The orphanage director could only look in a state that was somewhere between catatonic and perplexed. In that wide canyon, she found some type of odd relief from the hardships of the environment she found herself in. But at the same time, she also confronted a new set of anxieties and worries. The pony that now stood in front of her caused those feelings. A certain rumble deep within the stomach, sweat popping out of different pores on her face, and the new knocking qualities of her knees were all general reactions when the ruler of Equestria made a surprise visit.
“P…P…Princess Twilight!” Motherly Spirit said, bowing low before the purple leader.
To her surprise, Twilight bent down and helped her back to her hooves. “There’s no need for that right now,” the ruler said kindly, “for I am here on a peaceful, and rather exciting mission.”
“A mission, Your Majesty?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, indeed.”
Motherly was curious as to the nature of their princess’s seemingly self-imposed duty. So she invited her royal guest into the orphanage’s office to discuss things, away from the prying ears of the many foals who called the place home. Unlike some other orphanages that you, or others, might have heard of, this was a happy place. The children were well taken care of, and Motherly and her husband, Snow Day, were well known throughout Canterlot as having a great love for the orphans. In fact, Motherly had begun caring for foals with no parents at a very early age, when she realized that it was her special talent.
“So, Princess Twilight,” she said when they had both been seated, “what exactly is this mission of yours? I mean, we were always thrilled when Princesses Celestia and Luna would visit, but they never came here on a certain task.”
Twilight smiled. “I’m so glad you asked me that, Motherly Spirit. You see, tomorrow is Hearth’s Warming Eve.”
“Ah, yes, Hearth’s Warming Eve,” Motherly said dreamily, “it’s definitely a favorite time of year amongst our little ones. They love every aspect of it, and we do our best to ensure that everypony gets something new for it. A new toy, new wing weights for some of our Pegasi foals, a new book-“
“A new mother?” Twilight asked knowingly.
Motherly’s mouth nearly fell to the floor. Once again, the feelings that had besought her created a volcanic size eruption within. Only this time, it was a joyous ejection. Had Princess Twilight really come there to adopt a foal…and on the day before such a precious holiday? It seemed too good to be true, so the director thought she would try and dig around a little bit, without disrespecting the princess.
“A new mother?” She asked, “do you mean…?”
“Of course!” Twilight said as her smile stretched wider. “I’ve always wanted to have a foal of my own, but I’ve been too busy with royal matters to even attempt taking a mate. While I haven’t ruled it out, it seems that it won’t be happening, for the foreseeable future, at least. Add to that the fact that my castle gets so lonely sometimes. Oh, yes, I know that might seem like an oxymoronic statement, for there are ponies there all the time. But…ever since I left Ponyville two years ago…I’ve found that having so much space and so many ponies to associate with can leave one feeling lonelier than ever.”
The princess frowned at the end of her small statement, and Motherly thought she saw tears playing with the corners of her eyes. She realized, with a start, that she had never thought about how painfully alone Twilight could be. She thought that the purple pony would be thrilled. She figured that royal ponies had everything they ever wanted, and never felt alone or unloved. Until Twilight’s progressively sad monologue, she had thought her theories to be absolute. Now she saw that she was completely wrong.
She sighed and rose from behind her desk, trotting over and laying a hoof on the princess’s shoulder. “I’m so happy that you’ve made this decision,” she said, “and I certainly hope that you can find the perfect little foal. The children will be so happy to meet you! If you’ll follow me, Your Majesty, and I’ll gather them together-“
“No, please,” Twilight said, “I’d much prefer to meet them individually. I have a few questions I’d like to ask them.”
Motherly smiled and nodded, disappearing from the office towards the foals’ rooms. Once she was out of view of the special visitor, she rolled her eyes a bit. She should have known that the extra organized Twilight would have a system for how to choose the right child. Please, she silently prayed to nopony in particular, help her find the right foal. Let her make one of our precious little ponies happy…
The questioning took a few hours, as it was not all that easy to comb through over 100 foals that stayed at the sprawling orphanage. Even after all of the small interviews had been completed, Twilight stayed behind the closed door of the office, mulling through the notes she had taken on each foal. She had a certain love for all foals, and she wished she could take every single one of them and give them a happy home. But she knew that she could only be a good mother to one of them, and that was how things needed to be.
She had narrowed the list down to three ponies in particular, based on their personalities and the answers they gave to her questions. The interrogative statements had been simple ones, such as what they would do in case of an emergency, or how they would act at royal functions. For, after all, the foal she picked would become her successor and be gifted Alicorn abilities when the time was right. They would study both at her School of Magic, and at the School of Friendship in Ponyville.
She smiled as she thought of the happy faces she had seen over the past few hours. Some of the foals wouldn’t stop bouncing when they saw her, and she unfortunately, had to remove them from her list. She just couldn’t have hyperactivity going on in the castle, much as she loved them. It wasn’t that she was being mean or incredibly selective, it was just common sense. Other foals had been too quiet and shy, and yet others had given really difficult answers to such easy questions.
But the case files she had sitting in front of her displayed three very different ponies. There was Storm Surge, a young Pegasus colt, who dreamed of one day achieving great things with his wings. He was incredibly cocky and confident, which reminded Twilight of Rainbow Dash. Unfortunately, unlike Dash, he seemed willing to throw everything away for his own self-interest. But Twilight knew that nopony was perfect, and some things could be taught through rigorous training, and gentle guidance. I think his overinflated ego is hiding the pain that’s truly within his heart, she thought, perhaps he might be coaxed into opening up, given the right environment.
The second pony was a unicorn filly named Cloudy Sky. She was a very pretty young mare, who had many admirers among the older colts at the orphanage. Her eyes were the clearest blue, and she had a rather shiny silver coat. Her mane matched her eyes, and she had a way of trotting that made Twilight think of Rarity. Not to mention the young one’s interest in the fashionable, and her idolization of the aforementioned fashionista. But unlike Rarity, she could be a vain and selfish pony. She loved the attention she received from the male foals, and she knew exactly how to get what she wanted. Perhaps some time spent in one of Rarity’s generosity classes would correct that, Twilight thought, she’s a lovely young pony, but she’d have to work hard to understand how to give instead of getting.
The third pony was an Earth pony filly named Glowing Light. She was rather strong for her age, demonstrating this quality by using two hooves to lift the heavy chair she had been sitting on. She had given answers to Twilight’s questionnaire that made the ruler realize that she had a brain under all that brawn, and she was a very dutiful pony. All qualities that Applejack possesses, Twilight thought as she smiled at the memories of her dear farmer friend. The problem with Glowing was that she was a dishonest pony. When Twilight asked her what she would do if something broke in the castle, she said straightforwardly that she would lie about it. Twilight knew that honesty was one of the key points of friendship, and she couldn’t see having a dishonest daughter. But, as with the other two, these are all things that can be fixed.
Now, the question became one of choice. Which foal would Twilight select? Her thoughts bounced back and forth like the average ping-pong ball. She had selected these three out of all the foals because they had something the others did not. They had a certain spark within them, and they seemed to want to learn from her. They also carried a great amount of love underneath their faults, and Twilight felt it exude from their small bodies. She had become enamored with all three, and she wished she could adopt them all.
“Who to choose?” She asked herself out loud…
The foals all sat in quivering anticipation, wondering which one of them would become the newest royal pony in Equestria. It was a tremendous occasion, and one which the press had gotten word of. The common area at Motherly’s orphanage was now jammed to overflowing with photographers and newspaper ponies. She had given so many interviews, that her mouth had completely dried up and she was forced to turn down even more requests. I guess this is what happens when royalty does something huge, she reasoned.
Soon enough, Twilight emerged from the office and trotted into the room. She sat down in front of the expectant faces, sighed, and then smiled. “I have come to a decision,” she said, “and let me assure you, it was not an easy one. I wish with all my heart that I could take all of you home with me, because I truly love each and every foal here. You all have brightened my Hearth’s Warming season, and I only hope that I’ve managed to return the favor. I know all of you are going to find loving homes one day. I sincerely hope that day is very, very soon. After considering everything, I have decided that I am going to adopt three of you. I just couldn’t choose between them, and I fell in love with all of them. Storm Surge, Cloudy Sky, and Glowing Light, I’d like to become your mother.”
The three foals shrieked with joy and galloped over to the princess. Their eyes shone with rapturous delight as they tackled their new parent, laughing and squealing as they did so. Neither of the three could really believe this was happening, and it seemed as if they were experiencing something supernatural. But all the same, it was real, and Twilight’s smile bestowed love and affection on all of them. It was a truly special Hearth’s Warming Eve, and Twilight ensured that every foal in the orphanage received a personal present before she left.
She decided that she didn’t need presents that year. She had received the three best little gifts that she could have imagined. No, they weren’t perfect, and they never would be, but she was happy with them. She knew that there would be painful moments, and joyous moments, and she wanted to be there to experience them all. She was a mother now, and nothing could have made her heart sing more as they drove back to the castle.
