Magic takes on an infinite number of forms; whether it be the simple yet amazing levitation spell, or the miracle of the birth of a new life. For mages like Starswirl the euphoria of discovering new magic has been their driving force for their lives, even into old age. The thought of creating a new spell that could benefit the entirety of ponykind is a very exhilarating thought after all, the levitation spell was once considered a ground breaking spell, but now if you were a unicorn that could not do the levitation spell to some degree, you were considered to be uneducated. Yet there were still entire frontiers of magic that have yet to be discovered, for the earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi alike. But one magic has been sought after for many generations, a magic that seems achievable and yet, all of the mages in the past have not been able to uncover it's secrets. It has been so long in fact that most scholars consider it to be an impossibility, however Starswirl believes it is possible.
"If that magic can be achieved through potions.... how could it not be possible to achieve it on a higher magical level!..." he says as he furrows his brow, a series of magical records rest on his back as he leaves the Canterlot archives. "That warm sensation... Corona may just be the key we are looking for."
Starswirl walks out into the castle gardens and goes to his favorite place to study, under a tree near the west tower. He curls his hooves under him and lays down a book in front of him and starts to flip through the pages "I know I've felt that sensation before...."
After flipping through the pages for a few seconds he finds the section that he is looking for in his book, "Healing remedies."
A smile crosses his maw as he looks over the different potions and side effects of them, when he finishes reads through multiple different potions and brews he notices a correlation in them.
"All subjects feel a warm and comforting sensation throughout their body... due to the endorphins that are released from the healing properties of the potion. I'm sure that is what I felt!" he says as he continues reading through more to make sure that the correlation isn't mere coincidence.
"If that is truly what I just felt.... Prince Corona may be the first pony in equine history to discover healing magic.... and in doing so will be the first magic healer." His face soon turns to that of a serious one, "If that is the case.... then I fear for the young prince's safety..." he closes his book and sits up from his spot "I will not let any harm come to the young prince or to the heir of the equestrian throne... it is my duty as the head mage of Canterlot, and as their teacher" he says as he puts his books back in his saddlebag. He then pauses and takes a deep breath and sighs, "But I do hope to be a great teacher for them... I've taught plenty of young ponies in my day but... the offspring of the royal 4.... they're bound to have deep innate abilities that we may be unable to control or fathom..."
"I'm glad you think that highly of us my friend" he hears coming from behind him, he turns his head around and chuckles softly.
"You know it's not polite to sneak up on old ponies Helios" he says with a coy smirk, watching his king approach him in his reading spot.
"You old? compared to me you're still a newborn Starswirl" Helios says after Starswirl's remark, enjoying how he is treated like a normal pony around the old mage.
"Ah yes, but unlike you I show signs of aging by the day" he states with a warm smile. Helios walks up to his friend and looks over his shoulder to see what he is reading, tilting his head as he reads the unique style of penmanship.
"Potions and Brews.... that's an odd book for you to be reading Starswirl, what prompted you to acquire such a book?"
"Well... something happened to me when I first held the young prince.... something that I know I have felt before. It took me awhile to remember what it was, but I think that I finally figured it out" he says as he moves the book into his view on the ground.
When Helios reads the page he is on and sees the thing they have in common circled in ink by Starswirl his ears perk up. "You think he.... used a healing spell on you?" he says as he looks at Starswirl in disbelief.
Starswirl nods slowly "Magical impulses are very common in unicorn foals, this i'm sure you know... but what I felt when I first held Corona, there's no mistaking it... that was the exact feeling I experienced when I drink healing remedies..."
"If that's truly what it is... then we must do our best to draw that out of him in the future as that can be a very useful tool for our alliance to have. It would be a huge breakthrough in magic and would help us tremendously in defending the front lines of any invading attack..." Helios states seriously.
"That may be true Helios... but we still have little knowledge of the lands beyond our borders, for all we know our oppressors could already possess healing magic..." Starswirl replies, making sure they both know to cover all bases when thinking about the logistical future of Equestria.
"At the same time if any of our enemies were to possess said magic, they would have already taken a chance to invade our lands would they not?"
Starswirl shakes his head "Not necessarily... even with such a magic they would still need to have a strong enough force to break our armies, and magic strong enough to counter our mages."
Helios nods slowly and rubs his head as he tries to think of a good strategy to defend Equestria.
"As drastic the change is.... furthering our alliance with the Crystal ponies is the best course of action here. One of my late students, Clover, taught me that you will always stand stronger when you are united in friendship and trust," Starswirl says as he closes his eyes as he shuts his book.
Helios nods slowly at the old mage and helps lift him up to his hooves, "The magic that the crystal ponies share when they are within their borders is the closest thing we've had to healing magic... but it is only when they come together for celebrations like Harmony's crystal fair. So I guess it is no surprise that Harmony's colt just might be the key we've been missing on this magical lock..."
Starswirl nods slowly and stands up with his help "But... your foal is bound to have great potential as well, I just hope that the foal will have better manners than it's parents" he says with a playful smirk.
"H-Hey! I am not bad mannered!.... in public at least..." he says as he looks down with an embarrassed frustrated face.
"Oh don't pout my friend, not being serious all the time can be a very admirable quality in a leader, it makes your subjects feel like they can relate to you more," Starswirl remarks as he lifts Helios' chin "I understand your fear, it is the very same one that Diamond had when Harmony's labor came. But just like Corona, your foal will be just as healthy."
Helios' eyes move up to look at Starswirl and he nods slowly, taking a deep breath and letting it out to try and relieve himself of his stress, "You're right... they will both be fine, I just need to put on a brave face for Virgo."
"That's the spirit my friend, do not fret, before you know it this whole situation will" he stops as he hears the shout of a guard from inside the castle door leading out to the garden "Your highness! the time has come" he says as he bows his head respectfully, "I was ordered to make haste to deliver this news to you."
Helios' eyes widen and he starts to feel his heart race again, "You're sure of this?! then I must go immediately!" he shouts as he opens his wings and takes off at a very fast pace, leaving a gust of wind behind him that nearly knocks over the messenger.
"I must go as well" Starswirl says in a more composed tone as he runs off with the guard leading him there, the bells on his cape and hat jingle in the same rhythm of his hoofsteps.
*****
Diamond and Harmony are both are laying down on a sofa facing each other. Corona is sitting between them and Diamond lifts up his hoof near Corona and his head perks up in surprise and he lifts up his little hoof and pats at it like a cat. This prompts a chuckle from Diamond and he quickly moves it closer to Corona which makes him jump on it to wrestle it, gnawing at it with his mouth.
"Precious foal, and soon he will meet his first friend" Harmony says with a soft laugh, she then looks over at the door as Helios blows through the door, shattering it to pieces. His abrupt entrance spooks Corona and he quickly scrambles behind his mother to hide from the big pony he saw.
"Please don't tell me I missed it" he says with a look of desperation in his eyes, not wanting to miss his foal's first moments. He looks over at Harmony and she shakes her head, "No Helios you're just in time, to tell you the truth we've been nervous for her too but little Corona has helped us take our mind off of it."
The door to the maternity room opens and an angry looking nurse walks out "What in heaven's name was that!? Her majesty is giving birth and your making all of this!...." she pauses when she sees it is her king and she quickly bows, "A-A thousand pardons your majesty..." she says as she quivers a little, fearing punishment.
"No my lady.... I am sorry for my brash entrance" Helios says in a surprisingly calm tone, considering his nervous condition only moments prior. "May I please go in and be with my wife?...."
The nurse feels surprised and looks up at him in disbelief, but after a moment she shakes it off and nods slowly as she leads him into the room and shuts the door.
Helios walks with haste to the side of his wife and sees she has a blanket over the lower half of her body, sweat on her face as she pants in exhaustion. He sits down next to her and moves his hoof to her's, "I'm here for you Virgo... i'm sorry that I am late" he says as she takes his hoof and grips it tightly to help cope with the pain.
"I'm glad you're here... I thought you wouldn't NGH!..... make it!" she says as she feels the sharp pain of another contraction. The fearful face she has soon starts to fade away and transform into a more brave and determined look now that her husband is here, his support giving her the mental strength she needed.
"I'd die before I miss you bring our miracle into the world" he says as he cringes a little and a nervous bead of sweat goes down his cheek when she grips his hoof, "She's going to break my hoof" he thinks to himself as he smiles nervously. His face however soon turns into that of a serious one as he sees her starting to put her attention and efforts into birthing the foal, feeling any pain is worth it to help her get through this as she squeals and cringes from the pain from the contractions.
Helios never leaves her side and the hour that has passed feels like the longest hour of his life, it pains him to see his wife in such discomfort, but eventually the doctor calls to her "Keep going your highness your almost there!" A nurse swiftly moving to replace the wet cloth on her head with a fresh cold towel to keep her cool.
"Come on my love you can do it! you are strong enough for anything!" Helios says firmly to her as he holds her hoof with both of his, listening to her squeal in pain one last time as she gives one last push before her head falls from exhaustion. Helios's ears and head perk up as he looks at her worriedly, thinking something bad to her, but that worry swiftly fades away as they both hear the sound of their crying foal, almost instantly calming their souls and bringing tears to their eyes, especially Virgo's after going through such a painful ordeal. The sound of her crying foal ringing in her ears is more than enough a reward for the pain she endured.
The doctor swiftly takes the crying foal and tenderly cleans it with the assistance of the nurse, the foal crying out for it's mother. The nurse smiles warmly and wraps it in a blanket and carefully goes to Helios and Virgo to present them with their foal. "Congratulations your majesties, shes a beautiful little filly" she says as she gently puts the filly into her hooves, seeing her eyes tearing up as she sees her filly for the first time almost makes the nurse start crying, tears of joy however were unavoidable as Virgo gently holds her filly to soothe her.
"Shhhhh mommy is here my little girl...." she says in a gentle motherly voice as she nestles her into her soft and warm chest fur. Helios looks over his tiny princess and sees that her coat is a beautiful snow white and she has a little pink mane and tail. Her cries start to calm down and she opens her eyes for the first time to look up at her beautiful mother, sniffling as she hugs her fur.
"She's as beautiful as her mother..." he says as tears fall from his eyes, his body shudders as he realizes he has finally became a parent after living for so long, the fact this moment is finally here is overwhelming for him and feels like a dream come true.
Virgo looks at him and smiles warmly as she gently turns her filly around so she can face him, she looks up at him curiously but also a little scared. Helios looks down at her and fears that she will not like him, but he slowly moves his muzzle down to her and he puts on a smile. "Hello my precious daughter" he says in as gentle a voice he is able to muster, "I am your daddy."
The filly whimpers a little in fear but when she hears his gentle voice she shyly tries to crawl towards him and puts her tiny hooves on his muzzle, making his heart skip a beat. "I can not get over how adorable foals are..." he says as he gently moves her to his hooves.
"First you make me a King and Husband.... and now you've made me a father.... you are truly the best thing in my life..." he says as he kisses Virgo's forehead. His action forms a smile on her face as his warm words touch her heart, "And you have made me a Queen, wife and mother, now we have a little angel to take care of..." she says as she lowers her head as the last of her strength fades away, drifting out of consciousness for her well deserved rest.
The nurse smiles at the heart warming scene and walks back to the door and opens it slowly then closes it behind her. She then looks at Diamond and Harmony and bows her head respectfully to them, "It is finished, but they are to be alone for a little while."
"Of course, I wanted that to when I had Corona, we'll come back another time" Harmony says as she stands up with Corona on her back playing with her feathers. Diamond chuckles softly and he follows suit, standing up next to Harmony as they both walk to the door. "Make sure they have peace and quiet for at least a day or two before letting the public know about their foal's birth."
Harmony's ears perk up and she stops when she hears him say that and looks back at the nurse, "By the way Altha, was it a filly or a colt?" she says with a happy looking face.
Altha grins from ear to ear, "They had a beautiful snow white filly!" she says with a squeaking voice.
"Awwwww! I can't wait for Corona to meet her!" Harmony says as she gives Altha a hug. She then lets go of her and turns to walk off with Diamond, "Take care of them Altha."
She bows her head out of respect and cant remove the shining grin on her face, "Absolutely your majesty."
Harmony looks at Diamond as they walk outside, "You hear that darling? a filly! if Corona and their filly were to..."
"Yes Harmony... but we must not make the mistake of pressing that relationship on them" he says as he stops, having a serious tone in his voice, "I would never marry my son or daughter off only to improve our relations with other lands. Not even Equestria... and I would expect the same from Helios and Virgo with their daughter," he says as he looks into Harmony's eyes.
Harmony pauses as he cuts her off but when she hears his words she thinks about them and nods slowly, "Yes... but I can feel it in my heart... there is a bright future ahead for them both... and for the future of our lands."
Diamond smiles and puts a hoof on her shoulder, "Do not worry my love, we'll see how they react to one another when they meet for the first time soon," he states with a jovial tone which gives a feeling of reassurance to Harmony.
"Right!" she says with a happy laugh. Seeing his mother laugh makes Corona copy her, giving an adorable giggle which prompts big smiles from both of his parents, their pupils widening as they look at their adorable colt. "Awwwwww" they both say in unison.