"That's it, Gold," Lyra praised me as I slowly enveloped the little ball in a blue aura. Thank goodness it wasn't gold. I may have mentioned this before, but, gold is not my favorite color. Red's my favorite color. Kind of wish my magic was red. That'd be awesome. I'd be a sith pony.

How did I finally learn to wield this magic? I fell down the stairs during a game of tag with Pound. Yep simple as that.

Mother was relieved that I was okay, but more excited that I had learned to use magic. Still, I think taking me to the medical wing was a little overkill.

Anyway, I slowly made the ball hover above my head. It was cool. It was like the magic was another limb. Like the arms and hands I had lost. This was going to be so useful. Then the ball dropped and bounced away. I sulked. Five seconds. Five. New personal best.

My wet nurse, on the other hand, was ecstatic. "Yay. Prince Gold, you're really improving. Quite a bit slower then the average unicorn colt, but still improving."

That was a terrible way to praise someone. Yay, your good, but awful compared with everyone else, but good. She noticed my sulk and reached out with her magic to grab a few things. "Poor dear. Here, let me cheer you up."

A warm blanket, my favorite narwhal plushie, and a hug against her bountiful bosom did help make me feel better. I wasn't hungry, so I just snuggled in, wrapping my hooves about the plushie in a tight fashion. What should I name him? I've had him since the party nearly a year ago, and I still haven't named him.

Hint-hint. Ahem.

"You need to stop growing," Lyra sighed contentedly as she rocked from side-to-side. "Put on a few more pounds and I won't be able to carry you anywhere anymore. Are alicorns supposed to grow this fast? You're almost as big as Pound."

It was true. I'm not even a year old yet and yet I'm gaining on a seven year old colt. More than once mother has consulted doctors from around the world. I've been poked, prodded, groped, and peeped at enough to make a grown man cry. None of them had an explanation, other than I perhaps had an over-active thyroid, and it would stop when it stopped. Personally, I think they were overpaid for their diagnosis.

A barking anounced the arrival of my companion pegasus.

"Speak of the Nightmare and she shall appear," Lyra chuckled as she welcomed him. He came right over and sniffed my face. "So, how was practice?"

"He has been improving," said the guard who came in after him. "He actually has some promise in battle... for a gelding. He'll never put on the proper muscle to be a real warrior, but, he should serve as decent fodder if ever the need were to arise."

Lyra scowled. "You shouldn't speak about him like that. Celestia doesn't consider anyone to be 'fodder', as you put it."

The guard sighed. "Apologies. It has been a long day. I haven't been home in over a week, and am just feeling a little... tense."

The green unicorn nodded. "I see. Then, perhaps, you should request some time off if it's getting that bad."

The guard shook her head. "I need that promotion. If the Major sees me working hard enough, I can expect a good pay raise in the near future."

With a few words of goodbye, the guard left and closed the door after us. I looked at Pound. Mother had seen fit that he should be trained in some rudimentary combat to protect me. So, a few hours every day he was in the courtyard being trained in drills and exercised.

I wondered if they were going to train me too when I got older. Or was I just going to be seen as a stud to mount mares the rest of my long life?

I suppose there might be worse alternatives. I could have wound up like Pound... our still might wind up like him. Fuck, don't think that. Just keep making mother happy.

She and Luna were off elsewhere taking care of royal business. As usual. Lately, I seemed to be passed off to my wet nurses. Now, I'm not really a little child, I know work can take people's time, but that doesn't make me long for her embrace any less.

At least I had others that loved me while she was away.

"And where is that precious little alicorn?"

Then there was Twilight Sparkle.

Well, I think she did love me, in her own way. But, mostly she seem interested in how I was put together. Mother had given her permission to perform tests and other sciency stuff on me. Thankfully, she placed a limiter, so I wasn't in danger of physical harm.

Mental, however...

Lyra stood up and chuckled. "Welcome, Princes Twilight. What's your plans for Gold today?"

The lavender alicorn smiled sweetly. "There's no need to be so formal, Lyra, we've been friends since forever."

The unicorn nodded. "I know, but, c'mon, it sounds cooler this way."

Twilight came up and gave her a hug, smooshing me between them.

"You're the royal wetnurse, Lyra," Twilight said as she released the mare. "That means you're going to have a portrait hung in the palace for the world and future generations of mares to see."

She blushed. "Yeah. That's so awesome. Think they'll have me do it topless? I saw a couple of them like that in the Gallery."

Twilight shrugged. "I wouldn't doubt it. You've got a pair to be proud of."

Lyra laughed. "Ah, that's too much. So, back to he subject at hand... what are you gonna do with Gold today?"

"Well," Twilight began, running a hand over her abdomen, did I mention she was pregnant? "After looking over my notes from last month's tests, I thought I would like to subject him to intense stimuli."

Lyra frowned. "You're not going to hurt or upset him are you?" She squeezed me tightly in a protective manner.

Twilight shook her head. "Of course not. I don't want him growing up to avoid me."

The unicorn mulled over this for a moment and then nodded. "Just as long as you aren't so rough as last time."

"I was taking his temperature," Twilight defended herself.

"Well, he obviously didn't like it very much," Lyra huffed as she followed her friend. Pound got in step behind our little procession. "Honestly, if you have to hold a foal down, it means you're doing it wrong."

"I apologized," Twilight retorted.

"A pat on the head isn't compensation."

The alicorn shrugged. "He's male. He doesn't know anything about what happens to him. As long as you show him a little affection he'll forgive most everything."

It was annoying being talked about like I wasn't even in the room.

Lyra sighed. "I can't wait for you to start having sons."

"Oh, I hope to have a couple with Flash," Twilight could be oblivious. "I need to start creating my own blood ties to other nations as soon as possible so that my family can start digging in it's roots."

Lyra shook her head. "I hope they've got a strong constitution."

Soon enough we arrived at an empty room, and Twilight took be from Lyra. She set me down in the middle of the floor and began a routine examination of my body.

"He's increased in size at least eighty percent since birth," she noted, a book and quill floating close by to take notes. "That's unheard-of. His horn's hardened nicely. Wings... has he flown any yet?"

Lyra nodded. "Short flights, he's not quite been taking to the air like a normal pegasus foal."

"With his size, no wonder," Twilight said. "He's getting big fast, but his muscles still have a ways to catch up with him. Keep him exercising them, he needs to get stronger. Good teeth, hooves, and mane... Alright. Let's what else is new."

She took off my diaper, clean, I assure you, and began examining my other bits and bobs.

"Okay, and the rest appear to be progressing nicely, average in proportion o body size and whatnot," she nodded n satisfaction. "Other than his size, I'd say he was a shining example of a healthy colt. Although..."

There's always a catch.

"What?" Lyra asked, concerned.

Twilight was quick to point it out. "His sheath... it's grow back by at least forty percent."

The unicorn bent down to get a better look. Why couldn't women be this interested in my stuff in my previous life?

"How is that possible?" Lyra asked.

"I was actually expecting this," Twilight said as she replaced my diaper and turned to her friend. "Just not so much so soon. Alicorns have a very hearty regeneration. Look at Celestia and Luna, thousands of years old, have been in countless ancient wars, yet we don't see a single scar on them. It may not be instant, but, as long as you don't take out the head, or something, they'll regenerate from most injuries. I guess his body thinks the loss of his sheath is some sort of damage it needs to repair."

"Interesting," the unicorn nodded. "So nothing like this has ever happened?"

"Not on this big a scale," Twilight answered ominously.

Lyra was confused, "I... don't understand."

"Every now and then," Twilight began, "there are some stallions born with a hyperactive growing potential. It's not so much a physical thing, as it is a magical phenomenon. They are not very common, rare in fact. But, it is believed that they have some command over another, subtle magical force. One that... unfortunately, made them targets for mares in power."

Lyra tilted her head. "Targets?"

"The best way to gather political support is to create fear," Twilight sighed sadly. "So... they promoted fear of them to the citizens, saying they were possessed and held demon seed. So... it was a dark time and a great loss for the world."

"They killed them?" Lyra gasped in horror. "Just... m-murdered stallions?

Twilight shook her head. "No... er… not always... most were gelded."

Lyra was indignant. "A-and Celestia just let them?"

"Lyra, they're just stallions," Twilight responded quickly. "We've been castrating them since... well, forever. The only loss was the genetic examples of their future descendants."

Just las if the universe was saying: "Oh? Comfortable? Well, here's a reminder of your place in this society". Ugh. I get it. I'm just one step away from being a "good boy".

"What about the murdered ones?" Lyra asked.

Twilight sighed. "Okay, fine. There was a little bit more loss than that."

"Stallions only make up one sixth of the population," Lyra cried out in exasperation, "what excuse could someone have to geld an entire group?"

"Sombra," Twilight said simply.

Lyra paused. "Sombra?"

Twilight nodded. "Yes. He was one of those stallions. Remarkably intelligent, wild, a unicorn stud that even Celestia admits could have almost been sapient. But... his nature was too strong."

"I don't know much about Sombra," Lyra confessed.

Twilight was all to eager to explain. "He was a colt that had been found wandering outside of the Crystal Empire. Princess Amore saw potential in him and took him in to be raised to make ties to allied nations. Not true blood ties, but adoption counted for something."

"Then what happened?" Lyra asked.

"Puberty," Twilight responded simply. "Once his balls descended and started flooding his system with more testosterone... he became an animal. Despite pleas from friends and others, Princess Amore refused to geld him, believing he could be tamed... then he killed her as a show of dominance."

"Killed her?" Lyra gasped. "I-I've seen colts fight over mares before... but... kill? His own mother?"

Twilight nodded. "Colts love their mothers, this is true. This was something evil. He was already well-versed in magic, to an unbelievable extent, but it was corrupted. He went on a rampage, slaughtering other stallions and defiling their mares as his own. He didn't stop there. He slaughtered the little colts too. Getting rid of future competition."

Lyra's hands were over her mouth in horror. "A stallion did all that?"

"That's why, when he was defeated, the Bastard Cull happened," Twilight continued. "The slaughter of colts from mares he had impregnated."

"But... but," Lyra had no words.

"Cadance has done her best to stop it," Twilight said. "She knows the little ones are innocent of their father's crimes. All I can say is that she has hidden each one that she has found. Don't worry, even some of the mares who bore his children were not so blinded by fear and hate, and brought them to Cadance so that they might live full lives."

Lyra shook her head in disbelief. "A stallion... a male... capable of that... are you saying that Gold is similar?"

Twilight nodded. "In the way that he has incredible magical potential? Yes. Just like his father and my brother."

"Big Mac has magical potential?" Lyra asked, a little cynical.

Twilight sighed. "Yes... earth ponies have magical potential too, Lyra. You've been around the nobility too long."

Then she turned back to me. "Now... let the test begin."

What horrors awaited me?

Author's Note

Authors note: This story will be getting some cover art soon, done by https://www.deviantart.com/amalgamzaku, who actaully has done the cover art for lots of stories on fimfiction. If your interested in some cover art, talk to him and work out a price