Daughter of Spike

  It was 10 years ago since Twilight and Spike arrived in Ponyville to meet their friends. The first day they came, Spike had seen a beautiful unicorn named Rarity. He had known he wanted to be with her when he saw her. At first, Rarity hadn't noticed Spike as much as he wished she would. She'd been more focused on her fashion and her best friends.

  But, as time passed, Rarity noticed the growing dragon more each day. He was becoming quite majestic and handsome. Before Spike knew it, they fell in love and got married.

  Now, Rarity was doing quick breathing as she sat on the couch. She was pregnant and the baby was about to come now. Spike was helping her.

"Okay Rarity," Spike said. "So, when you say the baby's coming, you mean like right now?!"

"Yes!" Rarity exclaimed, trying to control her breathing. "Please hurry!"

"Okay, I'll get you there right now!" Spike replied. "Just... give me a second!"

Spike rushed outside to find a method of transportation. He saw a few ponies running with a chariot.

"Excuse me, sirs!" Spike said.

  The ponies stopped in their tracks when they heard Spike's frantic tone.

"Can you please get me and my wife to the hospital?" asked a frantic Spike.

  The ponies looked at each other and nodded, gravely. Spike helped Rarity get into the chariot, cautiously.

  "Hurry!" Spike urged.

  The ponies began to gallop as quickly as they could to the hospital. Rarity kept breathing as deeply as she could.

  "I don't know how much longer the foal is going to wait," Rarity worried.

  As the chariot arrived at the hospital, Spike breathed a sigh of relief. They both jumped out of the chariot and rushed inside.

  "Doc! Help!" Spike exclaimed. "The baby's coming!"

  "Right now? This is a month before we expected her," the Doctor said, trailing off.

  Spike shot the Doctor an upset glance.

  "No matter, she's coming now," the Doctor said. "Nurse Coldheart, get this mare into a delivery room!"

  Nurse Coldheart followed his instructions and got Rarity to a delivery room as fast as she possibly could.

  The hospital doors swung open again. This time, it was the rest of Rarity's friends: Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash.

  "Doc? We heard the news," Twilight said. "Is the baby really coming today?"

  "That's a month before we expected her," said a surprised Fluttershy.

  "Yes," the Doctor replied. "Take a seat in the waiting room, please."

  "Oh, boy!" Pinkie Pie squealed, in excitement. "I bet it's so cute!"

  A half hour later, Rarity came out holding a foal concealed in a pink blanket. Rarity's friends immediately got excited and rushed over to her.

  "Rarity, can we see the baby?!" Twilight exclaimed.

  Rarity showed the baby to Twilight. "Isn't she a gem? She's one of a kind!"

  Twilight had to suppress a yelp of surprise. "I mean... she's beautiful."

  The rest of Rarity's friends smiled, nervously and nodded.

  "Isn't she?" Rarity smiled. "What name should she have?"

  "I don't know," claimed a nervous Twilight. "It has to be a good name for a.... precious little baby like her." She let out another nervous laugh.

  Rarity furrowed her brow, confused. "I feel like you're all hiding something."

  "Oh no, Rarity," Fluttershy said. "We'd never hide anything from you."

  Rarity looked at them with a disappointed glance.

  "You don't like the baby, do you?" Rarity inquired.

  "No, Rarity!" Twilight exclaimed. "It's not that. It's just.... um..."

  "She's kind of freaking us out," Rainbow Dash admitted.

  Rarity's friends slowly nodded in agreement. Spike watched, surprised at how their friends were acting.

  "Girls, I know she is different," Rarity said.

  Rarity removed the blanket from her daughter, revealing her looks. She had a purple mane like her mother's and blue dragon eyes. She had dragon wings and a dragon tail. She had a white coat and a unicorn horn.

  "But, that's because of who her parents are," Rarity claimed. "We can't control what we look like or what we have."

  Rarity's friends only hesitated. They didn't know what to say to their shocked friend.

  "You girls never judged before," Rarity added. "You were all so welcoming in the past, even to Discord and Starlight Glimmer. This baby is innocent."

  Rarity was right. They knew they had been more accepting of more evil ponies in the past. Discord and Starlight Glimmer had made big mistakes and the baby hadn't made any yet. They hesitated as they thought it over.

  "You know what? Fine!" Rarity exclaimed, angrily. "I expected more from you girls!"

  Rarity stalked out of the door, cradling her daughter in her arms. Spike sighed, unhappily and followed her home.

  "Spike, wait!" Twilight called after him.

  The door swung shut with a sorrowful silence.

  "Oh no," said Fluttershy. "We were being bad friends."

  "I know Spike has gotten mad before, but I never thought he'd be mad at me," Twilight said, sadly. "Or all of us at once. Especially since his temper is usually so well organized."

  "Well, Spike had a good reason to be mad at us all," Fluttershy claimed. "Rarity's mad at us, too. She was right. We've never done this to anypony."

  "And now I'm not so sure if they're in the mood to forgive," Twilight said.

  Rarity's friends looked at the ground, sadly. They knew they'd hurt their friends feelings.

  Six months later, Rarity was still having a hard time taking care of her daughter. They had named her Esmeralda. Of course, she was a difficult child due to being a hybrid.

  "Spike, darling, come here!" Rarity called.

  Spike came into the living room. Esmeralda's broad wings were spread wide. They were bigger than they seemed folded.

  "She's... bigger than I thought she'd be," said a worried Rarity.

  "Esmeralda, no! Don't eat that ruby! That was my lunch!" Spike exclaimed.

  Esmeralda popped the ruby into her mouth and swallowed it, surprisingly as easy as her Dad could. Spike groaned, disappointed.

  Spike walked over to the living room to write a grocery list.

  "Esmeralda sure is a..." Rarity felt herself being lifted into the air by Esmeralda. She was flying!

  "Oh, dear," Rarity said.

  Esmeralda began to fly back and forth across the room. Rarity held onto her for dear life, as she was zipped from side to side. Spike was distracted as Rarity was being flown in the background.

  "Grocery list," Spike said, talking to himself.

  He got the buckets where the jewels should be and shook them to see which new jewels he would need.

  "Rubies, emeralds," Spike said, listing the jewels he needed. He sighed. "Amethysts..."

  He moved onto the food items for Rarity.

  "For Rarity, there is milk, eggs, chocolate cake for her cravings. Hey, Rarity! Do you want confetti cake too or just the chocolate?"

  "Get the confetti, too!" Rarity called out, as she was zipped back and forth. "Esmeralda might like it!"

  Spike wrote down confetti cake on his list, too.

  Esmeralda landed and Rarity dizzily sat down on the couch next to Spike.

  "Is it just me or is there a giant singing cat behind the coffee table?" Rarity asked, in a daze.

  Spike whirled around to see behind the coffee table. There was nothing there.

  "Are you okay?" Spike asked. He put his claw to Rarity's forehead to check on her. "Do you have something?"

  Rarity came out of the daze, gradually. "Oh, the cat is gone. No, I'm fine. Just a dizzy spell."

  "What from?" Spike inquired.

  "I think you should see this," Rarity said.

  Rarity lifted Esmeralda and tossed her into the air. Almost by instinct, Esmeralda's wings spread to catch herself. Esmeralda huffed and landed, clearly done with flying for the day.

  Spike was in awe. "Esmeralda can fly and do magic?! She's an alicorn!"

  Rarity giggled and shook her head. "No, darling. Esmeralda isn't an alicorn. The dragon wings came through you and the horn was through me. She's just a hybrid."

  "I'm going to get the groceries," Spike said, veering off the topic. He hated to admit he was wrong about his daughter. "Keep an eye on Esmeralda!"

  Spike left Rarity with Esmeralda. Esmeralda smiled up at her mother. Rarity smiled back at her. "Well, I'll be fine for a few hours," Rarity said.

  Later that night, it was time for Esmeralda to go to bed.

  "Mama?" Esmeralda asked, as if she was curious if she said it right.

  Rarity gasped, excitedly. "That's right!"

  Esmeralda giggled, proud of herself.

  "You're going to have a lot of confidence in yourself, Esmeralda! Even when others don't see you as a beauty," Rarity told her. "Remember me and your father see you as a gift. The best gift we've had! I love you, Esmeralda. And if you love you, others will too. I know that as a fact."

  Rarity sang Esmeralda a lullaby, telling her they'd always be there for her and she was special no matter what others thought.

  Esmeralda fell asleep to the soothing lullaby and Rarity put her quietly in bed.

  It was now 8 years later and Esmeralda was about to start second grade. Of course, Esmeralda was still sleeping soundly in her bed. Rarity came up to wake her.

  "Rise and shine, Esmeralda," Rarity said, softly. "Time for your first day of second grade!"

  Esmeralda's eyes fluttered open. She let out an excited gasp and hopped out of her bed.

  "It's the first day of school!" Esmeralda exclaimed.

  She ran down the stairs and Rarity followed with a tired smile. Spike was already downstairs as Esmeralda arrived. Spike smiled as he saw his wife and his daughter.

  Unlike many ponies, Esmeralda loved school. "Oh, first grade was so much fun last year! I can't wait to see my friends again!"

  "Have fun today," Rarity encouraged.

  "I will," said Esmeralda, confidently. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! See you after class!"

  "Have a good day!" Rarity called out.

  "Remember how special you are!" Spike encouraged.

  Esmeralda took off into the air, flying to school. Esmeralda loved that she could fly! She loved feeling the wind rush in her mane and the air swoop past her wings.

  As she arrived at school, Esmeralda took a deep breath. "Today is a new day," she told herself. Without further hesitation, she walked into the schoolyard.