The night was thick like velvet, with thousands of brilliant stars twinkling across a canvas laced with black and blue, overthrown with a sheer white moon that blazed like the sun and cast silvery shadows down upon the sleeping village. Heavy piles of crystalline snow laid on the ground, showering the streets with white sparkles and the familiar icy ferns that gathered across street lights and cobbled roads.
The sleeping village never stirred. Each little wooden cottage sat still against the backdrop of night, each window square dark and unmoving. No one awakened, despite the buzz of activity happening around the castle.
Its tall towers were alive with pegasi flitting in and out of windows. The doors had been thrown open wide, dozens of bodies flowing into its cavernous foyer and over the thresholds. Attendants and guards alike were afoot, dashing to and fro and shouting for backup. Every candle, every light was ablaze and stretched into the single road from the village, lighting up the snow covered banks. A mare rushed in from that very road, her red hat askew on her white furred head and her glasses nearly tipping off the edge of her nose. She came up the stairs at a full trot and burst over the threshold to find absolute chaos.
Guards were trotting about with empty hooves, castle attendants stood nearby bouncing and casting nervous glances at the doorway. One stallion spotted the mare and came rushing over, color returning to his face and his ears flexing back.
"Nurse Red Heart!" He exclaimed. She gave him a quick glance and brushed past him, flicking her tail as an order for him to follow.
"I need a small pillow, any kind of throw pillow. Get me three bowls of warm water, every towel and cloth you can find and a block of wood, about this big in width." She paused to show him and continued down the hall and toward the stairs. "Then bring me a bassinet and some tiny blankets." The stallion nodded and broke away to rush off further down the hall.
Up two flights of stairs, Nurse Red Heart entered a tall office room. At the back was a door, covered by four immense stallions, two in golden armor and two in black. A handful of others milled about, but standing stock still next to the door was the slender, rosy frame of Celestia. Nurse Red Heart paused to collect herself and looked around at the others. "Which one of you is Twilight Velvet?" An aged mare with plum colored fur and silver in her mane stepped forward. Bags around her eyes hung nearly to the corners of her frowning muzzle. "You need to come with me." They stepped forward toward the door. Celestia turned her head and looked down. Her bags were nearly as deep as Velvet's. Red Heart hesitated, reaching one hoof out to push passed the guards. "I'm sorry, my Princess. I can't allow you back here."
"What should I do?" A young, strained voice came from behind them. Red Heart turned back to see a tall, golden stallion with a mess of blue hair.
A lump in the back of Red Heart's throat cause her to choke. She whipped around, hairs standing on end. "What in blazes do you think you're doing out here?!" Her hoof shot out and whipped the boy across the top of his head. He ducked behind enormous feathered wings. "Get your flank in there and be with your wife!" She continued beating him, shoving him forward past his fellow officers and into the room behind them.
An strange furry face greeted them on the other side. It was twisted and warped, once familiar, her eyes were screwed shut and her muzzle crinkled with clenched jaw. Her body quivered, each violet hair standing on end. Short, grating sounds escaped her and her whole body tensed. She spasmed for a moment before falling back against the bed, her brow slacking and her ears falling limply back. Velvet burst forward, snatching up her daughter's hoof and stroking her gently. Twilight Sparkle leaned against her mother, tears wetting the fur of her cheeks. Flash stood stock still, color draining from his face.
Nurse Red Heart wasted no time, breezing past the one white guard standing by the door with his eyes clenched shut. She rolled up the sleeves of her jacket and picked up a towel laying on the table beside the bed. "You're going to be alright, hon," She spoke with a gentle, firm voice. "Velvet, Flash, I need each of you to grab her hind legs and hold them. When she pushes, I want you to push." She looked past her glasses up into Twilight's face. The princess' eyes were hazy and unfocused, her jaw tight and her brow furrowed. "Are you ready to have a baby?" Her smile dropped as Twilight's face clenched again. Her whole body began to tense and the nurse gathered herself. "Alright everybody, now push!"
Hours ticked by slowly. Celestia bounced on her hooves, her feathers twitching periodically and her ears almost glued to the back of her head. A couple others stood milling about the room. Occasionally a shout would come from the back room, every now and then an attendant would rush in and out with towels. Celestia stood on. She tried sitting, she tried walking in circles, she tried nipping at the golden toe of her shoes. She had faced Discord, she had single handedly brought down evil tyrants, evil monsters, and she had governed an entire kingdom alone for a thousand years. Yet now, all she could do was stand by the door and wait. Every magical property in her horn was useless, every feather in her wings could do nothing, no touch of her hooves could help her student, her closest friend, the only mare that had ever been like a daughter to her. All she could do was stand and wait.
Another Princess lounged behind her, sitting with her back against the wall. Princess Luna looked up from inspecting her silver boots. "I am sure that everything will be alright, Sister."
Celestia jittered and began walking in circles. "Of course you're sure of that, aren't you?"
"If worse comes to worse, we'll just have to look for another Princess of Friendship." Celestia whipped around and glared at Luna. "Only joking!"
"Well it isn't funny; childbirth is serious, Luna." She turned longingly back to the door.
"Not that you would know." Luna went back to inspecting her hoof.
"That's the part that frightens me so much," she sighed. Another mare went running full tilt into the room beyond. A quick, strained shout from inside was cut off by the slamming of the door. A clock hung high on the wall ticked by every second. Celestia glued her eyes to it, hoping, waiting, for time to jump by. To finally know that things were calm, everything was safe and sound once more. Each and every second came by just like the last. No faster, but somehow ever slower. Celestia began to jitter again. She looked down at her hooves and spied the golden crest hanging at her breast. "Remember when Snowdrop had her first child?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.
Luna froze, her ear twitched suddenly. "Y-yeah..." Her eyes cast up to the clock with her sister's. "Remember when she bucked that nurse who tried to break her water?" They shared a quick laugh, but it soon died.
They stared at the clock for some time, watching it slowly tick away the minutes.
"I miss her."
"I do too."
They sighed.
A long, loud creak erupted across the silent office room. A sleeping Celestia sat bolt-upright. Her somehow smooth, ever flowing mane was hanging limp at her head, each strand of hair going in another direction. Her tail dragged across the ground as she blearily came to her hooves, brushing away the crust that tried to glue her eyes shut. Weak, pale sunlight peaked through the castle window, sending slanted shadows along the wall. Luna also began to stir, her feathers crumpled at her side from sleeping in the desk chair off in the corner.
"Celestia, you forgot to bring the sun up all the way," Luna groaned, her muzzle crinkling at the morning taste in her mouth. "It's almost noon."
Celestia gave a start and jumped to the window. Her horn light up a brilliant gold and the sun slowly moved into proper position. She turned around to see a frazzled, very grey Nurse Red Heart. The tiny mare stood next to the open door, her ears limp and her glasses askew. Every nerve in Celestia's body lit up, fire burning down to her hooves. Color rushed to her cheeks as she flew passed the nurse and came into the back room.
This had once been a supply closet space. Shelves along the walls were lined with boxes and boxes of papers and pens, staplers and every kind of supply. Larger things such as spare tables and chairs were pushed off against the shelves. A hospital-grade bed sat nestled against the wall, surrounded by ponies. Next to them was a little white bassinet, tiny stuffed bears hanging off the top and dangling down into the empty carrier.
Up on the bed, Twilight was covered in blankets, at least five of them. Her fur was matted and only half dried, her mane went every which way it pleased. Her eyes were fuzzy, but they shone brilliantly as her gaze lifted from the bundle in her arms to peer at Celestia. A goofy little grin spread across her muzzle.
Velvet stepped back politely to let Celestia and Luna into the circle. Nestled there in Twilight's arms and a thousand blankets, was a tiny, tiny horse. Perhaps the smallest little horse Celestia has ever seen. Its fur was thin and patchy, blue in color and matted wet. A surprising tuft of white hair sat atop the little head. Its eyes were closed and its little blue hoof hung in its mouth, tracing drool and leftover milk down its face. Twilight beamed at her teacher, a bit of a laugh tumbling from within her.
"Auntie Celestia, Auntie Luna," Twilight giggled, "Say hello to our little Snow Sparkle."