//------------------------------// // Exhausted // Story: Foalhood Days // by KayeStar //------------------------------// The baby wailed for the third time that night. Like most new parents, the couple was exhausted, though Astraios did most of the caretaking for the first few days to let his wife rest and recover from the birth. Now, they took turns looking after Celestia, particularly when she woke them at night. This time, it was Eos's turn. Groggily, she sat up and picked Celestia up from her bassinet next to their bed. At first, she tried soothing her with rocking and a lullaby, but when that failed, she trotted off to the kitchen, hoping a nighttime meal would calm her. She set her daughter down on a counter to prepare a bottle, which took only two minutes. She picked her daughter up again and fed the bottle to her. Celestia took it and almost immediately began to relax. She drank only a small amount before she fussed for the bottle to be removed from her mouth. Eos set it on the counter and wiped Celestia's mouth with her hoof. She tried lulling her again, and it seemed to soothe her now that she wasn't hungry. Celestia yawned, but her eyes didn't fully close. Sleep, my little foal Feel peace throughout the night I'll be by your side No need for worry or fright Over you, the drowsiness creeps Let it carry you to sleep A watch over you, I'll keep All through the night Her pink eyes softly closed and soon, Celestia uttered no sound beyond her light breathing. Eos cuddled her and enjoyed a few extra moments of silence with her and the baby. She felt so exhausted, yet merely holding her daughter seemed to make it vanish for that small amount of time. Celestia was only ten days old, but she grabbed her mother's heart and it was hers now. Eos hadn't admitted it to her husband, but she did worry she wouldn't feel that bond she knew many mothers did. Now, she felt silly she had ever worried about it. Trotting softly to avoid waking Celestia, Eos returned to her and her husband's bedroom. She placed Celestia back in her bassinet and covered her with a small blanket. Astraios was still waiting for her and as soon as she was back in bed, they snuggled together. They didn't have long to appreciate their embrace, as exhaustion quickly took over and they were fast asleep before they knew it, as soundless as their daughter. Astraios awoke minutes before sunrise. His first sight was his sleeping wife, who he gave a light kiss on her lips. Then, he carefully reached over her to look at their daughter. Celestia hadn't cried for the rest of the night, but she was stretching and making small, sputtered cries. Though Eos healed without trouble from the birth, Astraios still wanted her to get as much rest as she could, so he took Celestia from her bassinet and carried her to the washroom. With his horn's magic, he laid out a towel and placed Celestia down on her back. She was now fully awake and fussing, so Astraios caressed her cheek with his hoof. She quieted and reached out for him. He gave her his hoof to hold to keep her calm while he changed her diaper. Even with magic, it was a bit hard to do with her wiggling around, but he finished quickly without having her fuss. When he moved his hoof from her, she fussed again, so he picked up her up. He carried her up to the small balcony he and his wife had. The sun had just peaked over the horizon and was beginning to rise. Cradling his daughter tightly, he watched the sunrise, something he and Eos did together whenever they happened to wake up before dawn. The sun did not rise and set on its own. Rather, several unicorns grouped together to take on the duty until they couldn't anymore. At least, that's what Astraios had always been told. As the sun rose higher, Astraios glanced at his daughter to see if she was also watching. She was. In fact, she seemed fixated on it. She was perfectly quiet, almost like the scene of the sunrise brought a trance over her. She reached out one of her hooves, as if she was being touched by the sun's light itself. He held her hoof down, but let go when she fussed briefly. Only when the sun was completely set in the sky did Celestia take her attention from it, snuggling into her father and sucking on her hoof. "Just like your mother," Astraios whispered. Though he enjoyed the sunrise just as much, he always noticed it gave Eos a particular feeling of peace. Even when she felt stressed about the day ahead, the sunrise could soothe her mind for a while and give her the energy to take it on strongly. Astraios brought Celestia back inside and took a moment to check on his wife. Eos was still asleep, so he remained in the kitchen, rocking Celestia gently until she either fell asleep or became hungry. Subconsciously, he was hoping for the latter because he did not want to put her down. He hadn't carried her inside him like her mother had, but there was no doubt she was his.