Alacrity Minifics

When they walked into the gymnasium, Upper Crust felt the most wonderful sensation: all eyes were on her.  She was finally a somepony, thanks to the handsome stallion to her left.  She turned her head to gaze up at him, smiling.

"Shall I get us some punch?" Jet Set offered, returning her smile.

"If you wouldn't mind, that would be wonderful."  Upper Crust went back to surveying the room while Jet Set walked away.

There was Lyrica Lilac, clinging to the foreleg of Fancy Pants.  He had some dream of running a modeling company.  Upper Crust rolled her eyes, but feigned a smile when Lyrica waved to her.  For the first time in four years, Upper Crust was finally the one ahead.  Victory tasted so sweet.

A cup floated into her vision.  "Here you are," Jet Set said.

Upper Crust took a sip, then inclined her head at just the right angle and felt the barely satisfactory lighting hit her eyes.  It was a simple trick that she had picked up when she was young from the other fillies, and it seemed to work, because he suddenly held out his hoof toward her.

"I would very much like to dance with you."  He chuckled and added, "If you're done with your punch, of course."

Her magic set the cup down on the nearest surface and she took his hoof, her heart starting to flutter, not with excitement, but with panic.  She didn't have proper training for this!  Sure, she had practiced by herself, but that didn't calm her nerves one bit.  "That would be wonderful."

As he led her out onto the floor, she started to contemplate her options.  She could trip and claim a sprained ankle.  However, the moment he turned to face her and their eyes met again, the fears were washed away.  He brushed their necks together and hooked his foreleg around one of hers, then swayed with her to the soft music that played.

Oh.  This was the kind of dancing he meant.  She had to admit she was a little disappointed at first, but their closeness more than made up for it.  She cracked one eye open to look around and smiled.  All eyes were on her.

Two songs and a punch break later, the music died down and the principal walked onto the stage.  "I hope you're all having a wonderful time!"  He smiled, levitating an envelope beside him.  "The results are in for this year's Fall Formal King and Queen.  Who's ready to hear this year's winners?"

The ponies stomped, cheered, and whistled.  Upper Crust remained stoic until Jet Set reached over to give her hoof a small squeeze.  She glanced down at their joined hooves, then looked up at him.  His gaze was focused on her and, when their eyes met, he smiled.

"Don't be nervous," he said.  "I'm sure we've won."

Upper Crust's brow quirked.  "Who said I was nervous?"  She snubbed her nose at him.  "I certainly didn't."

Jet Set blinked a few times, then laughed softly, shaking his head.

"All right, fillies and gentlecolts," the principal said while his magic slowly opened the envelope.  "This year, the Fall Formal King and Queen are..."  He paused for dramatic effect, then exclaimed, "Jet Set and Upper Crust!"

The gymnasium erupted in cheers and Jet Set waved to their peers while he walked alongside Upper Crust toward the stage.  As they were crowned and Upper Crust was handed a bouquet of roses, Jet Set leaned over and whispered, "You make a perfect queen, beautiful."

Upper Crust's breath caught in her throat and while Jet Set turned his attention on the crowd of ponies cheering for them, she stared at him.  A few flashes of camera illuminated the stage, but she forgot to pose.  All she could do was stare at him, warmth spreading from her chest to the very tips of her ears, and she smiled so much that it hurt.

"Darling, I could really use your help," Upper Crust called from the bathroom, frowning at her reflection.

Jet Set poked his head into the room.  "What's wrong, dear?"

She turned to face him, a white gold earring on one ear and a single large pearl on the other.  "I can't decide which of these will be the most effective at Lyrica's foal shower."  She rolled her eyes.  "It's all she's talked about since she found out she was pregnant, and I'm so awfully tired of hearing about it.  Honestly, does she not realize—"  An odd choking sound caught in the back of her throat.  "Oh."  She raised a hoof to cover her mouth.  "Oh, darling, I feel awful."

Jet Set rushed all the way into the room and put a hoof on her shoulder, worry seeping into his every word as he asked, "Awful?  What's wrong?  Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Upper Crust remained perfectly still, her eyes clenched shut until the sudden bout of nausea passed.  She blinked her eyes open and frowned up at him.  "No, it was just a moment of feeling ill at ease.  I'm perfectly fine."  She turned back to her reflection.  "As I was saying, does she not realize what pregnancy does to a mare's body?  She's already looking rotund.  It's absolutely dreadful."

"Dear..."  He hesitated, then sighed, smiled, and said, "I think the pearls suits you best."

She nodded.  Her magic removed the white gold earring and replaced it with the matching pearl stud.  "Perfect.  Thank you, darling.  Well, then, I'm off."  She placed a quick peck of a kiss on his cheek, smiling up at him.  "I'll see you this evening."

As she walked down the stairs, her stomach knotted up and she grabbed onto the railing with one hoof, the other clamped over her mouth.  "Nngh..."

"Honey!"  Jet Set hurried down the stairs and stood on the step beneath her to ensure she didn't fall.  "Forget the foal shower.  We need to get you to a hospital."

Upper Crust shook her head.  "I'm fine," she hissed.  "I just need a quick sip of ginger ale."

Jet Set's face hardened as he grabbed her hoof.  "Don't be stubborn.  It's unbecoming."

At his words, her ears perked up, then folded back.  She finally relented with a nod and allowed him to lead her the rest of the way down the stairs.

"I'm... pregnant?"  Upper Crust said the word as if the doctor had given her a death sentence, her face going pale.  "No, no no, that can't be.  We, I, we..."  She looked to Jet Set.  "Darling, wipe that look off your face and tell the stallion."

Jet Set cleared his throat, the smile still holding firm onto his lips.  "We take proper precautions, dear, but you know it's not a guarantee."  He tried to hold her hoof, but she swatted him away and rolled over to face her back to him.  The smile finally fell.  "Dear, this is good news!"

"Says you," she whispered with her face buried in her hooves to hide the tears.  "Both of you, please, leave."

"Dear—"

"Leave," she snarled.

Jet Set lingered a moment longer, then followed the doctor out.  When the door shut behind them, Upper Crust bolted upright and threw the nearest object across the room.  The pillow hit the wall and landed with an anticlimactic, gentle fwump.  Her gaze darted about for something more substantial and she grabbed the lamp.  This time, after she threw it, there was a very satisfying crash and shatter effect.

Her breathing was ragged and her heart was racing.  She was going to get fat.  Jet Set would leave her.  Tears streamed down her face and she wept freely.  There was no need to keep up an act anymore; a divorce would ruin everything.

That one simple, horrible word—pregnant—was going to take away her perfect life.

Upper Crust glanced over at Jet Set, who slept in the chair beside the hospital bed.  The stupid stallion she called husband had decided to stay by her side throughout the whole ordeal, all eleven months of it, which he had been happy about from the very beginning.  He had fainted halfway through the birth itself, however, which she thought was rather unfair, as she had no such option.

The pain was already starting to fade away in her memory, though, and now all she was left with was a foal squirming in her embrace.  Upper Crust sighed and looked down at the filly with a frown.

"I hope you're happy with yourself," she muttered.  "Do you see what you've done to me?"

Her mane was a mess, sweat matted her coat, and she could hardly keep her eyes open from total exhaustion.  She was an absolutely dreadful sight, all thanks to the foal.

The newborn stopped squirming at the sound of Upper Crust's voice, then blinked and looked up at her, revealing a pair of hazel orbs that stopped her heart for a moment.

Suddenly, every feeling vanished from her tired mind except love.  This foal, her Crystal Wishes, was the most perfect thing she had ever seen.  She had never felt so much love for anypony or anything before, and it brought a smile to her face.  At that moment, Upper Crust knew she had the most important role of her life ahead of her: to protect this sweet, innocent little filly from the cruel and fickle world she had been born into.

Upper Crust leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her foal's forehead, mumbling softly, "I promise, darling, you will never want for anything."