She was done, she had to be. Twilight raced through the maze of corridors, each turn known from before. She had not been gone for long, or had she? She had no idea what long even was in such a situation. She knew only that she had to get back without wasting time. They still would not let her in, anyway. They had told her the prodedure was delicate and enduring and that she would not be able to contribute. She could not say she cared. She knew she was needed. Endless doors raced by on either side, indistinguishable in mocking white but by their numbers. She hoped to recognise the right one when she found it.
By some chance she did not run into any staff on her way, until she reached a door that resonated in her memory. It had to be correct. A white-clothed mare greeted her once she had passed through it, "It is done, you should go see her. She has been refusing all staff despite what is best for her. Such a small pony... perhaps you can get through."
"Has she, then?" Twilight walked through the room towards what she knew was the final door. Once opened, the expected blast of energy shot towards her. Exhaling with closed eyes, she let it flow through her without making contact. "Hello, Midnight."
"Judging by that you still exist, you are allowed. Come in, Sparkle. But you are still keeping safety distance." There Midnight lay, surrounded by white with the smallest of packet on her chest. One of her legs constantly pressed it closer towards her own body, shielding it from the world outside. "They brought you in with purpose, right? They come only to take my daughter. I do not need them."
"You know you do." She seated herself as close as she dared to Midnight despite knowing magic could not harm her. "They are medics and doctors, just like you. Who are you to trust if not them?"
"That is the point: So am I, I can handle myself. They can bring those tests and diagnoses to where I can see them, they will not steal her." Midnight again caressed the package laying on top of her, which was noticably more silent than Twilight had expected. "Oh, I see what you are thinking. She is fine, I would know."
Twilight moved one slide of the chair closer. "You cannot leave the bed, can you," she taunted as quietly as she could to let sleep those who deserved it.
Midnight sighed, with a twist into a slight chuckle towards the end. "Nope. You are welcome to have your body ripped open for the next one, I will not." Silence consumed the next moments until she moved up in bed slightly and asked, "That they spent years being trained to eat with utensils makes no difference, Sparkle. Would you directly trust your child to me?" Twilight meant to say the obvious, but a shadow of doubt stuck the words in her mind for one moment too long. "Exactly."
"That does not change that you are alone and vulnerable." Abandoning all care, she moved within a leg's reach, almost touching the edge of the bed. Still she could just not see into the package of cloth itself. "The staff worries about you. As do I."
"I feel fine. Then again, endorphins do stuff to your mind, and my blood contains nothing if not," she dropped off in the middle of her sentence as the packet stirred. For a moment, her full attention was lost on it, soothing every little sound it made. "And here's to decades of raising you. Fun times." She refocused on Twilight, "At least I have her. That is all that counts. She deserves a better life than I got."
Unsure of what to do, Twilight reached out with her magic to lower the blinds on the window, figuring the intruding blades of light would likewise be seen as a threat in a fresh mother's mind. "She will have it. We will see her to greatness. Do you have a name for her yet?"
Midnight's grip lightened the littlest bit it could. "Is that not decided once the talent fairy comes to give her a name completely fitting and descriptive of what will be her special talent? Huh. Well I have nothing for her right now. I figured I would do that once I can move again." At the touch of her magic, the wrappings opened somewhat and revealed a tiny horn peeking forth from a silver coat. The foal inside was fast asleep. "For now, I'm just glad this episode is over and she is here now."
"Amazing." Twilight extended her first look as well as she could. Apparently the foal felt the cold of the world from outside the sheet. A figment of a straight blonde mane fell over its face as it struggled to come closer to Midnight's warmth. She was happy to oblige to its demand. "Now look at those who said you could not do it."
"Did they say I lacked the fertility? That I lacked the will? Did they say I would bleed out in the process because it happens that I am smaller than they?" Midnight shook her head. "They told my mother the same. They told her she had to choose between me and herself. She chose both. Would it not be logical that I do the same with my little one? She even kind of looks like she did. Except the eyes." Midnight exhaled, then a spell grasped the foal lying on top of her and brought it away from her.
Once it was laid into her lap, Twilight understood her intention and made sure to take a firm hold with both hoof and magic. Only then did the original spell fade and put it into her responsibility. Just then, its eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring into an azure abyss. Glimmering sparks of her magic reflected within. "She does. Beautiful. She has something about her, doesn't she?" The foal did not cry nor make any other sound. It just gazed up at her, clearly as amazed as she was. "She will have great talent. But here, take her back. You should have her."
Her attempts at putting the foal back were thwarted by a simple hoof. "Let them do what they must. I could use some food, or sleep. Does not feel like I have had either in days." The same hoof then pulled her in closer until she was face to face with Midnight. "But do tell them that I will take heads for every ten minutes she stays away."
Twilight rose, maintaining her grasp above all else. "I will watch over her personally. Rest, night princess. You have earned it."
