Mirror's Image

Prologue

Night Light paced down the hallway. The doctors had forced him out of the room, leaving him to pace endlessly in front of the door. He was pretty sure that his horseshoes were filed down to pretty much nothing by now.

A cry of pain from within the room brought him back to his senses as he nervously eyed the door handle.

'Come on...' Night Light thought to himself. 'I can only count the tiles here so many times!'

Three hundred and twenty nine by the way, one was missing for some reason that Night Light couldn't quite understand.

"Dad!" Night Light's ears perked up. He turned just in time to get pushed to the ground by Shining Armor. "Is she here yet?" The excitable little colt asked. "I can't wait to meet her! What are little sisters like anyway?"

"Calm down Shiny." Night Light looked up to see his mother-in-law walk in. "And get off your father, this is a hospital after all."

"Yes grandma." Shining Armor grinned and got off his father, allowing the blue stallion to regain his footing.

"Hey Twinkle." Night Light said.

"Hello dear. How is it?" The older mare asked, concern clear on her face.

"Not good." Night Light admitted. "The doctors kicked me out of the room. And that was hours ago."

"I see..." The grey mare frowned.

"Hey dad!" Shining Armor piped up. "Look what I made!" He held up a stuffed pony. Night Light took a look at it.

It was crudely, yet firmly stitched together, the eyes were mismatched and the hair was a disaster. "Do you think she'll like it? I made it for her!" Shining said enthusiastically.

"Of course she will." Night Light said. "Are you sure grandma didn't help you with this?"

"Of course not dear." Twilight Twinkle said. "The colt's got a good eye to horn coordination. I think it might just be his special talent." She teased.

"What?" Shining Armor uttered. "No way! I wanna be a royal guard when I grow up!" The little colt proclaimed, saluting his grandmother and father just like his heroes.

"That's nice dear." Twinkle said. "Why don't you practice right here? Celestia's finest can stand still for days on end you know."

"Really?" Shining Armor asked with a frown on his face. "That sounds stupid."

"It's a way of meditation." Twinkle explained. "They enter a trance in which they save their energy, yet see all that goes on around them. Nothing gets by them."

"Wow, really? I'll go try that right away!" Shining Armor ran to the edge of the hallway and ground to a halt, assumed a standing position and stopped moving.

"That'll keep him busy for a bit." Twinkle said. "What did the doctors say?"

"Haven't heard from them in hours." Night Light said. "They kicked me out, remember?"

"Before that dear, before that." Twinkle said.

"They were yelling." Night Light admitted. "I only picked up a few things before that behemoth of a nurse tossed me out on my face. Things about that she wasn't positioned right and her umbilical cord." He sighed. "I don't know what to make of that."

"My dear, I think that all we can do right now is wait." Twinkle said as she sat down on the bench. "You get some rest." She added. "You look like you're about to fall over."

Night Light hated to admit it but she was right. He sat down next to her. "Wake me if something happens, okay? I'm gonna get some shuteye."

"Of course dear." Twinkle said.