//------------------------------// // Unexpected Surprise // Story: A New Start // by Lotus Moon //------------------------------// After a few minutes of retching, Lotus panted heavily. Saphirus rubbed her back, looking very concerned. "Lotus...why didn't you tell me were feeling sick?" "I-I didn't feel sick earlier" She looked down. "And...I didn't start feeling sick till...around dessert. But I didn't want to ruin your special day, so I ignored it." "Oh Lotty, you know you don't have to keep things from me. If you weren't feeling well, we could've just had dinner at home." He hugged her gently. She blushed and drew small circles on his chest. "You know that nickname is embarrassing. Guess I know how it feels now when I call you Saphy" She mumbled, her cheeks puffed childishly. "You bet your flank, you do. Besides, it's a cute nickname." He chuckled. "But that aside, I think we should hold off on our night activities. You're in no shape for it." She looked up at him with big eyes "B-But-" "No convincing me otherwise. You're sick and it would be heartless of me to only think of myself when you're not well. Also...no offense...I'd rather not have you accidentally vomit on me." He said, laying her in bed. "Now it may be my birthday, but you are my number one concern. You stay here and I'll get you some tea for that unsettled stomach." Knowing she couldn't and shouldn't, argue with him, Lotus sighed and resigned herself to bed. "You're always so selfless, Saphy. Thank you." "It's just who I am." He nuzzled her and went to the kitchen. As Lotus laid in bed, thoughts raced through her mind. Why had she suddenly felt sick? Did she eat something bad? What if it was the soup she prepared for them? But it couldn't have been that since Saphirus seemed fine...or did he? What if he got sick after a while too? Thinking all this made her feel sick all over again and she groaned. After a little time, Saphirus came back with a cup of ginger tea. "Saphy, do you feel ok?" "What do you mean?" He asked after setting the tea on her nightstand. "You don't feel sick? At all?" She asked, taking the teacup in her magic. He stared at her and chuckled. "Lotty, you think your food made you sick? That's not possible. You're a great cook." "Yeah I know but you never know what could happen." She sighed, drinking some tea before laying down. "If you feel sick...you'd tell me right?" "Of course." He said, pulling the blanket over her. "Now you rest, if you're still sick by morning, we'll see a doctor." He kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, my precious flower." And with that, Lotus drifted off to sleep and Saphirus climbed into bed next to her, falling asleep beside her. ***** It was not an easy night for Lotus. Around 1 AM, she woke up and dashed to the bathroom. She felt sicker than ever and spent her entire night retching with little rest between until she passed out at some point. Lotus woke up to the sounds of her partner calling her name, highly concerned. Even with blurry vision, she saw Saphirus and behind him, saw that Celestia had already raised the sun. "Lotus, thank Celestia you're awake!" He hugged her. "How long have you been in here? You had me scared when I found you passed out in here." "S-Saphirus...I-I don't know. I suddenly felt sick so I came in here. I thought it was only a few moments." She said, sitting up weakly. "You still look really green. I'm taking you to Ponyville General. You need help." He said, helping her to her hooves. "Ok...but first...c-can I have a little privacy?" She asked. Without questioning it, and assuming it was to clean herself up, Saphirus left the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Saphirus heard Lotus retching again. He, despite Lotus not wanting him to hear her like this, sat outside the bathroom door and waited for her. After some time, he didn't hear her anymore. When checking on Lotus again, she was passed out once more. Not wanting to waste time, he scooped her up and brought her to the carriage they used when moving into their new home. He gently placed her in the carriage (which had several pillows in it from a recent shopping trip) and took her to Ponyville General, careful not accidentally upset her stomach again. Once there, some nurses helped him take Lotus to a room. Later in the day, she woke up to some voices. One was Saphirus' and the other was a couple of nurses. Noticing she was awake, Saphirus smiled. "Lotus, how are you feeling?" "I...I think I feel alright now. But not completely any better." She sighed. "Where are we?" "Ponyville General. I brought you here when you passed out. I told the doctors you weren't feeling well." He said. "The doctor will be back in a moment." Nurse Redheart said. "With your test results." "Test results?" Lotus tilted her head. "Am I sick or something? Other than the vomiting" "Oh no, you're not sick at all." Doctor Horse said, walking in with a huge smile. "It's something else." "Tell us, doctor. Is it stress? She has been putting a lot of time into planning our wedding." Saphirus stated. "Oh stress would be a bad thing. It could negatively affect the baby." Doctor Horse said, looking down at the file he came in with. Lotus and Saphirus had wide eyes and they were both dumbfounded. After several seconds, which felt like minutes, Lotus finally spoke. "I-I'm sorry Doc. D-Did you say...b-baby?" "Hm? Oh yes, congratulations, you're having a baby. You've been pregnant for a little while now, about 8 weeks to be exact, it's just finally showing. The vomiting is simply morning sickness, which should settle in a few weeks. As it settles, it shouldn't be as frequent as it seems now." He said. Lotus was still shocked at the sudden news of a pregnancy. Thinking back, she had been feeling a little different for quite some time. Some small bouts of nausea, but nothing too worrisome. Feeling a little more tired than normal, especially in the middle of the day or days, she didn't do much. Sudden dizzy spells that stopped as soon as they started. Also, she had been eating a little more than usual, like just extra snacks throughout the day. She did also notice last night that her waistline did seem a bit...big. It all made sense. She was expecting a foal. Saphirus hugged Lotus and smiled brightly. "This is amazing. We're going to be parents." "I...It's so much sooner than we thought, though. I mean...we still haven't had the wedding yet." Lotus said, still wrapping her head around being a mother soon. "You could put it off until after you have the baby." Doctor Horse suggested. "It would be a good course of action" "If it'll keep her from stressing out and thus hurting the baby, then I'm for it," Saphirus said and looked at her. "Lotus?" Lotus shook her head. "No, I can't put the wedding on hold. We've already sent out the invites. Princess Twilight has already gone through all the trouble of helping me plan everything and Rarity is already making my dress." She rubbed the back of her head. "We can just have the wedding sooner. That should help. And after the wedding, I can take it easy." "I guess that could work. I mean, it is just a few weeks away. If everything is almost completely ready, then we can have it sooner. Though it might be late to send new invites." Saphirus rubbed his chin. "Wait, with Princess Twilight helping, it shouldn't take long." "The florists will faint though. But I think they can handle it. As I recall, even with a Bug Bear attack, Cranky and Matilda's wedding went off without a hitch." Lotus smiled. "We can make the wedding sooner. With you and everypony else helping, it'll be the perfect wedding." The doctor cleared his throat, catching Lotus and Saphirus' attention. "I still suggest you wait and rest. But the less stress you have, the better it'll be. For right now, you should rest here until you have enough strength to walk." "Yes, Doctor. And...thank you." Lotus smiled, laying down again. "Saphy, I need you to see Princess Twilight. Tell her we're changing our plans." "Alright, I'll be right back." He kissed her forehead and left. ***** "A baby?!" Six voices shouted at once. "Yes, Lotus and I are having a baby," Saphirus said. He went to Twilight's castle to talk to her about changing their wedding plans. It was sheer coincidence that the rest of the Mane 6 were there. "To put less stress on her, we decided to have the wedding sooner than expected." "Congratulations! This is such amazing news." Twilight flapped her wings in excitement. "Oh boy, y'all have got a lot on your hooves now." Applejack said, adjusting her hat. "That is a lot darling. But that aside...did you say you were pushing up the wedding date?" Rarity asked. "Yes. It would be for the best that we do. It takes some possible stress off Lotus so not to harm her or the baby." Saphirus said. "Um..h-how far is she? With her pregnancy, I mean." Fluttershy asked. "The doctor said she's only about 8 weeks pregnant. She's not really showing yet. So the dress Miss Rarity has created should fit just fine." He said. Saphirus was about to speak again when Pinkie popped up beside him. "Oh my gosh! This is amazing! I've got to throw you a party now! It can be a "Congrats-on-your-wedding-and-foal" party. And we can have on the same day as your wedding!" She gasped deeply and loudly. "A 2-for-1party!" She squealed and Saphirus immediately ducked for cover before she blew off her party cannon. "Y-Yeah. I'll talk to her about that." Saphirus chuckled nervously. "So Princess Twilight, would you be able to help us reorganize the wedding?" "Of course I'll help. I am her Mare of Honor." She smiled. "We can all help." "Heck yeah! Tell us the day and I'll keep the sky clear." Rainbow Dash said. "And Ah'll make the grub for the whole shindig." Applejack said. "Ah've got a few recipes that'll wow ya." Fluttershy poked her hooves together. "My bird choir can sing for the wedding and carry her train." "Send Lotus to me and I'll alter her dress if need be." Rarity said, flipping her mane. "Pinkie's already decided to throw a party. And, of course, I'll take care of organizing everything. Starting with invites." Twilight said. "Will there really be enough time for sending new invites? I mean, we'll have to rush now, won't we?" Saphirus asked. "No problems, we can do it. You just stay by Lotus and take over in any areas she might not be able to." Twilight said. "I can do that. Thank you, Princess." He bowed politely.