"Are you sure we need all of these bags, Spike?"
"Yeah, I'm sure we need all of them. You're probably going to be gone for a month and a half. Why wouldn't you need all of them?"
"Its just...have you ever seen how many bags Rarity carries around when she's traveling? This is like twice that amount."
It was early morning the next day, and Twilight was waiting outside for her ride to Canterlot. She was told to wait outside for a chariot to pick her up at her house, and that was what she did to pass the time.
Her stomach felt upset at times, but it was nothing like it was yesterday. She kept her composure whenever possible, and she was holding up well. At least, for this early in the day.
And yet, she wasn't focusing on her stomach or when the chariot would arrive. Instead, her attention was paid to the tower of bags in front of her, assembled by Spike himself. Most of the bags were filled to the brim with books, and the others had her clothes and other things. It was a huge, huge pile, one that was way more than what she needed.
"Exactly," Spike continued. "I really want you to be comfortable and have everything you might want while you're up there. Though, if you really think its too much, I guess I can put some of it back."
"I want you to do that for me, if you don't mind," Twilight said as politely as she could. "Don't you remember Celestia's library? They have more books than I can imagine. So we don't need to carry all of that stuff around with us while we're up there."
Most of the time, Spike would be embarrassed or distraught, feeling like he went way too far with his preparations. But on this occasion, he seemed delighted about it.
"Of course. And I don't think the chariot could carry all of those books in the first place. Let me take care of that for you."
He went to work immediately and grabbed two book bags with his claws. The baby dragon ran into the house to put them away, and came back outside just as quickly. He kept repeating the same two steps again and again, making the pile smaller and more manageable. At the pace he was going, it was almost like he was moving at Pinkie Pie speeds.
It would still take a while to shrink down, and it gave Twilight a moment to think before the chariot arrived. As she did a lot during the last few months, she gazed down at her belly and thought of the foal inside. She sat down on her flank and rubbed over her belly with her forelegs again, something that had become a habit for her.
Truth be told, her original plan was to have the foal at the Ponyville Hospital. It was so close to her house, and her experiences with the doctors there were pleasant and comfortable. It seemed like the perfect place to have a child, that is, until she got the offer from Celestia.
She really wanted the best for her child, and there was no place she could imagine better than in Canterlot. Her foal would be well looked after, and Celestia herself would be there to help.
But the more she thought about the colt, the more she thought about his father. It crept up on her subtly, until it had invaded her mind completely. The way he talked about having a child with her when they were together, and the things he was saying in her nightmares...
She shivered as he occupied her every thought. She tried to push him out in order to prove that she moved on. And then she remembered how much she wanted him in her dreams...
"There, all done!"
Twilight opened her eyes, Spike's voice bringing her back to reality. The pile of bags was less than a quarter of its size by now, and the dragon was sweating from all of his hard work.
"I'm done with everything now. That covers every bag with books inside. I feel like I'm going to pass out now," Spike admitted.
Twilight smiled. "That's perfect. That's all we need now."
Spike wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed in relief. He leaned against the smaller pile of bags to rest. "That's what I was hoping you'd say."
"Hey, is it just me or have we been waiting a while?" Twilight thought openly. "I hope they're not late or anything--"
As soon as she closed her mouth, she heard the sound of hooves galloping and wheels churning. It was coming from the road leading to Canterlot, and it was getting close. The princess and the dragon turned their heads to see who it would be.
Sure enough, a chariot arrived at Twilight's house. It looked like the sort of chariot Celestia used, big and roomy. Four Guards manned the chariot, all pegasi, and they came to a complete stop in front of the purple alicorn. One of the Guards took the yoke off his back, and he came forward to greet Princess Twilight.
"Your Majesty, Princess Celestia has sent us to take you away to Canterlot. Do you need any help with your luggage?" he said, noting the pile of bags next to her.
"No, I can take it from here." Twilight used her levitation spell to pick up the luggage in the air, and she hovered them towards the back of the carriage. Spike seemed a little disappointed that he couldn't do it for himself, but at least the job was done.
"Very well. Come with us, and we can depart for Canterlot."
And so Twilight and Spike went inside the carriage, Spike allowing Twilight to go first. They got themselves comfortable, and the Guard shut the door behind them. Once they were inside, he strapped himself back into the yoke and motioned the other Guards to get ready for departure.
They turned and ran back to the direction they came, the road that would lead them to Canterlot. They flapped their wings as they prepared to take off.
"Wait! Don't fly!" Spike cried.
The Guards stopped in their tracks, and the wheels dragged against the ground as the chariot came to a complete stop. They looked to Spike, both confused and angry that he would say such a thing.
"And why not? Flying is the fastest way from here," the captain mentioned.
"Twilight's pregnant, remember? Flying could make her stomach really upset, and I'm not sure what else she would do if we were in the sky."
The captain slapped himself in the face. "Why did I not think of that? You are correct about this, young dragon. Let us take to the ground, as long as we can with this chariot."
Spike sighed in relief, feeling like he had just averted another crisis. The next thing he knew, Twilight hugged him and smiled.
"I'm glad you're here, Spike. I'm not sure where I would be without you."
Spike smiled as well, as they began the long road to Canterlot together.
The ride there was surprisingly nice and peaceful. The stallions made a conscious effort to take the easiest path possible so the princess would not be disturbed on the way. And so their path brought them through many valleys and streams, with a few forests to break things up. It was a nice scenic route, one that would take a couple of hours to pass.
In the meantime, Twilight used her time to think about what was coming. There was no doubt that she would receive great care at the castle, but it perplexed her all the same that she was invited at all. She couldn't place a hoof on it, but she felt something was off about it.
Then again, she swore that she saw Luna in one of her dreams just the other day...in fact, now that she was thinking about it, she saw her in a lot of dreams lately. That got her thinking about the sort of dreams that this happened. Then she realized they all had one thing in common: Sombra was in them, in one way or another...
"Look! We're almost here!" Spike yelled.
Twilight looked up ahead, and Canterlot was indeed within their sights. It was sparkling with radiance, just as it was everytime she had been there.
The Guards took the long, steep stone road to get there from the valley below. They were careful with their efforts, making sure they would not slip and risk her safety, until they arrived at the gates of Canterlot safely.
The ponies watching over the city spotted the chariot of Princess Twilight Sparkle approaching, and they opened the gates for her entry. Twilight waved to them as she passed by the entrance, and the chariot passed through the streets for Celestia's castle.
The chariot came into the castle's courtyard soon after, and Twilight was both surprised and relieved at the low key welcoming party waiting for her. There was a captain there, a stallion with a uniform signaling his position, and a few guards of his own. That was it, and not even Celestia was there for the occasion.
The chariot came to a complete stop, and as soon as they arrived, the Guards dismantled from their yokes. Two of them went to work taking the luggage inside, while the other two opened the side doors for Twilight and Spike. They exited the chariot, and the captain stepped forward to greet them. He was a stallion in his late twenties, brown coat and black mane.
"Hello, my name is Sergeant Ground Pound. Celestia is in the middle of a meeting at the moment, so she wanted me to show you a tour around the place.
"Thank you, but I'm sure I can take it from here. I know this place better than my fillyhood home."
"Yes, but we've been working to prepare the castle for your delivery."
"My...my delivery?"
"Yes. We felt like you deserved the best treatment in Equestria, so one of the rooms has been redesigned as a hospital room of sorts. That way, when the time arrives, you can have the foal in there without traveling. Its not the first time we've done something like this, if you can believe it."
"That was very, very thoughtful of you," Twilight blushed, not used to this level of attention. Well, save for Pinkie Pie. "I'm ready to go in, if you mind."
"Of course. Right this way."
He led her into the castle, with Spike close behind. The other guards went back to their usual duties, and the courtyard went back to normal after a few minutes.
As Twilight went on her way, something caught her attention at the corner of her eye. It was something over at the watch tower, and it struck her as unusual.
Princess Luna was there, standing at the tower's balcony. Her eyes were fixed on Twilight, watching her every move. It reminded the purple alicorn of all the times she thought Luna was in her dreams, and it made her a little nervous. What is she up to? she thought to herself. Maybe she's the one who wanted me over here...
The alicorn and the dragon went inside the castle, and Ground Pound led them through its hallways. They eventually arrived at a room that Twilight remembered as one of the guest bedrooms, but she arrived, it was nothing like its orginal form.
The walls were as white as Celestia's coat, and the bed was replaced by a hospital one. All kinds of medical equipment were laid out near it, and a doctor was busy testing them out. A wall separated the entrance from the bed, and a glass window allowed them to peer inside.
Twilight was amused, loving the attention to detail that Celestia had shown her. She pressed her face to the window and looked at the bed, thinking about what she would be doing there.
"We're thinking about making it a permanent part of the castle," Ground Pound stated. "You know, in case Celestia or Luna are in danger. So what do you think?"
"I think its amazing," Twilight said, still amazed. "Its just...I can't believe Celestia would all of this for me."
"Are you kidding?" Spike smirked. "You saved her life twice, brought back her sister safely, and saved all of Equestria many times. If anything, she owes you this."
Twilight was tempted to glare at him, until she thought about what he said. "You know what, you're right. I just didn't want to ask favors from her. But this is a nice reward, don't you think?"
Ground Pound wanted to slap them both for saying such things about Princess Celestia of all ponies, but ultimately held back on his urges.
"Its been a long trip for both of you, I imagine. Do you wish to rest in one of our lounge rooms? Celestia will meet you there once the meeting is over."
"That sounds wonderful," Twilight admitted.
And that concludes the first volume of my lessons on the elemental spells. As you can see, they span many types. So many that one volume could not contain them all. Still, I hope what little I could teach in this book will help you in your lifetime.
Starswirl the Bearded
Twilight closed the back cover to the book once it was finished, and she put it into a pile with two other books she finished. She adjusted herself on the pillow to get more comfortable, and she picked up one of her favorite Daring Do books to start reading. With books like these, killing time was easy.
The lounge room was nice and quiet, almost like a nursery for full grown stallions and mares. There were pillows all over the place to rest one's hooves on, and a fireplace kept the room nice and warm at all times. A few bookcases were off to the side, and most of the books were thankfully the sort of stuff she would read.
As she began to read the first page, she groaned from the pain in her stomach. The foal kicked the insides of her belly, and this one hurt more than most. It caused her to drop the book to the ground, and she clenched herself around that part of her body.
It was obvious that the foal was nearly due, given how large her stomach had gotten. That, and how painful the kicks were getting as of late.
"Looks like you want out too," she laughed weakly. "I'm thinking the same thing. For a foal, you kick as hard as Applejack."
But as soon as the pain subsided, she heard somepony come in. She scooted over to see who it was, and she squealed internally when she recognized her.
Celestia came into the lounge room with her, her royal clothing missing. She was just her usual pony self, and it was a little strange for Twilight to see her naked. But the warm smile and comforting gaze she had melted all of those strange feelings away.
"Celestia! I'm so glad to see you again," Twilight gleamed. She tried to get on her hooves to come see her, but Celestia raised a hoof for her to stop.
"You don't have to do that, Twilight. And it is always good to see you again," greeted Celestia. She came over to Twilight's side and sat down on the pillow next to her. She leaned over and wrapped her neck around the purple alicorn's, hugging her in a way.
"And I just wanted to say, thank you for doing all of this for me," Twilight added. "I know you probably wanted the best for me, but this is just great. I can't believe you installed that delivery room just for me."
"You're welcome. I couldn't think of a better place to do it than here. Speaking of which..."
Celestia looked down at Twilight's big belly and touched it with her bare hooves. Twilight giggled a bit, her stomach being sensitive ever since the pregnancy began.
"It is a colt, is it not?" Celestia asked.
"Yep. That's what the doctor told me a while back."
"Then it will be a prince. And with what Spike has been telling me, it sounds like you're thrilled."
Twilight nodded enthusatically. "You have no idea."
"And as it should be. This should be a joyful occasion for you, and it will change your life forever. For the better, if you ask me."
"Trust me, I've been looking forward to it a long time. Remember when we first met after you found out I was pregnant? You were so worried about me, but even then I thought it was wonderful."
"Actually...that's why I wanted to meet you now, rather than after the foal is due. I feel like we need to discuss this as soon as possible."
Twilight's ears went to the side, as Celestia's tone went from kind and caring to emotional and mysterious in five seconds flat.
"What is it about?"
Celestia took a deep breath to get herself ready for what was coming. "Sombra."
All of the air was sucked out of the room. All signs of hope or joy escaped Twilight's face, and her emotions drained away just as quickly. It was quiet all of a sudden, and she was like a statue, frozen and expressionless.
For the first time in her life, she saw Celestia's ears go down to the side. She was just as sad and solemn as Twilight was, something that almost never happened.
"Is...is it about the dreams?" she cried. "I keep seeing Luna in them, and I know that's not a coincidence. I...I..."
Celestia draped a wing over her former student and brought her even closer. She looked her straight in the eye, giving the purple alicorn no room to hide.
"Please, don't hide this from me," Celestia begged, her voice shakier than Twilight had ever heard it in her lifetime. "I don't know everything about you and your problems, but if you keep having nightmares with him in it, there has to be something to it. Please...tell me what is the matter. Nopony else is here to hear you. It is just you and me."
Twilight's eyes watered, and she closed them at once. She didn't want to be like this, especially in front of her idol. But there was no hiding it.
"I don't know what to do," she confessed. "I keep thinking about him all the time. He was...he was my lover when we lived in that castle together. We made this baby together," she said as she looked down to her stomach.
"And I loved him so much. I'm terrified that I'm never going to find another stallion that I love like him again, and I feel like I should be punished for admitting that. And I know that I told you that we didn't need to worry about the foal growing up like Sombra when we met by that lake. But I worry about it all the time. I don't want anypony to be like him, and I've been planning so much of his life already. Then I realize that he might not be like the stallion I want him to be, and that he might actually be like Sombra in a few ways...
"And I don't know what to do!" Twilight cried, the tears pouring out of her now. "I don't know if I'm preparing the right way for his future, I don't know what to do if he's like Sombra at all, and I don't know how to get past the fact that I still love Sombra!"
Once she was finished, she buried her face in the pillow and cried her soul out. She covered her head with her wings, not bearing to be seen by somepony as perfect as Celestia. Not when she was this pathetic.
And yet, what happened next surprised her.
She felt a pair of white hooves wrap around her neck, embracing her with more love than what she knew what to do with. She felt tears drip down to her body, those not her own.
She looked up and saw Celestia's face full of tears. Never in her life had she seen her teacher have an expression so full of love before, and all Celestia did was keep hugging her. Her eyes were shut as she did so, not giving a damn about anything else at the moment.
"Oh Twilight," Celestia whispered, her voice giving out on her. "I love you so much. I would never let feelings like these get in the way of that. Never feel like that again, because its wrong...so wrong..."
Twilight was in shock over those words, and she didn't know what to think. But her mind was pushed aside in favor of her heart, and she hugged Celestia back as much as she could in her pregnant state.
She didn't want to let go for a while, and that's what would happen. Neither one said anything for minutes, allowing a sweet silence to wash over them.
"Please tell me I'll be a good mother," Twilight eventually said.
"Twilight...you'll be a great mother," Celestia finally answered. "I know it better than anypony. I've seen you take care of Spike like he was your family. He is part of your family now, but he wasn't at the start. And you took such great care of him. And the preparations you've made for the foal? I've never seen any mother do the things you've done for him."
Twilight wiped her face clean of the tears, and she began to smile again. "Really?"
"Really," Celestia nodded. "I know this from the bottom of my heart. You will be a great mother. But do not panic if he resembles Sombra in some ways. He is his child as much as yours, but you alone will raise him. Make him good, and not one who will follow after his father step by step."
That calmed Twilight down a lot, and the tears were almost gone. "Thank...thank you...you will never know how badly I needed to hear you say that. I...I feel better about it."
That warmed Celestia's heart like few others. "You're welcome. I will always be here for you, if you need it. I want to be that pony for you."
"But...what should I do about the fact that I still love Sombra?" Twilight added.
"That one will take more time, I admit. And there are some things that even I can't help you with. But I think I know the pony who can."
"OK," Twilight said, a little surprised to hear that from somepony as wise as Celestia. "When can I meet this pony?"
"Tonight. Trust me, this pony will have all answers for you..."
As she said that, her head turned to the entrance. The door was creaked on its hinges, and she could see a familiar blue pony waiting there, observing the proceedings as they happened.
After Celestia finished her thought, Luna nodded her head in understanding. She left the lounge room, seemingly never there to begin with, as far as Twilight was concerned.