//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: Baby on the Doorstep 
// Story: Two Worlds; One Family 
// by MrEnter 
//------------------------------//

"Angel, what is that thing?" A cream-colored pegasus asked her rabbit friend.

Fluttershy had heard something making a strange noise coming from outside her cottage. As she got close to her door it began to sound more and more like crying. She opened the door to see that somepony had left a basket filled with blankets on her doorstep. The crying was clearly coming from the basket. Fluttershy pushed some of the blankets away with her hoof to discover a strange, hairless ape. She tilted her head to try and get a better look at it. Whatever it was, it was shivering furiously in the cool winter air.

Fluttershy carried the basket inside and picked the creature up, still wrapped in its blankets. Angel gazed upon the creature, just as confused as Fluttershy. Who would leave such a creature on her doorstep, and more importantly where did it... no, where did he come from? Whoever dropped him on her doorstep must have known that Fluttershy was good at taking care of animals, but if they knew that much about her they must have known that she was nice and approachable. Fluttershy held the creature in her hooves, close to her body. He stopped sobbing in the warmth. Whatever he was, he was clearly young and helpless. The creature looked up at Fluttershy and their eyes connected. He gave her a smile that forced Fluttershy to return it.

"Now what do we call you? I can't keep calling you creature," Fluttershy said, mostly to herself. She noticed that the creature was still shaking. "I think I'll call you Harry. Maybe that name will keep you warm." 

Fluttershy held Harry for a long while, just asking herself questions. What did Harry eat? How much sleep did he need? She was great at taking care of animals, but she always knew what they were. Twilight knew a lot about pretty much everything. Maybe she knew what Harry was. It was too late that night to go out, so Fluttershy would have to wing it—at least for tonight. She was still great at taking care of animals, and there wasn't too much difference between the infant of one animal to the infant of another.

Harry started to shiver more violently as a breeze blew in through the still-open door. Fluttershy raced over to it and pushed it shut. Then she sat down in front of her fireplace and held the little guy close. She would have to ask Rarity to make him some sort of clothes, especially if he didn't grow any fur or feathers. Ponyville got cold during the winters and she wouldn't have any animal under her care freeze. Safe and warm, Harry gave a contented yawn and drifted off to sleep in Fluttershy's hooves.

Fluttershy yawned in return. She felt her eyes starting to sag. She didn't remember herself being so tired, but it was getting fairly late. As Fluttershy carried Harry upstairs, she realized that he would need his own place to sleep. Tonight he could sleep in Fluttershy's bed, but tomorrow she would have to go into town and buy some baby supplies. Harry would be taken care of until he could fend for himself, Fluttershy would make sure of it.

The next morning Fluttershy was stirred from a deep slumber by a piercing cry. She struggled to stay asleep, but the wailing grew louder and louder. Fluttershy's eyes shot open when she remembered the events that transpired last night. She looked to her side to Harry still secure in her hooves, but the blankets he was wrapped in were now soggy. Harry was obviously uncomfortable.

Fluttershy rolled out of bed and gave Harry a reassuring smile. It seemed to calm him down a little, but he was still intent on crying. Fluttershy carried Harry downstairs, trying to think of ways to deal with this. She didn't have any diapers lying around so she'd have to make do with scraps and pieces she could find. She realized that Harry was probably hungry as well; she'd need to find something to feed him so the poor dear didn't starve. She still didn't know what he would eat, but she didn't know the last time he had eaten either. Time was of the essence.

First thing was first: Fluttershy needed to get Harry changed. She scavenged around her kitchen and came across some paper towels. They weren't exactly durable, but they would have to do. Fluttershy only needed them to last until she could get Harry some real diapers. She removed the damp blankets and placed Harry in a makeshift diaper. They weren't much, but they kept him clothed and that was all that was important right now.

The crying had calmed into sniffles. In between them Fluttershy heard Harry's stomach grumbling. Right, Harry still had to eat. Fluttershy rushed to her fridge and searched it for something to feed him with. Milk? No, Fluttershy didn't have a bottle. Apples? Harry didn't have any teeth, they were too hard. Then Fluttershy saw her last carrot. That would be perfect!

She took it out and grabbed her mortar and pestle from a cabinet. She placed the carrot inside and began to grind it into a paste. Fluttershy hoped that it was safe for Harry to eat because it was the best she could do on a moment's notice.  When the carrot was all ground up, she placed Harry on top of her counter. On top of diapers and baby food she'd need to get a high chair too, but for now the wall would make a good enough support. 

Fluttershy took a spoonful of the carrot mush and pushed it towards Harry. He hesitated for a moment, but opened his mouth when he saw Fluttershy's smiling face. As the food went in, Harry grimaced. He didn't like it, and Fluttershy could tell. Still it was the best she could do for him right now, and it was much better than letting him go hungry. She tried to feed him more, but Harry was no longer being cooperative. He tried to dodge every spoonful he could, and more often than not he spit up what he got in his mouth. Fluttershy could add a bib to her rapidly growing list.

Eventually the mortar lay empty. Harry had managed to eat a good deal, but nopony would ever guess that judging by how much carrot mush was all over the kitchen counter and the wall. Fluttershy grabbed a towl and wiped Harry off. Then she set about wiping off her own face when she saw her reflection in the window. It was starting to snow. 

Fluttershy had to go out and get some supplies for taking care of Harry. What she had on hoof definately wasn't good enough, but if she took the poor little guy outside he would freeze. Still she couldn't just leave him here all by himself. Fluttershy looked around her cottage, trying to find anything that could be used to take care of an infant. 

Then she noticed her saddlebags. She filled one of them with blankets and put Harry inside. This would keep him nice and warm as she went about town to do her business. Harry didn't seem to mind it. He was content to snuggle in the blankets close to Fluttershy. It warmed her heart a little as she trotted out into the cold.

"How are you doing Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked. "Are you here to buy some of my brand-new patent-pending super duper chocolate cupcakes? They're a brand new recipe and they have a super duper secret ingredient. I'll tell you what it is if you Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony."

"Oh, no thanks," Fluttershy said. "I'm actually here to ask you if I can borrow some baby supplies: diapers, bottles, and all of that."

"Okey dokey lokey, but I'm going to need them back by next Tuesday. I'm foalsitting the Cake Twins then," Pinkie said with an oblvious smile.

"No, you misunderstand. I'm taking care of infant and I need the supplies to take care of him. If you can't spare them it's okay. I'll just go to the store and buy some myself."

"Ooooh," Pinkie said. "That makes a lot more sense. "For a second I thought you were into some really, really weird stuff. So, can I see the colt?"

"He's not a colt."

"So he's a filly then? That's weird. I always thought we called fillies she. Wait, has it all been a lie? What else haven't you told me!? You aren't Fluttershy! You're a changeling, aren't you!? What have you done with Fluttershy!?"

"No, he's not a colt because he's not a pony." Fluttershy said, and she showed her saddlebag to Pinkie Pie. She looked inside to see a strange creature blissfully sucking his thumb. "I'm not sure what he is."

"Wow, he's so weird looking... in a cute way. I like him. What's his name?"

"I call him Harry. Do you know where Twilight is? I want to know if she could tell me what he is. I've never seen a creature like this before."

"And they say that Rainbow doesn't remember her lessons," Pinkie said, suddenly turning angry. "Remember what happened last time you brought a creature here you didn't know? It took us three months to rebuild Ponyville after the whole parasprite incident."

"I didn't find him. Somepony left him on my doorstep, and he's clearly a baby. He needs somepony to take care of him, at least until he can fend for himself."

"Alright, but I've got my eye on you buster," Pinkie said, bulging her eyes at Harry. "If you start barfing up babies of your own I'm going to start banging my cymbols!"

Harry started to cry after Pinkie Pie's outburst. She looked around in a panic. She didn't want to make the little guy cry. She just didn't want another small, strangely cute creature to destroy Ponyville. Pinkie dashed into the kitchen and burst back out with a bag of flour in-hoof. Pinkie opened the bag and emptied the contents on herself. Harry giggled wildly.

"So you don't think the Cakes will mind if I borrow some baby supplies?" Fluttershy asked.

"Nah. And you should probably keep the baby supplies. If Harry here uses the diapers, I don't think we want them back."

Pinkie started walking back to the kitchen when she stepped and slipped on the discarded flour bag. She tripped into a cartwheel and rolled into the kitchen with a deafening crash. The thunderous noise startled Harry, getting him to cry once more. Fluttershy tried to calm him down when Twilight entered the bakery.

"What in Equestria is going on here? And what in Equestria is THAT?"

Twilight's outburst brought Harry back into a fit of giggling. Fluttershy admitted that she had no idea what Harry was, but he was a defenseless creature that needed some place to stay, at least until he was able to fend for himself. Twilight gave Fluttershy a disapproving glance.

"It's okay Twilight," Pinkie said, leaving the kitchen with a stack of diapers and bottles on her back. "I don't know what Harry is either."

"So you don't know what Harry is either?" Fluttershy asked, sheepishly.

"No, but that doesn't mean I won't search every book in my library until I do. But you are right, 'Harry' needs some place to stay, but please try to keep a close eye on him—not just for his sake, but for ours as well."