DISC: I DO NOT own any of the ponies you recognize in this story. I do however own all of the Human characters, along with the ponies Baby Rainbow Star, Mahina and Melody.
God loves you
Enjoy!
"The Greatest of Gifts"
Chapter 1
It was a beautiful spring Saturday morning in Ponyland. Abby was in the Lullaby Nursery, braiding Baby Glory's mane and tail. She had asked Abby to do it for her that morning. She loved Abby a lot. All the baby ponies did, but Baby Glory liked her the best.
"You make me pretty, Aunt Abby!" she shouted.
"You're already pretty," Abby said. "Even without braids."
"Do me next, Aunt Abby, pwease?" Baby Shady asked.
"Of course I will," Abby said, smiling.
As Abby was brushing Baby Shady's mane, Megan walked in and saw her.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi honey," Abby said. "How are you?"
"Fine, thanks. How are you?"
"Well, okay, really. To tell you the truth, I feel a little queasy."
"Aunt Abby sick?" Baby Glory asked, worried.
"Oh no, my little angel," Abby said, smiling at Baby Glory. "Just a little uneasy in my tummy, that's all."
"Well, how about some breakfast?" Megan suggested. "Patrick's told me that whenever he wakes up with an upset stomach, once he eats something, it's all right."
"I hope Cupcake can make me some strawberry pancakes," Abby said. "I've got this weird craving for them."
Abby, Megan, and the baby ponies walked into Paradise Estate. Patrick was already in the kitchen. H was eating a bowl of Cocoa Krispies and reading
the comics.
"Good morning, Patrick," Megan said, kissing Patrick's cheek.
"Eeeeuuwwww!" Julie, Molly, and Kassie shouted from the doorway. Then they dissolved in a fit of giggles.
"Okay, that's enough," Mike said. "And no more Camp Kissy Face. I might lose my appetite."
Patrick held his spoon threatening towards his uncle, but he was smiling.
Cupcake was making strawberry pancakes for Abby.
"Are you all right, Abby?" she asked, setting the pancakes in front of her friend. "You don't look very well."
"I think I might need to see a doctor," Abby said.
"Go to Dr. Larson or Dr. Chasity," Patrick said. "They're great."
"I think I'll do that after I eat and get dressed," Abby said.
After her second helping of pancakes, Abby started feeling more queasy than before.
"Well, there's nothin' wrong with your appetite," Mike said.
Abby nodded. She was about to finish her coffee, when she felt the sudden urge to throw up.
She jumped up and ran for the downstairs bathroom.
Just then, Emily and Matt came into the room.
Emily had just gotten ready and Matt had just arrived via Surprise.
"Aloha!" Matt greeted everyone. "Howzit?"
Molly grinned when she saw him. She jumped to her feet and ran to give him a hug.
Matt hugged her back before ruffling her hair and sitting down across from Megan and Patrick.
The moment he sat down, Emily made herself comfortable on his lap. She loved Matt a lot. She thought of him as a second father. Her biological father had been killed in a surfing accident back when she was seven.
"Ae." Emily agreed as Matt put his arm around her. "What'd we miss?"
Megan giggled at her little cousin's words before filling her in.
Once she was done, she went to see if Abby was okay.
Molly stayed behind to finish her breakfast before getting ready for school.
Julie had just finished hers and was now getting ready for English with Magic Star.
Mike filled Matt in on the rest of it as he finished his own breakfast.
Emily got off Matt's lap after a minute or so and got herself some breakfast of her own. She also made sure Mahina had something to eat.
Once her daughter was fed, Emily dug into the pancakes Cupcake had just placed in front of her.
Meanwhile, Megan, Brooke and Patrick walked into the bathroom to make sure she was okay.
Megan held Abby's reddish brown ponytail back so it wouldn't get messed up.
"Mom, are you all right?" Brooke asked worriedly.
Abby nodded as she sipped at a cup of water Megan was holding out to her.
"Yeah, sweetheart. I'm fine." She replied.
Brooke nodded, but she still looked a little worried. She and Abby were extremely close.
"I think I need to see Dr. Larson now." Abby added. "Where's Flutterbye?"
Flutterbye was Abby's favorite pegasus to ride. She didn't go to fast and she was the first pegasus Abby had really connected with on her first few trips to Ponyland.
Flutterbye walked in and gave Abby a concerned look.
"What's up?" She asked.
Abby explained the situation to her and Flutterbye agreed to help almost instantly.
Abby kissed Brooke, told her to be good and mounted Flutterbye for the journey over the Rainbow.
Once she left, Brooke walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.
Emily wandered in after a while and sat next to her.
"Are you okay?" She asked. Brooke was one of her favorite cousins next to Molly.
Brooke shook her head.
"I'm worried about Mom." She confessed. "Flutterbye had to take her to the doctor over the Rainbow. I hope she's gonna be okay."
Emily nodded. She gave Brooke a hug and her cousin hugged back.
"Thanks." She said once they had pulled away.
Emily shook her head.
"It's okay. Everything will be all right. Shaka." She advised.
"I'll try." Brooke said, even though she was still worried.
Meanwhile, Abby and Flutterbye had made it over the Rainbow. They were now waiting for Dr. Larson to tell them to see them.
Dr. Larson arrived a few minutes later with Jeanie Mathews in toe. Jeanie was one of the girls' favorite nurses. Abby liked her a lot too.
"I didn't expect to see you in here today." Dr. Larson said with a warm smile. "What can I do for you, Abby?"
Abby explained to Arielle and Jeanie what was going on.
Once she was done, Dr. Larson ordered a CBC and some other routine tests so they could see what was wrong.
The tests didn't take too long to perform. It took longer for the results to come in then it did for the actual tests to be done.
"What did you find out?" Abby asked when Dr. Larson returned twenty minutes after doing the blood test.
Dr. Larson smiled, which made Abby feel a little less nervous. She was curious to know what had made her so happy.
"Abby, we have great news," Jeanie said. "Actually, it's great news for both you and Mike."
"What?" Abby asked, curious.
"You're pregnant," Dr. Larson said.
"Pregnant?" Abby repeated, and she smiled. "I'm going to have a baby?"
Dr. Larson nodded.
Abby grinned a mile wide. She hugged both Arielle and Jeanie, thanked them for their help and left the same way she had come.
During the flight home, Abby's mind was whirling. She couldn't believe that she was going to be a mother again. Brooke was going to be a big sister. She knew Brooke would be thrilled to hear that.
She had begged Abby for a baby sister ever since after Molly had been born.
As these happy thoughts and possibilities ran through her mind, one terrible thought pushed its way to the front of her mind.
What if Mike didn't want a baby right now? What if he left her like Jerry had after he had found out she was pregnant with Brooke?
"Abby?" Flutterbye said as they neared Dream Valley. "What happened?"
Abby shook herself from her thoughts long enough to answer her friend's question.
"I'm pregnant." She replied. "I'm gonna have a baby."
"That's great!" Flutterbye shouted.
Abby nodded.
"Maybe." She said absently.
She was so engrossed in her thoughts, she didn't notice when they had touched down in Dream Valley until Flutterbye told her they were home.
Abby forced her mind back to the present long enough to climb off Flutterbye's back and follow her into the Estate.
As they entered the Estate, Abby was nearly run over by Brooke, who ran at her the second she appeared in the living room.
"Mom! You're back! Are you okay?" She asked. She hugged her tightly as Abby picked her up.
Brooke didn't mind when Abby did this, even though she was ten.
"I'm fine." Abby said. "I promise. Come on, let's go to my room for a talk." With that, she carried Brooke into her bedroom and set her down.
"What's going on?" Brooke asked as she sat down on her mother's bed and waited for her mother to answer her question.
Abby sighed. She sat down next to her little girl and took her into her arms once again.
"What would you say if I told you you were going to be a big sister?" Abby asked.
Brooke's face broke into a grin.
"Really? Are you serious?" She asked.
"Shh! And yes, I am." Abby replied. "Honey, I'm pregnant."
"YES!" Brooke cheered. She hugged Abby and her mother hugged back.
As they pulled away, the eight-year-old frowned.
"Why didn't you tell everyone else?" She asked.
"I'm going to." She assured her. "But I wanted to talk to you first. You know we've always been a team. Even before Mike came into my life. I wanted to tell you first."
"Thanks." Brooke replied. She hugged her mother again.
"No problem, sweetheart. I love you. I want you to know that."
"I love you too." Brooke replied.
Abby grinned.
"Now, let's go tell the others."
"Yeah!" Brooke agreed. With that, she followed her mother out to the living room where everyone else was gathered.
Once they got there, Brooke sat down next to Emily. She couldn't stop grinning.
Emily noticed and gave her cousin a puzzled look.
Brooke leaned over and whispered so only Emily could hear her.
"You were right!" She said.
Emily nodded and smiled just as Abby cleared her throat.
"Well, as you know, I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I went to see Dr. Larson over the Rainbow." She began.
"And?" Everyone asked in unison.
Abby grinned. She walked over to Mike and took his hand in hers. She looked deep into his emerald eyes and tried to find reassurance there. But all she saw was worry and a little curiosity.
She took a deep breath before telling everyone her news.
"Mike," she began, "you know I love you, right?"
Mike nodded. He was beginning to feel a little uneasy.
"I love you too." He assured her. "What's this all about?"
Taking a final deep breath, Abby sent a silent prayer up to God before revealing her big news to everyone.
As she spoke, she didn't break eye contact with her fiancé.
"I'm pregnant." Abby said softly.
"What?" Mike asked. He truly hadn't heard her the first time.
"I'm pregnant." Abby repeated a little louder this time.
The reaction was incredible!
Mike's face broke into a grin and he cheered loudly as did everyone else. He picked Abby up, spun her around and gave her a kiss, before putting her back down.
Molly, Emily, Julie and Kassie cheered loudly as did the baby ponies.
But Abby only had eyes for Mike at the moment.
"So you're not mad?" She asked.
Mike shook his head.
"Of course not. Why would I be mad? I love Brooke and I can't wait until the baby is here."
Abby grinned as a few happy tears coursed down her cheeks. She whispered a thank you to God before embracing her fiancé once again.
Once she had calmed down, she turned around to face everyone else. Her face was glowing with joy and excitement.
"Congratulations, Abby!" Firefly shouted.
"Good show!" North Star exclaimed.
"Way to go, Mike!," Matt said, giving Mike a thump on the shoulder.
"Yay for Mike and Abby!" Molly cheered. "You'll be a great Mommy and Daddy!"
"Molly's right." Megan agreed. "Congratulations!"
"Bloody brilliant!" Patrick shouted.
This got everyone laughing.
Emily ran up to Abby and gave her a hug as did Julie. They then gave Mike high fives and ran off to play.
Molly followed them as did Fizzy.
Patrick went inside to do some leftover homework so he could have some time to spend with Firefly before dinner.
Brooke went on a celebratory flight with Locket, who was her favorite pegasus and Megan went to put the baby ponies down for a nap.
This left Abby and Mike alone for a little bit.
"Let's take a walk." Mike suggested.
"Okay." Abby agreed. She made sure Brooke was going to be okay and then took Mike's hand.
The couple walked for a few minutes in silence.
As they passed the Mushromp, Mike broke the silence.
"So why did you think I would be mad about the babe?" He asked. He was truly curious and concerned for his wife-to-be.
Abby sighed. She knew she would have to tell Mike sooner or later, but she had hoped it would be later.
"Abby?" Mike said tentatively.
Abby turned around to face him and he could see tears in her blue eyes.
He took her into his arms and hugged her close.
"Just talk to me. " He encouraged. "You know I'll listen. Whatever it is, we'll get through it together. I love you and nothing's going to change that." He planted a kiss on her cheek and put a hand through her hair.
Once Abby sorted her thoughts out in her mind, she started to speak.
"Jerry left me right before Brooke was born. He didn't want any kids and he made it quite clear. But one night, well one thing led to another and…she was best gift I received out of that nightmare." She said softly. "I love her so much. I guess I just thought that…" Her voice trailed off as more tears came.
"That history would repeat itself?" Mike guessed.
Abby nodded as she let out a sob.
"Abby, sweetheart, I love you. I loved you from the first time I met you four years ago and I love you just as much now-maybe more so. We're getting married in a year and we already have a beautiful daughter. I would never hurt you like that."
Abby nodded. She let the remaining tears fall as Mike held her close.
They stayed like that for a little while longer before heading back to the Estate.
They walked into the dining room to find Brooke and Emily, along with Fizzy, playing a game of Go Fish.
When Brooke saw her mother, she jumped up and ran to her.
"Mom, are you okay?" She asked when she saw the tear tracks on her mother's cheeks.
Abby smiled.
"I'm more than okay." She replied. She hugged Brooke and kissed the top of her head. She gave Emily a hug before going into the kitchen to see what Cupcake was doing.
Mike ended up joining the girls in their game. They played for another half an hour and then broke up to do their own thing.
Mike wandered into the living room to find Matt surfing the channels on the TV while Oliver, Julie's cat, napped on his lap.
"Hey man." Mike said wit ha grin. "What's up?"
"Firefly was a few minutes ago." Matt replied. "But I Think she and Patrick went for a flight."
"Good one. " Mike replied. He sighed as his thoughts wandered to Abby.
"Pineapple for them?" Matt inquired kindly.
Mike sighed. He told Matt everything Abby had told him, hoping he would have some advice for him.
Matt frowned once Mike was done explaining.
"That's rough." He commented. "Some people aren't meant to be parents. I know you would never do that to Abby. You love her too much. The best thing you can do is be there for her." He said.
"Thanks." Mike replied.
"No problem." Matt said. He settled down to watch a rerun of "Family Matters" while Mike let his thoughts wander…