//------------------------------// // Chapter 13 // Story: The Path to Parenthood // by FictionFreek //------------------------------// After six months of pregnancy expect dangerous mood swings. Triggers are currently unknown and random, but the results are instant. A pregnant Dracony Mare will give in to her instincts to protect the infant inside of them. In this state it doesn’t matter who it is, or how much the Dracony may trust them, they’ll be seen as a threat instantly. Recommendation: • Stay away from them, seclude yourself from family, friends, or anyone until the pregnancy is over or else- “Okay that’s enough of that.” Claire had been updating her journal category her pregnancy. Though she may have been calmed after her recent episode, it didn’t last long. Eventually as she continued to think back on that moment Claire could only feel her worry rise once again. As it stood the only one she felt she could have stay beside her safely was her own brother. “Give it back, T!” she said reaching out for the book, but her brother’s superior height and her expanded belly weighing her down made it impossible to grab. T pushed Claire lightly, just enough to make her roll on her side. “Not if you’re going to slander yourself….” “But it’s true!” Claire exclaimed “I’ve known that maid for years, I had no reason not to trust her. But I still almost attacked her!” Claire placed her hooves over her head, curling into a ball. She couldn’t remember what happened, though part of her didn’t want to. She didn’t want to have to see the fear that must have been in that maid’s face. “It’s perfectly natural, Claire.” T tried to convince “Do you have any idea how many times I cowered in fear of Annie when she was pregnant?” Slowly Claire removed her hooves from her head and looked at her brother with an arched brow. “Annie was a third your size and you’re built like an armored train. She couldn’t have hurt you if she hit you with a train.” Claire stood up and held out her hoof, extending out her claws. “But me….I’m not built like her, I’m not built like a pony, T.” eyes furrowing Claire placed her hoof down and let out a small sigh. “When we were growing up we always had to be careful, always had to make sure we didn’t go out of control. For a while I was always afraid, afraid that someday I’d get too riled up, or play too rough, and end up doing something I’d come to regret forever. And that was when I had control over my actions.” Claire paused and placed her hooves on her stomach giving it a gentle rub. “But that’s not the case anymore, because now I could lose control at any moment without realizing it until after the fact. Lu might be able to calm me down when I do, but for how long, will I reach a point where I’ll attack my own husband too?” she looked to T, almost as if she was asking for an answer. But T had none to give. “The constant worrying, the total uncertainty of what will happen next. It all just hangs over my head to no end, and it terrifies me.” Seeing the tears well up in Claire’s eyes T pulled his sister closer and allowed to sniffle on his shoulder. “I know it’s hard, Claire, but I’m here for you, we all are.” Gently he pushed Claire back, looking his sister in the eyes. “No matter what happens we’re not going to let you fall, we’ll help you no matter what.” His words were true, he and everyone else in the family had resolved to be there for Claire when she needed them. But no matter how sincere his words may have been, Claire didn’t look convinced. “And when you’re not here?” she asked “And don’t try to deny it. You, Nidra, Mother, Aunt Luna, and Illusion. You all don’t just have lives; you also have duties that can’t all be put on pause because of my raging hormones. There will always be a time when I’ll be alone, a time when you won’t be able to help me if things go out of control.” Tears streaming down her cheeks Claire tried to put up a brave face, but she couldn’t even fool herself with it. “Claire…” T was caught off guard, sure he came running the moment he heard of what happened. But he hadn’t found out until a few hours later, and even then it took him some time to arrive. So in the end he knew she was right, he couldn’t be there for her if he was stationed on the other side of Canterlot. “But it’s not your fault, T, some things are just out of our control.” Without meeting any resistance Claire managed to retrieve her journal again. Pressing it against her chest she then laid on her side, her eyes half closed as she let out a sigh. “I chose to do this after all, so I have to accept any consequences.” T watched Claire as slowly, yet surely, her eyes were completely closed and she was sleeping peacefully. “Thank you, Nidra.” From a dark corner of the room a vapor trail seeped out, the mist slowly beginning to take form of a pony. Soon enough Nidra was back to her original form, looking on at T with saddened eyes. “What will you do now?” she tries not to eavesdrop, but this time she couldn’t stop herself from hearing the whole story. Though hard to know exactly what Claire was going through, she could still see and feel the turmoil in her face. And she could also see the desire in T’s, the desire to protect one’s family no matter what. “Can…can you watch her, make sure she stays sleeping peacefully?” Nidra smiled and hopped on the bed. “Of course,” she said placing a hoof on his cheek “Now go, do what you must. Claire has nothing to fear while I’m here.” With a sigh of relief T hugged Nidra tightly, the bat pony unable to hide the blush of her face at the embrace. “Thank you.” Finally releasing Nidra he slid off the bed and made his way towards the door. Quietly he closed it behind him and began to walk down the hall. Illusion sat at his desk, a mountain of paperwork stacked beside him. Bills to be passed, and laws to be considered, some more ludicrous than the last. But still they needed to be attended to, it was his duty as prince after all. But while tonight was like any other, Illusion was finding it difficult to focus on the task towering before him. Illusion eventually let out a defeated sigh and leaned back on his seat. “No use…” he knew very well why he couldn’t focus, what it was that had stealing his attention. “Claire…” Right now his wife was being guarded in secret by some of the best the guard had to offer, and still Illusion couldn’t feel at ease. It wasn’t the fear of something happening that got to him, it was every painstaking minute that passed with nothing happening at all. The uncertainty of what could happen with every tick of the clock. Sure the fear and anxiety would vanish the moment he was in the same room with her once more. But that didn’t make the hours before that any easier. “Maybe I need to take some time off.” He wondered, both his aunt and mother did so when they’d gotten to a certain point in their pregnancy’s. Removed themselves from the stressful days of royal work with their respective husbands and tried to stay at ease until it was over. Illusion seemed to enjoy the idea the more he thought of it as well. If anything it’d give him more time to spend with Claire through the remaining months. But that didn’t change that the obvious, there was no doubt he couldn’t spend every minute with her. Claire was her own mare after all, and with her current fears she needed to be encouraged to not live in fear of herself. In order for that to happen she’d need to be able to feel free from herself, to be able to venture outside of the castle again like anypony else. And sometimes she may have to do it when he isn’t around. It would be then that he’d need to rely on his guards the most, and yet, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t that he questioned their loyalty or abilities, rather he was worried about their connection to her. Claire didn’t know these guards; even Illusion hadn’t met them until he formed his team. There was no attachment between them, not like Illusion and Claire had with their family. Nothing to instantly fill them with ease at the moment of sight. Something Illusion was sure had helped calm Claire during her last outbreak. But what could he do about that, it’s not like he could just command them to form everlasting bonds with his wife. “Pretty sure that’d go against some code of ethics too…” Illusion tapped his chin, he felt like the solution was staring him in the face, but he couldn’t quite place his hoof on it. But before he could ponder this further, there was a knock at his door. “Come in.” Illusion called out, the door opening soon after. To his surprise it was T who walked in, instantly causing Illusion to worry. Just as he sat up to voice his concern T raised a claw. “Easy, she’s fine. Nidra has her sleeping comfortably right now.” Illusion let out a sigh of relief and sat back down. “Seems she’s not the only one on edge.” Again Illusion let out a sigh, longer this time for emphasis. “What can I say that you haven’t already experienced.” He said “I still remember Annie’s death glare. And when a blind mare can stare you into submission then you know she’s hardcore.” T chuckled at the fond memory, he couldn’t deny that a pregnancy could very well turn any mare into an unstoppable machine of destruction and chaos. “I may have some idea, but no two pregnancies are alike, experiences will very. Especially when dealing with the first Dracony pregnancy.” It was one thing when it was a normal earth pony. By then they knew what to expect and were able to plan for it. In Claire’s case however they were dealing with the unknown. No one can predict what could happen next, or what changes Claire would go through for the remainder of her pregnancy. “I know this is hard, and it’s just going to get harder as it goes on. And that’s kind of why I’m here.” Illusion noticed a shift in T’s body, he was standing straight up, just like he was trained by the guard. “I want in on the team.” Illusion ran a cold chill, he’d kept the team a secret from everyone who wasn’t his aunt and mother, so how did T find out? “Don’t try to play this off, I can read it on your face.” T said with a smirk. “How?” “Wasn’t too hard, at first it was talk of the princesses gathering their best soldiers. That followed by learning that a group of guards had managed to intervene in record time when Claire went feral. After that it was just a matter of adding two and two together.” With that the cat was out of the bag, and honestly, Illusion felt a little relived. “Okay, yes, I did have one formed.” He finally admitted “After Claire’s first bout of losing control of herself I…well I panicked. I was afraid of what could happen if it ever happened again, more specifically what could happen to her. I just…I just wanted to make sure she was safe when I wasn’t around.” T walked around Illusions and placed a reassuring claw on his shoulder. “Hey man, I get it.” He said “When I first found out Annie was pregnant I started following her around everywhere she went. Heck I used to sit outside the bathroom in case something happened.” To say T was overprotective during Annie’s pregnancy was an understatement. Always the one to protect her even when danger wasn’t present he had grown worse when he felt she was even more vulnerable than she was before. “You want what’s best for her, even if she might not want it herself. You want to be able to be there for her in some shape or form. And as her brother that’s also something I want more than anything. And that’s why I’m here, that’s why I’m asking you to let me be a part of the team. Wouldn’t you feel better if you had someone protecting her who was actually family?” Illusion stared at T in surprise, the answer to his dilemma had literally come knocking at his door. And he couldn’t have come at a better time. “It would probably be the best kind of protection I can give her. But if you are going to be a part of it you have to promise Claire will never know. It’s bad enough she doesn’t trust her own actions, but to find out I’d done something like this behind her back?” Illusion shuttered to think of it. “Alright, you’ve got a deal. I’ll place you under the night watch team, that sound good?” T quickly agreed with a nod of his head. If anything Claire wouldn’t question him of his work so long as it remained at night. Not that it mattered to him, so long as he was able to help Claire in some way, he was happy. “And listen,” Illusion said extending a hoof. “Thank you, it really makes me feel at ease.” T smirked and took Illusions hoof for a gratifying shake. “That’s what family’s for.”