The sun may have gone to bed hours ago, but that didn't mean that the lights in the Apple barn had gone out. Heck no! It wasn't uncommon for the family to work well past dark, especially around harvest time. And, today had been an especially taxing one, and some of the residents still needed to unwind before bed.
Big McIntosh casually sat at the kitchen table. His face was frozen in a look of deep concentration. Casually, and somewhat carelessly the red stallion rocked the kitchen chair back and forth. What the stallion was thinking about wasn't clear. But, anypony looking at him could see his head tilted towards the ceiling.
"You're worried about her, ain't ya?" Granny Smith's quivery voice whispered from behind him. Big Mac didn't even flinch; instead, he rocked his chair even further back, so that he could stare at the ceiling directly.
"Eeyup," admitted Big Mac nonchalantly in his baritone voice as he stopped rocking for a moment. "Today was the worst yet," he added as he slowly returned to his silent rocking.
Granny Smith slowly limped over and stood by the chair across the table from the lumbering red stallion. "At least she was able to stand today," she pointed out as she slowly pulled the chair out.
Big Mac nodded hesitantly. "But, she couldn't lift the silverware," he mumbled with a small wish that this was an exaggeration. But, it wasn't an exaggeration. Rather, It was a deeply concerning sign, especially considering how similar Mandarin Orange's condition had been the day before she passed on.
"Do you think she's gonna suffer mah's fate?" Big Mac dared to whisper as he continued to stare at the ceiling. Pictures of his little sister's life flashed before his worried eyes.
Granny Smith's eyes and muzzle slowly lowered down towards the table. Her look of concern was barely hidden by an otherwise convincing poker face. "Ah don't know," she conceded quietly -- almost as if she afraid to vocalize her words out loud. "Ah figure we'll find out soon, though. 'Cause, Ah reckon Bloom's gonna come out any day now," she pointed out contemplatively as she stared at the table below her.
"Eenope," Big Mac responded calmly with a shake of his head. "It's too soon. Tomorrow's only Hearts and Hooves day," he objected in a soothing tone. "She's still got a couple of weeks," the stallion mused as he temporarily paused his rocking. "Probably more," he added as he resumed the gentle rock of his dining room chair.
"It ain't gonna be that long!" Granny Smith announced with an obstinate shake of her head. "Ah cain see it," she stated softly with her quivery voice. "Ah've been around long enough to know when a mare's ready," she pointed out as her eyes glazed over. Her mind went through all the symptoms she'd seen that day. "She didn't eat. An', she can't stop sweatin'. An', that's not ta' mention the fact that she couldn't hold still," Granny Smith said as she pointed one hoof at the other. In some ways, it looked like she was counting something on her hooves.
Big McIntosh's ears stood straight up. He swore he could hear a distant thump and a loud cry. "Ah'm gunna check on her," he finally stated as he carefully rocked the chair back into a seated position. His statement was then followed by him carefully getting up and walking back towards the stairs.
Ya worry too much! Big Mac thought to himself in a futile attempt to calm his mind. They said her odds of survival were fair to good, he considered as he smoothly trotted up the stairs. His gait was quick, though not as quick as the subtle worry in his mind felt it should be. But on teh other hoof, 'doc thinks she'll need some time ta get back into shape, he pondered as he made it to the top of the stairs.
His mind was drawn back to the task at hoof as another faint moan sounded out from down the hall. Quickly he picked up his pace. He trotted over to his sister's room and started pushing on the door. "Ya ok?" he hastily asked as he noticed his sister laying on her side on the floor. However, he doubted it, considering her face was covered in a definite look of pain.
"Mac, Ah think... Ah think... Ah need to get to the hospital," she moaned as her face flushed into another pained expression.
"Ah'll help ya up, sis," Big Mac assure her calmly. Carefully he picked up his sister with his strong neck. And, only after his sister had slid down onto his back, did the red stallion began to briskly, and confidently trot down the hall towards the stairwell. Don't let her see you worry, was the only thought on his mind as he began to make the trip to the hospital.
***
Spike struggled to ignore the pained look that adorning his beloved white mare's face as he struggled to carry her on his shoulders. Perhaps to the outside observer, it would be an absurdity to see the much younger, and smaller drake giving a full grown mare a pony ride. But to Spike, it was a matter of grave importance -- so much so that he found that he could actually carry her -- ok... barely carry her! But, he could carry her nonetheless.
"I'm so terribly, terribly sorry Spike!" Rarity whispered through gritted teeth. The pained look on her face suggested that she was feeling another cramp from another contraction. "I didn't mean to ruin your evening like this," she mumbled as her face scrunched into a look of terrible discomfort.
"I honestly thought they were just cramps," Rarity apologized. Spike returned her apology with a nod of understanding. There's no way anypony could've seen this coming. After all, Sweetie Belle wasn't supposed to be coming out for another couple of weeks. And furthermore, Spike couldn't help but feel bad for his lady love. The mortified look of humiliation that crossed her face had almost been too much for him to bare.
"It's not your fault Rarity!" Spike tried to assure her as he struggled against the burning in his muscles from the heavy load he was carrying. Still, dragons were stronger than they looked. Naturally, this was quite impressive considering how strong they looked to be. If anypony could, he could find the strength to carry a pony. "Nature does what she wants when she wants to," Spike assured her. A small part of him dared to hope that Rarity hadn't noticed that he had borrowed this line directly from Fluttershy.
"But my water broke right in the middle of the cafe!" Rarity moaned as her face turned beat red in humiliation as her mind recalled the horrible public spectacle. "Mark my words, they shall be making fun of me for months," she cried bitterly. Her whining didn't last, however; instead, they slowly turned into the soft pants of a mare struggling to suppress grunts of pain. Her contractions were definitely speeding up. And, that gave Spike another reason to worry.
"Almost there, Rarity," Spike assured her as he struggled to keep his voice from sounding tired due to the heaviness of his tired lungs. Spike wouldn't admit it, but he was glad that he could see the hospital over the horizon! He was beginning to doubt whether, or not he could hold her much longer.
"Thank you for being such a good friend," Rarity replied softly as she fought back against the burning, and squeezing pain of labor. "Few friends would even want to be near me after... soiling myself in such an undignified way," she whispered with a look of shame written across her face.
"I'd do anything for you," Spike pointed out as he crossed the threshold into the hospital. His resolve never wavered, despite the buckling of his legs. He'd never admit it to her, but he was disappointed. After months of simple 'test dates' and 'friend dinners,' he'd finally managed to work up the courage to ask her to become his marefriend and not just his friend who was a mare. Now, however, he remained painfully friend-zoned as Rarity's attention had been rather rudely drawn away by the sudden onset of labor.
"Thank you." Rarity whispered through grit teeth. Spike nodded as he staggered the remaining distance to the check-in station for the maternity ward. "I just wish you didn't have to! It would have been so much easier if my parents were in town today," Rarity admitted in a low grumble.
Spike absentmindedly shrugged as he carefully waddled over, and gently set Rarity down -- as if she were a fragile flower -- in front of the check-in station. Then without a lick of tack, he mercilessly slammed his claw repeatedly against the side of the station. It wasn't just his panic, though. His head was simply not tall enough to clear the desk. "Hello is anyone there?!" Spike called out loudly.
"May I help you?" a nurse gently asked as she stretched her neck over the station to look down at Spike.
"She needs your help!" Spike shouted urgently as he waved a hand frantically at Rarity. No pony could miss the pained expression written on her face as she futility tried to pick herself up.
"Don't worry. I'll get some help right away," assured the mare behind the station as her horn lit up. "There we go," she confirmed compassionately. "some nurses should be here shortly to help your friend," she added with a comforting smile.
Spike couldn't help but squeeze Rarity's hoof one final before the doctors took her away. "Can I be here to watch over her?" Spike pleaded. However, the answer to his question was a simple shake of the head from one of the nurses.
"I'm sorry, but only family is allowed to be with her," she apologized with a sad expression on her face. "But, you can wait in the waiting room. We'll come get you when she's done," the nurse added calmly. Spike could only frown silently, and look down dejected as he was forced to wave goodbye to Rarity. His frown only grew as the nurses carefully hoisted her onto a stretcher, and wheeled her away.
***
A dark blue stallion with a rainbow mane gingerly trotted into the hospital. The stallion was seemingly oblivious to the objections of the mare on his back. Instead, he continued walking forwards with his steely focus locked onto his goal. However, some of her objections did, in fact, reach his ears, despite his attempts to not let on; instead, he set his mind to getting his beloved daughter, his only child, to the hospital on time.
"Dad, I can still walk!" She objected loudly. Each word came out between pants. Her wings spasmed, and her teeth clenched as each wave of contractions hit her.
"But my little flyer, you can't even fly," The stallion whispered gently into her ear. The admission caused her to blush in humiliation. Her cries quickly went quiet as she became painfully aware of the accuracy of his statement. This hasn't been the reunion I had planned for, Rainbow Blaze thought with a slight disappointment written on his face boldly.
His original plan had been to come into town about a month before the birth. And then, stay with his daughter for a few months to help her get everything settled. But instead, he had barely gotten in the door when he had seen her struggling with labor. Her wings had completely refused to follow her commands. Then again, this was common. It was hard for a mare to fly when she was in that much pain.
"Hey somepony! My daughter's in labor!" he shouted as his eyes scoured the room looking for any signs of the nurses. His search was interrupted when he heard an 'umm,' and felt somepony tap his withers with their hoof. The adult stallion could only blush when he realized that he'd overlooked the staff in his haste to find the staff.
"Dad!" Rainbow Dash objected as the nurses gently helped her onto a gerni. "You're overreacting," she protested loudly, despite the fact that she was actually glad the old stallion had been so understanding. He'd never once mentioned her premarital pregnancy, nor had he made any catty remarks about her. Nor had he, thankfully, demanded to know which stallion friends he could blame, either... which was even better, considering she had deprioritized stallions so far down her list that she wasn't likely to date, let alone get married until she was approaching middle age.
"Don't worry sweetheart, your dad is here," he cooed in her ear as he followed her down the hall, and into the delivery room.
This wasn't to last as, mere minutes later, the large stallion was unceremoniously plopped onto a couch in the waiting room by a pair of rather large orderlies. "What? I was just trying to encourage her to push harder!" the blue stallion objected. His face bore a poorly hidden embarrassment. Perhaps, his strategy for cheering her like his favorite Buckball team was not such a good one, after all...
--------
"Push! Push! Push! Push! You can do it Dashie!" Rainbow Blaze chanted, even as a Rainbow Dash looked more and more flustered.
"Ssshhh," shushed one of the other ponies in the room. However, Rainbow Blaze didn't hear them over his own chanting.
"You're almost there Dashie!" Rainbow Blaze continued to chant, even though she had been at it for perhaps sixty seconds.
"I think you need to wait outside," softly said a rather large stallion as he unceremoniously picked up the smaller pegasus stallion by the neck like a foal, and carried him out the door.
--------
Carefully the stallion marched around the room to sit next to the two other gentlecolts in the room -- or in this case, a stallion and a wyrmling. "You look familiar," the young dragon said as he eyeballed the stallion up and down. After a few moments, a look of realization seemed to hit the dragon. "Are you Rainbow Dash's dad?" he asked casually.
The large stallion could only nod as he looked down at the dragon. Well he knows her, but he doesn't look like he's 'the one.' Maybe he's that fan she wrote about? The stallion decided as he casually took a seat in one of the waiting room's chairs. "Sure am," Rainbow Blaze admitted. "She sure is a chip off the old block," he boasted with a chuckle. "Now, you wouldn't happen to know who her stallion friend is, would you?" he asked with a shifty chuckle. "I'd sure like to meet her special somepony," he added with a forced smile.
"I don't know," the drake admitted with a shrug. "She's a friend of mine, but I don't pretend to know her choice in stallions. You wouldn't know, would you Big Mac?" Spike asked as he turned his head over to look at the red stallion. The red stallion didn't seem to notice right away, as his eyes remained fixed at the door with a worried gaze.
Rainbow Blaze squinted his eyes. If Rainbow Blaze were a golem one would swear they could hear the following thoughts echoing through his mind: Big Stallion, devilish good looks, strong body... Obviously the coltfriend! Objective located! Initiate mission: eliminate jerk who knocked up daughter!
"So, how long have you known her?" Rainbow Blaze asked through grit teeth as he carefully sized up the red stallion. "And more importantly, how long you two been steady?"
"Ah ain't the foal daddy," the large red stallion replied calmly.
Big Mac's answer quickly succeeded in throwing Rainbow Blaze's composure off. Had he been that obvious? "W-what makes you say that?" Rainbow Blaze stuttered as his focus, and composure quickly deteriorated. Big Mac simply shook his head and resumed his vigil on the door ahead of them.
"Dude, you need to be less paranoid," Spike interjected. "Get comfortable, it's going to be a while," He plainly stated as he got up to pick up a hayshake from the cafeteria. Some anthropologists have said that Horses, the ancestors of ponies, could finish their labor in half an hour. However, ponies are much more highly evolved. Horses emphasized speed in their birthing, but ponies had gone for a much safer, and slower rate of labor. This meant that their labor could take well over three to five hours.
***
"This is all your fault Rarity!" Doctor Dove heard the cyan pegasus scream through the wall. The pegasus' wings wildly flailed as she struggled to birth her foal. Doctor Dove continued to move on. That wasn't her patient. No, she was being handled by one of the midwives.
"I'm sorry for passing out!" came the muffled shouts of the white mare in the next room. Doctor Dove could only shake her head. Both mares were clearly getting testy from the long period of pain and exertion. Still, if they still had strength to chew each other out, they probably had quite a ways to go yet.
"And, maybe you had this coming. After all, you did leave me in the middle of the desert!" the mare's screamed back. However, her screams grew quieter as doctor Dove walked down to the third room. Inside was her patient, an orange mare with a blond mane. The mare's mane was carefully tied into a braid by a hair tie. But, her tail tie and her Stetson had been given to her grandmother for safekeeping.
A few hours ago, the orange mare had come in with her grandmother and brother. However, her brother had been seen out of the room after he passed out in response to his sister's water breaking.
Even from the door, the doctor could swear she could hear the mare mumbling something between shouts of pain. It sounded faintly like a mantra. Although, "for Apple Bloom" wasn't what she'd expected to hear.
Doctor Dove shook her head and focused on the issue at hoof as one of the nurses walked over to stand next to her. "What's the status?" The doctor whispered into the nurse's ear. Carefully she looked back at doctor Dove with a mild concern showing in her eyes.
"She was already showing signs of severe fatigue when we brought her in. So, I had her drink 30 fluid ounces of Vitae elixir," the pink pegasus mare explained as she carefully raised her foreleg so that doctor Dove could better get a look at the clipboard pinched in her pastern. "But, she's already beginning to show signs of a relapse," the nurse added.
"How long has she been at this?" Doctor Dove asked in a hushed whisper.
"She started pushing about thirty minutes ago," the nurse explained as she turned her attention from the doctor to the other midwife, who was busy coaching the expecting mare.
Doctor Dove carefully nodded her head. Her mind was already going over the details that had been supplied so far. "Let's try upping that to 40 ounces," Doctor Dove added as she walked over to stand next to Applejack. Doctor Dove could already see her head sag. The poor mare was burning a lot of energy awfully fast.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Dove. And, I'm here to monitor, Applejack's progress, " she stated with the utmost professionalism to the patient's grandmother. "I'll be helping however I can, as your granddaughter completes her labor," Doctor Dove explained. Doctor Dove couldn't help but notice the orange mare's head and ears drooping again. The only signs of life were the look of exertion on her face as she struggled to push her foal out.
"Applejack, how are you feeling?" Doctor Dove asked calmly, and carefully with an eager expression.
"Ah... uggg..." Applejack grunted through gritted teeth as she suppressed a scream of pain. Thankfully, the burning passion seemed to return to her eyes as she obtained a second wind. "Ah'm fine." Applejack stated plainly through her still grit teeth. "Is... is Apple Bloom going 'ta be ok?" Applejack inquired with a slight pause as her face contorted into a look of excruciating pain.
"Breath," a nurse whispered into Applejack's ear. Applejack shot the nurse a sour look, but she still complied. One couldn't tell by the contorted look of exertion on the Applejack's face. But, Doctor Dove could see it. She was tired. Her muscles were growing weaker, and she wasn't pushing quite as hard as she previously was.
Doctor Dove kept that to herself, however; instead, she gave Applejack a reassuring smile. "Don't worry you're doing a fine job all by yourself," she assured her as she contemplated how much, and how often to give the orange mare elixir if surgery turned out to be necessary. "I just prescribed a bit more elixir to help you get your strength back," Doctor Dove explained with a smile.
"Thanks, Ah've been mighty..." Applejack started, before being interrupted by a scream. "... tired recently. Ah jus' don't feel too good," she admitted with a concerned look on her face. Doctor Dove could see it, the mare's normally orange coat had begun to pale.
"Why didn't you give her more earlier?" Granny Smith's quivery voice growled from the other side of Applejack's bed. "Ah reckon, it wouldn't have worn off if you'd had given her enough," Granny Smith pointed out as she waved a hoof in frustration. Her temper carefully hiding the look of concern buried at the back of her eyes.
"While the elixir's boost to strength and vitality is proportional to the amount used. After a certain threshold, the duration exponentially declines with amount," Doctor Dove explained as the nurse from earlier returned with a large glass of elixir.
"Say what?" Granny Smith asked with a look of confusion written plainly on her face.
"If we use too much, it wears off more quickly." Doctor Dove explained simply as she carefully lowered the glass down to Applejack's lips. Unfortunately, the elixir was only there to help Applejack. In truth, it would all come down to how well her body could handle the damage and lack of magically endowed strength.
Carefully, Applejack drank the elixir before she gave a quick gag from the nasty tasting combinations of magically enchanted fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants hitting her tongue. "This tastes nasty!" Applejack pointed out as she stuck out her tongue. Still, the elixir proved to be effective as Applejack's head seemed to perk up, and her contractions grew stronger.
Doctor Dove gave an approving nod. "Yes, yes, that did seem to help," she said with a smile.
"I guess so..." Applejack admitted before she winced and suppressed another scream.
"And, don't worry. I'll be here to make sure everything goes as planned," Doctor Dove encouraged as she walked over to the cabinet, and began to pull out some equipment to monitor Applejack's health.
***
Rainbow Blaze found himself pacing the room. A room that suddenly felt extremely small. His blue wings fidgeted with anxiety as he continued to make laps around the room. How was his daughter doing? Would she be ok? Would he ever find the jerk that knocked her up? He'd been waiting here for so long, that he just couldn't take it any longer.
And he wasn't the only one, either. The big red stallion, Big McIntosh -- Or, so he'd heard -- kept looking at the door with a grave expression. It was like he didn't expect the other mare to return. And, the purple wyrmling didn't look much better. In fact, he'd gotten so antsy that at some point that he'd gone out and brought back three other mares: a pink earth pony mare, a yellow pegasus mare, and a lavender alicorn mare.
"Applejack will be ok," Twilight assured Big McIntosh. "Zecora herself has been making the potions, and if anypony knows how to make a Zebric elixir of Strength and Vitality right she would!" Twilight assured him. Twilight's face beamed as she lectured the red stallion on all the advances in medicine that had occurred since Zecora had come to town.
"The princess is right! Your Wife will be --" Rainbow Blaze interrupted bluntly with a large smile gracing his face as he mused about how his cheery words would surely help the younger stallion feel more at ease.
"Sister." Big McIntosh said coldly as his eyes squinted in a look of agitation.
Rainbow Blaze blushed heavily -- his face practically turning red -- as he wheeled around from his inward thoughts. "Ohhh... Ummm... sorry," he stuttered as the implications of the mistake became clear to him. Big McIntosh did not return the sentiment, however; instead, he silently returned his vigil of the door. This left the room in an awkward silence.
"Do you think Rarity and Sweetie Belle will be ok?" Spike asked Fluttershy as the drake continued to fret, and paced the room for the seventy-five thousandth time. "Sweetie Belle is so early. Will that make it harder for Rarity? Maybe that's why it's taking so long?" He continued to worry. His worried mind spiraling as he considered darker and darker possibilities. "What'll we do!" he shouted desperately as he shook the yellow pegasus by the withers.
"I don't know," Fluttershy softly admitted. "I don't think Sweetie Belle's early arrival is what's making it take a while," she mused. "It's just harder for a first-time mother," Fluttershy admitted as she gently patted Spike on the back.
"How long do I have to wait?" Spike whimpered as images of Rarity crying all alone assaulted his mind. "What if she needs me? I can't help her from here," he whined.
"I'm sure she's fine," Fluttershy assured him with a warm smile. "And, once she and Sweetie Belle have had some time to rest, I'm sure you'll get to see them. I mean, it was like this when the cakes had their foals," Fluttershy admitted as she gave Spike a reassuring smile.
Spike nodded forlornly. "What if she never..." Spike started, only to be cut short by a new sound.
"Mr. Spike?" called a nurse as she pushed the doors open. Spike raised his head in surprise as he looked over to see a nurse standing in the doorway. "You can see your friend now," she said simply as she took a look around the room.
"She's ready?" Spike practically shouted as he ran up to the nurse. "Is she ok? How's Sweetie Belle?" he rambled as he peppered the poor nurse with questions.
"She's fine!" The nurse replied with an even smile. "In fact, she asked for you to see her personally," the nurse explained as she carefully stepped to one side, and held the door open. "So, please come this way," the nurse added with a wave of her hoof, in a gesture that read 'you first.'
Spike gratefully nodded his head, gave all of his friends in the waiting room a quick wave, and waddled down the hall behind the larger mare. Doorways and halls passed by with the only side track being a room where a unicorn stallion cast some kind of decontamination spell on him.
Finally, Spike was led to one of the delivery rooms. He pushed the door aside eagerly and walked into the room. The first thing that caught attention was a nasty odor. Quickly Spike scrunched his nose and focused his attention on what he could see.
Rarity was standing at one side of the room. Her mane was rumpled and covered in sweat. Her fur seemed disheveled, especially near her tail. A small pang of worry crossed Spike's mind as he saw some blood on the previously white fur of Rarity's hind legs.
"Spike!" The mare exclaimed as she eagerly greeted the drake. "Please come in Darling," Rarity encouraged him. This small statement drew his mind away from his new worries. "But first, please be a dear and close the door on your way in. I don't want anypony to see this," Rarity explained, as her attempts to close the door with magic ended in only sparks shooting out of her horn.
Rarity gave a hard blush. "I'd do it myself, but I'm a bit tired. That and, Sweetie Belle is distracting me," she admitted with a sullen sigh.
Hastily Spike closed the door behind him as he practically bound into the room. "What's she doing? I thought she was already born." Spike asked in a loud voice as his mind tried to follow what was going on.
"Spike!" She whined. "Please, be a bit quieter, I don't wish to startle her," Rarity said sternly. Her silent chastisement earning an apology from Spike. This, however, also served to draw attention straight to Rarity's eyes. They looked tired with definite bags under them. That tiredness was further accentuated by her lack of eyeliner, which had likely rubbed off at some point. "And, if you must know Spike, she's on the other side of me feeding," Rarity said with a protracted blush.
"She is?" Spike said curiously as he waddled around Rarity to Rarity's left side. Much to his expectations, he found a very tiny Sweetie Belle standing up against Rarity's left side with her small muzzle hidden behind Rarity's left hind leg, angled upwards towards Rarity's barrel, and pressed up against what Spike suspected was one of Rarity's teats. "That's gotta feel really weird," Spike said with a slight shiver as his mind was left to imagine what it must feel like.
"Not so loud!" Rarity whined, as loudly as she felt comfortable. "I don't want to draw attention to this... undignified... matter," she said with a frown. "I'm simply doing this for Sweetie Belle's health, and for no other reason." Rarity replied plainly in little more than a whisper. She then nervously batted a bit of her ragged mane back into place. "But yes... It feels really, really, really weird," Rarity reluctantly admitted in a soft whisper.
"Sorry Rarity," Spike whispered with a blush. "Can I get a closer look?" he asked eagerly. He'd already waited over ten months for this moment, and he couldn't wait any longer!
"You may," Rarity said simply with a graceful nod. "However, be sure to give the dear plenty of space! A newborn foal tends to be easily panicked, and I don't want to scare the darling!" Rarity admonished him.
Spike nodded and cautiously tiptoed as close to Sweetie Belle as he dared. Once there, he bent down to the tiny newborn foal's level so that he could better look at her from eye-level. She looked about the same as Spike remembered. She still had her white coat, although it was tinged slightly red.
"Why's she covered in blood?" Spike could only ask as his throat clenched on the words.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Rarity apologized with a frown. "But, it's generally considered best to let the foal feed, if possible, before they clean us up, or do any thorough examinations." Rarity explained as she quoted the doctors. Her face, also, contorted into a frown at the idea of all the dirt covering Sweetie Belle and her bodies.
"OK...." Spike trailed off as he shook his head, and tried to ignore the thoughts bubbling up from the back of his mind; instead, he continued to look Sweetie Belle over carefully. She still had her horn and her signature pink and purple mane. But, it looked like her mane was only composed of small tufts of hair at the moment, instead of the long curly mane she had been so proud of. Furthermore, she seemed both smaller, and skinnier than the cake twins had been. She looked almost gangly. "Is she ok? She's looking awfully small," Spike pointed out as his eyes fixed on Rarity. Silently he begged her to give him good news.
Rarity bit her lip as a definite look of worry crossed her face. "Well, she's about two weeks early, that's all. She just needs some time to build up her strength, and grow her mane and fur out," Rarity explained as she darted her eyes about, and she struggled to leave out any of the unpleasant possibilities that currently plagued her mind. "... After all," she said, with a nervous smile. "She's standing ok... and she seems to have a healthy appetite," Rarity pointed out through a somewhat tense smile and a nervous chuckle. "And, it only took five whole minutes to find my teats.... Not that I counted of course... And I'm sure that's normal. And, that probably means that she's very healthy," Rarity with a slightly less forced smile.
"Well, she certainly looks like herself," Spike said with a smile. "And, I bet she even recognizes us," Spike added with a growing smile as he slowly crept as close to Sweetie Belle as he could, and turned to meet her face to face. Gently Spike waved, and whispered in a soothing tone at the all too fragile looking filly, "Hello Sweetie Belle. Happy Birthday," he eagerly cooed.
However, his smile quickly faded as Sweetie Belle didn't seem to regard him at all -- either with a wave, or a smile. "You'll have to forgive her Spike," Rarity apologized through a forced smile and a look of hurt in her eyes. "She's just not recognizing us... yet..." she explained with a subtle frown. "Hopefully she'll be more responsive in a couple of weeks when we can take her home," Rarity said with a long-suffering sigh.
***
Rainbow Blaze could feel his temper rising. He'd been waiting so long that he'd had enough time to run down and get a congratulatory balloon, and come back without getting called by the nurse. It had been hours since he'd --
"Minutes." A hyperactive pink mare cheered. The sudden sound drew his attention away from his internal fuming, and to the new mare.
"Say what?" Rainbow Blaze couldn't help but ask as a look of confusion crossed his face.
"My name's Pinkie Pie," The mare added casually. "And, you were about to say how you'd been waiting hours since Spike left, but it's really only been minutes. I mean, if it had been hours, then the sun would have risen and set by now; instead, the clock's only moved that far," Pinkie Pie pointed out as she moved her hoof over a few inches. "I mean sheesh... " she added, with her voice growing hyper. "It's only like two in the morning," Pinkie Pie continued with a shrug and a quick yawn.
"Wh-where did you come from?" Rainbow Blaze couldn't help but stutter as he looked at the enigma that had seemingly dropped out of nowhere.
"I've been setting up the 'it's a filly' parties," Pinkie Pie said with a roll of her eyes, and a large smile. "Or, do you mean before that? 'Cause if you do, I was ending my shift at Sugarcube Corner when Spike rushed up and told me that three of my bestest-best friends went into labor. So, naturally, I rushed on down here as fast as I could -- " she announcing running in place as she pantomimed her 'race' down to the hospital. " -- to give them moral support, only to be escorted out and told that I needed to wait here in the waiting room... Some nonsense about me being too stressful for the patients...." Pinkie Pie rambled. Rainbow Blaze could already feel a headache coming on.
"I know, silly right!" she rambled her words coming at a mile per minute. "So instead, I've been busy planning out the foal shower, even if that's a few days away... For some reason, they won't let the foals leave the next day. But anyway, you gotta start early, at least if you plan to make a big 'Hey welcome back to the land of the living! Here's a late foal shower/happy zero plus five monthiversary birthday/happy eighth birthday minus eight plus five months' party!" She explained before taking a long large breath of air from the long manic rant she had just given.
"And, that's not to forget about the 'you just had a foal party!' I mean, who doesn't love streamers and balloons that read 'it's a colt,' or 'it's a filly'? I mean, I love them. And hay, when I get a stallion friend, and we have a foal. I want to have one of those parties!" Pinkie Pie continued to rattle, despite the uneasy look Rainbow Blaze was giving her. "But you know that balloon isn't the right -- " The mare said as she froze in place, and her body shook inexplicably.
"Uhh... Sure," Rainbow Blaze said with a rough smile as he quickly moved his chair over a few feet.
"Oh wait... rumbly tummy, itchy ear, sore throat! Here's the nurse! Say hi to Dashie for me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smile and a wave.
Rainbow Blaze carefully prepared his eyes for a big eye roll. However, his epic eye roll was interrupted by the door flying open on the other side of the waiting room. "Mr. Rainbow Blaze, your daughter is ready to see you," yelled a nurse loudly.
Rainbow Blaze shot the manic pink pony a bemused glare. He then shook his head and walked towards the nurse. "I'm right here," he told the nurse as he raced halfway between the two of them.
"Please follow me," she said with a simple smile as she pulled the door open for the stallion to enter.
"So, where's she at? Is my grandchild a colt, or a filly? How's Rainbow Dash? I bet she broke a record in birthing a foal!" he exclaimed with an eager chuckle. "Can we walk a bit faster? I mean, we aren't getting to her very fast!" Rainbow Blaze stated eagerly as his impatience showed in his wings -- which stood straight out and quivered with excitement.
"It's a filly, and you'll see how both are doing when we get there... And, I'm taking you to her now." The nurse said with a forced smile and a subtle sigh. And, that was just the start of his nervous ramblings. By the time she'd reached the delivery room, that Rainbow Dash currently resided in, the nurse had just about reached the limit of her patience. She'd expected the baby dragon to have this sort of energy. It was just another part of being young. But, the grown stallion's impatience was more grating -- perhaps because she hadn't expected it. Then again, some ponies did tend to overcompensate for fear. And, from what she'd been told, this wasn't the first time that the stallion had disrupted the otherwise peaceful hospital.
"BUT!" She stated sternly as she pressed her muzzle to his, and looking him straight in the eyes with her bloodshot eyes. "I MUST insist that you keep quiet, and don't disturb either the mother or her daughter!"
"S...Sure..." he hesitantly replied with sweat dripping down his brow as he attempted to back up. Unfortunately for him, he found his back was against a wall.
"I'm glad we have an understanding then," the nurse said with a gentle smile and a nod. With that, her previous expression washed away, as suddenly as it had appeared. "Now come this way." The nurse added with a gentle wave of her foreleg. "We're almost there."
Who would'a thought nurses could be so intimidating, Rainbow Blaze thought with a blush as he followed the nurse down the last few doorways, and stopped at the end of a hallway.
"And we're here," she said softly as she opened the door for Rainbow Blaze to come through.
Were we that close? He pondered in confusion. Quickly he shook his head and deciding to focus on his little filly and her little foal. "Hello my little flier" Rainbow Blaze exclaimed with a smile as he clutched the congratulatory balloon he was going to give her. "I brought a balloon for you," he added with a grin as he showed her the small blue balloon.
"Why does it read 'congratulations! It's a colt'?" Rainbow Dash groggily grunted. Her grumpy words showing her lack of sleep. The cyan mare's mane looked even more scraggly than ever. And, sweat covered not just her mane, but her coat as well. She looked tired, but she also seemed to be in good shape, all things considered.
"Uhh... Well, I didn't know which it would be, and since half of all foals are colts... I figured it was a good a guess as any," Rainbow Blaze admitted with a blush.
Rainbow Dash's mouth opened widely to chastise the stallion for not paying attention before she was quickly interrupted by the stallion's Pinkie Pie like continuous banter. "Also, I see you're teat feeding her. I never thought you'd do that... Considering you have sensitive teats, and all." The stallion admitted a bit too loudly.
"DAD!" Rainbow Dash yelped as her face turned beet red. "Don't tell the whole hospital that!" she moaned with a shake of her head, and some frustrated deep breaths to calm herself down. "Besides, Twilight said newborn foals need the first milk. So, I'm not gonna let Scootaloo down -- Even if it is a bit... uh... what was the word Rarity used? -- unpleasant. That was it. Even if it is a bit unpleasant,"
"Right," Rainbow Blaze admitted as he blushed, and quickly looked for some kind of distraction... His eyes probing the room for some way to change the subject. "Hey, why are you holding your filly like that?" Rainbow Blaze blurted out as he suddenly noticed something.
Rainbow Dash craned her head to the left so that she could take a quick look at Scootaloo, who was gently cradled by Rainbow Dash's left hind leg. "Scootaloo... That is her name, in case you don't remember that either... is too weak to stand," Rainbow Dash admitted with a solemn croke. Tears of concern finally trickled from her eyes, as her carefully sculpted facade failed. "The doctors think that her muscles, or bones might be a bit... on the weak side," she said as she looked away. " But, they think she'll grow out of it if we get her the right exercise, and attention," Rainbow Dash pointed out with a weak smile.
"Well, she is a bit on the scrawny side," Rainbow Blaze admitted as he walked over to look at her. "And what's with her wings?" he asked curiously. "Those are the smallest pair I've ever seen in a newborn foal."
"The wings... We're not sure about," Rainbow Dash admitted. It was something she'd known was possible for months. Scootaloo's wings were always small for her size. But, if these were as small as they got, then they'd probably grow in... eventually.
"As for the rest of her, the doctor's are pretty sure she'll grow to normal size. She just needs a bit of exercise. She should be standing strong in no time. So in this case, she just left the oven too soon," Rainbow Dash pointed out as she struggled to regain her composure. She wanted to, no needed to restore her facade of perfect confidence.
"Well, she does kind of look like you did when you were her age... And, she's got your hunger," the stallion snickered as he watched the small orange filly suckling away at one of Rainbow Dash's teats. "I bet she'll be quite the daredevil when she grows up," he admitted as he craned his neck in to get a better look at the thin filly. The next thing he saw, was her thin, and silky purple mane. "That means your mother's legacy lives on for another generation," Rainbow Blaze cheered with only a hint of pain crossing his face as he remembered the late mare.
"I know she will. I knew her from back when she was seven," Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "She reminded me of... well... me. 'Cause she was strong, and never ever backed down. And, I know she'll be just like that when she grows up," Rainbow Dash blustered, despite Twilight's warnings that that was not necessarily the case.
"Huh?" Rainbow Blaze said in confusion. "Did you have some kind of future vision or something? Does your element of Loyalty do that often?" He stuttered as his mind failed to comprehend what she'd just said fully.
"Dad, you did read my letter, right?" Rainbow Dash groaned with a tinge of frustration in her voice as she raised one eyebrow, and rubbed the bridge of her muzzle with a hoof.
"Uhhh... No. I just... kind'a skimmed it," Rainbow Blaze admitted as he rubbed his rainbow mane with the foreleg that was still holding the balloon he was going to give to his daughter. "You know I've never been one for reading! I'm more of a stallion of action." Rainbow Blaze reminded her with a blush of his face and a series of poses that hinted at his 'awesome moves'... Clearly, he'd missed something important.
Rainbow Dash groaned and ran a hoof down her brow and over her muzzle. "Dad, there was an accident. And, not the 'whoops, the protection failed' sort of accident." She groaned. "Listen up Dad. There isn't a foal daddy -- as if it wasn't obvious! I haven't even dated a stallion yet... sheez! It just hasn't been very high on my bucket list," Rainbow Dash grumbled as she continued to rub the bridge of her muzzle. "Especially considering the Wonderbolts are at the top of my list! No, what happened is this --" she stated with a slight agitation in her voice as she started retelling the tale.
***
Big McIntosh carefully trotted around from behind the nurse. His time had finally come, and he couldn't have been more relieved to hear that his sister was still alive. But then again, that wasn't proof that she was safe, but it was something. And, he needed some kind of comfort right now.
Not a word was shared between the nurse or Big McIntosh. He simply didn't have anything to say. Oddly, she seemed surprised that he was so quiet. Though, she shouldn't have been surprised. Why should he ask questions? A picture is worth a thousand words, after all.
All he knew was that they'd moved his dear sister, for some reason. Something to do with her condition... But without much more information, he wouldn't be able to say. Time seemed to drag on slowly as he, and the nurse meandered the hallways. It's just your imagination. We ain't takin' the scenic route, he reminded himself as the images of his mother still haunted his memory.
"She's in here," the nurse said daintily as she opened the door to let Big McIntosh in.
Big McIntosh carefully took note of the new room. It was a bit larger than the room they had been in earlier. Granny Smith sat deathly quiet in a corner at one side of the room, next to the bed. Carefully she held onto Applejack's stetson. Both Applejack's mane and tail ties sat on a small table next to her. Finally, there was large metal frame in the middle of the room. A metal frame that Applejack seemed to be laying on. Her legs dangled over the side, just barely brushing the floor. And, if Big McIntosh hadn't seen the metal legs of the contraption clear as day, then he might have thought she was standing.
The stallion let off a long gulp. Applejack just lay on the metal frame, unmoving. Her unrestrained mane was draped ragged, and untamed over her face and muzzle. It almost looked like a tattered shroud. Her normally vibrant orange coat was muted and almost seemed to glow in the dark from how white it had become. Furthermore, she wasn't moving. And yet, in the ghostly scene, something stopped his musing... Was it... It couldn't be... It sounded like the distinctive sound of suckling! He chose to disregard it for a moment. He would care for Apple Bloom after this.
With a look of sorrow crossing his face, Big Mac reached out a hoof to poke his little sister. He scarcely dared to hold onto the small dim hope that his sister hadn't died between the time the nurse had gotten him, and now.
"Watch it! You're gonna wake her up," Granny Smith suddenly chastised the stallion, causing him to pause the stretching out of his hoof. "She passed out dead asleep just as soon as they got her standin'. Ah reckon she'll be asleep for hours," Granny Smith added with a sigh.
With a hint of hope daring to twinkle in Mac's heart, he took a deeper, and longer look at his little sister. Despite her ghostly appearance, Mac thought he saw something move... Something other than Apple Bloom, who Mac was sure he could see hiding on the other side of Applejack.
Mac began to look her over. Studiously he tried to find what had moved. With a careful eye, he scanned every inch of her until he finally saw it: her barrel expanded a bit under her. She was breathing -- even if ever so slightly. And in turn, Big McIntosh let off a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"She wore herself out faster than your mah did." Granny mused, quietly. "They kept feedin' her that elixir near the end. Ah reckon it ain't just a lot up front that makes it wear off quickly," Granny Smith hummed as she sat idly on her chair, and focused her eyes on Applejack, and Apple Bloom.
Big Mac pointed at the metal frame after his words failed him. Despite his best efforts, he struggled to think of the best way to ask the question that was on his mind.
"That's there's ta let her feed Apple Bloom, without her havin' to exert herself on standin'!" Granny said with a gentle smile. "It was either that or a bottle. But, Applejack was too stubborn to take the easy way out," she admitted with a soft, and deep chuckle.
Big McIntosh then carefully began to walk a bit closer to his sister. Delicately he looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze. His eyes locked intently on her as if he feared that without constant supervision she would disappear without a moment's notice.
"She's ok, at least for now," Granny Smith admitted with a long sigh. Now that Big Mac's fear was abated he had the chance to notice that Granny Smith looked tired. She looked like she'd been up for more than the last night. Clearly, she had been as worried about Applejack, and Apple Bloom as Big Mac had. "The doctors want to keep her, and Apple Bloom a while to keep an eye on 'em. But, the doctor's pretty sure she'll recover, especially if they can keep her strength up," Granny Smith pointed out. Her admission earning her a long relieved sigh from Big McIntosh.
Big Mac quietly tiptoed like a fox to the other side of Applejack. Once there, he intently craned his eyes downwards towards Apple Bloom. Without a single sound, he looked her up and down. She looked strong. Very strong in fact. Although her mane and coat were short, and her body looked fragile, her eyes were sharp. It looked like she was ready for life.
"Doc says Bloom's doin' pretty good. Some fancy schmancy medicine talk 'bout how foals from mares that are under stress do better... Ah jus' figure she's doin' ok 'cause all of Jackie's magic was goin' to her." Granny Smith pointed out. Big McIntosh absentmindedly nodded in agreement.
"She almost looks like the day she was born," Big McIntosh whispered as he finally found the words he was looking for. Big McIntosh's whimsical words quickly turned to a long hard chuckle as his mind relaxed, and his fears were replaced by a rather amusing thought.
"W-What? Ehh? Just help me stand Doc, Ah'll feed Apple Bloom good and proper," muttered Applejack, as Big McIntosh's loud laugh managed to rouse her somehow.
"Now you've done gone and woke her," Granny Smith growled at Big Mac. The stallion looked back at her with a look of shame and drooping ears.
"Sorry Granny..." He mumbled to Granny Smith. He then turned to face Applejack. "Sorry to wake ya, sis," he apologized.
"A-Ah wasn't asleep." Applejack vacantly grumbled. Her every word coming out soft and brittle. "Ah was just restin' my eyes here while Bloom was feedin'," Applejack disputed as her mind groggily came to the realization that Apple Bloom was still feeding.
Applejack slowly craned her head over to face Apple Bloom. Although her ears drooped like she was half asleep, her eyes and smile seemed to perk up at the sight of the small yellow foal. "Heh... She looks just like the day she was born. Ah cain't wait to get her bow and --" Applejack cooed with a large smile, before her words faltered, her eyes closed, and her head fell to hang limply in front of her. Before Big Mac could worry much, he caught the distinctive sound of her breathing.
"What was so dang funny you had tah wake her fer?" Granny Smith grumbled as she looked at Big McIntosh with the most chastising glare he had seen in years.
"It's Hearts and Hooves day," Big Mac whispered. "Most ponies will be gettin' flowers and chocolates... My sister and her friends just got foals," Big Mac added as he struggled to stifle another laugh.
Granny Smith's lips twisted up a bit in a silent snicker. However, her laughter had no sound, at all. "Don't let your sister hear that," she cautioned. "Ah reckon she won't find it as funny as you," Granny Smith pointed out with an ominous tone.
"You know cousin Jack Apple ain't gonna let it go. He's gonna be making cracks about it for years to come," Big Mac pointed out with a slight scowl as he remembered the crass, and rude behavior of their 'whimsical' cousin.
"And others too, I'm sure," Granny Smith sighed as she remembered some of the ruder jokes that Winter Jack had shared with Jack Apple. Those two twins had always been wayward pranksters. And with age, they'd only mellowed enough to tell crude jokes, instead pull cruel pranks.