//------------------------------// // Primary Care Giver // Story: The Foal in The Basket // by PonyBlue //------------------------------// Chapter 3 Primary Care Giver “She is underweight and mildly undernourished,” Nurse Redheart finally announced. “There are some signs of developmental problems, but that should fade with proper care and attention.” The white Earth Pony nurse set the young, skinny foal back into her basket. “It was a good thing that you came to the hospital as quickly as you did. A few more weeks and she would have certainly caught an infection, and that would have ended very poorly” “Underweight? How could you know that? I though you didn’t recognize the breed of pony she was? Earth Pony foals are a lot stockier than Unicorn foals, which are heavier again than Pegasus foals.” “I don’t, and I still don’t.” The nurse replied. “Nonetheless, I do know foals. There are certain proportions that all foals have no matter the breed. Wisp didn’t put on enough weight while she was in-utero.” The white Earth Pony mare shook her light pinkish mane. “I’ve seen some hard cases in Fillydelphia, but I never imagined seeing one out here in the country side. Given the state of the foal, her mother must have been caloric deficient for much of her pregnancy. I am almost surprised she carried to term.” “Chrysalis was starving?” Nurse Redheart nodded her head. “You know the mother?” Twilight looked away. “We met briefly.” She answered simply. “If you can meet her again, please tell her to go to the nearest hospital right away. She can get aid from Luna’s Royal Aid Foundation for Disadvantage Ponies.” “I don’t think she…” “If she won’t accept charity, please convince her that she is doing this for herself as well as for her foal. Her health is in jeopardy.” “I’ll try.” Twilight answered, but she truthfully she knew there was very little chance of that happening. Twilight glanced at the changeling, a foal that was likely her niece. “How old is she?” “Given that Honeydew Wisp still has her umbilical stump. I would say no more than a week old.” “About the right time,” Twilight whispered. “I take it you know more than you are letting on.” It wasn’t a question. “It’s rare for a mother to abandon her foal, but in every case which I have read about, she tends to leave it to a close friend or…. family.” Nurse Redheart stated. “I…” Twilight stuttered as she tried to think of a convincing lie on the spot that didn’t involve her brother or a changeling queen and somehow explain the foal’s odd appearance. “You don’t have to say anything, I won’t ask any further.” “Thank you.” “Shall I list you as her primary care provider?” “Her what?” Twilight Sparkle asked. The question seemed to come out of nowhere. “Her legal guardian,” Nurse Redheart clarified. “From the state of the foal, I would imagine her birth was clandestine. No medical professional would have allowed Wisp or her mother out of their sight.” Legal guardian? Her? Twilight was as shocked as any pony could be given the circumstance. In her own estimate, she was certainly responsible enough to care for a foal, but to raise one; and to do so by herself, without a helping herd or a stallion? She didn’t feel all that mature… although there was Spike, and he was quite mature for his age. But that was not the crux of the problem, well not all of it. She couldn’t raise a changeling foal. “What if I can’t? What if I don’t want to? What if I return her back to her mother?” “Returning Wisp to her mother would be a very cruel thing to do, Twilight Sparkle. Wisp would almost surely die.” Nurse Redheart shook her head and sighed. “In cases of foal abandonment, I have to inform the Royal Equestrian Foal Services in Canterlot. They will take Wisp in, and place her in an orphanage, where, hopefully, somepony will adopt her and give her a good home.” The nurse regarded the young, confused mare for a long moment. “If you have any love for this foal, please consider taking her in. I know it is a big decision, but you don’t have to make up your mind immediately. Please give it some thought. Her mother must have left her foal to you for a reason.” ‘Because she would have been caught the moment she entered Canterlot’ Twilight Sparkle kept her thoughts to herself. “A foal thrives better when she’s in a loving environment of friends and family. Not that I am maligning the good work of the Foal Services, but the numbers they handle simply preclude the kind of emotional stability that a dedicated care provider can give.” “Okay, I’ll give it some thought.” Twilight finally promised and turned to leave. “Twilight, how do you intend to feed Wisp?” That small question stopped her mid stride. ‘Find the most loving pony in Ponyville and have my niece leach off said pony’s love like the parasites her breed of pony she is?’ Apart from that sarcastic thought, she had to admit between the hospital wait and the worry that true nature of the foal would be discovered, she had forgotten the original reason for being here in Ponyville General Hospital. “A wet nurse has already fed and burped Wisp, but we usually encourage the primary care giver to nurse the foal on her own. It helps build a bond to the foal.” “I… don’t know,” The uncertainty in her voice was apparent. “The lactation spell is a simple spell, and nursing a foal is perfectly natural.” Nurse Redheart assured. It was decision time for Twilight Sparkle. The purple Unicorn mare glanced at the changeling foal sleeping in the basket. Her thoughts were troubled. Could she freely give something of herself to a breed of pony that threatened to steal so much from her? The logical answer was no. She shouldn’t. She should be half way to Canterlot ready to throw... what? A foal into irons? This foal was likely her niece, her brother’s daughter. Its only fault was to have been born the wrong pony breed. “Okay.” She said once. “Okay, I’ll do it.” In the end the spell itself was rather simple compared to the troubled decision of performing it. She nearly backed out twice, but managed to convince herself to continue each time. It took hardly any magic to perform, as a mare’s body was built to care and feed her own foals when the time came. But it was still a strange feeling. It left her feeling bloated down below. Her udder were heavy and full. “You should lie on your side when nursing Wisp.” Nurse Redheart advised. “Is that normal? I thought all foals could stand and walk hours after they’re born.” “Usually that is true. But Wisp is in such a poor condition, she simply does not have the strength to stand for long. I would also recommend keeping her indoors until she has a chance to put on a few pounds of weight. I wouldn’t risk an illness for a foal in her state.”