My little Twilight

It has been a few days past a year since Twilight came to my hive. Throughout that time, not much really happened aside from constantly trying to avoid turning into a living jungle gym. I don't understand how pony mothers can handle their kids climbing all over them like that, but meh... whatever keeps her happy with as little an annoyance factor as possible keeps the hive fed with ease. I still find it insane how one little creature can feed a hive of ten thousand on its own. Honestly, how can something about half the size of a drone emit so much love energy? It's crazy.

Today, I'd decided, was the day I started teaching Twilight how to walk on her own four hooves. Nymphs learn how to walk on their own within the first thirty six hours of life, and Twilight's been strong enough for too long now. I honestly don't know why I've let her crawl everywhere for as long as I have, but I can't afford to keep her like that forever. I had no idea it'd be as hard as it was, either. Perhaps it was because I waited so long? I guess I'll never know.

I started off the day as I had every other day for the past year. Twilight had moved from a cradle to a crib some time ago. I guess she had been having a great dream (I wonder what babies dream about), because she was quick to let me know she did not approve of being woken up. She has a very healthy set of lungs. It didn't bother me anymore, however, as I had developed sound dampening earmuffs. Well, one of my engineers did the development, I just came up with the idea. Got to give credit where it is due. Anyway... After calming her down, I sat her down and got out breakfast. One thing about pony babies: how can they stomach such disgusting looking food? Changelings are carnivores, so we're used to blood, guts, and gore... so the fact that I have to ask such a question baffles me. Actually, come to think of it, is there a way to get a pony used to a carnivorous diet? I sure hope so...

Regardless, after breakfast, it's morning bath time. Pony babies are such messy eaters... and again, this is coming from a carnivore. After the tub is filled up with nice, warm water, I pour in some bubbly stuff. Twilight refuses to cooperate at bath time unless it's a bubble bath. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm over spoiling her. Well, I do intend to cut her off eventually from the spoiled princess life. After all, while It's kind of cute right now while she's still quite young, it's going to get out of hoof later on if I don't cut her off at some point. But anyway... back to bath time. She goes right into the bubbly water with no argument, and what's the first thing she does to think me for a nice bath? She splashes water and suds all over my face. Then, just to add insult to injury, the brat points at me and nearly falls over laughing! No matter what face I gave her, she still found it funny. Yep, welcome to my morning routine...

After bath time, it's time to learn how to walk. She's strong enough to stand on her own four hooves, so how hard can walking really be at this point? The answer? Really difficult. It takes a bit to encourage her to even take one step forward, and that just ends with her falling flat on her belly. As funny as I found it, it wasn't as amusing to her. She's not weak by any means. She's taken tumbles here and there, and nothing's really come of it for some time. This, however, was a different story. Why'd I have to leave those earmuffs in my chamber? Perhaps she was mad that I found her fall kind of funny? If that's the case, I deserved a headache.

It took all of a minute and a half for me to finally overcome the vocal assault and comfort the filly. And good grief did it take a while to get her to try again. Forget the instructions manual I mentioned earlier, get this kid some training wheels or something. In the end, what got her to try again? Her favorite toy. One of the nursery drones crafted a little doll for Twilight, and she loves that thing to death. So, naturally, when I brought out within eyeshot of the kid, she reached out for it.

"You can have bubba, but you gotta walk over to him first," I said.

When she realized the doll wasn't just going to be given to her, she started crying again. I had to go to my chamber to get the doll, and I was smart enough to grab my earmuffs. I had a feeling seeing the doll and not getting it was going to make her mad, and I was right. Remember how I said I was cutting her off eventually? Well, this was going to be the first day I suppose. I didn't even place the doll that far away, just a little out of reach of her. Eventually, the tears dried up. She wanted to cry more, you could tell, but she just couldn't.

What I did next was the trick I wish I'd thought of earlier. My horn lit up and a faint green aura wrapped around the doll. I manipulated it just enough to where it looks like the thing was actually talking. Amazing, huh? Anyway, as I manipulated the doll, I spoke in a slightly child like tone of voice. She was really gullible as well, which helped my case. As I spoke basically through the doll, Twilight got up and tried walking again. She fell time and time again, but she eventually got it. She was very unsteady at first, but she finally walked. She reached the doll, finally. To finish the day's walking lesson, I had her believe the doll was actually proud of her. I have never seen a bigger smile in my life.

My name is Chrysalis, and I am now the mother of a gullible, walking pony baby.