Ladybug was an expert at this point. She pushed, whinnying at the uncomfortable sensation. Her twenty-ninth and thirtieth foals, identical colts, slid out onto the floor of the stall. The breeder, observing her with two farmhands to assist if needed, nodded in approval.
"They will be named Cricket and Caterpillar," he said. All of Ladybug's foals had been given insect-themed names to match hers. Ladybug didn't care about the names of her foals. After her first set of twins had been shipped off, she found herself devastated to be away from them. Even the vigorous and fantastic mating she experienced later from the most virile and skilled stallion on the entire farm hadn't been enough to lift her mood. It took her going through this depression of separation three times in total to realize what was going on and how to fix it.
Mares weren't the most attentive of mothers, certainly nothing compared to humans. But they still bonded with their offspring and tended to them. Ladybug had bonded with her foals. Her pattern was to give birth in the morning, nurse her offspring briefly, and then mate that evening to conceive the next day's foals, which were always twins thanks to her fertility spell. She wanted to give herself some time between mating and birth to recover. At first, she wondered if she needed to reduce the amount of time she was pregnant, or maybe even refuse to nurse them after they were born. But she was satisfied with her current method, and didn't want to change it.
Luckily, she knew of a charm used to separate new mothers from their foals without causing emotional distress. After all, sometimes a mare could not raise her foal, whether it was due to medical issues or something else. After her fourth pregnancy ended and she gave birth to her seventh and eighth foals (Butterfly and Bumblebee), she cast the separation charm upon herself. Immediately, she lost any sense of distress when her foals were led away.
However, casting now three spells daily (fertility, pregnancy acceleration, and separation) was proving to be a steady drain of her magic stores. Ladybug was glad she had finally produced her thirtieth foal and earned her freedom, as the breeder outlined for her. Her magic needed some time to rebuild. Which it could do easily while she traveled to Wind's Grove. Being around horses made Horse Witches regain magic faster, and Ladybug planned on joining a wild herd of horses for safety during her journey. After she returned to a stallion form, of course.
"You have served me well, Ladybug," the breeder said as the farmhands led away the foals. He smiled. "I will be back shortly with the items to remove your naming and shape charms." Ladybug stomped her hooves eagerly. The breeder chuckled and left. Suddenly thirsty, Ladybug lowered her head to drink water from her trough. Hoofbeats sounded. Ladybug looked up. Her eyes widened. The most virile, passionate, and skilled stallion of the farm, Hektir, was headed for her. How had he gotten out? And why was he- oh, no. Ladybug was still a mare! Hektir's eyes were focused on Ladybug. He had been her preferred mate, and no doubt he was planning on impregnating her yet again.
Ladybug's body acted on its own as he got closer. Her tail moved to one side, allowing him access. Ladybug's mind began to race frantically. She had to do something! Anything! Otherwise, she would be with foal for the sixteenth time!