Two Weeks Later - (Week 44)

Gleaming woke to a wet tongue on her slit.

“Mmmhhhh...” The smoldering coals of need greeted her like an old friend among the morning dark. She was cozy and warm under her snuggly blankets, but her usual wife jetpack was nowhere to be found—

Lick… lick-lick… lick...

“Cady…” Gleaming couldn’t see, but she could just imagine her beloved between Gleaming’s legs. Oral wasn’t easy while heavily pregnant with six foals, but if Gleaming was on her side, and Cadance perpendicular—

Liiiiiiiiiiiick

Gleaming moaned long and low. Cadance pleasured her like she was savoring a dessert, tracing along Gleaming’s folds with teasing licks and soft kisses. She wasn't sure how long Cadance had been teasing her like this, but upon hearing Gleaming awake, she groped those luscious tits and buried her tongue in Gleaming’s flower.

It was like being struck by lightning. Her voice rose two octaves as Cadance ravished her silky depths, fierce and relentless—no, ravenous. Cadance’s feathery lips became fastened to Gleaming’s swiftly-engorging clit, and those swift suckles made Gleaming see white, the smoldering coals erupting in a mighty burst of inner flame.

It was as if Gleaming’s mound was a desert oasis. Cadance wiggled, pumped, and thrust her thirsty tongue, punctuating every few movements with a squeeze of Gleaming’s muscled rear. That rear was so incredibly huge, yet so very tight and STRONG, like the biggest, ripest apple the world had ever known! It only jiggled because of the layer of baby fat, but the muscles beneath were so strong Cadance could still feel them flex and bulge. She shivered at the thought of such powerful pelvic floor muscles, prepped for bearing their six children, and all the ones following! Cadance couldn’t help but grab that butt… fondle that butt... squeeze that butt… SLAP that butt!

SMACK!

“AHHH~” The sting only added fuel to the fire. Gleaming’s legs were jelly, her cunny was a faucet, her womb was a storm of butterflies, and her core was a ticking time bomb. Cadance was licking even deeper now, going for the spots that made Gleaming into a banshee, and it wouldn’t be long before—

Cadance slipped off the bed.

Gleaming’s eyes shot open. There was a yelp and a THUMP right as the blankets were yanked off her. “Cady?!”

There was a silence… shortly followed by muffled chuckling. There was rustle of cloth and fluttering wings before a familiar weight clambered back onto the mattress. “We need a bigger bed, babe.”

Gleaming partially sat up. She could see Cadance’s silhouette crawling back up like a pink spectre in the warm dark. “You alright?”

Cadance hugged her as she pulled the covers back up. “Mmmm, such a healthy mare… you’re taking up so much room there’s almost none for me! Are you really right on the edge on the edge?”

Gleaming clucked her tongue. The crest of her exercise ball-sized womb was jutting a few inches out into the open air, her head right up against the headboard while her rump grazed the foot. “Sure am. Legs are tucked in, too.”

Cadance giggled into Gleaming’s mane. “This bed fit us when you were a stallion, but now…” She smiled and hugged Gleaming even tighter. “And you’re not even done growing yet...”

Gleaming hummed and pulled Cadance’s hoof over her. “I guess this bed wasn’t made to hold eight. What say we get one that can hold... oh, say… twenty?”

Cadance’s heart skipped a beat—or maybe that was her uterus. “I-I… Oh, sweet stars… what would you even call that many…”

"Octodecaplets." Gleaming caught her in a hungry kiss. “I wonder how long after these six are born that we start trying again? Months? Weeks? Days? Hours? Maybe I’ll knock you up this time, hmm? Would you like that? Want Shining Armor to BREED you until you’re more pregnant than Luna? We’ll use her size spell and build a bed the size of a city block—”

She was cut off by Cadance’s tongue. Moaning and whining, Cadance ground on her until Gleaming’s back was soaked. Gleaming kissed back with equal fervor, her larger mouth and tongue enveloping Cadance’s to both their secret delight. Cadance’s hooves wandered south to rub Gleaming’s heavy, fertile paunch, so round and full and taut and taking up most of the bed all by itself. Every inch of Gleaming’s body was ike a living heater Cadance got to snuggle up against each night, and even the lightest contact made her want more… More cuddling, more sex, more peaks and precious little foals...

It wasn’t long before Cadance slipped back under the covers. But she didn’t go straight for the prize, instead she lingered to hug and kiss and nuzzle that beautiful orb of life. Gleaming’s belly was like a fuzzy mountain that loomed high over Cadance, and every day their children developed a little more, gained a little more weight, grew a little bigger… along with Gleaming alongside them. Her supple skin felt so good against Cadance’s cheek—so smooth and soft, yet that powerful womb beneath... More moans and whimpers escaped Cadance upon feeling the flutters within, and each time she felt one, she’d linger to plant light, darting pecks.

“That’s right, it’s Mommy,” Cadance whispered. “It’s almost time, isn’t it? Mama Gleamy’s taken such good care of you, yes she has. No nasty problems for our babies, absolutely not… but you still need to grow some more before you’re born. Ohhhhh, I can’t wait to hold all of you...”

Gleaming cooed. She leaned into Cadance while the blankets shifted and swayed. It was obvious the foals recognized Cadance’s voice—they wiggled and kicked more when she was around.

“My sweet, special six...” Cadance couldn’t get her arms around Gleaming’s belly, but she tried just the same. “There’s a whole family waiting for you—Auntie Twilight, Auntie Celestia, Auntie Luna, Uncle Spike, Grandma Velvet, Grandpa Night… but nopony’s more excited than me and your Mama. And that’s not the whole family, either, because soon, you’ll be getting lots…”

Cadance’s kisses started trailing south. “... and lots…”

She coaxed Gleaming onto her back. “...and lots…”

Gleaming’s head-sized breasts brushed Cadance’s face, the engorged nipples streaking milk on her muzzle. “...and LOTS…”

She took a long, deep whiff of Gleaming’s soaked and waiting marehood, her head sinking lower and lower. “...and LOTS of siblings…”

The first touch almost made Gleaming peak then and there. Cadance was a single-minded machine that licked deeper each time, her increasingly loud smacks and slurps the icing on the cake. Gleaming swore that slithery tongue had a mind of its own, filling her up while still sliding around, even as she squealed and squeezed. Then Cadance hit one of those special spots, and Gleaming’s squeal became a full-on shout, Cadance assaulting it until Gleaming hit her first peak.

All in all, not a bad start to her birthday.

“More, please!” Gleaming called while grabbing the last half dozen pancakes. “And another pan of hash browns, too!”

Gleaming was glad that her birthday fell on a weekend this year. There’d been years she’d had to work it with little to no fanfare, but this time she could sit back and enjoy all the laziness owed to a forty-four weeks pregnant mare. She and Cadance had been pretty tame after their initial bout of passion: the typical weighing and measurements and milking, a nice bath together in the jacuzzi, then a shared grooming session of preening, oiling and lotioning. They were now snuggled side by side having breakfast in their private dining room, Cadance’s downy wing draped around them while Gleaming slathered butter and syrup on her pancakes.

“I’m not sure how much bigger, if I’m honest,” Cadance said to the facilities pony they’d sent for. “The way things are going, we should probably be generous.”

The pony’s eyes flicked to Gleaming, a towering amazon of a mare with the largest foal bump he’d ever seen. “I’ll have to go up and measure the room, but I’m pretty sure we can add a good ten square feet at least. But we’ll have to order a custom mattress, plus new blankets and bedsheets...”

If that bothered Cadance, she didn’t show it. “Send a courier to the Trade District. We’ll pay triple if everything can be made ready and delivered by tonight.”

The facility pony bowed. “I’ll go get the dimensions.”

Gleaming was too busy rolling up the six gooey pancakes nice and tight to listen. She admired the delicious sight before devouring it in a few humongous bites, sweet syrup and buttery goodness assailed her tongue in a fluffy mass. She did try to savor it (really, she did) but the emptiness in her gut wouldn’t be denied. She scarfed down the jumbo-sized bowl of scrambled eggs next, following it up by compressing a huge helping of hay bacon into a ball and wolfing it down. Then she turning next to a small bowl of delicious-smelling gray things by Cadance, gulping them down with a happy hum and chasing them with a tall glass of calorie smoothie. The platter of assorted fruits was next to catch her eye—

She realized Cadance was staring at her.

Gleaming hesitated. “What’s up?”

“You…” Cadance stared at the empty bowl. “You ate my anchovies.”

Gleaming blinked. “Those fish things for pegasi you like?”

Cadance nodded without a word.

Gleaming smacked her lips a few times. Now that she was looking for it, she did indeed catch a strange salty aftertaste. “...Huh. So that’s what fish tastes like. I can get used to that.”

“I-I…” Cadance put a hoof to her head. “I can’t believe you just did that! Wow, I-I… I mean it’s to be expected and all, but… wow!”

Gleaming smirked. “Guess the chefs are cooking for two fish eaters now, eh? Maybe now I won’t have to plug my nose when we have linguine.”

Cadance burst out laughing. “I guess you won’t! Oh, you’re going to love fish! There’s so many things to try—smoked salmon, grilled walleye, tuna—”

She was interrupted by Cuisine bringing in more pancakes and hash browns for them. The helpers also wheeled in heaping helpings of french toast, oatmeal, a tray of omelettes, salted tomatoes, a huge plate of toast, and more pitchers of calorie smoothie.

“Ooooooh…” Gleaming summoned the butter and syrup. “That’s what I’m talking about!”

“A buffet for ze birthday mare,” Cuisine said with a flourish. “Bon appetit!”

“Love you, Cuisine!” Gleaming called.

Cadance suddenly got an idea. “Oh-oh-oh! Wait, Cuisine! Is Baguio on this morning?”

“Oui, Highness!”

“I want his Gallopino breakfast!” Cadance said. “A double order, please!”

Cuisine wrinkled her nose. “Ah… yes. I, uh… will have him apply ze odor wards...”

Meanwhile, Gleaming had tucked into her smorgasbord with gusto. Whether it was a large helping or small, filling or non-filling, not a single crumb of it was spared. Much of it wound up being compressed into smaller portions so she could eat more at a time, although soon as it was in her stomach, it expanded to bloat her belly even further.

Cadance gave Gleaming’s tail a squeeze before suddenly hearing her own stomach growl. She’d already had two sunny side-up eggs, a bowl of assorted fruit, a few pieces of toast, a bowl of yogurt and granola, a half-dozen strips of hay bacon, and a tall glass of orange juice, yet still... “I’m starting to understand how you feel with eating so much, Gleamy. Healing a changeling is hungry work.”

Gleaming snickered. She pushed a few pieces of toast Cadance’s way and kept on eating.

Cadance munched on the toast while summoning a status report on the mass employment effort. She’d heard mutterings of drama in Canterlot, but nothing beyond the Scholar’s Guild claiming that proper protocol hadn’t been observed—

“Are you SERIOUS?!” Cadance stared wide-eyed at the paragraphs. “Chancellor Neighsay tried to escalate his protest against our employment effort yesterday! He wanted to schedule a vote for declaring an abuse of executive powers!”

Gleaming paused. “Wat.”

Cadance tossed the scroll away. “Of all the petty, low-down... the whole effort would’ve been frozen! There’d have been an investigation committee, an audit, the findings would need reviewing in hearings… it would’ve taken months! Possibly years!”

Gleaming studied her. “‘If they’d gone along with it? I take it the vice-chancellors saw what he was trying to do?”

Cadance grunted. “They threatened him with obstruction if he tried to overrule them. All that came of it was questions on why Aunt Celestia made the effort a royal order in the first place.”

Gleaming leaned back in her chair. “But that just raises even more questions. They wouldn’t be asking those questions if they’d known about the Empire’s problems beforehoof.”

Cadance rubbed her temples. “Our university’s caught in red tape, your parents have been run out of Canterlot, and now our latest major effort was nearly stonewalled. I’m starting to wonder if the vice-chancellors knew about Luna’s batpony campaign at all before we stepped in!”

Gleaming rubbed her churning stomach. “Considering the landslide of support it got afterwards, I’m guessing not many.”

Cadance let her head fall to the table with a thunk. “This isn’t like the Scholar’s Guild at all. Does Neighsay not know who Aunt Celestia and Twilight are?! Why would he think—”

“We’ve seen this pattern before,” Gleaming said, rotating her glass in her aura. “Indirect attacks, subterfuge and sabotage, intentional confusion and paranoia, odd behavior, baiting into hubris… remind you of anything?”

At first Cadance didn’t follow, but then, all the color drained from her face. “You don’t think…”

“It’s either that or petty revenge,” Gleaming said between bites. “Over what I’m not sure, but that’s why Aunt Celestia’s treading carefully. Assuming this all IS Neighsay, he’s either an idiot for thinking everything won’t get traced back to him, or... ”

Cadance glowered at a spot on the wall. “Oh, it better be a trap, for Neighsay’s sake. If he really is the one causing all this trouble, I’ll throw the book at him so hard he gets a concussion! This has been hurting so many ponies: the Empire, your parents, Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna, the thestrals… it doesn’t make any sense!”

Gleaming didn’t answer right away. She kissed Cadance on the cheek, then leaned back farther and whispered in her ear. “Either way, let’s follow Celestia’s lead on this one. Spike’s already sent her and Luna word about Thorax’s intel, and if I know my old bosses, they’re already ‘poking around’. Don’t worry, babe. We’ll have our answers soon.”

Cadance closed her eyes. She nuzzled Gleaming with a sigh, tightening her winghug and resting a hoof on Gleaming’s middle.

They remained like that for several minutes while Gleaming kept eating. Helping after helping, plate after plate, cart after cart, she plowed through it all and still called out for more. Her stomach was a furnace that consumed everything given to it, the newfound energy chasing off her drowsiness and making her ready for the day. The foals’ reaction was the opposite, becoming lazier and more sluggish soon as the meal reached them, their soft flutters and wiggles slowing to twitches as they fell back asleep. Gleaming could also feel the slight pressure of her breasts refilling, and the sensation prompted her to slug an entire pitcher of water, then a pitcher of apple juice, then another pitcher of water, and finally a pitcher of calorie smoothie.

“So, birthday girl,” Cadance said. “We’re taking the family to Azzy’s spa in a bit, then we’re back here for brunch afterwards. We’re also having your party here this evening, but aside from that, the day is pretty much open. Anything you wanted to do today?”

Gleaming chuckled. “Aside from you?”

Cadance giggled. “I’ll be tonight. Don’t you worry about that.”

“Mmmm…” Gleaming took a deep whiff of Cadance’s mane, relishing the spicy cinnamon and sweet vanilla. “Gonna break in our new bed in style, eh?”

Cadance could smell Gleaming as well, her fresh, fertile scent like ambrosia to her nose. “Y-You’ll… nnngh, you’ll just have to wait and s-see… B-But keep eating, okay? I know you’re not full yet, and I want you and our babies big and strong...”

Gleaming kissed the top of Cadance’s horn. “Speaking of big and strong, there’s something I could do. I’ve outgrown my regalia again, so I could have it refitted in between the spa and the party. Then I can come back and show you so you can take it off me...”

Cadance had to bite back her moan, as Cuisine had chosen that time to re-emerge from the kitchens. She had a clothespin over her nose, and was wheeling along a cart with fried rice, omelettes, and some kind of cooked fish.

Gleaming caught the smell immediately. “Whoa, what is that? That smells amazing!”

Cadance inhaled deeply as well. “That, honey, is what you’ve been missing out on. And if it smells good to you, I’d say the sky’s calling your name. We might need to schedule you some flying lessons.”

Gleaming laughed. “Good thing I already know how to preen.”

Later-

“Are you sure Mom and Dad are up to coming?” Twilight asked as they approached their parents’ apartment. “I haven’t seen them since, well… you know.”

“Nopony has!” said Spike from Cadance’s back. “All they left was a note on their door saying they’d be back today! They could’ve teleported anywhere!”

Gleaming pursed her lips. “I honestly don’t know, guys. I haven’t seen them, either.”

“Okay, I gotta ask something,” Rainbow said. “Why do you any of you bother with taking trains?”

“Because the Mage’s Guild assigns every registered teleporter an annual ‘teleport budget’,” Twilight said without pause. “We’re each allowed a certain number of short, mid, and long range jumps per year, and they decide it by—well, I suppose that’s not important. All you need to know is that the budget varies from pony to pony, and bad things would happen if everypony started going over.”

Rainbow raised a hoof to her chin. “Either you’re getting better at explaining things, or I’m having a stroke of brilliance, because that actually made sense.”

Twilight giggled. “I think you might be getting smarter.”

“But on the note of teleporting,” Cadance said as they approached the door. “What Spike said is true. Velvet and Night are teleporting masters, so as long as they had two long range jumps between them—”

The apartment door opened before any of them could knock.

“Hey, gang!” Night aid with a wave. “Good timing! We just got back a little bit ago.”

The five of them stared. Not only was Night still young and fit, he had on the welcome gift Gleaming had given him upon arriving at the Empire! The silver regalia was a suave compliment to Velvet’s, albeit with some unique aspects marking it as his.

“Vel!” Night called. “The kids are here!”

“In… *hurrrfff*... in a minute!” came the distant reply.

Night laughed softly to himself. “To be expected...” He came up and gave Gleaming a hug. “Happy birthday, Bud! We figured we’d break out the fancy doodads you got us—it’s a special occasion, after all.”

The most noticeable aspect of Night’s regalia were the glittering astronomy symbols. They were enchanted to reflect both starlight and moonlight, and the simple stallion shoes were set with gold plates like crescent moons. Like Velvet’s, his neckpiece displayed the symbol of House Sparkle, but unknown to most, his mother’s cutie mark was etched in emerald on the inside. His circlet kept the theme of the kids’ birthstones, but as his only had one point, the gems were set in a horizontal line beneath.

“Holy moley, Dad!” said Spike. “You look super snazzy!”

“I’ll say,” Gleaming said. “I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you wear it. Does it still fit okay?”

Night adjusted the neckpiece. “Eh, more or less. I’ve been pretty good about—hmm?”

Twilight had approached him. She was staring, mouth falling open more and more at every single change she saw. Every sign of the finite time they had together, every blemish and indicator of her father’s aging body, nowhere to be found.

Night smiled. “Heya, firefly. What’cha think of the new look?”

A lump rose in Twilight’s throat. Her breath hitched, eyes wavering as she raised a shaking hoof to his face.

Night let her feel without comment. Silence reigned as she felt his navy mane, ran a hoof along where a scar had been, fully beholding his youthful build in its prime. Every gray hair, every wrinkle, every indicator she’d one day have to bury him, all gone...

And then she was hugging him. She hugged him so hard they nearly fell, burying her face in his shoulder and sobbing loud. Night caught her with a smile and held her fast, stroking her mane and whispering words only she could hear.

Gleaming coughed and looked away. She felt Cadance patting her shoulder, and Spike gave her a thumbs up. Rainbow looked between hanging back and going to Twilight, but she ultimately decided on the former—

“I’m here!” said Velvet, emerging from the master bedroom. She, too was young and lovely, her sparkling silver regalia spotless and freshly polished. “Sorry about that, I had a feeling that was going to—eh?” She saw Twilight crying, and suddenly she was over there faster than you could say ‘mama bear’. “Twily! Twily baby, what’s wrong? Why are you—”

Before she knew it, Twilight was hugging her too, now crying harder than ever.

There was a moment’s pause while Velvet connected the dots. “...Oh, sweetheart.” She kissed Twilight’s brow and patted her back. “It’s alright, honey—we’re not going anywhere…”

Night beckoned the rest of them over. They surrounded Twilight for a family hug, even Rainbow joining in on the fringe.

It was the first family hug of many.

Later-

Ding-a-ling-a-ling!

“Welcome to Azure Mist Day Spa!” Azzy looked up from her paperwork to greet the newcomers. “How can—AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Said papers went flying as Azzy leapt over the front desk to hug Cadance. “It’s-you-it’s-you-it’s-you-you-youuuuuuu! Welcome back to—YOU BROUGHT YOUR FAMILY! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~”

Gleaming wondered how rude it would be to cover her ears. “E-Erm... hi, Azzy. Been a while.”

Azzy did a double take. The voice had come from a massive white and blue wall of muscle, wide as all get out and radiating a gentle heat. wide She craned her head up… up… up...

“My stars,” she breathed. “P-Princess Gleaming! Just—j-just LOOK at you! And here I thought Amber was exaggerating like always! You look absolutely splendiferous!”

Gleaming put a hoof her to her chin. “Splendiferous... I like that.”

“Did you not know we were coming?” Cadance asked. “We booked the reservation over a month ago.”

Azzy needed a moment to collect herself. “A-Ah, you did, you did! Silly me, heh… here I am always getting the days mixed up! I thought it was strange our best staffers were all reserved in the same time block!”

Meanwhile, Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike were muttering amongst themselves. They were looking at the list of services listed on the wall, murmuring the words, ‘deep tissue’, ‘steam bath’, and ‘pectoral’.

“Azzy, these are Gleaming’s parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet,” Cadance said. “Over there Gleaming’s siblings, Twilight Sparkle and Spike, and the last one is Twilight’s marefriend, Rainbow Dash. Everypony, this is Azzy! She’s the one running the show.”

Azzy grinned huge. “Ahhhh, such a fun looking familyyyyy~ I can already tell you’re going to be a hoot to host! You should know the way by now, Cadance, so go on ahead and head down to the Royal Suite! I’ll go tell Amber that the ponies of the hour are heeeeerrrrre! She’ll be super excited!”

Gleaming laughed. “As excited as she ever gets, anyway.”

The group made their way to the elevator, which was just large enough to allow for all of them. Gleaming stood in the middle while everyone funneled around her, most if not all of them pressing against her in some way.

“Mind your horn, hun,” Cadance said.

Gleaming was aware. She was pretty sure she could poke a hole in the ceiling if she wanted to.

The doors slid shut with a soft ding! It was a snug fit inside the car, but fortunately everypony had showered that morning. The first few seconds of the trip down to the caverns were in silence, but about halfway, said silence was broken by Night having a laughing fit.

“What’s funny?” Velvet asked.

Night laughed a bit more. “Oh, nothing. Just one of our grandfoals tickling me.”

Gleaming had felt it as well. “That’d be Vanguard . He likes to say hello when outside things press against him.”

Night didn’t have much room to maneuver, but he was able to see where the lower part of Gleaming’s wide barrel against his ribs. He grinned as he saw her thick skin bulge, a tiny hoof prodding him again. “Well, hello to you too, munchkin.”

Velvet saw it as well. “On that note, NIghty... this, uh… may be a good time while we have a moment here...”

Night glanced at her. “Time? Time for—oh. Not really sure it needs announcing, but... eh, may as well. Ahem! Everypony, Velvet and I have an announcement to make! We’re—”

“Pregnant,” Gleaming said. “Or Mom is, rather. Good on you guys.”

Velvet blinked several times. “Gleaming!”

Night laughed. “Told you.”

“At least let them say it, Gleaming!” said Twilight. “C’mon, let them have the moment.”

Velvet stammered and spluttered while looking around. Not a single one in the car looked surprised. “R-Really?! You all just assumed…?”

“I did see the state you and Dad were in,” Gleaming reminded her. “And Spike heard what Dad said while I was bringing Amber home.”

“Which he told all of us,” said Cadance. “We figured it was inevitable. Congratulations!”

“I’m gonna be a big brother!” Spike said with a cheer. “Woo-hoo!”

“It’s not like you had a reason to abstain,” Twilight pointed out. “You have the time, the energy, the environment, the teamwork, the space, the finances, the stability, and certainly the desire. A recipe for procreation if I’ve ever heard one.”

Rainbow snickered. “You also went off for two weeks together while de-aged and super-mega-horny for each other. Honestly, I’d be surprised if you did anything OTHER than—”

Twilight put a hoof over Rainbow’s mouth.

Something in Velvet still wanted to protest, but slowly, inexorably, the desire melted like ice on a hot day. “A-And… and you’re okay with it? You’re not mad or anything?”

She may as well have asked if they were all secretly space aliens.

“...You ask weird questions sometimes, Mom,” said Spike.

Gleaming snorted. “What he said.”

Cadance and Twilight nodded agreeance.

Night got Velvet’s attention with a nudge. He put a hoof on her withers, then pulled her in for a soft kiss. She leaned into him with the tiniest of moans, her eyes falling closed as their horns touched.

“We have a good family, Vel,” he said after they broke.

Velvet nuzzled him. “Guess we do...”

DING!

The elevator stopped, the doors stuttering before opening to reveal the misty underground cavern beyond. The group had a moment to ooh and aah before their attention was drawn to Amber and a duo of smartly-dressed employees waiting to escort them.

“I guess we’re celebrating more than one thing today!” said Cadance. She stepped out of the elevator to lead the way. “That just means we get to enjoy things all the more. Now, who’s ready for some relaxation?”

“Me!” Gleaming fell into step behind her. “Amber’s gonna treat me right today, aren’t you, Amber?”

Amber pretended to think. “What’s in it for me?”

“I’m in!” Twilight said. “This’ll be fun!”

“Count me in, too!” said Rainbow. “I’ve been needing a good deep tissue massage!”

Amber regarded her. “Deep tissue, eh? I can help with that… though it won’t be very relaxing. D’you mind, Gleaming?”

Gleaming pretended to pout. “Aww, I have to share you? That’s no fun.”

Rainbow sized Amber up. At first she was dubious... until she saw Amber’s iron-sculpted legs. “O-ho, you’re Gleaming’s trainer! I’ve heard about you.”

Amber looked Rainbow over in turn. “Heard about you as well, Ser Rainbow Dash. I can’t promise miracles, but I should have the oomph to loosen up those rainbooming muscles of yours.”

Rainbow’s eyes lit up. “Sold!”

Velvet and Night followed after the rest of them while taking in the cavern’s beauty. They walked at an easy pace with their tails entwined, always touching each other in some way.

“...DID we do anything but have sex the last two weeks?” Night whispered.

Velvet thought for a moment. “Does bodily upkeep count?”

Night smirked. No one was looking, so nopony noticed when he started nibbling the thinnest part of her tufted ear. “Guess that’s a no.”

Velvet felt herself wink. She made sure the Illusion spell she’d cast earlier on Night’s undercarriage was in place, then with a bit more magic, she fondled his unsheathed cock and deliciously full balls. “Nnngh, hard again... Still can’t keep it down for more than a few minutes, eh?”

“N-Not… not around you.” He sniffed deep her mane, catching the last dregs of estrus clinging to her. “Ergh, Vel, I’m hanging by a thread here…”

Velvet shivered. “Mmmph, my big, strong Nighty… you filled me up so many times, I’ll bet we’re at least having twins...”

Night had to fight the urge to mount her. They knew there wasn’t much point hiding their lust with Cadance around, although actually giving in was another story. He and Velvet could hold out a bit longer, but if they got a chance…

“Snnnkkkt!” Rainbow tensed up as Amber worked her left wing. “Th-There! Right THERE!”

Amber could feel the spot. She ground her hoof into the tight muscle back and forth while ignoring Rainbow’s whimpers. It took quite a bit of effort until it started sliding back and forth. “Sheesh, you get those real stubborn, nasty knots, don’cha?”

“YES!” Rainbow said. “And I feathering HATE it! FFFAAAAH! SONNUVA—cripes, you are good!”

Twilight, who was watching from the swirling waters of the jacuzzi, winced in time with Rainbow’s yelps. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was being tortured.”

“She’ll feel like a million bits later,” Cadance said from her hooficure bed. “Trust me, I get deep tissue treatments from time to time—hmm? Yes please, some polish sealant would be marvelous…”

Over on Cadance’s other side, Gleaming was in a mud bath with her face in a seaweed wrap. The bath had been infused with ingredients for soothing itchy skin, so Gleaming had made a point to submerge the entirety of her colossal belly in the thick muck. “I’m in heaveeennnnn…”

Cadance looked over. She noted that the bathtub wasn’t long enough for Gleaming to stretch out, but at least it was nice and deep. “Having fun in there?”

Gleaming hummed. The mixture of ash and minerals was delightfully cool along her rounded barrel like a soothing blanket of aloe. “Can I have one of these in our bathroom sometime?”

“No.”

“Aww…”

Meanwhile, Spike was in the far corner enjoying a unique treatment. He’d requested ahead of time for a lava soak and acid bath, so Twilight had brought the necessary equipment and materials in her pocket dimension. He was now lounging in an enchanted kiddie pool filled with red-hot bubbling lava, the incredible heat and noxious fumes diluted by runes drawn on the floor. The lava was so bright that they’d actually had to dim the lights, and now the room was filled with a soft reddish-orange glow.

“So, Amber,” Gleaming said. “How’s… y’know, things? Feeling any better yet?”

Amber grunted. “Heat’s on the downcline. Typically lasts another week or so, though—roll on your back for me, Rainbow. I’mma look at that spot you mentioned...”

Gleaming glanced over at the dry sauna, where Night and Velvet had locked themselves away soon as they’d walked in. “Are you running low on anything from the package Cady and I sent? I know you don’t want another foal.”

Amber didn’t reply right away, as she was too busy gawking at Rainbow’s pectorals. “Sonic Rainboom, indeed… Huh? Oh, the package. Hubby and I already had a lot of that stuff because... well, it’s that time of the year, but it’s always nice to have more.”

Gleaming snickered. It wasn’t every day she put together a package of contraceptives and sent it off with an apology card. “Glad to hear it.”

Amber set to work on Rainbow’s flight muscles. “Did I hear you say you get deep tissue massages, Cadance? What for?”

Cadance rolled her shoulders. “Oh, no major reason. I just like the rush it gives you—”

“GAH!” Amber had found the painful knot just below Rainbow’s collarbone, the one that’d been bugging her since last Rainboom practice. “Right there! That’s the feathering spot!”

Cadance chewed on her lip. “Though I tend not to buck the air like that.”

“Yeah well, I doubt you push your body as hard as our friend here.” It was a good thing Amber was to the side, else she would’ve gotten hoofed in the face. She studied Rainbow a moment while gently poking and prodding at the trouble spot. “Hey, Gleaming? Can you—nah, you’re fine there. Ummmm, Cadance! Mind helping me with something?”

Cadance looked up. “What is it?”

Amber gestured to Rainbow’s wings. “Think your magic is strong enough to keep these bad boys under control? I doubt I could if I tried.”

Cadance nodded. She focused on Rainbow’s wings and encased them in tight glowing bonds. “Go ahead.”

Rainbow suddenly realized what Amber was about to do. “Oh, nelly…”

Amber cracked her neck. She set to work feeling around for a particular spot around Rainbow’s shoulder, careful not to press too hard. “If I remember, it should be riiiiiiggght aroouuuuund—”

Amber abruptly felt Rainbow flinch.

She smirked. She widened her stance out, then leaned leaned all her weight atop Rainbow’s pressure point.

“!!!” Rainbow bit her own hoof and screamed. Her wings strained so hard Cadance nearly lost her grip, but she doubled her hold and held Rainbow fast.

“Everything okay?” Twilight called.

“Just fine!” Cadance said.

Amber continued to press while working out the stubborn knot. It wasn’t immediate, but slowly but surely, she got the tight muscle moving. Rainbow still wanted to scream through, but she managed to stare at the ceiling with watering eyes as Amber gave the rest of her underside a once over.

Gleaming wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cringe. “The joys of being an athlete.”

Just then, the sauna door opened with a mighty hiss. A sweltering wave of heat and steam washed over them as Night and Velvet stepped out—Velvet wreathed in flames, Night encased in some kind of aura. They were nuzzling and cuddling together with dreamy looks on their faces.

“Mother,” Gleaming said immediately. “Ire-fay.”

Velvet snapped to. “Whoops!” She put herself out in a flash. “Sorry! Wanted the sauna a little hotter, heh-heh… L-Lemme cast a cooling spell inside—probably like an oven in there…”

There weren’t many others in the room, but those that were wondered if their eyes were playing tricks on them. Even with the royal family’s fire affinity being common knowledge… Cadance only just bit back a laugh, meeting Night’s eyes and exchanging a quick wink and a smirk.

“How’s everyone doing?” Velvet asked. “Gotten settled, I see… wait, where’s Spike? I thought—oh, there you are. My, don’t you look cozy!”

Spike beckoned her over. “C’mon in! The lava’s great!”

Velvet hesitated. “I would, sweetie, but I’m not sure I can right now. I know element affinities extend to foals in utero, but that much heat…”

“I’ll come in, Spike.” Twilight climbed out of the jacuzzi and trotted over. “Whirlpool’s not really doing it for me.”

“Sweet!” Spike scooched over. The lava was only knee deep for Twilight, but that was enough to stretch out and have a good—

“LAVA FIIIIIIIIIIGHT!” Spike pelted her with boiling goop.

“Ack!” Twilight found herself splattered. “You little stinker!” She slung lava back with a swipe of magic, and before long it was on, the two of them giggling and splattering each other within the forcefield.

Amber furrowed her brow. “Lava fight… there’s two words you don’t hear every day.”

“Welcome to House Sparkle,” Cadance said, lifting her leg to admire her hooficurist’s work. “Where weird is normal, normal is weird… and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Mwahahahaha,” Gleaming cackled. “That’s right! The Love Princess is ours! Soon we’ll finally be able to take vengeance in the name of the Nibble Lords! The unworthy shall be sent to work in the nut mines as we reveal that we’re all just squirrels piloting pony robots! The Great Hibernation is nigh! Acorns for the Acorn Lord! Seeds for the Seed Throne!”

Cadance facehooved. “...Okay, maybe I’d change a few things.”

“Just remember that the kids will probably have my weirdness!” Gleaming said. “At least one of them!”

Amber ignored that. She focused instead on finishing up with Rainbow, working out some last trouble spots before letting her free. “How’s that feel?”

“Oof…” Rainbow eased herself up and gently, gently, made her way over to the jacuzzi, lowering herself into the water and sagging against the wall. “Good stuff, good stuff… I’ll probably hit you up another time before I head north in a few weeks.”

Amber paused in wiping off her hooves. “Where you going?”

“Everhoof,” said Rainbow. “Taking a friend halfway up, so I wanna be ready for anything.”

“Which reminds me,” Gleaming said. “You should stop at the armorer and get some gear for the trip. I’m getting my regalia adjusted after brunch, so you can just come with me!”

Rainbow shrugged. “I’m down.”

Amber made a face. “Everhoof… yuck city. I hope you’re used to thin air, you can get altitude sickness even a third of the way up that monster.”

But Rainbow just laughed. “Nah, I’m used to super-high places. Although… my friend’s an earth pony from the lowlands, so I’m sure how she’s gonna do high up.”

Fortunately, Night heard this. “Sounds like she could use a Breathe-Easy spell.”

Rainbow frowned. “A what now?”

“A Breathe-Easy spell,” Night repeated. “Pretty explanatory what it does. It’s a spell I’ve had to cast regularly since I met Velvet.”

Velvet got a saucy grin. “Along with a few others.”

Gleaming was tempted to bury her head in the mud. “Breathe-Easy… I can’t believe I didn’t think of that...”

“How long does it last?” Cadance asked. “If I’m remembering right, Rainbow and Maud are going to be on the mountain for several days.”

Night thought for a moment. “There might be a way.” He looked to the corner. “Hey, firefly?”

Twilight, who was now so covered in lava she resembled a sludge monster, paused mid-throw. “Yeah?”

“Remember when you asked me to help you research something a few months back? Something we looked for it while you waited to hear back from Luna?”

Twilight wiped off her face. “Yeah, the summoning gems. We found they can only be made within the Dreamrealm during a solar eclipse.”

Night gestured to his still-glowing aura. “Rainbow’s friend—Maud, was it? She needs a Breathe-Easy spell to get up Mount Everhoof. Probably an Element Endure, too... We can store some charges in a spellstone for her, but we’ll need a chunk of uberlead as a reagent. You still got your Hearth’s Warming gift I got you?”

Twilight stared. She looked at her parents, then to Rainbow, Gleaming, and Cadance… then closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that…”

Amber chuckled. “Better than after they’ve already headed off, right?”

Twilight kicked at the bubbling stone. “I suppose—”

“RAWR!” Spike emerged from behind to breathe fire on Twilight’s rump.

“EEP!” She tried to dart away, but Spike tackled her with a battle cry. Twilight’s shrieks of laughter filled the room as he attacked her ticklish tummy.

Velvet sighed. She turned to Night, but he merely smiled. Velvet relented and sat by Gleaming as a spa pony offered them drinks. “Ah... sorry, dear. You probably wanted a peaceful time today.”

Gleaming smiled and leaned into her pillow. “This is peaceful, Mom.”

Later-

“So you think it might be showtime soon, eh?” said Rainbow. “Starting to feel that itch whenever you look at the clouds?”

The armory was a part of the castle kept under heavy guard at all times. While not as robust as the armory of the city’s main base, it still housed enough supplies to withstand a major siege. It was located underground via a winding ramp, and it was this ramp Gleaming and Rainbow, freshly pampered and looking like a million bits, were descending now, the bright afternoon light giving way to the white glow of crystal.

“Not just yet,” said Gleaming. Her gait was steady and fluid as she walked, but her barrel was so wide Rainbow had to (gingerly) fly above her. “Not sure how it’s going to happen, but I doubt it’ll be the same as Twily.”

Rainbow snorted. “She scared the horseapples out of us with that, you know. We were afraid we'd zapped her to smithereens.”

Gleaming cringed. “Yeah, I don't think I'm in any condition for any zapping."

“O-ho, but what if it made them all alicorns?” Rainbow said. “How crazy would that be?”

Gleaming laughed. “I'm not sure I want to think about it.”

They exited the ramp and turned a corner to find a surprisingly busy hall. Even on a weekend the military worked like a well-oiled machine, soldiers and officers conducting inspections, handling logistics, reading reports, doing paperwork, running drills, patrolling borders, meeting with allies, on and on and on. Every single pony stopped and saluted as Gleaming passed.

Gleaming made a note to double check that her Privacy spell was in place. “Speaking of Elements and zappings, Twily tells me your friends are coming up when Maud does to try and remove Cady’s curse. Nice of you to attempt that for us.”

Rainbow’s face wilted a little. “Did Twi also tell you the other thing they wanted to do? The thing she and I had to talk ‘em out of?”

No, but Gleaming could guess. “Climb Everhoof with you?”

Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane. “I don’t wanna get into it, but let’s just say they’re worried. It wasn’t easy to stop ‘em, believe me.”

Gleaming believed, alright. “One of your group is Maud’s sister, right? That must’ve made it doubly hard.”

Rainbow got a strange look at this. “Y’know? It’s funny. Pinkie was actually the one who got the rest of ‘em to back off.”

Gleaming had to make sure she heard that right. “Say what?”

But Rainbow had looked away. “There’s a lot more to Pinkie than you might think. She’s really, really good at helping ponies… even when they insist they don’t need help.”

Gleaming cocked her head. "I don't follow."

Rainbow worked her jaw a few times. “You remember those gems Maud showed us? The ones she’s gonna wear so she doesn’t go nutso?”

Gleaming did. “The ones she got from the Tree of Harmony.”

Rainbow dodged a light fixture before continuing. “Pinkie probably knew this was going down before any of us. Twi and I are thinking Maud was being stubborn and insisting this be her thing. I doubt she knew what the Tree would do, but she wouldn’t have taken Maud there without reason. ”

Gleaming mulled that over. “I’m... not sure how Pinkie would know, either. I suppose it’s possible, but if not, then talk about serendipity."

Rainbow bit back a laugh.

“What?”

“You’re soooooooooooo Twilight’s sister." Rainbow punched Gleaming's shoulder. "I can’t tell you how many new words I’ve learned since she and I started dating! Serendipitous! Ephemeral! Monolithic! Facetious! Elucidate! Repugnant! Your whole family has been teaching me things and corrupting me with your egghead ways!”

The hall echoed with Gleaming’s laugh. “If you wanna return the favor, get Twily into fitness or something. Superpowered magic alicorn or not, I’d feel better knowing she can throw a punch.”

Rainbow chuckled. “I think seeing you has gotten the ol’ gears turning. She might start hitting the gym on her own at this rate.”

Gleaming laughed as well. “No rivalry like sibling rivalry.”

They walked down a few more halls and through some security checks before reaching the armory. It resembled a low-ceilinged warehouse with metal shelves set up in rows stretching all the way to the other side of the room, said shelves containing things like weapons, armor, survival gear, and even dark magic purification equipment. The aisles were as wide across as a grocery store’s, and on the room’s sides were the work areas of those that kept the place running. There were also thick crystal dividers split the room into sections according to clearance, but only a select few armory custodians went back and forth between these.

Rainbow wrinkled her nose. “Smells like metal polish and plastic.”

“Better than it was before.” Gleaming led the way towards one of the aisles. “This used to be part of the dungeon.”

Rainbow made a face. “Yeesh…”

Gleaming double-checked the aisle signs. “I’ve been up Everhoof before. We'll get you some basics, and then I'll flag down—”

The hairs on Rainbow’s neck stood on end. Her Element whispered to her in a voice like holy fire, directing her attention to an orange stallion talking with an armory custodian.

“Gleaming,” Rainbow said.

Gleaming paused. “Eh?”

It was Sunburst. He was gesturing to something beside him that was encased in a brightly-glowing forcefield. Whatever the thing was, it was like a barbed sliver of hate yearning to dig into Rainbow’s mind.

“Looks like your boy found another one," she said, pointing.

Gleaming noticed Sunburst, then the buzz of the containment field... then the vile aura of the thing within. It was like the stench of death concealed by sweet perfume. “Punt me like a hooball…”

Rainbow was already walking over. Her Element’s aura crept up around her, her mane and tail sparkling with inner light. She approached just as the armory custodian rushed off towards one of the restricted sections.

“What’d you find, Sunburst?" she asked.

Sunburst did a double-take. “Rainbow Dash?! My goodness—”

He faltered upon seeing who was coming up behind her. “A-And, Princess Gleaming…”

Gleaming only had eyes for the forcefield. "Report, Sunburst.”

Sunburst fiddled with his cloak. “I was just debating whether to contact you and Princess Cadance about this. I wasn’t sure if blah blah blah blah...”

The forcefield contained a suit of dark battle armor. The spiked helmet had horizontal slits for eyeholes, there were small red horns like a beetle’s pincers jutting out from the brow, and the muzzle resembled a breathing mask. A razor-sharp mane of black quills poked out from the top, and the rest of the pieces were equally nasty—shin guards of jagged crystal, a spike-covered neckguard and flanchard, and worst of all, the oily magic that felt like a stain on reality.

“Sunburst,” Gleaming said again.

Sunburst ceased his rambling. “S-Sorry. This armor is called a ‘subjugator’, and I found it an hour ago in a hidden alcove in what was formerly a torture chamber. It was rigged with a Come-To-Life spell, but I was able to catch it in this forcefield.”

The Element of Loyalty was still whispering to Rainbow. She wasn’t liking what she was hearing. “That saved your fuzzy orange butt, dude.”

“She’s right.” Gleaming noticed the armor pieces were actually on a sheet of metal atop the table. That must’ve been how he’d transported it. “Those enchantments…”

Sunburst decided not to comment. “I’ve been tracking it ever since going through Sombra’s journals. He referenced it a few times in his later entries. It, ah... seems he’d been testing earlier prototypes on prisoners...”

Rainbow’s skin crawled. Her power was still building without her input, the air shimmering and reinforcing the barrier. “He really hid things all over, didn’t he?”

Sunburst dragged a hoof on the floor. “It took three weeks of detective work and a lot of reagents to track this down. What worries me is that there might be other things hidden away.”

Gleaming’s stomach plummeted. She did recall the research team before mentioning something about a final project as well, but they’d assumed it’d been scrapped. “Potential concealed threats are one thing, but obvious immediate ones are another. We should destroy this armor, right now.”

As if on cue, the armory custodian returned with two steel boxes that looked like they could withstand an explosion. The custodian unlocked and opened them, revealing two foam-encased vials within: one black, one white.

“Say no more.” Sunburst took and re-closed the boxes with care. “There’d be dangerous byproducts destroying it with conventional methods, but I can do it quick and easy with these. I’ll have to do it outside the city, though.”

Gleaming identified the vials as weapons-grade antimagic. “Sunburst, I know we gave you clearance for those chemicals—”

“I won’t be combining them directly,” Sunburst said. “I’ll be polymerizing them into this forcefield to create a disjunction zone! It'll shred the dark magic like tissue without any fallout!”

Yeah, but Gleaming wasn’t enthusiastic about such dangerous material being used like that, Purifier or no Purifier. “Do you think you could destroy it instead, Rainbow?”

Rainbow stared at the armor like it was a Daring Do villain, her body now totally enveloped in holy light. A powerful pulse of energy emanated from her to probe the armor...

“If Sunburst can do it without turning it loose, I’d say let him take the reigns," she said at last. "Less chance of crud hitting the fan.”

Gleaming clucked her tongue. “Alright. One minute.”

She gave the armory custodians some orders. A few minutes later, a mish-mash of plastic-wrapped winter gear was plopped down in front of Sunburst.

“Suit up,” Gleaming told him. “Soon as you’re ready, I’m teleporting us outside the weather barrier.”

Sunburst paled. “You? B-But, Your Majesty! I’d never forgive myself if something were to…”

Gleaming didn't bat an eyelash. “Ser Rainbow will come as well. If you can’t destroy the armor, she’ll do it in your stead.”

Sunburst gave Rainbow a quick glance, who was still giving the armor a death glare. “I-I, uh… n-not that I’m worried about failing or anything… It’s certainly not likely, but I suppose if I did… S-Suiting up, then...”

He got the gear on as quick as a civilian could. Gleaming helped him here and there with the unfamiliar pieces, and once he was bundled up and ready, she gathered the required power...

FLASH!

The shrieking tundra wind greeted them like a banshee. The first frigid breath for Sunburst was like a knife in the lungs, making him cough and hack something fierce—

“Easy.” Rainbow caught him with glowing hooves. “In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

Gleaming blasted the snow away with a swipe of magic, then set about forming her most powerful barrier. A few minutes later, a house-sized forcefield materialized that made everypony’s hair stand on end.

Gleaming gestured to the shield. “Will this do?”

Sunburst gaped. “Y-Yes, that will suffice...”

Gleaming motioned Rainbow over. “We’ll be watching from outside. Signal us once you’ve finished.”

Another teleport later, Rainbow and Gleaming’s hooves were sinking into the deep snow. The Empire’s weather barrier glittered behind them as they watched Sunburst get to work.

“It just never ends,” Gleaming muttered. “Some greenhorn fresh out of the academy finds two more blasted things in just six weeks?@ For Pete’s sake, not even Twily thought there was anything left!”

Rainbow patted Gleaming’s leg. “Twi’s not a specialist like this dude. He said he's been busting his rump trying to find it.”

Gleaming sighed. “I'm starting to think we should've made him the Royal Purifier over the Archivist. 'Purifier’ is a rank of certification for handling hazardous arcane material—the second highest you can get.”

Rainbow nodded. “He’ll be top dog in no time if he keeps this up.”

Gleaming barked out a short laugh. “He has the balls for it.”

Rainbow flexed her wings one at a time. “Speaking of balls, he wasn’t wrong for saying you shouldn’t be out here. No offense.”

Gleaming ran a hoof along the curve of her barrel. She was still getting taller, but the foals had been outpacing her these last few weeks, her kiwi-sized outie grazing the floor without the maternity brace. “Sometimes, you just have to act. You can tell how bad that armor is, can’t you?”

Rainbow bit her lip. She glanced back at Sunburst, who’d just uncorked the vials. “Yeah.”

Gleaming looked to the north, where Mount Everhoof stood over them like a titanic sentinel. “Don’t let your guard down up in that cave, alright? If the corruption was up there a thousand years ago, then I’d bet my right hoof Sombra went up there to check it out at some point.”

Rainbow followed her gaze. “D’you think he used it for anything?”

Gleaming’s eyes darkened. “He had to get the power to banish the Crystal Empire from somewhere.”

The howling blasts of wind filled the quiet, each gust kicking up a spray of snow that got in Gleaming’s eyes. The sun reflecting off the white just made things worse, to the point she could hardly open her eyes at all. Rainbow, meanwhile, could see just fine—as like all pegasi, her inner eyelid protected her eyes from the wind and snow. She could even stare into the sun if she wanted.

“Everything’s cool between us, right?” Rainbow glanced up at Gleaming. “No problems or anything?”

Gleaming’s reply was cut off by her mane being blown in her face. “Why—ptoo—would there be problems?”

Rainbow snickered. “I'm going out with your sister."

Gleaming paused as she made a new forcefield to negate the gusts. “You’ve been here for five months. Why ask me now?”

Rainbow shrugged with her wings. “You’re a busy pony. Don’t think I haven’t noticed those silly smiles you and Cadance have when you show up for things. I’m pretty sure you guys bang, like… ten times a day.”

Gleaming didn’t even bat an eyelash. “We stop to handle things all the time. Just come up and knock.”

Rainbow stared for a moment before bursting out laughing. “I knew it! You give each other more bedroom eyes than regular eyes! What, do you both just like, have the hots for each other all the time? ”

Gleaming patted her baby bump. “Cady’s domain is Love, and my domain is Life. Need I say more?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. It's just that Twi made me promise I wouldn’t bug you guys.”

That sounded like Twilight, alright. “I can’t speak for the rest of the family, but so long as you treat Twily right, you’re cool in my book. I wasn’t sure what to think at first, but the more I think on it, the more I think you’re a good match. ”

Rainbow grinned. “Treat her right, eh? What if I wanna treat her better than right?”

Gleaming met her eyes. “What do you—”

She was cut off by an eruption of color. They looked just as Sunburst’s shield started to spin like a merry-go-round gone haywire, and within seconds it’d become a kaleidoscope of twisting light. Then, Gleaming and Rainbow heard a loud, cutting buzz mixed with the shriek of twisting metal.

“Ha!” Rainbow pumped her hoof. “Take that, armor-thing!”

Gleaming’s lips parted. “So that’s a disjunction zone…”

It was over in less than a minute. The colors blurred to pure white before slowing back down, Sunburst’s horn glowing all the while. At last he released the magic and let his shield fall away like glass to reveal... metal powder.

“He made that look easy!” Rainbow said with a laugh. “You really might wanna make him the Royal Purifier!”

Gleaming dismissed her own forcefield as Sunbeam waved. “If I’d said I wasn’t okay with you dating Twily, what would you have done?”

“Keep dating her anyway,” Rainbow said without pause. "It's our choice, not yours."

Gleaming kept her expression even. “But then why—ah, because Twily cares what I think...”

Rainbow suddenly became very serious. “Look, Twilight told me about the whole alicorn weakness thing. Nopony wants Twi to go all nightmarified, but I don’t want you or Cadance to, either. We all want to be happy, so let’s do everything we can to make that happen.”

Gleaming smiled. She held out a snow-flecked hoof, which Rainbow bumped with a clack. “Deal.”

That Evening-

“Happy birthday, dear Gleamiiiiiiing!” the group sang. “Happy birthday to youuuuuuuuuuu!”

Gleaming blew out the candles, pleased when she managed to get them all in one go. Of course, she did have quite the set of lungs on her. “Thank you, everypony!”

The party wasn’t what you’d call extravagant. Some wealthy types made an event out of their birthdays, but Gleaming wasn’t one of them. Just under twenty had been invited to dinner in the private dining area, the partygoers now mingling and wandering between extra tables while others ate or watched Gleaming open presents. Gleaming was a tad discouraged at the turnout considering she’d invited almost thirty, but at least those present looked to be enjoying—

“Are you sure Princess Gleaming just wasn’t being polite?” Sunburst asked Rainbow for the sixth time. “I barely even know her!”

Well, most of them were.

Rainbow looked like she wanted to tear out her mane. “For the last time time, dude: YES! You said you’d been working your plot off to track down that armor, so this is her way of saying thank you! Just relax and enjoy yourself!”

Sunburst muttered something about that if Gleaming was really thankful, she’d give him a raise.

Rainbow fluttered up a few feet to look for Twilight, who’d said something about wanting to talk with that old doctor lady. “Hmm, wonder where they went? I wonder if—”

“Excuse me,” a voice behind her said. “Are you Rainbow Dash?”

Rainbow turned. The speaker was a sleek-looking stallion with a friendly smile. His tail was the looped around the mare’s beside him, a toffee-colored pegasus with a platinum blonde mane.

“That’s me!” Rainbow said as she landed. “Ser Rainbow Dash, in fact! In the flesh and feather!”

The stallion chuckled. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Steelwing, and I’m a friend of the gen—Gleaming. She mentioned a while back you might be interested in learning how to use wingblades.”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Did she, now? I suppose I’ve always been curious, but—hey, wait!

Aren’t you one of the guards that has to follow her around? The one she’s always shooting the breeze with?”

Steelwing put a hoof behind his head. “I… suppose we do tend to talk a lot… B-But, ah... where are my manners? This lovely mare is Frappe, my special somepony. She’s one of the cooks here—”

“I heard you got into Wonderbolt Reserves, Rainbow Dash!” Frappe said with a squee. “Oh, Captain Spitfire’s gotta be DYING to put the Sonic Rainboom in the show proper; do you know who you’ll be replacing yet? Is it Rapidfire? Aileron? Tailwind? OH! There’s been rumors Sleet Storm might not come back from paternity leave! I’ll bet you’ll get his spot!”

Steelwing dragged a hoof on the ground. “...She also follows the Wonderbolts.”

Fortunately, Rainbow took the gushing in stride. “Nah, Sleet Storm’s already back. He loves the gig too much to call it quits just yet, even with three kids. But I’ve heard he and wifey want to keep going until they get a colt, so maybe if they keep getting ‘bad’ luck...”

Frappe danced in place. “Ohhhh, I hope, I hope, I hope! You just HAVE to tell me about your maneuvers! It’s so rare a rookie maintain such high averages! How do you do it?”

You could almost hear Rainbow’s ego preening. “Wellllllllll, I suppose I could give you the rundown on a few techniques…”

Meanwhile, Sunburst, who was feeling more and more like a fifth wheel, raised a shaky hoof to Steelwing. “A-Ah, I assume you’re a wingblade user yourself, Steelwing? What’s that like?”

Steelwing cocked his head. “Uhhh… hard, I guess? I’m not really sure how to answer what it’s like. Not sure anyone’s asked me that before.”

…

…

…

…

...

“My, what a stupid question I just asked!” Sunburst forced himself to smile while backpedaling towards the exit. “SostupidthatI’mprettyembarrassednowsoIthinkI’lljust—”

“Ohhhhhhh, no!” Rainbow zipped behind Sunburst in a colorful blur. “You’re gonna mingle and make some friends, buster! Element of Loyalty’s orders!”

Sunburst about jumped out of his skin. “H-How in the world did you—nevermind… But what does loyalty have to do with anything?”

“Considering loyalty’s part of being a good friend, I’d say a whole darn lot!”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Sunburst looked to Steelwing and Frappe, but all he got back were helpless smiles. “L-Look, these are all very important ponies, and you’re all important ponies yourself! What in Equestria could I possibly have in common with—”

“Let’s find out!” Rainbow started pushing Sunburst forward. “Be back a sec, you two!”

Sunburst fought, but he was no match for Rainbow strength. “Hey! Stop! Are you trying to make a scene?! Where are you even—no, you wouldn’t! Are you INSANE?! Do you even realize who that—”

“OY, TWI’S DAD!” Rainbow bellowed. “C’MERE AND MEET THIS RESEARCHER GUY!”

Night, who’d been helping Spike get appetizers, perked up. “Oh? What kind of research?”

Sunburst meeped at Night’s regalia. “Help…”

It took just one look at Sunburst for Spike’s BOREDOM CITY alert to go off. He snatched his plate and gestured for the blue dragon beside him to follow. “C’mon.”

Thorax looked between him and the approaching ponies. “But I thought you said you were—”

“Later.” Spike headed towards the tables. “Let’s see what—URRP!” Only to then stop as he belched out a parchment stamped with the royal seal. “Or we could see what this is, I suppose...”

The little drakes huddled over the scroll as the rest of the party flowed around them. Few paid heed to them amidst the festivities, and they were a common sight, after all, so most figured there was somepony keeping an eye on them.

And indeed there was. Two someponies in fact, mothers-to-be and watching from afar, sitting at a lone table while sipping at bunch. Velvet and Cadance remained silent as they looked on in silence, barely moving, the air between them growing ever more tense.

“Can we please talk about this?” Cadance said at last. “You’ve been giving me the silent treatment for weeks now.”

Velvet tightened her grip on her glass. “Fine. You can start with an apology.”

Cadance grit her teeth. “I’m not going to apologize for what I thought was right. Yes, those photos were disturbing, but I only showed them to both of you because—”

“Because why?!” Velvet snapped. “You showed us the bodies of toddlers who’d starved in a wasteland, Cadance! They couldn’t have even half Thorax’s age... not even half! I woke up in cold sweats for a week!”

Cadance winced. “Okay, that I didn’t mean—”

“As if we didn’t have enough reason to hate Chrysalis without adding filicide to the list!” The punch in Velvet’s cup started to steam. “Her own children… all because they were different… I swear by everything holy, she will BURN! There won’t even be ashes left when we’re done with her!”

Cadance looked around to make sure no one was staring. “L-Look, I shouldn’t have made Gleamy promise not to tell you about Thorax; that was a really stupid move.”

“VERY stupid,” Velvet growled.

“But you have to understand why I was worried!” Cadance burst out. “I wasn’t sure how you’d react to Spike being his friend! Thorax is a crucial part of so much, and you’re always saying how much you hate changelings—”

Velvet turned her fiery glare on Cadance.

Cadance shied away. “I-I mean how much you hate Chrysalis! It was just too much of a risk, don’t you see? Hatred and rage are so volatile, I was afraid if you found it you might take your aggression out on… o-out on… I’m just digging deeper, aren’t I.”

“Mi Amore Cadenza,” Velvet said with deadly calm. “I’ve held my tongue on MANY of your decisions over the years because I wasn’t sure it was my place.”

“I know...”

“Fooling around with Gleaming while babysitting Twily and Spike.” Velvet’s stare stabbed into Cadance. “You didn’t think we knew? We did, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Not retaliating against Chrysalis after everything she’s done, playing into Sombra’s hooves and nearly losing a war of attrition, convincing my firstborn to change genders and bear your foals... All of it and more I’ve stayed silent on, but so help me, if you want me to be the mother you never had, then you’re my daughter first and foremost, got it?! I don’t care if you’re a princess or a bloody god-empress—don’t you EVER imply I’d hurt a child on purpose!”

It was a strange thing. Cadance had negotiated with countless diplomats and rulers over her professional career, her speechcraft and diction honed to a razor’s edge. But before her irate mother-in-law, Cadance’s found herself scrambling, voice stuttering, her lips moving with no noise.

“Here’s what you DIDN’T consider,” Velvet said, jabbing a hoof at Spike. “That little boy over there was abandoned by his birth parents. He’s different in every way from ponies, his race feared and reviled. And even once long ago on a camping trip, one of his kind tried to kill the whole family. I’ve every reason to loathe dragons, yet the instant Spike was hatched, I wanted him as my son. Do you have ANY idea how hard it was to claim the right to raise him?!”

Cadance was starting to sweat. She watched as Spike exchanged some words with Thorax, their emotions shifting, hovering somewhere between worry and confusion. She normally could get a deeper read then that, but Velvet’s fury was like an obscuring fog.

“Argument after argument, legality after legality, compromise after compromise, all of them I fought tooth and hoof for,” Velvet spat. “I won those battles because I wasn’t about to that that little boy grow up without a family, regardless if he was a dragon, a pony, a griffin, a changeling, or anything else under the sun. Why would I do all that if I thought all members of Spike’s race were the same, Cadance? Nighty and I had the worst fight of our entire marriage over taking him in, and right after that, I almost had a shouting match with Princess-blasted-Celestia! And I STILL didn’t back down!”

A yawning pit opened in Cadance’s stomach. “I-It’s not that I don’t think—”

“Yes, Night and I want justice for what happened at your wedding,” Velvet went on. “We probably always will, and you and Gleaming should, too! But the one deserving of that justice is NOT Thorax, and anypony who thinks so is worse than dirt! For stars’ sake, Cadance, he’s just a boy! He can hardly even do basic math yet!”

Cadance gulped. “I-I...”

Velvet crossed her forelegs. “You’re still so afraid. Afraid of hate, afraid of using force, afraid of being seen as a tyrant. Princess of Love or not, you need to understand ALL emotions, or you’re going to keep lumping things together… or do you think Night and I are such loose cannons, we’re just one step away from becoming the next Sombra?”

“No!” Cadance said. “And I DO understand all emotions! I’ve gone through Sombra’s journals more times than I can count! I know near as much on Hate and Entropy as he did Love and Harmony!”

“Yet you thought your in-laws are so vengeful over your wedding, we’d attack the first changeling we see.”

Cadance’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not—”

“It is,” said Velvet. “You smelled smoke and thought there was a fire. You sensed something without getting the whole story, and it made you assume the worst. You know better, honey. Much better.”

Cadance hung her head. A part of her was still rankling, but the protests were nothing to the lead-filled pit in her stomach. “I’m… sorry.”

Velvet stared at her for a long, long time. “Do you really mean that? Or are you just trying to get off easy?”

“No, no… you’re right.” Cadance tried to swallow the lump in her throat with some punch, but that just made it feel sticky. “I-I didn’t see the similarities between Spike and Thorax. Yes, I tried to shock you when I should’ve just talked to you like Gleamy wanted, and that was wrong of me. You’re right to call me out on my mess-ups… any good parent does that.”

Velvet relaxed her grip on her glass. “Among other things. I may be fiery, but I’m no firebrand, dear. Trust me and Nighty to be smart from now on. That’s all we ask.”

Cadance rested her free hoof on Velvet’s. “I will, but... please, talk to me about these kinds of problems from now on. You scared me avoiding me for so long…”

Velvet narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps you deserved it for scaring us, eh? You certainly did with those pictures. Heavens above, Mi Amore...”

Cadance’s ears drooped. “We’re trying to stop her, Mom. We think we might have a plan, and if it works out, I promise that things will be made right. No one else will be made to suffer because of her. You have my word.”

Velvet nodded. She pulled Cadance into a gentle hug, and they remained that way for some time, the party going on around them.

“...How long did you know Gleamy and I were fooling around while I was babysitting?” Cadance asked.

Velvet chuckled. “Pretty much right away. Shining was changing his bedsheets every few days before you came along, then suddenly, he stopped. Combine that with a little mother’s intuition, and it wasn’t hard to find traces of all those spells in the bathroom.”

Cadance facehooved.

Meanwhile, at the main table…

“I’m sorry, Gleaming,” Rex said as she gave over a present. “I’m not a good fit to be a Crystaller. That’s a ton of responsibility I’m just not ready for.”

Gleaming would’ve cursed had her mouth not been full. She withheld a sigh and kept eating her green beans in tremendous bites, accepting Rex’s gift and opening it to find… a personal wingcare kit.

Gleaming brightened. “Mmmmm! Fank-oo!”

Rex nodded. “I’m sure you’ve had plenty of offers, but if you ever need a sky partner, I know where some good thermals are.”

Gleaming smiled. “Mmm-hmm!”

Rex’s eyes flicked to the clock. “I need to get that paperwork done tonight if you want those Purifiers here by next week.”

Gleaming held up a hoof. “Arr’errany… ugh.” She cleared out her mouth and tried again. “Are there any Master Purifiers available?”

Rex’s ears drooped. “The Mage’s Guild only has three on roster. Two are on assignment, and the other’s in the hospital. The best we can get are the dozen or so rank two part-timers.”

Gleaming had figured as much. “So a dozen Sunbursts. Well, between him, Twily, Rainbow, I suppose we don’t need a Master to neutralize anything. We pretty much just need the ponypower for another sweep of the place.”

Rex bowed. “Then I’ll send the word. I’ll let the Mage’s Guild know before the night’s over.” She then trotted off towards the exit, threading her way through the guests without a second glance.

Gleaming stared at her half-finished plate. She’d guessed Rex would say no, but… bluh. A stomach gurgle and a series of wiggles prevented her from brooding further, and within seconds she was chowing down again, plowing through that plate, a second, then a third, a fourth, and from there she lost count as her metabolism spurred her on.

She considered who else among her guests might make a good Crystaller. Steelwing and his marefriend were chatting with Rainbow, Rainbow talking loudly while making grandiose gestures. Amber and her husband were walking over to the far corner, where Cadance and Velvet—ah, they’d finally talked things out. Good. It looked like Amber was about to introduce her hubby… yep, sure was. Night and Sunburst were over at a guest table talking (Rainbow had right on the money on that one) and Spike and Thorax were approaching her, Spike holding up a singed parchment...

“Gleam-Gleam!” He ducked under the table, dodging her paunch and climbing over her sprawled-out rear legs. “Letter for you!”

Gleaming eyed the letter as Spike crawled atop her wide flank, his sharp little claws like a brush through her thick coat. “I really wish you wouldn’t read letters with the royal seal, kiddo. They might have sensitive info.”

Spike gave her a dull look. “Celestia and Luna told me to open every letter they send. What am I supposed to do?”

Gleaming muttered something wordless under her breath. “Fine, fine. Give it here.”

Spike gave her the letter, then immediately started eyeballing one her fruit trays. She got him a plate before starting to read.

General-

This is Lieutenant-Colonel Maria. I’m to inform you I’m penning this on behalf of Princess Luna due to her advanced size and stature. She’s been finding it hard to hold quills without snapping them, and until her growth slows, her magic expenditures are in flux.

We forwarded your intel to our scouts to acquire stale samples for testing. We recently received word that all tests returned positive, even in examples several months postmortem. We’re now transporting trace amounts of the samples to our labs for analysis, but until then, we assume the cause is some sort of chemical. There might be more we can do with this info if we can isolate it.

We also managed to perform the other test you recommended. The sample we took returned negative. I repeat, the sample we took returned negative. Investigations in other possible causes are ongoing, but as of now, there have been no positive tests found within Canterlot.

We’ll contact you when we know more.

Lieutenant-Colonel Maria

Gleaming chewed on her lip. So it seemed Chancellor Neighsay was a pony, after all. Whether that was good news or bad was hard to say, but regardless… “Hey, Thorax?”

Thorax, who’d chosen to remain under the table, looked up with his golden eyes. “Yes?”

“Tell me again about the venom.” She poured out three glasses of water as she spoke. “I know the queen has it, but you mentioned some scouts do, too.”

Thorax accepted one of the glasses and stared at it. “I don’t really know much more. A scout’s job is to go into a town and replace important ponies we’ve picked out, but if that’s too risky, another thing some of them can do is, ah… well, you know. If they have the glands, that is.”

Gleaming did indeed know. “Can scouts manipulate their venom like Chrysalis can? Possibly make it so it comes out through their horn like pony magic?”

Thorax twiddled his claws. “I didn’t even know Mother could do that until you told me. If anyling else can, they’re one of the best shapeshifters.”

And from what Gleaming remembered, the venom only lasted about a day. Not exactly great for the long-term. “But if a scout could do it, they could affect a unicorn by forcing the venom through their horn. No bite marks whatsoever.”

“And you’d pretty much have to be connected to the hive mind to tell they were under our control,” Thorax said between sips. “You or one of the other princesses might be able to tell... but that’d be really dangerous.”

Spike frowned. “Dangerous how?”

“Because Chrysalis isn’t stupid,” Gleaming said with lowered eyes. “Is she, Thorax?”

Thorax hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

There was a pause as a few guests came up to give Gleaming their gifts. One gift turned out to be a set of earrings shaped like her now-altered cutie mark, another was a bag of pewter tabletop dice, and the last was a collection of rare spell reagents. Gleaming wasn’t sure which of the three she liked more, but she was grateful for all of them. She was half-worried all she was going to get was baby stuff, but it seemed most were aware how many storerooms in the castle were now dedicated to that.

“There is one other thing I’ve been meaning to tell you about,” Thorax said after the ponies had gone. “It’s not about venom, but it still might be useful… maybe.”

Gleaming regarded him. “Which is?”

Thorax ran his tongue along his teeth. “A while ago, Mother gave us worker drones an order: ‘Start digging a hole in the hive’s lowest level. I’ll tell you when to stop.’ We dug and dug and dug straight down for weeks through the rock, until finally she came down to see it for herself. She flew down to the bottom alone while we all waited, then a few minutes later, she came back up and said it’d do.”

Gleaming blinked several times. “She told you all… to dig a really deep hole.”

Thorax nodded. “Really deep.”

“Right beneath the hive, without any explanation or context.”

Another nod. “Even the older changelings were confused.”

Gleaming clicked her tongue. “...Odd.”

“Maybe she was looking for gems?” Spike offered. “That’s what I like to dig for.”

A smile tugged at Gleaming’s lips. “Maybe.”

“I’m not sure if it matters,” said Thorax. “I just remember that was something weird she had us do. She went down there a lot afterwards, too.”

Gleaming watched her glass rotate in her aura. There weren’t a lot of uses she could think of for a super-deep hole that didn’t lead anywhere, but perhaps time and investigations would reveal more. “I’ll keep it in mind, Thorax. Thanks for telling me.”

Just then, there was a small bell chime from the direction of the kitchens, signalling that dessert was about to be served.

“Heh, I’ve been talking so much I’ve fallen behind here.” Gleaming looked at the remaining food in front of her, which was several pans’ worth of main courses. “I might need to go full vacuum mode.”

Spike snickered. “And here I thought you were already.”

Gleaming booped his snoot. “Dork. Full vacuum mode is when I’m eating without trying to savor anything. Y’know how I squish food down so I can eat more at once? I can do that with a whole meal if I really want to. I just don’t because I barely taste anything.”

Spike cocked his head with a strange look. “...Show me.”

Gleaming smirked. She cast the magic spell, and within seconds every piece of food on the table was crumpling up like it was in a trash compactor. Pastas, cooked vegetables, hot dishes, breads, sandwiches, fruits, cheeses, salads, all of it was crushed down into itty-bitty spheres smaller than marbles. This wasn’t her usual spell that was just a temporary squishing, either—this was straight-up pressure exerted to a ridiculous degree.

“Normally you wouldn’t be able to digest something so dense,” Gleaming said, gesturing to one of the tiny balls. “But thanks to all the spells on me, I can do it just fine.” And with that she started popping the morsels into her mouth a few at a time, swallowing them like pills with a few swigs of water. An entire feast that could’ve fed everypony there, gone in seconds.

Spike stared. “Whoa.”

Gleaming rubbed her gurgling belly. “Now, where’s that dessert? I wanna have a few carts’ worth before Cady and I go work out.”

Spike withheld a snort. “You’re going to pig out on dessert… then go work out? On your birthday?”

Gleaming laughed. “Hey, I like working out! And I’m not trying to lose weight, I’m trying to gain muscle and stamina! These foals aren’t exactly light, you know.”

Spike could only shake his head. “You’re so weird.”

That Night-

It’d been a full day. Relaxation had been had, celebrations and socializing had been enjoyed, and while the duties of being princess would always be in the background, the majority of the day had been hassle-free. The party had lasted a while longer before everypony went their separate ways, and Gleaming and Cadance had decided to finish their night with a solid cardio session. After an hour and some change of exertion, they’d retired to their apartment sweaty, spent, and heads pleasantly buzzing.

Their new bed was setup when they got there. It was easily the largest either of them had seen, a good two-thirds larger than their previous one. In a typical-sized bedroom, it would’ve taken up all the floorspace!

“Plain white sheets,” Cadance noted upon entering the bedroom. “Plain blankets, plain bedspread, no dust cover… eh, it’ll do for now. We can gussy it up in the weeks to come.”

Gleaming nodded as she stepped out of the bathroom with her milker. “So long as it’s big enough.”

Cadance climbed onto the bed and circled in place. “Certainly seems to be. Nice and comfy, too. Though I wonder… hey, let me try something.”

She murmured a few soft words, and her outline started to glow. Her features altered at a swift pace—her legs thickened, her wings and frame grew, her muzzle squared out, her hips narrowed, her hooves sank into the mattress, and her groin transformed. Less than ten seconds later, where Cadance had been, Eros now stood in her place.

“Well, well.” He appraised the bed with a nod. “I think this’ll fit us just fine! We should’ve upgraded months ago!”

Gleaming giggled. “But then we might not have cuddled as much.”

Eros flopped down with a considerable WUMPH. “Au contraire! Now that we have the room to be comfortable, we can cuddle even more!”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “We still need to rinse off, you know. C’mon, you’re getting the bed all dirty.”

“Ha! Dirty my pink butt!” Eros started rolling around on his side of the bed. “I’m claiming my territory, thank you very much.”

Gleaming swished her tail. “Some spouses would make you sleep on the couch for that, you know. You’re lucky you don’t reek like some ponies.”

Eros gave her a cheeky grin. “Pffft, ‘some ponies’. Are you referring to anyone in particular?”

Gleaming wrinkled her nose. “Word of advice—never share a bathroom with Cloud Runner.”

Eros laughed. “What was the name of the one pony you went on assignment with? The one that had the stomach trouble?”

Now Gleaming just looked sad. “I… forget what his actual name was. We called him Iron Kiss because he was a hammer specialist, but… yeah, can’t remember. Poor guy, I was half afraid he was going to die from that curry. Sure smelled like he was going to.”

“Well, I suppose I should count myself lucky then that I didn’t wind up with a stinky pony.” Eros made a pouty face. “You don’t really think I’m stinky, do you?”

Gleaming relented. “No, you smell fine. Was just an hour of exercise, after all. It’s not like we did eight hours of labor in the summer heat.”

Eros chuckled. “I’d certainly hope you haven’t been doing any hard labor! But even if you did, I bet you’d smell great, my sexy alicorn-to-be.”

Gleaming fell silent. She’d been able to smell Eros the second he’d switched over, and sweet stars, did her body approve. It wasn’t the pungent stink of body odor, not the nauseating stench of several days unwashed… just the heady, spicy smell of stallion. Gleaming inhaled deep as her tail swished again, but this time, for an entirely different reason.

The action didn’t go unnoticed. Eros was starting to get that look about him as well, his eyes roving over her, his nostrils flaring over and over. That taut, white belly so big and wide and full with their foals. That silky soft mane, those clear blue eyes, that sexy neck, those powerful long legs. And her scent, ye gods…

Gleaming sauntered over to the bed. Their eyes never left each other, each of them appreciating something about the other. It was Eros’ wings for Gleaming: the types of feathers, the creases at the joints, their transition in color, the sliding, bulging muscles. Those beautiful wings had been one of the first things Gleaming had complimented years ago, ignoring Eros’ protests of them being ‘weird’ and ‘unwieldy’.

Neither of them was in a rush. Gleaming was slow to take off her maternity articles, slower still to step onto the bed, and slowest of all to close the final distance. Eros sat up with wings stiff as planks, but even then she made no move to go faster, even when his bulging sheath relinquished its giant prize. She could feel the heat radiating off him, still warm from the exercise, and strands of his mane still clung to his neck, the stray yellow and purple hairs standing out among his pink coat. Their moist breaths washed over each other as they touched horns, and now that they were close, they could also smell each other’s excitement, cloying and growing ever stronger.

Eros nuzzled her. He nuzzled Gleaming’s face, then her neck, then her shoulders and withers. He buried himself in her thick blue mane and smelled the dregs of mint shampoo. His snout travelled up and down her smooth coat with small snuffles that made Gleaming hum, yet he never went any faster. Her pregnant belly was so big they couldn’t hug each other proper, but Eros still could wrap his wings around her, caressing her back with long, loving strokes, his twitching stallionhood pressed against her firm womb and enlarged navel.

Gleaming wet her lips. She ran her hooves along his sides, then his ribs, then his lower back, resisting the temptation to pull his head up for a kiss. She explored him like she had so many times before, yet even now there was always something new to find. Eros’ muscles were like toned and thick, the latent strength like a spring waiting to burst forth. She stroked the back of his head as he continued to caress her in turn, steady and sure, each touch more arousing than the last.

And then Eros was at her belly. He was gentle, empathically sensing the foals were deep asleep. He rested his cheek against Gleaming’s womb and just sat there, eyes closed and smiling wide, his hooves moving in small circles along the sides. The jar of cocoa butter was on the nightstand like always, so he floated it over and began tending to her still-growing size.

The lotion was cool and thick, like actual butter. The first touch of it made Gleaming coo, and all the touches after made her want to lay back and let Eros tend to her proper. But instead she let him rub her down sitting up, their foals nestled safe and sound between them. Eros’ eyes were locked to her ivory paunch the whole time, biting his lip and massaging every inch of her, his cock leaking pre on her belly. He could feel its warm, swirling weight, so heavy and firm and healthy and big, yet even now not near its max size. If there even was such a thing...

They weren’t sure when they started kissing. It wasn’t sudden or needy—their lips merely met and stayed there. Some days they kissed like they were fighting for air, but tonight they were calm, smooth, a light kiss that never quite seemed to end. Their lips moved in time with one another with ease, their tongues occasionally tasting each other before darting back. Their hooves still roved over each other’s bodies, yet tonight their touch remained soft and sensual, the immense bed barely moving as they laid down together.

No words were needed as Gleaming nestled into Eros’ embrace like a puzzle piece. Eros’ wing crept back over to pull her close, his stallionhood guided by magic to sink between her milky tits. Such a pillowy-soft sensation never failed to make him groan, and Gleaming purred as his sexy dick throbbed in her cleavage. They kept kissing as Eros began rocking his hips, marking her with pre while growing harder than ever, his incredible size as thick as a soda can.

Minutes dragged by like that, never faster, never slower, just a steady pace like a marathon. Again and again Eros’ spongy head would come within millimeters of Gleaming’s waiting entrance, only to then pull away and tease her more. That slow-burning need was alight within Gleaming’s belly now, and each lazy thrust made it just a little bit stronger, a little bit hotter. At last Eros ceased teasing and pressed against her entrance proper, his magic keeping him steady as he applied pressure little by little. Gleaming was putty in his hooves now, her pliable marehood spreading, slowwwwwwly spreading to swallow him, but she kept still even as the sensations built.

At last, he was in. Eros’ massive cock claimed Gleaming’s slick tunnel, sliding ever deeper and coating her walls, filling Gleaming just as it had so many times before. Even now the spells on her kept her tight, tight, tight, but all Gleaming felt from the spreading was a deliciously hot burn that faded as quickly as it’d come. She was free to squeeze down to her heart’s delight, but tonight she was gentle, tugging Eros deeper only when he stopped.

Eros was sorely tempted to start sucking on Gleaming’s neck. Stars above, her moans when he did that... but that’d ignite the powder keg, so instead he made snuffling sounds in her ears. Turned out even that was almost too much, Gleaming shivering and whispering his name, her breaths quickening into pants. He eased up and rubbed her womb with more cocoa butter, and that got the response he wanted—a low, muted groan sounding in the back of her throat.

Gleaming felt Eros’ medial ring bulge into her velvety depths. Inch after inch of cock followed to disappear inside her, yet still she hungered for more. It’d once been a feat to take his entire length right away, but with her so much larger, she could do it with ease. She rested her head on his broad shoulder, their tails tightly entwined, her head swimming like she was floating in a sea of clouds. She cradled his head with one hoof while stroking her belly with the other, and when his entire length was hilted, she pulled him in for a kiss just as sensual as the last.

They could feel the beats of each other’s heart alongside their children’s. The only sound was the barest smek of their lightly moving lips in the quiet, and if the coiled springs inside them weren’t tightening, they might’ve fallen asleep like that. But tightening they were, and so Eros began a smooth rhythm, their combined fluids allowing him to glide in and out with ease. He held Gleaming tight while making love to her, her light murs and soft sighs his guide, her squeezing him in time as they chased their first peaks.

It wasn’t a very long chase. Even so slow and gentle, the kissing, the belly rubbing, the closeness, the sweet nothings they whispered, it was like the perfect storm. They only picked up speed upon reaching the point of no return, and upon sensing the other was close, they gave just enough intensity to push the other over the edge. Gleaming clenched down just as stars glittered in her vision, and Eros moaned in her mouth as a bottle rocket exploded in his mind. Shot after shot of cum flooded Gleaming’s tunnel to be soaked up, yet still he kept filling her, again and again, his fat nuts bloating further even as he came.

Yet all Gleaming wanted was more. More of Eros’ seed, more of his affection, more of his beautiful foals. The thought of him getting her pregnant again spurred her to break the gentle lovemaking and go faster, harder… deeper, her mind alive with the thought of more life in her nourishing womb. Eros sensed the shift and immediately obliged, rutting her proper as soon as his first climax died. NOW he started sucking on her neck, and the squeal she gave made him twitch, his thrusting speed doubling to match Gleaming’s desire.

And so it went on well into the night. At times they slowed down again, other times they went so fast one peak crashed into another. Positions were changed, a few toys were used, dirty talk was had, and pillow talk soon followed. When all was said and done Gleaming and Cadance fell asleep smelling of sweat and sex, two lovers cuddled in the same position they’d woke in, their dreams filled with the laughter of foals.

All in all, not a bad end to a birthday.

Author's Notes:

I'm not super happy with a few things in this chapter. The biggest gripe I have is the interaction between Cadance and Twilight Velvet, which is a plot thread I always meant to explore, but never found a good time. I suppose it's better than nothing I got to connect a few things that I'd been meaning to draw parallels to, but now that I look at it, I may go back and add a few passing references in a few previous chapter that something's going on between them. Nothing huge, just a few lines in like two chapters mentioning they've got some kind of beef.

Other than that, this chapter went pretty long! You probably already gathered this, but that's one of the reasons I'm getting it out so late. There's a lot more here that I definitely could've looked into, such as the birthday gifts Gleaming got from Cadance and the family, but in all honesty, that would've meant I'd have to think of, y'know... what they'd actually get her. I also already did a foal shower thing in Rule of Three, so rehashing it here likely would've come off as either forced, or worse, just a copy, and I didn't want that.

So yeah, what's coming next? Well, in case you didn't see my blog post, you're gonna have to wait a little bit for that. I'm going to be moving to a new place here in a few weeks, and as a result most of my time is going to be spent getting things ready for that. I plan to start writing Chapter 25 at the beginning of September, so if it goes the way I'm hoping it does, I'll likely get it done by late Sept-early Oct. We'll have to see on that one.

And then after Chapter 25, ho-ho, am I excited! Get ready for something a little different, readers, because after 25, we have THE INTERLUDE, where we follow Rainbow and Maud as they uncover the secrets of the Everhoof Cave.

I'm sure nothing interesting or pertinent to the story will happen there. Nope, not at all...