I couldn't speak. Forget unexpected, this simply was mind stopping. Despite my temporary inability to make words form with my mouth, I could certainly make other sounds. I coughed, trying not to choke on my own saliva after hearing this proposal. It's not that I didn't want it, but it was just... so sudden.
"Oh gosh," Fluttershy gasped in her usual soft voice. "Will, are you alright?"
I nodded, still half-choking. "Ye-he-he-hes," I finally managed to choke out, pun intended. "You just," I began after gaining back some semblance of normalcy. "You just... surprised me, is all. Surprised me a whole lot."
"Oh... I'm sorry..."
"No, no, it's not your fault," I told her. "You didn't know." I sat in the bed breathing heavily. I shook my head at the thought. "Wow... I mean no offence, Shy, but you really picked an hour to ask me that."
"I'm-"
"No, no, no," I interrupted her apology. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm just saying it's really late." I sighed. "Tell you what," I leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Let's sleep on it, and we can think about this in the morning, yeah?"
"Okay," she said, her tone reverting back from apologetic to its normal, nearly-inaudible state. "Good night, Will."
She curled up under the sheets. As I moved around to get comfortable again, I laid my arm across her in a hug and promptly fell asleep, dropping like a rock into slumber.
The morning unfortunately had to come at such an inopportune time. I had just gotten into one of the best dreams I'd had in a while, when the smell of something delicious wafted through my nostrils. Bleary eyed, I blinked at the bright sun shining through the window in my face. "Good morning, sunshine," a melodic voice sung from another side of the room.
Turning drowsily towards the sound, I was greeted by a rolling cart piled with breakfasts of just about every variety. There were eggs, cheeses of many sorts, red and white grapes, juices of many fruits, and their solid forms, white and chocolate milk, pancakes and crepes and waffles, granola bars, those little boxes of cereal that don't have enough in them to make you satisfied, yogurts, and much more. But what else is that it was my aunt propelling the little cart along. My mother and wife were beside her, as was Bill.
Being the sleepy man that I was, I wasn't thinking clearly. Thus, it came as no surprise to the sensible people that my first words were not "funny you should say that"; "good morning guys"; or even "is that for me". No, what I said was much more nonsensical. "Why do they call them white grapes instead of green grapes?"
Naturally everyone rolled with it. "Good morning to you too, son," Luna said, drawing near. "You do take so much after your father." Her eyes kind of glossed over for a second, but returned to normal almost before I could process the change had occurred.
"Before you get any ideas," Bill warned. "This is for all of us. Save some food for us after your pudgy self gets some. He said it with a smile to show he meant no offense, and even Fluttershy had been around him for long enough to get somewhat used to his antics, even if some of them still worried her and made her nervous.
I chuckled. "Behave, and I might deem you worthy of the scraps." I tried to put on my best pompous tone, but seeing as how as I hadn't exactly been practising with it, it came rather pathetic.
"I can take it away if I need to," Celestia said, turning the cart around in a feigned motion to leave.
"No, no," I said. "You can keep it here. There's no way I'm finishing all this by myself."
With that said, Bill needed no more encouragement. Taking one of the plastic plates from the cart's lower platform, he began heaping food onto it. That action alone seemed to ease the tensions of everyone in the room, which promted us all to follow suit. Being polite, I did not eat on the bed; I sat down on the floor with Fluttershy to my right and Bill to my left. Luna sat next to Bill and Tia sat next to Fluttershy. We arranged ourselves into somewhat of a circle if only so that we could still see and talk to each other.
"So," my mother began. "How's your first day of Princehood coming along?"
"Why, I do believe it is coming along quite well, if I may say so myself," I replied, biting into a hard-boiled egg. "The sun is shining, so already there may be just greatness in store for today."
"I thought you liked the rain," Bill prompted. "At least, that's what you told me every time I wanted to go inside."
"I do. Doesn't mean it brings a good outlook for the day." I shrugged, finishing off the egg. "You know the saying, though." Bill nodded, but the others looked a bit confused. "Tell them."
"'Red skies at night'," Bill quoted. "'Sailors' delight. Red skies in the morning, sailors take warning'. It's a little rhyme about weather to keep people from not knowing whether or not their trips will be met with success or peril."
Everybody moved to look out the window, but before they could I said, "Don't worry, I already looked." I chuckled. "No offense, but you guys worry too much." At their astonished gazes, I held up my right hand, saying, "I know: coming from me, that's something to worry about in and of itself. However," I assured, dipping my head in acknowledgement. "I'm fine, and you guys need to relax."
"Will," my mother intoned. The fact she'd pursed her lips slightly unnerved me, but it wasn't something I could not handle myself. "Come with me."
We stood on the roof of the castle. I still did not know what this purpose was, as the trip here was silent. We stood, overlooking the country. "Do you know why I brought you here alone, Will?"
I shook my head. "Naturally not, since I was hoping you would tell me."
"Because I'm scared. I'm scared for you, Will. Since your arrival, there hasn't been a single break for you. Just constant conflict."
"You don't get it, mother," I said respectfully. "It's over."
"What if it isn't?" Her tone was a bit more... panicky now. "What if, tomorrow, there's another hideous thing to intrude on your life? Can you promise me that there isn't?"
"Well..." Luna tried to interject, but I hurried to cut her off. "Fluttershy asked me if I wanted to try having another foal last night."
The silence that ensued was long, almost uncomfortable so. During that period, Luna worked her mouth up and down over and over many times. "Are you sure?"
I was dumbfounded at that. "What do you mean, 'am I sure?' Of course, I'm sure!"
"I mean, you may have dreamt that."
"No, you are just afraid to admit." At Luna's puzzled expression, I continued. "Mother, look." I threw my arms out. "I'm here, this is it." Turning back to her, I stressed the words out, "I'm free."
"I don't..."
I shook my head. "I am finally free, mother. From the Army, from Death, from the Wraiths. I am a free man." With that, I jumped off the roof. I heard my mother call frantically after me, and when I looked up I saw that she had dived after me.
"Will! What are you doing?!"
I smiled. "Being free," I replied back up at her. A few moments later, I unfurled my wings and took to flight. I worked to circle the castle, even taking risks like weaving between towers and such. I think I even saw Lightstar at some point. Feeling the wind on my face was very refreshing, something I had not felt for many years. I was ecstatic. When I finally landed, I stopped back on the roof at the same spot I took off.
My mother was very close behind me. "What the hell was that about?!" I have to admit I was rather surprised. I had never heard my mother use such language, minor vulgarity though it was. "You nearly gave me heart attack!"
I bowed my head in shame. "I'm sorry. I just... I just hadn't flown in so long." When I looked back up there were tears in my eyes. "Freedom is something I haven't really tasted, Luna." I used her name to emphasise my point. "To be able to feel it now... this feeling is like no other I've felt. The ability to fly when you want, the ability to do what you please..." I sank to my knees. "It's just so overwhelming!" I buried my head in my hands and began to let everything loose.
My mother took a step forward as if to move to comfort, but she stopped herself as I continued my monologue. "For my whole life I've done nothing but adhere to the whims of others! My pare-" I stopped myself when I remembered that their role was simply being my caretakers. "My sitters, my commanding officer, my sergeant, everyone! They've all ordered me about like a servant!" I took a heaving breath. "To be able to do something for myself... now that it's moved from being a simply fantasy to reality..." More tears burst forth from my eyes. "I don't know if you've felt it, Luna, but by the gods it feels absolutely amazing to finally be free." For some reason that word was very gratifying to say, and I didn't see it getting old for a while.
My outburst complete, my mother proceeded to kneel next to me. "Honey," she said in a soothing, soft voice. "You know I'm here for you. I'm sorry if I happened to upset you, please know though that wasn't my intention." I nodded. "I love you, Will. So much. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I'm scared because I love you. Okay?" She tried to smile, even though it was slightly ruined by her new found tears. She then hugged me, firmly enough to show me she truly meant it, but gently enough so as to not strangle me. And for that, I loved her even more.
"Now," she said, holding me at arms' length. "What was this about having a foal?"