Creeping up alongside Rising Star, Loch Skimmer watched her mate groom himself in the mirror. He was handsome, tall, and struggling to get his mane to cooperate. Grinning, she walked into the reflection of the mirror, strutting, and showing off what she felt was her best feature—her somewhat rounded stomach. It was sexy, at least she thought so, and she liked looking at it.

“Spring session… ready for this?” Loch Skimmer asked as she checked herself out through narrowed, squinting eyes. She liked what she saw. The prenatal vitamins had done something spectacular to her pelt. She was sleek, shiny, her charcoal grey pelt was almost reflective.

“Canterlot will be different. Maybe this time the session will be mostly peaceful and trouble free. Here’s to hoping.” Rising Star tugged at his comb as he tried to get his forelock to smooth back and stop sticking out. He smiled at the floor to ceiling mirror, revealing his fangs. The scent of sulfur intensified.

“Do you think Sentinel is okay?” Loch Skimmer turned herself around, bumped Rising Star with her backside, and tried to shove him over so she could have more of the mirror for herself. She got a good look at her dock piercing and liked what she saw.

“Sentinel is a tough little guy. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” Rising Star cleared his throat. He had his own reasons for wanting to go to Canterlot. Using his body, he gave Loch Skimmer a little push.

Frowning, Loch Skimmer gave Rising Star a playful slap with her tail, then gave him a pouty, puckered lip stare in the mirror. She was trying to check herself out and make sure that she looked good… for him. Her plot was getting bigger. Reaching back with one front hoof, she poked herself after straining to bend herself in half just a little bit. It was getting harder to do with each passing day.

“Ponyville is getting a dedicated rescue service,” Loch Skimmer said. “I’m going to be a part of them. We’re getting a fire department and Sparkler is really excited. Ponyville has been big enough for a fire department for quite some time now.”

“Do we have any firefighters?” Rising Star bared his teeth as he continued to try and smooth out his unruly mane. It was getting frustrating. He was supposed to look grown up—smooth, suave, and sophisticated.

“Just one, but he’s not here yet. Somepony named… oh bother, what was his name again?” Loch Skimmer turned around once more and faced the mirror. Her muzzle scrunched in concentration. She blinked a few times, concentrating, trying to remember a name. “Something or other Sunstreak… he was the only pony that would take the job with the salary posted. He’s going to establish a firehouse.”

“We don’t have a firehouse,” Rising Star said, now concerned about the situation.

“Well, he’ll be stationed with the police and the rest of the services in the old windmill that now serves as headquarters for the Emergency Rescue Response Team.” Loch Skimmer looked up at Rising Star and shook her head. “Just… stop combing it. That can’t be tamed. Let it be wild.”

“Have either of you seen Ripple?” Sparkler asked as she stuck her head in the door. “I can’t find her anywhere. Where is she?”

“Maybe she’s off rubbing one out somewhere,” Loch Skimmer replied as Sparkler came all of the way into the room. “Maybe she’s just off flying. She’s been worried sick about Sentinel. Or maybe Violet has her working to pay off her debt. Who knows?”

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, some good lookin’ ponies in the mirror.” Sparkler came to a halt beside Loch Skimmer, then smoothed out Loch Skimmer’s tail. “Hey Rising Star, how about we drag this one off to bed and feel her up? I bet she’s real soft and squeezable.”

Sticking out her tongue, Loch Skimmer blew a loud, wet raspberry at Sparkler. Rising Star turned his head to look at the two of them, a wicked, almost feral looking grin upon his face. Sparkler, reaching out with her front hoof, prodded Loch Skimmer’s stomach.

“I just want to rub your belly… it makes me feel good.” Sparkler lowered her head, pressed her face up against the pregnant pegasus’ rounded stomach, and closed her eyes. She stood there, smiling, and only suffered mild spasms from her Shivers.

“I hope Bittersweet is up for translation. I know she’s been nervous, but I need her.” Rising Star took a step closer and pressed up against Loch Skimmer. “She’s been amazing as a school teacher and I’m so proud to know her. She’s becoming such an amazing donkey.”

“She is,” Sparkler agreed.

“She feels inadequate compared to Ripple. She feels a lot of pressure to perform. Ripple is going to be a knight someday. Ripple has this promising future… and poor Bittersweet has been feeling a little down lately.” Loch Skimmer, sandwiched between Rising Star and Sparkler, relaxed and allowed herself to enjoy this intimate moment of contact.

“She told you this?” Sparkler asked.

“I’m getting better at ear language.” Loch Skimmer blushed. “Bittersweet said it was nice to have somepony to talk to.”

“We’re trying.” Rising Star looked at himself in the mirror and began moving his ears, forming the words “We’re trying.” He heaved a sigh and looked down at his wives, not through the mirror, but turning his head so he could actually see them. “If she’s feeling a little down, we need to make sure to lift her up. If one of us stumbles, we all go down.”

“Yeah, I’d rather not have a repeat of what happened last time when Ripple lost her marbles.” For a moment, Loch Skimmer was certain she could still feel the lumps on her skull. “We’re all very motivated individuals. Rising Star… well, just look at him. He’s a celebrity. He’s a famous politician and a smith. He writes poetry on the armor he makes. And you, Sparkler, you founded the Ponyville Police Department. Every day you work to make our community better.”

“So do you.” Sparkler lifted her head and opened her eyes. “I bet Bittersweet does feel a bit inadequate at times. We should go find her and I dunno… do something to make her feel special. Let her know that we appreciate her.”

“Let her know that she’s one fine lookin’ donkey.” Rising Star’s ears perked forwards.

“That she is. Ripple has a fine looking ass.” Sparkler rested her head on Loch Skimmer’s spine.

Loch Skimmer began to snigger as Rising Star rolled his eyes and then gave Sparkler a mock look of disapproval. He shook his head as Loch Skimmer began laughing.

“We don’t call them asses, we call them Asinus Equestrians, you insensitive, horrible fillies.” Rising Star peered down his nose at both Sparkler and Loch Skimmer. “Both of you are awful, just awful.”

Loch Skimmer narrowed her eyes at Rising Star. “So says the smelly unicorn that keeps telling Ripple, ‘I wanna touch your ass!’”

“I prefer the term fey unicorn, thank you very much.” Rising Star allowed his lion-like tail to swish around and he slapped Loch Skimmer on the backside. “Now stop… I want the mother of my foals to be a paragon of virtue.”

Unable to help herself, Loch Skimmer burst out laughing at Rising Star’s words.

Secured within her fortress of plundered sofa cushions, blankets, and pillows, Cadance peered out between the cracks and watched Crisis. She wasn’t quite certain how she felt about Crisis. Part of her didn’t like Crisis, but that felt wrong, and she always felt guilty. Cadance didn’t like feeling guilty. She told her daddy to be a good pony but she wasn’t always a good pony herself, and not liking Crisis, her sibling, was wrong. But Crisis was one of them.

That said, Crisis had also chomped the Horrible, No Good, Awful, Big Bug right in the face. Crisis watched over her siblings. As far as bugs went, Crisis wasn’t so bad. Cadance wanted to be a good pony, she wanted to be nice to Crisis, but Crisis was a bug. Cadance had trouble remembering why she hated them, but she knew that she hated them, and she hated the Horrible, No Good, Awful, Big Bug most of all.

“Monster?” Harper asked, also peering out from between the cushions.

“Dunno,” Cadance replied, not actually knowing if Crisis was a monster or not.

“Rippobottomus?” Harper looked around the room. “We must be watchful.”

“I know.” Cadance nodded her head. Protecting her siblings was serious business. It required fortifications of some kind, a stout heart, and lots of courage. There was danger around every corner… like the Horrible, No Good, Awful, Big Bug.

“When Sukari?” Harper asked in a low whisper. “We low on food. We die soon.” To place emphasis upon just how dire the situation was, Harper rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, all while gagging. “Much dead soon if Sukari no come back.”

“Sukari gone.” Cadance shook her head. “Maybe eaten by a rippobottomus?”

Harper gave her sister a wide-eyed stare of horror and bit down upon her hoof. She then closed her eyes and let out a whimper. “Sukari eaten, turned to farts now. We might be next.”

“We must guard,” Cadance said, flapping her stubby wings. Her alicorn heart pounded in her barrel and she stomped a tiny hoof upon the floor. “Could Crisis help us guard?”

Harper swiveled her head around and peered out of the secured fortress at Crisis, who was currently staring out the window of the living room while her siblings napped in a pile on the floor, on a soft, comfortable quilt. “Crisis?”

“She’s a bug,” Cadance said in a conspiratorial whisper to Harper.

“No she’s not. She’s a pony.” Harper turned to look at Cadance and gave her pink sibling a peculiar, confused stare. “Not bug. Pony. You silly.”

“She bug on inside.”

“Ew.” Harper grimaced. “Harpy zap bugs. But Crisis no bug. Crisis little sister, Mamamama loves her. Harpy keep her safe so Mamamama will forever love Harpy.”

Cadance’s lips pressed together as she took her sister’s words into consideration. Harper had made a compelling point. Mamamama did in fact love Crisis a great deal, and he had cuddled with Crisis’ egg. It was tough to think about.

“Crisis make good guard. We let her in fort.” Harper lifted her head high and peered over the top of the couch cushion. “Sukari still gone. Harpy think she not come back from faraway land of kitchen.”

Sighing, Cadance closed her eyes. She was going to have to do the right thing, even though it was going to be super hard. She was going to have to learn how to love Crisis. Cadance had a lot of love to give, and it wasn’t nice at all not to love something, especially something like Crisis who needed love. Cadance felt ashamed and she desperately wanted a hug.

Whirling about, she grabbed Harper and gave her a fierce squeeze, which caused Harper’s bottom to let out a pealing, squeaky blast. Both sisters, still embracing one another, stared, looking each other in the eye.

“There’s a rippobottomus about,” Harper said in a low, terrified whisper.

“Must you look so sad?” Belisama said to Sukari and she tried to cheer up the zebra filly. “You miss your mother, Thistle, don’t you? Are you missing your daddy?” Belisama, sitting in the kitchen window bench seat, gave the zebra foal a squeeze.

“Miss Sentinel.” Sukari lifted her head and looked out the kitchen window. “Miss Dinky. Miss Piña.” She blinked a few times, heaved a sigh, and then collapsed completely into Belisama’s embrace, almost knocking the griffoness over.

Beak clicking, Belisama struggled to hold up Sukari, who was getting pretty big. She huffed and puffed a bit, found her balance, and then reaching around with her talons, she stroked the zebra filly’s mane, then scratched her ear. Sukari melted and somehow became something heavier than dead weight. With a huff, Belisama toppled over, and Sukari was sprawled out on top of her.

Being a mother was difficult when your offspring were almost as large as you were. Belisama struggled, but then just gave up. She held Sukari, stroking her ears, and the both of them lay on the cushions together, with Sukari looking sad and Belisama looking squished.

Squashed as she was, Belisama still somehow found enough air in her lungs to sing and she began to croon to Sukari, “You're nobirdy 'til somebirdy loves you, you're nobirdy 'til somebirdy cares… you may be king, you may possess the world and it's gold… but gold won't bring you happiness when you're growing old. The world still is the same, you never change it, as sure as the stars shine above… you're nobirdy 'til somebirdy loves you, so find yourself somebirdy to love.”

Closing her eyes, relaxed by song, Sukari yawned. Belisama was soft, fuzzy, and warm. Sukari let out a contented, happy sigh, and then yawned once more. Now was the perfect time for a nap. She snuggled up against Belisama, feeling very safe and secure.

“Um, Sukari… hey… no… you can’t go to sleep… you’re smooshing me…”

Author's Notes:

Why yes, I am trying to kill you.