How to Fake Your Pregnancy (without really trying)

Princess Cadance paced nervously in the royal restroom of her palace in the Crystal Empire. Her eyes darting back and forth between the clock on the wall, and the tester on the bathroom counter. She picked up the box and re-read the text for the hundredth time.

"Allow two minutes for accurate results," she said quietly to herself, reading out load the instructions on the back of the Fool-Proof Foal Test. "Minus sign for negative, Plus sign for positive." She sighed, embarrassed for herself saying such an obvious thing aloud, and grateful that she was alone. "If after two minutes no symbol appears, try again." She waited and paced back and forth, willing time to advance faster. If ever she found out that she only had two minutes left to live, she would do another pregnancy test. Because these two minutes of waiting always felt like an eternity. The second hand on the clock made its next complete circuit around the circumference of the clock. She looked down at the test strip, waiting for the rest of the Plus symbol to appear, but it never came. It remained a single line, Minus.

"Damn," she cursed, tossing it into the waste bin with the others. She opened the door and stepped outside the bathroom, greeted by her waiting husband, Shining Armor. He was likewise pacing nervously in the living room. His pacing halted immediately as soon as the bathroom door opened. His breath held in his throat, as he looked to her eyes. Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. He didn't even have to ask anymore. They'd done this dance enough times before. He knew the answer was no. He walked over, wrapped his hoof around her and hugged her. She pressed her face into his chest.

"It's okay," he comforted, "We can always try again. I do like trying after all," he said with a sly grin, trying to give some levity to the situation. She gave a weak smile back, blushing.

"I do too. It's just that I really want a foal," she said.

"I know," he said, feeling powerless. He just held her. What could he say? To ask if they were doing something wrong would just be silly. It wasn't their fault. It's not anypony's fault when things like this happen. Or don't happen, in this case. She wanted a foal so badly. And he wanted for her to just be happy. "Maybe it's me," Shining said. He knew that some stallions suffered from infertility issues. He didn't like the idea that he could be one of them. But he wanted to be sure. "I'll make an appointment with my doctor."

"No, no you don't have to do that!" Cadance said. He hushed her, gently placing his hoof on her lips.

"Look it's okay. I just want to be sure. It's no big deal," he said, comforting himself, as much as her, with his words.