Chapter 50: Parental Education
Most of the Equestrian were tired from their trip. Most just wanted to get some food and get to sleep. It amused Remedy to no end that most of them turned their noses up at the concept of eating raw hay. The one pony that seemed unbothered by being offered raw hay for food was Tempest Shadow. The only other one of them that showed anything resembling interest was the night pony mare, named Lavender Mist, who asked if there was at least somewhere to try to cook it and something to cook with it. Several ponies' ears picked up at the prospect of somepony that might actually know how to prepare hay into something appealing.
While Tempest ate her hay everypony kept their distance from the haystacks. Pony friendliness was one thing, but Tempest was probably the most intimidating pony anypony had every seen. She ate in silence and didn't seem to take notice of any of this, or at least didn't care. Even Lavender Mist kept her distance from the unicorn, waiting for Tempest to finish eating before making her own attempts.
Remedy and Rosetta had no problem with this because it gave them a chance to try to engage the alien night pony in conversation.
"Hi, you're Lavender Mist right? Mind if we chat with you a bit while we all wait to eat?" Remedy asked.
The purple pony seemed a little unsure what to do, but nodded after a moment.
"That's fine. I haven't really talked to many ponies since coming to this world, so I'm kind of conversation starved. Most the others that came with me don't talk to me much," Lavender said.
"Why?" Rosetta asked in confusion.
Lavender looked at Rosetta with a raised brow like Rosetta was missing something obvious. Then looked at the other ponies around who were looking at the conversation from a distance.
"Um, I'm a night pony like you. Other pony types don't talk with us much. Is that not something night ponies deal with here?" Lavender asked curiously.
"Um, no. Everypony is perfectly friendly with us. We didn't realize Equestrians had prejudices," Remedy said, feeling uneasy about hearing that implied.
"Oh thank Luna, that definitely makes this trip feel so much better now," Lavender said with a relieved sigh.
"So then, none of your companions like you?" Rosetta asked as she glanced at Tempest.
"Not sure that is the right way of saying it; more like they feel uneasy around me. Kind of like everypony feels about Tempest, though not sure if Tempest likes anypony. She's kind of... I'm not sure of the right word in your language," Lavender said with a shake of her head as she grappled to find a word to describe the unicorn.
"I'm sure we'll all find out soon enough," Remedy said before the mare could get frustrated at her lack of language skills. "What's your job here?"
"I'm a nurse," Lavender said with pride. "Princess Luna asked me specifically to come because she was told there were some night pony injuries that needed to be...observed...considered...what's the word?"
"Assessed?" Rosetta supplied.
"Assessed," Lavender said with a nod. "That stuck up unicorn doctor, Dawn Mend, might be needed to actually do a few spells, but I'm the one who will need to direct her. She doesn't know as much about night pony physical problems and illnesses as I do."
"Do you know about pregnancy issues too?" Rosetta asked eagerly.
"Um, yes, I'm guessing one of you are pregnant then?" Lavender said with a blink.
"I am, a little over a week along," Rosetta said with a gesture at herself.
"Okay, I know nothing about human pregnancy, so I really don't know what you might have gone through with as a human. I can't think it is too different though. Pregnancy lasts about nine to ten months, normally closer to ten, after about five months you shouldn't do any flying if you can help it, and definitely no flying after six months. Make sure you have plenty to eat, trust any cravings you might have, and avoid trying to fly in weather that could cause you to crash at any point in the pregnancy. That is base advice to give to all expectant mothers this early in the pregnancy," Lavender said.
"Anything else I should know about early on? About just raising a foal in general? This is completely new to us and we have no idea about anything," Rosetta said pleadingly.
"Alright, well, foals should be up and walking by the time they are a week old. They will get a pretty good grasp of language fairly quickly, usually within a month they can understand most simple sentences if you talk around them a lot; though might take a year or more to actually say their first word. Feeding can be done with your udders or with a bottle for two or three months, but you then want to get them on more solid food," Lavender explained.
"Are they going to swell up? My udders that is," Rosetta asked.
"No...why would...okay just no, they won't," Lavender said in slight bewilderment.
Rosetta sighed with relief.
"If they have an older sibling typically the older sibling will take control of parental care once the older one reaches adulthood if the age difference is more than five years. Is there an older sibling?" Lavender asked.
"No, this is my first, and likely last. Do you mean to tell me that back on your world you just dump the younger foals on the older ones once the older ones grow up?" Rosetta asked, mildly horrified.
"If there is enough of an age difference it is common, but not a rule. You'd raise the younger till they would likely be entering school and let the adult sibling take it from there. Big sisters and big brothers are a big part of our culture. It helps give the adult sibling experience raising foals before they have their own, and gives you more freedom, also gives the younger foal a parental figure that is more able to be seen as a friend. You don't do something like that here?" Lavender asked, clearly interested.
"Not ideally...I mean, it kind of happens in some families, but that's because of bad circumstances. It's not something we want to happen when it does," Rosetta stumbled to answer.
"Count it as a cultural difference then?" Lavender shrugged. "I don't see where that absolutely needs to be done, and some ponies back home don't. I was raised by my sister from age nine, and if I have multiple foals I'll do the same with them. It better prepares them to be parents in my opinion. If you aren't going to have multiple foals it isn't going to be something for you anyway. If you do have multiple foals spaced out in age I would recommend at least considering it."
The look on Rosetta's face said that wasn't going to be considered under any circumstances.
"Anything else to note about dealing with young foals?" Remedy asked.
"Just don't panic when the surges start. So many first time parents do. They don't last that long, about a week or two at most. Make sure you have cleared your schedule when it starts because you'll be busy," Lavender explained with a smile.
"Surges?" Rosetta asked with lowered ears.. "What kind of surges?"
"Magic surges from young foals, you didn't have something equivalent as humans?" Lavender asked.
"I don't think so; we had no magic. What happens during these surges?" Rosetta responded.
"Winged ponies will start flying around all over the place at full speed, start walking on the walls and ceilings. Night pony foals might randomly start invading your dreams...scratch that...night pony foals will start invading your dreams. Unicorns will start firing off spells that you would think only a highly trained spell-caster would be able to do; teleportation, transmogrifying objects, turning invisible, random magic blasts. Pegasi might start a rain shower inside. That kind of thing. Lasts a week or two and then they are back to having no clue how to do any of that until properly taught," Lavender said as she looked sympathetically to Rosetta.
"All foals do this?!" Rosetta squeaked.
"If they're healthy," Lavender replied. "If they don't sometime within their first two months you likely need to take them to a doctor. Most start it soon after walking, a few start before even that, and some take a little longer."
Rosetta's eye twitched in response. She stood silent for a moment before replying.
"I think I need to go somewhere and take a few deep breaths. Thank you for telling us about all this," Rosetta said.
Rosetta gathered up Remedy and the two walked behind the nearest building for a little privacy.
"Okay, if I ever see John again I am kicking his flank seven ways to Sunday," Rosetta said as she let out a breath. She turned to Remedy then and gave a sheepish smile. "So...I hope you really really love me a lot if you're going to help me with the part where they go all possessed."
The description of what went on with surges kind of freaked Remedy out as well and for the first time the full implications of what Rosetta having a foal that she would share the title of mother with meant. She was definitely in over her head, but she was committed to Rosetta and the foal.
"We'll work through it," she said before giving her marefriend a quick kiss. "Ponies on their world deal with this as a fact of life. What's the worst that could happen?"
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hay
"So then, none of your companions like you?"
Taciturn? Serious? Stand-offish?
there
need/needed to be
doctor
Pregnancy
udders
you're
fact
You just HAD to ask.
I think that Rosetta’s sister is going to be a big help. Still I wonder how long Flurry has been going through her surges as she still gets ponies to move when she sneezes.
This actually explains a lot of things we see in the show. Sweetie Belle getting dumped on Rarity, Dinky being with Derpy even though Derpy shouldn't be old enough to have a foal that age. Plus the big focus on days dedicated to sisters and brothers but not to parents. Twilight and Shinning Armor are closer in age, so are Fluttershy and her Zephyr Breeze so it wouldn't apply to them, same with Pinkie and all her sisters.
Happen.
Also, Remedy? You're doomed.
8981643
You make an interesting point. This also reminds me of something I read recently about traditional South American native parenting. Everyone in the family helps where they're able, especially women (mothers, grandmothers, aunts, etc.) and older siblings.
It's also impractical in large families for the whole family not to help out. Two parents unassisted can't even keep track of say, thirteen children at a time (which is something I have seen before in real life), much less properly raise them.
And as alleged in the story, this does seem to better prepare older siblings for the real world and for becoming parents themselves.
8982226
And she has still to learn about Tempest's backstory.
Nice headcanon here about why there are so many older siblings taking care of younger ones in the MLP-verse.
She ate her own kind?
9108881
Comma definitely needed. Thanks for that catch. This story was written in an extreme rush so mistakes were made...no ponies were eaten in the production of this story.
Be very careful about invoking the Curse of Clarkson...
There is no way in hell that Remedy never paid r/wcgw a visit at any point before her brush-up with ETS... in other words, she should know better than to utter those cursed words
Wow that's a neat explanation for Sweetie Belle being with Rarity!