Midwife Crisis

Chapters

Conception
Cleavage
Morula
Blastula
Embryo
Interlude with Luna
Somites
Family
Family (Part 2)
Family (Part 3)
Gastrulation
The End

Conception

The soft patter of rain off her roof helped Fluttershy relax on her chair by the fireplace. She loved the rain, provided there was no thunder to go with it. A long night of cowering underneath her bed was not something she looked forward to. Sitting relaxed in front of her fire place with a cup of tea was definitely preferred by the yellow pegasus. It was late in the evening and all of her animal friends were sound asleep from a long day or just waking up to start their nighttime lives. Fluttershy felt so peaceful, she began to nod off right in her chair.

The knock on the door caused her to dump tea all over her blanket and almost let out an interesting curse she had heard Rainbow Dash once use. She stopped with a squeak and gathered her tea-stained blanket around herself as she crept to the door. Though the window, Fluttershy could see that a pegasus was standing out there, soaked in rain, with an overstuffed mailbag on her flank. The pony outside knocked again and hollered something that was drowned out by the rain and the thick wood of the door. The voice did sound vaguely similar though, so the timid pink-haired pony slowly cracked open the door, "U-uhm, hello?"

Standing before her in the rain, soaked to the hoof, was Derpy. Her face bore a small welt above her left eye and it was easy for Fluttershy to tell the difference between tears and rain flowing down the other pegasus' face, "Hi, Miss Shy..." she said between sniffles.

"Oh oh my goodness, Derpy Hooves? What happened to you? Quickly come inside out of the rain! I'll get you a few towels to dry off!" the yellow mare exclaimed, moving with near-Pinkie speed to her linen closet and retrieving several towels which she and Derpy used to dry the grey-coated pegasus off.

"I-I just... didn't know where else to go. You were so friendly when I helped you with the chicken coop..." Derpy said, tears still streaming down her face.

"It's okay, um, miss Hooves, just... Oh dear, let me look at that welt, you're so cold! Here, have another blanket and some tea."

The crying mare accepted the blanket and tea, watering it down slightly with a few tear drops before taking a sip, warming up slowly from the cold rain, "I'll be fine, it's my own fault really, I ran into the door frame again... when I left..."

"Left? Left where?" Fluttershy asked before she caught a glance into the mail bag that had been dropped to the floor during the drying process. It was stuffed to almost bursting with Derpy's mailmare uniform, other clothes she'd never seen the other pegasus wearing, and various toiletries, along with a curious white plastic device that had a blue cross on it, "Oh, you left your house? D-did something happen?"

Her guest's yellow eyes slowly drifted down and away from each other as she started sobbing with renewed vigor, "H-he kicked m-me out! I'm ha-having h-his f-f-f-f-foal and he k-kicked me o-out! S-said it was my own fault... I w-was so clumsy I m-must've done something w-wrong and g-gotten p-p-pregnant..."

"O-oh my, that's terrible! How could a colt do something like that!?" Fluttershy exclaimed and hugged Derpy tight, "Don't worry, Miss H-... Don't worry, Derpy, you can stay here as long as you need. If, um, that's okay with you... I can, um, also help make sure the foal, um, grows right..."

"Y-you would let me stay here?" she asked, receiving a shy nod immediately, "Oh, thank you Miss Fluttershy, you don't know what this means to me..."

"You'll be fine, um, Derpy. I'll take care of everything..."

Fluttershy continued to hug Derpy until she began to hear a light snoring near her ear. The poor, exhausted, frightened mare had finally succumbed and fallen asleep in the blanket. The yellow mare moved the tea away and lay her down on some quickly acquired cushions so her new housemate wouldn't be sleeping on the floor. Pulling up more cushions, she lay down nearby, to keep a close watch through the rest of the night.

Cleavage

Chapter 2

Cleavage: The first days and weeks after conception

Derpy slowly opened her eyes, taking a moment to focus on her surroundings with great difficulty. Without her glasses, which were currently lost, it took her some time to identify what was a single object and what was the ghosts around it. She hadn't lied, the wound was from the door frame she had run into as she fled in tears from her violently drunk coltfriend.

She searched out the source of a commotion and spotted a pink and yellow blur running around the house before noticing a muffin and a glass of juice sitting next to her. Feeling absolutely parched after crying for hours while she wandered around looking for somewhere to stay, she grabbed the juice glass and drank it quickly.

"UmifyouwantmorejuiceitsinthekitchenI'msorryIcan'tchatIwokeuplateandhavesomanyanimalstohelp!" Fluttershy said in a single breath as she rushed through the house in a mad dash to make sure every animal was fed, woken up if needed, and to make sure the Cutie Mark Crusaders hadn't released anything into the wild while she slept. Derpy simply blinked and slowly got to her hooves, looking around blearily for her quickly thrown together bag of necessities.

Finding it, the blonde maned pegasus dragged slowly around the house until she found the bathroom and began to rummage for her toothbrush. She found her manebrush, a toilet brush, and even a crusted over mascara brush, but her toothbrush was missing. She felt a sob leave her throat as she looked again at the pregnancy test. Sparkler and Dinky were the best things that had happened to her, and this was going to be a happy time. Her coltfriend had even mentioned wanting to have a foal someday. Apparently "someday" was not with her and not any time soon.

Her usual morning friend suddenly caught up to her and she clutched the toilet bowl for dear life.

* * *

Underneath the bathroom window, Fluttershy heard the unfortunate sounds emerging and sighed. She was almost finished with the animals, then should could try and deal with this situation. She wracked her brain for somepony to call for help and could only locate a few sparse memories of a sister and daughters. Thinking harder as she made for the chicken coop to lay out the morning feed corn, she found the name of the sister in the back of her mind. Ditzy Doo. Finally finishing with her morning chores, the yellow-coated mare smiled and made her way back inside. Shy approached the bathroom softly and knocked lightly on the door, "Um, Do you, uh, need anything? At all?"

"Just a toothbrush... I *hic* left mine..." came the depressed reply through the door.

"Oh, if that's all, I keep spares on the bottom shelf next to the door. There should be a bunch!"

A few thumps and thuds were heard, followed by water running and a mouth-filled "Fhanks, I fou 'em," Derpy said at last.

Fluttershy smiled softly and went to the table to pen a message to Ditzy Doo, hoping that one of her pigeon friends would be able to find the pegasus soon. As she finished tying the message to the birds leg, thanking her profusely, Derpy finally emerged from the bathroom. The poor mare still looked exhausted, as if she hadn't slept well in weeks. She produced another pitcher of juice and some more muffins and set them on the table, "Sit down and eat something, um, if you want."

"Thanks... I'm just... I don't know..."

"It can be hard... but I'm not a psychologist... I can help with the baby, but..."

"It's okay, Fluttershy... I'll be okay... It's not the first time it's happened after all!" Derpy said with a smile that simply made her sad face look even sadder.

"Oh, um, I'm sorry to hear that... I'll be, uh, heading into town soon if you need anything?" Fluttershy asked, in hopes there would be something she could pick up in the market in Ponyville to help cheer up the poor mare.

"No, no, I'll be fine... It's my day off so I'll just... mope around here for a while."

"Oh... Okay. Um, I'll bring you something from Sugar Cube Corner," Shy nodded, standing up and walking past Derpy towards the front door. As she passed, Derpy reached out with her forelegs and pulled the surprised mare into a hug. She squeaked and squirmed, then hugged back, a little nervous.

"Thank you, Fluttershy... for everything..." the other mare said, breaking the hug and wiping one of her eyes before reaching out for a muffin, "Breakfast never hurt anypony, right?" she asked, managing a silly grin as she bit into the muffin.

"Right... I'll be back in a little while, Derpy. Make yourself at home," Fluttershy said, moving to the door and exiting carefully. As soon as she felt she was out of sight, she took off at a full gallop towards town and Twilight's library, "OOoooh, I hope Twilight knows what to do..." she whispered to herself as she ran.

* * *

Thanks for sticking through Chapter 2, everypony. Constructive criticism is appreciated!

Morula

Chapter 3: Morula
A solid ball of cells, usually on day 4 of pregnancy
in which is also revealed the name of the horrible horrible ex-coltfriend

Derpy's wings fluttered lightly as she worked her way through her mailbag, tossing random items into random places while she searched for the most important item she packed. The mare grew increasingly worried, until she finally spotted the small argyle handkerchief that she was looking for. Extracting it carefully, she placed it on the table and gingerly removed the object inside. Placing the object on the table, she pushed out the brace on the back and set it facing the couch. Sitting there, she placed her muzzle up against the front and planted a kiss on the glass. Tears dripped down her cheeks slightly as she gazed fondly at the picture in the small frame on the table.

The picture filled her with fond feelings. She was there, standing in the middle, one eye looking down, the other off to the right. Beneath her, where the eye was focused, was her youngest foal. Dinky, her precious muffin, smiling happily and looking up at her. Next to Dinky stood Sparkler, Derpy's oldest. Her mane was hiding part of her face as the foal looked at her mom. Flying above the happy family was Derpy's closest friend, and her only sister, Ditzy. Her parents had taken the picture just before she'd moved to Ponyville to take the job delivering mail.

A long, slow sigh escaped the gray mare's mouth as she stared longingly at the picture. She desperately missed her family, her precious muffin, "Oh, Muffin... I hope you get back from camp soon..." she whispered softly. Dinky and Sparkler had gone off to spend the summer at camp and with their father. He was a fine unicorn, but the marriage had been a sham. Soon after they'd had Dinky together, she caught him with his "best friend" doing things that just last night she had been doing with him. She didn't really hold anything against him for being a colt-cuddler. After all, she'd done her fair share of filly-fooling in flight school. They'd remained great friends, exchanging letters and pictures of their fillies. He'd gone on to host a grand stage show called "The Birdcage," which she thought was a story about, well, a bird. She was happy for him, even though she missed him terribly. Thinking about it, she missed him as much as she missed her daughters.

"Oh well," she sighed, laying back and staring up at Fluttershy's ceiling, "At least he's nicer to me than Cracker Barrel... I just don't know what I saw in that colt..." she whispered to no one in particular, unconsciously running a hoof over a well hidden scar on her chest where he'd accidentally hit her with a broken bottle after a particularly long night of drinking. Well, she thought it was accidental at the time. She didn't want to admit that he'd been... not the greatest pony she'd every been with. He'd started out sweeter than a sugar cube, but soon, it got bad.

The night before she left, he'd screamed that she was "a useless, wall-eyed, nag," and made some unkind comments toward her parentage. Everypony thought she was stupid, because her eyes wandered and she was a bit scatterbrained from the unfortunate consequences of running into things all the time, but she understood a lot of what ponies called her. Another low sigh fled her body before she shook her head. This line of thinking wasn't helping at all. She had to cheer up if she was going to help Fluttershy around the house in exchange for a place to sleep. Plus, she had work tomorrow and everypony would miss that smile. That smile that Ol' Witherby called "The sweetest smile that's not Pinkie Pie's." Just thinking about that lifted her spirits a little.

Derpy blew a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and stood up, moving back over to her bag and continuing to root and sort through it until she'd gotten several piles organized. Essentials, clothes for fancy time, a couple random bits of items that she picked up over the years and the small box of gifts that her foals had given her. She kept all of them, no matter what.

Looking through, she found the first thing Dinky had ever given her, a small Daffodil. Derpy had taken it and dried it out so it would stay with her for as long as possible, even pressing it between two clear pieces of glass to protect it. Sparkler’s first gift, a piece of clover, was sitting right nearby. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she continued to look through her box of treasures. Nothing in it would be considered valuable by anypony other than her. To the pegasus nearly crying again, it was worth more bits than anyone in the world could possibly have.

It wasn’t long before she was startled by Fluttershy returning home. The door opened softly and the yellow pegasus leaned down to slide her saddlebag off, “Oh my, that’s heavy,” she said, looking tired.

“Hello, Fluttershy!” Derpy said with a smile and waved a hoof.

The poor mare was completely surprised, flipping over onto her back and freezing up with a bleat not unlike that of a goat. Her legs eventually let her move them again and she got back to her feet to the giggling of her guest.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you,” she said apologetically, standing up to help her host with her package.

“Oh it’s not your fault,” the pink-haired mare said, before looking around her house. The entire front room was covered with random items. Clothes mostly, but it was absolutely everywhere, “Oh my... Oh my... Derpy, what did you do? The whole place is a mess.”

“It is?” the other mare asked, looking around, eyes going every which way, “I thought it was perfectly organized!”

“It isn’t... It’s a horrible mess!” Fluttershy gasped before taking a deep breath, before calming herself visibly, “It’s alright, I’ll get you set up in the guest room, there’s plenty of room for your stuff there.”

“Thank you again for letting me stay, Fluttershy,” Derpy smiled, placing her forelegs around the other mare’s neck and giving her a warm hug.

Were she able to see her cheeks, she would have noticed that the mare in her embrace was blushing enough that her cheeks now matched her mane, “You’re... You’re very welcome, Derpy...”

Derpy let go and turned to start gathering up her stuff, “I’m really sorry about making a mess, Fluttershy. I guess I just don’t know what I’m doing sometimes,” she said with a smile.

“It’s alright, um... Is Derpy your real name? I feel a little bad calling you that now that I think of it.”

The grey mare smiled, “Oh, you’re the first one to ask me that. My name is Dephina Doo... Derpy is just fine though, my sister gave me the nickname.”

“Oh, okay, Derpy...” Fluttershy smiled back, before realizing what time it was, “Oh my! Are you hungry? I could make lunch, that is, if you want...”

“I’d love that! I’ll put my things in the other room then.”

Fluttershy smiled at her and vanished into the kitchen, leaving Derpy to pick up her clothes, stuff them back into the mailbag, and start taking everything into the other room. As she was stuffing one of her favorite shirts into a drawer, there was a knock at the door. She knew from other chats while delivering the mail that Fluttershy didn’t often get visitors. Muffled voices were filtering through the door. Although she couldn’t catch much, it was obvious the other pony was a mare, and was very, very angry about something. Derpy gulped and opened the door, looking down the hallway that lead to the entry.

Her mouth dropped open in a gasp. “YOU!”

* * *

Thanks for all the feedback and everything everypony. Don’t worry, Cracker Barrel will get what’s coming to him eventually. I tried to make this a little longer and had ThreeVolt proofread so hopefully there’s less issues.

Blastula

Chapter 4: Blastula

Fluttershy smiled and opened the door, looking out to see a familiar shade of grey, "Ditzy! You made it!" she said, opening the door fully to let the other mare in.

"I came as soon as I could, Fluttershy, is my sister okay?" the new arrival asked, worry etched across her features, amber eyes focused intently on her old friend's face. Ditzy always worried heavily about her younger sister. Younger by 30 seconds, but she was still the older of the two, and hadn't had the propensity for head trauma while learning to fly, instead managing to land on her legs or side and not her face.

"She seems to be cheering up a little. I just thought she should have some family around right now. I'm not the best at dealing with other ponies..." the yellow pegasus replied, hiding her blushing face behind her mane, "I asked Twilight, but after Rainbow's accident... She's so busy."

"I heard about that, is there any chance she'll see again?"

Fluttershy shook her head and started to respond when the door to the guest room swung open and she heard her house guest shout, "YOU!" down the hall. The poor mare made a soft squeak and hid behind Ditzy from surprise. For her part, Ditzy turned toward her sister and smiled widely.

"Derpy! I'm so glad to see you're alright!" she exclaimed, blonde mane bouncing as she ran toward her sister.

"Deedee! Oh, I'm so happy to see you," her twin replied, surging forward until they collided in a tangle of limbs and tails, hugging each other tight as only sisters can.

Fluttershy took a deep breath and sighed, thanking Celestia that it was a happy cry and not an angry one. It seemed calling Derpy's twin sister had been a good idea. She looked at the two as they stood up and returned to the main area of her small cottage, "So, um, Ditzy, would you like to stay for lunch? I was about to make some for Derpy and I, but I can make some for you too, that is, if it's alright..."

"I'd love to, Fluttershy. I need to have a long talk with my sister anyway," Ditzy said, smiling between the two. The three quickly adjourned to the small combination kitchen and dining area that Fluttershy didn't actually use as much as she should, tending to eat out or just munch on some of the fresh veggies she kept around for her animals.

It took some rummaging, but the pink-haired mare finally managed to find enough stuff to put together a decent lunch for the three of them. Soft daisy sandwiches, some fried potatoes, and a few freshly cut cucumbers with just a pinch of salt and pepper were soon laid out on the table. As the mare took her seat across from the twins, she finally noticed just how much those two were alike. Their manes laid the same way along their neck, their feathers were the same length and shade of grey. Even their cutie marks were the same. How that happened, she just had to know, but to broach the subject she would have to admit that she'd been staring at their flanks. A blush spread over her cheeks as she nibbled softly on her sandwich.

"Um... How did you two end up with the same cutie mark? If you don't mind my asking, you don't have to answer if you don't want to..." she said in barely more than a whisper.

Ditzy tilted her head and smiled, while Derpy mirrored the action, save for her wandering amber eyes. The younger mare blushed slightly as well, before looking at Ditzy and nodding, "You tell it better, sis."

"Darn tootin I do, Derps," she said with a smile and quickly took a few drinks of the juice that was offered, "Well, back when were just fillies in flight school, we had a lesson in cloud formation. It turned out we were both naturals for making and reading the puffs used for long distance communication so, we got out cutie marks. I'm the interpreter in Cloudsdale, and Derpy's the interpreter here."

Her sister nodded, "Even with my eyes like this, I can still see way far away."

"Oh, that's good. So, why do you do the mail then?" Fluttershy asked, still confused.

"Well they don't send messages that way every day, silly! I have to get paid somehow," Derpy replied, smiling.

Fluttershy shook her head softly and giggled a little at the two as they bumped noses. Her mind wandered back to her own foalhood. Other than the day she got her cutie mark, there weren't really any other happy memories surrounding flight school. Well, other than that one night they camped out near the Everfree Forest. Thinking about that, she blushed a little more, and wondered if Derpy remembered.

A storm had come up out of nowhere and Fluttershy had nearly panicked enough to fly straight back to Cloudsdale. She was sharing a tent with both of the Doo sisters and her whimpering must have woken up Derpy because she offered to cuddle. She had never felt so warm and safe outside of her mother's hooves. Something unknown was tickling deep at her heart that night as well. A look across the table revealed that the other two pegasi were staring at her with small grins and a little bit of confusion.

Derpy was the first to speak up, "You okay, Shy? You drifted off like one of my eyes for a bit there."

Her blush only got deeper, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking about... Well, it was... Um... It's... I should... Oh my..."

Ditzy giggled, "Mind wandered pretty far, then. Well, Derpy, I just came by to make sure you were going to be okay. I sent a message along to Sparkler and Dinky, so they know to come here when they're done with summer vacation. Are you going to be alright?"

Derpy nodded and then scooted over to put a foreleg around Fluttershy's shoulders, who only tried to sink further into her seat, "I'll be fine, Deedee. I have Fluttershy to take care of me. We'll be fine, right?" she asked, turning her amber eyes to the yellow pegasus trying desperately to become invisible.

Fluttershy could only sort of squeal and whimper before nodding. In a whisper that could be easily overpowered by a pin dropping, the mare gave her answer, "I... I am the town midwife a-after all..."

"Then it's settled! I'll be sure to drop by regularly to make sure you're taking good care of my sister, okay?" Ditzy laughed and gave Fluttershy a wink.

Could she know? Was the huge blush and shrinking that much of a clue? She certainly hoped not as she nodded her agreement and stood to see them to the door, "Oh, I just don't know where the fillies will stay... I only have the one guest bedroom..."

Derpy smiled again, eyes tracking the two other mares seperately, "We'll make do! See you again soon, sis?"

"As soon as I can!" Ditzy said with another huge smile before beating her wings a few times and taking off back towards Cloudsdale.

Derpy put her forelegs around Fluttershy in a hug again, "Thanks for letting her know, Fluttershy. I needed that."

"Y-you're welcome, Derpy..." the yellow mare replied, returning the hug. That odd tickle at the bottom of her heart showed up again as she breathed in the scent of the mare in her arms. Soft, slightly vanilla, with a distinct breeze of fresh air. This moment was great, and she hoped it would not end. Like all good things, it did far too soon, "I h-have to take care of the animals. Would you like to help, if you don't mind, I mean, I can do it myself and all but, another pair of hooves is always a help if you have time..."

Derpy smiled that wonderful smile of hers, and Fluttershy's heart jumped a bit, "Sure thing! Just tell me what to do."

"Oh thank you so so much. It will go so much faster with the two of us."

With that, the two mares left the house and moved into the back yard to clean and feed all the animals that Fluttershy had living in the area. Far above them, hiding behind a cloud, was Ditzy. She looked down at the pair and smiled.

"Fluttershy will treat you right, sis... I know it," she said to no one in particular before finally winging her way back towards home.

Embryo

Chapter 6: Embryo
I'm starting to run out of technical terms here...

The two mares remained locked in a kiss that seemed like it would never end. Neither of them wanted it to. Derpy raised her forelegs and wrapped them around Fluttershy's neck, pulling the other pegasus down next to her. During the slight tumble, the kiss was broken, but they remained locked together in a hug upon the grass. Words didn't need to be said yet. The moment was all that mattered. The crickets that had willingly bowed out for Fluttershy's performance began to play their own songs of the night once again as Derpy finally broke the silence.

"That was a very nice song, Shy... The kiss was nice too," she said with a smile.

Fluttershy squirmed a little, trying to form a coherent thought. For a few moments all that came out was stuttering. The smile on Derpy's lips grew wider while the yellow pegasus worked her way towards a sentence, "I, um, I'm glad you liked it. I didn't... Didn't know if you would or not... but I had to..."

"It's okay, Shy," the amber-eyed mare shushed, running a hoof through her companion's mane, "Not a lot of ponies have ever done that to me... and every one that has, that has felt like this one did... Well, they're very rare."

"I've... um, never actually done that before..."

Derpy giggled rolled onto her back, looking up at the stars that Luna had painted the night with. Her mind went a thousand places at once, as usual, but this time every single place was centered on one significant fact: Fluttershy had worked up the nerve to kiss her, and it felt nice. Where did it all go from here? Each of the thousand thoughts in her head offered a different opportunity for success or failure. Shaking her mane out and turning back to face the other mare at last, she smiled again, then yawned suddenly, "Oh, I guess I'm really tired... I wanted to lay out here all night."

"Oh, but you could catch a cold! That wouldn't be good at all! Come on, let's get you to bed, then," the other pegasus blurted out, helping her friend to her feet and making for the house, " You have to keep up your health you know. The foal needs its mom healthy."

The grey mare smiled and giggled softly. Fluttershy had gone right back into caregiver mode without a second thought. It was sweet of her to worry, but sometimes she worried a bit too much. So much stress wasn't healthy. At least the spa visits to which she regularly vanished off with Rarity seemed to help her unwind. Maybe there was something this bubble-headed blonde could do to help. A few dozen thoughts raced through her mind and she shook them out before they could take root, turning her head to avoid staring directly at her companion's flank. It was a very nice flank though, she had to admit. She shook her head again and cleared her throat as they entered the house.

"Well, Derpy, you get to bed. I should too; it's much later than usual for me to be getting done practice..."

"Okay, Shy. Sleep well. We can talk in the morning. Let's go to that café over by Sugarcube Corner. My treat?"

"That, um, that sounds wonderful. I look forward to it," the pink-haired mare replied with a shy smile before retreating in the direction of her bedroom.

Derpy made her way back to her own room, flopping onto the pillows and willing her brain to shut the hay up so she could get back to sleep. It was always loud this time of night. Her thoughts always were swirling around like a never-ending whirlpool. Things to do, things done, regrets, hopes, failures, all of it. Tonight though, it was worry about the future, and the replay of her former coltfriend kicking her out. It didn't take long for the tears to start again. It did, however, take a very long time to cry herself to sleep.

The morning came far too quickly, interrupting Fluttershy's happy dreams. For Derpy, it meant not enough sleep to deal with everything her brain was throwing at her. She put on her usual happy face for her hostess and gave her a soft nuzzle before joining her in the morning chores. The work went slightly slower than usual today, owing to the fact that they spent more time close together than they did actually doing what they needed to.

Finishing their chores, they wandered into town to seek out the café Derpy had mentioned last night. It was not hard to find. Placed just a few doors down from Sugarcube Corner and proudly offering the Cake's famous baked goods in addition to several dishes of their own, Café's Café was packed. The line for the counter was out the door and ponies were chattering happily as they waited. The two mares waited for a few minutes before an outdoor table finally opened up for them to sit at. No sooner had they set their haunches on the provided seats did a stallion approach the pair.

"Good Morning, ladies, I'm Café Creamer and this is my ... no longer humble establishment. Had I known the new blend and offering the Cake's baked goods would be this good for business I would have expanded sooner. Our special today is an egg, daisy, and chrysanthemum panini with a chipotle mayo and a side of hay fries. Our recommended blend is the Zebran Breakfast Blend," he said all while placing menus and a fresh floral display in the center of the table, "I'll be back in just a few minutes to take your order. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the menu and nibble on the floral display if you need a bit of an appetizer."

Derpy smiled and looked back to Fluttershy after trying to take in everything he said. His mouth seemed to be moving faster than Rainbow Dash with a tailwind, "Did you catch anything he said?"

Fluttershy blinked and hid behind her mane, "Oh, um, he said they have a special and he'll be back after we've had a chance to look over the menu..."

Derpy nodded and picked up the menu, taking a look to see what this place offered. None of it could taste as good as that kiss from last night, she thought while trying to decide how best to vanquish the grumbling monster that her stomach became when she was hungry. A stack of flapjacks sounded perfect, with fresh apple syrup from the Apple family farm. Having decided, she put her menu down and looked across at her companion. She found that her eyes were able to focus on the other pegasus for a longer time than most other things she looked at.

The yellow mare hid behind her menu while she waited for the owner to return. She wasn't sure how to act on a date, after all. Wanting three things at once was difficult for the shy filly. She wanted to hide, to reach across the table and kiss Derpy, and to just eat like a normal lunch with a friend. Luckily her reverie was broken by the return of the coffee-brown stallion.

"Well, ladies? What will it be?"

One amber eye trailed over to their host, "I'll have a stack of the flapjacks, please. Oh! And your new blend!"

Looking across at her love, Fluttershy whispered her order, "I'll have the special please, with the recommended blend..."

"Right you are, ladies, I'll be back when it's ready!"

Derpy smiled at him again and watched him push his way through the line to return inside. Turning back toward her friend, she spotted a familiar face approaching the table. It was not a pretty sight, "Oh no... Oh why is he here..." she said, starting to tear up.

Fluttershy turned around and spotted him in an instant. Pale yellow coat, golden brown mane, cutie mark of a barrel and baking pan, "Him..." she said, barely above a whisper.

The colt approached, ignoring Fluttershy and coming to stand, wobbly, near Derpy, "Derpy, baby... I been lookin' everywhere fer you... I miss ya baby... I'm sorry bout what I said... but if you get rid of the foal you can come back home."

"E-excuse me..." Fluttershy whispered. The colt didn't respond and kept rambling to Derpy about things she'd done wrong, things she'd done almost right, and ways she could improve. It was obvious he was completely drunk despite Celestia raising the sun only a few hours ago, "Excuse me?" she asked again.

Her grey-coated companion was in tears and the crowded line was starting to quiet down and stare at the spectacle that was forming. The nerve she had found briefly last night flared back into life as she slammed her hooves on the table and glared at the colt, "Excuse me!?"

The stallion turned and regarded the mare in front of him with a drunk wobble, "Hey pretty lady, I'm Cracker Barrel... Derpy never told me she could bring friends," he said with a slur and an obvious wink.

Fluttershy locked eyes with him and stared, burrowing deep into his soul, "What do you think you're doing, picking on a lovely mare like Derpy like that? She has been nothing but the greatest pony while she's been staying with me and you have the gall to tell her to get rid of the foal that you fathered? I have half a mind to kick your flank all the way back to whatever gutter from which you crawled!"

Cracker tried to swell up and yell back, but for that stare. Those eyes burrowing into him sobered him up far more than a strong cup of coffee or a week off the sauce ever could. He had never backed down in a fight, let alone a shouting match with a mere mare, especially a "hollow-boned pegasus." His legs started shaking without his approval and he could feel a shudder go up his spine as her litany against him continued. The stallion didn't even hear words anymore, all his senses were dead save for his eyes, which were unable to do anything but focus on that stare. One by one his legs gave out until he was on the ground, looking up at the yellow demon who must have taken his very soul with those eyes.

He slowly lost the capacity for rational thought, logic turning out the lights behind him as he left. Reason and Dignity were waiting for him and the three made for the hills with nary a look back. Panic took the opportunity to sneak in and work his magic on the stallion's brain. The evil yellow demon finally stopped talking, pointing one hoof off to her right. The quivering pile of pony formerly known as Cracker Barrel gulped and fled in that direction, no one quite sure if he would ever stop.

Fluttershy was breathing heavily as she calmed down and sat back on her haunches. She quickly noticed everypony staring at her and immediately hid underneath the table. This action didn't really help; the table was quite high enough and lacked a tablecloth to sufficiently hide her. A pair of hooves started clapping, followed shortly by more and more from the rest of the observing crowd. Derpy found her way under the table, tear-streaked cheeks holding a smile as she kissed her savior fully on the lips in front of everypony. The blonde-maned pegasus helped her friend up and hugged her tightly.

"Fluttershy... That was terrifying and awesome and everything all at once. I love you, Shy," Derpy said, blinking away more tears into the pink mane of her companion.

"I, um, I just wanted... He shouldn't have said... I... I love you too, Derpy..." the other mare stuttered out slowly. The clapping stopped and the two sat back down, looking at each other with wet eyes and soft smiles.

"Well, I have to say that is the most interesting thing to ever happen in my café, sweeties. Here you are, on the house," Café said, setting their meals down in front of them with his magic before smiling, "If you two sweethearts need anything else, just let me know."

The two looked to the stallion and then back to each other. Fluttershy blushed heavily and tried to hide her face with her panini while Derpy just smiled happily and dug into her flapjacks. Café retreated back into his shop and slipped behind the counter. He smiled and looked a little dazed until somepony smacked the back of his head with an empty coffee bag. He shook his mane and looked for his attacker, "Who dares?!"

"You gonna sit there looking stupid all day or are you gonna help me catch up on these orders?" the other pony said, holding the empty bag in his magic while glancing at the bean roaster next to him.

"Sorry hun, just reminiscing," he said and gave the other stallion a kiss on the cheek before bagging some bagels and setting a pot of coffee up to brew.

The other stallion simply rolled his eyes and went back to work, muttering something about sappy coltcuddling moron.

Sweet Celestia! This chapter is almost twice as long as the last one! Hope everyone enjoyed seeing Cracker Barrel get The Stare(tm)

Interlude with Luna

Just a brief Interlude with everypony's favorite princess.

Luna took a deep breath of the clear night air as she finished raising the moon. Every night since she had returned to her job, her moonrise was heralded with the clear notes of an expert flutist. It had taken her several months of research and sneaking around in the dark of night, but the princess of the moon finally found the player.

As much as raising the moon was a chore, now it had become a pleasure for her to do so with Fluttershy's wonderful songs keeping her company in the early night. The music has also helped rekindle her own love of song and sound and she had been an extremely generous, if anonymous, donor to the performing arts since. Every week she looked at the schedule of upcoming performances and hoped to see one particular pegasus on the docket. Every week she was disappointed that she could not see that expert musician play in a setting where she could be lauded.

The princess shook her head as she adjourned to her halls, considering that perhaps a performance in front of hundreds of ponies would be a little much for the shy mare. A knock at her door roused her from the reverie of replaying tonight's performance in her mind, "Thou mayest enter," she spoke loudly enough to be heard, but not quite as loud as the royal canterlot voice demanded. Her sister was such a light sleeper after all.

"Lulu, it's just me," replied the guest, opening the door carefully and entering with all the grace expected of the Princess of the Sun. While Luna had put most of the jealousy of her sister behind her, she still felt a small pang of envy at her gorgeous elder's figure. Tall, graceful, and lithe with powerful muscles and a tight flank, she was the definition of a goddess for the mortal ponies. Luna was more studious, spending most of her night studying quietly in the library, reviewing laws and making changes to royal policies as needed to update them for the modern age as she learned about the changes from her thousand year detention.

"Lessa! Should you not be in your chambers asleep, sister?"

"Oh, I always stay up to hear the Element of Kindness play. She is truly an expert."

"She is that. It is unfortunate she is so shy. I would love to see her perform in the royal hall," Luna sighed, looking out her window as she took a seat by her desk, noticing the stack of paperwork that had built up during the day. Taking the top sheet in hoof while she placed her glasses on with her magic, she sighed again, glaring at an impenetrable tangle of numbers that would take most of the night to decode, "Honestly, Lessa, must all these accountants write so small?"

Her sister giggled, a light sound like a bell, "Well, they said that the cost of parchment for scrolls was increasing, so they limit their use of it to a single page per month per ledger, no matter what. I can't wait to see your reaction to the Discord Repair ledger... It should be about 900 sheets long, but is still one... I sometimes wonder how they manage to write that small that legibly without unicorn magic.

Taking her glasses back off and running a hoof over each eye, Luna looked back over to her sister, "So, how do we bring that pegasus out of her shell and into the spotlight, Sister-mine?"

"Lulu, that mare would probably die before she even set foot on the stage. I suggest we enjoy the show each night, and treasure each as we treasure each other. Her music is beautiful, and each night is a unique piece, never to be performed again..."

"But, Lessa... "

Celestia sighed and turned to look out the window, moving one star slightly to the right to fix a constellation, "Luna... There are some things I've learned over the thousand years you were... gone... that give me an insight into this situation. Fluttershy is a quiet, kind, and very shy pony. Performing on stage in front of thousands or millions of ponies, traveling the world, and being featured in magazines and radio programs is not in her nature. If we force her to be something she doesn't want to be... Well, you remember what happened with Nightmare Moon."

Luna looked at the papers on her desk without seeing them, instead playing the months that lead up to her imprisonment over again in her mind. At length, after mulling it over carefully and adding the data together, she replied, "I do... and I understand. Can we at least hide a recording device near her hill?"

Celestia laughed and leaned over to kiss her sister on the forehead, "I'll have the accountants see if such a thing is in the budget," she whispered before turning towards the door and opening it with her magic, "I'll see you in the morning, Lulu."

Luna smiled at her sister and turned back to the papers, "Sleep well, Lessa."

It was demanded that I write an interlude about Luna hearing the music Fluttershy played each night. This is what fell out of my brain. It hasn't been edited since it's just a short interlude with the Princesses. Chapter 7 will be done some time tomorrow for all of you eager for it.

Somites

Chapter 7: Somites
Would anyone shoot me if I just started numbering them after this?

The two mares gradually finished their late breakfast, discussing subjects from school days to what their jobs entailed. It took about an hour for them to finally complete their respective meals. Once they were done, they placed a small pile of bits on the table, despite having been told that the food was on the house.

As they left the café, Fluttershy spotted a group of familiar ponies approaching them from behind the crowd. The yellow mare's countenance went from cheerful to crestfallen upon seeing Twilight emerge from the crowd, towing Rainbow Dash behind her on a small lead. The two were silent for the most part, only responding to Pinkie when they felt it was necessary. The hyperactive pink pony was given the other four a dissertation on the proper ratio of ingredients in the perfect cupcake when she noticed Fluttershy out of the corner of her eye.

"Fluttershy! Oh my gosh I heard you had to use The Stare on somepony and that it was the greatest thing anyone had ever seen and- " she was cut off by Applejack shoving a hoof into her mouth. Despite the obstruction, she continued to emit sounds as if she were still talking.

"Settle down, sugarcube. Ah think Shy knows what she did," AJ said, shushing Pinkie and turning toward the pegasus, "So ah heard you done stood up for a marefriend? Good fer you, sugarcube," the earth pony said with a smile before leaning against Rarity lightly.

Fluttershy remained quiet, glancing at Rainbow Dash and Twilight before nodding at AJ with a shy smile. Derpy, for her part, decided to keep her mouth shut. She could feel the awkwardness and regret pouring off of the three quiet ponies. She looked around with a small smile and had no idea what she should do in this situation.

"So, Dephina, darling!" Rarity said to break the silence, walking up to the grey-coated pegasus with a smile, "I haven't seen you at the shop for any maternity wear yet! Don't tell me you're not going to have at least one outfit for fancy dress later on?"

"Oh, hi, Rarity! I've been really busy and don't usually go to many parties anyway..."

"Nonsense, dear! Come by the shop later, I have this absolutely wonderful fabric that I think will go great with your coat."

"O-okay," Derpy said with a smile, before looking worriedly at Fluttershy. Her eyes wandered between her companion, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash. She couldn't help but wonder what had gone on between the three. Rainbow Dash was looking down, and her eyes were glazed over slightly, unseeing. There had been some kind of accident the pegasus had been in, and hadn't been on the weather team for some time because of it.

Finally, Rainbow spoke, "Shy, I know you're there... I can smell your shampoo."

"H-hi Rainbow... I... You're up and about again, that's good... I hope... I mean... I'm sorry for what happened..." she blurted out at last, nuzzling her friend on the neck softly to let her know she was there.

Dash shied away from the nuzzle, retreating closer to Twilight, "I know, Shy. I... I don't regret what happened... We're both alive, that's what matters..."

"I-I know, but if I... If I'd listened to you..."

Twilight took the opportunity to interject, "We all did what our hearts told us we had to do that day, girls. Let's just... try and enjoy the day, or did you forget we were all supposed to go to the spa today?"

Fluttershy blinked and looked between the rest of the gathered ponies, "That was today? Oh my, I had completely forgotten! Are we... still on for that?"

Rarity scoffed and shook her mane, "Of course! We're all still friends, aren't we? Sure... things are a little different, but this is group spa day. The only day we could all agree we could all go. We are not missing this!" she said with vigor, raising Dash's limp tail in her magic, "Rainbow Dash especially needs it, she hardly ever gets out these days."

"Let go of my tail, Rarity," The blue pegasus said, looking in the unicorn's general direction but unable to pinpoint her exactly yet.

Rarity let go and began to walk toward the spa with AJ in tow, "Come along, darlings. It is time we were pampered!"

"Y'all best come along... She ain't gonna take no fer an answer today..." the farmer said, rolling her eyes and following her marefriend.

Fluttershy sat in the mud bath between Derpy and RD, at a loss for words. She wanted to chat with the pony that she was falling for, but she also wanted to apologize to the pony she had fallen for years ago, literally. Until her brain caught up with her heart, she just sat there in silence.

Twilight was discussing the finer points of growth magic in farming situations with Applejack, who kept telling her friend to tone down all the science stuff. Rarity was listening politely to Pinkie Pie, whose gesticulations were sending mud all over the room. Derpy's attention was split between enjoying her first ever "real" mud bath and worrying about Fluttershy.

Taking matters into her own hooves, the blonde-maned mare turned to her close companion, "Shy... " she said as quietly as she could and still be heard, "Are you alright?"

Fluttershy jumped a little, restrained mostly by the viscous mud surrounding her, having been lost in her own little world for a moment, "Oh... I... I'm fine, Derpy..." she said, smiling unconvincingly.

"Well, if you want to tell me about it later, I'll listen," the concerned mare said, smiling reassuringly.

The spa visit passed with relative ease from then on, and everypony looked more relaxed and felt better than they did when they entered. It was due to the twins Aloe and Lotus distracting them expertly whenever the mood fell below a level that could be considered conducive to relaxation. As the crowd of ponies exited, they all smiled as best they could, save for Dash, who had no idea what was going on with anyone's face.

"Well, darlings, don't we all feel sooo much better after that?" Rarity said, absolutely beaming with energy.

Everyone else nodded in agreement and the party gradually broke up with Pinkie promising everypony to hold a "Fluttershy has a marefriend" party that weekend. Fluttershy looked helplessly at Twilight for something to tell Dash, and only got a helpless shrug and a sad smile.

"Time to go home, Dash," Twilight said, picking the other mare's lead in her magic and tugging slightly in the direction of her library, "It was good to see you again, Fluttershy..."

"I... I'm glad you're both doing alright... considering..." the pink-maned pegasus replied, watching them leave with tears in her eyes. She turned toward the side of town her house was beyond and began to walk. Derpy trotted along next to her, amber eyes lined with worry.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it, Shy?" she asked, nosing her friend's mane with care.

"I... It's really complicated. To put it... simply, I owe Dashie my life... and she sacrificed hers to save me. Twilight saved her, but now the poor filly can't see. She's been grounded ever since... The worst part is... It's all my fault," the yellow mare said, flopping down on her haunches, sniffling, tears falling from her nose onto the soft grass.

"I... I had no idea, but I'm sure it's not your fault... Let's go home, we can talk more there," The other pegasus said, helping her companion to her hooves and encouraging her to finish the trek home. When they arrived, Fluttershy poured her heart out to the mare, telling the story of how Dash had lost her sight between sobs.

It was late in the night before Fluttershy stopped crying enough to sleep. Even then she began to have nightmares, crying out and moaning in her sleep. Down the hall in her own room, Derpy lay awake with concern. Nodding to herself, she stood and crept down the hall to her hostess' room. The poor filly was shaking in her sleep, face scrunched with fear and sadness.

Sighing, the pregnant mare climbed onto the bed and lay next to her friend, wrapping her legs and wings around her, cooing softly and whispering into her ear, "Shshsh, it's okay, you'll be fine, sweetie. It's all going to be alright," she repeated, over and over, until Fluttershy's face softened and the shaking stopped. With one final twitch of a leg, the yellow mare finally seemed to be sleeping peacefully, cuddled up as close as she could to Derpy. A smile crossed the grey mare's lips as she kissed the pink mane in front of her, thinking to herself, Just like my muffin... before nuzzling in to that silky mane and dozing off herself.

Family

Fluttershy slowly shook off the cobwebs of a long night of sleep filled with dreams. Seeing Rainbow Dash again had brought back memories of that night. Something had soothed her restless mind at some point and she dreamed of happier times. Realizing that she was wrapped in somepony's limbs, the pegasus looked around for a clue as to who her assailant was. Spotting the grey coat of her house guest, she relaxed and sighed, realizing the maternal mare had probably snuggled up to her protectively to help clear her mind of bad dreams. Snuggling in a little more, it was tempting to simply remain there all day, but they had chores to do.

"Derpy? Are you awake?" she asked timidly.

"I've been awake for a little while. I didn't want the bad dreams to come back, so I stayed with you."

"Th-thank you, but, um, we need to get moving..."

The mare doing the snuggling just nuzzled into her hostess' neck and started trying to untangle her limbs. Being who she was, this act caused more trouble than it fixed and the poor pegasus ended up on her face on the opposite side of the bed from she started.

Fluttershy giggled softly and moved to help her friend up. Once she made sure that Derpy had all four hooves under her, they made their way down for a quick breakfast. Just as they were finishing up, there came a knock at the door. Fluttershy stood and began to make her way over to open it, only to have her guest fly past her at top speed and slam open the door. Another set of hinges to replace. She'd have to ask Applejack for help putting them in. The door swung for a moment before collapsing to the ground, revealing the scene before her.

Derpy was snuggling two fillies close to her as a rather effeminate colt stood nearby with a smile, "Muffin! Sparkles! You're here! Mommy's so happy to see you both!"

The two fillies laughed and gave their mom and a big hug as they said their hellos. The mystery colt took a few steps forward and spoke toward Fluttershy, who stood with a look that combined shock and happiness perfectly, "Sorry about the door, Miss. I've got a few bits if you would like me to buy the replacement. It's the least I can do for the pony helping Derpy out."

Fluttershy shook her mane a little and stole her attention away from remodeling plans and nervously hid a little behind it as the pink strands settled back into place, "Oh, no, it's alright, really. I just will, er," her words stumbled off into a soft mumbling as she tried to find words, and the volume to say them.

The unicorn laughed and his grin grew a little wider, "Well, Ditzy was definitely right about you when she said you were shy. It's great to meet you, Fluttershy, right? I'm Showy Prism, Derpy's ex."

"O-oh! The, uh, good one. That uh..."

"Yep. My coltfriend is still back in Las Pegasus, but I wanted to bring Dinky and Sparkler to their mom. Given what's happened, it'll be good for her to have her fillies around."

"Oh, I definitely agree. Having family around is always good. I mean, my day just gets so much better when my mother comes by to visit," Fluttershy said with a smile. They stood there while listening to the other three chatter about school, their summer break, and how the trip back was.

"Oh, girls, I'm so happy to see you both. It's always too long when you go see your dad."

Dinky nuzzled her mom and turned to Fluttershy, "Have you been taking good care of our Mommy, Miss Fluttershy?" she asked with an almost convincing glare.

The yellow pegasus giggled, "Of course I have, Dinky. She's been taking care of me too."

"Well, good! I'd have to let the chickens loose if you weren't being nice."

"Dinky!" Sparkler said, looking at her younger sister, "You know that wouldn't work. You'd have to get Miss Pinkie to remodel her house to do any real damage."

"O-oh my, no, please. I'm a nice pony, I really am!" Fluttershy said nervously, shifting from hoof to hoof. Derpy stood and came over to give Showy a hug, then hugged Fluttershy too. The poor mare was shaking like a leaf.

"Shy, they're just being silly fillies. They know they'd have to deal with Mom if they misbehaved," she said with a grin.

"Well, Derpy, it was good to see you again. I hope everything goes well, but I have a show opening tomorrow and I need to get back for dress rehearsal."

"Thanks again for dropping them off, Show. I really appreciate it."

"It was no problem. I'll see you next spring then. Write me with a picture of the foal, eh?"

"I will! Definitely!"

Showy smiled, bowed to the two mares and gave his fillies each a hug and a kiss on the nose before trotting back towards town.

Derpy smiled wider than she had been able to since, well, no sense thinking about that now. The group trudged back inside, the two unicorn fillies levitating their luggage in after them. Fluttershy led them to the room that Derpy had claimed as her own and helped them put everything away. It seemed they were okay sleeping next to mom for a little while until they got another bed. The adults assured them it wouldn't be long.

The rest of the day passed as those things usually did, save for the addition of an extra set of hooves. Fluttershy got to know the two fillies better, other than the one time she had almost spoken at school about animal husbandry. The Cutie Mark Crusaders eventually showed up to abscond with Dinky for a welcome back picnic, but they promised to have her home for dinner.

Dinner was a noisy affair, Derpy showing her silly side and playing with her daughters during the meal. It was the way they had always done it. Fluttershy just smiled when talked to and tried to answer questions that she was asked, but for the most part she kept quiet. After dinner, the two fillies offered to do the dishes so the two adults could relax.

Fluttershy joined Derpy on her couch, keeping one eye on the kitchen to make sure the girls weren't breaking anything. She wondered if this was how her friend's eyes had gotten this way. The discussed a few things like how well behaved the girls usually were, if they needed anything special in their diets and things like that.

At last, Derpy sighed and leaned against Fluttershy, "Thanks again, Shy. I know it's a lot to ask to have the girls here too, but, I really like it here."

The mare next to her tried to fight the blush that spread over her cheeks at being so close, "It's, um, I like having you here. I... That is if you don't mind you could..." the last bit was stifled by a hoof over her mouth as she hid behind her mane again.

Passing one eye over to look at her, the blonde raised an eyebrow, "I could what?"

"You could... um, sleep in my room.. that is, if you want. I don't mind."

Derpy smiled and gave Fluttershy a little kiss on the cheek, causing the poor mare's blush to spread nearly down to her chest, "I was wondering when you'd actually ask. Last night, I had to. Tonight, I can be there cause you want me to."

"I-I'd love that. And, I'm sorry about last night. Bad dreams."

"About Dash? You whimpered her name at some point."

"I... I still feel responsible... She came chasing after me, lost her sight because of me..." Fluttershy said, starting to cry.

The two foals in the kitchen peeked out, to be waved back in by Derpy as she handled the crying pegasus. Wrapping her forelegs around Fluttershy's chest, she leaned in and nuzzled her neck, "Tell me what happened."

"I... The dragons that came? I followed some of my animals into the forest. I fell. Dash saved me from a dragon. I... I don't know what else really happened, other than that Twilight, Dashie, and myself all woke up in the hospital... and... and Rainbow was blind!"

Derpy sighed and took the other mare's head in her hooves, bringing her tear-stained face to her own, "I heard about what happened. Dash is a loyal friend. She would have gone after anypony who did what you did. Twilight too. Sweetie... Shy, it's not your fault."

Fluttershy sobbed and closed her eyes, trying to shake out of the grip her friend had her in, "But it is my fault! If I hadn't gone out there..."

"If you hadn't gone out there, the dragons would have just trashed Ponyville. You, in a way, helped save all of us."

"B-but!"

"No buts! It's not your fault! Just, let it all out and believe me. I may not be Applejack, but I don't lie," Derpy said and kissed a tear away, then pulled the other pegasus close, snuggling her close.

The two fillies tip-hooved past and went to their room to unpack. Fluttershy just cried for a while, letting out everything she had pent up. Eventually, the sobbing stopped and turned to quiet sniffles. The two mares looked at each and Derpy just smiled, "Feel better?"

"A..A little," her companion said with a hiccup, "I'm very tired, though."

"Well, then, you should go wash up and I'll meet you in bed after I talk to my little muffin and sparkle about things."

Fluttershy nodded and the two stood. They both went their separate ways, Derpy returning to the guest room. She entered after knocking softly and saw her two little fillies sitting in bed reading a book, "Hi Muffin, Sparkle, sorry about that."

"It's okay, Mom," Sparkler said with a shrug, "Sometimes a pony just needs a cry."

The pegasus sat on the bed next to the two and gave them each a hug, "Well, I'll be sleeping in Fluttershy's room so you two can have this room all to yourselves.

Dinky looked slightly put out about having to share a bed with her sister without her mom there, but her mom was quick with a grin and a maneruffle, "Don't worry, Muffin, You'll have separate beds soon enough."

"Good, Sparkler bucks in her sleep."

"I do not!"

"You do too! Why else would I end up on the floor!?"

"Now, girls, calm down. This bed is big enough that you can sleep on opposite sides."

The two girls glared at each other, then giggled and hugged their mom at the same time. The family said their good nights and Derpy left them to their reading. Returning to the main bedroom, she saw a lump under the blankets and a familiar pink mane peeking out of the top. They grey mare slipped under the covers and snuggled up against her friend.

"Thank you for earlier, Derpy..."

"You're welcome. I would do the same thing for anypony I love."

"L-love?"

"Why wouldn't I love you, Shy? You took me in, you're helping me make sure my foal is healthy, and you're the kindest pony anywhere. You're also almost as cute as my little muffin too," Derpy said with a nuzzle.

"I... I love you too, Derpy. I have since... since flight camp... during that thunderstorm..."

A smile grew on the other mare's lips as she remembered, "You were such a scaredy-filly. It was cute."

Fluttershy giggled softly and rolled over, placing her nose against her friends chest, "Hold me tonight, like you did back then."

"Of course, hun."

The two lay cuddled up, with Derpy's wings and legs all holding Fluttershy to her protectively. After a while, the yellow pegasus dozed off. Her dreams tonight would be nothing bad. Her blonde companion waited until she was absolutely sure her charge was asleep before dozing off herself.

Family (Part 2)

The very next morning, Dinky slammed open the door to Fluttershy's main bedroom and pounced on the two sleeping mares. Fluttershy shrieked with all the volume of a particularly quiet mouse and tried and failed to get out of Derpy's hooves. The little filly hugged her mom and her hostess tightly and then started dancing around the bed as her mother woke up slowly.

"Muffin... What's going on?" she asked, blearily blinking her eyes around the room.

"It's a bee-ootiful day out! I wanted you two to wake up so you could enjoy it as much as you could!"

Derpy giggled while Fluttershy quivered in her legs, "Sh-she's very energetic."

"That she is, 'Shy... Muffin, why don't you and Sparkler get started on breakfast, then we'll head into town and get you two some separate beds."

"Are you getting separate beds for you and Miss Shy too?"

Fluttershy just blushed and hid herself behind her mane when Derpy smiled and told her daughter the truth, "No, I'm going to be sleeping here with Fluttershy from now on."

"Oh! Okay! Hurry up then, Mommy! I wanna go see Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Applebloom!"

Derpy nodded and Dinky scooted out of the room, shouting for her sister. The two mares stayed in bed for a moment before Fluttershy tried to untangle herself from her ... marefriend? Could she use that word now? The thought bounced around in her head for a while before Derpy kissed her softly on the neck and nuzzled, refusing to let go, "I love you so much, Fluttershy... I just don't know what I'd do without you. Now that Muffin and Sparkler are here... It just feels like home."

The yellow mare in her arms turned around and gave the pegasus a soft kiss. Wrapping her hooves around her marefriend, Fluttershy snuggled up close as the two fillies started clattering around downstairs. It felt so comfortable to be here, snuggling Derpy like this. Oh, but she had to take care of all the animals and make sure the girls got their beds and there was just too much to do! Sighing, she extricated herself from the other mare's grip and stood, "We, um, should go eat..."

"What? You don't love me too? Why? I thought you did!" Derpy said with tears beginning to fill her eyes. In an instant the tears were gone replaced by an angry glare, and then by a shocked stare, "I... I don't know what just happened."

Fluttershy helped her up, "It's just hormones, sweetie. It happens to some mares. You'll have these mood swings. It's nothing to worry about."

Derpy nodded, her pregnancy now easily visible to anypony who looked and made her stance a little more awkward. As with every morning, she tried to lift off, but finally found herself unable to gain air, "I... I guess I need to stop delivering mail now."

Fluttershy nodded as the two made there way to the kitchen, where breakfast smelled delicious and nothing looked broken. Sparkler turned out to be a rather accomplished chef. Turned out that she had been tutored in Las Pegasus by a five-star chef.

After a delicious breakfast, the group made their way out into Ponyville and over to a small furnishings shop to procure two beds for the fillies. The old guest bed would be moved to an unused room or given to the cutie mark crusaders for their clubhouse sleepovers. Fluttershy just smiled and hid behind Derpy when she was asked a question. After they had the beds ordered, the group went over to Rarity's for some sheets and comforters.

"Well hello everypony! Dinky, it's good to see you again. Sweetie Belle has been talking about you all summer."

"Hello Miss Rarity!" the little unicorn filly said with all of her usual cheerfulness.

Fluttershy stepped forward and greeted her friend, "H-hi Rarity. The girls need some bedclothes and I thought you would be the pony to ask, if, um, that's alright with you."

Rarity's eyes sparkled, "Oh, some sheets and a comforter then? Wonderful! I think I have just the fabric. Will you be wanting matching dust ruffles as well? What size are the beds?"

Derpy giggled, "Oh, Rarity, you don't need to go and make anything special. Just whatever you have on hand!"

Rarity turned towards the wall-eyed pegasus and smirked, "That would be if I kept anything on hand, darling. Everything I sell is produced per client. I suspect you should know that by now."

Fluttershy smiled a little at that, "You don't need to go all out, Rarity, honestly."

"Fluttershy, I insist! Dephina is a good friend and your marefriend. Her fillies deserve the best Rarity has to offer!" the unicorn said, posing much like another unicorn who had once visited Ponyville and made a foal of herself. The fashionista levitated over some fabrics and began making some measurments, "Now, bed sizes, please?"

After an hour of being shown fabrics, patterns and more designs for dust ruffles than anypony thought possible, the foursome finally escaped Rarity's clutches and made a break for Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie greeted them all as soon as they entered and stole Sparkler away to the kitchen almost immediately. There was quite the commotion and Fluttershy began to worry. Some unintelligible shouts filtered through the door before the unicorn filly came running out, trailing flour and a pastry chef.

"Wh-what was that all about?" Fluttershy asked, barely above a whisper.

Sparkler just sat down next to her mom and sister with a small grin on her face before whispering something to the mailmare. Derpy nodded with a soft smile and Pinkie placed a few drinks at their table before vanishing back into the kitchen. Poor Fluttershy just looked around confused and sipped her drink softly. It was cranberry juice, with a little ginger ale splashed in to cut the tartness, her favorite. She posed a questioning look to each member of the Doo family sitting across from her. Dinky just sipped her juice obliviously while her mother looked innocent and Sparkler just looked off at the pastry showcase, taking a drink from the cup levitated in front of her.

The confused pegasus sighed and simply waited. Pinkie never took her order, because she always ate the same thing when she came here. One raspberry strudel with a "little extra" powdered sugar. The party pony always took the opportunity to shape her strudel like her cottage for some reason the pegasus couldn't quite fathom.

Eventually though, Pinkie reappeared with a tray of treats. They all dug in with gusto as talking to Rarity about fashion was incredibly taxing. Soon enough, though, Fluttershy found something hard in a bite of her strudel. Thankfully, she always chewed as delicately as possible and still call the act chewing so none of her teeth were chipped. She spit it out daintily into her hoof and looked. Unable to be truly sure what she saw, the mare took a napkin and began to wipe the object clean. In her hoof she held a small clip, meant to go on a pony's ear. It had a small pink gem, shaped like her cutie mark. As she looked at it quizzically, Derpy cleared her throat.

"Fluttershy?"

"Y-yes?"

"Marry me?"

Family (Part 3)

Fluttershy's mind stuttered like one of those fancy steam powered mechanisms with a loose gear, the teeth unable to fully catch on either side and just resulting in a soft click. The words had reached her ear drums and were patiently waiting their turn to enter the primary auditory processing center of the brain. Reason tried to explain the situation while Logic and Dignity tried to keep Panic from breaking anything else. Nervousness and Shyness were out front trying to prevent the situation from escalating into a full-blown disaster, but weren't really helping.

Her eyes tracked over the small ear clip in her hoof again, and glanced at the strudel she had only gotten halfway through. Sure enough, another glint of metal was there. It was definitely a pair of ear clips. Something was backing up in her mind as reality slowly began to move again and the words finally got fed up, kicked down the door, beat Panic into submission and made themselves heard. The pegasus promptly unleashed a bleat, not unlike that of a baby goat, and collapsed onto her side in a catatonic state.

Pinkie bounced over at this point and looked for all the world like the cat that ate the canary, "Did she say yes?!"

Derpy blinked slowly and looked up at the party pony, "N-no. She just... bleated and fell over."

"Oh, poo. I guess she was so surprised she just couldn't process it. Don't worry, she'll come out of it in a few! I'll bring you fillies some more juice."

The pink mare bounced off into the kitchen again as Sparkler began to poke Fluttershy with a telekinetic stick.

"Sparkles, stop that."

The unicorn sighed, "Fine, Mom. I just wanted to see if I could wake her up."

The wall-eyed pegasus smiled nervously, "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Eventually, after Pinkie had returned with drinks and cleaned off the other earring and placing the one that had ended up on the floor back on the table, the mare on the floor groaned softly. She stood up slowly, wobbling for a minute before sitting back down, "Sorry about that... Something must have surprised me really badly..."

Derpy smiled, "It's okay! So, what do you say?"

"To... to what, Derpy?"

"Will you marry me?"

Fluttershy blinked a few times. Thankfully this time, Panic was already in chains and she was able to process it without falling over. Her mouth tried to encourage the words that were struggling to make it past her voice box, but all that came out with a shy squeaking noise as she turned almost as pink as her mane.

Trying a few more times, the pegasus finally squeaked out a recognizable, "Yes!" that brought a cheer from Dinky, a relieved smile from Derpy, and a knowing smile from Sparkler. Dinky flew, almost literally, across the table and hugged Fluttershy tightly.

"D-Dinky... c-can't...b-breaaathe!" whispered the yellow coated mare. The little foal apologized as she let go and retreated to her seat next to her mother.

Pinkie Pie appeared at this point and picked up all 4 of the fillies in a tight hug, "Yay! Ooh, Ooh, Can I plan the bridle shower? Oh, wait, which of you is the bride?" The little pink pony turned toward the wall, "Is the wedding before or after the birth?"

Pinkie

"But if I don't know I can't plan a bridle shower and a baby shower!"

PINKIE

"But-"

"Pinkie?" Derpy asked, "Who are you talking to?"

Smiling and shrugging, "Nopony I guess," she said and bounced back towards the kitchen.

Looking at each with lost looks, the Hooves family had no idea what was going on. Fluttershy just shook her head and giggled softly, "S-so, um, Derpy, what brought this on?"

"I... Well, I love you, Fluttershy. You're the kindest mare.. No, the kindest pony I've ever met. You're caring, you're loving, and, well, the last few weeks have been the best of my life!"

The yellow pegasus blushed and hid behind her mane a little, "Oh, um, well, I love you too," she whispered before blinking and sitting up, "Oh! I have so much to do! Everypony's going to find out from Pinkie by noon and then I won't be able to get anything done around the house. Rarity will want us for dresses, Applejack and Pinkie will argue over catering. There's so much to do! I'll see you at home!"

Fluttershy dashed out of the building leaving three confused fillies wondering what the hay was going on. They stood slowly, finished their drinks and paid before beginning the slow trudge back to their cottage. It was getting difficult for Derpy to manage such long distances despite keeping in shape throughout, so it was with a great sigh that she collapsed on the comfortable couch as soon as they returned home. Dinky vanished off to play with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and tell them the good news.

Sparkler went outside to search for her soon-to-be Mom number two and found her madly dashing about the back yard feeding various animals. She pitched in and helped the pegasus calm down before the inevitable rush of ponies to congratulate the couple.

Fluttershy meanwhile was all out of sorts in the house, cleaning up some of the foals stuff that was laying about and worrying over her marefri- her fiancee. She wondered what Applejack and Rarity would say, since they'd been together for over a year and had only whispered about marriage. Twilight and Rainbow Dash were another situation entirely. Hopefully the wedding would cheer them up instead of depress them further. It was hard to think about the two, let alone watch them slowly fall apart from the situation.

Her train of thought was derailed as a pink blur tackled her to the ground and stared into her face, rambling on about something related to cakes. It was definitely Pinkie Pie, "H-hello, Pinkie..."

The earth pony smiled and stood up, continuing her rant about cake tastings and catering and wondering who the best mare was going to be. Derpy sat on her couch giggling behind a hoof at the hyperactive mare. Sparkler was busying herself in the kitchen and trying to be a teenager, ignoring her family. Fluttershy gradually just sat down next to Derpy, who laid her head across the other pegasus' lap. Stroking that blonde mane made it easy to ignore the bouncing pink pony that finally took a breath, "So, which flavor do you think?"

"Which flavor of what?" asked the relaxing pregnant mare, slowly melting from the attention of her fiancee.

"Of cake, of course, silly filly! I gotta make sure I have enough of whatever flavor for the wedding!"

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, "Pinkie, the wedding's not going to be a while. Derpy's pregnant and growing and Rarity would have to constantly adjust her dress... I think we should wait for her foaling before we stress out about a huge ceremony."

"But that's the thing, Fluttershy! You two don't have to worry or plan, I'm sure the 5 of us can come up with everything! Sparkler and Dinky can help too!" Pinkie said, bouncing over.

"I know, Pinkie, but, please, can we wait? I don't want my maref- my fiancee to be stressed at all right now. Stress is bad for the foal, and she's so far along."

"Oh alright, but we're still gonna plan it! When are you due, Doo?" Pinkie giggled to herself at the unintentional, or was it, play on words.

"It should be another two months. I just found out this morning I can't fly, so."

"And pegasi can't fly during the last two months of their pregnancy, just like unicorns get severe migraines if they try to use magic beyond telekinesis during the third trimester," Fluttershy nodded, rubbing a hoof over the pregnant belly of the mare in her lap. The mare in question wiggled and churred softly, a blush forming under her cheeks. Derpy had always had a sensitive tummy. Having it stretched by her foal made it that much more sensitive.

"Well, then I'll hop back into town then and get everything started!" Pinkie said, hopping out the door, "Oh! Derpy! The baby shower is Saturday, at Rarity's!"

"B-baby shower!?" the two mares balked, but their earth pony friend was already gone.

Fluttershy sighed and ran a hoof lightly along the curve of Derpy's currently useless wings, causing her to shiver, "That pony... I'll never understand."

"I don't think I'll try... Are you going to tease me all afternoon, then?" the grey mare asked as her love ran a hoof down her side again.

"O-oh!" the shy one gasped, putting a hoof to her mouth to try and cover a blush, "I didn't know I was teasing you, I'm sorry!"

Derpy rolled off the couch and stood up, heading to the hallway that led to their bedroom. Sparkler wisely made herself scarce, heading into town to find some of her friends or just hang out in the park and talk to Lyra. Anything to prevent the mental images that were threatening to pop into her head. As the pregnant mom reached the halfway point in the hallway, she called back to the living room, "Fluttershy?"

"Y-yes?"

"Take me to bed or lose me forever."

The yellow pegasus' wings immediately jerked out to their full length as her entire face went redder than Big Mac's flank with a sunburn. She stood, shakily, and followed her love down the hallway, speechless. It had been... a very, very long time since she'd done anything like this with anypony, but she was willing to try. Out of the kindness of her heart, she told herself.

Derpy was already on the bed, grinning with her face flushed with a hormonal surge she hadn't been expecting.

It was going to be a great afternoon.

Gastrulation

Chapter 5: Gastrulation
Now get off my back, Berryshine :P

Some days passed and the two pegasi settled into a comfortable routine. Derpy would help with the morning chores before flying off to do her mail route, returning in time for dinner and the evening chores. Fluttershy would tend to things around the house and do anything she had to do for her veterinarian clinic.

The days gradually melted into weeks as the two mares grew closer, often sitting in comfortable silence for hours while Fluttershy would sew and Derpy would read one of the many many MANY books on pregnancy and foalbirth that Twilight had brought over a few days after her arrival. Every payday, the grey mare would try and convince her hostess to accept some of her bits in exchange for the room and board. Every payday, the yellow pegasus would reply that she had more than enough bits to handle the bills and supplies, and that the bits would be better saved for the foal.

After each day settled into darkness, Fluttershy would wait until Derpy went to bed before heading to the hill near her house. Reaching the peak, the pegasus would sit on the stump that adorned the hill, staring upwards at the stars before reaching down, after a time, and removing a small case from the crook of the stump and open it, revealing a secret she kept even from her fellow elements. Putting the pieces of the small silver object together and channeling her pegasus magic into the metal to allow her control of the intricate moving parts, she would take a deep breath, and reveal her heart to the night when she couldn't reveal it to anypony else. This night was no different as she left the world behind and simply played.

In her room, Derpy could not sleep. A thought kept rolling through her head. It was a strange thought, one she had never felt for another mare before beyond her sister. A sense of closeness and deep trust. However, there was something there she was only familiar with in the concept of being with a colt. A tingling at the back of her heart which fluttered whenever she thought of her hostess. Admittedly, she had grown closer to Shy over the weeks, but the hormones of her pregnancy had to have been messing with her head. Loving another mare couldn't happen, right? It wasn't a thing you saw often. Well, to put it more accurately, it wasn't a thing she saw very often. The only mares she knew that were together were Lyra & BonBon...

The music wasn't helping her think straight either. It struck those parts of her brain that told her to just go with it and be happy with Fluttershy. She was the kindest pony in the whole world and the only pony to ever treat Derpy like family other than her actual family. Sighing, the grey-coated mare rolled over and tried to go to sleep before her brain caught up to her ears. There was definitely music coming in from outside. Getting to her hooves, the pegasus looked out the window to see a figure in silhouette on the hill past the chicken coop. The music was coming from that figure. Wondering what the hay was going on, Derpy trotted down the hall and out the door, moving carefully through the dark yard toward the hill as the moon rose behind it.

The sight before her was absolutely incredible. A pegasus, seated upon a stump, playing a flute, silhouetted against the moon. The music itself was amazing, pouring straight into her heart and filling it up so much that it began to leak out of her eyes as tears. Wiping them clear, Derpy continued her careful approach towards the top of the hill. As her eyes adjusted to the light from Luna's moon, the mare realized who it was that was sitting there, playing this beautiful music to an audience they didn't know they had.

Fluttershy's music gradually came to and end. Finishing the piece, one that would never be heard again since she never wrote the music she played down, she began to put her flute away. Standing up, she looked up at the moon, smiling, "Thank you for listening, Luna... If I weren't so shy..." she whispered to the celestial object that filled her vision.

"Fluttershy?" came a voice from behind her. She squeaked and spun around, simultaneously ducking behind the stump and peeking over the top.

"Who's there!?"

"Sorry, Shy, I didn't mean to scare you. It's me, Derpy."

"W-what are you doing up so late? You should be resting because of the foal, um, if that's alright..."

Blinking the last few tears out of her amber eyes, the listener approached the musician and smiled down, "That music was beautiful. I didn't know you could play an instrument."

"Oh, I can't. I'm absolutely terrible at it. That's why I practice at night when no one's around."

"Shy, you're not terrible! That song was amazing. Anypony would say that," Derpy said, offering a hoof to help Fluttershy stand up. She felt her throat clench a bit as the other mare touched her hoof with her own. The smile on her face only grew wider as she saw a shade of pink form under the yellow of her friend's coat.

"Um, Thank you, Derpy. It... It means a lot to hear you say that," Shy whispered. She let her hoof linger on Derpy's for a moment and then sighed, dropping it to the ground. Come on, Fluttershy, you can do this! Before she goes back to bed! The voice in her head hollered at her. It was right, was she really going to let this one get away like all the rest? She was the only one of her friends still single. Her shyness had prevented her from being confident enough to confess to other ponies she was attracted to. That after all these years she still felt for this scatterbrained, wall-eyed, silly pony said something about said pony, "Um, Derpy, would you like to hear another?"

Derpy sat down on her haunches and nodded, "I'd love to, Fluttershy."

Taking a deep breath and putting her flute back together, another song began to flow out of the shy mare's soul. As it poured out, she watched her friend's face gradually soften from that happy smile into a slight smile with watery eyes dripping tears. When the song finished, a nervous yellow pegasus bent down and placed a soft kiss on the lips of the grey pegasus that formed her audience. The moment they shared seemed to freeze in time. A long moment of perfect stillness as the last note of the song faded into the distance.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading/commenting/helping me proofread this entire time. I hope everyone's at least okay with the headcanon that not only can Fluttershy sing like an angel, she can play the flute like one too. Also, any edits suggested in comments will be taken under advisement. Private messages work well too. I'm also on the IRC channel.

The End

Fluttershy and Derpy awoke Saturday morning with ruffled manes and a smile on their faces. Fluttershy had taken up the role of big spoon as the pregnant mare was getting a little big around the middle to little spoon to. They lay, comfortable and warm in the sheets and with last night still in the air.

The yellow mare giggled a little and tried to untangle herself, "We need a bath."

"No, we need to stay in bed more," replied her wall-eyed lover.

Placing her nose against the grey coat of her mate and nuzzling in, the pegasus made some valid points, "If we go take a bath, we can get muffins."

Derpy tried to get out of bed in a flash, but failed miserably, groaning as she stood slowly, "Muffins, you, and the girls are the only reason to get up at this point..."

"Well, just another two months or so, sweetie."

"I know, I just feel terrible in the mornings."

Fluttershy blushed as she headed for the bath, "Well, we do exercise quite a bit before bed..."

Giggling, the other pegasus followed her into the bathroom and waited while the tub filled, "I guess I should stretch more."

"Stretching is always good, especially for a pregnant mare, I can teach you some wonderful stretches."

"And the innuendo flies right over your head again."

"Oh. OH! I'm sorry. I was never very good at that."

Derpy placed a wing around her mare and smiled, nuzzling her neck, "Don't worry, I love you no matter what."

"I love you too."

The two bathed, and eventually managed to remove themselves from the tub.

The baby shower went off without a hitch and eventually the big day came. After some minor, common complications, Derpy gave birth to a healthy pegasus colt named Summer Breeze and after a whirlwind of madness, mostly on the overly organized Twilight's part, a wedding was held, and everypony involved wished the couple many happy days.

Author's Note

Yeah, I know, on hiatus forever and then this poor closer, but I lost inspiration for this entire story and it had gotten away from me in general. There was so much I wanted to do, but nothing ever actually worked in my head, and it sat there, on hiatus, mocking me.

It's over now, go home, and I might ship more derpyshy in the future.