The Bubbly Mare

3, 12
"Like Flowers...”

The morning went by in a strange blur...

Sure, Mommy was moving a bit slower than usual... needing to take a rest even just after she got up, and Derpy woke up wet, but all that was okay because today they were all going to see her brother. When they'd first woke up, though, Mommy pushed Derpy's hooves from around her belly... and Derpy quickly remembered why that was, once the mare turned around and she saw her tummy. The skin around the stitches was all red and puffy, but she still smiled at Derpy like everything was okay.

"I'm fine, sweetie," Mommy said slowly, before moving away. "Really, it's just sensitive."

"Sensitive," the filly repeated under her breath, as Mommy left the room.

Derpy stayed in bed a little longer after that.... maybe just a few minutes. She wasn't sure how long, but it felt better doing this, letting everypony go where they wanted to first.

After getting up and changing, Derpy headed down the hall to the living room to find Mommy in her chair with her eyes closed. The filly's attention was quickly pulled away by the sound of water running in the kitchen. She saw on the counter Amethyst had made breakfast -- six blueberry muffins, with a box right next to them with the same picture on it as what she saw waiting. The baby sitter motioned with her head towards the food.

"Eat up kid. Just a quick breakfast, but thought you might like it! Sooner you eat, the sooner we can get going."

After grabbing a couple muffins, sitting between the kitchen and the hallway so she could look over at Mommy (who's eyes were still closed), Derpy ate the muffins... half listening to Amethyst tend to Dinky. Mommy opened her eyes, and looked over. The filly froze:

"Please, eat, sweetie," she said, with a weak smile, before closing her eyes again. "I'm still just a little bit tired."

"Okee." Derpy stuffed the rest of the last muffin in her mouth and, just like that, it was gone. After that she trotted up to Mommy, who opened up her eyes and smiled, lifting up her foreleg to let Derpy rest her head against her barrel. The filly did so, gently... it didn't last long, though, as soon Amethyst walked by with Dinky, towards the living room where the stroller was kept.

Soon they were on their way. Mommy closed the door behind them, and Amethyst walked in front pushing the stroller with Dinky inside and an umbrella in the back just in case. Derpy walked in the middle with Mommy behind her. Every time Derpy looked back she noticed Mommy was walking a bit behind, walking funny. She would then speed up when she saw Derpy, smiling. Eventually Derpy slowed down a bit, so she could walk with mommy, and then maybe Amethyst slowed down, too... Derpy wasn't exactly sure. It felt right but slow.

No pony talked, and Derpy didn't feel like talking... she couldn't help imagining what her new baby brother must look like.

* * *

When they got to the Hospital, Derpy found herself looking around. It was a big, white place, with long halls. Everything was so narrow, which she wasn't sure she liked, but it was okay... for a little while. Once they got settled in one of the corners she and Mommy sat while Amethyst talked to a pony behind a desk through a big sheet of glass. It seemed like it was taking a really long time, but Derpy was happy. She looked up at Mommy and Mommy looked back, smiling.

"Ready to meet your little brother?" Mommy asked, quietly.

Derpy nodded.

"You know, he looks a bit like you did."

Derpy couldn't help smiling.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Mommy rubbed her belly. Derpy looked down to see the skin wasn't red like it was in the morning. "When we get back home Mommy's going to put her bandages back on... it's itchy and uncomfortable, but it's always a good idea to listen to your doctor."

Derpy just smiled, nodding.

"Um... will it help you get better?"

"Yes. I should be wearing it now."

"Why aren't you, Mommy?"

She looked up at Derpy and smiled.

"It makes it really itchy. You can put medicine on bandages, though... I just wish the pulling sensation would go away."

Derpy stared at the stitchlines, hearing Amethyst's turning around, with the stroller, walking towards the pair.

"You gunna want me to come with you?" the young mare asked, once she got up close. "Dinky's fast asleep. I'm fine with either."

Mommy looked up, taking a deep breath and letting it out.

"Sure, come with us." She turned towards Derpy. "Up, sweetie."

Soon enough Derpy found herself being led by Mommy, first to a door near the side of the room... then down a long hallway. Suddenly it got very quiet.

* * *

The hallway was dark but the walk didn't seem very long. Derpy was behind Mommy up to the next door. At first all she could hear was their hooves and the pushing of a stroller, but soon... she heard a faint beep. It got louder as they approached... beep... beep... beep... Mommy looked back as the beeping grew even louder, stopping at the open door where it was coming from.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

Derpy tried to see past her Mommy's barrel, but found her blocking the door.... first with her body, then a foreleg. The filly looked up and nodded.

"Okay..." Mommy said, stepping aside, motioning Derpy in. "This is an incubation chamber... your brother is inside."

Slowly but surely, Derpy walked inside... inside the room, propped up on a tiny bed was thing that looked like a box with see-through sides and holes. Above this, like it was all around, was where the beeping was coming from. At first she didn't see anything in there, outside of stacks of white blankets , until she noticed, about the size of a kitten, was a baby pony the same color as herself. A little colt, blonde... like her. He wore a diaper no bigger than her ear, and had a blue mask on his face held up by wires, and thin wires and tube were tapped to his forelegs and hind legs.

Derpy froze a few body lengths from the chamber, not taking another step... she found herself looking up at Mommy, who was standing very close behind her. The filly felt really queasy in her tummy.

"Go on, it's okay... that's your brother."

Derpy took a few steps further, hearing the stroller stop by the door.

"Oh, dear..." Amethyst said,her words seeming far off. "That's... he's hooked up to a lot more than I thought he would be."

"Shh, it's okay," said Mommy, as Derpy continued to approach the small bed. "Just watch."

Derpy looked in at the little colt -- little closed eyes, tiny body, tiny legs, tiny head. It didn't look like anything like Dinky, anything like a pony, and yet it did. It also looked like a puppy.

"He's not in good shape, Derpy." Mommy said, approaching by the filly's side. "You were a lot like this when you were that small. You were a little better, but not much."

The filly looked up, her eyes blurring a bit.

"Really?"

"Yeah... I know you don't remember, Sweetie, but it was like this." Derpy leaned on Mommy. Mommy hugged her and Derpy felt tears leaving her eyes. "I... I don't think I could have prepared you for this, sweetie." Mommy kissed her forehead. "I wanted you to just see your brother, just as he is now, and know you made it okay."

Derpy broke away from the hug, looking at her mommy.

"So he-.... he's going to be okay? Like me?"

Mommy bit her lip.

"I don't know, Derpy. No pony does." Mommy hugged her again. "Not even the doctors do... but we're going to try. Medicine's gotten so much better since you were this small. The odds are a lot more in his favor."

Derpy looked back at the colt in the bed, then up at Mommy.

"I was really like this then?"

"Yes, and you're strong now."

"If he's anything like you, he'll be fine," Amethyst added.

Derpy looked back at the tiny colt... staring at him.

"Would you like to touch him?" Mommy asked.

Derpy shook her head... if anything, she wanted her hooves as far away from the little chamber as possible.

"I'll hurt him..." she said, under her breath. "I won't mean to, but I will. I know it'll happen."

"Magic will keep him safe from germs," Mommy said. She stuck her hoof inside, yellow magic enveloping her hoof the deeper it went. She barely touched the tiny colt and his head turned to her, a tiny smile forming on his little lips. "He's just the same as me or you, he's just gotta grow up."

The funny feeling in Derpy's tummy went away, replaced by warmth.

"Just like me..." the filly repeated.

Mommy took her hoof.

"It's okay," she said, gently, removing her other hoof from the chamber. "Trust me."

Derpy pulled her hoof back, taking a sudden interest in the tiled floor.

"She doesn't want to," said Amethyst. "Please respect that."

"You really are worried you could hurt him, aren't you?"

Derpy nodded.

"You're a good sister," said Amethyst. "Your mommy's just trying to help you connect."

Derpy looked up, her eyes blurring again.

"When's he coming home with us?"

"As soon as he can... not for a while, though."

"Could be a couple months, maybe," said Amethyst. "Fortunately he wasn't premature. That means born too early."

Derpy looked back at the colt again, then up at Mommy.

"He's going to grow big?"

"We all want him to." Derpy stared back at the colt, as Mommy stuck her hoof in again. "Even you."

"Yeah..."

They stayed there for a while. Derpy wasn't sure how long, but by the time they left it felt right. Derpy was even quieter than on the way. They all were, even Dinky. So very quiet.