Author's Note

Bonus chapter 3! One more left

Secrets and Suprises

1 year later

Cadence laid on her bed alone. She hadn't been feeling great the past few days and Sombra was covering for her. Every so often Ukara would come to check on her, she had found herself to become close friends with the healer over the coming years. She had also learned that Ukara was the umbrum healer Rabia had gotten for Radiant Hope all those years ago.

"Still feeling nauseous, Cadence?" Ukara asked, giving the queen a light rub on her back as she moaned.

"I feel like I'm going to puke." Screw dignified, she felt terrible! Ukara helped her off the bed.

"I have a suggestion but it won't make this go away?" Ukara said as they stopped in the doorway. Cadence sighed and nodded for her to continue. Ukara decided ripping the bandaid off would be the best thing to do.

"Perhaps you are pregnant."

Cadence coughed suddenly before looking at Ukara to tell if she was serious. The healer simply slowly nodded with a questioning glance. Cadence thought about it did make sense. She nodded back to the healer and they made their way to the infirmary.

After some testing it was confirmed, Cadence was pregnant.

Now she had to figure out how to tell Sombra. She wasn't sure how he would take it after what happened with Radiant Hope. Cadence at some point she would have to have an heir, unfortunately Selena didn't count. It needed to be of her blood to rule the Empire. The more she thought about it the more she realized she wanted this foal. She had handled Selena just fine but now she was almost 5 and had started school. It would be nice to have a little baby in the castle again. It wasn't even born yet and she loved it already.

She decided to wait until her morning sickness calmed down before telling him. She was so excited it was hard to keep in. A week later she scheduled a date night for them and she would tell him then. She filled their room with candles. Shortly after they had gotten married they moved into the royal suite and made Cadence's old room into Selena's room. Of course, Cadence still preferred to sleep in the air and their bed hung from the ceiling but it was significantly lower than before and would definitely have to be completely lowered now. However she wanted to make this memorable.

Sombra stuck his head in the infirmary, looking around to see if Ukara was there. Spotting the elder umbrum, he asked if she had seen Cadence.

"Last I saw of her she had went to go find Selena, your highness." The healer dipped her head.

Sombra dipped his in turn and made his way over to a dark corridor. He shifted to the side of his parents house. Selena was probably with them again and Cadence went to pick her up. Knocking on the large crystal door, his father quickly opened it.

"What brings you here my son?" He lifted his leg to let Selena crawl out.

"I'm looking for Cadence-" He was cut off my Selena shoving a large paper at him. "Mom said to give that to you." She then scampered off to go play with the fillies in the street. Sombra unrolled the parchment,

'Love I have a suprise for you,
I'm going to send you to find three items.
Each place will give you a clue of where to find the next item. Good luck on your hunt!

-Your Darling Wife and Queen'

He looked up to see his father smiling, he was in on this and he bet Ukara was too.

"Your first item is somewhere you helped build and establish a new law." Sombra has thought that it would be a little more challenging, this one he had in the bag. With a wave to Selena, he headed off to the orphanage.

It was his first act as king to change the laws for both groups regarding foals. The foals would be cared for by the staff and live just like others their age would until they had a home. And now everyone had the option to adopt. There weren't many foals, but that was a good thing, it meant his plan was working. He looked over to see an elderly mare sitting next to the door, she smiled when he walked up. She held out the paper.

"Your majesty,"

'Your next clue is that you will find it where only the most beautiful flowers grow, to cherish and thrive even on what we have lost.'

He thanked the mare for the help and for helping out in the orphanage, heading on his way he knew what she had meant. One of her first acts as queen was the royal garden. A tribute to all who were lost in the war. Large hedges lines the sides so families could grieve in privacy. He came here often to as for advice, he never got an answer but he knew they were listening. On the inside of the hedges large flower bushes grew around large statues of the fallen. There was a special place for the lost royals, statues of Amore, Satisha, Seraphina, and Radiant Hope, with a large fountain in the middle. It had been Sombra's suggestion to put Seraphina and Radiant Hope on the same statue, Amore on the left and Satisha on the right. And while Radiant Hope and Satisha weren't born royals, Radiant had been Seraphina's fiancé and of they had lived she would have been queen one day, Satisha was part of Seraphina's charge, Tamaar's mom, and Samaar's sister. She died royalty as the king's sister and Sombra felt it best to honor her that way. A peice paper sat beneath Seraphina and Radiant Hope's statue.

'We honor those we lost by giving to the future they left behind. I hope everyday I honor them by being the best mother I can be for their daughter. They would be proud of you too.

Your next clue will be found with your kin, one you used to chase around a play with as a colt.'

He approached the training grounds to see Tamaar and Shining Armor sparring. While Shining Armor proved to be skilled in combat he had a lot to learn about who he was outside of Nightmare Moon. He wanted to be more than a weapon but didn't know how to be. He and Sombra were not close, but he was with Tamaar. Tamaar wagged her tail and went to go get a paper from the sidelines, confusing Shining Armor with why she had stopped the spar right in the middle of it. After giving Sombra the paper she rushed back in to overtake a very confused Shining Armor. Sombra rolled his eyes with a smile before turning to the paper.

'The bonds between kin are powerful something I'm glad to have had with my mom. But there's something about having cousins and siblings I've always found intriguing. Hopefully this enough clues so you can figure out my suprise. Meet me in our room to see it!'

He dipped his head to Tamaar and jumped into a shadow, shifting back into the castle he headed for his room.

"Darling?" He questioned as he stuck his head in the door. She was laid on the bed and chuckled when Sombra walked in.

"How did you like my suprise?" She asked excitedly.

"Definitely something new today. Though I'm confused on what exactly it is. I mean you sent me to the orphanage, to see your mom, Tamaar's mom and Selena's moms, then to go find my only cousin Tamaar?"

"And what do all those have in common?"

Sombra thought for a moment, foals, mother's, kin. His eyes widened when he realized and snapped up to look at Cadence. She had turned on her side with her hoof on her belly, a tiny set of painted purple hooves right underneath hers. Sombra's voice cracked as he attempted to speak and instead shifted on to the bed beside her. He laid his head on her belly and nuzzled it back and forth.

"Are you really?" He managed to whisper. Cadence nodded and purred. Sombra leaned over her and placed a foreleg on her belly before nuzzling her neck and face with a soft smile.

"I don't know what to say. I'm speechless." He murmured.

"How about you go tell your mom?" Cadence suggested with a kiss to the cheek. Sombra gave her a quick kiss before he shifted to his parents house. A few minutes later Samaar and Rabia shifted in alongside Sombra. They were ecstatic, especially Rabia. She had not been a part of Cadence's plan since Cadence wanted her to be told from Sombra.

The first few months were the worst of it. Being sick all the time meant Sombra was filling in for her constantly. Nonetheless Cadence was a very happy, expecting mom. Once they had told their friends and family they delivered the news to the kingdom. Soon they would have a new member of the royal family

The farther along she got, the more nervous Sombra got. After what happened with Radiant Hope, he didn't want to tell her what to do, but he couldn't help how nervous he got when she struggled to stand or was in any discomfort whatsoever. He didn't like to leave her in case anything happened. He couldn't even think of anything other than it going fine and he and Cadence holding their child afterwards.

They were laying on their bed one night discussing names together. Cadence wanted to give them a crystal pony name. Sombra didn't mind but they couldn't seem to agree on anything. Nothing felt right, perhaps it would come to them once they were born.