"I swear, this foal is going to end up being a kick-boxer," Cadance moaned, clutching her gravid belly. After a particularly aggressive kick, her belly rumbled and it felt like her inside were on fire. "Or a dragon!" she cried. "Get this foal out of me already!"

"I'm trying!" Shining said. Cadance was a mare well past her due date and it showed. But it didn't deter her husband from loving every extra inch of her. It was well known that sex was a good way to induce labor. And damned if he hadn't been trying just as much as he could. At first he was nervous about hurting the foal. But with the green light from the doctor, he let himself be free to fuck her as vigorously and as often as he could manage. The exceptionally horny mare was loving it. But now, Shining was doing his best just to stay hydrated.

"Come on," Cadance pleaded. "Sixth time's a charm!"

"Cadie, please!" he whimpered. "We've been trying all night. It's almost dawn. I'm tired. I'm- it's chaffed! Can't we just try to get some rest and try again after a good sleep?"

"Fine," Cadance groaned. "Can you at least give it a kiss goodnight?" she asked.

"Sure," he said. Even if his penis was chaffed, he could still get down there and please her where her hooves could no longer reach. He had to admit, while she was pregnant, her pussy had a very distinct flavor that was different from her usual. It was less tart and bitter. Almost sweet and more mild. Perhaps affected by her indulgence in a sweeter diet to sate her pregnancy cravings. He wouldn't say that he preferred her pregnant pussy's flavor. At least, he wouldn't say it out loud to her once she was done being pregnant.

Cadance shifted and squirmed on the bed. He was doing a good job of pleasing her. But more so, it was nearly impossible for her to find a comfortable position in which to lay. She had been so excited about having a foal. But the concept had long lost its novelty to her and she only wanted to be free of this enormous mass in her belly.

Shining quietly delighted in her maternal body. Especially her teats. Once no more than a pair of tiny nipples hidden in the fur of her belly, now swollen full, and heavy with milk for the coming foal. She didn't even need to ask him to help her relieve the ache. He happily drank unprompted from each one in turn, draining both of them of her delicious, life-giving milk.

Onto the main course, his head dipped lower, licking and kissing her swollen pussy. It wasn't his goal to bring her to an earth-shattering orgasm. Just to give her enough pleasure to counter the generalized ache of carrying a foal. Cadance's gentle coos and moans were indication that he was doing well in the task. Cadance adjusted herself a bit and flopped onto her pillow again, causing a bit of dust.

She sneezed.

Shining had gotten his wife to squirt before, but his face got a deluge of liquid that drenched his entire mane. He stood up, dripping wet, and looked at her. She wasn't lost in the ecstasy of orgasm. She just looked back at him with worried eyes.

"I think my water broke," she said.

"Ya think!?" he said, wiping off his face.

"The scroll!" Cadance said.

There was a scroll that Celestia had given them on the desk beside the bonsai tree. After Cadance and Celestia had patched things up between them from the train station, they each realized that their respective behaviors were unbecoming of ponies of their station. Celestia did make subsequent visits to check in on things during Cadance's pregnancy, but she did give them space as promised, with one request: The scroll. Celestia gave them an enchanted scroll and only asked that Cadance always keep it close and break it if anything ever went wrong, or for when the time had finally come.

And the time had come.

Shining grabbed the scroll and broke open the seal. It fell out of his hooves. Several things happened very quickly.

The world around them lurched as an arcane hole was torn open. It sounded like a bed sheet being ripped in half. A sleeping Celestia appeared in the room in a bright flash. A white cloud of alchemy powder appeared in front of her and smacked into her face. Her sleeping mask vanished and her eyes shot open, her pupils grew until the color of her irises became a barely-visible sliver of a ring around deep pools of black. Her body righted itself in mid-air from her reclined sleeping position to flipping over. Her peytral and crown appeared upon her and she landed on all fours into her golden horse shoes before the two halves of the scroll seal even hit the floor.

"The best part of waking up!" Celestia shouted. Luna appeared beside her and crashed onto the floor in a heap.

"Tia! What the fuck!" Luna yelled. She orientated herself and focused her eyes. Cadance panting on the bed. Shining Armor drenched. Celestia with her powdered nose. "Oh shit, here we go..."

"Here we go!" Celestia said, donning a face mask and hoof gloves, giving a set to everypony in the room that wasn't currently giving birth.

"I'll get the rest of the nurses and message Kibitz to let him know we're in the Crystal Empire," Luna said, excusing herself.

"HNNG!" Cadance groaned as her contractions started. "Yup! The foal's definitely coming!" she growled. The bed frame began to shake and and creak.

"Shining, the ring!" Celestia said. Shining grabbed the arcane inhibition ring from the nightstand and put it on Cadance's horn. He had been thoroughly warned about the dangers of a birthing unicorn. To say nothing of what an alicorn could do. "Thank you Shining. It's a lovely palace. I would have hated to see it disintegrated."

Luna returned with the team of nurses and midwives.

"I messaged Canterlot. Kibitz knows we're going to be here for a while, and I lowered the moon," Luna said.

"Okay," Celestia replied, not even looking at her.

"And I lowered the moon," Luna repeated louder.

"Okay," Celestia replied.

"So it might be a good time to raise the SUN?" Luna suggested.

"Right. Got it," Celestia trotted out to the suite balcony and brought forth the dawn.

"You're welcome," Luna muttered. Celestia trotted back inside and resumed tending to Cadance.

"Shining, as we rehearsed!" Celestia said. Shining took his place by his wife's side to hold her hoof. "The gauntlet, Shining! If you value the bones in your hoof!"

Unsure of what a foaling alicorn was capable of, the Canterlot engineers in Celestia's lab cooked up a special piece of armor. A hoof gauntlet forged from bizarre materials that Shining had never even heard of before. An enchanted alloy of adamantium and vibranium, and hailed as indestructible. He put it on and held Cadance's hoof. Her next contraction struck as she began going into labor in earnest.

Dr. Celestia parted Cadance's birthing canal with her magic and peered inside by the illumination. "You're fully dilated. On the next contraction, start pushing."

The next hour was filled with shouts between the birthing staff, commands from princesses, screams from a foaling mare.

A blast of magic erupted from Cadance's vagina, striking Celestia in the chest. It incinerated a hole through her medical smock and was absorbed by the protective wards in her peytral.

"ACTIVE FOAL!" Celestia shouted. "Keep clear!"

"Well that explains the heartburn!" Cadance wheezed between contractions.

An 'Active Foal' was code for a newborn unicorn uncontrollably casting raw magic before, during, and for a short while after, being born. It was rare but dangerous. A newborn's horn was still developing and an arcane inhibition ring could damage it, leaving the foal magically impotent. It was up to everypony else to simply be on guard. Directly in the line of fire, Celestia redoubled the wards on her peytral while the nursing staff did the same to the walls. The head appeared.

"The foal is crowning," Celestia said. "You're almost there! Just a few more pushes!" Cadance groaned and screamed. Shining could hear the metallic groans of his gauntlet getting squeezed like a diving vessel at crush depth.

The horn came first, and of no surprise. Another push, then the rest of the head. Celestia cradled the precious baby's head in her hooves as it emerged. She hoped and prayed.

Please.

Another push and Celestia moved her other hoof under the foal's back. There, pinned against her back, she felt them.

Yes! Wings! It's an alicorn!

Celestia was euphoric. Just a bit more.

"One last push Cadance!" Celestia coached.

Please!

The lower half of the foal emerged.

"It's a colt!" Shining said as he looked on, swelling with pride. "And WHAT a colt!"

"That's the umbilical cord," Celestia said. "It's a filly." Behind her face mask, her smile faltered. But she didn't let it show in her eyes.

"A filly!" Cadance breathed, exhausted, but delighted.

"A little girl!" Shining squealed.

Celestia quickly toweled cleaned the foal and wrapped her in a clean blanket.

"Would the father like the honors?" Celestia asked, levitating the umbilical cord. Shining took the surgical sheers in his magic and cut the cord. She carefully passed the filly to her mother.

"Point away from face," Celestia said, putting her in Cadance's hooves. Cadance looked at the tiny foal and smiled.

"Hey you," Cadance said. "Welcome to the world."

"Can we get this off of me now?" Shining asked, extending his hoof with the gauntlet crimped onto his wrist. The foal hiccuped and a bolt of magic ricocheted off of his armored hoof and deflected into the absorbent ward in the wall. Shining moved his hoof out of the line of fire. Celestia teleported the gauntlet off of his relatively unharmed hoof. "Well at least now that the foal is born, the hard part is over," Shining said. Everypony just stared at him. "Right?"

Some time later, Cadance felt another contraction.

"What is it? Twins?" Shining asked. Cadance and Celestia both rolled their eyes. Unlike him, they knew what to expect when one was expecting.

"Yeah Shiny," Cadance said. "Why don't you go ahead and deliver this one?"

Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire,
former Captain of the Royal Guard,
and stallion husband to Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,
did then on that day,
witness what came
after the birth.

The horror

The horror

~

Screaming.

Crying.

And a crash-course in reproductive anatomy later:

"I can't believe nopony told me about that," Shining wheezed.

"I can't believe you didn't know about the placenta," Celestia said, shaking her head.

"I can't believe you actually thought it was a foal that you messed up by having sex too hard and you 'scrambled my eggs'," Cadance said, trying hard not to laugh at him again.

"I can't believe you cried so much," Luna said, smirking shamelessly.

"I honestly thought that I killed my son! Ohhhh! Oh my gosh! There is not enough alcohol and therapy in the world to unsee that," Shining groaned.

"Well at least most of your vomit made it into the trash can," Celestia said. Once all the excitement had passed and the nursing staff left, all that was left in the room was royalty.

"Now that everypony else is gone, there's something you need to know," Celestia said. Her magic glowed, pulling open the blanket around the foal. The tiny filly's wings sprang open.

"Wings and a horn?" Shining said.

"The foal is an alicorn!?" Cadance said.

"The first natural born alicorn in millennia," Celestia said.

"What does it mean?" Shining asked.

"It means that she has wings and a horn," Celestia said. "She can presumably fly and use magic. It means that Cadance is capable of having alicorn foals. Beyond that..." Celestia shrugged. "Any other higher meaning derived is entirely speculative. An alicorn giving birth to an alicorn shouldn't be that surprising. There is a first time for everything. Even this." Celestia said, disrobing out of her puke-stained smock. "Now then, it has been a crazy morning. Those of us who still have an appetite, let's have breakfast. And then I'll send out the invitations for tomorrow's Crystalling." She looked at Shining. "Could the new father interview the honor guards, choose the Purity Crystal, and pick a Crystaller by then?" she asked.

"No problem!" Shining said.

Shining Armor waited at the train station for his sister to arrive. He was exhausted and barely able to stand. He heard a commotion behind him. He turned just in time to see the assassin leap over the crowd with the dagger. Shining tried to put up a shield, but his magic was too weak from him being so tired. He couldn't stop the assassin from plunging the blade deep into his heart.

Shining opened his eyes. The baby was crying again. The clock next to him said it was just after three in the morning. He had been asleep for all of twenty minutes. For a minute he just laid there next to his wife as they both stared up at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.

"I had the most wonderful dream where I died," Shining said.

"Oh no you don't!" Cadance said. "Not until she's graduated from Magic College and married off!"

"And then we can die?" he asked.

"Yes Shining. Then we get to die," she groaned. "But for now, can you just bring her over to me?"

Shining climbed back out of bed for the dozenth time that night and lifted the filly from the crib. Her diaper was clean. He carried her to the bed to lay with Cadance and suckle. He leaned over to suck on the other one. Cadance slapped him away.

"Those aren't yours no more," she said. He groaned and laid back down while he waited for their daughter to finish one and then moving to the other until she was full and dozed back to sleep. Shining placed her back in the crib and then layed back down in the bed. He closed his eyes.

The baby cried again. The clock said it was quarter to four. He got up and changed her diaper. He went back to bed. He closed his eyes.

The baby cried again. He got up and tended to the baby. He went back to bed. He closed his eyes.

The alarm went off. The clock said it was eight in the morning.

There was a gentle knock at the bedroom door. Princess Celestia poked her head inside. "You need to to head down to the train station to meet your sister when she arrives in an hour," she said. Shining would have cried is his eyes weren't already completely dry from lack of sleep.

"No," he whimpered. Princess Luna walked in past her and brought a small cup over to Shining's side of the bed. She leaned in close to him.

"Don't worry. You're not the first father to dream of dying," Luna said.

"But if you die, you will be in a world of shit," Cadance said.

"Because Royal Guards are not allowed to die without permission!" Celestia said.

"Sit up," Luna said. "Drink this."

"Is it a potion?" he asked.

"Better," she said. He sat up and she held it in front of him. He could smell it.

"Coffee. Okay. Why the dinky cup though?" he asked.

"Drink it. You'll see," she said. He drank it. The effects entered his bloodstream in seconds through his stomach, throat and even his gums. Shining's eyes were wide open. His body was still tired, but he was very much awake.

"By the stars!"

"Espresso. A little invention of mine," Luna said. "Helps me with the twelve-hour overnight shifts after Celestia insists on involving me with her diurnal affairs."

"Speaking of," Celestia said from the doorway, reminding them of the time. Shining got to his hooves to head out while Celestia and Luna stayed behind to help Cadance.

Shining Armor waited at the train station for his sister to arrive. He was exhausted and barely able to stand. He heard a commotion behind him. He turned just in time to see the assassin leap over the crowd with the dagger. Shining tried to put up a shield, but his magic was too weak from him being so tired. He couldn't stop the assassin from plunging the blade deep into his heart.

Shining opened his eyes. He was still at the train station. He had fallen asleep on his hooves. The espresso had gotten him this far, but the caffeine jolt could combat his sleep deprivation only so much. Shining Armor waited at the train station for his sister to arrive. He was exhausted and barely able to stand. He heard a commotion behind him. He turned just in time to see the assassin-

The whistle of the arriving screeched and shook him awake again. He slapped himself in the face with his hoof. Twilie was here and he needed to be lucid. He downed the second shot of Espresso in his to-go cup. The train came to a stop and he recognized Twilight's Ponyville friends as they disembarked.

"Step one: Head to Sunburst's house and get you two started on the right hoof." Twilight said as she exited the train. "Step two: Get to the castle with enough time to visit the bab-" Twilight walked straight into her barely-conscious brother. She gasped in surprise. "Shining!"

"Twilie!" he greeted her. They hugged.

"I didn't know you were meeting us," she said.

"Oh course I am," he said as the second espresso kicked in. "It's me. Right here. Here I am. Why wouldn't I come meet my sister? Though we have met before..." he laughed nervously as he trailed off.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked.

"Never better!" he quite obviously lied. "Being a father is amazing! And wonderful. And amazing. And confusing. And amazing. But surprising, too. You know? I mean, not that you'd know. You wouldn't know. I know. You know?"

Everypony looked at him like he was high.

"Sorry, I haven't really slept since Cadance had the baby. Come to think of it, she hasn't either. It sure would be great to get a break."

"Wow, of course! I don't know what I was thinking," Twilight said. "You two probably need all kinds of help." Twilight turned to the new pony beside her. "I'm sorry Starlight. But I guess combining you first friendship lesson with this visit wasn't such a good idea."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," Starlight said. "You're an aunt now. That's way more important than some friendship lesson."

"I just wish there was a way to do both," Twilight said.

"Maybe there is," Spike said. "You've already done the work for Starlight's lesson with this list. All we have to do is follow it."

"Spike, do just not want to see the baby?" Twilight asked.

"No. Because this is exactly how it starts," Spike said. "Now that I'm not a baby anymore, everypony will want to spend time with the new baby and just start ignoring me."

"Spike, that's not true," Twilight said.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "We already ignore you."

"Dash!"

"Kidding!"

"Fine. You can go with Starlight," Twilight said. Spike and Starlight left. "Alright Big Brother, let's go see this amazing baby pony!" Shining was exhausted and barely able to stand. He heard a commotion behind him. He turned just in time to see the- "Shining?" Twilight asked. He blinked awake.

"Wha?"

"Let's go see this amazing baby pony!" she repeated.

"yeah... Yeah! Yeah let's go!" he said. He walked beside her as they headed back to the Crystal Palace. He looked back at the other ponies, looking for that other new pony and- "Where's Spike?" he asked. "Wasn't he just here?"

"He's helping out Starlight."

"The new pony?" he asked. She nodded. "Okay, good. I was worried that I was the only one who saw her. So what's with her?"

"I've taken her on as my friendship pupil," Twilight said.

"To what did she do to get such an honor?" he asked. The rest of Twilight's friends exchanged nervous glances.

"Well you know how my new castle came with a map table?" Twilight said.

"No," he said.

"My new castle came with a map table," Twilight said.

"Okay."

"And the map sent us on a mission to this village that she was running like a cult," she said.

"A cult?"

"Yeah, and she was taking away everypony's cutie marks and talents."

"How?"

"Magic."

"Why?"

"Eh... she had this whole traumatic foalhood where her friend got his cutie mark before she did, so she set out to take away everypony's cutie mark."

"Um... okay."

"Then when we got to her village she tried to do the same thing to us."

"Really?"

"Yeah. But we were able to stop her and liberate the village."

"And so you made her your student?"

"Well, not yet. She got away and she was missing for a long time. But then she came back and tried to use Starswirl's old time-travel spell in combination with the Tree of Harmony's magic to go back in time and undo our friendships, and nearly destroyed the world in the process. But I was able to stop her and save the world," Twilight said.

"Okay. Par for the course," he said, barely even impressed anymore. "It's sounds like you've been busy."

Twilight lowered her voice. "Shining, I haven't seen you in almost a year. Not since you came to Ponyville and made the announcement. It's as if-"

"I didn't want my pregnant wife traveling," he said. "I wasn't trying to avoi-" He stopped mid-sentence, mindful of the ponies following them within ear shot. "So anyways, you saved the world from this crazy mare that tried to destroy it. Then what?"

"And so I decided to make her my student," Twilight said. Shining opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again thinking about the series of words that she had just said.

"Twi, I... I realize I'm not completely awake right now. But how does trying to take away everypony's cutie marks and nearly destroying the world net one an apprenticeship with a princess, and not, like, a permanent stay in Tartarus?" he asked, continuing before she could answer. "I mean, I get that after stopping Nightmare Moon, and freeing Discord, Celestia has you with this mindset that you can just try to reform everypony. But given her recent... eh, track record, is that really the model you want to base yourself on?"

"Well her throne isn't in my castle, which means it's my house now and I get to make the rules and decide what's right and wrong," Twilight said, giving him a pointed look. He narrowed his eyes at her, ignoring her implication as they arrived at the Crystal Palace.

"Well this is my house," he said as they walked inside. He led them upstairs through the castle corridors and finally to the door to the royal bedchambers. "Before we go in, I should probably tell you that seeing the baby might be a bit of a shock."

"Come on, Big Brother. I've met babies before. I expect meeting this one won't be any different," Twilight said as she walked in. Cadance, Celestia and Luna were all gathered around the crib. Twilight walked over and looked at the sleeping newborn foal. Her fur was white, like her father's with just the slightest tinge of pink from her mother. Her horn poked out through the blue and purple swirls of her mane. Her turquoise eyes blinked awake and Twilight smiled at how adorable she was. The foal squirmed in her blanket wrapping and threw it off as her wings sprang open. Twilight gasped. "Of course I could be wrong. The baby is an alicorn!?"

"It looks that way," Cadance said.

"The birth of an alicorn is something Equestria has never seen," Celestia said, technically not lying, given that the founding of Equestria was long after the rest of the alicorn race had vanished.

"Wow, a unicorn and a pegasus!" Pinkie Pie said. "So she could be a super strong flier, and have crazy baby magic!" Pinkie spoke from experience after helping to raise the Cake twins.

"Well I know all about super strong flying," Rainbow Dash said.

"And I can help keep tabs on her magic," Twilight said.

"Are you sure about that, Twilight?" Cadance asked. The alicorn foal sneezed and, unlike the walls, the blast of magic vaporized a hole through the unwarded ceiling and several floors above them. "Are you sure about that?"

"It appears her magic is more powerful than that of a newborn unicorn," Celestia said.

"Thank you, Tia," Luna said. "I'm glad we keep you around in case our eyes stop working." She looked out the window. "The crowds have already started to gather for the Crystalling."

"Do you think we should call it off?" Cadance asked.

"In light of the little one's abilities, this Crystalling might be more important than ever," Celestia said. "Perhaps you should address your subjects and remind them of that." Cadance nodded and she headed out to the balcony with Celestia and Luna.

"Shining?" Twilight tapped the sleeping stallion, leaning on the edge of the crib. He blinked awake and looked at her. "Do you have everything you need for the ceremony?" she asked.

"Huh? Oh NO!" he freaked out. "I still have to interview the Honor Guards, choose the Purity Crystal, and pick a Crystaller!" The rush of panic adrenaline had him wide awake but his legs gave out from under him and he fell trembling onto his haunches.

"Alright, take it easy," Twilight said, trying to comfort him. "Pinkie can stay with me and keep an eye on the baby."

"And we'll all help you with everything else," Applejack said.

A short while later, Cadance reunited with Shining in the large foyer under the Crystal Palace archways.

"Okay, I chose the Honor Guard, picked a Purity Crystal, and I know exactly who I want to be our Crystaller!" Shining said, giving his wife a full update. "So all we need is..." he trailed off, trying to think of what he might have forgotten.

"The baby?" Cadance said. Shining panicked.

"We're here!" Twilight said as she arrived with the foal and Pinkie Pie together inside a magic bubble. The filly was having a fun time flying around inside it with Pinkie.

"I'm so glad we can spend time together without some big catastrophe," Cadance said.

"Why, Cadance?" Twilight asked in exasperation. "Why would you say that? Why would you even put that though out into the universe?" Cadance used her magic to separate her foal from Pinkie. The baby screamed with supernatural strength, shattering the Crystal Heart.

"I'm guessing that's gonna make it hard to do the Crystalling," Applejack said.

"I see Lieutenant Obvious has been promoted to Captain," Twilight grumbled. "It's worse than that! Without the Heart, the Crystal Empire is about to be buried under a mountain of ice and snow!"

"So not only can we not take part in the ancient fabulous ceremony, but we're also about to be frozen solid?" Rarity asked.

"What the hell!? Is there a 'stupid question contest' going on right now?" Twilight asked. Everypony looked at her. "Dammit, now I'm doing it! Look, without the Crystal Heart's magical protection, the entire city's about to become a winter wasteland!" Twilight said.

"I'm afraid Twilight is correct. And the storm clouds are already forming!" Celestia said.

"Ten-out-of-ten observation skills, Tia," Luna muttered. "Ten out of ten."

"I can totally fly up there and bust those clouds no problem!" Rainbow Dash said.

"I wouldn't advise it, Rainbow Dash," Celestia said. "Those storm clouds are not like the ones you know."

"No no, let her go," Twilight said. "We all know Rainbow Dash. The only way she'll learn is by hurting herself."

"This far north, the weather has a will of its own," Luna said. "And now it will only grow stronger, enveloping everything in its path."

"Including the Crystal Empire," Cadance said.

"And us along with it!" Twilight said. "There must be a spell that can restore the Crystal Heart."

"Perhaps," Celestia said.

"But it isn't something that either of us know," Luna said. Celestia glared at her.

"The library here is nearly as extensive as the one in Canterlot," Cadance said. "There's a good chance we can find something there."

"Can you hold off the storm?" Twilight asked Celestia and Luna.

"Yes, for a time," Luna said. "But even our magic will eventually succumb to the power of the frozen north."

"We will do what we can, but you must hurry!" Celestia said as she and her sister flew off and they began fighting the clouds. "What the heck was that back there?" she asked once they were far enough away.

"What do you mean?" Luna asked.

"It isn't something that either of us know. Speak for yourself!" Celestia said. "Just because you didn't know it doesn't mean that I didn't!"

"Yeah, because 'perhaps' is the response you give when you know something. This is hardly the time to be coy!" Luna said. "Do you know a spell to restore the Crystal Heart?"

"No, but I was trying to be vague about it! You don't need to make us look incompetent," Celestia said.

"No. You do that quite well enough yourself!" Luna said. They slayed more clouds. "I hope you're happy."

"What do you mean?"

"You got your wish," Luna said. "Centuries of planning and manipulating and you got your wish at last. Even after I tried to warn you. You got your natural-born alicorn. And the first thing it did was doom the Crystal Empire."

"Oh, I bet you are just loving this!" Celestia said. "You get to be the mayor of 'I Told You' town!"

Starlight and Spike returned to find and everypony else searching the library.

"What is going on!?" Starlight asked.

Pinkie Pie gave her the short version. "The baby's an alicorn and she accidentally destroyed the Crystal Heart so we're looking for a spell to put it back together to save the Crystal Empire from turning into a giant wasteland of ice and snow."

"Well that's... certainly not ideal," Starlight said. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I don't think so," Twilight said. "I'm just sorry about your lesson."

"That doesn't matter now," Starlight said. "Sunburst and I don't have anything in common anyway. He's a big important wizard."

"If he's an important wizard you should bring him here," Cadance said. "Maybe he'll know what to do."

Starlight ran to fetch the wizard that turned our to just be unicorn with an extensive personal library of exotic spells and severe enough obsessive compulsive disorder to organize and memorize all of them, if without the magical clout to actually cast them. They returned just as Celestia and Luna had to retreat from their battle with the weather, along with Rainbow Dash who looked more frosted than a sorority mare. Sunburst looked at the shattered Crystal Heart.

"The baby did this?" Sunburst asked Twilight.

"I tried putting it back together with-"

"The Spell of Relic Reconstitution. That won't do it," Sunburst said. "The Crystal Heart's been around for millennia. Restoring a relic like this is magic way beyond one spell. You need to combine it with something else. Something unique to the relic itself. Something that strengthens it, and provides it with power...?" he said, leading her on.

"Sunburst, we're not all massive nerds like you," Cadance said. "The entire empire is about to be consumed in a blizzard and we're all about to freeze to death. Is this really the time to be glib?"

The other massive nerd figured it out. "The Crystalling!" Twilight said.

"Combining that spell with the light and love of everypony gathered for the ceremony, together with Somnambula's Weather Abjuration to clear away the snow, a little Fledgling's Forbearance for the parents. That should curb the little one's power fluctuations," Sunburst explained.

"I had planned on asking Twilight to be our Crystaller," Shining said. "But since it seems like she'll be busy..." he passed his infant foal to this new pony he had just now met.

"I'd be honored!" Sunburst said.

"Well what are we waiting for!?" Twilight said. She got into position with Celestia and Luna to restore the Heart. Starlight, added her spell into the mix. Cadance and Shining cast their spell together as Sunburst carried out the Crystalling.

"Citizens, may I present the newest member of the Crystal Empire!" Sunburst announced, collecting the love and light from the citizens into the Purity Crystal and combined it with the Crystal Heart, restoring it. The magic of the Heart blasted away the storm and turned everypony translucent.

"For a pony who isn't great at magic, you did pretty well," Starlight said to Sunburst.

"Indeed," Celestia said. "I'm glad to see you found a way to share your unique gift, Sunburst. You may be more of a wizard than you think."

Celestia walked over to speak with Cadance and Shining.

"Do take care of that little parcel now," Celestia said. "Pony knows what greatness awaits her destiny."

"Oh, we will," Cadance said.

Celestia leaned in closer. "And it should go without saying, that as one who is capable of producing an alicorn foal, it would behoove you to continue to do so."

Shining grinned at what was basically a thinly veiled royal decree to have as much sex with his wife as possible. "I promise I'll make every effort!"

"I'm pleased to hear it," Celestia said, heading back inside the palace with Luna.

In the distance, Twilight could hear the whistle of the arriving train. "Oh that's right! Our parents were coming!" she said excitedly to Shining. "We should go meet them at the station! If we hurry we might be able to greet them before the crystal coat effect wears off."

Shining was not in a hurry. Just as with Twilight, he hadn't been in touch with his mother since he had last seen her and she told him the result of her pregnancy test. He steeled himself to see her as the rest of the group ushered him along with them. To Rarity's vocal disappointment, the crystal coat effect wore off along the way.

They arrived at the station a short while after the train. Night Light was already on the station platform claiming their things from the baggage car. Shining braced himself to see his mother exit the train carrying, what he presumed, would be referred to as their new little sibling. Velvet stepped off the train, empty hoofed. Shining presumed that they'd gotten a foalsitter. Velvet joined her husband and they walked over to Shining and Cadance.

"You would not believe the crazy weather that delayed our train," Night Light said. "Came out of nowhere!"

"But it was all worth it to see this peaceful little angel!" Velvet said. "Aww, so sweet! Come to your grandmare!"

"Yeah, peaceful now anyway," Applejack said.

"I suppose that spell really did the trick," Twilight said.

The baby sneezed without any kind of magical outburst.

"We have sunburst to thank for that," Shining said.

"I hope he takes his role as Crystaller seriously," Cadance said. "Something tells me the baby will need a pony like him to look to for magical advice."

"Cadance, darling, aren't we going to name the poor little dear, or are we going to spend the entire visit just calling her 'the baby'?" Velvet asked.

"We were thinking: Flurry Heart," Cadance said.

"You know, to remember the occasion," Shining said.

"Goodness, how could anypony forget?" Rarity asked.

"I think it's lovely," Twilight said. She gave Flurry a kiss on the cheek and boarded the train back to Ponyville along with the rest of her friends. Sunburst waved goodbye to Starlight from the platform.

"What occasion?" Night Light asked. "The Crystalling?" Shining and Cadance just gave each other knowing looks and smirked.

"Flurry Heart accidentally destroyed the Crystal Heart so we had to use a combination of spells to put it back together to save the Crystal Empire from turning into a giant wasteland of ice and snow," Sunburst said, looking at Shining and Cadance. "I don't know why you guys were trying to be coy about it. They're gonna read about it in the news tomorrow."

"Oh," Night said, grabbing their bags to follow them back to the palace. "Well I'm glad you guys got it all sorted out."

They reached the palace and walked inside, passing by Celestia and Luna. Shining looked at his mother. She looked back and forth between her spouse the other princesses, and Flurry. As did Night. As did Cadance. A lot of ponies were giving each other looks.

It was painfully obvious to Shining that there was a lot not being said.

And he got a very strong feeling that he was not the only one who noticed.

Shining and Cadance showed his parents to their guest room.

"Take some time to settle in," Cadance said. "We'll be having dinner downstairs in about an hour."

Shining and Cadance headed down the hallway. Celestia was walking from the other direction. The princesses exchanged polite nods as they passed each other. Before they went downstairs, Shining looked back over his shoulder to see where she was going.

It was not to her own guest room.

Night Light answered the knock at the door.

"Your Highness," he greeted.

"Oh, I think we're well past that," Celestia said, stepping inside.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Velvet asked. Celestia closed the door behind her and laid a soundproofing spell on the room.

"No. I assure you, the pleasure is very much mine," Celestia said.

"I'm sure that it is," Velvet said. "A natural-born alicorn foal. You must be very proud."

"You as well, my dear Velvet," Celestia said. "None of this would have been possible without your help. Both of you. And look at all we've accomplished! Mother to a prince and two princesses, grandmare to the first natural-born alicorn in millennia. A filly, though she may be."

"Is this the part where you ask us to help convince them to give her to you?" Night asked.

Celestia scoffed.

"Quite the contrary!" Celestia said. "Our work is done. Cadance needs only to have a colt. Something that Shining Armor has given me his enthusiastic assurance that he intends to do." Celestia wore a smug grin. "A colt. Sooner or later. It is only a matter of time."

"So is that what this visit is about?" Velvet asked. "For you to gloat?"

"Come now, Velvet. Do you really think so little of me?" Celestia asked. "This an occasion to celebrate! Not just for me, for all of us! I just wanted to assure you that I have no intention of interfering them, or their desire to produce more foals."

"I will sleep easier," Velvet said.

"As will I... knowing that you also have no intention of interfering," Celestia said.

"Of course not," Velvet said.

"No, of course not," Celestia said. "Why would you? Everything has gone so well for your family. And... I trust that your 'retirement' pensions are satisfactory?"

"Yes, more than generous," Night said.

"Splendid! I do so love making my little ponies happy," Celestia said. "I look forward to seeing you both at dinner."

Celestia removed the spell from the door and left herself out, closing the door behind her.

Velvet sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"You okay?" Night asked. Velvet shrugged.

"Yeah. No. I don't know," Velvet said. "I'm not sure how I feel. I mean, I feel happy for Cadance, and Shining. But it just feels... tainted." She got up from the edge of the bed and walked over to the door.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"I'm just going to step out for a minute to get some air before we head down to dinner," she said. "I'll just be a few minutes."

Shining walked upstairs and saw Velvet step out into the hallway and walk down to the end of the corridor. She opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside. He followed after her.

"Hey Mom," he greeted as he leaned on the railing beside her.

"Hi Shining." She leaned over and hugged him. "How's parenthood?"

"Oh, you know," he said with a yawn.

"Yeah."

"What did Celestia want?" he asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just, congratulating the grandparents."

"Oh. Okay," he said. He looked over at her. "You look well. Really well, actually. I thought you were..." he trailed off, looking at her belly.

Velvet sighed. "I was, Shining. For a little while, I was," she said.

"Did you...?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," she said.

"Then what happened?"

"Shining, I'm forty six. I'm surprised it happened at all in the first place."

"Did you tell Dad?"

"No. He never knew," she said.

They stood there for a minute in silence. There was one last thing he needed to know.

"Whose...?" he tried to ask, feeling his throat tighten. "Whose was it, do you think?"

"It doesn't matter now," she said.

"But do you think it was..." he pointed at himself.

"Yeah, probably," she huffed in irritation.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," she said, taking a breath. "Everything's fine. Everything would've been fine."

Shining wasn't too sure that he believed that. But she was right, it didn't matter now. And he had enough to worry about.

"I need to head downstairs. We're going to be eating soon," he said.

"Go ahead. I need to fetch your father," she said.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, sweetie. Go on. We'll be right down."