#twirity

                             Diamanti e Stelle (Diamonds & Stars)

It was a perfect day for painting a nursery.

They should’ve done this weeks ago, if not months back, but they were busy mares with busy lives and better late than never, as somepony without a watch once said.

Rarity and Twilight were almost finished. With only one wall left, they were within sight of the finish line; the trophy being the unborn foal currently calling the smaller unicorn home.

Rarity was grateful for that. Pregnancies came with both highs and pitfalls, and in the last two months it seemed it was more of the latter than the former. She was more than ready to meet the bun she was baking.

Feet sore, she paused in her work to rest her swollen ankles. “Would you mind finishing up my side?” She asked Twilight, rubbing at her aching legs. Stomach growling, hot food and a cup of tea was sounding lovely right about now.

As if on cue. Spike appeared with a ‘dinner's ready’ before he went to set the table.  

Rarity sounded out a grateful ‘thank you’.

Twilight barely heard him. If she did at all.

She was leaving for Yakyakistan in the morning. It was only for a few short days, but Twilight could not shake the guilt of leaving her pregnant wife behind weeks before her due date. However, she was also a princess and that came with reposisiblities.

Soon though, she’d be tasked with an even greater responsibility and the weight of that knowledge had been heavy on her mind for months.

Tired, the alicorn put her brush down. With a deep sigh, she rubbed her hands over her face, wings low and limp at her sides.

Rarity took notice.  “Darling,” She said, taking Twilight’s hands in hers. “Talk to me.”

It was embarrassing. It was stupid. It was terrifying.

Yet Twilight was weak against those brilliant azure eyes. They were diamonds; as beautiful as they were sharp. Twilight couldn't hide the truth from them, even if she wanted to. (And she didn’t.)

She chewed her lip, calming the storm brewing in her head, picking out the threads of thought and weaving them into words. If anyone could make sense of them, it would be her Rarity.

“I’m just ...I’m unsure if I’ll be,” No, those weren't the right words.

Rarity was patient though, giving her wife’s fidgeting fingers a reassuring squeeze.

“What if,” Licking her lips, Twilight found herself picking at the yarn again. Starting was always the hardest part. She knew the moment she did, Rarity would take them and turn them into something else - something that wasn’t a mess.

All Twilight had to do was bite the bit. “...What if I’m not a good mom?”

“Twilight,” Rarity sighed, the edges of those sparkling diamond eyes softening. “My love, may I ask you a question?”

“A question?” Twilight parroted, heart entwined with both curistiosly and uncertainty.

“Do you think I’ll be a terrible mother?”

“Of course not!” It wasn’t even a question. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother! The BEST mother!”

With a laugh like chiming bells on a bright, mellow spring morning, Rarity blushed deep and scarlet against ivory fur. “Thank you, my love. May I ask one more question?”

Twilight nodded, ready.

“Why do you believe you’ll be any less?”

“I don’t know.” Twilight heard herself say. But she did, didn’t she?

She could play princess all she wanted.

She couldn’t play at being a mom.

Rarity’s heart twisted at the sight of those loving, passion filled violet eyes darkening with uncertainty. That look did not belong on her Twilight’s face.     

Inside her, somepony else agreed.

“Now you listen here darling,” Pulling Twilight closer, bringing their hands over her heart, Rarity squared up against the doubts and shadows plaguing her wife.“You are a powerful alicorn, a dedicated princess, a concerned and caring friend beyond compare,”

She moved their hands slowly down.

“You are the most loving wife. You listen with your heart, you smile with your soul, you laugh when my jokes aren't funny, and more importantly, when I cry you cry with me. Your strength is my strength. I lean on you, and sweetheart, I’ve also been scared,”

Twilight needed to hear the truth, and by Celestia’s sun, Rarity was going to fight every vile thought that dare make her believe otherwise.

“I’ve had my own doubts, my own fears about this -” Finally, she brought their entangled hands over her stomach, where a small and kicking life made itself known to her mothers. “Yet every morning I wake up to your beautiful face is a morning I know she is going to love you as much, if not more than I do. And sweetheart,” She stared deeply into violet pools. “I love you.”

When the tears came, they came with a smile.

Gently freeing one hand, Twilight rested her fingers against her wife’s cheek with a slow, soft caress. “How did gaia bless me with such a perfect mare?”

“Perfect, hmm?” Rarity smirked, leaning in. “Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.”

Closing the distance, Twilight met those perfect lips, mapping them in all their flawless detail, and only surfacing for air when Rarity pulled away (too soon).

“Mmm?” Twilight sounded.

Rarity laughed, bright and blissful, at the note of confusion. “Greedy today, aren't we?” Picking back up a brush, she held it out to her partner playfully out of reach.“Let’s save some of that sugar for later.”   

With her height, taking the brush wasn’t even a challenge, but in the process she earned herself a sprinkle of lavender rain.

Wiping away the paint decorating her shoulders, smearing it further, Twilight paused and watched.

Watched how the light fell through the windows, the way it danced across the room and fell in halos around her wife and their unborn child, and found herself asking gaia that same familiar question.

________________________________________________________________

Ponies parted like the lunar seas. When a alicorn, all horn and wings is galloping down at top speeds through a crowded airport, you make room. There is no time for arguments or questions as your life flashes before your eyes.

“What do you mean she’s in labor!” Twilight rasped, throat tight in concern. It was happening, and it was happening without her!

“I know Twilight! I have eyes, and unfortunately, ears.” Spike said through the phone, punctuated with a howl of pain that was not his own.

The sound made her blood run cold and vision blurr. It was happening and she was going to miss it; the birth of her daughter!

So much for first impressions.

“Are you at the hospital, how long has she been in labor, how far apart are the contractions? Does she have water and enough blankets? Are her feet cold? I’m sure we packed socks, we packed socks didn’t we!? What if we forgot the-”

“Give it here,” Came a different voice, Spike sighing thankfully as he handed over the phone. “Sugar cube, ya need to cool your heels. Ain’t nothing you need to be working yourself up about. Us girls got ya covered till you get your tail down here, okay.”

“But Applejack,”

“Ain’t no butts here, Twilight. Now you listen and you listen good. You have one job, and it’s making sure that the first two faces this foal sees is that of her sweet mommas.”

“I know but -”

“Now what did I just say?” And before Twilight could argue, or plead for more details the phone went silent with a loud click.

________________________________________________________________

“Wasn’t that a bit - oh I don’t know - harsh?” Rainbow Dash asked, staring down the options in the hospital vending machine. They weren’t great. “Could’ve at least told her something more than ‘run Twilight run’”

Applejack agreed. It was harsh. Maybe unfairly so, but that girl was always the kind who worked better with commands. Otherwise she’d just bog herself down with the unnecessary details, like trying to put together a puzzle that was already finished. “I reckon this way, the wait will be shorter.”  

Rainbow tapped her foot, watching her bits disappear. Running a hand through her hair, she hummed. “Yeah, whatever. Just don’t pull a stunt like that on me.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow.

It took a moment, but her own words finally reached Rainbow’s ears. ”I mean - what I meant to say was,” Abandoning ship, the pegasus snatched up her snacks and drinks, shoving a bag of hot-hays into the taller, stronger, more muscular mare’s arms as she retreated into the delivery room.

In her haste, she missed the gorgeous shade of apple red blossoming on an orange, freckled face.

________________________________________________________________

Canterlot in rush hour, was in many ways, worse than the infamous Manehatten tolls and bridges. In the big city ponies had a sense of time. Understood how short a day could be, and wasted none of it.

Canterlot residents on the other hand, could buy time if they needed too. They controlled the clocks, or so they believed and if they wanted to drive ten miles under the speed limit, by all accounts, they would go right ahead and do it.

This mindset was also the reason why one taxi driver was growing equals parts frustrated and concerned. Partly because today’s traffic was particularly bad,clogging up the historic streets of downtown with noise and exhaust, magic or no magic filters.

However, his bigger problem wasn’t with his environmental concerns, but with his peculiar passenger. On any other day, he’d feel blessed that THE Princess of Friendship had chosen his humble cab to ride in, but one look at the frazzled feathered, wide eyed mare sparking nervous magic and practically strangling her suitcase cast some heavy doubt oh this fare.

The fact that they had been sitting for almost twenty minutes without moving, practally parked, wasn’t helping the situation none.

“Uh, excuse me Princess?” He had to say something. The mare’s magic was burning a hole in his roof. “On behalf of the business, I thank you for choosing Black & Yellow - Cabs At Your Service, and stop me if this is out of line, but are you alright?”

Twilight snapped forward, startled from whatever line of thought that was currently trying to consume her. “How much longer!?”

“Princess…” He looked at the bumper to bumper traffic with an awkward, lopsided grin. “Heh, is that a trick question?”

That was the wrong thing to say. Obviously. If his passenger was acting odd before, her behavior was downright bizarre now.

Hyperventilating, muttering rapidly, wings twitching, Twilight looked like a unicorn with her horn trapped in the mason jar. “No, no this can’t be happening. I can’t miss this. I can’t!”

“Again, don’t mind me Princess, but what are you going to miss?” All she had said was ‘drive fast here’. The here being a small hospital in Ponyville four hours away by car.

If they were lucky. And interpreted speed limits as suggestions instead of law.

And with the train out of service for track repairs, well...

“I’m already a terrible mom,” She said, voice small and distant, eyes focused on nothing. “And she’s not even born yet.”

Oh. Oh no.

“Oh no,” He said, putting two and two together and feeling guilty for something he had no control over. “Aww Princess, I’m sorry!” Giving the wheel a good hit, he looked out the window and at the clouds floating faster then they were moving. “I’m not one of those fancy airships. Otherwise I’d fly us over this mess in a hop, skip and a - ”

The Princess was staring right at him, and he could almost see the light bulb over her head as something simple and brilliant and the tiniest bit embarrassing dawned upon her.

“Thank you!” She shouted, unbuckling. “Thank you so, so much!” Rushing out of the car in a flurry of feathers, she abandoned her luggage, tossing her entire wallet into the front seat.

Shocked, the cabby shouted out the window for her to wait. “Princess!”

In a flash of wings and purple magic that made his greying mane stand up and the cars around them shake, he watched as the Alicorn disappeared, and then reappeared as a Twilight shaped dot against the sunset.

________________________________________________________________

“Do you think she’ll make it?”

Fluttershy put on her most reassuring smile. “Of course Spike, she’ll be here. Any minute now. ”She tried not to lie. She really hoped she wasn’t lying.    

The young drake huffed. He wasn’t some baby dragon that needed coddling anymore. He knew time was running short.

Fluttershy put a tentative arm around him. “Do you want Pinkie to make you another balloon animal?”

And speak of the pink party pony - Pinkie Pie appeared in the next chair, balloons ready to go. “Oooh, what about a hippopotamus this time!” She squealed, blowing up a long blue shape.

“Pinkie, I don’t think that’s a...” Fluttershy breathed, letting it go. Spike was  thoroughly distracted for the moment, trying and failing to guess at what chimera of creatures Pinkie was creating.

It was excellent timing too, Rainbow Dash exiting the delivery room again. She was on her fifth or sixth snack run, and Fluttershy had a sneaking suspicion is wasn’t because she was still hungry.

“Your turn again,” She said hooking the air with her thumb. “Warning, she’s still all drama. I swear, this is the performance of a lifetime or something.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes before she caught herself with a meek ‘sorry’ that nopony seemed to hear.

Because of hospital rules, only two ponies other than the doctors and nurses were allowed in the room with the delivering mother at a time.

Applejack was one of them. Fluttershy was now the other. For the last eight hours or so the five of them, including Spike, had been switching on and off, taking turns at keeping Rarity company as they all waited for the arrival.

The only question now was who would arrive first - a filly or her sire.

As Rainbow had said, Rarity was putting on quite the performance. She was curled up on her side, mane hiding her face, moaning with a deathgrip around a pillow.

“C’mon sugarcube,” Applejack said, rubbing the poor unicorn’s back. “You’re doing great.”

Rarity replied with another bout of moaning. “I’m dying,” She announced. “Put me out of my misery.”

Applejack gave a bemused snort.

Fluttershy covered her mouth. She hated seeing her friend in pain like this regardless of reason, but the fact that Rarity could remain, well, Rarity while trying to deliver a foal into the world was a wee bit amusing.

The humor only lasted for a second, as Rarity asked again for Twilight. “Where is she?”

Fluttershy and Applejack shared a look. “She’s on her way.” They said in almost perfect unison. It wasn’t very convincing.

The baby was coming. With or without Twilight.

She was the one who was supposed to be here, rubbing her wife’s back, cooing sweet reassurance into her ears. Not them. Sure, they were all best friends with an unbreakable bond between them but they’re weren't this foal’s parents (even if they would spoil her twice as much as aunts.)

Looking at the clock, hearing Rarity groan, Fluttershy wished for a miracle.

“Are you ready to become a mother? ” The doctor asked with a bright, cheery grin.

“Read the room, doc.” Applejack chided with a crack of her tail.

Fluttershy’s breath caught as the doctor replaced his clipboard for a pair of surgical gloves. “I’m sorry ladies, but this foal won’t wait forever.”

“W-wait,” Rarity started to protest as another wave of pain hit her. The time between contractions was almost non-existent now. ”Five more minutes, please!”

The doctor gave a pity smile. “Your foal will be here in five minutes.”  

“Now just you wait a moment partner -”

“S-sir could you please reconsider -”

“I’m not having this child without my -”

A loud pop from outside the room, a shriek, and another smaller pop followed by cheering caught everyone’s attention.

All eyes were on the doorway as a ragged, worse for wear, magically and physically exhausted alicorn gripped the wall.

“Did I make it!?” Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic, Princess of Friendship and best wife ever, panted out, wings crooked and horn practically smoking.

In the background, Pinkie could be heard saying “Boy, are your arms tired!”

The doctor stared, dumbfounded. Had she flown all the way [i]from[/i] Canterlot? He smelled the tinge of magical afterburn. Did she - did she try to teleport all the way!?

Mind sputtering with the medical implications of such a trip on a pony’s body, alicorn or no alicorn, a polite if pained firm cough brought him back to reality.

“If I may answer you now Doctor,” Rarity grinned through clenched teeth. “Yes, WE are ready.”  

________________________________________________________________

If you asked Twilight what it was like watching her daughter be born, she’d say it was ‘like magic’.

Ask her how Rarity looked and she’d say ‘like a goddess’.

Ask her how her hand felt for the next week and she’d say ‘worth the price’.

________________________________________________________________

When Twilight heard her child’s first cries, the spinning of the world stopped. Day and night had no meaning, Time was a lost concept, and the Universe was impossibly small when compared to the weight of being a new parent.

Rarity was the first to hold their daughter -- Stella.

Their Stella. Their little star.

A perfect name for a perfect little filly.

As her beautiful wife - covered in sweat, blood, and tears - cradled their child, Twilight was overcome with pride and gratitude for the mare who had given her this gift. This was her family. Her wife. Her daugher. Her future.

“My darlings,” Rarity sobbed happily, crying from both the residual pain and seeing the beautiful life she had brought into the world. She didn’t want to let her baby go, held on for a selfish (and who would blame her) moment more, before handing Twilight their perfect little radiant star for the first time.

Twilight hesitantly accepted the newborn foal, who had quieted since her first cries in the warmth of her birth mother's embrace. The doubts crept forward out of hiding again, searching for the spotlight, whispering lies.   

Then Stella yawned, and those doubts didn’t stand a chance.