Twilight Velvet entered the bedroom, her little daughter asleep across her back. She gently levitated the filly into her bed and drew the covers snugly around her. She kissed her daughter on the forehead and retreated, pulling the door closed behind her. The hinges squeaked, and the little filly stirred. "Mommy?" a bleary voice called.
Velvet turned around. As she pushed the door back open, a pair of wide, purple eyes blinked back at her through the near-darkness. "Yes, sweetie?" she asked.
The filly rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Will you tell me a story?" she pleaded.
Velvet smiled and returned to the bedside. Sitting down, she asked, "What will it be tonight?"
Her daughter thought for a moment. "Today in school we learned about names and cutie marks," she offered. "Do you have a story like that?"
Her mother crossed her forehooves on the bed and laid her head on top. "Do I ever! Have I ever told you where your daddy and I got your name?" she asked.
The filly shook her head. "Well then," her mother continued. "You'd best get comfortable, because this is a good one. Ready?
"It all started years and years ago, before your brother was even born..."
Velvet lay on her side on top of a stark white table. Her husband stood behind her, nuzzling her back reassuringly as the doctor approached and hooked the young unicorn into a machine. A pad slid over Velvet's stomach, and after a moment the adjacent view screen lit up with a black-and-white image. It appeared to show a gray-white ball, enveloped in darkness. As they looked on, the ball uncurled.
"Congratulations," Dr. White Cross said cheerily. "Your foal is perfectly healthy and is progressing well for his or her age. As you can see here, the head and neck are almost completely developed."
Night Light craned his head over his wife to peer more closely at the screen. His face broke into a huge smile. "Would you look at that," he breathed.
Velvet turned to the doctor. "Is there anything we can tell at this point? The gender or the race?" she asked.
Dr. Cross turned to consult her clipboard. "Not this early in the pregnancy," she explained. "However, I have taken your genetic histories into account and come up with a pretty good idea for race. The chances of the two of you creating a unicorn are almost 90%. With such a strong magical lineage as you both have, I'd hazard a guess and say it's more than that. Additionally, the baby has about an 8% of being an earth pony. You said that your grandmother was one? Yes, you see, closer relatives give a higher genetic probability. And of course, the remaining 2% or less would be pegasus. But I'd say that's highly unlikely, seeing as there hasn't been a pegasus in either of your families for generations."
The two unicorns nodded slowly. While baby unicorn magic was terrible to deal with, they had to admit that it would certainly make things easier on them. The stress of being first-time parents was enough without adding in the difficulty of not being able to use magic to teach their child.
Night Light looked back at the doctor. "How long until we know?" he inquired.
She tapped a hoof to her chin. "Not for a few more weeks. It takes a little bit for the Y chromosome to kick in, if it's present. However, if the little one keeps on growing at a good rate like this, we should be able to tell by your next appointment."
Velvet kept her eyes on her husband as she was helped out of the machine. They thanked Dr. Cross and walked out of the examination room, too giddy to do anything but smile at each other like idiots.
In bed that night, Night Light leaned his head against his wife's and looked deep into her eyes. "We're going to be parents, Twi," he whispered, running a hoof along her slightly protruding belly. "This is really happening."
Velvet rolled around and nestled herself into the curve of his body. "We need to plan. Soon. We've waited too long already," she muttered absently, her mind already half-asleep.
He drew his hooves around her and kissed the top of her head. "Of course, dear," he chuckled softly.
An impertinent voice interrupted Velvet's story. "What does that have to do with me?" the little filly asked.
Her mother patted her hoof. "I'm getting there," she insisted. "I'm just giving you a little background."
The filly huffed impatiently but allowed her mother to continue.
"Now," she resumed. "Where were we? Ah, yes. So, as you know, we had the baby, a little unicorn colt, and we decided to call him--"
"Shining Armor!" the filly squealed.
Velvet laughed. "Shining Armor indeed. Now, since you're so keen on hearing about you, I'll skip ahead a bit," she teased.
Her daughter nodded eagerly, and she continued. "Well, the first time we ever heard about you was a few months after your sister's coronation..."
Velvet hadn't been feeling well lately. She had originally ignored it, telling herself that she was just nervous for her children's sake (they always seemed to be getting into mortal danger!). But it had been almost a month since anything exciting had happened. Twilight had come back from the Princess Summit with nary a scratch on her, and Shining Armor and Cadence were busy planning for the Equestria Games. She was sure there was something dangerous just lurking around the corner, trying to snatch her babies away again.
Velvet stared out the window of her kitchen, frozen in the middle of washing the dishes. Her stomach heaved and she dropped to her knees. The impact broke her telekinetic grip on the plate she had been cleaning, and it shattered. Night Light heard the noise from his study and came running. He saw his wife getting shakily to her hooves and rushed to help her up. He scooped the china fragments into the dustbin and put a hoof under her chin, lifting her face to his and peering levelly into her eyes. They were bloodshot and ringed by dark circles.
"Honey, come with me," he said gently. "I'm sorry, but there's no way you can spin this anymore. We're going to the hospital."
Velvet protested weakly. "I'm just tired," she insisted. "I'll just go lie down for a nap, maybe drink some cherry lemonade. I'll be fine."
Night Light ignored her, holding on to her hoof and readying his horn. In a flash of light, the two were outside of the Canterlot Urgent Care Center. The two walked slowly inside. "Night Light! Twilight Velvet!" the receptionist gushed. "To what do we owe this visit?"
Velvet collapsed into a chair with a heavy sigh and fainted. "We need to see a doctor," Night Light said. "Now, please, if not sooner."
Dr. Cross walked into the examination room. "Well," she chuckled. "I retire to this place for a little variety, and who do I see but my old patients? How are you, dears?"
Velvet smiled wanly at the old mare. "I'm doing fine, but Night Light insisted I come here anyway. I've been a little worn out lately, a little under the weather. Nothing I haven't handled before."
"Ah, but that's the trouble with them's that love you," the doctor replied as she began her examination. "They care too much about your health." She winked at Night Light and gave him a nod of approval behind his wife's back. "My children are the same way. They're always afraid I'm going to trip and sprain a hip or fall down the stairs. That's what happens as we ponies get older, I suppose."
Night Light crept out of the room to give his wife some privacy. Her initial examination finished, the doctor returned to face her patient. "Now tell me," she said kindly. "How have you been feeling lately?"
Velvet shifted her hooves uncomfortably. "Mostly just... worried," she admitted. "Headaches, dizziness, terrible stomachaches. I've been having trouble sleeping, so naturally I have no energy during the day."
"I see," Dr. Cross mused. "I have no doubt as to the cause of your worry. Congratulations, by the way. I heard your son was married recently. And Twilight! I always knew that filly would go on to great things."
Velvet thanked her quietly. "I know they can take care of themselves, but I'm just so worried for them. All of them; not just Twilight and Shining, but poor Cadence, with no parents to speak of, and our little Spike, who's practically my second son. Their adventures have been getting more and more wild. What if they don't make it back someday?" A tear traced its way down her face. She hastily brushed it away and cleared her throat, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I normally don't get this emotional."
The doctor stood up and patted her reassuringly. "It's perfectly natural, dear. It's your maternal instincts. Celestia knows how I'd feel if my foals got up to the same antics yours do. It sounds like you're just under a lot of stress. I'm sure that brilliant daughter of yours has told you that an overload of stress can sometimes cause a physical illness. I'd like to do some tests, just as a precaution. In the meantime, I would start considering ways to help relieve some of the stress. My niece Blossomforth lives in Ponyville, and she has a spectacular yoga studio. Perhaps you should consider giving it a try. At worst, you'll get a chance to see Princess Twilight again."
Velvet agreed. Ten minutes later, she rejoined her husband in the waiting room. Dr. Cross followed and waved them both off. "Come back next week," she called after them. "We'll have your results."
A week later, Velvet and Night Light returned to the clinic. Velvet approached the receptionist. "Hi. Um, I was here last week with Dr. Cross, and she said to come back today for a follow-up."
The receptionist glanced up for a moment. "The doctor's with a patient at the moment," she replied. "She'll come out when she's done."
Velvet thanked the mare and sat next to her husband. A few minutes later, a spindly stallion tottered out from the back, a nasty burn mark covering his flank. Dr. White Cross followed him. "Your prescription should be in shortly, Mr. Bility," she was saying. "Have a good day." She helped the young stallion out the door and turned to the waiting room's only other occupants.
"Velvet, dear, right on time!" she exclaimed. "I just got your results this morning. If you'd like to come back with me..." She gestured through the open door to the examination rooms. "Oh," she added as an afterthought. "Night Light, you'd better come, too."
She led the way, leaving Night Light and Velvet to glance worriedly at each other. Pushing back her fears for the moment, Velvet followed the doctor into a room and sat on the table.
Dr. Cross waited until they were both settled, then closed the door delicately. She turned back to them with a grin plastered across her muzzle. "Well, I never thought I'd get to tell you this again," she began.
"Congratulations! You're pregnant."
Velvet's mouth dropped open. Night Light made a sort of sputtering noise as he tried to process. "What-- Why-- How...?"
Velvet cleared her throat. "Surely there must be a mistake," she explained. "I can't be pregnant."
A little voice once again interrupted the story. "Why was it a big deal, Mommy? I mean, Twilight's friend Mrs. Cake is pregnant, and that's not such a big deal."
Velvet smoothed down her daughter's bushy mane. "Of course it's not, but that's because she and Mr. Cake are still young. You see, when you were born, Twilight and Shining were already all grown up. Daddy and I didn't think it was possible for us to have another foal."
"Oh," came the small reply. After a few seconds of silence, a little hoof poked her mother. "Aren't you going to finish the story?" she demanded.
"Of course."
Dr. Cross continued smiling. "It's not as impossible as you think. Your other two children were born when you were practically foals yourself. You're still rather young; certainly young enough to have another baby."
The two unicorns sat there, speechless, for another moment. "Believe me," the doctor continued. "I had my own doubts, but I had the lab double-check it."
Night Light finally found his voice. "That's-- Incredible. Wow." He smiled down at his wife, who was staring at the wall with a worried expression. "Twi? Are you alright?"
She shook herself out of her reverie and smiled, kissing her husband on the muzzle. "Of course, darling," she responded. "Just surprised."
The doctor assumed a more serious tone. "There are a few important things we need to discuss," she explained. "Because you're not as young as you were, there is a higher risk of something going wrong. Those are just the facts. Additionally, the tests showed that your cortisol levels are extremely high. I would highly recommend going to see your physician on a regular basis to keep an eye on things."
Night Light sobered up a bit. "Of course," he said. "I can stop by tomorrow."
"I can go," Velvet offered. "You have to work."
Her husband nuzzled her neck. "You need to relax," he told her. "Tomorrow, I'm not letting you leave the house. You are hereby ordered to take a break from everything." He nudged her. "I'm serious."
Dr. Cross nodded. "It would be a good idea for you to relax for a while. Go see your family, or write a novel; do something that doesn't involve physical strain, and give your brain some time to unwind."
"We had decided not to tell anyone for a while. At first, we believed that the test had been a false positive, but the other doctor confirmed it. We didn't really know how to tell people, so we didn't. Not even your siblings knew."
"Really?" the wide-eyed filly asked incredulously.
"Really," Velvet responded calmly. "Then, of course, Tirek attacked. Have you read about him in your history books? Good, so you know the basics of what happened..."
Velvet lay on the couch, reading the newspaper. Night Light had been upstairs painting the guest room, which was to become the nursery, when he suddenly raced down the stairs in terror.
"What is it?" Velvet asked, her voice rising into a shriek.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But it doesn't look good." The ground beneath them shook, and they both looked out the window to the street. Night Light gasped. "There it is again!"
A terrible creature stood at the end of their street. It was half-pony, half... something else. Its red face was almost simian, if not for the huge black horns protruding from either side. Its giant black hooves, each easily the size of a pony's head, stomped up and down the cobblestones as it passed. A glowing orange sphere formed between its horns, and Velvet and Night Light suddenly felt themselves going weak. "I'm going to lay down again..." Velvet muttered. Night Light gave no answer; he had hit his head and was already slumped across the carpet.
There they stayed for hours, too weak to fetch help, if any existed. The ground continued to shake, and more than once, a terrible roar sounded that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. After a time, Velvet groped for her husband's hooves. If she was going to die, she wanted it to at least be somewhat peaceful. She closed her eyes just as she heard a loud explosion come from the south. She braced herself for the end...
And instead felt a rush of magical energy wash over her body, reinvigorating her. Her eyes popped open, and she saw a brilliant, pastel rainbow stretch across the sky.
Bending down to the floor, she roused Night Light, who moaned and clutched at his head. He slowly sat up, and they almost laughed at their good fortune. Once again, the day was saved. Night Light hugged his wife wordlessly, conveying all of his worry and relief in one touch. Withdrawing, he grinned at her. "Ten bits says it was Twilight," he challenged.
"You're on," she returned.
A few hours later, a knock sounded at the door. "Can you get that, honey?" Velvet called from the kitchen. Night Light, with yellow paint speckling his dark hair, rushed down the stairs and unlatched the door.
Princess Celestia stood on their porch, her mane flowing magestically in a nonexistent breeze. "May I come in?" she asked politely.
Night Light nodded and tried to brush off his mane. "Of course, your Highness," he said, gesturing into their living room. "Twi," he called into the kitchen. "The princess is here. Can you make some tea, please?"
He then sat down facing the princess. "Don't look so afraid, my little pony," she assured him. "I am not here to bring bad news."
He relaxed into his chair. "What brings you by, then, princess? If I may ask."
She smiled down at him. "After the attack today, I thought it best to check in on those ponies most near and dear to me."
"Why thank you, princess. We're flattered," Night Light responded after a second. "But please tell me, is everypony okay? What happened?"
Celestia held up a hoof to stem his inquiries. "Perhaps I should wait a minute. Otherwise I'm going to have to repeat everything to your wife, as well."
"That won't be long, then." a voice called from the hallway. A few seconds later, Velvet entered through the door, levitating a tea tray behind her. The blue aura surrounding it quickly turned to a pale yellow as her husband took control, bringing it to the table and standing up so she could sit.
"Princess," Velvet said respectfully, pausing to bow in front of Celestia. She moved across the room to sit in the recently-vacated chair.
"Velvet," Celestia gently chided. "You don't have to do that. We are simply friends meeting to discuss an issue. Goodness, we're practically related! Now, about earlier today..."
She paused for a minute, looking slightly confused, before continuing. "Today was the work of a terrible monster named Tirek. Perhaps you've heard about him in fairy tales. He is real. He feeds off of the magic found in all ponies; earth, unicorn, and pegasus. Two years ago, he escaped from Tartarus, and had been biding his time, slowly regaining strength, until today." Her voice cracked.
Night Light offered the princess a cup of tea, worry etched onto his face. "And everypony is okay, right?"
She took a sip of tea to compose herself, and continued. "Yes. Everypony was saved, thanks to your daughter. I hope you will forgive me for putting her in danger again. You see, she was our only hope. Tirek had yet to hear about a fourth alicorn princess, so Cadence, Luna, and I gave our powers to her, so that when Tirek found us, all would not be lost."
Velvet gasped. The thought of Twilight being the most powerful being in the world, even for just a few hours, was overwhelming. "He-- he's gone now, right?" she pleaded.
Celestia gave her head a shake and grimaced. Velvet and Night Light looked at each other with wide eyes. He stood behind his wife's chair protectively and asked, "What do we do now, then? Is there anything we can do to prevent another attack?"
The princess held up a hoof hastily. "You misunderstand me, my little ponies. Forgive me, I just had something of a... temporary sensory overload." She cleared her throat. "Yes, Tirek is gone. I don't yet know about the how, since I was in Tartatus at the time, but I can say for sure that he is safely locked away, and everypony's magic has been restored."
The two unicorns sighed in relief. "Thank you for letting us know, princess," Night Light said. "I suppose our next step will be to go check up on our family in person, if Velvet's up to it."
Celestia set her teacup down on the table and rose. "Of course. Though I should warn you, Twilight doesn't exactly live in the library anymore."
"Really?" he asked. "Where do we find her, then?"
Celestia winked at them. "Believe me, you'll know it when you see it."
Velvet walked Celestia to the door. "Are you alright, as well?" the princess asked. "I can't help but notice you look a bit... worn out."
Velvet sighed and dug a hoof into the carpet. "To tell you the truth, princess? I'm-- well, I'm pregnant."
Celestia straightened up. "Ah." she said simply.
Velvet met her eyes. "You knew?" she wondered.
"In all honesty, I suspected," said the princess. "When I entered the house, I could sense three magical auras, but one was so faint I convinced myself that it was just my own magic trying to readjust in my body. Naturally, I'd get some signals mixed up. But now that you've confirmed it... Congratulations, Velvet. How far along are you?"
"Thank you, princess," she replied quietly. "Six and a half months."
Celestia walked onto the porch and turned around, leaning in to say a few more words. "If I may say so, this might be the time to go see your family. They'll want to know, since I'm assuming they don't already? It's nothing to be ashamed of, but they really should know now."
Velvet chuckled. "There's nothing like a life-or-death situation to put everything in perspective, is there?"
The princess laughed. "I'll be sure to act surprised when Twilight tells me." With that, Celestia took wing and departed.
Velvet shut the door and called up to her husband. "Pack a bag! The train for the Crystal Empire leaves in two hours."
Shining Armor and Cadence were eating dinner when Velvet and Night Light arrived. A crystal guard escorted them into the royal dining chamber.
"Mom! Dad!" Shining cried, leaping up from the table.
Cadence followed close behind, a smile on her face. "I'm so glad you're both okay," she said, embracing Velvet.
Shining let go of his parents and cleared his throat bashfully. "Uh, thank you," he said to the guard. "You can go now, Shard."
Night Light rubbed his son's head affectionately. "Too cool to hug your own parents?"
Shining frowned defensively. "N--no. I have an image to protect. Up here, everyone sees me as the strong, stoic prince."
His wife and parents burst into laughter, and he joined in. "So, how are you both doing?" he asked, leading them all back to the table. "Dad, how's the hoofball league at home? Mom, have you--" He cut himself off.
His mother smiled wryly. "Yes, son. I have gained weight." Cadence smacked her husband's leg. "No, it's fine. We have something to tell you."
She looked at Night Light for assistance, and he continued. "Your mother is pregnant," he stated.
Cadence squealed. "Oh, that's so exciting!" She stood up from her chair and ran around to hug her in-laws.
Shining sat there, dumbstruck, for a minute. Finally he coughed and said, "Well, that was unexpected. Uh, congrats."
His mother chuckled. "I don't suppose we can hope to expect similar news from you two?"
The train to Ponyville was slow. Velvet tapped her hoof impatiently against the windowsill as the train slugged its way through the tunnels that run down the mountainside. They finally emerged, and she was suddenly blinded by a brilliant blue glow. "What is that?" she gasped.
A blue pegasus in the seat next to them answered. "That's Princess Twilight's castle!"
Night Light looked calmly out the window. "Ah. So that's what Celestia meant."
Velvet huffed. "She got a castle, and she didn't even ask us first? Or write even a little note to let us know?"
Her husband chuckled. "In all fairness, we didn't write her a letter either. She's a grown mare now; she can make decisions on her own."
The pegasus leaned over the aisle to look at them more closely. "I thought you looked familiar. You're Twi's parents, aren't you?" She stuck out a hoof. "Name's Rainbow Dash."
Night Light shook it. "We've met before," he said. "Twice, in fact."
Rainbow waved a hoof. "Yeah, sorry. I'm not too good with faces. Well, you're in luck! Twi's supposed to be meeting me at the station."
"If we ever get there," Velvet grumbled.
"Jeez, what's her problem?" Rainbow asked.
Velvet glared at her for a moment. The train lurched suddenly, and the conductor called out, "Ponyville!"
The three of them were the only ones who got off. A gaggle of ponies stood waiting on the platform, Twilight among them. Rainbow flew off to of talk to a bouncy pink pony, and Twilight's parents approached her from behind.
Night Light tapped her on the shoulder. "Exscuse me, miss," he joked. "Can you help me? I think I'm lost. Is this Manehattan?"
She whirled around. "Dad!" she shouted. Enveloping him in a hug, she caught sight of Velvet. "Mom!"
"Hey, sweetie," her mom said. "Nice castle."
Twilight led her parents back to the castle. Her friends followed behind her, chatting among themselves, but the family stayed silent.
Once inside, Twilight led her parents into a small sitting room, furnished rather sparsely in comparison to the building's elaborate exterior. Velvet and Night Light took seats on the couch, while Twilight shut the door behind them. She whirled around, squealing in delight, and pranced around the room.
"Oh my goodness. I can't believe it! Cadence wrote me a letter and told me to act like it was a surprise but I just can't help it!" she jabbered.
She skidded to a stop as a thought entered her mind. "How are you feeling, Mom? That attack probably took a lot out of you. And oh my goodness! What about the baby?"
"Twilight. Stop worrying," her mother chuckled. "Princess Celestia told me that she felt a magical aura from the baby, so I'm sure it's fine."
"It?" Twilight asked. "You should be far enough along to know the baby's gender."
Night Light nodded. "Yes, but your mother and I wanted to try something different. With you and your brother, we had everything planned out months in advance. This time, we're going to wait until the baby's born to know anything about it."
Twilight nodded. She understood their reasoning, even if she didn't quite agree with it. After all, she learned from her mother how to keep a schedule and have everything perfectly planned.
They chatted for a bit longer and made plans to stay the night. Eventually, Spike came in to tell them that dinner was ready. As they walked through the maze of hallways to find the dining room, Twilight giggled. "I'll have to tell Spike," she said. "He won't like not being the baby anymore."
"Yeah," replied Night Light. "But he'll still act like it."
A tired giggle issued from the little filly's mouth. "What happened then?" she yawned.
"Well," replied Velvet. "We went back to Canterlot for the next few months..."
It was midnight, four months after their visit with Twilight. Velvet was awoken by a sharp pain in her abdomen, and she reflexively kicked out a hoof, catching her slumbering husband in the stomach. He woke with a muffled oof.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"Is everything alright?" he whispered back. She nodded uncertainly. Nevertheless, they stared warily at each other for a minute, then two. Nothing happened. Confident that it was just a false alarm, Velvet sank back into her pillow, only to double over again as another contraction seized her stomach.
They were both wide awake then. "Hospital?" Night Light asked.
She shook her head. "Not yet."
Four hours later, she relented. "Hospital," she groaned. "Now."
It may have been early in the morning when they arrived, but it wasn't until late that night that Velvet finally got a chance to relax. Night Light had been clutching his wife's hoof between his for hours, but finally the doctor called, "Here she is!"
Velvet wiped her sticky mane from her forehead. "Now I remember why we were stopping with two," she breathed.
The doctor approached the parents, holding a bundle in his magic. He settled the bundle into her mother's forelegs and congratulated them. "What's her name?" he asked.
Velvet burst into tired laughter. "We never planned names! Oh, Celestia." She looked fondly down at the foal, whose bright yellow hair was bursting out of her head in an unmanageable tuft. She had no horn to speak of. "Hay Bale?" Velvet offered, looking at her husband for approval.
He gazed at his daughter. A pair of tiny, snow-white wings peeked out of the blanket's folds, and he caressed them with his hoof. "You're just full of surprises, aren't you, little one?" he asked her.
Velvet was stopped once more by a gentle snoring. She smiled at the sleeping filly and stood up. A weak hoof pawed at her. "No, Mommy, you weren't done," her daughter mumbled.
"Yes, I was." Velvet whispered. "Good night, sweetie."
She backed out the door, careful not to let the hinges squeak this time. As the door latched, a voice called out again. "Mommy?"
She cracked the door. "Yes, dear?"
"Did you ever give Daddy his ten bits?"
Velvet chuckled. "Good night, Surprise," she said firmly, shutting the door again.
Velvet trotted downstairs to the living room, where Night Light sat in front of the fire, reading. Velvet set her daughter's book on the coffee table and pulled a few bits from her desk in the next room. Setting them in front of her husband, she settled down opposite him and sank back into her own book.
