//------------------------------// // 12. - Little Ones // Story: This Nose Knows // by Irrespective //------------------------------// ”There ya are. How’s that, Love?” “Just right,” Luna sighed and she wiggled a bit to settle into the bed of overstuffed pillows. “This little rascal hath been most unruly today.” “Och, has she now?” Star Struck laughed while throwing another log on the fire. “Indeed. Come, see for thyself. She stirs now.” Star Struck eagerly moved over to his wife, and he smiled deeply while watching the swollen belly of his beloved. It only took a moment for her dark coat to pop and wiggle slightly, and when it did, Star chuckled. “A wee rascal indeed. She must take after her mother.” “I will banish thee to the darkest cell in the dungeons for thine remarks.” “And that puts me at, what? Nine times imprisoned now?” “Ten.” “Ah, right,” he chuckled again as he watched tiny hooves dance from the inside out. “Ten it ‘tis. Ah should just go for an even eleven.” “I give thee one week, at most, for that to occur.” “‘Oy, you hear that?” Star asked Luna’s belly. “Either your Mum has got it out for me, or Ah’m out to get myself. Yer gonna have a felon for a father by the time your born, my wee rascal.” “Thou shalt be a most charming convict,” Luna replied with half-lidded eyes. “Perhaps thou wilt be able to curry favor with thine captor.” “Aye, that’d be my only hope.” He lowered himself down to the floor and gave her a gentle kiss. “Ah suppose she might like a rub o’ the wings to start?” “Perhaps, but later. Let us simply be for this moment.” “Not gonna be many o’ them once she makes her big arrival, eh?” “Nay, but I can hardly wait. Mine kidneys will appreciate the cessation of hostilities, and I will have bested my sister yet again.” Star frowned deeply and sighed. “Ah, Love. Ah do wish you’d stop fighting’ with your sister so much.” “What? I am married, she is not. I am with foal, and she is barren. I am now two for two.” “Green has never been a flattering’ color on you, Love. Let it go. There ain’t supposed to’ be a contest between you and her.” Luna huffed, and her tail flicked in annoyance. “I am not suggesting that there is a contest betwixt me and mine sister. I am simply stating that I have done something she hath not. Twice.” “To what end, Love? What good is it to make such an obvious point of it?” “Come, let us not discuss this. We have had so few moments to enjoy together.” Luna reached over with one hoof and gently caressed his cheek. “All right, all right,” Star smiled. “Just remember that nothing good can come from being’ envious of your sister. All ponies see the light from where they stand.” “Very well, mine Star in the night,” Luna hummed. “But with thee by mine side, our little Twilight shall have all the love and support she shall ever need.” From just outside the doorway, Celestia took a quiet step backwards in thought. She had intended to spend a few moments in idle conversation before retiring for the evening, but when she had heard Star Struck’s voice drifting out of the room she had paused and not made her presence known. It had been several weeks since Star and Luna had been able to find more than a fleeting moment of rest together, and Celestia did not wish to be the one to ruin the opportunity. She then smiled a bit and began walking away. Luna was heavy with child and nearing the end of her pregnancy, and it would not be much longer until the Castle of the Two Sisters would have the pitter-patter of tiny hooves echoing from the warm stone walls. Secretly, Celestia was looking forward to having a little niece to play with—Luna was adamant that she was going to have a filly—and the youngster was bound to bring some sorely-needed life to the castle and to those who lived and worked within it. Celestia stopped again just before an intersecting hallway, and a hoof slowly reached up and touched her own stomach. While she thought Luna had been acting melodramatic again with her comments, she did have a point about having two things that Celestia did not. It was easy enough to dismiss her feelings about not having a mate, but to be with foal? She would never outright admit it, but Celestia was a bit envious of her sister, if she was forced to be totally honest. What would it be like, she wondered, to feel a small life forming and growing within you? What went through your mind when you felt two hearts beating within your being? It was an experience she wished she could duplicate, but she knew it was unattainable at the moment. There were more pressing needs to take care of, as always. Perhaps once they had settled the border disputes with the Yaks, and had checked the power of the surprisingly resurgent Sasquatch Barbarians, and worked out the tariff details with Griffonstone… Celestia twisted her head up and leaned backward slightly just moments before a stout brown unicorn popped around the corner with no advance warning. The stallion clearly had been expecting Celestia’s nose to be available to break his momentum, so in the absence of such his path continued forward until he face planted into the brickwork of the floor. “Fair Eventide, Duke Iron Hoof,” Celestia casually offered while stepping over his prone and groaning form. “Thou wert close that time, but I am afraid thou didst still miss. Perhaps next time thou shalt be successful, no?” * * ✹ * * “The symposium will only be two hours?” Bean asked around a large bite of pancakes. “Yes,” Celestia replied. “Contrary to popular belief, I do not like to hear myself speak endlessly. I anticipate spending the first hour discussing the details of my law, and then the second hour will be spent on questions and answers.” “Ah, okay. That makes sense.” “You don’t have to attend, you know.” Celestia took a small sip of her tea. “Most of what I cover will be very technical, and you may not understand what I am sharing.” “But whatever will I do without you?” he moaned and pouted, which had the desired effect of making Celestia giggle. “I’m sure you can find something. You could work on your book, or perhaps study, or even just walk around the palace. The guards always enjoy unexpected royal reviews.” “I’ll consider it, how’s that?” he replied. “Maybe I’ll come for part of the symposium. I may not understand everything, but I do want to hear what you have to say about your law.” “Perhaps we will have you graciously step out during the questions,” she replied. “That tends to be the boring part anyway.” “Let’s see how it goes, but I may just do that.” Luna then stumbled into the dining hall, and she looked like she’d been wrestling with an Ursa Major. Her nose barely cleared the ground as her hooves plodded forward, and she stopped only when she hit the table with her horn. “Good morning, Luna!” Celestia cheerfully greeted. Luna slowly picked her head up and gave her sister an icy frown. “Meh. Morn,” she grumbled while her magic snagged an apple. “Lonigt losanimare. Neelp ow.” “Would you care to join Bean and me for breakfast?” Celestia offered while holding up a third smiley-face stack of pancakes. “Too tired,” she managed to state coherently, and she took half of the apple into her mouth in one fell bite. “Morning.” She then fumbled out the same way she’d come in, and Celestia sighed. “I do wish she’d join us for breakfast more often, but she always claims to be too tired.” “I imagine it’s rather difficult for her to do things in the morning,” Bean observed. “She’s been out nightmare hunting all night. If there were a lot of them, she’s probably been running and fighting and burned up all her energy. I think it’s a bit like how tired you get after a full day. If Luna invited us to dinner right at bedtime, we both would probably have a hard time too.” “I suppose so, but even if she would just sit for five minutes and talk to us about how the night went …” she trailed off in thought. “You should talk to her about it. Maybe she just doesn’t realize how you feel.” Celestia smiled and nuzzled Bean. “That is a most excellent idea, my love. I will discuss the matter with her when we have a moment. I shall…” She trailed off into a furious round of giggling, and Bean felt something warm and sticky on his neck. He made a great show of rolling his eyes, and the sigh he offered had as much overacting put it to it as he possibly could. “You just got syrup all over my neck, didn’t you?” “I didn’t mean to!” she offered, and a hoof reached out to touch the spot before retreating. “Oh, here! I can clean it up.” Bean fully expected her to conjure up a wet washcloth, but he was delightfully surprised when her tongue reached out and began slowly licking the affected spot. The action sent ticklish goosebumps in waves through his whole body, and he twisted slightly away from her while he enjoyed the sensation. “Does that tickle?” she asked in a husky voice. “A little, but it makes me all tingly too.” “Oh! In that case…” Bean sigh-giggled as she resumed, and he greatly enjoyed her actions while also continuing to lean away slightly in an effort to reduce the tickle. How he loved these little moments, when it was just he and Celly, acting like a normal couple would. He loved how she could fill him with delight and warmth, and how she shared her love with him so liberally. She never disappointed him, never left him wanting. He couldn’t imagine his life without her, nor did he wish to. “Mm, that’s a little better,” Celestia finally offered after a few moments. “But you may need to give my work a little help.” “Aw, mom!” he protested playfully. “I just washed yesterday!” “Now, now,” she chided with a playful nip of his ear. “No questions. You scrub that neck, and make sure to get behind your ears, too.” “Ah! Again with the ears!” he laughed. “I need to practice my mothering skills on somepony, don’t I?” she quipped. “I suppose so, but you’ll be a wonderful mother, I’m sure of it.” He felt a knot in his stomach form while she turned thoughtful. “Uh, that is, if you want to be a mom.” “Your flattery is most appreciated,” she offered with another nip, “but I do admit that I have yet to seriously consider the prospect of being a Mother.” “Well, I’ve never really thought about being a Dad, either. My mind automatically goes to my Dad when it’s mentioned. It’s a bit scary in a way, isn’t it?” “Indeed, but…” she trailed off, and a soft smile came over her. “Luna was a wonderful mother, and I do have to admit I was envious of her from time to time when I saw how happy she was with her little Twilight. I did wonder, more than a few times, what it would be like to bring a foal into the world, and to care for her needs.” “Her?” “I have always been convinced that, when I did have foals, the first would be a girl. Call it feminine intuition,” she replied with a wink. “I assisted Luna with my dear niece, of course, but being an Aunt isn’t quite the same. When it is your own, there is a level of responsibility, of dedication that really can’t be equalled anywhere else. This little life is wholly dependent upon you for everything, and her future success will depend on how you nurture her. It’s a bit like growing a delicate flower, in a way. There is much care and tending, but the rewards of seeing her grow and blossom are beyond any other.” “It’s funny, I’ve felt the same way about it, too,” he offered with a quick peck of her cheek. “But it is a lot of work, and a lot of effort.” “It is,” she replied, and her smile deepened. “But perhaps we should discuss this more later. It is good that we both wish to have foals at some point, but it would be prudent to discuss in depth what we expect, what our hopes and dreams are regarding them before we have any. Even the number of foals could be a point of contention, if we are not careful.” “That it could be,” he replied, but then he began to snicker furiously. Celestia gave him a curious look, but a sticky sensation on her cheek elicited a sigh. “You got syrup on me now, didn’t you?” she flatly asked. “C’mere. I’ll clean it up for you.” “You’d better,” she replied with a sly bob of her eyebrows. * * ✹ * * “Old MacBean lived in a palace, ee eye ee eye oh!” Bean sang while he walked down the hallway with his love. “And all he did was go to meetings, ee eye ee eye oh!” “With a meeting here,” Celestia joined in with great vigor, “and a meeting there! One at three, one at five, where we will discuss beehives! Old MacBean lived in a palace, ee eye ee eye oh!” They both then broke down into laughter and playful nuzzles of each other once the verse was complete. Bean had adapted the lyrics in between their last meetings, and Celestia was so enamored with his creation that she had threatened to make his new song the national anthem of Equestria. “Oh, my dear Bean!” Celestia finally managed to talk again. “Why do I find such mindless lyrics to be so entertaining?” “Probably because we’ve been to one meeting too many today,” he offered. “That may be. This last obe with Miss Harshwhinny should be straightforward enough, and then once we finish the symposium we will have the rest of the evening to spend together.” “We just need to go over security details for the Equestria Games, right?” he asked. “That is part of it, but we will also see what other assistance needs to be rendered. Hosting the Games is a large undertaking, and quite often the Crown needs to provide some support to ensure that all goes well.” “We’ll need to meet with Shining and Lieutenant Spear Point about all this too, won’t we?” “We’ll meet with the Lieutenant later this week, and Shining will coordinate with him on the fine details. Since the games are in the Crystal Empire, Shining will be using his own Crystal Corps to secure the games, and the Royal Guard will augment his troops as needed.” “I don’t remember the Crystal Corps being all that numerous when we were there.” “Troop levels are still being built up, so at the moment it might be more accurately described as the Crystal Platoon. I believe we will be providing one company of Earth, one company of Unicorn, and one company of Pegasi to sufficiently cover the gaps.” “How big is a company, again?” Celestia giggled and pecked his cheek. “Approximately one hundred fifty ponies, my love. Those three companies will make a small battalion.” “That sounds about right to me,” he replied. “A big event requires a lot of policing, doesn’t it?” “Sadly, it does. While Equestria as a whole is rather peaceful, there are still some who are inclined to criminal activity among our citizenry, and they use such large events to help hide their deeds.” “I bet it won’t be too much of a problem, in the end.” “With a strong security detail, it won’t be,” she smiled. “Should we have something sent in to nibble on while we talk things over?” “If you’d like, sure. I’ll just nibble on you. That always fills me up.” Celestia laughed and smacked him gently upside the head with her wing, but then she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “You are wonderfully insufferable sometimes.” “So long as it’s not all the time, I suppose.” “You will never be able to do that in a million years, my love,” she replied. “Thanks. What if we just have some truffles sent in? I don’t know what Chef Beet puts in those things, but they are addictive.” “Almost as addictive as you.” ~*~ Bean knew he should be paying attention to what Miss Harshwhinny was saying. This wasn’t some complicated legal matter, nor a weighty financial issue that would bring about the fall of Equestrian society if left unchecked. This was also not some snooty minister, though Harshwhinny did have a respectably furious scowl. No, this was something Bean could follow along with, if he tried to. The discussion was, at the moment, centered on how preparations were going for the upcoming Equestria Games, and where the Crown could assist the Crystal Empire in said efforts to host the games, just as Celestia had said. But he just couldn’t shake the conversation about foals and parenthood. For reasons beyond him, his mind had focused all of its efforts on that topic in the same way Blueblood tended to focus on mirrors when he came across one, and no matter how hard he tried, he just could not break free. Bean took a discreetly deep breath while Celestia asked about attendance numbers, and he tried to focus his thoughts into an itemized list. Perhaps if he could summarize them all, he could then relegate them to a box in the far corner of his mind for review later. The first item was being a father. This was both something that excited and terrified him, but for reasons that he suspected were rather common. Could he be a father; a good father? Would he be able to teach his little filly with kindness, and could he give her the tools she would need to be a Princess in Equestria? Yes, she would always have her mother to guide and direct her, but he didn’t want her to be forever reliant on others. He wanted her to be strong, noble, and able to lead in wisdom and serenity. There was an outside chance that there would be another long-lost Empire that would suddenly emerge from the dust of history, so would he be able to make her into the mare she would need to be to guide them into the future, just as Princess Cadence had? The next thing was related: how would he and Celly go about raising a Princess? He was uncomfortable with the idea of a nanny, and his parents would frown on such a thing as well. A nanny only cared about their charge because they were paid to, the emotional attachment just wasn’t the same. But they were so busy with meetings and delegations and court and everything else that he might not have a choice. There was a very good chance that he would either have to have a nanny or bring their little one to court with them. He did smile a little at the thought of Celestia, proud and regal upon her throne, holding a small bundle of pink joy in her hooves while she listened to the crisis of the day. The smile deepened a bit as he thought of her losing a pacifier in her mane, and then having some gruff construction pony hold her daughter for a moment while she attempted to find it. “I’m pleased to see you agree with that, Prince Bean,” Miss Harshwhinny offered. “That should save quite a bit on overhead expenses.” “My dear husband knows a good idea when he hears one,” Celestia offered with a quick wink to him. “However, I think we need to be careful in this. Should the need arise…” And Bean’s mind checked out again. He was momentarily frustrated with his inability to focus, but that got trampled under the stampede of parental thoughts that showed little sign of stopping. How would they arrange visits to the Grandparents? Lima would move into the palace if she could to be as close to her grandfoal as possible, and Garbanzo had always enjoyed newborn foals, even if he denied it when asked. He didn’t really think they’d give up cooking at the Zuerst anytime soon, so they would probably just have to schedule a visit to Salt Lick every three to six months or so. Well, at least that was one thing he could figure out right now. A small inkling of peace began to drift in his veins, and he realized that there were answers to these questions, and things would work out, eventually. Worrying about the details right now would not do any good, and once he was able to have an in-depth talk with Celestia about his thoughts, he would feel confident enough to move forward. But could he be a father? That one nagging question was unrelenting. It was, in the end, the only one that couldn’t be answered by Celestia. She would tell him over and over he could be, with all manner of reinforcing language, but in the end only he could fully answer that to himself. Nopony else could tell him what was in his heart. And his heart told him that he was unsure. The problem was the addition of Celestia to the equation. Were he married to a normal, common mare, he would probably feel comfortable with moving forward with a family. But when the mother of your children was the beloved Diarch of a prosperous nation, and when you would be expected to raise them to be the future rulers in her kingdom, things got a lot more complicated. Just the mere fact that he could make a mother out of Princess Celestia was dumbfounding enough. She was the Princess of the Sun, not the Changer of Diapers. How could he, a mere commoner, even dare to bring that about? He really hadn’t missed his self-doubt. Just when he thought he was coming to terms with his life as Celestia’s husband, his inadequacies just had to flare up. “...so, I believe that should cover everything.” Harshwhinny sounded like she was wrapping up, and Bean forced himself into the present. “It’s very kind of you to take the time to review the details of the Games with me.” “It’s not a problem at all, Miss Harshwhinny,” Celestia replied with a graceful, diplomatic smile. “We are always pleased to help the games in whatever ways we can.” “If only everypony else was so accommodating,” Harshwhinny muttered. “Where are you off to now?” Bean asked, with the hopes that she had not already given that information. “I will be travelling to Ponyville after this to lay out the rules and regulations regarding the Flag routine. From there, I will be returning to the Crystal Empire to oversee the setup for the games and to assist in the qualifier events.” “We should let you be on your way then, it would seem,” Bean offered. “Quite. The run-up to the games is always a busy time.” “I will be sure to inform you of the security details once I have a chance to confirm them with Lieutenant Spear Point and Captain Armor,” Celestia offered while they all stood. “However, I believe this will be one of the best Equestria Games yet.” “I believe it will be as well,” Harshwhinny offered with a deep smile. “Perhaps they might even be as good as the Games that were held in Salt Lick twenty years ago, hmm?” “Perhaps,” Bean chuckled. “I was still a small colt then, but some of my earliest memories revolve around the hype everypony felt as we prepared for and then hosted the games. My parents still talk about it from time to time, even. However, I think these games will have a magic all their own. By hosting the games, it feels to me like the Crystal Empire is proudly and boldly proclaiming they are fully re-integrated with the rest of Equestria, and are ready to show everypony just how magnificent their Empire is.” “Quite right, Your Highness. It will be a memorable time, of that I have no doubt.” A few additional pleasantries were shared before Miss Harshwhinny was escorted out by a guard, but once she had rounded the corner Celestia gave his ear a nip. “You didn’t hear a word she said, did you?” she asked. “No, I did. I heard, what? Ten, twelve… nineteen words, about.” “You little…” Celestia laughed while nuzzling him and wrapping one wing around him. “I’m sorry, my love,” he offered with a sheepish smile. “I just couldn’t focus, but I should have. The Games are important, and I need to learn how to pay attention.” “You’ll get there,” she offered. “However, we need to get going to be on time to the symposium. I think I know what had you distracted, and I would like to discuss it with you when we have enough time to give the matter the attention it deserves.” “Until later, then.” * * ✹ * * Bean smiled slightly to himself, mostly to prevent a yawn from sneaking out. They were on the tail end of the symposium now, and it was just as boring as he’d expected it to be. Of course, the assembled gaggle of lawyers and judges were besides themselves with glee, and it was easily seen in their faces and in the rapid scribbling that followed along with his wife’s every word. They clearly did not want even one definite article to take to the air and escape them, and Bean was instantly pleased with himself that he remembered what a definite article was. His study sessions with Celestia were beginning to pay off. The first part had been moderately interesting, but Celestia had been most serious when she said it would be technical. It was almost like she was going through the law word by word, explaining how each one influenced the other and then weaved with one another into a gigantic, inescapable destiny. Some of it was comprehensible, such as her explanations on the ad infinium bindings and the nullification of typical revocation clauses, but most of what she was explaining flew right over his head with enough speed to set new thought aviation records. However, taking notes on what was being shared had helped him to stay focused. When he didn’t understand what was being shared, he would flip over a few pages and quickly scribble out a nonsense scene to practice his descriptive writing, and then he’d come back and try to comprehend the next tidbit. But as soon as the question and answer session began, Bean totally stopped checking in. The questions themselves didn’t make sense, and he knew he had no hope of understanding the answer if he didn’t even know what the question was. While he would look up from time to time to give the appearance of paying attention, nothing he wrote had anything to do with the events of the moment. Oh, except for that one little bit about a gaggle of lawyers teaming up to successfully stop Nightmare Moon’s first attempts at an eternal night via lawsuits. He smiled as he tried to figure out how such a thing could be possible, and what her reaction would be if they somehow pulled it off. “...as you can clearly see, Miss Nightmare, paragraph nine of section twelve clearly defines the term ‘night’ as ‘That space of time during which the sun is below the horizon of the earth, except, that short space which precedes its rising and follows its setting, during which, by its light, the countenance of a pony may be discerned.’ Furthermore, your authority to quote unquote ‘raise’ the moon can be challenged by Article 5, in which sub clause C clearly states that the ‘moon’ is to be under the control, operation, jurisdiction, custodianship, ownership, and administration of Luna, Princess of Equestria, whom you clearly are not. Thus, your rights and claims are hereby considered to be null, void, and invalid, and you are to hereby relinquish your control to Celestia, Princess of the Sun, until such time as you can prove legal ownership of said celestial body.” “You infernal simpletons! I am Nightmare Moon, and I answer to nopony! I will rule Equestria in eternal night!” “But since you are claiming the rights of a  Princess, that means you must be subject to—” “I believe we have time for one more question,” Celestia stated. “Yes, Mister Curiae?” “Ah, yes. Thank you,” he coughed into a hoof and stood. “Princess, this is not so much a legal question as a historical one, if I may.” “Please continue.” Celestia nodded. “Why go through all this trouble in the first place? You clearly would have outlived Duke Iron Hoof, and given enough time, you could have reformed and altered his actions once he was gone. Your law seems like a rather overcomplicated solution to a very minor problem.” “On the surface, yes,” Celestia replied, and Bean gave her his full attention. This was the most interesting thing yet. “And it is true that I cannot qualify my rejection of his proposal using normal methodology. I rejected Iron Hoof and went through all of this trouble because of how I felt about the matter. His ideology had the possibility of corrupting and skewing my hopes and dreams for a unified and peaceful Equestria. Please remember that he was one of the most ardent supporters of unicorn superiority at the time, and I did not wish for the status quo to remain any longer than it had already. Ponies were meant to be equal, and I wasn’t going to wait five hundred years to bring that about. This law allowed me to minimize the influence of him and of any other who wished for one tribe to remain elevated over another, and I firmly believe Equestria would not be as prosperous as it is now if I had married him. “More importantly, however, is the simple fact that I did not love him. I have always been an idealist, and the notion of marrying for power and position was as offensive to me as the supposed superiority of unicorns. Love, my friends, is what I wanted. If it had somehow come down to the choice between being a Princess and marrying for love, I would have chosen love without hesitation.” She then gave a glance back towards her beloved, and a small tear was in the corner of her eye while her smile grew. “Thankfully, I have not had to make that choice. I am most privileged to have both, and to have things the way they are now was worth all the inconvenience and effort I put into this. I trust in the forces of Harmony, my friends, and Harmony has now given me the something I didn’t even know I needed. If I knew then what I know now about what would happen, I would do it again without reservation.” Bean felt like he would melt in happiness right there. * * ✹ * * “There we are. How’s that?” Bean asked. “Just right,” Celestia sighed while she settled into the bed of overstuffed pillows. “It’s been a long day, hasn’t it?” “That it has. Is tomorrow going to be as bad?” “It should be lighter tomorrow, plus we will have court,” she replied while Bean snuggled in under her wing. “Perhaps one of the petitioners will liven things up.” “But not too much.” “Just a little lively,” Celestia agreed with a quick boop. “Now, would you like to discuss how you feel about being a father?” “You can read me like a book, can’t you?” he chuckled. “Not quite yet. I am inferring that you are troubled with such thoughts due to the fact that you became contemplative and distant after we discussed foals. I could be wrong.” “No, you are right, as always,” he replied with a flick of his tail. “I just worry about if I could be a good father or not, and how I would go about doing it. I’m still trying to figure out how to be a prince, and then we throw having a little princess on top of that? It’s a bit overwhelming for me. I know you’re here to support me, of course, but there’s just a lot of unknown down that road.” “That there is, and I am most happy to help you answer these questions, if I can.” “I’m glad you will,” he replied with another sigh. “I just… I don’t even really know how to articulate what I’m thinking.” “Then let us wait, my dear,” she offered to him with a smile. “I will not deny I would like to have a foal, but I do not wish to rush you, as always. Sort out your feelings, and let us work together to find a solution that is best for us. If we do that, we can accomplish anything.” “But how do you know you’re ready to be a mother?” Bean asked with some confusion. “Have you just had all these years to get ready for it?” “I didn’t even think I’d be married two months ago,” she offered with a playful laugh, “and motherhood isn’t something you can study for, like a test. Yes, you can learn parenting tips and what to expect when you’re expecting, among other things, but I feel that I am ready simply because I feel ready. The idea of a foal excites me, Love, and having the opportunity to raise a little one is a challenging joy I wish to undertake. Perhaps that is where the issue lies, now that we look at it.” “How so?” “You were an only child, and your cousins are close to you in age. You have not yet seen what having a foal is like in its entirety. I have seen the good and the bad with Luna and her little Twilight, so I know better what to expect.” “That might be it,” Bean remarked in thoughtfulness. “I really don’t know what I’m getting into with all of this. It’s a huge unknown.” “Perhaps we should speak to Luna about this sometime,” Celestia offered. “She might be able to help address your concerns.” “Let’s do that,” Bean offered. “And you can tell me what you know. Maybe with all that, I will feel better about starting a family.” “I believe you will.” She offered a reassuring nuzzle and a kiss. “Thanks. So, how do you feel about changing diapers?”