"Do you ever regret us being together?"
The unexpected question brought Twilight out of her daydream, as she blinked upwards at Pearl's head. The mare bore a concerned expression, one that was shared by all of her heads. "What do you mean, Pearl?" Twilight asked.
Pearl rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean, Twily. It's our anniversary. Four hundred and ninety-nine years together and counting."
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, and? I admit it's not as hectic as they usually are. Flurry must be keeping Kohaku on a short leash." She giggled as the White head grumbled something under her breath. "Sometimes, I wonder if you care more for him than you do me."
The dragoness blushed, while her sisters rolled their eyes. She always got the short end of the stick, as she flicked Twilight's snout with her tongue. "As if. No matter what I may or may not feel about him, you are my mate, Twilight. Never think otherwise."
Pearl's Black head nodded, as she slid over as well. "And I'll eviscerate anyone who says otherwise! You know us better than that." All of Pearl's heads nodded vigorously, and Pearl herself snorted out a stream of flame to show what she herself thought of it.
Twilight nodded, as she kissed the Black's snout. "Then never once think that I ever regret any of this, Pearl. As hectic and crazy as it has been, I wouldn't change any of it for all the books on Equus."
The Green head sighed. "You and books. You should have been the Princess of Books, not Friendship."
Twilight nodded smugly. "it's a fault of mine, sue me. You signed up for this when we started dating. Don't complain about it now."
Pearl shook her head in exasperation. It was days like this when she wondered if having this many heads was worth the headaches they gave her.
Twilight, though, frowned. "What brought this on, Pearl? You're never like this on our anniversary. The last time I remember you acting this strange was before you first asked me out. It cannot be that, can it?"
Pearl shook her head. "No. You've been throwing up the last few days, right?"
Twilight nodded, feeling her belly. "Yes. It's probably nothing, but I have an appointment in the morning just to be sure." She smirked. "It'll take a lot more than this to put me down, though. Alicorns can take much more than a little stomach bug, Pearl. You know that."
All of her wife's heads giggled. It was true. Pearl had survived things that should have killed her if she had still been a Pegasus, but had only given her bumps and bruises. "Well, we did just use that spell Kohaku gave us," the Blue head replied.
Twilight nodded. "I still must thank him for giving us it as well." She rolled her eyes. "But I seriously doubt that I am pregnant, Pearl. How likely is it to work on the very first try? Even Kohaku couldn't say for sure if it would work the first time."
Pearl groaned. And ponies thought she was stubborn. "Still. Maybe it is nothing, but I am not going to take chances. If I have to tie you to the bed, I will." She shook her head. "But that's not everything."
Twilight's ears fell. She could feel that they were not telling her something. "Pearl. What are you not telling me?"
Pearl's heads all shared worried looks, but it was the White head who replied. "Do you remember the prophetic dream we had that first night in the Dragon Queen's realm?"
Twilight blinked as she searched her memories. She had in fact almost completely forgotten about that dream. It didn't seem relevant anymore. "What of it? You are no seer, Pearl. Spending so much time with Kohaku had an added benefit outside of what we all saw."
Pearl nodded. "I know. Gods, I usually don't even think about it now. What's the point? It's happened just about as I dreamed it," She sniffed as her pony head fell. "All but one thing. Haven't you noticed how odd the Aether has been recently?"
Twilight tapped her chin. "Yes, but what of it? It could mean anything, Pearl. Or it could mean nothing at all. None of us know for sure how the Aether works, or why things happen as they sometimes do."
Pearl shook her head. "Something's coming, I'm sure of it." She growled. "No. I know it. Something is coming. We have to be ready for it. I have to be ready for it."
Twilight blinked. She had not expected that. "And what do you mean 'You' have to be ready, Rosie?" She flew up and caressed her wife's cheeks. "If something is coming, then we will face it together. All of us."
Pearl shook her head. "You can't, Twily. I won't let you. I can't let you."
Twilight frowned. "And why not? I will not let you do this-"
"Because if you go out there, you will die!" Pearl roared, sending birds fleeing for safety for miles around.
Twilight flew back in shock and horror, watching in sorrow as Pearl's head fell, her tears falling at last, and each of her heads wept as well, none bothering to hold back how they truly felt. Even the normally heated Red head could not hide how she felt.
"If you go out there, you'll die, Twily," the Black head sniffed, "I can draw you a damn picture of the thing that will rip you apart. Down to the second, we know when and how it's going to happen."
Pearl herself nodded. "I've known. I've always known this was coming. Gods, I hoped I had been wrong. But it's happening. All of it."
Twilight's hooves flew to her mouth in horror, dawning realization finally coming to her. "I die protecting you, and you will always blame yourself for letting it happen. Oh, gods, I'd forgotten you told me that morning. Pearl, I am so sorry."
Pearl nodded. "There's more. You were pregnant when we flew out to fight this. We didn't know until it was too late." She shook her head. "I can't lose you, Twily. Not now, not ever. So please." She leaned all of her heads close, each of them pleading. "For my sake, for our daughter's sake, don't go out there."
Twilight's heart fell right out of her at the pleading looks she was getting. "Pearl..."
The Green head shook her head. "No, Twilight. If not for our sake, then for our children's. We lost so much once. Don't do that to us again."
The White head nodded. "If we have to have Celestia and Luna do something drastic, we will. Pinkie Promise us you won't follow us. Please."
Twilight looked into the eyes of all of them. Each of them was begging her. And Twilight knew in her heart that this was something Pearl would never joke about. She finally sighed in defeat and went through the motions. "I promise, Pearl. Cross my heart and hope to fly. Stick a cupcake in my eye."
Pearl finally allowed herself to relax, as Twilight landed on her Black snout. "Thank you, Twily. And I will hold you to that when the time comes. Don't think I won't."
Twilight rolled her eyes as she relaxed as well. "Noted, Rosie," she snarked back, earning a giggle from all of her wife's heads.
As they lay back down and watched the sunset, Twilight allowed her mind to wander back and remember how it had all come to this moment right now.