https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/41114888/#41126609

>Your need for sleep was constant
>Yet the night’s provision of it was inconsistent at best, non-existent at worst
>Both of these facts of life had become more pronounced of late
>Ever since you and Dash had been, somehow, by something smiling down on you, provided with two little bundles of joy of your own
>Neither of you knew how or why at the time
>All you knew is that it shouldn't have been possible
>Every test that had been done, both medical and magical, had said you had a zero percent chance of having kids
>Well, except for Candyass, she had always clung to the far-fetched hope of it being a non-zero chance
>Both of you had made peace with that idea
>Dash always seemed to be too high speed to slow down for married life, let alone kids, but you'd still gotten a ring on her, and it'd been the happiest day of your life
>It took about a year, but you came to terms with dying happily in Equestria, sealing your life with hers a few years later simply made that happiness assured
>Then came the sickness with Dash
>Then the mood swings
>Then the weight
>Then the news
>Twins
>Neither of you could believe it
>Nor could you believe how happy, and how scared it made you
>But all your fears were put aside when the birth had happened, and you heard two tiny voices crying out
>They were more perfect than either of you could imagine
>Cyan coats like their mom
>Your daughter Slip Stream, was a brighter hue than her mom, and had streaks of violet, pink and purple in her mane
>Your son, Cloud Breaker, was a darker hue, and had black hair, a gift from his grandmother on Dash's mother's side
>Both with wine coloured eyes, again, like their mom
>There wasn't a hint of you in either of them, and you were alright with that, you always thought you were more than enough human for someplace like Equestria anyway
>At least, that was what you thought, until they started teething, and teeny tiny canines were found
>The first ever omnivorous ponies
>You and Dash were proud of every single detail of them, but somehow she was more proud of that aspect than even you were
>Speaking of the terrible twosome, you could hear them beginning to stir
>Which meant you had to get up from under the pile
>A grumble beside you alerted you that Dash was awake too, as she shifted back and forth to get comfortable and try to get some sleep again
>"Anon," she said groggily, "your kids are awake." You chuckled at that as she shifted enough to bump the nest the four of you were in
>You'd read all you could and more on pegasi pregnancy when you found out Dash was expecting
>And despite all her jokingly calling you an egghead, you knew she appreciated it every time you got a food craving right, or when you'd readjusted the nest again to suit her
>Normally pegasi kids need to be around the mom 24/7 for about a year while they grow, as they're naturally born as the smallest babies out of the three races
>But every night at the start of it all, something seemed off

>Until you ventured to put a hand in to the nest, and they clung to it so tightly
>You don't know why, but when you felt those tiny bodies hugging your hand, you found yourself crying
>After that, not a night went by when your oversized body wasn't cramped into the nest
>Of course you quickly expanded it to suit you too, and Dash immediately took to gloating to anyone who'd listen that she owned the biggest nest in Equestria
>It was adorable
"Why are they always my kids when they're waking me up, but your kids when they do something cool?"
>You used the term "cool" there loosely, as she seemed to gloat about everything the kid's did, barring how they woke her up, but you were rather certain she'd find a way to be proud of that too
>"Uh, cause I'm the cool parent, and you're the responsible one? I don't make the rules, 'Non"
>You simply hummed in response, then sighed as you heard the kids stir once more, and accepted your fate, that sleep was officially off the menu
>Sitting up with a groan you lightly cracked your back and looked down to you lap
>The two of them could have fit in your palm when they were born, now, not even a year old they were closer to being the size that was more typical for earth pony and unicorn foals
>Born small, but grow fast, that's what Twilight had said anyway
>Seemingly aware that you were awake, the two nuzzled deeper into your lap, as Rainbow's hindlegs and tail were wrapped protectively around them
>You gently scooped the two up and laid down again as you brought them up to your chest
>Dash, despite her previous words, immediately rolled over and put her head on your chest next to them, her eyes still closed, pretending to be asleep
>You leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her snoot, making it scrunch adorably before she let out a light airy chuckle
>Still with her eyes closed, she spoke "Mom and dad are planning to come by today, by the way"
"Again?" You asked
>"Again..." She said with a sigh, before chuckling. "Celestia, I got out of the house so quick as a kid, now it's like I'm living with them again."
>Her words brought a smile your lips as well, a smile that, as you looked down at your kids, fell, and you felt a wave of sadness hit you
>One you hadn't felt in a long, long time
>Ponies are highly sensitive to shifts in mood in those they're close to, especially ones they're married too, so Dash's eyes all but snapped open to look at you
>"Anon? What's wrong?" She asked in that voice
>You didn't like that voice, the voice that said a million things, the voice that said she was worried about you
>She didn't deserve to have to use that voice, she'd given you so much so quickly, more than life had ever given you
>You wanted to simply shake off the cobwebs that slowly stuck to your heart, slap a smile on your face, tell her everything was perfect, and go back to sleep with your kids
>But you couldn't shake this feeling
>Not this time
"They're never gonna meet their grandparents... are they?"

>It was a rhetorical question, but you struggled to ask it anyway, each word a herculean task
>All it took Rainbow was one look at you to know you weren't talking about Windy or Bow
>She didn't say anything, she simply moved herself up, and buried her face in the crook of your neck as she brought a hoof around the kids to hug them closer to you
>A silent message
>She's right here, and so are they
>And they're not going anywhere
>You didn't cry much, but this was enough to make tears prick the corners of your eyes
>"You never really ever talked about your home." Dash spoke in a low whisper, but it came to you crystal clear
"There wasn't a lot worth talking about." You whispered back. "Not a lot to be proud of."
>"You ever miss it?"
"Never. Here's a million times better and more."
>The two of you went quiet, normally that was about the extent of what you'd say in terms of humanity and earth, and you'd be content to leave it there, and overtime, the girls learned to be content with that too
>But as you felt a shudder run through Dash, you knew that today, she wouldn't be
>"What if Twilight could bring them here?"
"Don't- don't, Dash."
>"But-"
>Bringing a hand up to her mane, you wove your fingers through the rainbow mane as you opened your eyes again, to stare into her own pink ones
"Humanity..." You were never sure where to begin with who and where you came from, but you tried "Humanity is... evil. But not in a way that the Elements could fix. But humans? Aren't. At least, they're mostly not evil. Celestia knows I wasn't a saint when I came here, but this place made me better. And sure, maybe this place could make every human better. Or maybe most humans wouldn't bother changing, and would make this place worse. It's for the best that there's only me. There's not much one human can do"
>"Well, I think you've done a pretty great job so far."
>To emphasize her point, she brought the kids a little closer to you, and it brought a smile to your face
>"But seriously, we could talk to Twilight, maybe she could-"
"Dash." Your voices were still a whisper as you put a finger to her lips. "This isn't what I want to hear right now.
>Her eyes flitted across your face briefly, before she softly asked "What do you want to hear?"
>You let your head lean back again as you let out a sigh that eases the weight from your chest
"Say that it doesn't matter." You begin. "That what we have here is enough. That I know enough about them, remember enough, that I can tell them stories about them for years. Stories so real and so sweet, so that it'll be like they've both known my parents their whole life. Stories so real that, for a little while at least, though they'll never meet them, they'll think of my parents as their grandparents, the same way they see yours."
>"Anon..."
"Will you say it?"
>Her head tilted at you, confused

"Come on." You said, with a tired smile. "Humour your lame, egghead husband"
>A snicker left her lips before she sighed tiredly as she adjusted herself on top of you.
>"Alright. Anon, it doesn't matter. What we have here is enough. I'm sure you know enough about them, remember enough, that you can tell Slip Stream stories about her grandma, and Cloud Breaker about his grandad for years. Stories so... um..."
"Stories so real."
>That earned you a light hoof to the chest and another snicker
>"Stories so real, egghead, that it'll be like they've both known your parents their whole life.... And then... something something they'll see your parents the same way they see mine."
>It was your turn to laugh as you hugged her closer
"Come on, you didn't even try with that last bit"
>"I'm tired and you said a lot of words, give me a break. I'm awesome, but not that awesome."
"Said the mare who can quote whole Daring Do books verbatim."
>The two of you fell into a small mess of laughter of cuddles after that, your kids now fully awake and looking curiously at you two, thankfully not crying
>As your laughter settled and she nuzzled herself back into your neck, you felt her breath come softly and slowly from her muzzle as she calmed
>"That felt almost like you'd practiced it." She said, absentmindedly
"It wasn't practiced, no." You replied. "But it's just something I've been repeating in my head recently."
>"Why?"
"I guess, despite everything I didn't like about my old world, they were one good bit to remember."
>"Why did you want me to say it though?"
>You peppered her lightly with kisses before resting your lips beside her ear
"Cause everything sounds better when you say it."
>"That's not true." She said, rolling her eyes
"Oh yeah?" You challenged. "I love you."
>A smirk crawled its way onto her lips as she brought her head back to rest on your chest. "I love you too."
"See? Everything."
>Another laugh from her was interrupted by the whine of the twins
>With a sigh, she tilted herself on her side "Alright, alright, come here you two." She said as she guided the two of them to her teats
>She let out a small gasp as the two latched on
>"We need to get off our lazy butts and get some bottles soon before these teeth start to hurt"
"I'm going to the market today, I'll put it on the list." You said tiredly as you let your head rest back in the nest.
>"Hey!" Rainbow said, as she jolted your eyes open with a firm hoof jab to your chest. "Up and at 'em big guy. If I have to be awake, so do you."
"God, I love it when you're cranky~" You teased as you slowly pulled yourself up
>She let out an offended scoff at your words. "I'm not cranky! I'm just... commanding, impressive, like a Wonderbolt Captain."
"Sure, Dash, sure." You teased as you slowly pulled yourself out of the nest
>Leaning down, you gently kissed the tops of the twins' heads and then kissed Rainbow fully, lingering there for longer than you should have before pulling away
"See you on the ground?"

>"Please, I'll probably arrive at the market before you."
>You chuckle at her ever competitive nature as you lazily move through the house, preparing yourself a quick breakfast, and Dash a fuller one to enjoy when she was done feeding
>After the quick bite of food you went through the house picking what you'd need for a day on the town, as going to the market meant bumping into Applejack which always meant at least an hour's worth of conversation
>Which was more than enough time for Pinkie to blitz in out of nowhere, which meant a few more hours of conversation that would lead you all across town, which would mean picking up the rest of the girls
>Before slowly evolving into your family of four spending a full day with the five of them
>Though the number would likely end up being seven, since Bow and Windy were gonna be turning up today, according to Rainbow
>You heard the slow flap of wings as Rainbow made her way over to her breakfast, the kids on her back as you were putting away the last of what the kids would need in your bag
>And as you were putting your shoes on, you held out your arms and the kids were briefly deposited in your grasp as a rainbow blur whizzed through the house
>By the time your second shoe was on, you held the kids up and Rainbow plucked them off you and put them on her back, before putting a kiss on your cheek and heading out the door
>A smile graced your lips as the thoughts of the morning slowly faded and, with a small hop, you fell about a foot off of the threshold of you and Rainbow's house
>It was a mix of cloud and brick architecture, to suit both your needs
>With a happy sigh, you went into a jog to chase after the small rainbow coloured speck in the distance