Playing House

v

"Mama! Wake up!"

Even though her eyes didn't want to open, a smile still found its way to Fluttershy's mouth. It always did when she heard that sweet little voice.

"Mama! Come on, you gotta wake up!"

Fluttershy didn't open her eyes, but she smiled wider. "Oh? I do?"

"Yes! It's Mother's Day, you can't sleep in today!"

Fluttershy playfully turned away. "I don't know, that seems like a good reason to sleep in if you ask me."

She heard the sound of someone climbing on the bed, then felt two little hands shake her shoulder. "No! Me and Mom made you a surprise!"

"A surprise?" Fluttershy opened one eye and turned towards her daughter. "What kind of a surprise?"

Sky Shimmer looked towards the door. "I'm not supposed to say. You gotta see it."

"Oh, well in that case..." Fluttershy grabbed her daughter in a hug and rolled over, holding her like a teddy bear. "I'll have to see after I get a bit more sleep!"

"Mama, no!" Sky said through her laughter. "You can't go back to sleep!"

Fluttershy pretended to snore, which made Sky giggle more.

"What's going on in here?" Sunset asked from across the room.

"Mama won't get up, she's pretending to sleep."

"Pretending pretty poorly, too." Although she kept her eyes closed, Fluttershy felt the bed move as Sunset sat on it. "I'm the only one who snores in this family."

"Mom! Help me get Mama up!" Sky struggled to get away from Fluttershy's hug, but she couldn't break free.

"Help you?" Sunset asked. "Oh, I think you've got the wrong idea."

Sunset flopped on top of both of them, and even Fluttershy couldn't keep herself from laughing out loud.

"It's Mother's Day, which means us mommies have to team up against daughters like you!" Sunset used her position to start tickling Sky, who did her best to wriggle away.

"Make sure you get her behind the knees," Fluttershy said without opening her eyes. "That's her weak spot."

"Mama! You're supposed to help me!"

Fluttershy finally opened both eyes to look at Sunset and Sky. Sunset let up in her attack at sight of Fluttershy waking up, giving Sky a chance to catch her breath. It gave Fluttershy a chance, too.

"Who said I'm not helping?" Fluttershy lunged at Sunset, tickling her behind the knee. That was more than just Sky's weak point, after all.

"Fluttershy!" Sunset managed through her laughter. She only barely got the one word out, and couldn't manage any others.

Sky joined in, helping Fluttershy tickle Sunset. She was much bigger than either of them, and her attempts at squirming away proved much more successful. Still, she only managed to corner herself between the bed frame and the wall.

"Okay! Okay! I give up, you win!"

Fluttershy and Sky both grinned proudly at their victory.

"What am I going to do with you two?" Sunset asked.

"Hmm... You could get rid of us," Fluttershy suggested.

"Nah, I don't like that idea."

"Oh. Well then, I guess you'll have to love us unconditionally then."

"I think I can manage that." Sunset beamed at both of them, then took note of how dishevelled Sky had gotten. "Come here, you."

Sunset pulled Sky over to her and smoothed out her hair. It looked like it had been tied up somehow before, but that had come undone. Sky sat patiently as her mom worked out the now tangled mess of pale yellow and pink.

"I had it all braided before you decided to make a mess of her," Sunset teased as she worked.

"Oh? Was I the one that started tickling?" Fluttershy countered.

"I don't like it this long," Sky said. She frowned, but she didn't try to get away. She was far too well-behaved for that.

"No?" Fluttershy said as she brushed a strand behind Sky's ear, revealing more of her golden eyes and pretty baby blue face. "I guess we could always cut it all off."

"No!" Sky said, pulling away just a little. "Not all of it!"

Fluttershy laughed. "How would you want it then?"

Sky thought for a minute, then pointed just a little above her shoulder. "This long."

"That's pretty short, Sky," Sunset said as she finished untangling it. "You're lucky to have nice long hair like your mama."

Sky pouted. "I guess..."

"If you don't like it long, we can try cutting it short," Fluttershy said. "It's only hair, it'll always grow back."

Sunset nodded. "Yeah, of course."

That brought the smile back to Sky's face. Even though they'd picked out the name before she was born, Sunset always said her smile was the reason they named her Sky Shimmer, since it shone like a sunrise.

"Now then," Fluttershy said. "What's this I hear about a surprise?"

"Oh!" Sky shot up. "We made breakfast!"

"Aww, you two didn't have to do that," Fluttershy said.

"Sure, but we wanted to do something nice for you," Sunset said.

"What about you though?" Fluttershy asked. "You deserve to be treated on Mother's Day, too."

Sunset grinned. "Well, if you wanna keep that in mind around dinner time..."

Fluttershy laughed and threw a pillow at her.

Sky took hold of one of each of their hands and tried to pull them away. "Come on! Before it gets cold!"

Fluttershy giggled. "Okay, okay. Let's go."

They both kept hold of Sky's hands as they climbed off the bed, letting her lead them out into the living room.

"You know," Sunset said quietly as they walked, her tone much darker than it had been. "This can't last forever."

Fluttershy frowned. "I don't want to leave."

"Fluttershy, you need to wake –"

"I don't want to."

They all stopped in place as Sunset frowned. She let go of Sky's hand and slowly drifted away from them. "Shy... I need you... Please, please wake up..."

"Mama?"

Fluttershy pulled Sky closer, wrapping both arms around her.

Sky rested her head against Fluttershy's stomach. "Mama, I'm scared..."

"Shh, everything will be okay." Fluttershy stroked her daughter's hair. Sunset was still talking, she was pleading for Fluttershy to wake up. Didn't she understand? Didn't she see how much better things were this way?

"Don't leave me, Mama..."

"Never."

Sunset's words grew more and more distant. Fluttershy loved Sunset, she loved her with all her heart. But it was Sky who needed her more than anything, and Fluttershy was never going to let her go.