Just re-watched Baby Cakes. Can you believe they were only a month old in this episode. Foals grow up fast, apparently.
My new bedroom is much better than my old one. It might seem obvious since I used to live in a drab hospital room, but it’s actually a massive understatement. My new room is huge, the walls are painted a light blue with cloud motifs and lacy white curtains hang over a large window. The floor is scattered with a wide assortment of toys and stuffed animals, and while none of them are electronic, each one is a work of art. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all hand-made and unique.
Even the mobile above my crib is beautiful, all glittering metal and exquisitely crafted horses of every color. When it spins, it looks like a stampeding rainbow, and I find myself spending hours sometimes watching those horses prance. Maybe it’s just the novelty of it all, of not having to force air into my lungs or having natural sunlight fill the room instead of harsh, fluorescent bulbs filling the space with a constant buzz. No matter the reason, I’ve found myself not incredibly bored like I often was before even without books to help pass the time.
It’s been a couple of weeks now, and they’ve been full of bizarre experiences. Finding out I was a baby pony-unicorn thing in a world of pony-things probably being the most… shocking of the lot. Understanding a situation and truly coming to terms with it are two entirely different things, and I’ve found myself red-faced on more than one occasion. Things like nursing and diaper changes are degrading no matter how much I tell myself they are necessary.
My new dad seems pretty squeamish about the latter, if the green face he gets whenever he sees it done is any indication. My new mom always rolls her eyes at him and chuckles when he rushes out of the room, and I can’t help but do the same. The two of them love each other very much, and I’m glad to know they’re actually happy to take care of me even if I am a lot of work.
Then again, I’m sure telekinesis really helps lighten the load. Apparently, all unicorns are superheroes, which really broke my brain when I saw Mom levitating a diaper into the trash bin while simultaneously fitting me with a new one using nothing but the power of her mind. I mean really, seeing someone use an amazing gift like that to do something as mundane as changing diapers is just so strange. I actually prefer being changed by the non-unicorn ponies because, evidently, witnessing what is supposed to be an impossible feat gives me headaches.
Oh yeah, all the help my parents have might also have something to do with them being okay with caring for two babies. There’s so much help in fact that, at first, I had a little trouble knowing exactly who my parents were because of all the apparent servants they have working for them that help take care of us babies. Being fed by Mom the first time answered half of the question, but it was up in the air for Dad before I eventually pinned the white coated, silver maned stallion as our father since he spent so much time leaning over our crib and making silly faces.
They’re so nice that I try not to be too much of a burden to them and only cry when I really do need something. It’s embarrassing, but literally not being able to take care of myself makes it a necessity. It helps knowing that at least this time around, I won’t always be work for other people, and hey, diapers aren’t as bad as bedpans.
What is bad though is my progress in making heads or tails of this new language. With no one actively trying to teach it to me, I’ve been forced to figure it out by ear, which has only gotten me a pretty good guess on what words mean cute and adorable, but little else.
Still, I practice under my breath at night and during naptimes before I go to sleep; getting used to the new shape of my mouth and training my lips, tongue, and vocal cords. I don’t know when baby ponies are supposed to start speaking, but I’m guessing it’s a bit too soon for me to start blurting out what I’ve learned. I’ve decided to wait until my brother starts and to just follow his lead.
Heh, my brother. Getting used to that has probably been the highlight of my time so far. Having a brother has been wonderful. Our parents keep us together most of the time, and even though we cannot speak, he keeps the loneliness at bay. Right now, I find myself staring at him as he sleeps, pacifier bobbing in his mouth. He’s absolutely adorable. “Blueblood,” I whisper as I run a hoof through his mane. Our names, at least, were easy to pick out of the baby-talk we are constantly bombarded with. Pureblood was my own, no doubt the similarity of the two is because we are twins.
It would be weird getting used to the new name, but I think as long as I have my brother with me, I’ll be able to accept it and this new life. He’s a bit fussy and tends to wake me up just as much as our parents, but I try not to hold that against him. He’s a real baby after all, and he doesn’t know better. He squeezes his stuffed bear and my rabbit to his chest and whimpers, so I make hushing noises and scoot closer to comfort him. He tends to be pretty grabby about toys, liking to hoard them on his side of the crib, but I don’t mind since they don’t interest me anyway.
My efforts fail and he begins to cry. The smell of dirty diapers reaches my nose, and I’m pretty sure it’s not mine. Sighing, I close my eyes and wait for somebody to come in. Yes, having a brother is great, but it can also be trying at times. At least he won’t be a baby forever; he might be cute now, but he’ll be a lot more manageable when he’s older.
How could I have been so wrong? He’s only a month old, and he’s already running. I was surprised when he took his first steps a little over a week ago, but this is ridiculous. I’m actually sort of embarrassed that he’s managing so much better than I am right now. I’m the one with the memories of a past life, stationary as it was, at yet he’s only tripping up every dozen steps or so as opposed to my every five.
"Blueblood!” I try to call, the name coming out even more garbled than usual due to my panting. "Blueblood! Blueblood!” The little trouble-maker ignores me of course, laughing as he sprints down the hall and knocks another potted plant from its table. Seeing the foliage nearly whack my little brother’s head made me tense up and misstep once again, falling flat on my face.
A distant part of my mind is still trying to figure out exactly how the little pony got out of our nursery to begin with. We had both been sitting on the floor, me looking through a picture book while he sat a couple paces away playing with a choo-choo train ridden by one of his stuffed bears.
I admired the artwork in my book, following the simple storyline while listening to Blueblood’s happy giggles in the background, a content smile on my lips. Then, the giggling stopped, and when I finally noticed, I turned around to see the door swinging open and my brother running out. I’ve been chasing him for five minutes now, and can confirm two things. The first is that we live in a labyrinth, and the second is that being a responsible sister is going to be much harder than I thought.
Before I manage to pick myself up off the floor, a shadow looms over me and I am pulled into the air. Being turned around by a pair of hooves, I see one of the hornless maids staring worriedly at me, mumbling as she inspects me for injury. Another crash in the distance gets both of our attention and I quickly find myself hanging by my diaper from her mouth as she gallops down the hall.
Rounding so many corners that my eyes begin to spin, we end up in what looks like a dining room where I spot a grinning little colt running atop a long table as a stallion attempts to chase him down. Blueblood was doing surprisingly well in his game of keep-away as he sprinted from one end to the other whenever his pursuer got close.
The stallion, an older looking fellow with a noticeably greying mane, was breathing heavily as he tried to capture his ward, but it looked like he was losing hope until he spotted the maid holding me. Shouting out what I assume are instructions, the maid and stallion formulate a plan and begin a pincer maneuver on my now cornered brother.
I remain still so that the mare can focus on the task at hand and breathe a sigh of relief. It seems the chase would soon be over and brother would soon be safe. Honestly, I was looking forward to being taken back to the crib at this point for a nap; I haven’t gotten this much exercise in over a decade.
As they close in on the little pony, his gaze snaps back and forth and he frowns. Then, before my very eyes, the impossible happens. Blueblood’s tiny horn begins to glow a dark blue before he is engulfed by a bubble of the same color and disappears with an audible pop.
For a brief moment, I believe I had just witnessed my brother’s death, but, as we all stare dumbfounded, the colt comes dashing from underneath the tablecloth, laughing his head off as he makes his great escape.
Once again I find myself with a headache, though this one bordering on a migraine, from witnessing the impossible; my brother, a mere infant of one month, can apparently teleport. A baby can bend space and time as if it were a mere plaything.
What sort of crazy world am I living in? The question does not feel nearly as redundant as it should by this point.
Have an upvote! I can't wait to see where you take this, I imagine little Pureblood's first magical surge will break her brain more then watching Blueblood bend time and space.
YYYYAAAYYY an update.
I like the original name. Sure it doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Golden Garden does, but the mental imagery brought up by the latter is kinda freaky, in the gilt-plated roses sort of way... pretty and expensive, but otherwise pointless, and I don't really think that's the direction you want to go with her character if this chapter and its predecessors are any indication.
Well IRL foals can walk hours after birth so it kinda makes sense. After all four legs are more stable then two. As for the name change sure why not?
ornate
I am wanting to see if Pure will ever confide about her memories from her past with anyone. If she does my first guess is Blueblood.
While Golden Garden sounds alright I am voting for the mother's name to stay Ornate Garden. It sounds more natural as a name.
Can you do more chapters
7435996
I'm in agreement with the naming of mother staying the same.
I feel like Ornate Garden is the way to go.
Golden Garden makes me think of Golden Harvest which makes me think Earth Pony. Ornate is more of a unicorny noble word.
Heh, it's more so that humans grow up slowly compared to other mammals
Liking this story so far.
Just wait until Pure realizes that unicorn foals do this all the time.
Wow only 4000 words in and over 500 likes. You really hit the right note with this one.
I also vote for the name to stay the same.
7436087
We have good reason though, many parts of our brain aren't fully developed at birth like other, smaller-brained mammals to ensure our heads can fit through the birth canal. And it's still a tight fit as it is. If humans were born fully capable like other mammals, it would probably be at the expense of our mothers. If I remember, motor function, sight, and smell are some of the centers of out brain that are small when we are born. The frontal cortex as well, but not to the same extent.
This raises the question of why this is different for ponies if they are of similar sapience and intelligence. Are the birth canals of pony mares simply larger, allowing for larger heads, and by extension, more developed brains passage than those of humans? Do ponies simply have less brain matter in general allotted for higher thinking, thus making more space for other parts of the brain? This may explain the general, childish behavior ponies often seen in the show, though it would be a headcanon saying that ponies are inherently dumber than humans on average... Which, since they have magic and stuff, seems like a fair trade.
Glad to see an update, and hope that next one comes soon.
I think that Ornate part is better than Golden, so my vote goes to keep proud mother's name same as it were.
I still wonder what is the meta you're operating on, how do you build your world. Timeline? Gender ratios? General world outlook?
I really do not want to see Pureblood be instructed in elitist world view, and be a total snob like a Blueblood was in the canon, though it could wery well be his mask. Also, could be a part of your meta, especially if introducing Pureblood will influence Bleublood 10th's (now 17th's) upbringing - in canon he did not need to watch over anypony, now he has a precious sister.
edit: also, congrats on being in the Featured box again!
Be sure not to timeskip a lot In the story. I feel like this can go on for a long time, with great pacing!
Umm Flowery Gold could be neat name.
Or Garden Rose
For sure would stick with Ornate Garden
I was surprised that Blueblood could teleport (I hadn't gotten the impression from the series that it was a common skill for unicorns), but then...his special talent is probably navigation, isn't it? Of course he's good at travel magic.
I am loving this so much!!!!!! I need more! But I will respectfully wait until you finish next chapter and post it.
-BFBL
so compared to other foals her own age is Pure behind on the learning curve or about average?
Also old name is fine.
Ornate seems more like a nobles name than the obvious prince blueblood vibe. So yeah, Golden Garden is good :3
Old name's fine. Also good explanation of the italics. Makes sense.
The old name suits her better
7436231 IMO, the the human birth is rather tiny, most mammals hardly feel a thing when giving birth while a woman is in a rather lot of pain. Also, just because they're magical cartoon ponies doesn't they don't share the biology of a Earth (our planet) pony (that's at least my way of thinking).
Well done! Enjoyable story so far. Looking forward to more! Keep up the good work!
Wicked!
7436332 Well plenty of other fics have gone with the idea that Blueblood isn't actually as bad as he seemed in the show. Even the official comics showed that he's actually a skilled diplomat.
Ah~ learning a new language, a staple to reincarnation stories. I worry though, Pure's maturity means she's patient and quiet, yet to an outsider's perspective may appear slow or sickly, as she's not displaying liveliness like Blueblood.
It'd be nice to see side stories in the perspectives of the parents, servants and house guests as the years progress. Like how nurse maids aren't questioning why their new young miss is eerily behaved, because this whole time Pure sounds like she's not making efforts to appear normal, but silent and observant, that's creepy.
Old name is perfect.
i wonder how she will handle ponies who want things from her? since she in a position of power so lots of eyes watch her both good and bad =/
Ornate Garden is the way to go.
It was the longest chapter but it felt so short
Real foal are able to walk on their own really soon after their birth.
Sure Equestrian foal can't be as advanced in their devellopment at birth as our horse's foal, sapience most likely gave them a more develloped brain and thus a skull that migth be too big for the mother.
The old name is just fine.
Nice chapter, good work.
7436520
"The young miss just keeps staring at me. As if she's gazing deep into me brain and pickin' it apart, like."
"Hardly cries too, think there's sum'n wrong wit 'er?"
"Dunno. But mark my word: she'll grow queer an' quiet. Be one o' them schemers, I shouldn't wonder."
7436768 Yes, like that
OMG I just rembered, Celestia's their aunt...
7436768 did they hire their servants from the nearest rural English pub?
7436231 It's an interesting thought but I wouldn't call them dumber; I always thought the way the ponies acted (adult ponies) was merely a product of their society and collective environment. Though it would be hard to make this claim since towns like Ponyville are always being overrun with horrid monsters and such, so one would think that would make all the ponies mean spirited and overly tough and focused on war and such. One argument against your theory about their brains can be found with Twilight Sparkle. I know she's the main character and all, but it's not like her head is any bigger than any other ponies.
I would stick with Ornate, it sounds more unique. Maybe I've just read a lot of stories where someone had "gold" in their name though.
And besides, have you ever heard of people trying to take away someone's OG status? It usually doesn't end well.
7436231
Ornate Garden.
EDIT: Honestly, though, Pureblood seems a little too emotionally detached towards everything that's happening around her.
7436231 There are differences in being knowledgeable, being intelligent, and having common sense...Human can be dumber than the ponies in the show.
Moar!!!
FINALY! some one point out and makes use of the baby cake "one month till running/talking"
i was going to do it my self when i get around to my own story, glade to see other making use of it
7437100
and vice versa. I mean, there's a stallion in a giant tub of jelly just getting his jollies in the middle of town, and no pony even seems to care. Anyway, I'm not saying I'm using the headcanon that humans are more intelligent in this story, just that it's a good headcanon to use if a story has humans and ponies. The way I look at it would be that humans are, on average, more intelligent and mature, but that doesn't mean there aren't dumb humans or intelligent ponies. Like, if you take a human child and foal and gave them the same lesson plan, 9 times out of 10, the human would do better understanding and applying the material. I feel this makes up some for the gap created by ponies fantastical magical powers. "You can levitate a house? Well I can do logarithmic formula's in my head!" *Sticks tongue out*... *Hit with house*
7436872
Yeah, it's supposed to be because she had already accepted death prior to this and was emotionally numbed by that. Emotions can peek through, but they are still on the way of recovering. As time progresses, she will grow more emotional. Really, her sheltered and lonely childhood from before stunted her emotional growth too, so she's kinda going to be learning emotions for the first time; it's just a shame that the ones she has the most experience with are sadness and resignation.
7436768
7436520
Bit of column A and B, I haven't written about it in detail, but she does cry when she's hungry or needs a diaper change (even if she retains perfect control in that latter thing, no adult is going to think to put their newborn on the toilet), she just feels bad about inconveniencing others and tires to hold out for times where it will be the least bothersome ponies. This, 7436535 is actually going to be something important to her story. She doesn't like disappointing others, which, in the world of nobles, can make life tough.
7436066
I don't have much stapled down for that far ahead, but I think she will confide in Blueblood eventually... after she is prompted by a certain blue pony who discovers her secret first.
7436375
Ahead in some ways like academics and critical thinking, behind in other ways like motor functions, and one big, important, pointy way.
7436350
Popular demand has it that it will remain Ornate Garden, but Garden Rose is a good name for maybe Pure's aunt or grandmother. I'll remember that.
7436350
I actually am having the opposite problem; I want to timeskip, but I don't know when! At this rate, I'll end up writing her entire life one year at a time. It's a fine balance to make sure the story progresses quickly enough to keep readers interested, but to also not go to fast as to miss good story opportunities.
I might have to get a sheet of paper out and start storyboarding this thing old school.
7437542
Loving this so far man, keep it up!
I can't wait for the antics between her and the parents begin. I wonder what her troll face looks like?
7437542 The problem here is you trying to compare ponies with human who are canonically not native to the MLP:FiM universe.
My personal theory is more along the line of the ponies being content with their lives where as we human can't really accept the things as they are and our lust for discovery pushes us above and beyond.
original name i like more
also get liked and faved m8
Real life foals are normally walking/running within two hours, often sooner. Within that time they also begin communicating with their mother. They humanized the babies quite a bit in the show. Personally, I'm a fan of the rapid development, it makes getting to the good stuff quicker!
As for the name change... I like Golden Garden, it rolls off the tongue easier, and is more pleasant to hear, I think. But, Ornate Garden, as some have said, does seem more like a name a high ranking (noble) unicorn would have, while Golden seems more earthy. In either case, I think both are good, so whatever makes you happy is what it should be!
(Also, Grammy Gee Gee is adorable and should be the selling point!)