Lounging upon her fainting couch while enjoying a puff of her witchweed, Catrina's ears perked as she heard hoofsteps approach her lounge and she opened her eyes to see Pharaoh Phetlock and Destrier enter, the both of them giving her a nod of respect before she asked, "Well?"

"The mission went perfectly, my lady," Phetlock reported with a subtle smirk of accomplishment. "Destrier's distraction was, well, to call it effective would be understating it. The ponies of Canterlot were so alarmed and horrified by the destruction of a cutie-mark, thus far no one has noticed my little visit to the Canterlot Library. The Restricted Section was right where you said it would be."

"No troubles getting in?" inquired Catrina.

"None whatsoever," Phetlock answered as he removed a notebook from his cloak, "and as you instructed I took nothing. Instead, I copied the information you desired and left everything as it was. Even if those fools find evidence the Restricted Section was entered, since I didn't physically take anything, they'll be at a loss as to what my purpose there was, and might I say, Catrina... your Copy Spell was brilliant!"

He held out the notebook to the Cat, who accepted it and leafed through pages. Her fearsome eyes lit up with gleeful satisfaction to read and see the information she had sought at long lost in her possession!

"You have done well, Phetlock, as have you, my loyal agent," Catrina purred, eyeing both stallions with congratulations, "I'd say this calls for a toast! Phetlock, if you'd be so kind..."

"As you wish, my lady," Phetlock went to the bar and brought out a bottle, holding it up to the light so its blood red radiance cast the lounge into a ruby glow. "If I may ask, Catrina... where is everyone else?"

"Tirek is training his new arm and letting out some steam down in the grotto," Catrina answered as she accepted a full glass and took a sip, "Sunset has gone to Horseshoe Bay to do a little recruiting, and I don't know where that proxy of Chrysalis is..."

"Is there a problem, Catrina?" asked Phetlock, "I always gathered an impression that you don't hold the bugs in high esteem."

"Because I don't, Phetlock," Catrina sighed in content of the tangy taste of the wine, "Those bugs are parasites, driven by their baser instincts and their misplaced hubris. Granted, some of their gifts are indeed powerful and useful, but that's only if such powers are wielded properly and for a greater purpose than mere survival.

"As it is, I've a feeling whatever interests initially aligned us, Chrysalis will soon act rather rashly..."

"What do you intend to do about it, my lady?" asked Phetlock as he took a sip of his own wine.

"For the moment? Nothing," Catrina shrugged as she looked through the notebook, "Chrysalis is a pawn that only thinks she is a queen... But it is in enemy territory where one is truly tested, and whatever paltry designs she has in mind for Equestria, I rather doubt it will work out the way she thinks. For you see, Phetlock, unlike that sad little tick, I learn from my mistakes and I give my enemies due respect.

"Chrysalis views her enemies either as food or as someone to destroy because they slighted her, and therein lies her folly."

"And... the information you had me acquire, my lady?"

Catrina smiled as she looked at the illustrations copied into the notebook, displaying a circle of thirteen colored stones, surrounding the image of a generic alicorn. She reached into the folds of her gown and pulled out the Medallion of the Aegis Armor, its gemstone burning with a lust for battle as she replied, "One down, twelve to go...heheheha!"

"Wh...what did you say?"

Faerie Tail was speechless. What she'd just heard seemed impossible and yet it had been for that very suspicion she'd come to Ponyville General. Her prior visits had been periodic check-ups to make sure her condition from having been in a magically-induced coma for over ten years had no lingering side-effects apart from her ageing process having been paused for its entirety.

It had been the third check-up when Doctor Stable had thought he'd seen something unusual about Faerie Tail, but he'd thought it was a mistake after she'd answered some questions. But a while later, Faerie Tail had begun to notice symptoms she was having, symptoms she could recall having for only two different periods in her life.

"The tests confirm it," Doctor Stable confirmed as he kindly yet awkwardly repeated, "Congratulations, Faerie Tail, you are with foal."

...

...

...

Faerie Tail finally rubbed her hoof onto her belly, which showed no signs of pregnancy at all, but she couldn't deny Doctor Stable's words, because she'd recognized the symptoms she'd been having as of late. Nausea, some cravings (which had included spaghetti with apple slices and ketchup), and occasional morning sickness.

"Doctor, this... this doesn't make sense!" Faerie Trail protested.

"And, normally, I would agree with you," Doctor Stable said with gentle firmness, "but you aren't exactly an ordinary patient, Faerie Tail. See, after you'd woken up, we'd tested you for anything detrimental or anything else that might be wrong, but found nothing. But our earlier tests did note some slight... oddity, for lack of a better word. It was so slight that we didn't really pick up on it until your third check-up, where I originally asked you those questions, which I'm sure you figured out as to why I asked them.

"Then today, when I noticed that oddity yet again in your test results, along with the confirmation of your pregnancy, I looked back on the tests again, including the medical records regarding your coma. Faerie Tail, you aware of course that throughout the long period of your coma you didn't age a day! You're literally the same age you were when you were cast into that enchanted sleep, albeit several months older since you've woken up. However... after a closer and much more careful examination, I have concluded the halted ageing has yet to truly wear off!"

"So... what are you saying, doctor?" asked Faerie Tail.

"You are ageing right now, Faerie Tail," confirmed Doctor Stable, "but at a notably slower rate than is normal! It's why the development of your foal has gone unnoticed for so long. Your delayed ageing is also affecting your foal, and we don't even know when you conceived, because, as you've told me, you haven't been... intimate with a stallion since your awakening."

Faerie Tail took a moment to think despite the incredible situation she was in, and thought of the only stallion she'd ever truly loved. Her husband. Although it hurt to, she looked back into those memories, of when she had lived in that country estate where her son, Midnight, had to live back when he became an alicorn as a colt and his ascension had to be kept secret for some obscure reasons Princess Celestia never deigned to share apart it being for Midnight's own protection. It had been a trying period of her life, because Faerie Tail felt her son's life was no longer truly his own after he'd grown those wings. How he'd had to grow up in secret, been made to train and study to prepare him for the future, the many times she'd seen Midnight stress, afraid, crying for fear of not living up to what he was supposedly destined to be.

She'd fought more than once with her husband, telling Ignitus that he and Celestia were expecting far too much of a child, alicorn or not. It never seemed to help, because despite the training and studying and the misery he was going through, Midngiht would tell his mother that he was okay and that he wanted to become the best alicorn he could possibly be. That and Celestia and Ignitus always gave vague reasons as to why training Midnight was necessary, but Faerie Tail could always sense there was more to what they were telling her. Her pregnancy with, and later the birth of her second son, Twinken, proved to be a happy distraction as Faerie Tail had to focus on looking after her newborn colt.

Then, Midnight had nearly died and lost one of his best friends be murdered right in front of him. It'd been the final straw that Faerie Tail confronted her husband and really let him have it, threatening divorce and legal action if he and Celestia continued to make Midnight train. Ignitus had broken down in front of her, revealing his own misgivings and doubts and regret of putting their son through all of this, but he'd bottled it up, because of his sense of duty, his loyalty to the princess, and his sincere wish for his son to be prepared for whatever his future held.

Almost losing their son had broken something in Ignitus, a revelation that alicorn or not, regardless of his dedication to his training, Midnight was still only a teenage colt when this all-too-close call had happened and under his watch. The realization that he'd basically put his son in harm's way had caused Ignitus to break down into tears in front of his wife, sobbing apologies, promises, pleas. That he'd allowed this to happen. That he'd never put his family through this sort of thing again. That Faerie Tail not leave him and take their sons away.

That night would forever stay with Faerie Tail, as she and her husband finally talked held nothing back. It'd been a long talk but a productive one. They came to an agreement that they'd talk with Midnight and Celestia, a talk to resolve this whole situation to everypony's mutual satisfaction. Once they came to that agreement, Faerie Tail had pulled her husband to their bed.

Sweet Mother of Celestia what a night that had been.

...But then came the morning, right before the sun had been due to rise. Ignitus and Faerie Tail heard Midnight screaming for their help, their baby colt Twinkin crying for his mama. Their country estate had been broken into by an assailant. Faerie Tail never got a good look at the assailant, but those eyes! Those horrible green eyes still haunted her dreams.

They'd been the last thing she saw before she was cast into the oblivion of a dreamless slumber.

"...I remember," Faerie Tail finally spoke to Doctor Stable. "The night when I was... well, just before I was cursed, I spent the night in bed with my husband."

"Dear Goddess..." Doctor Stable realized what his patient was saying. "Then... Faerie Tail! You conceived this foal all those years ago, but... because of what happened to you, it's remained just as stuck as you were! Unchanging and unable to grow!"

Faerie Tail was aghast as well, but then... a warm thought slowly filled her mind with a subdued joy! Ignitus was not here, but this foal was! A third foal she'd conceived with the love of her life! Tears of a sorrowful joy began to well up in her eyes, so Doctor Stable offered her some tissues, and she dabbed her eyes to clear her vision. Finally regaining some of her composure, Faerie Tail then asked, "Can... can you figure out how far along my foal is in its development?"

"We'll need to perform an ultrasound," Doctor Stable answered, looking... pensive. "But Faerie Tail, I must run a theory by you. As I've previously stated, there are lingering effects from your enchanted sleep that have yet to fully fade away, which is why, like I said, your ageing is still slower than normal. This explains why your pregnancy wasn't noticed earlier despite it having been... six months since you've woken up!"

It was then Faerie Tail began to see the implications of what Doctor Stable was telling her. Six months?! She looked down at her belly, which didn't look at all pregnant!

"Doctor... what are you saying?!"

"I'm saying... in all likelihood, your pregnancy isn't a typical case," explained Doctor Stable, "As you are still under the lingering effects of the enchanted sleep despite having woken up, not only is your ageing slowed, but so is your pregnancy the development of your foal! There's no telling how long your pregnancy will take before your foal is developed enough for birth!"

"Can't- Can't we... do something about it?" asked Faerie Tail, starting to feel upset.

"Well, we... could try to purge the lingering effects of the enchanted sleep from your thaumaturgical system," Doctor Stable supposed, "but in all honesty, Faerie Tail, there's no telling what effects that could have upon your foal! Maybe nothing bad will happen and your foal's development will be able to progress at a normal rate, but there's the risk it could have a negative effect upon the foal! We can't be absolutely certain that it won't."

Faerie Tail found herself speechless yet again as she placed her hooves on her tummy. Could she really take such a risk? Just to hasten her foal's birth to be sooner rather than later? No, she could not! She'd lost over ten years of her life, missed her oldest son grow up, her younger son's early years, and though her husband wasn't here, this foal they had conceived together was a miracle!

"Perhaps, with some consultation with more experts we can determine whether or not the retarded ageing effects can safely be expunged," Doctor Stable offered, "but until then, I'm scheduling more appointments, twice a month for the foreseeable future. Perhaps with a little luck, the effects will wear off if we just wait and your pregnancy will assume a normal rate of progression. Would you... would you like to try the ultrasound, Faerie Tail?"

Faerie Tail found herself strangely reluctant. According to what she'd just learned, there might not be anything large enough for her to see despite the tests confirming it. But her maternal instincts had been stirred, invoking a need to ascertain the well-being of her foal. Even if she wasn't sure what she might or might not see, she had to check on her foal, if only for her own peace of mind.

She nodded to Doctor Stable and he calmed said, "Then follow me."

As she followed the doctor through the hospital hallways, a thought crossed her mind, one that troubled her somehow as Faerie Tail thought, What am I going to tell my sons?

Next Chapter: 357. Bite of the Family Sandwich - Part 1 Estimated time remaining: 21 Hours, 58 Minutes