A Little Earlier-

“How many more positions are we interviewing for today, Twilight?” Cadance asked.

Twilight took a deep swig of her coffee. “Spike?”

Spike double-checked his parchment. “Three. There’s only one or two candidates for each, so it should be easy-peasy.”

Cadance wore a wan smile. “Hopefully.”

They were conducting interviews for positions that’d be reporting directly to Cadance and Gleaming, and they’d been at it for the majority of the day. They’d been doing said interviews in one of Cadance’s favorite meeting places, a long boardroom with pale crystal floors and big sunny windows.

Twilight hummed and traced the rim of her mug. “What’d you think of that mare for the meteorology division head? Flurry Gale, I think her name was?”

Cadance blew her bangs out of her face. “I sensed a lot of disgust when we asked about administrative tasks. She’ll be good here, but not as head of the whole division.”

Twilight noted that on the mare’s resume before giving it to Spike. “Yeah, gotta not mind filling out paperwork...”

Spike put the resume with a stack of others. “Man, she’d hate this job if she doesn’t like paperwork. Some days that’s the only thing Twilight does!”

Twilight chuckled. “Good thing I have my number one assistant, eh? Otherwise it might also be some nights.”

“Yep-yep!”

Cadance looked right to check on her own newfound assistant. A blue dragon wyrmling with gold spines sat poring over a parchment, his mouth pursed as he carefully wrote out the alphabet.

“Doing alright, Thorax?” She inspected his work so far. “How’s the clawwriting coming?”

Thorax blinked like an owl with his draconic eyes. “I… think it’s getting better?”

It was, actually. His u’s still looked like v’s, and he occasionally mixed up ‘b’ and ‘d’, but it was still impressive how fast he’d improved. He’d gone from illiterate to reading and writing short sentences in only two weeks!

Cadance smiled. “I think I might have you start taking notes pretty soon.”

Thorax brightened. “Yeah?”

Cadance nodded. “What did you think of Flurry Gale? I noticed you flicking your tongue out a few times there.”

Thorax put a claw behind his head. “She wasn’t very sincere when she was talking. Erm, I did like her name, though! It sounded pretty.”

Cadance looked past him to the windows. “It did, didn’t it?”

“Are you feeling alright?” Twilight asked him. “You don’t have to stay up here if you’re tired. You can go back to your quarters.”

Thorax laughed. “I’ve never this good in my whole life! Being around Cadance is amazing!”

Cadance laughed. Not the first time she’d heard that, but the context was refreshing.

Twilight inspected Thorax more closely. Changeling disguises couldn’t mask wellness, so his health (or lack thereof) showed through regardless of the form he took. He was still very thin, but the color had returned to his face and skin… er, scales, rather. His energy levels had also been improving, and he could even fly for a while so long as he didn’t overdo it.

Twilight chuckled. “We might have to start being careful for another reason. We don’t want you getting fat.”

Thorax’s eyes were blank. “Fat?”

“She means this stuff.” Spike gestured to his own pudgy middle. “It’s what most creatures have when they’re real young like me, or when they eat too much. Heh, Gleam-Gleam should have a lot considering—”

“Spike,” Twilight and Cadance said together.

“...Sorry.”

Thorax had learned pretty quickly that there were things about ponies he was never going to understand. He just tended to smile and nod in those cases.

Twilight turned her attention to Cadance. Her aura was a light, bubbly feeling that made one’s emotions—all positive emotions—swell up inside and ready to burst forth at a moment’s notice. The lion’s share of the energy was being drawn to Thorax, but residual eddies still floated out from to time to time like a gentle wind.

“What about you?” Twilight asked. “Are you sure you don’t need to take a break?”

Cadance gave Twilight a flat look. “For the last time, I’m fine. This week hasn’t been near as bad as last, really! I’ll bet I can keep this up all the time pretty soon.”

Twilight pursed her lips. Going from barely being able to maintain her magic an hour to constantly sustaining it in only two weeks wasn’t something she’d ever heard of, but then again...

“Just make sure you don’t push yourself too hard, Twilight said at last. “I know you don’t like magic exams, but I WILL give you one if I think you’re overdoing it.”

Cadance blew a raspberry at her. “Yes, Doctor Sparkle. So then, what position’s next?”

Twilight took the next job description from Spike. “The Royal Archivist. An advanced research position reporting directly to the Crown, serves as purveyor of the Crystal Empire’s vast collection of knowledge, gatekeeper of sensitive information, and cataloguer of both new and undocumented content. Must be certified in latest dark magic purging techniques in accordance with the Equestrian Mage’s Guild, as the Royal Archivist is charged with disposing of rank B forbidden eldritch items and/or higher... Wow, this sounds like a fun job!”

Cadance had a hard time keeping a straight face. “I—snrrrk—suppose for some.”

Spike grinned. “Maybe you should apply, Twilight.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Maybe in an alternate universe somewhere.”

Knock, knock... knock-knock-knock-KNOCK

Rainbow popped her head in from the hall, her armored helm glinting in the sunshine. “Ready for the next one?”

Cadance and Twilight turned to each other.

“Pretty sure there’s only one applicant for this one.” Twilight leafed through her stack of resumes. “Medical... Aeronautics… Astronomy… Transportation… Records and Cataloguing! Sunburst is his name—he’s young, but he’s got some impressive accolades.”

Cadance took the resume. She’d been reading over these things for hours, but as she read down the list of Sunburst’s qualifications, she did remember seeing this one in passing.

“Summa Cum Laude of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, top marks in all eight schools of magic, certified Purifier of hazardous arcane material, master’s thesis on disjunction theory and its practical applications… definitely a pony who knows how to hit the books.”

“Look at the bullet points at the bottom,” Twilight said. “The second one’s what sold me.”

Cadance’s gaze drifted down…

“A photographic memory?!”

Spike laughed. “It’s great, isn’t it? He’s like a boy version of Twilight!”

Twilight ignored that. “I’d say he’s a good fit, so long as he’s not a jerk.”

“I’ll say!” Cadance said. “Bring him in!”

Rainbow saluted and retreated back into the hall. A few short seconds of waiting later...

An orange unicorn nosed his way inside. His two-toned mane was the color of the sunset, and there were cream colored markings on his muzzle and legs. He adjusted his glasses and bowed low, his bushy goatee grazing the ground.

Cadance focused her senses on the stallion. Giddy nervousness, a boatload of anxiety, all topped with a heaping helping dose of doubt. All pretty typical… but interestingly, he had a will like iron keeping it all in check.

“Rise, please,” she said. “You’re Sunburst?”

Sunburst raised his head. “I am, Princess.”

Cadance gestured to across the table from them. “I know it’s hard, but try not to be intimidated, okay? We’re not wearing crowns, there’s nothing fancy about this room, we’re just ponies that want to get to know you a bit.”

Sunburst nodded. Without comment, he came over and sat where she’d gestured, sitting straight as a poker while twiddling his hooves.

Curious, Thorax flicked out his tongue. He grinned.

Cadance noticed. “What?”

Thorax giggled. “Kindhearted.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow. She concentrated a little harder, her eyes glinting. Sure enough, there was a pure soul buried under that melancholy.

“We understand you’re interested in the archivist position,” Twilight said. “Why don’t you start by telling us why you think you’d do well in it?”

Sunburst fidgeted in his chair. “W-Well, I’ve always loved research and studying. I like organizing and learning all the little facts on things, and I can focus and retain information really well. That’s pretty important for this kind of work, right?”

Twilight nodded. “Considerably.”

Sunburst’s voice gained strength. “I can remember things almost perfectly. It’s best if it’s relating to magic, but I can recite back pretty much anything I see or read. Stories, facts, textbooks, calculations, equations, maps... my uh, parents used to call me their little parrot, heh…”

“Hey! So did mine!” said Twilight. “I’d drive them nuts by quoting back whole scenes from my favorite stories word for word. They started giving me textbooks because they thought that would stymie it, but then I just started spouting random facts at them.”

“Not just them,” muttered Spike.

Twilight elbowed him.

Sunburst blinked several times. “You... have an eidetic memory, too?”

Twilight winked. “We’re a pretty rare breed.”

Sunburst’s jaw practically hit the table. “I’ll say! I’ve never met anypony else with one! It’s been so hard to find anyone who puts up with me—they always think I’m a know-it-all!”

“I know!” Twilight threw up her hooves. “And stars forbid anypony remembers something wrong and I correct them. What do I know?! I’m just a show-off jerk that likes rubbing it in! I get it, everyone else doesn’t recall details as well! That doesn’t mean I’m trying to be mean! But noooooo, everypony takes it personal. I don’t even know why I bother sometimes...”

Cadance could only shake her head. Even with Twilight’s domain being Friendship, the speed at which she got ponies to open up...

Twilight suddenly got an idea. A thick book popped into existence beside her, sealed with a newer-looking lock shaped like her cutie mark. She flipped through the tome until she got to a specific set of pages. The left page had a diagram of a very complex arcane array, and the right had a lengthy explanation of the array’s purpose.

“I know you already had a technical interview, but…” Twilight whipped the book around in front of Sunburst. “Thirty seconds! GO!”

Sunburst meeped. Three of his seconds were spent getting his bearings, but he then squinted and leaned forward, his lips parted and mumbling to himself.

“Time’s up!” Twilight flipped the book back around. “Now, what was the array for?”

Sunburst thought for a moment, his lips still moving. He then raised his head and cleared his throat.

“I wasn’t familiar with the terminology, but I believe it was an experimental fusion of several advanced restoration spells. The page didn’t say which spells were being fused, but it did quote the Starswirl’s Fourth Law of Arcane Melding, stating that the array’s intent is to allow the recipient's body to adjust to ongoing internal duress. I noticed the word ‘gestation’ a few times, so I’m assuming this is to somehow help with a mare’s pregnancy? Specifically difficult and/or cases of multiples?”

Cadance felt a chill. “Oho…”

Twilight beamed. “Ding-ding-ding! Now, for the bonus round...” She produced a sheaf of parchment and writing utensils, then after a muffled poof, an enchanted protractor. She floated everything over before Sunburst. “Draw the array for me.”

Sunburst didn’t even hesitate. His tongue poked out his mouth as he sketched out the complex design, his scruffy mane falling over his eyes as he went. Everyone in the room looked on, the four of them occasionally looking to the picture in the book.

A short while later, Sunburst held up the page.

Now Cadance’s jaw was on the table. Aside from a few wiggly lines where he’d eyeballed it, he’d produced a perfect copy of the array. Not a single rune or pattern was missed.

“Jeez!” Spike’s eyes went wide. “That’s AWESOME!”

“I wish I could do that,” said Thorax.

Sunburst stared. “You... do?”

“Sunburst,” Cadance said slowly. “How do you feel about checking items and/or areas for dark magic?”

Sunburst’s face was stoic. “I wouldn’t call it enjoyable, but I can do it, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve passed all the procedures for proper retention and disposal.”

Quite the logical answer, if Cadance ever heard one. But more important to her, it was honest. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to go purifying dark and evil magic all that much, though.

“Why do you want to work in the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked. “I’d think a pony with your credentials could get a job almost anywhere. Why here?”

Sunburst blushed. “I-I’m, uh… most interested in working with the Empire’s libraries and archives. A whole trove of knowledge lost for a thousand years and all that, and I figured there’s likely some work in getting it all organized.”

Cadance leaned back in her chair. “It’ll be challenging at first getting your head around everything the Empire has. I know you said you like reading, but the archives up here are almost as extensive as Canterlot’s. I’ve personally done four sweeps of the lower levels, but there might still be some books with forbidden magic tucked away.”

Twilight grunted. “Sombra was quite clever at hiding things.”

“You should also know you’ll be working almost exclusively in the castle’s lower levels by yourself,” Cadance said. “No co-workers you can go to for advice, no employee handbook telling you what to do. You’ll receive periodic assignments from myself and Princess Gleaming, but you’ll otherwise be on your own.”

A genuine smile was on Sunburst’s face now, his blue eyes bright. “I’m very careful about managing my time. It won’t be a problem.”

Too bad it was hard for Cadance to confirm that through emotions alone. He was eager about what they were telling him, but whether that was because he was looking forward to the job...

“What say we give you a little assignment?”she said. “A test run to get you warmed up to things. We’ll get you clearance and all that, and then we’ll give you, oh… let’s say two weeks to look up something in the archives. Sound good?”

Sunburst’s whole face lit up. “Absolutely!”

Spike laughed. “Easy there, dude. Hearth’s Warming was last month.”

Sunburst was almost vibrating. He looked like a colt who’d just been told he’d won a free trip to Whinny World.

Twilight turned to Cadance. “What’d you have in mind?”

Cadance hesitated. It wouldn’t do to have him search for something too hard, or too easy, for that matter. A nice middle ground was what she wanted.

“Here’s what I want,” she said. “I want you to go through the imported history sections in sub-level C and piece together everything you can about my predecessor, Princess Amore. Cross-reference the various history books brought in from other cities and see if you can put together a report on her.”

Sunburst furrowed his brow. “Princess… Amore?”

Cadance waved her hoof, and the image of a tall unicorn mare appeared. Her coat was a shade of pink paler than Cadance’s, and her curly mane was scarlet with blueish tips. Her frame was thin and willowy, her cutie mark was that of a picturesque snowflake, and her golden eyes were the kindest any of them had ever seen.

Thorax flicked out his tongue. “Ooooh…”

Twilight gasped. “How do you—what?! How do you know what she looks like?!”

Cadance watched the image rotate above the table. “Sombra went through and scoured her name from our books, but he couldn’t very well do anything about things outside the Empire. Aunt Celestia had a picture in her vault.”

Sunburst stared. Even from just an image, he could tell there was something about this pony, something a little bit… more.

“Princess Amore created the Crystal Heart over a thousand years ago,” Cadance went on. “Closer to two thousand, actually. I’m having you look her up because I want you to try and find out what happened to her. There isn’t anything about her beyond a certain point in the books I’ve found, which is something I’ve always found fishy.”

Sunburst’s ears twitched. “Two thousand? I thought you said she was your predecessor.”

“She was,” said Cadance.

Sunburst frowned. “But then how…”

“I imagine you’ll find that answer in the archives.” Cadance tapped the side of the table, her gaze lingering out towards the protective dome around the city. “The annals say the Heart used to be able to do far more than what it can do now—it could predict the future, repel and destroy evil, even dispel powerful curses. We did see a glimpse of its capabilities when we used it to defeat Sombra, But I’ve a feeling even that was a mere echo of what it once was.”

“This kingdom’s very existence is dependent on a relic that nopony fully understands, Sunburst,” said Twilight. “We need to figure out how to tap into its full power.”

Sunburst flipped over the parchment Twilight had given him to take notes. “And I’m guessing you’ve already tried researching the Heart itself?”

Cadance nodded. “You’ll find things like songs and poems and fantasies if you try to look up the Heart. The info on Princess Amore shouldn’t be as cluttered, so see what you can find out, then report back to me.”

Sunburst rolled up the parchment. “Of course, Princess.”

Cadance held out her hoof. “Welcome aboard, Sunburst. Glad to have you on.”

There was about fifteen more minutes of details after that, getting the proper clearance, salary, things like that. It was all settled quickly enough, and then Sunburst was sent on his way with a spring in his step.

“He seemed genuine,” said Twilight. “I think he’ll do well here.”

Spike jotted that down. “That’s one vote. Did you like him, Cadance?”

Cadance was still staring at the door. His melancholy was still gnawing at her, but she wasn’t sure why. “Yes. He should do nicely.”

Twilight noticed the catch. “Something wrong?”

Cadance steepled her hooves. “I assume you saw him hesitate when you asked why he wanted to move up here.”

Twilight creased her eyebrows. “I just figured he was nervous about admitting wanting to work with the archives.”

“He was,” Thorax piped up. “But he was also leaving something out. Something he didn’t want to tell us.”

Cadance had sensed it, too. The emotion had been swiftly buried, but it’d been so intense it’d been like a punch to the brain.

“He’s running from something,” she said. “Or maybe someone. Hard to say exactly, but it’s definitely something personal.”

Twilight cringed. “You... don’t think it’s something bad, do you? Something illegal, I mean?”

Cadance shook her head. “Emotion combos have different tells. His combo would’ve been different if it’d been something illegal.”

Twilight looked down, her thoughts whirring. “There’s no reason to pry so long as it’s nothing that interferes with his job. I’d rather not muddy things up with drama.”

“Hate to be the one to point this out, but in case you forgot...” Spike gestured to the stack of resumes. “He was the only one who applied! It’s back to the drawing board if he doesn’t work out.”

Cadance cleared her throat. “That’s true, but let’s not focus on that right now. He seemed very promising, so we’ll leave it that—”

The door opened without a knock. Doctor Talia limped in with a tight look on her face, Rainbow following after just behind.

Cadance tilted her head. “...Talia?”

“Hi.” Talia gestured for Rainbow to close the door. “We need to talk.”

Cadance felt a pit form in her stomach. “About…?”

Talia eased herself into a seat. “Gleaming teleported to my lab just now…”

It wasn’t long before Gleaming realized the forest was a pine barren. Little to no underbrush poked out of the snowdrifts, and the rare specimens that did were always misshapen or stunted. Didn’t make for the most exciting scenery, but at least the ground stayed relatively flat as she walked amongst the dusky trees. The only sounds she heard were the crunch of her own hoofsteps, the dull roar of the ocean waves receding behind her, and eventually the wind died down to create an oppressive wintery silence.

Gleaming chuckled. The snow got knee deep enough in some places that her maternity brace left behind an imprint. Combine that with her long tail also brushing along behind her, she was leaving behind quite the interesting trail.

“Thank Celestia I’ve been getting some height back through all this,” Gleaming muttered. “I swear, the kids would be dragging on the ground by now if I wasn’t...”

She was almost as tall as she’d been as a stallion. But Talia had guessed that she’d likely surpass her original height in under a month at her current rate of growth, so they’d just have to see. It’d be interesting to see if the extra inches carried over when—if she went back to being a guy.

“Cady told me to pay attention to my gut,” Gleaming muttered. “Follow the strong impulses, don’t sit on them. Well, THAT impulse was the strongest my special talent has ever given me. But then how do I follow it? Even if I can sense what’s wrong with ponies, I’m a soldier, not a doctor! I wasn’t even in touch with all this nurture-y stuff until Cady and I started talking about foals!”

Ah yes, foals. The catalyst of all this, the idea both she and Cadance had been talking about since dating. Gleaming couldn’t even remember which of them had been the first to bring it up.

“We were in the park by Donut Joe’s,” she recalled. “We were sitting beneath a weeping willow when we started talking about it… Heh, we were both so nervous we didn’t even eat our snacks.”

Gleaming walked a bit longer until she came to a ledge leading down into a gulch. Ice and rocks and pine needles littered the jagged ravine, a frozen stream likely hidden at the bottom beneath the snow. She teleported across and moved on.

“Cady had always been lonely—sensing the love of others but not being loved back.” Gleaming nodded. “And I’d always felt that pull to be a parent, so we were always on the same wavelength there. Something in me had always said, ‘I know I want this. This will someday happen.’ Then once I became an officer and started being responsible for others, it just confirmed it all the more. I wanted to be a father. I wanted that rewarding feeling I’d heard other parents talk about. I didn’t know how many I wanted, but when I heard the longing in Cady’s voice back then, so sad and wanting…”

A lightbulb went off in Gleaming’s head.

“A gift,” Gleaming said. “THAT’S what it was. I decided a big family would be my gift to her, and so long as we didn’t have more than we could manage, I was with her all the way.”

She snorted as she felt her bulbous middle. “Hopefully we haven’t gone overboard… Okay, daydreams and dirty talk aside, these six are probably gonna be it for a few years. More down the line? Definitely. But for a while here...”

It felt like she was onto something, so Gleaming searched her memories of the last few months for any other strong impulses. It’d been a roller coaster for sure, but nothing glaring stuck out. It’d just been the same things over and over, feeding into her special talent and confusing her all the more.

“I have kinda had foals on the brain,” she admitted. “Although c’mon, how could I not?! I’m freaking pregnant! Of course I’m going to be thinking a lot about kids when I feel them when I wake up, I feel them when I eat, when I’m taking a piss, when I’m moving, when I’m resting, when I’m working, when I’m having sex, all the goddamn time! Not an hour goes by that I don’t think about them at least once!”

And that wasn’t even touching whether or not any of that was caused by being a newly minted mare. Her body had been drenched in hormones and magic infusions, and the confusion was still running rampant. True, the experiences had broadened Gleaming’s horizons, but even a glimpse of life across the gender divide had been enough to blur her perceptions.

Gleaming sighed. “Dad was right. I need to see what it’s like being just a mare, and not a pregnant mare before deciding anything. Maybe I’ll go back and forth between genders every other year so I can compare and contrast. Then maybe just to mess with everypony, I’ll declare that I’m inventing my own gender that consists of just me. Oooh, I could give myself both sets of genitals so I can have the best of both worlds! Just think of the threesomes! Being balls deep in Cady while Celsius is hilted in me—oh, YES… It might be hard with him so short, but we’ll make it work, damn it!”

She let her imagination run wild as she continued to walk. She was now trying to figure out how her dick would behave while pregnant, as it wouldn’t have room to get hard with a bump in the way. Ha! She’d essentially be giving herself a titjob every time she got a boner with her breasts right there! Especially with her tits, holy hay… Mounting would be impossible once the pregnancy had reached a certain point, but there were other positions to explore, and Cadance was nothing if not adventurous...

“Ponies would be so confused,” Gleaming said, snickering. “They’d see my balls and sheath and think I’m a fat stallion, but then also catch sight of my marehood and teats, along with my wide hips, then a kick from one of the foals. And I bet my libido would be through the fucking roof from all the hormones. I’d be hard all the time! Oh my gosh, Cady would be so flustered… I’d tease her with stuff like asking her whether she thought my balls or breasts were bigger, and she’d have to get close to tell seeing as they’d be next to each other, and with my sheath right there in front of her…”

Gleaming herself was getting flustered herself just thinking about it. Maybe it was the easy way out to consider such an option, but damn if it wasn’t fun. Picking and choosing which masculine and feminine traits to have, wearing whatever clothes she wanted, doing whatever thing she liked. Wear makeup and a dress one day, cologne with a suit and tie the next. Who the hell was gonna argue with royalty? Alicorn royalty, no less! Heck, depending on whatever her domain was, she could just chalk it up to that!

Gleaming finally shook her head clear. “Okay, enough getting sidetracked. I’m out here to get get clarity on things, not muck them up even further. Focus on the issue at hoof, you silly pony.”

But that issue wasn’t something easily solved. The sudden awakening of a new power raised a whole slew of implications, implications that she really didn’t want to think about.

“My domain…” Gleaming craned her head back to see her flank. Behind her giant belly, the shield and four stars remained on her foalbearing hips. “It’s gotta be connected to my special talent. Too much of what I’ve been experiencing these last few months has been setting it off, so think! What abilities have I found so far?”

It wasn’t a very long list. Pacification, Soul Sight, a bunch of fertility-related stuff, and now the ability to sense… healthiness? Health history? Something like that, anyways. She gingerly turned that ability back on a moment, and she immediately heard the murmurs of the trees again, as well as a few small creatures in the area. She played with the strength it a while before turning it back off again.

“So it’s all feeding into my special talent, which is to defend and protect.” She looked up at the sky. “I can see the common thread, I’m just… not sure of the scope. Twily was right that ‘fertility’ is too narrow, but then how broad are we talking? What if the things I’ve experienced are just the tip of the iceberg? We thought practicing and exploring my powers would help me control them, and—well, I suppose that helped me get a lid on this, but I thought it’d get rid of the flares!”

Yet apparently not. Flares were common in unicorns until they reached adulthood, and while Gleaming hadn’t had many, she knew well enough what they felt like. She could feel her spark fighting inside her—swelling... growing, ready to break out again at a moment’s notice. Finding her center had helped, but she knew all it’d take is a good poke...

Gleaming’s voice fell to a whisper. “Just how powerful am I going to get?”

She kept walking until she got to the edge of a clearing. Probably a grove of some sort, it was hard to tell with the snow. There wasn’t a river or a pit of any kind that she could tell, so she walked out without a thought.

“All the other alicorn domains are broad,” Gleaming said. “The day. The night. Love. Friendship. Big and sweeping ideas that encompass a crapload of stuff. Celestia and Luna can control everything in the sky. Twily can make friends with about anyone she meets. And Cady… well, she’s never explored her domain much, but with something as powerful and necessary as love…”

She was well aware that what was going on with Cadance had parallels. Gleaming wasn’t sure which one situation she’d prefer, but there was comfort in knowing they were both walking down similar roads.

“Guess I need to think bigger,” Gleaming said. “I’ve been so caught up in the details I haven’t been able to see the greater picture! C’mon, what’s the broadest ideal you can think of that fits in with everything? Protection? Nurturing? Medicine? Healing? ...No, close, but not quite… Agh! It’s something more, something greater! Something that encompasses all those things!”

Gleaming felt a storm of flutters as the kids wiggled and squirmed. She knew they were hungry, and the pressure in her breasts was starting to build up, too. Just another thing that’d have to wait for now... She summoned her enchanted water bottle and downed the whole thing in one go. She waited for it to refill before draining it a second time…. then a third…. and after some consideration, a fourth. Almost an entire gallon of water and a gurgly sloshing stomach later, she wiped her mouth and spat on the ground.

“This is staring me right in the face. I know I’m thinking about it too hard, and something stupid is going to lead me to figure it out.” Gleaming snarled and bared her teeth. “Grrrhhhhh! Stop being so rattled and THINK! Everything deal in defense and development, right? They all have a connection to your special talent, and your talent is all about preserving—”

crunch

Gleaming stopped. That sound had come from behind her, just on the borders of her hearing.

Crunch… crunch… crunch… crunch...

Steps. Heavy ones, definitely not belonging to a pony. It was a long ways away whatever it was, which must’ve been why she hadn’t sensed it before. Granted, she hadn’t really been paying much attention... Maintaining her grip on her magic, she carefully reactivated her Lifesense and focused.

“Oh.” Gleaming raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen one of those before...”

She waited in the center of the clearing as the footsteps grew louder, watching and waiting for her follower. The ground started to shake.

CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH… CRUNCH…

A shadow fell over Gleaming that blotted out what little light leaked into the grove. She could hear It sniffing and snuffling now, it’s hot breaths forming a wispy fog. She squinted in time to see a pair of violet eyes melt out of the shadows.

Fur. Fur and teeth and claws. Pale and snowy white, it’s semi-transparent body was covered in glittering stars. It was roughly the size of a house, maybe a little bigger, and it watched her with a shrewdness rarely seen in the wilds.

“Heya!” Gleaming smiled at the creature. “What’re you doing down here, little canis minor? Does your mama know you left the sky?”

Little was certainly subjective. The canis minor could’ve taken up a city street by itself! It tilted its head at Gleaming’s words, then stuck out its nose out past the trees to sniff.

Gleaming almost laughed—heavenly star beast or not, a dog was a still a dog. “I know, I know, you probably haven’t smelled something like me. Why don’t you come out here, hmm? Let me see how pretty you are.”

It wasn’t long before the canis minor did indeed walked out towards her, its tongue lolled while and wagging its whole butt. The ground shook even more now that it wasn’t trying to be quiet.

“Whoa...” Gleaming steadied herself. “Easy, boy…”

She used her power to pacify the canis minor. Immediately its movements became more gentle, the shaking ceasing as it waddled to her. It lowered his great head to her level, his giant wet nose wiggling.

“Yes, hello!” Gleaming could see her reflection in one of his mammoth eyes. “My name’s Gleaming! What’s your name?”

The canis minor was definitely a pup. A boy pup, by the looks of it. His eyes were each the size of Gleaming’s whole body, he had oversized puppy paws and stubby legs, and he had a shaggy, wiry coat that made her warmer just looking at it. His fur was filled with twinkling star patterns and nebulae, snowy white and hypnotic as it shifted and swirled, and he smelled like a mixture of ozone and young puppy.

“Guess this is a first for both of us.” Gleaming ran her hoof along his muzzle. “So soft... you really are just a baby, aren’t you? What’re you doing awake in the middle of the day, silly goose?”

The canis minor made a chuffing noise. Repeated, rapid puffs of air blew past Gleaming as he sniffed her all over.

“That’s right, I’m a pony!” Gleaming said. “Po-nee. You don’t see a lot of us out here, do you?”

Gleaming had always she could have a dog growing up. But Mom was allergic, and they didn’t really allow pets at the Academy. She supposed she could have one now, but the desire wasn’t as strong.

“Not like you’d fit in my home anyways,” Gleaming told him. “Plus you’re probably not housetrained...”

The canis minor wagged its tail some more. It licked its chops, his huge tongue nearly sideswiping her.

Gleaming laughed. “Now THAT’S a slobberknocker!” His puppy breath washed over her, making her wonder for the second time where this guy’s parents were. “Sorry, but I don’t have any stardust for you. If you can even eat stardust yet—what am I doing, you probably can’t even feel me petting you. Lemme just...”

Gleaming formed her telekinesis into a massive dragon claw with rounded tips. She guided the construct down and began scratching him behind the ears, eliciting a pleased grumble like a train engine.

“There we go. Yeah, you like that, don’t you? Good boy...”

Then the canis minor rolled away from her, snow falling from the surrounding trees as he tucked in front paws and exposed his belly.

Gleaming smiled. “Oh, really? You think I’m gonna give you a tummy rub just like that? What if I don’t wanna? What if I only wanted to give you a quick ear scratch, hmm? I’m a very busy pony, you know...”

She was already rubbing his tummy as she said this. The pup’s tongue lolled out onto the snow like a fleshy carpet, him panting with an odd murring sound. Gleaming took special care to scratch under his ribs, snickering as one of his hind legs started going, kicking the air with enough force to smash a castle portcullis.

“Can you can tell me what my domain is?” Gleaming said. “Maybe give me some fresh insight that I’ve missed? C’mon, you seem like a smart sort. What loosely associated collection of ideas am I the immortal steward of? Got a hint for me? I could use a hint right about now…”

The canis minor was silent. He was putty in her hooves, his tail sweeping back and forth to make huge snowpiles.

“I said ‘preservation’ before,” Gleaming said. “That’s a certainly factor… Peace? Not quite, but that might be an aspect… Nurturing! Ergh, no! That’s not it either! It’s gotta be something that all fits together in some way! Fertility, protection, and now health. Three definites along with some outliers like Soul Sight, so if you put all together, you get—”

Suddenly, the canis minor went stock still. He sniffed the air again, his eyes darting to the far side of the grove. He rolled back onto his paws with a great shaking of the earth.

“Hey!” Gleaming stepped back. The pup hadn’t rolled in her direction, but the tremors were still no joke. “What’s wrong, buddy?”

The canis minor stood stiff as a board. He stared at the far end of the grove at something only he could see.

Gleaming reactivated her Lifesense, wincing as it fought to break free. She watched and waited for a few moments as she scanned the shadows and snow.

And then she felt it.

“Uh-oh…”

A sleek giant a little smaller than the canis minor melted out of the far side of the grove. Fuzzy and orange like the sunset, it too had a coat swirling and dancing with starstuff. It had glowing yellow eyes and a shorter muzzle, whiskers the length of spears, and stubby legs with big paws.

“Well,” Gleaming said dryly. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen a leo minor before, either.”

The leo minor must’ve just come down from the sky. Threads of errant magic still clung to it that made its star markings sparkle and glimmer. It mostly had eyes for Gleaming, but it also took note of her companion, which likely was why it chose to remain by the treeline.

The canis minor growled.

“U-Uh...” Gleaming could feel him breaking free of her Pacify. “C’mon, be nice! The kitty’s not—”

Hisssssssss! The leo minor raised a paw in warning, its scythe-like claws bared. Even as a kitten, a single one of those things was taller than a doorframe.

Gleaming was thinking more and more this was a bad idea. Interacting with the canis minor had been risky enough—she wasn’t about to try and stop a fight between two huge animals in her state! Teleporting was probably the best idea—

“WOOFWOOFWOOF!” The canis minor sprinted forward. The ground heaved as he kicked up flurries of snow.

“RAWROWRRRR!” The trees were nearly uprooted as the leo minor charged.

The forest trembled. The clash of two star beasts would likely destroy the grove and the surrounding area, if not a good chunk of the forest. Creatures in hibernation would be helpless to protect themselves from the struggle, and even after the land had healed, there’d still be scars from the conflict—

ZINGGGGG!

The grove was engulfed in magenta. The light was so bright both the canis and leo minor were blinded, skidding to a halt while yipping and yowling.

“I thought I told you to be nice,” said a booming voice. “Do you both need a time out?”

When the star beast’s eyes finally cleared, they both were cowed at what they saw. A TITANIC construct in the shape of a pony loomed over even them, taking up the entirety of the grove and then some!

“You can’t fight here on the surface.” The construct glared at them with narrowed eyes. “You’re already too big for that, and you’re only going to get bigger. Haven’t your parents taught you to be careful?”

The canis and leo minor whimpered. They looked down to the ground, heads lowered and ears drooped.

“You wouldn’t like it someone bigger than you messed up your home, would you?” The construct shook its head. “You need to think about these things when you come down to the surface, or you could really hurt somepony.”

The canis and leo minor nuzzled the legs of the construct, mewling and whining. They still shot dirty looks at each other, but didn’t dare make any moves.

“I think it’s time for bed,” it said. “You don’t want your parents to wake up and find you’ve snuck off, do you? Then you’ll really be in trouble.”

The canis and leo minor didn’t tarry much longer. A moment later, their bodies vanished to starstuff before trailing back up to the heavens. Gleaming and the construct were left alone in the grove, the only evidence left behind being the disturbed ground and snow.

Gleaming gasped as her spark surged. Her construct exploded in a massive glittering shower, and she was left to clutch her head as the whispers and murmurs returned.

“I… am… insane,” she growled. “Celestia almighty, what the everloving assblasting hell is WRONG with me?! Why the cockspewing shit-eating FUCK didn’t I run?! Did you forget that you’re pregnant?! Now’s not the time to play white knight!”

Her brain had told her to leave, but her gut had told her to intervene. Logic should’ve won the argument, but the impulse had been so strong...

“And now I’m flared again! DAMN IT ALL!” Screaming, she fired a spiralling energy ray towards the mountains. It collided seconds later with a distant blast that knocked out a huge chunk of the cliffside. “Really accomplished a lot there, didn’t you?! Some parent you’re going to be—here you are out here in the middle of nowhere, you can’t even tend to your unborn kids when they’re hungry, and now you’re even putting them in danger! And guess what—it’s going to take even LONGER before you can head back now because you need to get this stupid flare back under control!”

Her vicious shouts rang out in the cold silence. Her breath formed misty clouds as she spat on the ground, muscles tensed and lips curled.

“Okay, calm down, calm down. You muscled it down once, you can do it again. Just focus, Shining. You’ve got this…”

But any focus eluded her even more now. She couldn’t get over her confusion at what she’d just done. She’d used magic to break the star beasts up, but either one of them could’ve easily crushed her...

Yet be that as it may. Even if canis and leo minor were just playfighting, their tussle would’ve smashed the forest and possibly even killed animals. Gleaming just couldn’t have that. She couldn’t stand idly by allow such a huge loss of life, touchy magic be damned.

“I… had to stop them,” she realized. “Even though it was a risk, I couldn’t just walk away! I wanted to protect everything: The trees, the sleeping animals, the star beasts, the kids… all of them! I wanted to preserve as many lives as I could.”

Protect and preserve, maintain and provide. It was what she’d always done, what she believed in above all else. A core aspect of who she was.

“It really has always been that way.” She didn’t even notice her magic wasn’t running wild anymore. “It’s everything to me! Not the protection or preservation or nurturing, those are just tools in the toolbox. No… the result has been what I’m after. That’s the important part.”

It was like feeling the last puzzle piece click. All the hints, all the clues, all the possibilities and what-ifs. The confusion and frustration was gone, and her spark swelled eagerly as it stabilized into a new form.

“Life,” she said at last. “My domain is Life! I’m the Alicorn of Life! That’s it! HA! I got it! Cady is Love, and I’m Life! We even go together! ...Okay, not really, but who cares?! I figured it out! I finally know—whoa, wait the?”

The wind had picked up around Gleaming. It swirled around her in a tight circle, the powdery snow swept up all around her. Her spark was still changing shape, morphing and shifting in feel, yet only now did she notice it. The subtle warmth she’d been giving off grew stronger, travelling out from her and now into the frozen ground, and the snow and ice melted, the ground thawing as shoots of silvery grass and white flowers sprouted up all around her.

Gleaming took a step back. “Oh...”

A pulse erupted from Gleaming. Immediately, more grass and flowers grew from the barren soil, all of them colored in shades of blue and white. The circle of life continued until the entire field had been affected—an oasis amidst the pine barren.

Vrrrrm...

Gleaming felt a tingle on her flanks. She looked just in time to see something happening to her cutie mark—an outline of some sort becoming visible around the shield! She had a hard time telling what it was at first, but as it became more and more visible, it became clear what it was.

“A white snake.” Gleaming’s lips parted. “Well, what do you know.”

The only thing that distinguished the snake from her coat was its outline. It could’ve always been there, it might’ve just now appeared, she didn’t know. Gleaming had never heard of a cutie mark changing, but then again, there were a lot of things she didn’t understand anymore.

“Even the fertility stuff fits, doesn’t it?” She smiled as she felt her womb, the miracle of life happening within her. “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. It really was staring me right in the face.”

Her spark wasn’t volatile anymore. Instead of it straining to break out, it’s gentle glow suffused her like a lantern. The power of life—for that’s what it was—was stronger now, more robust, but it wasn’t railing against her. She could feel a greater depth to it overall, and as she got a feel for it, she could tell it had a ways yet to grow.

Gleaming laughed. She laughed for a long, long time. It’s the kind of laughter that bubbles up inside you when you realize it took you far too long to realize something, and it all just makes you feel silly. She laughed in her newly sanctified grove amidst the enchanted flora, wielding her power with newfound grace.

“I can do so much good with this,” she said. “I can learn how to better protect the troops! I might be able to actually heal! All those sick patients back at the hospital, I can help make them better! I could even help heal Rhodi! I could get rid of sickness all throughout the Empire—no! Throughout Equestria! Heck, I might even be able to help with ponies with infertility—”

The realization hit her like a haymaker.

The crown jewel of personal challenges.

The greatest gift she could give.

The problem that’d caused all of this to happen in the first place.

“Cady…”

That Evening-

Knock-knock-knock!

“—Luna to search the Dreamrealm—” Twilight stopped. “Come in!”

The door opened, and in trotted a teenage colt wearing a food-stained apron. He bowed low in between pants for breath.

“Princess... Twilight!” said the colt. “Princess Gleaming has invited... you and Sir Spike to... join her for dinner.”

Twilight raised her eyebrows. After a brief pause, she looked back to Spike and his parchment. “Scratch that.”

Spike did just that. “Scratched!”

Twilight examined the teenager. “You’re from the kitchens?”

The colt nodded. “The Princess teleported in and told us she’d missed two meals! We had all these leftovers we didn’t know what we were gonna do with! She’s already going at it, but she sent me to ask if either of you had eaten yet.”

So Gleaming had gone straight for food. Part of Twilight rankled, but she supposed she could forgive it. “Has someone told Cadance?”

The boy smiled. “Of course! Another dishwasher was sent up her quarters. She should be hearing about it right now.”

Spike shifted on Twilight’s back. “There miiiiiiiiight be a problem with that.”

The boy tilted his head. “Eh?”

“I’m afraid Princess Cadance isn’t in the castle right now,” said Twilight. “She’s not even in the city.”

“Not in the city?” the boy repeated. “Where is she?”

Cadance flew high in the skies above the Empire with steady flaps. She kept her path level as she rode the warm winds, circling lazily in a warm pocket of air she’d found out in the plains.

“You fly pretty well for a bureaucrat!” called Rainbow beside her. “You were born a pegasus, weren’t you?”

Cadance laughed. “Sure was!”

Granted, there were days it was easy to forget that. Cadance hadn’t had much chance to fly throughout her life, as the orphanage she’d grown up in hadn’t taken too kindly to her going off willy-nilly. The matron had tried impressing that Cadance should stay on the ground with the others, but some instincts could never be fully supressed.

Cadance looked down at the dotted landscape. She could see the whole city, her entire kingdom laid out before her. It was hard to believe that hundreds of thousands of ponies lived in what looked like a foal’s playset.

“I doubt she stayed nearby,” she muttered. “Endo said she was really overwhelmed, and she has enough power that she could teleport a couple hundred miles if she really wanted…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Rainbow flew closer. “You told me you wanted to go flying to get your mind off of Gleaming! Don’t tell me you just wanted to come up here so you could look for her!”

Cadance blanched. “No! That’s not what I… ergh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to get back on it like that. Let’s be honest, I wouldn’t even know where search for her. It’s not easy finding somepony that can teleport.”

Rainbow grunted. “Oh, I hear that. If Twi wants to be alone, she’s gonna be alone. One time she got super frustrated after dealing with some stuffy princess stuff, and she and Spike up and vanished for a few days. It turned out they’d gone all the way to Neighpon! They even had souvenirs to prove it!”

Cadance suddenly had a thought of Twilight and Spike showing up out of the blue in Neighponese clothes carrying bags filled with knick-knacks. She almost would’ve paid to see that.

“I doubt Gleamy’s gone that far.” Cadance adjusted her angle to stay by Rainbow. “She probably just went up to the mountains or something.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Eh, she can take care of herself. She’s a smart pony.”

Cadance certainly hoped so. For all their sakes.

The two of them eventually landed on a cloud to rest. They sat across from each other while enjoying the sun, preening their own wings and catching their breath. The only sound between them was the ceaseless wind blowing, their manes and tails flying behind them like flags.

“We haven’t talked all that much, have we?” Cadance said at last.

Rainbow looked up. “Why? Something on your mind?”

There wasn’t, actually. They didn’t have a lot in common save that their romantic partners were siblings. She’d mostly brought it up as a distraction.

“I just don’t know much about you,” Cadance said. “You’ve been up here for four months now, and yet I’m always so busy I don’t get any chance to chat.”

A slow smile formed on Rainbow’s face. “I suppose I could enlighten you to the awesomeness that is Rainbow Dash. Anything in particular you’re curious about?”

Confidence. Confidence and intensity, passion and excitement. Rainbow’s mind was saturated in the emotions like a soaked sponge. It was actually kind of addicting. “You said at Hearth’s Warming you’re from Cloudsdale. Did you live there most of your life, or…?”

Rainbow cracked her neck with a muffled pop! “I moved down to Ponyville after I got a job on the weather team. Fluttershy—you remember Fluttershy, right? She told me they had an opening, and I got in lickety-split!”

Cadance remembered hearing at some point that Rainbow had had training a weather pony. It certainly showed in her figure. “But you quit that job, right? Because of the adventuring and service to Twilight.”

Rainbow played with a tuft of cloud. “And the Wonderbolts, yeah. S’alright though, the job’s in good hooves. Mare named Cloud Kicker runs things now.”

Cadance found it odd that she wasn’t picking up a whole lot of emotions about giving up the job, positive or negative. “That’s right, you’re in the Wonderbolts! That has to be exciting.”

Rainbow puffed out her chest. “Heck, yeah! I’m just a reserve right now, but I’ll be on the main roster before you know it. Captain Spitfire’s dying to put the sonic rainboom into the performance routine, and as soon as there’s an open spot, BAM! I’m a full fledged Bolt!”

Cadance giggled. “Wonderbolt Rainbow Dash, master of the sonic rainboom! I can see the posters already.”

Rainbow grinned. “Spitfire’s been fighting tooth and hoof to bring me on early. but Pony Resources won’t budge. It’s tradition for the team to only be comprised of a certain amount of members—no more, no less. No worries though, it’s just a matter of time. All I’ve gotta do is make sure I stay in shape… and can do the rainboom at will, of course.”

Cadance raised an eyebrow. “Can you?”

Rainbow got an odd gleam in her eye. She made to rise—

“Not here!” Cadance blurted out. “If you really can, then just say so. I can detect lies, remember?”

Rainbow blinked several times. “Uh, yeah. I can still do it. I practice twice a week out over the ocean. Twi ports us out there.”

It was funny thing, hearing something absurd like that and knowing it was true. If almost anypony else had said it…

“Do you mind if I ask something personal?” Cadance asked.

“Shoot.”

Cadance rubbed one of her forehooves. “What exactly attracted you to Twilight? You and her are so different, but the ties of love between you are some of the strongest I’ve ever seen! I feel like there’s a common ground between you that I’m missing.”

Rainbow pondered the question for a time. She traced idle shapes in the cloud, molding up little balls before smoothing them back out.

“You did say you don’t know much about me,” she said at last. “I suppose I should give you some background. When I did the rainboom for the first time as a filly, it was like a switch got flipped inside me. Nopony could catch me—not in speed, not in skill, not in style, nothing. I was in a league of my own without anypony to compete with, and it’s been that way ever since. Best in every race, first in every competition. Sprint, marathon, acrobatics, obstacle course, power flying, weather control, showboating, doesn’t matter. I win ‘em all.”

Cadance nodded. “I believe it.”

Rainbow’s eyes grew distant. “But I’m the kind of mare that always wants to get better, y’know? I always want to train, I always want to push my limits. But I found that when I did that, I just got even further away from everypony else, y’know? I couldn’t help but work my plot off because that’s who I am, but it was almost like I was being punished for it.”

Cadance gestured to the open air around them. “It’s lonely at the top.”

Rainbow gulped and wet her dry lips. “Twi’s... always been the best at magic, and she never really had any competition from anyone. She loved being Princess Celestia’s student, but wound up alone because of it. I know she had you and Spike and her family, but that was about it, wasn’t it? She wound up being such a shut-in that the princess had to order her down to Ponyville.”

Cadance sighed. Even to this day, there was a part of her that blamed herself for that. She doubted it was coincidence that Twilight became a recluse about the same time Cadance started travelling as an ambassador, and Gleaming had gone to Baltimare for officer training.

“I once heard something from an old guy,” said Rainbow. “Was the dude who made my armor, actually. He said, ‘one master can recognize another.’ I don’t need to be a unicorn to know that Twilight the best at what she does, I can see it a mile away. She works hard, she doesn’t half-ass things she commits to, she knows what it’s like to be a big fish in a small pond, and most of all... she knows what it’s like to be alone.”

Of all the explanations Cadance had expected why they had clicked, that certainly wasn’t one of them. That kind of attraction was… well, not unheard of, but not something you encountered every day.

“You relate to each other in a way no one else can,” Cadance murmured. “You felt a connection to her because of that, and eventually, that connection turned into something more.”

Rainbow blushed. “S-Something like that.”

Cadance only had one lingering concern. “Be gentle with her, won’t you? I can tell this isn’t your first relationship, but it is for Twilight. Don’t just dump her and move on if you find out it’s not working out. Find a way to let her down easy.”

Rainbow frowned. “What makes you think we’re going to break up?”

Cadance shook her head. “I can tell you love each other. All I’m saying is that there are many steps to a relationship, and you two have just begun. A lot can happen between then and now.”

Rainbow stared at Cadance with that shiveringly intense look. “I just told you Twi and I know the value of hard work.”

“Life has a way of throwing curve balls, Rainbow,” said Cadance. “Has your life gone totally as expected?”

Rainbow kept her gaze a bit longer before looking away. “I’m the Element of Loyalty, Cadance. I don’t give up on things easily. If I say I’m committed to Twilight, then I’m committed to Twilight.”

Cadance smiled. “Then I’d say she’s lucky to have somepony like you.”

Bzzzt… bzzzt… bzzzt...

A strange vibrating sound came from Rainbow. It almost sounded like an insect buzzing.

“Speaking of Twi...” Rainbow held up her front-right leg, which Cadance now saw was glowing magenta.

“What’s that?” Cadance asked.

It was a sigil of Twilight’s cutie mark etched on Rainbow’s forearm, pulsing slowly while making the vibrating sound.

“I told you we had ways of contacting each other.” Rainbow admired the mark. “Too bad it doesn’t have a super-long range... One sec, I gotta take this.”

She touched the mark for two seconds before raising it to her mouth. “Y’ello?”

Twilight’s ghostly voice floated out from the mark. “Hey. Are you still with Cadance?”

“Sure am,” said Rainbow. “We’re on a cloud over the western plains.”

There was the sound of dishes clinking before Twilight spoke again. “Can you put her on? Gleaming’s back, and she wants to talk to her.”

Rainbow perked up. “Oh, cool!” She held out her arm again to Cadance. “The white one returneth.”

Tentatively, Cadance scooched closer to Rainbow so she could talk into the sigil. “...Uh, hello? Gleamy?”

A pause…

“...talk into my leg… yes, I can teach you the spell later… the pumper can wait, just talk to her… ergh, would you just—SHINING! Stop stuffing your face, stop complaining, and take two seconds to talk to your wife! She’s been worried sick about you!”

Cadance snickered. “I forget sometimes which of them is older.”

Rainbow snorted. “Right?”

There was a little more background noise before a familiar voice came on. “...Hey, hun.”

Cadance breathed out a sigh of relief. “You alright?”

“Better,” said Gleaming. “Had a pretty interesting day. I’m in the dining room with Spike and Twily right now.”

Cadance had already guessed as much. “Want us to join you?”

Another pause, only broken up by the telltale munching of Spike eating gems. “Tell you what, meet me in the gardens when you’re done flying. I’ve got something to show you.”

“Mmkay. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Rainbow pulled her arm back. “That all you need?”

More scuffling sounds before Twilight came back on. “That should be, yes. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“‘See you when you get back?!’” Rainbow repeated. “Where’s my ‘I love you?’”

You could almost feel Twilight’s turning pink. The wind blew loud around them before finally, in a very small voice...

“I love you.”

“Love you too, babe.” The sigil faded, and Cadance and Rainbow were alone. “Pretty nifty, eh?”

Cadance had to admit she was impressed. “I’ve only ever seen that enchantment bound to crystals. I didn’t know it could be tied to living things.”

Rainbow waggled her eyebrows. “That’s my Twi. Always pushing the envelope.”

Cadance felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. “Well then, I think we’re pretty well warmed up. Wanna show me how to do some of those fancy tricks of yours?”

Rainbow did a double-take. “...Really?”

Cadance spread her wings wide. “I know these things look klutzy, but I can maneuver with the best of ‘em! I’ll bet I’ll get two or three tricks down by the time we have to go back.”

At first Rainbow doubted her, but then she caught sight of a familiar look in her eyes. She smiling liking a young foal who’d just been given free rein to go play in a water park.

“Y’know,” Rainbow said. “There’s more to you than I first thought.”

Cadance winked. “Race you to the weather barrier.”

“Oh, you’re on!”

That Night-

The Castle Gardens were a newer addition to the grounds. Created just north of the castle and stretching on for some blocks, it was essentially a public park maintained by the Crown with some private areas. Cadance hadn’t been sure how well the crystal ponies would react to the new attraction, but it turned out ponies regularly strolled and held events in the Gardens, so much so that there was a waitlist stretching several months out.

A picturesque little area surrounded by hedges and trees was Cadance and Gleaming’s favorite spot. Cadance found Gleaming there relaxing under a weeping willow, her regalia and maternity articles set to the side. She circled a few times before gliding in and landing, flaring her wings and fluttering before landing like a shadow.

Gleaming clapped. “Did you have fun flying?”

Cadance’s eyes were bright. “I’ll have even more fun when you can come with me.” She came over to give Gleaming a kiss. “I heard you had a bit of an adventure today.”

Gleaming giggled as Cadance nuzzled her baby belly. “Don’t worry, we’re all fine. Better than fine, actually.”

Cadance barely heard. She was too busy checking Gleaming over with a critical eye. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I couldn’t help but worry. I couldn’t help but think about—what happened to your cutie mark?!”

Gleaming laughed. “That didn’t take long.”

Cadance looked closer. The white serpent encircling the shield was stylized, but she recognized it well enough.

“That snake...” Cadance’s eyes went wide. “It’s the same as on the Aesclepius Journals!”

Gleaming nodded. “Life, Cady. My domain is Life. I figured it out while I was off clearing my head. My spark surged big time when I realized, and from what Twily was saying, I think I hit another milestone.”

Cadance was speechless. She looked between Gleaming’s cutie mark, her face, and the growing womb in between. She had a clean, pleasing scent about her, a subtle aroma that was almost magnetic. The warmth flowing off her was stronger now, so soothing and refreshing...

Gleaming took Cadance’s hoof in hers. “I can sense Sombra’s curse inside you now. I don’t know how to get it out of you yet, but if get strong enough, I might be able to. I know we’ve already kind of found a way around the curse, but it’s not what either of us wanted, is it? You don’t want to wait a whole century until you can finally take a turn at this, and I certainly don’t want to see you suffer for that long. You want to be a mother. A proper mother, the whole thing from start to finish.”

Cadance’s mouth was dry. Faint hope stirred in her chest like a phoenix from the ashes.

“I’m going to give this my all,” said Gleaming. “If it’s within my power to get that filthy magic out of you, I’ll do whatever it takes. We’ll have finally won against him, Cady. No more surprises, parting gifts, or tricks. Sombra’s stain will be wiped clean.”

Cadance wasn’t sure if the emotions she was feeling were hers or Gleaming’s. Either way, she darted forward to kiss Gleaming with tears glinting in her eyes.

“I love you,” Cadance whispered. “So much…”

They kissed for a long time there , the soft smeks of their lips playing alongside the rustle of wind. Cadance laid down beside Gleaming on the freshly-cut grass, their foals tucked snug and safe between them. Cadance covered them with a downy wing and nudged closer, feeling like she was still flying among the clouds as Gleaming’s warmth washed over her.

“You smell good,” said Cadance after they broke. “Are you wearing perfume?”

Gleaming shook her head. “Nope. You’re not the first to say that today, though.”

“Mmm…” Cadance hummed again as she buried her muzzle in Gleaming’s fur. “I can’t put my hoof on it. It’s just—snifffff—good. You smell, I dunno… healthy. Not like you’re in heat or anything, just… ugh, I don’t know how else to describe it! You smell really good, okay? I wanna bottle up this scent and spray it on myself!”

Curious, Gleaming smelled herself. She didn’t notice anything different, but then again, she’d probably grown accustomed to it. “I... suppose it’d make sense with my domain? Might be why I’ve responded so well to Twilight’s spells.”

“Maybe,” Cadance admitted. “I can’t say it enough, sweetie. Your pregnancy’s going better than any of us could’ve dreamed! The foals are big and strong, you’re big and strong, and I swear, you just get more and more beautiful every time I see you...”

Gleaming chuckled. “Flatterer.”

“It’s true!” Cadance ran the frog of her hoof along Gleaming’s firm belly. “Your mane and tail are sleek and smooth. Your coat is so thick and soft, I wanna snuggle with you all day. Your legs are as long as mine, but you’ve got so much muscle, I feel like I’m walking on twigs! I feel like I want to do weight training when I’m next to you.”

Gleaming smirked. The babies were stirring in response to Cadance’s touch and voice, a few of them wiggling and shifting. “Oh, come on. You’re still the far better-looking one between us.”

“I don’t know,” said Cadance. “There’s not much I have anymore that you don’t have better. Your colors are fuller, your face is prettier, your eyes are brighter, your curves are sexier, not to mention you’ve got all the pregnancy perks…”

Gleaming couldn’t help but preen at the praise. She stretched out like a cat now, relaxing as Cadance coaxed the soreness from her supple skin. “Then just imagine what you’ll look like pregnant, eh? All the perks combined with your hotness? You’ll be dialed up to eleven.”

Cadance rolled her eyes. “Assuming my body reacts like yours. Even with magic, I could wind up looking and feeling like a bloated monster from the Black Lagoon.”

Gleaming burst out laughing. “The pink pregnant terror ceases worshipping the porcelain goddess to wreak havoc upon the Crystal Empire! None shall escape her bitchy wrath!”

Quick as lightning, Cadance darted down and blew a raspberry on Gleaming’s belly.

“AH!” Gleaming shrieked and laughed, the foals suddenly kicking like mad. “Y-You scared them! Ah geez, they’re all awake now. It’s like a circus in there!”

Cadance could see the twitches and bulges of tiny hooves stretching the walls of Gleaming’s taut womb, the fertile mass shaking and rippling. “Aww, sorry babies. You were probably falling asleep after dinner, weren’t you? Mommy didn’t mean to frighten you.”

Gleaming couldn’t believe how much it tickled. She wiggled and squirmed with a helpless smile, the fuzzy glow in her chest build. “Th-They were starting to get really active while I was out in the woods, heh. Don’t think they’ve gone without food for that long before...”

Cadance could imagine. “You got enough to eat, though?”

“Yeah.” Gleaming calmed as Cadance resumed her massage. “But it didn’t seem smart to have three enormous meals in one sitting. I had Twily temporarily tweak her spells so I could make up the rest with those smoothies Talia’s been having me drink. Think I had about eight, heh...”

Cadance had noticed that Gleaming’s belly was pretty enormous right now. Not surprising, considering those high-cal smoothies were thirty-two ounces each...

“And man, my tits were HUGE!” Gleaming gestured to the mounds between her legs. “They were literally leaking by the time I got back! That’s never happened before! I could barely walk they were so big and sore!”

Okay, that made sense. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that started happening more, especially considering you’ve been pumping pretty regularly already. Your body’s probably gotten into a routine.”

Gleaming grumbled something about ‘mammal mechanics’.

They lay there together for a time, enjoying each other’s closeness among the peaceful silence. Gleaming relaxed and rested her head on the grass, her breaths calm and steady as Cadance rubbed her with both hooves.

“I talked to Endo and Talia,” Cadance eventually said. “They told me what happened with the colt… Rhodi, I think his name was?”

Gleaming swished her tail. “Nopony that young should have to deal with a sickness like that... Nopony at ALL should, period.”

Cadance gave her a gentle squeeze. “You gave him the best chance he has. It’s out of our hooves now.”

Gleaming clucked her tongue. “If I get strong enough, I might be able to do more. Granted, I didn’t find much when I was experimenting earlier..”

“Where did you go?” Cadance asked. “Endo said that you teleported with more energy than he’d ever seen. Did you go past the mountains?”

Reluctantly, Gleaming told Cadance everything that’d happened. Some of it was like pulling teeth, but she soldiered on nonetheless.

“And I was all ready to leave them to fight, but something in me just screamed to stay.” Gleaming met Cadance’s eyes. “I figured they’d listen to something bigger than them, so I conjured up the biggest construct I could and lectured them. They listened and went back up to the sky... and that’s when I had the epiphany.”

Cadance’s face was a mask. She didn’t betray a single emotion, her eyes stoic and calm. She’d stopped rubbing Gleaming to listen, her hooves resting on the ground.

“I know I told you to follow your instincts, but I really wish you hadn’t done something so reckless,” she said. “Leaving to clear your head? Sure. Taking a walk in snowy uneven terrain by yourself? Dicey, but you’re sturdy enough. But that’s where you should’ve drawn the line. For a pony that doesn’t like taking risks, you sure took a lot of them today.”

Gleaming’s ears drooped. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“What would you have done if you’d gotten hurt?” Cadance said. “You’d have been all alone out in the wilderness with no one knowing where you are, possibly without any way to get help! All it would’ve taken is for one of those creatures to make one wrong move! I don’t care what kind of changes you’re going through, you’re not invincible!”

Gleaming looked away. “...I don’t know what to say.”

Cadance didn’t say as much, but this might the first real time Gleaming displayed anything that might be described as ‘pregnancy brain’. She made a note to be more careful what kind of advice she gave from now on.

“There’s enough risk with all of this as it is,” she said in a soft voice. “Your actions right now don’t just affect you, they also affect our children. Maybe this was fate or whatever, but please, promise me you won’t do anything else like that again.”

Gleaming bowed her head. “I promise.”

Cadance made a second mental note to talk more about this later with Twilight and Talia. For now, though, she supposed she could focus on the positive.

“I suppose at least you answered an important question thanks to all of it. So, Life, huh?”

Gleaming smiled weakly. “I’m thinking I should probably be spending time in hospitals from now on. Seems like a good place to get some practice.”

“You said you got overwhelmed in the hospital,” Cadance pointed out.

“Well, yeah but—”

“Gleamy,” Cadance said. “Milestone or not, I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be diving headlong into the worst problems. I don’t know why I need to keep reminding you of this, but stress isn’t good for you right now.”

Gleaming granted that, but still. “It’s not like I’m going to go try healing ponies in the ICU. I was thinking like going to a clinic or something! Start small and work my way up.”

“Hospitals and clinics are two different things.”

“Okay, a separate clinic that’s not in a hospital!” Gleaming snapped. “Sheesh, split hairs more, why don’t you.”

They spent a while longer discussing ideas for how Gleaming could better explore her domain. They each had different ideas, but a few things they agreed upon were that Gleaming shouldn’t be taking on too much. She was supposed to be taking it easy, after all.

“But developing my powers will make my spark stronger,” Gleaming pointed out. “Which’ll likely be better overall because I’ll better be able to carry the kids!”

Cadance rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you should push things any harder or faster. You’re already progressing at a good rate.”

“Then why’d I have a flare in the first place?”

“...”

Gleaming nuzzled the crook of Cadance’s neck. “I know you don’t like it, but I think it’s pretty clear we need to step things up. My magic may go wild again if I don’t devote more time to learning how to control it.”

Cadance pursed her lips. “But how? Twilight and I have our hooves full with getting the new infrastructure up and running, so we can’t really help. Unless you delegate some of your duties to somepony else for awhile, you don’t have the time.”

Gleaming thought about that. It was true there wasn’t really anypony else to shoulder the royal duties, but her responsibilities to the military were also part of the equation.

“Rex,” Gleaming said. “She knows what’s going on. I’m sure she’ll be willing to take on some of my military duties for a while.”

Cadance glanced to the side. “She’s not gonna like it…”

“We’re all doing things we don’t like to get through this,” Gleaming said. “She hasn’t let us down yet.”

Cadance couldn’t deny that. “Alright, but keep in mind she has that week off starting Hearts and Hooves Day. I wouldn’t renege on that if I were you.”

Gleaming tensed up. “Ah, that’s right… Well, Hearts and Hooves Day isn’t for two weeks, so maybe she and I can figure some things out over the next fortnight. It should be fine.”

Cadance’s expression was prim, but she kept her reservations to herself. “I suppose we’ve come up with worse plans.”

They took a while longer discussing various things while spending the evening out under the stars. Their conversation drifted to the usual things: State, family, getting things ready for the kids, things in their personal lives. Neither of them could remember the last time they’d spent a whole evening outdoors, but neither of them felt much impulse to relocate. They wound up laing beneath the weeping willow together for hours, the brilliant nighttime canvas on full display.

“I never realized how much I missed seeing the stars,” Cadance said after a time. “Dad certainly was quick in getting the lux field up and going, wasn’t he?.”

She and Gleaming were now laying on their backs on the grass, stargazing. They knew they needed to get to bed soon, but the night sky was just so damn amazing. Neither of them could tear their eyes from it.

“Heh, yeah.” Gleaming stifled a yawn. “I’m glad he didn’t have any trouble with the Aeronautics—”

Suddenly, the sky flickered. Where once there’d been stars amidst the black, a fuzziness overtook everything, causing it all to fade out and shift. The sky gained an overlay of an illusory image that stretched across the horizon, fading in and out with static before their eyes.

Cadance and Gleaming gasped. They stared wide-eyed at the spectacle.

“Honey…?”

The overlay grew clearer and sharper. They soon that the image wasn’t an image at all, it was some kind of live feed of another place! Said feed displayed an alien wasteland with blue earth, a green sky, and a overly large red sun, complete with the ruins of destroyed city.

Gleaming’s skin prickled. “Uh…”

But that wasn’t the most interesting thing. No, the most interesting thing were the two gigantic creatures going hoof to hoof, locked in a fierce grapple as the landscape heaved all around them. One was a like a living pillar of black rock with a three short, powerful legs like a tripod, its trio of long arms like whips that ended in cruel scythes.

The other was a familiar stallion, red in color, with a mane like straw and glinting emerald eyes.

“Big Mac?!” Cadance’s lips parted. “That’s Luna’s coltfriend! What in the world is that thing he’s fighting?!”

Gleaming really only had one response. “...Nothing good.”

.

Author's Notes:

More pieces to the puzzle. It all starts to come together!

The next chapter will be a bit here, as the next thing on my writing to-do list is Chapter 4 of Embodiment. I'm also going to be writing something for this year's Halloween Preggy Pony Pack, so be on the lookout for that!

I'll be sure to make a blog post on the Preggy Pony Pack thing when it goes up, so if you want to be notified in your feed, make sure that you're following me : )