Having rejoined everypony at the party, Scootaloo just could not rid of the smile on her face, even if she couldn’t really tell her two Cutie Mark Crusader sisters about why she had it. She was just about to trot over and grab some more warm cider, when something caught her eye. Off sitting alone for a moment, she spotted her former elementary teacher Miss Cheerilee, taking a break to get off her hooves. That wasn’t the unusual thing. After all, she was very close to giving birth to a foal.
What caught her eye was the wince, the slight tension she saw. Her past six months working hoof-in-hoof with Chief Rescue and EMT Ice had been paying off. Her eyes narrowed some and she turned, trotting over.
“Miss Cheerilee, are you okay?”
The light purple mare peered up from where she was resting, attempting to force a smile, and nodded.
“Oh, yes, Scootaloo. I just…” her face winced again in show of some pain.
Smaller-than-average wings spread out as the orange filly watched then her eyes again narrowed. 'Training, observation, and intuition', was what the Chief said made a good paramedic, and she was putting it all to use now.
“You just had a contraction, didn’t you,” not a question, more of a statement from the Pegasus filly.
Eyes going a bit wider with worry the older mare gave a soft nod. “I... I think so, yes.”
No panic set in, rather Scootaloo looked around, then gave a nod. “Stay here, relax, and breathe, okay? I will be right back with help.”
A few around them had taken note now. Scootaloo looked up at Big Macintosh, who was suddenly there and looking very worried. “Stay here, keep her calm.”
Spinning around, she made for where she knew the Chief and Ice were talking with some of the others in the squad. Finding a group of them standing there, including little Yellow Tip and Pound Cake, gesturing to the huge dark brown stallion.
“Chief, we have a situation,” this made many ears lift among the ones gathered. Scootaloo had proven herself to be the kind of pony not prone to exaggerate things. So, when she said something, it was worth a listen.
Rescue gave a nod. “Report.”
She looked over at the gathering around where the pregnant mare was laying down. “Cheerilee has gone into labor,” looking up right into the emerald eyes of the Chief.
He chewed on his lip for a moment before he gave a nod. “Ice, go break out the boxes. Yellow Tip, Pound, go with her. I need the red box, brown box and blue box.”
He then turned his head, not even bothering to see if they left, he knew they would. “Bull, go find Ailan and Thunderlane. Perhaps Rainbow, too. Let's have them assess if they can do a airlift.”
The unicorn grunted and turned, trotting off. Turning his head Rescue looked at Crash. “Go find the Princess, alert her, then find Applejack and have her gather her friends. Tell the Princess we need a room, clean, and with sheets that can be thrown out on the bed."
The cocky unicorn gave a nod of his head and spun taking off to do as bid. Now, Rescue turned back to Scootaloo and gave a nod. “Find Diamond, tell her what is going on. I want her to grab the rest of her team, along with Yellow Tip’s team, and start digging out squad one. Tell four, earth ponies and pegasi only, to go see how far down the road they can get and how deep the snow is. Make it very clear no one should go far enough that they can’t see the castle anymore then have them return and report. Soon as you have done that, find me again.”
Once everypony had split off, he trotted over to where Big Mac stood looking down with panic in his eyes. He grunted, “Relax, Mac,” looking around. “Folks let's give the mare some room, all right?”
Many grumbled, but turned and stepped back a few paces to clear up some space. Kneeling down he looked into the mare's eyes. “How are you feeling?”
Frightened eyes looked right back. “C—Rescue, they are coming fast, far faster than I was told they would,” she gave a little half chuckle. “I guess she is tired of waiting to join the family.”
Rescue nodded and stood, glancing around as a voice spoke out. “Clear a path, please”.
The purple alicorn, flanked by Applejack on one side and Fluttershy to the other moved thru the crowd now gathering. Making note of Ice holding the red box, and the two little Explorer foals each with the brown and blue box on their backs.
“Chief, I have a room ready. What is—” pausing and eyeing what is going on, then nodded in understanding. “Everypony, please, back up more.”
Looking over his shoulder at Twilight, he gave a nod. “Mac, let's get her up and moved to the room they have ready. First floor, princess?”
She bobbed her head in a nod. “Yes, I could teleport her.”
He shook his head. “No, too risky at this stage. It is also better if she walks, moves things along a little.”
The big stallion was careful to keep his voice even and calm, panic or having other ponies begin to would not help. Shifting to look over his other shoulder he took note of Jim being close by.
“Mac, you and Jim bracket her, use your barrels to hers and support her so she doesn’t have to walk on her full weight,” knowing his orders would be followed, he turned again.
“Ice, go set up in the room. Yellow, Pound, once that is done join the others outside clearing snow.”
Twilight spoke up, once again taking charge. “Everypony else, please, return to the party, things are well in hoof here. Nothing to see, just another Apple about to join the world,” causing many to laugh softly.
---
Thunderlane shook his head glancing to his right at Ailan and then to his left at Rainbow.
“No way we can transport in this. Winds are shifting too fast, and the snow is coming down too hard.”
Rainbow gave a nod, the Wonderbolt looking up at the sky, shaking off the snow on her back that had already gathered. “Report back to the Chief. Sorry, boys, but I can’t let any of the flock try to fly in this, it would just end up bad for everypony.”
Ailan and Thunderlane looked at each other then gave a nod in kind. Ailan noted something out of the corner of his eye, four of the Explorers trudging back through the deep snow. Lifting an ear, he picked up their conversation.
“The drifts are too big to move through, Rumble,” the voice of a certain confident pink Explorer Chief spoke.
Lily, walking next to her, gave a nod. “It is hard even for me, I doubt even the Chief and Mac together could move the rescue squad through this kind of snow.”
Rainbow looked at the two stallions next to her in the falling snow, and her ears went flat. “This... isn’t good.”
---
Rescue glanced down at Rainbow and Diamond as they gave him the news. He again chewed on his lip a bit as he pondered what to do next. Both mares were watching him, ears up, alert, but worried.
“All right. Diamond, pull the Explorers back inside, make sure the tarps are up. Have somepony grab the yellow box out of the left front hatch of Squad One.”
He then turned to look at Rainbow.
“Can you get Pinkie and a few others to help keep the party going? The more ponies are distracted, the less likely they will get in the way.”
Applejack wandered up, having come out of the main hall. Rainbow looked to her left and smiled a bit, but shifted back to the Chief as the Element of Honesty asked her question.
“Res, y’all are gonna deliver right here, ain’t ya?”
Looking his friend in the eyes, he gave a nod. “No choice, AJ,” resting his hoof on her shoulder and looking down into her eyes calmly. “I will do everything I can to make this smooth. It is going to be okay.”
She pondered the big stallion's idea for a moment, then nodded her head.
“Okay, ah will keep Mac calm. Let’s get this rodeo going, ah got a niece on the way.”
Diamond took off, as did Rainbow, but Applejack hung back a moment.
“Rescue, you ever done this before?”
He exhaled slowly, calmly. “Once, back when I was a probie. I have Ice, and Scoot to assist me now, too.”
She laid her ears back and looked at him right back in the eyes. “You do what you got to, that is an Apple in there.”
He nodded and turned without a word, heading inside the room.
---
Rescue glanced at the door, hearing voices through it, even as he took the purple and pink mare's blood pressure. He frowned lightly, but relaxed as he heard Cheerilee say softly.
“Please, Rescue, you are one of his best friends. He will listen to you.”
He grunted and gave a nod, looking to Ice and Scootaloo. “Monitor her. If the contractions get to the eight-minute mark, come get me if I am not back.”
Turning, he moved to the door, opening it and sliding out to see what was going on.
“Eenope!” a massive hoof came down with a stomp on the floor to make a point. The big red stallion was being held back by Applejack, Pipsqueak, Applebloom, Silver, and Diamond.
“Mac, yer being a darn fool! Y’all gotta let Res do his—” Applejack cut off as Rescue barked out.
“Mac, stop this!” He walked, staring eye to eye with the big red stallion, giving a hard snort-huff of air. “Your wife is in there giving birth to your daughter, you think hearing you put up an argument is helping her?”
The stocky red stallion didn’t back down. He glared at his friend and fellow draft pony.
“Ah don’t care, Rescue, Ah need to be at my wife's si—”
Rescue gave a little angry snort. “Shut up. Think for a moment, you rock head. What do you think you are going to do? Are you trained? Do you have the wherewithal to stay strong if something does go wrong?” he glared daggers right back.
The others there all lowered their ears. While the truth was yes, the Chief was being rather blunt about this.
Mac glared at the slightly smaller, the dark colored draft before snorting and lowering his head, backing down.
“Eenope,” he said softer.
Rescue put his hoof up on his friend's shoulder.
“Mac, I swear to you, I swear to Luna,” he paused and lowered his tone. “I swear to my parents souls,” making Applejack blink and Mac take a shocked look up into his friend's eyes again.
“I will do everything I can to bring your daughter into the world safe and keep your wife healthy.”
Mac kept looking into Rescue’s eyes, then lowered his ears and gave a nod. “Ah... ah am sorry ah acted like a fool.”
Rescue shook his head. “You didn’t. You were thinking with your heart and not your brain,” he lowered his voice. “You got two sisters to lean on. Go on, try to relax some, okay?”
“Eeyup.”
As he turned and headed back, he paused and looked behind him.
“Diamond, Pip, grab Sweetie Belle and Spike. You all stay close to the Apples, they are going to need all of their friends and family near.”
Rescue circled back and headed back into the room.
---
Rescue again glanced at the clock, watching the second hand as he kept his hoof on Cheerilee’s stomach. Next to him was Scootaloo, holding a clip board and writing things down as he asked the teacher mare.
“All right, last few, are you allergic to any medications?”
She gave a little groan of pain and huffed, then shook her head. “N-no,” breathing through clenched teeth. Rescue gave a nod at that.
“Last one, do you know your blood type?”
She exhaled as the contraction ended. “Y... yes, HAB negative.”
That made Rescue pause and lower his ears. “You are sure? That is one of the rarest there is.”
She nodded. “Y-yeah.”
Looking at Scootaloo, then over at Ice. “Ice, start a drip, Ringers five percent Dex. Scoot, let’s get Mercy medical on the radio, double check your leads, they are going to want to monitor.”
Observing the tangerine filly move over and pick up the receiver grip of the red box and flip a few switches, she called out into it. “Mercy General this is Squad one do you copy, over?”
Cheerilee touched Rescue’s leg. “She really has grown up, hasn’t she?”
He looked right back down at the teacher, “Only because ponies like you did an amazing job of raising her and teaching her.”
A smile from both ponies before his ears caught the speaker crackle.
“Roger, Squad One,” a deep male voice that sounded like Mercy himself responded. “I don’t know this voice. Who is this, over?”
Scootaloo again gripped on the switch. “Mercy One this is Squad One badge JPV zero-zero-zero-three, over.”
A pause followed while the others chuckled, then the speaker crackled again. “It’s good to hear you on the horn, Miss Scootaloo. So, it will be you and I relaying instructions and information. Can you start the EKG for me, please?”
Still just focused on being who she was, the filly did smile some and flipped two more switches. “Roger that, Mercy, transmitting.”
Back and forth they spoke, the Pegasus filly giving all the vitals she took and wrote down, and in turn, Doctor Mercy asking questions and listing. In the meantime, Rescue had a blanket over Cheerilee's lower half. She was turned and laying on her side, but her head and shoulder upright on a few pillows.
“Okay, Cheerilee, it’s time. Ice, coach and keep an eye on her blood pressure. Scootaloo, I need to to watch the leads, and relay information exactly as it is given.”
Both girls nodded as Cheerilee huffed, and then cried out with the worst contraction yet.
“Here we go!”
---
“Head is out,” Rescue called out as he slid his hooves into place to help guide. “Come on, Cheerilee one more push. Hardest one you have given!”
The mare’s coat was painted in sweat foam, the smell of blood and fluid in the air. She screamed as she bore down. It was a rather big foal. Just like its father.
Suddenly, the stallion lifted his foreleg up and used his hoof to smack something just out of view of the other three. The sound of a wail and then a foal crying, Rescue called out. “Ice, forceps and cutter. Doc, good color, and boy she has a pair of lungs."
Scootaloo simply stared. She had never seen anything like it. Blood, the mess, the smell, and yet there was a tiny foal, a new life! She gave a soft smile, she got to help bring a new life into the world!
As he laid the foal down, once swaddled on his mother's belly, and the umbilical cord cut and tied off. He frowned some and said in a softer tone. “Ice, start another bag. Cheerilee, I want you to listen close, you are loosing a lot of blood. You need to stay with me, alright?”
Again, there was no panic in his tone, but Scoot knew this was serious. The stallion started to do what he could as she relayed what he said to the doctor. Instructions flew back and forth fast, and she worked her hardest to get them exact as he acted as the transfer.
Cheerilee gave a little huff. “I... I will be okay, I just need to res—”
“Buck me, she passed out,” Rescue heard Scootaloo pass the info on.
Then, the speaker crackled and he heard Mercy say, “Can you get a pint of blood in her, then double-zero the rip closed?”
He thought then gave a nod. “Yes, I can, but she is HAB Neg, we don’t have any.”
Rescue glanced up as he realized the little orange, purple-maned filly had not relayed his words. Rather, she looked up at the stallion and said softly.
“I... am HAB negative, Chief.”
Not knowing she had held the the microphone open, so the doctor could hear it all. A few moments later once more the speaker crackled.
“Squad One, I can’t make this call for you. If you feel it is safe, do a direct transfusion, no more than three quarters of a pint.”
Rescue exhaled and looked at Ice who gave a nod. “She can do it.”
Looking back to his student, his future paramedic, Rescue gave a nod. “Ice, plug them in and get a bag of ringers into her at the same time. Scoot, you are going to pass out. Don’t try to fight it, okay?”
Laying down near the teacher, the tiny foal on her chest, Scootaloo winced as Ice pushed the first needle into her leg. Looking up at the big stallion, she put on her bravest face.
“I won’t let the squad down, Chief.”
---
Scootaloo woke up with one hell of a headache pounding away at her forehead. She licked her lips and started to open her eyes. This was not the room she was last in, and there were a lot more ponies in here.
“What... is going on?”
Leaning over her, she found herself looking up at Redheart, who smiled a bit.
“Welcome back, Explorer Scootaloo,” the mare backing up some.
Now that she could look around she saw in a bed next to her, Cheerilee with a foal in her arms. The teacher looked over at her, and said in a broken, almost sob of a voice.
“Y... you saved my life, Scootaloo.”
Then, others, Applejack, Big Mac, her Cutie Mark Crusader sisters, a number of others crowded around speaking her praise. She learned they had to take more than first thought and she passed out from it. She also found out that just an hour before dawn, the snow had ceased, and they were able to airlift her and Cheerilee with her newborn foal to the hospital.
Once things calmed down some, it was just Apple Bloom, Silver Spoon, Diamond Tiara, Sweetie Belle, and Rumble left. They had moved Cheerilee to another room to give her personal space to feed her foal.
“Ya really did it, Scoot, ya helped bring a foal into the world, and ya saved a life doing it,” Apple Bloom said with a smile.
She smiled and lay back among her fellow Explorers and friends. “I... I guess it really was a Hearth's Warming miracle,” as they all giggled and stayed close.
Rumble said in a softer tone. “So?”
All looking at him, then at the tangerine Pegasus as she laid her ears back.
“I know more than I ever did before, Rumble, this is what I want to do. You should have seen it. It was messy and scary, but, it felt so right.”
Diamond touched her bedridden friend on the arm.
“You have always been a hero, Scoot, to all of us. Now you know it, too.”
She blushed and tucked her head in, elated that the subject changed, her friends bantering back and forth. She, however, looked outside through the ice-frosted window at the sun in the sky. Now she got it. She finally understood why the Chief did what he did. She would never let him down. She would never let Luna down, or the ponies of Ponyville.
Not ever.