"How are you doing?" Spike asked his girlfriend, carrying her in his arms as them and the Pie sisters tread through the long caverns that lead to Maud's home. Treading behind the sisters so he could chat with Rachel.
"I'm okay…" By the way she sounded, she was tired. The feeling of being in this dragon's arms, cradled basically now, was rocking her to sleep.
Spike chuckled softly, pressing a kiss on top of her head. "You so sleepy, it's cute."
Rachel giggled a yawn, reaching up to boop his muzzle with her finger. "Boop."
Spike began giggling as he gently stroke the bridge of Rachel's nose, a technique some parents do to infants to help make them asleep. "Go to sleep." he plays with her. He almost had her snoozing before she playfully slaps his chest.
"Oi!" She said. "Y-you know what buster brown?"
"What?"
Rachel couldn't come up with any words so she wiggled in his arms. Spike thought she wanted down but she pushed up from his arms, swinging her legs carefully around his head and horns, around to his back. Rachel kept muttering ow, ow ow, as she dropped down a bit to where she had her legs barely wrapped around his sides and her arms around his neck. Minding the tinier spikes on his spine that poked out of his shirt and his wings.
And Spike had no choice but to let her do it. "Little spider monkey." He muttered, hunching over a little to give her some comfort, piggy backed her the way to the place.
Rachel stuck her tongue out at him as she rode on his back.
A moment passed by before the dragon sighed softly…
Three days…it's been three days since they last talked about it…
The doctor told them both that there is a very good chance that Rachel might be pregnant. Neither one of them told anyone about this.
Spike had been wanting to talk to Rachel about this. Of what's the next step to do this. Well, obviously, they would be ecstatic and full of joy of a baby. Then the next step would probably be keeping an extremely close eye on Rachel to see how this human/dragon baby progressed, and seeing how long this birthing process. Would Rachel lay a dragon egg?
Those kind of weird thoughts that somehow only guys seem to have.
But still, it also came with fear. Those talks with joy talks just kinda scrambled in spike's mind.
And that fear ...if either Rachel, the baby...or both would not make it at all… Spike would literally kill himself if that actually happened.
After three days, it should be the right time to talk.
So, he asked his previous question.
"How are you doing, Rachel?" He asked her.
Rachel shrugs. "I'm tired...it's been kind of a long day. I just want this to end."
Yeah ...on top of the fact of the pending pregnancy test, Humans are revolting Equestria and the couple and Pinkie had to run from a mob of angry ponies that were going after Rachel.
And the beginning of ending Rarity's whole life when Spike torched and destroyed the bitch's stuff. Not to mention she stopped and paused in hesitation. Rarity might have put something in his drink. He just need to push her a bit further. Get proof...
Sooooo….
It's been a day.
"Yeah...no kidding." He said. He sighed softly, before Spike could say a word, Rachel cut him off.
"Spike, don't." Rachel said softly as she was leaning comfortably on his back. She knew this was coming, she just knew. "Just don't…."
"Rachel, we have to talk about this soon. Might as well get it over with it." Spike said.
"What is there to talk about? That I might be pregnant?" She sighed heavily.
"Rachel, please, I know you're scared about this, so am I." Spike put a little pip in his step to cause her to softly chuckle. "Please, talk me."
"Spike ...I haven't gotten the tests back. So usually, that kinda means it might not be happening." Rachel sighed.
"Brimstone haven't said a word yet?" Spike asked her.
Professor Brimstone was a stallion who worked at the portal facility. He assessed the Two Hundred Trial Applications, he allowed Rachel to come to Equestria when she was 15, a teenager, a child, into Equestria. The two were close.
And since Rachel trusted Brimstone shook his head at that. "They might be swarmed of filework and scrutiny from other ponies to try and fix this mess. This could mean anything."
"Spike…" Rachel whispered. She turned her head to face away from him, closing her eyes. "The more we talking-to about this..the more it's giving me the belief that I am having a child is real...and just as when I am believing that it's real...it turned out it wasn't...I…"
"Then you can take the test at home… With either outcome, we will get through this together." Spike said. "There's not gonna be another Terrain moment."
"Even… even if we are, are we even ready? Are we even prepared to handle the risks?"
"We will, please relax. Rachel, I won't let anything bad happen to you. You can always count on that. We'll figure things out."
She held onto Spike a little tighter as if Rachel was giving him a hug.
Spike smiled softly at that. "You know...I had a dream about all this."
"Hmm?" Rachel hummed.
"Yeah. It was ...a couple of years in the future, all of us living in Canterlot, during Twilight's reign." Spike said, recounting on the dream. "It was so lifelike, I actually thought it was real. The guards and servants are in a scramble to keep up with not one...but two kids, itty bitty babies they are." Spike giggled, "How we had a day in town and left the kids at home, to turn and see they are blowing stuff up."
"How did they look?" Rachel asked him.
"Honestly, they look badass, with a mixture of both of us, they are amazing looking." Spike grinned "Then after we got the kids under controlled, we spent the evening. Rachel, were a supermom to them."
"Boys or girls?"
"Both actually, one boy, one girl. They were named...crap um…" Spike quickly recounted that dream before snapping his fingers when he remembered, "The boy was Igneous and the girl was Onyx."
"Dragon names?"
"Would you rather name them Tom and Harry?" Spike asked.
Rachel pondered over it. Well, this is Equestria, there are some weirder names ever heard of. "Got a point. What else? Were we happy?"
Spike chuckled. "The happiest than we ever were in our lives." He said.
"So you think there is a possibility that I am carrying twins? I'm going to be a damn balloon throughout this!"
Spike laughed. "I don't think so." He said before he stopped walking. "Even if you are not pregnant, that idea of us having a family is just forever stuck in my head."
Rachel sighed softly, burying her face in Spike's neck.
"Don't you think so? Having the castle filled with kids?" Spike asked, his tail raising up to rub up against her back.
It took Rachel a moment to respond to that. "Yeah...I kinda do. Our hybrid children causing ruckus."
"They can have either the strong, determination and bodatious flair as their old man," He wiggled his eyebrows, causing his mate to snicker. "Or they can have the brains, beauty and integrity as their mother."
Rachel couldn't help but smile with each word the dragon makes, his tail lowered from her back.
"And do you know what's the best part of having kids?" Spike asked them.
Rachel turned her head to look at the dragon. "What?
Spike had this mischievous grin that kept growing. "Best part of having kids is making them."
Rachel outright laughed at that.
"You are right, Pinkie," Both Spike and Rachel looked ahead to see Maud and Pinkie watching them. "They are adorable."
"I know, right!" Pinkie giggled.
"Pinks, A-B conversation, C your way out." Spike grumbled.
6 months ago, 2 days after the cruise, Evergrove Forest….
Bouncer looked around the gorge after hearing that ominous message on the phone. When he tried to dial for help, all Bouncer could hear was the flat dial tone.
And with no magic due to his missing horn, he couldn't get himself out by spells.
He started to move, not knowing that there was already a bloodthirsty creature on the prowl.
As the former unicorn walked, he heard a shout. At first he thought it was just the wind, but the screams got louder and louder until he fully recognize who was shouting.
"Help! Somepony help me!"
Bob!
Bouncer quickly followed his brother's screams, his body screaming for him to stop and rest. He wasn't going to listen. He raced over to find that Bob was in the gorge as well.
He was stuck though. The fat donut pony had his leg stuck between two large boulders. The pony kept trying to get himself unstuck, but it only made the pain worse. "Oh sweet Celestia, somepony help me!"
"Bob! Hold on!" Bouncer shouted, running over to the short pony. Bob laughs hysterical, moreso in relief that someone was here.
"Oh thank the gods! Bouncer!" Bob wants to jump up and grab his brother but he was, yanno, stuck.
"How did you end up here?!" Bouncer asked Bob, looking over him before looking at the stuck leg.
He just realized that the leg that was stuck, his foot was broken by a wrench.
Because of Rachel.
Bouncer look over his shoulders to see what was coming towards them. While that, Bob asked, "Wait...you woke up here too?"
"Yeah, not to long ago," Bouncer muttered. When he didn't see anything, he returned back to Bob's situation. "You woke up like this?" He asked Bob.
Bod nodded. "Y-yeah! Not to mention I feel like I was dropped a hundred feet or so. Say, maybe you can use your magic to help me?"
Bouncer glared at Bob. "Um, do you not noticed the fucking fact that my horn is missing because of that fucking dragon?!" He thrusts a finger up to point at his broken horn. "No magic!"
"S-spike?" Bob yelped out of fear, looking around the rocky gorge. "W-where is he?! Did he put us in here?!"
"If he did, I'm going to fucking him and that hairless fucking ape." Bouncer snarled, everything coming back from the cruise.
"Where's Sticks?" Bob whimpered.
"I don't know. But let's get your fat ass up." Bouncer said as he knelt down with a grunt.
Bouncer tucked his arms underneath Bob's underarms, wrapped them around his body before he attempted to pull. Bob screamed in pain before making him stop. "What the heck happened to one and two?"
"Bob, we do not have the pleasure of counting!" Bouncer snapped as he pulled again with a shout.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Bob screamed, feeling like his leg was being ripped off.
Bouncer let go of his brother before rubbing his chest, feeling the stitchings of his stab wound. The stallion knelt down and looked closely at the two boulders. He tried to push one of them away but it was so heavy, it didn't budge. "I-I can't move them!"
"You can't leave me here!" Bob cried out. Before Bouncer could speak, they both heard a blood curdling scream, causing the brother to jump. "That sounded like Sticks!"
"Stay here," Bouncer said before getting up and taking off.
"Don't leave me!" Bob pleaded but Bouncer was already out of ear shot.
Bob whimpered in fright as he tried to pull his leg out between the two boulders. He yelped in pain. "Oh Celestia, this fucking sucks donkey dicks."
"No, but this does suck for you."
Bob stiffened when he heard a new voice. Sounds of wings flapping as he heard someone landed behind him. The fat pony slowly turned around…
He felt his heart stop when he saw who it was.
While Bouncer was on his way to find his other brother Sticks, he heard Bob screaming. The stallion skidded to a stop, looking towards both directions. "Fuck, oh fuck!" Bouncer cursed.
Which does he go? To Bob or Sticks?!
He looked towards Bob's direction, body trembling, hearing his little brother calling out for help…
But he knew there wasn't much he could do.
"I-I'm so sorry, Bob…" Bouncer snarled, balling up his fists as he heard the last of Bob's screams died down…
Bob was gone…
Bouncer growled in anger, whoever brought them here was after them, going to kill them… At least Sticks was a better fighter than Bob ...let's hope he's not in a bad shape…
Bouncer took towards the direction of Sticks.
Now..
Entering the home of Maud, Spike had to hunch over to fit inside, having put Rachel down.
"So...what do you have to heal my pelvis?" Rachel asked Maud.
Maud silently placed her hard hat on a stone table before walking over to a cabinet full of crystals and gems. Spike couldn't take his eyes off of those gems, his stomach growling in hunger.
The gray pony opened the cabinet, she stood in front of it for a good five minutes.
"Um…" Rachel looked at Pinkie.
"It's fine, she's looking." The pink pony said, looking at a picture of Maud and her boyfriend Mudbriar. From the looks of it, it was at a Geologic Convention in Vanhoover.
"Found it," Maud said stoically. She turns around and walked towards them, holding what looked like a large clear crystal, the size of a football. She quietly hands it to Rachel to hold.
Blinking, Rachel grabbed it. "Um...ok, heavy rock."
"It's selenite," Maud corrected her. "One of few crystals in the world that has actual magic healing properties." She sees Rachel's bracelet, she bent forward to look at the stones. "You have three of it's siblings."
Spike raised a brow at that. "Twilight and Starlight gotten them from you?"
"I allowed them to mine my caverns." Maud said before straightened up. "They wanted this one but this is the only one I have. This one comes from the caverns deep, deep, deep underneath Canterlot."
"So….I assume this has a spell?" Rachel asked.
"Celestine." Maud said.
As soon as Maud said that, the crystal activate. It glowed softly, Rachel felt warm as she was engulfed by the crystal. It lasted 5 seconds before the glow died. Like the two jewels on Rachel's bracelet, the crystal turned gray.
"How do you feel?" Maud asked her.
Rachel walked around a bit, a smile came on her face. "No pain!" She cheered. Spike let out a breath of relief.
His girlfriend realized something wasn't hurting as well. She quickly took the bandage off of what was her injured shoulder. She couldn't get it off fast enough before it fell to the ground.
She gasped softly.
Her shoulder was completely healed, there wasn't any scarring from Spike's bites.
"The selenite can heal any ailment depending on its size and the size of the creature that is using it." Maud said as she took the crystal back and put it back in the cabinet.
"Does it taste like cough drops?" Spike asked out loud, which only had all the girls giving him a raised brow look. "What?"
After Spike had gotten some gems from Maud, Pinkie returned to the bakery and the young couple went back home without triggering another angry mob.
"Ugh, I am so done with this day," Rachel said as she crashed on the large bed.
"It's been a hectic one," Spike said, taking off his shoes before looking at his girlfriend's feet. "You didn't take your shoes off."
"Too tired to do anything." Rachel said, draping her arm over her eyes.
Spike chuckled softly as he walked over to her, gently grabbing her feet and pulled her sneakers off. He was about to take her socks off as well but she wiggled her feet.
"Leave 'em, my toes are cold."
"As you wish." He smiled before climbing on the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and using his tail to pull a blanket on top of them and snuggled up against her. "Warm enough?"
"Perfect." Rachel sighed in happiness, basking in the warmth of his arms.
"So, no art lesson?"
"That can come later,"
"Later is good." Spike muttered, one of his hands gently stroking on her belly, causing her to giggle.
"I don't think you can feel anything atm." Rachel said. "That still tickles."
"I know." He giggled before going over her tickle spots. He got smacked for it, but it was worth it.
And she knew that too.
She kisses him before sighing deeply, turning her body around so she was looking at him. "It's getting worse out there…" she muttered.
Spike sighed deeply as well, holding her in a comfortable manner at the moment. "I know."
"I mean, I know humans don't have a good reputation. We're prone to violence….but what I don't get is why humans here are causing this amount of destruction? The majority of the humans in Equestria came to this realm to get away from all that." Rachel said softly.
"I believe there is more to this." Spike said. He thought for a moment before saying. "I think this has ties to this White Mantel propaganda video we saw."
"Really?" Rachel asked. It clicked to her as well. "The video had ponies glammered into humans."
"Exactly. Since this White Mantel video showed up, the humans have gone rogue here. It makes sense that these guys have something to do with the recent attacks."
"Hmm," Rachel sat up. "Something tells me you are right, and something else is telling me that these attacks are going to get bigger and more elaborate. It's not like we can figure this out ourselves."
"We have Twilight and the others." Spike said, looking up at her. "You know other creatures that could help. This involves all of Equestria."
Rachel nodded. "What did Twilight and the girls say about their trip to Canterlot?"
Spike shrugged. "Basically a talk that went nowhere. But with the recent attacks, no doubt Shining Armor and Flash Magnus is taking front on this."
"Shining won't spill the beans, isn't he?" Rachel asked, even though she never met Shining Armor. No Cadence or Flurry Heart.
"Not by phone no." Spike said, before scratching his jaw.
Suddenly, a random memory comes to play in Spike's mind, at first he looked confused to himself before gasping, sitting up. "Holy shit, I forgot!"
"Whoa, whoa, forgot what?!" Rachel asked alarmed. Spike gently scoots off of the bed before going into his closet. "Um, what are you doing?"
"Just hold up." He said as he dug in the closet. "Now, where did I put them?" Spike asked himself as he moved boxes and tossed out old clothes. He looked and looked till he felt something dropped on his muzzle.
It was the fucking nun doll!
Spike screamed and crawled away from it. The doll fell on the ground as Spike ran on the other side of the bed and hide from it.
"Shit, you found it." Rachel sighed in defeat.
She hid it?!
Spike glared at her for a moment before she got off the bed and picked the doll up. "Oh don't give me that look." She cuddles the creepy doll. Holding it like a scary looking baby.
How can that look so wrong and yet so adorable at the same time to Spike? He will never know.
Spike got up and walked back to the closet, having Rachel moved a bit so he could continue digging through it.
"Now, what are you looking for?" Rachel asked him.
"I just remembered that we have the perfect excuse to see Shining." Spike said, refusing to look at Rachel while she has that doll.
He fucking hates it so much.
If he finds the time, he's dropping it in an active volcano far far from Equestria.
"Why not just go and have a friendly visit with big bro?"
"Because he's busy running an Empire, training new guards and taking care of Flurry." Spike said. "There is one night he can let loose, and it's this weekend." the dragon stood up and held an envelope in his hand. He took what was inside out and revealed it to be two tickets to the up and coming Grand Galloping Gala. "Celestia decided to have the Crystal Empire host it this year."
Rachel looked at the tickets and looked back at him. "The Gala? That's like the party of the year. Filthy rich ponies go there."
"Yeah."
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, ain't it a bad idea to have me go?" Rachel asked, putting the doll inside of a drawer on her side of the bed.
"I am a big celebrity in the Empire. After saving them a few times, you'll be protected." Spike said. "You can make fun of the rich ponies there."
"Tempting."
"We can stay in the art museum way past closing so you can look at the ancient art."
"Dammit, I'm in."
"Just where are you going?" Neighsay asked Blueblood, watching the prince packing his belongings in a suitcase.
"Aunt Celestia has asked me to attend the Gala in her place." Blueblood replied with a light hum. He seemed a little too happy at that. "Our plans will have to pause for a few days."
Neighsay grunted. At least Equestria can rest for those days…. The old stallion had been trying to come up with ways to stop Blueblood's plans, so far he hasn't come up with anything yet.
He hoped he could find a way to shut everything down while Blueblood was gone.
"But for some reason, she decided to have the Gala at the Crystal Empire. As much as I don't want to be anywhere near that little slut of a princess and her pathetic husband and….it." Meaning Flurry Heart. "I will be representing Canterlot, so I can tolerate them for now."