Princess Luna had a very vivid dream, one involving something from her distant past.
She woke up with a cry, her body drenched in sweat. She felt scared, for if what she had dreamt were to come to pass, what would she do?
"It cannot be-" she began to speak aloud, only for her stomach to lurch violently. She flew out of bed with speed a Wonderbolt would envy, reaching the lavish bathroom in seconds flat! Luna dashed to the rooms fancy gilded toilet and- to put a nicer spin on it- worshipped the porcelain goddess.
“Tis impossible, surely! There is no way upon this land, that we could be with foal. We were banished to the moon for a 1000 years and have been back for at least five such years. Why did my own body take so long to remind me?” The Moon Princess wailed, practically in tears.
She sighed deeply, more than a bit worried since she did have an affair with King Sombra in the past. Even she found it hard to believe that he impregnated her, their affair had been brief, before Sombra had lost his mind under the pressure from his magic. Regardless, he had a right to know about her pregnancy as it was his child.
Princess Luna sat at her desk and wrote a letter to King Sombra. She felt like she was in shock, she'd just learned that she was with a foal, after so long locked away. As for the reason why of it took so long for it to be known was a mystery, to even her. Was her 1000 year stay on the Moon somehow responsible for her dormant and delayed pregnancy? Was exposure to King Sombra after his recent revival what had made it resume?
As an exceptional type of Umbrum called the Infinitum, she knew that he had very strong pheromones, courtesy of the mating phase he entered every year. She wondered if that was what had triggered her dormant pregnancy to resume after so long on hold? He had to know of this as soon as possible, before a scandal could rear its ugly head.
She set quill to paper and began;
Dear Sombra,
Something urgent has come up since your return to Equestria. We wish to speak with you forthwith, whenever you have an available chance in the near future. Tis a scandal, we tell you, but let us discuss this when we arrive. You will get this letter while I am on my way.
Yours Truly,
Luna, aka Moonbutt.
The shaken Princess put her cloak on and had her personal Lunar Guards fly her to the Umbrum Empire right away. The Doctors there could be trusted to keep secrets and this way, she would be that much closer to the sire of her foal.
King Sombra was surprised to see a scroll appear on his bed as he returned from a trip to the bathroom. As big a surprise was the fact it did not stir the lover he shared his bed with. He chuckled softly, then levitated the scroll and did a double take when he saw the Canterlot Royal Seal.
He went to sit by the balcony door, to read the letter by moonlight. Quickly and quietly, he read the letter and quickly dropped it as the news sunk in. Luna was going to be arriving shortly and he didn’t want her to be kept waiting!
His Shadow Guards saw him leave his room like his tail was on fire, zooming down the hall past where they stood watch.
“Sire are you alright?” Shadow Flair had to ask, running after him.
“Princess Luna is arriving here very shortly and she seems upset, judging from the letter I just got. Please escort her to my Office when she arrives!"
By this point Sombra had reached his aides bedroom as was hammering on the door.
"What is going on- your majesty? Why on Equestria are you in such a flap?"
"Princess Luna is on her way and she sounds worried. I need you to ready a room for her and please let me know when she arrives.” King Sombra said to his loyal assistant.
Page rubbed his eyes, seeing the very real concern on the Kings face. He nodded, assuring the monarch he'd get right on it!
"I am....sorry I woke you so abruptly." Sombra said when page came to see him in his office.
"My job is to help you, your majesty. I will be fine with a bit of sleep later."
"Thank you." Sombra said with a sigh of relief.
Princess Luna was feeling horrendously queasy as the chariot lurched through the air, with her clinging tightly onto it. Normally she loved riding her chariot through the starlit sky, but on this night the motion was just too much and she could barely hold her stomach as they descended.
She leapt off the chariot as it landed on the open lawn of the Umbrum Palace gardens and commenced dashing towards the nearest bush. The Lunar Guards traveling with her were alarmed to see their Princess puking like there was no tomorrow in sight.
Luna was relief when it came to an end and she could take a breath. She wobbled a bit across the grass before unfortunately passing out. Her two guards dashed over to her and carried her gently towards the doors leading into the royal palace.
“Princess Luna!” Page Assist cried as he seen her being supported by her two Loyal guards. He'd been pacing here for some time, waiting for the Princess to arrive so he could escort her to the King.
“Ohh, this is bad, what will King Sombra say about this?” Page Assist fretted, very panicked over this sudden turn of events.
“Bring her to the suit on the floor below his majesty's rooms and have the Doctor sent to see her immediately. I will alert his highness of what has happened!"
He ran off as fast as his hooves could carry him, heart in his throat. What was wrong with the Princess?
Shadow Flair had the Lunar Guards carry Luna to the guest room Page had mentioned.
“She shall be alright, Page Assist has gone to get the King and the Doctor will be along shortly. Your Princess will be in excellent hooves.”
The Lunar guard nodded, expressing their thanks.
Page Assist charged into the Kings office, startling the monarch, who whirled to face him, a question on his lips. But he didn't voice it, for Page cut him off-
“Sire, something dreadful has happened! Princess Luna fainted upon arrival here and is in a guest room waiting for the Doctor to arrive. She was being most horribly sick according to her guard!”
Page Assist said all this in a rush, looking up at his King to gauge his reaction.
"Luna is sick-? Oh no..."
King Sombra left his office in a hurry, racing through the empty corridors towards the room location Page had shouted after him as he'd fled the office. He was anxious to see how the Lunar Princess was doing after such a rough trip. He knew Princess Celestia would be extremely alarmed if anything were to happen to her precious little sister. He wondered was this related to the letter Luna had sent him.
Princess Luna woke up to feel herself being poked and prodded at.
"Who is there?" She blurted sleepily, looking around her.
The Doctor was relieved to see her awake at last.
“Princess Luna, it's alright. Try not to worry, you fainted and were brought here so I could examine you. Do you know where you are?"
"We are in the Umbrum Kingdom, no? That is where we were heading.." Luna said and the doctor confirmed this with a nod.
"I have some news for you, Princess. I did some quick tests on you and my evidence indicates that you are with foal. That is the reason why you got so violently sick and passed out when the chariot landed.”
King Sombra entered the room in time to hear this and was floored by what the Doctor had just said to the Princess.
“Luna, was this what you wanted to talk to me about?” He asked as he sat beside the bed, telling the doctor to wait outside. He looked back at Luna, but the mare looked away from him.
“You will find this hard to believe Sombra. We are unsure if you remember it, we know your trauma clouded many a memory of the time before, but you and we once had a romance going, in the past.” Luna said this with tears in her tired eyes.
“We had like only barely known that we were pregnant and undoubtedly wanted to tell you, but then the madness affected you so we were forced to deal with you. Shortly thereafter, we were sealed away on the moon for our own madness. Celestia does not know this and we dare not tell her, since it will make her feel even worse than she already is for sending us to the moon in the first place.”
King Sombra gave Luna a hug, since he could indeed recall that had once had interest in her, those 1000 years ago. He would have married her back then, but Celestia had forbidden it.
“It is alright Luna, I will give whatever support you need. Please forgive me when I say that I have no interest in a formal marriage, but I will help you out for as long as you need me.”
He sighed softly, feeling guilty since he did not love her like he once did in the past.
“You are of course aware that I already have a lover, for you helped bring us together and it would not be fair to him if I chose to wed another.”
Luna gave the worried King a gentle smile "it is alright Sombra. We would not force you and your beloved Draconequus to part. We are grateful for your help and would like you to meet your foal."
"I'd like that." Sombra said softly, petting her hoof gently. Luna looked vastly relieved and dozed off moments later, the burden lifted for now...
Discord was awake and hovering outside the door by the time King Sombra entered the guest bedroom to speak with Luna. He'd gathered what was going on from Page, who he'd found staggering back to bed.
“Why is Sombra visiting with Moonbutt?” The Draconequus just had to try asking the guards. They frowned at the use of the nickname.
“What!? You know that is true.” Discord said to the frowning guards, rolling his eyes.
"She has the moon on her butt, thus she is Moonbutt..."
He was starting to think he should perhaps shut up when the door clicked open and the pony he'd come seeking exited the bedroom.
King Sombra left the room in a mild state of shock and didn't hear his lover right away.
"Oi, gorgeous!" Discord said louder, rewarded with his precious King finally snapping out of his daze.
"Ah, yes?" The ruler said dazedly.
Discord was about to make a sarcastic quip, but trailed off, worried at how pale Sombra was.
“What's wrong, my dear Sombra?” Discord asked while he followed the dazed King down the hall.
“Discord- Princess Luna is with foal and...I am its sire!"
He heard Discord steps come to a halt and did the same, turning to face the chaos lord.
"Please Don’t get mad. It is apparent that I sired said foal over a thousand years ago. Shortly before my madness...” He said this in a shaky voice, still in a daze.
His stomach cramped, expecting his lover to be upset. But Discord just stared, then abruptly grinned ear to ear.
“Wow, that is one of the longest pregnancies ever, Never a dull moment for us, is there?” Discord surprised the King by laughing instead of being angry. “This is so outright chaotic, I am almost disappointed that it was not my idea to announce.”
He said all this with mock tears in his eyes.
"Then you're not-?" Sombra stammered.
"Mad? Why would I be, my King. This was before I got to have you for my own, I'm not going to judge you..come here."
He seen the look of heart aching relief on his Kings face and beckoned him over. Sombra approached and was swiftly drawn into a passionate kiss, the Draconequus' arms holding him close. He gave a sigh of relief, pressing into the reassuring embrace.
Princess Luna woke up needing to go to the bathroom, though thankfully not to be sick. Afterwards, she sat out on the balcony to do some thinking, since she didn't want to go back to sleep.
She thought about Sombra's response to the news. She could tell he'd been shocked, but he'd vowed he would help her even if he did not have any wish to wed her. Part of her wished he could so she knew her foal would always have its father around, but did she truly have the right to ruin a perfectly good relationship between the King and his Love?
She'd helped bring them together by talking with a nervous Discord in his dreams and encouraging him to confess to the King.
She went back to bed to sleep until close to dawn when she needed to lower the moon. This duty taken care of, she walked out of the room, noting to herself that she was feeling somewhat better that morning, as she called for her guards. This news relieved the Bat Pony Guards immensely...
“We are expecting and will be staying here for the duration of my pregnancy. We do not want our sister to know about this.” Luna said sternly to the two Bat Pony Guards.
"Yes, your highness!" They chorused and Luna sighed in relief. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned round to see Discord standing behind her, grinning.
"Discord," she smiled "good to see you."
Did he know, she wondered? Her question was answered as the Draconequus hugged her happily.
“Congratulations about the bun in the oven, Luna dearest! This is so chaotic, I'm disappointed it wasn't my idea.” Discord said rapidly, while giving Luna a very extended hug.
Princess Luna never expected Discord to be this accepting and studied him thoughtfully as he let her go at last.
“You are not mad that this happened? Sombra is your beloved now, after all?” She asked the chaos being, looking bewildered.
Discord’s nostrils flared a moment, “As I told my King, I'm more than accepting of this, since it happened long before I first dated Sombra. Queen Chrysalis is the one I have a bone to pick with, since she kidnapped and almost married my Sombra against his will.”
Discord waited for Luna to sit down on the couch then gave the Princesses belly a rub.
“Hello little pony, I am your Uncle Discord.” The Draconequus said with a grin of joy.
"Thank you, Discord." Luna said, tears of relief in her eyes. Both Sombra and this chaos beast were being so kind...
"Hay, no tears." Discord scolded gently and Luna smiled in response.
"Atta girl." The Draconequus winked at her then flew away out the window, looking elated.
Princess Celestia raised her Sun before settling down to have her breakfast. She noticed the silence and realised that her sister was absent, which was strange for Luna was always punctual. The moon had been lowered right on schedule with no problem, so Luna was working as hard as she always did...
“I wonder where Luna is?" She frowned, looking over at the maid standing by the door.
"Have any of you seen Lulu today?” She asked while drinking her tea. The maid shook her head, saying she had not and she hadn't heard anything.
Luckily for the sun Princess, Princess Luna had sent a message to her own Captain of the Night Guard. Thus he was there to answer Princess Celestia’s question and put her mind at ease.
“Your Majesty, your sister has gone to visit the Umbrum Empire to see King Sombra.”
Princess Celestia relaxed since she knew her sister had a fondness for the King and would be more than safe there. It was no secret to her that her little Sister had at one time planned to marry the monarch. That had been over a thousand and some years ago, she recalled that she had forbade it.
“Lulu, what are you hiding from me that you would go to the Umbrum Empire without first letting me know?” Celestia sighed, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. She was not proud that she upset her sister back then and harboured a panic she would never make it up to her...
King Sombra sat at his desk in deep thought as Celestia fretted halfway across the land. He knew Princess Luna should not keep her pregnancy a secret from her older sister. As scared as she was of Celestia being mad, she needed her sisters support now more than ever.
Plan in mind, he began writing a letter to Celestia;
Dear Princess Celestia,
Please come to my Palace as soon as you are able, something of importance has come up that needs to be addressed right away. Please could you also bring Tiberius with you, since your sister forgot him upon coming here to see me.
Yours Faithfully,
King Sombra, Ruler of the Umbrum Empire
Sombra sent the letter to Princess Celestia with a flash of his magic, using. A spell she'd given him years ago. He would handle this situation as delicately as was possible so as not to upset the older sister. He was uncertain how Celestia would handle such news and admitted to Discord that it troubled him a bit.
"Aw, Tia's a good sort. She may panic initially but once she calms down she'll do what her sister needs. It'll be Ok.."
Princess Celestia saw a scroll land on her desk as she had a cup of tea. She saw the seal was from Sombra's kingdom and quickly opened it. Upon reading it she relaxed, since Luna was in a safe location, although the urgency of Sombra's tone worried her a bit. Was Luna in trouble? She made up her mind to go there right away, her sister needed her!
Reading the last sentence, she went to her sister's room and smiled as she located Lucas precious pet. Tiberius looked so peaceful, curled up in the custom bed Luna had made for him. Many would find an opossum a strange pet, but Luna doted on him the way Celestia fussed over Philomena.
“Tibbles? Please wake up, we are going on a trip. Lulu wants me to bring you to her.” The opossum woke up at the sound of her voice and yawned deeply. Celestia levitated him onto her back and left the room to go pack. She brought what she thought she'd need and went to find her asssitant.
“Kibitz, please cancel all the appointments for the next two days. I will be at the Umbrum Empire attending to an urgent matter.” Celestia said to the elderly stallion, who raised an eyebrow.
"Get kidnapped again, did he?" He remarked, which made Celestia frown at him. But Kibitz was an odd sort who still regarded Sombra as an oddity he wasn't sure he fully understood. She made sure all affairs were in order before leaving the Castle.
She climbed on her chariot and the two Royal Guard took to the skies.
"Where to, your highness?"
“Head to the Umbrum Kingdom, my friends.”
Luna felt sicker and sicker as evening approached. It would have to be, wouldn't it, that she would suffer evening sickness instead of morning.
She could hold it no longer and once again dashed to the bathroom to be sick. She hiccuped and slumped to the floor, feeling terrible. King Sombra would be expecting her for dinner and she wasn't even well enough to leave her room, let alone stomach anything.
Queasily, she instructed her guards to bring her sincerest apologies to the King, but she would not be attending dinner. Then she crawled back into bed and pulled the covers over her head.
Princess Celestia arrived later that evening and climbed off the chariot in great spirits. She smiled brightly when she saw King Sombra and Discord waiting to welcome her and promptly gave both of her friends a big hug.
“I came as soon as I got your message, Sombra.”
Tiberius woke up on hearing new voices and stretched himself. He glanced up, spotted King Sombra and quickly hid since he was rather intimidating to the little opossum.
King Sombra was stunned to see an opossum. He didn't think Luna's pet would be such an unusual choice, he'd expected. A cat or something like that.
“Is this the Tiberius that Luna told me about?” He asked the sun Prince while the opossum was busy hiding behind Princess Celestia's mane.
Celestia nodded to Sombra, who peered round her in time to meet Tiberius' eyes once more.
“Tiberius, please hop on my back and I will take you right to your mistress.”
Tiberius looked up, seeing this big pony smiling warmly and using his owners name. He climbed up onto King Sombra’s back and the stallion turned to enter the castle. The King got a few funny looks from his staff as he walked by and they seen the opossum nestled atop his broad back, snuggled between the pony's wings.
Sombra heard a few “Awes!” from his staff and felt himself flush slightly.
The Guards outside Luna’s doors let King Sombra in as he approached, recognizing the honored test sat atop his back.
Sombra watched with a smile,as Tiberius hopped onto Luna’s bed. Where was the Princess-?
Right on cue, Sombra heard Luna being violently ill and grew concerned. He had no clue if this was a normal thing for her or any mare to be so ill whilst pregnant.
He hovered anxiously outside the door until Luna left the bathroom, looking even paler than usual. She gave her friend a tired nod before climbing back on her bed. She gave a contented sigh when Tiberius cuddled up to her, curling a hoof around her precious pet.
“Luna, you don’t have to join me for dinner, I don't want you stressing yourself. I will have some tea brought in, that should help soothe your tummy.” Sombra said kindly as he nuzzled her.
“Are you going to be well enough to raise the Moon?” He chanced asking.
Luna snorted a bit at the question.
“I will raise the Moon in a bit and the offer of tea sounds delightful.” Luna said as she stood up and walked onto the balcony. “Your Kingdom is so lovely.”
King Sombra watched as Luna laid herself down outside, raising her wings to give them some air. He grabbed a blanket and draped it over Luna’s shoulders so she wouldn't catch cold.
The Moon Princess gave a contented sigh and watched as King Sombra left her room to give her some peace. The King was still as charming as he had been over a thousand years ago. She could understand Discord's intense love for the stallion, he had a way of making you feel so special.
King Sombra entered the dining room and smiled at Princess Celestia, who was busy chatting away with Discord. He noticed how relaxed the Princess was and it pleased him since talking to her would be easier with her in a cheerful mood.
“Where is Luna? I would have thought she would be here to join us for dinner.” Celestia said, looking puzzled.
“I am afraid your Sister couldn’t join us for dinner for she is feeling quite under the weather.” King Sombra’s response, couple with his calm expression baffled her somewhat.
“Sombra, what is going on? Luna left the Castle with no warning to come here. Is she in some sort of trouble and afraid to tell me?” Celestia said nervously, whilst trying to hide her intense concern for her little sister.
“I will tell you in my office after Dinner, I promise.” Sombra said as pleasantly as he could with all the things on his mind. He felt a familiar tail brush against his leg and recognized a case of excited fidgets. He had a funny feeling that Discord was up to something and gave his love a warning glance.
Discord was about to spill the beans and let the news loose, when he got a look from his lover. He was good at reading Sombra’s moods after all their time together and decided to behave himself, not wanting to be denied some good old "fun" later with his stallion.
“Excuse me, while I go outside for a bit.” Discord said as he left the Dining Room.
Celestia blinked and Sombra just gave a faint smile and shrugged.
Princess Luna woke up feeling somewhat better and made the Moon rise just as her sister lowered the Sun. She had no idea that her sister was in the castle yet as she went back inside her room and saw the tea sitting on a tray on her beside table. She was feeling hungry for the first time all day, so she headed down to the kitchen.
The cook was delighted to see the Princess up and about after how ill she'd been. He asked what did she fancy, but Luna was not sure quite what she wanted to eat.
“Please send something light to my room, I will be dining in there.” Luna stated at last, before heading back to the Guest Room.
Back in her room, Princess Luna entered the bathroom to take a nice long shower. She used the fruity shampoo left out for her and giggled a bit since it was so pretty smelling. It smelled a little like Sombra did and she guessed this was his personal supply. She left the bathroom feeling better and saw the plate of sandwiches that she had asked for. She would do her Dream Walking duty shortly, but for now she had a few hours still, to do what she liked.
Discord, for once, actually bothered to knocked on her door before entering.
Princess Luna wanted to snort at the intrusion but stopped short when Discord presented her with not only a book of foal names, but a shirt that had the words “Bun In the Oven” written on it.
“Truce, we both love our dear King Sombra and it’s in his best interests that we get along. Right now, that silly pony is stressed out over many things that have happened to him lately. The worst thing being that he was kidnapped by the changelings and almost married to Queen Chrysalis. I know you would never harm him, but I can't help think about his safety constantly. I won't lose him again...”
“We heard about that incident," Luna nodded in understanding "Queen Chrysalis is a despicable creature for nearly ruining the lives of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. She hurt my sister, too.”
Luna sighed as she ran a hoof against her lower belly. “I just hope sister will enjoy being an aunt, for I have no regrets having this foal. I want the foal to know his/her father, but I am not trying to interfere with your love life.”
Luna said this with tears in her eyes. She was fighting her hormones and not really winning that battle. She shook her head, embarrassed since she was showing tears to a former enemy.
Discord was feeling out of his element, seeing Luna sobbing. He lifted her up and nuzzled her mane.
“You use the same shampoo as Sombra.” He said with a chuckle.
He snapped his fingers and the shirt went on Luna’s body. She gasped in outrage, since she didn’t want to be seen with it on. She huffed, puffed and finally wriggled free, tossing the shirt onto the bed.
Far from being annoyed, Discord just laughed since Luna was being kinda silly in his opinion. Luna glowered at him but there was a trace of a smile on her face.
Princess Celestia went to King Sombra’s office with him after Dinner. She was eager to know what was going on with her Sister. Sombra made her some tea then moved to stand on the other side of the table.
“You are no doubt wondering why Luna came here instead of seeking your advice. It is quite simple, she is very uneasy over the current situation as you forbade us from marrying in the past. She is here because something unforeseen happened back then. Luna and I were typical young lovers, both of reckless and foolish. We put the cart in front of the pony, so to speak.”
Sombra sighed anxiously, coughed and looked Princess Celestia in the eye.
“Your sister came to me, since the aforementioned thing happened and she needed my comfort. You see....you are going to be an Aunt.” He said this last bit rather rapidly, biting his lower lip with his sharp teeth as he finished.
Celestia was silent for several agonizing seconds as she worked through it.
“I see!” Princess Celestia said at last, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the news. She was responsible for what had happened to Sombra and her sister all that time ago and now this news was a bit of a slap to her muzzle. But she could see Sombra's worry, sensed he was caring for Luna even with his love no longer lying with her.
“I am not going to condemn either of you for this, for I bear as much blame. Just be good to my sister, Sombra. She has already had a rough 1000 plus years.”
Princess Celestia had to fight tears that were trickling down her cheeks as she addressed Sombra.
“I will not force either of you to marry, I cannot tear you and your special someone apart. Just be good to my Niece or Nephew, spend a little time with them.”
She felt forelegs wrap around her in a hug and looked up, seeing a smiling King Sombra.
“I am going to help Luna raise the foal when it is born, since that is my duty as a parent. Discord has made it known he is tickled pink about being an Uncle, that kid will have the time of its life. He is with Lulu at the moment, I believe.”
While they were talking, Luna and Discord were heading towards the kitchen. Discord realised too late the route they took went right past Sombra's office door. He tried to get Luna to backtrack but she merely looked at him funny then stubbornly stalked ahead.
She soon froze however, when she heard the familiar voices of King Sombra and her Sister! She turned pale and would have bolted back to the room had Discord not grabbed her.
“Let us go, Discord!” Luna bellowed.
“Luna, your sister already knows the truth. She snot going to be upset...” Discord said, trying his best to calm the mare down.
Princess Luna stopped wriggling and realized she needed to face this. She entered the office and dashed over to her big sister.
Princess Celestia nuzzled and hugged her tightly. “Lulu, you should have told me. Am I that unapproachable that you would hide such big news from me?”
“We are sorry Tia, we were scared and remembered what you said in the past. We don’t want to lose our foal.” The younger sister wailed as she buried her face in Celestia's mane.
Celestia ran a hoof gently against her sister’s mane, like she had when they were kids. “You have nothing to worry about Lulu, I look forward to meeting my Niece or Nephew in a few moons.”
Luna was so relieved it was several minutes before she would let go of her big sister. Celestia assured her she'd come running if Luna needed her, she was just a letter away!
Princess Luna, King Sombra and Discord all watched as Celestia climbed back onto her chariot out in the gardens.
“Please write to me with any updates. If you need anything, just ask!” She said her farewells as her guards took to the skies.
King Sombra and Discord each had an arm around Luna, securing the petite Princess who had stolen both their hearts.
A few moons went by and Luna’s swollen belly was really starting to stand out. The Lunar Princess was also very sensitive and one wrong comment could send her into a fierce rage.
Most of the time she was easy going, but if you were to mention how big she looked- that was a different kettle of fish. Discord and King Sombra were both walking around on eggshells around her, doing everything to keep her calm.
It was on one of those mornings when Princess Luna’s water finally broke.
She was having her Dinner in the AM, King Sombra was joining her, eating a healthy meal of scrambled eggs, pancakes and sausages. When he heard a splash, his eyes became pin pricks. He looked slowly under the table and seen the water dripping onto the floor from where Luna sat eating.
He sat back up and saw a look of pain enter her eyes. “Ugh, please let our Sister know that she is needed!"
Lady Umbra, Sombra's mother, saw the pain in Luna’s eyes and knew she was in for a few hours of excitement and chaos. This was the first Royal birth in forever and she wanted to make sure things went as smoothly as they possibly could. She helped Luna to get to the room that was set up for her in anticipation of this day.
King Sombra was pacing like mad in his office as his mother took care of the Princess. Discord was away visiting Fluttershy at the moment, so he was in a state of panic and all on his own.
“Why the buck do these things always happen whenever Discord goes to see our friend!?” He groaned.
Princess Celestia arrived not long after she got Sombra's emergency letter. She looked pretty flustered, since she had had next to no time to get ready for the day.
“I came as fast as I could, the moment I got your message. Has she had the foal yet?” Tia said in a rush, practically dancing on the spot she was so anxious, as nervous as King Sombra was at the moment.
“The foal has not arrived yet. My mother is keeping me updated, so I can do paperwork- Buck it! I am taking the rest of the day off to be with Luna.” King Sombra said on a sudden impulse, as he galloped out of his office followed shortly by Princess Celestia.
Princess Celestia watched Sombra pace back and forth outside the birthing room some minutes later.
“I should be in there with Luna, not waiting out here.” King Sombra practically snarled. He was trying his best to remain calm at the moment, but wasn't faring so well.
Discord was having tea with Fluttershy when Twilight Sparkle showed up in an obvious hurry.
“Discord! I just got word from King Sombra that Princess Luna just went into labor.”
“Buck! That silly King will blame me for this happening. Every time I come to Ponyville, something happens in the Umbrum Kingdom. Fluttershy dear, I'm afraid I must call our visit short, since I promised Sombra I would be there for him when this happened.”
Discord hugged her goodbye, then snapped his fingers and vanished, making Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy blink.
Discord appeared next to King Sombra and hugged the silly stallion before he wore a hole into the floor.
“I go see Fluttershy and all sorts of things happen. Never a dull moment for you.” He teased.
Sombra was delighted to see Discord back. “I am glad that my message got to Princess Twilight Sparkle that quickly. I knew she would get a hold of you, fast. Luna is in the birthing room with my Mother at the moment.” He did his best at hiding his anxiety from his love. But failed.
“Silly Sombra, there is no fooling yours truly, you know that! I can read you like a book, remember? I know how you feel at the moment but I am sure Lulu is just fine. The alicorn in her will make things a bit easier.”
Discord saw a dozy Princess Celestia with bedhead and cackled with delight.
“Digging the new 'do, Tia.” He hugged the Solar Princess, since she was just as bedraggled and anxious as his Sombra was.
Lady Umbra left the birthing room and saw Discord hugging and snuggling her son.
“Child, Luna is in good hooves. No need to be fretting like you are.” She assured him, Sombra was the typical worried stallion.
Lady Umbra gave her son a gentle hug, before returning back to Luna.
“Sombra, you know you can be in the room with Luna. I am sure she would appreciate you being in there with her.” Celestia spoke up, Discord nodding.
King Sombra turned white as a sheet, at the thought of being there. He didn't know what to do now he thought about it. “Ahh, what if I am a nuisance?” He whined a bit but Discord kissed him and ushered him towards the the room.
The monarch paced a bit, then entered the room cautiously. His ears pinned back and his display of anxiety was apparent with his wings.
Princess Luna was panting with exhaustion when Sombra entered the room. The King felt bad that he was responsible for this, so he rested a hoof against Luna's, comforting her when each contraction hit. She abruptly grabbed Sombra’s hoof and demonstrated just how strong she really was and Sombra practically yelped from the strength of her grip.
Lady Umbra saw the foal crowning and smiled. “Okay Luna, I want you to push. The foal is eager to meet you!"
Luna panted and pushed harder but the pain was really getting to her.
“One more push and he will be free!" Umbra encouraged.
Princess Luna screamed her lungs out as the foal finally came into the world. Lady Umbra cleaned him up and cooed since the little prince was adorable. He was charcoal grey with hints of a black mane. She just knew he was going to grow up looking like his daddy.
“Congratulations, you have a son.” She said smiling up at the two parents.
Luna was exhausted but had strength enough to smile at her newborn, he was every bit as precious as she had hoped. Sombra gave her a nuzzle and smiled down lovingly at his son.
“Welcome to the world, Night Blaze.”
The tired King left the birthing room so the doctor and his mother could clean Luna up and check his son over. He smiled at Celestia and Discord, who both looked eager for news.
“We have a son, he looks quite a bit like me.” Sombra stammered out as he hugged Celestia and kissed Discord since he was so happy.
“Did you already name him?” Celestia asked as the lovers finished their sweet kiss.
“Yes, his name is Umbra Night. That was the name Luna thought up. Had it been a filly she would have been called Aurora Blaze, that being the name I picked.”
Sombra sat down and looked at his bruised hoof. “Did you know Luna had such a strong grip? I did not. Page Assist, let everyone know that I am going to give a speech tonight. The Kingdom must know of this joyous event.”
Page Assist took a note and left the area to give word to the other staff members. Their King would be making a speech that night concerning the new royal.
That night Discord, Celestia, Sombra and Luna were dressed up for the speech that would take place in Rainboom Stadium. Luna had been given lots of magic to help her be strong enough for the event. Rainbow Dash and the others in the mane six were present. That Pinkie Pie had managed to whip up a party with so little notice earned Sombra's amazement and praise. King Sombra saw the Banners, food and party favors.
“Wow, this is so much more than I expected with such little notice on my part.” He said, amazed at Pinkies ability.
All the Umbrum, Zebras and citizens of the Umbrum Empire were present at the stadium, it was crowded to maximum capacity. Clouds were needed for the extra pegasii to sit upon. King Sombra looked at the crowd and gulped, since he was not used to such epic crowds.
Speech time. He took a deep breath and stepped to the mic.
“Good evening everypony, I am sincerely glad that all of you could make it with such short notice. If any pony had told me a few months back that I would be a dad, they would have been laughed at. Today I am the father of a beautiful colt, Prince Umbra Night.”
Sombra paused a moment since his nerves were still frazzled.
“Discord and Princess Celestia have been very supportive of Luna and I these last few months. Discord going beyond the point of dedication, for as you are aware, he and I are in love. He was beyond kind when the history Luna and I once shared came to light, I owe him my gratitude. Thank you, my love." He looked over his shoulder at Discord, who blushed happily but beamed.
"When Princess Luna came to us at the start of her pregnancy, she was distraught since she was once the feared Nightmare Moon and had her worries. Her stay on the moon delayed a child created by our nights together back then. She has found acceptance in our Empire and She is welcome to remain here as long as she wishes, the choice is hers.” Sombra smiled at all those present. “Please stay for a party that Pinkie Pie planned for this occasion and again thanks for coming.”
The crowds cheered, many waving banners with moons on. They knew their King to be an open minded and gentle individual. If he was supporting his former flame, then they were happy for him!
King Sombra got off the stage as Rainbow Dash shot into the air and did the famed sonic rainboom. He smiled but resisted the urge to yawn, since the day had been eventful and he was eager to see his little Prince.
A new chapter was unfolding and that made him smile even more.
Author's Note
I would like to thanks Pixel_Spark for helping me edit my story. The use of Umbrum Kingdom, Page Assist, Infinitum and Lady Umbra are from Pixel_Sparks stories. She does great stories and I am happy that she allowed me to use her Characters. ~Lady Umbra
