//------------------------------//
// Growing Up 
// Story: Tree-Borne Creator Pony 
// by Crescent Pulsar 
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Ranma wanted to deny them outright, but she was struck by pangs of both sympathy and empathy.

Sure, she might have been able to interact and play with kids her own age while growing up, even if sporadically, but traveling around Japan had left her little opportunity to make friends, much less any lasting ones. Her father had also groomed her for her own future, acting far more as a teacher than a parent, and had missed out on a lot of experiences that were normal for other children.

In the face of that, and their plight, she could only mount a pitiful defense. "Why me?" Upon seeing Luna's cocked eyebrow, she added, "Besides the fact that I'm your," she paused, uncomfortable with having to say it herself, "biological mother."

"Because you have more time and opportunity than anypony else we know," Celestia pointed out. "And you can also provide us a normal, low-profile life: we won't be alicorns, or be treated special because we live in a castle or associate with important individuals."

Despite Ranma's doubtful look, Luna asserted, "And we believe that this is an experience that you need."

Ranma regarded both alicorns with an incredulous expression. "...Say what?"

Celestia nodded her head in agreement. "You said that you were young when you became an alicorn, and it wasn't long after that when you set us on the path that we're on now. As well-meaning as your decisions may have been, we would feel more reassured if someone in your position were more than a martial artist, which is the only definitive thing that we know about your background."

While that was understandable, and she couldn't really describe herself as being anything more than a martial artist with any confidence, she still countered, "But why a mother?"

"Aside from our own reason?" Celestia rhetorically began. "We believe that taking on the role of a mother, and raising two children, can give you the experience — in addition to teaching you many skills — that will be beneficial to you on your endeavor, as well as do much to put our minds at ease. With the amount of power that you possess, I hope you can understand why we would have reservations, when we know so little about you, and your qualifications are still in question."

"We want to believe that you care for every pony as we do," Luna followed up, "because it would be a great relief to us, but we can't be confident that they are all in good hooves until you've proven that you can take care of two."

Seeing that Ranma was probably going to protest, Celestia quickly added, "Ranma, you can't expect things to always work out without your personal input. There will come a day, regardless of how far in the future it will be, where there won't be someone to produce the results you desire, either by chance or design. It will come down to you, and it may not be a martial artist's touch that is needed."

Ranma closed her mouth, and silently regarded the two alicorns who continued to kneel before her, unable to mount an argument. They were right to have concerns, after all, because she was pretty much winging it outside of taking action if the worldwide situation was bad enough. However, even then, she hadn't decided exactly what she would do to try to rectify the situation, since it probably wouldn't make sense to do the exact same thing again if it failed before. Aside from that, she knew well enough that she was only so skilled and knowledgeable in certain areas, and that she was generally lacking in many of the ones that had become most relevant in her life since becoming an alicorn.

The only real objection that she had came from a personal place, because she still strongly identified as male. While she had come to terms with her body, becoming female in mind as well just wasn't her. She knew that there was a grey area between the genders, and that being accepted as manly despite her curse, in addition to knowing others who behaved more like the opposite sex, meant that the mind didn't have to reflect the body, but so much of her identity had been tied up in her upbringing to be manly. That, and being manly was what her parents wanted, and that felt like the way for her to honor their memory.

Still, aside from the whole mother aspect, which was deep in the realm of femininity as far as she was concerned, everything else was worthy of consideration. She'd long since learned — the hard way — to take the time to think about something if the opportunity presented itself, and she wanted to address their concerns without assuming the role of a mother, so she finally broke the silence that had dominated the room and asked, "Can I think about it?"

"You may," Luna readily replied, having expected that answer. "We will approach you again, on this matter, once Twilight Sparkle has succeeded us."

Celestia seemed to realize something just then, who rose to her full height and looked about the room. "Speaking of whom... Where is she?"

"I gave her access to all of the human books that I had saved," Ranma replied. Upon seeing their expressions, which seemed to ask if she were being serious, she obliviously prompted, "What?"





Ranma sat upon a cushion in front of the fireplace, which was the living room's sole source of illumination, meditating. It had been a taxing day, thanks to using a normal pegasus body instead of her inexhaustible alicorn one, but good nonetheless, and she liked to relax her body and mind before going to bed. Although meditation hadn't been unusual for her as a martial artist, she had gotten into the habit of doing it for reasons outside of that a few years ago, thanks to Twilight Sparkle.

As if summoned by the thought of her, she received the magical equivalent of a door knock and gave her permission to enter in kind. A second later there was a flash of light from a teleport, that she could see through her closed eyes, and Twilight Sparkle was standing behind her, a few feet away.

Her clandestine visitor walked over to her and asked, "How was your day?"

"Same old," Ranma evenly replied, before opening her eyes and looking over her shoulder. Seeing that Twilight Sparkle was still wearing her regalia, there was a good chance that she wouldn't be staying for long. "How about yours?"

Twilight Sparkle sighed wearily. "It was one of those days."

Turning her body to face the alicorn, Ranma smirked and cheekily said, "At this rate you're sure to convince me to rule Equestria, when you retire after who knows how many millennia."

Rolling her eyes, Twilight Sparkle replied, "I wouldn't put you in charge of a rock garden, much less a country." Her gaze becoming more pointed and eager, she changed the topic. "Now, are they asleep?"

After nodding her head, Ranma stood up and led Twilight Sparkle upstairs. Along the way, she once again wished that she could spend more time with her best friend, but the work of Equestria's ruler was rarely exhausted before the day was. It was hard to accept sometimes, but her own responsibilities were a decent enough distraction and were fulfilling in their own way.

She hadn't realized that she needed a friend until she had one, but Twilight Sparkle had seen it early on and had decided to be that friend. There had been a barrier that she had to break through first, and she had accomplished that after figuring out she had once been male, which had opened up a personal avenue to their interactions. She had gained her trust from keeping that a secret, leading to more dialogue that wasn't strictly to sate her curiosity or intellectual pursuits, building on that trust, and one thing had simply led to another.

"It had led to this, too," she thought, as she stopped in front of a bedroom door and quietly opened it.

They both peered into the room from the hallway, toward the bed, with Twilight Sparkle leaning her head into the room for a closer look. The gloom was gently held back by a nightlight, making it possible to see the two sleeping fillies that were huddled together at its head, comfortably tucked in. Within view of them, on the night stand, was a book that contained bedtime stories.

If not for Twilight Sparkle helping her with some gender issues, she never would have accepted the two princesses' request to raise them. It had been rough to raise two foals in the beginning, but she had endured the challenges, and by now she was glad that she had been talked into being a mother for a while. Upon reflection she wasn't really surprised, though, because she'd always had a penchant for helping those in need, whether they were perfect strangers or offered nothing in return — even when they were perverted or exasperating.

Recently she had begun to wonder if she had been fated to be a mother. Back before she had even known that she had a mother, she'd never once given her a thought. Then, when it appeared that she would enter her life, she couldn't understand why Akane and her sisters thought it was such a big deal. However, when she saw her, and realized she was the lady that she had encountered in the canal earlier, something in her mind had clicked. Her smile, the gentle touches, the friendly gestures, and how much she cared about her: she needed to have her in her life. Perhaps, subconsciously, that was what she had wanted to be herself?

Twilight Sparkle pulled her head back, quietly closed the door, then collected herself before whispering, "It's so hard to resist rushing in there and hugging them for hours."

"Yeah," Ranma unabashedly sighed her agreement. "Too bad they'll grow up."

Giving Ranma a meaningful look, Twilight Sparkle quietly said, "We all do. Usually it's a good thing."

Knowing that she was referring to her own growth over the past few years, Ranma nodded her head in agreement before returning a similar look as she remembered the growing up that Twilight Sparkle had to do before she was ready to rule Equestria. "Hopefully."

They fell into a companionable silence until Twilight Sparkle indicated that she wanted to go somewhere, so she followed her back down to the living room. Once there, she adopted a serious expression and asked, "Have you decided whether or not you want to become my adopted daughter after Celestia and Luna are old enough to regain their memories? I've given you a year to think about it."

Ranma kept her embarrassment off of her face because she hadn't really thought about it like she should have. However, she realized that she didn't really have to now. If she had learned anything from being a mother thus far, she could benefit from the experience of being raised as a filly and evolving more as a person. Plus, considering how long she would live, she had been convinced that it would be a good idea to get a taste of what it was like to be a leader, to learn the ins and outs of it, before dismissing the possibility of ever becoming one in the future if the circumstances called for it.

It was going to be strange to have a life and memories of her best friend being her mother, but... "You know what? Sure. Just so long as you don't skimp out on the ice cream."

Twilight Sparkle answered that stipulation with a flat stare.