//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 - It's a pegasus! // Story: A Cozy Tale // by Leondude //------------------------------// A unicorn with a glossy pink coat and emerald eyes was lying in a room in the Manehattan hospital, waiting to give birth. Her mane was a shiny sea blue and was as silky smooth as her coat. It was Cozy Brocade, wife of influential businesspony and part-time actor Shining Facade. She looked around the room she was in. Nearly everything was a milky white, with the walls and the curtain over her bed being a nice shade of turquoise. Her bed was a nice shade of blue and, while not as comfortable as the king-sized bed she and Facade sleep in, it was still an improvement over the bed she used to sleep in when she was a little filly. Because of the absence of her husband, she worried that he might not have gotten her message that the baby's coming. A sharp pain shot through her nether regions, something that the anxiety and frustration with the lack of her husband's presence weren't helping. She wouldn't have been surprised if Facade had gone out drinking with his buddies again. That's exactly what he did on her birthday last year. "Where are you?" Brocade said under her breath. Somewhere in a surprisingly well-kept bar within Manehattan was a dark blue unicorn with a slicked-back matte-black mane and the best sunglasses bits can buy playing poker with four other ponies. His poker buddies included another unicorn that had a light grey coat and a brown mane, moustache and tail, an Earth pony with a cream coloured coat wearing a blue fedora, another Earth pony with a bright blue mane and a pitch-black coat, and another Earth pony, this one being more rotund than everypony else, that had an orange coat, a curly blue mane, and a big purple top hat. They were sat at a dark brown round table made out of wood. While the entirety of the bar smelled like tobacco and cheap booze, their table was ripe with the stench, with a hint of burnt hayburgers too. The sunglassed unicorn smirked as he looked at his cards. "Read 'em and weep, fellas!" the sunglassed unicorn said as he slammed the cards down onto the table for all his friends to see. He smiled as some of his buddies groaned and the others cursed under their breath. However, his relishing in the winnings he just obtained were about to be cut short when a note appeared out of thin air. Curious, he looked at the note. While the writing was practically scribbled on, he knew what the words were: "GET YOUR FLANK IN THE HOSPITAL NOW! THE BABY'S COMING!" Facade looked at the note in annoyance. Why that mare he called a wife decided to have the baby, he will never know. While he is never the regretting type, there is a small part of him that wished he just slipped the mare a mickey so he can have his fun with her without her being conscious enough to know it was him. Then again, that would have led to a scandal that would have wrecked a reputation he had spent years perfecting. Plus, he liked to rub it in the faces of his colleagues that he could seduce any mare he pleases without resorting to the easy route. "Gotta go," Facade said, his jovial tone almost hiding his annoyance "My wife's delivering the baby and, being the good husband that I am, I have no choice but to accompany her." "Don't worry about it," the moustached pony said, "I've had two daughters myself and let me tell ya, I've never been happier." The two had a laugh, with Facade turning away and his face changing to a neutral expression as he made his way out of the bar. He never wanted a foal in the first place, why would it make him happier? If anything, it's going to make him more miserable because he would now have to spend money on things like nappies and toys and other stuff that could have been spent on far more pleasurable pursuits. Oh well, he could always pinch some of his friends' bank details, provided he'd even bother remembering their names. Besides, having a baby is good for PR. Outside of the bar, Facade raised his hoof in the air. "Taxi!" he shouted. Half an hour had passed and Facade had not shown up to see the big event. While the nine months leading up to this moment was an absolute nightmare for Brocade, and her private area burning like the sulfur pits of Tartarus itself, Brocade knew that all the pain and suffering would have been worth the wait. Maybe Facade might actually spend more time with her now that she is providing an heir to his massive fortune. Maybe he would spend less time at the bar or at the gentlestallions club and more time with their little foal. She knew Facade wasn't happy about being a father at first. She ought to know, she still had a bruise near the side of her head. But she remained hopeful that Facade would love their daughter the same way she loved him. After all, why else would a rich and handsome stallion like him be married to a mess of a mare like her? After what felt like ages, Facade finally entered the room with a doctor right in front of him. He looked bored, as if he didn't want to be here. But Brocade knew that would fade away the moment he saw their daughter. Brocade screamed as she felt another shooting pain, this one being more painful than the last. She knew it was time for the baby to come out. "Push!" said the doctor. As agonizing as it was, Brocade pushed the baby out with all of her might. It felt like her insides were being torn out but she was willing to see this through to the bitter end. Well, bittersweet end since she was bringing life into this world. After one final push, she felt a release. The doctor picked up the baby as it wailed in his hooves. "Congratulations," the doctor said, "It's a filly." Exhaustion and relief overtook Brocade. She was so happy, she had a massive grin on her face in spite of all the heavy panting, as if she had just run a marathon. She almost felt like crying tears of joy. All that hard work finally paid off. She looked at her husband, hoping to see the same sense of joy on his face as well. But instead, there was a cold indifference. The doctor moved the baby towards Facade. "Would you like to hold the baby?" the doctor asked Facade. Facade looked at the doctor holding his baby then looked at his wife, who was nodding as if to say "go ahead". Facade shrugged as he lifted the baby filly from the doctor's hooves with his magic. He didn't see a horn anywhere on the filly. He levitated the filly around, hoping to find a horn somewhere on its body. While the thought of looking after a deformity annoyed him, he couldn't deny that would win sympathy with potential clients and customers. Finally, he found two small bulges on the back of the baby. They looked like wings. Brocade felt a sense of dread when Facade looked back at her. While most ponies wouldn't notice it, Brocade can tell that Facade's expression has changed. Rather than the bored expression he had earlier, this one was a look of tranquil rage.