Chapter 47
Talon paced back and forth nervously. Her feet were numb from walking in the snow for so long, but she barely noticed. The only thing on her mind was the cave entrance that loomed ominously before her.
Providence had disappeared last night after they got back from the battle, and nodragon had seen him since. Now the Council wanted her to go talk to the Guards that were left and see if they could still be directed without their leader.
There was a very good reason why Talon was being charged with this and not somedragon more important; almost their entire information network was down. Only two dragon agents escaped to tell of Chrysalis’s betrayal, and both of them were still on the run from Equestrian authorities. In other words, Talon was now expendable but still important enough on paper that sending her as a diplomat wouldn’t be seen as an insult.
Her only consolation was that Crystal didn’t know about her new orders yet, and Tornado and Heart were both too clueless about wyvern culture to know what was really going on. Talon preferred things this way. Marching off to her probable death was bad enough without her three closest friends insisting on coming along too. Alone was definitely better. It was just … a hug would be nice right now.
“This could still work out,” Talon said to herself. “The others might be reasonable.” Maybe if she said it enough she’d actually start to believe it.
A shout from the other dragons nearby made Talon look up to see a golden form come plummeting down toward her.
The figure kicked against the cliff face, pushing itself just far enough out of the way that it landed next to Talon instead of on top of her.
Talon’s legs shook from the thunderous impact, but relief welled up in her when she realized who and what she was looking at. “Providence, thank the Storm you’re okay!”
Providence hefted its massive war hammer over one shoulder and turned to face her. “You arre worried about mme, dragonling?” It didn’t sound amused or insulted by the prospect, just mildly surprised.
“We, uh,” Talon glanced at the cave entrance, “we didn’t know where you went, or if you’d be back.” Oddly, she didn’t feel any of the weakness that normally went along with standing near a member of the Requiem Guard.
“Ark needss life-force. The poniess of thhe Crysstal Empire arre a rready source of itt.” Providence stepped out of the small crater that its landing had created and walked into the darkness of the cave. “How llong until the Allliancce has enoughh gemm creation runes to ffeed itself?”
Talon’s jaw dropped. “You attacked the Empire by yourself?”
The suit had almost completely disappeared from view. “Answer mmy question, drragonling.”
Talon steeled herself and hurried after it. “All of our rune masters are doing their best, but they tell me it’s a really difficult rune to create.” She caught up with Providence at a bend in the tunnel. Beyond it, she could see a small chamber that held the rest of the Guards. “It will take weeks before we have enough of them to feed even a small part of-”
Providence’s metal hand shoved her into the cave wall so hard that Talon felt the finger bones in her left wing break. She gasped in pain at the same time that a spiraling beam of darkness passed through the space she had just occupied. It looked like the kind of beam that her staff used to drain a foe’s magic, but much thicker.
“Samhane,” Providence stepped in front of Talon, and its voice dropped to a harsh whisper, “whyy are youu attaacking one of ourr allies?”
“Aark’s armmor needss energy,” one of the Guards answered. It was the silver one that was shorter and more lithe than the rest.
Talon suddenly felt weak and tired. Her legs struggled to support her, and the air was so thin that she had to breathe in gasps just to get enough.
Providence glanced back at her then returned his attention to the other Guards. “Deactivate yourr auras. Thhe dragons are alliess.”
And just like that, Talon felt some of her strength returning. Her wing still throbbed, though, and she felt a headache beginning to form.
“Do nott attack annother of our alliess.” Providence stomped over to the Guard it had called Samhane. “I alrready have the energy hhe needs.” Providence knelt next to another Guard that was resting against the wall.
Talon fought down the urge to run and kept a wary eye on Samhane. The Council would need to know what the Requiem Guard was doing and why.
The Guard next to Providence looked almost the same as the others except that the glowing runes across its chest and limbs were faint to the point of hardly being visible. By comparison, Providence’s runes cast enough light to read by. The weakened Guard turned to look at Providence. “I neeverrr … mmyyy ownn …”
Providence gripped it on the shoulder with one hand. “I knnow, Arrk.” He extended his war hammer, hilt first, with the other hand. “Taake hold.”
The Guard lifted its hand and gripped the offered weapon. The runes on its body suddenly flared back to full strength.
Apparently satisfied, Providence took back its war hammer and rose to its hooves. “Ssamhane, yourr orders are to keeep them togetherr in battle.”
Samhane held its ground under Providence’s stare. “Theyy caause morre desstructioon by sprreading oout.”
“Thhey are vullnerable onn their ownn.” Providence leaned closer. “Ark’s injurries are proof of thhat.”
“Hhe iss alrready dead.” Samhane gestured at the newly recovered Guard. “Thhat sshell iss not Arrk annd you knnow itt.”
Both Guards simply stared at each other for a moment. Talon was sure that they would be glaring if they were capable of it.
“I willl watch ovver them ffrom noww on,” Providence finally said. It turned and walked back toward Talon.
“Doess tthat meann I’m alllowed to paay thesse ponies a vvisit whhile we wait?” Samhane asked, its tone mocking.
Providence paused, and glanced back over its broad shoulder. “Celestia iss mine, do as yyou wissh with the otherrs.”
Talon got the feeling that Samhane was grinning cruelly. “Hhow generouss of yyou.” It stroked the ring on its right hand. “Iit hass been too llong sincce I fed.”
“Do nnot let itt control yyou,” Providence said, its tone warning.
“I amm no ffool,” Samhane replied acidly.
Providence turned back to Samhane and said very firmly, “Ddo not make mme kill yyou, Ssamhane.” Then it returned its gaze to Talon. “Doess the Counccil have a pllan to killl Celestia yet?”
Talon tried to hold the Guard’s gaze and failed miserably. The firmness in its voice left no doubt that Providence would kill Samhane if it seemed necessary. Providence would kill a friend that it had known for centuries. Talon knew that her own death would barely be worth a second thought compared to that.
“I-I don’t know.” A shudder passed through her. “We’ve tried everything we can think of since this war started, but nothing seems to work.” Talon hated thinking about Celestia. She didn’t want to remember all those weeks of living in fear, never knowing when Celestia and Luna would reappear to rain down more death and destruction. Was that what the ponies of the Crystal Empire had been feeling this whole war, constantly under threat from dragon attacks? “At least the Immortal Sisters won’t risk attacking us as long as we have you on our side. We can call a ceasefire, maybe even an indefinite one, and focus on keeping ourselves fed-”
“Nno.” Providence leaned down, nearly shoving its face into hers. “There willl be no ceassefire until Celesstia is dead.”
Talon took a step back without even realizing it. “Y-yes,” she looked away, “Celestia will die. One way or another, the Council will make sure of it.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
Fluttershy could tell that something was wrong as soon as Twilight got back from her most recent battle. It wasn’t just the way her head and tail drooped or the dark bags beneath her eyes. Fluttershy wasn’t sure what exactly it was, but something about Twilight’s expression frightened her.
She led Twilight to the kitchen table. Angel was already there, leaning back against Scenic Trail’s egg. He was grinning as he watched Zeph clean up after his latest attempt at cooking.
Fluttershy took the bag that held Twilight’s armor and set it aside. “What happened?”
Twilight tapped her hooves together for a moment before looking up at Fluttershy. “A lot of things.” She looked down at her hooves again. “I don’t know quite where to begin.”
“Probably at the beginning,” Zeph said. He wiped off the last bit of maple syrup from the counter then took a seat at the table. “By the way, Pinkie left a message for you a few days ago.”
“What was it?” Twilight asked.
“We don’t know.” Fluttershy went to one of the bookshelves and came back with a sealed envelope. “She made us Pinkie Promise that only you could read it.”
Twilight took the envelope and opened it, skimming the contents for a moment. “A wyvern told her that the Requiem Guard was about to be released.” She frowned. “But why would a wyvern do that? I thought they never disobeyed their superiors.”
“Wait,” Zephyr said, “did you say the Requiem Guard? Those doomsday suits of armor?”
“Yes.” Twilight’s frown deepened. “They attacked the Empire yesterday, but Pinkie’s letter says the wyvern talked to her two days ago. That would’ve given us so much more time to prepare.”
“What happened in the battle?” Fluttershy asked.
“Sorry.” Twilight took a breath. “You deserve the whole story. Two nights ago, at the Changeling Ball, we got a letter from Cliff …”
Fluttershy had to fight more and more to keep calm as the story went on. The Alliance had released the Requiem Guard from Tartarus, and they had attacked the Empire, killing dozens, including some ponies and dragons that Fluttershy knew, and leaving Cliff seriously injured. Now it looked like they would keep attacking until they were defeated, and Equestria needed her to help fight those monsters with the Rainbow Harmony Blast.
Twilight gripped the other mare’s hoof with one of her own. “I’m so sorry to ask this, Fluttershy. We really tried everything we could to defeat them without the Elements.”
“I … I understand.” Fluttershy squeezed back. “I’ll do my best.”
Twilight shifted her gaze to Zeph. “Do you think it would be safe to expose Miracle to that much harmony magic?”
Zeph frowned at her. “What do you mean, expose Miracle to harmony magic? She’s practically been swimming in the stuff since she was conceived.”
“What?” Twilight looked at Fluttershy’s stomach then back to Zeph. “Fluttershy hasn’t used her rainbow power at all since she got pregnant.”
Zeph rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Twilight? You and the other Bearers are bonded with your Elements at a fundamental level. That power isn’t going to go away just because you haven’t called it to the surface in a while.”
The kitchen timer went off.
“Oh, my pie’s ready.” Zeph jumped out of his seat and went to the oven.
Twilight silently put a shield around Zeph.
Angel positioned himself so that Scenic Trail’s egg was between him and the oven.
Fluttershy, meanwhile, looked down at her stomach. “Has that affected her chaos magic at all?”
“Nah. If anything, they’ve boosted each other.” Zeph opened the oven and peered inside. “Chaos magic and harmony magic are pretty similar when you get down to it. They both take a bunch of pieces that shouldn’t work together, and then make them work together.” He reached into the oven with two of his tails and pulled out an apple pie. “Hey, I think this one actually turned out al-”
The pie exploded, splattering bits of crust and filling all over the inside of Twilight’s shield.
“-right.” Zeph wiped bits of pie filling out of his eyes. “Spoke too soon.” He licked some of the mess off his front paw. “Hm, that’s not bad. Now if I could just get them to stop exploding …”
Twilight moved her shield away from Zeph, pulling with it every bit of pie gunk so that he emerged perfectly clean. “So it would be safe for Fluttershy to help us unleash the Rainbow Harmony Blast?”
“It wouldn’t harm Miracle, if that’s what you mean.”
“Something else could still hurt her,” Fluttershy said quietly, thinking back on the battle that she had fought in. She had nearly died more than once, even with everyone working together to keep each other safe. “But,” she grit her teeth, “we can’t let those creatures keep killing ponies either.”
Twilight tossed the pie remains in the trash, then put a hoof on the other pony’s shoulder. “Well … Celestia did bring up another option, but you don’t have to take it.”
“What is it?” Fluttershy asked quickly. Anything had to be better than either taking her daughter into a battlefield or letting innocent ponies die.
“We could induce labor.” Twilight looked away. “I know it’s not a good alternative either, and this has to be really hard for you, especially since Cliff can’t come home right now, but,” she turned back to face Fluttershy, “we’ll all support you no matter what.”
Fluttershy remained silent and looked down at Angel.
He folded his arms and arched his eyebrow.
Both of them were silent, but Fluttershy knew what her pet was thinking. The choice was between putting Miracle in danger and keeping Miracle out of danger. That wasn’t a choice at all, and they both knew it.
Fluttershy bowed her head and focused on her breathing. The words fought against her, but eventually she managed to force them up her throat, “How soon can we induce birth?”
Zeph frowned thoughtfully. “Miracle still has a few things that I need to finish straightening out, but if I started working on them now, you could be a mother by sundown.”
Twilight gripped Fluttershy by the shoulders. “Are you sure about this? You wouldn’t even get to spend any time with her. Celestia wants us back at the Empire as soon as we can possibly get there.”
Fluttershy turned and looked out the window behind her.
The streets were deserted, except for a pair of earth ponies. Golden Harvest and her little sister, Noi. Neither of those two would have to choose between abandoning their child and condemning thousands of ponies to death.
Fluttershy bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from whimpering. “I’m sure.”
-_-_-_-_-_-
What followed was somehow one of the longest and yet also the shortest days in Fluttershy’s life. Twilight went to tell the hospital what was happening. Meanwhile, Fluttershy wrote a letter to her father and another to Spirit, with a note for Cliff. Then, there had been nothing to do but wait, and worry.
Zeph was there the whole time, telling jokes and stories. They never quite managed to let her forget her fears, but they still helped.
Angel stayed on Fluttershy’s head for most of the day, running his paws through her mane as he reassured her that everything would be fine.
Silver Lining said very little when she came home and learned what was happening. She simply hugged Fluttershy, said that she was proud of her, and then stayed by her side, an island of calm in a sea of worries.
Twilight, on the other hoof, passed out from hyperventilating. Twice.
Rarity literally squealed with excitement when she got home from work and heard the news.
Fluttershy spent the time just trying to follow her mother’s example and stay calm. She had heard that labor would be easier if she was relaxed. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation made that impossible. Cliff wouldn’t be there to see his own daughter born, and it would be because of a decision that she had made. Fluttershy didn’t think there was anything she could ever do to make that up to him.
Eventually it was time to go to the hospital.
She didn’t remember the walk, or what anyone said. Everything was a blur in her mind, except for the all-consuming fact that she would be a mother soon.
What if I’m a bad mother?
Breathe in. Breathe out.
What if something happens to Miracle during the birth?
Breathe in. Breathe out.
I’m not ready yet!
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Somehow, they got checked in and taken to a birthing room, where a nurse gave Fluttershy a shot then set up an IV before leaving them alone.
“… And I can’t wait to see how adorable the two of you will be together.” Rarity let out a happy sigh. “Oh, do you suppose she’ll have your eyes, or Cliff’s? I can just imagine a pair of teal eyes looking back at me over the top of a cute little baby muzzle.” Her voice was practically a coo by the end.
Angel, who was sitting on the bed with Fluttershy, made a gagging motion.
“I don’t know what she’ll look like.” Fluttershy stayed focused on her breathing. “I just want Miracle to be healthy.”
“She had better be,” Silver Lining said, her eyes locked on Zeph.
“She will be,” Zeph said. “Trust me.” His six tails all bobbed up and down like they were nodding.
Fluttershy swallowed. “I do, but …”
One of Zeph’s paws came up to cover her mouth. “It’s okay to be scared. Just don’t forget that you aren’t alone. You have a lot of family and friends that will help you be the best mother possible.”
Something about his confident tone helped calm Fluttershy’s racing heart. “Thank you.”
“He’s right you know,” Rarity said, gripping one of Fluttershy’s hooves. “I may never have been a mother, but I will certainly help you in every way possible.”
Silver Lining walked around the bed and took Fluttershy’s other hoof. “Being a mother means carrying the weight of the world so that your child doesn’t have to.” She met Rarity’s eyes and nodded. “But there’s no reason why friends and family can’t help you carry the load.”
Angel nodded.
Twilight stepped into the room just then, holding a brown paper bag. “Pinkie, Discord, and Cheese are setting up a party in the waiting room, but I think they’ll stay out of trouble.” She took a couple of deep breaths from the bag. “Oh, and your father just arrived. He’s helping them.”
“Any excuse to stay in the lobby.” Silver Lining glanced at Fluttershy. “You remember how he faints at the sight of blood.”
The door opened yet again, and Doctor Stable came in. “Okay, Fluttershy, are you ready to begin?”
All of her worries and fears came rushing back. “I, uh.” Fluttershy glanced at the door. Maybe she could still change her mind and go home.
A creamy white hoof pressed against Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Miracle needs you to be strong for her.” Silver Lining looked down at Fluttershy’s stomach very deliberately then back at her face.
It was hard, but Fluttershy held her mother’s gaze. She knew that the older mare was right. “Y-yes, Doctor Stable, I’m ready.”
“Excellent.” He drew closer and hooked something up to her IV. “This will induce contractions, although it will take a few minutes before you start to feel the effects. Once the contractions start becoming painful, just let me know, and I’ll give you a painkiller to help you be more relaxed and comfortable.”
Fluttershy nodded mutely and focused on her breathing. Whatever the doctor had given her was already flowing into her system. It was too late to turn back now.
Silver Lining gripped Fluttershy’s forehoof a bit tighter. “Would you believe that I was terrified when I had you?”
The question caught Fluttershy off guard. Her mother had never even seemed frightened before, let alone terrified.
Silver Lining shook her head slowly. “I looked at other mothers and saw nothing but smiles and love. They seemed to know everything and always had fresh cookies to give to an upset child. I knew that I could never measure up to that.”
Fluttershy had never heard her mother talk like this before and didn’t know how to feel about it. “You were a good mother,” she said quietly.
A soft laugh escaped Silver Lining’s lips. “You can be honest, Fluttershy. I know that I was worse than average, even on a good day, but somehow you still grew up into the most wonderful daughter imaginable. You’ve saved Equestria and the world a number of times, and are about to do it again. Yet you’ve remained just as humble, and loving, and kind as you were as a child. You didn’t learn those virtues from me.” She smiled warmly at Fluttershy. “So even if you can’t trust in yourself to be a good mother, at least trust in Miracle. Trust that she can take your best efforts, however meager they are, and use them to become someone truly remarkable.”
Fluttershy had to fight down her tears. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, dear.” Silver Lining leaned over and wrapped her wings around both of them.
The rest of the room stayed quiet as the two mares finally pulled back. Fluttershy was okay with that. There wasn’t anything left that needed to be said.
The first contraction came a few minutes later. It wasn’t nearly as bad as she had feared. It just felt like her stomach was clenching up on its own, and then it went away a few seconds later.
More contractions came as the minutes ticked by. Twilight and Rarity passed the time with idle conversation, but Zeph and Silver Lining kept their attention solely on Fluttershy. Doctor Stable didn’t say anything either, although he did occasionally check Fluttershy’s … lower area to make sure that things were progressing correctly.
The contractions were getting closer together now, and much more intense. Her stomach was beginning to ache.
A particularly strong contraction hit. Fluttershy’s whole body locked up, and for a moment it was impossible to even breathe. She also felt warm liquid running down the inside of her thighs. Her cheeks burned red, in spite of the situation.
The doctor looked up and smiled reassuringly. “There’s no need to be embarrassed, Mrs. Fluttershy. Your water just broke.”
Fluttershy nodded but was too embarrassed to say anything.
“Now would probably be a good time for you and Miss Rarity to leave, Princess Twilight,” Doctor Stable said.
Twilight gripped Fluttershy’s shoulder with her hoof. “We’ll be right outside if you need us.”
Rarity didn’t say anything, but the warmth of her hug expressed more than words ever could.
Doctor Stable escorted them to the door. “Nurse Redheart, I believe we need you now.”
A white earth pony with a pink mane and tail came in a few moments later, pushing a cart full of tools. “How close are the contractions?”
“Less than a minute apart.” Doctor Stable selected a needle from the cart and readied a shot. “The Pitocin’s working better than expected.”
“Or maybe the six-hundred-year-old fox spirit is trying to give his friend a shorter and easier labor,” Zeph said.
The doctor cleared his throat. “Or it could be that.” He approached with the needle. “I think you may want this now.”
Fluttershy nodded. She could already feel another contraction coming on.
Unfortunately, the shot took time to work as well, and Fluttershy suffered through three more full-body contractions before the burning in her stomach and hips calmed down. Even then, she couldn’t breathe during contractions, and they were starting to come closer and closer together.
Time quickly lost all meaning. Maybe it was the painkiller, but Fluttershy couldn’t tell if she had been in labor for ten minutes or ten hours. It was all like a dream, or a nightmare, trapped in an endless cycle of her body clenching up, and then gasping for breath before it could do it again.
The medication had dulled the pain but didn’t remove it completely. Her whole body ached, and the pain in her abdomen was so bad that it was making her vision blur. Fluttershy could feel tears pouring down her cheeks, but when her body wasn’t locked up, she was too tired to reach up and wipe them way.
The others were talking around her, but she couldn’t understand them. Trying to understand them was like grasping at smoke.
Only her mother’s hoof on her own kept Fluttershy grounded in reality.
Then, like a switch had been flipped, her whole body went limp, and she heard a sound that made her heart soar. A baby was crying.
Fluttershy couldn’t muster the energy to look up, but she knew that it was Miracle. Her breath still came in gasps, but she found herself smiling weakly. She had done it. Miracle was out.
“You did a wonderful job, dear.” Silver Lining wiped away Fluttershy’s tears with a tissue then dabbed her own cheeks. “I’m proud of you.” She turned her attention to the rest of the room. “Finish cleaning my granddaughter off quickly, then bring her here. Fluttershy should hold her first.”
The baby’s cries calmed down quickly, replaced by aww’s from the rest of the room.
“Be gentle with her,” Zeph said. “She needs her rest.”
It was tempting to just fall asleep as well. Her body desperately wanted it. Fluttershy fought that down though. She refused to sleep until she had the chance to hold her daughter.
A few minutes later, the nurse approached with a small bundle wrapped in pink, and gently lowered the sleeping newborn into Fluttershy’s arms.
Tears filled her eyes once more as she looked at her daughter for the first time.
Miracle had a pony’s coat, but it was the exact same shade of purple as Cliff’s scales. She also had a scaled underbelly that was darker purple. A pink mane, the same color as Fluttershy’s own, covered the top of her head, with a pair of pony ears poking out through it.
Looking down from Miracle’s head, Fluttershy moved the blanket aside and saw a pair of pegasus wings, the same color as the rest of her coat. Her legs all seemed to have the same joints as a wyrm’s, which probably meant that her forelimbs were actually arms. Her hands and feet had stubby claws, but her palms were covered with a stiff material that reminded Fluttershy of hooves. Her tail was mostly like a wyrm’s except for a tuft of pink hair at the end.
Miracle yawned and opened her eyes. They were forest green, and her pupils were somewhere between a slit and a circle. She also had teeth, unlike a newborn pony, and they looked sharp.
The kirin met her mother’s gaze for a moment, and made a soft cooing sound before closing her eyes and nuzzling into the yellow fur that surrounded her.
“She’s beautiful,” Fluttershy whispered.
Everything suddenly seemed worth it. All the fear and uncertainty. All the sleepless nights, because her body was too restless to sleep. The months of eating foods that she didn’t like. Fluttershy realized that none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was the precious life she was holding in her arms. She didn’t even hear what the others around her were saying as she slipped off into sleep.
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Great chapter 47
Fluttershy baby is born to cute
I hope this war is coming to an end, because the suits of armor are to attack the pony and maybe the dragon alliance. I hope the Elements of Harmony can destroy the armor, so they can not be use again.
Highlights congratulations Fluttershy
*insert hellitsabouttime.gif*
This situation is deteriorating quickly. I doubt the Elements Of Harmony can even touch the Requiem Guard. I also feel that somebody important is going to die very soon. I hope I am wrong, though if it is somebody from the Alliance, as long as it isn't Yor Tool or Talon, I have no problem with it.
Aww
Does anyone else keep thinking that a would-be dictator could just stroll into Canterlot and take over while the Princesses are distracted?
*still in dragon form*
F.wolfdragon: that is so cute
Me: I hope she gets to see cliff
M.wolfdragon: Me too
Robot: okay what if the rainbow of harmony just cures the guard
love this chapter
7737290
Now that brings up an point I've been wondering about since we learned who the Requiem Guard really are. The minotaur nation is gone, dissolved by its own king, legally and official. Minotaurs have been living peacefully with ponies (sometime marrying them!), as Equestrians, for over 900 years now. It seems very unlikely to me that the current minotaur population doesn't view itself as Equestrian (with a rich Minotaurian heritage, naturally). Are there minotaurs in the Equestrian army? Seems like there would be. Seems like something they'd take a lot of pride in, too. I wonder how they'd react to facing off against other minotaurs.
7741585
Well, the Requiem Guard aren't minotaurs, right? At least not anymore. In the state they're in, murdering their former kin wouldn't be far-fetched. Some of them probably wouldn't even realise what they're doing.