Twilight tossed herself down onto the bed inside their hotel room. She gave a loud sigh, letting her body go limp on the queen-size bed. That talk with her parents was probably the single worst event in her entire life. Even now, her mother’s harsh words still echoed in her mind making her feel sick. Twilight stared at the ceiling with a ragged look. “That could have gone better…” she muttered.

Rainbow Dash only stared at her for a moment before walking over the the bed herself. She looked down at Twilight with sympathetic eyes, and a half frown on her face. “Well, at least your Dad’s okay with it. One out of two ain’t bad, right?” she said, trying to cheer her lover up.

“One out of three…” Twilight corrected. “Four, actually, if you count my brother…”

Dash sighed heavily. “You always have to spoil everything.” She climbed onto the bed with Twilight. Before the mare could even protest, she pushed her onto her side so she could grab ahold of her in a hug from behind. Twilight groaned weakly in protest, but she didn’t do anything else to tell Dash no. “You’re a glass half empty kind of mare, aren’t you.”

“I thought you knew that…” Twilight said softly, closing her eyes.

“I kinda did. Look, your dad’ll talk to your mom, and everything will work out, Twi,” she said, nuzzling into her marefriend’s neck. The unicorn’s warm scent filled her nostrils, making her heart flutter. She didn’t know what she could do for Twilight, but lying there felt like the right choice. Being close, and holding the unicorn always seemed to cheer her up, or at the very least comfort her when she was stressed.

Twilight pushed back into Dash, trying to be as close to the mare as possible. Dash smiled, happy to see Twilight understood what she was doing. “I hope so, Dashie,” she replied tiredly.

“You know, after meeting him, I didn’t realize just how much you’re like your dad…”

Twilight sighed heavily. “I wish. I’m not like him…Dad’s always in control of his emotions, and he always knows what to do…” Twilight said with a tinge of disappointment in her voice.

The pegasus’s smile faded in an instant. She laid there with her muzzle resting on Twilight’s neck as she thought what to say. “Yeah, I said you’re a lot like him, not exactly like him,” she replied finally. “You always know what to do too,” Dash said sweetly into Twilight’s ear.

“I don’t know what to do in this situation…” Twilight still held that self disappointment in her voice. “I also get worked up like my mom does…You were lucky enough to see one of her legendary freakouts today.”

“Yeah…” Dash muttered, not sure what else to say.

"Well, how do I compare? Do I live up to her?” Twilight asked sarcastically.

“I’d say you’re worse. She didn’t hypnotize the whole town into fighting over a doll.” Dash continued to nuzzle her marefriend’s neck without missing a beat.

“Thanks…” Twilight said plainly, clearly taking offense.

“I’m teasing,” Dash replied, pulling Twilight in close to her chest so she couldn’t squirm away.

“I don’t want to be teased…” She sounded like a child arguing with a parent.

Dash gave another half frown. “I’m just trying to—”

“I know…you’re trying to make me feel better…” Twilight rolled over to face the pegasus, and wrapped her forelegs around her. “I don’t need jokes though…You just being here helps…” Twilight said, placing her muzzle on top of Dash’s head. She could smell the pegasus’s scent trapped perfectly inside her ruffled mane. The warm smell calmed her aching heart, making Twilight close her eyes again.

“You know I don’t like that answer…”

“I know you don’t…” Twilight’s ears fell flat. “Dashie, if I knew what would make me feel better, I would let you do it. Trust me, I would, but I don’t know…” Twilight sighed again.

“I know this all sucks, Twi, but I feel like things will work out. I just have a feeling.” She squeezed the unicorn tightly to her.

“A feeling?” she asked skeptically.

“Yeah, a feeling. I feel like no matter what, your mom will be fine with it, and so will the princess!”

“The princess…” Twilight muttered. Her heart sank again, knowing the time to tell her was drawing ever closer. After how her parents reacted, she honestly didn’t want to tell the princess. Silently she cursed herself for scheduling the two meetings on the same day.

“She knows everything, and she’s super understanding, Twilight. I’m sure she’s not going to be too peeved at you.”

Twilight let the idea sink in for a moment before she let out a laugh. “I think you might actually be right there.” Twilight moaned softly, feeling Rainbow Dash kiss her neck.

“What time do we have to meet the princess?” she asked, nuzzling into Twilight’s neck.

“We need to leave in an hour and a half.” Twilight squeezed the pegasus close to her.

“I think I got just the thing for you. For the next hour and a half, I’ll just lay here, and nuzzle you, and kiss you, and tell you how awesome you are. That’ll make you feel better, won’t it?” Dash playfully suggested.

“We’re just going to lie here, cuddling for an hour and a half, and the whole time you’re going to whisper how much you love me?” Twilight asked, a small bit of Dash’s playfulness rubbing off on her. “I think that would make me feel a little better. I could use a bit of a self-esteem boost after today.” Twilight bent her neck, letting Dash kiss her more.

“Then that’s what I’ll do…”

------------------------------

The sun was setting, and Twilight and Rainbow Dash stood outside of Celestia’s chamber doors. Just standing there, she felt like she was going to have a heart attack. With how things went with her mom earlier today, she was scared to death over how Celestia would react. She looked back at her marefriend, pleading for Rainbow Dash to let her change her mind, but the pegasus shook her head. Twilight stared at her for another moment, clearly nervous about the impending meeting. Her eyes pleaded again, but this time Rainbow Dash silently told Twilight continue. A small motion of the pegasus’s hoof told her to open the door. Reluctantly, Twilight nodded.

Slowly, she lifted her hoof, and lightly tapped on the door. Her soft, gentle rapping couldn’t have possibly alerted the princess, but Twilight stood motionless at the door regardless. She glanced back over at Rainbow Dash, finding the pegasus now standing next to her. She gave Twilight a deadpan look, raising her hoof to knock in her stead. Twilight shook her head, on the cusp of saying something, but Dash knocked more forcefully, cutting her off.

“She didn’t hear that, Twi,” she said sternly.

“You don’t know that. Now she’s going to think we’re—” the door suddenly opened, cutting Twilight off. The golden aura surrounding the handles told them who exactly had willed it opened. Twilight swallowed hard, taking the first step inside.

Inside the rather large chamber, the princess was sitting on a big, plush pillow by an unused fireplace. Next to her sat a stack of scrolls, most likely issues that had yet to be addressed. Glancing around, Twilight quickly noticed a lack of the usual guards around the princess. She breathed a small sigh of relief—partially for the lack of an audience, and also for the informal atmosphere.

“Princess?” she asked, grabbing the ruler’s attention.

“Twilight, I thought that was you. Good evening.” Celestia looked up from a piece of paper she had been reading with a smile. “And to you too, Rainbow Dash. I wasn’t expecting Twilight to bring company.”

Dash shot Twilight a glance that screamed I thought I told you to tell her I was coming. Twilight only smiled weakly. “Good evening, Princess,” they both said, turning back to Celestia with a small bow.

“How are you two doing?” she asked with a calming, gentle tone. Just hearing her voice, Twilight’s body relaxed a bit. Celestia always had this effect on her though. She had a thousand years of practice at making herself feel approachable, and putting ponies at ease.

“W-We’re fine,” Twilight said, looking over at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus nodded to her, spurring Twilight forward.

“You don’t sound fine,” Celestia said, pulling Twilight’s attention back to her.

“E-Excuse me?” She sounded like a filly caught sneaking a cookie.

“I’ve known you for a long time, Twilight. I can tell when you’re feeling stressed.” The princess motioned for the two ponies to join her, which the did. Twilight and Rainbow Dash lied down across from the princess on the floor. “In your letter you mentioned that you had something to discuss, could that be what’s bothering you?”

“Well…yes…” Twilight found herself looking at the floor.

“And I suppose Rainbow Dash figures into this dilemma of yours too.”

Dash nodded to the princess.

“Well, Twilight, you can always talk to me.” Celestia used her magic to roll the scroll she was reading, and placed it atop the pile next to her. Next, she glanced at the cold fireplace. Her horn sparked, and a small flame lit on the logs. The small flame pulsed brighter, and hotter, until it finally engulfed the wood. She turned back to her two subjects lying across from her. “I’ll do my best to offer you advice in whatever way I can.”

“This isn’t so much a matter of guidance, Princess. I…I have a personal issue I need to discuss with you…”

Celestia tilted her head to the side as she looked at her student. “Personal issue?” She glanced over to see Rainbow Dash looking up at her with nervous eyes. “Are you two having an argument?”

“N-No…quite the opposite in fact…P-Princess…Rainbow Dash and I are…” As Twilight spoke, her voice drifted off, quieter and quieter. Celestia had to lean in closer to her student to hear what she was saying. “We’re, umm…romantically involved.” Twilight’s cheeks burned red with embarrassment over admitting such an intimate detail of her life to her mentor.

“Romantically involved?” Celestia looked at Rainbow Dash.

Dash gave Celestia a soft nod. “Yes, Princess, me and Twilight are dating…”

“How long have you two been seeing one another?” Celestia asked. Her expression was unreadable, like it always was. The only hint to her emotions was a lack of her usual smile.

“It’s been about a month and a half…” the pegasus replied.

Celestia looked back at Twilight. The unicorn wasn’t looking at Celestia, instead, she was focused on the floor. The princess sighed softly. “This is a bit troubling, Twilight.”

Twilight felt her heart stop in her chest. Her whole body began to shake uncontrollably. The princess was calm, but Twilight just knew she was upset. She hadn’t even told her the real news yet, and Celestia was already angry. “I-I’m sorry…” she said softly. Her voice was shaking just from uttering the small phrase.

“Hold on, you don’t have to be sorry, Twi.” Dash placed her hoof on Twilight’s.

“I must say, I am disappointed in you…” Celestia let out a small sigh, and shook her head.

“W-What?” Twilight couldn’t even look up at her mentor. She said she was disappointed, and that hurt Twilight beyond anything else the princess could have said. Tremors rolled down Twilight’s hoof, making Rainbow Dash look at her with concern.

The pegasus’s eyes shot to Celestia. “Princess, Twilight and I love each other,” Dash explained, trying to keep calm. “I-I don’t think she did anything wrong!” Against her better judgement, Dash’s anger started to seep into her voice. Twilight’s parents, and now her teacher—her entire support system seemed to be abandoning her, and Dash couldn’t bear to see her marefriend subject to that agony.

“Rainbow Dash, there are reasons why I am disappointed—”

“No! I-I can’t take it anymore!” Dash stood up. “Why can’t anypony accept Twilight’s feelings? We both love each other, so what’s it matter if we’re both mares!” Dash glared at Celestia, though the large alicorn wasn’t the least bit fazed.

“I understand that the two of you are in love, Rainbow Dash, but it’s not your love that concerns me,” Celestia calmly explained. “The Elements of Harmony exist with a very delicate balance, and with so many enemies from old returning, I fear we will need the Elements now more than ever.” Celestia looked out a large window in her chamber, finding the moon rising already in the night sky. She continued to stare for a moment longer, and memories of her sister’s incident surfaced in her mind. “Love between you two could disrupt that balance, and that is a cause for concern,” she uttered finally.

“Wait, what?” Dash sat back down, confused.

“But..,wouldn’t love be stronger than friendship?” Twilight asked, lifting her gaze to meet the Princess.

“Could you say that you hold the same feelings for your other friends that you do for Rainbow Dash now, Twilight?” Twilight stared at the princess for a moment, contemplating if that had been a real question. After Celestia didn’t answer for her, she shook her head. “It’s not for certain that the Elements would fall out of balance, but it’s a possibility—a worse case scenario if you will.” She turned back to face the smaller ponies sitting in front of her.

“So, we might not be the Elements of Harmony anymore?” Dash asked, a small tinge of fear in her voice.

“As I said before, it is a possibility, Rainbow Dash. what I am disappointed in, is Twilight’s lack of foresight, not her choice.” Twilight looked back at the floor, her ears falling flat in shame. Celestia observed the young unicorn for a short while before speaking again. “Though, I do not blame her.” The princess’s words pulled Twilight’s attention back to her. “The heart has a mind of its own, and you do not always get a say in what it decides.”The princess have a small smile.

She was disappointed, but not mad. Twilight felt herself begin to hope. The princess was right, Twilight couldn’t rationalize her feelings for Rainbow Dash, no matter how much she tried. The pegasus had swooped into Twilight’s heart, and stole it without her even noticing. But she also knew something deep down inside. Just because she had these feelings, it didn’t mean she and Rainbow Dash were no longer friends. Nothing had changed between them, her feelings had only grown—they’ve matured into a new stage.

Twilight looked down at Dash’s hoof, resting on her own once more. She thought about how Dash had been there for her through this whole ordeal. Since she had told her, Rainbow Dash had stayed by her side, taking responsibility. Slowly, she looked up into her lover’s eyes. As she stared into the dark rose-color, she felt an echo from something inside her. This something was never gone, and would occasionally remind her of its presence, and that was just what she needed right now. A small smile worked itself onto her face, and she leaned into Rainbow Dash’s side.

“Princess…I don’t think there’s a need for worry,” Twilight said, looking back to Celestia.

The ruler tilted her head slightly. “And why is that, Twilight?”

“Because, Rainbow Dash and I are still best friends…” Twilight sat up proudly. “I can still feel the Element of Magic inside me, so my attunement has not been lost. And with how Rainbow Dash has stood by my side, she is still the Element of Loyalty.”

“Yeah! We’re friends, but we’re also a little bit more now…” Dash smiled back at Twilight, almost as if she had read the unicorn’s mind, she finished her marefriend’s thought.

Celestia’s smile grew more genuine as she looked at the two ponies before her. “I have known you far too long for you to lie to me, Twilight. That is why I can tell you’re being honest right now. Just looking at the both of you, I can see that you care for one another deeply.”

“I love Twilight with all my heart.” Dash leaned into the unicorn.

“And I love you too, Rainbow Dash…” Twilight added.

“If you two can both feel your elements still inside you, then that means the bond is still strong.” The princess grew serious for a moment. “It is a cause for concern though, and be mindful of it in the future. If you ever feel as though you may have lost your elements, do not hesitate to contact me.”

“Of course,” Twilight replied promptly. She looked over at Rainbow Dash expecting her to say something to affirm her statement but the pegasus motioned for Twilight to tell Celestia something more. She shook her head slightly, feeling the fear from her mother’s explosion stabbing at her once again.

Dash rolled her eyes. “Princess…umm…that wasn’t all we had to tell you, though…” Dash looked at Twilight, this time she gave a more firm motion for the unicorn to say what she had to say.

Twilight gave a reluctant nod. “Princess, I’m...umm…pregnant…and Rainbow Dash is the father…”

“That’s wonderful news, Twilight. Though, I must say, that is a rather old spell. Wherever did you learn it?” There wasn’t even a hint of scolding, or disgust in her tone. In fact, Celestia sounded genuinely elated for the two of them. Twilight and Dash both looked at one another, a little surprised by the princess’s reaction.

“In the Canterlot Library a few years ago. It was buried in the historical section. The book was covered in a thick layer of dust, so it didn’t seem like anypony had read it in ages.”

“Curious…I haven’t heard of anypony using that spell in many years, I thought it may have disappeared. I may have to see if that book is still around, and have it relocated to the royal archives.”

“Princess, aren’t you mad at Twilight?” Dash asked finally.

“Mad?” she paused for a moment, giving the pegasus a confused look. “I don’t see why I should be. I’m quite happy to see my student growing up and taking on the joys of motherhood.”

“B-But…Rainbow Dash is the father…” Twilight added timidly.

“Yes, I heard you the first time.” Celestia tilted her head to the side, examining Twilight’s face for a moment. “Are ponies still worried about that controversy concerning that spell after all of these years?” she asked finally.

“Controversy? T-That spell is considered a taboo, Princess. I’m not sure there is a controversy…”

“A taboo? I can’t say I’ve had anypony bring these issues to my attention.” Celestia placed her hoof to her chin. “We are talking about the female procreation spell, correct?”

“Y-Yeah…” Twilight replied. “I’ve heard that ponies are shunned because of it, and when ponies in Ponyville found out, they wanted me to leave town…”

“That’s terrible. If I recall, there was a movement to ban the spell among unicorns, but that was thousands of years ago. I haven’t heard much about it since then.”

“You didn’t know that ponies were being excommunicated because of a spell? I don’t mean to sound rude, Princess, but how?”

“I don’t meddle in the social affairs of ponies, Twilight. My job is to keep Equestria safe, and to make sure that the country as a whole is thriving. Running the country is enough of a hoofful, especially by myself for the last one-thousand years, I can’t look into every injustice out there. That’s why the courts were established.”

“Well, clearly that’s not working.” Dash rolled her eyes.

“Why were ponies trying to force you out of Ponyville, Twilight?” Celestia asked with a, nurturing, almost motherly tone.

“No pony could really tell me. They all had different answers for what they’ve heard. I myself heard that unicorns almost went extinct because of this spell, but now that I think about it, that doesn’t seem to logical…”

“Extinct was far from the truth.” Celestia looked out at the moon hovering in the sky once more, this time as though she was looking into the past rather than her memories. “It was a long time ago. As you may have guessed, the spell was originally created to combat a decreasing birthrate among unicorns. The reason for that was because an unusually low number of colts were being born in the tribe. With there being so few stallions, many mares found the companionship of other mares, either out of loneliness or maybe settling.”

“I suppose that would make sense…” Twilight nodded.

“Well, yeah, or otherwise the spell wouldn’t of been an issue, right?” Dash remarked. Celestia looked back to the two ponies sitting before her. she nodded to Dash, letting the pegasus know she was correct.

“What you may not know is that unicorns were monogamous. They were the only race that were such back then. This wasn’t a practice they could change easily. It was a deeply held unicorn belief that they should bond their magic together in a marriage ceremony. This had the effect of rendering a stallion infertile to any mare he was not betrothed to, and the same for the mare to any other stallion. Of course this fell out of practice once the races started intermarrying. A unicorn and an earth pony or pegasus couldn’t bond their magic, so the practice was replaced with a ring like the other races used to symbolize matrimony.”

“So, stallions couldn’t just get a bunch of mares pregnant if they were married? Well, why didn’t they just stay single?” Dash asked looking at Twilight, and then to Celestia.

“In that book I read, it said that unicorns back then held marriage with a very high regard. Sex was to be saved for marriage. If the ceremony was binding two ponies magic, then sex would be binding their bodies together,” Twilight explained.

“That’s correct, Twilight. Unicorns these days are a far cry from their conservative roots.” Celestia laughed slightly, making Twilight blush. “No need to be so shy, I am well aware of the reputation that unicorns have.” Her mentor’s remark only made Twilight’s cheeks turn more red.

“Getting back to the topic at hoof, however, due to a lack of a stallion during conception, the foals born from that spell were always female, which only escalated their problem. Unicorn society was—at the time at least—a patriarchy. The royal family had yet to be established, so the tribe was led by a council of stallions. If I had to hazard a guess, I would say they felt threatened by this spell. They had some debate, if I recall, but it seems they spread rumors about that spell to scare mares away from using it.”

“Wow…” Dash looked down at the floor. “So, they made it up?”

“They couldn’t make the spell outright illegal, they would have had a revolt. Mares were using the spell, and many would have been pregnant at the time. It would also be the same as invalidating many marriages that had taken place. Bisexuality became common during these times, and the council knew better than to alienate a large portion of their population. Instead, they spread rumors, which could have evolved into ponies being shunned for its use.”

“Well, what saved them then?” Dash asked.

“I can’t say.” Celestia looked down in a bit of frustration. “My sister and I had other matters to attend to at that time, and by the time we returned, the issue was resolved.”

“That story...really explains a lot about unicorns…” Twilight scratched her head.

“History can be a useful tool when trying to understand the present. Anyway, Twilight, I hope that answered some of your concerns with that spell.”

“So it’s not evil, or bad…just…it was labeled that way?” Dash asked for confirmation.

“That would be correct, Rainbow Dash.”

“Twi, that means it’s alright! We can tell your mom, and no pony will want to kick you out of Ponyville!”

“Dashie, who would believe me?” Twilight asked, stopping her marefriend in her tracks. “We can’t just overturn two-thousand years of taboo by telling everypony it’s alright.” Twilight’s head fell down so she was looking at the floor. “Besides, we’ve already been doing that…” Twilight muttered in a soft, sad voice.

Celestia looked upon her student with the slightest hint of pain. She watched as Rainbow Dash placed her hoof on the unicorn’s once more. “Twilight Sparkle, raise your head,” Celestia commanded with a firm, but caring tone. The unicorn obeyed her teacher, albeit reluctantly. Celestia stood up, and walked over to Twilight. She looked down at her student, a gentle smile on her face that instantly relaxed the smaller pony.

“What you and Rainbow Dash have is a joyous occasion.” Celestia looked over at Rainbow Dash, letting the pegasus know that she too was involved in this speech. “Do not let anypony try and tell you otherwise. While it was a risk, I am proud that you two have deepened your relationship. A foal is always something to be proud of, Twilight."

Her mentor’s kind words breathed new life into Twilight. For the first time since she became pregnant, she felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest. Finally, she had a pony she relied on—one of the authority figures in her life validating her decision. “Thank you so much, Princess.” Twilight felt a lone tear roll down her cheek.

“You’re welcome. When the two of you decide that news about this should be made public, I will personally stand behind you.”

“Is that good enough for you, Twi?” Dash asked, giving her marefriend a small nudge.

“Yes, thank you so much, Princess.”

“Now then, if you two no longer have anymore big news to tell me, why don’t we have a normal visit. I could use a break from work to talk with friends.” The princess laughed slightly to herself, eliciting smiles from the other two ponies in the room.

“That would be wonderful,” Twilight replied.

------------------------------

“That went well,” Dash said as she and Twilight strolled out of Canterlot Castle.

“As well as a visit about my sex life could go with the ruler of all of Equestria…” Twilight sighed heavily. As they walked down the road from the castle, she leaned into Dash’s side.

“Always something to worry about, huh…Look, she’s on your side, Twi. What else do you want?” She placed her head on Twilight’s as they walked.

“For this to not be happening…” Twilight replied dryly.

“So you don’t want to have my foal?” Dash pushed away from Twilight, making the unicorn stumble a bit.

“No…Trust me, after the month we’ve had together, I’m happy this happened, but…I just wish it didn’t have to be such an issue…” Twilight explained.

Dash breathed a sigh of relief. “Good, I thought you might be trying to tell me something…” she stepped next to Twilight’s side again as they walked, and the unicorn placed her head on Dash’s shoulder once more.

“No, I’m happy.”

“Good…because I’m happy too.” Dash placed her head on Twilight’s as they walked. “So, since you grew up in Canterlot, you should know a good place to get some dinner, right?”

“I suppose…”

Dash pulled her head from Twilight’s in an instant. “Awesome! Let’s go somewhere romantic! Like for a date! Ya know, since we don’t have to worry about Spike tonight.” Dash gave a sly smile to Twilight.

“Any romantic restaurant in Canterlot we would have needed to put in a reservation about a month ago.”

“It doesn’t have to be super fancy. Besides, we got a week here. I’m sure we can fit in a date night.” Dash put her head back on Twilight’s.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t help us for dinner tonight…”