{36HP}

When Pif’s comm rang, she almost did not notice at first, absorbed as she normally was in her work. The ringing persisted though, and one of her assistant drones brought it over to her. Finally focusing on the device, she was puzzled as to who might be calling her at this time. She touched the receive button and a familiar voice grumpily said, “It’s about time you answered, Pif. Come and fetch your wife before she causes more problems.”

Pif blinked with surprise. “I thought a bouncer is supposed to fix problems, not cause them.”

Malt Brew chuckled. “Normally she does, but this is one of those exceptions.”

“You’re not making sense, Malt.”

“Just come and fetch her. She won’t be working the rest of her shift.”

Pif sighed. “Okay, I’ll be there soon.” She shut off the comm and as she headed out the door, she let her mind roam the hive network until she found a chrome changeling who was patronizing the pub. A quick request for information only left her more confused. The harvester drone seemed to think that Citrine was not having any problems, although she seemed to be unusually popular with the stallions this afternoon. Pif hastened her steps. The sooner she found out what was going on, the sooner she could get back to work.

Ponyville had more than one pub nowadays, but The Bucking Mare Tavern was the original, and to Pif’s mind, still the best. Just because her wife worked there serving thirsty ponies at the bar, and occasionally evicting rowdy ones, did not mean she was biased. Nope, not a bit. She entered the pub and looked around. The usual suspects were there, enjoying a brew and a salt lick, and a couple of griffons were in the corner, laughing raucously over some harder spirits. However, there was a knot of stallions over near the end of the bar that drew her attention quickly, especially considering the emotions that were oozing from them. Suddenly Pif had an inkling of what was going on. She trotted over to join them, shifting her form to her most imposing.

“Excuse me, gentlecolts, but that’s my mare you’re ogling,” she said gruffly.

The nearest stallion started turning around, saying, “Who do you think you are…?” He got a good look at the large changeling princess glaring down at him and gave her a sickly grin. “Aah… moving right along now!” The stallion beat a hasty retreat.

The others had failed to even notice, and Pif sighed in frustration. She could hardly blame them as Citrine was positively awash with pheromones, and what full-blooded stallion could resist a mare in heat? A mare that appeared to be just as swept up in her season as the stallions. That wasn’t like Citrine. She always made it a point to keep her ‘mare-time’ medicine close at hoof because she got such strong heats. Perhaps something had happened to it and she was caught out while on the job? Oh well, wife to the rescue!

Pif lit up her horn and grabbed hold of the four remaining would-be Roameos, levitating them all away from Citrine. Startled and angry oaths soon abated when they saw who was magically spoiling their afternoon. Aside from being royalty, Pif was also one of the more powerful people in Equestria, let alone Ponyville, and the stallions left to commiserate with each about the mare that got away.

At least, all but one did.

Almost as soon as she put down the dark green earth pony with an orange mane and tail, he came stomping back to Pif. “Listen, bug-pony, you can’t just barge in here and hog all the mare action!”

There were several chuckles from the patrons around the room as Pif stared at him in disbelief. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Tartarus, no! I’m an honest miner from down south, here on business. Never seen so many bug-ponies in all my life!”

Pif rolled her eyes. How much of a recluse did you have to be to know next to nothing about changelings when they had been part of pony society for several decades now? “Listen, Mister Miner, you get one warning. I’m not a common drone, and that mare is my wife, so don’t push things unless you want to reap the consequences.”

The miner stallion curled his lip contemptuously. “You think that just because you’re bigger than me, you can threaten me? I’m an earth pony and a miner. I got muscles on my muscles, and I’ll squash you like the bug you are!”

“Seriously? Back off, jerk.”

“Better listen to her, Copper Seam!” one of the other stallions called out.

Copper Seam ignored both of them and tried to barge past Pif. She impeded him and he took a swing at her. She was not stupid enough to try to block his blow, but deflected it as per her House training. Even so, she felt the magnitude of the brute force behind it. He wasn’t holding back! So be it – neither would she.

Pif trapped the stallion’s limb when he threw a second punch, and pulled him in close enough to touch her horn to his head. She then did what only queens could do, and fed emotions to him rather than taking them. But not kind and gentle emotions. She drew on her past experiences and fed him fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness. In seconds, Copper Seam was a blubbering heap quivering on the floor. She looked over to where Malt Brew was watching her and said, “See – no blood or broken bones this time.”

Malt just shook his head in resignation. “Somehow I think he would have preferred that option, Pif. Why the extreme treatment?”

Pif’s expression turned dark. “I tasted his intentions, Malt. He was planning to have his way with my wife, whether she wanted it or not.”

Malt nodded in understanding. “Better take her home now. I don’t want a repeat of this tonight.”

Pif turned to see Citrine watching her lustfully. She smirked, thinking that she had probably aroused Citrine even more by her defense of her spouse, even if it wasn’t actually needed. The day Citrine couldn’t fend off half a dozen horny stallions was the day she met Mort! The crystal pony liked her loving with a bit of an edge. Still, this was unlike her. Time to get her back to the castle and find out what was going on. She gave Citrine a cuddle and a kiss, and then opted for teleporting them home. Her range had improved a little over the years, and the pub was within her limits. Moments later, the two were in their bedroom.

As Citrine sprawled on the bed, Pif asked, “What happened back there? Did you forget your medication?”

Citrine gave her a lascivious grin. “Nope.”

Pif frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

“It means I did not want to suppress my season this time.”

“You wanted a bar full of stallions lusting over you?” the changeling asked incredulously.

“Nah – that was just bad timing. I thought I’d be okay until I got home so you could ravish me.”

“You know that pony pheromones don’t work on me like that, don’t you?”

“Uh-huh.”

“They why?”

“Don’t be dense, Piffy. I want a foal!”

Pif froze and surprise. “You? A foal? I thought you weren’t interested in being a mother? Said you were going to wait until I went into breeding mode and you’d use a sex-change spell to impregnate me.”

“Yeah, I did, but I got tired of waiting for you.”

“With three queen changelings in the hive, it suppresses the need to breed…”

Citrine interrupted crossly, “I already know that! I also know that you can breed voluntarily if you wanted to, but you haven’t! So if you don’t want to have a foal, it looks like I have to be the mother.”

Pif sat down abruptly on her haunches, her ears drooping. “I… I never realized that you felt so strongly about having a child. We’ve been married for fifteen years and I’ve never noticed you getting broody before.”

“Pif, I’ve been dragging you away from your work nearly every day for fifteen years to make sure you have a life. I expected this, and don’t regret it because once you’re with me, we’re great together. But you’re oblivious to so many things in between! I started getting envious of your siblings’ foals years ago, but you were always too busy!”

“Why didn’t you say something? You always take such pride in being the tomboy mare who keeps the roughnecks in line at the tavern, and I love that, but where’s any hint of maternal leanings there?”

Citrine’s eyes lowered to the floor and her ears laid back. “I know – it’s my fault too. Keeping up appearances became second nature to me. I became so good at fooling you that I fooled myself too.” She looked back up at Pif and gave her a serious look. “But I recently realized what I was doing to myself, and I decided that I would do something about it next time my season came around. So here we are. The question is – do you want to have foal or not?”

“You really want this, don’t you?” Pif asked softly.

Citrine nodded. “I really do.”

“You realize that our lives will change once the foal is born? I’m not going to leave a child of ours in the care of others all the time.”

“I know. I saw how Lucida’s and Hype’s changed when they had Ajax, but when Silk and Des had their daughter, Aurora, I really started to warm up to the idea. I think I’m ready for it now.”

Pif smiled gently. “Then it seems I won’t be getting back to my work today.” Green magic flame engulfed the chrome changeling, leaving behind a blue crystal pony stallion with a purple mane. He was strongly built and well-hung too. Pif posed for Citrine and asked, “You like? I’ve never been a crystal pony for you before.”

“Because a species match might have resulted in an unwanted pregnancy, I know. I think I should have asked you to become one long before this. You’re one hunk of a crystal stallion!”

Pif put a foreleg around Citrine and drew her to himself and said, “And you’re one knock-out of a mare.” Then he kissed her deeply.

The kiss soon turned into a tongue wrestle and some serious groping. Then Citrine pushed Pif back to take another look at him before licking her lips in anticipation. She hauled Pif up onto the bed beside her, pushing him onto his back to watch his penis engorging. She leaned down and gave it a long, slow lick, and Pif shuddered with pleasure.

“Careful, Citrine! Between the lust that’s pouring out of you and your touch, I might come too soon.”

“Oh, no – you’re not gonna come until momma says you can!” She fondled his balls, gently giving them a squeeze and eliciting a moan from Pif. “Oh, yeah – you’re primed and ready.”

Citrine straddled the stallion and slid her sex along the length of the now fully engorged penis, the fluids leaking from her vagina lubricating it. She did it again before reaching down to lift the rock-hard horse-cock as she positioned herself above it. She lowered herself upon it until the head pushed apart her labia, and then she thrust herself down until it filled her utterly. She whinnied in joy and Pif echoed it with a groan of pleasure.

Pif had long ago learned exactly how thick and long that Citrine liked his penis, and they were joined together perfectly. They paused there to gaze into each other’s eyes. This was what they called ‘The Moment’. In a brief but intense instant, she poured her love into him, and he did the same to her through that most intimate of connections.

Citrine grinned and said, “Let’s make a foal.”

Pif returned the grin. “Ready when you are, darling.”

They abandoned themselves to the pleasures of sexual intercourse, resulting in her almost certain fertilization.

And again to make sure.

One more time, just to be thorough.

What the heck – four times for luck!

Citrine continued her job almost up until she was due to give birth. The few rowdy customers who made the mistake of tempting the pregnant mare’s wrath soon learned that being gravid did not slow her down in the slightest. The only concession she ever made was being more careful to protect her belly.

The day that she was due to give birth, Lucida, Hype, and their son, Ajax, came over from Griffonia for the occasion, as did Luna and Destined from Canterlot. The entire family was gathered as Citrine was wheeled into the delivery room, grinning fiercely to cover up the discomfort of her contractions. Forty-seven minutes later came the cry that everyone had been waiting to hear, and Pif emerged to invite the family in to see the newborn not long after.

“Mother and filly are doing great!” Pif said proudly as she led the curious horde inside.

The foal was swaddled in a blanket, but the soft purple coat and yellow mane were still visible, as was one other salient feature – she was crystalline.

Free clapped Pif on the shoulder and said with a grin, “It’s obvious who she takes after.”

Pif smirked. “Are you sure about that, Dad?”

Free lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? What haven’t you told us, Pif?”

Pif looked at Citrine who smiled and nodded. She carefully unwrapped the blanket from the foal, and suddenly two tiny pairs of crystalline changeling wings sprung up.

“Ooh!” Twilight cooed. “She’s a hybrid like Wandering! I can’t wait to examine her!”

Pif laughed. “You’ll have plenty of time for that later, Mama.”

Twilight blushed and nodded. “Have you thought of a name for her as yet?”

“No, we…” Pif started to say.

“Amethyst!” Citrine interjected. The look that she gave Pif was simultaneously firm and pleading.

Pif smile and nodded before turning back to the rest of the family. “I am proud to introduce to you for the first time, Amethyst Path, daughter of Citrine and Epiphany.”

An annoyed nurse had to come by and quiet down the cheering and celebrations coming from the delivery room.

Amy is a little older than newborn in this picture, obviously. Also, unlike her mother, she's always in crystal form. Her wings can lay flat against her back so they are not obvious. Yes, she can fly - she has the flight magic in the wings. Mom and Dad soon found that out!

Art by Kat Miller a.k.a. Foxenawolf