Never Ending Happiness

"Good heavens, Spike, what's wrong?!" The doctor exclaimed upon seeing the frantic dragon.

"Something's wrong, doc! Applejack's in pain!"

As if to confirm Spike's words, Applejack screamed loudly and clutched her belly. The doctor walked up to her and placed his hoof on her stomach, his eyes widening in shock.

"But, you're not due for another three months!" He said loudly to himself.

"What does that mean?! Is she having the baby now?!" Spike panicked.

"Nurse Redheart!"

A white earth pony with a pink mane and tail came running around the corner.

"Get a stretcher for Applejack! I think it's time."

Nurse Redheart nodded and dashed off to retrieve a stretcher. Applejack groaned even more and looked up at Spike.

"Sorry, looks like the baby's impatient." Applejack joked.

Spike smiled briefly and then looked up again to see Nurse Redheart pushing a stretcher towards them. He gingerly placed Applejack down and stroked her mane in attempt to calm her.

"You're going to be fine, Applejack, I'm here."

Applejack smiled and touched his claw with her hoof before grimacing once more and placing it back on her belly. As quick as they could go, the doctor, nurse Redheart, Spike, and Applejack rolled down the hall and straight into the emergency room.

"Would you like anything to eat while you're waiting, princess?"

Twilight looked up from the magazine she had been reading to see a young filly in nurse apparel looking up at her. She smiled down at the cute foal and folded the magazine up.

"No, but thank you for the offer."

That answer seemed to satisfy the filly as she beamed widely and pranced off down the hall. Twilight laughed to herself and looked over at the rest of her friends who were gathered there. Pinkie Pie was busy hanging off the back of a waiting chair while Rarity kept nervously glancing at the clock.

"How long have they been in there, Twilight?!" She choked, starting to hyperventilate.

"About a half hour, Rarity," Twilight responded.

"I wonder if it'll be a COLT or a FILLY?!" Pinkie hollered, swinging back over and plopping down into her chair. "Or maybe it's TWINS!"

"I don't know, Pinkie," Twilight muttered. "We weren't prepared for the baby to come this soon. Anything could happen."

"Don't say that, Twilight!" Rarity screamed. "Think positive!"

"How can I when there are so many negative attributes?!"

Suddenly, the hospital doors burst open and Fluttershy dashed in, panting and sweating beyond control. Big Macintosh soon followed her, breathing quite heavily too.

"Is she OK?!" Fluttershy whimpered as she flew over to Twilight's side.

"We don't know yet,"

Big Macintosh growled and sat heavily into a chair. Fluttershy flew over to calm him down which he accepted generously.

"Ya think she's in pain?" Big Mac mumbled.

"No," Fluttershy cooed. "Applejack's a tough girl. She'll pull through."

The minutes ticked by slowly after that...

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

Rainbow Dash eventually showed up, apologizing again and again for being late.

"I was at a show for the Wonder Bolts all the way in Manehattan! I flew over here as soon as I heard the news!"

"It's OK, Rainbow," Fluttershy said. "You're here now, and that's all that matters."

The minutes ticked by slowly again...

Tick, tock, tick, tock...

"UGH!" Pinkie shouted. "When will I be an AUNT?!"

"Right now,"

Everypony gasped and looked over to see Spike, standing tall and proud with tears streaming quickly down his face. The entire crowd of them rose from their seats and surrounded him with questions.

"Is Applejack OK?!"

"Is the baby OK?!"

"Is she going to make it?!"

"Is it a COLT or a FILLY?!"

Spike smiled at their hysteria and quickly quieted them down.

"If you want the answers to your questions," He said teasingly. "Then follow me."

Of course, nopony hesitated to do so. They all even became a bit antsy as Spike slowly walked down the hall. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and quickly checked the clipboard on the front counter which showed the room numbers.

"A127!" She announced.

Everypony dashed past Spike, leaving him in a cloud of dust. He coughed for only a brief second, but then burst out laughing onto the floor. The entire crowd tried to shove past each other in the doorway, only to be shushed by nurse Redheart who had just placed a light pink bundle into Applejack's arms.

Applejack looked exhausted, but the vibrant smile on her face was enough to make her look like the happiest mare in the world. Fluttershy approached her and looked down into the bundle.

"Oh..." she sighed.

Two light green eyes with strange reptilian slits met hers and a tiny gurgle escaped from its mouth. Applejack sniffled in a tear and gently lifted the foal into Fluttershy's arms. Everypony in the room gasped in awe upon seeing the foal, whose coat was the color of a summer's sunset and whose mane was the color of its father's green scales.

"So..." Pinkie began. "Is it a COLT or a FILLY?"

"Can't you tell by the color of the blanket, Pinkie?" Rainbow whispered harshly.

"Pound Cake was accidentally placed in a pink blanket when he was born." Pinkie said with a laugh. "They couldn't find a blue one until they put him in a cradle next to his sister!"

"It's a filly." Applejack whispered, taking the brand new foal back into her arms. The filly sighed contently and wriggled around in her blanket.

Suddenly, the filly yawned and stretched, causing the blanket to become taunt near her back. Fluttershy was the first to notice.

"Applejack..." She uttered. "Does she have...?"

"Uh-huh!" Applejack laughed. "Wings!" She removed the blanket to show off two outstretched wings that were exactly alike to that of her father's. The only exception being that her wings were the same color as her coat, a summer's sunset.

Twilight couldn't hold it in any longer. She started bawling.

"Oh, Twilight." Spike laughed, running up to hug her.

"I'm an aunt!" She bellowed.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but then smiled.

"I'm an aunt, too." She stated proudly.

"I'm an aunt!" Rarity cried out.

"Hey, what a coincidence! I'm an aunt, too!" Pinkie cheered.

"Ah'm an... uncle." Big Mac choked. He walked up to his sister and kissed her gently on the cheek. "Good job, sis. Good job."

Then, Fluttershy walked back up to Applejack and gave her a light hug.

"I'm also an aunt!" She whispered.

Applejack nodded and then nuzzled her filly affectionately on the nose.

"Any names yet?" Pinkie inquired after the whole sentimental business was over.

"Yeah," Spike said. "I let Applejack decide."

Everypony's eyes turned towards Applejack. She quickly glanced up towards the ceiling of the room and sighed deeply.

This is fer you, mama. She prayed.

"Her name is Gala Delight."

"After mama." Big Mac stated.

"Yeeup." Applejack confirmed.

"It's perfect!" Rarity squealed.

Everypony nodded in approval, and even Gala let out a joyful scream.

Suddenly, a new nurse ran into the room carrying a tray of food for the new parents. She looked from Applejack and then, with a weird look, to Spike. She placed the tray in Spike's arms and was about to leave the room, when she saw Gala Delight.

"Good heavens!" She exclaimed. "What happened to the poor darling?!"

She quickly raced over to the new foal and snatched her from her mother's arms. Gala cried out and reached for her mother.

"Hey!" Applejack hollered in protest.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Spike yelled.

The nurse whipped off the blanket fully this time and now everypony, except for Applejack and Spike, gasped. They had already seen her wings and her eyes, but they had not seen her tail and back legs.

"They... look like a..." Rarity stuttered.

"Dragon's!" Pinkie finished

It was true. Gala Delight's tail was long, orange, and scaly, almost making the nurse recoil at the very touch. The back legs were more of a shock when everypony saw that they were not only scaly but had three long claws protruding from them.

"Oh, dear!" The nurse yelled. "Don't worry, darling! We'll help your child!"

"Don't you DARE touch her!" Applejack shrieked, forcing her exhausted body from the bed and grabbing her foal from the nurse's arms.

"But... your baby is deformed!"

"No she ain't! She's exactly how God meant for her ta be!" Applejack clambered back into her bed and tried to calm Gala down. Spike ran up to her side and gently stroked Gala's mane while quietly singing a lullaby.

"Hush, now, my filly.

Be still love, don't cry.

Sleep while you're rocked by the stream.

Sleep and remember

My last lullaby

And I'll be with you when you dream."

The room was suddenly silent as they listened to Spike's clear voice. Even Applejack was amazed at how well his singing sounded! Gala let out a satisfied yawn and rubbed her eyes, Spike planting a passionate kiss on her forehead. She giggled and then drifted back off into sleep.

When everypony had calmed down, Twilight glared at the nurse.

"How dare you call my little niece deformed?" Twilight whispered.

"Well... I... uh..." The nurse mumbled, silently slipping out of the room and galloping down the hall.

"Humph! The nerve of some ponies!" Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"Nopony listen to her!" Fluttershy commanded. "Gala Delight is perfect the way she is!"

Applejack nodded proudly and re-wrapped the blanket around her daughter. Spike then gave his two girls a warm hug and sighed with utter happiness.

"Now we can finally breathe." He joked.

Applejack laughed and nodded, kissing Spike briefly on the lips.

Then, they both looked down to see Gala wriggling around in the blanket, grunting and growling. They both soon knew the reason why as she brought up her tail and started contently sucking on the pointed edge. Twilight smiled and looked over at Spike.

"That's what you did when you hatched from your egg." She remembered.

Then Gala dropped her tail and let out a satisfied burp. Big Macintosh laughed.

"And that was the first thing AJ did when she was born!"

The room erupted into joyful laughter, echoing down the halls and out the door. Gala let out a laugh of her own and waved her front hooves around in the air with pleasure.

And for the first time in months, Applejack and Spike were happy again.

Unfortunately, happiness does not always last for an eternity...