LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME

Chapter 20: Borderline

The sun beat down mercilessly from it's seat high in the sky. There were no clouds to provide the least bit of shade from the glare nor the exhausting heat of the midday. Limnear panted heavily as she worked her wings to propel herself even faster. She glanced to her right to see that her wingmate was keeping up with her, and smiled in satisfaction when she spotted the lilac mare. She appeared just as tired, but was managing to maintain station gamely. A sudden movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention, and she shouted back, “Cloudchaser! Six o'clock high!”

The griffoness performed a wingover maneuver, allowing her to properly see the three pegasi chasing them down, as well as making sure her wingmate heard her. The pair of them dived for the cover of the trees, making it through the canopy just ahead of their pursuers. Limnear landed on the ground and began running through the underbrush; while Cloudchaser being smaller and more agile, kept in the tree branches and leapt from tree to tree, but staying within sight of each other.

The pursuing pegasi dived in after them, one of them getting tangled among the branches of the canopy, and falling out of the chase with a loud spate of cursing. That still left two of them to continue on, and they both decided to concentrate on the larger prey. Limnear crashed through the underbrush, grinning as the branches she swept past smacked the chasing ponies in the face. The griffoness turned sharply around a tree and charged back at the ponies. She lowered her head and rammed the larger of the two, sending him flying into a prickly bush. The second pegasus swooped around faster than Limnear could follow, but was knocked down by the forgotten Cloudchaser, who had been quietly following from a distance to keep her wingmate covered.

The two victors grinned at each other and bumped paws/hooves. Spitfire descended from above, shaking her head ruefully. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. And you call yourselves Wonderbolts.” She was interrupted by the straggler who had been caught up in the branches limped over. “What was I thinking recruiting you yahoos? You three can't even catch a single griffon and pegasus that had already been run ragged dodging two competent squads. Squads I might add, that also failed to bring down more than one of them; and that wasn't without losses either!” She looked to the skies and cried out, “Celestia! All I asked for was one good crop! Just one!” Turning to the late arrival, she glared at her darkly. “And you! You're supposed to be a seasoned vet, Fireflash! You're as wet behind the ears as the greenest recruit!”

The normally brash, light yellow pegasus wilted under the tongue lashing. “It's not my fault! These two jumped the gun and dived on them before we were in position. We'd have had total surprise if they had waited!”

Spitfire's glare turned downright deadly. “Refresh my memory. Were you, or were you not the wingleader?” Silence was her reply, but it spoke volumes. “And is not the duty of the wingleader to keep a tight rein on her wingmates? Wingmates who are there to keep the wingleader's rump covered and not go off gallivanting on their own?” She turned her stare to the other two ponies, who had the good sense to look anywhere else but at her.

With a disgusted snort, she said, “Dismissed. Return to the ship and hit the showers. Then get ready for the debriefing of a lifetime.” She waited until they were out of earshot and turned to the griffoness. “You sneaky little devil, you. You've been holding out on us in training, Lim,” she said with a grin.

Limnear dramatically breathed on her talons and polished them on her chest before examining them again. “Hey, it's not like you often use ground terrain in your training. It's a lot harder to cheat with terrain when it's solid, and you're all too aware of what will happen if you should crash and burn, than when you use clouds to simulate it. It's why the Royal Air Wing uses it extensively. I tried suggesting it to that second of yours, but I guess he forgot to mention it.”

Scratching her chin, Spitfire replied, “Did you now? I may have to have a talk with good Commander Soarin'.” Turning to Cloudchaser, she added, “You had some pretty good moves out there, too. Great endurance as well. You sure you don't want to be a Wonderbolt? You certainly can't do any worse than squad C.”

Cloudchaser smiled but waved her offer away. “Thanks, but if I did that, Flitter would have my rump. She thinks my current job is too dangerous if this is where it can get me.”

Lifting off the ground, she led them back to the airship, still underway on its journey. “Well, it's a shame, but I can only keep asking. How long you two been flying together?”

Limnear replied, “Oh, off and on for about half a year now, give or take a week or two.”

Spitfire was taken aback. “Really? It looks like it's been much longer. You two have great synergy.”

Cloudchaser gave a loud chuckle. “Better not let our boss hear you say that. She may reassign me to protecting the bomb squad or something.”

Spitfire grinned at her. “I'll try to remember that.”

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

Plain Sight sighed as she watched the chariot ahead of hers. The enchantment laid upon hers made sure that nopony would think to look their way, so she wasn't worried about being spotted. Even the filly in Twilight's chariot wouldn't be able to pierce enchantments laid down by Princess Celestia herself. Nevertheless, she found her gaze settling onto the chariot she was surreptitiously shadowing; or rather, one pony in particular riding in the chariot.

Despite the serious nature of the visit, Twilight looked happier than ever. It was plain that the family life agreed with her. She smiled more than ever before. Her work, though less frequent, was of consistently higher quality. Even her circle of friends had expanded farther than it ever had been. And here I am, looking in from the outside, like always. Why can't I just move on? It's not like I don't have someone ready to support me like before. Hay, my relationship with Limmy is stronger than it ever was! So what's keeping me here? Is it devotion? Duty?, Love? Inertia? Why do I get this icy stabbing in my chest at the thought of giving up on her entirely? She winced as she placed a hoof over her heart and rubbed in a vain attempt to ease the pain.

Lackadaisy, who was supposed to be scanning the skies for potential attackers, noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye. “Is something wrong, Boss? You look like you're in pain.”

Plain Sight stopped rubbing, and her face relaxed into its normal nondescript appearance. “S'fine, Lackadaisy. Just something I ate trying to get back at me. Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.” She turned to the rest of her company of ponies and added, “That goes for all of you.”

Sea Swirl and Minuette saluted, and returned to their vigils. The four pegasi pulling their stealthy chariot looked to each other with smirks.

(\ /)
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As the chariot landed in the courtyard of the palace, Twilight was more than a little disappointed to see that Celestia wasn't waiting for them. Instead, she saw Cadance in attendance with several burly guardsponies. Once the vehicle had come to a complete stop, she helped Trixie gingerly step down, and let Sunny run towards the waiting forelegs of the alicorn, who beamed with delight at the filly. “Hello again, Sunny! My, you've certainly grown!” Indeed, the filly was nearly double her birth weight from just a month ago.

“Cady!” Sunny exclaimed as she rubbed noses with the Princess.

Cadance giggled at the use of her nickname, and smiled as Twilight and Trixie approached. “Hey there, Ladybug. Looks like you're short a pony and a dragon.”

Returning the smile, Twilight said, “Cheerilee had summer school to teach. Since I'm her emergency back-up, and she's already canceled too many classes this year as is, she decided to sit this one out. As for Spike, he agreed to mind the library on the very off chance somepony wanted to check out a book.” Looking over to Trixie whom was leaning on her heavily, she said, “I hope you'll forgive me if we forgo the normal greeting, but I can't let my lady love falter, here.”

Trixie rubbed cheeks with her and blushed a little. “Hopeless romantic.”

Placing the filly on her head, Cadance gestured towards the palace. “Let's go inside before we send some poor noble into apoplexy with all this public display of affection.”

They walked through the doors, and Twilight asked the question on her mind. “Where's Princess Celestia? Is she going to have time to meet with me today?”

Cadance glanced back at her and smiled reassuringly. “Of course. She just has a rather tight schedule, so she wasn't available to meet you upon landing.” She led them to Celestia's parlor and waved them in. “So what's this about nightmares? I thought you'd gotten over those as a filly.”

“Princess Luna says that they're a side effect of the Elements of Harmony resonating with each other,” Twilight replied, getting into the subject now that it was about her field of expertise. “We talked it over through letters, and have decided to try an experiment to test our theories. We'll know more once we have a larger sampling of permutations with which to work.”

Cadance tilted her head to the side in confusion. “I never heard of the Elements doing anything like that, before.”

Twilight nodded. “Nor had I, but then, we are talking about magical artifacts whose only resource guide has one thin chapter of facts and about twenty thick ones filled with anecdotes, hearsay, and speculation.” She shrugged as she helped Trixie settle onto the couch in a comfortable position, placing Sunny Days next to her. “The fact is, that these artifacts are about as well studied as the sun, and the only pony who's been there is understandably closemouthed about it.”

“Yes, well, Auntie 'Tia feels that studying that is just like asking her personal questions about her bodily functions,” Cadance replied.

“And the reason for that is well known by both of you,” Celestia said as she walked in.

“Auntie!”

“Princess!”

Celestia smiled as the two ponies ran up to her and nuzzled her on either side. She warmly accepted the attention and returned it, laughing gaily. “My, such a welcome! A pony could get used to this!” She walked past the welcoming committee and sat down on the floor before the couch where Trixie sat. “And how are you doing, Trixie?” the alicorn asked, nuzzling first Trixie's reddening face, then the mare's belly, and finally Sunny.

“Um, er, fine, Princess,” Trixie mumbled.

Sunny, however, was much more enthusiastic, and held on to the Princess's muzzle, giggling as she was waved about on the end of it. She finally let go when Celestia swiped her tongue across the filly's belly, sending her crashing back to the couch seat, where she fetched up against Trixie's taut belly. Sunny held up her forelegs and said, “Mowa! Mowa, 'Tia!”

More than happy to oblige, Celestia bent over the tiny filly and blew raspberries onto her stomach, sending her into gales of laughter that filled the room. The three mares looked on with undisguised surprise as the undisputed ruler of the most powerful nation in the world frolicked with a foal in front of her parents. The “torture” went on until the Princess was out of breath, and Sunny was practically wheezing from laughing so much. Celestia looked over to Twilight only slightly chagrined, and said, “My apologies, my Faithful Student; but it's hard to deny a reasonable request from one's subjects.”

“Especially when it comes from one as adorable as her?” Cadance added helpfully.

Celestia's face took on a serious mien. “Quite so, my good Princess.”

Cadance adopted the same expression and adjusted her tiara. “Indubitably, my good Princess.” For good measure, she added a grunt that sounded suspiciously like “Harumph”, which Celestia returned, followed by Twilight. Soon, the three of them filled the room with unintelligible “Harumph”s, even getting something that sounded more like “Humph!” from Sunny Days, who didn't want to be left out of the fun.

Trixie just looked at them all as if they had lost their minds, until Twilight pointed at her and said, “I didn't get a harumph out of her!”

Not sure what else to do, Trixie meekly let out a tiny “Harumph?”, which sent all the mares into fits of laughter.

Celestia wiped away a tear as she finally came down from her laughing high. She warmly regarded her Faithful Student and said, “It's good to see that you remember how to laugh despite a possibly serious situation, Twilight.”

Settling down on the floor in the curve of her mentor's body, Twilight replied, “It's like you used to tell me, Princess. There's no profit to be had in worrying, so you may as well use the energy productively.”

“And just how has my toughest lesson for you been put to use?” the diarch asked.

A flash of guilt passed across her face before she answered. “Well, I've done a lot of research into the Elements of Harmony, especially mine.”

“But you just said that there is almost no research done on the Elements, Ladybug,” Cadance said. “What books have you been using?”

Twilight dithered a bit, rubbing a pattern into the rug with a hoof. “That's the thing. I wanted to look through Nyx's library about it and other similar artifacts since it's far more extensive than even the Royal Canterlot Archives. However, she suggested I get your permission for some strange reason. I'd been meaning to do that, but...” She sighed in defeat. “I really have no excuse. I could say that I was distracted by all the new things going on in my life, but I never used to let that happen.”

Realizing how what she said could be misconstrued, she hastily added, “But that doesn't mean I'm slacking off! Really! I'm just as dedicated to learning all I can about everything you assign me as well as my own interests, but I-”

Celestia silenced her with a kiss on her forehead. “Twilight, you have a herd to take care of now as well as a wonderful daughter and two more on the way. Honestly, I'd only be disappointed in you if you didn't change your priorities to accommodate them.”

Twilight gave her a sheepish smile and blushed as she looked up at her. “I'm glad you understand, Princess. I'd never use them as an excuse, but sometimes I just... need to spend time with them, regardless of how far behind I am on my research schedule. Does this mean I have your permission to look through Nyx's library for this?”

“Of course, Twilight,” Celestia replied. “I shall have to talk with our good librarian to make certain that nothing dangerous makes its way into your hooves, but you certainly have my permission to conduct your research in her library.”

“Dangerous?” Trixie asked with rising concern. “What sort of dangerous things can she have in a library?”

Celestia turned her most reassuring smile towards the worried mare. “Nyx has many spellbooks as well as research books that delve into unusual areas of magic and other fields. Some of those books protected by deadly wards or contain spells and ideas that I won't permit to spread in Equestria.” Her countenance hardened momentarily as she added, “I won't allow another Necromantic War to happen.” Shaking off her gloom, she nuzzled Sunny and her mood immediately brightened.

Trixie coughed into her hoof, dispelling the despondency that had settled over the room. “Yes, Well. Be that as it may, it's not the main focus of what brings us here today. We wouldn't want to impose upon you any more than is necessary, Princess, so maybe we should get to the heart of the matter?”

The solar diarch favored her with a sad smile. “Of course. I wouldn't want to leave Luna alone for too long with the Griffonian ambassador; not after last time.” With a sigh, she turned her attention back to Twilight. “There are a few tricks I can teach you so that you remain centered, but they won't prevent you from harming others should you lose control. Speaking honestly, there are few ways to prevent it that don't require magic or magical items. However, if you and your herd are agreeable to the idea, you and I can implement a little used technique. The only problem is that it's... often considered a violation of privacy, and is only rarely used outside of a romantic relationship.”

Trixie's eyes narrowed, and she had to fight to keep her cool. Cadance gasped, while Twilight merely gave a disheartened, “Oh.” Silence descended upon the room, and after a moment, Twilight asked, “What... How would this technique be a violation of privacy? What does it entail?”

“It would require the two of us to join our minds and souls in such a way that I would be able to check in on you at will. I would also be alerted to any strong fluctuations in your emotions and physical well-being.” Celestia took a deep breath before adding, “In essence, I could watch what happens to you through your own eyes. You see now why I hesitate to offer this solution. If you like, I can instead make an item that will alert me to power surges in your magic use.”

“Will it interfere in the baby's development?” Trixie asked.

Celestia shook her head. “No. It will simply be a monitoring de-”

“Then we'll do that one,” the showmare replied.

Twilight shot her a glare before asking, “How long will it take to create, Princess?”

The alicorn thought for a moment, putting a hoof to her chin. “I believe that it will be easier and faster to simply re-purpose a magical item than to make one from scratch. I have just the thing in my office.” She rose to her hooves, forcing Twilight to stand or fall over. “If you'll excuse me, I'll go take care of that now so we can spend the rest of your time here visiting.” She turned to the other alicorn in the room. “Cadance, would you assist me, please? It's been some time since I had to do this particular task, and could use your help.”

After they had left the room and the door closed, Twilight returned to glare at Trixie. “What was that all about?”

Unperturbed, Trixie turned away with a sniff. “Trixie does not like the idea of her traipsing around in your head or your soul like it's her personal amusement park.

Twilight facehoofed and let out a groan. “This again?” She took a deep breath and sighed. “Your fears are totally unfounded, Trixie. Allow me to enumerate why. One: The Princess didn't want to use that power anyway. If you knew her as well as I do, you'd be able to tell. Two: The Princess doesn't see me as a potential mate, but like a daughter she never had, or maybe even a kid sister. Believe me, that brings its own problems to the table come Mother's Day. Three: I happen to feel the same way about her. She's like a second mother to me. Again, that's a whole other set of problems with which I must deal. Fourth, and most importantly: I love you. There are precisely three mares that I love that way, and want to have their babies. You are one of them. I had hoped that we had moved beyond this, Trix.”

Twilight gently took the mare's head in her hooves and kissed her, then rested her forehead on hers, crossing their horns in the most intimate gesture two unicorns could share in public. “Please understand that you will always be in my heart, and no matter who else I happen to love, you will forevermore be there.”

A tear made its way down Trixie's cheek as she gave a pained sob. “I'm sorry, Twilight. I just...”

Twilight ran a hoof over Trixie's withers. “Shh. It's alright Trixie. I know that it's hard to let go, but it'll be alright. Just remember that we love you, and always will.”

Sunny patted Trixie's cheek, trying to wipe away the tear. “Don' cwy, Mama. We wuv 'oo.”

Trixie swept up the filly in a swift, yet gentle hug, and gave her a loving kiss. “I love you too, Sunny. I love you all.”

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

Trixie stole another glance at Twilight, and felt her heart swell. So beautiful... and she's MINE! A gleeful smile stole onto her face without her even noticing, and she had to look away quickly as Twilight turned to ask her a question. Pretending she hadn't heard, the showmare looked back and asked, “Hmm? What did you say, Twi?”

Adjusting the glasses she now wore, Twilight sighed and repeated herself. “I said, 'why don't you go on ahead while I take care of this?' It looks like Daddy's stock ponies are having trouble finding the books I ordered for Cheerilee's class. Go on ahead to my parent's house so they can spend a little more time with you and Sunny before we have to go home.”

The showmare actually felt a little weak in the knees whenever Twilight did something that brought her attention to the glasses, which accentuated her appearance so well. Who knew you could improve upon perfection? “Are you sure, darling? I can wait a little longer if we need to.”

“I'm sure,” Twilight replied with a nod. “You look like you're about to collapse, and you need to take everything in moderation right now, especially exercise.” She leaned in close and whispered, “Besides, you're ankles are really swollen. They must be killing you.”

Now that her attention had been brought to them, Trixie finally noticed the throbbing ache in her hooves, and the filly bouncing on her withers wasn't making matters any better. “Perhaps you're right, Twilight. We shall await you at your parent's house. Come along, Sunny. Let's go see your Nana.”

“Yay, Nana!” the tiny filly cheered as they walked out to the waiting carriage pulled by palace guards.

Twilight smiled at them and pushed up the glasses Celestia had enchanted for her again. She growled in irritation at the accessory that felt like was constantly on the verge of falling off of her face. “Grr. You're lucky the Princess gave you to me, or I'd throw you in the garbage right now.”

“Am I interrupting anything, Miss Sparkle?”

Twilight whirled around to find one of her father's most trusted employees standing in front of a stack of boxes. “Bookbinder! Oh, it's nothing. And it's Mrs. Sparkle, by the way.”

Bookbinder nodded. “I'd heard you got hitched recently.” He leaned on the stack of boxes, making sure that he rested on his forelegs so that they were showing off his well-toned muscles. “So who's the lucky stallion?”

“Mare- well, mares actually. The three most wonderful mares a pony could find.” She hugged herself and giggled like a schoolfilly. “Oh, they're so fantastic! Makes me giddy just thinking about them!”

Bookbinder shook his head, trying to clear it of the slack-jawed expression. “Well, if you give me a moment, I'll load these boxes up on your wagon-”

Flashing him a careless million-bit smile, she said, “No need. I'll take it from here.” Her pink aura enveloped the boxes and floated them towards the front entrance of her father's bookstore. She failed to noticed Bookbinder's swift attempt to cover up an awkward situation which had developed unbeknownst to her. At the door, she turned long enough to wave at him. “See you later, Bookbinder!”

He could see her carefully place the boxes into the wagon guarded by a couple of fierce-looking white unicorns. One of them turned to regard him through the window, causing the smaller stallion to yelp and duck below the counter until just his eyes were left above it. He stayed that way until they were no longer in sight, and he breathed easier. “Wow, she sure has grown up. Still, marrying three mares? And seeing what she looks like now, I bet they're all hot, too...” Bookbinder looked around, and seeing that there was nopony left in the store, he flipped the sign around to indicate it was closed for lunch, and fairly trotted off to the bathroom, intent on relieving some pressure.

(\ /)
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*(“)(“)

Twilight walked in to her parent's house without knocking, shouting, “I'm back!”

A tiny, white missile homed in and slammed into her with all the force of a well-placed shot from a trebuchet. “Mom!” squealed the tiny projectile with glee.

Twilight picked her up in her forehooves and hugged her tight. “Hey there, Sunshine! I missed you!” Sunny kissed her on the tip of her nose, causing her to laugh.

Velvet sashayed into the foyer, grinning ear-to-ear. “I see somepony's taking to motherhood well.”

Twilight grinned at her. “I had a good example.”

A blush overcame Velvet and she gave her daughter a quick hug. “Come on. I have some tea ready, but you'll have to be quiet. Trixie's having a lie down.”

“I told her she was overexerting herself with that walk through the palace,” Twilight replied with a shake of her head. “Is she feeling okay?”

Velvet served herself and her daughter's cups, while Twilight gave Sunny a bottle of milk from a saddlebag sitting next to the couch. They both watched her eagerly take the bottle and laughed when she fell over backwards, still sucking on it like nothing had happened. “Oh, how I've missed having little ones around. But to answer your question, yes, she's fine; just exhausted. I suspect she wasn't expecting the extra weight to be such a wonderful burden.”

Twilight rubbed her own belly, which so far, still had the same tautness that she always had. “I'm kinda dreading that part myself. Well, that and the actual birthing, that is.”

Velvet rested a hoof on Twilight's as she hoofed over the cup of tea. “Don't worry, Sweetie. The pain is well worth it all.

The front door opened, and in walked Night Light. Twilight grinned and waved to him from her seat. “Hi, Daddy. Come say hello to your granddaughter.”

The request became superfluous, as Sunny dropped her bottle and ran up to Night Light, just as she had done to her mother. The stallion stooped down, and the two of the rubbed noses. “Hey there, Squirt!”

“Papa, up!” Sunny said, and he was only to glad to comply, setting her on his head as he walked into the kitchen to empty his saddlebag.

“They were out of milk, so I had to go further down the road to get it, and whoa, what happened to you, Sparklebutt?” Night Light Stopped short when he finally noticed his daughter's new accouterment.

Twilight rolled her eyes and groaned. “Daddy, I asked you to stop calling me that.”

“I was just waiting for you to tell me about them, myself,” Velvet chimed in. “What is the story behind them? Did all that reading in the dark finally catch up to your eyes?”

With a sigh, Twilight replied, “No, Mom. I don't read in the dark... anymore.” She adjusted the glasses again with a hoof. “If you must know, these were given to me by the Princess. She wants to monitor my magical use for unusual fluctuations.” Her mood grew somber as she added, “I'm afraid of losing control if... Spitfire... you know...”

Velvet gently rubbed her hoof while Night Light gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Oh, Sweetie. Just know that we're here for you, not matter the time of day, or the situation,” Velvet said softly.

“Our home is always open to you, Sparklebutt,” Night Light added, getting the expected smile from his daughter. “That's my girl.”

“Mah grrl,” Sunny chimed in.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Celestia walked into her office, and nodded to the pony who immediately came to attention. “As you were, Plain Sight. The guards said you had something important to discuss with me?”

Plain Sight nodded. “We're going to need a watcher for Sunny Days sooner than I had anticipated. I was hoping that it could wait until Trixie's foal was born, but at the rate Sunny's growing, she'll need one sooner rather than later. I was thinking we could have a nanny assigned to them, that could also do the job.”

Celestia considered for a moment as she took a seat on the couch next to her most trusted spy. “A nanny, hmm? I hadn't considered that. It would give us an advantage in that we would always have a pony on the inside should things go horribly awry.” She nodded and said, “I'll start looking through our agents' files to see if there's anypony appropriate.”

The gray mare rose to her hooves, saying, “Thank you, Princess.”

“Now why don't you tell me what's wrong, before you run off like the building is on fire?”

Plain Sight stopped in mid-stride. “Pardon?”

“Come now, my little pony. I'm hardly old enough that I wouldn't notice that something has you upset, and has done so for some time now.” Celestia patted the couch next to her. “Come. Sit. Tell me your woes.”

“I wouldn't want to burden you, Princess,” Plain Sight said with shake of her head. “You already do so much for us all, I-”

“Belay that nonsense, soldier. Your princess has given an order, now come tell her what ails you.” Again, she patted the couch and kept her eyes on the mare until she was seated once more.

It was several minutes before Plain Sight could collect her thoughts well enough to speak. “I... It's about Twilight. I'm afraid... I'm just so confused. I still want to protect her and her whole world from itself, but I feel like I'm cheating her of my best.”

Now that it was out in the open, the spy's words flowed like water from her mouth. “I recently hooked up again with Limnear, and I love her. I love her so dearly, but it feels like I can't give Twilight my best anymore. Did you know that the other day, I woke up in Limmy's arms, and I actually considered calling in sick? Like this is some sort of nine-to-five where if I don't feel like going in to work for a day, I can just take it easy!”

“I love them both so much, but it feels like they're tearing me apart! The hay of it is, that I know- I know that they'd never want me to be like this!” Plain Sight dragged her hooves across her face, pulling them down until they landed on the couch. “I feel like I'm going crazy, Princess! What do I do?”

Celestia nuzzled the distraught mare, bringing her a small measure of calm. “Do you wish to give up your position?”

“NO!”

Unsurprised by the vehemence of her response, Celestia replied, “Then there is but one course of action for you. You must confront Twilight with your feelings.”

Never before had Celestia seen such terror on the spy's face. “But... but... I can't!” Plain Sight shot back. “That would... What if... I can't do that to her, Princess; she has a family now! I can't do that to Limnear! Oh, Stars, Lim! She would break if I did that!”

“You cannot leave, yet you cannot move forward. One or the other must happen, or you will tear yourself apart, and many ponies will suffer then, not just you.” Celestia kissed her on the forehead and whispered into her ear, “It need not happen today, but it must be soon. Oh, my little pony. I wish I could shoulder this burden for you, but I cannot.”

Plain Sight sighed and leaned into the alicorn. “I know, Princess. I know.”

Author's Notes:

Phew! I had to take a few HHHHNNNNNG pills to counteract writing those Sunny scenes. I need to draw her one of these days... Thankfully, there was plenty of angst to counteract the d'aawww. As requested, here's the pregnancy counter as things stand now.

Trixie: 9 months
Twilight: 5 months
Sunny Days: 1 1/2 months old

The usual disclaimers go here. I own the arrangement of the words, Limnear, Fireflash, Plain Sight, Lackadaisy, Sunny Days, and Bookbinder. All else belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.