Celestia’s clock was ticking. This is, of course, a perfectly reasonable thing for a clock to do, and nopony would be particularly surprised that it would do so. Yet Celestia found herself staring at it, at four o’clock in the morning, as she felt that watching an actual clock tick away made a fairly good metaphor for how she felt right now. Unfortunately, her bedside clock was not at all the one she was interested in; no, the real issue was her biological clock. No, not the one that tells her when to raise and lower the sun. The other one.
It was a strange sensation to awaken to, though not one she was unfamiliar with either. Alicorn biology was weird. That is to say, alicorn magic is weird. And when one affects the other, weirder things that can be reasonably expected tend to happen.
The concept itself isn’t too outlandish. Magic is an integral part of ponies, and in many cases it defines both who and what they are. Earth ponies are well known to remain fertile for many years after other creatures could no longer bear children. Pegasi have a shorter gestation period than other ponies by a good month on average. And unicorns… Well, magic does all kinds of crazy things. Celestia briefly lamented the lack of effort in studying the effects of magical energies on the processes of conception and child bearing. There was so much still unknown.
Celestia was stirred from her thoughts by a sudden shifting in the bed next to her. A warmth on her back followed by lavender forelegs curling around her. Twilight never did like being cold. The elder alicorn’s thoughts lingered on the love of her life; her wife, Twilight Sparkle.
“She would make a good mother.”
The thought echoed through Celestia’s mind, robbing her of her peaceful distraction, of her happy thoughts. The mare sighed.
Despite her repeated attempts at staring down her bedside alarm clock, she had managed to lose track of just how long she had been awake. “I wonder if Twilight would mind…” She quickly dismissed the silly thought. Even if she was a bit groggy, Twilight never did mind being woken up if something was bothering Celestia. White lips curled into a warm smile as Celestia gently turned herself over. The movement caused her little lover’s hooves to squirm around for a better grip.
“No, don’t move,” Twilight mumbled. A light chuckle from the larger mare followed as Twilight found her grip and pulled herself in close, burying her face in Celestia’s chest.
“Twilight, I need you to get up,” Celestia beckoned, her voice whispered and velvety.
No response.
Celestia repeated her siren’s call, this time adding a slight nudge to her request.
Twilight resisted and buried herself deeper while mumbling something incoherent.
With a grin, Celestia turned on her magic, grabbing hold of several things out of sight. A minute later, the soft flow of liquid filling a pot could be heard across the room. A few minutes more and a mug filled with an aromatic mixture floated over to the bed.
“Your morning elixir is served,” Celestia whispered into Twilight’s ear. The ear flicked. Slowly, the entrenched lavender alicorn pulled herself out from her burrow.
“...two sugars, no cream, pinch of salt…” the lavender pony grumbled, her eyes still wrenched shut.
Celestia leaned in and planted a gentle kiss on her wife’s nose. “Already in there, love.”
With precision that could only come from a routine ingrained over many years, lavender hooves snatched the mug of coffee out of the air without spilling a drop. The morning’s elixir was promptly downed in single a well-practiced gulp. Golden magic retrieved the mug and returned it to its rightful place for the maid to pick up later on.
The couple sat there silently for several minutes as Celestia slowly counted backwards in her mind.
“3, 2, 1…”
Twilight’s eyes fluttered open as she stifled a yawn. “Good morning, my Princess,” she spoke with energy one would not have expected from a pony who had barely awoken.
“Good morning, Twilight.”
Gazes met, and a pair of smiles brightened the room.
“So,” Twilight began, “what’s on your mind?”
At once the niggling thoughts returned. That strange latent desire that toyed with her emotions began to fill her mind, almost moving her lips to speak before she clamped her mouth shut. Celestia felt herself melt as hints of concern started to shine in Twilight’s eyes, like twinkling stars in the night sky. She’d fought this urge before, several times in fact, and each time the mare of the sun had been victorious. There was just one tiny problem this time; she had never been in love before when these feelings had cropped up.
“Celestia, what’s wrong?”
Celestia turned her gaze away from her lover. “It’s… just that something has been on my mind recently.” Hesitation followed, but Twilight was as patient as always. Celestia returned her gaze to meet Twilight’s. “Have you ever thought about being a mother?”
Twilight smiled, “Oh, of course I have. I mean, I think it would odd for a pony to not ever think about being a parent.”
Celestia waited patiently, as she was known to do. Twilight may have been awake, but even with her coffee she wasn’t going to be running at full speed just yet.
Twilight gazed into her wife’s eyes for a few moments before a realization struck. “Ah, you were wanting me to elaborate, weren’t you?” Her question was answered with a nod and a pleasant smile. Twilight allowed a massive yawn to escape. “Right, well, I’ve thought about it many times, ever since I was very young, actually. The first time I can remember thinking about motherhood was when Cadance and Shining started dating. Sure, I was really young, but I knew that two ponies made a family, and a family made foals… somehow.” Both mares chuckled at the thought.
Twilight continued, “As I grew up, I’d occasionally ponder or daydream about starting a family some day. It wasn’t so much a goal or desire of mine as much as it was something that seemed like it should just naturally happen once I fell in love with somepony. I can’t say I gave it too much thought, but the idea was appealing. Maybe not specifically being a mother, but the idea of building my own loving family.” Twilight punctuated her last thought by draping a wing over Celestia’s back. “And I think I did pretty well in the end.”
“That’s wonderful! I knew she had a soft spot for family, but this bodes very well indeed. Now, a little push to see how she reacts.” Celestia couldn’t help her growing smile. “You probably already knew this, but I’ve always felt much the same way. There’s little in this world that I desire more than a loving family.”
Twilight smirked. The purple mare had had plenty of experience over the years with Celestia’s deep love for her family. From Luna’s return to Cadance’s wedding, and even her many personal students, Celestia loved them all more than most ponies would ever understand. “Only world peace and me, right?” Twilight teased.
Celestia responded by planting a playful kiss on her wife’s nose. “You first. The world can be as chaotic as it wants as long as I can have you by my side.” Celestia quickly found her lips pressed against Twilight’s. The younger mare pulled back revealing her flushed cheeks.
“We’ve been married ten years and I still manage to get embarrassed by you. You’re far too competent at flirting; it’s not fair,” Twilight whined playfully.
Celestia couldn’t help but laugh. There was something she found deviously amusing about pushing Twilight just barely outside her comfort zone. At least when she’d been her teacher she’d had the guise of teaching to hide behind. Now that she was married she had found that teasing Twilight was both easier and harder.There were so many more ways to play her games, but her lover was still prone to taking things a bit too seriously at times. “You know you really can’t complain. Luna warned you about me before you proposed.”
Twilight’s blush softened, “Yes, she did warn me that you were a devious trickster with a fierce flirtatious nature when you were in love,” — purple lips formed a pout — “However, she severely undersold your desire for intimacy and ability to honey your words.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Never. Just stating facts.”
Celestia shifted her gaze towards the balcony window, a wistful look in her eyes. “Ah, facts. Between those and books, I’m proud to say that I defeated them soundly to win your affections.”
The lavender wing retracted. “Ha ha, very funny. I never wanted to marry facts, and you know it.”
Celestia turned to peek at her lover out of the corner of her eye with a foxish grin. “But aren't you glad I refused to allow you to marry the royal library?”
Twilight’s blush threatened to overtake her entire head. “I-I was six! I didn’t know what marriage was!” the younger mare stammered.
A large white wing pulled the smaller mare in close. “And if not for my wisdom, you may never have found out.”
“Wisdom? Is that your new name for your tongue?” Twilight asked dryly.
White wings twitched and the slightest hint of red appeared on Celestia’s cheeks. “I, uh, see you are finally starting to learn how to play my game with me.”
A sudden bout of giggling drew Celestia’s attention. Despite her laughter, Twilight was wearing a triumphant smile. “Maybe so, but that’s also a scary thought,” Twilight spoke, still fighting to calm her laughter. “How will Luna even stand a chance if I manage to inherit your sense of humor?”
“No need to worry. Luna has been training Cadence and Shining Armor in her style of pranking.”
“Does she really think she can win with just numbers against us?” White and purple cheeks met as the pair of alicorns began to nuzzle.
“You know what your confidence does to me, Twilight.”
“Mmmhmm.” Twilight wriggled a bit, trying to get around to Celestia’s neck. The smaller mare gave a pout and a whine when Celestia pulled herself back.
“Sorry, dear, but I’m still rather in the mood to talk,” Celestia replied reluctantly.
The nuzzling slowly ended after a heavy sigh from Twilight. “Well, that is what you woke me up for after all.”
Celestia winced, Twilight was agitated. She made a mental note to make it up to her after sundown. “Sorry.”
Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. “No, no, I’m just used to your flirting actually leading to more physical things. Honestly, it’s not like that’s the only thing on my mind right now.” Celestia looked down as Twilight looked up, their gazes met. “I’m actually curious now, have you ever thought about being a mother?”
Celestia nodded without breaking eye contact. Celestia felt her heart begin to race. “She’s interested! No, calm down. You don’t know anything for certain. But this is promising.” She could feel that incessant urge clawing at her once more. Thoughts of Twilight, lying in a bed, holding a small foal, their foal, flashed through her mind. It was beyond enticing. “I have. Mostly when I was younger, but I have thought about it from time to time since then,” — she smiled — “It's one of the reasons I love teaching. It's probably nothing even close, but I feel like it gives me just the smallest insight into what it means to be a mother.”
Twilight smirked, "I'm surprised you've never been close enough with somepony to be able to live that dream. Although, if I'm any indication, maybe you've just never liked stallions enough for that to happen."
Celestia’s mind traveled through centuries worth of memories. “I can name a few stallions that I’ve fancied, but that’s hardly important. Things just never worked out before, for a lot of different reasons.” Keeping her eyes locked on Twilight’s, she lowered her head to press her nose against her lover’s. “Besides, I can say for certain that 'never' isn't true; I have you, Twilight."
The lavender mare stole a brief kiss before laughter overtook her once again. "Well, unless you've been hiding a spell that can let two mares conceive, then I guess you'll just have to settle for being my wife."
Celestia’s expression softened. “Yes, she really does want foals! I knew it! She could feel her desire rising, that sensation that had been keeping her awake was growing steadily stronger every second she gazed at Twilight. A gentle love permeated the tone of her voice, "And if I did have such a spell?"
Twilight’s expression shifted immediately. Celestia had seen that look many times; deep purple eyes beckoning to her, begging her to continue.
Celestia obliged, an excited energy causing her wings to shake, "You know, there's something to do with making foals that I have been wanting to do with you for so long now. Shall I show you?"
“Absolutely,” Twilight replied, slowly dragging the word out with a sensual, almost husky tone.
Lips met. Softly at first, then again with more pressure. Celestia broke the rhythm as she aimed for Twilight’s chin, then her neck. Each kiss moving her slowly downward. Twilight shifted onto her back, allowing the trail of kisses to continue their journey unimpeded. Each one was gentle, yet firm; a few even punctuated with the tip of Celestia’s wisdom leaving a small swirl in the lavender fur. The gradual procession of smooches reached Twilight’s belly. Celestia loved this part the most. Firm, strong muscles of an alicorn hidden under a slight layer of pudge earned from her lover’s habit of sitting down with too much to read and a few extra desserts every day since her ascension. Soft and firm, warm and oh so sensitive.
Kisses turned into a series of tantalizing strokes of her tongue. Briefly, Celestia lamented the lack of whipped cream or sweet syrup. Her favorite sound, something between a moan and the laugh of a tickled mare filled the room. She repeated her last performance once, then twice, just to hear it again. Suddenly, her horn lit up with a golden glow. A final kiss was planted as the glow intensified, trailing from Celestia’s horn down into Twilight’s lower torso. Celestia could feel the warmth there increase; she was certain Twilight felt it too.
The light faded and Celestia slowly lowered her head to rest upon Twilight’s belly. A contented smile curved the corners of her mouth upward as tension seeped out of her body. Finally, she had done it. Finally, she had found a true love with whom she could share everything. Finally, that niggling little desire that she had been trying to ignore for longer than she could honestly remember had ceased. Everything at that moment was perfect.
Except for that confused look on Twilight’s face.
“Why did you stop?” Twilight asked bluntly.
The question sent a shiver down Celestia’s spine. “I didn’t stop, it’s all done,” she replied calmly.
Purple brows furrowed, “I'm not moaning in ecstasy, and you're just laying there not doing anything."
In an instant, Celestia’s mood fell from the heavens. “I was wrong. I didn’t ask… but it sounded like…” Celestia shook her head.
“What did you do?”
Celestia tried to look up, to meet Twilight’s gaze, but for every ounce of strength she could muster there was an equal amount of guilt weighing her down.
“What did you do?” Twilight repeated. Even though her voice was no different than before, Celestia only managed to hear her lover’s irritation.
Celestia closed her eyes. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I-I thought... oh I just let myself get swept up in my own desires. It just sounded so much like you wanted to... I'm sorry. It's early, I can still reverse the magic before it fully activates." She quickly channeled power into her horn only to be met with a sudden, sharp pain lancing through her head. Her eyes slowly opened as the pain subsided. To her surprise, she was now nose-to-nose with Twilight. Guilt crept back in and her eyes began to close again.
“Look at me, Celestia!” The elder mare froze in place. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been ordered to do something. “You’re not undoing anything until you tell me what you did.”
Celestia’s next words came slowly, “You,” she hesitated, “you’re going to be pregnant if you don’t let me undo the spell.” Twilight did not react immediately. In fact, she did not react for quite some time. Celestia, however, was too busy bracing for whatever backlash was building up to be counting the seconds as they passed.
After an infinitesimal eternity, a smile broke out across Twilight’s face. “Really?! Do you mean it?” the mare shouted gleefully before sweeping her lover up in a crushing embrace. “Oh, Princess, I thought you were just making another euphemism for sex. I can’t believe you actually knew a spell like that.”
Before Celestia could even come to grips with her partner’s sudden mood swing, she found herself being peppered with kisses. Before she could react to the flurry of affection, Twilight had already stopped. Somehow, the little lavender mare had managed to retrieve a quill and parchment already and was busy scribbling away. “Twilight—”
“First we start with names. We’ll need at least ten names to choose from for each possibility, so that’ll be eighty names, minimum.”
Celestia blinked. “Eighty?”
Twilight nodded. “Unless you have information to the contrary, there’s no known records of what happens when two alicorns conceive a foal. It could be any type of pony, and either male or female. You have already taught me plenty of ways that alicorns defy conventional magical and biological wisdom, so we need to be prepared for any scenario!”
The guilt that Celestia had felt tried its damnedest to cling to her, to hold her back as much as it could. However, the sight of her cute little wife happily scribbling away on yet another list left her guilt with nothing to grab onto. Even if it had been a mistake to cast the spell when she did, it honestly didn’t even matter anymore. Twilight was happy. Celestia had no reason to focus on anything else.
The bed shifted as Celestia made her way to Twilight’s side, the smaller alicorn instinctively shifting to compensate. Each mare extended a single wing to wrap around the other. “You don’t think eighty names is a bit much, Twilight?”
The quill stopped, Twilight’s smile grew even wider. “No way. If we put in the work ahead of time, we will be ready for the next ones.”
Celestia blinked. “Next ones?”
“I really wish you’d told me about this spell sooner.” Twilight turned her head to face Celestia with an almost terrifying fire in her eyes. “Shining and Cadance have a ten year head start on us now, but we have twice the potential!”
Gears turned in Celestia’s mind as she slowly began to realize what Twilight was talking about. “You know, having foals isn’t a race, Twilight. You can’t have a competition without an end goal.”
Normally, Celestia found Twilight’s laughter to be adorable and relaxing. At this moment, it only served to fill her with concern and dread.
“It’s not about reaching a specific number, it’s about not letting those two have a bigger, happier family than us!” Twilight exclaimed proudly while pumping a hoof into the air.
“I’m not teaching you this spell,” Celestia stated flatly.
Twilight’s shoulder fell slightly as her hoof returned to the bed. “So, it’s a game then?” she asked coolly without turning to look at her wife.
Celestia couldn’t help but chuckle. “I suppose it is,” she replied with an identical tone. “I’ll cast it again when you can convince me we should have another foal.”
The couple’s gazes met once again, both filled with a mix of energy, conviction, and happiness. With perfect synchronization, lips curled into a smirk and the two spoke, “Let the game begin!”
Celestia and Twilight giggled shamelessly at themselves, before Celestia wrapped her lovely wife up in her wings again. "Thank you, Twilight. Truly."
Twilight blushed, and nuzzled in closer, just enjoying the embrace, along with that curious and wonderful warmth down in her belly. Before long however, another warmth made itself known, and a small grin creeped onto Twilight's face.
"Honey?" Twilight asked sweetly, too sweetly.
Celestia tensed. "Yes, Twilight?"
"Well, it’s just that, you did manage to get me rather worked up,” — Twilight paused briefly for emphasis — “Twice." Twilight shifted around, so that she was facing her wife. "Now that we have everything settled, I think it's time we did something about that..."
Cadance contemplated the new model coffee maker in front of her. Those little cups, able to make the wonderful drink in a matter of seconds. It would make her weep, but she hadn’t had any coffee yet. She was shaken from her reverie when a pair of large hooves wrapped around her.
“Mm, hazelnut this time?” Shining Armour asked as he gave his wife a nip on her ear.
“What’s got you in such a mood honey?”
“Oh, just a feeling I got. A sense, if you will. Twilight, she’s finally figured out how to grow her family.”
“Mm, and you don’t want her to catch up to us?”
Shining flashed a grin that made Cadance shudder. “If you don’t mind.” He leaned in to capture Cadance’s lips, when she put a hoof up. “Alright, but first explain how you sensed this. Do you have some kind of spell you haven’t told me about?”
Shining chuckled. “Nah. Luna sent us a warning-slash-plea for help when she found out."
Cadance looked at him a bit askance. “Auntie Luna wants help? With what, exactly?”
"Apparently she's concerned about the social implications of being the only alicorn that isn't happily married and starting a family."
"We'll pay her a visit this week. It'll be a good chance to surprise Twilight and Celestia too. Hmm, but first…” She leaned in to get back to Shining’s lips. “Let’s increase our lead.”
Author's Note
Written for the Seventh Bimonthly Twilestia Contest.
