//------------------------------// // Chapter 32: Pregnancy // Story: Mother Celestia // by jl7895 //------------------------------// “Golden…” Octavia said, waking up. “I’m right here, sweetie.” I held her hand and smiled at her. “You did it.” “Are they okay?” She asked. There was a big smile on her face, which made me smile in return. “They’re perfect,” I said. “They came out with no complications and they’re in the nursery sleeping like angels.” “Can I see them? Please?” She looked at me with her bright eyes, there was no way I could tell her no. “Of course, Octy,” I said as I stood up. “I’ll get them myself.” “Thank you Golden. I love you.” “I love you too.” I walked out of her room and started to make my way towards the nursery. Octavia and I were parents after nine long months. Sometimes it felt like she was never going to give birth and other times we fought, but we followed the one rule her parents told us: never go to bed angry. I started to think about when we first learned that Octavia was pregnant with twins. We left for Applewood the morning after our wedding. Octavia was suffering still suffering from morning sickness, but something was a little off, according to the pregnancy books she had read, her morning sickness should not have been this bad. Octavia would have killed me if we missed our honeymoon because I got her pregnant, so we boarded the train to Applewood and saw a doctor almost immediately. She confirmed what we both already knew, she was carrying twins. The rest of the week was enjoyable, despite Octavia’s pregnancy symptoms. We thought it would be best if we avoid the amusement park, but the spa day was exactly what we needed. We returned to Canterlot Sunday night and found that our friends moved us into our new home. The house was located higher up in Canterlot and only a few blocks away from the castle. It was a large two-story house. Downstairs consisted of a living room, kitchen, dining room, conservatory, half a bathroom, a bedroom, and a study. The conservatory was always Octavia’s favorite room. During the day, she would sit in there and fill the house with her music and just watch the city at night. Upstairs had two bedrooms along with a master bedroom and two more bathrooms. According to Bright Night, Spitfire had tried to claim the master bedroom for herself, but Bright Night was able to talk her out of it. “Welcome home,” Bright Night said as we walked through the door. “We moved all of your stuff into the master bedroom on the right. Golden, we set up a little work area for you in the study and Octavia’s cello is in the conservatory.” “Bright Night,” I said, “what are you doing here?” “I’m just waiting for Vinyl. We’re going to grab some pizza and probably catch a movie. Also, I live here.” “Vinyl!” Octavia shouted. “We need to talk!” The two of us walked upstairs and found Vinyl in her room, making her mane look messy, but no too messy. “What’s up?” She said as we walked in. “What did you get me from Applewood?” “Why does Bright Night think he lives here?” I asked. “Because he does. His rent went up and he said he couldn’t pay it. I told him that he could stay here for as long as he needs.” “Okay,” Octavia said, “I’m glad you’re trying to do something good, but don’t you think you two are moving too fast. You’ve only known each other for a few weeks and you’re already living together?” “Actually,” Vinyl said with a blush, “we’ve known each other for about three months now.” “What?” Octavia said. “In fairness, I never said when we actually met. I thought you guys were going to make fun of me for going out with a teacher. If I didn’t accidently spill the beans when Golden was in the hospital, then you probably would have never found out.” “Wait, there were still colts coming out of your room three months ago,” I said. “Those were just friends. They were just helping me do some remixes. All those sex sound you heard were just to mess with you.” “One of them stole my cologne.” “Priorities, Golden,” Octavia said. “It was a 350 bit bottle and a gift from Chef Celery Stalk.” “We’ll get you another bottle later, just focus on this. Vinyl, you shouldn’t feel like you have to hide anything from us. We’re like sisters Vinyl, you know that. Of course he can stay as long as he wants.” “Thanks, Tavi,” Vinyl said as they hugged. Bright Night is still living with us. He’s been a great help with the cooking, cleaning, keeping Vinyl in line, and helping Octavia whenever he can. His cooking was some of the best. He was especially helpful when Octavia was having weird cravings. “Okay,” Bright Night said as he brought five plates into the dining room, “tonight we have fettuccine pasta with alfredo sauce with spinach and sun dried tomatoes.” “It smells delicious, Love,” Vinyl said. “And for Octavia, Macaroni with chocolate sauce and crushed potato chips.” “Thank you very much, Night.” “That is the biggest bowl of disgusting I have ever seen,” Vinyl said. “How the hell did you make that without barfing, Night?” “Look, when you’re eating for three, you can eat whatever you like.” “Speaking of which,” Spitfire said. “You are getting big, Octavia. How far along are you?” “About twenty weeks. Let me tell you, this is one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. The swelling, the aces, cramp, and heartburn.” Octavia was talking while breathing heavy. It made me worry, but then I remembered a book saying that shortness of breath was normal. “Are you alright?” Spitfire asked. “I’m fine, just a little short of breath. Not only that, but they’re going crazy in here.” I put my hand over Octavia’s stomach. The twins were kicking like crazing, which made me smile. “Let me feel!” Vinyl said. “Night,” Octavia said. “I don’t think you’ve ever felt the twins kick. Come over here.” “I’m fine. Thank you though.” “I’m not asking,” Octavia said. “Seriously, I’m fine,” Night said. “What’s wrong, babe?” Vinyl asked. “Are you afraid that they’re going to pop out the second you touch them.” “No, I just think it’s a little weird. None of you feel like it’s a little that you’re basically feeling half-formed ponies kick?” “Let me get this straight,” Spitfire said, “you find it weird to touch a pregnant mare’s stomach, but making macaroni with chocolate sauce and crushed potato chips is fine?” “I’m not the one eating it.” “Just come over here and feel my children kick. You may cook the things I like, but hell hath no fury like a pregnant woman scorn.” Night made his way over to Octavia, shaking the entire time. I started to wonder what was going through his mind as his hand came closer to Octavia’s stomach. For a moment, I actually think he believed that Octavia would go into labor the second he touched her. His hand lightly touched her at first, but then Octavia grabbed his wrist and forced his palm. He slowly started to smile as he felt the twins kick. “I’m holding these foals when they come out,” Night said. We all laughed and began to eat our dinner. While everything seemed like a breeze, it wasn’t. There were plenty of times where the pregnancy got the best of Octavia. Each week she complained about aches and pains in every part of her body. Her sickness may have faded as weeks went on, but they hit hard when they did hit. Octavia also couldn’t perform in front of a large audience. Because Octavia was paid by show, she wasn’t bringing any money for the bills and baby supplies. This meant I had to pull some late nights, also meaning I had to spend more time away from Octavia. Nightingale and Shining helped when they could, but they weren’t the best at meeting diplomats. The hardest part of it all was her mood swings. Normally, Octavia is passionate and emotional. When she doesn’t just feel things, she wears her emotions. Now try to imagine that mixed with pregnancy hormones. Any small comment can set her off. When somepony at a supermarket called her “as big as a house”, Octavia yelled at him for calling her fat, cried for about fifteen minutes for yelling a stranger, and felt happy that he said her children were healthy. We had fights before, but there was one that was awful and I wish we never had. “Golden,” Octavia said as we sat in the study, “raising a child is expensive, but we’re raising two children. How are we ever going to get the money for this?” “We’ll be fine, Octy. We always are.” “That’s not an answer, Golden. I’ve been going over a few things and I don’t think we’ll have enough money. Even with the extra work you have been doing at the castle, it would take me five shows for us to come out with our heads above water.” “You like performing, sweetie” “Yes, but you know how much goes into a show. I can’t put on a concert and be a mother at the same time. Not only that, but we’re going to live on a strict budget for a while. I can’t do five shows in five days.” “Stop worrying about it. We’re going to be fine, and you’re going to be a fantastic mother and you’re still going to play all the concerts you want.” “How? How is anything you just said possible?” “We’re not the only ones bringing income to this house. Vinyl and Spitfire could pay the bills for a while and I’m sure Night would be willing to help out. And if we’re really desperate, I’m sure our parents could help us.” “Oh no,” Octavia said, “we are not asking our parents for help. We made it this far without them, we can do it without them.” “Why can’t we ask our parents for help? You know just as much as I do they want to be a part of not only our lives, but in our children’s lives.” “It’s embarrassing. You don’t see Vinyl going to ask her parents for help.” “That’s because Vinyl’s parents kicked her out the day after we graduated. They probably haven’t spoken since them.” “And if she can do it, then we can do it.” “Well maybe I care about family more than you do.” I realized what I said when I said it. “Octavia, I-” “Just don’t,” she said as she stood up. She left the room, leaving me to really start hating myself. When Octavia was angry with someone, she would let them know. She would zone in on what a pony did wrong and she has them wrapped around her finger by the end of it. If the pony was someone close to her, however, she wouldn’t yell at them. She would just let us stew in our own thoughts and feelings. For the first time ever, I was feeling the sting. The thing is, I’m not like the rest of my friends. Usually, they would be mad at Octavia, take some time to calm down, and then apologize to her. She would apologize too for some reason that she did wrong. I, however, felt immediate regret. As part of her routine, she won’t talk to me for about ten minutes. “Vinyl!” I shouted “What’s up?” She asked coming into the room with a beer in hand. “I was just about to come in here for our monthly.” “I need you to slap me,” I said as she approached the desk. Vinyl put the beer down and slapped me as hard as she could. “Why did I just slap you?” She asked taking a seat and opening the beer. “Because I said something stupid to Octy.” “So, she’s giving you the silent treatment and letting you think about what you did. Remember when I scratched my back with her bow?” “She didn’t talk to you for ten days, and even after that she gave you a stink eye for another week.” “Yeah…” Vinyl said drinking half of the beer. “Slow down,” I said. “Something on your mind?” “Yeah…” she said looking at the beer. “Golden, I really need help with something.” “What’s wrong?” I asked. This was a rare moment for me. Vinyl rarely asks for help. Even if she does, she never asks me. “Well, I got a letter from somepony yesterday. The pony who sent it said he was my brother.” “You have a brother?” I asked. “That’s what I thought too. I went to my parents’ house to ask them and they said that I do. They had him when they were eighteen and gave him to an orphanage because they thought they weren’t ready for a kid. Anyway, he’s moving to Canterlot tomorrow and he wants to meet me.” “How did he even find you?” “He was in the club one night and saw me preform. He was looking for somepony to do the music for a movie he’s working on. After doing some research, he realized that we have the same parents.” “That’s amazing Vinyl. Are you going to go meet him?” “That’s the thing,” she said after taking a drink, “I want to meet him, but this is a life changing moment for me. You know me, I’m not always the best at dealing with stuff like this. Can you come with me? Just to make sure I don’t chicken out at the last minute.” “Why me?” I asked with some confusion. “Wouldn’t you want to Octy or Bright to go with you instead? I’m sure they’re way better at this kind of stuff than I am.” “But they haven’t been through what you have. You’re the only pony I know that’s had this exact bombshell. If I start freaking out, then I need you to talk me down because you’ve been through this yourself.” “On one condition,” I said while taking the beer and finishing it. “Go get us another beer.” “I love you man,” Vinyl said with a chuckle. “And one more thing: Please don’t tell anypony about this. Bright and Tavi would want to come with and I don’t want them to meet him if he turns out to be a dick.” “This better be a damn good beer.” Vinyl and I finished off a second beer like we always do. It helped me keep my mind off of what I said to Octavia, but it was still in the back of my head. I was partly expecting her to come back into the room and talk about what happened, but I knew that I had to go and talk to her myself. I went up to our room a little bit after finishing the beer. She was in the bed, probably upset with me. “Octy?” I said stepping into the room. “Just get out Golden,” she said without looking at me. “Please Octavia,” I said getting down on my knees so I could be eye level with her. “I didn’t mean that.” “Then why did you say it?” “Because I wanted to end the fight as soon as possible. I hate fighting with you and I’m always desperate to end our fights as soon as possible. I know you care about family. Octavia, you were concerned about the kids we had in my dream. We have dinner with your parents every other week and dinner at the castle the weeks we don’t. You’ve been reading book after book about parenting where I haven’t even opened one. You’re the one pony I know that loves family as much as her practice.” Octavia started to smile, but I knew it wasn’t enough. I’ve been planning something for her birthday, but now seems like it would be the perfect time. I stood up and began to set up. I took the chair Octavia uses at her vanity and took her cello. I drew out the bow and held it out as she always does. I started playing Toccata And Figure In D Minor. It was sloppy in places and not even close to perfect, but it didn’t matter to her. She applauded while I put back her cello. “Where did you learn to do that?” She asked with a smile on her face. “Concerto has been giving me secret lessons. I was saving that for your birthday, but I felt like you really needed it.” “Well I was saving this for your birthday.” Something they don’t teach you about health class, pregnant mares have a crazy libido. Vinyl and I went to the train station the next morning. I told Octavia that I had to help Nightingale with picking new recruits, but she probably won’t remember why I was gone. Yet another thing that sucks about pregnancy is the short term memory loss, also known as pregnancy brain. Vinyl was nervous the entire time. She wanted to turn back at least five times, but I was able to convince her to stay. I know she doesn’t want it, but I would prefer that her parents were here too. Maybe they just didn’t want to see Vinyl, but at least she was going to have a family member that cares for her. “What if I’m not wearing the right thing?” Vinyl asked as we waited at the train station. “I only get one shot to impress him and I’m probably wearing the wrong thing. I should go home and change.” “Relax Vinyl. He’s not going to care about what you’re wearing. He just wants to see you and he probably already loves you like a sister.” “But what if I screw things up within five minutes?” “Nightingale knocked me out within seconds of meeting me and then continued to beat each other senseless. I think you’ll be fine.” “Okay,” Vinyl said after taking a deep breath. “Thanks Golden.” The train pulled into the station and we started watching the ponies walking off the train. I wasn’t really sure what we were looking for. Vinyl’s brother never gave us a description or a picture or anything. It turns out he didn’t need to give us a description. He looked a lot like Vinyl, only taller and with red mane. “Holy crap, it’s you as a stallion,” I said when I saw him. “What are you…Holy crap it’s me as a stallion,” Vinyl’s brother saw us and he looked as shocked as Vinyl was. He waved and started walking towards us. I looked over at Vinyl and she looked terrified. I put my hand on her shoulder and told her that everything was going to be alright. “Vinyl Scratch?” He asked “Yeah…” Vinyl said. “I don’t normally don’t do this,” Vinyl’s brother said, “but I think I owe you this.” Vinyl’s brother suddenly grabbed her, picked her up, and gave her a big hug. “Put me down!” Vinyl shouted as she struggled to get free. “I haven’t even known you for five minutes and you’re already annoying me.” I couldn’t help but to laugh as Vinyl’s brother hugged her. Already I could tell that he loved her very much and he was going to be a great brother. It was the same look Nightingale had after Twilight rescued Celestia. Granted, I didn’t know he was my brother at the time, but I still got the feeling that he was a great guy. “Who’s this?” Vinyl’s brother asked after putting her down. “Golden Shield,” I said sticking out my hand for a handshake. “I’m one of Vinyl’s close friends.” “Long Play,” he said shaking my hand. “I’m sure Vinyl told you about me.” “Why don’t we go get something to eat and catch up?” “Sounds good to me,” Long Play said with a smile. As we walked to a small diner near the center of town, Long told us his story. He lived in the orphanage until he was five and was adopted by couple with three foals already. He ran away after about a month, but was caught and taken back to the orphanage. Something like this went on until he was ten. He found another family and was planning to run away after a month, but the father said something that made him want to stay. He told Long that he could leave if he wanted, but the father just wanted Long to be happy and would have done anything for him. Long finally found a home and even started calling them his parents. “So, what about you?” Long asked Vinyl as he finished his story. “What was mom and dad’s favorite child doing all this time?” “Nothing real special,” Vinyl said. “I’ve just been growing up with this loser, but I really need to talk to you about something.” “Is everything all right?” Long asked. “Yeah, well no, but yeah. Listen, I’m not what you call ‘emotionally stable’. I cry at the thought of my best friend moving away, I get angry at people for the stupidest things, I go into work thinking I’m going to quit because I’m tired of stallions undressing me with their eyes, but I come out loving my job and everyone in the club, I stopped talking to mom and dad because they kicked me out, I was so terrified to meet you that Golden had to talk me into it like 100 times. I’m constantly afraid that I’m going to screw up my relationship with my coltfriend, I don’t-” “You’re giving me a lot to process here,” Long interrupted. “Sorry, I just wanted to make sure that you knew I was far from perfect and give you a chance to run away before it’s too late.” “Vinyl, no one is really emotionally stable. I can’t tell you how many mares I dumped because I thought they were cheating on me. My best friend in Manehatten and I partied hard last night and I had like ten cups of coffee to kill my hangover. I have absolutely zero interest in talking to mom and dad. I didn’t come here thinking you were perfect and I was hoping you thought I was perfect. I’m actually really glad that you opened up to me because it means that you’re already accepting me as a brother.” “Thanks Long,” Vinyl said with a smile. “I’ll be honest, I was so excited when I got your letter because it meant that someone in our family didn’t hate me.” “I don’t know if you ever felt alone as I did. Maybe you feel even more alone because I still talk to the ponies that raised me. Either way, neither of us have to be alone again.” Vinyl and Long smiled at each other and I knew they were going to be best friends. “Is it too early to say I love you?” “Buy me dinner first then we’ll talk.” Vinyl couldn’t wait to take Long Play home to meet Octavia. At first they didn’t get along. Long was more abrasive than Vinyl and with Octavia’s mood swings, you can only imagine the fights they had. It got to the point where Octavia didn’t even want to be in the same room as him. Everything changed when Octavia’s water broke. “So I was thinking about changing the color of the children’s room,” Octavia said as we sat in the conservatory. She had just finished playing her cello as it was the only thing that calmed her down after fighting with Long. I was working on some paperwork I had to take home. “Again?” I asked. “We’ve already changed it twice.” “I know, but I just had this idea that…Golden…” “Yeah,” I asked looking up from my work. “I think my water just broke.” “Are you serious?” Octavia nodded her head as a response. “Okay, just stay calm.” I whistled for Philomena to bring me a piece of paper. She came as fast as she could and I wrote as fast as I could. I sent her off to the hospital to get somepony to help us to the hospital. “Is it really happening?” Spitfire asked from the living room. “This is not a drill,” I shouted back. Just like that, everypony in the house came running into the room. “Octavia,” Long said as he kneeled down next to Octavia, “I need to-” “No!” Octavia interrupted. “I don’t want you anywhere near my children.” “I just need to-” “I said no. Get away from me or else I swear I will kick your teeth out.” “Octavia, for the sake of your children, calm down. We need to put everything behind so these two come out healthy.” Octavia only nodded her head in response. “Okay, I just need to find their heart beats.” Long’s hand and horn started to glow. He was using a spell that I read about when I was living in the castle. It basically turns a hand into a stethoscope, but it shines bright to discourage robbers from using the spell. “How do you know what to do?” Vinyl asked. “My parents had their first biological kid when I was fifteen and I helped my mom until she got to the hospital. Okay, I got two heart beats and they sound fine.” Long did everything he needed to until the paramedics came. They were two pegasi carrying a stretcher and they helped Octavia onto it. Spitfire flew with Octavia and the paramedics while the rest of us made our way to the hospital as fast as we could. By the time we got there, Octavia was waiting in a room and a nurse was preparing her for the birth. The events that followed were…graphic to say the least. It’s not something I would ever vaguely describe, but there was this beautiful moment. The room was filled with the crying of two babies. The nurses wrapped the newborns in small blankets and handed one to me and one to Octavia. They looked almost exactly like they did in my dream, maybe slightly off on the shade, but that didn’t matter to me. In my hands was my daughter and in my wife’s hands was my son. I wasn’t just Captain of the Royal Guard or Prince of Equestria. I was a father and this was my family. The nurses took our children to the nursery and Octavia fell asleep shortly after. It was hard for me to fall asleep because I was still in a state of disbelief, not to mention I had to sleep in a chair. I was able to wake up before her and I watched her sleep. She asked to see her children when she woke and I was glad to get them. The walk to the nursery took me through the lobby. Waiting for me with the biggest smile on her face was Cadence. The second she saw me, she ran to me and have me a tight hug. Cadence had been away for the past several months. She was in Saddle Arabia helping them with their failing economy. With her help, the Saddle Arabian Empire was able to avoid a depression, but she missed out on Octavia’s pregnancy, something that she was excited to help with. “It’s extra tight because I don’t want to smother your kid,” she said as she let go. “Thanks Cadence.” “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, but I was sending positive vibes,” she said as she let go. “Octavia knows. All the time she said that she felt like somepony was helping her through the craziness of pregnancy.” “I wish I was there for all of it. I know Vinyl’s the godmother, but can we please be co-godmother or something. Please Golden. I really want to be a major part of your kid’s life.” “Actually, remember that surprise I told you about in the letters?” “Yeah…” Cadence said not really sure what was coming next. “Octavia had twins.” “Shut up!” She said as she hit my arm. “Vinyl wanted to be our son’s godmother, so will you be our daughter’s godmother?” “Yes!” Cadence said before I could finish my sentence. “Can I please see them?” “I was on my way to get them for Octavia.” The two of us walked to the nursery. We traded stories about what happened while she was away. A good majority of it was work for Cadence. When she wasn’t working, however, she got to enjoy the culture. She was treated more like a princess on a leisure trip rather than a government official. When we reached the nursery, we found Celestia already in there cradling her granddaughter. She was smiling. As always, she had this radiance about her that even made the children smile. “They’re beautiful,” Celestia said without taking her gaze off of her granddaughter. “You probably don’t want to put her down, but Octavia wants to see her children.” “Alright, but this will be the only time I won’t have one of my grandkids in my arms.” Celestia put the baby back into the crib while still smiling at it. My daughter was still smiling at her and I think she laughed. “Cadence, can you please take the babies to the mother. I need to talk to Golden.” “Of course, Auntie Celestia.” Cadence took the two rolling cribs out of the room. She too was smiling at them and they were smiling back. “I’m so happy for you,” Celestia said as she hugged me. “Thanks mom,” I said hugging back. We stayed like this for a little while. I haven’t even seen Celestia in months. I’ve been way too busy with what paperwork I could get done in the short time I was in the castle and the rest of my time was spent taking care of Octavia. It was nice to know that she understood why I couldn’t see her. “I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” she said when we let go. “For years, you’ve thanked me for finding you. You’ve told me a thousand times that I changed your life, but I’ve never told you how you changed mine. “Before I met you, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing. I guess I was just going about my day, occasionally thinking about what I did to Luna. I felt as if I was just drifting through the day. Then the day came where I felt like something was missing. The next day, I found you. I couldn’t figure out why, but when I was with you, I felt complete. For the first time in a very long time, I was truly happy. Every moment I was with you, I was happy and there was nothing anypony could have done to change that. Not only that, but you made me so proud every moment and filled me with joy to watch you succeed. Thank you, Golden, for changing my life.” “I love you mom,” I said giving her another hug. We stayed like this for a little while before leaving for Octavia’s room. When we got there, Octavia was holding one baby and Cadence was holding the other. They were just smiling and letting the children grab their fingers. “They’re amazing,” Octavia said. “Have you thought about names?” Cadence asked. “I haven’t, but I thought I would leave that up to Golden. What did I name them in your dream?” “You named our daughter Mystery Melody and our son Ebony Shield.” Suddenly, both of the babies let out a joyful noise. “I guess they like it,” Octavia said. “Okay, that will be their names. Welcome to the world, Mystery Melody and Ebony Shield.”