Chapter 14 - Call the Midwife
A few weeks after the monumental paradigm shift that was Diamond Tiara and the Cutie Mark Crusaders becoming friends, things had at last begun to settle down again. It was quite strange really. The Crusaders were, well, no longer crusading per se and there was not an opportunity to find a cutie mark around every corner.
However, they do seem to have found a new line of work. As I said before, their cutie marks seem to signify their ability to help other ponies understand their cutie mark, as well as helping them discover their special talent. Cheerilee says she’s never seen anything like it. And I thought them having a branch in Manehatten with Babs Seed and her friends was something.
The other big piece of news was, of course, Spoiled Rich’s surprise departure from my little world. After being thoroughly chewed out by her own daughter, she quickly found herself facing a little rebellion on the board of governors. With her aura of authority broken, it just so happened that somepony put forward a no confidence vote against. And wouldn’t you know it, it won! She’s still on the board officially, but Cheerilee says she hasn’t seen her in a while. And if worse comes to worst, i'll always have the threat of Social Services dangling over her head.
So, we now find ourselves in this strange almost utopia situation. If I’m honest, it’s actually become a tad boring, not having to deal with Diamond or the Crusaders odd little disasters. Still, I do have the usual work to do. I guess I’m just noticing the void left by it all, and I find myself almost missing it.
Luckily for me, the usual routines of my life were quite suddenly broken up by the arrival of a pair of very special guests.
I hadn’t seen the prince and princess of the Crystal Empire for a fair while. I’d seen Cadence a few months ago when she dropped by to help resolve a little shouting match between Roger and I. Shining on the other hand, I hadn’t seen for a good long while, not since the last Summer sun Celebration, I think.
But this last week, both of them came down to Ponyville with some surprising news. I heard all of this from Rarity, who was quick to spread the news to anypony who would listen.
Shining and Cadence arrived in town, ostensibly for the purpose of visiting Twilight. After all, given each other’s various royal duties, and Twilight’s occasional need to save Equestria from certain destruction, they didn’t get to see each other too often.
However, when they arrived, Twilight and the others found themselves roped into a little scavenger hunt. Apparently, Shining Armor used to set these up for her all the time when they were younger. It actually started with the girls all turning up at the schoolhouse, under directions to visit the Foal Free Press; the school’s little in house, student run newspaper. After that, they headed over to town hall, to find Applejack’s old birth certificate, and finally to the furniture store where they found a crib. After that, they all wound their way back to Sugarcube Corner, where Shining and Cadence were waiting.
Well, it wasn’t hard for me to see all the things that those items had in common; a school, the Foal Free Press, a birth certificate, and a crib. That and I can assure you that Cadence was positively glowing, though not because of the Crystal Heart. No she was glowing in the other sense of the word. She had a bun in the oven, was in the family way, or whatever else you wish to call it. She was pregnant, and Twilight was going to be an aunt!
So after having a little less violent version of the Da Vinci Code and coming to the correct conclusion, Pinkie Pie had thrown them a little party in Sugarcube Corner, that had quickly evolved, as, like I said before, Rarity went around Ponyville, howling out the news for all to hear.
I was out putting out the washing on the line in the back garden when the dress maker came cantering up the path to me.
“Margaret! Margaret!” the fashionista called out as she came running as fast as hooves could carry her. I paused in my work.
“Rarity?” I asked, sounding perplexed. “What’s the matter?” At first, I thought Rarity was upset or distressed.
“It’s Twilight, darling! She’s going to be an aunt!” She squealed in excitement, still overcome by the news.
“What?” I exclaimed. “When did that happen then?”
“Cadence and Shining Armor just told us when we got to the end of their little scavenger hunt,” Rarity explained, now a little calmer, but still close to Pinkie Pie levels of giddiness.
“Oh ,so that’s what brought you six down to the school earlier,” I replied. They’d all left in such a hurry, and I was busy with the lesson, that I hadn’t had a chance to ask them what it was all about. “Are the expectant couple still about?”
“Oh, yes,” Rarity replied. “Pinkie Pie’s throwing them a little party at Sugarcube Corner.
I quickly set down what washing I still had to hang up. It was going to be dry and sunny all day today; I could afford to take an hour or so to go and see the two, and offer my congratulations. It was just a shame Roger was still up at Canterlot, although I was sure Shining would pass the word himself before long.
Following Rarity back along the road, I soon found myself at Sugarcube Corner, which was filled with ponies. Carefully threading and nudging my way through the crowd, I soon found myself inside.
Twilight and her friends were there still, as was the happy couple themselves, along with quite a few ponies from around town. Bones and Lizzie were there, with my son chatting away with Shining Armor. Lizzie meanwhile was with Rainbow Dash. I also picked out both of the Cakes’ and their own children. Pumpkin was happily sitting on her mother’s back while Cadence cooed at her. Deciding that my first job was to congratulate the pair, I made my way over to Cadence.
“Cadence!” I called out over the general hubbub in the bakery. The pink alicorn quickly picked me out. Among ponies, I feel like a Westerner in Japan; I’m fairly easy to spot.
“Margaret!” Cadence greeted with a smile on her face. She walked over to me and I gave her a hug, which was a little easier than with most ponies, since she wasn’t that much shorter than me.
“Congratulations,” I said as we parted again. “To you and Shining Armor.”
“Thanks, Margaret. I still can’t quite believe it myself. I’d actually appreciate having some time to talk with you if have a few minutes.” I smiled.
“Sure,” I replied. “I suppose I can impart a few words of wisdom. Come on back to the house in a little while and we can have a cuppa.” As I headed off to talk to Shining, Cadence found herself swarmed by ponies once again, all offering their congratulations.
Shining meanwhile was still talking with Bones. He too was offering the captain his own congratulations. As I came up, I heard Bones joking about that old classic British royalty rule of the ‘heir and a spare’.
“Congratulations, Shining,” I said, walking up to the pair and shaking his hoof. “Though I expect you’ve heard that at least half a dozen times by now.” Bones smiled and Shining barked out a short laugh.
“I think I’ve had more congratulations today than when I was promoted to by Captain of the Royal Guard,” he replied, scratching at the back of his neck. “It’s sure has been a lot to take in.”
“I just thought that I ought to let you know that Cadence is going to come and have a chat with me back at my house for a while. I’m sure she’ll be back here before too long, and Bones can point you in the right direction. Right, lad?”
“Sure, mom,” my son replied.
“I’ll make sure to send the pair of you a gift for the baby shower when the time comes,” I added.
With that, I headed back to Cadence, who was still trying to fend off all the friendly ponies that were congregating around her.
After helping to politely extract the alicorn princess from the knot of ponies that surrounded her, I took her back home for a well-earned break from it all. Discovering that you’re pregnant is shock enough, never mind having to explain it all to adoring fans.
Heading back the way I had come, the two of us found ourselves back at the modest little house that I called my home. Fishing the keys out of my pocket, I let us in and ushered Cadence inside. Taking her into the front room, I settled her down on the large sofa, before heading through to the kitchen to fix up some tea.
I occasionally stop by Zecora’s little stand. Her herbal knowledge leaves her well placed to provide some good, natural chamomile teas. I must confess though, no matter how hard she’s tried, she’s never quite been able to replicate a Twinning’s Traditional Afternoon bag. The last thing Cadence needed right now though was caffeine, so the chamomile would do just fine. I poured a cup for myself as well.
Bringing the tray through, along with a few biscuits for good measure, I sat down next to the slightly tired looking alicorn.
“There you go, darling,” I said kindly. “Get some of that in you.” Cadence gratefully took the cup in her magic and sipped in the dainty style befitting a princess. She closed her eyes in the brief moment of bliss.
“Thanks for this, Margaret.” She said after a few moments.
“Eh, one good turn deserves another.” I replied, with a shrug of my shoulders.
“Ever since word broke when we told Twilight, it’s been non-stop congratulations. Honestly, I could just use some advice.” I smiled and patted her on the shoulder gently.
“Well thank your lucky starts you’re talking to an old hand,” I said. “I may not know much about ponies, but I do know a fair bit about carrying a kid for nine months.”
Cadence smiled that same slightly tired smile again, so I took my cue to start.
“So, how far along are you?” I asked. Cadence set her teacup down.
“The doctors think only a few weeks. I started getting sick in the mornings, and a visit to the royal physician quickly found out that it wasn’t a stomach bug.” I laughed a little at that.
“Yeah, same here,” I replied. “It shouldn’t last too long though; it usually peters out by the end of the first trimester.”
She was still in potentially for a great barrel of laughs though. I remember when I had my son that he spent most of his time kicking, and it made it damn near impossible for me to keep anything down.
And then of course there was all the weight you put on. I had to fight tooth and nail for a good couple years to get something like my old figure back. Cadence’s lither form would soon make it very obvious what was in the works.
On a footnote though, I must say I’m a little jealous of her on that front, along with most of the mares in Equestria. After the little tyke was born, within perhaps a week, at least when Twilight and the others went to see her, she’d got that supermodel figure back. That really grinds my gears.
“Everything’s just happening so fast,” Cadence went on. “I mean, yes there’s the fact that I’m pregnant, but there’s so much to do. I’ve got to get everything ready in the castle, sort out the nanny, prepare everypony else for when I have to take time off work, deal with the press. It’s all just so….argh!” She threw herself back into the sofa and shut her eyes.
Setting down my own tea cup, I leaned across and pulled her into a hug, letting her bury her head in my shoulder. And of course, dodging the sharp, pointy horn which was now perilously close to my eyes.
“Hey, relax,” I said reassuringly. “There’ll be plenty of time to figure all that out. You’ve got nine months yet to get ready for everything. So don’t stress yourself out. That’s bad for you and for baby.
“And don’t you go around using that ‘I’ all the time. Having a baby isn’t something you have to do alone. You’ve got Shining, your family, and all your people to help out. You just focus on having this baby. The rest can go on hold for a bit.” This seemed to calm her a little.
“I can’t help but feel as though I’m not ready,” she went on. “I’ve faced all these challenges in my life, but I’ve never dealt with something like this.” I smiled to myself, seeing an opportunity to encourage her a little more.
“The way I see it, Cadence,” I replied. “You’re admirably qualified, more so than me even.” The alicorn glanced over to me, confused.
“You’re the Princess of Love, are you not? That’s the cornerstone of being a mother; love. It’s what makes us bond with them when we’re first given them to hold, what causes us to get up every night when they’re crying for us, what causes us to put up with whatever trouble they cause, and it’s what makes a mother the single most dangerous creature in the universe.”
The latter part of that I could testify was true. I remember to this day the one time I had to really protect my children. I decided to impart a little tale to Cadence.
Back when we lived in the Midlands, our own neighbourhood was alright, but the one adjacent to us, a place called Beechdale, was a goddamn ghetto infested with all manner of scum. Of particular problem, were these oikes who used to have fighting dogs, Staffordshire bull terriers and the like. They used them to fight, as status symbols, and to intimidate, since they were stupidly aggressive because of all the stuff they’d been put through by their owners. If the police found them, they were usually seized as dangerous dogs and put down, especially the Pitbull breeds, which are illegal in the UK.
Anyway, one day, both the kids were out playing in the garden out back. I was in the kitchen doing the washing up from lunch. I could see the whole garden from where I was standing, so I figured they were both quite safe. Lizzie, who was four at the time, was climbing around on the climbing frame we had, while Bones was playing with our own Border Terrier.
Out of the blue, I heard this scratching and growling noise at the garden fence, and a moment later, this thing came tearing across the grass towards the dog and my son. Our own dog tried to fight it, but being smaller was quickly knocked down (luckily, she wasn’t hurt that bad) and this thing went straight for Bones. I quickly realised that it was one of those Beechdale fighting dogs.
I’d started out of the kitchen, but before I could get outside, the dog was on him. My boy was smart enough to curl up and cover his face with his hands, but this dog was mental. It was biting at his arms, scratching at him, barking; it was bonkers. Add to that both my children screaming and you’ve got a mother’s worst nightmare.
I ran outside and over to them. My only thought was getting that dog off my son. I grabbed at its neck, but there was no collar, and I couldn’t get a grip on it. Bones was still screaming at me to get it off him, while our own dog, now back on its paws, was barking up a storm and trying to get back in on the fight.
In the end, I somehow managed to grab the dog under its stomach and lift it up wholesale. It didn’t like that, and quickly turned on me. It fastened its jaws around my arm and stayed there. But it was off of Bones. That was what mattered.
After that, my own survival instinct kicked it. I swung the dog around, smacked it on the nose, around its head, on its side and eventually, it let go. I managed to grab a hold of it and hauled it across the yard towards the kids’ playhouse. I threw it in there and locked the door behind it. Believe it or not, even then, it was still going mental.
Fortunately, Bones was alright, although he was scared stiff for a good long time, as was Lizzie. I on the other hand, was quite badly cut up. Flailing about as I had with the dog fasted on had torn my forearm up something fierce. I was bleeding pretty badly and ended up having to call the paramedics. The dog had torn a tendon or two, so I had limited motion in the arm.
But both my kids (and dog) were alright. Even today, I don’t really remember feeling any pain or being scared. If anything I was angry. Bones once told me that he remembers that I was screaming so loudly that he could barely hear the dog.
After some surgery I was more or less mended. My left arm still plays up occasionally. But more importantly, I have a large scar, two scars actually, from where the dog fasted its jaws on me.
Finishing my short story, I rolled up my sleeve to show Cadence. The scars are pretty faded now, but you can tell that once there was some pretty major damage.
“That’s a mother’s love right there, Cadence,” I said. “When the RSPCA; that’s the animal control people by the way, when they turned up, they collared the dog and brought it out. It was still barking up a storm. But when they brought it near me, I stared at it, and it went completely quiet, tucked its tail under its legs and everything. Because it knew that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my kids.”
Cadence had been listening with rapt attention. Clearly she was surprised that the middle aged 5’0 schoolteacher had once gone completely postal, squared off with a fighting dog and won.
“Honestly, Cadence,” I went on. “Half of everything you need is already in there.” I tapped at my head. “Not everything is going to click at first. But the important stuff, the love, it’s hardwired into us. So don’t you worry; if you can manage an out of time empire, you can carry and raise a foal.”
Cadence looked across at me, smiling, and now looking far more relaxed that she had before.
“Thanks for the pep talk, Margaret,” she said after a moment. “I guess I just needed somepony to give me a confidence boost.”
“Come back and hunt me up when you get to the teenager years, you’re in for a real treat then.” I joked. The two of us laughed.
Cadence stayed a little while longer before Shining came to check on her. We chatted about my own experiences; things to expect as time passed, things to go for and things to avoid, and a general chat about all I’d been through on two separate occasions. After all, the next nine months could potentially be one hell of a roller-coaster.
After that, both prince and princess departed back to the train station, bound for home. And I was left with some time to reflect.
Talking with Cadence had brought back a lot of old memories, some good, and some not so good. I was an old hand really. I’d been through the ringer twice and done pretty well by it. And now, I was at the other end. Both my children have flown the nest, and the house is quiet.
In all honesty, that’s the hardest part of being a parent. You know you have to, but you don’t want to let them go. I suppose I’m lucky that they’re still living in my neck of the woods. It has been quite hard. Until we came to Equestria, the kids had both been a pretty permanent fixture in my life. Okay, yes they were both getting ready to fly the coop, but it was still a ways off. Bones had just finished university, and Lizzie was getting ready to start. But when we all found ourselves here, Bones took to staying with the Apples’, and Lizzie with Fluttershy. All at once, it was just me and Roger. And before long, he too was out most of the day at his job in Canterlot.
That left me alone, in an empty house. I thank God that I found that teaching job, or I don’t know what I might have done. Yes, Equestria is a land of sunshine and rainbows, but you can still get lonely given the chance.
I suppose that’s why I’ve gone back to teaching, in a way. It’s a means of filling the void left by my own children’s leaving. I’ve now got twenty odd to look after, and when they get older, there’ll be more just like them. Otherwise, I think, I’d feel pretty lost, purposeless even. Raising kids and looking after them is what I do. If I were a pony, it would be my cutie mark, like Milano’s.
Now that I thought about it. I hadn’t had a chance to talk with Milano since that little shopping trip we went on. Maybe next week I could hunt her up.
The following weekend, I had some free time on my hands, so I went to drop by Milano’s to invite her over for a coffee. She was more than glad of a little break from Button, who we left contentedly perfecting his combo techniques in some fighting game he had. Honestly, one of these days, I’m going to ask Discord to snap up a modern Xbox or PS4 and watch his tiny little mind crash. Milano promised to visit me some time in the afternoon, once she’d got all the washing done and hanging out on the line.
She was true to her word of course, and at about four in the afternoon, there was a knock at the front door. Opening it, I let Milano in and the two of us settled ourselves down on the sofa and began to natter as we always do.
We chatted about the usual odds and ends, rumours going around town, what Twilight and her friends had been up to recently, and anything interesting that had been happening in our lives. It’s amazing how, despite living in such a small town, so much happens in a small space of time. Of course, that can be just as much a disadvantage, as Spoiled Rich was finding out; Rarity, Roseluck, and the rest of the rumour mill were still telling and retelling the story of both her daughter calling her out on her behaviour in front of everypony, and her subsequent removal from the schools board of governors. Eventually, the conversation turned to our own offspring.
“Say what you like about Button,” Milano was saying. “But I know for a fact that I raised him a whole lot better than Spoiled Rich ever raised Diamond.” I nodded in agreement.
“I think it didn’t help that Filthy never really stood up to her either. Don’t get me wrong, he wasn’t half as mean as his wife, but if he’d just set some boundaries, the filly might have turned out alright from the get go.”
“Hmm, I can’t really see Filthy standing up to either of them though.” Milano replied, chuckling a little. “That poor stallion’s definitely a kept poodle.” I laughed myself.
“That he is,” I agreed. “Poor fellow.”
“Oh come on now,” Milano chided. “You’ve got yours on just as much a leash.”
“I do not!” I countered. Okay I may nag him a little but…Milano cut off my thought.
“For goodness sake, he can’t even pick lunch from Sugarcube Corner on his own.” I smiled at that, since it was true. Back on Earth, if we drove into an empty car park, he really had to think about which space to go in.
“That’s more his mother’s influence than mine,” I defended. “As much as I might nag, scold and hound him over things, he still wears the trousers. And he is a good father.”
“That is true,” Milano agreed, nodding her head. That brought me back to my earlier train of thought.
“Say, Milano, do you ever think about what you’re going to do when Button’s all grown up?” I asked. My friend paused and leaned back a little in the sofa thinking as she sipped at her tea.
“Sometimes, I suppose,” she replied. “I always figured that, after he and Gibson are both grown up and out the house, I’ll have a bit of time to myself. But I half expect to find myself looking after my grandfoals from time to time. Why do you ask?” I briefly explained.
“I was just thinking today,” I said. “I had Princess Cadance around a few days ago and…” Milano almost choked on her tea.
“You had Princess Cadance over?!” she exclaimed in surprise. “As in the Princess of Love, Ruler of the Crystal Empire, and wife to Captain Shining Armor?” At the mention of the Captain of the Royal Guard, her eyes got all sparkly.
“Yep, she’s dropped by a couple times to see Roger and whatnot,” I explained. “Remember they were in town the other day? Well I brought her here to get away from the crowds, and we got to talking about foals.
“And you see, that got me thinking. Both of mine are all grown up now, and if it wasn’t for teaching, I think I’d be pretty bored most of the time. Looking after kids is what I’m good at; it’s why I became a teacher. And I think you’re somewhat in the same boat. That cutie mark of yours,” I gestured to the mark on her flank. “Shows you’re a natural parent. I just wondered what you were planning on when yours fly the coop.” Milano nodded in understanding and stared thoughtfully into her mug of tea.
“I don’t like thinking about it too much,” she said eventually. “I guess I don’t like the idea of having to let Button go someday. I know I have to, but sometimes it feels as though my whole life is built up around my kids.”
Now, for the uninitiated, let me give you a little tip. When a bloke has a problem, he goes to another bloke and tells them about it. Then, they both work together to try and fix it. With women, and mares, it’s a little different. We just want to vent, we don’t want a solution; we just want a sympathetic ear. It throws a lot of guys off when we get mad at them for trying to help.
“I tell you,” I said. “For the first month or so after we got here, this house felt so damn empty. Things perked up so much after I started working with Cheerilee.” Milano held up a hoof to stop me, and briefly headed into the kitchen. She happens to know where I keep the good stuff.
“Come on then,” she said consolingly. “If we’re both going to lament the inevitable departure of our foals, we might as well enjoy ourselves.” She set down the bottle of red and two glasses, filling both quite generously. I grinned.
“What a good idea,” I agreed.
And so the two of us had a quiet drink, talked, joked, and cackled about all the different things we planned to do with our lives in our later years. Milano apparently wanted to sit down and write a novel. She’d never been able to get around to it though, due to all the time she spent looking after her kids, particularly in keeping Button out of trouble.
As for me, when the time does come to hang up my spurs in teaching, I figured that I might try and give dressmaking another go. I used to be not half bad back when I was a teenager, and I still know my way around a sewing machine. Perhaps I could do some light work for Rarity or something?
Eventually, the two of us, both just a little tipsy and giggly, decided to just sit back and watch something on the projector. By a stroke of luck, some of the DVDs and videos that came through the portal were some of my own.
When Roger got back from Canterlot, he found the two of us cackling away like mad hens and watching Sex in the City.
Quite wisely, he went straight upstairs.
Proofread by Sweetoldbob18.
for the record, the author religiously watches 'Call the Midwife'. And yes, it makes me cry.
This chapter then, is a counterpoint to 'Troubles, Struggles, and Fatherhood'. To make it clear, Margaret isn't going to find out about Roger's past life, so to speak. I just don't think i'm able to write it as a chapter, it would probably have to be its own entire arc and would take up most of the story. We've already had the fighting couples chapter, and I don't really see what opening up a forty year old can of worms would do for either the story or characters.
I've also now started working on my next story 'Adventures in the Weather Patrol'. With any luck, it will be almost ready to go when this story is complete.
Oh, hey, the story's now got 500 views too. 
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Crazed dog trainers should be dealt with by applications of their own dogs. Or lead shot filled sack equivalents.
a super good slice of life chapter. having Cadence in the chapter is a super nice touch.
and I would love to see Discord bring over a Xbox or PS for button as it would so make his day / week / life.
So, once you're done with this and Lizzie with Season 5, will you be moving on to what Bones, Roger, Margeret, and Lizzie were doing during the Season 6 stuff? Will Bones, Roger, Margeret, and Lizzie be at all affected by Starlight's time shenanigans?
Those fighting dogs are terrifying. In the US, the police have standing instructions to shoot them on sight because they're so aggressive and uncontrollable. That's multiple shots to the head; they're known to keep attacking even after being shot several times in the body.
8207229 Lizzie's story is actually going to be set in Season 6. i thought given how we're nearly halfway through Season 7, I ought to do something to catch up, and vary the story line a little. As for the timeline shenanigans, I came up with this explanation a while back:
All the alternate timelines represent what would have happened if Hasbro had said no to another season or cancelled the show before a finale. As such, Bones never got into MLP and the rift never opened. So none of my own characters would actually be present in those timelines.
As for future work, I wasn't planning on doing any more new stories with these characters. I am however, going to rewrite a good chunk of 'My Family and Other Equestrians' after I finish Lizzie's story. At the moment, the start at any rate is just so...terrible.
8207476
8206653 What makes me really sad is that Staffordshire bull terriers used to be known as nursery dogs. They have really good temperaments and can be safely left alone with kids, and will look after them, and even protect them. It's just those stupid chavs that turn them savage, and it ends with what could have been a perfectly lovable family pet taking the long walk when they get caught.
Pregnancy for horses lasts actually 11 months but I can accept Margaret not knowing that and Cadance not feeling the need to correct her. When it comes to Roger's past I would think Margeret would merely ask him to talk about with someone to be able to deal with it.