Chapter 27
A couple weeks after Nightmare Night had ended, the fall estrus started affecting some mares. Two days after that, all the mares were feeling it. Celestia had told me to stay in the palace, especially after Rose had sent me a message saying she needed me. I wanted to go, I wanted to so badly, but I knew Celestia was right.
After the estrus, came winter. Once again, I found myself in Ponyville. I had heard from Twilight just how beautiful the town was during this time of year and I wanted to see it for myself. It also gave me a chance check up on Auburn and his family.
Turns out, the Apples couldn’t afford to keep him on without assistance from the crown. Sadly, we couldn’t go around paying for a business to keep employees. A government shouldn’t go around just giving out money to private companies. I wanted to though. After all, Applejack was a friend and I wanted to help. Thankfully, he found employment with a local disc jockey for the season.
Little Jasmine was still doing well and loving the winter break. She was also spending a lot of time with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I even got a chance to spend some time with them at Sugarcube Corner. Jasmine, it turns out, was a perfect fit for those three.
Sandy had managed to stay on with Carrot Top. She and Carrot had grown close and become good friends. Sandy told me that she and her family had finally found happiness in this little town and gave me a big hug and a bag of fresh carrots to say thank you.
I also made sure to check in on my friends. Rarity was doing great, as every winter. The cold weather meant that ponies needed thicker clothes (and the estrus didn’t hurt either). She had even made a very nice coat for me, complete with Celestia’s cutie mark on the back and breast.
Applejack told me that thanks to the extra help, her family had had a bumper year. They had managed to harvest more apples at their peak and make more cider than ever. Well, except for that one time when those two unicorns came to town and tried to take the farm. She only wished she could afford the extra help every year. I told her I’d keep it in mind the next time I caught a thief.
Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were pretty much business as usual. Twilight was spending most of her free time, which wasn’t very abundant, practicing her flying and trying to figure out just what her royal duties were.
Fluttershy, on the other hand, seemed to have next to no free time. Checking on all the hibernating critters around Ponyville is no small feat. Even more so when you add in all the animals that don’t hibernate that still need care. Really, I admired her dedication and only wished more ponies had it by half.
And of course I stopped in to see my favorite earth pony. During winter, she and her friends had to close up shop. After all, flowers don’t grow in the snow. That meant that Rose had free time. A whole season’s worth of free time.
Fortunately for me, Rose seemed to always want to come to Canterlot instead of having me come to Ponyville. She seemed to be growing more and more accustomed to life inside the palace. She even spent a few nights. Although, having a mother who is one step shy of omniscient and living one door over makes romance a little difficult. Even more so when she is the ruler of the country and one of the most powerful things on the whole planet. Luckily for Rose, the guest quarters are almost just as nice as the royal chambers and easily accessed from the outside when you can climb.
“Listen, Chris, I’m not saying she isn’t a nice pony and I’m not saying anything negative about her either. I’m only saying there’s something I don’t like about her.” It was now close to Hearth’s Warming and Rose had been in the palace almost every day for the last month and a half.
“Bunny, you know that every other maid in this palace would not have the guts to talk to me like that. I do so appreciate the candor.” I stepped out onto my balcony and sat down on one of my specially made chairs. I always loved the view from this spot.
“That’s because they don’t care about you like I do. They see you as the human prince, the son of Celestia, and the next in line for a throne that’ll never be vacant. I, on the other hoof, know you as a kind, loving and caring stallion who wants to see the best in everypony.” She came up to me and placed a hoof on my knee. “Look, I’m only trying to look out for you and-”
“Protect me?” Bunny looked like she had just been stung. She started to pull her hoof back but I grabbed ahold of it. “Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I’m tired of everypony protecting me. I appreciate you wanting to help me, really, I do, but it gets old. I just want to be treated like the adult I am.”
“You’re right. I’ve been treating you like a foal in need of protecting since you saved me from your cousin six years ago. You don’t need me holding your hand,” I nodded my thanks, “but I’m still gonna do what I think is best for you.”
“I know that, and you know that I love you for it.” Bunny smiled and stood up to give me a hug and a nuzzle. “So, tell me just what it is you don’t like about Rose.”
Apparently, Rose hadn’t really done anything wrong or mean to anypony. No, it was more like she had just grown too accustomed too fast. Sure, I wanted Rose to get use to the palace and life therein, but I wanted her to be more like Cadence and less like Blueblood. Still, all the issues were minor and hopefully something I could simply talk to Rose about.
“No, Sweetie, I just… I just want to make sure that… look, this kind of life can change ponies, and I don’t want that to happen to you. I love you just the way you are.” I was sitting with Rose in her normal guest room discussing what I had talked to Bunny about, though I was very careful to leave her name out of the conversation.
“So you’re saying you don’t want me here anymore? You want me to go back to Ponyville and forget all about Canterlot? Is that what you want?”
The tears weren’t playing fair. “No, shh… stop that,” I cooed softly. “I do want you here. I want you here so very much. It’s just that, I grew up with a cousin who took everything for granted and made my life a living Tartarus. I just don’t want you to become anything like him. I told you, I fell in love with that little flower shop filly, not a princess.”
“*Hmph* fine, I understand. I’ll try to be the small town girl you fell for instead of some stuck-up, prissy pony.” She said it with a sneer that was a bit playful, letting me know she wasn’t mad.
“Thanks, Sweetheart. I know it’s silly, but it means a lot to me.”
“As long as you’re happy.”
Now, that last bit should have been a big warning light for me, but I was still new to dating. At least she gave me a week of thinking everything was back to normal. After that week, however, I started to notice things weren’t what they used to be.
For one thing, she had her friends Daisy and Lily over to use the royal bathhouse. That wouldn’t be so bad, but the bathhouse is meant to be for the family only. In fact, it’s so private that not even the staff are allowed to use it. Worst part about that was that she never even asked anypony in the family, she just sent the invites.
Another thing, we used to be very affectionate, we would snuggle and hug and just lay next to each other on a blanket and watch the clouds get pushed by. Now though, she seems more interested in going out on the town. Of course, I don’t mind going out and going to restaurants and shops, I just don’t want to do that all the time.
What was really weird, was she seemed to be determined to avoid Cadence and Shining. When I told her they were coming to Canterlot a couple days after Hearth’s Warming, Rose suddenly had to take care of something at her shop.
At least she did spend Hearth’s Warming with us in the palace. Twilight and all her friends were there too. Heck, even King Gurfon showed up, though he couldn’t stay long. For those few days, we were like teenagers. Rose seemed to be unable to get enough of me, and that was totally fine in my opinion. It seemed to be that everypony else was happy too. Well, everypony except Fluttershy, but she was probably just uncomfortable around such open displays of affection.
The winter was very trying on Rose and I’s relationship. I had been chalking it up to the cold weather and getting used to being in the spotlight. I had talked to her about it many times in those three months, but it only seemed to level us out. Though we were able to work together on the Winter Wrap-up in Ponyville, which, thanks to Twilight, was a lot of fun.
The real fun, however, came in the spring. Or, to be more precise, the spring estrus. Again, Celestia had told me to stay home, and, again, I know she was right. Once again, Rose sent me a letter saying how badly she needed me. This time, I couldn’t stay put, our relationship wasn’t really secure enough at that time. I didn’t really think I could afford to ignore her this time. So we arranged to meet in the Whitetail Wood halfway between the palace and Ponyville so we could have some privacy and go unseen by prying eyes. I even brought a tent for good measure, ‘cause I’m a gentlecolt.
Once more, Rose and I seemed to be in good shape. It had been a full month since estrus and we hadn’t even had an argument since then. It was a good thing too, I don’t know how much longer I could have stood things going from good to bad like they had been.
Just in time too, because it was time for my birthday. Okay, so it wasn’t really my birthday, but I couldn’t remember when it was, so Celestia had decided to simply celebrate the day I arrived in Equestria. True, it wasn’t a happy day, per se, but it was similar to a birth. I was brought into the world I knew nothing about and I would have been completely defenseless if not for my mother.
Almost everypony had shown up for the party Pinkie had planned and set up in the main hall. Aunt Luna and Celestia, the Elements, Gurfon, Bunny and Cotton, and of course Roseluck had all come. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had school and Shining and Cadence had political obligations, and Iron Hammer couldn’t get off work. Even without them, we were still going to have a good time
All the games and music had me exhausted after only an hour, humans don’t exactly have the stamina that ponies do. Luckily, there was plenty of snacks to keep me occupied. Well, snacks and a certain earth mare. Rose and I were inseparable the whole time and I was loving it.
“Alright, everypony, gather ‘round! It’s time for presents!” Celestia called out as one of the maids pushed in a cart loaded with them.
“Aw, but I said not to bother. I told you all that I had everything I could ever need. Take them back,” I joked as I thrust my chin into the air and closed my eyes acting as if I was offended.
“Okay!” Pinkie hollered as she appeared from behind the gifts. I’ll never figure out how she did that. Or how she pulled the box from the middle without having the others in the pile collapse.
“Pinkie!” the other five Elements chastised while the rest of us laughed at her antics.
Once everypony settled back down, I tore into the pile. Every one of them had put a lot of thought into their gifts and I don’t think I could ever express how much that meant to me.
“…and to think, this time last year I was being hidden away from the world. These past few months have been the best time I’ve had in many, many moons. I don’t think I could thank you all enough.”
“Well, I hope you still have room for one more surprise,” Rose said, “‘cause I’ve got a big one.”
“Really?” I asked, she nodded. I knelt down and took her hooves in my hands. “What is it?”
“Sweetie,” she looked into my eyes, “I’m pregnant.”
I released her hooves and stood up. “…what?”
“Yeah! Isn’t that great?!”
I couldn’t say anything, I was too shocked. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie and Rarity all rushed in and crowded around Rose. Amidst all the cooing and chatter about foals and babies, I looked to Celestia and Luna. No one else noticed their horns lighting up. Both looked at each other, then to me. They lowered their heads and shook them. That was all I needed. I turned and started to walk out of the room.
“Wait, Sweetie,” Rose called out right as I reached the doorway, “where are you going?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“What?” Rose asked with a bit of a nervous chuckle.
“I said don’t call me that you cheating whorse!”
There was a lot of gasping coming from the mares. “Chris… I… how could you say-”
I interrupted her by punching the wall. I actually hit it so hard, I broke my hand, but I was so furious I didn’t even feel it or notice the crunching sound. “You know exactly how!” I continued my exit and went to my room, having never even turned to look at her.
*****
Applejack was the first to break the shocked silence. “What thu hay was that? How could he speak ‘bout the mother of his foal like that? Ah can’t… Ah’m jest so mad.”
The three other mares huddled around Rose agreed. “Indeed,” Rarity said, “perhaps he is the brute we thought he was.”
It was about that moment they all realized the temperature in the room dropping rapidly. Luckily for them, it was Gurfon instead of one of the three princesses who responded.
“Ladies, Chris is… upset for a very good reason.”
“What?” Rose asked through her tears.
“He can’t reproduce with any creature on Equus.” Rose’s eyes grew and her pupils shrunk while the color drained from her face. “In fact, the sire of your foal is a…”
“Pegasus,” Luna answered.
“Bu-… how?” Rose was starting to panic as the mares all started to step away from her.
“They scanned you when you weren’t looking.” Gurfon answered as he approached her and loomed over Rose. “Let me guess, you were worried that you were going to lose Christopher, so you made sure to meet up with him during estrus and then found some eager, wannabe stud to finish the job. Is that correct?”
Rose looked from one face to another, but found no help. Finally, she decided to just be honest. “Fine, you got me. Our relationship hasn’t been all that great lately, so I figured I should do something to help him make up his mind.”
“You know, if this were my kingdom, you wouldn’t even make it out palace walls for what you’ve done to my nephew,” Gurfon leaned in close and whispered into her ear, “aren’t you the lucky one?”
He stood back up to his full height and stepped back over to the princesses. Once she saw the look on their faces, she got the picture. Rose ran out of the palace as quickly as she could and didn’t stop until she got to the train station.
“Ladies,” Celestia finally said once her eyes stopped glowing, “if you will excuse me, I must see to my son.”
That was the worst day in fifteen years.