The Two Families.

Wacky awoke to the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window. Purely out of habit, he dragged himself out of bed and sleepily walked outside towards the mailbox. He’d tried to make a habit out of it ever since he sent his plea for more work from his boss. When he reached his mailbox, his excitement was barely contained when he found a lone box in his mailbox. He could tell it was from Sweet Tooth, since he always tied a dark violet bow on the box when he sent the product to his workers.

Without thinking, Wacky grabbed the box and rushed back into the home. Being careful not to wake Avian, Blurry and the other occupants of the home. He slithered into his room, and plopped the small box on the bed. He eagerly grabbed a knife and cut into the box.

His anger and disappointment completely overshadowed his eagerness and happiness.

A single envelope was inside the box. Wacky out of complete anger flung the box at the wall. The envelope falling to the floor. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hooves.

'Why? Why would he do this? I'm one of his best workers! He can't play me like that!' Wacky thought to himself. Out of complete curiousity he picked up the letter from the ground and opened it.

It was hard to read, on account of the tears in his eyes. He opened the letter to find a scroll stating,

"Dear Wacky Tabacky, I, Sweet Tooth have heard your plea and my babe's and I believe that there is more to this. When I received and read this I sent one of my workers to Ponyville to do a little snooping. Are you aware of the stallion by the name of Caramel? He's been doing a little snooping on you and he came back telling me that you quit the drug business, and that it looked like you wanted to start a new.

Mr. Tabacky, I, Sweet Tooth will have mercy for my best money maker and I'll just send you money for your little operation. Don't ask how I know Wacky. Let's just say, all Sweet Tooth's customers tell the truth."

Wacky's hooves trembled and dropped the paper.

'How did he know?'

Was all the Wacky could think of. He put the letter down and saw a glimpse of another piece of paper in the envelope. So hidden from view, that he could have thrown it away and not think twice.

He pulled it out to find a small check with 300 bits written on the check. The exact amount of money he needed to get the operation.

Because, maybe- just maybe- he actually stood a chance of getting to buy himself a few more years now.

~*~

Snowflake wrenched open her eyes as the familiar, foalish whine reached her ears once more. She sighed and summoned all the willpower in her body as she to get out of bed. She’d never been a morning pony to begin with, and the addition of being awoken at all hours of the night didn't exactly increase her desire to get up in the morning.

She felt her husband get up just after her, expressing just as much want to get up as she had.  In her half asleep state, she absentmindedly walked towards the closest crib to her. She picked up the foal it held, which turned out to be her month-old daughter, Bright Idea. She gently held her to her chest, feeling her wings unfold. They had fluffed up considerably as every foal’s did, making them much softer than they ever would be as she aged. She began to calm down against her mother’s chest.

Gigglebox however, was having more trouble trying to calm down Sunny. He did make progress however, from loud cries and whines turned to little whimpers before after much comfort and parental skills Sunny finally became calm and was lulled back to sleep.

"Go back to bed, Snow." Her husband said gently, but still making her jump, "You need it."

She wanted nothing more than to say yes. She had been exhausted for the past month. Taking care of twin foals was hard enough on its own, even more so when premature. But she refused.

"No, I'm fine, honestly. I've already gotten up, you know I'm not going to go to sleep again." Said said, taking Bright back out of Giggle's hooves.

Before he could object, she'd already started making her way down the stairs.

~*~

Ninroot woke up to the soft, infant cries of Digitail from the other side of the room. She was always relatively surprised at how quiet she was, she'd always expected her to be a lot louder. She gently eased herself out of bed to tend to the month old foal.

She made her way over to Digitail's crib to tend to the crying foal. She cuddled her close to her chest, feeling her begin to calm down. The foal started making tiny cooing noises, evidently not planning on going to sleep any time soon. Ninroot stole a glance toward the clock, trying to decide whether it was worth getting up, or if she should put Digi back in her crib to settle. It was, according to the clock, 07:30, a reasonably good time to be woken up by foals.

She slowly opened up the curtains, letting the light stream in through the window, and earning a frustrated groan from Techie, who at this point, was still in bed and unwilling to leave it. She did feel a little bad, but in her eyes, if she had to be awake, so did he. She took Digi downstairs so that she could make herself some breakfast.

~*~

"Do you want anything for breakfast?" Giggle asked, trying to ignore the crying foals in the living room, demanding to be fed right now, this very minute.

"Yeah, just some toast or something..." Snowflake replied, finishing making the two bottles, "Jesus Christ, I'm coming!"

She walked into the living room, quickly greeted by the crying of the two foals. She scooped up her son, supporting his tiny head as he drank from the bottle, desperate to stop the incessant screaming as soon as possible.

“Giggle?” She called from the living room, “Can you please feed Bright?”

She heard an indistinct mumble from Giggle, who was still presumably half-asleep, before he walked into the living room, bottle in hoof, and soon enough, Bright in the other. Soon, all that could be heard was the quiet suckling of the twins.

“Thank God for that…” Giggle muttered to himself, relieved to finally hear nothing but hungry sucks from his foals.

Sunny stopped sucking and nudged the bottle out of his tiny mouth, making satisfied cooing noises. This caused Giggle to instinctively turn his attention back to Bright, who had apparently stopped a while ago and had started snuggling into his chest.

He gently moved the tip of his hoof to the centre of hers, immediately feeling it wrap around his. She seemed so tiny, so fragile, so delicate, so vulnerable. As though she needed him to protect her. He looked down at her hazel eyes. They had a definite sense of curiosity to them, as though they wanted to understand everything, even at her young age.

He still couldn't quite believe that he even had one foal, let alone twins. It all seemed too surreal, too perfect. Even now, after a month, he'd still sometimes be surprised to wake up to foalish whining. It all just seemed too good for him. But he didn't want them gone. Far from it. There was no way in Hell that he'd want what gave him the most joy in the world gone.

He held the tiny filly close to his chest.

At last, he'd found nothing but pure joy.