For The One We Loveby bahatumayChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Interlude: TraditionsChapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Interlude: FoalsittingChapter 1Apple Bloom wasn't sure when she'd first noticed it. Fluttershy hadn't exactly been one for fast flying or running, and her pegasus stamina for hard work was always a bit less than that of her earth pony husband. But there was definitely something off about Fluttershy recently. She got tired more often, seemed to be gaining a little weight, and Macintosh seemed to be called upon more often for hoof massages. Not that Apple Bloom was the teensiest bit jealous of all the attention she was getting or anything. She wiped her brow and kept painting, until she heard a strange noise. Looking up, she paused and squinted as she saw something she hadn’t seen in a while. Discord was flying through the orchard, his serpentine body undulating through the air as he traveled. He seemed to be on the hunt. This was especially evident because when Apple Bloom quickly checked, there was not a magically-appearing pear or orange anywhere, and those were his favorite things to do every time he visited the orchard. Now, Apple Bloom considered herself a big pony. Being a big pony, she knew that sometimes there were times it was important to ignore what you wanted to do for what you needed to do, such as farming chores, or her current task of painting the trees to prevent insect infestation. Then again… She looked around, and set down the brush. “Cutie mark crusader Discord chaser, yay!” she grinned as she scampered after him. With a powerful kick, Macintosh bucked the tree right in the sweet spot. He looked behind himself and watched as every single apple came cascading down. Once again, a perfect shot. He smiled and turned back forward, and jumped as he came face to face with Discord. “Big Macintosh!” Discord said gleefully. “Just the stallion I wanted to see.” His eyes narrowed. “I have quite the bone to pick with you.” To emphasize his point, he jabbed at Mac with a literally bony finger. It was as though Mac were looking through an x-ray machine just on his claw. It was quite surreal. “Uh…” Mac stammered. Discord had been part of a package deal, and he still wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Sure, he cared for Fluttershy and he’d heard how she was the only one able to keep him on the (relatively) straight and narrow, but he still had strange nightmares of being turned into a dog again. It had taken weeks before Winona had stopped barking at him the first time, and he wasn’t sure he could survive a second time. Discord continued, “So I've been gone for a couple of months and now I've returned—yay, me!—but many strange things have been happening in my absence.” He leaned in closer. “Very, very strange things.” “Huh?” Mac asked. Discord nodded. “It seems Fluttershy has been having some health problems recently. She's been gaining weight, she can't fly as long, and she's been feeling sick and worshiping the porcelain throne in the mornings. And you know what's more?” “She says it's my fault?” Mac guessed. “Bingo!” Discord said, dropping the whole stack of bingo chips on his head. He leaned in close and rolled up the fur on his lion arm threateningly, revealing a muscular arm with an anchor tattoo. “You want to 'splain a few things to me before I have to 'splain to princess Twilight why you ‘disappeared under mysterious circumstances’?” Mac’s breath caught in his throat. “It ain't my fault…” He paused. “Ok, it kinda is; but it's 'cause she's pregnant; and-” Discord was taken aback. “Pa- pa pa pa pregnant?” he stammered. Mac swallowed nervously and nodded, unsure of what to expect from the chaotic being. To his surprise, Discord seized his hoof and began gleefully pumping it in celebration. “Oh, congratulations!” He shoved no less than three cigars into Mac's mouth. “This is quite the cause for celebration! Oh, I'm so sorry I wanted to turn your liver into spaghetti and boil you in oil!” He pursed his lips. “Friends do apologize to each other for wanting to do things like that, right?” “Spaghetti?” Mac spluttered. “Tortellini just doesn't have the same impact, don'tcha know,” Discord said simply, as though that explained everything. Mac rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah thought you'd be mad…” “Mad? Oh, I'm mad, of course. Absolutely bonkers!” He tapped the side of his head demonstratively, and then he paused. “Oh, you thought I'd be angry? Of course not! Foals are chaotic little beings.” He pulled Mac into a side hug. “Congratulations! I might even be able to take a vacation and still fill up my quota!” He pointed to a large half-full rod labeled 'Chaos (permissible under current reformation)' that looked suspiciously like a mercury thermometer, embedded into the trunk of a nearby tree. At this point, Fluttershy came rushing up, panting from the exertion of her run to Sweet Apple Acres. “Discord! Don't… don't… Mac would never hurt me on purpose…” “It's quite all right,” Discord said pleasantly. “Macintosh and I have had a discussion, a little man talk if you will; and we've ended on quite amicable terms.” Fluttershy exhaled in relief. “Of course, if he does hurt you, I'm not above replacing his kidneys with hot water bottles?” he offered. Fluttershy choked. “That really won't be necessary,” she coughed. “I've known I've been pregnant for a few months, now, and Mac has been nothing but suppo-” “You're pregnant?!” All three spun around to see Apple Bloom staring at Fluttershy in shock. Her wide eyes flicked back and forth between Fluttershy, Fluttershy's stomach, and her brother; and her expression turned slightly squeamish as the implications hit her. Suddenly, some strange occurrences in the night made far too much sense. Mac grinned sheepishly. He knew exactly the kind of things going through her head. “Ah thought you knew,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Ah didn't,” Apple Bloom said. Fluttershy leaned in. “I thought you told your family the day I found out,” she whispered. “Ah thought Ah did too; Ah must've gotten too excited and forgot,” Mac whispered back, his eyes widening in horror as he recalled that night. He vaguely remembered shouting his joy to the night sky and buying drinks for a lot of different ponies, waking up somewhere in the orchard covered in fruit bats, and then needing to get back to work right away and that was about it. He rested his head in his hooves. “Granny Smith is gonna kill me,” he moaned. “She's still mad that Ah got married in Cloudsdale.” Discord rubbed his mismatched paws together gleefully. This would be fun to watch. Chapter 2First-time mothers are often nearly overwhelmed by the amount of advice they are given, and Fluttershy was no exception. Her gentle demeanor meant that anypony and everypony felt comfortable dispensing advice on anything and everything from names to what she should eat to how long she should sleep to what music she should listen to; so much so that she'd gotten very stressed at receiving conflicting advice nearly every hour of every day. It had gotten so bad that Mac had decided to pay Scootaloo to run her weekly errands for her so she didn't have to leave her house anymore. Which, to be perfectly honest, wasn't entirely a bad thing. Her animal friends had really stepped it up to help her out, and even Angel Bunny had toned down his demands somewhat. Today was one of those delivery days, and Fluttershy was sitting on the newly-installed porch swing and waiting. It wasn't long until a small dust cloud appeared on the horizon, and she continued watching the it grow larger and larger as Scootaloo approached. She soon arrived over the bridge and skidded to a stop, spraying dirt and gravel as she did. “Hey, Fluttershy! Got your stuff for you!” Scootaloo said cheerfully. “Thank you, Scootaloo.” Fluttershy grunted and used her wings to help lessen her weight as she got down off the swing, and she walked down the slope to greet her. Well, technically, it was more of a waddle; but nopony was about to say that to her face. Fluttershy paused as she neared. “Isn't that your old scooter?” she asked, cocking her head slightly. Yeah,” Scootaloo said with a tiny frown, twisting the handlebars a bit. They squeaked as she did. “Broke the base of my new one doing a trick yesterday, and I haven't gotten around to asking Apple Bloom if she can fix it yet.” Her smile quickly returned. “But it was so cool I'm not even upset.” Fluttershy smiled a knowing smile. “Was Rainbow there to see it?” “She sure was!” Scootaloo said as she began loading up and carrying groceries inside. “She's the greatest not-sister sister ever!” Fluttershy smiled. “That's gr-” She clutched at her side and groaned. Scootaloo paused. “Fluttershy? You ok?” “I'm fine,” Fluttershy said through gritted teeth. “Just a contraction. I've been having them more often recently, nothing to worry about.” “Uh, Fluttershy? You sure you're ok?” “Yes; why?” Scootaloo pointed a timid hoof, and Fluttershy turned. She was startled to see a small puddle of clear liquid forming behind her. Her ears pinned back at the sight. Scootaloo squirmed uncomfortably and stepped back onto her scooter. “I'll just… go, then?” she said, trying to spare Fluttershy some embarrassment. “Same time next week?” “That's… that's my water,” Fluttershy whispered in shock. Her wings clamped against her sides and her breathing rate increased. “My water broke.” Scootaloo bit her lower lip, unfamiliar with this phrase. “Do I need to go grab you some tape or something?” she asked. Fluttershy’s shock suddenly shifted, and she snapped into action. “No. I need you to take me to the hospital! Tell Mac the foal is coming! Tell Applejack, too! Let Granny Smith know…” Her worried ramblings were cut short by another pained grimace as another contraction hit. “And my parents…” “You're having your foal?!” Scootaloo finally understood. “Sooner than I expected,” Fluttershy confirmed with a whimper. Scootaloo slapped her helmet back onto her head. This was something she could work with. “Then let's go!” She got underneath Fluttershy and by straining and flapping her little wings as hard as she could, managed to somewhat roll Fluttershy into her wagon. She tried to place one of her spare helmets on Fluttershy, but her head was too large; so she abandoned that idea and decided she would just take it a bit slower. Nurse Redheart sat absentmindedly staring at a stack of paperwork that she had absolutely zero desire to do when suddenly there came what sounded like an explosion. She looked up to see an airborne Scootaloo sailing through the air, having burst through the double doors on her scooter. Redheart could only stare dumbstruck as Scootaloo glided through the air and landed smoothly, skidding to a stop and leaving black marks on the recently-cleaned tile. Scootaloo looked around and giggled triumphantly. “That was so awesome!” she crowed. “I have got to do that again!” She looked back over her shoulder. “What did you think, Fluttershy?” In answer, Fluttershy rolled over to the edge of the wagon, pulled her head up and over the lip, and threw up. Scootaloo winced. “Right.” She looked back up at Redheart. “So, she's kindof having a foal; and also her water broke, so you might want to get that patched up, too.” Redheart's training kicked in. “Tenderheart! Gurney, now!” she ordered. She vaulted over the desk and grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders to steady her. “Breathe, Fluttershy. We'll take care of you.” Scootaloo looked on as the hospital ponies rushed in and helped load her onto a bed. Fluttershy looked back. “Get Rainbow,” she pleaded. “Have her get my parents! Get Mac here, too!” If she wanted anypony else, she couldn't say; she could only curl up and groan as another powerful contraction hit her. Scootaloo saluted and sped off, scattering paperwork in her wake. Delivery rooms are fairly chaotic. Ponies rush around, monitoring everything, and it's relatively stressful for everypony involved, especially a new mother. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes closed and curled up as best she could. Luckily, Mac soon arrived, and she clenched his hoof tightly as increasingly severe pain racked her body. The medical chatter continued. “I think she's crowning,” one said. “Give her more aurora.” “I'm trying. It's not going in.” “What do you mean it's not going in? You did put the epidural in right, right?” A pause. “I thought you put it in.” “Did we forget to put in the epidural?” Redheart shook her head. “She’d be screaming in pain without it by now.” Tenderheart pulled the line and realized that the needle was still capped and unplaced. She looked at Fluttershy with newfound respect in her eyes (as well as horror that this had gone unnoticed for so long). “Sit tight. We'll get you something.” Fluttershy squeezed Mac's hoof harder. Earth ponies have a saying that goes something like, 'growing is hard, but the harvest is worth it'. It refers to the hard work that goes into growing crops compared to the joy that comes from eating the fruits of your labors. It is also used to refer to childbirth. Pregnancy itself is hard, but that magical moment when the nurse gives the mother her new foal, and the magic sparks and she knows the young pony's name, it makes it all seem worth it. Fluttershy took her foal and brought him in close, and lifted him and touched their foreheads together, so gently that he didn't even wake, and gave him a kiss on the nose. Then she brought him in close, kissed him again, and protectively nuzzled him. Macintosh stood nearby, looking in awe at his wife and foal, and feeling so proud he thought he might literally explode. “Welcome to the world, little Apple Fritter,” Fluttershy whispered. Chapter 3Rainbow Dash burst through the main doors and landed smoothly on the tile. She paused to briskly straighten her mane with a hoof, pointedly ignored the scowling nurse, and then walked through the hospital and over into Fluttershy's room. “Hey, Fluttershy,” she said. “Hey, Mac.” She paused as something didn't seem right. The sweat-matted mane, weary smile and beleaguered expression on Fluttershy she could understand, but as for Mac… “What happened to your eye?” she asked. Mac shrugged innocently. Rainbow shrugged back and turned towards Fluttershy. “Got your parents. They're on their way.” She looked over at little Fritter, who was all wrapped up and sleeping peacefully against his mother's chest. “Huh. He's cute,” she said, giving him a gentle boop on the nose. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, and Rainbow respectfully placed her hoof back on the ground and took a tiny step back. She coughed lightly and continued, “I also ran into Twilight on my way, so she should be here any time now.” There was a burst of light from under the closed bathroom door, and then there came a surprised squawk and then the sound of a splash. “Oh, hey!” Rainbow said brightly. “That must be her now!” There was a sound of air rushing, and then it stopped. Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, the fur around her hooves looking a bit fluffier than usual from the drying spell she had cast. “Hey, Fluttershy,” she said. “Congratulations!” She walked over and stood nearby. “This is far enough away, right? I wouldn’t want to get too close and end up accidentally triggering an instinctive defensive reflex.” Fluttershy cracked a smile. “You’re fine,” she said. “Say hi to little Fritter.” Twilight squee'd. “You didn’t tell me to say hi,” Rainbow complained. “You already said hi,” Fluttershy pointed out. “With your hoof.” “Oh. Right.” “I'm kindof surprised your parents aren't here already,” Twilight commented. “My mom said she'd get on the train the instant Cadence found out she was pregnant.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. Cadence happened to live in a huge castle. She had crashed (pardon the pun) at both the farmhouse and Fluttershy's cottage, and she knew from personal experience that there was not room for two pegasi nobles and their egos in either location. “Oh, I don't mind,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head slightly. “They never visit unannounced anymore.” Twilight cocked her head. “Why not?” Fluttershy and Macintosh locked eyes, and both blushed as a memory surfaced. Macintosh couldn't keep the smile off his face. It had been nearly a month, and every time still felt like the first time. Without, of course, the awkwardness that had accompanied that first encounter. And in his defense, he had apologized profusely and hadn't done it again. He shook off that memory and continued his work. He wiped the knife off and placed it in the sink. His and Fluttershy's post-coitus sandwiches were complete and perfect, hers crustless like she liked them and his toasted like he liked it. He cracked a smile as he picked up the plate and was entertaining the thought that he might have to actually feed her the sandwich when the doorbell rang. Mac paused. He looked down at their lunch, then up towards the door. Family would just burst right in, so it wasn't them… His eyes widened in understanding. It might have been one of her deliveries. Fluttershy had sometimes put Sweet Apple Acres as her mailing address, and they had started getting things like bulk birdseed at the most random of times. He set down the plate, walked over to the door, and opened it, expecting to see a mail pony. Instead, he saw two very familiar looking pegasi: Fluttershy's parents. Mac gulped. “Mr. Death Herald Firestorm,” he said as politely as he could. “Mrs. Lightning-Force Hoofstrike.” “Oh, Macintosh,” said Death Herald, “surely we know each other better than that? Call me Herald.” He walked past Mac and began looking around, peering at the plates on the wall. “Where is our mighty Warbringer?” Mac is good at many things. Deflection is not one of them. “Uh…” “She's not sick or anything, is she? No groundpounding flu or anything like that?” “Herald!” his wife scolded. “It's a legitimate question,” Herald protested. “Down here there might be other diseases we haven't learned of. After all, there's diseases we have that they don't, like the feather flu.” He paused. “What's the earth pony equivalent for that? Hoof flu?” “We all have hooves, you dolt,” Lightning-Force hissed. She turned to Macintosh and gave a little apologetic smile. “He's not so good with different cultures,” she explained. “Took me a while to convince him the ground wasn’t going to burn him.” Mac could only nod. He knew he had probably been insulted somewhere in all that, but currently he couldn't care less about that. “Where is our Warbringer, anyway?” she asked. Macintosh quickly tried to think of a plan to stall them. The best thing his still slightly addled brain could come up with was 'knock them both out with the rolling pin', so, accepting defeat, he chuckled nervously and turned. “Ah'll go get her,” he said. As he climbed the stairs, Herald turned to Lightning-Force. “Do you think Bri is happy here?” he asked. “I mean, Macintosh certainly seems like a good stallion, of course; but sometimes I wonder if she would be happier with her… own kind.” He flared his wings demonstratively. Lightning-Force opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the sound of a door shutting (not exactly common in Cloudsdale) made them quickly look up to the top of the stairs. Fluttershy slowly limped down the stairs. Her forelegs moved slightly quicker than her rear legs, her wings were stuck in a sort of half-extension mode, her eyes appeared to be the slightest bit unfocused, her ears were down and relaxed, and her cheeks still bore a pink blush. Her father's eyes widened as he recognized that look. His daughter bore the look of a freshly-rutted mare who had just had the time of her life. Lightning-Force recognized it, too, and burst out laughing. “D- does that answer your question?” she asked, not even trying to suppress her laughter. Mac winced as her father looked over at him. It was a pained, conflicted expression, one where two emotions were fighting for dominance. First was pride, that a fellow stallion had managed to so thoroughly please his mare. The conflict came because it was his daughter who had been so—to use a crude earth pony term—plowed. Lightning-Force held a wing out invitingly. “Looks like he's been treating you right,” she said, hiding her mouth behind a hoof. Fluttershy blushed bright red. “Mac has been very good to me,” she said softly. “Looks like he'll be good to us, too,” Lightning-Force laughed. “We might have a new heir coming soon!” She smacked Fluttershy's flank with a wing, and she squeaked and clamped her rear legs together. It didn't quite work as well as she'd hoped. Herald looked away, and tinges of red colored his cheeks. “We'll definitely call before we come next time,” he murmured. “They just don't,” Fluttershy said. Mac grinned sheepishly. Luckily, they were spared the need for further explanation when the door opened again and two large pegasi walked in. “Warbringer! We came as soon as we heard,” Lightning-Force said, sprinting over to Fluttershy. She brushed Fritter’s mane out of his face and squee’d. This was enough for Fritter, and he woke up, squinting and squirming as he tried to figure out what that noise was. The noise came again as Lightning-Force saw two little bumps rise and fall against the back of the blanket. “He’s a pegasus!” Accepting the inevitable, Fluttershy gently held out Fritter and gave him to her mother. Lightning-Force gleefully took him and rocked him gently as Herald stood behind her. Fritter freed a hoof and poked it out of the blankets, reaching for her nose. Overcome by this, she set him on the bed and unwrapped him. Fritter took a couple unsteady steps, but straightened up, looking at both his maternal grandparents with innocent curiosity. “He's a big colt,” she said. “And look at those wings! He'll grow up to be a mighty warrior, indeed.” Herald turned to Fluttershy. “What have you named him?” “Fritter,” she responded. Herald frowned. “Fritter? Like the carnival food?” Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “Fritter means tearing into shreds or little pieces.” She looked over at Twilight and smiled, and Twilight winked back. Sometimes owning three dictionaries was helpful. Mollified, Herald nodded appreciatively. “Strong name for a strong colt.” He looked over at Macintosh again. He coughed lightly and muttered, “good job, son,” before hefting his grandfoal again. Mac exhaled slightly. He’d been a bit nervous about making a good impression, and it sounded like they had approved. And also it was oddly satisfying to see two grown pegasi giggling like little schoolfillies over something. Discord burst into the hospital with a colossal, “I have arrived!”, bearing a large basket of flowers and a somewhat out of place heart-shaped box of chocolate. This probably would have been expected, had he actually used a door. Instead, he walked in from a panel in the ceiling, and saying Mac jumped would be an understatement. Discord bowed. “Friends always seem to show up at the most awkward times, after all.” He paused. “What's with the black eye?” Mac rubbed his face tenderly. “Let's just say Fluttershy don't know her own strength sometimes,” he said. Discord cooed. “Aww, that's my little Fluttershutter… Where is she, anyway?” he asked. “Sleepin',” Mac said, jerking his head towards her door. “She's tough; she's not invincible. As soon as her parents left, she was out.” “So…?” Discord nudged him. “What came out of the wunderball?” Mac grinned. “Pegasus colt.” Discord held out a paw and Mac bumped it. “Congratulations, Mac!” he said. “Thanks,” Mac said. Perhaps he’d misjudged Discord. He certainly seemed to be genuinely excited for them. Discord paused. “Oh, and I took the liberty of sharing your success with some other ponies, and they came to say hello as well. That's what friends do, right? Celebrate each other's success?” For some reason, that sounded oddly foreboding. “E- eeyup; but…” Discord opened the door and Mac's jaw dropped as he saw what looked like a parade of ponies, most of them carrying something that looked like gifts. At the front of the pack stood Bon Bon, a smile on her face and a beautifully wrapped box of chocolate hanging from a string in her mouth. He could also see a very angry Applejack, or rather her hat, jumping above the crowd trying to see a path through. Mac gulped. If he looked closely, he could almost see the steam rising from her ears. “On second thought, it might not have been the best idea to invite everypony,” Discord reflected. “Maybe it's for the best they're not here for me, you know?” “But-” Mac started. “Toodles!” Discord walked over to a broom closet and opened it, revealing a snowy land peppered with huge peppermint canes that served as trees and bushes. He slammed the door behind him. Mac looked back at Bon Bon. She put on a most hopeful smile. 'Sometimes I really hate that guy,' Mac thought. “Yeah, I saw him,” Snails said happily. “He was cute.” The pegasus exhaled. Ok. Male. There's one thing. He waited, then gestured impatiently. “And?” “He was real small,” Snails recalled, “but he had a really thick mane.” The pegasus suppressed a groan. He'd chosen this unicorn to be his spy because he looked somewhat dense. As it turned out, he was very dense, almost stupidly so, and he was somewhat regretting this decision. “And was it a pegasus or a m- earth pony?” “Pegasus!” Snails remembered. The pegasus grinned. Perfect. “That’s all I needed.” He spread his wings and began to fly away. “Hey, wasn't I supposed to get an ice cream?” Snails protested. “The only thing I'd give you is a shoe to the face, bonehead!” he called over his shoulder. “Well, that's not very nice,” Snails murmured. “Now I don't even want your crummy ice cream!” He thrust his nose in the air and stomped away. His indignant departure was somewhat marred when he tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the ground, but he quickly picked himself up and continued stomping away. Interlude: Traditions“Hey, Mac,” Twilight said as she trotted up to the market stand. “How’s it going?” Mac nodded in greeting. “Business good?” Mac shrugged. Apples were apples. That was about it. Twilight began scanning his wares. “I’m just here for some apples, but you probably already knew that.” Mac cracked a smile. Twilight examined a few especially shiny ones as she continued, “Spike wants to try baking gem-encrusted apple pie. He’s written up five recipes that he’s going to attempt.” She sighed. “I wish I could get him to be that excited about alchemy. I mean, stirring solutions counterclockwise with a clockwise turn every seventh turn for four hours on the night of a full moon isn’t a terribly difficult task, right?” Mac, who knew about as much about alchemy as he knew about griffon mating patterns, decided that it was wisest not to answer. Twilight continued. “So, is Fluttershy coming today?” she asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Mac shook his head. “She’s takin’ Fritter to all the clouds and such.” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, right… The ceremonial first step on every variety of cloud. I’ve heard of that.” Mac nodded. Twilight bit her lower lip and looked around. She clearly had something she wanted to say, but was afraid to say it. Mac exhaled. He had a very good idea of what it might be. Sure enough, it soon came out. “Don't you wish you could be there?” Twilight asked. Mac’s voice grew quiet. “Eeyup,” he said softly. Twilight gestured at her horn. “I could probably…” Mac shook his head. “s’fine,” he said with a shrug. “We do so many things on the earth; if Fluttershy wants to do a pegasus thing, it’s fine with me.” “I guess,” Twilight said slowly, “but I also think Fluttershy would want to share those pegasus things with you, seeing as how you’re, you know, married and all.” Mac chuckled. “Stratocirrus ain’t gonna hold my weight, and there’s no way she could carry me and Fritter everywhere they need to go. ‘Sides, she’s not alone. Rainbow’s with her.” Twilight nodded. “And there’s plenty of earth pony comin’-of-age things Ah’ll get to do with him. Like his first mug of cider.” “That’s… the pure kind, right?” Twilight had to ask. Mac didn’t answer. Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re not giving alcohol to foals, right?” Mac kept a perfectly straight face. “Mac! You can’t just…” Macintosh burst out laughing. “Nope!” he said. “‘Sides, it’s the first time you buck an apple tree and get every single one down that’s the important milestone.” Twilight exhaled, very relieved (and mildly miffed). Ever since Mac had gotten married, he had fallen into the habit of talking a little bit more; and to be perfectly honest, she liked it better when he was quiet. A few miles away and nearly a hundred feet higher, Apple Fritter stamped on the cloud and laughed. His tiny wings were spread wide and his eyes were even wider as he kicked up little bits of cloud in his excitement. This really was different. “Well,” Rainbow said, “I’d say this ceremonial first step on the clouds has been a success.” She chuckled, recalling a memory. “You know how I first stepped on a cloud? I was trying to fly after my mom when she left to go get the mail and I jumped and glided out the window. Nearly gave my mom a heart attack when she realized I’d disappeared.” She leaned down and picked up Fritter, who giggled. “Not like you, right?” she asked, scrunching her nose at him. “You’re too cute to give mama Flutters a heart attack.” She froze, and then glared at him. “That never leaves this cloud,” she warned. He giggled again. And then he exploded. The force of the shockwaves sent vibrations through Fritter’s whole body and Rainbow’s forelegs. “Sweet Celestia!” Rainbow shouted, flapping backwards. “What was that?” Fluttershy tittered behind a hoof. “That’s his way of saying he needs a diaper change. That was a good one. I bet it felt good to get that one out, right, little Fritter?” “Wait. Did he…?” Rainbow leaned in and sniffed, and then recoiled in disgust. “Ugh!” she squeaked, holding Apple Fritter as far away from herself as she could. “How could… so little but… so… ugh!” Fluttershy gently took him back. “Maybe we've had enough clouds for this morning,” she said. Fritter giggled. Fluttershy held him out. “You want to-?” “Me?! No, no, nah, I’m good,” Rainbow said quickly. "Haven't even been trained or anything." “I was going to say ‘hold him’,” Fluttershy said with a chuckle. Rainbow grimaced. “Maybe when he’s… clean,” she said. Author's Note And, as was Fritter's tradition, he made sure he needed a second diaper change only two minutes after the clean one had been put on. (It was at that point that Rainbow decided that foals were most likely not in her future.) Chapter 4Fluttershy was hoping to spend a nice, quiet afternoon preparing for Fritter’s first birthday tomorrow. Currently, she was doing just that, slicing carrots for a nice salad, and waiting on Mac to come home in a few hours with plenty of apples. They’d make Fritter’s namesake, of course; and a few other apple things, and then, hopefully, they’d put Fritter to bed early and do some… other things as well. Subconsciously, she began to slice more quickly, internally looking forward to that. But the universe was having none of this peaceful stuff. Instead, it decided that she needed a little more excitement; and it delivered this excitement in a staggering one-two punch. “Hiya!” At figurative punch number one, Fluttershy jumped and spun around, and her knife clattered onto the counter. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” she breathed as she recognized her assailant; or, rather, her assailant’s head sticking out of one of her planters. “You startled me.” Pinkie finished climbing out of the pot and shook the dirt off, looking a little bit like a puppy shaking water off, except much larger and pinker. Fluttershy quickly brought up a hoof to shield her face. Thankfully, she was used to having her house scattered with dirt flying everywhere from her animal friends' visits, and the nearby animals (the ones that hadn’t fled at Pinkie’s surprise and noisy entry) were nonplussed. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said pleasantly, “but it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve dropped in unannounced, and I doubt it will be the last. Besides, I figured you’d be used to it by now. You know how much I love visiting my friends!” Fluttershy had the distinct impression that they were both discussing two different things. She shook her head. “What brings you here, Pinkie?” “A most important question!” Pinkie answered, puffing her chest out importantly. “A question I cannot answer on my own, a question of utmost importance! A question that could determine the future as we know it and have ramifications that could spread across an entire lifetime and affect countless generations to come!” Fluttershy blinked. She knew Pinkie sometimes classified things as 'important' differently than most ponies, and she was unsure if this was cause for alarm or not. “That sounds serious,” she observed. “It is!” Pinkie affirmed. Fluttershy waited, but Pinkie merely stood there. Finally, she had to ask, “So what’s your question?” Pinkie pressed her nose against Fluttershy’s. “What kind of flavor cake does Fritter want for his super special birthday party tomorrow?” she asked. Fluttershy chuckled as she retreated and continued chopping the carrots. “He’s turning one, Pinkie,” she said. “I don’t think he really has a preference on much of anything, let alone cake flavor. Do you, Fritter?” she asked rhetorically. Fritter burbled an agreement and hit his hooves against the ground. “But what if he does?” Pinkie challenged. “First birthdays only come once in a lifetime, and I’d hate to think I messed up this most superific special occasion by baking the wrong kind of cake! Fritter would be so sad! And can you imagine a face like this, sad?” She held up her tail to demonstrate Fritter’s face, but all she ended up doing was revealing that Fritter was hanging off it by his teeth, gnawing contentedly on it. Fluttershy dropped her knife and quickly retrieved him. He giggled, and Fluttershy nuzzled him tightly. “I don’t think he’d be sad,” she said. “I think he’d love whatever you put together, because you work hard to make it special for each and every pony.” Pinkie Pie waved a hoof dismissively, but her cheeks did turn slightly pinker than usual at the compliment. “Well, you know, it’s what I do,” she said. “Super party pony and all.” “And you’re quite good at it,” Fluttershy reassured her. Pinkie nodded, and then resumed her train of thought. “So, chocolate, or vanilla? Or maybe red velvet? Ooh, or maybe both?” “He also seems to like carrot cake,” Fluttershy suggested. Pinkie struck her hoof. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said. “So, a five-tier carrot cake, with white buttercream frosting and little fondant sculptures. Can do.” Fluttershy winced. Not that she was ungrateful or anything; but she didn’t want to make Pinkie do too much work. “I was kindof expecting something a little… simpler,” Fluttershy admitted. Pinkie nodded. “Four tiers, then. Got it.” Fluttershy cracked a smile and shook her head slightly. Once Pinkie wanted to do something, she usually ended up doing it, regardless of what anypony else might say. “But I'll also bring plenty of brownies and cookies and streamers and punch and-” “You might not need too much,” Fluttershy said. “There’s going to be plenty of pure cider, too.” “Really?” Pinkie gasped. “I love cider!” Fluttershy nodded. “We’re making it tonight, after Fritter goes to sleep.” She leaned in close. “But it's a surprise. Please don't tell anypony.” * * * Rainbow Dash slowed, allowing the cloud she had been pushing to slowly drift away. A mildly confused frown crossed her face. Cloud Chaser noticed this contradiction of her nature and approached her boss hesitantly. “Rainbow Dash? You ok?” she asked. “Yeah,” Rainbow said, looking around for something she couldn’t identify. “You’re not feeling sick, or-?” “I’m too awesome to get sick,” Rainbow said instinctively, cutting her off. She continued looking around and then rolled her shoulders. “I dunno why, but I just got a really, really good feeling about tomorrow.” * * * “I won’t! I promise!” Pinkie said happily. She made a very convoluted series of motions that Fluttershy interpreted as zipping up her lips with a zipper, locking it, throwing away the key, deciding that wasn’t secure enough, retrieving the key, digging a hole and burying the key there, reburying the key, building a concrete pad over it, then reanimating a dinosaur to stand guard over the hole. Fluttershy blinked. How had she-? Her brain was saved from the impossible task of making sense of what she had just seen when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Pinkie sang. She bounced over through the living room and Fluttershy could hear the door opening, as expected; but then she heard something quite unexpected.. “Oh, it's you!” Pinkie scowled. Fluttershy paused and frowned. That was most unlike her. She had never heard Pinkie use that much vitriol in her voice, ever. She poked her head out to see who was at the door. Her eyes widened in horror at the awfully familiar pony standing there in her doorway, she began to hyperventilate, her tail clamped down and her wings clenched tightly against her body. Skyblaze Carnage Wingsteel of House Thunderhead smirked. “Morning,” he said pleasantly. Chapter 5Fluttershy retreated, back against the wall, and pressed a hoof against her chest in an effort to slow her heart down. Why would he be here? What could he possibly want here? She looked over, and saw Fritter playing happily on the floor with a measuring cup. He was out of sight. She sighed in relief. She wouldn’t let him see him. But why had he come here? And why now? And how did he always keep finding her? Pinkie wondered the same things, except she was much more vocal about it. “What are you doing here?” she asked, prodding Skyblaze in the chest, “and why are you here right now? And how do you always know where Fluttershy is?” Skyblaze brushed off where she'd touched him. “It's… shall we say, 'personal business',” he said loftily, “and I like to keep track of my things.” “Well, whatever it is, it’s not Fritter’s birthday party. You, mister, are uninvited!” Pinkie shrieked. She attempted to slam the door shut, but Skyblaze had placed his hoof inside and let the wooden door bounce harmlessly off his thick, metal ponyshoe. “Oh, well, now. That’s a shame. Shouldn’t a father have the opportunity to go to his own foal’s party?” That threw Pinkie for a loop. “What?” And if it threw Pinkie for a loop, imagine what it did to Fluttershy. She felt as though her heart had just been encased in ice. She looked at Fritter, blissfully ignorant of anything. The tiny nigglings of doubt began to gnaw at her brain again, tiny doubts she thought she had squelched long ago. Fritter's color could as easily have been attributed to Skyblaze’s parents and passed through that line. Though still a tiny foal, his wings were built strongly, much stronger than hers. And his natural manestyle… What if Fritter wasn't Mac's? “But you’re not Fritter’s father,” Pinkie said, confused. “That’s Macintosh.” Skyblaze’s lip curled slightly at that name. “I’m sure he’d like to think that; but there’s a good chance that he’s not. You see, Warbringer’s deflowering was my doing.” “Who said anything about flowers?” Pinkie asked. “And wars are terrible things to bring. Have you thought about cake, instead?” she suggested pleasantly. Skyblaze blinked, then shook his head. “No, no; see… I had the… shall we say, ‘privilege’ of having Fluttershy first.” Fluttershy grimaced at that memory. “What?” Pinkie asked. “I was the first one who had sex with her,” Skyblaze clarified, a bit more annoyed this time. “What?” Skyblaze fought the simultaneous urges to facehoof and/or strangle this mare. “I pushed her head down, lifted her flank up, pulled her tail to the side, and rammed my-” “Oh, I get that part,” Pinkie interrupted. “What I don't get is why you waited until now to say something.” “Oh.” Skyblaze blinked, but quickly regained control. “That’s because there’s a statute of limitations of a year on all newborn paternity claims. After a year, the claims expire; but up to the day before, they are valid.” Pinkie counted up on her hooves, and then a look of horror crossed her face. “You did that on purpose,” Pinkie gasped. “After tomorrow you couldn't do anything!” Skyblaze smirked and nodded. “But today, I still can,” he confirmed. “And now I’ve come to take him.” That pushed Fluttershy past her breaking point. She darted out of the kitchen and stood face-to-face with her former fiancee and glared. “I won’t let you!” she hissed. “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, standing next to Fluttershy. “None of us will!” Skyblaze laughed. “There’s only two of you; and the big red idiot isn’t here to save you this time.” Pinkie stuck her tongue out at him. “Hey, watch it! That’s my maybe-cousin, you meanie-head! And there’s more than just two of us!” She sat back on her haunches and began beating the ground with a rear leg, looking somewhat like a giant pink rabbit thumping a danger signal. The reaction was instantaneous. Animals began poking their heads out from the holes in the walls and peeking in through the windows, and even the youngest knew that Fluttershy needed help. And even the meekest were willing to step up for her. Rabbits and jackelopes and squirrels and skunks and birds and even a fox emerged from their hiding places. Snakes and badgers and even a couple of mongooses emerged, and these last few had fangs. Skyblaze was many things, but an earth pony he was not. He knew none of these animals, and he shuffled backwards ever so slightly. They could have been venomous. The ground was an uncivilized, barbaric place. His son would be raised in the clouds like a normal pegasus. Still, he managed to remain relatively in control. “You won’t stop me,” he said. “It’s my right, and-” And then Harry the Bear showed up, poking his large, shaggy head in from the rear door. He looked down at Fluttershy and let out an apologetic whine, as if to say sorry for showing up late. Fluttershy gave him a comforting little nod, and he turned back and glared at Skyblaze. To Skyblaze’s eternal credit, he managed to not wet himself like a little foal. Barely. This somewhat tense standoff was interrupted when Fritter, noticing the absence of his mother, waddled out, looking for her. Finding her familiar yellow frame, he scampered up and grabbed on. The look on Skyblaze’s face turned predatory. He reached out a hoof to grab him. And then Angel Bunny decided that he had had enough of this guy, and threw a carrot at his face. It really went downhill from there, really. Skyblaze was assaulted by feathers, sticks, claws, paws, anything and everything else, really. Birds swooped in, raking their spurs anywhere they could find fur, squirrels and chipmunks bit and scratched, mice scampered up his legs and bit his inner thighs, and even a tortoise clamped down firmly on Skyblaze's hind leg. To Skyblaze’s surprise, though, it was Fluttershy who calmed the assault. “Stop!” she cried, her voice carrying despite its low volume. Her animal friends obeyed (even if they did shoot her a look of confusion first), and one by one jumped off of Skyblaze. Skyblaze, now bleeding in about a hundred places, pushed himself to his hooves, trying (and failing) to look as though he were nonplussed by all of this. It also didn't help that a beaver had gotten to his mane, which was now about half as long as it used to be and missing a large chunk from the front. “As I was saying,” he spat angrily, “Fritter is mine, and…” His voice trailed off as he realized that Fluttershy was the only other pony in the room. Tearing past her, he looked in the kitchen and then sprinted to the window, but there was no little foal in sight. “What? Where is he?” For in the confusion, Pinkie Pie and Fritter had vanished. Chapter 6Fritter gnawed on a gemstone on the floor of the friendship castle. Spike hadn’t minded too much giving up a few of his snacks as teething rings. Fritter was a cute little guy (for a foal, anyway); and besides, it wasn’t like his tiny teeth could actually do anything to them. In stark contrast to their grandfoal’s contentedness, however, Death Herald Firestorm and Lightning-Force Hoofstrike were anything but pleased. “I'm gonna kill him,” Death Herald seethed, pacing angrily. “I'm going to tear out his skull and beat him to death with it and I’m going to strangle him with his own tail and then I’m going to cut his head off and then I’m going to kill him until he's dead. I'm going to kill him so hard his grandmother will feel it, and she's already dead!” Twilight looked over at Lightning-Force, expecting to see her calming her husband. Instead, she was nodding and making forward hoof motions, silently egging him on. Twilight groaned internally. Lovely. “As fascinating and historic as it would be to see another House war,” she interrupted, “you really can't waltz up and cave his skull in.” “Like Tartarus we can’t! Fritter is our grandfoal!” “And Fluttershy my dear friend; but if you killed him to silence his claim, that would cause retaliation from his family, and we can't just go charging headlong into something that could plunge the rest of the Houses into internal fighting and all-out war.” She emphasized the word ‘war’, hoping to make her point. Death Herald blinked. “You make that sound like a bad thing,” he said. Twilight pressed her hoof against her forehead and dragged it down her face. “That’s because it would be a bad thing!” she insisted. “How?” Death Herald demanded. “Besides the fact that almost every pegasus in Cloudsdale would get swept up and involved which would directly result in hordes of injured pegasi which would directly result in a lack of weather ponies which would directly lead to loss of weather control for the earth ponies which would result in crop failures and, consequently, disastrous food shortages all across Equestria?” Death Herald blinked. “Well, anything sounds bad if you say it in that tone of voice.” It was Lightning-Force's turn to facehoof. Twilight exhaled. “Look. I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. I am, too. But we need to stay calm and do this by the book.” “Well, you've sure got enough of them here,” Death Herald nodded. “Not like- ugh! Not like that. We need to make it completely legal. We can start with petitioning for a restraining order, and go on from there.” “But that’s what shallow graves are for,” Death Herald complained. “Wrap him in a cloud and push it northward to the griffon territory.” “Herald! That is just an urban legend!” Lightning-Force scolded. “As far as you know,” Death Herald said, flicking his wings in the pegasus gesture equivalent of sticking one's tongue out. Twilight was starting to wonder just how well a defense of plausible deniability would work if Death Herald went through with that idea when they heard the sound of the door open. “Hello?” the entering pony called. “That's Skyblaze!” Spike hissed. Death Herald grinned maliciously and spread his wings. “Good!” Twilight lit her horn and held his hooves on the ground. “No! No killing other ponies in my castle! We are going to work something legal out! Spike! Stall him!” “How?” Spike asked, his voice nearly an octave higher in pitch. “I don't know! Think of something!” She pushed him away out the door with her wing. Spike tumbled across the floor, sliding on the smooth crystal ground right out of the back room. He grunted and coughed as he picked himself up. And stood up right in front of Skyblaze. “He's back there, isn't he?” Skyblaze demanded. Spike decided to take a leaf from Owlowiscious's book. “Who?” “You know exactly who I mean!” “Who?” “Don’t mess with me, boy,” Skyblaze warned, prodding Spike with a hoof so he'd know exactly who he was talking to. “We have a lot of things back there,” Spike said with a shrug. “This is a library.” Skyblaze smirked. “Then maybe I'll just go back and check some of them out, then, eh? Maybe there's a little colt back there that belongs to me, eh?” Spike cracked a brief smile as Twilight's drilling of library protocol came to mind. “You can't go back there. Not without a library card.” “That's discrimination,” Skyblaze accused. “It's established policy across Equestria. And it's really not; anyone can get one. They're free.” Skyblaze scowled. “Fine. I'll play your little game. Give me a card.” Spike bounded over to a nearby desk and retrieved a stack of papers. “All right,” he said, retrieving a quill. “I just need some information. Name?” “Skyblaze Carnage Wingsteel of House Thunderhead.” “Sky,” Spike said, scribbling the single word on the paper and then underlining it. “I'll also need two pieces of identification and proof of address.” Skyblaze held up both forehooves and hit them together. Spike gulped. “That'll work.” * * * Back in the back room, Death Herald, Lightning-Force, and Twilight were having a heated discussion. “I still say we kill him,” Death Herald maintained. “And I still say we don’t!” Twilight hissed. “Don't make me make this a royal decree. We can start with a restraining order and work our way up from there.” “Restraining orders are just pieces of paper!” Death Herald scoffed. “Pieces of paper that can land a pony in jail,” Twilight emphasized. “Locked up. On the ground. Out of the sky, which is where pegasi like to go.” “That's not going to hold him, though.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It will.” “What if he escapes? Security down here is a little lax.” Twilight growled, then relaxed. “He’ll have to stay hidden and out of the limelight for the rest of his life,” she scoffed. “There’s no way he’ll do that. And that's assuming we don't find him right away, which we would.” “So, restraining order,” Lightning-Force said, thankfully acting a little bit more rationally than her husband. “What happens next?” “In a perfect world, he’d leave it at that and then we’d just renew it every year.” “So what’s actually going to happen?” Lightning-Force asked. Twilight swallowed. “Well, since he's claimed paternity, probably a long court fight for custody,” she admitted. * * * Skyblaze scowled. “My cutie mark does not look like that.” “Sorry! It's just… hard to draw with you glaring at me like that,” Spike defended himself. “This is the fourth card we've tried. You're just stalling,” Skyblaze accused. “Stalling?” Spike asked. “Yes, stalling!” “Stalling?” Spike confirmed. “You're doing it right now!” Spike cocked his head. “Doing what?” “Stalling!” Skyblaze shouted, his face turning red. “Stalling?” “Yes, stalling!” “Who, me? Stalling?” Spike asked innocently. He flinched as Skyblaze raised a hoof, as if ready to smash the desk; but then he stepped back and took a deep breath. “Fine,” he said, forcing his voice to sound calm. “Fine. We'll do it the hard way.” Spike swallowed. “The hard way?” “Yes. I'm taking this to court and suing for custody. Complete custody.” Spike coughed a laugh. “Good luck,” he said. “You’re gonna need it.” A cold smile crossed Skyblaze’s lips. “I don’t need luck where I’m going. Let’s just say I know a colt or two.” Spike couldn’t help but shiver as Skyblaze walked out the door. He had the distinct feeling that this was far from over. Chapter 7“He's better than I gave him credit for,” Spike grudgingly admitted, reading over the paper. “And by that, I mean he’s terrible.” Twilight's eyes were narrowed angrily as she read over Spike’s shoulder. No matter how much she willed it, though, the words on the page did not change. “I know. I don't even want to tell Fluttershy this,” Twilight murmured. “Tell me what?” Both spun around and saw Fluttershy, standing in the doorway, with Fritter sitting happily on her back. Spike glared at Twilight as he crumpled the paper and hid it behind his back. “You just had to open your mouth,” he hissed. “How was I supposed to know she was coming?” Twilight hissed back. “Bad things always happen when you open your mouth! It’s like a constant thing here!” “Oh, so it’s my fault she just so happened to show up? May I remind you, Mr. Spike, that correlation does not imply causation in this or any other situation, especially this one which could be caused only by sheer, unexplainable coincidence! Do you know how many variables would have to be in play to ensure that this exact sequence of events with this explicit timing-” Fluttershy quietly cleared her throat. “Tell me what?” she asked again. Twilight grimaced. She looked over at Spike, but he held his hands up and took a step back, placing the responsibility firmly on her shoulders. She inhaled, held it, and then exhaled slowly. “Skyblaze… he… he took you to court. Technically.” Fluttershy frowned. “What do you mean, took me to court? I never got a summons…” Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, no; what if I did get one and I just never noticed it? What if the birds took it for their nest?” “It wasn’t you,” Twilight said quickly, “or the birds. He went to court and submitted an affidavit and got a judge to sign an order giving him the rights of a non-custodial parent, on the base of his paternal claims.” Fluttershy squinted… and then her eyes widened. “No…” she breathed. “Which means,” Twilight confirmed grimly, “that he gets visitation rights.” “But we got that restraining order…” “Which the judge threw out because there was no proof of documented physical abuse. Never mind that emotional abuse is considered by many psychologists to be just as harmful if not more so, with an even longer period of recovery and more intense and harmful effects on the victim, requiring substantially more therapy and…” Her voice trailed off as she realized Fluttershy and Spike were staring dumbly at her. “I mean, yeah,” she finished sheepishly. “Can he even do this?” Fluttershy asked, horrified. “He can,” Twilight said grimly. “Thanks to a loophole in Cloudsdale law, he doesn’t even have to prove he's Fritter’s father to get those rights. As long as he claims paternity and says that he was an integral part of the foal’s early life—and the affidavit he filed claims that he was—he can get visitation rights. I don't think he even needed to bribe anypony for this.” “But he wasn't,” Fluttershy protested. “He wasn't there for Fritter at all!” She paused, and then tapped her chin, remembering. “Unless you count the time I saw him when I went back to visit my parents for their anniversary last year.” “What happened then?” Fluttershy bit her lower lip. “He kicked a hailstone at me,” she said. Twilight scowled. “So we hide Fritter,” Spike suggested. “It’s worked before.” Twilight shook her head. “The law also says that a noncustodial parent can’t be denied those rights. If we do that, he can sue for full custody; and he'll probably win.” “So he’s mooching,” Spike deadpanned. “Fluttershy and Mac do all the work and he plays with Fritter two Saturdays a month.” “Pretty much,” Twilight said. “So what can we do?” Twilight exhaled deeply. “Wait for next Saturday,” she said quietly. * * * Next Saturday came. It was a bright and cheery day; quite the opposite of how Fluttershy and Macintosh felt. Fluttershy paced uncontrollably; Macintosh kept grinding a hoof against the ground. Fritter held onto an apple, but he was only gumming it half-heartedly; even he could tell that something was wrong, but he was too young to know what. A flash of blue in the sky drew their attention. Skyblaze looped around in the air, not so subtly showing off his flying prowess before dropping to a gentle landing. He was wearing a foal-carrying saddlebag, emblazoned proudly with his family crest. “Good morning,” he said brightly as he strode forward. “I’ve come for my rightful visit.” Mac ground his teeth together. Skyblaze heard, and a little smirk crossed his face. He knew that Macintosh wanted to buck him halfway to Dodge Junction, but he couldn’t; and Mac knew that he knew. Skyblaze held all the cards this round, and both stallions knew it. Without even looking up to Fluttershy for permission, he reached down and scooped up Fritter. Fritter looked back at him and cocked his head, tiny wings spread for balance. Who was this strange pony? “Hey, little guy,” he said. Fritter frowned. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what; and now somepony new was holding him. Unsure, he looked back and reached for Macintosh. Skyblaze scowled and muttered something darkly under his breath as he pulled away a bit harder than necessary. Fluttershy darted in front of Skyblaze and glared at him, and Macintosh instinctively lifted a hoof to shield himself from the power of her Stare. “If you hurt one hair on his little head…” she threatened. Skyblaze chuckled dryly. “I wouldn’t. I would never hurt a foal, especially not one that might have my lineage. But it’s good to see a little of that old Warbringer fire again,” he said, patting her on the head. Macintosh imagined himself patting Skyblaze gently on the head. With a shovel. And Skyblaze was in a shallow hole somewhere on the edges of their property, not moving. And he wasn’t being gentle at all. He turned and walked away, and then looked back towards Fritter. “Come on, little warrior,” he said. “We’ve got lots of fun things to do!” He spread his wings and flew off, taking Fritter with him. The two parents watched him fly. Fluttershy winced as she heard Fritter begin to fuss. “Ah don’t like it,” Macintosh rumbled. Fluttershy neared and rested her head against his chest, trying to provide comfort that she herself didn’t feel. “Me neither,” she murmured. Then a wry smile crossed her face as she recognized a rainbow contrail, far off in the distance, chasing after the departing pegasus and darting into a cloud. “It’s not just us,” she said, pointing. * * * Fluttershy and Macintosh sat at the table in silence. Out of worry and needing something to do after completing all her daily chores, Fluttershy had made a light supper; but neither of them were particularly hungry. Mac toyed with a fork, and Fluttershy stared inside her cup of water, as if hoping that it could somehow show her their son. Both jumped as the door burst open. Rainbow Dash stomped in, looking quite put out. Fluttershy nearly knocked her chair over as she ran over to Rainbow. “How was it?” she asked. “Sickeningly sweet,” Rainbow spat, briefly casting a longing eye at the sandwiches on the table. “It’s like he was putting on a show. Taking him to see the ducks, taking him to the park, flying with him; it was…” She snorted in disgust. Her eyes flicked back over to the table before she continued. “I can sense a fake a mile away, and it’s all fake. Every last bit of it.” “He didn’t hurt him, though, right?” Fluttershy asked, almost pleadingly. “Nope,” Rainbow said. “I was there the whole time. He was a perfect little angel.” She snorted. “Caught me watching once. Asked if I wanted a picture.” “What did you say to that?” Rainbow Dash glanced back over at the table. “Nothing. I figured Fritter wasn't old enough yet to hear some of the words I wanted to say to him, so I just flew off and didn't say anything.” Mac cracked the barest of smiles. Rainbow smacked her hooves together. “Oh, what I'd give to wipe that smug grin off his face…” She hesitated, then pointed at the table. “Speaking of which, I didn't really get a chance to eat during the whole watching thing; you mind if I…?” Fluttershy waved a hoof in assent, and Rainbow Dash dropped into the nearest chair and grabbed a sandwich half. She shoved the whole thing in her mouth, and crumbs sprayed everywhere as she continued. “But yeah,” she continued, attacking a second half. “Fed and burped him and even bought him a nice little hat and everything.” “So where is he now?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow wiped her lips with the back of her hoof. “Well, he's a dirtbag; but he's playing by the rules—do you mind?” She gestured towards Mac's cup, and he shook his head and slid it over with a hoof. Rainbow drained it and continued. “Visitation hours end at five, and it's almost five now, so I bet he's-” Sure enough, there came a knock at the door. “-here now,” Rainbow finished, shoving the rest of the sandwich into her mouth. “Fluttershy, these are delicious.” But Fluttershy didn’t hear; she was too busy rushing to the door and nearly tearing it off the hinges in her hurry to open it. Skyblaze stood there, looking calm and relaxed, his signature smile still on his face. Fritter stood on his back, sleepily resting his head on Skyblaze’s mane, wearing a little knit cap. “He's back, safe and sound, just like I promised,” Skyblaze grinned. Fluttershy flew over and, with the utmost tenderness, picked Fritter up and rolled him over, cradling him in her forelegs. Her movements were so gentle that Fritter didn’t even stir; rather, he relaxed even further in his mother’s forelegs. “Thank you,” Fluttershy said, the polite words slipping out. Skyblaze tipped an imaginary hat. “See? I’m not so bad once you get to know me.” Rainbow Dash gagged, loudly and demonstratively. Skyblaze ignored this. “See you next Saturday.” He spread his wings, a subtle gesture of showing off, before taking off with a powerful flap of his wings, now not-so-subtly showing off as he curled around the sky before flying away. Watching through the window, Rainbow snorted and swiped another sandwich. She looked up at Macintosh. “You aren’t cool with any of that, are you?” “Nope,” Macintosh confirmed bitterly. “There is one good thing about all this,” Fluttershy said, firmly determined to find the good in everything. “What?” Rainbow demanded. Fluttershy looked down at Fritter and gently adjusted the cap. “It really is a nice little hat.” Interlude: Foalsitting“Are you sure you can handle him?” Fluttershy asked, wringing her hooves. “He can be a little bit of a hoofful at times...” “Yeah, we’ll be fine!” Rainbow said flippantly, holding Fritter above her in the air. “I mean, he’s almost three months old.” “Are you sure?” Fluttershy persisted. “He can’t even hover yet, and it’s not safe for him to go into the forest or anything like that,” she fretted. “Oh, maybe I should bring him with me…” “No,” Rainbow said firmly, pulling Fritter down and pushing Fluttershy back. “You need this break. We’ve all decided, and you’re going. Don’t make me get Applejack, she’ll drag you there herself. And besides, it’s just a lunch thing. You’ll be back in no time.” “All right,” Fluttershy said hesitantly, still unconvinced. “But promise me you won’t do anything silly while I’m gone, like try to teach him to fly.” “Scout’s honor,” Rainbow said with a salute. Fluttershy frowned. “Didn’t they ask you to leave when you got into the cookies you were supposed to try and sell?” she asked. “It was Gilda’s idea, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” Rainbow said firmly, if a bit quickly. Once Macintosh had pulled the little wagon away carrying his wife and a few of their possessions out of sight, Rainbow Dash pulled Fritter up off the ground and placed him on the counter. “Now, what’s the first thing you need to remember about flying?” she asked. Fritter cocked his head. “That it’s awesome!” Rainbow crowed. “And totally not silly and therefore I didn’t lie to your mother.” Fritter opened his mouth and made a sound that sounded vaguely like an affirmation. Rainbow squee’d. “Ooh, you are adorable!” Her eyes narrowed. “That never leaves this kitchen.” Fritter giggled and thrashed his forelegs. Rainbow flew slowly on her back. Fritter stood perched on her stomach, eyes crinkled, smile wide, and wings outstretched to catch the breeze. “See, you’ve got this,” Rainbow said excitedly. “Now just flap them a bit, get used to how that feels.” Fritter did, his tiny wings moving up and down far too slowly to keep himself aloft but enough that he could feel the breeze. His smile grew even wider, something Rainbow Dash hadn't thought possible. “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow flipped over in surprise. “Cloud Chaser?” “Rainbow!” Cloud Chaser shouted, pointing down and looking horrified. Rainbow looked down to see Fritter falling, cartwheeling down through the air. “Oh, geez!” She tucked her wings in and dove, easily catching up to the baby pegasus. She scooped him up in her forelegs and held him up. “Don’t tell your mother,” she pleaded. Fritter laughed. Apparently, he’d enjoyed his little freefalling excursion. Rainbow looked up. “What is it, Chaser?” she asked irritably. “There’s been an accident at the Cloudsdale Weather Center,” she panted. “Long story short, clouds are coming in fast and strong. They need every weatherpony if we don’t want another flood!” “I’m a little busy,” Rainbow said, hefting Fritter demonstratively. He wiggled his forelegs, enjoying the little ride. Cloud Chaser couldn’t suppress a little “d’aww,” but then quickly serioused back up. “We have to get all the stray clouds into the Everfree or all of Los Pegasus is going to be underwater!” Rainbow exhaled. “Can’t it wait?” she asked hopefully. “No, it can’t. They’ve declared it a class three emergency, and that means you kindof have to be there so we can start,” Cloud Chaser pointed out. Rainbow sighed sharply this time. Stupid pegasi militaristic structure… “Yeah, fine; but I can’t exactly bring Fritter here along for the ride.” Cloud Chaser winced. “I’m sure you’ll think of something!” “I’d better,” Rainbow muttered. Cloud Chaser flew off to go rally more troops, and Rainbow paused, thinking to herself. “Who else does Fluttershy trust in this town?” Rainbow pushed the cloud at an angle, tweaking it as it left her hooves and spinning it away from herself. Raindrops spun her own cloud in the opposite direction, and pushed it towards Rainbow’s. The two collided, and their momentums cancelled each other out. Both clouds disintegrated into smaller, much more manageable chunks. Rainbow pumped a hoof in celebration. Worked every time. “Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow jumped. She looked back down, where she saw two very familiar ponies. “Oh, hey, Fluttershy,” she said, completely not nervously at all. “Y- you’re back early.” Fluttershy flew up. “I heard the news and…” Her eyes narrowed as she noticed a distinct lack of little pegasus. “Where’s Fritter?” she demanded. “I couldn’t bring him along, so I left him back in Ponyville. He’s in good hooves.” Rainbow Dash paused. “At least, I’m pretty sure they’re good hooves, anyway. I’ve never actually... ” “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy growled, making Rainbow shiver. “Where is he?” Fluttershy sprinted up to the spa door reading ‘Staff Only’, skidded to a stop, and gently pushed it open. Her wing flared outwards in surprise at what she saw. Aloe was pressing Lotus down to the ground with a rear hoof, and triumphantly held Lotus’s tail firmly in her mouth. Lotus, for her part, was angrily struggling to get any advantage she could, and her perfectly hooficured hooves scrabbled for purchase against the smooth tile. “I am oldest sister! I get first turn for cuddles!” she snarled. Aloe released her tail to respond. “By three minutes!” she spat. “Years later we are still having this discussion?” “Is not what you said last time when stallion-” Aloe flushed bright red. “Is because is completely different!” “Excuse me!” Both froze at Fluttershy’s voice. They looked up, and, recognizing a client, quickly got to their hooves and readjusted their manes and headbands to appear professional, even going so far as to tilt their heads simultaneously and put on their most welcoming of smiles. Of course, as both mares’ coats were messy, Lotus’s tail somewhat resembled a moist rat’s nest, and Aloe’s headband was ripped and half of her mane fell down to cover one eye as she held that smile, that illusion was quickly shattered. But it was a valiant attempt nonetheless. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Fritter around, have you?” Fluttershy asked, somewhere between a plea and a demand. Both mares pointed over to another room. Fluttershy quickly rushed over and opened the doors, unsure of what to expect. She found Fritter wrapped in a warm towel and sleeping soundly on the massage table. It had been dismantled and placed on the ground, and the legs had been replaced to act as walls for the makeshift crib. Soft music played on the phonograph, and he looked quite comfortable. Fluttershy was impressed; it was usually hard for anypony but her to get him to sleep. The sound of the door opening roused him, and he sat up and turned. Recognizing his mother, he let out a joyful babble and reached out for her. Her worry now completely gone, Fluttershy scooped him up and held him close. “Oh, little Fritter,” she murmured, “I am never leaving you alone again.” A small noise made her look up. Aloe and Lotus stood, one on each side of the door, looking in longingly. Fluttershy sighed, relenting as a small smile played at the edges of her lips. “Yes, you can hold him,” she said. Both grown mares squee’d. And, of course, under Fluttershy’s eye, there was no more bickering. Author's Note Just a couple of interludes because it's been about a month since any update. The return to the actual storyline will come soon.
Chapter 1Apple Bloom wasn't sure when she'd first noticed it. Fluttershy hadn't exactly been one for fast flying or running, and her pegasus stamina for hard work was always a bit less than that of her earth pony husband. But there was definitely something off about Fluttershy recently. She got tired more often, seemed to be gaining a little weight, and Macintosh seemed to be called upon more often for hoof massages. Not that Apple Bloom was the teensiest bit jealous of all the attention she was getting or anything. She wiped her brow and kept painting, until she heard a strange noise. Looking up, she paused and squinted as she saw something she hadn’t seen in a while. Discord was flying through the orchard, his serpentine body undulating through the air as he traveled. He seemed to be on the hunt. This was especially evident because when Apple Bloom quickly checked, there was not a magically-appearing pear or orange anywhere, and those were his favorite things to do every time he visited the orchard. Now, Apple Bloom considered herself a big pony. Being a big pony, she knew that sometimes there were times it was important to ignore what you wanted to do for what you needed to do, such as farming chores, or her current task of painting the trees to prevent insect infestation. Then again… She looked around, and set down the brush. “Cutie mark crusader Discord chaser, yay!” she grinned as she scampered after him. With a powerful kick, Macintosh bucked the tree right in the sweet spot. He looked behind himself and watched as every single apple came cascading down. Once again, a perfect shot. He smiled and turned back forward, and jumped as he came face to face with Discord. “Big Macintosh!” Discord said gleefully. “Just the stallion I wanted to see.” His eyes narrowed. “I have quite the bone to pick with you.” To emphasize his point, he jabbed at Mac with a literally bony finger. It was as though Mac were looking through an x-ray machine just on his claw. It was quite surreal. “Uh…” Mac stammered. Discord had been part of a package deal, and he still wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Sure, he cared for Fluttershy and he’d heard how she was the only one able to keep him on the (relatively) straight and narrow, but he still had strange nightmares of being turned into a dog again. It had taken weeks before Winona had stopped barking at him the first time, and he wasn’t sure he could survive a second time. Discord continued, “So I've been gone for a couple of months and now I've returned—yay, me!—but many strange things have been happening in my absence.” He leaned in closer. “Very, very strange things.” “Huh?” Mac asked. Discord nodded. “It seems Fluttershy has been having some health problems recently. She's been gaining weight, she can't fly as long, and she's been feeling sick and worshiping the porcelain throne in the mornings. And you know what's more?” “She says it's my fault?” Mac guessed. “Bingo!” Discord said, dropping the whole stack of bingo chips on his head. He leaned in close and rolled up the fur on his lion arm threateningly, revealing a muscular arm with an anchor tattoo. “You want to 'splain a few things to me before I have to 'splain to princess Twilight why you ‘disappeared under mysterious circumstances’?” Mac’s breath caught in his throat. “It ain't my fault…” He paused. “Ok, it kinda is; but it's 'cause she's pregnant; and-” Discord was taken aback. “Pa- pa pa pa pregnant?” he stammered. Mac swallowed nervously and nodded, unsure of what to expect from the chaotic being. To his surprise, Discord seized his hoof and began gleefully pumping it in celebration. “Oh, congratulations!” He shoved no less than three cigars into Mac's mouth. “This is quite the cause for celebration! Oh, I'm so sorry I wanted to turn your liver into spaghetti and boil you in oil!” He pursed his lips. “Friends do apologize to each other for wanting to do things like that, right?” “Spaghetti?” Mac spluttered. “Tortellini just doesn't have the same impact, don'tcha know,” Discord said simply, as though that explained everything. Mac rubbed the back of his neck. “Ah thought you'd be mad…” “Mad? Oh, I'm mad, of course. Absolutely bonkers!” He tapped the side of his head demonstratively, and then he paused. “Oh, you thought I'd be angry? Of course not! Foals are chaotic little beings.” He pulled Mac into a side hug. “Congratulations! I might even be able to take a vacation and still fill up my quota!” He pointed to a large half-full rod labeled 'Chaos (permissible under current reformation)' that looked suspiciously like a mercury thermometer, embedded into the trunk of a nearby tree. At this point, Fluttershy came rushing up, panting from the exertion of her run to Sweet Apple Acres. “Discord! Don't… don't… Mac would never hurt me on purpose…” “It's quite all right,” Discord said pleasantly. “Macintosh and I have had a discussion, a little man talk if you will; and we've ended on quite amicable terms.” Fluttershy exhaled in relief. “Of course, if he does hurt you, I'm not above replacing his kidneys with hot water bottles?” he offered. Fluttershy choked. “That really won't be necessary,” she coughed. “I've known I've been pregnant for a few months, now, and Mac has been nothing but suppo-” “You're pregnant?!” All three spun around to see Apple Bloom staring at Fluttershy in shock. Her wide eyes flicked back and forth between Fluttershy, Fluttershy's stomach, and her brother; and her expression turned slightly squeamish as the implications hit her. Suddenly, some strange occurrences in the night made far too much sense. Mac grinned sheepishly. He knew exactly the kind of things going through her head. “Ah thought you knew,” he said with a nervous chuckle. “Ah didn't,” Apple Bloom said. Fluttershy leaned in. “I thought you told your family the day I found out,” she whispered. “Ah thought Ah did too; Ah must've gotten too excited and forgot,” Mac whispered back, his eyes widening in horror as he recalled that night. He vaguely remembered shouting his joy to the night sky and buying drinks for a lot of different ponies, waking up somewhere in the orchard covered in fruit bats, and then needing to get back to work right away and that was about it. He rested his head in his hooves. “Granny Smith is gonna kill me,” he moaned. “She's still mad that Ah got married in Cloudsdale.” Discord rubbed his mismatched paws together gleefully. This would be fun to watch.
Chapter 2First-time mothers are often nearly overwhelmed by the amount of advice they are given, and Fluttershy was no exception. Her gentle demeanor meant that anypony and everypony felt comfortable dispensing advice on anything and everything from names to what she should eat to how long she should sleep to what music she should listen to; so much so that she'd gotten very stressed at receiving conflicting advice nearly every hour of every day. It had gotten so bad that Mac had decided to pay Scootaloo to run her weekly errands for her so she didn't have to leave her house anymore. Which, to be perfectly honest, wasn't entirely a bad thing. Her animal friends had really stepped it up to help her out, and even Angel Bunny had toned down his demands somewhat. Today was one of those delivery days, and Fluttershy was sitting on the newly-installed porch swing and waiting. It wasn't long until a small dust cloud appeared on the horizon, and she continued watching the it grow larger and larger as Scootaloo approached. She soon arrived over the bridge and skidded to a stop, spraying dirt and gravel as she did. “Hey, Fluttershy! Got your stuff for you!” Scootaloo said cheerfully. “Thank you, Scootaloo.” Fluttershy grunted and used her wings to help lessen her weight as she got down off the swing, and she walked down the slope to greet her. Well, technically, it was more of a waddle; but nopony was about to say that to her face. Fluttershy paused as she neared. “Isn't that your old scooter?” she asked, cocking her head slightly. Yeah,” Scootaloo said with a tiny frown, twisting the handlebars a bit. They squeaked as she did. “Broke the base of my new one doing a trick yesterday, and I haven't gotten around to asking Apple Bloom if she can fix it yet.” Her smile quickly returned. “But it was so cool I'm not even upset.” Fluttershy smiled a knowing smile. “Was Rainbow there to see it?” “She sure was!” Scootaloo said as she began loading up and carrying groceries inside. “She's the greatest not-sister sister ever!” Fluttershy smiled. “That's gr-” She clutched at her side and groaned. Scootaloo paused. “Fluttershy? You ok?” “I'm fine,” Fluttershy said through gritted teeth. “Just a contraction. I've been having them more often recently, nothing to worry about.” “Uh, Fluttershy? You sure you're ok?” “Yes; why?” Scootaloo pointed a timid hoof, and Fluttershy turned. She was startled to see a small puddle of clear liquid forming behind her. Her ears pinned back at the sight. Scootaloo squirmed uncomfortably and stepped back onto her scooter. “I'll just… go, then?” she said, trying to spare Fluttershy some embarrassment. “Same time next week?” “That's… that's my water,” Fluttershy whispered in shock. Her wings clamped against her sides and her breathing rate increased. “My water broke.” Scootaloo bit her lower lip, unfamiliar with this phrase. “Do I need to go grab you some tape or something?” she asked. Fluttershy’s shock suddenly shifted, and she snapped into action. “No. I need you to take me to the hospital! Tell Mac the foal is coming! Tell Applejack, too! Let Granny Smith know…” Her worried ramblings were cut short by another pained grimace as another contraction hit. “And my parents…” “You're having your foal?!” Scootaloo finally understood. “Sooner than I expected,” Fluttershy confirmed with a whimper. Scootaloo slapped her helmet back onto her head. This was something she could work with. “Then let's go!” She got underneath Fluttershy and by straining and flapping her little wings as hard as she could, managed to somewhat roll Fluttershy into her wagon. She tried to place one of her spare helmets on Fluttershy, but her head was too large; so she abandoned that idea and decided she would just take it a bit slower. Nurse Redheart sat absentmindedly staring at a stack of paperwork that she had absolutely zero desire to do when suddenly there came what sounded like an explosion. She looked up to see an airborne Scootaloo sailing through the air, having burst through the double doors on her scooter. Redheart could only stare dumbstruck as Scootaloo glided through the air and landed smoothly, skidding to a stop and leaving black marks on the recently-cleaned tile. Scootaloo looked around and giggled triumphantly. “That was so awesome!” she crowed. “I have got to do that again!” She looked back over her shoulder. “What did you think, Fluttershy?” In answer, Fluttershy rolled over to the edge of the wagon, pulled her head up and over the lip, and threw up. Scootaloo winced. “Right.” She looked back up at Redheart. “So, she's kindof having a foal; and also her water broke, so you might want to get that patched up, too.” Redheart's training kicked in. “Tenderheart! Gurney, now!” she ordered. She vaulted over the desk and grabbed Fluttershy by the shoulders to steady her. “Breathe, Fluttershy. We'll take care of you.” Scootaloo looked on as the hospital ponies rushed in and helped load her onto a bed. Fluttershy looked back. “Get Rainbow,” she pleaded. “Have her get my parents! Get Mac here, too!” If she wanted anypony else, she couldn't say; she could only curl up and groan as another powerful contraction hit her. Scootaloo saluted and sped off, scattering paperwork in her wake. Delivery rooms are fairly chaotic. Ponies rush around, monitoring everything, and it's relatively stressful for everypony involved, especially a new mother. Fluttershy squeezed her eyes closed and curled up as best she could. Luckily, Mac soon arrived, and she clenched his hoof tightly as increasingly severe pain racked her body. The medical chatter continued. “I think she's crowning,” one said. “Give her more aurora.” “I'm trying. It's not going in.” “What do you mean it's not going in? You did put the epidural in right, right?” A pause. “I thought you put it in.” “Did we forget to put in the epidural?” Redheart shook her head. “She’d be screaming in pain without it by now.” Tenderheart pulled the line and realized that the needle was still capped and unplaced. She looked at Fluttershy with newfound respect in her eyes (as well as horror that this had gone unnoticed for so long). “Sit tight. We'll get you something.” Fluttershy squeezed Mac's hoof harder. Earth ponies have a saying that goes something like, 'growing is hard, but the harvest is worth it'. It refers to the hard work that goes into growing crops compared to the joy that comes from eating the fruits of your labors. It is also used to refer to childbirth. Pregnancy itself is hard, but that magical moment when the nurse gives the mother her new foal, and the magic sparks and she knows the young pony's name, it makes it all seem worth it. Fluttershy took her foal and brought him in close, and lifted him and touched their foreheads together, so gently that he didn't even wake, and gave him a kiss on the nose. Then she brought him in close, kissed him again, and protectively nuzzled him. Macintosh stood nearby, looking in awe at his wife and foal, and feeling so proud he thought he might literally explode. “Welcome to the world, little Apple Fritter,” Fluttershy whispered.
Chapter 3Rainbow Dash burst through the main doors and landed smoothly on the tile. She paused to briskly straighten her mane with a hoof, pointedly ignored the scowling nurse, and then walked through the hospital and over into Fluttershy's room. “Hey, Fluttershy,” she said. “Hey, Mac.” She paused as something didn't seem right. The sweat-matted mane, weary smile and beleaguered expression on Fluttershy she could understand, but as for Mac… “What happened to your eye?” she asked. Mac shrugged innocently. Rainbow shrugged back and turned towards Fluttershy. “Got your parents. They're on their way.” She looked over at little Fritter, who was all wrapped up and sleeping peacefully against his mother's chest. “Huh. He's cute,” she said, giving him a gentle boop on the nose. Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, and Rainbow respectfully placed her hoof back on the ground and took a tiny step back. She coughed lightly and continued, “I also ran into Twilight on my way, so she should be here any time now.” There was a burst of light from under the closed bathroom door, and then there came a surprised squawk and then the sound of a splash. “Oh, hey!” Rainbow said brightly. “That must be her now!” There was a sound of air rushing, and then it stopped. Twilight stepped out of the bathroom, the fur around her hooves looking a bit fluffier than usual from the drying spell she had cast. “Hey, Fluttershy,” she said. “Congratulations!” She walked over and stood nearby. “This is far enough away, right? I wouldn’t want to get too close and end up accidentally triggering an instinctive defensive reflex.” Fluttershy cracked a smile. “You’re fine,” she said. “Say hi to little Fritter.” Twilight squee'd. “You didn’t tell me to say hi,” Rainbow complained. “You already said hi,” Fluttershy pointed out. “With your hoof.” “Oh. Right.” “I'm kindof surprised your parents aren't here already,” Twilight commented. “My mom said she'd get on the train the instant Cadence found out she was pregnant.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. Cadence happened to live in a huge castle. She had crashed (pardon the pun) at both the farmhouse and Fluttershy's cottage, and she knew from personal experience that there was not room for two pegasi nobles and their egos in either location. “Oh, I don't mind,” Fluttershy said, shaking her head slightly. “They never visit unannounced anymore.” Twilight cocked her head. “Why not?” Fluttershy and Macintosh locked eyes, and both blushed as a memory surfaced. Macintosh couldn't keep the smile off his face. It had been nearly a month, and every time still felt like the first time. Without, of course, the awkwardness that had accompanied that first encounter. And in his defense, he had apologized profusely and hadn't done it again. He shook off that memory and continued his work. He wiped the knife off and placed it in the sink. His and Fluttershy's post-coitus sandwiches were complete and perfect, hers crustless like she liked them and his toasted like he liked it. He cracked a smile as he picked up the plate and was entertaining the thought that he might have to actually feed her the sandwich when the doorbell rang. Mac paused. He looked down at their lunch, then up towards the door. Family would just burst right in, so it wasn't them… His eyes widened in understanding. It might have been one of her deliveries. Fluttershy had sometimes put Sweet Apple Acres as her mailing address, and they had started getting things like bulk birdseed at the most random of times. He set down the plate, walked over to the door, and opened it, expecting to see a mail pony. Instead, he saw two very familiar looking pegasi: Fluttershy's parents. Mac gulped. “Mr. Death Herald Firestorm,” he said as politely as he could. “Mrs. Lightning-Force Hoofstrike.” “Oh, Macintosh,” said Death Herald, “surely we know each other better than that? Call me Herald.” He walked past Mac and began looking around, peering at the plates on the wall. “Where is our mighty Warbringer?” Mac is good at many things. Deflection is not one of them. “Uh…” “She's not sick or anything, is she? No groundpounding flu or anything like that?” “Herald!” his wife scolded. “It's a legitimate question,” Herald protested. “Down here there might be other diseases we haven't learned of. After all, there's diseases we have that they don't, like the feather flu.” He paused. “What's the earth pony equivalent for that? Hoof flu?” “We all have hooves, you dolt,” Lightning-Force hissed. She turned to Macintosh and gave a little apologetic smile. “He's not so good with different cultures,” she explained. “Took me a while to convince him the ground wasn’t going to burn him.” Mac could only nod. He knew he had probably been insulted somewhere in all that, but currently he couldn't care less about that. “Where is our Warbringer, anyway?” she asked. Macintosh quickly tried to think of a plan to stall them. The best thing his still slightly addled brain could come up with was 'knock them both out with the rolling pin', so, accepting defeat, he chuckled nervously and turned. “Ah'll go get her,” he said. As he climbed the stairs, Herald turned to Lightning-Force. “Do you think Bri is happy here?” he asked. “I mean, Macintosh certainly seems like a good stallion, of course; but sometimes I wonder if she would be happier with her… own kind.” He flared his wings demonstratively. Lightning-Force opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, the sound of a door shutting (not exactly common in Cloudsdale) made them quickly look up to the top of the stairs. Fluttershy slowly limped down the stairs. Her forelegs moved slightly quicker than her rear legs, her wings were stuck in a sort of half-extension mode, her eyes appeared to be the slightest bit unfocused, her ears were down and relaxed, and her cheeks still bore a pink blush. Her father's eyes widened as he recognized that look. His daughter bore the look of a freshly-rutted mare who had just had the time of her life. Lightning-Force recognized it, too, and burst out laughing. “D- does that answer your question?” she asked, not even trying to suppress her laughter. Mac winced as her father looked over at him. It was a pained, conflicted expression, one where two emotions were fighting for dominance. First was pride, that a fellow stallion had managed to so thoroughly please his mare. The conflict came because it was his daughter who had been so—to use a crude earth pony term—plowed. Lightning-Force held a wing out invitingly. “Looks like he's been treating you right,” she said, hiding her mouth behind a hoof. Fluttershy blushed bright red. “Mac has been very good to me,” she said softly. “Looks like he'll be good to us, too,” Lightning-Force laughed. “We might have a new heir coming soon!” She smacked Fluttershy's flank with a wing, and she squeaked and clamped her rear legs together. It didn't quite work as well as she'd hoped. Herald looked away, and tinges of red colored his cheeks. “We'll definitely call before we come next time,” he murmured. “They just don't,” Fluttershy said. Mac grinned sheepishly. Luckily, they were spared the need for further explanation when the door opened again and two large pegasi walked in. “Warbringer! We came as soon as we heard,” Lightning-Force said, sprinting over to Fluttershy. She brushed Fritter’s mane out of his face and squee’d. This was enough for Fritter, and he woke up, squinting and squirming as he tried to figure out what that noise was. The noise came again as Lightning-Force saw two little bumps rise and fall against the back of the blanket. “He’s a pegasus!” Accepting the inevitable, Fluttershy gently held out Fritter and gave him to her mother. Lightning-Force gleefully took him and rocked him gently as Herald stood behind her. Fritter freed a hoof and poked it out of the blankets, reaching for her nose. Overcome by this, she set him on the bed and unwrapped him. Fritter took a couple unsteady steps, but straightened up, looking at both his maternal grandparents with innocent curiosity. “He's a big colt,” she said. “And look at those wings! He'll grow up to be a mighty warrior, indeed.” Herald turned to Fluttershy. “What have you named him?” “Fritter,” she responded. Herald frowned. “Fritter? Like the carnival food?” Fluttershy smiled and shook her head. “Fritter means tearing into shreds or little pieces.” She looked over at Twilight and smiled, and Twilight winked back. Sometimes owning three dictionaries was helpful. Mollified, Herald nodded appreciatively. “Strong name for a strong colt.” He looked over at Macintosh again. He coughed lightly and muttered, “good job, son,” before hefting his grandfoal again. Mac exhaled slightly. He’d been a bit nervous about making a good impression, and it sounded like they had approved. And also it was oddly satisfying to see two grown pegasi giggling like little schoolfillies over something. Discord burst into the hospital with a colossal, “I have arrived!”, bearing a large basket of flowers and a somewhat out of place heart-shaped box of chocolate. This probably would have been expected, had he actually used a door. Instead, he walked in from a panel in the ceiling, and saying Mac jumped would be an understatement. Discord bowed. “Friends always seem to show up at the most awkward times, after all.” He paused. “What's with the black eye?” Mac rubbed his face tenderly. “Let's just say Fluttershy don't know her own strength sometimes,” he said. Discord cooed. “Aww, that's my little Fluttershutter… Where is she, anyway?” he asked. “Sleepin',” Mac said, jerking his head towards her door. “She's tough; she's not invincible. As soon as her parents left, she was out.” “So…?” Discord nudged him. “What came out of the wunderball?” Mac grinned. “Pegasus colt.” Discord held out a paw and Mac bumped it. “Congratulations, Mac!” he said. “Thanks,” Mac said. Perhaps he’d misjudged Discord. He certainly seemed to be genuinely excited for them. Discord paused. “Oh, and I took the liberty of sharing your success with some other ponies, and they came to say hello as well. That's what friends do, right? Celebrate each other's success?” For some reason, that sounded oddly foreboding. “E- eeyup; but…” Discord opened the door and Mac's jaw dropped as he saw what looked like a parade of ponies, most of them carrying something that looked like gifts. At the front of the pack stood Bon Bon, a smile on her face and a beautifully wrapped box of chocolate hanging from a string in her mouth. He could also see a very angry Applejack, or rather her hat, jumping above the crowd trying to see a path through. Mac gulped. If he looked closely, he could almost see the steam rising from her ears. “On second thought, it might not have been the best idea to invite everypony,” Discord reflected. “Maybe it's for the best they're not here for me, you know?” “But-” Mac started. “Toodles!” Discord walked over to a broom closet and opened it, revealing a snowy land peppered with huge peppermint canes that served as trees and bushes. He slammed the door behind him. Mac looked back at Bon Bon. She put on a most hopeful smile. 'Sometimes I really hate that guy,' Mac thought. “Yeah, I saw him,” Snails said happily. “He was cute.” The pegasus exhaled. Ok. Male. There's one thing. He waited, then gestured impatiently. “And?” “He was real small,” Snails recalled, “but he had a really thick mane.” The pegasus suppressed a groan. He'd chosen this unicorn to be his spy because he looked somewhat dense. As it turned out, he was very dense, almost stupidly so, and he was somewhat regretting this decision. “And was it a pegasus or a m- earth pony?” “Pegasus!” Snails remembered. The pegasus grinned. Perfect. “That’s all I needed.” He spread his wings and began to fly away. “Hey, wasn't I supposed to get an ice cream?” Snails protested. “The only thing I'd give you is a shoe to the face, bonehead!” he called over his shoulder. “Well, that's not very nice,” Snails murmured. “Now I don't even want your crummy ice cream!” He thrust his nose in the air and stomped away. His indignant departure was somewhat marred when he tripped over a rock and fell face first onto the ground, but he quickly picked himself up and continued stomping away.
Interlude: Traditions“Hey, Mac,” Twilight said as she trotted up to the market stand. “How’s it going?” Mac nodded in greeting. “Business good?” Mac shrugged. Apples were apples. That was about it. Twilight began scanning his wares. “I’m just here for some apples, but you probably already knew that.” Mac cracked a smile. Twilight examined a few especially shiny ones as she continued, “Spike wants to try baking gem-encrusted apple pie. He’s written up five recipes that he’s going to attempt.” She sighed. “I wish I could get him to be that excited about alchemy. I mean, stirring solutions counterclockwise with a clockwise turn every seventh turn for four hours on the night of a full moon isn’t a terribly difficult task, right?” Mac, who knew about as much about alchemy as he knew about griffon mating patterns, decided that it was wisest not to answer. Twilight continued. “So, is Fluttershy coming today?” she asked, trying not to sound too hopeful. Mac shook his head. “She’s takin’ Fritter to all the clouds and such.” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization. “Oh, right… The ceremonial first step on every variety of cloud. I’ve heard of that.” Mac nodded. Twilight bit her lower lip and looked around. She clearly had something she wanted to say, but was afraid to say it. Mac exhaled. He had a very good idea of what it might be. Sure enough, it soon came out. “Don't you wish you could be there?” Twilight asked. Mac’s voice grew quiet. “Eeyup,” he said softly. Twilight gestured at her horn. “I could probably…” Mac shook his head. “s’fine,” he said with a shrug. “We do so many things on the earth; if Fluttershy wants to do a pegasus thing, it’s fine with me.” “I guess,” Twilight said slowly, “but I also think Fluttershy would want to share those pegasus things with you, seeing as how you’re, you know, married and all.” Mac chuckled. “Stratocirrus ain’t gonna hold my weight, and there’s no way she could carry me and Fritter everywhere they need to go. ‘Sides, she’s not alone. Rainbow’s with her.” Twilight nodded. “And there’s plenty of earth pony comin’-of-age things Ah’ll get to do with him. Like his first mug of cider.” “That’s… the pure kind, right?” Twilight had to ask. Mac didn’t answer. Twilight’s eyes widened in horror. “You’re not giving alcohol to foals, right?” Mac kept a perfectly straight face. “Mac! You can’t just…” Macintosh burst out laughing. “Nope!” he said. “‘Sides, it’s the first time you buck an apple tree and get every single one down that’s the important milestone.” Twilight exhaled, very relieved (and mildly miffed). Ever since Mac had gotten married, he had fallen into the habit of talking a little bit more; and to be perfectly honest, she liked it better when he was quiet. A few miles away and nearly a hundred feet higher, Apple Fritter stamped on the cloud and laughed. His tiny wings were spread wide and his eyes were even wider as he kicked up little bits of cloud in his excitement. This really was different. “Well,” Rainbow said, “I’d say this ceremonial first step on the clouds has been a success.” She chuckled, recalling a memory. “You know how I first stepped on a cloud? I was trying to fly after my mom when she left to go get the mail and I jumped and glided out the window. Nearly gave my mom a heart attack when she realized I’d disappeared.” She leaned down and picked up Fritter, who giggled. “Not like you, right?” she asked, scrunching her nose at him. “You’re too cute to give mama Flutters a heart attack.” She froze, and then glared at him. “That never leaves this cloud,” she warned. He giggled again. And then he exploded. The force of the shockwaves sent vibrations through Fritter’s whole body and Rainbow’s forelegs. “Sweet Celestia!” Rainbow shouted, flapping backwards. “What was that?” Fluttershy tittered behind a hoof. “That’s his way of saying he needs a diaper change. That was a good one. I bet it felt good to get that one out, right, little Fritter?” “Wait. Did he…?” Rainbow leaned in and sniffed, and then recoiled in disgust. “Ugh!” she squeaked, holding Apple Fritter as far away from herself as she could. “How could… so little but… so… ugh!” Fluttershy gently took him back. “Maybe we've had enough clouds for this morning,” she said. Fritter giggled. Fluttershy held him out. “You want to-?” “Me?! No, no, nah, I’m good,” Rainbow said quickly. "Haven't even been trained or anything." “I was going to say ‘hold him’,” Fluttershy said with a chuckle. Rainbow grimaced. “Maybe when he’s… clean,” she said. Author's Note And, as was Fritter's tradition, he made sure he needed a second diaper change only two minutes after the clean one had been put on. (It was at that point that Rainbow decided that foals were most likely not in her future.)
Chapter 4Fluttershy was hoping to spend a nice, quiet afternoon preparing for Fritter’s first birthday tomorrow. Currently, she was doing just that, slicing carrots for a nice salad, and waiting on Mac to come home in a few hours with plenty of apples. They’d make Fritter’s namesake, of course; and a few other apple things, and then, hopefully, they’d put Fritter to bed early and do some… other things as well. Subconsciously, she began to slice more quickly, internally looking forward to that. But the universe was having none of this peaceful stuff. Instead, it decided that she needed a little more excitement; and it delivered this excitement in a staggering one-two punch. “Hiya!” At figurative punch number one, Fluttershy jumped and spun around, and her knife clattered onto the counter. “Oh, Pinkie Pie,” she breathed as she recognized her assailant; or, rather, her assailant’s head sticking out of one of her planters. “You startled me.” Pinkie finished climbing out of the pot and shook the dirt off, looking a little bit like a puppy shaking water off, except much larger and pinker. Fluttershy quickly brought up a hoof to shield her face. Thankfully, she was used to having her house scattered with dirt flying everywhere from her animal friends' visits, and the nearby animals (the ones that hadn’t fled at Pinkie’s surprise and noisy entry) were nonplussed. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Pinkie said pleasantly, “but it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve dropped in unannounced, and I doubt it will be the last. Besides, I figured you’d be used to it by now. You know how much I love visiting my friends!” Fluttershy had the distinct impression that they were both discussing two different things. She shook her head. “What brings you here, Pinkie?” “A most important question!” Pinkie answered, puffing her chest out importantly. “A question I cannot answer on my own, a question of utmost importance! A question that could determine the future as we know it and have ramifications that could spread across an entire lifetime and affect countless generations to come!” Fluttershy blinked. She knew Pinkie sometimes classified things as 'important' differently than most ponies, and she was unsure if this was cause for alarm or not. “That sounds serious,” she observed. “It is!” Pinkie affirmed. Fluttershy waited, but Pinkie merely stood there. Finally, she had to ask, “So what’s your question?” Pinkie pressed her nose against Fluttershy’s. “What kind of flavor cake does Fritter want for his super special birthday party tomorrow?” she asked. Fluttershy chuckled as she retreated and continued chopping the carrots. “He’s turning one, Pinkie,” she said. “I don’t think he really has a preference on much of anything, let alone cake flavor. Do you, Fritter?” she asked rhetorically. Fritter burbled an agreement and hit his hooves against the ground. “But what if he does?” Pinkie challenged. “First birthdays only come once in a lifetime, and I’d hate to think I messed up this most superific special occasion by baking the wrong kind of cake! Fritter would be so sad! And can you imagine a face like this, sad?” She held up her tail to demonstrate Fritter’s face, but all she ended up doing was revealing that Fritter was hanging off it by his teeth, gnawing contentedly on it. Fluttershy dropped her knife and quickly retrieved him. He giggled, and Fluttershy nuzzled him tightly. “I don’t think he’d be sad,” she said. “I think he’d love whatever you put together, because you work hard to make it special for each and every pony.” Pinkie Pie waved a hoof dismissively, but her cheeks did turn slightly pinker than usual at the compliment. “Well, you know, it’s what I do,” she said. “Super party pony and all.” “And you’re quite good at it,” Fluttershy reassured her. Pinkie nodded, and then resumed her train of thought. “So, chocolate, or vanilla? Or maybe red velvet? Ooh, or maybe both?” “He also seems to like carrot cake,” Fluttershy suggested. Pinkie struck her hoof. “I hadn’t even thought of that,” she said. “So, a five-tier carrot cake, with white buttercream frosting and little fondant sculptures. Can do.” Fluttershy winced. Not that she was ungrateful or anything; but she didn’t want to make Pinkie do too much work. “I was kindof expecting something a little… simpler,” Fluttershy admitted. Pinkie nodded. “Four tiers, then. Got it.” Fluttershy cracked a smile and shook her head slightly. Once Pinkie wanted to do something, she usually ended up doing it, regardless of what anypony else might say. “But I'll also bring plenty of brownies and cookies and streamers and punch and-” “You might not need too much,” Fluttershy said. “There’s going to be plenty of pure cider, too.” “Really?” Pinkie gasped. “I love cider!” Fluttershy nodded. “We’re making it tonight, after Fritter goes to sleep.” She leaned in close. “But it's a surprise. Please don't tell anypony.” * * * Rainbow Dash slowed, allowing the cloud she had been pushing to slowly drift away. A mildly confused frown crossed her face. Cloud Chaser noticed this contradiction of her nature and approached her boss hesitantly. “Rainbow Dash? You ok?” she asked. “Yeah,” Rainbow said, looking around for something she couldn’t identify. “You’re not feeling sick, or-?” “I’m too awesome to get sick,” Rainbow said instinctively, cutting her off. She continued looking around and then rolled her shoulders. “I dunno why, but I just got a really, really good feeling about tomorrow.” * * * “I won’t! I promise!” Pinkie said happily. She made a very convoluted series of motions that Fluttershy interpreted as zipping up her lips with a zipper, locking it, throwing away the key, deciding that wasn’t secure enough, retrieving the key, digging a hole and burying the key there, reburying the key, building a concrete pad over it, then reanimating a dinosaur to stand guard over the hole. Fluttershy blinked. How had she-? Her brain was saved from the impossible task of making sense of what she had just seen when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” Pinkie sang. She bounced over through the living room and Fluttershy could hear the door opening, as expected; but then she heard something quite unexpected.. “Oh, it's you!” Pinkie scowled. Fluttershy paused and frowned. That was most unlike her. She had never heard Pinkie use that much vitriol in her voice, ever. She poked her head out to see who was at the door. Her eyes widened in horror at the awfully familiar pony standing there in her doorway, she began to hyperventilate, her tail clamped down and her wings clenched tightly against her body. Skyblaze Carnage Wingsteel of House Thunderhead smirked. “Morning,” he said pleasantly.
Chapter 5Fluttershy retreated, back against the wall, and pressed a hoof against her chest in an effort to slow her heart down. Why would he be here? What could he possibly want here? She looked over, and saw Fritter playing happily on the floor with a measuring cup. He was out of sight. She sighed in relief. She wouldn’t let him see him. But why had he come here? And why now? And how did he always keep finding her? Pinkie wondered the same things, except she was much more vocal about it. “What are you doing here?” she asked, prodding Skyblaze in the chest, “and why are you here right now? And how do you always know where Fluttershy is?” Skyblaze brushed off where she'd touched him. “It's… shall we say, 'personal business',” he said loftily, “and I like to keep track of my things.” “Well, whatever it is, it’s not Fritter’s birthday party. You, mister, are uninvited!” Pinkie shrieked. She attempted to slam the door shut, but Skyblaze had placed his hoof inside and let the wooden door bounce harmlessly off his thick, metal ponyshoe. “Oh, well, now. That’s a shame. Shouldn’t a father have the opportunity to go to his own foal’s party?” That threw Pinkie for a loop. “What?” And if it threw Pinkie for a loop, imagine what it did to Fluttershy. She felt as though her heart had just been encased in ice. She looked at Fritter, blissfully ignorant of anything. The tiny nigglings of doubt began to gnaw at her brain again, tiny doubts she thought she had squelched long ago. Fritter's color could as easily have been attributed to Skyblaze’s parents and passed through that line. Though still a tiny foal, his wings were built strongly, much stronger than hers. And his natural manestyle… What if Fritter wasn't Mac's? “But you’re not Fritter’s father,” Pinkie said, confused. “That’s Macintosh.” Skyblaze’s lip curled slightly at that name. “I’m sure he’d like to think that; but there’s a good chance that he’s not. You see, Warbringer’s deflowering was my doing.” “Who said anything about flowers?” Pinkie asked. “And wars are terrible things to bring. Have you thought about cake, instead?” she suggested pleasantly. Skyblaze blinked, then shook his head. “No, no; see… I had the… shall we say, ‘privilege’ of having Fluttershy first.” Fluttershy grimaced at that memory. “What?” Pinkie asked. “I was the first one who had sex with her,” Skyblaze clarified, a bit more annoyed this time. “What?” Skyblaze fought the simultaneous urges to facehoof and/or strangle this mare. “I pushed her head down, lifted her flank up, pulled her tail to the side, and rammed my-” “Oh, I get that part,” Pinkie interrupted. “What I don't get is why you waited until now to say something.” “Oh.” Skyblaze blinked, but quickly regained control. “That’s because there’s a statute of limitations of a year on all newborn paternity claims. After a year, the claims expire; but up to the day before, they are valid.” Pinkie counted up on her hooves, and then a look of horror crossed her face. “You did that on purpose,” Pinkie gasped. “After tomorrow you couldn't do anything!” Skyblaze smirked and nodded. “But today, I still can,” he confirmed. “And now I’ve come to take him.” That pushed Fluttershy past her breaking point. She darted out of the kitchen and stood face-to-face with her former fiancee and glared. “I won’t let you!” she hissed. “Yeah!” Pinkie agreed, standing next to Fluttershy. “None of us will!” Skyblaze laughed. “There’s only two of you; and the big red idiot isn’t here to save you this time.” Pinkie stuck her tongue out at him. “Hey, watch it! That’s my maybe-cousin, you meanie-head! And there’s more than just two of us!” She sat back on her haunches and began beating the ground with a rear leg, looking somewhat like a giant pink rabbit thumping a danger signal. The reaction was instantaneous. Animals began poking their heads out from the holes in the walls and peeking in through the windows, and even the youngest knew that Fluttershy needed help. And even the meekest were willing to step up for her. Rabbits and jackelopes and squirrels and skunks and birds and even a fox emerged from their hiding places. Snakes and badgers and even a couple of mongooses emerged, and these last few had fangs. Skyblaze was many things, but an earth pony he was not. He knew none of these animals, and he shuffled backwards ever so slightly. They could have been venomous. The ground was an uncivilized, barbaric place. His son would be raised in the clouds like a normal pegasus. Still, he managed to remain relatively in control. “You won’t stop me,” he said. “It’s my right, and-” And then Harry the Bear showed up, poking his large, shaggy head in from the rear door. He looked down at Fluttershy and let out an apologetic whine, as if to say sorry for showing up late. Fluttershy gave him a comforting little nod, and he turned back and glared at Skyblaze. To Skyblaze’s eternal credit, he managed to not wet himself like a little foal. Barely. This somewhat tense standoff was interrupted when Fritter, noticing the absence of his mother, waddled out, looking for her. Finding her familiar yellow frame, he scampered up and grabbed on. The look on Skyblaze’s face turned predatory. He reached out a hoof to grab him. And then Angel Bunny decided that he had had enough of this guy, and threw a carrot at his face. It really went downhill from there, really. Skyblaze was assaulted by feathers, sticks, claws, paws, anything and everything else, really. Birds swooped in, raking their spurs anywhere they could find fur, squirrels and chipmunks bit and scratched, mice scampered up his legs and bit his inner thighs, and even a tortoise clamped down firmly on Skyblaze's hind leg. To Skyblaze’s surprise, though, it was Fluttershy who calmed the assault. “Stop!” she cried, her voice carrying despite its low volume. Her animal friends obeyed (even if they did shoot her a look of confusion first), and one by one jumped off of Skyblaze. Skyblaze, now bleeding in about a hundred places, pushed himself to his hooves, trying (and failing) to look as though he were nonplussed by all of this. It also didn't help that a beaver had gotten to his mane, which was now about half as long as it used to be and missing a large chunk from the front. “As I was saying,” he spat angrily, “Fritter is mine, and…” His voice trailed off as he realized that Fluttershy was the only other pony in the room. Tearing past her, he looked in the kitchen and then sprinted to the window, but there was no little foal in sight. “What? Where is he?” For in the confusion, Pinkie Pie and Fritter had vanished.
Chapter 6Fritter gnawed on a gemstone on the floor of the friendship castle. Spike hadn’t minded too much giving up a few of his snacks as teething rings. Fritter was a cute little guy (for a foal, anyway); and besides, it wasn’t like his tiny teeth could actually do anything to them. In stark contrast to their grandfoal’s contentedness, however, Death Herald Firestorm and Lightning-Force Hoofstrike were anything but pleased. “I'm gonna kill him,” Death Herald seethed, pacing angrily. “I'm going to tear out his skull and beat him to death with it and I’m going to strangle him with his own tail and then I’m going to cut his head off and then I’m going to kill him until he's dead. I'm going to kill him so hard his grandmother will feel it, and she's already dead!” Twilight looked over at Lightning-Force, expecting to see her calming her husband. Instead, she was nodding and making forward hoof motions, silently egging him on. Twilight groaned internally. Lovely. “As fascinating and historic as it would be to see another House war,” she interrupted, “you really can't waltz up and cave his skull in.” “Like Tartarus we can’t! Fritter is our grandfoal!” “And Fluttershy my dear friend; but if you killed him to silence his claim, that would cause retaliation from his family, and we can't just go charging headlong into something that could plunge the rest of the Houses into internal fighting and all-out war.” She emphasized the word ‘war’, hoping to make her point. Death Herald blinked. “You make that sound like a bad thing,” he said. Twilight pressed her hoof against her forehead and dragged it down her face. “That’s because it would be a bad thing!” she insisted. “How?” Death Herald demanded. “Besides the fact that almost every pegasus in Cloudsdale would get swept up and involved which would directly result in hordes of injured pegasi which would directly result in a lack of weather ponies which would directly lead to loss of weather control for the earth ponies which would result in crop failures and, consequently, disastrous food shortages all across Equestria?” Death Herald blinked. “Well, anything sounds bad if you say it in that tone of voice.” It was Lightning-Force's turn to facehoof. Twilight exhaled. “Look. I know you're upset, and you have every right to be. I am, too. But we need to stay calm and do this by the book.” “Well, you've sure got enough of them here,” Death Herald nodded. “Not like- ugh! Not like that. We need to make it completely legal. We can start with petitioning for a restraining order, and go on from there.” “But that’s what shallow graves are for,” Death Herald complained. “Wrap him in a cloud and push it northward to the griffon territory.” “Herald! That is just an urban legend!” Lightning-Force scolded. “As far as you know,” Death Herald said, flicking his wings in the pegasus gesture equivalent of sticking one's tongue out. Twilight was starting to wonder just how well a defense of plausible deniability would work if Death Herald went through with that idea when they heard the sound of the door open. “Hello?” the entering pony called. “That's Skyblaze!” Spike hissed. Death Herald grinned maliciously and spread his wings. “Good!” Twilight lit her horn and held his hooves on the ground. “No! No killing other ponies in my castle! We are going to work something legal out! Spike! Stall him!” “How?” Spike asked, his voice nearly an octave higher in pitch. “I don't know! Think of something!” She pushed him away out the door with her wing. Spike tumbled across the floor, sliding on the smooth crystal ground right out of the back room. He grunted and coughed as he picked himself up. And stood up right in front of Skyblaze. “He's back there, isn't he?” Skyblaze demanded. Spike decided to take a leaf from Owlowiscious's book. “Who?” “You know exactly who I mean!” “Who?” “Don’t mess with me, boy,” Skyblaze warned, prodding Spike with a hoof so he'd know exactly who he was talking to. “We have a lot of things back there,” Spike said with a shrug. “This is a library.” Skyblaze smirked. “Then maybe I'll just go back and check some of them out, then, eh? Maybe there's a little colt back there that belongs to me, eh?” Spike cracked a brief smile as Twilight's drilling of library protocol came to mind. “You can't go back there. Not without a library card.” “That's discrimination,” Skyblaze accused. “It's established policy across Equestria. And it's really not; anyone can get one. They're free.” Skyblaze scowled. “Fine. I'll play your little game. Give me a card.” Spike bounded over to a nearby desk and retrieved a stack of papers. “All right,” he said, retrieving a quill. “I just need some information. Name?” “Skyblaze Carnage Wingsteel of House Thunderhead.” “Sky,” Spike said, scribbling the single word on the paper and then underlining it. “I'll also need two pieces of identification and proof of address.” Skyblaze held up both forehooves and hit them together. Spike gulped. “That'll work.” * * * Back in the back room, Death Herald, Lightning-Force, and Twilight were having a heated discussion. “I still say we kill him,” Death Herald maintained. “And I still say we don’t!” Twilight hissed. “Don't make me make this a royal decree. We can start with a restraining order and work our way up from there.” “Restraining orders are just pieces of paper!” Death Herald scoffed. “Pieces of paper that can land a pony in jail,” Twilight emphasized. “Locked up. On the ground. Out of the sky, which is where pegasi like to go.” “That's not going to hold him, though.” Twilight rolled her eyes. “It will.” “What if he escapes? Security down here is a little lax.” Twilight growled, then relaxed. “He’ll have to stay hidden and out of the limelight for the rest of his life,” she scoffed. “There’s no way he’ll do that. And that's assuming we don't find him right away, which we would.” “So, restraining order,” Lightning-Force said, thankfully acting a little bit more rationally than her husband. “What happens next?” “In a perfect world, he’d leave it at that and then we’d just renew it every year.” “So what’s actually going to happen?” Lightning-Force asked. Twilight swallowed. “Well, since he's claimed paternity, probably a long court fight for custody,” she admitted. * * * Skyblaze scowled. “My cutie mark does not look like that.” “Sorry! It's just… hard to draw with you glaring at me like that,” Spike defended himself. “This is the fourth card we've tried. You're just stalling,” Skyblaze accused. “Stalling?” Spike asked. “Yes, stalling!” “Stalling?” Spike confirmed. “You're doing it right now!” Spike cocked his head. “Doing what?” “Stalling!” Skyblaze shouted, his face turning red. “Stalling?” “Yes, stalling!” “Who, me? Stalling?” Spike asked innocently. He flinched as Skyblaze raised a hoof, as if ready to smash the desk; but then he stepped back and took a deep breath. “Fine,” he said, forcing his voice to sound calm. “Fine. We'll do it the hard way.” Spike swallowed. “The hard way?” “Yes. I'm taking this to court and suing for custody. Complete custody.” Spike coughed a laugh. “Good luck,” he said. “You’re gonna need it.” A cold smile crossed Skyblaze’s lips. “I don’t need luck where I’m going. Let’s just say I know a colt or two.” Spike couldn’t help but shiver as Skyblaze walked out the door. He had the distinct feeling that this was far from over.
Chapter 7“He's better than I gave him credit for,” Spike grudgingly admitted, reading over the paper. “And by that, I mean he’s terrible.” Twilight's eyes were narrowed angrily as she read over Spike’s shoulder. No matter how much she willed it, though, the words on the page did not change. “I know. I don't even want to tell Fluttershy this,” Twilight murmured. “Tell me what?” Both spun around and saw Fluttershy, standing in the doorway, with Fritter sitting happily on her back. Spike glared at Twilight as he crumpled the paper and hid it behind his back. “You just had to open your mouth,” he hissed. “How was I supposed to know she was coming?” Twilight hissed back. “Bad things always happen when you open your mouth! It’s like a constant thing here!” “Oh, so it’s my fault she just so happened to show up? May I remind you, Mr. Spike, that correlation does not imply causation in this or any other situation, especially this one which could be caused only by sheer, unexplainable coincidence! Do you know how many variables would have to be in play to ensure that this exact sequence of events with this explicit timing-” Fluttershy quietly cleared her throat. “Tell me what?” she asked again. Twilight grimaced. She looked over at Spike, but he held his hands up and took a step back, placing the responsibility firmly on her shoulders. She inhaled, held it, and then exhaled slowly. “Skyblaze… he… he took you to court. Technically.” Fluttershy frowned. “What do you mean, took me to court? I never got a summons…” Her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, no; what if I did get one and I just never noticed it? What if the birds took it for their nest?” “It wasn’t you,” Twilight said quickly, “or the birds. He went to court and submitted an affidavit and got a judge to sign an order giving him the rights of a non-custodial parent, on the base of his paternal claims.” Fluttershy squinted… and then her eyes widened. “No…” she breathed. “Which means,” Twilight confirmed grimly, “that he gets visitation rights.” “But we got that restraining order…” “Which the judge threw out because there was no proof of documented physical abuse. Never mind that emotional abuse is considered by many psychologists to be just as harmful if not more so, with an even longer period of recovery and more intense and harmful effects on the victim, requiring substantially more therapy and…” Her voice trailed off as she realized Fluttershy and Spike were staring dumbly at her. “I mean, yeah,” she finished sheepishly. “Can he even do this?” Fluttershy asked, horrified. “He can,” Twilight said grimly. “Thanks to a loophole in Cloudsdale law, he doesn’t even have to prove he's Fritter’s father to get those rights. As long as he claims paternity and says that he was an integral part of the foal’s early life—and the affidavit he filed claims that he was—he can get visitation rights. I don't think he even needed to bribe anypony for this.” “But he wasn't,” Fluttershy protested. “He wasn't there for Fritter at all!” She paused, and then tapped her chin, remembering. “Unless you count the time I saw him when I went back to visit my parents for their anniversary last year.” “What happened then?” Fluttershy bit her lower lip. “He kicked a hailstone at me,” she said. Twilight scowled. “So we hide Fritter,” Spike suggested. “It’s worked before.” Twilight shook her head. “The law also says that a noncustodial parent can’t be denied those rights. If we do that, he can sue for full custody; and he'll probably win.” “So he’s mooching,” Spike deadpanned. “Fluttershy and Mac do all the work and he plays with Fritter two Saturdays a month.” “Pretty much,” Twilight said. “So what can we do?” Twilight exhaled deeply. “Wait for next Saturday,” she said quietly. * * * Next Saturday came. It was a bright and cheery day; quite the opposite of how Fluttershy and Macintosh felt. Fluttershy paced uncontrollably; Macintosh kept grinding a hoof against the ground. Fritter held onto an apple, but he was only gumming it half-heartedly; even he could tell that something was wrong, but he was too young to know what. A flash of blue in the sky drew their attention. Skyblaze looped around in the air, not so subtly showing off his flying prowess before dropping to a gentle landing. He was wearing a foal-carrying saddlebag, emblazoned proudly with his family crest. “Good morning,” he said brightly as he strode forward. “I’ve come for my rightful visit.” Mac ground his teeth together. Skyblaze heard, and a little smirk crossed his face. He knew that Macintosh wanted to buck him halfway to Dodge Junction, but he couldn’t; and Mac knew that he knew. Skyblaze held all the cards this round, and both stallions knew it. Without even looking up to Fluttershy for permission, he reached down and scooped up Fritter. Fritter looked back at him and cocked his head, tiny wings spread for balance. Who was this strange pony? “Hey, little guy,” he said. Fritter frowned. Something was wrong, but he didn't know what; and now somepony new was holding him. Unsure, he looked back and reached for Macintosh. Skyblaze scowled and muttered something darkly under his breath as he pulled away a bit harder than necessary. Fluttershy darted in front of Skyblaze and glared at him, and Macintosh instinctively lifted a hoof to shield himself from the power of her Stare. “If you hurt one hair on his little head…” she threatened. Skyblaze chuckled dryly. “I wouldn’t. I would never hurt a foal, especially not one that might have my lineage. But it’s good to see a little of that old Warbringer fire again,” he said, patting her on the head. Macintosh imagined himself patting Skyblaze gently on the head. With a shovel. And Skyblaze was in a shallow hole somewhere on the edges of their property, not moving. And he wasn’t being gentle at all. He turned and walked away, and then looked back towards Fritter. “Come on, little warrior,” he said. “We’ve got lots of fun things to do!” He spread his wings and flew off, taking Fritter with him. The two parents watched him fly. Fluttershy winced as she heard Fritter begin to fuss. “Ah don’t like it,” Macintosh rumbled. Fluttershy neared and rested her head against his chest, trying to provide comfort that she herself didn’t feel. “Me neither,” she murmured. Then a wry smile crossed her face as she recognized a rainbow contrail, far off in the distance, chasing after the departing pegasus and darting into a cloud. “It’s not just us,” she said, pointing. * * * Fluttershy and Macintosh sat at the table in silence. Out of worry and needing something to do after completing all her daily chores, Fluttershy had made a light supper; but neither of them were particularly hungry. Mac toyed with a fork, and Fluttershy stared inside her cup of water, as if hoping that it could somehow show her their son. Both jumped as the door burst open. Rainbow Dash stomped in, looking quite put out. Fluttershy nearly knocked her chair over as she ran over to Rainbow. “How was it?” she asked. “Sickeningly sweet,” Rainbow spat, briefly casting a longing eye at the sandwiches on the table. “It’s like he was putting on a show. Taking him to see the ducks, taking him to the park, flying with him; it was…” She snorted in disgust. Her eyes flicked back over to the table before she continued. “I can sense a fake a mile away, and it’s all fake. Every last bit of it.” “He didn’t hurt him, though, right?” Fluttershy asked, almost pleadingly. “Nope,” Rainbow said. “I was there the whole time. He was a perfect little angel.” She snorted. “Caught me watching once. Asked if I wanted a picture.” “What did you say to that?” Rainbow Dash glanced back over at the table. “Nothing. I figured Fritter wasn't old enough yet to hear some of the words I wanted to say to him, so I just flew off and didn't say anything.” Mac cracked the barest of smiles. Rainbow smacked her hooves together. “Oh, what I'd give to wipe that smug grin off his face…” She hesitated, then pointed at the table. “Speaking of which, I didn't really get a chance to eat during the whole watching thing; you mind if I…?” Fluttershy waved a hoof in assent, and Rainbow Dash dropped into the nearest chair and grabbed a sandwich half. She shoved the whole thing in her mouth, and crumbs sprayed everywhere as she continued. “But yeah,” she continued, attacking a second half. “Fed and burped him and even bought him a nice little hat and everything.” “So where is he now?” Fluttershy asked. Rainbow wiped her lips with the back of her hoof. “Well, he's a dirtbag; but he's playing by the rules—do you mind?” She gestured towards Mac's cup, and he shook his head and slid it over with a hoof. Rainbow drained it and continued. “Visitation hours end at five, and it's almost five now, so I bet he's-” Sure enough, there came a knock at the door. “-here now,” Rainbow finished, shoving the rest of the sandwich into her mouth. “Fluttershy, these are delicious.” But Fluttershy didn’t hear; she was too busy rushing to the door and nearly tearing it off the hinges in her hurry to open it. Skyblaze stood there, looking calm and relaxed, his signature smile still on his face. Fritter stood on his back, sleepily resting his head on Skyblaze’s mane, wearing a little knit cap. “He's back, safe and sound, just like I promised,” Skyblaze grinned. Fluttershy flew over and, with the utmost tenderness, picked Fritter up and rolled him over, cradling him in her forelegs. Her movements were so gentle that Fritter didn’t even stir; rather, he relaxed even further in his mother’s forelegs. “Thank you,” Fluttershy said, the polite words slipping out. Skyblaze tipped an imaginary hat. “See? I’m not so bad once you get to know me.” Rainbow Dash gagged, loudly and demonstratively. Skyblaze ignored this. “See you next Saturday.” He spread his wings, a subtle gesture of showing off, before taking off with a powerful flap of his wings, now not-so-subtly showing off as he curled around the sky before flying away. Watching through the window, Rainbow snorted and swiped another sandwich. She looked up at Macintosh. “You aren’t cool with any of that, are you?” “Nope,” Macintosh confirmed bitterly. “There is one good thing about all this,” Fluttershy said, firmly determined to find the good in everything. “What?” Rainbow demanded. Fluttershy looked down at Fritter and gently adjusted the cap. “It really is a nice little hat.”
Interlude: Foalsitting“Are you sure you can handle him?” Fluttershy asked, wringing her hooves. “He can be a little bit of a hoofful at times...” “Yeah, we’ll be fine!” Rainbow said flippantly, holding Fritter above her in the air. “I mean, he’s almost three months old.” “Are you sure?” Fluttershy persisted. “He can’t even hover yet, and it’s not safe for him to go into the forest or anything like that,” she fretted. “Oh, maybe I should bring him with me…” “No,” Rainbow said firmly, pulling Fritter down and pushing Fluttershy back. “You need this break. We’ve all decided, and you’re going. Don’t make me get Applejack, she’ll drag you there herself. And besides, it’s just a lunch thing. You’ll be back in no time.” “All right,” Fluttershy said hesitantly, still unconvinced. “But promise me you won’t do anything silly while I’m gone, like try to teach him to fly.” “Scout’s honor,” Rainbow said with a salute. Fluttershy frowned. “Didn’t they ask you to leave when you got into the cookies you were supposed to try and sell?” she asked. “It was Gilda’s idea, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it,” Rainbow said firmly, if a bit quickly. Once Macintosh had pulled the little wagon away carrying his wife and a few of their possessions out of sight, Rainbow Dash pulled Fritter up off the ground and placed him on the counter. “Now, what’s the first thing you need to remember about flying?” she asked. Fritter cocked his head. “That it’s awesome!” Rainbow crowed. “And totally not silly and therefore I didn’t lie to your mother.” Fritter opened his mouth and made a sound that sounded vaguely like an affirmation. Rainbow squee’d. “Ooh, you are adorable!” Her eyes narrowed. “That never leaves this kitchen.” Fritter giggled and thrashed his forelegs. Rainbow flew slowly on her back. Fritter stood perched on her stomach, eyes crinkled, smile wide, and wings outstretched to catch the breeze. “See, you’ve got this,” Rainbow said excitedly. “Now just flap them a bit, get used to how that feels.” Fritter did, his tiny wings moving up and down far too slowly to keep himself aloft but enough that he could feel the breeze. His smile grew even wider, something Rainbow Dash hadn't thought possible. “Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow flipped over in surprise. “Cloud Chaser?” “Rainbow!” Cloud Chaser shouted, pointing down and looking horrified. Rainbow looked down to see Fritter falling, cartwheeling down through the air. “Oh, geez!” She tucked her wings in and dove, easily catching up to the baby pegasus. She scooped him up in her forelegs and held him up. “Don’t tell your mother,” she pleaded. Fritter laughed. Apparently, he’d enjoyed his little freefalling excursion. Rainbow looked up. “What is it, Chaser?” she asked irritably. “There’s been an accident at the Cloudsdale Weather Center,” she panted. “Long story short, clouds are coming in fast and strong. They need every weatherpony if we don’t want another flood!” “I’m a little busy,” Rainbow said, hefting Fritter demonstratively. He wiggled his forelegs, enjoying the little ride. Cloud Chaser couldn’t suppress a little “d’aww,” but then quickly serioused back up. “We have to get all the stray clouds into the Everfree or all of Los Pegasus is going to be underwater!” Rainbow exhaled. “Can’t it wait?” she asked hopefully. “No, it can’t. They’ve declared it a class three emergency, and that means you kindof have to be there so we can start,” Cloud Chaser pointed out. Rainbow sighed sharply this time. Stupid pegasi militaristic structure… “Yeah, fine; but I can’t exactly bring Fritter here along for the ride.” Cloud Chaser winced. “I’m sure you’ll think of something!” “I’d better,” Rainbow muttered. Cloud Chaser flew off to go rally more troops, and Rainbow paused, thinking to herself. “Who else does Fluttershy trust in this town?” Rainbow pushed the cloud at an angle, tweaking it as it left her hooves and spinning it away from herself. Raindrops spun her own cloud in the opposite direction, and pushed it towards Rainbow’s. The two collided, and their momentums cancelled each other out. Both clouds disintegrated into smaller, much more manageable chunks. Rainbow pumped a hoof in celebration. Worked every time. “Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow jumped. She looked back down, where she saw two very familiar ponies. “Oh, hey, Fluttershy,” she said, completely not nervously at all. “Y- you’re back early.” Fluttershy flew up. “I heard the news and…” Her eyes narrowed as she noticed a distinct lack of little pegasus. “Where’s Fritter?” she demanded. “I couldn’t bring him along, so I left him back in Ponyville. He’s in good hooves.” Rainbow Dash paused. “At least, I’m pretty sure they’re good hooves, anyway. I’ve never actually... ” “Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy growled, making Rainbow shiver. “Where is he?” Fluttershy sprinted up to the spa door reading ‘Staff Only’, skidded to a stop, and gently pushed it open. Her wing flared outwards in surprise at what she saw. Aloe was pressing Lotus down to the ground with a rear hoof, and triumphantly held Lotus’s tail firmly in her mouth. Lotus, for her part, was angrily struggling to get any advantage she could, and her perfectly hooficured hooves scrabbled for purchase against the smooth tile. “I am oldest sister! I get first turn for cuddles!” she snarled. Aloe released her tail to respond. “By three minutes!” she spat. “Years later we are still having this discussion?” “Is not what you said last time when stallion-” Aloe flushed bright red. “Is because is completely different!” “Excuse me!” Both froze at Fluttershy’s voice. They looked up, and, recognizing a client, quickly got to their hooves and readjusted their manes and headbands to appear professional, even going so far as to tilt their heads simultaneously and put on their most welcoming of smiles. Of course, as both mares’ coats were messy, Lotus’s tail somewhat resembled a moist rat’s nest, and Aloe’s headband was ripped and half of her mane fell down to cover one eye as she held that smile, that illusion was quickly shattered. But it was a valiant attempt nonetheless. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Fritter around, have you?” Fluttershy asked, somewhere between a plea and a demand. Both mares pointed over to another room. Fluttershy quickly rushed over and opened the doors, unsure of what to expect. She found Fritter wrapped in a warm towel and sleeping soundly on the massage table. It had been dismantled and placed on the ground, and the legs had been replaced to act as walls for the makeshift crib. Soft music played on the phonograph, and he looked quite comfortable. Fluttershy was impressed; it was usually hard for anypony but her to get him to sleep. The sound of the door opening roused him, and he sat up and turned. Recognizing his mother, he let out a joyful babble and reached out for her. Her worry now completely gone, Fluttershy scooped him up and held him close. “Oh, little Fritter,” she murmured, “I am never leaving you alone again.” A small noise made her look up. Aloe and Lotus stood, one on each side of the door, looking in longingly. Fluttershy sighed, relenting as a small smile played at the edges of her lips. “Yes, you can hold him,” she said. Both grown mares squee’d. And, of course, under Fluttershy’s eye, there was no more bickering. Author's Note Just a couple of interludes because it's been about a month since any update. The return to the actual storyline will come soon.
