Techorse Short Stories

by Spirals95

#11 - From Here to Maternity

From Here to Maternity

Techorse series: #11

By Spirals95

---

Fluttershy was having a glass of hot tea and a cookie outdoors at a local café. It was partially cloudy and the shade provided by the clouds kept her cool. The café's red tables were equidistant and had four wicker chairs for the customers. Although she sat alone, Fluttershy was in no way bored. She was listening in on the conversation of three mares sitting at the table across from her. Eavesdropping was not always a very nice thing to do, but the soft yellow Pegasus knew that the three she was listening in on didn't mind. The first of the three was a local resident known as Colgate, whose white-striped hair really made her stand out amongst other ponies. The second was an aloe-colored one with a long red mane, which cascaded at her side. Finally, a light blue one with a curly pink mane and a bow on the end of her tail sat between the two. They were just finishing a conversation about a new variety of flower that had just been proven to grow well in town despite popular belief that the plant could not. The three stood up from their café table and proceeded to leave. As they did, Fluttershy noticed the attention the aloe-colored mare was getting.

Colgate asked her friend, "Desert Soothe, how far along are you now?"

"Six months. It won't be long now Colgate!" she replied, sighing in happiness, "Me and my husband are so excited."

"It must be wonderful to be having a foal!" said the light blue one, "I sure hope Topspin proposes to me soon, I want to have a family too!"

"Don't rush into it, Swirl." Cautioned Desert Soothe with a friendly pat on the head, "you need to be absolutely sure you're ready to do so!"

"What do you mean?" asked Swirl, tilting her head and giving her pink curls a bounce.

Fluttershy leaned in as Desert Soothe said, "Some folks want a family and some don't, and either is okay. It can be a great source of joy, but it's a lot of responsibility!"

"I bet it is." said Colgate, "But for the right pony, it's worth it!"

"Definitely." said Desert Soothe as she started to walk away from the cafe, "Let's go back to my house and talk a little more."

"We're right behind you." said Swirl, following her friend.

Fluttershy watched them walk away and sighed heavily. She smiled and shut her eyes, reflecting on the words of the others. She knew she loved to take care of small things, and was very kind at heart. But most of all, Fluttershy thought about Colgate's comment that it was worth it for the right pony.

"I'm kind of like a mom," she said softly to herself, before doubts started to cloud her head, "to the animals that is. But, am I really one? What if I was a parent?"

As a thought experiment, Fluttershy imagined herself living in her home with not just her animals, but a full family. She thought about how she'd teach her young ones how to take care of animals just as she liked to do. It wasn't long however, before she realized that if she wasn't the best possible parent to her animals, she knew she couldn't handle family. Fluttershy knew she needed to talk to another friend about this. So she left the café for the library to talk to the most knowledgeable pony she knew.

---

"You're thinking about becoming a mother?" Twilight asked Fluttershy with a hint of disbelief.

"Well no, not now," She replied, "maybe someday, but it's a bit more complicated than that. I heard that I have qualities like one from some mares at the café talking about family life. That's what's bothering me."

"Oh," said Twilight plainly, "you were just thinking about how motherly you are to the animals and are worried it won't be helpful down the road if you choose to be a parent?"

"Yes. I've never really raised any animals from the start as a parent," said Fluttershy sadly, tears starting to form in her eyes, "I just help them. Maybe it's not enough and I'm not really a good caretaker."

"You are doing your best!" assured Twilight, "Besides, you took Angel in, right? You're like his mother already, you say so yourself."

"Maybe, but I adopted him when he was mostly grown," she said, "It would be nice to try from the start though, just to test my skills."

Twilight had more to say, but was interrupted by a knock on the door of the library, and Spike dutifully went over to answer it. Before he could fully open the door, Techorse swung it open with his front leg and stepped inside. Two things were peculiar about him today, the first being that he wasn't wearing the robotic saddle he usually did. The second thing peculiar was the brown tree squirrel perched on his head.

"Hey Techorse." said the smashed Spike from behind the fully opened door.

The inventor turned his head along with the squirrel at the fully opened red door and said, "Hey Spike, sorry about that. I just wanted to tell Twilight about my new pet!"

Twilight and Fluttershy turned away from each other and looked at Techorse. The brown squirrel balanced on his head gave its tail a twirl and held its paws together in an extremely cute fashion.

"Nice squirrel Tech!" said Twilight, laughing at the fact that his new pet liked to sit on his head. Techorse looked up at the nut-gathering rodent and smiled. He didn't care if the animal was on his head.

"Tech," said Fluttershy politely, "Isn't that the squirrel PAL and I saw in the back yard of your castle earlier?"

"Yes." He answered, "This guy originally lived in the forest behind my castle, but recently started climbing into my house through a window. PAL and I like him so much that we've decided to keep him."

Fluttershy walked up to Techorse and gently held her right leg out to serve as a bridge. The squirrel got down on all fours and crossed over on Fluttershy's leg before sitting down on her head.

"So what's the little guy's name?" asked Fluttershy, giggling softly as the squirrel tried to make a 'nest' in her long pink hair.

"PAL chose the name 'Wingnut.'" answered Techorse, "I like it."

"So what brings you to the library anyways, Techie?" asked Spike, who had just finished peeling himself out of the wall.

"I was going to ask if Twilight had a book on caring for squirrels." He explained, "I figured that I couldn't just give him a teaspoon of peanut butter a day. I need to know a little more."

Twilight turned around and looked around at the bookshelves behind her.

"I'm sure I have something here that will help you out." she said, scanning the shelves for the right document.

As she talked, Wingnut jumped off of Fluttershy's head and onto the shelves, where he scampered amongst the hardback books. Eventually, he came to a large blue one labeled 'Care for Rodents' and gripped it with his small front paws. Although the book weighed as much as he did, the squirrel managed to move the edition enough that it caught Twilight's attention, and she finished removing the book with her magic.

"Thanks Wingnut." she said, smiling at the squirrel. The furry creature gave a tiny 'salute' before jumping off the shelf and onto the wood floor.

"Your squirrel's pretty smart." commented Spike as the animal jumped on top of his head, "Maybe he's sitting on our heads to steal our brains!"

"I highly doubt that!" laughed Techorse, "Wingnut just feels safe in high places. Usually, that's a tree, but in this case your head does fine."

"Well, here's the book you wanted." said Twilight as she placed the book in front of him, "Are you going to be able to get this home without your saddle?"

"I'm just going to read what I need here, Twilight." He answered.

"Ok, I'll join you." She answered as her horn stopped glowing. Fluttershy sighed behind her, and Twilight remembered what they were talking about.

"Oh yeah, sorry Fluttershy." said Twilight, "We were talking about your parenting skills."

Techorse looked up from the animal care book and said with a shocked tone of voice, "Parenting skills?"

Twilight took a playful swing at Techorse with her hoof, "She just wants to make sure she's a good one to her animals! That way in the future, she could be a great parent to a family."

"Is this true Fluttershy?" asked Techorse, putting a curious expression on his face.

"Oh yes." She sighed, "I did think a bit about what having a family would be like in the future, but I'm really just not sure I have the skills I need."

Fluttershy's ears drooped, and she looked sadly at the floor.

"That's not true." said Techorse, putting a hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder, "look, those animals love you. You're doing great helping them."

"I understand," said Fluttershy, wiping her nose on another tissue, "I just let my thoughts run away after hearing some mares at the cafe talk about their new families they're starting. It's... it's nothing."

She then walked out the open door of the library without saying another word to make the miserable walk back to her home. Once she had left, Twilight shut the door.

"Poor Fluttershy." she said, "She thinks she's not good at the very thing she's the best at."

Techorse nodded and looked around the library for a moment.

"Well, maybe we don't have to do anything." said Twilight, approaching him, "I'm sure she's just starting doubting herself because of what those mares said at the café today. In fact, let's go over to her house tomorrow morning and see how she's doing."

"All right, I'll see you there." He said, "Love you."

Twilight smiled and met him in a quick kiss. Spike looked away and mocked them by sticking his fingers down his throat and making a gagging noise. In response to his rude teasing aimed at his master, Wingnut dug his claws into the dragon's head. Spike yelped and brushed the squirrel off with his left arm, throwing the animal to the ground. It got up and ran quickly up Techorse's leg before jumping on his head and taking a quick seat. Spike tried to pursue the squirrel and beat him up, but Twilight held out a leg and kept him back.

"Break it up you two!" she said sternly.

Techorse gently lowered his head to the floor of the library and said in a demanding voice, "Apologize to Spike."

The squirrel reluctantly approached the small dragon and stuck out its right paw. Although his hand dwarfed the squirrels, Spike shook the tree rodent's hand without hurting him. Afterwards, Techorse bid farewell and left with his pet out the front door of the library.

---

Later that night, Fluttershy sat on a couch in her cottage, staring at the fire in the brick fireplace. Despite the comfort her rabbit Angel offered, she couldn't chase away the thoughts she was having. The fire was the only source of light in the dark room, and the flames gave off their orange glow, illuminating Fluttershy's humble home with a gentle luminance. A blue blanket lay over top Fluttershy, covering up all of her body except for her head. The blanket and the fire provided a good amount of warmth on the cool night, but Fluttershy still felt cold on the inside no matter how much external warmth she provided herself. The question of her abilities nagged her.

Eventually, the misery of lying on the couch in a ball overtook her, and she got up and walked over to a nearby window. The sky was cloudless thanks to Rainbow Dash's night shift, and the stars glowed softly against the deep black of outer space. Fluttershy stared at the constellations above and wondered if she really was as motherly as she thought she was. Suddenly, a piece of material burned in the atmosphere of Equestria, and a shooting star was formed, which flashed brilliantly as it darted through the dark sky.

Fluttershy knew she had a wish now, and she shut her eyes and made it.

Opening her eyes, she smiled a bit and started to walk for her bedroom. The rabbit in the living room pushed over a bucket of water and put out the fire, a loud hiss was heard as the flames died instantly. He then hopped over to his small bed and jumped in. Fluttershy climbed into her bed and pulled the sheets and quilt up to her neck. As Fluttershy slept, a large and long shadow approached her home. It had no intent to harm the occupant or destroy her house. Instead, it simply left something behind in the quiet of the night, and then moved away with only a quiet rustling in the grass. Without a trace, something had visited Fluttershy's home and left to return to the Everfree Forest.

---

Techorse and Twilight got up early to go visit Fluttershy. They knew she didn't like to sleep in, and figured that she would be out of bed by at least nine in the morning. After meeting up at the library, they set out to make sure everything was ok. Techorse had equipped his saddle this time, and carried in his robotic hands a brown paper bag with a few bagels in it. He figured a great breakfast would help take Fluttershy's mind off of her silly self-doubt. When they reached the tree home, however, what they saw caused their mouths to hang open. To the right of Fluttershy's home, was a gigantic egg laid perfectly in the grass. It was a very large white ovoid, being at least 3 feet in diameter and two and half feet tall. Across the egg's middle were three red stripes, making the egg look almost like a billiard ball.

"What is that?" asked Twilight as she walked up to the object, "An egg of some kind?"

"That must be what it is!" said Techorse in awe at the size of the thing, "But where did it come from?"

Fluttershy heard the loud conversation of her friends and gently opened her eyes. She was still in bed, but was curious as to why Techorse and Twilight Sparkle were talking so loudly outside of her home. The yellow pony got out of her bed and rubbed her eyes before walking slowly for the front door. She opened it slowly and stepped out into the cool morning breeze.

"Good morning Twilight." She said as she spotted her friend, "What are you doing here?"

"We came to visit you and make sure everything's ok!" said Twilight, "Now come take a look at this!"

Fluttershy walked around the side of her home and looked at the large egg. Her eyes widened at the sight of the object.

"W-where did this come from?" she asked with an unusually wide smile on her face.

"We don't know." Said Techorse, "But we ought to turn this egg over to the right experts."

"NO!" shouted Fluttershy, jumping in front of the egg and blocking Techorse by spreading her wings. She then noticed the weird stare she was getting from Twilight and relaxed.

"I mean," she said, "I'd like to hatch the egg, if that's ok with you."

"It's ok." He replied, "But why do you want to hatch the egg?"

Fluttershy turned around and hugged the shell tightly. She closed her eyes and answered, "Maybe I can be this bird's mom! I can raise the baby bird to be kind like me, and maybe even teach it how to fly! This is the test of my skills that I've been waiting for, guys. I won't have to worry anymore about the future if I can succeed with this egg."

Techorse and Twilight looked at each other and then back at the egg. They felt that Fluttershy already had everything she needed, but also knew that it was good thing for Fluttershy that the unborn bird had been left there.

"I think that's a great idea!" said Twilight, "I can find a book back at the library that can tell us exactly what kind of bird is in that egg. In the meantime, Tech should go back to his castle and get the things you need to hatch it."

Fluttershy released her hug on the egg and said, "I guess I can't sit on it, can I?"

They laughed at the joke and went their separate ways. As they did so, Twilight smiled and knew that Fluttershy would be satisfied by taking care of the egg. The test of her parenting skills was beginning!

---

An hour later, Techorse returned with several materials from his laboratory. He had brought a "solar farm", a large generator consisting of one dozen solar panels and an engine-block sized device which turned the photons of the sun into electrical power. To this machine he plugged in several electric blankets, which he and Fluttershy wrapped around the egg's base, leaving only the very top of the shell open to the elements. The red blankets surrounded the ovum and cushioned it, but for an extra measure of security, Fluttershy gathered large sticks from the forest and built a literal nest around her new baby. Soon the egg was receiving a good amount of warmth and love, as Fluttershy decided that she really needed to sit on the egg. She laid herself down on top of the exposed part, hiding the remainder of the egg from view. Techorse laughed at his friend's silliness, but Fluttershy shook her head at him and curled her head gently on the top of the egg.

"You aren't going to start babying that thing are you?" joked Techorse, "It hasn't even hatched yet!"

"I'm not going to baby it," responded Fluttershy, "But I'm going to give as much love as I can to this egg. I'm not going to fail this bird in any way!"

Techorse switched his saddle's gadgets from his robot arms to his turbofans.

"I'll be back to check on you later in the week. Take care Fluttershy, and let me know when the egg hatches."

With a helicopter sound, Techorse lifted into the air and flew back for his castle. Fluttershy put her head back down on the eggshell and decided to take a nap. When she fell asleep, a chemical on the egg's surface turned into a vapor and permeated its' adoptive mother's lungs. Fluttershy was about to take on an interesting side effect from the presence of the chemical.

---

About two days later, Twilight was working on perfecting her magic missile, a large explosive bolt of magic she used to defend herself, when she became hungry for a chocolate chip muffin. Target practice against cardboard cutouts of monsters sometimes made her crave a complex carbohydrate coupled with simple sugars, and a muffin was always a solid choice. So she made a short trip to the only bakery in Ponyville, knowing that Pinkie Pie could get her the baked good. She entered the front door and tripped the bell hanging above, alerting her friend to her arrival.

Pinkie Pie dashed out from behind the counter and said, "Hey Twilight, what's up?"

"Do you have any chocolate chip muffins today Pinkie?" she asked, "I've been practicing my missile and I really need something chocolate."

"There's a fresh batch coming right up!" she responded cheerfully, "Just give it fifteen minutes and you'll have a fresh hot one in your hooves!"

Twilight had a seat in a nearby chair and waited patiently for her treat to be finished. After about five minutes, the bell on the door rang again, and this time Fluttershy walked in.

Pinkie Pie poked her head from over the counter of the bakery and greeted her, "Hi Fluttershy, you in the mood for a muffin, too?"

Fluttershy approached the counter and said, "Hello Pinkie Pie. I like the sound of a muffin, but I was actually hoping that I could try one of your secret cakes."

The other ponies save Twilight gasped at these words and stared directly at Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie's "secret cakes" was a name given to the pony's crazy experimental baked goods. They tended to be loaded with calories and sugar in the weirdest ways. Although they didn't taste awful by any definition, the cakes were a surefire way for a mare to die of a heart attack unless a small portion was taken.

"Of course I'll let you try my secret cakes!" she said with glee, as no one had before been so brave as to try them.

Pinkie Pie bounded into the kitchen behind her and returned with her first creation. The three-layered chocolate cake was frosted with loads of caramel and fudge icing, and crunchy cookie bits were sprinkled all over the top of the massive mound of a confection. Pinkie Pie dropped the large plate in front of Fluttershy.

"This is my super turtle supreme!" she squealed, "I'm so glad you want to try it."

Twilight stared at Fluttershy and couldn't believe that she was actually going to have a bite of the sickly sweet cake. Normally Fluttershy ate a very healthy diet and would reject such a large amount of sugar. It made the unicorn pony wonder whether Fluttershy was in her right mind or not. However, Twilight knew that Fluttershy had heard about the cakes before, and was probably just deciding to try them as a random act of kindness. She would just take one bite and leave the rest of the cake for Pinkie Pie to throw out. Fluttershy moved close to the cake and opened her mouth to take a bite.

To Twilight and the other ponies in the bakery's horror, she stuck her face in the middle of the gigantic treat and began to eat noisily. Chunks of cake and globs of icing flew to the sides, entertaining Pinkie Pie immensely as pieces of the treat were flung all over the bakery. When she was finished, the plate was licked clean, and not a single bit of icing had gotten on Fluttershy's face. She backed up from the platter, and swished her tail as she inhaled the last bite of the cake.

"So, how was it?" asked Pinkie Pie, with an overjoyed tone of voice. Unlike every other pony in the room, she wasn't shocked or mortified by Fluttershy's pigging out.

Fluttershy said, "That was great Pinkie Pie, got any…"

"More? Sure do! Your face is already covered in frosting though!" pointed out Pinkie Pie.

"It is?" Fluttershy said quickly.

She hoped the floor of the bakery would open up and remove her from the situation, or at the very least that someone in the room would offer her a napkin.

Pinkie Pie burst out into laughter and fell over the ground, rolling. Twilight saw this event as very weird, however. No one ever dared to try Pinkie Pie's most caloric treats, nonetheless devour the entire thing in under fifteen seconds as Fluttershy had done.

She simply said, "Wow..." In utter shock of how quickly the giant treat had been inhaled.

Pinkie Pie brought out the next treat from the kitchen, a gigantic cinnamon roll topped with tons of cream cheese icing. This too was swallowed by Fluttershy in only a few seconds, leaving another clean platter on the floor of the bakery. Soon she ate through the entire list of experimental cakes and treats, taking in more than a lifetime's supply of baked goods in a little under an hour.

Pinkie Pie said as she stared at the five empty silver plates on the ground, "Wowie Fluttershy, I guess you were hungry, huh?"

Fluttershy wiped the remaining icing off her face with a napkin and said, "I guess I was. Thanks Pinkie Pie."

She then turned around and left the bakery without saying another word. This was fine with Pinkie Pie, as she only cared if ponies tried her creations, and didn't expect others to pay for them. Pinkie Pie went into the kitchen for the last time, and brought out the fresh baked chocolate chip muffins. She set one down at the table Twilight was sitting at. Twilight looked at the sweet pastry and felt absolutely sick to her stomach. After watching Fluttershy consume several metric tons of sugar, the thought of eating something sweet sickened her.

"Thanks Pinkie Pie", said Twilight as she put a hoof to her mouth, trying not to puke, "But I don't think I can eat this."

"That's ok!" said Pinkie Pie, who promptly stuck her tongue out and seized the muffin like some sort of lizard. She ate the baked good quickly while Twilight scooted out of her chair and left Sugarcube Corner.

---

Returning to the library, Twilight found a book about the various types of birds in Equestria and started flipping through rapidly. Each page of the book contained a picture of a bird and a picture of the egg it hatches from. Twilight figured that if she found the type of bird inside the egg, it would give a clue as to Fluttershy's weird behavior. But unfortunately, not one of the books on birds in the library contained a picture of the large and red-striped egg by Fluttershy's house. Twilight laid down on the library floor and sprawled, exhausted from searching the entire collection.

"I can't believe there's not one book in here that has information on Fluttershy's egg!" she said with an irked voice as she stared at the ceiling.

Spike brought his head over top of her and asked, "Are you sure it's a bird in the egg?"

"What do you mean, Spike?" asked Twilight.

"Didn't I come from an egg?" he asked rhetorically, "Maybe there's a dragon in that thing."

"Yeah, good thinking!" said Twilight, moving out from underneath him and standing up. She found a book on the various reptiles of Equestria and began to search for the matching reptile. Eventually she came across the article which matched the description.

"Here it is!" she said with joy, "The platinum python."

"Sounds kind of scary." said Spike, frowning at the thought of such a creature.

"Actually, it's pretty cute for a snake, and you know how much I don't like them," said Twilight, turning around the book so that Spike could have a look at the picture.

The platinum python was a large snake with bright eyes, a beautiful silver scale pattern, and multiple small fangs which did not drip with venom. If it weren't for the creatures' massive size, it would make a very pretty pet to keep around the house.

Twilight walked around to the other side of the book she kept hovering in the air, and read the description to Spike,

"The platinum python is a large snake which lives in deep woods all over Equestria. At birth it is six feet long and half a foot thick. Although an extremely large snake, the platinum python does not eat land animals or eggs. Instead, it uses its coils and fangs to sit at the edge of rivers and strike out at passing fish. The entire diet of the snake consists of this 'spearfishing' habit."

"That's great!" interrupted Spike, "If the snake only eats fish, Fluttershy won't have to worry about her other animals at all."

"Exactly." said Twilight, "Now let me read the rest of it and see if we can figure out why Fluttershy ate pretty much every pastry in Equestria this morning."

Reading on, Twilight found an explanation,
"The mother platinum python does not take care of her own egg. Instead, she finds a host which is good at taking care of other animals and lays the egg near her home. The eggshell releases magical vapors which cause the host mother to grow uncontrollably. Once the baby python has hatched, the mother simply returns and collects her young."

Twilight stopped reading, as the rest of the page was torn out.

"Spike!" she scolded, "Did you rip out this page?"

"It wasn't me!" he replied innocently, "Someone must have borrowed the book and damaged it."

"Oh well." Said Twilight, replacing the book back on the shelf, "At least we know what's going on. Fluttershy will hatch the egg, and the mother python will take the baby back from her without any trouble at all."

"Can I come see the snake?" asked Spike hopefully. He really wanted a chance to get out of the library that week.

"Sure." Said Twilight, "Tech says the egg will hatch in two weeks because of the warmth his electric blankets are giving it, so we don't really need to show up until then. But just to be safe, this weekend I'm going to go over to Fluttershy's house and check up on her."

---

The weekend came soon enough, and as promised Twilight brought Spike with her to visit Fluttershy. Twilight made sure to bring the reptile book with her so that Fluttershy could see the picture of her new baby. The two stepped up to the door of the cottage and knocked gently. Fluttershy answered the door, and Twilight's eyes widened as she noticed a drastic change about her friend.

Fluttershy was taller.

Over the course of just the last week and a half, Fluttershy had increased in stature by nearly 25%. Amazingly, she didn't seem to have changed in terms of health, simply an identical copy of herself that was much bigger. She may have even been taller than Big Macintosh!

"Hello, Fluttershy." said Twilight slowly as she stared at her now tall friend's body.

"Hi Twilight." She responded in her same gentle voice, "Want to come in for a moment?"

"Yes, I've got something to show you."

Fluttershy welcomed the two into her home and sat them down on the couch before turning to go get something for them to drink. Spike couldn't help but snicker as Fluttershy's larger form caused her to accidentally knocked over a lamp when she turned around.

"Oh dear." She said quietly, turning around again to pick the lamp off the floor.

"I've got it!" said Twilight, using a quick spell to bring the lamp upright again.

"You know what?" said Spike, "I don't really need anything to drink, Fluttershy."

"Me neither." said Twilight, hoping to not cause Fluttershy to have another klutzy accident. Fluttershy nodded softly and sat down on the floor.

"Ok then." Said Twilight, bringing the book out of a bag at her side, "This book tells me that there is a giant snake called a platinum python inside your egg. It only eats fish though, so Angel and the others should be safe."

Twilight placed the article in front of Fluttershy and let her read.

Fluttershy said, "Usually I don't really see many snakes, but this one is very beautiful. I can't wait for the egg to hatch now!" The happy glow from her eyes disappeared when she read that the snake's original mother would collect the baby shortly after it hatched from the egg.

"I don't get to keep him?" asked Fluttershy in despair.

"I know it's not fair," said Twilight, "but the snake's mom will pick up the baby after you hatch it Fluttershy. I'm sorry."

Fluttershy tried to cope, "It's ok. It's better for the creature to be with its real parent. I'm just glad I could parent the egg for a while."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief at the news. She was sure that Fluttershy would have been crushed by the news.

"Didn't Tech say that the egg is supposed to hatch tomorrow morning?" asked Spike.

"That's right." Answered Twilight, "We'll be back tomorrow to watch the snake come out of the egg and go back to its mother. You'll need to stay at the library though, Spike."

"Aw…" said a disappointed Spike, "I want to see the egg hatch too!"

"Someone has to stay at the library, and this is our project." said Twilight, giving him a cross look.

"Fine…" grumbled Spike, crossing his arms in disgust.

---

The following morning after Twilight had left, Spike was having a blast by himself. Because she was not there to ask him to take care of chores, he was reading whatever books he wanted to and eating as many snacks as he wanted. Eventually though, he knew his work would catch up with him if he didn't start eventually. After tackling most of the cleaning, organizing, and paperwork, he remembered his final task for the day.

"Oh, I haven't checked the return box yet!"

Spike went downstairs, then walked over to the return slot and checked for any new books. There were only two since that afternoon, but after the dragon had removed the books from the drop box, he noticed a torn scrap of paper lying at the bottom of the box. Dropping the two returned books on the library floor, he picked up the scrap and read over the half a page. His eyes grew wide as he took in the information, and he gasped when he came to one particular part.

"I gotta tell Twilight about this!" he shouted, rushing over to the front door.

---

At about 9 in the morning, the three friends gathered in front of the egg again. The book Twilight had brought had said that the baby in the egg was a male due to the color of the stripes. Red indicated a male python, and yellow meant a female. When the ponies reached the egg, Fluttershy climbed into the giant nest she had built from sticks, and sat down. She smiled and looked up, the snake was due to hatch in less than an hour.

Techorse finished strapping on his battle saddle and took out his robotic arms. He shut off the solar reactor, knowing the stored energy could power the electric blankets for the rest of the egg's incubation.

"It's going to hatch in about an hour." he said, "We have enough power for three hours of heating, so I'm shutting it off to prevent a fire in case the snake tears through the blankets."

"Oh Techie, always assuming the worst." said Twilight, shaking her head.

"Hey, as far as I can tell, that's the worst possible thing that could happen. Based on what that book said, it looks like that cute snake's going to be harmless." He said as he turned around to face Twilight again.

Half an hour passed, and Fluttershy sat patiently in front of her egg in waiting. Twilight and Techorse discussed many things while they waited, somehow managing to avoid getting into an argument.

All of a sudden, Fluttershy said, "Guys, the egg is hatching!"

Twilight and Techorse broke eye contact and looked at the egg. A small crack had appeared at the top, and it began to widen and spread across the shell.

"It's finally happening!" squealed Twilight, "This is so neat!"

Another fissure appeared on the red striped egg, and it too began to grow larger. The shell began to creak and move as the snake within started to work its way out of its old home.

"Twilight!" shouted a desperate voice. Twilight Sparkle turned around completely and Spike ran into her at full speed, knocking them both down on the cool grass.

Twilight quickly stood up and shouted, "Spike, what are you doing here? Did you remember to lock up at least?"

"Forget about that and look at this!" said Spike desperately, "I found the missing half of that page from your book."

Twilight's horn glowed as she took the paper from him, but she allowed Techorse to grab one side with his robotic arms.

The inventor read out loud, "The platinum python's mother collects the baby after hatching. However, the egg does not contain enough nutrients for the baby to survive long enough to go fishing for the first time. In order to live, it must eat a single meal. The chemicals in the eggshell increase the host mother's food intake while magically using it to grow them, keeping their proportions so that they do not notice as easily."

He then turned a little pale while reading the final sentence, "When the egg hatches, the baby secures the energy it needs to live by consuming the host mother..."

"FLUTTERSHY GET OUT OF THERE!" shouted Twilight in terror. Techorse winced as her screeching pierced his eardrums.

"Why?" asked Fluttershy gently, turning around to face her friend. The cracks nearly completely covered the shell of the egg, and any second now the platinum python would emerge.

"Didn't you listen to Techorse's reading?" she spurted out, "The snake in that egg is going to eat you if you don't run away!"

Fluttershy looked back at the egg and gulped hard, "E-eat me?" she whined.

"Yes!" shouted Techorse, "You need to get out of there now!"

Fluttershy took a few moments to think, and then shook her head and said to them, "I talked to this egg every night, guys. I'm his parent and I'm going to be fine!"

"What are we going to do?" asked Twilight of Techorse, "If we don't act fast, the baby python's going to get her!"

Techorse's saddle opened up, and the robotic arms retreated inside the hull. Seconds later, two metal tubes emerged, with two fresh topaz crystals visible inside the focusing area on the back. Newly polished and cleaned, the familiar weapons shined in the morning sun. Techorse aimed his laser cannons at the egg.

"The second that python comes out of that egg, I'll take it out." He said, “I don't want to, but we can't just let Fluttershy get squeezed!”

"What? This is my test... a member of my family!" shrieked Fluttershy, shielding the egg with her legs.

"It's going to chow down on you!" said Spike angrily, "Some family member!"

All of a sudden, a long shadow was cast over the three outside of the nest. Twilight thought that it might be an overhead cloud, but her heart sank when she remembered that the sky was supposed to be cloudless for the next week. Gigantic silver coils of muscle surrounded the three, and soon the huge mother python had them all in her grasp. They struggled for breath as the 15 foot long and two foot wide snake wrapped around them and held them tight. Techorse tried to aim for the egg, but soon the crushing force of the mother snake caused his saddle to be damaged beyond the capability to shoot, a puff of smoke rising as the circuits failed. Spike, Twilight, and Techorse were being held by the mother as captives to make sure they didn't try to save Fluttershy.

They were only held just tight enough so that their ribcages would not be crushed, but they were denied enough oxygen that Twilight couldn't think straight and use magic to help her friend. Fluttershy looked at the huge mother snake, then back at the egg as she heard a shattering sound. The shell had broken open completely, and the baby snake stared straight at her. It saw the tall pony in front of it, and moved in to investigate. The baby looked up at its huge mother with its cute and large eyes.

It gave its child a nod, as if to say, "All yours."

The snake crawled out of the destroyed egg and slithered up to Fluttershy. It wrapped itself around Fluttershy, who did not scream or try to run away.

Instead, she said to the snake, "You're not being very nice to your mom."

The mother snake hissed loudly, demanding that the youngster crush Fluttershy. But the young snake brought its head back and made eye contact with Fluttershy instead.

"What?" asked Fluttershy harshly of the young snake, "You think that she's your mother?" Fluttershy pointed at the mother with her free leg.

"Don't be ridiculous." She said with an angry expression, "I'm your mom!"

The snake tilted its head, it couldn't understand why the pony it was supposed to feed on was saying she was his mother.

Fluttershy continued, "Who looked after your egg? Who talked to you every night while you were growing up inside that egg? Who sang to you when she spent all day sitting on the egg? Me, not that snake!" The six foot baby python released its grip slightly on Fluttershy.

She kept on talking to the newborn, "You're a member of my family, just like Angel Bunny. I know it doesn't seem like it, but I really do care about you, much more than that snake..."

The baby snake received another cue from the larger one, and it tightened its grip again. He opened his mouth, revealing the underdeveloped set of fishing fangs.

"...And because I care about you, I'm going to do my best to teach you right from wrong," said Fluttershy.

She then shut her eyes and said to the snake, "And it's very wrong to hunt ponies!"

The baby snake stopped and shut his jaws. This infuriated the mother python, who demanded that the young one obey her. But the platinum python instead rested his head gently on top of Fluttershy's, as she had done with his egg. Fluttershy opened her eyes when she noticed that she hadn't been harmed, and smiled softly as the python continued to give her a hug. After a moment, the snake released Fluttershy and started to move around the nest. The mother, having been defeated, let go of Twilight, Techorse, and Spike. It gained a sad expression as it slowly began to slither back for the forest.

"Now hold on," said Fluttershy, "you are a part of my family, little guy, but you do need to go live with your stepmother. I may be the one who hatched you, but she's the best one to teach you how to be the best python you can be."

The young snake didn't really get why Fluttershy wanted to give him up, but he nodded and slithered over to the larger snake. The mother was overjoyed that her child had returned to her, and allowed him to crawl on top of her.

"I don't get it." said Spike, panting as he caught his breath, "Why did you give him back, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy climbed out of the stick nest and explained, "Well Spike, a good caretaker, whether to animals or ponies, should want what's best for them. For Hug, he's better off with his natural mom than me. It hurts me very much to see him go, but I know he'll be much happier out in the forest than cooped up with me."

"Hug is a great name for a snake," said Techorse, feeling the pain in his spine still, "But how will he survive, when the book told us he can't live for more than a few more minutes without enough food?"

"I think I know how we can save him!" said Twilight, giving Techorse a smile.

---

Pinkie Pie's experimental cakes had given the young python the initial calories he needed to survive, and the two snakes left for the forest again.

"Do you think he'll remember me?" asked Fluttershy sadly.

Twilight put a leg around her friend in a side hug and answered, "I'm sure he will. You proven yourself to be the best parent ever Fluttershy, willing to risk being chomped on to make sure it lived. I guess you really were up to the test of your skills!"

Fluttershy smiled and thanked Twilight, "You know, I never should have doubted myself to start with. Whatever happens, happens, but I'll be ready for it!"

"That's what I was hoping to hear!" chuckled Twilight, "It only took getting my back smushed by a snake to hear it."

"So now what?" asked Spike, "We've saved Fluttershy and the python, but we still have the rest of the day."

"I know!" said Techorse, "Let's go celebrate with a couple of milkshakes on me."

After a second of thinking upon her previous snacks, Fluttershy turned a bit green and said, "No thanks Tech. I uh... think I'm tired of sugar for a while."

"Oh, right!" laughed Twilight, "Well, luckily, the magical effect the egg had on you will wear off in a couple days. You'll be back to your original height again. But I totally understand not wanting anything after eating those desserts. In the meantime, let's just go for a walk together."

"I'd love that!" she said softly.

The four friends left for their walk into town. Fluttershy knew that what had happened today had proved her to be a true caretaker and parent. She thought about her future again for a bit when she passed by the trio of mares she had seen earlier talking again at the café, but this time, their conversation didn't bother her. She knew she was ready for whatever future was on its way.