My, Daughter, Maree

Rainbow Dash slept well and long that night; a solid 10 hours. Her thoughts remained on the upcoming

Pegalympic Games, the gathering place for Equestria's finest flyers. On this day, thousands and thousands of

ponies from all over the country would be watching her, and she would get a chance to showcase the culmination

of her years of training. This was truly her time. She dreamed of herself shooting through the precision

course and racing across the sprint track, virtually unopposed. She showed a mastery of the art in the agility

course, practically making a joke out of her competition. As she prepared to claim ultimate victory, she

scanned the crowd, marveling in her fanatical audience. Among the ecstatic faces of her fans, one face stood

out more than any other: the White Maned Mare. This strange apparition sat quietly and collectively, smiling

pleasantly as though she were at a school play rather than a sporting event, watching Dash expectantly as she

navigated her way through the course. This vision took Dash's focus away from the course for just a moment or

two, long enough for her to lose herself. She refocused just in time to see- *WHACK*. She collided head first

into a pillar used as an obstacle. The sudden jolt woke Dash up, and she sat straight up in her bed, any

glimmer of morning drowsiness kept at bay by the spurt of adrenaline coursing through her, brought on by the

shock.

Rainbow Dash was becoming increasingly frustrated with these visions of the White Maned Mare who she

saw on an increasingly frequent basis. In the last 2 months, she'd seen more of her than she saw of her the

entire year previous. Who IS she? Dash wondered to herself. She heard a little squeak from her left, and saw

that little Maree was up to. She smiled and got herself out of bed, standing over Maree and forgetting about

the White Maned Mare.

"Morning, kiddo!" Dash reached in and picked up the little filly, who greeted her with gleeful little giggles.

"Boy, you and I must share the same alarm clock, seems like you always know when I'm gettin' up!" She noted.

"I guess it's about time we fed you, huh? *sniff* ooh, and you need a change, you stink!"

Dash gave Maree a change and some breakfast, and refreshed Maree on the two words she had learned.

When Dash heard the words repeated once again, she knew she hadn't just dreamt it; her daughter was really

learning. It baffled her how she could speak so early; she'd never heard of anyone who had picked it up so

quickly. Even Twilight, the brainiest Pony she knew, didn't say her first word until she was 6 months. When

that comparison crossed Dash's mind, she was suddenly met with an irresistible urge to show off to Twilight.

She set Maree in the Little carrier she had bought and set out. Dash knew it was never too early to see

Twilight. Whether she was up early that morning or up extra late from the night previous, Twilight was often

one of the first ponies to see the sun over Equestria.

Rainbow Dash stopped by Twilight's around 9:00 that morning, anxious to show off her genius of a baby.

Twilight had been reading "Extraordinary Maree" all night, and bags had formed under her eyes, but she refused

to put it down. She had finished the sixth book some time last night, and was now well into the seventh. She

was just about to settle into bed for the "night" when she heard a knock on her door. She wanted, for a

moment, to pretend she hadn't, but she heard it again only a few moments later, indicating this person was

persistent, whoever they were. Might as well go see who it is, she told herself, and forced herself downstairs

to the front door. When she answered the knock and saw Rainbow Dash standing outside her door, she sighed

slightly. Dash wasn't really the pony she wanted to see right now, what with her trying to sleep and

everything. Could be worse, she thought wryly, it could be Pinkie Pie.

"What do you want, Dash?" She asked half consciously.

"Just thought I'd show you the coolest thing EVER!" Dash announced proudly, setting the baby carrier down. She

turn to her little girl, and began her demonstration. "say, 'Maree!'" she instructed, pointing to Maree.

"Maahree!" Maree echoed, pointing to herself.

"Good! now say, 'Mommy!'" Dash pointed to herself.

"Mommy!" Maree repeated again, extending her front leg out, vaguely pointing on Dash's direction.

"Awesome! you're so cool Maree! You're the best!" Dash reached out and picked Maree up, snuggling up to her.

Twilight was only barely conscious watching this, and the realization what had just happened didn't quite hit

her yet.

"So, what do you think about that?" Dash asked challengingly, having set Maree back in her carrier.

"Great... good for you... Just.. 'woo' you know? Hey, can we pick this up later, I'm... barely conscious right

now. Too much reading... I'll talk to you later." Without waiting for a response, she immediately closed the

door and turned around. She hadn't finished a full step when her brain finally caught up to her. She spun

around on a dime, reopening the door, where Dash was still standing, apparently anticipating her return.

"Run that by me again?" Twilight said disbelievingly.

Dash cleared her throat unnecessarily, and repeated her demonstration. Twilight was wide awake now, and

utterly speechless.

"Ah... bu... ho-?" She was astonished. This child had barely developed a brain at all, surely, yet she

already formed words with her mouth. More than that, they had MEANING to her, and she knew what the words

referred to. "That shouldn't be possible at her age!" She exclaimed. "She's only 3 months old! I didn't say my

first word until I was-"

"6 months, I know, you've told me already." Dash was sort of leaning against the door frame, a bit of a smug

grin on her face. "And I understand that even that was quite early for a pony."

Twilight was vaguely wondering if maybe this were a dream. No normal pony could have-

And then she remembered. This wasn't a normal pony, she was an Alicorn!

"She's an Alicorn though, maybe they learn different. Sooner." Twilight said, feeling a little reassured.

"OR, maybe my little girl here is just a genius." Dash cocked an eyebrow.

"Well whatever the reason, neither of us have no way of knowing for sure. Besides, it's not like it's a

competition. She's a filly, not a trophy." Twilight reminded Dash.

"Yeah I know, you're right." Dash admitted, though she maintained a slightly smug air. Then again, that's just

her way of being.

"Speaking of competition, you must be awfully anxious about the Pegalympics, aren't you Dash?" Twilight asked,

decidedly changing the subject.

"You bet! I've been training everyday! I'm not just gonna do well, Twilight. Nope, I ain't just gonna win, I'm

gonna cream the competition!" Dash proclaimed smugly, again flaunting her more than slightly overblown ego.

Twilight had hoped being a parent might have dulled that aspect of her just a bit, but she was just as bold as

ever. Give it a few more years, she thought. That might just do the trick. She wondered if Dash really

understood the enormity of the responsibility she had undertaken. She was keeping up well, admittedly, but this

was no Summer job; this was a lifelong journey. It's a family matter, and she was taking it much too lightly.

"You all better be there when I win!" Dash said. "It's gonna kinda suck if the only people who see it are

total strangers." The Statement made her think again, for a half a moment, about the White Maned Mare. She

quickly shook it off and returned to her conversation.

"Well, I know I'll be there, I've already bought my ticket! Same goes for Apple Jack and Fluttershy. Rarity

says she's not going to be there, though." Twilight explained.

"What?! Why not?" Dash said, seeming disappointed and a little hurt.

"She told me she'll be away that day. In a couple weeks, she'll be leaving on a business trip to Canterlot on

a fashion expose, to show off her new line. She says if all goes well, it could be her first big step towards

breaking out on a national level, turning her boutique into a chain, and putting herself on the map."

"Well, good for her I guess, sounds like she's doing well." Dash sighed a little. "At least you guys will be

there right?"

"No doubt!" Twilight assured her friend.

"Well then at least we've got that!" Dash smiled again, restocking her confidence. "I guess I might as well go

home and do something. Get some more training in, maybe." Dash turned to leave. "See ya later, Twilight!"

"Bye, Dash!"

The final days before the Pegalympic games crept by with agonizing slowness. Dash had never been so

impatient in her life. Just get it over with already! She kept saying to herself. Finally, it was just a

weekend away, and her lifelong wait was just about over. Suddenly something occurred to her, and she just about

punched herself when she realized she had looked over such a huge flaw in her planning: What was she going to

do with Maree? The other events had been different; she could bring Maree along, and give her to one of her

friends to take care of for the time they were there. The event would be over in an hour or two, and they'd go

home. But the Pegalympics was an all-day event. 36 racers would each take turns participating in the

preliminary precision, agility, and speed  events, and then the ponies with the 6 highest overall scores moved

onto the 4th and final event which combined all 3. The top 3 from that receive medals of bronze, silver and

gold. And her races weren't the only thing happening at the event too; it was also a major gathering places

for various up and coming multi-talents to showcase assorted musical and stunt focused performances, not to

mention Princess Celestia would probably give some huge speech, as she often did, which usually took FOREVER.

And so, she would need someone to watch Maree. She would need supervision, food, sleep, and to be changed

regularly. Now the question was, who would watch her?

Twilight, Fluttershy and Apple Jack had all already purchased tickets to the Games, and Rarity had

left about a week ago on her 'expose', which only left... Pinkie Pie. Dash groaned to herself just thinking

about leaving her in charge of this little girl. Dash knew of her past attempts at foalsitting, which were

often riddled with difficulty. She'd prefer any of her friends watching Maree over Pinkie. She briefly

considered actually traveling all the way to Canterlot to ask Rarity to do it, but of course that was silly;

she'd end up leaving Maree behind. Reluctantly, she traveled to Sugarcube Corner. She knocked on the front

door, and it was none other than Pinkie Pie who answered.

"Heya Dash! Whats up!" She greeted, beaming ear to ear.

"Hi, Pinkie, I just wanted to stop by and ask you something real quick, and then I'll get going." Dash

explained.

"Well, I'm listening! Go ahead!" Pinkie was her usual energetic self, though Dash had reason to believe she

might be a little extra hyped from a sugar rush.

"I just need to ask a favor of you.."

"Whatever it is I can do it! Anything for one of my bestest friends ever!"

Here we go, Dash thought. "Well, you know the Pegalympics are coming up, and I'm going to be in it.." Dash

started, but was interrupted by Pinkie.

"Oh yeah! I keep forgetting to get my ticket! I forget things like that all the time. Like this one time I

made a bunch of cupcakes and I forget where I left them and I looked throughout the whole house. I couldn't

just sniff them out like I sometimes do because they were so fresh the whole house still smelled like cupcakes

and I couldn't find them anywhere, and finally I found them under my bed! my BED, how did they get there? To

this day I swear I have no idea! Add there was this other time where I-"

"Pinkie, I'm not done." Dash interrupted.

"Oops, sorry! Go ahead, Dash, I'm listening now, 100%, you have my full and undivided attention. An explosion

couldn't draw my attention away from you, no siree, you are the one and only thing on my mind right now, no

more interruptions, I-"

"Pinkie."

Pinkie apologized again, and made a motion cross her lips, as though to 'zip' her mouth shut, allowing Dash to

finally talk.

"ANYWAY, because I'll be at the Games, I need someone to stay home and watch Maree, and you're the only one of

us who hasn't got a ticket, or an excuse." Dash finally finished explaining.

"Oh, I see.." There was a momentary sense of hesitation in Pinkie's voice, and Dash sprung on the chance.

"You don't have to of course, I wouldn't want you to miss out all because of me, especially since I'm probably

the reason you would have gone anyway. I can always ask someone else don't worry." Dash started to turn

around, but Pinkie called after her. Damn.

"Dash don't be silly, I'd love to watch little Maree!" Pinkie was beaming again.

"Oh, really?" Dash smiled insincerely.

"Yeah, it's fine really! After all, we all know you're going to win, it's not like I'll miss much, right?"

"Well, yeah, but I mean, I know you're not really to fond of foalsitting, and I know you've had... trouble, in

the past..." Pinkie just shook her head.

"Nope, not anymore! I've gotten really good at it! Mr. and Mrs. Cake have even recommended me to a few

people!" She chirped proudly.

I guess there's no way around it then, Dash thought to herself. "Well alright, if you're COMPLETELY sure this

is okay, I'll trust you with the job." Dash finally said with a sigh.

"Arlighty cool! I can't wait to hang out!" Pinkie giggled. Dash said goodbye and started on her way home. What

had she just let herself do?

Finally, the day arrived. The morning of the Pegalympics was like no other. The air was fresher,

sounds were clearer, and all of Rainbow Dash's senses were at their peek. She had never felt more ready for

something in her life. She had told Pinkie to meet her at her house at 8:30 for foalsitting duties, but she

hadn't given her an address, apparently assuming that Pinkie would remember where she had been just from the

dozens of times she had been over. Dash was mistaken. Pinkie didn't arrive until after 9:00, rambling on about

how she "had the right neighborhood, but couldn't remember which house Dash lived in" so she had to knock on

every door until she got it right. This did not bode well.

"Alright Pinkie, you've got to understand what I'm asking you to do." Dash began. "You have to realize that

Maree is not an ordinary filly. She's partially crippled, and can't walk yet. She's very frail, and you can

hurt her very easily. She needs to be fed and changed regularly, and a lot of what she'll do is just sleep, so

not much will be going on. Don't ever wake her, and don't try to get her to do something she can't do. Don't

ignore her either. She needs to be watched at all times. In terms of magic, I don't know. I've never seen her

use magic before, but as an Alicorn, she is inherently capable of it, and at her age I don't know what to

expect." Pinkie was surprisingly quiet and patient about hearing all this, which fascinated Dash so much that

she paused merely to admire the sight of Pinkie actually sitting still and listening before continuing. "In

short, be careful, and try not to be all hyper and spazzy."

"Roger! I'll be the best foalsitter in Ponyville! In Equestria!" Pinkie declared.

"I don't need the best, I just need one who'll listen to instructions carefully." Dash asserted.

"We'll be fine, Dash! Really, trust me!" And with no other choice but to do just that, and with time quickly

starting to run out, Dash finally set off on her way. She had a long flight ahead of her, and she had to make

up up some time if she was going to make it.

The Pegalympic Games were held every 2 years in Equestria. The whole spectacle took place in enormous

arena just outside Canterlot, and was unique amongst flying contests in that it was not hosted in Cloudsdale,

and therefore took place very near to the ground. The difference in altitude was often underestimated by some;

the difference in air pressure threw off some people's game. That was part of what gave Rainbow an advantage

in this particular match, since she typically trained at low altitude. Most ponies were always told to

practice for low altitude contests at low altitudes, and to train for high altitude contests at high altitude,

but Rainbow Dash was so well versed now that her body adjusted rapidly enough prepare herself for any race she

was pitted against. And now, it was time for the ultimate test of her abilities.

Dash finally arrived at 11:37am, just 23 minutes before the opening ceremony. She didn't have much

time for warm ups, but at least she was there. Dash, along with the other athletes, were all called into the

stadium at 11:55, and lined up for the whole crowd to see. The arena was enormous, and it seemed like it

could fit half the population of Equestria. From where Dash stood, she couldn't possibly make out any faces in

the crowd. Still, she searched it carefully, to see if anyone stood out to her. She spotted Twilight and the

gang, who were cheering energetically for her, except Fluttershy, who just clapped politely. There was no sign

of The White Maned Mare.

Dash sized up her competition. Out of the 36 ponies present, she was among the smallest; that gave her

a physiological edge, because she used less energy moving her body, and would have an edge in the agility and

precision flying courses. The sprint would be the real challenge. She saw that some ponies were actually quite

large and very lean for their size; they'd be her biggest threat in the sprint. One pony wore a blue mask that

covered his whole head, except for his mane, which Dash found very strange. She thought he looked a little

goofy, because the mask was shaped on top to have a sort of "battle-axe" shaped mane design, but Dash doubted

that's what his mane really looked like. She realized that Celestia had been talking for a little while now,

and focused her mind back on the speech.

"And so, noble pegasi, I wish you all good luck, and may only the finest in Equestria win in this clash of the

titans!" She was already finished, apparently. That was good; she usually took longer than that. The sooner

the better, she figured.

The event now officially under way, the first 6 pony racing cell lined up on the course. The masked

pony, was in this cell; Paragon was his name, according to the announcer; and Dash decided to pay attention to

this round. She wanted to see what kind of racer he was, he had to be either really good or really bad to want

to wear such ridiculous headgear to an event like this. They were starting with the sprint races.

Celestia was on the scene, who was in charge of starting up the race. She raised her horn, which began to

glow. "Racers, on your mark..." Each pony ducked down, getting on position. "Get set...." She paused slightly

for suspense. "BEGIN!" She discharged a beam of light, signaling the start. The first thing that Dash realized

about this mysterious Paragon character was his wings; average as they seemed as his size, each one was nearly

the size of his entire body when full extended, and he was not a small pony by any means. With their aid, he

was able to achieve enormous speeds, and plowed his was through the competition, taking first place by an

unsettling margin. Dash was, admittedly, very impressed.

Her racing cell was up next, and as Paragon passed, Dash wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what

to say, and inevitably said nothing as he passed by. She silently walked out onto the track and took her

position. She was assigned to lane 4. Alright, this is the hard part. Get passed this and you're in the clear.

As Celestia started the count-down, she could hear per pulse going up. For a moment, she came to a dreamlike

realization that she was really here; she was really doing this. Then the beam went off, signaling her start.

She took off at top speed, expecting to tear open an enormous gap between her and her competition. She

discovered instead, much to her surprise, that the other pegasi kept up pretty closely for over half the track,

and she only took a clear lead near the end. She figured she must of had a better set of flyers than Paragon.

The remaining cells went, each with their own respective winner. Dash couldn't help but look at

Paragon, who seemed to observe the races with an unimpressed, uninterested, and slightly disdainful look on

his face, like he was too good for this and wished to be elsewhere. When the finals inevitably rolled around,

they were assigned positions next to each other; Paragon in lane 3, and Dash in lane 2. Dash looked him over

hard, sizing him up. He was a remarkably tall and muscular pegasus, at least as tall as Celestia. He was twice

Dash's size and more than twice her weight. His wings ran the length of his body, and, as she had seen,

matched him sheer size. She'd never seen wings quite like that before. He smirked occasionally, showing off a

flawless white set of teeth. His eyes were bronze; his coat was gold. Some ponies might have found him quite

handsome. From the moment he first spoke, Rainbow Dash knew she hated him.

"Tell me how my dust tastes when you eat it." He said to Dash, his sheer arrogance nearly strangling Dash with

each syllable. "I ask all my opponent's to do so, but they're often so far behind I can't hear them." He

chuckled to himself, not looking at Dash once the whole time he spoke.

"Break a leg." Dash replied flatly, returning his lack of eye contact. "While you're at it, break the other

ones too." Paragon chuckled again, but made no reply.

The racers took their positions. Dash wanted to win more than ever now, just to rub Paragon's face in

it. He needed to be put in his place. When Celestia started the race, she lost herself for a moment in the

monumental effort she put into going as fast as she possibly could. Paragon, immediately to her right, took

off, and with a single mighty wing beat of his gargantuan wings, he overtook Dash. This only spurred Dash on

more, who flapped her wings as fast as she could, but it was no use. Each of Paragon's flaps was as good as 5

of Dash's, and she just couldn't flap 6 times for each of his. It just wasn't possible. Hr ended up winning

the race, leaving Dash in a close but definitive second place. discouraged and dejected, Dash looks up at an

electronic score board that displayed the racers' finish times. She completed the track in 4.1 seconds, a new

personal best for her. Not even her very best was enough to beat him.

Can Dash pull a victory from behind/ Will she accomplish what has set out to do? And just who is this mysterious pony, Paragon?

Also, apologies for taking so long. I spent literally days, and hours each day writing this. It was originally going to be much longer, but I decided that the chapter had become too long, and I decided to split it just to get SOMETHING up. Chapter 5, as a result of being half done now anyway, will go up on the weekend in just a couple days.