The Cutie Mark Crusaders just found out where babies come from, but soon they’ll wish they hadn’t!

On the eve of the Chili Pepper Festival, Applejack comes home acting strange. Applebloom jumps to the only logical conclusion: her big sister is pregnant!

As the rumor spreads, all of Applejack’s friends and family get swept up in preparing for the “new arrival.” Meanwhile, Applejack is left wondering, “Why is everypony actin' so weird?”

This story was inspired by a joke Meghan McCarthy shared at a panel for Las Pegasus Unicon 2013. I first heard about this on a Reddit thread speculating how an episode like this could feasibly be done.

This isn't 100% "Original Flavor." The story has a bit of an edge, and the humor is a lot cruder than what would likely appear in the show. It still has a wholesome ending that keeps the character dynamics intact, especially highlighting one of my favorite aspects of the show: the parental bond between the Apple sisters.

(No Alternate Universe tag. This story leans more toward a contemporary fanfic than my ideal FiM rewrite, but it also doesn’t fit neatly into the show’s timeline.)