Chapter 2
It had been three weeks since I had found the baby. Those past three weeks have probably been the most eventful of my entire life. I had certainly learned a lot in the past weeks though. But I never expected it to be as tough as it was.
“Oh no please don’t cry, I’m here, shhh shhh,” I said as I ran across the cluttered room to comfort the crying foal. “Shh shh it okay, it's okay.”
I learned that trying to do my normal chores and taking care of this baby was near impossible, but I still managed to get things done.
“It must be your feeding time, huh? Stay here while I get you a bottle, um, i-if that’s okay with you,” I said in a nervous, motherly tone. I also learned that Angel isn't too fond of not getting a good eight hours sleep, but I told him how we all must make sacrifices.
As I made the baby’s bottle, I couldn’t help but think of what needed to be done today.
Hmm, everyone’s fed, I checked on the beaver to make sure his arm was doing better, watered the garden, and tended to the new birds nest. I guess I can put the baby to sleep and go to Twilights to get some books. Maybe I can finally find out what he is for that matter.
“Are you ready to eat?” I asked as I cradled the baby with my right wing and fed it its bottle.
“There, much better. Are you ready for a nap?” It was no easy task, taking care of this baby but, it would be worth it in the end, when I would able to release him back into the forest so he could live his life like it was meant to be.
“Angel, do you think you can take care things around here while I got to Twilight's and get a couple of books? I will only be away for a good 15 minutes…if that’s, um, alright with you,” I nervously said to my little bunny companion.
With an angry nod from the bunny, I put the baby to sleep in the crib I normally used for fox cubs and other small animals. I walked out the door.
“Umm maybe I shouldn’t go... it seems like a lot of work to put just on you,” I said as I turned around, ready to go back inside. But I was met with a death glare from Angel.
“Oh um I-I uh will just go.”
I once again turned around ready to go to Twilight's to get the books I need. “B-but what if you need my help or what if the baby wakes u-“ I was cut off by the hard slam of the front door.
“Oh uh, okay I’ll just go… for real this time. S-Sorry.”
I turned around for the second time, ready to go to Twilight’s library to get the books I needed.
It was a surprisingly bright and sunny day today. The weather patrol really outdid themselves this time. The sky was the deepest of blues, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight - it was truly a beautiful day.
As I made my way to Twilight’s library I couldn’t help but notice a strange pony hanging fliers all over the town. He was putting them on houses and carts, each with an image of the face of Vinyl Scratch.
Hmm, I wonder what’s going on with Vinyl. She hasn’t been in Ponyville in years... not ever since she got the record deal.
I put my thoughts about Vinyl aside as the tree-house came into view.
“Umm hello? Twilight are, you there?” I asked as I quietly knocked on the door
“Hold on, I’m coming, I’m coming!” shouted Spike as he opened the door.
“Oh hey Fluttershy, what brings you here?” the baby dragon asked.
“Oh h-hi Spike I’m actually hear for some books…um is this a-a bad time?” I asked quietly while trying to peek into the library.
From what I could see, there where books and papers scattered all over the floor.
“No, no come right in. Twilight was just testing out a new spell. I’ll tell her your coming in,” he said.
As I walked in, I saw the purple mare sitting in the middle of the room with a bunch of strange looking books circled around her.
“Umm…Twilight, what are you doing?” I nervously asked.
“Hey Fluttershy! I’m just testing out a new spell that might help unicorns and earth ponies have wings temporally. I mean sure, there is that spell that gives us butterfly wings, but we all know how that ended up with Rarity, and not to mention that it uses up a lot of energy. And since this year’s Best Young Flyers competition is coming up, I thought Dash would want us to join her again, so maybe this spell can help!”
“Umm…why don’t we just use that spell that helped us walk on clouds again?” I asked.
“Well that’s just no fun, now is it?” Twilight replied after a moment of silence. “Anyway, what brings you here? Need something?”
“Oh yes. I need to checkout a couple of books …if that’s alright with you.”
“Well sure. What books do you need?” Twilight asked with a smile.
“Well I need an animal encyclopedia, a book on animal diets, and one of mythical creatures.”
“A book on mythical creatures? Why would you need that?” the mare asked.
“O-oh you never know…Who knows what might be out there, especially since I live so close to Everfree,” I said with a nervous chuckle.
“Oh Fluttershy, everything in that book are just old legends and mares tales. But if you insist, give me one moment and I’ll be right back with your books,” she said as walked away.
Oh I do hope that book on mythical creatures helps…
After a moment, she returned. “Here you go Fluttershy, all of the books you requested.”
“Oh thank you Twilight. Well I must be off, see you,” I said in a hurry.
“Okay, bye! Now to get back on this spell...”
The trip home was a calm and quiet one. The strange pony that was hanging up the posters a couple of minutes ago disappeared, and I got a closer look at one.
Missing? Vinyl's , gone missing? Oh I hope she is alright.
When I got back to my cottage I was utterly shocked at what I saw.
Animals running amuck, food spilt everywhere, and in the middle of it all, Angel trying to calm a crying baby.
“Oh no! I knew I shouldn’t have left!”
After a couple of hours trying to get everything back in order I finally had time to sit down and read the books.
“No... nothing about what he is in here,” I said with a sigh.
I looked over to the remaining book I had. “Oh I do hope you have some information that can help...”
As I grabbed the book about mythical creatures, I looked to the baby, who was now peacefully asleep. “He’s so cute when he’s asleep. It’s amazing how much chaos he causes. I’d bet he'd give Discord a run for his money,” I said with a chuckle.
As I skimmed through the book, I saw many entries about Cyclops’ and three headed ponies, but nothing that seemed to help. That is, until I stopped on one page that caught my eye.
“Ho-mo-sapiens? Hmm.” I looked over the page and saw a picture of an animal standing upright on its hind legs. Its arms were dangling on its side, and on the ends of them had what look like five appendages that resembled claws, but were not as sharp. “Is this what he will look like when he gets older?
As I continued to scan the page, I stumbled upon some writing underneath the pictures and captions.
Homosapiens
Homosapiens or humans were widely believed to be an intelligent species.
Often thought to have lived in the time Equestria was founded but before the rule of the alicorns.
Some say they were evil bi-pedal creatures wanting to enslave other species
Others say they were peace bringer seeking knowledge
It is widely believed that humans had shared much knowledge and technology with pony-kind.
Based on some legends it is said the up until their disappearance the humans had lived in peace with ponies
Others say that they were raising an army to take over Equestria and possibly enslave pony-kind
One particular legend states that when the alicorns took their rule over Equestria
The humans where hunted into possible extinction
I looked up from the book in complete shock. “N-no... there is no way Celestia or Luna would ever do such a thing!” I looked at the baby in a mix of fear and curiosity “And there is defiantly no way such a cute animal like you could ever grow up to be as evil as that book says you were.”
I quickly shut the book and went into the other room.
“Oh I just know you aren’t as evil as the book says."
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since I found the infant. I’ve kept the mythology book for good keeping. It’s helped me finding out how the baby grows, what he naturally eats, and how the actual term is not foal but instead baby. The only pony in town that knows of his existence is Twilight sparkle.
“Oh hey Fluttershy are you done with those boo-WHAT IS THAT!?
She didn’t know how to react at first, but who’s to blame her? How would anypony act if they found out a species--one thought to be a myth--was actually real?
“No, no, no, no, that’s impossible! That… that thing can't exist!”
She quickly warmed up to him though. Well, after some talking to.
“Oh Twilight, please don’t panic, it’s okay, he’s friendly!”
“Fluttershy, his species tried to kill ours! Didn’t you read the book? Oh my gosh I have to tell princess Celestia!”
“NO! Twilight you can’t do that! You have to trust me, please, I have been raising him for over a year… h-here sit down, I've got a lot to explain”
After I had told Twilight what happened, we eventually came to agreement.
I could keep the baby as long as she could come over and study him on the weekends. Anything was better than her writing a letter to Celestia. I’m still not sure what the princess would do if she ever found out he existed.
What would Celestia do is she did find out he existed? Would she imprison him? Would she banish him to a dark forest far away? Would she imprison him and banish him to a prison in a dark far away!?
I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. I couldn’t think like that! I had to protect him! It was my sworn duty to protect any and all animals no matter how small or big!
“Hello Fluttershy! Is the baby ready for our weekend study date?” the purple mare asked.
“Umm h-hi Twilight, um, yes, he is…” I said shyly.
“Hey Fluttershy, have you thought of giving him a name? I mean, you’ve had him for a whole year and there is no sign of his mother, so he needs a name.”
“Um well I haven’t thought about it…got any ideas?”
“Not that I can think of. You should go for something that has a special meaning to it, you know?” Twilight said as she levitated the baby closer to her. “Okay, so you say the baby has been crawling around the house more and more lately, and has even begun to climb up and stand on his hind legs. So, if my hypothesis is correct, he might be trying to learn how to walk, so I'm just going to watch him for a little while and document what I find. You just think of a name.”
They must have been there for a good 20 minutes, just staring at each other. At first one would think they were having a staring contest just looking into each-other’s eyes.
“Umm… Twilight, w-what are you to doi-“ was all I was able to say before I was shushed by the purple mare.
“Not now Fluttershy. I'm waiting. I know he’s testing me, it’s just a waiting game, now who’s going to make the first move?”
After a while, the baby finally decided to start crawling around the cluttered room.
“See, I told you Fluttershy!” Twilight said.
After a couple of hours of 'studying', Twilight was finally done for the day.
“So Fluttershy have you thought of a name?”
“Um well yes I was thinking m-maybe… F-Forest Night," I said quietly
“What was that Fluttershy? I didn’t quite catch that.”
“Um, Forest Night, m-mainly because I found him in the Everfree forest… at, um, night.”
“That’s a lovely name Fluttershy,” Twilight said with a smile. “Hey, since it's been a whole year, are you going to do something special, like a birthday or something?”
“Hmm... maybe it would give me a good chance to introduce him to the girls. Oh I do hope they are okay... w-what if they get scared and tell princess Celestia?” I asked, trembling.
“Fluttershy, don’t worry. They are our friends, and we will stick by you no matter what. I know I may have freaked out at first but… well, once you get used to him, it’s normal. In fact, it’s almost no different that raising a new born foal!” Twilight said with a comforting hug.
"I guess what I’m saying is that I’m sorry I threatened to call Celestia on you, it was wrong of me, and also, that we are friends, all six of us. We won’t hate you or that baby, just because a book say’s his species tried to kill ours. It’s just a myth anyway, so please don’t worry,” she said with an apologetic look.
“O-okay. I won’t worry so much anymore,” I said with a nervous smile.
“And hey, who knows, I’m pretty sure Celestia would be okay with him. She’s an understanding mare, and with all the observations and test’s, I’ve pretty much concluded that he’s not violent. Rough, maybe, but not violent!”
“O-okay, but still I’m not sure we should take the chance Twilight," I said.
“So what do you say? Should we throw him a party?” Twilight asked.
“Did I hear party!?”
“W-who said that?” I asked.
“Me silly filly!” a very hyper pink pony said. “Who's the party for, huh? What kind of party is it? Is it a birthday party, a going away party, a welcome back party, a 'hey it’s a Monday par-'" was all pinkie pie was able to say before Twilight jammed her hoof into the ponies mouth.
“It's for a baby Pinkie, and I guess you can call it a birthday. Pinkie... promise you won’t tell anyone about this,” Twilight said with an edge to her voice.
“Okie dokie lokie! Cross my heart hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Pinkie said with her usual movements to her pinkie swear.
Twilight had then proceeded to show pinkie the infant
“Well this is a-“
“Oh, that’s a human! I’ve only heard about those, I can’t believe it! Lyra was right, they are real, she’s going to be so happy when I tell her about this! Oh the whole town is going to be excited I can’t wai-“ Pinkie said as she was interrupted by Twilight yet again shoving her hoof into her mouth
“Ugh, yes Pinkie, this is a human, and his name is now Forest Night. He’s been under Fluttershy’s care for over the past year," Twilight explained.
“Ooh, so that’s why you haven’t been able to come to our pet play dates as often as you usually do! No wonder!
“Oh…um y-yes” I said as I started to hide my face in my mane.
“Now Pinkie yes we were planning on throwing a little party for the baby but not for the whole town to come and see! Fluttershy has been worried that Celestia might find out about him.”
“Huh why is that?”
“Well because in one of the books she checked out it says his race tried to eliminate ours until the princesses drove theirs out of Equestria. We are worried of what Celestia might think if she found out existed and not to tell how all of Ponyville would react. That’s like a disaster waiting to happen! So pinkie I want you just to invite the girls no one else please?” Twilight said
“Okie dokie lokie! This will be Pinkie Pie's super-secret super fun birthday party!” the pink pony said as she trotted out of the house.
Twilight and I both just stared as Pinkie hopped out of sight.
“We didn’t even tell her a time,” I said
“I guess Pinkie will figure it out,” Twilight said
With some time to waste, we decided to have some fun with the baby. Twilight had finally gotten to see what the baby looked like walking… somewhat. Forest Night still had to cling to the edge of a surface to get from area to area, but Twilight still considered it walking.
“Soon he’s going to be running all over the place Fluttershy! You’re going to have to keep a really close eye on him.”
“Oh I know, I won't let him out of my sight!” I said as I noticed the baby crawl next to me.
It had looked like he was trying to say something
“Mmmmm mmu,” mumbled Forest Night.
“Hey Twilight, I, uh, think he’s trying to say something!"
“Hmm? C’mon you can do it,” Twilight said encouragingly.
After about 5 minutes of trying to say something, Forest Night eventually gave up and started to crawl around the room again.
It wasn’t until three hours later when Pinkie came back to tell us that the party was going to be in one of Applejacks barns in 20 minutes.
We packed up everything we needed: two bottles full of milk, about five diapers, and make shift rattle. I wrapped the child up in a blanket and carried him with my right wing. We started to head out to Applejack's farm.
The temperature was perfect outside, not too hot yet not too cool. The animals hadn’t really needed help all day. In fact, for the past year they have been helping me more than I have helped them.
The sun had started to set as we arrived at Applejacks barn. The music was already playing when we entered.
“Hey there Fluttershy, glad you could finally make it!” Applejack said
“Yeah, we’ve been waiting here for like ever! It’s so uncool! Anyway Pinks said it was some ones birthday today, but as far as I know, none of our birthdays are today... what’s up with that?” Rainbow dash said in an annoyed tone.
“Umm, s-sorry I'm late everypony, I-I guess I lost track of time,” I said, embarrassed.
Oh darn it Fluttershy you should have hurried! Now they’re all mad at me because I'm late
This was probably one of pinkies more "simple". parties. Instead of her normal well known overly decorated parties this one was more simple with one or two streamers, a couple of balloons pin the tail on the donkey and a small cake.
“Umm, Fluttershy dear, can we talk in private?” Rarity whispered in my ear.
“Oh, um, sure Rarity, lets go outside,” I said as she led me to somewhere more private.
The look on her face was not a happy one but instead a mix of worry and anger.
“When where you going to tell me you had a foal? Is this the reason why you haven’t been showing up to our spa dates? Fluttershy dearie, you could’ve told me, we’re friends! I wouldn’t have judged you!” Rarity said as she pointed to the small infant in my right wing.
“Umm R-Rarity, I'm sorry, b-but it's much more complicated than that.”
“How so?”
“Uhh, c-come in, I have to tell everypony about it anyway,” I said nervously.
“Okay dearie, but remember, I'm here for you, and we will never think differently of you,” Rarity said as we walked back into the barn
“Um, e-everyone, I-I have to say something,” I said as the music completely cut off.
Oh great everyone’s looking at you! Keep calm, keep calm.
“U-um well, I, uhh... the r-reason I haven’t been able to hang out with you i-is because, well, I umm… found a baby a year ago and umm...” I trailed off. I couldn't even finish explaining it to them, I was so nervous
“What she’s trying to say, everypony, is the whole reason she hasn’t really been out of her cottage lately to hang out with us is because she found a baby in the Everfree forest,” Twilight explained for me.
For a while, it went deathly silent in the room, until Applejack spoke up.
“Uhh Twi… what is a baby?”
“Like... a new born foal, Applejack, except it’s a different species. Just look.”
As I unwrapped the baby from his blanket I heard gasps from all around the room.
It was dead silent yet again, and the music had stopped completely. It seemed like time was frozen for that brief moment.
I closed my eyes waiting for my friends to comment.
“Why it’s adorable!” Rarity cried.
.
“D’aaw, he is kinda cute” Dash said in a slightly uninterested tone.
I opened my eyes in amazement at what I heard. They loved him! They weren’t scared or disgusted--they thought he was cute!
“U-umm, h-his name is F-forest Night,” I said.
“What a lovely name dear!” Rarity said as she played with the baby.
“That’s a totally cool name,” Dash said.
“So you been raisin this here fella all by you lonesome Fluttershy? Heck, why didn’t ya com and ask one of us for help?” Applejack asked.
“U-um well I didn’t know how you would react... also, can you girls n-not tell anypony about him, at least not yet?”
“Sure, but why do you want to keep him a secret Fluttershy?” Dash asked.
“Well, because we’re scared of what Celestia might do if she found out about his existence. You see Dash, in one of my books we found information about him and his race--which are called humans, by the way--we found a myth that Celestia and Luna might have possibly drove his race into extinction and, well, we’re scared she might banish him or something,” Twilight explained.
“Woah, that’s some pretty tough stuff there,” Dash said.
“I don’t think she would be too harsh, in fact, I think it’s just a myth, and Celestia would be alright with him. But Fluttershy wants to take no risks, so we all have to promise not to tell anyone about Forest, alright?”
“All right, we promise,” the other four mares said.
After all the explaining was done, the party went back to normal and the music returned. We let the baby crawl around, and the girls took turns holding him and playing games with him such as peek-a-boo.
Ah, that went better than I thought. I wonder why I was even scared in the first place... I should've had more faith in the girls. Hmm, what's tugging on my wing?
As I turned to see what was on my wing I saw Forest looking straight at me with his big blue eyes.
“Mmmu mmum…mum...” Forest Night mumbled.
“Aww, he said his first word!” Pinkie pie said in excitement.
“Looks like he think you’re his mom Fluttershy!” Twilight said.
“Y-you think I'm your mom?” I asked nervously.
Forest continued to stare at me with his big blue eyes and repeated what he mumbled. “Mmmmum!”
“Aww, of course I’ll be your mom!” I said in a motherly tone.
Almost immediately I heard the whole group D’aww right behind me.
I just ignored it and hugged Forest night… my new son.