Rule of Three

Rule of Three

Chapter 1: The Sire and the Dam

The coronation had been beautiful.

It would be an event that ponies would talk about for years to come. Twilight Sparkle, former protegee of Princess Celestia, three-time savior of Equestria and Bearer of the Element of Magic, now an alicorn princess and co-ruler of the country. It had been a momentous occasion. It would go down in history as one of the most phenomenal events of the age. Ponies had come from all over the country to partake in the festivities, and droves of other creatures from neighboring countries had been in attendance. Everyone knew Twilight would be amazing in her new role. No one saw her ascension as anything but a miracle. She’d worked all her life for this, and nopony was more deserving of the honor she’d been bestowed.

And of course, her parents couldn’t have been prouder.

Twilight Velvet and Night Light walked side by side through the quiet streets of Canterlot’s residential district, making their way for home. It was evening now, and while the celebrations were still going on, they’d both had enough of the loud music and joviality. They’d never been much for partying, even in their younger years, and the constant influx of complete strangers wanting to meet the parents of the newly-anointed Princess had left them both a bit frazzled.

“Did you catch what that llama’s name was?” Night asked Velvet as they turned onto their street. “I could barely understand him through the accent.”

Velvet yawned. “Duke Shamren. He invited us to his estate this fall for the Harvest Festival. I told him we’d think about it.”

“Hmph.” Night reached into his saddlebags and pulled out his keys. “It’s funny. If we actually took up on the offers everypony gave us tonight, we could plan a year-long trip around the world.”

“At least it wasn’t as bad as it was at Shining’s wedding.” Velvet rubbed her eyes. “Do you remember the Baron of Antelora? He pestered us so much that I was about ready to blast him in the wall.”

Night chuckled and opened the front door of their two-story townhouse. “Between him and the Shah of Dromardia, we almost started an international incident.”

“Would’ve been worth it, too,” Velvet grumbled as she went inside. “Ugh, royalty... the more of them I meet, the more I’m convinced ours are the exception rather than the standard.”

The familiar sights and smells of home greeted their tired senses.The entryway became bathed in the warm glow of a lamp as they hung up their bags and went further in. Night loosened his tie and made for the kitchen, turning on lights as he went. Velvet took off her jewelry and headed for the bathroom. Night made some tea while Velvet cleaned up, which was ready by the time she got out. They took their respective mugs and went to the living room, where they relaxed into their favorite chairs.

“So,” Night said.

 Velvet blew on her mug. “So.”

“Our daughter’s a princess, and our son is a prince.” Night laughed, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “Both of them have saved Equestria multiple times, and they’re both proper, upstanding citizens in every right. I think it’s official, honey. We’re good parents.”

Velvet giggled. “Acceptable ones, at the very least.”

Night’s gaze wandered to the various family pictures all about the room. “Do you ever wonder how it happened?”

Velvet stared over at the hearth, her eyes unfocused. “I don’t think I’ve stopped wondering.”

“Nothing really stands out, though, does it?” Night said, leaning back in his chair. “We’re nopony special, and I don’t think we did anything unique in raising them. We loved them, encouraged them, taught them the same things everypony else teaches their kids. Not exactly what you’d call revolutionary.”

Velvet folded her arms. “They weren’t unusual when they were growing up, either. Maybe a bit on the reclusive side, but we’re not exactly social butterflies.”

Night shrugged. “Genetics, maybe? Reproduction’s a ruddy crap shoot. We could've just got lucky.”

Velvet frowned. “Their cutie marks are in magic, Nighty. Both of them! If that happened because of chance, I’ll eat my diploma.”

“But what, then?” Night rested his chin on his hoof. “If it wasn’t nature or nurture, how did both our kids turn out to be national heroes?”

Velvet was silent. She picked at a stray cushion thread in her chair, her eyes flitting from picture to picture, as if one of them held the answer. All of them held memories, but not a single one spoke to her. Shining had always been hard-working and polite. Twilight had loved learning and never lost the spark. They’d done all the things normal kids had done, and there’d never been any kind of sign that foretold the great things they’d do. Not even their magic levels had been anything strange until they’d gone off to school! Their foalhoods had been completely uneventful.

“We may never know for sure,” Velvet finally said. She looked up at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting to the two empty rooms upstairs collecting dust. “It’d be nice if there was something concrete we could point to, and it certainly would keep all the ponies who pester us about it off our backs, but I have no idea. It almost makes me wonder if it was anything we did at all.”

Night stirred his tea and floated over the day’s newspaper. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter anymore. It’s not like—”

Knock, knock, knock.

Night and Velvet jumped. They exchanged a brief surprised glance, but neither of them moved.

“Were you…” Night said.

Velvet shook her head. “You?”

Night shook his head as well. They hesitated a moment more, then both got up together and went to the front door. Night looked in through the peephole, then clicked his teeth and took a step back.

“What?” Velvet asked curiously. “Who is it?”

“The in-laws,” Night said. He opened the door and bowed.

Velvet’s eyes went wide. Standing there without any form of disguise were Princesses Celestia and Luna, looking down at them with calm, serene smiles.

“May we come in?” Celestia asked.

Velvet needed a second to process that the immortal alicorn rulers of Equestria were on their doorstep, but she quickly recovered. She hummed and raised a hoof to her chin.

“I dunno. You two seem awfully suspicious. I might need to hide the good silver.”

Luna chuckled. “Well met, Twilight Velvet.”

“Hello, your Majesties.” Velvet bowed and stepped aside. “A pleasure, as always.”

Celestia and Luna came inside. Velvet led them to the living room, where she and Night returned to her chairs. The two royal sisters sat down on the couch.

“No torcs this time, I see,” Night said, his eyes twinkling. “Guess that means I reinforced the coat hooks for nothing.”

Celestia’s face went fiery red. “I am so, so sorry about that. Did you get the money I sent?”

Night snickered. "Five thousand bits was a bit much for a minor wall repair. We wound up putting most of it in savings.”

“Five thousand?” Luna did a double-take at her sister. “Tia!”

“Oh, calm down,” Celestia said placidly. “It was out of my personal funds. I do actually get paid, you know.”

Luna continued to stare dubiously at Celestia. “Five. Thousand. Bits. For breaking a coat hook.”

“I felt bad!” Celestia said defensively. “You expect me to tell Twilight that the first thing I did in her parent’s home was—”

“Forgive me, ladies,” Velvet said dryly, “but I imagine your absence is causing a few ulcers amidst the Royal Guard. We should probably make this quick before the city goes on high alert.”

Celestia and Luna laughed nervously, their hooves behind their heads. Velvet found the image bizarrely comical, as the expression was one she’d often seen on Twilight or Shining when they tried to raid the cookie jar. It was certainly an honor to see and get to know the mares behind the regal masks, but what was so surprising to Velvet was how completely normal Celestia and Luna both were.

“Ahem. You needn’t worry about a panic.” Luna straightened and squared her shoulders. “I made all the necessary arrangements before we stepped out. We’re not needed until dawn.”

Night raised an eyebrow. “Twily didn’t mind you leaving early?”

Celestia shifted uncomfortably. “She… doesn’t know we’re here. She was in the middle of celebrating with her friends, and we thought it best not to interrupt.”

Velvet exhaled out her nose. There were a lot of ways she could respond to that, but she knew Celestia well enough to understand her intentions. Luna was harder to read, but she had a kind heart.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, then,” Velvet said. “What can we do for you?”

For a minute, the stoic, regal mask slipped back over Celestia’s face. It was a passing thing, though, and she shut her eyes and shook her head. She tried again, and when she met Velvet’s eyes this time, she had a deep, wise look that revealed the experience of her long, long life.

“Every amazing thing Twilight has ever done is being celebrated today,” Celestia said. “This is her time to shine, her moment to be on top of the world, and she’s earned every second of it. The same was true for Shining on his wedding, and even though that event was marred by the invasion, that he and Cadance removed Chrysalis and the changelings all by themselves is just another testament to their abilities.”

Velvet said nothing. She’d tried very hard to forget some of the things that’d happened that day, and she didn’t want to delve too far into it.

“Your children are the greatest heroes Equestria has ever known,” Celestia continued. “They’ve accomplished feats I thought impossible, defeated foes I thought unstoppable. A golden age is dawning thanks to their efforts, and now future generations will enjoy years of peace and prosperity for centuries to come.”

A flush spread across Velvet’s cheeks. She felt an intense desire to look away, but something kept her glued to Celestia’s piercing eyes.

“Shining and Twilight are beautiful in every way.” There was no note of jest in Celestia’s voice. “They’re smart, powerful, kind, wise, adept, just, and humble. From the first moment I saw them, I knew they had all the traits necessary to be great leaders. They’ve since used their talents to make our world a better place, and most incredible of all, they’re both still so young! I can’t even begin to imagine what else they’ll accomplish in their lifetimes. Can you?”

Maternal pride glowed in Velvet’s chest. What would they do? She didn’t have a clue. It would be amazing, though, that much was certain. Velvet would’ve loved Shining and Twilight regardless, but them to be so successful, to do so much for the world… what more could she have asked for?

“I don’t know what it is about the two of you.” Celestia motioned to both her and Night. “Maybe it was something you did, maybe it was something beyond your control. Maybe it was chance, maybe it was destiny, or maybe it was something else altogether. I imagine you’ve asked yourself many times how Shining and Twilight became who they are, but I’m afraid I don’t have an answer for you. All I can tell you is that you both definitely played a part in it, and you’ve my most sincere thanks.”

Annnnnd that was when the warning bells went off in Velvet’s head.

“I hope you aren’t this transparent in real negotiations, Celestia,” Velvet said. She crossed her legs with a small frown. “We left early because we were tired of listening to those exact same cheesy lines from the rest of the nobility. I’ll grant that they mean more coming from you, but honestly, you’re better than this crap. Stop wasting our time and just say what it is you want.”

Luna snorted and covered her mouth with a hoof.

Celestia opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She worked her jaw several times, but couldn’t seem to come up with a reply. Finally, she looked away and twiddled her hooves.

“Sorry, it’s just… old habits die hard. I keep forgetting you two aren’t, well...”

Night cocked his head. “Aren’t what?”

Luna burst out laughing. “Aren’t the dimwitted louts that we have to deal with on a daily basis! You’ve no idea how refreshing it is to talk with somepony who isn’t sucking up to you, or worse, flat-out terrified!“

Celestia jerked her head at Luna. “What she said.”

Velvet’s eyes softened. She did have an idea, actually, although it certainly wasn’t to the level that these two had to deal with. She and Night had had to come to terms with their own abrupt celebrity status, and it’d taken some getting used to. It was annoying at times, yes, and it was one of the reasons why she and Night tried to treat Celestia and Luna like family, but in return, they expected to be treated the same.

“The point still stands,” Velvet said.

Celestia brushed her mane out of her face. “I suppose it does… I suppose it does. You’re right, you deserve better than that, but one of the reasons I was going about it that way is because this is going to sound ridiculous if I just come out and say it.”

“Our daughter is an alicorn princess and co-wielder of an all-powerful ancient relic,” Night said calmly. “Our son is the prince consort of a formerly cursed, mythical nation. I think we’re well-acquainted with the ridiculous.”

Luna grinned hugely. “Have I mentioned how much I enjoy our conversations?”

Velvet’s lips twitched. “Once or twice.”

“Fine, fine.” Celestia looked up and stared at them both. “Cards on the table, no doublespeak, flattery, lies of omission, mind games, ulterior motives, over-elaborate schemes, manipulation, blackmail, hidden meanings, or irons in the fire. Here it is, plain and simple, flat-out, straight-up, nothing more, nothing less.”

Night and Velvet nodded.

Celestia took a deep breath. “Could you please have another child?”

Silence. Absolute, pure, undisturbed silence. No one spoke or reacted at all. The only things that continued to move were the Princesses’ ethereal manes and tails. Night and Velvet were like stone. They didn’t even blink. The moment stretched on and on until Velvet finally coughed and rubbed her ears.

“I-I’m... not sure I heard that right. Could you repeat that for me?”

“We’d like another savior of Equestria, please,” Luna said slowly and clearly. “Preferably more than one if you’re up for it, although we understand—”

“Night and I are well past our foal-rearing years.” Velvet leaned forward and showed them the gray hairs in her mane. “I’d have thought our wrinkles were evidence enough of that.”

“We’re well-aware you’re both getting on years,” Celestia said. “We’re also aware of your medical histories, genealogy, magical ability, and ambient sensitivity, all of that. Biologically, there’s nothing holding you back from conceiving, but I know it would be hard. I’m willing to offer a way to make it easier on both of you."

“There’s no easy way to raise a child, Celestia,” Night cut in. “No matter what you’re offering, the bulk of the work would still be on us.”

“And we’re too old to keep up with it anymore.” Velvet examined her right foreleg, where a liver spot was barely visible through her coat. “Now if we were in our twenties? Sure. Thirties? Why not. We might’ve even done it in our forties, but now? We’ll be senior citizens before the child is in boarding school. I’m sorry, your Majesties, but even if we have the ‘winning formula,’ the time to use it has passed.”

“Well, that’s solved easily enough,” Luna said with a wink. “All we need to do then is give you both a little boost.”

...

Velvet blinked several times. “A little what, now?”

“Oh, come now,” Luna said with mock reproach. “Need I remind you what Tia and I are? What we do every day? You honestly think a parlor trick like the Age spell is beyond our capabilities?”

Velvet felt a chill.  “The… Age spell?”

“Argh!” Celestia facehooved. “I told you not to say anything until we had a chance to—”

“You can’t be serious!” Night all but shouted. “The Age spell? The incredibly difficult, dangerous and illegal Age spell? Are you both daft?!”

Luna ignored Celestia’s rebuke and addressed Night in a cool voice. “I assure you, Night Light, the only daft thing in this room is your fear. As I just said, the difficulty and complexity is nothing for us. There are some risks, yes, but in the hooves of capable spellcasters such as ourselves, you’d be in greater danger riding a train down to Ponyville. And as for the legality of the matter, well…”

Suddenly, all eyes were on Celestia.

“Care to explain?” Velvet asked her.

Celestia made a noise between a growl and a groan. “Alright, just… hear me out. I promise it isn’t near as bad as you think.”

Velvet very much doubted that, but decided not to comment. She pursed her lips and motioned for her to continue.

Celestia nodded thanks and cleared her throat. “About six hundred years ago, a group of dying and desperate unicorns decided to perform the Age spell on themselves without any precautions whatsoever.The result was a very messy explosion, and dozens were killed. The media got wind of it before I could do damage control, and they told everyone that the spell was at fault because controversy sells more papers. Never mind all the successful cases that’d been recorded up to that point, never mind that the victims were morons to begin with, never mind that I made a statement explaining that the spell is completely safe when performed by a capable spellcaster. Nopony cared. The public went nuts over it, they demanded that the spell be outlawed, so I caved and gave them what they wanted.”

“Howeverrrrrr…” Luna sang in a lilting voice.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “Howeverrrrrr, I didn’t want to give up my right to use it on others, so I made a loophole in the law stating that the Princess can cast the spell on any willing pony they choose.”

It took a few moments to properly digest that.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Velvet held up a hoof. “So if I’m hearing you right, you’re basically saying that the infamous, sacrilegious,  universally reviled Age spell is not only perfectly safe and effective, but is only illegal because some idiots attempted it without any precautions?”

“Yes!” Luna clapped her hooves. “And the public bought into the sensationalist hype. Isn’t that the dumbest thing you’ve ever heard?”

Velvet’s eyelid twitched. “It’s a close second.”

“Oh, it gets better,” Celestia said bitterly. “My loophole’s been made useless because of the stigma surrounding the whole thing. I’ve made many offers over the years, but I’ve gotten turned down every time. I’ve seen a lot of good ponies die that could’ve lived long, long lives, and I’ve spent countless nights wishing I could’ve convinced them how silly they were being.”

Luna then leaned forward with a very serious look. “I do hope you’re not both going to be silly, too.”

Velvet wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hoof, there were a lot of awful rumors surrounding the Age spell. Most of them were dismissible, but others held enough plausibility that anypony who had half a brain stayed far, far away. Velvet and Night were decently accomplished spellcasters, and they had a healthy respect for spells that’d been declared forbidden.

But on the other hoof, Celestia was saying that the rumors and hearsay were all false, it was all a misunderstanding, and she was even offering to perform the spell on them herself.

Her.

Celestia.

The immortal demigod responsible for the flippingSun.

There was really only one question on Velvet’s mind.

“WHAT KIND OF FUCKING MORONS HAVE YOU BEEN OFFERING THIS TO?!”

Celestia blinked several times. “Uh…”

Luna started laughing so hard she fell off the couch.

“Velvet’s right!” Night said with a dumbfounded look. “If what you’re saying is true, a pony would have to be INSANE to turn you down! How in heaven’s name have you been pitching this?!”

Celestia looked between the two of them in disbelief. The blush from before was now coming back, and after a moment’s shock, she suddenly looked very tired.

“The wrong way, apparently.”

“Told you!” Luna said from the floor.

“Not now, Lulu.”

“Well, I’ll believe you!” Velvet said, her eyes gleaming. “If you really can do this, then I’m going to take you up on it!”

“Same here!” Night said eagerly. “To Tartarus with old age! I wanna be around for as long as I can be!”

Celestia waggled her eyebrows. “Be careful what you wish for. The spell can be renewed many, many times before it loses its effect.”

 “Even better!” Velvet clapped her hooves. “When can we do it?”

“Hold on a moment,” Celestia said. “Does this mean you’re agreeing to our proposition? You’ll have another foal?”

Velvet opened her mouth, but quickly closed it again. She thought the response would be automatic. An extended lifespan in exchange for doing something that was hard-wired into every living thing already? What was difficult about that? Why wasn’t she shaking Celestia’s hoof and giggling like a schoolfilly?

But then it all hit her at once.

The discomfort of pregnancy, the agony of childbirth.

The sleepless nights attending to a wailing, helpless infant. The near-total loss of free time. Dirty diapers and other things of indescribable revulsion. The stress of maintaining constant supervision. Endless worrying. The fights with Night. The ceaseless giving with next to no return. Teaching, guiding, advising, counseling, all to be ignored once puberty hit. The accountability for all the child’s actions until adulthood, and her personal favorite, Empty Nest Syndrome.

“What do you think, Honey?” Night said.

And then there were insane expectations that would be on the child. They would face constant pressure to be just as amazing as Shining and Twilight. They’d spend a lifetime trying to escape a pair of shadows that stretched off into the horizon. It didn’t matter if Velvet and Night put every effort forth into providing a normal childhood, the rest of the world would be breathing down all their necks.

Who knows what effect that would have on a child?

Luna looked up. “What say you, Twilight Velvet?”

And speaking of Twilight and Shining, how would they react to suddenly having a sibling almost three decades younger than them? Acceptance? Rejection? Indifference? Resentment? None of the above? What would happen if this child wound up simply being normal? What kind of life would he or she live? And even if they were another prodigy-slash-hero, would Velvet and Night then be stronghooved into doing it all over again? Would their extended life come with the price tag of becoming nothing but glorified breeders?

Velvet gulped and looked around again at the pictures on the bookshelves and walls. An entire life’s worth of memories surrounded her: Parties, graduations, weddings, picnics, vacations, happy times, sad times, frustrating, stressful, joyful, adventures great and small.

Did she want to go through it all again, despite the massive physical, mental, and emotional effort required to be a parent?

Was she willing to turn back the clock, to be a mother once more and bring new life into the world?

Had it all been worth it in the end?

“...there will be stipulations,”  Velvet finally said.

Celestia nodded. “Of course.”

“And there’s a very good chance the child won’t be what you’re hoping for.”

“We know,” Luna said as she got to her hooves. “We just want you to try. ”

Velvet sighed turned to Night. “This’ll be hard on you, too. Think you’re up to it?”

Night took her hoof in his. “If you are.”

Velvet smiled and patted his arm. “You’ll be with me every step of the way?”

In reply, Night leaned in and gave her a tender kiss. “Just try and stop me.”

Velvet smiled. She stared into his face for a moment, recalling how he had once looked. He hadn’t changed all that much. There were crow’s feet around his eyes, his cheeks were a little more gaunt, and his ears were a little droopy, but his eyes were still clear and strong. He was still very much the stallion she fell in love with, and if there was anypony in this world she’d want to do it all over with again...

Velvet nodded to herself. She then cleared her throat and sat up in her chair, turning to the two sisters awaiting her answer.

“Never a dull moment, is there?”

Celestia and Luna chuckled.

“Fate tends to cling to those it chooses,” Celestia said. “It can be a heavy burden, but it can also be be a great blessing.”

Luna gestured to the family photos all around them. “I’d say it’s mostly been the latter for you.”

Velvet couldn’t really argue with that. There’d been some bumps here and there, but for the most part, it’d been a good life.

“Well, in that case…” She put a hoof on her belly. “You two had better bring one heck of a gift to the baby shower.”

Celestia’s eyes sparkled with glee. “Oh, we most certainly will.”

Luna happily clapped her hooves. “I knew that you’d say yes! I look forward to seeing your new foal! And who knows with two? Perhaps he or she might even be born an alicorn!”

Velvet rolled her eyes. “Pfft, yeah. Like that could ever happen.”