The Paladin

The Paladin

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One Week Later (Week 21)-

October had always been Gleaming’s favorite month. She wasn’t sure what it was—the changing of the seasons, the slowly shortening days, the reminiscing comfort of school routine after summer break, or maybe it was because the holidays were right around the corner. Either way, the latter half of October never failed to make her feel a little giddy, and this year was certainly no exception.

Gleaming was munching on a fruit platter while she and Cadance sat on a raised platform with pink and blue carpet. They were currently in the middle of the city, clad in full regalia, sitting on thrones of cerulean crystal with the banner of the Crystal Empire above them. It was currently early afternoon, the sky was perfectly clear (as always), and a crowd of thousands had gathered along the sides of the streets, a smattering of soldiers working to keep the roads clear.

There was a buzz of excitement in the air. Crystal ponies of all ages milled around here and there in large clumps, mildly curious about what was going on, trying to go about their day, or just trying to get a view of the Princesses. The honor guard kept a mindful eye out for any troublemakers, but otherwise, it was a calm, peaceful scene.

“Are you sure the platform was necessary?” Gleaming asked for the third time. “This just all seems a bit much... Spike might like it, but I don’t think Twily will.”

Cadance, who’d just finished giving some instructions to one of their aides, rolled her eyes with a sigh. “I told you, this isn’t the same as a quick weekend visit; they’re going to be here for over half a year! Them staying that long requires that certain protocols be observed. I guarantee that Twilight’s doing the same thing.”

Gleaming made a face. “She hates this kind of stuff, though. So do you, as a matter of fact!”

“Sure dooooo~” A flash of barely-concealed annoyance glinted in Cadance’s eyes. “But it wouldn’t look good if Twilight and Spike just showed up here without any warning, would it? Ponies would think they’re trying to hide or something, and we can’t be having that.”

Gleaming looked out at the crowd. There did seem to be a charge running through everyone, and there were a good deal of smiling faces about, eagerly glancing over at the train station. It was difficult to hear any of conversations (everything blended into a dull roar), but the murmurs that did float to her ears mentioned either ‘Princess Twilight’ or ‘Sir Spike’ a lot.

Gleaming polished off the fruit platter and tossed the plate away. “Still seems silly… military’s all about protocol, though, so I at least can relate a bit... did we bring any more food, by chance?”

Cadance chuckled. “Still hungry, eh?”

Gleaming glanced down, taking in her rapidly-expanding waistline. The first real growth spurt of had started, and it seemed like all she’d done the last week was eat, eat, eat. It felt like there was a hole in her stomach, one that absolutely demanded to be filled at least every hour and a half, and the result of her indulgence was that she was gaining a whole pound a day. They’d asked Doctor Talia just in case the sudden change was abnormal, but she’d just laughed, giving them a list of her favorite homemade recipes.

“They kick harder when they’re hungry,” Gleaming said simply. She patted her growing paunch. “I need to keep ‘em happy so that they don’t use my insides as a punching bag. Especially our little crystal colt. He’s the worst by far.”

Cadance cocked her head. “You can tell them apart?”

“A little bit, yeah.” Gleaming began pointing to different spots on her womb. “They all more or less stay in the same spots, so it’s pretty easy to tell who’s who. The crystal colt’s near the middle on my right side, and he thumps me good if he’s not getting enough. He’s almost knocked the wind out of me a few times, the bugger.”

Cadance shook her head. She couldn’t believe how big Gleaming was already, and while it was expected given the circumstances, it still was pretty amazing to see. At twenty-one weeks she looked like she was overdue with one foal, and it was getting to the point that even a stranger could tell she had more than one in there.

Things didn’t look to be slowing down, either. If anything... they seemed to be speeding up.

“Pretty much everything I eat’s going straight to them,” Gleaming continued. She leaned back into her seat with a hearty sigh. “Thankfully, Twilight’s spells make it so I can stuff my face without feeling like I’m about to be sick, or explode. It’s certainly been a big help, and… oh, for Luna’s sake. Now I have a craving for something both sweet, and salty! How the hay does that even work?!”

Cadance just smiled. She could comment on the randomness of pregnancy cravings, but instead, she deigned to do something about it. Signalling to an aide again, she whispered something in their ear, sending them off on an errand for food. In the meantime, though, she reached into a bag from beside her, and pulled out a pair of apples.

“Here.” She floated them both over to Gleaming. “Something to tide you over.”

"Oooh…" Gleaming snatched them and began eagerly chomping away. “That’ll work. Thanks.”

Cadance pursed her lips while she watched Gleaming eat. The last week had been an exercise in endurance for her, as while the discovery of a fifth foal meant a great deal of things, it also meant that Gleaming was that much more fertile, that much more pregnant, and so much more attractive to Cadance in almost every way. She’d actually spent most of their private time as a stallion so they could rut like rabbits, but this had proven to be a good thing, as Gleaming was almost constantly horny. Additionally, Talia had informed them that regular exposure to the father’s seminal fluid was good for the mother’s immune system, so it wasn’t bad they were testing their stamina.

“I wonder if we could get away with a glamour spell so we could sneak in a quickie,” Cadance idly mused. She spoke just loudly enough that Gleaming could hear. “Do you think the smell would give us away?”

Gleaming paused in her chewing, tilting her head back and forth before swallowing with a gulp. “Well, I did say I wanted something salty…”

Cadance blinked several times. “Wait, what? Gleamy, no, no, no! I wasn’t actually serious… I was j-just kinda...”

Gleaming met her eyes with a familiar sultry gaze. “Our morning sexytimes got cut short by us needing to get ready for this, if you’ll recall.”

Cadance felt her heart rate pick up. There was that damn look again, the one that never failed to get her going. “Well, y-yeah, but we still got, um... two rounds in, I think it was? That’s not too bad.”

“We usually go at least four.” Gleaming’s horn was glowing from holding the apples, so nopony noticed it shine just a teensy bit brighter. “Such a travesty... my poor, beloved Eros, not able to pump all his seed into his eager broodmare… mmmm, his balls must be so full…”

Cadance squeaked in surprise. Her body was suddenly thickening, gaining muscle mass, the internal changes following as she grew several inches taller.

“...and here I am, feeling so empty and unsatisfied…”

The air around them shimmered. Cadance looked on, fascinated, seeing a projection of herself and Gleaming sitting normally on their seats. They did normal idle things while they waited—a swish of their tails, a flick of their ears, their eyes blinking steadily with bored looks on their faces.

Meanwhile, the real Cadance and Gleaming, now surrounded in magenta magic, were invisible to all but themselves, free to do as they pleased.

“G-Gleamy…” Cadance stammered in a deepening voice. “Are you sure y-you want to—”

Gleaming’s eyes were glued to Cadance—now Eros’—groin, and she hummed with anticipation as his vagina changed into a nutsack. Eros’ testes formed and immediately began producing seed, swelling up extra-large and virile at Gleaming’s command. His smooth, velvety dick sprouted out from his former clit, as well, lengthening and thickening like a veritable fifth leg.

Gleaming looked up at Eros, her eyes filled with desire. “You always taste so very, very good, honey. I can practically taste it already… your thick, warm cream filling my mouth, sliding down my throat…”

Eros staggered as his hormones shifted. Testosterone slammed into him all at once, the sheer force nearly making him fall to his knees. The faint, cloying scent of Gleaming’s arousal was noticeable to him now, and it smelled vaguely like wet leaves after a heavy rain. His vision blurred as he looked disbelievingly at the naughty mare in front of him, who smirked saucily back before closing with him, and his twitching pride.

“You missed this morning’s infusion, too.” Gleaming’s voice was a husky whisper. “How irresponsible of you, neglecting your children like that! Those little alicorn fillies won’t grow up big and strong without that, you know…  you do want them to grow up big and strong, don’t you?”

Eros was utterly at a loss. They were in the center of the platform, their forms glinting with Gleaming’s magic while thousands stood oblivious around them. His dick was at full mast, his wings were fully splayed, and a puddle was beginning to form beneath his drooling member. His beautiful, pregnant mate, heavy with his foals and THROUGHLY aroused, was now inches away from with a look that brooked no quarter. A part of Eros couldn’t believe this was really happening (normally he was the one who instigated naughty sexytimes) but another, larger part of him insisted he shut up and let this happen.

Gleaming pushed Eros back onto his haunches. His stallionhood bobbed and swayed a bit, bouncing off his own barrel, leaving a wet splotch between his lowermost ribs. Gleaming leaned down and licked it off in a long, slow swipe, then closed her eyes and inhaled that heavenly scent emanating from his crotch. It was a warm, thick aroma, one that lingered in her nostrils, and it was so very addicting… she wrenched herself away and looked up into Eros’ unfocused eyes, pulling him in for a hard, needy kiss.

“Give it all to me, Love,” she whispered after they broke. “I need it so bad... I need it... I need it, I NEED it… I need you to cum in my mouth…”

Gleaming put her hooves around the base of his dick, softly kissing the tip. Eros tensed, the feeling of her hot breath sending shivers down his spine. He thrust his hips on reflex, trying to get her to start, but Gleaming teased him still, pulling back and letting a trail of pre fall from her lips. She went further down and nuzzled his precious testes, each the size of a baseball, and she lovingly licked and suckled them with care. Eros nickered and whined, the lust clouding his thought, yet still burning ever-hotter. It felt like his balls swelled bigger every time she serviced them, churning and throbbing with more and more seed, and the feeling of her mouth on his most intimate place was driving him absolutely mad.

“Gleamy,” Eros panted. “Gleamy, please...”

Gleaming released him, now returning to his towering spire. She admired it for a bit, taking in all its glory and size… until a hunger then slipped into her gaze. She looked up at him again, smiling a wolfish smile.

“Please, what?”

Eros grit his teeth. “P-Please… please suck it… s-suck my dick…”

Gleaming licked her lips. “Well, since you asked nicely...”

She took in the first third with a loud, messy slurp. She rolled her tongue back and forth, her lips wrapped around on Eros’ girth, savoring how it twitched and throbbed from her touch. She smooshed the head against the roof of her mouth, rubbing his glans with the tip of her tongue, steadily gulping down more and more of his length. His dick was hard with a bit of give, pulsing with rushing blood and leaking like a faucet, and it just made her want more…

Eros threw his head back in a wordless cry, his body locked up as Gleaming buried her face in his crotch. He had to shove a hoof in his mouth to keep himself from moaning, and almost immediately he put his other hoof around her shoulders, slowly snaking it behind her head.

“Mmmmffffffuck…” he mumbled. Gleamyyyyyyyyyy…”

Gleaming widened her stance and began bobbing her head. The squirts of pre were hitting the back of her throat, now, and she eagerly drank them down while sucking harder. Eros’ dick was so big that she could barely get her whole mouth around it, but that’s how it always was, and exactly how she liked it. She got to his medial ring and paused there, moving her tongue all around, letting the softness of her mouth drive him wild. His stallionhood was so very warm, almost hot, really, and she could feel every little errant move it made. Her favorite spot was the pulsing vein on the side, as it reminded her exactly what she was doing, and why, and she licked it over and over to feel it throb, over, and over.

Eros was sweating. His face was contorted in a silent shout, his breathing ragged as Gleaming sucked him off. She was relentless in her efforts, and the wet, lewd sound of her smacking lips was the only thing he could hear. She really was trying to milk him, tugging at his dick with suction like an engorged teat, straining to suck his reserves down her throat.

“Ahhhhhh…”  Eros’ eyes flickered with a bright, white light. The air around them became thick and heavy with a flux of power, and his alicorn magic came forward at his call. Blue waves of enveloped them both in a sparkling aura, flowing into Gleaming in a series of quick bursts. Her eyes went wide with surprise, but quickly rolled into the back of her head. Each one was like pure adrenaline, wild and fast, running through her body like lightning, and it made her feel alive. Combine all of that with her own climbing arousal and the delight of a long, thick cock in her mouth, and the whole experience was almost as good as being rutted.

Almost.

Gleaming’s marehood was sopping wet. Her tail was swishing back and forth, her front legs bent down low, her burgeoning womb only inches away from the ground. She looked like a fertile slut presenting herself to any and all willing stallions. What would the crystal ponies say if they saw their Princess like this? She didn’t really know, but the thrill of the possibility turned her on even more.

Eros was bucking his hips wildly. He pushed Gleaming’s head down, hard, thrusting into her mouth with reckless abandon, the tingling in his balls morphing into a telltale pressure. He kept pouring magic into her, his eyes a brilliant white as he gave her and the foals the special energy they needed, and every instinct in his body was roaring at him not to stop. He gave it everything he had trying to gasp out that he was about to cum, but all he got out was an odd-sounding grunt.

Fortunately, Gleaming didn’t need the warning. She could tell the signs well enough, and she’d only picked up her efforts, sucking, licking, slurping, bobbing. She became lost in her task while the rush in her body swirled faster, faster, faster, and she saw Eros’ testes swelled up to the size of softballs before—

SPLORT

Gleaming let out a long, girly moan. A steaming hot jet of cum erupted from Eros’ tip to fill her maw, and she eagerly gulped it down in an instant. She pushed past her gag reflex and pushed his length down her throat, groaning in ecstasy as his second shuddering spurt shot straight down into her stomach. And his next ones were even stronger, his balls twitching again and again to splatter spunk against her warm, velvety insides, each burst more than what a normal stallion produced in days. Gleaming drank it all down greedily, gripping Eros’ ass and pushing all the way to his base, squeezing and relishing the way his whole body shuddered and bucked. She held onto him hard while he dumped his loads into her cocksleeve of a throat, and she could feel it pooling inside her gut, hot, heavy and potent. His massive wads came in torrents for a whole minute before he finally, finally, finally appeasing her cravings, and when it was all done, Gleaming could only hum her satisfaction while she got every last bit.

Eros’ body went limp. He let out a sigh, his coat cold and damp with sweat. He let go of Gleaming’s head and rolled to the side, staring off into nothing while residual fireworks went off in his brain. Gleaming let him be to let him enjoy his afterglow, sighing happily as she rubbed her full, taut stomach.

“My love always gives such yummy, tasty treats.” Gleaming wiped off her mouth, using a quick spell to remove residual evidence. “Such a considerate stallion you are... you’ve been eating more pineapple, haven’t you?”

“Buh,” was Eros’ only response. His limbs were tingly and unresponsive, his deflating dick sliding back into his sheath, and he felt like he’d just been transported to a dimension of pleasure.

Gleaming smiled. She surmised he was likely going to take a moment or two to reboot after that, but fortunately, nothing was really going on right now…

...save for the aide coming back with a cart of food.

“Shit.” Straightening her mane and coat, Gleaming made her way back to her seat and sat inside her illusion. She made it mimic the pose she was currently in, then dispelled it while keeping Eros/Cadance’s intact. She could change him back once he’d come back from la-la land, but for now, he could relax.

“Here you are, Highness!” the aide said cheerily. She wheeled the cart up to Gleaming with a bow. “Lots of goodies for you and the kiddies. Think this’ll hold ya’ll up for a while?”

Gleaming examined the spread. Cheeses, oats, granola, a loaf of bread, several ingredients for sandwiches, crackers with peanut butter on them, and some kind of lettuce salad with alfalfa and purple cabbage. It was a meal that it probably could’ve fed about four ponies, but for her...

Gleaming licked her lips again, adjusting her now-tighter maternity brace as Eros’ cum settled in her stomach. “Mmmm, this’ll be great for seconds.”

Later-

“Announcing!” the herald boomed. “Her Royal Majesty, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship!”

The crowd burst into cheers as Twilight stepped shyly out from the train. She was wearing a set of golden horseshoes and peytral emblazoned with her cutie mark, along with a small, pointed crown with magenta tips. Her mane and tail shone brightly with faint glitters in the midmorning sun, and she clumsily waved while she doing her best to not trip.

Gleaming and Cadance chuckled from their seats.

“Not quite experienced with the shoes yet,” Cadance observed.

“They are a pain to get used to,” Gleaming said, examining her own with a grimace.

Cadance tapped a hoof to her chin. “Although… I did notice last time she was here, she could almost look me in the eye. Maybe she’s going through a growth spurt of her own, and it’s messing with her balance?”

Gleaming let out a snort. “Couldn’t tell you. You’re both giants, far as I’m concerned. Still can’t believe how much shorter I am like this...”

Cadance laughed. “You’re actually pretty tall for a mare, honey. You just happened to be a big stallion before, and we alicorns have stilts for legs.”

“Announcing!” the herald yelled next. “Sir Spike the Dragon, Hero of the Crystal Empire!”

The crowd went nuts. A small, purple dragon with green spines walked out of the train car, and he happily jumped up and down, waving at everyone he saw. He bowed a few times and saluted to the nearest ponies, giving high fives before scampering after Twilight.

“Same old Spike,” Gleaming said, laughing.

“We haven’t seen him in a while, have we?” Cadance said. “When was the last time he was even up here?”

Gleaming put a hoof to her chin. “Erm… I think it was… the Equestria Games? Yeah, the Games. That’s when he was here last.”

Cadance frowned. “Has… it really been that long? Sheesh, we need to get out more.”

The herald stomped his hooves along with everypony else as he watched Spike and Twilight walk down the carpet, but then, he did a double-take at his sheet. He straightened up quickly and cleared his throat.

“Announcing! Her Majesty’s companion, Dame Rainbow Dash, Paladin of the Knights of Harmony!”

The entire crowd turned in surprise.

Gleaming and Cadance scrunched their eyebrows, exchanging a brief confused look.

“Paladin?” Cadance mouthed silently.

Gleaming just shrugged. She recognized the name as one of Twily’s friends, but the title…

A cyan pegasus clad in strange, mystical armor stepped out from the train. The color of the metal was a pale, periwinkle blue, shining in the sunlight like a reflection of the sky. The crest on her chest was a ruby-red lightning bolt within a hexagonal crystal, and long trails of enchanted runes spread out from it, like branches on a tree. Her sabatons were inlaid with ivy-like designs that crept up her legs like vines, and her chamfron was a smooth, elegant thing that curled around her eyes to cover the top of her muzzle. The same ivy designs were all around the helm, as well, and the very top was a three-pronged set of spikes, reminiscent of Twilight’s crown. The magic the armor exuded was almost palpable, and even from the platform, Gleaming could sense the telltale efficiency of Twily’s spellwork.

Rainbow Dash stood proudly before the ponies of the Crystal Empire, drinking in their dumbstruck faces like the sweetest nectar. She spread bare, powerful wings wide, gave them all a salute, then leapt off the ground and flew silently down the red carpet, catching up with Twilight and Spike.

“Erm, well…” Cadance put a hoof behind her head. “That’s certainly something.”

Gleaming said nothing. She was watching Rainbow with a trained eye, taking in her every expression and action. It was clear she wasn’t proper military, but there were other signs that suggested she’d had training of some type…

Twilight got to the platform and walked up the stairs to greet Gleaming and Cadance, who both rose from their seats. The crowd applauded merrily as the three of them embraced.

“Brought a friend?” Gleaming whispered in Twilight’s ear.

“Had to,” Twilight whispered back. “Stupid legal reasons. I’ll explain later.”

“Did you actually knight her?” Cadance asked from Twilight’s other side. “We’ll need to publicly acknowledge her if you did.”

“I did,” Twilight said. “Whole induction ceremony, and everything. She’s also in the Wonderbolts Reserve, if that matters at all.”

So that was where the training was from. Not bad… not bad at all.

They stepped back from each other just as Spike and Rainbow arrived. The two of them both smiled warmly at Cadance, but when they saw Gleaming, they each did double-takes.

“Whoa,” Spike said.

“Heh.”Rainbow elbowed Twilight with a playful grin. “What the hay, Twilight! First you don’t tell us about your brother, but now I find out you have a sister, too?!”

Twilight gave her a wry look. Rainbow just laughed, though, and before long, Twilight found herself joining along.

“Princess Gleaming, Princess Cadance, allow me to formally introduce my newly anointed seneschal, Dame Rainbow Dash of the Knights of Harmony. She's here as a representative of the order, and also as my advisor.”

Rainbow waved. “Hiya.”

Cadance nodded politely. “Welcome back, Dame Rainbow. Congratulations on your promotion.”

“Yes, welcome.” Gleaming looked Rainbow up and down. “Though I must say, I hope you know how to clean and polish that armor.”

Rainbow met Gleaming’s eyes, fiery and proud. “I don’t half-ass the things I want to succeed in, Princess. When I commit to something, I give it my all in every way.”

Gleaming had to hide her smile. Good. She’d do nicely.

Shaking her head, Twilight nudged Spike forward, gesturing for him to say hello. “And of course you both know Sir Spike.”

Spike stumbled forward on unsteady legs. His eyes were glued to Gleaming, staring at her as if she were a mirage. It was like his brain was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, but couldn’t realize why it wasn’t going in.

“Hey, Bud,” Gleaming said. “How’ve ya been?”

The nickname registered in Spike’s eyes. He frowned and scratched his head, looking Gleaming up and down with an uncertain expression. There was familiarity there, but also a level of difference.

“You look weird,” he finally said.

Cadance stifled a snort.

“Spike!” Twilight snapped. “Manners!”

“Well, he does!” Spike said, pointing at Gleaming. “Er… she does! Whatever! I mean I know you warned me, but just… Gah! It’s different, you know?!”

Now Rainbow had to stifle a snort.

Twilight blushed furiously. “I-I’m sorry, Shiny, he’s just confused. I tried to talk to him, but—”

“Oh, I look weird, eh?” Gleaming bent down to Spike’s level, booping him square on the nose. “Those are pretty gutsy words, considering you smell like a nasty ol’ butt.”

Spike covered his nose with a small squawk. “Hey! I do not!”

“Do too.” Gleaming waved a hoof in front of her face. “A big, smelly poo-poo butt. Man, it’s almost enough to make me gag! I’ll bet the whole empire can smell you.”

The others just stared in shock. What… the actual hay…?

But Spike had a different reaction, as slowly, a big, goofy smile crept up on his face. “Yeah, well… you have a pretty-pretty girl face!”

“You have fart breath,” Gleaming shot back.

“Your voice is squeaky!”

“Your spines are squishy!”

“You look like Gramma Starlight!”

“You look like a dumpster with teeth!”

“Mare!”

“Whelp!”

“Fatty!”

“Brat!”

Spike burst out laughing and gave Gleaming a hug. “Shine-Shine! It really is you!”

Gleaming gave him a noogie. “Of course it is, you dummy!” She used magic to deposit him on her back. “Who else would it be?”

Spike giggled and gripped her mane, marveling at how soft and full it felt. “Hee hee. I missed you. Twilight never wants to play the insult game with me.”

Gleaming looked over at Twilight and winked. “That’s because she sucks at it.”

Twilight ran a hoof down her face. “I will never understand boys…”

Cadance cleared her throat a bit. “Erm, right…” She cast a quick spell, now speaking in a loud, amplified voice. “Princess Twilight Sparkle! Sir Spike! Dame Rainbow Dash!! The Crystal Empire has not forgotten your assistance in times past. We welcome you back with open hooves, and may your stay with us be a joyful one.”

The crowd cheered merrily. Whoops and hollers were heard all around, the ground shaking from multitudes of stomping hooves.

Twilight, Spike and Rainbow glanced all around at the crystal ponies, waving and posing here and there. They were a bit clunky and awkward about it (okay, Dash wasn’t) but it was clear they appreciated the warm welcome.

Rainbow spoke to Twilight out the corner of her mouth.“Would be nice if we got this kind of welcome everywhere, eh?”

Twilight waved with a wide smile, speaking subtly through her teeth. “You’re telling me.”

“This is amazing,” Twilight muttered as she stared at the ultrasound pictures. “Five foals instead of four, with two of them being alicorns?! And here we were thinking you’d be lucky if you just got one!”

They were all back in Gleaming and Cadance’s apartment after the welcome ceremony had died down. They’d all had a chance to shed their fancy attire and get settled, and Twilight, Rainbow and Spike had come up to talk about things. Twilight and Cadance were on one couch going over the ultrasound pictures, while Rainbow looked over their shoulders from the air. Meanwhile, Gleaming was laying on the other couch munching on chocolate-covered pretzels while Spike stood beside her, rubbing and poking curiously at he belly.

“You can say that again!” Cadance said gleefully. “I about fell out of my chair when we found them! I still haven’t quite gotten over the shock.”

“Neither of us have,” Gleaming said. She popped another pretzel into her mouth and adjusted herself. “It’s been a whirlwind trying to prepare, but our new doctor’s been a huge help. She really knows—ah! Spike, be gentle around my navel. It’s sensitive.”

“Sorry,” Spike said. “I felt one of them kick, though!”

Gleaming grunted. “They do that.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up at the mention of Doctor Talia. “Oooh, can you please, pleeeeeaaase introduce me to her? I’ve been reading her works lately, and her theories are absolutely fascinating! Her discovery for the occurrence of monozygotic and dizygotic twins alone was revolutionary!”

“Egghead,” Rainbow whispered in a sing-song voice.

Twilight looked up and stuck out her tongue. “Miss Egghead to you, Dame Rainbow.”

Rainbow saluted in mid-air. “I live to serve, Your Nerdiness.”

“Um, I’m sure you’ll get a chance to meet her at some point or another,” Cadance said, looking between them. “She’ll probably want to talk to you about the spells you’ve cast, so you two can discuss all the magibabble.”

“You’ll really like her, Twily,” Gleaming added. “She’s a lot like you.”

Twilight squee’d and clapped her hooves. “Oh, I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!”

“So… can we ask now?” Cadance gestured to Twilight and Rainbow. “It’s fine that you brought somepony, but this is the first we’ve heard about a knighting.”

Spike bit back a laugh. “Oh, you guys’ll love this one.”

Rainbow and Twilight glared at him, but didn’t refute his statement.

“It’s complicated,” Twilight said after a small pause.

“Of course it is,” Gleaming said, laughing. “Things are never exactly simple with you, are they?”

Twilight smiled weakly. “I suppose there’s some truth to that…”

“It’s how she’s able to be up here for so long,” Rainbow said. She landed, gesturing to Twilight. “There’s a law-thingy that says a princess can’t go to another place for a long time without somepony going with her, and that pony needs to be either military, or some kind of advisor. Twilight didn’t wanna have some random stranger with her, so she knighted me and the girls so one of us could go.”

Gleaming and Cadance thought about that for a few moments.

“I... think I recall Auntie Tia mentioning something along those lines at one point or another,” Cadance said, shuffling back and forth. “It’s been awhile since I’ve looked up the laws, but it certainly sounds familiar.”

“Same,” Gleaming said. “Pretty sure they talked about that a bit in officer training. Something about having a witness for posterity or along those lines. Don’t quite remember the details, though.”

“It makes sense when you think about it,” Spike said. “They all have that Rainbow Power thing together, and they basically do everything together, anyway.”

Meanwhile, Twilight stared at Rainbow with amazement in her eyes.

Rainbow noticed her gaze. “Did I get it wrong?”

“Erm... no, actually,” Twilight said, scratching her head. “That was very well explained.”

Rainbow elbowed her. “I pay attention sometimes, you know.”

“Do you have to do anything special?” Cadance asked Rainbow. “Or do you just basically have to be around?”

Rainbow shrugged. “If Twilight wants me, I’ll be there. If she wants me to buzz off, I’ll go take a nap on a cloud. We’ve got ways to contact each other.”

“You two don’t mind, do you?” Twilight asked, a bit of doubt creeping into her voice. “I know I should’ve contacted one of you beforehoof, but everything just happened so fast, and—”

“It’s fine, Twily,” Gleaming said. She ate some more pretzels and sank further into the couch. “You’re going to be here for half a year, after all. Even if you didn’t have to have somepony with you because of royal red tape, I’d imagine you’d still want somepony to hang out with. You can only be around family for so long.”

“Not true!” Spike said. “Twilight never gets tired of me!”

Gleaming used magic to flick the top of his spines. “You can be a real booger sometimes, Bud.”

“Pssshh.” Spike folded his arms and blew a raspberry. “Nuh-uh.”

“It’s not a problem, Twilight,” Cadance said. “Really! The more, the merrier.”

Twilight didn’t seem reassured. If anything, saying that seemed to bother her more, as she then looked away and rubbed her forearms. “Funny you should say that…”

Cadance and Gleaming blinked. “Eh?”

Twilight suddenly looked very sheepish. “...this isn’t really how I wanted to broach it, but… Mom and Dad got a hold of me before we came up here. They have a... proposition that they want to run past you two.”

Gleaming didn’t reply right away. Her parents, Night Light and Twilight Velvet, were both more or less content to live their own lives. They weren’t on bad terms with anypony in the family, but it was unlike them to abruptly contact her, or Twily. Nine times out of ten, it was the other way around.

“Go on,” Gleaming said.

Twilight chose her words carefully before speaking. “You know how normally we go to their house for the holidays, and everything? They kind of wanna… come here, instead. They think it’ll be easier since we’re all up here, YOU in particular, since it’d mean you won’t have to travel.”

That… was actually a pretty good idea. Gleaming was getting around pretty well right now, but things were only going to get harder in the coming months. Not to mention that travelling was a lot of stress, and she did NOT need that right now. But if her parents were coming to the Crystal Empire, then that meant figuring out all the logistics of hosting...

“Easier in one way, harder in another.” Gleaming looked to Cadance. “What do you think?”

Cadance wiggled her wings a bit. “We can certainly accommodate them. We have the space and resources.”

Gleaming noted her wife’s slightly guarded tone, but that was understandable. In-laws were in-laws. Twilight was acting pensive, too.

“What else did they say?” Gleaming asked.

Twilight chewed on her lip. “They dumped this on me just as we were all heading out the door, you know.”

Gleaming sighed. “Yeah, sounds like them.”

“I’m still getting over the implications of what it might mean, but it affects you more than me, so…” Twilight’s gaze fell to the side. “It’s probably more Mom’s idea than Dad’s, but they’re both in agreement on it, and with them getting older they’re probably just trying to think how they can best—”

“Just spit it out, already!” Rainbow drawled. “Yeesh, Twi, we’ve been here for all of a half hour, and you’re already working yourself up into a frenzy.”

Twilight looked like she was trying to swallow a lemon. She played with a lock of her mane and looked at the ceiling for a few seconds, until finally, she reluctantly met Gleaming’s eyes.

“Mom and Dad don’t want to just come up here for the holidays. They want to move up here. Like, for good.”

Silence.

…

…

…

…

…

It was an odd thing, hearing those words, taking in what they truly meant. Tumultuous emotions ran through Gleaming rapid fire—confusion, shock, dread, agitation, annoyance, defensiveness, resentment… but fortunately, none of them stuck. She suddenly felt like she’d been flashed with a bright light, leaving her feeling dazed and lightheaded. She took a few moments to process the news without comment, idly munching on pretzels and floating one or two down to Spike.

“Why?” she finally asked.

Twilight made a grumbling noise. “Why else? They want to see the grandkids. They don’t wanna be sitting around in Canterlot like bumps on a log while I’m in Ponyville or travelling around, and you and Cadance starting a family up here.”

Cadance furrowed her brow. “Is that really what they said? Or are you paraphrasing?”

“She’s paraphrasing,” Spike spoke up. “All they said was that there wasn’t much keeping them in Canterlot, and they wanted a change.”

Twilight gave him a flat look. “We all know that’s just an excuse.”

Spike just laughed. “Well, yeah! A blind pony could’ve seen that! Even Rainbow picked up on it, and she doesn’t even know them!”

Rainbow nodded. “They weren’t exactly hiding it.”

Twilight made a noise between a whine and a grunt. “Errrrgh! I hate it when they do this! Why can’t they just say what it is they really want? I shouldn’t have to read between the lines, trying to find out their real intentions!”

Rainbow gained a far-off look in her eyes. “It’s pride.”

Twilight hesitated. “Come again?”

Rainbow rolled her shoulders with a long sigh. “I may not know your parents, but believe me, I could tell right away they both have a stubborn streak in them. It can be both a blessing and a curse, but one thing’s for sure—it makes you do weird things sometimes.”

“She’s right, Twilight,” Cadance said. “Velvet and Night are good, well-meaning ponies, but they’ve also got pretty big egos. For Pete’s sake, why do you think they hired me to be your babysitter?”

Twilight exhaled out her nose, staring off at the far wall. “This happens every time. They never give us a straight answer about anything, and we’re always left trying to decipher what they really mean! It’s like trying to decode a secret message!”

Gleaming didn’t have much to add. She knew how their parents could be, and their passive-aggressive personalities were tough to stomach sometimes. It really did get aggravating when you always had to read between the lines, and it had led to a few (thankfully only a few) conflicts at times. She didn’t even think her parents meant to do it half the time, either; it was just how they’d been brought up.

“We’ll talk to them when they come up,” Gleaming said at last. “If they’re really serious, then making arrangements shouldn’t be difficult. We’ll work something out.”

Twilight made a noncommittal grunt. “If you say so.”

“Let’s change the subject, shall we?” Cadance said. She nuzzled Twilight, putting a warm wing around her. “I’m sure you’re eager to brainstorm some alterations for the alicorns, as well as for the fifth foal!”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. A good bit of tension left her posture, and when she spoke again, her voice didn’t have that nervous edge. “Yeah… yeah, let’s. Have you started the alicorn magic infusions?”

Cadance nodded. “Twice a day. They seem to be going well—er, at least, they are on my end.”

“Me, too. They—hold on.” Gleaming hesitated, as Spike was trying to crawl onto the couch. She scooched back a bit to let him sit between her forelegs, then held him in a hug. “They feel better than I thought they would, oddly enough.”

Twilight smiled. “It is nice, isn’t it? That euphoric, tingly rush, like a mix of adrenaline and endorphins. Almost feels like a bunch of tiny bottle rockets racing through you.”

Gleaming cocked her head. “How’d you know?”

“Celestia, Luna and I gave her the mother of all alicorn magic infusions when Tirek was on his rampage,” Cadance said. “I imagine the high you get is nothing compared to what she had.”

An excited shiver ran through Twilight. “You have no idea.”

Rainbow laughed. “Down, girl.”

Gleaming sucked on her teeth. She really wished she could’ve been more helpful during that incident. “Right… forgot about that.”

“I’d like to be there next time you do one,” Twilight continued. “So I can take notes, and the like. Have you noticed anything odd so far? Magic surges, negative reactions, changes in how you usually feel?”

Gleaming thought for a moment, idly scratching Spike’s neck while he hummed contentedly. “I’ve definitely had more energy, that’s for sure. I was starting to get winded just by walking, and my usual exercises were getting harder and harder to do. But all this week, things have been a breeze.”

Twilight produced a quill and some parchment. “You mean you’ve had more stamina? Or something else?”

“Stamina, and more,” Gleaming said. “I sleep better, get around easier, feel stronger overall, and my magic comes on a whim! I was starting to feel more and more sluggish, but now, I can stay alert, no problem! Mood hasn’t been fluctuating as much, either… it’s annoying that I’m a living vacuum right now, but otherwise, I feel like a million bucks!”

Twilight’s face was hidden behind the floating parchment, her quill flying back and forth with a furious skritch-skritch-skritch. “The eating is to be expected, although Doctor Natal would know more than me. How about you, Cadance?”

Cadance looked over at Gleaming. “I’ve felt fine, but pretty much everything Gleamy just said I’ve noticed, as well. Honestly, you wouldn’t even know she was pregnant if not for the baby bump.”

“And what a bump it is,” Spike teased.

Gleaming bent down and made a loud snort in his ear, making him giggle and squirm in her arms.

Twilight sucked on her teeth. “What kinds of things has Doctor Natal said she’d like to measure as time goes on?”

Gleaming thought for a moment. “Just normal stuff. Height, weight, fundal height, body mass index, basic vitals like blood pressure, stuff like that. For the foals, though, she wants a whole bunch of other things. You’ll have to check with her on that.”

Twilight wrote that down. “I’ll work something out with her so we’re not measuring you twice, but I’d like to start getting weekly readings on a few other variables. Mostly relating to your magic. I wanna make sure we’re not missing anything.”

Rainbow moved behind the couch to look over her shoulder. “What’cha thinkin’, Twi?”

Twilight stared at what she’d written, adding notes here and there. “I... don’t know yet. We’re still flying blind, and while I can make a few educated guesses, it’s still just conjecture.”

“Humor us,” said Cadance.

Twilight tilted her head from side to side. “Erm, well… the alicorn magic infusion I received was temporary, so I can’t be sure on what any long-standing effects are. In the short term, though, I experienced an exponential increase in magical and physical ability, as well as boosts in endurance and... ‘toughness,’ for lack of a better word. I could fly faster than Rainbow, teleport to anywhere in Equestria, get punched through a mountain, I raised the freakingSun, and most importantly of all, I battled Tirek to a standstill. Those were all things that were all well outside my ability before the infusion, and even now with the Rainbow Power boost. But whether or not I’d have been able to do those things indefinitely, had I needed to keep the magic for whatever reason? I don’t know for sure.”

Gleaming was quiet. It was hard to get a read on anything right now, and Twilight was right that they were flying by the seat of their pants. Things were going well so far, but for how long that trend would continue was anypony’s guess.

“Erm, what was that about getting punched through a mountain?” Cadance said.

Twilight waved her off. “I had a forcefield up. Wasn’t even really a punch, anyways.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow said. “Was more like a charging headbutt.”

“Not helping,” Twilight whispered.

“We’ll let you know when we do another alicorn infusion, Twily,” Gleaming said. “We’ve only done one today, and Talia wants us to do them twice daily. Heck, you could do it yourself if you want.”

Twilight brightened. “That’d be great! We can see if there’s any difference in response between my magic and Cadance’s! There shouldn’t be since we’re related, but hey, you never know! How about we do it after dinner?”

Gleaming checked the clock. “That’s in a few hours, so we have some time between then and now. Is there anything else you wanted to do before then?”

Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other, something silent going between them. Rainbow yawned and gestured to the door.

“I… think I could use a nap,” said Twilight, getting to her hooves. “It’s been a long day of travelling, and I didn’t sleep at all on the train. We’ve all been up since four a.m.”

“Same,” Rainbow said with a yawn of her own. “Some Z’s before food sounds nice.”

“How about you, Spike?” Twilight asked. “You were the only one who managed to sleep on the way here, so I imagine you’re not tired right now.”

Spike, noting the slight emphasis, folded his arms and sighed. “I’ll stay up here with Cady and Gleam-Gleam.”

Gleaming snickered. “Is that your new nickname for me?”

“Mmhmm.” He snuggled against her chest, wrapping his tail around her foreleg. “Like it?”

Gleaming’s heart about melted from the cuteness. She nuzzled Spike gently, holding him in an embrace while she enjoying the warmth of his scaly body. It was like holding a tiny little heater. “Since when did you become such a cuddlebug?”

“Since you got so soft and fluffy.”

Twilight smiled fondly at them. “You don’t mind him being with you, do you?”

Gleaming gave Twilight a strange look. “Did… you really just ask me that?”

Twilight widened her eyes. “Right! Right, stupid question. Just used to asking that with ponies, I guess. I hate leaving him alone.”

“He’s bonded to the entire family, you dork,” Gleaming chided. “Even Cady’s tied into the spell. Sometimes I think you forget that.”

Twilight blushed. “Yeah, yeah, sorry. It’s been a while.”

Cadance patted her shoulder. “It’s going to be nice having you here.”

“Wait, what do you mean, bonded?” Rainbow asked. “How does that work?”

Twilight turned to her. “Did I never tell you?”

Rainbow shook her head. “This is news to me.”

“Oh. Well, in that case…” Twilight straightened and spoke in a measured tone. “Certain species of young dragons need special things to stay healthy. In Spike’s case, he needs to be directly linked to a strong enough source of magic at all times, and he can’t go more than a few days being away from it. Fortunately, the range is directly proportional to the strength of the magic in question, and he can be linked to multiple sources at once.”

“It’s been awhile since I was this close to so many bonds,” Spike cooed happily. “Hehe… I feel all warm and fuzzy.”

Something seemed to click for Rainbow. “That’s how he’s able to send and receive messages from Celestia, isn’t it?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes. Although, it doesn’t have to be a unicorn or alicorn to work. Any strong, non-corrupt source of magic will do. Including pegasus magic.”

Rainbow thought on that. “Is it a big deal to do? Like, is it draining, or whatever?”

“Not at all,” Twilight replied. “Like I said, it’s just exposure. The natural, ambient magic your body exudes is enough to supply what Spike needs. Also, he’s the only one who can feel it, so it won’t affect you at all.”

“It is a pretty big sign of trust, though,” Gleaming added. “It’s a somewhat intimate thing for dragons. Only family or mates do it.”

Rainbow suddenly appeared very thoughtful. She didn’t say anything, but it was clear that the concept intrigued her somehow. Gleaming was surprised by this at first, but then remembered that she already had a magical link of sorts with Twily. Who knew? It might be worth looking into someday.

“Welp! I’mma go crash.” Rainbow stretched her limbs and made for the door. “Good to see ya, Cadance, and you too, Gleaming. Try not to fill up on junk food before supper, heh heh...”

In reply, Gleaming dumped the rest of the pretzels into her mouth and tossed the bowl away, floating over a glass of apple juice to wash it down. “Pretty shure that’sh imposshible right now.”

Twilight followed after Rainbow, her pace a little slower. She waited until Rainbow left, then got to the door and paused, dragging a hoof to and fro.

Gleaming noticed. “Something wrong, Twily?”

Twilight looked up quickly, her mane getting knocked askew. “No! Er, well… I mean it’s not wrong, it’s just that… I feel like Cadance is right, you know? It’s going to be nice spending time with you guys again. I really am looking forward to all of this, you know. I know I don’t say it enough, but I really have missed both of you, a-and…”

Twilight looked away, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“...to be honest, there’ve been a lot of times where I wished one of you could’ve been there to help me.”

Gleaming opened her mouth, but no sound came out. In that moment, Twilight looked less of like a multi-time savior of Equestria, and more like a quiet, demure, book-loving filly that got forced into a destiny she could barely wrap her head around. She was strong, smart, wise, a beautiful young mare in the prime of her life, but yet there was a tiredness to her posture, a lingering shadow that haunted her guise.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Gleaming replied. “I don’t say it enough, either.”

“You do know we’re here for you, right Twilight?” Cadance said. “All you need to do is ask.”

Twilight’s wings twitched at her sides. “It’s just… hard at times, I guess. Almost feels like I’ve failed in some way… heh… ironic. I suppose what Rainbow said about pride applies to me, too.”

“Pretty sure it’s a family trait,” Gleaming said dryly. “I know I can certainly be pig-headed at times. Can’t I, Cady?”

A smile tugged at Cadance’s lips. “No comment.”

Twilight chuckled despite herself. “I really am glad to be here. You don’t need to doubt that at all. I’ll see you all at dinner, okay?”

And with that, she left.

There was an awkward silence in her wake, with Gleaming still watching the door. With a greeting like that, it made her think the next few months were going to be interesting… well, more than they were already going to be, in any case.

“I forgot how candid she can be,” Gleaming muttered. "Always did wear her heart on her sleeve."

Against her chest, Spike snuggled into her fur. “Can you please, please get her to stop going a million miles an hour? I’ve tried talking to her, but she doesn’t listen! She’s become even more of a nervous wreck than usual, lately.”

Gleaming looked down at him. “What started it?”

Spike hesitated. “I uhhh… can’t really… tell you.”

Gleaming rested her chin atop of his head. “Spiiiiiiike…”

“I just told you she’s a nervous wreck!” Spike said. “She’s worried herself into a panic again, and made me promise I wouldn’t tell you! I was half-afraid she was gonna put a geas on me!”

“We can’t help if we don’t know what’s wrong,” Gleaming pointed out. “If she’s freaking out about something, we want to know about it. Right, Cady?”

Cadance didn’t reply. She was squinting at the door, an odd look in her eyes.

Gleaming looked over. “Erm… Cady?”

A sly grin crept onto Cadance’s face. “I think I know what it is.”

Spike groaned. “Errrrrgh, I told her it wouldn’t work…”

Cadance turned to Spike. “Tell you what, sweetie. I’m gonna go for a little walk, and if I just happen to notice anything on my way, that’s no fault of yours.”

Spike bit his lip as she made for the door. “Please tell me you at least noticed it before I said something.”

Cadance snickered. “I had my suspicions when she told you to stay up here with us. Twilight’s very clever, but she’s never been very subtle. I’ll give her props on hiding it, though. Almost had me fooled.”

“What are you thinking, hun?” Gleaming asked.

“Not totally sure yet,” Cadance replied. “Lemme get back to you.”

Spike buried his face in his claws. “Not even a minute after she’s gone and I spill the beans. I’m so freaking dead.”

Gleaming chuckled. “You could always live up here with Cady and me. You can help babysit the foals!”

“Might have to take you up on that,” Spike said with a defeated grunt. “Just don’t make me change diapers.”

The nature of love is a complicated thing. Depending on who you ask, it can be defined as an intense feeling of deep affection, an object or individual that one feels attachment to, a fixation that clouds the mind, a kinship, a friendship, or even the very essence of what makes a creature sentient. Countless books had been written on it, millions of studies had been made, and scholars for ages had devoted their lives to love. Wars had been fought over love. Ponies and other creatures did amazing, impossible things because of it. It was quite possibly one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and yet what frustrated so man, was that they understood so little about it.

Even Cadance, the crowned Princess of Love, found it difficult to explain to anypony who wasn’t an empath. To her, love was a physical, tangible thing, ever-present amidst all creatures in some way or another. It presented itself in many forms: A link, a tether, an aura-like mist, a tiny little tie, a bond denser than diamond, or even a very fusion of two souls. The world was swimming in love at all times, swirling, flowing, dancing like an effervescent stream, and its power was something that was not so much controlled, but rather guided, and coaxed.

If she wished it, Cadance could see any and all ties a being had with others, as well as the lack thereof. She called this ability Soul Sight, and it wasn’t something she used often (the barrage of colors gave her a headache) but even when not active, she felt little nigglings as to how ponies felt about one another, like a compass needle pointing at its target of affection. She could also tell the intensity of said attraction by how hard it tugged on her, and stronger the pull, the more love was travelling back and forth.

Cadance hadn’t felt a thing between Twilight and Rainbow. Not a tug, not a twinge, not a tickle or a twitch. Not even the platonic love of friendship, and that should’ve been there in spades. It was an oddity that’d immediately drawn Cadance’s attention, but mental shielding wasn’t uncommon in spellcasters, and Twilight had certainly had enough adventures to make an enemy or two.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t hiding something.

It was nearing the end of the workday. The crystal ponies working at the castle were just getting ready go home, and the evening shift was starting to filter in. Nopony took much notice of the Princess moving down the halls towards a particular hidden laboratory, although, they did take note how unusually focused she was, as well as how she kept looking around and abruptly changing her course, like a bloodhound tracking a scent.

Cadance stopped in the hall the Secret Lab was in. She’d been trying to see if she could get any lingering nudgings from her Soul Sight regarding Twilight or Rainbow, but she hadn’t felt anything. This only convinced her all the more that she was on the right track, though. But now that she was here, she wasn’t sure how to best approach the situation. Should she barge right in and demand answers? Should she be up front and just ask about it? Maybe loosen their lips with a few glasses of wine? Or should she be subtle, and coax it out of them? There were many different options to go about this, but which one would actually yield a result?

“Doubt they're going to be honest with me if I just straight up ask,” Cadance muttered. “Don’t wanna make them even more paranoid if I’m wrong, either. And they’re both going to be careful with drinking if they really are hiding something… blegh. I think my best bet’s just to watch them,

and from there I’ll make a call.”

But not just any old spell would fool a magical genius like Twilight. It’d have to be something special and unique, something Twilight hadn’t prepared for, and wasn’t expecting. Preferably even something she knew next to nothing about.

“Should’ve taken some aspirin,” Cadance muttered. She activated her Soul Sight, and her eyes became filled with white light, the world shifting from a palace hallway to a vast, three-dimensional plane with no floor, ceiling, or walls. It stretched off into the distance with no visible horizon, and the constantly shifting magic of love became visible to her in full.

It was like a multicolored jungle. Tethers of love ran every which way like chaotic vines and tree branches, linking ponies’ souls together without any heed for distance, or perspective. The tethers varied in colors, thickness, and density, and the souls they connected shone brightly like blazing stars, illuminating the dark silhouettes of their bodies.

The first thing that always hit her was how jumbled everything seemed.  Tethers ran every which way in giant tangled strands, and while she could see where, and how they were connected, it always looked so inefficient to her. Finding ponies in this mess was always hard unless they were relatively close to her, and she had to be careful moving around, lest she smack into something she couldn’t currently see.

Fortunately, she didn’t have to move at all to locate the ponies she was searching for. Just a short ways away and above her (and in a rather… compromising position), were Twilight and Rainbow, bound together by some VERY strong ties of love. They were encased in some kind of aura that made their profiles blurry, (likely how Twilight was trying to conceal them), but even with whatever spell that was, their positions didn’t leave much to the imagination.

“A-ha,” Cadance whispered with a lecherous grin. “Twilight, you sneaky little filly… so that’s why you brought her. But why are you hiding it, hmm? Are you not sure what you want?”

The ties were still in the developmental stages. It looked like the love had only recently evolved from a pre-existing bond of close friendship, but even still, it had all the makings of a serious relationship. And if that weren’t enough, there was also another kind of magic linking them together, one that had a prismatic glint to it. From what she could tell, it looked to be strengthening their connection even further.

“Interesting,” Cadance said. “Never seen anything like this. I wonder if they’re even aware of it…”

She watched them go at it in a sixty-nine position for a few minutes or so, but when it became clear that they weren’t stopping anytime soon, she decided she’d seen enough. She deactivated her Soul Sight and let the world return to normal, and as she did, a telltale pressure behind her eyes made itself known. It didn’t seem to be too bad this time, though, so there was a small victory in that.

Cadance turned and headed back the way she came. She had a wife to inform and a dragon to coddle, and the sooner she could do both, the better. She wasn’t sure if Gleaming would want to confront Twilight about this, or play dumb for now, but if Cadance had her way, she’d just let things develop on their own. A bond of love this strong wasn’t something that could be hidden for very long, and eventually, either Twilight or Rainbow would let something slip.

“Wonder if I can convince Gleamy to let me join them sometime,” Cadance idly wondered. “Always did like a mare with nice, strong wings…”