Opaline’s frigid heart began to melt like the snow that lay in gray patches on the ground as she gazed down at the tiny blue unicorn filly who lay shivering in her hooves. The foal couldn’t have been more than a few hours old, and though she had never held a newborn foal before, Opaline instinctively adjusted the crook of her foreleg to support the filly’s head. The foal opened her lime green eyes and began to fuss, quickly starting to cry.
“Oh, no, ssshhhh, little one,” Opaline said, rocking the foal. Her small cries were hoarse and weak, and Opaline hurried into the castle, carefully cradling the infant as she rummaged through the cupboards until she found a baby bottle that one of her maids had left in the cabinet to feed her own foal. As the filly’s cries grew louder, Opaline magically conjured a bottle of warm milk and a clean nipple for the bottle, then began to feed the foal, who suckled noisily.
“There you go, little one,” she cooed, continuing to rock the filly as she fed her. “What happened to you, hmm? Who could abandon a sweet little thing like you?” She nuzzled the foal’s forehead tenderly, inhaling her sweet, milky newborn scent. The foal unlatched from the bottle, spit up, then gurgled softly and smiled up at Opaline.
“Gah!” The alicorn recoiled in disgust at the foul-smelling white substance that stained her chest. “You disgusting little beast! You should know better than to—“ She paused, lowered her gaze back to the filly’s innocent little face, and sighed, her anger subsiding as her eyes swept over the helpless creature. As much as she wanted to leave the filly here, the remnants of Opaline’s already distorted moral compass would not allow her to do so.
“You need a name,” Opaline murmured, staring into the foal’s green eyes. “What a pretty little filly you are. You’ll grow up to be a great beauty. Your mane looks like a little cloud of mist. Maybe that’s what I’ll call you,” she gasped. “Misty. Do you like that name, Misty?” The foal smiled again, cooing contentedly now that her stomach was full.
“Misty it is, then,” Opaline said with a soft smile, nuzzling Misty’s forehead once more. “My darling little Misty.”
Suddenly, Misty squirmed and grunted in discomfort. Opaline frowned as a warm, wet substance covered her hoof. The black, sticky goo had no scent, but Opaline instantly knew what it was. She chuckled softly and shook her head.
“Meconium,” she said, smiling proudly. “I suppose I should have diapered you first. You just made your first little mess. Come, Misty, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Opaline hastily conjured a chest full of diapers, formula, and other foal care supplies, then pulled out some wipes and began to carefully clean Misty’s bottom.
“There you go, my little one,” she whispered as Misty began to fuss at the coldness of the wet wipe. “I know it’s cold, darling, I’m so sorry. I’m almost done.” Opaline quickly finished cleaning Misty off, then put her in a fresh diaper, kissing the filly’s tummy and gently squeezing her chubby little legs as she finished changing her. Misty smiled and blinked up at Opaline, who nearly lost her composure simply because the foal was so ridiculously adorable.
The little filly stayed awake for the majority of that night, crying so loudly that Opaline contemplated leaving Misty where she had been found, but not even Opaline was that cruel. She was a mistress of fire whose plans were nearly always thwarted, but her heart still held a modicum of kindness. Groaning, she got out of bed for a feeding every two hours, alerted each time by Misty’s cries. The little blue unicorn needed Opaline, and Opaline had to admit that she enjoyed feeling needed. She lay awake as dawn made its presence known, and right on cue, Misty woke up and began to fuss.
An involuntary chuckle escaped Opaline’s lips as she shook her head and left the warmth of her bed to tend to her new daughter. Misty stopped crying as soon as Opaline picked her up.
“Well, hello,” the alicorn said in a singsong voice as she nuzzled the filly’s forehead. “Are you hungry, darling? Let’s get you fed.” Chuckling again, Opaline prepared yet another bottle and smiled at Misty’s sweet little suckling noises.
“I guess I’ll keep you around,” she sighed. “You could prove to be of use to me when you get a bit older. You’re very lucky I found you, do you understand? You would be dead right now if not for my kindness.” A devilish smirk replaced the soft smile that had somehow made its way to Opaline’s face as she contemplated the idea of raising a servant. As Misty unlatched from the bottle, Opaline gently lifted the foal to her shoulder and burped her, then wiped Misty’s face and nuzzled her tenderly. Misty yawned and fell asleep in Opaline’s hooves, where she stayed until she woke up again an hour later.
Opaline grimaced and reminded herself of her end goal as the filly began to cry. Sighing in exhaustion, she checked Misty’s diaper and groaned at its heaviness.
“You, my little darling, are a poop factory,” Opaline declared in a high-pitched voice, cringing at the unfamiliar sweetness of her tone as she put Misty on the floor and began to change the foal.
“My, my. It seems that my little filly made a stinky,” Opaline went on, cooing at Misty’s creation as she opened the foal’s diaper and tried to breathe through her mouth. “My goodness, what a big mess from such a little foal! Was your tummy upset, darling?” She continued to talk to Misty as she carefully began to wipe the foal’s bottom, grimacing but rubbing Misty’s tummy as the filly decided to empty her bowels on the makeshift changing table that Opaline had set up.
“That’s right, my sweet. Let it all out,” Opaline cooed. “There you go. Why don’t we give you a nice little bath to get you all cleaned up, then you can go back to sleep, hmm? How does that sound, Misty?” She carried Misty to the wash basin and gently washed the filly’s tiny body, then diapered and swaddled her. Misty fell asleep immediately.
As Opaline gazed down at the sleeping foal nestled in her hooves, something inside her shifted. Opaline quickly shoved aside the softness to which her coldness had given way, narrowing her eyes and collecting her thoughts.
“Tenderness is for the weak,” she reminded herself firmly under her breath. “Opening my heart to anypony will only result in pain. I will never allow myself to love this filly. I am a queen, for Celestia’s sake, so Misty will be nothing more than a servant to me.” Opaline punctuated her declaration with a decisive nod, carried Misty to a nearby bassinet, and retired to her bedchamber.