Almost a week had passed by since Big Mac and Cheerilee's wedding. With them gone on their three week honeymoon, Applejack and Dark were left to tend to the farm. And while some simple chores were needed completing, with Applebuck Season having been just a week prior to the wedding, the trees needed some time to grow new apples for harvesting, which allowed them the perfect timing to go visit the Crystal Empire to celebrate Skyla's birthday. Making the necessary arrangements for while they were away, the gang packed their bags and made for the train station. Even Spike, Soul, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Pyre were invited to come along. However, they hit a little snag.
After they got on the train and it began pulling out of the station, Twilight started to feel nauseous and it wouldn't stop, even by the time they pulled into Canterlot. Once the train stopped, Night, Velvet, Celestia, and Luna boarded and saw the condition she was in. Celestia used a spell for cleansing such symptoms, but when it didn't work, Twilight was recommended by her and Velvet to try and sleep it off. Believing that to be the best, she snuggled up against Dark's side and used his wing as a blanket. It didn't take her long to fall asleep after that, and when she did, Dark was asked as to what happened. And though he had an idea of what it could be, he didn't want to jump to conclusions just yet. So instead, he chalked it up to her eating some bad food, which Spike agreed to since he himself feelt like he had a little stomachache after that hay sandwich he made them before they left their castle.
Once Dark was finished going through his explanation and was being left alone, Applejack came up to question him about it personally. And while she didn't doubt him after seeing how Spike had acted while they waited at the train station, there was still the fact about how much food Twilight ate at the wedding reception. But again, Dark didn't want to jump to any conclusions yet, especially since Twilight's sickness could very well have come from the bad hay sandwich she ate.
Deciding to go along with it for now, Applejack left Dark and Twilight alone. Not long after she left, Dark let out a big yawn as he began to feel tired himself. Looking down to see Twilight curled up against his side with a smile, Dark curled his tail around her and unfurled his wing further, sheltering all but her head. Laying his head down alongside hers, Dark smiled as Twilight subconsciously nuzzled against his cheek before falling still again. Moments later, he let out a tired sigh before he too fell asleep.
While Dark and Twilight fell asleep, the others were all awake and anxious. Since they left a day early, they would take that opportunity to get settled in and walk around the Crystal Empire. Now, though, as they crossed into the frozen north, a few of them let out a yawn and looked out the window to see the moonlight reflecting off of the snowy landscape, while some were more energized.
"I can't believe the day's almost here!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. "I've been looking forward to this day ever since Cadence and Shining Armor invited us!"
"We know what you mean," Night said. "I'm looking forward to seeing Skyla again."
"And at her birthday party," Velvet added. "And I bet that the rest of you are too."
Within the private cart that Celestia and Luna had reserved for them all, everyone cheered in expressing their excitement. As soon as they did, though, they all quickly silenced themselves as they heard a tired groan coming from one of the seats. Looking over, everyone saw Dark and Twilight were still asleep.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Celestia turned from their sleeping forms back to the others.
"Perhaps we should all retire for the night. No doubt that we'll have plenty to do when we reach the Crystal Empire tomorrow morning."
"Awww. Do we have to?" Sweetie Belle asked with a small pout.
"If we go to sleep now, then we'll be in the Crystal Empire that much quicker when we wake up," Spike said.
Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs and smirked at him. "Alright, but not without you."
"Sweetie Belle," Rarity spoke with a warning tone.
"What? It's not like we were going to do anything, Rarity. I doubt we even could with everypony all around us."
"And besides," Apple Bloom added, "we haven't spent that much time with Spike for a while now."
"Yeah," Scootaloo agreed. "We're not going to try anything funny, so why not let us fall asleep with him? You know, to make up for lost time."
"Now, now, girls. There's no need for that, is there?" Velvet asked.
"We just wanna spend some time with Spike," Sweetie Belle said.
"I don't see any problem with it," Luna shrugged.
"Pardon?" Rarity questioned.
"If they are true to their word, then I see no reason why we should deny them."
"Yaaayyyy!"
Acting before anypony else could say anything, the three Crusaders all grabbed the blankets they packed with them and pounced Spike. Snuggling up against him from every side, they all got themselves comfortable and yawned before drifting off to sleep. After they did, Spike too found himself quickly succumbing to sleep with the help of three warm and soft bodies enveloping him.
Deciding to follow their example, the others each picked out a spot of their own to fall asleep in. Once they did, the lights were turned off and the room went silent, save for the occasional snoring. However, Soul found himself unable to sleep. Due to them having entered the frozen tundra, he started to feel cold despite his blanket, and began looking for a warm spot to sleep. Not wanting to disturb Dark and Twilight, or any of their friends, Soul went over his three remaining options. He did consider trying either Pyre or Luna, but he was unsure of how they'd react. So with that, he was left with his last, and probably safest, option.
Grabbing his pillow, Soul fluttered over to where Celestia was sleeping and plopped his pillow down beside her. Feeling the small movement on her side, Celestia cracked an eye open to see Soul snuggling up against her warm coat and down into his blanket and pillow. Remembering when Twilight used to do that during her younger days as her student, she felt a surge of nostalgia as she smiled down to him and lowered her wing over him, providing Soul with extra warmth and sense of security before they joined the others in sleep.
Twilight stirred as the sunlight and the rumbling from the train tracks began to wake her. Becoming aware of her surroundings, she felt the cool air against her face in contrast to the rest of the heat that shielded her. Knowing its source, Twilight curled herself up beneath Dark's wing in an attempt to return back to sleep. Of course, when she shifted herself around, she also caused Dark to begin moving as well. Peeking from beneath his wing, Twilight watched as Dark blinked the tiredness from his eyes before they landed on her.
"Well, good morning under there," he quietly chuckled.
"Good morning," she yawned.
"Still tired?"
Twilight gave him a small nod as she looked around from under his wing. "It still surprises me how big your wings are. Even more so that they're able to completely cover me when I'm like this."
"Well, we don't usually fall sleep in this kind of position, so it is kinda new."
"But not unwelcoming," she smiled before poking her head out to share a kiss with him. "By the way, how much longer until we get to the Crystal Empire?"
Perking his head up, Dark looked out the window to see white snow stretching out towards the horizon. And there in the distance ahead of them, Dark saw something tall jutting up from the snowy wasteland reflecting the sunlight off its surface.
"If I had to guess, I'd say about an hour? I can't really tell with how fast these trains go," Dark shrugged, getting a groan from Twilight as she withdrew her head back into the warmth of Dark's wing and snuggled up against his side.
"In that case, I'm still feeling a little sick, so I'm going to go back to sleep," she muttered. "Wake me up when we're there. Hopefully it'll clear up by the time we get there."
Before he could say anything, Dark heard the sounds of Twilight's light-snoring. Smiling to himself, Dark laid his head down where Twilight poked her head out to keep the cold from getting in. However, he was unable to go back to sleep, and instead just laid there contently, listening to Twilight as she slept. Some time later, he watched as Applejack awoke from the seat opposite of them and waved to him.
"Mornin', Dark," she chipperly greeted.
"Morning, Applejack," Dark quietly returned.
Applejack smiled at Dark before looking at the rising and falling form beneath his wing.
"She's still asleep?"
"Just went back to sleep, actually. She woke up for a moment, but when I told her it would be a little while before we reached the Crystal Empire, she said she was going back to sleep."
Applejack looked back to Dark with a level look. "Dark, ya know she's more than likely carryin', right?"
Stealing a quick glance from where Twilight lay, Dark nodded. "I know. While I want to believe that her nausea came from the sandwiches Spike made, and her moodiness was due to what she saw on Big Mac's gem recorder, her increase of appetite and sleep are making it hard for me to deny it."
"So then why are ya tryin' ta?"
"I just don't want to get my hopes up, Applejack," he solemnly said. "Remember that before Twilight, I never thought that I'd have a chance for a family of my own. And now that I could find out any day now that it may very well become a reality..."
"Ah understand, Dark. Ah really do," Applejack sighed. "Ah'd always dreamt of seein' Ma and Pa again, but with them bein' dead, Ah never thought that Ah would get the chance." A warm smile formed as she got up, walked over to Dark, and draped a hoof over him in a hug. "But after ya came along, that dream that had been so far out of my reach has been made real."
After a few moments passed, Applejack let go of Dark and gave him a playful punch to the shoulder.
"But y'all better be prepared for if she is, alright?"
Dark chuckled. "Alright."
"Especially if her parents find out."
Dark froze and his face paled slightly. "Do you think they'll be alright since we're an unmarried couple and we might be having a foal together?"
Applejack nervously rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry, Dark, but Ah don't know."
"... well cra-"
Taken by surprise by the train suddenly jerking, Dark and Applejack braced themselves as the train began to decelerate. The movement shaking the others awake, the cart was quickly filled with groans and moans from the abrupt awakening. That is, all except for Celestia, who'd been awake for the past hour focusing all her attention on a book she'd brought along. Feeling the shifting from under her wing, Celestia looked under it and smiled as Soul wiped his eyes.
"Good morning, Soul," she said with a motherly tone. "Did you sleep well?"
Yipping in surprise, Soul glanced up to see Celestia smiling at him.
"Umm... yes, Princess."
Seeing his nervousness, Celestia chuckled to herself. "There's no need to be so nervous, Soul. Though, I am curious as to why you decided to sleep with me last night."
"Because I was getting cold last night. I would've gone to Dark and Twilight, but since she wasn't feeling very good yesterday, I didn't want to bother her."
"So why me then?"
"... because I like you and didn't think that you would mind?" he meekly answered. "I'm sorry if what I did was wrong."
Her smile brightening, Celestia used her wing that she'd had draped over him to pull Soul in for a hug.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Soul," she softly told him. "Actually, I didn't mind it at all."
"Really?"
"Yes. It reminded me of when Twilight used to do the exact same thing."
"Oh... okay... well, thank you for letting me stay here for the night."
"You're welcome, Soul. Now, why don't you go get your pillow and blanket repacked? We should be arriving any minute now."
Giving her a nod, Soul grabbed his blanket and pillow and made back for his seat. As he did, Celestia got up and stretched herself out before tucking her book back into her bag. While she and the others were getting their stuff ready, Dark had awoken Twilight to get ready. Minutes later, they were all ready as the train pulled into the train station.
Once it stopped and the doors opened, they each filed out of it and were greeted by Cadence, Shining with Skyla sitting on his back, and a hoofful of their crystal guards. Happy to see them again, Twilight ran up to Cadence, embracing one another before doing their greeting while her friends followed behind her. With them greeting Cadence, the others went up to Shining, his parents both giving him a warm hug before moving towards Skyla.
"It is good to see you again, Shining Armor," Luna said with a smile.
"You too, Princess Luna. And hello, Princess Celestia," Shining returned.
"Hello to you too, and thank you for inviting us for this one's birthday party," she thanked.
"You're welcome. Besides, I don't think that she'd like it if you two were to miss it. Would you, sweetie?"
Giggling happily, Skyla reached up for Celestia with eager hooves. When she found herself wrapped in Celestia's magic and brought up to her face, she cooed as she latched her tiny hooves onto her face and began to nuzzle her. With Celestia with Skyla, and his parents and Luna watching them, Shining turned to Dark and greeted him with a hoof/fistbump.
"So," Shining began, "how've you been doing?"
"Alright," Dark shrugged. "Oh, before I forget, Big Mac says 'thanks' for the gift you guys gave him and Cheerilee."
"Thanks. I was hoping that he would get it safely. By the way, I heard that a flying pirate ship crashed into Canterlot Castle and its crew ponynapped Princess Luna."
Groaning, Dark facepalmed. "I'm never going to let Discord bring any alcohol ever again."
"So it was you guys who did it?"
"Yeah," he sighed. "We even got it all recorded on the gem you gave Big Mac."
"I'm going to have to see if I can get a copy of it someday," Shining chuckled. A moment later, his expression turned serious. "So, did you manage to hide from Twilight?"
Dark froze up as his eyes darted away from Shining. Taking his silence as his answer, Shining sighed with a nod.
"I see." He looked over to Twilight for a few moments before turning back to Dark. "I see that she isn't showing. Tell me honestly, Dark, are you two expecting or not?"
"... I'm not completely sure, but..."
"But?"
"... she has shown some of the signs."
Shining quirked an eyebrow. "Such as?"
"She's been eating more than usual lately, for starters," Dark began, "then yesterday on our way here, she became nauseated after she ate a hay sandwich that Spike made. However, Spike also had a stomach ache, so that could just be from bad hay. Lastly, she fell asleep early last night and went back to sleep when she started feeling sick again this morning." Dark sighed and shook his head. "I know that I keep telling myself that she went to sleep to try and sleep her nausea off, but it's starting to add up."
"Hold on for a moment," Shining spoke, "didn't you two go get her checked out after her heat was over?"
"We didn't. With all of that tea she'd drank before, even with her being in heat at the time, she'd figured the odds of her having a foal were fifty/fifty. And with those odds, we agreed that we would wait and find out the natural way."
"... I take it that you're prepared to take responsibility if she is?"
Dark nodded and subtly pulled a box out from his Shadow Storage.
"Picked it up before her heat even started," Dark quietly said before returning it.
Shining nodded in approval. "As long as you're willing to take responsibility, then I'm fine with it."
Dark gulped. "And your dad?"
Shining glanced over to see his dad now talking to Pyre. "Heee... probably won't take it very well."
"Should've figured," he sighed. A few silent moments later, Dark chuckled to himself. "You know, it's kinda funny."
"What?"
"Just looking back on how we used to be. It wasn't really all that long ago that you tried to kill me on sight, but now, you're fine with me and Twilight having a foal together."
"Mostly because I love my little sister and that you make her happy... that, and you haven't really done anything to warrant my distrust in you." Sparing Twilight a quick glance, Shining placed a hoof on Dark's shoulder. "Promise you'll take care of Twilight for me."
With a sincere smile, Dark returned the gesture and placed a claw on Shining's shoulder.
"Twilight is very precious to me, Shining. I promise you, I'll take good care of her."
"Good answer," Shining smiled. Removing his hoof, he turned to see Cadence and the others following behind her. "We all ready to go?"
"We are," Cadence answered before turning to Dark. "Somepony's been eager to see you."
Following Cadence's motioning towards Celestia, Dark saw Skyla sitting on her back. Upon seeing him, though, she leaped off of her back and latched herself onto Dark's face with a happy giggle. Chuckling at her antics, Dark grabbed her in his magic and pulled her back to blow a raspberry on her tummy, eliciting a joyous squeal from her. Ending his assault on her, Dark let her catch her breath before leaning in for a nuzzle.
"And how's our almost-birthday filly doing?" he asked, getting a hug from her as she cooed.
Chucking, Dark sat her on his back and waited for her to get settled down. Once she was, he followed along with the others as they were lead by Cadence.
"We'll have our guards bring your things to the castle," she told them. "Your rooms are already prepared for you. So, in the meantime, how about some breakfast? You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?"
"No we haven't," Celestia answered.
"In that case, it's a good thing that I thought ahead. Everything should be ready by the time we get back." Cadence glanced back to the group. "Oh, and I also asked the chefs to prepare some meat for you guys."
Pyre's eyes widened slightly. "You did?"
"Yes. I knew that you were coming, so I thought that you and Dark would like some meat."
"Hold on a second," Dark interrupted, "how'd you know that I like meat?"
"Aunty Celestia and Luna told me after the Coliseum thing. I have to admit that I'm rather surprised that you even do eat meat."
"Just barely. To be honest, besides the Hearth's Warming Ball, that was the only time I've ever eaten meat in Equestria."
"But you're still okay with it, right?"
Dark shrugged. "As long as nopony is disturbed by it. That's the main reason why I don't eat it in the first place."
"Fair enough."
As Cadence and Shining continued to lead them to the castle, they began to explain a few things about the Crystal Empire to Dark and Soul. And while they listened, they were also in awe at the sight of the crystal ponies, and to see their buildings made of crystals like how Twilight's castle was. Even Pyre was curious about it and decided to try and lick one of the buildings. However, when he did, he spat and wiped down his tongue, complaining that the crystal was far too salty for his tastes.
Along the way, they walked past a particular statue that made Dark pause and look at for a moment.
"... is that Spike?" he curiously asked.
"You bet!" Spike answered, walking up alongside him. "The crystal ponies made it after I helped Cadence defeat King Sombra after he and the Crystal Empire returned. Since then, they've labeled me as a hero and have been calling me-"
"Hey, everpony, look! It's Spike, the Brave and Glorious!"
"Aaaaand here we go."
Within seconds, Dark found him being pushed back as a wave of crystal ponies crowded around Spike. Using his wings, he kept Skyla safely secured on his back while he watched in amusement and curiosity as they revered Spike. After several minutes of waiting, he watched as Cadence stepped in to break them up so that they could get something to eat, but promised them that Spike would be around for a few more days.
Returning with Cadence to their group, Dark returned Skyla to her mother as he and Spike continued following after them. After ten minutes of walking had passed, they were standing before the Crystal Heart.
"So this is it?" Dark questioned.
"It is," Cadence answered. "This is the Crystal Heart. So long as it sits here, it protects us from the weather of the frozen north, and keeps evil beings like what King Sombra were, out."
Dark looked over himself. "If I'm still here, then I guess that it knows that even though I'm Death Incarnate, it also knows that I'm not a bad guy."
"I guess you could say that the Crystal Heart has a mind of its own."
"Well then, if I'm here, then I'm guessing that its fine with Soul too?"
Looking down, everyone saw Soul standing there. But to their surprise, Soul's pupils were fully dilated with a puddle of drool forming at his hooves.
"Soul? Are you alright?" Twilight asked.
"Yeeeaaaahhhh. I'mmmm fiiiiiiinnnneee," he drawled.
Sharing a worried look with Twilight, Dark pulled Soul back away from the Crystal Heart. Once he was a few yards away, Soul viciously shook his head clear from his trance.
"W-What just happened?" he cluelessly asked.
"It would seem that the love contained within the Crystal Heart is too much for Soul to stand being near," Celestia spoke.
"Huh. So this is what I was feeling when we arrived here," Soul mused.
"Are you feeling better, Soul?" Cadence concerningly asked.
"Y-Yeah. Just as long as I don't get that close to it again."
"Good. Also... would you by chance still be hungry?" she cautiously asked.
"Because I'm a changeling?" he questioned, getting a nod from Cadence. "Kinda. I don't like to feed on emotions, but when I got close to that thing, it was like I couldn't stop myself."
"In that case, we'll try to be more careful next time."
"Yeah."
As Cadence turned to lead them towards the castle doors, Dark walked up alongside her.
"Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Of course you can, Dark," Cadence chuckled. "What is it?"
Dark glanced back to the Crystal Heart. "Why don't you have any guards or spells in place to protect the Crystal Heart?"
Cadence looked back to it as well. "We don't feel like we need to since the Crystal Heart protects the Crystal Empire."
"... so you leave it unprotected because it protects itself?"
"Pretty much."
Though a bit skeptical about leaving such an important relic unprotected, Dark kept it to himself so he wouldn't sound rude to his hostess. Through the doors and up several flights of stairs, Dark and the others followed Cadence and Shining as they led them to the dining hall. After a time, they finally reached the double doors leading to it. But, before they entered, Dark sniffed the air as a familiar scent caught his attention. When Cadence opened the doors and led them in, Dark and Pyre froze side-by-side, salivating at the sight of the spread laid out on the table, including-
"Dark," Pyre muttered, "is that that I think it is?"
Dark's eyes shimmered in anticipation. "IT'S BACON!"
Spreading his wings, Dark was about to launch himself over to the table when Twilight pulled him back down by the tail.
"Manners, Dark," she scolded. "Honestly, just because you like it, doesn't mean that you can start acting like that in front of everypony."
"Sorry," Dark apologized.
Making their way in, they each took a seat at the table, Shining and Cadence sitting at the head with Skyla sitting in her booster seat alongside them. Once everyone was seated, they began to fill their plates and cups before digging in. While some table talk was made, most of the sounds came from the clinking of silverware. Of course, there were also a few moans of bliss from the food, mainly coming from Dark and Pyre as they decided to split the pile of bacon between them, and the Crusaders from the pancakes with the Crystal Empire's unique crystal berry syrup.
After a good ten minutes of eating and talking had passed, Dark saw Twilight as she glanced down at his plate. However, unlike during the wedding, she had a look of restrain on her. Looking down to his plate of pancakes, hash browns, toast, and another plate for his bacon, he went to address her.
"Something wrong, Twilight?"
Snapping her attention up, Twilight shifted around in her seat as her eyes flickered from Dark, to his plate.
"It's... it's nothing," she dismissed.
"... you don't sound very convincing. Is it me eating meat?"
"No, no, no. It's not that. It's just... well... umm..."
"Go on. I'm listening."
Twilight look at him with an expression of nervousness and guilt. "Can I... well, would you mind if I... tried some... bacon?"
While her voice was meek and rather quiet, it was still loud enough to catch the attention of everyone in the room, which was made evident by the immediate silence that followed her surprising request. And while Velvet, Rarity, Fluttershy, and the Crusaders all had an appalled look on their faces, Applejack found herself looking between Twilight and Dark, while the rest looked at her in confusion.
"Uhh, Twilight?" Rainbow called. "Do you know what you just said?"
"I know," Twilight defended.
"Twilight, sweetheart," Velvet spoke with a shudder. "Why would you want to eat... ugh, meat?"
"I... don't know. It just smells really good."
Blinking in surprise, Dark cleared his throat. "Uhh, Twilight, are you sure? I mean, you're a pony."
"I know. I'm just asking if I could try a piece."
Though hesitant, Dark knew the look Twilight was giving him. Knowing that this is what she wanted, Dark hesitantly placed a piece of bacon on Twilight's plate. When she picked it up in her magic, Dark glanced around the table until his eyes met with Applejack, who raised an eyebrow and gave him a smug look. But before he could say anything to her, the silent dining hall was filled with the sounds of crunching. Turning back to Twilight, Dark watched as she chewed a small piece of the bacon.
After a moment of chewing, Twilight swallowed it and hummed to herself as she mulled over the taste. Taking another bite, she continued to think over the sweetness it left, along with its chewy and crunchy texture. Before Twilight knew it, her strip of bacon was all gone. With a huff for running out, she turned back to Dark.
"Could I try some more, Dark?" she innocently asked.
"Umm, sure?"
Taking that as her cue, Twilight took a few pieces from his plate and began munching on them one at a time, completely unaware of the looks she was getting. Dipping them into some of her maple syrup, Twilight took a large bite and shuddered from the taste. Within seconds, Twilight had finished off another three pieces of bacon, but it wasn't enough.
"Sorry to ask you again," she apologized, "but would you mind if I had more of that bacon?"
Finding words difficult to speak, Dark pushed his plate of bacon over to Twilight. Eyes twinkling, Twilight forewent her table manners by leaning down and eating the bacon right off of the plate. As she did, Celestia's and Luna's jaw dropped while Fluttershy and Rarity both fainted out of their chairs. As the minutes went by, they tried to eat, but the sight of Twilight eating Dark's bacon was too much for them to ignore. When Twilight finally cleaned the plate, she let out a loud burp.
"Ahhhh, that hit the spot," she sighed in relief as she pat her stomach. Hearing nothing but silence, Twilight looked around to see everyone staring at her. "Is something wrong?"
"Um... Twilight?" Cadence hesitantly spoke. "What was that?"
"What?"
"You just ate a plateful of bacon, sweetie," Night said, still uneasy about what he'd just seen.
"I know. It's actually surprisingly good. I can see why you like it so much now, Dark." Twilight smiled before her stomach rumbled. "Hmmm, still not enough. Hey, Cadence? Could I get some more bacon please?"
"Ar-Are you sure about that, Twilight?" she cautiously asked.
"Yep. I knew the bacon smelled good and gave me a sudden craving for it, but after actually having some, I can't get enough of it."
Hearing the clank of a dropped fork, everyone looked to see Dark frozen in place, his coat a few shades paler and his eyes wide open. Then, slowly, Dark turned to face Twilight, his expression unchanging.
That's it, he thought, that's the last straw. There's no more trying to deny it now. Not after that.
"Dark? Are you alright?" Twilight asked, worry evident in her voice.
"Shining," Dark calmly called, though his eyes were anything but, "tell me, where's the castle's medical wing?"
Shining raised a confusing eyebrow. "Why would you-"
"Just tell me."
While Shining was a little miffed for being interrupted like that, what got his attention the most was how unusually calm Dark's voice was.
"Up the stairs and to your right. You can't miss it."
Dark slowly got up from his seat. "Please excuse us for a moment. Twilight, let's go."
"Huh? Why? We haven't finished eating yet, and I'm still hungry," she complained.
"Trust me on this, Twilight, you'll want to come along for this."
While unsure of what was up with him, Twilight trusted Dark and excused herself to follow him. As they started to leave, Applejack, still maintain her smug look, called out to Dark.
"So, ya gonna get her tested ta see if-"
"Yes, Applejack, I am."
Once Dark and Twilight left the room and closed the door behind them, Applejack began to joyfully laugh, earning her curious looks from the others.
"Applejack, darling, what's gotten you in such a mood to make you so loud?" Rarity grumbled, regaining consciousness from Sweetie Belle while Rainbow woke up Fluttershy. "Surely it has nothing to do with Twilight eating that... meat."
Gaining control of her laughter, Applejack was able to reduce it to a chuckle. "Eeyup. It most certainly does."
Rarity recoiled in disgust. "Ugh! Why in the world of Equestria would that ever be a good thing?! She's a pony who ate meat... and liked it!"
"I have to agree with Rarity, Applejack," Celestia chimed. "Never in all my time with Twilight have I ever seen her touch meat, let alone eat it."
Applejack looked to Celestia and snickered. "Y-Y'all can't honestly tell me that ya ain't noticed the signs? She's been showin' them since the weddin'."
"What signs are you speaking of?"
"Think about it. Excessive appetite, nausea, exhaustion, strange food cravings..."
Taking a moment, Celestia began to think those symptoms over. As she continued to do so, she heard a gasp from across the table. Turning her attention to its source, Celestia saw Velvet holding her hooves over her mouth, her eyes watery and cheeks reddened. Then, from seeing Velvet's reaction, a lightbulb went off in Celestia's head. Realization taking hold, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in disbelief. Slowly, Celestia turned back to Applejack, who was trying to restrain her giddiness.
"Applejack... is Twilight...?"
Applejack gave a sound nod. "Eeyup!"
"I can't believe it," Velvet happily sniffled, "my little filly's going to be a..."
"Wait, what's going on with Twilight?" Cadence asked confusingly.
Trying to compose herself, Celestia turned to her. "You should know already, Cadence. But if you need an answer, then look to your left."
Doing that, Cadence looked and saw Skyla eating at a small plate of precut pancakes. A moment later, her head snapped back, her face now reflecting what Celestia's was just a moment ago.
"No... are you saying that Twilight's...?!"
Without another word, the three mares got out of their seats and ran to the doors, throwing them open as the ran through. With them gone, Applejack was unable to hold herself back any longer and once again began laughing out loud in happiness.
"I don't get it," Spike said. "What's going on?"
"Beats me," Night shrugged.
"Applejack," Shining called, trying to get her attention. Once she'd calmed down enough, Shining continued. "You seem to know what's going on here. Mind telling us?"
Applejack chuckled. "All Ah'll say is this." She turned to face Pinkie. "Hey, Pinkie, ya got your party cannon, right?"
"Of course I do, silly," she giggled. "You know that I never leave home without it. Why?"
Applejack looked towards the opened doorway. "Because we're gonna be needin' it very soon."
Over in the medical wing, Twilight and Dark were waiting for the doctor to return with the results. When they first arrived and Dark explained to the doctor her symptoms, Twilight mentally berated herself in not figuring out what was happening to her sooner. And while the doctor was excited about the possible news, and was honored to conduct the tests, she withheld her optimism until she knew for sure. After she did her scans on Twilight, she left to get the test results.
Alone with their thoughts, Dark sat beside Twilight, holding her hoof as they anxiously awaited the news. As time seemed to drag on for them, Dark felt Twilight's hoof shake. But when he looked, he saw that it wasn't only her hoof, but her entire body was trembling. And though he was extremely nervous himself, he had to keep himself together for Twilight's sake as much as his own. Releasing her hoof, Dark wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in while draping a wing around her.
"You doing okay?" he tenderly asked. "You're shaking like a leaf."
"Y-Yeah," Twilight shakily answered. "I'm fine. It's just... ooh wow."
"Yeah, I'm nervous too."
"Nervous isn't quite what I would say."
Dark gently took Twilight's hoof into his free claw. "How... how do you feel then?"
Twilight leaned into Dark with a shudder.
"I feel scared," she admitted. "I'm scared of what's happening to me, of what's going to happen in our future... but, at the same time, I'm also happy and excited."
"Good."
Twilight shifted to look up at him. "And what about you, Dark?"
"Hmm?"
"I know that you said that you were nervous, but how do you feel?"
Feeling his heartbeat thumping against his chest, Twilight could tell what Dark felt, but still wanted for him to say it. And after a brief moment, he did.
"I-I... *sigh* I'm scared too, Twilight," he admitted. "I'm scared because I don't know what to do. Sure I helped mom with the foalsitting, but I don't know what to do with a kid of my own. There are just so many questions that I have on how to raise a foal of my own, but I don't have the answers to them."
"Aren't you happy, though?"
Dark held Twilight tighter against him and rested his head on top of her own.
"Happy doesn't begin to describe how I feel, Twilight. Thanks to you, you've given me something that I've only ever dreamed about, distant as it seemed at the time. So, yes, I'm scared about us having a baby, but at the same time, I couldn't be any happier for this to have happened, or more grateful to you."
Relieved and happy to hear his answer, Twilight wrapped her hooves around him and melted into his embrace with a sigh. As they remained like that, Twilight felt something drip onto her head. Looking up at its source, she saw that they were tears from Dark. Letting free a few of her own, Twilight wiped Dark's tears away before he returned the favor.
"Sorry about that," he apologized, trying to recollect himself.
"Are you crying?" Twilight playfully teased with a sniffle.
"N-No. I'm not crying. It's... umm... what did Shining call it again?"
"Liquid pride?"
"Yeah, that's it. It's liquid pride."
Twilight giggled. "Whatever you say, Dark."
Chuckling along with her, Dark leaned down and pulled Twilight into a passionate kiss. Of course, between the sounds of their moaning and kissing, they didn't hear when the doctor came back in, blushing profusely as she accidentally walked in on them.
"Umm, e-excuse me?" she nervously said, snapping them from their show of affection and redirecting their attention towards her. "Sorry to interrupt, but I have the test results back."
Turning around to face her, Dark held Twilight close as she grabbed his claw in anticipation. Seeing that they were all set and ready, the doctor gulped before looking down at her sheet.
"Okay, so if you wouldn't mind, I'll get straight to the point," she offered.
"Yes, please," Twilight replied.
"Alright then. In that case... Mr. Dark was correct," she said with a brightening smile. "Congratulations, Princess Twilight, you're going to be a mother."
Even though they knew it, it was an entirely different thing hearing their doctor say it. Feeling a fresh wave of tears coming, Twilight smiled greatly as she leaned up to affectionately nuzzle Dark, to which he returned with a nuzzle of his own while hugging her close with a claw falling protectively over her stomach.
"Now," the doctor continued, "from what I'm seeing here, Princess, you're a little under five weeks along into your pregnancy. So, with that said, you're still allowed to do most of what you would normally do. However, I suggest that you try to limit the amount of magic that you use. While levitation spells and other lower-level spells are fine, you shouldn't use any that would put a strain on you or your body."
"What about teleportation?" Twilight questioned.
"For now it's alright, but after your third month, I would advise that you refrain from using such a spell. Also, I would recommend that you schedule an appointment with your local hospital for a biweekly checkup. Considering that you're an alicorn, and that the father is a pony-dragon hybrid, we'll want to keep a closer eye on the growth and development of your baby."
"We will. Thank you, doctor," Dark thanked. "Oh, and could you please not tell anypony? Besides our friends and family, we'd like to keep it to a secret for now."
"I can do that, and you're welcome." She turned around and made for the door. "I'll let you two be. Congratulations again, and good luck."
With the doctor gone and closing the door behind her, Dark and Twilight remained as they were. Shedding a few tears of joy, Twilight and Dark looked down to her stomach, both imagining the foal that was growing within. Placing a hoof over Dark's claw on her stomach, Twilight tearfully laughed as she rubbed her hoof over it.
"I can't believe this is happening," she happily said.
"Me neither," Dark agreed, "but I'm glad that it is."
Cupping Twilight's cheek with a claw, Dark turned her head to face him before sharing a brief kiss with her.
"I love you, Twilight."
Letting free a few more tears, Twilight gave him a peck before relaxing her back against his chest.
"I love you too, Dark," she whispered.
In mutual silence they sat, Twilight sitting on Dark's lap with her hooves idly caressing her stomach, while Dark continued to hold Twilight protectively and lovingly. Minutes later, their attention was brought up when the door to the room burst open with Celestia, Cadence, and Velvet all panting as they skidded to a stop.
Unmoving from her spot, Twilight cocked her head to the side confusingly.
"Is something wrong, mom? I've never seen you act like this before... and were you crying?"
Catching her breath, Velvet took notice of how Dark and Twilight were seated, along with the placement of Twilight's hooves, and her radiant smile. Reservedly, she walked up to them with Celestia and Cadence following closely behind her.
"Twilight... sweetheart," Velvet slowly spoke, her eyes wandering from the hooves on Twilight's stomach, to her face, "tell me, dear, and please be honest with us... are you pregnant?"
Blushing as though she'd been caught with her hoof in the cookie jar, Twilight weakly smiled and gave a small nod. Instantly, Dark and Twilight were forced to cover their ears as Celestia, Cadence, and Velvet all squeed in unison. And while Celestia accidentally used her Royal Canterlot Voice, Cadence and Velvet together were just as loud, which was made that much louder by the crystal halls echoing their squeeing off the walls and throughout the castle, all the way outside to the Crystal Empire.
Still recovering from their ringing ears, Dark and Twilight found themselves in a joyous hug from Celestia, Cadence, and Velvet, with Velvet assaulting both Twilight and Dark with kisses.
Wincing from the sudden squeeing, Applejack got back up and chuckled.
"Sounds like they found out."
"Found out what, AJ? Come on and tell us already," Rainbow said with a hint of irritation.
"Well, Ah had my suspicions at first, but after hearin' that noise, Ah can say for a fact that Twi's gonna be a Ma."
Everyone froze as they let that settle in. After a few silent moments passed, Apple Bloom was the first to speak up.
"A Ma?! You mean ta say that Twilight's gonna have a baby?!" she exclaimed.
"Heheheh. Eeyup!"
"I can't believe it! Twilight's pregnant!" Rarity shouted excitingly.
"And Dark's gonna be the daddy!" Pinkie bounced. "Oh my gosh! This is so amazing! I need to get a party ready for them!"
As the mares, Spike, and Soul were cheering and shouting, Shining facehoofed while Skyla laughed with them.
I should've figured that was what was going on with her, he mentally berated himself. I already knew the signs when Cadence was pregnant with Skyla, so I should've noticed it with Twilight too. Not to mention that Dark already told me the signs he saw before.
"Twilight's having a baby," Night blankly muttered.
"Hmm? You say something, dad?" Shining asked.
Flaring his nostrils, Night stomped his forehooves onto the table.
"Twilight's having a baby?!" he shouted, but instead of joy and happiness, it of out of anger. "Dark! Where are you?! Get your flank out here this minute!"
Remembering that Dark said something about the medical wing, Night knocked over his chair as he dashed out of the dining hall, shouting profanities along the way. Sharing a worried look with each other, everyone else, including Pyre, got up from their chairs to chase after them, Shining having Skyla riding on his back. However, while everyone got up to go stop Night, Pinkie stayed behind.
"You all go on ahead!" she called out, "I'm going to stay here and get this party ready!"
Pinkie stood still until the sound of their steps died down. Closing the doors, Pinkie grinned as she reached into her mane. However, instead of grabbing her party cannon, she pulled out a bomb the size of her body with "The Big One" written on it. Staring at the pony-sized bomb, Pinkie grinned widely.
"Ohh, I've been saving you for a special occasion."
Lighting the end of the fuse, Pinkie took cover behind Cadence's chair and covered her ears.
"Fire in the hole!"
Taking in the love and attention they were receiving, Dark and Twilight remained as they were while Celestia, Cadence, and Velvet began bombarding them with question. And while Dark was a little hesitant to answer some of them at first, he started feeling more relaxed when Twilight reminded him that the others would more than likely be reacting the same way.
"So you don't want anypony else to know about it yet?" Cadence asked.
"Yes," Twilight answered. "Besides our closest friends and family, we'd rather not let ponies know about me being pregnant yet."
"But you can't keep it hidden for too long, Twilight," Celestia said. "With you being a princess, the press and other ponies tend to keep a closer eye on you, so it won't be long before they find out. Either through their own snooping, or when you start to show."
"What do you suggest, Princess?" Velvet asked.
Celestia closed her eyes in thought for a moment before nodding. "One of three options. One, I can place an illusion spell over Twilight to hide her pregnancy. Two, Dark marries Twilight before she starts to show too much. Or three, they get married after the baby is delivered."
"What do you think, Twily?" Cadence wondered.
Twilight thought about it briefly before answering. "The first option is rather pointless since it won't hide all of the symptoms, not to mention when I actually... give birth to our foal." She nervously and uneasily swallowed a lump in her throat before feeling Dark's arms hugging her reassuringly from behind. "Thanks, Dark."
"You're welcome," he said with a nuzzle.
"Anyway, while the third option sounds nice, like the first option, everypony will already know about our foal."
"So that leaves us with the second option then?" Dark questioned.
Twilight nervously fiddled with her front hooves. "Well... if you want to that is. I would personally like to, but it's your call."
Feeling put on the spot, Dark shifted his thoughts to the ring he had hidden away. His face smiling on its own, Dark leaned down and shared a brief kiss with Twilight.
"Twilight, I-"
"Dark Flame!" Over in the doorway, Night stood aggressively as he blew steam from his nostrils. "You got my daughter pregnant!"
"... ahh crap."
"So much for keeping it a secret," Twilight sighed in defeat.
With heavy hoofsteps, Night marched over to Dark and Twilight, his heated glare never leaving Dark.
"You've got a lot to answer for, and with Celestia literally as my witness, you will answer for them!"
Keeping his calm, Dark tried to reason with him. "Uhh... Night- whoa!"
Dark suddenly found himself hanging upside down in Night's magical hold.
"You're coming with me!" Night declared.
Having enough, Dark lit his horn only to find his magic fizzle out. Looking to his arms, he then attempted to use his shadows, but couldn't even get a wisp.
"What's going on with my magic?" Dark asked.
"I laced my magic with an anti-magic spell on the way up here," Night explained. As he turned around to make his way out, he saw the others standing in the doorway panting for air. "Ah, Shining, you're just in time."
"For what?" he questioned.
"Dark and I are going to have some words together. In the meantime, would you go to my room and get me my castrating knife? It's in the side zipper pocket of my blue bag."
Dark's pupils were reduced to pinpricks. "WHAT?! NO!"
"What?!" everyone else shouted.
"NO! YOU CAN'T DO THAT TO ME!" Dark objected in a panic. Besides, I actually have a use for them now!
"I don't think that's really going to do anything to him, dad," Shining spoke. "Even if you do castrate Dark, he'll just regenerate them back."
Oh, thank you, Shining! Dark mentally praised.
"Hmm, you're right, it wouldn't do much good," Night admitted as he walked past him with Dark in tow. "In that case, Shining, go get me that Draconium sword of yours. I'll use that instead."
Once again, Dark's eyes went from relaxed, to utterly terrified.
Celestia damn you, Shining! he mentally cursed. Your stupid sword just costed me my nuts!
"Twilight! Help!" Dark shouted, panicking as he flailed his limbs around. "I don't want to lose my stallion bits!"
Feeling a headache coming on, Twilight rubbed her head and groaned.
"Dad, let go of Dark."
"Sorry, sweetheart," he denied, "but while I'm fine with you being with him, I won't stand for him getting you pregnant without marrying you first!"
"Sorry, dad, but that wasn't a request."
Having enough, Twilight used her magic and overpowered Night's, canceling it out and taking Dark into her hold. Bringing him over, Twilight sat him down. Soon as his hooves and claws touched the ground, he immediately darted behind Twilight and curled into a whimpering ball.
"Wha- Twilight Sparkle! What do you think your doing!?" Night demanded.
"Look, dad," Twilight huffed, "I've got a headache coming on, so I don't want to deal with this right now. Now, if you want to talk to Dark, then I don't want anything to happen to him. Understood?"
"But-"
"And just to make sure that you don't, I want Shiny to go with you and watch over Dark."
"T-Twilight? A-Are you s-sure about t-t-that?" Dark nervously questioned.
"I trust that Shiny will watch after you while you and dad talk," she confidently told Dark. "And besides," Twilight glared at her dad, "nopony in their right mind would intentionally anger a pregnant mare, especially if they're an alicorn, right?"
Granted Dark was still unsure about this, but in the end, he decided to put his faith in Twilight and Shining.
"... alright, Twilight," Dark sighed in defeat. "I'll do it."
However, while he did trust Twilight and Shining, Dark tucked his tail protectively between his legs before he slowly followed behind Night and Shining.
Once Night had Dark and Shining in his room, he asked that Shining cast a soundproof barrier around the room so nopony would be able to listen in on them. With it in place, Night motioned for Dark to take a seat on a wooden chair. The moment he sat down, Night wasted no time in verbally drilling him for getting Twilight pregnant before getting married. A long time believer in the old order of things, Night wasn't taking this very well to say the least. Of course, after he began telling the history of his parents and how they addressed such things, Dark and Shining began to understand that this was actually drilled into Night's mind when he was a young colt.
For three hours Night went on lecturing Dark on his actions. As he continued his rant, Dark glanced over to Shining in a silent plea to make Night stop, only to get an apologetic smile in return. Hearing that Night wasn't speaking anymore, Dark looked back to see him resting in his chair, catching his breath. Remaining silent, Dark waited for him to continue.
"Shining," Night spoke, "you've been awfully quiet. What're your thoughts on this?"
"I'm actually perfectly fine with it." Shining shrugged, causing Night to gape at him.
"What?! After what he did to you sister, you're fine with it?!"
"We talked together about it, dad, and he said that he intends to take responsibility if this were to happen."
Night turned back to Dark, his glare from when they began remaining.
"Is that so?"
With a nod, Dark reached into his Shadow Storage and pulled out a small box.
"It is," he admitted, floating the box over to Night. "After the Coliseum, I had this ordered and picked it up before Twilight's heat began. Took me by surprise to be honest. I didn't even know about it until Spike told me that morning."
Taking the box from Dark with his magic, Night opened it up to see the ring sitting inside.
"Did you plan for this?" he accusingly asked.
"No. Like I said, I didn't know about Twilight's heat until that very morning when Spike told me about it."
"Then why do you have this ring?"
"With how well our relationship was going, especially after we adopted Soul, I decided that it would be a good idea to have this ring tucked away. To be honest, when I first ordered it, I didn't think that I would actually have to use it for quite some time yet. I got it to hold onto for when the time came, just incase."
"I see," Night muttered. "So, you didn't get this ring because you'd actually plan on getting Twilight pregnant, but instead, you were just simply planning ahead?"
"Pretty much."
With an understanding nod, Night closed the box and returned it to Dark.
"I still don't like what you did, Dark," he told him, "and until you marry her, you're on very thin ice."
"You do have a plan to fix that, right, Dark?" Shining questioned.
"I do, actually," Dark answered.
Shining blinked in surprise. "Really? When'd you figure it out?"
"Some time during Night's three hour rant."
"Hey!" Night shouted.
"Sorry, Night, but you can only hold somepony's attention for so long without their minds wandering. And like I said, Shining, I have a plan. Tomorrow evening, after Skyla's birthday party, I'll propose to Twilight. I even have an interesting little spot picked out."
"Good to hear," Shining smiled. Lighting his horn, he dispelled his barrier. "Well, I think we've spent enough time in here. And besides, Pinkie said something about a party for you and Twily."
Dark chuckled as he followed Shining out of the room. "Of course she would."
Making their way back to the dining hall, Dark and Shining talked while Night followed silently behind them. When they got to the dining hall doors and opened them, they froze at all of the pink and light-blue balloons, streamers, confetti, confections, and of course, the giant banner with "Congratulations On Having A Baby!" written on it. Jerking back from suddenly having Pinkie appear in front of them, Dark, Shining, and Night each found a light-blue party hat strapped on top of their heads.
"About time you guys showed up," Pinkie bounced.
"Sorry," Dark apologized, "it took longer than I thought it would."
"Oh, that's okay, we weren't waiting that long. But now that you guys are here, we can finally get this party started!"
While Pinkie bounced back to start the music on the record player, Dark spotted and made eye contact with Twilight. Using his shadows to glide over to her, Dark stopped in front of her and pulled her in for a kiss. Humming to herself, Twilight brought a hoof up to caress Dark's cheek before slowly pulling away.
"Thank you, Dark."
"Huh? For what?" he asked confusingly.
"For everything," she smiled. "For being my friend, for falling in love with me and being my coltfriend," Twilight placed a hoof over her stomach, "and for giving me this foal of ours."
Dark wrapped an arm round Twilight and pulled her into a hug.
"You're welcome, Twilight. And thank you too, for becoming my first true friend, for giving me a home when I had none, for accepting my feelings and agreeing to be my fillyfriend, and of course, for this beautiful chance to start a family with you."
Twilight leaned up and began nuzzling him. "You're welcome."
Maintaining their embrace for a few more moments, Dark and Twilight soon released one another and began making their way to the party, walking side-by-side with their tails entwined.