Chapters Chapter 1: Hatred and Fear
Chapter 1: Hatred and Fear
"Ah, another beautiful day in the Crystal Empire..." Twilight sang out as she stepped onto her balcony, overlooking the entirety of the Empire. From here she could see the dreary and depressing residential area, filled with young ponies unaware of what their future held in store for them. Next to them were the mines, where many of their parents struggled to find even a single gem to please their ruler. From beyond the buildings and slums of the Empire Twilight could see the cold white north, it's frozen winds still blowing towards the city. As she thought about the ponies she had sent out into the wasteland to find new sources of gems, a chill ran down her spine.
"Oh, it's quite chilly this morning, I should have Spike make me a cup of tea" Twilight thought to herself as she turned to head back inside the castle, which was nice and toasty thanks to her fireplace, which was made entirely out of rare gems. She added a few logs to the fire before ringing a tiny diamond bell that sat on her nightstand.
*Ding, Ding*
"Yes Twilight?" a deep and gruff voice said from the door, which Twilight turned to greet happily.
"Good morning Spike, could you fetch me a cup of tea?" Twilight asked lazily as she walked over to the large dragon. Ever since they got here he has been growing. It could be from all the gems he eats, but there are rumors that he has been stealing a gem every now and then from the treasury. Of course, Twilight doesn't mind it, he does enough work to be allowed to take a gem every couple of days. As Spike left the room his tail trailed behind, nearly getting caught as Twilight shut the door with her magic. Twilight waited a couple of minutes for Spike to come back up, a hot kettle in one claw, a full cup in the other.
"Here you are Twilight" Spike said quickly as he set them down next to Twilight, bowing his head as he did, "I hope I didn't make you wait too long"
"It is fine Spike, you can go now" Twilight said happily as she moved the cup towards her snout so she could sip her tea while listening to the Empire toil down below. As Spike left the room Twilight allowed herself to have a small giggle as she thought about what brought her to this point. When she first used her magic to discover the hidden staircase in the castle she felt a rush of power and strength, even more so when she used it to open the strange door she had found at the bottom. At the door though, the magic caused a hallucination, one of Celestia exiling her for failing to save the kingdom, and out of anger Twilight attacked Celestia, using the dark magic to destroy her. When Twilight came to she knew what would work out best for her. She gave up on trying to stop King Sombra, and instead devoted her time to taking over the Empire for herself. As she exited the castle she tricked everypony into believing that the heart was nowhere to be found, and then turned on them, locking them all away in the dungeon.
"GET BACK TO WORK!" a guard pony yelled from outside, followed by a loud snapping sound from his whip.
"AH!" a high pitch squeal could be heard from the same area, probably coming from the pony the guard had hit. This was almost like music to Twilight's ears now. At first it was unsettling, but when the gems started to come in by the hundreds, it started to sound sweeter and sweeter. A few days ago a group of the workers gathered together in an attempt to protest the horrid working conditions they had. It ended in them howling rhythmically for Twilight so she could sleep, and the ring leader was thrown into the dungeon, not even getting to say a final goodbye to his family before he was taken away. The whole ordeal brought a smile to Twilight's face.
Somepony might wonder how Twilight is allowed to get away with all of this, her friends certainly do. Every time they ask Twilight laughs and smiles, before telling them the secret. Fear. With the entire populace in fear of you, nopony is going to stand up against you. No matter how much they hate you, they are all too afraid to do anything, knowing what happens to those who do. In the first day after Twilight took over the Empire there must have been, at least, five riots, each ending with the ponies involved being forced out into the winter wasteland, forced to survive with nothing.
*Knock, Knock*
"Yes?" Twilight asked, somewhat annoyed that somepony had interrupted her morning tea.
"I'm sorry for interrupting ma'am, but King Sombra is here to see you" a guard pony said from the other side of the door, his black armor shining in the light from Twilight's fire.
"Oh, Sombra's here?" Twilight asked lightly, looking outside to see where the sun was in the sky, finding it to be around noon, "Let him in". The guard pony's head quickly disappeared behind the door, opening it a second later to let Sombra come through. He looked around lazily as he entered, spotting the kettle sitting on the nightstand.
"Can I have a cup?" Sombra asked slowly.
"Sorry, only one cup" Twilight said mockingly, making Sombra frown.
"Darn, I was hoping to have some, Spike always makes the best tea..." Sombra trailed off as he look at the tea kettle and Twilight, who was happily sipping on her own cup.
"What brings you here?" Twilight asked quickly, wanting to know why he was bothering her today.
"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go out today, see the people and check on the-" Sombra said, clicking his hooves against the floor nervously. He wasn't stupid, he knew Twilight's magic would be more powerful than his, so he wasn't going to do anything to upset her.
"Are you trying to get me to go out with you ?" Twilight asked, glaring at Sombra, who jumped back slightly at her tone.
"Well, maybe?" Sombra said, not fully sure what his plans really were anymore thanks to how Twilight was acting. She sighed angrily before setting her tea cup down.
"I'll be down in ten minutes" Twilight said quickly, looking at Sombra so angrily that he left the room, leaving her alone so she could get ready.
Chapter 2: Visiting Old Friends
Chapter 2: Visiting Old Friends
Twilight walked down the spiral staircase to the main floor of the castle, where King Sombra was waiting for her. She stared angrily at him as she walked down the stairs. He smiled weakly up at her as Spike thumped around behind him.
"Are you ready to go?" Sombra asked sweetly, making Twilight look away quickly. She hated it when he tried to be nice and sweet to her. He was supposed to be an evil king that caused pain and suffering, not some weakling that tries to seduce a bookworm. Sombra looked over to Spike, who just shrugged before continuing along his way, probably going to go eat a mountain of gems.
"Where are you taking me?" Twilight asked quickly, making Sombra's head quickly snap to face her.
"I was thinking we go for a stroll outside, taking a look at the sites of the Empire, maybe visiting the mines, or-" Sombra started to ramble on, being stopped by Twilight's magic.
"How about we go see the mines and then go to the dungeon, then I'll go back to my chambers" Twilight suggested in a demanding way. Sombra sighed and nodded his, reluctantly accepting Twilight's demands. If Twilight wasn't stronger than him, if he was the stronger Unicorn, then none of this would be happening, she would bend at his will, she would-
"Are you coming?" Twilight asked angrily, snapping Sombra out of this evil thoughts.
"Oh, sorry" Sombra said, a small bit of hatred slipping through in his voice. How could he, a powerful and evil king, be reduced to a weakling because of one mare, one small, insignificant, mare. As they left the castle the sounds of pain and torment grew louder, bringing a smile to their faces. A chorus of smacks could be heard from the mining pits, making Twilight giggle. She started to trot towards it, Sombra following after her depressingly.
"Ah, looks like today is a good day for getting gems" Twilight said happily, breathing in the musky, dirty air that surrounded the mines. Sombra looked past her and saw the sad state of the mines. From where he stood he could see a few ponies that were on their last legs. A younger mare went to go help one of them and was pulled away by a guard and thrown into the pit, landing with a loud thud.
"I'll never get used to that..." a guard pony said from down below, just loud enough for Twilight and Sombra to hear.
"What was that?" Twilight asked menacingly, looking down at the guard with anger in her eyes. The guard's head quickly shot up, his eyes widening with fear when he realized who was talking to him.
"Oh, I'm, uh, sorry ma'am" the guard said quickly before kneeling before her, "It was just a thought, I didn't mean to say it"
"Good, now don't say it again" Twilight ordered, making the guard flinch slightly before turning back to continue his shift. Twilight sighed angrily before turning around heading towards the dungeons. After a few minutes of trotting a large stone building could be seen rising out of the horizon, it's dark and gloomy atmosphere already started to appear. As they walked up the front door they could hear wailing and moaning coming from inside the building.
"Sounds like our guards are doing their job well..." Twilight said quietly as she pushed the doors open, almost slamming them on Sombra as she moved to shut them. He jumped forwards and growled angrily at Twilight before catching up to her. She looked around quickly to get her bearings, and then quickly trotted down one of the hallways, heading into the depths of the tower. When she got to the bottom of the stairs she smiled happily and looked at each of the seven doors. They were colored specially for whoever was inside the cell.
"Morning Rainbow" Twilight said happily to the blue door, receiving an angry grunt from the other side. Twilight continued on, saying hello to the orange, pink, white, yellow, blue and cream doors. Each one had given her an angry grunt except for the blue door. When she said good morning to that door all she got back was a sad and depressed moan.
"What's wrong BBBFF?" Twilight asked mockingly as she looked into the small slat on the door at her sad and depressed brother. As she started to laugh at the state of her brother a loud bang could be heard from the blue door.
"Looks like someone is getting feisty" Sombra said as he looked into the cell, seeing Rainbow preparing to ram the door again.
"Let us go!" Rainbow cried just before hitting the door again, harder than before. Twilight giggled as she came over to the door, lightly pushing Sombra aside as she looked into the cell herself.
"Why would you want to leave, aren't you having fun in there?" Twilight asked, laughing loudly as Rainbow hit the door again. Rainbow continued to hit the door until she couldn't take the pain anymore, eventually hitting the door and sliding down it. She let out a pained moan as she tried to get back up, eliciting a loud laugh from Twilight and Sombra.
"Finally giving up?" Sombra asked, a groan coming from the room to answer his question. Twilight giggled again and then moved towards the orange door.
"How are you doing Applejack?" Twilight asked, getting a grunt back from the door, which made her smile. Twilight quickly asked everypony else how they were doing, getting grunts from everypony but Cadance.
"Why are you doing this Twily?" Cadance asked sadly.
"Doing what, I'm just saving the Empire" Twilight said sarcastically.
"But why are you keeping us here, why are you torturing us?" Cadance pleaded, standing up to look through the slat at Twilight, "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake..."
"Sorry, but I don't do those childish things anymore, I am too important for that" Twilight said angrily before storming out of the dungeon, the reminder of who she was angering her greatly. Sombra looked into Cadance's cell and threw her against to wall before running after Twilight, still hoping that he could execute his master plan.
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Chapter 3: The Plans of a King and a Prisoner
Chapter 3: The Plans of a King and a Prisoner
"Twilight, are you feeling alright?" Sombra asked, faking the worrying tone he was making. Twilight looked at him, her harsh and angry features having disappeared slightly, not a lot, but enough for Sombra to worry. If Twilight managed to break free of her hatred and fear then his plan was ruined, and she would get away from him. He watched as she looked back sadly at the stairs that led to her friend's cells, making a small movement towards them before Sombra grabbed her hoof.
"What do you think you're doing?" Sombra asked sternly, making Twilight gasp.
"I was just, uh..." Twilight trailed off, trying and failing to find an excuse that would make Sombra let her go. Now that Cadance had reminded her off their chant from when she was a tiny foal, a small spark of harmony and joy was lit in Twilight's chest, making her rethink everything she has done since taking over the Empire. Her hatred and fear were starting to break away, her old self making a strong attempt to resurface and take over, which would mean the end of Sombra's second rule.
"Please Twilight, come with me, I have had a wondrous lunch prepared for us" Sombra said sweetly, slowly pulling Twilight away towards the exit from the dungeon, eager to arrive in his dining hall before Twilight was lost to him. As they made their way towards the castle small cries could be heard coming from Twilight as a pony was whipped down below in the mines, a drastic change from how she had been acting before. When the pair finally reached the dining hall Twilight stopped resisting Sombra's pulling, even making it to the door before him. The door opened silently, revealing a massive table covered with each of Twilight's favourite foods, even the ones that were hard to make in the Crystal Empire.
"Is this all for me?" Twilight asked, her jaw hanging open slightly as her eyes caught sight of some of the dishes she could die for.
"Why yes of course, now dig in, you can't think on an empty belly" Sombra said mockingly, but Twilight didn't notice, as she had already started to dig in when he said yes. Some of these foods were specialties of high class chefs from Canterlot, and to have them here? She felt as though she could die right then and there, and still be happy now that she's able to eat all of her favorite dishes all at once. Sombra laughed quietly to himself as she struggled to carry entire platters of food to her chair, nearly dropping three of them on the way.
"Yes, yes, keep eating you foolish Unicorn, for tonight, you will be mine..." Sombra said menacingly as he trotted away to set his plans in motion, starting with disposing of a certain dragon...
"Rainbow, you awake in there?" Applejack asked quietly, just loud enough for her voice to carry over to the cell beside her.
"Yeah what is it?" Rainbow groaned as she moved, her head was killing her from hitting the door so much.
"I think I know how to break out of here now" Applejack said, a hint of confidence in her voice.
"How? You going to bribe the guards with apples?" Rainbow snapped back, having been down this road with Applejack before. Every single day since they were locked up Applejack would come up with some weird idea that might get them out so they could warn Celestia and Luna of what happened, and what was coming for them. One time their plans almost worked, but then Rarity started to whine about leaving Spike behind and a guard caught them, hauling them back to the cells instantly.
"No, but haven't you noticed that Spike has been stopping by more often?" Applejack asked, making Rainbow think to herself, "Isn't that a bit odd for a big fearsome dragon?"
"Yeah, you're right..." Rainbow said quietly to herself before shoving her snout up to the slot in the door, "Rarity!"
"Yes, what is it now?" Rarity asked angrily. The musty and damp cell that they had put Rarity in has been wearing down her resolve, slowly but surely making her irate and angry with everything. After they blamed their failed escape attempt on her she only got worse, becoming almost impossible for anypony to talk to her, except for Spike.
"Has Spike mentioned anything odd to you, like maybe escaping and getting out of here, or...?" Rainbow led on, making Rarity gasp in surprise.
"Have you been listening to us Rainbow Dash?!" Rarity exclaimed, moving her own snout towards the slot in the door, "How rude!"
"No, no, just, has he said anything?" Rainbow asked angrily, annoyed at how Rarity was acting.
"Well he has mentioned that he is starting to dislike being a slave to Twilight and Sombra, and that he would love to get me out of here, but I don-" Rarity explained flatly, about to turn it against Rainbow when Applejack spoke up.
"See, told you he could help us" Applejack said triumphantly, her voice letting Rainbow know that she was smirking inside her cell.
"Well, we still have to get him to agree to it" Rainbow said angrily, not happy that Applejack was right about Spike, "Do you even know what'll happen if he gets caught trying to get us out of here?"
"Who are you guys talking about?" a gruff voice asked from outside their cells, a telltale sign that Spike was here to see Rarity.
"Spike!" Rarity said happily, her voice cracking as she thought about seeing her Spikey Wikey.
"Hey Rarity, uh, what's going on?" Spike asked, looking towards Rainbow and Applejack's door in confusion.
"Oh, they just have another escape plan, like usual" Rarity said nonchalantly, acting as though it was no big deal.
"So, who is this "he" you're talking about?" Spike asked, moving closer to Applejack's cell knowing full well that she was the idea mare.
"Why, you of course" Applejack said happily, "Interested?"
"I'm all ears" Spike said, his interesting showing in his voice.
"Okay, so this is the plan..."
Chapter 4: Preparations
"So, that's your plan?" Spike asked, unsure if Applejack's plan was going to work.
"Eeyup, just trust me" Applejack said confidently, making Rainbow Dash sigh loudly.
"How are you so confident about this, if it goes wrong they're going to make it impossible for us to get out, ever" Rainbow said, putting emphasis on ever . Everypony sighed because of it, knowing that she was right about it. If they failed to get out without being caught then they were going to be put under even heavier guard, and Spike would be thrown in there with them. Spike growled to make them all calm down, and ended up getting the attention of the guard that was standing watch outside the door.
"Everything ok in there?" the guard asked, poking his head through the door, making Spike gasp quickly.
"Y-Yeah, it's fine" Spike said nervously, hoping the guard wouldn't see through his lie. After the guard nodded and shut the door, allowing Spike to let out a relaxed sigh, signalling to everypony else that the coast was clear.
"So, you ready to do it?" Applejack asked, making Spike look at her door in confusion.
"Right now?" Spike asked, "Can't I have time to get ready for it?"
"But Spike..." Rarity whined, making Spike grunt angrily. No matter how big he got he would still be weak to Rarity's pouting, and he whining to him now wasn't going to help. He started walking towards the door, pausing to turn around before he opened it.
"I'll be back in two days, be ready to go as soon as I show up" Spike said seriously, sending a chill down Rarity's spine. She has never seen Spike act so serious, so tough, so, stallion like. She liked this new Spike...
"I'll be waiting here Spikey Wikey!" Rarity said happily, her mind ablaze with images of a heroic looking Spike busting in through the door to save her, carrying her away in his arms as the guards attempted to catch them. She ended up letting out a loving sigh just after Spike left, being met by gagging noises from Rainbow Dash, who did not care for the lovey dovey atmosphere Rarity was creating. Applejack and Pinkie Pie giggled as the two mares began to fight with each other, throwing harsh words across the room at one another. Eventually Cadance shouted at them to shut up, and they did, knowing that it would not be a good idea to cause a real fight down there, not when they were so close to getting out.
"All done my dear Twilight?" Sombra asked as he reentered the dining hall, the table nearly devoid of any food. He was quite surprised that she had managed to eat as much as she did, considering that amount of food could have fed the entire Empire for a few days, but also knew how tiring it was for her to use dark magic.
"I think I'm done eating for the rest of my life..." Twilight moaned, rubbing her belly contently as Sombra walked over, a fake smile plastered on his face. Twilight made an attempt to grab another plate, this one being a sweet chocolate mousse, and Sombra saw his opening. Using his powerful dark magic he grabbed hold of Twilight's thoughts, planting one of his own inside. As soon as the memory was placed securely Twilight spun around, accidentally throwing the mousse into Sombra's face, which she quickly cleaned off with her tongue.
"Is there something you need?" Twilight asked dreamily, still lapping at a small bit of mousse that was in Somba's crown.
"You, Twilight, I want you" Sombra answered passionately, "I want your power to be my power, I want to conquer the world with you"
"Anything for you..." Twilight said seductively, walking away while swaying her hips, "My love"
"Perfect..." Sombra whispered quietly to himself as he followed after Twilight, knowing where she was taking him. The thought he had planted into her head worked perfectly, making it so she loved him above all else, and now they were going to perform the one needed act for their love to be seem truly real. Sombra could hear Twilight running around her room, probably preparing for the act they were about to preform.
"Oh Sombra~" Twilight sung from her room, making Sombra smile devilishly as he continued up the stairs. His plan worked, and it worked just as he had hoped. Now her power was his, and nopony would be able to stop him.
The next morning Sombra awoke, laying next to Twilight, who was still fast asleep. As Sombra attempted to get out of the bed she awoke.
"Morning Sommy" Twilight said sleepily, looking over at Sombra with loving eyes. Sombra tried to get off the bed before Twilight was fully awake, but she pulled him back with her magic, locking him in a kiss. He tried to pull away, but her magic was too strong, so he finally gave up, giving her the kiss she had been waiting for. With a quiet moan from Twilight he was released, and she simply stared at him, her mind thinking of nothing but him.
"I need to go prepare for our wedding now Twilight" Sombra said, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek despite his urge to gag, "Now please be a good mare and-"
"WE'RE GETTING MARRIED?!" Twilight shouted happily, Sombra's words finally clicking in her head. She quickly jumped off the bed, repeatedly saying yes as she hopped around Sombra, much to his annoyance. The things I do for power... Sombra thought as he turned around, using his magic to throw Twilight onto the bed so he could exit the room. When he looked back at her before closing the door he saw her rolling around on her bed, hugging the pillow Sombra had slept on like it would explode if she didn't. Now there was no way his plan could fail. Sombra was about to become the most powerful Unicorn in history...
Chapter 5: The Big Day
As the sun rose over the horizon Spike's eyes snapped open. Today was the day. Today he was going to break he friends out of prison and then he was going to help them from the inside. Spike did doubt Applejack's plan, but from what she said, it was probably their best chance at getting out, and it was going to be a all or nothing escape. Either they got out and managed to somehow contact Celestia and Luna, or they would all get thrown into the dungeon again, most likely to rot forever as they would no longer have somepony on the outside to help them since Spike would be in there with them.
"Oh Applejack, your plan had better work..." Spike said hopefully as he picked up a small bag that contained anything he thought might be helpful, along with a sword he had created out of some of his finer gems. He ran a claw along the blade, cutting the end of his finger in the process, allowing a small amount of blood to trickle down it. I hope I won't have to use this damned thing , Spike thought as he put in in a sheath that he had created out of some of his old scales. Spike quickly slipped out of the castle, managing to make it all the way to the dungeon without being scene. If he was going to be forced to use the sword, this was where it would happen.
"Hello Spike" a guard pony said from inside, not noticing the hand of the sword sticking out from Spike's shoulder, "How can I help you?"
"I'm here to see Rarity" Spike grunted, trying to imitate the way he had said it every other time he had gone there.
"Well, have fun down there like you always do" the guard pony said, laughing slightly, "We can hear her moaning all the way up here". Spike grunted at the guard, signalling for him to shut up, which he happily did, now noticing the sword on Spike's back. As much as Spike hated the fact that Rarity had been imprisoned, it allowed them to be together, and something she had begun to ask for more recently was, to put it simply, sex. Spike had asked Fluttershy about it, knowing that she knew Rarity better than anypony, and had told him that it was her time of the year, so she was in heat, and with Spike being the only male around her...
"Hey there Spike, going to have some fun?" one of the guards standing outside the cells asked, laughing as his partner punched him in the shoulder.
"Sorry about that sir, go right on-" the other guard began to say, until he was cut off by Spike's hand chopping him in the back of the head. The other guard attempted to run away, but was whipped by Spike's tail and thrown against the wall, knocking him out. After checking to make sure the first guard was still alive, which he thankfully was, Spike entered the room, knocking on each of the doors.
"Come on, let's get-" Spike began to say before a loud crackling sound could be heard from outside, which sounded oddly like the castle's announcer.
"Hello everypony, today I have a very special announcement for you all" the announce said in a emotionless voice, "Tonight everypony will be allowed to come to the castle at sun down to witness the marriage of King Sombra to Queen Midnight, formerly known as Twilight Sparkle"
"WHAT?!" Spike, along with everypony else, shouted at the end of the announcement. Nopony had time to fully react as Spike quickly pulled open all of the cells with his strength, the eight of them making a break for the exit as soon as they were all free. Spike and Applejack lead the pack, Fluttershy and Rarity were right behind them, Cadance and Shining Armor behind them, and Rainbow and Pinkie were following from the back. Together they charged the guard post at the front, Rarity using a tiny bit of her magic to throw the guard pony aside as the got closer. Using the opportunity she created, Spike charged the door, sending it flying off into the mines, hitting a patrolling guard as he made his rounds along the edge.
"We need to hide until the ceremony" Applejack said quickly, looking around for a place to hide. Just a short distance away from them was one of the tents they had set up for the fair, still standing, but it was on it's last legs now. Everypony followed her as she steered towards the tent, all of them quickly jumping inside as soon as they were close enough.
"This will work for now," Spike said as he looked around the inside of the tent, "But none of you are going to that ceremony"
"Why is that?!" Rainbow asked, flying into Spike's face.
"Because if you do then this will have been for nothing!" Spike said angrily, making everypony shy away from him except for Shining Armor.
"He's right" Shining Armor said, stepping up to stand beside Spike, "If we go now then all of this will have been for nothing and we will never get out of here. Right now we need to rest and prepare ourselves to fight back"
"I'll go to the ceremony, and I'll work on the inside for you guys" Spike said, putting his bag and sword down on the ground, "Use these for now, but now I have to go. Stay in here until I say it's safe". Everypony nodded, and as Spike turned to leave Shining Armor bowed to show his respect for Spike. After pulling Shining Armor up and shaking his hoof Spike left, making his way towards the main castle.
"I hope I made it in time to watch the entire cere-"
"I now present to you the newleweds King Sombra and Queen Midnight"
"Son of a-" Spike muttered as he looked into the room, seeing Twilight and Sombra standing above everypony in the empire. The two of them kissed, a blinding light quickly coming from the two of them. After a few seconds Spike was able to open his eyes again, and what he say was even more horrifying than the fact that Twilight had married Sombra. Twilight's horn was gone, and Sombra had grown large, menacing black wings, each of them extending fully across the platform they were standing.
"YES! NOW NO ONE CAN DEFEAT ME!" Sombra shouted, laughing loudly as he took off, taking Twilight with him in his magic. Sombra quickly dropped Twilight off, and the proceeded to fly to the top of the tower. After letting out another maniacal laugh Sombra perched himself on the point.
"EQUESTRIA HERE I COME!"
Chapter 6: Escape
One month has passed since Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Cadance and Shining Armor, escaped. In that month they have gathered together a rebellion, comprised entirely of ponies from the Empire that managed to sneak out of the mines. Thanks to Spike working on the inside they were able to get some secret intelligence on troop movement, along with arms and armor. Applejack and Shining Armor have been working on a plan to escape the Empire, and today may just be their red letter day...
"So, how's that anti-shield spell coming along you guys?" Shining Armor asked as he walked past Rarity and Cadance, seeing an exhausted look on their faces.
"It's going o-" Rarity said, suddenly vomiting all over Shining's hooves, making both him and Cadance yelp in surprise. Rarity made a gagging noise before sprinting away towards the bathrooms, which were really just some holes in the ground. In confusion Cadance ran after her, worried that their magic training might have taken to heavy a toll on Rarity. Shining watched in surprise as Rarity nearly jumped into the toilet hole, her vomit nearly leaking out the side of her face by the time she got to it.
"What's wrong with her?" Rainbow asked as she hovered next to Shining, who was surprised by her sudden appearance.
"I have no idea what's wrong, but what are you doing here?" Shining asked, shooting a glance over to the weapons area, where Rainbow had been told to stay at as much as possible so that she could help the citizens of the Empire with their weapons. As Shining watched he say a rather frail looking stallion attempt to swing a spear in front of him, nearly slicing another stallion's throat in the process. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before breaking into a fight, taking up the entire area.
"I was going to use the bathroom, but..." Rainbow sighed as she flew over to the fighting stallions, pulling them apart quickly, and just in time as they were about to roll onto the short swords that Spike had been working on. After chewing them out and pushing them away from each other Rainbow flew towards the bathroom. Shining turned away from the bathrooms and went looking for Applejack, who had gone off to check on Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy.
"How are things going over here?" Shining asked as he entered the main tent, having a scroll tossed at his head, "What was that for?"
"Didn't you read the sign outside?!" Applejack shouted, throwing another scroll at Shining's head. He quickly ran outside and looked for the sign, finding it on the ground next to a rip in the tent.
Do Not Enter. Secret Activities Underway
"Secret Activities?" Shining asked himself, looking through the rip in the tent. Inside of it Applejack was bathing in her gemstone tub, which Spike had somehow stolen from the castle. Knowing that she deserved a bath after having worked hard to help everyone stay hidden for an entire month Shining walked away from the tent, looking for Spike as he was supposed to come see them today.
"Hey Shining!" Spike shouted as he came running from the edge of the camp, an scroll in his hand.
"What's that?" Shining asked as he met Spike halfway, extending a hoof to shake Spike's hand. Spike quickly gave him the scroll, which had Celestia's seal on it.
"How did you get this?!" Shining asked loudly, his jaw nearly hitting the ground as he checked the seal for authenticity. It was real, it was Celestia's seal...
"I climbed the castle a few nights ago to get a good view of our exit route, when this, and a few other scrolls, came to me". Spike quickly pulled a few more scrolls from inside his bag, which Shining quickly took and read them. After reading through all the scrolls Shining looked up at Spike happily and ran towards the main tent. He ran to the main table despite Applejack's angry shouts at him for entering the tent again, but he quickly shut her up with the scrolls Spike had given him.
"Celestia knows what's going on, and she says she sent the train to the station so we can get back as soon as possible!" Shining said happily, catching Applejack off guard. She quickly read the letters, and was about to go round up the rest of the girls when a loud bell rang from inside the castle.
"That's our signal, time to go!" Spike said quickly from the door to the tent before he ran off to check on Rarity, who he just noticed was bent over one of the toilet holes. After some quick last minute checks Shining Armor and Applejack followed after him, the entire group heading to the exit point. At the expected time the barrier weakened, and with a strong blast of magic from Shining Armor, Cadance, and Rarity, the barrier was broken, although it was only a small isolated area, so only they were able to get out. After they escaped the barrier slammed shut again, and when they turned around the Empire was gone, already covered by the blowing snow.
"Well, let's get to that train station, come on people" Shining Armor said, stepping ahead of everypony else, using his shield spell to protect them from the harsh winds and snow. After nearly an hour of walking they made it to the station, finding the train nearly completely covered in snow. They all climbed on and Shining Armor used his magic to melt the snow, turning his shield spell into an area heater.
"Let's get this thing moving!" Spike said loudly as he shoved two handfuls of coal into the furnace, igniting it with his flame breath. As the train began to move the group could hear a loud growl come from where they came from, which meant only one thing. Sombra knew they had escaped.
"TWILIGHT, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Sombra shouted angrily as he burst into Twilight's room, using his magic to pin her against the wall above her bed. Twilight looked at him blankly, her eyes filled with a quiet sadness. Sombra created a sword out of magic and held it to Twilight's throat, making her whimper.
"What. Did. You. Do!" Sombra said slowly, pushing the blade up against Twilight's chin.
"I didn't do anything!" Twilight cried, the blade cutting her slightly. Sombra let her fall to the bed, throwing the sword into the bed next to her head, cutting a small amount of her mane off, making her cry. As Sombra left the room the sword disappeared, and Twilight curled into a ball. Ever since the "wedding" she has been kept in this room, completely isolated from everypony, powerless and weak. Twilight moved to look out her window, which Sombra had locked so she couldn't try to jump from the balcony. As she looked outside she felt a strong force coming up from inside her, and she ended up vomiting on the window.
"Why..." Twilight whimpered as she walked back to her bed, throwing her bed sheet at the vomit to cover it up. Now that her bed sheet was on the floor she had nothing to cover herself up as she curled into a ball, crying quietly to herself, hoping that her friends were doing better than her. Spike had managed to break into her room a week ago and tell her that they were going to escape. It was her that told them that Sombra weakened the shield everyday at noon. Now she could only hope they would make it back to Canterlot before Sombra got rid of her.
Chapter 7: Their Return
"Your majesty, it is almost here" a guard said quickly as he charged into the throne room, darting through the crowd of ponies that had come to see Celestia that day. A few of the ponies that were waiting in the crowd poked their heads up, eager to hear what the guard pony was about to say.
"What is almost here?" Celestia asked, her mind being focused elsewhere.
"The train" the guard said in a serious tone before he turned to run back out of the room, surrounded by curious whispers from the crowd. As they all whispered among themselves about the train a few ponies walked towards Celestia, knowing what the train was for. Celestia watched silently as the Wonderbolts, Big McIntosh, Velvet and Nightlight. They all shared a worried look with one another before Spitfire stepped forwards to speak for them all.
"Is it really coming back already?" Spitfire asked carefully, knowing that this was a touchy subject for Celestia. Nearly two months ago, after the news of Sombra's return to power reached Canterlot, Celestia sent out a spare train for the sole purpose of helping the ponies she sent to the Empire return. While Celestia and the ponies who had stepped up thought about the ones that were sent to the Empire Luna entered the room, carefully running to her sister's side.
"Is what your guards say true, has it really come back?" Luna asked worriedly, looking at Celestia sadly. Silence pervaded the room as Celestia thought about the ponies that she sent to the Empire. The only reason they were there in the first place was because she had told them to go. If she hadn't told them to go try and save the Empire then they wouldn't be in that situat-
"Princess, the train has arrived, they are on their way up here now!" a guard yelled from outside the room, having been watching the train station. Just as he finished his sentence the group came storming up the stairs, nearly throwing him to side to get into the throne room.
"Celestia, we've come back to tell you-" Shining Armor said loudly as he tried to explain what had happened, only to be silenced as Celestia rose her hoof.
"I know all about what has happened Shining Armor, now please-" Celestia said in a flat tone, attempting to be professional until she noticed Twilight's absence, "Where's Twilight?"
"She isn't with us, she was..." Shining said, looking down sadly, now noticing that his parents were in the room as well, "Turned by dark magic" There was an odd silence in the room as the news finally clicked in Celestia and his parents minds. His parents looked at each other before embracing, Velvet breaking down into tears while Nightlight tried to hold himself together. The entire group looked down sadly, Big Mac running over to hug Applejack while this went on.
"We have to go back for her" Luna said quickly, putting a hoof on her sister's shoulder. Celestia shook her head in an attempt to break her mind away from the bad news.
"Yes, we need to head back, not only for Twilight, but to save the entire Empire" Celestia said strongly before standing up, "All of you, come with me" Celestia immediately walked out of the room, the everypony following after her as she led them towards an old door. She motioned for Luna to step forwards moments before sticking her horn into a hole in the wall next to the door, Luna doing the same on the other side. When they pulled their horns out the door opened, revealing a large room with a large table in the center.
"Tell me everything you know about the Empire and Sombra" Celestia said as she pulled a large scroll out of a nearby wall, opening it up on the table to revealing a map of the Empire. Shining Armor and Applejack quickly moved forwards to examine the map, both of them attempting to discover which part of the map had become part of the mines, and which part was part of the rebellion.
Sombra trotted angrily through his castle, being escorted by a group of five guards. His day started off with a fluctuation in his magical power, which had angered him slightly, but the sound of vomiting that was now echoing throughout the castle had pushed him over the edge. As he reached the source of the sound he slammed open the door, nearly knocking them off their hinges.
"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!" Sombra shouted, looking around the room for signs of the purple pony.
"I'm in h-" Twilight attempted to say before she began vomiting again, making Sombra's eye twitch. He stormed towards her bathroom, finding her bent over the toilet. She was continuously vomiting, having been at it so long that she was just throwing up water, which made Sombra feel like vomiting himself.
"What is wrong with you?!" Sombra shouted angrily, covering his nose with his hoof as the smell coming out of the toilet was making him want to throw Twilight out of the castle from her balcony. He cautiously looked into the toilet, the yellow brown mixture finally pushing him over the edge. Pushing Twilight out of the way he started to vomit into the toilet, ridding himself of his breakfast completely before he came back up.
"You are going to see the doctor, I do not want this to happen again" Sombra said quietly, looking straight into Twilight's eyes.
"Why, I already know why this is happening..." Twilight said sadly, looking into the toilet as if it was a reminder of a mistake she had made.
"Then what in my wonderful Empire, is making you do this so much?!" Sombra asked, barely resisting the urge to put Twilight against the wall.
"I'm pregnant..." Twilight said quietly, looking at Sombra with wide eyes, making him pick her up by the throat.
"What do you mean you're pregnant" Sombra asked slowly, nearly crushing her throat with his magic as he became even angrier.
"I got pregnant from you, when we..." Twilight said slowly, looking down at the ground as she thought about what had happened. Sombra angrily dropped her, turning around quickly, hitting her with his tail as he left the room, leaving her to wallow in her own filth and sadness. He left her room in a complete rage, thinking about killing a few citizens just to entertain himself after this disappointment. As he entered the main room of the castle he picked up one of the ponies that was working to polish it, throwing him into the pillar, then throwing him out of the castle entirely.
"CLEAN THAT UP!" Sombra shouted at the other pony that was polishing the room before he left the room again, looking for somepony else to torment to make himself happy.
Chapter 8: Trouble on Both Fronts
Chapter 8: Trouble on Both Fronts
Spike slowly walked through the colorful halls of Celestia's castle, occasionally stopping to admire the amazing view out of the windows. As tough of a dragon Spike had become he still liked seeing the colorful ponies trotting down below, passing between colorful houses and shops. it was an amazing contrast to the bleak and dreary landscape he had to see for the past two months. From looking out over Canterlot it seemed like everything involving the Empire was just a bad nightmare, but just seeing his own reflection in the windows was enough to remind him that it wasn't. Everpony had changed, and everypony was going to have to live with the things they saw in the Empire...
"Sir Spike!" a guard pony yelled out from the end of the hallway, startling Spike, and reminding him of another change to his life. When Celestia learned of his part in getting everypony out of the Empire she knighted him, which meant all the guards would now refer to him as Sir Spike. The guard pony reached Spike quickly, saluting him as he took a deep breath to recover from his sprin.
"Sir, Rarity would like to see you in the hospital" the guard pony said quickly, inhaling a large amount of air before continuing, "She says it is of utmost importance that you be there"
"Thank you, I'll be there right away" Spike replied, patting the guard on the back as he started to make his way to the hospital. Ever since they got back to Canterlot Rarity has been spending her time throwing up her insides, or being examined by doctors. Nopony knew what was wrong with her, and all Spike could think of was that she caught something just before they left. Celestia has had the greatest medical minds look at her one at a time, coming up with no definite illness, so they opted instead to work together to come up with a cause, looking back into ancient medical records to see if there was anything there they could use. As Spike entered the hospital he could feel himself being pulled towards Rarity's room by somepony's magic, but he had no idea who's it was.
"SPIIIIIKE!" Rarity screamed from deep inside the hospital, making Spike crawl under his scales as her magic continued to pull him towards her room. When he finally reached her room he saw her surrounded by doctors who were all whispering to each other.
"Hi Rarity" Spike said nervously when he saw the angry white Unicorn sitting on the bed, her eyes filled with anger.
"Don't 'Hi Rarity' me! You're in big trouble!" Rarity shouted, throwing Spike to the side so he would land in front of the head doctor.
"What did I do?" Spike asked lazily as he composed himself, having landed on his face. When he looked up the doctors shifted around nervously, trying to push a small Unicorn mare to the front. As the tiny white mare began to speak she let out a small squeal, making one of the other doctors laugh as he stepped forwards, giving her a pat on the back to get her to speak.
"W-When we looked through the old medical books we found reference to something called a kirin" the mare said, looking back at the doctors behind her before continuing, "It's a rare species that is half pony, and half dragon" Spike looked at the mare for a few seconds as his brain thought about what she had said, and when it finally hit him he turned to look at Rarity, who's anger had been replaced with a happy smile.
"Spike..." Rarity said quietly, waving a hoof at Spike for him to come to her. As Spike turned around he could hear the doctors hooves clicking against the tile floor as they left, a few of the doctors joking around with the mare who had told him what it was.
"Rarity I..." Spike said slowly as he sat next to Rarity's bed, holding her hoof with both of his hands. They looked into each other's eyes, trying to get a sense of how the other was feeling right now, to no avail. For a few minutes they were completely alone in silence, until the door opened, the small mare coming back in by herself.
"Hello again, I was, um, assigned to be Rarity's doctor for the pregnancy" the mare said sheepishly as she walked up to them, "My name is Color Palette" The mare sheepishly stuck out a hoof to Spike for him to shake, flinching slightly as he grabbed it. After a quick shake the mare seemed to calm down, feeling more comfortable now that she knew Spike wasn't like most dragons. She then went over the requirements that Spike and Rarity must meet for the pregnancy to be a success. As she spoke Spike felt a burning sensation trying to force it's way up, and as he turned his face away a burp of fire erupted from his mouth, turning into a scroll.
"Is that normal?" Color Palette whispered to Rarity, not sure what was going on.
"Oh it's just a letter from Celestia, don't mind it" Rarity said calmly as she tried to sneak a peak at the letter, but Spike's large back was blocking her. When Spike stood up suddenly she knew something was wrong, but didn't need to ask.
"I'm sorry Rarity, they're planning to head out to the Empire tonight and I need to be with them" Spike said sadly before leaning in to give Rarity a kiss on the cheek, which made his face turn bright red. Rarity giggled as he left, still seeing him as the tiny baby dragon he used to be.
"Now please continue dear" Rarity said as she turned back to Color Palette, who had been stifling a giggle of her own.
Sombra trotted angrily through his castle, throwing gems at the ponies who were polishing the walls. Every now and again he would hit one in the eye or ear, causing them to let out a loud howl and bleed all over the place while running in circles, which made him laugh. He felt a small bit of shame, knowing that he had to stoop to this level just to find entertainment because of the issues he was having with Twilight Sparkle. Ever since she revealed her pregnancy to him she has been crying, and every time he tried to shut her up she would only get louder, eventually managing to crack the mirror in her room, and as if that wasn't enough his magic level was fluctuating more frequently now. At one point he lost his wings to the fluctuation, which made him so angry that he tossed a pony out a window.
"That damned Unicorn, how is she doing this to me?!" Sombra shouted angrily as he looked into one of the walls, his reflection showing him that his wings had shrunken again. He let out a loud roar as he continued on his way down the hall, making his way to the impromptu hospital he had set up to stop Twilight's crying and moaning, which only partially worked. Now she was out of the castle, but she was still crying loud enough for him to hear, which made him want to simply throw her of the Empire and be done with it, but if he did that now he would lose her power.
"King Sombra, sir!" a guard pony said as he ran up to the angry Sombra, a worried look on his face.
"What is it soldier?" Sombra asked calmly, surprising the guard.
"We've caught sight of scouts just outside the barrier" the guard said, looking at Sombra's expression carefully, "They appear to be from Equestria"
"WHAT?!" Sombra shouted, picking up the guard pony in his magic, nearly crushing his windpipe instantly.
"They bear Celestia's symbol your majesty, a few have tried to go through the barrier as well..." the guard said slowly, talking and breathing becoming increasingly difficult as Sombra continued to crush his windpipe. Out of anger Sombra threw the guard to the side, accidentally throwing him out a window, made evident by a loud and wet smack a few seconds later.
"Come to my Empire to challenge me?!" Sombra shouted angrily as he started running to the hospital, "How dare she..." Sombra continued to run, violently throwing ponies out of his way until he was inside the hospital. He looked around for Twilight's doctors, who had all been picked out of the mines and were usually walking around doing nothing at all. If Celestia was coming he needed to be at full strength, or the coming war was going to be a short one, and the only pony that could assure his power was Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's own student. Sombra started to laugh as he thought about it, the personal student of his greatest enemy was the key to his victory...
Chapter 9: Fight for Freedom!
Chapter 9: Fight for Freedom
The sun rose on the Crystal Empire, a loud horn blaring on the outside signalling the start of Equestria's attack. Sombra marched upwards through his castle, planning to watch the war from a balcony at the top of the tower. It had been nearly a month since Celestia's scouts had appeared outside the barrier. Since then Sombra has forced every able bodied, and the not so able bodied, pony in the Empire to join the military. If a pony attempted the leave they were thrown outside the barrier, left to either die or be caught by Celestia's army in their uniform.
"Sir?" a guard asked as Sombra stepped onto the balcony, the sounds of war all around, and it was music to his ears. A gruesome cry could be heard coming from the mines, echoing as it came out, making the guard next to Sombra shudder.
"Are you scared?" Sombra asked mockingly, making the guard look at him in fear. The last guard that was posted there had been thrown directly off the tower, impaling him on the crystal gates that had been put up around the castle. Due to the war beginning soon after the guard's body still hung on the gate, a reminder for everypony to stay away. Sombra leaned into the guard, making him stiffen immediately as Sombra smiled.
"Goodbye..." Sombra whispered as he prepared to throw the guard over the edge, only for his only magic to be counteracted by a superior force. He tried to overpower the new force, but his focus on the one magic made him drop his guard to the other. Sombra was quickly grabbed by a dark blue magic, which thew him against the wall as he noticed a faint golden glow around the guard.
"Celestia!" Sombra roared, breaking the magical hold on him as he did. When he landed he saw Celestia and Luna rise up over the railing, both of them staring at him intently.
"Hello Sombra" Celestia said in an anger tone, obviously anger at the large amount of causalities that her forces were suffering. When another gruesome cry rang out, this time from inside the castle, Celestia and Luna's hard looks softened, giving Sombra enough time to attack them. In a split second the balcony was gone, the guard that had been standing on it in almost a thousand pieces while Sombra and the princesses fly up and away to continue their fight.
"This time we'll do more than seal you in the ice!" Celestia shouted as they rose to the top of the barrier,.
"Is that so?" Sombar asked mockingly as he touched his horn to the barrier. A flash of light was let out as he did, and when Celestia could see again he had a large magical ball above his head, waiting to be throw at her. Luna watched in horror as Sombra started to throw the ball at Celestia, and at the last moment she jumped in the way in an attempt to say her. When Celestia looked at her sister again she was encased in a magical ball of energy, completely motionless.
"Lulu?" Celestia asked as she moved a hoof forwards to touch the ball, only for it to be pulled back by Sombra.
"Sorry, but if you touch this ball, she dies" Sombra said, an evil smile on his face, "It will slowly crush her until all that is left is the size of an almond" Celestia looked at Luna in horror before steeling herself, preparing to attack Sombra, now not only for the Empire, but for Luna too.
*One Hour Earlier *
"So we're going to run in while you two look for Sombra?" Rainbow Dash asked, being honestly confused at Celestia's plan. They had been out in the wasteland for a month, carefully watching the Empire, had planned for every scenario, and this is what Celestia decides to do?! Rainbow just couldn't understand why Celestia had decided on something that seemed so stupid.
"You will run in to find Twilight and get her out of the castle, she is Sombra's power source, without her..." Celestia explained slowly.
"Without her he's powerless again?" Applejack finished her sentence, a calm nod being the only response from Celestia. That nod not only meant the meeting was over, but it also meant that it was decided, and they had to stick to the plan she decided on. As everypony prepared for the Unicorn regiment to blast a hole in the barrier Shining Armor stood at the back, using his magic to project his voice so he could give a speech to his men.
"Many of you have been in the Equestrian Guard for most of your adult lives, not expecting to see a fight such as this," Shining Armor began, pausing as many of the guards turned to nervously look at him. "But this is what you've been trained for. This fight isn't just for Equestria, this is a fight for all that is good in the world, and if we fail here there will be no pony at home to keep those you love safe. Go into this fight with all of your courage, honor, and pride, and we will go home as the victors!"
"YEAH!" everypony shouted mere seconds before the barrier was broken, the attack starting off with a bang as many of the guards rushed through, for every pony Sombra lost, they lost two. Shining Armor couldn't help but cringe as he watched his men funnel into the barrier on a suicide mission. He quickly regained his composure as the final guard made it through, clearing the path for him and the four available Elements of Harmony to rush in and find Twilight.
"CHARGE!" Shining Armor shouted as him and the girls ran through the barrier and the death that was all around them. A blood curdling scream came from the mines as they passed by, and with a quick look they could see one of Shining's lieutenants standing at the edge of the pit. They had to continue running, but when the reached the castle they all froze.
"Are those..." Spike stuttered as he pointed at the ponies impaled on the gate, some of them looking as though they had been up there for weeks. Pinkie Pie started to gag, eventually letting out a stream of confetti and balloons, but everypony else was too preoccupied to care how weird it was.
"We have to go through here, or else..." Shining Armor said as he looked up, seeing Celestia about to ambush Sombra, "Come one, let's get moving" Everpony listened and followed after him, the entire group starting to run as guards began to come out of every nook and cranny in the castle.. As they ran through they hit a barricade, with Shining Armor accidentally stabbing on of the guards with his horn. He continued to run as the guard cried out painfully, eventually slipping off and showering him in blood.
"Twilight's room is right ahead of us!" Spike shouted as they came to a landing, pointing towards the larger doors on that floor. As they ran to it they heard a loud explosion from higher up in the castle.
"That must be Celestia and Luna, come on, we have to hurry!" Shining Armor ordered, and everypony complied, picking up the pace. As they burst through the door to Twilight's room a bright flash blinded them, and when they came to Twilight was standing in front of them, just looking at them.
"Is that really you? You're not fakes made by Sombra?" Twilight asked shakily, her mental integrity having slipped over the past month.
"Yeah, it's us Twily.." Shining Armor said slowly as he tried to hold back tears, but he eventually broke down and ran up to Twilight, hugging her tight as he cried. Everypony else quickly joined in on the hug and cried along side him, including Twilight herself. The hug made helped her realize they were real, and that Celestia had come back for her...
*SMASH*
"DIE YOU WENCH OF A PRINCESS!" Sombra shouted as he fired another blast of magic at Celestia with killing intent. Just before the blast hit Celestia it disappeared with a flash, blinding everypony. When they were able to open their eyes they saw Sombra laying on the floor surrounded by his own blood, and with Twilight standing over her, her horn back on her head.
"No, you can't do this..." Sombra begged quietly as he stared up at her.
"Your reign ends here Sombra!" Twilight shouted as she slammed a hoof down on Sombra's chest, her eyes filling with hatred as her horn began to glow. Before anypony could say anything Twilight lowered her horn to Sombra's head, and then...
*BANG*
Chapter 10: Return Home
When everyone opened their eyes again there was bits of, something, everywhere. Hanging off the walls, some metal pieces had managed to get stuck in the solid crystal floor. As everypony's eyes moved up to look at Twilight they all froze, even Celestia. Twilight had sprouted wings similar to Sombra's and was now flying high above them, staring intently at the large black circle on the floor. A piece of whatever was on the walls started to slide down, and she zapped it, replacing it with a smaller black circle than the one on the floor.
"Twilight Sp-" Celestia began to say before jumping back to avoid a shot from Twilight. Everypony looked at the newest black circle, and they finally realized what was all over the walls, and them...
"AAAAAAA!" Rarity screamed, jumping up on her hind legs while rubbing her mane furiously with her fore hooves, "Ew, ew, ew, ew! GROSS!" Rarity ended up smearing Sombra all throughout her hair, pushing even the iron willed Rainbow Dash for beyond her limits, the whole room erupting into gagging sounds and the foulest stench in the world. It took Rarity a few minutes to realize what was going on, but she was quick to join in on the festivities. Twilight watched from up high, holding a muted laugh as she tried to hold her own vomit in, a strange feeling in her stomach pushing her over the edge. As everypony else came back from their vomiting fit she hit the floor with a loud, and wet, thud.
"Twilight!" Pinkie screamed, running forwards to see if Twilight was okay, but she ended up slipping on the vomit and smacked right into Celestia's flank.
"We need to get her to Canterlot!" Celestia said, her face blushing slightly from Pinkie hitting her. She looked over the Shining Armor who was now covered in blood and vomit, almost making her vomit again, but she managed to order him to the city to try and calm the masses so she could announce peace. After a few minutes the sounds of fighting finished and Celestia cleared her throat, just as the field medics arrived.
"I am happy to announce that as of now, the Crystal Empire is free again, and will be protected under me and my sister's rule for all time!" Celestia announced, the entire Empire replying with a cheer as they threw down their arms and armor, hugging those they had been fighting only minutes before.
Twilight woke up on the Frienship Express in an empty car, except for the bed she was laying in, and only vaguely remembering what had happened after her friends showed up. She could only remember up to when Celestia and Somb-
"Ah!" Twilight said quickly when she felt pain coming from her stomach, alerting everypony to the fact that she was awake now.
"Revenge..."
"Revenge?" Twilight whispered to herself as Shining Armor came running into the cart, at her bedside in seconds.
"Twily, are you okay?" Shining Armor asked quickly while he looked her over, checking for any cuts or bruises. Twilight stared at him for a few seconds before realizing who it was. In her mind she thought this was all one of Sombra's tricks to keep her magic strong, giving her a false sense of security, but this felt real.
"Shining Armor?" Twilight asked as tears started to flow freely out of her eyes, just in time for Shining Armor to pull her into a hug. While the hugged Celestia and Luna entered the cart, giving the siblings a moment to be together before asking Shining Armor to leave. After another quick hug he left Twilight alone to talk with the princesses.
"So, Twilight..." Celestia began to say, but for the first time since Luna's change into Nightmare Moon she was speechless. She had never been in this situation before, never has one of her own students been tricked by dark magic. How should she tell Twilight what she did was wrong? Should she punish her for it? What if-
"I'm sorry princesses..." Twilight said sadly, looking up only for a moment at the two of them before looking back at the floor, "I failed you, I failed everypony"
"Twilight, it was all just a misunderstanding, you were tricked by Sombra's magic" Luna said reassuringly, but was ignored by Twilight.
"I did such horrible things on my own freewill..." Twilight cried, the memories coming to haunt her now that she's out of the Empire, "I locked up my friends, I treated Spike like a slave, I hurt other ponies..." Celestia and Luna shared a worried look as Twilight broke down completely. They let her cry until she couldn't cry anymore, and then tried to continue the conversation.
"Twilight, your friends don't hate you for what you did, they know what happened" Celestia said calmly, but a wave of a hoof from Twilight dismissed her statement.
"You and the Elements saved me from Nightmare Moon, and all of the world from Discord" Luna said with a smile, "There's no reason for anypony to look at you any differently now then they did before you left"
"I USED DARK MAGIC!" Twilight screamed, making Celestia and Luna take a step back, "I broke the rules and used dark magic to try and beat Sombra, and in the end he still beat me!" Twilight started to get up, her eyes changing to reflect the hatred she had for herself, but she snapped out of it when she heard a familiar voice in her head.
"Kill them, get revenge on them for leaving you to rot in the Empire!"
"Sombra?" Twilight asked, looking around before coming to realize where it came from. When it finally clicked she felt a sharp pain in the side, causing her to fall to the ground in agonizing pain. Celestia and Luna immediately picked her up and put her on the bed, shouting for Shining Armor to get into the cart.
"Where are the medical officers?" Celestia asked quickly while Luna attempted to help Twilight relax.
"They're a few carts back, they'd never get up here until the next stop" Shining Armor said slowly as he tried to look behind Celestia to see what was wrong, but Celestia's waving mane and tail were blocking him.
"Celestia, it feels like Sombra's inside me and trying to get out" Twilight grunted through the pain, giving Celestia the final piece of the puzzle.
"Twilight, did you ever have intercourse with Sombra?" Celestia asked quickly, receiving a weird look from Luna until she figured it out as well. Twilight thought about it for a minute before slowly nodding her head. Celestia turned to Shining Armor, but he was gone. Just as she got ready to yell for him he came back with Applejack and Fluttershy in tow.
"Let them see her, they'll know what to do" Shining Armor said slowly as the two mares hovered over Twilight, quickly checking her over for any signs as to what was going on. When Applejack's examination brought her to between Twilight's hind legs she saw something that worried her, and she told Fluttershy to put her ear on Twilight's belly, which was oddly large considering the amount of food she was given. When Fluttershy let out a quiet eep Applejack knew what it was that was causing Twilight so much pain.
"Princesses, Shining Armor..." Applejack said, gulping before finishing her sentence, "Twilight is pregnant"
Chapter 11: An Uncertain Future
Chapter 11: An Uncertain Future
As the Friendship Express appeared over the horizon from Canterlot a rainbow colored Pegasus bolted ahead, flying straight into the Canterlot hospital. She was soon seen again being followed by two Pegasus paramedics that were carrying a stretcher between them. The few ponies that were working in the train yard saw them touch down just as the Friendship express pulled in, a purple Unicorn being flown as fast as possible to the hospital, being followed by the rare sight of the two princesses flying together. On the ground behind them the Elements of Harmony and a dragon that had gone north with them ran towards the hospital, meanwhile the Captain of the guard gave orders to his men to return to their posts ASAP, all while shooting looks at the hospital. Who ever was carried away was obviously important, but nopony recognized who it had been. Once the last guard had left the Captain ran away, leaving the train yard as empty as it had been before they all arrived.
"I wonder what that was about?" one of the workers said as he shoveled coal into one of the bins laying around.
"Heck if I know" another worker replied just before a loud whistle was let out by their supervisor.
"GET BACK TA WORK!"
Twilight was rushed into the emergency wing of the hospital as the paramedics continued to try and get a response from her. Celestia was at the front desk when Rarity and Color Palette came by while talking about wedding dresses.
"What kind of dress would you wear my dear?" Rarity asked as she flipped the page in the dress magazine she was reading, her eyes lighting up as she saw a sapphire encrusted gown.
"I don't know, me and my coltfriend aren't ready for that kind of thing yet" Color Palette admitted before noticing Celestia talking the receptionist's ear off. She knew this meant they were back from wherever they had gone to fight, but didn't pay any attention to it, thinking it was just to make room for some guards.
"I think a dress like this would be perfect on you dear" Rarity said, putting the magazine between her and Color Palette, the picture of a flowing white pink gown with an amazing ruby necklace. Rarity's attention shifted when she saw Spike walk up to Celestia. She dropped the magazine on the ground, causing Color Palette to slip and fall, as she started to run at Spike, who was oblivious to her presence. Spike was tackled to the ground, defenseless against the flurry of kisses Rarity was giving him.
"Spikey Wikey, you came back!" Rarity shouted in pieces as she continued to kiss him until he held her back with a serious look on his face, making her worry, "What's wrong Spikey?"
"Twilight's in the emergency, but Celestia can't get a doctor..." Spike said slowly as he pushed Rarity off of him. He walked back to the rest of the group, all of whom were sitting anxiously in the waiting room. Rarity's face lit up when she remembered what she had been doing before and within seconds she was hauling Color Palette towards Celestia, offering her up as a doctor for Twilight.
"Why thank you Rarity, but it is the doctor's choice" Celestia said wearily, the stress of Twilight's sudden sickness getting to her.
"I'll help, just show me where to go" Color Palette said calmly, despite being offered up against her freewill.
"Thank you, she is just this way" Celestia said, turning quickly to lead her to Twilight's room, leaving Rarity to go talk with the rest of the group, or just Spike, which is what ended up happening. After learning what had happened and what was going on she resigned herself to talking cutesy to Spike, despite how much it was embarrassing him. While she talked Spike's ear off a brownish Pegasus came into the hospital asking for Color Palette, and when he was told she was busy he left a bouquet of flowers along with a note for her. The receptionist made it clear that she thought it was sweet after he left, having "accidentally" read the note when it "accidentally" fell open onto her desk. When she quieted down Celestia and Color Palette came back through the door to emergency, a solemn look on their faces.
"What's wrong with her?" Rainbow asked quickly, beating Shining Armor to the punch.
"I'm not sure how to say this, but Twilight Sparkle is pregnant" Color Palette said slowly, trying to gauge their reactions. Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor's eyes grew big and their jaws dropped. Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike all looked at her with surprise and happiness. All the while Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other sadly, having already found it out on the train.
"What made her collapse?!" Shining Armor asked as soon as the shock faded.
"She was malnourished and weak already, the pregnancy only pushed her over the edge" Color Palette explained, "When a mare is pregnant she must be constantly fed to keep herself and the foal safe"
"Is the foal going to be okay?" Rarity asked, looking down at her own stomach worriedly.
"Yes, but there's only one thing we need to know now, and that is if any of you know-"
"WHO'S THE FATHER?!" Rainbow shouted once the news finally clicked for her, inadvertently finished Color Palette's sentence while making a fool of herself. Everypony laughed for a moment before becoming serious again.
"She refuses to tell me, but she agreed to tell you all once you go to see her tomorrow, except..." Color Palette paused to look at the ponies in the room, her eyes settling on Shining Armor, "You. You're Shining Armor, right?" He nodded back, quickly walking up to her and Celestia.
"Thank you for your help" Celestia said nicely, "If there is anything you need then feel free to ask, I will do all I can to make it happen"
"Thank you princess, but it was my pleasure" Color Pallet said before noticing the flowers and note on the receptionist's desk, knowing who it was from, "There is one thing actually..." Celestia leaned in and listened to her request before smiling and nodding as a away to tell her whatever she asked for is possible. Once Color Palette had run off with the flowers and note Celestia led Shining Armor to Twilight's room, where her crying was audible outside the room.
"Twily?" Shining asked worriedly when he entered the room, catching her by surprise.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen" Twilight cried as her brother ran to her bedside, quickly pulling her into a hug.
"What happened Twilight? It's okay, you can tell me" Shining said calmly while hugging her.
"I'm pregnant with Sombra's baby..." Twilight said quietly through her sobs, which were getting louder. The first things to come to Shining's mind were how and why, but he knew the answers.
"It's okay Twily, I'm here for you" Shining said as he began to cry himself due to Twilight's sobs.
"I didn't think I was actually pregnant, I was just faking so he would be nicer to me..." Twilight cried quietly before pushing Shining off of her just enough to look him in the eyes, "I'm four months pregnant..." The two siblings looked at each other sadly before embracing again, both of them freely crying into each other's shoulder. Celestia watched from the doorway as they cried more than she had ever seen anypony cry before, having to fight back tears of her own from the sad atmosphere. Eventually the crying stopped as they began to talk about the future for Twilight's foal. Celestia stepped in soon after and told Shining that talk would be for another time, and the two of them said goodnight to Twilight, who was still crying ever so slightly.
Chapter 12: Leaving Canterlot Again
Chapter 12: Leaving Canterlot Again
As Twilight woke up she heard the sound of hooves clopping around her. At first she imagined herself back at the Crystal Empire, where the sound of hooves clopping could easily be mistaken for the sound of whips hitting the pony's backs, or Sombra and his guards approach. When Twilight opened her eyes the hooves stopped, and all of her friends look at her for only a moment before running towards her for a group hug.
"Twilight!" Everypony said happily as they each tried to hug some part of Twilight. When the mass of ponies had settled Twilight saw Rarity and Spike sitting next to each other in the back of the room, Spike idly rubbing Rarity's stomach as he watched the mass amounts of hugging going on. He noticed that Twilight was looking at him so he got Rarity's attention and the two of them smiled and waved. Twilight had been told about Rarity's pregnancy, and was happy to know her little dragon was growing up, even if this was all caused by her failure.
"Hey Twilight, are you gonna tell us who the dad is?" Pinkie Pie asked suddenly when she felt something kick her face because of where she had been hugging.
"Um, well..." Twilight stuttered as her eyes grew big, everypony in the room focused on her, "You see, well, the dad is, um..."
"Spit it out already darling" Rarity said in a half yell so Twilight would hear her.
"Sombra..." Twilight whispered, only being heard by Fluttershy and Spike.
"Who was that?" Applejack asked, sharing a confused look with Rainbow Dash.
"Sombra..." Twilight said a tiny bit louder than before, now being heard by Pinkie, who was still wrapped around Twilight's waist.
"One more time egghead" Rainbow said flatly as she crossed her forelegs in front of herself as she hovered at the foot of the bed.
"It was Sombra okay!" Twilight said before grabbing one of the pillows and putting her face into it. She breathed heavily into the pillow for a few minutes, only looking up when the silence started to annoy her. When she did look up she saw worried looks on everypony's faces.
"Are you okay sugarcube?" Applejack asked as she put a hoof on the bed, her big green eyes giving Twilight a truly worried look.
"I don't know..." Twilight said sadly, "It's scary to think I'm actually pregnant with his foal"
"Don't worry Twi, we'll be there to help you when you need it" Rainbow said calmly as she looked for everypony's agreement, which they gave with a nod. Twilight looked at all of them in surprise before smiling back, tears of joy starting to make their way down her face.
"Thank you all..." Twilight said before the tears took control. Everypony else just watched as Twilight smiled and cried, their kindness being too much for her to take all at once. Once she had calmed down a nurse came in with Color Palette and they talked to Rarity and Twilight about what they would do now. After discussing it the two mares easily chose heading home to Ponyville, and Color Palette agreed to send their files over to Doctor Monitor. Tomorrow they would be back in their own homes for the first time in what seemed like years.
"Now arriving at Ponyville station" the train announcer said over the loud speaker as the train pulled into the station. When everypony's things were collected they made their way off the train, the normal sounds of Ponyville oddly silent as the train left.
"I wonder where everypony is..." Rarity said, looking over towards her boutique to find it in pristine condition, which made her left out a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, it's oddly quiet for the middle of the day..." Rainbow Dash agreed, flying up to get a better view of the town, "It's almost like everypony left Ponyville"
"Hey, where's Pin-" Twilight began to say before a loud bang went off beside her.
"WELCOME HOME!" Pinkie shouted alongside the entire town of Ponyville, the bang having been her party cannon firing it's payload of party supplies. Within minutes Twilight and the rest of the group had been hugged by everypony in town, including Zecora who had made a rare appearance at one of Pinkie's parties. Once the party began to settle down they approached Pinkie, who had already been tired out from all the hugs.
"How did you plan this Pinkie?" Twilight asked, turning her head around to look at the large group of ponies, the party spreading down the path to Ponyville and on the tracks.
"Oh it was simple, I just had Spike send a letter to Mayor Mare that said we were coming back and asked her to get everypony ready for a Pinkie Party here at the station!" Pinkie said happily as a loud crash was heard, the entire party had fallen over because Berry Punch had tripped and knocked over one of the punch bowls.
"Same old Berry" Rainbow laughed before flying over to help the tipsy mare to her hooves.
"Thanks for planning this Pinkie, it's so nice of you to do this on such short notice" Twilight said as she gave Pinkie a giant hug, making the pink pony giggle happily. When the Apple family saw Applejack they ran over, Applebloom jumping at her sister's neck.
"Sis!" Applebloom yelled happily as she swung around Applejack's neck. The two sisters laughed happily as Big Mac moved over to hug them both as Granny smiled. Rarity was ambushed by her sister soon after, her parents not far behind, and they began to hug as well. Rarity pulled her family and Spike off to the side, planning to break the news about her foal with Spike to them now rather than later. Pinkie was then pulled away to fix something that had fallen down near the edge of the party, leaving Twilight with Fluttershy.
"And then there were two" Twilight said as she turned to look at Fluttershy, only to see her talking to Angel as he hugged her leg tight.
"Oh, it's okay Angel bunny, I'm home now, don't worry" Fluttershy said quietly as she rubbed Angel's back, the rabbit nuzzling it's self into Fluttershy's fur. Twilight understood that the two of them were going to be like that for a while, so she quietly walked away, making her way to the library to be alone as she thought about the pregnancy, the whole idea of carrying Sombra's kid still scaring her.
Chapter 13: Running the Library
Chapter 13: Running the Library
"SPIKE!" Twilight shouted from her bedroom, her shout being met with silence. Oh yeah, he's over at Rarity's to make nice with her parents Twilight remembered as she climbed out of bed. The night before Spike had popped in and told Twilight that he was invited to her parents place for breakfast, either so they could judge him or congratulate him and Rarity. Knowing that he wouldn't be home until the afternoon Twilight made her way downstairs to make herself breakfast, only to be interrupted by the smell of hay bacon and eggs.
"Hello?" Twilight called out, not expecting anypony to be in her kitchen before she had woken up.
"Hiya Twilight!" Pinkie shouted happily as she bounced out of the kitchen with a plate of hay bacon on her flank and a plate of eggs on her mane. With one swift movement she threw the plates at the table in the middle of the library, landing them perfectly in the middle.
"Pinkie, what are you doing here?" Twilight asked as she watched the pink mare thrown plates and forks over to the table, landing them in the perfect positions.
"I knew Spike was away so I thought I'd make you a really big breakfast," Pinkie said as she walked over and poked Twilight's stomach, "You're eating for two now after all!" Twilight groaned as she remembered why she had been home alone for most of the night before. She would have stayed and partied, but it would have just been too awkward for her, with the baby of an evil king growing inside her. Twilight let out a quiet sigh before heading to the table, where Pinkie was already scarfing down the food like a madmare.
"You know if you keep eating like that I'll have nothing to eat" Twilight said jokingly, but Pinkie froze when she heard it. Pinkie looked down at her hoof, which had three strips of hay bacon in it, and then at the plate, which had twenty pieces left on it. After some quick thought Pinkie ate what was in her hoof and then waited for Twilight to get some food.
"Sorry for eating so much Twilight" Pinkie said sadly, making Twilight smile slightly.
"It's ok Pinkie, but remember, I'm eating for two now" Twilight said in an attempt to make light of her situation, but her she ended up saying it sadly. Pinkie caught on to it and trotted over to Twilight's side, putting a hoof on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but it didn't work. Instead the dam broke and Twilight began to cry.
"What am I supposed to do now?" Twilight whimpered, "What if this foal ends up like it's father?"
"It won't be like that Twilight" Pinkie said calmly, but her words didn't reach Twilight.
"What if I'm a terrible mother and it hates me?" Twilight cried, "What if it decides the run away because it won't have a father?" Pinkie quickly turned Twilight to face her and gave her a giant hug, calming her down quickly. They sat there in a hug for a few minutes until Pinkie let go, having seen the clock.
"Sorry Twilight, but I have to get to work now" Pinkie said sadly, "Rainbow said she would stop in when she was done with her work"
"Okay, thank you Pinkie" Twilight said with a sad smile, making Pinkie's mood pick up ever so slightly. Once the pink party pony had left Twilight sat down to eat, suddenly discovering that she was starving, and within minutes the rest of the hay bacon and all of the eggs were gone. After the dishes were cleaned up Twilight got ready to run the library all by herself for the first time in ages.
"Hey egghead, you alive over there?" Rainbow asked as she poked Twilight with a book, being met by a loud groan from Twilight. Rainbow forgot to show up right after work and instead went to nap on her favourite cloud, only waking up a few minutes ago. During her nap Twilight was swamped by ponies with long overdue books and whom also wanted to take out new books. Once the rush had died down Twilight collapsed into the seat, nearly passing out completely.
"Ugh..." Twilight moaned as she lifted her head to look at Rainbow, smiling weakly as she did. Rainbow's face dropped when she looked at Twilight's sorry state.
"Sorry for not showing up earlier, I got distracted" Rainbow apologized, but Twilight just waved her off.
"It's ok, I'm just exhausted" Twilight said humbly, but a sudden pain in her stomach made her grunt. Rainbow quickly flew into her friends face, holding up as she tried to faint. She shook Twilight slightly to try and wake her up, but she didn't open her eyes. Rainbow started to worry and picked her up so she could fly her to her bedroom. Once Twilight was in her bed Rainbow flew away from the library, looking for one of her other friends to come help her with Twilight.
"Urgh..." Twilight moaned after Rainbow left the library, having come to after realizing she was in her bed. She tried to sit up but felt a sharp pain in her stomach, forcing her to lay back down. After a while she felt her stomach growl, and she laughed quietly to herself. She had fainted because she ate too much food that morning, and now she was feeling the consequences of it.
"Twilight, are you home?" Spike said from downstairs as he opened the door, finding her absence from the main floor to be very odd. Twilight tried to call out to him, but all that came out was a weird noise that sounded like a dog growling mixed with a cat's meow. Spike quickly made his way up to Twilight's room, the odd noise giving him a feeling that Twilight wasn't doing ok.
"Twilight, are you okay?" Spike asked quickly as he ran to her bedside.
"Oh, just a small stomach ache" Twilight laughed, cringing as the pain shot through her again. Spike looked at her worriedly for a moment before letting out a loud sigh.
"Okay, I'll go clean up the library, shout if you need anything" Spike said as he walked away, giving Twilight one more worried look before he shut the door. As he went about his business Twilight heard Rainbow Dash come back, being followed by Applejack, and the two of them questioned him about Twilight. After around fifteen minutes they calmed down, believing she was in good hooves with Spike, so they said goodbye and went on their own ways. As the sun began to set in her window Twilight closed her eyes, falling asleep in her own bed for the second time in nearly half a year, feeling as though she had never left.
Chapter 14: Special Delivery!
Chapter 14: Special Delivery!
It's been almost three months since everypony had returned to Ponyville, most of them now settled back into their old routines, except for Spike. Now his days consisted of making sure Twilight was feeling okay, and then running over to the boutique to do the same for Rarity. Of course the two mares worried that he would tire himself out from running around so much, but everyday he told them it was okay, even denying help from the other girls when they offered.
This morning Twilight woke up to the sound of smashing as Spike attempted to make breakfast for her, some curses coming up from the kitchen. She moved to head downstairs, but stopped when she heard Spike sigh happily, putting a full plate down on the table in the middle of room, rubbing to soot of his forehead afterwards.
"Still attempting to cook?" Twilight asked with a smile, receiving a grunt from Spike. He quickly walked outside and shook himself off, a black cloud floating up around him and getting into Rainbow's flight path.
"HEY WATCH IT SPIKE!" Rainbow shouted as she coughed out the soot and shook herself off.
"Sorry!" Spike yelled back up before coming inside, the Pegasus quickly flying in after him, her tail nearly getting caught in the door. Rainbow laughed as she landed by the table, her hoof about to grab a bundle of hay bacon so she could stuff her face.
"Hi Rainbow" Twilight said flatly before laughing, the surprised looked on Rainbow's face making her want to start giggling like a school filly. The Pegasus was caught of guard by Twilight sitting at the table happily unaware of what was going on.
"Did nopony stop by here yet?" Rainbow asked, shoving her face full of hay bacon as soon as she could.
"Why should somepony stop by?" Twilight asked calmly, her eyes focusing on Spike as he walked behind Rainbow Dash, "Spike's here for now"
"Well, he shouldn't be" Rainbow said, spitting out bits of the hay bacon onto Twilight's table.
"Why not?" Spike asked defensively, wondering why Rainbow would say something like that even thought she knew about Twilight's situation.
"Because Rarity's been in labor for almost two hours now, duh!" Rainbow said somewhat irritated before she realized why Spike was here, "Nopony came to tell you, seriously?!" Spike was gone before Rainbow was able to finish her sentence, leaving the confused Pegasus with the equally confused Twilight.
"Rarity's having her foal now?" Twilight asked quickly, her eyes asking Rainbow the same question.
"Yeah, although the doctors are worried for both her and the foal" Rainbow said sadly, "Two weeks early and not a normal foal, they weren't ready for this"
"Of course they weren't..." Twilight said quietly as she looked at the floor before jumping to her hooves, "Come on Rainbow, we need to be there for them!"
"But Rarity said it was going to be family only!" Rainbow cried as she was pulled away from her hay bacon forcefully, reluctantly turning around to fly when the library, and her bacon, was out of sight. Twilight continued to run until she arrived at the hospital, which was a feat only made possibly by her magic acting like short stilts the entire way there.
"If we can't wait inside..." Twilight said as she pushed open the door, revealing a waiting room filled with the others girls, "Then we'll wait here"
"But Twilight, the hay bacon..." Rainbow whined, raising a hoof towards the path they had come from. Rainbow felt something long and soft hit across the back of the head, so she jumped up, only to find that Applejack had hit her with her hat.
"Stop whinin', it don't fit you at all" Applejack said with a laugh as she put her hat back on, leading the other two mares to their respective seats.
Six hours had passed since Twilight and Rainbow had arrived, joining the rest of the girls in their wait outside in the waiting room. According to Applejack Spike was lead in as soon as he opened the front doors, not even having to stop for them to realize who he was here for. Most of the ponies had fallen asleep except Twilight and Rainbow, both of them worried about their friends health too much to be able to close their eyes now.
*THUD*
Everypony woke up completely when they heard something hit the floor, and they looked they found the large purple dargon face first on the cold tile floor... snoring?
"Did he fall asleep as soon as he got out here?" Applejack asked, poking him absentmindedly with her hoof, making him groan every time.
"His hand must hurt a lot, I wonder what happened to it..." Pinkie asked out loud as she looked at Spike's right hand, which was almost pulsating from being squished, judging by the looks of it. Twilight, having been attending pregnancy classes with Rarity, knew what had happened, making her laugh quietly to herself.
"What's so funny Twilight?" Rainbow asked, giving the Unicorn a confused look.
"Rarity made him like this," Twilight said happily as she lifted Spike up so she could put him in a chair, "She ran him ragged in there..." Everypony watched as Spike was placed neatly in one of the hospital chairs, his head falling down onto his chest as he was let go. As the group walked away they heard him mumbling about how much his hand hurt and how much he loved Rarity and his newborn foal. Eventually the group found Rarity's room, the scorch marks on the ceiling and walls pointed it out.
"Why is the foal doing that?" Fluttershy asked as she stopped next to one of the larger marks, being too scared to carry on.
"It's something baby dragons do, it's similar to teething" Twilight replied, her words making Fluttershy calm down a tiny bit, the idea of seeing a baby dragon had piqued her interests. As Twilight pushed open the door a nurse pony ran out, pushing her and the girls aside.
"AMETHYST STOP DOING THAT!" Rarity shouted from the other side of the door, prompting her friends to rush in, finding her fighting with a strange dragon pony baby that was spitting fire everywhere. Once they were inside Twilight used her magic to rub the baby's neck, making it stop spitting fireballs.
"Oh thank Celestia he stopped!" Rarity cheered as she laid the baby down in her forelegs, "Thank you Twilight"
"No problem," Twilight smiled at Rarity, her attention quickly being grabbed by the baby, "Who's this?"
"This is Amethyst, and he's the best baby in the world..." Rarity cooed as she went to nuzzle Amethyst's nose, which was pony-like, as was his body, but he had very distinct dragon features. When Twilight looked down at him she felt two things pop up inside of her. One, she was amazed at this new baby, being a mix of dragon and pony, it was something many could only imagine, and two, in just a few short months she would be here, alone...
"Everything alright dear?" Rarity asked, having noticed the sad look on Twilight's face when she handed Amethyst off to the girls for a little while.
"Soon I'll be here, just like you, but I won't have anypony like Spike..." Twilight said sadly, her gaze glued to the floor as she tried to not cry. For a mare like her, Celestia's own student and sister to a princess and the captain of the guard, to be having a foal all by herself? It was still too much for her to handle.
"It's okay Twilight, we'll be here for you" Applejack said, holding Amethyst towards Twilight so she could take him. Once she held him it felt as if all her worries went away, and now she couldn't wait to have her own foal to hug and hold like Rarity did with Amethyst. Only a few more months, and then I won't be alone anymore... Twilight thought as she and the girls laughed and talked about the baby until the nurses came in and shooed them away. That night, Twilight felt ready to have her foal without a single bit of fear.
Chapter 15: Foal Sitter
"Oh, and don't give him his sucker after you burp him, he'll try to eat it!" Rarity shouted as Spike dragged her away from the library.
"Ok!" Twilight shouted back, still standing in the door with Amethyst on her back.
"He likes to have gemstones ground into his milk as well, if they aren't then he'll start spitting fire!" Rarity cried, trying desperately to break through Spike's arms to go hold her baby. Spike had suggested that they go on a vacation, the last month having taken a large toll on the two of them, and with Twilight's due date coming up it would be good practice for her, even if Amethyst was only half pony.
"Amethyst! Mommy loves you!" Rarity cried loudly from the end of the block just before Spike turned the corner, cutting off her line of sight on Amethyst, who was now attempting to eat Twilight's mane because it looked like a kind of candy Pinkie had begun selling. A few minutes after Rarity was out of sight Twilight closed the door, eager to get to know what was basically her grandcolt, given that she hatched Spike from an egg and had to nurture him. A loud shout could be heard from outside, the library door being yanked open moments later.
"Is he ok?!" Rarity asked frantically as she scanned the room, "Oh Amethyst, are you ok? Mommy's here don't worry..."
"Uh, Rarity?" Twilight asked as she put a hoof on Rarity's shoulder.
"Yes, what is it dear?" Rarity asked back, her motherly instincts making her actions seem normal to her.
"You haven't been gone for more than five minutes, he's ok" Twilight said to comfort her, to no avail as Rarity quickly pulled her dramatic couch out of nowhere and began to whine about leaving her son with Twilight, and how she has had no experience, not to mention how precious he was! The list seemed to go on and on until Spike showed up at the door, an angry look on his face. Without saying anything he picked Rarity and walked out the door, using his free hand as a muzzle so she wouldn't bother anypony else on their way to the train station.
"Ok little guy, what should we do first?" Twilight asked, the sound of scratching from upstairs catching her attention rather easily, "Oh, one moment Amethyst!" After running upstairs Twilight found Peewee flying on the other side of her door, having been the one scratching things. Before she could find out why he flew downstairs and landed in front of Amethyst, the two of them just staring each other down for a few moments. Once Twilight had made it back down to them they made strange noises at each other, making her jump back.
"What's gotten in to you two?" Twilight asked out loud, as if Celestia was about to tell her what was going on. Just as she started to contemplate that idea Peewee landed next to Amethyst, rubbing it's head up and down his head as a sign of affection.
"Ok then..." Twilight said slowly as she watched them play around on the table, "What's first on the list... Ah, breakfast of ruby milk!" Twilight quickly ran into the kitchen and began to prepare the milk when she heard Peewee squawk loudly from the other room. When she ran back into it she found Peewee and Amethyst flying around the main room, and she let out a relaxed sigh...
...FLYING?!
"AMETHYST GET DOWN FROM THERE!" Twilight screamed as she attempted to overpower the young Unicorn, but his dragon blood was allowing him to access greater magic than a Unicorn should have, and Twilight was weak from her own pregnancy, so he was able to repel her magic with only a slight glance. Knowing that she wasn't going to be able to beat his random moment of magical ability Twilight gave up, casting a spell on him to make sure that when he ran out of power he wouldn't just drop to the floor, instead he would be suspended by Twilight's own magic. Peewee obviously caught on that something wasn't right so he land back on the table, being followed soon after by the young Kirin.
"Now you two be good, and no more flying!" Twilight said, her agitation seeping into her voice. Once the two of them seemed to have calmed down Twilight turned to leave, but was called back by a strange sound from Amethyst. She thought back to what Rarity had told her about, recognizing this as a sign that he needed to be burped despite not eating anything. Picking him up carefully Twilight began to burp him, forcing up a hot fireball which set the table on fire, scaring Peewee to the other side of the library.
"Oh, this is going to be a long week..." Twilight moaned as she set Amethyst back down, quickly shouting outside for help with the fire, finding Rainbow Dash just above her with a rain cloud. Once the fire was out she said goodbye to Rainbow and finally got Amethyst his breakfast, which he happily gulped down, almost too fast for Twilight. As soon as it was all gone he fell asleep, giving Twilight two hours of rest before he would wake up, needing to be burped and fed, yet again. It was a vicious cycle that went on and on, almost like his mother's list of complaints and worries, but eventually Twilight found a time for herself. A time that was mostly spent thinking over her own pregnancy.
"Oh, I hope mine isn't going to be like this..." Twilight worried as she rubbed her belly with a sweaty hoof from today's work, "If he's this destructive and demanding then I don't know what I'll do..." Images of a young pony that looked like her flashed through Twilight's mind, each of them depicting him, or her, doing something horrible. Using magic to enslave Spike or her so they would do their bidding, or enslaving the town so they could rule something as their father did, or even attacking Celestia to challenge her for power over Equestria...
Twilight moaned in despair as the moment to herself was cut short, the young Kirin crying yet again, a sign that he had to be burped and fed more milk, this time with sapphires in it since it was past four in the afternoon. This happen three or four more times until Amethyst was asleep for the night, not waking up until early the next morning. Twilight was right when she said it was going to be a long week, but she didn't know just how long it was going to end up being for her...
Chapter 16: Arrival
Twilight was busy running around the library in an attempt to control Amethyst when she heard a knock at the door, a welcome sign for her, as Amethyst had a habit of heading to it whenever somepony showed up. When she looked over at the door she saw him, sitting patiently like a dog, ignoring Twilight completely as she walked past him to open the door.
"Hi Fluttershy" Twilight smiled as she welcomed Fluttershy into the library, it being her day to help with Amethyst and to manage Twilight's pregnancy. Earlier in the week she collapsed suddenly while talking to Cheerilee, who had come by to take out a book she was going to read to her class. Twilight was rushed to Ponyville Hospital and was told that the stress of watching Amethyst was causing complications, and might force a premature birth of her child, which she had learned was a male Unicorn, like his father. Doctor Stable warned her that overexerting herself was going to cause major issues for both her and the foal's immediate future, but Twilight was unable to do it, so her friends offered to help her with the foalsitting.
"Hi Twilight, how are you feeling today?" Fluttershy quickly asked as Amethyst moved towards her curiously. He had never met her before because of her fear of dragons, and despite the fact that it was Spike's son she was still afraid of him. Once she looked at him her fears disappeared, his overall pony appearance making her see him as a very unique colt, rather than some kind of dragon pony half breed.
"I'm alright, just feeling extra tired after somepony kept me up all night" Twilight said angrily as she shot a glare at Amethyst, who had in fact kept her up by screaming and hollering almost nonstop for the entire night. If Twilight could guess, she got maybe two hours of sleep, but that would be if she was rounding up generously.
"Oh, I'm sure he didn't mean it..." Fluttershy said sweetly as she moved to play with the young troublemaker, "Isn't that right you little fluff ball you..."
"Um, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, interrupting her doting over Amethyst.
"Yes Twilight?" Fluttershy asked while keeping her eyes trained on Amethyst as he tried to play with her mane.
"Can you go prepare his breakfast, I have to burp him now" Twilight said calmly as she moved towards Amethyst, who happily reached up around Twilight's neck and prepared for his burping. Once it was done and a fire was prevented Twilight took him to his seat so he could wait for his breakfast, which was about to come out when Twilight felt a sharp pain from her lower body.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight shouted, the Pegasus being in the room as fast as she could, "Can you check to see if my water broke?!"
"Y-Yeah!" Fluttershy stuttered before moving down to check, finding it to be in fact broken. Due to the situation leaving her speechless Fluttershy just nodded, knocking Twilight out from the shock. She wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, she thought she had another week or so, but now...
"Fluttershy..." Twilight groaned, the pain quickly becoming unbearable for her as the baby attempted to force it's way out. Fluttershy started to look around in fear, not quite sure what to do, and Peewee flying around gave her the answer she was looking for. Without hesitation Fluttershy just ran out of the library and flew away, heading straight towards Rainbow's cloud house.
"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy shouted as she flew up to Rainbow's bedroom window, seeing her reading the newest Daring Do novel, Daring Do and the Alicorn Amulet , but when Fluttershy appeared at her window she angrily put the book down.
"What is it Fluttershy?" Rainbow asked quickly, still trying to read the book while it was down on her lap.
"I need you to go get Applejack and Pinkie!" Fluttershy said quickly, looking back towards the library worriedly, tipping Rainbow off that something was wrong with Twilight. Being careful to not push Fluttershy out of the way Rainbow shot out of her window, heading first towards Sweet Apple Acres. Knowing that Rainbow was going to be able to get them to the library quickly Fluttershy shot back, finding Twilight curled up in a ball on the floor.
"Flut-tershy..." Twilight stuttered through the pain, barely staying conscious through it. Amethyst and Peewee were looking at her worriedly, neither of them knowing what was going on and were terrified of it. Fluttershy quickly ran over to Twilight's side and checked how far along she was, her eyes getting wide when she took a good look. She started to shake as she thought about what was coming, and just as she was about to pass out Applejack and the others rushed in, quickly taking places at Twilight's side.
"Twi, are you okay? How are you feeling?" Applejack quickly asked while looking Twilight over, seeing what Fluttershy was looking at, "Oh no..."
"What is it?" Rainbow asked, looking at Applejack worriedly.
"She's giving birth right now" Applejack said sternly, her face showing no emotion as she thought it over.
"We have to get her to the hospital!" Rainbow shouted quickly, preparing to lift Twilight up off the ground, but she was stopped by Applejack and Pinkie's hoof. Rainbow gave them strange looks, but when she looked into their eyes she understood and quieted down, ready to see what she could do to help...
"Ugh, my everything..." Twilight moaned as she came to, her eyes opening slowly as she sat up. Looking around her room she found each of her friends passed out in weird places, and with Amethyst laying next to Fluttershy. When Twilight heard somepony crying she got up, heading towards Amethyst, but she noticed that it wasn't him that was crying. Walking over to the crib that Rarity had given her for Amethyst Twilight found a strange new foal laying in it. Looking at the foal made Twilight feel some sort of warm emotion from inside, noticing that he had two familiar stripes in his hair. Twilight picked him up and cradled him, heading towards her bed so she could hold him with her forelegs. As she laid down with him his crying stopped and he begun to suck on Twilight's hoof.
"Hey little guy, what's your name...?" Twilight asked quietly, but still loud enough for her friends to wake up.
"How ya feelin' sugar cube?" Applejack asked sleepily as she walked up to Twilight's bed.
"Tired, and sore" Twilight said, finally noticing a large bump missing from her body, "Is he mine?"
"Yup..." Rainbow said, her eyes getting glossy as she looked at him in Twilight's arms.
"We had to help birth him since you were here when it started, so..." Fluttershy said quietly, giving Twilight and the foal a sweet smile.
"What are you going to call him Twilight?" Pinkie asked, already planning out the colt's birthday party for the next ten years. Twilight had thought of a few names, but none of them seemed to fit with the colt, but a look out the window told her what to say.
"Orion" Twilight said, the colt giggling happily when she did, "His name is Orion Sparkle"
"That's a fitting name" Rainbow said, looking out the same window and seeing the hunter's constellation just outside the window. Pinkie bounced over and looked at Orion happily, her pink mane touching his nose, making him sneeze. His sneeze caused Pinkie to fall backwards, a small hint of dark magic flashing from his horn when he did.
"Uh oh..." Fluttershy said worriedly as she shrunk away, the memories of the Crystal Empire coming flooding back to her.
"It'll be fine, Twilight'll raise him right, trust me" Applejack said happily, a look at Orion's sleeping state calming Fluttershy back down. Twilight smiled as Orion giggled, his magic ability showing as he picked up Amethyst's sucker from across the room and putting it in his mouth, eagerly sucking on it. The girls talked for a little bit more, mostly about planning his party when Rarity had come back, and eventually they all left. Twilight was going to get up, but decided against it, deciding to instead spend her first night as a mother with her precious little colt.
"I love you Orion Sparkle, you're my world now..." Twilight whispered as she fell asleep, smiling for the entire night as she slept with her own colt in her arms.
