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// Cutie Mark Crusaders Sleepover 
// Story: Big News 
// by not the real VAV 
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	After Rainbow Dash had visited, Rarity had made sure to stop by with Pinkie Pie who had brought Fluttershy was treats. Neither Fluttershy nor the foals could deny that some sweets were a bad thing. Sure, they may not have been the healthiest thing to eat for lunch but they were good nonetheless.
Applejack stopped by later in the week to visit her brother, sister-in-law, and soon-to-be nephew and niece.
Twilight had visited, too, giving Fluttershy a pregnancy book the mother has asked for.
Today, six months, one week, and two days into the pregnancy, Fluttershy planned to sit back, relax, and read her book. Maybe Big Mac could read it afterwards, too. He hadn’t been a father before, surely it’d be helpful.
Fluttershy was about to start the first chapter of Foals Come First when she heard a knock at her door. The Pegasus placed the book down on the arm of the couch and trotted towards the door. She opened it up to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Oh hello girls,” she greeted, smiling sweetly at the three fillies.
“Hi Fluttershy!” the trio said excitedly.
“Is there something you need?”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at the orange Pegasus filly.
Scootaloo rubbed her neck and faced Fluttershy. “Hey…um…could you have us over for a sleepover? Like you did that one time?”
“Girls, I-;”
Big puppy-dog eyes, quivering lips, and flattened ears were what Fluttershy saw as she began to deny the Cutie Mark Crusaders of a sleepover.
She bit her lip, feeling guilty, and finally gave in. “A-alright girls, I’ll let you have a sleepover here.”
“YAY!!!” The three fillies jumped for joy.
“But...” Fluttershy lifted a hoof. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom leaned in hopefully.
“I need you to please, please, please behave and not start trouble. If you run off I can’t come after you. I can’t put the foals in danger.” She gestured to her belly. “Mac won’t be here. He needs to help your sister on the farm,” she told to Apple Bloom.
The yellow coated filly nodded.
“Can you promise me that, girls?”
“We promise!”
Fluttershy smiled. “Does Applejack know you’re here? I-I don’t want her to think somepony foalnapped you. Especially if they think I did.” She was serious about telling Applejack, but she was joking about her being a foalnapper.
They giggled.
………
Fluttershy placed the daisy sandwiches on the table. Scootaloo had wanted her crust cut off which was no problem.
The fillies began to eat their sandwiches as Fluttershy made herself a salad.
“Are you excited?”
Fluttershy didn’t turn around, but her ear flicked. "Hm? For what Sweetie Belle?”
“To be a mother.”
Fluttershy smiled and turned around. “Of course I am," answered the mare, dreamily. "Raising the twins will be some of the greatest moments of my life.”
“Are you excited to be an aunt?” Scootaloo asked Apple Bloom.
The cutie mark-less earth pony nodded with a big smile. “Of course Ah am! Ah can finally prove to Applejack that Ah can handle mahself!”
Fluttershy giggled. “I’m sure your sister knows how mature you are. She just wishes you’d stop growing up.”
Apple Bloom folded her hooves and mumbled something.
“Well alright girls, if you want to head out to do some-,”
“Crusading?”
She giggled. “Yes, crusading... You can do that, but please be safe. I need to help some of the critters. Some of them are hurt. Can I trust you,” she added while looking at the fillies pleadingly, “to stay far from the Everfree Forest? We wouldn’t want to repeat of last time?”
The Cutie Mark Crusaders shivered at the thought of a repeat of last time but nodded.
“Good. Be safe,” Fluttershy said as they stood up and started to run out. “Don’t get hurt!”
They were already out the door.
“Oh dear.”
………
“S-Sun Crest? D-dearie? Where are you?”
There wasn’t a response.
“Your mother doesn’t like s-scary things…” There was no response once again, only silence. Fluttershy gulped and looked at the frightening scene.
The carnival was deserted and, based on cobwebs and vines growing, seemed to be for quite some time.
Many booths were overturned with popcorn or tickets spilling out like ponies ran into it in a hurry. Fluttershy shrank at the though. Why would they be running so carelessly?
“A-are you here?" asked Fluttershy. "Sun Crest? Your father and sister are at home. Wouldn’t you like to be?” She walked at a cautious pace down the dirt trail, eying everything she passed. “Your mother certainly would like to be.”
The brush rustled behind her.
Fluttershy shrieked and darted inside an overturned booth. It was fairly dark inside and the ground was sticky. When Fluttershy sniffed lightly, she caught whiff of something sugary.
Maybe caramel?
Fluttershy frowned. Caramel belonged on delicious, juicy ripe apples...like the one on her spouse’s flank…not on a fluffy, cute yellow coated Pegasus.
There was a noise outside as something stomped past, making Fluttershy hide further into the ground. It passed her stall but not before giving the air a good sniff. When “it” did this, she made sure to coat herself in as much caramel as possible to make sure it didn’t notice her.
Hopefully Sun Crest would be-
Fluttershy shot up, her eyes wide. Sun Crest! He could be in danger! Whatever was out there would not lay a hoof or claw or talon on her colt!
She growled, furrowed her brow, unfurled her wings, and narrowed her eyes.
The worried mom leaped out of the booth and ran towards a large dark figure. She charged and tackled the thing.
“Aah!” She heard a deep voice bellow as they hit the ground.
………
A familiar deep voice.
A ray of moonlight revealed the possible attacker to be none other than… Big Macintosh. Her husband. Sun Crest’ father.
“Shy?” he asked, his heart visibly beating out of his chest. She felt it calm down as she nodded.
“Y-yes. I-I thought you were a monster coming to attack Sun Crest.”
Big Mac chuckled before sniffing the air once again. “Is that… caramel?”
Fluttershy blushed. “U-um… well… I had hidden in a booth… and I think it originally sold caramel apples…” She tried to get up, but found that she couldn’t.
“Umm, Big Mac?”
“Eeyup?”
“I can’t get off of you… I’m stuck.”
Big Mac frowned. “Oh.”
They stayed in position, Fluttershy sitting on a lying Macintosh’s chest, for a few minutes. Eventually, Big Mac decided to do something.
Fluttershy felt a warm object touch her sticky coat.
It was Big Mac’s tongue! He was licking her soft, caramel-coated fur. She giggled and blushed madly.
He took a brief break to look at her, smile, and say, “Mm… You taste yummy.”


The Cutie Mark Crusaders yawned in bed as Fluttershy came to tuck them in. She smiled brightly as they struggled to stay awake, their eyelids started to close on them.
Would this be what motherhood would be like? Waking up to find adorable foals that loved her and needed her to survive.
With a few more months to remain, she’d have to wait and see.