//------------------------------// // What? // Story: Gentle Red // by Collins4112 //------------------------------// A/N: Hello and thank you for coming to view another chapter. Please read and relax thank you. We rejoin Ditzy in the morning three weeks after the lovebird's interment encounter. Ditzy's eyes slowly opened and she groaned. She felt like her stomach had turned inside out and all of its contents trying to force their way back the way they had entered. Ditzy thought about staying in bed, but she knew with her pay cut she couldn't afford take a day off. She rolled herself out of her bed. She rushed to the bathroom and released the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She groggily trotted out into the kitchen to prepare herself a breakfast, but the sight of any food made her stomach twist, so she just trotted out the door. Ditzy made the short distance to the post office. She found her mail bag filled to the brim with letters. At least it looked like it had been organized today. The weight of the bag seemed about a million times heavier than usual. It didn't help her at all that her eyes had gone wall eyed. She trudged along her usual mail route, but to Ditzy it seemed to take much longer than usual. She walked slowly from one house to the next; delivering the letters that household had received that day. Her stomach lurched and she gave a dry heave as she put mail in another mailbox. She put the last of the mail she had in her bag into a mail slot on the house the letters were addressed to. She almost dragged herself back to the post office to retrieve another bag of mail. When she reached the post office she felt another wave of nausea hit her like a bag of bricks. Ditzy decided it was for the best that she finished her work quickly. ______________ By the time she was done delivering the mail, the nausea had worn off and her eyes had returned to normal. It was about noon, so she decided to have some lunch. She trotted happily deeper into town. She spotted her very best friend Carrot Top at a café. Ditzy galloped over to her friend. "Hi Carrot Top." Ditzy said with a smile. Carrot Top grinned back. "How are you doing?" Carrot Top asked. Carrot Top motioned for Ditzy to sit, which she did. "I felt really sick this morning, but now I feel fine, but boy am I hungry!" Ditzy said eagerly. Carrot Top gave her a curious look as the waiter came up to the table. "Are you ready to order, ladies?" The waiter asked politely. Ditzy looked at the menu then grunted, dissatisfied with the selection. "I'll have a daisy and hay sandwich." Carrot Top said and pushed the menu towards the waiter. "Do you have any pickled onions?" Ditzy asked the waiter, who gave her a surprised look. "Uhh....yes, but those are usually only to add flavor. Not just to eat." The waiter said. Ditzy shot him a look of annoyance. "Uhhh... Yes, pickled onions, right away miss." Carrot Top had a surprised look on her face. "Ditzy, you hate onions and pickled things." "Yeah, weird huh? I just got the feeling that I wanted to eat some onions, and then I thought pickled onion sounded just delicious." Ditzy giggled happily. Carrot Top smiled, but had a look of preoccupied thought on her face. "So anyway, how have you been?" Ditzy asked. The question snapped Carrot Top out of her thoughts. "Well, I'm great. Business is good and stuff." Carrot Top responded quickly. They chatted for a few minutes. Their food arrived and Ditzy got her pickled onions. They smelled horrid, but still had a crunchy texture. Ditzy gobbled up the onions as Carrot Top took a bite of her sandwich. Ditzy took only moments to eat all the onions. Carrot Top stared at her friend, amazed. "You sure like those..." Carrot Top commented. Ditzy smiled and let out a small burp. "Excuse me. Those were really good, I don't know what got me craving them." Ditzy said. Carrot Top had an idea about where her craving had come from. "Remember to take a mint, Ditzy." Carrot Top smelled the breath that the onions had given her friend. Ditzy saw her friend go into another state of deep thinking and it started to concern Ditzy. "Are you alright?" Ditzy asked. Carrot Top snapped out of her thinking again. Carrot Top looked into her worried friend's face and sighed. "Ditzy... Have you and Big Macintosh...ummm..." Carrot Top looked around to make sure no pony was listening in on the conversation. "Done the do?" Ditzy flushed red and that was all the answer Carrot Top needed, but Ditzy responded. "Yes, we...um...did." Carrot Top sighed. "Alright, after we're done here, come home with me." ___________ Ditzy held the test in her hooves; a shocked look on her face. She stuttered when she spoke. "T-this can... Can't be r-right!" "Ditzy, you've done the test 3 times." Carrot Top said very gently to her shocked friend. Ditzy started to hyperventilate, and sweat forming on her brow: she felt light headed and her legs felt weak. "I-I... What do I do?" Ditzy asked quietly, her eyes were wide with desperation and they were on the verge of going wall-eyed. Carrot Top held Ditzy close. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and dripped down onto the floor. "You have to tell Big Macintosh." Carrot Top suggested. That didn't calm Ditzy down any. Her eyes slipped into wall-eyed mode. "But what if he doesn't want it? What if he dumps me? What if he makes me get rid of it? What if he doesn't love me anymore? What if..." She asked, her questions quickly becoming faster. Carrot Top put hoof a to Ditzy's mouth. "Now, Ditzy, does Macintosh seem like he would do any of those things?" Carrot Top asked, and in response Ditzy shook her head no. "Well, we'll go talk to him. I'll be with you the whole time to support you." "O-okay." Ditzy whispered nervously. Carrot Top hugged her expecting friend. She was confident that Big Macintosh would do the right thing, and if not Carrot Top would have to resort to drastic measures. ___________ Overcast skies loomed over Sweet Apple Acers. It accented the mood that Ditzy felt. I was so stupid. Why didn't I think to use protection? Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Now, Mac is going to hate me. The walk to Sweet Apple Acers has been silent. Ditzy wouldn't be talking at a moment like this and Carrot Top couldn't think of anything to say. Carrot Top had gotten Dinky from school while Ditzy took the test...3 times. She had dropped off Dinky at her friend’s and explained to Twist's parents that there was an emergency, and they said they were glad to watch Dinky. The farm seemed quiet as the two mares walked closer to the house. They spotted Big Macintosh talking with his younger two sisters near the porch of the house. When the two mares saw them, Ditzy froze in her tracks, eyes dilated in fear. "Just a little bit more Ditzy, He's just over there." Carrot Top gently motivated her friend. She was an earth pony so she could pull Ditzy along with relative ease. Big Macintosh was the first to notice them. "Howdy, Miss Carrot Top." Big Macintosh greeted. He turned to greet Ditzy, but when he saw the look on her face and he softened his expression. "Sugar Cube, y'all alright?" Ditzy just stood, frozen in fear. Her expression didn't change and she seemed as if she wasn't even breathing. Applejack noticed something was amiss, so she said, "Come on Apple Bloom, we have something...uh...important to do." "We do?" Apple Bloom said, confused. Applejack pulled her sister along into the house. "She has something very important to tell you." Carrot Top said. She knew that it was important that Ditzy had to tell him herself. Carrot Top nudged her side. "Ditzy, ya know ya can tell me anything." Macintosh said softly. Ditzy started to hyperventilate...again. Carrot Top put a hoof on her friends shoulder to calm her. “BigmacintoshI'mpregentwithyourfoal." Ditzy whispered quickly. Big Macintosh looked confused. "Ah'm sorry, Sugar Cube, Ah couldn't hear y'all." Big Macintosh said gently. He lowered his head to her height to hear better. Ditzy took a large and long breath. "Mac... I...I'm pre...pregnant...with your foal." His half open eyes shot wide open and the wheat sprig that he held in his mouth dropped to the ground. He looked just as afraid as Ditzy did. They both stood there frozen while Carrot Top watched, unsure of what to do. Big Macintosh made several sounds like he was trying to form a sentence. He shook his head and gathered himself. "Ditzy...Ah... Ah don't know what to say..." "I'm sorry Mac, I didn't know I would get pregnant, I'm sorry!" Ditzy babbled. Carrot Top was about to speak up that Ditzy shouldn't be apologizing, but Macintosh did that for her. "Y'all have nothing to apologize for. Ah'm the one who got us into this predicament. Ah should have thought ahead before we...ahem..." Big Macintosh broke off. They stood there awkwardly for another period of time. To Carrot Top's surprise Ditzy spoke up. "W-what are we going to do, Mac?" "Ah said Ah would always be there for ya and Ah meant it. It's important that y'all to know Ah'm not ashamed of this. Ah love you." Big Macintosh said keeping his usual level headedness. He looked back at the house and sighed. "Ah'm going to have to tell Applejack." They trotted closer to the house. "It’s probably for the best that y'all stay on the porch." Carrot Top and Ditzy took a seat on the porch. The door closed behind him as Big Macintosh entered the house. Ditzy sat there quietly muttering things to herself. Then she felt the house rattle with Applejack's voice. "WHAT?" They could hear Applejack scream. Ditzy could hear the conversation painfully clearly through the window. "Ah got Ditzy pregnant." Big Macintosh said, standing firm even after his sister's reaction. "Ah bet that... that hussy seduced ya!" Applejack yelled at him. Ditzy could hear him stomp a hoof. "Don't call her a hussy." Big Macintosh said firmly. Then Ditzy heard a third pony enter the room. "What's all the yellin' about?" It was Apple Bloom. Ditzy hoped that Big Macintosh would say something tactful to Apple Bloom. Instead Applejack spoke first. "Not much, besides our big brother KNOCKED UP his marefriend!" "Knocked up? Did you beat her up Macintosh? That's not nice." Apple Bloom asked, confused. Luckily, it was Big Macintosh to speak first this time. "No, Sugar Cube, it means Ah got her pregnant." Big Macintosh said softly. "You mean Ah'm gonna be an aunt? Yay!" Apple Bloom yelled. That made Ditzy smile. At least some pony was excited about this foal. "No Apple Bloom, not yay. Obviously our big brother didn't think of us at the time." Applejack lowered her voice a little. Ditzy heard Big Macintosh laugh a little. "At the time Ah tried not to." Ditzy blushed slightly at Macintosh's sly comment. Ditzy could almost hear Applejack growl. "Y'all think yer real funny now don't ya? Apple Bloom, go get the mares outside some tea." Applejack continued to yell at Big Macintosh as Apple Bloom brought Carrot Top and Ditzy some tea and muffins. "Ah heard ya like muffins so I brought y'all this." Apple Bloom said kindly, giving her a muffin. Ditzy looked at the filly and gave a small smile. "Thank you." "So.... Are ya going to marry Big Macintosh?" Apple Bloom asked. This brought Ditzy back a little. "I hope to." Ditzy said quietly. Apple Bloom squeed a little. "So... How did ya get pregnant? Ah mean, did Macintosh hug you too hard or something?" Ditzy and Carrot Top flushed red. Ditzy muttered: "I guess you could say that." They could hear Applejack's voice calm down a little. "You're setting a bad example for Apple Bloom, Macintosh. Not every stallion is as honest as you. What if some stallion gets her pregnant and leaves her? What then?" "Ah didn't think of that." Big Macintosh said thoughtfully. It saddened him to think of things like that. "That's right! Ya didn't think!" Applejack made her point. "It's not that I don't support ya doing the right thing, but y'all could have thought it through." "Ah'm sorry." Big Macintosh sighed. "Don't be apologizing to me. Ya go on out there and do the right thing, Big Macintosh." Applejack said. Big Macintosh trotted out of the house and onto the porch where the two mares with tea were waiting. Ditzy looked at him with sad yet hopeful eyes. He gave her a half smile. She gave a sweet smile back. Carrot Top looked at the way Big Macintosh looked at Ditzy and decided that Ditzy was in good hooves, and she could leave. "Well...I got to go...um...do stuff." Carrot Top excused herself from the situation and quickly trotted away. Ditzy barely noticed she left. Ditzy couldn't think of much to say so she said how she felt." Mac, I love you." "Ah love you too, Sugar Cube." Big Macintosh said. They kissed but it was broken by Apple Bloom. "EEWWW!" Apple Bloom groaned. Big Macintosh smiled and laughed. His laugh made Ditzy feel warm on the inside and she laughed with him. "You'll understand one day, Apple Bloom." _________ After leaving the farm, Big Macintosh and Ditzy decided they would tell Dinky about the situation. Dinky walked into the living room where Big Macintosh was already waiting. "Hi Macintosh!" Dinky said happily. Big Macintosh smiled back at the filly. "Howdy." Big Macintosh responded. Ditzy sat on the couch next to Macintosh. "Dinky, we have something to tell you. Now it's important that you don't get too excited." Ditzy said sweetly. "Okay mommy." Dinky replied. "Well...mommy is going to have another foal." Dinky said quickly. Dinky looked up at Ditzy, then to Macintosh, then back again. "What?" Dinky asked in a very confused voice. "You're gonna have a baby sibling, Sugar Cube." Big Macintosh gently answered. "R-really?" Dinky stammered. Her eyes grew large in surprise. "Yes Muffin." Ditzy nuzzled her daughter. "How do you feel about that?" "I...I don't know." Dinky muttered quietly. "Is Macintosh the dad?" "Eeyup." Macintosh said anxiously, worried about how Dinky would react. "Oh...okay." Dinky pulled herself from in between Macintosh and Ditzy and walked away. Ditzy looked at Macintosh nervously. "Ah'm sure it's just a shock to her." Big Macintosh reassured Ditzy. She looked at him with worried eyes and said. "I hope so." A/N: Thank you for reading and I would love to hear your ideas, suggestions and fixes. Thank you.