Chapter 4

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“Sis?” I look up from the book I’m reading as I lay on my side.

Scootaloo is staring at me with a raised eyebrow as she stands in the doorway of my room.

Three days have gone by since we found out I not only am stuck with Twilgiht’s leavings inside of me thanks to the alterations of Changeling DNA within my body, but that I also cannot have children of my own.

I've spent most of that time figuring out how to maneuver with my new weight. It's tricky, I can't move as fast as before, even when walking and I sometimes need help getting up, but I've learned to manage.

Twilight reported the news to Cadance and Shining Armour right away, though she asked my permission before sending the letter, informing them about my condition.

They’re reply hasn’t come back yet, though I suspect that is simply due to them wanting to see me in person (pony?), to determine whether Twilight is being honest about what’s happened.

In all honesty, I can understand them not quite believing her. If I wasn’t going through it myself and had been told about the situation, I’d have had serious doubts myself. It does sound ridiculous.

Then again, what part of my life isn’t since I woke up as Flash?

I grin, closing the book and slide myself along the bed until I reach the edge, then drop to my hooves, struggling a little to gain balance as my belly wobbles and hampers my centre of gravity a bit.

To the outside observer, I appear like a six month pregnant mare, while in reality, it is Twilight's... Oh, screw sugar-coating. It's her cum still stuck within me. No doubt Scootaloo was thinking along these lines, though since I’m sure she’s already learned about sex-ed, it’s confusing her as well.

I give a sad smile. “I’m not pregnant, squirt,” I say as I reach her and wrap a foreleg around her.

She looks up at me, frowning in confusion. “Then why’s your tummy huge? Ponies only have big tummies like that when they’re pregnant... or just fat,” she adds.

“Well I’m neither, little sister,” I say, ruffling her mane. “It’s... complicated.” And, even after you’re old enough, I doubt I’ll tell you.

A small part of me is surprised with how well I’ve adjusted to the idea of being Scootaloo’s older sibling. A smaller part of me keeps saying I shouldn’t be excepting it, as I have another family in the world I came from.

However, that voice is overshadowed by a logical voice telling me that, since I can’t really remember them and I have a loving sister here, I should except it as it is and deal.

Scootaloo presses her hoof against my stomach and blinks as it wobbles. “You sure that’s not a foal in there?”

I grin sheepishly, yet know sadness is still there too. “Trust me, Scoots... there isn’t a foal in there.” And never will be, no matter what I want, I don’t say.

I lead her out of my room and through the palace.

Whenever we pass I guard, while they remain expressionless, I can feel the uncomfortableness coming from them at seeing a fellow guard in my condition.

Not like I can blame them. I can’t walk like other ponies with this large stomach, having to slightly plod around to counter balance the weight... while at the same time trying to ignore the feeling of the fluids within my bloated belly as they slush around.

We walk into the garden, where I see Shining Armour and Cadance speaking with Twilight and Celestia. As we aproach, they stop their conversation and the Alicorn of Love walks up to me and embraces me in a tight hug.

“I’m so sorry, Flash,” she says with the most barely hidden sob.

I blink as I sense the sadness coming from her. Why is she so upset? Was I really that important to her as a member of her guard?

“I wish I wasn’t making you feel worse,” she says and I feel anger directed... at herself. “If I could change things right now I would so you could be having a foal instead of me.”

It takes a few moments for what she says to make sense... before my eyes widen at the realization of what she just said.

“Princess Cadance?” I ask, pulling back a bit to see her looking at me with teary eyes. “You’re pregnant?”

She sniffles, the faintest of a smile creeping onto her lips. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

I shake my head, smiling. “Princess, that’s wonderful! Congratulations.” I had a pretty good idea whom she was pregnant with, the fifth Alicorn and one the fandom has been waiting for ages to see, Skyla.

“But... your condition...” she begins, but I stop her by putting a hoof to her mouth.

I sigh. “Princess... I never really thought about having children of my own. The fact that I don’t have a choice now does hurt... but I’ll manage. It doesn’t really change much.”

Her eyes and emotions say she wants to protest, but I just shake my head.

We pull away from each other and move over to join the other ponies. Twilight comes over and gives me a reassuring hug. From her emotions and those coming from Shining Armour and Celestia, along with Cadance, something is making them very uncomfortable.

I lower myself down, withholding the grimace as I lean my forelegs against my swollen stomach. It just doesn’t feel right and I know I’m probably going to have to deal with it for a long while, most likely for the rest of my life.

While I could get my womb surgically removed or, at the very least, emptied, the doctors had concluded that it would be dangerous to do so, as the Changeling magic holding my womb closed could react badly and they didn’t want to risk it.

Seeing as Changeling magic is an unknown variable, I hadn’t questioned them. At the very least, I’d never have to suffer heat again.

Shining informs me that I was, unfortunately, going to have to retire from the Royal Guard. I can’t blame him for it. With my bloated belly, I’m not exactly a warrior and the fact I can’t even remember any of the military training my previous mind had doesn’t help either.

“You will be compensated for, though,” Cadance tells me as Twilight rubs my back, right between my wings, to make me feel better. “All guard who end up having to talk early retirement get compensation.”

“Bet I’m the youngest in history to end up with it,” I say, a bit darkly.

We lapse into an awkward silence.

After several minutes, I struggle up, Twilight using her magic to assist my rising, before I thank Cadance and Shining for coming and head off, Scootaloo following uncertainly behind me.

We walk through the garden, Scootaloo keeping as close as she can.

“Um... Flash?” she says after some time.

I stop and turn to look at her. We’re close to the edge of the gardens. I can hear the sound of Canterlot life in the distance. I can’t help wondering if I’ll ever even see it.

I honestly don’t think it’ll ever be safe for me to leave the castle grounds. Before I might have been able escape a Changeling or several (after figuring out how to fly, that is) but now, with my belly so bloated with Twilight’s cum? I wouldn’t be able to escape no matter what I tried.

“Flash?”

I extend and wing and pull the little filly closer and hold her tightly to my side. I don’t say anything and she seems to understand I want some quiet time, so she just rests against my side.

To an onlooker, we probably would look like a pregnant mother and her daughter. I inwardly chuckle at the image.

Scootaloo was feeling anxious, and she technically still is, but being close to me seems to be easing her nerves.

We just sit, listing to the sounds around us, the birds and other animals inhabiting the garden and the distant voices of ponies.

I’m honestly about to doze off, when I sense a stirring of emotions that don’t feel like those of a ponies. They’re full of eagerness and dark intents at the same time.

“Scootaloo, run!” I shout, standing and whirling around with a bit of difficulty, my belly bouncing from the momentum.

Three Royal Guards are coming towards us, but I can tell they aren’t really ponies.

I brace myself, lowering my front, standing in front of my sister.

How could I be so stupid? Twilight told me, even in the gardens, I shouldn’t be alone, even once. Now I had several Changelings coming at me. I wouldn’t let them take me or Scootaloo. No as long as I have breath in my body.

Suddenly their horns glow with green auras and I hear a cry from behind me.

I whirl my neck back and see Scootaloo dropping to the ground, a green aura fading from around her, unconscious.

I turn back to face the Changelings, snarling. “Leave her alone!”

I tense my muscles to move, but the headache suddenly intensifies and I cry out, staggering. It was bearable before, but now it’s like a thunderstorm inside my brain.

“Forgive us, Your Highness.”

I struggle to open an eye, confused by what I’d heard, before I’m blinded by a flash of green and the world goes black.

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“Scootaloo? Scootaloo, wake up!”

The young filly slowly opened her eyes, wincing. She felt like she’d smacked her head into a wall while riding her scooter at top speed.

Standing around her were Twilight, Cadance, Shining Armour and several Royal Guards.

At once the Pegasus panicked, backing away from the guards, thinking of how Flash had—

“Flash!”

She whipped her head from side to side, but saw no sign of her older sibling.

“No,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. “Not again. Not again!”

“Scootaloo, what’s wrong?” Cadance said, concerned for the filly.

Twilight, however, was looking around in a panic. “Scootaloo, what happened to Flash? Where is she?”

The young filly broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. “They took her!”

“Wh-who?” Twilight stuttered, her breath catching in her throat.

“Them!” Scootaloo scream, glaring through tears at the Royal Guards, whom responded by glancing at each other in shock.

“Oh no,” Cadance whispered, looking to Shining. “You don’t think...?”

“ARGH! Idiot!” he shouting, slamming his hoof to his forehead. “Why didn’t I think to project a shield?! They must've take on Royal Guard disguises, knowing they'd blend in and sneak in better.”

“Inform my aunt, at once!” Cadance ordered, looking to the three guards. They each stood to attention at once, raising their hooves in a salute. “Flash has been captured again! If we hurry, we might be able to find her this time without her having to free herself!”

“Yes, Your Highness,” they said in unison, before hurrying off to do as ordered.

Meanwhile, Twilight was holding onto the distraught Scootaloo, both sobbing into each other. “We’ll find her,” the Alicorn said, though whether to the filly or herself it was unclear. “We have to.”

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I awaken to nothing.

I’m floating through an empty blackness. I can barely focus on a single thought. Every time I try, it slips away and I seem to fall back into the abyss.

I don’t know how long I’ve been floating in this darkness. Time doesn’t seem to have any meaning. Have I been here for a few hours? A few days? Years?

I try to focus, to figure out how long it has been since I came to... but it slips away the moment I try.

It’s so lonely here. I remember feeling love, four loves, strongly. Where are they? Who are they? It’s so hard to think.

Suddenly, the empty silence is broken by voices. Lots of voices.

I want to clamp my ears shut and drown out the noise. I can hear sound, but now there’s too much.

I scream for it to stop, but I don’t hear my own voice.

The noise only grows louder, but I can feel worry and concern within the din of loudness.

I beg for it to not be so loud, to let me not drown in the noise.

Strangely enough, the voices do quieten down. I can still hear them, but it’s like having a pillow over your head. Their all muffled now, at a tolerable noise level.

I’m startled by the voice. It’s the only one I’ve been able to hear clearly and I feel like it was speaking to me.

the voice says, sounding gentle and soothing.

I’m suddenly no longer floating in an empty blackness. I’m submerged in some kind of liquid. Worse, it’s in my lungs, I can feel it.

I scream, pushing up and feel my head collide with something hard.

the voice says and I feel as well as hear encouragement in it.

I wince, realizing there’s something on my head, right in the centre of my forehead, something like a long stick.

Wait. I can use that.

I push forward again, this time again the thing on my head. I feel it break through whatever the hard thing is and can hear cracking sounds.

I pull back, then push forward again with everything I’ve got, slamming the flat of my head against where I think I thrust the stick through whatever’s holding me.

At once I hear a loud cracking and burst through the hard thing and feel cold air on my face.

Before I can even be thankful for that, though, I retch, expelling the liquid in my lung, hearing a disgusting splattering sound.

After several minutes of retching out the vile liquid and I take in a huge breath, thankful for the beautiful feeling of air rushing into my lungs.

I feel something tingly surround me and feel myself lifting out of the rest of the gunk, only to suddenly slam down, butt first, onto some hard surface.

I wince at the loud voice. It’s like someone is shouting directly into my head, but it isn’t directed at me.

a second voice says, filled with fear.

the first voice says, still so loud it feels like my skull is shaking.

I wince as I feel the presence of several things coming towards me.

the first voice says again, though decidedly quieter than before.