“For what?” The other mare looked back questioningly.

“For everything. For being so understanding and supportive and... not freaking out.” Twilight turned away sheepishly. “And for calming me down when I started freaking out.” Her blush intensified. “Twice.”

Cadance gave a knowing smile, and inhaled deeply as she drew a hoof to her chest. Twilight copied her actions. The alicorn then exhaled, extending her foreleg outwards. Again, Twilight mimicked her. The technique was surprisingly effective, and its repeated application had reduced the roiling storm of nightmarish fears and doubts that had been threatening to knock her off her hooves to a relatively gentle shower of contemplative worry.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

The pink mare’s brows furrowed. “No, Twilight. I told you; I don’t want to hear that again. You have nothing to be sorry for because you did nothing wrong.”

“I did something wrong,” Twilight insisted. “I’m pregnant with my own brother’s foal! That wasn’t supposed to happen! I still don’t know what went wrong. Maybe I didn’t cast the spell properly or there was something we missed, and now I’m pregnant and he’s your husband...” She paused, catching herself to ensure that Cadance would not be forced to intervene a third time that night. “...and it’s not supposed to be your problem,” she finished weakly.

Cadance shook her head. “

“Twilight, I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

When one of my best friends, my sister, is confused and upset, that makes it my problem. Always.”

Cadance shook her head. “You’re wrong. I didn’t just allow you and ShiningI approved of your relationship with Shining Armor and I knew the risks as well as you. I accepted that something unexpected might happen and that we’d have to deal with it – all three of us. That hasn’t changed. He’s my husband. You’re my friend, my sister, and I care about you both. You and Shining – and the baby – have my full support.”

The purple pony’s world began to wobble from an unexpected influx of liquid pooling between her eyelids.

Taboo love has its risks, but we all agreed that the risks were worth it. That hasn’t changed. We all knew this might happen

The stallion gave the tiniest hint of a nod, but remained in a silent, contemplative stare.

“This isn’t supposed to be your problem. Shining and I did this and you shouldn’t– ”

Cadance shook her head. “Twilight, you don’t need to thank me. I didn’t do anything...”

“But you did!” the unicorn insisted. “You are! You let Shining and me keep up this whole incest thing even though you didn’t have to. You trusted us not to do anything stupid, and look what happened! I still don’t know what went wrong. Maybe I didn’t cast the spell properly or there was something we missed, and I’m pregnant and he’s your husband and it’s not supposed to be your problem. Shining and I did this; you... you shouldn’t have to deal with it and you’re being so kind and understanding and I don’t deserve it–”

“No!” Cadance interrupted, drilling into the unicorn with determined eyes. “Don’t, Twilight, just...” She sighed, turning away momentarily. “Don’t think like that. Please.” Her plea had a tone of urgency. “I didn’t just allow you and Shining to have sex... I encouraged it. And my reasons weren’t completely selfless, either.” She turned back to face the unicorn with a fresh, though subtle, smile. “I have my own deviances; I never hid that from you. Just thinking about you two together... it was always something so incredibly beautiful to me. A forbidden relationship, flowering against all odds... I wanted you two to stay close. So don’t even think about feeling guilty towards me. As far as I’m concerned, you did nothing wrong. You and Shine – and the baby – have my full and absolute support.”

She took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, her smile settling in once again.

“Twilight, I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

“You know,” the purple mare noted, “a lot of ponies in your position wouldn’t be taking this whole thing so well.”

“You mean the fact that my husband impregnated my own sister-in-law?” Cadance chuckled. “Luckily for us, we are not ‘most ponies’. We get to define our relationship for ourselves. It doesn’t matter what anypony else would think. All that matters is us.”

Twilight cast her eyes down. More than anything, she wanted to throw herself at the pink mare and be instantly wrapped in all the affection and acceptance the young princess represented; to hear her say that she would always be there for her, and that they would all get through this together.

Instead, she held back. How could it be fair to Cadance to involve her with... all of this mess? Twilight and her brother had gone dangerously far outside the rules and protections of proper society, and it was right that they should face the repercussions. Cadance, on the other hoof, had not earned herself any part of the burden the two siblings now shared.

“Don’t even think about feeling guilty towards me,” the alicorn warned, easily anticipating Twilight’s train of thought. “Remember, I approved of what you and Shining were doing, and I knew all the possible consequences as well as you. As far as I’m concerned, you did nothing wrong. You and Shine – and the baby – have my full support.”

The purple pony’s world began to wobble from an unexpected influx of liquid pooling between her eyelids.

“Twilight, I love you. Don’t ever forget that.”

It was amazing how those simple words could supersede all the cogent and logical arguments that had preceded them.

And it was amazing how a simple action could supersede words altogether.

When Cadance’s lips pressed against Twilight’s, all remaining shreds of doubt in her mind vanished. She didn’t resist the urge this time, and grasped the other mare’s body tightly, as if she could merge herself with the larger pony. By all rights, the dam holding back her tears should have burst at that instant, but there was something inexplicable about Cadance that had always had the opposite effect on the unicorn. From the time she was a little filly, Twilight simply couldn’t cry if her foalsitter was holding her.

“I love you, Cadance,” she said when the kiss finally ended. Her grip loosened, but did not release completely – and the alicorn gave no indication that she wanted it to. Cadance lay herself down beside the younger pony, and the two gazed into each other’s eyes, an increasingly mischievous glint reflecting between them as they silently counted out the seconds.

When at last they came to wordless agreement that the poor stallion had suffered long enough, they spoke in unison.

“And you too, Shine.”

The white pony grunted out a displeased acknowledgement before throwing himself tactlessly down behind the smirking Twilight. His usual irritation at the mares’ long-worn-out ‘joke’ evaporated within just a few seconds, and he gently turned onto his side to spoon his sister, resting his chin on top of her head.

“I love you both,” he said after a pause. “Twiley, you know I’ll do anything. No matter what it takes, I’ll be there for you, and for our daughter. Just tell me what you need.” He kissed softly at the base of her horn.

His eyes then locked on his wife in silent understanding. “Cadance... I don’t have words to tell you how amazing you are.”

Twilight said much the same thing by look alone.

With a mix of affection and amusement, Cadance watched the pair. “I try,” she stated with a playful smugness, then followed it with more sober declaration. “And I promise to be the most amazing aunt any filly ever had.”

Twilight’s brows knit together. “Her aunt?”

“Yes. Wouldn’t I be?”

“I suppose...” After brief consideration, the young unicorn’s face brightened with the glow of a fresh idea. “But how about... godmother?”

Immediately, she felt the princess pony squeeze her tighter and closer. “Oh, Twilight, of course!” a voice wobbling with unbridled joy whispered in her ear.

In that moment, the mother-to-be recognised her previous mistake. She had had it completely backwards: Until now, she had thought that doing right by Cadance meant keeping her protected from the situation and its consequences; whether consciously or not, she had been holding her at a distance.

But it was all so clear now. Being fair to Cadance meant getting her more involved; keeping her closer. The first step had been taken purely by accident, but the path was unquestionably the right one. The winged mare’s every touch and every look was confirmation.

Another layer of confusion peeled itself away from Twilight’s mind. There were probably still a few more to go, but for now, she relaxed and reveled in the warm, snug embrace of two ponies who loved her.

Safe, comforting, and warm...

Maybe a bit too warm, though.

“Uh, guys? It’s getting a little toasty in here...”

They released, spreading apart on the bed and granting the unicorn some much-needed breathing room. The three stared idly at the ceiling, spending a few minutes bathing in a pleasurable tranquility.

“How did we end up this way?” Twilight suddenly questioned. “Our relationship, I mean. It’s kinda complicated.”

She prodded the alicorn beside her when several seconds had passed without answer.

“Oh! You want me to explain it?” Cadance asked with a faux-innocent grin. “Let’s see... When I was your foalsitter, I got the hots for your brother, so I decided to seduce him, which turned out to be very easy. I mean, I didn’t even have to do anything. I had him eating out of my hoof the moment he first looked me. I got him to marry me, and that was okay, but I figured I was aiming too low – I mean, a Captain of the Royal Guard? I was a Princess; I could do better. So I decided to seduce you, too. That turned out to be even easier.” She sighed in theatrical disappointment. “You weren’t much of a challenge, Twilight. You’re the personal protégé of Princess Celestia and you let me ravish you without a second thought. I was very disappointed in you. There’s no denying it; you’re easy.”

The purple unicorn covered her mouth to smother her uncontrolled giggling.

“And as for you and Shining,” Cadance continued, “you two were deviants before I ever got to you. I can’t even be blamed for all the incest. And as I understand it, you were the one who started it.” She clicked her tongue disapprovingly. “Very naughty. Both of you.” She smirked. “So, now the three of us are together and you’re having a baby. Does that answer your question?”

The unicorn shook her head, still grinning. “No! Not until you give me a serious answer!” She poked the pink princess again.

Cadance curled away from the assault on her ribs, emitting a sound halfway between a yelp and a laugh before collecting herself. “‘Serious’...?” The young alicorn’s brows furrowed. She rolled onto her side, propping her cheek onto one hoof. Her eyes scanned over Twilight’s pregnant form, seemingly taking some kind of inspiration from the sight. The alicorn’s aspect had turned distant and contemplative, though a tiny smile was still in residence on her muzzle. “Aunt Celestia controls the rising and setting of the sun,” she began at last. “Aunt Luna controls the moon and the stars. They use their magic to do it.”

Twilight’s own smile vanished, to be replaced by befuddlement. She had no idea why Cadance had suddenly begun talking about Celestia and Luna. Nevertheless, she offered her sister-in-law her full attention.

“Control of the sky is something my aunts are destined to do. It’s their talent; their duty. Because of that, they do it better than anypony else ever could. A group of unicorns working together may be able to raise the sun, but they could never do it with the precision and grace that Celestia puts into it. And Luna... do you think there is a single astronomer alive who knows as much about the planets and constellations as she does?”

Twilight’s head swivelled side-to-side to give the obvious answer.

“The sun and moon are incredibly important. Day and night. Life in Equestria couldn’t go on without them. The seasons, the tides, the crops and the harvests. Even the female equine’s estrus cycle is controlled by the length of the days. I admire my aunts for what they’re able to do. Even with their talents, it can’t be easy to keep something so crucial running perfectly smoothly all the time.”

Twilight nodded in agreement, though she was even more uncertain than before where this line of conversation was headed.

“But the sun, the moon, the stars... more than anything, do you know what they are?”

The young unicorn found that she didn’t. The question needed to be more specific. She shook her head again.

“Predictable.” Cadance looked severely at her. “In the end, as long as everything is fine, the sky is perfectly predictable. Sunrise and sunset always occur at specific times, and they’re known centuries in advance; Celestia has never broken her schedule. The same goes for the tides, because the moon’s orbit is predetermined by Luna. Every constellation in the sky has been mapped and named. Even meteor showers are forecast long in advance. The only time something truly unexpected happens if is something goes terribly wrong.”

“Right.” Twilight thought on those instances when things had gone wrong. “Nightmare Moon. Discord.”

“Exactly. The natural state of the sky is ordered; controlled; known. So, if you ever ask my aunts about what they do, they’ll be able to tell you everything, down to the last detail, with perfect precision.” Cadance’s smile returned. “But you didn’t ask them; you asked me, because I know about love... and I can tell you...

“Love’s not like that: Love is unpredictable. It’s not completely random; it usually follows certain patterns, and it may be more or less likely in certain circumstances... but in the end, love can’t be predicted and it can’t be controlled – not even by me. Do you understand, Twilight? I can’t control the very thing I’m supposed to be an expert at. I’m not like aunt Celestia or Luna. Even my magic can’t create love; it can only reveal love that has been hidden or forgotten.

“If you point at any two ponies and ask me if they will fall in love, I can give you an answer, and I’ll be right nine times out of ten – but it’s that one-in-ten that makes things interesting, and it’s something that I’ll never be able to understand completely.” Cadance sighed dreamily. “That’s the beauty of it. That’s the magic of love: Whenever you think you have it figured out, it can still take you by surprise.”

Twilight processed the explanation slowly. It made sense. Astronomy was one of her own pastimes, and the certainty that came with studying one of the ‘hard’ sciences was profoundly satisfying to the unicorn; it have her a feeling of order and comfort, and a sense that the world around her could be navigated safely if one only had the requisite knowledge.

Her studies of romance, on the other hoof, had ended with frustration and defeat. Faced with something that couldn’t be organised or quantified – at least not fully – but still affected ponies’ lives so profoundly, made her feel incompetent and helpless. Her empirical experiences were all the more confusing; her relationships with her own brother and, later, her own ex-caretaker were intensely rewarding but infuriatingly hard to define – not to mention that they broke a spectrum of serious taboos.

Much like her friend’s Pinkie Sense, Twilight had resolved to simply accept the whole jumble as a fact of life, and relegate its study to some undefined point in the future. She had always assumed that love was just a more complicated topic, and given enough skill and information it could be made to conform to the same kinds of strict laws as did physics or functional magic – and that the pony whose special talent was love itself would surely be capable of that.

But here she was being told the exact opposite.

“You asked me how we ended up this way,” Cadance carried on after a small break. “I know part of the answer, and that’s simply that the three of us have been building toward this relationship since we first met; learning about each other, developing trust and respect, sharing common interests, becoming friends. You and Shine started even earlier, probably from the day you were born... and maybe even before that.”

Twilight instinctively turned toward Shining Armor, who shrugged back at her. “I had no problems feeling you kicking, Twiley,” he admitted as he placed a forehoof on her belly. “I always knew you’d be special to me.” The stallion’s powerful blue eyes shimmered. “I just had no idea how much.”

The smaller unicorn looked back to Cadance. “So, you’re saying... we’re the one-in-ten you couldn’t predict?”

The princess snickered. “One-in-ten? Try one-in-a-million. But that’s love. The unexpected isn’t wrong. Some of the most intense and rewarding relationships I’ve seen came as a total surprise to everypony.

“Just look at you two. Brothers and sisters love each other, but rarely do they express that love with physical intimacy the way you do. The Westermare Effect says that you should feel sexual indifference or even revulsion when looking at each other, because you grew up together. But you don’t. You want each other, even when society and biology says you shouldn’t, and it’s made you happier; brought you closer.

“Look at me. Should I be outraged that my husband not only slept with another mare, but got her pregnant? Should I feel hurt and jealous when he spends time with you? A lot of ponies would say I should, but I don’t. I love you both. I’m absolutely thrilled that you can make each other happy, and I don’t want to do anything to break that bond.”

The princess pony took a moment to brush her hoof against the smaller mare’s cheek.

“And you, Twilight, do you ever feel jealous that I took your brother away from you?”

A small blush crept back onto the purple pony’s face. “I sorta did... for while.” She recalled the poisonous emotions she had felt just before her brother’s wedding, and the way they had not dissipated completely even after the changeling fiasco had revealed the real Cadance to be a more-than-worthy partner for Shining Armor. Though she had been happy for the newlyweds, repressed jealousy had been her companion for some time afterward, and thoughts of what the pair had done on their wedding night had been like needles being driven into her heart.

“Not anymore, though,” she declared with complete honesty.

“Exactly. You got over it – which is not an easy thing to do for somepony in your position. I did sense the way you felt about me, and I wanted so badly for you to fully accept me and Shining being together. I thought that if I just gave you enough time and freedom, you’d come around. And you did. But when you decided to... kiss me...” The alicorn’s eyelids lowered suggestively. “...with him watching... it went beyond my greatest hopes for us.”

Twilight felt her face getting redder – a situation not helped in the slightest by Shining Armor interjecting.

“I remember that,” the stallion commented blithely. “Are we talking about when Twilight kissed you on the lips, or when she kissed your– Oooowwww!” He hissed from the impact of an unrestrained hoof bucking into his flank.

“She means the kiss on the lips,” Twilight quickly announced.

Once Cadance had recomposed from a short snicker, she summarised her lecture. “We ended up together because despite every rule against it, and despite all the mistakes we made along the way – all of us – we work.”

The purple pony nodded. Then she squinted suspiciously. “So, you never planned for any of this to happen?”

The alicorn shook her head. “No. Played it completely by ear.” She flopped her own pink ears to emphasize her point.

Twilight couldn’t resist devolving into a giggle of her own at the sight. “So you really didn’t do anything to set the three of us up together like this?”

“Well...” Cadance looked aside in thought. “I did do one thing, but only once I realised what was happening...”

“And that was...?”

The young princess’ irises connected with Twilight’s. “...I convinced you that it was possible.”

There was a pause, and then the two mares kissed, both covering half the distance between them in perfect mutuality. It was easy and casual, lasted as long as a single, relaxed breath, and left the participants half-lying inches apart.

“A lot of ponies call me the Princess of Love,” Cadance explained. “I’m not sure I deserve that title. But if I’m supposed to be in charge of love itself, then what means is... for me, every day is a surprise.” She pecked Twilight’s lips again. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Her hoof traced from the smiling unicorn’s cheek, over her neck and chest, finally coming to rest on her protruding navel.

“That’s what she is, Twilight,” Cadance suddenly declared. “A surprise, not a mistake. Nopony who is loved is a mistake. And she will be loved.”

Twilight breathed in the soothing words, her purple hoof meeting the pink one on her belly. “I know,” she replied, her eyes glistening afresh. “But, didn’t you just say that love is unpredictable...?”

“Some things are certain,” the alicorn stated with a flourishing grin. “You can consider it a guarantee... from the Princess of Love.”

The purple pony sighed and wondered how her foalsitter had developed her inexplicable ability to make the ponies around her happy even in the most trying of times. Maybe her skills in nurturing love naturally suffused into the related emotion of joy.

Or maybe it just came with the pink coat.

She collapsed onto her back once again, and found the other pony on the bed had crept closer during her conversation, and now took opportunity of the diminished distance to plant a kiss of his own near Twilight’s neck. Shining Armor couldn’t really match Cadance for wit or wisdom, but at this point his not-insignificant contribution to Twilight’s mood was most welcome.

“So what do I do now?” Twilight asked the question she had been withholding for far too long.

“That’s completely up to you,” Cadance replied. “She’s your daughter.”

“And Shining’s.”

, and I know Shine agrees with me; you get to make all the decisions.”

“The only ponies whose opinions matter to me are all in this room. I don’t care what anypony else thinks. I told you I was willing to marry you. I still am.”

She knew he was. She also knew it could be done.

Bigamy, though somewhat unusual, was legal under Equestrian law. Marriage between siblings wasn’t, of course, but it was possible to obtain special dispensation some cases. Shining Armor had already made it profoundly clear that he was prepared to go before Celestia herself and beg her to grant it. With the very pregnant Twilight adding her own voice, and Cadance in full support, it was in effect certain that a legal union could be arranged – though it bore the definite risk of exhausting all the goodwill and favour the Princess held for the three ponies; Twilight still wasn’t sure how well her mentor would take the news.

Marriage was definitely an option. But if Twilight and Shining Armor wed, there would be no hiding this. The cost of legitimacy was exposure.

‘It would be nice,’ she thought, ‘to have a proper name to call her – even if I won’t be strictly necessary for four-and-a-half-months.’

“What else should I be thinking – uh, feeling – about?”

The pink mare took a moment, then lifted her head to look over at her husband, who, all through this discussion, had been sitting at the edge of the bed, listening without making a single peep. Though Cadance had earlier kissed away the worst of the stallion’s doubt and fear, and even got him to laugh once or twice, a visible layer of anxiety still clung to him. It was something Twilight could certainly understand.

Then Cadance asked the question, “Do you want Shining to come live with you?”

“Wh– what?!” Twilight recoiled and flailed her hooves in an incomplete attempt to rise. She ended up with her upper body supported by her forelegs, and her hindquarters in an odd side-sit on the bed.

Shining Armor, for his part, hadn’t moved a muscle – except for those around his eyes, which had shot wide open in surprise.

“Shining Armor’s your husband! He can’t just come live with me!” Twilight protested, her sight flitting between the two ponies.

“Yes, he is. And yes, he can.” Cadance looked severely at the stallion.

The stallion looked back, tensed and attentive.

“Shine. What are you willing to do for Twilight and the baby?”

Shining Armor opened his mouth and produced no sound. He tried again with identical result. His wife tilted her head expectantly, and tapped her chest. The message was clear: ‘Speak from your heart.’

At last, the he found his voice. “A– anything. Twilight, I’ll do anything. If you need me to help you, I’ll take care of you, with everything I have. If– if you need me to be a father to our foal, I’ll do that. I can be a good father. I swear. I’ll live with you. I’ll even marry you. I will... if that’s what you want. I’ll beg Celestia to let us. Or, if you just want me to help out with the baby, or just visit or– or if you want me to just keep quiet and pretend like nothing’s changed, then I’ll do that, too, and nopony will ever know... I just want to help, Twilight. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll do it. For our daughter. For you. I’ll do anything for you...” Tears glistened in his eyes as he finished.

Twilight was too stunned to speak. She turned to Cadance, whose eyebrow had lifted at the short-but-impassioned pitch.

“Wow... That is the right answer,” she confirmed. “Though you didn’t have to be so... melodramatic.”

“...Sorry.”

And there it was. Her reason finally caught up, and she was able to verbalise it:

“I wouldn’t want to be a third wheel.”

She made it to number six on her mental checklist of things needed to care for a foal before she realised that she should be making a checklist of things she needed to do to get ready for actually giving birth. That was before she realised she really needed a quill, ink, and some parchment to actually record this list, as the chances of remembering everything in the morning were slim.

She gave up. She was simply too tired to get out of bed, to write that much, and it certainly didn’t seem appropriate to rope either Cadance or Shining Armor into being her late-night scribe.

The poor unicorn reached a breaking point – though, fortunately, it was a fairly benign one. Exhausted after several rides on an unlicensed emotional rollercoaster and no longer capable of cataloguing all the focal points that demanded her attention – much less actually choosing one to focus on – Twilight’s confusion collapsed in on itself to form an amusing ball of pleasant giddiness.

She chortled. “You know, marrying a princess would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it? Would I get to be a princess, too, if I married you?”

“Well, I’m pretty sure you’d get the title, but I don’t think that’s what–”

“Oh, and a tiara! I never understood why you like tiaras so much, but I guess they’re pretty nice. Do you think I’d look good with a tiara?”

“Um, Twilight?” Cadance asked, concern palpable in her voice. “Are you feeling okay?”

The younger mare waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry, I’m not really crazy. Just... happy.”

The other mare was unconvinced.

“OH, don’t w

“Oh, Cadance, I love you, but I’m not going to marry you. Sorry. I guess I always thought of you as more like a big sister.” Twilight’s body convulsed in sudden laughter. “Which mean I must really, really, like incest

His hoof ran down her side, down to her pregnant belly. He showed no surprise in finding Cadance’s hoof already there. F – f