Not Enough Baking Tins
Hearth's Warming, for some ponies, meant family, fun, and maybe even romance. Currently, inside of the Lunar Estate in the Shady Acres Retirement Village, only one of those things rang true.
Family. It was a strange thing for Luna to consider the ponies around her such a thing. Most of them were not of her blood, but instead so in friendship and the struggles which had brought them all together over the last several decades.
The massive dining table was full, nearly a perfect fifty-fifty split of aging ponies and nigh immortals in only that they’d outlive the other half.
“What was that?” asked an elderly pink earth pony mare, whose wrinkles made her look as though she’s always smiling.
Clearing her throat, the bright pink alicorn sitting beside the elderly mare leaned in closer. “I asked, how are the Cake twins?” asked Princess Mi Amore Cadenza for what felt like the hundredth time.
“Oh no, we didn’t bring any cake bins. Luna said she had enough already.”
Cadance sighed. Luna, at the head of the table, looked towards her kitchen where indeed, a massive stack of cake bins, tins, glassware, and all other baking stuff stood, mostly still in boxes.
Always the same sort of gift from the elderly Pinkie Pie, bless her stupidly strong and stubborn heart.
“Celestia, Pinkie, she asked about the Cake. Twins,” spoke up the equally elderly Cheese Sandwich, Pinkie’s husband for practically too long.
Pinkie Pie placed her forehooves to her chest, her wrinkled smile giving her the appearance of a basset hound. “Oh, the twins! I sure miss seeing them every day. Tell me, Cadance, have you seen them recently? I remember they were close friends to Flurry.”
Cadance sighed, and although frustrated she couldn’t help but smile at the twice retired party pony and her spouse. Her daughter, Flurry, sat across from them and tried and failed to hide her giggle.
Next to Flurry, Princess Twilight Sparkle ate nervously as she constantly eyed the two ponies on either side of Luna.
Celestia (still very retired) and Queen Chrysalis (also retired, but still making holes in legs a fashion statement) had been staring at each since Luna had cut the tofu turkey.
Every once in a while one would take a bite of their food, so the other would take a bigger bite, just for the other to take an even bigger, and far more aggressive mouthful.
It was only when Luna had to save her choking wife from a massive slice of blueberry pie that she’d ordered her sister to stop provoking her, otherwise she’d put them both in time out.
That just made Chrysalis grin, pie crumbs still plastered on her muzzle.
It also made taking any threats from the changeling useless as Luna simply licked the changeling’s lips for her, sending the whole table into a chortle of laughs and awes. Chrysalis would also, begrudgingly, share a quick kiss with her wife.
As much as the bug queen loved… well, love, public displays of affection were still one of those things that made her shy side come out.
Beside Celestia, Cadance once again tried to find out anything from Pinkie Pie on the state of Ponyville. Princess Twilight would interject where Pinkie would mix things up. Cheese would then correct her, all the while sucking on a thick candy cane, just hanging out the side of his muzzle like a politician pony’s cigar.
There were many more guests taking up seats down the two combined tables, all the way to the opposite end where the one not-so-welcome guest of Discord sat. Although still chaotic in nature, since Fluttershy’s passing he had seemed to mellow out some.
It was still so strange when he’d gone to Luna herself for advice on how to move on. It also helped mend their constant attacks on one another. And while they still disagreed, they were now much more friends than they’d ever been. Plus, as he’d mentioned in the past, he just loved the chaos that Luna and Chrysalis’ union had brought upon the nation, regardless if they were both retired.
“I am not retired, I am merely taking a break,” Chrysalis said, crossing her forehooves and looking away from Twilight beside herself.
“Uh-huh. You know I still talk to King Thorax, right?” Twilight said with some confidence. “He tells me how he still seeks your advice and guidance, even if it’s for ways to not do something?”
“Yes, well, if he’d just allow me back then I’m sure I could show the grub how a ruler should act and take control.”
“Chryssi,” Luna chided, which earned a glare from her spouse, “it’s one thing to call King Thorax such things in private, but we are with guests.”
Suddenly, several foals, all ranging from young teens down to little ones with diapers riding on the oldest’s backs, came running through the dining area.
“Also young minds which we do not wish to influence with your… more colorful opinions.”
“Oh dear, looks like they’ve already finished their dinners! I’ll handle them!” Discord called, then floated after the screaming children like a swimming serpent.
The alicorns and one changeling watched him go, and for the first time since she’d arrived Celestia smiled genuinely.
“It still amazes me how far he’s come,” Celestia said.
“It still amazes me he could even sire foals,” added Chrysalis with a raised brow. “With the Yellow One of all ponies.”
“What’s wilder is they’re on the fourth generation now,” Twilight also chimed in, then she looked to her pink friend. “Speaking of, Pinkie, how are your and Cheese’s grand foals?”
“Oh, we don’t make cheese rolls anymore. Not after everypony at the Home couldn’t use the potty for three whole weeks!”
“The Princess doesn’t care about the great Pie Potty 'Pocalypse, she’s asking about the grand foals!” Cheese said beside her.
“I love our grandfoals. Do you think they graduated school yet?”
Cheese Sandwich looked to his wife. “Pinkie, they’re on a traveling party tour, the one we started! They even have special someponies.”
“Oh that’s nice. Say Luna, when are you going to tell us about your foal?”
Both Luna, Celestia, and Chrysalis spat out their drinks. They had been enjoying the confusing rambles of the Element of Laughter, but that took them all off guard for different reasons.
“Pinkie, I think you’re confused… more so than normal,” Celestia said, dapping her lips with a napkin in her magical aura. “I’m sure Luna would have told me, her sister, of something so important in her life.”
Chrysalis leaned over the table towards the pink mare, “How did you know?”
This time, the entire table froze, mid bite, mid drink, stunned silent and staring bug eyed at the formal royals at the end of the table.
“Oh, I have my Pinkie Sense, silly! I know everything.”
“By Celestia, Pinkie, you don’t even remember your last bowel movement.”
“Exactly! That’s how I knew somepony was expecting!”
“What is going on, mom?” Flurry Heart asked.
Cadance looked around the table, to her left was a shouting and arguing Celestia and Chrysalis, with Luna trying to keep them separate. To her right, was a mostly senile earth pony mare and stallion were talking about the right time to say something at the dinner table, and how neither could figure out what the other was arguing about.
Ahead of her, Twilight was trying to interrogate Luna while mitigating the pending fight.
The other end of the table, ponies were looking on with shock and horror. There might have even been bits being hooved around the table.
“Honestly?” Cadance finally spoke up. “I don’t know, baby.”
There was suddenly the slam of hooves on the table, rattling the dishes.
“I am your sister! It hurts me you wouldn’t tell me something so life changing! An alicorn pregnancy is a huge deal! My sister's even greater!”
“For the last time, Tia, we were going to tell you tonight! It was supposed to be your gift. Look!”
Luna’s magic came to life, and from the Hearth's Warming tree one of the many cards adorning the tree was brought over. Luna dropped it onto the table before her sister, and Celestia feverishly opened it.
A single, black and white photo fell out of the card when she went to read it.
“An ultrasound? Wait, you mean, this is an… actual foal?” Celestia asked, now confused.
“Of course, what did you think it would be? Eggs?” Chrysalis asked.
Celestia and Cadance shared a look, and both silently nodded.
“Ug, you ponies. Changelings come from eggs, not foals! Luna and I wanted a foal, not to start a new hive. That wouldn’t work out so well.”
Luna then chimed in. “The amount of love it would take to do so would require the entirety of the Crystal Empire.”
“Plus I’ve had enough kids to know, I’m done with that.”
“So this is really happening?” Celestia asked, dumbfounded. “You’re actually with a foal? Not…”
Rolling her eyes, Luna pointed to Chrysalis. “She can transform into a stallion. All it took was some right potions to make her actually… fertile.”
At this, Chrysalis transformed into a stallion. However, who that stallion was exactly shocked everypony at the table.
“Sombra!?” Celestia, Cadance, and Twilight shouted in unison.
“She seems to like them tall, dark, and handsome,” said ‘Sombra’, licking his lips.
Luna simply blushed.
“Oh I remember him!” Pinkie then chimed in. “He was so nice, always making sure the pool was clean.”
“We didn’t even have a pool, Pinkie!” Cheese said.
“I know, that’s how you knew it was so clean!”
Suddenly, the sounds of sniffling were heard, and ponies quieted down to look at Celestia, who was on the brink of tears.
“I’m… I’m actually going to be an aunt again?” Celestia began, then had to wipe her eyes with a foreleg.
Standing from her seat, Luna walked over and hugged her sister. Cadance too joined, and soon followed by Twilight.
Chrysalis continued to sit in her seat, but with a stern glare from her wife, she sighed and walked over, joining in on the hug begrudgingly.
—-------
Later that evening, once most everypony had departed for home (save for Pinkie and Cheese as their next train wasn’t until the following morning), Luna and Chrysalis sat upon the sofa in the living room. The room was dark, save for the roaring hearth before them, making it warm.
The two curled up against one another, and Chrysalis couldn’t help but rest her chin upon Luna’s only slightly growing barrel.
Sensing the changeling’s emotions, for Luna, had grown over the years. She wasn’t a changeling herself so couldn’t pull it off as accurately as her love could, but it had honed itself over the years.
“Dinner went well,” Luna said.
“I suppose so,” Chrysalis added with a hum.
“Discord didn’t leave us any nasty surprises.”
“Mhm. Or his great and great-great grandfoals.”
“They take on much of dear Kindness’ personality.”
“I also fail to see why we had to have so many other ponies there.”
“Most of them are the descendants of the other Elements. We fear this could be Laughter’s final Hearth’s Warming, and wanted to ensure they all had a chance to see her.”
Chrysalis huffed, which tickled under Luna’s left wing. “Please, that mare and her husband are going to outlive us all at this rate.”
Chuckling, Luna leaned her neck around and gave Chrysalis a peck on her head. “You know how to say the sweetest things.”
Silence reigned once again, save for the crackling of damp spots of wood in the fire.
“Is…” Luna began, then hesitated.
“Hm?”
“Is there something on your mind? You’ve seemed distracted since the reveal.”
Chrysalis took one of her forehooves and began rubbing Luna’s barrel in circular strokes, and rolled her head so now the left side of her muzzle was also resting there.
“For so long, had I brought life into this world… but it was always me. No partner, no lover, no one there to just be there with me. Then once the eggs hatched, I was their mother. They grew from nymphs into real lings, and then I went from their mother to their leader.
“I had never… I didn’t… don’t know what to do with… this. I thought I was ready. With you, I was sure.”
Humming, Luna began to nibble into Chrysalis’ mane, essentially grooming, which helped ease her love into a calming bliss.
After a few moments, Luna stopped, then used a hoof to draw her wife’s vision to her own.
“I will admit, it has been far, far too long since I last had a foal. Since before my banishment, since before my sister and I ruled this fair land. But I can still feel it, what instincts were there a millenia ago, still reside in me.
“And one of the biggest things? Was in choosing my mate.”
Slowly, gently, they both placed their foreheads together, horn bases touching.
“You have done things you regret, I have done things I regret. But we are better by moving on. And this?” Luna tapped her own barrel. “This is us finding a new way to push through, move on and beyond our mistakes.
“While it took you to be a male to sire, you will be as yourself, and be an excellent mother. Much as I hope I will too. And if one of us makes a mistake? We help guide the other back onto the right path.”
Chrysalis huffed at those words, but Luna continued on.
“You will not need to be their leader, in a commanding sense. You will now be able to lead a foal, our foal, towards a brighter tomorrow. No worries of conflict, of struggle, but of love and companionship.”
“The things we, growing up, didn’t have.” Chrysalis noted.
“Aye.”
For the first time that night, Chrysalis gave a genuine, happy smile. “I like that. I think I could get used to this whole parenthood thing.”
With a devious grin, Luna cleared her throat. “Oh yes, although next time, love?”
There was a blue light, and suddenly Luna’s head had transformed. It was more masculine, chizzled jaw, handsome features, and short mane.
“We trade roles,” Luna said in a much more deep, masculine voice.
Chrysalis’ dragonfly-like wings began to buzz in excitement. “I cannot wait.”