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First Date1,508 words
Moving Out But Staying Close1,183 words
Spreading Her Wings2,113 words
Healing Past Wounds & Helping Scars Fade1,739 words
Getting Ready1,125 words
The Best Night Ever (For Sure This Time)4,524 words
Leaving the Nest1,321 words
Planning Weddings and Defenses5,470 words
Battle Against Tirek7,190 words
The Wedding5,344 words
New Additions4,418 words

New Additions

After a nice refreshing honeymoon in Tahayti, where they relaxed at the beach during the day, and cuddled in their hotel room at night, Sunset and Lockon returned to Ponyville as husband and wife. The couple led a happy life, just them and their pet wolf Shadow, living together.

Several months later, Sunset started experiencing stomach pains and nausea, especially in the morning. She scheduled an appointment with her doctor to find out what was going on. What he found gave Sunset the biggest shock of her life as of yet. The young princess wandered home in a daze. As she opened the door, she found Lockon waiting for her on the couch with Shadow, both of them eager to learn the severity of her condition.

"So, how did it go?" Lockon asked his wife as he got up to hug her. "Please tell me it's not life-threatening. I don't want to lose you."

"It's nothing like that, Lockon." Sunset nuzzled him for comfort. "But, I guess you could say that it's serious."

"What do you mean?" Lockon asked with concern in his voice now.

"Lockon, you might want to sit down for this." Sunset suggested.

Lockon sat back down on the couch he was just on.

"Lockon…" Sunset began. "…I'm pregnant."

Lockon's jaw hit the floor.

"Y-You're…" He stammered. "G-going t-to h-have…"

"Yes." Sunset nodded in confirmation. "I am going to have your foal."

"That…that's…wonderful!" Lockon smiled before grabbing Sunset by the waist and spinning her around while the happy couple laughed. Then he put her back down as he got a more shocked look on his face. "Wait...I'm gonna be a daddy."

"Oh, sugar…honey…iced…tea…" He drowsed out before eventually fainting and falling over onto his back, leaving him out cold.

Shadow then brought him back into consciousness by licking his face.

"You ok, sweetheart?" Sunset asked with slight worry.

"I'm ok." Lockon answered. "And don't get me wrong, Sunset, I am thrilled that we are going to be parents, I really am. It's just that…I don't know the first thing about being a father. And I can't even turn to my own parents for guidance about this sort of thing."

"I understand how you feel, Lockon." Sunset nuzzled him. "But don't forget, we're not alone in this. We have all of our friends who will be willing to help. We can even ask Mr. and Mrs. Cake for help since they have two little foals of their own."

"Oh, that's right, I'd forgotten about them." Lockon chuckled before turning to his wife. "Thanks for the cheer-up, honey. This is just another one of many reasons why I love you."

"And I love you all the same." Sunset replied before kissing her husband passionately on the lips.

The next day, the expecting parents invited over all of their friends, including Moondancer, Flash Sentry, and the Cakes, and told them the news.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Moondancer gushed.

"Congrats, bud." Flash told Lockon as he lightly thumped his back.

"Another addition to the royal family." Twilight mused. "I can't wait!"

"Congratulations, Sunset." Lyra Heartstrings told her friend.

"You've only been married a few months and you're already expecting?!" Lemon Hearts said in slight shock before returning to her normal expression. "Then again, somehow I don't find that surprising."

"I think that's wonderful news." Twinkleshine continued.

"Same here." Minuette added.

"Congrats, Sunset." Applejack pitched in.

"That little alicorn's gonna be awesome!" Lightning Dust pumped.

"Too true!" Rainbow high-hoofed her in agreement

"I can't wait to see you're foal." Rarity giggled.

"Me neither." Fluttershy cooed.

"Me neither neither!" Pinkie cheered. "A new playmate for Pound and Pumpkin! Yippee!"

"It's too early to be thinking about that, Pinkie Pie." Cup Cake replied to her enthusiasm.

"But we'll definitely consider it." Carrot Cake added.

"And while you are on the subject, there is something that Sunset and I want to ask the two of you." Lockon said to the Cakes.

"Oh?" Carrot Cake puzzled.

"And what would that be, dearies?" Cup Cake asked them.

"Well," Sunset began saying to Cup Cake, "I would like you to help me prepare for the coming stages of my pregnancy."

"And I would like you to help me by giving me some tips on how to cope with those stages." Lockon said to Carrot Cake.

"We'd be more than willing to help you with both of those things." Cup Cake answered.

"But if you don't mind us asking, why us?" Carrot Cake asked them. "Can't your parents help with that?"

"I don't know who my parents are." Sunset said rather awkwardly and somewhat sadly. "I've been an orphan all my life. Princess Celestia was the closest thing to a mother I've ever had."

"But what about you, Lockon?" Cup Cake asked him. "Isn't Princess Celestia your mother?"

"Yes." Lockon answered. "But, technically I'm only her son by adoption."

"Adoption?!" The Cakes gasped in unison. "Do you know anything about your birth parents?" Carrot Cake asked.

"Of course I do!" Lockon suddenly snapped slightly. "I grew up with both of them AND an older sister for the first half of my life!" Then he realized what he was doing and used the same calming trick that Cadance taught Twilight.

"I'm sorry I snapped." Lockon apologized. "I didn't mean to yell. Look, there's something you need to know. In fact, everypony in this house who has not heard this tale, please gather around now, and you also might want to sit down for this one."

After Cup Cake, Carrot Cake, Lightning Dust, Lyra, Minuette, Twinkleshine, Lemon Hearts and Moondancer gathered round, they all sat down on their flanks. The rest of them stood and stayed where they were, knowing full well what Lockon was going to say.

"What I am about to tell you is something that only Mom, Aunt Luna, Cadance and Shining Armor, Sunset, Discord, Spike, and the Element wielders know." Lockon addressed the rest of them.

Then, he went into full detail about his life before Celestia adopted him. How, as a unicorn colt, he had grown up admiring his father Sharp Shooter, who had inspired him to take up an interest in the Royal Guard and the field of long range attack spells.

How he always made his mother Jade Glimmer happy whenever the chance rose. And how his sister Star Sapphire was basically his B.S.B.F.F., or big sister best friend forever, and how the two were practically inseparable.

He even went into detail about his family's personal relationships with Princess Celestia.

Then, Lockon got to the tragic tale of the night that he got his wings at the cost of his own family. How he lost them to the changelings. Then, how Princess Celestia decided to adopt him the next day and how he became a prince and a Canterlot Royal Guard eventually leading up to his rank as Captain.

"And ever since then, I had always been blinded by my own desires for revenge." Lockon said as he was wrapping up his story. "If it weren't for Sunset, I never would have overcome my own personal demons."

Moondancer got all teary-eyed having never been told the full story, and Flash put a wing around her to comfort her.

"Oh my." Lyra gasped.

"That is so sad." Minuette sniffled.

"To have your own sister drained of her whole life force right in front of your eyes." Lightning Dust wept. "Just how cruel can fate be to one pony?"

"I have never even heard of such a thing happening to anypony." Twinkleshine pitched in.

"I can't even begin to imagine what that must have been like for you, Lockon." Lemon Hearts sympathized.

"So you see," Lockon turned to the Cakes, "with my birth family gone, and Princess Celestia having never had any children the natural way, at least not that I would know of, you two are the only ponies I know whom I can ask for guidance through this."

"Of course we'll help." The Cakes said in unison.

"Thank you." Lockon said with relief.

"And besides, you have all of us to help you." Twilight added while everypony else nodded their heads in agreement.

"Seriously?" Sunset asked.

"Definitely." Lightning Dust agreed. "Though I will probably draw the line at diaper changes."

"You can always count on me to babysit." Pinkie squealed. "I can't wait to see that future little bundle of adorableness."

And so it began. The first couple of months were mostly uneventful. Not long after the news, Sunset's friends threw her a baby shower. Lyra gave her an enchanted music box that would play a lullaby that was guaranteed to put the baby to sleep. And Applejack offered to make applesauce and other apple based baby foods for when the baby was old enough.

Soon it was time for Sunset's first ultrasound appointment. Sunset was lying down on an examination table on her back while Lockon was standing right next to her. In fact, her belly had already gotten pretty swollen after only a month.

A unicorn doctor, whose name was Doctor Horse, was using his magic to scan Sunset's belly for signs of the baby. Nurse Redheart was on standby with an ultrasound probe and monitor ready to show them images of the child.

What Doctor Horse saw left him pleasantly surprised. "Oh my goodness!" He slightly exclaimed. "This is very rare!"

"Is something wrong with the baby?" Sunset asked in worry.

"No, nothing is wrong." Doctor Horse assured them. "In fact, the babies are in perfect health."

"Oh, that's a relief." Lockon replied before widening his eyes. "Wait…did you say 'babies'? As in more than one? Are we having twins?"

"Yes, yes, and not quite." Doctor Horse answered each question. "Your highnesses, let me be the first to congratulate you on being the proud parents of a healthy set of quadruplets."

"QUADRUPLETS?!" Lockon shouted in surprise.

"Well, I guess that explains why I look this swollen after only a month." Sunset mused. "But are you sure it's quadruplets?"

"I'm positive." Doctor Horse answered her. "But I'll let the ultrasound confirm that. Nurse Redheart, if you would please be so kind?"

Nurse Redheart then used the ultrasound probe, and sure enough the images had the same results, showing four healthy fetuses on the monitor.

"Very rare, my cutie mark." Nurse Redheart said. "This is beyond rare! This is a first in Equestrian medical history!"

"Would you like to know the genders?" Doctor Horse asked the expecting parents.

"Eh, might as well." Lockon said in a calm manner.

"You're taking this news surprisingly well." Sunset said with a hint of sarcasm and skepticism.

"I guess the initial shock of one foal prepared me for the possibility of more in a strange way." Lockon shrugged.

"Well, I can also guarantee the both of you that you will have two of each gender." Doctor Horse told them.

"Two colts and two fillies." Sunset said while holding a hoof to her stomach. "We'll have our hooves full. Think we can handle it?"

"I'm sure we'll be able to." Lockon said eagerly. "We're both royalty, and I am a former Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard. We have all the qualities to make good parents. And I am going to make sure that I will be the best father ever to these four foals."

"I know you will." Sunset said before she kissed him.

As the weeks went by, Sunset's stomach was getting even more swollen than usual due to there being four foals inside of her. This also increased her appetite, especially on the cravings stages, but Lockon managed to financially keep up with them.

Their friends had mixed reactions of shock when they learned that Sunset was having quadruplets. Pinkie Pie, however, was so excited that she literally shot herself out of her own party cannon into the air while shouting 'YIPPEE!' at the top of her lungs.

As the pregnancy continued on, Sunset started to suffer from mood swings. Luckily, Carrot Cake had lots of tips for Lockon as to how to cope with them. For Lockon, mood swings were the hardest stage to deal with, but thanks to Carrot Cake's tips he managed.

Soon enough, it was already the eleventh month of the pregnancy. That meant that Sunset's due date was practically just around the corner.

Lockon was back up in Canterlot to finalize his retirement as Captain of Canterlot's Royal Guard. Sunset promised him that whenever she wanted to leave the house, she would have a friend accompany her wherever she went.

Right now, Sunset was walking through Ponyville Park with Twilight and Spike.

"So Sunset, how are you feeling as of late?" Twilight asked her.

"To be honest, Twilight, I'm amazed that my stomach hasn't exploded yet from all this swelling." Sunset answered her. "Other than that, I feel fine."

"I suppose I can understand that." Spike said. "A healthy set of quadruplets and you and Lockon are the first couple to ever have one. When are they due?"

"According to Doctor Horse, they are all in perfect health," Sunset began, "and I should be due any day no-OOOH!"

Sunset suddenly hunched over in pain.

"Sunset, are you okay?!" Twilight asked her with worry.

"I think-AAAHH!" Sunset yelped. A moment later, warm liquid starting trickling down her hind legs. "It's time."

"I'll send Lockon a letter." Spike began to write but then his quill suddenly disappeared.

"I have a better idea." Said the voice of Discord as he appeared out of nowhere. "Why don't I teleport to him, tell him the news, and bring him back here myself? It'd be much faster."

"Alright, thanks, Discord. See you at Ponyville Hospital." Twilight said as she watched the reformed spirit of chaos snap his fingers before vanishing in a flash of light.

Meanwhile, Twilight conjured up a cloud bed for Sunset to lie down on. Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust were nearby when Sunset went into labor and heard her screaming, so they both offered to fly her cloud all the way to the hospital.

"Move aside, please. Move aside!" Lightning Dust shouted as she and Rainbow pushed Sunset's cloud in through the doors of Ponyville General Hospital. "Princess in labor coming through!"

Nurse Redheart was the first to notice Sunset. "I'll get Doctor Horse. Just keep breathing, Princess, and try to stay calm." Then she turned around and dashed down the corridor.

Just as she left, in a perfect textbook example of perfect timing, Discord teleported into the hospital's lobby with Lockon right next to him.

"I'm here, Sunset." Lockon said to her as he walked right up to her cloud. "You ok, hun?"

"I'm in so much pain." Sunset told him. "Other than that, I think I'm good."

"We're ready for you, your highnesses." Doctor Horse said as he and Nurse Redheart came back.

Soon they were in the birthing room and Sunset was breathing heavily on the bed.

"Lockon, I'm scared." Sunset wheezed.

"Here, Sunset, take my hoof." Lockon comforted as he held out his front hoof for Sunset to hold onto.

Sunset wasted no time in wrapping her hoof around his and then squeezing with all of her might as the contractions came and went accompanied by her screams of pain. Surprisingly, Lockon's hoof looked like it could be broken from the constant pressure of Sunset's grip, yet Lockon took the pain like it was nothing.

After several hours of intense agony, Sunset's pain-filled screams finally ceased as the cries of four newborn foals filled the room.

"Congratulations, your highnesses." Doctor Horse smiled at them. "Two colts and two fillies, and they are all in perfect health."

Sunset and Lockon sighed in relief. The two colts were wrapped in blue swaddling cloth while the fillies were wrapped in pink. All four of them were alicorns, just like both of their parents. The four bundles were all in Sunset's hooves.

The first-born was a colt. He had his father's mane color and style, although the mane length was slightly longer than Lockon's. He also had a midnight black coat. The most interesting part about him was his eyes. His left eye was teal like his mother's while his right eye was sapphire blue like his father's. He even had a scar-like birthmark over his right eye.

The second-born was a filly. She had her mother's coat and her father's eyes. Her mane and tail were the same style and color pattern as Sunset's. However, instead she had the red side of her mane from her mother and the yellow parts were replaced by a light shade of brown, which she obviously got from Lockon.

The third-born was a colt. He had his mother's eyes and his father's coat. He also had Lockon's exact manestyle, but the brown color was replaced by a fiery orange color.

The last one was a filly. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of emerald green that anypony could ever hope to see. She had a manestyle that was very similar to Twilight's, except the color was mostly brown with streaks of red and yellow thrown in. And she had a sapphire blue coat.

"They're beautiful." Sunset sighed.

"They sure are." Lockon agreed as he nuzzled his wife. "Way to go, Sunset. You were wonderful. How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted, tired, and very sore." Sunset answered him. "Other than that, I feel great."

Soon afterwards, their friends came in.

"Where are th-" Pinkie squealed before Lyra plugged a hoof in her mouth.

"Shh." She hissed. "The little darlings are asleep."

"Oh, they are just so precious." Moondancer cooed.

"Absolutely cute." Twinkleshine pitched in. Everypony else nodded and/or silently voiced their agreement.

"That one colt's birthmark is going to make him look cool one day." Flash told Lockon. "I just know it."

"Dream on, Flash." Lockon chuckled lightly.

At that moment, Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, and Luna walked in.

"Congratulations, Sunset." Celestia smiled.

"H-how did you get here so fast?" Sunset asked.

"I had Spike send them a letter." Twilight answered.

"What an adorable bunch of foals." Cadance squealed softly with glee.

"Truly, they are all worthy additions to the royal family." Luna agreed.

"So, how does it feel to be a grandma?" Lockon asked his adoptive mother with a smirk.

"It is just as wonderful as it is being a mother." Celestia answered him coquettishly with a smirk of her own. The two ponies then giggled softly at each other.

"I am afraid this room has exceeded its maximum occupant capacity." Doctor Horse politely told the entire group. "All ponies who are not part of the royal family, I am going to have to ask you to wait in the lobby."

"No problem." Applejack smiled. "Come on, girls. Let's let the royal family have some quality time together."

Flash, Moondancer's group, and the remaining element wielders left for the lobby, leaving Twilight, Spike, Celestia, Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadance alone with Lockon and Sunset.

"So, what are you going to name them?" Cadance asked them.

"Let us introduce you to them." Lockon said as he walked over to the mini-crib holding his black-coated first-born son. "This is Midnight Radiance."

"A very bold name." Luna complimented. "I imagine that he will be quite the handsome young stallion in the future."

"But what happened to his eyes?" Shining Armor asked in slight worry. "And where did he get that scar over his right eye?"

"Oh, that's just a birthmark." Sunset said. "And the different iris colors for each eye are also normal. That's a condition called complete heterochromia. The doctor already checked him, and Midnight showed no signs of blindness because of it."

"Well that's a relief." Shining Armor sighed.

"This little filly is Ember Blaze." Lockon said picking up the second-born foal in his magic. "And I must say, she looks just like her mother."

"Well, this strapping young colt here looks just like his father." Sunset said as she indicated their other son who was the third-born of the quartet. "His name is Solar Flame."

"And what about the other filly?" Twilight asked.

"You know Lockon, looking at her reminds me an awful lot of your sister." Celestia said to her adoptive son.

Lockon got a closer look at his fourth-born foal before the realization hit him.

"You're right." Lockon whispered as he picked up his technically youngest daughter in his magic. "Those beautiful eyes, she definitely got them from her late grandma Jade Glimmer. Other than that, she is definitely the spitting image of her aunt Sapphire. In that case, her name is Aurora Sapphire."

"A beautiful name, for such a beautiful filly." Twilight said in agreement.

"We are glad you think that way, Twilight." Lockon said. "Because we would like you to be their godmother.

"M-M-Me?!" Twilight exclaimed softly and briefly before clasping her hooves on her mouth. Thankfully, she had not woken up any of the foals. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, Twilight." Sunset answered her. "You were the one who stuck with me when I first started having those contractions until Lockon got here. You have been the biggest help out of all of our friends. What do you say?"

"I'd be honored." Twilight said with a slight bow of her head.

"We should let the new family rest." Celestia said with a knowing and caring smile. "They've earned it."

After a few days under monitoring, Sunset and the foals were finally cleared by Doctor Horse to return home. All of Sunset's friends were waiting to greet her, and introduce themselves to Midnight, Ember, Flame and Aurora. Shadow was very gentle and cautious when he first approached the foals. He did not want to scare or hurt them in any way. However, all four of the foals just hugged and nuzzled up to him and he just lay down to let them, while gently nuzzling each of them in response. Everypony just went 'aaaawwwweeee' at the sight of this.

That night, Sunset and Lockon were putting the foals in their brand new individual cots. Midnight started having trouble going to sleep at first, but thanks to the music box from Lyra, he eventually fell fast asleep as well.

"Sweet dreams, my little angels." Sunset said to them as she kissed each of them on the forehead.

"Hard to believe that we've already come this far in our lives." Lockon said.

"It was challenging, yes." Sunset agreed. "But in the end, it was all worth it as long as I was with you."

"And you know that I could never have done any of this without you." Lockon said as he held a gentle hoof to Sunset's face. "And our journey's not over yet."

"You're right." Sunset agreed. "With four children to guide, this will be our most difficult challenge yet. But as long as we have each other, and as long as we have our friends, we will always overcome this."

"I love you, Sunset." Lockon sighed. "And I always will."

"I love you too, Lockon." Sunset replied. "Always and forever."

Afterwards, Lockon and Sunset went to bed, snuggling happily under the covers and sharing a deep, passionate kiss before finally falling asleep.

It had been quite a journey for Sunset and Lockon, and there was no way it was over. Raising four children would only strengthen their love for each other and the guidance they provide will ensure a bright future for them and their children.

The End.

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