//------------------------------//
// Chapter Ten: Tears 
// Story: CRISIS: Equestria - Divergence, Book 2 
// by GanonFLCL 
//------------------------------//


Three Months Later


Lockwood rode the elevator down from the royal palace to the hangars far beneath Hope's Point. He was alone apart from Crossfire, as was typical, and his daughter Bluebolt, who rested comfortably at his side in a sling. Once she grew older, Bluebolt would be able to ride on his back or on Blackburn's safely, but for now, the sling or a stroller were best for traveling. She was currently enraptured with her little stuffed airship toy, bouncing it along in her grip and laughing all the while. 

It still boggled his mind that he had a daughter. If anypony had told him ten years ago that one day he'd have a kid of his own and that she'd be a legitimate princess to boot, he'd have laughed and joked about them hitting whatever psychedelics they were on just a little too hard.

Crossfire tapped the side of his visor, then cleared her throat to get Lockwood's attention. "The Lunar Spear is just finishin' up it's dockin' procedures. Captain Starstorm confirmed that the ambassador from New Pandemonium City is on board, doin' well, and most importantly eager to disembark."

"Oh, I have no doubt about that at all," Lockwood chuckled. He gave a wistful sigh and a meaningful look to Crossfire. "Just think, old buddy: this is the next big step we need in order to make the north a better place for ponies everywhere. I never thought we'd ever see it in my lifetime."

"You 'n' me both. I tell ya, I ain't never seen Blackburn as happy as she's been since y'all came back to 'er." Crossfire gently nudged Lockwood's side, and waved his hoof in front of Bluebolt's face; she responded with a little laugh and slapped his hoof with her toy. "I bet this lil' tyke's got a lot to do wit' that."

"A big part of it, I'm sure, but I know Blackburn's just happy to have the opportunity to make it possible for her citizens—our citizens—to live without fear."

"We can only hope everythin' goes right. I know ya keep sayin' we can trust that there Shadow Associate, but it ain't easy for any of us, 'specially Her Majesty."

"Old grudges die hard, I know." Lockwood paused a moment, then grinned and gave Crossfire another meaningful look. "Let's change the subject, hmm? How was your date last night?"

Crossfire stiffened and nervously scratched his chin. "It was… kinda nice, actually. Yer sister's a mean cook, I tell ya what. She done learned real quick-like how to use genuine southern ingredients. Got a real knack for makin' collard greens 'n' black eyed peas, yessiree."

"I'll definitely give her credit for that. It didn't take her long to get her old culinary degree, either." Lockwood tilted his head, still grinning like crazy. "Got a second date planned, by chance?"

"I, uh…" Crossfire blushed and cleared his throat. "Uh, yeah, but I told her that I wanted to cook this time, figured I'd give her a taste o' some good ol'-fashioned southern cookin' recipes like my mama used to make. Think Mama's succotash oughta impress her."

"Mmhmm," Lockwood said, licking his lips as he remembered just how good Crossfire's family recipes were; the succotash was definitely his favorite. "But I'm sure anything you cooked for her would do the trick just fine, so don't feel like you're being pressured for perfection, eh bud?"

"Sure as shootin'. I ain't nervous… 'bout datin' the king's sister."

The elevator came to a stop at the bottom of the shaft, and the doors opened into the port area. Most of the bay doors along the corridor were open while crews and workers performed maintenance and conversions of the entire Hope's Point fleet to fit in with the guidelines they'd agreed upon with New Pandemonium. 

Blackburn, ever-paranoid, had gone to great lengths to ensure that the conversions could be done quickly, just in case they needed to be converted back into warships at a moment's notice. Lockwood thought she was being unnecessarily cautious, but didn't argue the point since it put her mind at ease to do it.

Lockwood had gotten used to the reactions and treatment he received from the citizens of Hope's Point by now, be they civilians, military personnel, or otherwise. It was definitely not what he'd been expecting, though. All the fictional tales he'd ever heard gave him the impression that "subjects" always paid reverence to their monarchs by bowing down before them.

Instead, the ponies of Hope's Point didn't treat him much differently than how the ponies up north would treat a popular celebrity. Better, actually. Friendly smiles and waves were all it took to acknowledge them, and they all respected his privacy and didn't snap candid photographs. It was comforting, actually. Only the military personnel treated him differently, but that was just with salutes because they were professionals above all.

He walked by rows of hangar bays until he reached the hangar slated to accept the Lunar Spear, which had indeed just finished its docking procedure and already drained the hangar of seawater. He and Crossfire arrived just as the boarding ramp was deploying, and the crew's ensign disembarked first to quite literally roll out the red carpet for the arriving ambassador. 

Lockwood felt it was a little much, but this entire thing was essentially just for show anyway. Pomp and circumstance and all that.

He smiled as the ambassador disembarked soon afterwards, then stepped forward to greet her with a polite, friendly nod. "Ambassador Gray Skies, welcome to Hope's Point. I trust that your journey was a pleasant one?"

Gray, who'd only barely dressed for the occasion in a slightly-nicer-than-usual gray jacket without a hood, grunted and looked about the hangar bay. "Yeah, everything was fine. I've gotta tell Dawn and Curaçao they need to do something about those boxships though." She paused, then nodded politely as well. "Your Majesty."

"Oh?"

She gestured towards the Lunar Spear. "Your airships fly smooth as silk. We barely felt anything even while moving through the Belt. Our ships up north fly like busted old washing machines, and that's before the Belt. Might as well just throw a pony down a flight of stairs if you wanna duplicate that feeling."

"Oh, I recall the feeling quite well." Lockwood grinned, remembering the trip south in that boxship. It was awful. "I'm told it's because our airships were designed by pegasus engineers for pegasus pilots and with stability in mind, while yours are piloted by any pony with the proper training and were designed just to fit as many ponies inside as possible. Quantity over quality."

"Hmph. Makes sense, I guess."

Lockwood moved in for a hug, and though she seemed surprised at first, she accepted it and returned it. He figured she would; the two of them had always got along fairly well, seeing as he'd spent more time with her than with any of her sisters before moving south, except maybe Curaçao. The only ponies he'd spent that kind of time beforehand were Fluttershy and Rarity.

He tilted his head as a young colt nervously descended the boarding ramp, coming up near Gray and using her as a sort of shield to hide behind despite carrying a sizeable amount of luggage all on his own. "And who is this?"

Gray shifted her wing to glance back at the colt, who she gave a small smile to before turning back to Lockwood. "This is Green Guard, my protégé. It's a complicated situation, but that's what I consider him."

"What isn't complicated these days?" Lockwood chuckled. He nodded politely at Green Guard. "A pleasure to meet you, Green. I'm Lockwood."

Crossfire cleared his throat.

"King Lockwood," Lockwood added with a roll of his eyes. "Gotta keep up appearances and titles, sorry. Once we know each other a bit better, nopony'll care whether you're formal or not. I personally won't mind it if you slip up, but it is what it is."

The colt just nodded, but otherwise didn't respond much, his eyes mostly moving between him and Gray as if expecting… not protection, but something else. He wasn't scared, just nervous. He rather reminded Lockwood of Fluttershy, actually, especially the way he used his longer mane to hide his eyes behind.

"He's a little shy," Gray said quietly. "Once he gets used to you, he'll talk your ear off, I'm sure of it." She stepped alongside Lockwood and looked into the sling at his side, a warm smile on her face. "So this is little Princess Bluebolt, huh?"

Lockwood beamed and nodded. "Oh! That's right, I almost forgot that you haven't met her yet." 

He looked over his wing at his daughter, who was staring wide-eyed at Gray, who was likely the largest mare she'd ever seen and ever would see. After all, Gray was just barely shorter than Crossfire, and he was the largest stallion in the city. If anything would ever confuse the little filly, it would be how adult ponies could come in such drastically different sizes; Gadget was half Gray's size, for instance.

"With how Havoc's been gushing over her, I was expecting the most adorable little bundle of joy you could ever imagine," Gray said evenly. With a nod and a grin, she added, "I think Havoc had the right of it. I'm happy for you." She also clapped his shoulder. "Good job, by the way. You didn't waste any time, did you?"

"Thank you," he replied with a grin of his own.

He noticed Green's eyes peeking out from his mane to look at Bluebolt as well, watching with a sense of curiosity and wonder. It was as though the youngster had never seen an infant filly before. Sensing an opportunity, he shifted himself to the side slightly so that the colt would have a better look.

"This is my daughter, Bluebolt," he said, giving the colt the most pleasant smile he could. "You can say 'hi' if you want, it's alright."

Green looked to Gray with wide eyes, searching for approval. She gave that to him with a nod. The colt then gulped and waved weakly at Bluebolt. Bluebolt only seemed to barely register him, giggling slightly and continuing to play with her toy. It was enough interaction for the colt, it seemed, who immediately set his hoof back down and returned to hiding behind his mane.

Foal steps, I suppose, Lockwood thought.

He then clapped his hooves together. "So! Enough chit-chat out here in the hangar, hmm? My queen should be finishing up her meeting shortly, so we're set to meet up with her afterwards to discuss this unique situation we find ourselves in. I'll fill you in on the way."

As Lockwood escorted Gray and Green—the latter, he noticed, carried all of their luggage himself without looking the least bit put-out—he regaled them with stories about how things were going in Hope's Point these days, what with the prospect of peace on the horizon. 

He talked about how he had taken it upon himself to serve as a diplomat regarding the city's southern allies and how they were making strides in asserting proper trade agreements with many of the southern towns and cities, particularly the port at Seaside. He updated her on how the fleet's conversion was progressing and how the pilots were looking forward to their new assignments. He explained how they'd begun adjusting their own resource allocations, mostly out of weapon and defense development and fully into medicine and communication technology.

Yes, this peace proposal really was the best thing for both worlds, and Lockwood hoped beyond hope that this simple step today would be just the first of many towards a brighter future.

Gray returned the favor, telling Lockwood all about the developments occurring up north, most of which hadn't changed much from when Havoc was last in town. The only development that intrigued Lockwood was that Gray actually knew all of this now, but that was likely because of her new position as Ambassador. He was impressed with her dedication to the role, despite him and her both knowing the real reason she was here.

When they got off the elevator and made their way into the royal palace, it did not take long to reach the private meeting chamber that Blackburn had asked to meet them in. The room itself was smaller than the Council Chamber, only large enough to hold a table that could seat four or five at most, but it was in this room that the king and queen would meet with business associates and visiting dignitaries when a more intimate environment was appropriate. Otherwise, the throne room was fine.

Lockwood was not at all surprised that Blackburn and Gadget were already here. He smiled warmly at his wife as he circled around the table, all while Gadget automatically swept Bluebolt out of the sling and into a high chair at the table where she could sit comfortably. It didn't surprise him one bit that Gadget took such charge in caring for Bluebolt; she was the filly's godmother, after all.

"You finished earlier than expected," he said as he kissed Blackburn's cheek. "Which of course is to be expected of you."

"Negotiations short, arrangements made as needed," she replied evenly. She tilted her head to smile and wave at her daughter briefly, earning a giggle and a coo from the filly, then turned serious again as she rose and moved towards Gray. "Ambassador Gray Skies, a pleasure to make formal acquaintance."

Gray offered Blackburn her hoof, which Blackburn took and shook. "A pleasure to formally make your acquaintance as well, Your Majesty. On behalf of New Pandemonium City, I look forward to working together for the betterment of the north."

The corner of Blackburn's mouth curled in a smile. "Well spoken." She glanced briefly at Green Guard—who shied away behind Gray after setting down the luggage—then back to Gray, tilting her head again. "And your companion?"

"Green Guard, my protégé," Gray replied. "It's complicated."

"Everything is 'complicated' in past year or so," Blackburn hummed. She shook her head, then nodded briefly at the colt. "A pleasure. I am Queen Blackburn of Hope's Point. Welcome to my city." She paused and looked at him briefly, then nodded more to herself than anypony else. "Hmm… a shy one. Will not push. Also strong; carrying that much luggage. Interesting."

Gray grinned. "Like I said: complicated."

"Indeed." Blackburn cleared her throat. "Your sisters Dawn and Curaçao made formal arrangements for embassy exchange. Ambassador Concord has agreed to take position as our northern ambassador, is making arrangements for travel; my husband temporarily taking his former role in southern negotiations, if curious. Will need official replacement soon."

"He said as much on our way up here," Gray said with a nod. "Dawn'll be happy to know this is being taken seriously by both sides. She was worried you wouldn't agree to… this. Y'know, me. She's not exactly happy that Curaçao and I made the arrangement for reasons she doesn't quite get."

Blackburn hummed and tilted her head. "Situation is complicated, as has been said. Your position unique. Officially an ambassador, but truth of matter different: have been informed of telepathic bond with your sisters. A spell of your sister Dawn's devising. Powerful, complex." She took a breath. "Convenient.

"Terms of arrangement, simple," she continued, pacing around the room. "You are face of New Pandemonium City within my borders. Truth only known to those within this room: meetings with you not with you, but with sisters Dawn and Curaçao, authorities of New Pandemonium. Questions?"

Gray nodded firmly. "That's the way I understand it, and I don't have any issues with it whatsoever. My job is just to be available to you whenever you need to chat with the ponies who actually make the decisions."

Blackburn returned the nod. "Correct."

"I still get to live in whatever embassy you guys are setting up though, right? Me and Green?"

"Of course!" Lockwood said with a big, friendly smile. "Construction started as soon as the arrangements were made, and it should be done within the next week or so. Until then, as a gesture of hospitality from the royal family, you've been provided a guest room here at the palace."

"Sweet, you've got a nice pad," Gray said with a smirk. "It better not be a downgrade moving to the embassy."

"It won't be, trust me. Also, seeing as you've got a young colt living with you, we'll make arrangements for him to continue his schooling whenever he's ready. I only know some basics about the, uh… 'program', or whatever it is, from what Velvet told me, and that was a while ago." 

Gray looked at Green and smirked. "He'll be ready to get back to school soon enough, won't you kiddo?"

Green nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Lockwood cleared his throat. "Now, for the sake of appearances, once things are settled and the embassy is ready for you to move in to, you'll need a staff from up north to move down here to 'assist' you in your ambassadorial duties. I haven't spoken yet with your sisters on the matter, but I assume you've all made arrangements for that?"

Gray nodded. "Curaçao's taking care of it, yeah."

He smiled in return. "Then I can rest assured that everything will run smoothly."

"Other arrangements made to maintain appearances," Blackburn said. "New Pandemonium responsible for providing security for your embassy. However, as a foreign diplomat, Hope's Point will provide you with private protection if you lack your own. At your discretion, of course."

"You mean you want to provide me with a bodyguard?" Gray asked, eyebrow raised.

"Precisely."

"I mean, thanks, but I don't really—"

"Please, Gray, we insist," Lockwood said. With a wink, he added, "Trust us, we picked out the best pony for the job. Our militia is well-trained in this sort of thing."

"Yeah, Flathoof's always talking about how flexible your militia is." Gray paused, then her eyes widened. "Wait, you mean—"

Blackburn smiled and nodded, then turned to Gadget. "Believe arrangements already made with Squad Eight-Six-Two, Earth Pony Division?"

"Of course, Your Majesty," Gadget said as she whipped out her datapad and started swiftly sorting through it. "A replacement was assigned to their squad to fill for a sudden vacancy as ordered by Her Majesty herself this morning."

"Excellent. Send out the summons."

"Already done, and the confirmation was received. He should be here any minute."

Lockwood watched the expression on Gray's face run the gamut from surprised to excited to anxious in no time flat. It wasn't often he felt he could do anything for anypony on a personal level these days; all of his business arrangements and deals were for the betterment of the entire city. So, when he got to do something like this, it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

It only took about three minutes before there was a knock on the door, and Lockwood nodded at Crossfire to open it. In walked Flathoof, clad in his official militia uniform, which was composed of a light suit of black body armor that fit his frame perfectly and would be comfortable in any environmental condition, and even protected from small arms fire. His helmet and visor covered most of his face except his nose, mouth, and chin.

"Reporting for duty, Your Majesties," he said with a brisk salute, adhering to proper protocol despite his familial relation to the royal couple. 

He always did like to do things by the book unless given reason to do otherwise. 

It took him only a few seconds to notice that there was somepony else in the room. "Gray?" he blurted, dropping his salute in shock. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

Gray gave him a small, nervous smile. "I made a decision." She then tilted her head back and forth briefly. "Well, technically a decision was made and I was asked if I wanted to participate in it, and… I made the decision to join in."

He removed his helmet—his mane was matted a little with sweat, and he was keeping it shorter these days—so that Gray could see his eyes. "You mean you decided to move down here? For good?"

She nodded. "It's a little bit more complicated than that, but yeah, I'm down here for good."

"What's so complicated about that?" Flathoof then blinked and looked between Blackburn and Lockwood. "Wait, you called me here on official business. I thought I was being assigned as security detail for the new ambassador from up… north—" He blinked again. "Oh."

Blackburn grinned. "Astute of you. Yes, this is official business." She gestured at Gray with a professional sort of flair. "Captain Flathoof, meet Ambassador Gray Skies of New Pandemonium City. Will be staying at embassy once construction completed, guest at royal palace until then. Lacks personal security detail; obligated to provide some."

He turned to Gray and grinned. "Really now? You're the ambassador?"

"Officially, yeah," she replied with a smirk. "Unofficially I'm just a glorified telephone or messenger filly. But you know what? That doesn't bother me. I'll be able to do good for both cities, which means better lives for all of my friends and family, most importantly for you and your family."

He stepped forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "That doesn't matter to me. What matters is you made a decision. I would've been fine with whatever choice you made, Gray… but I'm happy that you chose to be here with me. I've missed you. A lot."

She took a breath and nodded firmly, then leaned in to kiss him, albeit briefly. "And I missed you, too. I'm sorry that I never said it before… and I'm sorry that it took me so long—"

"Hey, it's alright," he said, pulling her in for a hug. "You don't have to apologize to me. I'm not upset with you, not one bit. I'm just glad to be able to see you again." He pulled back from the hug to look her in the eye. "I didn't want to say this until you made your choice, so I'll say it now: I love you. Have for a while now."

Gray looked at the ground, her face more than a little red. "I love you too, Flathoof. I wish I'd have done something sooner—'

"You're here now, and that's what matters." Flathoof then paused and glanced down at Green, who was watching the exchange with wide eyes. "Oh! I didn't even notice you there behind all the luggage." He paused, then glanced at Gray. "Is this Green Guard? I mean, he sure looks green to me, heh."

She nodded and smiled. "Yup, this is him." She tousled Green's mane. "He offered to carry all of the luggage himself just to see if he could. I never had any doubt."

"Well, it's a pleasure to finally meet you, Green," Flathoof said with a nod, lowering himself just a little to be down at the colt's level. "Gray's told me a lot about you. She said you can bench two hundred?"

Green stared at Flathoof for a moment, then nodded. "Two hundred fifteen now…" he murmured.

Flathoof whistled. "Eeyup, that's pretty strong alright. I only just hit the three hundred mark myself the other day, but I bet you'll hit that in no time at all."

"Um… thanks…" Green murmured, hiding behind Gray and the luggage a bit more than before.

Lockwood smiled, thinking back to how things had gone between the two when the family first moved south, and how their brief meeting at the wedding hadn't quite been enough to satisfy either of them. He knew things would work out between the two of them eventually, and was glad to have been able to help however he could to make it happen.

He then cleared his throat to get the couple's attention. "Captain Flathoof, I hate to interrupt, but the ambassador has had a long journey and likely needs some rest. Perhaps you'd be so kind as to show her to her guestroom? We'll arrange for the luggage to be taken up later."

Flathoof raised an eyebrow and glanced at Lockwood. "Huh? What about Green?"

Lockwood glanced at Green and gave the colt a smile. "With the ambassador's permission, I think it might be prudent to see that the youngster gets something to eat. He's a growing colt, after all." With a smile, he addressed the colt next: "I know those big boxships don't exactly offer the best meals, and you probably didn't get a chance to eat down in Newhaven, so you're probably hungry."

As if on cue, Green's stomach gurgled. He gulped. "I dunno…"

Gray nodded in agreement with Lockwood, giving Green a reassuring smile. "Hey, remember when I told you about Flathoof's mother, Shortcake? About how she makes just the best home cooking? I bet His Majesty'll be happy to let you meet her and have make you some lunch."

"Oh absolutely," Lockwood agreed with a firm nod. "My dear mother would love the opportunity to make lunch for a growing colt like him. Why, if he eats good and healthy like that, he could be as big as Crossfire one day." He gestured to Crossfire, who caught on quickly enough to stand up tall and proud, towering over everypony in the room, even Flathoof. "See?"

Green eyed the huge stallion with wonder in his eyes, then nodded. "Lunch sounds… nice…"

Lockwood then looked at Flathoof with a mischievous grin. "There you have it. You and the ambassador can join us after giving her a… tour of the quarters?"

Flathoof blinked. "What—"

Gray grabbed his hoof and led him towards the door, her face redder than ever. "You heard His Majesty, Captain. My quarters. Now."

Flathoof followed along, oblivious, for just a moment, then perked up and stared at Lockwood as he seemingly realized what he'd been getting at just as the couple was leaving the room. Green watched them go, a little confused but not upset, then glanced about the room at the strangers that he'd been left with; Lockwood felt a small amount of sympathy for the colt, but it would all turn out great in the end.

"She needs a… a little push, sometimes…" the colt murmured. "I've never seen her that happy before, so… I'm happy too."

Lockwood gave Green a smile and a nod. "So, how about that lunch?"


*****


A turquoise pegasus stallion with a stark white mane, which he kept slicked back and relatively short, walked through the streets of New Pandemonium's Mid-East District. He was dressed to impress in the best suit he owned, which to be fair was a pretty cheap suit and could barely be classified as formal. But it was clean and crisp enough to fit the purpose he needed it for, so that was all that mattered.

He walked up to the door of a bar on the corner and glanced up at the sign which proclaimed the joint as The Launchpad. He remembered this bar. He'd been a regular patron once upon a time, back when his life looked to be taking a turn for the better for the first time in a long, long while.

A glance across the street reminded him why that dream had come crashing down. The old Mid-East Rockets skyball team—just a semi-pro team, nothing too fancy—had once stationed their headquarters in the large building that still stood there today, though that wasn't the purpose it served anymore, not since the team was dissolved and all of its assets sold. Nothing had been done with the building yet, if the lack of activity or lights and the abundance of graffiti were any indication.

He had once been Rainslick, manager of the Rockets, responsible for scoping out the talent that had turned around an eight-year losing streak into a year where the team went undefeated, the first team to do so in nearly forty years. Now he was just Rainslick, a regular nopony with nothing to show for years and years of struggle and effort apart from a picture of the trophy the team had won, because of course the trophy had been sold, too.

Rainslick grunted and set those thoughts aside. That life was gone now.

He entered the bar to see that the loss of the Rockets hadn't just affected him or the old training facility, but apparently everything in the surrounding city blocks. This bar had seen better days not all that long ago. There wasn't much of a crowd, the floors could barely be considered clean, and it just looked like less effort was being taken to maintain everything. What had once been a thriving little hole-in-the-wall bar was now just a shitty dive, the kind you'd be afraid to be at late at night.

What confused Rainslick though was that despite there being such a small crowd, he recognized most of them. It was too convenient not to notice that the members of his old team were all present, though none of them looked to be in any better shape than he was. A few had dressed up in decent-looking suits and dresses that would be presentable, but why would they be here?

There was Dart Blazer, a stallion with a cobalt blue coat and a short, chocolate-covered mane; Sweet Crespelle, a young mare with a red coat and blonde mane; Salsa Fresca, a greenish-blue mare with a purple mane, and her sister Lily Typhoon, an orange mare with a pink mane; Brisk Gallop, an old stallion whose black coat was practically gray and whose mane was white by now; lastly, Gilded Match, a large black-coated stallion with a red mane tinged with gold. All of them were pegasi, of course, because only pegasi could play skyball.

They had all seated themselves around one of the largest tables in the bar, which had more than enough room for him to join them. It was Dart who noticed him first. "Hey! Rainslick! We were wondering if you were gonna show up." He gestured to the open chair. "Come join us, eh buddy?"

Rainslick let out a sigh, but smiled and nodded and took the seat as offered, flagging the bartender for a beer as he went; it was the same bartender as it used to be back in the day, so he'd know what Rainslick liked. "Hey everypony, good to see you all again even under the circumstances. So, I guess it was you who sent me that invitation, Dart?"

Dart shook his head. "Nope. Wasn't me."

"One of you, then?" Rainslick asked, looking to the others. They all shook their heads as well, so he turned back to Dart, confused. "But you said you were wondering if—"

"I mean, look around you," Dart said, gesturing at the others with a grin. "We're all here, so we figured you'd show up eventually. Doesn't take a genius to put two-and-two together that all of the champion Rockets were gathered up. I figured it out after Salsa and Lily walked in, and Gallop was already here before me."

"The only ones not here are Rainbow and Havoc," noted Lily, "but I know getting in touch with Rainbow is hard to do, what with her being on the other side of the world. And I mean, technically she didn't win the championship."

"And Havoc's probably doing just fine for herself these days," Salsa grunted as she angrily sipped her beer. "Last I heard she joined the NPAF. Can you imagine that? Havoc in military fatigues? Saluting and following orders from a drill sergeant?"

Rainslick scratched his chin. "Huh. So… you all got invitations out of the blue too?"

"Sure did," said Crespelle, slowly sipping her own drink; she was finally old enough to legally do so as of last month if Rainslick remembered correctly. "Told me to be at this place on this day and at this time to get in on 'the skyball opportunity of a lifetime'."

"Same here," said Lily, slowly twirling a hoof through her mane. "Same proposal with the same date, time, and place, and with the same watermark at the bottom."

Dart nodded sagely, crossing his hooves over his chest. "Yup, me too. I was gonna ignore it until I saw the old Rockets logo at the bottom and figured, you know what, why not? I can afford to waste an hour or so of my time."

"I figured maybe it was an old fan trying to get an autograph," said Gallop, bristling his mustache as he chomped on some bar pretzels. "A bunch of autographs seeing as we're all here."

"Hmph, if it is, we'd better be getting paid," Salsa grumbled as she kicked her hindlegs up onto the table.

"I would gladly give an autograph to any true fan of the greatest skyball team to ever play!" boasted Gilded, striking his chest proudly. "Let all who deny our majesty perish in glorious battle!"

"Are you drunk already, Gilded?" chortled Lily as she playfully slapped his shoulder.

"No, fair maiden, I am merely filled with exuberance to be in the company of such a merry band of companions!" Gilded snatched up his full mug of beer and downed it all in one go, an impressive feat. "Ah! This is a wonderful feeling! United with my comrades once again!"

"For the evening, anyway," Dart said with a grin. He turned to Rainslick, serious again. "So, we were just starting to get caught up on a few things right when you walked in. We all got here within minutes of one another, so we didn't get far beyond ordering drinks and grabbing a table. How're things with you these days?"

Rainslick sighed, then sipped from his beer the moment the waitress brought it over. He preferred the lighter fare with a wedge of lime and some salt. "Well, nine years of managing a semi-pro skyball team that only won any games in their ninth season doesn't exactly get you a lot of clout, y'know. No offense, gang."

"None taken," Lily said as she lazily nudged her glass. "We sucked before the one good season, and I heard the lineups you had before even we all got together weren't exactly hot either."

"Well, all I ended up getting out of it was just a single response to the hundred or so job applications I sent out. I'm a manager at an office supply company now: Cubicles 'R' Us." Rainslick leaned back in his seat, dejected. "Pay's good, but damn is it miserable. You can't just go from the excitement of sports management to managing a supply of pens and pencils and not miss the old days."

"Tell me about it," Dart said, sipping from his beer. "Y'know, I tried out for a couple of other teams after we got our pink slips. Turns out that only one good year on your record—even an undefeated year!—isn't enough to turn heads on its own. Nopony wants to gamble on whether that year was just a fluke."

"Psh, as if we all just found a lucky horseshoe on the same day or something and only won because of sheer chance," Salsa scoffed; Rainslick noticed she'd already finished two beers and was working on a third.

Dart shrugged. "So yeah, I've just been doing handiwork and odd jobs lately. It's barely enough to put food on the table and keep the landlord off my back, and it's not exactly fulfilling stuff, either."

Rainslick's eyes darted between Dart and Salsa, and he took another sip of beer. "How're things working out between you two, by the way?"

The pair glanced at each other, looking a bit embarrassed by the question. "It was good while it lasted," Salsa muttered, nursing her beer. "But neither one of us have the income or the career prospects to really make a stable relationship work."

"We agreed that for now… maybe it's better to just be friends," Dart said, giving her a longing look. "Maybe if things pick up—" He sighed and gave her a smile. "It's nice to see you again, though."

"Same to you," she replied with a blush.

"You're on hard times too, huh?" Rainslick asked Salsa.

"Yeah. I mean, I play on an amatuer team these days but that's just for fun, it doesn't pay the bills. Or pay at all, actually." She sighed and slumped forward on the table. "I work for a parcel delivery service now, so y'know, at least I'm keeping my wings in shape if I ever get scouted again."

"I play for my community college team!" Crespelle awkwardly blurted out. The group collectively glanced her way, and she sank into her seat, red in the face. "Sorry, just thought I'd bring the mood up a bit…"

"No no, that's great news!" Dart said with a wide grin. "You're going back to school?"

She nodded. "My parents wanted me to get back to my education since it was obvious my sports career wasn't gonna go anywhere. I, uh… didn't get into any of the universities I applied to…"

Dart immediately frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, though, because community college is just fine!" she blurted again. "I'm working on my BA in journalism, and I play on our skyball team. It's great!" She paused, then sighed, frowning and shaking her head. "But it's not the same as the Rockets were. Collegiate skyball doesn't draw the same crowds that pro and semi-pro do. I miss the thrill of it…"

"I hear ya, sister," Salsa said, tapping her beer against Crespelle's.

Rainslick turned towards Lily. "How about you, Lily?"

Lily frowned and slumped back into her seat. "Do I have to?"

Salsa gave her a sympathetic look. "You don't have to if you want to, sis. The gang'll understand."

Dart raised an eyebrow. "Understand what?"

"She doesn't like to talk about it," Salsa said firmly. "So don't force her if she doesn't want to."

"I wouldn't do something like that." Dart gave Lily a reassuring smile. "We're all friends, here, Lily. If you don't want to—"

Lily threw her hooves in the air. "Ugh! Why do you have to be so nice and supportive?! If you were a jerk about it I'd feel fine just telling you to shove it and move on." 

"Uh… sorry?"

She sighed and ran her hooves through her mane. "Okay, so, I used to model before I joined the team, right? I wasn't, like, super popular or anything, but I did some ad work here and there, modeled for a horseshoe line once."

"Oh yeah, I remember that," said Rainslick. "Silken Steel Horseshoes. Good brand. My sister swears by 'em."

"Yeah, well… I tried getting back into it," Lily grumbled while staring into her beer. "Modeling, I mean. I've been keeping up with the trade, y'know, to see if I had a shot. This new chick, Insipid or whatever, she's been making waves 'cause she's not like the other models."

"Isn't she the poster girl for Parfum de Rose?" Dart asked. The others gave him a look. "What? I put up one of the billboards two weeks ago in Mid-South's shopping center. I don't buy the stuff."

"Anyway, so like, the industry's looking for different looks, y'know? Problem is that I'm too close to the old look they liked—thin and delicate—but too different from what they're looking for now—curvy. Nopony wants a fashion model with muscle tone, and playing as hard as we did for that championship got me in great shape."

Rainslick nodded in understanding. "I get it. You're unemployed. There's no shame in that, Lily. I think statistics show that more than fifty percent of the middle class has been unemployed at one time or another, even if only for a month. You'll get back on your hooves."

Lily sunk further into her seat. "No, I'm not unemployed." She sighed. "I've still been, uh… modeling. Just not for…  reputable sorts of magazines."

Most of the table went silent. Dart broke the silence. "I'm sorry to hear that, Lily. Y'know, if you need help so that you don't have to do that anymore—"

"Please, Dart. Don't. I'm… I'm not really ashamed of it. It makes good money, and I'm not about to be a charity case for you. I appreciate it, but… I'll survive. It's just photo shoots, not… y'know, anything too involved. I'm a model, not an… actress. Though I've been asked a few times… then lost gigs because I refused…"

Crespelle gently set her hoof on Lily's. "Things'll get better."

Rainslick nervously cleared his throat and looked at Gallop, eyes wide. "Well now I feel a bit awkward keeping this going—"

"Oh, just keep the train rolling, guys, don't worry about me," Lily said, sitting up straight and taking a drink of her beer. "The last thing I want is my new porn career stopping all the fun of this little reunion party."

Gallop bristled his mustache and let out a harrumph, then said, "Well, far be it from me to deny that request, hmm? I'm afraid I've got little to share, though." 

"Hey, if Lily feels alright sharing what's happening with her life, we can handle whatever you've got to throw at us, ya old goat," Salsa said, clapping the elderly stallion on the shoulder.

He sighed. "Well, once the team was disbanded, I felt the writing was finally on the wall. I had my last hurrah and won a championship in the process, alongside a group of teammates that I truly admire and respect." With a shrug, he added, "So I retired. For good this time. My retirement savings will give me enough to live off until I kick the bucket. Now I just stay at home all day, every day, and order takeout and watch the tube."

"Doesn't sound too bad," Dart said.

"I hate it."

"Oh."

Rainslick hastily looked at Gilded, desperate for better news. "Big guy, please tell me you've got good news for us?"

Gilded brazenly pounded a hoof against his chest. "Do not be so glum, chums! Allow me to bring a little ray of sunshine to this humdrum table, hmm? For I, Gilded Match, have landed a position on a professional skyball team! Huzzah!"

The table collectively stared at Gilded with amazement. "No shit?" Salsa chuckled. "Well hot damn, at least one of us came out okay out of all of this. Who're you playing for? I haven't been keeping track of the rosters this season as closely as I would like."

"The Mid-North Trailblazers!" Gilded exclaimed with a wide smile on his face. "Yes indeed! Why, our manager says that I am the best watercolt the team has ever had! Nopony is better than Gilded Match!"

The table then collectively froze. A collective chorus of "What" came from everypony else in the gang in perfect unison.

"Did you say 'watercolt'?" Dart asked, dead-serious and wide-eyed.

"Yes indeed! You are looking at the Head Watercolt for the esteemed Mid-North Trailblazers, in the flesh." Gilded flexed one of his large forelimbs. "Gaze upon greatness, comrades. Why, our manager has revealed to me in confidence that if I maintain my level of dedication and skill, he may allow me to try out for the reserve squad!"

"You said you were on the team!" Salsa blurted, hooves in the air.

Gilded blinked. "I am, my friend! Oh, I had the same concern, of course, but then I was told that we are all part of the team: the announcers, the players, the managers and coaches, me, even the janitorial staff. We all contribute to make the Trailblazers great. Huzzah!"

Lily shook her head, dumbstruck. "Why do I suddenly feel better about modeling for porn now?"

Rainslick grumbled and finished off his beer. "Well it sounds to me like we've all sort of fallen on hard times over the past year or so, haven't we?"

"Ha! Speak for yourself, comrade," Gilded said with a boisterous smile.

"Right, uh… apart from Gilded, we've all fallen on hard times." Rainslick stared down the throat of his empty bottle. "Y'know, I was kind of hoping for something good to happen when I showed up here, but all that's happened so far is that I've managed to feel more miserable than before."

"That's because you're all a bunch of sorry-ass sad-sacks," came a voice from the table in the corner, its owner barely visible in the darkness save for the glow of a lit cigarette.

The table collectively looked in the voice's direction. "What's it to you, pal?" huffed Salsa, looking ready to fight.

"Nothin' much, it's just that when I invited you all here, I wasn't expecting to want to shoot myself in the head to put me out of my misery."

Dart raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute… Havoc? Is that you?"

The owner of the voice stepped away from the booth and into the light. Sure enough, there she was, the only missing member of the Rockets' championship lineup.

Rainslick was used to seeing Havoc looking confident and maybe a little smug when they all played together, and today was no different. She bore a cocky little grin on her face that complimented the cigarette perfectly. She looked like she'd just walked off the set of a film noir with that attitude. No military fatigues, though, just a cool black jacket with her name stitched into the front and her cutie mark on the back. It looked hoof-made.

"Well look who decided to show up," Salsa grunted. "Or have you been sitting there the entire time eavesdropping on us?"

"The second one," Havoc said with a nod and a long draw of her cigarette. "None of you even noticed me in that corner."

"That's because it's hard to notice you unless you open your mouth, shorty."

"Har har, laugh it up, mailmare."

"Wait, did I hear you right?" Crespelle interjected before Salsa and Havoc could get at each other's throats. "You sent us those invitations?"

Havoc brightened. "Yup! Sure did, kiddo!"

"Why?" asked Dart, baffled. "Just to get us all together? For some sort of reunion or something?"

"Something like that, yeah." Havoc pulled up a seat at the emptiest section of the table, looking like she was all business all of a sudden. "And after hearing all of your sob stories, holy shit, I'm glad I did. I wish I'd have done this sooner, actually, 'cause now I'm gonna feel guilty that it's my fault Lily's showing off her snatch in some skin rag. At least I caught her before she got on the casting couch, eh?"

Salsa sharply rose in her seat. "Watch it, Havoc, that's my sister you're talking about."

Lily snorted, and rather loudly at that. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, anyway? Why would you feel guilty about me showing off the goods?"

Havoc held up her hooves in a showing of peace. "Whoa whoa, hold your horses there, ladies. I don't mean nothin' by it. Look, it's like this: when was the last time you guys all can remember when you were happy? I mean, really happy."

The group collectively answered the same: when they won the championship, beating the Arcadia Wizards 32-27. Though Gilded did hesitate a little, even he admitted that he was happiest then, not last week when he delivered a water bottle to the Trailblazer's star striker, Éclair Tempête.

"So we can all agree that the Rockets getting disbanded was pretty much when the shit all went sour, right?" Havoc asked. 

Everypony agreed, obviously.

"Get to the point, already," Lily huffed.

Dart nodded firmly. "Yeah, I wanna hear it. There's gotta be a better reason to call us all here than just to share some drinks and listen to our sob stories."

Havoc leaned back in her seat with a smug grin. "You all know the next semi-pro season starts in two months, right?" Everypony nodded. "Well, it just so happens that that's the deadline to put in an application for forming a new club in the league. In fact, tonight is the last chance to do it. You know that, don't you Rainslick?"

Rainslick blinked, confused, then nodded. "That's right, league rules stipulate that you have to have the application in two months to the day from the start of the first game of the season, which would be scheduled to start in two months from today."

"So when's the exact deadline?"

He glanced at his watch. "Assuming that they still keep to the typical scheduling, the first match would start one minute from now in two months."

"That's right, one minute to go." 

Havoc pulled a small datapad out of her pocket and set it on the table. It was currently loaded up on a screen from the league's datanet page, which instructed the viewer to check back for the league's upcoming schedule with a timer counting down to the update time. Havoc waited until the timer ran out, then refreshed the page; on cue, the season's schedule was displayed, and Havoc slid the datapad forward for everypony to see clearly.

"Take a look."

Rainslick reached forward first and pulled it closer to himself, and the others scooted around to get a better look over his shoulder or by just plain hovering in the air over the table. Eyes went wide all around when they saw that there was a Mid-East Rockets game scheduled on the third day of the season, against the Mid-South Redwings.

"What the hell is this?" asked Salsa, indignant. "The Rockets don't exist anymore."

Havoc scuffed her hoof on her chest. "Sure they do. They're on the schedule, aren't they?"

"But… how?" Dart asked, utterly lost.

"You're looking at the new owner of the Mid-East Rockets," Havoc said, rising in her seat. "I bought the rights to the team name, put in the application to reform the team, and even bought the old training facility and hired a crew to start putting it into tip-top shape. The Rockets are back, bitches!" 

With a grin, she then slammed her hooves on the table hard enough to draw a look from the bartender. "All I need is a bunch of players and a manager."

"Wait… wait, what?!" Lily sputtered. "What do you mean you bought the Rockets? How? With what money?"

"I always told you I was a trust fund brat, Princess," Havoc said with no shame whatsoever. "It just took me a little while to get my ass in gear and put together everything I needed to make it work. I probably could've gotten it done last season, and I'm sorry I didn't, but there was… a lot going on with my life at that time."

"So, you're reforming the Rockets? And you want all of us to play with you again?" Crespelle asked, sounding extremely excited.

"Sure did, kiddo! There's only one catch: I can't play with you."

Gilded bellowed his disapproval: "No! It cannot be! Why not?!"

"League rules prevent club owners, coaches, managers, and other members of a team's staff from playing on the field," Rainslick said matter-of-factly. "If Havoc owns the team, she can't play with the team."

"Them's the breaks," Havoc said with a shrug. "I know, I know, that means the team pretty much loses like, hmmm… ninety percent of its skill, but hey, it is what it is." She crossed her hooves over her chest. "Still, I'll take ten percent of the old team if it means giving your sorry asses another shot at glory. So, whaddaya say?"

The team all collectively looked amongst themselves, and it was clear to Rainslick almost immediately that the question didn't even need to be asked. Dart put his hoof into the center of the group first, then Salsa, then the others in turn, even Rainslick. On three, they all cheered, "Go Rockets!"

Havoc just grinned, then turned to the bartender and raised her hoof. "Yo barkeep! Another round for my team! And put everything on my tab!"


*****


Velvet sat patiently in the office belonging to Soft Touch, the nurse that attended to all of Pandora Tower's staff. This was the first time Velvet had ever been here for herself, actually, so she took stock of the little room she was in while she waited. It was decorated with fake plants and tasteful artwork, colored in soothing, cool colors, and she could even hear a very soft tune playing over a sound system; all of it felt carefully-crafted to provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere that was also professional.

Nurse Soft Touch entered the room a few moments later, a datapad held aloft with her unicorn magic. She was a white-coated mare with a reddish-pink mane, and she'd dressed in a typical set of scrubs—pink, of course—and wore a pair of horn-rimmed glasses. She gave Velvet a polite smile as she entered, but maintained her magical grip on the datapad.

"Hello there, Miss Velvet. How are you feeling today?" the mare asked, her voice a pleasant mix of polite and friendly.

"Just fine, Nurse," Velvet said with a nod and a grin.

"You're usually here with one of the tykes from downstairs," Soft Touch noted. "Imagine my surprise when your appointment said it was for you. I believe that this is your first visit to me since you moved into the tower."

Velvet shrugged. "Never had the need to come in before."

"Of course, likely a result of your 'blood magic', I suppose. I won't claim to be an expert on Hemomancy—that would be Doctor Blutsauger's speciality—but your file notes that it grants you a sort of healing factor." Soft Touch skimmed through the file on her data pad and nodded. "Being able to control your own bloodstream would certainly also prevent you from getting sick."

"Yup! I've been perfectly healthy every day of my life," Velvet said with a wide grin. "No colds, no hiccups, no sprains or cuts or bruises. I can't even get drunk, y'know? I just filter the alcohol right out of my system."

Soft Touch set the data pad down and took a seat near Velvet. "Well, if that's the case, then what brings you here today? You hardly sound as though you'd ever require medical attention."

Velvet tapped her hooves together and took a calming breath. "Okay, so first, a bit of background. I've been in charge of that Shadow Candidate program along with Overseer Pedigree for a while now, right?"

"Of course. Like I said, you're usually up here with one of the tykes whenever they need something taken care of." The nurse chuckled. "I've given out my fair share of lollipops this past year."

Velvet smiled briefly. "Yeah, and I have to thank you again for being so good with them. I was expecting the kids to be scared of going to the nurse, y'know? But everypony that's been up to see you has seemed to like you, and word gets around. The lollipops helped, I'm sure."

"I'm sure." Soft Touch gestured for Velvet to continue. "So, you were saying?"

"Oh! So anyway, I've been taking care of the kids for so long that I've kinda had this urge to, uh… well, I decided that I wanted to have a foal of my own, y'know?" Velvet chuckled. "I mean, it doesn't help matters that my big sister Curie managed to get Shroud preggers, eh? I wasn't sure how she did it until I remembered she's a shapeshifter. She said you helped her out with the process?"

Soft Touch nodded and adjusted her glasses. "For the sake of my patients' privacy, I won't go into any details, but I can at least note that yes, I did lend my medical expertise to the logistics of the conception. I understand that Hope's Point has some similar procedures, actually. I suppose that is why you've come to me?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Well, I'll be happy to assist you in this bold, exciting life decision, Miss Velvet. I can offer you guidance on which sorts of steps you can take to increase fertility, and—"

Velvet shook her head. "Oh no, I don't need any of that. I've done my research and believe me, I know what I'm doing when it comes to sex. Not to say I wouldn't appreciate any advice! I just mean that that's not exactly why I'm here."

Soft Touch raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

Velvet tapped her hooves together again. "Okay, so, this all happened when I went into heat last month. I know that's the ideal time to conceive, obviously—like I said, I did my research—so that's when I made my move." With a sly grin, she said, "Not to brag, but I took a week's vacation so that I could take all the time I needed. A full week's worth, ya feel me?"

Soft Touch jotted this down on the datapad. "So you and your partner spent the majority of the week participating in sexual intercourse?"

"Partners. Plural."

The nurse blinked, then jotted that down as well. "Multiple partners, then, over the course of that week. As your primary care physician, it's in the best interests of us both for me to ask for more information, just to make sure I understand the situation. When you say 'multiple partners', you mean…?"

Velvet perked up. "Oh! Not all at once, or anything like that. That's just a casual thing I do for funsies sometimes. No no, everypony I asked did the deed in a purely one-on-one encounter. I figured that if I was gonna get knocked up, I wanted it to be a little more intimate. I'm a romantic like that."

Soft Touch raised an eyebrow and jotted that down as well. Velvet was actually impressed that the nurse was taking it all in stride, but supposed that as a medical professional she wasn't fazed by much. It was kind of nice not getting a judgmental glare when talking about her sexual proclivity.

"So anyway, I took a test last night, but… nothing." Velvet frowned. "I'm not pregnant. Not according to the test I took, at least. I even took more than one just to be sure, both standard medical ones and one of those fancy technomagic ones. All came up the same: no bun in my oven."

"I see," Soft Touch said, setting the datapad aside. "With your permission, I can perform a purely magical test now, just to be sure?"

"Please do!"

The nurse lit up her horn, and Velvet felt a tingly sensation around her stomach, which then expanded outwards until her entire body felt like it was being dunked in warm water. It only lasted for a few moments, then the nurse's horn dimmed and the sensation was gone. 

"Well, I can confirm the results of the tests that you've already taken: you're not pregnant," Soft Touch said simply.

Velvet frowned, immensely disappointed. "Dammit." She took a breath. "So, you see my problem, right? I spent the entirety of my most fertile week getting a healthy amount of Vitamin D, and I've nothing to show for it. I mean, I've got a lot to show for it, but not what I want to show for it."

"Definitely worth being concerned about, but I will remind you, Miss Velvet, that having unprotected sex even during your heat season does not guarantee pregnancy," explained Soft Touch. 

"But I thought—"

"It is a common misconception, though not without merit. The odds are extremely high, certainly, but there is no such thing as a one hundred percent guarantee without utilizing magical medicinal aids, and even those aren't always surefire. Did you utilize any such aids?"

Velvet tapped her chin as she recalled the wedding gift that she and Havoc had been asked to give to Lockwood and Blackburn on behalf of Miracle and Vaccine. Princess Bluebolt had been born eleven months to the day following the wedding night. It wasn't hard to put two-and-two together and figure out that the stuff had been ludicrously effective.

"Hmm… no, but maybe I should consider using one of those next time," she muttered. "I mean, I don't want to bring magic drugs into this—I'm an old-fashioned traditionalist when it comes to this part—but I suppose if I have to…"

Soft Touch shook her head. "Before you begin considering anything like that, we should rule out other factors first."

"Like what?"

"Well, let's begin with your chosen partners. I will not assume that you asked any of them for medical records, but I would suggest that you consider it. While the odds are low, you cannot dismiss the possibility that all of your chosen partners were sterile. I've heard of stranger things happening."

Velvet proudly shook her head. "Nope! I took care of that, for most of them at least. Shroud helped me get records for a few of the partners I had here in the city, and I know they all had squeaky clean bills of health as far as making foals was concerned. Good genes all around."

The nurse noted that in her datapad. "If you want me to double check their records for you, I can do so. I might see something you missed. Just provide me with some names and basic information to better filter my search."

"Oh, sure. Anything helps I guess." Velvet bit her tongue and listed them off: "There's this Foundry worker named Hammer Toss, then there's a cop named Keystone, and lastly, a personal trainer named Deadlift. All total hunks, by the way. Peak physical specimens with huge—"

"And were these your only three partners?"

"Stars, no," Velvet chuckled. "Just the only ones you could really help me with."

"Hmm?"

"Well, one other guy—Briarthorn—lives in Hope's Point and works as a pilot, and I just straight up asked him for his records. Apart from a couple of minor health issues, he was fine too. And while I'm sure you can get it, I don't think you need to look up Pedigree's medical record. He went over his, heh, pedigree with me himself."

Soft Touch's eyebrows went so high they disappeared into her mane. "Wait, one of your partners was Pedigree? The Overseer of the Shadow Candidate program?"

"Hey, I didn't just pick a bunch of random stallions, y'know?" Velvet said, nose in the air. "If I'm gonna get knocked up, I wanted to be sure that I picked ponies with good genes that would give me a strong, healthy foal."

"A responsible decision. But don't you two work together? Sorry if that doesn't seem like any of my business, but—"

"Look, Pedigree and I might have a working relationship, but that stallion has some damn good genetics, so I couldn't not ask him," Velvet noted, dead-serious. "We agreed that it was just a professional courtesy between two close friends. Besides, I don't see the problem with two co-workers sleeping together, do you?"

"Some might consider it unprofessional," the nurse said, shifting slightly in her seat. "I know that your father was surprisingly lax about that sort of thing, but Miss Dawn is significantly less so."

"Pshaw," Velvet scoffed. "Dawn can bite me if she wants to tell me who I am or am not allowed to fuck."

"So you don't agree with her policies?"

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Look, Curaçao and Shroud got married and are having a foal together. Curie's technically Shroud's boss nowadays, so you tell me which of us is more 'unprofessional', 'cause knocking up your secretary sounds like a big no-no if we wanna go that route."

"That's… actually a fair point, noted." Soft Touch paused briefly, then cleared her throat. "Well, I'll double-check these other records after our appointment is concluded. However, in the interest of fairness and to rule out all possible outcomes, I would like to perform a few tests on you, with your permission."

Velvet raised an eyebrow. "On me? But I'm totally healthy. We both know that. Pedigree's gone over how precise the genetic engineering that made me more than a few times, most recently because he was interested in how our kids might turn out." She sighed wistfully. "He'd make a good dad. Shame. Maybe next time."

"Yes, well, Doctor Blutsauger was very thorough in his notes on the procedure and its results, and at a glance I would say you have a clean bill of health. However, seeing as you never come in for any appointments—you're the only one of your sisters not to have taken a physical—I feel we should at least explore every option we have."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Get on with it, then. Just be gentle when you're exploring me, okay?" she said with a wink.

And so, Soft Touch performed the tests that she needed to perform, which included a routine physical, of course. It was all very professional, very clinical, and not at all fun but not unpleasant, either. Magic tended to work more quickly than a purely-medical process, so it only took about an hour before the nurse had all the data required.

The nurse then left the room to analyze everything, and returned about an hour or so later; the mare was nothing if not a professional, just like she'd always been with the kids. Velvet was immediately concerned when Soft Touch did return, however, because she did not seem pleased.

"Miss Velvet, I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Velvet froze up; that was never a good line to hear from your doctor… or nurse. "What kind of bad news?"

The nurse sat across from Velvet as before and adjusted her glasses, glancing at her datapad as she did so. "According to the tests I ran, I was able to diagnose the problem. Your body simply isn't producing the eggs needed to become pregnant. In purely clinical terms, you're infertile."

Velvet's jaw dropped; she felt like she'd just kicked in the gut. "Wh-what? You mean I… I can't…"

The nurse set her hoof on Velvet's. "I'm sorry, Miss Velvet. All the data that I collected points to this conclusion."

"But that's impossible," Velvet said, shaking her head in disbelief. "If there was something wrong with me, Doctor Blutsauger would've fixed it, or told me about it. There has to be a mistake. You're wrong."

Soft Touch removed her glasses briefly. "I've compared my notes and data with the information in your medical record. You're absolutely right: Doctor Blutsauger would've told you if anything was wrong, or would have fixed the issue otherwise. I know him; he's nothing if not a perfectionist."

"Then explain how he missed this!" Velvet snapped.

"He didn't. This issue was not present in you whatsoever when you were 'born'. You were given a perfectly clean bill of health; you should be more than capable of producing eggs. Believe me when I say that even your fertility status was documented. Whatever caused this happened after your birth."

"But I can heal myself from anything! How could I possibly have this… this problem if I can just heal from it?"

Soft Touch nodded. "That's what I intend to find out. Seeing as how you are capable of recovering from even the most severe physical injuries, I will for the moment rule out the possibility that you somehow sustained damage to your reproductive system. Infertility is not just something you 'catch', either."

"So, what, it just happened? Give me a break!" Velvet blurted, throwing her hooves in the air.

"My first theory on the situation is that, seeing as this is a fertility issue, that perhaps it may be related to your sexual history. These are some personal questions, Miss Velvet, so feel free not to answer them if they make you uncomfortable." The nurse drew up her datapad again. "How many sexual partners have you had in the past two years since your 'birth'?"

Velvet blinked, then strained her mind to think. "I'm gonna ballpark it here, Nurse, and say… seventy-five. I assume screwing the same guy twice doesn't count as a separate partner, right?"

"No, it wouldn't." The nurse noted this down. "Did any of your partners have any sexually-transmittable diseases?"

"Not that I know of, no, but I always asked just to be polite. I'm not worried about catching anything, y'know?"

"Because your blood magic allows you to prevent and recover from any illness, diseases included?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Soft Touch noted that down as well. "Given what you've told me thus far, can I make an assumption that you never use protection, Miss Velvet?"

Velvet scoffed. "Pfft, no. I like it au naturale. All of my partners think I'm on the pill, except the ones I asked to be my foal-daddy last month. For them, I just said that I stopped taking it so they could get me pregnant. Apart from Pedigree, of course, I can be honest with him about my powers."

"And have you ever had sex before while you were in estrus?"

"Yeah, plenty of times. The scent drives stallions wild, y'know? Surefire way to get a good evening in."

The nurse paused, then lowered her glasses slightly. "So, if I am understanding this correctly, you have never once utilized protection with any of your sexual partners over the past two years, including during times when you should be at your most fertile?"

Velvet tilted her head. "Yeah?"

"And yet you never became pregnant before?"

"Nope! But I wasn't trying before, either."

"Statistically-speaking there is an astronomically-low chance of you making it this many years with that many partners without becoming pregnant, Miss Velvet," said Soft Touch. "This seems to be an ongoing issue that somehow Doctor Blutsauger did not catch sooner. Have you never wondered why you haven't become pregnant before?"

"Pshaw, I know why. I didn't want to get knocked up before, so I used my blood magic to shut down everything that could cause that," Velvet said matter-of-factly.

Soft Touch leaned back in her seat and removed her glasses. "Miss Velvet, I am no expert on Hemomancy like Doctor Blutsauger is, but I am a medical professional."

"Right, so, lay it on me already. What's the problem here?"

"According to a comparison between your older medical records and the tests I performed today, your entire body is in a state of physical perfection," the nurse said gently. "Your constant use of your abilities to recover from injuries and prevent illnesses has manifested so strongly that you don't need to actively make it happen; your body will naturally do these things."

"So my body heals itself without me even trying to do so? Neat! And that's relevant because…?" 

"I believe the same may apply to your body's adapting to your decisions regarding impregnation. Constantly forcing your body to shut down its egg production has taken a permanent effect.."

Velvet froze, suddenly feeling a wrenching in her gut as she realized what the problem was.  "Oh… oh shit. You're saying that… that this is my fault?"

Soft Touch gave Velvet a sympathetic look. "I do not want to assign blame to you for these circumstances, Miss Velvet, because you could not have known. This is a matter that goes beyond just medical science, so I cannot even give you a definitive answer."

Velvet stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, trying to make sense of the situation, to find any possible escape from the hole she was suddenly sinking into. "Can't I… can't I just make my body start working right again?"

"As I'm not an expert on the nature of your powers, I can't say what that might do to you." Soft Touch set her hoof on Velvet's gently. "I would recommend speaking with Doctor Blutsauger about this for a more informed second opinion. He knows far more than I do on the subject of your abilities."

Velvet nodded slowly; her entire world felt like it was spinning; she found it hard to breathe. "I… I think I'll do that. Thanks, Nurse."

"Of course, Miss Velvet. I hope that Doctor Blutsauger is able to provide you with the answers you need."


*****


He did just that. But they were not the answers Velvet wanted.

Velvet had called up Blutsauger immediately after finishing with her appointment and explained the situation to him exactly as Soft Touch had explained it; Soft Touch had even been courteous enough to send the relevant data to him ahead of time. His response had been simple, professional, and sympathetic:

"I am sorry my dear, but the data I've been given suggests that Nurse Soft Touch's diagnosis is correct," the doctor told her. "Your frequent use of your Hemomancy has indeed caused your bodily functions to adopt your current condition as its natural state, completely adapting to your lifestyle.

"You'll heal quickly on your own, you cannot contract illnesses or diseases, you'll enjoy the benefits of a greatly-heightened metabolism… but you cannot produce the eggs needed to conceive. The data suggests that your body simply doesn't remember the state it was in when you were born. 

"Reversing the effect on one aspect could potentially do the same for the others, namely your healing factor. In other words, you may very well gravely injure yourself, or worse. Medicines of a magical variety could potentially work, but your immune system will likely fight back, believing the medicine is an intruder. I am sorry, mein lieber. There is no definitive solution I can offer."

She thanked him then hung up the phone and immediately collapsed onto her bed in her room, staring up at the ceiling feeling like the entire world had just come crashing down on her. She couldn't think of a word to describe how she felt. "Devastated" just didn't seem strong enough; her soul had just been crushed. And worst of all, she knew that it was all her own fault caused by her own selfish behavior.

For months now, she'd seen her friends and even family become elated with the news of foals of their own. Lockwood and Blackburn were beyond happy with their new daughter; Curaçao and Shroud had reacted to the news of the latter's pregnancy with such joy that the entire tower could feel it. Velvet had wanted some of that happiness for herself, but now she knew she never would.

She curled up on her bed, grabbing a pillow to cradle against her body, and let herself break down. The tears came easily now, and she didn't bother fighting them. She had no intention of doing anything else for the rest of the day but sitting here and sobbing, and that is exactly what she did.

It felt as though everything was a complete blur, and time had no meaning anymore to her. She vaguely felt as though one of her sisters had tried to contact her telepathically—she could swear she might have heard Havoc's voice in her head multiple times—but she hadn't responded. She didn't really have the desire to talk to anypony at all.

Eventually a knock came at her door.

"Go away!" she shouted, tightening her grip on her pillow. "Leave me alone!"

"Miss Velvet? Are you okay?" It was the voice of Caramel on the other side. "You didn't show up to watch our lessons today… or yesterday, actually."

Velvet turned her back to the door. "Everything's fine, Caramel," she said, utterly incapable of keeping her voice even. "Just… just go back to your room and do your homework like a good colt."

"I already finished my homework, Miss Velvet. Lessons ended hours ago, and the Overseer told me that I should come check on you 'cause he's worried." He paused. "Is everything okay? You don't sound so good. Are you sick?"

"No, Caramel, I'm fine. If you're done with your homework, go spend some time with your friends."

Silence. "But… Miss Velvet, I wanted to spend time with you today. You were gonna show me how to make toast."

She'd forgotten about that. "Oh, right." She sniffed and took a breath. "Just… give me a little bit and I'll come find you in the dorms, okay? I'll show you everything I know about making toast."

"Are you sure? You really don't sound okay. Should I get the nurse?"

"No, Caramel, I'm fine," she quickly responded. The last pony she wanted to see right now was Soft Touch, not that she was angry with the nurse, just… well, she didn't want to.

Silence again. "Miss Velvet… you always tell us that when we have a friend that's in need, we should be there for them, no matter what it takes. I don't know what's wrong, but… I'm here for you, if you need somepony."

Velvet felt her heart break just a little. She didn't want her little Caramel to see her like this, but what kind of lesson would she be teaching him if she shut him out? He just wanted to help her, like how she'd wanted to help Pinkie Pie when she was at her lowest. 

So she stood up and headed for the door, wiping away her tears on her sleeve as she went. She opened it and saw Caramel on the other side, looking up at her with concern almost immediately.

"Hey, kiddo," she said, forcing herself to smile. "You caught me: I'm not doing so hot right now."

He frowned and nodded. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't think so, no. At least not with what's wrong with me." She sighed, then gestured for him to come in. "But you know what? Maybe spending a little time with you might make me feel better."

He followed her into the room and looked around at her décor, since he'd never seen it before. She'd painted the walls dark pink a long time ago just to give her room a nice warm color to it, but she used black furniture because she liked the way they clashed and complemented one another. 

She'd decorated the walls with posters of hunky stallions, mostly firefighters, athletes, cops, and the occasional movie star; the most recent addition had been a promotional poster for a big action movie starring Bolt Rockhoof. It was all tasteful enough not to require her to hide it from Caramel's eyes—no packages on display, so to speak—but saucy enough to give her material to work with on lonely nights.

She sat down on the edge of her bed and patted the spot next to her, indicating for Caramel to sit, which he did. She took his hoof in hers and gave him a smile again, a little less forced this time. "How was class today?"

"It was good, I guess?" Caramel replied. "I don't really like history all that much, but the Overseer's been helping me through the harder parts. It's tough remembering all those dates. It sucks."

"I bet." She forced herself to laugh. "Y'know, I never liked history that much, either."

"What subjects do you like?"

She sighed. "To tell you the truth, I'm not a big fan of school in general. I know it's important and everything, but I just… never really found an interest in it." 

She knew she didn't have an interest in it because Pinkie had never really been interested in it, having only received a rudimentary education while living on a rock farm—whatever that was—for most of her youth. Which wasn't to say that Pinkie was dumb, she was just… different. She'd learned everything she knew from word-of-mouth and pop culture, rather than from a classroom. 

Even Velvet herself had had all of her knowledge implanted into her brain by her father as part of her creation. She felt no need to expand her knowledge further than what Daddy deemed was necessary. Except for how to raise and teach young ponies, of course; she'd definitely researched that as much as possible to be the best at it.

"Even so, just because I never had much of an education doesn't mean you don't deserve to have one," she continued, tousling Caramel's mane. "I want the best for you. For all of you. You deserve to have the choices and opportunities that my sisters and I never really had."

He nodded in understanding. "I guess so. I just wish it wasn't so boring sometimes…"

"Well, maybe when the next semester starts, things'll be different," she said, knowing that she and Pedigree had already narrowed down a few candidates to come in and help teach certain subjects, namely the ones that Pedigree disliked teaching.

"Miss Velvet, um… why were you crying earlier?" he asked tepidly.

She paused, then took a breath. "It's kind of a difficult thing for me to talk about, sweetie. I don't know if you'd really understand it."

"I can try. You're my favorite pony in the whole world, Miss Velvet. I don't want to see you sad." His eyes went wide and puppy-like. "Please?"

Her heart fluttered a little bit; he was such a sweet colt, always quick with words of kindness and encouragement to his classmates, and now to her. 

She smiled weakly, then hung her head. "Okay… I'll try and put it in the best terms I can, because you asked so nicely." She took a breath. "Do you remember when Miss Curaçao announced that she and Miss Shroud were going to have a foal of their own?"

He nodded. "Yeah, there was a big party and everything. You made cupcakes for everypony. We were all really happy to hear about it, because we all like Miss Curaçao a lot. Especially Marée! She loves Miss Curaçao, and even tries to speak all… Romantical?"

"Romantique. It's Miss Curaçao's first language."

"Romantique. Tique."

"You and Marée are total besties now, right?"

Caramel nodded happily. "Yup! We have lots of fun playing together! I like Marée a lot."

Velvet couldn't resist a smile there. "Well, anyway, Miss Curaçao and Miss Shroud were super happy to get the news themselves that they were gonna have a foal, and… I saw how happy they were, and I wanted to be happy like that."

He tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I wanted to have a foal of my own, like they're having." Her smile faded, and she sighed and shook her head. "I guess that I was maybe a little jealous of my sister. Out of all of us, I think she's probably the happiest with her life. Anything that she wants, she gets. And she makes it look so… easy."

"Is that why you're sad? 'Cause you're jealous?"

"Not exactly, no. I went to see Nurse Soft Touch today. Do you remember her?"

He nodded. "Uh-huh. She gave me that big lollipop after patching up my leg last month, when I sprained it."

"Well, she and I had a long talk, and… when we were done, we found out that I… I can't have foals."

"Aww… why not?"

She found the next part hard to say; it still hurt knowing it was true, and he was too young to understand it entirely. "I just… can't. You'll understand it more when you're older, but all I can tell you now is that I just can't." She found herself unable to stop the tears from coming again. "I can't be a mom…"

A long silence sat between the two, with Velvet quietly breathing and trying to fight the urge to start sobbing again. After a moment, she felt Caramel lean against her softly, hugging her from the side as gently as she'd ever felt. He said something to her, but she didn't quite hear it because he was being so quiet. 

She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. "Did you say something?"

Caramel gulped, then nodded. "Miss Velvet… would… would you like it if I called you Mom?" he whispered.

She perked up, turning to look directly at him. "What?"

He looked right back at her, a determination in his eyes she'd never seen before. "I mean… I don't have a mom, and you're saying that you can't have a colt or filly to call you Mom, so I thought maybe that… you could be my Mom?"

She felt her heart start to melt in her chest. This little colt couldn't know just how impossibly thoughtful and sweet he was right this moment, that he'd just said the most meaningful thing in the entire world to her when she needed to hear it most. She berated herself silently for not realizing sooner that she didn't need to have a foal of her own; she already had so many, Caramel most of all.

Her hooves moved so quickly to embrace Caramel that she didn't even realize she'd done it, pulling him in for a hug so tight that she was afraid she might hurt him. "I would love to be your mom, Caramel…"

"And I'd love to be your son… Mom…" Caramel— her son returned the hug earnestly. 

Velvet started crying again, right into Caramel's mane.