A unicorns child

“Twinkle Star, wrap Joyeux in these blankets and put her in the child’s bed. We need room for the other one.” Tsuyo ordered Twinkle Star, who quickly obeyed. Another child… impossible. But a quick glance showed Twinkle Star that indeed, Tsuyo was right. Two tiny hooves, much smaller than Joyeux’ hooves, were already presenting themselves. As Twinkle Star lifted the newborn girl, she was surprised to feel it’s flow of royal powers touching her. She realised it was only natural this little girl wasn’t able to hide them yet, but she was surprised to feel them coming from something so small and vulnerable.

When she was sure the baby girl was warm and safe for now, she returned to Stelline. She was trying to scream, trying to cry, but she could see Stelline didn’t have the energy left to do even that. The baby was out more now, but it didn’t even come out as fast as the first one, and Twinkle Star already thought that that went slow because Stelline didn’t have the power to push. This baby was of course covered in slime, which Twinkle Star took as a good sign. Regina was now holding her oldest daughter firmly, whispering encouraging words to her.
“it’s coming…” Tsuyo said, not nearly as confident as with the first. She had already send a maid out to fetch more blankets and new clean water.

It was still too early to pull, and with Stelline unable to give more strength, the baby had to fight it’s way out itself. Was a baby able to do that? Joyeux had hardly moved until she was born. This baby seemed to move a bit more, as it knew it had to fight for it’s life now, too. Twinkle Star almost sighed with relief when she saw the little nose appear. It wouldn’t take long now, before Tsuyo would be able to help. Twinkle Star took a look at Joyeux now, but she seemed to be resting. Her breathing was steady now and she kept moving a little bit.

It seemed to take ages for the baby to be far enough out of it’s mothers body for Tsuyo to be able to help. Yet at some point Tsuyo decided to give it a try, even though the baby wasn’t nearly as far as Joyeux had been. Thankfully, Tsuyo seemed to be able to pull the baby out without harming it.
“There it is…” She whispered, exhausted now, too. The baby moved a bit as well, and Twinkle Star took a blanket from the maid who had just returned and began to clean. This baby was white, too, but it’s mane where almost completely light green, and it had only a little pink in it’s tail. It looks just like dad… Twinkle Star realised. As she and Tsuyo cleaned the little baby, Regina was still holding her daughter, who wasn’t making a sound now.

“It’s a boy!” Tsuyo exclaimed.
“What?!” Twinkle Star said, just as surprised. But as she looked herself, she could see that it was true. This child was indeed a boy. He was much smaller than his sister, but he was moving and seemed to be just fine. A unicorn giving birth to a boy… The heir to the throne of the Friendship Lands giving birth to a boy… heh. “Amazing.” Twinkle Star whispered.

Yet suddenly, Twinkle Star got the feeling something was missing. She checked the child, but she couldn’t find anything wrong. Yet something was missing from the room now…
“Twinkle Star!” Her mother yelled, panicked.
“What is it?”
“She’s… slipping away!” Stelline! Twinkle Star let the are of the little boy to Tsuyo and rushed towards her mother. Sure enough, Stelline’s presence in the room was diminishing. 
“What’s going on!” She yelled, panicking now, too.
 “Her royal powers… they’re gone… fading…” Regina sobbed, almost unable to speak. Fear had taken hold of her, and it was getting Twinkle Star now, too. They couldn’t lose Stelline now. They couldn’t.

But she knew in her heart her mother was right. Stelline’s royal powers had left her completely. Not only her ordinary powers, but her unicorn powers, too. And she needed both to survive, now that her physical strength had already left her.
“Isn’t there anything we can do? Transfer some of our powers into her?” She asked, but her mother shook her head.
“We can’t…” Regina held her daughter even closer, “If there was anything left, we could, but it’s all gone now. We could support her powers with ours, but if there’s nothing left in her, there’s nothing for us to support…”

Nothing… Twinkle Star could almost feel her sister slipping away from her. Without her royal powers, and without any physical strength, she wouldn’t last long. This can’t be happening.
“No…” She whispered softly. She couldn’t accept there was nothing they could do. How could giving life take another?
“Stelline…” Her mother cried, her tears falling on Stelline’s face as rain. There was no movement left in Stelline’s body anymore.
“Don’t leave me…”

How could this happen? Twinkle Star stared at the two newborn children. They were born because her body thought it was necessary, right? Did her body think it was necessary for her to die? Twinkle Star didn’t even realise she was crying until she heard her own tears hit the ground.
“I didn’t bring you here to die…” She whispered to her sister. It was so unfair. Stelline had never hurt anyone. She didn’t deserve this. Nobody did. Those children didn’t deserve this. They shouldn’t grow up knowing their mother died because she gave them life.

“Don’t die…” She touched Stelline’s neck with her hoof, and she realised Stelline was cold from sweating.
“I don’t want you to go…” She whispered to her sister, not even sure whether Stelline still heard her or not. I can’t let this happen… This isn’t right….
“Don’t leave us, Stelline… Please…” Her mother softly whispered while still holding her.
“We can’t do this without you.” Twinkle Star couldn’t believe there was nothing they could do. She couldn’t just let her sister slip away into the darkness. She should be here. Her future… it wasn’t gone yet!

“Don’t die on me Stelline!” She yelled, and she felt something else take over her. Twinkle Star suddenly had to put all her energy in stopping her wings from appearing, but her royal powers were focussed on something else. She could feel them take over her body. They surrounded her now, swirling around her at with great speed. She was vaguely aware of the others staring at her, but all she could focus on was Stelline.
“DON’T DIE!” She yelled again, and the powers that had been swirling around her she now send towards Stelline. She wouldn’t accept there was nothing she could do, because there was something she could do. Stelline’s body shocked when her powers entered her body, but it didn’t take long. When they were completely gone, Twinkle Star collapsed on the ground.
“Twinkle Star!” she heard Tsuyo yell, and she came rushing towards her.
“Are you alright?” Tsuyo asked concerned. Twinkle Star felt vague and tired, but most of all, confused on what just had happened.
“Stelline…” She whispered, and she looked up at the bed. To her surprise, she noticed Stelline was slowly moving.
“What…?” Twinkle star whispered, shortly before she registered the surprised look on her mother’s face.
“She’s… She’s…” Her mother wasn’t even able to say the words, but slowly, Twinkle Star could feel it. The presence of a unicorn… Her royal powers were restoring itself. But it wasn’t enough yet.
“Mother, you…” She began, but Regina had already understood. She released her own royal powers to support those Twinkle Star had just given Stelline.

It was going to be alright, Twinkle Star realised. Then, a comfortable darkness took her.

When Twinkle Star next opened her eyes, the soft light of a candle was the first thing she saw. Somehow, she noticed her curtains were closed. Was it night? Wait… she couldn’t remember going to bed. What had happened? Slowly, her memories came floating back. The birth, Câlin, the children…
“Stelline!” She yelled out loud, and with a shock she at up in her bed. “Hush, dear… it’s okay.” Twinkle Star had to blink several times before she recognised her mother sitting next to her.

“Mom…”
“Yes, dear. Go lie down again. You’re still tired.” Her mother replied, and Twinkle Star obeyed. Her mother’s face became more focussed now. She didn’t see any signs of sadness on her mother’s face…
“Is Stelline okay?” She asked. Thankfully, her mother smiled.
“Yes, dear. She is doing just fine. She’s tired and still very weak, but she will be fine again, thanks to you. You did the impossible... You saved her.”
“I… What happened?” Twinkle Star asked.
“I don’t know… Stelline was slipping away, her royal powers vanished… but somehow you gave them back to her. Then I was able to support them until Stelline was able to hold on to them on her own, but you collapsed… I had Tsuyo and Ivy bring you here. Are you sure you are fine?”
“Yes.. I guess…” Twinkle Star answered absently. She felt okay… just tired.

So Stelline was okay… Twinkle Star wasn’t sure what she had done, but the fact that Stelline had survived was the only thing that counted right now.
“The children…” She whispered, remembering the little boy.
“They’re both doing fine. Stelline named the boy Éclat.”
Éclat… that had been her fathers name. Considering how much the little guy looked like her father, it was a fitting name for him.

“How come… we almost lost her? What happened?” Twinkle Star wondered out loud.
“I don’t know… I think… You know, Twinkle Star… Nobody really knows why unicorns are born. However…” Her mother doubted for a moment, probably wondering if it was the right thing to go on.
“What?” Twinkle Star asked at last.
“You see, your father and I… you know how males usually do not have royal powers, right?”
“Right.”
“Well, you see, sometimes they do. It is very, very rare, but sometimes a boy with royal powers gets born. Your father… was one of those. But right after Stelline was conceived, his powers mysteriously disappeared. It didn’t make your father ill or anything, they just… vanished.

And then Stelline was born. Your father held the belief that his powers were the base of Stelline’s unicorn powers. He thought unicorns were born when their mother had strong royal powers herself, and when their fathers transferred their powers into the child… the unicorn would be created, a creature able to reproduce by herself.”
“That makes sense…” Twinkle star whispered. Surely, when the male powers were also transferred into the baby, it would be able to reproduce itself later on.

“But how does that explain Stelline’s condition?” Twinkle Star asked.
“Well… You see, when a baby is formed in a woman’s body, it’s created from both the male and female parts, and then grows on what the female can give it. But with a unicorns child, it gets created solely from the female side. The child has to create it’s other half itself, and does so by using it’s mothers unicorn strength, until it is able to take care of itself. But this only works for females who can create their own royal powers even while still in her mothers body. Stelline’s son… He didn’t have any royal powers to begin with, so he had to use not only his mothers unicorn powers but her normal royal powers as well to stay alive and to keep developing itself.

Normal male babies get that strength from their father when they are created, but this little guy had nothing else to dwell on.  And when he left his mothers body… he took the royal powers with him. This is only my theory… but it is the only explanation I can think of.”

Twinkle Star was silent for a while. Of course it all made sense…
“So Éclat has royal powers now, too?” Twinkle Star wondered. He had to, if he took his mothers powers with him… Yet Regina shook her head.
“No. They left him as soon as he had left his mothers body. He couldn’t hold on to them… He’s just a normal boy. But he doesn’t need them. He’ll be fine, and so will Stelline.”

“That’s good…”  Stelline was fine. It was all still blurry to her, but that was the one thing that was in her mind quite clear. She still didn’t really understand what had happened, what she had done… but she had been able to rescue her sister. She wanted to say something to her mother, but before she could even remember what it was, she once again entered a comforting sleep.