It was on hot summer mornings like this one that ponies stayed cooped up in their houses, maybe sipping lemonade indoors, reading a good book, with a nice fan to cool off.
And there were some who bolted from their front doors excitedly to cannonball into the nearest swimming hole to cool off or soak in the sun as they floated lazily on the crisp, cool water.
Applejack was one of the former, she found herself alone in her family's old-fashioned farm house, leaning back in a rocking chair, the hot air being blocked by just the walls and roof of the home, forehooves gently resting around the round bulge of her belly.
She sighed, half bored, but also half releaved to sit still as possible now that her back hurt and legs ached, and had done so throughout the past five months or so, all because of the little growing foal curled up under the ginger fur and flesh that covered her stomach snugly. But being stuck at home the past month was irritating.
To be honest, she was getting downright stir crazy! She longed to be out in the orchard, bucking for apples alongside Big Mac, Sugarbelle, and Apple Bloom, who were all out on the fringes of their property now, near where Big Mac and Sugarbelle had built their own cottage, as to not crowd the central barn that was the core of Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack sighed as she stroked her swollen belly with one hoof. "But it will all be worth it once you're here, little sugarcube." She said with a tired smile. She was just about ten months pregnant and would be ready to pop by month number eleven.
And also, with those words she had spoke, she also thought of Fluttershy. The timid pegasus had just brought a tiny turquoise drac-pony colt into the world just the month before, and word had it that he was already a hoof-full, what with the chaos magic he had inherited.
Applejack could not wait until little Flying Breeze saw her own foal when her or he was born, and the two hit it off like apples in a pie.
And that also got her thinking of Rarity, by the time Applejack would've had the little tyke, Rarity would be ten months along aswell, soon to have her own foal.
And Applejack could still hardly believe it, after all the adventures of the past and hardships through life, her and her friends were already stepping into the next step in their lives, some sooner than others.
Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle were still unmarried, Twilight was dating her Head Guard Flash Sentry, while Rainbow always brushed off the fact she was still without a coltfriend with her method of how she was still way too young to be thinking abut that, and on how all that sappy lovey stuff was for "boring girly-mares and older saps."
But they could all tell that she felt the slightest bit left out and unsure about what to do next.
Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich had gotten engaged a couple months ago and Twilight was eagerly awaiting a proposal from her beloved boyfriend.
If somepony had told Applejack when she and her friends were first connected to the Elements of Harmony that in just a few years, she'd be happily married and awaiting a foal, younger her would have laughed at them till her hat fell off.
And even after she and Charmed had married, Applejack had not been planning or even too keen on having foals of her own, thinking as Charm as more of a teammate that she would do anything for than anything else, so it was clear that the young couple had not been ready for starting a family when they found out, but quickly accepted it for fate had chosen it, and Charm was very excited to be a father.
Speaking of Charmed Apple, today he was out in this sunny day selling apples down at Ponyville Square, so Applejack was all alone in the farm house, only accompanied by her medium sized brown and white dog Winona, who was curled up in her bed beside the rocking chair, four rollie poll-y puppies curled up in the curve of her belly.
Applejack looked down at her. "I reckon even hard workin' farm dogs like you are too getting on in years." She realized how odd that sounded when she put it like that, she herself was only twenty-five, as of three months before, but working in the orchards her whole life had made her weary, making her feel ten times older than she actually was by the end of the day
But she hoped that once she had her baby, things would fall back into routine.
And that's when she felt it. The soft kick inside her belly, made her wince and shutter softly, but as soon as it came, it was gone...only to return twice in the next few moments. That was weird.
The foal was showing to be very restless today, in fact in the next hour of sitting there, the pains had gotten more intense, and she was getting downright irritated. She figured the little tyke was just hungry and got up stiffly from her chair to walk to the kitchen and grab an apple.
She returned to her chair after also grabbing a book, and sat down, opening the book up and taking a bite of her apple. She had just gotten past the first chapter as she took her last bite and set the core on the bookshelf next to her.
And that's when a particularly strong kick sent the apple she just ate spewing back up, she caught herself from disposing of her food all over the pages of her book by putting a hoof to her mouth and leaning forward.
Winona gave a whimper from where she lay. Brandy, Buck, and Roo, her puppies, squealed when she moved. Applejack stood up, putting the book aside and quickly thought of something she could do, resorting to an empty cleaning bucket sitting against the wall with the mop.
She was used to nausea happening randomly the past ten months, so it was nothing new to her to throw up anything she had eaten, quickly into any nearby contraption she could find in the moment, like now.
She groaned as even after everything had come back out, the kicking continued, more intense this time, but she found the strength to clean up after herself before returning to her chair.
"What is goin' on?" She groaned as she curled around herself, her forehooves wrapped around her belly gently as the foal kept kicking her insides. She was appalled as she felt something pop and she felt something lower itself in her belly, as if it was trying to get out.
"Is it time?! But it's only been ten months!" Applejack gasped, a panic coming over her. What could she do? Charmed wasn't due to come home until the evening and the rest of the family were on the edges of the orchard, Granny was out at her wax museum and all of Applejack's friends were out who knows where.
She decided to move to the couch to lay on, and focused on breathing normally, maybe, just maybe, somepony would come.
It was another hour of pain as she just lied there, she knew that the foal wanted out, but from her understanding, they wouldn't try to force their way out for hours, but as she was slowly driven into madness by the nagging, she began to realize something...
This was ridiculous, she was a earth-pony, a strong one at that, she was supposed to endure in tough situations, and right now in her mind, the best way to endure was too try and reach her family herself.
She stiffly got up and walked to the door, opening it and hobbling outside, there she glimpsed the silver triangle she used to call everyone in at dinnertime, and it dawned on her, she could use it to alert her folks! Hopefully they would get the message.
She grabbed the old stick and rang it on the triangle as hard as she could, even harder than she normally did. She gasped as the vibrations from the silver stick in her mouth caused a full blown contraction and she yelped in immense pain.
Applejack staggered back into the house backwards and backed into the table, lifting herself onto her back legs to catch herself by reaching her forehooves behind her onto the table and stayed like that as the contraction passed. It was getting real!
"By Celestia, those ponies better get here fast!" She groaned, the pain passing and allowing herself to lower back onto all fours and walk stiffly back to the couch.
She sat down and curled up again, getting the attention of ponies that could help was all she could do for now.
It was only a few minutes before a fierce knocking came at the door, she sighed in relief and was about to get up to answer but was cut off by another contraction. She shrieked, which was rare, she couldn't remember the last time she had screamed instead of yelled.
And even through the pain, she wondered: if it was her folks at the door, why would they knock? They lived there too.
But she couldn't wonder for long as the door opened and the sound of hoof beats pounded on the ground to bring the maker of their sound into view...
Twilight Sparkle had been walking up the dirt path up to Sweet Apple Acres to visit Applejack when she heard the triangles ear blasting chimes.
At first she thought nothing of it, until realizing how loud it was, how it was nowhere near dinnertime when it usually rang, and the fact that Applejack had been left alone with Winona and the pups and she was the only one who could have rang.
Twilight was a smart pony, so it didn't take long for her to go through many possibilities, finally landing on the most possible one. Something was wrong.
With newfound panic, she galloped up to the farmhouse, her wings slightly fluffed up and mane and tail streaming behind her in the wind, her focus intent on the quickly shortening distance between her and the barn.
She panted as she reached the front door and quickly knocked, remembering her manners that in turn were pretty unnecessary in this particular problem. Her fur spiked up as she heard the shriek from inside.
She gasped and threw her manners out the window, using her magic to open the door and bolting inside, through the kitchen and into the living room where curled up on the couch, breathing heavily was Applejack.
Twilight gasped and rushed to her side. "Applejack! What's wrong?!" She exclaimed in panic. Applejack's closed eyes opened, showing immense pain. "T-Twilight?" She stammered through the pain.
Twilight nodded and helped her friend up so she was leaning back against the backrest of the couch. "Is the foal coming?" She asked dumbly.
Applejack stammered for a moment. "D-darn t-tootin'" She gasped, managing a small smile. Twilight nodded and quickly used her magic to carefully lift up her friend and safely secure her between her huge wings, using her knowledge of spells to give her the strength to carry her.
"We need to get you to the hospital!" She exclaimed as she started trotting out of the living room.
Applejack's eyes widened at that, her hooves resting on her belly, her back pressed up against Twilight's, her whole front facing up towards the ceiling. "What?! B-but a every apple since my Pa have been born in the barn...!"
Twilight was surprised at that as she opened the door. "Really? How?" She asked.
Applejack relaxed as the pain subsided and continued. "Granny had mah' father in the barn and my aunts and uncles too, with just a pile of blankets among the hay and a midmare from Ponyville General Hospital to help, and my Mother had me and my siblings like that too..."
Twilight was in awe, but kept focused on the task ahead. "Wow, but doesn't that bring up health problems? Like there could be something wrong and you wouldn't even know it properly!"
Applejack groaned as another pain hit her. "Don't you fret none, we apples always bring them to the hospital to be tested in the next day or two..."
Twilight was about to say more when she saw Big Mac, Sugarbelle, and Apple Bloom all trotting up, obviously drawn by the sound of the triangle. But as soon as they saw Twilight and Applejack, they started bolting up.
"Applejack!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, her now long legs allowing her to reach them first, she was just at the age of fourteen, and soon would look like a full grown mare, but looking like an adult pony didn't mean she was an adult pony, she was still a teenager and would be until she was eighteen, like most species.
Twilight nodded and kept walking, turning towards the barn, the others following. "Applejack is having this baby today, they won't wait until the eleventh month."
Sugarbelle appeared at her side. "Oh how wonderful, your soon gonna meet your foal Applejack!" She purred.
Applejack looked down at her belly, that realization hitting her just now. 'Very soon, I'll be a mother...to the sweetest little filly or colt, they are an apple after all.'
She was hit by another contraction as Twilight leaned down to lay her in the hay inside the barn.
Sugarbelle's magic reached over to a shelf of simple dark blue and red blankets and brought them down to make a makeshift bed for Twilight to lower Applejack down on and let her adjust to what was about to happen.
Applejack calmed down as she was lied on the soft blankets, her head resting on the fuzzy dark blue one, draped over a pile of hay.
Twilight shook out her wings and lit her horn. "I'll go and bring a midmare from Ponyville General down here, and I'll alert Granny Smith and Charmed Apple, you just stay here and rest Applejack." She said, before disappearing in a blast of magenta light.
Applejack was left with Sugarbelle and Apple Bloom, Big Mac having left to continue apple bucking by the cottage.
Apple Bloom gave an excited trill. "Oh this is so excitin'! I'm gonna be an aunt!" She leaned down to be closer to her sister. Applejack reached up to stroke her amaranth mane and side of her face. "Ya' sure are, and you'll be amazin' at it sugarcube." She said with a slight chuckle.
It was only a few moments later when Twilight appeared in a magic burst, at her sides was Charmed Apple and Granny Smith. Granny stumbled back as she was teleported there.
Charmed Apple immediately ran up to his wife, his wings fluttering as he came up to lay next to her. "Oh AJ! Is it true? Is it finally time?" He asked excitedly. Applejack nodded with a slightly tearful smile. "Sure is sugarcube." She breathed, stroking her belly again, it was now moving with the force of the foals hooves as another contraction came.
This time she wailed in agony and mentally forced herself not to push from the force. It was only a second later that a unicorn with a pale blue aura opened the door, and in stepped Nurse Redheart and Midmare Lavender Breeze.
Lavender was a older mare in her early forties, with a pale lavender coat and a dark blue mane and tail streaked with a slightly lighter and grayer tone, both long but braided to act shorter, her cutie mark was a flower of lavender next to a rattle, her talent being the delivering of foals in a very calm and soothing manner, like the scent of sugared lavender.
Fortunately, she had delivered both Applejack herself as well as Apple Bloom before, so she was trusted among the Apple family.
"Hello Mrs Applejack, it's good to see you today." Lavender said calmly, coming up to her patient, while also adjusting the midmare band around her head.
Applejack nodded stiffly, rolling over onto one side slightly. Nurse Redheart knelt beside her, intentionally gently pushing Charmed backwards to give her room, and placed one end of her stethoscope onto her patients heart and then to her belly to catch the baby's heartbeat as well.
Applejack waited, a dull but numb ache trailing through her. Twilight decided to step back, opening the barn door, she stepped outside, just to see their other friends trotting up to the barn excitedly.
Applejack waited as the midmare prepared her, and was caught off guard when after a contraction that made her belly ripple, they told her to push.
Her water had broken awhile ago, so she was as ready as ever to have this foal, but she had expected it too be much longer until this moment.
With Charmed holding her hoof, and her hat was safely tucked away on another hale bale, and the ribbons taken out of her mane so they were limp. She pushed.
It was a long and painful few hours, and Twilight and the others were all waiting outside anxiously.
Fluttershy hadn't been away from her baby for this long in ever! She was anxious about leaving him home with his father and Screwball, but more anxious about her friend, anything could go wrong in a barn or unprofessional home, it was even more terrifying than when she was in Ponyville General having her baby only a month ago.
Rarity was just excited, but also complained every once in awhile about the pain in her own back from sitting out in the now partly cloudy day with her own rounded belly, but Spike was curled up behind her, allowing her to lean against him.
Pinkie sprang in excitement around an anxious Rainbow Dash and trying to stay calm Princess Twilight.
"Isn't this exciting?! Who's excited? I'm excited! I've never been so excited! This even beats the time I gasped at Twilight when she first came to Ponyville and when she became ruler of Equestria!" Pinkie chanted.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "You're still on about that first meeting?" She groaned.
"What about when I had my baby, Pinkie?" Fluttershy asked teasingly. Pinkie stopped and came up to hug the pale yellow pegasus. "Well of course! That was also the most exciting time ever!"
Fluttershy giggled and pushed her away, to which Pinkie continued prancing around her four other friends.
Rarity kept a hoof on her belly, which was only slightly smaller than Applejack's was as she leaned into Spike's shoulder, the full grown dragon made sure to keep as still as possible, at the moment he was only slightly bigger than Rarity, and he could still walk on his hind legs, an ability that faltered as dragons legs curved back as they aged, making them drop comfortably onto all fours by the time they were around thirty.
"While a barn is not a very ideal place to have a baby, I respect her choice of tradition. But I would want to be comfortable in Ponyville General, where things going wrong is less likely." Rarity commented.
That just made everypony more anxious for their friend.
Applejack gave the last agonizing push and a strangled wail to go with it, she had her hooves behind her, keeping her sitting up, she started panting as she felt the baby slip out the last little way, before the barn was filled with it's cries.
She gave out squeaking gasps as she lowered herself into the blankets again, sweat had dampened her mane and her tail was soaked with all sorts of stuff that came with the small foal, she could not even describe the pain she had been in, and her belly still throbbed with the effort, her guts seemingly gasped for breath as she was.
Her gasps quickly turned into overjoyed chuckles as the sound of the baby, her baby, invaded her ears.
Charmed was teary eyed. "You did it...you did it darlin'!" Applejack nodded rapidly, lifting her head to give Charm a dainty but long lasting kiss on the lips, despite the lack of air she was experiencing.
But as soon as she broke from the kiss, she dried her eyes with a hoof and scanned the barn, her tired eyes in search for her foal. "It's a colt!" Nurse Redheart exclaimed as the baby's cries died away, possibly from being cleaned off which a wet cloth and swaddled in a blanket.
Applejack was about to ask where he was, but they immediately placed the tiny colt onto her chest, to which she cradled instantly and was able to get a good look at him.
The colt was a pale brown, with a hint of ginger like her, the brownish-ginger shade due to Charm's dark brown coat, and his mane was damp but obviously a slightly duller pale yellow than hers, his eyes were slowly opening, and she could see that they were also a mix between his parents shades of green in their own irises.
She sat up, her sore back against the blanket covered hay pile as she looked down at the colt who she pressed against her chest. She was mesmerized by him, he was perfect.
Love was all Applejack could feel, she didn't even notice the soreness in her stomach, or Apple Bloom's excited squeals. All she could think of was her son, her baby, the most precious thing in the world to her now, she loved him more than all of the apples in Equestria, or the whole of Sweet Apple Acres.
She hugged him close, lowering her head to press her forehead against his, she gave a happy sigh, tears trickling down her cheeks and ears back against her head. She didn't even notice Lavender Breeze using a damp cloth to wash her mane just enough so it wouldn't feel grimy and tied it back into a ponytail with Applejack's red hair tie.
When Applejack finally lifted her head, the colt was smiling at her, and reached out his hooves to her, in which she lifted her own hoof to cradle against his.
"Applejack has successfully given birth to a beautiful baby colt, you can all come in and see them when Mrs Applejack is ready." Nurse Redheart was saying through the barn door that she had opened a crack and poked her head through.
Applejack could hear her friends cheers, but her attention was taken by Charmed Apple who was stroking his sons mane with one hoof. "What should we name him sweetheart?" He asked softly, clearly just as much mezmerized by their son as Applejack was.
Applejack gave a tired chuckle. "Well he is an apple, and he's the most perfect one, that is true...Applecrisp...like your favorite dessert."
Charm chuckled and kissed his son on the forehead. "It's perfect. Applecrisp..."
Applejack sighed dreamily, sinking down into her bed of blankets, her foal still clutched in her hooves, laying on-top of her chest, the blanket falling away from him slightly so she could see his back. No wings.
'An earth-pony, I wouldn't want it any other way.' She thought. She yawned, tiredness weighing her down.
"You should get some sleep." Charm said. Applejack's eyes fluttered, struggling to stay awake, but she pulled through. "No, no, not yet, mah friends still need to meet him."
Lavender Breeze nodded, quickly finishing washing her tail, and placing another blanket under her hindquarters.
Nurse Redheart nodded and returned to the door, opening it and saying something to the five waiting outside.
Applejack sat up again as the five quietly walked in, each ones face brightening as they saw the new colt cradled in her hooves.
"Howdy." Applejack said tiredly. Twilight was filled with joy as she saw the tiny copper brown colt in her best friends arms.
"Oh he's darling." Rarity whispered as they all walked up to their bedraggled friend. Pinkie Pie had to stop herself from bursting with joy and shouting at the top of her lungs. She could only manage a strangled. "So, cute. Can't take it."
Fluttershy slowly fluttered up to the foot of the blankets that her friend was laying on and put her hooves to the sides of her face, her aqua eyes wide and starry. "Oh Applejack, he's beautiful, you did such a good job." She swooned.
Twilight came up and sat at the foot of the blankets. "How do you feel?"
Applejack smiled softly. "Completely happy, and still a lil sore, I can't even begin to describe what pain ah was in."
Rainbow awkwardly twiddled her hooves, flying in place just above the ground. "But uh, your okay now, right?" She asked.
Applejack nodded. "Better than okay..." She looked down at her son again, with all the love in her heart.
Rarity sat herself down with a grunt against a hay bale a few hoof-lengths away, beside Applejack's blankets, to which Spike came up to her and curled around her again.
"Glad to see your alright Applejack." Spike said with a fangy grin. Applejack nodded. "Me too." Then she realized something. "Oh, everypony, meet Applecrisp." She said.
Twilight and Fluttershy giggled. "Welcome to the group Applecrisp." Twilight purred.
"Ah'm finally an aunt! An aunt!" Apple Bloom squealed. Applejack cringed as Applecrisp flinched and let out another wail.
Apple Bloom put both hooves to her mouth. "Sorry!" She mumbled around them.
Applejack sighed. "It's okay, he's probably just fussy 'cuz he's hungry." She said. Charmed Apple nodded before clearing his throat.
Twilight's ears perked in realization and she stood up. "Oh yes, come on girls, let's give them some space."
Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy got the message from her words and quickly got up from their spots.
Pinkie Pie looked around at them. "Wait why?" She asked.
Applejack rolled her eyes and rolled onto her side, letting Applecrisp slide down into the blankets, his own blanket falling away. Charmed leaned forward to unfold a wing and let it hood Applejack and Applecrisp from sight as the baby started to feed.
Pinkie was already being pushed away by Twilight, her ears perked once by the door. "Ohhh, sorry!" She called back in realization as the girls and Spike left.
Applejack sighed and curled around her son, waiting patiently until he was done. His eyes drooped once he was curled up against her chest, the blanket he had been given now just draped over his back.
"Rest now, love." Charm said, letting his wing retreat and getting up from his spot. Applejack nodded, tiredness finally being allowed to take over her mind. In her last spot of continuousness, she heard Nurse Redheart talking with Charmed Apple by the barn doors.
"Now that you have the chance, we need you to fill in this paperwork signing Applecrisp as a citizen of Equestria and of Ponyville..."
