LOVE'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT HARD ON ME

Chapter 26: Life Goes On

Twilight turned the page, reading only a few paragraphs before the quill she held in her magical grasp started scratching away on the paper over which it was suspended. “Interesting...” she muttered, soaking in the information like a sponge. “I never would have thought of blowing a sally port in my own wall for my troops.”

A golden pegasus head lifted from her own book and looked over at the unicorn. “Are you kidding me?” Spitfire asked. “Any officer who'd do that would have flunked out of tactics class. Why not use the gates?”

Turning to her herd-wife, Twilight said, “Because the gates had the most cannons pointed at them. She made a sally port in the least watched wall under the cover of alchemist's smoke bombs lobbed over it. Then Crush Manna led a lightning strike through the smoke and distraction with her fastest ponies that not only destroyed most of the cannons, but was done so fast that the enemy had almost no time to retaliate. She only lost a half-dozen of the platoon she took with her, before they made it back into the safety of the walls.”

Spitfire tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow. “But, she could only have done something like that once, and it would leave a gaping hole in her wall.”

“Once was all she needed. They had been building a tunnel to the river to escape, but would never have finished in time had the cannons remained intact, and the artillery she had would never have reached them.” Twilight shrugged and turned her body so her ever-expanding belly would be in a new position to bring her a little relief. “It says here, they filled in the hole with the dirt they had gotten from the tunnel and were long gone before the enemy had recovered enough to resume their attack.”

The pegasus thought about it for a moment and shook her head. “I'll grant you it's a brilliant move that a conventional general wouldn't think of doing, but it's still taking a huge unnecessary risk with your fixed defenses.”

Twilight shrugged again and replied, “Well, I still plan to cite it as a good example of thinking outside the box, but with the caveat to carefully weigh the pros and cons of such a bold move. We don't want- ooo!” She let out a squeak of surprise and held onto her enormous belly.

In a flash, Spitfire was at her side, hoof over the unicorn's. “She at it again?” she asked excitedly. She squealed happily when she felt something push against their hooves. “Ooo! She's got quite a kick on her! She'll be able to throw some serious lightning bolts when she gets older!”

“I just hope I live long enough to see it,” Twilight replied with a groan. “The way she goes at it, I think she'll be living up to her name.”

Spitfire kissed her, then touched foreheads with her. “I really can't thank you enough for letting me use the name.”

Twilight smiled back at her and kissed her nose. “Well, I could hardly say no when you let me add Twilight to the beginning. That, at least, seems to have satisfied Mom enough that she's stopped bugging me about it.”

“Well,” Spitfire drawled out, “Twilight Starslayer actually works to make it an even more awesome name.”

“I thought I saw Rainbow grumbling about something when I saw her last,” Twilight said with a smirk. “Couldn't resist rubbing her nose in it?”

The Wonderbolt held up her hooves defensively. “Hey, she was the one who wanted to make a contest out of giving their foal the coolest name. I can't help it that I have the most awesome brainiac on my side.”

Nuzzling her cheek, Twilight replied, “You forgot hottest.”

“And sweetest,” the pegasus agreed.

A white blur rocketed into the both of them with a high-pitched squeal, and latched onto their necks. “Ma, Mom, guess what Mommy said at school today!” Sunny Days shouted excitedly.

Spitfire kissed the filly's cheek and carefully peeled her off of them. It always amazed her how fast the filly was growing. It seemed like she added another inch to her height overnight. She knew that logically, that wasn't happening, but it sure felt that way to her. In the past six months alone, she had grown enough to resemble a filly ready for preschool, which is in fact where she had been. “What did she say, Sunshine?”

The filly gamboled around the two mares and their books, literally jumping for joy. “She said when school starts up after winter break I can go to first grade! My test came back, and I can go to school with all the big fillies and colts!”

Twilight caught the bundle of energy on her next circuit, exclaiming, “That's wonderful, Sunny! I'm so proud of you!”

Spitfire grinned at her slyly and asked, “Are you sure you're not doing it to get closer to a certain filly with glasses?”

“Ma-aaAAAahhh!” Sunny cried out, turning beet red.

Gently cuffing her mate on the back of her head, Twilight said, “Oh, stop. I'm sure she did it because she wants to be the best she can be, right?” She turned to her daughter, who nodded and smiled, but Twilight wasn't done yet. “And if she just so happens to eventually get into the same class as Twist, it's just a pleasant bonus.”

Sunny nodded. “Right, it- hey!” she shouted and playfully pushed away from Twilight. All three of them were still laughing as Trixie walked in to their home, her newborn filly filling the carrier on her back, both bundled up six ways to Sunday. Sunny squirmed free of Twilight and ran up to the azure mare. “Mama, guess what! I'm gonna be in first grade after winter break!”

Trixie bent down to rub noses with the filly. “That's fantastic, Sweetie! I think this calls for a special treat. What say you, Twi?”

Closing the book, and neatly stacking her notes, Twilight rose unsteadily to her hooves. “Oh, I quite agree. Sunny's been extra good, and worked a lot to get advanced like this. I say that she deserves ice cream at the very least.”

“Chocolate and peanut butter?” Sunny asked with stars in her eyes.

“And a visit to the park afterward,” Twilight agreed.

Spitfire stood as well and whispered into her ear, “Good thinking. Let her run off all that sugar.”

Twilight waddled up to her fellow unicorn and kissed her. “What did the doctor say about Starry Skies? Was it serious?”

Magically levitating the midnight-blue foal out of her carrier, Trixie set her on the floor, and smiled as Sunny went over to her right away. “I told you it was just diaper rash. She gave me some ointment to take care of it. It's really nothing to get upset over.”

Sunny crouched down with her rump waving in the air trying to get her little sister to join in the Ladybug song and the accompanying dance her Mom had taught her, but the foal was having none of it, preferring to suck on her hoof. “Come on, Starry! Like this! Sunshine, sunshine,” she sang as she hopped in place before covering her eyes, then uncovering them, “Ladybugs awake. Clap your- come on, Starry, clap with me!” Unfortunately for her, the baby just stared at her like she was insane and continued sucking her hoof. Turning to the authority on the song, Sunny cried out, “Moooom! She won't do it!”

Twilight laughed and nuzzled the distraught filly. “That's because she's too young to know how to do it, Sunny. Give her a few years, and she'll be a pro at it.”

“Years?” Sunny cried out, clearly perturbed. “But you taught me the song when I was her age!”

“But you had a few advantages over little Starry,” Twilight replied. Seeing that this could only lead to more questions, she headed off the interrogation by saying, “Now why don't we go get that ice cream? We can eat it at the park, and you can talk to Mrs. Scylla and Charybdis.”

Sunny grinned at the prospect, but Trixie looked at her dubiously. “Do you think they'll be out in this weather? Their lake froze over last night, you know.”

“Only by less than half an inch. Most of it had already broken up by noon,” Twilight retorted, waving off the comment.

“I suppose it's just as well I hadn't disrobed yet,” Trixie sighed.

They walked out after bundling up against the chill wind, and met Cheerilee on her way home from the City Hall. She gave a kiss to each of her herd-wives and rubbed noses with Sunny. “Afternoon, ladies. I presume you're out to garner some sort of reward for Sunny's advancement?”

“Among other things,” Twilight replied. “Care to join us, pretty lady?”

“I'm getting two scoops, Mommy! Chocolate and peanut butter!” Sunny happily proclaimed for the world to hear in her squeaky voice.

Cheerilee chuckled and took up station next to Trixie, shielding the foal in her carrier from the wind. “It sounds like the 'other things' would include a trip to the park.”

Spitfire grinned at her with sultry eyes. “Clever girl.”

The group passed the new building being constructed, and again fell to speculating as to it's purpose since the construction crew had neglected to put up a sign declaring what it was they were building. “I still say it's going to be private office space,” Twilight said.

“This far from the town center? What sort of office would be located so far from other businesses, and so close to homes?” Trixie asked incredulously. “It's obviously going to be some sort of theater.”

Cheerilee shook her head. “Way too small. Perhaps a daycare center?”

This time it was Spitfire's turn to shake her head. “Nah. This town's too sparsely populated to need one of those. It's got to be some noble making a summer home, or something.”

“But I would have heard about it from the mayor,” Twilight replied. “She's required to seek out the permission of the resident ranking noble before allowing any other noble to build anything on land controlled by the aforementioned resident noble. Besides, it's just common courtesy,” she finished with an exaggerated sniff, and throwing her nose into the air.

The four mares laughed and walked into the ice cream shop, which was surprisingly full, considering the time of year. The answer to that question became obvious with a glance at the menu on the wall. “Ice cream soup?” Trixie read aloud. “I don't even... what?”

Indeed, there were several ponies at their tables enjoyed what appeared to be steaming bowls of... melted ice cream? Some have whipped cream and cherries floating on top, and one was even using broken bits of a waffle cone to scoop up mouth fulls of the concoction. They walked up to the counter, and Cheerilee asked, “What's going on, Double Scoop? How can you make soup from ice cream?”

“Sorry Cheerilee, but that's a trade secret,” the soda jerk behind the counter replied with a smile and a knowing wink. “Would you like to try a bowl? I have your favorite flavor, raspberry lavender swirl.”

The teacher looked dubiously at the customers with their bowls and shuddered. “Er, no thanks. I'll just have it in a cone, if you please.”

The stallion shrugged and pulled out an intact waffle cone. “Suit yourself. But you're really missing out, here.”

Ice cream was distributed among the ponies, and they were soon out in the waning light of the afternoon, heading for the park. They sat on one of the benches eating their treats in contentment. Naturally, this included Sunny somehow getting almost as much ice cream on her face as in it.

Finishing her cone, Sunny asked, “May I go see Missus Scylla and Charybdis now?” Cheerilee hardly had completed one nod before the filly dashed off to the nearby pond, brown grass crunching beneath her hooves. She skidded to a stop at the water's edge and started splashing her forehooves in the water, making as much noise as possible.

The water's surface was soon broken by two mare's heads who smiled broadly when they spotted Sunny. They swam over, and flopped into the shallows as much as their pregnant bellies would allow to talk and play with the unicorn.

Spitfire shook her head at the sight. “I still don't understand just how that pegasus got two hippocampi pregnant,” she mumbled in wonderment.

Twilight smiled at her. “It's actually quite simple once you understand the biology of the situ-”

Trixie stuffed her alpha's mouth with her mint chocolate chip ice cream, halting her explanation. “Trixie does not care to hear the icky details of another pony's mating habits, especially when two out of the three ponies involved have fish tails instead of proper pony backsides.”

“On that, I'll agree wholeheartedly,” Spitfire replied. “Let's keep some things a mystery.”

Twilight took a huge bite of the ice cream and swallowed with a grin at Trixie's indignation. “That'll teach you to- ow!” She held a hoof to her head, screwing up her face in pain. “Ice cream headache! Ice cream headache!”

“And that will teach you, Sparkle,” Trixie said smugly.

They all laughed until Twilight suddenly stopped and held onto her swollen belly with her forelegs, eyes wide. “What is it, Twi, cramp? Should we go inside somewhere?” Spitfire asked.

“Yes,” Twilight replied. “We should go inside. Preferably inside the hospital. I think my water just broke.”

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Twilight held the infant in her forelegs, smiling despite her disheveled state. “You know,” she said in a daze. “This may be the drugs talking, but I think she's going to be even more awesome than her name.”

“That's just silly,” Spitfire retorted. “You don't need to be on drugs to see that.”

All four mares and one filly peered down at the tiny pink bundle, and gasped when a wing popped free of the swaddling. Most pegasi are born with relatively tiny wings. The newly minted Twilight Starslayer's wings were positively massive in comparison. Taken together, her wingspan was easily the same as her body length, and everypony knows that wings only get proportionately larger as a foal grows.

Spitfire's eyes were shining with pride as she took in her newest daughter. Her chest swelled with pride, and she became lost in her own thoughts as she considered all the things she would teach her.

“Bit for your thoughts?” Cheerilee whispered.

It took the pegasus a moment to gather herself enough to find her own voice again. “Just thinking that I better follow Twilight's example and make a list of all the things I want to teach her.” Her smile became bittersweet and she added, “And how much work I have ahead of me if I'm to protect her world. I want to make sure that it's safe for her to grow up.”

Cheerilee kissed her and said, “I think what you're working on right now is doing more to protect her than anything you've personally done in the field.”

Trixie set Starry Skies down on the bed, letting her wander across the hilly terrain that was her father. “She's right, you know. I've seen the difference in the soldiers then and now, and I must say that there really is no comparison. The effects of your- that is, yours and Twi's- training regimen is already being felt. Once those griffons and minotaurs encounter the new tactics you're training into the officers, they'll think twice before sending more... you know,” she finished lamely after looking at Sunny. The last thing she wanted to do was to introduce concepts like assassins to the foal's lexicon.

“We still haven't gotten a report back from the investigators. There's still no evidence that the Hegemony was behind it,” Spitfire replied. She gently took the newborn foal from a sleeping Twilight, who had drifted off sometime back, and nuzzled the baby. “For all we know, it was simply a gang of thugs looking to score some quick bits.”

“Except that a gang or thugs would never try to hit soldiers out on maneuvers,” Trixie said with an eyeroll.

“Like I said; we don't know the whole situation, and the investigation team is being very tight-lipped about it.” Spitfire hugged Starslayer close to her chest, a pained expression on her face. “I think they're being so circumspect because they don't want to escalate the hostilities.”

Cheerilee nuzzled the pegasus and draped her forelegs around her in a great hug. “Well, we're just glad you're okay, and home for as long as you keep teaching these classes. We were really worried about you, you know.”

Spitfire kissed the baby and set her down next to the slumbering unicorn. Turning to Cheerilee, she said, “Let's go, and let Twi get some sleep while we tell everypony the good news.” She looked at Trixie and said, “Since you drew the lucky straw, you get first watch. We'll take the fillies home and be back in a few hours.”

Trixie waved them off before settling down in a chair next to the bed. She took Twilight's hoof which had been wrapped around Starslayer in her own and said quietly, “Go on. There's nothing here that the Generous and Puissant Trixie cannot handle.”

“We'll leave you to it then, G-and-PT,” Spitfire replied with a smirk, then herded Cheerilee and a squirming Sunny and Starry out the door.

With silence reigning, Trixie settled into the chair, watching with wonderment over both mother and filly.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

As she crossed the lobby, the gray mare waved good night to the nurses ponying the check-in station, and replaced the nurse's hat with her own usual tweed flatcap. She hadn't trotted more than a few hooves down the darkened street, before a griffoness landed silently next to her. After first giving her a kiss, Limnear asked, “How is she?”

“Mother and child are doing well,” Plain Sight replied, giving her an exhausted and brittle smile.

Limnear draped a wing over the mare, pulling her close. So tired was the earth pony, that the griffoness could feel her trembling, and not just from the cold night air. “Love, you've simply got to talk to her. You're falling apart at the seams.”

Coming to an abrupt halt, Plain Sight pushed Limnear away. “It's fine. I can't drop this on her right after giving birth.”

Not even bothering to conceal how much the mare's actions hurt her, Limnear replied, “And last week it was because she was ready to drop at any moment. The week before, it was because that runaway baby carriage necessitated the fire department performing that absurd 'Sparkle Maneuver'. The week before, we needed to let things settle down after those two colts led an entire pack of timberwolves into the center of town for Trixie.”

Plain Sight looked her in the eye angrily. “What's your point?”

“Only that there always seems to be something that prevents you from talking to Sparkle, and in the meantime, you're making a wreck of yourself,” Limnear shot back, just as angry. “When was the last time you reported to the Princess? Either one?” That seemed to hit home, and the mare looked away in shame. Limnear held her face in a foreclaw and turned her to face her again. “I'm on your side, and I always will be; but Sweetie, this has to stop.”

Without a reply, Plain Sight nodded and walked back to their home. Limnear growled deep in her throat and glared at her as she turned the corner. “Buck this,” she mumbled to herself, and took to the air.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

The next day found the Princesses making one of their many unannounced visits to Ponyville that they had been doing so often of late. They walked up to Twilight's house and knocked. Luna stifled another yawn with her hoof while Celestia picked at the flower arrangement she had brought, complete with helium-filled balloons as they waited.

The door opened, and they were greeted by the sight of Starry Skies held in one of Cheerilee's forelegs. Right away, she tried to bow without spilling the filly to the floor, but Celestia stopped her with a hoof on her chin. “I would think that after all we've been through that when in your own home, we could dispense with the formalities.”

Cheerilee smiled sheepishly at her. “Of course, Princess. It's just hard to stop doing something so ingrained in you.”

“I understand entirely, Baroness,” Celestia replied with a smirk.

The teacher let loose a chuckle and stepped aside. “Won't you please come in, Celestia? Luna?”

Celestia smiled and nodded at her as she walked past. Luna did the same, but also magically lifted the foal from Cheerilee's grasp, and rubbed noses with her. “And how art one of our favorite fillies?” As she always did, Starry gurgled happily as she unsuccessfully tried to grab the stars floating in Luna's aurora-like mane. Luna for her part laughed gaily as she walked in.

Twilight rose to unsteady hooves when Celestia walked into the living room, but it was Sunny who got to her first to nuzzle her. “Auntie 'Tia!” she squealed as she clamped onto the alicorn's foreleg with a surprisingly strong full-body grip. Celestia smiled and had to stretch her neck to rub cheeks with her, but she considered it no burden to do so.

“ 'Tia, Luna, this is a pleasant surprise,” Twilight said as she walked over slowly.

Celestia smiled at her and replied, “How could I not make a gap in my schedule to see my Faithful Student who just gave birth?” She finally noticed Twilight Velvet, Night Light and Vintage Fields bowing low, and bid them to rise.”Please rise. None of you should have to bow to either of us in private. We would be happy to consider you honorary family members.”

They rose, and Velvet stiffly replied, “We would be honored, Your Highness.”

“Come now, surely you can do better than that. Family does not stand on titles amongst themselves,” Celestia said, her tone light and playful, though a bit strained to the two others present who knew her best.

“We should say not,” Luna interjected, trying to bring out some levity, encumbered as she was by her archaic speech patterns. “Speaking of not standing, We would be much appreciative if one of thee wouldst be so kind as to demonstrate how one doth change a 'diaper' We believe it is called? Young Lady Starry Skies hath soiled herself thoroughly enow to be smelt in Saddle Arabia.”

The rest of the ponies laughed, Velvet even managing a small chuckle. “This way, Pri- er, Luna,” Vintage Fields said, motioning towards the nursery. “I'll show you how an earth pony does it; the right way.” She threw a wink at the Princess of the Moon and led her away.

Celestia reclined on a cushion on the floor, allowing Sunny climb up on her back and slid down off of her rump. “So where is this newest member of your family, Twilight? I would dearly love to meet... er, what was it you named her?”

Twilight telekinetically lifted the newborn from her spot on the couch next to Velvet and into her forelegs. She moved so that the alicorn could see her from her spot, and said, “ 'Tia, I'd like to introduce you to my newest daughter, Twilight Starslayer.”

Celestia's eyes went wide, and a knowing smile spread across her face. “Starslayer? Oh, my.”

“Too much?” Spitfire asked coyly. “We wanted a name that she could be proud of.”

Celestia actually blushed and turned her face away just a little. “It's just that Luna has had dealings with a Starslayer in the past. They had a sort of... adversarial romance one might say.”

Twilight glared daggers at Spitfire. “Well. I think we just found a volunteer for telling her the new baby's name, haven't we?” The pegasus just grinned sheepishly at her.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

“And that, our Little Ponies is why the Royal Night Guard all look the way they do,” Luna finished with a flourish.

Cheerilee was agog. “Wow. I'd always wondered, but the history books never even mentioned Starslayer beyond a few hoofnotes in the back.”

Twilight smiled at her sympathetically. “Well, to be fair about that, the only books that I know of containing more than a paragraph or two about her can only be found in the Royal Canterlot Archive, and even then are in the restricted section.”

Velvet shook her head incredulously. “I just don't understand how she survived the transformation. A potion that could affect an alicorn, even benignly, must have been like pure poison to a normal pony. She must have been a very hardy individual.”

A silly grin overtook Luna's face as she remembered the mare. “Verily. She hadst the constitution of a dragon, and wast renowned far and wide for stamina-” She stopped suddenly and looked at her audience with wide eyes and a spreading blush. “Aaah... hem. Yes.” Celestia was the only one who dared to let their chuckle percolate its way past their throat.

Sunny, still perched on Celestia's back had been trying for the past ten minutes, to entice Starry Skies to join her on the diarch's back, but the younger filly was having none of that. She was far too comfortable nestled as she was among Luna's crossed forelegs, endlessly fascinated by the starry mane waving above her in a wind to which only it could feel and react.

“Well, we can certainly see which alicorn they favor,” Vintage Fields remarked with a smile.

The alicorns in question looked to the fillies playing on them, then looked at each other with a blush. “T'would seem that the battle lines hath been drawn, Sister,” Luna said with a sly smile.

“Indeed it would, Sister,” Celestia returned with a smile of her own.

Twilight stepped in, saying, “Well, before you start your war, it's time for the armies to lay down for their naps.” She pointed toward Starry, who was already fast asleep in Luna's forelegs.

“But I'm not... tired, Mom,” Sunny yawned out, letting her mouth open as if she were going to swallow the world.

Twilight lifted her magically along with her sister. “Come on, you two. You can play later.”

When she had come back, she found Celestia and Luna already standing. “I suppose we must be going as well. Bureaucracy waits for no pony, I'm afraid.”

“Unless it's the weekend,” Spitfire shot back.

The solar alicorn smiled at her. “True. Then it makes everypony wait on it.” She nuzzled Twilight and all the mares of her herd. “It's been a delight as always, Twilight. You simply must bring them up to Canterlot before the winter break is over.”

Twilight reveled in the affection. “Already planning on it. Take care, 'Tia, Luna.”

With that, the alicorns departed, leaving Twilight looking out the window a moment longer before she heaved a sigh and turned back to the rest of her company.

(\ /)
( . .)
*(“)(“)

Plain Sight rounded the corner, “accidentally” bumping into the minotaur sweeping the street. Great Fortitude barely even felt her, and looked around before spotting his boss reeling backwards.

“Oh, my. Please excuse me, I didn't see you there,” she said, loud enough for the passerby to hear. She then whispered, “You are relieved. Return home after your shift, sweeping.”

Fortitude nodded imperceptibly, and said, “Quite alright, Miss. If you'll excuse me.” He then nodded again, this time more noticeably and touching the brim of his hat, and walked away.

Satisfied, the mare walked into the alley between two houses, and settled into another boring evening of watching Twilight's home. She pulled out a gray, woolen blanket from her saddlebag, and settled it over herself, blending into the background of the darkening evening.

Her expected dull routine was shattered, when she saw a familiar griffon boldly landing on the front stoop of Twilight's home, and boldly knocking on the door. The door opened, revealing Spitfire, who asked, “Limnear. What brings you here? News on the investigation?”

The griffoness shook her head. “No. Actually, I'm here on a friend's behalf. May I speak to Twilight Sparkle?”

Author's Notes:

That's quite a time jump. Sorry for those of you left confused by it, but I did leave a notice in my blog about it, so fair warning and all that. Lots left to cover as I begin to wrap things up, so if there's something you want me to cover and aren't sure if it will be, let me know in the comments below. ^_^ Also, I'll damn impressed if anyone gets the reference in this chapter.

Pregnancy/Age Counter:

Twilight: 11 months

Sunny Days: 8 months old

Starry Skies: 2 months old

Twilight Starslayer: 1 day old

The usual disclaimers go here. I own the arrangement of the words, Sunny Days, Starry Skies, Double Scoop, Scylla, Charybdis, Twilight Starslayer, Plain Sight, Limnear, and Vintage Fields. All else belongs to Hasbro and Lauren Faust.