“The forehooves are out your Majesty” reassured the pony midwife to the concerned entourage surrounding the straining Princess.
Luna was half kneeling on her forelegs with her rear legs braced hard against the effort of pushing her foal out. The forehooves of her precious child appeared covered in an opaque membrane, as if gift wrapped for the waiting world.
Ears pinned back, the Princess of the Night bit down hard as a mixture of tears and sweat rolled down her muzzle, the sensation in her hindquarters being unlike anything she had experienced before. Gasps through her gritted teeth were punctuated only by agonised moans that coincided with her regular contractions.
She pressed her jaw hard onto the floor as a way of somehow trying to alleviate the pain she felt, eyes screwed shut with the crystallising tracks of fresh tear stains standing out in sharp relief against her midnight blue fur. She started to try and speak, but whatever she wanted to convey was just lost in a deep throated scream.
All those around had seen this drama play out a hundred times before, but even then, emergence of a new life was always something to be celebrated. For this particular birth the most experienced medical personnel in all of Equestria were there on hoof, each ready at short notice to exercise their own specialism in the event that it may be needed to make sure that the arrival of the Royal foal would be something that the whole of Equestria could rejoice in.
“I … I’ve got to lay on my side” she gasped “It’s too much…”
Quickly, space was made for her with medical staff ready to catch her and ensure that neither she nor her eagerly awaited heir could be injured during the transition to her laying position.
Through the pain, she felt her weight now resting on her side and it took her back fleetingly to times a year ago when they had lain together, joined in thoughts and emotions. He had been a controversial choice for a potential mate, and based on their first meetings nopony would have ever considered that romance could have bloomed, but somehow it had. They had grown to see each other through their similarities rather than just their differences, each facing a similar struggle to be accepted and within that understanding they had discovered a bond that had blossomed.
Celestia had been against the match as Luna knew she would be, but because of the events that had led to the rise of Nightmare Moon and Luna’s banishment, Celestia was determined not to act in haste and have both of them turn against her. It had been a difficult call for her to make, but she had eventually stood by her sister as she was now watching the foal being born.
The sharpness of renewed contractions snapped Luna from her reverie and she cried in pain as the head began to appear briefly before retreating to wait for a stronger contraction. Celestia had witnessed countless births during her lifetime but this was the first occasion she had been so wrapped up in the process and wanted desperately to intervene to help, but knew those around her sister were much more qualified to provide whatever monitoring and intervention as was necessary. Self-discipline held her reluctantly at a respectful distance as all she could do was watch.
It was uncertain how much of a role the father would be permitted to play in the foal’s upbringing, but the potential for sowing unity could not be overlooked; he was at least to all appearances a reformed character after all. Looking on, Celestia appreciated with some trepidation that this stage may well be the easiest part of the foal’s upbringing. Although in many ways she would have wished the foal to be have been sired by another stallion, any other stallion in fact, she as the inveterate politician could see the benefits of this unlikely union.
Another sharp gasp from Luna heralded another contraction rippling through her body and the head came out a little further. The midwife continued giving her reassuring commentary to the teams poised around the midnight blue mare, all the doctors present taking their cues from her as the most experienced foaling pony present.
An involuntary cry echoed around the birthing suite followed by a few uncontrolled sobs as the foal’s head came out, Luna’s heavy panting indicating that she could feel the shoulders were waiting for the next contraction. It was difficult to see through the protective membrane, but Celestia thought she could see a stubby little horn, a feature that she had been expecting, given the father.
Their courtship had been undertaken in secret, away from disapproving eyes. Fittingly, their first meetings had been at night under the protective cloak of darkness. She had initially been on her guard, expecting some kind of trickery and so their first meeting had been tense. As a gesture of friendship and trust, he invited her to walk into his dreams to satisfy herself that he was not a threat. She did this and found to her surprise a stallion who for all his outward appearance was deeply lonely and what was more, held her in very high regard.
Their next meeting had not been until a week later, giving her a chance to roam freely through his dreams as he had suggested. The more she looked, the more she saw a side to him that nopony else had ever seen and began to respect him as a pony who, like her, had made some bad decisions and was now reformed. When he returned a week later, they began afresh on a new footing, each sharing aspects of their lives that mirrored each other. Their meetings became more frequent and it wasn’t long before she started feeling something more for him than she had ever thought possible.
With a loud scream, the shoulders came through, just as the midwife’s assistant was sponging down Luna’s face. She was panting heavily and shouted something most unladylike to satiate the pain at the other end of her body. The midwife with the sponge did not even flinch; she was familiar with such outbursts and had heard far worse words before, although the full Royal Canterlot Voice did take her a little by surprise.
Luna had pretty much had enough and opened her eyes, shooting a desperate glance at the medical staff in between contractions; a look that shouted ‘Get this over with!’ far louder than even her Royal Canterlot Voice could muster. Everypony present knew that such a request was unlikely to be granted as based on established knowledge; she could reasonably expect a further ten minutes or more before the foal was finally delivered.
She had found him to be a surprisingly caring lover and the closer they became, the more she had sensed a need in him, a need to share of themselves and create a lasting monument of their union. Luna had agreed only to think about it, but the more she thought, the more she could see a positive outcome; sure, there would be difficulties to overcome, especially at the beginning, but she believed they would soon pass. She consented.
With the torso through, another loud scream ricocheted off the walls as the foal’s hips lined up to wait their turn to come out.
Luna’s next contraction resulted in her shouting words from olde Canterlot, words familiar to anypony who had lived there at the time and nowadays only the few scholars who studied the swear words of the period. Celestia blushed.
The foal hadn’t moved. Even though she didn’t need to, the midwife informed the entourage that this was quite normal. Although none needed to be told, the midwife’s soothing and self-assured tones allowed a feeling of calm to prevail.
After two more contractions, Luna emitted a loud gasp of relief as the foal was finally ejected from within her, and gave a few deep uncontrollable sobs in recognition that her ordeal was finally over. Unseen, behind her, a new life took its first breath.
Despite her exertions, Luna forgot the pain she had been through and turned to meet her foal. It was a unicorn of a similar dusky blue that Luna had been immediately following her release from Nightmare Moon by Twilight Sparkle and the Elements of Harmony.
With a successful delivery behind them and the latest addition to Equestrian Royalty safe, everypony relaxed and all eyes turned to view the idyllic scene of maternal bliss as Princess Luna bent down to the newborn and gave it a gentle nuzzle. In response, its innocent eyes flickered open.
A shocked gasp echoed around the room.
The foal's eyes were a striking red with blue eye smoke, just like its father.
King Sombra now had an heir within the Royal Family of Equestria.
