Time Makes Foals of Us All

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn

~~~

Horizon and Twilight walked away from the Royal grounds with saddlebags full of gifts for Night Light, Twilight Velvet, Shining Armor, Cadance and Crystal. The majority of gifts on the cart Spike had loaded earlier were for Twilight from her friends, so they stayed behind. Twilight and Horizon planned to open them later that night with Spike, after dinner with Twilight’s family.

Twilight was talking excitedly and shifting her eyes animatedly to look at all the sights of a holiday Canterlot scene. She turned to look at her coltfriend to see why he was being so quiet.

"Are you ok?" Twilight nudged Horizon playfully after noticing his eyes had been glued to the snow-covered sidewalk for the last five minutes as she described how wonderful it was to see Spike growing up.

The stallion had his doubts.

Horizon briefly cast his amber eyes up and to the side to regard his fillyfriend. "What? Oh, sorry Twi, I just have a lot on my mind that's all..." His gaze quickly returned to the sidewalk as he hung his head once more. He continued to watch his own hooves plod through the slush and snow covering the cobblestone pathways of upper Canterlot, in silence.

Twilight had a lot on her mind too but it wasn't the time to talk about it. Thoughts of Spike and Canterlot, of home and family fought for her attention. But they all lost to thoughts of her future family. There was undoubtedly one single thing bothering her stallion right now, their brief but emotional visit with Spike only moments before.

"Look, if this is about Spike, you have to understand that he is having a tough time adjusting to his life here. It's a new home and practically a new body for him as well. Just try to see things from his point of view." Horizon huffed a little at that thought. Imagining how pathetic he must have looked as his bladder emptied and he flailed helplessly over a balcony in Canterlot. Twilight continued, "Whatever he may have said to you was just an emotional response and nothing that won't heal with time."

The unicorn mare smiled at her navy blue coltfriend. His deep brown mane hung over his jawline as he watched his hooves and continued to walk by her side. She wished her hopeful spirit would radiate through him like magic. If only she had Cadance's unique ability to spread love, she would be able to fix this whole Spike/Horizon father/son problem in a flash.

Horizon looked up and stretched his neck, it had been a bit sore from supporting his body weight moments before.

"Yeah, well I'm just hoping that being mortally threatened by a dragon isn't something that happens every time I visit him." Horizon grew serious as he held his chin up and looked straight ahead. The normally busy Canterlot streets were emptying as ponies went inside to celebrate Hearth's Warming Day.

"That's not funny, Rize." Twilight looked sideways at him with a disapproving glance and narrowing eyes.

"Yeah I wasn't laughing when it happened." Horizon knew this was an indelicate way of bringing the problem up but he had to vent. Twilight was just the only pony he could use.

Twilight halted in her tracks and put a hoof on his withers.

"Please tell me that was a joke." Yeah, this was going to be a conversation he didn't want to have right before he would meet up with her family again.

Horizon halted, looked down and sighed. "Look Twilight, I wish I could just laugh this off like his normal threats but I'm being serious. Spike is very protective of you and the same old threats of 'watch your back' and 'I'm watching you' just don't have the same effect that they had from a cute little pudgy baby dragon sorting books as they do from a teenage one with claws as big as my legs."

Twilight was pensive. Horizon took a breath before continuing. Best not to mention how scared he actually got. A real stallion dealt with it.

"I just don't want to have another Owlowiscious incident where he gets jealous and tries to do something to take me out of the picture and—" Horizon was cut off.

"Stop. You're being ridiculous. This is Spike we're talking about. I'm his mother figure and you are the closest thing he has to a father he is NOT going to do anything at all like that."

Horizon looked up at the grey cloud covered sky and took a deep breath. "It's been almost six months since I moved in with you and he's known me for longer than that. What if he just genuinely doesn't like me?"

Twilight sidled up next to Horizon and regarded the sky with her mate. "There's going to be plenty of time for family bonding tonight, we are going to be spending the night there and you two can stay up late and talk things out stallion to stallion, so to speak. And if you need me to be there for you I will." The mare nuzzled the stallion, "Spike is just feeling alone and scared, he needs our love and strength now more than anything. He needs your hope, please don't give up on him."

Horizon couldn't believe how Twilight always knew what to say. If she wasn't such a polymath she would have been an exceptional therapist. Horizon looked down to meet her eyes and kissed her gently. Twilight leaned her horn down to rub against his and sent him some feelings of warmth and comfort.

"How did I ever find a mare like you?" Horizon smiled.

"Luck." Twilight giggled.

~~~

Twilight and Horizon shared a few more kisses as their pace picked up. They were practically chasing each other around corners and streetlamps by the time they reached the steps leading up to the opulent home Twilight Sparkle grew up in. The home she had shared with her brother before they both moved into the castle, her to train her mind and him to train his body. 42 Highcrest Lane, the home of Night Light and Twilight Velvet.

Night Light, Head Astrophysicist of the Canterlot Royal Observatory and Twilight Velvet, Researcher and Professor of Magical Inscription at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns to be precise. Both ThD's (Doctor of Thaumaturgy), both unicorns, both extremely powerful magically, financially and politically. Their exceptional wealth was only exceeded by their happiness, and their pride in their foals.

As Twilight and Horizon walked past the outer wall and up the path through the yard to the doorsteps she smiled and took in the sight of her home. So many happy memories within those walls.

Horizon could only stare at the upper Canterlot mansion with its numerous rooms and chimneys. The stonework was exquisite alabaster with the dormant roots of ivy creeping along the front and wending around the many windows, gilded as they were with golden trimming without and lush royal velvet curtains within. The rooftops were true to Canterlot style with royal purple spires and golden adornments all capped with colorful banners bearing the marks of Celestia and Luna. The house itself featured the artistic but conservative star and moon designs one would expect since the owners had such things as their cutie marks.

The opulence was typical of an upper Canterlot mansion, especially one on Highcrest Lane. But the personal touches were there as well. The deep blue observatory dome that stood high above the banners. And the greenhouse which was attached to the side of the structure, full of plant life. Hobbies of Night Light and Twilight Velvet respectively.

Horizon consciously chewed on his tongue as he absorbed all of the details. If this was anything like the last time he visited, the father would grill him on his career and the brother would grill him on his activities with Twilight. All the while the mother would be not-so-subtly dropping hints that he should propose. It was hard for Horizon to believe only a month had passed since he and Twilight accompanied Spike to make his move to Canterlot as comfortable as possible. They had a few meals here with her parents and brother before but this time it would be different. This time her brother and his wife, rulers of the Crystal Empire, would be here as well. And they had a brand new foal.

Horizon sucked on his teeth and gnawed the inside of his mouth as they approached the large doors on the front steps. A nervous habit he always fell back to whenever he prepared to speak to a room full of ThD's who wanted to discredit him, or meet his fillyfriends family. There was a bit of overlap in both examples. For what would surely not be the last time in his life, Horizon felt like he was way out of his league.

~~~

*Ding-Dong Ding-Dong... Ding-Dong Ding-Dong*

The moment of truth.

The door opened almost immediately and four happy faces poured out as a large pink blur launched forward to wrap a smaller lavender one up in an embrace.

Horizon locked his amber eyes to the blue eyes of the stallion in front of him and thought only one thing.

'Don't look at Cadance's flank...'

"Sunshine, sunshine ladybugs awake!"

'Don't look at Cadance's flank...'

"Clap your hooves and..."

Shining Armor narrowed his eyes as Horizon felt his lower left eyelid twitch involuntarily.

"Do a little shake!"

Horizon forced his eyes to remain locked onto the eyes of the imposing stallion in front of him. His jaw was clenched as he pressed his chewing teeth together and stood at attention, waiting for the nonverbal order to rest to come from the former Captain of the Guard.

Cadance and Twilight shared another brief hug, completely oblivious to the dramatic conflict going on right next to them. Twilight moved to hug her mother and father and finally moved to embrace her brother as well. Shining Armor merely nodded at Horizon before looking down to his little sister and returning the embrace.

"Twily! It's so good to see you. Happy Hearth's Warming."

"Happy Hearth's Warming, BBBFF."

Night Light and Twilight Velvet smiled and shared a short nuzzle as they watched their foals greet each other.

Horizon stood there a bit awkwardly and felt his vocabulary slipping away in nervousness. Should he briefly nuzzle them? Hoofbump? Wave? What would be appropriate?

"Ugh... Hey everypony, Happy Hearth's Warming!" Horizon waved a forehoof quickly and smiled. Could have been worse, he thought, maybe make it a little more personal.

"Mr. Light, Mrs. Velvet, always a pleasure to see you." Ok so far so good. Horizon thought to himself.

"Prince Armor, glad to see you still haven't let yourself go up in the Crystal Empire." Horizon felt a swelling of pride as a smirk crossed the face of Shining Armor. A bit of humor never hurts. It feels genuine coming from him after all. One more greeting to go. I can do this!

"Wow, Princess Cadance, looking good! Did you lose a bunch of weight recently?" There was an awkward silence that befell the whole group. Horseapples. Ten stunned eyes turned to Horizon as he nervously pulled on his scarf and felt adrenaline flood his bloodstream as the fight or flight reflexes kick in.

"Ahhh hehe you know, because of um, the foal and... Pregnancy and... stuff ." Twilight looked like she was about to say something but Cadance merely covered her muzzle with a hoof and whispered something into Twilight's ear.

"I mean not to say you looked bad, or anything just... You know mares get, uh, big when they have uh..."

Shining Armor was giving Horizon the flattest gaze possible speaking volumes of his amusement. Twilight Velvet was giving a look of shock as the stallion continued to dig a verbal hole.

"and so it was, um, a joke about—"

"Ah HAHAHAHA Haha" Horizon was interrupted as Night Light burst into laughter.

“I'm sorry I couldn't keep it up any longer." Night Light continued to chuckle and held his wife closer as she kept up the disapproving glare act a little more. Twilight and Cadance kept giggling to each other and Shining Armor simply shook his head.

Horizon felt a wave of relief wash over him as he feared his earlier incident with Spike and this seeming disaster would lead to nausea.

Night Light continued. "Alright enough introductions and teasing. You fillies go on inside and take care of Crystal, I don't want to let anymore cold air in. Horizon why don't you join us stallions in my study, we can catch up."

Horizon gulped nervously as he realized he was just entering the hot water. He walked up the steps and crossed through the doorway held open by Night Light and was followed by Shining Armor.

"You almost did it this time, Horizon." Shining said calmly as the mares trotted out of earshot. "You almost didn't make a complete mule of yourself in front of my wife." He added a brief chuckle at the end as the door closed and they headed to the bar.

Horizon still had nightmares about the first time he saw Twilight and her old foalsitter do their special greeting. He couldn't stop staring after the Princess of Love 'did a little shake' and if it weren't for the calming words of Twilight he might have been pummeled by an upset earth pony sized unicorn husband. Shining Armor had a bit of a possessive problem.

"Couldn't be worse than the first time." Horizon said as he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Night Light shared a knowing glance with Shining Armor before simply stating "You got that right."

~~~

Twilight, Cadance and Twilight all rushed into the den to coo and make faces at baby Crystal.

At only one month old the foal was still growing her wispy purple mane and the tiny horn protruding from her mauve coat just where her forelock started was dormant as the magical energies were still formulating. As a descendant of the royal line started by Luna and Steel over a thousand years ago she was guaranteed to be blessed with the maternal wings and horn of the Alicorn bloodline. But any colts born of the same line would have only one or the other, or possibly neither if the father was an earth pony. It was the reason Cadance's cousin Blueblood was a unicorn. But even though the mares of the family would be an alicorn in appearance, they would not be immortal. Crystal would live and love and die just as Cadance would; But she was still a princess.

Twilight thought it was a strange coincidence that she would be in Canterlot helping Spike get settled back in her old study when Cadance finally went into labor. Two weeks late, it was about time. Crystal just didn't want to leave her mommy was what Cadance always said.

"We're so lucky to have you here with us Crystal. Sometimes I thought you would never come out." Cadance smiled motherly as she nuzzled her quiet foal. She almost never cried, her angelic face always smiling and happy to see adults, she was so perfect.

"Oh Cadance every mother has that fear when they have their first foal. But with modern medicine nothing can go wrong, there's a spell for everything that could possibly happen." Twilight Velvet, ever the spellscribe was quick to jump at the chance to show that anything was possible, with magic. "Why, when I was giving birth to Shining his head was so big they had to do an emergency C-section just to get him out! It always amazed me that my daughter who came the natural way would be the genius, especially when her brother had such an enormous head."

Cadance giggled privately and muttered "Oh that's not the only thing."

Twilight Velvet rolled her eyes and swatted Cadances shoulder playfully while she had a short chuckle of her own.

Twilight Sparkle felt a little bit confused as she giggled along with them at a joke she didn't quite understand.

"Trust me dear, it's not the size that matters it's how they use it."

Understanding washed over the lavender unicorn.

"Awww gross you two! I don't want to hear about my brother's... thing!" Twilight blushed visibly as her mother and Cadance smirked mischievously.

"So Twilight is Horizon keeping you happy?" Cadance started.

"Mmm, you know if he's having some trouble he should ask for some tips from Night Light you know, thirty years now and he still can hit all the right spots." Twilight Velvet finished with a wicked grin as her daughters face exploded into crimson.

"la la la la la la I'm not going to have this conversation with you right now, Mom! Especially not in front of the baby!" Twilight gestured to the tiny foal that Cadance was still cradling in her forehooves as they all shared the couch in front of the hearth surrounded by presents. "And I defintely don't want to hear about Dad's... thing, either!" Twilight was practicing her breathing exercises to improve circulation to remove some of the blood from her face.

"Oh please Twilight don't use Crystal as an excuse." The mother said. The youngest mare simply huffed and folded her forehooves to look away. "Very well then daughter dearest, I shall take the foal to another room to let her nap. I will protect its virgin ears from words it can't even understand. And you two can have some filly time. But I want to be informed of all the juicy parts when I get back." The daughter stuck her tongue out at the mother and the mother return the gesture in kind.

Twilight Velvet took Crystal from Cadance's hooves and wrapped the blanket more snugly around her and levitated her out of the room with her.

"You two need to spend some time apart. You're rubbing off on her way too much." Twilight shot Cadance a dirty look as the princess feigned shock. It was really no surprise that the 'Princess of Love' would be a complete gossip when it came to bedroom activities. Twilight could remember how unbelievably colt crazy her foalsitter was as a teenager. It was a miracle that Shining Armor ever ended up with her since she seemed to be with a different colt every week. But I suppose being Captain of the Guard and apparently well-endowed, Twilight mentally slapped herself, was a great way to get a princess.

"Hehe, Twilight we're all grown mares here. I know you and Horizon are 'active'. As your best friend I can't tell you how relieved I was when you finally asked me to teach you 'the spell'." The spell she referenced was of course the one that every sexually active unicorn mare learned. It blocked ovulation and effectively prevented conception without fail. Unicorns all around Equestria would perform the spell on friends and neighbors who were not ready to conceive but still wanted to be sexually active. It only had to be cast once before intercourse and would last a week. And the beauty of it was that it was completely reversible. The counterspell was simple, it was the spell to induce ovulation.

Twilight very subtly froze as Cadance finished her sentence. She had been hoping to wait until a bit later in the week before bringing it up. But now that she was alone with Cadance she couldn't pass up the opportunity. She was far too embarrassed to discuss these things with her mother. That's why Cadance was the one to teach her the spell in the first place instead.

Cadance noticed the silence as Twilight pondered something.

"Twilight is everything ok? You know you can tell me anything right? Is something wrong between you two, a fight?"

"Well... There was a fight. But it was a small thing! It's totally over now, but it made me do something." Twilight was tapping her forehooves together. It was eating her up, she had to tell somepony, but Applejack and Rarity wouldn't understand. Her parents would freak out. Spike would probably start smashing things. Celestia would... well she could never talk to Celestia about that sort of thing, they weren't close like that.

"What is it, Twilight. Please, just tell me, it sounds serious." Cadance was always patient with the young unicorn. She was quick as a whip and sharp as a razor but when it came to matters of the heart she hid like a foal during its first night storm.

"I uhh. I love Horizon, and I want to marry him." Cadance nodded calmly. This wasn't a secret. Twilight had expressed this desire a month ago to her family after she ensured Spike would be safe in Canterlot. "And... I want to be with him and have a family with him and spend the rest of my life with him but he just can't find it in himself to commit yet. Even though he knows I want him to, and I know he wants to in his heart as well." Cadance nodded calmly at this as well. The stallion did love Twilight indeed. She could sense it with her magical gift, it bloomed between them when they did the simplest things like share a glance or even thought of each other.

"And you said that you can't cast your love spell on him to force him to propose—"

"Twilight, I thought I was very clear, you know why I can't—"

"I know. And... That's why I did what I did." Twilight stood up and began to pace in front of the hearth. She stepped over the gifts placed in front of the warm blaze and nervously stammered out her next few sentences between slow breaths.

"Horizon was an only child to a single mother, and his father left them almost immediately after he was born, he never met him."

Cadance had a seed of fear building in her heart, she hoped Twilight wasn't going where she thought she was.

"And his mother suffered from clinical depression as she raised him on a single income and struggled to give him a life he deserved. She passed away while he was in college, but he still finished it. He said he did it for her. His mother, the mare who gave him life." Cadance was at rapt attention as she listened to Twilight continue the story.

"And... after we had a fight last night I knew where the doubt he holds is coming from. He is afraid to commit because he is afraid he will be just like his father and leave me when I need him most. And so that's why I decided to stop—"

"Twilight! Don't tell me you..." Cadance felt a shiver pass up her spine.

"I... I stopped casting the spell." Twilight stopped pacing and looked down to her hooves. Cadance rose to nuzzle Twilight and comfort her. She was glad that Twilight had come to her to ask for advice before she let this go any further.

"Twilight, it's ok, it takes a week for the spell to wear off. You just have to recast it before the week ends when you have made up your mind. But you should really be talking to Horizon about this. Having a foal outside of wedlock is not uncommon and I'm sure your friends and family would understand. But risking a pregnancy when your partner is unaware—" Twilight felt tears on her cheeks as she looked up to Cadance. Cadance felt them as well.

"It's... It's not just...” Twilight paused to breathe. She closed her eyes, struggling to say the following words, “I cast the counterspell." Twilight felt the warm tears filling her eyes, it was a mix of happiness and sadness causing them to flow.

Cadance blinked nervously as her violet eyes matched the violet eyes of the smaller mare.

"Twilight did you..."

"Yes. Yes we did."

Cadance was at a loss for words.

"I'm going to be a mother."