TIDAL POV

The rising sun woke me from my slumber as I got off the guest bed and reluctantly embraced the morning. My armour was almost completely destroyed from my battle with Shining, with a missing chestplate, cracks within every remaining piece, and torn clothing, so instead I dressed in a spare tank top, white cargos and boots and walked out of the spare room ready to seize the day. Passing by the meeting room, I saw Windy and Rainbow passed out on the floor "I swear the kitchen was around this corner..." I murmured, ignoring their pathetic, drunken state, and making my way to the kitchen for something decent to eat "Has Twilight even stocked up her kitchen with anything?" I said to myself as I entered. Inside, I saw Noire, dressed in a simple blue t-shirt and black jeans, making himself a cup of coffee. I yawned, which gained his attention and he greeted me in a tone which screamed half-asleep.

"Oh, morning Tidal. Sleep well?" he asked, yawning loudly.

"Surprisingly well considering this castle came out of the ground just yesterday. Speaking of, was all of this here before or after?" I asked with genuine curiosity. You could get all the scientists, scholars, and magic-users you could, but no matter how you argue it, magic is just weird sometimes.

"After. Pinkie brought this all over during the party. Still questioning how she got all of this but at this point, I'm too tired to think," he said as he took a sip of his coffee "Want a cup?" I nodded as a took a seat on a wooden dinner table. I stopped and looked at the table, which seemed to stand out amongst the crystalline kitchenware "Don't ask about that. I'm just as confused." Noire brought me a cup and sat down beside me. As we sat together, sipping away at our coffee, I noticed a familiar scent on him. He reeked of cotton candy. I snorted, trying to hold back my laughter.

"Smells like you had a long night~" I said, wiggling my eyebrows at him. He rolled his eyes and took another long sip of coffee.

"Yes, I did. Cadance can be very... persistent when she wants to. I only got an hour's worth of sleep before that stupid ball of fire tried to burn my eyeballs," I chuckled at that. It was true that Celestia's sun did always seems to be angle itself just right to have a clear shot of one's face during one's slumber. It was very annoying and wouldn't be surprised if the long lines of ponies at court were angry, totally not morning ponies. "Speaking of Cadance, I told her about what we did back in the Dragonlands. Everything," I held my breath for what felt like an eternity before he finished his coffee "She was surprised we didn't do it sooner." I almost blew coffee out my nose, coughing up a storm "Yeah, when your marefriend is the princess of love, you should expect her to pick up on these types of things."

"So, are we, is 'us', a thing?" Noire held my hand and looked at me lovingly. Those perfect, black eyes were enough, speaking volumes in seconds. I wrapped my hands around his and leaned in for a kiss. He welcomed it eagerly, gently meeting me in a soft, but beautiful kiss that sent shivers running through every part of my being. I felt tears of pure joy run down my face. With every tear, a weight was removed from my shoulders as I leaned more into the kiss. My hands found their way underneath Noire's shirt, feeling his toned body like a mare in heat. Only the sound of somepony's gasping broke us out of our embrace.

"Noire! Tidal!" In the doorway, we found a small crowd of ponies watching. Cadance was in the background, smirking like the devil while Windy and Rainbow had started cheering and Twilight looked like she was having a mental breakdown. I stared at Noire, and back to them, blushing madly. Noire, however, was perfectly composed as if he was expecting this.

"Anyone want a cup?"

As soon as we arrived back in the Crystal Empire, a thought ran through my mind as quickly as the stomach pain that surged through me so suddenly 'I hope the egg hasn't been giving you too much trouble.' Those words rang in mind as the pain began to swell like a growing balloon in my body, stretching me out as I exited the train. I tried my best to overcome it. It should have been easy- I had experienced more pain from even greater threats in those two days than most. I was a general, a member of the Wave family! I should've been fine... but I wasn't. Clutching my belly, I tapped Noire on the shoulder, gaining his attention. I leaned in and whispered in his ear "Something's been bothering me for a while. Can we stop by Curdle when we get back to the castle?" Noire responded with a thumbs up and looked down at my hand, holding my stomach.

"An injury from Shining?" he asked in a low voice.

"This has been bothering me ever since the battle at Canterlot. Can't be that." While we were talking, we failed to notice a white blur rush past the crowds of ponies and between the two of us. Once the blur had entered our conversation, we turned to meet an ecstatic Doctor Curdle holding a syringe in her hand.

"So, it's true you've changed on your little trip. Significant growth, minor hair colour change, more defined muscles. I wonder..." she played around with the syringe, waving it around like a toy "You wouldn't mind if I took just a little..." Before she could proceed, a hand belonging to Burning grabbed the syringe out of her hand. She pouted at him, but his stoic expression was unchanging as he silently reprimanded her.

"It's good to have you all back. Especially you, Princess." Cadance, who was quietly hanging in the back, sorting out her unkempt mane, perked up "You have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. Ayra has already cleaned your office so it would be easier for you," he said with a hint of humour in his voice. Cadance groaned as she walked onwards to the castle as everypony else followed behind. I was glad to see that not much had changed but also glad to see how things had changed for the better. Burning actually showing a sense of humour, Windy acting slightly more mature than usual, and Noire, the once inexperienced rookie, was now my slightly more experienced rookie who had saved the world. Of course, he was much better than a rookie then, but where was the adorable, and kind of seductive, nickname in Noire?

Back at the castle, Curdle, Noire and I split off from the group to run some tests. Cadance was quickly met by a worried Ayra, who hugged her tightly and asked repeatedly if she was okay and left to make a start on the paperwork she had neglected. On our way to the medical ward, I had discussed with Curdle all my symptoms since the battle at Canterlot, random migraines, unbearable stomach pain and vomiting. At first, it was minor but after going to the Dragonlands, they had just gotten worse. Curdle listened attentively, noting all of my symptoms, and by the time we were at her private area in the medical ward, she had prepared an analysis spell. However, she was very uncomfortable, even scared, while she was preparing. Almost like she was reassuring herself i would be fine. That look of anxiety irked me and was not going to let up as she turned to us to explain the procedure.

"This should notify me if anything that shouldn't be in your body is there and give some clue as to what we're dealing with here. At best, it's just a bug and will pass by soon. At worst... a tumour." Both Noire and I shuddered at the possibility.

"Tumour?" I thought to myself "It couldn't be that, right?" Curdle started the spell and released a wide, blue ray of magic from her horn. It slowly scanned my body, working its way down from my horn. The sensation was uncomfortably cold, causing my whole body to shiver while it descended until it reached halfway down my body. The ray turned red and Curdle disengaged the spell "What was that?" I asked, growing even more worried by the second.

"It appears to be something in your..." Curdle coughed into her hand "...uterus," The silence that lingered after that word was practically feasting off our shock, pouring from our open jaws "However, the spell wasn't able to identify if whatever it is could be malignant so I'll just do a manual scan and we should have the full picture." As she went into her drawers for some equipment, I felt my hand around Noire's and gripped it tightly like he was the last living thing I was going to see. We didn't share words as neither of us felt anything would improve or worsen the situation. We just held hands and prayed.
"Just to lighten the mood, are you two dating 'cause you two look like you just got married," Curdle asked while roaming through her drawers, fetching out a small device that looked like a paint roller with a magic gem in the centre.

"We're dating," Noire immediately answered.

"Well damn, if I knew you were about that life, I might ask to join during heat next month," I mentally cursed when I realised that heat was next month. That was always the most embarrassing part of the year for me. Two weeks of enduring an incredibly enhanced libido, changing clothes every hour, and all of this while balancing the roles of a general. A recipe for disaster. I had heard some of the mares call me 'Typhoon Tidal' as no-one was safe from my angry outbursts, not even the princesses. I was snapped out of my daydreaming by Curdle who was pulling up my tank top to reveal my belly, which seemed...larger than before. Curdle began rolling the device up and down my belly, running it all the way down to my region. Noire looked away but a tickling sensation began to consume me, alerting his attention. I had to cover my mouth to stop myself but Noire had already taken notice. I saw him smirk, mentally saving that information. After a couple minutes of torture, she removed the device from my belly and plugged it into a monitor which produced a picture of my uterus. Curdle covered her mouth to stop a gasp and turned back around to face us with her head down low to meet eye level with me and fidgeting with her fingers.

"G-give it to me straight, Curdle. What is it?" I said, trying to sound composed, but came out in breaks and high pitches. Curdle sighed before answering.

"It seems to be a malignant tumour, but from the way it's located on your uterine lining and growth estimates, it looks to be a... baby. A changeling baby."

SHINING POV

When I woke up, I was greeted by the cold, dark roof of a room in Grim's castle. At first, I was unsure where I was until I sat up and felt a weight on my legs. It was my queen, sleeping like an angel on my lap, quietly snoring. This was a rare sight to see such a vulnerable side of Chrysalis, a rarity I got to experience every morning. As I ran my hand through her long, green mane, she began to stir and woke up to the sight of my pleased grin. She sat up straight and tried to hide her blush, but I knew he loved this just as much as I did. "You're awake. I was so worried when I saw Slenda carrying your bloodied body into the castle. Just what happened in the Dragonlands?" She asked me, genuinely concerned.

"Grim sensed Noire approaching and sent me to stop him, but he was so much stronger than before, surpassing me completely. I even had to use the new chimaera just to gain some advantage. It seems that I haven't gotten fully accustomed to this new body, but soon I will and then put Noire back in his place!" I declared, trying to stand tall but failing miserably. Chrysalis rolled her eyes at me.

"You will, you stallion, but first, you must rest. Your magic reserves are still recovering from feeding that chimaera, which was incredibly reckless, mind you. However," she pushed me back down and began crawling over me like a widow catching it's prey in a web of lust "I think I know just the thing to top you off~" I smirked and began kissing her neck while her hands made their way underneath the sheets to grab my member. I moved away from my love to lift her nightgown from her body, leaving her completely exposed. She aimed my length directly at her entrance "Don't you even think about moving. I'm taking the reins tonight, my sexy stallion," and with one simple motion, she had engulfed it whole. She let out a guttural moan while she began gently bouncing on my length. My hands were begging me to grip something; her breasts, bouncing in rhythm to her siren song of ministrations, her ass, perfectly round and soft like pillows, or at least her face, flushed and beautiful. "Go ahead, Shining. Touch me. I've been waiting for a moment alone with you!" She fondled her right breasts as my hands sprung forward, wrapping themselves around my queen and gripping her ass. She moved even faster, adding some grinding to her dance, and by my queen, they were working. I could barely control myself as I groaned in pleasure while she laughed to herself. She loved seeing me in such as state, completely under her control.

However, I could feel my magic reserves filling back up as I regained feeling in my legs. I didn't let this opportunity go to waste as I took control. As she rose back up to my tip, I tackled her, leaving her below me with the tip hanging above her like a snack out of reach. Chrysalis bit her lip as I forced my way inside her, pounding her lips with renewed vigour. As if scared I would stop, she had wrapped her legs around me, moving in tandem with my thrusts. "I'm close!" I managed to say as I grunted, feeling a wave of cum rushing to the tip. I tried to hold it back as I knew her situation with children.

"Don't worry! J-just do it, fill me up, you handsome stallion you! My king!" Those last words pushed me over the edge as my cum erupt, filling my queen with savoury goodness. Satisfied, I rolled over and held my love in my embrace. However, her sombre look convinced me that there was something that irked her, leaving her too distracted to feel pleasured.

"Is something wrong, Chryssy?" I asked, curious as to what left her unable to feel my embrace. Chrysalis rolled over to look me in the eye, those precious jewels threatening to water.

"I miss my children..." she said, hiding her face in my chest "I know about my promise to Grim. I can't have any more children until his goal is complete. I honestly don't care for his 'reset': I just want is for my kind to know peace for once." I silently listened to her lament, stroking her hair once again "I know I had to destroy my own kind to prove my loyalty, but a part of me screamed to stop. Yet another said they were all going to die anyway. Whether it was by starvation or by my own hand, the current changeling race was destined to suffer from this damn world and its creatures." She paused for a moment, catching her breath "So why do I hate myself so much," she finished, her voice shaky and breaking at every chance. I didn't say anything as I knew there was nothing I could say now to ease her suffering. I simply held her as she sobbed.

"Please don't do anything that reckless again, Shining. I don't want to lose the last person I have left."

"I won't, my love." We fell asleep holding each other tight, like we were going slip away in our dreams. However, I knew we could only dream of us.

NOIRE POV

The news had hit us like a freight train, leaving us breathless while Curdle continued to explain the situation. However, Tidal was hardly even there, looking like her soul had been stripped of her body. "I know this is hard for you to hear but please, Tidal, you need to hear this," Tidal said nothing and before anyone else could convince her she teleported out of the room. Both of us sighed, expected such a reaction from her. "Are you going to follow her?" Curdle asked.

"No. I think she needs some space to process this. Plus, someone needs to listen to this. So, what's her condition? Will she live?" I asked. At first glance, I may have appeared to be the calm one, but inside I was terrified, my hands shaking with both fear and anger.

"She'll be fine for now, but these symptoms will keep getting worse as the egg grows. I'm afraid that if she gives birth she'll..." She could barely get the words out, covering her mouth and sobbing to herself. I didn't want to cry. I had just realised my love for her.

"Can we save her?" I said, taking a seat in front of Curdle, holding her hand to soothe her. She wiped the tears from her face as she saw tears threatening to fall from my own.

"Surgery is the only option, but the egg's protective layer is incredibly thin. The smallest mistake could break it anything could happen; we've never seen a pony giving birth to a changeling before. Worst case, it would devour her magic to sustain itself as emotion is directly tied to one's magic. Surgery would only be an option once the egg has grown to its full size." Once I had fully absorbed all I needed to hear, I stood up and tracked Tidal's magic, leading me to her room.

"Thank you, Curdle. I appreciate it." That was all I said before teleported to Tidal's room, leaving Curdle alone.

"I hate this part of the job."

Once I arrived in her room, I immediately felt a pillow hit me in the face. It was Tidal, huddled in a ball with a blanket with puffy, red eyes, confirming she had been crying a flood since she left. "Asshole. Don't you know you're supposed to knock first!" she said angrily. Upon closer inspection, I saw that underneath the blanket, she wasn't wearing anything. Nothing but her purple skin. I blushed furiously and turned away. I heard her get out bed and change into something. "You can look now." I turned back around to find her in pink pyjamas. Before I could even to explain, she walked away from me, lying back in bed and covering herself with the blanket "So, what do you want?"

"To talk. There's still a chance to help you. We're expecting-"

"EXPECTING!!?" She yelled, rising out of her sheets like a angry dragon.

"Okay, bad choice of words, but let me finish," Tidal calmed down and sat up, ready to listen "The egg is only going to get bigger until it's ready to... come out, but it can be operated on then. If not, it could kill you." As expected, she only got more agitated by that.

"So why don't we do it now and get it over with?" She asked, growing even more angry until a sting of pain ran through her stomach, causing her to clutch the area in agony. I came closer, taking a seat on the bed next to her. She was shaking immensely but trying to hide it from me. She was terrified. I held her hand and tried to calm her for the rest of what I was about to say.

"If we operate now, the egg could break and kill you immediately. We need to wait until it is fully grown to increase the chance of success," I finished. The look of shock and anger I was expecting was replaced with one of endless sorrow. I suddenly felt her tackle me with a strong embrace.

"Why did this have to happen? I had finally moved on from Shining, I had found somepony to love, but now I get the news that I'm going to be carrying a changeling baby that could kill me!? It feels like the universe is conspiring against me! I bet it was that bastard who did this to me! I'll kill that shit stain of a stallion!" She repeatedly hit my chest as she vented out all her frustration. This was different than before, when I had no idea how to approach the situation: I could help her now. I lightly pushed her away so she could see my calm expression. I let my hands cup her cheeks, holding her beautiful face.

"Calm down. The Tidal I know wouldn't be cowering here, complaining about how terrible her life is. I mean, even when she lost her mother, she soldiered on and rose to the rank of a general of the unicorn corps. That's the Tidal I know and love," she frowned slightly, but more due to her realisation that my words rang true "Whatever this egg has in store for you, I know you can handle it. 'Cause you're Tidal Horn. The strongest unicorn in the Crystal Empire." Tidal remained silent for a moment before moving away from me in embarrassment. It was shocking how much of an effect some affection had on her.

"Of course, I know that! It was just a moment of weakness! Believe me when I say this thing won't slow me down even a little bit... but please don't tell anypony else about this. At least until I'm ready. I don't want anypony doting on me or treating me like glass just because I'm...Crap, does this mean I'm actually pregnant or what?" She whispered to herself, but not at a volume that I couldn't hear. I gently placed a hand on her belly, causing her to blush.

"We can call it that if you want. I wonder if this means you'll be getting..." I trailed off as I saw Tidal's expression turn one of unbound fury waiting to be released. I didn't dare finish that sentence and tried to find something to distract her with. I didn't take me long as Tidal let out a strange moan of relief. I was left confused, wondering what provoked such a reaction until I saw my hand, still on her stomach, glowing blue, as well as a feeling of magic leaving my body and entering her.

"Is this-" she moaned once again "-one of your powers? If it is, keep going this is amazing~." As uncomfortable as this was, I obeyed, feeding her my magic, with a suspicion that this was more than a new power.

Author's Note

After several chapters of non-stop plot, I'm slowing things down a bit, and allowing the characters to breathe. Hopefully you enjoyed this none the less, though. Never fear though: there will be set up in the future!

Stay dizzy. Wuzzy out.