The cozy little red house sat on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, right next to the road. It was built straight and strong, by ponies more used to building barns than homes, but only because they knew that what made the house a home wasn't going to come from building plans. The only real style the little square house had was in the large dormer window on the front of the second story, and even that was entirely practical. Rainbow Dash considered it her private entrance, even though Applejack joked that it made her feel like she lived in a birdhouse.

The house had been built a year ago, when Applejack and Rainbow Dash had started talking seriously. Or rather, after Dash had finally started talking as seriously as AJ. It nestled in the edge of the orchard; as few trees as possible had been sacrificed to make room for it, so the rest crowded around the back and sides of the building.

In the small kitchen, Applejack was making breakfast. She was used to every meal being a large, healthy affair, but she was especially careful these days. Omelets with cheese and vegetables, two slices of toast with apple butter, and a glass of milk for each of them. They both needed their vitamins.

Rainbow Dash came downstairs, still bleary eyed. “Morning.”

“Mornin', sugarcube. Breakfast is served.” Applejack smiled as she easily flipped the omelets onto each plate, and slid the two plates onto the table next to the glasses of milk.

“Too cheerful,” Dash muttered, sitting in front of a plate.

“What're you gonna do 'bout it?”

“Can I answer that when my brain starts working?”

“I dunno, Dash. I’ve been waitin' for years for your brain to start workin.”

“Yeah, well you're, um. . .” Dash squinted in effort, trying to think of a comeback. “Orange.”

Applejack laughed and sat down to eat. Even Dash had to smile a little.

“Dumb morning ponies.”

“Your dumb mornin' pony made ya' that good breakfast. Now you better eat up.”

“Thanks. No muffins again?”

“We're eatin' healthy. I talked to Twilight yesterday.”

“Mmm?” Dash asked, her mouth full. Applejack knew the pegasus barely paused for breath once she got started on a good country breakfast.

“Yeah, she wants to have a word with the two'a us this afternoon.”

“Mmph?”

“About the foal. She thinks she's ready.”

Dash's eyes went wide, and her food was forgotten. “Really? Like, ready ready?”

“Like she wants to talk to us and explain what she can do, so you and I can decide what we wanna do.” Applejack smiled, trying to seem casual. But hope, excitement, and nervousness played on her face. She and Dash had talked about it, they'd even gone to Twilight themselves, but making an actual decision had always been a someday thing, and now someday seemed to be coming up fast.

Dash didn't seem to have that problem. “There's stuff to talk about? If there's a way we can have a foal together, who needs to talk about stuff?”

“I dunno, sugarcube, but she wants to talk to us.”

“Cool! So, that's why you're eating healthy. Why am I eating healthy?”

“Cause I ain't makin' two different breakfasts, and 'cause I never heard of a chubby Wonderbolt,” Applejack said with a grin.

“Hey, weather patrol has me all over the sky! I burn off everything!”

“Just how many pounds did ya' gain when ya' moved in with me?”

“A few. But I lost it all!” Dash smirked. “And I never came near what you weigh.”

“Yeah, well that's all muscle.”

“Uh-huh. Nice, snuggly muscle,” Dash giggled.

Applejack smirked. “You wanna see how snuggly I am when I buck ya' across the room?”

“Okay, you might have some muscle under there.”

“Better believe it. And I ain't tryin' to fly. You wanna stay in the air, you'd better keep trim.”

Dash grinned and finished her breakfast, then got up and walked over to AJ.

“Thanks. You always keep me on top of my game,” Dash said, kissing her on the cheek.

“That's what I'm here for, sugarcube,” Applejack said with a nuzzle.

“I'll see ya this afternoon at the library. Love ya'!”

“I love ya', too!” Applejack called as Dash flew out the door.

Twilight looked nervously down at her notes. It had seemed like such a good idea a year ago. It was an interesting research problem, and a fitting spell for a princess to design, with the potential to help couples all over Equestria. And it offered the chance to give two of her best friends a dream come true. Twilight would never forget how much she owed her friends for helping her achieve her current status, and finally she could try to give two of them something truly special; a foal born from themselves.

She was prepared for the possibility that it might not be something anypony could do, but she wasn't prepared for this discussion. She didn't think she could ever be prepared for this discussion.

“The extraction and implant methods are painless, and the randomization element seems to work, at least on the test subjects.” Twilight gestured with her wing to the three kittens on the table. “With the exception of gender of course. Two females will always produce female offspring, so I could say for certain that you'd be having a filly.”

Rainbow Dash grinned and her wing gave Applejack a slight squeeze. Applejack eyed the kittens suspiciously. “And the, er, test subjects are normal?”

“Fluttershy says they're perfectly normal kittens,” Twilight answered. “The spell seems to. . . well. . . work?”

“Great! Then let's-”

“Hold up, Dash. You don't seem too sure there, sugarcube,” Applejack said gently.

Twilight sighed, and levitated the kittens to a box on the floor. “I am sure. If I was doing it on cats again, I wouldn't hesitate. I can make two female cats produce a perfectly normal litter of kittens. But I've never done it on ponies, and you guys are two of my best friends. I'm taking your lives, and the life of your foal, in my hooves. There may be side effects, things I can't-”

“What kind of side effects?” Dash interrupted.

“That's what I was about to say, I don't know. This is magic we're talking about. Both the spell, and the foal. I've made a list of things that could go wrong, but these are just the ones I've thought of.”

Applejack just nodded. “Let's hear it.”

Twilight unrolled a scroll that hung to the floor. Applejack's eyes went wide and even Rainbow Dash started to look nervous.

“Well, the biggest thing is that I don't know how the spell will work with pony magic. You two are perfect test subjects, I traced your families and neither of you will be surprised to know that you're pure examples of your types, as far as I could go back. There are no recessive genes, your chances of having an earth pony or a pegasus are fifty/fifty.”

“Side effects?” AJ prompted.

“Yes. I don't know how the randomization element of this spell affects pony magic. There's a possibility you might end up with a pegasus foal with earth pony magic, who would never be able to fly or land on clouds. Or an earth pony foal who could walk on clouds, but wouldn't have access to earth pony magic. Now this is part of what makes you guys perfect. Those things would be strange, but not as dangerous as somepony with unicorn magic and no horn. That could be bad.”

“So far, so good. . .” Dash said uncertainly. “I mean, it would stink to have wings and not be able to fly, but she could live like a normal earth pony, right?”

“In theory. But I still had to make sure you know about it. You also need to know that with magically formed DNA, the foal might be more susceptible to magical diseases and effects. It could be that something like a cloud walking spell might last for weeks or months, but the downside is that being in the same room as somepony with cutie pox might be really dangerous. I'll need to study the foal after it's born, maybe for its whole life, to find out exactly how it might work.

“Then we come to the biggest danger. . . If you keep that last part in mind, remember that we're talking about Applejack carrying the foal. Earth ponies have a certain amount of fertility magic. If the foal is sensitive to that, it could grow too quickly, or too big. That might be a danger to the foal. . . or to AJ.”

Dash's eyes went wide. “How much danger are we talking?”

“I have no idea, Dash. I really wish I could tell you.”

“Worst case?” Applejack asked calmly.

“If it got too big, too quickly, you might have to have surgery to have it removed, and depending on how far along you were, the foal might not survive. If you didn't get that surgery in time, it might get too big and strong, it could rupture internal organs. . . and you could die,” Twilight said softly. She looked Applejack in the eye, but she had to bite her lip for courage. At that moment she hoped that Applejack would tell her to forget the whole thing.

Dash shook her head. “We're not doing this, AJ. We can't.”

Applejack just nuzzled Dash. “I want Twilight to finish.”

“No way. There's no point if it would be risking your life. I won't do it,” Dash insisted.

“Mares sometimes die givin' birth,” Applejack said softly. “And sometimes they lose their foal, and sometimes the foal ain't healthy. Havin' a foal is a risk, however ya' do it. Twilight worked hard to come up with this for us, so I think we oughta hear all the risks and talk about it.”

“Applejack, I know I worked hard on this, but that's because you're my friends. I would do anything for you. But I don't want you to do this unless you're both completely sure. What I've done already is enough to write a book about,” Twilight pointed out.

Applejack nodded to the box on the floor. “Those kittens look healthy.”

“They are. Like I said, kittens I can do. It's ponies I've never tried before.” Twilight took a deep breath. “But if you wanted to do this, you'd be watched very carefully, by me and the doctors. I'd want to see you every single day to make sure everything is okay.”

Applejack smiled a little. “Well, you'd always know where to find me, sugarcube.”

“That's another thing,” Twilight said nervously. “You would need to take it easy, AJ. You'd need to be really careful, so that we would know that anything that went wrong was due to the spell, and not something else.”

“By take it easy, ya' mean. . .?” Applejack raised an eyebrow.

“No apple bucking, no strenuous lifting or pulling, and limited time in front of a hot stove or oven. If there were problems you would need to be on bed rest, but even if everything was going normally you couldn't do most of your work.”

“Well, I suppose I'll have to be careful of all that anyhow. Now, you got more to that list, and I wanna hear it all before me and Dash decide anythin'.”

Twilight nodded, and went into some of the less dramatic side effects, explaining each one carefully. She knew this had to be AJ and Dash's decision. She couldn't deny them the chance to have a foal together, if there was a way she could help them, but she had to make sure they understood all of the risks. Twilight hoped that would make her feel better about the possibility of messing up a spell that her friend's hopes and dreams and safety depended on.

As Rainbow Dash and Applejack left, ready to have a long conversation, Twilight sighed and reviewed all of her notes for the hundredth time, not feeling the tiniest bit better.

Dash was nervous as she and AJ walked back to their little house. She knew they were going to talk when they got home, and she didn't know what to say. While asking Twilight about a spell had been AJ's idea, Dash knew it was because of the regret AJ saw in her eyes when they started talking about finding a surrogate father. Dash had said, honestly, that she would love any foal AJ had like it was her own, but the idea of a pony that was part her and part AJ seemed like an impossible dream.

Now, it was possible, but the cost might be losing Applejack. And that could never ever happen.

They were quiet the whole walk home, but as soon as they walked through the door, AJ started.

“So. . . what do ya' think?”

“I can't lose you, AJ. This sounds way too dangerous,” Dash said sadly, flying over and landing on the couch.

Applejack walked over and sat next to her. “Ya' don't trust Twilight?”

“Of course I do, she’s a princess, she knows all about magic. And she's the one who said it was dangerous! Did you miss the part where she said you might die?”

“I caught that part. I also got the part where she said she'd do it for us. You really think Twilight would offer that if she thought it'd hurt me?”

“Well, no. . . but there's a chance, or she wouldn't have said it.”

“There's a chance I could die if I have a foal the ol' fashioned way, too. There's a chance I could die if I don't have a foal at all.”

“Stop talking like that!” Dash demanded, her eyes wide. Those were words AJ was not allowed to say.

“Dash, you gotta face it,” Applejack said calmly. “We can't make a decision lookin' for the way that I'm gonna be all the way safe.”

“I know, but- but-”

“But nothin'. Sugarcube, I love you, and I'll be here for ya' as long as I can be here. But life's full of risks, and the question is if it's worth it. Bein' that somethin' bad could happen, whatever we decide, are you willin' to take a little extra risk for a foal that's a part of you?”

Dash thought for a long time, just looking at AJ. Thinking of losing her made Dash have to fight back tears, so she looked away, around the cozy living room. The wood walls of the room had been whitewashed, because AJ wanted Dash to feel more at home. Over the fireplace hung a framed painting of a Zap apple that Apple Bloom had made for them, and a trophy case stood in the corner with Applejack's rodeo medals, her own Best Young Flyer crown, and the medals they'd received from Princess Celestia. She leaned against AJ's strong body, her thoughts drifting to the unstoppable team they made when they worked together.

Finally, she said quietly, “You. . . you've gotta understand how much I need you, AJ. Losing you is the worst thing I can think of. I know you're right. I know that Twilight was talking about if a lot of things went wrong, and I know something could happen to you anyway. And I really do want a foal that's ours. I just wish we could skip the scary part.”

“I know,” Applejack nuzzled her. “But ya' gotta go through the scary part to get to the good parts.”

“Okay.” Dash took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Just a minute there. That's one problem down, we ain't made a decision yet. What about the foal? How would she feel if she came out strange, knowin' we knew it could happen but went on anyway?”

Dash shrugged. “She'd be happy, knowing she has two moms who love her and who'd teach her to be a strong mare no matter what.”

AJ raised an eyebrow. “Is that how you'd feel if ya' had wings and couldn't fly?”

“If I woke up tomorrow and couldn't fly? Hay no, I'd be ticked off. But you know I'd never let my daughter feel like that. I don't care if she has wings or not, she's never gonna feel bad for what she can and can't do.”

“We'd never make her feel bad, I know. But I can't help thinkin' that it'd be awful hard to have an earth pony body and pegasus magic. Earth pony magic is what ties us to the ground, Dash. Makes us feel really at home here. Not havin' wings, and feelin' like you belong in the sky. . . knowin' ya' could live on those clouds if ya' could just get to 'em. . . I couldn't stand if she blamed me for that, Dash.”

“AJ, it might not even be a problem. And if it is, well. . . it's not the worst thing that's ever happened to anypony. If there are two ponies who can make sure she's proud of exactly who she is, it's us.”

“You ain't worried it'd be hard for her, not bein' a normal pony?”

“I'm not a normal pony. You're not a normal pony. Nopony is a normal pony. She'll just learn to be awesome at the things she's awesome at,” Dash said with a grin.

Applejack smiled at Dash, not saying anything for a while. Finally, she nodded.

“Dash, I wanna have our foal, if you'll let me.”

“Our foal. . .” Dash repeated, awestruck. “Wow, that sounds totally awesome. I'm so in.”

“Our little filly.” Applejack leaned against Dash, her smile growing to a grin. “Think she'll come out a pegasus or an earth pony?”

“I want a pegasus.”

“You're kiddin',” Applejack said dryly, with a small smirk.

“Hey, I won't mind an earth pony,” Dash protested. “But having my own little girl, and teaching her to fly. . .”

“Could be she-” Applejack hesitated, “wouldn't like flyin', Dash.”

Dash grinned. “No way, I'll show her how awesome it is!”

“What was that 'bout her learnin' to be awesome at the things she's awesome at?” AJ hinted.

“I know. AJ, you know I'll love our foal, no matter what kind of pony she is, or what she's good at. I love her already, and she's not even conceived yet. But, I can have dreams, right? Like a little filly I can teach to fly, who has your eyes, and your strength, and my awesome style.”

“You can dream, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled. “Just, we might get one with your eyes and strength, and my awesome style.”

Dash smirked. “We'll apologize to her when she's older. I guess anytime you have a kid, there's a chance she might start wearing cowpony hats someday.”

Applejack raised her eyebrows. “Come 'ere, you.”

She pushed against Dash, knocking the pegasus onto her side. AJ's hooves quickly went to the totally unfair spot under Dash's wing.

“Hey! No tickling! Heheh! Watch the wings!” Dash struggled to free herself, but AJ was holding her down. Applejack's hooves stopped the light rubbing and moved to a deeper massage around Dash's wings. Dash closed her eyes. “Mmmm. . . that's better.”

“Our foal,” Applejack said, softly.

“I know! Our daughter. . . .” Saying it, imagining holding a little filly that was her very own, Dash found herself fighting back tears. “Sheesh, don't make me get sappy. . .”

“I'm gonna love watchin' you get sappy,” Applejack whispered.

“Only for her. And. . . maybe a little for you,” Dash said, giving Applejack a nuzzle.

Applejack returned the nuzzle. “I won't tell nopony.”