I barely wake up as something warm presses against me. It's been a long week, dealing with the Unfamiliar and such, but I'm just glad to be home. I roll towards the warm source and pull it into my embrace, resting my nose against something equally as soft. I feel a warm breath wash over the end of my muzzle and smile when I feel a pair of soft lips press against mine.

"Good morning." I whisper to her.

"Welcome back." Luna tells me softly, giving me a kiss on the lips. "How was it?"

"Truth or watered down version?" I ask as I open my eyes to look at her. She looks back to me and nods, telling me to continue. "It started out pretty bad." I tell her, getting her to frown. She doesn't say anything, instead waiting for me to finish. "The city was basically divided in the fight. We fought our way to Jueh and formed a proper resistance-"

"Miles, you didn't go overboard on them... did you?" She asks hesitantly.

"You would have been proud of me, I only killed like... two hundred in the first fight. After that... well, I didn't kill any allies at least." I try, getting a more worried frown from her. "Don't worry, everything is settled now."

"How could everything be settled now!?"

"Well... I may have changed into a pony in the middle of a fight, and may now be worshipped by all of them." I tell her, getting a shocked look.

"... and how exactly did you change?"

"Heh... um... I got shot."

"Miles-"

"It's not like I tried getting shot! There was a sniper and he-"

"Wait, a sniper!? What happened!?" She asks as she sits up. Oh shit... why did I say that?

"Well..."

"Miles Eremita, you tell me what happened right now." She warns me in a firm tone.

"Well, it was during our assault on the P.C.H. Night Fury, Dash and I were in lead taking down some heavy encampments when... I took the hit on my back." She immediately reaches behind me and tries to find the wound. "Don't worry, once everything was done they stitched me up."

"Miles, I don't like this. I thought you would be able to stay home when you hit maternity leave." She says as she hugs me tightly.

"I'm sorry Luna, but it's my duty to do this as Captain. I can't just sit idly by when I know they are down there. Especially if they know we're up here and would want to cause us harm." I soothe her as I rub her back gently. "Don't worry, I still intend to keep that promise to you."

"You better!" She retorts as she buries her face in my chest. We spend a while holding each other, content with being in each others hooves. I don't like worrying her like this, but it's inherent with my position. After an extended period of silence she breaks off from me and heads to the restroom. I sigh as she shuts the door slowly. I need to find a way to cheer her up somehow.

When an idea comes to mind I get out of bed and head to the bathroom, finding the door unlocked. Luna is sitting outside the bath with the water running, waiting for it to heat up. I come up behind her and sit so that I cover her back. I wrap my fore legs around her chest and rest my head gently besides hers. She leans into me and sighs as I hold her there, leaning against her lightly.

"Dust and True came back with a new recruit. Not to mention we have Ellzy and Butterscotch training soon as well." I tell her quietly.

"So you're going to be leaving for a month now to train them, whoop-de-doo." She says as she tries to break out of my grasp, but I refuse to let go of her.

"Lady, I'm the Captain. I am not supposed to be there the entire training session." I tell her. She pauses for a moment before looking back to me, slightly confused.

"But... last time-"

"Last time I had to ensure that Storm and Big Mac would be suitable trainers. I've already talked with them both and we have an agreement for the training. They'll each take a week to oversee the operation. I'll only be there for the essential stuff. Basically, anything that requires magic. So instead of two months, I'll only be gone for two broken up weeks."

"... wait, two months? I thought it was only for a month."

"Well, usually it's three months, but with the limited resources we have to cut stuff out. I doubt they will need to know how to fly an AA-20 anytime soon. So, for the time being, we stick to the basics. Mental, physical, and the arcane."

"... but I thought you couldn't use pony magic."

"I can't. But Ellzy can learn Terradisian magic, so I'll be teaching him. Along with Spike." I inform her, getting a thoughtful nod from her. "Better?"

"... much." She says with a smile. "Now let's stop wasting water and get washed up already." She says as she pulls the plunger for the shower to start.

"Sounds good to me." I say as I pick her up and bring her into the shower, getting some high pitched yelps from her. I bring her into the shower and use her like a shield against the water. We spend the next twenty minutes having the most playful shower ever, water be damned. But it all comes to a crashing halt when Luna bolts out of the shower and pukes into the toilet.

"Sorry." She grumbles when she collapses at the seat, keeping her face pointed in.

"Don't be." I say as I shut off the water. "I'm a little surprised you didn't do that earlier." She replies by heaving more bile into the toilet. I step out and grab a nearby towel and drape it over her back. I try to rub her back and dry her off as she continues to barf into the bowl. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"HNG! Bleh, no. Can you get breakfast ready though?" She asks groggily.

"Sure, what do you want?" I ask, rubbing her back slowly in an attempt to comfort her somehow.

"I don't care, just make it tasty please." She says with a weak smile before vomiting once again into the toilet.

"I'll see what I can whip up." I tell her as I grab a towel and head down stairs. I'm not sure what to make for her... I don't even know how to make anything, but I'll do my best.

Once my stomach settles down and I rinse the bile from my mouth I head downstairs to get some breakfast. When I make it to the bottom of the stairs a wonderful smell fills my nostrils, leading me to the kitchen. I swear, if Miles can cook- jackpot.

"LOOK OUT!"

"EEP!"

THUD

BOOM

I look over to the stove and see a large column of dark smoke coming from a pot with green goo frothing down the side. Miles goes to say something, but I stop him with my hoof.

"Okay, if I'm going to live here, you're going to follow some rules. First, that kitchen now belongs to me until you properly learn to cook. Second, anything you attempt, you clean up afterwards. And lastly, no more tackling the pregnant lady, got it?"

"Got it." He answers quickly. He helps me to my hooves and ushers me out as the smoke begins to build up in the house. "Um... lets eat out for breakfast. It's such a beautiful day anyway." I lean back and glance up at the dark, cloudy sky before looking back to him. "I'll get you a sweater... just give me two seconds." He says before running back in. I chuckle a bit as he rushes inside and trips over himself as he rushes up the stairs.

"Hello Luna." I jump a little when Fluttershy appears behind me, wearing a light green jacket. Her belly is really starting to show, much more than mine is. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's fine Fluttershy, and hello. What brings you by today?" I ask as I turn to talk to her.

"Oh, well, I was going to see if either of you were home so I could ask you about the town meeting today." She asks quietly. It warms my heart to know that I've gone from timid to quiet with Fluttershy. Going to all of those pregnancy classes with her has really brought us closer together.

"Of course, what did you want to know?"

"Well... do I have to go? Big Mac and I accidentally planned to visit Twilight today, so we might not be able to make it. But if you really need us to be there, we can always reschedule-"

"Nonsense, go to Canterlot and visit Twilight. And be sure to send our regards as well. Heavens knows what my sister's been putting her through since she's started showing." I say with a slight chuckle.

"What has she been doing to her? She shouldn't be under too much stress, it's not healthy for the baby-"

"Oh! Nothing like that!" I assure her, getting her to sigh in relief. "In actuality, my sister has been by her side almost non stop to keep the other family members away from her. She doesn't want anypony trying to win bonus points with her, though I doubt they ever could." I tell her, getting a warm smile in response.

"Oh, thank goodness. Okay then, thank you for understanding. I'll see you next Wednesday." She says happily before walking off towards Ponyville.

THUD

"Got it." Miles proclaims as he holds up my black sweater. I lean down and kiss the top of his head before taking my sweater, pulling it on quickly to fight the cold winds. "What's Fluttershy doing here?" He asks while he gets up and sets his saddlebags on his hips.

"Just letting me know that she'll be in Canterlot today, visiting Twilight." I tell him as I look over my sweater. "Darn it, I'm going to have to buy a larger sweater. This one is starting to get tight." I frown a bit as I look at my growing stomach. A lifetime of being lean and thin, down the drain.

"Do you want to stop at Rarity's first then?" Miles asks as he takes the first step down from the patio.

"Aren't you going to get your jacket? It might start raining any minute." He stops and looks back to the door, thinking deeply about his choices.

"I've gone too far already, lets go." He begins to walk off, so I follow after him.

The walk in the park is peaceful enough. Because of the weather, there aren't a lot of ponies out, so it's just the two of us. There's a strong wind picking up, blowing chilled wind over the two of us. I nuzzle up against Miles for extra warmth and sigh when I feel the wind suddenly disappear from my side. I look over and see Miles's wing on my side and hugging me closely to his side. I look back to him to see his smug face smiling down at me.

"What? You're acting like I'd never be able to do that?"

"With the kind of progress you were having, I was starting to think that." I joke before kissing him lightly on the lips. "Can you fly yet?"

"No, but Dash says I'm getting pretty close. When I'm human I just need to work my arms out a bit more. It somehow transfers over to my wings."

"That's good." I say as I cuddle up with him. We make it into Ponyville and head straight for Rarity's boutique, having the bell ring as we enter.

"OOO! W-Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is- oh! I-I'm sorry darlings, I didn't know it was you two." Rarity stammers as she enters from the back. "It is good to see you again Miles. Luna, looking lovely."

"Thank you. I was wondering if I could get another sweater, it seems this one is... getting tight." I say with a slight blush as I look back to tummy, feeling self conscious about my growing size.

"But of course! If you'll step over here I'll take your measurements." She says as she moves to the side and pulls out some measuring tapes. I pull off my sweater and stand where she told me to while Miles begins to wander around the room, looking about idly. "So, Miles, are you going to be staying home for long this time?" She asks as she writes down some notes.

"Yup. We aren't shipping the food processor to the Colonies for another month-"

"Oh that's good." I sigh in relief. "The griffins could really use that right about now."

"Honey, please try to stand still." Rarity says firm yet softly. "But yes, it is good to see them receiving aid. Have you found those responsible for the attack yet?"

"No. Not even a clue. But we're not giving up until we find them and bring them down." Miles says coldly.

"So, how are you and Spike?" I ask quickly, trying to change the subject. Rarity practically falls over when I mention this, dropping a few tapes and her notepad.

"What!? Whatever do you mean, darling!? Spike!? And-and I?! Together?! Romantically!? Never!? Nothing against Spike, of course! He's grown to be such a handsome, strong, capable gentledrake- BUT HE'S STILL SO YOUNG! We're just friends! That's it, friends! Why, what have you heard?" She demands, her face quickly becoming flush.

"Nice cover, Rare." Miles deadpans, getting an evil glare from Rarity.

"Miles, please. It is rude to tease a lady-"

"I'll be sure to tell Spike-"

"MILES!" Rarity and I both yell, getting him to laugh.

"AHEM! Anyway! If you're done being completely vulgar, I have what I need. Are there any designs that you would like me to attempt?" She asks me, ignoring Miles's laughs.

"Right... I prefer darker, cool colors. Besides that.... umm...." I lean in to whisper in her ear. "Slimming, if you can."

"Of course." She whispers back, giving me an understanding smile in return. "Well, I have all I need. I'll be sure to make them adjustable for... later. Now I have another order to finish up, so I'll be sure to send the finished product when it's done."

"Thank you Rarity." I tell her as Miles joins me at my side.

"Can you do me a favor?" Miles asks.

"Well, I can-"

"When you head back into your work area can you tell Spike that we're doing double time today." He tells her nonchalantly. She blushes furiously as she glances to her backroom.

"I-I will be sure to tell him the next time-"

"SPIKE!" Miles yells. "DID YOU HEAR THAT!?"

".... yeah." Spike grumbles from the back. Rarity's entire face turns redder than a tomato as she drops to her haunches .

"Good, have a good day you two. Luna?" Miles says as he offers a wing. I look back to Rarity before stepping under it and am ushered out of the building.

"Did you really have to tease them like that?" I ask as we walk into Ponyville proper.

"Do you really think I could pass up a chance like that?" He asks as he holds me a bit tighter.

"... touche... I'm still hungry by the way-"

"Cravings?" He asks excitedly.

"No!" I say dejectedly. "But if you could get some strawberry filled crepes with hay fries and smothered in chocolate, I'd love you forever." Miles comes to a stop and looks at me, raising an eyebrow slightly.

"That sounds... like death on a plate." He says slowly. I fold my ears down and pout to him.

"Is it because it's fattening?" I ask, my voice quivering slightly.

"What? No! The straw-"

"Are you trying to say I'm fat?" I ask, my voice breaking slightly as I begin to tear up.

"What!? No! You're not fat! You're pregnant!" I break a little when he says that. Originally I was joking, but, somehow, it turned real. "Luna! I'm sorry!"

"YOU THINK I'M FAT!" I wail as I drop to my haunches and begin to openly cry, causing a little scene in the middle of the street. Miles steps back and tries comforting me, but only succeeds in making me feel worse.

"Luna! I'M SORRY! Uh... Okay! Let's go get... the crepes! I'll have one with you too! You're not fat! PLEASE GIVE ME THE ANSWER!" He yells as he falls to the ground and holds my hooves.

"*Sniff* really? You'll have one with me?" I ask, wiping some tears from my eyes.

"Yes, I'll have as many as you want me to have. Just, please calm down." He says as he sits up and rubs my shoulders a bit. I nod and smile up to him. "You're not fat."

"I know, sorry. I guess I let my emotions get the best of me there." I say with a slight chuckle.

"You could say that." Some mare says from the side.

"Take that back before I rip your fucking head off and shove it up your ass, while you're still alive." Miles warns her sternly, glaring at her with the most intense eyes I've ever seen before. The mare goes wide eyed for a moment before looking back to me, fear gripping her form.

"I retract my statement in its entirety." She says before taking off down the street. I look back to Miles and kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you sweetie." I say, nuzzling his cheek a bit.

"Now, we're getting... food, right?" He says as he stands.

"Right. And you don't have to get what I'm getting Miles." I say as I stand with him. He sighs in relief and we resume on our way to Sugarcube Corner. We make it just in time for a light drizzle to start to come down, so we rush inside before we get too wet-

"One, two, three, LUNA!" Pinkie yells, pausing beforehoof to count to three. "Life lesson from Mrs. Cake, don't scare pregnant ponies. They jump, waters break, twins... good times..." She says with a content smile. Luna and I look to each other before slowly walking around Pinkie as she reminisces about her past.

We get to a table and order our food after some small talk with the Cakes. When our plates make it to our table Miles starts to gag a bit, probably from all of the strawberries in my dish. Oh well. While he chokes to death from the delectable aroma I dig in and savor the sweet, crunchy goodness. By the time I finish my first bite, Miles is on the other end of the table, sitting as far away from my food as possible.

"Now you're just over reacting." I tell him as I take another bite, relishing in the flavor.

"Woman, that shit can kill me." He deadpans. I roll my eyes and set my fork down, now's the time to start on this problem.

"Okay, now normally I don't mind, but when the baby gets here you have to promise to stop cussing." I tell him, getting a confused look from him.

"... stop... cussing?"

"Yes, Miles, I don't want our child swearing like a sailor."

"... I'll try-"

"Miles!"

"Hey! A lifetime of cussing and you expect me to just fucking drop it!?" I glare at him while he slowly puts one and one together. "Oh... I just cussed... fine. For the kid, I'll do my best to cut the crrrrrrrrud and stop cussing." I smile to him and resume eating.

While I eat, I notice that Miles keeps glancing away. I try to see what he's looking at, but there's never anything there. He says it's Statera, but that doesn't answer my question. No matter how much I try to pester, that's the only answer I get from him. Statera. In the walls, floating around outside, watching everypony, Statera is there. I drop the subject by the time I finish my food. I don't get how Balance is everywhere, so I leave it as a human thing.

When we finish eating, the rain outside is really starting to come down. Miles offers his wing and we quickly try to make it to the mayors office.

"Aren't you cold?" I ask as we run through the thick downpour.

"A little, but I'll deal with it. Besides, I like the rain." He tells me. I smile at the thought of the rainwater making him cold. If that's the case, then his magic isn't a threat to him. But at the same time, does that mean he's weaker?

When the Mayors building finally comes into view we double our pace to get there and out of the rain. Thanks to Miles, I'm relatively dry. Sadly for him, he seems to be soaked to the bone... but doesn't seem to really care. I light my horn and begin to pull the excess water from the two of us, sending it back outside.

"Good morning Princess Luna, Mr. Eremita!" The assistant behind the front desk greets as she comes out to meet with us. "The mayor will be with you in a moment. May I take your jacket? Would you like something to drink perhaps?"

"No, No, thank you though." I say as we step inside.

"Well if you need anything feel free to ask." She says while she follows us to a bench. While we sit down and wait for the mayor, the assistant just stands there, staring at the two of us. At first we just try to ignore her, but it quickly becomes too annoying for us.

"Is there something you need?" Miles asks her.

"Huh? Oh! No, sorry. It's just... well, I've never had Royalty in here before... I guess I just don't know what to do with myself." She admits, blushing slightly.

"Just do what you're supposed to do and we'll ask if we need anything." I reassure her, getting a deep bow in return. As we wait for the mayor I lean against Miles and close my eyes. I'm starting to feel bloated from eating all of that sugar. I regret nothing. I need something to soothe my stomach before I vomit it all back up... "Miles?"

"Yeah babe?"

"Can you run and get me a grass smoothie? I'm starting to feel queasy." I ask him nicely.

"Uh... sure... smoothie, I can manage that. I'll be back before you know it." He says before standing and walking off.

"Try that cafe on the corner." I advise him, knowing he has no clue what a smoothie is. He nods and walks out just as the mayor walks in.

"Princess Luna, I'm so sorry about the delays! Please come with me."

I can't help but pace about as I wait behind stage for Miles. Practically the entire town is here and waiting for us to speak to them, but he's nowhere to be found! The mayor already addressed the crowd, and I only think they're still here because I'm supposed to talk, but where the hay is Miles! All I asked for was a smoothie!

"Princess Luna, I don't think she can stall any longer." Sarah, the assistant, tells me.

"Very well then, I guess I'll just have to do this on my own then." I say as I straighten out. It's not like I've never spoken before a crowd. I just wish I could announce this with my husband. I take a deep breath and walk out onto the stage, making the crowd in front of me go silent and bow. The mayor bows to me as well and backs away from the podium.

"Dear citizens of Ponyville, thank you for meeting with me today despite the weather." I address them, making them stand back up and watch me closely. "I have tremendous news to share with all of you-"

"OI! HOLD UP!" I look out to the left of the crowd and see Miles pushing his way through. I sigh in relief and patiently wait for him to make it to the stage. He trots up to me with a destroyed cup in his mouth and covered in a dark green goop. "Um... I can explain."

"I think it can wait." I whisper to him, getting a nod. I turn back to the crowd and continue, feeling better with Miles at my side, even if he's covered in smoothie. "As many of you have noted, I have been taking residence in town recently on off days. I also know that there are some rumors floating around about me that I would like to put to rest today. The truth is... the truth is that I am married to Miles, I am pregnant, I will be having my foal here; in Ponyville."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"WOO! PONYVILLE!" Some stallion yells in the back.

"That's not quite what I was expecting." I whisper to Miles.

"Here, let me." He says, I step aside and let him take the podium. He looks around the crowd and sizes them up. After a continued silence he sighs and whacks his head against the podium, falling back in a bright white flash. Everypony winces from the initial hit then gasps when he stands back up as a human.

"I really wish you would stop doing that." I tell him as he takes the podium again.

"So, yeah. Remember me?" He asks the crowd. "To sum things up quickly for all of you: I can change into an alicorn now, freaky right? I have been married to Luna since before my change, even freakier, right? And we're now expecting a child, awesome right?" The crowd gawks at us as they begin to mumble to each other, unsure how to process what's been presented.

"Look, I know this is a lot to take in, but please listen closely." I add as I step up to share the podium with Miles.

"We decided that we wanted our child to be raised in a town that will instill the right kind of morals for life. And we couldn't think of a better place than Ponyville." Miles continues.

"But we need your help."

"You see, while our child is young, we will become basic citizens to Equestria-"

"You will not have to call me Princess Luna, just Luna will be fine."

"Yeah, but the biggest thing we are going to ask you is to not leak this or make a big deal about it. We want our child to grow up as normally as possible. To be able to go outside and play without having thirty paparazzi chasing after us. To do that, we need you all to simply treat us normally."

"We understand that is asking a lot of you. Some of you put your livelihoods on selling stories and this would be a gold mine for you. What could we possibly offer in return?"

"Nothing." Miles answers, confusing the crowd. "We aren't going to do anything. We're going to take a gamble on the moral good standing of this town and hope for the best. All we want is to raise our child in peace, and we're hoping that you'll cooperate with us in this."

"Thank you for your time, if you have any further questions feel free to ask us at our home on the edge of the Everfree by Ponyville Park." Miles steps aside and ushers me to the side of the stage, where the assistant offers him a blanket to cover himself. We step inside the mayor's building as the mayor begins to speak with the crowd.

"Well, here goes nothing." Miles says while he shuts the door behind us.

"I think they'll come around. Maybe not at first, but eventually." I say. Suddenly the building begins to tremble as the crowd outside erupts in applause. Cheering, stomping and whistling fills my ears as they begin to chant 'Ponyville' over and over again.

"Well... that didn't take long!" Miles yells to me over the noise. I smile to him and lean up to him for a kiss, one that he accepts quickly and passionately.

"You still owe me a smoothie!" I yell to him when I break the kiss.

Sorry for the delays on this chapter. It should have been released sooner, but I realized something that was wrong in the last chapter. Luna is expecting in September, not June. Again, September is the due month. I was trying to do math in my head and I switched two numbers, sorry. I took the extra time to clarify any other discrepancies and have fixed all of them.

In other news, Man of War now has over1000 favorites! As such, I'm going to be doing something special for all of you love and support. Click the link to check it out.

Brony on!