@Lisain Thanks for the idea! Gave a bit of a fluff piece for some hopeful characteristics for the children and for Gabriella to show off some of those momma bird tendencies.
Late Night Adventures
Stretching a claw up to your beak to stifle a yawn you continued to sleepily walk through the nursery towards the small tea room that Momma has in the big palace. You know she doesn't like sweets that much, but you know better. Every tea time Momma has a fresh batch of biscuits on talon for when you and Pearl and Gwnny all get together to, what was it that Papa called it again, network? Catch up? Some big grown-up word no doubt, but the long and short of it is that you're feeling peckish there are biscuits in the tea room and by Claw and Beak you'll have something to eat!
With a determined nod of your head, you roll your shoulders and flex your wings ready to pounce atop the too far away door handle leading out of the Nursery when your ears catch a faint sob carried on the wind. Straining your ears you turn your head one way then the next trying to follow the sobbing, at least you think it was sobbing, wait what if it's a ghost!? Like that big awful Shadow King that Momma and Papa beat?! Your heart is pounding and you can feel your fur puff up as the darkened Nursery takes on a far more sinister look, every shadow a potential foe. Your half tempted to fly back to your bed and curl deep under the covers until the sun returns when you catch that cry once more. What if someone is hurt? Oh gosh, what if Gwnny or Pearl are hurt!?
Your hackles rise and your claws grind the stonework under your paws at the sheer nerve of that no good shadow! Your Momma and Papa kick it's flank up and down the whole Peregrin, you are your parent's daughter and you'll kick that mean shadow's butt too! Heart full of courage and claws sharp you took off after the crying, you'll be just like the Grandmaster Hardbeak, there to save the day!
Down the hall, take a left and your heart beats even faster as the crying grows louder before you skid on the far too slippery floors past the door. Running back you look up to realize where you are, it's Pearl's room! That jerk is back to get Pearl from your family! It's enough to have you screech in outrage, but Papa always said the best surprise is the one that they never see! So you lower yourself into a pounce, flick your tail just right and leap towards the handle!
It takes your body weight swinging back and forth for the handle to finally give way. Once the door was open you as sneaky as those Nieghpons could be landed in a crouch on the imported Crystal carpet silent as that funny bird Papa talks to all the time. Eyes alert you look about trying to find that stupid shadow pony only to find Pearl in bed, tossing and turning in her sleep. Pearl must be fighting the shadow pony in her dreams! Only one thing to do!
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"Crystaaaaaaaaals."
"No! Get away! Get away!"
No matter how hard you run the creeping shadow with its dark glowing green eyes of fire and smoke continued to gain upon you. You have to go faster, you have to! Yet when you look down at your hooves you whinny in distress at the sight of manacles latched around your ankles hobbling you in place.
"Mine. My Crystal Pony! Mine!" The shadows surround you now as you looked up and the face of nightmares leered out from the shade.
You try to break free of the chains, to think of the wonderful hope that you had once felt with all your fellow crystal ponies when you saw it. The dreaded helmet descending towards your head, you double your efforts, no triple them to break free when you could feel cold steel atop your head you thrashed about trying to get away. Only to feel sharp claws capture your face and the mask slide down the rest of the way, the green haze overwhelming your vision once again.
You awaken with a gasp sprawled across your bed, cheeks sore and some strange shape atop you!
You scream in surprise and the dark shape screeched in response falling away from you!
Scrambling for space you collide with the head of your bed with a solid thunk just as the door slammed open admitting your mother-in-law, Empress Gabriella of Gyphonia armed with steel covered talons and an oil lamp. Her eye's moving around the room Empress Gabriella barked out, "Pearl? Gilda? Are you okay, I heard screaming." Behind the Empress, you could spot at least two Knights of the Order behind her armed with blade and lamps as well.
Wait, Gilda?
Your gaze trailed to the other side of the bed where your assailant of the night had fallen to see it was your little sister-in-law tangled in your sheets and struggling to break free from the fabric. The fabric seemed to be winning until with a wince at the sharp rip that came from Gilda using her talons on the sheets to free herself, she stopped in her thrashing blinking quite owlishly at her mother.
"Momma!" Gilda chirped in response bouncing off the bed into the matron in a ball of fluff and down. "Pearl was in trouble and I knew you and Papa could beat that meanie shadow so I could too and I came to help Pearl-but-then-she-screamed-when-I-tried-and-you-came-to-help-now-we-can-beat-up-the-shadows-together!"
Your ears flick at trying to parse through the rapid-fire words coming from the excitable chick while Empress Gabriella sighed with a smile before dismissing the knights with a flick of her wing, then scooped her chick up in one talon while walking towards your bed. "I see my brave little lioness, now why don't we check up on our fair damsel hm?"
A flush rushed over your cheeks as you drew your covers up, "I'm fine Emp-"
"Bah! Pearl I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, you can call me by my name if you want. None of that Empress nonsense, not with family." Empress Gabriella said sitting beside you, Gilda squirmed out from her mother's claws and pushed her head against yours.
"It's okay Pearl, Momma and I'll protect you!" Gilda said then squirmed in between your legs to rest against your belly. Your snout scrunched at the invasion of privacy before sighing as Gilda always does this, what was surprising was when Empress Gabriella did much the same wrapping a wing around the two of you!
"E-Empre-"
"Pearl."
"G-Gabriella…"
"My little lioness is right, we'll keep you safe so rest easy." The Empress said softly her talon came up to gently pet between your ears and through your mane. Gilda meanwhile had already started to purr as she kept watch with drooping eyes.
"How did you?" You started to ask shame running through your body at how weak you were.
"You're not the only one with bad dreams, you're not alone." Empress, no Gabriella said to you softly, "We'll still be here in the morning."
You hate how childish you sound when you asked, "Promise?"
Gabriella nodded her head, "Promise."
You knew that come cold or shadow, fire or steam, magic or steel that Gabriella, your mother would still be there in the morning. You settled in a sandwich between griffons and despite how cramped it was you couldn't have been cozier as you drifted off to sleep. When you dreamed once more, it was not to shadows and the overbearing mask instead it was to a high hill with bright sun and green fields as your family rested with a picnic on a fine summer's day.
End Scene
Hope it was fun to read at least, I rather liked the idea of Baby Gilda being told tales of how things went about and trying to act out as those big name heroes like her Momma and Papa and Grandmaster Hardbeak!
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