Bookends 3 or Family Values

CHAPTER NINE

The Foals Are Here!

As soon as the ambulance took Twilight and Cheerilee off to the hospital, the rest of the ponies went to let the rest of the families and friends know.

In front of the hospital, there appeared Princesses Celestia, Luna and Cadence along with Shining Armor, Twilight Velvet and Night Light.

Galloping faster that anypony thought possible came Applejack, Braeburn, Cactus Flower, Big Mac, Apple Bloom and most surprisingly at that speed, Granny Smith.

Rainbow Apple, Wind Walker and Rain Shadow swooped down to the gathering.

They all went inside where the rest of Twilight and Cheerilee’s friends were waiting.

The two mares insisted that they be in the same delivery room.  They started together, they wanted to end together.

The beds were side by side where Twilight and Cheerilee could hold hoofs.  They had to bring in two midwife ponies because the contractions of the two ponies were at the very same time.

Out in the waiting area there was almost a fight for who should go back with the two.  Then a nurse came out and said that the two were requesting their mothers.  And so that no other pony would get their feelings hurt, no other ponies would be admitted.

Ponies started to grumble but Princess Celestia called for their attention.

“Everypony, please,” said the princess, “we aren’t here for ourselves.  We’re here for Twilight and Cheerilee.  They would like to have their friends with them, but to choose on over somepony else, it would cause more hurt feeling than should be necessary.  And perhaps if they were delivering at separate times, there might have been room for more than their mothers.  Truthfully, I’d too would like to be there with them, and I could command the staff to allow my sister and I to go in.  But this is something very personal for them.  They are about to become mothers, so who better to be there with them than their own mothers.”

Celestia neglected to say that because Twilight and Cheerilee would forever be linked mentally to her and her sister, it was almost like she and Luna were in there with them now.

As the time wore on everypony was becoming concerned, especially Rainbow Apple.  As each minute went by she appeared more stressed as if she was afraid of something.

Most of the other ponies talked among themselves about how the dynamic of their group will change with two of their group being mothers and what possible role that they themselves would play in the lives of new foals.  Actually, almost all the mares were excited.

Pinkie tried to mingle and keep pony’s spirits up.  Trixie was uncomfortable being around ponies that she had not ever been on good terms with prior, especially three princesses!  She felt this way despite everypony of them accepting her now as a friend and Pinkie’s partner.  Plus the whole ‘having a foal’ thing was totally unfamiliar to her, having never been around anypony who had one.

Princesses Luna and Celestia had went off from the bulk of the group.  They had their eyes closed and were actually holding hoofs.  From time to time, anypony could see that it looked like they were in a deal of pain or discomfort.

Wind Walker also went from pony to pony to help keep their spirits up as well.  Especially her niece whom she was becoming concerned about her anxiety.

It had been several hours of hard labor.  Both mares were almost spent.

“Mom,” said Twilight, “does it always hurt like this?”

“Yes, my darling baby,” said Twilight Velvet, brushing back the bangs of her daughter’s mane, “but take my word.  Once the baby is here, you’ll forget all about this part.”

“Is that true mom?” asked Cheerilee.

“Most certainly, my sweet daughter, and it shouldn’t be long now,” said Rain Shadow.

The midwifes were instructing the two mares when to push and when to relax.  It was almost as if the midwifes were synchronized as well, they both were saying the same thing at the same time.

“I can see the head, now Push! Push! Push!”

Twilight held tight to Cheerilee’s hoof, they pushed with all that was in them.  There was a rush from their bottom.  Then the pressure was relieved.  Then at the same time, there was the cry of two new lives.

The two older mares looked and smiled.

“Two fillies!” said Twilight Velvet.

“You were right, baby,” said Rain Shadow.

Cheerilee looked at Twilight; they smiled the largest smile of their lives.  Their mothers gave their daughters a small hug and kiss on the lips.

Twilight and Cheerilee took a moment to catch their breath.  It took a few moments for the medical staff to take some measurements and clean up the infants.

Unobserved by all the other ponies in the waiting area, at the same moment that the foals were delivered, Celestia and Luna slumped down and were breathing hard.  They opened their eyes and looked at the other and smiled.  It was all they could do to not kiss each other.

The nurses brought the foals wrapped in blankets to the new mothers.

Twilight received a beautiful little filly; she was so purple she almost looked black.  When she opened her eyes, they were the color of Twilight’s.  She also had the same mane and tail coloration as her mother.

Cheerilee also received an equally beautiful filly; she was pure white with a pink mane and tail also the pale green eyes of her mother.

They noticed that neither filly had a horn.

“Earth Ponies?” asked Twilight.

“Yours is,” said the nurse but she folded back Cheerilee’s foal’s blanket enough to expose a little wing.

“A Pegasus!” said Cheerilee.

The two new mothers looked at each other and kissed.

“They’re perfect.” Said Rain Shadow.

“Have you thought of names?” asked Twilight Velvet.

“No but some just came to me,” said Twilight, “what do you think of……..”

Twilight and Cheerilee were given a double room, their beds were pushed together.  They were in heaven as they were nursing the infants.  True to their word, they nursed their infant on one side and then switched foals to feed the other on the other side.  They were finishing up when they allowed the first of the visitors to come in.  It was Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, Braeburn and Cactus Flower, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.  Also Granny smith was allowed to come in as well.

As the foals finished, Twilight took her foal from Cheerilee and gave her to Braeburn.

“Here’s your daughter, Braeburn,” said Twilight with a smile, “a strong healthy Earth Pony.

Braeburn, Cactus Flower and Granny Smith looked at the little foal in awe.

“And here’s your daughter, Shining Armor,” said Cheerilee, “a beautiful Pegasus.”

Cadence, Shining Armor, Princesses Celestia and Luna gazed on the little filly.

“What are their names?” asked Princess Celestia.

Twilight and Cheerilee both reached for their foals, then Cheerilee gave hers to Princess Celestia;

“We want you to meet,” said Cheerilee, “Celestia Cadence Sparkle.”

Twilight gave hers to Princess Luna;

“And meet,” said Twilight, “Luna Apple Sparkle.”

There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

Next came Twilight and Cheerilee’s friends along with Rainbow’s aunt Windie.  You’ve never seen such a fuss over two foals.

Pinkie was beside herself wanting to play with them, even though they were way too young yet.  But she did sing a silly birthday song to them.  She related that only select Changelings watched over and cared for Changeling foals, so there was always a mystery involved with the young.  That’s the reason she was always eager to see and play with foals and young children.

Trixie didn’t know what to think, she’d never been around small foals, nor had she ever wanted to.  But now, they were giving her the greatest thrill of her life, next to finding love with Pinkie.  Her envy of Twilight in the past was a selfish one and was expressed in such a way that it drove ponies away.  But now she envied Twilight and Cheerilee in a good way.  It got her thinking of things that she had never even considered and she made a mental note to talk to Pinkie about it later.

Applejack and Rarity just held the two little fillies in awe.  They never expected for their friends to be mothers.  But now, it felt so right.  Applejack was understandably proud of Luna’s middle name.  And Rarity thought that with the beauty of the newborn foal, Celestia was a perfect choice for a name.

Fluttershy had brought Loki, he was in complete rapture just looking at the foals.  Fluttershy put a foreleg around him as he held first one then the other.  Neither Fluttershy or Twilight thought that they would ever see this being totally speechless.  Loki looked at Fluttershy, he had tears in his eyes.

Rainbow and Big Mac showed the most fuss.  Not just over the fillies but Twilight and Cheerilee as well.  After handing the foals back to their mothers, Rainbow started to ask a lot of questions.  She was very concerned about the delivery and how much discomfort and pain that her friends went through and what the procedure entailed.  Cheerilee could see that Rainbow looked more than just curious.

“What’s up Rainbow,” asked Cheerilee, “is there something wrong?”

All the friend’s eyes were on the blue Pegasus who started to blush.

Rainbow looked at her friends and then to Big Mac, then back to her friends.

“I was just curious about the whole birth-thing,” said Rainbow, “after all, it looks like I’ll be in here in about nine months to do the same.”

Unfortunately, the squeals of glee got the infants crying.  The loudest was from Wind Walker, who grabbed her niece and hugged her so hard, that it was hard for Rainbow to breath.  The other mares, not in bed, gathered around and hugged and kissed Rainbow as well.

It was truly a happy day.

Twilight and Cheerilee were able to bring the foals home after a couple days at the Hospital.  At check out, the couple found out the entire hospital stay and all expenses had been covered by Princesses Celestia and Luna personally.

At home in the library, there were a constant flow of visitors and well-wishers.  Spike relished his new role as big brother!  He doted on the foals as much as the mothers did and was constantly wanting to hold and play with them, one smile from a foal was enough to made his entire day.

The two mares delighted in their arrangement of nursing both foals.  The foals were bonding just as planned, both of the foals reacted the same to either mother.  There was never the thought of ‘my foal’ or ‘your foal’, only ‘our foals’.

One day, about a week after the foals had come home, Princesses Celestia and Luna came unexpected to the library.  Twilight and Cheerilee were also not expecting all their close friends to show up all at the same time.  The friends had received a message that they were needed at the library.  Otherwise, they were not sure why they had been asked to be there.

It was soon made evident when Pinkie and Trixie arrived wearing some nice dresses that they had Rarity make for them, no reason had been given.  They were accompanied by Clyde, Sue, Blinkie and Octavia Pie.

“I’ve asked for all of you to come here today for a reason,” said Pinkie, a huge smile on her pleasant face which was only matched by the one on Trixie’s face.  “I’ve asked Princess Celestia if she would do a favor for me.”