Clouds of White and Grey

by BronzeUnicorn

Prologue

Harsh winds beat against the building walls as a young couple sat in the small hospital room for the return of their newborn foal. The mare, Sun Drop, had just given birth after five hours of labor and the stallion, Mud Rust, had stayed there the entire time, helping his wife through it. Now, however, they were stuck waiting.

“Why are they taking so long?” The mare asked, breaking the tense silence. “Is there something wrong with our foal?”

“Now, Sun Drop. I doubt it’s anything like that.” The stallion replied, trying to reassure his distressed mate.

“Then explain why they haven’t brought him back!” She flailed her forelegs as she said this, narrowly missing her husband’s snout.

He reached out with his own and held her’s, giving her a caring, but stern look. “They’re probably just checking him or her over for any anomalies. Just standard procedure.” The mare nodded with a sigh as the stallion leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, making her smile a bit.

After a few moments, as if on cue, the doctor came in, still wearing his hospital garbs. He looked exhausted and also seemed to be frowning at them. “Mr. and Mrs. Rust?” The couple nodded. “I’m afraid I have some bad news for you..”

The mare immediately became worried, “What do you mean? Is something wrong?” Giving a sad sigh, the doctor nodded.

“Regretfully, we found some anomalies that could be troublesome for him in the future.”

“Wait,” Mud Rust chimed in. “He? It’s a colt?” He asked, catching the doctor in his wording.

The doctor looked surprise for a moment before thinking it over. “Yes, but that is one of the problems. You may see him, but you cannot hold him.” The couple shared worried and nervous glances before getting up. “I’ll have some nurses help you, Mrs. Rust, and we’ll bring you to your foal.”

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Tension filled the air around the couple as they followed the doctor. Many questions became tangled in their minds. What could be wrong with our foal? Could it be fatal? What will we do if he needs special treatment? The last question was the most worrisome.

Sun Drop and Mud Rust were both from poor families. They had been scraping be ever since they moved to the small village of Neighton, even though pretty much everypony else there were as well. The reason being that it was meant for those families who couldn’t make it in the big town of Canterlot and who needed a place to stay after leaving the city. It was conveniently located at the lowest part of the mountain, meaning that it can get very cold at night.

“Keep following me please.” The doctor asked as the couple struggled to keep from from the lack of sleep.

Sun Drop and Mud Rust had always been an odd pair. Mud Rust was a rust red, black-maned Earth pony who grew up on a farm near Ponyville and knew how to fend for himself. Sun Drop, however, was a Unicorn who had grown up in Canterlot, but had been kicked out and disowned for falling in love with an Earth pony.

Sun Drop, however, was a creamy yellow, light blue-maned Unicorn who had grown up in Canterlot, but had been kicked out and disowned for falling in love with an Earth pony. Immediately after she was expelled, Mud Rust, the Earth pony she fell in love with, took her in and they’ve lived together ever since.

Mud Rust tended to a garden behind their house, which serves to put food on the table when they are unable to afford it at the market. Sort of like a last resort. Other than that, he works in construction for Canterlot buildings. It brings in enough money to pay the bills, but that’s it.

Sun Drop foal-sits for other mares that need the help. The other mothers usually have many kids, so she wants to help them when they can’t help themselves. She does it at a cheap price and sometimes even for free. So, her pay usually pays for food, if it is enough.

So, altogether, they both earn enough to just exist and survive on what they have. That is where the worry lies with them because they had saved up the money to be able to cover some of the cost of having a foal. Now, with the possible medical conditions that their foal may have, taking care of him may be out of reach for them.

“We’re here.” The doctor said, gesturing for the two to head inside. Both shared one more look of worry before entering the room.

Upon entering, the coupe noticed that it was painted like a nursery, just like it should be. There were toys, a diaper-changing station, a crib, and a mural that covered every part of the walls from floor to even part of the ceiling. It depicted a calm meadow with a forest in the background and cute, furry animals, big and small, playing together. The last thing the noticed was the incubator sitting in the middle of the room.

“He’s doing well.” The doctor spoke, walking to the a machine. “Luckily, he doesn’t have an fatal conditions. He just has some minor… differences.”

The two took a few shaky steps toward the incubator, both scared to look upon their foal. The nervousness kept eating away at them until they reached the front of it. Both gasped as they look upon their baby. His coat was white, his eyes were a deep ocean blue, and his mane and tail were black. But, there was one thing that they noticed right away. One thing that they never would’ve guessed for their foal. “Why does he have wings?”

“Well, you see, that’s what we’re wondering.” The doctor answered, scratching the back of his head.

“You mean you don’t know!” Sun Drop asked, turning around to face the doctor.

“Well, no. We can’t find anything that could’ve caused this. The geneticists say that part of both of your families had to being pegasi, but that’s all they could find.” He walked to the foal, looking down at him sadly in his state with wires and needles everywhere. “There’s also something else.”

“What is it now?” Mud Rust asked, getting a little apprehensive.

“He was supposed to be a filly.” The look on the parents’ faces was of udder confusion. He just sighed and shook his head, heading over them. “What I mean is that he was made to be female in appearance, but was given male organs instead.” He gestured for them to take another look. Both of their eyes bulged slightly.

“So, we’re going to have a son that looks like a filly?” Mud Rust asked.

“Yes. Life will not be kind to him, I’m afraid.” The doctor said.

“We will do the best we can for him!” Sun Drop said, sounding confident.

“Indeed we will!” Mud Rust confirmed, making the doctor smile.

“Very well then. Let’s go get you two checked out, so you can take you baby home.” The doctor headed out of the room and into the hallway, leaving the parents for the moment.

Sun Drop lingered by the foals bed, watching him as he looked at her. “Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you.” She said as tears fell down her cheeks. With a small smile, she galloped to catch up to her husband and the doctor, worrying about the future now more than ever.

Author's Note:

Just a story that I really wanted to do. Just a warning, the next chapter is a complete change from this when since its only the Prologue. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! More is on the way and the updates will vary.