//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 // Story: A Red and Yellow Affair // by Horsegirl123 //------------------------------// Perspective: Fluttershy The big boned work horse and the dainty Pegasus made their way through the packed Ponyville crowds towards their impending destination; the clinic. Fluttershy was going for one of her ultra sounds. So far the foal had been developing extremely well, but today would determine its sex and breed. They always got a few stares here and there, but were always accompanied by "Congratulations!" or "Cant wait for the foal shower!" Being that Ponyville is so small and gossip travels rather quickly, there was not a soul who didn't know of Fluttershy's predicament. That and the public fight Big Macintosh had caused. Every congratulations made Fluttershy die a little inside. She was being congratulated for having the foal for a stallion of whom she did not love. She was being congratulated for being ruined. She was being congratulated on something she didn't know was truly hers. But Cousin Braeburn had sent Mac a letter, saying if anyone gave them trouble, to keep calm and not get violent, but rather work it out peacefully as he had with the buffalo. Foal shower. Fluttershy was hardly sure if she could call it that. Pinkie had the great idea to combine it with the bachelorette party and the bridal shower, seeing as the events would be closely packed anyhow. So they had a full plate set in front of them. Fluttershy wasn't one for parties, and had been excited for a nice get together with her five closest friends. But now that everyone knew, there were sure to be a lot of uninvited guests. Big Mac pushed through the heavy glass doors, holding one open to allow a very pregnant Fluttershy to continue in. How chivalrous. The clinic waiting room consisted of two leather couches, one currently occupied by Lyra and Bon Bon. Though, Lyra was sitting kind of funny, with he back legs under her and hanging off the side of the sofa. Her belly, however, was rather swollen. Probably six months pregnant. The room smelled as if it was disinfected once a minute, and the stench of Clorox tickled her nose. She looked at Big Mac as he laid next to her on the cushy leather seats. He smiled at her, and it made her feel warm inside. Sometimes when she thought of their time in the snow, she would laugh out loud, and everypony would think she was crazy. Well, nothing could compare to the time Twilight went nuts with her SmartyPants doll when she forgot to send her weekly letter to Princess Celestia. Come to think of it, was that doll in Big Mac's room…? Her thoughts were cut short by a secretary calling out "Carrington?" in a nasally voice as she filed her hooves. She didn't even look up from her hooves to point them to the room, but instead blew a strand of orange mane form her light brown face. All she did was go "Room 317." 'Rude,' thought Fluttershy. Big Mac gave her a hoof getting into the bed, and she gladly accepted. She lay with her stomach facing the ceiling, when a blue-coated stallion with a sandy blonde mane entered the room, clipboard levitated by his green unicorn magic aura. His cutie mark bore the symbol of an x-ray machine. A pair of reading glasses were balanced on his broad snout, as he looked over Fluttershy's medical history and insurance forms. His scanning of the forms went on for a little bit, accompanied by some grunts of validation as he read through the information. Big Macintosh held his fiancé's hoof as they waited patiently for the procedure to continue. After a few minutes, the blue unicorn finally looked up, studied the couple, and smiled. "Well then, lets get started!" Fluttershy straightened her back, allowing her stomach to be as stretched and visible as possible for the doctor. She wanted to be as compliant as possible. The doctor started by putting a warm liquid on Fluttershy's barrel. She liked the sensation at the moment, but hated cleaning the crusty solution when it dried to her fur. Using a strange looking device, the dark blue unicorn doctor rubbed around Fluttershy's stomach, looking for an image of the foal. He searched for a few seconds, before going "Ah hah! There it is. And what a cutie!" Fluttershy stifled a giggle as she watched Big Mac roll his eyes at the statement, knowing he said it to all of his clients and couldn't actually see what the foal looked like. The expecting parents studied the screen of the ultrasound, taking in the image of the foal. It was weird looking, and hard to read, but they understood that only technicians could see what needed to be seen. "I know what your waiting for," chuckled the doctor. "I'll have the sex and breed verified in a moment." He typed a few things on a computer and studied the image yet again. "Now, the foal is in a good position and doesn't show to have any complications. It looks like it will be an easy birth. And congratulations! It's a-" The doctor was cut off as the red and yellow pony were leaning in to hear the information about their foal by a canon exploding through the door. The room was suddenly decorated with tablecloths, balloons, and streamers. Music started blaring in the hallway as the couple and doctor stood flabbergasted in room 317. Pinkie danced into the room, singing some song about pregnancy, while the rest of her friends stood awkwardly in the doorway. "Oh my," said Twilight, "I think we might be a tad but early." She rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof, and smiled weakly at the three stunned occupants of the examination room. Pinkie, noticing that no other pony had joined in on her conga line, awkwardly backed out of the room with a sheepish smile. "Eeyup," said Macintosh, still wide-eyed in surprise. "We just wanted to be the first ones to be there for you, being your friends and all," defended Rainbow Dash. Rarity and Applejack nodded their heads in agreement, while Pinkie Pie slowly tired to dance her way back into the room, only to be stopped by a purple hoof. "Well girls, your welcome to stay if you like. It would be nice to have you all with me, if that's okay with you Mac?" said Fluttershy on the matter. "Eeyup." Beams lit up on the faces of the five friends and after an eye roll, Twilight retracted her hoof, allowing the pink party pony to cha-cha into the shiny tiled room. The other mares joined into a conga line behind her that eventually snaked its way to Fluttershy's bedside. Reaching into her tail, Pinkie Pie brought out a cake with a rattle painted in frosting on it. She offered a piece to each pony, but all declined due to the immense amount of pink hair that now coated the cake. "More for me," said Pinkie Pie with a shrug as she shoved the cake into her mouth and swallowed it whole. "Pinkie, please. That is repulsive," said Rarity with a wince as Pinkie licked her hooves free of any remaining frosting. "Ahem!" said the doctor, causing the new additions in the room to immediately fall silent and pay attention. "As I was saying, Miss Fluttershy, you are going to have a beautiful foal girl." A collective "Awww," came from the other Elements of Harmony as Fluttershy and Big Macintosh happily kissed each other at the news. "Looks like she's got strong legs, too. Even for an Earth Pony," continued the doctor as he studied something on his clipboard again. Everypony looked at each other with open mouths and extremely happy expressions. Applejack through her hat in the air as she let out a "Yeehaw!" and Pinkie Pie let out another blast of the party canon as music started. The examination room was now turned into a party palooza, decorated with streamers, and some how, Pinkie had already gotten a banner that said 'It's a girl!' Everypony started dancing, and even the doctor joined in. But Mac and Fluttershy just stared at each other, tuning out every other pony. 'Its his. Its my love's.' thought Fluttershy. She was not cursed with Soarin's foal, but rather was carrying the blessed foal of the stallion she loved and would be committed to for the rest of her life. All her fears evaporated, and the world was now left with only things to be happy about.