//------------------------------//
// Already? 
// Story: A Tale of Blue and Red 
// by Stratocaster 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 7: Already?




"Yup, we're pregnant." Applejack said flatly as she stepped out of the doctor's office.

"What do you mean we?" replied Blueblood waiting outside.

"It's just a figure o' speech." Applejack shrugged.

Blueblood began pacing nervously. "Oh sweet Celestia! I would never let this happen! I can't take this! I'm not ready for it!"

Applejack calmed him down with a slap to his cheek. "Sorry 'bout that, Bluey, but you were kinda buggin' out. And besides, I'm not upset about this."

"You're...you're not?" he looked at her wonderingly.

"Well sure, I mean it's a bit of a shocker," she said. "But to be honest, I was kinda...lookin' forward to this happenin' soon."

Blueblood gawked. "You mean you wanted to be a mother?"

"Oh please, I could never picture myself with kids." She admitted as she clutched her stomach. "But now that I have somepony to share it with, I guess parentin' doesn't sound so bad now. Besides, I've been takin' care o' Apple Bloom most her life, so I already have some experience."

"I can't say the same for myself." Blueblood said dejectedly. "I have no idea how to be a father, let alone a good prince."

"Oh hey, don't talk like that." She reached for the jar on the nurse's desk. "Ya want a lollipop?"

"Do I look like a child to you?!" he barked, then paused. "...Yes please."

Nurse Redheart then approached the couple with a chart. "Alrighty Applejack, I ran some tests and so far you and your baby are completely healthy."

"See?" Applejack said to her stallion. "Everything's gonna be alright."

Redheart continued. "Just remember to stay off any caffeine, alcohol, seafood, manual labor, or-"

"What?! No manual labor?!" Applejack suddenly grabbed the nurse by her shoulders. "You mean I can't work on the farm with this kid inside me?!"

"Applejack, for Celestia's sake!" Blueblood tried to calm her.

"It's alright," said Redheart. "It's perfectly natural for a new mother to experience explosive hormones this early on."

"What hormones?!" Applejack barked at her. "How can I just sit around for nine months when there are apples to pick?!"

Blueblood said, "Um, can't your brother lift like a thousand pounds by himself?"

"Ooh, I bet he can." Redheart looked off in a smitten daze.

"Well I don't care what any o' yer fancy medical science says!" objected Applejack. "I got a job to do and I ain't lettin' mah brother take the whole load."

"Applejack, you should know that excessive strain on your body can do harm to the baby," said Redheart. "No matter how far into the pregnancy you are."

"Hey, if it's mah kid, I think he, or she, can handle it." Applejack stormed off. "Bluey, we're leavin'!"

"Um, Nurse?" Blueblood spoke aside. "Is now a good time to prescribe for some aspirin?"

"Blueblood!" called Applejack.

...

"I can't believe that there's somethin' alive in there." Applejack said, as she sat in her living room couch later that day, looking down at her stomach. "It's kinda freaky, yet it feels right. Ya know what I mean?"

Blueblood sat next to her, looking a bit tense. "Uh, I guess so."

"What's the matter, Bluey?" she looked at him. "I know it's a lot to take in, but-"

"It's just that...I've been thinking, Applejack." Blueblood said hesitantly. "Where I come from, premarital pregnancy is sort of looked down upon, especially if it involves royalty. And I know we agreed no more lies, but...I think it would be best if we didn't tell anypony about this."

"What?" she responded. "But we can't just hide a pregnancy from everypony, Blueblood. Eventually it's bound to get noticed."

"I know, I realize that." He said. "But when word gets around, It could have a big impact on my status as prince. Unless of course...we were...betrothed."

Applejack stared at him. "...Are you sayin' what I think yer sayin'?"

"Look Applejack, I know it seems very sudden." Blueblood explained. "But unless we were married, I would be ridiculed for this kind of thing. And besides, your family is already pretty conservative so I'm sure they would feel the same way."

"I hear what ya mean, Bluey," Applejack replied. "Granny Smith might lose her mind. But marriages take a long time to plan. And I just don't think I could hide bein' pregnant until then. I can already feel mahself gettin' plump!"

Blueblood paused to think. He put his hoof over her belly, and could already feel the feint hint of life growing inside. It was enough to make him realize that perhaps his plan to hide being an unwed father was too foolhardy. "Maybe you're right." He sighed. "Maybe I'm just being selfish."

Despite her hangups, Applejack still felt sympathy for her beloved. She still wanted him to be happy, even though she was literally carrying the burden. "Look Blueblood, if it means that much to you, I won't tell my family or friends just yet. It'll be tough, but I don't wanna see you gettin' hounded or banned from the monarchy or whatever. Maybe it would be better if we got married after all."

Blueblood looked at her surprised. "Are you sure?" he asked. "But, I don't even have a ring."

"Oh who cares about any o' that." She touched his shoulder. "It's just dressin' up all nice an' sayin' a few words, ain't it? Besides, I bet we'll be much happier afterwards." Applejack then looked at the floor pondering. "The only thing is...I feel like you're ashamed about this. About knockin' me up so early."

Blueblood took her hoof. "Applejack, if there is one thing I am not, it's ashamed. I am proud to be the father of your child. And I truly believe this will turn out for the best."

"Ya really think so?" she looked up at him.

He smiled back. "Just promise me you won't try to hard to act natural. Don't want to hurt the baby, right?"

Applejack grinned. "Alright, Bluey, I trust ya. But next time, be more careful when we're in the act." She jostled him.

"Don't remind me." He rolled his eyes.

"Ooh boy," Applejack grunted as she clutched her stomach again. "All this pregnancy is gettin' me hungry."

"Why don't you let me make you something?" Blueblood stood up. "I think I learned a thing or two from watching you cook."

"Aww, ain't you a sweetie!" she smiled. "Who says ya won't make a good daddy?"

Blueblood blushed and entered the kitchen, having absolutely no idea what he was doing.

Just then, Apple Bloom came cantering in through the front door. "Applejack! Where've ya been?!" she asked. "You and Blueblood just left this mornin' in an awful hurry! Somethin' about the doctors?"

"Oh, uh," As much as it would kill her, Applejack would have to start hiding the truth. "I had a, um, a stomachache! Too much barbecue from the night before I guess. Heh, keep me away from artichokes!"

"Okay," Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Well Big Mac says he needs help out in the field, tillin' the seeds."

"Tell that big good I'll be out when I feel like it." She shrugged. "I can't work on an empty stomach, ya know."

"Empty stomach?" Apple Bloom raised a brow. "You just had a stomachache and ya still want more food?"

"Uh hey, I don't question yer bodily functions, Sis." Applejack covered quickly.

"Alright jeez, forget I asked!" replied Apple Bloom. She then heard a clamber of a falling pot from the kitchen. "Please tell me Granny is cookin' in there."

"If ya have to know," said Applejack. "Bluey is busy makin' me a nice breakfast."

"Ah great!" sulked the filly, as she walked away in a huff. "Well tell him to stay away from my Celesti-Os!"

After a long while, and a few near catastrophic fires later, Blueblood at last returned from the kitchen, carrying a tray on his back full of strange concoctions. On a plate was a huge amorphous omelette containing one part egg, and five parts peppers, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, hot sauce, and more eggs. On the side were once hash browns now mashed into a pile of potato, and Prench toast sticks that now looked like simmered bars of starch. There was also a cup of random berries and ugly chunks of melons and apples, which can hardly be called a salad, and a glass of orange juice mixed with cider that was almost overflowing at the top. The smell of it all was dubious.

"I hope it's alright." Blueblood shrugged, sheepishly. "Like I said, I'm not a gourmet chef, but-"

He was suddenly caught off guard, as Applejack dug into the concoction like a ravenous timber wolf. In less than a minute, she devoured every last morsel on the tray, not caring about making a mess on her face. After the tray was cleared, she sounded off a loud belch and smiled at her stallion.

"Got any more?" she asked.

...


Two months in...


The weather had grown chilly, and it was time once again for Ponyville to prepare for winter. There was already news of an upcoming snow front, and the Apples had to work fast to cover their precious apple trees in tarps to protect them from the freezing downfall. Applejack found herself standing atop a ladder, holding a pair of hedge clippers to trim the trees so they could hold the tarps. Despite the advice she received from Nurse Redheart, she didn't let her secret pregnancy get in the way of getting the work done on the farm. Her womb had already begun to expand.

"Uh, AJ?" called Apple Bloom from below, in her fall scarf. "Are ya sure ya don't want Big Mac to trim the trees? It seems kinda dangerous."

"Eeyup." Big Mac added.

"How many times do I have to tell you two?" scoffed Applejack, trimming the branches. "I can do just as much as you can."

"All we're sayin' is that you've already trimmed more than half the trees," said Apple Bloom. "And ya don't even have any cushioning around your ladder."

"Don't make me come down there!" Applejack shook her clippers in mock threat.

Apple Bloom sighed and walked away with her brother. "Is it me, or does our sister look a little...different lately?" she asked.

Big Mac thought for a moment and shrugged. "Nnope."

"Don't tell her I said this, Big Mac," she spoke hushed. "But I think AJ is startin' to pack on a few pounds. Can't ya tell?"

Big Mac looked back at the middle child and peered closely. He then turned back. "Eeyup!"

"I'm beginnin' to really worry about her." Apple Bloom said.

In the fields, Applejack was nearly complete with reading every tree for winter, snipping the branches and covering them up in tarps. Somehow she felt like she was pulling a blanket over a child each time and even almost said goodnight to them. It seemed that her motherly instincts were starting to awaken. Then, as she was reaching strenuously to cut a high branch, her back hoof suddenly slipped on the top rung of the ladder and she felt her self pulled down by gravity. Applejack yelped as she fell off the ladder and plummeted toward the cold ground. But instead, she felt herself land on the soft, puffiness of a small cloud.

"Jeez, AJ!" said Rainbow Dash, hovering above her. "Are you out of your mind? Why are you out doing Big Mac work?"

"I can handle it, Rainbow." Applejack stepped off the lifesaving cloud. "I'm not gonna let it keep me down."

"Let what?" shrugged Rainbow.

Applejack paused, realizing that she almost let her pregnancy slip. Quickly she recovered. "Uh...the weather! I never let the cold stop me from keepin' my precious trees safe. They're my babies!...Uh, you know, in a metaphorical sense."

Rainbow stared at her friend perplexed. "Are you okay, AJ?" she asked. "You've been acting really weird the last few weeks. And why do you keep holding your stomach?"

Applejack placed her hoof back on the ground, seeing what she was doing. "Look, why dontcha just worry about you, and I'll worry about me?" she snapped crossly.

"Fine!" sneered Rainbow as she flew off. "Sorry for being a little concerned."

Applejack frowned when she left. She clutched her rounding stomach again and looked down shamefully. Perhaps she was over-exerting herself, and maybe this drive to keep working hard wasn't such a good move after all. The anger at her friends and family certainly didn't help. Feeling that the trees were fine as they were, Applejack sighed and walked on back to the house, suddenly feeling hungry again.

...


Four months in...


"You know, I was a bit surprised when you decided to leave Canterlot." Twilight said, as she sat with Blueblood at home drinking hot chocolate. "But I think it was a great idea seeing how you and Applejack are getting on."

"What can I do?" shrugged Blueblood happily, sitting next to her on the couch. "I can't stay away."

"And she's really glowing." Twilight added.

Blueblood nearly spat out his cocoa. "Uh...what?"

"You know, with happiness." She said.

"Oh, right." The prince calmed down, relieved that his secret with Applejack hadn't gotten out. "That's a weird way of putting it."

"Excuse me for being poetic." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Speaking of AJ, is she alright? She's starting to act kind of strange."

Blueblood began to sweat again. "Uh, what do you mean?"

"Well just yesterday," she explained. "Applejack invited me over for hot cider and seemed really excited about it, more than usual. When I got to her house, I found her on the floor crying over a broken glass. And when I asked what was wrong, she suddenly got angry and yelled at me for being one minute late. I apologized, and she just burst out giggling like it was all no big deal. It was the oddest thing ever."

Blueblood knew what Twilight meant. Four months into pregnancy, Applejack had been going through intense mood swings. There was even a point when she became infuriated at him for hogging the blankets in bed, then quickly burst out crying and apologizing for snapping at him. That was the reason, but Blueblood could not Twilight know that.

"If I didn't know any better," said Twilight, suspiciously. "I would say that Applejack is-"

"Drugs!" blurted Blueblood.

"I'm sorry?" queried Twilight.

He tried to piece together his words. "Uh, drugs. Yes, um, she's been having stomach...ulcers lately, so she's been taking vitamins to help. I guess she's just suffering from the side effects."

"Well then she should know better!" Twilight held out her hooves. "She shouldn't be getting hopped up on stomach medicine for weeks."

"Yes, that's what I've been telling her." Blueblood lied, thankful she bought it.

Just then, the front door burst open and Pinkie Pie slogged in, panting like she had been through some great ordeal. Without so much as a hello, the usually springy pony dragged herself in, sat between the two on the couch, and poured herself a mug of hot chocolate. She chugged it down, as if it were an ice cold energy drink.

"Uh, Pinkie?" said Twilight, staring at her. "You wanna wait for that to cool?"

Unphased by the piping hot beverage, Pinkie wagged her head rapidly to shake off the cobwebs. "It's bee completely BONKERS at Sugarcube Corner! Aside from our usual customers, the Cakes and I had to bust out pies, and cookies, and brownies, and ice cream, and donuts, and pastries, and crepes, and everything like crazy! And it was all for one pony!"

"That's a tall order." Twilight replied. "Who's it all for?"

Pinkie pointed at Blueblood like he was a criminal. "His special somepony, that's who! For somepony who knows how to make apple pie, she's been really going on a Cake kick!"

"What?" Twilight raised her brow. "Why would Applejack pig out on sweets with stomach pains? Has she lost her mind?"

Blueblood looked nervously. On top of the mood swings, his impregnated marefriend attained massive cravings, which eventually turned into an insatiable need for everything on the menu at Sugarcube Corner. While her appetite grew, his began to wane. 

He had to think of another cover for his secret. "Uh, it's not Applejack who's eating all those sweets. Uh, she's just...sharing it with, uh, Big Macintosh! I don't know what's gotten into him. He's got an insatiable sweet tooth, I swear."

"Well tell that girl to control herself!" pouted Pinkie. "She's really lookin' round around the edges, if you know what I mean. At this point, I never want to see another oven again!" With another swig of cocoa, she instantly returned to her normal uppity self. "Well, I gotta go prepare a seven-layer birthday cake!"

"Whose birthday is it?" asked Twilight.

"I don't know," shrugged Pinkie as she skipped away. "It's somepony's birthday somewhere!"

As soon as she left, Twilight spoke reluctantly. "I don't want to sound meddling, Blueblood, but I'm really concerned about Applejack. There's just something about her that I can't place that doesn't seem right."

"Well, I hate to say it," Blueblood scratched his mane, thinking of a believable excuse. "But I guess she's just acting differently because she's not used to being with me. She did tell me that she wasn't experienced in romance."

"Maybe you're right." Twilight shrugged. "But I still have my suspicions."

After wrapping up his night with Twilight, Blueblood soon headed back to Sweet Apple Acres to tend to the mother of his child. He entered their shared bedroom to find Applejack surrounded by candy wrappers on the bed, and still scarfing down a slice of carrot cake. Her belly still grew ever bulbous.

"Hey there," she said with a mouthful. "Ya bring back Twilight's scones?"

"Uh, yeah, here you go." Blueblood reluctantly gave her a bag of scones he had saved from Twilight's. As he watched his beloved devour the defenseless pastries, he sat next to her and spoke. "Applejack, I've been thinking...are you sure you're fine with keeping this secret?"

Applejack responded with a belch and a reply. "What, about the baby?" she said casually. "I thought we already covered this."

"It's just that I'm beginning to see what you mean, how keeping up this charade is getting hard." He said. "How many excuses can we make for your new...habits."

She wiped the chocolate from her face. "Don't chicken out on me now, Bluey." She slid up next to him. "I told ya I'm fine with this."

"But your friends are starting to worry about you." He frowned. "And frankly, so am I."

"I've been worried about before," she dismissed. "But it takes more than an unborn tyke to keep me down. Heck, I bet he, or she, will be born already tough."

"Well if it's your child, that wouldn't surprise me." He remarked. "But still, unless everypony knows the truth, they'll think something is really wrong with you."

Applejack kept one hoof on his shoulder, and the other on her baby. "Bluey, I don't want ya to get hazed. Yer right, ponies in Canterlot would go nuts if they found out a prince had a kid with a pony like me. I mean, look at me. I'm no prize. Especially not with all this extra weight."

"What?" Blueblood took her hoof. "Applejack, that's not what I mean. You're still ever so beautiful in my eyes, and I wouldn't choose to share this with any other pony."

"I know ya mean that, sugarcube." She touched his cheek. "But not everypony might think so." She gave a heavy sigh and shifted on the bed, clearing off her mess. "Ugh, I'm startin' to get the scone sweats. I think I'll hit the hay early." With a kiss on the lips, Applejack snuggled under the blanket. "G'night, Bluey."

Blueblood continued to sit there next to her, pondering. Suddenly this whole situation was starting to turn ugly. He had already hurt his dear Applejack with a lie before. He crawled under the covers, hoping that it wouldn't happen again.

...


Six months in...


With the slow crawl of time passing, Blueblood waited to see if his marefriend's condition would improve; sadly, it did not. Applejack continued to stuff her face, with enough sweets and flowers to feed the Royal Guard, and she grew more heavy on her hooves. She also started lashing out more at her friends during her mood swings, even though they tried sincerely to approach her and offer help. But instead, Applejack grew more distant from everypony, and she started to shelter herself in her home, where she ate even more.
Ultimately, Blueblood told himself that enough was enough. His reputation as prince was no longer an issue. The truth had to come out, whether he would be known as an unwed father or not. But first, he needed a bit of sagely advice. Blueblood made a quick trip over to Canterlot to consult the last pony would expect to admit his situation to.

"Blueblood," said Celestia, sitting in her private lounge reading. "I wasn't expecting you to pay a visit."

Blueblood stepped in, looking troubled. "I'm sorry I can't stay long, Auntie Celestia." He said. "But, there's something I need to tell you. It's about me and Applejack."

"Ah yes," she approached him. "How is she doing, now that she's with child?"

Blueblood bugged his eyes. "You...you know?! But..."

"Really, Blueblood," the alicorn smirked. "I'm the ruler of Equestria. I can kind of sense these things."

"Well, you'r the only other one who knows so far." He sighed.

"Luna knows too."

"Oh, perfect!" Blueblood slapped his face.

"But I swear that's it." Celestia continued. "I assume Applejack's friends are unaware?"

"We've been trying to keep it secret." Blueblood admitted. "We were both afraid that I might be ousted as prince, impregnating a mare before marriage. I was brought up to believe that that was a big taboo."

"Keeping that kind of secret for this long is not good for the baby." Celestia advised. "It's causing neglect, both to Applejack and her child."

"I know, I know," he looked down shamefully. "I've been regretting trying to keep this lie up. Applejack says she can handle it, but it's just gotten worse. She's endangering the baby, she's destroying her health, and she shuts out her friends even though they want to help. And it's all because of my selfish reasons. I thought I could escape being a prince, but I haven't let go of some priorities. And now it's hurting my own child."

Celestia lent him a comforting hoof. "It's not too late to make it right, Blueblood." She said calmly. "Married or not, a baby is a blessing. In this day and age, I'd be surprised if your reputation was destroyed because of it. You and Applejack both should take this in stride, shout it out to everypony if you want. And I'll support you all the way."

"I still say it's too early!" shouted Luna from the other room.

"Luna, not helping!" Celestia called back.

The words of his aunt somehow brought Blueblood's mind at ease. He smiled and looked at her with confidence. "You're right, Auntie. I should've realized that a long time ago. You always know what to say."

"A princess has to know these things." She winked.

With a hug, Blueblood raced out of the castle, relieved that telling the truth will turn out for the better.

Luna approached her sister. "Should we tell him that he was also born out of wedlock?" she discerned.

"Luna, take your vitamins." Celestia sulked.

Back in Ponyville at night, Blueblood cantered back to the farmhouse, excited to tell his marefriend of Celestia's blessing. But when he entered the bedroom, his beloved was not as he left her. Applejack was no longer eating, but instead she was curled up on the foot end of the bed sobbing quietly and hugging her bloated stomach. This was no mood swing. Blueblood had seen her sad before, and see very well that this was the real thing. Of course, he knew that Applejack was suppressing this sadness, and knew he had to put an end to her suffering.
Calmly, Blueblood walked up to his darling and knelt by her side. He took her hooves and placed them by her sides, and gently lowered his head until he was nuzzling her stomach. He could feel the little life pulsing inside, a miniature heartbeat still showing signs of health. Kissing the occupied stomach, he looked up at his beloved, her jade green eyes moistened by tears. He reached up and wiped a tear away as he smiled.

"Everything's gonna be alright." He said simply. "Let's have this baby."

Producing more tears, Applejack wrapped her hooves around his shoulders and hugged him tightly, kissing his face over and over. She needed no longer to hide. She was ready to be a mother.

...

The next day, Applejack strolled through Ponyville happily showing off her belly bump. Since Blueblood told her that they could tell the truth about the pregnancy, she vowed to take better care of herself, for the baby's sake. And what's more, she would stop shutting herself out from the very ponies who only showed concern.
Applejack arrived at Friendship Castle, where she found her five friends gathered around the central table playing cards. They stared at her as she entered.

"Girls, there's somethin' ya oughta know." She gathered her pride as she spoke. "I'm sorry I've been a right mess these past few months. But there's a reason for that." She smiled big, and stood up on her back hooves, expressing her bump. "My friends, yer looking at a new mother!" With her hooves on her hips, Applejack waited for a reaction in a long silence.

"Well duh!" blurted Rainbow. "We already figured that out like months ago!"

Applejack stared with shrunken pupils. "...What?"

"Well it was quite obvious, darling," scoffed Rarity. "It was the perfect explanation for all your moodiness and eating habits."

"Um, that, and you're belly was kind of a giveaway." Fluttershy shrugged.

"We figured that you were trying to hide it, to protect Blueblood's status as prince." Twilight explained. "We tried to help you understand that it was okay, but you were just behaving too erratic."

"And we actually thought that you knew that we knew!" Rainbow threw her hooves out.

Applejack looked dumbfounded. A sudden wave of embarrassment crossed her face, and she hid it with her hat. "Ah jeez." She muttered. "I must look like a complete foal. I shoulda just told you guys a long time ago." She turned back to the door. "I would understand if ya wouldn't want to talk to me, after rejectin' you n' all. Sorry I said anything."

"Where do you think you're going?!" glowered Pinkie, as she stood on the table. "You finally come to terms with having a baby, and you won't even let us throw a shower?!"

Applejack spun around. "A what?"

With a firing of her party cannon, Pinkie conjured an explosion of party decorations which spread out all over the crystal walls. A banner stretched across the ceiling reading "Congratulations, Mommy!". A pile of presents sat in wait, including baby clothes, supplies and a crib. And even a snack table appeared complete with blue and pink desserts.

"How else are supposed to react, when our friend is going to be a mother?" smiled Twilight.

A small tear of joy found its way to Applejack's eye. She had thought that her friends would resent her for her impulsive behavior. But her faith in them, and their faith in her, would never be lost.

She rushed up and joined her pals in a group hug. "I can't thank you gals enough." Applejack beamed. "I must look like a complete wreck right now!"

"Nonsense, dear!" said Rarity pleasantly. "You're absolutely radiant with motherly pride!"

"Oh, you must be so proud!" cooed Fluttershy, listening to her friend's stomach. "Your baby is going to be just adorable!"

"Don't be afraid to come by me for babysitting!" boasted Rainbow. "I bet your kid could learn a thing or two from its Auntie Dashie!"

"Hey!" exclaimed Pinkie. "Don't forget your cake!" She exhibited a large, stacked vanilla cake, complete with pink frosting, and an incing drawing of Blueblood and Applejack with their new foal.

Applejack smiled dearly at the thoughtful dessert, but then realized something. "Thanks y'all, but," she said sheepishly. "I don't think more cake is the best idea for me."

"Don't worry," said Twilight, taking a slice. "It's low fat."

"Well hot dang!" smiled Applejack as she dug her muzzle in to devour the sweet morsel. But considering her child's health, she quickly paced herself, only taking a small slice. She rubbed her belly to make sure the little life was comfortable. "It's okay, sugarcube," she said to it. "I'll look after ya."