Cramped, sored, bloated. These are only a few of the many things Vinyl would describe herself as in this particular moment in her life. And now she had a new one to add to the list: Restless. Rolling over in her bed slightly, a violet eye cracked open at the neon blue display of her alarm clock. 5:02 am. With a groan, she officially dubbed sleep a lost cause and threw off her covers, exposing the culprit of her discomfort. Her midsection, once flat and slightly toned, was now a misshapen orb, thanks to its three dogpiled occupants.

While her pregnancy had been something of a surprise to her, she had initially taken it in stride. Still performing at clubs and parties until finally her doctor ordered her on bedrest once they had confirmed the baby count. She loved these three, even if she only really knew them through their movement, images on a screen, and the sound of their heartbeats. But despite her love, her physical state was a double edge sword. With the healthy size of her foals came sore legs and an increased difficulty getting out of a sitting or resting position. With an increased bust size came the need to buy new bras and the occasional sprung leak from the ‘milk taps”. 

It would have been a bit more bearable, if the due date the doctor gave had been right. Yet, as unceremonious as the day came, it went by just as quick. Eager to “speed things along” she had begun looking up things that could jumpstart labor. Spicy food, castor oil, even a good ole rhomp was suggested. With not a lot of interest in the 3rd option, she experimented with an extra spicy burrito with a tablespoon of castor. She was rewarded with heartburn and fact that castor oil acts as a laxative for her troubles. Despite her best attempts, her children refused to leave the comfort of her womb. And so, here Vinyl laid. Eleven months pregnant, overdue, hot and bothered.

“This sucks!” the fecund pony pouted, throwing a faux tantrum by flailing her arms on the mattress. All she succeeded in doing was waking up one of the foals who promptly delivered a kick to the upper part of her belly. Idly rubbing the afflicted region, she contemplated her predicament. At this point, she was stuck at home waiting for something that should have happened a week ago to kick in. She’d rather be at a club, in crowds, to the rhythm of the music. And like a bolt of lightning, it hit her. She knew what she could do. Snapping up from the bed, or about as quickly as someone her size could, she hoisted herself up and onto her feet and waddled to the closet. Among her usual wardrobe of clothes that stopped fitting about two sized ago, were a pair of custom headphones. Snatching up the accessory, the mare made her way to the living room.

The living room was rather tidy and simplistic for a pony of her personality, with a single couch, coffee table, and a TV stand with a large flat screen on top. Vinyl’s goal, however, was by the back wall. A full sized stereo system hooked up to a plethora of speakers. Her plan was simple; she was going to dance her kids out! And if she couldn’t go to the club to make that happen, she’d bring it to her! Or at least the sounds of it anyway. Normally, she’d just turn it on and crank the speakers to max, but 5 o clock in the morning ruled that option out on the account of potential angry neighbors banging down her door. So in came plan B, the headset. They could wirelessly sync up with the stereo, streaming the music directly to her ears and not the rest of neighborhood when she needed. Using the remote to switch on the sound system and flipped on her headset, waiting for the tunes to start.

(Insert your favorite music here, I used trance)
As the music started, Vinyl started slowly, tapping her hooves to the pulsing beat. As the rhythm picked up, she began to shake her hips as well, just like old times. Having to lean slightly on account of her shifted center of gravity, she braced her belly with her hand as she finally began to shuffle her whole body to the beat. She could feel her other two foals begin to wake up from the gyrations, join their sibling in what felt like a cross between a dance off and a tight packed mosh pit. But their mother paid no mind to the slight discomfort, she was in her element. The pulse, the rhythm of the music drowning out all else, all that was missing was the crowds and strobe lights. 

To anyone else looking in, they would have seen a pony, with a belly almost too big, bouncing around in their undies, wearing a bra one size too small, dancing to seemingly nothing while making goofy faces. But to that one pony, she was in bliss. Her own little nirvana she always found when the beat hit her ears.

She didn’t know how long she had danced, a few minutes, an hour, maybe two? Regardless, she was yanked from her dreamlike state and back to reality when her belly suddenly undulated and tightened. She froze as something inside her gave way and a torrent splashed between her and onto the floor. Well, the plan worked. Just a bit too well.
“Aw crap”

Her hands instinctively shot down to the underside of her belly. The gravity of the situation immediately started to sink in.
“Oh crap!” She snatched the headset off, tossed it, and franticly started looking around for her keys. Last place she remembered placing them weas somewhere in the kitchen. “Gotta find em! Gotta get to the hospi-“

Her train of thought was cut off as a contraction wracked her body, causing her to nearly topple over were it not for the nearby wall to lean on. She could already feel one of the foals beginning to bear down on her pelvis. She had to hurry, the clock was ticking down fast. And to think, a few minutes ago this was exactly what she was trying to make happen. 

Pushing herself off the wall, she stumbled into the kitchen. Her eyes darting around for the glint of slender metal. Finally she spotted the lone key by the sink. Snatching it up, she turned for the door. Before she could even bolt for it, another contraction caused her to clench up in pain. This time, she couldn’t stand her ground and slowly dropped to the tile floor on her side. 

Panting heavy, she looked up. The front door was just a few feet away, just out of grabbing range. Reduced to crawling, she dragged herself as close as she could to the exit. She reached up for the deadbolt, her fingers grasping the edge of the device-
And then promptly pulled them back down when yet another contraction tore through her. But this time, it was different. There’s was something starting to emerge between her legs. 
Time was up

Her eyes started darting around for some kind of miracle. But to no avail, and her phone was back in her bedroom so she couldn’t-
And then, her hoof brushed something up against something. Snapping her head behind her, she saw her headset. It had bounced off the fridge when she tossed it. But more importantly, it was still on, still playing music. It was in that moment, Vinyl formed a desperate gambit.

“Alright, Plan C.” With the remaining reserves of energy she had, she reached up, snapped the deadbolt unlocked, cracked the door slightly, and grabbed the headphones. And with that, she turned them off. Which in turn caused the stereo to default back to its normal setting. Which was to blare music through the speakers full blast. With her task done, she reached down to grab her panties. She wasn’t going to need them in a few seconds.


Epilogue
A few minutes later, the neighbors cracked open Vinyl’s front door to investigate the early morning commotion. What they found was Vinyl propped up against the kitchen wall. Holding her first newborn daughter. Wasting no time, they called up an ambulance to pick up Miss Scratch. Even with their hasty arrival to her house, Vinyl wound up giving birth to her second daughter along the way to the hospital. And finally, shortly after arriving, she delivered her third and final child, a son. Despite the spontaneous labor and delivery, everyone was healthy and sent home after a few day’s stay.