Fallen Eagle

Chapter 56: Together Again

Hello my friends and loyal readers! It's great to be back! This chapter was originally planned to be a mini-chapter, but once I completed it, I was unhappy with how quickly it ended, so I reworked it to be the length it is now. And I hope the reworking was worth it; we've got to figure out how and why Luna hid her pregnancy, and how Garble was able to kidnap her!

Also, I hope everyone is as excited as I am for Season 6 to resume on Saturday. I'm excited for it to return, but I'm REALLY looking forward to next week's episode because it's a RACING EPISODE! And after watching the promo on Discovery Family, I can't wait to watch the writers have cooked up for us!

Gracie Ghost: LOL! No, I don't think Rarity would say that. Scoundrel or ruffian is more her speed.

Monkeyboy0118: Thank you, good sir!

Nostalgia Cop: Because I'm the writer, and I saw an opportunity to turn Flash into an actual character which was Taboo in the EQG trilogy for some reason

The Sleeping Library: Who needs sleep? Read it as late as you want :P But thank you for your positive response about Flash. I knew I took a good risk returning him to the story as Twilight's coltfriend, but I just wanted to give the poor guy a break for how much shit he gets for being in the EQG trilogy.

SkullRabbit775: Thank you!

ShiningShadow1965: Ivan's actually almost done being fleshed out. There's one more instance coming up where he discusses his old squad mates.

dixie: As for Ivan, that will actually come up again fairly soon ;)

Guest: And please tell me how they can even conceive a baby? No really, ANY ideas? I'm all ears!

WarHusky2000: Weeeeeelllll, just read this chapter :)

Jarius Black: Thank you very much! Since he literally has no personality in the EQG trilogy, I wanted to prove to the writers of the trilogy that Flash can be a likable guy. As for him bumping into Twilight, just keep that in mind. That part will be a surprise, but I can tell you he will be a huge fan of adventure and cheesy action books like Daring Do, military stories by Trot Clancy, and stories about Suave Shot, a Trottingham spy that is a spoof of James Bond. Basically, he can talk books with Twilight and challenge her to finish a particular book first.

Furi Poi: Thank you!

SquirtlePWN: Thanks for the review and especially for the critique! I tried to take your words into consideration for this chapter. Hopefully it runs a bit more smoothly for you here!

headreviewer mk2: Haha! That's something like Arnold Schwarzenegger would do! But nah, it's not like a finger out of socket; that would be something Ivan would fix; not a whole shoulder :/

Please R&R and watch out for the author's note at the end! Also, I won't restrict your excitement like in the Chapter 'Baby Steps.' Please, go all out on your excitement for the special parts of this chapter.

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(Morning; Ivan's POV)

Unlike the last time I was asleep, I remembered falling under the sandman's spell this time. Both AJ and I wanted to cuddle together as we slept, but we knew that it wasn't going to work with my injured ribs and the bed definitely not big enough to support a regular sized mare and a 6' 2" human male. So we settled for AJ pushing her chair right next to my bed while I held her hoof. And unlike last time, I went to sleep under my own will; not because of having to take sleep inducing painkillers, which helped me sleep more comfortably. The thought of everyone reuniting and finally having Luna back safe and sound only fueled my excitement for the next day. It didn't, however, mean I slept for very long.

"Psst, wakey-wakey!" Someone whispered into my ear. I could feel someone or something staring at me as I slept in the hospital bed. I groaned and shook my head, turning it to the side and hoping that it was just a dream. I shuddered when something started to tap my shoulder once every few seconds, saying, "Poke, poke, poke," every time it touched me. Beyond that, I could hear other voices talking lowly in the background, though it was nothing somber or sad.

"Please, just let him rest; he's done more than enough to earn it," someone's voice stood out from the rest. It sounded commanding and stern, yet kind and somewhat tired, almost like Celestia's voice.

"But everypony is here!" The first voice retorted, "And he's the last one to wake up," it explained.

"Pinkie! Applejack won't be happy to see you bothering him!" I could easily recognize Twilight's stern librarian whisper scolding Pinkie Pie. I began to stir, facing my head forward before I felt a great weight land on my bed. The weight itself didn't land on me, but I could feel the bed sink from the added pressure. "No!" Twilight exclaimed. I snapped my eyes open to see nothing but a pink face and giant blue eyes staring into my soul.

"Morning sleepyhead!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly into my face as she pressed her nose against mine. My eyes went wide as I nearly pissed myself from that nightmarish wakeup call. I would've preferred being woken up to an atomic bomb siren! "Hey everypony, Cougar's finally awake!" Pinkie pulled her face away from mine and pointed a hoof at me. All the voices in the room came to a crashing halt as I looked through Pinkie's four legs to see nearly all of my friends crowding the infirmary room, or as much as I could with my blurry vision. I'm sure Nurse Redheart and Dr. Shots had aneurisms from seeing this, though at least they were in the right place.

"Uh, Pinkie?" I uncomfortably gulped from the position she held over me.

"Hiya, Cougar!" She exclaimed, swinging her head back to stare at me. Thankfully, the pink mare wasn't actually standing on me, but she had all four legs straddling either side of my body. "So, how are ya feeling?" She asked me nonchalantly with a curious yet friendly and intrigued smile.

"F-fine, I guess? Nothing hurts right now, and I slept better than I thought I would," I shrugged for the ebullient mare.

"Well, it's good to have you back!" She exclaimed, hopping up once in excitement. "Oh, and if you want any extra sweets from Sugar Cube Corner, I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Cake won't mind throwing some your way!" Pinkie produced a glazed doughnut from her mane and popped it in her mouth. Scrunching my nose in slight disgust, I looked back through her legs and spotted AJ weaving through the crowd of ponies with an annoyed look on her face.

'Uh-oh,' I sort of feared for Pinkie at the moment.

"Pinkie!" Applejack barked, causing Pinkie to snap her head back around to look at Applejack. "Get off 'o him!" The country mare ordered.

"Please?" I added more politely, though I understood that Applejack was worried for the state of my injuries. I mainly wanted her to move so I could get up and stretch. I didn't feel as stiff as I did last night, but hey, stretching after sleeping is one of the best things about waking up!

"Oh, don't worry your apple dotted flank, Applejack!" Pinkie giggled and grinned, at least I presumed she did. "I'm not hurting Cougar," she assured my girlfriend, "I'm just straddling him!"

"Uh," my eyes felt like they would pop from my head at her poorly worded explanation. Applejack ground to a halt at the foot of the bed with just about everyone watching what was going on.

"OFF!" Applejack exclaimed again, grabbing Pinkie's tail with her mouth and yanked her off the bed. But as usual, Pinkie hopped up from ground like nothing had happened with a huge grin on her face.

"Okay, you two have your fun!" Pinkie said cheerily with a sing-song voice. "But not too much; there are fillies here!" She ended with a whisper and pointed to the three little figures of Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle standing next to Big MacIntosh. AJ and I both blushed from her teasing reminder as she hopped away and landed next to Fluttershy. With a quick groan and stretch, I sat up, feeling quite limber in my back. Though seeing the sling still wrapped around my arm and neck managed to put a little damper on my mood. Nevertheless, one look at a vast majority of my friends and girlfriend lifted my spirits back up. It also felt like heaven to see a few of my friends trotting their way over to me with happy smiles carved into their faces.

"Ugh, mornin' Sugarcube," Applejack rolled her eyes at Pinkie Pie as she approached the side of my bed. Without even having to think about it, we cupped each other's cheeks with a respective hand and hoof before giving each other a morning kiss. It didn't last too long, but it was definitely the best thing to start my day, even better than coffee.

"Morning AJ," I replied after we pulled away from each other. After releasing my hand from her cheek, I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stretching them out and discovering that my ankle too wasn't hurting that much. I couldn't flex it like my other foot, but I wasn't perturbed by it. "Sleep good?" I added, pointing to her chair with my good arm while Big Mac, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Shining Armor stopped at the foot of my bed, standing in a half circle.

"As best as Ah could," Applejack shrugged with a chuckle, straightening out a wrinkle in her stetson. "By the way, Ivan," she continued with a smirk on her face, "Ah've got a surprise fer ya." AJ turned to the side, motioning with her right hoof to come here. I had a pretty good idea of who she was talking about, but the instant I heard the sounds of tiny hooves galloping across the floor, I braced myself for what was to come.

"Cougar!" Applebloom exclaimed excitedly, leaping up as high as she could and landing on my left side before crawling onto my lap. I placed my hand on her back to prevent her from falling off the bed. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo skidded to a halt near my feet, sitting down patiently, yet held a look of excitement in their green and purple eyes.

"Hey there, Bloom!" I said a little louder than I meant as I scratched the back of her red mane. The filly giggled and laid down on my chest, wrapping her forelegs around my torso as best as she could and burying her face into my chest. Luckily she didn't aggravate my ribs, but even if she did I wouldn't care. "I missed you!" I added, quickly giving her a little peck on her forehead. I ignored both Fluttershy and Cadence when they failed to stifle an 'Awww,' from the affectionate display between myself and my little buddy.

"Ah missed ya too!" She admitted, pulling her face out of my hospital gown and laid her chin upon it instead to look at me. She still looked as adorable as ever with her bright orange eyes and pink hair bow. "Ah can't believe it, ya actually fought a dragon?" She asked exuberantly.

"And kicked his no good butt?" Scootaloo added with a snicker. I couldn't help but chuckle along with the pegasus filly, continuing to pet Applebloom.

"And saved Princess Luna to boot!" Sweetie Belle grinned as I looked down at the other two Crusaders.

"Now girls," Fluttershy chimed in sweetly, "I'm sure Cougar doesn't want to talk about that just yet," she reminded them politely. While of course what Fluttershy was saying was 100% true, and I'd rather just spend this time with the ponies that I've come to love, it didn't offend me whatsoever. They were just kids after all; kids are curious.

"Eh, it's okay Fluttershy," I shot a wink to the buttery pegasus. "They're just excited." Applebloom began giggling when I snuck my hand onto her belly and began to tickle it.

"Hahahaha! S-st-stop Cougar!" Applebloom got out through her laughter. She started flail her right foreleg around, trying to keep still whilst standing on my lap. I finally stopped after a few seconds, holding her close so she could catch her breath.

"You know Bloom, I thought you said you'd hit me again if I left without saying goodbye?" I pointed out to the yellow filly. She looked up at me with her big orange eyes, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah know what I said Cougar, but yer hurt," Applebloom replied, shaking her head. "Ah can't hit ya when yer hurt; that'd be cheap!" She exclaimed.

"I'm only teasing, Bloom," I winked at her and tickled under her chin. Clearly not amused, Applebloom's face fell, and her eyebrows settled lazily on her eyes.

"Ah wouldn't let yer guard down when yer all healed up though," she warned, poking me gently in the nose. Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo exchanged glances, shaking their heads whilst giggling as Applejack patted her sister's back.

"Play nice there, Applebloom," she playfully warned. The filly rolled her eyes before spinning around and sitting down on her haunches on my lap, giving AJ her innocent puppy dog face. I chuckled at how cute the filly was and started to ruffle Applebloom's mane again. Lifting my head back up at everyone, I looked past Big Mac, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Fluttershy at everyone else in the room that had resumed mingling for the time being. I wanted to say hi to them all of course, but evidently everyone else was waiting patiently for my current visitors to say hi.

"Hey," I then noticed that two ponies in particular were not present in the infirmary. "Where are Luna and Checkered Flag?" I questioned, looking past the shoulders of Cadence and Shining Armor, unable to see the midnight blue alicorn or the light grey earth pony. "She's still okay, right?" I added with a slight hint of worry. Even though I recalled what Celestia told me last night, Luna'd been through a lot, and no doubt she would've been put through a good amount of stress as well, both physically and mentally. Thankfully, Shining Armor's reassuring chuckle put me at ease.

"Hehe, Princess Luna's doing just fine, Cougar," he shot me a wink. "She and Checkered Flag are just getting a few more words in with the doctor," the white unicorn explained. "But we managed to talk to her before she went in."

"We of course asked if she was okay, but Aunt Luna quickly brushed it off and sounded very eager to greet you when you woke up," Cadence chimed in with her usual warming smile. "She'll be thrilled when she comes back," the Princess of Love added with a quiet giggle. Feeling my back getting a bit tight, I lightly patted Applebloom's side, signaling for her to jump down. The yellow filly gave me another hug before hopping down so I could get up from my bed.

"Here, Cougar," Big Mac exclaimed, taking a few steps over and extending a hoof out as the Crusaders scrambled out of the way. I grasped the red stallion's hoof and pulled myself up, grunting as I stretched forward, popping my back.

"Phew, thanks Big Mac," I politely patted his shoulder before stretching my back once again, relishing in the relief.

"You don't need help walking, do you?" Fluttershy flapped her wings, hovering over to me with a friendly smile on her face. I politely refused the animal lover's assistance; my ankle was just sprained and didn't hurt. I just felt a little twinge on every other step, nothing I couldn't handle.

"Thanks," I remarked as I felt Cadence lightly pet my back with her wing. "Ah!" I exclaimed when the alicorn sneakily and swiftly pecked my cheek with her lips, pulling back with a triumphant smile on her face. Everyone around me, including the sneaky alicorn, shared a laugh while I quickly wiped my cheek, rolling my eyes.

"Hehe," Cadence giggled, "thank you for saving my auntie," she smiled with her big eyes to try and act sweet. Feeling a blush coming on, I gave the alicorn a nod before turning away from her and Shining Armor, only to see Applejack stifling a chuckle while holding a pair of my jeans on her hoof.

"Where'd those come from?"

"Ah had Big Mac grab ya some extra clothes 'fore everypony caught the train ta Canterlot," Applejack explained as I swiped the pair of pants and carefully put them on with one arm.

"Any news on Checkered and Luna's foal?" I questioned before slipping the hospital gown off my body. Looking up to see everyone, even Big Mac, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo, shaking their heads, the realization that I might've let the secret out hit me. Big Mac asked me if I was okay before I questioned, "Wait, you guys know?" I pointed to the aforementioned four.

"Cougar," Sweetie Belle poked at my leg, "Princess Celestia broke the news when we woke up this morning," the adorable unicorn explained. "She asked us not to get too excited when we'd get to see Princess Luna." I chuckled in reply, feeling much better that I didn't accidentally ruin Luna's secret in case she herself wanted to announce her pregnancy to the rest of our friends.

"Here ya go Sugarcube," Applejack helped me get a plain T-Shirt around my torso. My shoulder actually didn't hurt, but with my arm in the sling, getting the shirt on was a bit of a pain. "Ah spoke ta the doctor before ya woke up," AJ added once I had my shirt on. "He said yer shoulder should be fine, but he wants ya ta leave that sling on for one more day just ta be safe," she explained before nuzzling my chest.

"Hmm?" I exclaimed once I hugged AJ in return. While embracing my girlfriend, I happened to look in between Cadence and Shining Armor, only to spot a stallion I'd never met before, but looked awfully familiar. The blonde colored pony suddenly locked his green eyes with me, grinned, and started to trot his way over. In my mind, I was running through about half a dozen possibilities of where I've seen this guy before. His outfit certainly seemed familiar; a brown leather vest hugged his back and torso, a cowboy hat twice as big as AJ's sat upon his head, and I caught a brief glimpse of a large red apple on his flank, so he was a relative of AJ, Applebloom, Big Mac, and Granny Smith.

"Everythin' okay Sugarcube?" Applejack pulled away when I stopped hugging her. The stallion slipped in between Big Mac and Fluttershy before I could answer my girlfriend, hoof extended with a grin that took up 90% of his face. AJ looked behind her to follow my line of sight, only to grin. "Oh yeah, y'all haven't met each other yet."

"Howdy there, partner. Ah'm Applejack, Big MacIntosh, 'n Applebloom's cousin Braeburn from AA-" The volume of Braeburn's voice rose as he was about to say something, but he was cut off by a light blue blur. Everyone jumped as the air from Soarin zipping over to us was strong enough to knock the Crusaders on their flanks. Soarin had flown over and jammed his hoof into Braeburn's mouth to keep him from finishing his sentence, and I wouldn't be surprised if he had knocked a few of farm stallion's teeth out.

"Brae, Nurse Redheart is already on edge from how many ponies are in here," Soarin growled, waving his free foreleg around like mad. "Don't ruin it for us!" He snapped as Braeburn nodded fervently before the hoof was removed from his mouth. The cousin of AJ, Applebloom, and Big Mac coughed as he sucked in a few breaths, yet maintained his big grin as much as he could.

"Sorry 'bout that everypony," he apologized, looking around at everyone. I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at his sunny disposition. "Ah'm from Appleoosa, 'n it's damn nice ta finally meet ya, Mr. Cougar!" Braeburn exclaimed as he re-extended his foreleg for me to shake. With a snicker, I accepted his hoof-shake as the few stories AJ told me about her cousin resurfaced.

"It's nice to meet you too, Braeburn," I smiled, giving the stallion a strong grip. "What brings you all the way from Appleoosa?"

"Well, Ah was just visitin' my Ponyville family when we all got the news 'bout yer rescue mission fer Princess Luna," he explained in his southern accent. "So we hopped a train ta Canterlot right quick," he finished, still shaking my hand. I released my grip from his hoof and shook my arm to get the feeling back in it. "Cousin Applejack'd always mention ya whenever we'd write back 'n forth; Ah was eager ta meet this human that she became involved with," Braeburn shot Applejack a wink. "But, Ah am glad ta see that everypony who went on that there mission is safe," Braeburn added as I began to walk around a bit to get the feeling back in my legs. I hadn't walked that much in the past few days, so I had keep moving to prevent my leg muscles from atrophying.

"Oh shit," I cursed in realization once I reached the end of the bed and stood in front of Big Mac, Fluttershy, Cadence, and Shining Armor.

"Somethin' wrong there, Cougar?" Brae cocked his head to the side.

"How's everyone else that went?!" I asked a little louder than I meant to, earning me a shush from Nurse Redheart. Of course I could see everyone else that went to Draconia was in the infirmary room, but I was unaware of their conditions with the exception of Spike and Celestia. Even though Soarin was up and at it, the bandage around his head looked pretty bad. Thankfully my outburst didn't completely silence the room, but a few others looked in my general direction. I felt slightly guilty that it took me this long to think about my other friends.

"Easy there, Coug," Soarin hovered his way over and put a hoof onto my shoulder, putting me at a bit of an ease. Everyone else that had been standing around me looked a little worried for my outburst as well, but kept their stance. "Everypony's just fine bro," the captain explained, easing himself down until his hooves touched the floor with a clack. "Well," his face fell as he realized his explanation may not have been that true, freaking me out for a second. "Dashie's right foreleg is pretty messed up. She can fly about as good as Fluttershy right now, but she won't be able to fly with the Bolts for maybe two weeks."

"Yeah, DON'T REMIND ME!" Rainbow Dash's voice screeched from the other side of the room.

"SHHH!" Nurse Redheart threatened the daredevil. Though she said no words, her shush was more than enough to warn everyone that Redheart's patience was just about gone.

"Heh," Soarin gulped, "thank Celestia for how physically fit Dashie is; she'll heal faster than a normal pony," he added quickly.

"Nice save," I whispered to the light blue stallion. Clearing his throat, Shining Armor raised his right foreleg and pointed out the other ponies in the room, starting with Soarin apparently.

"From what everyone's told us, Soarin here and Bat Fang have light concussions; Misty Fly's got a bit of a sore back; Celestia's horn is burnt; Glock has a pretty gnarly cut and burnt patches of fur down his back, but he can still fly; and Flash Sentry and Spike just have some facial injuries," Shining waved his foreleg around as he pointed everyone out within the room.

"And Flash has a bit of a cut on his abdomen, but nothing too serious," Cadence corrected when Shining Armor was done. Taking a look at everyone myself, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, thankful that everyone was going to eventually be okay with time and patience. I didn't feel the need to ask anyone about Luna; I remembered Celestia's exact words from the night before. But then again, while I was happy for everyone's health and well-being, it still stung that they had gotten injured. No matter how much getting injured was part of the job we volunteered for, it sucked. My heart went out to Rainbow Dash the most; besides Scootaloo, Soarin, and her friends, flying was her everything.

"Princess Luna herself should be okay," Fluttershy chimed in softly. "Just a little exhaustion and some bruising," she reiterated precisely what Celestia explained to me. "Though I just can't wait to find out if the sonogram revealed if her foal is a filly or a colt!" Fluttershy exclaimed with a bit of a squeak in her voice.

"Ah think we all feel the same, Fluttershy," AJ smirked at the meek pony's burst of enthusiasm. Smirking along with my girlfriend, I started to scratch at an itch on my left cheek, only to suddenly realize that my scar was out and about for the world to see. I slapped my hand over my cheek, concealing most of the scar.

"You okay there?" Big Mac rolled his head to one side in confusion. I'd hit my cheek a little harder than I meant to; the sound alerted everyone to what I had done. I shook my head in response, feeling a little bit of the same twinge of guilt from the night before.

"Is yer scar a-hurtin' ya, Cougar?" Applebloom asked, reaching up to tap my knee. I looked down to see a look of concern on the filly's adorable yellow face; not a look of shock as I'd feared. I groaned when now Spike, Twilight, Flash, Rarity, and Celestia surrounded my bed, each of them asking what was wrong in their own way.

"Hey now, just give him a little space to breathe," Cadence's right wing snapped out, preventing anyone from getting closer. The pink alicorn pushed some of them back with her wing, even Celestia herself. Moving at about a glacial pace, I removed my hand from my cheek, seeing no reason to hide it if everyone was aware of it.

"Applejack," I swallowed, turning to the side to look at my girlfriend, "did you already-"

"No Sugarcube," Applejack cut me off, wrapping a foreleg around my waist. "Everypony's been in here fer a good while; they've already seen yer scar 'n promised not ta make a big deal outta it," she explained, squeezing my waist in a tight hug. Despite her words of comfort, I darted my eyes back over to everyone that could hear what we were saying, only to see them all nodding in unison, agreeing with what Applejack said.

"It does not change our opinion of you, Cougar," Celestia spoke up softly. "Physical appearances are not what one should be judged by. We all know exactly who your true self is in your heart," she smiled warmly at me.

"An' that's why we love ya!" Applebloom jumped back on the hospital bed and nuzzled her cheek against my abs, wrapping her short forelegs around my torso as much as she could.

"Eeyup!" Big Mac agreed with a big grin. The little touching moment didn't last long, however. Soarin flapped his wings and hovered above everyone else in the group.

"Honestly bro, that thing makes you look like such a badass!" He exclaimed triumphantly. With the exception of me, everyone, even Celestia and Crusaders, looked up slowly at the Wonderbolt Captain, glaring into his soul for his outburst. I didn't mind being called a badass, but still, the scar's gonna take some getting used to, so I uncomfortably shuffled my feet in response. "What?" Soarin shrugged his shoulders.

"Grrrrr." Cadence and Shining Armor parted ways to reveal an angry looking Rainbow Dash trotting on three legs toward her coltfriend. The cyan mare stood on her hind legs, grabbed Soarin's tail with her jaws and yanked his butt down to the floor with a loud thud. Soarin rubbed his sore bum before shooting Rainbow Dash a puzzled look.

"What?!" He exclaimed confusingly. All his marefriend did was touch her nose to his and squint her eyes as she landed back on her good foreleg.

"It's too early Soarin," Rainbow Dash explained, moving her nose away from Soarin's. Braeburn bit down on his cowboy hat to keep from busting a gut at what happened to his high school buddy.

"Uh, thanks guys," I managed to get out when everyone returned their gazes to me. All of a sudden, the room went silent, and Applebloom released her forelegs from my torso. The door to the infirmary had swung open, with Dr. Shots standing in the doorway, a tired smile on his face.

"Good, everypony is awake," he grinned, wiping a wet cloth across his forehead.

"Dr. Shots!" Celestia exclaimed, excitedly turning from the group and trotting over to the medical professional. Naturally, Celestia would be the most excited for the sudden appearance of the unicorn doctor, but the anticipation of just seeing Luna back home could be felt within all of us.

"Heh heh," the mocha colored doctor chuckled, placing a calming hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "Good to see that you got a good night's sleep, your highness," the doctor bowed his head for Celestia. "I'm happy to report that I've conducted my final test on Princess Luna," he announced. Sadly, the doctor couldn't finish his announcement; a particular pink earth pony mare slipped in between he and Princess Celestia, grabbing him by the collar of his lab coat.

"Pinkie!" Cadence, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight all shouted, forcing Nurse Redheart to shush loudly again.

"What, about, the, FOAL!?" Pinkie screamed as she shook the poor doctor like a rag doll. His stethoscope, a few tongue depressors, pens, a pencil flashlight, and his eyeglasses all were flung from his body as he was being tossed around by Pinkie Pie. I knew Pinkie was a little….out there, but everyone thought this was a little much for her. I couldn't get over there fast enough to get her to leave Dr. Shots alone, but luckily I wasn't needed. Every pony in the room that could summon magic, with the exception of Celestia and Dr. Shots, all zapped Pinkie, ripping her away from the medical professional and held her in place behind Celestia, though Pinkie didn't stop struggling against the magic.

"That is enough, Pinkie!" Twilight scolded her friend, shooting her a disappointed glare.

"We know you're excited, but please let the doctor at least finish his sentence," Cadence chimed in as sweetly as possible to avoid hurting Pinkie's feelings. I limped as fast I could, fighting through the occasional stings of pressure in my ankle, and helped Celestia gather up the equipment for Dr. Shots.

"Ugh, thank you, but you shouldn't exert yourself that much, Mr. Cougar," the unicorn cleaned his eyeglasses, "especially your ribs. Too much stress could damage them even more," he reminded me with a polite pat to the back. "Now then," he cleared his throat as AJ lovingly put her hoof into my free hand, "as for the foal, I do believe the expecting parents would like to be the ones to announce it," he smiled before stepping to the side. By now, everyone had shuffled closer to the doorway; all of us more than eager to see Luna healthy and active once more, despite her being so no more than a week ago.

"Uh, Lulu?" Checkered asked as all of the mares in the room gasped in anticipation once Dr. Shots moved out of the way, the room falling to silence. However, once we got a good look at Luna and Checkered, Twilight and I understood why Checkered was confused.

"Huh?" Twilight hummed to herself when I raised an eyebrow. Levitating in Luna's magic was a manilla envelope. No doubt it contained a picture from her sonogram, but the alicorn held it directly in front of her face, completely covering it.

'She didn't have any facial scarring when I rescued her,' I pondered to myself. All I remembered was that she had some light bruising on her face and sides, that was it. Checkered helped guide Luna into the infirmary without walking into a wall nonetheless, though he was still as confused as anyone.

"Luna, please, they don't look bad at all," the racing pony gently tugged on Luna's flowing mane.

"Wait, is something wrong with the foal?!" Pinkie blurted before Cadence sealed her mouth shut with magic.

"No! Of course not!" Luna exclaimed, lowering the envelope from her face. Well, now I understood why Luna was a little uneasy about looking at all of us, just a bit. The only thing different about her face was a pair of half moon shaped glasses adorning her muzzle. The midnight blue pony's face scrunched in embarrassment, seeing no reason to re-cover her face with the envelope. She honestly didn't look too bad to me; the glasses fit her quite well. "Hello…my friends," she said through a strained voice.

"Luna…." Celestia took one step forward, her voice nearing a hushed whisper.

"Hello, sister," Luna replied in a strained voice, possibly fearing much more than Celestia's opinion on her spectacles. "The uh, the doctor said I require reading glasses from-" the princess of the night attempted to explain before Celestia leapt at her. "Ah!" Luna yelped in surprise when her big sister wrapped her forelegs around her torso in a bear hug. Checkered Flag reached out with his hoof and caught Luna's glasses that were flung off her face from the force of Celestia's hug.

"I-I missed you, Luna," Celestia whispered, her wings unfolding form her torso to encompass Luna's tinier body. The larger alicorn began to sniffle, unable to fight the tears that were pooling in her eyes. "I thought I was going to lose you!" she added, laying her head atop Luna's. "I c-couldn't lead Equestria without you by my side, not again."

"Awwww," Fluttershy gushed, wiping some tears from her eyes with her buttery wings. Suddenly, Celestia and Luna both plopped onto their flanks, unable to stay standing. Luna couldn't handle her emotions either, copying Celestia's hug with her own wings.

"I love you so much, Celestia!" Luna wailed, her emotions finally giving in. "I-I was s-so sc-scared! That I would never be able to help our citizens to a happier future; that I would never get to see any of my friends or my Checkered Flag," she added, rubbing her eye on Celestia's coat to dry it. Even I was starting to be touched by the tender moment. Applejack grunted when I accidentally squeezed her hoof too hard. I released her hoof from my hand, only to gently place it upon her neck and pull her closer. "Or…that I would never be able see my foal or my big sister ever again!"

"Shh," Celestia cooed, opening her reddening eyes to allow the river of tears of flowe forth. "You-you're safe now Lulu; I nor any of our friends will let anypony or any dragon harm you!" Celestia bent down and kissed Luna's forehead.

"I-I'm sorry, Tia!" Luna cried after being silent for about half a minute. The mare pulled away from her only sibling, a look of painful heartache, sorrow, and possibly shame etched into her face. "I'm sorry," she repeated a few times, each time her voice becoming quieter and quieter.

"Lulu?" Checkered Flag approached the two sisters, reaching out and stroking underneath Luna's wing with his hoof. The expectant mother managed a smile through her tears, reaching out with her own foreleg and pulled her special somepony close to herself and Celestia.

"Luna," Celestia cupped her sister's cheek, tearing her gaze away from Checkered, "don't you even think that it was your fault that Garble took you from our castle. You were not and will never be a burden to me nor anypony here." Luna blinked several times. I couldn't pinpoint if she was trying to think of something to say in reply, or if she was just trying to clear her eyes of her tears.

"N-no sister, I wasn't referring to that," Luna said, unable to raise the volume of her voice. Instead, she began to gently massage the much smaller body of her coltfriend, the sound of her hoof rubbing his fur seemed to calm her. "I'm sorry for….for hiding my p-pregnancy from you, Tia! I-I panicked!" Luna removed her hoof from Celestia's cheek, afraid to merely touch it anymore.

"Moon Pie, you don't have to talk about that right now," Checkered spoke up, placing his own hoof on Luna's cheek. Even from our distance, I could tell his eyes were welling up with tears.

"Checkered, now is the time for this," Luna squeezed Checkered's body tighter. "If not now, when?" She added. Although he didn't want Luna's heart to continue under this strain, Checkered reluctantly accepted Luna's explanation. "It…it was all me, sister."

"All you?" Celestia pulled her head back, puzzled at Luna's statement.

"E-e-everything, was me, Celestia," Luna choked while Checkered wiped as many tears from her cheek as possible. "All that happened leading up to my kidnapping was my fault…." Luna's voice became so quiet that it would've made Fluttershy sound like a wrestling announcer. The Princess of the Sun opened her mouth to try and placate her baby sister, tell her that she was overreacting, and that she shouldn't blame herself, at least I think so. And yet, Celestia didn't get that chance. "It was me that chose for Checkered and I to mate without protection on Nightmare Night, and it was my idea to swear it to secrecy, but that was to protect Checkered Flag," the midnight blue alicorn sniffled, struggling to keep her sobs down.

"Luna, we both played an equal part in what happened," Checkered cupped Luna's face with his hooves, gently turning her head so she'd look at him in the eye. "Please, don't pin all the blame on yourself, Moon Pie," he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, wiping up a stream of tears in the process.

"Lulu," Celestia remarked softly, beginning to stroke her sister's back with her wing. "Why? Why did you feel the need to keep your foal a secret?" She begged with a hint of hurt in her eye. "You know deep down that you can come to me with any problem plaguing you; that's what big sisters are for," she sniffled. Luna's eyes began to dance back and forth between her sister and her coltfriend, her emotions tugging at her heartstrings. She struggled to breathe in between sobs.

"B-because I knew how much you valued the sanctity of marriage, Celestia, especially w-when st-starting a f-family," Luna confessed. "I panicked," she repeated, squeezing her eyes shut, "Checkered and I were not yet ready to take the next step toward marriage, let alone conceive a foal. S-so I-I decided to k-keep it a s-secret to keep Checkered safe from any consequences. I-I kn-know now th-that i-it seems r-ridiculous, b-but I love Checkered too m-much t-to have anything happen t-to him," Luna formed a tiny smile on her muzzle whilst looking at Checkered Flag. "The only thing he's guilty of is standing by my side throughout this and cheering me up when I would become fearful of you finding out. Be angry at me, Sister, but please, do not do anything to my special somepony."

"I-I love you too," Checkered sobbed, rubbing his now wet cheek against Luna's, holding her close. "We're in this together, Lulu," he whispered into her ear.

"Oh sister," Celestia's quivering lips formed a smile, "do you know how many foals in Equestria weren't planned? Or how many were conceived before the mother and father read their vows? I understand your fear, but it's nothing to be ashamed of," the alicorn stuck her muzzle in between Luna and Checkered's hug, nuzzling the both of them. "Yes, I'm just a little disappointed that you weren't more cautious, but I'm thrilled that you get to become a mother, and Checkered gets to become a father. I know it in my heart that you two will make fantastic parents to Equestria's newest prince or princess."

"Uh, Luna?" Checkered questioned as the blue pony's wings gently pushed him and Celestia to the side, both latter ponies moving away from Luna. With tears still running down her face, Luna stood up on all four legs and sucked in a deep breath before both her horn and stomach glowed with her magic. Everyone around me and AJ went wide-eyed as Luna's stomach slowly but surely extended outwards, producing an obvious baby bump.

"That's how she hid it," I heard Twilight mumble, wiping her eyes with her wings.

"I-I am sorry my friends, and family," Luna swallowed roughly, her voice starting to return to normal. "W-while this w-was not planned, Checkered and I couldn't be happier with what we have both created. But I w-wish I could turn back the clock and share this joyous occasion with all of you," she started to lower her head before Checkered stuck his hoof underneath, cradling it.

"We can, Auntie," Cadence took a step forward, trying with all of her might to not shed any tears either. "You and Checkered are here with all of your friends and family, and your foal is healthy. I can't think of a more perfect time to start anticipating the arrival of Equestria's newest royal member."

"Only…..only if you can all forgive me," Luna reached a hoof out to her niece.

"Of course," Celestia said, lacing her own wing over Luna's back. All of a sudden, the entire population of the room, even Dr. Shots and Nurse Redheart, became one mind. Every single one of us slowly approached Luna, giving her a group hug to show our support, though we were all very careful to give her as much room as possible. "I love you, so much little sister."

"Hey, you okay there, Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me after I went up to 'itch' my eye.

"Uh, yeah, yeah," I tried to suck the tears back into my eyes. "It's just….good to have Luna and Checkered back together," I sighed, happy for the couple. Cooing, Applejack reared up on her hind legs and cuddled her cheek against my shoulder.

"Aw, ya big softie," Applejack teased as I held her upright with my arm around her. "Come here, you," she added wrapping both of her forelegs around my waist and squeezed tight.

"MMM, MMM, MMMM!" Pinkie screamed through the magic gag around her mouth. Everyone took a step back as she frantically waved her forelegs around, trying to get any of the unicorns or alicorns in the room to free her mouth. She couldn't have been running out of air; Cadence only sealed her mouth shut and left her nose alone.

"Hold still, Pinkie!" Twilight ordered sternly, trying to corral the pink mare. After garnering Pinkie's attention, Twilight zapped her mouth free, only to have Pinkie shove her away, gasping for air. "Hey!" The purple alicorn exclaimed as Spike and Flash helped her up.

"Thank you Twilight! I just wanted to ask Princess Luna one eensy-weensy little question!" Pinkie blurted, shooting a displeased look in Cadence's direction. Surprisingly, Pinkie took the time to dust herself off before politely trotting over to Luna and awaited a turn to speak, rather than getting into Luna's face right away.

"Hehe, what would you like to know, Pinkie Pie?" It warmed my heart that Luna managed to chuckle at Pinkie's antics, her smile growing after being bombarded with heavy emotions, though her eyes were still fairly wet, and her voice still quiet.

"Why'd you get the cool glasses?" Pinkie ripped the spectacles from Checkered's hoof and put them on her own face. Luna seemed to pout at the spectacles, levitating her glasses back over to herself before setting them within her flowing blue mane.

"Oh, well the doctor told me that due to the intense heat from the volcano in Draconia, I require glasses for whenever I read," Luna explained, her voice starting to recover to normal. "And I'm not too particularly pleased about it," she added under her breath.

"Aww, don't be that way, Luna," Checkered reached up and kissed her neck. "I think you look like a sexy librarian with those glasses," he flirted just loud enough for us to hear. Immediately, Luna's blue cheeks flashed red as her mouth curled into an embarrassed smile.

"Ch-Checkered!"

"Didn't expect that outta him," Applejack said to me in surprise, snickering somewhat proudly for her fellow Earth Pony.

"You know I'll do anything to cheer you up, Moon Pie," Checkered said, snuggling his cheek against Luna's still red cheek. Her embarrassed smile slowly but surely turned into a loving one whilst embracing her special somepony.

"See sister?" Celestia asked, making Luna and Checkered part from one another, both looking a little happier now that they were close again. "I told you that you and Checkered would make fantastic parents with the love you have for one another," she complimented. "And speaking of which," Celestia bit her lower lip, pointing to the manilla envelope still hovering near Luna and Checkered Flag. It was so strange yet quite sweet to witness Celestia behaving like an excited filly over Luna's baby.

"Oh yeah," I said, momentarily forgetting about the sonogram image with all of the emotions haunting the place. Luna's delight sprang up for a moment; she emitted a gasp as she remembered she still had the important image to share with us. The alicorn's magic engulfed the edge of the envelope, preparing to rip it away when she suddenly stopped. She surveyed the package for a brief moment before smiling, levitating it over to Checkered Flag.

"Checkered, would you like to do the honors?" Luna asked, lowering the envelope enough to let the earth pony reach. "I believe you've earned it for sticking by my side and supporting me through a rash decision to keep our baby a secret," a sad smile spread across Luna's muzzle.

"Are…are you sure, Lulu?" Checkered sounded a bit choked up again. Luna only nodded, assuring her special somepony that she was confident with her idea. Her magical aura evaporated, dropping the sleeve into Checkered's hoof. "I love you, Luna," he gave her cheek one last kiss before sucking in a deep breath. Everyone in the entire room was on edge, excited for the grand reveal. Slowly, Checkered tore away the edge of the envelope with his teeth, spitting it out into a nearby garbage can. "Everypony," he announced, dumping the picture out into his hoof, making sure no one could take a peek, especially Pinkie Pie. "In just a few months, Luna and I will be the proud parents of," the Earth Pony paused, staring at the image that still none of us could yet see. Even I was anxious about the reveal; Luna would make a good mother, and Checkered a good father. Checkered began to sniffle as he touched his forehead against the picture, allowing a single tear to fall from his eye from happiness. "A colt…." he breathed out before Luna's wing swiped the tear from his cheek.

"Equestria's getting a new prince!?" Pinkie shouted in excitement before slapping her hooves over her mouth.

"I'm going to have a new nephew?" Celestia's muzzle grew into a smile about a mile long.

"Yes," Luna nodded in confirmation, blanketing her Checkered Flag with her wings, nuzzling her chin atop his black and white mane. The stallion then flipped the image around for all of us to see.

"Ooh, we wanna see!" Scootaloo cheered along with Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Luna took the picture from Checkered and levitated it over for everyone to get a better look at it.

"Awwww!" All three fillies gushed until they simultaneously stopped. "Hey," Applebloom squinted at the picture, "where's the colt? Ah can't make out anythin' in this blob," she stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth. A few others got a turn to look at the picture and gush over it before it eventually was passed along to myself and Applejack. I'd never actually seen a sonogram before, or even a picture of one, but I can say without a doubt that it was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

"Would ya look at that?" Applejack said sweetly, touching her hoof the colt's image. "Luna 'n Checkered are one lucky couple; Ah can already tell this baby's gonna be one heckuva cutie pie," she gushed before handing it over to Fluttershy.

"Applejack?" I lightly shook her playfully.

"Yeah Ivan?"

"You would make one great mom," I said softly into her ear before gently scratching it. I hadn't a clue where that came from, but it felt like the right thing to say. From the entire time I've known Applejack; how she takes care of Winona, Applebloom, and her farm, and how she can put up with a hardhead like me, I knew that deep down being a mom would come natural to the mare. Applejack wriggled out from my hand, looking at me with a thankful smile.

"Thank ya, Sugarcube," she replied quietly, giving me a good kiss on the lips before returning to all four hooves on the ground. I caught a glimpse of Cadence out of the corner of my eye giving me a knowing wink.

"Ahem," Fluttershy cleared her throat as she continued to hold the picture in her hoof, "I..I just have a question, if you're not too busy that is, uh princess," the meek pony said. "Oh, it can wait," she didn't even wait two seconds before bailing and handing the picture over to Pinkie Pie who was about to explode from being one of the last ones to see the sonogram picture.

"Yes, Fluttershy?" Luna responded politely, still cuddling Checkered with her wings.

"How uh, how did Garble manage to steal you from the castle? When we looked, we didn't see any sign of a break in, and Checkered said he didn't hear anything while he was asleep," Fluttershy asked, shrugging her shoulders in confusion. The passing of the sonogram picture came to a grinding halt; all of us shifted our eyes over to Luna and Checkered, suddenly enthralled by the explanation awaiting us. Luna's eyes seemed to nearly burst from their sockets at the surprise of the question.

"Ah….that," Luna chewed on her lip, looking down into Checkered's mane. "Well, to tell all of you the truth, I would be shocked if anypony here understood what happened because I don't even know," Luna admitted, casting an unsure look out to all of us.

"What exactly happened, sister?" Celestia questioned, sounding more concerned than curious.

"Uh, let me think. I remember taking a nap with Checkered because I wasn't feeling well at all," she pointed to her rounder tummy. "And because I wanted to rest up and at least try to make it to Cadence and Shining Armor's reveal party. However, I awakened a little while before the reveal party feeling thirsty, so I ventured into my chamber's bathroom to get a quick glass of water when I heard a cry for help. It sounded distant; I knew it could only be somepony having a nightmare," Luna paused, hoping we'd catch on.

"Wait a minute princess, you can enter the dreams of dragons?" Shining Armor asked what was on everyone's minds.

"She's entered a few of my dreams before," Spike chimed in.

"Yes, but you're a dragon that's been raised by ponies Spikey," Rarity corrected, yet didn't sound too confident in her answer. "Princess Luna can only enter the dreams of ponies, right?" She turned to the midnight blue alicorn.

"A dream is dream, Miss Rarity. I am not restricted to only those of ponies," Luna explained. "But I hadn't a clue that this was the dream of a dragon until chose to seek out what was wrong as per my sworn duty. Obviously I was a little hesitant, but I still wished to assist whomever was having a nightmare. Yet once I arrived in the realm of dreams and found this dragon's dreamscape, he suddenly lunged at me, as if it were a trap. Only in extreme circumstances like with the Tantabus can a dream actually harm me, but this was a very special case. With my weak state and his element of surprise, I was unable to put up much of a struggle with this, Garble," Luna air quoted with her wings. "I managed to land a few blows to his torso and ripped off a few of his scales, but once he grabbed ahold of me and forced me to the ground, he awakened and had transported me to Draconia where I was their…prisoner," Luna squeaked at the harmful memory.

"That….BASTARD!" Rainbow Dash screamed, grinding her one good foreleg against the floor, leaving a nasty scuff mark.

"Watch your language in my infirmary please!" Dr. Shots exclaimed, only to have his order fall upon deaf ears.

"Wait, how was he able to kidnap you to Draconia by waking up?" I questioned, getting flashbacks of watching A Nightmare on Elm Street.

"I'm able to appear in the exact location of the dreamer should I decide to stay in their dream when they awaken," Luna explained, shaking her head clear of the memory. "Just in case they require comfort afterwards," she said with a small smile.

"Hang on," Twilight cut in, tapping her chin, "how did Garble know that would work? Dragons and ponies barely know a thing about each other to begin with," she pointed out to the rest of us.

"That was my biggest concern whilst being held captive, Twilight Sparkle," Luna replied. "Other than the safety and health of my foal that is."

"Clearly….we must keep our eyes peeled and our ears open," Celestia said grimly. "There is no possible way that the dragons could have done this alone; somepony had to have helped them with this."

"Can't we alert King Horntail about this so Draconia can be on the lookout for anything suspicious?" Spike questioned.

"That would be the wisest course of action for us, Spike," Celestia replied. "However, we must keep Luna's kidnapping between all of us. We do not need a panic within Equestria, especially when we know very little." Everyone in the room nodded in agreement; we all understood that telling the mass populous of the country that a group of dragons managed to kidnap one of their princesses would probably be akin to saying an asteroid was going to hit the planet. "I will alert King Horntail and Princess Ember later today with a letter, but for now we must enjoy being together once again."

"Uh, Princess Celestia, if I may?" Checkered cleared his throat. "I just have something to add to this."

"Yes, Checkered?" Celestia graciously granted the racer a chance to speak.

"Okay, I may not have really prepared for this," Checkered inhaled and exhaled deeply, "but now really is the best time." The Earth Pony bit down on his lower lip and turned around within Luna's wings until he was facing her. "Luna, may I see your hoof, please?" He requested kindly.

"What are you doing Checkered?" Luna couldn't help but feel as confused as the rest of us.

"Just trust me Moon Pie." Luna's face completely melted at the sweet and trusting smile Checkered buttered her up with. She rewarded him with his request, gently placing her silver plated hoof into his own hoof. Checkered's body immediately went tense with anticipation; he inhaled and exhaled deeply yet again, but this time through his nose like he were preparing to dive off a high dive. "Lulu," Checkered finally gathered the courage to say before wrapping his other hoof around Luna's hoof and collapsing onto his rear left knee.

"HUUUUUUUUU!" Pinkie Pie gasped loudly, clawing at her mane with her hooves. If that wasn't enough, Applejack's strong grip with her hoof nearly crushed my hand as she grasped it, tensing up. Luna's eyes went wide; her other foreleg snapped up to her chest.

"Ch-Checkered?" Her voice quivered.

"I love you more than any other pony I've known. Even before I became a professional racer, I've loved you. That night we met at the Crystal Empire Charity Bowl was like a dream come true, and I believed I was the luckiest stallion in Equestria when you agreed to a second dinner with me. And now that we've been through so much together and have conceived a new prince for Equestria, I want to do the right thing and be by your side forever. Will you marry me?" Checkered asked with so much hope in his eyes.

'Say yes! 'SAY YES!' Seemed to be what the faces of literally every other mare in the room said. Hell, even Spike and the other stallions in the room seemed to hold the same opinion. And truth be told, the little voice inside of me was saying, "You damn well better say yes."

"I-I-I," Luna began to choke again as her eyes regenerated more tears. "YES! YES! YES!" She cheered loudly, letting her tears flow. "With all the burning heat of my sister's sun, YES!" She added, throwing her forelegs around the smaller pony's body. Checkered didn't even get a chance to celebrate yet; Luna flapped her wings and took to the air whist embracing her now fiancee, spinning around in circles as she kissed him passionately.

"YAY!" Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle cheered before dancing around.

"WEDDING!" Both Rarity and Pinkie Pie sang together. I attempted to do a fist pump for the couple, but AJ's death grip prevented that as she whooped and hollered with everyone else. Even Nurse Redheart couldn't keep from cheering in the infirmary.

"Congratulations you two!" Granny Smith exclaimed. Eventually, the now engaged couple gently floated down to the floor, hugging each other for dear life.

"I love you, Checkered," Luna cooed as her wings stroked Checkered's back. Without warning, everyone swarmed the couple to give them their personal congratulations, that is until Celestia forced everyone back with her wings.

"Oh Luna! I'm so happy for you!" The bigger alicorn hugged both Checkered and Luna with her forelegs. "And you too Checkered; I told you that you were my future brother-in-law!" She suddenly gave the Earth Pony a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Celestia," Checkered blushed, still being crushed by Luna's hug.

"Oh, I can't believe I get to officiate my baby sister's wedding!" Celestia began to tear up again, only for Glock to fly up and dry her eye. She smiled and gently pushed the pegasus guard to the ground, forcing him to join the group hug.

"Ooh, Princess Luna, are you in need of any bridesmaids?" Rarity danced around excitedly.

"Or somepony to host the reception!?" Pinkie blurted.

"And somepony to organize everything?" Twilight grinned widely, conjuring up a notepad and quill.

"Come on guys, give her some room," I called out. I understood why they were all so excited, but still, Luna's going through a lot right now; she didn't need any extra stress weighing her down.

"Hehe, please calm down everypony," Luna laughed, quieting everyone down to a near whisper. "I am happy that you all wish to put forth effort to help, but I just need a little bit to process all of this," she smiled uncomfortably, not wanting to disappoint anyone. "However, before we even talk about wedding planning, I'd like to give some recognition to a certain someone who truly made this possible," Luna turned to me, gesturing for me to come forward with her wing.

'What's going on?' I thought, completely surprised that Luna wanted to 'recognize' me in front of everyone. She knew I wasn't one to flaunt my accomplishments.

"The princess needs ya, go on then Sugarcube," Applejack gave me a few taps on my back, trying to edge me forward.

"Uh, okay," I carefully limped forward as the ponies and dragon surrounding Luna, Celestia, and Checkered parted ways, looking as confused as I was. Slowly, I inched forward until Luna released Checkered from her grasp; the Earth Pony whispered a thank you to me as he took a quick step back. With a thankful smile of her own, Luna placed a hoof onto my good shoulder and wrapped her left wing around my back.

"I've been looking forward to seeing you this morning, Cougar," Luna pulled me in closer with her wing. Okay, if it was a hug she wanted, then that was fine with me. I curled my arm around her neck and gently hugged her as well. "For I never got to properly thank you for risking your very life to save myself and my baby," she pulled her head back to look at me.

"Luna, it's nothing really," I couldn't help but blush at her thank you. "I was just happy to save a friend and her baby in-" I tried to brush it off like I usually do, but something cut me off. Something usually Applejack does to me. Luna quickly leaned in and put her lips onto mine, kissing me. Some may claim that I squeaked like Fluttershy would when Luna kissed me, but I stand by my recollection of the event when I say I did nothing more but jump a little in surprise. The mare even placed her hoof on the back of my head when I tried to pull away. I suppose she really admires old customs of thanking someone. Unsurprisingly, a chorus of gasps, some saying, "Wow," and even a wolf whistle from Pinkie Pie filled the room.

"I-I uh," I stammered when Luna finally allowed me to pull back, a bashful look on my face and a cute smirk on her face. "Y-you're welcome?" I nervously scratched the back of my neck.

"Dude," Soarin floated over to me and nudged my shoulder, "you're like the alicorn magnet!" He cheered, reminding me not only of Cadence pecking my cheek earlier, but Celestia kissing my forehead after the timberwolf incident. Luna began chuckling at my reaction as Applejack came to my rescue and held my hand in my hoof to bring me back to reality.

"Hehe, Ah'll never get tired 'o yer flustered face, Ivan," Applejack took the opportunity to tease me. My favorite part about Applejack was I could be a little affectionate with my other friends, but I didn't think she'd be okay with…that. I knew I'd saved Luna by risking my life, but I was expecting a pat on the back or at the very most a peck on the cheek like Cadence did.

"Oh, how precious!" A new voice took center stage of the room, chortling mischievously.

"Ugh, why now?" Twilight face-hoofed with a frustrated groan. "Just come on out already Discord!" She shouted. Fluttershy and Pinkie seemed to be the only ones in the room other than me to be happy to hear Discord's voice. Hey, at least he took the attention away from me!

"If you insist, Princess Twilight!" Discord exclaimed before Luna squeaked. We looked over to see what was wrong, only to witness Discord rising out from the picture of Luna's sonogram. "Hello everypony! It's been a few chapters hasn't it?" He questioned, stretching as he fully emerged from the picture. Luna and Checkered had horrified looks on their faces.

"Oh I'd say about six or seven give or take," Pinkie shrugged in agreement with Discord's odd statement.

"Oh Luna, I can't tell what's more adorable," Discord tickled under Luna's still horrified chin. "The much closer relationship than any of us thought you have with Cougar, the fact that you have a bun in the oven." The draconequus snapped his eagle talons, conjuring up a cliched baker's outfit and began to feel around Luna's belly. "Or that you and circle jockey here are tying the knot!" Discord teased, snaking his body around both Luna and Checkered until there was a literal knot keeping them together.

"You may be excited across the room!" Luna shouted, zapping herself and Checkered out of Discord's knot.

"Sheesh those mood swings are hitting you hard! Then again, you always were the moody one of you and Celestia," Discord wrapped his lion arm around Celestia nonchalantly. Celestia rolled her eyes and took a step away, allowing Discord to fall to the ground.

"Sorry, I must've slipped," Celestia smirked as Discord picked himself back up.

"Aw, please don't be mad at him, Princess Luna," Fluttershy rushed over and helped Discord dust himself off. "He's just as excited as all of us that Equestria is getting a new prince shortly," she smiled in her friend's defense.

"Well, he doesn't have to be so close about it," Luna pouted her lip with a glare.

"Dearest Luna, that's who I am!" Discord chortled. "And now I get to be Uncle Discord to your cute little tyke!"

"U-Uncle!?"

"Yes! I cannot wait until he's old enough so that we may go spread some chaos together. Hehe, won't that be fun? Maybe I'll even sneak him out after dark without mommy's permission," Discord goaded, wiggling his eyebrows at Luna.

"Discord, I'd advise against this for your own health," Celestia warned the draconequus. Laughing nervously, Fluttershy flew up and grabbed Discord's eagle talons, pulling him away from Luna who was snorting smoke from her nostrils.

"Hmph, fine," Discord pouted. "But I want an important job for the wedding since I was so rudely uninvited to the last royal wedding."

"You were stuck in stone, dude," Rainbow Dash reminded him.

"So? That's no reason to not invite an old acquaintance!"

"Now Discord, I'm sure the princesses can help fine you to cover an important task for the wedding," Fluttershy smiled sweetly at her secret crush. "Would you like to help me with whatever task I'm assigned?" I noticed a faint blush appear on Fluttershy's cheeks.

"I'm thinking more along the lines of doormat or restroom attendant for you, Discord," Soarin remarked, causing all of us in the room to snicker at Discord's surprised and pissed off face.

"Ahem, speaking of jobs," Luna said after catching her breath from laughing at Discord's embarrassment. "We should assign one in particular as soon as possible. Miss Rarity!" She exclaimed, "May I ask that you make myself and Checkered our wedding attire? Your work on Cadence and Shining Armor's attire was simply exquisite," she offered. Well hot damn, that's like a band asking a fan to draw the cover for their next album!

"I-I-I g-get t-to wo-work o-on the w-wedding d-dress f-for P-Princess L-Luna!?" Rarity stuttered.

"Nice going sister, you broke our friend," Celestia chuckled at Luna. Spike rushed into the other room of the infirmary and rushed back with a paper sack in his hand, giving it to Rarity. The mare breathed in and out rapidly until the bag burst in her face.

"YES! Of course Princess Luna! I'll make you the finest wedding attire in the history of Equestria!" Rarity declared, still hyperventilating. She suddenly turned to the side where Spike was still standing beside her. "Spikey I'll need your assistance for a project this important! We'll have to spend hours together, day after day on this project. I'll buy you lunch and dinner. Are you up to it?" Rarity cupped his face with her hooves like she were asking him to go on a dangerous mission.

"O-of course! I'm always happy to help," Spike nervously replied as Rarity hugged him tightly.

"I knew I could count on my Spikey-Wikey!" Rarity gushed. I cracked a small smile and gave Spike a quick thumbs up with the arm that was in my sling. The purple dragon blushed before Rarity released her crushing hug on her friend.

"Ugh ew!" Discord whined. "All of this mushy gushy nonsense is making me sick!" He poofed himself into a hospital gown with casts around a leg and arm and a thermometer sticking out of his mouth.

"I'm on break!" Nurse Redheart snapped at the draconequus. Discord glared at the nurse pony before sticking his tongue out at her and zapping the hospital attire off his body.

"Oh hush, Discord," Celestia rolled her eyes, "I have something to announce that I've been saving all morning if you don't mind."

"Pfft, whatever flows your mane, Sunny Butt," Discord starkly replied, folding his arms and impatiently tapping his eagle talons on his lion arm. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at Discord's remark, even though Celestia cast a displeased look in Discord's direction.

"Anyway, Now that we are all back together, I'm happy to announce that the eight of you," Celestia pointed with her wing to the eight of us that accompanied her to Draconia, "shall be rewarded for your contributions in your rescue of my baby sister." Excited chatter filled the room from members of the rescue party as well as the ones that patiently awaited for us to return. Applebloom hopped up and down, clapping her hooves together for me.

"Nice goin' Cougar!" The little filly cheered, hugging on my leg. "Ah told ya it's okay ta recognize yer accomplishments every now 'n then," she gave me a huge grin. AJ, Big Mac, and Braeburn all agreed, giving me congratulatory pats on the back. No matter how much praise they were giving me, this just wasn't who I was. I'd been trying to prepare myself on the good chance something like this would happen; we'd saved the lives of two royal ponies after all. The praise I'd gotten from my friends was all I really needed, even Luna's special thank you I let slide. It's not that I had stage fright, but I simply loathed making myself look better than everyone. If Celestia was planning exactly what I was thinking, then I probably wasn't going to be looking forward to it.

"Hey, you okay hun?" Applejack nudged my hand with her muzzle, looking up at me with her beautiful emerald eyes. I wasn't going to lie to her nor anyone, but I also wanted to prove that I was getting better at being officially recognized for my contributions.

"I'm gonna do my best for you guys for this," I lifted AJ's chin up before petting her mane, "I promise." Applejack knew what I meant and rewarded me with a smile, shifting her position so I could scratch behind her ear where she liked it.

"That's all we want from ya, Ivan," Applejack replied softly.

"After a few day's rest, we will host a ceremony honoring your acts of selflessness in the preservation of not only the life of an Equestrian Princess, but a future Equestrian Prince!" Celestia continued after the side conversations had died down.

"And Checkered and I can announce both our engagement and our future colt to Equestria as well!" Luna beamed. I wouldn't admit it to Applejack, especially after the promise I'd just given her, but knowing that Luna and Checkered's announcement would more than likely be more newsworthy brought me some relief.

"Wait a minute princess," Twilight interjected. "When did you say the ceremony will be held?" She asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

"I was thinking this Friday afternoon to allow everypony a chance to rest and begin recuperating for those who need it most," Celestia explained, giving Rainbow Dash a sympathetic look. "Is there something wrong, Twilight?"

"Well, uh," Twilight….blushed? What the hell was going on on Friday? "Princess, you do know that the Spring Estrus begins this weekend, right?" Twilight asked bashfully. "And some mares are known to exhibit signs as early the night before the weekend." Now that definitely forced silence into the room. Braeburn and Big Mac distracted Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo by taking them out of the room, saying they're going to grab some breakfast. Applejack and I even exchanged a really awkward glance with each other; I remember her taking me aside at Cadence and Shining Armor's reveal party to talk to me about the Spring Estrus.

"There shouldn't be anything to worry about, Twilight," Celestia giggled. Her laughing about the subject was a little uncomfortable for me. "I wanted to hold it before the Estrus and as soon as possible. Besides, we'd have to wait even longer for ponies to also recharge their energy levels from Estrus weekend," Celestia explained. "We'll hold the ceremony early Friday afternoon, and then I shall have all of you escorted by chariot home back to Ponyville in case any of you do feel early urges," the white alicorn assured us. "And naturally, Spike will stay here in the castle. I'm certain Luna and Checkered Flag wouldn't mind a special guest for the weekend?" Luna and Checkered happily shook their heads, seemingly eager to get a weekend to spend with the dragon.

"That sounds….fair," Fluttershy squeaked, her yellow face as red as a tomato.

"I, uh, I agree," Twilight nervously chuckled. "At least with the ceremony, my and Spike's day will be booked," the alicorn smiled, trying to change the subject. Spike, however, shrugged at his mom, lost at what she was talking about. "Remember Spike? I'm supposed to be teaching local schoolponies a lesson about friendship at the Canterlot Public Library Friday morning?"

"Oh yeah," Spike scratched his chin. "Sorry mom, we've just had a lot going on lately."

"Ahem, with all of that out of the way, is there anything else anypony would like to add to this…enlightening and surprise-filled morning?" She asked around. The alicorn paused for about ten seconds, letting the hum of a few hospital machines and the ticking of the clock filled soundless void while no one said a thing. "Well then, I do believe we've all earned some breakfast?" With no objections, Luna opened the door with her magic and let everyone file out of the room. Even though my left ankle still didn't hurt too much, I chose to be one of the last to leave just so I wouldn't slow anyone, especially Pinkie, on the way to the dining hall for some food. My stomach was actually starting to beg for food, so it was pretty good timing. At least conversations between all of us started up again as we began our trek for breakfast. Cadence and Shining Armor apologized since they needed to be back in the Crystal Empire by tonight, so they wouldn't be able to make it to the ceremony on Friday; Pinkie was asking Luna and Checkered if they'd come up with any good names for their colt as of yet; Rarity had Spike walk alongside her to start a game plan for Luna's wedding gown and Checkered's tuxedo; and Twilight and Flash looked to be talking something personal.

"What are you cravin' this mornin' Sugarcube?" Applejack asked me once we exited the infirmary. The mare was doing her part in helping me keep my balance as we walked our way down the corridor, following directly behind Twilight and Flash Sentry. She didn't want to risk me tripping over my ankle and screwing up my shoulder any more.

"I don't know, maybe some chocolate chip pancakes, hash…..browns…..and….scrambled…..eggs," my speech slowed down to a snail's pace as my eyes locked onto something shocking.

"Hey, yer not hurtin' at all, are ya?" Applejack eyed me up and down for any signs of discomfort. "Do ya need ta rest yer ankle fer a minute?" With no words to describe it, I nudged AJ with my elbow before pointing ahead of us. The mare followed to where I was pointing before I made a remark.

"Didn't things used to be a little off between those two a few days ago? " I asked. The last time I saw Twilight and Flash together was right before the voyage to Draconia; they could barely speak to each other without sounding guilty. And yet here they were as if their break up never happened. Well, almost.

"Oh," Applejack's ears fell in surprise as the both of us realized that Twilight and Flash were closely walking side by side as they journeyed ahead of us, yet seeming to stay a good distance behind everyone else. The only words I could make out from their conversation as they pulled further and further away was, "We need to tell Spike first."

End Chapter 56

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Just to clear a few things up. Luna's spell only created an ILLUSION that she was not pregnant. She didn't actually force her belly to retain it's normal shape; and her emotions were all over the place, so the spell was removed very slowly, giving her belly the appearance that it was expanding.

I added in Discord to the chapter because I wanted some humor thrown in so the chapter wasn't too emotional.

Also, be honest guys, who expected Luna and Checkered's baby to a filly rather than a colt? Well, I chose a colt mainly because 9 times out of 10, when a major character in a FanFiction becomes pregnant, it's usually a girl. So I'm trying to mix it up a little with Luna and Checkered Flag!

Another Also: Yes I already have a name chosen for the little guy, but it will NOT be revealed for a few more chapters.

Next time: The award ceremony and a little something extra!