Author's Note

Something just felt off about this and I couldn't put my finger on it, so I held it and tweaked. Sorry for the delay...

Announcements

The rest of the week passed as various ponies tried to hack at the math and otherwise find options. Most of the guests had dispersed back to their various origins, only Starswirl remaining to monitor the time loop, participate in planning, and help Twilight with the lock. The Apples returned to normal dreams, and with Applejack having agreed to participate in the orgy, Apple Bloom no longer felt the need to push her. Fluttershy and Thunderlane continued dating, but things did not progress between them at a lightning or even an accelerated pace. Even Twilight calmed down, now that she had a plan. Indeed, it outwardly seemed that everything had returned to normal.

On Monday afternoon at 4, Celestia sent a letter to Twilight announcing the return of her intrusive thoughts. And with that confirmation, Twilight felt it was time to hold a press conference, which she scheduled for the next day. This was unusual for a princess in her time off, and as such there wasn't much of a press pool in Ponyville, but several reporters came down from Canterlot anyway.

Spike directed them to the library, and once they were seated, Twilight walked in and set up the recording spell.

"Thank you for coming. I have made a discovery which it would be best to share immediately. Due to various unusual events - visions, inadvertent ambient mind control, personal interviews, examination of ancient magic, et cetera, we have discovered that long ago, King Sombra turned Princess Skyla into a ghost. Eventually, she made her way to Ponyville, which she has lately been haunting. The best solution is to bring her back into the world. Therefore, I shall shortly be conceiving her."

The reporters interrupted their shorthoof notes to share astonished looks. Twilight gave them a short period to finish before continuing.

"That is, I will arrange for a foal to gestate within my womb, but there will be no 'lucky stallion' involved, as I imagine you were stumbling over. I must artificially optimize conditions for her return. There is a magical lock holding her back, and very specific conditions must be met. I will be doing this during a public demonstration that could well double as a foals' lecture on genetics." Her face betrayed a little eagerness as she added, "Yes, actually, that sounds like a good addition to the proceedings."

Her visage returned to placid blankness. "I expect to have the spells ready in around ten days, while I am assisting princess Celestia. I would like to do this before I spend two weeks as reigning princess, but if I have to delay until afterwards that will only inconvenience those affected here in Ponyville. Are there any questions? - Byline?"

Byline asked, "You can raise the dead?"

"I can reasonably attempt to restore any pony who died under a very specific spell only ever cast by Sombra at great length under laboratory conditions. So far as I can tell, Skyla is the only pony ever to be affected. If we discover others, I will arrange for their restoration as well." Twilight gestured that he could ask his followup question.

"What about the other three recently restored ponies?"

"I was not closely involved with that; it is, as far as I can tell, completely separate. It, too, is opportunistic and though it may be more widely applicable, is definitely not raising the dead. You may direct questions to Starlight Glimmer, Starswirl the Bearded, or Pinkie Pie. Buried Lead?" She was careful to pronounce her name properly, as in the metal.

Buried Lead asked, "What are you going to name the foal? Or have you not picked out a name yet?"

Twilight blinked. "It's a bit late to name her, as she's already named Skyla. Grapevine, you first."

"Will she remember that she's Skyla?"

"I don't know, and neither did Sombra. I suspect she does; certainly, it will be a lot more convenient if she remembers her earlier life. And hello - it's nice to meet you. If you would be so kind as to introduce yourself before your question?"

"Thank you, princess. I'm Pyramid Form, from the South Equestria Sun-Times. Two questions. How do you plan to work through your pregnancy?"

Twilight shrugged. "With a gradually escalating level of difficulty? I imagine the other princesses will provide additional help. In the event of catastrophe, I will be a bit less mobile toward the end. Princess Cadence managed it; I believe I can as well."

"Second - Do you think this will give you a greater appreciation for mothers and parents when making law and judgements? Especially single mothers?"

Twilight thought for a moment. "I already appreciated that quite a bit. As for being a single mother, I would be very hesitant to use myself as a model for their situation - most do not hold press conferences after deciding in advance that they will be single mothers, for instance. Additionally, I have a wide circle of strong friends, I could requisition servants at a whim if I desire them, et cetera. If I need a single mother's perspective, I will ask one the single mothers I know."

Pyramid followed up, "How many is that?"

Twilight considered. "Hmm. One jumps to mind. If you count widows with foals, a fair number. Hmm. Oh, another, yes. I have the feeling I'm forgetting somepony. Yes, Byline?"

"What do you say to the inevitable suggestion that you are already pregnant?"

"My eggs are petrified for use later in my hopefully-long life. As a side effect of this preservation, I will not get pregnant by accident. And before doing it on purpose, I would, at the very least, hold a press conference." She gestured to the reporters.

"'Later use'? You intend to have additional foals?"

"Eventually, after finding a special somepony, courting, marrying, and determining that's a thing we want to do, yes. Until then, no. Presto?"

"Can you give any diagrams of the magic involved?"

"Hmm. I suspect not; being based on Sombra's work, it's both fiendishly difficult and his end of it is simply fiendish. I would rather not publish a torture execution method, even if it's one that is more recoverable than most; and the recovery is based on that earlier part, so… no. Sorry!"

He nodded, and Pyramid raised a hoof. Upon Twilight's nodding at him, he asked, "Could you provide more details about how this situation was discovered?"

Twilight synopsized everything, describing the sexual thoughts only as 'thoughts seeming to belong to somepony else' and leaving out the orgy aspect of the unlocking procedure, instead describing it as a magical procedure requiring the efforts of three princesses, six elements, and additional support.

When the reporters finally left, Twilight found Sweetie Belle and Button Mash waiting outside.

She welcomed them and sealed the room after letting them in. Without explanation, she relaxed and declared, "I'm almost sorry they were so cooperative; I had such takedowns prepared as would be whispered-of for generations. But maybe they sound better in my head than they would be in reality. So, how are your plans, Button? I've been very pleased with your ideas on geometry. It might even be publishable work in the mathematics of directed graphs."

"It's not that, princess."

"'Princess'? Come now, Button. Once I've provisionally accepted a plan that involves our exchanging several bodily fluids, I think you can use my first name, at least in private." Her giggle faded as she saw how serious they were.

Sweetie fidgeted and finally said, "I'm pregnant."

Twilight frowned. "I thought you two were saving up for the big event."

They shook their heads, and Button explained, "It was Tempest. Before the meeting, we did test number 1 with her, and apparently her precum was… well, she didn't even go in, but it was enough. It's the only explanation we can think of. Tempest said she wasn't fertile, but…"

Twilight frowned. "Why would she say that? It's a barely-modified fertility spell. Well. I never told her it was. Actually, I didn't realize it at the time. Oh… oh no."

Sweetie urgently said, "What?"

"I must have told her she couldn't get me pregnant, but I would have meant just me. I really hope she hasn't been sleeping her way around the Crystal Empire." Twilight began hyperventilating. "Come on!"

She headed for the portal, barely remembering to go the way the reporters hadn't just left through and might still be lingering in. Sweetie and Button followed, barely keeping up as she made her way to and through the portal, taking them to the Crystal Empire, and from its portal straight to the ranger post. Twilight inquired - Tempest had just returned from a stint afield, and had declared her intention to spend the next day in bed. Twilight trotted in place while the clerk fetched her home address.

As they ran, Sweetie faltered. Button offered, "I can carry you."

After recovering, Sweetie rolled her eyes. "I'm only a week in. We only noticed because I was practicing the magic."

But they were falling behind, regardless the reason, so Twilight levitated them both and took off flying. A minute later, they'd come to the correct house. Twilight set them both down and knocked gently. Silence. Then, from the upstairs window, a deep moan. Twilight opened the door and ran upstairs, shouting, "Stop!"

She burst into Tempest's bedroom, discovering the mare surrounded by the Super-Seedy Spider-Squeezy 6000, a dildo pistoning in and out of her cunt while she plied the side of her penis with a feather. Her face was already plastered with her own semen. Twilight calmed and took a few deep breaths.

Tempest languorously eyed Twilight. "Well, are you just going to stand there?"

Sweetie slipped in after Twilight and giggled. Button gulped as his gaze fell upon her.

Tempest looked on this in confusion, then alarm. "What… oh no."

Twilight nodded. "When I said you couldn't get me pregnant…"

"You meant you couldn't get pregnant. Crap. Sorry, kids. So… so… sorry." She reached over and turned off the squeezy. It smoothly pulled out of her and she sat up on her haunches. "So. I understand there's a spell to move the kid from her to me, right?"

Twilight blinked. "Y-yes, actually. It's a lot easier to perform if you're the one accepting the embryo, but I've been working on a third-party version for other reasons, and I might be able to pull it off. So… have you, ah… maybe gotten any other mares pregnant?"

Tempest shook her head, then again more vigorously to clear it. She pitched forward onto her hooves and headed to the kitchen. "I was on assignment, and the only use I got out of the penis was aiming my pee. I don't have tea. How do you take your coffee?"

"Dark, sweet, and strong." Twilight grinned as if to convey that she was holding back 'like my mare' but Tempest wasn't facing her. Just as well. I don't really want an enduring relationship with her.

Tempest wearily said, "Good. I'll be switching to decaf soon, might as well use up the strong stuff up." She emptied the pot into a cup. "Should still be hot. You two? Pot's empty, so I can make whatever you want."

Button said, "Color of my coat, decaf."

Sweetie nodded. "Same. Er - his coat, not mine."

A glance at her milk-white coat, and Tempest chuckled. "You're lucky I have any. It's an Abyssinian blend. Really got used to the loot the army was carrying when I joined. When I found it in the market, I just had to get it."

Twilight offered to grind it for her, and Tempest nodded. A moment later, the beans had become a brown cloud from which she allowed a rich flavor to leak, quickly filling the room. She drew some water into the air from the tap, pulled out unwanted minerals, instantly heated it, passed the brown cloud through it, then split the blob into the two mugs Tempest had drawn forth, with the rest going into the coffee pot.

Tempest gave Twilight an incredulous look as she fetched a tin of cookies. "Dang, girl. If that princess gig doesn't work out, you could run a performance-art coffee shop."

Twilight smirked at her, but Tempest was already focused on Sweetie, who was adding milk.

"So, Sweetie Belle, was it? Good. What's your family's naming convention? Mine is to combine parents and grandparents' names somehow. That's how you end up with a monstrosity like 'Fizzlepop Berrytwist'. I think we could tone it down, use just two names. Who are your parents? Or do you not want to acknowledge your role?"

Sweetie looked to Button. "As long as I don't have to bear the foal myself… I think I can deal with it. My parents are Cookie Crumbles and Hondo Flanks."

Twilight leaned the chair back and held with her coffee in her hooves. Her heart was still slowing after finding that Tempest hadn't been busy increasing the population by more than one.

"Hondo Flanks, the hoofball announcer? Huh. Must be rough, with him traveling so much."

"Yeah, I was mostly raised by my sister Rarity - once I was big enough, Mom went with him rather than staying with me."

"Hmm. Maybe mix my father Sugar Pop, and your mom, to get Sugar Cookie? Meh. Hmm. How about Sugar Belle?"

Twilight's collapse to the floor combined with spit take and throwing the coffee mug out the window, followed by a minute-long coughing fit was, regrettably, not caught on camera.

~~~~

Sugar Belle gaped. "You're my mom and … dad?"

Starlight nodded. "Yup, once I relaxed the requirement that the father had to be a stallion and the mother had to actually bear the foal, it came out immediately. Your genetic parents are Sweetie Belle and Tempest Shadow."

Sweetie nervously glanced down at her feet.

Starlight grinned maniacally. "And guess who the gestational mother is?"

Sugar Belle shrugged. This revelation is turning out to be a bit underwhelming. My parents didn't have some tragic story behind them after all, just a weird magical accident layered within another weird magical thing.

Starlight poked her with a hoof. "Come on. Who would you want it to be?"

"Uh… Tempest seems better suited than Sweetie?"

"Be more creative. Could this solve a problem of yours?"

"Hmm. Solve a problem… Wait a moment. If Tempest could be a father, then could a stallion be a mother? Could I get Big Mac pregnant?"

Starlight was not to be deterred. "Sure, but you'd still… well, I guess that would solve your problem, probably."

Sugar Belle didn't stick around to hear anything past 'Sure', instead galloping off to the orchard. Starlight chased after her. Tempest looked to Sweetie. "You know, if she does that, then they're going to realize how much of it was a magical mistake and how much was the usual kind of mistake."

Sweetie looked up to her. "I'm sure we could cook up some excuse. Or just take our lumps."

Tempest nodded. "Used to that."

Granny Smith walked in and sat down creakily on an even creakier chair. "All right, so, welcome to the family, you two. Applejack! Come meet your brother's mother and father in law!"

Applejack's hoofbeats were immediately audible.

Sweetie Belle groaned. "How long have you known?"

Applejack skidded in. "What was that you said?"

Granny Smith pointed to Sweetie and Tempest. "I just found out these two are Sugar Belle's long lost parents."

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Uh, how."

Granny leaned forward in the chair, and eyed the subtle bump Tempest's flaccid cock was retracted into. Applejack followed her gaze. "Well, ain't that something. You two get drunk?"

Sweetie shook her head. "It was actually a magical experiment about that thing, you know which. It involved simulating sex. Our simulation was a little too good. But still, she didn't even go in! Just, super powered sperm or something."

Granny shook her head, softly laughing, then coughing. After recovering, "Wish it were that easy for me. On the other hoof, if it had, I'd a never met my husband."

Applejack slowly turned her head. "Because you were going to the grand rodeo? That was real?"

Granny nodded.

Applejack swallowed.

Granny sat back in the chair. "Well, get over to the kitchen and tell your ma to add two plates for supper."