"Sugar. Ya sound a little loopy." Applejack gave Sugar Belle a suspicious look. "Fer one, we're already family. Ya done married mah brother! Ain't much more family than that, 'less ya married me personally." She snorted at the idea. "Really, what made ya think ya weren't already family?"

Sugar blushed softly. "Ah, well, yes, that's true." She smiled and touched noses with Applejack "Family it is then!"

Applejack tipped her hat to Sugar Belle. "Better be! But now wind up a bit. What foal were ya talkin' 'bout?"

Sugar nodded slowly. "Oh, I was just talking to Rainbow Dash, about the whole Big Mac thing."

Applejack's doubting brow was getting quite the workout. "Ah huh. What's wrong wit' Big Mac?"

"I don't think anything's wrong with him." Sugar smiled awkwardly. "But she wants to get pregnant, you know? Like mares do. But she isn't married to a stallion, and asked if maybe my husband could help her out."

"Um. Uh huh." Applejack stroked her chin, eyebrow still hiked up. "Okay, ah gotta give it to ya. That's a new one." She shook her head. "Mah brother? Ain't no way he'd say yes to that!"

Sugar laughed tensely. "Wait, she didn't talk to you about this?"

Applejack drew her hat down across her eyes. "It's soundin' more and more like ah need to be talkin' to her 'bout this." She turned away. "You have yerself a good day, sugar cube."

Sugar nodded as she stepped away. "If you're going to yell at Rainbow, come by my place and you can yell at me too. You know where I live." She trotted off, glancing back with some concern.

Applejack snorted softly at that, having a hard time imagining herself yelling at Sugar Belle for much of anything. "Rainbow Dash!" She bellowed out with more force than she usually mustered. "We gotta talk!"

Rainbow came flitting over the horizon, swinging around to land beside Applejack. "Yup! Talking's great!" She eyed Applejack. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Yer crazy," Applejack said simply, without any heat. She drew off her hat to slap Rainbow across the top of the head. "What's this ah hear 'bout you tryin' to get Big Mac, of all ponies, to give you foals? Yer crazy! Why ain't you at the hospital if yer that ready?"

Rainbow blinked, paralyzed a moment. "Hospital? AJ, I'm not sick. Why would I go to the hospital?"

Applejack tapped at Rainbow. "If ya ask nicely, they'd help a mare have a foal. Ah'd hope to be involved in that! We are, um, a thin' an' all... But still, ya go to the hospital and they help ya out. Now, throw out that Big Mac idea afore this gets more messy and let's head over there. Not like he's gonna wanna do what yer askin' noway."

Rainbow blushed at that, the color brightening her cheeks. "Um, yeah, uh, about that. I did already talk to him about it." She stood up straight. "With permission from his wife and all, who wants me to keep my bestie happy." She rubbed behind her head awkwardly. "We, uh, kinda... Look, um." She paced nervously in place. "We talked about this! You said if I got a foal, then we could get married. I did this for you, AJ."

Applejack shook her head as Rainbow explained herself. "You did, did ya? Yer own dang self convinced mah brother t' plant a foal in you, even made sure his own wife agreed?" She fell back on her haunches. "Part ah me wants to shout so loud right now. Other part's jus' plain impressed you managed to get this done. Yer a dang crazy mare!"

"Yes! You've been saying that forever." Rainbow sighed as she paced nervously in the field. "Now I need you to be true to your word! B-Big Mac did his thing, and my heat ended almost, snap, right then. I'm pretty sure it worked." She glanced back at her belly. "I will have that foal, and I want that foal to be our foal. Together..."

Applejack leaned to look back at Rainbow's flank, then hurriedly turned away. "Rainbow! Ah asked ya to be pregnant, but... But yer actin' like this is my fault, gettin' Big Mac, of all ponies, involved." She clopped a hoof to her cheek. "That foal'll be his too! You two are parents! I'd be raisin' mah niece or nephew!"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Would it be better if I got one of those hospital foals?"

AJ crashed back, dizzy a moment. "N-No... No. Then ah'd have no blood at all 'tween me an' the foal." She scrambled to her hooves and moved in at Rainbow's side, peering at her belly and its promises. "Ya really went and did it." She reached out and placed a hoof gently there. "Ya know, if ya did, then ya gotta change a few things. Ya don't act like no expectin' mom in yer defaults."

Rainbow exhaled. "Yes! I said I'd change for you, so we'd be family, so you'd want to marry me, because I want to marry you. I even flew over there and did things with Big Mac to make you happy." She blushed faintly. "Felt good at the time, but I'm not into stallions that way." The contradiction seemed to make her fidget. "I'd rather spend my life with you, Applejack."

She sunk to a knee. "Will you marry me?"

Applejack blinked and covered her mouth in surprise. "I, I gotta say, that's real sweet. Like I didn't feel my heart already callin' ya special somepony, but hearing that took it another notch higher." She took a calming breath. "Ah'm right grateful to hear you really did try to cover all the bases. If you cheated wit' mah brother, don't think that'd be somethin' ah could ever forgive! But, ya didn't. Ya crazy thin' just wen' and did crazy things. Ah swear." She leaned in, brushing her nose along Rainbow's snout. "A deal's a deal. Ah said if ya got a foal, then we'd get married, and ah am a mare of mah word."

Rainbow threw herself around Applejack with a shrill squeak, trembling at those words. "Yes! Thank you!" She giggled with nerves, planting kisses everywhere on AJ.

Applejack patted Rainbow softly. The two crashed together and she drew Rainbow in closer, kissing lightly. The energy was too high, and Rainbow far too excited, and the kisses deepened into proper smooches.

The two embraced a long moment, warm and firm and comforting to the core. They soon relaxed together, sighing and soaking in each other's scent.

The warmth of their embrace sent a jolt of realization through Applejack. "Oh. Gotta tell ponies." Rainbow was gone, just like that. "Huh, figure she'll tell most ah Ponyville, knowin' her." She chuckled at the idea. "Or jus' Pinkie Pie and let her take care of it." She got to her hooves and went towards the house. "Ah can handle the Apple clan."

Back in Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie sat in thought. She had to consider Rainbow's words, carefully. "You have a foal coming. Congratulations, by the way, and also you and Applejack are getting married. Double congratulations! This doesn't call for a party though."

Rainbow sank with her jaw hanging. "What?! Of course it does! Pinkie, c'mon!"

"Nope." But she was smiling deviously. "It calls for two. We have to have a baby shower and a betrothal bash! We can try to moosh them together." She worked her hooves in the air as if compressing clay. "But they're still two things. Don't worry, I'm already on the case! You can go back to worrying about having a foal. Get well soon!" She bounced off. "I have some ideas!"

Rainbow lifted an eyebrow in a semi-arc. "Huh? Hm. Well, good!" She rubbed behind the back of her head and turned to go, just to thump into another pony.

Missus Cake stood in the way. "You're expecting?! Dear me. I know you too well to let you go rushing off if that's the case." She threw an arm around Rainbow, drawing her closer and also pinning her from fleeing. "There are things a future mother must know. They're things I wish somepony had told me before I went through it."

Rainbow turned about as Missus Cake gently pushed her in another direction. "W-Wait! Where am I going?"

"We have things to cover," the matronly Cake explained calmly. "Chores can wait. Come along." She nudged Rainbow into a back room and kicked the door shut behind them. "Have a seat. Now, inside you, a miracle is happening!" She paused. "Oh, you don't have to tell me, but who's the father?"

Rainbow blushed furiously as she looked away, sighing. "Big Mac." She swallowed dryly. "It was... a favor. For Applejack, for me, but you don't need to hear about it." She nodded as if making peace with this conversation. "We aren't getting married. Big Mac, that is. He's already married! Um, I did ask her first. No cheating!"

Mrs. Cake gave Rainbow a gentle squeeze. "Rainbow Dash, dear, you younger generation ponies sure have interesting ways to go about this. Still, there's a foal in there, maybe two." She laughed with the memory. "I was so surprised when I ended up with twins. The odds are low, so don't be expecting that. Still, I can say, once you have one out, the second really isn't so big of a deal."

Rainbow bobbed her head back and forth at the information. "Well, good! So I just, wait around, and..." Her voice died.

Mrs. Cake softened with a sigh. "Yes and no. Yes, you wait. But also, there are a few things you should do." She started tapping her hooves together. "The first thing is your diet. On the plus side, you're an athlete." Rainbow flexed at that. "Good. You know how to fuel your body. Focus on lots of proteins. That foal is made of it! Eat a well rounded and complete diet for two."

Rainbow frowned slightly, trying to look past Misses Cake to the door, which seemed to be just a little more tempting with every passing second. "Good! So, um, what's next?"

Misses Cake gently took hold of Rainbow's cheeks and turned Rainbow's head to face her directly. "Pay attention. Second, there are exercises you can do to help things along." She crouched in an odd way. "Ways to work out the right muscles in the right places to help that foal come right out of you when they're ready."

Rainbow hiked an eyebrow at the pose. "Huh. Right, exercises. Guess I do that every day anyways."

Mrs. Cake leered at Rainbow. "Exactly. Third thing. Activity! You don't really need to be told the first part, but don't be a coach potato. But also don't overstress yourself. That's the part I'm worried about. You have to step back from being a top tier athlete, for a little while. You're working for two, Rainbow. Let your body do its job."

Rainbow gave her a sharp nod, even though she didn't entirely understand what Mrs. Cake was saying. She slowly rose and brought Mrs. Cake into a gentle embrace. "So, no hard training until the foal comes out."

"Exactly!" She hugged back. "You understand. I'm not saying for you to laze around, just don't go all the way. That means don't strain. That includes the bedroom."

Rainbow blushed softly as she made a squeak. "Huh! Right." Her expression tightened at the subtle jab at Applejack. "Yeah, okay. Shoot, we, uh, aren't, um. Next?"

Missus Cake laughed gently. "I'm not prying into that. That's between the married couple. But one more thing. A lot of ponies whisper about it like it's some terrible thing, but it's not." She tapped Rainbow on the chest. "Look forward to it like the wonderful thing it is, and be open to embrace it, and the foal that comes with it. You're no wimp, Rainbow. I know you can handle this, and come out with a smile."

"The more ponies tell me I'm doing great, the better." She gave Mrs. Cake a grin. "And it's true! I'm no wimp! I can do this!"

Misses Cake watched Rainbow depart. "She'll be fine. I think."

Author's Note

That chapter was full of soft warm feels. Loved it. Applejack took that well, after she figured out what the heck actually happened.

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