Chapter 8a:
Luna
"Thank you kindly for taking me home, Princess," Granny Smith said as she sat down on her rocker. The matriarch of the Apple clan sighed in relief as she began to rock back and forth on her chair. "I like to think I'm a yougun' at heart. But these old bones really don't like the click clack from them railroad tracks. Yup, just resting in my chair's all I need."
"T'is my pleasure to do so and be back in the Apple home again," the princess said. Luna and Granny watched as the guards brought Granny's trunks upstairs to her room. After a peaceful flight, Luna's chariot arrived in Ponyville just as the bell tower struck 11 in the morning. Granny Smith knew Apple Bloom was in school and Applejack and Big Macintosh were out in the orchards. Fluttershy was likely out in the meadow checking on her animal friends or helping her coltfriend. The two had the house to themselves. It was the perfect time for a little chat.
"So how was your honeymoon?" the earth pony asked. "I bet y'all had the time of your lives."
"Wonderful," Luna said with dreamy eyes. "That is the only word my tongue can muster." Granny chuckled a little and listened in. "We split the winter long journey between Equestria and traveling Rogue's world. He was in awe of all our beautiful realm had to show. The sights and sounds of Rogue's world were out of my deepest imagination. And it seemed every night we would end by dancing on the clouds. But even now, I feel my words do not do our venture justice."
"How nice, dearie," Granny Smith said. "I see y'all took a page out of my book and spent all winter traveling. Makes it real easy to have plenty of time for love and play when y'all got more time than you need." The Lunar Guards came back down the stairs and reminded the princess her appointment was drawing near. This peaked Granny's curiosity and her suspicions. "What appointment would that be?" Luna was caught off guard. Though Big Mac had told Luna she was part of the Apple family, she didn't want to burden the elderly pony with a mystery ailment.
"I merely have a brief appointment here in Ponyville," she said. "T'is nothing serious. Merely a few formalities I must address." Granny listened but kept her real feelings to herself.
"Well I hope when you're done you can have a cup of tea with Granny and tell me more about your honeymoon 'fore you return to Canterlot," she said kindly.
"It would be my pleasure, Elder Smith," Luna said joyfully. "We shall return soon."
"I look forward to it, Princess," Granny Smith said as she rocked back and forth in her chair.
"Good day, Granny Smith," Luna said as she left the house. Granny waited a moment until she heard the chariot take off outside. When she was sure Luna was gone, Granny Smith reached to the side of her chair and pulled out her knitting needles.
"Hope I can finish these before she gets back," she said taking out some yarn.
Through the air Luna's chariot flew. As she and her two guards passed over the land, Luna looked down to see Ponyville and its recent changes. There no longer was a scar in the ground where the plane crashed and brought her husband to Equestria. It had been filled in and the damaged fence of Sweet Apple Acres was repaired. On they went over the field where Omus was defeated, Rogue Storm was born, and King Solaris passed away. It brought a tear to Luna's eye to see a statue of her father where he bid farewell to her and Celestia. Soon the rest of the town came into view. Luna watched as the school passed below her along with the post office, a blue police box, town hall, and many shops and houses. Some of the subjects noted the midnight blue chariot and waved to their princess. Luna returned a wave to all she could see.
"Princess," one of the guards called. "Where shall we set down?" The blue alicorn then realized she hadn't told her pegasus guards where she wanted to go when they arrived. Even though she was trying to avoid unwanted attention or worrying any of her subjects, she still had to get to the hospital without raising any eyebrows. "Princess, where to?" he asked again. Thinking quickly, Luna thought of the most obvious reason for her to visit Ponyville so suddenly.
"To the castle," she said. "I am in need of Twilight Sparkle's assistance."
"Yes, Princess," the two guards said perfectly. The chariot began to descend into the town and soon the crystal castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle was in view. The gothic vehicle landed and the princess jumped down. The guards unhitched themselves and flanked the blue alicorn. Together the three went up to the door and the princess knocked on the door.
"Come on in," Twilight said from the other side. Luna opened the door and entered to see Twilight with Spike and funny looking grey pegasus with golden walled eyes. Spike and the funny pony known as Ditzy Doo dropped into a respectful bow while Twilight came up to hug her fellow royal pony. "Hello, Princess Luna," she started. "It's wonderful to see you again."
"As are you, Twilight," Luna replied. "I hope there is no intrusion."
"Just give me a second to finish this letter and I'm all yours," Twilight said. Luna looked and saw Spike had a quill and parchment in his claw. Twilight cleared her throat and continued her dictation
…While we miss you more than anything, we all are so proud of you and wish you all of best with this tour. We all love you, Rainbow Dash. Take care, be safe, and know all your friends will be waiting to see you when your tour comes to Ponyville next month.
Love,
Your Friends
"And ready to go," Spike said and rolled up the scroll. He passed it to the blonde pegasus and she put it in her satchel.
"All zet to go, Princezz Twilight," Ditzy Doo said. "I'll make zure thiz letter getz to Rainbow."
"Thank you," the purple alicorn said. Ditzy bowed the both princesses and left the castle to deliver the letter to the Captain of the Shadowbolts.
"I take it my Shadowbolts are enjoying their tour with the Wonderbolts," Luna said.
"I'd say that's the understatement of the century," Spike said as he put his quill in the inkwell. "In the last three letters, Rainbow used the word awesome about 200 times. But then again it is a big part of her vocabulary, real big." The two princesses gave a light chuckle. Luna was happy to see the sweet little dragon she knew still existed in that teenaged body. Spike took a look at the clock and started for the door. "Sorry I can't stay, Princess Luna. But I got a date today with my special lady. Catch you on the flipside."
"Have fun, Spike," Luna said. The teenaged dragon hugged both the princesses and left with a little giddy-up in his step. Luna looked at Twilight and they both chuckled again.
"He has a brunch date with Rarity," the small alicorn said. "They really are getting close."
"It would seem we are all pairing up," Luna mused with a tear in her eye. "T'is so beautiful to see love in the air. Rogue and I, Fluttershy and Macintosh, Rarity and Spike, perhaps thou art the next one to have thy heart pierced by love." Twilight blushed as she thought back to a certain date from her adventure through the mirror, and bumping into a very similar pony in the Crystal Empire. But she couldn't believe that Luna was starting to tear up at such a simple sentiment.
"Only time will tell, Luna," Twilight said welcoming in her guest. "Can I get you anything, a cup of tea perhaps?"
"Nay, I am fine," Luna said drying her eyes. "But thank thee for the offer." The two alicorns trotted to the throne room and got comfortable. Twilight took a seat in her crystal throne while Luna borrowed Fluttershy's.
"So what brings you to Ponyville?" the purple alicorn asked. Luna raised a hoof to ask for a moment and turned to the guards.
"Would you two please excuse us and see to it that the walls have no ears," she said. The two guards bowed and left the room. Twilight was a little taken back by the request and it showed on her face. Luna rarely asked for this kind of privacy.
"Is everything ok, Luna?" she asked with concern.
"Yes, so to speak," the Princess of the Night said. "I have a favor to ask of you, my friend."
"Sure," the Princess of Friendship said. "Anything for a friend."
"We hath made an appointment to see the physician whom treated Rogue at Ponyville Urgent Care," she began.
"Doctor Defib?" Twilight interrupted. "Why would you need to see a doctor? Are you ok?" The young pony's voice was strained with concern for her fellow ruler.
"We are hoping it is nothing serious," Luna said standing up. "But…" The princess turned to the side and showed Twilight her figure. "As you can observe, our figure is not as it were on out wedding day. Never before have we had such a deviation in our figure. I wish an evaluation to ascertain why I have gained this weight. And I also seek a regiment to relieve me of it." Twilight let out an audible sigh. She was relieved to know it was not an emergency.
"Oh, thank goodness," she said. "I was scared you were going to say something serious was wrong with you. But a little weight gain is hardly a medical emergency."
"Oh dear, Twilight," Luna said getting sad. "We are so sorry; we did not mean to upset thee. But this hath been a great vexation for I, min husband, and our dear sister." The blue alicorn started to cry and Twilight was thrown for a loop.
"Luna, Luna, please," she called trying to calm the princess down. "It's ok, really."
"We are so sorry," Luna cried pulled Twilight into a crushing hug that Pinkie Pie would envy. "Please forgive our transgressions."
"Really…it's…okay," Twilight said trying to break the grip. It took quite a bit of wiggling, but eventually Luna released the smaller alicorn. When she did, Luna began to calm down. Soon she had her composure. Twilight levitated a box of tissues to the blue alicorn to wipe her tears.
"That is why I am here, my friend," the blue alicorn said with a final smile. "Would you accompany me to see the physician?"
"Oh, of course." the younger alicorn said. "But why? Don't tell me you're scared of the doctor."
"I do not wish to raise any suspicions as to my visit," Luna said. "We wish to avoid any rumors spreading like a wildfire. My personal physician was unavailable and Doctor Defib is the only other physician I have dealt with. Though it was brief when my husband first came to Equestria, we feel he is capable of aiding us without words traveling." Twilight nodded slowly and understood where the princess was coming from. The tabloids would have a field day if they found out a member of the royal family was seeking medical aid. Charging her horn, Twilight levitated her crown from a pillar by the fireplace and placed it on her head.
"I don't normally wear my crown around Ponyville," she said. "But if everypony sees me wearing it with you, they will think we are acting in an official capacity of some sort. We'll be less likely to raise suspicions."
"Very clever, Princess Twilight," Luna mused. Twilight's cleverness never ceased to amaze. The two princesses exited the throne room and made for the front door. It was such a nice day outside, Luna declined to use her chariot and the two princesses and guards walked to the hospital.
The town was bustling in the morning sun. Ponies were going about their daily activities of shopping, working, talking, and playing. But each pony stopped to bow as the two princesses walked by. The two passed by Sugar Cube Corner and took in the smell of fresh baked goods. Luna thought of stopping for a brief moment. She had a powerful craving for a red velvet cupcake with carrots. But Twilight refocused her and they continued on. Within a few minutes of passing the bakery, Ponyville Urgent Care was in view.
"Luna," Twilight whispered. "Don't you think some ponies will find it odd two princesses are going to the hospital?"
"Not to worry," the larger alicorn said. "Doctor Defib has a cover story circulating among the staff already and he will be waiting for us in the lobby." Twilight nodded and the four ponies continued to the entrance.
Inside the lobby, a series of gasps of surprise came from the ponies who didn't know Luna and Twilight were coming. They all dropped down into a bow for their princesses. Even the ponies who were hurt tried to bow until Twilight told them they didn't have to.
"Princess Luna!" a tan unicorn with a brown mane and white coat called. "And Princess Twilight, what a joy it is to have you both visiting us." The purple alicorn was surprised to see that the normally calm doctor was projecting his voice so all could hear.
"Hello, Doctor," Luna said. Twilight smiled at the physician and waved at a passing baby who cooed at her.
"The foals in the children's ward will love that you came," he continued. "And I'm sure they'll love the extra surprise to see you too, Princess Twilight." The purple alicorn was quick on the trigger and knew the cover story for Luna's visit right away.
"Anything to help our youngest subjects perk up," she said with glee. All the ponies present awed at how loving their two rulers were.
"Well let's lift their spirits," Defib said. "Nurse Redheart, will you take over for me? I'll be with the princesses for a while." The white earth pony behind the desk nodded and came out to set to her duty. Doctor Defib led on into the hospital and took Luna and Twilight into the children's ward. To keep up the cover story, Luna and Twilight did visit with their youngest subjects. The two thanked fate that there were only a few fillies and colts who were staying in the ward. Nopony wanted to see a child sick in the hospital. They visited them all. Together, Luna and Twilight played, laughed, and talked with the children and their families. Some who were a little sicker were overjoyed to have the princesses read some short stories to them. After visiting with all the children, Luna and Twilight were lead to a room adjacent to the children's ward. "This little filly needs a few shots before she can go back to school, but she's afraid," the doctor said. "A lot afraid actually."
"Well," Luna began. "Let us banish her fears. Guards, please wait out here. You two will likely scare the poor darling." The two pegasi bowed and took their place flanking the doors.
"This may take a while," the doctor said to the guards. "She's very worked up about these shots." Both guards nodded at the unicorn and returned to their stern expressions. The door was opened and the two princesses followed the tan unicorn in. Once inside the empty room, Defib locked the door to ensure privacy.
"Thank thee for seeing us so quickly, Doctor," Luna said with relief.
"Think nothing of it, Princess Luna," he said washing his hooves in the sink. "I'm happy to help you however I can. How is my former patient doing?"
"Prince Rogue Storm is doing well," the Princess of the Night began. "I'm sure had I not insisted on him staying in Canterlot, he'd be here as well."
"That's fine, I'm sure he is busy acclimating to Canterlot," Defib said. He dried his hooves and patted the exam table. Luna fluttered up to lay on the table and Twilight sat next to it. Doctor Defib took a small notebook and pen from his coat with his magic. "To ensure the discretion you asked for, this visit is off the books. I'll only be taking notes not a full chart. So what brings you to see me?"
"I have gained an extremely large amount of weight since my wedding," she said. The doctor began to take notes as Luna spoke. "The last two evenings I have awoken to nausea, and I am an emotional roller coaster at times. T'is quite frustrating at times." Twilight saw the princess was a little agitated. "And t'is close to stirring our sleeping rage." She had to calm Luna down to keep her from using the Royal Canterlot Voice.
"Have you ever experienced anything like this before," Defib said as Luna shook her head. The tan pony moved down and started looking at Luna's torso. "Hmm, weight gain is very common during a honeymoon. Some mares gain five to ten pounds during their trips. But this looks like a little more than that."
"Doctor, I've known Luna for some time," Twilight chimed in. "She is…well…" Twilight was thinking of the best way to word this. The last thing she wanted to do was test Luna's moodiness. "She has always been much more petite and never looked to have weight trouble. Actually, I don't think I've ever seen Luna's figure change one bit."
"I see," he said running a hoof on Luna's stomach. Luna blushed a little at the foreign touch but knew it was standard procedure. "Well, let's get a better look. Hop on the scale and we'll how significant the difference is." Luna hopped down and stepped on the instrument. When the tan unicorn balanced it, Luna gasped.
"Merciful heavens," she gawked. "We are twenty pounds heavier! But how, the whole holiday we hardly rested. We were engaged in sightseeing, dancing, swimming, hiking, cinemas, plays, shopping just to name a few. We even attended a very lively, though rough, sporting event call the 'Super Bowl'."
"I do remember reading in the paper that you planned a long honeymoon," Defib said. "It lasted the whole winter as I recall. Twenty pounds is a lot of weight for such a short period; especially if you were as active as you claim." Luna fluttered back to the table in shame that she had gained so much weight. "I'm starting to get an idea of what we have here," Defib continued. "But I have a few more questions. Where did you travel?"
"We spent the first six weeks of our holiday in Equestria and the other six were in the world Rogue came from," Luna said. Defib raised an eyebrow and pulled out a thermometer. He put it in the princess's mouth and felt her throat.
"Have you been feeling anything else besides the symptoms you told me about?" he started. "Headaches, fatigue, dry mouth, fever?" Luna shook her head. Defib removed the glass staff from Luna's mouth and looked at it. "Temperature is normal."
"I think we can rule out an illness, Doctor," Twilight said. "When I became an alicorn, I dove into researching my new body. One of the things Queen Celestia told me was the great levels of magic in our bodies gives us an accelerated immune system unlike any other creature."
"Really?" he said.
"Yes, I used to get the Filly Flu every winter like clockwork," the purple princess continued. "But since I became an alicorn, I haven't gotten so much as a cold or even a sore throat."
"Ok, we can rule out a virus or bacteria," Defib said. Luna sighed in relief as the doctor sat back down to return to his notes. "Forgive my panic, but I did briefly think you may have caught a foreign illness from you travel. Did you eat anything unusual on your trip?"
"Nay, Rogue Storm went above and beyond to ensure all of our meals were vegetarian," Luna continued. "The farmers of his world yield the same food we enjoy here in Equestria. Nothing we ate deviated from our normal diet."
"Ok, have you eaten anything unusual recently or eaten higher quantities?" Defib asked.
"I have been eating more than usual and some odd combinations," Luna chimed. "This morning before I came to Ponyville, I had tea and a grapefruit. But then I partook of a lemon pastry smothered with strawberry jam. Briefly, I wanted a tomato with that." Twilight gagged at the combination. She only knew one pony who could take weird combinations like that, Pinkie Pie.
"Hmm, there is one test I would like to perform," Defib said as he patted the top of the bed. "Please lay down and relax, Your Majesty."
"Yes, Doctor," Luna said. "Have you an idea of what ails me?"
"I do but I just want to cover everything," he said charging his horn. "With this being a low key visit, I cannot order an x-ray or ultra-sound and keep your privacy at the same time. So I am going to use an ancient spell called the 'Healer's Eye'."
"I recall this spell from my youth," Luna said.
"You should, Luna," Twilight said absolutely giddy. "Before the invention of x-rays, this spell was used for centuries by doctors and medicine ponies to see inside a pony's body. Oh wow, I've always wanted to see this spell in action. This is so great!" *squee* Both Defib and Luna were staring at Twilight Sparkle. Even as a royal, she was still the consummate student of magic.
"I'm sure the doctor would be happy to teach you, Twilight," the Princess of the Night said. "Pray tell, Doctor. With modern technology, wouldn't the Healer's Eye be obsolete?"
"Technically yes," Defib said "X-rays have a higher resolution in the images, thus we can diagnose with better accuracy and higher speed. But the spell is backed by centuries of use by doctors. It's still taught to medical students and is fully endorsed by the Equestria Physicians Board as a back-up method. It is also a wonderful alternative for princesses whom wish to have a measure of discretion." The doctor winked at Princess Luna reared up to reach her. "Please lay back and relax, Your Majesty. Take slow and clam breaths." Luna complied and lay down. Twilight came around to Luna's head and took her hoof.
"You'll miss the spell," the blue alicorn said.
"Never mind that," Twilight whispered. "Defib can teach me another time. I'm here for you, not me."
"Okay, I'll be using my hooves to move you around and see better," Defib said charging his horn. His eyes took on a light blue hue as the spell took hold. "Let me know if I hurt you. Take a deep breath and relax." Luna took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt Defib's hooves push down on her upper torso. The blue alicorn kept her breathing calm as Defib started to move down her body. "Mhmm," the doctor muttered. "There is nothing unusual in the upper torso." As he moved down, Luna suddenly felt the tan unicorn's pressure get very light and gentle. "Ah, I see. Oh that's curious. Ok, we're done." Luna opened her eyes to look at the doctor. She had not planned on the test being so brief. Twilight Sparkle helped Luna off the exam table. She was just as concerned as the Princess of the Night at hearing the word "curious."
"How is she, Doctor?" Twilight asked.
"Well, it's quite odd," he started. "On one hoof it's time to celebrate."
"Celebrate?" Luna asked.
"Yes," Defib said with joy. "Congratulations, Princess Luna. You're going to be a mother."
"We're what!?" the blue alicorn. Twilight had to cover her mouth with her hooves to keep from screaming in shock and joy as not to alert the guards. "We…We…We…" Luna stammered in her realization. It wasn't until Twilight Sparkle hugged the Princess of the Night did she awake from her stupor.
"Luna, I'm so happy for you!" Twilight called quietly.
"No, no," Luna started shaking her head and rising to her hooves. "We have already eliminated this possibility! We cannot be with foal…We…We…" Luna began to calm down and a tear came to her eye.
"I certainly can assure you that you are, Princess," Doctor Defib said. "The nausea, mood swings, and weight gain are classic pregnancy symptoms. And believe me when I say you do indeed have a healthy looking little foal in there." Luna sat down in shock and put her hoof on her stomach. A sudden wash came over her and tears fell from her eyes. She felt different, she felt happy.
"How?" Luna whispered as confusion took over. "We cannot conceive yet. Not until the late summer. How is it that I am with foal?"
"Until the summer?" Defib said with a measure of confusion. Luna started to blush a little and Defib quickly figured out what she was talking about. "Oh I see. Well that is strange."
"Wait! I may have an answer to that," Twilight Sparkle said. She charged her horn and disappeared in a flash. After a moment, she returned with a very old book under her wing. "This book has the answer." Defib and Luna looked at the cover and saw the title: "The Journal of Modern Medicine." She opened the book and started flipping through the pages. "This book was in the lot you and Rogue Storm gave me. It's an antique medical book." The tan unicorn smiled at the book in Twilight's magic. He was eager to get his hooves on it. "Luna, while were in Rogue's world were you in human form the whole time?" the purple alicorn asked.
"Yes we were," the Princess of the Night answered. "Well occasionally I changed back, but only briefly. I'd say no more than a moment or two." Twilight continued to flip paper until she stopped at the page she was looking for. She turned to Luna and bit her lip.
"I'm sorry but I have to ask you a very personal question, Luna," Twilight said. Luna blushed again. But after a moment she motioned for Twilight to continue. "While in human form, were you and Rogue…intimate?" The rouge in Luna's cheeks shifted as deep as Big Macintosh's coat. Even though Luna had adapted to being a modern pony, some of her personality and traits were still traditional. Matters of the bedroom were never discussed like this. But this wasn't any ordinary situation. After a moment to take in what the youngest princess had asked, Luna let out a slow nod. "Listen to this," Twilight said and she read the passage.
A woman's reproductive cycle is proportionally among the most frequent of any creature on record. While many mammals hold to an annual or bi-annual cycle, female humans will ovulate and become fertile every 28 days from the onset of puberty and continue until…
"Well you don't need to hear the rest," she said. "Luna, you conceived on your honeymoon because in human form, you had a human reproductive cycle. When you changed forms, you didn't reverted back to an alicorn cycle. The foal was already growing inside you. You came back to Equestria pregnant, Luna." Defib looked in on the book and started to speak with Twilight Sparkle. Luna did not notice or even hear what the two other ponies were saying. She had completely zoned out and was deep in her own thoughts.
"We hath created new life," she thought to herself. "We will be a mother, a family… with Rogue…" A warm rush came over the blue alicorn and she felt whole. For the first time in her life, Luna felt a maturity within her. She no longer felt like a filly. She felt like a mare, a real mare. It was something she had never felt before.
"Uh, Doctor," Twilight said. "What did you mean when you said curious?" Luna's happiness instantly turned to fear when Twilight Sparkle said that. Her mind instantly went into overdrive.
"Is our baby…" she choked out in a panic.
"No, no, no, nothing is wrong," the tan unicorn said. "It's perfect. I saw four hooves, a horn, and two wings. Would you like to know the sex?" Luna shook her head, then put a hoof to her chest and sighed in relief. Yet something in the back of her mind was telling her Doctor Defib wasn't finished.
"But?" Luna asked.
"But, you are much further along than you should be," the tan unicorn said. "I've never seen a foal develop so quickly."
"How so?" Twilight asked.
"Well even if the princess conceived as a human," the doctor began. "The baby should only be six weeks along in its development at the very most. But the spell revealed it to be almost seven months along. The average mare gestates for eleven." Luna's head jolted back and her eyes widened. "But at this rate, Princess Luna could give birth in just a matter of days." This revelation was too much for the princess. She felt a little light headed, a lot actually. Too light headed for her to handle. The Princess of the Night tried to shake it but it was no use.
"Princess Luna!" the doctor and Twilight Sparkle called, but it was no use. Luna fainted into Twilight's hooves. The Princess of the Night didn't know how long she was out cold, but something told her she was moving. After what seemed like forever and a brief moment, Luna came to. Her vision was blurry and she still felt dizzy. The blue alicorn tried to sit up to get her bearings. She was in a rustic looking room and Luna recognized it when her vision cleared. It was the same room she shared with Joseph at Sweet Apple Acres.
"Easy, dearie," Granny Smith said as she reached out a wrinkled hoof to help the princess. "Y'all had quite a shock there." The memories flooded back to the princess as she remembered everything that had happened. But she was still wondering why she wasn't in the hospital anymore.
"Granny Smith?" Luna asked. "Why…why am I here?"
"Princess Twilight brought you here to rest after you passed out," the old pony said. "She thought the farm would be a better place for y'all to get a quiet moment to clear your head."
"Your hospitality knows no end, Granny Smith," Luna sighed. "Thank thee, Granny Smith." Granny pulled a cup of tea and offered it to Luna. The princess graciously accepted it and the two sipped tea together. Luna relaxed and enjoyed the warm drink.
"So when's the baby coming?" Granny asked nonchalantly. The cup of tea shook in Luna's magic and she look like a deer frozen in place.
"Who told thee?!" the blue alicorn panicked. "Twilight? Doctor Defib? Did min guards overhear?"
"Nopony told me," Granny answered setting her tea down on the old nightstand as did Luna. "I knew all along, dearie. From the second I saw you back in Canterlot, I knew y'all had a little royal one inside you." Luna opened her mouth in shock but Granny silenced her with a hoof to it. "Princess, do y'all know how big the Apple family is?" Luna shook her head. "Big enough for us start a whole nother country, he, he, he. I have family all over Equestria, many cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, and uncles and all their children. With such an extended family, we Apple mares learn the telltale sign of a pregnancy. Sometimes it's the food a gal eats. Like that lemon pastry smothered in jam y'all were eating. When I had Apple Blossom, I was eating pickles and applesauce every day." A green hoof came to the princess's chin and held her eye level to Granny Smith's eye. "But the biggest tell is the eyes. It's subtle and hard to see. But once you have that baby of yours, you'll be able to tell as well." Luna smiled as Granny Smith picked up a small box and put it on the bed. Luna looked down at the package and pulled it closer to her. "Go on, open it. I made it for your little one," Granny said. Luna lifted the package with her magic and opened it. The gift inside made the princess laugh gently and smile. The package was set on the bed and out of the box came a set of light grey booties. They were hoof knit with a little bow on the fetlock. "Got to make sure them little hooves are warm," Granny chimed.
"Thank thee, t'is beautiful," Luna said admiring the heartfelt gift. The old pony let out a chuckle and put her hoof on the princess's to show her support. "How do we tell our husband, Granny?" the Princess of the Night asked.
"You'll know when the time is right," she answered. Luna nodded and stared at the adorable gift. She was deep in thought again. A thousand thoughts and scenarios passed through Luna's mind and she wore it on her face. "But you've have a lot to handle today. Why don't y'all sleep here to clear your mind? You can head back to Canterlot tonight or even stay longer. This here is a big change for you and y'all need to have your wits about you. Just like my grandson said, y'all are part of our family now. And we're here if you need anything, Luna." The Princess of the Night could not be more grateful to the old pony.
"I'm happy to accept your invitation, Granny Smith," she said. "I'll need to send a letter to Canterlot so Rogue and Celestia will know where I am." The green pony picked up a piece of paper and pencil she had brought up. It amazed Luna to see how far ahead Granny Smith was. The green pony put the paper and pencil on the bed and started to tuck Luna into bed. "Granny certainly does know best," Luna joked.
"Darn tootin'," the Apple matriarch said and kissed Luna on the forehead. "Get some rest, dearie. It takes a lot to create new life. Sleep well, Princess." Granny pat the bed twice and left the room. Luna settled into the same bed she and Joseph shared. Before going to sleep, she pulled the paper close and started to write. Luna took a deep breath to relax her thoughts. She didn't want to convey a single clue of how excited she was. Since Granny Smith knew of the blessed event, Luna had much to ask her in regards to raising children. But she certainly couldn't tell Rogue that. The princess needed a cover story and she knew just what to say.
My dearest Rogue,
My appointment went better than expected and I know what has caused my ailment. Granny Smith invited me to rest at the farm and I have accepted her invitation. I shall remain here to catch up with our beloved hostess and regale the Apples of our honeymoon. Knowing Granny Smith, she will insist I stay for dinner. And Apple Bloom is unlikely to let me leave without a fight. So I shall stay for this evening as well.
Darling Rogue, please aid my sister in the preparations to receive the guests from Saddle Arabia. When you read this, we will only have little more than a day to ensure everything is ready. I shall be with you soon enough, my dear. Until then, dream of me and I shall dream of you.
All my love,
Luna.
Luna rolled up the paper into a scroll and used her magic to incinerate the scroll. Off it went through the window and to her beloved husband.
"Sleep well, my love," she said laying her head on the pillow. Before shutting her eyes, Luna rubbed her stomach. "And you sleep well to, my precious gift. I love thee too." The Princess of the Night let her eyes flutter closed as wonderful sleep took the exhausted monarch.
A/N: Haha, looks like my writer's block has run its course. My mojo is back and hopefully a weekly update will continue. I've received a couple of PM's asking when Big Mac Attack will be updated. That will come soon. You know I wouldn't leave you guys hanging. Well I would, especially considering all the questions that have been created by this chapter.
A great mystery has become a great blessing. Luna is soon to have a new title, mother.
How will she tell Rogue?
How soon until she gives birth?
Can she keep this news secret for long?
And what will happen should Chrysallis catch wind of the unborn foal?
Tune in next time for the next chapter of Cross the Line.
/)*(\
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