//------------------------------//
// Birth of Conquest 
// Story: Four Ponies Are Born 
// by ForsakenDraak66 
//------------------------------//

	I remember the night the first male alicorn was born in over a thousand years. It was a dark night, Luna’s stars shown bright in the sky. Crickets chirped as the silence of night was broken by the screams of a pained birth. A young couple, a male unicorn with the cutie mark of a key named Lock Smith, and a white pegasus with the cutie mark of a wave named Rip Tide,  were huddled in there small cottage. Rip Tide cried out as another contraction gripped her. Lock Smith pressed a cool cloth to her forehead and tried to help relax his wife. She screamed again as the midwife spoke, giving Rip Tide instruction. Finally, you could hear the sounds of a young foal entered the world. 

The midwife gasped and backed up, away from the foal. She had a look of shock on her face as she stared at the foal now on the bed. She took in all the details. The wings of a pegasus, the body of an earth pony, the horn of the unicorn, the pure white coat, the golden yellow mane, and finally, the cutie mark that adorned his flank. The foal slowly opened his eyes and looked upon the midwife. His eyes were completely white, luminescent like stars. The foal stared at the midwife as his eyes slowly turned to a pair of normal blue eyes, the same color as the midwife’s. He yawned and laid his head to sleep. 

Finally, the midwife noticed Rip Tide’s panicked voice. “Earthed Joy, what is it? What’s wrong with my foal? Earthed Joy, WHAT’S WRONG?!”

The panicked mare seemed to regain her calm as Lock Smith came around to see the foal. He gasped at the foal and whispered softly in awe. “Sweet Celestia…”

Rip Tide started to cry softly, her tears sliding down her snout. She said between her sobs, “Please.. Lock Smith.. WHAT’S WRONG WITH OUR FOAL?!”

Lock Smith broke his gaze from their foal and smiled at his wife. “He’s fine, sweetie. But he’s.. special.”

“What do you mean?” Rip Tide asked, confused, her snout still wet from tears. “What’s wrong with him?”

“He is an alicorn.” Earthed Joy said, slowly walking back to Rip Tide and the filly. “And he has his cutie mark.”

Rip Tide’s eyes widened with shock. “W-what does that mean..? What will happen to him?”

“I’m sorry, Rip Tide,” Earthed Joy said softly, “ but your foal will no longer be yours. Princess Celestia will want him. He is the only known male of the alicorn race. And he also has his cutie mark. She will want him to stay with her. There is a chance that he will grow up never knowing you two to be his true parents. I’m sorry..”

Rip Tide’s body shook as she sobbed. Finally, she locked eyes with her husband, and said softly, with determination in her voice, “Princess Celestia will not take him. I will not allow our Conquest to be taken.”

“Conquest?” Lock Smith asked, raising his eyebrow.

Rip Tide nodded. “He will be known as Conquest for he is destined for great things. Him having a cutie mark proves that. And he is the last male of the alicorn race. He is destined for greatness.”

Rip Tide paused, letting this sink in to her husband. Lock Smith nodded and Rip Tide asked, more softly, “What is his cutie mark?”
“A bow with a nocked arrow, my dear.” Lock Smith replied. 

They shared a small moment before they heard shouting outside their home. Bewildered and afraid they looked around. They noticed that Earthed Joy was no longer in their small bedroom. They listened longer and were able to make out the voice that was shouting. It was Earthed Joy. She was shouting, “Come and see!”

Lock Smith looked to Rip Tide with fear on his face. He didn’t want to lose their foal. Rip Tide nodded. She shared the feeling. She sighed and tried to sit up but was too exhausted. Lock Smith nuzzled her and whispered, “You need your rest Rip Tide. We can leave once you have regained some strength.”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that just yet.”

Alarmed, Rip Tide and Lock Smith looked to the voice. Celestia was standing in the doorway of their room. There was also another pony accompanying her. The mare was assisting a young filly. Locksmith bowed but Rip Tide stared at Celestia, defiance in her eyes. Rip Tide growled at Celestia and said through gritted teeth, “Don’t you dare touch my foal.”

Celestia sighed. “I’m sorry Rip Tide, but you leave me no other choice. This is for the benefit of the alicorn race.” 

Her horn lit up and Lock Smith and Rip Tide stopped moving. The mare next to Celestia brought the young filly towards Rip Tide and lifted the filly onto the bed. Then she took the sleeping foal and returned to Celestia’s side.

“Neither of you will remember the alicorn that you birthed. Instead you will see this young filly as your own. You will forget I was here and remember a perfect birth for this filly.” Celestia said, allowing the mind magic to finish molding the two ponies brains.

“Please…. Don’t take our Conquest…” Rip Tide whispered as the mind magic finished reprogramming her brain.

Celestia nodded and smiled softly. “He will keep his birth name, but you will not remember it.” Turning to the mare next to her, she said, “Come, let us go Marigold.”

With that they left, wiping the minds of any pony that saw them or heard of the birth of an alicorn. They flew through the sky for a while, the night protecting them from being seen as they made their way back to Canterlot. 

When Canterlot came into sight, Marigold spoke softly, “Princess, do you think this was wise? I mean, we could have let them keep the foal until he was grown, couldn’t we?”

Celestia shook her head. “No Marigold, we couldn’t. An alicorn needs to be taken care of differently. Also, he was born with a cutie mark. We need to find out why. It would be easier to do that if he was in our care. I regret taking him from his parents, but I had to do what must be done.”

Marigold nodded and stayed silent as they flew into Canterlot. She branched away from Celestia and flew to the orphanage to drop off the foal. She made her way into the quiet building, being careful not to wake the other fillies and foals. Marigold laid Conquest in an empty bed and smiled at him as she tucked him in.  She whispered softly, “Sleep well, Conquest. I have a feeling that your life here will be hard. Enjoy the serenity of Princess Luna’s night and dream well.” 

With that she leaned down and gently kissed the foal in his head, avoiding his horn. Marigold sighed softly. As an orphan herself, she hated having to help Celestia take Conquest away. Marigold started for the dorr. Turning back and casting a sad glance at the sleeping foal, she muttered, "I'm sorry Conquest.."

With that she left.