It had been a week since word had gotten out about Twilight’s condition. Not too surprisingly most of the ponies around town took the news as nothing more than idle gossip. It was as Twilight suspected, the earth ponies, and pegasi didn’t really believe it. After all, how could they—A mare doesn’t get another mare pregnant, that much was obvious.

At least it was obvious to the earth pony and pegasi populations. The unicorn population on the other hoof was a different story. She noticed a lot of them were more distant than usual. The few times throughout the week she walked down the street, she could hear their hushed whispers as she passed. When she walked by, she could feel their eyes on her, watching her every move. When she tried to talked to them, she would get little more than pleasantries from most.

The behavior wasn’t outright shunning though. Many of the unicorns would still talk to Twilight if she engaged them in a conversation, though they seemed detached or cold. Yet compared to what Twilight was expecting, it honestly wasn’t bad. She half expected an angry mob of fanatical unicorns to show up on her doorstep, and drive her out of town. Fortunately for her, that expectation did not come to pass.

The sun was just rising, causing Twilight to break from her morning musings. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she was greeted with was Rainbow Dash’s face filling her field of vision. The pegasus was out cold, her mouth slightly agape, her hair was a far more ragged mess than usual, and she snored a little bit—not enough to be disturbing, just enough to let you know she was out cold. Twilight couldn’t help but smile. No matter how many times she saw it, it simply made her happy to see Dash sleeping so peacefully.

Her bedmate had been sleeping over at her house since they told their friends about the two of them. There wasn’t any discussion on the matter, but Twilight didn’t mind. Occasionally Rainbow Dash would leave for her own house just to grab a few things, but she was essentially sleeping at Twilight’s for the foreseeable future. This also meant that she had officially made herself comfortable in Twilight’s home, and more specifically, her bed—which was made for one. It was a little cramped, but that didn’t bother the unicorn so much. On the contrary, she actually enjoyed sleeping with the pegasus next to her.

Twilight gently rubbed the tip of her nose against Rainbow Dash’s neck, trying to rouse her unusually heavy-sleeping marefriend. As soon as she nudged, she knew her efforts had been in vain. She should have known immediately that her slumbering mate was far too out of it to wake from a simple nudge. That’s when Twilight got a devilishly brilliant idea.

Her horn lit with its familiar glow, which morphed into a long, slender, magical appendage. Slowly the magical limb slinked around the sleeping pegasus, working its way to her nose. Twilight couldn’t help but let out a small giggle before suppressing her laughter. She willed the snake-like magical tentacle to carefully tickle Rainbow Dash’s nose. The small, soft tickles elicited a twitch of Dash’s ear, and a pained look from the slumbering mare. With a few more itch-inducing strokes of Twilight’s magic, Rainbow Dash finally brought her hoof up to scratch the annoyance. Twilight desperately held in her laughter, when she saw her marefriend’s face contort from the tickling.

Unfortunately for the sleeping Rainbow Dash, her hoof passed right through Twilight’s magic, allowing the small snake-like limb to continue tickling her in her sleep. Finally it was too much, and she shook herself awake, desperately rubbing her nose. Her eyes opened just in time to see the glow from Twilight’s horn fading. Twilight gave her an innocent look, with a precious smile.

“Good morning,” Twilight said, still trying to hold back her laughter.

“Don’t mess with me while I’m sleeping,” Dash said groggily. “It’s not cool.”

“But you were just so cute, I couldn’t resist,” Twilight murmured as she planted a kiss on her neck. Her lover responded by moving her head, allowing her easier access. Each little peck from Twilight elicited a small, sensual moan from Rainbow Dash. Her lover moved up her neck, before skipping over to her lips.

“I’m not cute,” Dash muttered before Twilight sealed her lips with her own.

Just as the two were really starting to enjoy their morning passion, something suddenly struck Twilight. Her shot back, her eyes wide-open as a familiar sensation started taking hold. She covered her mouth with a hoof before muttering something that Dash didn’t quite make out. Before she could even ask her marefriend what was wrong, she jumped out of bed, and raced to the bathroom.

“Way to kill the mood,” Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. This had become a common occurrence over the past week. Each morning Twilight would wake Rainbow Dash up, engage her in a passionate kiss, just to rush out of the room, and throw up.

“Ugh, again?” A small, groggy voice came from the other side of the room.

“Yeah. She’ll be back soon, Spike. Why don’t you go back to sleep.” Rainbow Dash rolled over from her side, so that she was sitting on her legs.

“No thanks, I might as well just get up,” he said with a yawn. The next thing Rainbow Dash heard from the little dragon was a clash of pots down stairs, as he started breakfast.

A moment later, Twilight returned, looking a little exhausted. These morning fits were starting to wear on her nerves, but she also knew there was nothing she could do about them. They were natural, and hopefully would end soon.

“The first thing we’re going to talk about is your behavior when you get out here little missy,” Twilight said looking back at her belly. When she turned her head back forward, she noticed was Rainbow Dash picking at her feather’s with her mouth on the bed.

“What are you doing?” she asked returning to bed.

“Preening,” said Rainbow Dash in a muffled voice, since she refused to pull herself away from her grooming.

“I didn’t know you did that...” Twilight thought for a moment. In a mental flash, she vaguely remembered reading that pegasi did in fact preen their wings like birds did. She laughed a bit realizing how random that little fact was. “Well, I never seen you do it at least,” Twilight stood next to the bed, unable to climb back in, due to the outstretched wing.

“I do it every day, sometimes twice. I gotta keep these babies in tip-top condition.”

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash’s wings, almost in awe of their beauty. She did keep them in excellent shape, but what else would you expect from an all-star flier. It’s no different than a pitcher in the unicorn baseball leagues taking care of his horn, or Applejack making sure her hooves were trimmed and ready for bucking.

“Did you...want some help?” Twilight asked, trying to be helpful. A look of confusion spread across Dash’s face.

“Umm...I guess you could...are you sure you want to?”

“Well, now I don’t know...” Twilight said, sounding a bit unsure herself now. “Is this supposed to be an activity that you do by yourself?” The reaction she got made her hesitant.

“It doesn’t have to be, my dad used to help me with it when I was younger.”

“So it’s a parent–child activity, not something a couple would do...that’s kind of awkward. Sorry I asked,” Twilight said a little embarrassed.

“Couples do it too, I’ve just never had anypony offer. It’s not as social among pegasi as it is among birds,” Rainbow Dash explained before digging back in between her feathers. She picked for a few moments before resurfacing from the fluffy mass. She extended her newly cleaned wing, admiring her handiwork.

“Twilight! We’re out of apples!” Spike called from the bottom of the stairs. “How can I make apple-stuffed french toast if we’re out of apples?”

“Don’t worry about it, Spike. I’ll go to the market and get some.” Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Wait, you’ll go to the market?” A troubled expression came across Rainbow Dash’s face.

“Yes, me. I can’t just stay in the library for the rest of my life. Besides, staying cooped up in here isn’t putting any rumors to rest—and by the way, neither is you leaving my house every morning.” Twilight placed a sarcastically accusing hoof on her marefiend’s chest, and laughed slightly.

“Speaking of leaving, I got to get to work today. I’ll see you around dinner, alright?” Rainbow Dash said, still picking at her wings. After a quick glance over her work, a satisfied smile spread across her face. With a quick flap, she took off into the air, before gently setting back down onto the ground.

“Flashy as always.” Twilight gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t forget, Rarity is watching Spike for us tonight, so hurry back,” Twilight added with seductive tone to her whisper, as she eyed over here pegasus lover. Dash’s cheeks flashed a rosy hue for a brief moment at the possibilities in store. She let her mind wonder a bit, before she finally shook her head, to loosen any sensual thoughts.

“I-I’ll see you around dinner.” Rainbow Dash said, walking past Twilight.

“Have a good day, love you.” Twilight said, as the pegasus walked down the stairs.

“See you tonight,” she called back up.

After she heard the door close, Twilight decided it was about time to get herself ready to head out as well. She headed downstairs first, poking her head in the kitchen in passing. The sight of Spike sitting at the table looking really bored stopped her in her tracks.

“Sorry, I forgot we were out of apples.” Twilight looked at him, giving him a slightly embarrassed grin came over her.

“So then, oatmeal again?” he asked rhetorically with a touch of annoyance. Twilight gave him a nod, which he rolled his eyes at. After a second he got up out of his chair, and started getting breakfast ready.

“I’ll pick up some apples from Applejack today at the market, alright? We can have your apple-stuffed french toast tomorrow when you get back from Rarity’s.”

“Well don’t forget that we need milk, butter, eggs, bread, lettuce-” Twilight tapped her foot, growing aggravated as he continued listing.

“Okay, enough. I have a shopping list, so you don’t need to remind me.”

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

It was midmorning by the time Twilight left the library. The market was crowded with ponies rushing around to finish their morning chores. The daily rush of the Ponyville market gave the sleepy little town a rare sense of hustle and bustle. It left Twilight with a sense that she was almost standing still among the buzzing crowd—a feeling she hadn’t felt since she left Canterlot. The only static thing in the mass of ponies were the lines at each stall, and even those were moving with ponies getting in and leaving them.

Twilight levitated her list from her bag, checking what she needed. Written down were mostly the essential things she needed, and hidden inside was a box of gem cookies, which Spike tried to sneak in. Twilight shook her head slightly as she crossed that one off; Spike was still grounded from last week. As she read through the items she failed to notice a pony in front of her. Her body came to an abrupt stop, with a small thud from bumping into somepony. When she lowered her list to see who it was, and apologize, she saw a unicorn looking at her like she was an alien or something.

“Sorry about that,” Twilight muttered quietly, unable to look at the yellow mare in the eyes. The feeling of utter contempt in the other unicorn’s gaze reminded Twilight of her situation. She glared for a few more seconds before turning her nose up at the librarian, and walking away. By far that had been the most blatant display of shunning Twilight had felt since word got out. As the other mare left, Twilight reminded herself not to let it bother her. She had her friends, and Rainbow Dash, who cared if a few unicorns didn’t like her.

Twilight scanned the crowd, looking for what she needed, but as she did, she noticed a few other unicorns staring at her—though they didn’t seem upset, more conflicted. After they realized they had been caught staring, they all quickly returned to what they were doing. It was almost comical seeing an entire group scramble to be inconspicuous, though the humor was lost on Twilight. She let out a sigh, feeling even more alienated.

The longest line in the lively marketplace was her destination, Applejack’s stand. Even though Applejack was Twilight’s friend, she wasn’t going to take advantage of that to cut in front of all the ponies ahead of her. She took a spot at the end of the line, and waited like the rest. Unfortunately, ahead of her was the unicorn that had turned her nose up at Twilight not even a minute before.

Twilight couldn’t say she knew the mare, though she did seem a little familiar. She had probably seen her in passing from time to time, but they had never spoke. As Twilight inspected her, the unicorn noticed her from the corner of her eye. Once she realized who it was she quickly snapped her neck back to face front. Twilight wanted to let out a sigh in frustration, but she couldn’t, that would mean that the mare in front of her would have won.

Before long, the line had moved, and she was at the front. The unicorn mare in front of her, that gave her the dirty look purchased her apples. When she turned to leave, she flashed Twilight a quick glare before trotting off somewhere. Twilight stepped towards the counter, feeling confused, and a little upset. “Howdy there, Twilight! I Didn’t think you’d be out an’ about just yet.” Applejack said with a bright smile. Twilight nodded meekly to acknowledge her friend‘s greeting.

“Hello, Applejack. Could I please have a bag of apples?” She was still distracted by the way that mare had treated her. She knew she shouldn’t let it weigh on her, but she didn’t even know that mare. Why would she be so mean to somepony she didn’t even know?

“Somethin’ botherin’ ya, sugarcube?” Applejack placed the bag on the counter of her stall. Twilight tossed her some bits before stepping out of line.

“Well, I haven’t really been out of my house in the past week, as you know. I did go to Sugarcube Corner and I saw ponies in the library, but today was the first time I’ve really had any actual interaction with ponies since last week.” Twilight sat down next to her friend, watching her sell her goods as she explained her woes. “Today some unicorn I didn’t even know gave me the most hurtful look.” Her friend placed a hoof on her shoulder for a moment.

“Come on now, Sugarcube, don’t let it get ta ya. ”

“I should expect it, but still.”

“Ya said not all unicorns were treatin’ ya so bad, if I recall,” Applejack offered, getting back to work.

“They haven’t been the most friendly either. When I went to Sugarcube Corner two days ago, Amethyst Star was giving me some dirty looks as well.”

“Yeah, but some’re still talkin’ ta ya. That’s a lot more than ya were expectin’,” Applejack said with a smile. Twilight nodded to her friend, conceding to her logic.

“That’s true. When I talked to Lyra, she was nice enough, but it still bothers me,” Twilight said, moping a bit.

“They say everypony gets theirs, right? Those that’re bein’ mean ta ya’ll get what’s comin’ to ‘em. Bein’ a nasty nelly ain’t never done nothin’ for nopony,” Applejack accented her words by lifting Twilight’s chin up to look at her. “I best be getting’ back ta work now. I’ll see y’all later tonight.”

“Applejack, that‘s a quadruple negative, that would mean that it has done something for somepo—” Twilight stopped herself, suddenly realizing what Applejack had said. “Wait, tonight?” Twilight asked, seeming a bit confused.

“Ya did remember we was fixin’ ta plan a foal shower for you and Rainbow Dash tonight, right?” Applejack looked into Twilight’s eyes with a bit of concern.

“That was tonight? Umm, any chance we can reschedule? I have Rarity watching Spike, and—how did you convince Rarity to not be there for the planning of a foal shower?” Twilight gave her friend a suspicious look, to which Applejack laughed.

“She don’t know yet, that’s how. We’re just pickin’ a place and some other stuff. Some bein’ the key word there, and we don’t need miss fussy-saddle makin’ things complicated just yet,” Applejack added with a laugh.

Twilight nodded, seeing her logic. If Rarity came, then it would take them hours just to settle on a location. “You are letting her in on the planning later on though, right? She would kill you girls if you didn’t.”

“Of course, but we need ta get things settled first before we let her come in, and fuss over every li’l detail. I best be gettin’ back ta work, I‘ll see y‘all tonight.”

“About tonight—it’s just that Rainbow Dash and I had plans tonight...”

“Won’t take but a bit, then y’all can get at whatever business y’all had planned,” There was a small cough, drawing Applejack’s attention back to the growing line of ponies in front of her stall. Twilight took the hint, and bid farewell to her friend. There were a few more things she needed on her list before she could head home.

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

Twilight opened the door to the Golden Oaks Library, carrying more than a few bags full of groceries in her magic. “Spike, I’m home!” Twilight called into the empty library. The dragon poked his head out from the kitchen after he heard her call.

“There you are, Twilight.” He said scampering out of the kitchen with a smile on his face. He snatched two of the bags Twilight was carrying. “You’ve got a visitor.”

“Visitor?” Twilight pondered for a moment about who would visit her in the middle of the day. She was snapped out of her musings by a grey pegasus mare strolling out of her kitchen. Her misaligned eyes held a sense of regret as she walked out. When she looked at Twilight, she gave a weak smile.

“H-Hello, Twilight,” she said meekly.

“Oh, umm, hello.” Twilight was taken a bit off guard at the stranger coming out of her kitchen. She set the bags of foodstuff down on the library floor.

“I’m not sure if we’ve actually met, my name is Ditzy Doo,” the pegasus said, mustering a smile.

“Nice to meet you, Ditzy,” Twilight said, trying to be friendly.

“You’re probably mad at me about spreading that rumor about you and Rainbow Dash. I wanted to stop by and say I’m sorry. It was a terrible thing for me to do. I didn‘t know how unicorns felt about that spell when I told ponies about you.” Ditzy lowered her head.

Twilight looked at the other mare’s crestfallen expression, realizing that she was sincere. She could tell by the look in her eyes that Ditzy was truly remorseful, and she wanted to make it up to Twilight. The sentiment put a small smile on Twilight’s face. She wasn’t one to hold a grudge, especially against a stranger seeking forgiveness.

“Well since you didn’t know, I can’t really blame you, can I...” Twilight’s smile grew a bit larger, as she took a step towards Ditzy. “A foal is some rather big news, and I know you were just excited about telling ponies.”

“It’s huge news! I mean Twilight Sparkle, the pony who saved this town—Celestia knows how many times—and Rainbow Dash, the all-star athlete having a foal together!” Ditzy perked up as she explained. Her excitement was short-lived however, as she quickly remembered she was apologizing. “I didn’t know you didn’t want news out about it though. I heard about the spell you used before, but I didn’t know it was such a bad thing...”

“Not many ponies aside of unicorns do. You didn’t mean any harm, so I can forgive you, Ditzy. After all you’re here apologizing, that means a lot to me.” Twilight placed a hoof on the clumsy mare’s shoulder.

“Really? Thank you, Twilight!” Ditzy placed a hoof on Twilight’s hoof. “I’m really am sorry about all the trouble I caused you.”

“Well, word getting out happened a little sooner than I wanted, but ponies would have found out eventually.” Twilight laughed a bit, though her eyes betrayed her true feelings about her predicament.

“You’re taking this better than I thought you would’ve,” Spike interrupted the two when he poked his head out from the kitchen. Twilight glanced over to see he had finished carrying the groceries into the kitchen all by himself.

“Well, just like somepony I know—” Twilight narrowed her eyes at Spike a bit. “she didn’t know to keep it a secret.”

Spike let out a nervous chuckle, as he rubbed the back of his head. “I wonder who that could’ve been,” he said timidly.

“Thank you for being so understanding, Twilight. And again, I really am sorry.” Ditzy apologized again before walking to the door.

“Thank you for apologizing, Ditzy, it takes a big pony to do that.”

“I had best get back to work, the mail won’t deliver itself,” she said with a small chuckle. As she turned to the door, one of her front hooves failed to move. Before she could react, she was already falling flat on her face. Twilight rushed to her side, just as she let out a small groan.

“Are you okay?” Twilight asked, scanning over the clumsy mare’s body for injury.

“Yeah, I’m used to it,” she replied, shacking off her daze. Slowly she climbed back onto all four legs, her eyes swiveling a bit before settling back into their usual, misaligned resting places. “Bye, Twilight,” she said, pressing her hoof to her face, and rubbing it back and forth against her nose. After a few more rubs, she opened the door, and left.

“What a strange pony...” Twilight commented after she closed the door behind Ditzy.

Spike looked up at her. “She seemed nice enough.”

“A little clumsy, maybe.” Twilight laughed a bit. The two stood there, staring at the door for a moment. “How about we get some lunch,” Twilight suggested, breaking the silence.

“Sounds good,” Spike replied while wondering towards the kitchen.

“After that, we can go over my checklist for getting you ready to spend the night at Rarity’s.”

“Come on, Twilight, do we really need a checklist for that?” Spike protested.

“Of course we do, Spike,” she replied with a laugh. “Not using a checklist is like brushing your teeth without a toothbrush.”

“I don’t think a checklist is as necessary as a toothbrush, Twilight.” The dragon sighed.

“Let’s just have lunch, and let me take care of packing, okay?” Twilight patted Spike on the head. The small dragon shrugged his shoulders.

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

Rarity was busy working on the last dress in an order she had to fill. Her horn was abuzz as she ran fabric through her sewing machine. The designer had her eyes narrowed as the cloth passed under the needle, her jaw was slightly clenched, and a lone bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. Just as she was about to pass the final piece through the machine, a loud bang disrupted her. She couldn’t stop herself from jumping at the sudden noise. The bang made her workspace shake a bit as well, sending her cloth astray, and ruining her hard work. She took a deep breath before glaring down at side of her desk.

Her sister sat next to the counter she was working at, looking incredibly bored. The young unicorn was repeatedly hitting the back of her head against the wooden surface behind her. Each thud from her sister’s head hitting the counter made Rarity wince. Her brow furled in irritation as the assault from her sister continued to wear on her nerves. Finally after a particularly loud thud, Rarity slammed her hooves on the counter.

“Sweetie Belle, stop with that!” she said, trying to keep her composure.

“Well you grounded me, so what do you expect me to do?” the younger unicorn muttered, sulking as she sat there.

“I expect you to act a bit civilized, and not hit your head against a counter. Besides I’ve told you about gossiping, that‘s why you‘re grounded,” Rarity retorted as she returned to her work.

“It’s still not fair. You’re not my mom...” Sweetie Belle crossed her forelegs as she put a scowl on her face.

“I may not be your mom, but while Mother and Father are visiting Las Pegasus for another week, you are my responsibility. That means that it is up to me to make sure that you do not go spreading terrible rumors—especially about a close friend of mine!” Rarity brushed her perfectly-styled mane out of her face.

“Twilight said it was okay! I don’t see why I have to be grounded...”

“Sweetie Belle, I don’t think you realize the position you put Twilight in...” Rarity pressed her hoof to her temple, and slowly massaged away a building headache. Her attempt at calming herself was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash. Suddenly the door to Rarity’s boutique swung open, causing both ponies to jump a bit. When glances shot towards the intrusion, they saw Spike standing in the doorway, completely out of breath.

“R-Rarity...” he said trying to catch his breath.

“Spike? What‘s the matter?” The designer put down her fabric, and rushed over to the little dragon’s side. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he was upset about something.

“Y-You gotta help Twilight...We were on our way here, and then a bunch of unicorns came up to her outside of the library and started demanding she leaves Ponyville!”

“What? Is she alright? Did they hurt her?” Rarity’s eyes went wide.

“I don’t know! They were just talking when I left to come get you, but they might’ve done something by now!” he explained, still panting.

Rarity glanced back at Sweetie Belle. “Stay put Sweetie Belle, I will be back in a moment!”

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

Twilight quickly found herself out of space. She had been pushed back until her rear brushed up against the bark of the library behind her. Her eyes shot around, trying to find an escape, but she was cut off on all sides. The group of about fifteen unicorns had surrounded her in a semi-circle.

Her eyes ran over the crowd. A few faces stood out, one being the mare she saw in the market earlier that day. She was giving Twilight a mean glare again, which was shared by another unicorn next to her. But unlike the mare from the market, Twilight knew the unicorn standing next to her, it was Amethyst Star.

“Listen here, Twilight. We want you out of town,” Amethyst said bluntly. A few unicorns of the group nodded in agreement, while the rest simply stood silent. Twilight could see most of the unicorns didn’t share Amethyst’s contempt; most looked reluctant, not upset. Twilight could tell from their eyes they weren‘t one-hundred percent committed—that meant she could convince them.

“Just because of a spell?” Twilight’s kept a close eye on the not-so-committed unicorns, gauging their reactions. Many of them averted their gaze from her.

“It’s how this works! You broke a taboo, at least you could have the decency to leave town.” Amethyst took a step towards Twilight, puffing out her chest as she did so. A commotion was starting to stir as other ponies of Ponyville began to take notice of the gathering around the library.

“I still don’t see why I would have to leave town. That doesn’t make any sense. If you‘re all going to shun me that’s fine, but I shouldn‘t have to leave Ponyville!” Twilight protested, taking a defiant step towards Amethyst.

“So you’re not denying it then?” the mare asked, turning a cocky grin back to her supporters.

“Even if I did, you’ve all already made up your minds.” Twilight looked back to the unicorns behind Amethyst.

“What’s going on?” a voice asked from outside the semicircle. Twilight could see the townsponies gathering around the crowd of unicorns. Their little spectacle wasn’t unnoticed, how could it be. A group of fifteen or so ponies gathering around another, yelling accusations at her? Of course it would draw attention.

“So you really are pregnant with Rainbow Dash’s foal?” another unicorn asked, timidly.

Twilight could see many in the mob were waiting for her answer. Now was the moment of truth, the moment she would have to tell everypony herself. “...Yes,” she said with a sigh. A few surprised glances shot around the semicircle. “But I don’t see why that means I have to be thrown out of town, or even shunned for that matter!” Twilight defended.

Amethyst rolled her eyes. “You know all the trouble that spell brings!” Amethyst yelled back.

“What trouble? What harm has it done? All I have done is bring another foal into this world, what is wrong with that?” Twilight asked.

“Shut up! Everypony knows nothing good can come from that spell!!” the mare Twilight saw in the market earlier that day joined Amethyst’s side.

“Twilight!” Another voice called out, this time one Twilight recognized. Applejack pushed her way through the crowd with Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. “What the hay’re y’all doin’ ta Twilight?” she demanded.

“Stay out of this Applejack, this is a unicorn problem.” Another unicorns stepped forth from the crowd.

“Faraday, y’all’er pickin’ on one’a my best friends, I ain’t just gonna sit by an’ let y’all get away with it!”

“You wouldn’t understand, Applejack. Twilight broke one of our race’s major taboos!” she protested.

Just as Applejack was about to open her mouth, she felt a hoof on her shoulder. “Applejack...” Twilight shook her head. “Let me handle this.” Applejack paused for a moment, unsure how to proceed. She didn’t want to let Twilight go through this, but she could see the determination in Twilight’s eyes. Finally, she gave her a reluctant nod, to which Twilight smile.

“What proof do we have that this spell is so bad?” Twilight asked the angry mob, taking a step towards them as she did so. A silence filled the air with the mob of unicorns pondering her question. Twilight found many of the unicorns shooting glances to one another.

“That spell almost wiped out our race!” a voice called from the back of the mob.

“I heard fillies born from it are cursed...” one said in a much lower voice to another beside her.

“I’ve heard that they’re diseased and bring nothing but trouble.”

“I just think it’s wrong for two mares to have a foal. Why else would there be stallions?” Before long it all devolved into indistinguishable chatter. The mob was abuzz with ponies sharing their fears. But one thing Twilight kept hearing was that not one of them stated a fact. Each thing the ponies said was rumor or opinion.

“Hold on, no pony can actually say why this spell is so detrimental? No pony here can tell me why this spell is taboo in the first place?” Twilight asked, interrupting the mob. As her eyes scanned the group, she found most ponies avoiding eye contact. “If not a single pony here can say something that isn’t based off hearsay, then why would you drive me out of town? We have no proof that this spell is the terrible blight we‘ve been told.”

“You think generations of unicorns would just keep lying to their kids just to keep a taboo going?” Amethyst said with a laugh. “Obviously a long time ago there was a reason for it to be deemed a blight. Our race nearly died out! That’s reason enough it shouldn’t be used!”

“And how did this spell cause it?” Twilight asked. Amethyst tried to speak but she was at a loss for words. She couldn‘t answer that question, and looking around the mob of unicorns, no pony could. Every unicorn stood silent, trying not to make eye contact with Twilight.

“If two ponies want to have a foal, there shouldn’t be any reason they can’t,” Fluttershy said softly as the crowd fell silent for a moment. “Love is all that should matter, right?”

“Fluttershy’s right!” A voice called out from beyond the semicircle. A pale sea green unicorn pushed through the crowd. She walked passed the glaring group on unicorns, and stood next to Twilight. The mare’s eyes brimmed with purpose as she looked at her fellow ponies. “It’s because of this stupid taboo that me and Bon Bon can’t have a foal!” she protested.

“You can’t be serious, Lyra,” one of the unicorns said, rolling her eyes.

“I am serious! It’s not like anypony here doesn’t know we’re a couple. It’s stupid that just because we’re two mares we’re not allowed have a foal—even though we have the ability!” she asked.

“It’s taboo, Lyra!” another unicorn yelled at her.

“And I’m saying that taboo is stupid! Just look at Twilight, she doesn’t look like she’s about to end the world!” Her eyes darted over the crowd, watching many of the unicorns suddenly look ashamed of themselves. “I’m not afraid to say it, I love Bon Bon. But as much as we love each other, it’s this stupid taboo that stops us from having a foal of our own.”

“Exactly! Loves all that matters, right?” Pinkie jumped in, wrapping her foreleg around Lyra‘s neck in a half hug..

“If Twilight or Lyra likes a pony, I don’t see why we all have ta say they can’t have a foal of their own.” Applejack placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. She looked out into the crowd again. “An’ that goes fer anypony here. Heck, Twilight told me a week ago, an’ sure I was a bit confused ‘n’ scared at first, but now I don‘t see what the big deal is. Two ponies havin’ a foal together, that’s a reason ta celebrate!”

Many of the unicorns nodded in agreement. “Well...it is taboo, but...how did it almost wipe out our race?” asked a unicorn to another. Shoulders shrugged around the inquiring pony as no pony knew the answer.

“It’s just a foal, how much harm could it do?” another asked.

Amethyst could see the crowd swaying out of her favor. She stomped her hoof in protest. “No, hold on! After all the trouble you’ve caused for this town, Twilight, you don’t just get off scot-free!” Amethyst protested.

“Trouble?” Twilight asked.

“It’s because of you, all this crazy stuff happens here!” the mare next to her agreed.

“Lemon Hearts, Twilight’s saved this town more times than I care ta count! How can y’all act like it’s her fault?” Applejack asked, defending her friend.

“Because most of those times were either caused by her or one of you, her friends!” Lemon Hearts pointed a hoof.

“An’ what’s that gotta do with her havin’ a l’il filly?” Applejack asked back. But before Lemon Hearts could answer there was a shrill cry that interrupted them.

“Amethyst Star!” A voice echoed from above. Everypony struggled to look up at the source of the voice, but the sun was too bright to see. All they could see was a blur rocketing towards the crowd. The earth shook when a grey pegasus slammed down into the ground. Ditzy Doo looked up at the crowd of unicorns. The usually bubbly mare’s eyes were narrowed with an intensity that would have sent chills up any pony’s spine.

The walled-eyed mare focused her piercing gaze on the unicorn leading the mob against Twilight. Upon seeing that burning look in Ditzy’s eyes, Lemon Hearts quietly took a step back away from the focus on the angered mare‘s attenion. The pegasus stormed towards Amethyst Star with thunderous hoof-steps. The crowd stood silent until Ditzy came nose to nose with the unicorn. Amethyst only rolled her eyes at the pegasus stomping towards her.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Ditzy demanded from her.

“Get out of here, Ditzy,” the unicorn said dismissively.

“No! You leave Twilight alone this instant! As your mother I can’t let you harass a pony for no good reason!” Ditzy’s voice contained an almost primal growl no pony had ever heard from her before.

“Step-mother!” Amethyst corrected, meeting the glaring mare’s gaze. “Just because you married my dad doesn’t mean you can boss me around!” The two’s argument drew a small giggle from the crowd. Amethyst snapped her head to the ponies who laughed. She glared at them for a moment, her cheeks flashing a tinge red as she did so. Her jaw muscles visibly tightened under her skin as she clenched her teeth. She let out a low groan when she turned away from giggling ponies.

“As long as you live under our roof, you have to listen to our rules, alright? I hope you’re not filling Dinky’s head with this kind of intolerance!” she yelled.

“Dinky‘s too young to know about this kind of stuff! Besides, weren’t you the one who went and blabbed to everypony?” Amethyst looked back at ditzy with a cocky grin creeping onto her face.

“That is neither here nor there! Besides I’ve apologized for that! You on the other hand are coming home, this instant!” Ditzy walked up to Amethyst’s side, and gave the young mare a nudge.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded as she was pushed off. She looked down at Ditzy in complete disbelief over what she was doing.

“I told you, you’re going home!” Ditzy yelled back, still pushing her daughter with her head.

Amethyst shot her gaze up at Lemon Hearts, who only smiled weakly. Her mouth fell slack a bit in shock. It didn’t take long for her eyes to narrow at the other unicorn. Her glare spoke volumes to Lemon Hearts—saying “I’m so going to get you back for this, you traitor!”

“Fine! I get it! I’ll go home, alright!” Amethyst pushed Ditzy back, trying to regain what little dignity she had left. She flashed an angry glare at Lemon Hearts again, and then one over to Twilight before she stormed off.

A few snickers came from the crowd as they watched Amethyst Star leave. But they quickly remembered why they were gathered in the first place. They looked back at Twilight, lacking much of the conviction they had with their ringleader absent.

“Are you all really going to ask Twilight to leave town? After all she’s done for us? I didn‘t know the ponies of Ponyville were so subborn!” Ditzy turned her attention to the mob. The unicorns shot some more unsure glances to one another. One slowly shook their head, which led to another, and another. With Amethyst gone, they really didn’t see a point in perusing the issue anymore. A few unicorns broke away, leaving to go about their business once more. Lemon Hearts had been among those to disappear when she had the chance.

“I think you all owe Twilight an Apology!” Lyra yelled at the dispersing crowd of unicorns.

A few looked up weakly at Twilight, reflecting on what they had just done. “Twilight, we’re sorry...I guess we never really thought about why it’s a taboo,” one of the unicorns said.

“I accept you apology, just try not to get sucked up into something like this again,” The unicorns nodded their heads before leaving the librarian in peace.

“Twilight, I am really sorry for the way she acted. I feel like my family is just causing problems for you now,” Ditzy said walking up to Twilight.

“I want to say it’s alright, Ditzy, but...I don’t know if it is...I suppose I should be angry at her for gathering up a mob to throw me out of town, but...I really don’t know how I feel about this whole mess.” Twilight scratched her head with a confused look.

“If it helps...she’s just a little jealous of you. She feels like you’ve stolen her thunder after Winter Wrap-up last year.”

“It still don’t give her a free pass here,” Applejack said.

“Sorry, it has to be her biological mother. She filled her head with a bunch of stuck-up nonsense from Canterlot.” Ditzy shook her head slightly.

“I’m from Canterlot...” Twilight replied.

Ditzy’s eyes went wide. “I-I didn’t mean you were stuck up, just...”

“It’s fine, Ditzy. Canterlot’s culture is different from Ponyville. I know what you mean.” Twilight nodded to the mailmare.

“I didn’t think the ponies of Ponyville were so stuck up...” Applejack added.

“At least most of the unicorns didn’t seem too upset with Twilight by the end of that whole mess,” Fluttershy chimed in with a bit of good news.

“I guess as long as she isn’t trying to get me thrown out of town, I don’t really care what Amethyst Star thinks...” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Thank you, Twilight. She’s just a little...brash,” Ditzy said with a small awkward smile.

“Hey, Twilight?” Lyra asked approaching the librarian. “Would you...maybe be able to teach me that spell sometime?” she asked with a bit of red showing on her cheeks. “I...um...”

“She and Bon Bon want to have a filly too!” Pinkie said with her usual enthusiasm.

“Are you sure, Lyra? Even after what you saw how ponies treated me today?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, very sure.”

“I guess I can teach you, just...maybe some other day?” Twilight asked, to which Lyra nodded her head.

“Whenever you can is fine. Anyway I should probably be going.” the unicorn said taking a few steps back from the group. “I’ll see you guys later.”

“I should probably go see if Amethyst actually went home...” Ditzy said looking off in the direction Amethyst Star walked in. “Again, I’m sorry, Twilight.”

“Don’t worry about it Ditzy.” Twilight gave her a small smile.

“Well, goodbye,” she said taking off into the air.

“I didn’t know she could be so scary when she needed to be...” Fluttershy said softly as she watched Ditzy fly away.

“Me neither,” Applejack agreed with a small chuckle. “She sure put Amethyst Star in her place.”

“Twilight!” A familiar voice cried out. Everypony looked up to see Rarity charging at them with Spike on her back. “Are you okay?” she asked stopping just in front of Twilight.

“Yes, I’m fine,” Twilight said with a small chuckle. “Thanks to some help from Ditzy and Lyra,” Twilight added.

“So, they’re not going to kick you out of town, Twilight?” Spike asked holding back some tears.

“No, they’re not, Spike.” Twilight gave the little dragon a smile. He let out a relieved sigh as he wiped the forming tears from his eyes.

“Thank goodness, and here I thought I would have to come in here and stop a public lynching with the way Spike described it,” Rarity said with a sigh as well. She looked at Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. “So, how did you three hear about this mess?” she asked.

“Oh, we were on our way here to plan Twilight’s foal shower!” Pinkie said, wrapping a foreleg around Twilight’s neck. Applejack slammed her hoof to her forehead. The farm pony braced herself for a storm she knew was coming.

“You were what? Without me?” Rarity gasped. “How could you! Without my expertise, how do you expect to decorate? Or even what colors to use? Oh Celestia, we need to think of a location. We need to think about size, room layout, what furnishings to use, interior colors! We will need a place that will let us repaint!” Rarity suddenly felt a hoof shoved over he mouth.

“Rarity...later...” Applejack said with a somber tone.

“Twilight!” Another voice called out from above. Before anypony could react, Rainbow Dash slammed into the ground next to Rarity in an utter panic. “I-I heard what happened, and I rushed home! Are you okay?” She asked. She instantly grabbing her marefriend in a hug, and squeezed her tight.

Twilight laughed a bit from being pulled into a hug so suddenly. “I’m fine, Rainbow Dash. We’re all fine.” She wrapped her forelegs around Rainbow Dash, hugging her back.

“Looks like Ditzy, Lyra, ‘n’ Twilight persuaded some of the more stubborn unicorns in town ta just look past this whole mess. Well, at least the ones who’ll go along with just about anythin’. I‘m sure word’ll spread, an’ things’ll turn out just fine.” Applejack gave a small laugh. “So I don’t think Twilight’ll be leavin’ town anytime soon.”

“Good, I was worried I’d have to knock some heads,” Rainbow Dash said jokingly. Twilight rolled her eyes.

“Oh please, Rainbow Dash, that would have only hurt Twilight’s cause, and maybe gotten you thrown out too,” Rarity replied.

“Yeah, but they still would’ve deserved it for what they did to Twilight,” Spike said.

Twilight shook her head at Spike disapprovingly. “If you looked at their faces, many of them really didn’t want to kick me out. Most of them were just going along with Amethyst Star, probably because they had just assumed this is what they were supposed to do.”

"Well, I can’t say I’m upset I wasn’t needed for this fiasco,” Rarity said with a high-class tone. “I’m just glad that this whole mess was sorted out.”

“I still have to tell my parents, my brother, and the princess...” Twilight sighed.

“Let‘s worry about that later, okay?” Dash said, nuzzling Twilight’s neck.

“Plus, I’m going to have so many questions to answer tomorrow...” Twilight said with a grimace.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “First you wanted them to talk to you, now you don’t? Make up your mind! Questions are better than ponies not talking to you, right?”

Twilight nodded, seeing Rainbow’s point. “I just wish things were back to normal.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “I believe we should be going, I can’t leave Sweetie Belle alone for too long or she starts...getting into things...” A chill rolled down Rarity’s spine as she thought about the mess her sister could cause. “Come along, Spike.” She motioned for the dragon to follow.

Just as the dragon was about to trot after Rarity, Twilight grabbed his tail with her magic. “Spike, your bag?” she reminded him.

“Oh, right,” she said with a small chuckle. Twilight levitated his small bag out from the library door and into Spike’s hands.

“Be safe, alright?” she said with a small smile.

“And have fun.” Dash added, giving Twilight a small nudge on the shoulder.

“Oh, yes, and have fun,” Twilight repeated.

After Spike and Rarity left for the Carousel Boutique, Applejack tipped her hat back. “I suppose we can plan the foal shower some other day. After all, we got ten months before y’alls bundle’a joy’s due.”

“So we’re just gonna leave?” Pinkie sounded a bit sad.

“After today, I can’t say I’d be much in the mood ta plan a foal shower if I was Twilight.” Applejack turned to head home. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow, maybe then we can pick a day ta get this thing sorted out.”

“I guess I should be going too,” Fluttershy said, already floating in the air.

“Yeah, yeah, me too...” Pinkie looked on the verge of tears. “Oh! I know! Twilight, I’ll bake you a cake tomorrow, since you’re feeling better!” Pinkie’s attitude did a complete one-eighty. She popped up right in front of Twilight’s face holding her hoof.

Twilight laughed a bit. “Sounds good, Pinkie.”

“You can have some too, Rainbow Dash!” She said beaming at the pegasus as well.

Rainbow Dash nodded her head. “Alright, Pinkie.” She gave a small chuckle.

“Alright then, it’s a Pinkie promise! See you girls tomorrow!” she said as she bounced off to Sugarcube Corner.

“That pony is crazy,” Twilight remarked.

“Tell me about it. So what do you want to do?” Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight.

“It’s a little early to get started on our evening plans.” Twilight’s face turned a bit red as she flashed her marefriend a seductive glance. “So how about we just relax for a bit. I’m a little tired after today.”

“Sounds good, I could use a nap.” Rainbow Dash brushed up against Twilight. She pulled the unicorn in close with her wing. Then, without so much as a glance to see if anypony was watching, she kissed Twilight on the lips. The two shared their mutual lip lock for a moment before breaking away.

“Not that kind of nap,” Twilight said with a small giggle.

Author's Notes:

Been a while since there was an update for this story. I'm still moving forward with it, just slowly. Next chapter will contain clop, I swear.

If you have not read the previous chapters after 1/18/2014, there have been extensive rewrites. I would recommend rereading.