Party for Two
It has been 2 months and a week since Rarity began living with Twilight and Spike. It has been just like she expected, relatively peaceful; the exception being when Twilight would get upset at Spike for forgetting something, or not doing his chores fast enough. At first, Rarity sympathized with the little purple dragon; but, after awhile, she learned to ignore it.
Today wasn’t particularly different than any other day had been the past 9 months, although she’s thankful the morning sickness went away and her aches were less severe. But, in their place were mood swings, weird cravings, and a rather large belly, larger than the unicorn expected. At first she was rather disgusted with the size it had become, until Twilight assured her that it was only because of her baby, and that it’ll go away after her birth with some exercise.
Rarity’s normal routine was to wake up, clean herself in the bathroom, and go downstairs to make breakfast for everypony. But today, she came downstairs to see a little surprise. Twilight Sparkle was already up and at the table reading the newspaper with Sweetie Belle drawing next to her and Spike making breakfast himself.
The little white unicorn filly saw her older sister come down the stairs, and greeted her by running up to her and giving a big hug. “Morning Rarity!” she said in a cheery voice.
“Why, good morning, Darling. You’re up early aren’t you? And on a weekend no less!” Rarity asked her energetic little sister, surprised that she was in fact up so early on a Saturday.
“Mmhmm! I wanted to make sure your surprise was ready before you got up!”
“Surprise?” Rarity inquired, “what for Sweetie Belle?”
The little pony gave her sister a devious smile as she replied, “if I told you, then it wouldn’t be a surprise! You’ll just have to wait until the party today!”
The older unicorn gave her sister a chuckle. “Oh, alright. Let’s go sit down and enjoy breakfast, then.”
Sweetie Belle ran back and sat down to finish her drawing. Rarity took a seat next to her, across from Twilight, who was smiling at her friend as she sat down.
“Good morning Twilight.”
“Hello Rarity, how are you this morning?” the violet unicorn asked her roommate.
Rarity sighed a little bit. “Same old, same old,” she said, “although, today my stomach hurts a little more than usual.”
Twilight’s eyes shifted to a look of concern at this. “Maybe we should go to the hospital,” she said. Suddenly, the librarian’s eyes lit up like stars. “Maybe you’re about to go into labor!” She started squealing with excitement at the idea, her swishing tail almost knocking Spike and his food over.
“Woah! Hey, watch it, Twi.” the baby dragon said.
The unicorn smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, Spike.”
“Well, it’s alright; no harm done. Oh, and breakfast is ready!” The little purple dragon carefully set the table with plates, glasses, flatware, pancakes, apple fritters, apple juice, eggs, toast, and other breakfast items, as well as a small plate of gems for himself, a way of saying ‘thank you and sorry’ from Rarity.
“Oh my, Spike this looks delicious,” Twilight said, impressed at her companion’s cooking skill.
“Why, yes I had no idea you could be such a wonderful cook!” Rarity said, delicately levitating and putting food on her and Sweetie Belle’s plates. “What do you say, Sweetie?”
“Mmmph. Phank Doo!” the filly said through a mouthful of pancakes and eggs.
“Table manners. Darling,” Rarity reminded her sister.
After swallowing her food, Sweetie Belle blushed a little bit. “Sorry,” she said lightly.
Twilight simply smiled at her. “That’s alright,” she said, “I think today is a day we can all relax and forget about some manners for a bit.” At this, the 3 ponies and dragon laughed, enjoying the rest of their meal.
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“Come along, Sweetie Belle, Rarity called up the stairs to her sister while Twilight and Spike waited by the door, “we don’t want to be late!”
“Coming Rarity!” After a few minutes, the small white filly came skipping down the stairs and trotted out the door with her elders and friends, all four heading towards Sugarcube Corner in the crisp spring afternoon for the party Pinkie and Rarity have been planning.
Normally, walking from the library to the sweet shop takes only ten to twenty minutes, but today it took the four friends nearly 45 minutes, because Rarity was getting pain spasms, mainly from the baby’s kicking.
“Rarity, I really think we should go to the hospital,” Twilight told her friend, concern filling her voice, ‘this seems serious.”
Rarity stood firm and continued walking towards the door of Sugarcube Corner, now only a few feet away. “Nonsense, Twilight,” Rarity retorted. ‘Remember a few weeks ago when the same thing happened? The doctor told us it was only a false alarm and that it is perfectly natural near the birthing time.”
“But that’s just it, Rarity,” the purple unicorn insisted, “maybe this time is the moment.”
“Now Twilight, no need to fret; today’s a great day, now let’s go in there and have fun!” the white unicorn used her magic to open up the door. She then pushed her friend through, and then waited until her sister and Spike walked in before going in herself.
What the four friends saw stunned them. It was as though the interior was transformed completely: there were balloons and streamers everywhere, the walls were rimmed with tables filled with treats and drinks, and the room itself was filled with most, if not all, of the colorful residents of Ponyville. At that moment, both Rarity and Twilight’s eyes went wide, for in the back of the room sat both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, in all their regal glory, talking to any and all ponies that talked to them.
“You girls made it! YAY!!” shouted a pink Earth Mare with a mane resembling pink cotton candy, who seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Twilight recovered from her shock before Rarity. “Of course we did, Pinkie,” the unicorn assured, smiling. “I don’t think anypony would miss any of your parties for the world!”
The white unicorn was the next to speak, remarking, “my my. It seems you’ve invited almost all of Equestria, Darling.”
Pinkie smiled at the thought. “Oh my gosh, no! Sugarcube Corner is nowhere near big enough to hold all of Equestria.” All of a sudden, the hyperactive pony gasped, “but that would be AMAZING!! Oooh! I’m going to start planning for that right now!” Before anypony could say anything, there was a blur of pink, and the pony matching the color was nowhere to be found.
“Well then, that was.. unexpected,” Twilight said, slightly dazed from Pinkie’s rather abrupt departure.
“Hmm, yes, quite,” Rarity agreed. She then looked down to her sister. “Why don’t you go find Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, Darling?”
Sweetie Belle smiled at her sister, gave her a hug, then ran off into the crowd to look for her fellow Crusaders.
“Well then, I think I’m going to fetch something to drink,” said Rarity to her friends. “Would either of you like something?”
Spike shook his and declined, “No thanks,” then ran off toward one of the many tables containing food. Twilight chuckled at her little friend and then looked at Rarity.
“No thank you, Rarity,” declined the purple mare as well, “I’m going to see if I can manage to talk to the Princesses.”
The fashionable pony smiled at her friend and walked towards to refreshment table.
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A few hours have passed since Rarity got to the party, and she wasn’t feeling as up to it as she thought she would have: for starters, her weird cravings have been in full kick all day, and nothing here seemed to satisfy her. Then, she got a massive headache halfway through that just came from nowhere. And now, she was sitting down, talking with the spa sisters, when her stomach started feeling queasy. “Umm, excuse me, Darlings while I got to the Ladies’ Room,” the white unicorn excused herself from the conversation and trotted over to the bathroom.
The first thing she did was rush over to the toilet, afraid that she was going to have another vomiting episode like she had at the beginning of her pregnancy. But, after a few minutes and no bile, she shakily stood up and took a few gulps of water from the sink, thinking it would calm her down a little bit, but to no avail. All of a sudden, the feeling came back in her stomach and she rushed back to the toilet. While she was bent over with her muzzle hovering over the bowl, she started feeling a wetness running down her legs and back hooves. Looking back her eyes dilated as she realized what happened: her water broke. “It’s happening!” the unicorn thought, feelings of excitement and fear setting in quickly.
Rarity rushed out of the bathroom and found Twilight next to Princess Celestia, talking to her. She ran up to her unicorn friend and whispered with urgency into her ear, “it’s happening!” Twilight’s eyes held confusion at first, but upon seeing Rarity’s eyes, it dawned on her.
“OH MY GOSH! YOU’RE GOING INTO LABOR!?!?!?” the purple unicorn shouted in excitement, causing all the ponies in the room to quiet down and look at her. Instead of becoming embarrassed, she ignored them all and went into a mindset similar to a general in battle. “Girls! We need to get Rarity to the hospital, FAST!” she commanded, putting emphasis on the last part, as well as pardoning herself from the princesses.
At this, every single pony in the room could be heard moving about, each with the intent of helping their dress making friend get to the hospital; some were making sure the way was clear, others were yelling words of encouragement while Rarity was rushed out the building, and others were hanging back and simply watching. Supported by Rainbow Dash, as well as Twilight’s magic, Rarity and her friends made their way to the hospital.
The six friends soon made it to the hospital and rushed up to the desk, causing Nurse Redheart to jump and scream in surprise at the sudden shouting of, “we need a doctor!”
The next thing Rarity knew, she was loaded up into a gurney and towed into the maternity ward, while nurses and doctors were preparing for her and giving her instructions on what to do. The last thing Rarity remembered before the intense pain that hit her like a wagon were her five friends, her sister and her friends, and the two Princesses watching her go.
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“Alright, Miss Rarity, you’re doing good; just one more push now,” Dr. Feelgood was telling the exhausted and hurting unicorn. Rarity felt relieved that it was him doing the birth and not some stranger. She felt even more relieved knowing that Nurse Redheart was there to comfort and help her anyway she could.
“I can’t! I just can’t anymore,” Rarity said, tears streaming down her face from pain and stress. She was tired of pushing, breathing, and flexing her muscles; she’s been doing it for the past four hours and she’s had it. She wanted this damn thing out!
“I know, Rarity, I know, but you have to. One more time and I promise you’re done,” the pale blue doctor gave the white unicorn a pleading look. So, Rarity closed her eyes and pushed as hard as she could with all her energy. Suddenly, the sounds in the room were accompanied by another sound: the sound of a crying, newborn foal.
“Congratulations, Rarity,” Nurse Redheart said with a smile, “it's a beautiful baby colt.” Rarity looked down and saw Dr. Feelgood holding a crying baby pegasus. Rarity took it from the doctor and held it close, amazed at what she accomplished. She started brushing the thin, sky blue hairs on her baby’s head.
Dr. Feelgood walked up with a clipboard and pen levitating in his magic. “So,” he said, “have you figured out a name?”
Rarity kissed her new son’s forehead and softly said, “I have. I shall call him Frostfyre.”
The doctor scrawled the name down and gave the clipboard to another nurse. “So, this is what we do now: we need to take the foal down the hallway and have our pediatrician examine it. In the mean time, we shall take and transfer you to a more comfortable bed where you can wait.”
The unicorn kissed her child’s forehead once again before giving it to yet another nurse. She then looked at the blue and white ponies next to her, both of whom bore a warm smile. “Thank you, both of you, for all you’ve done.”
“It was our pleasure,” Nurse Redheart simply said before helping the other ponies clean up and move Rarity to a room down the hall.
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“Shh, please be quiet, as they might both be asleep.” Nurse Redheart allowed Rarity’s sister and friends--including the princesses--to enter the room and spend time with their unicorn friend. The inside of the room was dark except for the light from the setting sun, as well as Celestia’s mane, which shone a similar light.
Rarity was holding her baby close to her, humming to him, grooming his short mane, and smiling at the small face that looked and smiled back. When the ponies saw the colt, they all gasped; not only were they surprised about the fact that their friend gave birth and was now a mother, but at how the baby pegasus looked. He had a bright, fire-red coat and his mane and tail were sky blue. But, most remarkable were his eyes and wings. His eyes were a deep Sapphire blue like his mother’s, and his wings held a pattern of red and blue.
“Oh my goodness, Rarity”, Fluttershy said, partly because she was the first one to think of what to say, but also because she’s the only who naturally talks in a low voice, “he looks gorgeous.”
All the ponies walked up to their friend’s bed. Rainbow Dash looked at the little colt and smiled. "Ya know,” she remarked, “even though I’m not really into mushy stuff, I gotta admit that this little guy is pretty cute.”
“Pretty cute!?!” Pinkie Pie gasped, “He’s amazingly adorable!!!”
“Shucks, Ah can’t wait to see what he’ll look like when he gets older,” Applejack added, still mesmerized by the baby’s wings and eyes.
Twilight agreed with her friends, “I bet he’ll grow up to be an amazing stallion.”
Rarity blushed at all the compliments. “Thank you girls,” she said, “even though it may not seem like it, I couldn't have done it without all of you.” She then nuzzled her baby, making him giggle.
Then, Rarity looked down and saw Sweetie Belle looking back up at them. Rarity lifted her sister up with her magic and set her on the bed. She then placed the colt in front of her sister, saying to her, “Sweetie, meet your new nephew: Frostfyre.”
Frostfyre tried to walk up to explore this new pony, who looked strangely like his mother, but ended up stumbling into Sweetie Belle. When she caught her nephew, “d’aaaaaws” could be heard all about the room. Rarity then lifted them both up and hugged them; after months of pain and vomiting and sweat, she finally got her reward and would never give him up, no matter what.
Then suddenly, Celestia spoke up, “Rarity, would mind if I performed a quick spell on Frostfyre?”
Rarity gave the Princess a look that made most of the ponies in the room flinch. Although she loved and respected her rulers, she didn’t want to risk anypony touching her child with spells just yet. But, she sighed and said that it was alright.
Celestia walked up and touched her glowing horn to the forehead of the baby pegasus, now playing with his mom’s bouncing, curled hair. Afterwards, she smiled at the unicorn, telling her, “don’t worry; all I did was put a tracking spell on him. Until the day he earns his Cutie Mark, You, Luna, Twilight and I will be able to track him with this spell should he become lost or kidnapped.”
Rarity smiled gratefully. Then, Nurse Redheart poked her head through the door. “Sorry to interrupt,” she began, “but the baby and his mother need their rest; so I’m going to have to ask all non-family to leave.”
At this, all the ponies but Sweetie Belle started heading for the door, the princesses having to teleport to Canterlot for pressing matters. Frostfyre immediately fell asleep, with Sweetie Belle starting to doze off, as well, but Rarity stayed awake for a few more minutes, just to enjoy feeling her son’s new heartbeat, and to think about some of the trials she might have to face in the future. Just as the white unicorn was about to fall asleep, she heard her younger sister’s voice.
“Rarity?”
“Yes, Darling?”
“I almost forgot; I wanted to give this to you at the party.” The filly quietly got down and ran to her backpack, running back a moment later with a polished silver locket inset with a large Sapphire. When Rarity opened it, she gasped in wonder; the locket opened up to show three slots, two of which were already occupied with a picture of the pair and another picture of them with their parents. Rarity noticed that the middle slot was blank.
“Sweetie Belle, why is this spot blank?” Rarity asked.
“Well,” the filly began to answer, “at first, I was going to fill it with a picture of all our friends, but then I remembered the baby and thought that wouldn’t be fair. So, I left the last spot open for you to put in any picture you wanted.”
Rarity smiled lovingly at her sister, and held her close along with the sleeping Frostfyre. “Thank you, Sweetie; this means a lot to me.” She kissed her sister on the forehead, levitated the locket to a nightstand near her bed, and passed out along with the children.