Tirek was the first of the two to wake, he almost wasn't surprised to see white. Rarity had curled around his arms in her sleep. Great, how was he supposed to get up without waking her? Silently cursing himself for the situation he put himself in, he tried his best to move her off without stirring her, easing his arm away. Good for him that she slept like a log. He got himself out of her grip without any trouble, standing and making his way downstairs. Once he touched the ground floor, he saw Spike and Fluttershy, silently entering. Behind Spike was a small wagon of supplies and on Fluttershy’s back a stuffed saddle bag, some of its contents poking out from the lumpy sack.
“Oh, good morning, Tirek.” Fluttershy chirped, giving a friendly wave to the centaur. “I hope you don’t mind, but we wanted to get an early start.”
“This is going to be a long eleven months.” Spike went to work unpacking his wagon, pulling off a small dog bed to start and placing it off to the side. “You thought yesterday was bad, it’s not getting any better.”
“I can imagine,” he groaned. Tirek took a moment to help them unpack. “What was Twilight like when she was pregnant the first time?”
“Well, it started with her throwing up at the smell of food. Eating sometimes was a no go. Mostly it was cravings, the occasional feeling sick, lots of bathroom runs, and mood swings. It wasn’t nearly as bad as what’s going on with Rarity.”
Fluttershy pulled out a box and some other unusual items from what appeared to be herbs and strange glass jars. “Having a baby can be wonderful. Of course, it’s not always perfect, but so long as you have someone nearby to help you through the rough patches, it’s not so bad.” She lifted the wooden box and opened it for Tirek to peer inside. “I even brought my pregnancy kit! It helped me so much whenever I was feeling stressed or ill.”
He took the box and rummaged through it. Candles, oils, and some other mixtures were inside. “How does this help?”
She gave off a little giggle. “It’s to make her feel better, silly. The candles will fill her room with sweet scents that will help her relax, the oils are for her skin, and some of those jars are homemade recipes for when she feels ill.” Fluttershy gave him a curious look. “Have you ever tried lighting a scented candle? They are a wonderful way to relax.”
He glanced down at her, closing the box . “If she chooses abortion, we won’t be needing this. I already don’t want the child as is.”
Spike and Fluttershy exchanged worried looks. “I get where you’re coming from, but you should take some time to consider this. She might not be comfortable with abortion and it’s not like you have to keep the baby.” Spike flew over to him.
“It’s all right, Spike.” Fluttershy smiled to Tirek. “This is clearly hurting Rarity and under the circumstances, it may be for the better.”
He looked to her with worry. “You think she’d be okay with that?”
“Whatever they decide, we’re going to be there to support both of them. She may be having this child, but it’s also his, they should both have a say.”
Tirek gave a “hm” before moving himself to the kitchen. “I don’t know when she’s going to wake up or what she’ll want to eat. If you’re right, she may not want to eat anything.”
Spike flew into the kitchen after Tirek. “Yeah, she’s probably not going to be up for eating, at least not right away.”
Fluttershy poked her head into the kitchen. “I’m going to go and check on Rarity. Spike, could you prepare the mixture for me in case she’ll need it?”
“Sure thing!” She gave him an appreciative nod, passing her hefty sack to him, and took off for Rarity’s room.
“What do you need me to do?” As much as Tirek doesn't want to help and take care of the pest, he doesn't want to hear more complaining from the helpers.
Spike gave a small shrug as he placed the sack on the counter. “Depends on how Rarity feels or what she needs. Since you’d be the best at carrying her around, you should be in charge of that. Fluttershy and I can help with the relaxing and care part unless we need extra assistance. If anything looks bad, we need to be ready to get her to the hospital or Philter.” He tapped his chin with his claw. “On second thought, maybe we should stick with Philter. He’s got more experience with other creatures than a Ponyville doctor would and the baby in her’s probably some sort of hybrid.”
That fact didn't even cross his mind. What would the child look like if she decided to keep it? More centaur or more pony? Tirek shook himself out of the thought. He wasn't going to be a father to the child, the state of it shouldn't bother his mind. “Carrying her around won't be a problem.” Would the child give her complications during - stop it! Tirek had to rub his eyes. He wrenched the kitchen faucet on splashing his face with water. For a moment, he hung head head over the sink, water dripping from his face.
Spike looked over at him, a supportive smile on his face. “Have you ever worked in a kitchen?”
* * *
Fluttershy gently opened the door to her friend’s room making sure to make as little noise as possible. Peering in, she saw her friend still and silent as she lay snug in her bed. Though she couldn’t see her face, a feeling of dread rushed over Fluttershy. Cautiously, she made her way to the bed and set a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Rarity,” she cooed softly, giving her a light shake.
Rarity let off a tired groan, groggily turning her head to look at Fluttershy. “Oh, it’s just you, Fluttershy.” Her eyes said it all, the way her lips tiredly lay on her face, the discomforted twist of her lips.
The pegasus smiled at her, “How did you sleep?”
“Well, I think I did… but I wish I hadn’t woken back up….” She let off a short, sickly moan, burying her face into the pillow.
Fluttershy gave her a sympathetic look. “I assume you're not very hungry, are you?”
“Not at all….” Rarity’s muffled voice spoke drowsily through the pillow. “Oh Fluttershy, what am I to do…?”
She sat herself beside Rarity, settling herself in place. “What do you want to do? We'll understand and support whatever decision you make.”
“I… I don’t know….” She curled up slightly, gripping the blankets tight.
Fluttershy patted her friend's shoulder. “Take all the time you need. In the meantime, Spike and Tirek are making breakfast. If you want some when you're up.”
“We’ll see, darling… if this sickness doesn’t kill me….”
“Are you able to go downstairs or would you like to stay here?”
Rarity moaned in pain once again, gripping the sheets tighter. Silently, she ran off a line of curses. Curses mostly against herself, her uterus, whatever was developing insider her, but partially against Tirek and in some tiny part, the queens for laying this upon her.
“Let's keep you here. I'll let Tirek and Spike know how you're feeling. I think he might be starting to change, even if it’s slightly.” She gave Rarity a reassuring smile.
“Oh... so having a baby was all he needed… lovely….”
“I wouldn't take it that way.” She pushed herself off the bed and made way for the door. “I'll be back in a few minutes.” The door closed silently behind her as she left Rarity to her frustrated, pained, and tired groans.
* * *
“What are you doing?!” Spike exclaimed, staring with horror at the concoction in Tirek’s hands.
“You were the one who wanted me to try cooking! I've never cooked more than meat on a fire!” He waved the bowl as he spoke, bits of what were once ingredients flew every which way.
Spike slapped his claws into his face. “I wanted you to learn so you could take better care of Rarity, not poison her!” He took the bowl from him and chucked it into the sink. “If you had followed my instructions better, you wouldn’t have made that.”
Tirek huffed hot air from his nostrils. “Your instructions were complicated.”
“There is nothing complicated about pancakes!”
Fluttershy flew back down, gracefully gliding over to the kitchen. At the sight of Tirek and Spike fighting over cooking directions, she puffed out her chest and stuck herself between them. “Boys! There is no need for fighting!”
“He started it.” Spike huffed, crossing his arms.
Fluttershy placed her hoof on his snout. “I don’t want to hear it. Right now, Rarity needs our help and bickering won’t do her any good.”
Tirek set the whisk in his hand on the counter. “I assume she's awake and feeling like shit?”
She sighed. “She’s not doing well at all. No energy to move, no appetite, and in a lot of pain.”
He pursed his lips. “Is there anything that can be done? Some medicine she can take?”
Spike and Fluttershy looked to one another. “Well, I’m not sure. I’ve never seen anyone react this badly to pregnancy before.” Fluttershy twisted her hair in her hoof, strands slowly moving to cover her face.
“And if there is something out there, I don’t know if it’d be safe to give to someone who is.” Spike added, nervously tapping his claws.
“What about that vampire that’s hanging around Twilight? Didn’t he offer his help?” Tirek crossed his arms bitterly, sneering as he mentioned him.
Spike raised his eyebrow at Tirek. “You do realize how early it is.” He motioned to the light streaming in from the nearby window.
“And you want to wait until nightfall for her to get something to help her feel better? An entire twelve hours of misery?”
Fluttershy and Spike awkwardly twitched about, Spike keeping his eyes off Tirek as he grimaced. Each looked about the room in thought, yet despite their best efforts, remained silent.
The centaur snorted disappointingly. “You call yourselves friends.” He turned and headed out the door, making his way straight to Twilight’s castle.