To Be a Mother

by Bro Dash

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Romance, Adventure, Slice of Life
Length: 25288

Rainbow dash becomes a mother.

After years of being a single mare, looking for the perfect stallion, Rainbow Dash finds that certain somepony. But Then things begin to get hot and soon, she finds herself to later on give birth to a child. Once Rainbow Dash's coltfriend decides to run away from this little "incident", as he called it, Rainbow Dash decides to pursue this stallion in a search for answers, and hopefully, a husband to father her children.

Though on her way, her stallion has traversed some of the most unruly, brutal areas of Equestria and beyond. These challenges soon prove too much to her and she begins to slow down in the race against time. To find this stallion before she has her child, will be more of a challenge above anything she originally thought. And so, the fact that she will lose her stallion's trail is becoming very much possible.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-02 21:57:08 UTC

The Crash

As Rainbow Dash finished pushing the last tuft of clouds together, she backed up and turned towards the other pegasus. The pegasus she had be thinking of, questioning many things on for the past few days. His white fur, red tipped wings, and red rings above his hooves. The cutie mark showing his one grand talent. A set of winged sandals. Though, the wings where made of thunderbolt shaped feathers.

"Hey. If you don't mind me asking, what does your cutie mark stand for anyway?"

"Oh, fast flying. I've still yet to find anyone who can beat me. I even had a race once with this earth pony. Nearly got me too. Till I broke the sound barrier. Boy, he could run. Said something about it being the result of too many electric shocks. I wonder why he is still alive."

"You...You say it like it's no big deal, you say it like no one can pass you!"

"Problem?"

"Yeah. Every day I train, I break the sound barrier with ease. How much trouble did you go through to break the sound barrier?"

"Take off at full speed, three meters after lift off, then everything around me starts slowing down. I choose not too, due to the nose bleed, my ears bleed as well, so do my eyes. Man, not something fun to happen to ya."

This stallion was talking about the more extremities of fast flying. Rainbow Dash could break the sound barrier with ease, but three meters after lift off is quite a short distance. He had wicked acceleration. And for your eyes, ears, and nose to all bleed from the sheer speed, thats not unheard of in Rainbow Dash's case. She's had it happen very rarely. But it was never much blood either.

Nevertheless, a challenging smile grew on Rainbow Dash's face.

"Oh, lemme guess. You want to challenge me, thinking your faster.", Red spoke.

"You know, not once have I even found  pony faster than I! Except for once, but I quickly passed her up. Maybe we're matched in speed! But what about stamina?"

"Well then. A race?"

"Mmm. Hold on."

Rainbow Dash thought for a few seconds, tapping her chin with her hoof and looking away.

"Yeah, sure, why not? I've got about...Say, twenty minutes to get to Fillydelfia."

"Thats across Equestria! How about we race there!"

"Oh, it's so totally on!"

"We start at...how about the edge of Ponyville? There, we'll announce who is the fastest pony!"

"Deal, you're on you white pixie!"

"Ok, Miss Rainbow Rump!"

The two quickly made their way towards the designated starting line and faced one another.

"Ok. Simple, we fly a straight shot there! Now, you see, there is a specific place I want to stop. Where in Fillydelfia are you to be?"

"Uhm...The company building which is HQ of Horseshoe designing."

"Really? They actually have that?"

"Yeah, I know. But they have it done nonetheless. It's basically engravings, but they are super detailed!"

"Meh. Ok, race is on!"

The two got back into the game and turned to face the direction towards Fillydelfia.

"Wait, do we have a referee? Ya know, to start the race so neither of us cheats?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh man. Totally forgot about that."

"Yo, Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie Pie poked her head out of a nearby flower pot, the dirt staying a perfectly cylindrical shape on her head.

"Yes?"

"Say, Ready. Set. Go."

"Ok! Ready! Set! Go!!!", the pink pony exclaimed

The two pegasi darted forward, reacting to the unusual starting declaration of the pink pony. But, nonetheless, Rainbow Dash noticed one thing immediately. She heard no sonic boom. Which means, he either lied, or is holding back. Rainbow Dash smiled and held her arm and legs together, making her the shape of a bullet. She flapped her wings harder and shot forward, passing him a with a rush of air which sounded much like the twang of a bow when shooting an arrow. He didn't accelerate though. He let her get a formidable speed up, then once she went ahead at a steady speed, he sped up as well, bursting the sound barrier with the ease he had said of earlier, jerking from his original spot to next to Rainbow Dash.

"You either lied, or are holding back! Which is it?", she asked.

He only smiled at her, then flew forwards faster, passing her, and with another blast, flew far ahead of her, gaining distance away from her. Rainbow Dash was delighted at this, this time breaking he sound barrier herself. She flew slowly ahead of him and even felt the shocking effects of the velocitile force which imposed her. She was speeding faster than that which sound went, after all. Then she felt a feather at her side. It was Red. His straight face and smile were a sight which astonished her. He was keeping such good pace with her, that she could neither slow down to make him go ahead, or speed up to get in front of him. Whatever she did, he was by her side. Then he saluted and shot forward ahead of her. She grimaced and gritted her teeth as she thought of the alternative. Nevertheless, she sped up as well.

She soon felt the effects of her own velocity. She had already passed up Red and was very far ahead of him, by about a mile, and continuing, but she felt the familiar trickle of blood. It shocked her that the pain wasn't felt till then, but she staggered a single flap and went into turbulence. After flapping the wrong wing again, she began spiraling, hit a tall tree, shattering the meter thick trunk, and then began her descent slowly. She no longer flapped her wings, she couldn't having been knocked out of breath and out of consciousness.

She had been flying behind him now, unmoving. He noticed the event and rushed towards her. Then as he rushed faster, not only did everything slow around him, but he slowed too, due to the over effect of what he was doing. If she crashed at that velocity, she would die. He slowly gained distance, closing the gap between them. Red reached out and as he hugged her, she slowly opened her eyes. The onrush of chaotic wind which was around her, forced Red into turbulence as well, though he didn't hit anything. He steered them against the currents, flaring his wings repeatedly to try and slow, but the wind behind them kept forcing them both forward.

Finally he took control over his own flight and began descending, slowly into the forest. It was a heavy landing, having never landed with another horse in his grasp. She tumbled first, then, dragging him down, made him tumble into a tree. Red hurriedly got up and ran over to the wheezing Rainbow Dash. She spit up blood to speak, coughing a lot more up afterwards.

"Y...y...you...Tha-an-nk, y-y-you...", then she slipped from consciousness.

The stallion had landed with his front right leg perpendicular to the tree, but it didn't break it, luckily. It just dislocated it. He gritted his teeth enough to feel them crack slightly as he stumbled over to Rainbow Dash. He turned her over onto her stomach and examined the large bruise over her back. Not a single bone was broken, or by the looks of it. She did give off a lot of blood through coughing, though that was normal when you were impacted with either enough air, or force when hit by something.

He checked his own hide, noticing the spatter of blood from an earlier cough she had given when he caught her. His ragged breaths finally ceased and he began nudging Rainbow Dash with his hoof, waking her.

"Wake up, you need to get up so you can help me get you to the hospital!"

"...Damn...", Rainbow Dash started.

"Don't talk, and especially don't try moving your back,. It might hurt when you get on my back, but after that, you might pass out."

"Did...Did I break my back?"

"Luckily, you didn't break a single bone, but you sure as heck did bruise your back pretty bad. We still need to get you to a hospital. It looks pretty bad with all the blood."

"...Y-yes.", she managed to finally say.

She slowly got herself completely on his back, with his assistance. Hoof with hoof, they held her there, the both of them. Red started flying again, but this time he was doing so with a much harder pace. His speed was cut in half, but other than that, he had no problems.

The sun was setting then, so he had to land nearly immediately. He couldn't fly in the dark at all without endangering the cyan mare which lay on his back in immense pain. Though, this landing was a lot less painful and much softer. He landed in a river, treading water to keep the dozing mare from falling under. She slowly fell into the darkness, watching very blankly as the shore and water subsided to darkness.

It was black, but there was no recurring dream, only a remainder of the last dream she had happened. This time, she was drowning. She had finally gotten out of the water, but she felt it on her skin. She felt it forcing it's ways into her lungs as she opened her mouth. Then, air rushed in. The water flowed out in an endless stream, exiting her lungs completely, but she hadn't the strength to continue breathing. She felt a sharp pain in her back, then a thump in her ears. She awoke, coughing up the remainder of the water she had in her lungs. Red, was above her, panting heavily. The cold water in Rainbow Dash's coat made her shiver.

"You...you almost drowned.", Red finally spoke.

"I...I wasn't dreaming then. Or was. I dreamt that I had gotten out of the water...then worse after that."

"Must've been when you slipped off. It's a deep drop at the very edge of the water. I thought you had a good death grip from fear when you fell unconscious, but you fell off, like you gave up. I dove back in, got you, threw you up, then climbed up myself. Had to perform CPR."

Rainbow Dash hadn't heard but half of it, still hazed by the near death event. She turned over onto her side, curled up and shivered hard.

"It's the hypothermia. the water is really cold, from a mountain spring up above."

Red wrapped his larger body around hers, but shivered heavily as she did. It was indeed cold. The wind had stayed up since the river ran pretty straight forward down the mountain. Red held her head close to his, trying to cover her exposed and more important areas with his large arms. Though, she shivered more than he did, nonetheless. Then, as he began slipping into the hibernative sleep that would follow if you don't get the needed warmth, he saw a few remaining visions of his own. Her yellow, blue, and red strands of hair sprawled over the grass, like a flower. Then darkness.

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Rainbow Dash was having the dream she had every night, though, something was different. No matter how hard she pushed on the chains that bound her, the tighter they became. She had been stuck in a room that was slowly, but surely, being pressurized, the pressure slowly rising, pressing against her body as it reached extreme heights. She felt the pressure press against her, slicing her skin open, receiving massive amounts of blood for efforts that flowed, going far past the amount that she held in her body. Suddenly, the chains released, the pressure began falling. The pain ebbed. It was like she was released from the horrible nightmare. Then she floated. The area around her roared with a distant flame that burned loudly. It was like being in a small town next to a power plant of the thunder strikes like in cloudsdale. But then everything around her was a mix of what looked like deep space, and dim colors like red, purple, blue, and white.

The sun slowly ebbed it's way up Rainbow Dash's body, warming her. She felt it in her dream as well, but she couldn't move. In her dream, she was suspended in an empty space less than a vacuum, but light traveled nontheless, through it. She saw the universe closely around her, and then herself. But she was much larger than what her blackened body was. She looked at herself, seeing the steadily flowing stream nearby, and the trees around her. She saw also, the red and white fur pelt on a large bump in front of her view. Then it all snapped out and she was dragged into a darker area, waking up and screaming.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down Rainbow Dash!", Red tried to silence her.

She sat up, looked around and then, fear struck her. Her Wonderbolt costume was stripped of her, her goggles gone. She found neither. Red walked up to her slowly, waiting for the questions.

"Oh my god! What happened? Where am I? What do I do?"

"Listen, calm down my little cyan friend, we have a long distance to go."

"My...I can't feel any pain in my back! Am I healed?"

"No, fraid not. We could not have made the trip of the last mile to Fillydelfia. I had a single idea. But I regret it now. You seem to be flipping out, your speech is impaired. I guessed giving you the novacaine I use to sooth my aching teeth after fast flights, was a bad idea."

"You used a non-sterile needle?!?!"

"No. It was a little pen. All I had to do was put it to your neck.It injected two drugs actually. One numbed your body. The other made it to where your mind kept your muscles tense and alert, your nerves which attain to touch and feeling, are gone. For now atleast."

"How do you know so much?"

"I studdied with a cute nurse long ago."

"Oh, you think we could make the rest of the trip there?"

"Try standing."

Rainbow Dash looked at him, then began to do just that. She stood up, but fell over. She tried several more times over and finally gave up.

"It...It's no use, I can't."

"Because it's the novacaine."

"Then how do we even get back?"

"Easily. You can ride on my back, though, after that landing in the water, and you falling back in, once I dove in, something bashed my wing, plus, my right leg is still dislocated. So, I'd say thats not gonna happen before the novacaine wears off and the full pain of your heavily brusied back comes up."

"Rear up and slam your right leg into the ground by falling over."

"What?"

"I've done it before! I've dislocated three of my legs in my life. Rearing up, then landing on your shoulder will slingshot it back into place."

Red stared at her, "Are you seriously telling the truth?"

"Yes!"

"Listen, I'll trust you, but. If this doesn't work, I hold it to you to bring me back and help them fix my muscle severed arm!"

Red slowly leaned his front end down and pushed up with his left leg, pushing him nearly off the ground. Once standing bipedal, he turned as he fell over, landing on his right arm and shoving it back in it's socket. He screamed out in pain, but as it ebbed away slowly, he stood up, panting.

"Alright...It worked."

"Good. Now we have to get me to the hospital!"

"I know."

Red picked her up, placing her gently on his back to where she coudn't fall off, and began the way to Fillydelfia. But of all the things that just happened, one thing still left his mind wondering. He never had any novacaine, nor an emergency drug pen. How did that lie work?

The trek had begun. He started off on a non-existant trail through the woods. The path was never done, but luckily it wasn't thick brush that made their pasasage hard. It was the lack of light. It was very dim there.

"...You never had a pen, did you?", Rainbow Dash started.

He stayed silent.

"I'm right aren't I?"

"Yeah. You are. How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"I never gave you any novacaine, or any neuro activant. Atleast thats what I picked up in the newer studies of medicine.

"There's a little thing about that that makes me wonder. Did you ever even date a nurse?"

"I did. But not for long. For Celestia's Sake, I can't see anything to save my life!"

He stopped just in front of a tree, almost hitting it.

"And what questions me now, is what happened to my costume?"

"When you crashed into the tree, the splinters ripped it, the wind flow did the rest. You lost it a few seconds after. All that remained was the goggles, and those fell off in the river."

"Oh. Don't you have a flashlight or something?"

"I don't have my bags, and frankly, didn't have anything on me in the race."

"Oh yeah..."

She was just dangling on his back now, her arms hanging on his sides. Though, she slowly moved her front legs, reaching around his neck, hugging him.

"Thanks. For...for being there. For giving up the race."

"To save you? Hello! Why would I let anyone plummet to their death!"

"Well you'd be surprised. A funny story. Actually. Years ago, I decided I wanted to get myself a pet. Had a competition to see who would be my pet, so I had a final race. Whoever kept up with me, and finished the race with me won. I had a hawk, eagle, bat, and some other bird, also a tortoise racing for me."

The story, even though it was faint, kept Red's mind off his throbbing wing. It was sweet. Though he didn't miss a single thing, he notcied as she began slipping into sleep again.

"Something happened...Rocks fell. The birds flew ahead, finishing the race, but I was stuck. The tortoise came to my rescue, raising...the boulder off my wing. He also carried me across the finish line. I said...He finished with me, he's my pet. The other birds never went back for me...they just kept going."

"So, you have a slow pet turtle now? But you wanted a fast animal?"

"Yeah, we attached a propeller to his back. It's powered by magic imbued in a crystal. He flies alongside me most of the time."

"He sounds like a cute turtle."

"He's a tortoise...", she chuckled.

"Thats a cute chuckle, you sound like a totally different mare."

"It happens. Sometimes."

"Well, it's still cute."

"Thank you...You're not so bad yourself. You're strong enough to stop me from speeding within seconds, you saved my life, you are even carrying me. You're a good stallion. I think you and I make a good couple too."

He blushed at this, stopping to look back at the cyan mare. Her eyes were shut, a smile on her mouth.

"You really think so?"

"Yeah, I mean, no one has been able to surpass me for a long time...", her voice fell.

"Rainbow Dash, you should get some sleep. I don't really know if anything is broken yet, but it sure sounds like you could use the sleep."

But she was already asleep, having slipped from consciousness right after the word "time."

Red continued on, rushing a little bit. Not only did he nearly die of hypothermia, but he was carrying a very weak mare on his back. Having survive hypothermia, was a happy thought, but it made him sad to see Rainbow Dash so badly hurt.

It was only a few minutes afterwards, but sure enough, he exited the forest. But even worse, he ran into a camp of dragons. All faced him, each licking their lips in hunger.

"Bristo! These look mighty tasty!", the blue said.

"Hah! You're right. That rainbow mane, though, makes her look like a dessert. She probably tastes sweet too, am I right lover boy?", the yellow laughed.

Red was too scared to move. Though, what came to his mind was the purple serpent. His golden, fashioned hair was a mess, some of it singed, the rest torn off. Though the purple and blonde mustache was perfectly fine.

"Whoa guys, wait. I know that you are trying to teach me to be an evil serpent and all, but I can't just let you guys hurt them. You see, I'd not have this rockin mustache if it weren't for that cyan one's friend. And if that white one is trying to help that cyan one, I'd not harm either. Really guys, she even looks hurt."

Red looked at the purpled serpent.

"Th-thank you! But, I really need help. Do you know the quickest way to the nearest pony city?"

"Yeah, that way lover boy.", the purple serpent pointed to a direction.

"Thank you. I'll tell Rarity of this. She'd be thankful for it too."

"I hope so, cause once she sees this hair, she's gonna flip. So who told you about me anyway?"

"Why, Rarity herself. We got to talking over mustaches and you came up."

"Well, tell her I said hi.", the serpent wave his hand, motioning for them to go away.

"Can do!"

Red nervously galloped across the clearing, each dragon eyeing him, except for the serpent, which layed back down. The last dragon stopped him with his tail.

"Wait. Before you go, got any gems?"

"Uhm. Not on me, but I do!"

"Aww. Oh well, you can go."

The dragon lifted it's tail and Red dashed forth, out of sight. He slowed down on his way and even stopped. Rainbow Dash fell off, but it wasn't because she was moving, she was trying to keep on his back.

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Dang it, I fell off!"

"No...It's my fault, I should have been a little gentler when running."

"Why were you running?"

"Dragons. They were all in a clearing that I came by."

Red helped her back onto his back and continued walking.

"Why didn't you ask one for a ride?"

"They're dragons!"

"Good point. You wanna race back after this?", she asked weakly.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I want to finish that race."

He stopped.

"You...You're not afraid?"

Rainbow Dash picked her head up, smiling at the blood stained white stallion.

"There was one thing I was told a long time ago. It was when I lost in a race to an old friend. She beat me easily, thanks to her large wingspan."

"So you're not afraid because someone told you not to be?"

"No...I was told, that if I give up because of one loss, then thats poor sportry. But if I get back up, I'm not only being a better person for doing it, it also means I'm determined. If you lose without any hope left, and give up, you really do lose. But if you get back up, stubborn pride kicking in, you can do even better. It takes a single choice to change your future."

Red thought for a second, then looked at the cyan mare again.

"But how are you able to speak without a whimper, a single moan of pain?"

"I'll tell you why. It's just pain. It doesn't mean that I can't be a Wonderbolt anymore, it doesn't mean I'll die. If anything, I'll be bragging about this in the future."

Red continued walking.

"So, you're a stubborn mare aren't you?"

"You've yet to see me stubborn, stallion."

The First Date

This single chapter contains sex and intense sex. If you are not comfortable reading this, skip ahead, trust me, not much will be missed. If you wish to read the small part of this which is done for the storyline, you could read until the 5, 8 star lines.

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"Rainbow Dash, you are...", the nurse said as she slowly unwrapped the last bandage, getting ready to round the corner, "Free to go!"

She dove behind the corner with the last bandage and Rainbow Dash walked.

"Thanks nurse! I gotta go meet my friends now."

"It was...three days?", Rainbow Dash thought, "No, four days since I was put in there. Now I feel like a million bucks!"

She walked over to the awaiting crowd of her friends, all except Fluttershy.

"I take it she stayed home like she was supposed to?"

"Yeah. She got real tired after her visit with you. I sent her back to Big Mac. I'll say they're happier now she is safe and finally resting.", Twilight answered.

"Well. I'm not in the mood for a party, sorry Pinkie.", Rainbow Dash said, preventing the upcoming all to well known event.

"It's ok Dashie!", Pinkie jumped up.

"Thanks. Now, guys. I'd like to make a proper thanks for helping me. Though, I owe all my thanks to Red."

As if responding by name, Red walked beside her and tapped her hoof with his.

"And, there he is. Guys, it was hell for me. Might not have seemed so to you, tall and handsome, but it was. Pain and fear, all the way through. But.", she turned to the others, "I thank you all for worrying that I didn't come back. How'd you all find out anyway?"

"I was tracking you.", Fluttershy landed nearby.

"I thought you'd be at home now.", Rainbow Dash stated.

"I was, but we needed groceries. You can't get any Rag-a-Muffins from the signature shop stationed here unless you came here."

"Ditzy flew out of no where, coming to a hault, leaving a trench trail as she crashed.

"Muffins! One of you said Muffins!!!!"

"Follow me Ditzy. They're in the market."

"Ok!"

Fluttershy nodded to Rainbow Dash and lead the gray disaster mare off. Rainbow Dash looked at her friends one more time, then turned to Red.

"So...", she started.

"Ya know, I'm not really sure either. How about we just go and get a simple lunch for now?"

"Sounds good. Where'd you have in mind?"

"I was thinking that maybe...we could go and get some Road Rash-dishes."

"Those fruit they grind up using that grinding wheel and then put in a blender, mix up, turn into a smoothy juice, then mix with other things to make those wonderful miniature cakes?!"

"You know more about those than I do already! Lets go before they open. Those lines get long, quick."

"Then to the shop we go!"

And with that they left.

"Ok, bets are back ohn! Twilight you've got fahve bits ohn two days, Pinkie, you've got three ohn one, Spike, you've got seven ohn a whole week, and Rarity, you gave me invalid currency. An acorn will not cut it."

"A diamond? Well of course not! Why would I even touch an acorn to a diamond?"

"Ahther you give up money, or not at all."

"Fine! two hundred bits says they stay together!"

"Really? Thats an awful lot."

"Forget you all! I pay two hundred when I want!"

Rarity's eye twitched then she looked around.

"Has anyone seen my truffle?"

________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash and Red were ordering their own delicious cake of berry taste, watching as the slow process made a delicious single person cake, then as they topped it, they put the signature sprinkle balls on.

"Wow, I've never thought of that! Hey, you did add in the sweet strawberry wine to mine didn't you?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh...I thought both of you wanted sweet cherry wine in it. I'm so sorry!", the baker apologized.

"Nah! It's ok, I'll try it. Granted, I've never had it before, but it should taste good shouldn't it?", Red assured.

The baker smiled, thanked Red, then hurried up the rest of the decorations.

"So, as I undesrtand it, you didn't pour it on the cake, you had it in there to cook?"

"Why yes. It wouldn't be legal if we didn't."

"Good. Thank you sir!"

"Twenty bits for each cake please!", the shopkeeper announced to the two.

"Alright, my fine sir! Here ya go."

Red handed over the forty bits, then holding both plates on his large back, walked to the outside table. Rainbow Dash sat down on one end with hers, and red used his wings and mouth to move his plate onto the table as well, sitting opposite of her. He picked up the fork and began eating.

"Wow, this really is good!"

"I told you! I tell you though, it's not as good as...", Rainbow Dash pulled a green bottle out from under the table, setting it on top between them, "Actual wine! This is Cherry wine, a slight bitter bite to it. Not a hint a bite. It's good, nonetheless."

"Where did you get that?"

"As a congrats present for getting out of the hospital, and not a very good choice considering we can't fly tonight if we drink enough, from my friends. They had pitched in a full one hundred bits into it. Top notch stuff too!"

"Really? Well, This cake is a little dry. Got any glasses?"

"Meh, cups, I'm not making this a romantic dinner, I just wanted to share some good quality wine with you!"

"I kinda figured, but it seemed you were trying to turn this into one there!"

"Well, how about you try a bit, tell me if you like it. If you don't I'll have the bottle to myself. But I have to trust that you will carry me home afterwards. This is strong wine."

"Ok then, I don't mind."

And, an hour passes...

"Hahahah! I thought, I thought you had made that up! He really did have a cutie mark like that!", Rainbow Dash laughed in her drunken madness. The wine was indeed strong. Only half of it was gone, and with Rainbow Dash's lower tolerance for the drink, she was as drunk as she ever was!

"Ok, ok. I think *hic* It's time to go lay down. I...I can't see straight.", Rainbow Dash stated.

Red had his head on the table, hoof reaching towards his glass. He picked his head up, the thin haze over his eyes visible by a small distance.

"Wow, you're buzzed, I'm drunk off my ass! Lets party!"

"I think not. I don't really think I like how this is working out. It's...scary."

"Lighten up! It's just the fact that it impairs judgmental and physical decisions!", Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Ok, lets get you in a bed before you pass out."

"Yeah! Lets go Red Feather Jon, the fast flying pegasus!"

Rainbow Dash was carried by Red more than a block, landing them right inside an apartment. He had already paid for the room for the few days that she was in the hospital, and had also had a few things there. He threw her on the bed, playing with the drunken mare, but then the fun all stopped when her drunken eyes stopped wandering and stared at Red.

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"You know, I may be drunk off my ass, but it doesn't mean that You can easily bed me."

"Who said anything bout it? Cause you were totally the one thinking it. Now, I'm going to go wait in the living room, probably fall asleep. Where's the bottle of wine at?"

"I dropped it. Oops!"

Rainbow Dash chuckled then looked at Red.

"You know, there is one thing you could do to pass the time, ya know."

"I've never had alcohol before, how am I supposed to know?"

"Well, it's a little something I favor. I'm usually by myself when drunk. But now I have you."

She pulled the stallion into a kiss, trading her tongue for his in a wrestle to see who could reach further into the other's mouth. The kiss made Red's vision swirl, but he put a hoof around her back, holding her up to him when really it was to keep from falling over. When she parted, she looked him lovingly in the eyes. Her blush from the alcohol hid her real blush, but not for Red. He had a dim blush on his cheeks.

"So...Wha'd you have in mind?"

Rainbow Dash pulled the stallion onto the bed, astonishing him with her amount of strength.

"Ok, what was that?"

If you have as many races as I, you train both your legs, and your wings. As you can see, this is a bed. Bed, Red, Red, Bed!", she chuckled.

Rainbow Dash laid next to Red, holding her arms around the stallion, keeping him against her as she shared another kiss. The alcohol was hot on her breath, but Red didn't mind, he was in love more than before, probably due to the alcohol, but it didn't stop him.

Red held her closer to him, holding her up to him in fact. The size difference was that she was about an eighth smaller than he. But the two still loved it. The touch of one anothers body.

Rainbow Dash moved back, looking the stallion up and down and spying what she had been working him up for. As a smile played on her lips,. she kissed him again, connecting the two of them. It had been done. One quick movement, having slid down only slightly. The size was a little more bearable than she had experienced, but it was still large.

Receiving a moan from Rainbow Dash excited the stallion even more. Red set the rhythm, first matching heartbeats, then the rhythm of love with that as well. They were in tune, the heavy beating thudded softly through Rainbow Dash's chest as did Red's but a lot deeper and stronger.

The two made love for what seemed hours before they were both exhausted. Red finished, leaving quite a mess on the sheets of the apartment. It was a small price, but the two were satisfied. As he began to roll over from on top of Rainbow Dash, she held on weakly, rolling over with him. He didn't oblige though.

Once the cyan mare caught her breath and the afterglow subsided, she looked at her surroundings. They never turned the lights on, so the light in the room came from the west window. They had gotten there at noon, which meant they were together for a good few hours.

"...Red?", Rainbow Dash said silently, the slow fall and rise of his chest being like a soft rise and fall of some, soothing motion. She couldn't put the place, but it was familiar.

"Yeah?", his deep, baritone voice reaching her ears.

Her right ear flicked, "I wish it would have lasted a few more nights before we ended up like this, but I guess that it is going too fast...I'd say that I blew it."

"Don't talk rubbish. Just enjoy life while you can. It'll be even better then. You always save something good for last, but then it's the suspension that gets back at ya."

"Red..."

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I know. And I love you too."

Rainbow Dash smiled, closing her eyes as she slowly drifted into sleep. It was even more happiness that followed. The dream was of Rainbow Dash in a large plasma purple gown, dancing with Red. His black tuxedo which contrast to his white fur was beautiful. She kissed him on the cheek. He turned to kiss her.

The First Date: The Day After

Rainbow Dash was having the same nightmare again, but this time, it didn't end with fear, or death. When the sun finally woke her up, she opened her eyes to a motionless, bright window. She stayed there, barely able to move. But, something was different. She couldn't figure it out. Couldn't tell if it was the slight nausea, or the fact that her head was spinning, a throbbing headache pulsing. It was a normal day after she usually drank alcohol, then went to bed. She had no icing in her hair, her mouth didn't taste like sugar so she wasn't at any party.

"Must've just been a self award for getting out of the hospital.", she guessed.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes, drifting back into sleep.

"Rainbow Dash.", Red said softly.

"Red."

Once she realized that the sound was directly in her ear, she looked forward, but saw no one. She turned her head and et the stallions stare, jumping as well. Though, not only did the sudden movement return the unfamiliar feel of something holding her body back. She was in the embrace of Red. Wings around her lightly, legs holding her sides.

"Red?"

"Yes?"

"We...We..."

"Mated? Yes."

At the same time, she was both scared and happy. She was happy, because this meant a possibility that she could have permanently tied the loose strands between them. Scared, that she broke her own sexual rules. Though her rump was not in pain, nor did she have any painful points on her body.

"Well, atleast it was you, and not some random stallion..."

"Well, you told me I had to carry you. You were drunk.", Red returned.

"Yeah, drunk off my ass! I remember not being able to even keep my eyes forward for very long. I remember it all now."

"But, I have a question, do you have a low tolerance for alcohol? Like, extremely low?"

"Not that low, but it's below average. I can have a full bottle of beer before getting completely drunk, tablespoon to be buzzed a little, and so forth. I must've drank the whole bottle of wine!"

"There, was a little less than half gone. And I had atleast a third of it."

"What? Well, thats strange."

"Well, if what you say is true, then it probably is strange."

Rainbow Dash disconnected the two, laving their cuddling position to stand up, only to feel her head spin even more, almost losing the contents of her stomach as she ran to the bathroom. She then sat on her haunches, a sick moan coming from her.

"Rainbow Dash? You alright?"

Rainbow Dash let out another moan of displeasure, "No, I think I'm gonna..."

She held her head over the toilet once more and threw up the remains of stomach bile. Afterwards, she clutched her stomach, pain from her overused muscles still fresh.

"You don't look good at all."

"I...Think I need...a doct...", she fell over, passing out.

"I guess you're right, a doctor would look good right about now."

Red pulled rainbow Dash onto his back and slowly, and lightly, trotted out of the hotel, making his way swiftly to the hospital. He brought her to the front desk turning his head as she elicited another sick moan.

"Bucket, quick!"

The nurse at the desk handed him a trash can and he put it under her head, allowing her to fill the bottom with even more stomach bile.

"Wow, looks like some type of emergency, but it's not something to get all freaked out over. Well, not yet atleast.", the nurse stated.

"Nothing much? She pased out from it in the apartment!", Red retorted.

"Calm down. There are a few diagnosis as of to what she has. Bring into the room right there, Doctor Heartson will tell you whats wrong."

"Thank you!"

Red trotted quickly into the room, Rainbow Dash continuing to let out sick moans. Once inside the doctor, who had been finishing with his last patient, sent the Stallion off with good news, as he trotted out in a slight skipping motion.

"Oh, hello there! How am I to assist you today?", the doctor greeted Red, smiling assuringly.

"Uhm, my friend here seems to be really sick, it's looks to severe to be from drinking alcohol, and I really don't know what could have possibly gotten into her system other than what she ate and drank yesterday."

"You don't say. Go ahead and lay her on the table, I'll get her a bucket."

"Thank you."

Red slowly moved Rainbow Dash onto the table, and a few secodns later the doctor cme out holding a metal bucket, the handle in his mouth. Rainbow Dash Curled up, and ocne given the bucket, threw up once more, putting the yellow contents into the metal cylinder.

"Oh dear, those are powerful convulsions. Well, nonetheless, that helps us to fins out what it is from!", the doctor smiled.

"How could you smile?"

"It's a mental reassurance thing. We all do it to keep our patients as happy as we can. Now. I'll need to do a check up, because, as this one's records show, she hasn't had a check up in a year and a half. Dental, physical, and even a blood check up is needed. I'll have to do them on separate days, schedule a few more things for her. But right now, she's too sick for anything other than a conditional check up."

"Well, please do what you can. I'll be out in the hall, waiting."

"Thank you. Now, I'll also need to get a nurse, so stay with her one more second please."

Red nodded and the doctor left, returning a few seconds later with a red maned, white coated nurse. Her horn sparkled as the examination tools needed were floated in on a tray. Red nodded to the doctor once more, then left the room to wait.

About thirty minutes later, Rainbow Dash was helped out of the room, her face a slight bluegreen-ish color. Though, she had a smile on her face. How could she be happy?

"Ok, congratulations to you my fellow equestrian!"

"What?", Re asked.

"You're going to be a father!"

Red didn't speak, nor move, except for opening his mouth in astonishment.

"Isn't it great, Red? Though...I'm kinda worried it's happened so early in the relationship.", Rainbow Dash said weakly.

Red only stared at the ground, moving his gaze from left to right as he panicked over the event in his mind. Then he snapped. The astonishment disappeared, he smiled, and looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Thats great.", He said, not much life put into the words.

"I don't...", Rainbow Dash moaned.

The doctor pushed the half filled bucket in front of her and she held her head over it, letting the contents which were originally in her stomach, flow out.

"Do you feel any better?"

"Besides the increasing exhaustion from every convulsion, I feel a little better each time.", Rainbow Dash answered weakly.

"Well, get lots of rest, don't move too much, and certainly do not drink alcohol like you had done yesterday!"

Rainbow Dash smiled at the doctor, "I won't. After this, I'll stop drinking so much."

"Thats good to know. Well, you'r not really sick, so you're free to go. But we have to keep the bucket."

"Ok, I'll try not to...", Rainbow Dash passed out, lying soundly on the floor.

Red picked her up, setting ehr once again on his back.

"One of my frist guesses was she was pregnant. Hey, I hope you don't run from her. I can understand if it is because it's so early in the relationship, but...You'd be a better stallion for it."

Red sighed, "I don't know...I...It's just too early, too sudden."

"Listen, I won't blame you for it. Believe me, I've seen my share of those who just ran out fo this building, never seen by the mare they were with, ever again. Though, they had less sudden events like you. I'd understand more if you did run. But don't leave so soon. Atleast bring her to her friends."

Red was silent for several seconds.

"You know I'm going to don't you?", Red asked.

"Yes. Like I said, you still have a choice."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me."

Red nodded to the doctor and slowly walked out of the hospital. Outside, everyone of Rainbow Dash's closest friends were outside, most out of breath, others chewing off their hooves almost.

"Rainbwo Dash!!!!", Twilight burst out.

Red shushed her, then slowly laid down, motioning for Fluttershy to pick her up.

"Listen.", Red stood, "I...I can't go through with this."

"What?!", Rarity fainted.

"Red, with all do respect, you're Rainbow Dash's chosen mate. She loves you. Why would you leave?"

Red looked down, ponderign teh question with hsi own mind.

"It's...because she's pregnant."

All were shocked, except for Rarity, who was clean out.

"I got the news myself from the doctor. And...I'm not doing this because I don't want to be a father. I'm doing this because it's so sudden. So I'm hoping that you'd all understand."

"Red. Ah've seen mah ohn share of runaway stallions. Every one of em were all usin that excuse. What's makin you separate from the others?", Appplejack questioned.

"It's only been what, a week? And only two days out of all that was actual time that we were together."

"But you visited her every day.", Pinkie Pie frowned.

"Only for five minutes. I'm not saying it doesn't make a difference though. But it was quick. Not even a kiss was shared. A hug, update on two or three things, then I left."

"Well, Red."Twilight started, "I won't hold you back. Cause you're right. I mean, if you think about it, most people are together atleast a week. But, somepony spike the wine you two had yesterday.", she looked at the unconscious figure of Rarity.

"That explains the strength of it. But, as her friends, I hope you would bring her back to Ponyville. I don't want her following me."

"Red, I know you don't want her going after you, and knowing her, she probably will. But we're her friends. We'll point her in the right direction."

Red nodded, "I understand. But, if she asks why, atleast tell her I said I'm sorry. I''m sorry that I can't go through with it and that I'm a horrible stallion for doing so. I don't deserve her because I'm doing this."

"But where will you go? You will only be slowed down by your belongings anyway!", Twilight retorted.

"I'm going home. And I'm not packing. It's not even mine. It belongs to the company I work for."

"I see. You're really going through with this. Is there anything we can do to stop you?"

"Brute strength. Thats it. Nothing will change my mind."

Twilight looked down in sadness, then at Rainbwo Dash to ehr side, and then back at Red.

"I completely understand. But, knowing Rainbow Dash, and with our help, she will end up finding you."

"You see, thats where you're going to have to stop. I'm nearly a god with the speeds I fly at. And I apologize for saying it so rudely, but from zero to three thousand in ten meters, I won't even be seen."

"We'll still try."

"Please take her home, once she's well again, Give her the the smal trinket that is in a silver lined wooden box which resides under the cart I had. It's got a necklace chain fro it as well. But I lost it a logn time ago. And don't forget to tell her I'm sorry."

Twiligth nodded and Red began taking off, hovering over them for a few seconds, takign one last look at Rainbwo Dash before taking off. He waited till he was far away before hitting sonic speed.

Twilight looked down at the sleeping cyan mare.

"It's something hard to believe. But, she will not find him.", she spoke.

"You're not even sure if that's gonna happen yet Twah. Don't make accusations so early...", Applejack objected.

"Well, it's true. We all know it. Not only can Rainbow Dash not go that fast, but we don't know where he lives."

"Sugarcube, you an ah both know that is somethin easily fixable. Or not so easily. If you really want to point her int eh right direction, talk to the Princess about it. She has the strongest magic. And if she can't help, well, then it's a good time to start searchin then. Tellin ponies across the world that the world famous Wonderbolt team member, Rainbow Dash has lost her mate will surely fahnd him in as much as a few months."

"We'll see."

The Hunt Begins (rewrite): Trouble Starts

Rainbow Dash began cleaning up quickly, but slowed down a bit as exhaustion nowadays quickly kicked in.

"Rainbow Dash, are you sure you're completely cured of the sickness?", Fluttershy asked.

"Fluttershy. I've been healthy, except for other reactions to being pregnant, for the past two days! It's time I got up, and flew after that run away fool! He thinks he can go faster than I? The fastest Wonderbolt? No. Hell no! I will find that stallion even if I have to search the entire planet!", Rainbow Dash exploded on Fluttershy.

"You're having another mood swing. Maybe you should bring something else with you other than combat materials."

Rainbow Dash stopped fiddling with the strap which held the several knives she favored, and looked at Fluttershy.

"See this face?"

"Yeah."

"This my, I don't give a fuck, face! I don't know where this stallion lives, nor do I know how far, or where it is past! I will be prepared no matter the cost! I've got three hundred bits on me, ten emergency knives, one holy hand grenade, you don't know when those things might come in handy, but when they do, it's both awesome and a great idea, as well as a survival knife. Man, that survival stallion was no kiddin, they are sharp. Now, if you'd excuse me, Fluttershy, I have to get going. Tell everyone of my departure, please take care of Tank for me while I'm gone. Kay? Thanks. Now, see ya Fluttershy."

Rainbow Dash trotted to the door of her cloud house and crouched, repositioning to make room for her cramped stomach, and took off, demolishing her porch in an all too quick dash. She easily broke the sound barrier and was speeding forward even more. The watch which Twilight made to measure her speed, read a total of nine hundred seventy three miles per hour. She nodded at the device then looked head on once more, watching as the clouds flew past her, felt as the wind coursed through her fur, listened as...Twilight lectured her?

"...need to not go off so suddenly.", twilight ended.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked around at the library. She was freely flapping her wings, but she wasn't moving. She stopped and Twilight let her go.

"What the hay Twilight!"

"We noticed, all of us noticed, that you were going the wrong way. That, and we just had to say good bye."

"Listen, I know you guys care so much about me, but I need to hurry before he completely disappears from ou reach!"

"We don't have to worry about that. I got Princess Celestia to help us. She gave me a spell to use on a clock watch. But it has to have atleast an hour and minute hand."

"My watch that you gave me which measures my speed has that. Though, the time is completely wrong. I played with it a lot because it was so useless for anything else."

Twilight sighed, "Ok, I'll do it on the watch. It will spin wildly for a few seconds before locking onto his body."

Twilight pointed her horn at the watch Rainbow Dash held out on her arm, and did the spell, purple light washing over and seeping into the hour hand. It twirled around quickly for a few seconds before stopping on Rainbow Dash. She moved to the side and it followed her.

"Oh great, it's locked on the baby...", Rainbow Dash pouted.

"Easily fixed. I'll do the spell again. No two hands can be on the same person. Which is why this wasn't recommended. Because it locks on to even the smallest collection of that one person."

"Ok."

Twilight did the spell again and the minute hand twirled around the clock wildly before stopping on the nine.

"So he's west, huh?"

The minute hand jerked quickly to the five, vibrating slightly.

"Wow. Either he was moving at the speed of light, or the magic is glitchy.", Rainbow Dash said.

"It's the magic. Princess Celestia made this one up quickly."

"Well, tell her I said thanks anyway."

"Can do."

Rainbow Dash saluted Twilight then dashed out of the library, nearly knocking the door off it's hinges as she shattered it.

Once in the air, she rose to supersonic speed, then changed her direction accordingly to where the watch said. It was pointing slightly to the left, so she took to that direction.

Over the next few hours, she just flew straight, keeping a speed of nine hundred miles at most. When she began feeling the effects of exhaustion, she slowed down to make a final stretch to the nearest town. It wasn't far, and unlike what she'd seen before, was a very small town, having a total of twenty two buildings. There wasn't much activity in the houses either as it was all along the road where every traveling passerby walked or ran.

Rainbow Dash stopped in front of the town tavern and walked in. Unlike in Ponyville, the place was lit by lanterns and a large fire in the middle. Above, wooden chandeliers hung, small candle flames burning.

It wasn't the only thing ugly in the tavern though. The multitude of mares and stallions there were either scarred, dirty, or just unkempt. Though, that wasn't the only thing. The giggles, laughs, talking, and even music stopped. Without a glance except for her seat, Rainbow Dash walked forward, sitting at the bar.

"I'll take a glass of tea please."

The bartender turned around from the sink as he finished drying a glass and set it in front of her, still empty.

"Those are some...mighty sharp knives ya got there, missy."

"Well, they have to be. How else am I to protect myself?"

"We just want to know why a combat pegasus is in the tavern! A tavern thats more than seven hundred miles away from the borders!"

"Combat pegasus? Oh know, I'm just a regular pegasus. Really, I bought these knives from a magazine catalog.", Rainbow Dash returned with a chuckle.

The bartender seemed satisfied but backed away for a second as a large stallion walked up next to Rainbow Dash, leaning in close to her with a hoof on the bar.

"A little pegasus like you is far from home. Could get hurt out here if ya not too careful."

The alcohol and unwashed mouth of the stallion created a foul smell which almost made Rainbow Dash gag.

"Listen, bub. I came in here because I had just flown over three thousand miles straight in the past three and a half hours!"

"Oh guys, guys! This little pegasus says she flew over three thousand miles! Hah! Not even Jacob could go one twenty that long!", the stallion laughed.

"He can only go one twenty?", Rainbow Dash laughed.

Immediately all laughter stopped. The only one laughing was Rainbow Dash and she was laughing hysterically. Everyone made way for the black pegasus as he moved towards her, they even movd tables and chairs.

"Scuse me? You think thats funny? You laughin at me?! At me! The best damn flyer in the next thousand miles!!!!", the black pegasus burst out loud.

"Next thousand miles? Hah! No wonder! Though, I'm sure you've heard of the Wonderbolts."

"The who?"

"The Wonderbolts. Only the most awesomest, best, most coolest flyers int eh world! If you don't know the Wonderbolts then you sure are a big dunce!", Rainbow Dash answered.

The pegasus' eyes turned red with fury, ready to explode in the amount of hate held behind them. He reared up and as he came down, Rainbow Dash turned, bucking him backwards. He staggered, then fell backwards onto a table, smashing it.

"Get 'er boys!", the pegasus called out.

All stallions went after Rainbow Dash, some getting a hard hoof to the face, a few others getting the impact of the blow through one of the others. Though, soon she was sedated. Three stallions held her down, and one looked over, ready to hold down anything that might get loose. The position she was held, her hind legs were wide open and her front legs were held together, forcing her front end down.

"You know what we do to misbehaving mares that dis me and then put up a struggle?"

"No, but when I found out Red Feather, damn runaway bastard, wasn't gonna stick around to be a father for our child, I was thinking he was more like you guys."

And within the mention of Red's name, all activity ceased and Rainbow Dash struggled free. She turned towards the black pegasus, taking stance to ready herself.

"Ok, thats quite disturbing seeing everyone stare at me like fools."

"Y...You...*ahem* Uh...Well, slight change of plans! Come on boys! Lets buy this lovely mare a drink! On me!"

Rainbow Dash looked at the pegasus, puzzled by what had just happened. Then as everything resumed to what it was when she had entered, she was pulled to the side by a red colored pegasus. He was easily twice Rainbow Dash's size. She noticed his large cutie mark, a three tined shield with the word "protect" over it.

"Oh hey, I know you! You're Buster!"

"Seems introductions are over then. Meet me outside. I need a word with you."

Rainbow Dash Rolled her eyes and walked out behind the large stallion.

"Ok, we're outside, what ya want?"

"First, I'll say it doesn't matter to me if Red got you knocked up, kay? Second, I will need your help and intend on doing many things necessary to make it happen."

Rainbow Dash's blank stare turned to anger in a quick manner, leaving her face a reddish color.

"Scuse me? Knocked up? Do you seriously know how offensive that is to me? I am insulted by your comment on who I am, and not only that, but even if you didn't make that insult, comment, whatever you call it, I'd not help you. Maybe you shouldn't threaten someone when you want something."

"Either way, you will help."

"Try me."

Immediately after she said the word "me", she was tackled by another stallion, this one, an alicorn. Using magic to restrain her, she was held to the ground by magic clamps. The alicorn used another flurry of magic, strapping her wings to her side. The clamps dissipated and Rainbow Dash stood, trying to open her wings. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't. She bashed the magical straps against a tree, scraped them on a rock, but only harmed herself.

"Please...", she pleaded, "Give me my wings back."

"Not until you do as I say, how I say."

"Fine, just let me have my wings back!"

"No, not until you have finished what you are told. Rigget, remove any tracking magic."

The alicorn nodded, proceeding to scan Rainbow Dash's body with his horn. He stopped at the watch, grabbed it with his teeth, and yanked it loose, then stomped on it.

"Hey! I need that!"

"We can't have anyone following us.", Buster retorted.

"But...I...I can't find him now, that was the only lead on Red I had.", Rainbwo Dash began tearign up.

"Stop your whining. Now. Down to business. We want Red, and if you two were really "in love" to the point of whatever the hell happened to you, you're perfect bait."

"B-bait? But...why? Why are you doing this?"

"Revenge. For humiliation."

Buster's answer was cold, straight forward, and without emotion. It scared Rainbow Dash. And not much scared her anymore.

"Now, with your broken spirit and disabled wings, you're nothing more than a doll. Rigget, strip her of her weapons."

Rigget nodded and used magic to remove the straps which held the knives and casings to Rainbow Dash's body.

"Why do you want revenge so bad? And why treat me like a rag doll?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"When your best friend stabs you in the back, you'll know why. And for obvious reasons, you shouldn't be treated anymore than a rag doll."

"Why? Is it because I'm a mare? Is it because I'm pregnant? Or is it because you are scared of me?"

Rigget tightened the straps over her wings resulting in a scream of pain from Rainbow Dash.

"Rigget! No need fro that. After all, we want them both alive for this."

The alicorn let off the magic and Rainbow Dash, now laying on the ground, relaxed, panting from the recent pain and actions.

"I neither fear you, nor think of you as less of me. You have two things that are precious to Red, should he see you hurt. Not only will he go after you, but he will do it alone. What you will do, is you will go and find him in the next town past the Dacil Desert. once you do, speak to him, exchange whatever words you want, rejoice, party, I don't care. But once he is alone, spill the beans, tell him you're being taken hostage by a few friends of his. If you do none of this, try to run, or anything out of line, Rigget here will not hesitate to kill you."

The alicorn smiled, using magic on Rainbow Dash once more, putting a horrible mental image into her mind. She let out a small whine of fear, and swallowed hard.

"But...what will happen to Red?", she asked.

She knew the answer, but she denied it.

"Thats our business. But I can tell you already know. It is no high school reunion. I'll tell you that now."

"But...He...We...He's the only stallion with which I've actually been able to start something that could last...I don't want to lose him!"

"Too bad. You're just the poor unfortunate soul here. But once this is done, you'll be free to go. Allen, Jack! Come on!"

Two more stallions appeared, one a pegasus, the other a unicorn. The pegasus sighed at the sight of Rainbow Dash, then looked at the unicorn.

"Jack, you owe me thirty bits."

The unicorn mumbled then with a flurry of magic, slammed the pegasus into a tree.

"There's your thirty bits, Allen Wench!", Jack chuckled.

"Real funny Jack Ass!", Allen replied.

"Thats enough. Now, tonight, we sleep in the tavern. But one of us has to keep watch over this one as the others sleep. We'll take turn to keep everyone from fussing. I'll take first shift. When we go in, ask fro a room, and hand them these coins.",. Buster tossed her a bag, "But act natural, don't tell anyone what we're doing or I'll have Rigget take care of you on the spot. First cry of help, do you hear me?"

Rainbow Dash nodded hurriedly. Not only was she scared out of her mind, she doesn't know what to do now.

The Night of Captivity

Rainbow Dash couldn't sleep with the big stallion watching her every move, if she as much as moved even sligthyl away, he'd stare even more intense. The painful feeling of a full bladder registered and she whimpered.

"Uhm...I need to...go to the bathroom.", Rainbow Dash said silently.

"Well then, Allen isn't a stallion like us. He's transgender. Looks it, but doesn't have it."

"Hey! You said you'd never tell ANYONE!!", allen spoke up, but he realized what he had doen, he had given away his own secret to the last people he wanted to.

"Damn...I'll do it...", he said sadly.

Rainbow Dash stood and as she left the room, Allen followed behind closely.

"Well, since you kinda gave away that you really are transgender, I feel atleast a little bit more comfortable.", Rainbwo Dash broke the silence.

"Well, don't go thinking anything bright, ya here? I may be female by physics, but I'm male, mentally.", Allen replied.

"I see. So, you have a preference for mares."

Half n' half. I as much as I like being what you'd call a lesbian, it doesn't really feel all to unfamiliar to be with an unsuspecting male, or one that actually knows."

"Bisexual. Not common, but also not heard of."

"You say it like it's nothing."

"It is, too me atleast. But aren't you ever afraid that they might...ya know...force you?"

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"Good point."

"In their eyes, if they get horny, you're just another toy. Now that they know your "secret."

"I guess you're right."

Rainbow Dash walked into teh abthroom, Allen in tow, but luckily, there were bathroom stalls. She positioned herself in one and relieved herself.

"It's...hard...Getting around as someone different..."

Rainbow Dash walked out with him.

"Well, it's what chooses your friends for you. If they decide to take advantage of that, or discriminate you for it, they're no friend of yours."

"You may be rigth."

They entered the room once more and Rainbow Dash laid down in the corner she had chosen b efore, but still couldn't sleep with those large, red eyes staring down on her. Two hours passed and they rotated, Jack being the watcher for then, but he didn't watch her as intently as Buster. Once he turned his back, Rainbow Dash reach for one of her knives, only to be held against the walla few seconds later by magical shackles.

"Don't thnk I've tied my mind with yours. I can tell every move you will make, before you make it."

He let Rainbwo Dash go and she fell to teh floor, sniffling in the sudden mood swing. As her depressive state got worse, she laid down and cried herself to sleep. Though, as soon as she got to sleep, they rotated once more, the unicorn with the pegasus, Allen. Though, he looked upon the fragile figure of Rainbow Dash, then thought of the child slowly growing inside of her. Though notihng was enough to turn his thoughts of harming her around. He wanted to, but couldn't.

It wasn't until they rotated again when Rainbwo Dash awoke. This time, by the alicorn, Riggert. Though something was strange about him. His look, his evil eyes from earlier were different. He looked caring, sincere, almost fooling Rainbow Dash.

"I don't care how much mush mush eye you give me, you're just a cold hearted brute."

He thought for a second, then used his magic to trigger the same feelign she had earlier when having to use the bathroom and she spoek up.

"I have to use the bathroom."

"I'll go with you."

"No1"

"I won't peak, promise."

With a pondered thoguht, Rainbwo Dash sighed and lead him out of the room. Once she was in teh bathroom, the feeling disappeared.

"Great, I don't have to any more."

Rigget Locked the door and put up a sound barrier around the inner walls.

"What are you doing?"

"Makignt hsi room sound proof."

Rainbow Dash backed up, eyes wide.

"You...you're not..."

"Rape? Heavens no! I'd never do such a foul thing. Listen, after having strapped down your wings, I understand you must hate me, btu you must listen. I am not Rigget, in fact, I am Roger, Red's cousin."

"Why should I believe you?"

"If you want to see your lover alive and stillbring him home to father the child growing in your womb, you'd better listen good. Whenthe day comes and you and Red finally meet, you will have a small window of opportunity, but it will be there, strong and firm. Once you meet, do not talk, immediately lock lips. With the two of you in an embrace that will mroe than likely have their attention, I'll teleport the both of you to far across the desert, halfway back to ponyville. By doing so, I will more than likely be exhausted. If they don't buy my story of trying to negate the spell, then you two will then be on your own. I will need time after to recover, when I do, I'll teleport to you two, then help you both the best I can.Jack can't match my magic, but he is deadly as I in the art. Should he see you two running, you two will mroe than likely both be killed. I won't be able to de-spell your wing straps, so I'm afraid you will have to make the trip back on hoof."

There was a loud bang on the door, to which Rigget opened a hole big enough to make room for the door.

"Why are you taking so long!"

It was Buster.

"Everything's fine Buster, just a little...problem Rainbow Dash is having. I'll have her back in the room once she's done."

There was no more speech exchanged between the two as Rigget closed the boundary once mroe.

"Remember what I siad. Create the distraction, I'll do the rest. I have been here for my cousin, inf act. I joined these stallions just because he asked me to. It wasn't long ago either. Abotu two weeks ago."

"Thats when he fled."

"Then that means he knew this would happen if you followed. Atleast he still cares."

"Yeah...He does."

Rainbow Dash led Rigget out of the bathroom and back intot eh room, laying back in her spot. The rest of the ngith went by quick, the five of them waking up to morning sun. Celestia's sunrise. The same marks around it that made it's signature symbol in the sky.

"Lets go, we've got only a few days to get past the sand dunes of the first shift. Past that, we make a three ight march through to the trwon past it, and Red as well."

all except Rainbwo Dash nodded, saying, "Aye."

"rigget, you keep the skies cleared around us, keep sand from  blowing in our faces, Jack, you make sure to build shelter when it's needed. Now lets get out of here."

And with that, they were off. The first few hours were a march through the woods. The forest simply not fazing Rainbow Dash. She actually enjoyed it. But nothing brought her a smile from teh wilderness, as fear ruled her mind. She was too afraid to even start a conversation.

"So...Why would you carry so many knives?", Jack asked.

"I advise against-"

"Whoa, easy bro. It's just a qeustion, I mena, look at her, she can fly."

"Still, just don't.", Buster added in.

"I had them, because I dodn't know what to expect out here in the wild."

"But you're safe as long as you fly, or you are with soemone. Though, we will only save you if it is necessary.", Jack answered.

"Thats sure assuring.", Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Says you. Believe me, having a slightly beat up mare as a hostage for the perfect situation, you'd be playing even more into it. We'd have him in our grasp within the next few days."

"Whoa, hold on guys.", Rigget stopped them, "He's moving. He's...much farther than the desert now. He went from one continent to another in teh past three seconds! Thats well over one hundred thousand miles! Who is this guy? A god?"

"Well, It seems we underestimated him.", Buster spoke.

"It's going to take atleast three to four months to get there!And with miss preggers here, we will have to fork out even more work to keep her happy so that she won't be worth less than what she really is!", Rigget stated.

"Damn. You're right. Though, who cares. All she needs is some regular rest, regular daily food portions, and a little extra care when traveling! Doesn't mean she can't walk."

"I'm not a mule you imbecile!", Rainbow Dash spoke up.

The belt around her midsection tigthened, pinching her sides slightly.

"May I remind you that I could easily blow your guts out your ass!", Rigget scolded. The firm, caring look she remembered from last nigth was gone, and fear struck her heart even more. Was he toying with her? Was he even going to help her? Or was he going to tighten the strung magic once she finally met Red again? It would scar him, he'd probably die easily as she did, but not without seeing his own lover crushed in her abdomen, only to have blood and gut fragments fly over everything.

She pushed the picture out of her head, staring down att eh grass. It won't happen. She will make it. They will be together again...

_______________________________________________________

About a full month had passed by now. Red doesn't stop moving. They still had another quarter of a continent to go. Then it dawned on her. Why are they going to such extremes to hunt this one pegasus? Then a multitude of thoughts and reasons popped into Rainbow Dash's mind. Maybe he wasa very much wanted stallion, wanted all over the planet, just avoiding the law? Or worse, plotting to overthrow every system of government there is.

"Stop, we rest here.", Buster stopped, sitting next to a large tree, watching over the small clearing they were in. They had goen intot eh third forest, but the small clearing provided more thna needed. Rainbow Dash's belly now protruded a little more thna usual. Like she were bloated from to much food. Though, she eats more. Her appetite has been consisting of pinecones for the past two weeks. The rest was tomatoes.

"Ok, change of plan. I think we can trust her enough. Lets all jsut sleep for tonight, tomorrow, we will get back up and continue.", Buster stated, "Plus, if she runs, we'll just track her down again. A nice beating, a dead underdeveloped child. Might teach ehr a lesson."

Rainbow Dash whimpered in fear. They could easily beat her till the baby she was carrying died inside of her It would be a death from impact. Just one swift kick was all was needed. As the others laid down to sleep, she did too, but curled up behind Rigget. Even though she knew he was one of them, he was brutal, she still remembered that night. It only encoruaged her to think of him as a brother.

What made her happy was that he never stirred to get away from her or push her away, he let her lay there. It was the only thing that kept her going at this point. That there was some hope of freedom. A way to get out of this whole mess. But a month? It's been an entire month! Rainbwo Dash was supposed to have found Red in less than a week!

Not one second of every day of continuous marching, did she ever stop thinking of what will happen after all this, of her child-to-be, and even more so, the father, Red. It was a wonder of all that could happen. While she did not know the odds, soemthing kept nagging yes, and something else just as strong, no. The reults were imminent. She would either die, or live in the end. A 50/50 chance.

Rigget would jerk his horn around during the day. He said that Red had returned to the old location, so he would be nto far from where they were. He could fly fast though. He traveled a few hundred miles within seconds. Then finally Rigget pin-pointed one location where his main hub of action was. It must've been his home. It has to be. Where would he stay? In a hotel in every town? He had to have some place to live. Though, while she slept that nigth, she couldn't help but feel Red was going to die.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash.", Rigget woke her.

"Mmmnnphnn...", Rainbwo Dash mumbled.

"Get up, quick!", he urged quietly.

Rainbow Dash stirred and positioned herself to sit up.

"Listen, they're all under a sleep spell. Red and I talked this over, he's going to come back."

Rainbow Dash's breath stopped in her throat, not moving in or out.

Had he really done that, or is he just bluffing again, trying to get her to run so he had an excuse to get rid of her?

Finally Rainbo w Dash came to a conclusion. She thought up of the perfect questions.

"I don't even know if I can trust you, Rigget."

"Of course you can! Why wouldn't you! You've been here a month, we all know. And I'm ready to lose these sorry stallions as much as you are."

"Why is his cutie marke a pair of sandals with demonic wings?"

"They aren't demonic, they are angelic, but shaped like thunderbolts!"

"Then tell me, why do they represent electric feathers?"

"They represent fast flying."

"Have you caught on?"

"Yes."

"Then one more question. Why did he love me?"

"...Because. When you're as desperate as he is to settle down, to pass up the rejection of your friends and family, it's the onyl thing that could keep his mind from it. He started dating a while back, but got no where. When I got news you and he were together, I was thrilled. But then once he asked me to join the group which has hunted him for seven years, I knew it was too good to be true. He left you. Didn't he? He said it was too sudden. Two days of total dating, actual dating. And you wound up pregnant on the third. Painful vomiting, exhaustion, normal signs of pregnancy."

"You really are his cousin."

"Yes. I wouldn't say I'm related to anyone unless I am blood kin, or through marriage."

"Understood. Now how do you communicate with him?"

"Magic. Thats it. We have a telepathic link which was conjured by a great unicorn a while back. Can't thank her enough. She foresaw everythign that has happened. A pregnant mare, old friends, and a decision."

"So how will I meet him?"

"He will fly past here. We will go after him. Once we meet him, we will fake the exchange. You will get your wings unbound as due contract magic regulations. Then, I teleport the three of us away. But someone must be handled first. Can I trust your aim and accuracy?"

"What?"

"Throw a knife. I will need you to severe Jack's horn. If you don't, say goodbye"

"I understand."

"Now, I will lift the sleep spell in a few seconds as he passes over, soa ct asleep now!"

As told, the glow aroudn his horn ceased and he fell over, acting like he was sleeping. A loud roar boomed through the forest, waking the other three. They looked up, seeing Red as he rocketed past them.

"There he is! Get em!", Buster called. But before any magic was released, the shock passed them and Red plowed through Allen.

The stallion went tumbling, breaking his left wing against a tree in the role. He was knocked unconscious instantly. Buster stood over Jack as he readied the sedation spell and waited, but Red did not circle around. He landed not far away in fact.

"...Buster. Been a long time old friend."

"After humiliating me? I'd say it's been longer. Doing that to me was the worst thing anyone could ever do. So, look who we have."

Buster pulled Rainbwo Dash to him, holding her up to show her sligthly bloated belly.

"Not far along enough to make it too noticeable, but enough to see it. I know the spell you've already used on her Jack. If she gets outside of a hundred feet of the group, her insides shred. Ver clever. Rigget, drop the spell, a stallion for a mare it is."

"So you know already abotut eh trade we were to make. And we have a traitor. None the less, we'll take care of the both of you."

Buster threw Rainbwo Dash to the ground and she ran to Red, tears streaking down her cheeks. The magic band dissipated and so did the spell laid inside of her. Thoguh, she wouldn't let go of Red.

"Rainbow Dash."

She pulled away.

"Thank you. I can't thank you enough for looking over her Rigget, but it's time.Buster, you have me, leave him alone."

Rainbow gasped in shock. e was trading himself for both of them?

"...I understand. It was nice to serve with you.", Rigget returned.

"Inside and outside war."

"Comrades and family.", they both recited.

Buster flicked his tail as the two walked opposite ways. Rigget, before making it to Rainbwo Dash, tossed the blade to her and she reacted, kicking it from reflex, but it must have been planned or manipulated with magic, cause it cut Jack's horn clean off, blood beginning to spill from it already leaving the unicorn weak.

The figth broke loose, Buster flailing at every hit, taking them all liek they were taps. Allen, the onyl ther fighter, bucked at every attempt the three made to get to him.Rainbow Dash was out of blades, and he was wearing the vests. Buster jumped up, landing on top of Rigget and holding his neck in the perfect position to snap it. All fighting stopped.

"Yeah. Thats what I thought. A singel hint of glow from that horn of yours, or a singel move from you, Red, and I kill this one!"

"Buster, no!", Red commanded.

"Or what?"

"Ok! Fine. I'll g-"

"Dashiiiiiie!!!", Pinkie Pie's voice came from the rim of the area.

Immediately, magic pulled Buster's legs from Rigget's head and he was free, flying off. Both blue and purpled magic occupied an arm, each shimmering liek it's about to fail. Rigget applied his own magic and held the beast of a stallion down on the ground.

"I think it's over, Rainbow Dash.", Red said.

He turned to his soon to be mother, mare. The sight given was unfamiliar. Red liquid adorned her belly area and four ponies were crouded around dealing with it. All the while pictures rolled back in his mind. He didn't know what happened.

But Pinkie Pie, her scream! She saw as Allen went up to Rainbwo Dash and plunged the blade deep into her stomach. The fear of losing the baby struck his mind. It was like watching his own family being murdered, one by one. After sessions of rape, torture and other forms of mental chaos. It was like he didn't deserve to die. Rarity, who keapt her eyes clencehd shut, held her magic up for soemthing while Twilight worked on soemthing with her magic and hooves. The site was hidden, but it was begin done.

Rainbow Dash began slowly slipping from teh world though. The ponies which worked as fast as they could, trying ot save her life. They could barely keep her up.

Red walked to her side, taking her hoof into his. It was like having his heart ripped out, cell by cell till it fell. Then, her last heart beats gave way to a flat rhythm. Nothing left. No life. Rainbwo Dash was gone.

Final Beats

Red was torn, not knowing what to do. Twilight used her magic to teleport them ALL back to Ponyville, and in front of the hospital too, where the doctors were just transporting a few empty beds.

"Doctor! We have an emergency! I'm using the remnants of my magic and Rarity as well, just to keep her blood flowing, as well as keeping her body rich with oxygen, but her heart has stopped. She's pregnant, has been stabbed in the stomach, and if we don't get help soon she will die!", Twilight announced to the doctors outside.

Immediately, they were alive, taking her, and twilight and Rarity into the building. It left the rest, Spike, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Red, and Rigget outside.

"Red.", Applejack spoke.

But he didn't register it.

"Red Feathers!", she said again. But he was still unable to speak. The sound of his own thundering heart boomed loud enough in his ears that he could not hear.

Applejack slapped Red, "Listen to me! Whah did you come back?"

"Cause I changed my mind! About everything! I'm sorry ok? Now if you'd excuse me, I've got a few final words for her. I don't want her to die just yet."

And with that, he galloped through the doors out of sight.

"Applejack, that was kinda harsh.", Pinkie Pie frowned.

A sight which you never see of Pinkie Pie. A frown.

"It's just. Gah. That happened so quick. I panicked."

"You didn't watch as a heartless pony drove a knife into Rainbow Dash's belly..."

"Ah guess so. But. It just happened so fast. The faht, the blood, then here."

"I see what you mean. But...Now that we have to wait, it feels like we were too late.", Pinkie began tearing up.

All others began tearing up except for Rigget, who dashed through the front doors, "It's my fault, I shall fix it!"

The others tried to stop him but he was already beyond their sights.

The doors swung open wide and Rigget dashed through the halls, following the thin trail of blood drops to the room where they were performing CPR on Rainbow Dash, trying to get her back up without killing the baby. The doctors forced her chest down with powerful presses, but none got her heart back up.

Finally, when Rigget saw enough, he activated the spell he had in mind and step over to her, pushing the doctors out of the way. He touched it to her body and every cut healed, her heart started again, and she began breathing. Rigget fell over, having contracted the exact same condition she was just in, but even worse.

He was rushed out as Rainbow Dash slept. Though, the slightly larger belly she had was a puzzle to Red. Her mane looked like it hadn't been trimmed in months, and her coat looked in horrible need of care.It was like she skipped almost a full year.

But, she breathed. Slowly, but surely. And her body, it was alive. Red shed a few tears of fear. Having almost lost his Mate. Then another thought struck his mind. His cousin, Rigget. He hurried to his hooves and dashed out the door, going towards where they brought him. But, all doctors were no longer performing CPR. They just stood with their heads hung, the heart monitor flat lined, and Red's cousin lifeless for good.

Then he wept. He wept for Rigget. Rigget who gave his own life for Rainbow Dash to live. Then, Red's mind went blank, darkness falling after. the thought was too much to bare. First, he nearly lost Rainbow Dash, then, he loses his own cousin. He saw nothing, not the guard as hew as dragged out, or The doctors as they pulled the covers over Rigget's head. It wasn't till Rainbow Dash, in all her mess of unkempt hair and ragged, untreated hooves, did he awake from the mental slumber. He was outside the room, sitting in the center of the waiting room to be exact. His eyes were wet with blood drawn tears, a horrible feeling. He wiped them clean with the tissue from the nearby table and looked up at Rainbow Dash. Though, her mane and tail created a long, flowing mess, he thought it was the most beautiful sight yet.

Red leaped up, looking at the wheelchair she was in as well as her overly rounded belly.

"Doctor.", he spoke to the stallion pushing the wheelchair, "What just happened?"

"Depends on what you are asking about.", the brown, bearded stallion replied.

"In the room, when the alicorn stepped in. What happened?"

The stallion gave the ground a long look, then took up the courage needed, huffing once before speaking.

"I can't say, but that I am ashamed to have let a patient like he slip from life. It hurts me more than it does to see a pregnant mother go. And we called an extremely close one on that as well. Everyone gave up. And your friend..."

"He's my cousin. The last of my blood kin."

"Well, I guess this news will be even worse for you then. He used a magic spell which switches the bodies of the user, and the target. By a touch of the horn, all body ailments are switched. If he had a cold, she would have a cold and he would be healthy. But in this case, there was a jab to the abdominal area. For Rainbow Dash here, she would have suffered only minor organ damage, but it did graze the pericardium, the sac the heart sits in, leaving the heart dangling freely. Should she not have been pregnant, it would have opened her heart. When your friend did it, he was dead instantly. There was no way we could have even helped him stay alive even a few seconds longer."

"I...I understand. But, I also don't get the condition Rainbow Dash is in now. Her mane is a lot longer, a mess too. Her belly is a lot larger than I remember."

"It's a side effect of the spell. Your friend could not perform the magic without giving a few years out of his life, but he was to be rendered dead. He took a few months from Rainbow Dash. She aged quickly, but it didn't kill her, which is good. She will be weak for a few days as per the results of rapid aging, but aside from that, she is fine. And even more good news, the children should be do at any time."

"Wait...you said children."

"Yes I did. After a few scans, the other doctors confirmed it. The ultrasound done by doctor Len showed three fully developed children, waiting to be born. I'd say you have a few days at most. Why, I'd not be surprised if her water broke now."

"Lets hope it doesn't, I've had enough for one day. Atleast attending the funeral would be nice to do. I don't think it'll ever be the same from now on though."

"I know that feel bro. Lost my own brother to the feather flu."

"Sorry to hear that. I guess I'll be on my way then."

"Go ahead, she can walk too, she'll just be weak for a while."

Red nodded and the doctor left. Red looked again at Rainbow Dash as she looked at her own, largely rounded belly, rubbing it lightly.

"Rainbow Dash."

"It's...Astonishing. How long was I out? And further more, dead."

"I didn't count time. It's still the same day when we met up after...a month of running."

"So, what happened?"

"You didn't hear the doctor?"

"I only heard part of it, too mesmerized by, well, I guess my own belly.", she chuckled.

Red, forcing a smile, chuckled himself. But it was still a heart wrenching time.

"We lost Rigget.", he finally said after a monet of silence.

"...W-what? But...but how?", Rainbow Dash's smile disappeared.

"He saved your life. More than I ever could. The doctors were just about to give up everything on you. There was probably one still trying, but the way that the knife cut, you wouldn't make it. Rigget stepped in, used some strong magic. Though, it killed him instantly."

"A magic spell with a price for death...And he saved me."

"Yes. The side effect is that you will be weak for a few days. But thats because he used a few months of your life to finish the spell."

"He, made my life shorter."

"I'm not saying it isn't a big deal, but I'm also going to tell you to think that you are very lucky, and that the price will be worth it."

"Three children of our...my own..."

"No. Children of our own."

Rainbow Dash stared at him, then finally held her arms out to hug him. Red leaned in, embracing her as well.

"I'm glad you'll stay."

"I had a month to think it through."

"You sure took your sweet time."

"Yeah.", he smiled, "Time I could have spent with you. My mate. My mare."

Rainbow Dash smiled.

"I'd love to be your mare."

"It's been a month since any actual reaction. But we've had enough time to think it through."

"So what now?"

"First, we arrange Rigget's funeral. I will not let him be tossed aside like another dead body. After, I dunno. Live, I guess."

"Well then let's get me cleaned up first. I look a mess."

Rainbow Dash slowly pushed out of the chair, landing on her wobbly legs. The extra weight didn't help much either. She flapped her wings to help keep up and once she was stable, she took a step, her leg buckling beneath. Red caught her and held her up using both a wing and a hoof. Once she was up, she put a wing over him.

"Thank you. Now lets go to Rarity's boutique. She knows just what to do with my hair."

Red chuckled, "You say that like she'd fix a hedge if it were to be a stone's hair."

"Oh, she does do that. But only to hair for anything."

"Well, lets get going."

The Funeral

It was a day which left Rainbow Dash feeling...depressed. She could barely get out of the bed, but with silence and help from Red Feather. Looking back at what she had with the stallion, she spent only a day with him at most, chased him around for a month, and then was brought back to Ponyville, just about to slip away into death. A month she had known him and had carried his child...Children, whichever the result would be.

Yet as she felt the steaming tears as they were about to fall out of her own eyes, he was there, comforting her. She wondered if he even did think of it all as much as her.

The day the funeral came, she was still in the hospital bed. She requested that she go to the funeral, and approved by the doctor, they began. Red Feather helped her almost roll onto her hooves, only for her to slowly lay down as the extra weight was too much. But, behind her, Twilight used her own magic to help support her.

"Thank you Twilight."

"You think you can walk the rest of the way?"

"...Yeah.", Rainbow Dash replied.

The day was darkened, storm clouds overhead and wind slowly churning the aura around the place which it was held. No rain poured that day, and by what the pegasi said, the sun itself had dimmed. Celestia was giving her best impression of a heart stricken queen, but she was neither. She was still a princess, without someone to love, no marriage. Rainbow Dash looked at her with a new pain for the snow white mare.

Unlike Rainbow Dash, she wouldn't have children any time soon, and above that, she would have to go through the pain of watching her own family grow up and slowly die before her. It was a pain that Celestia, and Luna as well, were to endure.

Rainbow Dash was nearly about to lose the strangth in her legs again, but luckily, she had made it to her spot. They moved a cushion outside for her to lay on, and that is just what she did.

"My little ponies...", Celestia began, "I call you here not to honor some random stallion. Though, he was a good unicorn, he did pay a price, the price which brought him to my attention and making him worthy of a funeral as public as this. I ask that everyone forgive him for the pain he has ever caused, for the heavens to take him.

"What he had done was saved a life. But not just one life. He gave up his life to save Rainbow Dash. She was captured and treated like she was just a slave or a prisoner. But he stayed by her side, and, having had to do unruly things as well to keep his cover, has no right to say he hadn't harmed her mentally or physically.

"The stallion we talk of now, rests in his coffin, more peaceful than anyone could ever be. He is in eternal happiness now.

"As of four days ago, the fateful day had befallen this unicorn. He used an old form of military magic, healing Rainbow Dash from a stab to the belly. He saved her and her children, but at the price of her own age, and his own life, contracting the same injury she had. But with Rainbow Dash's state, it caused his heart to rip open. He died slowly, if at all, and with little struggle and pain. He did not suffer, as he knew the result would kill him.

"We stand here today to honor that and bid a final farewell to the hero of Rainbow Dash, and only reamaining blood kin to her lover, Red Feather. Today, we honor Rigget Damontriauh."

All bowed their heads respectively, Rainbow Dash even shedding a few tears. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She couldn't tell whether it was fear, love, or sadness. It didn't matter, because Red could see it, and he embraced her, comforted her to help ease the pain. And with that, Rainbow Dash quickly dried her tears.

"Th-thank you Red..."

Red did not respond, but stayed next to her, having even laid down with her.

"I ask anypony who has some final words to please come up. After, we will dismiss for the burial."

Red rose up, almost jumping.

"I have some final thoughts I need to say."

He flew up to the podium, bowing to the princess as she stepped down.

"Mares and colts, ladies and gents of Canterlot, I bring these words straight out as they are made. I loved Rigget. He was the last I had of closest family. He even helped me most of the time with the hardest of situations. He, and several of my old friends, taught me to be strong, taught me to be there for others. Though, my friends have only sights of iron bars, and Rigget, only of darkness.

"I wish...I soulfully wish that this could never have happened. If I never ran away, this would have never happened. In reality, this is all my fault. I arranged for Rigget to help Rainbow Dash in anyway. He did. But he couldn't exactly save them both.

"In my family, he was a healer, of both physical, and mental injuries. He helped us all through the tougher times. But, when a fight broke out in a small area, he helped fight against a rebellion. As their main healer, he helped everyone the best he could, but unlike I, who had been traveling the land of Equestria, he watched as the family fell. Blood kin or not. And it only pained him more to tell me and see me depressed.

"In all over all, he has suffered worse than I. And I feel sorry for him. I never actually knew till he slipped away from me, how much I loved him, and how much he meant to me. Rigget is undoubtedly, the best stallion I ever knew."

With the conclusion of that, Red stepped down to return to Rainbow Dash's side. She could no longer hold her own eyes to the coffin anymore. It was like staring at the sun, it burned.

"Would you like to see him one last time?", Red asked.

Rainbow Dash stayed quiet, but looked at him with her decision, giving him a simple nod.

Once the rest of the town had put their say in, some disrespectful, others, honoring the dead stranger, they all began to leave. As Rainbow Dash stood, she struggled with her newfound weight and almost fell, should Red not have been there. The two made their way to the coffin, Red looking first. He could only stare at the last of his only family to share blood with.

Rainbow Dash could not stop thinking of the events before and what could have nearly killed her, what had killed him. When she looked at his body, she found new peace within herself, staring at his expressionless face. But then memories flooded back in and she remembered the blade being forced into her, the time she had lain there, dead. She could not help but stagger her breaths as her fears worsened.

A slight trickle of fluids trailed down her legs and she felt her stomach contract.

"R-Red...Problem."

Red turned to her with worry, "You ok?"

"I think...I think it's time."

Red processed this quickly and began lifting and dropping each hoof, panicking slightly himself. Then, once upon gathering his mind, he turned to Rainbow Dash with determination.

"Twilight, fluttershy, we need help, rarity, get a dark blue rag, Spike, send a message to the hospital, we need a room for Rainbow Dash, quick! Hurry!!!"

Upon the conclusion of his commands, everyone he had called for was alive, helping Rainbow Dash as she was carried quickly to the nearby hospital. The second she was through the doors, the waiting doctors took her into a bed, moving her through the building a lot more quickly into the maternity ward.

Rainbow Dash could see dots as her breathing reached a point where it exhausted her, leaving her to the point where she was being coaxed by a nurse to breath in and out deeply. She did and found it very relaxing, helping her a lot more. Though, it didn't help the now painful contractions as they continued, pulling a few tears of pain from Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash?", Red's voice carried to the cyan mare's ears.

She opened her clenched eyes as she looked at the white coated pegasus at her bedside. He held out a hoof to her and she put it against his, but as another contraction flowed through, she pulled her leg back towards her, crossing her forelegs in a heavy cringe.

"She is going to be exhausted very easily soon if we don't start, Jack! Where are those blankets!", one of the nurses called.

Rainbow Dash could feel as one of the foals began it's course. The pain heightened and she bit her lip, trying to make the pain go away, it only sustained her enough to hear as the nurse gave her the first command.

"Push!"

A single, long push and the first was out, replaced by another as the rest began it's own course. The next one wasn't as painful, but still dragged out a scream of pain from Rainbow Dash. She had only a few seconds before the next began it's course, leaving her with an exhausted pang to her movements and breath.

"Push Rainbow Dash, come on, only one more to go. Just one more time, push!", the nurse coaxed.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, holding it as she birthed the last foal, and letting go of that breath, her vision blacked out and she passed out.

When she finally came ot, she could barely see anything at all, her vision blurred as much as it was dark. The lights were off, but the evening sun shining in the window. She mumbled something inaudible to even her and began looking around for something familiar. She saw an arrangement of colors in the room around her, each watching her intently.

"G...Girls?", she asked weakly.

"She's awake! Everypony, she's awake!", Pinkie Pie's voice rose.

Feeling a new throbbing headache that the party pony had made worse, Rainbow Dash moaned slightly from the pain.

"Quiet.", she pleaded.

"Oops, sorry.", Pinkie Pie whispered.

"Rainbow Dash.", Red spoke softly.

Turning her head to the one stallion which even caused all the recent events of the past month and a half, she smiled.

"Red...I feel, empty."

"Well, you did give birth to three foals not but yesterday. You passed out after birthing the last. Worried us all.", Red smiled.

Looking around in her half dazed sight, she made out the rest of her friends' shapes and colors, seeing all which had been there with her for years. Though, there was a new face. Broad and adorned with a horn. A unicorn. No. Rainbow Dash could see two massive wings clinging to his sides. An alicorn.

"Her name is Rainbow Dash, right Twilight?", he spoke.

"Yeah. She seems really confused, or really interested about you."

"Well, I'd be able to understand that. We've only been together for about a week, I've almost got everypony's names down right."

"Almost. But lets give some introductions. Rainbow Dash, this is Erick Magistalli. And, yes, he is an alicorn."

"Well...It's obvious he is an alicorn, but...you two speak like you're together. Am I correct?"

"Yes. It will be a week tomorrow."

"Good to hear. But I'm kind of growing uneasy here. Where are..."

"They are sleeping. I'm surprised they didn't wake you.", Red finished her sentence.

"What do you mean, Red?"

"Well, the foals need to be fed, and there is only one natural way. Though, again, I'm really surprised you didn't wake up."

Getting a few thoughts, Rainbow Dash looked down at the covers and found they had been disturbed from the usual perfectly lain position. most of it still covered Rainbow Dash, but the rest was disturbed. She spotted three small rises in the blanket around her though, each with a tiny nose lying outside as the foal it belonged to, slept.

One awoke, using it's nose to push the covers out of the way as it reached Rainbow Dash, though the sight resulting made Rainbow Dash blush from embarrassment. The foal was hidden under the blanket but it still made Rainbow Dash feel embarrassed.

"Teehee! Rainbow Dash, you act as if it's a bad thing.", Pinkie Pie giggled.

"Yeah...but...I just feel like I'm being humiliated."

"Well, if you don't want them to feed like so, then they could be taken."

"No!", Rainbow Dash quickly responded, "I mean, it's not that bad...just...I feel a little embarrassed that it is happening while my friends are watching me."

"Rainbow Dash, don't start stressing yourself, for now, relax."

Rainbow Dash nodded and the foal stopped feeding, pushing through the covers by Rainbow Dash's side, then using it's nose to find it's way to her head where it curled up and nuzzled into her neck.

"Awwwww, thats so cute.", Fluttershy spoke.

"Well, I'm not one for cute, but, I don't feel like fighting it. When am I going to be able to leave?"

"Doctor said that once you wake up, you can leave when you wish, or stay for a few more days.", Red said.

"Well then.", she sat up, waking the three foals.

"So, do you wanna leave now or what?"

"I don't know. I think I will. But not right now."

Rainbow Dash picked up one of the foals and placed it on her right side with the other two.

They were all had Rainbow Dash's colors, but divided among them. One had red orange and yellow spectrum hair, another with green blue and purple, and the last having shades of indigo and violet. Each had red tipped feathers and each had red colored eyes, like Rainbow Dash. What she wanted to know was which were fillies, and which were colts, though.

"So, which is which?"

"You mean, filly-colt?"

"Yeah."

"Red head is a colt, the Blue one is a filly, and the Dark haired one is a filly as well."

"Have you thought of any names?"

"Crimson Wing, Blue Feather, and Ultraviolet Ray. Each responding to their hair color."

"They're all wonderful names. But, how about instead of Ultraviolet Ray, Just Ultraviolet?"

"Sure. If it makes you happy."

"Now, about getting them home."

"Got it taken care of. Come on Violet, Crimson, Blue."

As if on cue, the foals all got up onto their hooves and each slowly made their way to the stallion which called them and sat back down in front of him. He bent down next to the bed and each climbed on his back, Crimson assuming a higher up position on Red's head.

"They obey a little too much like a pet. How did you do that?", Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"Well, I was what they first saw, earning their favor of me. I gave them each their names right after and since then, they've responded to me when I call them."

"But how did they know how to get on to your back?"

"Well, I was thinking of that myself. They've never done it before and I was actually just experimenting to see what they would do."

"Well, exploring already."

"Indeed they are. Shall we go?"

"Sure, just let me get out of this bed and on my hooves."

Rainbow Dash moved the covers aside and stretched, a few audible pops resulting. She put her hind legs over the side and pushed off, landing on her hind hooves and then directly after, she was on all fours. It was slightly difficult, probably a result from laying in a bed for a day without moving, but she was standing.

"Ok, I'm ready.", Rainbow Dash announced.

"Well, we'll get out of your hair and maybe later we could have a little bit of time together?", Twilight half asked, half said.

"Uhm, maybe tomorrow, I dunno, just give me a while to plan what is next in life."

"Ok, well, we're gone. Come on girls, lets go."

"We should have a party for Rainbow Dash!", Pinkie Pie bounced out.

"Not now, Pinkie Pie, it's too early.", Twilight countered before Rainbow Dash refused Pinkie Pie's party altogether.

Smiling as she and Red left the room, following a small distance behind teh others to the front desk, Red kept pace with her, the foals watching their surroundings silently.

"Would you like to carry one?"

"Yes. I'd love to."

Red lowered his head next to Rainbow Dash's side and Crimson jumped from his head onto her back, standing on her back straight, not loosening his stance at all. He turned from side to side, look at everything and even Rainbow Dash as she walked on.

The nurse at the desk was reading a report when she looked up at Red, putting it aside with a smile.

"Is she ready to go?"

"Yes, she is. I think she is already enjoying what she has now."

"She definitely looks like she does.", the nurse replied, loking behind Red at Rainbow Dash.

She and Crimson were both smiling as she nipped playfully at the foal's small ear tip. Each time the colt would shake his head with a small laugh at the play.

"Well, it's a start for what I owe her."

"I'd say you owe her nothing. She's happy, you care for her..."

"Well, not exactly. I mean, I love her, but after what I did, it will be a while before I can say I have repayed my debt."

"Well, it won't take long for that, will it?"

"You're right, possibly. But after what I forced her through, It will be a while before I can forgive myself."

"Well, good luck. You're welcome to leave, if you need some help getting home with your new foals, don't be afraid to ask."

"No thank you, I've got it."

The nurse gave him a smile which he quickly returned, and went back to work.

"Let's go Rainbow Dash. I added on to the house to make it bigger, we can model it later when we get there."

Spreading his wings, the foals each huddled against Red as they were startled. Rainbow Dash just got Crimson to lay down before she opened her wings and took off after Red.

It was a good day, but Rainbow Dash could tell what was wrong. She used to have such a view of life as something extreme. But now it all was peaceful to her. She was docile. Though, she didn't like the thought of being relaxed and happy from the beauty of things. She didn't care that the day was beautiful, nor the sound the birds made as they sang, was beautiful. To her, it was too beautiful. But she understood why she was so docile now. It won't be long before she is up and looking for the next extreme thing once more.

The Beginning

(all inbetween [[[words blah blah blah words]]] are narrations, done by a voice of your choice, not something to be taken from me, the writer. They will happen rarely. VERY rarely. I can see of about a maximum of two being in this story altogether.Beginning and end.)

[[[As always, Rainbow Dash had been lazing around on a cloud when something major happened. This time, Twilight found her. They were the only two left. Only two left who have to yet do what, you ask? Why, if you would think, the title clearly states of motherhood!]]]

"Rainbow Dash! What are you doing up there! Fluttershy just had her fourth child!", Twilight spoke.

"What?", Rainbow Dash's eyes shot open.

The cloud turned into evaporating dust as she darted away towards the hospital, busting through the doors and passing by the now sane, Screw Loose.

"Rainbow Dash! Thank you for the help treating my insanity!", came the half barks, half statement of english the pony sent off to her.

But rainbow dash was already twirling through the spiral staircase, creating a temporary vacuum and wind tunnel throughout the entire thing. Once she left, all air replaced itself properly and created a wap that sounded through the two floors she had gone through. She had done this before, so came out one floor before the maternity wing. She got onto her hooves and ran up the stairs into the maternity wing on the other end, this time, making no noise on the carpeted floor that the hospital put in to keep the hoof steps silent at night and day. She round the last and had stopped in front of an open door where everyone else stood around Fluttershy, who lay in the bed, cradling the four newborn children in her arms.

"Ohmygosh, I'msosorryI'mlateguys!"

Fluttershy looked up from the children, "Be quiet.", she whispered.

"Ya know, I didn't fly over seventeen miles, going the speed of a damned sonic jet for nothin Fluttershy!", her temper flared.

"Well, maybe you should wait here in the waiting lounge like we did?", Pinkie Pie asked.

"You know how stubborn I am about those places!"

Pinkie shrugged and as the nurse called them all out, Rainbow Dash took a look at the four children. Two fillies, two colts. Each had a characteristic of Macintosh and Fluttershy in them, but each totally different from the other.

"So four, huh?", Rainbow Smiled, a sad expression on her face.

"Yeah. Nurse, I'd like to speak with this one a few more seconds."

"You can stay Rainbow Dash, but if she tells you to leave, you get out.", the nurse informed.

"Can do.", Rainbow returned.

"Rainbow Dash, I'm not one to really intrude on one's personal love life, or family intentions and actions. But don't you think you've gone on too far?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starters, I never really brought this up, Mac did. You seem to have never have gone out with a stallion. Or a mare for that matter. Or atleast as we've seen. Have you ever even gone out with anyone?"

"I have, once before long ago when I was young."

"That's just it Rainbow Dash.You have no love life. You're lonely aren't you? Is that why every time you hear one of us has something happen in our lives, you rush to see and enjoy as much of it as you can? Even though most of the time your several hours or minutes late."

Rainbow Dash sighed, "Tis true. I haven't been dating because...", she trailed off.

"Is it because you're not comfortable with dating? Listen if you want ot have a child, you can adopt one, or get a...uhm...you know. You don't have to be in love, or even have to be with anyone."

"But thats the thing. I want to be with someone. But I don't know who. And for the record, I'm straight. Why does everyone ask if I want a marefriend?"

"It was always a stereotypical thing with your hair."

"Go figure. Fluttershy, you've given me advice before on dating, but I'm not a shy type. I don't know what to do."

"Rainbow Dash. I don't know when, or how, and I did talk to my matchmaker which got me and Mac together. He said that you will find your true love some day. He was sure of it. He had done something when his horn glowed. Do you remember that day two years ago when me and macintosh began dating? You were in an agility race."

"Yeah."

"He moved the cloud ring. Thats why you crashed. He did so that you would humiliate yourself. And I questioned him on that yesterday. He has done it for a reason. He doesn't know why yet."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you need to go talk with him."

"Why should I? I don't even know who I would go to him for!"

"Thats not why, Rainbow Dash. He will help you find your true love, lets just hope that he still runs the business."

"I'm not going, Fluttershy. I want to do this on my own anyway."

"Ok. I was just trying to help.", Fluttershy smiled.

Rainbow Dash smiled and hugged Fluttershy in a way which kept them both from disturbing the newborns.

"Thanks!", Rainbow Dash flew out the door.

__________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash had flewn out the hospital, passed by everyone who were in the waiting room without as much as a glance, and had gone off towards her home. Though something had caught her on the way there. She stopped mid flight and cut a flip, turning around to face whatever it was. A pegasus pulling a cart on the ground was what that objection was.

She landed next to him quickly, looking to appear there with her grand agility from the few years in the wonderbolts team.

"Hey!", Rainbow Dash called.

"Hmm?", The pegasus responded.

"Why are you pulling the cart by hoof?"

"I wanted to have this trail go by slowly. I'm moving on to another town called ponyville. I was told that is where the best parties are thrown, the best everything is! Fun, family, friendship, and great opportunities. I hope to even meet a beautiful mare some day."

" Really? You are a nature loving guy aren't you?"

He stopped.

"Why are you asking me so many questions?"

"Because it's very abnormal to see a pegasus pulling a cart of any type by hoof!"

"Well then, that answers my real question.", he smiled.

"What?"

"I wanted to know a little more of your personality, get a taste of it. See what you might be like. I've seen a few of your wonderbolt shows."

"Oh no! Not another fan!"

"Oh no no! Believe me, I'm not an attention hogging fan. I'd just like to say hello every once and a while to someone I rarely look up to! And Rarely in my case is a lot!!"

"So...What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I might get to know you, should nothing else come up before I make the trip home."

"O...kay then, I gues I'll be seeing you?"

"Maybe."

He continued on."

Rainbow Dash shrugged and shot back up, resuming her course home.

The night was filled with dreams resulting from her thoughts of every day, every morning, every noon, every evening. Every day. Being lonely. She saw her friends slip from reality, into death before her, each leaving her one by one, year by year, till she was left, outlasting them for more than a thousand years. These years, in her dream, did not last the fifteen seconds they were, but instead hundreds of years each. It felt horrible each time, getting worse and worse. Sometimes when she awoke in the morning, she found herself thinking of suicide, not able to think of anything else. She was tired of the older things that were fun to her. Parties, the Galloping Galla, competitive bets and bluffs between her and Applejack...It was misery, hell on earth. Yet, she got up never the less. She was beginning to take on those suicidal dreams as a second thought and if ever did want to, there would be a Knife on the nightstand. Though, she had it made by her friends, all of them, so they chose whether or not she had the choice to take her life if it were to ever happen. They supported her.

"Idiots! Those...those haters! They probably did so to encourage me!", she thought, "Why would they support their own friend in such a way?!"

She pondered the newest thought in her head several times before leaving with her wonderbolt costume on. She made it past the barrier of people which crowded her moving house door, blasting away like a bullet. She felt the impending sonic Rainboom and timed it right. She took a very small sharp dive at the right moment, releasing it an dashing off towards the destination. She was leaving to the next city over.

It wasn't Canterlot, and it wasn't Cloudsdale. Both were in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash had gone to the one point she hadn't in ages. She was in the new settlement that the Apple family built up in the desert. Immediately, lush green life of the orchid hit her goggles and peered through the glass transparent lenses. She pulled them up and trotted to the town hall, stopping in front of the door. This was the new Wonderbolt HQ, or WHQ.

She peered in and saw the newest team member shaking the hand of the mayor. It was Scootaloo. Though, it was a shocker when she flew faster than Rainbow Dash could Manage a few months ago. It astonished everyone, even Rainbow Dash. But, not any more. Rainbow Dash, after those two months of training, beat her by a mile, literally. Thats when she achieved a new speed range. She could pass the sound barrier with ease, not having to dive down a few hundred meters. But learned it's destructive effects that way. Though, nonetheless, Scootaloo's larger than average wings were a magnificent sight.

"Hawk! Whats been happenin!", Rainbow Dash started.

"Rainbow Dash!!!!", Scootaloo Squealed.

She ran over and hugged Rainbow Dash. Or more likely to be seen as a tackle than a hug.

"I missed you so much, big sis!"

"I want to know where you started calling me that."

"The guys at the training sessions, the new coaches, they brought the subject up. They thought I was your daughter at first, but then I told them I wasn't even related to you."

"You know, I always wondered if you would go after me. So, I was told that you got your cutie mark."

"Sure did! But it's kind of a disappointment."

She lifted her large wing and showed her cutie mark. It was just like Rainbow Dash's but it had a bronze sheen bolt instead of a rainbow bolt, and the cloud was silver lined.

"Wow..."

"I kay ar?"

"What?"

"Oh im Gee! I forgot your gen doesn't talk in the new way we do. We abbreviate a few phrases every now and then."

"Oh."

"Well, have you found that special somepony yet?"

"No...I want to, but I don't know where to start."

"Well, looks like it's two thirty, might wanna go and make your appearance."

Ok."

Rainbow Dash pushed the other pegasus off of her and headed for the door, bursting out into an uncontrolled mob. She braced herself but was takin into the crowd. She flapped her wings and somehow managed to get air born. Everyone who could, climbed a wall or something else to get closer, and with that, she fled. Around a corner too. Though, as everyone saw, they headed for the corner. A hoof tapped her shoulder and she turned, about to fly off. It was that pegasus from earlier.

"Follow me."

Rainbow Dash followed and he pulled her into a near black ally which was very, very small in width. All the fans which had swarmed her now were looking for the pegasus which had just been in their sights. Once the noise died down and the sight of colorful hides stopped passing the crevice, Rainbow Dash edged herself out of the small area.

"Ok, what do you want?

The stallion squeezed himself out of the same crevice and looked at Rainbow Dash.

"Heh, I help you and you ask me what I want from you. Nothing really. I'm fine as is."

"You sure?", Rainbow Dash asked.

"Positive."

"Are you sure sure?"

"Look if you really want an answer, I'll take it as a future favor I can claim later on."

"...Wait a minute."

Rainbow Dash looked the pegasus over. It was the same pegasus she had seen moving that cart.

"Are you following me? Stalking me? Spying on me?"

"None of those. To tell the truth, I am interested in your style of life, who you are. I'm just trying to get by as well as get more information about who you are. Ya know, out of all the pegasi I had passed up, you were the only one to stop and ask me about the reason why I was drawing a cart by hoof."

Rainbow Dash was confused, but got most of what he was saying, making her cheeks turn a slight red.

"So..."

"It's quite simple, you have an admirer!"

With her suspicions confirmed, her blush grew deeper and she smiled nervously.

"Wait.", Realization struck her, "You're just trying to get close to me aren't you?"

"What makes you think that?"

"I've had it happen before, being desperate to fall in love, settle down, but ended up finding out the truth and had to piece together my shattered heart after that."

"Sounds rough. Listen, I'm not a big fan anyway. Sure, the Wonderbolts are cool, but they are just a bunch of show offs, you are a show off."

Rainbow Dash gasped.

"But that doesn't take from the fact that you're cute. If you wanna talk, I'm open to you any time. Just come by my shop. I sell metal wear for fashion."

Rainbow Dash's blush disappeared slowly, but surely, "You mean to tell me that you're Rarity's type, yeah, good luck with the wedding, the services, and all that jazz. But I gotta go, I've wasted enough time already with you."

She took off without the two of them saying another word and once she was out of sight and ear shot, the stallion turned to the white mare which had been hiding.

"So, you're right. A deals a deal. Seven hundred gems."

Rarity squealed lightly, "Yes! Oh victory is sweet!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself to making us enemies just yet. I'm not goin for just her, and I've already shared more personal stuff with you than any one else."

Rarity sighed, all joy leaving her, "Fine. You're actually right about that. But you puzzle me. But, I am also married and have a child. A filly, Leasha."

"Really? You think I'm going to choose in the beginning, or even go for someone who is already a mother?"

"So you don't choose?"

"I'll leave you to figure that out. Thanks for the help on getting her alone though."

"But...I...We..."

It was too late, he'd flown off. Rarity sighed again from agitation and activated her teleportation spell, reappearing in her boutique a few miles away. The sonic boom indicating Rainbow Dash's return sounded off a few minutes after, which made her miss a stitch in a new dress and she put it aside, going for a walk.

Rainbow Dash didn't go to her house immediately, she instead flew to Twilight's library. Upon entry, Twilight noticed her and put down the book she was reading.

"What's up Rainbow Dash? Problem?"

"Yeah.There is apparently a new stallion, well, he's a pegasus, he's moved into town, you see. But I can't get what he is saying to me. First, I see him pulling a cart by hoof, then he helps me get away from a raging crowd of insane fans. Though it seems he knew all too well that was gonna happen."

Rarity entered just as Rainbow Dash finished, "Twilight, dear, could you help me with something?"

"Well, Rainbow Dash was already here.", Twilight said, "And it seems me and her are in a competition over a certain somepony."

"Scuse me? You've met him too?!", Rainbow dash exclaimed.

"Why yes, he passed by here. I offered him some help, asked if his wings were ok, he refused both, but said that he likes that taste of my kind personality. It was weird at first, but then I met him again just before he flew off. He had asked something about you, then I answered. Thats all."

"Do...Do I seem desperate?"

"About what?"

"I mean, I've been wanting a stallion to settle down with for a long time now."

"I'd say you're not. If you were desperate, you'd be going for every single stallion in cloudsdale and Ponyville. Trust me."

The exact pegasus which had started the conversation appeared outside of the door and entered, no look of concern or care of what would happen to him.

"What?", Twilight asked, "Are you following us? A creeper? Or some kind of Spy for a neighboring kingdom?"

"Oh heavens no. I came for Rainbow Dash. I need her help with something."

"Why would you need my help?"

"Why to help with a few things, of course! First of them being a gathering of clouds. I need to shape my home."

"Why not live in cloudsdale?"

"Too much pegasi there, not enough earth ponies or unicorns. I'm interested in any of the three. Just, I prefer to be in a town with a majority of it as earth ponies and unicorns."

"Fine, I'll help. But what about something in return?"

"You're only gathering clouds for me. But I'm to choose where it will be moved. It's a two pegasi  job. We're moving a house of clouds the size nearly a mansion!"

"Rainbow Dash's jaw dropped, "Scuse me! You're making a cloud mansion?!"

"Why yes. No, I mean no. It's about half as big as a full size mansion. I don't want people under the house getting wet ya know!"

"Fine, but whats my pay?"

"If you do a good enough job...", he began thinking, "...I'll...Well, I might think of furthering our relationship, and the quality of the cloud left from the movement will go towards pay! Thank you, good day!"

He trotted out the door.

"Wait! There is no...Oh, who am I kidding. I want there to be a relationship..."

"Rainbow Dash.", Twilight spoke up."

"Yeah?"

"He's after the both of us. So, I'll make it clear to him that I'd rather you go out with him. After all, you've not been on an actual date, or even had a coltfriend in years! It's time to pull you out of the dirt, and get you some wonderful sunshine."

"Thanks Twilight, but would you really want to?"

"I'm not doing this for just me, or you. I'm doing this because it benefits both you, him, and me. By the way, his name is Red Feather. Check his cutie mark next time you see em. I promise it's something you'd think is cool."

"Thanks Twilight. I don't know what to give you in return."

"Just promise me that you will have a good time."

"I will."

With a final thanks, Rainbow Dash bolted out he door.

Bonding

Red was just reaching over the hill he had been climbing up when Rainbow Dash stirred. She did softly, first with a slight noise, then, as she opened her eyes, yawned. The afternoon sun was creeping through the leaves of the canopy above, shining through to heat the woods.

"Hey, Red."

"Yeah?", he responded, turning his head to see the cyan mare.

"How long have you been walking? Did you even stop?"

"I've been walking since you last fell asleep. Why?"

"What keeps you going? Is it the fact that I am on your back, you could earn fame that way. Is it because you want to save me, just because you're a very caring stallion. Or do you do this...because...", her voice trailed off.

"Because I like you?", he picked up.

"Not exactly the word I was looking for. More of infatuated, but less mushy mushy. Not love, but the developing feel of it."

"I know what you mean. But, I must say, I'm not sure. If it's the fear, or if it's the love for you."

"So you admit?"

Red blushed at the thought. Love. He may have fully grasped the concept now, but then more questions arose and his walk became slower, more uncoordinated.

"I...I'm not sure...Yet.", he picked up pace once more.

"But you do admit that you...atleast like me do you?"

"Well..."

"Yeah, I knew it was too good to be true...You're probably just another who doesn't like me for me, but as someone famous."

He stopped, turning his head to her.

"Now hold on. I never said that. Nor did I ever really say that I am not in love with you to the point of no second thoughts. Rainbow Dash, I've searched a long time for that perfect somepony. I've lived a life, above my friends, thought of as above, and I've even treated them as below me before! Why...I've even lost them all..."

"Tell me this story, Red. I want to hear it."

Red stayed silent for several seconds, thinking where to start.

"Lets see. It started just about when I first started school. Flight academy. Though, I never went to cloudsdale. And it was never really a flight academy. It was just another of those mixed schools. An aero of subjects for each filly and colt to attend."

He began walking once more.

"So, it was basicaly a third rate school? If all ages attended, it's a fourth rate. Or atleast in my book."

"Yeah. All ages attended. But we were not without the many fights, arguments among other ages and grade levels. Though, back to my story. I was considered to be not as bright as the others. They teased me, picked on me. I never did fight back, not till they passed a line. I got into several fights though. Went home with blood stains, black bruises dotted my body. It was hell."

"So when did it get better?"

"Tryouts for the school gymnastics and athletics team. I was the smallest and youngest of all those who tried out. From there, I was picked on more. My flying was great, yeah, but nothing else. I could barely lift any weight, my stamina wasn't that high, nothing good. They teased me when I wouldn't take a shower even more because, well, I just felt uncomfortable taking a shower with all the others. Wasn't till another young colt had stood up for me. Was the day of the year that was remembered. The teachers came in, they tried to stop it, but not only did I refuse, the other colt did too. We got beat pretty badly, but we came out as very durable colts. We took hard kicks, bucks, stomps, anything painful. Even biting. Me and that colt, we never gave up."

He crossed a thin stream, ballancing the two on the small log.

"So you were basically against the school."

"Yeah. We were good friends. Best of friends actually. Me and him stayed together in many situations. But thats how we earned our respect. He grew to be a big fella, my bodyguard, as they called him. Though, I was not so much. When we were halfway through our educational courses, the full ten years, we were to all find our cutie marks if we hadn't. Buster, that was my friend's name, got a shield imprinted with the word "protect" on it. He did a good job at it too. Took several hits before going down, but the much larger colts still got past him to me. One day, when I had enough, I flew."

"And this is the day you got your cutie mark?"

"Yeah. I flew as fast as I could. I loved flying before, I loved flying then. But not only did I notice that they were Far behind me. I also noticed that the school was gone. I watched clouds fly past me then panicked, stopping. Then, the explosion. The sonic boom. It hurt, my ears bled, but I looked at this opportunity. It was fun. I loved the way that the wind rushed past my body like a comb. Then, I returned to the school, though, being cautious of the sonic speed I had gone, I flew at a moderate speed. Once there, the principal, a black pegasus, was at the door, waiting for me. My parents were there, and so was Buster, as well as a few others. Familiar faces. They stared at me, then I looked around, shattered windows, the door was blast to pieces. I wrecked the front area bad."

"Thats...epic!", Rainbow Dash squirmed, trying to motion her sudden emotion. The quick change of balance toppled Red over and he misstepped, sliding his hoof off the side of the log they were on. He was taking it slowly to keep them balanced, but the log wasn't short either. They were nearly over and he slipped. Rainbow Dash winced at the impact when he hit the log, and as he got up, he looked back at the cyan mare.

"You ok?", Red asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Could you please set me down when you get us over this stream?"

"No problem. It's just three more steps."

Rainbow Dash let out her held breath as he continued. He was right. Three steps later, he was at the very end of the log. Rainbow Dash felt the grass as he set her down against a stump, then she pushed herself against it to sit up. She let out a long sigh of relief, then finally relaxed.

"You feel a lot better, don't you?"

"Yeah. It feels a lot better than laying on your back. You've got some nice, broad shoulders, but your walking is a little jumpy."

"I guess I just do that."

Red laid down next to rainbow Dash, putting their eyes parallel to one another. But his gaze was set upon the sun in the sky. The stream, as they crossed it, didn't look at all brighter than the rest of the area, then again, the trees let off to the point where it wasn't an immediate change in the light.

It was beautiful, nonetheless. The birds chirped, the stream flowed silently, and the wind in the trees created and ambiatic display of both beauty and sound.

"I never really had a chance to actually look at the natural beauty of anything. It's nice.", Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

"Yeah. I've heard stories of you. I've seen you working with the Wonderbolts. Ya bunch a show offs!", Red chuckled.

"Ok, thunder wing! I get it. But, I've never really had much to look up to."

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier in my life, I was abandoned. I was a little older than your average little child. I could talk, I could tell what was happening. But, that makes it worse."

"Why? Wouldn't that have helped if you were abandoned? You could've found your parents!"

"I know, but thats not why. You see. Well, to put it behind truth, I was never really abandoned. A massive storm was headed to where we were living. This was before cloudsdale. I was never really born there, or raised there. But, the story goes on. The storm had just kicked up, came without warning. We had to leave everything, heirlooms that were over a hundred years old, nick-knacks collected over the years, etcetera."

"So you not only lost your family, you lost everything."

"Yeah. As it continued, we were flying as fast as we could. Sheet lightning was raking the skies like no tomorrow, lightning strikes everywhere. It was hectic. I cried, then, silence. We had made it into the eye of the hurricane. It was peaceful. But then we had to pass through the west wall, the worse of them all. Couldn't fly up through the eye because lightning was streaking through it. It was the worst storm ever recorded by the scientists that lived there."

"How do you know?"

"They said so with their dying words."

"Thats...horrible."

"Yeah, mom held me close, I myself barely able to fly with even dampened wings, held tight to her. We flew into the wall, then blackness. once past that, we were over an ocean. Rain came down even harder. Then, she dropped me. I called for her, but she never answered, she fell slower than I, and didn't flap her wings or move. I saw her mane, it was scorched. I figured, lightning struck, but I was unharmed. It was a miracle, or half of one anyway. She looked down at me, I could see her lifeless eyes, then darkness. The water I landed in knocked me out from the impact. All I could recall afterwards was waking up in a hospital. In Ponyville."

"Why were you not scarred by this?"

"Because, even though I lost my mom, I had more care from those who found me than...well, not completely as much, but almost as much as my own mother. It was the only thing which kept me from giving up. Every breath was a struggle."

"So, broken ribs?"

"A few, had a collapsed lung, but they fixed it. Luckily, I still have both. And they are just as strong as ever."

She took a deep breath, exhaling audibly to show her point.

"Well, seems like you still went through a lot."

"Yeah, then harder times came. After I healed, I was all alone. With a little luck, and many lies, I managed to get the house I have now, as a filly. For free too. I lived there alone, several years of loneliness...", she trailed off, half lidded eyes gazing at the stream.

She had a sweet smile on her face, apparently happy with everything around her. Red, having witnessed her slam into and splinter a meter thick tree, not have a single broken bone from it, had performed CPR on her to keep her from dying, and even carried her partially disabled body for a few miles.

"Why are you not scared now? Why are you not moaning in pain? And above all, how are you so happy?"

Rainbow Dash let out a small sigh, "Isn't it obvious?"

"No, I don't know!"

Rainbow Dash turned her head to him, planting a small kiss on his nose.

"Because I may have found that which I have wanted for years now."

Red blushed a bright red, staring blankly at Rainbow Dash, completely speechless.

"Though, if you don't want to...I understand."

"N-no! I mean yes! I mean, wait. I...I'm not sure if I am completely sure yet..."

Rainbow Dash hung her head slowly, "Oh...Ok..."

"But..."

Her ears perked up.

"My heart and mind finally agree on one thing. Rainbow Dash. I don't know if we share the same exact feelings for one another, but I promise, that once this is over, I'd be happy to call you my marefriend."

Rainbow Dash smiled, "You'd really...Thank you. You wouldn't believe how much that means to this one mare."

"But something still bothers me. Do you even feel pain?"

"Yes. My back feels like it's been cut a million times with razor blades, then beaten on with drum sticks like I was a snare drum for a marching parade, of course it hurts! I slammed into a tree going over the speed of sound! Way faster than the speed of sound! I was well over seven hundred sixty eight miles an hour! If I were to measure it, I'd say, about nine hundred? Probably gaining on one thousand."

"You know your speed well! Whats the speed of light?", Red quizzed.

"Two hundred one thousand, three hundred twenty four point two six six miles an hour! Hah!", she smirked.

"Forgot the three."

"Uh, I'm pretty sure I didn't."

"And you are right! I was just checking to see if you had given a random number, or were telling the truth. Though, saying the number exactly, even a few decimals after, thats, thats shocking."

"Really? I wasn't aiming for it."

"Well, we should be well past this spot by now, probably in Fillydelfia. Now, hop on."

"Ok."

Rainbow Dash, with the aid of Red once more, clambered onto his back, assuming the same position with her legs dangling on his sides. She snuggled into his back, placing her head, again, in the same position to watch as everything passed by his left side.

"At this rate, I don't know how long we'll take to get there, or how far we are along towards Fillydelfia. You should get some rest too, might help if you are going to be in the hospital. Ya know, sleep is the best way to relax."

"Mmmhmm.", Rainbow Dash responded.

Though, she was well on her way there, having started dozing off shortly after she had gotten comfortable on his back once more. The darkness of welcomed sleep kicked in and she was asleep. She was dreaming again, but this time, no nightmare. There was no death, no one except she was there. It was pitch black, no light, and infinite space. She just floated freely. But. It soothed her. Then a field of flowers blossomed around her, soft grass lacing under them, over the invisible and nonexistent ground. She was happy.

The next thing she remembered after that was nothing. Nothing but the bright light, and rhythmic beep of the heart monitor by her bed. Her bed...

"Bed...Covers...Hospital gown...I'm in a hospital...", she said blankly declaring the obvious.

"I have hospital!", she exclaimed loudly, throwing her arms up and letting them fall to her sides. The blanket was thick and heavy, but the bed itself was very soft.

A nurse rushed in, spotting Rainbow Dash as she slowly sat up. The light, whitish pink mare rushed over and tried to push Rainbo Dash down into a lying position once more.

"Please, lie back down, you'll hurt yourself!"

"Whoa, miss commander nurse! If you did not see it before, I clearly sat up and pushed myself against the back board, positioning myself quite fine thank you. Now, if you'd excuse me, I need a damage report, the day's date, and I need to know if any of my fans have gotten in.", she tapped her hoof on the other, to point out the three subjects.

"Uhm, ok then. Damage report! Yes. You have no severe injuries, just a lot of bruising. Today is the second day you've been here, got here at noon yesterday with the help of your friends and a blood stained stallion. What alarmed us the most is the blood on him, and you. Did he...he beat you?"

"As a matter of fact, he did."

The nurse gasped.

"At a race, blondy. We were racing from Ponyville to Fillydelfia. I lost control, went into turbulence, slammed into and shattered a tree, then he went after me. Why, if it weren't for him, I'd not be here, or alive for that matter."

"Oh...so, he didn't brutally beat you till you coughed up blood and had a seizure?"

"What? Where'd you get the seizure from?"

"Uhm, well, it's not quite easy to explain."

"Well, start."

"Uhm, when you arrived, you began screaming, convulsing, and even your eyes fluttered, pupils dilated and darting everywhere."

"Wow, must've been a pretty hard crash then. Well, after all, I was going about nine hundred miles an hour, having just broken the sound barrier, I could'a swore I was nearing a full thousand. Nose, eyes, ears, mouth bleeding from it."

"Missy! You shouldn't push yourself so far!"

"What? Thats not as far as I can go. I can go way further. Probably about twelve hundred if I tried."

"Good lord, I want to know why you are still alive! Anyway, I'll, uh, talk to the police stallion outside."

"I better not find any bruises on Red, you hear me! If any of you touched him, I'll shatter every single window in this hospital and blast the doors out!"

"Uhm...please don't!", the nurse cowered.

"I'm just messin with ya! But seriously, I better not find a single scratch made by any of you on him.", Rainbow Dash's face turned serious.

The nurse smiled, nodding her head, then ran out the door. As Rainbow Dash finally relaxed, her friends all burst through the door, exclaiming her name.

"Oh, dear, are you alright!", Rarity began.

"Rainbow Dash! I swear, you are one stubborn mare. Wah, ah wish ah had your endurance and courage.", Applejack spoke up.

"You worried us sick, Rainbow Dash!", Twilight scolded.

"Uhm, are you ok, Rainbow Dash?", Fluttershy began.

"Whoa! Hold on girls!", Rainbow Dash stopped them.

"First of all! Fluttershy, what are you doing here...You should be home resting, or whatever. I mean, you just gave birth to four children not too long ago!"

"Well, once I got the news, I helped them look in cloudsdale. Granted, I shouldn't be on my feet, but I couldn't lose the one pegasus I think of as one of my best friends!"

"Fluttershy, did you even tell Big Mac?"

"No."

"He's not gonna be happy."

"And ah gotta deal with it when ah get home! ah'm his sister after all!", Applejack stated.

"Ok, has anyone seen that blood stained pegasus? He should be here by now!", Rainbow Dash spoke aloud, very loudly in fact.

They all looked at one another and Pinkie Pie raised a hoof.

"Ooh! There he is!", she pointed.

Rainbow Dash turned her head towards the door as the Stallion entered and she smiled.

"Red!", Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah. To be honest, I almost collapsed!", Red started.

"What?"

"Yeah. When you fell asleep, and I noticed it, I continued on. Walked for three more hours and still found nothing! Then I continued on. Two hours later, This friendly animal caring pegasus, Fluttershy, found me."

"Wow, thank you Fluttershy!"

"Not only that, but once she led me out of the forest, we got to Fillydelfia in no time. Brought you to the hospital and got attacked by that guard out front! That unicorn knows some magic."

"Well then. Glad to see you're ok as well, and cleaned up."

Red made his way over to Rainbow Dash and she lift her forelegs around him in a hug.

"Guys! If you don't know him, he's Red. And above that, he and I are going to start dating. As soon as I get out of this hospital."

"Really? You. You finally found a date?", Rarity asked.

"Yeah. But, I'm not sure how long it will last. I both owe him my life, and I have feelings for him. Not only was he friendly, but he helped me get here. He even shared his own stories with me."

"I guess that settles it girls! Party time!!!", Pinkie burst out with confetti, scaring the surrounding patients who were asleep.

The nurse need only stare at the pink pony for a few seconds before she got the message, and left.

"Let's just hope it doesn't fall apart.", Rainbow Dash said truthfully.

Yo, go to the next chaptah!