Twilight poked at her plate of food still unable to get over her shock. Around her were the sounds of happy, cheerful voices chirping about all sorts of random things, the voices of the children seemed to feed into her horror and confusion. Every single one of these kids had something not entirely right about them. In her mind she did not want to seem biased, and in truth if she had not learned what she had, she would have called them defects, but you can't say that a living thing has a defect. That seemed incredibly wrong. Especially when it came to that of a child.
"Twilight, what's up?" Spike asked, putting his claw over Twilight's hoof. "You seem real down."
His voice seemed to sooth her and she raised her head to face her Number One assistant, "I'm fine, Spike."
"Are you sure? You've been really mopey since you got back from your walk."
"It must be the rain. You know I sometimes get sad when it rains."
"You do?" Spike rubbed his chin. That did not seem to ring a bell at all. Twilight always seemed to like the rain as it gave her an excuse to curl up in her warm bed with a nice book.
"Mama Cupcake took Twilight to see it," a small pegasi said. She then looked down at her plate of food, "I hate it. I hate that place."
Spike obviously did not understand, but seemed to know that whatever 'it' was was a sensitive topic. He looked at his mentor and gave her a comforting smile. The small seemingly normal gesture gave Twilight a sense of peace. Knowing that he was there for her made her feel loved and cared for and she felt an immense amount of affection for the dragon. It came as a revelation to her that this was probably how Cupcake made the children feel.
"Okay, everypony! Soups on!" Cupcake sang out as she made her way into the kitchen with a huge pot of soup. Derpy followed close behind, followed by a few of the older kids carrying bowls and spoons.
There was a sudden mad dash for the table as the little ones made their way to their seats, visibly fighting to sit nearest to the large chair at the head of the table. The other spots were next to Derpy, Dinky and Spike.
"How many kids does Cupcake have here?" Twilight asked looking at them all.
"Right now? Well there's Skipper, Runner, Spinner, Loopy, Windy, Spiral, Nacreous, Tropo, Maggy, Turbo, Lightning, Lighter, Brown Light, Green Light, Red Light, Blue Light, Little Light and Big Light," Derpy looked at Twilight and saw the expression on her face. "What? They all have the same first name. There's also Blizzard, Snow, Flounder, Cirrus, Cumulus, did I say Muddy? Well, there's Muddy too, and Dusty, Splash, Zip, Fibratus, Perl-"
"That's short for Perlucidus," a bright orange pony with an auburn mane and tail cut in. She had a Cutie Mark on her flank that looked like a blanket of pillows, but seeing as Perl was a pegasi, she automatically knew that they were clouds.
"Perl's the second oldest here now," Derpy smiled and ruffled her mane. "Then there's Lucy-"
"That's short for Translucidus," Perl cut in again shoving her head under Derpy's and grinning widely at Twilight.
"Lucy," Derpy emphasized shoving Perl back with her left hoof, "and Opi-" Before Perl could cut in, Derpy shoved her hoof in her mouth. "And Fallstreak!"
"I was going to tell you that Opi's full name is Opicus," Perl said while Derpy was wiping her hoof with a napkin.
Twilight was amazed. "How do you feed them all?"
"Well, our older sisters and brothers send a few bits to us when they can. Most live close by and can bring food and things. Sometimes this house gets so full we have to put sleeping bags in the kitchen." Perl giggled at that. "It's interesting seeing who tries to sneak in and grab a midnight snack."
Just then the kitchen rear door opened and in walked a black coated stallion, around Twilight's age. He didn't seem to notice the unicorn and plopped himself at the other end of the table. A few of the kids hugged him and he returned the gesture.
"Heya, Fall!"
"Derpy! How's my favorite sister!" Fallstreak shouted and walked around the table and hugged her tightly.
"Fall, this is my good friend Twilight Sparkle from Ponyville. Twilight, this is Fall. He's the eldest one here, and he's kinda like the big brother for everypony."
"Kinda? I am the biggest brother. Eldest, anyway. Hello, Miss Sparkle," Fall grinned. "Thank you for coming to our home. I hope that everything is to your liking."
Twilight nodded, "Very much so, thank you. And just Twilight. Miss Sparkle is a little bit... too formal."
"Okay, Twilight. Hey, why didn't anypony tell me Derpy was here? Perl?"
"You should've come back earlier."
"I was working in the rice patties!" Fall protested.
Everything was so warm and happy. There were bright lights, bright colors and bright smiles on every face -- with the exception of the siblings being siblings by fighting over the usual things. A toy, or a book, or even a hug from Cupcake.
"Everypony! Now everypony! Please take a seat," Cupcake announced. Most of the kids were already in their seats, but those that weren't found a place to sit and those that couldn't sit at the table just found a place nearby on the floor or couch. "I want everypony to thank Princess Celestia for the day, Princess Luna for the night, and also thank all your big brothers and sisters who helped us get this meal tonight," Cupcake said as she ruffled the manes of those closest to her. "Also, let's all give thanks to auntie Derpy for the toys she always brings, and to Dinky who teaches us knew and fun things."
"Thank you, Princess Celestia. Thank you, Princess Luna. Thank you, auntie Derpy. Thank you, cousin Dinky," all the kids intoned together.
Twilight noticed that Dinky blushed as her name was said by the kids and she leaned against her mother her stroked her mane lovingly.
"And don't forget! Thank you, mommy," a small foal said suddenly. At once everypony, including Derpy and Dinky said the same time.
Cupcake just sat there and smiled, but surprisingly she shook her head, "You don't need to thank your mommy for taking care of you, my little darlings. It's a mother's job to take care of her little ones, and you're all my little ones. Some may be bigger than others," she kissed Derpy on the temple, "but you're still my children and you will always be."
"I love you, mommy," the little filly said ignoring Cupcake's words.
"I love you too, mommy!" another shouted.
"Me too!"
"I love you the most!"
"Nuh-uh!" one disagreed.
Then one by one, they all rushed Cupcake until they were in a large giggling pile on the floor. Even some of the older kids could not help but partake in the shenanigans. The little ones were trying to fly, their tiny wings flapping hopelessly in the air as they tried to gain a little altitude to get to their mother. It was an adorable sight, and Twilight wished that she had a camera on her, especially when Derpy gently pushed her way into her mother's embrace, which earned a lot of angry pouting faces from the youngest batch of foals. Cupcake lightly tapped Derpy on the nose, but nuzzled her daughter lovingly anyway. She would always be her little girl.
Twilight could not help but laugh at the cute scene, but the food was getting cold and they soon were all once again sitting back in their respective seats relishing the delicious soup together.
The creaking from upstairs made Twilight put the book down. She had spent the better part of an hour reading the latest Daring Do novel out loud to a large audience of eagerly listening fillies and colts. She loved how much they loved it. They hung on her every word, sometimes even gasping when she got to the really exciting bits. She never really took herself to be a good storyteller, but the children made her feel as if that was her talent.
"You okay, Twilight?" Cupcake asked as she picked up a couple of leftover dishes from the table and placed them on tray.
"Fine."
Cupcake nodded as she picked up the tray and placed it on her back, "I'm sorry for keeping you. Derpy mentioned that you were planning on heading back to Ponyville tonight, but I'm afraid I can't let you go. It's too dangerous at night. I know it might not be for you, being the Element of Magic, but I wouldn't feel right letting a mare and her adorable dragon assistant out in the cold wetness."
"Are you sure it's okay for us to stay the night?" Twilight asked.
"Of course, but there's... there's also something that I'd like you to come with me for."
"Are you sure, Mama?" Derpy suddenly asked raising her head. She had been laying down on the empty sofa at the far end of the living room. Dinky had gone upstairs to spend the night in her cousins' room.
"I believe so," Cupcake replied, nodding slowly. "You don't think that it's the right thing to do?"
Derpy stood up and stretched, "It's just... well... I guess so. But... certa es sapientem esse?"
That took Twilight by surprise. She had no idea that Derpy spoke another language. Not only that, it was a language that she had never heard before... or maybe she had, just never really paid attention to it.
Cupcake seemed visibly annoyed by this, but replied in kind. "Sum certa. Quare in hac lingua loqueris? Est amicae rudis."
"Mama, I don't think she's ready," Derpy said reverting back to Equestrian.
"Nopony is ever ready, darling."
Derpy sighed and stood up, "I know... it's just that... well... I'm going to get some rest, so just wake me up when it's time."
She walked out of the living room leaving Twilight and Spike wondering what that was all about.
"Miss Sparkle," a voice whispered. "Miss Sparkle!"
Twilight flinched at the hoof-poke and she opened her eyes to see Perl standing next to her. She had fallen asleep on the couch.
"She doesn't want to be called 'Miss Sparkle', Perly. Call her Twilight," Fall whispered as he put some things into a saddlebag.
Perl clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes, then in a whisper said, "Fine. Good morning, Twilight. Mama said to wake you. Do you want some coffee?"
Fall was gone by then. Him and his saddlebag. Twilight wasn't sure where he had gone.
Twilight rubbed her eyes and looked at a clock behind the filly's head. It was just before three in the morning. "I would love some coffee," she whispered back.
Perl nodded and quietly walked off.
Twilight in the meantime managed to drag herself out of bed and stretch herself out. Her legs were a little stiff from sleeping in the reading position, but she was also used to it, so she was good to go quite quickly. She entered the kitchen to find Cupcake sitting with Derpy on the table. They were talking in low whispers and a whole bunch of the older kids were there with them.
"Here, put this on. It's cold outside," Perl said as Twilight sat down at the table. She was hoofed a nice thick scarf as a hot mug of coffee found its way under her nose and she inhaled the freshly brewed contents gratefully. Taking a small sip, she noticed that Derpy was folding some pieces of cloth and putting them in small baskets. She wanted to ask what she was doing, but was too tired at the moment to think about anything else except finishing her cup.
After a few minutes of silence a loud flutter was heard outside the door and Fall pulled the screen door open, the spring whinging as it was stretched apart.
"The Grex are on the move. We should get going."
At once all the pegasi stood up and started to quickly file out the door. Cupcake stood up slowly, as did Derpy, and the two of them proceeded. Twilight followed throwing the scarf around her neck and taking another large draft of coffee from her mug. She placed it on the kitchen counter and stepped out into the night.
What struck Twilight first was how unbelievably dark it was. Without the moon and with the constant storm cloud revolving around them, it really looked bleak, dark and desolate down there. Twilight was given a small lantern by Derpy who placed a hoof on her shoulder.
"Quod videbis oculos tuos aperiet," the pegasus quietly stated.
Twilight looked to Derpy for a moment as the pegasus smiled sadly.
"What you are about to see will open your eyes."
"What language is that, Derpy?"
"Equitatus."
Of course it was. The supposed 'mother-tongue' of ponykind. She remembered her history books regarding the subject, but never studied it. There was no point, the language was extinct for the most part. Only old professors and mages spoke in it for fun, and as much as Twilight respected them for their high intellect, she couldn't stand their subjects of conversation.
"Pegasi don't speak Equestrian?" Twilight inquired, walking by her friend.
"Of course they do, silly. Equitatus is the official language of Cloudsdale. You can't use Equestrian in their government thingies..."
"You mean like in the Gerousia?"
Derpy paused in mid-step for a moment before continuing, "Yes. Like there."
That had seemed to put a damper in their conversation as they walked along in silence after that.
Together the train of pegasi proceeded down the same covered pathway which Cupcake had brought Twilight earlier that day. They continued on until they reached the end of the path and stopped as Cupcake and the older kids looked up into the night sky. High above them they could see Luna's stars twinkling in the heavens.
The first thought that crossed Twilight's mind was, 'What are we doing here so late?' before she realized a moment later exactly what for.
"They can't be..." she whispered as she stepped closer to the soft mossy railing and peered upwards.
"The Grex are on the move. If they are, you can be certain that they've..." Cupcake did not finish. She had no need to.
"Grex?" Twilight had never heard of them.
"Look!" one of the older kids shouted pointing with her hoof.
Something was falling, and fast. Twilight eyes went wide open, and fear shot through her spine. She was about to use her magic when Cupcake stopped her, "The Grex cannot know we're down here."
"But you have to let me help..."
"Calm yourself, please, Twilight," Cupcake said imploringly. "I have done this for a long, long time. Trust me."
Twilight had no choice and she sat back and watched. As the object fell, it passed through some fog and hit the ground with a heavy thud. The unicorn could not believe what she had just seen and was about to shout at Cupcake she suddenly began to laugh.
"They think they can draw us out with fakes," Cupcake growled.
"What are you talking about?" Twilight looked at the object in the distance, but the darkness prevented her from seeing it clearly.
She saw movement near the object before it suddenly vanished into thin air. After a moment a pegasi appeared from the night, the light from the lantern illuminating the pegasus dressed from head to hoof in black. He opened the bag and placed it gently into Twilight's hooves.
It was a bowling ball.
"They mock us sometimes. Well, us isn't right. They mock me by doing this. They know I'm down here, and they know what I do..."
"Then why hide?" Twilight stated angrily. She wasn't angry at Cupcake, just angry in general.
"I'm not hiding, Twilight. Trust me. I've faced the Grex enough times head on, but I've got children to care for. I can't keep putting up a fight, so I... changed tactics. I don't interfere with them, and they leave me alone."
The lavender unicorn gave the white earth pony a puzzled look.
"Instead of fighting then in the courts, in their society, in their... ignorant ways, I've decided to hit them where it really hurts." Cupcake smiled and pulled Derpy closer to her, "By giving those which they have cast down a life of love and happiness. That's all I want for these young ones, and its what I will keep on giving till the strength finally leaves this body."
Derpy nuzzled her. "You're not going anywhere, Mama."
Cupcake rubbed Derpy's cheek with her hoof, "Yes, darling."
They waited for a long, long time, but nothing else fell from the skies that night. As Celestia's sun rose in the distance, the troop started heading back towards their home. Cupcake, Twilight and Derpy remained where they were for a little while longer. Only after the sun lit up the sky completely did Cupcake decide that it was okay to leave.
"What is the Grex?" Twilight asked, she did not get an answer to her question from before.
"Derpy, why don't you go on ahead and make sure that little ones have something to eat when they wake up."
"Okay, Mama."
The grey pegasus trotted away quickly catching up to two of her nephews and threw her hooves around their shoulders. They all grinned at their aunt and started talking amongst themselves. Despite the rain and general gloominess of their surroundings, everypony seemed to be in a cheery mood.
"What do you know about pegasi foals?" Cupcake asked when there was a significant distance between them and the others.
"I used to think I knew quite a lot. I just thought they were born, raised, and... you know, like normal. But after this past week..."
"Pegasi are very promiscuous."
That stunned Twilight a little.
"It's just something in them. They find it much more difficult to deny themselves a little bit of... 'fun' while in estrus."
Twilight blushed, "I know a little of what it's like being in heat. There are just some times it's a lot... worse."
Cupcake laughed lightly and shook her head, "Tell me about it. Most of my eldest daughters have foals of their own now, whether or not they have a special somepony. Even Derpy, who I still cannot believe actually managed to raise such a wonderful daughter. Don't get me wrong, I always will love my Derpy and Dinky as any grandmother can love her daughter and granddaughter, but when you realize where Derpy came from and what she's gone through... each one has a story that would bring tears to anypony with a heart. I cannot speak for unicorns, but earth ponies can withstand it quite well. Well, maybe not all of them. Sometimes I always wondered if I was secretly a pegasus." She gave Twilight a wink which made both mares laugh.
"But seriously..."
"Yes, I did have a point I was trying to make. You see, the pegasi weren't always as numerous as they are now. In ancient times they were expressly forbidden from mating with members of the opposite gender."
"I... I didn't know that."
"Oh yes. It's still prevalent today. These little... groups are called Agélai, or herds."
"Of the same sex?"
Cupcake nodded, "There was only certain estrus cycles where the males and females were allowed to mate, and then they used to have these contests to see who had the rights to do so. They still do. A mare would be eligible to mate with the strongest stallions, and the stallions would be granted to mate with a mare."
"I noticed you are using plural."
"Oh yes. There is not such thing as marriage in traditional pegasi culture. The whole premise of that is purely from unicorns, who justified their right to rule as some right by blood. It was more of a way to keep powerful unicorns in the ruler's seat."
"I know that." Twilight watched as Cupcake stopped and began to poke the vivid green moss on the railing. "Wait. They still have these contests even today?"
Suddenly Twilight remembered the Best Young Flyers Competition, and how afterwards Rainbow flew away with two of the Wonderbolt stallions. The implications of which made her face feel hot, but then again Rainbow did not look like she was in estrus. In fact, the cyan pegasus looked fine and in good form. Perhaps she just really wanted to hang out with her childhood heroes without having... 'fun', as Cupcake called it.
"Yes, then sometimes do. You have to understand that Cloudsdale pegasi are not the same as other pegasi. It's not nice to bundle them all into one package. I learned that the hard way, I'm afraid. Lost a very good friend because of it."
"Well, why don't you just apologize then?"
Cupcake laughed gently and sighed, "I wish I could, but it's too late for that."
"Why?"
"Because he's no longer on this world, Twlight. He died many, many years ago. It is because of him that I do what I do now."
"I'm sorry, Cupcake. I didn't know. Who was he?"
"His name was Squall. He came from the Procellárum family, one of the two ruling families of Cloudsdale."
"Wow! I mean, was he your... special somepony?"
Again, Cupcake laughed gently, "In a way, yes, but not in the way you think. He was my special somepony because he gave me direction in my life. The fact that I loved him was besides the point. I like to think he did have feelings for me."
"What do you mean?"
"He was the first pegasi that I found that needed me. He was also a very traditional Cloudsdale pegasi."
Twilight looked away from Cupcake, "Even the ruling families like the Procellárum are not immune from the Gerousia?"
"The families themselves are, but not individuals within the household. The pegasi abhor the weak. They would never allow a ruler to remain if he or she were weak. They stronger siblings are encourage to... oust them should they see a sign of weakness."
"That's terrible!"
"It's the way that society works. Do you know why the pegasi are the way they are?"
"I don't know what you mean?"
"I mean why the pegasi do what they do."
Twilight could only shake her head.
"The pegasi were conquerors. They essentially conquered lands and forced those that dwelt on it to serve them. Many earth ponies were... well... they were slaves. They were forced to work the fields to provide food for their winged masters because if they didn't they'd slaughter them. As long as there was food the pegasi would let the earth pony population live their lives without interference. In exchange the pegasi would offer protection."
"I do know about that. I learned about it for my Hearth's Warming Eve pageant."
"I bet you skipped over the parts where the pegasi would slaughter the earth ponies during times of drought when there was not enough food to go around."
That Twilight did not know.
"I thought as much. Most of the history from that time isn't readily available because nopony wants to remember those days. I don't blame them, it was a very dark time for all of us."
"What does this all have to do with the... you know... ah-geh-lie?"
"Agélai."
"Yeah. That."
"Only the strongest mares and stallions got to breed. Agélais were formed so that pegasi groups could..." Cupcake hesitated. She didn't quite know how to phrase it. "Mate... without fear of pregnancy. Those who would go into estrus would be able to choose the fathers of their offspring from a specific selection of the strongest stallions."
Twilight eyes bulged from their sockets.
"Most of the time the mothers would be too young to be parents in our societies, but in pegasi they don't need to be. The foals are birthed in the same place and are separated from their mothers almost immediately. That is why no pegasi will ever know who their parent really was."
"That's... that's... but that's just wrong! What if... what if the mare and stallion are related and... and..." Twilight felt sick in her stomach. If they never knew, then the chances of something like that happening were...
"Nopony would ever know, Twilight. I don't think they'd ever know."
"After the foals are born, what then?"
"They are brought to the Gerousia by the Grex. There they inspect each foal. Those that do not fit their idea of a 'good pegasi' would be..."
"So these Agélai are... for breeding?"
Cupcake half nodded, "Sort of. I would say that it's more to do with relieving the urge to have foals without consent. Pegasi are very promiscuous, but birthing foals is forbidden. Foals birthed without permission are... thrown away."
Twilight could not believe it. How could the princesses allow this sort of thing to happen?
"I'm afraid that our conversation regarding this must stop here. It's not that I don't want to tell you any more, and honestly I don't, but it's because I don't really know any more. If you want more details you're going to have to ask a Cloudsdale native. And good luck with that. You'll need it."
"Just one more question, if you don't mind."
Cupcake sighed, but nodded.
"Squall... whatever happened to him?"