//------------------------------// // 3: The Tests // Story: A Whole New Responsibility // by Flanagan //------------------------------// Close to a week had passed since Luna’s big announcement and still most of the populace was none the wiser. In fact, I think that the only ones who knew were Celestia, Night Wing, and me. (I had to convince Luna to give Night Wing an extra two weeks off to keep him quiet.) But all of that was about to change, because Celestia had finally gotten around to writing her student about the situation at the palace and the tests she needed her to perform. Luna and I sat there while Celestia scribbled down her name on the letter. It seemed that she had taken her time writing, but that could’ve been me getting antsy about it. I knew that it had only been a whole week, but that entire time I’ve spent nearly every waking hour wondering how the hell this was all going to work. (Seriously, I didn’t even know what the hell was going to pop out of her, a human, a pony, or some kind of freaky centaur looking thing from that Disney movie Hercules.) “It took you long enough to write that letter…” I grumbled, trying to get my mind off of ‘baby’ things. “Well maybe YOU should try running a country for a day,” Celestia replied, pointing the rolled up parchment at me before batting my head with it. “Then you’ll see how busy I can be.” “I’ll opt for staying the plaything,” I said with a smile as Luna playfully punched my shoulder. “You can keep your country.” “That’s what I thought…” she replied with a smug grin on her face, before snapping her fingers to make the letter disappear in thin air. (Fucking magic… how does it work?) I also wondered why Celestia had chosen to stay looking like a human more often than not. It was more than likely that she wanted me to feel better about my current situation. But she may have even been doing it for Luna’s sake; after all she did look just like her. (Save the height and extra curves that is…) The three of us stood there in silence for a few minutes, awkwardly staring at random things around the room. It always surprised me how quiet the two of them were sometimes, especially now on account that Celestia was going to be a real aunt instead of an adopted one. Hell, if my mom got the slightest clue that Luna was pregnant she would literally be jumping off the walls. (That is after she hugged me so tightly she would’ve broken a rib or two.) The thought of my mom suddenly brought me to a low. Of anything in either reality it would’ve been her that would’ve been the most excited. Mainly because that was one of the things she told me to do. Go out there, find a nice girl and bring home some grandkids. (Not to mention every time I called home she would ask me about how I was doing on my ‘quest’.) “Aedan?” Luna asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. “What’s wrong love? “Nothing…” I said with a fake smile. “Just… just thinking about the kid.” “Well, don’t think when you look like that,” She replied with a cute smile. “It makes me worry.” “You don’t need to be worried,” I said, patting her on the head. “You DO remember who you’re talking to right?” Luna let out a giggle before leaning in for a quick on my cheek. Granted, I could’ve asked for more than that, but her sister was in the room, so I understood why she kept it modest. Another few minutes of silence fell upon us, bringing it back to awkward status. (Well, for me at least.) “So what’s taking her so long?” I asked, trying to start up a conversation. “It takes good minute for the letter to reach Ponyville, Aedan,” Celestia replied, “And then she has to read the letter I sent.” “So, how much longer until she gets here?” “Oh give or take three… two…” I was about to ask Celestia why she had started a countdown, but a blinding light filled the room. I shielded both Luna and my eyes from the flash. I wasn’t exactly sure what caused the flash in the first place, so I opted for not taking any chances. The light subsided just as fast as it had appeared, returning the room to its normal lighting. Lowering my hand, I saw the one thing that made me cringe, yet feel relieved at the same time. A two eyed, one horned, flying purple pony princess. (I’m not sure what drugs could have justified that thought back on Earth, but they’d have been worth a fortune.) “One…” Celestia whispered, leaning in with a grin so smug you’d think you were in San Francisco. “Yes Princess?” Twilight said in both an eager and nervous tone. “What test do I need to perform?” My hand found my face and proceeded to slowly drag down my face. Twilight was a nice girl and all, but good lord if there ever needed to be a picture in the dictionary to describe brownnoser, she’d be the first thing to come to mind. From what Celestia and Luna had told me she was Celestia’s student ever since she was young, but on account that she fixed some kind of spell or something she got a pair of wings. (You’d think you’d have to do a lot more to get those. I mean, she’s done a lot of great things, but fixing a SPELL was what made it happen?) “Oh I have quite the test for you Twilight,” Celestia said, in such a professional manner that she sounded like a completely different person. “But it’s nothing that you have studied for… well… studied extensively that is.” Twilight’s pupils shrank into tiny dots. I guess the thought of a test without studying terrified her. (My third grade teacher would’ve been her worst nightmare.) I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, but then I remembered why we needed Twilight to come here in the first place. We needed her to find out how on earth I managed to sow my seeds into Luna. “Twilight, you remember Aedan correct?” Celestia asked, kneeling down to scratch behind her ears. “Uh… Yes?” Twilight replied shyly, trying her best not to kick the air like a dog. “Do you remember those...‘things’ you wanted to do to him when he arrived?” Twilight immediately took a few steps back, not exactly wanting to remember and, quite frankly, neither did I. (Especially when it came to the clamps, she wanted to put them in…‘sensitive’ areas.) “Y-Yes…” she said, lowering her head. “I also remember how he reacted to them.” (I placed half the fiction novels into classical history and vice versa.) “Well, what if I told you that he was now willing to take some of those tests?” Celestia asked looking over to me with a devious grin. “Really?!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes twinkling while a smile grew on her face. I shuddered at the sight of that smile. Nightmarish images flooded my mind, most of them having me strapped down with all sorts of monitors and machines connected to me. With none other than that purple devil looking over me, laughing manically as she grabbed a scalpel and brought it closer and closer to a big red ‘X’ on my chest. “Aedan!” Luna said, snapping me out of my nightmare just before dream Twilight could cut me open. “Now I KNOW something is bothering you…” “I’m fine…” I said, uneasily looking to the still smiling pony across from us. “Just wondering what I’ve just agreed to…” “Why did you suddenly just ‘agree’?” Twilight asked, snapping out of her euphoric state. “Last I recall you said a few choice words before storming out of my lab… and then defiling the library.” “Well…” I said, looking to the ceiling, “We… need you help in… in finding something out.” “Like what?” Twilight asked, taking a few steps towards me. “Something… a little hard to believe I should say,” I said, shrugging my shoulders. “After everything I’ve seen and done Aedan?” Twilight said with a small smile. “Nothing really surprises me anymore.” “I think what we have you here for just might,” I said, letting out a sigh. “Well what is it?” Twilight asked, growing slightly frustrated. “Did Discord revert back to his evil ways?” “No.” “Are the changelings mounting another attack?” “No.” “Has Sombra reassembled himself and taken the crystal empire?” “No…” “Have the Diamond Dogs dug through the base of-“ “I’m pregnant…” Luna replied with a deep sigh, her hand falling firmly on her face. “We need to know how.” The room fell so silent you could hear ponies talking in the streets of Manehattan. (50 bits off any bedroom set! One day only!) Twilight just stared blankly at the two of us, trying to use that brain of hers to make sense of what Luna had just said. I really couldn’t blame her. I was just as shocked as she was when Luna told me. “P-Princess…” Twilight stuttered. “P-Princess Luna…” Without any sort of warning, Twilight fell limp to the ground. Luna and I couldn’t help but let out a laugh, as it was very similar to another incident that happened about a week after Luna and I had met. (The two of us still laugh about that from time to time. It’s not every day a grown man faints.) Celestia’s reaction was far different however. In an instant, she reverted back to her pony form and gathered her student with her magic. “Let’s get her to the infirmary,” she said, with a hint of concern in her voice. “I don’t think it’s THAT bad,” I said, containing my chuckle. “I’m sure she’ll be just fine.” “It’s NOT just for her Aedan,” Celestia replied, trotting past me. “The tests will be conducted there as well.” “Oh… great…” I grumbled. (Just when I think I dodge the bullet, it hits me in the knee.) “Oh, suck it up Aedan,” Celestia teased. “I already made her promise that she wouldn’t dissect you.” “What?” I asked, but she had already disappeared, leaving me alone with Luna. “She didn’t really mean that,” Luna said, reassuringly placing her hand on my shoulder. Her brow furrowed, before adding, “I think…” “I’ve got a really bad feeling about this…” I sighed, taking a few steps towards the door. “Come on. Let’s not keep her waiting when she wakes up…” Twenty minutes later I was down in the infirmary, my shirt removed, noodle strainer on my head, and covered in patches head to toe with wires leading to a giant machine that made weird ‘bop’ and ‘beep’ noises. Luna was right next to me and in the same predicament, but she was at least allowed to keep her bra on. (Thankfully for me, or else it would’ve been able to concentrate for Twilight’s questions.) “So… how many times have you… um, you know…” Twilight asked looking at the data spewing out of the machine. “Gonna need to be more specific than that,” I said, looking at her. “How many times have you mated?” Twilight said quickly before covering her mouth. You’d think she’d just said the worst word on the planet judging by how red she got. It was actually kind of cute. I should’ve known that she would have acted like that when it came to promiscuous activities. Ponies were far more conservative than humans. “Do you really want to know?” I asked looking to Luna to see that her face had also turned red. “Y-Yes?” Twilight stuttered, unsure of her answer. “Enough times for this to happen,” I answered. “Now are you going to tell us HOW it happened?” “There are still a few tests for the machine to run,” Twilight said, turning her gaze away from me so I wouldn’t see her blushing anymore. “It may take a few more minutes.” “Great…” I grunted, looking over to the pony opposite of me. Celestia had opted to stay in her pony form for the experiments, more than likely to make Twilight feel more comfortable. (Did she ever do anything for herself?) But it didn’t stop her from staring at me for a second longer than usual. The moment she noticed I was looking at her looking at me she averted her eyes, hiding the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks. I was about to say something witty and sarcastic to her, but a loud ‘ding’ filled the room before I got a chance. I immediately turned my attention to Twilight, who was looking at the edge of the results with the thoroughness of a fine tooth comb. “So… did you figure it out yet?” I asked, preparing to remove the stupid strainer. Twilight was silent for a few seconds, looking at every last detail down to the atoms of the ink. Suddenly, her pupils shrank to the size of pen needles. That didn’t sit well with anyone in the room at all. “Well?” Luna asked, concerned. “What does it-“ “T-this shouldn’t be possible…” Twilight stuttered, dropping the paper. “It shouldn’t be possible in the slightest…” “That really doesn’t answer the question,” I said, sitting up completely. “It just makes me worried instead.” “I-I’m sorry,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath, “I just couldn’t really believe it.” “Believe what?” Luna, Celestia and I asked at the same time. “Princess Luna is indeed pregnant,” Twilight replied as professionally as she could, given the circumstances. The collective sound of two hands (and a hoof) slamming into their respective faces echoed through the room. We had known that for at least a week, and Luna probably longer. To hear it again was just frustrating. “We already know that…” I growled, making Twilight jump a little bit. “We want to know how.” “Oh… um… I-I’m so sorry…” Twilight said, looking away. “I still can’t really believe it.” “Look…” I said, standing up and ripping off some of the patches. “We’re ALL just as shocked as you were, but we still don’t know why. THAT’S why we got you to come here in the first place… now if you would please-“ A gentle hoof placed itself on my shoulder, interrupting me in my rant. I looked behind me to see Celestia’s calm eyes trying to dig their way into my soul. I was tempted to ask her why she interrupted me, but with a quick motion of her head she made me turn my attention to Twilight. She looked upset, distraught even, all because I had done the one thing I rarely do, lose my temper. I felt horrible after seeing her like that. She was just trying to help and I had to go and yell at her because she was still in a slight bit of shock from what she had heard no more than half an hour ago. “Twilight…” I said, with shame in my voice, “I’m so-“ “It’s because Princess Luna is human,” Twilight interrupted. “What?” Luna asked. “I’m only human now. I could change into a pony before conceiving.” “That may be true Princess,” Twilight said nodding, Looking to Luna before staring back at her notes. “But I’m going to assume that when the two of you… when you consummated you were both human, correct?” “Well…” Luna replied, turning slightly red. “Yes… yes we were.” “And therein lies your answer,” Twilight replied, looking back to her notes. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, looking to an equally confused Luna. “It’s a simple matter of biology,” Twilight replied, her eyes not deviating from the sheets of paper in the slightest. “When Princess Luna is in her human form then there is enough genetic similarity to cause impregnation. That could also explain why she can’t turn back into a pony. The transformation magic Luna has been using likely can’t account for transforming the foal between forms, and simply fails instead of forcing a possibly unstable transformation.” “So the baby’s more than likely human?” I asked, deciding I could correct her on the use of the word ‘foal’ later. “It would be a safe bet,” Twilight answered. “Given the fact you were both human at the time.” “So…” I said, looking over to Luna, “I got her pregnant because we slept together in human form… does that mean if another pony was to become human and I had sex with them could they get knocked up too?” There was a slight gasp that came out of all the ladies mouth, but it was just an honest question. There were some differences in how they became human, I just wanted to know. “Well…” Twilight said, looking over her notes once again. “The tests would lead me to believe yes, but given the fact that that they would become one in our world, I’m not sure.” Finally, for the first time in the entire conversation Twilight looked to me, more confused (And serious somehow) than I have ever seen a pony look. “Um… Were you planning on trying it?” At that point, a slight amount of anger was justified. Clenching my fist, I stepped off of the table I was on and tore off the remainder of the patches. “Twilight…” I growled, “I gave up EVERYTHING to come here for Luna, I would NEVER cheat on her, nor would I even consider it… Are we clear?” “Yes Aedan,” Twilight answered, quickly looking back to her notes. “I think that’s everything I can do.” “Thank you, Twilight,” Celestia said, before Luna or I could say it. “We’ll clean up around here, and you can head back to Ponyville if you wish.” “I think I’ll stay around for a while,” Twilight said, as her horn started to glow, “It’s been a while since my parents have seen more than a letter out of me.” “If you insist,” Celestia said, with a nod. “But we should still clean up.” With that the four of us did some menial labor and fixed up the room to the way it was before Twilight started her tests. About twenty minutes later Luna’s moon and stars were bright in the night’s sky, glowing peacefully over the darkened world. Luna, Celestia and I stood in front of Twilight, who had decided to spend the night with her parents. “Thank you for all the trouble Twilight,” Luna said, looking towards the castle. “You were most helpful this evening.” “You’re welcome, Princess,” Twilight said, bowing. “I hope I helped out.” “You certainly did,” Celestia replied, extending her wing to pat her student on the shoulder. “Now don’t let us keep you, I’m sure your parents are waiting.” “Yes, Princess,” Twilight replied, just before the two of them disappeared in a flash of light, leaving just me and Twilight to stare at one another. A few seconds passed with only silence, but as her horn began to glow I knelt down to her level. “Wait a second,” I said, extending my hand. “Yes, Aedan?” she asked, slightly surprised. “What do you need?” “I need to say I’m sorry,” I replied, keeping my hand extended. “Some of the things I said in there were uncalled for. I didn’t mean anything by them.” “I’m sorry too…” Twilight replied, placing her hoof in my hand, “I shouldn’t have said what I said either, it was awful for me to suggest such a thing.” “Can we just agree we were both idiots back there?” I asked. “Yes,” Twilight said, suddenly wrapping her forelegs around me. I’m normally not a fan of being hugged, but ponies were soft, cuddly, and warm. So I allowed it just this once. Not to mention I kind of needed it, since it was a pretty stressful moment and this was a good way to get all the bad vibes out of the system. A few seconds later she released me, prompting me to stand. “You take care, Aedan,” Twilight said, looking up to me with a smile. “I was just to say the same for you too,” I said, mirroring the smile. With that the two of us parted ways, Twilight to her parents and me back to the side of Luna. A good fifteen minutes later I was standing on our room’s balcony, looking out into the night sky, when from behind me a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. “Thinking again?” Luna asked, adding a little squeeze in her embrace. “More often than not,” I replied, spinning around in her grasp. “This whole thing is still pretty new to me.” “I don’t think you should worry much Aedan,” Luna replied, burying her head into my chest. “Whatever happened to that ‘dealing with it as it comes’ man I fell in love with?” “This IS how I’m dealing with it,” I replied half-jokingly. “I just don’t know anymore…” “Well I’m sure you’ll find a way,” Luna said, looking up to me with her beautiful smile. “You always do.” “I guess you’re right,” I said, patting her on the head. “As long as I’ve got you, I’ll be able to get through anything.”