Caleb knew that he was in for some difficult times with the birth of his daughter. He’d never had a human baby let alone a pony foal. He hadn’t even had experience with a younger sibling, so everything that he knew about taking care of foals had been either read in a book or passed on to him by some helpful mare. None of them had told him how close to impossible that it was to control an earth pony foal that had no intention of cooperating. He had discovered that even letting one hoof touch the ground was a bad mistake. The filly had a ridiculous amount of strength for a creature her size and she could tear out of his grasp in nothing flat. The only way that he could stop her from making a dash for her mother was to hold her by her barrel and not let any of her flailing limbs make contact with anything. This, of course, made it impossible for him to diaper her, bathe her, or pretty much do anything. Thankfully, he had help.
“Tell me again why foals can walk so young,” the man whined as Sky prepared a fresh diaper while he held his stinky daughter at arm’s length.
The anthro changeling didn’t bother answering – as a prey species, ponies had evolved the ability to run from predators soon after birth. This was pretty self-explanatory and didn’t need repeating. Not that she could blame Caleb for his frustration. He’d had to give up on taking Lilac for walks on a leash after she had taken off at a gallop one day and pulled him off his feet. She had dragged him a hundred yards up the lane before Willow had caught up and halted their wayward foal. The gravel rash had been painful and quite the incentive to let the filly’s mother handle walks from now on. Caleb didn’t know whether to be proud or disturbed that a foal not yet out of diapers was that strong.
Fortunately for the human, Lilac always settled down after she was cleaned up and freshly diapered. The fact that this favored condition would be more quickly achieved if she didn’t make it so difficult for everyone was lost on the foal. And so, the struggle continued every day.
“Please tell me that your baby isn’t going to be like Lilac,” Caleb practically begged Sky.
“We’ll both find out when the foal is born, but at least he or she won’t have earth pony strength.”
“Amen to that!”
One thing that had greatly concerned Caleb prior to the birth of Lilac was what to do about the foal when Willow went back to work. His wife had been adamant that she would be returning to her job as soon as her paid maternity leave was used up. He and Sky couldn’t cope with a foal at the school either. Then he learned about the Equestrian crèche system. The gender imbalance and different social dynamics of the pony civilization had necessitated the creation of a combination nursery and day-care center which could be found in every township. While these were constructed and maintained by the local council, the running costs were met by fees paid by the parents who used the service. Ponyville’s crèche had recently been expanded to cope with its rapidly growing population, and its director was proud to explain all the services it provided when the three of them visited to enroll Lilac there.
“And, in addition to Milky Way, our resident wet-nurse of twenty-six years, we have also engaged the services of Jennis, a Canterlot changeling specializing in foal services. Jen’s empathic abilities enable us to quickly and accurately determine your foal’s needs. An additional service she offers is in cases where a foal is reluctant to nurse from an unfamiliar mare, Jen can replicate their mother perfectly, thus reassuring the foal while feeding her or him. All we require is written permission for her to do this. There is no fee for this premium service because Jennis gets extra love from these foals. I trust that you don’t have a problem with changelings?”
Caleb grinned and put his arm around Sky who transformed her eyes in demonstration. “I have a changeling Companion – suffice to say that it isn’t a problem.”
“Excellent!” Director Sunflower replied before looking back to Willow. “Does this service interest you then?”
Willow smiled. “Sky has already been helping with the middle-of-the-night feeds as she can replicate pony milk. I can see the advantage of having a changeling on staff to do the same thing.”
The earth pony mare had been grateful for the extra sleep she had been able to get with Sky’s help. Caleb had been appreciative of his Companion’s enlarged boobs. Win-win for everyone.
When Willow’s maternity leave expired, the three of them headed for the crèche each weekday morning to leave Lilac in their care. They then went to the school or factory to put in a normal day’s work before collecting their child again on the way home. Willow relieved her full udder feeding their foal while Sky and Caleb prepared their meal. When dinner was done and clean-up completed, the four enjoyed a little family bonding time. Life seemed perfect to the human and he wondered how much better it could be when his second child was born.
“We’ve gotten an invitation to Rosa’s birthday party the Saturday after next,” Sky announced as she checked through the day’s mail one evening.
“Where’s it being held?” Caleb asked.
“Umm… their home on Earth,” the changeling answered as she read the details. “Seems it’s a big family affair, so it has to be held on the human side. And before you ask, I’ve checked with Princess Sparkle. She assures me the passage between worlds is perfectly safe for my growing foal.”
The man glanced at his earth pony wife with a sad look. “While I’m flattered that Rosa includes us in her circle, I don’t really feel comfortable accepting without Willow. She’s a lot closer to Rosa than either of us.”
“Tell them we accept,” Willow said.
Caleb’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped. “Who are you and what have you done with my wife?”
The mare giggled before putting a foreleg around the man’s waist to pull him in for a kiss. “Despite preferring to be a human, you transformed yourself into a pony to give me the foal that I wanted so badly. And you stayed that way for several days because you love me and want the best for me. How could I do any less for you?”
“Are you really sure about this, Willow? I don’t want you to feel pressured into accepting.”
“I’m sure. It will be strange and a little bit frightening, but with you there to support me, I will deal with it and we will enjoy the party.”
On the day of the event, by pre-arrangement with the Martines, Caleb’s herd headed for Earth several hours before the party was due to start. This was to give Willow a chance to adjust as well as deal with clothing issues. No one had a clue how the portal’s adaptation spell would transform her, so they had to plan for the unknown.
Caleb preceded Willow through the mirror so that he could help her when she stepped through. Rosa was there to meet them but, after a perfunctory greeting, he turned to face the portal. A few seconds later, a nude woman stepped through and wobbled on her two legs for a moment as she fought to keep her balance. Willow held up her hands and stared at them.
“This is so weird.”
Caleb admired his now-human wife. She appeared to be about five and a half feet (~168 cm) tall, of stocky build, and had an impressive pair of tits. Considering that she was still nursing their foal, he assumed that was why they were so big. Her skin tone was a near-perfect match for his own, but her hair was still its normal shade of blue although lacking the purples stripes. She looked at him with familiar violet eyes and smiled.
“Like what you see?” she asked.
Caleb embraced his wife. “No – I love what I see. You make a gorgeous woman, darling.”
Rosa tapped him on the shoulder. “Enough, lover-boy. Your esposa needs to be properly dressed for the occasion. Come, Willow – we have much to do.” The woman bustled the new human out of the room.
Caleb was a little nonplussed by the precipitous departure of the women, but he was quickly distracted by Vicky stepping through the portal carrying Lilac. The foal was now a very young girl and her bright eyes looked about with boundless curiosity. Vicky put the infant down on the floor, anticipating that the child would take some time adjusting to her transformation. Said adjustment took approximately five microseconds before Lilac climbed to her feet and toddled for the door.
“Hey! Human children aren’t even supposed to be able to walk yet at your age!” Caleb protested as he intercepted her before she could get herself into trouble.
Vicky grinned. “It seems some things carry over from Equestria. Little Lilac doesn’t believe that she can’t walk because she’s already been doing so, albeit on four legs.”
“That adaptation spell is a little too good,” Caleb complained.
“At least she doesn’t have her earth pony strength in that form,” his Companion pointed out.
“Thank heavens for small mercies,” the man said fervently. “Now help me catch Lilac so we can get her dressed.”
Caleb was chatting with Phil when, about half an hour later, Willow returned with Rosa keeping a close eye on the transformed mare was now clothed in slacks, a flattering blouse, and flats. Caleb assumed she also had a bra on because her bosom was under restraint. Willow did a careful turnabout in front of her husband to show off the ensemble.
“What do you think?” she asked.
“You look great!” Caleb exclaimed as he got up from his chair to hug Willow. “Rosa – how did you manage to have an outfit that fitted her so well?”
The woman snorted. “If you had a grown-up daughter, you would know how quickly they outgrow their clothes in their teenage years. Some of them were only worn a few times before they became too small. Yolanda is already taller than Willow and those slacks no longer fit her. The only challenge was providing a bra. I used my old maternity bra – it’s not a perfect fit but, hopefully, it should be comfortable enough.
Willow put her hands on her ample chest and said, “Now I understand why Vicky wears one – these boobs tend to flop about so much!”
That brought up an image in Caleb’s mind that he had to quickly quash. Phil snorted as he restrained a laugh and Vicky grinned in amusement.
Rosa rolled her eyes. “Willow, querida niña, we do not give our menfolk such thoughts in public.”
Caleb knew for certain that the party was going to be an interesting challenge for his wife. Fortunately, Vicky had more than enough experience on Earth by now to help Willow negotiate the minefield that human social interaction was. For some reason, he reckoned that explaining that his wife was normally a mare would not fly well.
Fortunately for the herd, most of the focus was on the birthday girl during the party. Vicky also drew attention away from Willow due to her gravid condition. However, Lilac stole the evening with her precocious behavior. It highlighted for Caleb just how different pony children were from humans in several areas. He made a mental note to check his assumptions when it came to his foal.
Caleb and his mares were the last guests to leave, for obvious reasons. Willow and Vicky gave Rosa a parting hug before stepping through the portal mirror. When the man followed moments later, he laughed at the sight of the earth pony clad in human clothes.
“Maybe you should have stripped before coming back to Equestria,” Caleb said with a chuckle.
“Shut up and help me get these things off,” Willow replied grumpily.
Sky had to grow a unicorn horn to use telekinesis to facilitate the removal of the slacks.
Willow sighed in relief when she was completely disrobed. “It feels so good not to have my teats restrained anymore.”
Caleb happily agreed.
Gardening was still the main family activity on Sundays. While the adults were engaged in various tasks, Lilac amused herself for the most part. She found the various bugs endlessly fascinating and was particularly enraptured by butterflies. She chased them around the backyard and would follow them off the property if not for her alert guardians. Normally, the fence behind the house that enclosed the yard was enough to constrain the foal, with the access to the front watched by her parents. Naturally, Lilac managed to find another way.
The first that Caleb knew of his daughter’s improvised route was the sound of giggling from above him. Following the laughter and the tapping of hooves, he traced it to the roof of the house. His eyes bulged and his heart leaped into his mouth as he saw Lilac chasing a blue and gold butterfly over the terracotta tiles.
“Vectrix! Get over here!” he yelled.
The changeling looked up from where she was watering some seedlings and gasped. She shape-changed immediately, but the wayward foal had already reached the edge of the roof. Lilac jumped after the elusive insect and out of Vectrix’s line of sight. Caleb had started heading toward his daughter the moment he had spotted her, but he was too far away. He cried in anguish as the foal plummeted to the ground…
… and practically bounced on her hooves and continued the chase.
“What the f—”
“Wow! I remember doing that as a filly,” came Willow’s voice as she trotted up next to the man. He turned to stare at her uncomprehendingly. She chuckled at his expression. “Caleb, dear, Lilac is an earth pony like me, and she’s obviously inherited my ability to transfer all falling energy into the ground without damage. As long as she lands on her hooves, she’s in no danger. In fact, it’s a lot of fun. I did the same thing all the time as a filly.”
Noting the dent left in the lawn, Caleb said, “And what if she doesn’t land on her hooves?”
“Ah! Well, that’s why we’re going to have to spoil her fun. She’s a bit young yet to play like that responsibly. Let’s see if we can figure out how our daughter managed to get up onto the roof.”
“Good idea. Stick with me though as I might collapse from shock at any moment.”
“Me too,” Vectrix said fervently, still in full changeling form and able to use both wings and horn. “And not just because of my bond with Caleb.”
“I suppose I shouldn’t make light of it,” Willow responded. “My parents always kept a watch over me when I played that way, so I’m a bit blasé about it.”
The three entered the backyard to see the filly chasing a white and gold butterfly, the other apparently having successfully evaded the curious foal. They looked around but could not see any obvious way for Lilac to have gotten on the roof. Even the fence was ruled out as it stopped at the tool shed at the back of the house. As they stood around scratching their heads in puzzlement, the filly pursued the butterfly that remained just out of reach. Occasionally, she would leap up toward it if it fluttered particularly low but always missed it. Then she chased it to the woodpile stacked next to the shed. She clambered up the pile and, to everyone’s surprise, jumped onto the shed’s roof. From there, it was just another similar jump onto the house.
“The little scamp! She’s already learned how to power jump,” Willow said admiringly.
“Want me to collect her?” Vectrix asked, her horn already glowing.
“I suppose you’d better,” the earth pony replied.
“And I’m going to re-stack the wood elsewhere,” Caleb said with a determined look as the changeling levitated the giggling filly down.
“Good idea,” Willow replied. “When she can leap up onto the roof like this…” She promptly demonstrated her ability to power jump that high. “… then we can stop worrying about Lilac hurting herself. Whee!” She executed a double backflip off the roof, showing that she hadn’t lost any of the flexibility that had earned the mare her name. She landed with a much louder thump than their foal.
“Great. Now I’m going to have to fill in that crater too,” Caleb said grumpily.
As the time approached for Vectrix to give birth, she continued her job at the welding school. Unlike Willow though, she stuck strictly to desk work, and her morning and afternoon commutes were done on the wing rather than trying to walk with her gravid belly.
As it happened, the moment came on the weekend as the changeling was resting on the porch swing.
“Caleb! Willow! My water just broke!”
The man stopped mowing the grass and the earth pony abandoned her weeding to hasten over to their herdmate.
Caleb said, “Let’s get you to the hospital.”
“I’ll fetch the cart to let you ride,” Willow added.
“That isn’t necessary,” Vectrix replied as she got to her hooves. “I’ll give birth in the bedroom.”
“What?!” the man exclaimed. “Giving birth is a serious business. We don’t even have a midwife.”
“It’s serious because ponies and humans need to push a foal through a narrow channel. It’s difficult and painful, as you both well know. However, as a changeling, I can transform myself to allow easy passage. At the first contraction, this foal is coming out!”
“I’m already very envious,” Willow said. “However, that doesn’t preclude other problems.”
“Believe me, I’ve been monitoring the foal since he began emoting in the womb. He is not in any distress,” Vectrix reassured them as she laid down on the bed.
“He? I’m going to have a son?” Caleb asked.
“Feels like a male. We’ll know for certain when the foal is born.”
It was only a few minutes later that a contraction came. True to her prognostication, the foal slid out quickly and easily onto the towel that Willow had placed there. Caleb picked up the foal in the towel and held him upside down. The new father then gently wiped off the excess fluid. As Vectrix had predicted, the child was a male. The tiny human/changeling hybrid’s mouth opened and fluid spilled out with a cough, then he drew in a breath. Expecting the child to start crying, he was surprised when the foal chirped loudly instead.
“Is that normal?” Caleb asked as he rested the baby across his forearm.
“So I’m told,” Vectrix replied. “Let’s have a good look at our new colt.”
The anthro child’s changeling heritage was obvious as he had the same dark chitin as his mother. He also had the horn and ear-stalks of that species. His wings were rapidly filling out and it was already noticeable how unusual they were. They looked more like a dragonfly’s than that of a typical changeling. However, his unfocused eyes were very human and the same light brown as his sire, and his mane and tail were the identical maroon as Caleb’s. His muzzle was smaller than anticipated but there was no sign of fangs until the foal yawned and then they spotted small ones that stayed entirely within the mouth. The biggest giveaway of his human genes though was that he had feet rather than hooves.
“He’s wonderful,” Caleb declared, nuzzling his infant son. “Do you need to feed him?”
“You already are,” Vectrix replied with a happy smile. She then switched to her Sky persona, her breasts swollen with milk. “I’ll give him his second course when you’re done.”
The man had to admit that there was something to be said for children who could thrive on their parents’ love. “Have you decided on a name for him?”
Sky nodded. “I settled on one that suits either sex – Tranquil Boon. Do you like it?”
Caleb considered it for potentially aggravating nicknames before he gave a nod of approval. “That sounds like a great choice, love. What do you think, Willow?”
“He’s definitely a boon to our herd,” she said with an approving nod. “We’ll find out soon enough how tranquil he is.”
The human looked fondly at his son and said, “Welcome to the family, Tranquil Boon.”
The foal chirped back happily.
“Are we finally ready?” asked Caleb.
Willow came up to the human and gave him a long kiss. The man felt his exasperation melt away. It wasn’t just his changeling wife who had this effect on him. “Yes, my dear husband. Thank you for being patient. Vectrix is quite recovered from her trip out to the site.”
A dark-gray blur sped by overhead followed by a gold and lavender-hued blur underfoot. The pair of foals giggled as they zipped around the yard at high speed. Right on cue, the anthro changeling mare sauntered up to Caleb. “I hope you’ve saved a few kisses for me.”
After receiving a healthy dose of affection, she pulled back. “Caleb, why don’t you follow the lead of the rest of your herd? You don’t need to wear clothes where we’re going.”
The man laughed. “Yeah, nice try. I remember how hot it is in that desert. No way. I don’t need sunburn on mentionable or unmentionable areas of my body, thanks.” He hefted his backpack and called out. “Well, since only well-behaved foals can come along on this trip, I suppose just the adults…”
With a clattering of hooves and wings, Lilac Meadow and Tranquil Boon came to a stop in front of their father. They wore the same beaming smile and eyes filled with innocence.
Caleb leaned over and furrowed his brow. “Oh, where did these two little angels come from? They weren’t here a second ago. Is Auntie Trixie performing another show?” This just made the foals smile wider and practically radiate virtue.
Caleb waited for Vectrix to place a waist-high wooden pole in the ground. The top glistened in the sun with a rainbow of colors.
The human straightened up. “Well, then. Whichever of you wants to turn on the portal—”
That’s as far as he got.
The earth pony filly shot toward the pole with impressive speed, only to lose the race to a blast of magic from the changeling colt that struck the top of the pole. A fraction of a second later, Lilac Meadow plunged through the rapidly expanding portal, followed quickly by her brother.
The adults were not far behind their children, and they stepped out into the glare and heat of the desert. Fortunately, at that time of the day, a nearby cliff threw some welcome shade. This was lost on the energetic foals as they dashed about, exploring the area. Lilac scrambled up the precipitous cliff face as if it was level ground. Once at the top, she indulged in her favorite game of land-diving.
Inured by now to his daughter’s heart-stopping activity, Caleb stared at the familiar cliffside. He walked over to a particular rock and sat down upon it. He smiled.
“Four years ago today, I arrived in Equestria at this exact spot. Hurt myself on this stupid rock. Wandered off into the desert, got sunburnt, heat stroke, and nearly died of thirst. I thought it was the worst day of my life.” He gestured to his herdmates who sat on either side of him. “Instead, it was a turning point. My life had been pretty empty until then, but I was lucky enough to meet an earth pony and a changeling who changed everything for the better. Today, I celebrate the anniversary of the start of my new life, the love of two beautiful mares, and our two wonderful children.”
“Soon to be three foals,” Willow said with a pat of her swelling belly.
Caleb chuckled and kissed his wife. “Indeed. How many did you say you planned to have?”
“I’ll let you know when I’ve had enough,” she replied with a giggle.
“And you?” the man asked the changeling mare, not for the first time.
“I’m still happy with just our son for now,” Vectrix replied.
“Leaving your options open still, I see.”
“I’m letting Tranquil grow up some more first. He’s a special child and I want to devote a lot of my time to him before giving him another sibling.”
“Fair enough.” He kissed her too.
The three watched their children at play. Tranquil Boon was turning over rocks and checking out what was underneath them. Their mountain goat daughter continued her breathtaking leaps from the cliff, sometimes landing on flat ground with a firm thud, and sometimes skidding down the slope, spewing dirt and gravel everywhere along with her laughter. Then she stopped moving and stared at a bush. She dived inside and her parents winced, concerned about the nasty thorns. Instead, she re-emerged unscathed, chewing on something metallic.
“Bring that over here, Lilac,” Caleb said, recognition lighting his eyes.
Lilac proudly deposited the object into her father’s hands before scampering away once more.
Both mares held their breath as Caleb turned over the beer can with the faded logo in his hands. “How much mass did the object need to have for Twilight to get a fix on its dimensional point of origin? About an ounce, right?”
Willow nodded while Vectrix broke out in a grin.
Caleb tossed the can over his shoulder. “Well, I won't tell her if you don't.”
Willow put on a serious voice. “Now there's just the matter of your littering. So irresponsible for a stallion.”
“Meh. Statute of Limitations in the first place; plus you’ve resigned from the Guard Reserve. Not your problem anymore.” He pulled his mares closer. “I'm afraid you'll have to take me as I am, warts and all.”
Vectrix grinned up at him. “It's a date. Tonight, your two wives will take you, for sure.”
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