//------------------------------// // Chapter 5 - Shower Thoughts // Story: Halfling // by Dee Pad //------------------------------// Halfling By Dee Pad ===================================================================== Chapter 5: Shower Thoughts ===================================================================== Winter Maple sauntered casually through the Ponyville market, seeking out the various items she had written down on her grocery list. She took a quick glance at the list, noted that the next item was a few apples and started looking around to spot a stand selling them. Most of the produce stands tended to be in the same area, so she already had an idea of where to head. It was certainly a nice enough day for shopping at the open air market. Normally she'd be busy working at this time of day, but being on maternity leave has caused Winter's usual habits to get a little mixed up. She wasn't really bothered by it per se, but she certainly wasn't complaining. She'd forgotten what it was like to have this kind of free time. The only real issue she could think of was spending a lot of that time sitting at home, bored and alone. If Shade were around more it wouldn't be so bad, but one of them had to bring home the proverbial bread. In the meantime, she figured she may as well bring home the literal bread, as well as everything else on her grocery list. Winter stopped for a moment to readjust her saddlebags. They were already getting kinda heavy, and she was only about halfway through her shopping. Of course, she was carrying a little "additional" weight, which may account for the difficulty she was having, and that weight was steadily increasing as the months went by. With a labored grunt, Winter finished adjusting her bags and carried on her way. It was hard for her to believe, but it had already been eight months since she got pregnant, and it was definitely quite noticeable now. Not only that, but by this time pretty much everypony in Ponyville knew about it, and even if they didn't, one look at the ivory pegasus would be a clear tip-off. Basically every person Winter passed as she walked would give her a friendly smile and a wave. It was certainly nice of them to be so supportive of her, but at the same time it made her a touch uncomfortable. There was already a lot of pressure on her considering she was going to be a parent in just a matter of months, but what if it was too much for her to handle, even with Shade's help? Sure, she'd been reassured that her friends and neighbors would be willing to pitch in if needed, but how would people start to look at her if she couldn't adequately care for her child? Lost in her thoughts, Winter hadn't been paying attention to where she was walking and bumped headlong into one of the many produce carts in the market. The collision caused several bright red apples to tumble onto the ground, the impact and noise of falling apples snapping the pegasus back to reality. Seeing the mess she'd caused, Winter scrambled to pick up some of the fallen fruit and return them to their rightful place. "Sorry! I-I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." As she placed the apples back onto the cart, she noticed exactly whose cart it was. "Don't fuss over it, sugarcube," said the orange, stetson-wearing earth pony behind the cart with a chuckle. "Just a little dirt. Nothin' some water can't fix. Though you should be a little more careful; you got a little bumpkin in there to worry about," she said, pointing to Winter's rotund belly. "Yeah, I know," Winter admitted with a sigh. "There's just a lot on my mind right now." Applejack quirked an eyebrow. "Ya still frettin' over this? Haven't we been tellin' ya that ya ain't got nothin' ta worry about? Everything'll be fine." "I know, and I've been trying to be more positive, but every now and then my mind just kinda... wanders." "Well, why don't we just talk about somethin' more upliftin' then?" Applejack suggested with a smile. "I hear yer throwin' yer baby shower pretty soon. Reckon yer lookin' forward to that, huh?" The topic change did manage to put a smile on Winter's face. "Yeah. I don't think I've ever really just spent the day with a bunch of the girls before. You are coming, right? I mean, I'll understand if you're busy on the farm or something." "Course Ah'm comin'. Wouldn't miss it. But Ah'm probably not as eager about it as Pinkie Pie," Applejack laughed. Winter rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. She's the reason I'm having it now rather than later; she's been asking me every other day about it, so I figured it's just as well to do it and get it over with." Winter looked at Applejack with a touch of concern. "She's not going to go overboard with this, is she?" The earth pony waved a hoof dismissively. "Naw. As eccentric as that mare is, she knows her parties. She knows that a baby shower is supposed ta be low key. She did a pretty good job with Mrs. Cake's baby shower. Though, now that Ah think about it, she mighta gotten it mixed up with a bachelorette party. Might explain that dancin' feller she hired." Applejack noticed the unsure expression on Winter's face and quickly backpedaled. "But Ah'm sure yers'll be just fine. Heh heh." Winter let it go with a discreet roll of her eyes. "Let's hope. But either way, it should be fun," she said with a grin. The pegasus glanced down at the pile of apples in Applejack's cart, her memory coming back to her. "Oh, right, I came here for apples. Can I get a dozen?" "Sure thing. Twelve bits." Winter fished around in her saddlebags for a minute. Applejack waited patiently as the other mare struggled to find the money in amongst all the groceries she'd already picked up, Winter mumbling to herself every few seconds when she'd thought she'd gotten some, but it turned out to be something else. She finally managed to scrounge up some dough, but was still a few bits short, so she stuck her hoof in again to root around for the rest. Having had enough, Applejack gestured for Winter to stop. "That's alright, sugarcube, just take 'em," she said, sliding the bits back to her. "Consider it a gift for yer baby shower. Ah know it's kind of an... unorthodox gift, but, hey." Winter was pleasantly surprised. "Oh. Well, thank you." She glanced at her saddlebags again as she dropped her bits back in. "Come to think of it, I don't think I have enough room for them. Plus these things are already pretty heavy as is," she admitted as she once again readjusted her bags. Applejack nodded. "Sure looks that way. Tell ya what..." The earth pony took Winter's saddlebags off of her back, replacing them onto her own, much stronger back. "Let me carry those for ya. And Ah'll bring ya a dozen apples when Ah come over for the shower." "You don't have to do that, Applejack," Winter told her, though their was no hiding her gratitude about having at least some of the weight lifted from her aching spine. "Don't you fuss, missy. It's mah pleasure." As if the bags weren't enough, Applejack even hitched up her apple cart and prepared to take off from the market, just proving how much tougher the farm pony was, even in comparison to most stallions. "You're taking the cart, too?" "Well, Ah can't very well just leave it here unattended. Some ponies out there have sticky hooves. Ah don't provide for mah family givin' away free apples. Ah mean, unless it's a gift," she said with a chuckle. "So Ah'm just gonna lug these here apples back to the farm after Ah drop off yer stuff for ya and call it a day." Winter flashed an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Applejack. I'm not used to having people offer to help out with simple stuff like this." The orange pony chuckled heartily. "Well, ya better get used to it. Ah've got a feelin' that the people 'round here are gonna be mighty helpful to ya for the next few months and then some." Winter giggled. "You know, normally I'd kindly decline those offers, but lately it just seems like even the simplest tasks become a complete chore. It's kinda nice to have people waiting on you." Applejack smirked knowingly. "Got Shade at yer beck 'n' call, huh?" "It's like having a butler," the pegasus laughed. "Anything I want, he does it for me, no questions asked. The only reason I'm doing the shopping right now is because he's at work." "It's too bad he can't be at the shower. We could get 'im to put on his uniform and serve us snacks." The two mares laughed openly at Applejack's joke suggestion. It felt good to just laugh and be happy after all the turmoil this pregnancy had put Winter through. Hopefully, the baby shower would help her keep that up. "Speakin' of attendance," Applejack segued. "Who else is comin'?" "Oh, well, mostly just you and your friends. You know, Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy..." "You close with Fluttershy?" Applejack asked quizzically. "I know Dash is yer boss, and Twi and Rarity have been pretty close with Shade for a while, and Pinkie's caterin' an' everything, but I don't think Ah've really ever seen ya hangin' out with Fluttershy." "I haven't really. I just thought it'd be unfair to invite the rest of you without offering an invitation to her as well, you know? I don't want her to feel left out." "We have lives outside each other, ya know? We don't always hafta do everything together." "Well, I would like to get to know her a little better. I hear she's a pretty good foalsitter." "Oh, so you got an ulterior motive, huh?" Applejack chuckled. "Is that everypony?" "Almost. I invited my mom, of course. She'd never forgive me if I didn't invite her my baby shower. Aside from that, there's just Derpy." "You invited Derpy?" Winter nodded. "Yeah. I've actually been spending some time with her lately. It's nice to have another mom to talk to about things if I need advice, and she's been pretty helpful, so I figured it'd be only fair to extend an invite her way." Applejack waited for a moment for the other mare to continue with her guest list, but Winter stayed silent, as though the conversation had reached its end. "That's it? Nopony else?" Winter turned her eyes up in thought, counting off her guests in her mind. "No, that's it. I don't really want there to be a big crowd anyway. As weird as it feels to admit this, I'm not exactly the most social pony around. I don't have a whole lot of close friends." The earth pony quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Yer not forgettin' nopony?" Winter was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. Was she forgetting somepony? "Um... I don't think so." "What about Chamella?" Winter stopped in her tracks, forcing Applejack to stop as well. "Chamella?" "Yeah. Ain't she Shade's best friend? You did invite her, didn't ya?" The pegasus stayed silent, which was all Applejack needed. "Well, why not? I figured she'd be the first one you'd invite." Applejack's tone was starting to make Winter feel a touch guilty, but at the same time, she had her reasons. "Well... like you said, she's... Shade's best friend. All of his other friends are going to be at the shower with us, so someone needs to keep him company. Otherwise, he'd be bored out of his mind until the party was over." Applejack shrugged. "Ah guess that makes sense. Still, though, it would-a been nice to have her there. She's the closest thing to family yer kid's gonna have on its dad's side. I'd've thought havin' what's basically the baby's aunt there would've been yer first thought." Again, Winter said nothing, but started back on the road back home. Applejack thought her behavior to be somewhat peculiar. Something about her words were almost... disingenuous. The earth pony gave a skeptical look, though made sure to be discreet about it. Something was up, but she thought it best to not pursue given that this conversation was supposed to be an uplifting one. After a few more minutes of walking, the two mares finally made it back to the home of Winter and Shade. The pegasus stepped inside while Applejack unhitched herself from her apple cart before following the other mare inside. They both headed for the kitchen, Applejack slipping off the overstuffed saddlebags and hoisting them onto the kitchen table with a thud. "Need help putting all this stuff away?" Applejack offered with a courteous grin. Winter simply shook her head. "No, you've done enough. I can handle it from here. Thanks a lot," she said with an equally amicable smile. Applejack started back towards the door, turning back for just a moment. "Don't mention it. Guess I'll see ya at the shower in a few days." Winter nodded. "Looking forward to it." ***** ***** ***** Rarity snapped the lid of her fabric trunk closed, having folded up and put away the last piece of leftover material after a long day of sewing and embroidering. With a flourish of her powder blue magic, she lifted a handkerchief to her slightly glistening forehead, letting out a sigh of relief that her hard work for the day was done. She had been about to glance up at the clock to confirm the time, having felt as though she'd gone well over her usual work hours, but the unseemly sound of her stomach rumbling quickly notified her that she had indeed worked past suppertime. It was time that she joined her friend and employee in the kitchen for a hearty meal. However, the jingling sound of the boutique's bell stopped her in her tracks. Normally she'd be happy to help a customer, even after hours, but after how long this day felt, she was contemplating politely turning them away. But, not wanting to appear rude, she put on a smile and prepared to greet the customer with a cheery, albeit forced, grin. "Good evening," the ivory unicorn greeted, making sure to discreetly put emphasis on "evening." "How can I help—oh..." Just as she turned around, she realized that the person who had come in was not a customer, but rather Ponyville's other resident changeling. Rarity breathed another sigh of relief. "It's just you Shade. I thought I was going to have to take yet another order. This day as been quite... productive as is." "Yeah, I just got off work myself," said the changeling. "I feel bad, too, because Winter had to handle the chores all on her own." Rarity gave Shade a smile of admiration. "Oh, well, that's very sweet of you to worry about her so, but even in her condition, I'm sure she can handle a few simple chores by herself. Besides, you're the sole provider right now. You have to do your own part as well." Shade shrugged slightly. "Yeah, I guess. Honestly, I'm just glad that she's been in a good mood for once. It's getting a little hard to predict her sometimes." "Moodiness comes with the territory, dear. But I've a feeling her good mood is directly related to her upcoming baby shower. Oh, it's going to be such fun!" Rarity exclaimed with a clap of her hooves. "You know, I've been meaning to ask: what exactly is a baby shower? I imagine it's not literal; can't really give a shower to an unborn baby. Unless... it involves a shower of babies?" Shade asked both curiously and worriedly. Rarity waved his guesses off with a light chuckle. "Oh, heavens, no. It's simply a little get-together to prepare an expecting mother for parenthood. We're all bringing gifts that the two of you and the baby can use to make this whole thing a little easier, on your minds, bodies and finances." "So you've got a gift to give to Winter then?" Rarity smirked proudly, as though she'd been expecting him to ask. "But of course. I've made just the cutest—" She stopped abruptly, biting her lip as she stared at Shade. After a moment of contemplation, she shrugged, her grin returning. "Oh, I suppose I can tell you. You won't be at the shower after all." Having said that, Rarity trotted over to one of her many storage trunks, opening it and using her magic to pull out her gift: a tiny, bright pink pair of pajamas with frills around the edges of the sleeves and several gemstones sewn into it, giving it that trademark Rarity flair. "Isn't this onesie just the cutest? I made it myself, as I'm sure you've guessed." Shade gave it a once over with an unsure grimace. Rarity appeared to be watching and waiting intently for his opinion, though she should have known full well by now that Shade had no eye for fashion. He figured it best to just say what she wanted to hear. "It's... nice." "Oh, you don't have to tell me, dear. After all, I made it," the unicorn chuckled proudly. "But it's a little... girly, don't you think?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean?" "Well, we don't know if it's even going to be a girl, do we?" Shade pointed out. Rarity gasped in realization. "Good heavens, you're right! Oh, dear, I need to rectify this as soon as possible." She hummed as she thought about a plan of action. "Hmm... With all the work that's been piling up lately, I may not have time to make something more male-oriented before the shower." She shrugged in disappointed resignation. "I suppose I can just give her this one and promise another at a later date. It wouldn't hurt to have one of each anyway." "Is there any particular reason why I'm not allowed to be there?" Shade asked, clearly confused. "It's not so much that you're not allowed, but baby showers are traditionally a girls-only affair." The changeling breathed a sigh of slight exasperation. "You ponies have a lot of weird traditions." "Yes, I started to notice that as well when we had to explain so many of them to you. I suppose that's what happens when we live a much more lax lifestyle." Rarity flashed a grin at Shade. "And you get to be a part of them now. You should feel lucky." Shade smiled back. "Trust me, I do. I wouldn't give up any of this for anything, even if it means I have to get used to the weird things you guys do." At that moment, the conversation was briefly interrupted when Chamella walked into the room, casually munching on a mouthful of a grilled cheese sandwich. She paused momentarily when she saw Shade, swallowing the bite of food. "Oh, I heard Rarity talking to somepony, but I didn't realize it was you, Shade," she said, pleasantly surprised. She took another bite of her sandwich as she trotted over to the pair. "What's going on?" "We're just discussing the baby shower, that's all," Rarity replied. Chamella raised an eyebrow. "What's a baby shower?" The unicorn was taken aback slightly. "Why, Chamella, you should know, certainly. You are going with us." The female changeling tilted her head, puzzled. "I am?" "Of course! You were invited after all." "I was?" The ever-growing confusion on Chamella's face started to make Rarity worried for a moment. "Oh my. Chamella, you did get your invitation, did you not?" Chamella tried to think about anything that may have felt familiar about it, but ultimately came up empty. "Um... No, I don't think so. I don't remember getting an invitation to anything recently. Did it get mixed up with the rest of your mail maybe?" Rarity shook her head. "No, it couldn't have; Pinkie delivered all of them personally. She most certainly should have given you yours." "I haven't seen Pinkie Pie lately," Chamella informed her. "So, wait, are you saying that Chamella may not have been invited at all?" Shade asked. "That can't be," the ivory mare disagreed. "She's practically the little one's aunt. She has every right to be there." Chamella was a little disheartened to hear about this, but at the same time, she didn't want anypony to make a fuss over her. "It's fine," she assured with a small grin. "I don't have to be involved with everything you guys do, right?" Rarity scoffed at the notion. "Nonsense. You absolutely must be there. This is a rare opportunity, especially for you. Getting together with all the girls, chatting, helping a dear friend prepare for motherhood. It's a very special event." Chamella suddenly seemed off put by the idea. "Oh... Well, if that's the case, I really don't think I should go. Crowds aren't really my thing, I'm not very talkative, and I don't know anything about being a mom." Rarity, shocked by Chamella's resolve against attending, struggled to come up with a counter-argument. "B-But... You must... You've got to..." Chamella turned her attention from the flustered mare to the other changeling. "Rarity said 'with all the girls,' right? Are you going to be there, Shade?" Shade shook his head. "Apparently this is 'girls only' sort of thing. I've got to find some way to keep myself occupied in the meantime." Rarity, having now reluctantly accepted Chamella's decision to stay out of it, gave Shade an unsure look. "Well, normally the father would just go out and spend the day with his friends, but considering all of your closest friends are going to be at the shower, I don't really know what to tell you. And you don't exactly have a lot of 'guy' friends. Would any of your co-workers be available?" Shade shrugged with a sigh. "Honestly, I don't really spend much time around them outside of work. They'd probably be weirded out if just I suddenly asked to hang out." Chamella gave her friend a reassuring grin. "That's okay. We can still hang out. To be honest, we haven't really spent a lot of time together since you found out Winter was pregnant." Seeing Chamella's expression fall ever so slightly and her gaze shift away, Shade immediately stepped in to remedy any worries. "Winter just needs my support right now. We're about to be parents; that's... kind of taxing just to know, not to mention all the stuff I need to know and do to prepare for it." Chamella smiled at him. "It's okay, I understand. Er, well, I guess I sort of understand. I don't really know exactly what you're going through right now, but at the very least, I know it's important." Rarity placed a hoof on her employee's shoulder. "Are you sure you don't want to join us? I'm sure it'll be helpful to learn about all of this. Who knows, maybe one day, when you find a special somepony yourself, you'll have to go through the same thing." Chamella grimaced slightly at the thought. "Uh, no, thanks. I'm good." The unicorn shrugged in defeat. "Oh, well. I tried. Truthfully, it's a touch disappointing, but in the end, the choice is yours. Alright, I'm going to grab something to eat. You two do as you please," Rarity said as she disappeared into the kitchen. The both of them being done with their work for the day, Shade made a suggestion. "Wanna go for walk or something?" Chamella grinned eagerly with a nod. "Sure." ***** ***** ***** Winter stepped out of the bathroom, taking in a pensive, yet eager, breath. She stopped in front of her vanity. Even though she had just spent the past few minutes fixing her mane and coat, she wanted to give herself one more once over. She nodded at her reflection, happy with how she looked. Yet, something was missing. Winter opened the drawer of the vanity, removing the case that held her precious necklace. Without a second thought, she slipped its silver chain around her neck, knowing that it was the missing piece she was thinking of. Today was a special occasion after all: her baby shower. Even now, several of her friends had already arrived and waited downstairs for her to join them. She felt a little bad to leave them waiting, but she wanted to wait until everypony had arrived before making her entrance. This was her day after all. For once in her life, she wanted to be the center of attention. Besides, her mother could keep her friends entertained until the last of the guests showed up, no doubt with embarrassing stories of her childhood; but even if she explicitly told her not to, that probably wouldn't stop her. Winter's attention was caught by yet another knock on the front door. If her count was correct, that should be the last guest. Without hesitation, the pegasus hopped over to the door, exiting the bedroom and heading for the stairs. She paused briefly, lowering her head to peer covertly into the first floor of the house. She was unable to keep the smile from her face as she saw all of her friends gathered there. Even if she wasn't really that close with some of them, it still made her happy to see that they accepted her invitation. Though, admittedly, she couldn't help but feel a little excited at the sight of the stack of gifts piled up beside the couch as well. Most of her guests were idly chatting away in the living room as they awaited their host. Twilight Sparkle and Rarity were sitting on the couch chatting with Derpy and Rainbow Dash. They were the only ones Winter could see from her vantage point, but no doubt Pinkie Pie was in the kitchen preparing the snacks. Considering she could clearly hear the pink pony's high-pitched voice speaking to somepony, one of her other guests must have been in there as well; either Fluttershy or Applejack. After a moment, Winter spotted her mother exit the kitchen, heading for the door to let in the final guest. When the door opened, Autumn greeted Applejack, who was also carrying a bag of apples as she'd promised, meaning that Fluttershy must have been in the kitchen with Pinkie. And that meant it was time to get started. Making sure to put extra spring in her step, Winter trotted down the stairs. The sound of her hoofsteps on the carpeted floor got everypony in the living room to turn their heads to finally see their host. Rarity was the first to get up to greet her with an enthusiastic smile to match Winter's own. "There she is!" the ivory unicorn said with a cheery clap of her hooves. "Oh, I'm so excited for this! Today is going to be so much fun!" Autumn Maple guided her daughter to the couch for a seat. Twilight stood up to make room for her, instead electing to bring in several chairs from the kitchen with her magic for everypony who didn't have a seat. Despite having known Twilight since before she was coronated, Winter still felt humbled that a princess was relinquishing her seat for her. If there were ever anything that signified the importance of being a mother, that would certainly be up there. After making herself comfortable, Winter looked upon the friends she had invited with a smile. "Thanks for coming, you guys. It really means a lot." "Wouldn't dream of missin' it," Applejack assured with a tip of her hat. Rainbow Dash leaned back casually in the armchair. "Yeah, these kinds of girly parties aren't usually my thing, but for you I'll make an exception just this once." "Oh, I actually prefer baby showers over the usual parties. They're much quieter and less crowded," Fluttershy said with a small smile. "Although, Pinkie's parties do tend to get a little... out of hoof," she added with an inexplicable blush. "In any case, we're going to make sure this baby shower is memorable for my little powder puff," Autumn chimed in with a big grin, along with amused snorts from a couple of the guests. At that moment, Pinkie Pie skipped in from the kitchen, balancing on her head a tray with a pitcher of vivid, pink liquid with whole raspberries floating within it and enough martini glasses for each pony present. Winter wasn't even sure if she owned any martini glasses, but Pinkie had some and they were all decorated with lime wedges and sugar coating the rims. "Who wants margaritas~?" she called out in a singsong tone. Twilight gave the pink mare a disapproving look. "Pinkie, I don't think margaritas are appropriate for a baby shower. Winter—or anypony for that matter—shouldn't consume alcohol while pregnant; it can cause severe complications." "Even if I wasn't pregnant, I don't even drink," Winter added. Applejack raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Pinkie, did you get yer party-plannin' folders mixed up again? 'Member what happened last time?" "You didn't happen to hire any... *ahem*... 'entertainment,' did you?" Rarity asked cautiously, though there was a hint of eagerness in her expression and tone. Pinkie rolled her eyes and scoffed, her smile unwavering under the accusations. "Psh, don't worry, you guys, I know what I'm doing. It's non-alcoholic. It's basically just fruit punch." She placed the tray on the coffee table and began pouring the pink juice into the glasses. "Oh, well, in that case, go right ahead," Twilight said with a relieved grin. "If it's just fruit punch, then why did you call 'em margaritas?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Because margaritas are classier and a better party drink. You want this to feel like a real party, right? Plus, any drink is automatically classier when it's in a martini glass," Pinkie explained. Using her magic, Rarity grabbed one of the filled glasses and brought it over to herself. "Can't argue with that," she agreed with a giggle. After Pinkie Pie served drinks to everypony, Twilight hoisted her glass into the air. "I think now would be an excellent time to toast our expecting mother, wouldn't you say?" "Certainly is," agreed Applejack, raising her glass as well. "Congrats, Winter." Everypony else joined in to congratulate Winter once more, causing the ivory pegasus to blush with a bashful smile. They all then took a swig from their drinks, taking a moment to silently enjoy the fruity flavor. "Thanks again, everypony," Winter said. "You have no idea how much your support means to me. Especially after I've been such a worrywart about all of this. Sorry if I've been a bit of a downer." "Well, it's not like you don't have reason to worry," said Autumn. "I mean, even mothers who are having normal, non-changeling babies can get pretty stressed out about it." With the subject having been brought up again, Winter felt the need to voice her thoughts just one more time. "Just out of curiosity, do all of you think I'm overreacting about the baby? Do you honestly think the baby'll be fine?" "I'm sure we've all said this before, but there really isn't any way to be sure about that," Twilight reiterated. "Yeah, and if there's nothing we can really do about it, then what's the point in worrying about it?" Rainbow Dash added. "Now, not all of us can be as laid back as Dash here, but she has a point," Applejack said. "Ain't no sense in getting hung up on somethin' ya got no power over." "What's important is to stay positive," Fluttershy said with a soothing smile. "And make sure you have all your ducks in a row beforehoof!" Pinkie chirped, pulling out a series of linked, paper, duck cutouts as a visual. "And that's what baby showers are for! See?" She pointed to all of the gifts piled up beside the couch. She picked one of them up, shaking it lightly and listening for any clues about its contents. "What could it be? Diapers? Pacifiers? Toys?! Anything and everything you need!" Autumn could already see the excitement building in her daughter's face, but placed a hoof on her shoulder to deter her. "Now, now, there'll be plenty of time for the gifts later. Why don't we finish our drinks and chat a bit first. I'm sure everypony here's got a lot they want to say, hm?" Pinkie Pie hopped away from the couch once more, heading back towards the kitchen. "I've got cupcakes in the oven! You gals talk while I handle the snacks. I'm sure I can hear you from the kitchen." "Well, I don't really know what to say or anything," Rainbow Dash said with a shrug. "Babies aren't exactly my area of expertise." "I guess most of you can't really relate to my situation, huh?" Winter said with a hint of disappointment. "That ain't entirely true," Applejack corrected. "We may not actually be moms, but that don't mean we ain't got no experience with parentin'." "Applejack makes a fair point," Rarity agreed. Winter quirked a curious eyebrow. "How do you mean?" "Well, in the case of the two of us, being a big sister has its similarities to being a parent." "'Specially in mah case," Applejack continued. "Me 'n' Apple Bloom lost our parents when she was still in 'er cradle. So without them around, rest their souls, it came down ta me 'n' Big Macintosh 'n' Granny Smith ta raise her. So don't tell me Ah don't have no experience." "That's very true," Autumn said, giving a smile to Winter to help her feel reassured. "I've cared for quite a few baby animals," Fluttershy added. "I mean, I know that's not exactly the same as raising a foal, but it's something, right?" "And I've looked after Spike ever since he hatched from his egg. In fact, I was the one who hatched him," Twilight regaled with a fond smile. "In many ways, I could be considered Spike's mother. Granted, I was still a filly myself when he hatched, so Princess Celestia and the servants at the castle helped out with him quite a lot, but still." "Even Pinkie foalsits the Cake twins all the time," Rainbow Dash chimed in. As if on cue, the pink mare's head popped up from behind the couch, just inches from Winter's face, giving the ivory pegasus a start. "Speaking of foalsitting, have you given my offer any thought?" Pinkie asked with a wide, presumptuous grin and a fluttering of her eyelashes. "Um... I-I haven't really..." she stuttered, having been put on the spot suddenly. "She mentioned to me about askin' Fluttershy," said Applejack. The quiet pegasus pointed to herself in surprise. "Me?" Pinkie's ears drooped at the news, her grin flipping upside-down. "Aww, but I asked first. Not fair." "Oh, you can foalsit if you want, Pinkie. I don't mind," Fluttershy told her. "Guys, hold it," Winter interrupted hastily. "It's not like I have to assign a specific foalsitter or anything. If we need one, we'll just ask whoever's available. I'd just heard that Fluttershy was good with kids, too." Pinkie simply shrugged. "Okey dokey then." She then hopped over the couch, plopping herself down next to Winter and placing a three-tiered serving dish on the coffee table loaded with all sorts of small pastries, from brownies to cream puffs to colorful, miniature cupcakes, to which the other guests immediately began to help themselves. "It's all well and good, Ah reckon," Applejack waved dismissively with a chocolate truffle in her mouth. "Now, if you got any questions, feel free ta ask, just as long as it ain't got nothin' to do with the whole birthin' process. No experience there, Ah'm afraid." "You can ask me," Derpy volunteered cheerily. Winter chuckled awkwardly. "I think that should be something I discuss with my own mom. In private." Autumn sighed, brushing it off wearily. "Oh, nothing can really prepare you for that. They recommend breathing exercises and all that jazz, but in the end, when the day comes, it can be hard to really remember it all, what with all the screaming and such." "Real reassuring, Mom, thanks," said Winter flatly and sarcastically. The crimson mare simply shrugged. "Just letting you know it's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, sweetie. I'm not going to lie to you." Derpy shuddered slightly. "Ugh, I remember too well what that was like. Trust me: not pretty." Seeing Winter's face contort into an uncomfortable grimace, Derpy quickly added an addendum to her comment, putting on a big, albeit somewhat forced, smile. "B-But it's definitely worth going through all of it, no doubt about that. I'll keep saying 'til the day I die that being a mom is the most rewarding job in the world." Rarity turned her eyes up, staring at the ceiling with a wistful grin. "Oh, I do so hope I can one day know that sort of happiness. Of course, I'd first have to find a nice stallion to settle down with. Preferably one who's tall, handsome, strong..." As Rarity trailed off into her own fantasy, Fluttershy decided to change the topic. "So, um, when are we going to get to your gifts? I know we were supposed to chat for a bit, but I'm actually really curious what everypony got you." Pinkie jumped out of her seat with excitement. "Yes! Present time!" She grabbed a gift that had rather gaudy wrapping, but was neatly tied, from the pile—somehow not upsetting the whole stack in her haste—and dropped it into Winter's lap. "Open mine first!" A little flustered on account of the suddenness of it, Winter took the gift. "Uh, okay..." She quickly unwrapped it, but was completely baffled by the contents. Despite the box shape of the gift, there was no actual box within, but rather just a half a dozen multi-colored pacifiers still in their store packaging. How Pinkie Pie had managed to wrap it as a perfect cube with no actual surface to wrap it around was beyond her, but the gift put a smile on her face regardless. "These are pretty cute," Winter commented. "I know!" Pinkie chirped enthusiastically. "They're the same brand that Pumpkin and Pound use, so they're baby approved." Winter gave the pink mare a grateful smile. "Thank you, Pinkie." "I just wanna make it clear in advance," Applejack chimed in. "The apples Ah brought over don't count as mah gift. Actually, Ah got Granny Smith to dig out her old recipe for the baby food she 'n' our parents used ta feed me, Big Macintosh 'n' Applebloom back when we were tots." "Does it have apples in it?" Winter asked with a grin, knowing full well the answer. Applejack tipped her hat proudly. "Darn tootin'. And it's the best darn baby food this side-a Equestria." "You say that about everthing you make on your farm," Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes. "Don't make it any less true." Applejack turned back to Winter. "And if you ever need more, you just ask. We'll be happy to give ya as much as ya want, free o' charge." Winter was taken aback by the generous offer. "Really? Wow, that's amazing Applejack. Thank you so much. You sure it's alright to just do something like that for free? I'd be happy to pay for it." Applejack waved off the offer. "Don't you worry about it. It's not exactly a complicated recipe. Granny Smith used to whip up a weeks worth o' the stuff in a couple-a hours. It's no trouble." "Oh! You must open mine next," Rarity suggested eagerly, pointing to a gift wrapped in elegant, powder blue paper. "You'll simply adore it!" Winter wasted no time picking out the gift in question, quickly unwrapping it and opening the box within. She pulled out a tiny, pink onesie that practically looked as though it were made for a doll. "Aww, that's so adorable, Rarity," Fluttershy commented. Autumn sized it up with an unsure quirk of her eyebrow. "It's quite... extravagant. Certainly unique," she said, noting the overabundance of rhinestones embroidered into it. Rarity chuckled with an embarrassed blush. "Yes, I'm aware that I may have gone a tad overboard. If you like, I can remove some of them for you." "Yeah, I might take you up on that," Winter agreed, none too fussy about just how flashy the article was. "But it's still really cute. Thank you, Rarity. Just one question..." Rarity chimed in before she could even finish, as if she had read Winter's mind. "I am going to make a different one in the event that your foal turns out to be a boy. Rest assured, that point has been addressed." Winter nodded, her question having been answered. "So who's next?" asked Applejack, looking around at the ponies whose presents still went unopened. "I guess you could open mine next, if you want," Fluttershy suggested quietly. Winter picked up Fluttershy's gift, a simply wrapped present with yellow paper. "It's not much," Fluttershy said modestly as Winter began to unwrap it. "I didn't make it myself, like Rarity, and I didn't have to spend any money or anything, so it might seem kind of... cheap." When Winter had finished unwrapping, she was left with a small rabbit plush toy. The fur looked quite worn, and the white color was dulled somewhat. One of the two button eyes looked newer than the other, and one of the ears had some stitching in it, suggesting that it had been repaired recently. "It's one of the stuffed animals I brought with me when I first moved to Ponyville," Fluttershy explained. "It's just been lying at the bottom of a trunk for a while, so I thought it'd be better if somepony could enjoy it." She gasped, covering her mouth as she made a realization. "Oh my, I'm basically just giving you my garbage! I'm so sorry. I-I can take it back if you—" "Fluttershy, I love it," Winter said adoringly. "I had one just like it when I was a filly." Fluttershy let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I'm glad you like it. I was worried that you'd think I was just pawning off something I don't need anymore onto somepony else." Winter gave the other pegasus a grateful smile. "I'm sure the baby will love it. Thank you." Rainbow Dash suddenly lifted off from the armchair, flying over to the three remaining gifts in the group, picking up one of them and passing it to Winter. "Hey, you should open mine next. It's pretty awesome." Winter was a touch confused by Dash's sudden enthusiasm, especially considering she'd been maintaining a cool detachment during the shower up until now. But not wanting to disappoint, Winter accepted, taking the gift from her. "Uh, careful; it's fragile," the chromatic pegasus warned as she returned to her seat. As Winter held the present in her hooves, she could swear it was making noise. She lifted it to her ear to listen more closely. "Why is this making a rumbling sound?" "Why would I tell you that? That'd ruin the surprise, dummy. Just open it," Dash told her with an impatient grin. Winter shrugged, conceding the point to Rainbow Dash and unwrapping the gift. From inside, she removed a glass jar, but inside the jar itself was what appeared to be a very tiny, grey cloud. Every few seconds or so, the cloud would flash dimly and shoot out little bolts of lightning; not enough to be harmful, for certain. Winter looked up at Rainbow Dash, baffled. "What's this supposed to be?" "A storm in a bottle," she answered, as if it were obvious. "I know you like the sound of rain, so now, even if it's a clear night, you've got this. Oh, but it's just the little thunderclaps. No actual rain. The jar would just fill up with water." "Oh, like a white noise machine," Twilight chimed in. Dash blinked uncomprehendingly. "Uh, sure. If that helps," she said, clearly having no idea what the alicorn was talking about. "It's a device that produces varying sounds, like waterfalls or wind. They're often used to help people sleep, as some find it difficult to doze off in dead silence," the princess explained. "Rainbow Dash, the idea of a baby shower gift is to get something for the baby, not necessarily the mother herself, unless it helps with the baby," Rarity pointed out. "Hey, come on," barked Dash defensively. "I'm trying here. I'm not great at this sorta thing." "Maybe you could use it as a nightlight," Fluttershy suggested. "The sparks are dull enough that they aren't hard on the eyes or anything." "Oh, and it could go well with my gift!" Derpy chirped, hurrying over to pass it to Winter. Wanting to know exactly how it tied together with a storm in a bottle, Winter quickly unwrapped Derpy's gift, pulling out a pair of electronic devices with speakers, resembling walkie-talkies. "A baby monitor!" Derpy blurted out eagerly. "See? Now you can put it in the baby's room and still hear the noise from the bottle. Just don't put it too close; don't wanna drown out the baby." "Okay, thank you. Both of you. I don't usually need noise to sleep, but it's a very thoughtful gift regardless, Rainbow Dash." Winter gave both Derpy and Dash a grateful smile, as she had done for everypony else. "I guess my gift is next," Twilight said, lifting the carefully and expertly wrapped gift with her magic to give to Winter. "I think this one may have some sentimental value," she suggested somewhat proudly. Hearing that, Winter was eager to know what it was. After tearing off the wrapping paper, she held in her hooves several colorful books; children's books to be precise. "Just a gift I put together from the library," Twilight explained with a modest shrug. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Leave it to Twilight to give somepony homework and call it a 'gift.'" The lavender mare ignored the quip. "Check the bottom one. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised." Her curiosity piquing ever higher, Winter flipped through to the book at the bottom of the short stack. Her jaw dropped slightly when she read the title. "'The Ugly Duckling'?" "What's so special about that book?" asked Applejack. "It's just a regular ol' kid's book. Everypony knows that one." "Yes, but this one holds special significance to Winter specifically," Twilight elaborated. "Right, Winter?" "Yeah. Shade and I read this book together when we first started dating. I had locked myself out of my house after we had just set up a big storm. I ended up getting sick and spending the night at Twilight's library where Shade took care of me. He was still learning to read at the time, so this was one of the books he was practicing with. We had our first kiss the very next day, after he had escorted me home." "How romantic!" Autumn exclaimed wistfully. "You never told me about that, Winter." "Not with Dad around. If he heard I locked myself out in a storm, he'd never let me live it down," Winter said with a sigh. Twilight raised an eyebrow. As Winter had been regaling the story, Twilight had noticed a certain lack of emotion in her voice. Surely such a significant moment in there relationship would be held more fondly. "Is something wrong, Winter?" Winter looked up from the book, forcing a smile. "Oh, no. It's a very thoughtful gift. It's just..." "Just what?" Winter hesitated. She didn't want to devalue Twilight's gift, but she definitely couldn't get away with not explaining it now. "Shade doesn't like this book." Twilight tilted her head, confused and a little shocked. "He doesn't?" "But that story's a classic," Rarity said, equally confused. Winter looked back down at the book, flipping through its pages to the ending. "It's just that the ending didn't exactly fill him with confidence back then. He had been trying his best to blend in and live with us, and this book only seems to suggest that somepony who's out of place won't be accepted by anypony except their own kind. I can only imagine the doubts that it must have brought up." Twilight's face became very apologetic. "Oh, gosh. I hadn't even considered that." "Now that you mention it, the message in that book is not exactly... modern," Rarity commented. "And imagine how it would be for your foal," Fluttershy added. "They might be put through a crisis where they're worried they might not be accepted by either species." "Should I take it back?" Twilight requested. Winter simply nodded, handing the book back to Twilight. "I appreciate the sentiment behind it, but this isn't the sort of book I want my child to read." "I understand. I'll see if I can find something more appropriate to replace it," Twilight assured with a grin. Eager to continue, Pinkie Pie looked down at the remaining presents. Or rather, she would have had there been any left. She frowned in disappointment. "Aw, guess that's everything." Winter quirked an eyebrow, looking to where the pile once was to confirm for herself that there was nothing left.. "Wait, I haven't opened Mom's present yet. Where is it?" Autumn grinned coyly, also receiving similar grins from Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Well, sweetie, that's because it's not in the house right now. It's waiting outside." Winter's ears perked up, but she tried her best to hide her excitement. "Why is it outside?" "Because if it were inside the surprise would be ruined." After receiving the go-ahead from Autumn in the form of a nod, Rainbow Dash flew over to the door, stopping briefly at Applejack to make a request. "Hey, AJ, mind helping me out?" The earth pony stood up without hesitation. "Sure thing." The pair stepped outside for a moment, leaving the others to wait and Winter to stew in her impatience and curiosity. Too excited to remain seated, Winter stood up and waited in front of the door, fighting back the urge to go outside and see what it was. However, within moments her patience was rewarded. From outside, Rainbow Dash and Applejack rolled in a wooden crib and Winter's eyes widened in utter disbelief. The crib was painted pure white. On the inside was a blue cushion decorated with white clouds, giving the illusion that the baby would be floating in the sky. There was even a mobile hanging over the crib, with several clouds and birds ready to lull a tired foal to sleep with soothing tones. Seeing that her daughter had been rendered speechless, Autumn decided to explain in case Winter hadn't quite recognized it yet. "It's your crib from when you were a foal." "Oh my gosh, it is!" Winter exclaimed, finally placing it in her memory. She ran a hoof over the railing, still slightly reeling from disbelief. "I had your father give it a new coat of paint, got new batteries for the mobile, patched up the mattress, and now it's good as new. I even enlisted help from Rainbow Dash and Princess Twilight in getting it here." Winter turned on the mobile and the paper clouds and birds began to slowly rotate as quiet tones chimed out a soft, peaceful tune. "Mom, this is amazing. I can't believe you went to so much trouble." "Remember, dear: the whole point of this to make less trouble for you," her mother reminded her. "These gifts are just a few less things for you to worry about." "Do you have room for the crib?" Fluttershy asked. "We have a spare room at the end of the hall upstairs," Winter explained. "Shade and I can clear it out and turn it into a nursery." "Well, if you need help getting it upstairs, just ask," Twilight offered. "Teleportation can be extremely convenient in such situations." Winter looked at everypony who had gone to such lengths for her, wiping a single grateful tear from her eye. "Guys, you have no idea how much all of this means. Thank you so much, everypony. And I'm sure Shade would thank you, too, if he were here." "Speaking of Shade," Autumn interjected. "Where's that friend of his you told me about? You know, the other changeling." "Oh, that's right," Rarity spoke up, finally remembering. "I had intended to ask about that. Chamella tells me she didn't get an invitation to the baby shower at all." She turned in Pinkie Pie's direction as she said that. Confused, Pinkie glanced over her shoulder before pointing to herself. "What are you looking at me for? I delivered invites to everypony on the list." She reached a hoof into her bottomless mane, pulling out a piece of parchment, unfurling it and showing it to Rarity. "See? No Chamella." Sure enough, Chamella's name was absent from the list, just as Pinkie said. But this news only raised more questions. "How come you didn't invite Chamella, Winter?" Fluttershy asked. "She told me it was because she figured Shade would want some company while everypony else was here," said Applejack, casting a somewhat skeptical glance in Winter's direction. "Even still, it would have been courteous at the very least to tell her about it," Rarity continued. "Chamella hadn't even so much as heard about the baby shower." With everypony's eyes casting curious and confused looks upon her, Winter felt as though she was being backed into a corner. "I-I don't know what to tell you. It's just like I told Applejack. I guess I figured Shade or Rarity would've mentioned it to her." "I suppose that's fair," Rarity conceded. "She even said herself that this sort of thing wasn't her cup of tea." Autumn sighed in disappointment. "Oh, well, that's a shame. I haven't had a chance to meet her yet. I was looking forward to it." "You're welcome to come over to my boutique after the shower to say hello," Rarity offered with a hospitable smile. "I've never thought to ask until now, but how exactly does Chamella feel about all of this? The baby, I mean," Fluttershy asked Winter. The ivory pegasus raised an eyebrow. "Why are you asking me? She's Shade's friend." That comment elicited some concerned reactions from her guests, and Winter immediately regretted the way she'd worded that. "What do you mean? You don't consider Chamella to be your friend?" Twilight inquired. "T-That's not what meant," Winter said defensively. "I just mean that... she's known Shade longer than me. If anypony knows how she feels about something, it's him." The others couldn't help but notice the somewhat downtrodden tone of her voice as she said that. "Are things alright between you two, Winter?" Rarity asked, concerned. "I know there's been some... animosity between the two of you in the past. I do hope that's not the issue here." Winter shook her head. "No, it's... It's fine. Don't worry about it." Despite Winter's insistence, the room was still filled with a rather thick tension regardless. Pinkie Pie decided this would be a good time to brighten the mood. "Cake! Who wants cake? We should all have a piece and just, you know, mellow out a bit, huh? No reason why a baby shower should be so tightly wound. Let's unravel this tension with some more sugary sweets!" "Sounds good to me," Applejack agreed, following Pinkie into the kitchen. Everypony else followed behind them as well, leaving just Winter and Autumn in the living room. Winter took a moment to look over her old crib again, though this time without that notable grin she'd worn before. "Winter, sweetie?" Winter looked over her shoulder at her mom, the older mare looking concerned for her daughter. "Everything is alright, isn't it?" Winter gave her mother a small, but genuine, smile. "Yeah, I'm good, Mom. Seriously, don't worry about it." That was enough to satisfy Autumn, and she grinned back. "Alright then. Want to get some cake?" Winter nodded. "Sure. Be right there." As her mother went off to join the others in the kitchen, Winter turned back to her crib—or rather, her baby's crib. It kind of got her thinking about what Chamella really did think about all of this. Like herself, Shade had been slowly getting over his fears regarding their impending parenthood. Was Chamella just as eager about it, she wondered. Maybe it was actually worth talking to her about it... "Winter, you better hurry before it's all gone." Heeding her mother's rather sarcastic warning, Winter headed into the kitchen to join the others and enjoy the rest of the shower.