Chapter 2

___________________________________________________________

“Fluttershy!” the Pegasus wilted as Applejack and Rarity and hurried into her hospital room, only for them to stop dead in their tracks, their eyes wide as they laid sight on her massive belly under her bedcovers.

When she’d come to, she’d found herself in this room at Ponyville General, with Twilight standing next to her bed, looking a combination of worried, relieved and guilty all at once.

She’d explained to Fluttershy that, after she’d passed out, Zecora had gotten a bird to fly to the Golden Oak Library, with a message asking Twilight to hurry over.

Twilight blushed as she admitted she’d been stunned to see Fluttershy lying unconscious on the floor of Zecora’s hut with such a bloated stomach.

And now it was morning, and she had to face the two ponies she’d been dreading facing since waking up and being able to fully take stock of what had happened and just what it meant for her.

“Bu… wha?” Applejack looked like her brain was not quite getting the signals to her, leaving her in limbo between obversing and reacting.

“What… what happened to you, darling?” Rarity asked, still gaping at her shy friend’s massive abdomen, before looking around, her face deep with worry. “And where are Sweetie Belle and her friends?”

Fluttershy’s face went red and she hide under the covers, both out of embarrassment and shame.

Twilight sighed, turning to the Earth Pony and her fellow unicorn. “Zecora explained everything to me last night. Despite her hopes, the Crusaders did not go to sleep like Fluttershy had thought they did last night. Instead, they went off into the Everfree Forest to get one of Fluttershy’s chickens that had gotten out after Sweetie Belle had startled them. Nothing bad happened… at first.”

“What do ya mean at first?” Applejack’s eyes narrowed, but were now filled with worry.

Twilight scratched behind her neck. “Well… Fluttershy was able to save them… and myself from a Cockatrice. I headed home right after, drained from having been turned to stone before being rescued.”

“WHAT?!” Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash shouted, but Twilight continued, her expression saddening.

“What neither of us could’ve expected was that a pack of Timblerwolves would cross Fluttershy and the Crusaders’ path.”

“Don’t tell me… the Timblerwolves got mah sister?!” Applejack looked horrified.

Twilight shook her head sadly. “Yes… and no. The Timblerwolves only noticed them because Sweetie Belle screamed. They did chase the Crusaders after knocking Fluttershy out for a moment… but weren’t directly responsible for… for what happened to them.”

“What happened to my baby sister, Twilight?” Rarity almost growled, though her eyes showed more fear than anger.

Twilight blinked, before looking down with a sad smile. “That’s a pretty interesting choice of words, Rarity.” She sighed. “Your sisters and their friend got caught in the middle of a fight between the Timberwolves and a Manticore.”

“So, what happened to them? Where are they now?” Applejack demanded, before pointing a hoof at Fluttershy, who was still hiding under the covers. “And why is Fluttershy’s stomach so huge?”

“And what about Rarity’s choice of words was so interesting?” Rainbow asked, finally getting in the conversation, wanting to finally get some answers. She’d gotten there a few minutes before Rarity and AJ and was none too pleased she hadn’t been told anything yet. She wanted to know what had happened to her fillyhood friend, dammit!

Twilight looked to Fluttershy, who peeked out from under the sheets and gave a small but sad nod.

Twilight took a deep breathe. “When Zecora found Fluttershy and the Crusaders… they were horribly injured. There wasn’t even enough time to get them back to town. They would’ve died before reaching town, let alone the hospital.”

Applejack and Rarity stared in horror, they faces seeming to crumble, while Rainbow Dash just stared, open mouth.

It was Rainbow, however, who then frowned. “Wait. You said they would’ve died, not did die. Does that mean they survived somehow after all?”

Rarity and Applejack blinked, glancing to their blue Pegasus friend, before looking to each other, their eyes filling with hope.

“Well… yes,” Twilight said slowly and uncertainly, glancing briefly at Fluttershy. “Zecora had one potion that could save them from death’s door, but…”

“But what? But what?” the older sisters asked frantically, looking close to losing it.

“There was an… odd side effect, you could say,” Twilight looked very uneasy.

“What side effect?” Rarity demanded firmly.

“Tell us, Twi. Right now!” Applejack nodded.

“Happy Mother’s day, Fluttershy!” Everypony in the room jumped as their pink party pony friend popped up from under Fluttershy’s hospital bed, an explosion of confetti and streamers following, along with a banner appearing above Fluttershy’s bed that said “Congratulations on having Triplets!” with Pinkie presenting a cake with a frosted version of Flutershy standing next to three cribs.

The other ponies blinked, before Rainbow shook her head.

“Whoa, whoa whoa. Hang on, now. How is Fluttershy pregnant? She’s never even kissed a pony before, let alone done the dirty with them.”

“Not to mention I highly doubt she could have hidden her pregnancy if she’s this far in,” Rarity indicated to Fluttershy’s massive frame, “until now. I met up with her yesterday, after all and she showed no signs of this at all.”

“That’s because… it’s the side effect,” Twilight grinned nervously.

“Huh?” the other three asked, looking confused.

“Fluttershy suddenly becoming eleven months preggers is the side effect of saving those three?” Rainbow looked very confused, before deadpanning. “I don’t get it. That doesn’t make any sense.”

“And, speaking of which,” Rarity’s eyes narrowed. “Where are our sisters?!”

“Why, they’re right here, silly!” Pinkie chirped, prodding Fluttershy belly, causing said mare to blush heavily.

“Wait… wha…?” Applejack tilted her head to the said, her brain certain she’d misheard her fellow Earth Pony.

“They’ve been here the whole time,” Pinkie grinned, rubbing her hoof on the quilt covered stomach. “They’ll make the cutest sisters.”

“Are… are you saying that our sisters,” Rarity asked slowly, pointing a hoof towards Fluttershy’s stomach, are inside Fluttershy’s…?”

Pinkie nodded eagerly.

“It was the only way to save them,” Twilight said, looking to Fluttershy, who wasn’t meeting anypony’s eyes. “Either Fluttershy became their new mother by unbirthing them… or they’d die. There literally wasn’t time for anything else.”

“Ah… Ah dunno how to react t’ this,” Applejack said, holding her head, before looking to Fluttershy. “Ya mean ta tell me mah baby sister is in yer belly and ain’t gonna be mah sister no more?”

“Oh, no, you don’t have to worry about that,” Twilight assured, seeming relieved. “Zecora explained the potion’s effects very clearly to me. Fluttershy is now biologically their mother, but they are still biologically the daughters of their original mothers, too.”

“Twilight,” Rarity deadpanned. “That doesn’t make any sense at all. Whomever births the foal is automatically it’s mother.”

“Ah may not know much about science, but even Ah know that,” Applejack agreed.

“Normally, yes,” Twilight said in a studious tone. “However, the potion Zecora gave Fluttershy works on the fundamental biological codes in the stands of the DNA of those involved, merging them all together, so neither fully overrides the other and genetically stand in unison and contrast in equal measure.”

As she finished, she looked to the three ponies in front of her… who were all looking at her with blank faces.

“Did… either of you understand any of that?” Dash asked, glancing to the other two.

“Eenope,” Applejack shook her head.

“I thought I did at first,” Rarity said uncertainly, “but lost track after fundamental biological codes… I think.”

“What Twilight means is that even though both your sisters and Scootaloo are now related to Fluttershy, they’re still related to the both of you and your families,” Pinkie explained nonchalantly.

The other three just stared at her in disbelief.

“You understood all that?” Rainbow asked, her jaw agape.

“Well, yah,” Pinkie shrugged, rolling her eyes. “It was pretty easy to follow.”

“Wait…” Rarity frowned. “If our sisters are still related to us, but are now related to Fluttershy, and thus each other… doesn’t that mean…?”

She and Applejack looked to each other, shocked.

“Yep!” Pinkie cheered, appearing between the two of them, holding a cake that said “Happy Becoming Sisters Day” in white and orange frosting. “You’re sisters now. Hurray!”

“This… this is a lot to take in,” Rainbow landed on the floor, holding her head with a hoof. “Like, a lot.”

“If you all feel this way, think about Fluttershy,” Twilight moved back over to the bed, resting a hoof on Fluttershy’s own. “She’s suddenly become a mother, without any proper warming at all. Despite that, she now has to prepare to take care of three foals.”

There was silence as everypony absorbed what Twilight had just said and its implications.

“Oh… Oh, my word,” Rarity’s eyes widened and she hurried over, taking Fluttershy’s head and cradling it in her forelimbs. “I’m so sorry, darling. All this time we were thinking about our sisters, when they’re totally safe thanks to you and we haven’t stopped once to think about how you feel about all this.”

“Rar-Rarity’s right!” Applejack nodded, her expression firm, taking off her hat. “We should be thankin’ ya for making such a big sacrifice ta save our sisters’ lives, Fluttershy. And, if’n ya are now related ta Apple Bloom an’ she’s still related ta the Apple Family, that means ya’ll are an Apple now too.” She smiled warmly. “An’ we Apples always look out fer one other.”

“How are you both suddenly so okay with this?” Spike asked from Twilight’s side, looking very perplexed. “If Twilight suddenly became somepony else’s foal… I’m not sure how I’d feel. You two seem pretty okay with this, considering…”

“Oh, we’re not simply okay with it,” Rarity said bluntly.

“Huh?” the baby drake asked, very taken aback by such an abrupt response.

“We’re downright flabbergasted,” Applejack nodded, before smiling towards Fluttershy. “But, now’s not the time fer us ta lose our heads. Fluttershy saved our sisters’ lives and made a huge sacrifice ta do it. She needs our help right now.”

“We can have a total mental breakdown later, darling,” Rarity said casually, waving a hoof.

“Right…” Spike said, clearly uncertain how to respond to that.

“Where’s our niece?!” a pair of voices shouted from the hall.

The gathered ponies and dragon all turned as two ponies burst into the room. One was an Earth Pony with an amber coat and a two toned orange mane and tail and a palm tree and yellow heart for a Cutie Mark, while the other was a slightly stout Pegasus with a turquoise coat and purple mane and tail with a faded purple stripe through each and a sheep with wings for a Cutie Mark.

Twilight sighed, and was about to explain everything once again, when Fluttershy gasped, causing all eyes to turn to her.

Fluttershy’s eyes were wide. She could feel the three fillies inside of her moving around, hearing their heartbeats in sync with her own… and something else.

“I think they’re coming!”

“I’ll explain to you both on the way,” Twilight assured to the two new mares as Nurse Redheart, who’d been sitting nearby monitoring Fluttershy’s vitals all this time, made a call out. “Right now, Fluttershy needs to get to the delivery room.”

___________________________________________________________

“This… this is just surreal,” the Earth Pony said as Fluttershy lay in her new bed, three foals cradled in her forelimbs.

The delivery had gone perfectly, with Fluttershy giving birth to three healthy fillies… and nothing seemed to have changed about them.

All three Crusaders still had the same coats, manes, eyes and pony race as they had before. Had those gathered, save Spike, whom Twilight shielded the eyes of because he was just a baby dragon, not witnessed the birth themselves, they wouldn’t believe Fluttershy had birthed the three.

The two mares that had arrived just as Fluttershy had gone into labour, it turned out, were Scootaloo’s aunts, Holdiay and Lofty respectively, whom Scootaloo was staying with while her parents were away on work.

Twilight had sent Thunderlane, who’d oddly been within the area of Fluttershy’s cottage when she and Zecora had been transporting the at the time unconscious Fluttershy to the hospital, to tell all those related to the Crusaders to get to the hospital.

It seemed he’d been a bit later informing Scootaloo’s aunts than he had Rarity and Applejack.

“So, just how big is our family now?” Lofty asked, looking to Applejack, then Rarity. “I mean, just added one of your families, especially yours, Applejack, would make it huge, but yours, Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s families, all at once? I just… I don’t know how to process this.”

“Eeyup,” Applejack nodded, smiling down at the red maned head of her little sister. “Pretty sure we’re all gonna need some therapy after all this.” Then a frown suddenly creased her brow. “Wait a second. If Apple Bloom is still mah little sister, but now is Fluttershy’s daughter… don’t that mean Fluttershy is now mah… um…?”

Everypony and dragon in the room blinked, before their eyes widened.

“Oh my gosh,” Twilight said, glancing between all the now related ponies. “That’s right. Since the spell from the potion doesn’t alter whom the foals were originally birthed by and related to, that means Fluttershy is now not only their mother, but,” she looked to Rarity, then Applejack, who both blanched, before Twilight looked to Scootaloo’s aunts. “And now she’s also… um, which of you is Scootaloo’s parent’s sibling?”

“Me?” Holiday offered, looking unsure if she should’ve said anything.

“Then that means… Fluttershy is also your sister… in law?” Twilight groaned, holding her head. “My head hurts.”

“This… is gonna take some adjustin’,” Applejack said uncertainly.

“Agreed, darling,” Rarity held her head. “I definetly um going to need a spa day to relax and unwind after this.”

Fluttershy gasped, causing all to look to her as an uncertain look came over the new mother’s face. “How will my parents react?” Then her expression gained a slight deadpan. “How will my brother react?”

Author's Note

I promised the next chapter would be out today and I kept my word.

So, now Fluttershy has given birth and everypony who immediately needed to know about it knows.

and... yeah. just what the bloody hell is the family dynamic here, now?

Next chapter, we have a tiny time skip, Fluttershy and her new daughters discharged and whatever else happens, before meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Shy (seriously, it's so dumb that's all their named) and the infamous Zephr Breeze, whom is still the way he was at the beginning and throughout most of Flutter Brutter... joy.

Next chapter likely won't be out til sometime next week, as i need to take tommorow to relax, especially since it's my last day off before i have to head back to work, so these two chapters will have to tied you over for now.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and, til next time, later everypony