//------------------------------//
// Making a Miracle 
// Story: Making a Miracle 
// by RunicTreetops 
//------------------------------//

You scrub away at the ceramic plate in your hands, carefully cleaning off any imperfections before placing it in the dishwasher and moving on to the next plate. With nothing but the sound of the running tap to fill the silence, you find yourself furrowing your brow as you get lost in thought.

In a freak accident several years ago, you found yourself magically transported to Equestria. You faced many trials and tribulations along the way, most of which were due to you being the only human in this world, but as the years passed you slowly carved out a place for yourself in this colorful society. You made some good friends, defeated some terrifying foes, and somehow fell in love with the now-retired Princess Celestia, who you got married to just a few short years ago. Life since then has been peaceful. You run a business, own a house, have a place in the Ponyville community... what else could you really ask for? However, today has been a bit strange.

You woke up before Tia, as per usual. She has been a big fan of sleeping in ever since she was no longer forced to carry the burden of raising the sun every day. You got dressed, made breakfast, and prepared for her to wake up before heading to work. But, she never came downstairs. You went up to check on her, only to find her exiting the bathroom with a pained expression on her face. 

"H-hey, Tia, are you okay?"

"Hm? Oh, good morning, sunshine. Yes, I am fine, just a bit lightheaded."

"If you're not feeling well, just take it easy, alright? You're always pushing yourself a bit too hard. I worry about you."

"I appreciate your concern, dear, but I am fine. That said, I think I am going to go back to bed now. Have a nice day, okay?"

She gave you a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to your bedroom once more. Rubbing the back of your neck, you decided to go ahead and leave. If she really was sick, you know she's responsible enough to contact a doctor.

Then, you made your way to work. You thought running a small business would be difficult, but apparently it is really easy to follow your dreams in Equestria. Or maybe Ponyville is just that supportive. Either way, the next eight or so hours went by without a hitch. Funnily enough, that was the second time something seemed amiss. Usually, unless she has plans, Tia will come and bother you sometime around mid-afternoon. You enjoy getting to see each other, and some of your regulars have become good friends of hers. But today, there was no Celestia. You're fairly certain she didn't have any plans today, either.

You returned home with a bit more concern than usual, eager to check up on your alicorn spouse. After doing so, however, you found that the house was completely silent. She wasn't downstairs, she wasn't in the bedroom, and she wasn't stuck in the bathroom again. It seemed as if she wasn't home at all. She always tells you when something is going on, though, so you felt a twinge of dread begin to gather in the pit of your stomach. Taking a deep breath, you decided to wait a little longer. Perhaps she just got a visitor or went to get groceries or something.

You figured that if she was going to be out late, the least you could do was start making dinner. She is a big fan of your cooking, after all, and you enjoy doing it for her. If you're lucky, she'll get home right around the time you finish up.

Lo and behold, that is exactly what happened. Just as the timer went off and you confirmed that your homemade pasta was ready to go, the front door opened, revealing your wife. Her expression looked conflicted, with the wonder of someone who just received some good news and also with the lack of color like someone who had just seen a ghost.

"Tia? What's up? Where have you been?"

"Ah, hello my sunshine. I... um... had to run some errands."

"...Oh." As a princess, Celestia was really good at putting on a face for the public. With that, she became a master at hiding her emotions. It's an important skill to have as a figurehead like that, but around you, she can never keep up the facade. With the way she was nervously sweating and avoiding eye contact, it was clear to you that she was lying. Still... you didn't want to call her out on it. You trust her enough to know that she must have a good reason. "I, um, I made dinner."

"Thank you, dear. Unfortunately, I am afraid I don't have much of an appetite right now. Er, how was work?"

Now you knew for a fact something was wrong. For a brief moment, you couldn't help but assume the worst. No, no that's ridiculous. You trust her.

"Work was... fine. How did your day go?"

"It was certainly... eventful. So much so, that I think I am going to go lie down for a little while."

"O-okay. Just let me know if you need anything. I'll leave the leftovers in the fridge."

"Thank you, love."

With that, she turned and walked up the stairs, moving noticeably slower than she usually does. In fact, as of late, she has seemed rather drained of energy, which is extremely uncharacteristic of her (especially post-retirement).

Which brings you to the present moment. You turn around and walk to the other counter, grabbing the untouched plate you had prepared for her. Scooping her pasta, along with the rest of the pot, into a plastic container, you wonder if it would be worth it to confront her. You don't want to be overbearing or anything, especially since she is clearly adverse to directly telling you what's going on. And yet, how could you not be concerned by your wife's sudden change in behavior?

Finishing up the last of the plates, you sigh to yourself and lean against the counter. Glancing at the clock, you note that it's about 7:30. Too early to claim that you're getting ready for bed. Taking a deep breath much like how Twilight taught you to do some years ago, you decide to retire to the living room and curl up on the couch for a little while. Maybe you'll finally finish that book Twilight lent you, "The Steel Samurai."





A few hours later, just as the Steel Samurai is about to defeat the Evil Magistrate, you hear the sound of hooves descending down the stairs. Looking up from the book, you notice Tia nervously peeking her head around the corner before stepping into the living room.

"Hey, Tia. Feeling any better?"

"W-well... perhaps. Erm..." She struggles to find her words, which is a very rare occurrence for the tall mare. "W-we have something important we need to discuss."

Now she has your full attention. You close the book and place it on the nearby coffee table, turning to your lovely wife who takes a seat on the couch next to you.

"What's going on, Tia?"

She lets out a long, anxious sigh before speaking.

"I... I am sure you've noticed that I haven't been completely open with you lately. I never have been good at hiding things from you."

"I figured something was up, but I didn't want to pry."

"Yes, well, something has indeed been 'up.' It has felt... strange, lately, for lack of a better term."

"Strange?"

"Strange. I suppose I should rephrase that. Lately, I have been feeling strange. I've been feeling sick."

"Oh dear, that's concerning. You never get sick."

"Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I do consider myself fairly resilient. And when something DOES happen, I still have some of the best medical practitioners at my beck and call."

"Haha, one of the perks of being a princess for thousands of years, right?"

"Hmhm, I suppose so, yes." Her giggle sounds hollow. "Needless to say, I went to see one of those doctors today."

You really hope this isn't going where you think it's going, but you force the words out regardless.

"Tia... you're... you're going to be okay, aren't you? What's wrong with you?"

"I have... that is to say, I am..."

"Is there anything they can do?"

"Please let me finish, sunshine." You sheepishly close your mouth. You have a tendency to interrupt others when you're nervous. "As it turns out, I am not sick at all." If your brain was capable of blue screening, it would have just done so. There are all sorts of horrible things she could have just said, but apparently she's fine? As you feel yourself getting lost in the confusion, you feel Tia reach out and grab your hand, holding it between her hooves. "My love... I am carrying our child."

...

...

...

...What?

You feel your vision grow blurry, the faint outline of Celestia's face becoming barely discernible in the whirlwind of shapeless shapes and colorless colors. A plethora of thoughts and emotions bombard you all at once. How is this possible? Is she going to be okay? Are YOU going to be okay? How are you going to deal with this? How will the rest of your life change because of this? What form would a child like that even take? How is this possible?

"S-sunshine?"

As her words hit you, your vision suddenly clears. Staring into her magenta eyes, you notice that she looks as though she is just shy of panicking. She is terrified of what your response will be. And as you look into those eyes, all of your thoughts, all of your worries, all of your inclinations melt away. All but one.

With unbridled joy, you release your hand from her grip and throw both of your arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug (but not too tight, you'd better be careful going forward). She nervously freezes up, apparently in the same state you were just in.

"That's incredible, Tia!" She blinks a few times, too shocked to say anything, before you feel her begin to return the hug. "I don't know how that's possible, but... oh, this is wonderful!"

Pulling back just enough to be able to look her in the eyes again, you realize that both of you are getting teary eyed. With no other way of articulating the emotions you must both be feeling, the two of you begin to laugh. At first, you are quiet. Slowly, you grow louder, until the room is filled with the sound of two nervous parents-to-be just... letting it all out. It takes several minutes until the two of you compose yourselves enough to begin speaking again.

"My sunshine... I must confess I was terrified about how you might feel about this. I worried you would be upset."

"Of course not! I won't pretend like there aren't a million concerns that we're going to need to address, but... this is the greatest news I've ever heard! Tia, you're going to be a mother!"

"And you're going to be a father, love. Don't you quit on me now!"

Pulling her in closer, you give her a long, loving kiss.

"Why would I quit right when the good started getting even better?"

"I must say, you're taking this even better than I did earlier today."

"Gosh, that must have been a strange doctor's appointment. What are the logistics of this, anyway? We aren't even the same species."

"It appears as though it's just an ordinary foal, but we're also not very far along in the process yet. I confess that I am deathly afraid of the next few months."

"I'm right there with ya, Tia. But you know what?" You take her hooves in each of your hands and look her in the eyes once more. "No matter what comes, I think we'll be okay."

She giggles.

"You know, when I hear you say that, I just can't help but believe you."

There, in the dimly lit Ponyville house, the two of you embrace once again, ready to face a future that is as hopeful as it is uncertain. 

Together.