Three months after marrying Zephyr, he and I decide that we are going to become parents and have children. One night, we lock our bedroom door and close the blinds. Then we get up close to each other. After a while, we get sleepy and go to bed.
A few weeks later, I am starting to feel sick and I don't know why. Zephyr advises that I see the doctor and I agree. The doctor runs a few tests and then comes back with the results.
"Congratulations, Your Highness. You're pregnant."
I rush home and tell Zephyr the news. We kiss each other and are excited about getting to be parents. The months go by slowly but smoothly as we set up the nursery and get the supplies we will need. There are several times that I feel sick during the pregnancy, but my doctor says it is normal for that to happen. One of my ultrasound images indicates that our first foal will be a filly, so we make sure that the nursery has a girly theme.
One evening, as Zephyr is about to start making supper, pain suddenly shoots up my abdomen and I scream loudly. At the same time, I feel fluid running down my hind legs. I yell to Zephyr to call for an ambulance. As I am wheeled into the hospital, I have another contraction. This one is worse, and I scream even LOUDER. The admitting nurse calls for transport straight to "Labor and Delivery" upon realizing that I am already in labor. Zephyr has also said that my water has already broken. The doctor takes another ultrasound and then calls for surgery to get ready. When I ask why, her answer shakes me to the core.
"Your Highness, your foal is in danger. The cord is around her neck. You need to have a C-section."
In the OR, I am numbed to make sure I don't feel anything. Unfortunately, time is running out and my daughter is in danger of being strangled by the cord. This means that there is no time to wait for the medicine to work completely. Bravely, the surgeon starts the incision. I scream in agony and then everything fades to black. Memories flash in my mind after everything goes dark.
**
I feel myself surrounded by fluid and there is very little light. My eyes open eventually and I can faintly see what looks like a string running from my belly into the darkness. Whatever this is, it feels slippery. As I turn over, I notice extensions from my back. I do not know what these are, nor do I understand a hard point above my face. I can hear sounds, but everything is garbled and hard to make out.
Much time later, I notice the fluid around me is moving. In seconds, the fluid is all gone and I feel pressure underneath my legs and over my head. My eyelids suddenly close up and will not move. I feel pain on my head as the pressure increases. Soon, there is no more pressure over my head. Through my tightly closed eyelids, I can see a bright light. I let out a loud scream as I breathe for the first time. As I am screaming and squirming, I hear a voice say that I am a filly, but I do not know what that means. Cold air is all around me and my body feels wet. I later feel a pinching pain as something squeezes near my belly. Later on, I feel the wetness being removed from my fur somehow and I start to feel warmer. I then feel my back legs being lifted up and then placed down on something that feels incredibly soft under my lower back. This soft sensation is felt more as it is wrapped upward between my legs and then around both sides of my stomach. I am still screaming loudly, even as something is wrapped tightly around my tiny body. I am soon unable to move because of how tight the wrapping is. Something soft and rubbery is shoved in my mouth and I start sucking on it instead of screaming. I feel hooves wrap around me and I hear soft singing. The object between my lips is pulled out and then my mouth wraps over something else. I latch on and begin sucking through my mouth. Something warm, creamy, and sweet begins flowing down my throat. Just then, my eyelids begin sliding open again and I can see my parents' smiling faces.
**
My senses start coming back. When my eyes readjust, I have an oxygen tube up my nose. Zephyr is by my side and the nurse comes in with my daughter. She is wrapped snugly in a blanket and sleeping soundly. After the tube is removed, the nurse hands my daughter to me and I cradle her in my hooves.
"What should we name her, deary?", Zephyr asks me quietly.
"I think we should call her Diamond Sparkle. Her mane is shiny like a diamond and it sparkles in the light.", I reply.
We soon bring our little baby home and take much care of her.
Author's Note
The memories that flash in Flurry's mind are the portion that is italicized.
Five years later...
Diamond has just started school and I decide that she should have a sibling to spend time with. While she is at school, Zephyr and I go to our room and get up close again. Later on, we discover that I am pregnant again, but this time with a colt. We tell Diamond that she will have a baby brother, and she gets excited. We bring out the supplies from when I was pregnant with her and begin setting up a nursery for our son.
Nine months later, the time has come. Zephyr takes me to the hospital after my water breaks and we are able to fill out the paperwork this time. Once I am comfortable, the doctor takes an ultrasound and says I do not need surgery this time. Once the doctor is ready, I begin to push. The pain is agonizing and I feel my son slipping out. Once he is out, Zephyr cuts the cord and the nurse takes our son to be evaluated. Prior to coming, we had seen several shooting stars flash across the sky. So we name our son Flash Starstruck when the nurse brings him back to us. Zephyr brings Diamond in to see her brother and she gushes with joy when she sees how cute he is.
Seven years later, Zephyr and I tell our kids that they will be next to inherit the throne when we retire or die. They seem startled in the beginning, but they slowly come to accept what their duty will eventually become as time goes on.
