Two Weeks Later (Week 23)-

“Happy Nightmare Night, Princess Cadance!” the day guards called.

Cadance waved as she closed the apartment door. She giggled and shucked off her regalia, humming a soft tune as she trotted into the bedroom, intent on breaking out her costume for the night.

“Oh, come ON!” came a shout from the walk-in closet. “You’ve gotta be KIDDING me!”

Cadance poked her head inside. Gleaming was wiggling and squirming in front of a mirror, trying to fit into the last part of her own costume. They’d both decided to dress up as pirates, and while Gleaming had gotten most of her outfit on, she was having trouble with the coat.

Cadance sighed. “I tried to warn you, hun. This is why most pregnant mares try to make the baby bump part of their costume.”

Gleaming was wearing a black bandana, a white puffy shirt, a moss-green sash, and her mane and tail had been done up in braids with tiny gems. She had three sheathed longswords hanging loosely at her side, and next to the swords was a pouch that jangled with fool’s gold.

“It’s not small around my barrel, though!” Gleaming said. “It’s small everywhere else! It fit me fine when I was trying it on, remember? The tailor even gave it room for the foals to grow!”

Cadance did remember. But regardless of that the coat was obviously too small. Not only that, but the puffy shirt was in the sleeve, as well! It was like everything on her was just too small in general.

Curious, Cadance came up and compared their heights in the mirror. Normally, the tip of Gleaming’s horn normally came up to Cadance’s withers, but now...

Gleaming cocked her head. “What is it?”

Cadance didn’t reply. She summoned a tape measure and held it up to Gleaming, who stood still with a blank look. Cadance measured three times just to make sure she wasn’t mistaken, but she got the same result each time.

“Seems like our foals haven’t been the only ones growing.” Cadance showed her the measurement. “You’re an inch and half taller!”

Gleaming blinked several times. She did another measurement herself, but she found the same thing. “The hay?”

Cadance pursed her lips. It looked like most of the growth had been in her legs. Cadance hadn’t noticed because they’d both been so busy with preparations for the holidays, plans for the new hospital, and just running the Empire in general. But now that she was looking for it…

“Ugh!” Gleaming tossed away the tape measure and wiggled out of the shirt.” As if I didn’t have enough to worry about!” She shucked off her maternity brace as well with a forlorn look. “I knew it was getting harder to zip this up...”

Cadance rubbed her chin. “This is weird. I’d have thought your growing years were behind you.”

Gleaming put a hoof on her barrel. “Well, there’s a lot of hormonal stuff going on...”

Cadance shrugged. “We should tell Twilight and Talia about this.”

Gleaming grunted. “Talia will be at the party, and Twily’ll be here soon with the others. We can ask then.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Cadance swiveled her ears. “Speaking of which...”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “Early as usual. Are we still playing dumb, by the way?”

Cadance thought for a moment. “...I’ve been sensing Rainbow’s getting frustrated, but something’s holding Twilight back. I’m still hoping they’ll tell us on their own.”

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. “Yeah, well… I get the feeling that they’re starting to make a game out of this.”

Cadance snickered. “They do seem like that type of couple, don’t they?”

Gleaming’s horn glowed with a bright FLASH, and she teleported out of the closet and to the bedroom door. “Go ahead and get ready, babe! I’ll see to them.”

“Okay!”

Gleaming walked over to the door, still muttering to herself. Immediately she noticed the difference between wearing the maternity brace and not, as her gait turned into a waddle without it. Her back legs were being pushed farther and farther apart by her giant beach ball of a belly, and the extra weight was making her have to adopt a more careful pace.

And boy, was that weight piling on. She’d gained twenty pounds in the last week, and her last fundal height measurement was a whopping sixty-seven centimeters! Granted, part those gains were apparently from her getting taller, but still...

Sighing, Gleaming opened the door. Just beyond were Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow, all wearing Nightmare Night costumes and grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, hello!” Gleaming looked the three of them up and down. “Don’t you all look spiffy.”

Twilight had dressed up as a dragon. Her outfit had spines the color of her mane that ran down her back, and she had on a pair of fake horns that rested between her ears. Spike had done the opposite and had dressed up as a pony, his outfit sported a two-toned mane and tail with a cutie mark of a scroll set behind green flame. Lastly, Rainbow had decided to go as a timber wolf. She was wearing a prop set of horseshoes that looked like claws, her wings looked like they were made out of branches, and her mane and tail had a tough look like bark.

“Thanks!” said Twilight. She gave Gleaming a toothy smile, revealing that she was also wearing fake fangs. She’d enchanted her eyes to resemble like cat-like slits, and her wings were magicked to resemble a batpony’s. “You’re still getting ready, I take it?”

Gleaming motioned towards the bedroom. “Cady is. I just discovered that most of my costume doesn’t fit.”

“Aww!” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back. “You can’t go to a Nightmare Night party without a Nightmare Night costume!”

Gleaming stared at Spike. His eyes were enchanted to like a pony’s, and the look was decidedly odd on the little guy. “I… uh, may not have a choice, Bud. I don’t really have anything else.”

“What were you gonna go as?” Rainbow gestured to Gleaming’s braids. “I’m guessing it’s why you have your mane like that.”

Gleaming nodded. “Cady’s a pirate captain, and I was gonna be her first mate. I’ve a puffy shirt and coat with a couple of props, but the shirt and coat don’t fit.”

Twilight’s eyes drifted to Gleaming’s middle. “Too small in the tummy?”

Gleaming shook her head. “Too small everywhere else. I’ve gotten taller since the tailor took the measurements.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “...How long ago did you have the measurements taken?”

“Few weeks ago.” Gleaming made her way over to the kitchen to grab drinks for everyone. “Weird, huh? I’m thinking it’s a hormone thing.”

Twilight sucked on her teeth. “I’ve... never heard of anything like that happening, especially not so quickly! The measurements were done this month?”

There was the sound of the fridge being opened, along with the clink of glasses being pulled out from the cupboard. “Yeah,” Gleaming said over the noise. “The day before we found the fifth foal.”

A thought occurred to Twilight. “When did Cadance start giving you the alicorn magic infusions?”

The kitchen sounds stopped.

“...the day after,” Gleaming replied.

Rainbow looked to Twilight with a smirk. “Well how about that?”

Twilight lowered her voice. “Correlation doesn’t equal causation, Dashie. Remember what we were talking about this morning?”

Rainbow gave her peck on the cheek. “Maybe, but you gotta admit it’s worth looking into.”

Twilight squeaked, her whole body going rigid. “N-Not here! They might see us!”

“I suppose that might have something to do with it,” said Gleaming. The sounds from the kitchen resumed. “But I’ve never really heard of something like that happening! Why would alicorn magic do something like that?”

“So let ‘em see.” Rainbow nuzzled Twilight’s neck, breathing in the warm scent of her fur. “Let ‘em see that we can’t keep our hooves off each other. Let ‘em see how you turn to putty when I touch you. Let ‘em see how I turned the world upside down for you, and how you TEASED me so much on the way here I almost pinned you to the floor and rutted you until you screamed—”

Twilight whirled and pulled Rainbow into a fierce kiss. Their tongues wrapped around each other as they moaned in each other’s mouths, utterly ravenous for each other. Twilight overpowered Rainbow and pushed her into submission, but she fought back with an intensity that only turned them on even more.

Spike facepalmed. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake.”

“Then again, you did say there wasn’t a lot of documentation on this,” Gleaming mused. “This might be a indication of a bad thing for all we know! D’you think maybe we should stop?”

Twilight pulled away with a wet pop! It was an affair no more than ten seconds, but to them it was far longer. Twilight stared into Rainbow’s fiery eyes, their breathing heavy and fast. She stroked Rainbow’s cheek with a fetlock and smiled.

“Soon. I promise.”

Rainbow’s eyes flickered, but nevertheless she stepped away. The two of them gave each other bedroom eyes for a few more seconds before turning away and played aloof.

Gleaming stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Twily? Did you hear me?”

Twilight jumped. “H-Huh?! Oh, ah… sorry, I thought you were thinking out loud! What’d you say?”

Gleaming came out of the kitchen with iced tea and a bowl of candy, already munching on a piece or two. “I asked if you thought we should stop the alicorn infusions. D’you think this is a sign of something dangerous?”

Twilight accepted her glass, her gaze unfocused. “According to everything I’ve read, the effects of a rejected magic infusion are immediate. The body treats the energy like a poison and removes it as fast as possible, causing things like fever, nausea, fatigue, and even seizure. You’ve been exposed to Cadance’s magic numerous times over the years without issue, and our magic signatures are fifty percent identical due to being direct siblings. If you were going to have an adverse reaction to either my or Cadance’s magic, we would’ve known the first time we tried to cast a spell on you; not when we started mixing our raw energy with yours.”

Gleaming munched on chocolate pieces, tilting her head back and forth. She motioned for Spike to open his mouth so she could float a piece onto his waiting tongue. “So you don’t think the two things are related.”

Twilight shrugged. “I’ve only ever heard of magic having an effect on body size in centaurs, and even then only rarely. It requires a ritual that’s forbidden by their culture, and those that attempt it are either exiled or imprisoned.”

“Or both, like Tirek!” Spike said a mouthful of chocolate.

A shadow fell over Twilight’s face. “Yes, Spike. Like Tirek.”

But Gleaming still wasn’t convinced. “Do you think you can scan me, just for peace of mind?”

Twilight nodded. “Want me to do it now?”

Gleaming swallowed her mouthful. “If you could.”

Twilight took of swig of iced tea before setting it down. “Hold still.”

A feeling of power seeped into the air, and Gleaming felt the telltale tingling of her sister’s magic brush against her mind, requesting access. Gleaming resisted on reflex, but forced herself to relax and opened herself to the scan.

It was a very gentle affair. Twilight was methodical, but was never forceful or jolting. She took great care as she immersed herself in Gleaming’s magic, going through every nook and cranny without so much as a twinge. Her touch was almost was like a massage, like Gleaming was stretching out a muscle that hadn’t been used in a while.

“You’re showing all the signs of receiving regular magic infusions,” said Twilight at last. “Your internal ley lines are widened, your aether gland is active, and your eldritch cochlea is enlarged.”

Gleaming let out a sigh of relief. Rainbow and Spike, however, just shared a blank look.

“Translation?” said Rainbow. “Some of us don’t speak unicorn.”

Twilight quelled her magic and retrieved her glass. “Magically, Gleaming is perfectly healthy. More than healthy, really! Her body’s soaking up the energy like a sponge, and I didn’t see any evidence of rejected magic or abnormal fluctuations in her arcana system. The excess energy is all being funneled to the foals, which is allowing them to gestate normally, and she’d likely be capable of some pretty impressive feats if she wasn’t under such a heavy and constant drain. But as it stands, her overall magic levels are staying within normal ranges, which is what we want.”

“Hear, hear,” said Gleaming. “I’ve heard horror stories that can come with pregnancy. Magic exhaustion is no fun, believe me.”

Twilight giggled. “Then I’d call that a good reason to keep doing the infusions. Wouldn’t you?”

Gleaming shrugged. “I suppose.”

Twilight’s eyes wandered to all of Gleaming’s body. The changes were barely noticeable, but a small part of her couldn’t help but approve of her big sister ‘resuming the norm’. “I wish I could give you a better answer, but I don’t know what’s causing you to suddenly grow taller. All I can say is that I doubt it has anything to do with the alicorn magic.”

“Interesting,” said a male voice behind them. “But that just leaves us with more questions, doesn’t it?”

They all turned to see that at the bedroom door was a pink alicorn stallion, clad a pirate costume and watching while leaning against the doorframe. He came over to them with a smirk and a flourish, his soft, light steps silent and swift as a shadow.

Spike dropped the piece of candy he was holding. “Uhhh...”

“We be needing Talia’s two cents, methinks,” said Eros. He stood beside Gleaming to put a wing around her, his long feathers wrapping around her like a shawl. “Can’t hurt to cover our bases, eh?”

Twilight’s eyes about bugged out of their head. “C-Cadance?!”

Eros grinned. “Aye, Twilight. Though I go by Eros when I’m like this.”

Pomf!

Rainbow’s wings had spread to their full extension like a pair of planks.

Gleaming felt a warm glow. She leaned into Eros’ embrace, the look on her face matching the twinkle in Eros’ eyes.

Twilight turned beet red and looked away, her own wings fidgeting. “W-Why are you—”

“—a stallion?” Eros stretched, his joints popping. “It’s part of my costume! I thought that since Gleaming was already a mare, it’d be fun if we made it a theme! I be the dread Captain Andalus, Scourge of the Celestial Sea! This here be me first mate, the swordsmare Lady Zorona!”

“Ahoy!” said Gleaming.

Eros was wearing a white v-necked shirt and grey captain’s coat that exposed his chest and a pair of mottled saddlebags that hung at his sides. A prop cutlass and a flask were hanging from a pair of belts that wrapped around his waist, and his mane and tail were braided similarly to Gleaming’s. He had on a worn captain’s hat neatly finished off the ensemble, and strangely, he seemed to be wearing some kind of makeup that emphasized his eyes.

Spike walked up and craned his neck up at Eros. “Man, you look cool! You’re like a real swashbuckler!”

Eros smiled. “Avast, young Spike! Ye be excited for tonight?”

“Am I ever!” Spike grinned and held up his arms. “This is my first Nightmare Night party! I can’t wait!”

Eros picked him up with magic to set him on his back. “Best we make it a good one, then! Ye want to serve as me loyal companion? A good helper be worth ten times his weight in gold.”

Spike’s eyes lit up. “Oh, heck yes! Just you watch! I’ll be better than any boring ol’ parrot!”

“You alright, Twily?” Gleaming asked. “You look a little out of it.”

Twilight laughed shrilly and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Who, me?! I’m fine, yes, perfectly fine! Why wouldn’t I be?! There’s nothing awkward or confusing about this at all! Totally normal stuff here, yep-yep-yep! Not thinking anything inappropriate or sexual whatsoever! This is going to be a GREAT evening! Right, Rainbow?!”

Rainbow snapped her gaze away from Eros, pawing at the ground as she forced her wings to re-fold. “Y-Yeah… real fun... say, uh, not a bad look there… Eros! You’re a real sex—SWANKY! Swanky pirate! Totally swanky! The swankiest!”

Eros winked. “You’re not half bad yourself, lass.”

Pomf!

Gleaming pursed her lips. While Twilight and Rainbow’s reactions were understandable (and priceless), they had plans to take Spike trick or treating after the party. It wouldn’t be much fun if they were both starry-eyed fillies the whole time.

“SAY! You know what’d be fun?!” Twilight said loudly. “Since you two are swapped like this, why don’t the rest of us follow the trend? It’ll be fun!”

Spike did a double-take. “What, what?!”

Eros and Gleaming stared. “Uh…”

“YES!” Rainbow said just as loud. “Great idea! Totally in the spirit of Nightmare Night! IcompletelyandtotallyconsenttothisandyoushouldcastthespellRIGHTNOW.”

“NOPE!” Spike dove behind Eros and Gleaming. “Count me out!”

“Won’t work on you anyway!” Twilight’s horn glowed with gathering energy. “It’s tailored to ponies!”

Gleaming spoke up. “Twilight, stop! You don’t need—”

“Here we goooooo!” Twilight said.

There was the hum of ambient magic, the surge of a spell being cast…

ZAP!

And when Gleaming could see again...

Eros whistled low.

Twilight was now a large and handsome alicorn stallion, his sail-like wings a size too large for his thin frame. His mane and tail were unkempt, his chest was broad and defined, and his costume was now straining to fit him. He swayed back and forth as he struggled to stay on his hooves, horn still smoking.

“Ergh,” he said in a shaky tenor. “That… did not feel good...”

Rainbow was still small and svelte, but now with a swimmer’s body and a jagged mane like lightning. His wings were strong and sleek, his hooves were unshorn, and his muzzle was square and short. His costume still more or less fit him, but he looked just as dizzy as Twilight.

“Agreed,” he muttered in a deep baritone. “Hrk…”

Gleaming grit her teeth. “You just—I was—UGH! You damn… IDIOTS! I You didn’t need to do that!”

“Hey, it’s fine!” Twilight clumsily waved his hoof. “Really! It’s all... for the fun! Now we all match!”

“Don’t try to play it off!” Gleaming stormed to Twilight and yanked his head down level with hers. “I don’t care what kind of power you’re packing these days! You don’t go casting a spell like that on yourself OR on others without testing it first!”

Rainbow rubbed his eyes, staggering from the change in balance. He flared his wings to catch himself and chanced a look over at Eros, and while he still blushed, at least able to keep his wings under control.

“Better than nothing, I suppose…”

Twilight winced from Gleaming yelling in his ear. “Geez, calm down! I’m not some two-bit caster! I have it under control!”

Sparks now literally flew from Gleaming’s eyes. “You could’ve had the spell backfire! You could’ve overloaded the matrix! You damn well could’ve splinched yourself! I KNOW Celestia taught you better than to do reckless shit like this, and even if she didn’t, Mom and Dad definitely did! What the fuck’s wrong with you?!”

“Gleamy’s right,” said Eros. “We could’ve thought of something less extreme to make you two more comfortable.”

Meanwhile, Spike poked his head up from behind Eros to get a look.

“Huh.” He scratched his head. “Not bad.”

Twilight pulled away from Gleaming and stood up to his full height. “For your information, sister, I HAVE tested that spell before! I did it back when you guys first told me you were trying to conceive, alright?! it’s just been a while since I’ve casted it!”

“Oh, and that’s supposed to be an excuse for forcing a spell through with raw power?” Gleaming put her hooves on her hips. “What made you think a genderswap spell was the best solution in the first place? You’re still going to be attracted to Eros regardless!”

Twilight glanced at Eros. Sure enough, that suave face and sleek physique still set his heart aflutter, but his brain was having trouble connecting the dots.

“S’easier to ignore now,” he mumbled.

“Is this how you solve all your problems?” Gleaming said. “I get that you have a lot on your plate—we all do—but you can’t automatically resort to magic every time you have an issue! You’re going to hurt yourself, or worse, the ponies around you!”

Twilight narrowed his eyes. “Well, maybe if you’d WARNED us that Cadance was gonna do this in the first place, I wouldn’t have even considered it! Did you ever think about how others were going to react? Or did you just want to show off your trophy husband?!”

The air around Gleaming shimmered. “Take that back right—”

“Alright, cool it.” Eros stepped in between them. “Snarking at each other while emotionally compromised isn’t going to accomplish anything.”

Gleaming rounded on him. “Don’t start with the emotion crap! I’m not—”

“Your mind is torn between equal parts anger and concern,” said Eros. “The anger is volatile and prone to shifting at a moment’s notice, and the concern is emanating from familial instincts and your inherent desire to protect. Not exactly a stable combo.”

Gleaming’s retort died on her lips. She wanted to argue on sheer principle, empath or no empath, but it was really hard when Eros was looking at her like that. His eyes drilled into hers, and while he was trying to look stern, it was coming off as more…

“Eep.”

“And you.” Eros turned to Twilight. “That white-hot bubbling feeling creeping into your chest? That’s a special kind of anger caused by a mix of adrenaline and testosterone. You’re not used to dealing with aggression like that, so get a hold of yourself before you REALLY flip your lid.”

Twilight’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Sure, it was jarring to have Eros hit the nail exactly on the head, but that same ‘stern’ look had showed his brain how to connect the dots again.

“U-Um…”

“How about we talk about something else?” Eros’ eyes fell on Rainbow. “Like that little exchange I saw between you two while Gleamy was in the kitchen. Care to explain yourselves?”

Twilight and Rainbow froze. A long silence followed, nopony speaking or moving, Eros’ question hanging in the air like a guillotine.

“Looks like the cat’s out of the bag, Twi,” Rainbow said at last.

Twilight groaned. He hung his head low, his wings drooping.

Rainbow cleared his throat to speak, but when he saw Twilight’s expression, his face twisted into a frown. “You want us to explain? Fine, I’ll give you an explanation.”

He marched over to Twilight, cupping his head in both hooves and staring into his eyes.

“Where were we?”

And Rainbow kissed him. He kissed him like Twilight’s lips held the key to life. He pulled Twilight into a fierce embrace, his wings enveloping them like a downy shroud, and while Twilight made a muffled noise at first, his eyes soon fluttered closed as he kissed back. Twilight fell back on his haunches and pulled Rainbow onto his lap, hugging him tight as Rainbow wrapped his legs around Twilight’s waist, their kiss growing more and more fevered.

Gleaming and Eros watched in silence. The only sound was Spike making a gagging noise.

Rainbow and Twilight touched foreheads as they pulled away, breathing soft while lost in each other’s eyes.

“Does that ‘explain’ things well enough, Captain Love Guy?” Rainbow asked.

Eros couldn’t have stopped smiling if he tried. “Aye.”

“Any problems?”

“Why would there be? I’m happy for you two!” Eros said. “You make an adorable couple!”

Rainbow smirked. “Not quite the a-word I was going for, but I’ll let it slide. How about you, Gleaming? You against fillyfooling, or friends dating friends? What are your thoughts on sex before marriage?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight hissed.

Rainbow shrugged. “Hey, we’re banging. They deserve to know.”

Gleaming couldn’t help but laugh. “You basically just described all the issues Eros and I faced when we started dating—save for the fillyfooling—soooooo, yeah.”

Rainbow gave Twilight a very pointed look, whispering something in his ear that sounded like, “Told ya.”

Twilight suddenly looked very sheepish. “I… you… really?! When, Gleamy? I didn’t know about any of that!!”

Gleaming lifted Spike up onto her own back. “It was hard enough to pry your nose out of a textbook for meals, Twily. You were in the middle of your studies with Celestia, raising Spike with Mom, all of that. How could you relate to the details of a relationship? It’d be like me bitching to you about what being pregnant is like!”

Spike giggled and hugged Gleaming’s neck. “She’s got you there, Twi.”

Twilight frowned. “Uh, hello? I’ve been helping out with all this, haven’t I? Pregnancy’s not something I have experience with, but I’ve certainly done enough research! I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind.”

Spike laugh died in his throat. “Wat.”

“Yeah!” said Rainbow. “Kinda hard not to think about it when—” He did a double-take at Twilight. “You too?”

Twilight chewed on his lip. “I didn’t want to say anything because I—what do you mean, ‘you too’?!”

They were cut off by Eros laughing.

Spike buried his head in his claws. “What have I done?”

Gleaming clucked her tongue. “Son of a hippogriff whore....”

Rainbow fluffed up his wings. “Hey, I’ve always wanted kids! I help Pinkie babysit Pound and Pumpkin all the time, don’t I? I just wasn’t sure how you felt about it! S’not exactly an easy topic to bring up…”

Twilight stared at him. “I heard you say at the Wonderbolts Hearth’s Warming party that you couldn’t stand foals.”

Rainbow shook her head. “That was Fleetfoot. Who was lying through her teeth by the way, because I’ve seen how she acts when she’s around kids. She’s just terrified having a kid will ruin her figure or some crap. Nevermind that half the mares on the team are moms and are still on top of their game, oh no. I swear, you’d think she’s never heard of Pilates...”

Gleaming raised a hoof to her chin. “I should probably look into that...”

Eros leaned down and nipped her ear. “Can I watch?”

She brushed her tail across his groin. “Only if you help with the ‘post-workout’ routine.”

“Mmmm, that might wear you out more than the workout…”

Twilight shifted back and forth. “That… wasn’t you? I could’ve sworn that…”

Rainbow suddenly seemed to remember something. “I shoulda told you about this earlier, but like, Fleetfoot and I look so similar that we could be long lost twins or something. Seriously, you can barely tell us apart with our manes hidden beneath our uniforms, and even our voices sound the same! It’s gotten to the point that the team just calls us ‘Blue One’ and ‘Blue Two’.”

Twilight’s face lit up. “Are you saying that...”

Rainbow kissed him a second time, fast and eager.

“For an egghead, you can be a real dummy sometimes.” He stroked Twilight’s cheek. “Let’s talk about it when we don’t have an audience, kay?”

Twilight’s eyes flickered to Eros and Gleaming. “I wanna carry the first one.”

“I was more thinking we get each other pregnant at the same time.”

“...I bet I could make that happen.”

Gleaming, deciding that she’d had enough, stepped forward to look between them. “I’m guessing this is the real reason you brought her along.”

Twilight hugged Rainbow a little tighter. “I, erm… w-well, yes. I mean, I did need to bring somepony along, but Spike would’ve served that purpose just fine. But you weren’t really wrong when you initially assumed that she was mostly here for ‘emotional support’.”

Rainbow gave her a saucy look. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

Twilight covered his face with a wing. “Sweet Celestia...”

Gleaming pursed her lips. She’d never really given thought to Twilight’s romantic life, and part of her wanted to hug Twilight, part of her wanted to hear how they got together, part of her wanted to give them advice...

...and a small part wanted to murder the little shit that’d deflowered her baby sister.

“Why were you worried about what we’d think?” Eros asked. “You know what kind of relationship Gleamy and I have.”

Spike coughed at this.

Twilight swished his tail and gnawed the inside of his cheek. “I just… I didn’t want to take the chance, all right? Yes, I saw the parallels to your relationship, but Rainbow and I have different lives, different expectations, different responsibilities, different images to maintain, different biases, all of that! Expecting everypony would treat us the same as way wasn’t realistic or intelligent, so I wanted more information before making an announcement.”

Rainbow spoke up. “She—er, he, I guess, is worried this’ll turn into some kinda scandal. Oh no, ponies will start gossiping and treating us different! The press will hound us twenty-four seven! Heh… as if that’d bother me.”

Twilight swatted him. “I’m worried that it’ll make you even more incorrigible. The last thing your ego needs is more pandering.”

At this, Rainbow licked Twilight’s neck, his wet tongue rasping against Twilight’s coat. “And here I thought that was what you liked about me...”

Twilight inhaled sharply. “D-Dashie… please...”

“What a perfect opportunity,” Rainbow said so everyone could hear. “Maybe I’ll tell ‘em about our little game, hmm? You know, the one where we keep each other on the edge for as long as possible—“

“As much as I’d like to watch this play out,” Eros cut in. “We’ve got a party to go to.”

“Yeah!” said Spike. “Do your mushy stuff later! I’ve got candy to snag!”

Gleaming sucked on her teeth. Was she okay with this? There was no reason she shouldn’t be, but things weren’t always that easy. She’d have to know Rainbow better in order to answer that question, and familiarity like that didn’t happen overnight.

“I’ll… just pretend I didn’t see any of that.” Gleaming rested a hoof on her belly, grunting as one the foals shifted. “Are you two going to be staying as stallions, or are you going to change back? Your costumes don’t really fit now.”

Twilight winced. “The spell can’t be reverted for a couple hours, so…”

“Cool!” Rainbow said. “We really can say it’s part of a group theme!”

Eros and Gleaming looked at each other, a silent exchange passing between them. Gleaming gestured to herself, wiggling her hips and holding out one of her legs.

“There must be a way we can fix your costumes,” said Eros. “None of you should have to be uncomfortable,”

Twilight’s eyes flicking back and forth. “I might have a solution.”

Gleaming raised an eyebrow.

“A few months back, a friend was showing me the spells she uses to make adjustments to clothes.” Twilight nodded to himself. “It won’t be perfect or professional, but I should be able to make some tweaks.”

Well, that was certainly fortuitous. Gleaming wasn’t exactly thrilled about Twilight jumping straight to magic again, but it might be the only option here.

“Alright, alright.” Gleaming motioned for Twilight to follow her to the bedroom. “C’mon. I’ll show you my stuff.”

“You know,” Eros said as they walked off. “If you and Rainbow are going to be stallions for the night, you should come up with new names for yourselves! It’ll help you mentally.”

Twilight frowned. “That sounds an awful lot like disassociation.”

Rainbow blinked. “Disa-what now?”

“Don’t think of it like that, ya mangy landlubber!” Eros struck a pose. “Think of it like your alter-ego! Yer secret identity! By day, you’re mild-mannered Princess Twilight Sparkle, but by night, you’re a symbol of justice and truth! A beacon of hope and light! The hero that Equestria deserves!”

Spike snickered. “Is it too late to join in on this?”

Twilight grinned despite himself. “Oh, okay. But it’s just for the night, okay? I don’t want to make this a recurring theme.”

Eros chanced a glance over at Rainbow, noting how comfortable he already seemed. Twilight was adjusting quickly as well, and Eros could sense an underlying curiosity in both of them...

“Of course,” Eros said. “We certainly wouldn’t want that.”

“Who you gonna be, Twi?” Rainbow spun around in a circle, examining himself in full. “I thiiiiiink… I’m gonna beeeee... Rainbow Blitz!”

Twilight gave him a dull look. “...Really?”

“Hey! I like it!” Rainbow said. “Who said I have to change both parts of my name?”

Twilight shrugged. “If that’s what you wanna go with...”

Rainbow gained that cocksure look. “What about you? Think you can top mine?”

“I’ve a suggestion!” Gleaming called from the bedroom. “It’s what Mom and Dad were gonna name you if you were a boy!”

Twilight did a double take. “What?! No one ever told me about this!”

“Didn’t we?” Gleaming said. “I thought we did! I’ve always thought it was a good name!”

Twilight trotted into the bedroom. “What was the name?”

Gleaming’s voice faded as they went into walk-in closet. “It was…”

Author's Notes:

Yes, women getting taller due to pregnancy is an actual thing.

I decided to break this one up into two parts because this scene ran longer than I'd intended, and this felt like a good place to stop. The next part is the party itself, and there are going to be quite a few things happening there so this would wind up being a massive chap if I kept going.

Sorry this one took so long. I have a lot of trouble writing conflicts in dialogue, and it kept stonewalling me. Hopefully the interactions seem natural, and if they don't, I'd love some suggestions on how to improve. I'm not above making improvements on the fly

Also, if you can't guess what Twilight's male name is going to be, then I don't know what to say to you.