Trapped

by Gylden Glor

Reunion

I sigh as the train comes to a halt.

"Alright," Spitfire announces. "It's gonna be crazy, you guys. Peter should go out first - he's the one that's a national hero right now."

I smile at the title. National hero, huh? Looks like I've ascended to Rainbow's position...

After a moment, the doors open, and Spitfire motions for me to exit. I do just that, and end up having to hold a hand before my eyes as the bright light of the sun blinds my vision. I hear ponies cheering all around me, and I blink until I can see again.

I stare at the rather large crowd of ponies, dumbstruck as they all cheer for me. All because I survived, and saved Princess Metamorpha and the survivors of the Changeling race...

I smile as I take a few steps down the stairs, feeling slightly self-conscious as I realize that my clothes are still rather dirty from my adventures in the wilderness. I keep walking until I reach Princess Celestia, who is standing at the edge of the crowd with Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Scootaloo, Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy. They all grin at me, and I grin back. I know that they want to hug me, but given the atmosphere, they've got to be formal...

But that notion is lost on a certain orange filly.

"Peter!" She shouts, letting a giant pent up bubble of excited energy loose as she bounds up to me. I grin as I bend down to scoop her up, and I begin to laugh out loud as I hold Scootaloo, tears starting to fall from my eyes as I hold the young child as if she were my own, kissing her on the cheek and the crown of her head as she hugs me back. I hear a cacophony of sounds of adoration as we celebrate.

"Oh, Scoots, I missed you so much," I whisper, smiling as I kiss her on the forehead. "Thank goodness you're okay..."

She giggles and laughs, relieved at my survival as I step to the side to let Rainbow Dash down the red carpet. The cheering of the crowd around me told me that she had exited the train. I put Scootaloo back on the ground, and she immediately runs up to hug Rainbow Dash when she's a few feet away. Rainbow wraps her wings around the filly, smiling as she holds her.

They say a few tender things, but I don't hear them. And besides, they're not for me, so it's not my business to know what was said.

Once their done, Rainbow and I both walk up to Celestia, and we bow. Then we look to our friends, and we smile at them.

My smile widens a bit as I notice the profound absence of the young dragon.

With unspoken commands, we slide in next to Celestia and Luna, and I feel something grab my hands. I look down, expecting to see Scootaloo, but I find that Luna has uses her magic to place invisible restraints on me.

"As a precaution," she whispers to me. "You are under arrest. Once we're sure that you're you, I'll get rid of the air restraints."

I nod, and she returns to watching the train. It's then that Princess Queen Metamorpha walks out of the train, Spitfire and several soldiers surrounding her in a protective fashion.

"Queen Metamorpha." I cringe as Celestia's voice booms above the sounds of cheers (and boos) coming from the crowd. I frown as I notice the boos: there's still a good amount of prejudice against the Changelings, hm? I look back at Metamorpha, and I frown as I see how afraid she seems to be. "Please, come forth," Celestia continues. Metamorpha gulps amid the new silence, and trots forward, her wings twitching a bit in anxiety and her legs visibly shaking.

Once she arrives at the royal area thingy, Celestia and Luna step forward towards her, and stare her down. I gulp as I watch, and-

"Queen Metamorpha," Celestia announces, "your mother attacked the city of Canterlot, during which she killed countless ponies and ruined many lives." Oh no, I think to myself. I try to reach out towards Celestia's mind, but as I do, I feel something immediately seize my conscious and shove it back into my body, paralyzingly me as I'm forced to watch. "And she did so for the survival of her race. She also sacrificed her own life for the survival of her race." If I weren't paralyzed, I'd cringe.

And that's when Luna starts to speak. "And that is why I shall immortalize thy - your mother in a statue of moonstone. It will be a grand and respectable addition to the Canterlot Gardens."

Metamorpha gasps, and I feel a bit of relief well up from within. Celestia bows her head towards Metamorpha, and I watch as she sends a personal message into the Changelings' mind. I wish I knew what it was, but, just like the tender words between Scootaloo and Rainbow, the words are not mine to know.

"You will be treated as a royal guest!" Princess Luna declares in her Royal Canterlot Voice. "You shall dine with us, sleep in your own quarters, and bathe with us!"

The crowd goes even more silent for a moment, and Celestia leans over to whisper something. Given the silence, I hear her all too well.

"Uh, sister, we don't do that with guests anymore..."

"Oh," Luna responds. "In that case, you shall not bathe with us!" I have a small bit of inner laughter at Luna's ignorance of the sexual connotation imbued within that statement. "But you shall enjoy the pleasures of the Ponitendo with myself!"

Ponitendo? Shit, I've been gone so long that they've made a home gaming console!? Hell, they skipped the Magnavox Odyssey entirely...and pong, too!

Then again, Twilight never had a television in her library, and I never even bothered looking over the video games present in Equestria...I assumed they only had arcade games, so I never even bothered asking for them for the cause of furthering my attempts to integrate technology with magic as the Royal Technician of Canterlot blah blah blah...

Oh, hey, look, something's happening.

"I have no doubt that the three of you are tired from your trip," Celestia announces. "Come, I shall escort you to your chambers." As she says that, the crowd begins to disperse, and I smile at how orderly it is: they come for the event, leave the second it's over.

Celestia and Luna start to walk towards the palace, with Metamorpha between them, and I follow along with the rest. They hound us with questions, and Rainbow and I share a smile: we're going to save our, ahem...news, for when we're in the palace.

"So, Rainbow Dash, why didn't you just come get a chariot when you found Peter and Metamorpha?" Twilight asks as soon as she's able to get her two cents in. "I don't get it..."

Rainbow and I exchange another glance. "We'll explain when we're inside," I announce. "It'll take a while. But first, I've got to do something with Celestia, so I'll help Rainbow explain when I'm done, okay?"

Twilight nods, and the questions continue.

"So, did y'all bop like bunnies?" Applejack asks. "What with bein' alone in th' woods fer' so long..."

"You know it!" Rainbow Dash shouts before I can say anything. "Almost every night!"

"My, my, that's quite a feat!" Rarity exclaims. I blush as they talk about my sex life with Rainbow as if it's an interesting animal. "But, uh...disgusting. Definitely."

We giggle at her slip in ladylike demeanor, and continue walking in relative silence as Scootaloo buzzes around Rainbow and I.

---

We arrive at the palace within a half hour.

I go off with Celestia as Luna leads Metamorpha and the rest to the same guest rooms that we stayed in for Spike's funeral. Speaking of which, I wonder where Spike is...Hope he's dead...

Wow, that's dark.

Celestia brings me to an interrogation room, and I sit down on the chair. I immediately feel the invisible restraints disappear, and I rub my wrists from the small amount of pain.

She questions me for several minutes. When she's done, she leans over and presses her horn to my forehead. When all that happens is I happen to sneeze at the same time as her horn touches me, she nods in satisfaction.

"Well, now I know that you're you," she announces. "By the way, Spike went to join a dragon migration. He's going to be killed by an assassin dragon I have stationed there. No direct combat, but once he's killed, my assassin will make wounds that make it seem like the result of a fight. Twilight will mourn, but she will not blame me."

I nod in satisfaction. Thank goodness...

As soon as I have a chance, I tell her all about Vanquel's identity, and reason for letting me live. She nods, and agrees that the Virals are something we've got to deal with, but the rate at which we do it can depend upon our fight against Vanquel.

Once that's done, she leads me out of the interrogation room, and takes an alternate route to the guest rooms. Once I arrive, I find that the six friends are all locked in a passionate hug, small sobs and sniffles dispersed here and there.

"I'll leave you alone," Celestia whispers before she retreats. I nod as I closes the door behind her.

"Peter?" Rainbow Dash asks. "What'd you do with Celestia?"

"Nothing much," I respond. "Told her about It."

She nods, and I end up having to tell all of them about Vanquel. They start to question me, but I hold up a hand as fatigue washes over me liked a wave of warm air.

"Please," I plead, "don't make me answer these questions now...I'm incredibly tired, and I just want to tell you one thing before passin' the fuck out..."

Rarity huffs at the language, but shrugs it off after a moment, given how tired I am. I sit down on the floor, and I begin to speak.

"Rainbow Dash wouldn't leave my side because she's pregnant."

Gasps, explosions from Pinkie's mane, cake, and congratulations all happen at once. I look down at the slice of cake in my lap, wondering how in the fuck it got there...

"But...how?" Twilight asks.

"This is a long story," I announce. "Well, sorta long. Anyway, I'll tell you.

"Rainbow Dash was almost killed by one of those Virals, right?"

"What!?"

"Shut up and let me explain." They fall silent with small mumbles. "Good.

"Anyway, she was almost killed, so I used my magic to heal her. YES, I KNOW MAGIC TWILIGHT, NOW SHUT IT. Anyway, I put a tiny bit too much into it, and ended up putting a small amount of my own life force into her body. That life force took on a physical form, and is now developing into a foal within her womb.

"Unfortunately, due to the lack of a fertilized ova, and no zygote being planted within the uterine walls, only a very rudimentary umbilical cord was able to form in the time allotted for her body to adapt to the organism. It can only give the fetus oxygen, but not any minerals.

"So, to substitute the energy it would gain from breaking down the minerals, it feeds upon my own life force. No, it's not dangerous, but if we go too far apart, the fetus will die. We don't know if the baby will be deformed yet - but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a natural young pony."

Twilight immediately stands, and shakes her head. "I'm going to the library to see if there are any records of this sort of event. Magical impregnation can't be that rare..." I nod, and she gives both Rainbow and I hugs of congratulations before running out the door.

I yawn as I eye a bed that sits against the wall in longing. "I know you're tired, dears," Rarity announces. "Go on, lay down. The rest of us will go shopping and get some lunch. We'll bring you back something to eat. Now, go on, rest your heads - you deserve it."

Rainbow and I smile in thanks, and go into the same bed with sighs of relief. "Come, Scootaloo," Rarity calls.

"Can I stay with them?" The filly asks, her voice small and distant.

"I'm not sure that they would appreciate-"

"Naw, I don't mind," Rainbow Dash informs Rarity. "Do you mind, Peter?" I shake my head, and Rainbow motions for Scootaloo to join us. Rainbow places the filly between us, and I smile as she snuggles down into a spot between us. The door closes, and I know that Rarity has left.

"C-can I tell you guys something?" Scootaloo whispers, her voice just as far and distant as before.

"Of course, Scootaloo," I whisper, wrapping one arm around her and one around Rainbow.

"What's the matter, Scoots?" Rainbow Dash whispers, pulling the filly up so she can look her right in the eyes. "Is it about your mom?" She looks up to me and explains. "Her mother was admitted to the hospital with alcohol poisoning."

I cringe at the news, and look down at Scootaloo with a frown. "Sh-sh-she..." She gulps as she fortifies herself. "She, uh..."

"You don't have to say it," I whisper to the filly. "I'm so sorry, Scootaloo..."

"She's going to Manehattan so she can check into rehab," she whispers. My eyes widen in surprise.

"That's great!" I cry, grinning at the prospect. "Scootaloo, that's great! Why are you so sad?"

"Because I have to go with her," she mutters. "She's going to have to stay there, and I can't stay here without anypony to watch after me, and it may be a year or something before-"

"Scootaloo, Rainbow and I will watch after you," I inform her. "Hey, Rainbow is pregnant, anyway. You can stay with us in her house! If anything, I can fly you to the ground and back, right? And if it turns out that our kid is gonna be an earth pony or a unicorn, I'll just buy a house on the ground, and you can live in there with us until your mom gets back!" I grin at the filly as Rainbow nods in agreement. "I mean, seriously, Scoots. We'll watch after you forever!"

"Thank you!" Scootaloo cries, before throwing her hooves around my neck. "You two are the best!"

Rainbow and I smile at each other before she sidles over to me. She rests her head on my shoulder, keeps her belly up, makes me sit up so she can get a wing around me. I smile as Scootaloo balls up between us, and Rainbow Dash grabs my hand, bringing it down towards her belly.

Misreading the signal, I immediately get a bit flustered. "Are you sure we should do that with Scoots right here?" I whisper. Rainbow Dash simply bites my nose, rather painfully, before pressing my hand to her belly.

"I think I'm starting to get a bit bigger," she whispers with a smile. "I mean, ponies normally have large bellies, but I think it's starting to expand..."

I blink in surprise as I rub my hand about her belly. Sure enough, it seems as though it's stretching just a tiny bit. I smile as I keep my hand on her stomach, feeling what will one day be a healthy little baby...

I close my eyes, and I quickly fall asleep.

Author's Note:

This is a bit rushed, I know. I wanted to just get over with the shift from walking to Canterlot to Canterlot.
Next few chapters are going to be humorous. Sort of like filler in Dragonball Z.

Comments

[Mirth]

Yo. Gylden. Front. Page. Again.

[Pylons]

Well, I was not expecting this to take so long... I wanted a short, silly story, and I got an epic saga of Deus Ex Machinimas and Genre Savviness that took away around six hours of my time...

Why am I cursed to encounter stories whose authors are gifted with the ability to write in a manner that makes it impossible to look away?

*steals all the adhesives* MUWAHAHAHA! GLYDEN SHALL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO GLUE MINE EYES TO THE SCREEN!

Well... It's either that, or I've run out of chapters. Also, Spike has something to say to you.

Please write "He died, and was resurrected by his unlimited swag before perishing in an epic battle to decide the fate of Equestria" on my epitaph? Thanks.

[ZephyrStrife]

small question... Is Peter going to invent the Muffin Button?

[Gylden Glor]

2522286 Spike? Ahem, is this thing on?
Sorry, Pinkie's Fourth-Wall-Breaking microphone gets bad reception whenever Buu's around, his "head tentacle" acts as an antenna and interrupts the signal...
Anyway, yo, Spike:

No.

[Gylden Glor]

2522474 No.
The muffin button invents itself.

[Romaji]

Yes. That is all.
You are SUPERCOOLANDAMAZINGANDISHOULDLOVEYOUFOREVER!!

[ZephyrStrife]

2523489 Will he discover the muffin button and then give it to derpy when the Whooves family has a family celebration that they invite their friends to?

[Mirth]

2521848 Teehee.

[Tyrannosaurus_Tux]

is too unfazed by death to die again. He'd probably end up killing and eating the dragon, influenced by the darkness.