That's pretty much it

I feel like this was addressed in the story about Rainbow Dash's mothers. If no one remembers, maybe go give that one a whirl/re-read?

There are levels of gay you know. It can be 100% gay down to about 20% which goes from a I only bang guys/gals down to If my partner was ok with it id bang that guy/girl. People always assume that everyone's 100% of anything whether in RL or in whatever universe your in, its really all shades of grey. Not all things have to be absolute nor are they.

Then there is the ask a female friend to be inseminated , slash sleep with a female friend at their bequest. Or any of the hundred or so different scenarios that could happen to get a gay stallion to donate genetic material.

I don't think they can by themselves. While both of them could sire a love foal, neither of them could give birth.

It says in the FAQ that they need a mare willing to carry the foal. How that works I have no idea. Maybe the magic allows them both to sire the child so it has three parents? It's probably not very common because of the huge hassle it would cause the mare.

There are also other ways for them to acquire a child even if it's not a love foal. Like adoption or one of them having sex with a female willing to carry their child.

There are gender bending magic as well, but I don't think that would work. It's one thing to turn a female male for an evening and impregnate her partner. (Like what happened between Cloud and Blossom.) it's another thing to keep a male female without interruption for 11 months.

6582807
It's different for a lesbian couple than two stallions.

Magic.

Do they have to?

Love magic is sexist.

6582827

I'm well-aware. But I remember it being discussed in that story, as I said. It's been awhile, but I'm fairly sure it was brought up there.

6582784
As others sort of answered, they need a willing mare nearby. The Magic of Love creates the child of the two stallions within her womb. Presumably, she donates no egg or genetic material to this union and doesn't need to participate in sex or anything. The exact logistics are never spelled out.

Of course, this can lead to some rather horrifying speculation. Just what level of "willingness" counts? What if a generally amiable mare happens to be sleeping in the next room with a thin wall between her bed and the bed of two stallions lovemaking? I sort of doubt the Magic of Love ensures that all parties are aware of the process and fully on board with it since several instances of mare on mare accidental birth are mentioned through the series. Some mare waking up and finding herself pregnant despite being celibate because her two best friends were frisky is the stuff of nightmares if you ask me.

6582813
Do try to read what the actual question was. He wasn't asking about degrees of gayness, he was asking about the specific element of the Winningverse referred to as the Magic of Love which allows same-sex couples to reproduce. Including if both are male. Y'know, when both have 100% a penis and 0% a uterus.

6582872
That's a good question. If by "have to" you mean "have to wind up with a child" then possibly? Heterosexual couplings occasionally produce children unplanned, and lesbian couplings also carry this risk. Cloud frequently concerns herself with contraceptives, even when romping with mares. It only stands to reason that it is possible that two stallions could produce an unplanned child.

If instead you simply mean, "ew, dude's fuckin'? do they have to?" Well, I mean, whatever it is they want to do is their concern. I don't have to like it and neither do you. There are clearly dudes who like each other, more power to them.

6583511
Yes. I meant more on the 'do they need to have a child'.

Honestly I know it's purely based on what the couple decides, I just noticed that in most recent cases IRL people choose not to.

6583265
My apologies then, I don't remember there being a discussion about stallions in that story, but it was a long time since I read it so I may very well have slipped my mind.

6583511
Truly the stuff of nightmares. If the magic of love is that indiscriminate then the Sparkle-Doo-Kicker family tree is going to get even more messed up. Ditzy really want another foal and her daughter and Star are very much in love, and have the bedroom next to her... Nope not thinking about that!

I am a bit torn, I hope the magic requires both sire and carrier to be in love with each other, but that kind of ruins the whole two-dads-love-foal thing.

6583537
Need in this instance is rather subjective.

Did Shadow Kicker's parents need to have a child? Did Mr. and Mrs. Cake need to have Pumpkin and Pound? Did Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker need to have Aurora?

The topic isn't a general, societal commentary sort of question. It's a mechanical/logistical one. Whether or not any two ponies/people "need" to have a child is a separate topic from "how do babies get made?" which this is.

6583511
I think you don't understand the definition of love child.
Defined by Wikipedia "Love child" is a euphemism for a child born out of wedlock" Now unless gay marriage isn't a thing in Winningverse equestria, I was assuming that the stallions were married and they reached out or what have you to another mare and the one that was NOT 100% gay donated in some way genetic material in the usual manner. That would make it a love child rather than a bastard since it would be legally acknowledged by both the fathers and the mare as their foal.

The Magic of Love seems like it would work but wouldn't the conditions above be much easier on all involved instead. That and consider this there is only one exit on a male being that could theoretically have a newborn come out and wow is it small. Unless you go to a much more dirty place and even then....that's not made for it either.

6583618
I don't think I can put any logical thought in regards to 'how babies get made' in a world where magic is the safest answer.

6583699

I think you don't understand the definition of love child.

This is the Winningverse forum. Children born via the Magic of Love are referred to as love children. How words are defined outside of this continuity are superseded by use within the AU for discussions of the AU.

You can keep your "I don't think you understand" nonsense to yourself, thank you. It doesn't make you look any cooler.

6583754
Why not? Magic follows some kind of rules. What those rules are varies from writer to writer, sure. But this is the Winningverse forum. The question is not "well, magic I aint gotta explain it, why ask?" but "how does it work within this AU.

6583699
The definition of love child in the real world is irrelevant, but I see the confusion. In the winningverse a love child or love foal is a pony conceived by the magic of love rather than the regular biological way.

Whether the parents are married or not is not part of the definition. Rainbow Dash is a lovechild and both her moms are married.

Sparkler on the other hand is also a lovechild, despite being born unplanned and unwanted to an extramarital affair. Likely her mother wanted another foal with her husband, and the magic took that desire and allowed her lover to sire the child instead. Is she a bastard? Quite possibly, but she was labelled as "orphan" because no one seemed to know who her parents were.

The term bastard really depend on the cultural context, and the winningverse has several. All of Bright Charger's children are technically bastards, but they are seen as her legitimate children by the pegasi. Unicornia has a different view and Midnight Sparkle is considered a bastard, and treated negatively for it, because she doesn't know who one of her mothers where and her sole mother is unmarried.
No one ever calls Dinky a bastard for the same reasons though.

Star and Storm are also technically born out of wedlock since their parents never married, but both are legitimate children.

Definitions like "bastard" and "wedlock" tends to break down when you mix more than one culture.

Gay marriage is very much a thing in winningverse, it may even be the norm. Nopony seems to care what gender the parents are just whether they take good care of the children.

6583611

Likewise mine, as well. Just that what memory I do have feels as though it was brought up there, since it was one of the few places where the Magic of Love was originally brought up in detail and had exposition.

6583790
Thanks for answering my question

6585274
You're welcome. I feel Atom Smash also deserves thanks, as he also answered your question.

6585966
Thank you Atom Smash as well

6585966

6587157
Aw thank you guys, you are too sweet.

6582784
well first, they offer the obligatory stick

Joking aside though, this is really one of the more obscure parts of this bit of the fandom. Fun to speculate on though, wouldn't you agree

As for the ponies themselves making head or tails of the matter, I point to a part of Calm Winds Piercing the Heavens to surmise reaction by and large

Dash just let it be, Derpy was happy, why try to figure it out?

6591524
A post shorter than the height of my screen.

Who are you and what did you do with Perpetually Confused?

6592012
Love you too baby

In all seriousness though, I'm making a genuine attempt at improving myself in that regard, and will attempt to make my posts less lengthy in the future and try to be more coherent in my musings.