Chapter Five:
Roller Coaster of Emotions
"P…Pregnant?" Celestia cried as she tried to keep her wits. "Pregnant…" The Queen of Equestria was flabbergasted by the idea of her sister already having a child. Celestia had to steady herself to keep from losing her balance. But all was ignored by Rogue and Luna as they stared at each other. Luna's eyes were wide as can be, as were Rogue's.
"Me? With child?" Luna said quietly. She could barely muster the breath to say those three words. The very notion that she had new life inside her robbed her of all her senses.
"Yea, it makes sense as to what has happened with you the last couple of days," Rogue said. "The fatigue, vomiting, mood swings, appetite, and just look at your stomach." Luna looked down and at her torso. The evidence was there. Luna's stomach was bigger than normal. But when she looked back up, there was no joy that you would expect from this revelation. The look on Luna's face sucked any joy Rogue Storm had as well. Though she would love to give the secret smile, one distinct fact about equine physiology was undeniable. Celestia sat speechless as she watched her sister and brother in law.
"I'm sorry, Rogue," she said gently. "That is not possible." The prince's eyes softened and he looked at Celestia. The queen shrugged her shoulders and gave no other clues to the prince.
"What do you mean, Luna?" the grey alicorn asked. "The evidence fits my idea." For a minute, he briefly feared that Luna was telling him she couldn't ever have children. But the princess quickly dashed those thoughts as she spoke.
"Darling, though I dream of bearing you a child," Luna started cupping Rogue's cheeks in her hooves. "I truly do. But I am not fertile yet. Nor have I been since we met." Celestia didn't say anything. She only watched as this novella unfolded in front of her.
"What do you mean?" the prince asked growing a little depressed. Luna took her hoof and rested it on the prince's shoulder. "You're showing all the signs."
"I know thou art confused," Luna continued.
"Very confused," Rogue finished. "Just give it to me straight, Luna." The Princess of the Night brought her hooves to the ground and looked into her husband's eyes. The conversation was leaning to a subject that traditionally was kept private. But for the sake of her husband, Luna let go of her embarrassment and spoke.
"Rogue Storm, I cannot be with child because my fertile period is in the late summer," she said. "This is but early spring. I do not know how humans reproduce, but equines can only reproduce once a year during a certain time. And my time is still months away."
"Oh," the Prince of the Sky said quietly. A deep blush came to the grey alicorn from how deeply embarrassed he felt. "I'm such a fool." He looked down and kept his head low for a minute. Luna and Celestia felt horrible for Rogue. But they were surprised to see his start to chuckle and came up with a smile. "Guess I jumped the gun a little and got my hoof in my mouth." Celestia and Luna smiled warmly at the grey alicorn. It wasn't the first time a new husband got ahead of himself and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Luna leaned in and kissed her husband. "You'd think I'd finally learned not to overthink," Rogue said.
"Apparently so," Celestia added finishing her tea. "It is best that a surprise pregnancy doesn't happen considering how different alicorn pregnancies are from other ponies." Rogue looked at his wife with a ton of confusion on his face. The princess was just as confused from her sister's words.
"What do you speak of, Tia?" Luna asked as she turned to the queen. The Queen of the Day wiped a spot of tea from her lips and motioned for the two other alicorns to sit down. Side by side, the grey and blue ponies joined Celestia at her right hoof.
"We do not endure pregnancies like other mares, Luna" she began. "A normal mare can expect to be carrying her child for about eleven months. Unicorns can carry a child a little less because of the magic within them. But the magic flowing through us is the strongest magic in the world. It is the very magic of life." Rogue and Luna listened intently as the queen spoke. "I carry the magic of the sun. It invigorates and shines life on everything in the world. Luna, you carry the magic of the night. Your magic is that of rest and rejuvenation. Life cannot exist without it. And you Rogue Storm possess the magic of the elements of nature. Without the blessings of rain, snow, and wind to nourish the world, every living creature would die of thirst and hunger."
"That's all hunky dory, Celestia," Rogue said. "But what in the hell does that have to do with pregnancy." Celestia let Rogue's little display of attitude slide considering the bombshell he just received. She had a brief flashback to when they first met at the farm.
"Rogue Storm, please let my sister finish," Luna said trying to calm her husband.
"Thank you, Luna," she said before continuing. "With all of this energy and magic flowing through us, it has certain side effects. We have immeasurable lifespans, larger statures, and our ability to bring new life into the world is greatly accelerated." Luna blushed a little as her sister finished. As acclimated as she was to modern society, certain subjects still made her a little uneasy.
"What do you mean accelerated?" Rogue continued to ask. His hoof found his chin as he listened intently.
"With such great magic flowing through our bodies, anything within us is infused with that magic," the queen said. "An unborn foal would be so saturated it would develop and be born in a matter of days rather than months." This took the prince and princess by surprise.
"Did you know that?" Rogue asked his wife.
"No," Luna answered before turning to her sister. "The last alicorn child born was I. Since then, I have not had a need to inquire about pregnancy. How soon is a matter of days, Tia?"
"Father told me long ago that I was born ten days after, well you know," she said avoiding the nit and grit. "And you were born only three days after Mother and Father completed the nursery for you. They also…tried for you the evening the room was finished," Celestia finished with a blush.
"So if we were having a child," the Prince of the Sky mused.
"We'd have no time to plan or prepare," Luna finished. The two took in what Celestia was saying before they turned to each other. "I suppose it is best that I am not with foal." Rogue looked at his wife as she spoke. Even though he hid it well from Celestia, Luna knew certain tells in her husband. The blue alicorn cursed herself for not wording that correctly and hurting her beloved. "Forgive me, Rogue Storm."
"Don't worry about it, Luna," he said. "New husbands jump to conclusions all the time. I'm ok." Luna knew something was eating at Rogue. Likely that he had gotten his hopes up a little. The princess did what she could to cheer him up.
"Darling I want to bear your children more than anything," Luna said. "But we have much time to have them. Besides…" Luna wrapped her hooves around Rogue's neck and pulled him closer so she could whisper in his. Celestia leaned in to hear her sister's words but couldn't hear anything. All she was met with was a wide eyed and chuckling stallion. Celestia didn't hear what Luna said, nor did she care to find out. Rogue smiled and let his sadness disappear. But another question came up. And it made the prince and the queen uneasy when brought up.
"If you're not pregnant, then what is going on with you?" he asked. Celestia nodded and spoke up as she got up to leave the dining hall.
"Rogue does have a valid point, Luna," she said. "Your health has been very peculiar for the since you came back. Perhaps you should make an appointment with your physician and just have a checkup, if only as a precaution."
"Especially if your stronger immune system can't handle it whatever this problem is," Rogue added.
"Very well," Luna said rubbing her torso. "T'is better to be safe than sorry. And I have not been in the best of health." She poked at her larger stomach and sighed. "At the least I should discuss a diet regime. With any hope, min bulge is merely from overeating." Celestia hugged her sister for finally deciding to seek medical advice.
"Make the appointment for as soon as possible, Little Sister," Celestia said yawning. "I am going back to bed. These last few minutes have been a little much for me. Good Night."
"Good Evening, Tia," Luna said. The Queen of the Day went over to the door and opened it up. She saw the guards were holding back Page Master and the attendants from getting their ears close to the doors. They all bowed as Celestia left and they rejoined the prince and princess in the dining hall.
"Is everything all right, Sire?" Page Master asked as he came back inside.
"Yes, we are fine," the grey alicorn said. Luna could sense just how sad her husband was. And she was too. The second Rogue asked if she was pregnant, a little bit of hope came into her heart.
"Art thou certain of thy feelings?" she asked nuzzling Rogue's nape.
"I'm ok, babe," he said. "I really am." The princess smiled and brought over her attendant to get something for Rogue to eat.
"Come and eat something," Luna said. "You must be famished."
"I'm not hungry anymore," Rogue began. "I have to get ready for the inspection anyway."
"Darling…" the princess mused. Rogue smiled and leaned down to kiss his bride.
"I'll be ok," he whispered. "You know me better than anypony." Rogue turned to Page Master and resumed his powerful stance and voice. "Prepare the troops for inspection. I expect to see the best of the best ready to test their metal."
"At once, Sire," Page Master said. The blue unicorn quickly left the dining hall to ready the inspection. Luna raised an eyebrow at her husband. There was something different with him in the way he was just acting.
"Dearest, your speech," she began. "T'is growing different."
"Yes, well Page Master has been tutoring me about certain ways I should carry myself now that I am royalty," Rogue said. "Celestia personally recommended it."
"I see," Luna said. Never in her wildest imagination did she think Rogue would ever change his mannerisms. He had demonstrated several times how he remained true to himself. But this did not weigh on her thoughts. As a new prince, it was necessary for Rogue Storm to make some changes. "Just don't change to the point where you are not the one I fell in love with." Luna placed a final kiss on Rogue's lips. "I shall see thee come the morn."
"I love you, Luna," Rogue said.
"I love thee too," she answered and left the dining hall.
The prince was alone. Not a single pony came into the hall. And rather than hurry off to see the prospects, Rogue sat down and sighed in disappointment. His high hopes were shattered and his head shook in disappointment. The former human swore he could feel his heart cry, and he felt like doing the same.
"Why so glum, Uncle Rogue?" a voice called. Rogue Storm looked up to see Prince Blueblood leaning against the doorway. His normally perfect mane was messy and his bowtie was undone. He looked like he came from a good time. The prince came off of the doorframe and walked into the dining hall. "Is everything alright?" The last pony Rogue Storm wanted to see was Prince Blueblood. Ever since they first met, this stallion had rubbed the grey unicorn in the worst way. And something about Blueblood still made the prince's skin crawl. But considering the mood he was in, Rogue could use somepony, anypony, to talk to.
"Eh, I've been better," the prince said leaving the dining hall with Blueblood in tow. "You're up a little late. Shouldn't you be in bed?" The white unicorn let out a hearty chuckle.
"When most ponies are coming home, I am going out," Blueblood said. "I'm a young stud who enjoys Aunt Luna's night to the fullest. And there are others who think the same way. Perhaps you'll join me sometime. My night outings are very memorable." Rogue Storm rolled his eyes and he instantly thought of a certain man from TV who was known for shouting "cabs are here!" "And this night was certainly one to remember." Rogue shuttered to think what his new nephew was talking about. "But enough about me. You do seem to be a bit upset, Uncle Rogue."
"It wasn't exactly something that made me feel good," the prince said harshly.
"Oh dear, was it that bad?" Blueblood asked. The two came up to a room with two Lunar Guards outside an open door. They peered in and saw Princess Luna sitting on her throne. Her eyes were glowing and she was in a trance. The princess was performing her nightly duty of visiting the dreams of all of her subjects. Blueblood saw the disappointment wash on his uncle's face and her knew what was wrong with him. "Ah, something with Aunt Luna I suppose?"
"Yea," Rogue sighed. The two continued on and left Luna to her duty. Blueblood saw the weight of Rogue's emotions when he lowered his head as they walked.
"What is it, Uncle Rogue?" he asked with concern. "You can always confide in me." Rogue raised his head and stared at the unicorn. This was a complete departure from the arrogant attitude that Prince Blueblood had given the former human in the past. Despite his gut telling him not to talk, Rogue recalled his promise to Celestia not to think rashly. This unicorn was his family now. And with that comes a natural need to trust them. So the prince took a risk and began to open up.
"Well, I guess I can tell you," he started. "You are family after all."
"Indeed," Blueblood said. "Whom can you trust if not family?" The grey alicorn nodded as they passed through the hallways.
"Well for half a heartbeat, I thought Luna might be pregnant," Rogue said. Prince Blueblood stopped dead in his tracks with a look of disbelief on his face. "My thoughts exactly."
"Oh happy day," Blueblood said. "This is wonderful. The pitter patter of little hooves has been missing from the palace for too long."
"She's not," the prince said to his nephew. "I jumped the gun because of my lack of knowledge of ponies. I only had my experiences as a human to go on. Human reproduction and equine reproduction are very different. I made a fool of myself."
"Ah, I see," the blonde unicorn said. "Well maybe you should study up on Equestrian history, biology, and a few other subjects. That would help you in avoiding such an awkward situation again." The prince took a little offence to his nephew's words. But he brushed it off. Blueblood was gruff and the former human had always been blunt as well.
"That's a good idea," Rogue said. "Maybe there are some university classes I can enroll in to help take my mind off this."
"I'm sure there is," Blueblood said. "So that is why you are so upset. But isn't it a good thing she isn't? You two were only recently married. How are you to enjoy yourselves if a child is in your lives already?"
"That's not what it's about, Blueblood," Rogue said as he stopped and sat down. Blueblood stopped and looked at his uncle as he spoke. "It's something you can only experience when that brief moment comes into your life. When I thought Luna was pregnant, a lifetime of thoughts came to mind. Playing games, family picnics, bedtime stories and packing school lunches; I was in bliss that I would experience all of those." The unicorn let a half smile out at what his uncle was thinking.
"Well that is a bit of a kick in the stomach, isn't it," Blueblood said. "All that love and joy snatched away."
"You're not very good at cheering up," Rogue said heavy with sarcasm.
"My apologies, Uncle Rogue," Blueblood said as they came to his bedroom. "I am not normally confided in with such a situation. Would you like a drink from my private cider stock? It'll take the edge off."
"No, I'm ok," the Prince of the Sky said. "I'm going to inspect the recruits for the Storm Corp."
"Ah, yes," Blueblood answered. "Well good luck with that. Good Night, Uncle Rogue."
"Blueblood," Rogue said with a nod and left the prince alone. The white unicorn opened his door and stepped into his bedroom. When the door closed, Prince Blueblood let out a chuckle. He used his magic to open the curtains and let the moonlight in. A candle was lit and the prince continued to laugh as he walked over to his private bar.
"I'm pleased you refused," he said pouring himself a drink. "I'd have hated to waste such a rare vintage on one who is on borrowed time. And let us not forget that award-winning performance." Blueblood swirled the hard cider in his magic to open the bouquet and bowed to an imaginary audience. He took a sip and ducked into his bathroom. The unicorn charged his magic and disappeared in a flash of light.
Prince Blueblood reappeared in a barely illuminated cave in the crystal catacombs. The light that shone in did little to combat the darkness. The prince took another sip and his ears perked up. There was a sound of delicate wings fluttering and trilling in the air. The prince's eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he could make out several dozen shadows moving in the darkness. Blueblood charged his horn and lit up the surrounding area. He was surrounded by changelings. But the prince calmly took another sip and spoke up.
"Good evening, my friends," he started. "I hate to disturb Her Majesty but I have some information for Chrysallis." One of the changelings trilled at another and fluttered in front of the prince. It stared at him and motioned for him to follow it. Blueblood followed the changeling and was lead into another chamber. Inside was a large bed, vanity, candles and lamps smuggled from the empty rooms of the palace. In the bed was an upset Queen Chrysallis who did not like the fact that she had been woken up. But something was amiss with the prince as well. It felt as if there was somepony else in the room with them.
"This had better be important to disturb my slumber," the queen said as she snatched Blueblood's drink in her magic. In one gulp, she downed the cider and tossed the glass aside. Its shatters filled the caved with echoes. The prince did not react to her. He could appreciate the angst of being woken up in the middle of the night.
"Yes, I have some good news for our mission, my dear Chrysallis," he said cocky.
"You and I both, Sire," another voice called. Out of the shadows came a glowing pair of green eyes followed by a blue horn and body. Blueblood did not react to the old palace worker being here. He knew of him and one other mole in the palace.
"Ah, Page Master," the prince said. "You bear good news as well?"
"Indeed I do," the changeling said with a bow to his queen.
"Make this quick, I am very impatient when hastily woken up," Chrysallis called. From the tone in her voice, Prince Blueblood and Page Master thought it was best not to waste any more time. Page Master spoke up first.
"My efforts to tame Prince Rogue Storm are progressing a little slower than I hoped," he began. Chrysallis stared at her disguised child and listened. "He is a stubborn pony. But he is receptive to my work. I foresee no major difficulties to my schedule."
"I anticipated his head strong nature," Chrysallis said sitting up in bed. "One does not sacrifice his life unless they are strong willed." Page Master nodded with Prince Blueblood at the queen's words.
"Shall I be 'more' suggestive?" Page Master asked with a flash of green in his eyes. The Queen of the Changelings raised a hoof and shook her head.
"No," she said. "Proceed as planned. And make sure your brother is placed in the Storm Corp as close as possible to the Prince."
"It shall be done," the disguised changeling said. "Prince Rogue Storm is on his way to view prospective candidates. My brother is among them."
"Excellent," Chrysallis said. "Return to your assignment at once." He bowed to the two royals and left the chambers. Prince Blueblood and Queen Chrysallis could hear Page Master kick something and speak up. "Thanks for the body, chum."
"And what have you to report, Prince Blueblood?" the queen asked. The unicorn sauntered to the bed and sat down so only he and the queen could hear.
"It would appear a great blow has been dealt to my dear uncle," he said examining his hoof arrogantly.
"Oh?" the changeling asked.
"Yes, it would appear Uncle Rogue thought Aunt Luna was with foal," the arrogant pony said.
"Really?" Chrysallis said with a smile.
"Don't get your hopes up," Blueblood said locking eyes with Chrysallis. "She is not. But the look on his face was magnificent. Such pain and sorrow, it was sweeter than my rarest vintage." Chrysallis rolled her eyes as the prince went on about the prince's condition. But she certainly did understand how this could work to their advantage. "I wish you could have seen it," the prince finally finished.
"Yes," Chrysallis said snapping back into focus. The prince finished and the Queen of the Changelings mulled over the information. "You are sure he was in a depressed mood?"
"Absolutely," the unicorn said. "The pitiful foal was on the verge of tears. And he spoon fed me all of this information. Only a truly pathetic, hurt colt would give this information up so willingly."
"Hmmm," Chrysallis began. "The prince is in a weakened state and will like be distracted for a few days. This could prove to be a very unique opportunity, Prince Blueblood." Blueblood saw the look in his cohort's eyes and began to follow with her.
"This could make it easier to seize Canterlot," he said. "And soon all of Equestria will follow suit."
"Yes it is," the black pony said. She got out of bed and reached under the mattress. Out came a stone bottle shaped like a skull. She pulled the cork out with her mouth and used her magic to pull out a very long piece of paper. "Come to me, my children." Prince Blueblood could not help but cringe as a sudden mass of changelings appeared before their queen. Chrysallis tore the paper into several pieces and gave them to her children. One started to trill when it read what was on his. Chrysallis glared at the changeling with eyes of ice. "Then take some of your siblings to help you get the phloom," she said. "Each of you, bring your queen a vial of what I have given you. But take care not to mix it." The changelings all nodded and trilled in agreement. With several flashed of green, those with lists assumed various pony guises. "Use caution when gathering the ingredients. Stealth and patience are of the essence for our plan to succeed. Now go, and return as soon as you can." The disguised changelings left the cave and set forth to their mission. In seconds the prince and queen were alone again.
"What was that you gave them?" Blueblood asked.
"I am including plan B into my original plan," Chrysallis said as she climbed back into bed. "Prince Rogue Storm and Princess Luna are already distracted for now. This will further distract them and allow us to proceed with our coup much easier." The queen let out an evil chuckle and the prince joined her.
"Chrysallis, you are a mare after my own heart," Blueblood said climbing into bed with the queen. "What shall we do until they come back?"
"My children will return in a couple of days with the contents of that list," she said. "Until then, we will continue as planned." The prince nodded and slid his rear hoof closer to the queen's.
"Shall I continue to aid in my dear uncle's grief and exasperations?" Blueblood asked.
"Subtly, Prince Blueblood," she answered. "We do not want to raise suspicion." Chrysallis's eyes went wide when she felt the prince's rear hoof on her own. The prince took Chrysallis's hoof in his own.
"As you wish, my future queen," he said kissing the hoof. When he looked up, Chrysallis saw something in Blueblood's eye. It was lust. "I'm afraid all this talk of power has gotten me a little frisky. Care for some company tonight?" It had been many years since the Queen of the Changelings had blushed. But she could not help the rouge color flowing into her cheeks. For a brief moment, she could not speak. Yet a clear of her throat and Queen Chrysallis regained herself.
"Business before pleasure, my future king," she said pulling her hoof away slowly. To her surprise, the prince agreed.
"Yes, you are right," he said with a yawn and left the bed. "I am quite tired anyway. And I wish to be as my best for your enjoyment. Sweet dreams of conquest, my dear." The prince trotted out of the cave and Chrysallis was alone. She pulled her silk sheets back over her body and lay down on her pillow.
"Sweet dreams indeed…" she said as the queen drifted off to sleep.
A/N: I wish this note was more jovial like the others. But I do have some sad news. I'm sorry but, I can no longer provide the long chapters I have come to be known for. The new school year has begun and I must focus on my students and their best interests. For that reason, I am going to switch to the short chapter format I used in Cops: Equestria. While my chapters will shrink to about 3500-4000 words, I promise the detail will not shrink.
I also think it is not fair for me to make you all wait long for chapter updates. I don't write for myself. I write for all of you. And I can't keep making you wait. It's just not fair.
But there is good news. Due to the format switch, I will be posting more chapters than originally planned. Though I doubt this story will be as long as Line in the Sand, it still will be a good multi-chapter story. With the shorter chapters I can also focus greater on what is happening with each character. And on the whole, I believe it will help the story.
In the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll be back as soon as I can. And as a personal favor to me, would you all mind visiting SoulHook's page. He's cancelled a couple of his stories and is a little upset. I just want to try and cheer him up.
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