Twilight placed her foreleg on the windowsill, and rest her head against her hoof. The trees passed by as the train they were on chugged along the tracks in an almost hypnotic way. It was an uneventful end to a far too eventful trip—the perfect end as far as Twilight was concerned. As she watched, she could feel her eyes growing heavier and heavier, beckoning her to sleep. But just as she was about to give into that urge, a small moan drew her attention away from the hypnotic scenery.

She glanced down at her marefriend lying next to her on the bench. Dash was using her side as a pillow, and looked utterly adorable as she slept there. Twilight slid her hoof down, and brushed her the sleeping pegasus’s mane out of her face. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Rainbow Dash was brash, cocky, and would jump to her defense at the drop if a hat, but when she was asleep, she was just too cute to ignore. Twilight cherished that sleeping face more than anything.

Twilight lazily looked back to the window. This trip had been mentally exhausting for her, and the first thing she wanted to do when she got home was take a nap on her own bed. She could already tell that she would have a restful nap. After all, for the first time since she found out about her condition, she was genuinely relaxed. These past months had been so stressful for her, she hadn’t gotten a truly restful night’s sleep. But now that her family in Canterlot knew, and was fine with her relationship with Dash, she was finally able to have some peace of mind.

Well, she still had to tell her brother, but after the week she had, she knew he could wait. Her mom had her on edge all week, so she was already planning on waiting a while before she told her brother. She wasn’t nearly as worried about him as she had been about her parents either. Shining was her big brother best friend forever, so he would understand—at least she hoped. But all that mattered now was that she had some validation for her choice.

Looking back at this past week, she really was amazed how her parents handled it. Her mom may have been reluctant to accept it at first, but she came around. Her mom opened up when she initially told her what Celestia had said. Then after dinner, Twilight explained the whole story. Once her mom and dad heard everything the princess had told her, they accepted the idea. By the end of the night, her mom was truly excited that she was going to have a granddaughter, an idea Twilight was getting excited about herself the more she thought about it.

Twilight glanced back to her marefriend who was still sleeping. Aside from quieting her parents’ fears about her unborn foal, they had a chance to really meet Rainbow Dash. She smiled, remembering the previous night. The pegasus had really won over her parents by telling them about their last two months together. It had been a nice evening once the tension had been defused, and she knew by the end of the night, her parents liked Rainbow Dash. It wasn’t her objective for Dash to win over her parents, but she couldn’t say she was disappointed.

Twilight sighed thinking about the task ahead. Now that her parents were fine with her situation, and had met her marefriend, she would have to introduce her to Shining Armor and Cadance. Twilight only hoped that they would have the same impression as her parents when it came time for them to hear about her relationship.

“The train will be arriving at Ponyville in fifteen minutes!” the conductor said poking his head into the mostly empty car.

Twilight looked back out the window, seeing the sleepy little town appearing in the distance. They were finally home.

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

Rainbow Dash took the first step off the train. She let out a small groan as she looked around the empty platform. Her neck and just about everything else was stiff from the long train ride. Her back, her wings, everything ached. Slowly, she rocked her head back and forth, making a few popping sounds as she did so. Next, she stretched her back out giving another groan as she did. “Trains suck for a nap…” she muttered.

“They’re not for sleeping,” Twilight reminded her with a small giggle. As soon as she stepped out of the train, she gave a stretch herself. Sitting so her lover would have a fairly comfy pillow put a bit of strain on her own back, but she didn’t mind much.

“Yeah, I guess…” Dash yawned. After she finished, she looked back at Twilight noticing something about her marefriend. She had been vaguely aware of it since last night, but after they got back in Ponyville, Dash really took notice. Twilight was smiling, and not because she was caught up in the moment, but genuinely smiling. That had been something Dash missed over the past two months. “You’re in a better mood,” she casually mentioned, grabbing Twilight’s attention.

“Well, of course I am. My mom and dad are okay with this whole situation now, and the princess was fine with it too. What wouldn’t I have to be happy about?”

“That’s true. I’m glad to see you’re back to your old self after that trip.” Dash took a few steps forward, stretching her legs as she moved.

“I’m happy to be back to my old self. I don’t feel so worried about telling my brother now since my mom and dad took it so well. Then again, they only took it so well, after I told them what the princess said.” Twilight walked up next to Dash, noticing the pegasus shooting her a worried glance. Dash was waiting to see if Twilight would get depressed like she had in the past, but she couldn’t—not after how well her visit to Canterlot had ended. “Anyway, I figure we’ll wait a few more weeks to tell Shining Armor. Give myself a bit of time to recharge if you know what I mean,” she added cheerfully.

“Sounds good.”

“Now, we just need to pick up Spike, and then we can go home.” Twilight quickly switched the topic to let Dash know she wasn’t going to get moapy again.

“About that…” Dash’s wings twitched anxiously. “Can you get Spike by yourself? I need hit the sky for a bit. I’ve been itching to get up and do some flying.”

Twilight looked at her for a moment, confused. “I suppose,” she said. “You really haven’t had a chance to fly since we left for Canterlot.” She gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, and it’s killing me!” Dash remarked with a small laugh.

“Well, go, and get it worked out of your system,” she teased.

“Thanks, Twi.” Rainbow Dash leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Twilight’s lips. “You’re the best.”

“I’ll see you at home when you’re done.” The pegasus gave a nod as she unfurled her wings. With a powerful flap she took off into the sky leaving a rainbow streak behind her. As Twilight watched her go, she let out a small, amourous sigh. She loved watching Rainbow Dash fly, but a heavy tug on her eyelids pulled her from her trance. After her long trip, she was feeling a strong urge to take a nap.

She looked in the direction of the Everfree forest. “Now I just need to go get Spike so I can go home and get a bit of sleep before Dash comes home…and then somepony’s got to make dinner…” she muttered to herself, mentally laying out a plan to accomplish everything that needed to be done still today.

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

Twilight walked slowly up to the humble cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. As she approached, a plethora of woodland creatures skittered about around the small dwelling, mostly trying to avoid the unicorn’s path. When Twilight got to the door, she gave a soft knock.

Slowly the door cracked, and Fluttershy barely peeked from the other side. “Oh, Twilight. I didn’t know you were home already.” Seeing it was her friend, she opened the door all the way.

“We just got back a few minutes ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. If I had known, I would have brought Spike to the library for you.” The shy pegasus frowned a bit, and lowered her head.

“It’s fine, we didn’t know what time we would be back,” Twilight casually reminded her.

Fluttershy looked up from her slump. Her eyes looked around Twilight, noticing the librarian was alone. “Where’s Rainbow Dash?” she asked.

“Out flying. She didn’t have much of a chance to in Canterlot, so she said she needed to get out for a bit.” Suddenly the image of Rainbow Dash do laps around Ponyville came to mind.

“That sounds like her.” Fluttershy opened the door further, inviting Twilight inside.

“Thanks so much for watching Spike while we were gone.” Twilight accepted the shy pony’s offer, and entered the small cottage. Inside was a clean mess, which struck Twilight as an odd description, but there wasn’t any other way to describe it. Fluttershy kept her home relatively clean, but the abundance of creatures made it difficult to keep the house in true order.

“Oh it’s no problem at all, Twilight,” she replied. “Spike!” Fluttershy turned, and called out into the house with a gentle tone. It only took him a moment to emerge from the other room, rubbing the back of his head. “Oh, what happened?” she asked with motherly concern.

“Nothing, just Angel knocked a book off the table and it hit me in the head,” he muttered grumpily as he continued rubbing.

“I’m sorry, he’s a hoofful sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it, Fluttershy. He’s been a lot better after this week we’ve had together.” The little dragon looked over to see Twilight standing next to Fluttershy.

“Oh you’re back!” he exclaimed.

Twilight smiled when Spike ran up to give her a hug. “Yes, I’m back. Did you have fun?” she asked, wrapping a foreleg around her assistant.

“Yeah…” he said, trying to hide an obvious lie. Spike looked over at Fluttershy, seeing the quiet pegasus heading into the kitchen. She was humming a soft tune, telling Spike she didn’t hear him. He breathed a small sigh of relief feeling like he dodged a bullet. “So, how was your trip?”

“It was fine. My mom and dad took a little convincing, but everything worked out,” Twilight replied.

“That’s wonderful news.” Fluttershy said setting down a kettle on the stove.

“We told you they would be fine with it, Twilight.” Spike’s voice held an condescending air to it that only made Twilight laugh.

“Would either of you like some lemongrass tea?” Fluttershy offered them.

“I’m sorry, I’ll have to take a raincheck, Fluttershy. I’m exhausted after our trip, and I could really use a nap.” Twilight placed her hoof to her mouth, holding off a yawn.

“Oh, I understand. If you ever need me to watch Spike again, I would be more than happy to.”

Spike muttered something under his breath that even Twilight didn’t catch, but she knew it wasn’t nice by how he was acting. “Go grab your things, Spike, and we can get going.” The dragon gave a nod as he ran off into the other room.

“How did Princess Celestia handle the news?” Fluttershy asked, placing a mug on the counter for herself.

“Very well. Better than I could have anticipated, actually. She...umm…told me she would publicly support me when news gets out about my condition. With how respected Princess Celestia is, I don’t think anypony would try to kick me out of Ponyville once that happens.” She chuckled to herself.

“Oh my, that’s wonderful, Twilight.”

“I think the best news was when she told Rainbow Dash and I the story behind this spell. Apparently the taboo was created by some leaders who felt threatened by the mare population. There’s no real problem with the spell.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy paused for a moment, looking for something else to say. “That’s good to hear.”

Twilight saw Fluttershy struggling to answer. She had been noticing this with all of her friends except Rarity. They all seemed to accept it, but they still didn’t really understand it. “I know this whole situation doesn’t really make sense for any of you girls, but I want to thank you for being open minded about it, Fluttershy.”

“To tell you the truth, Twilight, I can’t really say I understand it too much even now. But as long as you and Rainbow are happy, I’m happy for you two.”

Spike came back into the room carrying his blanket and pillow. “All set to go.”

“Thanks again, Fluttershy,” Twilight said as Spike started towards the door.

“No problem.”

Spike looked back when he realized Twilight wasn’t behind him. He saw the librarian glaring at him slightly, stopping him in his tracks. “Oh yeah...Thanks, Fluttershy…”

“You’re welcome.”

Once the cottage door closed behind them, Twilight wanted to say something, but it seemed that Fluttershy didn’t notice Spike’s rudeness towards her. She decided to wait until she was a little further out of earshot, in case the pegasus heard them talking. After they walked away Fluttershy’s cottage, Twilight continued to stare down at the dragon, hoping he would take notice of her glare. He did not, however. “You were a little rude back there, Spike,” she said after a few moments.

He glanced up to see Twilight was angry with him. “Sorry,” he said as he looked down at the ground.

“Are you sorry?” she asked, seeing if Spike was really aware of how rude he had been.

“Yeah. Fluttershy’s nice, but she can be kind of boring…”

“I know there wasn’t much for you to do while I was out of town, but you could at least be a little nicer to Fluttershy since she was nice enough to lend us a hoof.”

“I wasn’t mean to her while you were gone, I was just happy to go home…You know, I could’ve stayed by myself, Twilight…I don’t need a babysitter…”

“Could you?” she asked, skeptically. She already knew the answer, and that was no, Spike couldn’t stay home alone, even if he was capable of doing so. A day would be pushing it, but a whole week was far too long for the young dragon to take care of himself.

“I’m mature enough to stay home alone,” he muttered.

Twilight sighed. “Spike, you can take care of yourself. I’m well aware of how capable you are. You can cook, clean, and do everything a grown pony can do, but when it comes to choices, you still have a long way to go.” Twilight finally looked back up from staring at the small dragon. “If I left you home for a week, you would have slept all the time, and eaten whatever you felt like.”

“So?”

“So, that’s not good for a growing dragon, do you understand?” She took a small step closer to him as they walked, trying to show her concern rather than sound like she was scolding.

“I guess…”

“I know it’s not what you want to hear, but it’s the truth.”

“But if I’m not old enough to take care of myself, who will take care of me?” he asked quietly.

“What do you mean? I’ll take care of you.” Twilight laughed a bit, dismissing his silly question as a joke.

“That’s not what I mean…You and Rainbow Dash are having a foal…Are you…” Spike swallowed a lump forming in his throat. “Are you even going to want me to live with you anymore?”

“What?” she asked, completely taken off guard.

“You guys will probably want your space, so…I’ll have to move out…”

“Where did you get that idea, Spike?”

“When you two left this week, I wasn’t invited…”

“So you thought we would just kick you out when we got home?”

“No…but…soon…I feel like you two are moving on without me…Like I’m just an after thought half the time…” Spike continued to stare at the ground as he walked. He didn’t even notice Twilight had stopped walking next to him.

“Spike…” Twilight said, sitting down on the ground. Her voice beckoned the young dragon to stop too, but he didn’t looked back at Twilight. “Come here,” she commanded with a soft, gentle tone.

Reluctantly, he turned around, but he still didn’t look up at Twilight. Slowly, he started towards her, staring firmly at the dirt as he walked. Finally, he stopped in front of her, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. “I just feel like…”

“What is it?” Twilight asked, mustering the most nurturing tone she could.

“I’m scared you’re going to abandon me.” Twilight saw a small drop of liquid fall to the ground, leaving a wet spot in the dirt. She wrapped her foreleg around Spike and pulled him in for a hug. He let his blanket and pillow fall to the ground, immediately wrapping his arms Twilight in a hug.

“Oh, Spike…I’ll never abandon you,” she said reassuringly.

“Do you mean it?”

“Of course I do. You’re family, Spike,” she said softly to him.

“Thanks, Twilight…” He let out a small sniffle.

Twilight hugged him tighter. “I know things are changing quickly, but I’ll never kick you out. If you leave our house, it will be on your own, alright?”

“Thanks…” He said, wiping the tears from his eyes. “You know…nevermind…” he started to say something but stopped.

“What is it? You can tell me.”

“It’s just…I was still pretty young when we moved out of your parents’ house…”

“Yeah?”

“And, well…I never really felt like I had a mom…” Twilight frowned a bit. It hadn’t really occurred to her how Spike felt about the absence of a parental figure in his life. Hearing him say it now made her feel a bit guilty. “I…I always thought of you as kind of my mom…” he said, making Twilight stop for a moment.

“M-Me?” Her eyes opened wide in shock.

“You always take care of me, and make sure I’m doing the right thing…I just have always thought you were the closest thing I had…”

Twilight was still in shock. Her hoof gently rubbed his back as the idea settled a bit. “Thanks, Spike…” Twilight said softly. She wasn’t sure how to react at first, but after hearing Spike say that, she felt happy. If Spike was content with her in a parental role, then perhaps she would be a good mother. Maybe living with her little assistant all these years had been a trial run on parenthood. As that idea settled, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Now, let’s go home.” Twilight looked down at him, still wearing that sincere smile. Spike gave a nod, and the two set off for the library.

When they got home, Twilight was the one to take the first step into the library for the first time in a week. The first thing that hit her was the smell. A week without anyone dwelling inside made the library smell like stale air with a hint of paper. It was peculiar how a house—a home—could smell so bad when it wasn’t lived in.

This was one of the reasons she hated leaving town for extended periods of time. Though she couldn’t have asked one of her friends to take care of the library while she was away. Applejack was busy with the farm, Fluttershy was busy with the animals, and Pinkie couldn’t be trusted. Hovering over that last thought for a moment made Twilight shiver. Just imagining the chaos she would come home to if Pinkie had been left in charge of the library was practically nightmare inducing.

Twilight looked around at the dust-covered room. A slight furl came to her brow just looking at the mess that had come over her home in her absence. She would need to clean, but first, she needed to take care of this smell. Immediately, the windows of the library popped open with her magic, carrying the stench outside. As she felt a cool breeze drift through, she breathed deep the fresh air. “Much better.”

Spike trotted in past her with his pillow and blanket. “It’s dusty in here”

Twilight walked inside, closing the door behind her. “It’s because of the various particles in the air settling while we were away. We’ll need to dust this…” she said only to be interrupted with a small yawn.

As Twilight was preoccupied with her inspection of the library, Spike ran straight upstairs. He dashed over to his basket, placing his bedding back in his small bed. Satisfied after making it look at least a little presentable, he turned around to go back downstairs. Just as he turned around however, he was stopped by Twilight lazily walking upstairs.

“Are you alright?” he asked, noticing the tired look in the librarian’s eyes.

“Yeah, I just need a nap,” Twilight said sleepily.

“You’ve been taking quite a few naps lately, Twilight…Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”

She rolled her eyes with a small smile. “I’m sure, Spike. Having a foal can take a lot out of a pony, and being tired is a common result of pregnancy.”

“Alright…” He watched her carefully as she made her way to her bed. He still wasn’t convinced there wasn’t something wrong with Twilight, but he also figured she would know what’s best. When she laid down on the bed, he finally walked down stairs.

As soon as she hit the mattress, she felt her entire body relax completely. She let out a small sigh, and her eyelids closed immediately. The small bed, which she had been sharing for the past two months felt enormous without Rainbow Dash in it with her. it only took her a moment to start drifting off to sleep.

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

Suddenly a loud, firm knock came from the front door. Twilight immediately roused from her sleep after that noise echoed through her house. Groggily she opened her eyes. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand, seeing she had only been asleep for twenty minutes. Twilight couldn’t help but groan in irritation from being woken up so shortly after finally falling asleep. “The library is closed until tomorrow, the sign clearly says that…” she muttered, climbing from her bed.

With the first step on the floor, she felt her leg try to give out under her when she shifted her weight onto it. “I just wanted to get some sleep…” she said to herself in an almost whine.

With a sigh, she slowly made her way to the stairs. Her body wasn’t responding properly from being woken up so suddenly, and each step felt like a chore unto itself. Once she was on the stairs, she rest her body against the wall, and continued her trek. As she walked down stairs, she heard Spike open the door. Twilight groaned a bit, regretting having gotten up. But now that she had come this far, she might as well see what the commotion was about. Twilight yawned as she hit the bottom step.

“It’s not like you to sleep in all day, Twily,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.

Twilight’s eyes shot opened. Standing in the doorway was her brother, Shining armor and her sister-in-law, Cadance. Twilight’s heart stopped dead in her tracks. Spike looked back at her, completely at a loss for what to do. “W-What are you two doing here?” she said abruptly.

“We had some business in Canterlot, so we decided to stop by on our way there, and see my favorite sister-in-law,” Candance said with a smile.

“S-So, you’re just visiting? You didn’t come for any reason, right?”

They glanced at one another before looking back at the librarian with a confused look. “No…”

“Oh, well, that’s good!” Twilight replied awkwardly.

“Is there a reason we should have come?” Shining asked.

“No, of course not! I was...umm…” Twilight looked down at the ground for a moment, mentally stumbling over her thoughts to find a suitable cover. “Just…you know how things are…world always needing saving and what not…” Twilight saw Spike placed his claw on his face.

“Uh-huh…are you feeling okay, Twily?” Shining asked, skeptically.

“She just woke up, so she’s a little out of it still. How about you guys come in, and I’ll fix some tea,” Spike quickly spoke up, covering for Twilight’s little slip.

“Right! Of course, come in!” Twilight rushed over to the kitchen, cutting Spike off before he could enter. “And I’ll go fix the tea, alright?” She didn’t even wait for Spike to agree, or even acknowledge her before she bolted into the kitchen. After seeing Twilight run to make the tea, he simply shrugged his shoulders.

Twilight levitated the kettle onto the stove top. As soon as the stove sparked, she took a deep breath. “You can do this, Twilight…” she muttered to herself. She glanced over at the cupboard, and levitated out four mugs. After she set the cups down on the counter, she walked over to the pantry.

She opened the pantry door, and scanned the shelves for tea. She brought out two different kinds, one was a standard black tea, the other was some Earl Grey she had bought in Canterlot a while back. She stared down at the packaging but her mind was miles away from which tea she wanted.

She honestly wasn’t sure what to do. Shining Armor and Cadance were here in Ponyville, completely unannounced. Did they know about Twilight? And if they did, how did they know? Twilight’s thoughts immediately shot to those she told. She could rule out the princess because Celestia had bigger issues to deal with. Besides, she wouldn’t tell Cadance before Twilight did. Her mom and dad seemed like likely culprits, but when would they have sent a letter with enough time for Shining Armor and Cadance to arrive?

“You don’t need to stress about this, Twilight. They said they didn’t know anything, right?” Twilight looked up, placing one of the teas back on the shelf. She didn’t know which she decided on, but again, she didn’t care. She was far too preoccupied with this sudden dilemma dropped on her. The only thing she knew about this situation was she didn’t want to tell them yet. She had enough with the shouting match with her parents this last week, she wanted a chance to relax before starting another one.

“All you have to do is keep it together. You don’t have to tell them while they’re here. You can tell your brother later, right?” she asked. She placed a teabag into each mug, before looking back at the kettle. Right on cue the pot started to whistle. She pulled it off the stove, and poured some steaming hot water into each cup.

“You don’t sound too convinced…” she muttered to herself as she levitated the mugs into the air. She took a deep breath once more, and popped her head out of the kitchen. Her brother and sister-in-law were sitting down on some cushions on the floor, talking with Spike.

“So, how are you two doing?” Twilight asked, trying her best to sound chipper.

“We’re fine.” Shining glanced around the library, taking notice of the dust-covered shelves. It wasn’t like his sister to leave her house in such disorder. “Little dusty in here, isn’t it? You think it’s about time to clean?” he asked, nonchalantly, only to be given a hard nudge to his side by his wife.

“Thanks Twilight,” Spike said, taking a mug that was levitated down in front of him. “You didn’t put sugar in this…” he muttered after taking a small sip.

“No, I forgot, and you should also remove the teabag before you start drinking,” Twilight reminded.

Cadance laughed a bit at Spike’s expense. “You always seem to forget that, don’t you, Spike.”

“Not always,” he said, getting up to go add some sugar to his tea.

“So, you two are going to Canterlot?” Twilight asked, changing the subject.

“Yes, apparently Aunt Celestia wanted to talk with us about involving the Crystal Empire in the Equestria Games,” Cadance replied.

“The Equestria Games? Is the empire ready for that?”

“The citizens could use a little distraction after Sombra, and the thousand year time skip. They need something to take their minds off of what happened to them. It would also help them get acquainted with modern traditions, so I think it would be a good idea to at least participate…” Shining Armor said after he took a sip of his tea.

“I think she wants more than us to participate though…” Cadance replied, giving her husband a worried glance.

“Like what?” Twilight asked.

“I have a feeling she’s going to suggest to the committee that we host the games.”

“We’re still in the process of reconstruction. I don’t know if we’ll be able to do that, and prepare for the games…” Shining frowned a bit.

“It may be a good motivator for the crystal ponies to finish though. With a huge event like the Equestria Games, they’ll want their city to look perfect.” Spike came back in, stirring his tea with a spoon.

“Spike’s right, it may work to your advantage to host them.”

“Or it could be added stress…” Cadance looked down at her tea cup.

“I think they’re right, Cady. This could be good for the Crystal Empire.” Shining looked at his wife, giving her a smile.

“I didn’t say we wouldn’t try to get the games. It’s a great honor, but I’m just concerned about the citizens.”

“We’ll talk it over with the princess tomorrow. But what I want to know,” Shining Armor looked at his sister with a sly grin, “is why you were still asleep. Rough night?” he teased.

“S-Something like that...” Twilight laughed a bit trying to cover for herself.

“If only you knew…” Spike muttered, taking a sip of his tea. Twilight immediately shot him a look that no one other than him would have known was a glare.

“It’s just that you usually only make Earl Grey when you’re feeling stressed…” Shining noted as he took another sip of his tea. Twilight cursed that small mental tick of hers showing itself at such an inopportune time.

“Y-You know…just work for the princess…” she replied hoping a fake smile would convince them she wasn’t acting strange.

“Work, huh? You haven’t gotten that stressed over work in years, Twily. You’re not seeing anypony now are you?” Shining turned to his wife with that same sly glance he gave his sister.

“Oh, stop teasing her.” Cadance placed he hoof to her mouth, holding back a small laugh.

“Actually—” Spike started to speak up, but his lips were pinched together with magic. He looked up to see Twilight glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. That look was enough to make him drop it, and sit quietly.

“You’re as bad as Mom and Dad,” she said with a fake laugh. On the outside, Twilight looked like she was having a good time, but on the inside it was a whole different story. Mentally, she was in full panic mode. The topic quickly went to exactly where she didn’t want it to go.

“Maybe it’s because they have a point.” Shining Armor took another sip of his tea, still smiling that teasing smile. It was a smile Twilight had seen all her life, but it didn’t mean she liked it. Mental flashes of sibling arguments and hazing came flooding back. That smile also meant Shining wouldn’t drop it unless someone intervened.

Twilight opened her mouth to retort, but just as she was about to say something, the front door opened. Everyone turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway, holding a brown paper bag in her foreleg. “Hey, Twi. I bought—” she stopped midway through strolling into the living room. her eyes fell upon the two guests looking at her in turn.

If Twilight was in panic mode before, now she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. “This could not be any worse…” she thought to herself. But just as she was about to give up hope, and let things fall as they may, she realized something. She could save this situation. Rainbow Dash had only walked inside with a paper bag, so Twilight could come up with an excuse.

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Spike said with a wave. “What did you bring back?”

Twilight looked at the bag in her marefriend’s foreleg, and it hit her. She had an excuse presented to her that they would be sure to buy. She had been asleep, and both Cadance and Shining Armor thought she had been asleep all day, so as far as they knew, Rainbow Dash could have been doing her a favor because she had been up all night. “T-Thanks for doing my shopping for me, Rainbow Dash! Y-You’re such a good friend,” she stressed with a wink back at the pegasus.

“Right…” Dash replied with a nod. “I...uhh...got you guys some apples from AJ,” she muttered, clearly not happy with the situation.

Silently, Twilight thanked Rainbow Dash for being so understanding. She knew the pegasus wasn’t happy hiding their relationship—especially after the incident with their friends—but Dash also knew she wasn’t ready to tell her brother yet. To be fair though, Twilight didn’t like hiding it either. A mental flash to an argument they had shortly after telling their friends over keeping their relationship secret came to mind, and she would have to apologize after her family left.

“You’re acting weird…” Shining noted before they said anything else.

“I am not.” Twilight shot a glare back at her brother, not realizing it only made her look more suspicious.

Suddenly a small blue spark of magic jumped off the tip of Cadance’s horn. She shook her head from the random spark of magic, almost like her nose tickled. The sudden jolt caught her completely off guard, and made her gasp. “That was odd,” she said still a bit surprised.

Shining looked at his wife, taking note of what just happened. Slowly his eyes narrowed, and he looked back at his sister. “Interesting…” he said as an devious smile only an older brother could give his little sister spread across his face.

Cadance gave a small, almost predatory grin as she looked at Twilight. “So, aren’t you going to introduce us?”

“Introduce you? You’ve already met Rainbow Dash…” Twilight said with a growing concern in her voice. Her heart felt like it had skipped about five beats in a row when she saw the two smiles across from her.

“Come on, Twilight, I used to foal sit you. I know when you’re hiding something.”

“I-I’m not hiding anything.” Twilight gave a nervous glance to her marefriend, who only rolled her eyes. That simple gesture was all she gave, but Twilight got the message. This was completely avoidable, and as far as Dash was concerned, Twilight should just tell the truth already.

“Twily, you know Cadance’s magic has to do with love…” Her brother still had that smile on his face.

“S-So?”

“You two are in love!” Cadance switch from predator mode to ecstatic in a split second.

“You don’t have to ruin it for them, Cady,” Shining told his wife.

“I can tell the difference between a crush and love, Shining. These two have already confessed their feelings, I just know it!” She jumped up onto all fours. With a small hop, she plopped back down right in front of Twilight. She looked down at her sister-in-law with a beaming smile.

Dash laughed to herself. “Serves her right for trying to hide it,” she thought. Just as she took a step towards the kitchen to put the bag in her foreleg away, she felt herself being lifted into the air. Suddenly being pulled off the ground without control caused her to freak out a bit, dropping the bag, and sending apples spilling out onto the floor.

Dash looked back around her midsection to see a blue aura surrounding her. She groaned, as Cadance used her magic to pull her right next to Twilight. “So, how long have you two been dating?” the alicorn asked, absolutely absorbed in the juicy situation.

“You can seriously tell all that? From what now?” Dash asked, a little unnerved by how excited Cadance was.

“Oh! My magic reacts around two ponies who have feelings for one another, and how strong those feelings are. It’s like a love detector,” she explained. “So, tell me the whole story!”

Dash looked at Twilight who looked like she was about to cry. “Fine! Alright! We’re dating…” she admitted finally.

“You really need to stop making this so hard…” Dash replied with a roll of her eyes.

“I knew it!” Cadance giggled. “So, how long?”

“A few months…” Twilight said, sulking.

“Why didn’t you just tell us you were seeing somepony?” Shining asked, taking a sip of his tea.

“Why didn’t you tell me you and Cadance were getting married—or even together—before the wedding?” she retorted.

“Are you still holding a grudge over that?” he asked.

“No…I just…I wasn’t ready to tell you, that’s all.” Twilight lowered her head. At least half truths were easier to tell than lies. She really wasn’t ready to tell her brother, but she strategically omitted the reason why she didn’t.

“Twily, it’s not like I’m upset you’re dating a mare or anything,” Shining said comfortingly.

“I didn’t think you would be…” she muttered.

“Look, it’s about lunch time. How about we all go get something to eat, and we can tell you the whole story, alright?” Dash suggested, standing up.

“Now that’s something I can get behind,” Spike chimed in, finishing off his tea.

Cadance looked back at her husband. “What do you think?”

“Well, we haven’t eaten since breakfast, so it sounds like a good idea.” Shining Armor stood up, holding his mug in his magic as he did. His wife’s cup also levitated into the air, held in place by the same magenta aura as his own.

Cadance and Twilight stood up at the same time, but as Twilight tried to get on her hooves, her legs almost gave out on her. While her eyes no longer felt heavy, and she felt mostly awake, the fatigue from earlier had popped back up, reminding her just how exhausted she was. Twilight lost her balance, and stumbled forward a bit. She bumped into Cadance’s side, causing another spark of magic to fire from the alicorn’s horn.

As soon as Cadance had a chance to process what that spark meant, her eyes went wide. Their eyes met. Cadance looked at Twilight with huge, beaming eyes, and Twilight immediately felt her heart drop. She had a feeling where this was going, and she wouldn’t like it. In that instant, everything slowed down for the unicorn. She watched as Cadance’s mouth opened, and she let out a loud gasp. “Twilight, you’re pregnant?” she asked both surprised and excited at the same time.

“What?” Shining Armor asked, completely taken off guard.

“Your sister is pregnant! Oh my goodness, Twilight!” Cadance set Twilight onto her hooves with her magic, and pulled the unsuspecting unicorn into a tight hug.

“Twilight, you’re pregnant?” Shining asked for confirmation.

“N-No!” she protested.

“You can’t hide it from me, Twilight.” Cadance gave her a sly glance.

“So you can tell that Twilight is pregnant just from touching her?” Dash asked, raising an eyebrow to the princess.

“Well, my magic reacts to acts of love too, and what is a stronger act of love than creating a new life. It’s not as easy to sense like love between two ponies, but I can tell if I touch somepony,” she explained.

“That’s weird…” Spike said a little creeped out.

Twilight looked at her brother with a fearful glance. She could see the wheels in his head turning, slowly piecing the puzzle together. She knew it would only be a matter of time before he asked her who the dad was, and it was obvious. She could feel her heart sinking again, and it would only be a matter of time before she would have to try and calm him down to explain her situation.

“Though it’s really strange…” Cadance’s words drew her attention back to the alicorn. She was still beaming with excitement, but Twilight could tell she was confused. “I’ve never felt this kind of reaction before.”

“W-What do you mean?” Twilight asked fearfully.

“Well, it feels like...the father is somepony in this room…but Shining is the only stallion, and I know it’s not him,” she said, placing a hoof to her chin, while still holding Twilight in her other foreleg.

Twilight swallowed hard, knowing that would only draw Shining to the conclusion faster. She looked back at her brother seeing him almost glaring at her. That look confirmed it; he knew. How could he not. He just found out his sister was dating another mare, and she was pregnant. Cadance was only digging Twilight’s grave deeper. There was no way she could avoid this conversation at this point. Twilight steeled her resolve, readying herself for the coming storm.

Dash sighed heavily. “No point in hiding it anymore,” Dash said, drawing everyone’s attention to her. “I’m the dad…” Twilight wished she didn’t say that, but it was already obvious to the pony in the room she didn’t want to find out.

“What?” Cadance asked, looking at Rainbow Dash. She tilted her head to the side when she looked back at Twilight, clearly confused.

“Rainbow Dash is the father…” she said quietly.

“That’s silly,” Cadance said with a laugh. “You don’t need to hide it from us. So, come on, tell us who the father is. Have we met him before?”

“I’m not hiding it. The father is Rainbow Dash…” Twilight’s heart felt like it was about to burst in her chest from the sheer weight of her brother’s glare.

“Stop playing games, Twilight. Everypony knows that two mares can’t have a foal,” Cadance said dismissively.

“Cadance, you don’t know about the…umm…spell?” she asked, skeptical that someone as knowledgeable as Cadance would be oblivious to a spell with such a reputation. She was the princess of love after all, and part of love was sex, so logically she should know quite a bit about these types of spell. Twilight suddenly felt ill thinking about her sister-in-law, and former foalsitter being a sexual being. That was something she never wanted to associate with Cadance.

“What spell?” she asked, naively.

“Cadance, don’t worry about it,” Shining barked. “Twilight, I want to know where you learned that spell!” Shining Armor was still glaring at his sister.

“Hang on a sec! Don’t get upset at Twi, alright!” Dash took a step towards Shining. Her chest was puffed out, and ready for a fight if need be. Shining didn’t pay the tom-coltish mare any mind though. He completely ignored her.

“I found it in a book a few years back,” Twilight said, slipping free from her sister-in-laws hug.

“You found it? You just read it, and what, just decided to try it out one night for shits and giggles?”

“Shining Armor, watch your language!” Cadance shot him a glare. Once she saw him look at her, she motioned towards Spike who was still in the room.

He didn’t care that Spike was in the room though. He was too busy struggling to keep his anger in check, and not blow up at his sister. “What were you thinking, Twilight?”

Twilight looked at Spike. She motioned for the little dragon to go up stairs so they could talk about this matter. He didn’t even argue, realizing the gravity of the situation when Shining Armor cursed. Once Spike was up stairs, she turned back to her brother.

“My curiosity was piqued, alright. I realized quickly after I read it that it was the spell Mom had told me about, and I never actually thought about using it…It was kind of an accident in the first place…” She couldn’t help but blush mentioning her sexlife to her brother. “I know both versions of the spell, and I was…intoxicated when I cast it. I cast the wrong one…and a few weeks later, I found out I was pregnant…”

Twilight saw her brother cringe a bit. At least she wasn’t the only one uncomfortable divulging her bedroom matters with close family. “We’ve been able to salvage a relationship from this accident, so I don’t think you have the right to—”

“I don’t have the right? Twilight, you’re my sister! I have the right to object when you’re making a poor life choice!” he snapped.

Twilight flinched when she heard her brother shout. Whatever willpower he had that was holding him back ran out.

“Do you even know what this will do to you? How ponies will react? When Mom and Dad find out, are going to kill you…” he said, with a heavy sigh. He placed his hoof to his forehead, still trying to wrap his head around what his sister was telling him.

“They already know,” Dash said, grabbing the furious stallion’s attention.

“What?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “You told them?”

“The reason I was asleep when you arrived was because we just returned from Canterlot earlier today. We spent a week there trying to convince Mom and Dad...It may have taken some time, but they’ve accepted it.” Twilight was trying to control her breathing. Her heart was racing in her chest, and she desperately was trying to slow her panicked heartbeat before it popped out of her chest.

He stood silent for a moment. “They’re fine with it? They’re fine with their daughter having another mare’s foal?” he asked in disbelief. “I don’t believe it.” He looked down at the floor, glaring at it as his sister’s proxy.

“It’s true, and when you hear what Princess Celestia told her, you’d be fine with it too.” Dash gave a condescending smirk at Shining Armor.

While Twilight was panicking, Dash was nothing but confidant. Seeing her marefriend look so cocky when confronted with these issues brought some stability back to Twilight. She gathered her courage, and remembered that she was on the right side of this argument.

“I don’t see the issue,” Cadance spoke up, smiling at Twilight. “It’s a little unorthodox, but two ponies who love each other having a foal is wonderful news.” Twilight gave her a smile. Apparently Cadance was in the same camp as Celestia, and completely oblivious to the taboo surrounding the spell. But at least she understood her and Dash’s feelings for one another. She never doubted that Cadance would understand, but her brother was the one she had been worried about.

“Cadance, you don’t understand the problem here. It’s not about a foal, it’s about that spell’s history…” her husband said turning his eyes away from his sister. “What are you even going to do when ponies find out, Twily?” he asked, sounding almost betrayed.

“The whole town already knows…I’ve been dealing with this, Shining. Besides, the princess already told me she would publicly support me.” Twilight took a deep breath as she prepared to explain why she was right. “She also told me that the spell was mislabeled by the patriarchs around that time to discourage mares from using it.”

“Yeah, for good reason!” He slammed his hoof on the floor.

“No, not for good reason!” Dash interjected. “It was just because they didn’t want more mares than stallions. They felt threatened by it, that’s all!”

He sighed heavily. “You need to stay out of this, alright? This is a family issue.” The stallion shot her a stern look that made even the brash Rainbow Dash take a step back.

“Hang on, Shining,” Spike poked his head out from the staircase, grabbing everyone’s attention.

“Spike?” Twilight asked. “This isn’t a conversation you need to be hearing!” she scolded.

“I know, but I could still hear it upstairs,” he defended. He looked back at Shining Armor. “Look, your parents are cool with it, Princess Celestia is cool with it, even Cadance is cool with it. I don’t see why you’re so mad. Everypony is fine with Twilight having a foal, but you.”

“Spike, it’s not about being okay with this, it’s about principles. If Twilight wants to have a foal, it should be with a stallion, not some mare with a magical dick!”

Cadance gasped. “Shining Armor, be a little mindful about who you’re speaking with!” she snapped at him.

But what her brother said struck a chord with Twilight. It was reminiscent of her mother. Immediately she knew how to handle with situation, and that was by not handling it at all. While Shining might usually be calm, collected like their father, when he became extremely upset, he was more like their mother—completely irrational. He wasn’t arguing logically, and was simply sticking with what he knew—what was natural to him. Twilight couldn’t change his mind, at least not until he calmed down some.

Twilight noticed her brother staring at the ground, not even able to look her in the eyes. In that moment, she had a flashback to when she told her mother about her condition. Shining was doing exactly what she had done, lost control even though he desperately tried not to. It was only a matter of time until he felt he would need to leave so he could be alone with his thoughts—just like her mother did when she was upset.

“Cadance…” he said, pulling Twilight back to the conversation. “We’re leaving…” he said, walking towards the door.

“What?” she asked, but he was already out the door. “Wait, Shining!” she called after him. After he didn’t respond, the alicorn looked back at Twilight. She sighed. “I’m sorry about this, Twilight. If I had known, I wouldn’t have said anything…”

Twilight forced a small smile. Even though she knew this would be the outcome, it still hurt. She wasn’t ready for this yet, not so shortly after dealing with her mom. “I didn’t want to tell you two yet because I wanted to prepare for this a bit…” she said softly. Cadance frowned. “But, it had to be said eventually, so it’s fine…” she said, giving a small, weak smile to her sister-in-law.

“He can be hardheaded sometimes…” Cadance laughed slightly. “But you already knew that…”

“He just needs some time to cool off and think…” Twilight sighed. It was a repeat of her mother’s reaction all over. But because it was like her mother’s, she knew Shining wasn’t really upset with her, more worried. “He’s just like our mother…” she said with a small laugh.

“We’re going to go see Aunt Celestia, so I’m sure she’ll be able to talk some sense into him. You did say she was the one who told you about the spell you used, right? That seems to be the problem, so I’ll ask her to explain it.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks, Cadance.”

“Cadance, let’s go!” Shining called back inside the library, angrily.

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll be sure to give him an earful for you too.” She wrapped a foreleg around Twilight, giving her a hug. “Congratulations you two,” she said as she held Twilight.

“Thanks,” she replied as Cadance let go. The alicorn gave a small farewell, and followed her husband outside. She made no effort to hide her disdain towards the stubborn stallion as she left the library.

As Twilight watched Cadance leave, she wasn’t as hurt as she thought she might be. She had predicted how her brother would react, so she wasn’t surprised there. She could also take some solace in the fact that her brother was angry at her situation, not her. All he needed was time to calm down, and then they could really have a discussion about it.

He couldn’t stay upset for long either. Cadance on her side in this matter, and that meant her brother wouldn’t hear the end of it until he came to his senses. And with where they were going, Princess Celestia would be sure to set him straight. She gave a small smile, having a feeling she would get a letter of apology in the not-too-distant future.

Author's Notes:

And Shining was punished with no sex until he made up with his sister. He quickly wrote an apology.