Well, she was younger, of course, a newborn. Other than that, not much else had changed. She still had her midnight black coloration making her resemble a tiny furry shadow next to her golden mother. From a beautiful mare, she had become an equally beautiful filly.
As she licked her offspring clean, Anya felt her love grow stronger, not for the former prince but for the adorable filly now before her. It seemed that, in her dazed state, still reeling from giving birth, her equine instincts and hormones flooding her brain were having a profound effect on her. Softly, she nickered, "Sassy? Are you...still you?"
The filly gave a sneeze before opening her dark eyes. "Y-yes, I think so, Mother. I mean, Anya." Suddenly, she stopped. "Oh, this is going to be strange."
Anya tossed her head in laughter. "Yes. We appear to be in a similar situation, now. And you may call me Mother, since I just went through all the trouble of birthing you."
"I'm sorry, Mother. I just really needed to get out." Sassy lowered her head meekly, only to get a few more affectionate licks from Anya.
"I understand. I am just glad to see you again."
Off to the side, oblivious to the horsey conversation going on in front of them, the men were impressed with the foal's apparent breeding. They considered this a good omen for their cause. To Anya's chagrin, they (re)named her Morningstar while Sassy became Ebony.
"Good," Ebony snorted. "I prefer that to Sassy."
Morningstar gave her a chiding bump with her muzzle. "Hush! I'd always dreamed of having a horse named Sassy! It is a perfectly fine name."
"Well, perhaps it was not so bad," Ebony relented. "For what it's worth, I rather like Morningstar, too."
"With any luck, we will both have our old names back sometime soon. For now, we must get you fed." Without warning, Morningstar got to her hooves and looked down at Ebony expectantly.
Ebony looked up at her, puzzled. Then, the true meaning of her mother's words sank in. "Must I?"
"I can't have my daughter starving to death, can I? Come on, then. Up you go."
With a sigh, the filly shakily stood up and hobbled over. Ducking her head under Morningstar's belly, she located her udder and began to nurse. The mare jerked a little at the sensation, but forced herself to stay still. Gradually, the awkwardness wore off, and Morningstar sighed with contentment. Sure, the kingdom needed its prince sooner or later. For now, however, this was quite nice.