In the fabled Crystal Castle of the Crystal Empire, she rolled over in bed. Though no pony herself, she had been comfortably asleep in the luxurious royal bed chambers. She blinked slowly and looked at the pillow next to her, noticing the spot empty, but for a scrap of parchment and the hastily scrawled message upon it.
Still half asleep, she reached out a pearly, white-furred hoof towards it. Grasping it between her hooves she yawned loudly, the sound resembling that of a dragon’s cry. Sitting up in the bed, her long, fluffy auburn red mane, bounced and swayed with the sudden motion, while her brilliant golden irises intensely scanned the note:
I’ll be back soon; I can’t put this off any longer.
-Your Boo
The ghost of a smile flitted across her lips. About time. Pulling back the covers, she shuddered as her hind hooves touched the cold stone floor, before rising to all fours.
She stood as tall as a full-grown Alicorn, if only a hair shorter. Her mane and tail were a burnished auburn, bouncing with every movement, as she yawned again leaning down and stretching her frame. On her back olive-green dragon scales shone and danced in the light from the chandelier above as her back made a gentle cracking sound.
Making her way over to the wardrobe, she flung open the door, and began to look through it. Using a light green magic she moved various outfits around, her twisted, mahogany colored horn sparkling with energy.
At once a wave of nausea washed over her, causing her to fall on her flank as the room spun around her. Ungh! Easy mama. Slowly now. Slowly, she tried to rise to her hooves, only to fall back into a sitting position. Her bulging barrel was just too heavy. After trying and failing numerous times to rise, the mare heavily sighed before causing her horn to glow a bright green.
Her horn had been glowing for less than ten seconds before the door blasted wide open to reveal a midwife Unicorn in a nurses outfit with a rather stern look on her face. Quickly surveying the room, her gaze fell upon her Royal Highness hunched over on the floor. Swiftly she walked over to her all while commenting.
“No, no, no, no Milady, this will not do at all. You are supposed to be resting.”
The Kirin on the floor turned to look at her, sheepishly dragging her hoof.
“But Flurry Heart needs-”
The midwife shook her head sternly, as her levitation magic surrounded the Kirin, addressing her respectfully but severely.
“No, what Princess Flurry needs from you, Mrs. Blaze is for you to get some rest and relaxation. You need to take it easy and store up your energy. You carry the Empire’s future after all.”
While Autumn Blaze protested profusely, the midwife was hearing none of it as she tucked her back into bed. She smiled.
“There we go, now why don’t we get you something to eat?”
“I’m not-”
Autumn’s stomach growled loudly as the midwife stifled a laugh. Grumbling, Autumn muttered sullenly.
“Alright, one salad…or three, and 14 pickles. And 6 ears of steamed corn.”
The midwife nodded, writing everything down on a pad.
“Very good, anything else?”
Autumn suddenly bolted upright and grabbed her frock, exclaiming loudly.
“One scoop of mustard-flavored ice cream with licorice jelly beans!”
Chuckling lightly, the midwife nodded as though she were used to such outbursts. Gently tucking in the corners of her bedspread, the midwife smiled brightly.
“Of course, Milady, now you just get some rest, I’ll be right back with your food.”
Autumn nestled down into the sheets, feeling the sweet, inviting coolness of the pillow. Her eyes slowly flickered before closing and she drifted off to dreamland, her mind replaying a memory from just over ten months ago.
Flurry Heart raced into the royal chambers, flinging herself onto the bed and burying her face in her pillow. She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, but as she lay there face down in the soft feathery down, she could only manage a choked sob.
Her father was gone. Less than an hour had passed since Shining Armor, Flurry Heart’s last living parental figure, passed on from a previously undiagnosed heart defect. According to the doctors, Shining had carried the burden of a broken heart from Cadance’s death. The stress built up over time and eventually overcame the stalwart stallion leading to his demise.
Flurry’s ears perked up at the distinct sound of cloven hooves behind her. Eyes stinging from the saltiness of tears, she closed them tightly as she swung around and threw her fore hooves around Autumn Blaze, sobbing into her shoulder.
Autumn held her tightly and whispered to her.
“There, there. Let it out, boo.”
Several tear-filled moments had passed before Flurry Heart blurted out.
“I’m sorry I just don’t know how to process this right now!”
Autumn nodded and gently nuzzled her.
“It’s alright, boo. Losing a family member is never easy.”
Flurry winced and shook her head, as Autumn gingerly wiped her tears with a hoof.
“Come on, boo. Give me a brave little smile, don’t make me tickle you.”
Flurry Heart twitched and giggled as Autumn expertly ran her hooves down her side. Autumn chuckled.
“There we go. Now talk to me, boo. Let me share your pain.”
Flurry sat down on the edge of the bed and put her head in her hooves, shaking slightly.
“Where do I begin?”
She took a deep breath before looking her wife in the eyes.
“Autumn, I’m not an Alicorn.”
Autumn stared at her, blinking.
“What?”
“Well not entirely, you see…”
Autumn sat and listened to Flurry Heart as she told her everything Shining had divulged in his dying breaths. Every now and then, the Kirin had to console her wife, as Flurry broke into furious tears in regular intervals until the entire story had been told.
Autumn was silent in thought for a while, while Flurry Heart stared at her pleadingly, waiting for her to say something. Anything.
“So you’re saying in order to sneak around, this Chrysalis assumed Shining’s appearance. And Upon impregnating your mom, she realized how dangerous it would be for Cadance, the niece of Princess Celestia, to be caught fornicating with a Changeling. Which then led to the two racing to Twilight’s door and ended up with all four colluding to stage the attack on Canterlot by the Changelings to conceal your existence? Am I understanding this right?”
The words were spoken with a gentle, soft tone. Flurry Heart was surprised, in Autumn’s voice there was no judgment, just curiosity. Flurry nodded.
“That’s what dad said. Though I don’t remember any creature named Chrysalis taking part in that attack when I learned about it in school.”
Autumn placed a hoof to her chin in thought. In order to prove her desire to wed Flurry she had read the history of the Royal Family of Equestria, she knew of the failed insurrection, but the name didn’t ring a bell.
“Me neither, but your father wasn’t known for lying. Hm.”
After another moment, she clapped her hooves together and smiled.
“Well, that does explain some things. Whatever the case it would seem that whomever this Chrysalis is, is the reason why you’re here with me. And I must say, the apple sure didn’t fall far from that tree, did it?”
Flurry’s face took on a puzzled expression.
“Huh?”
Autumn just giggled.
“Here, come with me, there’s something I want to show you.”
“Wh-”
“Oh just come.”
With that, Autumn took hold of Flurry’s hoof and led her towards the bathroom, much to the Princess’s confusion. That is until she saw Autumn point at something on the counter. It was a thin white device, a pregnancy test. And it displayed two fresh thin pink lines. Flurry’s eyes grew wide with surprise, whirling around to see her wife crow triumphantly with the biggest smile on her muzzle.
“You’re going to be a mother, Boo.”