Chapter 36
New Life
When we got back to town, the first thing we did was pay Nurse Redheart and Doctor Horse a visit. There we found that Twilight had caught the pregnancy early- I was about a month and a half in. The doctor estimated that I was due sometime at the end of November, but also assured that a more certain date could be determined closer to the due date. I received advice and counseling on the parenting process, our next checkup was scheduled, and we were sent on our merry way.
The first thing I wanted to do was tell our parents and my sister, so we made a stop by the apartment our parents were sharing (after Torchwood and I married, my parents moved in with his at Torch’s old pad so they wouldn’t have to go back to the tents). To say they were thrilled would be an understatement. Mom broke down in tears, and I thought Meteor Strike’s chest would surely burst if it puffed out any further. Rose Petal was a very touchy-feely sort of pony, and clung to her son most of the time, but also played with my hair for a while, congratulating us over and over again all the while. My father was perhaps the most thrilled; he’d taken on Blaze as an honorary grandson already, but having a biological grandchild was like a dream come true.
“I’m just so happy for you,” Mom wept for the thousandth time.
“I’ll have another young flyer to train,” Dad boasted. “With such strong genes on both sides, I’m sure it’ll make the finest athlete the world has ever seen!”
“Or an outstanding artist, like her mother,” Mom added. “After all, the Storm family has bred generations of first-rate craftsponies.”
“The Wood family has had a strong line of gardeners, as well,” Rose interjected.
“I’m hoping for a young fire dancer, myself,” Torch beamed.
“Do you have a name picked out?” Rose Petal inquired, twirling another strand of my hair.
“Rose, they’ve only just found out,” the mare’s husband chided. “I’m sure they haven’t had time to pick out a name.”
“We won’t even know if it’s a boy or girl for another three or four months,” I reminded.
“But that doesn’t mean you can’t start thinking about it. That’s half the fun, after all,” Rose giggled. “And besides, most pony names are universal.”
“That’s not to say you would want to name your son Mary or your daughter Tom,” Meteor laughed. The rest of us giggled too.
“When did you say you were due?” Mom chuckled.
“Doctor Horse said sometime at the end of November, but we’d get a more exact date closer to the end of the first trimester.”
“The end of November? The Equestria Games are this October,” Dad pointed out.
“Wind Storm! That’s just like you. Your daughter tells you she’s pregnant and the first thing you think about is whether or not she can still compete in the games,” Mom scolded, giving Dad a light but reprimanding cuff.
“He’s right, though,” I realized. “I’ll be nearly due by then. There’s no way I can compete.”
“All the best fliers are taken. Who’re we going to get to fill in?” Dad grumbled.
“What about Cedar?”
“Cedar?”
“Come on, Dad, you know him. Wild Flower’s stallion friend?”
“Oh, that bloke.”
“Come on, Dad, give him a chance. He means a lot to her- that practically makes him family. And as I recall, you only agreed to compete with your family.”
“I agreed to compete with you and Torchwood,” he corrected.
“Well, that’s not happening. Cedar’s the next best thing- you’re never going to convince Wild Flower to get up in front of all those ponies.”
“Didn’t Rainbow Dash get Fluttershy to help out with Ponyville’s aerial relay?”
“You’re welcome to try, but I’m telling you, it’s not happening,” I rolled my eyes.
“Oh, very well. We’ll try out this Cedar fellow.”
“He won’t let you down, Wind Storm,” Torchwood assured. “He’s a lumberjack, which means he has strength on his side.”
“In a relay, speed and agility will serve us better than strength,” Dad grumbled.
“We still have to get him to agree, but I’ll talk it up with Wild Flower,” I winked.
“Oh my goodness! Does your sister know yet?” Mom exclaimed.
“No, I’m still trying to think of a creative way to break the news,” I grinned.
“If I may, even gardeners appreciate the occasional bouquet,” Rose offered.
“With the note, ‘To our favorite Aunt,” I finished. “She’ll flip!”
“I’d like to see her reaction, myself,” Dad laughed.
“Why don’t you invite them to dinner tonight? We’ll give her the bouquet and ask Cedar about the games at the same time,” Mom put in.
“I’m all for it,” Torchwood agreed.
“Why don’t we turn it into a big production so it can double as a ‘thank you’ dinner for everyone that helped with the fundraiser?” I suggested.
“Good idea,” my husband nodded. “Glitter and Trixie leave tomorrow. This can be their final send off.”
“That’s just like you two,” Mom chuckled.
“What?” I asked.
“Only you would turn your special dinner into a thank you for everypony else.”
“It’s just one less event we have to plan for,” Torch jokingly winked.
“Ah, now I’m beginning to see the appeal,” Meteor laughed.
“Well, if we’re going to do this, we better get started. It’s two now, and that’s a lot of food. Mom, you think you could help me with the cooking?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you fix it yourself, did you? After all, we want to thank these ponies, not poison them.”
“That hurts, Mom,” I sniffled, pretending to look insulted.
“It’s not as though we didn’t already know you can’t cook to save your life,” Dad went on.
“Dad!” He just laughed.
“Alright, us ladies will do the cooking if you big strong stallions could round everypony up and get a table ready,” Rose got down to business.
“As you wish, m’lady,” Meteor dipped into a playful bow.
“Could you get Blaze to send the invite to your sister?” Torch inquired. “It would save a lot of time if we could stay in the Ponyville area.”
“And I’ll have her inform Cedar,” I nodded.
“Where is the little guy?” Dad looked around, realizing his little buddy wasn’t here.
“He and Spike haven’t really gotten to see each other since this whole rogue business started, so they were going to spend the day together.”
“Won’t they be surprised when we throw Nova in the mix?” Torch chuckled.
“I’m sure they’ll be thrilled,” I agreed.
“Well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s get to it,” Mom stood.
“Thanks for coming, everypony,” Torch announced.
“Thanks for inviting us!” Soprano chimed.
“I’d say you more than earned it, after all that work you guys put in to help us with the fundraiser,” I grinned.
“It was all worth it for this food!” Spin took another big bite out of her cobbler.
“But I admit, that’s not the only reason we invited everyone here tonight.”
“Wild Flower has an announcement to make.”
“I do?” She looked up from her food, crumbs still stuck to her face.
“Sure you do. Just read the card,” I slyly presented her with the bouquet.
“Aww, guys,” she bashfully accepted the flowers. She hadn’t even read the card yet, but my devious look was making her suspicious. “This isn’t a prank, is it?”
“Would you just read the card?” I rolled my eyes. She took that as a ‘no,’ and complied. She read the card silently first, then squinted at it.
“Guys, I think this is the wrong card. It says, ‘To our Favorite Aun-’” By the time she read it aloud, the message sank in and her eyes bulged. “WAIT! Are you PREGNANT?!” Though we laughed at her reaction, the look on my face was sincere, and she finally realized we were serious. “Oh my gosh, that’s so great!” She practically flew out of her seat as she lunged for my neck and squeezed it with glee. When I had to swat her away for a fresh supply of air, she just bounced over just as excitedly over to Torchwood. He received a hug just as enthusiastic as the one I’d received. “When are you due?”
“November,” I happily answered.
“Which just so happens to be right after the Equestria Games,” Dad added.
“I was supposed to compete, but there’s no way I can participate with a baby bump.”
“So, we were wondering if Cedar would be interested in filling in.”
“Me?”
“It’ll be great fun,” Torch prompted. “It’ll be you, me, and Wind Storm in the Aerial Relay.”
“It’d also be a good way to spend time with my dad,” I heard Wild Flower whisper.
“Well... count me in, I guess,” he consented.
“Alright!” Torch cheered.
“Is it gonna be a boy or girl?” Glitter asked.
“We don’t know yet,” I smiled down at her.
“Oh. Well, I’m sure she’s gonna be pretty, or he’ll be handsome!” I giggled.
“Indeed. Perhaps we can time it so that the Great and Powerful Trixie and the Dazzling Glitter Shine make it back to Ponyville this fall,” Trixie agreed.
“That would be lovely,” I smiled.
“Congratulations,” she beamed back.
“It’ll be wonderful for Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake to have another playmate,” Mrs. Cake strode up.
“Don’t worry. Parenthood isn’t as hard as it looks,” Mr. Cake assured.
“Well, I’ll be expecting some pointers,” I appreciatively told them.
“We’d be happy to,” Mrs. Cake assured. “In fact, why don’t you help Pinkie babysit the twins next week? I’m sure she won’t mind, and it would be good practice.”
“Sure,” I agreed.
“You go ahead,” Torch said.
“I guess you’re already an expert, then?” I teased.
“Something like that.” I was a little worried when he gave only a half-hearted laugh. It was as though he had something he wanted to tell me.
“You okay?”
“Fine. Why do you ask?” He instantly snapped out of it, so I shrugged it off.
“Never mind.” Even though he insisted he was alright, I couldn’t help but notice that he seemed a bit distant that evening.
“Is there something on your mind?” I prompted as we climbed into bed that night. Dinner had ended hours ago, and the picnic had since been cleaned up. Blaze had gone down with the setting sun, finally leaving Torch and I to ourselves. “You seemed a little preoccupied at dinner.”
“There is,” he admitted. “I just didn’t want to discuss it in front of all our friends.”
“Well, we’re alone now,” I prompted.
“I’ve been thinking... you have Blaze helping you at the shop now, and you never had much trouble managing it yourself before...”
“You want to quit?” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised. Well, shocked would be a better word.
“I love working with you in the shop,” he assured, “but we share the income. A baby is a wonderful thing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s also another expense. And this last incident depleted our savings. If I got a job somewhere else, we’d get the income from Art Life as well as a paycheck from the new place.”
“Do you have something in mind?”
“I have some experience delivering your packages. I’m sure I could sign up with the mail service.”
“Are you sure about this? I’ll support you if that’s what you really want, but I’m sure we could make do with what we have.”
“I am.” He pressed closer to me beneath the sheets.
“Okay then,” I shrugged. I was happy so long as he was happy. “Is that why you didn’t want to babysit for the Cakes? Because you didn’t think you’d have time with this new job?”
“Yes,” he confessed, “but I promise, I’ll always make time for you and the baby.”
“You better,” I giggled. “You can’t expect me to raise it all by myself- especially if it turns out to be anything like you.” He lightly swatted me, amusement plastered on his face. I giggled again, turned over, and finally went to sleep.
Blaze was still asleep when I woke up, probably worn out from yesterday’s excitement. I decided to let him sleep in, but I still needed to do something for breakfast. Rather than set the house on fire by trying to make it myself, I opted to bring home muffins from Sugar Cube Corner. Torch was just rising when I headed out, so I quickly told him where I was going and pecked him goodbye.
Mrs. Cake sat me down while I waited for a fresh batch to come out. It was there that I met Ms. Cheerilee.
“Why, hello, Acrylic. You’re up rather early.”
“Our chef is out of commission this morning, so I came to pick up breakfast,” I explained with a wink.
“I see,” she nodded. Mrs. Cake came back with my muffin basket just then, so I turned away from the schoolteacher to grab them.
“Thanks, Mrs. Cake,” I said.
“Anytime!” I wasn’t aware Cheerilee wished to continue the conversation, so it must’ve been very rude of me to turn away. She followed me to the door nonetheless.
“It’s my understanding that you give Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle art classes every Friday,” she prompted. I settled the basket between my wings so I didn’t have to talk with my mouth full.
“Glitter too,” I answered, “at least, I was before she decided to go with Trixie. I haven’t given the girls a class since- I just haven’t had the time. Hopefully we can fall back into the routine now.”
“About that...” Cheerilee’s voice lost its usual pleasant note. I paused at the door, worried about what might come next. “I’d rather the girls stop attending your class.”
“What? Why? Is it interfering with their grades?”
“I don’t want them going to your class anymore. I want you to go to theirs!” Her bright tone had returned, and her smile made me feel a little more at ease.
“I’m not sure I quite understand.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while. I’d like to set aside an hour or so of class time for you to come in and teach the whole class! Art is part of the required curriculum, but I’m afraid I’m a bit underqualified in that field.”
“I... uh...”
“Of course, I don’t mean to make you do something you don’t want to. I’ll understand if you’d like to keep the class private, but I know the rest of my students would benefit.”
“No, I’m flattered, really. It’s just... so sudden! And you heard that we’re having a baby?”
“News spreads like wild fire in Ponyville. Congratulations, by the way.”
“Thanks. But that means I’d have to take some time off.”
“That wouldn’t be a problem. The school system is usually pretty good about that sort of thing.
“What about lesson plans? What exactly would I be teaching?”
“The board tends to leave that up to us teachers. You’d just keep doing whatever you were doing with your last class.”
“How about supplies? I used to provide them when it was just the five of them, but there’s no way I can afford to keep thirty students in stock.”
“Full time teachers are assigned a budget to work with, but since you’re part time and we get our art supplies from you anyway, they may just increase your salary to cover the expense.”
“And then there’s Blaze. I used to teach him along with the other girls, but he doesn’t go to your school. I don’t want him to be left out.”
“He’d be welcome to join us!”
“I just... wow...” I felt dizzy. “Do you mind if I talk it over with Torch before I give you a final answer?”
“Take all the time you need,” she shrugged. “I already went over it with the school board. All you have to do is say yes. The position will be available if you are.”
“Thanks, Cheerilee.”
“Thank you!”
I took my time walking home. Instead of rushing back for advice, I thought it better to mosey along and think it over for myself before asking for input.
“There you are,” Torch poked out from the back when he heard the door click open. “I was beginning to wonder about you.”
“Sorry, I got stuck talking to Cheerilee.”
“What’d she have to say?”
“You might not be the only one switching employment.”
“She’s not leaving the school, is she?”
“Not Cheerilee, me. She offered me a teaching position at her school.”
“Really?” He replaced the chocolate chip muffin he’d been going for, and listened intently. “What’d you say?”
“That I wanted to talk it over with you before I committed to anything.”
“What kind of teaching position?”
“We didn’t get into the details, but I would take over her class for an hour. I’d still be teaching art of course, so I could just carry over the lesson plans I’ve been using.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out,” Torch fondly rested his head over mine. “I think it’s a wonderful opportunity.
“What I’m still unsure about is the supplies,” I continued. “Teachers don’t receive a very plentiful salary as it is, but if I’d have to provide the materials, I think I’d be putting more into it than I’d get out.”
“I’m sure that’s something the school would cover,” Torch thought.
“Now that I think about it, I might be putting a lot more into it than I’ll get out,” I rambled on. “It’s not just a matter of money, but time. I’d only be teaching for an hour, but that doesn’t include the time I’d spend grading papers and preparing. I’ve got to find time for the shop somewhere in there. And I still owe Graphite Sketch several more pieces. I don’t know if I’d be able to juggle it all. Maybe I’m getting in over my head.” I slumped to the table, defeated and confused. Torchwood chuckled and placed a hoof on my shoulder, taking the matter far more lightly than I.
“You worry too much,” he scolded. “It’s up to you; this is your life we’re talking about. Take your time and think it over. But I really think you would enjoy it. Who knows? Maybe this is what your new cutie mark means.” My eyes widened as he kissed my forehead and moved for the door. “I’ve got to go- the post office manager said he could see me about an interview today. But think it over and do what’s best for you. I know you’ll make the right choice.” He left before I could say anything else.
Could this really be what my cutie mark now symbolized? Was I meant to share my love of art with the young colts and fillies? I hadn’t been able to do that when thestrals were still ‘evil,’ but now it was a very real possibility. I did enjoy teaching the girls quite a lot... Perhaps this was who I was meant to be after all!
Torchwood had practically made up my mind for me when he mentioned the cutie mark. I had a sneaky suspicion he’d meant for this to happen, but I put it out of my mind. It was my choice. There were still some minor details to work out, but I’d made up my mind. I wanted to become an art teacher.
I still shook my head at the idea. I had a baby on the way, and suddenly Torch and I were both switching employment. In just two days, our lives were turned completely upside down.