Two Weeks Later (Week 36)-

“The children are very excited to see you, Princess,” said the mare sitting across from Gleaming. “They’ve been talking about it ever since we won the contest!”

Heartsong Kindercare, a preschool in the East Residential District. Average class size twenty-five, current number of children split between those classes, seventy-eight. A solid and reputable establishment with connections to almost all the schools in the Empire...

...and most recently, winner of the ‘Storytime With A Princess’ promotion.

Gleaming’s gaze wandered around the room. The ceiling was lower than most buildings—a quality she’d had to take notice of late. Oodles of colorful toys greeted her that ranged from dolls and board games to simple puzzles and playsets. The majority of the floor was a spongy mat that was easy to move and clean, and outside of that were two areas. The first area had a vinyl tile floor with various chairs and tables, complete with a chalkboard and a few stations where the adults could keep a watchful eye. The second was carpeted with lots of cushions stacked in a corner, and four cedar bookshelves were against the wall that were filled to the brim with children’s books.

“I’m just happy we could make this work, Miss Tourmaline.” Gleaming adjusted herself on the cushy pillows. “I hope the kids won’t be too disappointed that I had to take Cadance’s place.”

Tourmaline, a chubby crystal pony with a kind face, shook her head. “The contest never specified which princess would come. Some of the kids have been guessing Princess Twilight!”

Gleaming smirked. “Oh, she would’ve loved to come. Believe me, if she wasn’t helping Cadance manage the tight timeline we’re on, she’d be here for sure.”

It was a strange thing. This atmosphere, this setting... it was so utterly opposite from what Gleaming was used to. The stale scent of chalk, the lemony odor of disinfectant, the colorful borders showing off the alphabet. She felt a little odd wearing her full regalia and makeup while surrounded by cartoon mascots emphasizing the importance of eating vegetables..

“I suppose it’s good for you to get exposure being around kids.” Tourmaline gestured to Gleaming’s belly. Gleaming had gotten so big that she couldn’t sit on her haunches anymore, so she was instead laying on her side with her front half sitting up. “You look amazing, by the way! Remind me how far along you are?”

A pitter-patter of wiggles made Gleaming smile, the heavy, growing weight inside lazy and warm. “Thirty-six weeks. My doctor wants to shoot for the full fifty-two, so I’ve got a ways to go yet.”

Tourmaline’s eyes went wide. “You’re not too uncomfortable, I hope! There’ve been rumors that your pregnancy’s been easy for you—please tell me that that’s the case!”

Gleaming patted her impressive middle. She could spend hours just watching and feeling them move inside. “The rumors are true. Been getting a little unwieldy now, and doorways are starting to be an obstacle, but that’s the worst of things. There’s a lot of good ponies looking out for me.”

Tourmaline might not have believed it if Gleaming wasn’t right in front of her. Bright, clear eyes, a plush, thick coat, a soft mane and tail with a lustrous glow. The ease in which Gleaming took deep breaths was almost envious, her face and womb a healthy color as a result. Tourmaline privately noted how fortunate it was Gleaming was such a large pony overall, else she might’ve had trouble carrying all those babies. Her barrel was the size of a prize-winning pumpkin!

“It sounds like you and Princess Cadance have already had your share of surprises with all this,” said Tourmaline. “You wouldn’t want to make things any more complicated.”

Now Gleaming really laughed. “Oh, my little pony, if you only knew.”

Tourmaline had to admit she’d felt some dread when had answered the door and found herself face-to-face with a gold peytral etched with a magenta-starred shield. She’d looked up expecting the face of a soldier, but when she’d seen the warmth in those eyes, so calm and inviting...

Tourmaline checked the clock mounted on the wall. “Recess should be just about winding down. Is there anything you need before the aides bring the foals inside?”

Gleaming ran through her mental checklist. Chosen story? Check. Used the restroom and expressed over two liters of milk? Check. Wearing her conservative regalia and maternity articles? Check. Had an early third meal? Check. Any crumbs or food stains anywhere that she missed? Erm... not that she was aware…

Grumbling, Gleaming summoned a mirror to give herself a once over. “Do you know what the downside of having a white coat is, Tourmaline?”

Tourmaline snickered. “No hiding when you spill something, is there?”

“Nope.” Gleaming wiped a stray crumb of carrot cake from her mouth. “You either look perfect, or you look like a slob. There’s no in between.”

Tourmaline watched Gleaming check her muzzle and neck for any more stray offenders. “I wasn’t kidding about what I said before—you really do look amazing! Honestly, I wish I’d handled my pregnancies this well.”

Gleaming smiled. “You know, I’ve been thinking we need to see if my sister’s spells can be made baseline across Equestria. There’s a lot of potential in what she discovered... Oh! Random question, but what do you think of my mane? I’ve been having to cut it once a week lately, but this last week I just said screw it and let it grow out more. I want an unbiased opinion.”

Tourmaline opened her mouth—

“As unbiased as I can get, anyway. Try to forget who I am for ten seconds.”

Annnnnnd she closed it again. Tourmaline looked, really looked at Gleaming, pushing aside the voice of tact.

“There’s pros and cons,” she said at last. “Obviously your body is somewhat… disproportionate right now, so if you’re looking to draw attention away from the middle, a longer manestyle will help that.”

Gleaming shrugged. “Everyone knows I’ve got six in there. No sense in trying to hide it.”

Tourmaline moved her head from side to side. “Then about all else I can say then is that it’d be a shame to cover up such a beautiful neck.. Your muzzle and face have a nice shape, so you could pretty much have your mane any length and get away with it. I’d say it’s your call.”

Gleaming chewed on her lip. That was what her stylist had said, too. It didn’t help her decision any.

“Or go with what Princess Cadance likes,” Tourmaline added. “Happy spouse is a happy house, as they say.”

Gleaming blinked several times. “Not a bad idea at all. That might just be what I do.”

A chorus of clip-clop-clip-clops approached from the doorway.

“Would you be alright fielding a few questions before the story?” Tourmaline motioned for Gleaming to follow her to the carpeted area. “The children are curious about so much.”

Gleaming chuckled. She got up with surprising fluidness, her powerful leg muscles sliding and flexing with ease. “So long as none of them want to be a paparazzi.”

“We have a very special guest today!” said Tourmaline. “Somepony that—Ruby, put that down right now—I know you’ve all been looking forward to meeting! Do you remember the contest we won a while back?”

Gleaming couldn’t have stopped grinning if she tried. A colorful throng of foals stared intently at her, many of their mouths hung open. None of them could’ve been older than five.

“Princess Gleaming Shield is here because of that! She’s going to read a story to you all!” Tourmaline gestured to her. “Princess Gleaming lives in the big castle in the center of the city, along with another princess. Can anypony tell me that princess’ name?”

“Princess Cadance!” came a smatter of replies. Or, as one tiny little colt said, “Pwincess Raisin!”

“Very good!” Tourmaline said. “And did you also know that Princess Gleaming has a sister visiting the Empire right now? She’s ALSO a princess! Can you anypony tell me what her name is?”

“Twilight Sparkle!” said the same foals as before.

“...Twisting Spaghetti!” said the little colt.

Oh my sweet goddess. Gleaming was gonna have to inform Cady and Twily of their new official titles. All hail Princess Raisin and Princess Twisting Spaghetti, the mistresses of dried fruit and pasta. May their reigns be long and delicious.

Touramaline stepped aside so Gleaming to be front and center. “Before Princess Gleaming starts the story, do you any of you have a question you’d like to ask her?”

Six or seven hooves shot up.

Gleaming went with the one she saw first. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

A gold filly with maroon pigtails piped up. “Beryl! Do you like daisy sandwiches?”

Gleaming nodded. “I do like daisy sandwiches! They’re really good with apple juice!”

Beryl gasped. “I like apple juice, too!”

Gleaming was going to have a permanent smile on her face at this rate. “How about you? What’s your name?”

A black colt with with a scruffy mane jumped. “U-Um... I’m Mica! My favorite color’s blue, what’s your favorite?”

Gleaming gestured to her three-toned mane. “I like blue, too.”

Mica’s eyes lit up. He whispered feverishly to the colt next to him.

Gleaming decided to go with somepony on the outer fringe of the group next, a filly that was solid pink from nose to tail. “Yes?”

The filly gulped. She played with her hooves, mumbling something before ducking down.

Gleamin resisted the urge to d’awww. “What’s your name?”

Slowly, the filly looked up. Lordy, even her eyes were pink. “I-I’m…”

Tourmaline caught Gleaming’s eye and mouthed, “Rose Agate.”

“Rose Agate?” Gleaming said. “Is that your name?”

The filly made a face. “Ewww! It’s just Rosie...”

Gleaming was going to need to get tested again for diabetes at this rate. “Rosie. What did you want to ask me?”

Rose Agate blushed. “M-My mommy says you’re having babies. Is that why your tummy’s so big?”

Gleaming nodded. “It is why my tummy’s so big! Do you know how many babies I’m having?”

Rose Agate’s ears drooped. “I can only count to ten…”

Gleaming burst out laughing. “Do you know how many six is?”

Rose Agate scrunched up her face, her mouth moving silently.

Gleaming shifted to show her profile. Her horn glowed, and a pinprick of light shone inside her.

“Count with me now,” she said. “Onnnnnne…”

Rose Agate leaned forward “Whoaaaa!”

Another dot lit up. “Twooooooooo…”

All the foals’ eyes went huge. The lights were appearing right before their eyes!

“Threeeeeeee…”

Even Tourmaline was shocked. She watched dumbstruck as the tiny heartbeats materialized.

“OH!” A foal pointed at the newest dot. “Four!”

“Oooh, Oooh! Five!” said another.

“Six!” said Beryl. “Right there!”

“SEVEN!” shouted Mica. “I see SEVEN! WOW!”

Gleaming snickered. “That’s my heart, Mica. There’s only six in there.”

The foals chattered and murmured. They all gradually inched closer and closer to Gleaming, clamoring for a closer look.

Gleaming watched as Tourmaline and her aides corralled the throng in a semicircle around her. She floated over some pillows from the stack and lay on her side like before, summoning a book titled, 'Mister Mouse and the Messy Mare’.

“Pwincess Gweemy?” the tiny little colt said. “Why are you like a heater?”

Gleaming hesitated. It wasn’t the first time someone had said that. “That’s... just the way I am, erm...” She tried to get Tourmaline's attention. “Name?”

“Rhodi.”

Gleaming smiled. “That’s just the way I am, Rhodi. It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

“Nope!” And before anyone could stop him, he gone and cuddled up beside her, resting his head against her fluffy chest.

The world stood still a moment...

“Mmm…” Rhodi yawned and scooched even closer. “You’re soft and you smell good.”

...

“Ohmygoshyouaretoocute.” Gleaming nuzzled the little colt. A even warmer glow filled her chest as Rhodi leaned against her proper.

Now that the floodgates were open, several others came up to cuddle with Gleaming, resting against her soft chest, smooth back, and wide belly. It wasn’t long before she was essentially being used like an oversized pillow.

Tourmaline bit her lip. “Erm... Princess?”

“Hello to you, too!” Gleaming gave Beryl an eskimo kiss while still answering questions from the foals. “...Yes, I really do like apple juice! If your parents ever bring you to the castle, I'll let you have alllll the juice you want! ...Hmm? Hehe, I don't just like blue. I like purple and white and silver, too! ...What's that? Is that your favorite dolly? It is?! You better take extra special care of her, then! Here, let me see if I can fix that tear... There we go! Yes, I know I'm really big and strong! If you eat your vegetables and exercise, you can be big and strong, too!”

Tourmaline sighed. “Annnnd we've lost her.”

The aides looked on with hedged looks. “Should we… y’know, do something?”

Tourmaline wasn’t sure what to think. This certainly wasn’t what she’d expected a general of the army to be like!

“It’d be one thing if they were rowdy,” she said. “But it looks like they just want to... snuggle?”

The second aide raised an eyebrow. “Snuggle. Even Jasper, Cobalt, and Onyx, the Cootie Yuck Evaders.”

Sure enough, the three hyperactive colts were nestled right up against Gleaming with the others, docile and calm as they hung on her every word.

The first aide chuckled. “Seems like our Princess has got the magic touch.”

The second aide rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure whether to be impressed or jealous.”

The first shrugged. “She’ll need it with six on the way, weird as it is."

Tourmaline looked on with pursed lips. It still seemed a bit wrong to let the kids invade Gleaming’s personal space so brazenly. If it weren’t for how well she was taking it, Tourmaline would’ve stepped in already.

Well, that and one other reason.

“This has gotta be one of the worst cases of foal fever I've ever seen.”

“Mmhmm,” said both aides.

It was funny, seeing that look on Gleaming’s face. Tourmaline had seen it on her sisters after they’d babysat her oldest the first time, and it wasn’t long after that her nieces and nephews had come along.

“Maybe being around this many kids will get it out of her system,” said Tourmaline. “She might not realize yet how stressful it can be just being around so many foals—”

“Why don’t you tell me how old you all are?” Gleaming was helping Mica climb up onto her shoulders while she booped another foal’s snoot. “You’re three? Wow, three whole years already! And you’re four?! Oh my gosh, that’s amazing! Is anyone here older than four? How about you, Rosie? FIVE?! Holy moly, you’re five years old! Did you know when my kids are born, they’re all going to be the same age? It’s true! And when Princess Cadance and I have more kids, they'll only be a year or so behind! It'll be like our own personal daycare just like this, only with more and more and more! Yep-yep-yep!”

Tourmaline gulped. “Orrrrrrrrr maybe it’ll make her worse.”

“And Mister Mouse ran alllllllll the way down, calling at the top of his mousey lungs.” Gleaming adopted a high-pitched tone. “‘Messy Mare, Messy Mare! Come back if you please! You haven’t washed your mane!’”

The eyes of the children remained glued as she read, their ears swiveled right on her. It'd been a good fifteen minutes before she'd remembered she was supposed to be reading a story, but she'd eventually gotten around to it.

“Messy Mare spun around in a huff, glaring down mad at Mister Mouse.” Gleaming looked around at all the foals. “'Enough! Enough! Enough, if you will! I've done all the things that you've asked, and STILL! You hound me and nag me and tell me I'm sloppy! But I don't want to be just another dull copy!”

The most fun part of this for Gleaming was remembering how her own parents had read the story. Gleaming couldn't quite do the gruff voices like her father, but the rest of them sounded pretty good.

“'A copy?' asked Mister Mouse. ‘What’s this that you say? I haven’t the foggiest, I’m lost in dismay!’” Gleaming cleared her throat and turned the page. “And Messy Mare marched up to Mister Mouse with a glare. ‘A copy! A copy! The same, don’t you see? No hats and work saddles, I want to be ME! No washed mane or brushes, no trimmed fetlocks either! And if you say you don’t like it, then go catch a fever!”

Oh, how Gleaming couldn't wait to do this with her own kids. Some of the preschoolers had already started to drift off, their breaths slow and measured, snuggling closer and leaning their whole weight into her. She felt them all in addition to the flutters in her womb.

“‘Messy Mare, don’t be silly! You have to be clean! You can’t greet ponies filthy, they might all turn green!’” Gleaming made a funny face, eliciting giggles from those still awake. “‘A bath with fresh soap will prevent them from snubbing, so go hop in the tub and have a good scrubbing!’”

It was a fantasy Gleaming had had for months. Surrounded by her sleeping sons and daughters, cuddled up all safe and warm. She’d have more on the way of course, her belly swelling day after day with Cady's foals, their ever-growing family a testament their love. As much as she was enjoying all the things that’d come (and still coming) with this pregnancy, she couldn’t help but be excited about getting pregnant all over again… and again… and again...

Even years later, she wasn’t really sure what did it. Maybe it was from what she was thinking about right then, maybe from being surrounded by young foals, or maybe it was just the next trigger in the process. Regardless, while feeling so calm and content and cozy in that moment, a spark awakened within her. It leapt to life from the warm glow she’d been feeling in her chest, swiftly seeping into her magic and mind with a delicious sensation. It flared and intensified in the span of a heartbeat while radiating even more eddies of heat...

“E-Erm…” Gleaming blinked several times. “Messy Mare was, uh... a-angry, as angry could be! How could Mister Mouse talk so silly-ly? She, a-ah… stormed past him, hooves clopping, down the road in a huff...”

Information began filtering into Gleaming’s brain. Details about the children around her, details about Tourmaline and her aides. Mica was missing three of his baby teeth and had a cavity in a molar. Rose Agate had just gotten over the flu. One of the aides had a knee replacement. Beryl had a peanut allergy. On and on it went, information about everypony gradually fading in.

Tourmaline noticed Gleaming was starting to space out. She waved to try and catch her eye, but she may as well been waving at a wall.

Jasper had an astigmatism and needed glasses. Onyx had the strongest immune system of all the kids. Tourmaline had fractured her back left leg once—no, twice in her life. Cobalt was missing some enzymes in his large intestine. The other aide’s pancreas was starting not to produce insulin. More and more info bombarded Gleaming in an unrelenting assault, and she found that the longer she focused on any one pony, the more detailed the info became. It didn’t even stop when she shut her eyes!

“What’s wrong, Pwincess Gweamy?”

Gleaming jolted. Rhodie’s voice twinged in her ears, as off as a wrong note in a solo.

She looked down to focus on him...

...

…

...

“Princess?” Tourmaline took a few steps forward. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Gleaming had gone pale as a sheet. “...Rhodie needs to go to the hospital.”

It was a pretty normal day at Purity Children’s Hospital. Doctor Endo was in his office writing notes on the patients he’d seen so far today, and he’d been at it for about a half hour so far with good progress. Filling out paperwork was by far his least favorite part of the gig, but hey, it had to be done.

Endo sighed. His life had slowed down considerably since he’d turned over the Princess’ care to Talia. Part of him wished he’d stuck it out, but Celestia on a bike, that case was beyond him. Magical sterility and multiple pregnancies he could handle, but alicorn genetics and experimental spells were where he drew the line. Thank the stars Talia was still alive and hale…

His eyes flicked to the heavily-secured drawer containing his old mentor’s weekly updates. “Hmph. Alicorn ascendancy, experimental magic permutation, supernatural ability development… no, thank you—”

FLASH!

“Doctor Endo!” Gleaming said. “I—ERGH!”

Information slammed into Gleaming like a charging bull. Pulls and tugs clamored for her attention on all sides, each one a unique health history.

Endo nearly fell off his chair. “Princess Gleaming?!”

Gleaming grit her teeth. “Endo, this is an order. I need you to—ugh, so much—I need you to find a specialist. NOW.”

Endo gaped at how much Gleaming had changed. Reading about it was one thing, but this?! How had all this happened in only four months?!

“We moved again!” Rhodie laughed from atop her back. “That old lady was funny.”

Endo did a double-take. Was... that a colt? Why did the Princess have a young colt with her?

“Endo!” Gleaming barked.

Endo jumped. “O-Of course, Your Highness! What kind of specialist?”

Gleaming’s eyes flicked to Rhodie. In a flash she’d grabbed Endo’s parchment and quill, wrote something out, then held it out in front of his face.

His front right femur is making too many underdeveloped white blood cells. They’re flooding his bloodstream. It’s early, but it’s getting worse FAST. He needs to start treatment TODAY.

Endo read and re-read the note a few times. Slowly, he looked up and tilted his head towards Rhodie.

Gleaming nodded.

Endo tongued the inside of his cheek. “And there’s no doubt in your mind about this.”

Gleaming squinted at him a moment. “...You’re missing the topmost rib on your left side. You’ve got old scar tissue around your left shoulder beneath your armpit, and the nerves beneath are more sensitive due to previously being compressed. I imagine it took quite a while for that pain to go away… oh, you’re also starting to develop an ulcer. I’d see someone about that if I were you.”

The chill Endo felt was like dunked in the northern sea.

“Dr. Swiftmend.” He grabbed his doctor’s coat and made for the door. “Follow me.”

It was unavoidable that they caused a scene. Doctors, nurses, and patients alike all stopped to gawk at the unannounced princess (with a bubbly three year-old on her back no less), but Gleaming barely paid attention. A river of data was constantly flowing into her mind, an unceasing update about injuries, conditions, and illnesses of every pony within range.

“The boy’s parents?” Endo asked over his shoulder.

Gleaming pursed her lips. “I came straight to you after seeing Talia. I’d hoped she’d know somepony to cut the wait.”

Endo grunted. “And the only doctor she knows up here is me. It’s fortunate that I’m familiar with this hospital’s roster, as well as your own… erm, developments...”

“Is this a hospital?” Rhodie asked.

Gleaming winced. She quickly masked it with a smile. “Rhodie, this is Doctor Endo! He’s taking us to see a friend of his, and then I’m gonna go get your parents, okay?”

Rhodie looked past Gleaming to Endo, who made a silly face at him.

Rhodie giggled. “He’s funny.”

Gleaming’s long legs allowed her to keep up with Endo’s hurried pace. The flow of information hadn’t stopped coming, and while most of it was mundane, it was the critical conditions, life-threatening injuries, and advanced illnesses that blared at her. It was pretty clear where the ICU was.

“And this is only one hospital,” she muttered.

They crossed the street by a skyway to arrive in the building next door. A few quiet talks with nurses later, an older pegasus mare with a graying mane appeared from around a corner, her steely eyes calm and sure.. Gleaming immediately had a good feeling about her—she was the first pony so far that didn’t immediately go starry-eyed upon seeing her.

“Your Majesty.” Swiftmend dipped into a curtsey. “How may I help you?”

Endo stepped in to exchange a few quiet words. Gleaming didn’t hear much between them, but she did catch the word ‘lymphoblastic’ a few times.

Swiftmend looked at Rhodie. “No outward symptoms?”

Gleaming covered Rhodie’s ears with magic. “Not yet, but it’ll have already spread by the time they show up. Either he starts therapy today, or we lose him.”

Swiftmend raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment. She merely gestured for Rhodie to be placed on the ground and crouched down to his level.

“Hey, there!” she said once the magic left his ears. “What’s your name?”

Rhodie looked up at her. “I’m Wodie! Don’t wowwy, Pwincess Gweamy’s my fwiend!”

Gleaming’s grin was bittersweet. “He’s, uh... still working on his r’s.”

Swiftmend smiled as well. “Do you think you can be a big boy and come with me, Rhodie?”

Rhodie wilted slightly. “I wanna stay with the Pwincess...”

Gleaming ran a hoof through Rhodie’s mane. “I know, buddy. I’ll come visit soon, okay? I need to go get your parents now.”

Rhodie craned up his head with puppy dog eyes. “Pwomise?”

Stars alive, if that look could be weaponized, this kid could conquer nations. Gleaming only just managed to keep her voice calm while holding out her hoof. “I’ll even do the special princess hoofshake for you! It’s the most powerful promise in the land.”

Rhodie brightened. “Alwight!” He bumped his hoof to hers with a clack!

It took every ounce of Gleaming’s will not to scream. In addition to Rhodie, she was now sensing seven other sick foals nearby, all of them as critical as the last.

Swiftmend took Rhodie and placed him on her back. He waved to Gleaming as they trotted off, a few nurses following right behind. His huge, innocent eyes burned into hers as they rounded a corner.

Gleaming cursed. She rubbed her temples and scraped a hoof along the ground.

“Endo,” she said “Send a message to Heartsong Kindercare in the East Residential District. A mare named Tourmaline has Rhodie’s info. I’ve gotta go get this under control.”

Gleaming’s body language wasn’t lost on Endo, but he barely even understood what was going on, let alone what he could do for her. “You should know that this kind of care is expensive, Highness. There’s a good chance his parents—”

SLAM!

The crystal floor cracked under Gleaming’s stomp. Endo quailed, his ears pinned back as Gleaming loomed over him, an eerie glitter was in her eyes.

“I swear to everything holy, Endo,” she spat. “If Rhodie, or ANY OTHER of the kids in this ward die because of a stupid thing like money, I’ll give up my crown! They have a hard enough road ahead without piling on more shit!”

Endo lowered his head. “A-As you say, Princess.”

Gleaming sliced the air with her hoof. “I’m hereby funding the care of these kids. All their bills will be paid by me. Their families should be focusing on enjoying what time they have left together, not panicking about finances!”

Endo bit his lip. That was certainly generous, but his thoughts couldn’t help but turn to all the other struggling families in this hospital. Many were just as deserving and in need—

Gleaming squeezed her eyes shut. The tugs, the nigglings, the incessant, endless calls for help… They were all around her, pulling her in all directions! They just wouldn’t stop!

“I want to help…” Gleaming gulped and wet her lips. “I want to help them all! Everypony in this hospital, everypony in the Empire! B-But there’s so many... oh God, there’s so many! I’m not strong enough to help them all... what do I do, Endo?! WHAT DO I DO?!”

Endo tried to think of something, but never in all his life had he felt so tongue-tied. “U-Um…”

“Get OUT!” Gleaming’s horn flared bright as a star. Somewhere, anywhere, so long as there wasn’t anyone else around! “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!”

The air crackled, small objects lifting into the air...

FLASH!

And then Gleaming was gone. Scrolls and ink bottles and clipboards fell, the cracked the floor the only evidence of her presence.

The first thing Gleaming saw was water. Icy blue and crashing against a snowy shore, the waves stretched out into a yawning bay that met the wintery horizon. Countless smooth pebbles and oval stones comprised a long, snowy beach that stretched out for hundreds of yards, and Gleaming was at its center, the pale cloudless sky shimmering with near-invisible aurora. A blast of frigid wind assailed her, but it broke against her like she was a living bulwark of flame.

Gleaming slumped onto her side. She just lay there a while, a ghost amidst the wintery landscape. She listened to the waves crashing in time with her pounding head, her nostrils flaring, the flutters and tickles in her womb a comforting presence.

She could still sense them, of course. How could she not? Fortunately, about all the new information she got about them was they were getting hungry. Leave it to your kids to keep things in perspective.

“Sorry, little ones,” Gleaming said. “Gonna have to sit tight for a while.”

Her best guess was this was the Luna Bay. The yaks were known to have a settlement somewhere here on the northern edge, but that was about it far as she knew. This really was the untamed north.

But even with that being the case, all wasn’t quiet in Gleaming’s head. She could sense whispers of something in the stillness, tugs different from anything she’d felt before. Said tugs were coming from behind her...

Gleaming lifted her head. She saw that about thirty yards behind was a snow-covered pine forest in the shadows of tall mountains. The whispers began right at the forest’s edge, but there weren’t any ponies or other creatures to be seen. Yet still the faint whispers continued… many, many faint whispers! It was almost as if—

Gleaming’s eyes shrank. The trees.

“FOCUS!” She tore her eyes away. “What was it Dad always told Twily? Find your center, right? That’s how they always kept control. Find my center... I can do that, yeah...”

It was like clinging to a life raft in a storm. Swirling currents flared within her that tossed and jostled her concentration, always threatening to pull her under. She could feel it proper now—the stream of energy from her divine spark, more expansive and powerful than anything she’d ever known!

But turned inward as she was, she made to realize something else. This new magic wasn’t just filtering into her reserves, it was replacing them. The very unicorn magic she’d been born with was fading, just as Talia had guessed!

“I’m losing it…” Gleaming swiped her hoof in the snow. “I’m actually losing it! It’s going away!”

Her magic was shifting, changing from what she’d known for so long. She couldn’t help but be addicted to the deep, saturated warmth of her golf ball-sized spark, but the realization of being confronted with something new and unknown...

“I really am becoming an alicorn,” Gleaming said aloud. “I really am, aren’t I? This is real.”

The words sent chill down her spine. For all that others had said it over the last few months, had she?

The ocean waves splashed on, and the wind continued to blow. The whispers of the trees continued heedless of her declaration. The crest of her belly distended as one of her little ones shifted.

“Don’t panic,” Gleaming said. “Concentrate on the good, alright? This is a good thing! I can’t let myself forget that—no, stop it! I can’t let myself forget that! J-Just stay positive, damn it! C’mon, you can do this...”

She felt jerky and twitchy. Her skin felt hot and itchy and tight. Even though she was trying so hard to keep her breathing steady, that quick bit of talking had left her short of breath.

“You’ve known about this,” Gleaming muttered. “You’ve had it explained so many times! You’ve been dealing with it for months! Why are you freaking out now?! What’s made it all hit home?!”

Her mind was running through a gamut. The joy of not leaving Cadance behind. The excitement of seeing the future. The responsibility of having so much power. The fear of falling to corruption. The dread of outliving so many. The pride of being able to protect her home. The intrigue of discovering her limits. The wonder of flying. The curiosity of who she’d become. A flurry of implications was burying her, and it was all she could do to claw her way up for air.

“STOP IT!” With herculean effort, Gleaming forced herself to lay still. “Just breathe! Find your center. Dad would tell you as much if he were here. Just. Bloody. Breathe…”

The reality of a situation isn’t always the easiest thing to grasp. It sometimes takes a catalyst for it all to resonate, which can mean in a potential delay of days, weeks, or even longer before everything clicks. Being super busy doesn’t exactly speed the process along, and when your back’s against the wall, it’s easy to set a problem aside to deal with more pressing things.

Gleaming’s tongue felt like a wadded hunk of sandpaper. A wave of nausea bubbled up, only to vanish in the blink of an eye. Her stomach cramped and twisted as it fought against the Irongut spell, futilely gurgling and protesting up a storm. She ate some snow to try and calm it down.

“It’s happening,” Gleaming whimpered. “No more dreams, no more what-if’s. It’s all really happening…”

We all have a list of roles and titles they consider themselves to be and have. Some of us relate to family, others relate to the things we’re good at, where we are in life, or even what we’ve built our lives and careers around. These can be our occupations, accomplishments, levels of expertise, and so forth. The way in which we prioritize these roles and titles varies, but what’s important is that we all make these lists, for they’re how we see ourselves to be.

But what about the roles and titles we consider others to have? It can be difficult to see yourself as equal to one of your heroes, so much so that many don’t feel comfortable unless they have someone to put up on a pedestal. For the reality to sink in that you’ll soon be on par with the ones you’ve looked up to for years, even surpass them...

It took a good half hour for Gleaming to get a handle on things. Her lack of experience with magic flares made getting a grip on the Lifesense (she’d think of a better name later) difficult, and every time she thought she had it controlled, it’d pop out again. Not to mention the panic kept trying to claw its way out of her chest, and her attempts to contain it were about as easy as trying to force a jack in the box down with toothpicks.

But Gleaming was nothing if not stubborn. It took a while, but after a hard, grueling battle, she bent the rogue power to her will, at last able to turn the information on and off again with little trouble.

“Ergh…” The exertion left Gleaming a frazzled mess. The snow around her had melted, and she heaved herself up with a grunt to find that her coat and maternity brace was soaked and stained. A quick cleaning spell thankfully fixed most of the damage.

“Too bad there’s no equivalent for mental stamina.” Gleaming ran a hoof through her mane. “I’m alright. I’ve got this. I’m turning into an alicorn, and that’s fine. This is alllllll a good thing. Nothing to panic about.”

Not for the first time in the last nine months, she wished she could have a damn drink.

Gleaming rubbed her head and looked around. The teleport had to have knocked out a good fourth of her reserves. Going back would safe in smaller jumps, but there was no rush for that just yet. This place was kinda nice, now that she thought about it...

“Okay, so I CLEARLY haven’t been using my new magic enough.” Gleaming snorted and rolled her eyes. “So much for thinking twice a week sessions would cut it, eh Twily? Thank goodness I said no more infusions...”

She thought back to what’d been said at Hearth’s Warming. Far as she’d understood, regular experimentation with her abilities was supposed to prevent this. That meant that either her ascension was happening even faster than any of them had anticipated, or someone had goofed up, hard.

Gleaming glanced at the rock beach, then over at the sleepy forest. The beach didn’t look very even for a walk, but the forest looked level enough. She brushed off the remaining snow and made her way up the gentle hill, taking care to check her footing as she went.

The spindly pines greeted her on the fringe. She eyed them warily as she walked beneath their boughs, the brightness of noon giving way to shadow.

Gleaming patted a particularly old tree. “Sorry, friend. It sucks that you’re dying, but I don’t think I can help you.”

She left the withered pine and disappeared into the forest, leaving only a trail of hoofprints behind.

Author's Notes:

I decided to break this one up since it's been a little longer than a month here. I was working on edits of Embodiment for a few weeks there, getting that story "remastered" and prepped for me taking it over. If you liked other stories Bother and I have worked on like Maternal Miscommunications and Daring Do and the Amulet of Graveeda, I highly recommend you go check it out!

So yeah, in case you hadn't already guessed, this is a plot-heavy chapter. No sex here, and there won't be sex in Part 2. Next we'll be seeing what Cadance and Twilight are up to while all this is going on and possibly be introduced to a certain orange unicorn in desperate need of a brush.

I'm actually really excited for a few particular scenes in this next part. One in particular is REALLY going to scratch my love for writing magic and mysticism, but I gotta give it the right build-up. Don't give it enough, and it just does't have the same weight, you know? I like expounding on the little details.

I'll get to work writing Part 2 pretty quick here, I think. I've got some changes happening in my life here, but I don't foresee them interfering with my writing speed much. I average about one chapter release of something per month, and it's probably gonna stay that way.

Hope you're enjoying the story, guys. Stay tuned.