“Ohh, I don’t know if I can handle this much longer.”
“You have to stop dwelling on it.”
“I know, I know, but…”
“It’s hard, I know. You’re only making it worse, though.”
“Augh… I just miss her so much!” An early evening glow shrouded Twilight as she paced up and down the throne room anxiously. Every so often she’d stop and fuss with something, a misplaced strand of her mane or a spot on the floor or anything else that caught her eye, but the distractions never kept her attention for long.
Chrysalis was sitting in her throne watching her pace. “Twilight, it’s only been a day.”
“I know!” Twilight grumbled and scratched her head in frustration. “I just… I can’t stop worrying! I mean, she’s in Trotsylvania. What if something happens? What if she has a bad reaction to some creature? What if she feeds on a nirik? What if, if… I don’t know! I’m not there, anything could happen!”
“Anything could happen whether you were there or not,” Chrysalis told her.
“Yeah, but at least then I’d know. Maybe we should call her back. Should we call her back?” Twilight groaned and sat on the floor. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We can call her back if we need to,” Chrysalis said. “I’m not going to tell you we should, though. I think it should be up to Fluttershy to decide when she’s ready.”
“You’re right,” Twilight said. “I know you’re right. But I miss her! How can anypony stand leaving their kids with babysitters?”
“Most aren’t lucky enough to have such calm children,” Chrysalis said. “Nor do they have your unending supply of anxiety.”
“I feel like I’m justified in being anxious this time! I mean, she’s our baby. I’m allowed to be worried about her!”
“Of course you’re allowed.”
Twilight sighed and put her head in her hooves. “Should I call her back?”
“I don’t know. Do you think you’ll feel better anytime soon?”
“No.”
“Then I suppose you probably should.”
“I…”
Chrysalis got up from her throne and wandered over to Twilight. She sat down and wrapped a leg around Twilight in a warm hug. “If you need to call her, then call her.”
“Should I really, though? I mean…” Twilight leaned against Chrysalis and looked up at her. “Am I a bad mother if I do? Fluttershy could help her. Shouldn’t that take priority?”
“Your own well-being is important, too,” Chrysalis told her. “You wouldn’t want to be a complete wreck when she got back.”
“I’m already a complete wreck.”
“Oh, Twilight, you’re not even close to the worst I’ve seen you at.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Chrysalis squeezed her. “So are you going to call?”
“I…” Twilight sighed heavily. “Yeah. Maybe I’ll feel better after I see her, but I need at least that. Hopefully Fluttershy—”
“Hello?” She was cut off by the sound of the nursery’s door opening and Fluttershy wandering out. “Is anypony out here?”
“Over here, Fluttershy,” Chrysalis called.
Fluttershy looked over and smiled at them, then trotted over cheerily, Daybreak clutched in one leg. “Oh, goodie. I was worried you might’ve been elsewhere.”
“So,” Twilight said as Fluttershy approached them, “how much of that did you hear?”
Fluttershy sat near where they were and tilted her head. “How much of what?”
“I…” Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Did you not come because you heard us talking about you?”
“Were you?” Fluttershy shrugged. “I guess I’ve been distracted.” She reached up and bopped Daybreak’s nose, eliciting a giggle. “She’s just so cute, you know?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Could I…”
“Oh! Of course!” Fluttershy hurriedly handed Daybreak over to Twilight.
Twilight held Daybreak close to her chest and kissed all over her face. “Oh, mommy missed you so much. I’m so glad you’re home.”
Daybreak smiled and reached her legs up towards Twilight’s face. “Ma!”
“That’s right,” Twilight said, leaning down to nuzzle her. “Did you have fun with Fluttershy?”
As Twilight continued to dote on Daybreak, Chrysalis turned her attention to Fluttershy. “So, how did it go? You’re back awfully early.”
Fluttershy nodded. “It went… Well, I think. We couldn’t do anything incredibly major, but I think we’ve figured out a good way to move forward.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“Well… That’s the rough part. Twilight might not like it.”
“Not like what?” Twilight asked, her attention caught by the sound of her name.
“Well, I think she understands now that she can hurt others,” Fluttershy said, “but we can’t just… Stop the hunger. I don’t think she’s ever not going to want to feed.”
Twilight frowned. “Couldn’t she just… Not? I mean, she gets plenty of food.”
“That’s a lot to ask,” Fluttershy said. “It’d be like asking a pony to grow up without water. Sure, it would probably be possible with the right diet, but that wouldn’t stop them from being thirsty.”
Twilight looked down at Daybreak and squeezed her. “But… What, then? I mean, we can’t just let her feed on other ponies.”
Fluttershy pursed her lips. “That’s… Why I said you wouldn’t like it.”
“Wh—” Twilight shook her head vehemently. “No, no, no. We cannot raise her to hurt other ponies!”
“That’s not what I’m saying,” Fluttershy said. “Daybreak?” She leaned in towards her. “Want to show your mommies what you learned?”
Daybreak tilted her head. “Eat?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yup. Just like you’ve been practicing.”
Twilight and Chrysalis shared a concerned look as Daybreak’s horn lit with a dim glow. A second later, the glow disappeared, and Daybreak grinned and started clapping for herself.
“I don’t understand,” Twilight said.
“Chrysalis?” Fluttershy asked. “Could you tell?”
“I… Think?” Chrysalis looked puzzled. “I can’t really sense things other than love, but it definitely seemed like she was feeding.”
Fluttershy nodded. “She fed off of you a bit, Twilight.”
“What?” Twilight looked down at Daybreak, then back up at Fluttershy. “Are you sure?”
Fluttershy nodded. “That’s the best solution I think we have. She just has to learn how to feed without hurting others.”
“I mean, it seems like she’s already learned,” Twilight said.
“I don’t know if those tiny bits are going to work for very long,” Fluttershy said, “and if she ends up needing more, she’s liable to overdo it a couple times.”
“So, how do we stop that?” Twilight asked.
“You don’t,” Fluttershy told her. “She has to learn her limits.”
“So you’re saying we should just… Let her?”
Fluttershy nodded. “It was hard for me to come to terms with, too, but it seems like the best option. Chrysalis, what do you think?”
“Oh, I have no idea,” Chrysalis said. “I suppose it sounds like it would work.”
Twilight sighed. “And we really don’t have any other choice?”
“That was all we could think of,” Fluttershy said. “I’m sorry.”
“No, no, you’ve been a fantastic help,” Twilight replied. “It’s just… Difficult to think that my baby might accidentally hurt other ponies and I can’t do anything about it.” She lifted Daybreak up high and kissed her nose. “You’ve gotta be careful, okay? We don’t want anypony getting hurt.”
Daybreak nodded. “Ma!” She held her legs out towards Twilight and flailed them, wanting to be hugged again, and Twilight squeezed her to her chest.
“Thank you for everything, Fluttershy,” Twilight said.
“I only wish I could help more,” Fluttershy told her.
Twilight shook her head. “You did all you could, I know that, and… You’ve set my mind at ease a bit. I’m still worried, but… Less so.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Fluttershy leaned forward and gave Daybreak a kiss on the cheek. “Come visit me again soon, okay sweetie?”
Daybreak nodded. “Mm!”
Fluttershy smiled wide and rustled her mane. “Good. Who knows, you might even have a friend to play with soon.”
“Oh?” Twilight looked at her in shock. “Are you…”
“Thinking about it,” Fluttershy said. “Pinkie really latched onto her, and I don’t think that’s gonna be out of her head for a good long time.”
Chrysalis made a broad gesture towards Fluttershy. “Weren’t you waiting because you were worried about your, um… Everything?”
“We were, but…” Fluttershy sighed dreamily. “You can only wait so long when you want something as badly as we do.”
“Well, I think it’d be wonderful,” Twilight told her. “Plus, if we all have kids around the same time, they can grow up together and be best friends just like we are!”
Fluttershy chuckled. “Well, I guess we have no choice, then. Pinkie will be glad to hear that.”
And so, with the help of their friends, Twilight and Chrysalis put their all into raising Daybreak. There were good days and bad days, long days and short days, but Daybreak was, by all means, a calm, reserved baby.
Twilight and Chrysalis thought they were the luckiest parents in the world.
At least, for a time. For those few, short years in the beginning, before she grew up, before she started to find out who she really was.
Before she got friends who were, as Twilight put it, just like their parents.