//------------------------------// // Sister Talk // Story: Returning Home // by Short-tale //------------------------------// Chapter 4  “So are you really thinking of having foals?” I paused in the sip of tea I was about to take. I glanced at the gray-striped mane of the pony that asked. Marble’s eyes looked at me in awe. I stopped rocking the large porch swing that hung from the ceiling. Marble nearly fell off, not expecting the sudden change in motion. I stared at her on the other end. “Pinkie told you,” I said flatly. “You know she didn’t have to.” Her face retreated into her mane. Marble was talking about her Marble Sense. She could hear the thoughts of others and send her own to a few select ponies. The family could all hear her, and so could Vinyl Scratch, it seemed. But she didn’t like using her gift. She thought it made her seem strange.  “It would make Ma like Starlight more. We hope,” I informed her. The tea filled my mouth finally. Lavender had a calming flavor and scent. It was working. The porch creaked as Marble shifted a little closer. I felt the swing dip lower as the weight shifted. She seemed uncomfortable. I wasn’t certain why. “Is that the only reason?”  “I don’t know. I do love Starlight, and the idea of having her foal or giving her one makes me feel warm somehow. Like bringing a joy that only I can give that Trixie didn’t.” It sounded selfish to want something special that Starlight’s ex-wife didn’t get.  Marble stared at her steaming cup. The trails of vapor wrapped around her snout, leaving little water droplets on her hair. She closed her eyes.  “I can understand that. But I don’t know if ‘competing’ with her ex-wife like that is a good reason. If you want foals, you should have them because you will love them.” I nodded. Love was the real reason to have foals. Traditions, expectations, and competition would not help make the rearing easier. Resentment could easily crop up and a foal didn’t deserve that. “How would this spell work?” Marble cocked her head letting her face poke out. It was a strange question. I didn’t think my family would want to know the particulars of how the foals were conceived.  “Starlight said the spell would temporarily turn one of us into a stallion. Then she would insert ...” “I, I know how that works. Do you think it would hurt? I’ve never been with a stallion before.” Marble returned to her mane-made sanctuary.  I felt dumb. She wasn’t asking about my plans at all. She was hoping to have foals herself. I sighed into my tea, pushing a plume of steam into the crisp night air. “You don’t have to. I’m sure Vinyl could.” I imagined Vinyl had all sorts of experiences prior to meeting Marble. I was still shocked how well they worked together. I guess Vinyl must have taken the warning I gave her when I caught them in bed to heart. I told her to treat my sister right.  “No, I want to carry them. I don’t want to slow her down. I know she always thought foals would be ‘cool’ to have. But I don’t want her to slow down because of it. She loves her music very much, and if I can bring her a foal it will be worth it.” I stared into my teacup. The small lavender pieces floated around with a carefree feel. I knew they couldn’t actually be carefree. They were plants. It was simply in response to the stimulus of me drinking. But knowing that didn’t make the patterns any less interesting.  “I know you will make wonderful parents. But are you sure you want to give up your new music career for this?” I watched her reaction. There was no sadness, just resolve and joy. “It’s what I can do for her. Like you said. Vinyl has been so kind and so giving. She’s opened up my world and shown me the love I was looking for. So I want to do that for her. With a foal.” Marble was pretty resolute. She wasn’t the type that would be dissuaded, despite her docile demeanor. She would have her foals. If Vinyl agreed, of course. “Have you talked to your wife about it?” I didn’t know what else to say. The idea of a pregnant Marble was not that far fetched. She had always been the motherly type. “Yeah. As soon as I heard about it. She’s still thinking about it but I know my wife. She is really excited about it and just doesn’t want to seem uncool.”  “Being a mom isn’t ‘cool’?”  Marble looked like she was about to burst with laughter. “It’s not like that. She’ll seem kind of silly if she starts running around like a filly. That’s what she’s like at home. She acts like a foal herself sometimes. But that’s what I love about her. She’s so different at home than she is with everypony else. Kind of like I am.” “You two would be great moms. You’re both really energetic. I’m not like that. Starlight is but I don’t get that excited. I don’t know if I could keep up with a foal.” It was a lot of energy. Pinkie’s children were all over the place all the time. I could barely see them move, let alone keep up with them. I tried to picture myself with a smaller version of Starlight as a foal. I felt my resolve and heart melt at the thought. It began to sway my opinion in favor of the idea.  “That daydream was really cute,” Marble said candidly. That Marble Sense of hers was sharp. “You should really think about it.” “That’s if the choosing stone blesses us. Ma won’t even acknowledge us until then. If it goes badly, Ma wants Starlight to find somepony else.” I tried not to think about the promise I made to leave Starlight if the stone said so. Marble would know. Marble shook her head. “It won’t. I can tell. You two are made for each other. Anypony can see that. Ma is just … upset. She wanted to be part of your life, too, and she feels kind of left out.” “You should throw her a party!” The ball of pink cried out as she rushed out onto the porch. It was followed by an explosion of confetti that floated down around Marble and I.  “Hi Pinkie,” I said calmly. Confetti didn’t hurt so I didn't react like the others. Marble nearly fell into my lap.  “Hi Maud, Hi Marble, are you guys talking about foals?” Pinkie sat in between us rebalancing the swing. I think half of Pinkie Sense is just really good hearing, and she plays it off as supernatural. But I couldn’t deny her ability to see things before they happen. “Yes,” I said.  “So which one of you is thinking about it?” Pinkie looked quickly between the two of us. “Both of us, actually,” my shy sister admitted. She often had a problem talking openly with her twin. Most likely because Pinkie talked so much and Marble wasn’t the type to interrupt.  “Ooo, I always wanted nieces and nephews. How many are you guys thinking? Four or five?” “Probably just one,” I said. Pinkie scrunched her nose in disbelief. “Me too,” Marble agreed, hiding from the confused and shocked stare of her twin. “I don’t think Vinyl wants that big of a family.” “Just one?! What is wrong with you two? Foals are the most fun, bestest thing in the world! You can love them, pet them, and dress them up. You can have a party every day if you want, and they’re always so excited. Little Cheese would have been lonely without the rest of the crew. And the more you have the bigger your heart grows to fit them all inside.” Pinkie hugged herself and swayed slightly.  “Aaargh, foals sound like cancer,” growled Limestone as she made her entrance onto the porch from inside the house. She flopped on a chair in front of the sister laiden swing. The full complement of Pie sisters were together again. I wondered if Starlight was okay with the husband and wives club. Mud Briar could never get used to it. “Relax Maud, Starlight’s fine,” Pinkie said with a forehoof around me. “She’s playing with the Cheesy Tots. They’re just as excited about the wedding as you are.” “If the stone says so,” I recalled with a pain in my gut.  “She made a deal with Ma,” my youngest sister whispered. “If the stone says no, she’ll have to leave Starlight.” “No way!” Pinkie shouted angrily. “You can’t leave Starlight, stone or no stone. You two are way too good for each other to let a rock choose for you. Ma just has to get over it.” “I don’t think we should just throw traditions out the window just because we don’t agree with them.” Limestone sounded just like Pa. “We have a way of life to preserve. If we don’t honor the stones, they will stop producing. You might have to pay for moving too fast, Maud.” “You want Maud to be unhappy forever?” Pinkie whirled on our traditional sister in an instant. “She’s in love. You can see it, feel it, hear it, and taste it. There is no way she would be happy if Starlight had to go. I don’t even think Ma would be happy with that.” “We’ll see what the stone says,” I said, trying to end the speculation.  “It’s a nice night,” Marble commented, redirecting the flow of conversation. “It’s nice when we’re all together like this.” “We haven’t done this since ...” Pinkie’s words died in her throat. The last time we’d all been together was at Pa’s funeral. That had not been a happy meeting. I remember wishing that Starlight was there to hold me like a little filly. But it felt wrong to bring my new marefriend to the farm to meet everypony at a funeral. Like rubbing it in everypony’s faces that I was happy.  “I miss him ...” I said in a small whisper. “We all do,” Marble whispered even more gently. “Well, we have Limestone to read his lines and wear his hat. So it’s kind of like he’s here.” Pinkie’s attempt to cheer us kind of flopped. The three of us on the chair huddled together for support. Then Pinkie somehow swapped herself for Limestone so she wouldn’t be left out. The irate mare’s teeth ground in my ear. “If he were here, I’m sure he would have no trouble convincing Ma to accept you two. I’m not that much like him at all.” My elder sister sighed. I looked at my sister in disbelief. She rarely took my side, especially against tradition. “Ma’s grumpiness is worse than mine lately.” “That’s impressive,” Pinkie blurted, then clapped her hooves over her mouth. “Shut up!”  “It makes sense. I wasn’t the nicest pony after I lost my husband either,” I reminded them, remembering Pinkie crying after I yelled at her. I shuddered. A crying Pinkie still haunts my dreams. “We just have to throw her a cheer-up party!”  The rest of us sighed. “Not everything can be solved with a party, Pinkie,” growled Limestone for the millionth time. “Maud … you really should talk to her again. She respects you more than she does the rest of us, and you know what she’s going through. We can’t reach her, especially not through a party.” “She seems to be angry at me,” I sighed. It was not something I found favorable but I found myself in that position a lot. I wasn’t the type to just give in, except to Pinkie but she is relentless. “You know that’s not really true. Ma will calm down. She loves you and might just feel hurt because you didn’t come home with Starlight before getting engaged,” Pinkie suggested.  “Just talk to her again …” Marble whispered.  “You’ll have tomorrow on the way to the stone,” my elder sister reminded me. I nodded. The exhaustion of the day was starting to set in. I didn’t want to break up the sisterhood moment though. I wondered what tomorrow would bring. How would it feel to make this trip without Pa? Could I convince Ma that Starlight wasn’t affecting me as much as she thought? “Well I’m pretty tired, and we have a big day ahead of us, and… ” Marble cut herself off with a mighty yawn. “Yes we should—” “Look!” Pinkie’s shout drowned out my words. “A shooting star. Pa’s looking down on us right now. Maybe checking in on us mares.” I saw the burning ball of light fill the sky with a bright flash. For a few moments the fields of the farm were easily visible in the blue tinged light. Then it was gone, leaving us alone in the dark again.  My hoof caressed the meteorite on the chain around my neck. Was that really Pa? Was he saying not to be worried? Was he telling me to honor my traditions? More than likely it was just a random meteor burning through the atmosphere.  That signaled the end of the huddle, and not long after, all the couples went to their respective beds.