Celestia strode through the halls of her castle. Her gait was even and measured. It wouldn't do for her to give off the impression of being worried, even if she was. She arrived at the infirmary without her usual escort of guards, a luxury she could manage once in a while within the confines of the castle.
With a golden glow, the door parted for her in time to reveal there was only one mare on duty, and she was looking over Night Watch with an expression of pure joy in the act. She clearly did hold her duties above that of a chore, and Celestia raised a brow delicately, as she did not recognize the mare at first. Had somepony hired her without informing Celestia? "Good day. I trust I'm not intruding?"
Night looked up sharply towards Celestia. "Princess!" Her cheeks went red and her hooves moved as if to cover the sight of her rounded belly.
Celestia shook her head. "Please, don't be ashamed. We all came from the same swollen bellies, even myself."
The doctor looked up towards Celestia with nervousness filtering through her joy. "She's growing nicely. Everything's just as it should be, Celestia... be praised?"
Celestia's smile became wry as she circled around the doctor. "Thank you for the praise, but I'm not responsible for the health of this remarkable pony. I don't believe we've met. I'm Princess Celestia."
The strange pony's ears went down a little before being forced back up. "I'm Samantha, Your Highness." She glanced around suddenly and made a gesture for Celestia to follow her. "Just a moment. I'd like to confer with you. Please wait here, Night. That's a good subject."
Night snorted at the word 'subject'. "The proper word is 'patient'."
Samantha seemed to take no note of that correction and scooted away with Celestia following behind. Once they were a few yards away, she turned to Celestia and leaned in with a harsh whisper. "Please don't send me away! I'm her midwife!"
Celestia raised a brow. That erased many doubts. That pony didn't belong there, but she wanted to know more. "Samantha, tell me about yourself."
Samantha seemed surprised by the question. "I'm a doctor, a scientist! Being able to watch a lunar pegasus proceed through this process is a rare opportunity, and I've been recording it for other doctors to see and learn from." She smiled brightly, re-entering her happy place. "She's an absolutely enthralling subject, and it's my pleasure and honor to witness and assist in this."
Celestia nodded softly. "A serious undertaking, to be certain. Tell me, where did you attend university?"
Samantha stiffened at that and began to tremble. She looked ready to answer, but Celestia cut her off with a hoof on the shoulder. "May I see your notes?"
She perked up at the request, the tension vanishing. "Oh, yes! I've been sending most your way already. Haven't you been getting them?" Samantha hurried over to another desk and her magic wrapped around a stack of papers. "Here are this week's observations and findings. I trust you've been satisfied with my thoroughness?"
Was that who had been sending it? "I was. Why wasn't your name on them?" She accepted the letter with a golden glow. "You shouldn't be so modest."
Samantha cringed faintly, glancing between Celestia and the prone form of Night Watch. "I... Oh please don't tell me I can't do it." She put her hooves on the notes, rearing up to reach them floating in the air. "This is proof I can! I'm a good doctor!"
Celestia drew the papers away and set them aside with her magic as she smiled down at Samantha. "Relax. Nopony is sending you away."
"You do know I can hear everything you two are saying?" Night frowned at them from the table she was lying on. "What's this about Samantha not even being a real doctor?"
Samantha looked ready to panic, but Celestia's magic wrapped around her like a warm blanket and squeezed her even as she was lifted up and carried back to Night's side beside Celestia.
Celestia set Samantha down gently. "That is a matter I intend to uncover, but I don't believe Samantha should be run off just yet. Has she been serving well as your midwife?"
Night frowned thoughtfully. "On all the technicalities, I suppose she has." She thrust a hoof at Samantha. "But I don't like being called a subject, even if that's a 'star' subject. I'm not a subject, I'm a pony, and I even have a name."
Samantha licked over her dry lips. "Right, Night Watch, is it not?"
Night smiled. "See? That sounds better already."
Celestia nodded between the two of them. "Excellent. Samantha, we will speak more, later. I would share words with Night Watch."
Samantha nodded, but she didn't move.
Celestia leaned forward. "Alone," she provided in a patient tone.
"Ah! Yes." Samantha trotted from the room. "I have more notes to catalog anyway. Enjoy your stay, Princess."
Night looked up at Celestia and over at the sleeping form of Silver Watch. "What brings you here, Princess?"
Celestia pointed at Night's belly. "May I?"
Night recoiled in surprise. Was the princess... "I... yes, go ahead."
Celestia's magic wrapped around the swollen dome and gently pet over it along the flow of the fur. Night felt the maddening urge to stretch and squirm. Why'd that have to feel good? "You're growing nicely, just as Samantha reported. How do you feel?"
Night forced a smile. She felt small with Celestia there. Who wouldn't? "I feel big and fat and slow." She ran her tongue over a fang. "What brings you here?"
Celestia slowly sank, laying on her belly, which brought her to Night's level, looking eye-to-eye instead of up and down. "I read a most interesting book."
Night perked an ear with obvious surprise. "What was it about?" Why would Princess Celestia come to report her reading habits?
"Perhaps you've read the same book." Celestia's petting was soft and continuing, with her eyes looking into Night's directly.
Night perked an ear as a hind leg gave a faint kick from the stimulation. "You're going to have to give me a better hint than that, Your Highness. What book? You obviously think I should know about it."
"Your partner wrote it." Her head inclined towards the sleeping form of the brown unicorn. "I trust he's alright? That was a very unfortunate incident."
Night nodded stiffly. "He's as stubborn as I am. He'll be alright." It clicked and she frowned. "Wait, are you talking about the book he's always scribbling in? When did he give that to you to read?"
Celestia had the sense to blush and look away as if caught. "He didn't... I found it while I was looking for him, instead I found the book, and eventually was led to where you and he were being unfairly held captive."
Night drew a shaking breath. "And... you have thoughts, about those dreams of his?"
"I do." Celestia met Night's gaze again. Her belly petting ceased and magic drew away. "Have you read any of it?"
Night's ears fell. "He never gave me permission either... I might have."
Celestia smiled at that. "I would have been surprised if you claimed to have not. You are his wife. I'm sure there is curiosity, and concern. He dreamed of you a fair bit."
Night frowned a bit. "He dreamed without me almost as much." The frown softened. "And he missed me, even in his dreams." She thrust out a hoof. "Then you know what your sister did?"
"I do."
"What are you going to do about it?" Night clopped the table softly.
Celestia shook her head slowly. "I am working with her, but I'm here for you, not to discuss my sister's deeds. According to his notes, he has seen more fragments of the future, but they have the edge of oracular visions. They all come true, but not entirely in the way he first imagines." She raised a hoof and rest it on the edge of the table Night sat on. "You are a hero for your actions in the North and were drawn to where you needed to be following Silver's visions."
Silver made a soft murmur, drawing the eyes of both mares for a tense moment before he fell back into the world of dreams.
Night shook her head. "What can he even be dreaming about, if he always knows when he's asleep?"
Celestia raised a brow. "Ah, that reminds." A journal appeared in mid-air. "Please, give this back to him, with my thanks, and my apologies."
Night suddenly went red. "Did you... The parts in the 'East'?"
Celestia joined her in coloring. How did one say they know they were fantasized in such a fashion? "It was as much Luna's skewed vision of things as it was his own dream. I won't hold it against him."
Night accepted the book and tucked it into her saddlebag. "So... are you going to chase him away from your sister?"
Celestia raised a brow. "Do you think I should?"
Night cringed. The question had been rebounded back into her side of the court. Should she? "I... Your sister should be ashamed of what she's done, and is doing. I... don't think I can look up to her like I used to."
Celestia's ears fell. "We all make mistakes."
Night thrust a hoof at Celestia. "Mistakes don't usually involve manipulating a pony into being your plaything. Mistakes don't normally involve kicking a pony across a room. She hasn't even apologized!"
"Yes, she has." All eyes turned to Silver, whose eyes were opened. "In her dream, where I found her. She did. This whole thing, it's hurt her as much as us." He tried to turn, but his cast denied him the option. "Please, I just want everyone to relax and let this blow past. She wasn't the only one being aggressive, she just got physical with it."
Celestia rose to her hooves. "I imagine you'll want to speak to your husband."
Night's wings flared out. "No, wait! Stay." She rolled up and sat on the table. "I've had more than enough of clandestine whispers. Can we all just talk plainly? No more secrets."
Celestia smiled gently. "I can try, but no promises."
Silver joined the smile, his magic ratcheting the table up so he could face the two mares a bit better. "Celestia, good to see you. What brings you here?"
Night snorted softly. "Afraid to wipe that little smile off your snout, but she read your journal. All of it. Even the seedy parts."
Silver went as bright as a cherry in his cheeks. "Oh god..."
Celestia tilted her head. "It is strangely... soothing to hear an exclamation like that performed with somepony other than myself as the target. I am not angry, Silver Watch. By the fates, if I held a grudge against every stallion that shared that daydream, I would be a very busy, and sour, mare indeed."
The door to the infirmary suddenly swung open under the glow of magic as Trixie rushed in. "Where is he?! Silver, Trixie is here to save you!"
Under her came Rough Draft with a sheepish smile. "I don't think he needs a mounted cavalry in a hospital."
"Don't ruin Trixie's grand entrance!"
Celestia raised a brow at the two. "Hello. You two are Silver Watch's parents, are you not?"
Trixie raised a brow. "Silver Watch?"
Silver burst into laughter. Another vision of his dream had come true and delivered two loved ones to dispel a tense moment. He praised destiny, or whoever was in charge of such things.