Epilogue - All Good Things...
“Okay, Doc,” Bean said with a grunt of pain when Horsenpfeffer’s magic cut out. “Will I ever be able to play the piano again?”
The doctor gave him a heavy eye roll, but then smiled. “If you can play with your rear hooves, then you and I are going on the road. We’ll make a fortune. ‘Baked Bean’s Backwards Bonanza,’ we’ll call it.”
“It’s a deal, as soon as I learn how to,” he replied. “But in all seriousness, how bad is it, really?”
Horsenpfeffer didn’t reply immediately, but she did draw in a long breath while she moved to the sink in the exam room and began to wash her hooves. “Well, it’s not what I had hoped to find. That leg of your is a mess, to use an official term.”
“Define ‘mess,’ please,” Celestia stated with the concern dripping off her words.
Horsenpfeffer shook her head and blew out the breath. “If changelings had medical credentials, I’d be calling for the ‘Doctor’ who treated you to be sacked. They bound up your leg in such a way that they actually aggravated the injury, and…”
“And what?” Bean asked while Celestia drew him in closer with her wing.
“It’s going to take time,” Horsenpfeffer said slowly. “A lot of time. I’m not sure that we can fully reverse the damage.”
Bean felt Celestia’s whole body shudder, and he nuzzled her neck in reassurance.
“Having said that,” the Doctor went on, “I’m encouraged by the fact that you’re up and moving around with a minimum of pain as it is, and with some intensive physical therapy we should be able to undo most of the damage. It’s going to be difficult, and it’s going to hurt. A lot.”
Bean pulled back and offered a smile to Celestia’s worried frown. “If I have the love and support of my wife, I’m willing to endure whatever comes my way.”
“And I will do whatever I can to help you heal,” Celestia added with a warm kiss for her beloved.
“Other than that, you actually are in pretty good shape,” Doctor Horsenpfeffer went on. “You’re mostly bumps and bruises at this point, and I think if you just take it easy you’ll do fine. The standard scar reduction spell will help with those gashes on your withers and flanks. But I need you to promise me that you won’t try to fight any gigantic tyrants that are overloaded with magic ever again.”
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t make any absolute promises,” Bean replied. “I will consult with my wife before I go rushing off, if that will be acceptable.”
“Works for me,” Horsenpfeffer replied. “Now, Your Highness, I’m going to need you to go on some prenatal vitamins as soon as possible, and I’ll need to have you stop by at least every other week for check ups. The records are extremely old and rather incomplete for a pony with your condition, so we’re basically establishing a whole new baseline here, if not a completely new branch of obstetrics and gynecology.”
Bean blinked. “I’m pregnant?” The words soaked in rather oddly in his already thoroughly-stuffed mind, made only more confusing by Doctor Horsenpfeffer’s abrupt twitch as if she had said something she should not have said, like maybe changelings had some very odd mating habits and parasitic wasps and all kinds of terrible horrors that typically would only be seen in late-night horror movies.
“Oh! Not you, Prince Bean. I meant Princess Celestia,” Horsenpfeffer quickly said, and Bean glanced up to his wife.
“Celly?”
“I’m pregnant, my love. You’re going to be a father.”
Bean’s head was not exactly a well-oiled machine at the best of times. With the abuse he had suffered during his time in the changeling lands, the battered mechanisms of his mind already had wobbling gears and squeaking wheels. Somewhere deep in the hidden recesses of his mind, a spring went ‘sproing’ and ricocheted around his skull, several bearings seized up, and smoke began to leak out of his ears. It took a long moment for him to fully comprehend what his wife had said, and when he managed a reply, it was in a stunned whisper.
“A father?”
Celestia simply nodded in reply.
“What? No. Wait. How did this happen?”
“Well, when a stallion and a mare love each other very much—” Celestia began.
“No, no. I know how it happened, but how did this happen?” he repeated. “We’ve been separated for two weeks.”
“Her Highness is just over one month along,” Horsenpfeffer added. “Give or take a week.”
“But, before all of this, you were … I mean, I wasn’t, well, performing the way I used to.”
Celestia gave her husband a confused look. “You were not? I thought you were improving, to be honest.”
“You did?” Bean whispered, and he paused for a moment. “I thought you were disappointed.”
“My dear Bean, you will never be able to disappoint me. I am absolutely enthralled with you.”
There was another long pause while Bean studied the floor and thought. “A father.” He tasted the flavor of the words. “You’re not kidding, right? You’re serious?”
“I am. You and I will soon be parents to a beautiful little filly.”
“You know she’s a she already?”
“Not officially, but I feel that we have a daughter on the way. She will be our little Epiphany.”
“Epiphany.” Bean chewed his lip in thought for a few moments, but then the corners of his mouth twitched. “Epiphany Vanilla Bean. Nilla for short.”
Celestia remained still when Bean took a step away from her, but her smile grew with his when he put a hoof on her side. For several long moments, he simply stood, but then his hoof began to rub her stomach in small and tender circles.
“Hello, my little Nilla,” he swelled with gentle pride.
Then he fainted, right there on the floor.
* * ✹ * *
“Baked!”
Bean let out a small shout of alarm when his mother leapt from the still airborne carriage, but that was quickly stifled when she stuck the landing and then smothered him in a bone crunching hug. If he had hoped for Celestia to save him, it was for naught since she was giggling behind a hoof and obviously enjoying the outburst.
“Ribs, Mom!” Bean protested with what little air remained in his lungs. “I’m still fragile!”
“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” Lima released her son, but she took his face in her hooves and studied it intently, with an obvious emphasis on his forehead. “You had your father and I so worried! Have you lost weight? I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t eat, and I couldn’t even cook! We thought you were dead, and then we found out you were alive, but then just as we come to visit we find out it’s not you, and then you end up lost, and I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the horrible things that had happened to you! When was the last time you ate something? Did that awful Chrysalis starve you? I’m going to go give that pest a piece of my mind when the guards find her, and she won’t like it. Why is your leg bandaged, what happened to it? Did you break it? You should be eating more protein to help it heal. How bad is it? I hope it’s not too bad; I know how you love to run. What can we do to make it better? Should I make you some peanut butter and pecan nibblet cookies? What happened to you? Say something!”
“I’m fine, Mom!” Bean protested. “I’m sorry I made you worry about me, but I had to do something to stop Tirek.” Bean took a breath, then reluctantly added, “Although a few of your cookies would be nice.”
Lima smiled, and her love and pride for her son shone in her eyes. “I wouldn’t expect any less from you, Baked. It’s what a Prince would do.” Then she clopped him over the head with one hoof. “Stop it!”
Garbanzo had waited until the flight had come to a full stop before exiting the carriage, and then a little more to allow his wife first access to Bean. He quietly cleared his throat to provide a distraction before Lima thwacked her son over the head again and asked, “So, how bad is that injury?”
“It’s not great, but it can get better,” Bean replied with a hug for his father that was a bit tighter and longer than a normal hug would be. “Let’s head inside. The rest of the family is here already, so I can explain it all in one sitting.”
“You would make your own mother wait?” Lima asked with a pout.
“I would, but only because there’s something else I need to tell you first.”
“Oh?”
Bean smiled sheepishly, but he stood a bit taller while Celestia’s wing wrapped around him. “See, Celly is … well, before all of this happened, that is, I … um…”
“Just spit it out, love,” Celestia replied with a kiss on his cheek.
“Celestia is p…” Bean was giving it his best try, but all the air kept getting sucked out of his lungs every time he confronted that wonderful and terrifying word.
“Pretty?” prompted Garbanzo.
“Proper,” said Lima.
“No, she’s pr....” Bean gaped a little like a fish. “Pre...”
“Prepared?” asked Garbanzo with a worried expression.
“No, she’s with... I mean... Buns and ovens and I can’t say it!” His bottom lip trembled and tears began to well up in his eyes. “We’re gonna have a foal.”
What then followed was an explosion of words that could never properly be translated into any known language. Baked Bean was able to pick out a few key phrases, such as “I can’t believe it!” when Lima again tried to crack some of his ribs, and “I’m going to have a grandfoal!” while he was smashed into the middle of a group hug, but that was only based on the tones and inflections being vaguely similar to their Equish counterparts. There was possibly a mention by his mother of a new nursery in the ancestral Bean home, something about a beginner’s cooking set, and some advice for a proper diet while the new grandmother studied Celestia’s overall weight and stance, but everything else was lost in a torrent of overjoyed parental clucking.
“Does anypony else know?” Garbanzo managed to ask when Lima paused to inhale.
“Princess Luna knows,” Bean replied, while wiping away a few tears of joy. “Her reaction was similar to Mom’s. I think she’s trying to find a book that was written in the last few centuries or so about what Celestia can expect while she’s expecting.”
“Is your… um…”
“Pregnancy,” prompted the proud princess.
“Yes.” Garbanzo swallowed. “Will it be the same as other ponies? I mean since you’re an alicorn, does that mean it will take a few years, or involve some celestial event, like a comet or…” he hesitated, and for one moment, he looked so much like his son. “Eggs?”
“I believe that my pregnancy will be similar to any other mare, especially if Luna’s pregnancy is any indication of what I can expect.” Celestia’s ears folded back slightly, and she offered a nervous laugh. “From what I can recall, the Royal chamberpot was one of my sister’s closest confidants from conception and throughout until her daughter was born. I am hopeful that such symptoms will be more subdued for me, but I have to admit I have my concerns.”
“Will Princess Luna be alright with a new little one around?” Lima asked. "It's been a long time since she's had to deal with a foal."
“Actually, I believe I shall have to place a tracking spell on my own child to keep my dear sister from absconding with her. It may not seem like it, given her usually impassive demeanor, but Lulu has always regarded fillies and colts with a tender regard and deep concern. She would be devastated if she ever felt like she had disappointed any young one in any way.” Celestia shook her head. “The spoiling will last forever.”
“I would have never guessed,” Lima remarked while they all began to walk inside.
“Luna has always found it difficult to show her true emotions to other adults; she does not wish to be an imposition, if she can. It is possible to misread how she feels, and—”
Celestia paused for a moment with a sad and distant gaze, but then her focus came back to the present and she smiled brightly. “Well, it is sufficient to say that Luna will need little enticement to foalsit for us. Now, why don’t we share this news with the rest of the family? I am sure they will be just as overjoyed as you.”
* * ✹ * *
Bean couldn’t contain his smile, even if he had wanted to. He was surrounded by family, friends, and good food, and he was once again home.
Home. The word meant more to him now; the connotations were richer and fuller. Home had been in Salt Lick, and a small part of him would forever claim loyalty to the small town where he had spent his formative years, but it was a bit astonishing to think that, in just a few months, Canterlot and the palace had become his home.
Bean’s gaze lingered on his wife, who was in the middle of the ballroom and happily clucking with the other hens in the roost, and his smile deepened a bit when his eyes moved to her stomach. His physical location wasn’t what really mattered; what he truly cared about was who he was with. He could be in the Palace, or he could be in a run down shack in the middle of the Smokey Mountains, and he would still feel the same joy within his heart, so long as he had his family, his Celestia, and now his new little one.
A father! He was going to be a father! He and Celestia were going to be parents! He and his wife were going to have a family, and his wife and his daughter were going to be—
“Excuse me, Your Highness?”
“Trixie?” Bean turned, and one eyebrow slid up when he found the Element of Pride before him with her formal secretarial collar in its customary position.
“Hah. The Princess has that exact same look,” Trixie observed.
“I thought you’d be long gone by now,” Bean replied. “Princess Celestia agreed to absolve your debt, once I told her about our deal. Did you not get paid for a new wagon?”
“Trixie got the money, but Trixie has decided to stick around for awhile.”
“Really? I thought you wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible.”
Trixie smiled slightly. “Let’s say I had a slight change of heart. I thought things over while you were away, and I decided that remaining in Canterlot was the best choice for now. Miss Inkwell offered to double my salary if I did stay, and it would be wise to build up some savings, after all. Besides, Trixie’s new wagon simply must have at least four trap doors, self-lubricating axles, the latest magical lighting, triple barrel firework launchers, pure satin stage curtains with gold trim and tassels, double paned windows, and one of those new cloud stuffed beds that Trixie has been hearing so much about. This will require more money than I originally anticipated.”
“And?” Bean prodded.
Trixie’s smile grew. “And Trixie is not quite ready to leave her new friends yet. Sergeant Clover Leaf promised to show me a few card tricks she knows, and I’m running the pool with the laundry staff on names for Miss Inkwell’s foal. Plus, Trixie enjoys having three square meals a day, and a dry roof overhead that Trixie doesn’t have to fix herself.
“Trixie also has to admit that she was worried about you while you were gone,” she added, but then her eyes grew wide. “But only as a concerned friend! I don’t care about you otherwise! I mean, I do, but not like that. Princess Celestia would roast me alive if she thought Trixie was trying to make a move on you.”
“I really don’t think she’d do anything like that.”
“Oh?” Trixie scoffed. “That introduction to the trees must have scrambled your brain. It’s pretty obvious that Princess Celestia doesn’t like me in the slightest. She wouldn’t need much of an excuse to banish me to the moon.”
“Why do you think she hates you?”
Trixie gave Bean a flat look. “How does she act whenever I’m around you? The wings go up, the horn comes down, and she starts pawing at the ground like she’s in a jousting match.”
“She’s not that bad,” Bean countered. “Yes, she gets a bit possessive, but …”
“But what?” Trixie asked in the middle of his pause, and he chuckled.
“It just dawned on me. About ten years ago, we hired a new waitress at the Zuerst named Violet Rose, if I remember right. She was good at what she did, but for the first four months or so, my mom watched her like a hawk. Whenever she got near my dad, Mom would interject herself into whatever was going on. It got pretty awkward at times.”
“And what does that have to do with Trixie?”
“My mom was being possessive, just like Celestia. Subconsciously, Violet was a threat, a homewrecker come to steal her husband away and to leave little Baked Bean without a father. Mom was making sure Violet understood that Garbanzo Bean was very much taken, and that one wrong move would spell certain disaster.
“Celestia is doing the same thing, Trixie. You’re a potential threat, since you are a mare and you are near my age. She’s establishing her herd of one, if you will, and she’s letting you know that I belong to her, in nonverbal ways.”
“But she doesn’t do this with Miss Inkwell.”
“That’s because Wysteria is our friend, and she trusts her friends. Had I shown up right when Wysteria was hired, she’d do the same thing. I bet if you just give her a month or so, and if you show her you have no ulterior motives for my royal self, she’ll stop.”
“This is why Trixie doesn’t bother with special someponies,” Trixie muttered. “But I guess we’ll see if you’re right or not as time goes on.”
“I’m glad you chose to stay, for the record. Even if Celestia is still warming up to you, I consider you a friend, and I’m always happy to have friends around.”
“Just don’t expect me to hang around forever, Your Highness. I still plan on taking my show on the road again, once I feel that the time is right.”
“I fully expect you to,” Bean replied with a smile. “As your friend, I want you to be happy first and foremost. If that happiness lies elsewhere, then I will send you off with my best wishes and with a sincere hope that we will cross paths again.”
“Trixie would like that,” Trixie replied with a broad smile. “However, the reason I approached is because Prince Blueblood seeks an audience with you.”
“He does?” Bean glanced around the ballroom. “Where is he?”
“Out in the hallway. He says he needs to speak to you in private, if you have a minute.”
“Sure, I can duck out for a moment, I think.” Bean stood and began walking to the door with Trixie. “Did he say what he wanted?”
“No, Your Highness.”
Nothing more was said while the two walked out into the hall, but Bean offered a small smile when he found Blueblood just a few steps away from the main doorway. “Hello, Prince Blueblood. Would you like to come in? We have plenty of food, and Pinkie Pie made a really good mango strawberry punch.”
“I appreciate the offer, Your Highness, but I’m afraid I don’t have much time. I’m due to leave on the next train out of Canterlot.”
“You are? Why? If this is because of what happened earlier, you don’t need to—”
“That is only part of the reason, sire,” Blueblood interjected with a grimace. “I am returning to Yakyakistan.”
“Oh! Did they finally allow an envoy in?”
“No, but there is a good reason for their rejection. Your Highness, the truth of the matter is that I grew tired of the seemingly endless demands of Prince Rutherford and the Yaks. Every little detail had to be to their exacting standards, and it infuriated me how one minor omission could set back all of our work, and with a ‘Yak no like!’ added on as a seeming insult. It reached a point that I felt that my time was being wasted, and so I concocted a story about an imminent changeling invasion, ironically enough, and told the Yak delegation that I was needed back in Equestria to help prevent an attack. In this process, I also convinced Prince Rutherford to close his borders and to admit nopony within his lands, with the ruse that this would prevent a changeling from infiltrating his home. This, I hoped, would keep us from having to negotiate with them for a very long time, and I was quite pleased with myself when I saw the end result of my work.
“But then, while you were being held hostage by Chrysalis, I saw something that I had never expected to see. Despite my harsh evaluation of the motivation for the love that my Aunt Celestia held for you, I came to realize that her devotion to you was genuine and true. She loves you, and that love is deeper than anything I could ever possibly experience in my life, I fear. Every hour she spent away from you was another hour of the most exquisite torture, and it became clear to me that she could not live without you. She would remain alive, perhaps, but her life would become empty, shallow, and meaningless. She needs you, and you need her, I would dare say.
“In every way, my assessment was wrong. I realize that now, and I ask your forgiveness because of it. Had I seen the matter in the light of truth, there is a strong possibility that you would have remained safe and uninjured. Should you feel the need to punish me for my misdeed, I will submit to your rule and take my just desserts, as it were.”
“None of this is your fault, Blueblood,” Bean replied. “I mean, yeah, what you said got to me, and I kinda believed it for a bit, but if I had shared my feelings with Celestia before Tirek attacked, none of this would have happened, either. She would have told me how wrong you were, and we could have dismissed what you said with a laugh.”
Blueblood dipped his head. “I thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. I shall strive to be more informed, we’ll say, the next time I judge your character and motivations.”
“Thanks, I guess. Will it be hard for you to reestablish relations with Yakyakistan?”
“I’m afraid it may take many moons. They will be most displeased with my deception, and I will, undoubtedly, need to earn their trust again before any negotiations can be undertaken. However, I believe that there is a possibility of achieving our original goals, and I am willing to pay the price to bring about improved Equestrian-Yakyakistanian relations, just as you were willing to pay the ultimate price to keep Equestria and Princess Celestia safe. You may yet need more education in the affairs of governance, but you have shown that you possess the heart that a Prince should have.”
Blueblood then pulled a pocket watch from his suit coat, and his eyes widened a bit when he saw the time. “I’m afraid I do need to be going, however. Will you pass along my apologies to Auntie Celestia, as well?”
Bean smiled. “I’ll let her know. Maybe you can teach me some of your diplomacy tricks when you get back. Good luck, and please let me know if you need any help. I’m more than happy to do what I can.”
“Blueblood, dear?” Lady Chrysanthemum glanced around the corner, frowned, and waved at Prince Blueblood frantically. “We need to go!”
“She’s going with you?” Bean asked, and Blueblood chuckled lightly.
“It would seem that there is a great demand for geologists in Yakyakistan, Uncle Bean. Until we meet again.”
Prince Bean dipped his head to Prince Blueblood, and he drew in a long breath while the diplomat quickly trotted over to his awaiting partner. “He just called me Uncle, Trixie.”
Trixie simply stared at the retreating form of the white unicorn. “Uncle, huh? Does that mean he gave up?”
“In a way, I suppose, but it’s probably one of those times that it’s good to give something up.”
“I’ve called him worse,” Trixie added thoughtfully. “I was hoping he would apologize to me, too.”
“One step at a time, I guess,” Bean remarked. “Shall we return to the party?”
“Maybe if I write up an official apology, use Celestia’s royal seal, and then have him sign it without telling him what it is,” Trixie mused while they moved back into the ballroom.
“Or, you could just let it go,” Bean said with a knowing glance that Trixie completely missed.
“Why would I do that? Blueblood owes me.”
Bean rolled his eyes. “Maybe one day, Trixie. Just don’t hold your breath.”
“Bean-o!” Discord hollered, and a rather petulant-looking draconequus appeared before him with a flash of light. “Can we talk?”
“Somepony is popular tonight,” Trixie muttered.
Bean ignored the comment and offered a smile to Discord. “What’s up?”
“Well, since somepony decided to try to play around with the sun while I was trying to offer a very heartfelt and moving apology, I feel that I still need to ask for your forgiveness. You see—”
Bean held up a hoof. “I said what I meant, and I meant what I said, Discord. I forgive you. You don’t need to ask again.”
Discord leaned back. “Just like that? No pleading, no awkward promises or humiliating favors that you’ll cash in at the worst possible moment? Don’t you want me to get down on my knees and tell you how magnanimous you are?”
Bean shook his head. “Do you know what you did wrong, Discord?
“How could I forget, seeing as how Rainbow Dash reminds me every thirty seconds?”
“Are you going to do it again?”
“Goodness, no! I realize now what Tirek did, and nopony makes a fool out of me!” Discord quickly wiped the clown makeup from his face and tossed it across the room, where it then hit Rarity in the face with a solid splat. “Discord is his own draconequus, thank you very much!”
“May I still come to your Tuesday tea dates?”
“Only if you bring more of those tea cakes and apple scones. I’ve had a hankerin’ for those lately.”
“Then I see no reason why I should not forgive you. You made a mistake, but you’ve learned from it. Friends forgive, after all.”
Discord put a fist to his quivering lip, and he squealed a bit in delight while tears welled up in his eyes. “Bean, I don’t care what Twilight says about you. You’re all right, in my book.”
“Do I dare ask what Twilight does say about me?”
“Oh, just that she’s glad you’re back, too. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss how you can produce chaos responsibly in the future. There’s better ways of getting that inner desire to be random out of your system, you know.”
Bean smiled at this while they walked back into the ballroom and towards the rest of the partygoers. “Discord, I would love to hear all about it.”
* * ✹ * *
“I can’t believe they got to Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, too,” Fluttershy lamented, while she watched a ladybug crawl onto her finger.
“They’ve gotten to everybody!” Rainbow Dash added.
“Not everybody!” Pinkie interjected.
“Pinkie Pie’s right,” Applejack added. “We were there when the Dazzlings were singin’ and we weren’t affected. It was like we were protected somehow.”
“So let’s take them down!” Rainbow declared while balancing her soccer ball on her head. “It’s not like we haven’t tangled with dark magic before and totally whooped its sorry butt!” Rainbow headbutted the ball, and caught it before realizing what she had said, and to whom. “Uh, no offense.”
Sunset Shimmer rolled her eyes and frowned. “None taken. Again.”
“But that was when Twilight was here,” Fluttershy pointed out. “There may be some kind of magic inside us, but it only comes out when we play music. I sure don’t know how to use it to…” she paused while she watched the ladybug take to the air, “whoop anybody’s butt.”
“If only we could get a message to Twilight.” Rarity inspected the nail polish she had applied, and then moved in again to touch up her work. “Maybe she could tell us how to break the spell the Dazzlings have cast on our friends.”
“Well, that’s not gonna happen. The portal’s closed.” Rainbow threw her soccer ball at the pedestal in frustration, causing Rarity to jump in alarm and let out a groan of annoyance when her handiwork was ruined by the scare. “And I get the feeling they don’t exactly have cell phones where she’s from.”
The mention of cell phones triggered a memory within Sunset Shimmer, and after a moment, she faced her friends with a smile. “I may have an idea how we can get in touch with Princess Twilight!”
~*~
Sunset rummaged at the bottom of her locker for a moment, with a mental admonishment to clean up the mess of candy bar wrappers, week old leftovers, and old assignments, if there was still a school at the end of all this. Thankfully, the book she was after wasn’t buried very deep, and she grinned while she turned and faced her friends.
“When I was Princess Celestia’s student back in Equestria, she gave me this.” Sunset wiped the accumulated layers of dust from her cutie mark on the cover, and her gaze drifted to the past for a moment. “Even after I abandoned my studies, I held onto it. Deep down, I guess I knew I was making a big mistake, and I wanted to still have a way to reach out to her.” She flipped the book open to a blank page, and her hand ran over the surface with hope. “Maybe it still works.”
“That’s a book, darling. What do you mean, ‘maybe still works?’” Rarity asked.
“It used to be that if I wrote something here, it would appear in the pages of a book back in Princess Celestia’s library. I get a message to her, then she can get a message to Princess Twilight.”
“So what are you waiting for?” Rainbow held out a pen with a grin. “Get to writing!”
Sunset hesitated, took the pen, then drew in a deep breath as she put the pen to paper. “Been a long time since I’ve written these words. ‘Dear Princess Celestia…’”
* * ✹ * *
“How is your leg, my love?” Celestia asked, and Bean wiggled a bit on his bed of pillows.
“It’s hurting a little, but it feels better now. I probably overdid it a bit at the party last night.”
“Relax, then, and thank you for trying to help.”
“Are you really sure you want to get rid of these books?” Bean asked while he idly flipped through one that had just been placed in a box.
“I believe they would be better utilized if they were in Twilight’s collection,” Celestia replied while her magic pulled a few more from a shelf. “I have not used these in quite some time, and one of the greatest injustices a book can experience is neglect. Besides, there are copies of all of these in the Royal Archives, and Twilight would willingly send a volume back to me, if I ask her to.”
Bean closed the book he’d been looking at and gave his wife a grin. “You know, I think the bassinet would still fit in here, even with the shelves.”
“Perhaps, but I have other plans that require more open space,” Celestia replied with a warm hum.
“Couldn’t we just requisition another room in the palace for the nursery?”
“We will, but I would like to have a small little space in here where Epiphany can rest,” Celestia replied as her magic teleported the now empty bookcase out of the drawing room.
“Can’t argue with that,” Bean replied, but he grew curious when Celestia pulled a book from a shelf and looked at it longingly. “What’s that one?”
Celestia ran a hoof over the embossed cover, and the corners of her mouth twitched up into a sad smile. “This is a journal, my love. It is tied to a similar book that my former student, Sunset Shimmer, has in her possession.”
“I thought she disavowed you.”
“She did, but she still kept her book. I hope that, one day, she will forgive me for my failures as her teacher, and that she will wish to talk to me again. Of course, I don’t even know if the magic will work where she is.”
“May I?” Bean held out a hoof, and Celestia floated the journal to him.
“I have read and reread the messages we exchanged dozens of times,” Celestia remarked while Bean studied the cover. “Perhaps you will see something that I have missed, something that will help illuminate where I went wrong.”
“I’m happy to look it over,” Bean replied. “But I don’t think I’ll find anything new.”
“You never know.”
Bean jumped a bit and gasped when the book in his hooves suddenly began to glow and vibrate. “Um, sweetie? I think that magic still works.”
Celestia let out a small cry of delight, and her magic eagerly snatched the book and flipped it open. Her smile turned into a frown as she read, however, and Bean felt a knot of worry form in his gut while he waited for her to read.
“What’s going on?” Bean asked when Celestia snapped the book shut, and his ears folded back slightly when he saw the lines of determined concern on her face.
“We must go to Ponyville, immediately. Sunset needs our help.”
* * ✹ * *
Mandible and Bob stared at the four post bed that was residing in the hallway just outside their Queen’s personal chambers, and both were thinking the same thought.
“How did she get—”
“Shutup,” muttered Mandible.
“I mean the bed is huge—”
“Shut. Up. Now,” hissed Mandible. “She wants the bed in her room so we’re going to put the bed in her room. Unless you’d like to find out what being drawn and quartered feels like.”
Bob eyed the doorway, which was not very “Princess Bed” sized, then took a look at the nearby wall. Princess Celestia had given him a more liberalized view on interior decorating during his brief stay in Canterlot, the wall was not all that thick, and Queen Chrysalis really did deserve a larger bedchamber...
* * ✹FIN✹ * *
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Looks like Mandible went up a level, and put a few points into IQ. Being chased around by a cosmic flamethrower must have helped his brain bloodflow.
And Bean's dad is great, if a little misinformed. Everypony knows that princesses don't lay eggs.
9302408
Amazing what a near-death experience can do for you, isn't it?
Well other then Chrysalis getting away without consequences, this ended very satisfyingly. I don't follow Equestria Girls so I don't know if what Sunset is in trouble for is actually part of the canon or not, but regardless I still liked this story very much.
Can't wait to see what else you'll do. Keep it up
(Twilight, what ARE you saying about Bean? Really?)
Oh nooo, not Nighttime Nanny!
It's a bittersweet kind of feeling to see the 'complete' tag on a story one enjoys reading so much...
But wait, is that a couple of sequel hooks I see?
That was a great story. Turns out everyone is happy at the end. Except Chrysalis. Too bad she didn't hook up with Pokey. Maybe that would have mellowed her.
more plz .. already miss the story ..
Considering how he almost killed himself via mass teleportation, I kind of expected Blueblood's apology to be a bit more emotional than that. Y'know, with the crying and the begging and the inability to stop crying after being forgiven. But I'm just happy he apologized and learned something.
9302583
That may have been a misstep on my part. One day I shall be a good writer. One day!
9302628
You're already a good writer, it's not your fault when an event didn't go how I fantasized it.
9302653
So long as you like it overall, right?
Oh joy, their going to have a wafer thin bean...
Enjoyed your story, thank you...
9302669
You are most welcome! There shall be more awesomeness to come!
9302666
Absolutely. I will never get tired of Baked Bean and his life as Celestia's husband. And I think I speak for most, if not all, of your fans when I say: Hopeful for another sequel, I want to see these two tackle parenthood. I expect it'll be both heartwarming and hilarious, as always.
That was a great ending! Take all the rest you need before writing any sequels for this story, my friend.
Uh, I hate to break it to you, Irrespective, but Luna already told Lima about her daughter back in chapter 1...
Also, I'm hoping that the Dazzling-conflict reference was just a clue at where we were in the show timeline, and that you're not going to try giving Bean and Princess Celestia a larger role in that bit, because I feel like that would overcomplicate it.
But besides that, this was a lovely way to end this arc of the Bean Chronicles, and I can't wait for the next installment!
9302739
Doesn't matter how many times you hear about something you can't believe, you are always surprised the next you hear of it.
9302739
Hah! She did!
Whoops.
I shall fix that
This was an amazing story! Glad to see that everything went the way it did. Take the time you need to rest up and get ready for the next story, I eagerly await the next one. There are so many questions that I have of what will happen next.
As for when the baby was announced and Bean found out ... I am safe to say that this is the reaction that everyone else was sharing.
(Fifteen second mark)
Heh, here come the sirens!
Well, I'm kinda sad to see this end, but happy that Celestia got to tell Bean about the little one. I'll be looking out for the next one.
a grate ending to a awesome story.
my self along with all the readers will now site back in anticipation for the new story's.
For the first time I have followed a story as it was written all the way to completion!
Man you do some good work. Thanks for the awesome read :)
Kinda too bad Discord wasn't asked to use his magic to fix Beans leg, but whatever, this just gives us something else to look forward to in the next one. And if there is gonna be another, hopefully we'll also get to see Sunset return to visit Celestia, and see her reaction to Celestia being married and pregnant.
I truley enjoyed reading this fic, and while i am a bit sad that this part is over i am overjoyed that you are planning to write more, i am eagerly awaiting to see what the future will hold for Celestia and Bean.
Thank you for such a wonderful story!
I’ve never seen an episode or movie of EG, so if Sunset Shimmer is going to be a major character it may be time for me to get off this train. I’m grateful that you finished this story before you brought her in.
Blueblood surprised me. I thought he and Chrysalis were in cahoots... not totally, but the getting rid of Bean part. You tricked me good!
Hopefully I’ll be able to follow the sequel! But even if it’s about Sunset, I’ll at least have the first two stories! ☺️
9304536
Even if Sunset isn't your cup of tea, I do plan on the EqG part to be a stand alone, so you can jump back in when season 5 starts!
I said what I meant, and I meant what I said.
A Bean is faithful one hundred percent!
9304656
9304547
Yahoo! I’m there!
An adequate alliteration, acknowledged and approved!
9306230
Another wonderful chapter! I'm assuming that there's going to be more?
9310574
Eventually yes. I need to finish fixing up No Nose first. :)
....how do you keep makeing this beter!
9314956 I did indeed. There are very few stories which can garner an emotional reaction out of me. Well done.
I have reached the end and overall I liked it. My only gripe is how Bean was cured of the poison spell. It seemed... cheap. That said, I will continue reading when the next story comes out.
9316682
That's a fair criticism. It is a bit quick and handled quite neatly. Something I'll need to work on for the future.
While I will admit I am sad to see the story come to a finish, as the title of the chapter says, all good things must come to an end. That said this was a wonderful way to resolve all of the various loose ends and finish things on a high note. More to the point it was a spectacular pay-off to the build up for Bean discovering he is going to be a father, in fact my one regret is we didn't see the return of Bean's famous 'Royal Nervous Hind Leg' when Celestia broke the news to him but we can't have everything
I was never having any doubt that you would one day continue to write more stories in the Beanverse, but after seeing all the work you've put into this latest tale, I think it's safe to say you deserve a nice long holiday. Just remember we'll all be waiting with open arms when you come back 
Well, it's bean fun. If stories were cakes, this one would be baked almost to perfection. So, will Bean's role in the EqG side story be more meaningful (in terms of a different outcome than canon) than the Tirek fight?
Here's your like and follow. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a slideshow to finish.
9321656
I appreciate the kind words! I have lots more planned for Bean, and the Royal Nervous Hind Leg™ is bound to make a comeback too. :)
9322047
Oh, I think you'll like how Bean interacts with the world of Equestria Girls. It'll be fun, and I plan on scrambling up the story till it looks like an omelette.
9322959
Ooh, a plot omelette? Can I get that with ham and cheese?
9322963
That is my favourite! Of course you may!
9344260 Lol. A Pegasus actress who's bad at making storms and is terrible with cats.
9345973
Bean : "I wish I'd never been born!"
*Bean then gets to watch the exact same show we've all been watching* :)
Well this is annoying I just found out tracking on these stories is not working right and I have 519 unread chapters to catch up on (not all on your story). Oh well I'll go back to the last chapter I read and work through to here by which time maybe that sequel will have started. Should be interesting to see how the events of Rainbow Rocks will play out with Celestia getting involved.
9392190
You know, I’d have to look into that. I know the throne was carved out of a massive anti-magic rock, but now that you mention it I’m not sure if it was a meteor or just a rock they found nearby.
you know...these two stories have ruined a small section of fanfics for me
anytime i see a fic where celestia gets/is married now if its not baked bean i get annoyed...and it ruins any enjoyment i could have had for the story....congrats
you created an OTP, and now i can never see celestia wed to anyone other then bean.
9409876
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