Closing Time

I sat in the bar, alone.

The bartender went home hours ago.

I reached across the counter with a lazy levitation spell and picked whatever top shelf brand I could get a hold of. I’d long since given up on seeing straight. One more drink and I could just pass out right here on the floor.

One of the perks to running your own kingdom is that you can do whatever you want. The downside is, I’m not really the one in charge. Another shot and I could kiss my carefree days goodbye.

Sure, it was nice being a prince, married to the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria. My wedding day had been one of the most memorable days of my life. All my guard buddies were there, and even my sister showed up to make sure I got married to the right pony. Thinking back over my career, I’d come a long way from the Canterlot Stable Corps. Military life had some fond memories to relate over the past few shots of hosrechata. Those were the days.

Post wedding, my life took an abrupt turn. Sure, we were in love before, and we still are now. That much hasn’t changed. I love my wife with all my heart, and I know she loves me just the same. Nothing could ever change that. Ruling an entire kingdom does bring out the occasional issue, however.

Whenever something comes up, it isn’t me they turn to though. Princess Cadance, the alicorn, she’s the one they look to, not me. It does help my ego when she looks to me for advice. I don’t know if she does it just to appease me, or if she really does need my help. She’s a very smart pony, much like my sister. She didn’t earn that horn for doing nothing. I’m happy for her, I really am.

The trouble all started about a year after the wedding. Right around our first anniversary, I started noticing a change in her behavior. It might have had something to do with the big box of chocolates I got her for Hearts and Hooves Day, but looking back on it now, I don’t think that had much of an impact. She was hungry for something other than sweets.

I’m sure if I was more observant, I would have noticed the hints. The way she did her mane, the extra bow in her tail. She was trying way too hard to impress me. Not that she needed to. The Princess of Love can just stand there and be dripping sex appeal just by breathing in the morning breeze. Our love went beyond simple lust. We were destined for each other.

Right from the start, I fell in love with Cadance. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but the first time I saw her, I felt weak in the knees. A soldier never gets weak in the knees, at least one who wants to be standing on those knees at the end of a battle. This fight was different. The battle for my heart was over before it even started. I fell for her in the most un-soldier like of ways, love at first sight. My buddies teased me for weeks about it. Who laughing now, I say. Who’s laughing now?

The last couple months have been kind of a blur. The anniversary came and went. We did our thing, and then we did it a few more times for good measure. Those days are kind of a blur. Looking back on it all, I remember the love I felt in my heart and her face smiling at me as we embraced. I’ll never forget those nights. I’ll never forget any of the nights I’ve spent locked in her embrace. I never wanted those moments to end, but there’s more to life than the love of a princess. We both have our royal duties.

If running a kingdom was easy, anypony would do. The Crystal Empire is not an easy place to run, regardless of what ponies say. We have to be ready for anything up here on the northern border. It’s not the same as life back in Canterlot. We do have our means of defense. The Crystal Heart makes for an excellent means of keeping out the less desirable elements. It’s nice that it’s powered by love, as well. Makes for an easy task of keeping it charged given the nature of the Princess.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave a whole lot for me to take care of being the ranking security official. I mostly spend my days attending events such as a new store opening, or a retirement party for some old public servant. I’m never in the picture when it comes to actual heroics anymore. Sure, we have our guards, but they don’t really need to do much of anything either. We train, we practice, we stay in shape and keep a constant vigil to guard against invasion or the possible return of somepony like King Sombra. It’s mostly for show. At least I hope it is, for all of our sake.

When I sat down in this seat however many hours ago, I had one thing on my mind. I hoped that with enough alcohol, that thing wouldn’t worry me so much. Taking another swig straight out of the bottle, I already knew it wasn’t going to help. I had to face facts, there wasn’t going to be any changing it now.

Sure, I’m excited. Who wouldn’t be? To say I wasn’t thrilled would be surprisingly naive. Of course I wanted this to happen. May not right this moment, but I still planned on it happening at some point. I just wished it might have taken longer. We’ve barely had a year together and we’re already to that point. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy getting here though.

The doctors say she’s healthy. They say the foals are too.

It’s only a matter of time now. I’ve got to suck it up and start acting like the stallion I know I need to be. I can’t be a wimp. I have to lead. It’s just hard to do that when your wife’s the one in charge.

I’m going to be a father. Any day now, I’ll have two little mouths to feed. Cadance looks absolutely beautiful, but I can tell the twins aren’t going to come easy. I hope I can be strong for her. I hope everything turns out okay.

There’s a lot to think about when you have a foal on the way. Where will it sleep? Who’s going to watch it while we’re both busy running a kingdom? What are they even going to look like? I know the oddmakers are keeping the spread open. Most are figuring on unicorn, but a few outside wagers are betting on pegasus. One or both could even be alicorns or earth ponies. I just want healthy foals, and a wonderful wife who makes it through the process in one piece.

That’s where the drink comes in.

I’ve been so worried about thing lately that I can’t even think straight. I don’t know if everything will be alright or not. I can’t guarantee it will or won’t work out like I’ve planned. The only thing I can be sure of, is that in less than a month, I’m going to be a father.

I hope I don’t screw it up.

I don’t mean that in the literal sense. I’ve already gone there. That’s pretty much what got me into this mess in the first place. That, and the fact that I would do anything for Cadance. She’s wanted this so badly that I couldn’t say no even if I wanted to try. She’s going to make a great mother. I hope I can say the same about me and being a great father. We’ll have to wait and see how that turns out. Maybe they’re already taking bets on that now.