The Pondering

The Pondering

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Two Weeks Later (Week 18)-

Gleaming couldn’t sleep.

It’d been one of those nights where she’d tossed and turned for no particular reason, unable to get comfortable, no matter which position she tried. Left side made her shoulder feel sore. Right side made her legs wiggly. Back? Never could sleep like that. Twilight and Cadance’s spells may have made it so she wouldn’t have her bladder squished, or be short of breath, but sleeping on her back still gave her muscle cramps. And as for on her stomach, well… that was out of the question for the foreseeable future.

Gleaming opened her eyes and looked out into the darkness. The bedroom was quiet and still, the only sounds being the buzz of a fan in the corner, and the deep, slow breathing of Cadance. Normally, Gleaming could just listen to the slumbering sounds of her spouse and get drowsy herself, but tonight was an exception. The embrace of sleep continued to consistently elude her, and she was basically just lying there idly while her mind ran a million miles a minute.

Sighing, Gleaming slid out of bed. She yawned and went over to the closet, pulling out a worn night robe to wear. As she tried to get it on, though, she discovered a bit of a problem. The robe was the same one she’d had for years (an old Hearth’s Warming Gift from her mother), and seeing as it was made for a stallion, it didn’t fit her so well right now. The cloth cinch barely went around her burgeoning barrel, and it felt uncomfortably tight around her hips, as well.

Gleaming fiddled with it for a minute to try and see if she could get it to fit better, but she was starting to accept that clothing was a very nebulous thing when pregnant with four foals. Finally, she gave up and put it back, instead floating over the maternity brace she’d gotten last week.

She looked the item over with a smirk. It’d surprised her how comfortable this darn thing was. It was a one-piece article that went over her head and slipped all the way down past her hips, with sleeves for all four of her legs to allow full range of maneuverability. The middle part was made of a stretchy, yet supportive kind of fabric, and the whole thing was white so as to blend in with her coat. Well, except for the back portion. That was enchanted to be transparent, allowing her cutie mark to be seen.

Shrugging, Gleaming put the brace on and zipped it up. Almost immediately she felt sturdier with the added support, but not stiflingly tight. She’d been told that she’d outgrow the thing in a few months, though, and when that happened, she’d need to get a custom one made. Personally, though, she suspected it might be sooner than that. She’d gained another five pounds in the last two weeks, and her last fundal height measurement had been thirty-five centimeters. She essentially looked nine months pregnant, and within another two weeks, she’d probably be the same size as most mares when they were about to deliver.

Heck, maybe bigger.

Gleaming took a few steps to test the brace. It was snug and secure, making so her belly didn’t sway back and forth. It did turn her stride into a bit of a waddle, but that was inevitable sooner or later. Cadance had actually mentioned that she liked the look, matter of fact. Said it gave Gleaming’s gait the heavy grace pregnant mares were known for.

“Mmh… Honey?”

Speaking of which...

Gleaming turned. Cadance had sat up in bed and had lit her horn with a faint glow, rubbing her eyes as she glanced at the clock.

“S’two in the morning...” she said groggily. “Wuz wrong?”

Gleaming gave her a sad smile. “Brain doesn’t wanna slow down. You know how it is sometimes. Think I’m gonna go for a walk, try and wind down. Maybe drop by the kitchens for a snack.”

“Mmm, y’sure?” Cadance mumbled. “Could just make somethin’ here. Dun need to go all that way…”

“I wanna walk more than I want to eat something,” Gleaming said. “I might not even go down that way. Don’t know yet.”

“Okay, if that’s what’cha want...” Cadance plopped back down and closed her eyes. “Dun’ be gone long. Sheets’ll get cold…”

“I won’t, love. I’ll be back soon.”

Cadance’s reply was a faint snore.

Quietly, Gleaming snuck out of the bedroom and left their apartment, nodding once to her slightly-surprised night guards. They made to follow after her as she walked down the hall, but she glanced back and shook her head. Reluctantly, they stayed at their post while she walked off, but as they did, they couldn’t help but sneak a peek at her supple, swaying rear.

“Dat ass,” the first guard whispered.

“Best job ever,” the second guard agreed.

Gleaming found herself wandering down the silent halls without any real purpose. There was a lingering fatigue in her mind, like a vague, stretched-out feeling, and it made her thoughts linger on random, pointless things. It was difficult to concentrate on anything meaningful, so she didn’t really try. But she didn’t have anything particular she wanted to sort out, anyway, so she just went wherever her legs carried her, enjoying the peaceful serenity of the night.

One wouldn’t know it from looking outside, but it was currently the third week of September. The Crystal Empire was locked in its perpetual state of Spring, as always, and there was very little fluctuation in their forecasts. In other places of the world, though, the signs of Fall were abundant: Orange leaves falling as the blustery wind picked up, steady rainstorms being moving in and out by bustling pegasi, near-constant overcast skies to allow the earth to shed the heat of Summer. Gleaming did sometimes miss the changing of the seasons, but she also couldn’t deny that the consistent balmy weather made scheduling things outdoors a lot easier.

She lingered in a stairway to look out a window at the city below. The streets were lit with twinkling lights here and there, creating a blend of grays and blacks that reminded her of a patchwork quilt. A specific patchwork quilt, actually, one that her father had inherited from his grandmother, and had kept out in the living room. Gleaming had many fond memories of falling asleep wrapped in the warmth of that quilt, all the way from when she was just a foal to her teenage years, and as these memories came to mind, she made a note to ask her father if she could be the one to next inherit it. She’d love it if her own kids could snuggle under it, as well.

Next, Gleaming stopped by the room just below their apartment. Originally just a spare place to store guard equipment and cleaning supplies, it was now in the midst of being renovated into a nursery and playroom for the kids. One of the walls had been knocked out, turning it into an extra-large space, and there were marks on the floor and ceiling for where a staircase to their apartment was planned. A decent amount of progress had been made on this room as of late, but it was still very much in the process of construction.

“Kinda like you guys,” Gleaming said, giving her womb a loving pat.

She walked into the unfinished room and glanced around, trying to imagine what it’d look like come next summer. Right now, the floor was covered in plastic sheets to protect it from scuffing, and the walls were bare and unpainted. Table saws, drills, workbenches, rolls of fiberglass, nail guns, extension cords, buckets of plaster, and other assorted construction materials were strewn about hodgepodge, along with various boxes all over the place. The ceiling tiles had been removed to do electrical work, and the place felt cold, listless, and empty.

“Not really much yet, is it?” Gleaming tried to remember what her own nursery had looked like, but found that she didn’t recall much. Only vague impressions, really. The walls were cream-colored. The carpet was soft. There was a rocking chair in the corner. Lots of assorted toys everywhere. Everything else was a blur. She did know a few other things Mom and Dad had told her after the fact, like that she’d had a mobile of the sun and the moon over her crib, but that was too early to remember.

Gleaming gave up trying to remember her own nursery, and focused on Twilight’s instead. Now that’s something she remembered with clarity. The walls were a pale mauve with swirls on them. The ceiling was painted to look like the starry night sky, and the carpet was a dark gray. Her crib was a simple thing that did its job well enough, there was a changing table next to it, and her blankets and diapers were all either indigo or purple. It was a very subdued, calming room that Twilight seemed to like, although she was always awake at odd hours regardless, and Mom and Dad had a lot of trouble getting to sleep as a result.

Gleaming tried to see what else she remembered. Mom had always liked to read to Twilight, and so there was a bookcase in her room filled with children’s books. Dad liked to put Twilight on the floor and watch her wiggle and crawl around. Then later, he started doing it again so he could play with her and her toys. Both Mom and Dad liked to rock her to sleep in Grandma Starlight’s old rocking chair. Oh, and there was a weird-looking baby monitor by the crib, which they kept on when they weren’t in the room.

“There’s so much to get ready for...” Gleaming chewed on her lip and sat on her haunches, trying to run through the list of things yet to be done. They had seven months to prepare, but that was going to pass by in the blink of an eye. Often times she’d make lists in her mind to make sure she didn’t miss anything, and all her friends loved to give her crap about it. But she couldn’t help it! There were a lot of things to account for, after all, and the amount of things she could help out with was going to decrease along with her mobility, and stamina. The ponies that they hired as helpers was going to be crucial, as the wrong individual may send everything spiralling out of control. Not to mention the ponies they hired to help them look care for the kids once they were born. The wrong pony THERE could be disastrous to their upbringing! And on top of all that, there was the consideration of spending enough time with the kids while balancing work, meal scheduling, schooling, what toys to buy, how to discipline them, and overall just maintaining a presence in the kids’ lives—

Gleaming rubbed her temples with a grunt. She’d continually had to remind herself that over-preparation and constant worrying wasn’t going to do her any favors, but even with that knowledge, it wasn’t something she could just switch off.

She wasn’t overly stressed out now, at least. Sure, there was a fair bit of responsibility that came with being a military general, and co-head of a government’s legislation, but she enjoyed that responsibility. And it was mostly routine by this point, anyway: Oversee drills, fill out paperwork, instruct the recruits, fill out more paperwork, hold court, even more paperwork, look over bill proposals (which was nothing but paperwork), et cetera, et cetera. She didn’t have as much free time as she would’ve liked, but it was a pretty cushy job, all things considered, and the hardest part was having to tell others to do things all the time. She was used to doing things herself!

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. She needed to stop worrying herself into a frenzy. Easier said than done, but it’s what everypony kept telling her, so maybe she should start listening to their advice.

Her thoughts contemplative, Gleaming turned and walked out of the room. Perhaps a midnight snack would do the trick, after all. Vanilla ice cream with salted caramel and raisins sounded good...

One Trip to the Kitchens Later-

“HALT!”

A pegasus standing by a heavily-locked door flared his wings. On these wings were a pair of wicked-looking wingblades, and he raised them in a very real combat stance. “Who goes there?!”

Gleaming stepped out of the shadows from where she’d been watching. “At ease, Lieutenant Steelwing. Just making some rounds.”

Steelwing’s eyes wide. “G-General!” He folded his wings and bowed low. “Forgive me, I didn’t—”

“—think top brass would be up wandering around the castle at night?” Gleaming adopted a playful grin. “Hey, I gotta make sure the Heartguard is doing their job, and not just laying around like sacks of shit.”

The Heartguard was a special task force assigned to guarding the Crystal Heart around the clock. It was comprised of ponies whose skills and talents were all different from one another, so as to minimize the effectiveness of an enemy attack. The details of said talents were a closely kept secret, and only a few ponies outside the Heartguard knew the specifics.

Obviously, two of those ponies were Gleaming and Cadance.

Steelwing stifled a snicker. “No laying around here, ma’am. Captain Deadeye would put an arrow through my cutie mark if I tried, and I don’t even wanna know what you’d do.”

The grin on Gleaming’s face turned sinister. “I’ll give you a hint—it would involve hedge cutters.”

Steelwing shuddered. “Y-Yeah… like I said.”

Gleaming gestured at the tightly locked door. “How’s the Heart?”

“Same as always,” Steelwing said. “Haven’t had anything go on in months. About the most exciting thing that’s happened lately is when you and Princess Cadance borrowed it some months back.”

Gleaming coughed a bit at that. “Yes… h-heh. I do remember that.”

“But it’s been quiet otherwise.” Steelwing stretched out one of his armored wings, inspecting the scythe-like blade that both protected his limb, and made for a deadly cutting weapon. The razor-sharp edge was on the outer portion, allowing him to parry and slash at lightning speed. “Usually only see the nightly patrols, cleaning staff... and the occasional lost cook.”

Gleaming cocked her head. “Lost cook?”

Steelwing laughed. “One of their new kitchen staff stumbled down here on her first day, exasperated as Tartarus and almost in tears. Took me ten minutes to calm her down, then ten more to give her directions on where to go. She was so grateful, she brings me snacks now when she’s on break.”

Gleaming watched Steelwing closely, take note of the fondness in his voice. “Sounds like you’ve made a friend.”

Steelwing shuffled back and forth, his lips pursed into a thin line. “I guess I have… hey erm, General, I know this is random, but… may I ask about something?”

Gleaming raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”

“What did you and Princess Cadance need the Heart for?” Steelwing asked. “We all felt the power surge when it was activated that night. Obviously it didn’t do any harm, but the Heartguard’s been going bonkers trying to figure out exactly what happened. They’ve even been taking bets on it.”

Gleaming thought about that. She and Cadance hadn’t made the knowledge of that night public, and while she wasn’t going to reveal the more… passionate events, she didn’t see the harm in divulging some vague details.

“Well…” Gleaming took a deep breath. “As you and the rest of the Empire know, Princess Cadance is completely barren. She will be unable to carry or conceive a child for a very long time due to a curse cast on her by King Sombra. This was a problem, as she and I both wanted kids, and we wanted the kids to be our own.”

Steelwing nodded. “I do remember hearing that much.”

Gleaming swished her tail a bit, noting (not for the first time) the weirdness of not having any male parts back there. “We eventually found a way to get around this little… roadblock, but in order to do it, we needed several things. One of those things was the Crystal Heart’s power, and another was my willingness to carry the child as a mare. We gathered all the other necessary things together, and once we were ready, we used the Heart to conceive.”

“But how, exactly?” Steelwing pressed. “What’d the Crystal Heart’s power do?”

Gleaming sucked on her teeth. That... was getting a little more detailed than she wanted to get into. Partly because it was a little embarrassing, and partly because there wasn’t an easy way to say that the Heart’s power allowed Future-Cadance’s sperm to fertilize her eggs and become whole new entities that wouldn’t get rubber banded back to the future.

“I’m afraid that’s classified, Lieutenant,” was all Gleaming said.

Steelwing’s ears drooped. “Aww...”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “It’s not as exciting as you think; I’d just rather not talk about it without Cadance being present. It was more her brainchild than mine, and I’d probably wind up botching the explanation of it.”

Reluctantly, Steelwing dropped it and looked down the hallway with unfocused eyes. “Can I ask something else, then?”

“Shoot.”

The young guard’s gaze fell on Gleaming, taking in her slender neck, smaller frame, wider hips, and rounded belly. There was an odd look in his eyes, not of lust, desire, or derision, but of something else.

“What’s it like?”

Gleaming blinked several times. “Being pregnant? Or being a mare?”

Steelwing shuffled back and forth. “Both.”

Gleaming pursed her lips, contemplating the question for a few seconds. “Being a mare isn’t all that different. Aside from the obvious, the changes have been mostly in how ponies treat me. Some seem more willing to open up and express their feelings, others seem more awkward, a few have been downright hostile, and then there’s ponies like you, who are mostly just curious about the whole thing. I do get more passive-aggression directed my way at first, but most get over it once they realize I’m still me.”

Steelwing nodded. “And being pregnant?”

Gleaming’s eyes grew warm. “Heh. Let me put it this way. Do you enjoy protecting others, Lieutenant?”

Steelwing furrowed his brow. “That’s why I’m in the military, General. It’s also why I like being part of the Heartguard.”

“Imagine this, then,” Gleaming said. “There’s a pony, possibly even more than one, who is completely and utterly innocent—has done nothing wrong in any way. That pony is completely dependant on you for everything, and the bastion that keeps them safe is your very body. You have to watch over and care for them like this for an entire year, and everything you do, from the things you eat, to the amount of stress you’re under, to the kind of exercise you get, everything will have an effect on them. How would you feel about all that?”

Steelwing slowly tilted his head from side to side, giving the question careful consideration. “I’d feel… pretty damn important. I’d also be really self-conscious, and probably really nervous all the time. I imagine it’d be easy to get overly critical and micromanage everything I was doing... but knowing that I’m doing something that cool? Especially if the payoff is that the pony gets a chance at life because of me?”

Steelwing smirked. “I bet that would feel pretty fucking awesome.”

Gleaming patted his shoulder. “Good answer. Do me a favor and spread that attitude around a bit, would you? I’ve run into a few ponies lately that could stand to think like that.”

Steelwing saluted. “Will do, ma’am.”

“That’s what I like to hear. Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go in and take a look at the Heart. Could you do the honors?”

Steelwing straightened. “At once, ma’am!” He trotted over to the door and produced both a set of glowing keys, and a simple black disc. The simple black disc began to whir and hum upon being touched, releasing a quick burst of blue magic that filled the hallway.

FLASH!

“Registered users identified,” the black disc chirped. “General and Princess Consort Gleaming Shield, Unicorn, Female. No undeclared spells found. Lieutenant Steelwing, Pegasus, Male. No undeclared spells found. Declare Authorization Codes now.”

“Lieutenant Steelwing, authorization delta-five-six-nine-two-zero,”

“General Gleaming Shield, authorization alpha-nine-six-four-two-seven.”

The black disc let out a pleasant chime. “Outer security system disabled. You may now remove the locks.”

Steelwing unlocked the doors and stepped aside for Gleaming. She thanked him and walked inside, the doors closing behind her with a heavy THUD.

The Crystal Heart was only put out on display outside during the daytime. There’d been some deliberation about this when it’d initially been recovered, but it was decided that the courtyard beneath the castle was simply too vulnerable a place to keep the most the nation’s most important relic. The more conservative types insisted on tradition, though, so a compromise was made to have it out during normal work hours. The rest of the time, it was kept safe under lock and key.

It was a rather impressive system they’d set up. The outer portion was pretty basic stuff, just a device to detect concealing and mind-control magic, a powerful barrier rigged to an alarm, and an enchanted key that could only be used be a member of the Heartguard. That could all be circumvented, though, and both Cadance and Gleaming knew it. That’s why the inner portion was beefier, with rows upon rows of enchantments to prevent magical infiltration, and attuned to only specific ponies’ magical signature. In addition to this, there were the physical defenses—walls of impenetrable crystal embedded into the very foundation of the castle, and if any of them were compromised, it would trigger the alarm and defense systems.

The room was small, only about the size of a living room. Glowing runes covered the floor in intricate arcane patterns, and the only light in the room came from the Crystal Heart’s luminance. A set of stairs led up to its resting place, and the whole place held a solemn reverence.

Gleaming trotted past the enchantments and walked up to where the Crystal Heart was stored. It hovered serenely in midair like it always did, held aloft by its own magics between two pillars. This close, Gleaming could actually feel the magical energies flowing off the artifact, along with that the subtle, hypnotic hum that it always gave off, and it made her horn feel all tingly and strange.

“Hey, you,” Gleaming said. “Remember me?”

The Crystal Heart was an old, old thing. It’d been around since even before the days of the Crystal Empire’s first ruler, Princess Amore, and for as long as anypony could remember, it’d been a key component in protecting the northern lands from the forces of evil. Gleaming was aware that the Heart’s magic had some kind of tie-in with the future and destiny—hence why she and Cadance had been able to use it the way they had—but as to the specifics of how it worked...

“Cady told me you used to be able to show ponies the future.” Gleaming circled around the Heart, examining it with a critical eye. “Way back in the day, all ponies had to do was touch you, and you’d give them a glimpse of their destiny. But you haven’t done anything like that since we recovered you from Sombra. Why?”

She stared into the shining recesses of the azure relic, watching her reflection break up on its facets like a madmare’s self-portrait. It’s pure, radiant power washed over her and swept through her body, giving her features a faint, crystalline shimmer.

“I want to see my future,” Gleaming whispered, her voice lost in the hum. “No… I want to see their future. I want to know if they’re going to be alright. I want to there’s anything I can do to help them. I want to know if I’m going to be a good parent, and what role I should play in order to support them. I want to know whether or not Cady and I will have more kids after these four are born, and if so, how…”

The Heart gave no answers to her questions, no insight to her destiny, no comfort for her doubts. It just hovered there and radiated its ancient power, a wellspring of magic that had endured for millennia.

Holding her breath, Gleaming reached out and touched the Heart…

Tink

...but nothing happened.

Gleaming hung her head. She hadn’t really expected anything, of course. She wasn’t really sure why she’d come here in the first place. Maybe because she was bored, maybe because she was paranoid, or maybe it was because she just wanted to come and see the thing that’d helped make the four little miracles inside her. It could’ve been all of those things at once. She’d just gotten a feeling that this was where she was supposed to be right now, and she hadn’t really seen a reason why not.

With a small snort, Gleaming let her hoof fall and turned to leave—

thump

“Ah?!” She suddenly went stiff as a board. She’d just felt a… a… something tickle her insides, and it’d almost felt like… like... like there were butterflies in her gut! What the hay?!

thump... thump

There it was again! It was coming from her right side, near her belly button! She put her hoof on her stomach, and as she did, she managed to feel the faintest brush of something within her, shifting and wiggling about.

th-thump thump… thump.

It was the most peculiar thing she’d ever felt. It was kinda like the pressure from indigestion, except that wasn’t uncomfortable. This felt almost… pleasant?

Thump. Thump.

As Gleaming swivelled her neck back to look at her bulging belly, she caught a glimpse of a tiny little bump appear on her right side before disappearing.

And that’s when she realized what she was feeling.

It was a kick.

One of her foals, kicking.

Her children were beginning to move.

Gleaming’s eyes started to feel hot. Her throat gradually went tight, and she sniffled softly in the dimly-lit room. She made no effort to stop the tears that fell from her eyes, and she simply sat down and stroked her womb, watching and feeling her the first indication that the foals inside her were real.

“Th-thank you...” Gleaming didn’t know if gratitude was actually owed to anything or not, but in that moment, she didn’t really care. “Thank you, thank you thank you, thank you so much...”

The Next Day-

“There! Right there!” Gleaming said gleefully to Cadance. “You had to have noticed that one.”

Gleaming was laying on the living room couch with Cadance beside her, her head resting on Gleaming’s swollen belly. She was listening closely, carefully, trying to discern the soft movements within.

Cadance’s eyes flew open. “Th-That was a thump… a real, solid, honest-to-Celestia thump... they really are moving!”

Gleaming squee’d with delight. “I know! Isn’t it great?! I think it’s just one of them right now. I can’t even imagine what it’s gonna feel like when all four of them start wiggling!”

Cadance’s mouth quivered, her vision going blurry and unfocused. “Honey…”

Gleaming clapped her hooves, her eyes getting watery as well. “W-We’re parents, Cady! It’s really *sniff* happening! We’re doing it!”

Cadance pulled Gleaming into a passionate kiss, which then rolled into a second, a third, and a fourth. Gleaming wrapped her arms around Cadance’s neck and kissed her hungrily, their tears falling between their lips and onto their dancing tongues.

“I love you,” Cadance whispered once they broke. “So very, very much... thank you for doing this... thank you for being understanding...”

Gleaming wiped Cadance’s eyes with a fetlock. “Hey, what’re you thanking me for? It’s not like you were the only one pushing for kids. If anything, I think I was gunning for it more than you were.”

Cadance nuzzled her neck. “I don’t know about that. We were both pretty gung-ho for about a year there.”

“But I was the one who first brought it up,” Gleaming pointed out. “And besides, if I’d really been opposed to this idea, it would’ve taken more than a fifteen-minute presentation to convince me! I really am okay with this, Cady. You don’t need to feel anxious about it.”

Cadance played with a lock of Gleaming’s mane. “You... did agree faster than I thought you would. I thought it’d take at least a few days to talk you into it. I was actually a little worried that I came off as too pushy.”

Gleaming sat up a bit on the couch, adjusting herself so that she was laying on her side. “I had a chance to think about a lot of stuff last night. Remember when you said you could tell there was a part of me that was actually kinda excited about this idea?”

Cadance thought for a minute. “Back at the beginning, yeah.”

“Well, you were right.” Gleaming smiled and put a hoof on her tummy. “Look, it’s kinda hard to suddenly shake off the morals and role you’ve been brought up to follow at the drop of a hat. So yeah, my kneejerk reaction was ‘fuck no,’ but almost anypony’s would be. It was mostly because I knew how much change it would bring. I hate change. You know that.”

Cadance looked away. “I… do know that. I’m sorry, love. I handled that badly. I should’ve broken it to you more gently.”

“It’s okay,” Gleaming said. “The more I thought about it, the more I realized you were right. I’ve always been a little curious, and to be honest, being pregnant was one of the things I’ve wondered about the most. I’ve spent my life building up a masculine image, yeah, but I mostly did it because I thought I wassupposed to do that. It had almost next to nothing to do with my natural inclinations, and if things had been different, I might’ve turned out a very different pony.”

Cadance rolled her eyes. She put her hoof on top of Gleaming’s, a fond smile gradually creeping up on her face. “Listen to you, over-analyzing all of this, trying to psychoanalyze yourself. You’re so much like Twilight sometimes.”

Gleaming snorted. “More like Twilight and I are a lot like our mom. She’s the one who analyzes, micromanages, and makes lists. Oh, and on that note, I wouldn’t be surprised if one or more of our kids winds up following in the same vein. Be prepared for lots of checklists.”

Cadance shook her head in dismay. “Such a family of goofballs.” She put a wing around Gleaming and squeezed her tight. “What did I do to deserve all of you?”

Gleaming waggled her eyebrows. “Oh, hush. You know you like it.”

Cadance leaned in and kissed her again. “Never said I didn’t.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Both of them looked to the door. It was an early Saturday morning, and they hadn’t been expecting anybody to come visit them today.

Cadance and Gleaming looked at each other, then shrugged. They were both decent, so there was no reason to delay.

“Come in!” Cadance called.

The door opened, and in walked Rex, stoic, impassive, and curly as ever. She bowed to them both them both and stood at attention, her lips only twitching slightly when she saw them cuddled on the couch.

“You two are going to give me diabetes at this rate,” she said.

Cadance laughed. “Well we have to figure out some way to get you to crack a smile. Can’t have you being a Gloomy Gus all the time.”

Amusement danced in Rex’s eyes. “It’s a rare day that my mood resembles anything close to ‘gloomy,’ Princess. You of all ponies should know that.”

Cadance snickered. “Oh, I do. Why do you think I have you work so closely with us?”

“Hey there, Rex,” Gleaming chimed in. “How you doing? Everything alright?”

Rex cleared her throat and produced a sealed manila folder. “We’ve just received the final count of Crystal Empire volunteers for Princess Luna’s thestral surrogate program. I thought you’d want to see.”

“Ooooh! Gimme gimme gimme!” Cadance snatched the folder in her magic and floated it over.

 She opened it and leafed through the packet inside, muttering to herself while Gleaming looked on beside her.

“Analysis of promotional marketing campaign… preliminary medical tests exclude twelve percent of initial subjects… national budget will need to be assessed… projected employee needs exceed current medical rosters… draw up proposals for facilities expansion and renovation… we knew all of this already,” Cadance said. “Where’s the final count?”

“Check the second page again,” Gleaming said. “I think I saw something there.”

Cadance flipped to the front and scanned it again. I took her a few seconds, but when she finally found it, she about damn near fainted.

“Buh…”

“What?” Gleaming said. “Did you find it? Where—oh, there it… is…”

“Care to share?” Rex asked. “I’ve been somewhat curious about this, myself.”

Cadance looked up at Rex with a dazed expression. “S-Six thousand, two hundred and ninety-four.”

Rex’s wings fluttered a bit at her sides. “Oh. Ah, erm… yes. That’s… quite a few.”

“Yeah,” Cadance said, her mind still reeling. “Quite a few volunteers… quite a few batponies...”

“So Cady,” Gleaming said nervously. “Heh heh… r-remember all those things I was saying to Apogee? Y-You know, building a facility, adding a new wing to at least one of the hospitals, all that stuff? I th-think we’re gonna need to honor that...”