The Donors

by GoesKaboom

Ponyville Clinic Confidential

Weeks went by, and Cup's pregnancy began to show. Although it was awkward, and it felt strange wearing such haute couture around the house and the shop, Cup had taken to wearing the maternity clothes Rarity had made for her, rather than her normal uniform. Well, technically, her normal lack of uniform, considering that most of the time, Cup went au natural, with the exception of her work apron. But with her stomach swelling and pregnancy becoming obvious, the blue mare was hyperaware of everypony's eyes on her, waiting to see how the pregnancy was going or figure out how far along she was. The constant staring made Cup Cake feel violated, and at the very least, the flashy maternity clothes gave her an extra layer of protection between herself and the rest of Equestria.

But it was also becoming more and more apparent that she was going to need to seek some kind of prenatal care. She and Carrot had read the books Twilight Sparkle had given them, and they realized that the morning sickness was supposed to have passed by the end of the first trimester. But it was well into the second, and Cup wasn't feeling any better. If anything, she seemed to be getting worse. Not only was she at constant risk of emptying the contents of her stomach at any given time, she also was experiencing dizzy spells, and often felt a strange fluttering in her chest. But, she still kept quiet, for fear of scaring Carrot, and to a lesser extent, to avoid going back to the doctor.

You see, Ponyville did have a hospital, but it was not a very large one. Most serious illnesses or injuries (the ones that were especially difficult to treat, or that had a high mortality rate) were treated at the Canterlot Royal Hospital. As for pegasi who contracted pegasus-specific illnesses, they were usually checked into the Crash “Leeroy” Wingkins Memorial Hospital in Cloudsdale. Ponyville Hospital was a good facility, but it wasn't the same as going to a research hospital or one in the big cities. Dr. Flatline and Nurse Redheart were fine ponies and were very good at their jobs... but Dr. Flatline was a general practitioner and surgeon, and Nurse Redheart was a nurse practitioner. In an emergency, they could serve as specialists, but for the kind of care that Cup needed, she would really be better off seeing an OB/GYN. And there was only one of those in Ponyville: Dr. Null Result.

And to be quite frank, Cup would rather seek medical care from Nightmare Moon than go back to that particular stallion, especially after how that last appointment had ended.

How could she go back to a doctor that had basically told her the only way she'd ever conceive a foal would be to cheat on her husband?

To make matters worse, in a way, he had been correct. Carrot was not the father of this foal, at least biologically. But if the doctor kept to his code of ethics, he wouldn't share the news at all, and keep silent. Almost everypony would never know the truth, that Carrot Cake was not the biological father of Cup Cake's foal.

The mare had to suppress a snort at that. Everypony knew that Null Result talked more than Pinkie Pie on a sugar rush, and had no filter between his brain and his mouth- something that had gotten him in trouble more than once, when he accidentally over-shared the status of a patient's STD results without clearing it with them first. And if that wasn't bad enough, Cup could just imagine how that appointment would go.

”So, Cup, I see you took my advice and ditched that useless bump on a log of a husband of yours. So who's your paramour? That's Prench for lover, by the way- who is it? I'm sure the handsome fellow will be a much better parent to your foal than your husband would have been. By the way, have you started the divorce proceedings yet? I know an excellent lawyer in Canterlot, never failed a client yet...”

Yeah. She could live without that. No, Cup decided early on that she was going to get through this pregnancy with as little doctor contact as possible, and keep herself healthy without outside interference.

Which was all well and good, and certainly an admirable goal. Unfortunately, it was not realistic, as Cup found out the hard way. It was the middle of the second trimester, and the morning sickness was not subsiding at all, and if anything, increasing in its intensity.

“Mrs. Cake, are you sure you're alright?” Pinkie Pie asked, concerned, after her boss staggered into Sugar Cube Corner's kitchen two and a half hours after the shop opened. She was breathing heavily and looking the worse for wear. “If you want I can call the doctor...”

“No!” Cup exclaimed heatedly. “No, I'm fine, I don't need a doctor.” Pinkie didn't look convinced.

“But if you're sick, isn't that bad for your foal?”

“PINKIE!” Cup yelled, feeling a headache coming on. The pink mare stepped back, shock plastered all over her face. Mrs. Cake, even when she had screwed something up epically, never shouted at her like that. She never shouted at anypony like that, not even when a certain troop of three fillies had decided to try their hooves at being Cutie Mark Crusader Dine-and-Dash-ers. Cup immediately realized her mistake and approached Pinkie cautiously, the pounding in her head increasing. “I'm sorry, Pinkie,” she continued, her tone gentler. “I'm just tired is all, not sick. I'm sure I'll be fine tomorrow, after a good night's rest.” Signifying that the discussion was over, Cup turned away from her employee and made her way towards the pantry to get started on making the toffee for an order due to be picked up the next day.

Squinting, Cup looked ahead. Huh. That was odd. The pantry kept wobbling in and out of her vision, coming closer and then snapping backward, as though it had been attached to a rubber band. Was there an earthquake?! The pounding in her head reached a fever pitch, and a sudden, unexpected pain in her womb made her stagger backwards. The last thing Cup heard before the world went black was the high-pitched voice of a mare screaming for help, and a male voice swearing.

---

Beep.
Beep.
Beep.

Cup's eyes fluttered open. Where was she? This didn't look like Sugar Cube Corner at all. And that beeping noise- it sounded like that Annoy-O-Tron thing Pinkie Pie had bought from some mail-order joke shop. But hadn't Rarity blown it up in a fit of rage when her pink friend had hid it in her workroom as a prank? Cup groaned. Pinkie must have bought another one of the wretched things.

Belatedly, the mare realized she was lying down on something- her bed? No, that wasn't possible- this was a lot lumpier and itchier than her bed. With her eyes finally focusing, she realized that this room was also much more... beige than any room in Sugar Cube Corner. She also realized what was making that beeping noise- it wasn't Pinkie Pie's Annoy-O-Tron.

It was worse. She was in a hospital bed, and hooked up to some kind of medical device.

“Oh! Mrs. Cake! You're awake!” a familiar voice called out. The beige curtains drawn around the hospital bed rustled, and Pinkie Pie peered at her, usually happy expression replaced with one of concern. “You passed out, so Mr. Cake and I brought you to the hospital! Dr. Flatline's been looking out for you!”

Cup dearly wanted to shout at the other mare- hadn't she told her multiple times that she did not need to see a doctor? But if she had passed out... well, Pinkie had been right. That wouldn't be good for the foal. But she really did not want to have to put up with Null Result.

“Ms. Pie, I thought I told you to stay in the waiting room! Oh, nevermind,” Dr. Flatline stepped into the room, pulling the curtains totally back. Levitating a clipboard with his magic, the unicorn began reading the different screens on the machines, checking things off and making notes.

“You are pregnant,” he stated. It wasn't a question.

“Um... yes?” Cup replied hesitantly. Flatline nodded.

“Good, good, one less thing I have to worry about- you know that you're expecting already. Before I continue, though, I have to ask- was this pregnancy planned?”

“Of course it was,” Cup replied, feeling slightly offended. Dr. Flatline frowned, looking at the clipboard.

“If you knew you were pregnant, and the pregnancy was planned, why have you not been receiving prenatal care? Your vitamin levels are dangerous low, it's no wonder you passed-” abruptly, the doctor cut himself off, eyes widening as he looked at one of the output screens on the machine. “That can't be right,” he muttered to himself, flipping back through his notes. Then, he checked the monitors again, and a small smile broke out on his face.

“Cup Cake, do you or your husband have any unicorns in your family tree?” Cup's brow furrowed, thrown for a loop by the seemingly random question.

“Um... Carrot's aunt Frilly Lily is a unicorn, and I think my mother had a few unicorn cousins. Why?” she asked. Dr. Flatline chuckled.

“It is just that your foal is giving off a large amount of ambient magic, as well as absorbing more nutrients than an Earth pony or pegasus foal would. Unicorn foals need more vitamins in utero than an Earth pony foal would- it helps their horn develop, and they also start to build up magic in their systems at about ten weeks. Congratulations, Mrs. Cake, you're going to have a unicorn!”

“A unicorn?” the mare repeated. The doctor nodded, looking pensive.

“Well, we'll need to do an ultrasound to be sure,” he responded, “but I have never come across that level of ambient magic naturally in an Earth pony or pegasus. Every time I've seen readings that high, the mare in question was carrying a unicorn foal. If my suspicion is correct, we'll need to make some adjustments to keep the both of you healthy. Right now your body is trying to process the needs of two different sort of pony, which is draining you. It's no wonder you collapsed, your body is basically fighting the foal for the nutrients you both need.” At Cup's horrified expression, he hastily added, “it's not a problem yet- neither one of you is malnourished or anything, it's just that if you want to make sure you're both in top condition you'll need to make sure you're meeting your dietary needs.”

Cup nodded faintly. She'd known going into this that there was a chance she would give birth to a unicorn or a pegasus, but somehow, she'd been certain that her offspring would be an Earth pony, like its parents. But a unicorn was fine, too. No matter what, she and Carrot were going to love this foal, no matter what kind of pony they ended up being.

“Unfortunately, Dr. Null Result is in Las Pegasus until next Wednesday,” Dr. Flatline continued, “and it is extremely important that we verify this with the ultrasound as quickly as possible. Is it alright if we have Nurse Redheart perform the procedure? I assure you, she is perfectly qualified.”

“No, that's fine!” Cup exclaimed, startling the doctor. “I- I mean, that's fine. I think I would be more comfortable with Nurse Redheart anyway.” The doctor shrugged.

“Alright then. I'll send her in soon. Until then, just rest for a bit. If you'd like, I can have your husband and Pinkamena Pie come in to keep you company until she gets here.”

“Please, if you don't mind,” the mare replied. Dr. Flatline nodded, then departed the room. Momentarily, both Carrot Cake and Pinkie Pie came back in- the former looking angry, the latter looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“What were you thinking?!” Carrot exploded. “If you were feeling so sick, why didn't you say anything? Something could have happened! Do you know how scared I was when you collapsed? I thought I was going to lose you! I thought something had happened to the foal! Pinkie Pie nearly had a heart attack, you practically fainted right on top of her!”

“Carrot, I-”

“Just... just don't say anything right now,” the stallion replied, shaking with barely controlled fury. “I thought you had died! I know you didn't want to have to travel all the way back to Manehattan for the medical care, but Ponyville has a good hospital too! If worse came to worse you could even go to Canterlot! But no, you decided to suffer in silence and almost kill yourself!”

“Manehattan?” Pinkie Pie asked. “Why would you need to go to Manehattan just to see a doctor? That's so far, far away!”

The married couple completely ignored her. “Do you have any idea how humiliating it would be for me to go back to that damned doctor?” Cup shouted right back, voice cracking. “Do you even know the kind of things he would say about me? He'd make comments about my infidelity and how I should leave you, since you obviously can't perform your husbandly duties! He'd make comments about how I must have had to... to... well, never mind! Or did you forget who it was that figured out you were infertile?”

“I know Null Result is an ass,” Carrot said, very calmly. His composure, however, was undermined by the rage apparent in his body language, ears flattened against his head and tail twitching violently. “Do you honestly think I want rumors being spread around by that pathetic excuse of a stallion? No, Cup, I do not. But your well-being is more important to me than my reputation. If I have to be known around Ponyville as the guy whose wife cheated on him and got pregnant from it, then so be it. And your own health should matter more to you than your reputation.”

“You're not the one who has to live with the shame of everypony knowing you're a whore who cheated on her husband!” Cup sobbed, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

Pinkie Pie's jaw practically hit the floor. No way- it wasn't true, was it? Mrs. Cake had cheated on Mr. Cake, and that was where the foal came from? How... horrible! The pink mare's eyes narrowed, and her mane flattened out a bit, something akin to disgust flooding her system. And she had actually respected this mare?

“But all that matters is that you know it's a lie!” Carrot replied. “Besides, ponies in this town talk a lot, and then they'll forget all about it in a few weeks. Remember when Derpy got pregnant and she wouldn't tell anypony who the father was? Everypony went on and on about what a scandal it was, but two weeks later nopony cared anymore.”

“Yeah, because everypony decided that Derpy should terminate her pregnancy,” Cup said dully. “Because obviously she was too stupid to care for a foal, remember?”

“It doesn't matter now, though! Nopony has said anything like that since Dinky Doo was born,” Carrot answered. Cup laughed bitterly.

“No, but they've tried to get Dinky taken away by Foal Protective Services. Or did you forget that? That's what most ponies think should happen to illegitimate foals- they should be taken away from their parents and raised by good, married parents, not the village idiot.”

“You know that's not true. Fifty years ago, maybe, but not now. And you remember what happened when the FPS agent showed up, don't you? Or did you forget how the entire town threatened to buck that agent to the moon if she tried anything?” Carrot shot back. Cup froze, then nodded.

“Or what about the time Malt Liquor caught Berry Punch hooking up with Roid Rage?” the stallion continued. “Everypony forgot about that within the week... although that might have been because nopony wanted to imagine those two together...” he grimaced and shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the unwanted images of the town alcoholic and the town juice-head engaged in... conjugation. “The point is, I know you weren't unfaithful. You know you weren't unfaithful. And do you really think anypony would listen to Null Result anyway? That stallion talks more hot air than Rainbow Dash describing herself.”

“I... I guess you're right,” Cup whispered, the tears beginning to flow again. “But... but Dr. Flatline says he thinks our foal is a unicorn. How will we explain that?”

“R-really? A unicorn?” Carrot looked both intrigued and alarmed by this new development. “That's... that's...” he never did get to finish his thought, because Pinkie Pie interrupted with an annoyed snort, her mane looking much less poofy than before.

“Will somepony PLEASE tell me what the buck is going on here?”

TBC

Comments

[Claudia Donovan]

I can't blame Pinkie. I'd be confused too.