The Pirate (Part 1)

The Pirate (Part 1)

——————————————————————————————

Two Weeks Later (Week 23)-

“Happy Nightmare Night, Princess!” the day guards called.

“You, too!” Cadance waved and closed the apartment door. She giggled as she eagerly shucked off her regalia, happy to be free of her responsibilities at last.  Humming a soft tune, she trotted into the bedroom and went into her walk-in closet, intent on breaking out her costume for the night.

“Oh, come on!” came an exasperated shout. “You’ve gotta be KIDDINGme!”

Cadance poked her head inside the closet. Gleaming was wiggling and squirming in front of a mirror, trying to fit into the last part of her own costume. They’d both decided to dress up as pirates, and while Gleaming had gotten most of her outfit on, she was having trouble with the coat that completed it.

Cadance sighed. “I tried to warn you, hun. This is why most pregnant mares try to incorporate the baby bump into their costume.”

Gleaming sadly turned to her. So far, she was wearing a black bandana, a white puffy shirt, and a moss-green sash. Her mane and tail had been done up in braids with tiny gems, and three sheathed longswords hung loosely at her side. Next to the swords was a pouch that jangled with fool’s gold, and on her belt was a scroll with a fake treasure map on it.

“It’s not small around my barrel, though!” Gleaming held up her hooves to indicate it was mostly short in the sleeve. “It must’ve shrunk somehow, or the tailor got my measurements wrong! It fit me just fine when he was trying it on, remember? He even gave it room for me to grow!”

Cadance frowned. She recalled the dimensions the tailor had taken down, and from what she could tell, they seemed to be the same. Regardless of that, though, the coat was obviously too small. Not only that, the puffy shirt looked short in the sleeve, as well! It was almost as everything on her was just too small ingeneral.

Curious, Cadance came up and compared their heights in the mirror. Normally, the tip of Gleaming’s horn normally came up to Cadance’s withers…

...a single glance told her that was no longer the case.

Gleaming cocked her head. “What is it?”

Cadance didn’t reply just yet. She summoned a tape measure and held it up to Gleaming, who stood still with a blank look. She measured three times just to make sure she wasn’t mistaken, but each time, she got the same result.

 “It seems like our foals haven’t been the only ones growing, love,” Cadance said. “You’ve gained an inch and a half in height! No wonder everything looks small.”

Gleaming blinked several times. She took the tape measure, and did another measurement, and sure enough, she found the same thing.

“The hay?”

Cadance pursed her lips. She hadn’t noticed because they’d both been so busy lately, what with preparations for the holidays, plans for the new hospital, and just running the Empire in general. But now that she was looking for it, it was pretty obvious. Gleaming was taller, alright, with most of the growth being in her legs.

“Ugh!” Gleaming tossed the tape measure away and wiggled out of the shirt.” As if I didn’t have enough to worry about!” She shucked off her maternity brace, as well, giving it a forlorn look. “I thought it was getting harder to zip this up… probably going to have to get a new one of these, too. Wonderful.”

Cadance rubbed her chin. “This is weird. I’d have thought your growing years were behind you.”

Gleaming put a hoof on her barrel. “Maybe it has something to do with the pregnancy? I know there’s a lot of hormonal stuff going on.”

“…maybe? Talia would know for sure,” Cadance said. “Or Twilight. We should ask them.”

Gleaming grunted her agreement. “Twily’ll be here soon with Rainbow and Spike. We can ask her then.”

Knock, knock, knock.

Cadance swiveled her ears. “Speaking of which...”

Gleaming rolled her eyes. “Early as usual. Are we still playing dumb about Twily and Rainbow, by the way?”

Cadance thought for a moment. “I can sense that Rainbow’s getting frustrated, but something’s holding Twilight back. There’s a lot of fear in her, and I really don’t want to push that. I’m still hoping they’ll tell us on their own if we give them more time.”

Gleaming exhaled out her nose. “Not too much more time. I get the feeling that they’re starting to make a game of it.”

Cadance snickered. “They seem like that type of couple, don’t they?”

“Mm.” Gleaming’s horn glowed with a bright FLASH, and she teleported out of the closet and to the bedroom door. “You go ahead and get ready, hun! I’ll see to them.”

“Okay!”

Gleaming walked over to the door, still muttering to herself. Immediately she noticed the difference between wearing the maternity brace and not, as her gait turned into a waddle without it. Her back legs were being pushed farther and farther apart by her giant beach ball of a belly, and the extra weight was making her have to adopt a slower, more careful pace.

And boy, was that weight piling on. She’d gained twenty pounds in the last week and her last fundal height measurement was a whopping sixty-seven centimeters! Granted, some of those gains were apparently from her getting taller, but still...

Gleaming opened the door. Just beyond were Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow, all wearing Nightmare Night costumes and grinning from ear to ear.

“Well, now!” Gleaming looked the three of them up and down with approval. “Don’t you all look spiffy.”

Twilight had dressed up as a dragon. Her outfit had spines the color of her mane that ran down her back, and a pair of fake horns rested between her ears. Meanwhile, Spike had done the opposite, and had dressed up as a pony. His outfit sported a two-toned mane and tail, along with a cutie mark of a scroll set behind green flame. Lastly, Rainbow had decided to go as a timber wolf. She was wearing a prop set of horseshoes that looked like claws, her wings looked like they were made out of branches, and her mane and tail had a hard, brittle look to them, like bark.

“Thanks!” Twilight said. She gave Gleaming with a wide, toothy smile, revealing that she was also wearing a set of fake fangs. She’d enchanted her eyes to resemble like cat-like slits, and her wings were magicked to resemble a batpony’s. “You’re still getting ready, I take it?”

Gleaming motioned towards the bedroom. ““Cady is. I just discovered that most of my costume doesn’t fit, so I may not even bother.”

“Aww, that’s no fun!” Spike jumped off Twilight’s back. “You can’t go to a Nightmare Night party without a Nightmare Night costume!”

Gleaming stared at Spike. His eyes were enchanted to like a pony’s, and the look was decidedly odd on the little guy. “I… uh, may not have a choice, bud. I don’t really have anything else.”

“What were you gonna go as?” Rainbow asked. She gestured to Gleaming’s braids. “Guessing it required you have your mane done up like that.”

Gleaming nodded. “Cady’s a pirate captain, and I was gonna be her first mate. I’ve a puffy shirt and coat, along with a couple of props I was gonna wear… but the shirt and coat don’t fit.”

Twilight’s eyes drifted to Gleaming’s rotund tummy. “Too small in the midsection?”

Gleaming shook her head. “More like too small everywhere. I’ve grown taller since the tailor took measurements, apparently.”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “Uh, how long ago did you have the measurements taken?”

“Earlier this month.” Gleaming made her way over to the kitchen, making to grab some drinks for everyone. “Weird, isn’t it? I’m thinking it’s a hormone thing.”

Twilight sucked on her teeth. “It... could be, but I’ve never heard of anything like that happening, and especially not so quickly! When again did you say the measurements were done? Earlier this month?”

There was the sound of the fridge being opened, along with glasses being pulled out from the cupboard. “Yeah,” Gleaming said over the noise. “The day before we found the fifth foal.”

“And when exactly did Cadance start giving you the alicorn magic infusions?” Twilight asked.

The sounds from the kitchen stopped. There was an awkward silence while that question hung in the air.

“...the day we found the fifth foal,” Gleaming replied.

Rainbow looked to Twilight with a smirk. “Ain’t that a coincidence?”

Twilight lowered her voice. “Correlation doesn’t equal causation, Dashie. Remember what we were talking about this morning?”

Rainbow stepped closer and snuck in a peck on the cheek. “Yeah, yeah. But you gotta admit, it’s still worth looking into.”

Twilight let out a squeak of surprise, her whole body going rigid from the contact. “N-Not here! They might see us!”

“I… suppose that might have something to do with it,” Gleaming said. The sounds from the kitchen resumed. “But I’ve never really heard of something like that happening. Why would alicorn magic do something like that?”

“So let ‘em see.” Rainbow nuzzled Twilight’s neck, breathing in the warm scent of her fur. “Let ‘em see that I can’t keep my hooves off you. Let ‘em see how you turn to putty at my slightest touch. Let ‘em see how I turned the world upside down for you, and how you fucking teased me so much on the way here I almost pinned you to the floor and made you SCREAM—”

Twilight whirled and pulled Rainbow into a fierce, desperate kiss, their tongues wrapping around each other as they softly moaned in each other’s mouths. Twilight overpowered Rainbow and pushed her into submission, but she fought back every step of the way with an intensity that only turned them both on even more. It was a quick affair, no more than five seconds, but to them, it was far longer.

Spike facepalmed. “Oh, for Celestia’s sake.”

“Then again, you did say there wasn’t a lot of documentation on this,” Gleaming idly mused. “This might be a indication of a bad thing for all we know! D’you think maybe we should stop?”

Twilight pulled away with a wet pop! She stared into Rainbow’s fiery eyes, their breathing heavy as their nethers heated up with a familiar warmth. She stroked Rainbow’s cheek with a fetlock and smiled, her expression taking on a sultry tone.

“Soon. I promise.”

Rainbow clearly didn’t like that answer, but nevertheless she stepped away, giving Twilight a look that sent excited shivers down her spine. The two of them panted for a few seconds as they gave each other bedroom eyes, but finally tore away and played aloof.

Gleaming stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Twily? Did you hear me?”

Twilight jumped. “Huh?! Oh, ah… sorry, I thought you were just thinking out loud. What’d you say?”

Gleaming came out of the kitchen with iced tea and a bowl of candy, munching on a piece or two already as she came over to them. “I asked if you thought we should stop the alicorn infusions. Do you think this is a sign of something dangerous?”

Twilight took her glass and thought for a moment, her gaze unfocused. “According to everything I’ve read, the effects of a rejected magic infusion are both immediate and obvious. The body treats the energy like a poison and removes it as fast as possible, causing things like fever, nausea, fatigue, and even seizure in extreme cases. You’ve been exposed to Cadance’s magic numerous times over the years without issue, haven’t you? And I’m your direct biological sibling, meaning our magical signatures are fifty percent identical. Your immune system hasn’t responded negatively to anything we’ve done so far, so if you were going to have an adverse reaction to either my or Cadance’s magic, we would’ve known the first time we tried to cast a spell on you, not when we started mixing our raw energy with your magic reserves.”

Gleaming munched on chocolate pieces, tilting her head back and forth. She motioned for Spike to open his mouth, floating a piece right onto his waiting tongue. “So you don’t think the two things are related.”

Twilight shrugged. “I’ve only ever heard of magic having an effect on body size in centaurs, and even then, only rarely. It requires a ritual that’s forbidden by their culture, and those that are discovered attempting it are either exiled or imprisoned.”

“Or both, in Tirek’s case!” Spike added through a mouthful of chocolate.

A shadow fell over Twilight’s face. “...yes, Spike. That’s correct.”

Gleaming contemplated that for a moment. “Cadance still seemed worried about it, though. Do you think you can scan me, just for peace of mind?”

Twilight took a swig of her iced tea before replying. “Yeah, I can. Want me to do it now?”

Gleaming nodded. “If you could.”

Twilight set her glass down. “Hold still.”

Twilight’s horn glowed, and a feeling of power seeped into the air. Gleaming felt the telltale tingling of her sister’s magic brush against her mind, requesting access. Gleaming resisted on reflex, but forced herself to relax, and opened herself to Twilight’s scan, allowing herself to be examined in full.

It was a very gentle affair. Twilight was methodical in her search, but she was never forceful, or caused any sudden jolts. She immersed herself in Gleaming’s magic, going through every nook and cranny, but she never went so far as to cause pain. In truth, her touch was almost was like a massage, like she was stretching out a muscle that hadn’t been used in a while.

“You’re showing all the signs of receiving regular magic infusions,” Twilight said after a time. “Your internal ley lines are widened, your aether gland is overstimulated, and your eldritch cochlea is enlarged. I’m not seeing any evidence of rejected magic or abnormal fluctuations in your arcana system.”

Gleaming nodded her understanding. Rainbow and Spike, however, just shared a confused glance.

“Translation, please!” Rainbow said. “Some of us don’t speak unicorn.”

Twilight quelled her magic and resumed sipping on her iced tea. “Magically, she’s perfectly healthy. More than healthy, really! Her body is soaking up the energy like a sponge, funneling all the excess energy to the foals, and allowing them to gestate without deficiencies. She’d likely be capable of some pretty impressive feats if she wasn’t under such a heavy, constant drain, but as it stands, her overall magic levels are staying within normal ranges… which is what we want, of course.”

“And I’m very grateful for it,” Gleaming said. She adjusted herself and brushed her mane out of her face. “Believe me, I’ve heard horror stories that can come with pregnancy. Magic exhaustion is no fun.”

Twilight giggled. “I’d call that a good reason to keep doing the infusions, then! Wouldn’t you say?”

Gleaming shrugged. “Yeah, I suppose.”

Twilight’s eyes wandered to all of Gleaming’s body, taking in the change while considering any possibilities. It was barely even noticeable, but a small part of her couldn’t help but approve of her big sister ‘reclaiming her title’, as it were. “I really don’t know what’s causing you to suddenly grow taller, but I doubt it has anything to do with the alicorn magic. Like you said, it’s likely a hormone thing.”

“Interesting,” said a male voice behind them. “But that doesn’t quite answer the question, does it?”

They all turned. Standing at the bedroom door was a pink alicorn stallion, clad a pirate costume and watching with a roguish smirk. He came over with a flourish, his soft, light steps silent as a shadow, and almost as swift. He had a playful, yet mysterious air about that matched the twinkle in his eyes, and the way he carried himself could only be described as... alluring.

Spike dropped the piece of candy he was holding. “Holy...”

“We should get Talia’s two cents as well, methinks,” said Eros. He stood over beside Gleaming and put a wing around her, the long appendage wrapping around her like a shawl. “Can’t hurt to cover our bases, eh?”

Twilight’s eyes about bugged out of their head. “C-Cadance?!”

Eros grinned. “Ahoy, Twilight! I go by Eros when I’m like this.”

Pomf!

Everyone jumped. Rainbow’s wings had spread to their full extension like a pair of planks, stiff and hard as steel.

Gleaming felt a glow of warm pride. Smugly, she leaned into Eros’ embrace, looking quite pleased with herself.

“Erm…” Twilight turned beet red and looked away, her own wings twitching at her sides. “W-Why are you—”

“—a stallion?” Eros stretched himself out a bit, his joints popping as he moved. “It’s part of my costume, of course! I thought that since Gleaming was already a mare, it’d be fun if I did the opposite! I be the dread Captain Andalus, Scourge of the Celestial Sea! This here be me first mate, the swordsmare Lady Zorona!”

“Yarrrrr,” Gleaming growled.

Eros’ costume was rather impressive. He was wearing a white v-necked shirt and grey captain’s coat that exposed his chest, along with a pair of worn, mottled saddlebags hung at his sides. A prop cutlass and a flask were hanging from a pair of belts that wrapped around his waist, and his mane and tail were braided similarly to Gleaming’s. A worn captain’s hat neatly finished off the ensemble, and strangely, he seemed to be wearing some kind of makeup that emphasized his eyes.

“Cool!” Spike walked up to Eros, craning his neck up at him. “You’re like a real swashbuckler!”

Eros smiled. “My thanks there, young Spike! Ye be excited for tonight?”

“Am I ever!” Spike held up his arms with a toothy grin. “This’ll be my first Nightmare Night party! I can’t wait!”

Eros picked him up to set him easily on his back. “That a fact? Well, we better make it a good one, then! Ye want to serve as me loyal companion? Every captain needs one, after all!”

Spike stood up straight as a board. “Oh, heck yes! Just you watch! I’ll be better than any boring ol’ parrot!”

“Um… you alright there, Twilight?” Gleaming asked, noticing her sister’s discomfort. “You look a little out of it.”

Twilight, who had beads of sweat forming on her brow, laughed shrilly and spoke in a high-pitched voice. “Who, me? I’m fine, yes, perfectly fine! Why wouldn’t I be?! There’s nothing awkward or confusing about this at all! Totally normal stuff here, yep-yep-yep! Not thinking anything inappropriate or sexual whatsoever! Completely conservative mindset! I’m totally okay with this! This is going to be a GREAT evening! Isn’t that right, Rainbow?!”

Rainbow snapped her gaze away from Eros with a heavy blush, pawing at the ground as she forced her wings to re-fold. “Y-Yeah… real fun... say, uh, not a bad look there… E-Eros! You’re a real sex—SWANKY! Swanky pirate! Totally swanky, and stuff! The swankiest!”

Eros winked and waggled his eyebrows. “Thank ye, lass. Ye don’t look half bad, yourself.”

Pomf!

Gleaming pursed her lips. While Twilight and Rainbow’s reactions were understandable (and priceless), they all had plans to take Spike trick or treating after the party. It wouldn’t be much fun if they were both starry-eyed fillies the whole time. However, Eros had worked hard on his costume, and Gleaming knew he wanted to show off the whole thing.

“SAY! You know what would be fun?!” Twilight suddenly said loudly. “Since you two are genderswapped like this, why don’t the rest of us swap genders, as well? We can say it’s a common theme of our group!”

Spike did a double-take. “What, what?!”

Eros and Gleaming raised their eyebrows. “Uh…”

“YES!” Rainbow also said in a loud voice. “Great idea, Twilight! Totally in the spirit of Nightmare Night! I completely and totally approve of this with full consent andyoushouldcastthespellRIGHTNOW.”

“Oh, hay no!” Spike dove behind Eros and Gleaming. “Count me out! I like being a boy!”

“Won’t work on you anyway!” Twilight’s horn glowed with gathering energy. “It’s tailored to ponies!”

Gleaming spoke up. “Twilight, wait! You don’t—”

“Here we go!” Twilight said.

There was the hum of ambient magic, the surge of a spell being cast…

ZAP!

And when Gleaming could see again, she saw...

Eros gasped. “Oh, my...”

Twilight was now a large, handsome alicorn stallion, with sail-like wings and a strong, sturdy frame. His mane and tail were messy and unkempt, his chest was broad and defined, and his costume was now straining to fit him. He swayed back and forth as he struggled to stay on his hooves, his horn still smoking from the spell.

“Ergh,” he said in a shaky, boyish tenor. “That… did not feel good...”

Rainbow was still small and svelte, but now with a lithe, swimmer’s body and a jagged mane like a lightning bolt. His wings were large and sleek, almost as if they were too big for his body, and his muzzle was square and short. His costume still more or less fit him, but his eyes were currently spinning in their sockets from the spell, and he looked like he was about to be sick.

“Agreed,” he muttered in a deep baritone. “Hrk…”

Gleaming felt her ire rise. “You just—I was—UGH! You… damn… IDIOTS! I You didn’t need to do that!”

“N-No, it’s fine!” Twilight clumsily waved his hoof. “Really! It’s all... for the fun! Now we all match!”

“Don’t try to play it off!” Gleaming snapped. She stormed up to Twilight, yanking his head down to her level with magic. “I don’t care what kind of power you’re packing these days! You don’t go casting a spell like that on yourself, OR on others without testing it first! You’re going to get yourself killed!”

Rainbow, despite the initial nausea, recovered a little faster than Twilight. He rubbed his eyes and staggered from the change in balance, flaring his wings to catch himself. He chanced a look over at Eros, and while he still blushed, he was at least able to keep his wings folded.

“Better than nothing, I suppose…”

Twilight put a hoof to his head, wincing from Gleaming yelling so close to him. “Geez, calm down! I’m not some two-bit caster! I have it under control!”

Sparks were now literally flying from Gleaming’s eyes. “You could’ve had the spell backfire! You could’ve overloaded the matrix! You damn well could’ve splinched yourself! I KNOW Celestia taught you better than to do reckless shit like this, and even if she DIDN’T, Mom and Dad definitely did! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Gleamy’s right, Twilight,” Eros agreed, shaking his head. “You really shouldn’t have done that. We could’ve thought of something less extreme to make you two more comfortable.”

Meanwhile, Spike poked his head up from behind Eros’ shoulder, getting a good look at Twilight and Rainbow’s altered forms.

“Welp, that’s new.”

Twilight grit his teeth and pulled away from Gleaming, drawing up to his full height. “For your information, sister, I HAVE tested that spell before! I did it back when you guys first told me you were trying to conceive! It’s just been a while since I’ve casted it!”

Gleaming put her hooves on her hips. “You look like you’re about to collapse! What, did you just force the spell through with raw power?! What made you think a genderswap spell was the best solution in the first place, huh? You’re still going to be attracted to Eros, regardless!”

Twilight glanced at Eros. Sure enough, that suave face and sleek physique still set his heart aflutter, but the changed chemical aspect of the attraction was foreign, and his brain was having trouble connecting the dots.

“It’s easier to ignore now,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Is this how you solve all your problems?” Gleaming demanded. “I get that you have a lot on your plate—we all do—but you can’t automatically resort to magic every time you have an issue! You’re going to hurt yourself, or worse, the ponies around you!”

Twilight narrowed his eyes. “Hey, back off, alright?! Maybe if you’d warned us that Cadance was gonna do this in the first place, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures! Did you ever think about how others were going to react to him? Or did you just want to show off your trophy husband?!”

The air around Gleaming shimmered with heat. “How DARE—”

“Alright, cool it,” Eros said, stepping between the two. “Snarking at each other while being emotionally compromised isn’t going to accomplish anything. Knock it off.”

Gleaming rounded on him. “I am not getting emotionally compromised! Don’t—”

“Your mind is torn between equal parts anger and concern,” Eros said. “The anger is fierce and volatile, prone to shifting at a moment’s notice. The concern is emanating from familial instincts, specifically, your desire to protect Twilight, even from herself. A combo like that isn’t conducive to a rational discussion.”

Gleaming’s retort died on her lips. She wanted to argue on sheer principle, empath or no empath, but it was really hard when Eros was looking at her like that. His eyes were drilling into hers, and while he was trying to look authoritative, it was coming off as more… seductive.

“Eep.”

“And you—” Eros whirled on Twilight. “—need to chill. That white-hot bubbling feeling creeping into your chest? That’s a special kind of anger, one that can turn nasty, real fast. It’s an aggressive response caused by a mix of adrenaline and testosterone, and you’re not used to dealing with the latter, so you need to get a hold of yourself before you REALLY flip your lid.”

Twilight’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks. While it was jarring to have Eros hit the nail exactly on the head, he was also giving him that same ‘authoritative’ look, and his brain was starting to figure out how to connect those dots.

“U-Um…”

“I think we need to talk about something else,” Eros said abruptly, his eyes falling on Rainbow. “Gleamy and I haven’t pressed this the last two weeks, but now, I think it’s time to let the cat out of the bag. I happened to see that little exchange between you two while Gleamy was in the kitchen. Care to explain yourselves?”

The two of them went stock still. A long, awkward silence followed, neither one of them speaking, or moving. Eros’ question hung in the air like a guillotine blade, with both him and Gleaming looking on, waiting for a response.

“I’m gonna say it, Twi,” Rainbow said at last.

Twilight groaned. He hung his head low, his wings drooping at his sides. “Fine...”

Rainbow cleared his throat to speak, but when he saw Twilight’s defeated expression, his face twisted into a frown. “Actually, no. I’m not gonna say a damn thing. After all…”

He marched over to Twilight, roughly pulling him up and staring into his eyes.

“…actions speak louder than words.”

And Rainbow kissed him. He kissed him desperately, hungrily, like a starving pony pouncing on a hayburger. He tilted his head and pulled Twilight into a fierce embrace, his wings enveloping them both like a downy cyan shroud. Twilight let out a muffled noise at first, but then, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he melted in Rainbow’s lover’s embrace. He fell back on his haunches and pulled Rainbow onto his lap, hugging him as tight as he could, and Rainbow wrapped his legs around Twilight’s waist.

Gleaming and Eros looked on stunned silence, watching as they made out in front of them. Spike was the only one who was seemed undeterred, though he did make a mock gagging noise and stuck out his tongue.

Rainbow and Twilight pulled away. They touched foreheads for a few seconds while breathing steadily, staring deep into each other’s eyes.

“Does that ‘explain’ things well enough, Captain Love Guy?” Rainbow asked.

Eros broke into a huge, goofy grin. “I’d certainly say so.”

“Any problems?”

Eros snorted. “Why would there be? I’m happy for you two! You make an adorable couple!”

Rainbow smirked. “Not quite the a-word I was going for, but we’ll work on that. How about you, Gleaming? Gonna accuse us of nepotism? Worried about any scandals? You against fillyfooling, or friends dating friends? What are your thoughts on premarital sex?”

“Rainbow!” Twilight hissed.

Rainbow shrugged. “What? We’re banging. They deserve to know.”

Gleaming couldn’t help but laugh. “I’d be quite the hypocrite if I had a problem with any of those things. You basically just described all the issues Eros and I faced when we started dating.”

Rainbow gave Twilight a very pointed look, whispering something in his ear that sounded suspiciously like, “told ya.”

Twilight suddenly looked very sheepish. “I… you… really?! When? I didn’t know about any of that, Gleamy! You never told me!”

Gleaming went over to Spike and plucked him off Eros’ back. “It was hard enough to pry your nose out of a textbook for meals! You were in the middle of your studies with Celestia, raising Spike with Mom, all of that. How could you relate to the messy details of relationship stuff? It’d be like me bitching to you about what being pregnant is like!”

Spike giggled and hugged Gleaming’s neck. “She’s got you there, Twi. S’not something that’s quite on your radar yet, is it?”

Twilight frowned. “Uh, hello? I’ve been helping out with all this, haven’t I? Pregnancy’s not something I have firsthoof experience with, true, but I’ve certainly done enough research on it! I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind.”

Spike froze. “...wat.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow said. “Kinda hard not to think about it when—” He did a double-take at Twilight. “Eh? You, too?”

Twilight chewed on his lip. “I didn’t want to say anything because I—what do you mean, ‘you too’?!”

Eros burst out laughing.

Spike buried his head in his claws. “What have I done?”

Gleaming clucked her tongue. “Me and my big mouth....”

Rainbow shuffled his wings. “Hey, come on! I’ve always wanted kids! I help Pinkie babysit Pound and Pumpkin all the time, don’t I? I just wasn’t sure how you felt about it. S’not exactly an easy topic to bring up…”

Twilight stared, incredulous. “I… thought I heard you say at the Wonderbolts Hearth’s Warming party that you couldn’t stand foals.”

Rainbow shook her head. “That wasn’t me, that was Fleetfoot. And she was lying through her teeth, anyways. She’s just terrified having a kid will ruin her figure, or some crap. Nevermind that half the mares on the team have had kids and are still on top of her game, oh no, she’s different. I swear, you’d think she’s never heard of Pilates...”

Gleaming suddenly appeared very thoughtful. “I should probably look into that...”

Eros leaned over and nipped her ear. “Oooh, can I watch?”

She brushed her tail across Eros’ groin. “Only if you help with the ‘post-workout’ routine.”

“Mmm, that might wear you out more than the workout itself…”

Twilight shifted back and forth. “Huh? That… wasn’t you? I could’ve sworn that…”

Rainbow suddenly seemed to remember something. “Okay, so I shoulda told you about this earlier, but like, Fleetfoot and I look so similar that we could be long lost twins or something. Seriously, if she and I hid our manes beneath our uniforms, you wouldn’t be able to tell us apart—not even by our voices! Even the team gave up and started calling us Blue One, and Blue Two.”

A glimmer of hope crept into Twilight’s eyes. “I didn’t… you never… really?”

In response, Rainbow kissed him a second time, fast, and eager.

“You know, for an egghead, you can be a real dummy sometimes.” Rainbow stroked Twilight’s cheek.“Let’s talk about it when we don’t have an audience, kay?”

Twilight glanced over at Eros and Gleaming. “Y-Yeah. Good idea.”

Gleaming, deciding that she’d had enough of the awkward air, stepped forward to look between the two of them. “I’m guessing that this is the real reason you brought her along.”

Twilight unconsciously hugged Rainbow a little tighter. “I, erm… w-well, yes. I mean, I did need to bring somepony along, but Spike would’ve served that purpose just fine. But, erm… you weren’t really wrong when you initially assumed that she was mostly here for... e-emotional support.”

Rainbow gave her a saucy look. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

Twilight covered his face with a wing. “Annnnnnnnd this is what I have to deal with.”

Gleaming was at a bit of a loss. She’d never really given thought to Twilight having a romantic life, and seeing it so suddenly in front of her was strange. Part of her wanted to hug them, part of her wanted to hear how they got together, part of her wanted to give them advice...

...and a small part wanted to murder the little shit that’d deflowered her baby sister.

“Why were you worried about what we’d think?” Eros asked. “You know what kind of relationship Gleamy and I have. There’s no reason we’d judge you.”

Spike let out a very meaningful cough at this.

Twilight shot him a dirty look, but chose not to comment on it. Instead, he swished his tail and made a frustrated noise. “I just… didn’t want to take the chance, all right? Yes, I saw the parallels to your relationship, but that didn’t mean the same thing would happen with us! Rainbow and I are totally different ponies—we have different lives, different expectations, different responsibilities, different images to maintain, different biases, all of that! Expecting that everypony will treat us the same as way as you wasn’t a realistic or intelligent assumption to make, and I wanted more information before making an announcement. And no, before you ask, it wasn’t just for me. It was for Rainbow, as well.”

Rainbow spoke up. “She—er, he, I guess, is worried this’ll turn into some kinda scandal. Oh no, ponies will start gossiping and treating us different, and the press’ll hound us twenty-four seven. Heh… as if that’d bother me.”

Twilight swatted him. “Hey, I’m worried that it’ll make you even more incorrigible. The last thing your ego needs is more pandering.”

Suddenly, Rainbow licked the side of Twilight’s neck, his wet tongue rasping against Twilight’s soft coat.

“And here I thought that was what you liked about me...”

Twilight inhaled sharply, his eyes fluttering closed. “D-Dashie, please...”

“What a perfect opportunity,” Rainbow said, loud so everypony could hear. “Should I tell ‘em about our little game, Twi? You know, the one where we keep each other on the edge for as long as possible? You were winning last I checked, and we both know how much I hate losing—“

“As much as I’d like to watch this play out,” Eros cut in, taking a few steps forward. “We’ve got a party to go to, remember?”

“Yeah,” Spike grumbled. “Do your icky, mushy stuff later. I’ve got candy to snag.”

Gleaming sucked on her teeth, her emotions conflicted as she watched Twilight and Rainbow separate. Was she okay with this? There was no reason she shouldn’t be, but things weren’t always that easy. She wasn’t worried about the superfluous things like gender, politics, or image—she was worried whether or not these two were a good match. She’d have to know Rainbow better in order to answer that question, though, and familiarity like that didn’t happen overnight.

“I’m just gonna pretend I didn’t see that,” Gleaming muttered. She rested a hoof on her belly, grunting as she felt one the foals shift into a new position. “I can’t help but noticed that your costume doesn’t really fit you now, Twily. Are you two going to be staying like that? Or are you going to change back?”

Twilight winced as his outfit stretched and strained. “The spell can’t be reverted for a couple hours, so… looks like Rainbow and I are stuck like this for a while. Sorry.”

“Hey, no need for sorry!” Rainbow said. “Everypony’s dressed up for Nightmare Night! We really can say it’s part of a group theme!”

Twilight shrugged. “I… suppose we can. Either of you have any objections?”

Eros and Gleaming looked at each other, a silent exchange passing between them. Gleaming gestured to herself, wiggling her hips and holding out one of her legs.

“Gleamy’s costume still doesn’t fit,” Eros reminded them. “And neither does yours, Twilight. You two shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable.”

Twilight wracked his brain, his lips moving as he muttered to himself. “I might be able to help with that.”

Gleaming cocked her head. “How so?”

“One of our friends is a seamstress,” Twilight said. “A few months back, she was showing me the spells she uses to make adjustments to clothes, and I think I remember enough to do some simple tweaks. It won’t be perfect or professional, but it should get the job done.”

Well, that was certainly fortuitous. Gleaming wasn’t exactly thrilled about Twilight jumping straight to magic for a solution again, but in this case, it might be their only option.

“I suppose it’s worth trying,” Gleaming said. She turned and headed for the bedroom, motioning for Twilight to follow. “C’mon. I’ll show you my stuff.”

“You know,” Eros said as they walked off. “Random thought, but if you and Rainbow are going to be stallions, you should probably come up with new names for yourselves! It’ll help you mentally.”

Twilight frowned. “That sounds an awful lot like disassociation.”

Rainbow blinked. “Disa-what now?”

“Don’t think of it like that, ya mangy landlubber!” Eros spread his wings, striking a heroic pose. “Think of it like your alter-ego! Your secret identity! By day, you’re mild-mannered Princess Twilight Sparkle, but by night, you become something MORE. A symbol of justice and truth! A beacon of hope and light! Truly, the hero that Equestria deserves!”

Spike snickered. “Now I kinda want to join on this.”

Twilight grinned at Eros’ display. “When you put it like that... yeah, why not? It might be fun to get into a character for a little while! However, it’s just for the night! I don’t want to make this a recurring theme.”

Eros chanced a glance over at Rainbow, noting how comfortable he already seemed with the genderswap. Twilight was adjusting quickly, as well, and Eros could sense an underlying hint of curiosity in both of them that’d likely last quite a while.

“Of course, Twilight,” Eros said, hiding his smile. “We certainly wouldn’t want that.”

“So, who you gonna be, Twi?” Rainbow spun around slowly in a circle, examining himself in full with a critical eye. “I thiiiiiink… I’m gonna beeeee... Rainbow Blitz! Yeah!”

Twilight gave him a dull look. “...really?”

“Hey! I like it!” Rainbow defended. “Who says I have to change both parts of my name?”

Twilight shrugged. “If that’s what you wanna go with...”

“Well, what about you then?” Rainbow said, his eyes gaining that cocksure look. “Think you can come up with something that tops mine?”

“I’ve got a suggestion!” Gleaming called from the bedroom. “It’s what Mom and Dad were gonna name you if you were a boy!”

Twilight’s ears perked up. “Wait, what? Really?”

“Did they not tell you?” Gleaming said. “I thought they did! I’ve always thought it was a good name.”

Twilight trotted into the bedroom after Gleaming. “If they did, I forgot it. What was the name?”

Gleaming shut the door behind them. “It was…”