Author's Notes:

We don't really know what Spike's relationship is with Twilight Velvet and Night Light, as we've never actually seen them interact. Because of this, I'm going with headcanon, and saying that Spike is in foster care with Twilight's family. Celestia and Luna are also considered his caretakers (due to how long dragons live) but they haven't taken as direct of a role in his life due to their responsibilities as rulers.

This is what this means for Spike's relationships:
Twilight Velvet: Foster Mother
Night Light: Foster Father
Twilight Sparkle: Foster Sister/Caretaker
Shining Armor/Gleaming Shield: Foster Brother/Sister
Cadance: Foster Sister-in-Law
Celestia: Foster Caretaker
Luna: Foster Caretaker

Obviously this is just one interpretation of things, but I like this setup... so, yeah. For the purposes of this story, I'm gonna go with it.

Two Weeks Later (Week 25)-

“Okay, that should be everything.” Gleaming tossed back her mane as she paced in the apartment. “Could you read it all back to me, Spike?”

Spike, who was reclining on Gleaming’s back with a quill and parchment, took a moment to check his work. “Let’s see, you’ve checked the availability of local real estate. You’ve drawn out a list of accountants, banks, and book publishers, and marked their locations on a city map. You’ve got a pamphlet listing out all the holidays of the Crystal Empire, given the Guard full descriptions of Mom and Dad, added them to the list of VIP’s, and alerted the castle staff. Mom and Dad’s medical and financial records have been sent to us by dragonfire with the medical stuff sent to the Royal Physician. Lastly, Dad’s welcoming gift isn’t ready yet, but Mom’s is, and you’ve got it wrapped over on the coffee table.”

Spike rolled up the parchment and stretched his arms. “You don’t think Mom and Dad will want to look up this stuff themselves?”

Gleaming shrugged. “There’s gonna be a lot of logistics moving up here. This’ll make it easier on them.”

Spike fidgeted on Gleaming’s back. This larger maternity brace wasn’t as comfortable to sit on as the other one. “I still think you don’t need to prepare this much.”

Gleaming sighed. She looked out the south window, where a set of train tracks was visible off on the city’s edge. There was a sliiiight hiccup in that Gleaming and Cadance had kind of... forgotten to tell Night and Velvet their plan to have kids, and they hadn’t found out until the official nationwide announcement.

“Trust me, Bud,” Gleaming said. “I do.”

Spike chuckled. “Well, at least it’s been pretty funny seeing you do all the same planning things as Twilight does. I guess it runs in the family.”

Gleaming couldn’t help but smile. “Pretty much.”

Spike scooched forward, his claws brushing against the silky thickness of Gleaming’s mane. He’d been apprehensive about riding her, but Gleaming had plopped him atop her before he could protest.

“You’re tense.” He gave Gleaming a gentle squeeze. “What’s wrong?”

Gleaming didn’t reply right away. She focused on her reflection in the window, similar, yet so very different. Her first growth spurt was only finally winding down, and she’d put on another sixteen pounds while gaining another half-inch in height. And all the while her belly had just kept on expanding... widening... burgeoning. Her last fundal height measurement had measured eighty-six centimeters, and while so much extra weight and mass should have slowed her down, she actually felt good—no, scratch that… she felt great.

Gleaming’s hoof drifted to her swollen middle. “I’m just not sure how they’re gonna react to all this.”

Spike rolled his eyes. “They’re getting grandkids, remember? I think that’s more important than you being a mare for a little while.”

Gleaming’s mane fell over her face, her voice falling to a whisper. “But what if I want to stay a mare?”

Spike blinked several times. “…what?”

Gleaming felt her muzzle, running a hoof along its smaller outline. “I can’t really explain it, but something about all this just feels right. I’m not sure I want to go back to the way I was anymore.”

Spike was quiet. He could tell there was more, so he waited for it.

“It started with little things,” Gleaming said. “I’ve been happier overall, I’ve been able to relate to Cady better, we do more things as a couple, and almost everypony in the castle’s been really nice to me.”

Gleaming felt a flutter as one of the foals kicked. She was starting to be able to tell them apart, recognizing their movements and places they liked to be. “My special talent is protecting others, and as time’s gone on, I’ve been getting really, really strong feelings of satisfaction from it. Before it was a vague feeling because I was working to protect the Empire, but now it’s more… intimate, I guess? I don’t know if there’s a word to describe it.”

She glanced over at the coffee table where her tiara and gorget lay. “I dunno, Spike. This just feels like who I’m supposed to be.”

“Okay, back up,” Spike said. “Who exactly have you told about this?”

Gleaming frowned. “Uh… Cady, obviously. Annnnnnd I just told you, so…”

“Not even Twilight?”

“I’m not fully decided,” Gleaming said simply. “I’m still trying to work this all out.”

“But why tell me?” Spike asked. “Aren’t you gonna go with whatever Cadance says?”

Gleaming swivelled her head so that she and Spike were face-to-face. “Whether you realize it or not, you, Twily, Mom, Dad… you all have pretty huge pull. Cady’s not the only one who has a say.”

Spike pursed his lips. He wrung his little claws for a while, eyes flicking back and forth. “So you wanna know what I think.”

“Mmhmm.”

“About you staying a girl after you have your foals.”

Gleaming nodded.

A tiny puff of flame escaped Spike’s nose. “You can be such a dummy sometimes. I want you to be happy, Gleam-Gleam! If staying as a girl is what you wanna do, then stay as a girl. It’s not like I’m gonna love you any less.”

Gleaming’s heart skipped a beat. She cocked her head as if she were seeing the little dragon for the first time.

“Spike...”

“I mean, what’s it matter?” Spike continued. “You’re still my big bro—er, sister. I’m not gonna—GAH!”

Spike was pulled into a fuzzy hug.

“I love you SO much.” She planted a kiss atop his head. “Never, ever, ever lose that heart of yours, okay?”

“Ack!” Spike wriggled and squirmed. “Too much fluff!”

Gleaming smothered him for a bit longer before putting him down. Spike immediately made a show of brushing himself off, but when Gleaming started walking over to the kitchen, he was right at her side.

“But I still think Mom and Dad are gonna need some time to adjust to the new me,” Gleaming said. “Like you did when you first got here.”

Spike shook his head. “So I was a little weirded out at first. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, you doing all of this has honestly been pretty cool! You’re basically Supermare! Oooh, oooh, no! Better yet! Supermom!”

Gleaming froze. She looked down at Spike like he’d just given her the last piece of the puzzle.

“Supermom.”

Spike gave her a toothy smile. “Gleaming Shield, the Mightiest of Moms! Princess by day, Superhero by night! Protector of the meek! Avatar of mercy! Something… something, something, more cool words... I don’t know. Just pick out a bunch of heroic-sounding stuff from the comics. That’s what I do.”

Gleaming smiled as well. She went over to the refrigerator and began pulling out some snacks. “Okay, so I’m Supermom. What are my superpowers?”

Spike folded his arms. “Hmm… well, you obviously have super strength and stamina, seeing as you were just pacing with me on your back for like a half-hour even with that big melon between your legs. Are you even tired?”

Gleaming shook her head. “I’ve been feeling a ton better since we started the magic infusions. Combine that with all the spells Twily and Cady cast on me, and I’m basically built to be pregnant right now.”

Spike tapped his claws on the floor. “We’ll call that a superpower, then. Let’s see, what else? Oh, you have super-strong magic, because, well… you’re you, and super healing because of all of those spells like you said. It’s made your magic feels all toasty and warm now... and there’s so much of it! You’re like a big cozy furnace!”

Gleaming licked her lips as she filled a few plates with munchies, three plates for her, one plate for Spike. “Furnace? Nah, I’d say I’m more like an oven.”

Spike grinned. “Because of the ‘buns’ you’re baking?”

“You got it.”

Curious, Spike came up to Gleaming and felt her stomach. Even through the maternity brace he could feel its constant heat, both physically and magically. She was absolutely ginormous from his perspective, taking up the bulk of his vision and then some, and he could feel the weight of her womb moving steadily with her breath and beating heart.

Gleaming glanced down. “It’s pretty surreal, isn’t it?”

Spike stroked the curve of Gleaming’s belly. “Yeah…”

“You excited to be an uncle?”

Spike swallowed hard. “I-I think so. What do I even do?”

Gleaming closed the fridge and made back for the living room. “You won’t have to worry about much for the first few years. When they’re older, though, just be yourself! Show them who their Uncle Spike is.”

Spike watched Gleaming clamber up onto the couch with a small grunt. The weight of her paunch sank deep into the cushions, it’s bulk shifting slightly before molding back into a maternal shape.

“I haven’t been around babies all that much.” Spike hopped into the chair beside Gleaming and reached for a comic on the coffee table. “Do you think that they’ll like me?”

Gleaming floated his bowl of snacks over to him (agates and amethysts sprinkled with powdered emeralds) and pulled out a book of her own. “Of course! You’re gonna be the coolest uncle ever.”

Spike took the bowl and began munching away. “Uncle Spike… I kinda like the sound of that.”

Later-

Knock-knock-knock.

“Okay!” Gleaming snapped her book closed. “That’ll be them and Twily. Here we go!”

Spike laughed from his chair. “They’re gonna be all starry-eyed over you, so I think I’ll stay out of the way. ”

“Probably smart.” Gleaming got up and took a deep breath. “Come in!”

In walked a beaming Twilight carrying a scroll in her magic. Not far behind her were two middle-aged unicorns: a stallion and a mare.

“And here she is!” Twilight gestured to Gleaming. “Ta-daaaaaa!”

Gleaming waved sheepishly. “Hi, Mom. Hey, Dad.”

Night Light was a tall and slim stallion with a neat azure mane and a calm face. His coat was the color of a summer sky, and his cutie mark was a pair of crescent moons. His piercing amber eyes were like a hawk’s as they drilled into Gleaming.

“Well, now.” Night’s voice was low and smooth. “Look at you.”

“Oh, Honey!” Twilight Velvet dashed forward and pulled Gleaming into a hug. “Are you feeling okay? How’s everything going? Twilight told us you were doing well, but this is—wow!”

The mares of House Sparkle tended to be above average physically and magically, and Twilight Velvet was no exception. As the House matron, she’d done her best to maintain her image, but that wasn’t hard seeing as she was a natural beauty. Shapely and sleek, she was as tall as Night Light and easily able to loom over most mares with ease. She had a full silvery coat with a mane of purple and white, and the rigors of bearing two foals had left her with a curvy form. Her cutie mark was a trio of three lavender stars set upon her wide hips.

Gleaming blushed as her mother circled her. “I’ve been keeping to the regimen they gave me, so things have been pretty steady—”

“You feel warm.” Velvet poked and prodded at her. “You’re not overworking, are you? Oh good, you’ve got a maternity brace. I was going to suggest one… and you’ve let your mane grow out! I like it!”

Gleaming fidgeted. “It was Cady’s idea.”

Velvet put her hoof on Gleaming’s middle, really taking in how large and wide it was. “My goodness, Shining—”

“Gleaming,” Twilight said.

Velvet squinted, mouthing the name a few times. “...Not even six months in, and you’re bigger than I ever was! Good thing you’re as tall as me, eh?”

Gleaming furrowed her brow. She realized with a start that they were indeed exactly the same height.

“Y-Yeah...” Gleaming kept her expression neutral. “It’s a good—AH! MOM!”

Velvet had lifted up Gleaming’s tail to examine her nethers. “Hold still. I wanna see.”

“Ask!” Gleaming growled. “Jeez!”

Oh, are we ASKING each other things now?” Velvet’s voice took on a slight edge. “And here I thought we were just DOING, leaving everyone else to find out via national announcement.”

Gleaming clicked her tongue. She chanced a look at Twilight and Night, but all she got back were glares and swished tails.

Gleaming hung her head. “Sorry.”

Velvet looked over Gleaming’s backside, noting both the physical changes and the magic holding them all place. “Your teats are starting to fill out, dear. It’s early, but it still wouldn’t hurt to go out and get some bras just in case. Unless you and Cadance already have?”

Gleaming shook her head. “Not yet.”

Twilight looked around the apartment. “Is she here? Cadance, I mean.”

“She’s at court yet,” Gleaming said. “Likely another hour at least.”

Twilight tapped her chin. “That means you haven’t had your second infusion today, right?”

Again, Gleaming shook her head. “Did you wanna do it?”

Twilight nodded, trotting closer. “I haven’t shown Mom and Dad the Rainbow Power thing yet.”

Night’s expression brightened. “Oh, you’re going to show us now?” He took Twilight’s parchment, producing a quill and ink. “Excellent. I promised some of my colleagues I’d take notes.”

Night was an astronomy researcher at Canterlot University. He’d never been much for speaking, grading, or delivering presentations, so he tended to focus more on individual efforts. He’d spearheaded several solo projects in his career over the years.

“Colleagues, my ass.” Velvet moved away from Gleaming to stand over by the couch. “You’re just convinced that this new power of hers is—”

“RAWR!” Spike leapt from the chair to glomp Velvet. “Gotcha, Momma!”

Velvet whinnied and nearly bolted before realizing...

“Is that my special little dragon?!” She lifted Spike up in her hooves. “You silly goose, why were you hiding over here?”

Spike laughed and hugged her neck. “I wanted to surprise ya.”

“You certainly did.” Velvet kissed his cheek and held him tight. “Mmm, I missed you...”

Twilight and Gleaming smiled. They watched for a bit longer before returning back to what they were doing, Twilight widening her stance and spreading her wings.

“Hold still,” she said.

“Yep.”

The flare of energy was palpable. Gleaming shivered as Twilight glowed, incandescent like a living flame. Her wingtips shifted color, her hooves shining with sigils, her mane and tail waving with four colors. Her ardent magic swept around Gleaming, seeping into her with an extremely pleasant feeling.

Velvet’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. “Oho…”

Spike snickered. “Cool, huh?”

Night trotted around Twilight at a distance, jaw clenched as he took notes.

“Harmonic, that’s for certain,” he muttered. “Carries an arcane signature… definitely thermodynamic…”

Gleaming let out a long sigh. The incredible feeling was bubbling up inside her to fill her reserves to the brim. There was a definite difference between Twily’s and Cady’s magic, but it was like the difference between your two favorite foods.

A moment later, Twilight quelled her magic and returned to normal. “That’s about the same as what Cadance gives you, right?”

Nopony noticed, but when Gleaming reopened her eyes, they were just a teensy bit brighter. “You gave me a little more, but I’m not complaining. I’ve been feeling like I could use extra.”

Twilight nodded. “You’re likely acclimating. Not to mention that the arcane needs of a fetus tend to increase as time goes on. It’s probably good that you’re able to hold more.”

“Can confirm!” Spike called from Velvet’s back. “Gleam-Gleam has more magic! I was just saying earlier she’s like a big, cozy furnace!”

Velvet tilted her head. “‘Gleam-Gleam’?”

Twilight hummed to herself. “Furnace… I might need to look into that...”

“What’s this now?” Night asked.

Twilight turned to him. “Spike can feel the properties of the magic signatures he’s linked to. For example, mine is ‘bright, big, and alluring,’ right, Spike?”

“Yep!” Spike laughed. “You’re like a big bug zapper.”

Everyone (save Twilight) chuckled at this.

Twilight scrunched up her face. “I am not!”

“You totally are!” Spike said. “Well, save for the zapping part, but you do have this… ‘pulling’ feel? It makes me wanna stay around you.”

Twilight didn’t know how to reply to that, so she just continued on. “There are some obvious positives to this, but I’ve yet to determine what things like temperature and luminosity mean. He says Gleaming’s magic feels ‘warm’, and that mine is ‘bright’, but what does that mean? Does a dragon’s interpretation of the metaphysical correlate with our understanding of the physical?”

Night returned to note taking, his quill strokes light and faint. “There aren’t many ponies who could help you answer that, dear. It’s embarrassing how little we know about dragons.”

Twilight grunted. “I swear, one of these days I’m just gonna pack up and make for the Dragonlands. Maybe then I’ll find someone who call tell me the significance of feeling like a bug zapper.”

“Take me with!” Spike said.

Twilight winked at him. “I wouldn’t go without my Royal Ambassador.”

“Yesss!” Spike pumped his arm. “Can I get some cool armor like Rainbow has?”

“Anyway,” Gleaming said. “That was nice of you to fill in, Twily. Thanks.”

“Isn’t that a drain?” Velvet asked Twilight. “It sure seems like it would be.”

Twilight laughed. “According to my calculations, I’d have to give eight-point-six-two times that amount, twice daily before accruing a deficit.”

Night frowned. “So you’re really not giving her that much? Or... do you just have that much to spare?”

Twilight put a hoof behind her head. “U-Um, well… heh-heh… y’know…”

Night smirked and ruffled her mane. “That’s my girl.”

“But you’re not the one doing these regularly,” Velvet pointed out. “Is Cadance able to keep up?”

Twilight tilted her head side to side. “From what I can tell, the drain is actually stimulating her. A month ago, her magic measured at eighty nine hundred Mordenkainens, and now it’s over nine thousand! It’s almost as if her magic is a muscle, and doing these infusions is the equivalent of a workout.”

Gleaming shivered. Oh, Cadance’s infusions were a workout, alright…

Night frowned. “That’s odd.”

Twilight dragged a hoof along the floor. “I know. I haven’t be able to explain it.”

Night looked to Gleaming. “Any thoughts?”

Gleaming shrugged. “Remember that Cady’s special talent is Love. She has a kingdom that adores her, a caring mate devoted to her, an extended family that’s accepted her, and now she’s about to sire a herd. Haven’t you grown from your studies on Friendship, Twily?”

And just like that, Twilight and Night were left speechless.

“Ha!” Velvet threw back her head. “She’s got you there!”

“I…” Twilight worked her jaw a few times. “Hadn’t thought of that.”

Night tapped his quill against his cheek. “If that’s true, then theoretically…”

Gleaming trotted back over to the sitting area to clear off the coffee table. “Not all explanations are complicated, guys.”

But neither of them heard. The gears were turning fast in their heads, ideas and postulations forming at the speed of thought. A familiar spark was in their eyes, an almost manic look in their faces...

Velvet saw this and facehooved. “Gleaming, Sweetheart?”

Gleaming looked up.

“I think you may have sparked a theorystorm.” Velvet gestured to the father-daughter pair muttering to each other. “What say we leave them to their madness so we can go out for a bit?”

Gleaming thought about that for all of two seconds before moving to grab her regalia. “We can go get those bras.”

“Wait! Don’t leave me here!” Spike hissed.

Gleaming hesitated. She looked up and cleared her throat. “OY, TWILY!”

Twilight’s eyes flicked up.

“I don’t have much parchment up here.” Gleaming pointed down at the floor. “However, I happen to know your lab was restocked this morning...”

Twilight squee’d. There was a magenta FLASH, and she and Night Light were gone.

Spike breathed out a sigh. “Was half worried I was gonna get roped into that...”

“Nah, you’re with me today.” Gleaming slipped on her regalia. “Oh! Mom, before we go, I have a present for you.”

Velvet regarded her. “You do, eh?”

Gleaming jerked her head at the wrapped box on the coffee table. “Call it a ‘Sorry For Not Telling You I Switched Genders and Got Pregnant’ present. I would’ve gotten a card, but I don’t think they make those.”

Velvet chuckled. She floated over the medium-sized box to inspect it, finding that it was decently heavy. She opened it up at Gleaming’s urging...

Inside was a second set of silver royal regalia. The amethyst-set shoes came up to the pastern before becoming like coils that circled halfway up the shin. The necklace glittered like pure liquid, it’s gem cut into the symbol of their House. The circlet was thin and spiraling, its three fine points set with the birthstones of Gleaming, Twilight, and Spike.

Velvet nearly dropped the box. She took several steps back as Gleaming floated the finery out.

“You’re royalty now.” Gleaming indicated the pieces she herself wore. “Twice over, in fact! It’s time you got something to show your status.”

“You mean WE thought,” Spike cut in. “I gave you the idea, remember?”

Velvet stared at the jewelry. She had no words as the necklace was fastened around her neck, her hooves fitted, and the crown set upon her head. A large mirror in front of Velvet, and when she saw…

Gleaming came over and nuzzled her cheek. “Love you, Mom.”

Tears fell from Velvet’s eyes. She turned and hugged Gleaming, stroking her mane while holding her tight.

Gleaming smiled and hugged her back. “Yeah, Mom. It’s me.”

The Crystal Empire was in full festive mode. The castle was currently decorated in an autumn motif, with crystals of gold and maroon and orange on every corner. The days had gotten noticeably shorter (down to about nine hours of daylight currently) and because of this, the streets of the Empire were enchanted with a special spell that let them reflect both starlight and moonlight.

The Commercial District was about a ten minutes’ walk from the palace. A bustling place at all times, it was filled with ponies of all kinds coming and going as they bought and sold their wares. Various other northern races could be spotted here and there, including moose, deer, and even the occasional griffin.

“What’s going on over there?” Velvet indicated a large, crystalline building that loomed over them. Construction notices were posted all around, and an entire side of the building was marked with glowing runes.

Gleaming followed her gaze. “That’s one of our main hospitals. We’re doing a pretty major addition to it.”

Gleaming and Spike tended to garner their fair share of attention whenever they went out, and Velvet’s new attire was drawing some stares. Fortunately, they had a guard escort accompanying them as they made their way down to the street.

“It’s for Luna’s batpony program!” said Spike. He’d switched back over to riding on Gleaming’s back, waving at ponies here and there that recognized him.

“Luna’s…” Velvet laughed. “I’d forgotten the Empire’s involved in that.”

Gleaming shrugged. “We weren’t expecting it to blow up like it did. I guess the Empire’s got baby fever right now.”

Velvet chuckled. “I still can’t get over how big you are… You’re certainly keeping those little foals fed, aren’t you?”

Gleaming snickered. She closing her eyes a moment, savoring the feel of the warm, internal weight swirling about inside her. The fact that her belly had almost doubled in size over the last five weeks wasn’t lost on her, nor was that it was only going to steadily get bigger, and bigger, and bigger…

“I think Gleam-Gleam enjoys it,” Spike teased. “This is like, the ultimate excuse for pigging out.”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “I still have to stay in shape, you know.”

Velvet looked her daughter over. There was some padding on her, but also a firmness that spoke of the muscle beneath. In addition to her baby bump, her hips, thighs, and rump were supple, the taut skin enriched by lotions and oils. Her toned legs were like iron—unyielding as they carried her on a smooth gait. Her neck and face remained thin and shapely, with full rosy cheeks and vibrant blue eyes, and her plush coat and mane were like heather.

“You really are beautiful,” Velvet murmured. “I’m sorry if I seemed insincere at first, but you actually look a lot like your grandmother, Starlight Glow. She’d be tickled pink to see you if she were still around.”

Gleaming walked a little closer to her mother, her voice going quiet. “So… you’re okay with all this? With me being a mare? Being pregnant?”

“Honey, you’re mine,” said Velvet. “Nothing, and I mean NOTHING, you ever do will change that.”

Gleaming’s heart skipped a beat. Her horn flashed with a quick privacy spell.

“S-So… ngghh…” Gleaming struggled to keep her voice steady. “S-So if… I-I wanted to stay as a mare… for good… y-you’d be okay with it?”

Velvet pursed her lips. They walked for a while down the street in silence, the crowd flowing around them like water in a stream.

“Did you even hear what I JUST said?” Velvet’s tone was cutting. “To even consider that your father and I would...”

Gleaming suddenly felt very small. “I-I’m sorry! I was j-just afraid—”

“Think about your own children,” Velvet said. “If one day one of them told you the same thing, would it matter?”

Gleaming was taken aback. “O-Of course not! No! Why would that change anything?”

Velvet gave her a calm look. “Am I going to scrutinize your decision? Of course, but it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop loving you. I’m not sure where you even got that idea in the first place.”

Spike leaned forward and whispered in Gleaming’s ear. “Told ya.”

Gleaming felt her throat grow tight. She had to cough and look away, her eyes warm as her mane fell over her face.

“I-I th-think…*sniff*... think I just needed… t-to hear it...“

Velvet patted Gleaming’s shoulder. “Tell me everything.”

So Gleaming told her. She told her about the happiness she’d felt, the contentment, how everything had just seemed to click. She talked about the new level of camaraderie she’d been having with Cadance, and how their love life had been so much better since all of this started. Velvet was quiet through most of it, and her expression was placid by the time Gleaming finished.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised being pregnant is triggering your special talent like crazy,” said Velvet. They crossed a street together, making for a maternity clothing store. “You always were a protector.”

Gleaming grunted. “I like keeping other ponies safe.”

Velvet took the lead as they made their way inside. “I suppose my main concern is that you’re doing this for the right reasons. Fortunately, from the sound of things, I think that’s already the case. Some ponies may need time to understand, but all in all, I think you’ll have more supporters than detractors.”

Gleaming followed after her. “I hope so.”

The shop was roomy and spacious. Mannequines were all around showing off maternity outfits for all seasons, occasions, and stages of pregnancy. Accessories and baby clothes were also plentiful, and the store was done in colors of blue and pink. There weren’t a ton of ponies around this time of day, but the ones that were certainly were surprised to see the royal family.

Velvet glanced at one of the store signs and made for the western side. “What does your sister think?”

Gleaming bit her lip. “Erm, well…”

“She doesn’t know,” Spike said. “Barely anypony does, and—ow!”

Gleaming had flicked Spike with her tail.

Velvet looked back at Gleaming. “Who all have you told?”

“It’s a recent decision!” Gleaming blurted. “I haven’t had time to make the rounds with telling anyone! I just need the right opportunity to tell Twily!”

But Velvet sighed and shook her head. “That opportunity may never come, dear. Between you both being Princesses, your responsibility to Cadance, any research Twily does your father, not to mention her new marefriend...”

Gleaming did a double take. How did Velvet know—right, the Nightmare Night party. But wait, had that really been how...

“Did Twily tell you beforehoof?” Gleaming asked. “About her and Rainbow?”

Velvet laughed. “Has Twily ever been good at keeping secrets from me and your father?”

Gleaming snorted. “First to know, then?”

Velvet winked at Spike. “Second.”

The three of them got over to the bras. The intent of the garment, like most maternity accessories, was to blending in with a pony’s coat and not drawing attention to itself. The idea was also to provide support so one’s breasts didn’t bounce and swing around willy-nilly (embarrassing and unbalancing). Most mares only needed bras for the final weeks of pregnancy and the half year to a year they were nursing, but as Twilight had said some weeks earlier, Gleaming was likely going to need to start earlier.

Gleaming mentioned this to Velvet as they browsed.

“When were you thinking of starting that?” Velvet asked. “A month or two?”

Gleaming hesitated. “I’m guessing it’ll depend on how much milk we need.”

Velvet sucked on her teeth. “I can tell you you’re gonna need a LOT in the beginning. Babies need feeding every few hours during the first months, and the more breastmilk they get, the better. Seeing as you’re gonna have five to feed, I’d start collecting milk pretty soon. Just use a stasis spell so it’ll keep... oh, and your milk is gonna look like this thick and fatty yellow stuff in the beginning. Do NOT throw that out. That’s what you give the babies first.”

Gleaming nodded. “What about formula?”

Velvet walked in between the racks, her silver hoofshoes making soft thuds on the cheap carpet. “When I was pregnant, my doctor always told me to use the natural stuff as much as possible. Occasionally I’d use formula if I was in a jam, but you and Twilight never liked it that much.”

“What about me?” Spike asked.

Velvet smiled. “You ate talc the first year. You smelled very nice after meals.”

Gleaming remembered those days. It was about a year and a half before Spike came to permanently live at their home, but long before that, Velvet had been spending a good deal of time with him and Twilight at the castle... or that’s what Gleaming had been told. She’d been at military school at the time.

Velvet pulled out a couple bras and held them out to Gleaming. “Here. You’re going to want about five or six pairs, give or take.”

Gleaming stared at the garments. They looked like oddly-shaped panties. “I, uh… I don’t actually know a whole lot about bras ‘n’ stuff.”

“There’s not much to know,” said Velvet. “The baseline enchantment keeps you from leaking through, although more and more these days have spells for irritation and the like. I’ve also heard there are some that’ll flat-out make your breasts invisible, though I think that’s just silly.”

Gleaming agreed. Having breasts was part of the ‘look’, in her opinion. To have them not there would be odd.

Velvet double-checked the tag of one. “Cup size varies from mare to mare, but this should be good to start. You should get some bigger ones, though.”

Gleaming dubiously eyed the bra. It already looked pretty big to her, but if things continued the way they had…

“Did you grow any taller when you were pregnant, Mom?” The words fell out Gleaming’s mouth before she could stop them.

Velvet gave her a blank look. “Uhm… I don’t believe so? I’ve always been tall, dear. Made it rather difficult to find a date until your father came along…”

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. Should she say something? Spike knew already, but his point of view wasn’t quite the same.

“You and Twily actually have tallness on both sides, you know,” Velvet went on. “Night’s potential never manifested very strongly, but your uncle Vigil, he’s a lanky one. Twily was never very tall, of course... until she became a princess, that is. Now I swear she’s taller every time I see her...”

Spike giggled into Gleaming’s mane. “Tell her.”

Gleaming chewed on her lip. Well, she’d already dropped one bombshell today...

“Have you grown?” Velvet said. “Besides sideways, I mean.”

Gleaming took a moment to make sure the privacy spell was still in place. “My doctor does a lot of work with genetics, and she thinks there’s a strong chance that I could… follow Twily’s hoofsteps, if you catch my drift. She’s not sure how or when, but the pieces seem like they’re all in place.”

The reaction wasn’t what Gleaming expected. Instead of freaking out or exclaiming in joy, Velvet simply returned to browsing the racks.

“You’re just now realizing that? Honey, your father and I came to that conclusion the week after your sister’s coronation. We’ve actually got bets on when it’ll happen!”

Gleaming’s jaw about hit the floor. “What?!”

Spike laughed so hard he nearly fell off Gleaming’s back.

“Your father thinks it’ll be flashy and all at once—some great threat arises and you wind up being the hero, like Twilight was.” Began picking out bras to put in a small stack beside her. “But I don’t think so. Twilight’s growth has been in spurts, but you? You’ve always been gradual. One of you always arrives before the other, but you both always get to the same place.”

She turned and winked at Gleaming. “I see no reason why that would change.”

Gleaming’s mouth was dry. She stood there silent as Velvet took and the bra stack then motioned towards the fitting rooms.

“Let’s see how these look on you. We can make adjustments later…”

Later-

“So you’re really thinking of moving here,” Gleaming asked.

The three of them had stopped at an ice cream parlor. The sun was already going down, and the streets were starting to give off a comforting glow as they all sat out beneath a canopy at a small table.

Velvet scraped at her orange sherbet with a spoon. “Your father and I have talked about it, and we both agree there not much for us in Canterlot anymore. Your sister has her life down in Ponyville, and she and this new marefriend of her are still going all over Equestria with barely any time to sleep. I don’t see her settling down anytime soon.”

“Tell me about it.” Spike took a big bite of his emerald parfait, a bit of chocolate syrup smudging his nose. “And they love it, too! That’sh the craziesht part!”

Velvet wiped his face with a napkin. “Smaller bites, Sweetheart. You’ll give yourself a headache.”

“Shorry.”

“So you want to be up here with me and Cady and the kids since we’re not going anywhere,” Gleaming said. She had the biggest bowl of ice cream by far—almost a tub, really. “Is that the main reason?”

For the third time that day, Velvet’s eyes flicked down to her daughter’s pregnant belly, thoughts racing to what waited for her back down south. Sitting alone with Night on Hearth’s Warming, picnics for two on the Summer Solstice while watching other families play in the park, birthdays gone by without a peep, and always coming home to an empty house with nothing but memories and dust...

Velvet rested her hoof atop Gleaming’s. “I can still hardly believe you’re having foals of your own, but here we are. Night and I want to see our grandfoals grow up to be heroes, and if it means we have to move, so be it. I can write my books anywhere, and your father has no love for Canterlot U. He’s been wanting to go somewhere else for years.”

Gleaming was quiet. She gave Velvet’s hoof a squeeze, her gaze drifting out into the streets. There was a fountain in a square nearby, the top depicting an ancient leader of the Crystal Empire. A few fillies and colts played tag around it, their bubbling laughter echoing off the tall buildings.

“...I can understand that,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure you were coming for the right reasons. I’m sure Cady will be just as glad as I am. It’ll be nice having you and Dad as part of our lives again.”

Velvet’s smile grew. She leaned forward and kissed the top of Gleaming’s brow.

“Now let’s talk logistics.” Gleaming produced the scroll she and Spike had been working on earlier. “Spike and I thought you’d appreciate some suggestions—ideas for a house and the like.”

Velvet’s eyes lit up. “Oho!” She took the scroll and scanned it over. “Well, look at you! This will definitely help.”

Gleaming shot Spike a grin, which he just rolled his eyes at. “I assumed you’d rather have a place of your own rather than be in the castle, although we can certainly arrange that if you’d prefer...”

“No, no,” Velvet said. “Night and I will stay in the castle for holidays, but we’d really be better off somewhere quieter. Somewhere that has an active community, and—oh, with a nice balcony for your father’s stargazing. He’s quite insistent about that...”

Gleaming thought for a moment. “I think I brought a map with me in my bags… here we go!”

She produced the map and spread it out on the table, a few spots already circled with various notes.

“I was thinking the first place to look at will be right over…”