“So, this superdoctor of yours,” Night said. “What’d she say about your cutie mark changing?”

It was quiet in the hall leading to Talia’s lab. Oddly so, in fact. Crystal Empire Central Hospital was many things, but slow sure wasn’t one of them. Although the activity was centered in the patient and clinic wings, and those labs were a-bustle with activity. Back here in the research wing, the place was still, sterile, and cold.

“She… didn’t really know what to say,” Gleaming said. “It’s not her area of expertise, so...”

Night glanced at Gleaming’s flank. The white serpent coiled around the shield was plain as day. He still did the occasional double-take at it. “That white snake can mean more than just life, you know. It’s associated with other things, too.”

Gleaming paused to take a long pull from her trusty water bottle. “Ahhh, renewal, healing, fertility, transformation... all things that are pretty relevant. Transformation’s the only outlier, and even that has tie-ins.”

They were waiting for Velvet to come out of the fillies’ room. She would’ve gone back in the Manor, but the water wouldn’t be turned on there until they moved in next month. Thankfully the research wing was empty enough that the Princess-Consort and Duke could loiter in a hallway.

“But will they always be relevant?” Night asked. “Cutie marks aren’t just indicative of your past, they’re indicative of your potential. Will all those things be a crucial part of who you are forever? In what way?”

Gleaming raised an eyebrow. “Remember that whole thing we talked about back on the balcony?”

Night’s eyes drifted further up to the precious swell of Gleaming barrel. She looked like she was full term with quintuplets. “You really think it’s that obvious, eh? Just gonna keep on taking turns with Cadance, you genderswapping every other year to take your turn. A healing, shapeshifting protector, continually bringing life into the world for untold years to come.”

Gleaming shrugged. “What’s so bad about that?”

Night shook his head. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just making sure that’s what you want.”

“Yes, Dad.” Gleaming said with a sigh. “I know you’re still worried I’m hopped up on hormones and magic—”

Night held up a hoof. “About that. I was worried at first, yes, but with this ascension and domain business... If you really do represent Life, then I imagine you represent all its aspects, not just male or female. It makes sense you’d want to spend equal amounts of time as one or the other.”

Gleaming smirked. “What if I find a way to be both?”

Night made to say something back, but the reply died in his throat. “E-Erm...”

“I mean, am I wrong?” Gleaming said. “There’s no telling what the rest of my abilities are at this point. I might have complete control over it, beyond even what we can do with spells.”

Night clicked his teeth. The idea was… well. Let’s just say Gleaming’s doctor wasn’t the only one out of their depth here.

“But that’s just me spitballing,” said Gleaming. “All I know is that one way or the other, you’ll be getting LOTS of grandfoals. It’ll be interesting to see how Cady’s body takes to pregnancy, but if it’s hard on her, I’ll just go multiple times in a row. We’ll see.”

Night could only shake his head. “I knew you always wanted kids, but I didn’t realize you wanted them so bad you’d be willing to carry them yourself... let alone enjoy doing it.”

Gleaming laughed as well. “The enjoyment snuck up on me, to be honest. With each problem we fixed, I liked it more and more. Pretty soon, there was nothing left but the stuff I liked.”

And Night was aware what those things were. “So long as you’re happy… but let’s not forget something that already proving to be a minor stumbling block, eh? You still need a Crystaller for each foal, and last you told me, Vel and I are your only two. You’ll have trouble if you start having foals like crazy.”

Now Gleaming laughed even harder. “Dad, out of everything, I don’t think THAT will hold us back. We’ll figure it out.”

“Does that mean you’ve found candidates?” Night pressed. “You said before you wanted them to be ponies you and Cadance both knew. How’s the search gone?”

Gleaming shifted in place. “We’ve... asked one who’s still considering—our adviser Rex. There’s also a few military friends we’ve sent letters to, but they’d have to move up here to do it, so no guarantees there. We really want to ask Talia, but considering how old she is… yeah. I’ve run a few other ponies I know past Cady, but she hasn’t met them, so she’d need to spend time with them before we even ask.”

Night leaned against the wall. “So that was a maybe, a few standing offers, and the rest aren’t even cleared yet. You have twelve weeks to figure this out, Bud. At best.”

Gleaming looked away. “I know, I know…”

Night patted Gleaming’s belly. “If those six decide they’re coming out tomorrow, then they’re coming out tomorrow. If this is as big a priority as you’ve said, you need to get on it.”

Gleaming hung her head. “O-Okay, okay… Ugh, I just really, really wish we could ask Talia! She’d be so great as a Crystaller, I know it! I’m positive you guys are gonna like her.”

Night nodded. “How much does she know about us?”

Gleaming paused. “Medically? Or personally?”

Night’s eyes lingered on decorative picture on the wall. “We already sent her our medical files. I’m curious what made her want to meet us.”

Gleaming thought for a moment. “It... was kinda random, really. I’d mentioned you’d settled on a house, she asked a few things like what you both do, then if you could come with me on an appointment.”

Night rubbed his chin. “So she doesn’t know about my… quirk?”

Gleaming gave him a flat look. “I never told anypony until Luna. Didn’t even tell Cady until you okayed it.”

Night winced at that. “Yeeeeaaaah… I, uh… kinda forgot I hadn’t told her until she made that comment at the Leaves Feast? Bit of a slip-up on my end there.”

Gleaming narrowed her eyes.

“Okay, a major slip-up,” Night admitted. “But to be fair! It’s not like Vel and I have had many interactions with her before coming up here. The past few months are the most time we’ve ever spent with her.”

A slew of responses teetered on the tip of Gleaming tongue, but she said nothing. She merely watched her father with the same piercing look he often gave.

Night’s face twisted like he was wrestling with himself. “I-I never meant to… this isn’t something you can just… ugh.” He sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. “Alright. Maybe this isn’t the best time to say this, but I’ve been meaning to say it for a while now, and putting things off is what caused this in the first place. I’m sorry I made you choose between me and your wife. I should’ve told Cadance myself a long time ago, and not telling her forced you into a lie of omission. I didn’t mean to do that.”

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. “Thank you. Although, I will give you what you said about not spending much time with her. You haven’t had many chances to tell her.”

“Your mom and I didn’t even know you were dating when she was foalsitting Twily,” Night said in a rush. “And we barely saw either of you after that because you were off starting your careers! All we knew was suddenly, you come home saying you and Cadance are engaged, you’re being crowned Prince-Consort, and we’re swept up in a whirlwind of planning for a royal wedding!”

Now it was Gleaming’s turn to wince. “Yeah, see—”

“Then we find that a changeling has been posing as Cadance for stars-knows-how-long?!” Night threw up his hooves. “We weren’t even sure you’d actually met the real Cadance at that point, Shining! For star’s sake, there was a while there I couldn’t even look at her without thinking about… about what happened to you two! And you have NO idea what I nearly did when she started gloating about it in the throne room—if there wouldn’t have been so much collateral...”

Gleaming could hear it creeping into father’s voice—that cold fury honed to a cruel edge. “I think it’s best we leave it at that.”

A shadow fell over Night’s face. “...It hasn’t been easy, you know. Sitting back on the sidelines, hearing how you kids keep running into danger… Terrible things could be happen to any one of you at any time, and your mom and I just have to accept it. Do you know how many times I’ve been on the verge of stepping in?”

Gleaming didn’t, nor did she want to. “I know it has to be hard. But you guys gave us what we needed to succeed, and we’ve used it to get by. Aren’t you proud of that?”

“Being proud has nothing to do with it.” Night stepped around to face her. “We could be reading in the living room while Twily and Spike are inches from death. We could be eating dinner while you and Cadance are shielding this city from certain doom. Not a day goes by we don’t wonder whether one of you is in danger right that very second, but we have to keep on, just the same. And it’s even worse because your Mom and I have the power to help, yet you’ve asked us not to. How do you think that feels?”

Gleaming rubbed the back of her neck. “I... don’t know what to tell you, Dad. You have to trust that you and Mom gave us everything we need to succeed. You believe in us, don’t you?”

“Son.” Night put his hooves on Gleaming’s shoulders. “Listen to me, loud and clear. There’s nopony, NOPONY, not in this world or any other, that believes in you more than me and your mom, got that? Don’t you dare doubt that for a second. You and your sister and brother are heroes, but the thought of one of you in trouble, hurt and alone, calling for help but no one’s coming… words can’t describe how much that scares us.”

Gleaming said nothing. They were so close she could see the hairs of her father’s mane, smell the salad dressing on his breath from lunch. He had to stretch to put his hooves on her shoulders, but even so, she couldn’t help but feel small.

“What I’m talking about now, what Vel and I have been trying to get through your head for months, is no matter how confident you are, what steps you take, or even what you’re the damn alicorn of, you’ll never, EVER be prepared for what being a parent is like.” Night put his hoof on her cheek. “Your whole world will be turned upside down the second you see them, understand? They’ll challenge you, they’ll push you out of your comfort zone, they’ll test you in ways you can’t even imagine... yet you’ll move heaven and earth for them. Yes, you’re clever. Yes, you’re patient. Yes, you’re powerful and rich. It doesn’t mean a damn thing. From the moment they’re born to forevermore, you’re going to be making sacrifices for your children, and it never, ever ends. THAT’S what’s in store for you.”

It was almost surreal. Even as an adult, the effect of her father’s presence, of his voice and touch and smell… it was like a bizarre earworm was burrowing deep into Gleaming’s mind.

Gleaming swallowed hard. “Dad...”

Night shook his head. “I know you’ve already made sacrifices to make this happen, but I want you to understand this is just the beginning. Have as many foals as you want, but be aware that for every new son or daughter, you’ll be tested all the more. You’ll have to be that much more selfless.”

They were interrupted by a distant toilet flush.

Night pulled Gleaming’s head down so they could touch horns. “Your mom and I aren’t going to be around forever. One day you’re going to blink, and you’ll find the only place we exist will be in your memories. Father your foals, mother your foals, have both mare and stallion parts, I don’t give a damn. Whatever you decide, promise me you’ll use that noggin of yours. You’re the Alicorn of Life, not the Alicorn of Irresponsibility.”

They heard a sink running before it was turned off. The bathroom door opened, and Night stepped away just Velvet walked out and stretched her legs. She smiled as she made her way over.

“There we are!” Velvet said. “Ready to go?”

Night nodded. “Yep.”

Gleaming forced herself to smile. “U-Uh, yeah! Talia’s lab is just around the corner, so lemme just, um... lead the way there…”

Talia looked up from her desk. “There ya are. Was starting to wonder if you’d gotten lost.”

Talia’s lab was an L-shaped space of bulky equipment and high tables. The tables had sinks with extra nozzles for distributing gases, and cabinets all over were lined with all manner of chemicals. There were a few refrigerators and coolers in the corner labeled with their contents, a tidy assortment of vials and petri dishes were stacked atop them, and there was an exam bed and scale in a corner. The east wall was dedicated entirely to windows providing a view of the city, but the north and south walls had doors leading to what were presumably storage closets.

The sides of Gleaming’s barrel brushed the door frame as she shimmied through after her parents. She also made sure to duck down so she didn’t clip her horntip on the top. “Hi, Talia. These are my parents—”

“—Twilight Velvet and Night Light.” Talia got up from her chair and limped over. “I’d apologize for ignoring titles, but something tells me you’re not much for ‘em.”

Night and Velvet took turns shaking Talia’s hoof. “Call me Velvet. Gleaming tells us you’ve been taking good care of her.”

Talia chuckled. “Helps that she does what I tell her. I’ve had wealthy types that think they know everything when it comes to their bodies—didn’t listen to a damn thing I said. Nice to have one that can take orders.”

Gleaming saluted. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Talia didn’t miss a beat. “At ease.”

Night looked around the lab. He noticed microscopes, incubators, two ultrasound machines, and one bulky device with needles and pads connected to electrical wires.

“Is that an electromyographer?” he asked.

Talia looked where he was pointing. “Uh… yes, actually. You worked with one before?”

Night shook his head. “My mom had issues with numbness in her final years. They used one to diagnose her.”

Talia’s look softened. “Mmm. Yeah, that’s common in us older gals. Heh, was gonna say, Gleaming mentioned you had a doctorate, but I didn’t think you were that kind of doctor.”

Night laughed. “Not quite.”

Velvet looked over at the machine as well. “That thing’s covered in dust… I’m guessing you don’t use it very much.”

Talia snorted. “Observant as your kids... You’re right, it’s not one of the machines I use—wouldn’t even know how if I wanted. That doohickey was here when I got here. I just walk around it.”

Gleaming wasn’t as curious about things, as she’d been in here before. She did, however, see that a privacy curtain and exam bed had been added since the last time. There were also various instruments she recognized from the patient room.

“Got the whole setup moved in here, I see,” she said.

Talia floated over a clipboard from her desk. “We don’t wanna be squeezing four ponies into that rinky-dink room, especially at your size. Figured it’s better to be in a place we all fit.”

Gleaming glanced up at the ceiling. The ceiling was lower here, almost to the point of feeling claustrophobic. “Width-wise, maybe, I’m not so sure height-wise.”

Talia followed her upward gaze. “Hmph. You just keep on shootin’ up, don’t ya? Horn’s grown more too, I see. You keep sprouting at this rate, and you’ll be able to look Celestia in the eye.”

Gleaming privately noted that even if that turned out to be the case, she still wouldn’t have anything on Luna. “Let’s hope I don’t grow that much.”

Talia ushered them over to the curtained area. “We can shoot the breeze later. I wanna check your magic ratio again—I’m thinking that’ll give us a clue to how many changes you got left. I’ll check your folks out afterwards.”

Night and Velvet took seats off to the side by the wall, still looking around and muttering to each other. Gleaming waited by the scale as Talia retrieved several items, including a cone-shaped magic reader and a cloth measuring tape.

“We’ll start with the ol’ poker.” Talia floated the cloth strip to Gleaming’s horn in her icy blue aura. She wrote down a number, then wrapped the tape once around the horn’s base. “Hoo-wee, another half-inch in length, another half-inch in circumference! That’s double the growth from last week. You’ve got a regular ol’ railroad spike coming in!”

Gleaming ran her tongue across her teeth. “An itchy railroad spike. I need more of that balm, by the way.”

Talia noticed that Gleaming’s horn had a greasy sheen, her coat matted and wet where it met the horn. “Is it helping?”

“Yes, but I’m using it like ruddy chapstick,” Gleaming said.

“I’ll up the prescription then.” Talia jotted that down on her clipboard. “That stuff’s as safe to use as… well, chapstick, heh. Silly you need a prescription for it, if you ask me...”

Next, Talia slipped the magic reader onto Gleaming’s horn. She made adjustments here and there before switching it on, a silence falling as it took the reading.

“That’s a good look for you!” Night said.

“Add it to your regalia!” Velvet called.

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “Oh look, Talia. We have a peanut gallery.”

Talia sniggered. Upon hearing a small beep, she had Gleaming lean down so she could read the numbers on the instrument. “Looks like you're still in the ‘Gain Two Percent a Week’ phase. Thirty-six percent alicorn magic, sixty-four percent unicorn. Overall capacity’s grown again too, but I imagine you’ve noticed that.”

Gleaming had. “I swear, it’s like my reserves are deeper every time I tap into them. But I haven’t had any episodes like that one a month ago, thankfully. About the worst that’s happened is snapping a few dishes here and there.”

“Better that than teleporting away in a blind panic,” Talia grumbled. She removed the cone and floated over a blood pressure cuff. “The rate’s been consistent for a few weeks now, so if things keep on, I’d say we’re looking at a done deal by mid-Fall. I’d like to see you try to deplete your unicorn reserves once you’re at fifty-fifty—see if that kickstarts your aether gland into flipping over any faster.”

Gleaming nodded. Velvet and Night however, were left with blank faces.

“Does... that mean she’s only grown a third of the amount she’s going to?” Velvet asked.

Talia gave them a sidelong glance. “My gut says no, but who’s to say? She could be a third of the way through, she could stop tomorrow, she could be somewhere in the middle, or maybe she’s only a fraction of the way done. This is only the third documented case of alicorn ascension, after all... unless you two wanna have another foal.”

Velvet and Night gave her a dull look.

“What? Don’t tell me you think you’re too old just cause you’re silvermanes.” Talia put the velcro cuff on Gleaming’s leg and pumped it up. “I had my daughter when I was around your age. You two could still go for it.”

It took a few seconds for that to sink in.

“You had a foal...” Velvet said slowly.

“...while in your fifties,” Night finished.

Talia cackled. “Lemme tell you something, kiddies—I’ve been in the prenatal field longer than either of you have been alive. If you asked me what’s riskier, a couple in their fifties having a foal today, or a twenty-something couple having a foal when I started, I wouldn’t even need to think about it.”

It was against Gleaming’s better judgment that she decided to check something. Putting aside her reservations, she tapped into her inner spark and squinted at her parents, watching as their colored outlines came into view. Hopefully none of them would remember she could do this...

“Maybe risks of the pregnancy, but what about other risks?” Velvet asked. “Isn’t there a greater chance of the child having mental problems?”

“Not to mention the risk to us,” Night added. “We’re getting older, and caring for foals is stressful. Stress makes it easy to get sick.”

Talia scoffed. “Listen to you two, not even over the hill yet and you’re acting like you’ve got two hooves in the grave. Look, I’ve read your records, and I’m telling you right now that if you really wanted to do it, you could. You’re still going into estrus, right Velvet?”

Velvet blushed. “...Y-Yes, I suppose I am. In about a month or so, actually.”

“And you.” Talia pointed at Night. “I didn’t read nothing about a vasectomy. You still firing live ammo?”

Night coughed. “A-As far as I know, yes.”

Her mom’s outline was a plain, neutral red. Neither overly vibrant nor overly pale, but right smack-dab in the middle. Her dad’s was a pleasant shade of orange, and while he was a little less vibrant than Velvet, he was still plenty capable. Gleaming’s working theory was that the closer two outlines were in color to each other, the more compatible they were. And if that was the case here...

Talia raised an eyebrow. “Your sex life still fresh? How often ya do the horizontal tango?”

“OKAAAAAAAAY!” Gleaming said. “So, how many kids do you have, Talia? I don’t think I ever asked you before!”

…

…

...

At last, Talia regarded Gleaming with pinned back ears. “...Just my darlin’ Panacea. Woulda had more if I’d married earlier—quite a few more. S’alright though, she met a nice boy and gave me lotsa grandfoals, and now, I’ve even got great-grandfoals.”

Gleaming thought of the efforts she and Cadance had put forth to get various medical groups established in the Empire. “How’s Rosetta?”

Talia put on a stethoscope. “She and her parents will be makin’ Canterlot trips until the ESHA gets settled here, but at least they won’t have to do it for years on end. They asked me to thank you, by the way.”

Gleaming looked away as Talia started to check her breathing. “I’m sorry I can’t do more.”

Talia spared another glance at Velvet and Night before shrugging and looking away. She focused on checking Gleaming’s heart and lungs, then she put the stethoscope away and flipped to the next page on her clipboard. “Vitals are stellar as ever. Feel anything funny around your shoulder blades yet?”

Gleaming shook her head. “Nope. No wings.”

Talia made a note of that. “You’ve been developing earth pony traits of late, so anything pegasus related will likely be after. Still, nice to keep an eye out for things… go and hop on the scale, would ya?”

Gleaming obeyed. She noticed this scale was not the one in the patient room, as it was in a good deal better condition. It didn’t creak like it was about to collapse, for one.

“Feeling alright this week?” Talia asked as she flipped out the height bar.

Gleaming smiled. “Better every day.”

Talia looked her over. A thick, snow white coat, a full, vibrant mane, blue eyes so bright they almost glowed, powerfully built muscles, curvaceous hips and flanks, and a foal-filled belly the size of an exercise ball. The syrupy warmth flowing off her was ever-present; a warmth that soothed even Talia’s ancient joints. “I believe it. Still getting around alright?”

“I’ve gotten too big for some places, but teleporting gets me by,” Gleaming said.

“Convenient.” Talia slid the bar down until it was flat against Gleaming’s head. “Bring your neck up for me, high as you can. Nice and straiiiiight, and… yep another half-inch. Congratulations, you’re now officially taller than you were as a stallion.”

Gleaming pumped her hoof. “Yessss!”

She heard a slow golf clap behind her.

“We knew you could do it,” Night said behind her.

“We’re so proud,” Velvet deadpanned.

Gleaming turned and made funny faces at them.

Talia fiddled with the scale weights. “Your balance still keeping?”

Gleaming froze with her tongue still out. “Uh, yeah. My trainer’s been running me through more balance exercises, plus building my leg muscles more to boot. It’s helped a ton.”

Talia could see. While Gleaming’s legs had always been impressive, they’d been looking thin proportionally as they’d grown longer. Now they were bulking back up proper. “How about that brace you’ve always got on? Needing to wear it more, less, or the same?”

“The same.” Gleaming traced along the garment’s neckline. “Mostly because the foals have gotten used to it. They don’t like being bounced around very much, so I try to give them a smooth ride.”

“Good, because they’re not tryin’ to play rugby in there,” Talia said. She looked the brace over for signs of wear and tear, but didn’t see any. “Looks like it’s holding up, so whatever works for ya, I suppose. “ She finished moving weights on the scale. “Sixteen pounds… you’re gaining more than two pounds a day, girl. Granted it’s cause you’re growin’ near as much as the foals, but yeesh. Eating habits still on the rise?”

Gleaming licked her lips. “It feels like I’m eating more and more at every meal.”

Talia snorted. “I wonder why. Alicorn shenanigans aside, you’re at the stage of pregnancy where the foals are building up their baby fat. Nutrients are still important, but what you need most is calories, and lots of ‘em. You still having those shakes each meal?”

Gleaming nodded. “I could only manage two at first, but then it was three, and now I’m up to four. Probably five soon at the rate I’m going.”

Talia wrote that down. “Keeping hydrated otherwise? I know you got that handy-dandy water bottle.”

Gleaming summoned the item in question. “I’m thirstiest after I express milk, so I’ve taken to chugging like mad while pumping.”

Talia had seen the bottle before, but she looked it over again anyway. “How much are you expressing each time?”

Gleaming winced. “Almost three liters, now.”

Velvet, who’d been drinking water herself, nearly choked.

But Talia didn’t bat an eyelash. “I know that seems excessive, but I still stand by what I said at the beginning. You’ll be going through six liters of milk every day for the first half a year, potentially more with those two alicorns, and even more until you wean ‘em. I’ve a feeling you’ll be burning up the backlog faster than you think.”

Gleaming fidgeted. “If you say so…”

“Damn right I do,” Talia said. “Now, take your bra off.”

Gleaming feigned surprise. “But we haven’t had our first date!”

Talia bapped her with the clipboard.

Gleaming laughed. She undid the clasp and floated the item over to let Talia see.

“I don’t even wanna know what size this is,” Talia muttered. She examined the pads before giving each one a sniff. “Damp... you leaking a lot?”

Gleaming shook her head. “I fell off my regular schedule this morning. I start leaking if I miss a pumping.”

Talia grunted. “Lemme have a look at the taps.”

Gleaming ambled over to the exam bed. This one was considerably larger and wider than the one in the other room, something Gleaming was quite grateful for (that other one was starting to feel like a kid’s bed). She eased onto her back and spread her hind legs, smiling at the unique feel of her huge, milky breasts wobbling. She watched with pride as her pregnant belly rose up with Twilight’s spell.

Talia slipped on a white breathing mask and limped over to Gleaming’s lower half. “Let’s see… any changes in how it feels to express?”

Gleaming stared blithely at the ceiling. “Nope.”

“Any burning or painful itching?”

“Negative.”

Talia used magic to gently poke and prod at Gleaming’s breasts. “Can see you’re pretty full right now. You uncomfortable?”

Gleaming yawned. “I remembered the big spell Twily cast on me helps with internal pressure. Maybe that’s why it doesn’t bother me?”

Talia worked her jaw a few times. “...Maybe. She’s explained that spell to me three times, and I still don’t understand all of it. Your sister weaved a humdinger of a cantrip.”

Gleaming rested her hooves behind her head. “What’s funny is she never even pays attention to how amazing her spells are. She just keeps right on moving forward, not even patting herself on the back half the time.”

Talia had been gathering samples of Gleaming’s breastmilk as of late, so Gleaming wasn’t surprised when she felt a squeeze on each of her nipples. A generous amount of milk flowed out at Talia’s urging into a pair of waiting vials.

“Flow is steady.” She held up the vials and swirled them in the light. “Color and viscosity seems good… likely same constituent ratio… wouldn’t mind another dry matter test though...”

Night looked on. “What’s the reason her breasts have gotten so large?”

Talia corked the vials and set them aside. “Lemme put it this way. There ain’t normally a correlation between breast size and lactation, but this is something of a unique case. Probably another reason why being so full don’t bother her—I’m thinkin’ she can hold a whole lot more.”

Gleaming smiled at her parents. “Long as I can still walk.”

Talia resumed examining Gleaming’s underside. “Has walking started to become an issue?”

Gleaming shifted in place. Her breasts were bigger than soccer balls when full, so large that they hung below her knees while pressed together by her legs. “I’m fine if I take it slow. If anything, it’s encouragement not to go whipping around.”

Talia went on to examine Gleaming’s skin, her coat, look for excess sweat around the creases, as well as the Gleaming’s marehood and plothole. She was particularly interested in Gleaming’s legs today, explaining when asked that she was looking swelling or reduced circulation.

“Still can’t believe you don’t got varicose veins,” Talia muttered as she checked Gleaming reflexes. “No neuropathy, no preeclampsia, no striae, no gestational diabetes, no cramps, no GI dysfunction... you’re a damn lucky duck, y’know that?”

Gleaming ‘flapped’ her forelegs. “Quack, quack.”

Talia smiled as she flipped through her notes again. “I suppose I’ll start by stating the obvious here. Gleaming, you’re well and truly beyond any relatable cases at this point, so we’re essentially flyin’ blind again. All other cases of high multiples have gone into labor between weeks twenty-five to thirty-five, but we’ve talked about that in the past. You’ve had the record for a good month now, and things look steadier than ever.”

Gleaming cheered. “You hear that, guys?” She patted her belly. “Keep it up!”

Talia tossed her mask in the trash and turned to Night and Velvet. “Part of what makes multiples so risky is the issues that rise with the mother. It’s typically why we induce early—the mare just can’t support the pregnancy past a certain point. But Gleaming’s actually gotten healthier and stronger as the pregnancy’s progressed, so I see no reason to induce her unless something drastic changes.”

Gleaming swished her tail back and forth. “I’m hoping you won’t need to induce me at all.”

Talia grunted. “Gleaming, as far as future orders go, the previous ones still stand. Eat when hungry, drink when thirsty, to hay with whatever proportions. I don’t care if you need to drink a swimming pool and eat twice your bodyweight; you need a LOT of fuel to support all the things going on with you, especially with your routine. I assume things haven’t changed?”

With some effort, Gleaming sat up so she could lean against the wall. “Regular workouts with my trainer, heavy magic usage at work, and frequent, um... ‘recreational activities’, with Cady.”

“For goodness sake, you don’t need to dance around that you and Cadance are having sex,” Velvet said to her. “It’s kind of expected at this point.”

Now normally, Gleaming wasn’t much for karma, but... “Oh, I can? Good! Because in that case, I have daily, incredibly long sessions of sex with Cady, who spends much of the time as an insatiable stallion with no refractory period. We try to keep it to only twice a day, but on off-days we can’t keep our hooves off each other, y’know? Today, for example—we woke up and rutted for two hours straight before breaking for a nice breakfast, then went for another hour until I had to get ready to go. He helped wash me in the shower like usual, but that led to him mounting me and we went, mmm… I think it was three more times or so. After that he ‘helped’ me pump, and I got cleaned up was about to port, but then I had a familiar craving hit me. Usually we make a game of it, but I was short on time so I just had him lay on his back, spread his hind legs wide, and—”

“ALL I SAID.” Velvet had her eyes shut tight, her face twisted fierce. “Was that you don’t have to dance around it. We don’t need to know the details!”

Meanwhile, Night was staring with wide eyes. “No refractory period?”

Talia ignored them. “Frequency or length I don’t care about. All that matters is that you follow those instructions I gave ya. Still got ‘em?”

In reply, Gleaming summoned forth a parchment written in Talia’s thin, angular hornwriting. The title read, ‘Acceptable Bedroom Activities and Sex Positions During Pregnancy.’

Talia seemed satisfied at this. “Do all the hanky-panky ya want, so long as it’s the mellow hanky-panky, y’hear me? Just because you’ve got safety spells in place doesn’t mean you should stress test ‘em.”

Gleaming laughed. “Loud and clear. We make sure the kids are the ones that set the pace, and they let us know if we’re going overboard.”

Talia paused. “...Meaning?”

Gleaming lifted her bump so it rested on her lap. “If they’re not happy about something, they start the ‘we-don’t-like-this-stop-it-now’ kicks. You know, the fast, really hard ones? They’re different from the ‘hungry’ thumps, or the ‘sleepy’ flutters, the ‘changing-position’ wiggles, the ‘curious’ prods, the ‘just-woke-up’ tickles, the ‘found-a-sibling’ twitches, or the ‘need-more-room’ fidgets. Heh, those I get before Twily’s spell—”

Gleaming realized everypony was staring at her.

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Gleaming looked to Velvet and Talia. “You’re telling me you never figured out what the kicks meant?”

Velvet cocked her head. “I... learned some things. I found Twily would always kick up a storm after meals, but you’d fall asleep, so...”

“I knew when Panny was awake, when she was asleep, and when she did a somersault,” Talia said. “Anything beyond that was just a baby bein’ a baby.”

Gleaming scrunched up her face. “Really?”

Night squinted. “Do you seriously know what they mean? Or are you just guessing?”

Gleaming blushed. “I-I guess this wasn’t as obvious as Cady and I thought... We thought we were cheating by figuring it out how we did, but with her being an empath, it wasn’t hard to figure things out. I’d tell her whenever I’d feel something, she’d ‘listen’ in, and within a week we’d cracked the code. ”

Talia whistled. “Might need to sit down and tell me everything you’ve found. Could lead to some interesting research… questions for later, though. I don’t wanna waste too much of your folks’ time, so let’s move on to your folks.”

Velvet and Night exchanged a look.

“What do you need from us?” Velvet asked.

Talia set aside her notes on Gleaming, then floated over two folders with Velvet and Night’s cutie marks. “Some family history, a few basic readings, then DNA samples. Blood, preferably.”

Velvet and Night whispered between themselves some more. Gleaming didn’t catch what was said, but by the way her father kept glancing at Talia’s instruments, she could guess what about.

“Sounds innocent enough,” Velvet said. She got up and made her way over to the exam bed, giving Gleaming a telekinetic nudge. “Gonna need you to move, honey.”

Gleaming’s raised an eyebrow. “What if I just got comfy?”

In reply, Velvet lifted Gleaming in her aura with ease, gently setting her on the floor light as a feather.

Gleaming crossed her hooves. “Hmph, cheater.”

Velvet chuckled. “Didn’t think I’d do it, did you?”

Talia laughed as well. “Y’know, if I didn’t already know you’re a powerhouse, you’da scared the dickens outta me there.”

Velvet hopped on the bed and laid out like a cat. “I assume you also know I’m the originator of the kids’ element affinity? I’m an S-Class manifester, like them.”

Talia nodded. “Had to double check to make sure it wasn’t a mistake. We’ve only just started to understand element affinities, but we do know it’s bloomin’ rare for them to show up two generations in a row. Do you know type of S-Class you all are?”

“Yep! We’re S1.” Velvet held out her hoof, a tiny gout of flame appearing in her frog. “It came from my father’s side, and his bachelor house has records of it going back. His bachelor house was House Phoenix, by the way.”

Talia adjusted her spectacles to watch the little flame. “What other houses are in your bloodline?”

Velvet thought for a moment. “My parent’s houses are Sparkle and Phoenix. My maternal grandfather’s bachelor house was Pendragon, and my paternal grandfather’s bachelor house was Stonemason.”

Talia scribbled that down. “Got any siblings?”

Velvet shook her head. “Just me.”

“Figured.” Talia opened a drawer, floating over a high-end magic reader in her icy blue aura. “Parents are barely able to afford one foal with maintaining those expensive spell wards in the house, not to mention trying to prevent just one kid from having an episode outside. Leads to a lot of family problems.”

Velvet chuckled. “We were fortunate I was able to cast the wards myself. And it’s not hard to calm a flaming foal—or dragon for that matter, when you’re immune to fire yourself. Didn’t matter if we were in public or not.”

Night leaned back in his chair. “Didn’t matter for her.”

Talia shook her head as she measured Velvet’s magic. “Three family members with S1 fire affinities, and a spellfire dragon… you’re a brave, brave stallion, Night Light.”

Night’s eyes lingered on Talia’s magic reader. “I... like to think I’m more determined than brave.”

Velvet blew a raspberry at him. “If by ‘determined’ you mean ‘stubborn’.”

He blew her a kiss. “A rose by any other name, dear.”

Talia wasn’t able to tell much about Velvet’s magic to start, as the reader went in the red as soon as it was pointed at her. Talia grumbled something and recalibrated the device before trying again a second time, but it just went in the red again. It was only after recalibrating again she was able to get a reading.

“Dunno why I bothered with the regular setting.” Talia showed the number to Velvet. “Pretty impressive, hun.”

Velvet read the amount. “I’ve been surprised it’s stayed so consistent as I’ve gotten older.”

“It typically does.” Talia set the device aside. “Our magic systems are one of the few parts of us that doesn’t diminish with age. There’ve been studies to try and figure out why that is, but all we’ve been able to tell so far is that even dead and separated from the body, there are parts of us that can hold a magic charge for an absurdly long time.”

Night perked up at this. “That’s the Whippoorwill Principle, right? That study came out of Canterlot University.”

Talia glanced at him. “I thought that’d get your attention. Were you around when they published it?”

Night crossed his legs. “I’d just started, actually. There was a lot of hoopla around it at first—even the media got involved.”

Talia got a sour look. “Which would’ve been good had those idiots actually listened to Whippoorwill. Blew her research outta proportion, started saying it was the key to anti-aging. I never liked Ol’ Snippy Whippy, but even she didn’t deserve to be nagged into an early grave like that. Stars rest her soul, the cranky broad.”

Gleaming was quiet. It’d been subtle, but something about Talia had just said rang through her mind like a bell, the vibrations causing a bizarre tingle at the tip of her horn. A sudden clarity struck her, stark and pure as new-fallen snow, like a sleeping part of her had just woke up.

“Y’mind giving me a drop of blood?” Talia asked Velvet. “Or just prefer a cheek swab?”

Velvet was indifferent. “You can do either. I don’t mind.”

“That’s the spirit.” Talia produced a tiny little needle, barely enough to prick the skin. “Only need enough to smear on a microscope slide. Hold out your leg for me—yep, just like that, annnnnnnnnd… perfect!”

Gleaming gave her head a shake. Her head felt tingly—not numb-tingly, not painful-tingly, just… tingly. She rubbed her forehead and blinked a bunch to see if that helped, but all that did was put spots in her eyes. She zoned out while Talia ran more simple tests and asked more questions, the tingly feeling swirling behind her horn all the while like a lively spiral.

“That’ll do,” Talia said a few minutes later. She set aside Velvet’s folder and reached for Night’s. “Your turn, Doctor.”

Night didn’t move from his chair. He was still staring at the magic reader on the counter while bouncing one of his legs. “...Can I ask something, first? As one scientist to another?”

Talia made to reply, but hesitated. She stared through him a second before she looked away with a sigh. “I’d expect nothing less from someone outta Canterlot U. May as well clear the air, then.”

Gleaming’s mind was abuzz with lively tingles. She was no stranger to odd sensations cropping up, but this one was different. It was powerful—oh, yes—and she could tell it was coming from her spark, but it wasn’t bursting out and trying to spew everywhere. It simmered warm and placid beneath her consciousness like a bath, patiently waiting for her command...

Night rubbed his forearms. He looked over to Velvet, something unspoken passing between them. There was a long silence before he finally gathered himself. “I’ve... heard about your genetics research. The controversy surrounding it, I mean. You had something of a reputation back at the U, but for what it’s worth, I never gave it much weight.”

Talia rolled her shoulders. “I burned bridges, yes. I was afraid certain ponies were doin’ some shady things so they could be first to publish findings on the alicorn gene. I was wrong, thank Celestia, but that just made the Scholar’s Guild investigation all the worse. Lost a lotta friends because of that.”

Night watched her like a hawk. “You’re not the first to want to run tests on me and Vel. We’re well aware if our biological children both carry the gene, then one of us, possibly both of us have the non-expressed genotype. You’re the first we’ve let anywhere near us because Twily and Gleaming trust you, but I still want to know something. Why are you so interested in the alicorn gene? What was it that brought you out of retirement, at your age, just so you could come all the way up here to study our family?”

You could almost hear the gears turning in Talia’s head. She was quiet for a long, long time, alternating between glancing at Night’s file and around the room. Neither Gleaming nor her parents said anything in the meantime, but that was because the former was still focused inward.

“I suppose I’m a lot like your youngest daughter,” Talia said at last. “There’s a level of focus I get with genetics and reproduction, and… well, like I’ve warned her, it’s a double-edged sword. I wish I understood it better myself, but something about figuring out how the world works, realizing how such little things can have such big impacts, how it all ties into how we grow and evolve as a species… heh, I would say it fascinates me, but considering I’m an old coot and STILL chomping at the bit...”

Gleaming ‘poked’ at the warm energy. It came forth quite easy, immersing her in wonderful feelings of heat and fullness. Now that it was tapped into, the power wanted to ‘flow’ somewhere… no, multiple somewheres. She could sense strange cold things that that felt almost magnetic, and before she’d realized it, the power had flowed forth with an extremely pleasant feeling.

Night sucked on his teeth. His gaze was still intense, but his voice was gentle when he spoke. “Be that as it may, you of all ponies must realize what could be happen if the wrong ponies unravel the secrets of the alicorn gene.”

Talia groaned. “Honey, we’re so far away from ‘unraveling’, it’s not even funny. Even if we figure out how to isolate it, which we haven’t, we still need to figure out its interactions with our genetic code. Just ‘turning it on’ ain’t enough to kickstart what’s happened in your kids; there’s an entire textbook worth of variables we’re still trying to suss out. There’ll be so many laws to prevent idiot yahoos from playing God by the time we get close, we’ll have professors teaching courses on bioethics while protesters picket outside of labs.”

But Night wasn’t so convinced. “It’s not that simple. I understand what you’re saying, but not all ponies care about laws. The foundation you’re building could one day give rise to the next Sombra—”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years,” Talia said. “It’s for every darkness that rises, a light appears to keep it at bay. Your children are living proof of that, if ya haven’t noticed… We can’t stop progress any more than we can stop the heat death of the universe, but what we can do is keep up with it—it’s the only way we’ll build a better tomorrow.”

From behind Talia, Velvet met Night’s eyes and mouthed, “Listen.”

But Gleaming certainly wasn’t. She was too entranced by this new power flowing out to warm up the cold vessels, like sluggish machines being oiled up. She wasn’t sure what these vessels were—she’d never sensed anything like them—but she could tell the power was slowing something in the vessels… something that soon halted… until it was moving in reverse.

“We can get into it more later,” Talia said to Night. “I’m all for a debate, but—” She cut herself off with a mighty sneeze. “‘Scuse me… your family’s a busy lot. I imagine you’d rather be spending time together.”

Night grimaced. It looked like he was trying to sneer, but then was interrupted by a loud sneeze of his own. He rubbed his muzzle before glancing over at Gleaming. “Then I’m afraid your exam of me will have to wait. I’m not comfortable moving forward without—”

“Y’mind if I ask YOU a question now?” Talia held up Night’s file, opening it and pulling out the packet of stapled papers. “These ‘records’ of yours here… how much of ‘em are fake?”

Silence. Long, heavy, awkward silence, interrupted only by Velvet having a sneeze of her own.

“...E-Excuse me?” Night said.

Talia grinned like a wolf. “There ain’t no way in a normal pony raises two S1 element manifesters and a bloody spellfire dragon without a medical history to show for it. I’ve seen B-Class kids overcome elemental wards and injure their parents, yet you ain’t ever been treated for so much as smoke inhalation. And I KNOW Velvet wasn’t always the bad cop when one of ‘em got uppity—I’ve heard Twilight and Gleaming refer to you with the same respect as her. I’ve seen a lotta families in my time, and when only one of the parents is a hardass, it shows in how the kids speak of ‘em.”

Night and Velvet exchanged another hurried glance. They tried not to look guilty, but that was like trying not to breathe. “Doctor Talia,” Velvet said. “Please understand that—”

“So lemme just go ahead and confirm what I already know, Mister Fellow Scientist.” Talia tossed Night’s records in the trash with a flick of magic. “You’re the one with the alicorn genotype, aren’tcha?”

Night went white as a sheet. “I-I—”

“Which side did it come from?” Talia asked. “Your dad? Your mom? I got your real family history the Equestrian Census Bureau. Your bachelor house is House Glow. Your father’s bachelor house was Raven, and your maternal grandfather’s was Stalwart. They didn’t have your paternal grandfather’s bachelor house, but I’m guessing because it was merged. Am I right?”

Night swallowed hard. “D-Doctor Talia—”

“I knew you were a Raven the minute I saw you, by the way,” Talia went on. “Only they have those pretty gold eyes. One of my best friends growing up was a Raven—Nevermore was her name. They all seemed pretty normal, though... your mom, then?”

And that was when Gleaming tuned back in.

“U-Um… whoa, sorry…” She looked around at everyone. “What are we talking about now? I zoned out for a bit there.”

Talia ignored her. “Starlight Glow... Quite an interesting gal, according to her obituary. I imagine she manifested the genotype too, but what I’m more interested in is how it manifests in YOU. I’ve noticed you keep looking at my magic reader—you a powerhouse, too?”

“STOP.” Night growled through grit teeth. “Hay and oats, she really is like Twily… I get that you’re excited, but you’re backing me into a corner here. You need to ease up, now, or I’m going to leave.”

There was a brief staredown. Both ponies twisted their faces as they fought to get different emotions under control. Talia looked like she had a million questions, Night looked like he was about to bolt. Countless thoughts and actions tempted them both, but neither of them made the first move.

Velvet got down from the exam table. She walked over to sit beside Night and put her arm around him. “Honey... I think it’s time to talk.”

Night closed his eyes and leaned into her. “...I was afraid of something like this.”

Velvet nuzzled him. “We’ve known it was going to get out eventually. It’s not easy to keep big secrets these days.”

It didn’t take long for Gleaming to put two-and-two together. “Oh, jeez… U-Uh, Dad, I swear! I didn’t—”

“I know, Bud.” Night motioned for her to come sit by his other side. “Could you… could you come over here, please? I, uh… may need the support.”

Gleaming nodded. She came and sat by his other side, putting her arm around him just like Velvet. She turned to give Talia a stony glare.

“Oh, don’t get your panties in a twist,” Talia said to her. “I didn’t make them come here, and I sure ain’t making them do anything now. Why else did you think I asked to see ‘em?”

Gleaming said nothing. She merely scooched a little closer to her father, her pregnant belly pressed against his side.

Talia rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine… how about this—whatever gets said in here, I won’t so much as write down a word. No data recording whatsoever. Fair?”

Night cleared his throat. “N-No, ah... that’s not necessary. You can run tests and the like, just… keep them to yourself for now, alright? Maybe… maybe you’re right about progress being inevitable, but that doesn’t mean we have to make it in huge strides.”

Velvet rubbed Night’s back. “Baby steps, first.”

Talia nodded. “So, how you wanna do this?”

Night glanced at the magic reader again. “Uh… how about I show you a cool trick to start?”

Talia frowned. “A trick?”

Night gestured to the device. “I promise, you’ve never seen anything like it.”

Talia scrunched her eyebrows, but didn’t comment. She telekinetically retrieved her reader, then, at his urging, she pointed it at Night and turned it on at the highest setting.

vrrrrrrrmmmMMMMMMMMM—FWWSSSH!

The device shook and started smoking before bursting into flames.

“Ha-HA!” Talia cackled like a madmare. “Hot damn, I LOVE it when I’m right!”