February 8th, 996
"Grrr!"
The silence in the hospital room is punctured by another of Applejack's loud grunts, the mare forcing herself to breathe in and out. She grits her teeth, one foreleg straining against the bed while the other gives Doug a run for his money, threatening to pull the human across her chest. She pants hard against the cloth sheets, regaining her strength for the upcoming, and hopefully last, push.
"Alright, Applejack," Doug says, a firm grip on her hoof, "Next one coming in two minutes, time to rest." He ruffles her mane, the farmpony's hat lying forgotten on the floor behind her. She smiles up at him before closing her eyes and going back to resting. Doug holds on to the cup of ice with one hand before placing it on Applejack's forehead, eliciting a smile from the mare at the cool touch.
"Alright, love, get ready. In, two, three, four, Out, two, three, four, In, two..." Applejack's breathing matches Doug's count, "Okay, here it comes. Push, two, three, four, Out, two, three, four. You're doing great, keep it up, and In, two, three, four," A loud grunt emanates from Applejack, and she forces her eyes open, staring into Doug's eyes as she strains against his arm. From behind her Nurse Redheart gives Doug a hint of a nod as a bit of white can be seen coming from between Applejack's legs. "Alright, Applejack, almost there, just a little bit more. In, two, three, four," Doug strokes her mane with his free hand, a flicker of relief from the mare as she continues pushing.
Nurse Redheart moves close to Applejack, assisting and then cleaning the newly born foal. Doug gives Applejack a kiss, the exhausted mare barely attempting to kiss him back before sinking into the sheets and closing her eyes. Doug reaches back, picking her hat up from the ground and dusting it off before dropping it onto her head, covering her muzzle and eyes. A few exaggerated snores can be heard from under the hat, Doug slightly lifting the side and peeking under. Applejack winks back at him, smiling at her stallion. He ruffles her mane and says, "Wow, after all that and you still joke around. Ah like that."
Applejack pushes the hat back to the top of her head, "Oh shucks, twern't nothing. Ah heard and it's true, gets easier every time." She looks over at Nurse Redheart, smiling at the small bundle in the mare's arms, "So, how's the little one?"
The beep of a machine is the only reply as Nurse Redheart looks from one monitor to another. She glances over at Doctor Horse, the unicorn recalled to Ponyville for the two births. He glances between Applejack and Nurse Redheart and shrugs, "Same as the others. Not that you were expecting anything different, you know."
Applejack nods, a glum look on her face, "Ah suppose. She coming along well, regardless?" Nurse Redheart nods, passing the tiny brown foal to Doug as Applejack frowns. "What, Ah can't hold my own foal? Ah'm not some kind of invalid over here."
Doug shakes his head, holding the foal close to Applejack, "No, there's just something else that has to happen first, before we can leave here." He beams down at the foal, caressing its mane - a dull red with two strands of green.
Applejack rolls her eyes, "Oh, right. Somehow Ah managed to block that that happened the last time Ah had to do this." She settles back down, content to nuzzle the foal as the last remnants of the foaling process leave her body. Soon after and Applejack is cleaned up, the foal happily nestled between her legs and lightly dozing, exhausted from the ordeal.
The wheels of the hospital gurney squeak as Doug pushes the bed to the room Pinkie Pie is resting in. The pink pony looks up, her pale yellow foal between her legs, fast asleep. Pinkie Pie waves at them, the top half of her body undulating back and forth while the bottom half stays still, not disturbing the foal. She whispers loudly, "Everything go well? I hope it went as well as mine went, because mine went really well!"
Applejack nods, "Yes, Pinkie, it went very well. And Ah'm really glad they aren't making us stay an extra two days. As soon as Ah can walk out of here, Ah'm gonna." She looks down, playing with her foal's mane, running her hoof along the stripes. She looks up at Pinkie, "It's not spoiling a secret if everypony already knows it, right?" At Pinkie's nod, Applejack smiles, "Alright then. Hello, Applebaum."
The foal stirs, looking up at Applejack with tired eyes and giving a yawn. Applejack and Doug glance at each other, sharing a smile as Applebaum gives a quiet whimper, moving around as if hunting for something. Doug moves a hand down, guiding the foal to one of Applejack's teats, the foal quickly latching on.
Pinkie Pie mimics the action, saying, "Hello, Lemon! Up and at em!" She lightly strokes Lemon's mane, a dull yellow collection of curls with a few cream streaks. The foal bounces to her hooves, easily the most energy of any of the ponies in the room, and spins in place a few times. She spots Applebaum, starting to move towards her brown sister before Pinkie Pie catches her with a hoof, redirecting her yellow foal to her own belly and away from the several foot drop. She laughs, "Silly Lemon, your treat is right here!"
Several minutes of nursing later, a knock comes at the door. Doug wakes up from his nap next to Applejack, each mare also dozing a little, enjoying the pleasant contact with their foal. Nurse Redheart steps through the door, smiling at each of them before setting a package of papers on one of the tables. "Just the notes, nothing to be alarmed about. Condition is the same as your other three foals. Would you like the full explanation?"
Pinkie Pie shakes her head, "I remember most of it. Just a brief recap?"
A minute and one retrieved chart later, Nurse Redheart explains, "Your foal, Lemon, has a thaumic deficiency. Essentially, she has a low magic potential. Since you don't involve yourself in many of the... typical earth pony expressions of magic, Pinkie, it might not impact you much. Though with your Pinkie Sense... well, the less said about that the better." Nurse Redheart coughs, looking over at Applejack, "Your foal, Applebaum, is going to present similarly to Apple Bloom. Low magic, difficulty with farming, slightly less strength. Otherwise, should be a healthy foal. Did you want to do periodic checkups like before?"
"Eeyup, expecting as much there. Ah think we'll pass on the checkups, thank you though." Applejack smiles down at her foal, "So, Baum, what'll it be? You want to work with apples?" The foal opens one eye, looking up with an exasperated face that seems to say, 'Excuse me? I'm busy here.' Applejack laughs, "Oh, aren't you the cutest. Ah'm sure Doug will love playing with you." The foal rolls her eyes before closing them and going back to nursing.
A smile breaks out on Doug's face as he watches the foal's antics; not even an hour old and she is giving her mother grief. He rubs Applejack's mane and settles down next to her as Nurse Redheart packs up her materials. The nurse gives them a friendly wave, "Come see me at the nurse's station if you need anything, or are ready to go," and walking out the door, pushing her chart in front of her.
The mares lay on their beds for several minutes before Applejack notices a quiet in the room, punctuated only by soft breathing. She looks between her foal and Pinkie's; both are asleep, and Doug is up, quietly packing up their things. She carefully gets to her hooves, saying, "Alright, Pinkie, plenty of other mares who'll need this room. Up and at 'em." Pinkie Pie yawns, getting to her hooves as well. Doug softly strokes Applebaum's mane before lifting the foal, wrapping her in a blanket. The foal stirs, briefly pushing against the swaddle but enjoying the contact before settling back down.
Lemon, on the other hoof, immediately wakes up as he grabs hold. She squirms as Doug picks her up, waving her hooves back and forth and trying to fight him off as he gets the blanket under her. His efforts are only slightly hindered by Pinkie cheering the foal on, the foal giggling as she squirms around. When she tries to roll over he picks her up, the foal turning and pointing a hoof at Pinkie Pie, waving her foreleg back and forth. "Oh, you want Mama?" Doug remarks, rotating the foal around so she can see her dam a little easier. The foal gives a cheery chirp, now holding both hooves out towards her. "Okay, we can go see her." Doug takes the opportunity to bundle the foal up while she is focusing on Pinkie Pie, handing the swaddled foal to her.
Pinkie Pie takes the foal, holding it with two hooves as she gets to her hind legs, still a little unsteady. Doug picks up Applebaum, the five heading to the nurse station and checking out, nodding in greeting at the string of very pregnant mares waiting for their time to begin. Some of them eye Doug suspiciously, though most seem more concerned with what their own bodies are going through than to watch the human carry his foal outside while a second pony walks human-style next to him, also carrying her foal.
They exit the hospital to the brisk chill of winter, Applejack remarking, "Ah feel like we've been here before," as Fluttershy waves to them. The yellow pegasus walks through the heavily trampled snow covering the streets outside Ponyville General, nuzzling first Applejack and Applebaum. Pinkie Pie nuzzles Lemon, the foal giggling back before Pinkie Pie tosses her into the air, the foal gently landing on Pinkie's back. Pinkie Pie starts walking forward into the snow covered streets, Fluttershy standing still to greet Pinkie Pie and Lemon. Doug ruffles Fluttershy's mane as she walks next to him, pushing her muzzle into his hand before glancing up at the human with a smile.
"So, 'Shy, we having another party at the Apple farmhouse?" Doug asks, feeling the mare tense underneath him.
The pegasus' eyes dart back and forth, "Um, what might have given you that idea?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie exclaims, Lemon bobbing up and down on her back, "Nopony told me about a party going on at Applejack's!" Her eyes shift back and forth, looking between Doug and Fluttershy, "And when this pink pony perceives the party who pushed a party past the premiere party planner in Ponyville, Pinkie's going to be pretty perturbed!"
"Oh?" Doug asks, "What would worry the wingding wizard of this whistle-stop?"
"Oh, come on! Clearly, only clueless others could overlook completely that I, the illustrious, terrific, inspirational tower in town ingeniously took it to invent the incredible-" Pinkie Pie gasps, rearing up on her hind legs and throwing her hooves to her muzzle, Lemon catapulting off her back, "I just got it! That means there are TWO parties for the foals!" Doug shifts Applebaum to one arm and manages to snag Lemon out of midair with the other as Pinkie Pie continues, "I need to coordinate a few things, be right back!"
"Pinkie!" Doug shouts as the pink pony disappears in a cloud of dust and streamers. He sighs, glancing down at the foal in his arm who seems none too disappointed in the brief trip through the air. In fact, the way she is waving her forelegs around, it's almost as if, "What?" he says, looking down at her, "You want to go again?" Doug glances over at Applejack, "I think Rainbow said it best, when she said Pinkie Pie is crazy." He holds the foal to his face, briefly nuzzling her chest, "Now, you're just going to love excitement, aren't you? Yes you are!"
Lemon chirps appreciably as Applejack moves next to Doug, "Nice catch there, partner. Ah can take one of them, if'n you want."
Doug shrugs, "Nah, I got it." The two walk side by side, following Fluttershy down the road.
"Hey, 'Shy? Why are we going this way?" Applejack asks, looking off to the side towards Sweet Apple Acres. "Why are we heading towards Sugarcube Corner?"
"Oh, um, you just, um, never know with Pinkie Pie, right?" Fluttershy stammers, trying not to look Applejack in the eye.
"But, Ah thought our 'surprise' party would be at Sweet Apple Acres! Why in tarnation would... Oh no. Please tell me it ain't..." Applejack swiftly moves down to the cross road next to Sugarcube Corner, looking again towards Sweet Apple Acres. A large cloud of dirt and snow is being raised in the distance, "Please tell me it ain't the main house... Oh thank Celestia, it's not."
One of the Apple family barns is being dragged through the streets, ponies hurriedly moving out of the way. Big Mac leads a team of earth ponies, collectively strapped to the barn and dragging it down the center of the street. Pinkie Pie rides the front of the barn, one foreleg holding on to a rope secured to the main hoist and the other scanning the horizon. She spots Applejack, Fluttershy, and Doug, releasing her hold on the rope to wave at them while continuing to scan with the other arm.
As Pinkie Pie tumbles to the ground the barn comes to a stop outside of Sugarcube Corner, right in front of Applejack. Pinkie Pie continues her roll, standing upright and beaming at the three as if nothing happened, "So, are you ready to PARTY?"
The earth ponies unhitch themselves, walking into the barn. Big Mac gives a nod before heading inside; Applejack and Pinkie Pie follow him and the crowd of ponies while Fluttershy looks up at Doug. He sighs, debating whether to army crawl into the barn or not. He tucks his chin to his chest, holding both foals at his waist as he hunches over, and walks into the dimly lit barn.
A firecracker goes off high above his head as the lights turn on, the collected ponies inside shouting, "SURPRISE!!"
Doug deadpans a look at Pinkie Pie, "Seriously? A surprise party? After you dragged the barn halfway across town?"