Luna’s Story 4: Curse of the Black Stallions
Part 8: A Royal Birth

Pip Pitch Dark sat on war counsel, twelve ponies and Princess Luna herself. Two stallions at the long table were an unsightly black in color, something he’d never seen beyond those two ponies in particular. It was a little unsettling. Even from where he sat he could see the flecks of something sickly green in their golden eyes. As though somepony had taken an eyedropper filled with green food coloring and put it in them.

To his left was Moon Dancer, her Majesty’s Moon Champion. She was a feisty thing with silvery armor, a pair of wing swords, and red in both her mane and cutie mark. One look would remind the viewer of quicksilver and flame, two articles of war. Appropriate, given she was Princess Luna’s avatar of war-- and the one mare to ever stand among stallions when it came to military might in Equestria. It unsettled more than one or two of the stallions at the table. After all, a mare’s place was at the market or in the kitchen with foals, not on a war counsel. Yet there she sat, like she belonged there. Pip Pitch Dark would have complained, but the situation was dire so he dared not question her majesty’s wisdom. “Is this wise, your majesty?” Moon Dancer did it for him, lifting her silvery visor and casting her golden gaze to the head of the table.

“War is never about wisdom, Moon Champion.” Luna said acidly, spreading out a grand map of Equestria on the table. The mountains and towns were labeled, and a squire appeared at the table to place markers. While the gangly teen with cotton in his ears quickly and quietly placed little wooden figurines on the appropriate places, Luna spoke again. “Equestria was promised a pair of royals, to rule the country equally. Yet they worship our sister as though she were alone, leaving the night to sit idle with nopony in it.” She squinted over the map. “It is blasphemy to one of the sacred covenants of ponydom. No one ruler shall ever stand above all the others.” She quoted the oldest texts, one she and her sister had written together. “Our government is about balance, and Celestia has wrested all powers for herself.”

“Are you jealous of your older sister?” Moon Dancer asked softly. The table went quiet and one could see she regretted her words when she closed her visor o’er her face. “Forgive me, your majesty…” she mumbled. “Mine tongue is loose this night.”

“It certainly is.” Pip Pitch Dark snarled, flaring his wings at her aggressively. Moon Dancer did not flinch, but only eyed him from the slits in her helm. “It is not our place to question her Majesty, only follow her!” There was a murmur of agreement at the table. The mare frowned in a troubled way, sinking into her chair as she leaned back.

“Silence!” Princess Luna snapped, rapping her massive hoof sharply on the long table. Everypony flinched. “Squabble elsewhere, but waste not our valuable time in counsel!” she glared around the table until they returned their attention to the display in front of them. There were little wooden ponies all over it, painted yellow to represent contingents of the solar guard. “This,” she gestured. “Is our sister’s strength.” She pointed to each of the little wooden ponies that were standing on the towns surrounding Canterlot. “A layered defense. If anyone were to make for Canterlot with an army, no matter the size, they would have to pass near one of these towns. Messengers would be sent to the capital, and Celestia would muster the rest to meet the threat.” She reached to one side, and began placing more wooden ponies on the map, these were black. “These are the Lunar Stallion platoons.” The arrangement was much more centered around Canterlot. “We keep them near the capital and surrounding rivers to stranglehold anyone that dares cross rough terrain to get at us.” She began shifting them around until there were two platoons attacking each singular wooden solar pony at the innermost layer of Canterlot’s defenses. “But if one starts at the core of my sister’s defenses,” she smirked. “They are more than overwhelmed from their flanks.”

There was a murmur at the table. Princess Luna was proposing more than war. It was civil war against the Sun Princess herself. “We can we be ready?” Pip Pitch Dark asked, leaning to see one of the town’s better. The fledgling ‘Ponyville’ was just at the bottom of the valley on which Canterlot sat.

“Surely war is not the answer, Princess Luna.” Moon Dancer said, frowning in a troubled way and leaning over the map. “I mean not to stand between thou and victory, but wars are paid with ponies lives. Can we not find another way?”

“Words fail to reach mine sister’s ears.” Luna scowled at her avatar of war. “Blows will have to do instead.” As her jowls rose into a smile, her eyes flickered a neon green for a moment. “Can we count on everypony here to participate?” she looked around the table with an air of authority. All but Moon Dancer quickly agreed, standing up and saluting. Pip Pitch Dark looked at her with an angry glare. For an avatar of war, she sure didn’t seem very eager.

“Please, allow us time to consider, your Majesty?” Moon Dancer lifted her helm. “War is not a decision to be made in minutes, or even days.” Her wing swords shifted a little, and one slid a few inches out of its sheath. Pip eyed the silvery blades of solid moonsteel was a measure of jealousy. Nopony could temper moonsteel, it was a gift from Luna herself.

“Think quickly, Moon Champion,” Luna rose from her seat slowly. Everypony else rose to salute her again. “For we march into the sun in a fortnight.” She announced. “Dismissed.” While she stood idle every pony filed out of the room, weapons and armor clanking as they went. “Pip, why dost thou remain?”

Now Pip, no changing the story.

“Pitch Dark, why dost thou remain?” Princess Luna said, cocking her head. The two black stallions that flanked her shifted nervously at their Princess’ annoyed look. “We said dismissed.” She gestured for the door, and Pitch Dark slowly rose from his seat to salute her.

“I don’t need to sit idle and think, your Majesty.” He said aloud, turning and saluting her. “I am your champion. Call if you have need of a warrior, and I am there.” He smiled despite himself, opening his wings to display his virility for her.

Luna smirked in amusement. “Thy enthusiasm and loyalty is well-noted.” The Princess opened her wings in response, looking to her black-furred guards. “Close the doors. Bring him to us.” She turned with a smile as the stallions rushed to do as they were told. Bristling with barely-concealed aggression, they herded Pip Pitch Dark forward with rather rough shoving. When he came before Princess Luna, he went to his belly to bow, as was proper. Her tinkling giggle of approval was music to him, and he spread his wings upon the floor for her. His gesture of submission pleased her and she leaned down to kiss his forehead, blessing him. “We art pleased with thy unquestioning obedience. We wish we had many more soldiers like thee, Pitch Dark.” She smiled a bit wider. “Perhaps now thou may join the Midnight Stallions.”

“The… Midnight Stallions?” he looked up at her, blink-blinking with curiosity.

“Within the Lunar Stallions there is another group.” She gestured to the black stallions that were behind him to his left and right. “An inner circle, if thou will. Our most trusted soldiers and most powerful mages.” She leaned down to put a hoof under his chin, raising it so that he would look into her eyes. “Will thou join us and grow closer to our darkness, champion?” she whispered in a sultry way. He couldn’t nod, for she held his face firmly. Looking into her beautiful, powerful eyes he could do naught but stare into their depths for the longest time. He saw all the stars in all the sky in her gaze.

“Yes, your Majesty.” He whispered in awe after a time. “Anything, anything for you.”

“Then breathe me in, Pip.” Luna’s tone shifted to a slightly male voice, then back again. Her eyes flickered a strange golden color, then returned back to their normal deep blue. “Breathe in my dark.”

“Yes… yes, my Princess.” Pip came to his knees before her as she held his face with both her front hooves.

Princess Luna passed a hoof over his eyes to close them and tilted his head back. Heaving a deep breath, she ignited her horn with black magicks. She breathed hard upon his face, “H’uhhh!” silvery glitters and icy air erupted from her muzzle, pressing his mane back and chilling his face. His armor rattled as he shuddered hard. “Breathe.” She bade him, smiling and watching his pleasant expression. She saw his nostrils flare. “Breathe in my dark.” She coaxed again, watching his chest inflate. “Bre-eeeeathe.” She whispered, grinning down at him as her eyes flickered to neon green once more.

Pip shuddered, his wings curling in to save his body from the cold. His fur began to stain black. His eyes slitted open, and one could see the boiling magic work across his gaze. Little flecks of sickly green danced in his eyes, as though somepony had sprinkled glitter into his golden orbs. His armor shuddered on its own. The ancestors vanished entirely, their voices no longer aiding him. He was all alone in his own mind. The power of the armor he wore was his to command, and his alone. Princess Luna’s mouth was moving, and she was stroking his face. Pip (or was it Pitch Dark? He couldn’t tell.) shifted and cocked his ears, but he couldn’t hear her. The world was swimming, and the war counsel room was soon gone in a sea of colors. A deep male voice, that of a Lunar Stallion, super-imposed itself over the Princess’ moving mouth. Pip could hear it in his head.

Rise, Midnight Stallion. Rise…

“Yes…” Pip sat up in bed, covered in sweat and magic. The eye in the center of his breastplate glowed brightly, a sickly green color to match his once-golden eyes. He peered around the room, then slowly started walking to the door. When an unfortunate coffee table got in his way, he gently pressed a hoof down on it. It crunched under him like cardboard, and he continued on in a straight line as he made for the exit.

The two guards outside the room, both Lunar Stallions, turned and threw the doors open at the noise. “What do you think you’re doing?!” one of them shouted as Pip made to simply stroll past them. He ran made a grab for the stallion’s shoulder, and Pip grabbed him bodily. “Uh-WHAH?!” he was placed in a terrifying Ger-mane suplex and flipped over backward. His helm dented as he was slammed head-first into the marble floor. Bloodied, the stallion moaned and kicked his hooves a little before going limp.

The other guard, known as Panzer Hoof, felt his mouth go agape. The Midnight Stallion advanced slowly, not in any rush. The tank-like stallion planted his hooves, scowling angrily. “You got a’lotta guts, considering the hospitality around here.” He crackled the bones in his neck to one side, then the other. “But you ain’t getting’ past me. Nopony EVER gets past me.” The earth pony lowered his center of gravity, snarling and showing his teeth. Pip hissed, flipping his now forked tongue out at the massive stallion. The air tasted like muscle and magic. Narrowing his possessed eyes he started forward. Panzer braced when the stallion crashed into him, and his frame didn’t even shudder. Using a massive hoof he cuffed Pip so hard he fell back over himself with a yip. “See?” he said in a deep growl. “Dunno whatsamatter with you, kid, but you can either stay here or--!”

Pip’s back suddenly split open, along his shoulder blades. Bearing down with his face pressed to the floor and his rump in the air, he looked very much like he was trying to poop. Tense redness in his face matched the spurt of blood that shot from him at two angles. Panzer Hoof’s eyes widened while the black stallion screamed with effort and pain. A pair of large, bloody, bat-like wings flapped into existence, heavy and useless with wet blood. His armor glittered and shifted like the reflection of water on its surface. Magic was pouring out of it so hard, even an earth pony like Panzer Hoof could feel it.

Almost through, Pip, almost through.

Pip screamed again, bashing his forehead against the floor over and over while Panzer Hoof looked on. Deciding not to let him finish his horrific transformation, the massive stallion leaped upon him with a roar. The black stallion was wrestled to the ground and pinned, “Somepony!” he roared. “Somepony help!” he used all his weight, all his might to hold the other pony down. He got blood all over him, almost like birthing blood, while the brand new wings flapped back and forth with intent. They were too new, too malformed so far to be of any use, but it didn’t keep them from splattering Panzer in the face with blood a few times. “Somepony!” he roared again, but got no answer. The quarantine was in an out of the way corridor, away from every pony else. The stallions struggled back and forth, but Panzer was too big, too immovable to be uprooted from Pip’s back.

Why does this feel familiar? Ah yes, I’ve fought him before.

Pip twisted around with a snarl, the light of evil in his eyes. Lashing out with his fangs he grasped Panzer Hoof around the neck with his powerful jaws! The massive stallion grunted, but his tough skin helped. Pitch Dark whinnied in frustration. This body wasn’t as strong as his own had been, even with the Lunar Stallion armor. He couldn’t just choke-a-bitch as he had in the past. This stallion’s neck had muscles like stone. Panzer bicycled his front hooves, battering the smaller pony with all his might. Pip yelped, caught in the middle in the worst way. His body gave out, and not even Pitch Dark’s roars of rage in the back of his head could drive him to rise. He fell, covered with bruises, panting. Panzer turned, making sure he was down.

Suddenly a great cry echoed down the hallways of the palace. The Lunar Stallion turned, perking his ears. The sound was female, and one of extreme pain. A few moments went by, and then another belting shriek followed it. Panzer looked down at the defeated pony, then at his fellow guard. It was neither of them. Then, his brow rose as the realization dawned on him. “It’s time.” He gasped. Turning quickly, he bucked Pip right in the face. The stallion yelped, but fell limp, knocked out. Panzer could drop him off in the moonsteel cell before he made his way there.

=-----=-----=-----=

Luna cried out again, the Royal Canterlot Voice cutting in and out as she squirmed and sweated profusely. Splayed out on her own bed surrounded by nurses, doctors, and Celestia herself, she was going into intense labor. She’d been strolling along with Aegis Shield, coming back from a lovely dinner (breakfast?), when suddenly her water had broken, splashing over a carpet. The stallion had panicked, she had panicked, and then the palace was sent into a frenzy of activity.

The dark alicorn moaned, holding Celestia’s hoof tight in a crushing way only another goddess could bear. She arched her back, her mane clinging to her face and neck while beads of sweat trailed down her delicate, gaunt features. She looked much thinner, much weaker than ever before—the foal was almost there. She was coming now.

Aegis Shield paced back and forth, glaring at the floor while he had to listen to his lover weep and cry out in pain. The hall soon filled with Lunar Stallions, palace staff, and runners that went back and forth with cloth and hot water. An alicorn giving birth had not happened in three hundred years, so furious drilling and procedure-education had been going on for the past two weeks. The Lunar Stallions closed ranks. The palace staff waited with perked ears just beyond the edge of the corridor. The squires running back and forth had to shoulder through lots of tense Lunar Stallions. The poor colt that came rushing with the first pail of hot water had been cuffed and dragged down by ten of the upset soldiers, only to be released, much to their great embarrassment. Aegis Shield, on the other hand, longed to be in the room with his beloved. But no, a birthing was for mares only and he was not allowed in. Pressing his cheek to the door and scratching at it with his hooves, he huffed and tried not to weep. “I should be in there with her!” he shouted.

A pair of Lunar Stallions, fathers themselves, helped to pull him back. “Trust me, you don’t wanna see what’s happening in there. Let the mare-folk handle mare-folk business.” One of them told the Captain with a sagely nod. “When the foal is born you’ll be the first one through--” he paused and winced when the doors shuddered at Luna’s piercing scream of birthing agony. “Those doors.” He finished with a pained smile. Aegis continued his pacing, back and forth, his hoofsteps heavy. The Lunar Stallions, as a group, were filling the hallway and holding back the crowd as well. The palace staff had all, for better or worse, abandoned their posts to witness the miracle.

“OH GODS!” Luna cried out, her back arching again. She lost more than a few feathers in the process. The nurses rushed around, and one stopped to give her a mouthful of ice chips. She chewed them eagerly, soothed for a few moments. “HYNNH!” she bore forward for a moment, huffing animatedly in agony. Sweating and screaming out again, she bashed her hooves against the head of the bed over and over. The nurses struggled to restrain her so she didn’t hurt herself or the foal.

Celestia’s eyes widened when she saw two little lumps and one big lump on Luna’s belly switch positions. The foal was moving to come out headfirst as it should. Holding Luna’s hoof in both of hers, she whispered encouraging things to her sister. “It’s going to be over soon!” the sun princess said loudly over her cries. “Bear forward! You can do it!”

“She’s dilated.” said one nurse to another form where she squatted between Luna’s back legs. “We’re ready.” She nodded to the others. “Hon you’re gonna feel the need to push, and when you do, you do it as hard as you can, okay?” she leaned authoritatively over her Princess. Luna nodded, huffing and puffing. “Good, good, do your breathing. One, two, one, two. Gooood.”

A cool cloth was put over Luna’s forehead and they gave her more ice chips to chew. They rocketed across the room in a spray of glistening cold when she belted out another cry of pain. Whoever said birth was a beautiful, glorious thing was a bold-muzzled-bucking liar! Luna cursed whatever foolish pony had said that. Birthing was pain! Pain and blood and sweat and more pain!

Outside Luna’s chambers, the crowd was getting upset and shifty. The Lunar Stallions bristled at them, bearing their fangs like the wild, beastly warriors they could be. Wings were starting to open as a contingent of the solar guard appeared, marching to push the crowd back another few steps. The Lunar Stallions relaxed a hair. The solar guard was far more efficient at crowd control, and their sheer numbers would keep the curious onlookers back. The doors rattled again as the Royal Canterlot Birthing Scream sounded again. Everypony flinched, and Aegis Shield fretted more. A murmur went across the crowd, and it was slowly escalating into nervous chattering.

Time went by at a crawl, but over an hour passed. The father-to-be was nervously pressing his ear to the door now and then, only to be dragged back by his fellow stallions. Squires ran back and forth with more pails of hot water, strips of cloth and anything else they were ever sent for. Even they seemed rattled by what was happening inside. Aegis kept trying to lean when the doors opened to get some glimpse of Luna, but they were always quickly shut again. He cursed the squires for being so quick and flitty with their business. If only one of them would get stuck in the door, he could stick his head in and s—

The crowd went silent.

The Lunar Stallions turned with perked ears.

The solar guards stopped harassing a particularly excited mare.

Somewhere, in the half-light of Luna’s chambers, a foal was crying.

Aegis Shield squirmed free of his comrades, RAMMED the doors open with the top of his head and burst onto the scene. “How is she?! Is she healthy?! Is she okay?! How is Luna?!” he blindly rushed forward before smacking into Celestia.

The white alicorn didn’t even flinch, but turned her great head none the less. Leaning down she gently took Aegis’ neck scruff in her teeth and set him on his hooves. “Luna is very tired, shhh.” She said gently, leaning and smoothing his mane. “Go on, now.” She smiled bemusedly.

Nurses were slowly putting their things away and leaving. They carried wads of bloodied cloth away, along with surgical tools and what looked like a vat of something terrible and bloody (probably the birthing sac). Distressed, Aegis Shield rushed to the bed and pushed back the curtains. Stepping into the darkness the medical crew had made so Luna could rest more comfortably, the stallion saw his beloved splayed out on her side. Her swollen teats had a visitor, who was eagerly suckling with quiet whimpers.

Covered with sweat and blotches of blood in her most private areas, Luna looked up slowly. “Ohhh, my stallion.” She whispered softly. “It is a girl.” She told him. Aegis eagerly opened his wings, coming up onto the bed and leaning down to see.

She was a tiny thing. Colored exactly like her mother in every way, save her blank flank of course. Her little wings were wet from birth, fluttering with a soft buzzing sound when they decided to move. The little foal lost the nipple briefly and whimpered loudly, pawing at her mother’s undercarriage. Smiling with soft eyes, Luna leaned a little so she could find it again. When she was reattached the newcomer settled down again, suckling eagerly. “She’s beautiful…” he whispered, leaning around to see more closely. Horn. She had a nubby little horn too. Aegis gave a start, his brows rising. “I thought Celestia said we could only have a foal of one of the mortal races?” he whispered, leaning down to inspect closer. The foal saw him and shrunk away a little, but moan-whimpered when he nuzzled her. She was so tiny.

“I don’t care what race she is.” Luna whispered, flopping her head down, exhausted and just trying to breath. Slowly, before his very eyes, Luna’s limp mane returned to its ethereal state. The stars winked into existence in her hair, all of the eternity of space. “Go and tell the others for me. They’ll want to hear it from you.”

“I’ll be right back.” He kissed her sweaty forehead, then rushed away to the hallway. Leaning out into the hall, he mooshed his face into Celestia again, who chuckled and stepped aside. “Everypony! Everypony!” he shouted as many heads turned his way. The Lunar Stallions looked on, some lifting a hoof in anticipation. “It’s a filly! It’s an alicorn!” he shouted. The hallway burst into cheers and clapping that startled the newborn into whimpers. Celestia smiled and pushed Aegis back into the room, shutting the door behind him after the last of the nurses had left. The stallion rushed back to the mother of his foal.

“We must still name her.” Luna whispered, letting her ethereal mane hide and warm the foal. The baby pony seemed perfectly content to be hidden in her mother’s cloud-like locks while she fed herself.

“She looks just like you.” Aegis said, teasing a little. “Not even a little like me.” He thought for a time, nuzzling the exhausted mare while she rested. While the minutes ticked on, he could see the sheen of Princess Luna’s coat returning. The strength and body fat of her slender frame was rearranging itself like clay. No longer could he see her ribs. Her feathers strained and sprouted like weeds until her wings returned to their full, powerful glory. She purred quietly as her strength began to gingerly return to her.

“You name her, my love.” Luna whispered as sleep began to take her. “I must… rest…” she was already drifting off. Aegis stroked her mane over and over, peeking under it to see the little filly again. She bleated at him a little, cuddling up against her mother. His warmth and gentle nuzzles made her look at him. Her eyes were beautiful. Huge and pretty eyes like her mother’s. The stallion smiled, settling onto his belly to rest with his daughter and love.

“Princess… Woona.” He smiled. She decided to hug his face right then, and tears sprouted from his eyes. “My little Woona.”

End of Part 8