Middle-Mare

by Shakespearicles

Epilogue

Previous Chapter

Eight Months Later


Two mares stifled their giggles in the Canterlot hedge maze. Cadance lifted her head out from under Twilight's dress and she wiped her mouth. "You were right," she said. "The taste does change during pregnancy!"

Twilight finished wiping her own mouth and adjusted her dress. "So does yours."

"That is what Shining said last time," Cadance agreed. "Speaking of, he's probably worried sick looking for me. We should head back to the gala."

The two mares exited the maze and crossed the west castle courtyard to get back to the gala hall.

Shining Armor scanned the crowd of ponies with Flurry Heart in a sling strapped to his side. He spotted Cadance and she quickly ate a mint before he rushed through the crowd to her side. "Cadie! There you are! I was worried sick! Where were you? Where did you go? Is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," Cadance said. "I just stepped out with Twilight to get a breath of fresh air."

"Are you feeling nauseous again?" Shining asked.

"I'm fine, really," Cadance insisted. Through the window, they watched Twilight Sparkle walk back over to her seat beside Princess Celestia, who insisted on keeping the young mare off her hooves as much as possible. She fluffed Twilight's pillows and then added several more. Twilight settled in and got off her hooves. The dress draped over her round belly.

Shining shook his head. "I swear, she's the same amount of pregnant as you, to the day!"

Cadance smiled. "I told you, it was probably at the same summit with all those delegates from all over."

"Do you know who it was?" Shining asked.

Cadance just smirked and looked away.

"Do I at least know him?" he asked. But given how many ponies he had come to know, it didn't narrow the list down by much.

"Oh, I should think that you know him quite well," she said in that same coy tone of hers.

"Hmf! Well still, I want to give him a piece of my mind! Knocking her up like that and just leaving her alone!"

"She made it quite clear that it's her choice to raise the foal herself," Cadance reminded him. "And besides..."

A waiter walked over to Twilight with a tray of wine glasses. Twilight politely waved him away. Celestia slapped the tray out of his hooves, sending the wine glasses scattering on the floor. They couldn't hear what Celestia was saying through the window, but her expression was visibly angry. Luna stood up and pointed at Twilight's belly and yelled at the waiter. The rest of Twilight's friends emerged from the crowd and rushed over to the commotion. Starlight surrounded Twilight with a shield. Rarity scooped up the rest of the broken glass with her magic away from Twilight and safely discarded it. Applejack grabbed Rainbow Dash by her tail as the pegasus grabbed a broken glass and threatened the poor waiter. Pinkie Pie didn't appear to know what was going on but just looked happy to be yelling along with everypony else. Also, Fluttershy was there.

Cadance smiled. "She's anything but alone."