Note: Okay, I had to post this waaayyyy ahead the regular time because I will be unable to post for the rest of the day. To Austin, don't worry, I am planning to assemble a chapter for the "A Mending Soul" guide that will be devoted to the enigma surrounding the multiple lives of Joseph Torrus. To AdorkableDerpy, you thought your name was stupid? Seriously now, it's adorkable. See what I did there? To Russet Burbanks, will Charlie Brown return? I doubt it. I really did not enjoy having to juggle so many unique personalities in Part 5, so I will try to stay strictly with MLP characters, and a few very special interdimensional characters. Anyway, we're moving on now... enjoy this flashback! Great secrets shall be revealed!

Flashbacks: Bearing Seasons

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Flaming Star and Twilight's Friendship Castle (formerly Library)

Time: Seven years after the death of the Paradox

"Ack! Emergency room! She's coming! Hurry!" shouted Flaming Star in his sleep. His eyes snapped open, and he leapt out of bed, his eyes sweeping from left to right, wild with shock and fear.

He quickly galloped to the other side of the bed where a disgruntled Twilight attempted to burrow further under the covers.

Shaking his wife wildly, Flaming Star exclaimed, "Is she… is the baby okay?"

Twilight groaned. She rolled onto her back and pushed back the covers, exposing her bloated stomach.

"She's fine. Of course she would be even better if her mother wasn't forced to wake up at exactly 6:00 in the morning every day."

Flaming Star exhaled in a prolonged sigh of relief. Then he grinned sheepishly. "Heh… I'm just… er… getting you ready for having to wake up at 2:00 AM every day to suckle the baby."

Twilight glared at Flaming Star through sleep-deprived eyes. "I am sure you are, and now I would like you to stop. This mare here wants to get as much sleep as she can before that begins."

However, like most beings in the multiverse, Flaming Star just kept talking, making the situation worse.

"Oh, yeah. I know. But I am sure you will be fine, having to wake up every morning, that is. I mean, when Starlight Amber was a baby, Fluttershy said that everything was perfect."

Twilight flipped the covers back over her form with magic and then burrowed her head under her pillows, muttering, "For the love of Celestia, please don't bring Fluttershy and Sunset Shadow into this. Whenever we compare their love life and ours, all I can think of is when Doxia said, 'they are cuter than you, sorry.' This may be hard for your Firstborn Dimensional Traveler supercomputer of a brain to comprehend, but they are not us. We have our own set of problems."

Flaming Star opened his mouth to keep making matters worse with his nerve-wracked babble, but a burst of magic from Twilight sent a flurry of bed pillows into his face to silence him.

A couple of hours later, Twilight was finally up. As she slowly made her way to the kitchen, she found Flaming Star already using his abilities to make her something.

"This is my apology," said Flaming Star with a sympathetic glance over his shoulder, "I'm sorry, I just had a terrible dream and so it really set me off my rocker."

"Oh, that's alright," chuckled Twilight, "I guess I should be really getting ready for waking up early in the morning anyway. What was the dream about, anyway?"

"Well," started Flaming Star as he helped Twilight work her extended stomach past the table so that she could take a seat, "I just had a dream that you broke water, but the hospital had been attacked by Legion and an army of demons."

"Are you kidding me?" a voice suddenly range out from outside a window, "That would never slow you, or me, down in the least! Seriously now!"

Twilight and Flaming Star turned their heads to behold Doxia. The Dimensional Lord was dressed as a classic mailman, with a blue cap and a large blue mailbag. He was leaning against the kitchen windowsill, twirling a couple of letters in his right fist.

"Doxia!" exclaimed Flaming Star, who was not particularly pleased by this intrusion of privacy, "What in the hay are you doing here?"

Carefully setting down the pair of letters next to the sink, Doxia replied, "I'm helping my good old pal Derpy with her mail route. I've been doing it for a while now. How did you not notice?"

"Ohhhh… So YOU were the mysterious mailpony dressed as a cactus that was causing such a ruckus a fortnight ago!" exclaimed Twilight. Suddenly she grinned as she said, "You're helping Derpy with her mail route? Is there something going on between you and her that we should know?"

Doxia stiffened. Then he coughed as he said, "Ummmmm… Is that a trick question? I bet it is. I'm not going to answer that. Okayawesomeseeyoulater!"

With that, Doxia vanished. With a suppressed giggle, Twilight turned back to Flaming Star to say, "Anyway, it's okay, Flaming Star. When our child is due, the emergency room is not going to be under siege."

This seemed to only make Flaming Star even more nervous. For a being who had countless years of experience in combat and war, when it came to family life, he was a nervous wreck. He wrung his hooves together as he exclaimed, "But what about Pictor? I am sure he wants revenge for being defeated so terribly! Maybe he would try to assassinate you… or me… or worse… the baby!"

Twilight had to push Flaming Star away with a hoof as he inadvertently attempted to protect the baby (and thus by extension, her belly) from invisible sniper fire with his body.

"Flaming Star! Get a hold of yourself!" she finally had to snap, "Everything is going to be fine!"

The sound of Twilight snapping pulled Flaming Star back to his senses. However, being snapped at did not sit comfortably with him, so he could not help but mutter, "Says the mare who freaked out about every test ever… even when she is not the one taking it…"

"I heard that!" cried Twilight, "And if you are thinking of that one incident with Starlight Amber's High School finals, that was an isolated incident!"

Flaming Star rolled his eyes. "Ohhhh yeah. Sure… Wait… Do you smell something burning?"

He turned just in time to see the smoking oatmeal that he was cooking abruptly spontaneously combust and burst into flames. With a yell, Flaming Star threw up an energy shield around Twilight. He then hurled a hyper-focused stream of water at the flaming pot. The water stream was so high-powered, however, that it not only put out the fire, but also blasted a hole in the pot and sent it spinning through a window, shattering the glass into multiple sharp crystal shards.

There was a deathly silent pause. Flaming Star facehoofed. Twilight broke the silence by saying, "If Sunset Shadow was cooking…"

Flaming Star held up a hoof (while still facehoofing with the other hoof) to silence her. Then he said, "As you said earlier, let's not bring Sunset Shadow and Fluttershy into this. We are not them."

Twilight began to giggle. Flaming Star cracked a grin as the hilarity of the disaster that had just occurred dawned on him. However, before he could began to laugh as well, a knock at the door broke him out him out of his moment of hysteria. Trotting to the front door, he opened it. It was Sunset Shadow.

Holding up a letter that looked to be a form of an invitation, he said, "Hey Flaming Star! I got this letter from Doxia earlier and I was wondering if you… Hey… Do I smell something burning?"

He got no further. The moment his lips began to form the last phrase, Flaming Star slammed the door on his face.

Struggling to get her rather large stomach from out of her chair, Twilight called out, "Flaming Star! Open that door back up this instant!"

Flaming Star sighed. "Right away, Mrs. Firstborn, commanding officer…"

He opened the door. Sunset was still standing there, his jaw still slack as if he had been interrupted in mid-speech (which he had been). He blinked and then shook his head.

"Was it… was it something I said?" he asked almost meekly.

Flaming Star rolled his eyes. "No. Do continue."

Sunset bobbed his head, but then noticed Twilight who came trotting up to stand beside Flaming Star.

"Twilight!" he exclaimed joyfully, giving Twilight a hug, "I haven't seen you in a week or so! How is the baby?"

Twilight sat down on her haunches. She then straightened up to show off her belly. "She's fine, thank you," she said.

Sunset nodded. "You look healthy," he added, "That is good. Poor Fluttershy had a terrible time when she was pregnant. Always sick."

Twilight nodded her head as well. "Oh yeah. I remember that…"

Flaming Star brightened up. "Wait a second. Does that mean, for once, we had it easy while you guys didn't? That's awesome!"

Twilight glared sharply at Flaming Star. "Stop it!" she exclaimed, "This is not a competition! Sunset Shadow, I apologize for his behavior…"

Sunset winked. "Oh no, it's quite alright. I've been dealing with him for forever now. By the way, Twilight, when are you due?"

"In one or one-and-a-half months, depending," replied Flaming Star, who seemed to have gotten over being grumpy for the day.

Sunset nodded. "That is good. Now, back to what I was saying, did you guys receive this Pinkie Pie party invitation?"

He held up a colorful invitation. "I got it in the mail today. I was just wondering if you had as well."

Flaming Star went back to the kitchen to look at the two letters Doxia had delivered earlier. Opening up the more colorful of the two (the difference being one was white, and the other was pink with splashes of glitter everywhere) he opened it up. And, lo and behold, a Pinkie Pie party invitation was nestled inside. Glancing it over, he trotted back to Sunset Shadow and Twilight and held it out.

"Sure did," he said, "It seems to be a party for Rarity…"

"What?! Let me see!" exclaimed Twilight, she took the party invitation when Flaming Star proffered it to her and looked it over. "It's her birthday!" she wailed, "How could I have forgotten?"

"Well, just like that, actually," chuckled Flaming Star, "I am honestly surprised. I wrote it down on the calendar. I thought you always looked at it."

"I do!" exclaimed Twilight, "But I haven't been doing it regularly for the past weeks! Oh no!"

"Don't worry," soothed Sunset, "I am sure that no one will notice. People do not regularly find out that you have forgotten a birthday unless you declare it out loud."

Twilight sighed as she rubbed the back of her nape, "I suppose you are right. Quick! We must buy her a present! Let's go!"

Struggling to all fours, Twilight attempted to gallop off to the nearest beauty shop, but her belly made the motion cumbersome, and she could not go very fast.

"I'm going to take her to the store," said Flaming Star, "I guess I will see you at the party."

Sunset nodded. "Right you are, Abimael."

"Don't call me that," replied Flaming Star, "But yes, see you later."

He trotted by Sunset Shadow and caught up to Twilight. The two trotted side-by-side into Ponyville.

"So, where might we go?" Flaming Star asked as the trotted.

"Um… er… yes! Over here!" exclaimed Twilight. She pulled Flaming Star into the nearby jewelry store.

"Greetings Princess Twilight! Greetings Lord Flaming Star!" exclaimed the pony manning the cash register, "How may I help you today?"

"I just need something beautiful!" exclaimed Twilight in a hurry as she rushed by.

The cash register pony looked from Twilight to Flaming Star to Twilight again, her eyes wide in confusion. Flaming Star just grinned apologetically and said, "We're just browsing. Give us a minute."

He trotted back to where Twilight was looking around hysterically.

"Look who has their knickers all in a knot now?" he chuckled, "Calm down a minute and we can look for something Rarity-proper."

"Don't you patronize me!" exclaimed Twilight angrily, her emotions all mixed up, "I'm going to- OH!"

Suddenly she doubled over and fell to the ground. With a gasp, Flaming Star conjured up a protective energy shield. He cast it about him and his wife as he crouched down.

"Are you okay?!" he cried, "Should I call the ambulance! Blink once if you can hear me, and twice if you cannot!"

Twilight groaned and got up. Rubbing her lower abdomen with a hoof, she panted, "I think that was a contraction…"

"A contraction?! That is a sign of childbirth!" shouted Flaming Star dramatically. Striking a pose, he cried, "Off to the hospital!"

Still panting, Twilight leaned against a shelf for support. "No… no…" she mumbled, "I'm okay. The baby is not due for another month. I'll be okay. See? I'm better already!"

Flaming Star eyes Twilight suspiciously. "Hmmmmm… Okay."

At that very moment, Twilight glanced at the shelf she was leaning against and exclaimed, "Look at this pendant! It's perfect! I'll take it!"

However, she doubled over in pain again. Flaming Star seized her gently and helped her steady.

"I'm okay… I'm okay…" she said. She straightened up again as if nothing had happened and boldly took the pendant. She then trotted purposefully over to the cashier and slapped down the piece of jewelry.

Eyes still wide with shock from everything that had transpired over the last couple of minutes, the cashier said, "Um… ma'am? I think I should call an ambulance…"

Twilight shook her head firmly. The cashier squeaked and quickly calculated the price of the pendant.

Head held high, Twilight left the building, leaving two flustered ponies behind. After a moment, Flaming Star shook off his surprise. He then glanced apologetically at the very flustered cashier before galloping after his wife.

"I think being with child is messing up your emotions, Twilight," said Flaming Star as he caught up with her, "Maybe you should take a rest."

"Hmmmm… I think I might do that, but as for the rest of your statement… I'm not grumpy at all! I have complete control of my emotions!" exclaimed Twilight. She then left him in the dust.

Flaming Star blinked, still a little unsure of what had just transpired. At that moment, Applejack, Caustic Rain, and Princess Luna turned a corner and nearly bumped into him.

"My apologies," said Princess Luna, "We did not see you standing there."

"Oh, it's my fault, Princess Luna," said Flaming Star, "I was just getting back from shopping for Rarity."

"Ah, that's right!" exclaimed Applejack, "Her party is a' comin' today!"

"It's a little late to do shopping, is it not?" asked Caustic Rain.

"Yeah, it is, I agree, but Twilight had not remember until now," explained Flaming Star.

"Princess Twilight. That is right. How is she?" inquired Luna, "She is with child, is she not?"

"She is, and I think it is messing with her emotions," said Flaming Star.

"That's weird. 'Cause I remember when Fluttershy was…" started Applejack. She stumbled on her words when she saw Flaming Star's look and instead said, "Oh, er… that's right. You don't like it when we compare you two. Sorry, sugar cube."

Flaming Star sighed and rubbed the back of his head with a hoof. "Yeah, it's okay. I think I better be going. Say, who else is going to be there?"

"Quite a few people, actually," said Caustic Rain, "Though she is no longer a Dimensional Traveler, she somehow made a lot of friends in the ranks of the Dimensional Lords and the Dimensional Travelers. Beings like Jetfire, Mattimeo, Wild, and many others have been invited."

"Hmmm… This ought to prove interesting," murmured Flaming Star, "Well, I better get going. Nice talking to you."

With that, he trotted into the house. He found Twilight fast asleep on their king-sized bed, her tongue hanging out, and hooves askew. Chuckling, he gave his wife an affectionate kiss before going out to discuss some business with Alyss Heart, with whom he had a meeting in the dimension of the Last of Us.

Several hours later, just a dozen or so minutes before the start of the party, he returned to find Twilight sitting on the bed.

"Is it time yet?" she groaned.

Flaming Star nodded his head slowly. "Well, yes it is. But… are you okay?"

"Just a little nauseous," sighed Twilight, "But I will be fine. Let's go!"

Slowly she rolled out of bed and got wobbly to her hooves. Flaming Star was by her side in an instant to help support her.

"Are you ABSOLUTELY sure you are okay?" he pressed, his eyes deepening in concern.

Twilight shook her head as if to shake off a mantel of ailment, "I am fine! Really! Let's go."

Sighing in resignation, Flaming Star stepped back, and Twilight trotted off to get the present she had wrapped earlier.

In several minutes they were at Rarity's Boutique, where the party was being held and hosted by Pinkie Pie. The instant Flaming Star knocked, the door was flung open. Doxia (who was wearing a piece of cake as a hat and was wearing a fake mustache over his intimidating masked helmet) greeted them joyfully.

"Yo! Pink-a-nator!" shouted Doxia, "The Princess de Friendshipo has arrived!"

Pinkie popped out of nowhere to exclaim, "OOOOHHH! There you are! Where have you been? Let's go!"

Seizing Twilight's hoof roughly, Pinkie dragged Twilight inside to talk to the rest of the Mane 6 (and Discord) who were all hanging around Meadolax, who was telling an embarrassing story about Doxia and his deceased wife Allison.

Chuckling at the antics of Pinkie (and generally the entire group of Dimensional Lords aside from Mattimeo), Flaming Star trotted after Pinkie and Twilight to expand the circle and listen in on the story.

"So then," said Meadolax, "Doxia looked closely through the binoculars and said 'I don't think those Maelstrom Troopers are anywhere near here. I totally think we have time to squeeze in a game Xbox!' He then tossed the remote controller behind him. The thing flew up… and smacked straight into the face of a cloaked Maelstrom Assassin. In an instant his cloaking field was disrupted and Allison flash-vaporized him. The bad guy had only a second to say something before he turned into dust, and you know what he said?"

"OHHHHHH!" cried Twilight suddenly. She doubled over and slowly fell to the ground, clenching her teeth.

"That is exactly what she said!" laughed Meadolax, "How did you guess?"

"Uncanny," snorted Jetfire.

"Um, I do not think she did that on purpose guys," noted Wild.

"Oh dear, I think she is in pain!" declared Discord as if it was in no way obvious.

"I think she is having contractions," said Flaming Star. Then he suddenly stiffened. Clear liquid had soaked Twilight's inner thigh.

"Her water's broke!" exclaimed Meadolax, "Everyone PANIC!"

The entire room obliged. Shouts and screams resonated within the building as poor Twilight and her child labor was forgotten by almost everyone, except Flaming Star and Doxia, that is.

"QUIET!" roared Doxia, his voice resonating through the room, "We need to get her to the hospital."

"The A.E.S. Prometheus is orbiting, we can retool the med bay for her! The ship is a mere teleportation away!" declared Meadolax.

"I am unsure how the A.I. would proceed though," interjected Mattimeo, "After all, no Dimensional Lords have ever procreated in recorded history."

"PLEASE!" cried Flaming Star as he tried to comfort Twilight who was now having contractions, "We need to get her to a hospital!"

"Right!" exclaimed Doxia, "Hospital! Everyone in favor of taking her to the A.E.S. Prometheus, raise a hand, er, hoof!"

Mattimeo shook his head and quickly took charge. "Everyone, stay where you are and continue the party. Doxia and I are going to take Twilight and Flaming Star to the Ponyville hospital. Meadolax, go to Princess Celestia and alert her of the situation. Please try not to stall, I know how you have been hitting on her for at least a century."

"Think again, Mattimeo!" cried Rainbow Dash, "You're crazy if you think we are going to stand by while our pal has her foal!"

"You are going to stand by because I told you to," replied Mattimeo curtly, "She is in pain, and she needs space. Doxia will go because he understands what I am attempting to do, and Flaming Star is Twilight's husband. The moment the child is born, I will alert you all and you will be free to visit her. Until then, I would appreciate it if you all stood aside. Sunset Shadow, Fluttershy, please keep Ponyville calm."

"He's right, darling," said Rarity, "We need to stand aside for now. Go, Doxia! Get Twilight to the hospital!"

Doxia quickly opened a portal to the doorstep of the Ponyville hospital. Gathering up the pained Twilight in his arms, Doxia hurled himself through with Mattimeo and Flaming Star in hot pursuit.

"I'm sorry, sir, but you are going to have to sign these papers first," said the hospital receptionist without looking up. However, when she did look up…

"You say 'sign these papers' one more time and I will turn you into pony soup," said Doxia in a low voice, "I have Princess Twilight Sparkle here, and she is going into labor."

Quickly the receptionist called up the emergency room. In an instant Twilight was taken to a delivery room surrounded by Doxia, Flaming Star, and a host of doctors and nurses. Mattimeo stood to one side, his arms crossed, as he watched the scene unfold before his nigh omnipresent vision.

"START PUSHING!" shouted Doxia for absolutely no reason.

"STOP TALKING!" shouted Flaming Star in return. Then, to Twilight, he shouted, "START PUSHING! ONE, TWO, THREE…"

In a few heated minutes, a little foal, a filly, was born into the My Little Pony dimension.

Hours later, the excitement had calmed down. Twilight's hospital room was quiet, like a sea after a storm, as she sat with her little foal and Flaming Star. Outside Doxia stood guard, warding off strangers with enthusiastic waves.

"Meadolax stalled in the end, but he did get word to Princess Celestia," Flaming Star told Twilight, "I even hear tell that he got a date with her as well. Anyway, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, and Shining Armor are on their way as we speak."

Twilight chuckled weakly, slipping in and out of an exhausted slumber.

"What should we call her?" she murmured, gently stroking the baby filly's head.

Flaming Star cocked his head to one side. "I talked to Mattimeo and Archangel Michael some time ago about that. The Archangel suggested a name… It was… I think it was Summer."

"Summer…" murmured Twilight, "That is a beautiful name. I like it… Summer…"

Note: As said previously, great secrets shall be revealed! I just blew at least one person's mind... maybe? No? Yes? Anyway, I am starting to wonder if tomorrow's chapter is worth posting, so there is a fifty-fifty chance that I might not post it. Nonetheless, ensure that you check tomorrow anyway! Hmmm... does anyone know when I first started to resort to bribing you guys with clouds of fluffiness? Never mind. Now please review! If you review I will give you another fluffy cloud! But this one rains chocolate milk! And cookies! And bacon! Basically the equivalent of the internet, stuffed into a cloud. I am sure Discord would love to give you guys one... or a dozen.