Hearthswarming was just around the corner, just a week actually, and Midnight had finally finished gathering presents for everypony. Some were a challenge, while others rather simple. It had taken him most of the past two months to obtain some of the items in question for his friends and loved ones. While one had taken him almost six months to procure. Normally it wouldn't have taken as long to get one item in specific, but Midnight had to get some information from two ponies in specific over time, then build the item in secret to make it the perfect present. Along with a few enchantments for fast travel between three places as well. But over all, he knew the two ponies he had made the present for would be beyond thankful when they were given the present.

Midnight was sitting quietly in the castle as he was looking after Starlight and the little changeling. It had been a few days since he had returned to the castle from his trip into Ponyville to be with Rarity and Twilight, and he needed to head back to the castle to spend some time with his son, fiance, and newly adopted daughter.

During his time away however, Celestia had come up with a name for the changeling since the young one could not think of one to come up with on her own.

"Marina, keep an eye on your little brother please." Midnight spoke up catching the little changelings attention.

The changeling, now named Marina, had liked the name Celestia had given to her. However, she could not just walk around the castle in the form of a changeling all the time. Just in the company of her adoptive mother and father. Her new form that she had chosen was of a young pegasus filly, her coat being a soft silver, while her mane was a sky blue. Her eyes a deep blue compared to her mane and tail. Although she could change form at will, she could not use magic like a regular unicorn could, hence her decision to take the form of a pegasus.

"Yes daddy." She smiled as she played with her little brother. Both wrestling and hopping around their father.

"Marina seems to have taken up the role of our daughter rather quickly, don't you think so?" Celestia spoke up as she entered her quarters just upon hearing the word daddy.

"Yea, and it just melts my heart every time I hear it." Midnight chuckled softly as Celestia took a seat beside him.

The two Alicorn's watched the two foals playing happily together, bounding around the room playfully and even running into a few things at times. After a few moments though Star came running toward them squealing loudly as Marina was right behind him growling playfully.

"Grrrrrrr I'm gonna get you! Grrrrrrrr!" She giggled as she chased the foal.

"Save me daddy!" Star giggle as he fluttered his little wings rapidly as he jumped onto Midnight and climbed his withers up to his horn, sticking his tongue out toward his big sister.

Marina just giggle as she flapped her little wings, hovering up toward her brother and reaching her hooves out like she was going to get him, After she had ascended to right in front of her fathers face, he pressed his muzzle to her belly and began the dreaded bubble belly torture technique, making her squeal loud as she held onto his face for a moment before pulling away and flying around his head.

"No fair taking his side!" She giggled.

"Who said I was taking side?" Midnight chuckled as his horn lit up, pulling his son from atop his head and placing him onto the floor belly up as he began to do the same bubble belly torture to him. Starlight squealing out loudly from the relentless assault.

Star giggled out as he managed to push his father away from him with all four hooves before scrambling away with his sister. Midnight gave a soft chuckle at the two as they played.

"To think we have just obtained another child seems shocking, does it not?" Celestia giggled softly to Midnight.

"Yea, and to think I will have a couple more in the near future as well really has me worried." Midnight chuckled nervously.

"Worried?"

"Of course, I mean, four kids? Three of which will be blood, and don't get me started with the fifth one in question. I doubt Twilight would want to have a foal anytime soon. But Applejack and Rarity have already said they would want one. It's humbling and nerve wracking at the same time. To know I have several ladies, and most of them all wanting to have foals with me. Oy vay!?" He fell over in a heap next to Celestia.

"Do not worry yourself my dear. Although your presence has been little in the time that our young one has been born, your over all impact in being a father figure has been far stronger than most stallions within our kingdom." Tia smiled down to him as he cocked a brow back up to her.

"Our kingdom? I wasn't aware that my status had changed as of yet." He chuckled, but stopped as Celestia lay her head down across his neck, nuzzling him gently.

"And what if I had decided to change that? Were you not ready to become a king upon asking me to marry you?" She gave a devious grin seeing him chuckle.

"But of course my dear." He said playfully. "It all about becoming king after all." He chuckled giving her a wink.

"Really now? Well at least I know that my kingdom would be in good hooves should I decide to take a vacation." She giggled again.

"Oh? Back to my now are we? Such indecisiveness should not be running a country, nooooooo most certainly not." He grinned only to make her roll her eyes at his playful banter.

"In all my years I have never met a pony like you, or even one with a way with words either." She smiled softly before giving his neck a nip.

"Oh really? Then I guess I will have to liven things up a bit at your next Grand Galloping Gala. As well as tease some of the maids and guard as well. I do believe I could have this castle turn into a mad house in maybeeeeeee a couple of months?" He grinned deviously back to her causing her to laugh.

"You would torment the ponies that prepare your food and guard you and your loved ones?" She asked while cocking a brow.

"Well, maybe just a little. I don't really need anyone to piss in my cheerios or anything." He smirked causing Tia to snort before covering her mouth with a hoof, a blush gently showing across her face. "Did you just...." He asked as he rolled onto his other side to look at her.

"No! No...... you heard nothing!" She spoke out as her face flushed a brighter red.

"Mmmmmhmmm." He began to laugh softly. "A princess that snorts while laughing, so unladylike like." He picked only to cause her to groan.

"Well at least it isn't as bad as my sister." She snickered.

"OOOOOOooooooo juicy bits about your sister? Do tell." He laughed as he sat upright grinning like a bandit.

Celestia grinned evilly for the first time in years, having lived with her sister for most of her life she had counted her peculiar quips that could be used as blackmail many times over. But having her future husband know these things could produce some rather entertaining results.

"Yes, well, I do have quite a few things on her that would devastate her should anypony ever find out. Others would just be embarrassing altogether." She giggled as she leaned over and began to whisper into Midnight's ear.

Midnight sat there unblinking as Celestia began to tell him a few things about her sister. Hi eyes getting wider as his pupils shrank, his mouth slowly dropping further and further before the side of his mouth turned into a devious grin.

"Oh good lord!" He turned to Tia giving an incredulous look. "Does she really do that?" He asked in shock.

"Sometimes while at the dinner table, as long there is nopony other than me at the table."

"I am soooooo going to love moving in here, Luna is going to kill me though, I just know it." Midnight laughed loudly thinking of the future pranks he was going to do to his sister-in-law.

"That is another thing I wanted to speak to you about." Celestia spoke up in a more serious tone. Midnight turning back to her. "You see, once a pony marries royalty, they become royalty themselves. Family, although, does not carry the title as well unless it is the child of one or more of that member of royalty. So I am afraid that Applejack, Twilight, and Rarity, will be a Duchess each rather than a queen or other member of royalty."

"So basically just a high noble? I guess Rarity could settle for that. The other two I doubt would care. Applejack was worried more about leaving her family and farm and having to move into the castle with us." He chuckled. "But since they will just be noble's. They can remain where they are if they so wish correct?"

"Correct my dear. Although I can keep a few guards stationed with them if they request it." She smirked seeing Midnight facehoof.

"Those girls can take care of themselves, I'm sure you're aware of that." He laughed.

"They did manage to take care of Nightmare moon and Discord on their own. I wouldn't be surprised if they had taken care of many other foes as well. But now that you are here as an ally and guardian as well. I know that Equestria will be in good hooves for as long as the elements and yourself are here." She smiled.

"And what about yourself Tia? You didn't mention yourself along with us. I have a feeling your hiding something." He said while giving an accusing stare.

"I'm not hiding anything, it's just that.............. I've grown tired........... tired of fighting, of protecting........... and sometimes......... of living." She sighed. "I've seen and have been through so much in my five thousand years of existence. Having lived for so long, and having lost so many friends has been so tiring and unpleasant."

"But now that you have a foal, would it not make you happy to see him grow into a strong and kind ruler when it is our time to pass the flame?" Midnight smiled softly to her.

"You surprise me yet again. I was expecting a harsh retort for what I said, and here you say something I was not expecting. But you are correct in your assumption. I do want to see him grow and continue on in my stead. However, I must admit one thing to you that I fear.........." She trailed off looking away.

"You see, when an Alicorn family has a foal, they have the option of being able to move on at anytime once the foal is born. Their physical body simply fades away into magic that will become part of the land. Their souls however can move on into the afterlife. The children of them have the ability to pass over for a short time each year in order to see their parents once more before returning back into the physical plane."

"So your saying, once our young has grown into a wise enough ruler, you wish to pass on?" He spoke out softly, his heart feeling the sting of the very thought of loosing Celestia.

"Yes............." She sighed.

"I understand, and I will not try to stop you when that time comes. You have already lived for so long. Asking you to remain here just to please my selfish desire wouldn't be fair to you. But I can guarantee one thing. You will be missed and loved still once you have gone. Don't ever forget that." He smiled as he leaned over to nuzzle her lovingly.

"Thank you for understanding." She smiled softly to him. "But, now for a change of topic." She giggled. "As I said before, I have the ability to move to an alternate plane to see my parents again. I have been waiting for you to have asked me for my hoof so that I could have you meet my parent's before we are to wed. So that they may give their blessing to us. What I didn't tell you is that I can bring one other pony with me to see them as well."

Midnight sat there for a moment staring at Celestia in slight shock. Meeting her parent's was something one would want to bare witness to. To have their blessing would be as if God himself came down and blessed you. He shook himself from his stupor giving a smile. "I would love nothing more than to see them and get their blessing."

"Then shall we go? I only need to have Luna or a maid look after our young for a short time. The spell itself is lengthy and tiring to say the least, so if you can supply any magic to help It would be most appreciative." She smiled to him as he gave a nod.

"Not a problem my dear. I can supply all of my magic for the spell if you need. I would rather meet your parents as my true form instead of as my pony self. I feel as if I were lying to them right to their faces should I appear as I am now. Do you think they would mind that you are going to wed a human?"

"My mother would not care, she has tried to set me up with so many ponies over the short time they were with me that I was ready to strangle her. I think she would love to know that you are to be my husband and father of our foal. My father on the other hoof..........." She trailed off.

"That doesn't sound like he would be to happy to know about us." Midnight cringed slightly.

"Well, father was rather stubborn when he was alive. Living for fifteen thousand years will drive a pony quite crazy when it comes right down to it." Celestia giggle.

"Dang, fifteen thousand? How old is your mother?" He chuckled but stopped as Celestia's eyes went wide with horror, her hooves pulling Midnights face right to her's as she stared into his eyes.

"Under NO circumstances are you to ask her that question. Even if all of time was about to end, you are never to ask her that question!"

Midnight coward slightly under the intense gaze he was suddenly placed under. He managed to squeak out "Ok." before being released and a smile replacing the stern gaze that Celestia had just given him.

"Good, then let us call a maid so that we can begin the process." She smiled as she stood, heading to the door and pulling a small rope to signal a maid to come to her quarters.

"Good grief, I wonder if she really meant that?" Midnight spoke under his breath as they waited for the maid to arrive.