This was it, the day of the wedding. Two of Equestria's heroes were getting married today in Canterlot and the service was being presided over by Princess Celestia herself. The marriage itself was the talk of the town as was the fact that just about nopony was invited. In fact the only word that could truly be used to describe it was "intimate".

After much deliberation, they had decided to forego most of the traditional trappings of the wedding. There would be no mare of honor or best colt. In part because no one filly was deserving of this more than the other and if they had all 4 of them acting as such that was half the guests at the wedding. And instead of the bride walking down the aisle, both fillies decided on walking down together, with Apple Bloom in front of them sprinkling flower petals left and right.

"Fillies and Gentlecolts. Welcome to this joyous occasion where these two souls have decided to join and become one, " Princess Celestia started. "I have been asked to keep this brief and to dispense with most of the ceremony which suits this old mare just fine." There was assorted polite laughter from the audience from Celestia's attempt at humour.

"Rainbow Dash and Applejack have both written vows that they wish to speak. Applejack?" she said turning to the orange farm-pony.

"Rainbow Dash. I ain't too good with words, I never saw much use for 'em when yer life is gonna be buckin' apples but when I look at you, I'm reminded of a poem I read once when I was a little filly." Clearing her throat she said:

She flies through the skies like an angel of eld,
her wings so strong and right.
Defying the ground she sails through the air,
pure poetry in day or night.

My heart responds to every beat of her wings,
matching the rhythm they make.
She catches me watching with awe and in mirth,
her smile starts my poor heart to ache.

How I wish I could reach her but my hooves on the ground,
make sure that I would never fly.
Her form recedes, flying away from my sight,
And my heart can do nothing but cry.

Each day is the same, she flies by my door
and each day I can do naught but sigh.
Then the next she stops and hovers outside,
So I step out and ask her why?

"I see you each day, watching me as I pass
your home on my way to work.
Your voice makes no sound yet your eyes say it all
or are you just some random jerk?"

I pause, I stammer, I know not what to say,
This angel voiced like a dove.
All I can do is stare at her face
when I want to shout my love.

She turns to leave, maybe for good
And this is more than I can bear
I clear my throat and say my piece
And hope that she too will care.

She smiles, then lands, trots over to me
And says in the sweetest voice.
"I was waiting for you to tell me these things
In that I had no choice."

I give her a kiss, she gives me one back
My heart leaps from my chest.
No more shall I be a pony alone
For I have found two hearts together beat best.

Rainbow Dash smiled gently at her fiancée, tears shimmering in her eyes and mirroring the ones in Applejack's. She sniffled for a moment, then cleared her throat and said, "I could never top that in a million years. You say you're just a simple farm pony, but I know you're so much more than that and I want to be part of that and part of you for the rest of our lives. So as actions speak louder than words, " Rainbow Dash reached under her wing and pulled out a feather.

There was a gasp that came from the audience, Twilight almost squeed with delight when she saw this but Rick was totally lost on the significance of this action. He leaned into Twilight and asked her what was going on.

"Rainbow Dash isn't asking Applejack to just marry her, she's asking that they be bonded. It's just about the most romantic thing a couple getting married can do!"

"Bonding is when a couple go through a ceremony and are magically linked for the rest of their lives. For the rest of their lives Rainbow Dash and Applejack will be completely loyal to each other." Twilight sighed as the two ponies grasped Rainbow Dash's feather and turned towards Celestia.

She too seemed to have been surprised by this action. "Before we do this, I need to ask if you are both doing this out of free will and are not being forced to do this?"

"Very well, " Celestia said with a gentle smile. Her horn lit up and she spoke some words in a language that nopony there understood. Twilight explained to Rick later on that this was ancient Equestrian and some of the oldest and most powerful spells still required it.

The glow around Celestia's horn got brighter and brighter until it was almost too bright to see and just as soon as it started, it went back to normal leaving everypony blinking in its absence.

"I now pronounce you married fillies. You may now kiss each other, " Celestia said as the two fillies kissed for the first time as spouses. They walked down the aisle, the rest of the congregation following in their wake and were led to the banquet room where the celebration would be held.

"Let's get this party started!" Pinkie Pie yelled as she immediately took over as host. Nopony dared to stop her as she was after all in her element but also everypony there knew that you don't want to prevent Pinkie Pie from doing what she did best unless you happened to be on the receiving end of pain.

The dishes were expertly prepared and more than once Rick found himself enjoying the vegetarian dishes and in the process trying to reverse engineer them in his head for reference later. Twilight noticed this and just let it go. Rick would go home, experiment in the kitchen for a while and she'd be able to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Sometimes he got it, sometimes he didn't.

When the dishes were done, the cake was served and the two fillies shared in their first dance Rick turned to Twilight and asked her a serious question.

She smiled at him, put her hoof over his and said, "not really. While it might be nice, I never really thought about it."

"What about the bonding ceremony? I know we got married as humans but now that we're here if you wanted we could always do it."

Again, she smiled but this time shook her head no. "Rick, I appreciate what you're asking and I think it's sweet that you want to do this for me, but I don't think we need it, " she looked at the happy couple who were dancing slowly in the middle of the dance floor. "They did this for a reason and it's not because they don't love each other but because Rainbow Dash loves a little too easily. Before you showed up here, she was involved with numerous stallions and fillies at the same time and she loved them all. You show up and part of your novelty focused all that love and attention on you. She became quite the stalker where you were concerned. Then when you and I got together she kept up on the stalking hoping that she'd find something that would tear us apart. After her accident and after she started seeing Applejack and things were getting serious she suggested the bonding. It was her way of saying that she would never stray and for the rest of her life would only have eyes for Applejack."

"So you're saying that not only is it a way to prove your love to your spouse, it's a way to keep straying spouses from straying?"

"Exactly. Which is why I know I don't need it with you mister. You're completely mine and no ceremony is going to change that."

"I don't know if I should be pleased or insulted by that." Rick thought for a moment, shrugged and kissed her.

The evening wore on, ponies danced, partied, got drunk and little by little they all staggered down to the guest wing in the castle where they were staying. Twilight giggled when they finally got into their room and closed the door.

She just shook her head while she had a large grin on her face. "Not telling. Yer gonna find out soon but I want to dance some more, " she giggled, turned around and shook her booty in Rick's face.

Feeling a little feisty, Rick tried to lean over and plant a kiss on her cutie mark but mistimed it and fell face first onto the floor.

Twilight fell about the place giggling to herself. She sashayed over to where he lay, leaned down and said, "need some help gettin back to yer hooves big boy?"

"No, I prefer it here, " and with those words he grabbed Twilight who shrieked with laughter as he pulled her down to the floor with him. "There. Now we're even, " he said as he struggled to his hooves before helping her up as well.

"Oh no you don't!" Twilight then tackled him, or at least tried to. She threw herself across his back, but she was unsure what to do next. Rocking this way and that didn't disrupt his balance much but it was starting to turn her on feeling those strong muscles of his moving beneath her. Or was something else responsible for her desire?

In any case she just went with it and started kissing Rick's neck, cheek and gently nibbling on his ears. Turning his head around, he kissed her gently and asked, "there something you want?"

"Yes, " she replied huskily. "So why don't you bring me over to the bed and I can show you?"

A faint cry of, "yes! Call me a nasty pony! Ride me like a bad pony!" came from the room across the hall. Rick paused and turned to Twilight on hearing that.

"Maybe, " Twilight breathed into his ear, "but who cares? You've got a nasty pony here to take care of first."

"Oooh, and me without my riding crop, " Rick said with a saucy grin. They tumbled onto the bed and proceeded as nature intended.

There was magic in the air that night, literally. The bonding process and the corresponding desire that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had gone through was potent enough to bleed over to the others there. Those that were in relationships felt their relationship increase in strength and those that happened to be staying next to the newly married couple felt an overwhelming urge to reproduce. This was magic in its most primal form. It didn't think but it had an agenda and rutting ponies was part of it.

They awoke the next day, bleary eyed, a little hung over and more than just a little sticky. Rick buried his head under the pillow, wishing the light didn't stab so brightly through his eyes.

"C'mon you, " Twilight said nudging him slightly. "We need to get ready, get cleaned and meet the others for breakfast."

"Don't wanna get up. Light hurts my brain. Sleep good, " Rick mumbled from beneath his pillow.

Twilight sighed and used her magic to whip the pillow away from her husband and shove him out of bed. He landed, ungracefully in a heap on the floor. "Ouch, " he said again without much passion. He made his way to his hooves and through bloodshot eyes said, "dirty pool my dear. Keep that up and you're never getting a spanking ever again." Rick of course was referring to Twilight's delight in getting the occasional gentle swat on the butt when they made love.

"You wouldn't dare! You like doing that to me as much as I like getting it, " she stuck out her tongue at him as she had seen him do to her many times.

"Fine be that way, but don't stick that tongue out at me unless you plan on using it for something."

Still sticking her tongue out, she trotted over, stood face to face and then kissed him, her tongue gently running around his mouth. "That better?" she asked innocently.

"Very, " he replied as he gave her butt a gentle slap as he made his way to the bathroom. "Wanna join me?" he asked over his shoulder and she gladly accepted his offer.

It was a testament to the builders of this castle that the shower was big enough for two ponies. That might have been because as a castle it had to be bigger and better than other buildings or maybe they just knew that a large enough shower gave couples everywhere an excuse to make out while getting clean. As such it took them a little while longer to get cleaned and ready than it normally would but it also looked like they were not the only ones. Once they got to the dining room, the Princess as well as Pinkie Pie were already eating, but nopony else was there.

They helped themselves to breakfast and Celestia offered Rick some of the guarana tea. He took a cup gratefully as caffeine always helped his hangovers. Twilight also took a cup but Celestia refused to allow Pinkie Pie to have any. Rick of course knew the reason why. Normally Pinkie Pie was a bundle of energy due to all the sugar that filly ate. A caffeinated Pinkie Pie was simply too terrible a concept to imagine. Rick took pity on the pink party pony and explained it was medicine and that was the only reason he was drinking it. Pinkie understood that to mean it didn't taste good so why would she drink it and instead opted for more hot cocoa.

Slowly the other parties arrived, all of them looked as beat as Rick and Twilight did. When Spike walked in with Rarity however he had the biggest smile on his face. Twilight noticed this and was about to say something when she just sighed and sat back instead.

"In a way, " she said as she looked at Rarity and Spike carrying on at the breakfast table. Anypony could tell these two were deeply in love and in a way it made Twilight sad.

"Lemme guess, your little brother is growing up and you don't know how to look at him anymore is that it?"

She smiled sadly and nodded her head. Rick put a hoof around her shoulder, drew her in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about it babe, I think all older siblings go through this when they realise their younger siblings are no longer children. We all want to freeze people at a certain age in our minds. I know my mother does and even though I'm adult and haven't lived with them since I left for college she still sees me as a little kid."

Fluttershy and Big Macintosh came in next. They also looked rather worse for wear and Fluttershy was blushing madly all the way. If it was possible for her to hide within her own hair she would have done it.

"Such a dreadful night, somepony kept us up with her yelling about being bad and wanting to be ridden. Fluttershy dear?" Rarity started.

"Could you pass the tea dear?" Rarity said with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. When Fluttershy passed it Rarity said to her, "that's a good pony." If it was possible for Fluttershy to make herself any smaller she would have. Big Macintosh just sat there stoically, not reacting to any of this going on.

"You too? It's funny, I could have sworn I heard the same thing but then Twilight kept whispering the nastiest things in my ear so I thought I might have simply been mistaken. Ouch!" Rick said as Twilight nudged him in the ribs.

"Well I don't know anything about that. Spike was a perfect gentlecolt and kept his claws to himself, " Rarity said.

Rick nodded sagely then said, "and I guess you got those scratches on your butt by scrubbing too hard in the shower?"

Rarity blushed knowing that Rick had scored a direct hit but Spike came to her rescue by asking, "there a reason you were looking at Rarity's butt?"

Finally the two newlyweds showed up although they looked a lot better than the rest. If anything, they were positively glowing and Applejack had a spring in her step that she never quite had before.

"Yeah, what she said!" Rainbow Dash said as she too got her breakfast and proceeded to dig in.

Small talk and light jabs were made towards the newlyweds who took it in good stride although it was Rainbow Dash who gave better than she got.

After a particularly stinging retort Rick said a smile, "ouch! Somepony really got up on the right side of the bed this morning. I don't think you've ever been this quick or this brutal before."

Rainbow Dash shrugged and replied with, "enhh, that's what a good night's sleep and the love of a good pony can do for a filly." She leaned over and shared a quick kiss with Applejack.

"We couldn't come to an agreement so we compromised. 1 week in Neighagara Falls and 1 week in Las Pegasus including tickets to see Elvis Palomino, " Rainbow Dash answered.

Rick couldn't help but chuckle at this and it caught the attention of the two newlyweds.

"Actually no, it's just the crazy similarities between our worlds. You picked the two cities in North America, basically that's Equestria in my world, that are at the top for honeymooners. In Niagara Falls, you've got the falls of course and while it's not so much a honeymoon destination now it was a long time ago. There's also the sites, the cheesy wax museums and the other tourist traps. But there's a lot to see in the area. On the Canadian side of the border there's a whole region devoted to vineyards and making wine. Then there's Las Vegas with the glitz, the neon, the gambling and the shows including Elvis Presley although the real Elvis died years ago but his spirit still lives on in the numerous Elvis Presley impersonators that call Vegas their home."

They talked more about the similarities between their worlds, Rick and Twilight filling in the fillies about different aspects and it was obvious that all the parties involved wanted a chance to visit Rick's world one of these days.

"We'll be heading back soon but in a few months I along with Princess Celestia's help will be setting up a permanent portal to the library and you're all welcome to come visit us. Clothes however are mandatory if you choose to want to go outside or see the sights. It's a human nudity taboo, " Twilight said.

The breakfast plates had been cleared a long time ago and the ponies were just lingering as good friends do but eventually they had to get moving. The newlyweds were eager to get on their way to Neighagara Falls and the rest had to get back to Ponyville for various reasons.

They made their way to the train station. Goodbyes and best wishes were made for Applejack and Rainbow Dash as they headed to their train and the rest of the ponies headed for the Ponyville express.

The ponies and Spike dozed on the way back to Ponyville having gotten little sleep the night before. And it didn't feel like a long time had passed before the conductor called out "Ponyville! Next stop Ponyville!" as they pulled into the station. A scramble for the bags and assorted luggage and minutes later they were all standing on the platform looking a little bleary eyed.

Rick yawned broadly before hefting his saddlebags and heading out, the rest pretty much followed along. It had been a long and interesting trip so far and it wasn't over. He looked forward to a week in Tuscany where they didn't have to do anything too strenuous or taxing.

Big Macintosh and Fluttershy were the first to leave as he had to walk her home. They made their goodbyes and promised that in a few months when the portal had been fixed they would see them again.

Next came Rarity and Spike who headed off to the Carousel Boutique. Spike said he'd be back to the library later, it was a bit of a tearful farewell as the young dragon bid goodbye to his big sister and big bro.

"We'll see you again in a few months. And then we can play some Xbox and have some root beer whenever you want, " Rick said.

Finally they got to the library and Pinkie Pie had to leave to get back to Sugarcube Corners. More hugs were given and promises to come back and visit soon were made before Twilight and Rick were left alone.

"Anything you wanna bring with you? We're going to be coming back but it won't be until the house is finished." Rick asked.

Twilight slowly looked around the library, trying to see if there was anything here she needed to bring with her immediately or if it could wait here for another couple of months. She simply went upstairs and got the alicorn feather before coming back downstairs and saying, "okay, let's go."

The two made their way to Sweet Apple Acres and beyond the north fence to the cave where they had originally come to Equestria.

"No. We just both hold the feather and then walk through. Eventually we'll find our stuff that was left behind and emerge out the other side on Earth. And that's exactly what happened. Both ponies grasped the alicorn feather which was a lot more difficult than it sounded and walked through the entrance of the cave. There was a mild resistance but they were able to push their way through. It felt almost like passing through a soap bubble as the barrier allowed them to pass but conformed to their bodies as they passed through. There was an added bonus of the feather giving off enough light for them to see by.

"Now there's something you don't see every day, " Rick said indicating their clothes which lay face down on the floor of the cave. Somehow, possibly through the magic of the cave, when they had made the switch from human to pony their clothes had simply fallen off without their noticing and were still lying there untouched. They were however still ponies at this point so putting them back on was not an option. So into the saddlebags they went until needed.

Gathering them together, and making sure that the car keys and wallets were still there, they trotted through the cave back to where they entered. A faint doorway could be seen in the gloom and again holding the alicorn feather before them they walked through into the sunlight and Earth.

It took a moment to realise that they were once again human, but down on all fours. There was a moment of vertigo as they stood up and got used to being bipeds again. Thankfully nobody else had been up here during the time they showed up or else there would be questions, pictures and possibly youtube videos.

They got dressed and made their way down the hill to the car, throwing the Equestrian saddlebags into the back seat. A momentary rumble was felt as the portal was finally closed on this end.

"We go to Tuscany like we had planned. After all we've been through I think we deserve it."

The rest of their honeymoon went off without a hitch. The only real difference from before was Rick now had a permanent cutie mark of a coffee cup on his butt even as a human.

Twilight noticed it their first night in Tuscany when they were getting changed for bed. It made Rick feel a little strange, but at the same time it linked him with Equestria in a way he had never thought possible. In a sense, he truly did belong there, at least part of him did.

Twilight giggled as he turned to stare at it in the mirror, a look of wonder and amusement on his face.

"I'm thinking I might need to start calling you Apple Bloom, " she said with a smile.

Twilight then explained the story of how Apple Bloom, desperate to get her cutie mark used magic to get one, it backfired on her and she continued to gain mark after mark.

"The mark on your arm that I thought was a cutie mark when I first met you, " she said pointing to his tattoo.

"Oh that thing?" he said looking at his arm. He considered it for a moment, chuckled and asked her, "Did I ever tell you what this was or the significance of it?"

"Years ago, when I had just turned 18 a bunch of friends and I decided to get tattoos. I wanted something that said something about who I was. In a way it's a lot like your cutie marks. Tattoos are supposed to represent a part of you and this then tells people who you are. So I had seen a symbol years ago that to me represented my unbelief in the supernatural and branded me a skeptic. You know, the kind of person that asks questions and doesn't just accept answers from others?"

Twilight nodded with a smirk. She was more than aware of her husband's skepticism. The fact that the man accepted talking ponies and magic so quickly however was a different story.

"Well, this was the representation of the IPU. That's the Invisible Pink Unicorn."

Twilight smiled at the thought of her husband believing in unicorns before he had actually met one.

"The idea is that a being can't be invisible and pink at the same time and unicorns don't actually exist naturally on this world. So you need to take her existence on faith. And because she's invisible and pink at the same time, that means she's a goddess and she communicates through her thoughts and you feel her presence in your heart. Although now that I think of it, maybe I ought to get rid of it."

Rick smiled. "While I'm still a skeptic, I actually found her so I can't really be an unbeliever now can I? Okay she was lavender instead of pink and I could definitely see her but she was a unicorn who spoke to me in the sweetest voice and took up refuge in my heart so I could never forget her."

"I'd never complain about you, or this, " Twilight said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him in for a long, lingering kiss.

They spent the rest of the week in Tuscany relaxing and soaking up the culture, food and wine before heading off to Barcelona to get their cruise. All the troubles they had gone through in the last few weeks had been forgotten and they went forward with living their lives.

The last day of the cruise was a day at sea while the ship made the return voyage to Barcelona. They spent it on the private deck of their suite, just lying in the sun and watching the water go by. That afternoon they finally did take advantage of the hot tub on their balcony which gave a welcome warmth against the slightly chill air of the Mediterranean. Being naked in the hot tub eventually led to other things which started in the hot tub and continued with a giggling naked chase through the cabin before Rick tackled his wife onto the bed.

Afterwards, as Twilight lay in the crook of Rick's arm, her head on his chest listening to his heart beat she needed to tell him something.

"I've been aware of something for the past few days, but I didn't want to say anything until I was sure."

She swallowed hard, sighed and scooted up a bit so she could look him in the eye. "Do you remember about a month or so ago when Discord cast that spell on us and we just went at it like animals?"

"We thought at the time that it just mimicked a mare going into heat. But it seems as if it did more than just mimic it. The spell actually sped up my cycle and hormonally I was in heat during that time and still fertile for a few days after. Then there was the night of the wedding and the bleed over of the bonding magic. I really wasn't thinking that night with all the drinking and you looking all sexy and all. But that magic has an effect and it usually results in a foal. I didn't think about it but last week when we were in Greece I realised I should have had my period by then. I've only had them for a few months so I sometimes forget all about them until they happen. I've heard tell that sometimes due to stress or environmental things it can be delayed for a few days. But I worked it out and I've been late for about 10 days now. So when you were in the washroom earlier I checked using my magic." Her hand went protectively to her stomach before saying those words that would change their lives forever. "You're going to be a father."

Shock turned to tears of happiness as he hugged his wife and kissed her full on the lips. Twilight also cried in relief as she didn't know how Rick would react. She knew he wanted children eventually, but wasn't sure if he was ready for this now.

Rick suddenly came to a bold realisation and went cold with the possibilities. "Hold on, so this child was conceived in Equestria when we were both still ponies?"

"Human of course. It's a little early to tell if it's a boy or girl but it's definitely human."

"Yeah, but how is this even possible? I mean chromosomes and genetics and stuff like that. I know you look human and I looked like a pony when I was in Equestria but does that mean that biologically we actually changed species? When I was a pony I gained actual chromosomes and you lost them when you turned human?" Rick was starting to panic, too much was going on and he had too little information to actually work with.

Twilight came to his rescue and kissed him to keep him from babbling. "Do you remember the legends how the good humans in Equestria were turned into ponies and how some ponies to this day can trace their lineage back to those ponified humans?"

"It's magic and magic plays by its own rules. The change from human to pony and pony to human is absolute. We become exactly what it is we appear to be. So a human that becomes a pony is for all intents and purposes the same as a pony that was born in Equestria. The same goes for a pony turned into a human like me. I don't just look like a human, I am human down to my very genes. The same goes for you. During your time on Equestria when all this happened you were a pony. Our baby will be human, although in another way they'll also be 1/2 unicorn and 1/2 earth pony."

"So does that mean that because we were next to Rainbow Dash and Applejack you got pregnant, that they got pregnant and Fluttershy got pregnant as well?"

"I don't think so in her case, but we'll definitely find out when we get back to Equestria."

Rick just sat there, a bit of a goofy smile on his face as he absorbed all this. "Wow. You are totally awesome, did you know that?"

"Well then my dear, we need to celebrate this. You want to go to the Japanese restaurant tonight and get some sushi or would you prefer we just order in and spend a quiet night under the stars?"

"Yeah, I'm not that hungry enough for two dinners. So how about dinner at the Japanese place, then we come back here and order some dessert from room service?"

That evening, they dined at one of the a la carte restaurants. These had a special menu which cost a premium. Rick had chosen the Japanese place as the only other choice was the steakhouse which Twilight still didn't want to eat at. On their way back to the room he stopped off at the main dining room, spoke to the dining room captain and passed him a $50.00 bill along with the end of the cruise tip envelope. The captain agreed and said it would be done.

Back in their room, Twilight grabbed a blanket and headed off to the balcony. As such she didn't hear the knock on the door and the room service order that Rick had arranged with the dining room captain.

He called her back and there on the table was a platter of fresh seasonal fruits, chocolate covered strawberries, small assorted cakes, a bottle of sparkling fruit juice and a copy of "The Princess Bride" on DVD. Twilight smiled at this, walked over to her husband and gave him a long, lingering kiss followed by a simple "thank you".

They spent the evening cuddling on the couch, nibbling their desserts and watching their favourite movie. When it was done, they then walked out hand in hand to the balcony, snuggled under a blanket and watched the stars before going back in to sleep.

The next morning found them pulling into Barcelona. Their bags were packed and ready to go and they had opted to carry them out themselves as it meant they could get off the ship faster this way. The bill for all the excursions not to mention the extra food and alcohol they had was paid and they disembarked the ship, hailed a taxi and went straight to the airport.

The trip back home was uneventful. Like before they were able to get a first class cabin on the leg from London to back home but unlike before they just relaxed, slept a bit and generally took it easy.

Finally back home, they did those small things that people always do when coming back from an extended vacation. Check the mail that your neighbour brought in, make sure the house was still intact, sit on the couch and have a coffee and say how nice it is to finally be back home. Although in a way it wasn't going to be home for much longer. In a few months they'd be moving to the farmhouse and then there would be regular visits and even extended stays in Equestria. Rick already had plans on introducing things like coffee to Ponyville. Maybe even open a small coffee shop or something.

Two months later, their new home was ready in the country and they were ready to move their belongings.

Twilight was just starting her second trimester and she was getting a noticeable bump. Rick, the nervous first time father, insisted on doing everything he could for her which annoyed her to no end.

"Darling, please. I'm more than capable of putting the dishes in the box and taping it up. I don't need your help."

"I know, I know, " Rick said, "but I just don't want you to strain yourself or anything. You should be taking it easy, I can do all this, " he said while indicating the chaos of boxes and empty shelves around them.

"No, you can't. You need my help and women have been working up until the final days of their pregnancies for thousands of years. I might need to sit down a little more often but right now, I'm still fine. I know you worry and I know you're only doing this because you love me. But please, back off."

"Okay, you're the boss, " he said as he went back to packing the books. This would last for a couple of hours then he would start fussing again. It was going to be a long and interesting move as far as Twilight was concerned. However Rick was not the only one who made the packing and the move interesting.

Some mothers seem to lose any and all desire during their pregnancy but Twilight for some reason seemed to go the other way. She was hormonal quite often and more than once while they were in the process of packing or going about their daily routines she'd walk up behind Rick, grab him from behind and slowly start to rub herself against him while kissing the back of his neck or nibbling on his ears. Twilight was simply glowing during all this time and as far as Rick was concerned, she had never looked more beautiful or desirable. So packing sometimes took on a whole new meaning and it did take a lot longer to do than it would have before.

Finally, came the day that they had been looking forward to for the past several months. The old house had been transferred to the new owners, their farmhouse was finally their own and ready to be lived in and they were ready to set up the portal. Twilight had been in contact with Celestia a few times, somehow they were able to communicate using Twilight's magic and the feather. Rick didn't understand a word of it or how it worked but just went with it anyway. It was easier that way.

When talking about the plans to the contractors, they had arranged to have a small storage room in the basement. It was really nothing more than a short hallway that had been blocked at one end but it would be perfect for what they planned. Going back and forth between Equestria and Earth meant that clothes would get in the way on the going there and would be needed on the way back. So the hallway became a sort of changing area with a doorway on one end and the soon to be completed portal on the next.

Twilight stood there, alicorn feather pressed to her forehead where her horn would have been had she been a unicorn at that point. Her magic glowed and enveloped the feather, there seemed to be some whispering going on but Rick couldn't quite find the source. Twilight's hair started to move on its own even if there was no breeze in the hallway. Her eyes opened, they glowed with a power of their own and she brought the feather to the blank wall in front of them. The wall went translucent as if an extremely high powered light was turned on behind it. The whispering became louder, the wall was now flickering between reality and... something else. To Rick's eyes it looked like a series of rapidly changing scenes, you occasionally could see one flicker by it would be replaced with something else that you couldn't quite make out. The flickering started to slow. The energy crackling around Twilight was intense, sending off little sparks from time to time that almost tingled when they struck your skin. The scene finally slowed down, stopped and they were presented with a familiar looking cheap plain white door. The energy in the hallway slowed down, Twilight's hair went back to normal, her eyes closed and she stumbled a bit when it was done.

"Easy babe!" Rick rushed forward to catch her before she fell. "Oooh, somebody's put on a little weight, " he grunted. Luckily for him she was still a little out of it or else she might have decked him.

She blinked a few times before she came back to her senses and Rick helped her back to her feet. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him and asked, "are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's take a look." Rick reached out and opened the door and was confronted with a sight he had never thought he'd see again. It was the library in Ponyville. The two humans quickly disrobed and walked through, the magic turning them back into their pony forms.

"Greetings and welcome back to Equestria, " Princess Celestia said. She nuzzled Twilight affectionately and give a quick nuzzle to Rick as well. She looked strangely at Twilight for a moment, then smiled and said, "oh my! Twilight Sparkle are you...?" She was cut off at that point by Spike who finally having heard the two come back in yelled excitedly from across the room.

"Twilight! Rick!" Spike cried as he ran over to see them. The young dragon had hit a growth spurt during the last time they had seen him. He was still a young dragon but a young dragon that was a head taller than he was last time.

"Lookin' good lil bro!" Rick said while giving him a hoofbump. Twilight went for the more practical route of hugging him.

Spike took one look at her and said, "wow Twilight, looks like somepony needs to cut back on the cupcakes." Twilight, Rick & Celestia just grinned at this. "What?" he asked looking at all of them.

"Well Spike, you're right. I have gained some weight but it's all for a good cause. In a little under 6 months you're going to be an uncle."

He looked confused at that for a moment then his look of confusion was replaced with one of wonder and awe. "You mean you're pregnant too? What are the odds?"

"Who else is pregnant?" Twilight asked although she was pretty sure which ones of her friends were.

"Well, Applejack and Fluttershy are for sure. Rarity is coming into season soon and she's hinting at it. I don't think she wants to be left out, " Spike said.

"Yeah, well Rainbow Dash was worried it would interfere with her tryouts for the Wonderbolts next month so Applejack was the one that got it this time. And Pinkie Pie just isn't ready yet but she says she's more than happy to be the foalsitter once everypony has foaled."

"Cool. I'm guessing that Big Mac is the father of Fluttershy's, but what about Applejack?"

"Remember at the wedding when Rainbow Dash pulled out one of her feathers, I made the comment about how they were actually bonding?"

"Yeah, and you explained they were monogamous from then on. Which begs the question as to who was the father?"

"We'll get to that. But right now, let's walk and talk. Pinkie Pie has set up a little welcome back party at Sugar Cube corner and you know how she gets when her guests are late?"

Rick shuddered a bit knowing that the pink party pony could get really crazy when that happened. The quartet left the library and made their way over to the cafe as Twilight continued her story.

"As you know, not everypony goes through the bonding ceremony. In that ceremony you're saying that when you are joined that's it, nopony else is allowed. Just you and your spouse and you'll literally be together for the rest of your lives."

"Okay, I still don't get what this has to do with them having a foal. Last time I checked they were both still mares unless one of them grew something in which case I don't think I want to know about it."

"Nothing quite so obvious. No, when two ponies are joined, they're together forever. It doesn't matter if they're both stallions, both mares or a stallion and a mare. It's a bond you can never break or ever get between. Literally, they can only be with each other from now on. But as they're both mares, they can have a foal using the magic of the bonding."

Rick thought about this and the implications of it. "Hold on, so if two mares can have a foal without a stallion does that mean that this foal is automatically a filly?"

Twilight nodded with a smile. She knew her husband was smart and capable of figuring out the rest of it.

"More or less. A lot of fillies want to go through the bonding with their coltfriend and once he's joined he's off the market which leaves a lot of fillies without one."

"And because there's a lack of available stallions, this leads to more fillyfooling which leads to more bonding of said fillies which leads to more fillies being born. Damn, my mind has just been blown!" Rick said as they pulled up to Sugar Cube corner.

The 4 of them stepped in, there was a shout of "Welcome back!", an explosion of confetti and Pinkie Pie jumping up and down like a lunatic.

Twilight was immediately surrounded by her friends. She hugged them, they hugged her back, she commented on Applejack and Fluttershy being with foal and they did the same thing to her.

"Bit odd that three fillies get pregnant all about the same time don't you think?"

"Twilight says it's because of the bonding magic and we were all close by when it happened."

"So what's your view of the current socio-political climate vis-a-vis the monarchy and their total adherence to traditional methods of governance instead of a mandate from the masses?" Rick said with a grin.

Big Mac just looked at him and sighed before launching into a well thought out spiel that totally destroyed any concept that he was anything other than a simple farm pony. Big Mac was very well read and educated, he just preferred his carefully crafted laconic and laid back attitude.

"Can I have everypony's attention please?" Celestia said. All eyes turned towards their monarch. "Thank you. I just wanted to use this time to welcome both Twilight Sparkle and Rick back to Equestria and that even though you have another world beyond the library both of you still have a home here. I wish you all many happy years and as I see several are with foal a wish for a bright and happy future."

Eris' game

by Java Joe

To the Future