Two Weeks Later (Week 18)-

Gleaming couldn’t sleep.

It’d been one of those nights where she’d tossed and turned for no particular reason, unable to get comfortable no matter what position she tried. Left side made her shoulder feel sore. Right side made her legs wiggly. Back? Never could sleep like that. Twilight and Cadance’s spells may have made it so the foals wouldn’t squish her insides, but sleeping on her back still gave her muscle cramps.

Gleaming stared out into the darkness. The bedroom was quiet and still, the only sound the buzzing of a fan and the deep breathing of Cadance. Often Gleaming could doze off to those things alone, but he embrace of sleep eluded her while her mind ran a million miles a minute.

Gleaming sighed and slid out of bed. She went over to the closet and pulled out a worn nightrobe to wear, but as she tried to get it on, she discovered a bit of a problem. The robe was the same one she’d had for years (an old Hearth’s Warming Gift from her mother) and not only did the cloth cinch barely fit around her burgeoning barrel, the shoulders were too big while the back barely fit around her hips.

Gleaming fiddled with it for a minute to try and see if she could get it to fit better, but she was realizing more and more that clothing was very nebulous when pregnant with four foals. Finally she gave up and put it back, instead floating over a new article of clothing she’d gotten last week.

It’d surprised her how comfortable a maternity brace was. It was a one-piece article that went over her head and slipped all the way down past her hips, with sleeves for all four of her legs to allow full range of maneuverability. The middle part was made of a stretchy-yet-supportive kind of fabric, and the whole thing was white so as to blend in with her coat—well, except for the back portion. That part was enchanted to be transparent so her cutie mark could be seen.

Gleaming put the brace on and zipped it up. Immediately she felt sturdier with the added support, but not so much as to be stiff or stifling. She’d been told that she’d outgrow the thing in a few months, but personally, she suspected it might be sooner. She essentially looked nine months pregnant now, and within another two weeks she’d probably be the same size as most mares when they were about to deliver.

Heck, maybe bigger.

Gleaming took a few steps to test the brace. It was snug and secure, preventing her belly from swaying back and forth like a pendulum. It did turn her stride into a bit of a waddle, but that was inevitable. She’d gained another five pounds in the last two weeks, and her last fundal height measurement had been thirty-five centimeters. Cadance had actually mentioned that she liked the look. Said it gave Gleaming’s gait the heavy grace pregnant mares were known for—

“Mmh… Honey?”

Speaking of which...

Gleaming turned to find Cadance sitting up in bed with her horn lit. “Ah, sorry babe,” said Gleaming. “I was trying to be quiet for you.”

Cadance rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. “S’two in the morning... what’s wrong?”

Gleaming gave her a sad smile. “Brain doesn’t wanna slow down. Think I’m gonna go for a walk to try and wind down. Maybe drop by the kitchens for a snack or something.”

“Mmm, y’sure?” Cadance yawned wide. “Could just make somethin’ here... dun need to go all that way…”

“I want to walk more than I want to eat,” Gleaming said. “Might not even go down that way. Dunno yet.”

“Nnngh, if that’s what’cha want...” Cadance plopped back down and closed her eyes. “Dun’ be gone long though... sheets’ll get cold…”

“I won’t, love. I’ll be back soon.”

Gleaming slipped out of the bedroom and left their apartment, nodding once to her slightly-surprised night guards as she passed. They made to follow after her as she walked down the hall, but she shook her head. Reluctantly, they stayed at their post while she walked off… their eyes lingering on her supple, heart-shaped rear.

“Dat ass,” the first guard whispered.

“Just wanna take a bite out of it,” said the second.

Gleaming wandered down the silent halls without any real purpose. There was a lingering fatigue in her mind, a stretched-out feeling that made her thoughts linger on random things. It was difficult to concentrate on anything meaningful, but she didn’t have anything particular she wanted to sort out, so she just went wherever her legs carried her.

It was currently the third week of September. The signs of Fall were abundant around most of Equestria: Orange leaves falling as the blustery wind picked up, steady rainstorms being moved in and out by bustling pegasi, near-constant overcast skies to allow the earth to shed the heat of Summer. But the Crystal Empire was locked in its usual perpetual state of Spring, so they didn’t have any of those things. Gleaming did sometimes miss the changing of the seasons, but she also couldn’t deny that the consistent balmy weather had its advantages.

She lingered in a stairway to look out a window at the city below. The streets were lit with twinkling lights here and there to create a blend of grays and blacks like a patchwork quilt. A specific patchwork quilt actually, one Gleaming’s father had inherited and had kept out in the family living room. Gleaming had many fond memories of falling asleep wrapped in the warmth of that quilt, and as they came to mind, she made a note to ask if she could be the one to inherit it. She’d love if her own kids could snuggle under it, as well.

Gleaming stopped by the room just below their apartment. Originally just a spare place to store guard equipment and cleaning supplies, it was now in the midst of being renovated into a nursery and playroom. One of the walls had been knocked out to make it an extra-large space, and there were marks on the floor and ceiling where a staircase to the apartment was planned. A decent amount of progress had been made as of late, but things was still very much in the process of construction.

Gleaming patted her belly. “Kinda like you guys.”

She tried to imagine what this would all look like come next summer. The floor was currently covered in plastic sheets to protect it from scuffing, and the walls bare and unpainted. Table saws, drills, workbenches, rolls of fiberglass, nail guns, extension cords, buckets of plaster, and other assorted construction materials were strewn about hodgepodge with various boxes all over the place, and it all felt listless and empty.

Gleaming tried to recall what her parents had told her about her own nursery. The walls were cream-colored, and the carpet was soft. There was a rocking chair in the corner. Lots of assorted toys everywhere. Apparently she’d had a mobile of the sun and the moon over her crib that she’d adored, but she had no recollection of anything.

But Twilight’s nursery, that she remembered. The walls were a pale mauve with swirls on them, the ceiling painted to look like the starry night sky. The carpet was a soothing dark gray, and her crib and changing table were simple things that did their jobs well enough. Her blankets and diapers were all either indigo or purple, and it was a very subdued room that Twilight had seemed to really like. Although she was always awake at odd hours regardless for some reason. Fortunately, Dad was often up at odd hours for his job.

Gleaming tried to see what else she remembered. There was a bookcase filled with children’s books because Mom liked to read bedtime stories. Dad liked to put Twilight on the floor and watch her crawl around. Both Mom and Dad liked to rock her to sleep in Grandma Starlight’s old rocking chair. Oh, and there was always a weird-looking baby monitor by the crib that they kept on when they weren’t around. They’d used it for Spike, too.

Gleaming chewed on her lip as she ran through the list of things yet to be done. They had seven months to prepare, but it was passing in the blink of an eye. There were a lot of things to account for, and worse yet, the amount of things she could help out with was going to decrease as time went on. The ponies they hired as helpers were going to be crucial, as the wrong individual may send everything spiralling out of control... not to mention the ponies they hired to help them look care for the kids once they were born! The wrong pony THERE could be disastrous to their upbringing! And that wasn’t even getting started on who they picked for Crystallers! Plus there was the consideration of spending enough time with the kids while balancing work, meal scheduling, schooling, what toys to buy, how to discipline them, and overall just maintaining a presence—

Gleaming groaned and rubbed her temples. “Breathe, Shining… breathe. Running yourself through the wringer isn’t going to do you any favors.”

She wasn’t overly stressed out now, at least. Of course here was a fair bit of responsibility that came with being a military general and co-head of a government’s legislation, but those were things she enjoyed. And it was mostly routine by this point anyway: Oversee drills, fill out paperwork, instruct the recruits, fill out more paperwork, hold court, even more paperwork, look over bill proposals (which was nothing but paperwork), et cetera, et cetera. She didn’t have as much free time as she would’ve liked, but it was a pretty cushy job all things considered. Honestly, the hardest part was having to tell others to do things instead of doing them herself.

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. Perhaps a midnight snack would help her get out of her own head. Vanilla ice cream with raisins and salted caramel sounded good...

One Trip to the Kitchens Later-

“Who’s there?!”

A pegasus guard by a heavily-locked door flared his wings. On these wings were a pair of wicked-looking wingblades, ones that he raised in a very real combat stance. “Come out! I know you’re over there!”

Gleaming smoothly stepped out of the shadows. “At ease, Lieutenant Steelwing. Just making some rounds.”

Steelwing’s eyes wide. “G-General!” He folded his wings and bowed low. “Forgive me, I didn’t—”

“—think top brass would be wandering the castle at night?” Gleaming smirked. “C’mon, I gotta make sure the Heartguard’s staying sharp. Can’t have you laying around like sacks of shit.”

The Heartguard was a special task force assigned to guarding the Crystal Heart around the clock. It was comprised of ponies whose skills and talents were all different from one another so as to minimize the effectiveness of an enemy attack. The details of said talents were a closely kept secret, and only a few ponies outside the Heartguard knew the specifics. Gleaming and Cadance were among those few.

Steelwing stifled a snicker. “No laying around here, ma’am. Captain Deadeye would put an arrow through my cutie mark if I tried, and I don’t even wanna know what you’d do.”

The smirk on Gleaming’s face turned sinister. “Two words—hedge cutters.”

Steelwing shuddered. “Y-Yeah… like I said.”

Gleaming gestured at the tightly locked door. “How’s the Heart? Slow night?”

“As always,” Steelwing said. “About the most exciting thing that’s happened the past few months is when you and Princess Cadance borrowed the thing some months back.”

Gleaming coughed and looked away. “Y-Yes, erm… right. We, uh... do appreciate the Guard handling that quietly, by the way.”

Steelwing stretched out one of his armored wings, inspecting the scythe-like blade that both protected his limb and made for a deadly weapon. The razor-sharp edge was on the outer portion, allowing him to parry and slash at lightning speed. “We haven’t had any issues otherwise. We usually only see the nightly patrols, cleaning staff... heh, and the occasional lost cook.”

Gleaming blinked. “Eh?”

Steelwing laughed. “One of the new kitchen staff. She stumbled down here on her first day almost in tears. Took me ten minutes to calm her down, then ten more to give her directions on where to go. She was so grateful she brings me snacks now when she’s on break.”

Gleaming noted of the fondness in Steelwing’s voice. “Sounds like you’ve made a friend.”

Steelwing shuffled back and forth, his lips pursed into a thin line. “H-Hey, erm... General, I know this is random, but may I ask about something?”

Gleaming raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t mean I’ll answer, but sure.”

Steelwing put a hoof behind his head. “What did you and Princess Cadance need the Heart for? We all felt the power surge when it was activated that night... Obviously it didn’t do any harm, but the Heartguard’s been going bonkers trying to figure out exactly what happened.”

Gleaming hesitated. She doubted he was asking about the more... passionate events, but most had probably put two and two together there regardless. She supposed some vague details about the ritual wouldn’t hurt.

Gleaming cleared her throat. “Well… as you and the rest of the Empire know, Princess Cadance is unable to carry or conceive a child thanks to a curse cast on her. As she and I want to have biological children, this was a problem.”

Steelwing nodded. “Understandable.”

Gleaming swished her tail a bit, noting (not for the first time) the weirdness of not having any male parts back there. “We found a one-time way to get around this, but we needed a few things in order to do it. One of these things was the Crystal Heart’s power, and another was my agreement to carry the child. Once we’d gathered everything else together and were ready to go, we used the Heart in a ritual so we could conceive.”

“But what ritual?” Steelwing pressed. “What’d the Crystal Heart do?”

Gleaming sucked on her teeth. That... was getting a little more detailed than she wanted to get into. Not so much that it was embarrassing; but more because she couldn’t think of an easy way to say the Heart’s power allowed Future-Cadance’s sperm to fertilize Gleaming eggs and thereby become whole new entities that wouldn’t get rubber banded back to the future.

“I’m afraid that’s classified, Lieutenant.”

Steelwing wilted. “Aww...”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “It’s not as exciting as you’re thinking. The whole thing was more Cadance’s brainchild than mine, and I’d probably wind up botching the explanation of it. I don’t want to go spreading misinformation.”

Reluctantly, Steelwing dropped it and looked down the hallway with unfocused eyes. “Can I ask something else, then?”

“Shoot.”

The young guard’s gaze fell on Gleaming. He took in her slender neck, her smaller frame, wider hips and rounded belly. There was an odd look in his eyes, not of lust, desire, or disdain, but of something else entirely.

“What’s it like?”

Gleaming tilted her head. “Being... pregnant? Or being a mare?”

“Both.”

Gleaming was quiet for a few seconds. “...Being a mare’s not all that different. Aside from the obvious, the changes have been mostly in how ponies treat me. Some seem more willing to open up, others seem more awkward, a few have been downright hostile, and then there’s curious ones like you. I do get more passive-aggressiveness directed my way, but most get over it once they realize I’m still me.”

Steelwing nodded. “And being pregnant?”

Gleaming’s eyes grew warm. “Let me put it this way. Do you enjoy protecting others, Lieutenant?”

Steelwing stared at her like she’d just asked if snow was cold. “That’s... why I’m in the military, General.”

Gleaming chuckled. “Imagine this, then. There’s an innocent pony, possibly more than one, who’s completely dependant on you for everything. The place that keeps them safe is inside you, and you have to watch over and care for them for an entire year. Everything from the things you eat to the amount of stress you’re under has an effect on them. How would you feel about that?”

Steelwing looked down at the floor. He pursed his lips tight into a thin line, eyes sharp, the gears turning in his head. “I’d... be really self-conscious and probably really nervous, but at the same time? I’d also feel really important. I imagine it’d be easy to get micromanage everything I was doing, but knowing that I’m doing something that cool? Especially if the payoff is that the pony gonna be alive because of me?”

Steelwing looked up and smiled. “I bet that feels pretty awesome.”

Gleaming patted his shoulder. “Do me a favor and spread that attitude around, eh? I’ve run into a few ponies lately that could stand to think like that.”

Steelwing saluted. “Ma’am! Yes, ma’am!”

Gleaming chuckled. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go in and take a look at the Heart. Could you do the honors?”

Steelwing straightened. “At once, ma’am!” He trotted over to the door and produced two things: a set of glowing keys, and a simple black disc. The simple black disc began to whir and hum upon being touched, releasing a quick burst of blue magic that filled the hallway.

“Registered users identified,” the disc chirped. “General and Princess-Consort Gleaming Shield, Unicorn, Female. No undeclared spells found. Lieutenant Steelwing, Pegasus, Male. No undeclared spells found. Declare Authorization Codes now.”

“Lieutenant Steelwing, authorization delta-five-six-nine-two-zero.”

“General Gleaming Shield, authorization alpha-nine-six-four-two-seven.”

The black disc made a pleasant chime. “Vocalization recognized. Disabling outer security system for thirty seconds. You may now remove the locks.”

Steelwing unlocked the doors and stepped aside for Gleaming. She thanked him and walked inside, the doors closing behind with a heavy THUD.

The Crystal Heart was only put out on display outside during the daytime. There’d been some deliberation about this when it’d been recovered, but it was decided that the courtyard beneath the castle was simply too vulnerable to keep the most the nation’s most important relic there. The more conservative types insisted on tradition, though, so a compromise was made to have it out during normal work hours.

The room was small, only about the size of a living room. Glowing runes covered the floor in intricate arcane patterns, and the only light in the room came from the Crystal Heart’s luminance. A set of stairs led up to its resting place, and the whole place held a solemn reverence.

It was a rather impressive system they’d set up. The outer portion was pretty basic, just a device to detect concealing and mind-control magic, a powerful barrier rigged to an alarm, an enchanted key that could only be used be a member of the Heartguard. That could all be circumvented though, so the inner portion was much, much beefier. Rows upon rows of enchantments were cast to prevent magical infiltration, attuned to only a very small set of ponies. There were also physical defenses—walls of impenetrable crystal embedded into the very foundation of the castle, and if any of them were compromised, it’d trigger the alarm and defense systems.

Gleaming trotted past the enchantments and walked up to where the Crystal Heart was stored. It hovered serenely in midair like always, held aloft by its own magics between two pillars. Gleaming could actually feel the magical energies flowing off the artifact, along with the subtle hum that it always gave off.

“Hey,” Gleaming said. “Remember me?”

The Crystal Heart was an ancient thing. Created by the Crystal Empire’s first ruler, it’d always been a key component in protecting the northern lands. Gleaming was aware that the Heart’s magic had some kind of tie-in with the future and destiny—hence why she and Cadance had been able to use it the way they had—but as to the specifics...

Gleaming circled around the Heart. “Cady told me you used to be able to show ponies the future. Way, way back in the day, all ponies had to do was touch you, and you’d give them a glimpse of their destiny. But you haven’t done anything like that since we recovered you from Sombra. Why?”

She stared into the recesses of the relic, her reflection broken on its facets like a madmare’s self-portrait. Its radiant power washed over her and swept through her body, giving her features a crystalline shimmer.

“I want to see my future,” Gleaming whispered amidst the hum. “No… their future. I want to know if they’re going to be alright. I want to know what role I should play to support them, I want to know whether or not Cady and I will have more after these are born, and if so, how…”

The Heart gave no answers. No insight to her destiny, no comfort for her doubts. It just hovered there and radiated its holy power, a wellspring of magic that’d endured for millennia.

Gleaming reached out and touched the Heart…

tink

...but nothing happened.

Gleaming hung her head. She wasn’t really sure why she’d come here in the first place. Maybe because she was bored, maybe because she was paranoid, or maybe it was because she just wanted to come and see the thing that’d helped make the four miracles inside her. It could’ve been all of those things at once. She didn’t know.

Gleaming let her hoof fall and turned to leave—

thump

“Ah?!” She went stiff as a board. She’d just felt a… a… something tickle her insides, almost like butterflies in her gut! What the hay?!

thump... thump

There it was again! It was coming from her right side, near her belly button! She put her hoof on her stomach... and as she did, she managed to feel the faintest brush of something within her, shifting and wriggling about.

th-thump thump… thump.

It was the most peculiar thing she’d ever felt. It was almost like indigestion, except not uncomfortable. This felt almost… pleasant?

Thump. Thump.

As Gleaming swivelled her neck back to look at her bulging belly, she caught a glimpse of a tiny little bump appear on her right side before disappearing.

And that’s when she recognized it for what it was.

“Kick…”

One of her foals was kicking.

Her child, moving on their own.

Gleaming’s eyes grew warm. Her throat gradually went tight as she sniffled in the dimly-lit room. She made no effort to stop the tears as they fell, sitting down and stroking her womb, watching and feeling the first indication that all of this was real.

“Th-Thank you...” Whether gratitude was actually owed to anything or not, Gleaming didn’t care. “Thank you, thank you thank you, thank you so much...”

The Next Day-

“There!” Gleaming said to Cadance. “You had to have noticed that one!”

Gleaming was laying on the living room couch with Cadance’s head pressed against Gleaming’s belly. She was listening closely, carefully, her ears still as she discerned the soft movements within.

Thump.

Cadance’s eyes flew open. “Holy… they really are moving!”

Gleaming squee’d. “I think it’s just one of them right now. I can’t even imagine what it’s gonna feel like when all four of them start!”

Cadance’s lower lip quivered. “H-Honey…”

Gleaming clapped her hooves. “We’re parents, Cady! It’s really *sniff* happening! We’re doing it!”

Cadance pulled Gleaming into a kiss, which then rolled into a second, a third, a fourth. Gleaming wrapped her arms around Cadance’s neck and kissed back hungrily, their tears falling between their lips and onto their dancing tongues.

“I love you,” Cadance whispered once they broke. “Thank you for doing this... you’re so very brave...”

Gleaming wiped Cadance’s eyes with a fetlock. “Hey, what’re you thanking me for? It’s not like you were the only one pushing for kids. If anything, I think I was gunning for it more than you were.”

Cadance nuzzled her neck. “Mmm, let’s not make it a competition. We were both pretty gung-ho.”

“But I was the one who first brought it up,” Gleaming pointed out. “And besides, if I’d really been opposed to this idea, it would’ve taken more than a fifteen-minute presentation to convince me!”

Cadance played with a lock of Gleaming’s mane. “You... did agree faster than I thought. I thought it’d take at least a few days to talk you into it, but… well. I was actually worried I came off as too pushy.”

Gleaming sat up a bit, adjusting so that she was laying on her side. “Do you remember when you said you could tell there was a part of me that was actually kinda excited about this idea?”

Cadance nodded. “Back at the beginning, yeah.”

Gleaming smiled and stroked the nub of her outie. “Look, it’s kinda hard to suddenly shake off the morals and role you’ve been brought up on at the drop of a hat. Of course my kneejerk reaction was ‘heck no’, but almost anypony’s would be! It was mostly because I knew how much change it’d bring.”

Cadance looked away. “I… do know you hate sudden change. I should’ve broken it to you more gently.”

Gleaming shook her head. “That doesn’t mean you were wrong. I’ve always been a little curious, and being pregnant was one of the things I’ve wondered about most. I’ve spent my life doing stallion things, but I mostly did it because I thought I was supposed to do them, y’know? I might’ve turned out a very different pony in a different life.”

Cadance rolled her eyes with a smile. “You’re so much like Twilight sometimes.”

Gleaming snorted. “More like Twilight and I are like Mom. She’s the one who analyzes and micromanages. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few of our kids follow in the same vein.”

Cadance shook her head. “Such a family of goofballs.” She put a wing around Gleaming and squeezed her tight. “What did I do to deserve all of you?”

Gleaming waggled her eyebrows. “You know you love us.”

Cadance kissed her again. “Never said I didn’t.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Both of them looked to the door. They hadn’t been expecting anybody to come visit today.

Cadance and Gleaming looked at each other, then shrugged. “Come in!” called Cadance.

Rex walked inside, stoic, impassive, and curly as ever. She bowed to them and stood at attention, her lips only twitching slightly when she saw them cuddled on the couch.

“You two are gonna give me diabetes at this rate.”

Cadance laughed. “We have to figure out some way to get you to crack a smile. Can’t have you being a Gloomy Gus all the time.”

Rex’s eyes twinkled. “It’s a rare day that my mood resembles anything close to gloomy. You of all ponies should know that.”

Cadance snickered. “Why do you think I have you work so closely with us?”

“How you doing, Rex?” Gleaming chimed in. “Everything alright?”

Rex nodded and produced a sealed manila folder. “We’ve just received the final count of Crystal Empire volunteers for Princess Luna’s thestral surrogate program. I thought you’d want to—”

“Gimme gimme gimme!” Cadance snatched the folder in her magic and floated it over.

She opened it and leafed through the thick packet, muttering to herself while Gleaming looked on beside her.

“Analysis of promotional marketing campaign… preliminary medical tests exclude twelve percent of initial subjects… national budget will need to be assessed… projected employee needs exceed current medical rosters… draw up proposals for facilities expansion and renovation… we knew all of this already,” Cadance said. “Where’s the final count?”

“Go back to the second page,” said Gleaming. “I think I saw something there.”

Cadance flipped to the front and scanned it again. I took her a few seconds, but when she finally found it...

“Buh.”

“What?” Gleaming said. “Did you find it? Where—oh, there it… is…”

“Care to share?” Rex asked. “I’ve been somewhat curious about this, myself.”

Cadance looked up at Rex, jaw hung slack. “S-Six thousand, two hundred and ninety-four.”

Rex’s wings fluttered a bit at her sides. “A-Ah. Erm… yes. That’s… quite a few.”

Cadance’s mind was reeling. “Six thousand volunteers… six thousand batponies...”

“So Cady,” Gleaming said nervously. “Heh heh… r-remember all those things I was saying to Apogee? You know, building a facility, adding a new wing to at least one of the hospitals, and more? I think we’re gonna need to get on that...”