Midnight

The next morning, I found myself in the Ponyville library looking to check out a book that I knew I didn’t have but that I hoped the public library might.

Opening the door, I found Twilight laying down on the floor in the middle of library surrounded by all the books on the floor in piles. She spoke up without looking at me and I could tell that she had been crying recently.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Library. You have caught me in the middle of reshelving the books into a better organizational system to make relevant books easier to find. Is there a book I can help you find?”

I cleared my throat. “Yes… I need a book that explains basic motherhood and responsibilities for a filly that was too young to be pregnant…”

Twilight froze and then slowly turned to face me. Her eyes were red, and her face was streaked with tears. My heart panged with guilt as I hated to see my little filly look that upset.

I beckoned to her with an unspoken gesture that she knew I meant to offer comfort and she ran to me, buried her face into my chest, and started crying all over again.

I shushed her. “It’s okay, Twilight. I’m here and you can cry as much as you need to. Where’s Spike?”

She sniffled. “He’s spending some time with Rarity. I told him to go have some fun and I gave him the whole day off to do so with some bits to spend. I don’t like to cry in front of him. Strength in solitude, just like you taught me.”

I nodded as I held her. “I think that your mother has proved that I’m not always right. I should have stopped her… but then I wouldn’t have you, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. We have a lot of things to talk about, kid, but we should do it some place more private.”

She nodded and wiped her face. “We can go upstairs to my bedroom. It’s private enough, or at least nopony would be able to hear us up there if they walked in but we would hear the door from the bell.”

I followed her upstairs and she sat down on her bed. Without prelude, she started to speak in an honest tone, giving me a confession that sounded rehearsed, not that I could fault her for it.

“Dad… I love you. But now that love is very confused. I don’t know if I should love you as my father or love you as my Godstallion and honorary Uncle as I’ve always known you as or if I should love you as a wife. Do you have any idea how many times I pictured us having foals? Your strength, character and honor inspired me! The things you could teach me. The things you could teach our foals. I wanted to be the perfect wife… and now this. I don’t know what to do.”

I nodded, completely understanding where she was coming from.

That sounds like the confession I was waiting for last night, with obvious changes due to new information being thrown in our muzzles at the last possible second…

I sighed. “Death Lords are supposed to be stoic and decisive, but I’ll admit that in this moment, I am just as confused. I’ve always loved you, Twilight. When you were younger, I raised you as surely as if I was raising a daughter, but it felt fake because Night Light was the perfect Dad, and I was just the godstallion. I have never broken my rule about not dating the daughters of a former lover, but you really were tugging at my heartstrings, and I was willing to reconsider that rule, just for your sake. Night Light wants me to marry you to keep the secret of what your mother did and I’m willing to do it for her sake, but I’m more interested in what you want to do. Velvet is my past, and I’m grateful to still have her friendship, but what of the future? Your future?”

Twilight shook her head. “Could I have all my dreams come true even with you being my father?”

I thought about it. “For better or worse, it’s situational. The thing is, legally, Night Light is your father on paper, and I think the intention is for him to remain so. It may be a little unusual to marry your godstallion but it’s not illegal. I’d hate to be accused of grooming you to be the perfect little wife but that is what your father seems to want. The thing is, whether we want to admit it or not, things are different now. And for better or worse, we need to consider that before we make choices that we cannot change afterwards.”

Twilight got off the bed and closed the distance. She pulled me into an open-mouthed kiss that I wasn’t expecting but seemed to carry the full force of all her pent-up emotions and desires.

With my centuries of experience, it was rare for a mare to leave me breathless and from her lack of experience, it shouldn’t have been possible at all, but her level of desire overrode her lack of experience and conveyed everything exactly as she had planned.

She whispered into my ear. “Do you know why I had sex with Night Light when he offered to show me a practical demonstration of sex during my birds and the bees talk?”

I winced. “I wasn’t going to ask. A mare’s first time is supposed to be special.”

Twilight pulled back to look me in the eyes. “It was practice. And a test. I thought that if I could rut my own father, then marrying you would be easy. I didn’t know if I could mentally get past the fact that I’ve treated you as an uncle for my entire life. I wanted this to feel natural… for marriage and foals. The thing is… I would have never let my father get me pregnant…”

I nodded. “That is completely reasonable, and you shouldn’t feel bad about it. I understand, I really do.”

Twilight shook her head violently, tears threatening to start running down her face again.

“YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND! YOU CAN’T UNDERSTAND! YOU’RE NOT A MARE! I don’t know if the reality of this hasn’t sunk in yet or if I don’t care anymore but allow me to clarify that I would have never let Night Light get me pregnant. I know you are my father now… and yet, I still want your foals. I should be in heat soon if I’m not already and I would so lift my tail for you… daddy.”

Okay… hard stop. This can’t happen. She’s too emotional to be making these types of choices.

I placed my hooves on her withers and met her gaze. “I would give you the moon if I could, but a foal might be a bridge too far. We are both still in shock from the life changing information that we got less than 24 hours ago, while drunk. Now. Keeping with Night Light’s desire to keep everything a secret, how about this. You keep treating me like your godstallion and I’ll keep treating you like the little filly that I helped raise and if in a few years, if you haven’t found a better stallion, I might take you up on the offer. But I want us both to be fully in control of our emotions when we make the choice.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m not a filly! I’m almost 21! You’re going to make me wait longer? Why?”

I sighed. “Because it would be dishonorable to take advantage of you while you are emotionally vulnerable. You would do anything I said right now, and that’s wrong. You want to be my wife? Then you need to be my equal. Being the Element of Magic might put you on par with a Death Lord, magically, but you have a lot of growing up to do. You were so sheltered as a filly in that tower of yours that you aren’t a real mare yet. I won’t marry a filly. Grow up and prove yourself. Only then could you be my wife. My equal.”

Twilight drew herself up and met my gaze, almost angry. “I WILL prove myself, and when I do, you will marry me!”

I kissed her nose playfully. “I’ll be waiting. Now… where’s the book I wanted?”

* * *

Luna

Trotting through the corridors of Canterlot Castle after breakfast was always a joy. Eating breakfast with my sister always brought a smile to my face and getting the chance to speak to a few of the Royal Guards before I went to sleep usually helped me to relax.

I didn’t have the heart to give myself personal guards like I had 1,000 years ago, and even if I did, none would compare to Midnight Stalker.

“Your Highness! A moment of your time, please?”

I stopped and turned to see the Captain of the Royal Guard trotting up to catch me.

“Captain Armor? Is there a problem?”

Shining Armor shook his head. “Not a problem, per se, but something important. May I please speak to you in private before you retire?”

I directed him to a side room, as I have seen my sister do, and I ordered a tea service brought post haste. The tea arrived very quickly, the staff seemingly not wanting to upset me, and I poured both myself and the captain a drink.

“Very well, Captain. We are alone and the social politeness of serving a drink has been met. What do you require of me?”

His eyes got big, and he stammered. “I do not require anything of you, your highness, and I don’t wish to impose, however, you are the only pony I can ask about a certain issue, and I wish to make a formal request, if it pleases you.”

I hummed. “It would have pleased me more to deal with this tonight after I awoke, but it may be considered rude to force you to wait until after your normal shift was over to deal with, what I assume, is official business?”

He nodded. “I wish to join the Death Lords… but there isn’t a formal application to do so. I wished to appeal to you personally to accept me into the legendary group.”

My eyes widened and then narrowed. “A bold request, Captain. What makes you think that you are worthy? There have been no wars fought in centuries and Death Lords carry blood on their hooves.”

Shining lowered his head. “I am the older brother of Princess Celestia’s personal student, Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and Death Lord Midnight Stalker in my godstallion. He taught me a great deal when I was a colt and helped me get into the Royal Guard Academy. I am the youngest Royal Guard Captain ever on record, due in part to Lord Stalker’s personal training. Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is my marefriend, but I don’t feel like I am worthy of her as a mere Captain. My Uncle would never allow me in, to protect me, but I don’t need protection! I wish to defend my marefriend, as a Royal Guard should, and I wish to protect our ponies!”

I clicked my tongue. “Our ponies? The royal ‘we’ is easy to use, is it not? I wasn’t aware that you were also a Prince, my dear Captain?”

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he swallowed. “A slip of the tongue. I do wish to marry Princess Cadance, and I would be a Prince afterwards if it happens, but I don’t feel like Princess Celestia would grant permission to a mere Captain that isn’t a noble to marry the lovely Cadance. I beg you, your highness… allow me to prove my worth…”

Luna nodded slowly. “Your petition has moved me… I will allow you into the group. The ceremony will take its toll on us both. Prepare yourself…”

* * *

1 hour later… Shining Armor was the 3rd active Death Lord… in a wordplay of Princess Cadance’s title, Shining Armor was dubbed the Death Lord of Love.

* * *

Author's Note

Okay, so we got Midnight Stalker, Fluttershy and Shining Armor as Death Lords. I need 3 more ponies for the honor.

Also, reactions to how Twilight mentally handled her situation would be nice.

And how quickly do you want me to address the orphanage. Should it be sooner, or after a couple of fluff chapters?

All comments are welcome.