Ollie was mostly a healthy baby, but it was normal for every foal, especially hybrids, to have this many check ups. Candy was used to this. So she sat in the waiting room with her baby in her arms, using her teeth to preen his wings so he looked presentable. However, in the middle of cleaning her baby, she heard a familiar voice from the distance.

“Paragon?”

Paragon? She hadn’t heard that name in…a long time. Looking around in confusion, Candy searched for the source of the voice. And right there, waving from across the room, was a familiar pink quarter-changeling pegasus.

“Lunar? Is that you??”

“Yes!” Lunar Gauntlet seemed unusually giddy as she jumped up and trotted over to Candy. “Oh, it’s been so long! Where have you been?”

”I-it’s nice to see you!” Candy stammered, happy but still taken aback as Lunar pulled her in for a hug. Her sister was certainly a lot more cheerful than how she’d remembered her…not that it was an unwelcome surprise. “I’ve…I’ve been with Holly this whole time. And not just her, but our new, growing family. Including our little Ollie!”

She held up the baby, who simply stared in awe at the unfamiliar mare before him.

”Ollie!” Lunar gasped. “Is that this little colt’s name? He’s absolutely adorable, Paragon!”

”He really is,” Candy gave a chuckle, but her smile faded at the sound of her former nickname. “But please, I’d rather be called Candy from now on. Not…my old name.”

“Oh…”

Lunar grew sober almost instantly. They both sat in awkward silence, the weight of the situation and past events finally sinking in. It was the elephant in the room that neither really wanted to address.

Candy finally spoke up. “I mean…I do understand, a name change would certainly be hard to get used to-“

”That was the name Mother gave you, wasn’t it?”

Lunar was looking straight at her with a concerned, sympathetic expression.

”Y…yes. It was.”

”I’m sorry, I understand. I…won’t call you that again. Candy, was it?”

”Yes,” Candy smiled. This was unusual for Lunar. Normally she was so loyal to their mother that she would insist she accept the name bestowed upon her at birth, no matter how terrible it was. But now…she actually respected Candy’s deviation from her roots, even if it was just a name. It felt…good. Yet there was still one burning question Candy had to ask.

“Has she talked about me?”

Lunar shook her head. “I can’t say. I haven’t seen her in a long time…none of us have. After…well, the last time you visited, Ma was furious. She demanded Mother leave and took measures to make sure she would never return. She even filed for divorce! We haven’t seen Mother since.”

Candy was surprised. Ma had actually stood up to Mother. Lunar was presumably living her own life out from under her rule. They had actually removed her from their lives, and all because she had removed her from her life. And while Candy couldn’t help but be concerned about her, she was…glad. Glad that at least someone was sticking up for her.

”Do you have any idea where she is now?”

Lunar shrugged lightly. “No. We haven’t talked about her at all…Ma never wants to. But I feel so…free now.” A smile grew on her face. “I no longer have to hide my own love. I’d always been afraid that…Mother wouldn’t approve of him. Especially since she didn’t approve of yours. But now Pandemonium and I are happily married and expecting one of our own!”

“What?” The news came so suddenly that Candy reacted a second late. “Oh my gosh, congratulations! How long have you been married? When are you due?”

”We’ve only been married for four months…and our baby is due in seven. We didn’t exactly plan to do this so soon, but life is full of surprises! We’re happy with whatever happens.”

Again, this was so unusual for Lunar. She was normally obsessed with planning, freaking out over the tiniest mishaps and driving herself into a frenzy over making sure she wasn’t late. And now, she was treating an unplanned pregnancy like it was no big deal. Candy was amazed at how much happier and more relaxed her sister was. It was a welcome change.

”I’m so excited for you!” Candy grinned. “I can’t wait to meet the little one when he or she is born! And I’d love to see Pandemonium too! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him.”

“Of course!” Lunar nodded in agreement. “We should really get together more often. I’ve missed you.” She pulled her into a hug.

”I’ve missed you too…” Candy leaned into her embrace. “And you know, the holidays are coming up and we could use some more guests. You, Pandemonium, AND Ma. Momma has plenty of seats at her table!”

Lunar pulled away with a puzzled look. “Momma?”

”Oh! Holly’s mother, Turquoise Edge. I know we’ve heard a lot of things about her, but she’s actually really nice. She let us move in with her and even asked me to call her Momma. She…actually treats me like family.”

”Oh…” A regretful, knowing look flashed across Lunar’s face, quickly replaced with a smile. “Well, she sounds wonderful! Pan and I will definitely be there, and Ma too. Not like we had any other plans…”

”Yeah…” Candy looked down to notice Ollie struggling in her arms, reaching out for the mare beside him. “Hey, Ollie wants to see you!”

”Oh my gosh!” Lunar grew giddy again. “Can I…hold him?”

”Of course!” Candy grinned and handed her baby over. “I’m sure he’d love to get to know his Auntie Lulu.”