had no clue where Flurry Heart could've teleported to.

Inside another room, a doctor was about to test the knee reflexes of an elderly pony wearing a green shirt. Flurry Heart then appeared, looked inside of the elderly pony's shirt and disappeared. The elderly pony hugged himself and suddenly felt very subconscious. Then in another room, Nurse Redheart was giving a stallion named Cherry Fizzy a checkup.

"Say "ah"," said Nurse Redheart.

"Ahhhhh-AHHHHHHH!" Cherry Fizzy exclaimed as Flurry Heart appeared, widening his mouth to look inside it before teleporting away once again. Cherry Fizzy just gave the nurse a glare. Mario kept looking around room after room trying to find Flurry Heart when the little alicorn baby teleported in front of him. Mario jumped back in surprise.

"Flurry!" Mario called out as he chased after her. With his high speed, he should've caught her easily. But, like the last time, Flurry Heart not only kept teleporting, but she was also flying past medical carts and overturning them. This left a mess that Mario had to clean up quickly and continue his chase. Flurry Heart also flew past some other nurses and doctors, leaving them hovering in the air, which Mario had to use his own magic to set them back down. Then Flurry Heart flew back to the same area and made them float again. Mario quickly began to feel frustrated.

"Flurry!" Mario grunted before chasing after her once more and leaving the floating doctors behind.

Back in the hospital room with the foals, Twilight was still reading her book and was completely unaware of what was going on.

Actually, that's becoming the norm with her today.

Mario walked...actually he started walking, but was soon floating over to his wife.

"Honey! Honey!" Mario called out, tapping her shoulder.

"Not now, Mario!" Twilight snapped, "You can read them more of your train stories once I'm finished. Now please keep Flurry busy until then!" Mario growled inwardly.

"Will you listen to me?!" Mario snapped.

"No!" Twilight yelled and went back to reading as Mario pouted behind her...in the air.

""Grogar was strong, for fear gave him power"," Twilight continued as Flurry Heart teleported back into the room and started making beds and ponies float into the air, ""and be broke through the bonds"!" The other fillies and colts then yelped as they started hovering into the air.

"I know!" said Twilight, "So good, right?"

"Twilight, look up!" Spike called out. Twilight finally did, just barely.

"Spike, you're floating," said Twilight casually before it finally clicked in her head, "You're floating!"

"So are you!" Spike shouted. Twilight and Spike saw Flurry Heart making everything in the room float and move about in a panic.

"Flurry, honey, you need to stop this," said Twilight gently, "Put us down, please." But Twilight found her request falling on deaf ears.

"She's not listening," said Twilight.

"Welcome back to reality, where all is not well!" Mario retorted indignantly. Twilight sighed loudly.

"Ignoring you has really come back to bite me hasn't it?" Twilight remarked. Mario huffed.

"I would like to have a chat with you about why you keep doing that," said Mario and then gasped, "but we'll worry about that later!"

"Twilight, Mario, look out!" said Spike as he and Mario pointed toward something in the distance. Twilight and Spike gasped when they saw a floating bed coming straight for them.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Twilight, Spike, and Mario screamed as the two alicorns used their magic to catch the bed floating toward them and set it back down.

"Honey, split up and double team!" Twilight called out.

"You got it!" said Mario as he flew off to the other side of the room. Twilight then went to set down another bed, but then Flurry Heart appeared and made it float into the air again.

"Nopony panic! Everything's gonna be okay!" Twilight called out to the foals.

"Don't panic! Everything's under control!" said Mario to the foals as well as he tried to set down multiple beds at once, but then Flurry Heart came by and made them all float back into the air. Mario tried to make sure the beds stayed on the ground by keeping his magic on them, but Flurry Heart was able to overpower his magic and made the bed float back up anyway. Mario groaned loudly.

"Yeah...Sunburst you certainly did NOT limit Flurry's magic," Mario remarked to himself. On the other side of the room, Twilight used her magic to place two bed down. Flurry Heart then appeared to make the left bed float up again and disappeared. Twilight winced as she tried to set it back down, but then Flurry Heart did the same to the right bed. One filly was very frightened to see her bed was floating upward, but then relaxed as Twilight used her magic to set the bed back down. But then Flurry Heart made it float up again and teleported away. Twilight tried to move quickly but Flurry Heart was making the bed float back up faster than Twilight could set them down. Mario was having the same problem as he joined up with his wife.

"Oh, I can't keep up with her!" said Twilight worriedly.

"Neither can I," said Mario, "I even tried holding the bed down with my magic and Flurry still made them float up. I was holding them down for pony's sake!" Mario slumped over despite still floating in the air.

"Oh, yeah," said Spike as he got an idea, "where's her Snoozle?!"

"Her what?!" Twilight and Mario said together.

"You know, her Whacky Whompy thing?" Spike tried to clarify as he searched inside of the baby buggy, "The snail?"

"Oh! You mean her Whammy!" said Mario.

"Yeah! Where is it?" Spike asked, "Cadance said it calms her down."

"I don't see it!" said Twilight.

"It's why she's making everything float," said Mario.

"Huh?" said Twilight in surprise.

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" said Mario, "When you tuned Flurry out, she got so upset that she sent her whammy flying away and even I don't know where it went! She's pretty much having a panic attack trying to find it. Just like you when you used to misplace your library books!"

"Oh, please don't bring that up!" Twilight said wearily when the foals screamed again from all the floating chaos. Then Flurry Heart lifted a bed so quickly that it tipped to the side and made the filly fell out of it. Mario gasped and zoomed over with a pillow over his fore-legs to catch her.

"Gotcha!" Mario called out as he caught her just in time.

"Thank you," said the filly as Mario smiled to say you're welcome. It was then Nurse Redheart came in to see how things were but was stood floating into the air the instant Flurry Heart flew past her. Mario joined Twilight as they looked around the room, seeing all the floating beds and frightened foals. The alicorn couple only knew one thing.

Their patience had hits its limit.

"Flurry Heart! Put us all down this instant!" Twilight and Mario shouted sternly. Flurry Heart winced, tear up, and made her horn stop glowing. Everypony yelped as Flurry Heart's magic grip made them stop float and start falling. Twilight and Mario combined their magic to catch everypony so they as well as the bed, landed softly on the ground below.

"Is everypony okay?" Twilight asked with concern. The foals all nodded and replied together that they were okay. Nurse Redheart just nodded and collapsed into a pillow with relief. Twilight and Mario both gave the group a smile, but then their smiles changed to stern looks as they approached Flurry Heart.

"Flurry, that was very, very bad!" said Twilight angrily, "You could've have hurt somepony!"

"Next time I tell you to stay put and calm down!" Mario added in the same tone before he yelled, "You need to do what I tell you!" Flurry Heart then burst into tears, put up her yellow bubble, and started to cry as she scooted away from Twilight and Mario. Twilight and Mario suddenly felt their anger melt instantly once Flurry Heart started crying and cowering away. Mario bit his lower lip.

"Oh, sweet Celestia...I just yelled at Flurry!" Mario said quietly in a tone filled with sadness and regret.

"Me too," said Twilight sadly.

"Flurry, I'm so sorry. I was only trying to-" Mario tried to apologize, but Flurry Heart scooted away fearfully.

"Oh, Flurry," said Twilight gently, "we didn't mean to-" But Flurry Heart scooted away again and continued to cry.

"Sweetie, you don't have to be scared," said Twilight as she and Mario pressed their faces against her bubble and smiled, "It's just us, see?" Flurry Heart shot them both a glare and scooted away again, whimpering and crying as she did so. Mario felt his heart break.

"I don't think I need to explain what she's trying to say," Mario said sadly to his wife, tears pricking from his eyes.

"No, I get it," said Twilight sadly as she addressed the still frightened and upset baby alicorn, "You're scared of us. Because we both yelled at you like a pair of big scary bears." Flurry Heart said nothing but just looked very upset and hurt as she kept her back against them.

"Flurry, I'm so sorry," said Twilight as she and Mario sat down, "I've been a terrible aunt today."

"And I've been an awful Uncle," Mario added sadly.

"All you wanted to do is play," said Twilight, "and I've barely been able to pay you attention to you. I know your Uncle Mario tried, but even he couldn't spend as much time with you he should've either."

"No...I didn't..." Mario whimpered as tears started streaming down his eyes, "I tried, but you want to spend time with both of us, not just me...and I let you down."

"We both did honey," said Twilight gently before speaking to Flurry once more, "None of this is your fault. It's mine."

"Don't you mean-" Mario corrected gently.

"No. It's mine," said Twilight in a firm but gentle tone, "you tried to help me by preventing some of the mischief she caused from happening and I ignored you. Just like I did with Flurry. So much for being the best aunt ever."

"I'm not exactly feeling like the best uncle ever either, dear," said Mario and sniffled, "I'm sorry I let you both down." That made Flurry perk up a little as she glanced back at Mario, who she saw was still looking very sad and crying quietly.

"We might not be perfect," said Mario as his voice cracked, "but thing is true. We love you very much, Flurry."

"Yes, we do," said Twilight as she and Mario put a fore-hoof on Flurry Heart's bubble, "I hope you know how much we love you." Furry Heart then looked back, giggled, dropped her bubble shield, and happily hugged Mario. Then gave him a sad whimpered to say sorry.

"It's okay, Flurry," said Mario, "I forgive you. Promise you'll listen next time so me or your Auntie Twilight have to raise our voice at you. We care about you after all." Flurry Heart nodded as she used her little fore-hoof to wipe away his tears and pecked his cheek three times, making Mario chuckle.

"I love you too, sweetie," said Mario. Flurry Heart then gave Twilight a sad whimper as well.

"Oh, I forgive you," said Twilight and Flurry Heart dived into Twilight to hug her.

"I take it you forgive me too?" Twilight asked. Flurry Heart honked cutely as she kissed Twilight's cheek and smiled at both her aunt and uncle. Mario couldn't resist another chuckle as he dried his eyes.

"Thanks, Flurry," said Twilight, "How about we head home?" Flurry Heart nervously gestured with a fore-leg to Twilight.

"After we find your Whammy, of course," said Twilight.

"Ah-hem," said a stern voice. Mario looked back and winced.

"Uh...honey?" said Mario. Twilight looked back and saw Nurse Redheart glaring at them sternly while tapping a fore-hoof on the floor. A few other doctors had arrived to glare as well, even Spike was glaring at them too.

"And clean up," said Twilight as she and Mario shared embarassed chuckles and giggles with each other. Flurry Heart then flew over to still stern looking ponies and landed before them. She gave them all a sad look, whimpered, and lowered her head sadly. It didn't take long for the doctors to soften their expressions as Nurse Redheart walked up to her with a smile on her face.

"We forgive you little one," said Nurse Redheart, "I believe this is why you were turning our hospital upside down?" There in her fore-hoof was Flurry Heart's whammy. Flurry Heart squeaked with glee as she used her magic to pick up the toy snail and hugged it tightly. Mario and Twilight walked up to the baby alicorn.

"Thank you, Nurse Redheart," said Mario, "Poor Flurry here get really anxious when she loses that snail."

"How can we ever thank you?" Twilight asked as she put Flurry Heart on her back.

"How about you and Twilight clean up this mess and we'll call it even?" Nurse Redheart suggested. Mario and Twilight smiled in agreement.

Back at the cafe, Cadance and Shining Armor were finding out that all they could think about a certain little alicorn baby. They had approached a cake that had some very familiar colors for icing on top of it.

"This one kind of reminds me of Flurry's hair..." Cadance whimpered as tears built up in her eyes. The couple then approached a little gold statue that had a shield on it.

"Uh-huh," Shining Armor whimpered in agreement as he started tearing up as well, "And this one reminds me of Flurry too."

"How so?" Spearhead asked as he saw the now crying couple.

"It's small...like her!" Shining Armor croaked, feeling his composure slipping fast as he held Cadance close, "I-I can't do this anymore! Spearhead, this has been great, but-"

"Say no more," Spearhead replied, "My art has always spoken to me about what I love. But knowing that it spoke to you about what you love speaks to me."

"What...?" Shining Armor asked as he and Cadance had puzzled looks on their faces.

"Go to her," Spearhead told them. Shining Armor and Cadance didn't need to be told twice as they all but ran out of the cafe.

"We must look ridiculous falling apart like this," Cadance sobbed as they headed back toward the castle, "But...I don't care! I want my baby!" Shining Armor held her close for comfort despite his own tears.

"Me, too," said Shining Armor sadly.

"Need an escort to the castle?" said a gentle voice. Cadance and Shining Armor stopped crying and noticed a familiar tiara-wearing filly standing before them with a cute smile on her face.

"Um...uh...hi, Di," said Shining Armor, feeling rather embarassed.

"We were just...uhh..." Cadance stuttered, trying to find an excuse for their minor meltdown.

"Having a date away from Flurry, left her with Mom and Master to watch, and now you're missing her something awful?" Diamond Tiara said all at once with a smirk on her face. Shining Armor and Cadance both felt their jaws drop.

"How...how did you...?" Shining Armor stuttered.

"I just passed Sugarcube Corner when Pinkie told me Mom and Master had stopped by to order some treats there," Diamond Tiara explained, "She said Flurry was with them. I pretty much figured out the rest when I heard Cadance said she missed her." Shining Armor and Cadance just looked at each other and sighed.

"We must look really silly to you right now," Shining Armor said wearily.

"Not really," said Diamond Tiara, "If anything, I'm a little jealous. My parents never cried over me! Probably cause at one of them didn't care about me at all. Flurry Heart is lucky to have such loving parents. And I'm proud to call you my Aunt and Uncle now." Shining Armor and Cadance smiled as they both gave Diamond Tiara a warm hug.

"Thanks for understanding, sweetie," said Cadance, "Can you take us to our baby, please?" Diamond Tiara chuckled.

"Follow me," said Diamond Tiara. Cadance and Shining Armor grinned as Diamond Tiara led them down the quickest path to the castle.

Back at the castle, Mario and Twilight were having to the time of their lives playing with their niece. For the moment, Twilight and Mario were both chasing Flurry Heart down the hallways.

"We're gonna get you!" Mario called out as Twilight and Flurry Heart giggled in reply. Flurry Heart then turned a corner and disappeared, but Mario and Twilight weren't worried since they both had determined looks on her faces.

"Now where did the little Flurry go?" Mario said in a teasing tone, "I was sure she came in here..." Flurry Heart couldn't help but giggle from her hiding place and it was just loud enough to get the couple's attention, but they weren't in a rush to find her.

"Where did she go?" Mario pondered playfully.

"She has to be here somewhere, dear," said Twilight in the same tone, making Flurry Heart giggle again. By now, both alicorns had found a rather suspicious lump in the side of the carpet.

"That's funny, I don't remember us having any bugs in the rug!" Mario said in an over the top tone.

"I guess you'll have to deal with it, dear," Twilight remarked, trying hard not to laugh.

"There's only one way to deal with a bug in the rug," said Mario. Flurry Heart smiled, but she was feeling a tad worried about what Mario was going to do. Twilight then used her magic to lift up the part of the rug Flurry Heart was hiding as Mario rushed in and gently pinned Flurry Heart onto her back.

"Tickle monster!" Mario called out and stared rubbing the baby's side, "tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle-tickle!" Flurry Heart laughed herself silly until Mario stopped tickling her so she could calm down a bit. Twilight then put Flurry Heart into her back and the two alicorns flew up toward the upper ceilings of the castle.

"Flurry, how would you like to see Twilight and I do a little sky dancing?" Mario asked. Flurry Heart oohed and clapped excitedly. Mario smirked and used his magic to turn on a nearby record player.

(Cue "Jump Up, Pony Star" music in the background)

Mario then held Twilight's fore-legs and stared to dance with her as they hovered into the air. Flurry Heart rest comfortably on Twilight's head as the couple danced in the air. Flurry Heart cheered and cooed happily. The alicorn couple laughed and enjoyed themselves as well. It had been a long time since they had shared a dance together. And they were glad to share that dance with their niece.

A few minutes later, Twilight and Mario was flying with Flurry Heart on their backs when Diamond Tiara entered the castle with Cadance and Shining Armor right behind her. The baby buggy and all the diapers were set to their right side of the double doors as the three ponies walked in.

"Mom! Master!" Diamond Tiara called out, "I'm home! And I brought someponies home with me!"

"Flurry?!" Shining Armor called out as he and Cadance walked inside, "Where's our little foal?!" Mario winced when he heard Shining Armor down below. While Flurry Heart had forgiven him, he still felt rather guilty about losing his temper with her. Twilight could tell as she hovered over to him.

"Honey, it'll be okay," Twilight told him gently as Flurry Heart nodded in agreement, "Come on!" Mario groaned inwardly as he followed his wife back down to the ground. Cadance wasted no time using her magic to pull Flurry Heart toward them.

"Oh, we missed you so much!" said Shining Armor as he and Cadance gave their daughter some loving chuckles. Flurry Heart then hovered out of her mother's magic grip and flew over to Mario, hugging the back of his neck and then hovered over to Twilight and did the same. Cadance and Shining Armor looked a little hurt at seeing their daughter fly away from them and sighed together.

"But it looks like you had a great time without us," Cadance said sadly.

"Actually, not so much," Twilight replied, making Shining Armor and Cadance blinked, "Flurry got into some mischief, but it wasn't her fault. We shouldn't have agreed to watch her with such a jam-packed schedule. It was too much to juggle." Mario just had a sad look on his face and said nothing.

"You yelled at my daughter didn't you?" Cadance asked in a firm tone. Mario cringed and then sighed in defeat, not even bothering to wonder how Cadance figured that out.

"Flurry Heart lost her toy and wouldn't calm down," Mario explained, "I tried to be gentle, but she wouldn't listen and I...snapped."

"We've already apologized for being too hard on her," said Twilight in his defense, "and Flurry has forgiven us both for it. She even said, in her own, way that she was sorry for causing trouble. Right, sweetie?" Flurry Heart then nodded and gave them both kisses on their cheeks. Cadance and Shining Armor chuckled.

"Well, if Flurry has forgiven you, we can do the same," said Shining Armor and then raised an eyebrow at Mario, "So you can stop acting like I'm gonna beat you up." Mario blushed and smiled sheepishly.

"Just hate that I lost my temper is all," said Mario softly.

"But Flurry taught the both of us an important lesson today," said Twilight, "right dear?" Mario perked up a little and nodded in agreement.

"It turns out being the Best Aunt Ever and Best Uncle Ever isn't about spending the most time with our niece, but spending quality time with her," Twilight explained.

"Well said honey," said Mario.

"And Flurry taught the both of us a really cool bear game, so I guess we learned two things," Twilight concluded. Cadance and Shining Armor smiled and laughed as Cadance put Flurry Heart into her baby buggy.

"Well, we definitely should've given you more of a heads up," said Shining Armor.

"Yes! From now on, we'll give you plenty of notice," said Cadance, "And I shouldn't have been so defensive when Mario admitted his lost his temper with her. Flurry can push your patience to the limit sometimes and we should've given you a heads up about that too."

"Like how much she really enjoys mashed peas," Mario added with a smirk. Cadance and Shining Armor smiled sheepishly.

"We'll...cover the bill if anything was stained," Shining Armor offered feebly.

"It's okay," said Mario, "I managed to get all the stains out. But we do appreciate the heads up in the future."

"Ooh, that would be great," said Twilight in agreement.

"Hey, what are you both doing next Tuesday?" Cadance asked the alicorn couple. Mario and Twilight both gave a surprised snort.

"For dinner, not to babysit," Cadance clarified as Flurry Heart fell asleep with her Whammy in her fore-legs. Mario and Twilight chuckled.

"I'll have to check with Spike," Twilight replied, "but I think we're free."

"Where is Spike, anyway?" Cadance asked curiously.

"He's still at the hospital reading to the foals," said Mario, "and he's making sure another...treat...we ordered for them got there safely." Twilight just smiled widely, hoping Cadance and Shining Armor wouldn't ask anything else about it.

"Oh, that reminds me," said Diamond Tiara, surprising everypony since they had all forgotten the filly was still there just listening quietly to the conversation, "I stopped by Sugarcube Corner and Pinkie told me to give this to you. Something about an apology treats bill."

"Apology treats?" said Cadance and Shining Armor curiously. Twilight just chuckled sheepishly.

"It's no big deal..." Mario said nervously as he took the paper with his magic, "I'm sure we can..."

AAH-OOOOO-GAH!

The pupils of Mario's eyes extended onto the sheet of paper as his jaw dropped.

"Treat bill - one hundred twenty seven bits?!" Mario exclaimed in a tone filled with dread, "Uhhhhhhh..."

(Lose a life fanfare)

Mario then fainted with all four legs in the air. His right hind leg twitching uncontrollably. Twilight just chuckled sheepishly once again.

"It's...alright, dear," said Twilight slowly in an over the top tone, "I'm sure Cadance and Shining Armor can help..." Twilight then looked to see that only Diamond Tiara remained and a single package of dropped diapers. Cadance and Shining had wisely disappeared.

"Thanks alot..." Twilight muttered as Mario's hind legs just twitched once more in agreement.

Back at the hospital, Spike was enjoying himself as he read his story of choice to the foals. Even Nurse Redheart was in the room enjoying the story as well.

""The dashing dragon warrior breathed a scorching flame from his snout"," Spike read aloud, ""then chuckled to himself as he flew into the sunset. "If you can't stand the heat, don't fight a dragon","". Spike then jumped on top of a nearby hospital cart and posed.

"Hey, you kinda look like him!" a foal named Peach Fuzz remarked.

"Thank you!" said Spike, "Okay, now who wants more cake?"

"Yay!" the foals all cheered excitedly. There on another table was a giant three tiered cake with the apology sticker pasted on top of it.

Pinkie must have gotten a workout with that stamp today.

Later that night, Twilight had walked into hers and Mario's bedroom. She had just finished tucking Diamond Tiara to bed for the night and found that Mario was just sitting on his side of the bed looking rather glum.

"Honey, you don't need to keep beating yourself up about today," said Twilight, "Flurry forgave you for yelling at her and so did Cadance."

"It's not just that," said Mario sadly, "It's just how we handled the whole babysitting today." Twilight hummed in understanding.

"I will admit that we didn't exactly do a good job taking care of her at first," said Twilight as she sat next to her husband and rested her head on his shoulder, "But at least we learned from our mistakes for next time."

"I know, dear," said Mario as he reached out and wrapped his fore-hoof around hers, "It's just...I was hoping that this experience would have given us confidence."

"Confidence in what?" Twilight asked curiously. Mario sighed.

"Confidence that we could handle a taking care of a baby," said Mario, "So...we could finally feel ready to have our own." Twilight blushed.

"Oh...I...see," said Twilight with a sheepish smile on her face. While Mario couldn't see it, he knew Twilight was feeling overwhelmed.

"Yeah, pretty dumb idea huh," said Mario, "I mean we just got Diamond Tiara for a daughter and here I am asking for more foals in this family. Talk about being selfish and ungrateful..."

"Stop it!" Twilight snapped, "Mario, you need to stop putting yourself down like that. There's nothing wrong with you telling me that you want us to have a baby." Mario just sighed loudly.

"I just feel so selfish admitting it," said Mario, "Plus I don't want you to feel like I'm pushing or pressuring you into it. I honestly thought being able to take care of Flurry Heart and managing our busy schedule would prove that we can handle the responsibility. Instead, we both failed miserably, yelled at Flurry, and we couldn't even communicate with each other. Now I don't even feel like I could even be a good parent to any foal right now!"

"Don't say that," said Twilight, "Remember what you told me when we were worried about adopting Diamond Tiara. We're not fully prepared to be parents and we're not perfect. We're gonna make mistakes. Despite all that, we love our filly with all our hearts and would do anything for her. That is what it takes to be a good parent. We made plenty of mistakes with Flurry today, but we didn't give up because we love her. We can learn from our mistakes and be better prepared to try again. We've got this!" Mario just listened attentively and smiled.

"You know, maybe we're more prepared for a baby then we realize," said Mario. Twilight blinked but then giggled and gave her husband a smile.

"Yeah, we are," said Twilight. They shared a quick kiss before Mario pulled her into his fore-legs and held her.

"I'm sorry for being difficult today," said Mario.

"Same here," said Twilight, "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course," said Mario, "Can you forgive me?"

"Yes I can," said Twilight as she gave Mario another kiss and nose nuzzle. Then Mario just held his wife quietly for a bit, stroking her mane as the purple pony got comfortable.

"Mario?" Twilight said in a soft tone.

"Yes, Twilight?" Mario asked. Twilight smiled.

"I'm sorry for making you wait for a baby," said Twilight, "But as soon as I feel ready. We can have one. I promise."

"Okay," said Mario, "But do take your time. I'm in no rush. We should both feel ready for a baby, not just one or the other." Twilight giggled.

"That's what I love about you, Mario," said Twilight, "you're so considerate of me. I'm so sorry I haven't been considerate of you. I really don't mean to dismiss you when you try to talk to me or get my attention. I don't know why I can't stop doing it. I know it hurts you and makes you feel like I don't care, but that's not true. It's not true..." Tears were pouring down Twilight's eyes as she spoke as Mario gave her a gentle squeeze for comfort.

"Then what's going on your mind when you do that," Mario asked, "Help me understand so I don't feel like you're ignoring me." Twilight sniffled a bit before she answered.

"I just wanted to make up for lost time," said Twilight, "I didn't want to let any more distractions prevent me from doing what needs to get done. But in the end, I was so focused on myself that I ended up overlooking minor issues until they turned into bigger issues that cost us more time. And then I end up regretting not taking that few extra seconds to listen just because I think I can't spare those seconds to begin with."

"There's your problem right there, my Twily," said Mario, "You keep saying "I", but you're not an "I" anymore." Twilight felt puzzled and then it clicked in her head.

"I see what you mean," said Twilight, "This wasn't my problem, it was our problem! We should have been working together to make up for lost time and finding ways to include Flurry Heart instead of just brushing her aside or leaving you to take care of her. It's so obvious and yet I completely overlooked it! Ugh, I feel so stupid..."

"You're not stupid, sweetheart," said Mario, "You just need to remember that we're a team and that these issues are something we need to work together to solve. I'll make sure to do the same. You're not the only one who gets so anxious that he forgets that he's got a loving wife who can help him out at any time."

"That is true," said Twilight, "I do love you and I'll always be here for you."

"Just remember that I'm here for you too," said Mario.

"Always," said Twilight as they shared another kiss and continue to cuddle with each other until long after they had fallen asleep in each other's fore-legs.

But as they slept, they both had the same thought.

Maybe they were ready for a baby...

Just maybe...

And that is Mario and Twilight's misadventures with Flurry Heart. Hope you enjoyed what Mario had to offer to this chapter. And the alternate ending is not meant to tease the idea of them having a baby. They're starting to take some serious consideration to the idea. Since this is a family story, I won't be writing about when they make that decision, but I will have a scene when they announce to everypony that Twilight is pregnant.

I grew up watching the Rugrats so having some conversation between Flurry Heart and the Cake Twins just felt right. Plus any fan of the Rugrats would have recognized the parody to Phil and Lil since they used to fight over toys all the time in the same manner.

And I hope nopony found Mario too cruel when he lost his temper with Flurry Heart. This is actually me expressing one of my biggest fears about becoming a parent myself. I suffer with having a short temper and the idea of losing my temper to my own child, especially if they are a baby, really gives me alot of self-doubt that I could ever be a good parent.

Flurry Heart is certainly alot smarter than the average 12-15 month old baby. (This is just an estimate but should be close to what her actual age is in Season seven.) So I thought it would be extra adorable that she apologized for at least causing the mess at the hospital. Plus the show never did show where they found her little "Whammy" or if it was still on that random hospital cart.

Next Time: Maud is considering moving to Ponyville. Can Pinkie and Mario convince her to do so? And can they help Maud make some new friends despite her dry personality?

Peace Pony Fans!