The decorations of their room mimics the rest of the hospital. Potted plants line the walls, eerily similar to the still life paintings. Which matches the wall paper. Which match the drapes. Which match the hospital gowns already on the four beds.

Rarity grimaces at the monochrome theme, daintily stepping along the floor as if she might catch whatever syndrome damaged the decorator’s sense of style by lingering too long at any one spot. “They don’t expect us to wear these, do they?” she demands, indicating the gown with a haughty shake of her hoof. “Especially if we are to spend the night?”

“Aww, shucks, Rares,” Applejack says with a resigned sigh as she lays down on her bed. “We ain’t spent three seconds in here and already you’re pickin’ nits.”

“You think there might be nits!” Rarity exclaims, rapidly backpedaling away from the bed. Her horn sparks as she charges it, “Burn it! Burn it with fire!”

Applejack huffs. “That ain’t-”

“-It’s fine,” Rainbow Dash reassures with a friendly pat against the hyperventilating unicorn’s back. “They take stuff like that really serious here.” She sighs, remembering times she had to remove soiled bedding and help wheel patients around. Though after she won her first race they stopped letting her do that. “Trust me. I know.”

Rarity closes her eyes for a brief moment, her horn depowering. “Very well,” she says, taking a few hesitant steps towards the bed. “I suppose I have to get through this.” She grabs a stack of hoof wipes and places them next to her, using one immediately. “But that does not mean I have to be disgusting while doing it!”

“So,” Doug says with a wry smile, blatantly changing the subject, “You can light fires with your mind?” Doug replaces Rainbow Dash at the unicorn’s side as each mare picks a bed. Once again they go in herd order, Applejack closest to the window and Doug’s empty bed on the far side.

“Normally I use it to iron creases.” Rarity demonstrates on the bed, using a hoof as the iron. She’s glad for the distraction. “But if I concentrate enough, then yes.” She demurely smiles at Doug’s impressed nod. “It’s just a minor cantrip, darling. Nothing to be proud of.”

“Still.” Doug flinches at a loud scrape from his side of the room. Rainbow Dash grunts as she pushes her bed closer to Rarity’s. “Would you like a hand?”

“A what?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Oh yeah, sure.” She idly pushes the white dividing curtain while Doug gets up.

“Y’all seen the bathroom?” Applejack asks as she hops up, shuffling back and forth. She darts to the door Rainbow Dash indicates, whips it open and slips inside. A second later she bursts out and roars, “That was a broom closet! Ah nearly did mah business in there!”

Rainbow Dash laughs uproariously while Doug remarks, “Outside is right over there.” He points at the window, barely suppressing his smirk.

“Hardy-har-har,” Applejack grunts out, remembering how she got him with that. “Ah’m serious.” She tries the adjacent door, finding the bathroom, and roughly slams it behind her.

“Do be quick!” Rarity shouts, kicking at her belly. Her tail flags, and only with effort lowers back down. She begins to lay down, then thinks better of it, and climbs onto her bed.

Doug helps Rainbow Dash with her bed, then Applejack’s, making a half circle with the heads of the beds at the center. “I guess I’m staying in the center,” he remarks, Rainbow Dash nodding along.

“It’s pretty bright in here.” Applejack squints as she steps out of the bathroom, even with her Stetson providing shade. “Can one’a y’all turn the lights down?”

“Um,” Doug says, going to the door as Rarity enters the bathroom. There is a light switch, and he experimentally pushes it down. As expected the lights dim, Applejack circling her head to tell him to keep going, and she’s only satisfied once they equal to the moonlight outside.

“Much better.” The earth pony pauses for a good thirty seconds, eyes closed and hoof holding her side. “Ah’m okay,” she says with a shaky voice, forestalling Doug’s question. She hops onto her bed, anxiously nipping at her belly.

A light tap at the door precedes Nurse Sweetheart peeking inside. “Anypony need a book?” The pink earth pony motions to a bookmobile she was dragging with her mouth. She smiles knowingly when she spots Applejack. “Looks like somepony is ready to be a dam! Let me get more pads.” She motions to a stack of blue absorbent pads next to the door, then slips outside. Doug grabs a few and sets them on each bed around the mare’s hindquarters.

“Hey, I’m ready to be a dam!” Rainbow Dash says, mimicking Applejack with a nip at her own belly. She frowns at herself. “Come on, you! Start shifting!” Her brow narrows as she glares at her side. “Don’t make me come in there!”

“It’s a bit early to start threatening your foal, don’t you think?” Rarity asks as she steps out of the bathroom.

“If she’s anything like me, she can take it,” Rainbow Dash says with a forceful nod and accompanies it with another kick at her side. “Faster!”

“She’s gonna come on her own time,” Doug says reassuringly, helping his mare onto her bed. She reluctantly complies, gritting her teeth as her tail flags.

“That ain’t strictly true,” Applejack says before taking a long, calming breath. “Mare’s got a bit of control over it.”

“Huh,” Doug says, glancing back at Rainbow Dash’s tail.

“What helps is quiet and relaxation,” coaches Rarity, following her own advice as she hops onto her bed. Each mare now has their head and at least one hoof within arm's reach of Doug. “The dark helps, and she should feel safe.” She squeezes Doug’s hand with her hoof, smiling fondly.

“Eeyup,” Applejack agrees as she stands up. Her legs spread a little wider as her tail flags, a short spray of urine dripping down. “Sorry,” she apologizes to nopony in particular. “It’s gonna get a bit more graphic.”

“Hey, I find it fascinating,” Doug says as he rubs her muzzle, “but I can understand wanting to skip to the end.”

“And don’t worry about the sheets.” Rainbow Dash adjusts to her side. “They’ll come in and swap ‘em out, help keep everything clean.”

“Ah still think it’s more’n we need,” Applejack says, kicking at herself again before she lays back down. “Shoot, in the barn all we’d need is a bit’a straw to cover the wood. Get up to do your business if ya could, but if it ain’t happenin’?” She shrugs, her tail flagging again. “You gotta clean it all out at the end anyway.”

“I thought this was your first foal,” Rarity says between hard breaths. She squeezes Doug’s hand again, her stallion squeezing back. “Did you assist with anypony else?”

“Nah, just stories Ma told, and Granny ‘bout Pa.” Applejack glances backward, inspecting her sides with a hard frown. Her breaths become quick and sharp, gladly taking Doug’s hand when he grabs her hoof.

“My dam never told stories about having me,” Rarity returns awkwardly. “It’s not that we weren’t close. I think she was waiting for the right stallion to come along, and… who knows? Perhaps worries about what might have gone wrong overwhelmed her.”

“Ah heard unicorns are a bit trickier,” Applejack confirms with a nod. “More important to get in the right position, gotta worry ‘bout the horn.”

“I wish mine got into position!” Rainbow Dash exclaims with a nudge at her side, then a series of progressively harder kicks. “She’s taking forever to scoot over!”

“This ain’t somethin’ ya can finish in ten seconds flat,” Applejack grunts out, gritting her teeth through the pain of her contractions. “Ya go too early’n she’s gonna breech.”

“Ugh, fine,” Rainbow Dash says as she slumps down. “Apparently Rarity is the only one allowed to complain around here.”

“I do not complain,” Rarity complains, turning her snout up. “I whine.”

“So,” Doug interrupts before their bickering can get any worse, “can you feel when they get to the right position?”

“Eeyup,” Applejack says, watching the pegasus shift restlessly. “Forelegs in front of muzzle. Ah’ve heard it just feels right. Like they’re pressin’ up against ya the whole time they ain’t right, then a wave of relief once they are.”

“With unicorns, the only difference is their head is tilted to the side, keeping the horn as close to the foreleg and shoulder as possible.” Rarity’s horn lights briefly; a minor glow shines from her backside. “Sometimes you can adjust it yourself, but it’s all inside the amnion. It’s not even the thickest part! That would be the rest of the head immediately after. Positioned properly, of course.”

“This is taking too long!” Rainbow Dash complains again, huffing. She hops off the bed to pace back and forth. “Don’t they have a way to make it go faster?”

“They got drugs, sure, but that’s for mares gettin’ close to a year pregnant.” Applejack pulls off her hat to wave at her face, a short whistle and shake of her head. “Though, Ah’ve heard sisters who’re gonna be close tend to come ‘bout the same time. Maybe ya should tell her her sisters are on the way.”

“You hear that?” Rainbow Dash says with a quick thump to her stomach. “Your sisters are coming! You aren’t gonna let them beat you and miss that, are ya?”

She winces from a swift kick, her belly visibly shaking.

“Oof, I think she heard me.” Rainbow Dash grins sheepishly, rubbing herself. “Alright, little guy. It’s like a relay race. You just gotta scoot into place, then I’ll take over from there. And,” her grin turns mischievous, “I’m allowed to help.” She shakes her flanks, hoping the motion works. “So hop to it!”

Nurse Sweetheart steps into the room, no nonsense on her face. She takes a quick glance at Rarity and Rainbow Dash before settling on Applejack. “Well, Applejack, looks like you’re nearly there.” She takes an extra two pads and spreads them behind the supine pony. “Give me a call once your water breaks?”

“Sure,” Applejack says, focusing on her breathing as the nurse slips out again. The time between her contractions continues to get shorter, her grip on Doug’s hand unrelenting. Rarity and Rainbow Dash both quiet down as well, only occasionally standing and grimacing at the odd bout of pain.

It isn’t until nearly an hour later that a gush of fluid escapes Applejack’s marehood. “Doug,” Applejack commands through clenched teeth, not letting go of his hand, “can ya call for the nurse?”

“Sure,” Doug says, waiting until the contraction finishes before getting up. He merely has to open the door to find Nurse Sweetheart there chatting with Dr. Sharps. “Applejack’s water broke.”

The mare startles back briefly. “Oh! Oh, um, yes. I’ll be right in!” She quickly composes herself, the two earth ponies following Doug inside. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better,” Applejack grunts out, her eyes closed in concentration. “Nothin’ Ah can’t hoof.”

“Some pain is normal,” Dr. Sharps says as he pulls packaged scalpels and bags of i.v. fluid from his saddlebags.

“Some pain,” Applejack mutters to herself. “Ah’ll show you some pain.”

If the arrangement of the beds bothers the doctor he doesn’t show it, merely working around the awkward angle. The fluid hook up to a stand next to the bed while the sharps go on a table he wheels closer. “Just a precaution,” he says as Doug glances over.

“Worried about big heads?” Doug quips. All the foals he’s seen have freakishly large heads on tiny little bodies, and he suspects his will be no different.

“Something like that,” Dr. Sharps returns with a quick smile. He glances over at Applejack’s vulva, then grabs a cloth from a package and wipes her clean. Nurse Sweetheart efficiently replaces the soaked pads, made all the more impressive (or disgusting) because she’s using her mouth to do so. “Looking good.”

“Thanks,” Applejack says shortly, focusing on her muscles. Her hoof finds Doug as he sits back down.

“You doing okay?” he asks, brushing a few strands of blond mane back into position.

“Ah’d prefer if there weren’t nopony starin’ at my lady parts,” Applejack huffs out, her eyes staying closed like she’s trying to convince herself of that nonetheless.

“Ooh!” Rarity exclaims, her own water breaking. She grimaces as she looks backwards, afraid more than a little splashed on her hooves and soaked into her coat. “I knew I should have borrowed your waders!”

“Ah’ll be sure to remind you next time,” Applejack quips as Dr. Sharps and Nurse Sweetheart turn to Rarity and get her ready. Her tail pulls to the side, exposing a tab of white escaping her backside. She takes a few rapid breaths, bearing down again. “Come on, girl. You ain’t stayin’ here!”

Rainbow Dash stands up, grimacing. The feeling that she’s going to be in last place is nearly overwhelming, and the foal inside her just won’t move fast enough! “Come on!” she commands, wondering if gyrating her belly would help. It couldn’t hurt, right? “Get! In! There!”

The other ponies are too focused on their own situations to pay her much mind, but Doug tugs a hand away from Applejack to comfort her. “You’ll get there,” Doug says with a rough pat on her head. “Don’t force it.”

Rainbow Dash growls. She drops back down, straining against herself again.

Applejack grunts, drawing Doug’s attention. She finds him above her, beaming down. He grabs her hoof as he watches one, then two, forelegs push out. The white sac that surrounds them is translucent, oozing with a slimy fluid that spills onto the pads. He can only imagine what her marehood is going through, a morbid part of him wanting to check. Yet she comes to a pause, resting before the big push.

“Going quick,” Doug remarks, giving Applejack a squeeze.

“At this point, they normally do,” Dr. Sharps returns, coming away from Rarity to check Applejack’s progress. Deeming it normal he steps back, giving her the privacy she clearly wants.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouts. “My water broke!”

“You have exquisite timing,” Dr. Sharps says with a thin smile.

“You bet I do,” Rainbow Dash returns, her smile eating up most of her face. “Now it’s my turn!” She grunts as she bears down, wishing her wingpower could correspond to a similar pushing force when it came to foal bearing.

A quick look at Rarity shows her at nearly the same position as Applejack, the white amnion sac pushing out of her. Two forelegs, not that the ultrasounds showed anything but a pony inside.

Applejack’s rapid breathing draws Doug’s attention, the mare preparing herself for a big push. He can see the forelegs moving, not from Applejack’s doing, bending like they are trying to pull themselves out. The short muzzle can be seen barely poking out. Applejack’s stomach muscles roil as she strains, her marehood stretching to the utmost to allow the foal’s massive head through. It’s shocking how large the head is, more and more forcing through with every huff and grunt the mare makes.

And just like that she slides out, the mare slumping over to rest with the back half still inside her. Doug gives her an encouraging pat on the head, unable to tear his eyes away from the foal pawing around her amnion sac and trying to break free. His foal.

Before he can get too engrossed Rarity demands his attention with a grunt of her own, physically pulling him away. He holds onto her, watching the sac that blends into her white coat. It gets to a similar stopping point, legs mostly out with the barest hint of muzzle showing.

“Now’s our chance to catch up!” Rainbow Dash exclaims from the side, seemingly neck and neck - or, in this case, foreleg to foreleg - with Rarity. By concentrating on the competition she is able to ignore the pain and push herself, hooflength after tiny hooflength slipping out into the world.

Doug wants to stop her, to tell her to slow down and that she might injure the foal, but the doctor and nurse merely watch while trading knowing smiles. He forces himself to relax, merely finding a white and cerulean hoof to hold on to and do what he can to encourage them.

A long, high pitched squeal emanates from Rarity’s throat as she bears down. Dr. Sharps closely inspects her all the while, giving measured nods as the obvious bulge of the horn slips out. Rarity breathes a sigh of relief, but only for a moment; she knows it’s not even the hardest part. A squeeze of Doug’s hand accompanies her next great push, the shrill noise growing louder and sharper until Doug can no longer hear it. The dogs baying outside must be able to, though.

And then it cuts off, Rarity’s head dropping down in exhaustion. She takes long, deep breaths, cobalt eyes meeting Doug’s. “You did this to me,” she grunts out, half way between a smile and a glare.

“Careful, I’ll do it again,” Doug retorts. He can barely spare the wink, almost unable to believe the miracle struggling in front of him. And yet there she is, tiny hooves like little pencils trying to pierce through.

“No, you better be careful,” Rarity snaps back. “Us mares will be quite fertile once this is done, and you had best control yourself.”

“When the time is right,” Doug says, ruffling her mussed mane. Rarity bats his hand away, closing her eyes and focusing on recovering. He expectantly turns to Rainbow Dash, only to find her already clenching as hard as she can. The foal pushing out is the darkest of the three, both in mane and coat. Her forelegs, in that they are moving, seem to be trying to maneuver back inside.

Rainbow Dash is having none of it, barely resting between contractions. She can’t even spare the breath to chastise the foal. Her cerulean face turns a darker shade of blue as she strains, unable to overcome that final hump as her foal slips a little back inside. And just as quickly she’s back to pushing, able to get almost as far before she collapses. “Doc?”

Dr. Sharps is at her side almost immediately, crouching next to her. “Yeah?”

Rainbow Dash stifles a sob. “It hurts.”

“Mm.” Dr. Sharps moves to her backside as she pushes again. The legs push out a little more, then return. “Doug?” He motions to Rainbow’s backside. “Would you like to help?”

“Sure!” Doug says, his eyes glinting eagerly. He runs a hand along her wings as he joins the doctor. “What do I do?”

“Take hold of one leg. Just one, not two.” Dr. Sharps indicates the leg sticking out a little farther than the other. “Let her rest, then when she pushes again, just give a gentle tug.”

“Okay.” Doug ignores the mucousy feeling, firmly grasping the foreleg. His other hand pats his mare as her body heaves. “Whenever you’re ready, Dash. You got this.”

A wide grin replaces her anxious grimace. Slowly her breathing comes under control, no more sporadic and half-hearted efforts to push. After nearly a minute she takes an extra long breath, nodding her head. Her face strains as she bears down, Doug adding just the tiniest amount of tug.

And then, like the others, a slimy squelch accompanies the white mass slipping almost entirely outside. “Home stretch,” Rainbow Dash mutters to herself as she slumps over, her body aching worse than any of her runs with Doug or long distance flights.

“I guess that’s the end,” Doug remarks to himself as the foal slips the rest of the way out.

Applejack utters a series of soft, unintelligible but loving nickers as she nuzzles the gooey yellow ball. She’s stuck, head trapped inside the white sac, and her tiny forelegs paw at it. Finally a bright red mane pulls out. It’s plastered down with that same sticky substance, yet that doesn’t stop Applejack from adoringly licking it off. Even then the foal resists, flailing forelegs failing to stop her dam’s cleansing assault.

“You got your grandsire’s mane,” Applejack whispers, tussling the locks, “and your great-grandmare’s eyes.”

“She’s beautiful.” Doug loops an arm around Applejack’s neck, squeezing gently. She lays her head against him as they watch the foal struggle to her legs. “You have a name picked out yet?”

“Well, it’s gotta be apple related,” Applejack says with a smirk as the foal almost immediately topples over, aiming towards her belly and waxy teats.

“She’s quick, too,” Doug remarks. He squeezes her side again. “Just like the flowers after you’ve bucked ‘em.”

“Ah like that,” Applejack says softly. “Apple… Bloom.” Applejack winks as she pushes herself up.

The foal chirps in alarm as her tasty target moves, chasing them down - or rather, up - and latching on. She greedily gulps down as much as she can, rivulets of white spilling down the sides of her mouth.

“Is it normal to be that fast?” Doug asks Dr. Sharps as Applejack gently pushes him away, wanting more time to bond with her foal alone.

“Mm,” Dr. Sharps says with a slight frown. “Normally, no; generally, it takes an hour to get to this stage.” He gives Applejack’s hindquarters a brief inspection. “Lets everything else get out of the mare.”

“Right.” Doug glances at Rarity. She’s quietly singing a lullaby to her white coated foal, pink and purple mane matted against her tiny horn. He slips next to her side, gently rubbing his mare’s mane. His voice catches in his throat. “She’s beautiful, too.”

“She is,” Rarity chokes out, “my little beauty. My sweet little Belle.” Rarity dips down, gingerly sticking her tongue out to test the foal’s coat and clean her up. Finding the taste not as appalling as she feared she takes another, and another.

“I feel like that name is taken,” Doug says with a wry grin, unable to help himself. He’s not sure if Beauty and the Beast is a thing here or not, but he’s never been a fan of naming kids after famous people. Family, friends, and puns around a theme are all fair game.

“Oh, fine,” Rarity says with a chuckle. “Just Rarity only works when they tack a ‘Belle’ on the end.”

“You are a rare beauty,” Doug replies encouragingly, his hand rubbing down her sides to get to her teats. He gives her a light squeeze despite the foal’s protests.

Rarity rolls her eyes. “And you are incorrigible.” She sighs at his grin. “Perhaps Sweetie Belle?” She gazes fondly down at the foal hunting for her first meal.

“She is quite sweet.” Doug ruffles her mane one more time as Rarity grabs one of the towels, gently stroking while the nurse cleans up the soiled pads.

“And hows this little speedster?” Doug asks as he gets to Rainbow Dash.

The orange foal is already suckling, her whole body pressing up against her dam’s body. Her cerise mane doesn’t quite match the red or purple of her dam’s but the unkempt nature certainly does. Rainbow Dash shifts to expose more of her, the foal quietly mewling in protest.

“Meet Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash says, beaming with pride. She gently nudges the foal. “Say hi, Scoots!”

Doug reaches forward, gently taking the minuscule hoof, barely as wide as his finger. He nearly chokes as she squeezes, pulling away. Her purple eyes stare into his, almost looking to suckle the salty solution off his nose as he gazes down.

And for a moment, everything is perfect.

Next Chapter: Ch. 113 - Hopeshredder Estimated time remaining: 23 Minutes