Twilight took a deep breath, counting the minutes between the painful jolts, Spike stood beside her, gripping her hoof almost tighter that the knots in her chest.
"Weak, irregular contractions, it's probably false labor," she repeated for the umpteenth time in that hour. She had experienced a similar scare a few days ago and nothing had come of it, but nevertheless, she could still feel a fluttering anxiety building inside of her. Then another throb came, stronger, about a minute long, only four minutes after the last one. Twilight waited, tail twitching nervously. Three minutes later, another.
Then another. Twilight gave a sharp, surprised hiss through gritted teeth.
"Or..." She interjected, voice hitching up another anxious notch. "Maybe not."
Twilight was suddenly very thankful that for her foresight in preparing a pain potion a week previously. She looked up at Spike, whose expression was mirroring her own nerves tenfold.
"Really? How do you feel? Are you okay? Do you need something?" All these were spouted from the young dragon's mouth in quick succession, accompanied by wringing claws and lashing tail. "Has...Has your water broken?"
Accompanying this question was a look of such absurdly profound terror that Twilight might have chuckled if she wasn't too busy trying not to fling out a stream of profanities.
"Yes. Kind of crappy. Yes. Not at the momen-" Twilight winced. "On second thought, bring the potion."
As Spike hurried out the door , she added wryly "and no, my water hasn't broken. Trust me, you would know"
She looked out the window, watching as the sun slid slowly down the horizon, and, despite the pain, managed a fond smile as she placed a gentle hoof on her belly. It was going to be a long night.
One Month
For the first few weeks after their birth. Twilight found herself compulsively checking if her friends children the girls were still alive. Guided by a deep paranoid fear, almost without realizing it, she would end up walking soft stepped through their room, placing a light hoof on each sleeping pastel colored chest, barely breathing until she felt the last reassuring heartbeat. The rare times when they were all asleep and quiet were stripped of even brief relaxation by the crippling dread that the elements were silent for an altogether darker reason.
The first time all of them slept through the night had been the most terrifying morning of her life. For the next hour she stayed in the room, using her magic to hold the girls against her, feeling the five pulses against her own. Spike had given her a weird look. She hadn't cared.
Thankfully, the busy kept away the fear most of the time. Each of her new old friends had their own quirks and personalities, and they were clearly evident even as young foals. At a month old, Rainbow Dash was already a master crib, swaddling, and diaper escape artist. Rarity possessed the ability to put out eardrums when she screamed and used it liberally. Applejack would put absolutely anything she could find, including carpet, into her mouth. Fluttershy would start bawling if not within at least twelve feet of Twilight at all times. Pinkie Pie, while hardly ever crying, had the uncanny talent for appearing in places she shouldn't, like the wine cellar. Twilight still didn't know how she managed to get herself down there.
It was the happiest she'd been in years.
Twilight admitted to having possessed the tendency, especially in her more cynical recent years, to scoff at sexual reproduction, and the subsequent offspring produced by it, being referred to as a miracle. It was nature, a trait made to increase genetic variation, to pass along genes, to further the species, no more miraculous than a cell dividing itself in two. It was just that, in fact, only over and over and over again. Looking at Pinkie, however, looking at Rarity, Rainbow, AJ, and Shy gave her a change of heart.
They were miraculous. More miraculous that the wings on her back or the fact that she hadn't aged a day in over three centuries. They were perfect miracles.
Rambunctious perfect miracles.
"Rainbow!" Twilight called out enticingly, taking careful steps around the gigantic bath-recently converted to changing-room "Come on out! Come on out for Twily!"
Held aloft in her magic, carefully hidden behind her back was a diaper. Getting one on the pegasus foal always required the utmost stealth. A well matched battle against two old foes, one armed with magic, the other, pure speed.
"Come on Rainbow...I know you're there."
"NYAAAAHHH!" Came a defiant cry from an unknown corner, which Twilight could only presume to mean something like "Diapers are for the weak!" "Bring it, Purple!" Or, if you construed a slightly more hostile tone to the shriek: "Death to the overlord!"
Crouching down, Twilight crept stealthily against a dark, wooden shelf, fully stocked with every imaginable changing supply. With lighting speed, she snuck her head around its corner, bringing herself face to face with a large pair of mischevious magenta eyes. Before Rainbow could dart away another time, she was gently scooped up in a bright ball of magic.
A few minutes later, toting a newly diapered and swaddled Rainbow Dash in her telekinesis,Twilight trotted into the main portion of the castle, complete with a little living room, a warm kitchen, comfortable wooden flooring supplemented with a few area rugs, and many, many bookshelves. She had completely demolished the interior of the private upper floors of her castle on an impulse and redone it in a much more homey style about twenty or so decades ago. Good Press, the mare set in change of her public image in the aftermath of an unfortunate incident involving a news interview, an extremely derogatory comment, and (subsequently) a chair hurled at a wall with lethal force, had been horrified at the plebeian decor of course. However, her contemptful remarks during the renovation process, meticulously done presentations on more "Princess like" designs for the new upper area, and passive-aggressive comments every time Twilight was required to invite her to visit, were not enough to persuade the alicorn to give a flying feather.
Sometimes you reach a certain point where you are absolutely certain that if you see one more Celestia damned crystal column you will throw up everywhere.
The lower floor rooms, the ball room, entryway...throne room...having been open to visitors, had remained in their original states, but Twilight had figured her private floors were to do with as she pleased.
She had attended the funeral of Good Press one hundred and sixty years ago.
Twilight trotted over to her window seat, a soft cushioned wooden lid that opened to a small storage compartment containing her favorite books, overlooking the entirety of Ponyville, and cradled Rainbow Dash in her forelegs bouncing the filly gently. Out the window lay all of her once-small town, now sporting buildings taller than old-day Manehattan's. Just like Canterlot before it, the presence of a princess had transformed it into a bustling city, scarcely a trace of the original earth-pony architecture left, save the old town district surrounding Sugar Cube corner, filled with eclectic shops. Twilight hadn't gone to old town in over forty years. The familiar was more painful than the different.
As Twilight rocked Rainbow, humming softly, the filly slowly stopped squirming and her breaths slowly settled into the rythym of sleep. It was strange, the conflicting images of her friends in her mind. The old memories, half buried by time, but still strong as steel, of Rainbow Dash the brash athlete, the jokester against the new memories and experiences of Rainbow Dash the absconder of cribs. Sometimes she felt like she could almost sense the pictures of their faces in their mind fading, being layered over with these new ones like fresh paint.
After putting Dash to bed in her crib beside those of the other sleeping elements, Twilight returned to the window seat. They were all asleep, so, for the time being, she could take a brief rest. Even with she stamina of an Alicorn, five days awake could take a toll on anypony.
Leaning against the window, glass warm where the sun struck the pane, Twilight gazed outside, eyes slowly drifting downward across Ponyville, to her castle courtyard-
Twilight's eyes shot wide open.
Celestia. Luna. The protection spells would be useless. At least one hundred gaurds. Enough to take down a dragon.
Her mind seemed to go into slow motion, thousands of thoughts racing though her head. Each of them passing through her mind in the instant it took for her wings to snap outwards, the little gust of wind created ruffling her mane. The visitor bell was ringing. Spike always answered the door. He was downstairs. She had seconds, maybe less.
Get the girls and get to Spike. Twilight took a step forward. Then get out. Another step. Get as far away as possible. She paused, lit up her horn. Galloping would be too slow.
Celestia couldn't have them.
One second
In a flash of light, Twilight appeared the girls room, scooping each filly up in her magic. Her eyes darted to the supplies around the room. She could need them. Lips pursed. No time. She blinked to the second floor balcony over looking the entryway, glanced down at the foals in her magic.
Pinkie Pie was waking up. She stretched out a curious hoof, wide blue eyes blinking as they shook off sleep, tiny pink face scrunching up slightly as her eyes traveled the scene, as if unsure whether or not it warranted crying or not. She made a burbling noise, apparently deciding to save her cries until more information could be gathered, then looked to Twilight inquisitively, stretching both hooves towards her, a giggle escaping her mouth.
Twilight looked away. No time. Spike's claw was on the door.
Two seconds
Another blink. Directly next to Spike. The doorknob turned.
Arm still opening the door, Spike turned to her, expression morphing into one of abject perplexment. As she watched his brows furrowed down, green eyes squinting in consternation. He dropped his grip on the doorknob as he turned to look at her more fully, leaving it to swing slowly open. She looked back up at him, expression wild, wings flared, the girls floating beside her in bubbles of magic. His muzzle wrinkled slightly, head tilting to the side like a confused dog mouth opening to form a single confused syllable.
"Twi?"
Teleporting six ponies and a dragon would be strenuous.
Spike's gaze flicked back to the door, eyes widening in surprise.
Three seconds
She could do it.
The last thing Twilight saw before her surroundings disappeared from around her was Celestia's face, gazing in astonishment at the five infants floating her magic.
Then she was gone.
I think it worked well enough. Could it have been better? Maybe, but then, things can always be better. I liked it as it is. It got across the rush of the moments in her mind, which is what I think you were trying to do.
I think Twilight should try to leave a poison cake for Celestia and then take over if she is that Paranoid.
Anyways, good story.
Very interesting, although it kinda felt like the whole Celestia comes to take the kids came out of NOWHERE. there was no build up or anything to it.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it a lot. but that was right out of left field.
Unless that wasn't why she was there with THAT many royal guards? in which case, why did she bring the military? (again out of nowhere)
Quite an interesting take on the whole "Twilight misses her friends and brings them back" idea.
I really do wonder what Celestia and Luna will think about what Twilight has done.
And whether or not the new Rarity, Fluttershy, AJ, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie will be exactly the same as the old ones.
The pacing was good, and the whole crap-they're-here-save-the-kids-and-spike part came across well. Looking forward to more of this.
A bit sudden for Celestia AND Luna to come with the royal guard, But still a good chapter none the less.
There were a few spelling errors, but overall a good chapter. The bit at the end actually had me feeling anxious, which is something hard to do with writing. Good job, and I'm waiting for more
4538239
Celestia: "Twilight? Luna and I are on our way to investigate reports of a dragon attacking a small town, we've got some guards with us for backup.. would you like to join us.. for old times sa.... WHAT THE F...!"
Hm, in terms of pacing, I'd say you could've done slightly better if you showed maybe the part where the rest of the Mane6 were born and Twilight's feelings about what she just did, experienced, and her children/friends.
I think what you meant was the flow of the end of the chapter. Pacing is how fast the plot progresses, while flow is the speed of an individual scene. For me personally, the flow was fine, but maybe you could have expanded on the scene a bit, not by much, but a bit, though as it is, it is "ok".
4538343
That would be plossable but it seemed like Twilight Hates Celestia.
I couldn't imagine Celestia thinking that scenario would EVER play out the way she wanted it too.
............. i am rather curuios to know what Celestia will think of seeing them. to get technical it would seem the ressurrection magic tiwlight used was not dark magic. definitely twisting the rules but ultimately they were not stoeln from a grave, and no llife was given for theri return. their souls were summoned from the hear after, and she bore them.
even more curious at why she had a hundred guards with them. did she go there knowing of the girls, or was she acting on some fear that twilight had gone mad........ well could be the latter is the truth but not mad in the sense that fcelestia feared.
The optimistic bit of me wants to believe the princesses might've been there with a contingent of guards to either visit the foals, or assign the guards to duty at the castle.
But given Twilight's reaction, unreliable as she seems, it's unlikely.,
4538239 ..... it is possible that she was not there for the kids. she looked pretty damn alarmed when she saw them. it could be she was there for another reason...... or a similar one.
maqybe she was there because she feared twilight had gone mad or something, and sought to subdue her before she did something terrible. she did isolate herself for ten ot eleven months.
4538355 .. yeah have to agree there. unless the writier is planning something with that.
Nice chapter! I'm excited for the next one.
4538423
that's fair, I thought of the whole 'not for the kids' thing after the fact...
Still, it came out of nowhere. a few lines about 'newspaper articles about the crazy princess' or something would have at least built it up.
Also why would she knock?
"I haven't seen Twilight in several years, I think she might be insane enough to require force to subdue her and she blames me for her friends death, lets give away the element of surprise by knocking."
Again, not hating on the story, it just seemed to be an odd event.
4538438 thehy had not truly interracted in years but have seen one another. the last ten months however...... yeha.
and likely they were not there to hurt twilight. celestia could have suspected something was amiss but hoped she was mistaken, but came prepared just in case. and i doubt she wanted to outright hurt twilight.
4538450
Wouldn't she have sent someone Twi would have been more receptive to then?
I mean Twi basically hates Celestia, it would have been far smarter to send Luna or Preferably Cadance.
Showing up at a friends house who hates you with a bunch of armed guards... unless she is naive there is no way she could have thought that would end well.
Very good in my opinion. Though I don't get why the magical shields went down.
4538438 keep in mind; she hasn't slept in 5 days. i wouldn't be thinking right either.
4538486 I was talking about Celestia
I need to stop reading fics while drinking
4538463 she wasn't perceptive to anyone, it was stated in the beginning there. she blamed everyone or was too upset.
Ohoohohohohoh
this is brilliant
4538503
She may not have been receptive to anyone, but she doesn't seem to HATE the other two. Based on what was said anyway.
It's obvious Celestia is the LAST pony she wants to see
Yet she shows up with a buttload of guards?
4538524 if she sent only luna or cadance, or both, and it turns out she had gone mad, someone would have to hold off spike and the other would have to engage and metnally unstable alicorn by herself. luna would certainly be more powerful but would ahve to hurt tiwlight to overpower her.
So, we still don't know WHAT Celestia did to upset Twilight, but I think the onslaught of her, Luna, and 100 guards is a little much.
It seems that in this story, Twilight views Celestia as manipulative and controlling. At the very least, she hates Celestia for doing something concerning her friends. Why? I don't know, but now she's going to run away. But to where?
The pacing was fine. Twilight was acting on instinct. Alarms went off in her head that she had to get out of there. Despite being Celestia's student, Twilight's reaction to the presence of her mentor was strong enough for me to think "Wow, she's really done something to piss her off and feel threatened at the same time." It's added gravity to the whole situation.
4538545
even luna or cadence showing up with the guards would have been preferable to celestia showing up with them.
based on earlier Cadance was probably a no-go.
Celestia going in like that, there was no way that would end well. at best she was in for a fight. (I get the impression that's what her goal was)
pretty good so far
So... it seems like Twilight has a persecution complex?
"You shouldn't use that spell" does not mean "I will come and take away your babies nya ha ha ha!"
4538563 could be celestia was having flashbacks about this incident. perhaps it was like what happened to luna........ hell far as we know luna was the one who wanted to do this. we have to see.... and hopefulyl soon.
4538585
yep it will be interesting to say the least...
4538300 Personally, I think that the whole "she's about to steal my kids!" bit from Twi is pure paranoia. I bet that Celestia and Luna had only come over with the guards thinking that something terrible had happened to her and Spike, brought guards to combat this threat, and then got the biggest WTF moment when the door opened.
Twilight only has my pity. And I worry for her children. They're going to grow up into pampered mama's girls who are scared of the world because she's going to shield them FOREVER. And at this point, she's ****ING CLINICALLY PARANOID!
If I had to hazard a guess...Twi's thoughts of Celestia taking the girls away hinged on Celestia FINDING OUT about them...and given her rather secluded state lately, me thinks Twi's lack of sleep and outright dislike of the white alicorn has made her a touch hasty. That said...yeah, I think a certain Solar Alicorn may have a lot more to do than she might think...and not as a ruler. Luna...meh, Luna is my favorite princess next to Cadence then Twi, so hard for me to see her in a bad light until it comes up.
Good work and looking forward to MOAR!!
4538501 the pictures!
Anyway, cute and funny, just how the fans like it. Excellent work. Have you submit this to EQD?
well that's one way to leave them guess what just happened
One small spelling mistake:
I'm glad Twilight's perception of the girls is changing. It would have been... bad... if she had held onto her memories of who her friends once were and tried to impose the image (intentionally or not) on her kids. I do wonder about what Celestia was really there for... it doesn't really look like she was actually coming over to take the foals, and if Twilight is such a recluse I don't see how Celestia would have learned about the kids in the first place. I personally suspect it's related to whatever Celestia wanted to speak to Twilight about in the previous chapter, but there's a lot of things it could be.
No, no. Twilight obviously doesn't speak Baby. Rainbow Dash is actually informing her that she has inherited the title of Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All, and demands Twilight's fealty.
You had my curiosity, now you have all my attention.
4538417
My theory is that it is most likely that Celestia and Luna were simply worried about Twilight. I doubt that they would think she went mad and created another Nightmare Moon esque incident. Or maybe even they may have thought that it was Spike that went the deep end, since Twilight trusts him even more than the princesses then it wouldn't be such a stretch of the imagination that if he did turn against Twilight and Equestria, he would be in the perfect position to do so. I mean, even his behavior, as mentioned in the prologue, seemed shifty if I was the one he was talking to and turning away.
4539330
Obviously. I mean, in over 300 years, you'd think she'd have taken at least one class in baby. It's disrespectful is what it is. Stormaggedon deserves better peons.
Interesting!
4538576
Twilight also believes Celestia to be responsible for taking her friends away in the first place. The degree to which that is true, and if it is true then why it happened, determines how justified Twilight's fear is.
This... this won't end well. Especially considering that Twilight apparently just did a blind teleportation. Where in Equestria is she gonna go?
More questions than answers. Meh, buck it. It'll play out soon enough.
also... twi, i think you're overreacting... you're a mother now, of course you're going to overreact.
pretty sure, even though celestia didn't want you doing it, the foals are born now, they're living creatures. celestia could not and would not in good faith do anything to them
4538603 totally agree with you. she's a mother now and she let the thoughts of the safety of her friends/children get the better of her instead of stopping and thinking things through.
also, where the heck's she gonna go?
4539703 No idea, but I think it may be a few minutes before Celestia regains the ability to speak and asks Luna if she saw the kids too.
All of you grammer ponies, stop complaining
Say something appropriate, like:
D'AAAAAAAW
THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH!!!