Twilight Sparkle is a responsible pony. But even she can get overwhelmed sometimes. A few years after taking over from Celestia and Luna, she deals with a new development with the help of her friends and family. Written for New Year, New Wincest Contest A direct sequel to my earlier story Nightmare Night, a Sister's Plight
Twilight shivered with anticipation. She hopped up and down on her hooves, rapidly tapping them against the station floor. Her violet eyes scanned left and right repeatedly, ears swiveling along with them, desperately searching for any sign of an approaching train. Next to her, Spike gazed up at her with a small smile, all too familiar with the neurotic pony’s habits.
“Relax Twilight, I know you’re excited to see Shining and Cadance, but you don’t need to get so worked up over it. They’ll be here soon,” he reassured her, patting her side with a clawed hand.
Twilight looked down at the dragon in disbelief, “Relax? I can’t relax! I haven’t seen them in months, and they’ve only got a few hours here! If that train is even a minute late, we’ll be missing out on what precious few minutes of time we have!” One of her eyes twitched, and her wings ruffled nervously.
Under the intense gaze of the alicorn, Spike’s smile was replaced by a nervous grin, and he shuffled his feet as a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. “I know, I know, you’ve been planning this visit for months, but you getting nervous about it isn’t going to make them arrive any faster.”
Seeing Spike’s body language and tone change so drastically, Twilight felt guilty, and mentally reprimanded herself. “Come on Twilight, I know you’re going insane, but that’s no reason to take it out on Spike! He’s just trying to help. Get it together!”
Pulling back so that she was no longer uncomfortably close to his face, the purple alicorn slumped down onto her haunches, staring at the ground dejectedly. When she spoke again, her voice was dripping with guilt.
“I know Spike, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you. It’s just there’s something really important that I need to talk to them about.”
“What’s the news?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow and leaning forward inquisitively(though he had a sneaking suspicion that he already knew).
Twilight shifted uncomfortably, “It’s nothing to talk about here. Maybe when we get back to the castle.” As she said this, she looked around the station. Though not crowded, there were still several ponies around. A knot of tourists out to see the countryside, suitcases decked in stickers from places across Equestria, a station worker lazily sweeping the cobblestones, and a young mare with a foal secured to her side in a swaddle, looking down the tracks intently.
Twilight’s gaze held on the mother and her child for a short time, taking in the unkempt mane, eye bags, and general wear and tear. But she also noticed the small colt, peacefully sleeping in his blanket, safe and secure, and the look on the mother’s face, tired, but optimistic.
A hint of a smile touching her lips, Twilight turned her attention back to the tracks. Spike, meanwhile, had noticed her scan of the station, and combined with her secretive demeanor, only further piqued his curiosity. Still, he knew he was unlikely to get anything out of Twilight at the moment, so the drake simply shrugged and went back to waiting. No sooner had they returned to watching for the train, when the sharp blast of a whistle could be heard, along with the steady chuff-chuff of steam.
Twilight excitedly craned her neck out as far as she could, and was rewarded by the sight of a violently pink train snaking its way across the green landscape, not far from the station. Dancing up and down on her hooves, Twilight’s anticipation increased exponentially every second that passed, and every foot the train grew closer. By the time it was slowing to a halt inside the station, Twilight looked ready to burst with the effort of waiting even milliseconds longer. Spike hadn’t seen her this excited since she got her first perfect test score back from Princess Celestia.
Finally, slowly, torturously, the doors slid open, disgorging the ponies from within. Twilight looked desperately for a glimpse of white among the rainbow of colors that had departed from the train. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. After a few seconds, the crowd dispersed, and the last occupants of the train disembarked. A pink alicorn, tall and regal, with a long mane set in curls of purple and gold , bedecked in glittering golden jewelry, a crystal heart cutie mark emblazoned on her flank. A snow-white stallion, strong and sturdy, his short, shaggy mane a mix of light and dark blues, and cutie mark a shield with the Sparkle family crest. Twilight rushed forward to embrace the pair, tears of happiness now leaking from the corners of her eyes.
“Shining Armor! Cadance! It’s so nice to see you again!” she cried out, hooves wrapped tightly around their necks. Despite the near stranglehold, both ponies had wide smiles on their faces, already familiar with the purple alicorn’s crushing hugs.
Freeing a hoof from the death grip, Shining Armor gave his little sister a gentle noogie.
“It’s great to see you again too Twily. But, uh, could you maybe not crack our ribs? We kinda need them,” he gave a small chuckle at his own joke.
Twilight quickly released the pair, who both breathed a sigh of relief, and backed away grinning sheepishly. “Sorry, guess I was a bit overzealous.”
Cadance regarded her with a gentle smile, “It’s okay, we’re happy to see you too. And if we thought we couldn’t survive your hugs, we wouldn’t have come.”
A moment passed in embarrassed silence as Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, looking anywhere but at her brother and sister-in-law. Both Shining and Cadance regarded her with looks of concern, knowing she was uncomfortable. They exchanged a look, Cadance motioning towards the smaller alicorn with her eyes and a jerk of her head.
Shining cleared his throat and inquired, “So, Twily, shouldn’t we be making our way back to your castle? I mean, we didn’t come all the way from the Crystal Empire to spend our whole visit sitting on this platform.” He used his hoof to gesture at the station around them, a light, teasing grin on his face.
Snapping back to her senses, Twilight started talking frantically, repossessed of her manic energy. “Of-of course! Come on, we’ve got to go!” she circled around behind them and began pushing with all her might. “There’s something really important I need to tell you both!” Unseen by Twilight, the couple exchanged a knowing look at this. Breaking into a trot, with Twilight placing Spike upon her back, the group sped out of the station and towards the city. As they left, Twilight saw out of the corner of her eye, something that made her heart melt. The mother and foal she had seen earlier were now joined by a stallion who had embraced them in a tight hug. Both faces, earlier set with signs of aging and tire, were now radiant with happiness. Twilight regarded the scene for the briefest of moments, and then ran even faster. Her own journey lay ahead.
When observing Canterlot, the deeply magical seat of power and capital of all Equestria, it’s hard to believe that responsibility for the entire city, and by extent the entire country, rests upon a single nerdy, neurotic alicorn. Canterlot Castle, massive and ornate, its spires reaching gracefully into the sky, stands in stark contrast to its chief inhabitant. At the moment, Twilight felt small and vulnerable, like a lost child. Despite the magnificent trappings of the royal bedchambers where she now resided, she had eyes for nothing but the two ponies sitting before her.
Shining and Cadance were sitting expectantly, an untouched tea tray sitting on the table in front of them, waiting for Twilight to talk first. They knew better than to rush her, as that would only result in the nervous alicorn further retreating into her own doubts. Spike, too, sat nearby, ready to offer support as needed(though that didn’t stop him from idly chewing on a gem). Twilight herself, meanwhile, was thinking over how best to approach the situation. Months having known that this moment was coming, planning out how to best break the news, and words completely failed her when it came time to spill her secret. Able to face down minotaurs, a draconequus, and all manner of other world-ending threats, and yet she couldn’t even confide in the three beings she should most be able to trust in the entire world. And like all procrastinators, she had many strategies to avoid the inevitable as long as possible.
Walk to the window. Stare out the window. Contemplate life choices. Sip tea. Pace around the room. Repeat. Twilight continued her little ritual for a good while longer than was reasonable, getting no closer to an idea of how to proceed.
“Why is this so hard? Just tell them and get it over with!” Twilight reasoned.
“Oh, but what would they think of you then, the great matriarch of Equestria, Princess of Friendship, responsible and dependable, and the Queen of incest.” A nagging voice said in the back of her head.
“I’m not irresponsible! We knew this could happen! We didn’t do anything wrong!” Twilight argued back.
“Then why is it taking so long to tell them? Clearly you’re ashamed about something!”
Twilight groaned and held a hoof to her face. She plopped down into a chair opposite her guests, feeling defeated. She buried her face in shame, wanting nothing more than to just sink into the cushions and disappear, to avoid all of her problems just by remaining in the safe haven of plush upholstery. But as she sulked, she felt the gentle touch of a hoof to her back, and brought her face back out to see that Cadance had got up and come over to her. Twilight looked up into her sister-in-law’s face, and saw the emotion in her eyes. Support, care, and love. No matter what, her family would be there for her. From the end of the world to simple everyday life, there was nothing as reassuring as somepony to depend on. So Twilight drew herself up, wiped her face off with a hoof, took a deep breath, and uttered two words.
Shock, surprise, even disgust or anger. Twilight expected to see these emotions on Cadance’s face at the reveal, but found none. Instead, her small, tired smile reflected understanding and acceptance. In fact, she looked nothing short of relieved, as though pleased by this turn of events. Shining, too, seemed happy. Even Spike had an almost smug look of satisfaction on his face.
“Congratulations Twilight. I’m sure you’ll make a great mother,” Cadance said, drawing Twilight into a hug.
Still surprised by this sort of positive reaction, Twilight did not immediately return it. She merely continued to look bewildered, only dimly registering that Shining had got up from his seat and joined them. She soon felt his hooves wrap around them both.
“Let me guess, I’m the father?” he whispered in her ear, to which she nodded.
“You aren’t surprised?” Twilight asked. “I thought you’d be shocked.”
Cadance briefly pulled out of the hug to look at her, a sort of sheepish smile on her face. “We figured it out months ago. No offense Twilight, but you weren’t exactly making it hard to guess. You kept mentioning getting sick and having weird cravings in your letters, and constantly asking stuff about child raising and care. It wasn’t that hard to piece together. Not to mention, I also ran a heartbeat spell on you when you weren’t looking. There’s a tiny little one in there, not just your own.”
Twilight, now feeling distinctly disgruntled and with a mulish look on her face inquired, “So then why didn’t you say anything? You just let me stew in my own nerves for months? I’ve been stressed out over this meeting for so long!” She said, with an accusatory tone to her speech.
By this point, Cadance and Shining had returned to their seats, the more comfortable for any extended conversations.
“And that’s exactly why we didn’t let on that we knew,” Cadance explained calmly. “You needed to come to your own decision on your own terms. Take your time, go at your own pace, and not have your plans derailed by somepony else. Better for you to overcome your anxieties and tell us outright.”
Twilight sighed and acquiesced “Oh fine. But bear in mind that I’ll remember this down the road.” With all the tension and anxiety that had kept her up and moving draining away, she sunk back into her own seat, weak with relief. “That goes for you too Spike,” she managed to sigh. The dragon perked up at the mention of his name, having been quiet all through the reveal.
“Now let’s be fair, I think you already owe me for not having told me for months.” Spike countered with a small grin, causing Twilight to blush sheepishly.
“Oh. Yeah. Sorry about that. I just didn’t want anyone to know about it before them,” she explained.
Spike set down the gem he had been nibbling on and came over to where the others were sitting. “It’s okay. I understand why you didn’t say anything, like Cadance said, you needed to tell everyone at your own pace. And if you wanted the father and aunt to know first, that’s fine by me. Just remember, I’m gonna be here with you through all of this, and don’t you forget it.”
Twilight smiled at her assistant-no, that was too outdated. Her brother. While she may have a stronger connection to Shining, Spike was still a part of their family. She felt a bit guilty for having left him out of the loop for so long, especially given that he was the only being other than herself, Shining, and Cadance who knew about her incestuos relationship in the first place. But now wasn’t a time for regretting past actions, for Spike’s words had reminded her of an even more important task.
Turning back to the ponies seated across from her, she once again began to talk. “Okay, so now that everything's out in the open, there’s a simple question: what now?” She looked expectantly at Shining and Cadance.
“Well, that’s a question for you more than us. Only you can judge how much bearing and raising a child will affect you. You do still have a whole country to watch over after all. It may be difficult to divide your attention.” Cadance reasoned. “Better to remain focused on one thing than constantly switch between two.” As she paused in her speech, she levitated her teacup up to her lips and took a sip, frowning upon discovering that it had become chilled.
With his wife distracted, Shining entered the conversation with a low chuckle. “Reminds me of the time my drill sergeant chewed me out for daydreaming about Cadance during training.”
Twilight did not share his amusement, and narrowed her eyes slightly. “Well this is a lot more than just some boot camp squabbles. And it’s not just me, this affects you too, Shiny. I need to know how much you want to, or can be involved. Obviously, I want you to be as much of a father to our child as you can. But it’s not up to me.”
Shining’s good humor disappeared, reminded of his own responsibility in the current situation. Well, it’s a good thing I’m not one to shy away from responsibility, he thought, and despite losing his smile, straightened up more and tried to appear ready for anything.
“You know me Twilight, I’ll do anything to help my family. I’ll be there for you both, no matter what. Although,” he tilted his head, pondering, “will we ever tell them the truth? Am I gonna be daddy, or just uncle Shiny?”
Twilight shook her head and admitted “I’m not sure. We’re going to have to come up with excuses at some point, it’s not like Equestria will just brush over it’s ruler becoming pregnant out of nowhere. And I’ll have to come up with something better than ‘I don’t know who the father is,’ that’d be just as much of a scandal as the truth. But I’m not sure I could lie to my own foal like that. I feel like they deserve the truth.” Once again, as the many conflicts and problems that she would have to confront began to overwhelm her, Twilight started to shrink down. Tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes.
At this point, Cadance stopped fiddling with her tea and decided to rejoin the conversation. She leaned over, and used a soft wingtip to gently raise Twilight’s tear streaked face to hers.
“Hey, look at me. You can handle this. You’re one of the best ponies I know, and one of the most responsible. If there’s anyone who can handle a child it’s you. Don’t think of this as a problem, an obstacle to avoid, but a new chapter in your life. Just like when you became princess, now you have a new responsibility. But this time, it’s to your child.”
Twilight, though at first taken aback by the initial intensity, soon found solace and comfort in Cadance’s words. She found the strength to look Cadance directly in the eye as the princess of love continued.
“And don’t forget, you’re never alone. Me, Shiny, Spike, your friends, we’re all here for you. If ever you need a bit of assistance or guidance, we’ll be there to help any way we can.”
Despite this reassurance, Twilight grimaced as Cadance’s words reminded her of yet another complication. “There’s just one unfortunate snag in that plan. I still haven’t told the girls the news, and they’re bound to have questions. And again, having to admit to years of incestuos relations isn’t exactly something I want to happen. But if I don’t tell them, they’ll think I don’t trust them.” Twilight sniffled.
But Cadance remained undeterred. “Well, think of it this way. What are your friends going to care about more? Who you chose to be with, or that you and your foal are happy and healthy? True friends will stick with you, whatever you tell them. If you’re uncomfortable with telling the truth, you don’t have to. But it’s entirely up to you. Admit it outright, reveal it down the road, or take the secret to your grave, it doesn’t really matter. And they should be able to respect that.” Having spoken her piece, the pink alicorn withdrew slightly and out of Twilight’s personal space.
Twilight, for her part, only needed a brief time to consider Cadance’s words. Soon enough, as the logic replaced the fears of the worst possible scenarios, she began to feel guilty for having doubted her friends. The tears finally stopped, her breathing slowed to a more reasonable pace, and she sat up as straight as possible, trying to reflect her readiness to confront any task she would be faced with.
“You’re right. There’s no half-plotting this. I’ll take all the help I can get.”
Now both Shining and Cadance were sporting wide grins.
“That’s the spirit Twilight!” Shining encouraged, also leaning forward and performing a “go get em” gesture with an arm.
“Yes, that’s the Twilight I know and love.” Cadance agreed. “Raising a child will be one of your greatest challenges, but also one of the greatest rewards. There is nothing like raising a foal of your own. You will bring another pony into the world, and it’s up to you to shape their life as best you can. And if you do your best, your effort will be repaid a hundredfold.”
Twilight nodded her head with a confident smile. “Well then, I’d better get some advice from ponies who have first-hoof experience.”
“Absolutely. We’ll help out any way we can.” And so the three put their heads together and talked, moving past stress and anxiety, and towards a simple determination to raise a foal as best as possible.
And so the coming months began to blur together, with the usual trials and tribulations of pregnancy. Twilight experienced morning sickness, mood swings, unusual cravings, sleep deprivation, the works. Of course, as predicted, her friends were nothing but supportive. Although some were a bit curious as to why she waited so long to reveal her pregnancy, and why she kept the father’s identity a secret, they were all there for her. At least, as much as they could be with their careers taking them all over Equestria. Still, they made it a point to check up on her and keep her company as often as possible. Shining and Cadance even took a leave of absence from the Crystal Empire, moving to Canterlot with Flurry Heart for the duration of Twilight’s pregnancy.
Twilight herself was extremely grateful for all this, for even an experienced princess didn’t endure a pregnancy completely unaffected. Constantly tired and hungry, she often became highly irritable, and even more neurotic than usual. One would think the world was ending when she burst into the castle kitchen declaring a state of emergency, only to end up demanding a triple-decker sundae with pickles and hot sauce, prepared to the most exact specifications.
And yet, despite all the difficulties, she couldn’t help but be excited. Soon she was going to be a mother. The fact terrified her and enthralled her at the same time. She would be the ultimate teacher. Her foal would learn everything from her, look to her for guidance and support, and she could guide them through life to become an incredible pony. Twilight hoped her foal would have the same affinity for learning as she did. She already began writing lesson plans in her head, spells from novice to master level, history, science, and more. And yet, despite all attempts to stop such thoughts, she still had creeping doubts about her abilities. What if she failed? What if her child turned out poorly because of her bad parenting? These thoughts tugged at her conscious as she lay awake at night, unable to sleep with a near constant need to use the bathroom and cramps up and down her body.
At regular checkups, she became obsessed over being as sure as possible that her unborn foal was still healthy. Every monitor, test, and reading was checked and double checked under her rigorous screening. The doctors and nurses were too scared to refuse her access, not wanting to end up on the emotional matriarch’s bad side.
And so it was with some trepidation that Twilight’s head doctor, a stallion by the name of Rapid Pulse, reported the results of the most recent ultrasound and batch of tests.
“Umm…” he stuttered, shrinking back under the intense gaze of the princess, who was seated on an examination chair and staring at him as though her life depended on his every word. “We found some, uh, anomalies” Twilight started in surprise, “in the most recent tests.”
“And what does that mean?” She scrambled up from her seat and leaned forward desperately. “Is there something wrong?”
Pulse leaned backwards as far as he could to be out of her way, his eyes nervously shifting from side to side, mouth trembling, and answered “W-we’re not %100 sure actually. It’s just that some of the readings are a bit different from foals we’ve seen in the past. The blood work in particular gave us some interesting results. But there isn’t anything that should be of concern for the child’s health. You have nothing to worry about.” He gave a reluctant smile, hoping to put the patient at ease.
The display seemed to work, and Twilight collapsed back down into the chair, relieved.
“Oh thank Faust. You almost gave me a heart attack. Now, what else did you want to tell me?” she inquired.
“Well, uh, would you like to know the gender of the foal?” Pulse offered, shifting the paper on his clipboard to a new page.
Twilight immediately perked up, “Yes, I’d love to. I want to know as much as possible so I can be ready.”
With a small smile, Pulse read off the paper: “Well, it’s a girl. Congratulations, you’re having a daughter.”
Eventually, the fateful day arrived. For all the preparation, the stress and sleepless nights, nothing could have prepared Twilight for the excruciating pain that suddenly struck her as she was writing at her desk. The sudden, sharp pain caused her to cry out in anguish. The noise quickly alerted Spike, who immediately knew what was happening, and acted accordingly. He summoned all necessary help, and Twilight was escorted to the castle’s makeshift maternity ward, attended by Doctor Pulse and nurses. While she began the long and arduous process of labor, Shining Armor, Cadance, Twilight Velvet and Night Light, and the rest of the Mane 6 were alerted.
They began to arrive at intervals, whether by flight, carriage, their own hooves, and even a convenient portal courtesy of Discord in the case of Fluttershy. Soon, the waiting room was crowded with multicolored coats and the air filled with anxious but hushed discussions as the assembled ponies talked to reassure themselves that everything was okay and Twilight was in no danger. Shining in particular was exceedingly jittery and tense, unable to be with Twilight lest he give away his part in parenting their child.
Meanwhile, in the delivery room, Twilight’s cries of pain only increased as the hours wore on, and her suffering increased. In all her years of protecting Equestria, she had faced her fair share of deadly and dangerous situations, but nothing as drawn out and torturous as this. Although there were some spells to ease the pain, they couldn’t completely cancel it out, and they could only be used sparingly. Still though, the birth slowly but surely moved forward, and Twilight was eventually being instructed to push as her foal finally entered the world for the first time. At this point, the pain became so intense that she saw spots flash before her eyes, and she briefly blacked out.
Just a few moments later, however, she was struggling back to consciousness. Her vision swimming back into focus, the pain dying down from a white hot burn to steady ache, Twilight lay on the bed recovering. Dimly, she heard the doctor mutter
“I thought there might be defects,” which piqued her curiosity and trepidation.
She slowly and painfully sat up, eager to see her foal. As the nurses swaddled the crying infant in blankets, she stretched out her hooves, and they brought her child to her. Fur matted, sticky, and red, but Twilight didn’t care. Her daughter was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Through the blood and gunk, she could just make out a violet coat, dark blue mane, tiny ears, hooves, nose and mouth, and not even the slightest hint of a horn.
Twilight Sparkle, alicorn, Element of Magic, looked down at her earth pony daughter with wonder, and a whole host of new questions.
