//------------------------------//
// 5 Making Ends Meet 
// Story: Alternate Beginnings: Year Two 
// by Doug Graves 
//------------------------------//

February 8th, 994

Doug wakes to the sun, as he does most every day. He softly moans, his sore back letting him know that carrying Rainbow and Scootaloo around was probably not the best idea. He gets up, careful not to disturb the sleeping mares next to him, and moves to the bathroom. He stretches his back before quietly washing up, making his exit from the bedroom. He dons his coat and boots before heading into the foal's room. They are all sleeping peacefully, snuggling next to each other.

Doug pauses, smiling at the sight before moving forward. He grabs a blanket and extracts Sweetie Belle from the clutches of her sisters. She stirs but doesn't awaken as Doug wraps her up. He moves out to the main door, donning his gloves and backpack and heading outside.

The cold wind bites into Doug as he starts jogging towards Ponyville. Sweetie Belle wriggles in his arms, her large eyes looking up to see what her sire is doing. She calms down as he pets her mane, the two continuing to Sugarcube Corner. Once he arrives Doug opens the door, saying to Pinkie Pie, "Morning, Pinkie! How's it going?"

Pinkie Pie pronks over, nuzzling Sweetie Belle while she answers, "Moving along, little human. What can I do you for?"

Sweetie Belle wakes up at the nuzzling, playfully swinging her hooves around. Doug hands her to Pinkie Pie before moving over to the counter. Pinkie Pie plays with the foal as Doug says, "Let's see. I'll take a dozen fruit mix cupcakes, the Celestia mane donuts, and five pounds of the trail nut mix. Also a gallon of orange juice, coffee, and a glass of pear juice plus a treat for Sweetie. Everything packaged to go but the pear juice, and make a split for Rarity."

Pinkie gives the foal a kiss goodbye before hopping to the counter and packaging the various orders. She scribbles on the various packages before helping Doug pack his backpack. She hesitates as Doug picks up Sweetie Belle, tentatively asking, "Um, Doug? I, uh, I wanted to ask you about, well, ifIcouldgoonadatewithyou?" She smiles up at him, her tail wagging from side to side.

Doug's hand moves to his chin, scratching his stubble. Pinkie Pie starts fidgeting, looking more and more nervous, as Doug looks up at the ceiling, trying to keep the smile off his face. He breaks before Pinkie, giving her a wink and saying, "I would like that, Pinkie, it's been fun having you around. When were you thinking?"

Pinkie's hair poofs from its half deflated state back to normal as she breaks into a smile, "Oh goodie! How about next week, two days after Wrap Up finishes?"

"Sounds good to me. Well, I need to get back with breakfast, you know how Rainbow can get. I'll see you around!" Doug waves to Pinkie as he hoists his backpack, picking up Sweetie Belle and wrapping her in her blanket and walking out the door. 

Pinkie waves back, breathing a sigh of relief as she mutters to herself, "I'll need to find a way to get him back for that, he totally had me worried!"

Doug walks towards the Carousel Boutique, waving at a few of the ponies that are out and about. His smile becomes forced when he only gets stares in return. Many of the ponies' eyes move towards Sweetie Belle, their mouths pursing or starting to whisper among themselves. Doug ignores them, moving along the road. He enters the Boutique through the side door and deposits Sweetie Belle in a chair in the kitchen. He places some of the food from Sugarcube Corner on the table as a sleepy Rarity peeks down the stairs.

"Oh, Doug, thank you for bringing her. I didn't want to wake her yesterday, and I missed her so much."

Sweetie Belle goes to leap off her chair but hesitates at seeing the drop. She starts mewling as Doug moves over, picking her up and dropping her on the floor. The foal scampers over to her dam, whining pitifully as Rarity makes her way to the table. Doug packs the rest of the food back into the bag before leaning down to kiss Rarity.

As the kiss ends Rarity says, "Oh, darling, you didn't have to do this. I would have been perfectly happy eating... okay, you are right, I am much happier eating this than some warm oats and cereal. Thank you."

Doug smiles, softly petting Rarity's perfectly coiffed mane. As Rarity smiles up to him he asks, "So, the rest of the herd will be having a discussion on finances, specifically with what to do with the foal's condition. Do you want to be there for the discussion?"

Rarity ponders a moment, wincing as Sweetie Belle latches on, "Well, I do have a lot of work I need to get done today. Anything important or that you think will be particularly contentious?"

Doug shakes his head, "No, I think it'll be pretty straightforward. We might need to do some pretty serious cutbacks, so be prepared for that."

Rarity nods, a frown on her face. "Very well. Are you leaving so soon?"

Doug shrugs the pack onto his back, "Well, you know how the others get when their stomachs rumble. I'll see you later!"

Rarity waves back and lifts one of the cupcakes in her magic. She smiles, taking a delicate bite before spotting the cup of coffee and treat for Sweetie Belle.

Doug steps outside, wincing at the cold air that continues to blow. Unfortunately, there isn't a lot the weather team can do to improve the situation, the overall temperature being determined by Princess Celestia, or at least her weather advisers. The most Doug as weather scheduler can do is keep the clouds from accumulating for too long around the town, but even then most ponies prefer the white winter look and tolerate the clouds necessary for the snow. He might need to look into-

A pink coated earth pony mare with a purple mane moves in front of Doug, breaking his concentration and bringing him to a stop. Doug looks at the mare; she isn't one he recognizes from the party but he might have seen her before during his walks through town. The mare does not look particularly pleased to be dealing with him, and Doug asks, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," the mare replies, "I want you to keep your magic-less spawn away from my herd!" The earth pony motions back, a brown stallion with a charcoal mane and her foal, similarly colored to the mare but lighter with a white streak through the center of her mane. "They'll steal the magic from honest foals and I will not put my fillies at that kind of risk!"

Doug manages to stop his eyes from rolling out of his skull, replying, "I don't know where you got that from, but that's not how it works. We'll be holding a meeting later today at three, at the town center, to let everypony know what happened and what Doctor Horse expects to happen in the future."

"Look, I don't care what some fancy unicorn says. You keep your foals away from mine or I will!"

"I'm done here," Doug flatly replies, briskly walking down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"You'll regret this!" the earth pony cries, returning to her foal. She and her foal stick their noses in the air and turn around, walking back towards their house.

Doug sighs as he continues his walk back to the farmhouse, the spring lost from his step. He trudges along, noticing the weather ponies in the air already beginning to accumulate enough clouds for the morning snow flurries. He starts walking quicker, knowing he will need to rush home to keep from getting snowed on. He also is a little behind on his weather scheduling, having taken the time off to be at the hospital and not getting much work done yesterday. 

Despite his efforts, the snow starts early again, dusting Doug as he makes his way into the farmhouse. He shakes himself off before removing his winter garb, stowing it in the closet. Doug hears the sound of ponies moving about in the kitchen; he grabs his pack and moves to the dining room, calling out, "Soup's on!"

Big Mac and Granny Smith walk out of the kitchen, sitting down in their chairs as Doug places the cupcakes and donuts around the table. He walks into the kitchen, putting the mix away in the pantry before pouring glasses of apple and orange juice. He places the tray of glasses on the dining room table before heading to the master bedroom.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash are cuddling together, Fluttershy next to them. Doug wakes Fluttershy by softly petting her mane; as the mare slowly comes to, he holds his finger to his mouth. Fluttershy realizes what is going on as he winks at her, carefully getting out of the bed. Doug leans over, kissing first Applejack and then Rainbow before moving to the doorway with Fluttershy. The pegasus suppresses a laugh, smiling as the two slowly wake up.

Rainbow licks her lips as Applejack smiles, both mares stirring as they wake up. They move closer to each other, their kisses slowly becoming more passionate. Doug stifles a laugh as each of their eyes open, realization coming over their faces. Applejack looks over, glaring at Doug, "Consarn it, Ah thought Ah told you to stop doing that!"

Rainbow flies out of bed, kicking the sheets over Applejack. A mean look comes over her face as she moves towards Doug. He calmly says, "Cupcakes and donuts are on the table; we can wrestle if you want, but Big Mac and Granny Smith are already digging in."

A look of horror comes over Rainbow's face as she pushes past Doug, flying towards the kitchen. He laughs at Rainbow's antics as Applejack makes her way out of bed, trying to untangle herself from the sheets Rainbow tossed over her. He moves over, helping her out over her muffled objections. He gives her a kiss as she pouts, still a little upset over his continued pranks, and she says, "You know, one of these days we're going to get you back for this."

Doug nods and smiles, "I know, love, and I look forward to that day. You and Rainbow will make a great pair."

Applejack smiles, then frowns as she realizes the double entendre. She hip checks Doug as they move towards the dining room, threatening, "If they are out of donuts by the time I get there," she waves a hoof at him as they enter. Applejack glares at Rainbow; the mare has a plate containing the remainder of the donuts and is about to devour the first one.

Rainbow gives Applejack a sheepish grin, scratching the back of her mane with her free hoof. "Um, hey Applejack! I saved you some donuts! You know, just to make sure that nopony else took them."

Applejack smiles at Rainbow, "It's okay, Rainbow, Doug was just saying how we make a great pair. Thank you kindly."

Rainbow smiles at Applejack before her face gets the same frown Applejack had. "Hey, wait a minute." Doug laughs as Rainbow looks at the ceiling. A scowl flickers across her face before she smiles seductively. She starts eating the donuts she is sharing with Applejack, leaning in closely to her lead, "It's okay, I'll go for you if it keeps getting us donuts like this." She glances over to Doug, "What's the occasion?"

Doug frowns, "Well, I wanted to wait until after breakfast before I go over the specifics. There is a bit of bad news, I guess, about the foals and their... well, treatment isn't the right word. Observation? The various doctor visits and checkups that they will go through, above that of a normal foal. And, since there are three of them," Doug trails off, unsure of how much he wants to spoil their breakfast.

Applejack shakes her head, "Park your flank over here, mister, that can wait until after breakfast. How was your jog?"

Doug shrugs, "Weather a bit cold for my liking, but it was fine with Sweetie Belle bundled next to me. Rarity and Pinkie were happy to see me, Pinkie especially so."

Applejack raises an eyebrow, "Oh?" as a grin spreads across her face. "Ah sure didn't know she was interested." She quickly looks side to side, her grin becoming more forced.

Doug gives her a deadpan look, "She asked you already, didn't she?"

Applejack gulps, "Well, maybe. Okay, yes she did."

Doug shrugs, "Hey, I think it will work out."

Applejack asks, "Anything else happen at town?"

Doug grimaces, "Nothing important."

Applejack frowns, looking over at Doug as she finishes her breakfast, "Well, when you feel like talking, we're here for ya. Let us know if there's anything we can do to help."

Doug finishes off the last cupcake, then reaches for the envelope that Nurse Redheart gave him when they left the hospital. "So, I read through the paperwork they sent me. Most of it was pretty standard stuff, birth certificates, copies of Doctor Horse's notes, etcetera. However, also included, was this." Doug pulls out a sheet of paper, placing it on the table.

The three gathered mares crowd up, looking at the paper. Applejack whistles, "Who-wee, that's more bits than Ah care to shake a stick at. Can ya break down where they got these numbers from?"

Doug pulls out a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and some of the pages from Nurse Redheart. "So, this number here, that you were looking at, is the total cost of the foal's proposed monitoring and potential treatment plan, including if we need to bring in outside specialists from Canterlot. Next to it is a more bare-bones monitoring plan, using the hospital and doctors from Ponyville. Last is the cost of the hospital visit when you were foaling, and the cost of the various doctor visits from when you all were pregnant."

Fluttershy quietly asks, "So we don't add each number together?"

Doug gives a quiet laugh, "Fortunately, no. We have already paid off the third number - the hospital visits and whatnot. It did eat into our savings."

Rainbow looks up, "Isn't there supposed to be some sort of assistance program for large medical expenses like this?"

Doug grimaces, "Unfortunately, the discount that we, being a solid herd with four or five working members, depending on if I'm counted, have is fairly low and is already included the number here."

Rainbow scoffs, "Whether or not you are counted? What's up with that?"

Doug rolls his eyes, "The paperwork I filled out when we were applying asked how many mares in the herd worked, but I did make a note of my situation. So, the question we need to ask is: how much do we sacrifice for the foals?"

Rainbow gives a loud laugh, saying, "I don't think any of us would hesitate to say, 'As much as it takes,' to that question. Speaking of which, shouldn't Rarity be here for this discussion?"

Doug nods, "I already talked to her; she will be busy at the store today and her thoughts mirror yours so far. Well, I guess we will be going for the specialists then. So, time to talk finances. Applejack, did you have to file taxes or anything like that last year?"

Applejack nods, getting up from the table along with Fluttershy. Applejack returns, placing a folder of papers on the table. "This is from the end of the year; a bit more than the last one." She winks at Rainbow as Fluttershy returns with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. She opens the folder, pulling the main sheet out and placing it in front of Doug. Applejack smiles, looking up while putting a hoof on her chin, "Hmm, yes; quite a bit more than last year. What with you and Granny helping out more. Then Ah added in Rainbow and your income from your weather jobs. Rarity wanted to keep the Boutique separate from the rest of our finances. Fluttershy, Ah haven't seen much from you, but that's okay."

Doug writes the numbers down, looking to Fluttershy who is shying away, a bit of a frown on her face. "That's fine, 'Shy, don't worry about it. Though with the increase in expenses we might need to think about what each of us can do to chip in, or what areas we can cut back on." He grimaces, "Well, Applejack, I know you won't enjoy this, or any of you for that matter, but I can pick up another city or two. It'll increase my hours to about sixty a week, between weather work and the farm."

Applejack frowns, "You're right, Ah don't like that option. Big Mac and Ah already do about as much as we can about the farm, but Ah suppose we might be able to scrounge up a few more lucrative contracts. Fluttershy, would you be okay trying to find those?"

Fluttershy looks unsure as she says, "Oh, um, I suppose I could try."

Rainbow pipes up, "I suppose I could take on a couple extra shifts at work, but it'll probably just be cloud runs. Really cut into my training time too." She frowns as she looks over her body, the disappointment clear on her face that the extra pounds she put on during her pregnancy have not come off yet. "And it'll probably mess with my figure, I need to build for speed, not endurance."

Doug moves over, giving Rainbow a light hug, "I know, and we won't force anypony to do something they don't want to do."

Rainbow returns the hug, "Well, it's not that, I want to help out and all, it'll just delay my return to the Wonderbolts. But I have an obligation to this herd just like all of us, and I'm not going to back out just because it'll take more hard work!"

Applejack smiles, "Hear, hear!"

Doug says, "Well, I think that about wraps up what we can do for extra income, barring whatever Fluttershy can come up with. We can also work on the other side of the equation, reducing expenses."

Rainbow looks over at the breakfast they just finished, "So, no more splurging at Sugarcube Corner? Doug, you didn't have to do this!"

Doug smiles, "Rarity said the same thing, you know. I just wanted to give everypony a last treat before we need to cut back."

Applejack quips, "So, no week long Las Pegasus vacation for the anniversary then?"

Doug laughs as a startled look comes over Rainbow's face. Doug looks over, "Rainbow? What's wrong?"

Rainbow looks from side to side, "Oh, um, I just remembered something. It might be that my parents learned about me being in a herd and having a foal and wanted to come see Scootaloo and me and all of you. I just, kinda, forgot about it until now." She scratches the back of her head, giving an apologetic look around the room.

Applejack responds with a stern look as Fluttershy responds, "Oh, um, my parents might have had the same idea and they want to meet Doug as well."

Doug rolls his eyes as Applejack responds, "So, ya think Rarity's parents will be looking to visit as well?"

Rainbow shrugs, "I could zip over there and ask her if you want. I thought they were always pretty busy though, lots of traveling and stuff. It's been a while since I've seen them, but I think that they are due back pretty soon. I would have thought they would be more interested in what's going on with her."

Doug looks at Rainbow, "So, what day will your parents be here?"

Rainbow responds, "They didn't say, but probably a couple days, maybe a week after Winter Wrap Up. They know we never finish on time; I may have complained to them once or twice about how the plant team can't get their act together."

Applejack rolls her eyes, "Well, maybe if the weather team could get on the same hoof as the rest of us we wouldn't be trying to push that slush around. It just gets everywhere, you can't contain it like snow!"

Doug moves in between before his two mares can get more heated, "Girls, let's save the complaining for your team leaders, alright? Though it might not be a bad idea to take some notes about what should be done." Doug looks to Fluttershy, "So, when would your parents be here? Please don't say a week after Wrap Up is done."

Fluttershy looks sheepishly at the ground, "Um. Okay."

Doug gives her a flat stare, "It is a week after Wrap Up, isn't it?"

Fluttershy pauses before giving a slow nod.

Doug sighs, settling back into the couch. "Well, looks like I'll be busy that day. So, who's up for some games?"