After several minutes that felt like hours, a midwife finally presented an exhausted Eos with her family's newest addition. Wrapped carefully, the midwife slowly passed the bundle into Eos's hooves. Even Celestia was a little in awe, and eager to unwrap her new sibling.
"Mother, she looks tiny."
"She does look smaller than usual," Astraios agreed. Eos gently unwrapped the blanket, fully revealing the tiny foal. Her eyes were shut tight and her body was slightly curled. Her coat was a deep shade of blue while her mane and tail were a lighter shade. At the top of her hind legs, she showed a few black marks.
"Is she okay?" Eos asked the midwife.
"I apologize, but we are uncertain."
The family's hearts sank, and the midwife looked close to tears about having to give such news. She continued.
"Most foals cry upon birth, and open their eyes shortly after. She hasn't. The unicorns examined her to the extent they could. She is alive, but they couldn't determine if she is healthy."
Were Celestia not in the room, Eos would've cursed fate at that moment. All of that pain, all of that struggle, only to hear her foal may still not survive.
"We would like to ask," the midwife continued, "if you'd be willing to remain here tonight, under the watch of the unicorns. They would like to keep a close eye on your foal for any signs of illness or defect."
Eos agreed, but only with the condition Astraios and Celestia be permitted to spend the night as well. This was a time when they needed to be together. The midwife agreed and escorted the others out to give the family privacy.
Thankfully, Celestia lifted the mood a little by asking, "What's her name?"
"Her?" Astraios questioned.
"Umm, him?"
"No, the baby is a filly," Eos corrected her. "But when did you figure out she'd be a filly?"
"Oh, umm..." Celestia blushed slightly. "I guessed?"
Celestia's parents decided to humor her. "Well, you made a lucky guess," Eos told her. She turned to Astraios. "Did we agree on a name?"
"I don't recall," Astraios answered. "But I was thinking about Aria."
"Is that because you want her name to start with "A" like yours?" Eos teased, getting a light-hearted chuckle from her husband. "It is a sweet name, but so short."
"Your name is short too, dear, and it's still beautiful," Astraios reminded her, giving a tender gaze and kiss.
"Yuck! No lovey-dovey!" Celestia exclaimed, to her parents' amusement.
"What about Athena?" Eos suggested.
"Name her after wisdom? I do like it," Astraios admitted. "But what about Harmonious? Since you want a long name."
"It doesn't have to be that long! That sounds a little silly. What about a name that means something like Celestia's? Like Sunlight? Sunlit Skies?"
"Maybe Starry Skies is better," Astraios said. "Or Moonlit Skies? Skyla Moonlight?"
"Maybe just Starry?" Eos considered.
While her parents continued discussing and debating names, Celestia gazed at the tiny foal. She kept staring, as if observing every detail of her. She looked at the moon, shining among the vast stars. It was small from this distance, of course, but it could shine because of the dark. The moon shines. In the dark.
"Can we name her Luna?" Celestia finally asked.
"Luna?" her parents questioned.
"You want to name her after the moon?" Eos asked.
"Th-the moon was moving and it stopped when she came out!" Celestia explained.
Eos and Astraios couldn't decide which was more shocking: that Celestia was able observe something like that, or that she noticed to begin with. Of course, it was likely no more than pure coincidence, but they did like the idea of it being more than such. They glanced at each other briefly and nodded.
"You win," Astraios declared. "Celestia, your new sister's name is Luna."
"Are you sure you don't want to be a big sister?" Eos teased. "Seems it suits you."
Celestia only blushed slightly and gazed at her newly named sister. She was cute.