Unexpected Changes

Winter and Spring went by so fast that Lily barely noticed it. She was upset that she couldn't see her friends regularly, sure, but the neighbors turned out to be pretty good friends, as well, so it wasn't so bad. As promised, Seascape was invaluable as a fount of wisdom and experience for an expecting mother such as Lily, and Guin knew a lot of life skills that she was very willing to teach.

It was just a week before the end of the year when Lily's letter to Daisy arrived. In spite of the fact that they were so young, Daisy, Snapdragon and Morning Glory all somehow convinced Ms. Mayberry to let them take their final exams early and skip the end-of-term celebrations. It was unorthodox, but they agreed to come in on a Saturday to make sure it was done, so they must have been serious about making it happen.

As soon as they arrived, they rushed into the house. It was Daisy's dad that had brought them this time, and he was sticking around for a little bit. He had something he wanted to discuss with Cloverleaf. The girls immediately ran up to the Nursery, where Guin and Lily were waiting.

Right before they entered, Snapdragon had the good sense to cover Glory's mouth. Lily's letter had mentioned what had happened, and Glory could very easily cause a problem by opening her mouth.

Lily was sitting in a rocking chair, gently swaying back and forth. Guin was sitting in Cloverleaf's chair off to the side, and the little colt lay curled up in his mother's lap, suckling at her teat.

"Omigawsh!" shouted Glory, thankfully muffled by Snapdragon's hoof. "He's so cute!"

Lily brought a hoof up to her lips, as did Guin with a claw. "He's still sensitive to sound. Please keep your voices down."

"Sorry," whispered Daisy. "Good thing Snapdragon was on top of things."

"I always try to be, darling," she grinned back.

Lily gestured her head to the colt between her legs. "This is my son, Yarrow. He was born four days ago, and is just the most gentle colt there is."

"Did it hurt?" asked Daisy. "Giving birth, I mean."

Lily shook her head. "It wasn't painful, really. They gave me something to numb it all, and the only thing I felt was fear. Fear that something was going to be wrong with him. He came out, and he was so quiet. I was so sure that he hadn't made it. and then he cooed at me for the first time, and I knew he was okay, and everything that had me so terrified was over, just like that. He's been pretty quiet since he came out, and that's had me worried a few times, but it can sometimes happen."

As if in response, he separated from her and curled up, fussing just a little bit. Lily immediately brought him up and tapped on his back until he burped, then stood up.

As Lily tucked him back into his bassinet for his nap, Glory spotted something else. "Omigawsh!" she exclaimed again, prompting Snapdragon to tighten her grip. "Your cutie mark!"

The girls all turned to look at Lily's flank, where a small bottle was nestled in a flower.

"Oh. Yeah, that showed up the day before yesterday."

"Here and I thought your cutie mark was going to be a hoofball," snorted Daisy. "Imagine that."

"Yeah, so did I," thought Lily aloud. "I was so sure there was nothing in the world I loved more than hoofball. As it turns out, that honour actually goes to my son. I actually love him more than anything." As soon as he was snuggled in tightly, she leaned down and kissed his nose. By the time she came back up, he was asleep.

Guin switched on the receiver for the baby monitor as they left the room. "So, what'd I miss?" asked Lily. "How's school going?"

"We took an early final," explained Snapdragon, finally letting go of Glory's mouth. "We wanted to be here."

"All of the other suckers are in class right now," chuckled Daisy.

"We were let out on Friday," nodded Guin. "Well, Lily had to go back. Missed the final because she was giving birth at the time, but I took care of the baby yesterday for her."

"All done, now," smiled Lily, but the smile ran away from her face. "Unfortunately, girls, I'm not going to make it to hoofball camp this summer."

"You're not?" gasped Snapdragon. "But why? You're not pregnant anymore."

"Yarrow still has to eat, though," noted Guin. "He needs his mother. For this year, at least."

"I can come back next year, assuming I don't have another baby."

"I can bring him to the games, then" offered Guin. "Have him sit in the audience. And if anypony asks, I'm foalsitting for my neighbor. I won't even have to lie."

"Hope you girls have fun," smiled Lily. "I'll be practicing in the back yard. I can still do that, anyway."

"Yeah, about that..." Daisy shuffled her hooves. "I won't be going to camp, either."

Everypony turned to look at her. This was news to all of them.

"What do you mean?" asked Snapdragon. "Aside from Lily, you were the most zealous player on the team."

"Well, I was waiting until we arrived to tell you, because I wanted Lily to find out at the same time. But, since we're all here..."

Daisy reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a little white stick with a pink cross in the middle.

Everypony's jaws dropped to the floor. "You're kidding..." breathed Lily. "You're kidding, right?"

Daisy shook her head. "I went into heat a few weeks back. I was at school when it happened, and my dad came to pick me up and take me home. Apparently, there was a mix-up at the herbal medicine shop..."

All was still for a moment. No one said a word.

And then, Lily smiled. "Who's the lucky stallion?"

Daisy blushed and lowered her head. "I'd rather not say..."

Lily chuckled. It wasn't that much different from her own situation. "So... you're probably going to want to move in somewhere nearby," she said, placing a hoof on Daisy's shoulder. "How far along are you?"

"About a month," blurted out Glory. "That's when she disappeared!"

"So, you're probably going to want to move in over the summer," grinned Lily. "We might even be neighbors again!"

Guin shook her head. "The nearest house for sale is a block and a half down the road."

"That's close enough!" nodded Lily, enthusiastically tossing herself into Daisy for a hug. "Neighbors!"

"I guess now's a good a time as any," said Glory, taking a deep breath. "I have news for you all, too."

Everypony turned to Glory. "When did you go into heat?!" asked Snapdragon. "You never took a break from school!"

"Are you moving in, too?" gasped Lily. "Snapdragon, you need in on this!"

"Oh, nonononono!" clarified Glory. "I'm being fitted for braces!"