//------------------------------// // Bliss // Story: Hope and Shadows // by dlazerous //------------------------------// Hope and Shadows Chapter 13 “Bliss.” By Steven Little My Little Pony © Hasbro Everypony, and one dragon, waited with bated breath as Kirin weighed his options. To know or not to know was the particular question in front of him at the moment. ‘What could have been so bad that I would voluntarily wipe my own memory?’ He asked himself. ‘What ever it was I’m sure I had a good reason to do it.’ ‘You’re right, best to leave things alone and move on.’ Another portion of his mind spoke up. ‘But what if I erased the memory of somepony special by accident?’ ‘What if you killed somepony or worse somepony you loved?’ His mind argued with itself ‘How can I move on unless I know where I come from and why I look so different from everypony else?’ The confused cross-breed looked around at the worried faces around him, each one waiting patiently. A comforting white wing draped itself across his shoulders. Looking off to his side, he gazed into the comforting magenta eyes of Princess Celestia. Bolstered by the warmth radiating from her smile, he addressed the High Queen. "Anything you can do to help me would be most appreciated your grace." Kirin said, bowing low. Queen Faust looked over to her eldest daughter. "I can see why you picked this one Celestia." She looked around at the darkness surrounding them, “This is a bit depressing, how about a change of scenery?” Faust waved her hoof and they were suddenly surrounded by a garden of bright flowers and manicured shrubbery. In the space between them, a manicured pond surrounded by bluebells and midnight violets appeared along with six large, round, velvet cushions. Spike and Rarity lay upon one while Twilight and Luna chose another. The High Queen picked one right of her youngest and indicated the Celestia and Kirin should occupy the one to her right. The rest of the cushions were divided up amongst the others, two to a platform. "Everypony comfy? Good." In front of the ponies, a large rectangular window opened up in the black space. "This is a time window. It will show us whatever we want. It is important to note that the images it shows us are not biased; they are simply the truth, a fair and honest portrayal of what actually happened." “Yay, movie time!” Pinkie yelled unexpectedly. Rushing around the area, she place a large tub of buttery, salted popcorn in front of each of the ponies. Taking her seat next to Rainbow Dash, she saw the bewildered look on her friends and the royal family. “What? You can’t watch a movie without popcorn, it’s the law or I think it’s the law, and if it isn’t that it really should be.” “Pinky, this isn’t a…” Twilight was interrupted by Luna, munching on a hoof-full of the buttery treat. “Oh never mind.” Queen Faust waved her hoof toward the screen, illuminating it with the first images. The first thing they were shown was an eight year old Celestia, romping in the long grass with a five year old Luna. "Oh, they're so darling." Fluttershy said. "Mother!" Luna shouted. "Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Oh, here we go." The scene changed to the mountains far to the east. "This is dragon territory, and here we find little Kirin hiding amongst the rocks." "Kirin, you were so cute as a little colt." Celestia commented. "Why was I hiding?" He asked. A shadow of a large winged animal covered the scene briefly as it flew by. "At that time amongst the dragons, breeding outside your species was frowned upon. Two dragons in particular, Lord Silverclaw and Rubywing took it upon themselves to punish your parents, to make an example of them for others to see. They killed your father, a dragon about Spikes age and your mother a unicorn. Needless to say, I was not happy about this but it was shortly after that I had to depart the mortal world, leaving my daughters to rule in my stead.” Spike looked over his shoulder the the saddened Kirin next to the Princess. “I know how you feel Kirin, the same thing happened to my parents, we can talk later if you want.” “Thank you, I think I might need to.” The screen went gray then another image of a much older Kirin appeared on the screen. "Who's that dragon with him, err me?" Kirin asked. "That's Spellfire the Ancient.” Queen Faust informed him. “He was one of the most powerful dragon mages at the time. He was the one who trained you in the use of the dragon’s arcane magic. It looks like you're about sixty years old here, you inherited your father longevity it seems. Unfortunately Spellfire's name was not just a title, he was very ancient. He and I were good friends, had been for a very long time; funny thing though, he always though that he would depart this world before me. It's ok, we still talk quite often." "You mean he's here on this plane with you, uh, Mom?" Twilight asked. "Not precisely but not far off either, I know he'd love to meet you seeing as you can also perform dragon magic, something no pure pony should be able to do." "So, he died too? Is this going to be a theme or something, any person I get close to dies?" "I'm sorry Kirin, I truly am. But Spellfire was the last dragon or pony you became close with for a long time. After his passing, you wandered the countryside mostly hiding from dragons when you saw them. After many years you found your way into Equestria. From town to town Kirin was chased away for his appearance. Many ponies thought he was a monster and instead of listening to what he had to say, they ran him off. It was about three months later when he appeared outside what is now Ponyville. I'm sorry about this next part." =============================================================== A mob of ponies had gathered around Kirin. "Freak! What are you doing here? Get out of here before we beat the crap out of you!" Shouted a brown earth pony. Another earth pony, a gray stallion picked up a rock and threw it at Kirin, hitting him in the face and breaking his nose. Kirin fell to the ground, his malnourished form unable to stand on it's own anymore. The numerous ponies advanced on the defeated creature and began to kick and beat at him without mercy. Princess Celestia appeared in the midst of the mob. "What is the meaning of this?" She shouted, using the royal voice. "Your majesty, we caught this monster trying to sneak into town but we stopped it didn't we guys?" The gray earth pony said, the other stallions nodding in prideful agreement. "You have nothing to be proud of here!” Celestia hollered. "You have violently assaulted another creature for no other reason than being different! I'm different than all of you, will you attack me next?!" "No your majesty, we would never. Its just, well look at it." The brown earth pony tried to explain. "Guards!” She shouted. Several guards descended from the sky to stand before their Princess. “I want this poor creature taken to the palace at once. Have my personal physician care for it." Celestia turned back to the mob. "As for the rest of you. If I ever hear of you treating another living thing like that again I will personally throw each and every one of you into the dungeons; do I make myself clear?" She shouted. "Yes your majesty." They answered in unison. Celestia left the ponies standing there in the road to contemplate their actions. The picture changed to Celestia in the palace watching her royal physician checking over Kirin. "Doctor Sawbones, how is the patient?" "I've seen ponies in worse shape than this; of course I can't seem to think of any at the moment, but I'm sure he'll pull through." "So it is a he? How can you tell, I've never seen a creature like him before." Celestia asked. "He's a Kirin; a cross between a pony and a dragon. They are rare and can take on many attributes of either parent but he is a Kirin nonetheless. Concerning his gender." The doctor lifted the lower portion of the sheet covering him. "As you can see, it's not that different than most ponies." Celestia was blushing. "Yes, I see what you mean. Please tell me when or if he regains consciousness." Celestia turned to walk away when a claw shot out and grabbed her by the left front leg. "Please don't leave me alone… Angel…" Kirin's claw fell from her, hanging motionless from the bed. "He's okay just unconscious again." Sawbones explained. "Doctor, on second though, I'll be staying here with him, send for my sister, I will ask her to see to maters of court today." Celestia said. "Are you sure your highness?" Sawbones asked. "Yes, he deserves to have a friendly face here to great him when he wakes. Please, go ask a guard to carry out my wishes." The scene changes again to see Kirin waking up in the hospital wing of the palace. "Oh my head, where's the guy that ran me over with his wagon?" "Good afternoon, it's good to see you are still with us." Celestia said. "And who are you, come to make fun of me too? Look, I know no one wants me around so I'll just leave, you don't have to say anything." Kirin got up and tried to walk out the door but his legs would not hold him up. Had Celestia not rushed to support his weight, he would be sprawled on the ground. Celestia pushed him back onto the bed. "Most civilized ponies would introduce themselves to the pony that saved their life before insulting them and storming out of their home." "My name is Kirin and in case you haven't noticed. I'm not exactly a pony." "Hello Kirin. My name is Princess Celestia; I am the co-ruler of Equestria. Trust me, I did notice and since you are half pony you could at least act half civilized." "I suppose. So I guess I have you to thank for saving me from those, uhm individuals." Kirin said, looking away from the Princess. "So yeah, thanks Celestia. I owe you one. Now if you'll excuse me, I should be going." Celestia sat there and watched the Kirin hop out of bed and fell flat on his face. "Guards." Two guards were promptly in attendance. "Take Kirin here to my private dining room. He could use some food. I need to speak with Luna." When she passed Kirin she knelt down to face him. "And that's Princess Celestia to you." As Celestia walked out the door, Kirin couldn't resist but get in a parting shot. "I'm sorry Princess Celestia but I must say you have got the nicest flank I've seen in a while." Kirin said, a huge smile on his face. =============================================================== The ethereal dreamscape erupted with laughter. "I'm sorry Tia but that was just too funny. I remember the day you told me about that, you were so mad." Luna said, trying to control her laughter. "Poor Kirin, I do believe I broke the poor thing." Queen Faust said. Kirin lay there looking at the window, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. "I fear this next part might actually damage the unfortunate thing further." "Mother, please, can't we skip over this?" Celestia asked. "But daughter, don't you want Kirin to remember who he is? Would you deprive him of the complete knowledge of his history?" The High Queen asked. "It's okay Princess." Kirin said. "It can't possibly get worse than that." "On that note, lets get back to it." The High Queen said. "It wasn't long after this incident that Kirin set up a residence inside the Everfree Forest. The home still exists to this day; I believe your friend Zecora uses it. Celestia took it upon herself to visit Kirin as often as she could to make sure he was fitting in okay. When she found out that he had an aptitude for magic, she took him under her wing and began teaching him the ethereal magic practiced by unicorns. When they weren't practicing magic they were practicing pranks. Mostly these pranks would be played on each other but more often than not, the palace guards or Luna were the target. Days turned to weeks then months and years and as you can imagine, things between Kirin and Celestia changed." The scene changed to Celestia's bedroom chamber. Celestia fell onto her bed with Kirin lying atop her, both of them kissing the other passionately. She rolled carrying Kirin with her until both of them were on their sides facing each other. Kirin ran a claw down her back lightly scratching the skin as he went. His other claw traced the outline of the cutie mark on her flank. Celestia stretched out her neck and arched her back in pleasure. Kirin ran his tongue down the length of her neck and nibbled at her nape. "Oh Kirin, you know exactly how to touch me." Celestia moaned out. "Of course I do, and I know how much you love it." He said. Celestia rolled over pinning the dragon-pony crossbreed under her. "Okay, that's enough teasing from you. After dealing with those pompous nobles all day I've really needed this." The Princess looked down between her legs, smiling at what she saw beneath her. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day." Celestia pushed herself down his body, gasping loudly. "Okay, moving forward. I'm sure we all know what happened." The High Queen said. When the next scene appeared, Kirin and Celestia were laying in bed under the covers, panting from exhaustion. Kirin rolled over to face his lover. "Celestia, what are the nobles going to say when they eventually find out about us? I know they don't like me along with half the ponies in town and I definitely know they'd hate the idea of you taking me to your bed. To be honest, I'm a little frightened." Celestia hugged her lover tightly. "As long as I am a Princess of Equestria, I will never let anyone hurt you and I will always be there for you." Kirin was blushing so hard, Celestia could feel the heat radiating off him. "Mother, I think you really did break him." "I, I, I did n-not-t-t-t do that." Kirin stammered out. "I assure you, you did and it's nothing to be ashamed about." Celestia said comforting him. "And for a while it went on like that." Faust said. "You and my daughter were very much in love. It had been many months since Celestia had made those promises, promises in retrospect, she should not have made. An urgent letter came into the palace indicating that Celestia and Luna were needed in the Griffon kingdom to attend to a mysterious illness that had befallen the king. You had assured Celestia that you would be fine on your own for a while. She and Luna left on the three-week journey to Griffon territory and you left for your home in the forest. That is when they came for you." "Who came for me?" Kirin asked. "The nobles and almost all the ponies in the outlying villages and towns. They were led by a pegasus by the name of Proud Wing. I'm sorry Kirin; I do not have the heart to show you want they did. It was just too horrible. To this day I cannot believe that my kind could do such a thing. I will skip to the aftermath. They had left you for dead. Your left wing and right leg were horribly mangled and everything from your neck down had been burned badly. They wanted your head and face untouched so that your body could be easily identified. Please do not take this the wrong way but they made a mistake when they left you alive; on that day, they signed their own death warrants. You crawled out of your home and made your way into the darkest part of the forest." The scene on the window became one of darkness and nightmares. "Where were you Celestia? Why didn't you stop them?" Kirin cried out through the pain eating away at his disfigured form. "If it's a monster they want, then I'll give them a monster to fear." "You slowly but surely began replacing your damaged body parts by transmuting the limbs and skin from other creatures in the forest. You took the wings and right arm from a manticore. You took an antler and left back leg from a stag in the area as well. A bear was wondering through and you replaced the burnt skin, tissue and fur of your body with his then mercifully killed it. The pain was more bearable for you now and stretching your new wings you took off toward dragon territory to settle a score with two specific dragons. I seriously doubt Lord Silverclaw or Rubywing saw it coming when you knocked them out and teleported them to a secluded location. I'm sure it was more of a shock when Silverclaw woke up with your burnt and broken leg and Rubywing had his tail replaced with yours. Now that you had scared them for the rest of their lives you headed back to the Palace to exact your own brand of justice, snatching the claw from a passing eagle to complete your new form." "W-w-what did I do?" Kirin asked timidly. "You killed a good deal of them. Not right away, and certainly not quickly.” The Queen told him. “You flew into town calling yourself Discord, Lord of chaos and disharmony. This first thing you did was capture Proud Wing and made an example of him. He was one of the few ponies you allowed to live. You swapped your right manticore wing with his then broke the ends of them off rendering them useless." "That was horrible." Kirin said. High Queen Faust shook here head. "No, what was truly horrible is what came next. You rounded up every unicorn in the area and took their power. Every ounce of magic they had you took into yourself soaking every fiber of your being in magic. The magic of over five hundred unicorns at your disposal made you more powerful than my daughters but had the consequence of making you every bit a creature of magic as we alicorns are. Then, with all those unicorns corralled in a building, you filled it with water and drowned them all. With all that magic inside of a body not used to it, the power twisted your form, making you longer, growing a fang from the right corner of your mouth and twisting your own original horn into a spiral. Then, for what only Discord could consider funny, you reanimated the bodies of the dead unicorns and had them attack the others watching in delight as they tore their co-conspirators apart." "I think I'm going to be sick." Kirin protested. Celestia hugged him close to her, trying her best to help him through this. "I am sorry Kirin but there is still a small bit more." Queen Faust said. "After about six weeks Celestia returned to her home to find the landscape completely altered. Islands of land floated through the sky while clouds of cotton candy floated amongst them raining chocolate milk rain down. All the animals in the area had been twisted into new forms others had been mixed together to make entirely new creatures like Discords infuriating Piranha toads. Even the plants were not the same anymore. The now famous Zap Apple tree was also your doing." “Discord made the Zap Apples?” Applejack asked in disbelief. “I didn’t know that.” =============================================================== Celestia and Luna flew as fast as they could to their home to find a twisted mixed up creature sitting on their mothers throne. "Who are you and what are doing here? What happened to the town, where is everypony?" Luna demanded. "You have some nerve to come in here and accost your new ruler." The creature said. "I do not recognize your rule and will never bow down to you!" Celestia shouted at him. "Do you not recognize me anymore my love. I know I've undergone some changes but it's still Kirin more or less… No, I would say less." Discord taunted them. "No I suppose Kirin doesn't quite describe me anymore. How about Draconequus? Yes, that has a nice ring to it." "Kirin, what happened to you? What happened here?" Celestia asked as calmly as she could. "I think my servant is best suited to answer that. Lackey! Oh lackey, do come out and say hello to the Princesses." Proud Wing walked out from behind the throne, a spiked chain wrapped around hi blue throat. "Now lackey, tell the Princesses what you did and mind, no lies." "Princess Celestia. We, the movement against the Kirin, faked a letter from the Griffon Kingdom to get you out of the way. After we were sure you and Princess Luna were gone, we moved against the Kirin. We knew you were having relations with him. We knew it was only a mater of time before the two of you produced an offspring and then the dragon empire would have a claim on the throne should anything happen to you and your sister. We couldn't allow that to happen. We believed that if we got rid of him that would be the end of it." "Tell her what you and your friends did." Discord said, "Please Lord Discord." Proud Wing begged. "Tell her!" He yelled. "Tell her how you and your friends broke my legs and arms! Tell her how you yourself cut the film from my wings! Tell her how you burned me alive and left me for dead!" "Is this true Proud Wing? Did you and your followers commit these atrocities?" Celestia asked, anger building up inside her. "Yes your majesty. We needed to send a message." "Well you sent one alright and now nearly two thousand ponies lay dead. I will deal with you later." Celestia said. "Guards." Discord bellowed. Two of the Princesses' royal guards entered the room. "Take our dear nobleman down to one of our nicer cells would you.” “Apologies Sire, which cell is the good cell?” The guard asked, a strange green haze clouding his eyes. “You know, the good cell that used to be the bad cell before it was remolded.” Discord informed him. The Draconequus looked back to the princesses. “I had new chains installed and had a fresh coat of mold added to the walls.” The two guards remained were they were. “What are you waiting for, you’re dismissed.” He said waving them away. “I have matters to discuss with the Princesses." As soon as the guard left the room with Proud Wing in tow, Celestia ran to Kirin but he generated a field in front him to keep her at bay. "Kirin, what wrong? I'm sorry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." "You're sorry; you, your sorry? Do you really think that's going to get you off the hook? You lied to me; you promised you'd be there! You promised you would protect me!" "I'm sorry Kirin." She said. "My name is not Kirin, my name is Discord!" He shouted at her. "Look at me Celestia! I had to take bits and parts from animals to rebuild my body after they tried to kill me. I am a monster! But now, now I will have justice." "That isn't justice Discord, this is revenge." She argued. "So what if it is? I don't have time for this, enjoy my changes to Ponyville." "Where are you going?" Celestia asked. "Cloudsdale then Manehatten. Some of the nobles escaped but not for long." "Discord." Celestia said. "I have to know one thing. The foals, the colts and the fillies; you didn't…" "No. Those children were innocents. Like me, they had done nothing wrong and therefore they should not be punished. They are at my house asleep. As soon as you open the door they will wake having no knowledge of the blood and the death that visited here." "Thank you Kirin." Three of the gems of the Elements of Harmony appeared on her breastplate, the other three on Luna's. "Luna, now!" A beam of multicolored light shout out from the two Princesses, freezing Discord's feet to the floor. Watching his feet and tail turn to stone, the draconequus posed for her. If he was going to be a statue, he would be a magnificent one. =============================================================== "I, I did all of that?" Kirin asked in disbelief. "I think I'm going to be sick again. I'm a monster. I should be put back in that statue before I hurt anypony." "No Kirin." Luna said. "Even before he wiped his memory, Discord was changing. He was more clear minded and not as random or chaotic as he used to be." "What happened to Proud Wing after I was sealed in stone?" Kirin asked. The window changed and Kirin was shown a large courtroom in the palace where crowds of angry ponies were looking at the middle of the room, at the stand where stood a battered and bruised light blue pegasus with a broken manticore wing. Looking down from a large judge's table was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "Proud Wing, what you have done is beyond treacherous." Princess Celestia said in an icy tone. "Betraying your country and the attempted brutal murder of my royal consort." "Princesses please!" Pleaded Proud Wing. "I, I was only doing what I thought was best for the country. I didn't mean for any of this to happen." "Still thy tongue traitor!" Princess Luna shouted in a similar icy tone. "I don't think there's any room for doubt when I say this Proud Wing." Princess Celestia announced. "For your actions against the Kirin and for betraying Equestria, you are to be stripped of your title, your property, house, and all your holdings. As a further punishment, you will also dig graves for all the ponies that died because of your group's actions. Proud Wing's jaw dropped upon hearing this. "But, but there are so many ponies dead…" "Enough!" Shouted the white alicorn, her voice echoing throughout the courtroom. "When you are done with those graves, you shall be banished from Equestria and be forever known as our country's most notorious traitor." "But, but I didn't mean to do this! I swear it!" "Try telling that to my wife you bastard!" Shouted a stallion from the audience. "She died because she believed your lies and thanks to your actions all of Ponyville is destroyed!" Ponies started to argue and agreed with the stallion while calling Proud Wing various insults. The crowed of condemned ponies standing in the middle of the room, shouted back, trying to defend their stance. "Be still!" Shouted Princess Luna, causing the crowd of condemned ponies to quite down and look at her. "We are not finished yet. You ponies are a disgrace to Equestria. You ganged up on a single creature and tried to kill him for your own selfish desires. All those who helped Proud Wing and somehow escaped Discords wrath shall be banished from Equestria as well." The crowd looked in disbelief upon hearing this statement. "But, what about the foals?" asked a mare. "Those who weren't involved in this treachery shall be allowed to raise them." Princess Luna said. "We shall call forward relatives of the foals or members of the community to raise them if we must." Princess Celestia looked at the crowd with a cold glare. "I expect all of you to pack your possessions and be ready to leave Equestria in one month." She banged a gavel. "Guards! Escort Mr. Proud Wing here to the cemetery to start his punishment. Court is adjourned!" Kirin looked on in disbelief before saying, "Princess Celestia did all of that?" High Queen Faust nodded. "Yes Kirin, she did. After he finished burying the dead and was banished from Equestria, no pony was sad to see him leave, and he was never seen again. When he died and came before me to face my judgment, I could not forgive him for what he had done. He and all of his followers are spending eternity in the underworld." "So what now?" Kirin asked. "You were encased in stone for a bit over a thousand years in which many many things happened. The capital was moved to Canterlot after an incident between my daughters. The ruins of Ponyville were reclaimed by the Everfree Forest only to be resettled by Applejack's ancestors. Shortly there after an new town of Ponyville was founded and grew to what it is today. After the power of the Elements of Harmony passed from my daughters to the new bearers, you were freed from your prison only to be defeated by Twilight and her friends but instead of a stone prison, Twilight sent you somewhere more, shall we say, inventive. =============================================================== The screen in front of them, shifted images again to show a world with a checkerboard ground and a green sky filled with pink clouds. Floating amongst the clouds were winged toasters flying in formation towards a sunrise that could quite make it over the horizon. Discord sat at his throne amidst the chaos. “I’m so bored, chaos isn’t as much fun without anypony to share it with, or inflict it on as the case may be.” The Draconequus turned in his chair to a picture of Princess Celestia in a gold frame. “You always understood the importance of a little chaos every now and then.” Discord sighed heavily and left this thrown, a mirror floating next to him. Instead of his reflection, the mirror showed him that which he desired most, the alabaster Princesses he loved for so many years. “You still love her don’t you?” A voice from the nether asked him. “Odd, I’ve been here for years and thought that I was the only one here. Who might you be, strange and mysterious voice?” A white alicorn landed in front of the Draconequus. “Consider me a concerned yet biased party.” “Ahh Queen Faust, you daughter told me allay about you; what do you want?” “I have a proposition for you Discord, one I that think might interest you.” She told him. My daughters have come into some trouble lately and I need you to help them.” “Why should I?” “Because you know as well as I what’s coming. The Elements of Harmony are Equestria’s only hope and the current bearers are the only ones that can do the job.” “I’ve seen it but what can I do?” He asked. “I can temporarily give you the power to act on my behalf, you can restore Luna’s immortality and connect the others to that gift as well. You will have the power to go between realms at will thought I would not recommend doing it too much.” “If you can do this why not do it yourself?” He asked. “I am forbidden from interfering directly but nothing was said about acting through another.” She said. “Okay, if I do this favor for you, what’s in it for me?” Discord asked her, shining his claws against his chest. “You get another chance to make things right between you and Celestia.” She told him. “Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted, a chance to turn back to clock, take back the things you said, the hurt you caused?” “Yes, more than anything.” “Then go, be an instrument of my will and do right by the ponies of Equestria.” The Draconequus turned to make preparations for his task. “Discord, a warning; if you harm any of them, if you betray my trust and use the power I have given you start a new era of chaos and destruction, rest assured, there is no place, no realm, no plain of existence that I will not find you.” =============================================================== “Mother, you were his associate?” Celestia asked in disbelief. “It was a calculated risk but one I was sure of. I knew you still had feelings for him and he you.” “You always were a bit of a romantic Mom.” Luna said with a slight smile. “Yes well, Kirin, I’m sure that Celestia can fill you in on the events of the last few years, I have done all I can for now." The queen said. "I must go now daughters come, let me hold you one more time before I go. You too Twilight." Luna, Twilight, and Celestia embraced the Queen tightly. "We will miss you mother." They said. "And I you three. Should you need me for anything, simply come here and call my name and if I can, I will come." The eight ponies, dragon, and Kirin found themselves back in the palace once again. Rarity took a step and nearly fainted; Spike held her up. "Rarity, are you okay?" "I'm fine darling, just a little weak." Rarity said. Kirin walked over to her. "Rarity, have you been taking any mineral supplements during your pregnancy?" "Just the normal prenatal vitamins. I'm told they have some minerals in them." She said. "I thought so, do you trust me Rarity?" He asked. "Yes, you've not given me reason to feel otherwise. Even after what we saw, I know that isn't you. You are a completely different pony." "Thank you. Princess Celestia, I need a large ruby about the size of a decent apple and a glass of hot water." Celestia's horn glowed and the two items appeared before him. Kirin picked up the ruby and squeezed it within his claws reducing the gem to an incredibly fine powder. He mixed it with the water and handed the glass to Spike. "Spike, heat up one of your claws and mull the mixture with it. It will help the ruby powder to dissolve better." Spike breathed fire on one of his claws and dowsed it in the glass causing it to steam and bubble. The glass appeared as if it contained a deep red fruit juice. "So I just drink it?" Rarity asked. Kirin nodded. Rarity took an experimental sip of the liquid, her face lighting up. "It tastes like strawberries, my favorite." Rarity quickly drained every drop from the glass feeling instantly better. "The baby is draining minerals from you Rarity. You need to drink a glass of that every day or whenever you feel weak. You can use a mix of gems but a ruby has the highest concentration of the minerals you need. Spike, you should be able to crush the gem to powder but if you have trouble, let me know." Kirin informed them. "Speaking of which, were am I going to stay now? I can't kick Zecora out of my old home. And this castle belongs to you Princess…" "You will be staying with me." Celestia said interrupting him. “I mean not with me but here at the castle, in your room. During the day I will hold court in Canterlot but days when I am not needed and evenings I will spend here. I'm sure there are enough rooms for you to have one of your own. Luna, if it's not too much trouble, could you and Twilight stay here with the children as well. If Discord was faithful to the castles reconstruction, your room should still be here and there should be more than enough room for Dawn and Dusk as well. After visiting with Mother, I think it would be nice to have the family under one roof again." Luna looked to her wife who smiled and nodded. "We'd like that very much Tia, thank you. Come on Twilight, let me show you our room." Luna led her off down the hall toward the residence wing followed by Celestia, Kirin and the others. The entered a large two story circular room. Climbing the stairs Luna pointed across the hall. "See the large wooden door across the way with the sun emblazoned on it? That's Tia's room. Over here is ours." Luna said indicating a set of large wooden double doors with a crescent moon engraved into the doors. Luna pushed in the door s revealing a huge elegantly decorated room. "Welcome home Luna." Twilight said smiling.