[FFML] [fanfic][MLP:FiM] The Alicorn Foal, Chapter 1

[Mythril Moth]

As usual, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, 
used without permission.

C&C welcome!

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Chapter 1: Blessed Event

========================

Twilight Sparkle, mane in disarray and eyes barely half-open, trotted 
sleepily to the front door, head throbbing in time with the insistent 
knocking. It was just past sunrise--Twilight had planned on sleeping another 
twenty-three minutes and thirty-six seconds--and the purple unicorn wondered 
just who could be pounding on her door at this hour, and what color throw 
pillow they wanted to be turned into.

Unsurprisingly, it was Pinkie Pie. Twilight groaned. "Pinkie, it's ear--"

"LAVENDER ROSE IS HAVING HER FOAL!" the excitable pink pony yelled.

Twilight blinked once. Then, instantly, she was wide awake. "Well why didn't 
you say so?" she asked.

"Um...I did?"

"Oh. Right. Gimme a sec." Twilight charged upstairs, took a few seconds to 
get herself in order, and wrote Spike a short note--she'd have woken him up 
to go along, but he was likely to just be grumpy and drag everyone 
down--before dashing back downstairs to join her friend. "Okay, let's go!"

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Ponyville Hospital, where a small 
crowd had gathered. "Wow, everypony in town is here," Twilight commented.

"Not everypony," Pinkie said. "I'd say about maybe eight percent of 
everypony."

The unicorn rolled her eyes, then trotted up to the front door of the 
hospital. "Pardon me, excuse me, coming through..."

"Hey, no pushi--oh, Twilight Sparkle, excuse me," Time Turner said, making 
room for Twilight and Pinkie.

Twilight entered the lobby and trotted over to the reception desk. "Pardon 
me," she asked, "I just heard Lavender Rose is--"

"Yes, yes, the doctor said to expect you," the receptionist said. "Go right 
ahead."

"Thank you," Twilight replied. She and Pinkie made their way deeper into the 
hospital. Pinkie was vibrating with excitement. "A new foal a new foal a new 
foal..."

"Yes, a new foal is very exciting, but you realize how important this is, 
right?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah! A new foal! Lavender Rose is gonna be a mommy! I'll have to throw a 
new mommy party! Again!"

The unicorn sighed. She drew in a breath to explain, but stopped short when 
she nearly bumped into a nervously pacing pegasus stallion. "Oh. We're here. 
Good morning, Sable Star."

The pegasus noticed them, and nodded. "Good morning, Twilight." He glanced 
nervously at the delivery room door, pawing at the floor with a hoof. "Do 
you...do you really think...?"

"The last four weren't," Twilight replied. "And the odds are...honestly not 
in favor of it. But..."

"Yeah, I know. Don't misunderstand, I'm just happy to be a new father," 
Sable said hastily. "I just..."

"I understand completely," Twilight said soothingly. "This doesn't happen 
every day, after all, and there's always a slight chance..."

"I know, which is why you're here," Sable said, flicking his tail and 
resuming his nervous pacing. "What...I mean, if it IS, then...?"

"Don't get too worked up about it yet, Sable," Twilight soothed. "Wait and 
see what happens first. If it is, then..."

"What're you two talking about?" Pinkie Pie asked, tilting her head 
curiously.

Twilight stared at her in disbelief. "You're...kidding, right?"


"Nope!"

The unicorn sighed. "Of course." She drew in a breath to start to explain, 
when once more she was interrupted; the delivery room doors opened and the 
doctor emerged, eyes wide and ears twitching.

"Doctor!" Sable cried, trotting quickly to the door. "How's Lav? How's the 
foal? Is everything alright?"

"Everything's fine. Your little filly is beautiful and healthy, and Lavender 
Rose is perfectly fine." The doctor hesitated.

"And...?" Sable prompted.

The doctor looked over at Twilight Sparkle and swallowed. "And I believe 
Miss Sparkle needs to see this foal immediately."

Twilight's eyes widened. Sable backed away a pace, one front hoof raised. 
"You mean--?" the nervous father asked.

The doctor nodded. "Congratulations are in order, Sable. Your daughter...is 
an alicorn."

=================================

Twilight, Sable, and Pinkie trotted quietly into the nursery and peered down 
at the tiny sleeping form, swaddled in pink blankets. The little foal's coat 
was a deep velvety red; tufts of frost-white mane and tail were just barely 
visible. Her horn was stubby, and though they were hidden by the blanket, 
she had tiny, fluffy pegasus wings which were too weak to even spread...yet. 
An exhausted dusky-pink unicorn mare lay beside her, nuzzling the little 
newborn tenderly.

"Wooooooow," Pinkie breathed as the ponies looked at the little foal.

"Isn't she amazing, dear?" Lavender Rose asked, looking up at her husband 
with a smile.

"She's absolutely beautiful," Sable Star breathed softly. "An alicorn...I 
didn't really think..."

"She's beautiful," Twilight Sparkle said, smiling. Then, her ears flattened 
slightly. "I need to inform Princess Celestia immediately."

"Must you?" Lavender Rose asked, wilting. "I mean, is it--"

"I understand how you feel," Twilight said sympathetically, "but you knew, 
when you became pregnant, there was a chance this might happen. An alicorn 
foal...is the most rare and unusual gift anypony could wish for, but it also 
requires certain...measures."

"Yes...of course," Lavender said with a sigh. "You're right, Twilight. I 
just..."

"Awww, don't be sad!" Pinkie said. "I'll throw you and your new foal a great 
big party and everypony will come, you'll see!"

Twilight smiled. "Yeah, let Pinkie throw you a big party, and leave 
everything else to me."

As the purple unicorn left, Nurse Redheart asked quietly, "So, have you 
decided on a name yet?"

The new parents looked at one another. "Not yet, but we need to discuss 
it..." Lavender replied.

"Of course," the nurse said with a smile. "There's no rush."

Pinkie leaned in and took a closer look at the foal, nose almost touching. 
"Y'know what she reminds me of?"

"What?" Lavender asked.

"A red velvet cake. With white frosting! Ooooh, I think I'll make one for 
the party!"

The new parents looked down at their foal.

"Red velvet...?" Sable echoed.

"White frosting...?"

They shared a look, and smiled in unison...

=================================

The hot air balloon docked at Canterlot, and Twilight Sparkle trotted 
purposefully up to the Palace. The guards let her in, and within moments she 
was facing her mentor.

"Twilight Sparkle! Good day to you. Would you care for some tea?" Celestia 
asked.

"Your Highness," Twilight said breathlessly, "Lavender Rose had her foal 
this morning at sunrise."

"Oh?" Celestia asked.

"Princess...it's an alicorn."

The teapot Celestia was pouring from wavered slightly. "Truly."

"Yes."

The atmosphere in the room had become thick and silent; everypony's eyes 
were on the graceful, powerful ruler of Equestria. "Then I must come to 
Ponyville and see for myself, immediately."

=================================

In Ponyville, news of the surprising birth had spread like wildfire, and the 
talk of the town was the new alicorn foal. Pinkie's friends were gathered in 
the park, discussing the hot topic of the day.

"Ah don't git it. Why's it such a big deal?"

Rainbow Dash snorted. "Oh come on, AJ. It's an alicorn!"

"Alicorns are very, very rare," Fluttershy said softly.

"Yes, and the birth of an alicorn is such a rare event that it is absolutely 
imperative all of Equestia take notice," Rarity said.

"Ah don't quite reckon Ah know jes' whut an alicorn is," Applejack admitted, 
ears drooping.

The others stared at her in disbelief.

"Whut? Ah'm a farm pony. All Ah know is apples."

"Okay, you've met Princess Celestia, right?" Rainbow Dash said.

"Eeyup."

"An' you know how she's got wings like a pegasus an' a horn like a unicorn, 
right?"

"Eeyup."

"Okay, that's an alicorn," Dash said.

"OH! Okay, Ah git it now."

"Alicorns are the most powerful of all ponies," Rarity said. "The birth of 
an alicorn is a monumental event. In the last fifteen hundred years, only 
four alicorns have been born, including the foal that arrived today."

"The other three are Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess 
Cadence," Fluttershy added.

"So you see, when a new alicorn is born, all of Equestria takes notice," 
Dash finished. "I mean this is really, really big."

"So whut's gonna happen?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean, if this is all such a 
big deal an' all..."

"Well...nopony's really sure," Rarity hedged. "There's not exactly an 
established protocol for this sort of thing. I mean, beyond Twilight Sparkle 
reporting the birth of the alicorn to Princess Celestia. Nopony except the 
Princess really understands what an alicorn foal entails, and even she might 
not be sure what to do."

"Whut's there t' do, though?" Applejack asked. "Ah mean, they ain't jes' 
gunna take Lav's foal away jes' cuz she's an alicorn, right?"

"Certainly not!" Rarity huffed. "However," she added, pawing at the ground, 
"the Princess might decide that certain measures need to be taken. It's 
possible she will ask the family to relocate to Canterlot so the alicorn 
foal can be properly supervised..."

"Leave Ponyville?"

"It might be...safer," Fluttershy whispered. "Alicorns are VERY powerful. I 
mean, we've all seen what Princess Celestia and Nightm--I mean, Princess 
Luna can do."

The mares were silent for a moment.

"Yeah, Ah can understand that."

"But for right now," Rarity said in a more upbeat tone, "we have more 
pressing matters to attend to."

"New mommy party?" Rainbow Dash guessed.

"New mommy party," Rarity affirmed.

"Ah'd better rustle up some cider then," Applejack said, galloping off 
toward her family farm. "See y'all at th' party!"

The others dispersed, agreeing to meet at the library later before the 
party.

=================================

Hushed whispers followed Princess Celestia and her student as they made 
their way through the hospital, headed for the nursery. Lavender Rose and 
Sable Star greeted them; both ponies looked very nervous.

Celestia smiled at the new parents. "Congratulations," she said softly.

"Th-thank you, Your Highness," Lavender replied shakily.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight Sparkle said formally, "may I present your 
newest subject..." She trailed off, casting a prompting glance at Lavender 
and Sable.

"Velvet Frost," Lavender supplied.

Celestia smiled, leaned down, and nuzzled the foal. "She's adorable," she 
cooed.

"Yes, she is," Twilight agreed with a smile. Then, hesitantly, she asked, 
"So...what are you planning to do?"

"Hmm..." Celestia mused. "I'm not entirely sure...I'll have time to consider 
it, because this little one's magic won't start to act out until she's a 
month old, six weeks at the most..."

"You're not...going to make them leave Ponyville, are you?" the young 
unicorn asked, ears flattening.

Celestia laughed musically. "What? No, of course not. But this foal will 
need more supervision than even you, my faithful student, are capable of 
providing," the princess concluded. "I'm just not quite sure how to 
proceed..."

Twilight frowned, rubbing her chin with a hoof. "If I may suggest 
something..."

"Yes?"

"Maybe...I mean, there *are* three full-grown alicorns living in Canterlot. 
Maybe you, Princess Luna, and Cadence can, I dunno, take turns coming down 
to Ponyville to help out? One day a week each should be enough, and it won't 
get in the way of anything important. And if there's an emergency, I can 
always send a letter right away via Spike."

"An excellent idea," Celestia said, nodding. "I will speak to my sister and 
niece at once."

=================================

As expected of a Pinkie Pie party, the welcome party for Velvet Frost was a 
tremendous success. Pinkie and the Cakes had baked an enormous red velvet 
cake with vanilla icing and powder-blue sugar sprinkles; Rarity thought it 
was rather corny, but everypony enjoyed the rich, delicious cake. Applejack 
and Big Macintosh had hauled in seven barrels of their finest cider, and by 
the end of the evening, everypony except Twilight Sparkle, Lavender Rose, 
and--obviously--the new foal were absolutely smashed.

As the party wound down, Twilight helped Lavender escort Sable and Velvet 
home; Velvet was sound asleep in her mother's saddlebag and Sable was 
listing drunkenly on his left hooves. "I think somepony overdid it a bit," 
Twilight said.

"I think EVERYPONY overdid it a bit," Lavender replied, laughing. "But I 
couldn't have asked for a better reception for little Vel." She turned and 
nuzzled the foal tenderly, cooing softly.

The purple unicorn smiled. "Yeah, this'll be a day Ponyville remembers for a 
long time."

Lavender's ears twitched. "I'm a little worried, Twilight," she admitted. 
"What if..."

"Don't do that to yourself," Twilight cut her off sharply. "Don't worry 
yourself over what might happen. Trust me, it's NOT worth it. Just...enjoy 
being a new mother for now, and in a month or so, well...whatever happens, 
happens."

"You're right, of course," Lavender said. "Thank you, Twilight. For 
everything...and for agreeing to help when Vel's magic kicks in."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world! A new alicorn, from 
foal to filly...and I'll be there to document every day of her growth! 
Nopony's EVER had an opportunity like this!"

Lavender laughed, shaking her head.

-----ONE MONTH LATER-----

Twilight Sparkle, mane in disarray and eyes barely half-open, trotted 
sleepily to the front door, head throbbing in time with the insistent 
knocking. It was just past sunrise--Twilight had planned on sleeping another 
twenty-three minutes and thirty-six seconds--and the purple unicorn wondered 
just who could be pounding on her door at this hour, and what color throw 
pillow they wanted to be turned into.

Surprisingly, it was Rainbow Dash, and she looked decidedly unhappy. "Huh? 
Rainbow Dash? What's up?" Twilight asked, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

Dash, front hooves crossed, scowled. "Tell me something. It's the middle of 
summer, right?"

"Yes, of course it is," Twilight replied. Annoyance began to creep into her 
voice. "And...?"

"So mind tellin' me why the hay it's SNOWING?"

The pegasus flung the door open wide and fluttered to the side, affording 
Twilight a full, clear view of the frigid, snowy summer morning. Ponies were 
looking up and around in confusion at the freak winter weather.

Twilight's jaw dropped. "What...the..."



To be continued...


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Mythril Moth
www.mythrilmoth.net