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She's Having A Foal

by MaxBeezy

Chapter 16: The Night

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Matt kneeled in the hallway of Ponyville General, frozen the core, staring blankly at the floor below him. He hasn’t moved for an hour, and if nopony comes to snap him out of it, maybe more. His mind races with that image of Applejack flatlining, haunting him…disturbing him.

“No…” he thinks to himself, “It can’t…it can’t end like this. Not after all we’ve been through. We didn’t come all this way for her to die. She was supposed to be fine. She was supposed to be happy and healthy. This can’t end. This just can’t.”

The other ponies, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, and the others, look on as they watch their friend’s stillness. They want to reach out to him, to hug him and tell him everything is going to be alright. But not even Chrysalis, one of his closest friends, could get anything out of him.

“I feel like we should do something.” Fluttershy says.

“What can we do?” replied Rainbow Dash, “He’s been like that for a while now.”

“All we can do is pray. For Applejack and for him.” Twilight says. She looks back at his parents, who look helpless to assist their son. She walks up to them slowly. They look to her with a little recognition. “Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle.”

“Yes, we saw you on the television a year ago.” Dad says, “I don’t recall you having any wings then.”

“No, these were a bit recent.” she lightly chuckles. “Listen, about your son…”

“I wish there was something we could do for him.” Mom says, a tear rolling down her cheek. “When Chrysalis told us what was going on, I just…I feel so helpless. Every time Matt talked about her, I could tell that he loved her with everything he had. Now, they’re just going to take it all away from him?”

“Ah don’t believe that.” Big Macintosh says, walking in on the conversation. “Ah CAN’T believe that. Mah sister is too strong fer somethin’ like this to take her down. Ah know she was scared about somethin’ like this happenin’, but ah REFUSE to believe that it could come true! It just…” he sheds a tear, “It’s not fair!”

Big Macintosh sits down, beginning to cry. Applebloom and Granny Smith join him, hugging him tightly.

Celestia and Chrysalis look over at Matt, along with the others, deciding any further action.

“He didn’t say a word to you?” Celestia asked.

“Not one. I had to ask a nurse what was going on. I’m really scared, Celestia.”

“So am I.”

“She saw this coming, you know? She said that if anything happened to her, that I would help Matt take care of the foal. I didn’t believe she would say something like that. Lots of mares are concerned about something like that happening. I didn’t think…it’s just so awful.”

“It’s okay, Chrysalis. Whatever happens, we’ll be there for him, the foal…AND Applejack.”

Moments pass, and the doors open before Matt. Doctor Redheart comes out, looking clean as a whistle. She isn’t surprised to see Matt, still kneeling on the floor. Somepony in the hospital told her about his state, so she was expecting it.

“Mr. Williams?”

Matt snaps out of his stupor, the first sign of movement from him in a long while. He looks forward, meeting Redheart eye to eye.

“Doctor Redheart.” Matt says, almost emotionless, maybe dead. “What happened? Why was she bleeding? Is my wife okay? Please…”

Redheart raises a hoof up, stopping him from going into another panic.

“The reason why your wife was in so much pain was that the foal was improperly positioned.”

“What do you mean? You said you saw the head. I thought it went perfectly.”

“I did. It appeared that when she started pushing, it repositioned the foal to its normal place. However, she had to push so hard, that it created a tear in her womb. That’s what caused the bleeding.”

“Is the foal okay?”

“The foal is fine. It’s perfectly healthy.”

“And…Applejack?”

“There was a lot of bleeding. Her heart gave out for almost a minute.” She can see Matt’s eyes go cold, holding his breath in fear. “However…we were able to stop the bleeding, and revive her. We gave her a couple transfusions, and she stabilized.”

Matt breathes out in relief. He looks back down at the floor, as the reality of the situation comes to him. First, he smiles…then he chuckles…finally…he cries.

“So…she’s okay?”

“She’s going to feel a bit weak, and there will be a lot of soreness. But, in the long run, she’ll be okay.”

Suddenly, he takes Redheart and embraces her.

“You should have lead with that!” he said, in a mixture of a chuckle and a sob.

“Sorry. It’s my duty to inform the patient about what happened that lead to the conclusion.” she replies, happy to see him pleased with the outcome.

Matt stands, walking to the waiting room, where everypony and his parents stand to hear the news. The smile on his face says it all, but they want to hear him say it out loud.

“She’s going to be okay!” he says, ecstatic.

The other run to him and cheer, gathering around him for one of the most impossibly big group hugs ever assembled, and he’s right in the middle of it. Words of encouragement and congratulations are uttered, all drowning out one another in unison. Matt separates from them, asking Redheart another question.

“Cadance and Shining Armor? How are they?”

“They’re fine. They had a colt. A unicorn. Some news crews came running past you on the way to the hospital room to interview them. One reporter…Quill Pen, I believe, wanted to talk to you, but I had to stop him.”

“Where’s Applejack now?”

“She’s in the recovery wing. She has her own room; under orders from the Princess of the Crystal Empire herself.”

“Can I see her?”

“Of course. She’s still sleeping, and probably won’t wake up until later.”

Matt turns to face everypony and his parents.

“I’m staying here. If you want, you can go back home until I call you.”

Everypony looks at one another. They turn back to Matt with determination.

“No.” Rarity says, “Applejack is our family, and we stay for our family.”

They all nod, touching Matt’s heart. He really cannot ask for better friends such as them. He walks up to them, and tries his best to hug them in one fell swoop, but his arms are nowhere near long enough for such a feat.

“Thank you all.” he says, sniffling. He separates from them, looking back at Redheart. “I’m ready.”


Redheart leads him down the hallway into the recovery wing of the hospital. They pass by a glass window, where on the other side, is a few newborn foals sleeping. Matt feels the urge to look inside, and see his own, but he refuses to. Redheart notices his unwillingness to look, catching her off guard.

Eventually, she takes him to the door that leads to Applejack’s room.

“Here she is.” Redheart puts her hoof on the door, “Like I said, she won’t wake up until later on.”

“It’s fine. I’ll wait as long as I have to.”

“Do you want to know?”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you want to know what the foal is?”

Matt looks back to the glass window, once again tempted to look inside. However, he turns back to Redheart, shaking his head with definitiveness.

“It’s healthy. That’s all I need to know, for now.” he smirks, “Anything else, I want Applejack to find out first.”

Redheart nods, opening the door and allowing Matt inside. Once he’s fully in, she closes the door, leaving him alone in the room.

Matt looks upon Applejack with a combination of happy and sad eyes. She’s sleeping peacefully on the hospital bed, with an IV in her foreleg, and a heart monitor attached to her chest. Matt can only pray that the beds are more comfortable now, than they were before. He remembered when he had a bout in the hospital, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed for five days. Then again, four out of those days were spent in a medical induced coma.

Grabbing a chair, he sits down at her bedside, watching her sleep. Her chest heaves up and down in a calming synchronization with his own breathing. She was always a beautiful sleeper, and even in this condition, he cannot deny that. He puts a hand on her hoof, gently caressing it with a thumb.

“Hey, AJ. You look great, by the way. Better than I ever will.” he quietly chuckles, trying to keep his mood light. Its effectiveness is beginning to fade. “You…um…gave me quite a scare today. The thing is…you told me something like this would happen. I didn’t believe it, of course. I mean, who would? I thought to myself ‘Why would this wonderful, beautiful mare such as herself, think something like that?’ It’s impossible, right?” he chuckles again, but in an attempt to stifle tears. One goes down his cheek. “But, it happened, and I felt so…useless; so…helpless. All I could do was watch you, and try to hold on to your hoof, thinking that it would keep you safe and alive. When I was forced out of that room, I thought that was it. I thought that I would never see your smiling face again. AJ…” he is reduced to sobs now, as he puts a hand on her cheek. “I’m nothing without you.” As he watches her, his sadness turns into a smile. “But, you’re here now. You’re safe. From now on, I don’t know how, but I will do everything I can to keep you and the foal safe. That is a promise that I intend to keep.”

A knock on the door is heard. Matt, broken from his concentration, wipes away any tears that were coming out from his eyes. He straightens his hair, and goes to the door. Opening it up, he sees his parents on the other side.

“Mom, Dad. Hey.” he smiles.

“Hey, son.” Dad says. “How is she?”

“She’s fine. Asleep, but alive.” he walks out the door, closing it behind him to give Applejack some peace and quiet. “Doctor says that she will be in a bit of pain, as the tear fully heals, but she will pull through.

“Oh, thank god.” Mom says, “We were so worried.”

“Worried?” Dad asks, “I was shaking in my shoes. Seeing you out there in the hallway; it was…terrifying.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I guess I was in shock.”

“We don’t blame you, Matt.” Mom assures him, “Everyone here knows what she means to you.”

“Thanks.” Matt nods, once again trying not to cry. “If you want to sleep somewhere, you can go to my place.”

“After what that white pony said? Not a chance.”

“Okay. That white pony is Rarity, by the way.” Matt chortles, “It’ll probably be a while, but I’ll let you guys know when she wakes up.”

“That’s fine.” Mom says, “It will give us enough time to get to know the rest of your friends. Just between you and me…I think the purple one is seeing the red one.”

“Twilight and Big Mac? Yeah, they’re engaged.”

“Really? Well, I have to give them my congratulations, then.” she smiles, walking away. “We’ll see you soon.”

“Hey, Matt?” Dad says, staying behind for a quick second. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What’s the blue one called? The one with the white hair?”

“Trixie. How come?”

“She’s a bit…friendly with the others.”

“Yeah. She’s like that.”

“I hope she doesn’t try that with me. Your Mom would kill her.”

“Right. You should probably make sure that she doesn’t try anything, then.” Matt chuckles, patting Dad on the back. He watches as Dad leaves, following Mom out the door to the lobby. Once they are gone, he goes back inside.


In the waiting room of the hospital, the other Ponies are hanging around, doing various activities. Pinkie Pie has set up a game of Go Fish, with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Chrysalis playing. Pinkie looks at her cards, before peering at the others, waiting for her action.

“Anypony have any…threes?” She sees the others look down at their cards, before looking back up and shaking their heads. “Looks like Pinkie's going fishing!” she takes another card.

“I don’t get the point of this game.” Chrysalis says, “How does one go fish? Is there any actual fishing involved? Don’t we need rods or something?”

“Ugh.” sighs Rainbow Dash, “We don’t need actual fishing rods. The cards are the fish.”

“Oh…” Chrysalis nods, alternating between looking at her cards, then back at Rainbow Dash. “I still don’t get it.”

Rainbow Dash slams her head on the table in frustration.

Towards the back, Granny Smith and Applebloom are talking to Twilight and Big Macintosh. Big Mac has a foreleg wrapped around her, nuzzling her close to his side.

“So, have you two set a date, yet?” Granny Smith asks.

“Yeah.” Twilight responds, “The end of the year. On Hearth’s Warming Eve; getting married with snow lightly coming down on us sounds so romantic.”

“Not to mention cold!” Rarity interjects, “I’ll make you two warm and cozy wedding attire!”

Elsewhere, Luna stands alone, tired and on the verge of falling asleep. She hasn’t had a moment’s rest after her ruling of the night, and finds now a good a time as any to rest her eyes.

That is…until Trixie starts inching towards her.

When Trixie reaches her side, the two look about the room, before Trixie makes the first move.

“So…” Trixie says, “That was…interesting.”

“What was interesting? This day…or this morning?”

“I mean, this day was pretty hectic and scary, but the morning was what I was referring to.”

“It wasn’t THAT big of a deal. I’m sure I’m just another notch under the cape…so to speak. Though I did to some extent enjoy what transpired between us, I assume it will not happen again.”

“Oh, Luna. You underestimate the power of The Great and Powerful Trixie. I am NOT that kind of mare.” she chuckles, “Besides, I quite liked your company, before Twilight came in and kind sorta ruined the moment.”

“Yes, admittedly I was looking forward to the rest of what you had planned in that head of yours.”

Trixie looks around, looking for some sort of clearing. She finds it, seeing an opportunity in her midst. She turns back to Luna, placing a hoof on her side.

“Wanna go find an empty hospital room?” she asks.

Luna is silent, as if in deep thought as to how to respond to such a request. She looks at what everypony else is doing. The ones playing Go Fish, Twilight and the Apple Family talking, Celestia conversing with the recently arriving parents of Matt, Applebloom and her friends being bored of month old magazines; they are all quite busy.

The choice was fairly obvious.

“Yes.” She smiles deviously, and the two slink away, managing to avoid being noticed by anypony in the room.

Soon, a couple doors open, and a news crew trot out, heading for the exit. Quill Pen follows close behind.

“Okay you guys, put the equipment in…” he stops in place, staring at Princess Celestia talking to the parents of the Human he interviewed a while back. “Sweet Celestia!” his mouth drops, before galloping over to her. The three look at the excited pony, as he stops, and takes a bow before them. “Your majesty!” he says. “I’m Quill Pen! A reporter for…”

“The Ponyville Daily…” Celestia smiles, “Yes, I know.”

“You know who I am? Oh my gosh!” he squees, “It’s such an honor to meet you!” he looks over at Matt’s parents, where he gets equally as excited. “And are you Matt’s parents?!”

“Yes, we are.” Mom says proudly.

“Oh wow!” he then looks to the side to see Queen Chrysalis. “IS THAT QUEEN CHRYSALIS PLAYING GO FISH?!”

His loud voice startles Chrysalis out of the game, causing her to drop her cards for everypony at the table to see.

“You big cheat! I knew you had threes!” Pinkie exclaimed.

“Yes, that’s Queen Chrysalis playing go fish.” she sees Quill Pen hyperventilating at the onslaught of familiar and famous faces, despite having to interview Shining Armor and Princess Cadance not too long ago. “Quill Pen? Do you need a paper bag or something?”

“No…sorry…I’m fine…it’s just…oh wow….” he pants, “It’s kind of overwhelming.”

“How’s Ditzy Doo?”

“She’s…great…” Quill Pen begins to calm, as the subject is changed. “Working at the post office, as usual.”

“And your son?”

“Oh, he’s doing fine. Little guy takes after his mother, always wanting to fly all over the place. It’s hard to keep him on the ground sometimes.” he laughs. “I’m sorry, I never met any of you before, and it’s all so…woah.”

“I understand.” Celestia nods with a smile. “Believe me; you didn’t have the most over the top reaction.”

“Really? I’d hate to see who topped me.” Quill Pen looks around the room, as if searching for somepony or someone. “Hey, where’s Matt? I heard that there was a situation with Applejack. Is she okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine. He’s with her in the recovery wing. I don’t think he’s in the mood for an interview.”

“No, of course not. I’ll probably check in on them when everything is settled. Besides, Access Applewood is demanding that I get this exclusive with the rulers of the Crystal Empire delivered pronto.” He chuckles, walking towards the exit, “It was wonderful meeting you all.” He trots towards the exit. Celestia notices a little wobble in his step, no doubt due to the nervousness running through his body at seeing such royalty. This sight makes her chuckle to herself.

Moments pass, and Shining Armor comes out, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Hey guys.” He says, announcing himself.

“Shining Armor!” Twilight says with happiness, running to her brother. “How’s Cadance?”

“She’s resting. Giving birth and having to do an interview can be taxing. Frankly, I’m more worried about Applejack and Matt. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, they’re fine. Matt is with her now in the recovery room.”

“That’s good to hear. My heart practically jumped out of my mouth when I heard there was trouble. Good to see that it didn’t go as bad as it could.”

“Doctor Redheart said you had a unicorn?”

“Yes, a colt unicorn. I did think we were going to have an filly, but Cadance was convinced that she was going to have a colt. Said that she saw it in her dreams or something. Guess my stomach theory didn’t work.”

“Stomach theory?” Twilight tilted her head, “What stomach theory?”

“It’s…nevermind. Just something I discussed with Matt about.” He notices Matt’s parents standing off to the side. He walks over to them and bows to them. “Hi. You must be Matt’s parents. I’m Prince Shining Armor, Twilight’s brother.”

“Good to meet you.” Dad says, “I have to say, we’re getting constantly impressed at all the royalty Matt knows here.”

“I’m surprised myself. You aren’t friends with any of the Princes or Princesses of your world?”

“Oh, noooo.” Dad says, shaking his head. “There are so many places in our world, that there’s probably a Prince or Princess in every state.”

“You must live in a very big world, then.” Shining Armor chuckles. “If you are sticking around for a little bit, would you like to meet my wife and son when they wake up?”

“We would love to.” Mom replies.


Hours pass, and the sun descends downwards behind the mountains. It doesn’t take long for the moon to slowly rise and take its place as a source of light.

The Moon’s rays shine through the hospital room, where Matt has his head down; resting by Applejack’s waist, while holding on to her hoof. The room is quiet, with only the calming beeps of the heart monitor making any noise.

Applejack mumbles something in her sleep, moving her head side to side ever so subtly. Then, her eyes gradually begin to open, as the first thing she sees upon awakening is the ceiling that looms above her.

“Unfamiliar ceiling…” she whispers to herself. Her mind tries to piece together what happened, as her memory of the event that caused her to black out, remains a mystery.

She hears the beeping of the heart monitor, causing her to look over at it. Then, she notices the IV plugged into her foreleg.

“The foal…” she whispers. She places the foreleg onto her stomach…her chubby but now foaless stomach. She smiles, remembering that she did in fact give birth, and that the foal is somewhere, resting its young eyes. She makes a slight movement of her torso, feeling a small pain close to her haunches. More like a soreness than a sharp pain, but enough to be noticed and felt.

She looks to her left to see Matt, resting by her side, a hand placed on her foreleg. She smirks at the cute sight, but worry passes through her thoughts. Did something happen? She carefully moves her foreleg from underneath him, placing it on top of his head, rubbing it gently.

Matt groans as he is awakened by her touch.

“AJ…” he mutters. He raises his head, and his eyes open to see the smiling face of his beloved.

“Hi, sugarcube.” she says.

The loving words and smile is enough for Matt’s eyes to water, making him get close to her and plants a passionate kiss on her lips.

“What was that for?” she wondered.

“You…don’t remember?”

“What do ya mean? Did…did somethin’ happen?”

“Yeah…something happened.” Matt looks down, “The doctor said that the foal was in an improper position. But when you pushed, it was corrected. However, in the process…it created a tear, causing you to bleed pretty bad.”

“What?” Applejack is shocked, “Is the foal okay?”

“Yeah, the foal’s fine.” he nods, “You..um…the doctor said your heart stopped for almost a minute.”

“So, for almost a minute…ah was dead.”

“AJ…”

“No!” she sobs, “Ah was dead! Oh, Matt.” she reaches for him, but the pain inside stops her. He meets her halfway, allowing her to embrace him. “I’m so sorry!”

“It’s…”

“No, don’t say that it’s okay. It’s not okay! Nothin’ about this is okay! Me and mah stupid worries made it come true! Ah almost left you and the foal!” tears run down her face. She soon comes to a realization. Her eyes widen at the recollection. “Ah…ah remember. Ah remember the pain, and soon…cold. Ah felt mah heart beat so fast, and then stop. Ah remember the pain…ah remember seein’ you be taken away…” she cries, “Ah remember everything!” she buries her head in Matt’s chest, soaking the shirt with tears.

“Hey…hey…it’s alright. Really.” Matt smiles, placing a hand on the back of her mane, “I know we had a scary experience, but you know what?” he sees her move her head up to look at him, “You’re still here.” He uses a thumb to wipe away a tear from her eye. “You’re still here, and we have a foal waiting to take its first look, at who will undoubtedly be the best mother in all of Equestria.”

Applejack chuckles at his constant need for hyperbole. She wipes her other eye of any tears running down her face.

“Do ya really think I’m going to be a great mother?” she asks.

“I’ve told you time and again…” he gets closer, resting his forehead on hers, “You’re going to be the best.”

“Matt…” she whispers, “Ah don’t deserve you.”

“Of course you do. Who else could get bucked in the face, and still love you with all their heart?” They chuckle soundly, as Matt kisses her forehead. “Do you want to see the foal?”

Applejack looks back up at him, her eyes shimmering with anticipation.

“Yes. Ah want to see it.”

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” he smiles, letting her go and exiting the room.

Applejack lies back down in bed, staring at the ceiling. Various emotions race through her head as the gazes upon the pure white blocks above her. First a chuckle….a smile…then a sob. The reality of what has happened crashes down upon her, as her eyes water, and a hoof on her mouth to suppress a cry.

She did it…she’s a mother.

Moments pass, and the door creaks open. Doctor Redheart comes walking in, with Matt closely behind. Wrapped around the Doctor’s hoof is the foal, covered in a pink blanket. Redheart carefully walks over to Applejack’s now wanting hooves, as she reaches out for the life her and Matt have created.

“Congratulations, Mrs. Apple.” Redheart smiles.

She puts the blanket wrapped foal in Applejack’s hooves, and she brings it close to her. Applejack’s hooves shake, wondering what the foal underneath that blanket will look like. No matter what, she will love it unconditionally, without regret, and with all her honesty and sincerity.

Gradually, her forehoof removes the part of the blanket covering the foal’s face. Upon seeing it, her eyes widen, and her mouth gasps in astonishment.

“It’s…it’s a filly.” Applejack says. “Oh mah gosh, Matt. She’s perfect.”

The sleeping filly looks exactly how Applejack imagined she would be. Her coat is a lighter shade of orange, almost approaching an interesting mix between Applejack’s natural coat, and her sister Applebloom’s color. Her mane is a dark shade of brown, definitely taking after Matt. In the brief moments of the filly opening her eyes, Applejack can see that they are brown, once again taking from her human father.

Most importantly, she’s the spitting image of the filly in her dreams, as if they were telling her all along that the foal would be a beautiful earth filly with this exact appearance. Matt looks down at the filly, smiling whilst trying not to cry his eyes out in joy.

“She’s gorgeous.” Matt says. Suddenly, he looks around the room in feigned panic, “She’s not going to freeze me, is she?” Remembering the nightmare Applejack had.

“No…” she laughs, “Ah don’t think so. She seems…peaceful. She looks a lot like you.”

“I wouldn't say that. She definitely takes all the cuteness from you.”

“She has your hair and eyes.”

“She has your freckles.”

“She sleeps like you, that’s for sure.” Applejack chuckles, as she sees the filly rub her cheek against her mother’s coat, finding comfort from it.

Nurse Redheart smiles, leaving the room to allow the parents to spend some quality time with their newborn daughter.

“So, moment of truth…” Matt says, “What are we going to name her?”

“Ah…” Applejack nods, “Ah have been thinkin’ about that. And I’m tryin’ to decide what to do.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, when she gets older, ah assume we’re gonna be takin’ her to your world, to visit yer parents. Ah figured that havin’ a purely pony name could be confusin’ fer some. So…ah was wonderin’ if ya wanted to give her a human name.”

“We don’t need to do that.” Matt says, “After all, we didn’t give you a human name when we visit my family, and my parents don’t seem to mind referring to you as Applejack in public.”

“True.” Applejack thinks, “How about this; we both give her a name. A first name, and a middle name.”

“What would be the first, and what would be the middle?” Matt wonders.

“I’m still decidin’ that. Ah suppose we’ll see what each of us comes up with.”

“That won’t be too hard.” Matt chortles, “I had a name in mind if we had a girl. But…I’m more interested in your name first.”

“Well aren’t you a sweetheart?” Applejack playfully prods his shoulder with a hoof. She uses that hoof to tap it on her chin, thinking about names. After a few moments, one pops into her head. “What do ya think of….Rosemary?”

“Rosemary?” Matt thinks, “Rosemary Apple…..that sounds pretty. I like it.” he smiles.

“Your turn.” Applejack says, anticipating his choice.

“I don’t know. Rosemary sounds nice already. It can make a good human name too. Adding any more to that would be a little pointless.”

“Come on. It can’t be that bad.”

“Oh, I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s a name I really like. But…I don’t know. Maybe it’ll sound silly to you.”

“It can’t be that silly, if ah like a name like Matt. Spill it, you. What do ya have for our little Rosemary?”

“It’s…um…” Matt pauses, wondering what Applejack is going to think or say when he tells her his ideal name for the now half named filly. “Clementine.” he finally says, “If…we had a filly…I thought about naming her Clementine.” He watches, as Applejack looks back down at the filly. “I know it’s the name of another fruit, but…”

“It’s perfect.” she interrupts with a soft whisper.

“What?”

“Clementine Rosemary Apple. That will be her name.”

“A-are you sure?” he puts a hand on her shoulder, “What about Rosemary Clementine Apple?”

“No.” she says in stern and definitive fashion, looking at him with seriousness, “Ah made mah choice.” She gazes back down at the newly named filly. “Clementine….” she quietly says, putting a hoof on the filly’s cheek. “Mah little Clementine.”

Clementine shuffles a little bit, scrunching her face out of annoyance that her nap is being interrupted by a massive hoof. She yawns, opening her eyes and looking upon the face of her mother. She coos and burbles at the sight of her, getting a small smile out of the farmpony. Clementine then sees Matt, a creature she has not seen before in her short time in Equestria. She had seen fillies and colts in the newborn room, and a few equine doctors, but none such as him.

Her reaction is quiet, but the facial expression says it all. She stares at Matt with a unmistakable look of wide eyed curiosity, wondering just what this being that's hovering over her is.

“She seems curious about you, Matt.” Applejack chuckles.

“Really? She seems scared of me.”

“Nah, I’ve seen scared fillies before. This looks a lot like curiosity to me.” she gives Matt a reassuring smile. “Why don’t ya touch her? Introduce yerself?”

Matt smirks, reaching a hand out to touch Clementine’s face. The filly doesn’t flinch or cry at his touch, instead continuing to stare at him. Her cheeks are soft, with her coat feeling smooth on Matt’s delicate fingertips.

“Hey there, Clementine.” Matt says in his kindest voice, “I’m your dad. It’s very nice to meet you.”

His fingers over hover Clementine’s lips, and she reacts accordingly. Using her limited strength, she leans up, wrapping her mouth around his ring finger. Matt and Applejack chuckle as Clementine sucks on his finger like a bottle top. Matt lightly pulls his finger out of Clementine’s mouth, eliciting a small groan of protest from the filly.

“It’s okay, little one.” Applejack calms her down with a little rocking, “You’ll get a bottle, soon enough.” She looks back at Matt with a smile, “Ah think she likes you.”

“I sure hope so, or these next years are going to be very awkward.”

Eventually, little Clementine yawns, pushing her muzzle into Applejack’s coat for some comfort. She wastes no time falling asleep, as the two can hear her deep breathing.

If cuteness was a cause of death, Matt would be suffering the mother of all heart attacks. He caresses her cheek with a finger, seeing her rustle slightly at his touch, before going back to sleep.

“What do ya think?” Applejack whispers.

“I think she’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” he smiles, “Like I said, all from you.” He leans downwards, kissing Applejack on the forehead.

“None of that forehead business…” Applejack says, “Kiss me on the lips, like ya always do.”

“You can’t be missing it already. I only kissed you on the lips five minutes ago.”

“Are ya sayin’ ya DON’T want ta kiss me on the lips?”

“I’m not saying that at all.” He chortles, “Only a crazy man would say that.” He moves in again, this time kissing her on the lips. “You are so beautiful, right now.”

“Knock it off.” she blushes, “Mah mane must be all mussed up.”

“It’s the best kind of mussed up.” he says with a smirk. “Hey, I’m going to go get some water. You want anything?”

“I’ll have some water too.” she says, “Don’t take too long.”

“I won’t. Might be more than five minutes, though.”

“That’s fine. I’ll see ya soon.”

Matt waves, walking to the door and carefully walking through it, so as to not wake the foal. Applejack looks down at little Clementine, still peacefully sleeping. Her eyes begin to water again, simply by watching her daughter rest against her coat. Her lip quivers at the sight, knowing that she will be there for her, and that Matt won’t be alone.


Matt walks down the hallway. His knees tremble in excitement that Applejack is okay. Seeing Clementine for the first time made his heart flutter; seeing her face of curiosity when she laid eyes on him was one of the most adorable things he ever saw. Not able to walk much further, he leans over on the wall, resting his back on it. He thinks of the times that are to come, the happy moments he and his family are going to share. He chuckles to himself, anticipating those moments to come true.

“Hey.” a voice calls out to him. Matt looks to see Shining Armor standing in the hallway, all four legs visibly shaking from what might be the same emotions he is feeling. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” Matt says, sliding down the wall for a sit. Shining Armor joins him; sitting down with his back against the wall. “How’s Cadance?”

“She’s good. Alone with our son. He’s sleeping against her chest. It’s very…”

“Adorable?” Matt finishes the sentence. Shining Armor looks at him, impressed that he’s spot on. “Our daughter is doing the same thing.”

“You have a daughter? That’s great! What’s her name?”

“Clementine Rosemary Apple.”

“Wow. That’s…a pretty fantastic name.”

“Applejack came up with Rosemary, I came up with Clementine. I was fine with Rosemary Clementine Apple, but once she heard that name…”

“She didn’t want it any other way?” Shining Armor is now the one completing sentences. “Cadance is like that, too.”

“What’s your son’s name?”

“If we had a son, Cadance wanted his name to be reminiscent of mine, but also wanted a name that represented Twilight too, since she was the one that brought us together. So, she settled on the name Dawning Shield.”

“Dawning Shield?” Matt thinks about the name, “Huh, that’s…pretty cool actually. You mind if I call him Dawn or Dawny when he gets older?”

“I don’t see why not.” Shining Armor laughs. He then becomes calm, thinking much like Matt is. “It’s so weird, isn’t it?”

“What’s weird?”

“Being a father. For the entire time Cadance was pregnant, I couldn’t help but doubt myself when it came to being a dad. I was always afraid I would be unprepared, or that I would mess it up somehow. But, when I saw his face looking up at me, I just knew. I just knew that being a father felt…right.”

“I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way, too. Seeing Clementine…I don’t know…it made me…ready. I messed up a lot of things in my life, but this is one thing I’m NOT going to mess up.”

“Same here.” He nods, “Funny that our wives gave birth on the same day…and early, too. They weren’t due for another couple of weeks at least.”

“Yeah, I thought about that.” The two fathers think about what happened that caused the births. One possibility comes to mind. “You don’t think that the story Applejack heard about was true after all, was it?”

The two stare at each other for what feels like eternity. Soon, they look back at the wall across from them, letting out a simultaneous and dismissive “Nah.”

“You’re probably right.” Shining Armor said, “After all, the foals are one hundred percent healthy.”

“Right. Maybe it was just their time. If I can be corny for a moment…maybe it was just fate.”

“That is pretty corny. Yet it also…kind of makes sense.” he nods. With a small grunt of effort, he stands back up. “Anyway, I was out here to get some water for Cadance and myself, but I also wanted to visit the others, since they’re still here.”

“That’s what I was doing.” said Matt, “Are you reading my thoughts or something?”

“I’m a unicorn, not psychic.” chuckled Shining Armor, “Come on, let’s go check on everypony else.”


Matt and Shining Armor go to the waiting room, where everypony, along with Matt’s parents, are resting in their seats or on the floor. The only one that was still awake was Princess Luna, as she is the ruler of the night. After some formal greetings and small talk, the two fathers check on the other ponies, giving them updates as to what is going on. Gradually, they all wake up to hear their current events. Pinkie was the most excited, as she already starts planning the next big party, for when Applejack and Cadance are eventually released from the hospital with the foals.

Everypony desperately wants to see the newborn foals, but Matt and Shining Armor stress that they are sleeping now with their respective mothers, eliciting small moans of disappointment. The two assure them that they will see them soon, just not at that very moment.

After some more talk and more than a few hugs, Matt and Shining Armor get what they came for…bottles of water from the hospital cafeteria.

They return to the hallway once they had said their goodbyes to the group, and walk down the quiet space with confidence and hope gleaming in their eyes.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye for now.” Shining Armor says.

“You act like we’re not going to see each other for a while. We’ll probably meet again in the morning. Will probably bump into each other when getting the wives some breakfast.”

“That’s still a long time.” he smiles. “Even so, I wish you and Applejack the best.”

“Same here. Tell Cadance that I said hi.”

“I will.” He says, slowly backing away while waving. “Take care.” He turns, walking down the rest of the hallway, heading towards his destination.

Matt waves back until he cannot see Shining Armor anymore. With a quick twist of the bottle-cap, he opens up the water bottle, and heads for Applejack’s room.


He walks inside, with the great deal of silence and stealth that he used when exiting. He sees Applejack is still awake, eyes still looking upon the sleeping Clementine. She looks up to see Matt closing the door, and soon approaches her with care and quiet.

“You’re back.” she whispers.

Matt doesn’t say anything, but his smile says it all. He brings the bottle to her lips, allowing her to drink a good helping of the water. She signals him to stop, and he does so, moving the bottle away from her. She lets out a refreshed sigh, as he leans down, and gives her a small but loving kiss on the lips.

“What was that for?” she asks coyly.

“Nothing.” Matt responds, “I just love you.”

Author's Notes:

Serious this time. One more chapter to go.

Next Chapter: Epilogue Estimated time remaining: 15 Minutes
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