//------------------------------// // Prolouge: Mommy 'Tia // Story: A shell, a spell, and...wait, what the..?? // by MrWriterWriter //------------------------------// Nine hundred and eighty... Nine hundred and eighty years to the day since Celestia was forced to banish one of the closest ponies in her life. Her own baby sister... And every year since then, witness as the populous celebrated that day. She couldn't really blame them; they were legitimately terrified of what her sister had become. But, that still didn't make it any less painful. Which was why she was currently on the nature walk she made a point of taking this time every year just to get away from everything for a bit. The early afternoon carried a pleasant silence with it, broken only the occasional bird or insect and the faint whisper of the breeze through nearby branches. She was so caught up in the serene atmosphere she forgot one of the cardinal rules of a walk: Always watch your step. Celestia yelped when her hoof caught on something, flailing her arms wildly as she tried to regain her balance... *THUMP!* And landed face-first. "Unf! Hack! Peh-thewieh!" She gagged, spitting out a mouthful of dirt and grass. Climbing to her knees, she did a quick check to make sure nothing was damaged before finally getting up and wiping her sweats off, "The hay?? What'd I trip on?" She asked herself, staring at a small pile of vegetation behind her. She frowned. The grass and other plants in the pile had all been cut or broken indicating it had been deliberately made. Just who would leave something like that here? And why? Her curiosity piqued, she looked around, "Hello? Anyone around?" She called out, "Hellooo..?" No answer, She promptly cleared the pile with her magic to reveal a hoofball-sized object. It was lavender and covered in dark purple spots. An egg. A dragon egg. Celestia's jaw dropped. A..a DRAGON egg!? HERE?? That's impossible; their last migration was over six years ago; and even then, this area was nowhere near the route they take! The only other possibility was that someone had either been gutsy or insane enough to actually steal from a mother dragon. Even SHE'D be hesitant to try and pick a fight with one. In that regard, it was safe to assume that whoever had it originally had either decided keeping it was too risky, or simply didn't want it anymore. She growled at the notion; regardless of species, some heartless slime had taken a child from it's mother! She made a silent vow that should she catch whoever was responsible, they would learn first hand just how creative she could be with a mountaintop and plenty of butter. With that in mind, she turned back to the egg. Given how the plant were just now starting to discolor or fade, it had been there for only a couple of days. The egg's coloration was deep and vibrant, indicating the baby inside was still alive and ready to hatch . Ready to hatch... Celestia felt her body tense at that thought. Now she may be around a thousand years old and never exactly been a biological mother herself, but she could still feel the pangs of that notorious motherly instinct. That's not to say she was alone; no but she still felt lonely. Her adopted niece, Cadance, had school and her princess training so she wasn't able to come around often. Her nephew, Blueblood, unfortunately, was already beginning to show that being waited on hand and hoof was starting to go to his head; coming to see her only when he wanted something. She just wanted somebody she could spend time with. A little companionship... Looking at the egg, she felt that longing slowly grow stronger, and stronger... Without another thought, she scooped it up and, after tucking it into her shirt, took flight back to Canterlot. -----------The Princess' Chambers----------- The egg, now resting in a small makeshift nest of blankets on Celestia's desk, was surrounded by books. Celestia rifled through the one she was currently holding while several others hovered around her, "Ah, here we go!" She smiled once finding the article she was after,. Dragon eggs, Hatching: When a dragon's egg is ready, the mother will exhale a specially concentrated burst of fire commonly referred to as a 'Birthing Flame' onto it. The flame, designed to help the hatchling inside break free by weakening the dense shell. A portion of the flame also seeps through to provide the hatchling the strength needed to crack it from inside as well as act like a sort of beacon, helping it identify the fire's owner as its mother. She hung her head down in defeat; she knew a handful of fire spells, but they were primarily for combat. Even so, there was nothing to tell her how strong it needed to be. She was about to look elsewhere when the next paragraph caught her eye: Scientists have discerned that this specialized flame operates on a similar frequency to a grown unicorn's magic. However, attempting this is ill-advised, due to the risk of overexertion and the need for precise control to prevent injury to the hatchling, though, the exact intensity of magic required to replicate the flame's effect is still in debate. "Unicorn, huh?" She smiled, her determination coming back full force, "Let's see how well some Alicorn magic does." And with that, she went to prepare. An hour later, Celestia, after chowing down a couple of dandelion sandwiches and half a jug of apple cider, got to work. Her horn took on its familiar yellow glow as she began focusing on the egg, encasing it in her power. She took great care to start with the barest minimum she could use and raise it as gradually as possible. Minutes passed... Minutes that soon became hours. Sweat rolled from her brow, plastering strands of her mane to her forehead and soaking the sweats she still had on By the time evening rolled around, and stopping only for essentials and to raise the moon, the egg was almost glowing from the amount of power she was putting into it now. What she didn't see, however, was that her magic had penetrated the egg much earlier that day, filing and saturating the inside. It was also having a...profound effect on the little dragon inside. Suddenly, after almost nine hours of concentration, a loud crack from the egg got her attention. She immediately cut off the flow and watched as the fracture on the surface got larger and larger before it finally split in two, scattering small fragments around the desk. Celestia neared the egg cautiously; even at that age they could pack a punch with their fire. She looked into the egg and was greeted by a pair of large bright green eyes that peered at her inquisitively. Looking at those eyes made her realize something: this was a dragon, yes..but it was still a baby..a baby she had just hatched. This was HER baby. The eyes cocked a little to the side....and her heart melted. "It..it's ok, Sweetie." She cooed softly, reaching to pick the hatchling up, "Mommy's got..you.." She hesitated slightly..not out of fear or shock, but befuddlement, "Um..well," She let out a bemused chortle, and picked the infant up, "This is new, even for me." What was was originally going to be a dragon hatchling in her arms... Now lay a foal. A purple and green Kirin foal.