Fangs and all

As Twilight screeched to a stop before the white immaculate hospital, she could have swore she felt Nova clinging to her back. But when she looked around, there was no one there. High above her, a certain foal giggled silently. As she shrugged and pushed the swinging door open, Nova swooped in behind her.

“Miss Redheart?” The hospital seemed deserted, there was no doctors walking in the halls. “Hello?” she called again nervously. Suddenly, a pink maned white mare bustled up, looking flustered.

“Oh, hello Twilight.” She acknowledged the pony “What is it you need?”

Shifting from one hoof to the other, she grinned sheepishly. “If you are busy I can come back later...”

“No, no, Twilight!” Redheart said, snapping to full attention. “Go ahead, what’s the matter…” Her eyes grew as big as dinner plates as she spotted something above Twilight.

Noticing that Redheart was distracted, she looked up to see a curled up ball of midnight black, shaking with laughter. A loud smack resonated in the room and Twilight rubbed her reddened face. “I am so sorry. NOVA, COME DOWN RIGHT THIS INSTANT. “She called the last part out louder.

At last Redheart found her voice. "WHAT THE FAUST ARE YOU DOING WITH A BATPONY?" She screeched, then blushed heavily as she realized that she had used one of her goddesses names in vain. Looking about Redheart became Redface as she caught several doctors in the act of staring at her from particular doorways.

Rubbing the back of her head with a hoof, she gestured madly for Twilight to go ahead while she shot several angry glares at the doctors, who closed their doors quickly but somehow silently. Only one remained, a newbie unicorn doctor. Staring at him, she snorted in fury. Obviously what Redheart hated most was being stared at because she had done something wrong.

Turning back to Twilight, she opened her mouth trying to be civil but was greeted with a much different sight then she had last seen. The last picture she had of Twilight was pointing a hoof at Nova and her face bulging slightly. Now the lavender princess was cuddling a small foal gently and rocking him in her hooves.

"Umm... Princess?"

She looked up, surprised. "Oh. May I have some blood for him?" If anything Redheart couldn’t look more shocked.

"But. But... He isn't a bloodsucker." This got Twilight shocked.

"He's a batpony, isn't he?"

Redheart nodded vigorously. "Yes, princess. but as far as our records go bat ponies aren't vampiric. They like fruit."

With that sentence Twilight’s mind returned to a long ago incident of Fluttershy sucking every last apple of Sweet Apple Acres dry and cringed. "Thank you, I had almost forgotten that. Can you get me something for him?"

The nurse smiled. "Yes Ma'am."

Grimacing, Twilight shook her head. "You don't have to address me like that, you know. I prefer Twilight or if you feel uncomfortable calling me that just go ahead and use Miss Sparkle."

Nodding eagerly, she gently took the foal from the Twilight’s arms. About two steps away from Twilight, Nova started squalling and blubbering, waving his little hooves about emphatically. After some contemplation, Redheart returned the little one to Twilight with no regrets. "I do believe he has imprinted on you." She murmured, then she was gone.

"Wait, imprinted means- what?" She looked down at the thestral, who was suckling on his hoof as he murmured. Her rough voice coming to life, Twilight tried to sing a song. As it progressed, though, her voice got smoother and flowing.

"Little one, of the night you fly,

through peril and danger, never stopping,

never losing, So, don't you worry, now, you’re

safe in my embrace, through pain you may walk,

yet you can never stop

I know that your hurting, though deep locked away,

just stay with me now, cry another day"

She looked up to see that Redheart returned and was holding her hoof to her mouth as her eyes welled with tears. In her other hoof was a bowl of applesauce, fretting mashed and, if the water vapor was anything to go by, recently warmed. "That... that was beautiful Twilight." Redheart finally said, breaking the silence between them.

Smiling, she handed over the food. Nodding in acknowledgement, Twilight gently tapped Nova with her right hoof, as he was resting in the crook of her left. Burbling gently, heavy lids cracked upon to see a gentle smile upon his 'mums' face. Weakly throwing his hooves around her neck, he failed utterly and she chuckled. Taking the bowl from the alabaster mare she bit down on the rim and offered it to a certain black thestral. He grinned and reached for it, eventually getting his hooves around the rim and tilting it back to drink, not minding the glop that ran down the corners of his mouth and splashed onto the otherwise clean floor. If he had looked up he would have seen a mare as white as the area around him and with hair a shade lighter than her cutie mark give his 'mum' a look. Twilight shrugged, the movement rippling through her body and sending little signals to Nova, who looked up inquisitively. "What is it?" she asked, rubbing his tummy with her nose. He burped and held up the now empty bowl.

"More?" A high pitched voice came from his mouth, and Redheart nearly fell over in shock. As luck would have it, she only stumbled and managed to stay upright while staring incredulously at him.

She slowly nodded. "Uh... Sure." As the nurse trotted away to get more fruit sauce, she crooned to the foal. Instead of using the lullaby she had sung whilst he had been asleep, she sung 'Hush now quiet now' one of Fluttershy's favorite songs. A rap-rap came at the door then Pinkie burst in, playing a trumpet.

"Err… Pinkie…" But before she could go any further, Nurse Redheart was there, shushing her like mad and looking angry like you wouldn't believe.

"Foals are supposed to have peace and QUIET!" She hissed. "Something that you’re apparently unable to give." Turning to Twilight, she offered a full bowl of steaming applesauce with a small smile. After two more bowls of the stuff, Nova appeared contented and stretch his hooves in sync with a yawn before falling asleep.

"Aww!" Twilight whispered, knowing that she couldn’t wake the bat/pony hybrid. As she levitated him with her magic, he gave a small mutter before drifting off again. She smiled and with Pinkie by her side walked home carefully. Opening the door, she stepped inside, her hooves making unnecessary clatter on the crystallized floor. She rolled her eyes and summoned Nova's cradle, noticing only now that it bore the emblem of Princess Luna's cutie mark, a crescent moon midst midnight darkness.

"What is going on?"