Bookends 3 or Family Values

CHAPTER ONE

Mood Swings And Odd Foods

Cheerilee walked into the library after a long day at school.  She was so looking forward to one of Twilight’s meals.   What she wasn’t ready for was the smell when she opened the door.  She was so glad to be past the queasy stomach part of the pregnancy.

But now she had to be very careful that the kids did not set off a ‘mood swing’.  She was still apologizing to Apple Bloom for when the filly had been hiccupping in class and Cheerilee thought that she was laughing at her behind her back.

Her increased size and weight was a sensitive point for the rose Earth Pony.  After her upbringing, being harangued into thinking because of her choice of lifestyle, she would never be attractive to anypony.  She worked hard on how she looked and tried just as hard to stay in shape so that she would be attractive to other ponies.  It was ironic that when she did find the right pony; Twilight was attracted mostly to her personality and intelligence.  But Twilight did admit that the beauty was a nice added touch.

As Cheerilee entered the library, the smell that greeted her was something that she had smelled on occasion as a food stuff that the ponies normally didn’t bother to eat.

“Twi honey!” said Cheerilee, “are you home?”

“In the kitchen,” came the reply.

Cheerilee walked to the kitchen where Twilight had a couple large black frying pans on the stove.  She was actively managing both at the same time with her magic.

“What’s that smell?” asked Cheerilee.

“Fish,” said Twilight nonchalantly.

“Fish?” asked Cheerilee, “you eat... meat?”

“No, not meat, fish.’ Said Twilight, “ponies have eaten fish since the dark times.  The protein is probably what kick-started the evolution of the equine brain and raised us above the lesser four footed beasts.  This is why equines are the dominant species on the Earth.  It is theorized that food sources were diminished in the cataclysm.  It is also theorized that because of some environmental factor, it caused the ponies to split into the three races or sub-species, Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi; the ones that we have today.”

“Wait,” said Cheerilee, being an academic she was trying to follow Twilight’s ‘lecture’, “I know that there are more than three types of ponies, what about Alicorns?”

“Actually, Alicorns are a special mixture of all of the first three.  But you have forgotten one other sub-sub-species, Changelings.  They are a mixture of the three as well, but it’s as if the Alicorns possess a positive energy and Changelings have a negative.”

“And that’s why Changelings are evil?”

“Not necessarily, energy, both positive and negative are just types of energy, they work pretty much the same,” said Twilight, “Nightmare Moon was evil and she was Princess Luna, an Alicorn, transformed.  So it could be conjectured that a Changeling could choose not to be aggressive and evil.

But as to what I was saying about fish; the larger herbivores pushed ponies to the edge of starvation.  When some populations discovered that they could survive on scavenging dead fish along rivers.

As the intelligence increased, some ponies discovered ways to catch the fish live.  Thus they had less chance of getting some sickness from the spoiled dead fish.  Later, learning to cook them improved the flavor and digestibility.

Although it’s not now a staple of the pony diet, there’re ponies that still consider fish to be a delicacy.  Rarity’s father is an avid fisherpony; I got these and the recipe from him.”

“I’ve never heard you mention that you eat fish before,” said Twilight’s rose colored wife.

“I haven’t,” said Twilight, “but after our last doctor’s visit, she told us to get more protein in our diet.  And fish is an excellent source of protein.  And for some odd reason, the thought of a fried fish dinner sounded so good!”

Cheerilee suddenly had an odd look come over, as if she was looking from a distance.  Twilight’s love’s eyes filled with tears, and then she ran up the stairs to their room.

Twilight was not ready for such a reaction; she levitated the skillets off the stove, turned it off and followed her wife.

Cheerilee was on the bed, her face buried in a pillow and crying uncontrollably.

“What’s the matter, Cheeri my love?” asked Twilight, siting beside her and stroking her mane.  Cheerilee raised her head enough to look at Twilight.

“(Sob)...(Sob)...I don’t..(Sob)...know!” said Cheerilee, crying.

“You don’t know?” said Twilight gently.

“I don’t know...(Sob)...I just know...(Sob)...that I’m...(Sob)...getting fat and...(Sob)...ugly!” said Cheerilee then shoving her face in the pillow again started to cry harder.

“The fish made you think you’re getting fat and ugly, how?”

“I don’t...(Sob)...know! (Sob)...I’m (Sob)...just fat and (Sob)...UGLY!”  Cheerilee started crying even harder.

“Fat and ugly?” said Twilight, “how is having our foal, a new life, one conceived by our mutual planning and agreement, growing inside you ‘fat and ugly’?  It’s the deepest expression of our love for each other!

I think it’s the most beautiful thing ever!”

“You do?” said Cheerilee looking back at her purple wife again, tears starting to slow.

“How couldn’t I?” said Twilight with a sly look, “You’re carrying a child that shares most of what makes up you and me!

Even if the ‘me’ part is borrowed.

I, on the other hoof, am carrying around some little cowpony!”

Twilight’s snicker showed that she was actually pleased with her ‘little cowpony’.

“I love your little cowpony,” Cheerilee said tenderly, reaching out and touching Twilight’s pregnant bulge.

“I’ve no doubt of that my sweet.  And you know that I totally adore the life growing in you.

But do you want to know what else?” asked Twilight.

“What?”

“I think it’s so very, very sexy!  Not to mention arousing,” said Twilight smiling, “it shows a female body in top perfect form.

It says to me;

‘Hey! Look at me! I know what it’s all about!  If you don’t believe me, then check it out for yourself’!”

Cheerilee looked at Twilight, the tears subsiding.  She slowly turned over onto her back and spread her hind legs.

“Please show me that I’m not ugly,” said Cheerilee, the most pleading look in her eyes, “please show me that you still want me.”

Twilight smiled, she had shown Cheerilee how much she was loved and desired just that previous night.  But Twilight found that when her rose colored wife got into one of these moods, it was best just to comply.

Plus any excuse to make love to Cheerilee.........

Twilight climbed on the bed, and instead of ‘going right to work’, she started to kiss on Cheerilee’s voluptuous and voluminous abdomen.

She then spoke gently to the fetus inside.

“Hello sweetie!  It’s me, your other mommy.  I love you so, so much because I love your mommy so, so much!

I know it’s early, but I want you to know that there are so many ponies that can’t wait to meet you, especially your sister inside me.”

At that moment the infant ‘kicked’ as if in understanding.  Then most remarkably, the infant inside Twilight ‘kicked’ as if in response.

“Oh! Your sister just said hello!”

Cheerilee giggled.

Twilight then continued kissing but started to work her way down.  She arrived at Cheerilee’s nipples; it was obvious that the breast tissues were starting to enlarge, getting ready to nourish the new life, just as Twilight’s were as well.  They were sensitive and tender, but with care they still could be stimulated for erotic ends.

Had somepony told Twilight Sparkle when she came to Ponyville that in only a few short years she would end up being in love with, married to and actively sought out sex with anypony, especially a mare, she would have suggested the name of a good psychiatrist.  Had the same pony added to the claim that she and her lover would be pregnant, Twilight would have teleported the pony there herself.

Twilight had given much reflection, with the help of Cheerilee, on what it meant to love.  How love is not something that could be defined in her beloved books.  How love is no respecter of age, race or gender for that matter, to love a pony was to love a pony.

Twilight was never a pony to label anypony about anything but now she was okay with considering herself a ‘mare-lover’.  She didn’t consider herself to be a born mare-lover, like her wife Cheerilee.  She accepted the designation after she and Cheerilee first shared their hopes and dreams and then a bed one cold, snowy late fall night, then sharing a most memorable kiss that next morning.

The love came first, the sex came later.

She had mused that she was not so much a mare-lover as a Cheerilee-lover!

And now there was no other way Twilight wanted sex, or with any other pony.  Before Cheerilee, she’d never even been curious about romance or intimacy.  She’d read all about it and thought that all that relationship stuff sounded too complicated.  And to be honest, kissing and sex sounded messy and unsanitary, with the exchange of saliva and other bodily fluids.

She had never had dreams, while a little filly, about some handsome stallion wining her heart and sweeping her off her hoofs like in the books Cadence would read to her.  While the subject appealed to Cadence, the subject of the cultural differences in a historical context was the only part of interest to Twilight.

Now she still considered sex with any other pony to be ridiculous.  Especially after Cheerilee’s father had beat, raped and nearly killed her for defending Cheerilee and her mother, Rain Shadow.  She knew that he didn’t represent how all stallions acted.  And she knew that most mares might find her being with a mare as not what they would prefer.

But she knew that if the situation ever occurred that she could willingly have sex with a stallion, she’d still decline.  She knew that she’d always carry the frightening memories of that day with her, she did whatever she could to avoid any excuse to bring that horror to mind.

But for Cheerilee, she would suffer it all over again.

Now Twilight was homing in on Cheerilee’s love organ.  She marveled at the physiological changes.  The pony genitalia had become, for the most part, well hidden over centuries of evolution.  The outer lips of the marehood were tight together and almost invisible in normal circumstances.   Although the pony did learn some control over the organ and was able to relax the lips slightly if they wanted to display it to an intended lover.

But now, with the body getting ready to deliver the new life inside, the mare’s anatomy changed slightly.  The enlarged uterus displaced organs and tissues in all directions, to include the opening of the vagina.  Thus the lips took on a puffy and slightly swollen aspect as it softened to get ready to stretch for delivery.

Cheerilee would often tease Twilight about her ‘poochie coochie’ before diving her tongue in.

Now her lover’s soft and puffy marehood was before her.  Cheerilee was in the middle of a mood swing and needed Twilight to confirm desire for her; Twilight had no problem with the request.  The sight of the swollen lips was a turn on to Twilight.

So with the skill of repeated practice, she was able to bring to climax her rose colored wife in a timely manner.  Not to quick and not so drawn out that the evening was gone.

After Cheerilee was satisfied, Twilight and Cheerilee kissed and then decided to go down stairs and figure what to do about dinner.  However, Cheerilee promised Twilight that she would not be forgotten this night.

Spike, who was assisting Applejack and Rarity with some remolding of Carousel Boutique, came home just as the two lovers came back downstairs.

“Twilight!  Cheerilee! Anypony home?” called out Spike.

“Sorry that dinner’s late,” said Twilight, entering the main part of the library, “we got........sidetracked.”

Spike had, by now, learned not to ask questions that he might not want to hear the answer.

Twilight heated up the fish and Cheerilee helped with a salad.  To the surprise of all, the fish was quite tasty.  And Spike was thankful, being a dragon and an omnivore, he truthfully wanted some kind of flesh once in a while.  Veggies and gems only go so far.

As they were finishing up, there was the sound of the bell at the front door.

“Twilight, Cheerilee, are y’all here?” asked a voice, obviously Applejack.

“In the kitchen,” called Cheerilee in reply.

As Rarity and Applejack entered the room, both ponies made strange faces.

“Twilight, Darling,” said Rarity, “was my father just here?”

“No, why?” asked Twilight.

“I smell that wretched odor of fish he so likes.”

Then they saw the dishes that they were finishing up.

“No, Magnum wasn’t here, but I did get some fish and a recipe from him,” answered Twilight.

“I was repelled by the smell at first,” said Cheerilee, “but strangely enough, it was quite good.”

“I remember when I did have it at home,” said Rarity, “once I got past the smell, it wasn’t that bad.  But I could never bring myself to cook it once I was on my own.  I was so afraid that the odor would linger on my haute couture in the shop.”

Applejack looked lost.  It didn’t go unnoticed.

“What’s wrong, Applejack?” asked Cheerilee.

“I’ve never been around ponies that ate fish,” replied the orange Earth Pony, “I’ve heard of it but didn’t think I knew anypony that did.”

“We’ve some left if you want to try it,” said Twilight, “but I’m guessing that our odd dinner wasn’t the reason for the visit.”

“That’s right,” said Rarity, “we came to deliver an invitation from Granny Smith.”

“An invitation?” asked Twilight, “to what?”

“The Apple Family Reunion,” said Rarity.

“But we aren’t Apples.” Said Cheerilee.

“We know that,” said Rarity with a smirk, “but in Granny’s mind. If you are carrying a foal that was conceived by an Apple, that makes you an Apple.

She especially wanted you to know that Braeburn will be there.”

“Did anypony tell her that the ‘conceived’ part was only a technicality.  Braeburn was no more involved than his marefriend or the doctor,” said Twilight.  “Braeburn is a nice pony, I’m forever grateful for the donation and he’ll always be acknowledged as the biological father.   He’ll always be free to visit the child.

But I’m not in anyway pining for him!”

“We know that, and so does she Darling,” said Rarity, “but tradition is something that the old pony stubbornly clings to.

You’re free to decline, but that’s up to you.  Even though Applejack and I aren’t ‘married’, she considers me an Apple as well.  I guess the only condition of becoming an Apple is to sleep with one!”

Applejack chuckled at that.  Rarity was becoming concerned that she was doing all the talking.  She looked over at Applejack in time to see her eating some of the fish.

“You know Darling, you will brush your teeth twice before you kiss me after eating that!” said Rarity to Applejack.

All the ponies laughed.