A Discorded Familyby Dragon GenesisChapters-1--2--3--4--1-Twilight sipped her tea, the draconequus across from spinning a spoon in the air with a bored look on his face. Spike ignored the two of them and snacked on his rubies, reading the latest Power Ponies issue. Taking a bite of her sandwich, looking up in time to see Discord taking a bite out of his glass of chocolate milk, the milk staying behind. “So,” said Twilight clearing her voice. Discord stopped trying to see how effective of a hoola-hoop his wedding band was, focusing his attention on her. “You’ve been pretty calm recently. No poison joke incidents, Ponyville for once has had a month without chaos or any other form of incident, which hasn’t happened the entire time I lived here. What are you planning?” Discord paled a bit, slipping on his ring. “Well, um…” “Did you rig my throne again?” asked Twilight with a flat stare. They finally repaired the ceiling after someone rigged her throne to launch her into it. “No, but…” “Is the bed filled with poison joke again? Or does my hair brush have a hoard of fleas again. Please tell me the tube doesn’t have blue dye in it again.” Twilight shivered as she remembered the time she went to court pure blue. “Well, not exactl-” “Or did do something in the mayor’s office? She still hasn’t forgiven me for the time you se-” “I’m pregnant.” The room went silent. Spike looked at him in horror, while Twilight stared at him in a mixture of shock and confusion. It was mathematically impossible for him to be pregnant. Of course, he did defy normal means, but… “We haven’t even done it!” exclaimed Twilight, standing up. “I mean, yes there was foreplay...a lot actually.” Her cheeks burned, but she shook her head and started pacing. “Ignoring the fact that you don’t function like a normal being, you would have to have sex to be able to reproduce with another…” Before he knew, Discord found Twilight standing up above him, glaring daggers into him. “Who is she?!” “Wh-who?” “The mare you’re cheating on me with!” “I didn’t cheat, I swear! You are the only mare I slept with, at least in the last thousand years.” Discord teleported to the other side of the table, nothing that smoke seemed to rise from her head. “Then how did you become pregnant?!” yelled Twilight, stamping her hoof. “Well, we did share bodily fluids.” said Discord, scratching behind his head. “In multiple ways.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying, just because we swapped fluids, but without having sex, you managed to get pregnant?” “I am the Lord of Chaos, does it surprise you?” Discord sat down with a sigh. “I found out I was a month along a month ago. So, we don’t have that long.” “What do you mean? We still have 7 months.” “Draconequus birth cycle is three months.” Discord could see the smoke again, this time as Twilight’s brain worked in overdrive to comprehend the situation. “You’re telling me, that we have a month to make a kids room, childproof a castle, and let our friends and family know?” asked Twilight, her eye twitching violently. Spike walked back into the room, having fetched parchment and a quill. He sat down with a sigh as he waited for the inevitable. “More or less.” Discord shrugged. He snapped his claws, forming a barrier between them as her eye twitched violently. “Spike...start making a list.” The drake let out a sigh, already titling said list as his sister/mother figure rambled on a list of baby items. “We should also find clothes. Wait, would the baby be pony or draconequus? Maybe a hybrid?” Discord sighed, sitting down in a chair as he watched her pace rapidly. The doors to the dining area opened, the rest of the mane six walking into the room. They stared at the growing mess that was Twilight and the draconequus hiding smartly behind a wall. “She does this a lot around me. You tend to get used to it.” he said with a shrug. “What did ya’ll do to her?” asked Applejack, watching the alicorn start to wear a small rut in the table with her constant pacing. Suddenly Twilight let out a sigh, lying flat on the table, looking defeated. “I’m not ready to be a parent.” said the mare, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache coming on. Their was a unison gasp before she was suddenly surrounded by her friends. “You’re having a baby?! Oh that’s wonderful, Darling!” Cooed Rarity. “When is it due?” “Next month.” said Twilight, as if it was going to be the end of the world. “Uh..sugarcube, ya’ll don’t look that far along. Ya sure it’s next month?” “Oh I am flattered!” exclaimed Discord, hovering above them. “I was worried that the baby would make me look fat.” The five mares stared at him in confusion, Twilight staring at him unphased. “Still don’t appreciate you waiting until a month after you found out” said Twilight, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not that bad.” “You just had a panic attack.” “For a justified reason!” huffed Twilight. “Not my fault I got a month to plan and prepare for a baby.” “Would it be the same if you had eight?” “No! Maybe...that’s not the point! Point is, you hid it from me for awhile now.” “I was scared.” admitted Discord, settling himself on the table. “Kids are a big deal for mortals, and even more of a big deal for immortals. And when it's an immortal and a possible mortal…” “You’re scared you’ll lose both of us someday.” said Twilight softly. Discord nodded solemnly. “Discord...I am sure that our child will live a long, plentiful life. But dwelling on our possible mortality ruins the fun we can possibly have as a family, something we both don’t want.” “So let me get this straight,” said Rainbow Dash, drawing attention to her. “Discord, a guy, is pregnant with Twilight’s baby, a girl? How the heck does that work?!” “Lord of Chaos. All you need to know.” said Twilight with a sigh. “I need time to cool down, then I need to clear a room by the master bedroom, decorate it, baby proof the rooms, buy a crib...oh Celestia this will be the death of me.” It took her the entire month, but Twilight managed to furnish and baby proof the new room within the month she was given. She did everything from put in a crib to scrub down the newly installed carpet since Discord said that using bubble wrap was overkill. The Lord of Chaos himself was hit by the last month of his pregnancy. Everything from random mood swings which caused all sorts of mayhem in Ponyville to odd eating habits. Applejack woke up to find three of her apple trees missing, only the apples remaining. Didn’t take Twilight long to figure out who did it. The only thing she didn’t do was tell her parents and her brother. Discord and her friends have tried to get her to do it multiple times, but she always evaded doing it. While she was happy the room was finished, she no longer had an excuse to why she couldn’t go visit her family. “I think this bed is too small for me.” stated Discord, popping his head out of the center of the bed. “Maybe a queen sized bed is more appropriate.” “Not for a baby room.” Twilight sighed, giving it one more look over. “Any day now and we will be parents. I don’t think I am ready.” “Nah. I hear over protective and worry-wart can be good mother characteristics.” said Discord with a shrug, gaining a glare from the smaller mare. “Besides, I estimate...five minutes.” “For our baby to be born? On what crazy theory were you able to pin down the exact birth time of a child coming from you of all ponies?” “The theory of chaos, my dear Watson.” said Discord, pulling out a pipe. He blew into it, letting out a stream of bubbles. “Besides, you should know better than to try and predict me by now, Sparkle Butt.” Twilight blushed at the mention of his pet name for her. “But that's just the thing! You’re unpredictable, but you are predicting yourself! It makes no sense whatsoever!” She sat down with a sigh. “So, you are saying, that our child will be born in a few minutes? Then what?” “Well, then we prepare for our guests that are coming over shortly!” Discord clapped with glee. “Oh I just love surprises!” “Discord...you didn’t invite who I thought you invited, did you?” asked Twilight, slowly realizing what he was getting at. “You would have to tell them sooner or later. I mean, you just can’t ignore this.” Suddenly, Discord pulled out a small bundle of purple fur. The draconequus held similar traits between the two of them. She had a pony body, albeit more fur than normal and paws instead of hooves. Two antlers poked out the sides of her white mane. She slowly turned over, revealing two red orbs. “You...had our baby…” said Twilight, speechless. “I...I don’t know what I expected honestly…” “You have a name?” asked Discord, rubbing a claw under the filly’s chin. “Penumbra sounds cute to me.” “I think so too.” said Twilight with a small smile, looking at her daughter. Just then their was a knocking on the castle door, causing her to sigh. “Oh buck.” -2-Twilight never thought she would find herself in a such a position. She defeated Nightmare Moon, beat Sombra, and won against Tirek. But she found herself utterly terrified as she across from her parents and siblings, Discord cradling their newly born next to her. An awkward silence sat between them, only the sound of the clock in the room was to be heard. Discord hummed to himself, seeming to love the current situation. Shining was the one to break the silence, coughing into his hoof. “So,” said the stallion, eyeing the draconequus. “Who is the little one?” “Penumbra.” said Twilight, a ghost of a smile on her face. “Penumbra Sparkle.” “A pretty name.” said Cadence cheerfully. “But, um, I didn’t know you were pregnant, Twily.” “Because she wasn’t.” said Discord. He tickled Penumbra’s chin, causing the hybrid to coo, attempting to reach out and grab his claw. Despite the situation, Twilight found it hard to stop from giggling as the look on the other ponies faces changed into confusion. “Is it really the shocking? I am the Lord of Chaos.” “I stopped questioning when a virgin gets told they got someone pregnant.” said Twilight with a sigh. “But aside from two months of running around trying to get everything prepared, I can certainly say it is relieving. That is, until our first night with our newborn.” She looked over to Discord with a glare. “And because you didn’t mention that you were pregnant, or that a draconequus’ term is very short, you are taking care of her if she wakes up.” “Rude.” said Discord with a pout. “But fair.” A cough directed their attention back to the other occupants in the room. “So, since Twilight pointed out that you didn’t get pregnant….normally, how did this happen?” The couple looked at each other for a moment. “We don’t know.” They said in unison. “It could be from minor fluid transfer or that one party a few months back.” said Discord, making Twilight groan. “I never want to see that much alcohol again.” “I still drank more than you, though.” “And which of us spent the next three days in the bathroom?” “Touché.” “I am not sure if I should be surprised that my daughter got into a drinking game with the Lord of Chaos or if I should be surprised by the amount of responsibility.” said Velvet, shaking her head with a sigh. “So, now what do you two plan on doing? As a parent, raising a child with incredible powers as an alicorn is hard enough. Penumbra is a mix of Alicorn and Draconequus, something that surely will blue a headache.” Cadence smiled at the two. “I still wouldn’t mind lending a hoof in watching her.” “I am sure we will be just fine, LoveButt.” said Discord confidentially. He went to go tickle the baby draconequus, freezing as he realized that the blanket was absent of any such thing. “Or not…” “You lost our child already?” said Twilight, an eye twitching violently. Before he could answer, they heard something loud, and probably expensive, break upstairs. In an instant, Discord disappeared. Seconds passed before there was another bang, followed shortly by pained hollering. With a sigh, Twilight was starting to memorize the process of signing up for property and health insurance as Discord reappeared in the room holding a giggling Penumbra. Cadence made not of the ice pack on his head as she continued. “I think a magic suppressor would come in handy?” Discord rubbed his head with a sigh. “If only it worked on Chaos Magic.” There was a loud crash upstairs, causing the draconequus to sigh as he handed Penumbra to Twilight. “Excuse me as I calm down the bed.” Before the others could question what he meant, he already disappeared with a snap of his claws. “I feel like I won’t be calm and relaxed for a long time.” moaned Twilight, letting her head lay back on the couch. “Welcome to parenthood.” said Night Light with a chuckle. “We may not have to deal with chaos magic, but raising two unicorns is not easy feat.” “Neither will a draconequus.” said Discord, making everyone jump as they just noticed he returned. “I also think we need to invest in a new bed.” “Why? The frame is hardened crystal. It would be almost impossible to break.” Discorded patted Twilight’s head with a small smile. “Don’t underestimate the power of a raging bed against the lord of chaos.” Twilight stayed silent, making note of the fact that she may lose her sanity within the next few years. “Don’t worry, Twiley,” said Cadence softly, sensing her step-sister’s inner turmoil. “All of us would be willing to help when raising two kids gets the better of you.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Two?” “Discord, you act more like you are your daughter’s age than your proper age.” Everyone chuckled as the draconequus huffed. “What is the fun in acting my age? Life was much more fun before adulthood.” “I am aware. Before then I didn’t have to deal with you on a daily basis.” said Twilight with an exasperated sigh. She rubbed her temples. “Now we got to meet the girls, Celestia said she wanted me in Canterlot so she could meet my new heir, there is now the fact that we need to plan a royal reveal of the next royal heir.” She let out a sigh, laying back in her chair. “I will need a thousand years of sleep after this.” “I don’t recommend it.” said Discord with the shake of his head. “It feels nice for awhile, then you get cramps and can’t really do much about ‘em.” “Point is, Twilight,” said Velvet, glancing at Discord a brief moment. “We are for you if you ever need help.” The alicorn smiled softly. “Thanks mom, it’s appreciated.” The rest of the day was spent showing Penumbra to the other elements as well as trying to prevent any form of chaos the new filly tried to cause. Even Discord got tired of having to constantly chase the draconequus babe and defuse the chaos she created, after admiring her work that is. It took another hour after feeding the filly before they were able to get her to sleep, setting her to sleep in the newly built baby room. The room itself took a quick redesign before hand, Discord adding as many anti-chaos wards as he could so they didn’t walk into a war zone in the morning. With a heavy sigh, Twilight fell onto the bed she just bought that day. She was slightly surprised to see her old bed smashed to bits. Now they slept with the mattress on the floor as she reminded herself to send the frame to the Crystal Empire for repair. The bed shifted as she felt a furry snakelike creature rub against, wrapping his claws around her. She let out a soft sigh, letting the embrace continue as she was brought closer. The couple sat in silence for awhile, their breathing the only thing to be heard. “You drive me crazy, Discord.” said the alicorn softly, chuckling slightly. “Surprise children, complete chaos the entire day, and I get to deal with it for the next 18 years. Still, I won’t regret it.” “I wouldn’t say that yet,” commented the draconequus, rubbing against her neck. “We barely started this whole parenting thing.” “You know what I meant.” Twilight sighed, she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “I may not be ready mentally to be a mother, but I will still love and care for my daughter to the best of my abilities, just much as I have you.” She chuckled. “Even after our wedding cake started running around the dance floor.” “I thought that was a nice touch.” said Discord with a shrug. He traced a claw over her cheek. “But all I ask is that you put up with us despite what we will put you through you.” He leaned forward, inches away from her lips when the screaming of their daughter split the silence. “You’re getting that.” said Twilight with a chuckle. “I will love you both for years to come, but consider this payback of three months of stress.” -3-Tired. It was now a state of being for Twilight. Her and Discord got barely any sleep as the newborn woke up on several occasions. Now, after going through the fiasco of feeding her, the family was on their way to Canterlot with only 3 hours of sleep at the most. Her mother, who stayed the night at Ponyville, told her that 3 hours of sleep was going to be her new sleep schedule until at least she was one, maybe two. Her and Discord took turns napping on the train, trying to catch as much sleep as possible to make up for what they lost. Whoever woke up got to watch Penumbra while the other slept. The filly seemed to have calmed a bit from this morning, watching the scenery roll by. They were both waiting for the train to grow legs or something. After two hours, the train slowed to a stop at the glistening capital of Canterlot. From the window, Twilight could see the detachment of guards Celestia told her would be waiting. According to the princess, the nobles were highly against two things currently: Discord and Cross-Breeding. So at that moment, Penumbra was at the top of the list for Equestria’s nobel’s, meaning they had to sneak her into the castle since word of the new heir already reached Canterlot ears. Reluctantly, Twilight covered up the child in a foal carrier she had strapped under her. She then cast a quick shield around her, invisible so as not to seem too suspicious. Discord laid a claw on her shoulder before rendering himself invisible. Upon exit, the guards bowed deeply before continuing to follow the princess down the streets. Twilight had been guarded previous times before, but the fact that she was not one being targeted made her uncomfortable. She reached up and stroked the bundle on her chest softly, gaining a small giggle in response. She stopped in front one of the news stands. She dropped a bit in the jar before taking the newspaper off the rack. A picture taken from their wedding earlier that year was in the cover. She took a deep breath before actually reading the article: Royal Heir, or Royal Disaster? It was reported that early yesterday afternoon, the royal couple of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Discord, Lord of Chaos had birthed their first heir. Penumbra Sparkle was birthed around 9:20 yesterday morning, by means unknown since witnesses in Ponyville said they never saw Twilight pregnant, though a noticeable absence of chaos was noted as Discord remained indoors the last 3 months, coming out only occasionally and not for long. Rumors have already spread about whether or not that the next heir to the throne will be anything like her infamous father. Nobel’s of Equestria’s congress have already expressed their disgust of the matter and have briefly discussed it’s legal properties before being shut down by the princess. Needless to say, the political backlash already seems to have started, few even talking of impeachment, but those mutterings were nither confirmed or repeated. Some Equestrian families are in an uproar, condemning the idea of a hybrid in the royal family. We know for certain, though, that the possibility of a shut down in Equestrian Government is possible until things settle. “Ponies sound happy about this.” huffed Discord, swatting the paper on the ground. Twilight didn’t make an attempt to pick it back up she continued forward with a sigh. “Equestria has always been afraid of foreign creatures. Other countries have even went as far to call us the most xenophobic country due to the fact that we normally freak out and attack anything foreign to us.” She shook her head. “Sadly, that combined with you past offenses against Equestria makes them terrified of Penumbra, as she is unknown and heir of the Lord of Chaos.” “I do wish I did make a better place for Penny to grow up in, but her birth wasn’t really planned to begin with.” There was an audible sigh next to her. “It’s not something I proud of, but I will try to fix it. Before it gets too bad.” “I mean, we’ve almost made it to the castle without any issue,” said Twilight with a faint smile. “And nopony really batted an eye at us, so I guess that means we are in the clear, right?” Before Discord , the guards in front of her stopped almost causing her to run into them. Pushing past them to get in front, she was confronted with 4 ponies barring the path ahead. Their mane’s were cut similarly to that of the royal guard, but they wore no armour except for the fact that their Cutie Marks were painted over. The Arms of Chaos was painted over it instead, a giant red X over it made her worried. “Sergeant, who are these ponies?” asked Twilight, quickly adding extra wards around Penumbra as she put her to sleep with magic. She took off the carrier and handed it to the rearmost guard. “Servants of Equestria, Princess.” said the sergeant, shifting his spear so it was easier to access. “We were aware of their upbringing shortly after Tirek. Since then, they have made multiple rallies against changeling’s and Lord Discord, warning the ponies of them. They have stayed mainly in Canterlot, but have supposedly moved to other major cities as well.” “Any of them ex-military?” asked Twilight, eyeing the one unicorn in the group. “A few, mainly guards who were discharged for disorderly conduct. A few for speaking against the Princess and making threats against you while in earshot of higher command.” “Perfect.” mumbled Twilight. She knew she didn’t get the most popularity, since she was the newest edition to Equestrian Hierarchy, but she never knew it would get this bad. “Prepare yourself, if anything happens, I want Penumbra to be your top priority and getting her to safety. I am more than able to handle myself.” Despite being invisible to everyone, Twilight could feel Discord watching her as she stepped away from the guards and towards the group of ponies, stopping a quarter of the way so that there was only ten feet between them. Twilight quickly glanced around, noticing that the halt of her party caused onlookers as they were curious of the situation. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “I was informed by my guards of the form of group you are part of, may I ask what the Servants of Equestria want with me that they halt our travel to the castle?” It was odd speaking this way. Formal, neutral, yet powerful. Something both her brother and mentor Celestia taught her so she could one day hold power over her own guards, army, or other. The unicorn, a mare with an orange coat and a blood red mane stepped forward. “You know what we have come for, Twilight. You have offended Equestria for not only mating with the beast known as Discord, but for reproducing. Equestria is ashamed of the creature half-breed you call a daughter.” Her eye twitched, but Twilight kept her cool knowing it would worsen the situation. “I would rather prefer that you keep my newborn out of this. And I also believe it is law that a pony can love and mate with whomever they desire, no matter the species.” Her voice lowered, bowing her head so that her horn was only a quick movement away from being perfectly lined up with the unicorn in front of her. “Please, step aside and let us through. Attacking royalty is against the laws and can result in severe penalty.” “We don’t care about your rules, Winged-Whore!” There was a collective gasp, Twilight reeling back at the insult in shock. Before she could retort, the unicorn threw down her head, releasing a bolt of magic in her direction. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, not having time to throw up a counterspell in time. The bolt stopped just before her, condensing in on itself into a red orb. Discord appeared into existence, the glare he held at the unicorn enough to back down even the Dragon King. With a squeeze of his claw, he dispelled the magic as he stepped in front of Twilight. “I think,” started Discord. “That you should leave. I will not allow you to cause any harm to my wife or daughter, and it is only because of them you are alive, so I suggest you leave before this gets any worse.” The deepness of his voice shocked Twilight. It was deeper than normal, sending a chill down her spine as it sounded almost sinister. Not wasting anytime, the ponies quickly scrambled away, the unicorn throwing a glare back at Discord before disappearing behind an alley. “Should we pursue them, Princess?” asked the sergeant, returning Penumbra to her. “No,” said Twilight, strapping the babe to her chest. “Let them run. Hopefully they learned their lesson and won’t try again. Besides, if they do, I prefer to have my guards with me and not all over Canterlot.” The guards bowed before taking up positions around her. Discord gave a heavy sigh as floated back next to Twilight before the continued down the street towards the castle. “Thank you.” said Twilight softly. “But you do realize that a spell of that caliber against an alicorn would only knock me back, since my magic resistance is higher than most ponies, right?” The draconequus chuckled. “I still think all of you ponies are hopeless.” He poked her in the stomach. “Especially you. Everything needs to be exactly perfect or you go into a complete mental breakdown.” “That was completely justified on my part.” said Twilight with a huff, shoving him away. “How else am I to react when I am suddenly dumped on that…you’re pregnant with our child? I think it was the perfect reaction for the time.” Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as they made it to the castle. She made note of the higher security, checkpoints at the gates, and flying sentries. “Penny is only a day old and caused plenty of chaos. Daddy is so proud of you.” “That’s what I am afraid of, Discord.” said Twilight with a sigh. “I don’t want to lock away her chaos tendencies, but right now it is putting everyone on edge that she has the ability to do things beyond you.” The family walked up the stairs into the castle where they were met by Celestia. It was one of the few times that Twilight saw her former-mentor truly tired. The elder alicorn smiled faintly, what looked like bags had formed under eyes, hinting that she probably hadn’t slept that night. “We got plenty to talk about.” -4-The smell of mid afternoon coffee brought memories of when Twilight and her mentor spent all nighters figuring out problems. It happened only a few times when the Princess of the Sun would agree to help her with algorithms over something she had been pondering. As she sat in the Celestia’s chambers, she could see that it had been a rough night. Celestia’s hair was ruffled and she had dark bags under her eyes. Looking at the cup, Twilight could tell it had been filled numerous times that afternoon. Papers with words scribbled on them cluttered the floor, a few sporting coffee stains or the occasional puddle of drool. Taking one of the papers, Twilight could tell it was some speech, partially since it started with Celestia’s famous “My dear little ponies” header. Before she could read the rest, Celestia took it from her grasp, throwing it aside with a sigh as she set down her cup. “It has been a long night. The nobles have been looking for every way to make what you did against the law.” Celestia chuckled. “Some tried to call it beastiality due to the different...appendages that Discord is made up of.” The draconequus scoffed. “I’ll have them know that I am no beast! I am perfectly proportionate mess of creatures. In some ways, it gives me more of an advantage than most stallions.” Twilight stifled a giggle as she blushed. Celestia shook her head with a sigh before continuing. “Anyways, they want to either remove Twilight from the crown or take the child out of your custody for ‘possible child endangerment’. The most preferred for them is both at this moment.” The alicorn stood, pacing the room. “Despite the fact that Discord has stayed rather calm compared to other events the past few years, there is still a widespread dislike and unease towards him. I want to keep this from becoming a public debate as long as possible, or I’m afraid you’ll lose.” “This can’t continue forever, can it? They can’t argue on it forever if we try to keep back.” Twilight held onto the bundle on her chest, afraid that something could come and steal it away. “I’m afraid it will be a constant on and off battle until she is a legal adult. Then if you write a legal will to have her as an heir, there wouldn’t be any ground for the nobles to attack you on. Of course, that is eighteen years of making sure that you keep up the ‘responsible’ parents act.” Discord stood there, staring at his feet as he pondered the situation. The draconequus walked over to Twilight, taking the small bundle from her. Penumbra was still knocked out from the spell Twilight put her under. The filly squirmed in discomfort, settling down as Discord tickled her belly with a claw. She let out a soft sigh as she curled into a ball. “I am not going to let a group of pampered mortal ponies take my daughter away from me. They can try but they will not succeed.” He let out a sigh as he sat on the chair that suddenly appeared in the room. “I will even try to become…” He shivered. “Normal... if it means a better life for my daughter.” Celestia nodded. “Right, but there is also the problem with the Servants of Equestria.” With a quick spell, Celestia brought out a map of Equestria, small red markings over a few places in forests and major cities. “They have expanded the past year since it’s formation here in Canterlot. A few small towns and cities like Baltimare have been affected. They are slowing making their way down to Ponyville since that is where you live, obviously. “It’s been years since we have had an anti-political group that was an actual threat. I heard of your attack on the way here, so it tells us they are willing to attack Equestria Leaders for their beliefs. This could work in their favor, and possibly strengthen their numbers. So, as a precaution I need to break my promise to you and deploy a team of guards to protect your castle at all times. Maybe even fortify it better with walls and watchtowers from the Crystal Kingdom builders.” “You’re afraid of a seige.” noted Twilight. Celestia let out a weary sigh. “Without proper fortifications, your castle is very vulnerable. There are multiple spells that are able to break the crystal defenses. If we build a wall and add a detachment of 200, we can have the wall and inside of the castle thoroughly protected from attacks. We could also have it linked to the Canterlot and Crystal Kingdom castles so if it is attacked, we will be alerted and can send additional troops to assist.” “If we do, I would like Shining and myself apply the wards ourselves. Between an accomplished Mage and unicorn with immense knowledge on protection barriers we could get it done faster and better than normal unicorns.” said Twilight, standing. “Besides, I’m not going to let someone blow up another one of my homes.” “So be it. I had one of my Sergeants promoted to Captain and he is getting a force of 200 soldiers of his choosing together. You might have already met him. I will have a contractor over this week and he has orders to start immediately on planning and building the defenses.” Twilight sat down with a sigh. “This progressed a lot faster than I thought it would. I never suspected that this would happen.” said Twilight, examining the floor. “Just yesterday I was holding my newborn daughter, and now I am fortifying my castle to withstand enemy attacks, deploying an army to guard it, and preparing for an eighteen year custody battle against the Canterlot nobles.” Celestia sat next to her former pupil, wrapping a wing around her. “Our job is never an easy one. Sometimes, things feel like it gets out of hands very quickly. The only thing you can do is make the decision you think is best and hope that you can solve it before it gets worse.” “And if it doesn’t get better?”asked Twilight, looking up at the ceiling. “If the nobels win?” “Then you fight to make it right. You don’t let anypony tell you otherwise, and you don’t give up.” Celestia chuckled. “I have used that advice after Nightmare Moon and other enemies.” She stood up, with a long sigh. “I appreciate you two visiting, but the past few hours have taken a toll on me. I must bid you farewell for now while I sleep. Your Captain and his guard should be waiting for you in the barracks.” Twilight visited the guard barracks only a few times, all when Shining was the Captain of the Guard. The majestic tapestries and marble walls of the castle were replaced with dull stone bricks, low lighting, and rooms cramped with bunk beds. After asking around, she found out that the Captain of her guard was waiting in one of the few offices, gathering paperwork to be transferred. It took them a few minutes to travel through the tight, maze of hallways to the offices. Turning into the office they were directed to, Twilight was surprised to see that the Sergeant that escorted her to the Castle was in there, collecting papers while wearing the armour that gave him the rank of Captain. The stallion turned as he heard them enter, giving them a brisk salute. “Princess, it is nice to meet you again and I am determined to keep you and your family safe.” The captain put down his hoof, Twilight still recovering from the display. She shook her head before nodding. “I am honored by your display, Captain. May I ask your name? I did not catch it on our way here.” “Steel Wing, your highness. I have served under Celestia for four years now.” Twilight smiled. “You have ranked fast, Captain. I can only hope that means you will serve me well in the years to come.” She cleared her throat. “Is your squad ready so we can head out to Ponyville?” “Yes, ma’am. I have a detachment of ten including myself to escort you via chariot to Ponyville. Another set of twenty will fly a few miles behind us for support while the rest take the military transport to Ponyville. They should be there only half an hour after us.” “Well planned and prepared, I like that.” Discord snickered. “That’s because you freak out if something is off schedule. You even planned a trip to the store using time charts once.” Twilight huffed, pawing at the ground. “We were in a hurry.” She let out a sigh. “Alright, Captain. Let’s head out immediately. It is almost Penumbra’s lunch time and we need to discuss how we should safeguard the castle until we get a proper fortification”
-1-Twilight sipped her tea, the draconequus across from spinning a spoon in the air with a bored look on his face. Spike ignored the two of them and snacked on his rubies, reading the latest Power Ponies issue. Taking a bite of her sandwich, looking up in time to see Discord taking a bite out of his glass of chocolate milk, the milk staying behind. “So,” said Twilight clearing her voice. Discord stopped trying to see how effective of a hoola-hoop his wedding band was, focusing his attention on her. “You’ve been pretty calm recently. No poison joke incidents, Ponyville for once has had a month without chaos or any other form of incident, which hasn’t happened the entire time I lived here. What are you planning?” Discord paled a bit, slipping on his ring. “Well, um…” “Did you rig my throne again?” asked Twilight with a flat stare. They finally repaired the ceiling after someone rigged her throne to launch her into it. “No, but…” “Is the bed filled with poison joke again? Or does my hair brush have a hoard of fleas again. Please tell me the tube doesn’t have blue dye in it again.” Twilight shivered as she remembered the time she went to court pure blue. “Well, not exactl-” “Or did do something in the mayor’s office? She still hasn’t forgiven me for the time you se-” “I’m pregnant.” The room went silent. Spike looked at him in horror, while Twilight stared at him in a mixture of shock and confusion. It was mathematically impossible for him to be pregnant. Of course, he did defy normal means, but… “We haven’t even done it!” exclaimed Twilight, standing up. “I mean, yes there was foreplay...a lot actually.” Her cheeks burned, but she shook her head and started pacing. “Ignoring the fact that you don’t function like a normal being, you would have to have sex to be able to reproduce with another…” Before he knew, Discord found Twilight standing up above him, glaring daggers into him. “Who is she?!” “Wh-who?” “The mare you’re cheating on me with!” “I didn’t cheat, I swear! You are the only mare I slept with, at least in the last thousand years.” Discord teleported to the other side of the table, nothing that smoke seemed to rise from her head. “Then how did you become pregnant?!” yelled Twilight, stamping her hoof. “Well, we did share bodily fluids.” said Discord, scratching behind his head. “In multiple ways.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “So, you’re saying, just because we swapped fluids, but without having sex, you managed to get pregnant?” “I am the Lord of Chaos, does it surprise you?” Discord sat down with a sigh. “I found out I was a month along a month ago. So, we don’t have that long.” “What do you mean? We still have 7 months.” “Draconequus birth cycle is three months.” Discord could see the smoke again, this time as Twilight’s brain worked in overdrive to comprehend the situation. “You’re telling me, that we have a month to make a kids room, childproof a castle, and let our friends and family know?” asked Twilight, her eye twitching violently. Spike walked back into the room, having fetched parchment and a quill. He sat down with a sigh as he waited for the inevitable. “More or less.” Discord shrugged. He snapped his claws, forming a barrier between them as her eye twitched violently. “Spike...start making a list.” The drake let out a sigh, already titling said list as his sister/mother figure rambled on a list of baby items. “We should also find clothes. Wait, would the baby be pony or draconequus? Maybe a hybrid?” Discord sighed, sitting down in a chair as he watched her pace rapidly. The doors to the dining area opened, the rest of the mane six walking into the room. They stared at the growing mess that was Twilight and the draconequus hiding smartly behind a wall. “She does this a lot around me. You tend to get used to it.” he said with a shrug. “What did ya’ll do to her?” asked Applejack, watching the alicorn start to wear a small rut in the table with her constant pacing. Suddenly Twilight let out a sigh, lying flat on the table, looking defeated. “I’m not ready to be a parent.” said the mare, rubbing her temples as she felt a headache coming on. Their was a unison gasp before she was suddenly surrounded by her friends. “You’re having a baby?! Oh that’s wonderful, Darling!” Cooed Rarity. “When is it due?” “Next month.” said Twilight, as if it was going to be the end of the world. “Uh..sugarcube, ya’ll don’t look that far along. Ya sure it’s next month?” “Oh I am flattered!” exclaimed Discord, hovering above them. “I was worried that the baby would make me look fat.” The five mares stared at him in confusion, Twilight staring at him unphased. “Still don’t appreciate you waiting until a month after you found out” said Twilight, raising an eyebrow. “I’m not that bad.” “You just had a panic attack.” “For a justified reason!” huffed Twilight. “Not my fault I got a month to plan and prepare for a baby.” “Would it be the same if you had eight?” “No! Maybe...that’s not the point! Point is, you hid it from me for awhile now.” “I was scared.” admitted Discord, settling himself on the table. “Kids are a big deal for mortals, and even more of a big deal for immortals. And when it's an immortal and a possible mortal…” “You’re scared you’ll lose both of us someday.” said Twilight softly. Discord nodded solemnly. “Discord...I am sure that our child will live a long, plentiful life. But dwelling on our possible mortality ruins the fun we can possibly have as a family, something we both don’t want.” “So let me get this straight,” said Rainbow Dash, drawing attention to her. “Discord, a guy, is pregnant with Twilight’s baby, a girl? How the heck does that work?!” “Lord of Chaos. All you need to know.” said Twilight with a sigh. “I need time to cool down, then I need to clear a room by the master bedroom, decorate it, baby proof the rooms, buy a crib...oh Celestia this will be the death of me.” It took her the entire month, but Twilight managed to furnish and baby proof the new room within the month she was given. She did everything from put in a crib to scrub down the newly installed carpet since Discord said that using bubble wrap was overkill. The Lord of Chaos himself was hit by the last month of his pregnancy. Everything from random mood swings which caused all sorts of mayhem in Ponyville to odd eating habits. Applejack woke up to find three of her apple trees missing, only the apples remaining. Didn’t take Twilight long to figure out who did it. The only thing she didn’t do was tell her parents and her brother. Discord and her friends have tried to get her to do it multiple times, but she always evaded doing it. While she was happy the room was finished, she no longer had an excuse to why she couldn’t go visit her family. “I think this bed is too small for me.” stated Discord, popping his head out of the center of the bed. “Maybe a queen sized bed is more appropriate.” “Not for a baby room.” Twilight sighed, giving it one more look over. “Any day now and we will be parents. I don’t think I am ready.” “Nah. I hear over protective and worry-wart can be good mother characteristics.” said Discord with a shrug, gaining a glare from the smaller mare. “Besides, I estimate...five minutes.” “For our baby to be born? On what crazy theory were you able to pin down the exact birth time of a child coming from you of all ponies?” “The theory of chaos, my dear Watson.” said Discord, pulling out a pipe. He blew into it, letting out a stream of bubbles. “Besides, you should know better than to try and predict me by now, Sparkle Butt.” Twilight blushed at the mention of his pet name for her. “But that's just the thing! You’re unpredictable, but you are predicting yourself! It makes no sense whatsoever!” She sat down with a sigh. “So, you are saying, that our child will be born in a few minutes? Then what?” “Well, then we prepare for our guests that are coming over shortly!” Discord clapped with glee. “Oh I just love surprises!” “Discord...you didn’t invite who I thought you invited, did you?” asked Twilight, slowly realizing what he was getting at. “You would have to tell them sooner or later. I mean, you just can’t ignore this.” Suddenly, Discord pulled out a small bundle of purple fur. The draconequus held similar traits between the two of them. She had a pony body, albeit more fur than normal and paws instead of hooves. Two antlers poked out the sides of her white mane. She slowly turned over, revealing two red orbs. “You...had our baby…” said Twilight, speechless. “I...I don’t know what I expected honestly…” “You have a name?” asked Discord, rubbing a claw under the filly’s chin. “Penumbra sounds cute to me.” “I think so too.” said Twilight with a small smile, looking at her daughter. Just then their was a knocking on the castle door, causing her to sigh. “Oh buck.”
-2-Twilight never thought she would find herself in a such a position. She defeated Nightmare Moon, beat Sombra, and won against Tirek. But she found herself utterly terrified as she across from her parents and siblings, Discord cradling their newly born next to her. An awkward silence sat between them, only the sound of the clock in the room was to be heard. Discord hummed to himself, seeming to love the current situation. Shining was the one to break the silence, coughing into his hoof. “So,” said the stallion, eyeing the draconequus. “Who is the little one?” “Penumbra.” said Twilight, a ghost of a smile on her face. “Penumbra Sparkle.” “A pretty name.” said Cadence cheerfully. “But, um, I didn’t know you were pregnant, Twily.” “Because she wasn’t.” said Discord. He tickled Penumbra’s chin, causing the hybrid to coo, attempting to reach out and grab his claw. Despite the situation, Twilight found it hard to stop from giggling as the look on the other ponies faces changed into confusion. “Is it really the shocking? I am the Lord of Chaos.” “I stopped questioning when a virgin gets told they got someone pregnant.” said Twilight with a sigh. “But aside from two months of running around trying to get everything prepared, I can certainly say it is relieving. That is, until our first night with our newborn.” She looked over to Discord with a glare. “And because you didn’t mention that you were pregnant, or that a draconequus’ term is very short, you are taking care of her if she wakes up.” “Rude.” said Discord with a pout. “But fair.” A cough directed their attention back to the other occupants in the room. “So, since Twilight pointed out that you didn’t get pregnant….normally, how did this happen?” The couple looked at each other for a moment. “We don’t know.” They said in unison. “It could be from minor fluid transfer or that one party a few months back.” said Discord, making Twilight groan. “I never want to see that much alcohol again.” “I still drank more than you, though.” “And which of us spent the next three days in the bathroom?” “Touché.” “I am not sure if I should be surprised that my daughter got into a drinking game with the Lord of Chaos or if I should be surprised by the amount of responsibility.” said Velvet, shaking her head with a sigh. “So, now what do you two plan on doing? As a parent, raising a child with incredible powers as an alicorn is hard enough. Penumbra is a mix of Alicorn and Draconequus, something that surely will blue a headache.” Cadence smiled at the two. “I still wouldn’t mind lending a hoof in watching her.” “I am sure we will be just fine, LoveButt.” said Discord confidentially. He went to go tickle the baby draconequus, freezing as he realized that the blanket was absent of any such thing. “Or not…” “You lost our child already?” said Twilight, an eye twitching violently. Before he could answer, they heard something loud, and probably expensive, break upstairs. In an instant, Discord disappeared. Seconds passed before there was another bang, followed shortly by pained hollering. With a sigh, Twilight was starting to memorize the process of signing up for property and health insurance as Discord reappeared in the room holding a giggling Penumbra. Cadence made not of the ice pack on his head as she continued. “I think a magic suppressor would come in handy?” Discord rubbed his head with a sigh. “If only it worked on Chaos Magic.” There was a loud crash upstairs, causing the draconequus to sigh as he handed Penumbra to Twilight. “Excuse me as I calm down the bed.” Before the others could question what he meant, he already disappeared with a snap of his claws. “I feel like I won’t be calm and relaxed for a long time.” moaned Twilight, letting her head lay back on the couch. “Welcome to parenthood.” said Night Light with a chuckle. “We may not have to deal with chaos magic, but raising two unicorns is not easy feat.” “Neither will a draconequus.” said Discord, making everyone jump as they just noticed he returned. “I also think we need to invest in a new bed.” “Why? The frame is hardened crystal. It would be almost impossible to break.” Discorded patted Twilight’s head with a small smile. “Don’t underestimate the power of a raging bed against the lord of chaos.” Twilight stayed silent, making note of the fact that she may lose her sanity within the next few years. “Don’t worry, Twiley,” said Cadence softly, sensing her step-sister’s inner turmoil. “All of us would be willing to help when raising two kids gets the better of you.” Discord raised an eyebrow. “Two?” “Discord, you act more like you are your daughter’s age than your proper age.” Everyone chuckled as the draconequus huffed. “What is the fun in acting my age? Life was much more fun before adulthood.” “I am aware. Before then I didn’t have to deal with you on a daily basis.” said Twilight with an exasperated sigh. She rubbed her temples. “Now we got to meet the girls, Celestia said she wanted me in Canterlot so she could meet my new heir, there is now the fact that we need to plan a royal reveal of the next royal heir.” She let out a sigh, laying back in her chair. “I will need a thousand years of sleep after this.” “I don’t recommend it.” said Discord with the shake of his head. “It feels nice for awhile, then you get cramps and can’t really do much about ‘em.” “Point is, Twilight,” said Velvet, glancing at Discord a brief moment. “We are for you if you ever need help.” The alicorn smiled softly. “Thanks mom, it’s appreciated.” The rest of the day was spent showing Penumbra to the other elements as well as trying to prevent any form of chaos the new filly tried to cause. Even Discord got tired of having to constantly chase the draconequus babe and defuse the chaos she created, after admiring her work that is. It took another hour after feeding the filly before they were able to get her to sleep, setting her to sleep in the newly built baby room. The room itself took a quick redesign before hand, Discord adding as many anti-chaos wards as he could so they didn’t walk into a war zone in the morning. With a heavy sigh, Twilight fell onto the bed she just bought that day. She was slightly surprised to see her old bed smashed to bits. Now they slept with the mattress on the floor as she reminded herself to send the frame to the Crystal Empire for repair. The bed shifted as she felt a furry snakelike creature rub against, wrapping his claws around her. She let out a soft sigh, letting the embrace continue as she was brought closer. The couple sat in silence for awhile, their breathing the only thing to be heard. “You drive me crazy, Discord.” said the alicorn softly, chuckling slightly. “Surprise children, complete chaos the entire day, and I get to deal with it for the next 18 years. Still, I won’t regret it.” “I wouldn’t say that yet,” commented the draconequus, rubbing against her neck. “We barely started this whole parenting thing.” “You know what I meant.” Twilight sighed, she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “I may not be ready mentally to be a mother, but I will still love and care for my daughter to the best of my abilities, just much as I have you.” She chuckled. “Even after our wedding cake started running around the dance floor.” “I thought that was a nice touch.” said Discord with a shrug. He traced a claw over her cheek. “But all I ask is that you put up with us despite what we will put you through you.” He leaned forward, inches away from her lips when the screaming of their daughter split the silence. “You’re getting that.” said Twilight with a chuckle. “I will love you both for years to come, but consider this payback of three months of stress.”
-3-Tired. It was now a state of being for Twilight. Her and Discord got barely any sleep as the newborn woke up on several occasions. Now, after going through the fiasco of feeding her, the family was on their way to Canterlot with only 3 hours of sleep at the most. Her mother, who stayed the night at Ponyville, told her that 3 hours of sleep was going to be her new sleep schedule until at least she was one, maybe two. Her and Discord took turns napping on the train, trying to catch as much sleep as possible to make up for what they lost. Whoever woke up got to watch Penumbra while the other slept. The filly seemed to have calmed a bit from this morning, watching the scenery roll by. They were both waiting for the train to grow legs or something. After two hours, the train slowed to a stop at the glistening capital of Canterlot. From the window, Twilight could see the detachment of guards Celestia told her would be waiting. According to the princess, the nobles were highly against two things currently: Discord and Cross-Breeding. So at that moment, Penumbra was at the top of the list for Equestria’s nobel’s, meaning they had to sneak her into the castle since word of the new heir already reached Canterlot ears. Reluctantly, Twilight covered up the child in a foal carrier she had strapped under her. She then cast a quick shield around her, invisible so as not to seem too suspicious. Discord laid a claw on her shoulder before rendering himself invisible. Upon exit, the guards bowed deeply before continuing to follow the princess down the streets. Twilight had been guarded previous times before, but the fact that she was not one being targeted made her uncomfortable. She reached up and stroked the bundle on her chest softly, gaining a small giggle in response. She stopped in front one of the news stands. She dropped a bit in the jar before taking the newspaper off the rack. A picture taken from their wedding earlier that year was in the cover. She took a deep breath before actually reading the article: Royal Heir, or Royal Disaster? It was reported that early yesterday afternoon, the royal couple of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Discord, Lord of Chaos had birthed their first heir. Penumbra Sparkle was birthed around 9:20 yesterday morning, by means unknown since witnesses in Ponyville said they never saw Twilight pregnant, though a noticeable absence of chaos was noted as Discord remained indoors the last 3 months, coming out only occasionally and not for long. Rumors have already spread about whether or not that the next heir to the throne will be anything like her infamous father. Nobel’s of Equestria’s congress have already expressed their disgust of the matter and have briefly discussed it’s legal properties before being shut down by the princess. Needless to say, the political backlash already seems to have started, few even talking of impeachment, but those mutterings were nither confirmed or repeated. Some Equestrian families are in an uproar, condemning the idea of a hybrid in the royal family. We know for certain, though, that the possibility of a shut down in Equestrian Government is possible until things settle. “Ponies sound happy about this.” huffed Discord, swatting the paper on the ground. Twilight didn’t make an attempt to pick it back up she continued forward with a sigh. “Equestria has always been afraid of foreign creatures. Other countries have even went as far to call us the most xenophobic country due to the fact that we normally freak out and attack anything foreign to us.” She shook her head. “Sadly, that combined with you past offenses against Equestria makes them terrified of Penumbra, as she is unknown and heir of the Lord of Chaos.” “I do wish I did make a better place for Penny to grow up in, but her birth wasn’t really planned to begin with.” There was an audible sigh next to her. “It’s not something I proud of, but I will try to fix it. Before it gets too bad.” “I mean, we’ve almost made it to the castle without any issue,” said Twilight with a faint smile. “And nopony really batted an eye at us, so I guess that means we are in the clear, right?” Before Discord , the guards in front of her stopped almost causing her to run into them. Pushing past them to get in front, she was confronted with 4 ponies barring the path ahead. Their mane’s were cut similarly to that of the royal guard, but they wore no armour except for the fact that their Cutie Marks were painted over. The Arms of Chaos was painted over it instead, a giant red X over it made her worried. “Sergeant, who are these ponies?” asked Twilight, quickly adding extra wards around Penumbra as she put her to sleep with magic. She took off the carrier and handed it to the rearmost guard. “Servants of Equestria, Princess.” said the sergeant, shifting his spear so it was easier to access. “We were aware of their upbringing shortly after Tirek. Since then, they have made multiple rallies against changeling’s and Lord Discord, warning the ponies of them. They have stayed mainly in Canterlot, but have supposedly moved to other major cities as well.” “Any of them ex-military?” asked Twilight, eyeing the one unicorn in the group. “A few, mainly guards who were discharged for disorderly conduct. A few for speaking against the Princess and making threats against you while in earshot of higher command.” “Perfect.” mumbled Twilight. She knew she didn’t get the most popularity, since she was the newest edition to Equestrian Hierarchy, but she never knew it would get this bad. “Prepare yourself, if anything happens, I want Penumbra to be your top priority and getting her to safety. I am more than able to handle myself.” Despite being invisible to everyone, Twilight could feel Discord watching her as she stepped away from the guards and towards the group of ponies, stopping a quarter of the way so that there was only ten feet between them. Twilight quickly glanced around, noticing that the halt of her party caused onlookers as they were curious of the situation. Taking a deep breath, she spoke. “I was informed by my guards of the form of group you are part of, may I ask what the Servants of Equestria want with me that they halt our travel to the castle?” It was odd speaking this way. Formal, neutral, yet powerful. Something both her brother and mentor Celestia taught her so she could one day hold power over her own guards, army, or other. The unicorn, a mare with an orange coat and a blood red mane stepped forward. “You know what we have come for, Twilight. You have offended Equestria for not only mating with the beast known as Discord, but for reproducing. Equestria is ashamed of the creature half-breed you call a daughter.” Her eye twitched, but Twilight kept her cool knowing it would worsen the situation. “I would rather prefer that you keep my newborn out of this. And I also believe it is law that a pony can love and mate with whomever they desire, no matter the species.” Her voice lowered, bowing her head so that her horn was only a quick movement away from being perfectly lined up with the unicorn in front of her. “Please, step aside and let us through. Attacking royalty is against the laws and can result in severe penalty.” “We don’t care about your rules, Winged-Whore!” There was a collective gasp, Twilight reeling back at the insult in shock. Before she could retort, the unicorn threw down her head, releasing a bolt of magic in her direction. Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, not having time to throw up a counterspell in time. The bolt stopped just before her, condensing in on itself into a red orb. Discord appeared into existence, the glare he held at the unicorn enough to back down even the Dragon King. With a squeeze of his claw, he dispelled the magic as he stepped in front of Twilight. “I think,” started Discord. “That you should leave. I will not allow you to cause any harm to my wife or daughter, and it is only because of them you are alive, so I suggest you leave before this gets any worse.” The deepness of his voice shocked Twilight. It was deeper than normal, sending a chill down her spine as it sounded almost sinister. Not wasting anytime, the ponies quickly scrambled away, the unicorn throwing a glare back at Discord before disappearing behind an alley. “Should we pursue them, Princess?” asked the sergeant, returning Penumbra to her. “No,” said Twilight, strapping the babe to her chest. “Let them run. Hopefully they learned their lesson and won’t try again. Besides, if they do, I prefer to have my guards with me and not all over Canterlot.” The guards bowed before taking up positions around her. Discord gave a heavy sigh as floated back next to Twilight before the continued down the street towards the castle. “Thank you.” said Twilight softly. “But you do realize that a spell of that caliber against an alicorn would only knock me back, since my magic resistance is higher than most ponies, right?” The draconequus chuckled. “I still think all of you ponies are hopeless.” He poked her in the stomach. “Especially you. Everything needs to be exactly perfect or you go into a complete mental breakdown.” “That was completely justified on my part.” said Twilight with a huff, shoving him away. “How else am I to react when I am suddenly dumped on that…you’re pregnant with our child? I think it was the perfect reaction for the time.” Twilight let out a small sigh of relief as they made it to the castle. She made note of the higher security, checkpoints at the gates, and flying sentries. “Penny is only a day old and caused plenty of chaos. Daddy is so proud of you.” “That’s what I am afraid of, Discord.” said Twilight with a sigh. “I don’t want to lock away her chaos tendencies, but right now it is putting everyone on edge that she has the ability to do things beyond you.” The family walked up the stairs into the castle where they were met by Celestia. It was one of the few times that Twilight saw her former-mentor truly tired. The elder alicorn smiled faintly, what looked like bags had formed under eyes, hinting that she probably hadn’t slept that night. “We got plenty to talk about.”
-4-The smell of mid afternoon coffee brought memories of when Twilight and her mentor spent all nighters figuring out problems. It happened only a few times when the Princess of the Sun would agree to help her with algorithms over something she had been pondering. As she sat in the Celestia’s chambers, she could see that it had been a rough night. Celestia’s hair was ruffled and she had dark bags under her eyes. Looking at the cup, Twilight could tell it had been filled numerous times that afternoon. Papers with words scribbled on them cluttered the floor, a few sporting coffee stains or the occasional puddle of drool. Taking one of the papers, Twilight could tell it was some speech, partially since it started with Celestia’s famous “My dear little ponies” header. Before she could read the rest, Celestia took it from her grasp, throwing it aside with a sigh as she set down her cup. “It has been a long night. The nobles have been looking for every way to make what you did against the law.” Celestia chuckled. “Some tried to call it beastiality due to the different...appendages that Discord is made up of.” The draconequus scoffed. “I’ll have them know that I am no beast! I am perfectly proportionate mess of creatures. In some ways, it gives me more of an advantage than most stallions.” Twilight stifled a giggle as she blushed. Celestia shook her head with a sigh before continuing. “Anyways, they want to either remove Twilight from the crown or take the child out of your custody for ‘possible child endangerment’. The most preferred for them is both at this moment.” The alicorn stood, pacing the room. “Despite the fact that Discord has stayed rather calm compared to other events the past few years, there is still a widespread dislike and unease towards him. I want to keep this from becoming a public debate as long as possible, or I’m afraid you’ll lose.” “This can’t continue forever, can it? They can’t argue on it forever if we try to keep back.” Twilight held onto the bundle on her chest, afraid that something could come and steal it away. “I’m afraid it will be a constant on and off battle until she is a legal adult. Then if you write a legal will to have her as an heir, there wouldn’t be any ground for the nobles to attack you on. Of course, that is eighteen years of making sure that you keep up the ‘responsible’ parents act.” Discord stood there, staring at his feet as he pondered the situation. The draconequus walked over to Twilight, taking the small bundle from her. Penumbra was still knocked out from the spell Twilight put her under. The filly squirmed in discomfort, settling down as Discord tickled her belly with a claw. She let out a soft sigh as she curled into a ball. “I am not going to let a group of pampered mortal ponies take my daughter away from me. They can try but they will not succeed.” He let out a sigh as he sat on the chair that suddenly appeared in the room. “I will even try to become…” He shivered. “Normal... if it means a better life for my daughter.” Celestia nodded. “Right, but there is also the problem with the Servants of Equestria.” With a quick spell, Celestia brought out a map of Equestria, small red markings over a few places in forests and major cities. “They have expanded the past year since it’s formation here in Canterlot. A few small towns and cities like Baltimare have been affected. They are slowing making their way down to Ponyville since that is where you live, obviously. “It’s been years since we have had an anti-political group that was an actual threat. I heard of your attack on the way here, so it tells us they are willing to attack Equestria Leaders for their beliefs. This could work in their favor, and possibly strengthen their numbers. So, as a precaution I need to break my promise to you and deploy a team of guards to protect your castle at all times. Maybe even fortify it better with walls and watchtowers from the Crystal Kingdom builders.” “You’re afraid of a seige.” noted Twilight. Celestia let out a weary sigh. “Without proper fortifications, your castle is very vulnerable. There are multiple spells that are able to break the crystal defenses. If we build a wall and add a detachment of 200, we can have the wall and inside of the castle thoroughly protected from attacks. We could also have it linked to the Canterlot and Crystal Kingdom castles so if it is attacked, we will be alerted and can send additional troops to assist.” “If we do, I would like Shining and myself apply the wards ourselves. Between an accomplished Mage and unicorn with immense knowledge on protection barriers we could get it done faster and better than normal unicorns.” said Twilight, standing. “Besides, I’m not going to let someone blow up another one of my homes.” “So be it. I had one of my Sergeants promoted to Captain and he is getting a force of 200 soldiers of his choosing together. You might have already met him. I will have a contractor over this week and he has orders to start immediately on planning and building the defenses.” Twilight sat down with a sigh. “This progressed a lot faster than I thought it would. I never suspected that this would happen.” said Twilight, examining the floor. “Just yesterday I was holding my newborn daughter, and now I am fortifying my castle to withstand enemy attacks, deploying an army to guard it, and preparing for an eighteen year custody battle against the Canterlot nobles.” Celestia sat next to her former pupil, wrapping a wing around her. “Our job is never an easy one. Sometimes, things feel like it gets out of hands very quickly. The only thing you can do is make the decision you think is best and hope that you can solve it before it gets worse.” “And if it doesn’t get better?”asked Twilight, looking up at the ceiling. “If the nobels win?” “Then you fight to make it right. You don’t let anypony tell you otherwise, and you don’t give up.” Celestia chuckled. “I have used that advice after Nightmare Moon and other enemies.” She stood up, with a long sigh. “I appreciate you two visiting, but the past few hours have taken a toll on me. I must bid you farewell for now while I sleep. Your Captain and his guard should be waiting for you in the barracks.” Twilight visited the guard barracks only a few times, all when Shining was the Captain of the Guard. The majestic tapestries and marble walls of the castle were replaced with dull stone bricks, low lighting, and rooms cramped with bunk beds. After asking around, she found out that the Captain of her guard was waiting in one of the few offices, gathering paperwork to be transferred. It took them a few minutes to travel through the tight, maze of hallways to the offices. Turning into the office they were directed to, Twilight was surprised to see that the Sergeant that escorted her to the Castle was in there, collecting papers while wearing the armour that gave him the rank of Captain. The stallion turned as he heard them enter, giving them a brisk salute. “Princess, it is nice to meet you again and I am determined to keep you and your family safe.” The captain put down his hoof, Twilight still recovering from the display. She shook her head before nodding. “I am honored by your display, Captain. May I ask your name? I did not catch it on our way here.” “Steel Wing, your highness. I have served under Celestia for four years now.” Twilight smiled. “You have ranked fast, Captain. I can only hope that means you will serve me well in the years to come.” She cleared her throat. “Is your squad ready so we can head out to Ponyville?” “Yes, ma’am. I have a detachment of ten including myself to escort you via chariot to Ponyville. Another set of twenty will fly a few miles behind us for support while the rest take the military transport to Ponyville. They should be there only half an hour after us.” “Well planned and prepared, I like that.” Discord snickered. “That’s because you freak out if something is off schedule. You even planned a trip to the store using time charts once.” Twilight huffed, pawing at the ground. “We were in a hurry.” She let out a sigh. “Alright, Captain. Let’s head out immediately. It is almost Penumbra’s lunch time and we need to discuss how we should safeguard the castle until we get a proper fortification”
