It was just after sundown when the royal Pegasus guards heard a shrill, piercing cry coming from the outside of the palace walls. The Royal Guards, not knowing what was out there, alerted both Princess Celestia and her younger sister Princess Luna about the cries coming from outside the main gate.
“Where are the cries coming from?” Celestia asked, approaching one of the guard Captains, with her sister Princess Luna following close behind her.
“The cries seem to be coming from outside the main gate, your majesties.” the guard captain replied, while following the two princesses. By the time Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had reached the main gate of the palace, they could hear the piercing cries of what sounded like the cries of a baby foal desperately calling out for its mother.
“Open the gate!” Princess Luna ordered. By her command, the great golden gates of the palace opened with a loud groan as wood and metal moved together. Lying before the open gates, laid a small brown wicker basket that was covered with a small blue wool blanket. Slowly, an old stallion clad in silver armor, called Honor Medal, approached the covered basket with caution. Quickly he noticed the cries die down as he slowly made his way forth towards the basket itself. Gently, he poked the basket with the wooden end of his spear.
“WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was the response that came from his gentle poking.
The old earth pony guard knew the sounds of a distressed infant very well, having raised four of his own throughout his lifetime. Quickly dropping his spear, he rushed to the basket pulling the warm wool blanket off only to find his suspicions correct. Laying before Medal's eyes was a tiny, black-coated newborn Pegasus colt. With eyes of lilac purple and mane of ghostly grey and white, he was a beautiful sight to behold.
"Hey, hey, shsssssssshshshshshsh. It's okay, little one." Medal soothed as he wrapped the infant foal back up in the blanket.
Gently he rocked the tiny foal back in forth in his hooves till the newborn fell asleep. Smiling at the colt's sleeping face, Medal suddenly noticed something strange. There was a small bump upon the foal's small forehead.
“Is that a ... a horn?' He asked himself as he touched it. “By Luna's light! It is a horn!”.
Quickly he wrapped the whimpering infant back up into the blue blanket that was meant to be the foal's swaddling cloth, and placed him gently back inside the wicker basket-like cradle. Moving faster than the famous Rainbow Dash herself, the old guard hurried back into the palace courtyard with wicker basket in tow.
"What hath thou found, General !?" Princess Luna asked as the old earth pony galloped towards the royals as if he was chased by death himself.
Coming to a sliding halt before the two regal mares, Honor gently bestowed the foal-laden basket before their shiny slippered hooves, and humbly bowed before them before rising to his own armored hooves himself.
"What is this that you have laid before us, General Honor Medal?" the snow-white coated alicorn mare asked, with a hint of concern and confusion in her regal voice.
Honor Medal couldn't speak the words, due the shock of what the tiny life that laid before the two princesses.
"Speak old stallion!, what have thee found that lies within this whickered old basket?" the princess of the night demanded with stomp of her metal clad hooves.
The old warrior remained still as dead tree winter, unmoving and silent as if he had come face to face with a wild Cockatrice. Taking the opportunity, the lunar Alicorn lowered her head to the basket, and nudged the side a bit roughly. All of a sudden, another one of the shrill screaming cry erupted from within the basket. The midnight blue mare jumped back in fright like a frightened filly on Nightmare Night, while quickly darting behind her elder sister flanks shaking with fear.
A golden aura of light quickly surrounded the small crying bundle, and gently lifted it up with great care as if it was made of glass. Celestia carefully eyed the object before taking it into her hooves. Looking down at the bundle she pulled back the covers to find to her surprise a tiny black muzzle pointing straight up at her.
"Why, it's only a foal!" she said, giving the crying infant a gentle loving smile and nuzzle.
The old Earth Pony rose from his bow giving them both a quizzical stare, "It's more than just a foal, your Majesties." he said.
"What do you mean, General?" Luna asked, poking her head out from her hiding place behind her sister.
"If you both look closely at the foal's body you will both find him more like you than you think".
The two mares looked him with a confused stare, but did as he instructed.
"SISTER!, this child bears the markings of Alicorn!" the Lunar Alicorn mare cried out excitedly. Celestia stood there, her mouth agape in shock and awe at what laid before her very eyes, a small newborn Alicorn. Looking back to her younger sister she replied,
"Indeed, Lulu, it is. But even more, because it is a colt."
"A COLT?!" Luna shouted using the Canterlot voice.
"Let me see, dear sister!".
Carefully the Solar Diarch presented the tiny newborn to her sister and fellow Diarch.
"BY FAUST'S GREAT MANE AND MIGHT PEN!, TIS REALLY COLT!" The mare shouted with excited glee in her voice.
"Ssssssssssshhhhh!, Luna!" Celestia said, sternly.
"Hmmmm?" Luna answered back looking at her sister's stern gaze.
"Does the word volume come to mind?"
"Volume?, Oh!, Ooooooooh!. Volume, right." she replied sheepishly.
Now eye leveled with the weeping infant, Luna could only let out a joyful awe filled squeak at the tiny alicorn.
"Awwwwwwe!, he's so cute, yes you are, yes you are" she cooed happily.
The tiny colt just stared at her, his tiny lilac colored eyes looking at her with utter confusion and fear. Celestia couldn't hold back her own giddiness and happiness at the scene that was presented before her.
"He certainly is." she replied as she pulled the infant close to her chest.
General Honor Medal could only watch the two Mares oogle and dote upon the tiny foal. Rolling his eyes he muttered, " Mares, when they see a newborn foal they go absolutely gaga of them".
"What was that, General?!" the two Alicorn mares asked, fixing him with a powerful questioning glare.
"Nothing, your majesties!, Absolutely nothing, nope, nadda , nothing!" He said as he started to sweat profusely under their intense glare.
"Good" the elder princess said with a warm pleasant smile. "I would hate to think what your wife, Sunshine Belle would say if she found out you were bad mouthing your superiors behind their backs now wouldn't we, aaaaaye General Honor Medal?".
"Yes Ma'am!, of...of course Ma'am!, thank you Ma'am!" he replied while backing away slowly to resume his duties. The General was not a stupid pony, he knew that upsetting the princesses was one thing, but upsetting the Misses was something that no married stallion would or should discuss out in the open.
Now turning their attention back on to the newborn colt, the two regal sisters began issuing orders to both the guards and palace staff to make preparations for the newest addition to their ever growing family. Looking to her sister, Princess Celestia smiled, saying, "Tonight, dear Lulu, he shall sleep with me in my chambers."
Princess Luna nodded before giving her newest family member a gentle nuzzle and kiss to his tiny nubbed forehead. "Tonight, he will sleep with pleasant, nightmare-free dreams." she said, before heading off to attend her night court.
Celestia smiled happily as she and the newborn colt watched the Midnight blue alicorn mare disappear into the coming night. “Now little one, let’s get you inside where it's warm and safe".
A deep growling sound loudly roared from the foal's tiny stomach. The Rainbow maned mare could only giggle as she nuzzled him, “and something to fill your tiny hungry tummy as well" she cooed.