Conquered By Motherhood

“Are you excited, my love?” asked Princess Celestia, laying a hand on Twilight’s thigh.

Twilight Sparkle’s hesitation made it clear that the answer was something other than an unqualified yes. For a mildly awkward moment, she sat in silence between her two wives as the carriage rumbled along the cobblestones.

“Well, if nervousness counts as a type of excitement,” Twilight finally said, “then… yes! I'm excited for this checkup. mostly I just want to hear that everything’s all right, so that I can finally relax.”

Princess Luna sighed, smiling gently. “Twilight, you must not focus so much on what can go wrong. Today you will hear the heartbeats of the foals you sired. Think of how it will feel when their strong hearts speak to you, my darling.”

Celestia nodded. “There will always be things to worry about, Twilight. Doubly so when one is a parent. But allow yourself to set those worries aside, and simply discover joy in the moment.” She gave Twilight’s thigh a little squeeze. “You seem to be able to do that in the bedroom…”

Twilight laughed softly. “Well, that's different,” she said. “Anyway… I'm sorry if I'm stressing you out. I'm just not used to being in the dark about something for so long. I wish I had the time to learn medical magic, so I could keep track of things myself…”

“Oh, heavens!” said Luna. “No, darling. If you knew how, you'd be giving us checkups twice daily, fretting over every stage of growth, charting the development of each foal in meticulous detail. The stress would turn your coat whiter than Tia’s.”

“You're not wrong,” sighed Twilight.

“I know it will not come easy to you, dear,” said Luna, resting her head on Twilight’s shoulder, “but when you cannot control something, and cannot even know it… let yourself be freed by that powerlessness. As a princess - and as a parent, I should think - you must focus on what you can control.”

“I'll try and take that to heart, Luna,” said Twilight. “Thank you.”

The carriage came to a stop outside the front entrance of Canterlot Hospital. Twilight straightened in her seat and then abruptly vanished, reappearing outside the vehicle. “Let me help you down, ladies,” she said, opening the cart door and offering a hand.

“We’re not yet so pregnant that we can't dismount a carriage,” laughed Luna, “but I won't turn down an opportunity to be waited upon by my beautiful wife.” She took Twilight’s hand and let herself be guided down to the cobblestones, and Celestia followed after her.

“So is it always a one-on-one thing?” Twilight asked the handsome young nurse who'd guided the royal sisters to their respective examination rooms. “I can't sit in on them?”

“It is policy, yes,” said the nurse. “Since you're a princess, I guess you could order me to let you in.”

Twilight sighed and took a seat, plopping herself down on a bench between the two examination rooms. “No, that would be a petty abuse of power,” she said. “I just talked with my wives about not letting my worries control me, and this seems like a good opportunity to just… relax, and let things unfold at their own pace.”

“That's a very healthy attitude,” said the nurse. “Believe me, I've seen…” he turned his head, reacting to something in Celestia's examination room. “Oh, pardon me, your highness, just sit tight…”

The nurse entered Celestia's room, shutting the door behind him, and Twilight heard a pair of muffled voices, barely above a whisper. She was tempted to put her ear up to the door - or attempt some more magical means of eavesdropping - but she throttled that urge and sought a way to keep her mind distracted.

Any unicorn who worked in academia knew the basic book-summoning spell, and Twilight had adapted it to instantly deliver the last ten books she’d read. At the moment, all ten were books on pregnancy and parenting, thick volumes representing everything from the most ancient wisdom to the most daringly modern methods. A rectangle of violet light appeared beside Twilight, and the heavy stack of books fell from it and thudded onto the bench.

Twilight plucked a book from the middle of the stack and opened it in her lap. A book on “supportive fatherhood,” co-authored by a married stallion and mare. Twilight didn't think of herself as the “father” of her wives’ foals, but she was the only one in the relationship who wasn't getting pregnant, so… close enough?

Whether or not there was something to learn from the book, it was certainly enough to keep Twilight’s mind occupied. Before she could get too absorbed in it, though, she noticed a nurse striding purposefully out of Luna’sroom. The nurse disappeared around a corner and returned leading a doctor - no, two doctors - who avoided Twilight’s eyes as they entered Luna’s examination room.

Okay. Twilight could allow herself to be worried about that... or she could choose to be free of worry. To leave this problem - no, this situation - in the hands of medical professionals, and accept that she was not in control. Twilight drew in a long breath and turned her eyes back to her book, forcing herself not to see anything beyond its margins…

But she couldn't help but see two more pairs of legs striding past her - towards Celestia's room this time - and she lifted her eyes from the page. The activity was only accelerating now - doctors were huddling at both doorways, exchanging whispers, casting nervous glances at Twilight Sparkle. Sometimes one would enter or leave, pushing their way past the doctors who crowded the small rooms.

The effort of not worrying was steadily becoming unbearable. Twilight's shoulders were tense, her grip on her book getting uncomfortably tight - and tension was building in her horn as well, manifesting as a thick purple miasma.

Eventually, one of the doctors made the mistake of noticing Twilight Sparkle’s tension-wracked posture and darkly glowing horn. The doctor turned to discreetly look at her - and Twilight turned to look back, freezing the doctor in her gaze. Twilight’s expression was eerily empty, the tight grimace of a mare who was holding back a landslide of uncomfortable emotions - and that expression stayed frozen in place as she threw down her book and rose from her seat.

Twilight looked from side to side, swinging her gaze over the huddled doctors. What were they whispering about? What were they hiding from her? What could be so dire, so unprecedented, that it required so many doctors to come and consult?

Twilight’s mind raced. She'd spent the last few months studying medical literature, familiarizing herself with nearly every complication that a pregnant mare could experience. None of those complications would justify this much activity, even when the patient was a princess. Was this something totally unknown to ponykind? Some disastrous consequence of the fertility spells that Twilight told her wives to cast? Was this her fault?

Twilight was deep inside her own head - but her anxiety was powerful enough that it was manifesting all around her. The miasma around her horn spread downwards, enveloping her entire body in a shivering aura of unfocused magic. The doctors cowered, trembling and silent - until someone took the initiative and shoved a young doctor forward. The unlucky doctor stumbled forward, barely stopping himself before he smacked into Twilight, and hesitantly raised his head to meet Twilight’s eyes.

“Princess Twilight,” he said, his voice trembling like a windblown leaf, “it’s now okay for you to see your wives. We're just getting one of the bigger meeting rooms ready for the three of you and their doctors.”

This good news cut through Twilight’s internal storm, and she started to become aware of the scene she was making: the quivering doctor in front of her, the color drained from his face. The other doctors, huddling behind him, cowering from the princess’ royal ire. And the uncontrolled magic swirling around her body, raw power barely held in place by Twilight Sparkle’s aura. This was no way for Twilight to treat her subjects - especially those who were attending to her pregnant wives.

With a dispelling pulse from her horn, Twilight snuffed out the raw magic surrounding her. With a hot blush and an embarrassed laugh, she addressed the young doctor. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Lead on.”

Later that day, Celestia and Luna lay atop the plush, luxurious lounge chairs in their private study. But try as they might to relax, the sight of their wife pacing the floor made it impossible to set aside the worries of the day.

“Tia,” said Princess Luna, “I fear that our beloved Twilight has not entirely taken to heart our advice.”

“Yes, anxiety weighs heavy on her perfect shoulders,” sighed Celestia. “Although I confess that today’s revelation has me somewhat anxious as well.”

Twilight stopped pacing and turned to her wives. “Nine fetal heartbeats,” she said. “Nine each. We’re having eighteen foals!”

“This is not what we planned for,” agreed Luna. “And I cannot think how it happened! Your spellcraft was flawless as always, and unless the magic was somehow disrupted-” she paused, her brow furrowing and her mouth twisting into a snarl. “Nightmare! Daybreaker! Come out and explain yourselves to Twilight!”

Without any change in their relaxed posture, the princesses transformed into their alter egos. Their bodies swelled with muscle, limbs bulging powerfully as their dresses ripped into tatters. Celestia’s mane burst into a plume of self-sustaining flames, and Luna’s billowed into a flowing veil of starry night. Watching the brief transformation, Twilight was at first confused, then shocked, then furious, as she realized why Luna had called out the princess’ amazonian doppelgangers.

“What in the name of Harmony were you thinking?” demanded Twilight. “Do you have any idea how dangerous and prone to complications pregnancies this large are?”

A smile spread over Daybreaker’s face. She swung her legs over the edge of her chair, planted her feet on the ground, and stretched to her full glorious height. Undeterred by Twilight’s scowl, Daybreaker embraced her wife, squeezing Twilight tight against her soft bosom and firm chest. “Calm yourself, my love,” she said. “The dangers you speak of are for mortals, and we are the two most powerful immortals in this world. Our bodies do as we will, my dear; one foal or a hundred matters little to us.”

Held in Daybreaker’s warm and powerful embrace, it was difficult for Twilight to maintain her anger - but that anger was richly justified and she wasn’t ready to let go of it just yet. She pushed Daybreaker away, and the fiery titan released Twilight from her arms.

“You can’t know for certain that there are no risks,” said Twilight. “For all your power, you’re still ponies. And you’ve never been pregnant before! You’re recklessly putting yourselves at risk - you’re putting our family at risk!”

“If we relied on power alone,” said Nightmare Moon, rising casually from her seat, “you might have cause to worry. But we planned this carefully, Daybreaker and I. Your spells allowed every egg to be placed with forethought and precision... and although nine foals might seem ambitious, we did not give our bodies more than they could handle. The foals have all the room they need, and no spot is unduly stressed. There may be some mild discomfort as the foals grow, but we will all be safe.”

Twilight sighed, letting some of the anger fall from her face. “Well, knowing you had some kind of plan… a little forethought… that does make me feel better. But why do this at all?”

Nightmare Moon met Twilight’s exasperated face with a loving smile. “Why, to fulfill the desire of our lover’s heart,” she said. “I've been in your dreams, Twilight. I know that you wish to have children beyond counting.”

Twilight pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, one, entering my dreams without permission definitely crosses a line. Two, fantasy foals don't have real needs or wants. Real foals need constant care and attention. I can't even imagine how we'd raise eighteen at once, and I couldn't live with myself if we neglected even one of them.”

Daybreaker stepped forward, and Twilight allowed herself to be embraced again. “We could not agree more, Twilight,” said Daybreaker, “but remember - our foals will have the five greatest mothers in the world to care for them.”

Twilight, her face buried in Daybreaker's bosom, raised an eyebrow skeptically. “The four of you are sharing two bodies,” she said. “Bodies that need to sleep.”

Nightmare Moon put her hand on Twilight’s shoulder, gently pulling her away from Daybreaker. “Yes and no,” she said. “For beings such as ourselves, it is our minds - rather than our bodies - that require rest. Now that Daybreaker and I are no longer caged, we could easily swap with our counterparts when one needs to rest. The children will be cared for at all hours.”

Twilight shook her head. “Even with that, you're seriously underestimating how much work this many foals will be. I've read that-”

Nightmare Moon leaned down and silenced Twilight with a kiss. “What's done is done,” she said, once their lips separated. “Perhaps a show of good faith will reassure you that we are taking this task seriously. Since the size of this pregnancy is our responsibility, Daybreaker and I will shoulder the consequences. Whenever Celestia or Luna experience the slightest discomfort, they can swap to us and we shall suffer in their stead."

Daybreaker smirked, striking a confident pose that widened the tears in her tattered dress. "That shouldn't be too hard,” she scoffed. “Celestia has gone soft in this time of peace. What she considers discomfort will be trivial for me to handle."