Author's Note

Another chapter, yay! Two in one day is pretty darn good for me. I'm very proud of this, honestly, and I really enjoyed writing it.

The song Spitfire is intended to sing in this chapter is "Golden Slumbers". It was originally done by The Beatles but I prefer the Jennifer Hudson version. It's also where the chapter titles came from.

Special thanks to Josh for his ideas on this. You rock. But you know that. Have a Derpy.

Enjoy the chapter, folks!

And I Will Sing A Lullaby

Rainbow opened her eyes to brilliant white light. Her vision blurred, then cleared enough for her to see that she was looking at fluorescent lights. Then, the pain in her head registered with her, and she let out a whine. She shut her eyes briefly, then opened them. Where was she? The bleating in her head was constant, and wouldn’t be turned off. She tried to turn her head, but it hurt. Suddenly, a hoof stopped her.

“Easy there.” Said a voice. Rainbow looked to the side to see Spitfire sitting there. But… This wasn’t Spitfire. This was Mama. The way she looked at her… There was no doubt in Rainbow’s mind. This was Mama.

“Mama?” Her voice was weak, raspy, but it was enough for Spitfire to hear. The usually hard-flanked instructor gave her a soft smile.

“Shhh, Baby Bolt. It’s okay.” She said. Rainbow seemed to relax marginally.

“Huwts.” She moaned.

“I know.” It was gentle, like spring rain. “The doctor will give you something to make it go away.”

“‘Kay.” She moved a little, and realized something. “Mama, I wet.” She said. She hadn’t realized it immediately because she had been so still and so used to it, but now that she moved, she noticed.

“Okay. Let’s get you changed.” She said. She pulled out the diaper bag and got out the supplies. She was about to close up the bag when she heard suckling sounds. She knew enough to know that that meant Rainbow was sucking her hoof. She pulled the pacifier out, and put it in her lap for a second. She gently pulled Rainbow’s hoof from her mouth.

“That’s yucky. Try a pacifier.” She said. She popped it into Rainbow Dash’s mouth, and she eagerly accepted it. With that done, Spitfire began the change. She pulled back the covers to see the diaper tinted yellow. She undid the tapes and balled it up, throwing it in the trash. She wiped Rainbow clean and slid a fresh diaper underneath her. She put the powder on, and taped it up. Easy as pie. “All done.” She said. Though a niggling voice inside of her head said that she forgot something. Then, she realized what it was. Rash cream. Aw, buck. She thought. She’d have to get that some other time. And as long as she was vigilant about changing Rainbow, she’d be fine.

“Tanks, Mama.” She said. Spitfire smiled at her.

“You’re welcome, little one.”

A growl interrupted them. Rainbow looked down at her stomach. Then she looked up. “Mama, I hungwy.”

“Okay. Mama will get you something to eat.” She said. She looked at the door, then back at Rainbow. “You need to take the Paci out until I come back, okay? I don’t want anypony to see.”

“‘Kay, Mama.” She said. She took it out and hid it underneath the covers. Spitfire nodded approvingly.

“I’ll be right back, okay?” She asked.

Rainbow nodded. She didn’t like being left alone, but she would put up with it for food. Spitfire left, and Rainbow distracted herself by looking out the window to the clouds and trying to see shapes in them.

Spitfire returned a few minutes later, food in hand, and a doctor in tow. The doctor checked Rainbow over, and gave her some pain medication intravenously, and then left her be. Spitfire pulled the top of the tray off to reveal some broccoli, carrots, and corn. There was also some applesauce, and a glass of milk. Spitfire transferred the milk from it’s glass to a bottle, and then mashed up the vegetables for her. Rainbow sat up, and Spitfire started to feed her. She quickly finished her food, and Spitfire tried to hand her the bottle of milk, but Rainbow shook her head.

“You don’t want it?” Spitfire asked, confused. Again, Rainbow shook her head. She put one hoof on top of Spitfire’s and opened her mouth. Recognition flashed through Spitfire’s eyes, and she realized what Rainbow wanted. She stifled a sigh, and sat on the bed. Rainbow crawled into her lap and laid back. Spitfire grunted a bit under the unfamiliar weight, but she didn’t mind it too much. She popped the bottle into Rainbow’s mouth, and watched as she began to suckle. Rainbow stared up into her Amber eyes with a look so trusting and content. It disarmed Spitfire completely, seeing that obvious affection and trust. She felt warmth in her chest, as she stared down into Rainbow’s cerise eyes. It wasn’t until this moment that she realized what being a Mama felt like. It was completeness.

“How are you feeling, Baby Bolt?” She asked. Rainbow hummed in response. She took that to mean that she was feeling better.

When Rainbow finished the bottle and burped, she snuggled into Spitfire’s lap. She looked up at her again.

“Mama sing?” She asked. Spitfire hesitated for a moment, then said,

“I’m not very good.”

“Pease?” She asked. Spitfire sighed.

“Alright.” She said. Her mind scrambled to find a song to sing to her. Finally, she figured one out. She took in a breath, then began to sing.

“Once, there was a way to get back homeward…”

Spitfire quickly got lost in the music, but the song was over quickly, and when she looked down again, Rainbow was asleep. She looked at her, smiling. This time, she could tell that the peace was real. Rainbow didn’t seem to be in any pain anymore. She contemplated moving Rainbow from her lap, but decided against it. She just didn’t seem to have the heart. So she pulled the blankets over Rainbow’s lower half, and continued to hum. She leaned back against the cool plaster of the back wall. She was finally content. Sighing, she shut her eyes, happy with the weight in her lap. She was going to just stay awake, but something about the warm weight in her lap, the coolness of the plaster, and the feel of the bed beneath her gently carried her off to sleep.