My name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm a unicorn mare and the personal student of Princess Celestia. I don't have a very special somepony, and haven't even really been looking.
But I'm in heat, and...I want to have a foal.
There are a lot of single mothers in Equestria. Perhaps more than you might think. But that's the way it is when the ratio of females to males is eight to three. You look around and you see mares and fillies with special someponies, and you feel envious of them, not because they've found their soulmate, but because, well...
Every stallion who has a marefriend is one less for the rest of us. And frankly, not every stallion in Equestria is desirable. Some are too young, some are too old, some are just plain weird. Like that guy with the jelly jars.
Although I was born and raised in Canterlot, I live in Ponyville now. And until I moved to Ponyville, I didn't know there was an...arrangement...for unwed mares who want a foal. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The more I think about it, the more sure I am that every town in Equestria has a place like where I'm going now.
Calling it a shop would be a bit of a stretch. It's more of a...clinic, but that isn't quite right either.
I'm at the door now. It's a cheerful, inviting little place, and there's a little sign above the door that says "Family Planning Center". That's what it says on all the business cards, and that's what it says on the little clinic's tax forms and business license. I know because I checked. The sign even has a cute little emblem: a half-full baby bottle paired with a big pink heart.
Every mare knows the Family Planning Center is here, just off Stirrup Street. But it's something nopony talks about. It's certainly not a place you want to be seen coming and going from. Even though we all know why it's here, it's just really embarrassing for everypony to know your business.
It may be called a "Family Planning Center", but the truth is it's where mares such as me go to get mounted by a professional stud.
Taking a deep, cleansing breath, I open the door with my magic and step inside. Immediately behind the door is a large wooden divider that screens the interior of the clinic from outside view. Sensible, as it would be too embarrassing if anypony could just open the door, look inside, and immediately know who's here to get mounted today. The divider also serves a more clerical function, as there is a peg nailed to it from which hangs slips of parchment with numbers on them. There are signs posted on the divider as well: "Please Take A Number, Then Exit To The Right"; "We Do Not Service Stallions"; "We Do Not Service Mares Who Are Not In Heat"; "No Foals Allowed"; "If You Have A Preference Of Family Planning Associate, Please Let Our Receptionist Know"; "Have You Seen This Platypus?"; "We Do Not Issue Refunds Under Any Circumstances".
Ripping a number free from the peg, I walk around the right-hand edge of the divider and step into the waiting room. The receptionist, a mare with an amber coat and a long, honey-brown mane, looks up from her magazine and nods to me, motioning for me to have a seat. She looks familiar; I've seen her around town. I believe she has a colt of her own.
The waiting room is very much like that of a doctor's office. There are comfortable seats arranged along the walls, potted plants in the corners, and a magazine rack hanging from one wall. There are also flyers and posters on the walls, a rack of pamphlets on pregnancy and what to expect when your foal is born, a reminder that payment is due at the time service is rendered, and even a little plaque that says "SATISFACTION GUARANTEE: If You Are Not Properly Serviced Today, Bring A Signed, Dated Note From Your Personal Physician And You Will Be Serviced Again At No Additional Charge." That's nice to know. It's also interesting that the sign uses such vague language. I mean, if you've come this far, you know what goes on here...
I take one of the pamphlets, which are free to take home with you, and put it in my saddlebag. Then, I select a magazine from the rack and have a seat. Although I know it's rude, I can't help but look around to see who else is here. There are six mares present other than myself; four of them are familiar from around town, though I can't think of their names off the top of my head. The other two, though, I know quite well: the schoolteacher, Cheerilee, and, to my utter astonishment, Fluttershy.
She's noticed me, and she looks like she's about to freak out.
With magazine held in my magic, I trot over and take the seat next to her. "Hey Fluttershy," I whisper. "I'm a bit surprised to see you here!"
"Eep!" she squeaks. "Um, I, um, well..."
I laugh. "It's okay. You don't need to be embarrassed. I think you'll make a wonderful mother."
Fluttershy lets out an adorable little sigh, her cheeks flaming through her fur. "Please don't tell anypony you saw me here," she says.
"Fluttershy! I'd never do that!" I smirk. "Of course, it'll be obvious sooner or later..."
"Oh...yes, I suppose it will." She ducks her head, mane covering her face. The silence is awkward, but fortunately, it doesn't last long. "I'm...a little surprised to see you here, Twilight," she says.
I shrug. "Mom always said it's better if a mare has her foal young, because they'll be healthier, and because it's easier to keep up with a foal if you're still in your prime."
"Well, that's true," Fluttershy says. "I just...never figured you for the type to start a family. Ah! I don't mean you wouldn't be a great mommy! It's just..."
I laugh. "No worries, I know what you mean." I flip a page and look at a picture of a delicious-looking cake. "I didn't really start thinking about it until after Mr. and Mrs. Cake had the twins. When I haven't been busy with other things, I've been making lists of pros and cons of motherhood. I finally made the decision a while ago, and spent a few weeks writing back and forth to my mom about what it'd be like, what I can expect. And now, well..." I gesture with a hoof. "I'm in heat, so here I am."
At some point, Cheerilee had changed seats to join us. "Are you girls as nervous as I am?" she asks.
"I'm always nervous," Fluttershy replies.
"I'm pretty nervous, yeah," I admit. "Say, Cheerilee...I could've sworn you and Big Macintosh were a couple."
Cheerilee sighs. "That rumor needs to go away," she says. "I mean, we did actually think about it after that stunt the Crusaders pulled on us, but we decided we're just not the right fit. Besides, Big Macintosh isn't really...interested in a special somepony right now."
"He's not?" Fluttershy asks.
Cheerilee shakes her head. "He feels like he's got too many responsibilities to get involved with anypony."
"That's a shame," I say. "A lot of mares would love to be his marefriend." I glance at Cheerilee. "So, what made you decide to come here?"
Cheerilee smiles. "Well, I love children, of course. And spending every day teaching fillies and colts...I've wanted one of my own for some time. So I've been saving up for this, getting everything ready so that having a foal won't throw my entire life out of whack."
"It is a big life change," Fluttershy says quietly.
The receptionist calls out a number. "Whoops! I'm up! Wish me luck, girls!" Cheerilee waves.
"Good luck," I say as Cheerilee trots over to the counter and is ushered through the small door beside it.
"Hey, Fluttershy," I ask, "do you know that receptionist? I've seen her around, I know she has a colt, but I don't think I've ever met her."
"Hm? Oh, that's Fertile Plot," my timid friend says. "She actually owns this place. That baby bottle emblem on the sign outside? It's her Cutie Mark."
"Oh, I see," I reply. Fertile Plot? Seriously?!
I pass the time making small talk with Fluttershy until her number is called, at which point I wish her luck, then read my magazine in silence. I copy down the recipe for that delicious cake, as well as a few other recipes in the magazine. I find it curious that I haven't seen a single pony come back out of the clinic proper. Cheerilee and Fluttershy should've been...ahem...finished quite some time ago, shouldn't they?
When Fertile Plot finally calls my number, I walk up to the counter. She motions me through the door beside her, behind which I find a desk and a cash register. "Good afternoon," she says. "There's a form for you to fill out and sign." She looks at me and frowns. "We don't have any unicorn stallions, I'm afraid."
"Oh, that's fine," I assure her. "There's no guarantee two unicorns will produce a unicorn foal in any event." I chuckle at the memory of visiting the newborn Cake twins. "I know an Earth pony couple in town who had twins not too long ago. The foals are a pegasus and a unicorn!"
Fertile Plot laughs. "The Cake twins? I heard about that." I pass my completed form over to her, and she checks it over. "Oh, you're Twilight Sparkle? I've heard of you, but I don't recall actually meeting you." She files my form in a folder. "The fee is eighty bits, Miss Sparkle." Ouch! I knew this would probably be expensive, but...oh well, I'm good for it.
I hoof over my bits, and Fertile Plot counts them, drops them into the till, and nods. "Down the hall, room number three." She smiles. "Best of luck, and I hope you have a healthy and beautiful foal."
"Thank you," I reply primly, trotting down the hall. I pause nervously at the door to the room indicated. This is it. The big moment. I am going to open that door, and a stallion I have probably never seen before is going to mount me and impregnate me.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door to the stall and step inside. My first thought is that the inside looks like a doctor's office too. There's a low padded bench against one wall, cupboards above a lavatory, bottles of sanitizing liquid soap, latex hoof protectors, and a large box of tissues. The walls are plastered with many of the same notices as the waiting room. There are also things one would not generally find in a doctor's office, such as the shower hose hanging from a hook on the wall and the metal drain in the middle of the floor. There's also a large rack of fluffy towels on one wall, and a couple of bins in the corner ("Used Towels" and "Waste").
But the most important thing in this room is the royal purple pegasus stallion seated next to the padded bench, making notes on a clipboard. He is well-muscled, quite handsome, and has a flowing, curly blond mane. I feel my heart race with more than nervousness.
He looks up at me and smiles. "Hello. My name is Steady Stroke. I'm a Family Planning Associate, and I will be assisting you today."
"Um, hello," I say breathlessly. "My name is Twilight Sparkle."
He makes a note on his clipboard, then hangs it on a peg on the wall. "Are you nervous?" he asks.
"Y-yes," I reply. "This...I've never done this before."
He chuckles. "Quite a few of the mares that come here haven't. Don't worry, it's a perfectly simple, natural process." He gestures to the bench. "Please arrange yourself in whatever position makes you comfortable, so long as I have access to your vagina. Let me know when you're ready."
Face flaming, I position myself with my front hooves and my barrel on the bench, allowing it to support me as I raise my rump and move my tail away from my genitalia. "I—I'm ready," I say. I wonder how this is going to go. Is there going to be foreplay? Is he going to say romantic things to me? Am I going to cry out? Is it going to hurt? Was it even a good idea to put my virginity in the hooves of this complete stranger? Should I just make a run for it and forget this whole idea?
And then, with absolutely no preamble, he mounts me.
It doesn't take very long at all from the time Steady Stroke mounts me to the time it's over with. "There you go, Miss Sparkle," he says. "If you'd sign here, please..."
Wow, that was so anticlimactic.
As I sign the form, he explains the "retry policy", and assures me he will not be offended if I opt for a different stallion should I need to return or choose to have a second foal at a later date. He stays in the corner of the room as I clean myself, then wishes me good luck, and warns me that I should leave from the rear of the clinic. Minutes later, I'm outside, blinking in the late afternoon sun, feeling the breeze on my face, smelling the fragrant spring air with its sweet fragrance of flowers and grass...and, presumably, soon to be pregnant. I reflect on how clinical and sterile the entire process was, how professional and businesslike.
It's a bit painful to admit that the whole thing suits me perfectly.
I hope I have a unicorn, but a pegasus would be nice too. Maybe even an alicorn? Heh, probably not, but you never know! But I really do hope it's a filly. Spike is gross enough as it is without having a colt around to pick up his bad habits.
In any case, all I can do now is go home, tidy up the library, have dinner, and wait.
* * * * *
Dear Princess Celestia,
Today, I visited the Family Planning Center here in Ponyville. I was mounted by a very nice, very professional stallion, who I will not name. The entire experience was very interesting. Not the mounting, but the clinic visit as a whole. I'm quite looking forward to motherhood, though I'm very nervous about the whole thing.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Celestia blinked at the letter she had just read. "Well...this is...awkward."