Mother of the Enemy

by ChibiPatches


Telling the others

It wasn't long before she finished cleaning her home, and it would still be a few days before she needed to go into the local market for anything. Going back upstairs she checked on the young foal to ensure he was alright. He let out coos and faint gasps as he moved around a little in the basket.

Smiling at him Fluttershy soon noticed the time, 'Oh dear...' She mouthed, careful not to wake him.

She was running late for tea with her friends she quietly paced around the room trying to figure out what to do. She wanted to stay home and care for him, but knew if she didn't show up her friends would think something was wrong. But she couldn't leave him here by himself, even if the little critters did help her it wouldn't be right.

She whimpered a little knowing how the last encounter with the changelings didn't go so well. Who was she kidding, they tried to take over Equestria. But in her heart she knew he was different, despite the fact he was an infant.

Taking a deep breath she sighed as she came to terms with the fact she would have to take him along. Covering the basket with a thin blanket, Fluttershy picked up the basket and made her way out the door. As she walked down the dirt path she heard him uttering gibberish baby talk.

Peeking under the cloth she saw he was talking in his sleep. A smile crept across her face as she continued along. Her smile was both in worry of him being found out by a crowd and the warm feeling she got from caring for him.

Walking through the square she blushed as she looked at her hooves. She hoped no pony asked abut the basket she carried, or that she went unnoticed as she passed through the town.

As she walked she peeked under the cloth once more, "Just a little longer and we are there." She whispered to the sleeping foal.

~*~

Reaching the door to the friendship castle, Fluttershy soon realized that maybe bringing the foal was a bad idea. Her mind raced with questions as she hesitated with the handle in her hoof. What if he started crying, what if he wanted to be held or fed, all of these on top of the main issue.
The problems with the changelings during the wedding a few years ago, Twilight might start asking questions and try to find the hive. With a sad sigh Fluttershy turned around to start walking back home.

"Hey Fluttershy! what'cha doing?" Fluttershy squeaked at the sound of her friend Pinkie Pie and turned around as she jumped.

"What's in the cloth?" Rainbow Dash asked landing next to the frightened Fluttershy.

"Oh, um," Fluttershy let of another squeak "nothing really..." She hoped to keep him a secret a little while longer, at least till she could properly explain how and why she now had him.

"Are there cupcakes in there!" The Pink earth pony asked excitedly as she began jumping up and down.

Fluttershy squeaked with fear while hoping her friend’s hyper attitude would not wake the baby. As Fluttershy tried to hold off Pinkie from looking under the blanket, Rainbow Dash came over and slowly began pulling her back.

"I am sure that it is a surprise Pinkie," Rainbow Dash said with a smirk as the pink ball of boundless energy wiggled and struggled in her hooves, "let’s just wait and see what it is okay."

"OK!" Pinkie Pie said happily hopping out of Rainbow’s grasp and back into the castle "come on girls! we have a tea party to get to!" Dash

rolled her eyes as she followed Pinkie, brushing off the fact she had slipped through her hooves.
Almost as if either they or her were covered in oil, “You coming Fluttershy?” Rainbow asked as she looked back catching her peeking into the basket.

“Hmm…” Fluttershy perked up while looking around hoping no one saw the infant, “oh… yes, just making sure everything is alright.” She nervously responded while motioning her hoof for Rainbow Dash to go on ahead of her.

~*~

Once inside Fluttershy set the basket on the table in front of her seat as she slowly slid into place, looking up to see her friends all watching she noticed a few things. Among them was Pinkie Pie's eyes and how gigantic they had become, it was as if she was about to explode waiting for the surprise. Just like a foal overly excited and eager to open their gifts on their birthday or in the early hours of Hearths Warming day, regardless which occasion it only made Fluttershy worry as she locked eyes with her.

Breaking the faint tension Twilight gave a warm smile as she poured the first cup of tea, "So how have you been Fluttershy?" The purple alicorn asked while levitating the teapot over to Fluttershy, carefully filling her cup as the pot was moved around the table.

"Oh everything has been fine Twilight," Fluttershy nervously stated as she looked over at the basket hoping the foal would stay quiet, "I just have a um, small, problem." Fluttershy said as she began to fidget with her hooves, with each small thought slowly began to grow.

Each one focused on how she was going to tell her friends all about her new life as a mother. Could she even tell them, would they even accept the foal she chose to take under her care? But her biggest worry was if the little one would be accepted later on in life as he grew older, she was uncertain about the answers but she knew one thing.

Regardless of what came next or even later in life, Fluttershy had come to love the foal as if he was her own son.

Fluttershy slowly looked at her friends noticing each one had a concerned look on their face "Yesterday…” She sighed as she presented the basket to them, “I found a foal on my doorstep." Before Fluttershy could say anything else a small noise came from the basket. 
 
Twilight gave Fluttershy a bewildered look before she levitated the blanket off the Whimpering foal, as the blanket fell onto the table every pony slowly began to peek at what lay inside. There was a small gasp from her friends as they looked at the little changeling, all of them were shocked at first to see one as young as he was. As he yawned he whimpered a little from seeing so many new faces all at once.

Fluttershy couldn’t help but pick him up as she faintly shushed him, “I don’t know who put him at my doorstep, or even why they left him there.” She explained while gently rocking back and forth, “I’ve only cared for him for about a day so far, and after all of this I want to keep him. He’s no trouble at all beyond the occasional fuss here and there.”
 
“But what about feeding him?” Rainbow Dash asked with a bewildered expression as she watched Fluttershy pat the foal on his back.
 
“She is right.” Twilight chimed in as she placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder, “Feeding him could be a problem. We all know that changelings feed on love, and we all saw what happened to my brother when Chrysalis fed off of him.” Everypony nodded in agreement as they faintly talked among themselves.
 
“Well that’s just it…” Fluttershy smiled as she explained, “he’s been feeding on my love for him. And it hasn’t been affecting me in the slightest.” Patting him on the back they soon heard him burp, “Maybe it’s different for infants?”
 
Twilight let out a worried groan as she rubbed the back of her head, “Well we can’t rule out the possibilities of what could happen.” Twilight sighed as she looked at Fluttershy’s longing expression to keep the foal, “Just be careful alright, we will each come by every so often to make sure you’re alright. And if there’s any small change to your current condition that any of us notice, then we will have to take the foal away from you. Are you alright with that?”
 
Fluttershy could only whimper as she snuggled the foal, “Only so long as any of you can notice a difference?” She asked getting a simple nod from Twilight, “Oh~...” She sighed not wanting to make such a choice.