Star Wars: The Great War

by Iroa19

The Clone War was a time that many remember. Many battles were fought, and many lives and people we knew were lost. All across the galaxy, the battle between the force's light and the dark side is at constant ends. War has engulfed everybody as the bitter conflict between the Galactic Republic and Separatist rages on.

107. Chapter 106: Responsibility

Chapter 106: Responsibility

Night Light was in the castle's throne room as he looked over some documents. Moondancer appeared to have some things to report as Twilight's handmaiden.

"Your report?" asked Night Light.

"Yes, your Majesty. Twilight just returned from the Jedi's home," said Moondancer.

"Thank you. That is all," said Night Light as he dismissed the girl.

Moondancer bowed as she left to continue her duties.

"Leave!" instructed Night Light to his advisors and guards as they all bowed and left.

The thud of the door was heard as Night Light was shown on his throne. The king was thinking deeply as he had his hands up to his mouth. He got up and began to walk to a window as he looked out. Night Light saw the garden and his servants working tirelessly before he glanced into town and saw the citizens all walking about with smiles. It gave the man a smile of his own before he saw a certain individual on a horse trotting away. Storm had accompanied Twilight back home from their morning obstacle course session as the boy had to get over to Sugarcube Corner to start his shift.

The king saw the Jedi as he recounted a recent memory.

(Memory)

"Twilight, I have some news. I have received a proposition from one of our nearby lands. The Lord Goneril's son has asked for your hand in marriage."

"Marriage?" said Twilight as she wasn't happy to hear that.

"It's exciting news, my daughter."

"Right," sighed Twilight as she turned and walked a few meters ahead.

"Twilight..." spoke Night Light in a stern tone.

"Dad, it's just... I don't know if I'm ready to be married just yet."

"You're not getting engaged just yet. This is merely someone who wants to be your marriage partner. Remember, your duty. To grow our legacy and bloodline." said Night Light as he walked toward his daughter.

"I feel like maybe there's still stuff out there. Stuff I want to do before I'm locked up forever," said the girl as she looked at the view below them.

The pair were on a hill that overlooked their kingdom as mountains, rivers, the town, and greenery were shown.

"I want to see if I have another path."

"This is the right path," said Night Light to his daughter as Twilight sighed and put her head down while clutching her right arm.

Night Light looked at his daughter as he sighed.

"Twilight, come with me," gestured Night Light to his kid as he began to lead Twilight with his hand on her back as they walked to the edge of the hill as the king talked, "You are the daughter of the king. It is time for you to take your place among our people. Just as our ancestors and I have done before. Even the wild mountain stream must someday join the big river."

(Night Light singing)

As the river cuts his path
Though the river's proud and strong
He will choose the smoothest course

"That's why rivers live so long," said Night Light to his daughter to enforce what he was trying to say to Twilight.

They're steady as the steady beating drum.

As Night Light delivered his message, it panned out to show the town and kingdom. The citizens were shown with smiles on their faces as all around, banners that belonged to the royal family were shown. They all praised and admired the royal family for what its bloodline had done to ensure they had a happy life. Twilight saw what her father meant, as her heritage gave up everything to ensure that the citizens and people looked over for them to be safe for as long as it stood.

The princess looked at the kingdom as she did want to make sure nothing bad happened to it. She didn't want to dishonor her family and shame her bloodline. It's just that she felt so much pressure, and that pressure was starting to squeeze her. She knew her father's time as ruler was coming to a close and that she would have to take over. She... just wasn't ready. It almost made Twilight cry at how much anxiety was starting to build up for the teenager.

Night Light placed his hand on the girl's shoulder. The king smiled at his daughter and wiped the small amounts of water from her eyes as she sniffed. He then brought Twilight in for a warm hug as the music gently died down, with Night Light kissing his daughter's head while stroking her hair.

"You will fulfill your duty," spoke Night Light softy as he hugged his child.
(End of Memory)

Night Light had finished recollecting as he sighed. He reached into his royal garments and pulled out a locket. The king opened it, and inside was pictures of his family. His wife and three lovely kids. A smile appeared on the king's face as he thanked the heavens above and the universe itself for giving him such a beautiful family and being blessed.

"It will be all yours, Twilight," said Night Light as he looked forward to the day when he could pass on the crown to his daughter and live out the rest of his days in peace with his wife.

---

Storm sighed from behind the counter. After his morning session with Twilight, the boy was now at his part-time job as he handled whatever customers came in. For a while, it had been quiet. A sudden cry from upstairs caught his attention for a moment, long enough to completely derail his thoughts, the light Manehatten accent he could hear confirming it as Mrs. Cake. He didn't pay much attention to the sound other than that, fearing if he did, he'd be privy to a more private activity that could elicit that sound. It certainly didn't help that he could hear quite a movement coming from their room.

Fighting to brush aside the distraction, he glanced back to the kitchen, where Pinkie was busy mixing some batter for a pastry that hadn't been ordered, yet she still knew it would be sooner or later. He hummed to himself idly. Pinkie was such an odd girl, having settled in long ago, yet it still managed to catch him off guard every now and again.

His attention was drawn away once again as the constant noise from upstairs started to get louder as well as closer, which caused Storm to frown. Just before he waltzed out from behind the counter and went to check on them, however, Mr. and Mrs. Cake came damn near barreling down the stairs, with Mrs. Cake looking like she had just finished running a couple miles and Mr. Cake looking as though he was expecting a bear to come knocking on his door.

"What's goin-?" he tried to ask, but the frantic man cut him off.

"Cup's going into labor!"

Well, that got things going.

Pinkie came rushing out of the kitchen, looking both excited and anxious.

"Really?!" she asked, "That's great!"

"I'm not sure I agree, dearie!" Mrs. Cake muttered though she went ignored.

"Let's get you to the hospital," Storm said, already heading out the door.

"I'll clear the way. Pinkie, help Mr. Cake carry Mrs. Cake," he ordered, smirking when Pinkie saluted.

"Aye, aye, Cap'n!"

Storm burst out the door, startling a few of the nearby people.

"Mrs. Cake's going into labor," he snapped, "Get out of the fucking way!" the people all nodded, looking somewhat happy at his declaration, and moved off to the side. His order had been fairly loud, which resulted in quite a few other people already moving out of the way, each one seemingly dragging along another as the news passed around.

Storm rushed forward, shouting at the few people that hadn't moved to clear the street when he happened by the apple stand.

"Howdy Storm!" she called, causing him to pause for a moment, "What's the hurry?" she asked, smirking with a raised brow.

"Mrs. Cake's going into labor, so I'm clearing a path for the others to hurry through," he explained quickly. Applejack smiled.

"That's amazin'!" she exclaimed, then gave him a determined nod before grabbing a nearby wagon, "How 'bout I lend ya'll a hand?" she asked. Storm nodded.

"That would be appreciated," he said, then pointed towards the bakery, "Just head to Sugarcube Corner; they can't've gone far," he said. She nodded.

"Alright! See ya there!" she said before jogging the path towards the soon-to-be-no-longer-pregnant woman.

Once he was sure she'd make it, Storm turned back around and charged down the road, resuming his task of clearing the way. However, it turned out to be harder than he'd hoped. There was a surprising amount of activity near the tail end of the marketplace, meaning that, no matter how loudly he shouted for everyone to move out of his way, only one or two people heard it.

"What the hell are you doing, Storm?" a tomboyish voice asked.

That was one of them.

He scowled slightly at her voice but threw aside his dislike for the girl.

"Rainbow Dash!" he snapped, looking up at her, "I need your help with this crowd," he said. Dash blinked.

"Wha- my help?" she asked, then chuckled, "You are asking me for help?" she sounded just as surprised as he felt for the asking, then frowned, "What is it?" she asked, sounding just the slightest bit suspicious.

"Mrs. Cake's gone into labor, and I need to clear a way for Applejack to bring her down to the hospital. I figure you'd have a much easier time getting everyone's attention," he explained. Rainbow stared at him for a moment, then smirked confidently.

"Aw, fuck yeah!" she shouted, "Leave it to me! I'll have this crowd cleared in ten seconds flat!" before speeding off, a rainbow contrail left in her wake.

Storm growled slightly, feeling a little more impatient than he should, but thankfully, Rainbow proved true to her word and suddenly sped back as she appeared. She did something involving her arm as she pointed it upward, and a loud *CRACK* echoed through the area, causing the entire crowd to suddenly stop in their tracks before collectively looking up.

"ALRIGHT, EVERYBODY!" Rainbow bellowed as she was shown firing her blaster straight in the air to get everyone's attention, "MRS. CAKE IS GOING INTO LABOUR, AND WE NEED ALL OF YOU TO CLEAR THE AREA SO SHE CAN GET TO THE HOSPITAL! NOW MOVE IT!"

That did the trick, and not a moment too soon, either. Just as the crowd finished clearing a path through town, did Applejack, Pinkie, and Mr. Cake come rushing down the street, with Mrs. Cake sitting in the cart.

Storm smirked. At least Rainbow kept her word. Ten seconds hadn't even passed, he believed.

"Applejack!" he shouted, "Over here!" he added with a wave.

He saw her nod and her gait increase. He charged off ahead of them, hearing Rainbow land and run with him as he did so. The sight of Rainbow Dash charging down the road proved to be a familiar sight, as people hardly spared them a glance as they moved out of their way, though the large brown cart behind them likely didn't hurt either.

"Yoo-hoo! Storm!" a posh voice called out; Storm's gaze darted to the side, spotting Rarity and Fluttershy, the two of them looking fresh and pristine, likely just coming from the spa, walking down the road towards them.

"Can't talk. Mrs. Cake is going into labor," he sputtered quickly as they passed. Judging by the added footsteps a moment later, he figured they were also giving chase.

The hospital quickly came into sight, and Storm and Rainbow's pace increased simultaneously, the two arriving at the doors simultaneously and pulling them open for the foaling woman and her little entourage. Mr. Cake ran to the front desk, the man sitting at it looking confused. He went to speak, but Mr. Cake beat him to it.

"My wife is about to give birth!"

---

Storm sighed, doing his best to ignore the pained screams he could hear from in the room. The babies weren't even coming yet, and Mrs. Cake was already beginning to hate her husband for putting her through it. He chuckled at the thought.

"Ooohhh..." Pinkie muttered excitedly, "I can't wait for the new babies to arrive!" she cheered, holding her hands up as she wiggled in the chair to his left.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe it's time already," Applejack added, smiling, though she winced at every pained yell she heard.

"Oh yes!" Rarity said, "It's wonderful! Oh, I remember how happy my parents were when Sweetie Belle was born," she smiled fondly.

"Goodness, I don't believe they stopped smiling that entire month!" she added as an afterthought.

"I hope they're ready for it, though," Twilight interjected from Storm's right side, "My parents had a hard enough time dealing with my brothers and me, and Shining is six years older than me," she said with a smile, then frowned, "I can't imagine how difficult it will be to have to take care of two newborn babies."

Mrs. Cake's screams suddenly began again, with renewed vigor. Though he could also hear the excited chattering of Mr. Cake, as well as the doctor and nurses in the room, meaning that she was finally giving birth. He hummed idly, watching in amusement as the girls beside him crowded near the door. He wondered if this was a natural occurrence whenever a woman gave birth or if these girls were unusual.

The screams increased in volume for a moment before a faint blue aura covered the door, and the screams ceased. Storm chuckled. Of course, the hospital staff had access to that spell.

"Oh my, I hope she's doing okay," Fluttershy said, worried. Rainbow scoffed.

"'Course she's doing fine. This is Mrs. Cake we're talkin' about! If she can deal with Pinkie every day, then this is nothing to her!" she said confidently. It worked, given the soft smile that wormed its way onto her features.

"I suppose that's true..."

"We should probably be a little more worried about Mr. Cake," Rarity said, giggling a little, "My Father had quite the bruise on his hand from where my Mother crushed it during Sweetie's birth," she then hummed slightly.

"Either way, he's coming out with a limp, is what you're saying," Storm interjected, causing her to laugh lightly before nodding.

"Indeed."

Time passed both quickly yet agonizingly slow at the same time.

Without the presence of Mrs. Cake's screams to clue them into her moments of rest, they had no idea when she was in the middle of giving birth or when she was stuck waiting for the other kid to come out. There was no guarantee that the first one would come out easily either, so for all they knew, they'd be sitting here for more than a few hours.

Storm tried not to watch the clock; he did, but with nothing else to keep an eye on, he didn't have much choice.

Eventually, three hours passed, in which the girls had slowly started joining him in his endeavor to burn the clock with his gaze, and the door suddenly opened, revealing a white, blue-eyed woman with soft pink hair, a white nurse's cap sitting daintily on her head. With a mark of a red cross with hearts in each corner and her at-ease expression, she was obviously quite used to this.

"Hello, everybody," she began, "Now, I imagine you're here for the Cake family?" she asked, earning seven nods. She smiled, "Alright, well, the babies and mother have made it through the birth without any issues," she paused as Pinkie. Even Storm let out a relieved sigh, causing her to smile, "but we'll be moving them into the care center for a little while, so we can do some tests to ensure everything is fine. So if you could all follow me, that would make things easier."

They followed the nurse, who eventually introduced herself as Nurse Redheart, until they all reached a small waiting room where a large pane of glass separated them from a room where, maybe a dozen or so, cribs littered the area, quite a few of them filled at the moment with peacefully sleeping babies.

The girls all crowded around the window, cooing gently at the little babies, and even Storm found himself sporting a small smile at the sight of the little bundles.

Even so, he carefully scanned the room before him, looking for any sign of the two new babies, though he was unsuccessful, having no idea what either of them looked like.

"Can you believe the new babies are here?" Applejack asked after a while, smiling widely.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cake must be so proud!" Twilight agreed, her smile just as wide.

"I wonder if they're both girls? Or boys? Or perhaps even one of each?" Rarity interjected, "Goodness, I hoped they've prepared names for the little darlings," she added, scanning the room like Storm had not too long ago.

"Ooohhh!" Pinkie moaned excitedly, nearly bouncing in place, her face mushed up against the glass, "I wanna see the new babies! I wanna see them sooo badly! Which ones are they?!" she asked impatiently.

Her question was soon to be answered as a door off the side opened up, revealing a haggard-looking Mr. Cake walking into the room, clearly favoring his right hand over his left, eliciting a pair of snickers from Storm and Rainbow Dash, both recalling Rarity's earlier words. The two of them glanced at each other with narrowed eyes before shrugging them off and returning their attention to Mr. Cake.

"Well, everybody," Mr. Cake began, pausing in between two cribs, his voice loud enough to reach them but quiet enough to not disturb the little ones, "I think it's time to introduce our new kids," he reached over, and gently removed the blanket from the crib to his right, revealing a light brown boy with a darker brown hair, "This is our son, little Pound Cake, " as if on cue, the newly named boy let out a wide yawn, reflexively spreading a minuscule pair of light brown arms, which was met with a round of 'Aww's from the girls, and a gentle smirk from Storm, "And this," he turned and did the same to the crib to his left, "is our daughter, Pumpkin Cake," Pumpkin turned out to be a light cream colored girl with a darker orange hair.

"Two babies for me to play with means two times the fun!" she cheered, before rushing into the room, somehow having procured a party hat, "And since you two were just born today, that means it's also your birthday!" she gushed eagerly, pulling out a party horn. Storm and the others all stiffened at once upon seeing what the party girl was about to do, but they all relaxed when Mr. Cake, thankfully, stopped her.

"Pinkie," he began gently, having successfully snatched away her horn, "I know you're excited about the babies, but they're trying to sleep. You can wait until we bring them home to play, alright?" he asked. Pinkie pouted for a moment before eventually brightening up.

"Okay!"

---

Things progressed simply after that. The twins were brought home and introduced to their new room, with Pinkie cheerfully dragging Storm along into the small celebration, not that she really needed to. About two weeks had passed since their birth, and strangely enough, there was a chill in the air. Either way, the twins had grown progressively more active during the week and could occasionally be seen running around the storefront, giggling loudly.

It was a pleasant sight to Storm. Seeing such innocent joy practically flowing off those two reminded him of happier days. Pinkie had, predictably, taken a shine to the two of them instantly, though, strangely enough, the twins had taken an even greater shine to Storm instead, though they still adored Pinkie.

When they weren't running around, pounding their hands on things, primarily Pound, or chewing on whatever they could find, Pumpkin, they would often follow Storm around the store like a pair of lost puppies. It was cute, he'd admit. Watching the two of them trail after him almost no matter where he walked was amusing on many different levels, though he was careful to prevent the two from following him during his lunch or when he ended his shift.

Storm sighed softly, finding himself, once again, content with his surroundings. Mr. Cake was rushing around, preparing an order he and his wife needed to deliver to Canterlot in a few days, while Pinkie happily played around with the two kids. Mrs. Cake, however, was busy preparing the babies' things for the upcoming meteor shower later that night.

"Peekaboo!" Laughter. "Peekaboo!" Laughter. "Peekaboo!" Laughter.

It was a little annoying, but Storm let it continue. Idly turning his attention away from Pinkie, he gazed back towards the front door, idly wondering why business was so slow today.

Was everyone else also preparing things for the shower tonight? It would make sense. The shower in question only came around every hundred years or so, just in time for the twins to watch it. Shame they'd probably never remember it, though.

The bell above the door rang during his momentary lapse in focus, revealing the familiar pair of the purple princess and small prince walking towards him.

"Sparky. Spike. How can I help you?" he asked. Twilight smiled at him, sending the twins a fond look as well.

"Uh, do you think I could have a couple bags of chocolate chips? And some raisins?" he asked nervously.

"Sure. Fifteen bits," he said, already reaching under the counter for one of Pinkie's 'emergency chocolate stashes, as well as the still untouched bag of raisins that Mrs. Cake had kept under there for when her cravings started up.

"So, whatcha need the chips and raisins for?" he asked, "Planning something special?" Spike stiffened slightly, but Twilight was happy to answer for him.

"We wanted to make some cookies for a little picnic we're having during the meteor shower," she said, smiling happily, "Can you believe it? We actually get to witness a phenomenon that only happens every hundred years! Isn't it exciting?!" she gushed, before abruptly freezing, her face going red. Storm chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess it is pretty exciting," he agreed.

"Wow! Look at the time! Sorry Storm, but Spike and I must head back to the library. I still have an entire checklist I must go through to prepare for the shower later!" she explained rapidly before turning and rushing out the door with her brother.

Mrs. Cake suddenly came jogging down the stairs, holding a large duffel bag Storm was sure was filled to bursting with baby supplies.

"Okay!" she began, "I've gotten everything ready for the night. Blanket, snacks, the twins' bottles... am I missing anything, dear?" she asked, setting the bag beside Storm.

"It doesn't sound like it, hun," Mr. Cake responded on one of his trips back into the kitchen, "But maybe bring an extra blanket or two in case," he added through the window. Mrs. Cake nodded.

"Alright."

Pound and Pumpkin, who had still been happily entertained by Pinkie, finally seemed to notice the presence of their dear mother behind them. They spun around cheerfully, crying as they happily ran over to her, giggling. Mrs. Cake laughed.

"Oh, and how are my little babies doing?" she asked, peppering the little kids with kisses, each kiss eliciting a small cry of joy from the little ones.

Storm felt his smile, which had started to grow slowly as he watched, die a vicious death just like that. He stared for a moment, watching as the kids cooed and hugged Mrs. Cake; bright, cheerful smiles abound before he tore his gaze away.

His heart hurt. He could hear it pounding in his ears like a tidal wave, crashing against his mind with every passing second! It ripped and tore at his very core-

A Mother...

He didn't understand why. It was just a small show of affection from a pair of babies towards their mother, so it really shouldn't bother him.

Lost long ago, a fleeting memory...

It was nothing. A small, insignificant little thing. It wasn't like he was jealous of those kids for loving their mother, right?

A small kid cried desperately for a familiar warmth, but it never came...

Storm grit his teeth, holding a hand against his head. Those cheerful cries, once a source of smiles, now only caused his budding headache to worsen, causing sharp pains to course through his mind without rest. He felt... confused by the feelings coursing through him. He spared another glance towards the twins and their mother, feeling something surge within him, but found himself unable to identify it.

Luna...

The boy saw a mirage image of his master as she held a small boy in her arms. The kid reached out as it grabbed her hair and began to suck on it as the Jedi rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Mother is always here for you, my son," said Luna as she grazed Storm's forehead.

Storm wondered. What was it like to have an actual mother?

---

Two hours had passed, and Pinkie happily led him towards Sweet Apple Acres, where the entire town was gathering for the meteor shower. Thankfully his headache had faded within that time, but, unfortunately, his feelings of-longingresenmentloneliness-confusion plagued him the whole trip.

"Hey, girls!" Pinkie called, picking up her pace for a moment until she arrived cleanly between Applejack and Applebloom, who looked just as excited as Pinkie, "Are you all ready for this super-fantastically amazing meteor shower to start?!" she asked. Applejack laughed.

"I sure am, Pinkie!" she replied.

"Oh, it's going to be simply marvelous!" Rarity agreed, walking over to them, Sweetie Belle in tow.

"Yeah! It's gonna be amazing!" Sweetie added, her voice squeaking slightly.

"Hey girls!" the voice of Scootaloo chirped as she came running up to them, "You all ready?" she asked.

""YEAH!"" they cried before the three of them jogged off.

"Well, they seem excited," said Twilight as she and Spike set up the picnic blanket.

"Hmm," was Storm's only reply, still lost in his earlier thoughts. Twilight glanced at him, immediately taking notice of his glossy-eyed look.

"Storm? You okay?" she asked, feeling concerned for her partner.

""Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm alright," he said, "Just... thinking about something," replied the boy as Twilight didn't choose to pressure him further.

"Look! The shower's starting!" shouted Spike as he pointed upward.

One of the nearby guards set up a telescope as everyone scrambled for a good spot to watch.

Storm ended up standing to the right of Twilight as the show started. It started with one. Then one became two, which then became five, and it continued until the entire sky was littered with glowing trails of light that stretched across the infinite void beyond. It was magnificent. The dark midnight and purple sky glowed as the shimmering meteors passed through the atmosphere. Each one glowed almost alien radiance, leaving a glimmering trail of stardust in their wake.

For some reason, Storm found it harder and harder to focus on the shower as time passed, however. Yet, none of the hundreds of awed gasps around him drew his attention from the spectacle before him.

Save one.

His eyes trailed over to the purple girl beside him, her eyes wide with wonder. Her mouth was open in a silent expression of awe and joy, her form coated delicately in the trailing light of the meteors, passing over her every second, and illuminating her soft eyes. He watched for a moment as her eyes reflected the sky before her, the way those soft amethysts shone in the darkness.

For an instant, he was struck with Twilight Sparkle's sheer beauty.

Her soft breaths were rendered all but inaudible by the cacophony of sound around them, yet he could hear each one as though they spoke to his very soul. The small puff of mist her breath made glittered daintily in the cold night air. If he listened carefully, he could even track her gentle heartbeat, each life-giving pump sending her blood throughout her body, coursing through her very being. The way her stomach rose and fell with every breath and gently swayed to the side as her focus was entirely upon the light show in the sky.

His eyes trailed, once more, upwards, watching as the gentle breeze caused her hair to flow softly, the delicate strands of hair brushing softly against her face. The wonder expressed through her face was a sight he could've watched forever.

Eventually, Storm realized just how intently he was staring and redirected his gaze an instant before Twilight risked a glance at him. The Jedi did manage to sneakily slip his hand into the princess' without any of the guards knowing.

Twilight smiled before she cast a look down. She saw Storm holding her hand as she made sure to not let her gaze be seen by the royal guards. The princess tightens her grip around her partner's hand before returning her gaze to the sky.

The meteor shower concluded almost fifteen minutes after Storm wrenched his gaze away from Twilight, though he still had to prevent himself from staring during the picnic on occasion.

He munched quietly on one of the cookies that the princess, and her brother, had brought along, thinking to himself. His confusion from earlier had, thankfully, faded sometime during his... examination of Twilight. However, what hadn't subsided was his curiosity about what that curiosity had stemmed from. Obviously, it had something to do with the twins and Mrs. Cake, possibly Mr. Cake, though he doubted it.

His mouth twitched downward. There were only so many explanations, and it was obvious in hindsight. So obvious that it was actually a little funny.

He was jealous of a pair of kids.

"Mmmhmmm! These cookies are deeeelish!" Pinkie announced, licking up the crumbs she'd been sloppy enough to leave littering her face.

"Yep! Spike made them!" Twilight gushed, "He's been practicing the recipe for years now!" she added, before frowning, "I've never been able to eat too many of them at once, though. I always need something to wash them down w- S-Spike?!" she stammered, having been halfway to grab a glass of punch, only to discover the prince in question passed out with his head in the bowl. Her surprise fled her after a moment, replaced by fond giggling.

"Hey, look, everybody!" Pinkie called, "Looks like the punch has been... Spike'd!" Pinkie's joke caused laughter from the group, even earning a few chuckles from Storm.

"Oh, poor little thing..." Rarity cooed, looking over the sleeping prince. Twilight giggled once more.

"Looks like he tired himself out. Well, I guess it's time I head home and put Spike to bed," she added as the guards began to clean up everything. One of them was selected as a tribute to carry the small prince back to the castle as they began to leave.

"Aww, already?" Pinkie asked, making Twilight laugh a bit.

"Yep, sorry, Pinkie," she said. A loud yawn from Rainbow kept them from talking further.

"Bloom and I gotta get up a might early tomorrow, so it's we time hit the hay as well," she said, gesturing for her younger sister to follow.

Applebloom and the others bid each other good night before she hurried off after her big sister.

"Come along, Sweetie Belle," Rarity said, "Ladies need their beauty sleep."
"Coming!"

Everyone soon left as it was just Storm and Twilight alone in the park.

"I'll walk you home," he offered before he could stop himself. Twilight stiffened minutely but turned her head to face him, smiling.

"I'd like that."

The trip itself was mostly silent, the two apparently quite content to walk beside one another. Storm glanced at the princess, only to find his gaze meeting her, equally surprised. They blinked at each other for a moment before both rapidly looked away, each turning a faint red.

"S-so, how'd you like the, uh... the meteor shower?" Storm managed, cursing himself for stuttering.

"It was... amazing," Twilight breathed, her tension melting away, her relaxation causing Storm to follow suit, "I never thought I'd be lucky enough to actually watch something that amazing. And with my friends, no less!" she gushed, practically vibrating, "I'll never forget tonight!" she added enthusiastically, beaming at him.

"Well, we're here," he said once they arrived at the castle door, "I'll see you at the course tomorrow morning, right?" he asked. Twilight nodded confidently.

"Of course!"

"Sweet dreams, princess," said Storm.

"Good night, Jedi Knight," responded Twilighty softly as she began to open the door but not before giving one last look at the boy and disappearing.

---

Storm found mornings were something he'd started to look forward to, even a surprisingly nippy one like this one.

It had nothing to do with the fact that he got to spend extra time with Twilight and most certainly had nothing to do with the fact that said time involved her getting sweaty, out of breath, and flushed as a tomato. He didn't find the way her figure heaved with every breath alluring or the way the sweat smoothed down her skin and gave it a shine alluring in any fashion. How she looked beautiful and perfect, no matter what. Her body and how attractive it...

... Well, maybe it did, but he didn't mind. His crush and infatuation with the princess grew with time, as evidenced by his nearly forgetting to hit stop on the timer.

"Three minutes, forty-two seconds," he called, watching how she flopped onto the ground, out of breath, amused, "Good job, you shaved off two seconds from last time. Keep it up, and you might reach my current time," Twilight tried to scoff, but all that came out was a breathless huff.

"You... you mean... the one where... where you're wearing weights?" she asked, incredulously, "How... in the hell... am I supposed to catch that?" she asked.

"Practice," he replied cheekily, ignoring the half-assed magic swat she'd aimed at him.

He pointedly ignored the magic that struck him, whatever fear he'd felt towards it before gone in place of his crush. That was one pro of the damn thing, at least. He glanced towards the sky, gauging the sun's location, and nodded, "Alright, time's up for now. I gotta head to work." Twilight nodded.

"O...okay," she huffed, groaning slightly as she made her way to her feet, "I... I gotta head home too," she said.

"If you want... you can use my shower before you head home. I don't mind," said Storm.

"Y-you sure," asked Twilight.

"Y-yeah. Just make sure you lock up when you leave," said the Jedi Knight as he began to leave.

"Storm!" said the girl as she called to the boy.

"Yeah?" said the boy as he looked at the princess.

"I... nothing. I'll see you later," stated the girl as the boy smiled and left.

The girl sighed as she failed to inform her partner what she wanted to say. She... wanted him... to be... her...

Storm waltzed into Sugarcube Corner a few hours later with a little flair, as usual. Unlike usual, however, he was beset by a pair of hyperactive little kids before he even made it to the counter. Storm chuckled slightly as Pound and Pumpkin eagerly grabbed onto him, clinging to him as though they hadn't seen him for months.

He made no effort to extract them from their perches, carefully walking over to his station behind the counter, smiling slightly at their little laughter.

"Well, it looks like someones are happy to see you," Mr. Cake remarked from the kitchen, eyeing his little ones with fondness. Storm nodded.

"It would seem so," he glanced down at the pair of brown and blue eyes peering innocently up at him, "I'm not too sure why, though," he added.

"Well, I think I have an idea," Mrs. Cake interjected, coming down the stairs, with Pinkie following behind.

"Do you now?" he asked, earning a nod from the motherly woman, though she didn't elaborate. She walked over to him, eagerly picking up the babies who, upon seeing her, demanded 'upsies.' Storm watched the twins with restrained longing in his eyes before he tore his gaze away from the trio a moment later.

The store had yet to open, and thus the building was empty. Storm was broken from his thoughts when Pound and Pumpkin were suddenly set in front of him, happily sucking on a bottle, staring at him with wide eyes. He glanced over at the Cakes, a thought suddenly coming to mind.

"So, since the twins can drink from the bottle just fine, who'll be watching them while the store's open?" he asked, "I'd imagine that, as they're your kids..." he trailed off when he noticed the suddenly strained smiles of the married couple.

"Well..." Mr. Cake began.

"While that's a lovely idea, dearie," his wife continued, "don't you remember what today is?" she asked. Storm blinked.

"Tues?"

"That's not what we mean," Mr. Cake interrupted, "Today is the day that Cup and I have to head up to Canterlot to deliver a wedding cake for Mr. Fancy Pants, and we can't exactly bring the twins with us," he explained.

"Are you asking me to?"

"Babysit?" Mrs. Cake interjected, before nodding, "Yes. Since we'll leave later today, we aren't opening until we get back tonight. So we were hoping you could look after the twins for us since they like you so much."

"Me?" he asked again, hoping they'd clarify. Mr. Cake nodded.

"That's right," he said, smiling, "Not only do the twins just love you, but we know that you're a responsible boy. You wouldn't be a Jedi otherwise, right? Not to mention how you saved our lives during that night of the break-in." he reasoned.

"Besides, dearie, we trust you," Mrs. Cake added, smiling at him. Storm stared for a moment, then fidgeted.

"I-I don't know..."

"Ooh! Me! Me! I can look after the twins if you want!" Pinkie asked excitedly, "I just love playing with Pumpkin and Pound!" The Cakes spared each other a nervous glance and turned to her.

"Well, Pinkie, babysitting is a huge responsibility, especially with two babies," Mr. Cake said.

"And it's about taking care of them, not just playing with them," Mrs. Cake added.

"I know," Pinkie said, "And I'm totally responsible enough to take care of the twins!" she added firmly. Storm twitched.

What was he to do? Take care of the twins or let Pink- who was he kidding? He didn't have anything else to do today, so why not?

"I'll babysit," he said in the momentary silence that proceeded with Pinkie's claim. The Cakes noticeably sagged with relief.

"Oh, thank goodness!"

"We were worried we'd have to... not that you're an awful choice or anything, Pinkie, just Storm is-!"

"We'd prefer if somebody like Storm, whose-"

"-calm, collected-"

"-responsible, gentle-"

Gentle? The fuck?

"-looked after the twins."

"You understand, right?"

The Cakes stared at Pinkie with a pair of sincere, but also worried, smiles on their faces, with Pinkie meeting them with a slightly confused expression.

"Aww..." was Pinkie's response after a moment, her hair deflating comically. Storm rolled his eyes.

"You can help me if you want, Pinkie," Storm said. There was no point in letting Pinkie sulk around all day. Besides, he could honestly use the help; there were two, after all.

"Yay!" Storm shook his head at her antics.

It was now later as the sight of nearly a hundred separate boxes and pastries, half of which Storm had never even seen before, littering the counter and tables of the shop, with Mrs. Cake quickly packing each pastry into a small box and Mr. Cake tending to the babies.

"Oh! You're back!" Mrs. Cake exclaimed before sighing in relief, "Oh, thank goodness!"

"Is something wrong?" Storm asked as he returned from his walk; the Jedi took a few steps forward. Mr. Cake stepped before him and thrust the twins into his waiting arms.

"There's been some sort of mix-up in Canterlot!" he said, frantically returning to the kitchen.

"Mr. Fancy Pants was kind enough to reserve some seats for us on the train when he made the order," Mrs. Cake explained in her husband's absence, finishing up the packaging, and went to reach behind the counter, pulling out a bag and a piece of parchment, "But, apparently, somepony in Manehattan had been trying to reserve the entire train for himself, and now we need to go far earlier than we were supposed too."

"I see," replied the boy as he looked at the twins in his arms.

"Well, here you go," Mrs. Cake said, handing off the bag and parchment to Pinkie, "There are some diapers in there, some milk, and that list details everything you need to do and look out for," she said, prompting Pinkie to unroll the list.

It hit the ground and rolled about five feet away from them.

That... was a little excessive.

"Alright," he said, not bothering to voice the thought.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" he nodded.

"Of course," Storm said, just as Mr. Cake walked out with a large trolley, a large wedding cake sitting atop it before he began loading all the small boxes onto the lower portion, "You have nothing to worry about. They're in good hands, I assure you."

"Oh, I know," Mrs. Cake said, "But I can't help but worry about my little gingersnaps," she muttered fondly, leaning forward to nuzzle the babies in his arms, who giggled happily at the attention, "I'm sure you understand what it's like for a mother to leave her kids. As responsible as you are now, I know your mother must've been tearing her hair out whenever she left you alone," Mrs. Cake inferred.

Storm smiled at her, although something about it must've been wrong since she turned a sickly pale at the sight of it.

"I wouldn't know. I don't know who my parents are. I don't even know what they look like. I was abandoned when I was a baby. My master found me and took me in. She raised me as if I was her son. So no, no, I don't know."

"Oh. I'm sorry," said Mrs. Cake as she felt dirty for what she said to the boy, not knowing his past. "I didn't mean to offend..."

"It's alright," sighed Storm as he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

The woman saw how the teenager was acting as she was kicking herself for saying something offensive, even if she didn't mean to.

I feel like shit. He's had a rough life, and he's only a kid. I can't imagine what he must have gone through to become imperious about emotions.

Mr. Cake wisely chose to interrupt the conversation, pushing the cart over to the group, having just finished filling the damn thing.

"Well, we'll be leaving now. Are you sure there's nothing you need?" Storm nodded.

"I'm sure, Mr. Cake," he responded absently, moving out of their way. The Cakes shared an unsure look, but eventually, they relented and began heading down the street toward the station.

"Well, alright," Mr. Cake said, pausing a few feet away from the door. "We'll be back later tonight."

"There are some bits under the register if you need them!" Mrs. Cake called, "And remember-!" she was cut off by Storm slamming the door in her face, feeling just the slightest bit vindicated for her earlier comment, however unnecessary it might be.

Mrs. Cake was looking at the door in front of her as she didn't blame the boy for shutting it in her face. Mr. Cake made his way to his wife as he could see how distressed she was.

"I feel awful. I didn't mean to..."

"Shh. It's okay, honey. You had no idea." said the man to his wife as he brought his arm around her.

"He's just a kid. And he's been through so much misery," stated Mrs. Cake.

"I know. But let's not forget Storm is a Jedi. They're trained to not let emotions get to them. And in some cases, to not feel emotions." said Mr. Cake as he hugged his wife even tighter. "Don't worry, he'll take care of our kids. We have faith in him. Now come on, let's go."

---

Storm was shown with his hand on the door after shutting it in the woman's face. His head was down as the boy was really letting Mrs. Cake's statement get to him.

"I'm sure you understand what it's like for a mother to leave her kids."

Storm was starting to breathe heavily as he felt his heart starting to hurt. Sniffles could be heard as water started forming in his closed eyes. The Jedi Knight was just seconds away from crying his heart out.

"Okay!" Pinkie almost shouted, evidently excited, "Now it's playtime!" she called, setting the bag and list down before bounding off, leaving Storm, and the twins, behind. Storm sighed, glanced down at the babies on the floor, and stiffened.

Pound and Pumpkin were both staring at the door their parents had just left through, looking confused. A moment passed before the two started to sniffle, already beginning to miss their mother and father.

He knew that feeling.

Storm's face twisted into a grimace, but it passed away instantly, replaced by a soft but ultimately indifferent expression.

"It's okay," he cooed, leaning down to gently nuzzle them as he picked them up, "Your parents are just out for a little while, but they'll be back, I promise," he added, gliding across the shop floor, taking the bag and list along with him. It was obvious that Pinkie wouldn't be much help if her sudden abandonment of him meant anything.

He gently set the twins onto the counter, where they stared at him with wide and slightly teary eyes. He sighed slightly and gently ran a hand along their heads, causing them to coo happily, their previous sorrow dissipating at his ministrations.

With a flick of his wrist, he rolled out the list and began eyeing its contents. It wasn't so much a list as it was an itinerary listing various times and activities for him and Pinkie to follow. The list, despite being as long as it was, only listed out activities for about six or so hours for them to follow, and, considering the trip to Canterlot was about two hours, plus one of they were traveling to Manehatten first, coupled with the average two to three hours that most weddings lasted. The Cakes would return home somewhere between eight to ten hours from now.

He nodded to himself and eyed the first thing on the list.

Lunch.

He smirked and, swiping the twins up and into his arms, made his way into the kitchen just as Pinkie came back downstairs.

"Hey, watcha doing?" she questioned him, even as he set the twins into their respective highchairs.

"I'm going to feed them," Storm responded, figuring it would be enough. He dug through the fridge for a moment before emerging with a pair of bowls with some orange much in them, likely prepared in advance, and set them before the twins.

"Oh! Can I help?" Pinkie asked excitedly, practically vibrating on the spot. Storm blinked, a little surprised at her enthusiasm, but nodded.

"Sure. You can feed Pound while I feed Pumpkin, alright?"

"Okay!"

Storm rummaged through the drawer for a moment, then returned with a pair of spoons, only to pause.

"C'mon Pound, eat up!" Pinkie encouraged the boy, miming digging her face into the bowl, '"It's super yummy!" Storm blinked.

"Pinkie... what are you doing?" he couldn't help but ask. Pinkie turned to look at him, looking just as confused as he was.

"What do you mean? I'm trying to feed Pound!" she gushed, smiling.

Storm stared for a moment before shaking his head. This was likely why Mr. and Mrs. Cake were against asking Pinkie to babysit.

"I'm... assuming that you have absolutely no idea how to take care of a baby, is that right?" he asked. Pinkie shook her head.

"Of course, I know how to take care of a baby!" she said, reaching out to bop him on the nose, "I play with Pound and Pumpkin all the time!"

"I know," he replied, frowning, "But there's a difference between 'playing with a baby' and 'taking care of a baby,' you know?" Pinkie tilted her head.

"Really?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

Storm sighed and took his place before Pumpkin, tossing the second spoon over to Pinkie.

"Just watch me."

Taking the spoon, he quickly scooped up a bit of the mush and held it before Pumpkin. She sniffed it before turning her head away.

"C'mon, Pumpkin," Storm whispered, "Aren't you hungry?" he asked gently.

He gently guided the spoon forward, aiming for her mouth, but she turned away again. He hummed for a moment before grabbing the nearby bottle and holding it out to her. Pumpkin's gaze locked onto the bottle, and she leaned forward, mouth wide open, presumably to sate her odd habit of chewing on everything. Storm took the opportunity to slip the mush into her mouth while pulling the bottle away.

"There, it's not so bad, is it?" he asked, watching as Pumpkin had little choice but to chew. After hesitation, she eventually swallowed and opened her mouth for more.

"Wow... how'd you do that?" Pinkie asked before frowning and looking at Pound, "I couldn't get them to eat that easily..." she muttered. Storm sighed but continued feeding Pumpkin.

"Playing and having fun with them is all well and good, but things change when they're your responsibility, Pinkie," Storm explained, extending an arm to gently wrap around her, hoping it might comfort her, if just a little, "It's a part of being an adult, and right now an adult is what the twins need, not a playmate," he finished, then nodded at the bowl as well as the quickly growing hungry Pound, "Now, try feeding him properly this time."

Pinkie nodded and, sending furtive glances over at him, calmly scooped her own mush into the spoon and held it out towards Pound. Pound, likely seeing his sister's reaction, ate without complaint, making little 'om nom' noises as he did so. He smiled, more towards the massive smile Pinkie started sporting than the obvious enjoyment Pound was experiencing.

The two of them finished feeding the babies after a few minutes, but without difficulty. Partway through eating, Pound had gotten a little too excited and started hitting his table, causing some of his mush to spill onto his skin, though he didn't seem to mind. Pumpkin had gotten too attached to the spoon feeding her and fell face-first into her mush when Storm pulled it away. Thankfully she seemed to find it funny, so she didn't end up crying at the mess.

Storm sighed softly, "Pinkie, could you draw a bath for them while I clean this up?" he asked.

Pinkie saluted, "Yes, sir!" she exclaimed before darting up the stairs, causing Storm to sigh again. He regarded the messy babies with a critical eye, even as he grabbed a towel and ran it underwater.

"Something tells me I'm going to look after Pinkie just as much as I will you two," he concluded.

---

Pinkie giggled to herself as she squirted some soap into the water, watching eagerly as the bubbles began piling up. The kids were gonna love this so much!

There were tons of bath games they could play! Like 'Marco Polo,' 'Who-Can-Make-The-Biggest-Splash?', and waaaaay more!

She clasped her hands over her mouth, trying to hold in her laughter. This was gonna be so much fun!

She froze abruptly as Storm's words suddenly came back to her.

Playing and having fun with them is all well and good, but things change when they're your responsibility, Pinkie.

Pinkie frowned. He was right, wasn't he? She thought that babysitting the twins meant more playtime, but all they had done so far was feed them, and she totally messed that up! Mr. and Mrs. Cake made looking after them so easy, and all Pinkie really had to do was keep them happy, and she was really good at that! But... she never really had to do anything else. She didn't feed them, bathe them, change them... she just played with them.

Boy, being an adult is pretty boring, she mused, and Storm makes it look so easy, too... No wonder he's a Jedi...

Well... so what? If being an adult was this boring all the time, then it just meant that making people happy was the right thing to do! And that was something she never messed up!

The door opened behind her, startling Pinkie so bad that she nearly fell into the tub.

"Alright, you two," Storm intoned gently, "time for a bath." He glided over to the tub, mostly filled with water, and turned off the tap before gently plunging the twins into the water, removing their diapers in the same motion.

Pinkie smiled fondly as the twins babbled to each other for a moment before an idea popped into her head. Rushing over to the nearby cabinet, Pinkie pulled out a familiar rubber duck and quickly tossed it over to the twins, hearing it land in the water with a small 'plop.'

The twins practically froze when the duck landed in the water, a moment that Pumpkin happily took advantage of, quickly picked it up, and began chewing on it. She seemed particularly happy when she bit down, causing the duck to squeak.

"We don't chew on things, Pumpkin," Storm admonished the girl, gently removing the duck and setting it back in the water.

A moment of thought passed, and Storm started patting the duck, making it slosh around in the water. Pound laughed and started copying him, with Pumpkin following not too long after.

Unsurprisingly, Pound Cake was the one to discover the joys of splashing, giggling happily as he sent a small wave of water cascading onto his twin. Pinkie saddled up to the tub, watching them with a wide smile, while Storm leaned back, seemingly content to let them play for a while.

Of course, Pinkie couldn't let them play by their lonesome, now could she? She quickly gathered some nearby bubbles into her hands, giving them a hard blow and sending the entire pile into the air. The twins stopped playing for a moment, gazing up at the shiny bubbles in the air with looks of awe on their little faces. Pinkie nearly 'squee'd.

They were just so adorable!

Unfortunately for her, the bubbles soon started falling down. Pumpkin started chasing after a few of them, trying her hardest to catch them in her mouth, while Pound was too busy trying to hit a few of the ones that came close to him, thankfully never hitting his sister in the process.

But it didn't last. Storm finally returned to the tub, announcing the end of playtime.

"Pinkie, hand me the shampoo, would you?" he asked; Pinkie nodded and handed him the bottle after a quick trip over to the counter. Squirting a sizable dollop in his waiting hand, he passed the bottle back to Pinkie, confusing her for a moment.

"Uh...?"

"You still want to help, right?" he asked, already lathering up Pound's hair, turning it a soapy white. Pinkie blinked before she understood.

"Yeah!"

She smiled, turned back to Pumpkin, and started squirting shampoo into the girl's hair. Once she'd squeezed out about a handful of the stuff, she tossed the bottle aside and quickly started scrubbing the soap into Pumpkin's hair.

The baby girl giggled at the sensation of Pinkie's hands in her hair, which only resulted in Pinkie laughing with her.

"Hey, this isn't so hard!" Pinkie announced, scrubbing harder.

Unfortunately, her renewed vigor caused the soap to fall past Pumpkin's hair and into her eyes.

Pinkie was forced to stop abruptly as Pumpkin suddenly burst into tears.

"WAAHHH!"

Pinkie's heart clenched.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no, what'd I do?!" she panicked, "It's okay, Pumpkin! It's okay! Um, um, uh-!" she looked around frantically, trying to find something to calm her down.

While Pinkie was searching for saving grace, Storm grabbed a nearby towel and gently started scrubbing the soap away from Pumpkin's eye.

"It's alright," he cooed softly, gently rubbing the irritant away, "There's no need to cry."

Pumpkin's cries died after a minute, with Pound looking at his sister worriedly, displaying a surprising amount of situational awareness for the child.

Pinkie turned back around when Pumpkin's cries died down, staring at Storm with no small amount of wonder.

"Wow..." she breathed. She frowned to herself but shook her head after a moment.

With the crisis averted, Storm took the time to finally rinse their hair, gently scooping water into his hands and letting it fall over their little heads. He made sure to avoid causing any more soap-related accidents, and Pinkie joined back in once it was clear everything was fine.

He pulled the plug and let the water drain away, setting a towel on the ground for him to place the twins on as he did so. He plucked the two from the water with a gentle scoop and set them down on the towel.
Before he could do much else, there was a loud knocking from downstairs. Frowning, he turned to Pinkie.

"Dry them off and take them to their room to play, alright?" he asked, pushing a towel into Pinkie's surprised hands, "I'll be back in a minute."

Pinkie blinked after the retreating boy before something tugged on the towel she was holding. She looked down and sighed.

"Towels aren't food, Pumpkin!"

---

He shut the door behind him and, when it was clear that Pinkie wasn't following, let out a deep, shuddering breath.

It hurt.

Watching over them, caring for them... Seeing how happy they were to have that hurt. It tore at him from the inside out; it felt like something was ripping at him from within, screaming and raging to wipe the smiles from their faces, for how dare they mock him!

He growled but forced himself to let out a deep breath. It was getting worse. At this rate, he might have to let Pinkie take charge. The knocking from downstairs sounded again, reminding him of what he was supposed to be doing.

Storm quickly walked down the stairs to the bakery door and swung open the top half. He peered out the door for a moment as Derpy was standing there with some mail.

After signing some papers and being handed the Cake's mail, Storm returned upstairs. Taking a small detour to check the bathroom, finding it empty, before heading to the twin's room.

He quickly slipped inside, letting a small smirk work onto his face at the sight of the twins playing with some blocks. Though given how Pumpkin was watching as Pound repeatedly knocked a few blocks together, he wasn't sure if 'playing' was the right word for it.

Entertaining, might be better.

He migrated over to Pinkie, who was watching the two of them play with a serene smile on her face.

"I would've expected you to be playing with the twins, not watching them," he remarked, causing Pinkie to jump.

"Oh!" she yelped but relaxed and sent him a surprisingly tired grin, "I was, for a little bit, but..." she sighed and glanced back at them, "I kept getting distracted since Pumpkin kept chewing on everything, and Pound kept hitting things, and..." she let out a world-weary sigh, drooping down low, "I don't know how the Cakes do it all day," she muttered, "taking care of a pair of twins is hard." Storm chuckled.

"Welcome to adulthood," he snarked, "it's a real pain in the ass." The boy made sure the kids didn't hear him curse to avoid them accidentally saying it in front of their parents.

He and Pinkie shared a small chuckle before a... peculiar scent hit their noses. Simultaneously, they both pinched their noses shut and turned to the twins, who seemed oblivious to everything around them.

"Smells like someone needs a diaper change," Storm muttered.

"Or two," Pinkie agreed.

They spared each other a grimace before each grabbed a diaper from Mrs. Cake's bag.

The twins remained unaware of their encroaching presence, too focused on the pile of innocuous blocks to pay them attention. As such, it was no surprise that the two of them let out startled yells when Storm and Pinkie snatched them from their playtime, though they didn't protest once they recognized the two of them.

Setting down Pound on the nearby dresser, Storm frowned. He... didn't really know how to change a diaper. He'd seen Mr. Cake do it enough times that he was sure he'd manage, but... he didn't exactly have any practice doing it. He quickly rooted through his memories, trying to find any instance where he watched someone, aside from the aforementioned Mr. Cake, change a diaper.

Nothing. A few minor stories he'd heard in passing, but nothing practical.

Figures.

Still, it wasn't a complicated process, as evident by how easily he and Pinkie changed the twins moments later. Thankfully the two of them made little fuss and soon were placed back with their blocks, which they returned to immediately.

He not-quite-slammed the lid shut on the bin of diapers, ignoring the vehement disgust coursing through him, before promptly blocking the experience, hoping it would go away one day.

He fished out the itinerary from the bag, gave it a quick once over, and checked the clock.

Four hours of work, perfectly on schedule.

It didn't even feel like four hours.

He sighed and replaced the list. Another four or so hours of foalsitting awaited him. He felt something tug on his shirt, and a quick glance revealed Pumpkin, the pacifier missing, happily 'nomming' on his shirt.

He smiled, ignoring the twinge in his chest, and gently pulled it away.

"We don't chew on someone's clothes, Pumpkin," he admonished gently, carrying her back over to her brother. He set her back down and backed away, letting her resume her playtime. He nodded to himself. According to the itinerary, it was nearing their bedtime, anyways, so it was best to let them tire themselves out.

It might be a little early, but they were still very young. So, they needed more sleep.

He frowned suddenly and looked around. The room was clean, most toys were carefully put away, and the twins were in sight. But there was something distinctly missing.

Pinkie.

He scanned the room once more before his ears began twitching. His expression softened, but he quickly became curious when he realized she wasn't doing anything. Why had she migrated to her room if that was the case?

He shook his head. It wasn't his business what Pinkie decided to do with her time. She had probably decided that Storm had things well in hand and had gone to take a quick rest.

He frowned and made a decision.

"C'mon, you two," he cooed as he made his way over to the twins, "it's time for bed."

Storm placed the babies in their crib as they put up a small fit about going to sleep early.

"You gotta go to sleep. Or else you won't be big and strong," said the boy as he flexed his arm to help the kids understand.

The kids seemed to get what the older boy was saying as they soon let out a yawn and fell asleep within minutes. Storm smiled at seeing the bundles of joy before he covered them with their blanket and leaned into the crib to give them a peck on their heads. The Jedi Knight slowly made his way to the door; he silently closed it to not wake them up. With that done, it was now time to handle his other objective.

"Pinkie?" he called, knocking on her door with an ear flat against it.

"Come in."

He frowned at the sad reply but set it aside for the moment. He slipped into Pinkie's room, closing the door softly behind him. Pinkie was lying on her bed, facing the door with a sad look.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, hiding a frown. Had something happened?

"Hmm... nothing," she mumbled, turning until her back faced him. Storm let his frown show.

"Well, that's obviously not true," he replied, walking towards her, "What happened?" He stopped by her bed just as she rose to face him.

"You're..." she trailed off, mumbling something he didn't catch; he frowned.

"I'm... what?"

"You're more... responsi..." His frown deepened.

Was Pinkie trying to say what he thought she was trying to say? No... there was no way...

"Again?"

"You're more responsible, okay?!" she snapped before looking away with gritted teeth, "I'm just... not.. as good as you are with kids, alright?" she breathed. She adjusted her position, sitting straight up with her arms around her knees.

"Pinkie, where is this coming from?" he asked. Responsibility never seemed to matter to her before, so why was she... "It's because you've never needed to be responsible before, isn't it?" She cringed at the question but didn't deny it.

Storm sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Now, how was he to fix this? Slowly, an idea began forming in his head. It... wasn't the best idea, and, quite frankly, it could backfire in more ways than one, but what else was he to do?

"If being responsible is what you want," he began slowly, choosing his words carefully, "then... why don't you look after them for the rest of the night?" he asked. Pinkie blinked in shock and looked at him.

"What?" she asked, staring at him as though he'd grown a second head. His ear twitched slightly.

It was a shaky idea. Having Pinkie look after the twins for the rest of the night could very well turn out badly, but, as it was, he didn't know if he could manage it as he was. It would allow Pinkie to be responsible on her own and keep himself away from the babies. Besides, he'd just finished putting them to bed, so what could go wrong?

Faust, he hoped he didn't jinx it.

"I'm... I've been getting some really bad headaches all day, and I'm worried that the twins might catch whatever it is that I have," he lied smoothly, "so, in return for keeping the twins healthy, you get a chance to learn for yourself how responsible you are, or can be," he offered. Pinkie stared at him, blinking owlishly once more. Suddenly springing into motion, she fumbled off the bed and all-but-tackled him, wrapping her arms around him in a hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" she repeatedly chirped, her sad demeanor fading away like smoke in the wind. Storm grunted as she applied too much pressure around his neck, but mercifully, she let go moments later. She stared him in the eye, a determined gaze overtaking her usually excited one.

"I won't let you down!" she proclaimed, nodding firmly, a wide grin fastened to her face. Storm nodded and returned the smile.

"I know."

---

Storm sighed, weaving through the crowd of ponies that permeated the marketplace.

Was this really okay for him to do? It's not like he could not work through the issues, both his and Pinkie's, and take care of the twins simultaneously. It would just be... annoying, is all.

The Jedi Knight was now making his way toward the castle as he figured he'd stop by to see what Twilight was doing. But also because he wanted to find out what the princess tried to tell him before he left. He soon arrived at the castle as he stepped through the front door. The Jedi began to walk toward Twilight's room and knocked on it.

"Sparky? You in there?" asked Storm.

"If you're looking for Twilight, she's not in her room."

Storm turned as standing a few meters away was the princess' handmaiden.

"The princess has me to fetch if you show up. Come with me," said Moondancer as the Jedi followed her.

Twilight was shown on top of the tower as she sat on the edge with her back turned. The girl was looking at the view before as she took it in. The wind blew as it was a bit chilly, but her sweater gave the girl some warmth.

"Sparky."

The girl looked at the tower entrance as Storm climbed the last flight of stairs. The boy saw the princess as she smiled before turning back to look at the view.

"Stargazing?" asked Storm as he approached the ledge and put his arms on it to look out.

"Yeah. It's something I enjoy. Even when I was younger and Celestia's apprentice. I loved to read the star maps in the archives. If you asked where to locate a planet, I could tell you the exact coordinates just by looking at a map in ten seconds." stated the girl.

"Bragging much?" said Storm as he looked at the princess with a raised eyebrow.

"Sorry," said Twilight as she looked down and traced her finger into the stone.

"It's okay. I admire it," said the boy as Twilight blushed.

"So... how did babysitting Pinkie and the twins go?"

"Ehh," shrugged the boy. "It worked out; I just left Pinkie to handle the rest of the night."

"You sure that's a good idea?" asked Twilight.

"No," answered Storm truthfully.

Both teens chuckled as they looked at each other. They soon turned back to look at the view of the night and the sky in silence. After what seemed like 30 minutes, Storm glanced over at Twilight. The girl was still looking at the sky when the boy asked the princess.

"Twilight... what did you want to tell me before I left?"

Twilight's eyes widened as she looked away. Safe to say, she didn't expect her partner to ask what he was saying in this scenario.

"It's... nothing..." said Twilight.

"You sure?" asked Storm.

Twilight didn't respond, as it seemed she was considering telling her partner what she wanted to say. Seeing that the girl was battling with her thoughts about confessing, Storm decided to not ask again as he felt it would be best if she told him when she was comfortable. As he started to leave, the Jedi began to head toward the stairs.

Before he reached the stairs, Storm was surrounded by a purple aura as he was then yanked back. Twilight saw the teen leaving and quickly used her magic to pull him toward her. Storm soon found himself in front of the princess as she did something unexpected. Twilight wrapped her legs around his waist as she had her arms around his neck. The girl held onto the boy as she didn't want to let him go just yet.

"Sparky... wh-"

Storm was silenced as Twilight put a finger to his lips as stared into the boy's eyes. The Jedi instinctively moved his hands to the girl's waist as he held the princess. The boy was waiting to see what the girl would do as this was the most intimate she'd been when it came to putting her hands on him.

"Storm..."

"Twilight..."

Their faces were so close due to how Twilight held onto the boy.

"You know how you promised that you'd look after me. There might be a way to make it official.

"Huh?"

"As princess... I'm entitled to have someone as my personal guard."

"Personal guard?" said Storm.

"Know some things come with being my personal guard. But the most important one is that you attend to me and my needs. Both professionally and personally." said Twilight, as there was a small, subtle tone behind how the girl said 'personally.'

"Princess..."

"Well, what do you think of my decision?" asked Twilight.

---

Storm was walking through the market as he had just left the castle and was heading home. He sighed, pausing in the middle of the emptied street. A brush of cool air washed over him as his open-zipped hoodie fluttered in the breeze. He gave another bitter sigh but didn't move any further. The cold didn't bother him, couldn't bother him.

Why was this bothering him? Being alone, that is. He'd been going it alone for the longest time. Only now did it start to bother him.

A sudden, loud cry tore through the silence, followed by a peal of laughter. He stiffened for a moment before tracking the sound to its source.

Sugarcube Corner.

Sounds like Pinkie and the twins are having fun, he mused.

His heart suddenly wrenched at the thought of those twins. Their soft smiles, their bright laughter, their adoring eyes as they stared at their mo-
His head twitched violently as he quashed the thought.

The wind became a gale.

He ignored the wild whipping of the wind as he tore his gaze away from the bakery. Despite this, the thoughts stayed.

It must be nice to have a mother.

"What even makes a mother, anyways?" he growled, his words almost drowned out by the fierce wind.

The question revolved around in his head for a moment. What did make a mother?

Blood? Choice? Chance? Fate?

He paused, pondering the question he'd mistakenly thrust upon himself.

Blood didn't make a family. He knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt, thus, that couldn't be the answer.

Choice couldn't be a factor. No one could truly choose their family, much less their mother.

Chance? With how shitty his luck often turned out to be, could chance even be a factor in this?

Fate? Did it even exist?

What was it then? There had to be something! What was it that made his family his own?

Was it their experiences together?

Was it a desire for companionship?

No. It couldn't be any of that. There was only one thing it could really be...

Love.

It could only be Love.

That was it, then. If love bound his family together, was it a Mother's Love that made a mother a mother?

Had he ever felt such a thing? His mind wrapped around itself, hunting for the feeling.

Blurry images of black and blue filtered through his mind before bursting into a messy haze.

He didn't know if his mother had ever felt that Love for him. No, there was no way his mot-... no way that woman had felt a Mother's Love for him, so, by that logic, she wasn't his mother, right?

Right?

He didn't know.

What even comprised a Mother's Love?

...

A mother was someone who took care of their child, who taught them, who helped them grow, and who raised them... yes?

Was that a Mother's Love?

He chuckled to himself. It was a hollow sound that not even the wicked cold pervading him could fill.

Someone who took care of him, who taught him, who helped him grow, someone who raised him.

Funny, that sounded a lot like Luna.

But... but that couldn't be, right, right? Luna wasn't his mother, couldn't be his mother, even. She hadn't... she had never shown him those things, had she?

Someone who took care of their child.

---

A fuzzy memory of a time long ago. A broken individual lay on the bed, wrapped in a blanket. A pair of empty brown eyes opened, revealing a world of pain and fear hidden beneath. Grunting slightly, fear was replaced by curiosity once he realized his surroundings were different.

Was this death, he wondered. It certainly seemed like it.

A nearby door suddenly opened, revealing a strangely familiar sight.

A large person walked into the room. Her hair was the night sky itself perfectly aligned with each other, never overflowing, never fading.

"Oh!" the woman gasped, the voice revealing it as female, "My my, I didn't think you were awake so soon," she admitted. Her voice was soft and smooth. It reminded him a little of something, but he wasn't sure what.

The small thing made a noise as the woman lifted the small baby into her arms. She rocked the small thing as she hummed.

"No need to worry, Storm. I'll take care of you from now on."

---

No... no, that... that wasn't...

Someone who taught him.

---

"Once... upon... a dime...?"

"Time, Storm, a 'T' makes a 'tuh' sound. You're thinking of 'D,'" his teacher gently admonished him.

Storm winced slightly at the screw-up. He knew his teacher wouldn't hurt him for it, but it was hard. Luna, the woman from their first meeting, traced a hand alongside his, helping him along the sentence.

"In... the maj-magical land of...," he continued, correcting himself, "There were... two re... regal sistah-sisters..." he trailed off at the next word, "Wh-whao... Wh-um...?"

"'Who,'" his teacher supplied, "Like an owl," she added. Storm nodded and, licking his lips, continued,

"Ho-Who ruled toged-ther and... kurated?"

"Created."

"Created harmonie. Ny. In the land. D-To do this, the elduh-der used her uny-"

"You-knee, Storm. The 'U' makes a 'you' sound like this," Luna explained. Storm was silent for a moment.

"... English is hard," he finally responded, causing the Jedi Master to laugh. She held a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggling.

"Y-yes, Storm, English is a very hard language to understand," she agreed and sent him a fond smile, "but you're doing wonderfully, especially since it's only been a few years," she said as the boy was no longer a baby, but a small kid. Storm frowned a little.

He was doing... wonderfully? He didn't know what that meant. He'd have to look it up in the thesaurus Luna gave him later.

"I think that's enough reading for today," Luna said, "It's been a few hours since we started," she added. Her hand lifted before a small stack of blank paper, a pencil, and a paper filled with letters appeared before him, "I have to attend a meeting with the Jedi Council to discuss some things. Until I get back, why don't you practice your writing?" she suggested. "Once I return, we'll continue with our Jedi training."

---

O-okay, but... but that didn't mean anything! She was just-just helping him, is all!

Someone who helped him grow.

---

A flash of light tore through the neck of a dummy, sending it falling to the ground with a lame *THUD*.

Storm sighed and gave the sword another practice swing.

"Hmm... too short," he muttered to himself.

"Out practicing again, Storm?" a warm voice asked him from behind. The tween, startled slightly, whirled around to face the newcomer and sighed when he saw her.

"Master," he greeted, then frowned, "Isn't Day Court still in session?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion. The Jedi smiled at him.

"Yes, but I've decided to take a small recess to stretch my legs," she said, walking over to him, "I fear sitting in that chair all day will leave me stuck to it someday," she added, smiling. Storm tilted his head.

"I don't think that's possible," he said, "Someone would have to do something to keep you stuck to anything," he began, "although I suppose if it was hot enough-" a blue hand covering his mouth cut him off. He looked up at the woman, who was giving him an amused look.

"I was merely joking, Storm," she clarified, "I don't actually think I'll stick to the chair one day." Storm blinked as she removed her hand.

"Oh," was his response, followed by a frown, "I still don't understand this... joking thing you do."

He turned back to his training dummy just in time to miss the worry flashing across his master's face.

"... How have you been lately, Storm?" the Jedi Master suddenly asked, using her Force powers to lift the severed dummy head back onto its owner, "I understand that you've been... restless since knowing that your trials are about to begin," she added. A rumble escaped Storm's throat.

"I've... been fine," he admitted, a sneer crossing his face, "Now that I have my kyber crystal, I now have to build my own lightsaber, but nothing I try... fits if that makes sense." Luna nodded.

"I understand. It must be difficult trying to adjust to a new lifestyle so suddenly," she said somberly, "I was much the same when I had to construct my personal lightsaber," she admitted.

"It's not just the lifestyle," he muttered, swinging the lightsaber pike used for training, watching in only mild satisfaction as it sunk into the dummy, nearly splitting the newly repaired head in half; he let go of the handle and put the weapon back on the rack, "Everything feels... different."

"I see," the Jedi Master began before gently returning to his side, "Often times when there is a large change in our lives, we find ourselves struggling to reconnect with what we know," she gently expanded an arm, wrapping him into a half hug, "You've been through more than most, Storm. I believe you're simply struggling to come to terms with the fact that something you'd grown used to is gone, much like when we first met. As you so eloquently put it, you've... 'lost your purpose,'" she reminded him. He scoffed.

"Is that all?" he asked sarcastically, removing himself from her embrace, taking a moment to move over to a nearby weapons rack, hefting a dual-phase lightsaber replica, "Unlike back then, I know more now. I can actually do something about it, but I don't know what," he added bitterly, returning to Luna's side.

"You're only ten, Storm," the princess reminded him with a smile, "You're not supposed to."

With a mighty swing, he growled and cleaved the dummy in two from head to bottom.

"Too heavy..." he muttered and turned away, ignoring the wide-eyed look his master gave him.

"That was... impressive," she said, leaving out the 'and terrifying' part she was thinking.

Two lightsabers? Storm muttered to himself, no longer paying much attention to Luna. She sighed softly, watching the misguided boy rummage through the weapon's rack.

"Here!" she said suddenly, causing him to freeze, "Try this. It's my original design for my lightsaber before I upgraded it," she added. Before grabbing the thing from Luna's hand, he pondered her words for a moment.

The boy made his way to the pile of junk that he had collected to construct his lightsaber as he began to do some tinkering. Soon it was done as he returned to his dummy, which Luna had just finished fixing.

He held the lightsaber out parallel to himself before lashing at the dummy with three quick strikes.

A moment passed, before its head, legs, and body split apart.

Both Storm and Luna blinked in surprise before the former chuckled.

"Yeah. That works," he muttered, spinning the lightsaber in his hand. The Jedi Master eyed him for a moment, sparing a glance at the butchered dummy every few seconds.

"Storm," she began, catching his attention, "it's time to begin your trials."

---

... Okay, okay... She-she had done a lot for him. More than anyone else ever had.

But-but that didn't make her his mother! It's not like she... it's not like she...

Someone who raised him.

---

"I'm proud of you, Storm," Luna said, smiling as bright as the sun she rose. She gazed down at the slightly embarrassed 13-year-old, "Only three years have passed since you began your trials, and you've already made the rank of Jedi Knight. It won't be long before you're a Jedi Master." Storm chuckled.

"Well, I suppose I can say I had a good teacher," he returned, smirking up at the woman. Luna laughed.

"I would hope so!"

The two of them walked on, passing through the halls of the Jedi Temple. Storm slowed and thought back to his knighting ceremony, where Luna had the honor and privilege of giving her student the title.

"... To think, thirteen years ago, I wasn't even sure I'd be alive, and now look at me," he muttered, "Jedi Knight," Luna nodded.

"It's certainly an achievement," she noted, a serene smile overtaking her features before it hardened into a frown, "But your life isn't going to be easy, you know?" she asked. Storm scoffed.

"Was it ever easy?"

"I mean it, my student," she repeated firmly, stopping to face him with a serious look, "You're one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy. People will do everything they can to get you to side with them; you must be prepared for that." Storm frowned.

"Only if they know me," his gaze hardened, "I... I don't need everyone knowing who I am, Luna."

"Storm?" He shook his head.

"I work for you, and you alone, Luna. I serve the Republic and the High Council. You're the only one who needs to know me," he argued, "As your apprentice, my duty is to you."

Luna stared at him, uncomprehending.

Was this still that same scared boy from thirteen years ago?

Her mouth twisted itself into a frown, but she nodded regardless.

"Alright," she said, placing a gentle hand on his head, "alright. If that's what you want, then I see no reason to argue otherwise," her lips formed into a wry grin, "You've grown so much since we met, but you're still as stubborn as ever," Storm smirked, his eyes dancing with an internal flame.

"I get it from you, you know?"

---

She was... she was...

Was she his mother?

No... no, no, nonononononono!

That couldn't be true; it couldn't be!

She was a Jedi Master, not his damned mother! He knew that, hedidhedidhedid! Luna wasn't his mother; she was-

-thereforhim-

-she was-

-byhisside-

-she... she...was-

His Mother.

No... no! Not true! Nottruenottruenottrueatall!

His head began to hurt.

He clutched his head between his hands, and an a-poundingroaringburning-ache manifested in his skull! It raged and ripped at his mind, tearing away everything he knew and believed!

She wasn't his Mother!

His legs grew weak.

He fell to the ground, still clutching his skull, even as he began convulsing wildly, his body no longer under his control.

She wasn't his Mother!

The world began to spin.

His mouth tore open in a silent scream, his eyes staring blankly at the cloudy sky, the snow fluttering around the seemingly possessed boy.

Was she his Mother?

His mind grew blank. The rocks around him began to resonate with his emotions as they lifted off the ground.

Mother?

His heart threatened to burst.

No one was around to see the writhing of the broken Jedi, leaving him alone as he'd always been.

... She was his Mother.

Everything slowed to a crawl-

He froze all movement, now still as a statue. All at once, his body fell limp, and his eyes began to close.

She had to be.

-as the world went black.

Author Note's: Well. Things certainly took a bleak turn towards the end, huh? Plus even more glimspes at Storm's past. Not to mention Twilight having selected Storm to be her personal guard makes things even more interesting. And then of course having to babysit again, this time watching the Cake twins, but also showing just how much of an adult so a Jedi is given all the stuff they go through in training. In some ways, you could sya being a Jedi means you don't get a childhood or that your youth is taken away so early as you're so focused on adult responsibilities. As always leave a review expressing your thoughts and comments.