Chapter Four:
Hit the Books
Nightmares. Why did they have to return? The prince was alone. He was in a room as dark as the inside of a coffin. Rogue could feel the cold nipping at his coat. He shivered and his fur stood on end. Every fiber of his soul was screaming for Rogue Storm to run.
"Hello?" he called out. No pony answered him. A single candle lit and the weak light barely illuminated a quarter of the room. Rogue gasped when the light hit him. He was human again. "What the hell is going on? Luna? Celestia? Anypony?" Voices started hitting the prince's ears.
"Joseph…"
"Rogue Storm…"
"Joseph…" The former human began to panic.
"Who is there?" he called with eyes darting around. The disembodied voices sent chills up Joseph's spine. The male voice was menacing enough. But the female voice bled evil.
"Who are you…"
"What are you…"
"Human or Pony…"
"What are you talking about?" Rogue called out.
"Who are you?" the male voice called.
"I am Rogue Storm," he called out. The prince was spinning around as he tried to find where the voices were coming from. "Deity of the Sky, Husband of Luna, and Prince of Equestria!"
"Are you?" the male voice called.
"Who were you?" the female added.
"What do you mean were?" the human shouted. "I was human. But I never turned my back on my human side. I'm still Joseph Rigetti."
"Are you?" the female called. The prince was starting to get very scared. He couldn't understand what they were asking.
"I don't think you know who you are?" the male voice said. A jolt of pain shot the Joseph's arm and he dropped to his knees. His hand shot to his right shoulder and came back bloody. The scar on his hourglass tattoo had opened up again. Blood streaked down Joseph's arm and dripped heavily off his fingers.
"Who are you?" the female asked again.
"What do you mean?" the prone man asked. "What are you talking about?" A sudden and deep pain hit Joseph's chest and he crumbled to the ground. He looked down to see his chest was squirting blood right where the arrow from the scar. He covered the wound to stop the bleeding, but it oozed through his fingers and made a large pool. "Stop…stop…stop…" Joseph began to panic and became desperate to stop the bleeding. Steeling himself, Joseph forced his finger into the wound to try and plug it. The pain was indescribable and the shout he gave was the work of true horror. All that changed was Joseph felt his heart beating against the tip of his finger. "What the fuck is going on!?"
"Joseph!" a new voice called. The human looked up from the floor and saw Luna was on the floor with him. Joseph felt his blood run cold. Luna had a black eye and mouth was bleeding. "The pain…" she said weakly. "It is tearing me asunder, Joseph."
"Stay with me, Luna," the weakening human called out to his wife. "I'll help you." Joseph reached his hand out cup Luna's cheek. The second he touched her, Luna's body faded to a pale grey and she crumbled to dust. "No…No!" Joseph called. The two voices chuckled behind him. He turned quickly a lunged at the two with his, hooves? He was back in his pony body and still getting weaker from the bleeding wounds. "What did you do to her?" Rogue Storm grunted with all his rage. "I'll kill you. I swear I'll fucking kill you!"
"We did nothing," the male said. "It was you."
"You destroyed Luna," the female said.
"This is your doing," the male said.
"You…" the female added. This made the prince's rage boil but his strength was failing and Rogue collapsed.
"I'd never do anything to hurt her," he called. "I love her. I could never do anything…"
"But you did," the two voices said together. Rogue charged his magic to make a final attempt to get his tormentors. But his wounds took their toll and he collapsed.
"No," Rogue said weakly. His vision began to blur. The last thing he saw was a pair of green glowing eyes coming from where the female voice was. "No…"
"No!" Rogue called as he shot up in the bed. His heart was racing and his breath matched it. Sweat dripped from every place is could possibly come from. It was only a dream. But it certainly did a number on the prince. He checked his shoulder and chest. The prince only found healed scars and not a drop of blood. He then looked at his forelegs. Hooves, just like there should have been. The Prince of the Sky lowered his head and ran his hooves on his face to try and calm down. It took a moment, but the grey alicorn finally settled his mind. The body was another story though. Prince Rogue's body stated to quake from his shot nerves. He hadn't felt like this in years. Eyeing the shelf a few feet away, Rogue Storm levitated his old friend Dr. Bearington over to him. He hugged the old bear just like when he was a child and laughed that it smelled like apples. The prince held the bear up to his face and looked his treasured item in the eyes. "They're back again, Teddy. I might need you again. Maybe more than I ever did before." The grey alicorn brought a hoof to his forehead to try and settle his shakes. "Luna?" he said softly. "Are you awake?" The prince turned to the other side of the bed to make sure his wife was ok. To his shock, Luna was gone. Rogue began to panic when he saw the light on in the bathroom. He put Dr. Bearington on the bed and ran into the bathroom. What he saw made him worry a little.
"Oh sweet mercy take pity on me," Luna moaned as she was slung over the bowl. The smell of bile that hit Rogue's nose almost made him join his wife in the famous praying position. Pained moans from the Princess of the Night made Rogue snap from his disgust and briefly forget his nightmare. He trotted over to Luna and started pulling her mane back and out of her face. "Thank thee, my…my…" Just as expected, Luna retched and emptied more of her stomach contents into the throne.
"It's ok, baby," Rogue said rubbing his wife's back. "It's ok, get it all out." Luna didn't say anything as she retched for a couple more minutes. Soon her body relaxed and the princess brought her face back up. She was sweaty and had some tears in her bloodshot eyes. Luna didn't move for a few minutes. She didn't want to lest more evacuations come. Rogue levitated a towel over to them and patted down Luna's head and wiped her face. "How are you feeling?"
"We have the stomach of a tempest sea," Luna said softly. Rogue used his magic and brought a glass of water to his wife. Silently he helped her to the sink and Luna rinsed her mouth out. After spitting the water out, the princess retrieved her toothbrush and began to scrub the foul taste from her mouth.
"That's a nasty little bug you got," Rogue said. Luna nodded as she spit the foam into the sink and rinsed her mouth again. Thankfully she didn't look as tired as she did the previous morning.
"Yes, an affliction most foul," Luna answered. She sucked in a little more water and rinsed the last of the toothpaste from her mouth. "A visit from the influenza virus? Perhaps it is the results of neglecting to eat last night."
"Are you going to try and get a little something in…" Rogue didn't even get a chance to finish before Luna raised a hoof to cut him off.
"Don't even insinuate that we should try and eat," Luna snapped. "Just the smell of sustenance could release the fury of my stomach again." Rogue couldn't believe the attitude he was getting from Luna. This was so unlike her. But he was even more surprised to see her raise a hoof to her mouth in shock. Luna's attitude pulled a 180 and it showed on her face. "Oh my, I did not mean to be so coarse. My sincerest apologies, Rogue."
"It's ok, Luna," Rogue said leaving the bathroom. "You're not feeling well. I don't blame you for being a little snippy." He started to walk to the double doors but was turned around by weak sob.
"T'is bad enough I snapped at my husband," the princess said in the doorway. "But I also woke you from your slumber. I am so sorry." Luna ran over and wrapped her hooves around the former human. "I did not mean to wake you."
"Woah, woah," the grey alicorn began gently. "Luna, its ok. You didn't wake me up. I was already up." The prince raised his hoof and wiped the tears from your eyes.
"Why, min love?" the blue mare asked with a sniffle. Rogue thought for a moment about telling Luna of the dream. But he decided not to. This evening had started on a sour note. Rogue didn't want to make Luna more upset than she already was.
"It's nothing, only a nightmare," Rogue said. Luna pulled back and looked Rogue in the eye. "I'll get over it." The princess gestured to the bed and pointed out Rogue's teddy bear resting on it.
"What was it of, my darling?" she asked with concern. Rogue smiled and placed a kiss on his wife's forehead. Luna was not an unintelligent mare. But Rogue knew that she had already had enough rough stuff for one morning.
"Don't worry about it," he said gently. "It's only a stupid dream." His smile hid what Rogue was truly feeling. But the grey alicorn didn't show anything. He took Luna's hooves off his neck and trotted back into the bathroom. The prince turned the water on in the tub and dropped some oils into the bath. Luna smiled as Rogue filled the tub and held his hoof to her. "Why don't you relax for a while and go back to bed?" The princess smiled and walked into the bathroom to join her husband. Luna wrapped her mane in a towel and took Rogue's hoof. She sighed in bliss as her husband help her into the hot water. The heat nipped at the princess's body and helped take her edge off. She recognized the scent from the oils as lilac and her mind cleared.
"Mmm," she moaned as the heat soaked into her body while the oils relaxed her mind and body. "We need not seek more sleep for I must raise the moon soon. Would thou like to join me, my love?" The prince was tempted to join the mare he loved but had to decline. And the look in Luna's eyes made it that much more painful for the prince to say no.
"I'll take a rain check, babe," he said. "I want to do a little studying before Page Master comes. Today I meet with the Royal Guard to begin drafting soldiers into my Storm Corp." Luna's eyes showed a little disappointment, but were soon replaced with intrigue.
"The Storm Corp?" she asked. "A powerful name, indeed. It is worthy of a group to serve you." Rogue leaned down and lightly brushed his lips on the princess's. The two basked in their love for a moment before the prince pulled back. "I will see thee soon, Rogue."
"I'm going to count the seconds, Luna," he said. Luna giggled as she shared a final quick kiss with her husband. Rogue left the bathroom and his wife to relax. He went back into the bedroom to run a brush through his mane and tail. When he was finished he took a quick look in the mirror. Just as he thought on his wedding day, the former human thought about getting his black ethereal mane and tail cut. The black mist was quite fetching, but he never liked long hair. Maybe he would before the reception. A white aura surrounded the new accoutrements Page Master had redesigned the previous day. The prince put them on and really looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like he was ready to go to war in these new wears. Sure he went on the warpath a few months ago, but it was a grim reminder of Joseph Rigetti sacrificing his life and for King Solaris to give his as well to revive him. The dressed prince sighed to himself and turned towards the door. Just as he put hoof to wood, he spied the sword Luna gave him on their wedding day on the wall. For reasons he didn't understand, he needed to have it with him. Rogue Storm charged his horn and his white magic surrounded the blade and sheath. It came off the wall as the steel slid back into the sheath, the weapon floated over and attached to the prince's hip. The grey alicorn now felt whole.
The door was pushed open and Rogue Storm left the bedroom. The two guards outside the room saluted their prince and Rogue nodded back at them. The twilight sun shone through the stained glass windows. It would only be a couple of hours before Luna would be raising her moon. That would be plenty of time for her to unwind and relax from her stomach problems.
"Good Evening, Your Majesty," a voice called. Rogue turned to see their attendant Morning Glory running up behind him. "You're up early. I was going to wait another 45 minutes before knocking on your door."
"Luna woke up a little early today," Rogue said withholding the truth. He didn't want anypony to know that Luna wasn't feeling ill. It was also none of their business if she only had a little stomach bug. "She's in the bathtub and I am going to our library to do some reading. Have Page Master brought to me there when he arrives."
"Yes, Your Majesty," the mare said. "Do you need anything?" The prince thought for a moment and he only needed one thing to start his day.
"Yes, have some coffee brought to me as soon as possible," he said. "Strong and black please." Morning Glory nodded with the request. "And please bring some ginger tea to Luna right away. I want her bath to be as relaxing as possible." Morning Glory bowed to the prince and turned to leave. But she stopped and turned back to her prince.
"If I may, Your Majesty?" she asked. Rogue nodded and let her continue. "I like your sword and new armor."
"Oh, thank you, Morning Glory," the prince said. "Luna gave me this sword on our wedding day."
"Sir, it suits you, Sir," the pegasus guards said. The other unicorn guard nodded in agreement.
"You, with me," Rogue said pointing to the pegasus. The guard left his post and followed the prince as he made his way down the hallway. All Rogue could make out was the dark grey coat of the soldier and his golden catlike eyes. The bat wings on the Lunar pegasi always creeped out the prince a little. "What's your name, son?"
"Sir, Private First Class Dive Bomb, Sir," he said.
"There a reason you chimed in on my conversation, Private?" the prince asked.
"Just commenting, Sir," Dive Bomb answered. "It's a fine sword, Sir." The prince could see it in his eyes that this guard was green. His poise was extremely rehearsed and the young colt was sweating bullets. There was no way he had been in the guard for long.
"Fresh out of the academy, soldier?" the grey alicorn asked.
"Sir, a year, Sir," Dive Bomb responded. Rogue smiled and nodded. He was amazed that someone so raw would be assigned to the prince and princess. He was also thinking of the 10,000 different ways to mess with this young soldier. But there was a lot to do tonight. Rogue wouldn't have time to torture him, and Dive Bomb was the perfect source of information the prince needed.
"Dive Bomb," Rogue started. The dark armored pegasus looked at his prince just as they came to the door of Luna's personal library. It was now Rogue Storm's personal library as well. "Drop rank and please relax. I need to ask you a few questions. And frankly I need you to be candid with me."
"Oh…um," Dive Bomb stammered. "Sir, I really shouldn't, Sir. You may be giving me an order but I was drilled very hard at the academy." Rogue wanted to laugh at the confused colt but didn't. He felt his pet peeve bite at his anger. The prince felt it was time to let some of his expectations begin to flow through the ranks.
"If you are planning to chase after one of the spots in my Storm Corp, you'd better learn my rules," Rogue said with a little venom. Dive Bomb panicked with the prince's tone. He was very worried he just lost the spot he coveted. "The easiest way to get on my bad side is to make me repeat myself. That's rule number one. Rule two is never, ever forget rule one." Rogue expected the rookie soldier to panic, but he calmed down and finally relaxed.
"I'm very sorry, Your Majesty," Dive Bomb said. "The academy drills protocol into us. I was just worried that I would get in trouble for breaking it." Rogue smiled a friendly smile as he pushed the door open. Dive Bomb sighed to himself and wiped some sweat from his brow. The prince was briefly taken back by the sight of the library. It was the first time he had seen it. The unicorn librarian was already lighting beeswax candles and chandeliers to illuminate the library. All of the shelves and desks were dark stained wood and antiques. There were no pens or pencils to use. Only ink wells and quills were available. To the side of the entrance in a little alcove, Rogue saw a few pieces from his old life. The safe that he brought with him in the plane, a framed silver coin, a glass encased gold ingot, and the trench coat Joseph wore on the day his old life ended. The prince went up to the framed garment. It was still stained with his blood and the hole from the arrow was plain as day. Memories came flooding back of the battle. The roar of the Grundles, the sound of the gun firing, and the pain of the arrow piercing his chest came back with a vengeance. Rogue looked down and saw the engraving on the plate atop a marble pillar.
Dedicated in Memory of the Life Lost and Created
It brought a tear to the prince's eye. Celestia must have done this for Rogue while he was on his honeymoon.
"Was that…" Dive Bomb mused.
"Yes, it's the trench coat I wore when I died at the Battle of Ponyville," the grey alicorn said. He saw the look of awe and curiosity on the colt. The grey alicorn could see there were questions in the colt's head. "Go on, you can ask me whatever you want." Dive Bomb looked at his prince and nodded his head.
"Well," he began. "We all know you fought to protect Princess Luna and Ponyville. But weren't you scared? I mean, you're not a soldier." Rogue chuckled and took to the air. He ran his unshorn hoof along the glass protecting his coat. He swore he could smell the copper odor coming from his dried blood.
"I was terrified," he said somberly. "But the situation didn't afford me the luxury of showing it. Ponyville was terrified enough for all of us. They needed to see strength from someone. No pony, nor man or woman is brave enough to dismiss danger or death. That only happens in stories." Dive Bomb sat down as the grey alicorn returned to the marble floor. "But I didn't have much time to be scared. I stood tall to be a rock for the Shadowbolts and Spike. They're the real heroes. They stood by me when I had planned to go it alone. And if I hadn't acted, Luna would have fought with me too."
"But still you weren't a soldier. Why?" Dive Bomb began.
"You don't have to be a soldier to heed the call to fight," Rogue said. "Throughout human history, young men and woman who had no plans to serve or fight heard the call when it sounded. I'm sure it's the same for pony history."
"But you weren't a pony," the young colt continued. "Yet you still fought, and died for us."
"No I wasn't a pony," the prince said. "But there were still ones I loved and cared about. I had to protect them." Dive Bomb sighed and raised a hoof to his prince. Rogue looked at the limb and took it in his own.
"Prince Rogue Storm," the young soldier began. "I would be honored to serve under you someday." The prince could see something in this young soldier. Though he gave him a little bit of a hard time, he liked this kid. "Now, you had questions me?"
"Yes," Rogue said walking over to a desk by a window. The librarian noticed her guests and bowed to her prince. "Please bring me a couple of books on weather control," Rogue said to the unicorn. The mare quickly went to retrieve the prince's request. When she was gone, Rogue turned back to Dive Bomb. "So what's the buzz among the guards now that I am forming the Storm Corp."
"The scuttlebutt is very hot right now," the soldier said. Rogue listened in as Dive Bomb recalled what he heard. "Many of the young officers fresh out of the academy are looking to make their careers with you. Some of the older ones want to bring their experience to help. But I can't tell you more. Information on the officers is hard to get by a non-commissioned soldier."
"And the enlisted?" the former human continued.
"Everypony keeps speculating what your forces will be," Dive Bomb said. "Is it going to be similar to the Lunar and Solar Guard as they are, or will the Storm Corp be elite fighters like the Shadowbolts?" Rogue thought about it for a moment until the books he requested were brought over to him. The door to the library also opened and Morning Glory brought a breakfast cart with Rogue's coffee. The prince smiled now that he had everything he needed for a familiar all night study session, just like back in college.
"Thank you, ladies," he said. The two mares bowed and returned to their duties. Rogue poured himself a cup and offered one to Dive Bomb. The young pegasus declined though. The prince took a large gulp and relaxed into the heat of his drink. "Well you can take this message back to the other guards, Dive Bomb. I have indeed decided what the Storm Corp will be. And my selection process will be very unorthodox. Some will question my sanity. But rest assured I will have the best of the best in the corps." Dive Bomb saluted his prince and turned to leave the library. He was stopped by a hoof on his shoulder. "And please make sure everypony knows rules one and two." Dive Bomb turned around and smiled at the prince.
"Sir…" he began. "Yes, Sir." Rogue smiled back at the young soldier.
"Dismissed, Private," Rogue said strongly. The young colt bowed and left the library. Rogue turned back to his stack of books. He took another sip of coffee and looked at the books. He chose the almanac to begin his weather studies. Being that he was the Prince of the Sky, he had to learn the spells and patterns needed to aid the weather control pegasi. It was a lot to learn in so little time.
One of the benefits of being an academic and a teacher in his previous life, Rogue Storm was a fast reader. He could quickly break down all the information in the maps, charts, and paragraphs to finish books at unbelievable rates. His personal best was two hundred pages in less than four hours. The almanac was finished very quickly. As he suspected, the weather was mostly black and white through most of Equestria. Droughts were rare and limited to the uninhabited areas of the deserts. Rain and sun were balanced and the temperature was moderate. The Everfree Forrest was untouched because of the unpredictable nature. It was obvious that the ponies of Equestria were making sure they had the most ideal weather all the time. He couldn't blame them. Any creature that could control the weather would do the same thing.
After the almanac, Rogue started with the spell books. As he read, he tried to use the spells through the window by his desk. Up until not, he had only create thin veils of fog and thin clouds. Slowly but surely, Rogue Storm started to manipulate the weather outside the window. He started with fog which proved to be very easy to make denser now that he knew the right spell. He made it thicker and turned it into a cloud. It took a couple of tries to get this spell correct, but the prince was proud of the results. Finally he pumped up the moisture in the cloud outside. It grew, turned black, and it began to rain. It was no surprise that these spells were so easy. They were basic spells to begin with. It didn't take long for Rogue Storm to master all of them.
Soon the sun was gone, as was the coffee in the mug. Another cup was poured and Rogue looked up through the window. Luna's moon was shining through the window onto Rogue Storm's form. The prince could feel the love from Luna as her moon and stars filled the night sky. Time was passing quicker than Rogue thought. He chose another book and began to look at some more advanced spells. He selected a wind spell and focused it on the candle in front of him. The grey alicorn used only a fraction of his magic to scale back the spell and prevent an indoor hurricane. Rogue felt a little breeze on his face and the flame on the wick flickered. Slowly, he increased the power of the spell and the breeze grew stronger. It took several tries and just as many breaks to rest his mind. But the prince grew more confident with each try. After what felt like the hundredth try, the flame flickered violently and was blown out.
"Nice," Rogue said to himself. He turned the page and saw the next advanced spell was a lightning storm. "Yea right, like hell I am going to try a lightning spell in here."
"Please don't, Sire," Page Master called from behind. The Prince of the Sky turned and saw his new friend and advisor sitting behind him at one of the empty desks. "There are too many priceless objects and ancient tomes in this library that would be destroyed."
"How long have you been there, Page Master?" Rogue asked.
"Since the fog spell," he answered walking up to the prince. "I must say I am in awe, Your Majesty. You possess the latent abilities of Lord Discord as well as your alicorn magic. You could instantly give yourself the knowledge of these spells. And yet you practice and earn the knowledge for yourself."
"I didn't take shortcuts in school," Prince Rogue Storm said. "And I don't intend to start now." A quick glance at the clock and the grey alicorn was surprised to see that it was 2am already. "That's studying for you. Blink and you go through an hour, read a few pages two hours are gone, and a book costs you four hours."
"Indeed," the blue unicorn said. "There were many times in my studies that…" A deep moan coming from the prince's stomach silenced Page Master. The two looked at each other and laughed.
"Maybe I should get something to eat before we check out the guards," Rogue said closing the book. Page Master looked at the prince with an eyebrow raised and cleared his throat. The prince took the hint and recalled his lessons from the previous day. "I'll take a break to eat before we go to meet with the prospective soldiers for the Storm Corps." The prince stood up with his head high and legs straight. Page Master gave an approving nod at the prince's poise.
"Excellent, Sire," he said proudly.
"Be honest with me, Page Master," Rogue began. "You're enjoying every damn minute of telling me what to do."
"Perhaps I take a little joy in it," the blue unicorn said as Rogue walked by. The former human shook his head at the unicorn and the two made their way to the door. "It's not every day one is granted a measure of dominion over a prince."
"Are you hungry?" the prince asked.
"Thank you, no," Page Master said. "I had a large breakfast before I arrived." The two stallions continued to on through the hallways and spoke of the magic spells Rogue Storm was working on. The experienced unicorn showed the Prince of the Sky how to let his magic flow through his body effortlessly. The prince would never admit it, but much of the magic he had been casting had been forced. As they approached the dining hall, Rogue focused his magic on some of the windows, doorknobs, and drapes. He made each of them move with much less effort. The two rounded a corner and saw four guards standing at the doors. Two were Solar Guards and two were Lunar guards.
"Looks like we have company," Rogue joked. The four guards bowed to their prince and opened the door for him and Page Master. As expected, Queen Celestia was sitting at the head of the long table with Princess Luna at her right hoof. "Well this is a pleasant sur…prise?" Celestia giggled as her brother-in-law trailed off seeing what was in front of Luna. The Princess of the Night was taking a final bite from her salad and was asking for another. The plate was taken away and a tiramisu was placed in front of the princess. Luna was so focus on her meal that she didn't notice her husband. She only saw him when her salad was brought and placed on the table.
"Dearest, how goes your night?" Luna chimed as she took a bite of the dessert. "Mmm, delectable." Rogue walked up to his wife and leaned over her to kiss her cheek. Luna continued to eat her sweets without missing a beat.
"Very well," Rogue said uncertain. Luna continued with her dessert while the prince turned to Celestia. "You're up late."
"Even a queen isn't immune from the occasional restless night," the white alicorn said. Rogue nodded in agreement. Sometimes he had the same problem.
"Good to see your appetite is back," Rogue joked to the Princess of the Night. He sat down at Luna's side and a salad was brought before the grey alicorn.
"She had already finished a plate of cookies and tea when I came in," the queen said. Rogue and Page Master both were impressed by the voracious appetite in front of them. Suddenly, the gears in Rogue's head began turning and something clicked. Celestia turned to Page Master and the blue unicorn bowed to her. "Hello, Page Master. Won't you join us?" The blue unicorn shook his head at the queen.
"I must ready the guards for Prince Rogue Storm," he said. "Though I do appreciate the invitation, thank you."
"Of course, today is your inspection to draft our ranks into yours," Luna said as she finished her mouthful. "There are many fine…" Luna stopped in the middle of her sentence when she noticed Rogue was staring at her with focused eyes. "Darling?"
"Sire?" Page Master asked.
"Get out, all of you," Rogue said in his most serious tone. Celestia looked at Luna and both nodded. The last time they heard the prince use this serious it was in the hospital after King Amus, Luna, and Joseph were attacked. Page Master could also sense the serious tone. He looked at Queen Celestia and she nodded to him as well.
"As you wish," Page Master said. He and all of the attendants left the dining hall and closed the doors. The three alicorns were alone. Celestia and Luna both looked at the prince. He was still staring at the Princess of the Night.
"Rogue, is something wrong?" the blue alicorn asked.
"Luna, do me a favor and lean back," he said with as much kindness as possible. This really threw both sisters for a loop. The prince went from serious to kind in mere seconds. Luna blinked twice and leaned back on her haunches. "Like this?" she asked. Rogue did not say anything. He continued to stare at Luna, specifically her torso and down to her belly. Luna looked down to see what was her husband was looking at. What she saw made her blush. The princess's stomach was a little larger.
"Ah!" Luna yelped and quickly covered herself with the tablecloth. "How could this befall us? We hath gorged to the point of bloating." The princess dropped the cloth and wrapped her hooves around herself to cover her body.
"It is nothing to distress over, Luna," Celestia said taking a sip of tea. "You merely overindulged on your honeymoon and have lost a small amount of your figure. It is not unheard of. I believe when Moondancer returned from her honeymoon, she had gained fifteen pounds."
"I don't think that's it," Rogue said. Luna and Celestia were taken back by Rogue's words. The grey alicorn looked at the queen and back to wife.
"Luna?" Rogue started. "Are you pregnant?"
A/N: The days go on for Prince Rogue Storm and Princess Luna. And now a startling new revelation may have the answer to what is wrong with Luna.
Is Luna pregnant with the couple's first child?
How will Equestria react if she is?
What will come of the Storm Corp?
And what are Blueblood and Chrysallis up to?
Tune in next time for next chapter of Cross the Line
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