Welcome to the Family
Whirlwind sat across the table from her mother, her sleek black wings slightly puffed up amid the cool air inside the restaurant. The two engaged in some idle conversation, catching up on day-to-day life as they waited for a special guest to arrive. The younger Pegasus had been speaking about a friend she'd made at her new job, and their recent, impulsive decision to take a trip to the salon together.
"...and that's why I decided to get the pink streak in my mane." Whirlwind said with a small giggle.
"Well, I think it looks good, honey." her mother replied. "Your friend sounds like a very sweet pony."
"She is! She really makes working at the supermarket bearable." The young mare idly swirled the ice in her glass. "So, Mom... tell me about your new friend."
Her mother glanced away briefly, almost seeming to blush.
"Well, Whirly..." she said, a little unsure. "I... think you'll like them a lot. I know I do. I... don't want to pressure you into accepting them or anything, but..."
Whirlwind reached across the table to take her mother's hoof in her own. They shared a gentle smile.
"Mom..." she said, just above a whisper. "It's been five years. Dad would have wanted you to move on and be happy."
The elder mare brushed a strand of her mane away with a wing and looked into her daughter's eyes. She saw so much of him in Whirly, from the blaze on her snout to the way she laughed. Hearing her encouraging words felt, in a way, as though he were also giving her his blessing.
"I'm glad you think so, dear. I appreciate the support. And... yes, I... I'm happy." She fidgeted in her seat, partly out of nerves, partly out of excitement. "This pony I've found... is very special to me. We've been together for about four months now and it's just... so wonderful. I honestly haven't felt this cheerful since your father was here, Whirly--not that you don't brighten my day every time I see you."
Whirlwind chuckled. "That's really sweet, Mom. I'm glad to hear it! I know putting yourself out there again hasn't been easy, but I'm so happy that you've found somepony that makes you feel so good. And I'm so excited to meet them!"
Her mother extended a wing towards her and smiled, thinking both of the good times she'd already had with her new partner, and the new memories she hoped they would forge together with Whirlwind.
"I'm excited too, dear. The two of us have been all over town together on dates, going to dinner or to shows... we even went to Cloudsdale to a Wonderbolt show once! And we've gotten to know each other so well, and I really think... well, if you'd be alright with me saying it... we think we might... want to spend our golden years together."
Her daughter's soft smile shone like the sun through a cloudscape. She pulled her mother close in an embrace and rested their heads together.
"Mom... whatever makes you happy, I'm all for it." She wiped a small tear from the corner of her mother's eye. "And I'm sure Dad would be happy, too."
"Thank you, honey. It means a lot to hear that." Her mother said, straightening herself back up and brushing some feathers into order. "But Whirly, there's one thing I haven't told--"
Suddenly, the door to the restaurant opened with a jingling bell.
"Hey, Gale!" came her partner's voice.
A dark sea-green Pegasus mare, around the same midlife age as Gale herself, trotted towards the table with a smile. Whirlwind's mother stood to greet her with a quick hug before pulling out a seat for her. Whirlwind's eyes and ears perked up as she looked back and forth between the two mares.
"Mom, I... uh... w..."
Gale shot a sidelong glance towards another corner of the room with a tiny, awkward smile.
"Yes, honey, I'm... bi."
"Just like me."
Mother and daughter shared a momentary connection, and as they peered into each other's eyes, they felt their bond strengthen through unspoken shared experience.
"I... never told you because... well, maybe I was having trouble believing it myself. I never loved your father any less for it."
Whirlwind chuckled. "I know, Mom. I could tell what you had was legit."
Her mother put a hoof on the shoulder of their guest. "Whirlwind, this is Seastrand."
"Nice to meet you." said the greenish pony as they shook hooves across the table.
"We met at a yoga class, and she won me over with her sense of humor pretty quickly. After getting coffee together a few times and--heheh, realizing we both like mares, we sort of figured maybe there was something to be had between us."
"Honestly, Whirlwind, your mom is just the greatest pony I've ever met." said Seastrand, leaning her head over with a smile. "I used to be the type who thought love and relationships just weighed you down, but now that I'm older, and especially since I've met Gale... well... I want to be with her forever."
Whirlwind pressed her hooves to her chest, convinced her heart was going to burst. The way the two of them looked at each other reminded her of when her father was still alive. Back then, she thought her parents had the strongest, most unbreakable love on the planet... and now, she could see that same type of love between these two mares.
The lovers shared a chaste peck on the snout before turning back to Whirlwind.
"Honey," said Gale "I don't want to rush you or anything. I know these kinds of changes take time. But I invited Seastrand here because I thought you were ready... and because you both mean so much to me, I wanted you to meet."
"I know I'll never be your dad," added Seastrand "and I don't expect you to see me that way. For that matter, I'll never be your mom, either. But your mom and I make each other really, really happy, so I hope you'll give me a chance."
Whirlwind flicked away a small tear with her wing. She looked at her mother, then at her new partner, then smiled.
"Welcome to the family."