Fallout: the Return

Chapter 1: Leo’s Playdate

My eyes shot open quickly to the sound of my son crying. I sprang to my hooves a little too quickly and bopped my husband Jason with a hoof to his nose, before groggily stumbling my way to Leo’s room with a yawn. It wasn’t far, my brand new house had a child’s bedroom right next to the master bedroom.

In the dark, I nearly stepped on Angel Bunny's tail. Thankfully, he scampered his little self out of the way before my hoof could harm him. And as he scampered away, his soft paws resounded off the teak wood floor with light scratches.I opened the door to Leo’s room and walked in, the mere presence of me calming his cries. He watched me with his teal eyes in the pale blue light of the nightlight that stood as the sole decoration on top of a cribside stand.Walking further into the room, I looked into Leo’s crib and reached in to pick him up, holding him in the air for a second to check his diaper before setting him down on the floor.From there, he walked under me and did as instinct told him. Finding a teat, he began suckling on it for milk. It had been a few hours since he last ate.I couldn’t help but blush as my foal tugged and pulled to nurse off of me. I would have preferred to use formula, but Twilight told me my natural milk would be better for him. Out of concern for my child’s health, I did the responsible thing and took the healthier choice.A few seconds later, Leo’s tiny belly was full and he eased off and let out a tiny burp of satisfaction.Picking him up again, I wiped a splotch of milk off his lips, then gently placed him back into the crib, making sure he was nice and comfy. After that, I walked back towards mine and Jason’s room.Leo was a lot like me, but so much different in the same way. His cute little body was covered in fur as red as a Legion flag, and his mane was as brown as Jason’s, but the ends were tipped in pink. It made a peculiar shape akin to an upside down fireflame.Like me he was a pegasus, and had the same teal eyes. Well... not really.Unlike my eyes, his eyes hadn’t seen the horrors of the Mojave, or the cruelty of the Legion.Entering my room, I took a few steps into the dark room before flopping down unceremoniously onto the rather large and comfortable bed next to Jason. He didn’t even do so much as twitch since he was such a heavy sleeper. Rolling onto my back, I stared at the ceiling in the dark.Leo was innocent. A child whose ears hadn’t heard the screams of men as they hacked and slashed each other on bloodied sand in an arena. I gave a shiver remembering being trapped in the cage with Applejack while Orion fought others from the Legion for our ownership.I hated remembering those things.It has been almost three months since Leo was born, and nearly six months since we returned to Equestria from that horrid place called New Vegas and the Mojave Wasteland.Twilight still worries about those we left behind in the world that was destroyed by bombs of apocalyptic scale.I tried not to think about them. It kept me up at night the same way I worried for Leo.I knew I was the element of Kindness, but that world was so firmly rooted with strife and pain that it was too far gone to help. And I couldn't abandon my son.Rolling over again, I threw a foreleg over Jason and pulled myself close. His warmth banished any bad thoughts I previously held.As I drifted to sleep quickly for around the third time that night, I thought, ‘Maybe Leo can play with his half-sister tomorrow?’

<~-~>

The sun was warm against my fur, Jason trotting along with me as I pushed our stroller down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres. I couldn’t help but let out a wide, loving smile every time Leo let out a playful coo. He really liked bouncing along in the stroller.Jason looked into the stroller and smiled at his son before looking to me, “Nice out today, isn’t it?”I nodded, then looked up to the sky to see clouds burst to tiny puffs from being impacted by the cyan hooves of Rainbow Dash. She either didn’t see us, or just let us be as she flew off to impact more clouds with speeding fury.Jason, Leo, and I made it to the white wooden picket fence and large unpainted wood gates of Sweet Apple Acres. In the distance, I spotted Big Macintosh plowing the field with that old rusted plow he refuses to replace.Since the gates were unlocked and hinged to swing both ways, I pushed the stroller through with ease. Following the slightly winding and worn dirt path to the Apple Family house, I stopped short of the front step.“Fluttershy!” Applejack yelled as she slammed open the large white front door of the two story house like she hadn’t seen me in years. Truth be told, it was around a week since we last saw each other, and that was just a quick pass by in the market.I felt the stroller jerk when Applejack burst out of the house, but Leo didn’t cry. He never cried unless he needed a fresh diaper or milk. Both of which I had plenty of in the diaper bag under the stroller.While ponies are almost always nude in public - something I had to readjust to after being a human for so long - nursing a foal where others could see was frowned upon. It wasn’t illegal, just too many young colts and fillies asking too many embarrassing questions to parents for society to accept it.It had taken me several attempts and Jason’s help to use the pump the doctors gave at the hospital when I decided on natural milk for me to use it for the first time. I say it was, oh, a little over two and a half months ago.Brushing off the thought of diapers and milk, I smiled at Applejack, “How are you?”Applejack’s face had changed a lot. Stress clearly shown on her face, and dark circles from lack of sleep shown below her eyes. Gosh, now that I think of it, I must look the same way.She chuckled, “Little miss Apple’s been keepin’ me up all night. How’s Leo doin’ this fine day?” She asked as she leaned in close to the stroller. She leaned a little too close and Leo grabbed her long ponytail in his tiny hooves.Her expression changed from a smile to flat-out deadpan neutral. “Really?” she asked Leo as a gentle tug on Applejack’s part made Leo release his grasp.As all of this was happening, I answered her question, “He’s doing just as fine as any foal I guess, but I’m not sure. Motherhood is still new to me.”Applejack chuckled, “You speak for the both of us with that one. So Jason, why don’t you come around more often?” I heard Jason stammer a few words as Applejack smiled, “Don’t worry Jason, our daughter has enough family ta raise her right. Spend as long as you can with your son and wife.”I heard Jason let out a breath he was holding as Applejack walked back onto the porch. Unlike most ponies, she wore clothes. Jeans, a checkerboard print red and white shirt, as well as her old stetson.“I will,” Jason said as he looked to both Leo and I, “So can Leo play with Tigris today?”“Sure can. Me and Granny were workin’ on supper. Applebloom’s at school so Tigris is all by her lonesome in her play corner.”Taking Leo out of his stroller I cradled him lovingly in a foreleg. Now that the precious cargo of the stroller was now safely protected in my embrace, Jason was able to fight and push the stroller up the steps.Keeping Leo firmly - but not tightly - in my grasp, I walked up the stairs and gently placed him back in his stroller once again. As I leaned back from putting him in, our teal eyes met and he giggled with a wide toothless grin.I literally could feel my heart melt with warm bubbly love as I smiled gently.Walking around to the back of the stroller, I pushed it through the open door, Applejack and Jason following behind me.As we walked in, I heard Applejack quip, “Why ya makin’ her push the stroller around Jason?”He let out a chuckling sigh, “Fluttershy loves doing all the work, making sure everything is perfect. Almost like a less neurotic Princess Twilight.”We all laughed. Even Leo was laughing with us with his cutesy-wootsy wittle giggle.I jerked back like I was struck by something.Did I just seriously think in baby talk?I couldn’t answer myself before Applejack asked Jason, “Speakin’ of work, whatcha doin’ fer bits, Jason?”Jason sighed, “Still odd jobs around town. But it pays the bills and gets us by.” He hated doing odd jobs around town for money. I knew it made him feel like he wasn’t providing for his family.Applejack looked like she was going to say something, but her daughter began to cry as we entered the living room.In the living room there was a simple wooden table and an old green couch sat in front of a fireplace by one wall, as a black and white T.V. sat next to a gramophone near another. The light-blue painted walls were decorated with old knick knacks on shelves, along with large family photos of the entire Apple clan, minus their newest addition.Tigris Brody Apple. Applejack wanted her daughter to have Brody in her name since that was Jason’s last name. But due to the fact I was now Mrs. Brody, that would cause some very awkward situations.The filly in question was in a corner of the room separated by a filly sized wall to keep her pinned in, but was now being carried to another room to be changed.As Applejack passed with Tigris in her grasp, the all too familiar smell told me she was in for a really dirty diaper change.Walking over to the play area, I looked in. Gigantic soft foam blocks and plush toys populated the space. I picked Leo up out of his stroller, but there was a yellow hue to his diaper and a wide toothless smile on his face.I frowned in a mix of amusement and frustration. Babies seem to know when to do stuff like peeing right at the exact moment you pick them up, or decide to cry just as you fall asleep, or poop again after you change them, or- I was mentally rambling like an old lady.Oh well, I have a kid, thus an excuse.Grabbing the diaper bag from the storage section under the stroller as well as holding onto Leo, I made my way towards Applejack and Tigris’ room. Since all the other rooms in the two story house were taken, they had to share.It took me around a minute to get to Applejack’s room on the second floor of the house. I was careful not to trip, as well as not let Leo slip, which is hard since he squirms like a cute worm.Hmph, I just realize I call everything about Leo cute. Well, most of everything; his diaper changes are far from cute.Walking through the open door into Applejack’s room, I spotted Applejack with Tigris. Applejack had her daughter laying on a bright orange towel on the four-poster bed while she changed her filly’s stinky diaper.“Uhm, Applejack, can I change Leo on your bed?” Normally I would have asked that in a much meeker way; but after everything that has happened to me over the course of the year like the Mojave and parenthood, I’ve really lost most of my meekness.“You-” she yawned, “sure can sugarcube.”“Thanks,” I said, taking the diaper bag and laying it on the bed. I took Leo and laid him on the bed so he would lay on his back. One quick motion with my hooves, and his diaper came off.I unzipped the diaper bag to look through it as he laid on his back, diaperless. Then I heard him giggle. That gave me just enough time to turn my head to see him with a wide toothless smile.Then he peed on me.I yelped and quickly found the diaper in the bag I needed and stopped the stream of horrid smelling bodily fluid. All the while Applejack was laughing like crazy as she held Tigris.The little bit of comedy on my expense seemed to wake Applejack up enough to speak without yawning, but lack of sleep was still clouding her head, “And that, Fluttershy, is why I’m lucky ta have a filly.”Said filly was a rusty orange-red colored earth pony, with brown hair tipped like Leo’s but with blond instead of pink. She also had Applejack’s jade green eyes.One could easily tell that Leo and Tigris were brother and sister.“You won’t be saying that when colts start chasing her,” I replied back as I retrieved another diaper, powder, and wipes from the diaper bag.She laughed causing Tigris to giggle as she stared at her brother, “I have Macintosh to discourage ‘em. Meanwhile, you’ll have to stop your son from chasin’ the fillies.”Crap, “You do have a point,” I replied nervously. I was going to worry myself to death when Leo starts getting interested into fillies… but that would be anywhere from ten to thirteen years from now; no sense in worrying about it now.Applejack just agreed with a monosyllabic, ‘mmmmm’ and a nod of her head.A quick wiping with the disposable wipes, a dash of talcum powder, and a new diaper later, Applejack and I were back downstairs watching our foals. And of course they were now in the little play area.Leo was contently gumming on a red foam block, while Tigris was attacking a tiger plush doll with her hooves… squealing in a near imitation of a mouse.Applejack and I just stood by the wall of the play area, watching with motherly smiles of joy on our faces. A Changeling could have gotten sick from the amount of love in the air.Jason had told me once that human children take months to learn how to move, but for fillies and colts, they practically are prancing around once cleaned up after birth.Then I wished I had a camera because Leo’s wings began to flutter rapidly on their own. The cuteness of the look of utter confusion on Leo’s face as he tried to use the foam block to weigh himself down made me laugh as he rose higher and higher. The cuteness was way beyond the ability to make one diabetic.Then he dropped like a stone towards the floor. My heart stopped beating as he hit the ground with a solid thud.Then he laughed… my son fell out the air, got up, and laughed like I told him a joke.Then he done it again, but his wings moved on his own accord this time.I was frozen in panic, but lucky for my heart and blood pressure, he aimed for the foam block. Then spongy cube absorbed the impact as Tigris watched. She herself now chewing on the right arm of the tiger doll.“Stubborn as an earth pony, yet can take a fall like a pegasus,” Jason muttered.Applejack laughed and punched Jason’s shoulder with a hoof, “He inherited it from you, I know that from Tigris. You know she’s got it bad on account of bein’ both parts earth pony.”I gave a nervous and amused chuckle, staring at Leo as he bounced up and down on the block on his belly like it was a trampoline.“Honey, you’re brain has locked up again,” Jason said. That snapped me out of my fear induced trance and I gave a sheepish smile and blush.He looked me sternly in the eyes, “Don’t worry too much about our son getting hurt. Pegasi and earth pony bones are nearly unbreakable. You and I both watched Rainbow epically fail her stunts and crash. You say the most she’s been injured is a broken wing after a high speed trick.”I don’t know what it was, but I said otherwise, “Jason, you’ve only been a pony for six months and you already talk like you know what colts and fillies here can and can’t handle. That’s like me heading to the human world and saying that little boys and girls are capable of fighting the Legion. I know my son’s not made of glass, but I can’t help but worry when I see him do things like that.”He placed his left hoof on my shoulder, “Shy, I know I haven’t been a pony that long, but I’m observant. Sorry if I’ve made you mad, but he’s our son. That means I also have watched him. When you’re out feeding the animals, he gets into all kinds of mischief, but do I panic every time he gets a boo-boo?” He waited a second like I was going to answer before saying, “No, I don’t. Shy, you need to quit worrying so much. That only leads to an early death.”He took the hoof off my shoulder and backed away. I knew he was right and I was wrong. So like I seen Twilight do before when she was feeling stressed. I took a breath then sighed out my fear, frustration, stress, and that slight bit of anger in one deep breath. It felt good to feel calm, and a smile touched my lips as Leo and Tigris let out a happy squeal in unison.Applejack gave me a light punch to the shoulder – well it was more of a playful nudge, before saying, “You’re a great mother, Shy. Don’t let anypony tell you otherwise.”“Thank you, thank both of you,” I said. Looking back over the wall of the play area, Leo spotted me and ran over to the wall. With a flutter of his wings, he actually managed to grab the top of the wall with his hooves and pull himself over.After that, he walked under me, going for a teat.“Sorry, not this time,” I said gently as I moved, careful not to hit him with my legs.I heard him plop down on his rear so I turned. He looked confused that I wouldn’t let him nurse. It made me feel bad, and I did hurt slightly from the added pressure of my milk, but I couldn’t feed him in front of Applejack like that. The swift retrieval of a bottle of milk from the diaper bag that I placed back in the stroller’s storage section rectified that problem.With the bottle of milk in his hooves, I placed Leo back in the playpen. He flopped on his back and stared at the ceiling as the contents of the bottle were sucked down in moments.Taking the empty bottle away, Leo burped loudly, making Tigris giggle. Somepony was really hungry.As I went to put the empty bottle away, Applejack looked to the clock on the wall which read 3:17.We talked and watched Leo and Tigris play for two minutes before Applebloom walked through the door.“Oh, howdy Fluttershy,” Applebloom said as she set her saddlebags and books down on the couch.“Hey,” I replied.Applejack then asked, “Sis, is it alright if you babysit ‘till supper is over? It may be an hour or two.”Applebloom made a ‘pshhh’ sound with her mouth and waved her hoof, “Piece of cake. I’m sure they’ll both be sweet to their Aunt Applebloom.” Applebloom took pride in watching over Leo and Tigris when she could. Even though I wasn’t related to her, she acted just as much of an aunt to Leo as she did to Tigris.Still, I couldn’t help but ask, “Applebloom, remember where I put everything?”She nodded quickly while smiling, “Yep; under the stroller, blue bag with green polka-dots, and for the love of all that is holy, do not try the milk for myself,” I blushed really deeply as I nodded sheepishly.Applebloom then added, “Honestly, the one time I taste check to see if it was going sour you freak out. Whats so special about that milk anyway other than it tastes a little funny?” She didn’t know, Applejack used powdered formula for Tigris.If I thought my blush was bright, it increased tenfold at the question, “Applejack?” I squeaked.“No no, you tell her, she needs tah know these things.” If I wasn’t embarrassed beyond belief, I could have bucked that cocky grin right off her face.“Well um…” I stumbled but found the words I needed, “when a mare has a foal, her body starts to make milk for her foal,” I took a big gulp, preparing to likely scar this poor young mare for life, “Since I can’t let Leo nurse off of me in public, I put my milk into bottles for him.”Applebloom went from bright yellow to embarrassed pink in seconds. Then the thought processed through her young mind and she turned a pale and sickly green. Not four seconds later, I heard the sound of puking from the upstairs bathroom.Applejack chuckled as she patted me on the back, “You going to stay for supper, Shy?”It was an Apple Family meal, not a two bit attempt at food by either myself or my husband. “Of course,” was my reply. Seriously, whatever food I try to cook up turns out to be more edible for animals than ponies, while most of the dishes Jason knew called for meat – which is obviously a problem for me. I’m surprised when he came to Equestria he wasn’t turned into a griffon.Applebloom returned from the bathroom, a little pale but chipper as always. I could see she was clearly staying as far as equinly possible away from the diaper bag.I looked to Applejack who nodded her head towards the kitchen, mouthing ‘Granny needs help’.Nodding my head, I asked, “Jason, would you mind helping Applebloom with babysitting while Applejack and I cook supper with Granny Smith?”Jason, who was sitting on the couch like a human, got up and nuzzled me before saying, “I’m sure Aunt Applebloom is perfectly capable of handling two foals.” Looking to Applebloom, she saluted us with her hoof while Tigris was pulling on her oversized bow. “Why don’t you two kick back and rest while I help Mrs. Smith?”I was a little apprehensive at first, but Applejack had already brushed Applebloom’s books aside and lay down on the couch.Trotting over, I hopped onto the rough fabric with Applejack.Naturally, the ensuing conversation between Applejack and I was about our children. Applejack wasted no time in asking, “So, I noticed Leo suck down that bottle like he was starved. How much does Leo eat, and how often do you feed him?”I knew she wasn’t implying I was being a bad mother and not feeding my child, but the way she worded it sounded like she was. “Not much,” I said with a shrug, “but he eats every few hours. Honestly I haven’t worked out a feeding schedule with him yet.” I let out a disappointed sigh, knowing I was supposed to keep Leo on a feeding and sleep schedule. I then changed subject, “So, how’s Tigris?”“You saw her with your own eyes. She’s happy and loves when Leo is around. I know they're too young to know, but I do believe that somehow, they understand they’re brother and sister.”“I saw it too. I wonder what they will be good at.” I said, tapping a hoof to my chin.Applejack yawned, “Time will tell darlin’, time will tell.”We both decided without saying a word that it would be a good time to take a nap.An hour later, Applebloom woke us up for supper. She had no trouble with the foals, but of course, Jason had to overcook the carrots while working with Granny Smith.As Granny sat at the head of the table, Jason to my left, and Applejack sitting across from me, Applebloom served us before skipping supper to watch Leo and Tigris, as well as keep them occupied.The dishes on the table consisted of different combinations of vegetables like carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. We also had an apple pie for dessert.We didn’t talk at the table. As an old earth pony, Granny Smith is dead set with her traditions. That meant the table was a place for eating, not conversations.Unfortunately, with all the time it took for us to eat, it was time for Leo, Jason, and I to make our way back home before it got too dark.I may be braver than I once was, but I was still scared of the dark and nighttime. Not because of the darkness itself mind you, but the fact that I can’t see what’s in the dark.As we walked along the road back towards our house, I gave a shiver of fear, imagining Legion soldiers in the shadows.“I’m here, you’re safe,” Jason said as he noticed my expression. He was so kind and considerate, that it was hard to imagine that he was once part of the Legion. Then again, it wasn’t by choice.My new house was closer to town than my older one, and built to look the same as the ones in town. With my son in the house, all my animals now slept outside. I knew it was cruel to keep all my animal friends except Angel Bunny outside, but Leo was more important. I couldn’t have potentially dangerous animals sharing living space with my family.As we walked in silence, I looked into the carriage in the waning light and gave a light sigh. I was thinking back to being at my new house with all the girls except Applejack – she couldn’t help the other girls move furniture for me since we both were around eight-and-a-half to nine months pregnant.As fate would have it, my water broke around two or three o'clock that day, and I began dilating. From there, Twilight flew me to the hospital carrying me in her magic. Eight hours and twelve seconds after admittance into Ponyville General, Leo was born.My smile grew even wider when the memory of all the pain I felt fading away after the final push and hearing Leo cry for the first time.It’s said that when mothers hold their child for the first time, they know exactly what to name their child. For me, it was Leo, or Lion in ancient Equestrian, as well as the language of the Legion. It meant courage and bravery, something I knew my son would have.Then half a week later, Applejack gave birth to her daughter. She decided that since Leo and her daughter were half-siblings they should have something in common. I agreed and she decided on Tigris, which like Leo is for Lion, was the ancient word for Tiger.We reached home just before dark, and we were all tired, except Leo who constantly seemed like he could burst from the sheer amount of energy he had at any moment.Jason brought Leo inside to give him a quick sink bath as I set food out for my nocturnal animals. By the time I made it inside, Jason had finished with Leo. Taking him to his room, I put a diaper on him before tucking Leo in his crib. As his eyes closed slowly, I sang a sweet lullaby, then found myself beside Jason in our bed.Closing my own eyes, sleep overcame me quickly.