Chapter 68

3-9-15, 2:07 P.M.

Jeremy casually walked into the palace, swinging a backpack of supplies over his shoulder. He couldn’t wait to meet up with his wives – wait until they saw the surprise he had in store! He cheerfully greeted a day guard with a wave of the hand, and the guard looked at him in mock suspicion before returning the wave with an added salute.

As soon as he entered the throne room, Celestia noticed him – despite being a Monday, the castle was just about devoid of petitioners and nobles.

“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”

Jeremy gave her a secretive grin. “Oh! Did I accidentally forget to tell you that this week is Spring Break, and as such I have the entire week off? I’m sorry,” he replied, half-laughing.

Celestia looked at him in surprise for a moment, before a grin slowly made its way onto her own face. “Is that so…? In that case…” she trailed off, looking at him with an indulgent grin. She called over a day guard. “Please spread the word that I shall be in my chambers for some hours, and am absolutely not to be disturbed,” she informed the guard, who saluted and replied “It shall be done, your Majesty.” Celestia nodded, and gestured for Jeremy to follow her as she trotted off to her private quarters.

“So, we’ve determined that there are no major side effects for you when transforming, apart from passing out – which race would you like to be this time?” Celestia asked.

Jeremy thought – he had been a pegasus last time, so… “Why not a unicorn?” he asked.

Celestia laughed, and lit her horn. In the space of just a second from Jeremy’s perspective, everything went white – hopefully he’d remembered not to scream this time.

3-9-15, 7:07 P.M.

He woke up securely tucked into Celestia’s bed, the sky outside having darkened to night. Jeremy lifted up a coppery hoof, examining it – too bad he didn’t have a mirror handy. He jumped out of bed, forgetting that he was now a quadruped and attempting to stand on two hooves before falling over. Celestia, who had been reading a book, looked over as he attempted to pick himself up.

“Having problems?” she teased, and Jeremy bit back a retort as he finally remembered how to use hooves.

“Shush, you, if I remember correctly you were worse when you were a human,” Jeremy finally got out.

Celestia giggled. “You weren’t saying that when you were staring at my human flank,” she replied, and Jeremy blushed pink as she burst into laughter. Celestia marked her place in the book before trotting over, laying down, and pressing her body against his in an almost predatory manner. “So, my little pony, are you ready for another round?” she purred into his ear.

Jeremy grinned up at her. “I think the better question is, are you?” he shot back, and Celestia smiled before nipping him on the ear. Jeremy yelped as the pleasurable sensation shot down his spine, and Celestia giggled once more.

Luna walked in some minutes later to find the two of them laughing and slapping each other with the velvety pillows that had once securely been arranged on the bed. Her only reaction was a deep sigh, giving them an unamused look. “Dost thou not hath homework, Jeremy?” she pointed out, but her accusatory hoof was stopped short by Jeremy’s own mockingly waving one.

“Nope, but I do have an entire week off of school,” he informed her, winking.

Luna was openmouthed in surprise, before her expression shifted to a jubilant grin. “MOST JOYOUS DAY!” she exclaimed, the Royal Canterlot Voice making a vicious comeback on Jeremy’s eardrums. He cringed, and Celestia shot Luna a look, but Luna was having none of it. “An entire week! This is a most opportune happenstance – pray tell, why didst thou not inform us of this earlier?” Luna continued, a wide grin still on her muzzle.

“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Jeremy answered, still rubbing his ears to clear them of that awful ringing.

Sensing this, Luna lit her horn, and his hearing returned to normal as she looked at him apologetically. “We… really must stop using that inside,” she admitted sheepishly.

With that, they got right down to it as Celestia lifted him onto the bed. The sex was brief, and rushed: Jeremy sensed he wasn’t the only one getting tired of the constant attempts. By the time they had finished, though, the three of them were sweating and panting in both arousal and exhaustion, and they achingly lifted themselves off the bed to go wash their bodies off.

“So, I wonder if I can learn to use magic…” Jeremy mused as he was cleaned by Celestia, the latter frowning slightly in annoyance as she scrubbed at a particularly stubborn spot.

“Mayhap we should contact Twilight Sparkle, in hopes of tutoring thee,” Luna joked, and Jeremy snorted in amusement.

“That would require… explanations,” he pointed out, and Celestia looked at him.

“One would think any brony would be happy to go learn magic under Princess Twilight,” she added, and Jeremy repressed a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah. They’d also fall in love with every single one of the Elements of Harmony and wield the secret 7th Element, Overpoweredness,” Jeremy finished sarcastically.

He stopped as he reflected on how comparably, laughably strange his own situation was. Here he was, married to the two Princesses of Equestria and the Queen of all changelings, in the body of a unicorn, with a track record of heroic acts to his name and a bodycount in the hundreds. “…Huh,” Jeremy muttered under his breath.

Celestia, who had clearly been mentally listening in, giggled. “Quite,” was her only response.

With that, Luna decided to teach Jeremy the basics of magic, so they walked into her study. They started with levitation – Luna gestured to a sheet of paper on her bedside desk. “Now, concentrate. Close thine eyes, focus thine energy into thy horn, and attempt to lift the paper.” Jeremy did as asked, feeling as though he were exercising a muscle he’d only just grown. Which, in a sense, was true. There was the sound of magic being performed, and Jeremy opened his eyes only to witness the paper falling to the floor, having levitated some six feet up.

“Why’d it stop?” he asked.

“Thou stopped concentrating,” Luna replied. Jeremy gave a petulant frown, and Luna giggled. “Oh, tis’ just like teaching a child… We are getting in some good practice for later, hmm?” she teased, and Jeremy’s frown deepened.

“Yeah, well…” he responded, attempting to come up with a retort. When none came, he simply sighed, and Luna burst into laughter. Jeremy watched this for a few seconds, still unamused, but finally his stony expression began to crack, and he too joined in.

Some hours later, Celestia poked her head in. “I’m heading to bed, how’s it going?” she asked. Luna stopped what she had been explaining and turned around to stare at Celestia.

“I HATH FINISHED!” she proclaimed in a slightly quieter Royal Canterlot Voice, and for a moment all was silent. Then Jeremy doubled over laughing, and Celestia looked at Luna in shock before putting a hoof to her forehead.

“Blast it, I nearly forgot about that bet…” she groaned as she levitated over a sack of bits and began counting them out. Luna smugly accepted the bits, and Jeremy looked at her curiously.

“We placed a bit that thou would or wouldn’t laugh if we proclaimed that at a random time,” Luna explained, and Jeremy looked at her with a grin on his face.

“Really?” he asked, and Luna looked away, embarrassed. “Alright, out with it, what other bets do you have?” he asked, and Luna shook her head stubbornly.

“Nay! We cannot reveal the terms of the bet beforehoof, that would ruin it!”

Jeremy gave her a petulant glare. “Ugh… there better not be many more,” he grumbled.

3-12-15, 11:17 P.M.

Jeremy, Chrysalis and Celestia lay on a cocoon in the Hive, watching a Disney movie. So far, spring break had been uneventful – Jeremy had learned some more magic, the alicorns had kept trying to have children, and Chrysalis took care of her egg. Luna was currently out doing her duties, and also waiting on the results of her latest pregnancy test.

“Pegasus was clearly the real hero of this story,” Jeremy quipped as dramatic fight scenes played in the background.

“Is that really the legend of how pegasi came to be in your world?” Chrysalis asked, unimpressed.

Jeremy laughed. “Nah, this isn’t even close. I think the first Pegasus, according to Greek mythology, was actually a child of Poseidon and Medusa, along with some human guy named Chrysaor. Oh, and he was a rape child, because Greek gods were like that.”

Celestia cringed. “Are all the old legends that awful?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Yeah, I think so, if you look far enough. Still, important life lessons and all that.”

Chrysalis, meanwhile, was watching the screen. “Wow. For getting crushed by a column of marble, she’s in remarkably good shape,” she pointed out.

Jeremy chuckled. “It’s a kid’s movie, what’d you expect? Her ribcage collapsing in on itself, bones protruding outward as-“ Celestia smacked him with a hoof, and Jeremy gave her an indulgent grin as he fell silent.

“Too much information,” Celestia grumbled.

Jeremy merely smiled. “Ah well, at least we don’t have to see any of that.”

A few minutes later, the credits rolled, and Celestia smiled. “That was a good ending,” she remarked cheerfully.

“Any more movies you can think of?” Chrysalis asked, lazily reclining on her section of the cocoon.

“Nah, that’s all the really good ones,” Jeremy thought aloud, scrolling through the list on his account.

“Well, in that case, I think I’ll head off to bed,” Celestia replied, stifling a yawn while stretching out her wings. Jeremy nodded, and got up.

“I think I’ll join you,” he commented, and Chrysalis looked disappointed.

“What, so I’m going to be here by myself?” she demanded.

Jeremy looked at her curiously. “Didn’t know you felt like company. Mind if I sleep over here, then?” Chrysalis eagerly nodded.

Jeremy shrugged, and trotted back to join her on the cocoon. “We need to hang out more often. Or move the portal to Earth over here,” Chrysalis remarked.

Jeremy looked at her shrewdly. “Lonely?” he asked. Chrysalis huffed a sigh, and finally nodded.

“I feel like you’ve forgotten about me… in trying to get the others pregnant… like I matter less,” she falteringly explained.

Jeremy awkwardly swept her up into a hug, and planted a kiss on her cheek. “Hey, don’t say that. I love you just as much as them, even if I haven’t been… very good at showing that lately,” he replied.

Chrysalis gave a brief weak smile before returning to her prior unhappiness. “Yeah… I just worry sometimes, is all,” she mumbled.

Jeremy frowned in sympathy. “Well, how about this: Every time you feel like you’re being loved less than the others, come find me and I’ll fix that,” he answered.

Chrysalis considered this, and gave him a guilty smile. “I worry a lot, though…” she admitted.

Jeremy smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Like I said, come find me.”

Chrysalis looked at him in some surprise, then happily nodded. “I will.”

3-13-15, 10:54 A.M.

Jeremy hopped out of the cocoon only to find that Chrysalis had already left. Shrugging, he clumsily dried himself off with a nearby towel – Chrysalis began stocking these soon after she learned that ponies and humans, unlike changelings, did not enjoy feeling slimy – and made his way out into the main atrium cavern of the hive.

Changelings were hard at work doing absolutely nothing, lounging around the hive as they pleased. One lazily lifted its head up to stare as he passed by, and Jeremy returned the glance. “Slow day?” he asked, and the drone nodded. Jeremy gave a sympathetic hum in response, and continued on his way.

He found Chrysalis in the nursery, speaking with Luna as they watched the queen egg. As soon as Luna saw him, she stopped speaking and tackled him to the ground, kissing him merrily. Jeremy spluttered as he tried to get out from under her, but Luna was having none of it.

“Ach – what – what’s this all about?” Jeremy got out as Luna continued her assault.

Luna pulled him into a ribcage-crushing hug, and was about to shout out her joy when a look from Chrysalis stopped her. “Right. Anyway… It worked!” she announced, and Jeremy’s face lit up as though she’d just announced there would be approximately seven Christmases.

“Really?! All right!” he cheered.

They danced around the nursery cave in joy, and Chrysalis looked on with a small smile. “Colt, or filly?” she asked.

Luna smiled. “Colt,” she announced. “Shall we begin thinking of names?” Jeremy nodded – he always had wondered just how pony parents came up with such eerily accurate names for their children.

An hour later, he was less curious as to the process and more frustrated as to when it would finish. They had gone through multiple names, but none of them had seemed right, somehow.

“Prince Cobalt?” Jeremy asked.

Chrysalis shook her head, even going so far as to stick out her tongue. “Unless he’s bright blue, I don’t think that’ll work.” Jeremy grumbled, and went back to thinking.

“Prince… ugh, this is too difficult,” Luna groaned.

“How does this work, anyway? Are we supposed to just guess what our kid’s special talent will be?” Jeremy asked.

Luna shrugged. “We have never had a child of our own, but we have heard that the answer to that question typically comes in the form of some sort of vision or other such fateful occurrence. The more influential the fate of that pony, the stronger destiny’s suggestion will be.”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow, smirking. “So, one of us is going to have some sort of epiphany if we just keep thinking about it?” he clarified, and Luna nodded. Jeremy mentally shrugged – it was as good a method as any, though not very scientific. Then he inwardly snorted – this wasn’t one of his experiments, or replicated weapons, this was his child. It didn’t need to be scientific.

Just then, Jeremy’s vision faded out. “What the…?” he exclaimed in surprise as an impossible variety of images flashed by – metal and plastic bars being levitated and melted, space twisting in on itself as a copper-colored alicorn surveyed a stunning variety of projects. The images faded from view, and slowly he came back to reality to find Luna and Chrysalis staring at him.

“Well, that is most probably our vision… Dost thou have a name for him, then?” Luna inquired.

“Yeah…” Jeremy breathed. “Not sure if you’ll like it, but here it is: Prince Miracle Matter.”

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