Life Finds a Way

Saturday, January 17th, 909 AB (6 days later)

“He’s getting taller,” Lemon says, looking at the colt laying on his back between his moms. The seven of them had all piled in the master bed last night, filling the thing to capacity.

“He sure is,” Amethyst agrees. “The colt’s gonna end up a hoof taller ‘n his sire at this rate.”

“Aww, but look how adorable he is when he’s asleep,” Title says, nosing at an ear. “Don’t you just wanna eat ‘em up?”

“No!” Vines insists, laying her head across his chest. “He’s all mine!”

“Eat him up! Eat him up!” two voices chorus.

“Hmm… I think I will,” she agrees with a nod. With gentle nibbles, Vines nips up his belly to his chest, then gives his chin a few grooming licks.

Starting to stir, he reaches up and wraps his forelegs around his dam’s head. “Mmm… love you dam.”

“Aww, so cute,” Lemon coos.

“Not wike dat!” Lotus corrects. “Wike dis!” she says, giving Cure a sloppy raspberry on his belly.

“Eugh… filly drool on mah belly. Gross!”

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Vines calls, nuzzling into his chin then sitting up. “It’s time to get up. You’ll have to get ready to go to work soon.”

“Aww…” he complains, pawing at the air. “I want more snuggles,” he whines out.

Cherry, accepting the invitation, yells “Yay! Snuggles!” while jumping from Title’s withers, landing hooves-first directly on his belly. Her back hooves land further back, to the shock and horror of the ladies.

All four mares turn away wincing and brace for the death rattle that, shockingly, never comes.

“Ouch,” he simply says.

“Ouch?” Amethyst asks, peeking with one eye to check the damage. “That’s it? She just did a high dive onto yer stallion and all ya say is ouch?”

Rotating himself and the filly to his right side to face his dam, all four mares look back as he casually explains, “I kinda keep the pain sensors in that area turned way down, thank Harmony. I mean… wouldn’t you? It still didn’t feel great.”

“Good thinking, Cure,” Title agrees with a nod, getting hesitant and uncomfortable agreements all around.

“Cherry, sweetie,” Lemon explains, “you can’t hit colts between their legs like that. You can really hurt them bad.”

“I… hurt big brother?” she asks, eyes immediately turning watery and lip quivering.

Sitting up to wrap the filly in his forelegs, he pulls her against his chest and gives her a nuzzle, “I’m okay, Cherry. Big brother Cure is a lot tougher than other colts. Just don’t do that again, okay?”

The filly quickly nods into his chest while Lotus climbs on Cure’s left side and nuzzles into his neck.

“Mmm… filly snuggles. No work today, we’re closed.”

Rolling her eyes, Amethyst gets off the bed first, the other mares quickly following. Title, being the slowest moving with her swollen belly, puts a hoof on Cure’s left haunch and pokes him a couple times. “C’mon, Cure. You gotta get ready. You can’t be late. It’s a big day and you volunteered to help out.”

Sighing, he agrees with a nod. “Fiiine. I gotta get up, Cherry, Lotus,” he says, “how about you go help our moms with breakfast while I get cleaned up?”

“Okay!” they call out, running out of the room.

Reluctantly, Cure sits up and gives his mom a kiss on her cheek before climbing off the bed and going to the restroom to start getting ready. He had, as usual, showered the night before, so once he gets his mane in order and wipes off the occasional patch of dam or filly saliva, he grabs his bags and heads downstairs to join everypony else.

Knowing that Cure would be in for an unusually tough day, Vines had whipped up a very special breakfast for him.

“French toast?! Oh dam,” he cries, rearing up and wrapping her in a hug. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

Wrapping her free foreleg around him, she holds him close while nodding. “You have, baby, but I can never hear it too many times.”

“More than all the caramels and coffee in the world, that’s how much,” he insists, nuzzling his face into her chest.

“Blerg! Sweetness overload,” Lemon calls from the table, melodramatically falling over. Cherry rushes over to render aid.

“I love you too, sweetie, but you better go eat. You have a very long day ahead of you.”

“Yep. I just wish I could be at the station when dad gets home,” he complains while hopping on his chair. Cutting a bite out of his toast he pops it in his mouth and moans in ecstasy, making Vines glow in happiness while getting everypony else’s ready.

At Lotus’ curious look he cuts a small bite for her and, sure enough, if it’s good enough for big bwuther then it’s good enough for her too. All four mares are having to brace themselves on furniture to avoid falling over like Lemon had as they watch him take turns stuffing his face, then giving a bite each to the girls; all three moaning and carrying on in utter bliss.

Before long the fillies have been properly gorged and Cure’s tummy can’t hold another bite. Hopping down, Cure gives his dam, mom, then Amethyst and Lemon each a hug and goodbye nuzzle.

“I’ll be by with some treats for everypony at noon and again around four, Cure. Good luck!” Lemon yells as he slides on his bags, waves, and heads out the door. At a quick canter, Cure makes his way downtown and towards Town Hall, passing a few soon-to-be dams and their spouses following the signs for the birthing station check-ins.

The estimated number of mares due this season in Golden Hills is a little over a hundred and fifty. The first few had trickled in over the last two days, so today should be busy. When he realized the help he could provide to mares; particularly high risk pregnancies, he’d absolutely insisted he be present as much as possible for the next few days.

The hospital administration had debated bringing him into Baltimare, but ultimately decided to give him a test run in the smaller town for now, just as they continue to do with his apprenticeship on typical weekends without a “special case” for him to see.

Fortunately for the country, estrus seasons, and therefore birthing times, are not completely lined up all over. For whatever reason the capital tends to get hit first, then the effect travels outward from there, hitting further communities as much as three weeks later.

Being on the east coast and about the same latitude, Baltimare is about a week behind Canterlot, a few days before Fillydelphia to the north, and about a week ahead of Manehattan and Bostrot further up the coast. New Horseleans is to the south and gets hit about the same time as Manehattan does.

Cloudsdale strategically drifts northeast so it gets its estrus seasons about three days after Canterlot, then during the birthing seasons moves just beside the capital so that births are staggered and resources can be pooled. Afterwards it drifts west to provide support for New Pegasus, Seaddle, San Franciscolt, Tall Tale, and Vanhoover which are the last to get hit.

From mid-late January to mid February, then to a smaller degree in June and July, it’s essentially all hooves on deck for health professionals. The Family Planning bureau and the nationwide network of Regional Health Authorities coordinate teams of doctors, nurses, certified nurse-midwives (CNMs), and various birthing specialists to ensure that peak birthing seasons are properly staffed and prepared for the volume.

Cure, getting close to the initial check-in stations, pauses to get his Staff Identification out of his pack and toss it around his neck. He’s still stopped at each point by Organization Teams, largely made up of local volunteers and normal Town Hall staffers, but after a quick glance at his ID they wave him through.

Several of the Town Guard are out as well, though only a few are in armor. Cure passes a few that seem to be patrolling in pairs and on the lookout for dams that need assistance getting to Town Hall.

Passing the tents and check-in stations outside of the building, Cure heads inside to check in with Nurse Gentle at Birthing Area 3. The entire lobby area of the ground floor has been emptied out and there’s eight birthing areas ready to receive soon-to-be dams.

Areas One, Three, Five, and Seven are on the left. Two, Four, Six, and Eight are on the right; each labeled with large black-on-white numbers on every side. Between Three and Five and between Four and Six are additional Staff Stations where newborns are cleaned up after they are born and Emergency Teams are on standby.

Each birthing area has three solid walls of dark blue privacy screen with an opening facing the central corridor and a retractable curtain to shut that. In addition to the central corridor there’s a ring around the entirety of the area accessible via walkways on either side of the Staff Stations.

On his way to his area Cure spots Corporal Ricochet and Private Rushing Charge in armor. From the few seconds he sees them they appear to be patrolling around the outside of the stations to provide security. Sgt. Bulwark is also in armor, standing by himself near the entrance to the main corridor. He gives a greeting nod to Cure, who returns it, as he passes by.

Organization Team members have taken over the area usually used for reception and Cure can see a steady flow of ponies coming and going from there, including a number of fliers zipping in to say a sentence or two, then taking off again.

The entire wing near the main entrance that normally makes up the Family Planning and Public Assistance agencies has been reworked and turned into a waiting area for dams that are at the early stages of labor.

As Cure approaches Area 3 he sees that everypony in the birthing areas is wearing full coverings. A short sleeved vest or wrap, of a sort, goes over their withers and wraps around their barrels at the forelegs with a zipper in the middle.

The vest is color coded by position and emblazoned with names, credentials, team designations, and cutie marks on both sides so that everypony can be easily identified at a glance.

“Hey Nurse Gentle. How’s it been so far?”

“Not bad yet, Cure dear, but I’m sure you passed a few new dams on the way in. Are you sure you are ready for this?”

“Yes ma’am. Ready to go!”

“Great! The Foal Services offices are behind Area Seven. Go check in with the staff there, get changed, and get back here,” she says as she points in a direction behind and to the left of the receptionist desks. “They should have outfits in your size waiting for you.”

“Custom ordered? Nice!”

“We had to. They don’t usually have them in your size. Go get ready and don’t forget to put on your identification,” she tells him, tapping at her vest.

Cure quickly makes his way to the Foal Services area and, upon checking in with a mare there, is hoofed a pack with his mark on it and pointed towards an office to get dressed. Why he doesn’t just throw it on right there, he doesn’t ask, but ponies are weird about putting clothes on around others, so whatever.

Once dressed and fitted with his vest, Cure hurries back to Area Three. “I’m all set, Nurse Gentle!”

“Great! Hit a cleaning crystal real quick,” she says, waving at an enchanted crystal set into a pedestal sitting on a medical cart off to the side. Presumably the purpose of the pedestal is to make it more difficult for the crystal to disappear or get lost because Cure can’t think of any other reason for it aside from identifying the gem as enchanted with Cleaning, as the label on it indicates.

After activating the crystal and ensuring he and his outfit are cleaned Cure turns back to Nurse Gentle just as two new ponies walk in the Area.

Nurse Gentle steps in to provide introductions. “Cure Wave, meet Lilac Dream, CNM, and Nurse Cloudy Swell. Lilac, Cloudy, meet Cure Wave. Cure’s special talent is healing and diagnosis. Lilac is our birthing specialist and Cloudy is her assistant. They’re both here from the capital to lend a hoof.”

Cure greets the pair. Lilac is a unicorn mare with a lighter purple coat and pink mane. Cloudy is a pegasus stallion with a light brown coat and a dull yellow mane.

“Just so we’re all clear,” Nurse Gentle continues, “Lilac calls the shots here, we’re her support, so if it gets hectic just make sure you listen to her first, okay? And Cure? It’s just Gentle today. We may not have time for titles soon.”

“Before we get our first one of the day,” Lilac starts, “can you please give me a quick idea of what you are capable of? I need to know what I’m working with here.”

“Yes ma’am. I’m registered as a biomanipulator. I can basically do whatever you need done as long as I have enough magic.”

Lilac and Cloudy just stare wide-eyed at the colt.

“I try to keep my capabilities kind of on the down-low, so please respect that as much as can be done, given the situation. I’m being upfront with you because this really isn’t the time to hold back. As long as I can keep myself from zeroing out on magic this should go very smoothly.”

“Can you… induce labor?” Lilac asks.

“I’m sure I can. Just walk me through this once and I should be set.”

The pair quickly turn to each other and share a look, Lilac ordering him, “Go get one!” as he says, “I should go get one!” After they both pause a second she gives the “what are you waiting for?” look and he zips off.

“I appreciate you being honest with me, son. I won’t tell anypony that doesn’t need to know,” Lilac says. She moves over to the open curtain and looks down the corridor, then after a moment moves out of the way and says, “Get ready, here’s the first one now.”

Cloudy escorts a cream colored earth pony and, presumably, her trailing husband and wife into the sectioned off area. Nurse Gentle greets everypony and has the mare walk around the table to help her get in position. As she helps the mare get situated, Cloudy stands on the mare’s right side between Cure and the pair.

Unlike humans, ponies don’t give birth on their backs. Instead the table lets them lay on their barrel, supporting them at the chest with spots for their hooves. It’s turned so the dam is facing diagonally towards the entrance so that if anypony comes in afterwards they don’t walk face-first into a very awkward situation.

Despite the upper barrel and chest support most ponies don’t lay down at all, so the majority of weight will be on their hooves and the supports there. The four are made of thick, heavy metal so that, even if an earth pony accidentally pushes hard or moves funny, they won’t have any way of damaging anything.

The table is fully adjustable and can raise the mare up slightly higher than when she’s standing. This lets the dam squat down to push the foal out naturally while giving the birthing team room to work and, basically, catch it as it is born. The hoof stirrups can also be adjusted wider or narrower to accommodate anypony from small pegasi to large earth ponies.

The whole thing looks more or less the same as a modified, slightly U-shaped massage table as far as Cure can tell, just with adjustable height for the front and back hooves so that the mare can be made reasonably comfortable and the “catching” ponies have room to work.

Fortunately ponies don’t have the issues that humans frequently do, so there’s no danger of an accidental bowel movement or urination when birthing occurs.

Standing by and waiting for orders, Cure watches as Nurse Gentle makes sure the mare is comfortable and Cloudy keeps the accompanying ponies out of the way of he and Lilac.

“Cure,” Lilac calls as she gets in position, “Hoof on. Dilation?” she asks, horn lit.

Trotting over, he places a hoof on the dam’s side between Lilac and Cloudy. The mare turns her head and gives him a confused look, but Nurse Gentle is talking to her and explaining what’s going on, getting her to turn back the other direction. “Three centimeters.”

“Yep. She’s not ready and may not be for a while. Can you help move it along? Is that something you can do?”

“I should be able to. Tell me how.”

“Start by dilating the cervix further. Slowly. We want twelve and a half centimeters.”

“How long should I take to get her there?”

“We’ll go kinda quick as a test. It won’t hurt the foal. Two per minute. Can you control her contractions?”

“Yep.”

“Pause them for now.”

“Okay.”

As Cure works Lilac watches intently, horn lit the whole time. The mare is confused about what’s going on. “I don’t understand, I don’t feel any contractions anymore. I was sure I was ready!”

“Oh don’t worry about that, honey,” Nurse Gentle explains. “They’re helping you with those. You’ll be out of here with your foal in no time.”

After a few minutes Cure speaks up. “Coming up on twelve and a half in a few seconds.”

“Perfect. There we go. Okay, contractions.”

“Umm, should I just ease it out?”

Lilac leans to the right to look at Cure with a raised brow. “You can just make the foal slide out?”

“Yeah…”

“Uhh okay. I’m ready to catch it.”

“Her.”

“Right.”

“Starting,” he announces, then restores just a little feeling so the mare is aware of what’s happening. “She’s ready to push, Gentle,” he calls out.

“Start pushing, dearie, you’re about to be a new dam!”

“This feels weird, but okay…”

As the foal approaches the opening Cure turns towards Lilac, “She’s coming in three... two... one.”

“I’ve got her!” she shouts, which must be a sign for Cloudy to zip out of the Area. Lilac is doing something Cure can’t see around the dam; he assumes taking care of the umbilical cord. Lilac works quietly for a few seconds, then Cure hears the cry of a newborn and a group of assistants precede Cloudy back in, rushing over to help clean the foal up and take over.

“Congratulations, honey!” Nurse Gentle tells the dam. “You have a beautiful little filly! They’re getting her cleaned up for you right now. You’re not quite done yet, though, so stay put for a moment. We need to get the placenta.”

“Okay… wow I figured this would be a little harder!”

“Not this time, honey. It varies, so don’t expect it to always be this easy.”

“Okay Cure,” Lilac says, “we need the afterbirth.”

“Okay, here it comes in three... two... one.”

“Sweet Celestia, colt…” Lilac sighs, shaking her head.

“Is that it?” the dam asks. “Can I get down now? Where’s my foal?”

“She’s getting cleaned up, honey.” Nurse Gentle leans down in front of the mare’s chest to give Cure a questioning look.

“She’s good to go,” he tells Lilac. “All patched up and ready to feed too,” Cure explains, letting go of her side and moving away. After she moves out of the way, Lilac gives the “All Clear” call and Nurse Gentle lowers the table, helps the dam down and escorts her and her family away to help her clean up and show her to her foal.

Lilac tells the pair she’ll be right back then heads out the curtain, presumably to the Staff Station where they’re working on the foal.

Cloudy, done with his part, walks over and sits next to Cure. The two sit in silence waiting for Lilac and Gentle to return.

After about five minutes Lilac comes back and sits on her haunches. “That was the craziest fff… freaking thing I’ve ever seen.”

“Huh,” Cure mutters, “I thought it went really well.”

Cloudy and Lilac share a look and just shake their heads sighing.

“Son,” Cloudy starts, “that was the very definition of a perfect birth. How much of your magic did you use?”

“A quarter. I’ll need about ten minutes to get back to full. My regeneration is high but my total capacity isn’t. I had a lot of sugar for breakfast though, so I should be good for a while.”

“So you can do that roughly every twenty minutes?” Lilac asks.

“Yeah. Most was from giving her a healing push at the end. I think I overdid it. She’s fully healed now. Like… fully, fully healed.”

“Okay,” she says nodding, “From now on don’t do that. Getting the foal out and breathing is priority number one. As long as something’s not seriously wrong we can worry about the dam later. Save your magic for emergencies or if asked to do something. I need to go talk to the Lead Organization Team. You’re wasted on healthy births. We need you on breeches and shit like that.”

“Okay… should I just wait here?”

“Please. Stay put, I’ll be back in a few.”

Stormy sits next to Cure and rests a hoof on his withers, patting him and asking, “You’re sure you are okay, colt? I know this can be stressful and you’re awfully young to be here. If this is too difficult or anything just speak up, okay?”

“Nope. I’m completely okay. I’ve been doing cosmetic work on ponies for a couple months now, so I’ve kinda seen everything there is to see already. My mom’s due any day now too, so I’ve been able to see in utero foal development from month five on.”

“Huh… month five?”

“Got my mark in September.”

“Gotcha,” he nods in understanding.

“My dam is due in June with twins too. A colt and a filly.”

“Wow, colt… family’s growing huh?”

“Yep… my parents had me young. You know how that is,” he says with a shrug. “Well, the income situation is a lot better now, so… yeah.”

“Good! Congrats, Cure. I’m happy for your folks.”

“Thanks!”

Nurse Gentle rejoins the pair a moment later, walking behind Cure and hugging him to her belly. “You did so well, Cure dear, I’m so proud of you! Good job!”

Cure happily leans back into the hug. If pretty mares wanna snuggle him into warm tummies, gown covered or not, then it’s his Harmony given duty to oblige them.

Lilac returns a moment later with an update. “Alright, Cure and Nurse Gentle, you are no longer assigned to Area 3. We’re trading you two to Emergency Response Team 2 between Four and Six under Dr. Crystal Dawn. She’s one of the lead obstetricians at the Canterlot University Medical Center, so listen to what she says.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“She may come across gruff, but don’t let it upset ya if she’s barking orders, okay? There’s not always time to be polite on that team. Good luck, you two. It was a pleasure meeting you, brief as it was.”

After a quick goodbye to the pair, Cure fetches his bags and follows Nurse Gentle to report in Staff Station 2 where the emergency team is stationed. It’s just across the central corridor from their current Area.

Dr. Crystal Dawn, according to the identification on her vest, approaches the pair and introduces her assistant. She and Nurse Ruby Star are both unicorn mares, though aside from their colors they are too covered up to see much. Dr. Crystal has a cream colored coat with a blonde mane while Ruby Star lives up to her namesake with a bright red coat and yellow mane.

“Nurse Gentle Heart and Cure Wave, right?” she asks, getting nods and greetings in return. “I’m Doctor Crystal Dawn and this is my assistant, Nurse Ruby Star. I understand Cure’s special talent is biomanipulation, is that correct?”

“Yes ma’am,” he says with a nod.

“Excellent, and the birthing specialist’s report says you were able to induce a mare in stage one within a few minutes, is that right?”

“Yep. She went from three centimeters dilation to successful birth in about six minutes, then Lilac had me help her push out the placenta a moment later once they took the filly to get cleaned up. I patched up the mare while waiting for Lilac to give the all-clear.”

“Alright, I’m trusting that the organization team knows what they’re doing. I expect you both to do what I ask, when I ask, and nothing else under any circumstances. Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Sure. Okay, I can do that,” Cure agrees with a little hesitation.
“Yes, doctor.”

“Great! Ideally we’ll have a long, boring day with little to do, but if somepony has something going horribly wrong or just needs extra hooves we take turns with ER Team 1. It’s been going well so far, but we’re just getting started. For now, rest and relax, but pay attention for a runner because if they’re coming to us we need to move ASAP.”

Pointing a hoof behind the Staff Section they’re in she adds, “There’s some refreshments in an office over there if you need anything.

Nurse Gentle and Cure nod in understanding and, while Dr. Crystal makes her way to Team 1’s area, Ruby joins the pair sitting on their haunches waiting for something to do.

“So,” she starts, “biomanipulation, huh? Dr. Crystal actually has some ability in that area, too. I assume, since you’re here and all, you must do some work with the local clinic?”

“Yep. That’s where I met Nurse Gentle,” Cure explains, giving the kind mare a friendly nuzzle and getting a fond smile back. “I’m doing an apprenticeship there for a while and, if all goes well, they may transfer my assignment to Baltimare instead.”

“Cure’s been an absolute blessing since he joined us,” Nurse Gentle gushes as she nuzzles the top of his head. “He’s so wonderful with little foals. I think with him being so close in age they look at him like a big brother instead of being nervous like they would be with an adult.”

“I imagine that helps a lot. Do you work there often?”

“I volunteer a couple hours every week on Saturday mornings. I’m still in school, so between that and my business I stay busy during the week.”

“Business?”

“I do cosmetic work on the side. I would say I do the volunteering on the side, but I think I actually work more in one day at the clinic than I do in five or six days at my business.”

“Really? I would expect there to be a pretty big market for that. Not a lot of doctors do cosmetic work, after all.”

“Oh, there’s plenty of business. I just don’t have enough magic to work a full shift. I usually see two or three ponies per day after school, but each appointment is pretty quick except for the bigger jobs like the de-aging stuff.”

“De… aging?”

“Mhmm. It’s a comprehensive makeover package. I’ve been getting more and more of those since word has spread. It’s a full-body makeover, basically, but I also get rid of arthritis and other things you would associate with aging. Wrinkles, coat fading, dental, vision, etcetera. I’ve had more than a couple ponies come in looking fifty and leave looking twenty five.”

“Interesting… I don’t suppose you have any appointment slots open soon, do you?”

“I’m usually booked out a month or so, but if you’re interested I can make ya a deal. I’ve done something similar with several of my coworkers at the clinic during slow shifts.”

“I’m listening.”

“Well we’re sitting here, right? Doing nothing?”

“Yeah.”

“I have a belly full of sugar, so what I could do is slowly give you the same treatment I give everypony else, just gradually so I stay near full on magic.”

“How much?”

“Well I haven’t really tapped into the Canterlot market at all, so I was thinkin if you’re happy with the results and somepony asks why ya look different you could maybe mention that I take appointment requests by mail. So maybe if they’re comin this way for a vacation and can stop in while they’re in town.”

“Really? That’s it? Just some referrals?”

“Well I’m not doin anything else right now and who knows when you’ll be back, so sure. Why not? I can afford to give away a free treatment if it lands me two or three paid ones. The business address is on the form I would give ya, so you’ll have that to share.”

“And you’ve got the magic for it?”

“I can do it gradually over the next few hours. My regeneration speed is good, it’s just my overall capacity that’s low. I am an eight year old earth pony, after all.”

“I’m definitely interested,” she says, looking around. “This isn’t a very good spot for it, though.”

“Yeah, maybe when we go to get refreshments I can use my Illusion crystal to give you a demonstration. I always keep a few of my forms on me, so when we take a break I’ll show ya what I can do, you fill out the form, and then when we have downtime I’ll get ya taken care of.”

“That sounds great, colt. Do a good job and I’ll definitely send a few ponies your way. Stars, I may just drag my husband out to see you before too long.”

“Oh I guarantee you’ll be happy with the results.”

“He’s right, dear. Cure’s work is absolutely amazing. I haven’t taken him up yet, but I’m sure you’ve noticed more than a few pegasi in particular with interesting wing designs flying around.”

“Heads up everypony!” Dr. Crystal yells, rushing back into the area. “Area Six has asked for assistance with a nuchal cord. The dam is dilated to ten, so we’re going to be on standby in case anything goes wrong.”

As the group gets moving Cure looks to Nurse Gentle and asks, “Uhh… what’s a nuchal cord? I don’t recognize the term. Somethin with the umbilical cord, right?”

“Mmhmm. It means the umbilical cord is wrapped around the foal’s neck,” she answers, trotting beside him over to Area Six’s entrance. “Usually it’s not a problem, but it can be if it gets pulled tight.”

“Can’t they just turn the foal around and kinda unwind it?”

As they approach the outside of the Area the three stand behind Dr. Crystal who is peeking in the flap.

“No, honey, they can’t do that,” Nurse Gentle explains.

“Uhh… I think I can.”

“You can?”

“I don’t know why I couldn’t. It shouldn’t be a problem at all,” he explains.

Nurse Gentle shouts out, “Dr. Crystal! Cure thinks he can unwind it!”

Dr. Crystal pulls her head out of the flap and looks at the pair. “You sure, colt?”

“I mean… I’ve never had a reason to try before, but I’m very confident I can. This is the first birthing season since I got my mark.”

Weighing the situation in her mind, she nods and steps in the flap to speak to the birth team leader inside. After about fifteen seconds she pops her head back out and waves the team in. The dam-to-be is a dark brown earth pony and she’s more than a little sweaty. Her husband is holding a forehoof and a nurse is wiping her brow and speaking to them both in soft tones.

The doctor behind her is a black unicorn stallion with his horn lit and there’s an earth pony assistant with some kind of x-ray or ultrasound device giving him an image of the newborn that, to Cure, is horribly low resolution.

Dr. Crystal waves for Cure to join her and the black unicorn near the back of the dam. “Go ahead, Cure. See if you can get her unwound,” she tells him.

Laying a hoof on the mare, Cure activates his talent, and rather than turning the foal, who is properly lined up, directly moves the cord to unwind it from the filly’s neck.

“All set, Dr. Crystal. Do you want me to help with anything else?”

“She’s ready to go. Can you help her push the foal out?” the other doctor asks. Cure looks to Dr. Crystal for approval and, once she gives a nod, he numbs the mare’s pain receptors and helps the filly get started moving. The dam lets out a sigh of relief and, like before, Cure provides a countdown so the doctor can focus on receiving the foal.

“Okay, here she comes in three… two… one.”

“Perfect!” he shouts, then gets to work on the foal. Cure sees Nurse Gentle go out to alert the assistants to another birth. Once again, a few seconds later he hears the cry of a newborn foal just as the assistants all pile in to take over.

“Let me know when you’re ready for the placenta.”

The black unicorn gives him a nod and says, “We’re ready now, colt. Thanks for the assist.”

“Sure thing, doc. Here it comes. Dr. Crystal, she has a little bleeding… should I use magic to stop it or let it heal on its own?”

“What are you at right now?” she asks.

“Almost full. That didn’t take much. She was ready to go.”

“Go ahead then. Once you’re done let’s head back.”

“Yes ma’am,” he cheerily calls. Once done he does what’s asked he rejoins the others and they all funnel out back towards their station.

After arriving Nurse Gentle once again wraps around a sitting Cure and snuggles him against her belly.

“Nice work, Cure,” Dr. Crystal compliments. “I’m guessing stuff like that is pretty easy for you?”

“Yep. It’s probably about as hard for you to lift something with levitation as it is for me to do stuff like that. My talent kinda throws out all the rules, ya know? This gown, for example?” he says, pinching a piece to hold it off his chest and getting attentive nods. “It’s pointless. I’m literally the most germ-free anything in this place.”

“You mean you’re completely sterile?”

“Uhh, well yes I suppose, but only cause I haven’t gone through puberty yet.”

Both nurses snort out a laugh and Dr. Crystal rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“Yes. I’m completely clean of biological contaminants. The gown itself doesn’t really do anything, but standard procedure and all, so…” he trails off with a shrug.

“Hey Cure, is that you?” he hears called from his right.

Looking over he yells back, “Hey Rico, Rush. How’s it goin?” as he approaches the two.

“I thought that was you,” Corporal Ricochet says as she walks over. Rushing Charge waves from beside her. “Volunteering with the births, huh? Ya hangin in there alright?”

“Yep. Got two so far. They put me on the emergency team cause of my talent.”

“Nice work little dude!” she cheers and reaches out for a hoof bump.

Being a bro and all, he doesn’t leave her hangin, so he reaches up and taps it. “Thanks, Rico. You hafta kick anypony’s plot yet or do you just have Rush flex at ‘em and break their will that way?”

“HA! That would do the trick, huh Rush?”

“Yep, but sarge yells at me every time I do that,” she says, casually flexing her chest, “keeps complainin ‘bout all’a the shattered armor and all.”

“You better quit it!” he yells pointing an angry hoof at the big earth pony. “My taxes are payin for that, private! I ain’t workin my tail off just to buy ya another set!”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she nods with a smile. “Seriously though, we got fitted for replacements. This stuff’s startin ta chafe,” she says, adjusting her chest piece a bit.

“Damn, Rush, come over here.” Pausing, he turns, looks at Dr. Crystal, and asks, “Oh, hey, Doc? Do you mind if I help her out real quick?”

“Uhh…” not really having any reason to say no, the doctor nods. “Sure, that’s fine.”

Cure trots over and grabs a hoof from Rush, then helps heal any skin irritation and toughens the skin anywhere that’s a problem. “Alright, I healed and toughened up the skin where you had irritation, but that’s a temp fix,” he explains letting go. “When’s the new gear coming?”

“Supposed to be here on Wednesday.”

“Cool. Just catch me when I’m leaving school, at the candy shop, or wherever if you need me, Rush. You know I’ll never say no to y’all.”

“Thanks, Cure. We best get back to patrolling. Good luck, colt.” Rush looks over to Dr. Crystal and calls out, “Thanks, doc!”

Rico calls out a final “Later dude!” as the pair walk off.

“You know,” Ruby says, “I’ve kind of noticed that several of the local guards are extremely fit.”

“I go to the gym every week with them on Friday and help them exercise.”

“You stay busy, don’t you?”

“Kinda. But I only actually work about six to eight hours per week. Maybe a little more if, again, I have really involved cosmetic procedures scheduled. The de-aging one, for example, I have to do over two quick sessions or go slow and recharge during. Good thing my business is above a candy shop.”

“De-aging?” Dr. Crystal asks, eyebrows hiked.

“Yeah, he said he’s going to hook me up for referrals.”

“Referrals? From Canterlot? What exactly are you doing?”

“How about next break we get I show ya both?”

“We’re back!” Lemon shouts, standing aside for Cure to drag himself in the door, then pushing it shut.

“Damn, son… Did we win the war at least?”

“Hey pa, welcome home!” he calls, trotting over and wrapping around his neck in a hug. With a quick scan he confirms it is indeed his sire and gets an amused look back. “Had to be sure,” he says, releasing the stallion and collapsing into his sire’s forelegs, tail wagging like a happy puppy. Amethyst and Vines are in the kitchen and the girls are using Deed’s back as a jungle gym.

Title is on a separate cushion reading, so Lemon goes over and flops next to her.

Deed scoots his son against his chest and rests his neck across his back.

“So, pa, any problems at all?”

“Nothin yer ‘ol pa couldn’t deal with, champ. I did save Canterlot from an invasion while I was there, but that’s all.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yep, got a thank you smooch from princess ‘n everythin. I had ta let ‘er down gently, ya know, when she said she can’t move out here ta Golden Hills ta join in.”

“Poor thing. Well I hope you at least pounded the dust outta that rug before you left.”

Both mares snort out a laugh, though Lemon looks a little shocked at Cure’s crude humor. He reminds himself that he really needs to either have a talk with the mares or pay closer attention to his filter at home. Mental exhaustion let that one slip out.

“Well, pa, I’m glad you’re home safe and sound. I woulda hated to hafta come find ya. I just don’t think that would have won me a lot of favors somehow.”

“Me too, champ. How’d the birthins go?”

“Great! I delivered sixteen myself. Well, I helped the dams, I guess, if ya wanna be technical. I also had to help a few foals with breathing problems, some spinal issues, and several with issues I’m not even sure about.”

“What?” Title asks, “What’s that mean?”

“I’m not sure. They eventually realized I’m really good at diagnosing basically everything so they had me scan every foal after about an hour into my shift. We delivered sixty two foals in eight hours and I scanned fifty five of them. Only one set of twins.

“I can only assume those ones I couldn’t diagnose had some kind of developmental issue brewing or genetic issue or maybe just a vitamin deficiency. I explained that my talent indicated a problem I can’t identify, so after they ran scans and drew blood they had me heal them and redrew again.”

“Huh. Well as long as you had a doctor’s okay I guess that’s fine then.”

“Yep, that’s my thought too. It wasn’t glorious or exciting but I did my job, so whatever.”

“Good call, son. Ain’t nothin wrong with that.” After a few seconds’ pause he adds, “Usually.”

Vines yells “Dinner’s ready!” from the kitchen, so Cure runs to do his after work routine before joining everypony at the table. Just as he’s about to hop up on his chair he hears a knock at the door. The scent is one he picked up at town hall earlier, so with the assumption that it’s an EMT there to pull him away for a birthing emergency, he trots over to open it up.

What he finds when he opens the door is a pair of thighs. They’re lovely thighs, granted, but not a pair he had expected to find after a long day of work. Following the thighs upwards he finds, unsurprisingly, the remainder of the white mare, smiling beautifully down at him. Way, way down at him.

It’s difficult to tell exactly how tall she is from just above knee level, but while she probably isn’t quite six feet (1.8 meters) at the withers she has to be pretty close. Of course, her long neck and ridiculously tall horn nearly double that, so from hoof to horn tip when standing upright she’s just about, if not more than, four times his height.

While certainly thicker than a unicorn she doesn’t have the “draft horse” build that Cure and Deed have. She’s much more like an enlarged Vines or Title, who are more bulky than a unicorn or pegasus mare but still retain their slimmer, feminine shape. Her chest and shoulders appear quite muscular, but that’s likely owing to her large wings. Wings which are, as best he can tell, proportionally larger than a pegasus’ would be.

There are, of course, female earth ponies that are every bit as large as males; Private Rushing Charge, for example, seems to have little difficulty keeping up with Sgt. Bulwark, but that doesn’t seem to be the case with the princess.

Cure wonders if, maybe, she’s just not built thicker because her focus was more on magic during her formative years and, regardless of how much she could strengthen now, her overall frame is more or less set in stone. He knows that, at least with humans, teens that start lifting during early puberty, even if they’re not doing very heavy weights, will end up broader and thicker than ones that wait until they’re fully grown.

That seems pretty likely given those years, for her, would have been at least a thousand, maybe several thousand, years ago and it’s unlikely that gyms like Rusty Barbell’s would have been around for her to get swole at. Not to mention the possibility that, depending on how things were, she may not have always had ready access to food while growing up.

Cure, caught wholly unprepared to find Princess Celestia outside his door, has only the most brilliantly insightful utterance escape him. “Woah…”

“Good evening, my little pony. How are you today?” she asks in a soft voice.

“Oh! Good!” he responds, finally getting some of his wits about him. Looking away with a blush he mumbles, “Sorry, your highness… that must get frustrating.”

Tilting her head to the side slightly she confusedly asks, “Frustrating? What do you mean?”

Looking back up at the radiant mare he explains, “Well… you’re very pretty, so I bet every dude, and most mares, probably just stare in shock at ya for a second when ya first meet ‘em. I imagine after the first few thousand times it gets a bit old.”

Blindsided by the genuine compliment, especially because it’s coming from a foal, the princess can’t help but giggle. “I… it’s okay. Oh my,” she pauses, fanning herself with a wing, “not many catch me off unprepared like that!” she finishes with a laugh.

“Cure? Who’s at the door?!” he hears his mom yell behind him.

Glancing back over his withers it dawns on him that he’s not even invited the princess inside yet. “Umm… you hungry?” he asks as he turns back, getting another giggle from her. As it registers with him what he said he can’t help but wince.

“I wouldn’t want to impose…” she says with a teasing lilt.

“I mean… We just sat down for dinner and I’m sure we have enough for one more. Come on in,” he says, stepping back in the house and holding the door wide open. “Hey everypony, the princess is here,” he calls towards the kitchen.

“HA! Good one, champ!” he hears shouted back from the table. “Guess she liked yer pa’s smooch better’n I thought.”

Thank all that is holy he didn’t ask if it’s Princess Burnfoal or Murdernight. I probably have Lemon and Amy’s presence to thank for that.

After nearly KO’ing himself with a facehoof, Cure looks up at the snickering mare. “He just came back from a seminar in Canterlot. When I asked how it went he made a joke about stoppin an invasion and saving the city, thus earning your favor,” he quickly explains, getting an understanding “Ah” back. “If you play along I bet you’ll still get a chuckle over it in a hundred years,” he adds in a low voice. After only a second of thought she broadly smiles and nods excitedly as she steps into the house.

She can’t even come close to standing fully upright or her horn would go straight through the ceiling, but at least she can raise her head a little bit if she tucks her chin some. And just as Cure is considering this, her horn glows gold for an instant, and in her place is a slightly smaller, shorter-horned version of herself that can now stand mostly upright. She’s still a couple hooves taller than Deed, so she could hit the ceiling with little effort, but at least she’s able to stand comfortably.

Oh yeah, Reduce / Enlarge. I remember that from the library book. Damn I wish I had an enlarge scroll on me. I could pop that then challenge her to a dance off or somethin.

The surprise must have shown on his face because she glances his direction and shoots him a wink and a smile before stepping the rest of the way in.

As she passes by, Cure takes a quick glance outside and, strangely, can’t see a single guard anywhere. If it weren’t for his heat sensors showing that there is, indeed, a very large, warmer than normal heat source in front of him he’d almost think it’s Chrysalis here to abduct his family or something, but either the princess is truly here and standing right in front of him or somepony is really pulling out the stops on their prank.

The scent is definitely one he caught occasionally at Town Hall, so she must have been watching him or there is another reason for her presence. Unlikely given she’s here now. She doesn’t smell like dirt; there’s not a hint of underground on her, so that’s a relief.

The hooffalls have a deeper thud to them like a heavier pony is there, and the timing of the sound and vibrations match perfectly with each step. Her heart rate is slow, but the thumps are audible with his senses turned to max. Her breathing is deep and steady, and she has the smell of fresh fruit and some kind of pastry or baked good on her breath.

Cure doesn’t dare consider trying to scan her because, at this point, he’s almost certain this is the real thing.

Closing the door he canters to keep up with her longer strides, and can detect the instant she’s visible to everypony when all sound, aside from the fillies eating, comes to a complete and total stop.

Lotus is the first of the foals to realize something is up. Following everypony else’s gaze, she turns to find Celestia standing there and, fork still in her hoof, waves to greet her. “Hewwo Pwincess. I wewwy like your wetter book! And your mane! Is so pwetty!”

Cherry turns around to greet her too. “Hi Princess! Wow your mane is pretty! And you’re so tall!”

Ya shoulda seen her a moment ago.

“Hello, my little ponies. Thank you both, it takes a lot of work to get it just right!” she says, smiling at the girls. Looking up to Cure’s sire she deepens her voice and adds, “Hello again, Mr. Deed. It’s nice to see you so soon, Savior of Canterlot.”

“Uhhhhhhhhhhh…” he intelligently replies, frozen on the spot.

“Would you… care to join us, Your Highness?” Vines asks, looking hopefully to the mare.

“Why, I would be delighted! Thank you. Mrs. Vines, correct?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It’s very nice to meet you!” she beams back, tail wagging at the thought that the princess knows her by name.

“Right, introductions,” Cure realizes. “So, I’m sure you know the four of us, but this is Cherry Tart and Lotus Bloom,” he says, tapping the girls between their ears, “and their dams, Lemon Sweet and Amethyst Blossom,” he adds, pointing to each mare in turn. “Certainly nopony needs to be told, but, everypony, say hi to Princess Celestia.”

Everypony choruses “Hi Princess Celestia!” at once.

Cure quickly scoots the girls aside a little bit, preparing to move his chair to sit next to his sire, but apparently the princess has other ideas. She carefully walks around the table and asks the stallion, “Could you scoot over a tad, dear?” With an inarticulate squeak Deed quickly nods and scoots to his left enough for her to sit next to him and on Vines’ left, though there’s barely room for the two, with his left and her right sides almost lining up with the edge of the table.

Vines quickly hops up, runs to the cabinets, and gets another setting for the princess, moving her setting to the right, closer to Amethyst, while laying everything out for the ancient mare.

Cure can barely hold back a snort when the princess wiggles close enough to his sire that their haunches and shoulders are touching, and he’s sure he’s never seen the dark stallion turn that shade of magenta. Watching the poor thing do everything in his power to avoid looking up to the taller mare makes it really difficult not to laugh, especially with that shit eating grin she has.

Lemon, Title, and Amethyst all trade bewildered looks until Title shrugs and starts digging in again, scooting her plate a little to the left and crowding Lemon, to give Deed more room. The other two follow suit shortly thereafter, though at a more sedate pace.

“So, your highness,” Cure starts between bites, “not that we’re not thrilled to have you, but may I ask what brings you to our humble abode?”

“Oh I just happened to be in the area, you see, and I thought I might drop in to say hi,” she explains as she takes a bite of the salad.

“Uh huh…”

Instead of immediately responding, she looks to Vines and praises the food. “This salad is absolutely wonderful. Did you grow everything yourself? I noticed the garden out back on my way here.”

Lighting up again, Vines enthusiastically nods. “We did, Your Highness! We all work together in the garden every Sunday and, whatever I have that’s ready, we take to the market to sell for a few extra bits.”

“Well I am certain you must sell everything whenever you go,” she gushes. “I don’t believe even the castle has such delicious produce!”

Rather than play some kind of weird mind game, Cure figures that either he’s completely fucked and might as well enjoy his last dinner, which doesn’t seem to be the case, or she’s aware that he’s very mature for his age and is just messing with him for some reason. He knows in the show she has a good sense of humor and likes to tease ponies, so maybe this is just how she feels somepony out.

Opting to do his best to ignore her presence, he looks over Cherry’s head to Lemon on his right. “So the snacks you brought in were a hit. I saw several of the unicorns pounding candy to keep their magic production up throughout the day. I have to admit I had more caramels than a healthy pony should too.”

“Oh? That’s wonderful! Maybe I’ll get a few new customers out of it.”

“I dunno. I think a lot of them are just in town to help out, but who knows? Maybe you should include some blank order forms or something if you’re going to take any tomorrow. I would also set them in front of some kind of sign or something, that way everypony can easily see your business’ name when they’re stuffing their faces. Will most of your stuff ship pretty well?”

“Yep! The only things that don’t are the ones with fruits in them, and I usually only make a lot of those during summer when they’re just being harvested.”

“Nice. Yeah, I’d definitely put a stack to the side along with a price list and, if you have it, how long it typically takes to ship things. Who knows, maybe somepony will order a few for Hearts and Hooves day if they really like ‘em.”

“That’s a great idea, Cure! I’ll go get some forms ready.”

“If you want to use my Quick Copy crystal, be my guest,” he suggests with a shrug.

“My, your son has wonderful business acumen,” Celestia compliments, nudging Deed with a shoulder. Looking to Cure she adds, “It’s no wonder your cosmetic business is doing so well. I understand you’re booked up most of the way through February.”

Cure smoothly changes to his salespony persona and nods to the princess. “I sure am, but I’m full on magic right now if there’s something you’re wanting done. I can’t fathom how I could improve upon perfection, but if you want me to give it a try I would never say no. Maybe I can add some of that lovely coloring from your mane and tail to your wings, for example.”

Giggling, she fans herself with a hoof. “Oh my, such a charmer,” she airliy replies. “The offer is tempting, though.” Spreading a wing back she leans to her left, heavier against Deed, while looking it over and gives a thoughtful hum. “I’ll have to think on it. Some ponies may just panic if I were to change at all, unfortunately,” she explains, folding the wing back and brushing it over Deed along the way. “I saw your work on Nurse Star and Dr. Crystal today. That was very impressive.”

“Thank you! They were both very happy with the results too. Hopefully they’ll send a few colleagues from Canterlot my way.” He looks to his parents to explain, “Ruby Star is the nurse assistant and Crystal Dawn is the doctor I worked with on the emergency response team. I offered to give them a deaging treatment when we had down time, so I did ‘em slowly over the course of the day whenever I was near full on magic.

“They’re both from Canterlot, so I told them if they’d do me a favor and refer a few ponies my way I would accept that in lieu of payment. They’re both going to send their husbands out to me sometime over the next couple weeks, probably once they get home after the birthing season ends.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to take care of the demand?” Celestia asks. “It sounds like you may end up scheduling even further out.”

“Well, for the ponies that are traveling far, that’ll give them time to make arrangements. Maybe we can make some kind of deal with the hotel downtown,” he ponders aloud. After a few seconds of thought he continues, “Yeah, that would work. We can send ‘em back a note with the hotel info, some of the nice places to eat, and their appointment info and that way they don’t have to worry about anything but showin up.”

“That does sound convenient,” she agrees. “I’m sure your patients will appreciate having everything ready in advance.”

The table falls into silence for a few minutes while everypony digs in. After a moment, Cure gives the princess a critical look, then claps his hooves together. “I’ve got it!” he declares, getting odd looks from everypony. “I have the perfect thing in mind for you, your highness!”

“Oh?” she asks, face full of curiosity.

“Yep, one sec.” Cure covers his snout with both forelegs and, after about five seconds, yells “Ta Daa!” and moves them to reveal a fabulous mustache that is way, way too large for his face. Both girls reach up and start batting at the sides while giggling.

Celestia laughs boisterously at the image. Vines sighs “every meal…” while Title just keeps eating. The other three nervously chuckle along.

“Perfect!” Cure shouts. “See, with this fella you can do all the mean things you think about but can’t ‘cause of the whole ‘benevolent monarch’ image. Like when nobles are being dummies and ya just wanna throw a pie at ‘em or something. Mustache on,” he points to his face, “and they know it’s Princess Arrestinya and’ll watch out.”

He quickly changes his coat white, alters his voice to nearly match, and approximates her mane colors, then snarls out, “You want tax money to paint the street gold in front of your mansion?!” Raising a hoof and waving it vigorously he shouts, “To the dungeons with him! FOREVER!” getting chorused “FOREVER!”s from the fillies.

Celestia laughs aloud for a minute until she sighs and smiles at Cure. “Maybe I can have you fill in for me when I need a day off! Oh that would be just wonderful!”

“Sure thing, boss lady. Here,” he says, detaching the mustache as a whole and holding it out, causing all the other adults to lean away. Celestia leans forward for a better look as he turns it around to show a small patch in the middle that all the hairs are growing out of. “It’s a small plant with an adhesive back. Just pop it on and, when you’re done, pull it off and put it in some sunlight and occasionally water it.”

“Oh my! You know, this is probably the most unique plant I have ever been given,” she says, floating it over and, after a thoughtful hum, sticks it on the tip of her horn, getting a laugh out of everypony.

After a few more chuckles Cure explains, “Eh, I figured it’s my sire’s job to get ya flowers, being your long distance paramour and all.” Looking up at the hornstache he adds, “That’s a good look. Very dashing.”

Glancing up she smiles broadly. “Thank you!” Deed just glares back at his son while Celestia giggles and brushes against his shoulder. “Maybe next time he’ll remember,” she suggests in faux hopefulness.

“This is kind of weird, right?” Title finally asks. When everypony looks in her direction she waves at Cure and the princess and adds, “I mean… you’re acting like this is just another day. It’s not just me thinking that, right?”

Deed looks at Title and quietly agrees with her. “Very weird, babe. I have half a mustache-horned princess on me. That’s not a normal day by any stretch.”

That just causes Celestia to lean into him a little more. “Unusual plants aside, it seems like a pretty normal day to me. At least, as far as the birthing season goes,” she says with a shrug and a teasing smile.

“It was kind of exhausting, to be honest,” Cure argues. “I normally only work between one and two hours a day. I don’t think I have the endurance you all do yet. Maybe in a couple years… Hey, speaking of endurance, your highness, do you have any good advice for how to grow your magic capacity? So far everypony just says to use magic as much as possible, but I wasn’t sure if you’ve ever stumbled upon anything specific that helps.”

“Unfortunately that’s all you can really do. At least, normally,” she sighs. “I’m sure you’ve heard it compared to a muscle many times and, though not completely accurate, that’s about the best analogy I can offer.”

“Huh. That’s a shame. I’m all about maximizing efficiency, ya know?”

“I believe the term that showed up often in quotes was ‘cheating’ if I’m not mistaken,” she agrees.

“Same diff; cheating implies that there’s a victim, though. It sounds a lot more fun than ‘maximizing efficiency’ don’t you think?”

“I’ll grant that,” she concedes with a nod.

“Hey you said normally there. Would you… uhh… mind elaborating on that, please?”

“Certainly. You see, it is my belief that ponies are creatures of destiny. No other creature on the planet is as tied to the concept, as far as I know. That, I believe, is why only we are granted cutie marks. What are they, after all, if not a sign that the world has a plan, or a role for each of us?

“You will find, I think, that your capabilities with magic will grow more quickly when you follow your destiny; when you show the world that you appreciate what you have been given thus far and that your prevailing desire is to share your gifts with your fellow creatures. I believe we are being given a hint or a nudge towards the path that will allow us to find a way to live harmoniously with all of the creatures with whom we share this world.”

Cure pauses his eating. He takes a moment to look at the mare sitting across from him. It’s easy, he realizes, to underestimate the entity he is sitting down to dinner with. She’s beautiful. She’s kind. She’s friendly and humorous.

She’s been alive, likely somewhere between twelve hundred and three thousand years. She moves the sun with a thought, and can glass a city with no effort. She’s accomplished more than any ruler Cure can think of in all of human history and, off the top of his head, almost the entire supposedly fiction multiverse, and she’s done it all while remaining nearly pure good.

And half the stories Edward read treated her with the same respect as any walking piece of pussy, sitting there waiting for the witty human to come along and conquer like a common slut.

“Interesting… that was beautiful, princess.” Smirking, he glances up. “You should always be so adorned when sharing wisdom with your subjects.”

Following his eyes to the mustache, she laughs uproariously as she nods at the suggestion. “I’m glad you think so,” she states, “I find something interesting as well. Your cutie mark, specifically. It very much resembles that of somepony I once knew.”

“It does, your highness?”

Nodding, Celestia begins, “Mmhmm. Her cutie mark was very similar; a staff with snakes, though hers had wings on it. I believe her talent worked differently than yours. Your talent seems focused primarily on changing life. Hers was directed more towards the concept of pure healing. I do not believe she could change things in a way that you can.”

“That is interesting,” he agrees.

“What happened to her?” Title asks.

“I do not know,” Celestia answers somberly. “She was devastated by the loss of the Crystal Empire. She was a crystal pony, you see, and escaped the spell that banished the kingdom when the Evil King Sombra fell to darkness.”

“Ah,” Cure nods in understanding. “Well, if her talent was healing she’s probably still out there somewhere.”

Celestia stops, mid-bite, and looks curiously at Cure. Answering the unasked question he explains, “What? You saw what I did with Dr. Crystal and Nurse Star. I’ve had my talent for a couple months. If she had a healing talent and didn’t eventually figure out how to stop or reverse aging I’ll eat my tail.”

“That… is something I had not considered,” she slowly explains. “Is that something you are capable of?” she asks; all other movement at the table stopping at the gravity in her voice.

“In theory? Yes. Realistically? No, at least, not right now. All I’m doing is treating the symptoms of aging. Why? Is that… like… illegal or something?”

Bursting out in laughter, Celestia leans back, holding a hoof to her chest while laughing uproariously once again. Everypony else, aside from the girls who have joined in, is frozen in place, unsure if they should be running or if everything is okay. After a moment, the princess finally stops and wipes a tear from her eye. “No,” she says, fighting another giggling fit, “it is certainly not,” she answers with absolute conviction.

Taking a serious tone she continues, “I wish you the very best of luck in figuring that out. I…” she pauses, looking sad, “have lost so, so many friends over the years. To think that someday I may not have lose more… To be forced to witness the inevitable come so quickly. The very idea brings me hope, Cure. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

“Umm… okay. I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Or if I get stuck, I guess.”

With a brilliant smile, the princess nods back. “I truly hope to be the first you tell when you succeed.”

As the conversation falls into a lull everypony finishes their food. Cure, always finished eating first, helps the girls with their last few bites as Vines and Amethyst stand to start clearing the table. The princess flashes her horn and all of the used plates, cups, and utensils are teleported to the counter by the sink, already cleaned.

Deed doesn’t pass on the opportunity to make a strategic retreat and, upon flopping on his cushion in the living room, is quickly surrounded by his wives. Amy and Lemon snuggle next to them on top of Title’s normal cushion and the girls climb on their dams’ backs.

Celestia lays down and stretches out on Vines’ cushion, fore and back legs hanging off each end, then pulls the mustache off and sets it aside. Her horn glows gold for a few seconds, then, with a flash, the mustache disappears, presumably teleported somewhere.

Cure figures what the hell, so he happily nuzzles her chest, then turns to flop down right between her forelegs and enjoys the warmth she puts off. Curling into a U shape so his withers are against her chest, back is trailing down her right leg, and neck and forelegs are laying over her left leg, he can only think of one thing. “Mmm… toasty,” he hums, nuzzling a cheek against her thigh.

“My, so forward,” she teases with a giggle, leaning her neck back to nuzzle between his ears.

“Sorry, princess, snuggles are the price you pay for a free dinner. House rules, you know.”

The girls, seeing Cure’s example, hop down off their dams and run over to join in. Celestia happily levitates them to her back and entertains them with her flowing mane.

She folds her forelegs together, hugging him between them and noses at his mane. “A terrible price indeed, having to hold an adorable, exhausted foal in my arms.” She pauses and furrows her brows, then leans down and takes another sniff, getting raised brows from everypony and a dropped jaw from Vines.

“My, so forward, your highness,” he teases back.

“Why do you smell like cookies?”

“Cinnamon, sugar, butter… they put out scents. So do stinky colts. Tell me; which one sounds better?”

“Huh. That’s convenient.”

“Sure is. The ladies seem to enjoy it, at least.”

“So, not to be blunt, but … well… why are you here?” Title bluntly asks, wincing slightly at the tactless approach. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re always welcome to drop by and all, but somehow I doubt you typically stop in to have dinner with ponies you’ve never met before.”

With a deep sigh, the princess nods and begins her explanation, “Truthfully, I came for three reasons. First, to assuage the concerns of several of my advisors, especially from certain members of the Archmage’s Assembly.

“When foals gifted in restricted magic are found they are informed so that, should an unfortunate incident occur, a response can be prepared and we’re not found panicking at the last moment. Obviously we do not get many biomanipulators, so some have been overly insistent that some kind of action is necessary.”

Looking down to meet Cure’s eyes she continues, “They do not get the foal’s name or location; only information about the class of magic and displayed capabilities.” Looking back to the adults she adds, “Though I’m certain more than a few have put two and two together with the recent medical miracles coming out of Baltimare. I can now tell them I have met you all and there is nothing for them to worry about.

“That brings me to the second reason I am here.” Pausing, Celestia wraps Cure in an embrace and affectionately nuzzles between his ears and down his cheek; a far, far more friendly nuzzle than is typical between adults and others’ foals. The affection causes the blue colt to turn nearly solid purple. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’re doing to help my little ponies. Not just for your work at the hospital, but also the healing you do at your business, your help with the Guard, and what you did today.

“Please, continue doing what you have been doing. I am so, so proud to see a foal, with no guidance but from his parents, work so hard to help his fellow ponies. When you are a little older and feel prepared, simply let me know. I’m certain there is much I could teach you. I was very impressed with how well you did on your tests, too. I have no doubt you will continue to do great things, young Cure Wave.”

“Umm… Thank you, Princess Celestia. I won’t let you down,” the blushing colt insists.

The princess smiles down beautifully at him and lays him back down between her forelegs. “I’m sure you won’t. The third reason I came is to extend an invitation. Should you find yourself traveling to Canterlot, please don’t hesitate to drop in for a visit. I’d be delighted to host all of you at the castle. It is, after all, the least I can do to show my appreciation for the good you are doing.”

Glancing back to Vines she adds, “Not to mention I owe you all a delicious dinner as well.”

“That sounds absolutely wonderful, Your Highness!” Vines exclaims while clapping and nearly vibrating all over. “We’d be delighted to come visit next time we’re there!”

Deed, Title, Amethyst, and Lemon all quickly agree, though less animatedly than Cure’s dam.

“Aww fudge… I just thought of something,” he sighs out. “Dawn’s gonna kill me, she just about flipped her lid when I said I’d probably eventually meet with you. She’s gonna be bummed she missed ya.”

“Well that just means you’ll have to bring your little fillyfriend with you when you come visit, doesn’t it?”

“Sure… I bet that’ll make up for it. My friends and I are coming to the capital in May for the Wonderbolt’s season opener. Maybe we can come by a day or two early and stop in?”

“That sounds wonderful!” she exclaims, “I would offer to let you use the royal box seats, but I believe that would draw quite a bit of unwanted attention. I have visitors at the castle often enough that nopony should pay you any mind. Plus those ponies understand discretion. I have plenty of room for you and your friends.”

“Cool! Thanks, princess! Oh! I just thought of something! Do you have to go right away? I’m sure Sgt. Haze included my trees we’re making in his part of the report. Would you like to see them?”

“He did and I am very interested. Unfortunately, I have already stayed longer than I should. I have a suggestion, though. If you have them ready in time, perhaps you could bring them when you come to visit in May. That way I could get the review process started and, hopefully, expedite it somewhat. He mentioned you expect to have them ready in spring, correct?”

“Yep! That sounds great, princess!”

“Wonderful! In the meantime, if you come up with anything else, like improved crops perhaps,” she says, giving him a look that tells him she knows the food they ate was modified, “then maybe you can share that as well. I am sure that everypony would be thrilled to have such delicious food as that at every meal.”

“Heh… yeah, sure. Umm… do I need to get those examined or something?” he asks, ears folded back.

“That’s not necessary. Please do not be angry, but the sergeant was ordered to obtain seeds from each plant already. We had to ensure they would not spread invasively. Once the analysis shows they’re safe, which I am obviously sure they are, you will be credited for development of the new crops.”

“Credited? How? You certainly know I’m trying to keep my identity hidden. At least from the public.”

Giggling, she gives him a little squeeze. “Yes, I am very much aware. That’s why I came to you by myself. No, these will come in tax rebates based on improved crop yield, nutrition, and no doubt several other measures. It will take some time, but you should expect a letter in the mail in a few months to inform you of the results.”

“Oh stars,” Title mutters, covering her eyes with a fetlock.

“Tax rebates?” he asks, ears perking up. “Oh, princess,” he says, nuzzling into her chest, “those are two of the most beautiful words I’ve ever heard.”

“Good!” she happily nods, “Then I will look forward to seeing what else you come up with. Maybe we can save somepony at the tax office having a nervous breakdown when they see you coming, hmm?”

“Heh… okay, princess. I’ll be good,” he insists, tail wagging happily.

“I’m sure you will,” she teases. Looking at the adults she continues, “Thank you all for welcoming me into your home and sharing with me a wonderful dinner. I look forward to seeing you all again.” Floating the, now asleep, fillies out from under her mane, she sets them on their dams’ backs and stands to leave, everypony following behind her to walk her out.

Once outside, her horn flashes again and she returns to full size. Waving a wing to the family, she crouches down, leaps up, and shoots off into the air headed west. Lightening himself, Cure quickly jumps onto the roof of the house from the ground and changes his colors to blend in, shocking the parents. The princess looks to be cruising slightly higher than the altitude of the cloud district, which is half a kilometer off the ground, give or take, and gaining altitude.

He counted for four minutes before, even with his enhanced vision and her bright tail, she was impossible to detect in the sky. Hopping down, he finds all five adults looking at him curiously. “I wanted to see if I could estimate how fast she can fly,” he explains. “It’s… fast. Like, I think she’ll be back in Canterlot in under an hour fast. She may be there in under forty minutes, in fact.”

“How do ya figure that, sport?”

“I could track her for four minutes. I should be able to do that for about sixty kilometers on a nice, clear day like this. Canterlot is less than six hundred kilometers west, so, four minutes times ten,” he finishes with a shrug. “It’s close enough for an estimate. Really, I was just curious about how fast she can go. I’m betting she’s not really pushing herself, but hey, it’s another data point. Also worth noting, she did not use runes to cast.”

“What? Like crystals?” Title asks.

“I don’t think so, not exactly. I could hear the vibration but it wasn’t anything different from a unicorn using levitation. There was no pattern when she casted Reduce to shrink or just now when she canceled it. Or with the cleaning cantrip. Not even when she teleported the mustache away. Or incinerated it, I guess, but I bet it’s in her room at the castle. She’s operating purely on the metaphysical side or something.” Shrugging he adds, “Maybe it’s an alicorn thing.”

“Huh…” she glances off into the distance thoughtfully. “That’s interesting.”

Amethyst, looking between him and the house, asks, “How in tarnation did ya leap all’a the way to the roof, son?”

“That’s probably something we should discuss inside,” Title insists.

“Yeah, but first I should probably go tinker with the garden. I don’t know what kind of tax rebates she’s going to come back with, but they better be off the charts because those crops they stole could potentially represent hundreds of thousands of bits.”

“Wait, what?” Lemon asks, wide-eyed. “How the hay do you figure that?”

“I mean, I don’t know, but look at it this way. You have a farmer, right, and they’re producing, let’s just say, ten thousand kilograms of whatever.” He pauses in thought a moment and continues, “Melons. We’ll just say melons. And again, I have no idea if ten thousand kilograms is impossibly high, low, or about right. Okay?”

“Right,” she agrees, nodding.

“If that’s all they’re growing it would be low,” Vines interjects, “but most don’t just grow one thing, so ten thousand is possible.”

Cure pauses, then nods in acknowledgement. “Thanks, dam. Well in my example if you give that same farmer our super crops and, with less effort, they can produce fifteen thousand and their melons taste better and are however much more nutritious, so even though yield has gone up by fifty percent, work has gone down by twenty percent and nutrition value has gone up a bunch, okay?”

“I guess. I’m not sure how you figure that’ll be less work.”

“They’re heat, cold, and pest resistant and require less water and fertilizer. And grow faster. A farmer shouldn’t need to work as hard to get the same end result. Anyhow, that fifty percent yield alone means they are making half again as much. I know it’s not really that simple because food prices will also drop if this is happening all over, but just in that simple example you can see how those few seeds could be worth a fortune.”

“That’s true, son. I hadn’t really thought of it, but that garden’s worth its weight in gold to a farmer, ain’t it?”

“It is, pa. And they just came in and freakin stole it without asking. Why wouldn’t they ask?”

“Sweetie, she said they were concerned they could be invasive. If they spread all over the place what would happen then?”

“Free food for everypony? Or, gee, how’s this for an idea? Come get me at the first sign of a problem and I’d fix it. You told me once there’s enough food for everypony; if nopony is starving why not ask first? If they thought them invasive they would have quarantined the area, taken samples, and torched the whole thing.

“I’m asking this because I legitimately don’t know; can the princess just walk onto somepony’s land, see something she wants, take it without asking, then use it however she wants?”

“Yes!” is the immediate, shouted answer from all five adults, startling the colt and making him recoil slightly.

“Fine!” he yells, “I’ll leave the garden alone. They already have all that anyhow I guess. Let’s go inside,” he grumbles, stomping his way past the adults and into the house.

With no reason to argue, the group makes their way back in and gets comfortable again.

“So, I don’t know how much you know about cells, but one part of a cell is called a mitochondrion, or mitochondria if plural. What they do,” he says, beginning his explanation…