"Thank you for trusting me." Twilight smiled, her floating quill scribbling in her equally floating pad. "Though I usually see JoanaMac, not..."

Orchard Blossom perked her ears. "Hey, good on ya. Got the name right on the first try."

Twilight laughed nervously at that. "Barb's been good practice. Now, how can I help a fellow princess? Have you been adjusting well to your responsibilities?"

Orchard tapped her hooves together. She was seated at the friendship map, close to Twilight. It was night, as it tended to be when she was up and about. "That ain't been a problem. Ah'm the princess of law enforcement." She smiled with a fond expression. "An' ah kinda like it. Nope, no problems there. Uh, there is this one mare that's out fer me, but she's mostly harmless."

Twilight leaned in, the scribbling picking up pace. "Did you want to talk about that?"

"Actually, no." Orchard Blossom pointed down to her haunches. "Much more personal than that."

Twilight inclined her head slowly. "I... don't understand? Please, expand on that?"

Orchard chuffed softly. Being subtle about that with Twilight felt like a losing route. "Ya helped Big Mac. She's a she, but still a little he, remember?"

"Oh, yes." Her eyes wandered over Ochard Blossom. They were entirely female, so far Twilight knew? "Is something wrong with that? Why didn't she come? I would have talked to them."

"Ah know ya woulda." Orchard's walkie talkie crackled with a faint voice, but she ignored that. "Ponyville." She chuckled softly. "Not 'xpecting much there. Um, but back to the point. We're both active mares. We, uh... done things... with a stallion..." She rubbed at her cheek awkwardly. "Ya know the kind."

"Do I?" Twilight looked to her notes as if the answer were lurking there. It must have been, seeing as she seemed to arrive at an answer. "Oh! Oh... Um..." She rubbed behind her head slowly. "Good?"

"No complaints." Orchard rubbed her hooves slowly. "Ain't here to gloat. Um, but doin' that kinda thin' can have... consequences." She pointed at Twilight. "Was hopin' you could give some advice, fer Joana. If she ends up with a foal in her, can she get it back out again? Or is she settin' herself up for a whole world ah pain? How's that gonna work?"

"I see...." Twilight made a fresh scribble. "Now it's making sense. On one hoof, I'm glad to hear Joana is settling into her new physical sexuality comfortably." She inclined her head in a sharp twist. "On the other, she rushed and did it before I ever got around to it." There was a bitter edge to that statement as she muttered, setting her notes aside a moment. "Not that I entirely understand the appeal." She raised a hoof to cough into it. "Putting that aside! Let's stick to the pure anatomy of the problem."

Orchard Blossom sighed, ears drooping. "Shoot, ah didn't even think 'bout how this could happen...too busy enjoyin' mahself." She scuffed a hoof against the floor. "Gotta take more responsibility. Ain't fair stickin' you with my mess."

Twilight gave her a sympathetic smile. "It's alright. I'm glad you came to me." She levitated a large book over, flipping through it. "Pregnancy will be risky, but not impossible. My main concern would be getting the foal out safely. Even with magic, it will be very tricky."

Orchard winced. "Don't that beat all. Maybe we shoulda left that part...well, can't change it now."

"There are options." Twilight turned a page. "We could try an infertility spell. It's not permanent, but it would give you time to think things over."

Orchard's ears perked up. "That could work! What's the catch?"

"It's powerful magic that can have side effects," Twilight cautioned. "I'd have to modify it for your unique situation. But I think I can make it safe."

Orchard stomped a hoof. "Better than no plan at all! Let's try it."

Twilight nodded. "I'll need to examine you first, to understand your anatomy. We'll go slow and you can stop any time. First, take deep breaths..."

Her horn glowed as she began gently probing with her magic. Orchard tensed, then relaxed as Twilight murmured reassurances... Twilight nodded with building confidence. "I was being overly cautious. Your network is entirely standard, for a female. It's the male side that carries complications."

She coughed, no hoof there to catch it. "This brings... up a question, if you don't mind? Did you... You had relations with a pony, as a female. Did you... male side react? Are you impotent, or just sterile?"

Orchard blinked, but also realized something. "Twi."

"Hm?"

Orchard pointed to herself. "Ah ain't Joanamac. Y'ain't gonna learn much lookin' me over. Ah wanted to talk. Ah can send Joanamac over later."

"Oh! Right, yes." Twilight gave a delirious laugh, rubbing at the side of her head. "You two are so related, I forgot... Forgive me, Ha... yes..." Her horn went out. "Now... If you want the spell done, it would be a simple task. I could even show it to you. You are a unicorn, at least in part. Magic is something you can do."

Orchard Blossom nodded slowly. "A spell could be good to know. But I ain't the one needin' it."

She scuffed a hoof on the floor. "Feel bad about all this. Like I made a big mess and now Joanamac's gotta clean it up."

Twilight put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "You didn't mean any harm. And you're doing the responsible thing by asking for help."

Orchard gave a small smile. "Still, I wanna make sure Joanamac's looked after proper."

She squared her shoulders. "When y'all examine her, tell her I got her back. We'll get through this together, as Apples do."

Twilight smiled back. "I'll pass that along. And the infertility spell isn't permanent - it just buys time."

She floated a book over. "Here, I can show you the basics. That way you'll understand what's involved."

Orchard's horn lit up as she peered at the pages. "Huh, ain't so bad. Almost looks fun, like bakin' a pie!"

The two unicorns chuckled together. Orchard's smile faded. "Wish we could have this talk direct. It's... a shame, havin' the rest ah mah family sleepin' while ah'm awake."

Twilight nodded sympathetically. "I can only imagine. But know you're not alone."

Orchard stood taller and grinned. "Yer right. Got a whole family watchin' my back, even if they feel so far away. That counts for a lot. Now, um... Thanks fer the spell. Ah didn't think learnin' one would be so simple..."

"That one, thankfully, is a simple one. A great spell for a beginner, and often taught to budding young mare unicorns as both an educational tool for magic crafting and a way for them to avoid trouble until they're ready." She wobbled a hoof. "Once a moon, cast this, and it stops being an issue. Fairly safe, as these things go. I... actually never really cast it that often. I don't engage in the sort of activities that would benefit from it."

She picked up her pad in her magic, scribbling anew. "Speaking of that, my question? How functional is Joanamac's male anatomy?"

"Oh, um." Orchard rubbed at her chin with the flat of a hoof. "She was mighty distracted at the time... but, um... It all felt... great." That much she was sure of. "Um, it all worked..."

"Did she ejaculate?"

The clinical way it was asked set Orchard back. "Huh?"

"Did she? Was there a release?" Twilight rolled a hoof, quill dancing in the air, ready to note the answer.

"Well..." Orchard focused on that moment, the peak of everything. "Y-yeah, Yeah. She did. Why?"

"Fascinating." Twilight dutifully took note of that fact. "Having had male experiences, would you say it was greater, smaller, or fairly equivalent to your past circumstances?"

"She weren't focused on that!" Orchard was a dark hue, squirming in place. "Um... Ah... Ah... wanna say smaller? She really wasn't paying it no mind..."

"Logical." Twilight made a fresh note. "Your--her system is female. It is not designed to build up nearly enough magic in the right place to perform that task as well. I'm surprised she managed it at all, though the odds of that succeeding at the task are vanishingly tiny. You'd have more luck successfully reproducing as a mare under the effects of the spell."

That brought a new question. "Wait. So there is a chance, even with the spell?"

"There exists exactly one way to be sure with that." Twilight leaned forward. "I've been practicing it. If a mare and a stallion never do 'that', then there is a 0% chance of a foal. If they do that, then there is not a 0% chance. The spell reduces it, quite severely, but saying there's no chance would be overselling it."

Orchard Blossom blushed, scuffing a hoof on the floor. "Right, guess that makes sense. Ain't no guarantees 'cept stayin' far apart." She squared her shoulders. "But I trust Joanamac. However she wants to handle this, I got her back. Um, best ah can, bein' a day apart."

Twilight smiled. "You're a good sister. And there's no shame in being intimate, as long as everypony is on the same page." She levitated a book over. "Here, I have some resources you both should look at. They explain pregnancy risks, fertility spells, and options if it does occur."

Orchard's horn lit up as she paged through. "Thanks Twi, this'll help a heap. We'll study up and figure things out." She rolled up the books. "And if anypony can untangle this knot, it's you and Starlight." Orchard waved a hoof. "Speakin' of which, mind if I send Joanamac by tomorrow? Sure she'll have questions of her own."

Twilight nodded. "I'll be ready for her. In the meantime, try not to worry too much. But, yes, do send her over. I still need to examine her."

Orchard smiled with a nod. "Thanks though... Um! Wait, one more thin'... Ah shouldn't have no problems, right?" She tossed her head towards her own back end. "Ah'm jus' a mare. Um, bein' a princess don't complicate nothin', does it?"

"It shouldn't." Twilight made fresh notes. "Cadance managed without difficulties or complications. Still, if you wanted, talking to her about that would yield the best results. She has first hoof experience, afterall." She pressed her hooves together. "Just one thing. Are you certain you're prepared to do this twice at the same time? I know you've decided to seperate Big Mac from Orchard Blossom... But it'd still be you, either of you, dealing with this at all times of the day. Something to consider."

"Ah'll think 'bout it, promise, and thanks!" Orchard vanished without a sound, as if an editing error had just casually removed her from there, at least until the air around where she had been rushed to occupy that space.

Twilight glanced at the pile of books and her own notes. "What a fascinating medical puzzle. I can't wait to research this further!"

Orchard appeared with the pop of displaced air. She put down her new book of fertility magic and tips. "Now wait a moment..." She flipped through it anew. "There's spells fer one way, what about..." Yep, there it was. There were spells to make a mare even more prepared. There were spells for use on stallions too, both diminishing and increasing. The book was thorough in family planning. Whether one really wanted a foal or really didn't want one, the spells and techniques were laid out to help sway the odds in one's favor.

"Wow..." She clopped a hoof to her cheek, skimming over the dense advice and arcane notes. Her cheeks colored, imagining casting some of those spells on Fancy Pants. But which one?

A new thought popped in her head. "Ah might be bein' silly..." The male fertility reduction was just as simple as the female one, easier even. It was barely a spell, being so simple. Maybe Fancy already knew it. Maybe he had already been using it, for both of them.

Maybe she had been worrying over nothing!

Author's Note

Don't that beat all?

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