Author's Note

Note: Not consistent with the last Birb Family short.

Birb Family 2 (Fluff)

”Anon? What’s it like being a father?”

Surprised, you blink away the sunny day lethargy and sit up on the park bench. “Why the sudden interest, ‘Lane?” You turn your head to the dark coated stallion next to you with a raised eyebrow, making him squirm a bit in his seat.

”Well, I’m curious is all,” Thunderlane says with a shrug. “What stallion isn’t? And you’ve got three little ones of your own, so who better to ask?”

You glance out to the playground, spying Junior, yours and Rainbow’s oldest and only, leading round his toddler half-sister Ivy, your and Flutter’s first. Even at only 5 years old, Junior is still hell on four hooves like his mother and just barely kept in check by his little sister.

Your and Flutter’s second and youngest, Autumn, lays dead to the world in your lap. It’s so deep a sleep that she could have been mistaken as Rainbow’s daughter if not for her pastel yellow coat.

Smiling, you turn back to Thunderlane. “Yeah, but asking me? I kinda had the whole different-species and hybrid-baby learning curve applied, so everything I could say is probably atypical.”

Thunderlane puffs his cheeks out and lightly stomps a hoof in annoyance. “Don’t be like that. You know what I mean.”

“It’s a lot of shitty diapers, screaming, sleepless nights, and no time to yourself,” you say with a smirk, silently enjoying your friend’s wilting look. “But if you tried to trade me all the treasure in the world for even one of my little terrors, I’d tell you to get bent. Does that sum it up?”

He closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, “No. And watch your language, there are foals around.”

You roll your eyes and nudge him on his wither. “The one foal around could sleep through the end of the world, dingus. Look, that dad thing? It’s one of those things I can’t explain.”

”I guess I can understand that…”

The park bench falls into silence again, with Thunderlane watching the children play and you slowly joining your daughter in sleepyland.

”Anon?”

You click your tongue and open your eyes again.

Thunderlane twiddles his hooves and stares at the ground. “Can you keep a secret?” He continues before you can agree. “Cloudchaser is pregnant.”

Somehow, you manage to choke on nothing and cough in your sheer surprise. Autumn slowly rouses from the commotion, but a gentle hand through her mane lulls her back to slumber.

“J-Jesus man, that’s a bit of a bomb to drop, don’t you think?” you say after hastily finding your composure. “I always thought that-”

”That Flitter would be first?” he says, lifting his head and smiling just a little. “Me too. Apparently, we accidentally caught Cloudy right at the very start of her last season.”

“Well hot damn, congrats! This is huge! Am I the only one you’ve told?” you exclaim with an ear-to-ear grin.

He looks back at the ground, his smile fading into a grimace, making your face fall as well. Then to your alarm, he starts shaking. ”I’m scared, Anon,” he says with a gulp. “I-I… What if I’m not a good dad? After my family’s alpha mare died, my dad wasn’t the same. He just wasn’t… all there. He did his best, but with seven of us and the herd moms all working, he just couldn’t keep up after he lost that spark. I have no idea what a functioning father looks like.”

Your eyes bug out and you look around to make sure no one was listening to this far too real conversation.

“Thunderlane, let me stop you there,” you say, putting a hand on the shivering stallion’s back. “Look, if you’re concerned, then you're already taking the right steps. How hard do you think I was losing it after Rainbow told me I knocked her up?”

He looks up at you searchingly, as if you just asked him a trick question. “You didn’t…”

“Wrong,” you say firmly. “After the initial shock and happiness wore off, I was one step away from panicking but I sucked it up. You don't just make a new life lightly, and it does change your own life forever after. Answer me this, do you intend to do all you can for this foal and any others?”

The pegasus scowls in affront. ”Of course!”

“Even at the expense of yourself?”

“Even then!”

“Do you trust your mares to help you?”

”Now and forever!”

You shrug. “Welp. Congrats, you’re dad material. I dunno what else to say.”

Thunderlane blinks, then his jaw drops afterward. “You can’t be serious! There must be more to it than that!”

“Nope. That’s it,” you lean in closer and smile. “You’re over thinking it,” you say a bit more softly, “being a parent is something you’ve gotta learn on your own, but it’ll come naturally to a caring stallion like you, ‘Lane. Doubt yourself and you’ll fail for sure. Besides, it’s not like you’re alone. You’ve got Flitter and Cloudchaser. And if you really need it, come to me and my girls. We’ve got your back. Friends forever and all that fruity shit.”

Thunderlane smiles up at you with watery eyes and a sniffle. “Thank you, Anon. I was going to ask this later, but… Will you be the godfather of my foals?”

Again your best friend throws you for a loop. “Uhh, you sure, ‘Lane?” You ask, looking away and scratching the back of your head. “I can think of a few guys more qualified…”

The stallion lets out a short bark of laughter. “Weren't you the one just talking about not doubting yourself as a parent?”

You grumble and turn away, trying to hide the embarrassed pink on your cheeks. “Fine, smartass. I accept.”

He grins and wraps his forelegs around your neck in a tight hug. “Thanks, Anon. You’re the best friend a stallion could ask for.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m the best. Let’s not make this too weird,” you say, rolling your eyes and returning the hug.

Thunderlane pulls away right as little Autumn stirs from the sudden jostling. She whines past the pacifier in her mouth and tries to bury herself in your lap before her little stomach growls, forcing her back to wakefulness. The tiny filly sits unsteadily and paws at your shirt with her hooves, her mother’s patented wide and teary eyes telling you just how close she is to crying.

“Now look what you did. She would have been conked out for another half an hour if you didn’t wake her,” you gripe to a sheepish Thunderlane. Letting out a sigh, you smile down to your infant daughter and reach into the diaper bag beside you. “Hungry, babygirl? We’ll get that fixed. And by we, I mean uncle ‘Lane.”

”What?”

You hand a milk bottle to a dumbfounded Thunderlane and watch as Autumn scrambles out of your lap to Thunderlane’s side, where she looks up at him with her big, pleading eyes.

”H-Hey! You can't just hoof off your job to me!” Your friend huffs despite taking Autumn’s pacifier and unscrewing the cap on the baby bottle.

“Practice makes perfect, friendo. And don’t let her chew through it because her canines are coming in.”

”C-canines?! Foals get canine teeth?!”

You smirk, neglecting to mention that half-human heritage does that.

Oh Thunderlane, you sweet summer child.