Bookends Part 3: Or Family Values

After the excitement with Pinkie, the rest of the day had been uneventful. Pinkie stopped by the library to apologize to Twilight and Cheerilee again. They all exchanged hugs and Pinkie assured them she was okay and it was just a passing thing.

Pinkie did tell Twilight she was going to be gone for a time. She said she needed to take some time to get herself together. Twilight was used to Pinkie’s ‘vacations’. They weren’t often, but they weren’t unknown. Twilight told Pinkie she’d let their friends know their friend would be away.

Twilight and Cheerilee started the next Monday as normal.

“Okay Sweetheart,” Cheerilee would still kid her wife, talking slowly as if trying to calm the fears of some overwrought little filly, “now I’m only going to work at the school. Don’t freak out, I’ll be home later.”

“Oh you!” replied Twilight and would kiss Cheerilee deeply.

Twilight had Spike assist her in getting the library ready for the day. Later that day, Twilight was chiding Spike, despite his tastes, the gemology books went under Earth Science and not the Food section.

Sometimes she thought Spike did things on purpose just to get a rise out of her, especially now she was pregnant. Luckily for him, Twilight wasn’t experiencing the intense mood swings of her wife, but she could become quite sensitive and break down and cry.

And she was still eating things which made most ponies go...

Ewww!

Like the skunkweed smoothie she was working on right now.

The front door bell ringing interrupted the routine work. Twilight went to the main part of the library. There stood two familiar Pegasus mares.

“Rain Shadow! Wind Walker!” exclaimed Twilight, trotting up and sharing hugs with her mother-in-law and her partner. “I didn’t know you were coming, Cheeri and I would’ve prepared something for you.”

“That’s okay, Twilight,” said Rain Shadow, “Windie was wanting to visit her niece here in Ponyville. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend her wedding because of getting things taken care of in Baltamare.

But look at you. You look great, baby-belly looks good on you.”

“Thank you,” said Twilight blushing and rubbing her pregnant bulge with a fore hoof, “but you should see your other daughter. Nothing can make that mare look bad.”

They all laughed at that.

“Look,” said Twilight, “I was going to meet Cheeri for lunch at Sugarcube Corner. Why don’t you come with me? I know she’ll be happy to see you.”

“Okay Twilight,” said Rain Shadow, “but after that we have to find Windie’s niece.”

“Spike,” called Twilight, “I’m going out to meet Cheeri for lunch. I’ll bring you back something. By the way, where’s my smoothie?”

“I dumped it down the sink,” said Spike, “the skunkweed was eating through the cup. Hopefully the plumbing can take it.”

“Food cravings?” asked Wind Walker with a smile.

Twilight blushed and nodded her head. All three mares laughed as they left.

Cheerilee had given the kids an extended lunch time so she could have her weekly lunch with Twilight. As she was trotting to Sugarcube Corner, she ran into Rainbow Apple whom she invited to join her and Twilight for lunch (it didn’t take much convincing).

As they approached Sugarcube Corner, they saw Twilight sitting at an outdoor table with two mares.

Rainbow’s wings shot out in surprise.

“Aunt Windie!” called out Rainbow.

“You know my mother’s partner?” asked Cheerilee as they approached.

“Know her? She was always my favorite aunt.” Said Rainbow as she trotted ahead forgetting Cheerilee couldn’t keep up because of her condition.

“Aunt Windie!” called out a voice.

The three mares at the table looked in the direction and saw Rainbow and Cheerilee.

“Rainbow?” asked Wind Walker, “Rainbow!”

Wind Walker stood as Rainbow came trotting up. The two hugged and kissed on the cheek.

“Rainbow Dash,” said Wind Walker, “you look great! I see you’ve stopped wearing your mane like mine.”

“It wasn’t practical on the farm,”’ said Rainbow, “and actually, it’s now Rainbow Apple. You’ve got to meet my husband and family!”

“A farm pony,” Wind Walker chuckled, “who would’ve believed it. And I heard after all your wishing, pleading and praying, you turned down the Wonderbolts.”

“A husband, home and the possibility of a family sounded like a more exciting career,” said Rainbow.

“You made the right choice my sweet niece,” said Wind Walker with a genuine smile.

The two hugged warmly.

“Come on Aunt Windie,” said Rainbow, “let me take you to meet Big Mac.”

“Big Mac, eh?”

“Well they don’t call him that just because his name is Big Macintosh,” said Rainbow, nudging her aunt with an elbow.

All the ponies laughed at the innuendo.

“Hey guys,” said Rainbow, “you mind if I take my aunt to meet the family?”

“Go ahead,” said Rain Shadow, “we’re going to be here a while. Just come back to the library when you’re done Windie.”

Wind Walker gave Rain Shadow a quick kiss. With that Rainbow and Wind Walker flew off in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

“You’re going to be here a while, mom?” asked Cheerilee.

“Yes,” said the older mare, “We finally finished up all the business back in Baltamare. We sold the house and we decided to move away from that place which had so many bad memories.”

“Where’re you going to move?” asked Twilight.

“We’re hoping Ponyville,” said Rain Shadow, looking sheepish, “if you don’t mind too much. I’d love to start having some good family memories. And with a grandfoal… Sorry Twilight, two grandfoals on the way, I was hoping I could be part of that new family and life.”

“Mom,” said Twilight, “I think Cheeri and I’d love to have you here. But I don’t want to talk for my wife.”

“I’d love to have my mother here to help us,” said Cheerilee. “I can at last have an enjoyable relationship with my mother. And with Rainbow being a close friend, I doubt you could get Wind Walker to leave anytime soon now.”

Later back at the library, Twilight and Rain Shadow had been sitting in the main library talking. Cheerilee had gone back to finish the school day.

“Have you decided what you’re going to do about a nursery?” asked Rain Shadow.

“Cheeri and I were going to have the foals in our room at first. We plan on nursing them as long as possible. But then we’re going to turn the storeroom next to our room into the foal’s room. We thought of putting a door between our room and that room to make it easier,” said Twilight.

“How are you going to handle the nursing when Cheerilee is working?” asked the older mare.

“At first Cheeri is going to take ‘maternity leave’. But after that, we’ve been talking,” said Twilight, “because of our situation, we want both foals to bond with us equally. They’re to be both our daughters, so we plan on nursing both foals. I’d nurse the foals while she’s away and she’ll handle it if I weren’t here. And when we’re together, we’ll nurse one foal on one side and switch foals to feed on the other side.”

“What a lovely idea,” said Rain Shadow. “But won’t it be a stretch having to nurse two foals with one mare when alone?”

“It might be at first,” said Twilight, “but a mare’s body adjust for situations like twins, the body increases milk production to meet the extra demand. Plus we talked to Zecora, the local herbal healer, and she has natural formulas of herbs which will help boost milk production at first until our bodies adjust.”

“That sounds good, if it’s safe.” Said Rain Shadow, “and you said daughters, you’ve had that checked?”

“The formula is safe, our doctor has approved it because it is all natural herbs, she actually referred us to Zecora,” said Twilight. “And we say they’re fillies because of a dream Cheeri had when we first started being together. I guess it stuck in our minds and we’re just assuming it until proven different.”

Rain Shadow just chuckled.

“Cheerilee and her dreams,” said the older mare.

“You don’t trust her dreams?” asked Twilight, “I realize it isn’t very scientific, but she seems to put some faith in them. She’s a very intelligent pony and not given to being superstitious.”

“Oh I know that,” said the older mare, looking a bit sad, “I’ve also found her dreams to be valid on many occasions. In fact I wish I’d listened to many of them. Perhaps if I had, many bad things would’ve been avoided, especially with him.”

Then she appeared to cheer up.

“But look at the ‘big picture’,” she continued. “Had things turned out different, a lot of pain would’ve been avoided. But then I wouldn’t be here expecting two of the greatest thrills of my life. With two of the most special daughters a pony could ask for.”

The two ponies hugged, Twilight found herself loving this pony as much as she did her own mother.

“Twi! I can’t leave you alone for one moment,” said a voice at the door, “but I find you in the embrace of another mare, and my own mother! Especially now we know she’s a mare-lover!”

Twilight and Rain Shadow looked at the door and there was Cheerilee home from school. They didn’t realize how long they’d been talking.

They all laughed.

Twilight started to fix dinner, Rain Shadow insisted on helping. Unlike Cheerilee, the older mare was as good a cook as Twilight. They had a savory vegetable soup and salad ready in no time.

Wind Walker came in as they were finishing up and suggested some bread would go great with the meal, plus she’d brought a fresh apple pie sent from Granny. Twilight was about to send Spike to the bakery for a couple fresh loafs but Wind Walker offered to fly Spike there to save time.

Spike was thrilled, the truth was he was enjoying having two extra attractive mares there and he was almost starting to crush on Wind Walker. After all, she was an athletically built mare like Rainbow and had the same roguish looks and personality. It was obvious why Rain Shadow was attracted to this mare.

After dinner, they sat around the living area of the library, Spike had gone to bed, he is a baby dragon after all.

Cheerilee noticed that Wind Walker’s and Rain Shadow’s saddle bags were packed and by the door.

“Have we run you off already?” asked Cheerilee. “You only just got here, I thought you might want to use our guest room.”

“Didn’t I tell you?” asked Wind Walker, “My niece Rainbow told me because she’s married to an Earth Pony, she’d no use for her cloud house. So she offered us to use it as long as we want.

“Well, I guess we won’t be coming over for dinner anytime soon,” said Cheerilee with a laugh.

“Not necessarily, I can teleport us where we need to go.” said Twilight, “And I know a spell which allows us non-Pegasus ponies to walk on clouds.”

“Why would you need to do that for Cheerilee?” asked Wind Walker.

“She’s an Earth Pony,” said Twilight.

“She’s three quarters Pegasus, she only looks like an Earth Pony,” said Wind Walker, “she can walk on clouds now. It’s as if she’s a Pegasus without wings.”

“Are you sure?” said Rain Shadow.

Twilight and Cheerilee looked at Wind Walker with great interest.

“Yes,” said Wind Walker, “my brother has the same issue, a child that’s three quarter Pegasus and one quarter Unicorn. He appears to be a Unicorn, but the child walks on clouds quite fine. He does sink into the cloud just a little more than a Pegasus does, and he needs help to and from the house. They’re having him trained to teleport, but that’ll depend on how good his magic talent will be.”

“We could’ve raised Cheerilee in the cloud house,” said Rain Shadow. “So much could’ve been different.”

“I’m ashamed to say I’m glad it wasn’t different,” said Twilight, looking sheepish. “It would’ve been less painful for all of us, but I wouldn’t have found love with the most wonderful of ponies.”

Cheerilee beamed at the sentiment.

“Twilight,” said Rain Shadow, “I’m sure things wouldn’t have been too different. A pony is as a pony does. I’m sure he would’ve found ways to be disappointed with Cheerilee and myself. I think he always resented he was forced to marry a mare-lover and my heart could never truly be for him. It isn’t I didn’t try to make the best of it, we did have a child after all. But I think it always bothered him, and was the reason he was so hard on Cheerilee when she admitted she liked mares. I’m afraid he would’ve thrown her off the cloud house and injured or killed her when she did tell us.”

Rain Shadow had tears in her eyes, she hugged Twilight;

“I’m glad that things turned out the way they did also. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss having you in my daughter’s life, as well as mine. Not to mention now with two grandfoals on the way! You’ve taught both of us about real love and real family.”

The other two mares joined the hug.

Twilight started to cry, she could be moved to tears easily by sorrow or joy.

“Oh Darling,” said Cheerilee.

“I love all of you so much!” said Twilight.