“Oh, it hurts!”

“Steady, girl, steady! We’re nearly there!”

Sweat streamed down Applejack’s face as she galloped as fast as she could towards the Ponyville hospital. Behind her, she pulled a cart, in which laid Fluttershy, her belly swollen to incredible size.

“Oh god, it’s coming!” Fluttershy yelled, feeling the movement in her womb.

“Don’t worry, Flutters! Just a little farther!” Pinkie yelled; she and the other elements were following the rapidly moving cart.

Applejack, of course, had kept her spare cart parked next to Fluttershy’s house for just this occasion; she needed to reach the hospital as fast as possible.

“Oh, thank god! We made it!” Applejack cried with relief, as she pulled up outside the Ponyville hospital. Two medics were already rushing out with a stretcher.

“Hurry! The baby’ll be here any minute!” Applejack yelled at the medics as they quickly but gently lifted Fluttershy onto the stretcher, and whisked her inside. The rest of the group rushed inside, but were stopped by a nurse.

“Sorry, but you’ll need to wait in the waiting room.” The nurse said.

“Now listen here, you!” Rainbow yelled, going toe-to-toe with the nurse. “Our best friend’s in trouble, no way are we just gonna-“

“Sit down, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight said in a weary voice, as she herself sat on one of the green chairs in the hospital lobby. “It’ll be over in a few minutes.”

The rest of the elements sat down, tired from their long run. Rainbow Dash also, reluctantly, sat down. “Sorry. I just can’t believe it’s finally here.” The Pegasus mumbled.

“None of us do, dear. I’m still sort of in shock from it myself.” Rarity said. “Am I sweating? Oh dear, I think I’m sweating. Pardon me, I’m just going to visit the little fillies’ room to wash up.” She walked off to ask where the restroom was.

“Wow, did you see Fluttershy?! She looked like she was gonna pop like a balloon!” Pinkie said, still her cheery, oblivious self.

“I can’t believe this whole situation. I still can’t help but wonder, though…” Applejack said quietly.

“Applejack, it’s Fluttershy’s choice. She has the right to not tell us who got her pregnant.” Twilight said firmly. “Although it’s… uncommon, we can’t force her to tell us who…”

“Knocked her up?” Pinkie suggested happily. “Burst her balloon? Devoured her cherrychanga?”

“Well… yes.” Twilight deadpanned. “Anyways, it doesn’t matter. Fluttershy’s chosen to keep it, and I’m sure she’ll love the child, no matter who it came from.”

It was about then that the screaming began.

XXXXXXXX

Barely a minute ago…

XXXXXXXX

“Deep breaths, Ms. Fluttershy. Deep breaths.” The nurse said quietly, holding Fluttershy’s hoof gently.

“Sorry.” Fluttershy said, watching anxiously as the Doctor at the end of her bed put on gloves and a facemask.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, dear.” The doctor said gently, bending down a bit. “Okay, it looks like it’s about ready. Now, let’s see if we can’t get that baby out…”

“Inhale…” The nurse said, and Fluttershy inhaled deeply. “And push as you let it out.”

Fluttershy strained visibly, then she started screaming. “GAAAAH!” She yelled in a voice that could shatter glass.

“You’re doing well, Fluttershy! Come on, keep pushing!” The doctor said, watching her nethers for any sign of movement.

Fluttershy closed her eyes and screamed, trying to focus on getting the baby out. When she opened them again, her vision was blurred. A million miles away, she could hear the voice of the doctor.

“Oh god, it’s crowning far earlier than normal- NURSES! NOW!”

Fluttershy winced at the dim shouting, then screamed again as the pain spiked through her abdomen.

“Okay, okay here it-…” Everything went quiet for a split second, which felt like an eternity to Fluttershy. She only felt the baby shifting restlessly.

“Mother of god…” came the voice of one of the doctor. Somebody vomited. Fluttershy screamed again as she kept pushing.

“What is that?! Is that a te-OH GOOD GOD!” There was a sickening noise, and a splurt of red in Fluttershy’s vision. She realized she was no longer the only one screaming.

“Oh god, there’s – what are – please no –“ Fluttershy’s hearing began to fade even further; she could only hear faint snatches of voices. She screamed again as the red covered her vision, covering the white walls of the room.

Then, the voices rapidly stopped. Fluttershy continued screaming, but there was no encouragement, no status reports, no orders, no nothing – just a sickening squelching noise.

Were babies supposed to sound like that?

Fluttershy gasped as she felt the pressure beginning to lessen. She screamed once more as she finished pushing; she felt the baby moving more smoothly as it finally fully emerged. “Must be the doctor bringing it out…” Fluttershy thought foggily, and sighed as the pain in her stomach greatly reduced.

She waited for the doctor to tell her to open her eyes, to tell her the gender, but she didn’t hear him. In fact, even though her hearing was returning, all she heard was a faint scrabbling noise. She opened her eyes slowly.

Then she gasped, seeing the scene around her.

The entire hospital room was drenched in blood. For a bizzare second, Fluttershy thought it was HER blood – then she saw the doctors, and the nurses, lying sprawled on the floor like they were taking naps.

The only indication that they weren’t asleep was that they each had gaping holes through their chests.

As Fluttershy looked around slowly, in shock, her eyes fell upon the doorframe. Out in the corridor, half-hidden around the side of the door, was… something. Something that definitely wasn’t a pony. Fluttershy saw blood-covered tentacles retracting into the black mass, and a single eye peering at her.

The two stared at each other: hero and monster, pony and abomination.

Mother and child.

Then the spell was broken; the monster was gone as though it was never there, and Fluttershy was pressing, pressing, pressing the emergency call button, trying to get someone to tell her what the hell just happened.

XXXXXXXX

Rarity felt the cool water splash her face. She looked up at the mirror, and sighed, nudging a split end with her hoof.

Rarity took the news that Fluttershy was pregnant the hardest of all. She’d read all the romance novels: huge, muscled stallion sweeps the dainty little mare off her hooves. This, though, was the exact opposite: the stallion had left poor Fluttershy cold and abandoned, her belly swollen. She never even knew his name.

Rarity shivered. She’d never tell it to Fluttershy, but if she herself had gotten pregnant in such a way, she would surely have… “taken care” of the child. She found it truly scary to give birth to something you never truly knew the source of.

Rarity shook her head. She’d dawdled so long in here, the baby had probably already been born. She walked to the door, trying to get the horrible thoughts out of her head.

Then she opened the door to exit the restroom, and saw the thing directly outside the door, not six inches away from her.

Rarity opened her mouth to scream, but the creature whispered, with the mouth it didn’t have, a single word:

“ftaghn.”

And Rarity knew no more.

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