They looked at each other before continuing. "Mom, we need to know if there's a way that Glenda and I can actually have kids."
A large smile broke across Twilight's face as the idea of finally having a grandfoal after all these years but her smile turned to a frown of confusion as she considered the implications. Griffons, although they were warm blooded and had mammalian reproductive organs at least on the outside still laid eggs. They also didn't suckle their young which was a good thing because those beaks of theirs weren't suited for suckling.
It was during this time that Rick walked into the library and greeted his son and daughter in law before noticing that Twilight had seemingly fallen into a trance.
"Sterling, what did I tell you about breaking your Mother?" he asked. He clapped his hooves in front of Twilight's face to get her attention but while she seemingly came to her senses she immediately walked over the bookshelf and started pulling books out one by one.
"Dad, it's okay. She's looking for a spell to help Glenda and me, " Sterling said turning to his wife and giving her a gentle smile only to get one back from her in return.
"So what do the two of you need help with?"
"We want to find out how the two of us can have a baby."
"Oh Sterling, I thought we had covered this years ago. Oh well, when a stallion and a mare love each other very much they wait until she's in heat and then they play some Barry White music, put a do not disturb sign on the door and about 9 months later they have a foal, " Rick said with as much of a straight face as he could manage.
"Rick..., " Glenda started but a look from her father in law made her change what she called him. "Sorry, Dad. We're serious and we wanna know if there's a way that the two of us can have a kid without havin' to adopt."
"Have you considered doing it on Earth?"
The young couple looked at each other as they had never thought about that possibility. That actually would solve a lot of their problems but the only downside to it was that Glenda would have to stay there until she gave birth. There was just too much that could go wrong if she decided to cross the portal while pregnant.
"But I don't know if we can stay away for so long. What about our jobs?"
"Sterling, there's no reason why you have to stay on Earth all the time. It'll be a bit of a commute but sometimes when having a child that's one of the sacrifices you need to make, " Rick said.
"That's all well and good for him, but what about me? I'm the representative for the Griffon Empire in Canterlot. I can't just pack up and leave on a moment's notice. And we just got seasons tickets for the Wonderbolts."
"Personally I think you need to consider everything and that includes how your lives are going to change once you have a child. Not being able to see the Wonderbolts when you want to are the least of your worries. I mean me and Twilight still worry about this little blue guy even though he's all grown up and married. Those feelings never truly go away. This is a lifetime commitment that you're making and it's not something to be taken lightly. But if it's any consolation, it can be one of the greatest experiences of your life. Also, there are advantages to being on Earth for a while. Bacon cheeseburgers being one of them."
Glenda and Sterling exchanged a look and said goodbye before heading back home to discuss what they wanted to do. Twilight was still pulling down books, trying to find a spell to help her son and daughter in law when Rick broke her concentration by simply blowing in her ear. She turned on him in confusion before noticing that they were alone.
"They left about five minutes ago to discuss their options. And I need to get the guest bedroom in the basement set up."
"Sorry what?" Twilight said not understanding what was going on.
"With luck, Sterling and Glenda will be staying with us for as long as it takes for them to have a child. They're both human on Earth and provided she stays there during her pregnancy, there should be no need for magic or trying to find the perfect spell."
Twilight deflated a bit at the mention of not being able to work on a new spell but the idea of having her son and daughter in law staying with them for a while appealed to her maternal side.
A couple days later, Sterling and Glenda showed up at the library with their bags in tow ready to spend the next year on Earth if needed.
It didn't take long before they fell into a kind of routine. Sterling and Glenda would do what they needed to do, then both Sterling and Twilight would leave for the day for Equestria. Sometimes Rick would go with them, sometimes he wouldn't but this left Glenda with a lot of free time to just sit around and not do much. It wasn’t all that surprising that Glenda and Rick started to connect and they really clicked when one Sunday afternoon she found him in the media room, glued to the TV while the football game played.
"Whatchya doin?" she asked as she plopped down on the couch, grabbed a chicken wing from the platter in front of her and started gnawing on it.
"The Seahawks are up three points over the 49ers, it's the fourth quarter and only 10 minutes left in play, " her father-in-law answered cryptically. Glenda knew better than to ask him what he meant. It was something she learned very soon after meeting him that while Rick was typically helpful, when he was focused on something like this he wasn't the most talkative sort.
The commercial came on and without any kind of prodding Rick started to explain American football to her and how much he loved to watch the game because it was something that he used to do with his Dad and how even though he was no longer around, it made him feel closer to him because it was something they shared.
The next Sunday, Glenda joined Rick on the couch for another afternoon of football, wings and beer. That is until the day that it was confirmed that she and Sterling had finally conceived. It only took a couple months and while there was happiness from everybody involved Glenda did feel a little down as it definitely meant that she'd be stuck on Earth for a while. And while there was football, wings and other such snacks available she felt she had to give up the beer.
Normally when a woman is pregnant she's a little emotional as her hormones get all pumped up. That's nothing compared to a pregnant griffon. She'd snap at Sterling one moment, then tearfully apologize a moment later, then get moody and sulk when she felt her needs weren't being met. The family took this with good grace as they understood they were pretty much in uncharted territory here.
Finally the day came when Glenda would have her child. They opted for a midwife, in part because Glenda didn't have the necessary identification but also they felt that just in case the baby wasn't quite normal, it would be easier if only one person on the outside knew instead of dozens or potentially hundreds. But the birth went flawlessly and they were presented with a beautiful baby girl.
The proud parents and grandparents admired the small, sleeping bundle in Glenda's arms. "Congratulations you two, " Twilight said before hugging her son and daughter-in-law. "Have you decided on a name?"
"Kinda. We got a couple in mind but we're not sure which one to give her, " Glenda said.
"Point is, we don't know what she's going to be when we cross the portal. Pony? Griffon? Hippogriff? Something else?"
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be a pony. That's one of the enchantments on the portal. You turn into a human regardless of what you are on the other side and go back to what you were when you return. Same goes if you're a human on this side. You turn into a pony then turn back to being human on this side, " Twilight said.
"In that case, I think we've hit on the perfect name; Silver Belle. Silver, of course, because that's what Glenda calls me. And Belle because it sounds good and she's absolutely beautiful." Everybody agreed that it was a good name.
Finally, about a week later, the day had come for them to return to Equestria. Silver Belle, had been checked out as being healthy and both parents were eager to get back to Canterlot and the start of their new lives.
Glenda was the first through the portal. She stretched her wings and groaned in pleasure. "Oh yes! We are never doing that again, " she said before turning back to see her husband walk through while pushing the basket containing their week old daughter before him. The grandparents followed through after, all of them eager to see what form the newest member of their family would take.
They clustered around the basket and saw a beautiful little pony, perfect in every way. While the parents beamed it was Rick who was the most excited as she lacked her father's horn and her mother's wings. "Yes! Earth Pony! My granddaughter is an Earth Pony!" He gently nuzzled the little foal as she slept and said to her, "you are going to be grandpa's favourite and I'm going to spoil you rotten."
A moment later, as if giving the punch line to a joke, she hiccupped slightly and her hitherto unseen wings popped forth and fluttered for a moment before coming to rest almost invisibly by her sides. Rick chuckled a moment before saying, "that doesn't change a thing you're still adorable and it just means you've got my sense of humour."