//------------------------------// // Not Born Yesterday // Story: This Time, Done Right // by PerigeeTheBat //------------------------------// The first week of life was smooth sailing for the young Perigee and her new mother, the filly refusing to cry or fuss, stubborn and not letting herself truly be the annoying baby she knew oh so well in her previous life. She’d let out soft whines and coos whenever she needed something, just cuddling with her mother and even watching the mare use the computer or watch the TV. Her mother purchased her a more comfortable carrier, and she’d always have the front row seat to everything her mother did. This allowed her to learn more about this world and how ponies did things. Her mother typed on an almost-holographic keyboard designed for hooves and used a mouse with her other hoof. She’d watch Starwhirl play games with such high fidelity that she couldn’t help but just stare. Of course, the mare would thing that the foal was just amazed by all the colors. The technology was just so cool to the nerd within Perigee. She’d get bored, of course, and she took to trying to play with her mother in the cutest ways. Something really warmed her heart about how excited the grown mare became at Perigee being cute. She understood it, to an extent, having sometimes daydreamed about being a mother in the past. Maybe this was why she was so good at pushing her mother’s ‘death from cuteness’ buttons. Perigee was lucky that, during her first few days atleast, her mother managed to get every day off from work, but it was only on day five that the filly found her mother traveling out of the home with her for the first time while she was awake. The colors and smells were overwhelming to the foal, resulting in her closing her eyes and trying to lean back against the mare. She could hear all the strange sounds, presuming that they were just an odd element of the different technologies. Her vision wasn’t nearly good enough to see more than a foot or so from her eyes, so she didn’t see how huge the city was, not that it mattered with her very sensitive senses. Her mother worked in a kitchen as a chef, and, as foals weren’t taken at any reputable foalcare until they were six months old, Perigee went with, riding backwards in her foalcarrier. She had a little mask on, and most of the time, she just lay there, bored out of her mind. Any normal foal would be annoying the hell out of their mother with such a situation, but the little filly attached to Starwhirl thought a little bit more of her mother, not wanting to be such an annoyance. She’d also notice that she didn’t get quite the attention that she’d have expected as a foal. Even her mother’s coworkers were somewhat passive about her being around. Truthfully, Perigee herself thought it was terrible that Starwhirl even had to bring her to work, remembering maternity leave from her old world. She usually tended to just press her little muzzle against her mother’s fur in every possible way. Perigee’s coat was thick enough to make it difficult to feel the fur on her mother, but she could feel it with her muzzle, and it was very soft. As a result, she’d spend her time thinking and nuzzling the warm mare before sleeping for extended periods of time. This routine went on for weeks, and Perigee, the entire time, was mostly trying to sleep it through, knowing that she’d hopefully soon be strong enough to trot on her own. She learned many of the mannerisms and language of the ponies around her, especially her mother’s. Here, they say ‘everypony’ instead of everybody, and ‘hand’ isn’t even a term, instead replaced with hoof. For Starwhirl, it was odd, the little foal having cried only twice in those first few weeks, and each cry being at moments when she was just laying down. She couldn’t quite interpret what they were for, as she wouldn’t be hungry, in pain, or dirty. It panged her heart the couple times she watched her filly cry. It wasn’t a normal foal’s cry, either; not matched with screams, foolish wailing, or anything of the sort. It felt sad, and it took all she could to not cry with the little one when she got into that state. Her pediatrician didn’t know what it was, either. The doctor would tell her that she had never seen or even heard of a foal crying in such an… adult way. This was after she watched a recording the mother had taken of the foal, too, making it an even more concerning situation. It was a quiet cry both times, the filly not begging for attention or even responding to her mother. The filly did know what she was crying about, though, it being the stress and anxiety of a life she had lost. She couldn’t cry in the womb, not having the ability to, so those first couple cries allowed her to get out those little cries. By week four, those feelings were mostly put away, replaced by the optimism of a new, happier life. Perigee was laying on the couch, about six weeks old. She was bored out of her mind, her mother over in the kitchen talking to a friend on the phone, and the TV playing soft classical music with a still image on the screen. ‘What a good mom,’ The foal thought to herself in a bit of a bored, sarcastic manner. Of course classical music would be good for a developing foal, but her act of being as normal a foal (of course, without betraying her own principles by being annoying) was getting tedious and truly boring. This was not helped by the fact that she was being held a tad bit less, which meant that she couldn’t see as many things. She did want attention, but only because attention meant she was not as bored. Her mother had a pretty smile and she told Perigee her issues. Sometimes, she ranted to the foal, probably assuming she was a dumb little bab, not understanding a word of what she was saying. ‘I hope you and Sunlight are doing better,’ the foal thought, having garnered from the phone conversation that Starwhirl was talking to one of her friends named Sunlight. Her mother had, the week before, ranted to her about Sunlight being distant and dodging her messages. Still, even listening to the conversation became boring. Perigee needed to do something productive, and she hated that she felt this way. Why did the universe put her in the body of a cute foal and kept most of her brain function? Why couldn’t she just think like a foal? It would be so much easier! The filly was laying on her belly, her head turned a little toward the kitchen in the best position she could think of for listening. Occasionally, she’d try and fail to move herself. She did, after a few tries, roll herself onto her back; right onto the floor; with a thump. She let out a yelp as she did, too, whimpering at the moment’s pain of falling like that. Her mother, of course, came running over with a worried expression. “I’ll call you back, Sunny.” She hung up the phone, running over to her daughter and scooping up the filly. Perigee, once again, didn’t let out more than a single tear from the shock, looking up at her mother with wide eyes as she saw the mare carefully look over her form. “I’m sorry, baby… Momma shouldn’t have left you alone like that. This is my fault, honey…” Perigee was thinking for a moment. Like before, she wanted to make the mare happy, but not just because she wanted to make her cute. It was because… she loved the mare. She thought about that for a moment; about the love that formed when she first met her new mother. That love was even stronger, now, and she really wanted to show that to her mother. Knowing her mouth and vocal cords were weak and especially clumsy, she decided to just go for it. “M-Ma! M-mama!” The filly squeaked out, earning a gasp from her mother. The mare’s eyes were widening as she held her foal and listened to what was clearly her first word. This quiet, odd filly just, after only being alive for a month and a half, called her Mama! “U-uh… yes! That’s me! I’m your momma!” The mare was tearing up, holding her filly tight to her chest and gently grooming her foal in an act of true maternal love. Now, Perigee had been groomed and licked before, primarily when she had a milky mouth after feeding, but she could never fully get used to it, the smallest bit weirded out while her instincts made her lean into her mother’s tongue. “M-mama!” She let out again, enjoying the love and attention she received from her mother as the mare stopped grooming, holding her up in front of her face and nodding excitedly. “That’s right, baby… Momma’s here…” To Starwhirl, the little anxieties that had plagued her mind for the past couple of weeks… the doubts, the fears… they all faded away as she cried a little bit, holding her little foal close. Having believed her filly was unhappy just a little while ago, her heart was just ready to burst now, a big smile on her face and tears streaming down her cheeks. Perigee smiled, leaning into her mother’s fur as she was comfortably held in her mother’s strong hooves. It was also at this moment, she thought, that she could try saying some more, but she didn’t want to kill the mare a heart attack! “Oh… Momma loves you so much, my little Perigee…” Starwhirl said, lifting up the foal once again so that they could look at eachother eye-to-eye. Perigee’s hindlegs dangled with her tail while her upper side was supported by her mother’s hooves. “I love you,” She said again, gently nuzzling at the foal’s cheek. Perigee smiled, letting out her soft coo while wanting to say oh so much more. She just couldn’t help it. Being careful to sound not too advanced with the delivery, she said, “I w-wove ou…” Starwhirl’s heart thumped hard. “Y-you… mmm…” She leaned in close to give her daughter a big kiss on the forehead before finally letting out. “I love you too, my smart, smart filly!” She giggled in between sniffles as she slid back onto the couch, laying on her back and giving her little foal even more gentle grooms. What a day! Perigee was happy, and so was her mother. And it had to be interrupted by her hunger. She began to whine softly, interrupting the grooming session as her mother began to look a little worried. “What’s wrong, Peri? Are you hungry?” Now, Perigee couldn’t be that forward yet. She knew that babies didn’t understand what nodding meant or other similar facts for a while, so she just squeaked out, “M-mama…” while looking down, around her mother’s hoof that was holding her. Within moments, Starwhirl had her daughter feeding, a happy feeling in her chest as she watched her little foal feed. She’d made such a smart filly, saying her first words after six weeks of life? Most foals didn’t utter that until five or six months at the earliest! Her heart swelled with pride, but she also did have a little bit of worry. What made her filly so quick to speak? Should she talk to someone about it? Perigee had no clue of anything her mother was thinking about now. Whenever she fed, she’d go into a bit of a personal reflection state, just nursing and enjoying the milk while combing her own brain. It wasn’t quite as awkward as before, but she felt the love in it, and she knew her mother was happy with it. Her mother being happy was the most important thing. She remembered that her relationship with her mother was strained in her previous life, but this time, she didn’t want that. The little emotions going through Perigee’s head did bring up another idea, too. She related to this young mare in quite a big way. Just out of college, her mother was two years younger than her. She’d heard the mare say that she was twenty years old, while she herself remembered being twenty-two when she died, also being just out of college. She noticed that her mother played video games, talked to ponies online, and did many of the sorts of things that she’d done in her previous life. Maybe she was meant to be this mare’s daughter. Maybe it wasn’t all chance? Perigee was yanked out of her thoughts as she finished feeding, feeling full and even a little sleepy. She didn’t let the frustration get to her, though, smiling up at her mother as she was pulled up. She felt the mare gently lick over her lips, a blush on the filly’s cheeks as she realized that she had still spilled a little on herself. Starwhirl gently brushed her foal’s mane back with a hoof. saying, “We’re gonna be meeting your aunt soon. She’s going to be helping us get home.” ‘Home? This isn’t our home?’ Perigee thought, leaning into her fur as she was especially sleepy, the brushing combined with a full belly always tempting her to fall into a deep slumber. Within moments, she was sleeping, her mother pressing her muzzle into the filly’s mane. “Always such an easy sleeper,” Starwhirl said, holding the foal tightly to her chestfur while just watching the little one sleep. Her horn lit, holding the filly up as she trotted along to her computer. Putting on the foal carrier, she slid the filly in backwards, so that Perigee could keep her little muzzle buried in her chestfluff. Of course, she immediately realized she made a mistake as the foal moved just a little bit, signaling that she had just made herself ready to be changed. The foal only ever went when she slept, and by now, the mare would silently curse herself as she shook her head, pulling the foal out of the carrier and putting her on the foal station. After a few moments, the filly would be freshly changed, cleaned, and tightly snug in her mother’s foal carrier, her muzzle gently pressing into the mare’s fur once again. Today was a great day. Perigee hung in her foal carrier as she was carried by her mother to what she presumed was work, although it felt like they were taking a different route. Her eyes were much better now, being able to see much of the city around her in all of its wonder. That’s probably why she didn’t notice the new route, as her eyes were too focused on all of the new sights. She felt herself wanting to go out and explore, but these weak little hooves wouldn’t get her anywhere. They were leaving a bus, the foal looking around at all of the various ponies with her eyes wide, seeing so many different types. What especially drew her gaze were the kirin. They looked so cute, and their manes were so fluffy! This didn’t distract her from the occasional gryphon or changeling, though. She thought both were cute in their own ways. Whenever she saw a thestral, she looked at them with wonder, knowing that, based on what her mother said, she was like them, and she would have fangs like one at some point. Ponies here didn’t trot on the sidewalks, but instead through pedestrian tunnels under buildings, the road inundated with transport vehicles and more busses. Not to say there was traffic, though. The filly even thought it was amazing that she hadn’t seen a slow down in the entire time she’d been here. Soon enough, they’d make it, Perigee gently placed onto a foam mat beside a front desk, her mother talking to the mare at the desk. The filly listened to the conversation, not focusing on the toys around her. “I called earlier. Her name is Perigee,” Starwhirl said, smiling at a mare behind the desk. “Let me check,” The earth pony mare said, tapping through her system, looking for the name. “Alright. We should be all good.” The mare trotted over around the counter to lean down to Perigee. She smiled at the filly, snapping a bracelet around the foal’s hoof. “Welcome to Shortchest Daycare, Perigee.” Starwhirl accompanied the mare, leaning down and saying, “Alright, baby. I’ll be here to pick you up when I’m done with work, ok?” She gave her foal a kiss on the cheek as a bonus. Little Perigee’s ears lay back. She somehow didn’t put it together that she would have to go to a foal care at some point to give her mother a break, but that didn’t do much for her anxiety. “M-mama…” She said on impulse with a degree of sadness in her voice. Starwhirl’s ears lay back as she gently hugged her little one. “I promise I’ll be back to get you as soon as I can, baby, but momma’s gotta go.” The filly hugged her mother as tight as she could, realizing just now that she hadn’t ever been without her mother while understanding that she couldn’t be there all the time. As her mother put her down, she sat down, trying not to look defeated as the mare trotted away, giving one more wave. A few moments later, the foal would feel and see magic glow around her as a white-furred, black-maned unicorn stallion trotted into the lobby, him picking her up and laying her on his back. He didn’t say anything to her, just carrying her to a room with a few toys on the ground, a couple more foals sitting or lying about, their hoofs reaching out to move around toys, all of them around her age. She was laid down on another foam mat. A soft cry came from another of the foals, a bright-green pegasus mare with a dark-green mane trotting over to console the little one while Perigee pinned her ears to her head, her sensitive little ears not liking the other foal’s cries. She had her little hooves packed under her, looking around before slumping, her head laying against the soft padding. She was completely disinterested with the toys, looking at her hooves while moving them around slowly. ‘What a time to not have a child’s wonder,’ She thought, her eyes dragging along the room. There was a simulated window with the daytime sky glowing through. Of course, daytime sky on New Harmony was a glowing mess of clouds with occasional lightning. So… it still looked like night. There was a light hanging from the top of the room glowing quite like a star, so it felt like a good replacement for a little daycare like this. There were several toys lying about. The shelf under the window sported several more. There was a rocking chair in the corner beside the shelf on which sat the pegasus, who was rocking the crying colt. On the wall to the mare’s left was a big mural of some foals playing in a field next to what looked like a big alicorn, her wings above them. It looked really nice, too. All in all, it was a cute room, but Perigee wasn’t much into the foal stuff, which sucked considering her state. For the first time since her boring time in the womb during the first few months, she yearned for something to get high on. Atleast it’d make looking up at that light more entertaining. Only five minutes passed, but it felt like an eternity to the foal. The colt had calmed down by now, and the pegasus was watching Perigee as she was now looking up at the window, her eyes lidded with boredom. “Hey, Perigee,” She said, trotting over and gaining the filly’s attention. “Do you see something out there?” The foal looked up the mare with a blank expression. She knew that she wasn’t a threat, so she didn’t try to hide or lean away. “Here,” The mare said, scooping up little Perigee in her hooves. “Let’s find what you like, hm?” Perigee didn’t reject being picked up, leaning against the mare as this was still better than laying on that floor. She would be lucky too that this mare was clearly more experienced in holding foals than her mother was, trotting over to the shelf while a hoof held her up. Admittedly, it was probably pretty difficult to get the right balance to trot with two hind legs and only one foreleg. “Show me one of the toys that you’d like to play with,” The mare said, sitting infront of the shelf and pointing at it with her hoof. Perigee looked at all of the toys, quite dissatisfied by all of the foal toys. They were clearly meant for foals her age, like little shakers, balls, and things to hold. It would take her a few moments, but she would see a little hoof-xylophone decorated with stars and galaxies. She reached out for it, and the mare said, “You wanna make some music? Let me get that for you, sweetie.” In a few short moments, the filly was on the ground infront of the hoof-xylophone. It had eight plates. She gently tapped each from low to high, them making digitally-created notes in return. Slowly and surely, she played an old tune that she remembered but she couldn’t name (Joy to the World). Watching a seven-week-old play a simple toon so decently on her first try left the pegasus mare flabbergasted. Perigee, after finishing her little session, just tried to make little songs for herself as the pegasus listened along, smiling and petting the filly with a wing. “You’re doing so well, Perigee,” the pegasus said, trotting over to one of the other foals to give them some attention while they whined. Perigee continued playing with the xylophone for a few more moments before she found herself getting bored yet again. She felt like laying down and just snoozing the day away, but she couldn’t crawl too easily. She didn’t want to sleep on the mat either. With soft huffs, she slowly crawled until she found herself at a beanbag, laying her head on it and closing her eyes. She was definitely not strong enough to hoist herself onto it, so she just tried to use it as a pillow. After a few moments, she felt herself being picked up. She opened her eyes a little to see the mare carrying her, opening a door to enter another room, but not the one they came in from. In here, it was a small room filled with little beds, and the foal would be gently laid in one. She was met with a pleasant surprise as the foal blanket that came from her mother was laid upon her. With the scent of her mother on the warm cloth, she managed to fall into a slumber. Perigee awoke, noticing she was wearing a new diaper only because this cloth was a different brand than the one she was used to wearing. It was also clipped on slightly differently to the ways that her mother and the machine both did it. She was still in the bed, but she felt hungry. She began to whine, fighting her instincts to foal-cry. She hadn’t foal-cried yet, and she really didn’t want to start now, so she whimpered as she felt the hunger pangs. After a few minutes, she couldn’t hold back her instinctive need to cry for food, but she managed to only make a soft, squeaking cry instead of the normal, skin-tingling cry. That still took a bit of effort, but her cries would be answered by the sweet pegasus mare, who trotted over with a pity-filled expression. “Aww… what’s wrong, Perigee?” The mare asked, and she was answered quite quickly by Perigee opening and closing her little mouth in between soft whimpers. “Oh, you’re hungry?” Perigee was picked up, the foal leaning into the mare’s fur as she carried her over through the play room, to the lobby, and into another room that was also behind the front desk. This room was another play room, but there were older foals in it. They were from six months to a year old. She’d trot into another room connected to this one before Perigee could see too much of that one, and this room had soft, classical music playing. There were two other mares in there, both holding and feeding foals with bottles. This room looked like a kitchen, and there were a couple of fridges as well as a counter with bottle heaters on one side while the other had a few chairs for the caretakers to sit and feed their respective hungry foals. “Your mommy made sure to leave some milk just for you,” The sweet pegasus said, pulling out a full bottle and placing it on one of the heaters. Perigee whimpered, her face still wet with tears as she let out a couple more tears. ‘Why does hunger hurt so much more as a foal?’ She thought as she couldn’t help but cry softly yet again if only to not let the pressure build up from those hunger pangs. “Oh, sweetie…” The pegasus gently bounced the filly as she looked back to the bottle warmer, waiting a few more moments before it dinged. She grabbed it with her wing, swirling it as she trotted over to one of the chairs. Laying down to assume the correct feeding position, she helped the sobbing filly to lay down before gently pressing the tip of the bottle to her lips. Perigee suckled happily, her tears going away as she drank the warm milk. Her anxiety felt like it was washed away as she knew it was her mother’s. She closed her eyes, gulping down the warm milk faster than before. This wasn’t like a normal feeding session, though, as she was still in a stressful place, being away from her mother. Her thoughts lay on the milk she drank, that warm nectar making her feel like, atleast for this moment, she was right here. It would be over too quickly, Perigee finishing her feeding, not having drank the whole bottle. She was quite full, though, and she just wanted to go back to the comfortable bed, under the blanket that smelled like her mother. Her caretaker picked her up, bringing her along to the playroom she had been in before. She began to place the young foal down, but stopped as Perigee let out whimpers and whines. “Oh? You still need somepony to hold you? Hey Klondike, would you mind holding Perigee for me?” Klondike seemed to be the stallion who carried little Perigee into her, and he looked up from the rocking chair, focusing on Perigee’s eyes before saying, “Actually, Longrass, I think I’m gonna be taking my break.” Perigee was confused, having met the stallion’s gaze for a few seconds. Did he just not want to hold her? Or was he actually just going on a break? “Well, I’m sorry, Perigee. I have to make sure my hooves are free in case any other foal really needs me,” Longrass told her, trying to put her down again. Perigee responded by trying to hold on, whimpering and looking over toward the nap room’s door. “You cannot sleep all day, Perigee. Your momma wants you to play, sweetie,” The mare said, placing the foal back down and trotting over to the rocker, watching over the foals. Now, there were twelve foals including Perigee in the room, and that didn’t include the ones who were in the nap room, although those foals were being watched by another caretaker. Perigee was determined to get back over to the bed. She wanted her mother badly, or atleast just her blanket. She began to slowly crawl across the room, letting out soft whimpers as it was tough to crawl like that. With a sigh, Longrass stood up and picked up the eager little foal, saying, “Alright, but you better not tell your mom.” Perigee held onto the mare in response, happy to oblige that request as she was brought into the napping room once again. When she was laid in her little bed again, she snuggled up under her blanket, closing her eyes. She took a bit longer to sleep this time, but in time, she’d slumber. When she awoke, she’d feel a muzzle gently nuzzling at her cheek. “Hey, baby… Momma’s here…” A familiar voice said. The sleepy foal immediately raised her ears as she cooed instinctively, looking up at her mother. Perigee had been changed once again in her sleep, but this time, she could tell it was likely by her mother, as her normal brand was on. Aside from this, she was ecstatic, pressing her muzzle into her mother’s muzzle, emotions rushing into her. Oh, how she missed this mare. “M-Mama…” She squeaked out as she was lifted up and slid into the foal carrier in a reversed position so that Perigee was able to press her muzzle into her mother’s fluff. Starwhirl smiled and gave her filly several kisses on the ears as she retrieved her bag, taking the bottle from the caretakers and thanking them. Perigee didn’t care to look at the city, just leaning into her mother. She didn’t think she’d miss her mother this much, but she did. “Mama…” She said with a whimper as she leaned into her fur. Truthfully, the foal didn’t want to go to that daycare again. Well, she just didn’t want to be separate from her mother again. “I wove ou…” “Oh… I love you too, baby…” Starwhirl responded, climbing aboard a bus and looking down at her little angel. She felt a wetness on her coat as the filly was crying ever so slightly. Did her foal really miss her that much? “Oh… oh Perigee…” She sat down nuzzling at her daughter as the poor little thing cried softly. “M-mama…” Perigee was crying a little bit, letting out her sadness and anxieties that had built up while she was so bored… so alone. It didn’t help that being rejected by that stallion really got to her. “We’ll be home soon. You’ll get to meet my sister today, ok? No need to cry…” Her heart burned for the little filly, petting her mane and saying, “Are you hurting?” Perigee sniffled and looked up at her mother’s face. She saw her mother’s eyes glistening with tears, causing her own little heart to burst with love and appreciation for the mare. Now she knew why she missed her mother so much. Her mother cared so much for her, all the way to the point where the mare was on the verge of crying because of Perigee’s own tears. “Mama…” She tried to lift her neck, her mother leaning down to meet her. Perigee gently nuzzled at her mother’s cheek. Starwhirl sniffled and gently groomed at her daughter’s face, licking away her tears. “Perigee… momma loves you…” Perigee leaned up into her mother’s peppering of licks and kisses, both of them ignoring the surrounding ponies, a couple of whom were watching with smiles at the adorable interaction. They got off at their stop, Starwhirl trotting into the building and making her way to the apartment. When she entered, she kissed Perigee on the top of her head before heading back to the bedroom, laying the small foal on the bed before taking off her saddlebags as well as the foal carrier. Her horn lit, the filly being floated up next to her mother as she trotted over to the bathroom. Perigee giggled softly, flapping her little wings as she floated next to her mother, happy as ever as she watched her mother turn on the bath. She loved the bath, not because it was fun like other bath-loving foals, but because it was a moment for her to spend with mom. After a few moments of waiting for the warm water to fill the tub, Starwhirl climbed into the tub, little Perigee settled into her hooves. She used her magic to gently scrub up the little filly, who let out giggles and coos as it tickled her little form. Perigee squeaked out and splashed the water, saying, “M-mama! B-baf!” “Oh my! Who’s a very smart filly??” Starwhirl asked, raising Perigee, and rubbing their noses together. The filly squeaked and giggled, nuzzling back. Using a little bucket, Starwhirl poured water over Perigee’s head as the filly closed her eyes. After a few moments, her fur and mane were all shampooed up in foal shampoo, staining her temporarily with the shampoo before cleaning her all off, doing the same to herself while she rinsed the small foal. To Starwhirl, she was just a lucky mother to have such a compliant filly, drying herself and the foal off with ease and without a single fuss. Perigee just enjoyed her time with her mother, the mare’s happiness rubbing off on her. A few short moments later, Starwhirl was sitting with her little filly, brushing her mane out and smiling down at the filly as she held up her foal, letting the foal lean her little chin onto her chest as she prettied the little one. “You’re going to love your auntie. She’s so excited to meet you!” The little one opened her eyes, looking up at her mother, her slitted eyes dilating as she cooed softly. “I wuh ou,” She responded. “I love you too… Momma loves you too…” She turned and lay onto her side, holding the foal close and closing her eyes. Starwhirl woke up to a knocking at the door, her foal curled up right by her belly. She carefully stood up, crawling around the sleeping foal as to not disturb her. After giving the filly a kiss on the forehead, she trotted over to greet her guest. She opened the door, revealing her sister, Airburst. Airburst was a pegasus with a grey coat and black mane, her hooves the same shade of black. She was an inch taller than Starwhirl, and she had a big smile as she went in to hug the mare without warning. “It’s been too long, Starry!” The pegasus exclaimed, squeezing her sister and giving her a long nuzzle on the cheek. “It has, but please be quieter. Not everypony is awake,” Starwhirl whispered, nodding over toward the living room. Airburst trotted a little further into the home, dragging some luggage behind her and gasping, putting a hoof over her mouth as she saw the little filly. “She’s so pretty!” She whispered back, looking between Starwhirl and the foal. For the young foal, the yelling and whispering wouldn’t have mattered too much since she was a deep sleeper. She had her muzzle under one of her hooves, sleeping soundly. Airburst trotted closer to her niece whilst smiling and leaning in to gently nuzzle at the foal’s little cheek. She smiled up at Starwhirl, moving back up and trotting closer to the mare. “She’s a pretty, little filly. Her name is Perigee, right?” She whispered to her. “Mhm. I just don’t want her to have to deal with the city. She didn’t like going to daycare, and they don’t really have maternity leave here… My boss ended up getting pissy with me over bringing the foal with me. You know a way to bring her and I with you? Back to Lunaria?” Starwhirl said in a hushed tone while sitting down, gently petting the young foal. “Oh, yes, although it’ll be as dangerous as ever. The clouds have been restless lately. And uh… it’ll be tonight. They decided to push it ahead of schedule,” Airburst replied, looking down at the filly. “We’ll just have to deal. She deserves better than this,” Starwhirl gently picked up the foal, grabbing her foal carrier from the coat rack and slipping it on, sliding little Perigee into the carrier. “Lucky I’ve got two of those quantum packers.”