Deep in the pearly white snows of winter, the ponies of Equestria do their best to keep warm and go about their daily lives. Despite the harsh weather that has beset the land, a momentous event to come has kept the spirits of the ponies high. For the first time ever in the several thousand year long rule of their glorious leaders, King Helios and Queen Virgo are expecting to give birth any day!
In light of the great news, settlements all across Equestria throw their own celebrations across their warm fires; some ponies have even made the great journey to the capital city of Canterlot for the coronation of the new heir to the throne. Some foresee a young prince to be born, others say it will be a princess, but no pony really knows, not even the King and Queen know as they wanted the news to be a surprise. The excitement has only increased as even greater news from messenger ponies was spread all across the equestrian settlements.
"Here ye here ye, to the loyal subjects of King Helios and Queen Virgo, the great leaders of the Crystal Empire, King Diamond and Queen Harmony have decided to give birth to their heir in the royal capital of Canterlot as a sign of friendship and good will. The crown humbly requests that their subjects welcome the crystal ponies of the north as they bring with them supplies to help cope with this long winter. We welcome the warm hospitality of our close northern allies, and welcome all ponies to Canterlot for the coronation ceremony of the two young heirs."
The ponies all cheer in jubilation as they break to go about the rest of their day, some tending to the big fire that is kept in the center of town, the fire keeping spirits high and helping fend off the harsh cold.
The two great empires have endured through nearly endless conflict in a grueling effort to protect their subjects and the precious magic that their land possesses. Soldiers fighting bravely against those that seek to steal their magic and enslave their precious families and friends, but through the united power of the Crystal Empire and Equestria, they have endured together. If one land were to find themselves facing troubling times, the other would always be there to aid their close allies.
*****
Hundreds upon hundreds of ponies walk upon the path from the Crystal empire to the city of Canterlot, and at the very center of this grand convoy is an elegantly made carriage, decorated with the purest of gems and crystals. The carriage is pulled by four guards dressed in ceremonial armor, each maintaining perfect military bearing, marching at a steady pace, the rest of the ponies follow their speed. A detail of Crystal Royal guards also marches in formation around it, the rest of the ponies of this convoy are all loyal citizens of the Crown, warmly dressed and talking among one another about the great event that is about to happen, doing their best to keep spirits high and remain warm.
King Diamond looks out of the window to see how his subjects are fairing, all of them in such high spirit brings a smile to his face as he closes the curtains.
"And here i thought that our little ponies couldn't be happier than they have been from our victory over the yaks of the mountains," he states as he closes the curtain. His coat sparkles regally of the stone he was named after, as if the hairs were diamonds themselves.
"Victory has always brought out happiness to ponies, whether it be from battle or sport," a soft and warm voice says to him. The sound of her loving voice makes his heart melt as he looks over at his beautiful Queen, her coat looks like the purest of snow, her long elegant mane and tail are a regal light cobalt with white highlights at the end of her mane and tail. Her eyes matching her mane.
"That may be part of it but I would also like to think it was also you and your idea of starting the Crystal fair, such a wonderful idea, I fail to recall a point in time where the empire has ever been this united together!" he says with a big grin on his face.
She blushes bashfully and hides her face with her hoof, "Oh you give me too much credit Diamond, I just came up with the idea but the ponies that made it into such an extravagant event; It was an added benefit that they strengthened the crystal heart as well," she says as she looks over at him.
Diamond gazes upon his love laying on her side, making room for her bulging belly. He moves closer to her to give her a loving hug, gently feeling her belly with his hoof.
"I cant believe i am going to be a father..." he says as tears come close to falling from his eyes, the day he looked forward to since the day he proposed to his love.
Harmony smiles and gently wipes his eyes with her hoof and kisses his chin, "As am I Diamond, our little foal is ready to come out into the world with us. Our foal has been quite active today" she says with a giggle as she moves his hoof to a spot on her belly.
After a few short moments he feels a tiny hoof press against the wall of her belly, the feeling of his foal's hoof almost makes him collapse from happiness. Not being able to contain himself anymore, tears start to flow down his cheeks.
Harmony smiles and gently hugs his head into her soft fluffy chest, always loving this soft side of her normally stoic husband, "you are such a soft stallion Diamond, it's very sweet" she says with a giggle.
Diamond rolls his eyes and enjoys the warmth of her fur, "soon we will have our own bright shining star, hopefully Helios' and Virgo's foal gets along with our's, that would mean great things for the future of our empires."
Harmony nods slowly and rests her head on his hooves, feeling nervous about going into labor. Diamond notices the worry in her eyes and gives her a loving nuzzle on her cheek.
"I know it must be frightening... but rest assured I will be with you the whole time, you will be fine..." he says to comfort her, feeling nervous himself as he wants both his wife and foal to be healthy after the ordeal is over.
"Virgo is expecting to give birth soon as well; I could tell she was nervous from her letters. I am ecstatic to see her again after so long" she says to take his mind off of the subject, reaching up to gently stroke his mane.
"Of course, I have missed when Helios and I would have our sparring matches together, maybe we can find the time once again" he chuckles softly and closes his eyes as she pets his mane "I remember how we would fight for you and Virgo's attention"
Harmony rolls her eyes and smirks at the memory of them horsing around, "yes and we would always have to explain to our parents why we were always tending to your scrapes and bruises practically every day, colts will be colts I guess."
"Hey at least we always kept things interesting, and don't act like you didn't enjoy the show," he winks at her and she laughs softly.
"Oh yes, watching you two obnoxious colts beat the snot out of one another was certainly a spectacle," she says and gives him a kiss on his nose as he sits back up on his flank. His ears perk up as one of the guards pulling the carriage knocks on the wall, "Your highness, Canterlot is within our sights"
Diamond lowers the window and pokes his head out and looks ahead, seeing the mountain city he smiles in satisfaction, knowing the long trek will soon be over, and that his subjects can finally rest and mingle with the equestrians, creating new friendships among one another. "Keep it up everypony, a celebration is in order once we make it!" Everypony cheers in agreement and the carriage goes a little faster, everypony having more kick in their step with the sudden burst of motivation.
******
The great horns of the Capital city boom across the area as they play Canterlot's song, the crystal ponies look up at the city in awe as many of them are seeing the great towers of the castle for the first time in their lives, tales being told to them by their parents of the grand architecture of Canterlot, rivaling their own beautiful crystal palace. Equestrians line the streets and cheer for the arriving ponies, happy to see that the convoy made it to Canterlot safely, the Crystal ponies cheer and wave back and some break the convoy to say hello to long time friends. Ponies hand out bowls of hot soup from large cauldrons to give to the cold and tired travelers, gathering in circles to eat their warm meals and tell stories about the perilous journey.
King Helios walks up to the top of the steps leading up into the castle, along with his lovely wife Queen Virgo, her coat and mane seem the very essence of space, while her husband shines bright like the sun, they both smile in anticipation as they watch the carriage roll towards the base of the stairs, a red carpet laid out in the center that leads into the castle. Equestria's elite royal guards dressed formally and each standing at attention on either side of the stairs, the Equestrian flag adorning each of them.
At the first step is a royal musician who blows his horn as the carriage stops at the bottom of the steps, "Presenting the King and Queen of the Crystal Empire, King Diamond and Queen Harmony!" The guards present their flags and the lead crystal guard walks to the door to open it, as it opens Virgo and Helios look down in anticipation, both equally as eager to see their old friends after so long.
Diamond slowly steps out into the sunlight, said light making his coat sparkle brighter, he holds his hoof out for Harmony who takes it as she steps out of the carriage, taking care not to hit her belly on anything. She stands next to her husband and her mane flows in the wind elegantly, now joined together they walk up the red carpet to Helios and Virgo. All is quiet as they approach the equestrian monarchs, and once they meet face to face, all bow their heads to one another out of respect.
"Our friends of the Crystal Empire have arrived safely from their long journey. This was of course planned by ourselves as well as King Diamond and Queen Galaxia, as we hope that the birth of our heirs together will send a warm and powerful message to our subjects. We are as one, crystal and equestrian, allies since the antiquity of our cultures," Helios booms with his royal canterlot voice.
Virgo nods slowly and follows with her own voice "Our wish is to unite our great nations into one, so that we may defend against any threat to our home as a single entity. This is not something that will take place soon, as it is a task we wish to pass on to our foals when it is our time to step down from the throne. But until then we will prepare for that momentous day, as of today our borders shall always remain open with the Crystal Empire, and we hope that you all will create strong bonds with one another," Virgo finishes and the ponies all stomp their hooves and cheer in excitement.
The announcer soon holds up his megaphone "And with that the royal families wish that you all enjoy the festivities!" The ponies soon break, the crystal ponies talking with the equestrians and going up to all the booths that were setup so they could partake in fun games or enjoy local cuisine. When the Kings and Queens see that their ponies are jovially congregating among one another they turn to retire to the castle, Diamond and Harmony wanting a nice warm meal after the long and cold journey.
Virgo looks at Harmony and smiles when she sees her belly is as big as her's is "I'm glad to see im not alone in putting on a few pounds," her remark earning a giggle from her dear friend.
"Yes it can be hard to maneuver sometimes with my little one, our foal has been quite active as of recently," Harmony says as she looks down at her own bulging stomach. "I think it will all be worth it though... being able to finally see my little angel's face and tiny hooves for the first time" a blush crosses her face as a big grin crosses her face.
"I look forward to it as well, but i will miss watching you wolf down entire dinners in a matter of a minute, you've had a larger appetite than me!" Diamond says which makes them all laugh.
The guard escorting them cant help but smile at how normal the King's and Queen's can really be, knowing the daily stresses they go through.
"It must be a relief to make it here with nopony getting hurt your highnesses," Iron says as he leads them to the dining hall, "The nobles will be ecstatic to see such a success in today's congregation."
Harmony nods her head slowly "yes our own nobility have been expecting a meeting today."
"The idea of merging our kingdoms must have the delegates in a frenzy" Helios says as he takes a deep breath and sighs, lowering his head as a tired but funny look crosses his face, "Can't wait to explain that...."
Virgo looks at her husband and gently bumps him, "Hey at least there will be four of us to answer their questions, it's not like this responsibility will fall on just one of us," she states in a reassuring tone.
Diamond chuckles and bumps Helios harder than Virgo did which makes him jolt to the side, knocking his crown a little sideways, Helios looks surprised and looks back at Diamond, "Hey whats the big idea!"
The reaction from Helios makes Diamond laugh, finding it amusing how easily he can rile him up. Diamond then puts a hoof on his shoulder, "Relax Helios, we are all in this together alright? How about we have a good sparing session after the congregation, it has been quite awhile since I have had someone to test my abilities."
Helios rolls his eyes and a grin comes across his face, "Test my flank, you know I always keep you on the ropes, in fact as i recall, I gave you quite the serving of dirt the last time we fought," he snaps back with confidence.
"Yeah we shall see my old friend, but if speaking with nobles is all it takes to get you down, I wouldn't get your hopes up," Diamond says as he walks ahead, his statement making Helios stop in his tracks, he raises his hoof and his mane and tail ignite, he grits his teeth and has fire in his eyes "DAMN YOU DIAMOND! ALWAYS TRYING TO ACT SO COOL IN FRONT OF THE EVERYPONY!"
His sudden flare of emotion brings a joyful laugh to Diamond and Harmony, Virgo glares at him and raises her hoof behind him, she then brings her hoof down and smacks him hard on the head, her mane and tail flares up as well, spacious galaxies shimmering bright in her hair as her eyes turn white with anger, "AGH HELIOS, JUST AS FOALISH AS EVER, ALWAYS TRYING TO EMBARRASS ME!"
Helios grabs his head in pain and shivers in fear as his wife appears towering before him, a bead of sweat going down his face, "N-Now honey.... w-we don't have to resort to violence!..." he says in a begging way, backing away slowly as she continues her approach, his response only makes her mane and tail flare up more, in his eyes she seems even bigger than before and he squeals in fear.
"YOU THINK I HAVEN'T TRIED THAT ALREADY!? A SMACK TO THE HEAD SEEMS TO BE ALL THAT GETS THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL!" she yells and starts charging at her husband like a bull, Helios yelps in fear and darts away like a blur, leaving behind a trail of dust, running for dear life as she rubs her hoof on the ground. "AND JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING LITTLE COLT!?" she says as she charges after him, both of them disappearing down the hall, leaving Diamond, Harmony, and Iron Shield behind. All of them can hear the distance scream of a terrified Helios.
Diamond chuckles and has a grin on his face with his eyes closed, a bead of sweat going down his face, "I can see Virgo is as feisty as ever, nothing's more scary than an angry wife..."
"Mmhmm" Harmony says as she gives him a loving nuzzle, "Fortunately for you I don't have to keep you in check all the time."
Diamond smiles and returns her nuzzle, "Hopefully their foal doesn't inherit their big tempers."
Iron nods slowly as he turns to face them, "Yes two angry foals is already enough for this castle, the last thing we need is a third," his playful statement is rewarded with hearty laughs from the foreign royals.
*****
The sun is slowly laid to rest under the crimson horizon, the five great mages then focus their efforts on raising the moon. Beautiful blue moonlight casts it's spell upon the ponies of the land, allowing them to drift into a peaceful and restorative slumber. With their labors done four of the mages retire to their chambers as the task of raising the sun and moon is very taxing on their body's. The leader of the mages trots through the quiet dimly lit halls as he makes his way to the high tower where the king and queen reside. He steps outside to the spiral stairs and walks slowly up them, a cold breeze blowing through his large white beard and nearly blowing his hat off. The mage soon reaches the double doors to the suite and he knocks on the door.
After a few short moments the door is opened and Helios smiles at the stallion, "Ah there you are Starswirl, i'm glad you made it," he says as he steps to the side so the old pony can walk in.
"Thank you for having me Helios, its good to get out of the cold, the air is very dry today," he says in a tired and raspy voice. Gentle hoof steps make his ears perk up and he turns his head to the source, seeing his beautiful queen brings a smile to his face, she floats a glass of water to him to relieve him of his parched throat.
"Ah thank you my lady," he says politely and sips the water she generously offered him. As he drinks his water he looks over and notices a bump on Helios' head, he chuckles at the sight and lowers his glass, "I see you gave him quite the talking to Virgo, you mustn't be so hard on the young colt."
"Hey! i'm right here you know! It's not my fault Diamond always gets me fired up!" he proclaims with a rather amusing frustrated face. Virgo laughs softly and brings her hoof to her chest as she does. Starswirl also hears two other laughs, he looks over at the fireplace and sees Diamond and Harmony laying down on a large, comfortable looking floor pillow. Harmony is resting against Diamond with her hooves to the side, her bulging belly resting on the pillow, her head resting in Diamond's hooves. He smiles and walks over to them "ah i'm glad to see that you two have made it here unharmed, i'm sure the journey could not have been pleasant."
Diamond nods slowly "Yes it was very hard on us and the ponies that made the journey with us, I was also worried that Harmony wouldn't be able to make the journey, but we persevered nonetheless," he says as he nuzzles his wife lovingly. She responds to his kind words by returning his nuzzle, then lowers her head back down to rest.
"How long do you think you have Harmony?" he says out of curiosity and concern, sitting down on a smaller pillow, the bells on his hat ringing as he puts it down on the floor.
Virgo walks over to the fireplace and lays down on her own pillow, "We expect to give birth within the next week or two," she states as looks down at her belly.
Harmony nods slowly and her eyes turn to look at the fire "Yes... I cant wait for the euphoria after my labor.... but if I am to be completely transparent, i'm scared out of my fur of it... I've only heard just how terrible birthing pains are, but that it is all worth it when you hear your foal's first cries..."
Virgo shudders at the thought of her going through the same thing, Helios soon lays down next to her and nuzzles her lovingly to comfort her, knowing how scared she is because he is just as worried, hoping that her birth goes smoothly.
Diamond comforts his wife as well by opening his wing over her and resting it on her, the warmth of the fire making everypony's fur warm and dry. Diamond looks over at Starswirl "I'm glad to see you are still kicking strong Starswirl."
"Of course i am Diamond, I will be teaching and creating magic for years to come" he says confidently which makes Diamond and Helios chuckle softly.
"I'm glad to hear that, because we have all been talking about something important, and it is the reason why we called you here today" Helios says as a grin starts to appear on their faces.
Starswirl feels confused as he sees them all looking at him with their happy grins, "What's going on?" he states in a slightly nervous tone.
Harmony and Virgo each look at each other and then nod, they look back at Starswirl and smile with their eyes closed "We want you to be our foal's teacher" they both say in unison, almost as if they practiced it.
Starswirl's eyes widen and brow rises in surprise, "You... want me to.... r-really?" he grins from ear to ear with a foal like enthusiasm that they rarely see from the old and wise unicorn. They all nod slowly, each relieved to see his joy to the idea. "I would be honored!" he proclaims and stands up, he holds his hat and brings it to his chest, i will teach the young one's everything i know."
They all sigh in relief as they were worried he would say no, with his confirmation the two mares rest their head's and start to doze off, resting against their stallions for warmth and comfort, Harmony and Diamond's coats sparkling elegantly from how strong their love is.
Starswirl bows his head respectfully and puts his hat back on, "I believe that is my queue to go" he turns and trots to the door and slowly opens it, before he leaves Helios looks over at him, "Thank you Starswirl, we know our foals are in good hooves."
Starswirl looks back at him with a big genuine smile on his face "You've made me a very proud stallion today Helios, thank you very much," he says as he walks out into the cold night and shuts the door, leaving the royals to their peace and quiet. He takes a deep breath of the cold air and breaths it out, not minding how it feels like he's breathing in icicles. He makes his way down the stairs to retire for the night, not sure if he will be able to sleep on the fact that the ponies he respects the most wants him to be the one that teaches their foals.