The World Beneath Her Wings

Chapters

Simple Complications
A Vital Plan
Raising Concerns
The Unexpected Guest
Getting Closer
Rainbow's Rescue
Shattered Destinies
A Stolen Chance
Anticipating the Past
Faux Rematch
Just a Little Longer
Ignorance
One Last Journey
A Weak Grasp
Worth the Wait
Preparing for the Future

Simple Complications

"You're nervous."

"What?" Rainbow Dash's voice echoed slightly through the hall of Ponyville's castle.

Rarity looked back as the two walked. "It's written all over your face. If you're not comfortable, we should go home."

"Babe, do you have any idea how long it took for me to decide? I'm not backing down from this now."

Rarity answered, "You left me wondering for several weeks, if I recall. I didn't think you had such a delay in you." She paused to smile. "As a matter of fact, I was starting to suspect that my dear wife had been replaced by a changeling."

"Uh-huh," her dear wife said. "And how long did it take for you to believe that I was serious after I said yes?"

Rarity's smile and footsteps both faltered for a moment before she resumed her confident walk. "That's not important now."

It was Rainbow's turn to smile. "If you say so, Rarity. But you're here, so I hope you're convinced, and we're going to ask Twilight." She swallowed. "And I'm not nervous. I just—I just need to think about what I'm gonna say."

Rarity stopped at the large door. "I'll ask her then, if you'd like."

"Thanks, babe."

With a flash of her horn, Rarity opened the door to the big map room. Inside, Twilight was busy doodling on some map or organizing her books or whatever it was she did in her spare time.

Twilight looked up at them. "Good morning," she said. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"There is, Twilight," Rarity answered, moving inside. "Rainbow and I have something of a magical conundrum, which I believe your expertise—"

"I wanna put a foal in Rarity," Rainbow blurted out.

Silence filled the room. Seconds later it was broken by the sound of several books hitting the floor. Rainbow looked over to see Spike halfway up a ladder, staring at her.

Twilight glanced over. "Oh, don't worry about him; Spike already knows the reproductive cycles of every intelligent species in the world."

Climbing down, Spike replied, "That doesn't mean I want to hear about it again." He walked out of the room.

Twilight turned back to the couple. "He'll be fine. But I didn't expect you two to want a child."

"Well," Rarity started, "you see, it had been on my mind for quite a while before I decided to ask Rainbow. But I believe that we are ready to start a family."

"And for the record," Rainbow added, "I said yes right away. I'm totally down with a foal."

Tilting her head, Twilight looked at Rainbow. "It's just you've never struck me as the kind of pony who'd want to settle down. Are you sure you're ready to be a parent?"

"Not this again," Rainbow muttered under her breath. "Twilight, I've seen you playing with Flurry Heart. You love being around her. And, like, my foal is going to be half me. And—" She motioned to Rarity. "—it's going to be half her. The two of us mixed together is going to make the most awesome, pretty, all-around incredible pony ever. If you think about it, us having a kid is doing a service to Equestria. You should be grateful."

She noticed that eye roll that Rarity gave.

"Rainbow," Twilight answered, "being Flurry's aunt isn't the same as being her mother. I enjoy Flurry's company, but I'm never having a foal of my own. Ever. I know what's involved in raising a child, and I don't want to. I'm not going to call anypony wrong for wanting a foal, but you need to be aware of the responsibilities."

Rainbow scowled. "I know! I know it's going to be a ton of work! I know Rarity and I are going to be run ragged! I. Don't. Care. I want a foal."

"It doesn't sound like you've put enough thought into this," Twilight replied.

Rainbow took off and hoved just in front of Twilight's face. "I have put more thought into this than anything else in my life. I am having a foal, and you are helping me."

A blue aura wrapped itself around Rainbow and she found herself moving backwards.

"What Rainbow Dash means to say," Rarity said, "is that we would like your help in conceiving it, as the, ah, standard method is obviously not available to us. We are well aware of the challenges we face, and are willing to tackle them. Please, Twilight." She set Rainbow down next to her.

Twilight looked at Rainbow. "I'm just not sure—"

Rainbow opened her mouth. Without looking, Rarity magically closed it again.

Stepping forward, Rarity said, "Rest assured that if we were capable of doing this ourselves, we would not be having this conversation right now. We have discussed this at length, and I believe her when she says she is ready. And so I am asking you as a friend to help us start our family."

After a pause, Twilight finally said, "Of course. You know each other better than anypony else. I'm sorry."

Rainbow finally let herself relax.

"Unfortunately," Twilight continued, "there's one major issue."

Rarity's head tilted. "What kind of issue?"

"It's not typically covered in sex education. In animal breeding, it's common to magically combine the genetic material of two creatures into an egg to produce offspring. But a pony works differently. The pony is the most magical biological creature known. As a result, an embryonic pony is extremely sensitive to magical interference. Any magic at all other than its own would likely kill it."

Twilight motioned to Rarity's hips. "As a mare, your uterus is the most powerful anti-magical shield known to ponykind. Any spell powerful enough to penetrate it would undoubtedly kill you in the process."

Rarity looked down, confusion crossing her face. "That doesn't sound right."

"Yeah!" Rainbow added. "I know two mares can make a foal. Like Roseluck." Rainbow turned to Rarity. "Roseluck's a magic baby, isn't she?"

"I don't know," Rarity replied. "I don't ask ponies about the circumstances of their conception." She looked at Rainbow. "Really, what would you say if somepony asked how you were made?"

"I'd point them to Mom and Dad." She looked away and scowled. "They took pictures."

Twilight cleared her throat. "Rarity's right. There is one known method. By surgically removing some eggs from each of you, they can be magically combined into one to be implanted into Rarity's uterus. But surgery always has its risks, and there's a slight chance it might render one or both of you infertile."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "But you said you can't magic it like that."

Looking down, Twilight said, "That's true. The procedure does expose the zygote to a substantial amount of magic, no matter how much care is taken. The odds of success are... low."

Low success. Rainbow suspected that was a euphemism for something more unpleasant. Her eyes went to the floor, looking left and right to whatever books and paperwork had been scattered there as if the answer would be among them. Endless conversations with Rarity replayed in her mind.

Other ponies had been brave enough to go through with it. Rainbow could not imagine how many low-success foals they had tried to have. She could not imagine being that brave.

She looked to Rarity, who also seemed lost in thought. Her eyes were closed and her ears were low. Creases were drawn on her face and her jaw was ever so slightly clenched. A sharp intake of breath accompanied Rarity's eyes opening.

She turned to Rainbow. "I think... perhaps... I do not want a foal after all."

Rainbow did not want a foal, either.

She moved to Rarity's side and put her wing across her back. "I'm sorry, Rarity. We can talk about it at home, all right?"

They had made it several steps before Rainbow heard the shuffling of scrolls behind her.

"Wait!" Twilight called.

The couple turned around.

A dozen scrolls floated in Twilight's magic. "There's another way. It's highly experimental, and I'm not sure it'll work. I've only read about it in journals from Canterlot."

Rainbow let her wing slide off of Rarity and walked back to Twilight. "How experimental are we talking here?"

Glancing from scroll to scroll, Twilight answered, "You'd be the third attempt."

Rarity joined them. "How did the first two go?"

Still busy reading, Twilight said, "I'm not sure... here it is! The first couple gave birth to a healthy filly about two months ago. "There was a second one..." She dropped one scroll and picked up another. "Here. There have been multiple attempts, but they haven't been able to conceive, and they're still trying to figure out why."

Thinking, Rainbow said, "So our odds are fifty-fifty."

Twilight looked up. "Two is not a statistically significant sample. The odds of success and potential side effects are all unknown. You'd be another part of the experiment."

Rainbow looked at the mess of scrolls. "And what exactly is involved in this 'experiment'?"

"Well." Twilight levitated a scroll in front of her. "One mare would cast a spell to project her genes into the egg of the other, through the same path into her fallopian tube that, uh, that a stallion would use."

"Oh." Rarity blinked. "That doesn't sound too bad," she said.

"Uh, newsflash?" Rainbow pointed at her own head. "I can't cast spells."

Rarity and Twilight looked between Rainbow and each other in silence.

"What?" Rainbow asked.

Her gaze slowly shifted to Rarity. Specifically, to her forehead.

"...It would work," Rarity said, turning to Twilight. "Wouldn't it?"

Rainbow stood still in shock. She'd nearly forgotten that she had a womb in the first place.

Twilight kept talking to Rarity. "I could research the spell, teach it to you, you would use it, and Rainbow would carry the foal."

"I... suppose we could, if the choice is between Rainbow carrying the foal or nopony at all."

"We'd have to time Rainbow's ovulation cycle, of course, but we can work that out while you practice."

"Of course, that makes sense."

"I understand that it's a very complicated spell, so it'll take a lot of work to perfect."

"I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

"Then in that case, I'll write to the researchers in Canterlot and—"

Rainbow leapt into the air. "Wait!" she shouted. Hovering in front of the two, she looked between them. "Don't I get a say in this?"

Rarity looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry, dearie. I assumed you would be okay with carrying the foal since I... cannot, it seems. Do you need more time to decide?"

Landing, Rainbow started, "I think—" She glanced at Twilight, then turned around and pulled Rarity aside. "It's just... everything we've talked about. You were going to carry it, and let's face it, it wouldn't slow you down one bit. You'd still be your graceful, creative self, making those nice dresses just the same no matter how big the foal got in you.

"But now I'm going to be the one to do it? Either I have our kid or it'll never exist? I can't even imagine my body being pregnant like that. I think..."

Rarity waited patiently. Rainbow closed her eyes. The decision would take several seconds or it would take several weeks. There was no in between. There would be a foal or there would not be a foal.

She opened her eyes.

"I'll do it."

A Vital Plan

Rainbow Dash paced back and forth in front of the door, trying to come up with what to say once she walked through it. For the time being, the only sounds she made were her hooves on the carpeting.

"Flatfoot, if this is about that cat again," a voice called from inside the office, "I don't care how much he wants to roam. He needs to stay on his leash!"

A moment later, the door opened to reveal Captain Spitfire. "Crash. I wasn't expecting you." She took a few steps backwards. "Come in." Rainbow followed her into the room.

Spitfire took a seat at her desk. "What's on your mind?"

Taking a breath through her nose, Rainbow mentally chastised herself. She was acting like some nervous school-filly, not a Wonderbolt or a parent-to-be. "Captain, my wife and I are planning on having a foal."

"I hope it goes well, then." There was a brief silence as Spitfire watched Rainbow's face. "However?"

"When I said that we were going to have a foal, I meant that I was going to have the foal." Rainbow tried her best not to look as nervous as she felt.

Spitfire's eyebrows went up. "You're the last mare I ever expected to hear that from. And you want to know how that'll affect your place in the team." It wasn't a question.

Rainbow nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

Standing up, Spitfire walked over to a filing cabinet in the corner of the room. "You wouldn't be the first mother the Wonderbolts have had." She retrieved some papers and returned them to her desk.

"You'll be able to perform as normal during your first trimester, but on your second, you'll be limited to low-intensity maneuvers only, and benched completely for your third." She looked Rainbow in the eyes. "After your foal is born, six months mandatory maternity leave." Her eyes narrowed. "Or longer if I feel it's for your or the child's benefit. Such as if you put more effort into returning to the Wonderbolts than you do caring for your son or daughter."

Rainbow forced a grin. "Yup, a hundred percent into the foal, got it." She cleared her throat. "Is that all, ma'am?"

"Yes, you're dismissed."

Rainbow turned to leave.

"One more thing, Crash. As a new aunt: good luck. You'll need it." A smile appeared on Spitfire's lips.

Rainbow's smile was more genuine this time. "Oh, don't worry about that. Rarity's got the hard part."

A chuckle followed Rainbow out of the room.

The tips of Rainbow's feathers vibrated in the airstream as she glided towards Ponyville. She couldn't understand what Spitfire found so amusing. Rarity was the one working her flank off every day for the past week and a half learning some super-complex unicorn spell. All Rainbow had to do was take some dumb survey every day about her body temperature and how much sex she wanted to have and gross body fluid stuff.

If anything, having to take all that time off from the Wonderbolts was going to be the worst part. She didn't understand that either. Rainbow had seen pregnant ponies flying in Cloudsdale. She wondered if it would be the different weight distribution that would throw her maneuvering off, but assumed it would happen slowly enough to get used to.

She flapped her wings a few times to build some speed back up. Maybe Spitfire meant the challenges of parenthood in general. Rainbow knew it would be hard, but she would have Rarity there to help her. Rarity was going to be a great mom.

Rainbow smiled at the thought as Twilight's castle loomed in the late afternoon sun. She let her speed bleed off over it, then dropped into a dive. A flick of her wings pulled up just in time to go through an open window and into one of the back rooms.

Within were Rarity, Twilight, and Starlight, as well as enough scrolls and pages to papercut a yak to death. The centerpiece of the room was the same it had been the past few weeks: a remarkably accurate model of a mare's backside. Or one of a mare who really liked embedding magic sensors into her flank or whatever Starlight had said those crystal things were. Something about making sure Rarity was doing it right.

Rainbow's hooves hit a patch of empty floor, and she flicked her mane with its usual flourish. Rarity always liked it when she did that. "Hey, girls," Rainbow said to the room, but mostly to Rarity, "how are things going?"

"I think I have it figured out," Rarity answered. "This is easily the most complicated spell I've ever had to cast, but Twilight and Starlight have been excellent teachers."

"And just in time!" Twilight rushed over, a stack of papers in her magical grip. "I'm certain that you ovulated sometime this morning! Your egg can only survive about a day in your fallopian tube, so Rarity needs to fertilize it immediately if you want to conceive this month."

A stare answered Twilight's enthusiasm. "Only you can make sex sound boring." Rainbow blinked. "Wait, it needs to happen now?"

"As soon as possible." Starlight stepped forward.

Rainbow's tail lowered a little. "Can... can I get a snack first? Y-you don't have to watch, do you?"

"I would certainly hope not!" Rarity answered, her cheeks taking on a slight tinge.

Redness appeared for a second on Twilight's cheeks before she shook her head. "O-of course you can cast the spell in the privacy of your home, as long as you do it soon."

Rarity walked to Rainbow's side. "Let's get something to eat, dearie. It'll be an early dinner."

Leading the way out the door, Rainbow asked, "How about we hit the Hayburger before making some magic happen?"

Catching up to her side, Rarity said, "Are we really going to have our meal before conceiving our foal be at the Hayburger?"

Rainbow laid her wing across her wife's back. "I won't tell if you don't."

Rarity giggled. "That's why I love you, Rainbow."

Rainbow prodded at her half-eaten burger with her hoof. Next to it, a few straggling fries remained on the bright red tray.

"Dearie," Rarity said, "are you feeling okay? You've usually finished that and your seconds by now."

Returning her hoof to the floor, Rainbow answered, "I'm just really nervous, you know. There's an egg in my tube and after this we're going to go home and you're going to put your horn in my—"

Rarity cleared her throat and gestured to the next table. A few feet away, a few young foals were busy enjoying their meal.

"Oh. Right." Rainbow glanced between the children before looking back to her wife. "Once we're done here, you're uh, going to cast uh, a very special spell on me."

Rarity nibbled on a fry. "If I maim you, I promise I will feel much worse about it than you will."

After taking another bite of the burger, Rainbow said, "Thanks, babe. Appreciate it." She swallowed. "You haven't eaten much, either."

"I know." Rarity sighed. "I'm sitting across a table from the pony I love more than anything in the world trying to convince myself that she's going to be okay when I cast that very special and very powerful spell on her. I can't help but imagine all the horrible ways things might go wrong."

"You have a real knack for reassuring me, babe." Rainbow took a bite. Rarity flashed a smile in response.

Rarity thought for a moment, then looked Rainbow in the eyes. "There's no use fretting over it. We've both decided, haven't we? In fact—" Rarity's eyes became half-lidded and she leaned forward. Rainbow felt a tail brush up against the inside of her hind leg. "—once we finish our meal, I can give you your favorite performance."

Rainbow shoved the rest of the burger in her mouth.

The next morning, Rainbow hovered alongside Rarity as she walked through the halls of the castle.

Looking up, Rarity asked, "Dearie, are you still upset about yesterday?"

"Yes," came the reply with a snort.

"It couldn't have been that bad."

"You heard it too. I know you heard it too." Rainbow's cheek twitched.

"And I know it wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be." Reaching the door, Rarity's magic pulled it open.

Inside, Twilight looked up from the scrolls next to the mare-rump model. "How did it go?" With a snap, she teleported across the room, appearing just in front of the couple. "Did you cast the spell?"

Rarity took a step backwards. "I would describe it, but I believe Rainbow is dying to tell you instead."

Twilight looked up at her. "Oh, of course. How was it, Rainbow?"

After a second to collect her thoughts, Rainbow started, "Well, it was real nice at first. Rarity started by doing that thing I really like where she runs her tongue down that little groove between my leg and my—"

Rarity cleared her throat. From the volume, Rainbow suspected that she'd cleared her entire body. "Twilight does not need to know the details of our foreplay! She means the spell!"

"Oh, right." Rainbow rubbed one hind leg against the other. "Well, Rarity, uh..." She glanced at her wife, trying to gauge the amount of detail she was allowed to go into. "First she put this big pointy crystal on the end of her horn. I asked what it was for and she said her horn had to be made longer to reach which I didn't quite get. And then she used the crystal thing and cast the spell and it hurt. Really bad."

"It hurt?" Twilight tilted her head.

"Yes! It felt like she set my womb on fire!" Rainbow waved her forelegs for added effect. "I'm pretty sure I felt my egg explode!"

Rarity rolled her eyes.

"Now I'm not saying I will give birth to a dragon, but—"

"Twilight." Rarity turned to Twilight with heavier hoofsteps than she needed. "I cast the spell just as I practiced. Do you think there's a chance I made a mistake?"

Twilight scratched her chin. "It was a very powerful spell cast directly into Rainbow's internal organs. Some discomfort is to be expected."

"Discomfort?" Rainbow tried to interject. "There's a reason I'm not walking."

A glow on Rarity's horn accompanied a sharp downward tug on Rainbow's hooves and a return to solid ground. Rarity continued talking to Twilight, "I'll show you what I did." She walked towards the model, past an ominous black crystal.

"Do it to Twilight," Rainbow suggested. "Show her how it feels."

Levitating the crystal to her horn, Rarity approached the dummy. She then did to it what she had done to Rainbow the night before. When she cast the spell, there was a bright flash of light and a very loud pop. The magic sensor things all lit up.

"Ugh, it's even worse from this angle." Rainbow's tail dropped another inch.

Twilight inspected the results. "It looks like you cast it properly, so assuming that she indeed ovulated yesterday, then she should be pregnant now."

"I'd better be after that," Rainbow grumbled.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity spun around towards Rainbow, who backed up a step. "You have done nothing but complain all morning! I understand that it wasn't pleasant for you, but if this is your attitude towards bringing a new life into the world, then you need to adjust it!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide. "Yup. Got it. Good job last night, Rarity. Awesome spell you did. Not even sore anymore. Looking forward to having our kid."

With a smile, Rarity replied, "Better. Come to think of it, Twilight, is there anything else we should do?"

"Please don't say try it again," Rainbow whimpered.

"Oh no, dearie," Rarity said. "Twilight and Starlight were very adamant that it can only be attempted once per ovulation. Casting it on a fertilized egg would surely kill it."

"Yeah, don't want to do that." Rainbow glanced at Rarity, then looked to Twilight. "So like she said: what do we do now?"

With a smile, Twilight answered, "We wait. In about three months, a pregnancy test will tell if it worked."

"Three months?" Rainbow's foreleg reached her face. "I'm not going to last three months!"

"You're going to have to last eleven, dearie," Rarity told her before bending down towards her belly. "Just imagine, there might be a little filly or colt growing inside you right now!"

"It'll be a filly," Twilight said, "since you're both mares."

Both Rainbow and Rarity stared at Twilight. "Way to ruin it," Rainbow said.

"We were hoping to keep it a surprise," Rarity added. "At least do us the favor of not telling us its—I mean, her race."

Twilight turned red. "Sorry, I mean, there's no way of knowing for certain what race she'll be, though I have worked out the chances of each."

"What are the odds it's an alicorn?" Rainbow grinned.

"Don't hold your breath."

Rainbow returned a hmph, then turned to her wife. "Wanna get something to eat? I haven't had breakfast and I think I can sit down again now."

The setting sun illuminated the view over Ponyville for the couple sitting atop the hill. Rainbow's wing held Rarity close to her side while Rarity leaned her head in.

"Sorry about this morning," Rainbow said. "I know this whole thing is really important."

"No, I should apologize instead. I was so wrapped up in learning the spell in time, that I didn't even consider what it would do to you." Rarity laid her head down and closed her eyes. "Besides what it was meant to."

Rainbow swallowed. "My throat's still a bit sore from last night."

"You did scream quite loudly after I cast it."

Looking down at Rarity's horn, Rainbow said, "I still think you should have cast it on Twilight."

Rarity's chest moved as she laughed. "I'd rather not find out three months from now that she's carrying my foal, too. Don't tell her that I was tempted to. She has some responsibility in not telling me I'd hurt you. Even if you were overly dramatic about it."

With a scoff, Rainbow said, "Hey, it did hurt. Breaking my wing that one time didn't hurt like that. 'Hey Rainbow, how's it feel to conceive a foal?' 'Searing pain across the stomach, raging inferno of a womb, you know, the usual.' Oh geez I'm doing it again. Sorry."

Rarity wiggled her body. "You're easy to forgive when I'm under your wing."

"In that case,"—Rainbow held her head up—"I ate the last donut this afternoon."

Jerking her head upright, Rarity replied, "What? I thought Sweetie Belle ate it! I yelled at her for lying, then again for accusing you! How did you even get in and out of the kitchen without me noticing?"

Rainbow flapped her free wing. "Fastest pony in Equestria. You turned your back."

Rarity lowered her head and groaned. "I'm going to have to make it up to her tomorrow."

With a squeeze of her wing to test Rarity's theory, Rainbow said, "Sorry." She only got a sigh in response.

Smiling, Rainbow added, "I took a donut and let a filly take the fall. We are going to be the best parents ever."

"I can only hope that I can save her from your mothering." Rarity laid a hoof across Rainbow's.

"I was planning on being the dad. Playing catch and stuff. Teaching it to fly if it's a pegasus. Or doing magic stuff with you if it's a unicorn. Planting things if it's an earth pony?" She looked down at Rarity. "Do you think it'll be an earth pony? I mean, I'm all pegasus, but don't you have some earth in your family?"

Rarity's hoof squeezed Rainbow's. "I think we're going to love her no matter what she is." Rainbow felt a hind leg brush against her belly. "And she's in your womb. You're going to be Mom."

The sun dipped below the horizon.

Rainbow's sides twitched at the thought of what was between them. "I'm going to tell her to call me Dad and you're going to tell her to call me Mom. Best parents ever."

Raising Concerns

Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches in the bathroom, blankly staring at the counter. Her mind was filled with questions of what to say, how to say it, what to do, what would happen next.

Twilight had been very specific: if the test wasn't positive by a certain date, it wasn't going to happen. The day had come and the last tester was there on the counter. Rainbow closed her eyes and sighed. Rarity was in the other room, waiting for the news.

The autumn sun peeking through the window did nothing to counteract the morning chill in the small room. The cold tile floor pressed against Rainbow's rump finally became uncomfortable, prompting her to stand. Delays never suited her, and there was only one thing that could really be done. She opened the door and walked out.

Rainbow's head hung low and her wings drooped by her sides. She didn't have to look at Rarity to know her reaction.

"Oh, no." Rainbow saw pristine white hooves on the carpeting.

"I-I'm sorry," she choked out.

"No no." Rarity's forelegs wrapped themselves around Rainbow's neck. "I must have messed up the spell, or perhaps Twilight mistimed your cycle. Athletes can be irregular—not that I'm blaming you or—"

"Ssh, it's okay, babe." Rainbow returned the hug.

"I'll brush up on the spell to make sure I do it right this time. We'll try again." Rarity got that determined tone in her voice that Rainbow always liked hearing.

Rainbow's own voice remained glum. "No. We can't."

"Y-you've changed your mind about carrying it? I understand. We'll..." Rarity's hoof stroked Rainbow's neck. She could hear the forced smile. "We'll think of something."

"No we won't." Rainbow tilted her head up and whispered into Rarity's ear, "I'm pregnant."

Rarity's gasp could have rivaled Pinkie Pie on a good day. "What?" she breathed.

Rainbow jumped back, landing with a wide stance and wings unfurled. "I'M PREGNANT!" she shouted.

The wide-eyed expression on Rarity's face was soon replaced with one of unabashed glee. Closed eyes accompanied a giant smile on a pony giggling like a filly and prancing around the room. Rainbow couldn't help bouncing a little in place herself. She loved when Rarity got that way.

Rarity concluded her dancing with a hug around Rainbow's neck and several kisses along it. "The whole time I was away all I could think about was whether it would happen, but thank Celestia it did once I got home."

After a moment of hesitation and a glance to the side, Rainbow replied, "Actually, I found out on Wednesday."

"Wednesday?" Rarity let go and stuck herself in Rainbow's face. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Rainbow took a step backwards. "You were off in Manehattan with your fashion seminar, you know."

"You could have written!" Rarity stepped forward.

"Written? You know how the mail is between here and there. I didn't think it'd make it in time." Rainbow stepped back.

"You should have at least tried instead of keeping this a secret from me!"

"Sec—" Eyebrows lowering a little, Rainbow interrupted herself. "What do you want me to do, write the letter now?"

With a scoff, Rarity spun around, hitting Rainbow's shoulder with her hip as she turned. Caught off-guard, Rainbow toppled over, landing on her side with an "Ow!" She winced and looked up to see Rarity glaring down at her. Rarity snorted.

"And uh..." Rainbow swallowed, only half-certain that she wasn't about to be stepped on. "I thought it would be more romantic if I told you face to face instead of through a piece of paper? Because I love you and want to be with you during really big moments like these?" She tried to smile.

Rarity's face relaxed and she backed away. "Get up, dearie."

Slowly, Rainbow got to her feet. She rubbed her flank where her hip had hit the floor. "Geez, that smarts." A few shakes of her wing helped work its soreness out.

Eyes wide again, Rarity gasped. "You're pregnant!"

"Uh..." Rainbow wasn't sure what response wouldn't return her to the ground.

Rarity rushed to Rainbow's side. "Are you okay? Is the foal okay?" Pointing her hoof at a nearby couch, Rarity commanded, "Go lay down."

Afraid to argue any more, Rainbow obeyed, tucking her legs under herself.

Rarity followed her, kneeling at Rainbow's side. "I never realized how fragile it must be. If I did something to hurt it, I'll never forgive myself!"

Patting her side, Rainbow said, "Rarity, babe, most of this is still me. I'm sure it's fine. I mean, it's like, this big in there." She put her forehooves a short distance apart from each other. She had no idea how big the foal was, but she was sure it was still pretty small. "There's a lot of me for padding."

Rarity's ears went back. "I suppose, but I feel just awful. Is there anything I can do to help?"

For a few seconds, Rainbow mentally searched for things she could ask for without upsetting Rarity again. Then something struck her. "Actually, I'd kill somepony for some zucchini right now."

"Hm?" Rarity's ears perked again. "Oh, yes, you're eating for two now. I suppose cravings are to be expected. I'll be right back with it." She trotted out of the room.

"I guess?" Rainbow called after her.

In the following silence, Rainbow lay on the couch, unsure if she was allowed to leave it yet. She rolled onto her side and gave her belly a few experimental prods. Nothing hurt except her hip bone, her wing, and a few of her ribs. Rainbow supposed that was a good sign. Crossing her forelegs, she set her head down with a sigh.

"And here I thought I was supposed to get the mood swings," she quietly said to herself. With a glance back at her body, she added, "Wasn't my fault I got knocked over. Hope she isn't too upset about it. The foal's gonna be fine." She paused. "Where's that zucchini?"

Her question was soon answered by her wife returning with a plate heaped with the sliced vegetable. Rainbow's head popped up and her mouth watered at the sight.

Hovering the plate to her, Rarity asked, "Is this enough? I didn't know how much you needed."

Rainbow chose to chow down as her answer, enjoying the juice flowing across her tongue.

Glancing between the culinary massacre and its perpetrator, Rarity asked, "Is there anything else that'll help? I can get a blanket if you're too cold, or open the window if you're too hot."

"Nah, I'm good," Rainbow answered through a full mouth.

A few bites later, Rarity asked, "Perhaps a pillow?"

"Rarity, I'm fine," Rainbow grumbled.

She soon finished the plate, and Rarity took it away, saying, "I'm only trying to make it up to you and the foal."

Looking over, Rainbow said, "You know this means I've been pregnant for the last three months. I get it, you're trying to help, but I can take care of myself just fine."

Rarity stepped forward. "If there's anything I can do—"

"Actually, I just got another craving." Rainbow rolled off of the couch and stood back on her hooves.

"Anything you need, dearie."

Rainbow stretched herself out. Working her wing joints through their full range, she said, "I'm craving some open air right about now."

Fidgeting a little, Rarity said, "Oh. Yes, of course."

Rainbow straightened herself up. "Hm? You need something?"

"No no, just... I'm awfully sorry."

After kissing Rarity's cheek, Rainbow opened the window. "It's fine. Love ya, babe."

She flew out and into the cool air, slowly at first. A few vigorous wingbeats launched her through the clouds. High above Ponyville, Rainbow rolled onto her back and let herself glide in wide arcs.

"I'm pregnant," she quietly told the sky. "Rarity was right. This is actually happening. I'm going to be a mother. Or a father, if Rarity's going to be the mom." She glanced at her belly, which was as flat as it had ever been. "Something like that."

Returning her attention to the sky, she added, "I still wish it was Rarity carrying it, though. Then she'd be the one scarfing down that zucchini." She chuckled at the mental image. "Which would make me... oh." She paused. "Dearie, can you get me more cucumber? Can you get me a blanket? Can you open a window? Can you file my horn? I'm too pregnant to do anything myself, you know."

A few lazy wing flaps brought Rainbow to a cloud. She let herself gently drop onto it, back-first. "I dodged a bullet there, didn't I?" She prodded her belly, feeling only the resistance of her abs. "If you're going to make Rarity wait on me nose and hoof, I sure don't mind. We're going to have a pretty easy pregnancy, aren't we?"

She sat up and stared into the distance. "Wait. Am I a 'we'?"

"Mares and stallions, colts and fillies, let's hear it one last time for the Wonderbolts!" The sound echoed below Rainbow. The cheers of the audience roared ahead of her. She and her wingmates flew low over the crowd and into the open sky, leaving the noise behind.

The Wonderbolts touched down just outside the locker room. Captain Spitfire walked out in front and nodded. "Great flying out there today, everypony. Go hit the showers."

Moments later, Rainbow was stuffing her uniform into the trunk she'd brought it in. Normally she'd fold it neatly, but it was going to be her turn to wash it when she got home.

She was the first out of her uniform and into the shower, turning the handle to wash the show's sweat away. As much as Rainbow Dash did things fast, running soothing hot water over an aching body was always worth taking slow. Before long, the entire rest of the team had joined her.

"Hey, Crash," Soarin said, walking up to her. "Nice moves today."

Taking a break from the warm water, Rainbow replied, "You too."

"Nah, I noticed all those flourishes you added. Special occasion? Or just felt like showing off to your wife?" He flicked his wet mane out of his face.

Rainbow smirked. "Sort of, but mostly I wanted to go out in style. Last center formation for a while, you know."

Eyebrows raising, he asked, "What?"

She turned to present her side to him. "Yup. Standard safety rules. Not allowed to take untrained flyers into risky formations." A pat on the flank by her wing accentuated the line.

"You're pregnant?"

Rainbow suddenly became keenly aware that all other conversation in the room had ceased. She felt a herd's worth of eyes on her. Only the sound of running water reached her ears.

"Uh, yeah." She glanced between her teammates. "I found out last week. I'm pregnant."

With speed and coordination only achievable by the Wonderbolts, the entire team converged on her. Rainbow instantly found herself bombarded with questions.

"When's it due?"

"Is it a filly or a colt?"

"Do you fly different now?"

"Is it going to be a pegasus?"

"Have you decided on a name?"

"Can I feel it?"

"My sister-in-law has a colt and he is just the cutest thing!"

Rainbow stood tall, hardly noticing the water running down her sides anymore. "Going to have this bundle of awesome in eight more months. We know it's going to be a filly." She briefly scowled and looked away. "Thanks, Twilight. Anyways, we're keeping her race a surprise, so we'll decide her name once she's born.

"As for this..." She extended one of her hind legs to show off her flank. "I don't feel any different. Rarity did this weird unicorn spell to make me pregnant, the test says I'm pregnant, so I'm pregnant. Though thinking about it—" The memories of several meals wafted across her consciousness. "—I've had a craving or two, I guess."

"All right, that's enough fawning." Captain Spitfire hovered above the crowd. "Finish your showers and pack up." Rainbow could have sworn that she had been part of the questioning crowd. "And Crash? Congratulations."

With a nod, Rainbow replied, "Thank you, ma'am."

Returning to her shower, she silently mused. First Rarity, then her team acted so differently all over a single word.

Rainbow strolled out of the locker room and into the hallway, luggage in tow. Just outside, she spotted Rarity, whose mane sat disheveled across her neck. Forgetting her suitcase, Rainbow shot to her side.

"Rarity? What's wrong? What happened?" She put her chin under Rarity's head.

"Oh, it's nothing much." A blue aura brought Rainbow's suitcase across the hallway. "I was just—" Rarity forced a smile. "—watching you perform out there."

After a pause, Rainbow asked, "And?"

Rarity moved away enough to look Rainbow in the eye. "I was thinking about your flying up there. How you were going so quickly past all those other ponies." She wrapped a bit of her mane around her hoof. "And how there was another pony, one who never asked to be up there, being part of all those dangerous stunts, too." She wound a few more strands up, further messing up her mane.

Sitting down, Rainbow replied, "Oh, is that what this is all about? I'm the best flyer in Equestria; the foal's going to be just fine."

"I know, I know." Rarity shook her head. "But then I close my eyes and I see you crashing or hitting your gut against a tree branch and then..." She trailed off.

Rainbow sat next to her. "Come on, when's the last time I had a nasty crash like that?" She draped her wing over Rarity's back. That always calmed her down.

Moving to meet the wing, Rarity answered, "Two months ago, during practice."

The wing stiffened. "Okay, first of all, that wasn't my fault. Misty was the one who flubbed the spin. I don't care what she says. Secondly, I'm three months along now, so I was pregnant then, and the foal's still fine."

"But what if it isn't? What if the next time's worse? I know you can take a crash, but she's just a baby." She felt a hoof against her stomach. "Not even a baby yet."

Rainbow sat in silence for a moment. "Hey." Leaning into Rarity, she said, "That was my last show in the middle anyways. I'm flying on the outside for the next, like, four months. After that I'll be stuck on my butt until she's born and I wait out that dumb maternity leave stuff."

"Hmm." She could feel the vibration of Rarity's body against hers. "Are those the ones that fly distressingly low over the buildings and the audience?"

With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow said, "I can fly in a straight line, babe." She stood up and shook out her wings. "Tell you what, if I start going down, I'll try to land on my hard head." Rainbow leaned down and tapped her temple for effect.

Rarity snorted. "Breaking your neck won't do the foal any favors, either."

Prancing backwards down the hall, Rainbow said, "You know what will? A watermelon. A big one. I've been wanting some all day." She smirked. "I mean, we've been wanting some all day." Turning away and flicking her tail, she added, "Come on, babe, don't let the foal down!"

The Unexpected Guest

"These are always so nice," Fluttershy said, taking a bite of her sandwich.

Rainbow and her friends lay in a circle around the picnic blanket. Above, a large leafy tree drank in the springtime sun. Ponyville sat in the distance, its inhabitants going about their lives.

Most of the group lay on their stomachs, but Rainbow had to lay on her side ever since her baby bump had gotten large enough to become visible six weeks before, and had only grown larger since then. Sprawled as she was, the entire group had a very clear view of her progress.

Rarity, situated at Rainbow's head, enjoyed a fourth cupcake. Her diet had lasted exactly until that month and a half ago. Her weight's modest gain had been completely overshadowed by Rainbow's, thus eliminating any doubt as to which of the pair was bearing their child.

After swallowing a slice of melon, Applejack called, "Whoo-ee, Rainbow, I swear you gain another inch every time I look at you!"

"Sure feels like I'm bigger every time I look." Rainbow turned her attention back to the pickle sandwiches in front of her.

Twilight, for her part, was less preoccupied with the food and more with the three books, eight scrolls, and the quill she was scribbling with.

Soon Pinkie Pie had propped herself up on Rainbow's hip. "How much longer?"

"Six weeks," Rainbow and Rarity said in unison, neither looking up.

"Oooh I can't wait!" Pinkie said. Rainbow felt a pressure across her side and looked up to see Pinkie hugging her bump, the side of her head pressed into Rainbow's flank. "It's going to be so cute! Eeeeee!"

Wincing at the sound, Rainbow pressed her ears back. Right on cue, she felt her foal kicking. She sighed and set her head on Rarity's back.

"I can feel it!" Pinkie said. Her weight removed itself from Rainbow's side. Seconds later, it was replaced by a flat slap. Rainbow glared straight ahead.

Rarity's voice said, "It's a book, dearie. Pinkie, please don't drop it on the foal like that."

Weeks ago, Rarity had made the mistake of saying within earshot that the foal could hear everything going on outside. Rainbow idly wondered if it would be born deaf. Or insane.

"I know you haven't heard this one!" Pinkie announced. "It's one of Rainbow's favorites: Young Daring Do and the Curse of the Gym Teacher's Lunchbox."

Only allowed to exist due to a loophole in AK Yearling's publishing contract, the Young Daring Do series detailed the exploits of Daring during her life as an elementary schooler. All of them were ghostwritten and none of them were true. Despite critical panning, they sold well enough for over two dozen volumes to be printed. While Curse of the Gym Teacher's Lunchbox wasn't the low point of the series, it was far from an enjoyable read. The fandom considered Young Daring Do to be nothing more than cheap cash-ins designed to be given to children by unwitting parents and, in this case, excited pink ponies.

Rainbow's own child, being literally trapped inside her, was the perfect audience.

"Daring Do woke up one morning and yawned a great big yawn," Pinkie read, before giving a demonstration. "Then she jumped out of bed, put on her hat, and said, 'Today's going to be an adventure!' And she was right."

Every Young Daring Do book started with that line.

Despite her best efforts, Rainbow failed to tune out Pinkie Pie. "Daring lept into her dining room, and her mom said—"

"I got it!" Twilight shouted.

Rainbow looked over along with the rest of the group.

"That's not how the story goes, silly," Pinkie pointed out.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Rainbow twitched her side enough for the book to slide off of her and land pages-down on the grass. Rarity glanced over and smiled. Angling her head to Rarity's ear, Rainbow whispered, "If she asks, the foal did it."

Rarity stifled a laugh.

A bunch of Twilight's books and scrolls hovered up, turning to face the collected ponies. They were full of symbols and lines that Rainbow was sure were very enlightening. She took a bite of her sandwich.

"There have been mysterious magical disturbances reported for months across Equestria, with no clear pattern," Twilight explained. "Unicorns having trouble casting advanced spells, slight variances in magical fields, that sort of thing. But I've finally figured them out! By cross-referencing them against ancient ley lines and the mumbo jumbo magic magic sparkly princess powers blah blah blah, I've pinpointed the source!" is what Rainbow heard.

Twilight produced a map. It was full of markings and magical doodles. "It's at Round Hill, which is about a mile north of the tracks running from Canterlot to Vanhoover. Tomorrow, I'm going to ask Starlight to join me on a trip out there and investigate—"

"We'll all go!" Pinkie announced.

Fluttershy set down her tea. "To the hill?"

Jumping to Twilight's side, Pinkie continued, "We'll have a picnic."

Applejack looked at the food arrayed on the blanket. "Pinkie Pie, we're having a picnic right now."

With a gasp, Pinkie said, "You're right! I have to start packing for tomorrow's!"

Before anypony could comment, she was gone.

After eyeing Young Daring Do on the ground, Rainbow lay her head back on the grass and sighed with contentment. Shortly afterwards, a smell wafted across her nose. She sat up.

"Hey Applejack, you going to finish that melon?"

While Rainbow preferred flying to walking when it came to long distances, she had to admit that being allowed to wander at all was refreshing ever since the weight in her belly became noticeable. Naturally, they'd taken the train to the area, where it pulled off to a nearby siding to wait for them. Having a princess as a friend had its perks.

"Round Hill should be just over this ridge." Starlight lowered the map she had been levitating.

"Good," Rarity said, "I don't want Rainbow to overexert herself."

As the ponies climbed, Rainbow's eyebrows dropped. An idea prompted her to stop. "Hey Applejack, race you to the tree up there!"

Hesitating, Applejack's eyes went from Rainbow's face to her side. "Uh..."

Rainbow didn't wait for an answer. Her hooves pounded the grass into submission as she sprinted up the hill. A few wing-flaps provided extra boost on her way up. It was the fastest she'd run in weeks.

She smacked her forehoof against the tree. "Ha!"

Winded by the sprint, Rainbow gasped for breath. Inside her, the foal's hooves did some pounding of their own. Below her, Rarity grit her teeth.

Flicking her tail, Rainbow turned away from the group. "Come on, slowpokes," she called, "get up here and... woah."

Ahead of her, the grasslands spread down the ridge and into the distance. However, an immense green dome stood alone, as if an enormous ball had been cut in half, dropped on the field, and had grass grow over it. Its base gently sloped from the flat field to a near-vertical rise before curving over its top. A solitary tree had taken root on one of its sides.

Before long, the other ponies had joined her. Applejack whistled. "That's a round hill, all right."

"We should take a closer look." Twilight made her way down the ridge, followed by the others.

Rarity fell behind, walking next to Rainbow. "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed.

"Checking the weird hill out?" was Rainbow's answer.

"I mean that little race of yours. What if you'd slipped and fell? What if the foal had gotten hurt?" Rarity whispered.

"It's perfectly safe, Rarity. I'm not going to hurt it." Rainbow rolled her eyes.

Ears back, Rarity said, "It isn't a tiny embryo anymore! It's not deep inside you with your body to shield it. The only thing between our daughter and disaster is your reckless behavior."

With a sigh, Rainbow said, "Fine, fine. I'll be more careful."

Before long, Rainbow arrived at the base of Round Hill. Its green side loomed overhead.

"Now what?" Applejack asked.

"I'm not sure," Twilight replied. "I calculated the source of the disturbances to be right here, but I'm not seeing anything special about this place. Not so much as a flicker."

Starlight's horn illuminated for a few seconds. "No strange magic here. Did we get the wrong place?"

A whump accompanied the impact of a blanket, several baskets, and a large variety of food. Rainbow wasted no time in chowing down. Pinkie Pie once again set herself up atop Rainbow's hip.

"I know what'll keep us occupied! Young Daring Do and the Gum of Legend!"

A book landed on Rainbow's side. She took some small solace in the fact that her daughter enjoyed the story as little as she did.

"...Daring Do snuggled up under her covers." The food was long gone. "Today had been an adventure." Even the foal had given up resisting. "And she knew that tomorrow would be, too."

A collective sigh of relief passed over the landscape.

Pinkie stuffed the book back in her mane, then felt around Rainbow's belly. "Aww, she fell asleep. That's so cute! No wait, I can feel her shifting. How about we read—"

"How about," Rarity interrupted, standing up, "we investigate this hill some more?"

Rainbow couldn't help but smile. She knew she married her for a reason.

"There's nothing to investigate," Starlight said. "It's just a strangely-shaped hill."

Scratching her chin, Applejack said, "You don't suppose whatever's causing those funny magic disturbances is buried in the middle of it?"

"That's possible," Twilight said, looking up the side of the hill, "but it'd take forever to dig, even if we brought shovels."

Reaching into her tail, Pinkie said, "Like this?" She pulled out a shovel with a bright pink blade and a handle longer than her tail was. "I never investigate hills without one."

Applejack adjusted her hat. "All right, I'll see how far I can get tunneling to the middle of this thing. But if I hit rock, then Pinkie'd better have a pickaxe in there." She looked up the side of the hill. "And dynamite. Land's sake."

The shovel dug into the dirt, scooping the layer of grass off of the hillside. Rainbow picked out a comfortable place to lounge. It was always a pleasure to watch Applejack working her orange butt off while having an excuse to not do anything herself.

Rarity was discussing something with Pinkie off to the side. Whatever it was, Pinkie was nodding vigorously about it. Twilight and Starlight alternated between taking notes, talking to each other, and watching Applejack's progress.

Which left Fluttershy. "Rainbow?"

Looking up at her, Rainbow answered, "What's up?"

Setting herself down next to her, Fluttershy asked, "Is something going on between you and Rarity?"

"No." Rainbow looked away. "Well, yeah." Looking back at Fluttershy, she added, "It's like I can't do anything. I haven't had a real race all year. It's all 'the foal this' and 'the foal that'. I get it, once she's born everything is going to be about her. But she isn't born yet."

Rainbow paused. "At least once she's born I'll be able to leave the house every once in a while, fly up as fast as I can, feel the wind across my wings. Really push myself to my limits. But all I can do right now—" She let her head flop to the ground. "—is lay here and be pregnant."

"Well," Fluttershy said, shifting herself into Rainbow's field of view, "right now, your foal depends on you completely. Wherever you go, she does too. Whenever you fly, she does too. Everything you eat, she does too."

Looking away, Rainbow grumbled. That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

Fluttershy went on, "Your body is concentrating on growing your foal, so it doesn't have much left for what you want to do with it. I've cared for a lot of pregnant animals, although, um, they're more understanding about it." She hurried out her next sentence: "But you've been doing a wonderful job so far and you're helping your daughter more than either of you will ever know."

A deep sigh was Rainbow's only reply.

Suddenly, Rainbow heard a loud clack. Her attention returned to Applejack, who scraped away at something behind the dirt before setting Pinkie's shovel down.

"What in tarnation is this?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow got to her feet and joined the others in gathering around the hole. Inside was a flat wall of something black, smooth but not quite polished.

With a scraping noise, Twilight ran her hoof across the surface. "This isn't rock or crystal, but it doesn't feel like any kind of building material I've ever heard of." She knocked on it, producing a solid sound. "It's very hard, whatever it is."

Gently moving Twilight out of the way, Fluttershy stepped forward and set her hoof on it. "It's a carapace."

"You're kidding," Starlight said.

Fluttershy ran her hoof over it. "It feels just like the shells of my turtles and spiders. This is a creature."

Backing up a few steps to get a better look at the hill, Rainbow said, "No way."

"It's huge," Applejack added.

"It's dead," Twilight said.

The others looked at her. Fluttershy's ears drooped. "Are you sure?"

Starlight stepped forward. "She's right. Every living thing above a certain size emits constant magical energy," she explained, "as a side effect of the magic needed to sustain its vital processes. Something the size of this hill would be very obvious, even hibernating or in stasis. If this really is a creature, it's dead."

Poking her hoof at the thick layer of dirt, Applejack said, "Musta kicked the bucket a long time ago, then. But that don't explain why all your magic stuff is pointing at it."

"We'll just have to do some research!" Twilight's eyes lit up. "I'll look for books about similar creatures. What they're called, where they came from, if there's more of their kind anywhere else."

"In the meantime," Rainbow said, "how about we head home? Thanks for the picnic, Pinkie." She hoped in vain that Pinkie noticed the lack of thanks for storytime.

After returning her shovel to her tail, Pinkie bounced away. "No problemo, Rainbow!"

The other ponies followed her back towards where the train waited. Rainbow walked behind the rest. For some reason, the weight in her belly felt particularly heavy.

Getting Closer

Rainbow shifted under the bed's covers. Slowly, her mind registered that it was still before sunrise and she therefore should be asleep.

"Rainbow, dearie." It took another moment to realize that Rarity's voice was probably why she had woken up.

"Not now, babe," Rainbow groaned. "I still have to..." Unable to come up with a verb, her subconscious simply gave up.

She heard a chuckle. "I'm just letting you know that I'm about to leave for Dodge Junction. I have a special delivery to make for Cherry Jubilee's get-together, and I'm going to get some new gems while I'm there. I'll be back before sundown." Rarity kissed Rainbow's cheek. "Make sure you take care of yourself, okay?"

"Sure thing," Rainbow mumbled. "Love you."

Only vaguely aware of Rarity's hoofsteps, Rainbow drifted back to sleep.

Hours later, Rainbow awoke to a bright spring morning. She rolled herself out from under the covers, landed on her hooves, and stretched herself out. Another minute later, she remembered that Rarity had left that morning. Rainbow did the only reasonable thing and trotted downstairs.

After a generous breakfast, she stepped outside and took to the skies to revel in her day of freedom. She let herself climb into the clouds, then drop again. A tilt of her wings sent her into a tight curve. Immediately, the weight in her belly threatened to rip itself out of her body. Before she could think, her wings adjusted to widen her maneuver, taking Rainbow through a large arc in the sky instead.

She could feel her foal giving its opinion of her trick. "Fine, sheesh," she grumbled. "Taking after Rarity already, aren't you?"

The next couple hours saw Rainbow enjoying herself in a gentler manner than she'd have liked. Despite the lower intensity workout, she still found herself getting winded. Her eyes landed on Twilight's castle.

"Hey kid," she told her belly, "want some real Daring Do? I've been wanting to read Daring Do and the Elephant's Escapade again. No spoilers, but it's a good one."

She let herself descend through the window to the library. Within, she discovered that almost its entire contents had been emptied onto the floor and stacked into piles. Twilight and Starlight each had a book open and were paging through them.

In the corner, Pinkie Pie had set up a book fortress, complete with book armor plating, book artillery, and book anti-air ordinance.

"Hostile pegasus! Give me one good reason not to shoot you down," Pinkie announced, aiming a surface to air mystery novel.

Rainbow briefly considered telling her to bring it on. Instead she showed her underside to Pinkie. "Because I have a passenger."

Pinkie squinted, pausing long enough for Rainbow to wonder if she really was going to fire a book at her. Then Pinkie smiled and said, "You're cleared to land, Rainbow One!" She giggled and added, "I mean, Rainbow Two!"

"Thanks, Pinkie." Rainbow landed and turned to Twilight. "Is it reshelving day again already?"

Twilight looked up. She had those dark lines under her eyes she always had when she hadn't gotten enough sleep. "We've been trying to find information on the creature we discovered last week, and there isn't any documentation on it anywhere."

Starlight's magic waved an envelope. "I asked Sunburst to look through the Crystal Empire's library, but it didn't have anything either."

"And I've gone through the Canterlot Archives twice," Twilight said. "Even Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have never heard of it. Round Hill shows up as a footnote in geological journals, but there's nothing about the Roundhill itself."

Rainbow tilted her head. "The what?"

Closing one book and opening another, Twilight said, "The Roundhill. It's what we're calling the creature until we find out its real name. If it has one."

Rainbow hovered up to an empty shelf. "Hey, where'd the Daring Do books go?"

Motioning to one of the piles, Starlight said, "Twilight thought Daring might have encountered something like it."

"She didn't," Twilight added.

Looking at the pile, Rainbow walked in a circle. "Do you know where Daring Do and the Elephant's Escapade is in here, or should I start digging?"

Twilight's horn illuminated, half the pile rose into the air, a single book popped out, and the pile returned to the ground.

Holding the book to her chest with a foreleg, Rainbow said, "Thanks, Twilight. Good luck figuring that giant weird thing out."

She flew out the window she came in, while Pinkie shouted something about takeoff clearance behind her. Within moments, she was back on her bed.

Rainbow opened the book. "All right, kid, let me read you a real story."

"With the Titanium Trunk secure and Ahuizotl's evil plans foiled again, Daring Do flew into the sunset on her way to her next thrilling adventure! The end."

Rainbow closed the book and looked over at her body. "See? Wasn't that so much more awesome than the junk Pinkie's been reading you?"

She put her hoof on her belly and slowly stroked it. "Heh. I could imagine a little pony curled up next to me listening to that."

A few moments passed in silence.

"You know," she said, "it was nice hanging out like this. I mean, besides that we've been together your whole life. We should do this more often once you're out, all right?"

Laying back, Rainbow looked out the window. Outside, the stars twinkled in the night sky.

"Huh, that's odd. Wasn't Rarity supposed to be home by now?" She looked at her belly, almost as if she was expecting an answer. "Oh, I know. She must have missed the train."

Stretching out on the bed, Rainbow said to herself, "She'll be on the late night train. Wonder if she'll wake me up when she gets home."

She got back to her feet. "I figure we got a few more hours before bedtime. Feel like another story? Let me tell you about the first time I did a sonic rainboom..."

The first rays of the new day's sun shone through the window. Rainbow Dash stirred in bed before rolling out of it. After shaking herself off, she stumbled out of the bedroom.

"Morning, babe," she said, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

There was no reply.

Rainbow poked her head through a nearby doorframe. "Rarity?"

Nothing.

Nervous, Rainbow crept downstairs. Not only was there no sign of Rarity, everything was exactly as it had been when she'd gone to bed.

"Where is she?" she asked the empty room.

Rainbow opened the front door and took off. Ponyville stretched out below her. Eyes darting around the landscape, Rainbow scanned for any sign of her wife.

Looking up, she saw Twilight's castle ahead of her. Rainbow entered the same window she did the day before. Inside, the piles of books stood smaller, and many of the shelves had been restocked.

On the ground, Twilight and Starlight were mid-conversation.

"Maybe the Roundhill's not a single creature," Starlight suggested. "It might be a particularly large colony of smaller creatures that built the shell around themselves."

"There'd still be some magical signs of life from the net effect," Twilight answered. "Unless they all died."

"It's possible that the colony grew too large to sustain itself and died out as a result."

Twilight closed one book and opened another. "Maybe, but that still doesn't explain the disturbances."

Starlight scratched her chin. "A few members of it might still be alive?"

"Yeah yeah whatever," Rainbow said, landing next to them. "Have either of you seen Rarity?"

Twilight looked over. "Not in the last two days. Why?"

Pacing back and forth, Rainbow answered, "She left yesterday morning for Dodge Junction to deliver some stuff. She said she'd be back by last night, but she isn't and I'm really getting worried."

Twilight set her hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "I'm sure Rarity's fine. She probably just got caught up in some details. You know how she is when it comes to that kind of thing."

"Besides," Starlight added, "How often does one of us go somewhere without something coming up that takes forever?"

Rainbow took a breath. "You're right. I shouldn't work myself up over nothing. I'm going to get breakfast. After I'm done, do you need help with—" She looked at the books. "Actually, this looks boring. I'm going to hang out."

Flying out the window, Rainbow Dash headed home for some chow.

Hanging out with Pinkie Pie demanded stirring, whipping, mixing, blending, and other ways of saying the exact same thing. The best part was all the taste-testing. Rainbow wouldn't have minded more of that.

Not all of it was enjoyable.

"And then Daring Do slowly pushed open the door to the teacher's lounge and inside she saw Mister Math's—" A bell interrupted Pinkie's narration.

Bouncing to the oven door, Pinkie announced, "I have a bun in the oven!" She opened it and pulled a tray out. Atop was a fresh loaf of bread a foot and a half long. "And here it is!" It was the eighth bun that had been in Pinkie's oven that day.

Pinkie spun around, pushing the oven closed with her rump. With the tray in her mouth, she bounced her way to the counter on the other side of the room. On one particularly vigorous bounce, the bread bounced off of the tray and off of Rainbow's side.

Eyes wide, Rainbow jerked away. "Hot! Hot!" She rubbed her side.

Pinkie dropped the tray on the closest counter and swooped to Rainbow's side. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Are you okay? Is she okay?"

Relaxing again, Rainbow said, "Um, yeah, she's fine."

"Let Nurse Pie make it better." Pinkie laid a series of kisses along where the bread had hit her.

"All right, that tickles." Rainbow sidestepped away. "It just startled me, that's all." With a laugh, she added, "Good thing it was just bread. If the foal got hurt, Rarity would kill us both."

Pinkie took the tray back and scraped the bread off of the floor. "I feel just awful though. Is there anything I can do to make it up?"

A scent made its way through Rainbow's nose. "How about you put one more bun in your oven?" She licked her lips. "And I can put it in mine."

Before long, Rainbow was walking out of Sugarcube Corner. Her stomach felt so full, there wasn't enough room inside her for anything else. She plodded her way back home.

Opening the front door, Rainbow called, "Babe? You home yet?"

There was no answer.

Rainbow turned back outside. Overhead, the mid-afternoon sun shone past the sparse clouds.

Pacing back and forth, Rainbow mumbled to herself. "Still? I don't like this." She stopped and took a deep breath. "She would have written. No, no, it's only been a day. It's like when I told her I was pregnant; she'd be back before the letter arrived. What'd she say yesterday morning? She was delivering dresses and looking for gems. She wouldn't spend extra time doing that, would she?"

Slowly, she walked away from the boutique. "Maybe everything's okay. Maybe Twilight's right and I'm worrying myself over nothing." She walked faster for a few steps, then flew low to the ground. "No. Something's wrong."

Before long, Rainbow found herself at the train station's ticket counter.

"One for Dodge Junction."

Lit by the orange of the setting sun, the train pulled into Dodge Junction. Rainbow Dash stepped off, feeling the crunch of the dirt beneath her hooves.

"All right," she told herself, "she was giving those dresses to Cherry Jubilee."

With a burst of dust, Rainbow took to the air, easily finding the cherry farm in the fading light. She swooped down, landing in front of the farmhouse. Rainbow raised her hoof and rapped on the door, mentally phrasing how she'd ask.

The door opened. "Rainbow Dash? My, what an unexpected pleasure!" Cherry Jubilee stood in the doorway. "Why, just yesterday your friend, pardon me, your wife Rarity was here telling me all about you. And is that...?" She walked around to Rainbow's side. "Why yes it is! Rarity told me you were with foal and I see you clearly are! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, thanks," Rainbow said. "Speaking of, have you seen Rarity?"

"Well that's an odd question. I just said she was here yesterday with those darling dresses of hers. I thanked her plenty for 'em, but you thank her again for me, would you, dear?"

Rainbow grit her teeth for a second. "I mean, she didn't come back home. Do you know where she is?"

Eyes widening, Cherry said, "Oh. No, I haven't seen her since she left yesterday. She said she was going into the Badlands to find dig up some gems, since there are some beauties out there. I gave her some canteens of water, on account of it getting so hot this time of year. Rarity said she'd bring 'em back, but she never showed up. I figured she forgot, but I didn't mind, seeing as she's such a sweet mare."

"Badlands. Got it." Rainbow looked to the south. "Anything else?"

Cherry paused for a second. "There's a whole mess of salamanders that moved into the caves a few months ago, but they ain't much for conversation. They don't like us ponies for some reason. I never bothered asking why, myself. They never come round here and we don't go bother them."

Opening her wings, Rainbow said, "Cool, thanks. I gotta go."

The sun dipped below the horizon.

Cherry put her hoof to her mouth. "Dearie me, you're going to look for her at night? You'll never find her in the dark."

"Look." Rainbow stared her in the eye. "If she's hurt or in trouble, then I have to find her now." She stamped her hoof.

"Can't say I blame you," Cherry Jubilee said. "All right, good luck."

Rainbow took a breath and sent herself skyward.

Below her, the Badlands were bathed in the pale light of the moon. Rainbow's eyes darted from rock to hill, looking among the shrubs, hoping to see a pony-sized white patch. However, the expanse of dirt and rock stretching out below was all she was able to see.

"Come on, Rarity," she whispered, "don't do this to me. Where are you?"

A flicker out of the corner of her eye caught Rainbow's attention. She looked to the east and saw a distant spot of firelight, all but washed out by the rising moon. Flapping her wings for speed, Rainbow flew towards it.

As she approached, the spot resolved itself into several, then took shape. Two rows of balconies had been carved into the cliffside, with light shining outwards from most of their rooms. Below them, torches flanked a large double door.

Rainbow landed just inside the circle of light. On either side of the finely-carved wooden door was a large reptile, shiny black with brown spots. Each stood upright, about as tall as Princess Celestia. They wore polished armor, decorated with gold. And in one hand, they each held a spear of smoothed wood and a silver tip.

Stepping forward, Rainbow said, "Uh, hey. You must be the salamanders Cherry Jubilee told me about."

The salamander on the left looked at her, then looked back up into the distance.

"I'm looking for my wife. She was out in the Badlands here looking for gems. Maybe you've seen her?"

Neither responded.

Rainbow looked from one to the other. "White unicorn, purple hair, dark blue eyes, three gems on her flank, real pretty? Come on."

"Not another one," the left salamander muttered.

"Ssh!" the right one whispered. "Don't provoke it!"

Rainbow took another step. "So you have seen her! I gotta know where she went! Please!"

"Now you've done it," the right said to the left. "Dealing with one of these things is enough of a headache."

Ears perking up, Rainbow said, "You do know where she is! Just point me in the right direction and I'll leave you alone, okay?"

"I'll take care of this." The left salamander stepped forward. He swung the blunt end of his spear, smacking Rainbow in the shoulder. "Shoo! Shoo!"

Rainbow scrambled backwards, then rubbed her shoulder. She snorted, backing up out of the firelight. Looking between the guards and the door, she weighed her options. They knew where Rarity was, and judging by their attitude, they'd know if she was in danger and not care enough to say so.

Glancing up, she decided on a different approach. Rainbow took off and hovered at a distance away from the row of balconies. Slowly, away from the light, she moved to look inside the rooms. The lit ones each had one or two salamanders in them, all dressed in fine-looking clothing. Some read a book, one painted, one room had a couple dancing.

Rainbow located a lit, empty room and touched down inside as quietly as she could. It was well-furnished, with wooden chairs, a plush bed and two full bookshelves. Several small statues lined the top of the bookshelves, as well as another shelf on the wall. A painting of an important-looking salamander hung on the wall. A closet door hung open, and Rainbow could see several intricate outfits hanging inside.

"All right," she whispered, "I just have to either find her or find someone more willing to talk. These salamanders are so fancy, it's no wonder she'd—"

Suddenly, a door opened. A black and dark green salamander walked through, holding a towel but wearing nothing. Rainbow stared at the salamander. The salamander stared at Rainbow.

The salamander screamed.

Holding the towel in front of herself with one hand, she reached for a statue with the other. "Out!" She threw the statue at Rainbow.

"Whoa! Hey!" Rainbow ducked out of the way.

"Filthy beast! Get out!" The salamander threw a book and grabbed another. "Get out!"

As quickly as she could, Rainbow scrambled for the door opposite to the balcony and threw it open. A book hit her rump. Rainbow rushed through the door just before the salamander slammed it behind her.

"And stay out!" the muffled voice shouted.

Rainbow leaned against the wall to calm herself down again. She looked in both directions down the hallway, which itself was as well-decorated as the room had been. If she hadn't seen the place from the outside, she'd never have believed that she was in a cave.

No other salamanders were in sight. Rainbow picked a direction at random and walked. She figured the other doorways on that side also led to rooms with upset salamanders, so she walked a short ways until she came across a doorway on the other side of the hallway.

Taking a breath, she opened it. Inside, the room was decently fancy but not as furnished as the others so far. Four salamanders were seated around a scroll-laden table. All were dressed, and none of them screamed. Rainbow figured it was already an improvement.

Closing the door behind her, she said, "Hey. Have you seen another pony around here? Her name's Rarity and from the looks of this place she'd really like—"

They stood up.

Rainbow scowled and dropped into a low stance. "Okay, that's it. My wife's lost or in trouble, and you all have been nothing but a roadblock. I know you know where she is, and I'm going to get some answers. And I don't care what I have to do to save her."

The salamanders advanced on her.

"You want to start something?" Rainbow tensed up. "You think just because I'm ten months pregnant means I'm going to be a pushover? Bring it on; I haven't had a good fight in a year."

The smallest salamander lunged at her. Rainbow turned and bucked, her hooves landing somewhere in the salamander's gut. She could hear the air being driven from her lungs. The salamander collapsed, wheezing.

A large one threw a punch, which connected with Rainbow's ribs. She sucked in air between clenched teeth at the pain. Rainbow delivered a kick to his shin in response. Her wings helped her jump over him and deliver a follow-up kick between his shoulder blades. She landed on the table, kicking a few scrolls aside. Two salamanders remained upright, a male and a female if Rainbow had their body types figured out right.

The male reached for a chair. Rainbow shot over to him, throwing a forehoof at his chest. He moved to dodge, but Rainbow was too fast for him. Her hoof hit his ribcage, prompting him to shout. In that moment, she spun around and delivered a hind hoof to the other side of his chest. He dropped to the ground, both hands on his chest and his teeth clenched.

Rainbow landed on the floor and looked at the last salamander. She pawed the ground. "Me and you, one on one. Let's go, show me what you got."

The salamander reached behind herself, opened the door that Rainbow had come in, and ran through it.

"Ha!" Rainbow laughed. One salamander was wheezing while staring at her, one was face-down on the floor, and the last had his eyes clenched closed and was groaning. "You're not so tough after all. There's plenty more where that came from!" She looked between them. "Excuse me a second."

Rainbow slipped through another door, finding herself alone in a small closet. She collapsed against a wall, her chest heaving. Putting a hoof on her belly, she said, "You sure take a lot out of me, you know that?" Under the hoof, the foal kicked like she was trying to fight the salamanders herself. The corners of Rainbow's mouth tugged upwards. "That's the spirit."

She took a breath and emerged into the room again. "All right." Rainbow strutted towards the winded salamander. "Start talking."

The salamander said nothing, but continued to wheeze.

Rainbow stood over her. "Where's Rarity?"

"The other beast..." the salamander gasped, " is... down..."

The sound of distant running interrupted them. The clinking of armor soon joined it.

"Down. Got it." Rainbow jumped up and hurried out of the room.

"There it is!"

She turned to see the salamander that had escaped earlier, along with an armored, spear-wielding salamander. Rainbow flew the other direction.

"Down, down, down," she told herself, glancing through every open doorway she passed. "There!"

Rainbow darted down the stairwell. On the bottom, she came across a large foyer before two more guards blocked her way.

Turning around, she flew back up the stairs. Within moments, she was between the original and the two new guards. Thinking quickly, she opened a door to one of the rooms with a balcony. Before she could go through, a salamander slammed into her side, knocking her to the ground.

Finding herself on her back, Rainbow looked up to see three spears pointing at her chest, as well as four very angry-looking salamanders.

"You... you wouldn't hit a pregnant mare, would you?"

Rainbow's Rescue

A salamander yanked the collar around Rainbow's neck down, forcing her onto her knees. Her forehooves had been chained to each other, and the shackles around her hind hooves were connected with a chain too short to run with. A heavy rope bound her wings to her sides.

Rainbow knelt in a large, very ornate room. Paintings lined the walls and columns capped in gold supported the cave's roof. Ahead, the best-dressed salamander that she had seen yet stood up from a bronze throne.

"This is the animal that's caused all this trouble in my colony?" he said, adjusting his robe.

"My name's Rainbow Dash and I'm a pony, not an—mmph!" A gag had been forced into her mouth by a guard.

"My apologies, Lord Hezak," the guard said. "We should have muzzled it sooner."

Lord Hezak slowly walked around Rainbow. "This creature broke in and attacked four scholars?"

"My lord," one salamander said, "it also spied on me in the bath and smashed one of my priceless statues."

If looks could kill, Rainbow would have set her on fire.

"Typical sex-crazed beast," Lord Hezak said. "Not only does it expose its own genitals, it seeks out those of others before destroying art it cannot understand."

Rainbow wanted to tell Lord Hezak exactly what she thought of him, his colony, and salamanders in general. Her first few words were too muffled to understand, and she gave up. Instead she took a deep breath and let it out through her nose.

Lord Hezak walked in front of Rainbow, looking down on her. "Is that why you scurried in?" He leaned down and removed her gag. "For sex and destruction?"

Weighing her options, Rainbow took a breath.

"I came here," she said, "because I'm looking for my wife. I know she's here. Please, just let her go."

After gagging her again, Lord Hezak turned away. "See? Even in chains and the point of a spear, all it can think of is satisfying its base sexual desires."

Murmurs of agreement spread across the room. Rainbow growled, trying her best to bite the gag in half. Her chains rattled as she shook.

"These are the great ponies of Equestria? I can't tell if this one is even sapient. The other one has a use, but what is there to be done with such a violent, sex-crazed beast like this?" He put his hand to his chin. "Perhaps a few moments of entertainment can be had."

Lord Hezak stood over Rainbow again. "Beast, let us test your so-called intelligence. If you best me at a simple game of chess, I'll let both you and the other animal go, the one you call your wife. Such an insult to the word."

Rainbow found her mouth freed once more. "Chess?!" She surged forward until her collar dug into her neck. "I don't know how to play chess!" she shouted.

An uproar of laughter filled the room. Hezak said, "Take this beast to its sex-mate, so it can satisfy itself while I decide what to do with it. Let it not be said that I am unmerciful."

The guard holding her leash replaced her gag and led her out of the room.

Going through a single door, the opulence of the salamander colony gave way to bare cave walls and an uneven floor. Three guards led Rainbow down a rough hallway lined with torches. At the end, they rounded a corner to find a large cage with her wife inside.

"Rainbow?!" Rarity said. "What are you doing here?"

"Mmph," Rainbow replied through the gag.

Two guards held Rainbow and Rarity at spearpoint while the third unhooked her shackles and removed her gag. Rainbow considered running away, but she didn't want to think of what they might do to Rarity in retaliation. With some prodding, Rainbow entered the cage and the guard closed the door behind her.

Moments later, the sound of a door closing indicated that the last guard had left.

Rarity turned. "Rainbow, dearie, might I repeat myself? What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are." She sat down and looked Rarity over. She had a black ring over her horn and her mane was a mess.

Rarity took a breath. "I'm surviving. However, I am somewhat more upset than I was. What were you thinking coming out here?"

Looking up, Rainbow said, "When you didn't come home, I got worried. I decided to come out here and find you. I mean, what was I supposed to do, not look for you?"

"Yes!" Rarity shouted.

Standing up, Rainbow said, "What? How could I just leave you?"

"By staying home! By asking somepony else to look for me! Do you ever think about what you're doing? Must I remind you that you are with foal, Rainbow?" Rarity stepped towards her.

Rarity took a breath. "In fact, I would be perfectly satisfied spending the rest of my life here, having this ghastly ring on my horn, giving me only enough magic to lift a needle to repair the outfits of those awful salamanders. I would gladly do it all if it was with the knowledge that you and our daughter were safe."

Rainbow backed up. "Rarity, I couldn't just... not help you."

"You could have and you should have." She turned to look across the dim cavern. "Now both the mare I love and the foal she's carrying are trapped in this terrible place. What am I supposed to do now?"

Moving to her side, Rainbow answered, "We'll figure something out."

Rarity looked at Rainbow's back. Her horn flickered under the metal band and magic tugged at the rope tied around Rainbow's wings. With some grunting from both ponies, Rarity soon had it loose.

"Thanks, Rarity," Rainbow said. She extended her wing across Rarity's back and held her in her grip.

The pair sat in silence.

Curious, Rainbow asked, "How did you end up in here, anyways?"

"I was out collecting gems, when a salamander approached me. One asked if I could fix their suit. When I did, two more jumped out at me, tied me up and dragged me here. Now they treat me like an animal and force me to mend their clothing."

Rainbow said, "I think they're expecting me to jump your bones."

"Pardon me if I'm not in the mood." Rarity sighed. "But it's a wonder that they thought you'd have a sex drive at all with your pregnancy."

Rainbow thought for a second. "Actually, they never mentioned that. I don't think they know I'm pregnant. I mean, I said it once or twice, but it's not like they listened to me."

Giggling, Rarity replied, "For all their superior intelligence they never noticed that your belly's twice the size that mine is?"

Rainbow chuckled back.

After another pause, Rainbow asked, "So, did he ask you for a chess game, too?"

With a sigh, Rarity answered, "Yes. It went well at first, but I missed a fork threat and lost my rook. From there, things steadily got worse. Eventually, I chose to resign rather than give him the pleasure of a mate." She smiled. "By upending the board in his smug face."

"That was better than I did," Rainbow said, "I told him I didn't know how to play. They laughed at me."

In the distance, they heard the door to the cave open. A guard approached with a sewing kit and a suit jacket.

"How may I help you, darling?" Rarity chimed.

The guard dropped the jacket and kit on the ground without a word, then turned to leave.

"I'll have that fixed before you know it!"

After the guard was gone, Rainbow said, "You sound like you're enjoying this."

Rarity sat up straight. "A lady is always polite and always keeps herself presentable."

Rainbow finished her sentence: "Except in bed."

Turning red, Rarity added, "That is nopony's business except our own!"

With a chuckle, Rainbow said, "Oh, have you tried whining your way out yet?"

"Why do you think we're alone in here, dearie?" Rarity smiled.

Rainbow's laughter echoed off the cave walls.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." Visibly straining, Rarity used her magic to levitate one of the needles. "They'll check back every so often and don't feed me until I'm done. And it takes a lot of concentration to use my magic with this ring stuck to my horn."

In the darkness of the cave, Rainbow had no way to tell the passage of time. She could only lay in silence, watching Rarity struggle to perform simple needlework.

Before long, Rarity had finished the repairs. She wiped the sweat from her brow. "I haven't had this much trouble with magic since I was a filly."

"What do you think I should go for when the guard comes back?" Rainbow asked. "Violent or sex-crazed?"

Rarity tidied up the jacket. "I would prefer that we act like civilized ponies and not give our captors any reason to worsen our situation, especially yours."

Rainbow hated it when Rarity was right.

Soon the guard came, and Rainbow sat still like a good little beast. Their dinner was two bowls of something mushy and green.

Once they were alone again, Rainbow inspected the bowls. "At least they're not fattening us up to eat us."

Rarity pushed her bowl towards Rainbow.

"Huh?" Rainbow asked.

"You're eating for two," Rarity said. "Just take it."

Rainbow pushed it back. "I'm not the only one who needs to eat."

With a scowl, Rarity said, "The foal needs this more than I do."

Returning the look, Rainbow said, "I'm not going to let you starve."

"Rainbow Dash! If you do not eat my food, I will dump it out across the floor!" Rarity stomped the ground, causing the bowls to wobble.

Reluctantly, Rainbow took Rarity's bowl. She paused, then held it up. "If you can't sew, then neither us nor the foal are eating. So take one bite. For me?"

Slowly, Rarity leaned over and took a bite of the green mush. Rainbow smiled at her.

"Thanks, babe," Rainbow said before starting on it herself. It tasted as good as it looked, but within moments, she had wolfed down both bowls.

"If tonight is anything like last night," Rarity said, "then there is nothing left to do but get some rest."

She lay down in the corner. Rainbow joined her, wrapping her hooves around Rarity in the chill of the cave.

The next morning, or what Rainbow assumed was morning, started with two torn outfits and no salamander conversation. Rainbow was starving. She could only guess how Rarity felt.

Rarity had closed one hole and was halfway through the next when suddenly they heard a distant rumbling. Dust wafted down from the cave ceiling.

"What do you think that was?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity paused her sewing to look at her. "I can't imagine what it could have been. But there's nothing I can do about it except finish this so you can eat."

"You're eating too, Rarity." Rainbow lay down next to her.

"We'll see."

Rarity finished the patching, but no salamander came to retrieve them.

"Rarity?" Rainbow asked after what felt like an hour.

"Hm?"

"Do you think something happened?"

Rarity looked towards the exit. "We can only hope for the best."

"What if—" Rainbow was interrupted by the sound of the cave door opening.

Both ponies looked in the direction. Around the corner came Twilight Sparkle, with no salamanders escorting her. A set of keys hung in Twilight's magical grasp.

"Twilight!" Rainbow and Rarity shouted in unison.

Starlight Glimmer rounded the corner after Twilight.

"Looks like Lord Hezak was telling the truth after all," Starlight said.

Twilight unlocked the cage. The two captives rushed out and hugged her. With a flash of Twilight's horn, the ring on Rarity's split in two and dropped to the ground.

"How did you find us?" Rarity asked.

Leading the way out, Twilight said, "After Rainbow told us you were in Dodge Junction and disappeared, I assumed she went after you. I questioned the ponies there and pieced together that she was looking in the Badlands for you."

They moved into the ornate hallways. They passed a salamander guard, who gripped his spear and stared daggers at the group. Rainbow stole a nervous glance as she went by. Ignoring him completely, Twilight continued, "There, I found the salamanders and learned that they had two ponies in a cave below their colony. I asked politely for you to be released, then we let ourselves in."

"They didn't stop you?" Rainbow asked.

"They tried," Starlight answered with a smile.

The group climbed a stairway and rounded a corner into another hallway. More salamanders met them, but none blocked their way.

Twilight smiled, too. "With Starlight's help, we made our way to their ruler. I offered them a diplomatic solution, but he refused to listen."

Reaching the foyer that Rainbow had briefly glimpsed the previous day, her pace faltered. The paintings on the wall were in tatters. Bookshelves lay on the floor and large statues sat in pieces. Several scorch marks stretched from the front door to every corner of the room. The door itself had been blown clear off its hinges.

Several salamanders were present, some with burnt clothing. All of them stopped and stared.

Walking towards the outside like the place wasn't a disaster area, Starlight resumed the story. "I noticed that he had a chess set. I offered to play a game. He agreed to let you go peacefully if I won. And I did."

Outside, the early morning sun shone over the cliffs behind the ponies. "So what if you'd lost?" Rainbow wondered.

"We'd be running right now," Starlight answered.

"Although," Twilight said, "We might want to pick up the pace anyways before he reviews the game." She sped up a little.

Keeping pace, Rarity asked, "Why?"

"Because Starlight moved her queen while he wasn't looking."

Shattered Destinies

Rarity sipped from her teacup. "After I finished sewing, we sat down there for a while, wondering if we'd be fed. Then you and Starlight appeared and rescued us."

Writing on a scroll, Twilight asked, "Is there anything else you remember?"

While Rarity and Twilight talked, Rainbow lounged. She was back in Twilight's castle, laying on a couch much more comfortable than the stone floor of a cave. She had only been there overnight, but one night was enough to not want to ever return.

Setting a hoof on her belly, she quietly said, "Sorry about all that. You okay in there?"

The foal shifted slightly.

"Yeah, your first adventure. Didn't think you'd get one until you were at least a few years old." Rainbow smiled. "Could have gone better, but it worked out in the end, right?"

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "Are you ready to give your report?"

"Huh? Sure." Rainbow moved to stand up.

Rarity set down her teacup and hurried over. Pushing Rainbow back into the cushions, she said, "Oh, no no no. Rainbow needs her rest. Twilight, debrief her over here." She levitated the cup back to her lips.

With a scroll and quill in her magical grip, Twilight walked over and sat down. "Tell me about your experiences. Anything I can send as testimony to Princess Celestia."

Shifting herself to get more comfortable, Rainbow said, "I showed up at the front door of the place, and there were these two salamander jerks in armor. They treated me like I was a stray dog or something." Reflexively, she glanced around the room. Fluttershy was not there. "One of them said something like Rarity was inside. I asked about her, but that didn't go anywhere, so I started flying. I found an empty room and decided hey, if they weren't going to help me find her I'd do it myself. Then this salamander lady walked in not wearing anything and apparently they have a thing about not being seen without clothes because she started screaming and throwing things at me." Rainbow waved a hoof for effect.

"I dodged them all because I'm awesome like that, of course. I got out into this big hallway and tried a door. Inside were a dozen of the meanest-looking salamanders you ever saw, battle-trained warriors. I tried to avoid them, but they blocked the way out. The only way I could get through was to fight!"

Rarity choked on her tea.

"One of the big ones swung at me, but I deftly avoided it. I flew across the room and socked one of the others in the face! Pow!" With a punch in the air, Rainbow went on, "I was all over the place; you should have seen it! Boosh! Wham! One of them threw a chair at me, but I was too fast for him. I kicked and punched and it was awesome! Then two of them picked up the table and hurled it at me. They almost got me, but I flew out under it and knocked their heads into each other. It was great."

A door slammed. Rarity was no longer in the room. In front of Rainbow, Twilight sat with her quill hovering away from the page, her face flat.

"You fought off a dozen warriors," she said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a smile crossing her face. "I mean—" She straightened up. "They attacked me. I had to defend myself, you know." With a scowl, she looked aside. "Not like it helped. Some jerks in armor jumped me and chained me up. They dragged me in front of their mayor or their king or whatever he was."

Sighing, she said, "Then he started calling me a violent, sex-crazed animal. I tried to explain how I was just trying to find Rarity but he kept saying that proved I only wanted sex. I wish I could have punched him in the face. I'd show him violent."

Rainbow flopped her head onto the couch cushion. "Then they threw me in that cave with Rarity and you got the rest from her."

"Anything else?" Twilight asked, setting her quill in her ink bottle.

"I don't know," Rainbow said, "besides all that stuff where they kept calling me stupid. And Rarity getting mad at me for coming. I guess she expected me to sit around while she was in trouble?"

Lowering the scroll, Twilight said, "Rainbow, you know—"

"No." Rainbow stood up and hopped down off the couch. "Not again. I got enough of that from Rarity. I don't need it from you." She looked up and opened her wings. "I'm going flying. Go write to Princess Celestia about how much of a violent idiot I am or whatever."

She launched herself out the window. Outside, the sun neared the horizon.

Punching her way through a cloud, she told her foal, "Can you believe her? It's not like I knew she was kidnapped until they told me. I couldn't get that far and then abandon her." She dropped down and sat on another cloud. "You understand, right? You were there, after all. You know, if I could have you in Rarity instead, I'd..." She paused. "I don't know. Forget it."

Rainbow looked out over the clouds for several minutes in silence. Ahead of her, the setting sun lit them from below in a striking orange. Eventually, she said, "If you're a pegasus, I'm going to take you flying. I'll show you what it feels like to have the wind running across your wings. I'll teach you every trick I know. You'll be the most awesome filly in the flight academy, I promise.

"And if you're not?" She smiled. "Then I guess you should enjoy flying while you can, right?"

Looking down, she saw Carousel Boutique. Rainbow knew Rarity was inside. "Life lesson from your dad, kid: you shouldn't put off things you don't want to do."

She stayed where she was.

"Another lesson is that your father is a terrible role model and you shouldn't try to be like her."

A few more minutes passed.

"Let's just get this over with."

Hopping off the cloud, Rainbow swooped down and landed as gently as she could inside the bedroom.

Immediately, the smell of bath salts hit her nose. She could see candle light flickering in the otherwise dark bathroom.

"Rarity?" Rainbow softly called.

She could hear the intake of breath, followed by its release.

"I'm in the bath, Rainbow," Rarity's voice said.

Rainbow took a few steps towards it.

"And I'd like to be alone," Rarity continued. "I am in dire need of relaxation, and I would get it best by myself."

Grimacing, Rainbow said, "Okay. I'll be downstairs." She moved towards the hallway.

"Wait," Rarity said. Rainbow heard the water splash. "Before you go. I need to know something."

Rainbow stopped. "What?"

"You have to be completely honest with me. Did you really get into a fight with the salamanders?"

Rainbow winced. "Yeah. But I might have over—"

"Enough. I need the truth, Rainbow. No matter how you think I'm going to react, or what I'm going to think about you. This is important. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." Rainbow shrank back a little.

"Rainbow Dash. Did they hit the foal?"

"Um, I think—"

"No 'I think'. Yes or no. Did they hit the foal?"

After taking a breath, Rainbow answered, "No, Rarity. They didn't hit the foal."

Rainbow heard a long, drawn-out sigh. "Get your own dinner," Rarity said. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Slinking down the stairs, Rainbow told her foal, "That means we're sleeping on the couch. You're going to be more comfortable tonight than I am."

Laying down on the couch, Rainbow said, "Here, I got a story for you. It's called Rainbow Dash and the Major Screwup. It's about an awful parent who puts her own daughter in danger." She crossed her forelegs and lay her head on them.

The morning sun shone in through the kitchen windows. Pulling off her apron, Rainbow walked out into the dining room. She heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hey," she told Rarity. "I cooked breakfast. I've been wanting eggs, so I made some. Sunny side up. There's toast too if you're hungry."

After a pause, Rarity sat at the table and picked up her fork.

They ate in silence. Rainbow looked up between bites, but Rarity's attention was exclusively on her meal. Before long, Rarity had finished.

"Did you like it?" Rainbow ventured.

"Yes," Rarity answered. "Thank you. I am going to the spa."

She stood up, turned, and walked towards the front door.

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. "Yeah. Okay. I love you."

The door closed behind Rarity. With a sigh, Rainbow kept eating.

Soon she had finished her plate and cleaned up. "What do I do now?" Rainbow asked nopony in particular. She felt the foal move. After thinking, she said, "You're right. Some fresh air will do us both some good."

Rainbow went out the front door and into the morning sky. Flying lazy arcs over Ponyville, she searched below for anything that might distract her from her thoughts. Motion near Fluttershy's cottage caught her eye, and she swooped down towards it.

Outside, Fluttershy, Twilight, and a congregation of her animals were discussing something.

Holding a very large crab, Fluttershy came into hearing range. "...a little like this."

Twilight rubbed the crab's shell. "It does feel very similar. One more thing: have any—oh, good morning, Rainbow."

Touching down behind Fluttershy, Rainbow said, "Hey, what's up?"

"We were just discussing the Roundhill creature. I think Fluttershy's right in that it's some kind of crustacean-like animal. I was just about to ask if any of her animals had ever seen or heard about it or any other creatures like it elsewhere in the world."

"No," Fluttershy answered, "None of them have ever mentioned—"

A series of sharp squeaks interrupted her. Bending down, Fluttershy scooped up a gopher that had run to the front of the crowd.

"What is it, Pappo?" she asked. Pappo squeaked in response. "Really?" Fluttershy paused between questions to listen. "Where? I see. And what did they find? Oh, my. Okay. And did they find any others? All right. Thank you very much, Pappo. That was very helpful."

Pappo scurried down Fluttershy's leg, into a hole under a tree, and out of sight.

Turning to Twilight, Fluttershy said, "Pappo said her friends had discovered the Roundhill before. From her directions, they found the same one we did. They dug around and there weren't any holes in it or any way else to get in, and the shell goes all the way down to the bedrock, though she admits they didn't explore the whole thing. It's very big. She's never heard of any other Roundhills, though."

With a nod, Twilight said, "Starlight and I are going to go back to investigate it some more this afternoon, so if your animals think of anything else, be sure to let us know." She turned and walked away.

"I'll be sure to!" Fluttershy called after her. Turning to Rainbow, she said, "I'm sorry about that. Twilight's been studying it very hard and I have to admit I'm very curious about it too. Is there anything you needed?"

"Nah," Rainbow said, laying down in the shade of the cottage, "I just wanted to hang out for a while."

A bear made confused growling noises and held his hands out from his sides.

"Oh, no, Harry," Fluttershy answered, "Rainbow isn't getting fat. She's pregnant."

Glancing at Harry, Rainbow added, "Bear's lucky I'm secure with my body." She chose not to mention the possible consequences of getting into a fight with a bear.

With an embarrassed smile, Fluttershy said, "He wasn't trying to be mean. Most of these animals have never seen a pregnant pony up close before. Oh!" She leaned in towards Rainbow's belly. Motioning her animals closer, she said, "Look! You can see it moving."

Rainbow could feel it moving, too. She looked at herself to see bumps shifting around her belly.

"Hey Fluttershy," she asked, "you know how in some horror movies you can see a creature moving under a pony's skin? That's how it's been back there."

A squirrel hopped up on top of Rainbow's foal.

"I don't watch horror," Fluttershy answered. "But there is a creature moving under your skin right now."

"Yeah, but in the movies it bursts out and the pony's screaming and everything." Rainbow paused. "And this is going to burst out and... the pony's going to be screaming." She sighed.

Fluttershy smiled. "At least you're only having one. Mindy here—" She motioned to the squirrel that had sat itself on Rainbow's belly. "—is expecting a whole litter of six in two and a half more weeks. It's her first time, too, so you two have a lot in common."

Looking at Mindy, Rainbow noticed that she was pretty round. She said, "Mine's bigger. And I have like another month, so you know. Going to be huge by the time it comes out."

Rainbow propped her front end up. Mindy scrambled off of her. "You know what?" Rainbow said. "I'm a tough pony. I can take whatever the foal can give me. I'm not going to scream and that's a promise." With a look at her belly, she said, "You hear me? The first thing you hear during your birth isn't going to be your dad's screaming. I'm gonna push you out without a peep."

A bluejay made some confused chirping. Fluttershy explained, "Yes, Rainbow's pregnant, but she wants to call herself the father." More chirping. "Birth is very painful for ponies, you see. We have large heads and it's difficult to push them through." Another couple of chirps. "No, birds lay eggs, so you won't have to worry about any of that if you decide you want to have chicks."

Shifting to make herself more comfortable, Rainbow said, "It'd be nice if ponies came from eggs. Rarity and I could take turns sitting on it." She rubbed her sizable bump. "Instead I get to take you with me wherever I go, right, kid? You get to stay warm without my butt on your head. Bet that's nice at night, under my blankets and in my belly."

"You talk to it?" Fluttershy looked at her.

Dropping her hoof to the ground, Rainbow looked back. "Yeah. Why, is that weird?"

Fluttershy straightened up and waved her hoof. "No no, it's just when I thought of you being pregnant, I didn't realize that meant there was a foal—I mean, of course there's a foal inside you, but it's a pony, too and—oh I sound like such an idiot."

Getting to her hooves, Rainbow said, "It's cool. I get it. You only see me every once in a while with this big bump, but I get to carry this around all the time." She smiled. "I want to give my kid every chance she can get, you know? When I talk to her, I like to think she's listening, getting all those words in her little brain. If that'll make her a smarter kid, then I'll talk to her all day."

"It sounds like you're going to be a great mother," Fluttershy said. "I mean, great father." She giggled.

Rainbow stretched. "Speaking of taking care of little creatures, mind if I stick around? I figure you can show me the ins and outs of raising animals. Maybe if I get practice with them, it'll help me be ready for the foal."

Leading the way around the back of the cottage, Fluttershy said, "Of course! She's not a pony, but Drummer's fawn has been feeling under the weather for the past few days..."

The sun had passed its highest point in the sky. Below it, two pegasi, an unborn foal, and an assortment of animals had just finished eating.

Rainbow closed her eyes and sat back. She had eaten every scrap that would fit down her throat, and she didn't have to worry about putting too much weight on as a result. Pregnancy still had its perks.

A few confused bear growls drifted through her ears, followed by Fluttershy's voice. "I don't know which of you ate more." A pause for more growling. Fluttershy's conversation went on, "Rainbow's always eaten more than I do, since she works a lot harder. And she's eating for two now. Well, I don't know how much her foal needs to eat. Of course she's her daughter, but I don't see why—I suppose she might get her eating habits from Rainbow."

"You hear that, kid?" Rainbow interrupted, opening her eyes. "You're gonna be packing it away, just like dad. If you're as athletic as I am, then we're going to have some great times."

The foal kicked and squirmed.

"That's my girl."

Rainbow stood up. "I'd better get back home. I don't want Rarity to get worried, you know?"

A small team of squirrels started collecting the plates. Rainbow noticed that Mindy was among them.

"Of course," Fluttershy said, using a wing to push some of the dishes closer together.

Hopping into the air, Rainbow said, "I'll come back tomorrow so you can show me some more caretaking tricks. Later!"

She shot upwards, leaving Fluttershy's goodbyes behind. Closing her wings against her sides, Rainbow let inertia take her the rest of the way above the clouds. Her wings popped open again just before gravity took over. Turning towards town, Rainbow dropped into a dive.

"How's the ride, kid?" she called over the wind with a laugh. "I can't show you the real fancy stuff again until you're out, but I hope you enjoy what I can do."

Rainbow swooped towards Carousel Boutique before pulling up again. She traced two large loops in the sky to bleed off her speed before gliding into the bedroom window. A four-hoof landing completed her flight.

Exhaling, Rainbow shook off her wings and folded them up.

The bedroom door opened and Rarity entered. She took a few steps into the room, then stopped.

Rainbow hesitated. "Hey," she said. "How was the spa? You uh, get relaxed?"

Turning around, Rarity took a step towards the door. Seconds later, Rainbow was blocking the way. "Rarity," Rainbow said.

"Please move," Rarity answered.

With a stamp of her hoof, Rainbow said, "No. We can't keep doing this."

"Rainbow, I need to—"

"What we need," Rainbow raised her voice, "is to work this out." She stepped forward, pushing Rarity into the room. With a kick of her hind leg, she closed the door.

"I have been trying to relax, to clear my head, but every time I think about what you did—" Rarity's eyes landed on Rainbow's body. "—all I can think about is how you needlessly risked our daughter's life."

"Look," Rainbow said, taking a step sideways. "I'm sorry, okay? But I was telling the truth last night. The salamanders didn't hit the foal. It's fine."

"And that is exactly the problem!" Rarity shouted.

Shifting back, Rainbow said, "What?"

"The foal's fine, the foal's fine," Rarity said. "Every time, that's what you say. You throw it into danger and justify it afterwards by saying it wasn't hurt this time! And every day it gets larger and more exposed while you get more complacent."

Rarity stepped forward. "I don't care what you call yourself, you are her mother, and you need to act like it! I was hoping that carrying a foal for close to a year would instill some maternal instincts in you, but you've proven me wrong time and again. This entire time you have treated it as nothing more than a parasite to be endured instead of a child to be treasured."

Shrinking back, Rainbow mumbled, "I'm sorry, Rarity."

"Sorry isn't enough. I know that pregnant mares don't have the stamina that they normally do. I know for a fact that your body is telling you to slow down. And you are clearly ignoring it in favor of cheap thrills. The foal is my daughter too, so if you won't take initiative for her well-being, then I have no choice." She jabbed a hoof at Rainbow. "From now on, no more stunts. In fact, no more flying."

"I—" Rainbow blinked. "WHAT?"

"You clearly do not know your limits, so you can't be trusted to stay within them. The foal is the most important thing in your life, and you need to care for it more than you need to fly."

Eyebrows dropping, Rainbow replied, "I can do both and it'll be just fine."

"Again, 'just fine'. Rainbow, that is a pony and it needs protection." Rarity pointed to Rainbow's belly.

Putting her hoof to her chest, Rainbow asked, "And what am I? A womb with legs?"

"You are a mother." Rarity's glare met Rainbow's.

Rainbow paused. "You said this is your foal. It's also mine." She took a step past Rarity. "It's in my womb, my body. I'm the one who's been carrying it for the past ten months." Another step. "And I can take care of myself and her."

Rainbow's gaze landed on the open window. Rarity followed it.

Through gritted teeth, she growled, "Rainbow Dash, don't you dare."

Taking a few more steps, Rainbow opened her wings. "It's my body and I will do what I want with it. And you can't stop me."

Rainbow shot out the window and into the sky. She spun upwards as tightly as the weight in her gut would let her. Below, Rarity was yelling something very angry, but Rainbow didn't listen.

"I don't believe her!" she ranted to nopony in particular. "No flying? Come on! I know what I can do with..." She looked back. "With you." She loosened her turns. "Aw geez, I'm sorry you had to hear all that. What am I going to do now? If you thought the salamanders were bad, you don't want to see what Rarity wants to do to me right now."

With a sigh, Rainbow added, "I'm being an awful father again. You hardly deserve this."

Looking forward, Rainbow spotted a short train pulling out of the station, much like the one she'd taken the week before to find the Roundhill. "Let's go hang out with Twilight, kid. Get this off our minds."

Catching up with the train was easy work, and she set hoof on the balcony of the last car before letting herself in. Inside were Twilight, Starlight, and a small library's worth of books and scrolls. Both ponies looked up at the sound of the door.

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey. Room for one more?" Without waiting for an answer, she lay down on a free seat and set her head on her hooves.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." She didn't want to think about it. "Let me just hang out here, all right?"

Reluctantly, Twilight and Starlight started a conversation with each other. It was something about magic and that Roundhill thing.

Staring up at the window and at the sky, Rainbow wondered if she should spend the next month with her parents until the foal was born. Then again, when they got the news that they were going to be grandparents, they almost exploded with joy. And they did explode fireworks. She'd rather take her chances with the salamanders again than put her foal in that environment.

Rainbow shook her head. Instead, she could ask Twilight. Her castle had a lot of rooms. She could spare one for a month. As a bonus, it had enough rooms that Rarity would have a hard time finding her unless Twilight spilled the beans.

Planting her forehooves on the seat cushion, she quickly pushed herself upright. "I'm trying to get my mind off of that," she grumbled. Rainbow marched herself to Twilight and Starlight.

She planted her butt on the floor. "Okay, tell me all the magic junk about what you're doing."

The ponies walked down the ridge. Ahead, the Roundhill sat under its blanket of dirt and grass. Rainbow could still see the small black patch where Applejack had dug the week before. Twilight and Starlight each carried several books in their saddlebags.

She had been lectured on Roundhill theories and magic for the ride until the train had pulled off to the siding. Rainbow had already forgotten it all, but pretending to be interested had been enough to distract her. Then, at her own insistence, Rainbow carried four large books in each of her bags, in addition to the scroll collection.

Walking across the grass, she grumbled to herself under the weight. "I'm not some piece of livestock to be mindlessly bred. This is my body, and I'm having the foal on my terms."

When she reached the base of the Roundhill, she dropped her saddlebags to the grass before laying herself down next to them.

"Starlight," Twilight called, "why don't you get started?"

Starlight levitated a book from her bag and paced back and forth, glancing between it and the Roundhill.

Sitting down in front of Rainbow, Twilight asked, "Is something going on between you and Rarity?"

The only answer she got was a groan.

"Do you need to talk things out again?"

Rainbow looked away from Twilight and up the slope of the Roundhill. "She doesn't want to talk. She only wants to order me around."

Reaching a hoof out to point Rainbow's head at her, Twilight said, "Is it about the foal? I'm sure you can work something out."

"The only thing that'll satisfy Rarity is if I come crawling back to her, kiss her hooves, lay down on the couch, and not leave it until I give birth." Rainbow heaved a sigh. "And the worst part is, that sounds like my best option."

"I'm sure she doesn't want you to suffer. She's just concerned for the foal's well-being." Twilight moved her head to stay within Rainbow's field of view.

"Well I can keep it safe without her 'help'." She turned her head away.

"Twilight?" Starlight called. "I have Gemstone's Deep Probe ready."

Looking at Rainbow, Twilight said, "I know you're going to get through this. You've gotten through everything else." She stood and turned. "I'm coming."

Rainbow shifted enough to get a good look at the two. They discussed something out of earshot before Twilight's horn illuminated. A stream of magical energy flowed into the grass on the side of the hill, then dissipated. Twilight sounded confused. Pulling out another book, Starlight made some suggestion, which Twilight seemingly tried, to the same effect. Watching it was more compelling than thinking about what to do once she saw Rarity again.

This repeated several more times, until the two of them did the spell together. Suddenly, the ground shook. Rainbow looked up to see the side of the hill sliding down towards her. Eyes wide, she scrambled to her feet and into the air. Twilight shouted a warning, took off, scooped Starlight up, and carried her away.

Twilight and Starlight landed some distance away. Rainbow landed a few yards to the side. She turned to see the entire grass hillside falling away, revealing the full Roundhill amid a cloud of settling dust. Its segmented black shell shone in the afternoon sun, featureless except for a misshapen dark blue splotch near what Rainbow could only assume was its front.

Cracks shot out from the Roundhill's base across the landscape. Motion above caught Rainbow's attention. The sky directly over the Roundhill had turned a deep orange. Expanding outwards, the orange sky swept over the ponies' heads, evaporating every cloud it touched on its way to the horizon.

"It's alive!" Starlight yelled.

"It can't be alive!" Twilight said. "We checked! It was dead!"

A white field appeared on top of the Roundhill. It swept down its sides, covering it in a solid shimmering glow unlike any magic field Rainbow had ever seen. Steam arose from where it touched the grass.

"Whatever it's doing, it can't be good," Twilight said.

Starlight lowered her head. "Then let's stop it!"

A burst of blue magic shot out from Starlight's horn and struck the Roundhill. The field covering it rippled, but only slightly.

Tendrils of white energy crossed that field towards a glowing point facing directly at the ponies.

"Um..." Rainbow said, backing away from Starlight. She could hear a distinct crackling coming from the Roundhill.

"Starlight, look out!" Twilight shouted. She flew into Starlight's side, knocking her out of the way.

A white-hot beam lanced out from the Roundhill and past Rainbow with a deafening crack. She clamped her eyes shut and the purple afterimage burned across her vision. Behind her, a boom echoed out.

Rainbow opened her eyes long enough to find a small bump in the terrain to scramble behind. Turning around, she saw a cloud of rock settling around the ridge, which had a glowing hole punched straight through it.

Starlight fell next to Rainbow, crouching low.

Grabbing her, Rainbow yelled, "Starlight! What's going on?"

"I don't know!" she answered.

"Where's Twilight?"

"I don't know!"

An orange sparkle drifted down from above.

"What's that?"

"I don't know!"

Looking at the Roundhill, Rainbow saw that there were so many sparkles falling near it, they had become an orange fog. Closer to the ponies, more sparkles joined the first.

As Rainbow watched, a sparkle hit the grass, instantly withering it. She jerked back.

"What's it doing?!" Starlight shouted.

Rainbow tried her best to dodge the sparkles, but they fell increasingly thicker, several landing on her back, until they were coming down like snow.

Steadily, Rainbow felt weaker and weaker. Soon she couldn't stand, and collapsed on the dead grass. She felt so heavy. Cold spread up her legs and through her body. With the last of her strength, she moved her head to see Starlight laying motionless nearby.

"Rarity..." she breathed. The world dimmed from her vision. "I'm..."

A Stolen Chance

Rainbow screamed. She flailed madly until she fell and hit the ground. Jumping to her hooves, she wildly looked around.

She was standing in her bedroom at home, chest heaving and heart pounding. The bed's blankets sat in a heap around her legs. Outside, the morning sun shone across Ponyville.

The bedroom door burst open and Rarity ran in. "Rainbow, I heard that from clear downstairs! Whatever could be the matter?"

"What happened?!" Rainbow yelled. "Where's Starlight? Where's Twilight?" A realization struck her. She pressed her hoof to her side. It was decidedly flat.

"The foal! How long was I out?!" She grabbed Rarity. "Rarity, where is she? Please tell me she's okay." Tears formed in her eyes. "If something happened to her, I'd—I'd—"

"Rainbow!" Rarity said. "You're not making any sense. Look, the foal's right there."

Rarity put her hoof to Rainbow's side. Feeling it again, Rainbow noticed her sides did curve outwards, but were much smaller than they had been.

"Wh... what?" More vigorous prodding confirmed the presence of a smaller womb.

Rarity pushed Rainbow's hoof away. "Dearie, if you keep doing that, she's going to be born with a dent."

Looking into Rarity's eyes, Rainbow didn't see a hint of anger. "No, there was the Roundhill, and—and that thing with the sparkles, and Twilight and that bright beam... and... did I die?"

Rarity reached up and stroked Rainbow's mane. "It sounds to me like you had a bad dream."

Since she'd noticed, she felt that her belly lacked the weight that had become familiar. "A dream."

She stumbled out of the room in a daze, leaving her confused wife behind. "A dream." The calendar on the wall caught her attention. She flipped the page to the next month. Days that had been crossed off or written on were empty. If the calendar was correct, Rainbow's dream spanned a month and a half.

"No. That wasn't a dream. It couldn't have been." She flipped the page back to what was allegedly the present.

Rainbow hurried downstairs.

"I gotta talk to Twilight."

Rainbow pushed open the door to Twilight's map room. Inside, she found Twilight and Starlight looking over some books.

"Twilight!" Rainbow called.

"Oh!" Twilight looked up. "Hello, Rainbow. Is there anything we can help you with?"

Rainbow paused. Looking down, she said, "You don't know."

Twilight tilted her head. "Know what?"

Sitting, Rainbow put her hoof to her head. "About the Roundhill."

"What's a Roundhill?" Starlight asked.

"Something's wrong," Rainbow said. "Something is seriously wrong. There is some real freaky magic stuff going on."

Twilight and Starlight looked at each other. Then Twilight walked up and sat next to Rainbow. "I'm sure we can figure it out. Tell us what happened."

Rainbow took a breath. "You two were investigating some magic weirdness, and found out that it's coming from a place called Round Hill. But turns out Round Hill is a really huge creature that we called the Roundhill. You thought it was dead, like a hundred percent certain. Something about how big it is. But it's not. It's alive, and you woke it up. It killed you, it killed me, and the way those death sparkles were going, it killed everything."

She paused to breathe again. "And then I woke up and now it's a month and a half ago and I'm not as pregnant as I was. And all this is really weird, okay?"

"Round Hill?" Starlight asked. She levitated some scrolls and looked through them. "Round Hill, Round Hill..." she repeated, searching.

Twilight's eyes went to the floor for a moment before she looked back up. "You're saying you died in the future, then went back in time to today?"

"Yeah, something like that."

Standing up, Twilight said, "I'm sorry, Rainbow, but that simply isn't possible."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "What?"

"Time travel like that doesn't exist. You can't wake up as your younger self. Magic doesn't work that way."

Rainbow got to her feet. Again, the lack of weight in her belly was clear as day. "But you two have gone back in time like a dozen times."

"Yes," Twilight said, "Bodily. If you really time traveled, not only would there be a second Rainbow Dash from this time, but you would be another month and a half pregnant." She pointed at Rainbow's side. "And you're clearly not."

Starlight looked up from a scroll. "She's right. You'd be violating several fundamental laws of magic."

"I don't believe this," Rainbow said. "Twilight, please. I'm not making this up. This is some end of the world stuff going on."

Pacing back and forth, Twilight looked at Starlight. "Something does seem strange about this."

Raising a scroll, Starlight announced, "Found it! Round Hill might be the source of the disturbances. It's not very likely, but it's not impossible either."

With a sigh of relief, Rainbow said. "Good. I'm not going completely crazy. That's the place. That's where the Roundhill is."

Twilight hummed in thought, then said, "Assuming that's true, how did she come across this knowledge?"

Starlight scratched her chin. "A magic vision?"

"In a pegasus?" Twilight looked Rainbow over. "It's not unheard of. But visions only last a few moments. There's no way she could have one a month and a half long. Unless..." A book hovered off of the shelf and opened in Twilight's face. "The vision might have only been for a minute or two. Her mind wasn't able to recognize it for what it was, and her imagination filled in the gaps."

Stepping forward, Rainbow said, "So you're saying I'm not smart enough to know magic when it zaps me in the face."

With a forced grin, Twilight said, "It can be very hard to recognize visions, especially for pegasi and earth ponies. If your vision was particularly intense, then you could easily have mistaken it for your own experience. You have fuzzy memories of most of it as a result, I'm sure."

"I remember all of it crystal clear, Twilight." Rainbow's eyebrows dropped.

Starlight walked up to them. "We should hear Rainbow's account of her vision. Tell us what you saw the Roundhill creature doing."

"Yeah, all right." Rainbow closed her eyes and recounted the final moments of her life.

When she finished, she opened her eyes to see Starlight and Twilight taking notes.

Starlight smiled. "I think Rainbow's imagination filled in for more than a little of her vision."

"There are..." Twilight looked at Rainbow. "...a few issues with her account."

"Like the whole thing?" Starlight asked.

"Really?" Rainbow half-shouted.

Twilight's cheeks tinged red. "Explaining the impossibilities in, well, all of it would take quite a long time. But it's clear that something dangerous is at Round Hill, or somewhere like it. We just don't know exactly what."

Rainbow scoffed.

"We should investigate it, whatever it is," Twilight continued. "I'll arrange for a train to Round Hill. Starlight, you should come with me."

Turning to Twilight, Rainbow told her, "You'll need a shovel. Pinkie has one. Bring Applejack to help dig. It's not buried very deep.

"One more thing." Rainbow grabbed Twilight and looked her dead in the eye. "Don't use magic on it."

"Rainbow, we don't know what we might have to—"

"Promise me, Twilight." She shook Twilight's shoulders.

Twilight sighed. "If we find a massive black-shelled dead creature under Round Hill, we will not use any kind of magic on it, okay?"

With a smile, Rainbow said, "Thanks. You just saved the world." She let go and took off out the window.

Above Ponyville, she let herself glide. "What in Equestria is going on? I know what happened. I was there. It wasn't some fuzzy magic vision. I remember."

Rainbow blinked a few times, then rubbed her belly. "Do you remember?"

Looking ahead, she saw Carousel Boutique. "Rarity." Her flight faltered and she hovered in the air. "No, she doesn't remember. That never happened. Not to this Rarity. It was the other Rarity who said all that. Who..."

Rainbow sunk out of the sky, then landed on the ground. "Who I told that I refused to do what she said. Because it's my body. My body in some other future that's lying dead now."

Taking a shaky step forward, she quietly went on. "She yelled at me. I yelled at her. I flew away. And then I died. And she died. That was the last time we ever talked to each other. Before we died. That's how it all ended. I'll never be able to tell that Rarity I'm sorry. I'll never work things out with her, because we died. That's gone."

Rainbow walked, then galloped, then flew to the front door of her home in the boutique. She threw it open to see Rarity inside. Rainbow's vision blurred. She shot forward and wrapped her forelegs around Rarity. Chest heaving, Rainbow cried into Rarity's mane.

"Rainbow?" Rarity said. "What happened with Twilight, dearie? Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Rainbow choked out. "I'm okay. I'm just—I love you, Rarity. I love you so much."

She felt Rarity return the embrace. "I love you too, Rainbow. Now what's been going on with you today?"

Rainbow sniffled. "I'll tell you over breakfast, okay?"

Rarity set her fork down. "That's an... interesting story."

After taking a moment to eat another piece of toast, Rainbow asked, "So, do you believe me?"

"Rainbow, dearie, you know I love you and I trust you. But Twilight and Starlight are much better-versed in the ways of magic than either of us are. If they say it can't be true, then..."

Rainbow's face dropped.

Reaching a hoof across the table to meet Rainbow's, Rarity continued, "I'm sorry, but I'm sure they'll figure out what's really going on."

"Yeah." She felt a sensation that had long become familiar. "Oh. Rarity, can you get me up to speed on when exactly I am?" Rainbow pushed back from the table and stood up.

"I'm not sure I understand."

"We did the first round of shopping for the foal, right? But you wanted to stop until I got bigger." She looked at Rarity.

Rarity turned a little red. "I... believe the exact phrase I used was the size of an apple cart."

Tapping her hoof against the ground, Rainbow said, "Yeah, that's it! Has the foal kicked yet?"

"You said you weren't sure." Rarity's eyes went to Rainbow's side.

Rainbow smiled. "I'm sure now. She's kicking."

Rarity gasped and hurried to Rainbow's side, placing her ear against her side. Rainbow felt the fluttering inside again.

"I know you don't believe me," Rainbow said, "but I've had her kicking around in there for a month and a half. I know how it feels. In fact, since she's awake, I want to read to her for a bit."

Pulling away, Rarity looked up at her. "You read to her?"

"Yup." Rainbow straightened up. "Started doing that before that whole thing where I died. This time, I'm getting to that right now. I figure all those words and stuff will turn her into a smart little kid. I got a month and a half of my life back, and I'm using it to make our kid the best foal she can be."

"Oh, that's—" Rarity's eyes darted between Rainbow's face and her belly. "—rather sudden of you. Do you mind if I read to her, too?"

Walking towards the couch, Rainbow said, "Sure thing, babe. We'll trade off. Hey kid, you get to hear your mom read to you, too. That'll be sweet."

Rarity smiled. "And you talk to her now. Also, you're her mother, dearie," she said, looking over a bookshelf.

"I don't care what you call yourself, you are her mother!" The words echoed through Rainbow's mind. The other Rarity had said that. The Rarity that this one became, during the fight that Rainbow hadn't told this Rarity about.

Rainbow's steps faltered. She shook her head. That fight never happened. It was gone, erased from time.

Laying down, she said, "Hey, bring over Daring Do and the Hippogriff's Eye. That's a classic."

Rarity had two books already in her magical grip. "Rainbow, have you only read Daring Do to her?"

"Yeah, why?"

Rarity sighed. "She is going to be born wearing a pith helmet. Perhaps some higher literature is in order." A copy of Threads of Fate drifted in front of Rainbow's nose.

"That one has some pretty big words in it," Rainbow said, adjusting her weight. "I don't think she knows them."

Bringing the book towards Rainbow's side, Rarity said, "She's a fetus, Rainbow. She doesn't know any words."

"Then what's the difference between that and Daring Do?"

Rarity glared at her, then opened the book. "Lightning flashed across the blackened sky..."

Anticipating the Past

Rainbow Dash walked down the stairs, still shaking the morning grogginess from her head. The smell of pancakes drifting from below reminded her that she was hungry.

Arriving at the table, Rainbow pulled up a chair.

"Good morning, dearie," Rarity said, levitating a heaping plate. "You have excellent timing; I just finished making these."

Mouth watering, Rainbow asked, "They have strawberries?"

"Of course," Rarity said, setting the first helping in front of her.

"I love you so much." She took a bite. Rarity sat down across from her, smiled, and began to eat her own.

It had been several weeks. The foal had grown to the point where it showed prominently again on Rainbow's flanks, with an appetite to match.

Once Rainbow's mouth was full, Rarity looked into her eyes. "Dearie, I'd like to ask you something, and hear me out before you say no."

Through her mouthful, she said, "Mm?"

"Pinkie Pie is throwing the Spring Bloom today. I know you don't like to go to that kind of thing, but I would appreciate it if you came along with me. I get so inspired by the arrangements the ponies come up with, and having you there would make it just a little more special. If you don't want to, I understand, but it would mean a lot to me." Rarity gave her that smile and little tilt of her head she always did when she wanted something.

"Didn't we—" Rainbow swallowed. "Didn't we already have that, like, last—oh right, time travel. It sounds real boring, but if it'll make you happy—wait I remember that! That's where—oh man I am there!" Shoving another pancake into her mouth, she said through her food, "After breakfast."

Sounding substantially less enthused, Rarity said, "Did your vision of the future tell you something I should know about the Bloom?"

"Nah, nah." Swallowing again, Rainbow said, "It's better if it's a surprise. It'll be great, trust me." She returned to her pancakes.

The Spring Bloom was originally Applejack's idea. Multitudes of flower seeds were planted as part of Winter Wrap-Up, and the first blooms of the year got gathered up and put on display. Tables had been arranged all across the town square. Flowers of all colors glistened in the morning sunlight, some in pots or trays of dirt, some freshly cut.

Rainbow and Rarity walked past the outer perimeter of flowers. Springing up from behind a bouquet, Pinkie Pie landed in front of the couple.

Somehow, the crown of dark pink flowers on her head remained in place. "Rarity! Rainbow! You came!"

"Wouldn't miss this for the world," Rainbow said.

With a glance at her, Rarity added, "Yes, I like to find inspiration at these."

"But!" Pinkie reared up to show a flower crown hanging from each foreleg. "Everypony has to wear one. It's the rules." She scowled in a way that suggested this was not open to negotiation.

Pinkie tossed both crowns into the air. A ring of small sunflowers landed on Rarity's head, settling neatly around her horn. Rainbow received flowers of a whole bunch of different colors. Pinkie smiled for a second before gasping. "I forgot one! Stay right there!" she shouted before darting away.

Smiling, Rarity turned and looked into Rainbow's eyes.

"What?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Rarity answered. "I'm just admiring you. The flowers really bring out your eyes." She took a step, putting her face inches away from Rainbow's.

Rainbow smiled back. "Yours, too." Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against Rarity's.

Their kiss was interrupted by Pinkie's return. Between her teeth, she delicately held a flower crown. It was so tiny, Rainbow would have had trouble fitting it over her ear. It had only four small flowers on it: two next to each other of orange and light blue, and two of white and purple.

Pinkie bounced to Rainbow's right side. Last time, Rainbow had sidestepped away from her. This time, Rainbow opened her wing to present her belly. Pinkie set the tiny crown against Rainbow's bulge and stuck a piece of tape to her fur to hold it on.

"Perfect!" she announced before prancing away.

Rainbow looked back at herself with a smirk. "Looks good on you, kid."

Looking at the miniature crown, Rarity giggled. "Yes, it does. Now if you don't mind, an orchid arrangement is calling to me."

"Sure thing, babe." Rainbow walked in the other direction to help refresh her memory. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Twilight hurrying up towards her.

Twilight's flower crown was a fancy double-layered thing of blues and purples that reminded Rainbow that she didn't know what most of the flowers there were called. "Rainbow!" Twilight called. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Hey, what's up?"

Looking into Rainbow's eyes, Twilight said, "I just wanted to keep you informed. We found the Roundhill creature and did some observations."

Rainbow straightened up. "You didn't use magic on it, did you?! You promised!"

Twilight raised a hoof. "I didn't actually expect to have to keep that promise. But we didn't use any magic on it, just around it. And I can say for certain that your Roundhill is dead."

Sighing, Rainbow said, "You said that last time. It's alive, but at least you didn't wake it up. Of course you didn't. We're all still here."

"I already know something isn't right about all this." Twilight paced back and forth. "Your vision, the creature, things aren't adding up. Your recollection of it is by far the most lengthy and detailed vision I've ever heard about, yet its literal interpretation is impossible, so deciphering its true meaning is proving difficult. But the message is clear: that creature is some kind of danger. We just don't know what."

"I know what," Rainbow grumbled.

Twilight looked at her. "Regardless, its body is under enough dirt to say that it's been undisturbed for tens of thousands of years, maybe longer. I think it's for the best that we let it lie until we figure out how to safely handle it."

"Thanks, Twilight." Rainbow hugged her. "You're the best."

Twilight hugged her back. "It's no trouble at all." She stepped away again. "Pinkie has me judging this year, so I need to get back to the flowers."

Perking up, Rainbow said, "Awesome. Looking forward to that."

Slowly, Twilight replied, "Okay." She walked away, glancing back as she went.

With a spring in her step, Rainbow made her way to a display.

"All right, kid, want to learn some stuff about flowers? I mean, I don't know the names of most of these... and you can't exactly see them from in there." She shook her head. "Whatever. Well, this one is called a rose. It smells nice but you have to be careful picking one up. Getting a thorn stuck between your teeth is the worst..."

The sun approached noontime, and Rainbow found it harder and harder to resist eating the flowers instead of merely talking about them. The fact that she had also run out of flower knowledge two hours before did not help. Her belly had been still for about that long, so Rainbow took comfort in the fact that her daughter was as bored as she was.

Rainbow took a few steps towards the same display of daffodils that she had just been at before Pinkie trotted up to her.

"Hey, Rainbow!" She situated herself at Rainbow's side, which was never a good sign.

Turning to look, Rainbow said, "What's up?"

"Can the foal really hear everything that's going on out here?" She leaned in.

Rainbow's ears moved back. "You heard Rarity saying that, didn't you?"

With a gasp, Pinkie said, "How did you know?" She pressed her face against Rainbow's belly. Using a volume more suitable for yelling through rock than flesh, she shouted, "Helloooo foal! I'm Pinkie Pie, your future foalsitter! Can you hear me?"

Rainbow dug her hoof into her ear. "I think my grandkids heard you." From the way it kicked, the foal shared her sentiments.

Hopping back to Rainbow's front, Pinkie said, "I know! I got plenty of books I can read to it! Won't that be fun?"

Last time, Rainbow had said, "Sure, why not, we can have some storytime."

This time, Rainbow said, "Oh, uh, you don't need to do that. Rarity and I have been reading to it plenty."

"Oh, okay. I'll find something else to talk to her about!" Pinkie bounced away.

Rainbow glanced back at her belly. "Daring Do saves the day again."

Looking forward, Rainbow spied Twilight making her way towards the temporary wooden stage. On either side, the stage was flanked by large bushes, and enormous sunflowers grew behind it in a large elevated trench.

"Attention everypony!" Twilight called. "I am pleased to announce today's winners!"

Rainbow gave her full and undivided attention, stifling a chuckle.

Twilight reached the stage, ducking her head under one of the bushes. Her flower crown caught on one of the low-hanging branches. As the other end hooked around Twilight's horn, her head was pulled back. Twilight spun around in an effort to stabilize herself, but her rump smacked into one of the supports of the sunflower trench. Just as Twilight had freed herself and turned again towards the stage, the supports collapsed, sending their contents onto the stage and onto Twilight, completely burying her.

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.

"Yes!" she shouted, rolling onto her back. "Just like that!"

Emerging from the mess, Twilight's head wore sunflower roots on top of her dirt blanket. A few other ponies laughed, but none as hard as Rainbow.

Rainbow's hooves kicked the air as she struggled to breathe between laughs. "That was... that was so worth the wait! It's even better than I remembered!"

Through blurred vision, Rainbow saw Twilight unearthing herself. "All right, everypony," Twilight said, "that was just a little accident."

Rainbow got to her feet and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I wish you coulda seen that, kid."

"Hopefully without any further interruptions," Twilight said with a quizzical glance towards Rainbow, "I'll announce today's winners."

Rainbow didn't pay any attention to the flowers. She had already won the grand prize.

Faux Rematch

Rainbow shifted under the bed's covers. Slowly, her mind registered that it was still before sunrise and she therefore should be asleep.

"Rainbow, dearie." It took another moment to realize that Rarity's voice was probably why she had woken up.

"Not now, babe," Rainbow groaned. "The foal still has to..." Unable to come up with a verb, her subconscious simply gave up.

"Sure thing," Rainbow mumbled. "Love you."

Only vaguely aware of Rarity's hoofsteps, Rainbow drifted back to sleep with the persistent feeling that she was forgetting something.

And then she remembered something else.

Her eyes went wide. "Rarity!"

Gripping her head in her hooves, she said, "Aw geez, I never told her! I was going to but she'd start asking questions and—" She let go and shook her head. "No. It doesn't matter anymore. I gotta help her. Think, Rainbow. Maybe I still have time. I can take the next train—no no, I'm faster than the train is. I can make it."

She rushed downstairs and grabbed her saddlebags. After tossing them on her back, she filled a few water bottles from the sink and shoved them in. She went through the front door and took off into the sky.

"Come on, kid, let's save your mom."

Rainbow flew as fast as a sustainable pace allowed. Following the train tracks across the country, she made her way towards Dodge Junction and the Badlands beyond.

She took a drink of water before placing the bottle back in her bag. "Just so you're up to speed, here's the plan, kid," she said, keeping her eyes on the ground. "If we get to Rarity before the salamanders do, I tell her what's up and we get out. If I don't see her, then they've gotten her, we take the train home, and Twilight and Starlight bust her out like last time. Either way, those things get nowhere near you. Got it? Got it."

Within a few hours, she had arrived over the Badlands. Her eyes darted across the landscape, looking for signs of her wife. Then she spotted a white shape below, along with three darker ones. She went into a hover high overhead, panting for air. The high sun over the desert didn't help.

"No no no. Okay, okay, plan A. I go back and get them." She looked to the west. "But Rarity's like a mile away from the colony, and there's only three of them. I whooped the butts of four last time." She took another swig of water. "I really need to let her go. I know she's going to be okay."

She took a few more breaths, eyes locked on the creatures kidnapping her wife. "I can't... I can't I can't I can't!" She growled. "I'm sorry, kid."

Rainbow swooped down. She landed on all fours in front of the salamanders. Two lead the way, both in armor. Behind them, Rarity had a black cloth bag over her head, with a rope tied around her head and through her mouth. A third salamander, dressed in fine clothes and holding a staff, held Rarity's leash.

"Hey!" Rainbow shouted. She could feel sweat running down her sides. Blinking a drop out of her eye, she said, "That's my wife!"

Rarity made a muffled noise of shock.

Both guards lowered their spears towards Rainbow. She took a few steps backwards, eyes on the guards. "You better look out, I'm a violent, sex-crazed animal."

The guards advanced. Continuing her walk back, Rainbow went on, "I gotta satisfy my sexual desires on that pony, and I'm going to knock your lights out if you get in my way. That's right, even with foal I just have to get my sex."

Rainbow kept her distance from the guards. She turned around, lowered her head to look underneath herself and raised her tail. "Look at me, I'm waving my goods around like some kind of perverted animal." A shake of her rump added to the effect. "I know what a salamander looks like naked, and I liked what I saw. Because I'm that sex-crazed."

Turning back towards them, Rainbow changed course to the side, tracing a large circle around Rarity and the third salamander. "But don't forget my violence. Punching salamanders gets me horny, and you look really punchable."

The guards still followed without saying a word, spears pointed at her.

"That's right," Rainbow said, looking into their eyes. "First I'm going to dent that armor of yours, then I'm going to sex up that pony."

Glancing to the side, Rainbow saw the third salamander relax and look away.

With a grin, Rainbow said, "Checkmate."

Rainbow swiveled on her hoof, opened her wings, and darted past the guards. The third salamander had barely turned back when Rainbow spun around mid-air and delivered a kick to her chest with both hind hooves, knocking her across the ground. She planted her hind hooves into the ground, wrapped her forelegs around Rarity's chest, and launched herself straight up.

They were well above the clouds before Rainbow leveled off. Rarity squirmed while making a series of unpleasant noises. "Whoa, babe," Rainbow said, "hold still. We're pretty high up and I don't want to drop you. My grip isn't that good right now."

A shallow glide returned them to the ground. The salamanders had become tiny dots in the distance. After fiddling with the knot for a bit, Rainbow managed to untie Rarity's rope and pull the bag off of her head.

"Hey, babe."

Rarity stared at her. "Not to sound ungrateful, but how in Equestria did you know to come out here and rescue me?"

With a smirk, Rainbow answered, "Time travel."

Rarity's eyebrow raised. "And this was the outcome you had in mind."

Rainbow's smile turned into a grimace. "It's... complicated." Glancing past her, she added, "Let's get moving. I don't know if those salamanders are going to come after us." She broke into a trot. "I got water if you're thirsty."

Magically fetching one of the bottles, Rarity took a drink while keeping pace. "What was all that about violence and a sex craze? You've rarely been in the mood for months."

"Salamander thing. They think we're all dumb animals for some reason." She shook her head.

Rarity looked at her. "Did you really present yourself to them?"

Laughing, Rainbow said, "Yeah. It was really funny." She sped up to trot in front of Rarity, looked back at her, and hiked up her tail. "Besides, this looks good. I know you like to see it. I got to make them real jealous of what nobody else can get."

Rarity's eyes went down to Rainbow's rump. She smiled and looked back up. "I can't say I disapprove of the view. Speaking of, how do you know what a salamander looks like naked? I got the impression from my... rather brief conversation that they had a strong nudity taboo."

Grinning ear to ear, Rainbow said, "Time travel." She let her tail drop and moved back to Rarity's side.

"Whatever the case," Rarity said, "I dread to think what they had in mind for me. I'm glad you came."

Rainbow looked towards Dodge Junction in the distance. "Yeah, me too."

Rainbow Dash lounged on the couch in Twilight's castle. Outside, the sun dipped below the horizon. Inside, Twilight sat in front of Rainbow jotting on a scroll. Nearby, Rarity indulged herself with a cup of tea.

"So, after you showed the guards your genitalia, for reasons I still don't understand," Twilight said, "you then flew towards Rarity."

With a flick of her tail, Rainbow said, "Yeah, you got it. Then I kicked the fancy-dressed one in the chest, grabbed Rarity, and took off out of there."

"I see. I'll be sure to relay your reports to Princess Celestia." Twilight lowered her scroll.

"Oh yeah, make sure to tell her how rude they are and that they think ponies are mindless animals." Rainbow waved her hoof.

Looking at her, Twilight asked, "What makes you think that?"

"That's what they said! Those jerks."

Twilight looked over the scroll hovering in front of her. "You didn't tell me they said anything."

Pushing the scroll down, Rainbow said, "Not this time, last time."

"You mean in your vision?"

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Whatever. They tied me up in front of their mayor Kez-lack or whatever his name was. He said a lot of stupid stuff about ponies and then threw me in a cage with Rarity overnight before you and Starlight busted us out."

"Twilight," Rarity said, "If you don't mind, I'm going to head home. I've had a long day." Setting down her tea, she stood up.

"Of course," Twilight said.

"See you at home," Rainbow added before turning back to Twilight.

Watching Rarity leave, Twilight said, "Something has been bothering me about your vision. Things just aren't making sense."

Shifting her weight on the couch, Rainbow said, "Because it wasn't a vision. I went back in time."

"Which we've already established can't be true." Twilight stood and paced around the room. "At first I assumed you only saw a few moments of time and your imagination filled in the rest. But you predicted the source of the disturbances and the existence of the Roundhill. Then the, um, accident at the Spring Bloom and now Rarity's kidnapping? A vision of that span of time and that amount of detail is... just absurd! I'd wonder if you've somehow gained the power to see the future, but that's just as ridiculous, not to mention you've apparently changed at least part of it."

Watching her walk, Rainbow said, "I still don't know anything past when we died, so I get to be normal again pretty soon. Speaking of, you're still not planning on zapping it and waking it up, right?"

"The Roundhill's dead—"

"—which is what you said before it killed you—"

"—but no, we're not going to do anything to it. Especially in light of everything else you foresaw." Twilight stopped and turned to her. "What you remember can't be what would happen, but whatever would is at best neutral and at worst catastrophic, that much I'm sure of."

Rainbow rolled off the couch, landed on her hooves, and stretched. "Close enough. I have a foal coming in a month so there's enough to worry about. I'm getting hungry, so I'm going to head home. Thanks for not destroying ponykind, Twilight."

Walking out into the night, Rainbow took a deep breath.

"Hey, kid," she said. "You, uh, you didn't mind getting up close and personal with the salamanders again, right?"

Her foal remained still. Rainbow figured she was asleep.

Regardless, she continued, "I said that Twilight and Starlight rescued us last time in front of Rarity, didn't I? Why did I have to open my big mouth? Now she knows she could have been saved without me. If she hasn't figured it out by now, it's only a matter of time."

"I got a second chance at this and I blew it!" She stomped her hoof.

Looking ahead at the Boutique, she straightened up. "No use putting this off. I gotta face the music."

Finishing her walk, Rainbow opened the door and found Rarity inside. Rarity turned to look at her. "There you are. Did you work out with Twilight what was going on?"

"As far as she'd let me." Rainbow tried not to wince.

"That's good. I need some time to relax after today. I'm going to take a bath." Rarity turned towards the stairs.

Rainbow's ears drooped back and she lowered her head.

Turning her head around, Rarity said, "Would you like to join me?"

Stiffening up, Rainbow said, "What?"

Rarity smiled and half-closed her eyes. "I would oh so love to show my gratitude towards the brave mare who rescued me from those savage creatures." A flick of her tail punctuated her sentence.

"Oh, uh." Rainbow paused. "I'm not really in the mood."

Rarity's smile faded. "Ah, yes. Of course. I understand."

With a few hurried steps forward, Rainbow said, "I'll take mine after you're done, okay? I could use a little less stress." She took a breath and attempted a smile. "Bad for the foal, you know."

Rainbow Dash lay on the downstairs couch, digesting her breakfast. Next to her, Rarity sat on the rug, reading one of her corny romance adventure novels to their child.

The previous day had been filled with Rarity sewing and stitching and draping cloth on mannequins and acting like absolutely nothing was wrong. So far, this day promised the same.

"...and then the handsome young Beef Pastry tore through the vines with his teeth, freeing his beloved Porcelain Dish. Gripping her in his rugged hooves, he looked into her glistening amber orbs, and said—"

"You endangered our foal!" echoed in Rainbow's head.

She gripped the sides of her head in her hooves and shouted, "I can't take this any more!"

Rarity shifted back, dropping the book out of her magic. "Dearie, if you didn't like the book, you could have said so earlier."

Hopping off the couch, Rainbow leaned down to Rarity. "I know you're not stupid, Rarity. Tell me: why aren't you mad at me?!"

Rarity stood up. "About what?"

"I told Twilight that last time she and Starlight rescued you. You know I didn't have to save you. I know I didn't have to save you. But I threw myself and the foal into danger anyways. For nothing! You should be furious!" Rainbow stomped her hoof.

Turning and taking a few steps away, Rarity said, "You told Twilight that you kept your distance from the salamanders while you were taunting them."

"Well, yeah. They had real sharp-looking spears. I didn't want any of that business."

Rarity turned back. "And suppose one of them had charged you. What would you have done?"

After looking down for a second, Rainbow said, "Well, I'm a lot faster than they are, so I would have been able to stay away or fly off."

"So was the foal truly in danger with you guarding her like that?"

With a step backwards, Rainbow said, "This isn't fair."

Rarity magically levitated the book and returned it to the shelf. "Are you truly that upset that you didn't risk our foal? I hope that you don't plan on endangering it on purpose."

Pacing around the room, Rainbow said, "It's just... today's the day. Last time, today's when we fought."

Rarity's eyebrows went up. "Fought? Whatever about?"

Rainbow added stomps to her steps. "Because I messed up big time, really did put the foal in danger, and I still could have gone and gotten help and stayed safe and then we got into a huge argument." She stopped and fell onto her rump. "And then the Roundhill killed us and I'll never be able to talk to that Rarity again. I'll never be able to work things out with her."

Sitting next to her, Rarity said, "Maybe that Rarity had a good reason to be angry, but this Rarity doesn't."

As she looked away, Rainbow said, "I picked a fight with the salamanders. I didn't have to. I was looking for you, I saw a group, and I told them to attack me. I hit them. They hit me." She took a breath. "The salamanders didn't know I was pregnant. Look at how much of me is foal. None of them hit it, but that was dumb luck."

There was a brief silence, broken by Rarity. "I see."

Still avoiding eye contact, Rainbow said, "That's why you were so mad. And why you should be mad now. Because I did that to our foal."

"If you found yourself in that situation once more," Rarity said, "would you do it again?"

Rainbow's wings sprang open. "No! I never should have done it in the first place!"

Rarity sat up straight. "Then I see no reason to be upset. You certainly don't need me to tell you how much you care about the foal's well-being. If anything, you should be... no, never mind."

Looking back at her, Rainbow said, "Should be what? Wait, you think I should be mad at you? Unless you've been using my gut as a punching bag while I'm asleep, I can't think of anything you've done."

This time Rarity looked away. "I wandered out into the wilderness on the edge of Equestria alone, leaving my pregnant wife behind. I was too distracted by a finely-dressed, smooth-talking creature to notice an ambush. Our foal would never have been near the salamanders in the first place if I had just been more cautious. What kind of wife am I if I am so willing to make you a single mother?"

"Fath—" Rainbow stopped herself. She laid her wing across Rarity's back and held her close. "Rarity, I know what you keep saying, but I'm not her mother. I can carry her, I can give birth to her and nurse her, but I can't be her mother. I can't do all that kind and caring mom stuff. Look at me. I can barely take care of her when she's inside me. You think I have a chance once she's born?"

Rarity looked back. "Rainbow, I'm sure you'll do great."

"Well, I'm not. The foal needs you, Rarity. I need you. I know there are ponies out there who can raise a foal on their own." She put a hoof to her chest. "But I'm not one of them. I can't do this alone. I can be her dad. But she needs her mom."

Laying her hoof across Rainbow, Rarity said, "There's nothing wrong with a foal having a cool mother. You can still be her mother, no matter how you act."

Rainbow relaxed her wing's grip. "Maybe, but now I have to know. Why does it matter to you so much that I'm the mom?"

"Well, it's only logical." Rarity's eyes darted back and forth. "She's in your womb."

"No no. It can't just be this." Rainbow prodded her belly. "Why am I Mom?"

Tensing up, Rarity said, "It-it's just... it's just..."

"Just what?"

"I'm jealous!" Rarity shouted into the air.

Rainbow's wing slid off Rarity's back. "What?"

"There! I said it! I'm jealous!" She slumped down.

Replacing her wing, Rainbow asked, "Jealous? Of me?"

"Yes! Something wonderful and miraculous is happening inside you, and I want it inside me instead!" She took a breath. "Seeing you grow larger, knowing that there's a new life in there. I want to put my hoof on my belly and know there's a foal under it. I want to feel it whenever it kicks. I want to look back and see myself bulging outward. I want to feel its weight hanging from me. I even want to give birth to it, no matter how much it'll hurt!

"And I can't." She sniffled. "I can't do any of those things. And then you didn't even care about the miracle you were carrying. You treated it like it was no big deal, like it was a big inconvenience instead of a new life." Wiping her eyes, Rarity continued, "And one day you announced that you did care about it a great deal. I thought things would be better. You finally saw it the way I did. But that only made me feel worse. You experienced what I couldn't and you loved it.

"And every time you say I'm her mother it feels like you're mocking me. You're rubbing it in my face that I'll never bear your child, that I'll never know what it's like to have a life inside me."

"Aw geez, Rarity," Rainbow said, looking over at her, "I had no idea." She held Rarity tight against her side, against her foal. "I can't put the foal inside you. And if it was up to me, if you didn't care either way... well, I don't think I could give this up. But would it make you feel better if I called myself Mom? I mean, I can try being an awesome mom instead."

Rarity leaned into her. "It would mean quite a lot to me."

"Sure. It'd be weird to call you Dad, though." Rainbow paused, then smiled. "I know, you don't have to be Dad. Let's give her two moms instead."

Returning the smile, Rarity said, "That does sound lovely."

Just a Little Longer

Rainbow Dash hated waiting. It was worse when she had to wait for something without a clue when it would happen. That it was her own body she was waiting on added insult to injury.

At the moment, waiting consisted of lounging on the couch while listening to Rarity sew in the other room. Everything was as ready as it could be. The guest room had been fully converted into a baby's bedroom, all the cabinets and drawers were equipped with safety locks, and everything even vaguely sharp or chokable was secured. The only thing missing was asleep inside Rainbow.

For her part, Rainbow was bored. Rarity had occupied herself with manic sewing, the sounds of which echoed through the house. Rainbow glanced at her bulging belly, taking some satisfaction in the knowledge that it was as large as it'd ever be. With a groan, she rolled off the couch.

Sighing, she said, "Let's find something to do, kid. I could use a distraction."

Rarity was in the room so quickly Rainbow swore she'd teleported. "Did you say contraction? Is it time? Do we need to go to the hospital? I'll pack!" Rarity had packed seven times already.

"No, no, babe. It isn't time. Calm down," Rainbow said with a raise of her hoof. She quickly returned it to the ground. She knew she wouldn't miss all the extra weight throwing her balance off.

"Oh, yes, of course," Rarity said, fiddling with a needle and thread in her magic. "Rainbow, dearie, can you do me a favor and not have the foal until I'm ready for it? Perhaps another two or three months?"

The foal was two days overdue. "Sorry, Rarity." Rainbow shifted her weight. "She might be comfy in there, but I'm ready for her to come out. In fact, I think I've changed my mind. I'd rather you be carrying this right now."

"Yes well, me too, but I'm not and you are so all I can do is wait." Rarity's thread had managed to tangle itself around the needle. "Wait and sew."

"Uh-huh. Hey, I'm going to go for a fly." Rainbow flapped her wings and took to a hover. The extra weight under her wings made itself apparent. She landed slightly harder than she usually did. "Walk. I'm going to go for a walk. Maybe I'll see if Pinkie has some of those brownies I like."

Rarity set down her mess of thread. "Okay, do be careful, dearie." Hugging Rainbow, she said, "If you feel anything, come right back home."

Briefly returning the hug, Rainbow said, "You'll know as soon as I do, babe."

"Oh!" Rarity exclaimed. "What if it's a red earth filly with a bright green mane? I haven't got a thing that matches that!" She hurried back into the other room.

With a smile, Rainbow left the Boutique. Giving a glance back at her bulging sides, she said, "Hope you're not a hideously colored filly. Rarity would have an aneurysm every time she looked at you. Don't worry though, I promise we'll both love you no matter what you look like."

After a minute of silent walking, she looked up. "It's a nice day out here, you know. I made sure of that. Going to have some summer showers in a few days to make up for it, so you'd better be born before the weather team decides to kill me for putting it off for so long. I was a week early, you know. Rarity was three days late. Fashionably so, she says. Guess you're taking more after her. It's all right if you're more like her than me. I like her. But if you get some of my awesomeness, that'd be pretty sweet, too."

Taking a few more steps, she noticed a lack of motion in her belly. "Still asleep? All right, get your rest. You got a really big day soon. Biggest day of your life, really. One of the biggest of mine, too."

Soon, Sugarcube Corner appeared in the distance. "Oof. Anypony ever tell you how heavy you are? How do the mares in Cloudsdale handle this? But I'm not going to be doing this much longer." Rainbow paused. "But you? Everything is going to begin." She looked up. "I'm going to finally get to meet you. Find out what race you are, what colors you are, what kind of person you're going to be, everything. I can't wait."

A brief tremor ran under her hooves.

Rainbow looked down. "Hm?"

Sounds of commotion prompted her to look up again. To the northwest, the horizon turned orange.

Her blood ran cold. "No," she whispered. Within seconds, the orange spread, passing over Ponyville, enveloping the sky and wiping the clouds away. Everything was bathed in its light.

"No no no no!" Rainbow turned back and forth, not knowing what to do. She spotted Twilight's castle in the distance and took off running.

Running soon turned to flying, low across the ground. Rainbow ignored her wings' protests and soon arrived at the castle. She dove through a window and landed in front of Twilight.

Twilight turned. "Rainbow? What's—"

"What did you do?" Rainbow shouted.

Taking a step back, Twilight responded, "What?"

Rainbow pointed a hoof out the window. "The Roundhill! What did you do?"

Twilight flew up and looked out towards the horizon. "Is that what you were talking about with the sky? How in the world—"

In less than a second, Rainbow was at her side, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Twilight. What. Did. You. Do?" A few orange sparkles wafted down outside.

"I haven't done anything to it!" She pulled herself out of Rainbow's grasp. "Look. Calm down. I'm going to go find Starlight, and we're going to get to the bottom of this. Stay here."

"But—"

Twilight looked into her eyes. "Rainbow. Whatever is going on, it can't hurt us. Magic doesn't work that way. I'll be back and we're going to figure out what's going on."

Rainbow looked away. "It doesn't make a difference, I guess."

With a smile, Twilight said, "Trust me, all right?"

Instead of answering, Rainbow glided back to the floor. Twilight had gone out the window and out of sight.

Above, the orange sparkles came down thicker, passing through the ceiling. One landed on Rainbow's back, sending a chill through her body. Then another. And another.

"Twilight?" Rainbow called. She trotted, then ran into the hallway through the thickening orange haze. Before she reached the front door, her legs gave out.

As the strength ebbed from her body, she struggled to breathe.

"No," Rainbow gasped. "Not like this... please... give me... another chance..."

Rainbow Dash jerked awake, breathing heavily. She was once again in her bed at home, and the sun shone through a blue sky outside. She rolled out of bed, collecting her thoughts.

Once she was on all four hooves, the weight in her belly asserted itself. Rainbow looked back at it to see it bulging outward as large as it had just been. She didn't quite remember how large she had been a month and a half earlier, but she knew it was smaller than that.

"Wait a second," she said to herself. "How far back did I go?"

With uncertain steps, she made her way to the calendar on the wall in the hallway outside. She soon spotted the most recent crossed-out date.

"A week?"

Rainbow opened the door to Twilight's throne room. Twilight looked up from whatever she was reading.

After crossing the distance between them, Rainbow took a breath to collect her thoughts. "It happened again."

"What did?" Twilight asked with a glance at Rainbow's flank. "Is something wrong with the foal?"

"What?" Rainbow shook her head. "No, forget the foal. It's the Roundhill. Somepony woke it up."

Twilight looked out the window. "The Roundhill's dead, Rainbow. Nopony can wake it up. And besides, even if it was," she said, looking back, "nothing like what you said is happening."

Rainbow's hoof met the bridge of her nose. "Not now, a week from now."

"You mean you had another vision?"

"It's not a vision, Twilight!" Rainbow stomped the floor. "It really happened. And... and you!"

Twilight backed up a step. "What?"

"You said it couldn't hurt us! You told me to trust you!" Rainbow leaned into her face. "You told me to trust you and I died."

Raising a hoof, Twilight said, "Calm down, Rainbow. It was only a vision."

"Stop saying that!" Rainbow opened her wings. "I know what happened! It wasn't a vision! I don't know who woke it up, but somepony did and it killed us all. You..."

Rainbow took a step backwards and fell onto her haunches, looking down. She looked back up, pleading with her eyes. "You told me to trust you. But don't you trust me?"

Twilight hesitated, then walked over and sat next to Rainbow. "Of course I trust you. It's just... I mean, it's not—" She paused to take a breath. "All right. This isn't helping. Let's just say that you're right, and we put aside"—Rainbow could hear a twinge of annoyance enter Twilight's voice—"some very fundamental laws of magic that are absolutely crucial to our understanding of reality. You said that somepony, ugh, woke up the dead Roundhill and it exterminated ponykind as a result?"

Rainbow nodded.

"Then the least we should do is find out who. But if we didn't find any documentation of the Roundhill's existence, then I don't see how anypony else could either. Starlight and I only know about it because you told us. You didn't tell anypony nefarious about it, did you?"

Glancing at her, Rainbow said, "Like that mare in the black cape and top hat? Had a handlebar mustache, a skull and crossbones cutie mark, and wanted to end the world? Of course not, Twilight. I mean, Rarity knows. I don't know if she'd tell anypony about it." With a sigh, she added, "She never believed me, either."

Rainbow thought for a moment. "The first time, you and Starlight found it by following some weird magic stuff. Maybe... somepony else did the same thing?"

Briefly looking down, Twilight said, "That's possible, assuming you're right about that being how we found it in your vision—I mean, how you remember it. Starlight and I stopped following the clues once you told us about the Roundhill, so I don't know what steps we'd follow from where we were to it. Maybe—"

A door opened. Through it walked Starlight Glimmer, whose mane and tail were each wrapped in a towel. Water dripped from her sides. She glanced between Rainbow and Twilight.

"What's going on?" Starlight asked.

Rainbow hesitated. Twilight spoke up, "Rainbow's had another, uh, experience with the Roundhill. Like the last one. Apparently somepony is going to cause that disaster she told us about in a week's time."

Starlight rubbed her tail. "So she had another vision?"

With a snort, Rainbow said, "It's not a—"

"I think," Twilight said, raising her hoof, "it's for the best if we take Rainbow at her word until we figure out what's going on. Maybe this other pony has information that'll help solve the mystery. But how in Equestria would we find them? They could be anywhere."

Unwrapping her mane, Starlight said, "We know where they'd be next week, right?"

"Right. So all we have to do is be at the Roundhill at the right time." Twilight paced in a circle. "Then we can talk to them and figure things out."

"And beat the tar out of them for putting me through this," Rainbow added. Inside her, it felt like her foal shared the sentiment.

Twilight either didn't hear her or decided not to respond. "Which leaves us with the question of what to do until then. I'd like to do some research, but I've already exhausted the library, and from what I remember, in Rainbow's vision—experience, neither Canterlot nor the Crystal Empire had anything, either." She scratched her chin. "Rainbow, do you know if I checked the Forbidden Section of the Royal Library?"

Rainbow tilted her head. "There's a Forbidden Section?"

"That answers that. I'd have to ask Celestia permission to look through it, though."

"You're a princess," Starlight said with a smile. "Can't you just walk in?"

Turning to her, Twilight answered, "Well, Celestia banned me from it after the time I accidentally melted all the snow off of Canterlot Mountain when I was nine." She gave a sheepish grin.

Rainbow stifled a laugh.

Twilight cleared her throat. "In any case, I think it's for the best if Rainbow comes along, too. Her recollection can help keep us on the right track."

"Great," Rainbow said. "Travel. Just what my body needs right now." She sighed. "But if it'll help, I'll go. Just let me tell Rarity what's going on. And get something to eat. I'm starving."

Rainbow turned and left the room. In the hallway, she heard Starlight's faint voice saying, "You don't really believe her, do you?"

There was a pause, then Twilight replied, "I don't know what to believe anymore."

Rainbow pushed open the door to the boutique. Inside she saw Rarity, who quickly made her way over to her.

"Rainbow, dearie, you up and left without saying a word," she said. Rarity glanced into Rainbow's eyes. "Is everything okay?"

Taking a breath, Rainbow answered, "Remember that month and a half when I died and went back in time? It happened again."

"Another month and a half?"

Rainbow walked inside, letting Rarity close the door behind her. "A week." She lay on the nearest couch and stretched herself out, glad to be off her aching legs.

"If you're from next week, then..." Rarity's voice drifted off and her eyes went to Rainbow's belly.

"Huh?" Rainbow looked at herself. "Oh. No, no I haven't had her yet. She's going to be late."

Rarity set her hoof on Rainbow's side. "Then late or not, I'm sure things are going to work out." The foal returned the gesture, prompting a smile from Rarity.

"Speaking of workouts, I'm being dragged to Canterlot so I can help them figure out more magic stuff. Then I'm going to find the idiot who's going to wake up the Roundhill and show them exactly what I think of their meddling."

Turning away, Rarity said, "Well then, I should pack our things."

Rainbow sat up on the couch. "Huh? 'Our' things?"

"I'm coming with you, of course," Rarity said, looking over her shoulder.

Letting herself settle down again, Rainbow replied, "There's no point in both of us going. You might as well stay here and make cute little outfits or whatever it was you did last week. Did today. Was... going to have done today?" She shook her head. "Whatever. You know what I mean."

Rarity fetched some saddlebags. "You might have the foal while you're there."

"I told you, babe, she isn't coming for at least a week." Her eyes followed the various bits of cloth and sewing implements making their way through the air.

"You've also told me that the future you remember changes. I will not risk missing the birth of our daughter."

Getting to her feet, Rainbow said, "All right, all right. But promise me you'll help beat up whoever is putting us through this."

Rarity gave Rainbow a quick kiss on her cheek. "Naturally."

Ignorance

The guards outside of Princess Celestia's throne room pushed open the heavy-looking doors. Beyond, Rainbow Dash could see Princesses Celestia and Luna seated on their raised thrones. The late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows, adding splashes of color to the white floor.

Twilight walked through the doors, with Rainbow following behind. Rarity had gone to attend to the boutique in Canterlot, but only after Rainbow promised to tell her the moment she felt something. Starlight had already left for the library.

"Twilight Sparkle," Celestia said, stepping down from her throne. "It is good to see you again. And Rainbow Dash," she added, with a glance to Rainbow's belly, "I see you are coming along very well."

"Uh, thanks," was the only reply she could think of.

"Unfortunately, Princess," Twilight said, "We have an urgent matter."

Over the next several minutes, Twilight summarized the situation around the Roundhill, with Rainbow adding what she remembered.

"...and something has to be missing from it all, but I can't figure out what," Twilight concluded. "Some of these things simply defy explanation."

"Does it truly?" Luna asked, her first words since the ponies' arrival. She stepped off her throne. "Before us stands a mare who was the subject of a highly experimental spell, one with unknown side effects. Is it so preposterous that her mind may have been affected?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, but Celestia cut her off with a raise of her hoof. "Luna," she said, turning to her sister, "do you truly believe that magic designed to conceive a foal affected her in this way? It strains credibility."

"Hmph." Luna turned her head away. "'Tis more plausible than the alternative. Are you so quick to believe that all of our knowledge of magic is false?"

"We know only what the brightest minds of the kingdom have discovered, and many long-standing theories have been upended over the years." Celestia closed her eyes. "I remember some ponies being very proud of theories that were disproven beyond their lifetimes."

Turning away, Luna walked back towards her throne. "Indulge her, then. 'Tis your own folly." She sat down. "And no matter for me."

"I do have to admit," Twilight said, "discovering the truth has been difficult."

"There are certainly things our knowledge of magic can not yet explain," Celestia replied. "And I have no knowledge of any creature like this Roundhill. Perhaps Equestria is indeed in peril. Or perhaps the magic involved has affected your memories, Rainbow. Whatever the truth is, I have faith that you and your friends will find it."

Twilight stepped forward. "Which is why I'm here. I need your permission to enter the Forbidden Section of the library."

Celestia paused, then chuckled. "You are a princess, Twilight. You hardly need my permission to go anywhere."

"But you banned me from there."

Keeping up her smile, Celestia said, "I banned an impulsive filly who stumbled across something she was supposed to be too young to find, and who was a little too reckless with her abilities. That filly is long gone."

Twilight turned red. "O-of course. I'll get to reading right away. Thank you, Princess. Sorry for bothering you."

Celestia nodded. "It's no trouble at all."

Twilight turned and made her way to the door. After one more glance at Luna, Rainbow followed.

"One more thing, Twilight," Celestia said.

"Yes?" Twilight turned back.

"Try not to flood the city again."

The towering bookshelves of the library stood out against the light streaming in the windows. Step by step, Rainbow Dash followed Twilight into the main reading area. Ahead of the pair, Starlight approached.

"There you are," she said. "I've been looking all over for the forbidden section, but I can't find anything like that, and some ponies"—she shot a look towards the reference desk—"are being unhelpful and telling me it doesn't exist."

Twilight chuckled. "Of course it's a secret. I'll show you where I found it."

With a glance at the other patrons, Rainbow followed Twilight to a bookshelf against the wall. It looked just like every other shelf in the library.

"Here," Twilight said, "first you need to remove these."

Three books turned purple and levitated off of the shelf. Rainbow read the titles as they went by: An Unabridged History of the Northern Wastes, Ten Thousand and One Ways to Inspect a Brick, and A Detailed Analysis of the Function of Forelock Hair.

"And you found this out on accident?" Starlight asked.

"Yup. Finally, all you have to do is put your hooves here and..." She set her forehooves on a low shelf. The entire lower section of the bookcase slid downwards into the floor, producing only a quiet scraping noise. Behind it was a blank wall. With a flicker of Twilight's magic, the wall opened into a dark chamber beyond.

Rainbow took a step towards it. Twilight moved to block her. "Rainbow," she said, "I think it's better if you stay out here. There's some strange magic in there and I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Not in the mood to argue, Rainbow instead found a nearby bench to lay on.

"We'll let you know if we need anything," Twilight told her, walking with Starlight into the darkness. The wall swung closed behind them, leaving Rainbow staring at the peeling paint.

She looked at her belly. "That magic can't be as strange as what we've been going through, right?" After a pause, she added, "Well, I guess they have things under control. What do you want to do?" The foal shifted. Rainbow looked around. "I guess I can find some smart-pony book for us to read and make your brain bigger." Looking around, she selected one within hoof's reach. Pulling it off the shelf, she read the title out loud: "Magic Circles for Beginners. You're a beginner, kid, so this'll be perfect."

Setting the book down, she let the pages fall open to the introduction. Rainbow cleared her throat. "While most ponies will never encounter nor need them, magic circles nevertheless are crucial in the study of higher magic. From simple sketches on paper that take only a few hours to elaborate constructions hundreds of feet across requiring months of preparation, these circles enable magic the likes of which Equestria would never otherwise see.

"This work assumes knowledge in set theory, stochastic dynamics, nonlinear differential equations, and a mastery of Riemaneian geometry."

Rainbow blinked a few times before turning the book over to double-check the title. She turned it back to the page, looking down at the first of the book's many diagrams. "The things I do for you, kid."

The bell above the front door of the Canterlot Boutique chimed as Rainbow nudged it open. Behind her, the sun dipped below the mountains.

"Rainbow Dash!" Sassy Saddles trotted up to her. "It's been so long since I've seen you! And you look just lovely."

Sassy glanced at Rainbow's belly. "And of course Rarity's told me. When are you due, again?"

"Ugh," was all Rainbow was in the mood to reply with.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

Rainbow hadn't noticed Rarity's approach until she'd physically bumped Sassy to the side. "Dearie, are you all right? You look absolutely exhausted."

Rainbow finally looked up from the floor. "I guess. I've just been doing a lot of reading, and thinking, then Twilight comes out and starts asking questions I don't know the answer to and—"

A white hoof gently set itself on Rainbow's mouth. "Ssh. Sassy, darling, can you watch the store while Rainbow and I talk in private?"

"Of course."

Rarity led Rainbow to the back room, full of mannequins and half-sewn dresses. Rainbow found a place on the floor to sit.

"Now tell me, what is going on, Rainbow?" Rarity lifted Rainbow's head.

"It's just—" She took a breath. "I decided to start reading to the kid, pass some time, make her smarter, you know? But every book I found was so full of magic mumbo-jumbo. Like, what in Equestria is a complex number? Don't regular numbers get complex enough?

"Then I thought about Twilight and Starlight. They'd find all this stuff simple. And they were back in that secret room. What kind of books were in there? And then there's the Roundhill. That thing is more than even the super-smart books know. More than anypony knows."

She raised a hoof. "All this just makes me realize... how much I don't know. What I don't understand. And in just a few days I'm going to have to go out there and... I don't know, find out who's doing all this and stop them? Whoever's going to wake it up, what do they know?"

Rarity took Rainbow's hoof in hers. "Rainbow, relax. It's not the end of the—What I mean to say is that stressing yourself out over this isn't going to help anypony, least of all her." She looked at Rainbow's side before returning her gaze to her face. "Here, let me make a bath for you. You'll feel better, I promise."

Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow looked over the tub. Rarity had dimmed the lights and lit several candles. The smells of flowers that Rainbow didn't know the names of wafted through the room. A thin layer of suds floated atop the water. Rainbow Dash's baths normally involved dunking herself in the nearest lake, but she couldn't deny that Rarity's were nice, too.

Her generous, caring, and beautiful wife stood by the door. "Take your time, dearie. Don't come out until you've relaxed."

"Thanks, babe." Rainbow paused. "Rarity... do you believe me?"

Rarity's smile faded. "Rainbow, you promised you wouldn't ask me that any more."

Looking back towards the bath, Rainbow said, "Yeah, I'm sorry."

She climbed into the tub, hearing Rarity close the door behind her. She settled in, carefully rolling onto her back under the warm water.

Rainbow took a deep breath and let it out. "She doesn't believe me."

The water in the tub had risen almost to the rim. Rainbow idly wondered why it was so much higher than it used to be. She had a vague recollection of it being something to do with how large she was, but couldn't remember the exact reason.

She looked at her belly, the view warped by the ripples. "At least you don't have to think about any of this. Though sometimes I wish I could ask what this has been like for you. But I guess you won't be much conversation for a few years." Looking up at the ceiling, she added, "If we live that long."

Settling into the water, she let the suds rise almost to her snout. She shifted her wings, feeling the currents drift between her feathers. A small amount of water spilled over the edge of the tub.

"Even if we do find whoever is going to wake up the Roundhill and talk to them or fight them or whatever, what do we do after? Are we supposed to guard it forever? You're going to be born soon. Can I handle it and you? What am I supposed to do?"

Rainbow soaked for a few minutes in silence.

"Maybe Princess Luna's right."

She felt her foal kick.

"Maybe the spell is giving me visions, and my bird brain doesn't get it. Maybe the Roundhill really is dead and my dumb self is misinterpreting some weird symbolism or dream stuff that has nothing to do with it."

Another kick.

"Is that what I'm going to be to you? Your crazy mom, who keeps spouting nonsense about time travel and the end of the world? 'Oh, don't worry, Mom says a big bug is going to kill us every other week. Just ignore my stupid mom.' Just ignore stupid Rainbow Dash."

Taking one more deep breath, she said, "I hope those books are helping. One of us is going to need to be the smart one."

Placing one hoof in front of the other, Rainbow climbed the familiar ridge. The last time she'd seen it, the Roundhill had blasted a hole clean through. But that future never happened. Or the vision didn't come to pass. Rainbow wasn't sure which anymore.

Twilight reached the top first. "Well, it looks like how we left it." She opened her wings. "I'm going to go have a look around." She took off effortlessly into the sky. Rainbow remembered being able to do that.

Rainbow opened her wings and lifted herself into the air. With some effort, she flew up the hillside, just beating Starlight to the top. She looked out over the plain ahead. There the Roundhill sat, cozy under its blanket of grass. The same lone tree grew from its side. The green dome over it had been excavated in several places, including one high up to reveal part of the dark blue splotch that Rainbow had forgotten it had.

Starlight made her way down the hill. Rarity walked up and stopped at Rainbow's side. "Oh dear. That is quite large, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Rainbow followed Starlight on foot.

"Well, it'll be over soon at least. We'll find the ruffian causing all this trouble and convince them to stop. Just be sure to stay behind me, dearie. You're hardly in any condition to fight."

The trio soon arrived at the base of the Roundhill. Rainbow picked a spot in what little shade its tree provided and lay on her side. Looking around, she saw only her wife, friends, and the Roundhill itself present.

Twilight landed nearby. "Well, I don't see anypony else around. There isn't any sign of tunneling or anything, either. It's safe to say that we're alone."

"Surprise, surprise," Starlight said, "nopony else has a reason to come here. What a wonderful waste of a week. At least I know how to get into the Forbidden Section if I ever need to again." She turned to leave.

"Now hold on." Twilight moved in front of her. "It's possible that Rainbow's changed the timeline again and whoever's coming will still show up." She absent-mindedly rubbed her horn.

Starlight turned around. "When? In an hour? A day? Ten years? Let's face it, Twilight. The only thing those books have taught us is that there's a single pony in all of Equestria who's even heard of the Roundhill before all this started—" A hoof pointed at Rainbow. "—and she's done nothing but waste our time!"

Twilight rubbed her horn again. "But something is going on... something... ow."

"Is something wrong with your... oh." Starlight's hoof met her own horn. "What is that?"

Twilight winced. "It's getting worse."

"Now that you mention it," Rarity said, "my horn is starting to bother me, though not as bad as you two look."

Rainbow didn't feel anything. She looked between the unicorns. "What? What's going on?"

"Ergh, it's really starting to hurt."

"Twilight? Rarity? Come on, what is it?"

Turning her head back and forth, Twilight said, "Where is it coming from...?"

Her eyes went wide.

"The Roundhill?"

The ground beneath Rainbow jolted. With a rumble, the grass on the side of the Roundhill slid down.

"RAINBOW!" Rarity screamed.

Rainbow Dash looked up just in time for the tree to fill her vision.

One Last Journey

Rainbow jerked awake. She took deep breaths to steady herself and think. After rolling out of bed, she took slow steps downstairs to find Rarity.

"Good morning, dearie. Oh no, did it happen again?" Rarity moved to met her on the bottom step.

"Rarity." Rainbow thought for a moment. "When are we going to the Roundhill?"

"This afternoon. Why, is something wrong?"

Rainbow walked off the staircase and put her hoof to her face. "This is bad."

Walking next to her, Rarity asked, "What's going on?"

Not stopping on her way to the front door, Rainbow only said, "I gotta find Twilight. She's gotta know what to do. Rarity, you should..." She blinked a few times trying to think. "Something."

Outside, Rainbow walked through Canterlot's morning in a daze. She passed several ponies on the way to the library, ponies who had lived that day twice already and died just as many times.

She looked up at the clouds and could only see an orange wave sweeping them away. She looked down and could only see bodies.

Rainbow shook her head. Twilight would know what to do.

She reached the library sooner than she'd expected, its doors still closed for the morning. The weariness in Rainbow's legs finally caught up to her. She settled down on a bench in front, letting out a deep breath.

Laying on her side and setting her head down, she wished something could take her mind off of things.

Her foal kicked inside her.

She settled on watching ponies go by in their blissful ignorance.

"Rainbow? What are you doing here already?"

Looking to her side, Rainbow saw Twilight and Starlight standing a few feet away. She got to her feet. "Twilight, this is really bad. It happened again. It woke up."

Starlight gave a quick smile. "I'll be inside," she said, walking up the steps towards the opening doors.

Twilight came closer. "Oh! Did you see who did it?"

"It's—" She shook her head. "Nopony did it. It woke itself up, Twilight. That's what happened and, oh geez that must have been it the second time, too. We can't stop it because there's nopony to stop. And it's going to happen again today!"

Twilight grabbed Rainbow's shoulders. "Calm down, okay? Panicking isn't going to help."

Rainbow brushed Twilight's hooves off. "Yeah. Okay, yeah. So what's the plan?"

Looking down, Twilight started, "Well, the creature spontaneously awakening now after thousands of years does strain credibility a bit." Twilight looked up at the scowl that Rainbow barely noticed she was making. "All right, all right. If it's inevitable, then we'll need a way to prevent it from hurting us, but without understanding what it is or how it works... all we can do to it is the best thing we have. We'll use the Elements of Harmony."

"Will they work?"

Twilight smiled. "Of course they will. The Elements, and the friendship that they represent, is the most powerful magic in the world. If they don't work, nothing will." She thought for a moment. "I'll have to ask the girls to come to the Roundhill. Spike should still be in Ponyville, so I'll send him a letter."

"That sounds good. Thanks, Twilight." Rainbow wiped her forehead.

Turning towards the library, Twilight said, "Things will work out. It'll take more than a big bug to take us down."

Rainbow began the walk back home.

About a block away from the library, a fancy-looking cart pulled by two white stallions stopped next to her. Rainbow looked up to see her wife in it.

"Get in."

"Um, Rarity, you really didn't need to—"

Rarity leaned over the edge. "It is very difficult to charter a carriage on short notice in this city, and this is important. Please, get in."

Rainbow got in.

She sat down under the wide white umbrella next to Rarity.

"Onwards, gentlecolts," Rarity called. "Through the park, please."

She turned to Rainbow. "Now, where was I?" She looked into Rainbow's eyes and hesitated. "Right. I've... I've seen you worried, and I've seen you anxious and nervous and all those things. But, Rainbow, for as long as I've known you, I've never seen you afraid. I've spent so much time this last week wrestling with whether I should believe you that I'd completely forgotten how you must feel. Whatever is happening has been scaring you and I haven't helped at all."

"Hey." Rainbow raised a hoof for a second. "It's not your fault that there's nothing you can really do about this. And it's okay if you don't believe me."

Rarity stomped the floor. "It's not okay! You're scared and I've been so confused that I haven't been thinking like I should about—about you, or—" She motioned at Rainbow's belly. "—or about her and instead I'm sitting in a cart raving like a madmare!"

Rainbow wrapped her hooves around Rarity. "It's all right."

"No, it's not."

"Sure it is."

"You're the one dealing with everything. What have I done for you or the foal?"

Pulling back and smiling, Rainbow looked into Rarity's eyes. "Been the amazing mare I still want to spend the rest of my life with?"

Rarity cracked a smile herself. "Even if that's just today?"

"Don't talk like that. Twilight's getting the Elements of Harmony and we're going to do the friendship thing at the Roundhill. Works every time." Rainbow snuggled up next to Rarity and wrapped her wing around her. Rarity leaned into her like she always did. "Then I'll have the kid and the three of us will be a family happily ever after."

Rarity chuckled. "Until the next time the world ends."

"Until the next time. Maybe the kid will be old enough to help."

"Maybe."

Rainbow climbed the familiar ridge, the Element of Loyalty hanging from her neck. To her right, Rarity climbed next to her for the first time again. On the left, Twilight wore her little tiara. Her friends walked behind them, with Starlight taking up the rear.

"All right," Applejack's voice said, "so we use the Elements on this Roundhill thing and go home?"

"Yup!" Pinkie Pie answered.

Over the ridge, Rainbow saw the sight she wished she didn't have to. One more time, the Roundhill sat inert under the dirt and grass and the lone tree. Rainbow passed the tree on top of the ridge and made her way down.

"And that'll stop the world from ending?" Applejack went on.

Pinkie said, "Or we'll all die."

Rainbow sighed.

"Pinkie, that ain't funny," Applejack added.

"Let's just focus on this," Twilight said, looking back.

Before long, they had crossed the short distance to the base of the Roundhill. Rainbow adjusted her Element. She glanced towards the sun. There wasn't much time.

"Are we clear on what we're going to do?" Twilight asked. "We hit it with whatever we've got, and play it by ear from there."

"I'll just stand back here and watch," Starlight said, backing up a few steps.

"Um." It was Fluttershy. "What exactly are we expecting?"

"Well," Twilight said, looking at Rainbow. "For the world not to end, I suppose."

Fluttershy walked up to the Roundhill's black side. "Then, is this really okay? Aren't we attacking a creature in its sleep?"

Rainbow's hoof met her face. "Fluttershy, this isn't the time for—"

"What Rainbow means to say," Twilight interrupted, "is that the Elements of Harmony are a force of friendship, of good. They don't hurt creatures. The worst they've ever done is contain evil, but they've never outright harmed anything."

Fluttershy paused. "At least let me try something." She rubbed up against the side of the Roundhill. "Mister Roundhill, you don't really want to hurt anypony or the world, do you? I'm sure you're just misunderstood. Are you cranky? Can I get you anything to eat? What do you eat?"

She waited in silence. "Okay, if you don't want to talk, that's fine, too." Fluttershy slowly walked away.

Rarity spoke up, "You said that the Elements don't harm creatures. Does that include our foal?"

Rainbow and Twilight both looked at her.

"Back before we conceived, you said that any magic could harm the foal. And I can speak from experience when I say that using the Elements of Harmony has quite the effect on a mare's body. There is a foal inside Rainbow's body right now. Will she be okay?"

Twilight paused. "No pony's ever used the Elements while pregnant." She paused. "But that's right, the foal is overdue. She's completely physically developed and is ready for the world's magic. And like I just said, the Elements don't do harm. She'll be just fine!"

Rainbow took a breath, then let it out. She turned to the Roundhill. "We doing this, then?"

"No time like the present," Twilight said. "Everypony ready?"

Rainbow got into position, next to Rarity. She concentrated on how she wouldn't let any weird time stuff or a big black shelled thing ruin the future of ponykind. How her friends were always there to help. How the love of her life was there for her.

She floated into the air, feeling the power swell.

Ponykind would survive this, just as they'd survived everything else. Nothing could stop the power of friendship. Everything was going to be all right.

The brilliant rainbow arced through the air and struck the Roundhill.

Rainbow floated back to the ground.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then the ground shook. Rainbow was the first to back up, quickly followed by the others when the dirt and grass slid off.

"No no no!" Rainbow shouted.

The sky turned orange.

"D-do it again!" Twilight yelled.

Rainbow thought very hard about how friendship was supposed to solve these kinds of problems, about how things had to work out, and about how this couldn't be how ponykind ended.

Once again, the rainbow hit the Roundhill, striking the energy field that had materialized around it.

In response, the field made a crackling noise and several white spots appeared on it, aimed at the ponies.

It only took a second for Rainbow to recognize them. "RUN!"

She turned and ran. She didn't know where and she didn't know how it would help.

Several loud cracks accompanied the flashes of heat behind her. There were distant booms.

Rainbow lost her footing and fell to the ground, ending up on her back. The Roundhill aimed another crackling spot of light at her. All she could do was wonder whether it would hurt.

Then the light faded.

"W... what?" Rainbow stood on shaking legs. "Why didn't you... Why are you sparing me? Do you know what's going on? Do you know me? How can you even know who I am? This is the first time you've seen me. Unless..."

Orange sparkles drifted down from above.

"Unless..."

Her strength began to fade. She collapsed once again.

She gasped her last breath.

"...you're going back, too."

"Or we'll all die."

"Pinkie, that ain't funny."

Rainbow stumbled a few steps at the top of the ridge. She sat down, letting the others walk by.

"Rainbow?" Rarity had stopped, too.

"Rarity..." She searched for words. "Can you stay here?"

With the slightest head tilt, she asked, "Don't we all need to be there?"

"No. No, we don't." She took her Element off, looked at it in her hoof for a second, and set it down in the grass. "Just stay here for a bit. It's... I just think you should."

Rarity looked at Rainbow's face. "All right."

Standing up, Rainbow continued down the ridge towards the Roundhill and the others. By the time she caught up, they were at its base.

Twilight turned around. "Where's your Element? Why isn't Rarity here?"

"It doesn't matter, Twilight. The Elements didn't work." Rainbow looked down.

Applejack raised her voice. "Are you kidding me? We get a letter telling us we have to be here in a jiffy or the world ends, and only now you tell us we didn't have to come?"

"How can the Elements not work?" Twilight asked. "How can friendship not work?"

"I don't know!" Rainbow yelled. "Why do you think I know anything about what's going on? This, all of this! The Elements didn't do anything, okay?" She quietly added, "You said that if the Elements don't work, nothing will."

Twilight paced back and forth. "This can't be right. Things aren't supposed to be this way."

Rainbow walked to stand next to the Roundhill's shell. "Supposed to? I'm not supposed to be going back in time. I'm not supposed to die like this. I'm supposed...

"I'm supposed to be a mother right now. I should be holding my daughter in my hooves, or letting her ride on my back. I should be worrying about whether she has enough diapers, instead of thinking about how she'll never be born."

"But that's all been taken away from me. Away from all of us. Because... because...."

She turned to the Roundhill.

"Because of this thing!"

She closed her eyes and punched the Roundhill as hard as she could before setting her forehead against it.

The others gasped.

Rainbow opened her eyes. "What?"

Fluttershy spoke up. "Rainbow, look."

Raising her head, Rainbow looked at the shell. On it was a glow a few feet across, with the dark imprint of her forehead. She pulled her hoof back, again leaving a dark hoofprint on a patch of light. As she watched, both glows quickly faded away.

Starlight said, "If it reacts to her, then it can't be completely dead. And if she's right about that, then..." She looked up at the mass of the hill, then backed away. "Then..."

Twilight finished the sentence: "Then we're in trouble. Why didn't you tell us it did that?" She set her own hoof against the Roundhill to no effect.

"I never touched it before!" Rainbow paused. "I never touched it before. A month ago, I could have touched it and showed you. You would have believed me from the start. Did you know that it knows about me somehow? I found that out. And I'm pretty sure it goes back in time, too. Maybe if you knew that a month ago you could have figured something out. But now it's too late. It's going to wake up at any moment now. And we're all going to die. We're all going to die because I didn't touch it."

"Rainbow, I'm sure there's something—"

She turned to Twilight. "No. There's nothing. We're out of time. I don't like it either, but I know when I've lost. When we've lost. It's over."

Rainbow went on, "Do you know, out of all the times I've died, what I haven't done? I haven't been there with my wife. That's something that I can change. If you want to try whatever magic you can think of, go right ahead. It can't make things worse. Goodbye."

She turned and walked back towards the ridge. Behind her, Twilight and Starlight started talking. They sounded upset, but Rainbow didn't care anymore. Fluttershy made a sound like she wanted to follow, but Applejack said something to stop her.

Rainbow arrived at the ridge and lay down next to Rarity.

"I saw the glowing," Rarity said.

"Yeah."

"So it's all true?"

"Yeah."

Rarity looked up. "It's such a nice day. It's hard to believe it's all about to end."

"I know. I'm sorry."

Rarity's hoof set itself on Rainbow's. "You have nothing to apologize for. You did everything you could."

They lay in silence, side by side.

"I could have gotten a C-section," Rainbow said. "We'd at least know what race she was going to be. Or I could have asked a doctor to feel around her and tell."

"I... suppose that can't be helped now."

Rainbow lay her wing across Rarity's back. "If I'd agreed to have the foal a month earlier, she'd have been born by now."

"You didn't know."

Another minute of silence.

"You know, Rarity, this all was nice while it lasted. I'm glad that we at least had this."

"Me too. Will it hurt?"

"No." Rainbow chuckled. "You get used to it after the first few times."

Before long, the ground shook, the sky turned orange, and Rainbow Dash and Rarity spent their final moments side by side.

Rainbow's eyes opened. She was laying next to Rarity.

"Did it?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah. And actually, I got a very big, very dumb idea."

Rainbow stood up.

Rarity propped herself up on her forehooves. "Rainbow?"

"The one thing that's done anything." She stood in front of Rarity. "Rarity, all this, all my time with you, I want you to know I haven't regretted a second. And I'm glad I got to spend some of that time more than once."

Rarity started to look worried. "Rainbow..."

Raising a hoof to quiet her, Rainbow continued, "I'm sure I haven't been the greatest wife, but I don't care. I don't care what we've gone through, because it was with the only thing that has ever truly mattered to me. Because it was with you."

She took a breath. "And I wouldn't change any of it. Not a single thing." She smiled. "Not for the world."

With a hoof under Rarity's chin, she said, "I want, no, I need one thing from you. Please. Don't do anything stupid. No matter what. Leave that part to me."

Rainbow kissed her, then smiled.

"I love you."

"Rainbow?"

Before she could think about what she was doing, Rainbow Dash turned and took off straight up.

"Rainbow!"

Her wings protested with every flap of the weight they had to bear. Rainbow kept looking up. "Sorry I have to take you with me, kid. Believe me, if there was another way I'd be doing it. But I've seen what happens when I do nothing."

She pushed through the cloud layer. "Last lesson from your mom: Sometimes you have to do things for the good of everypony else. For the good of your friends, for the good of those you love. Equestria's a really great place. I wish you could have seen it."

Rainbow heard a distant rumbling and the grass below shifted.

"Looks like it's now or never. Nice knowing you, kid."

She turned and dove. Flapping as hard as she could, she streaked downwards. She punched down through the clouds towards the now-exposed black shell.

Holding both forehooves ahead of her, she felt the pressure wave ahead build. The Roundhill rushed up towards her.

Everything was color.

Everything was black.

A Weak Grasp

Rainbow Dash existed. Or at least she was pretty sure she existed.

Her mind took stock of what it could sense. Her eyes were closed and she was laying on her side. She could hear a light breeze blowing past.

She decided that opening her eyes would help figure things out. Eventually, she tried.

Rainbow saw somewhat smooth rocks and dust. She raised her head then tried to stand up.

Having successfully gotten to her feet, she looked around. The rocky plains and occasional hills extended as far as she could see. Everything was bare, with no sign of life, nor any sign there had ever been life. In the distance, a steep, perfectly straight ridge stretched from horizon to horizon. In another direction, distant mountains stood. Above, what looked like a white rainbow arched all the way across a pale, cloudless blue sky.

"Where—"

She stopped, surprised that her voice made a sound. Upon further thought, she had no idea why that surprised her.

Rainbow tried again. "Where am I?"

She took a step forward. Something felt off. It almost felt like her body wasn't her own. Rainbow raised a hoof. It certainly looked like hers. She looked at her back. Her body was light blue, with two wings and a cloud-and-lightning bolt cutie mark. Nothing looked different or out of place. She noticed that her belly still bulged outwards.

"Oh. You're here too, kid?" Rainbow looked forward. "Together forever, right?"

She took a few more steps. "I haven't gone back. So I guess this is it. Wherever this is. Is Rarity here?"

"Rarity?" she called. There was only silence.

"Just me, then."

Rainbow walked.

She didn't know how long she had walked before the sound of shifting rocks caught her attention. Curious, Rainbow moved in the direction of the noise. It took longer than she'd guessed to find its source.

At her feet was a black shelled creature about the size of her head. At one end it had a dark blue splotch.

Rainbow gasped. "It's you."

The miniature Roundhill moved across the rocky terrain on dozens of tiny legs.

Peering at it, she said, "You know, I was wondering about that part. You're just a big roly-poly, aren't you?" She paused to think. "So was the time travel you, or was that something else?"

The Roundhill carried on in silence. Rainbow walked alongside it. "I should be angry. I should be furious at what you've done. I should be screaming, crying, kicking. You took everything from us. You've destroyed the entire world. But..." She looked away. "That won't bring anypony back, will it? I just... I just want to know why."

The Roundhill continued to move towards the ridge. Rainbow felt she had no choice but to follow it. She noticed that it didn't push rocks out of the way as much as it cut through them, splitting them like they were made of cheese and leaving a flat furrow in its wake.

Before long, it reached the base of the ridge. Instead of climbing over, it set to digging through, again moving the solid stone with ease. Rainbow dug with her hoof, but the rock didn't yield to her.

Looking through the tunnel the Roundhill was steadily boring, Rainbow said, "I can't fit through that. How am I supposed to follow you?" She didn't get any answer.

Instead, she backed up and opened her wings. She flapped, but no wind met them.

"Of course." Looking up, Rainbow searched for a way to climb. The side of the ridge was composed almost entirely of boulders, but she thought she saw a usable path.

She carefully placed her hooves to make her way up, suddenly missing the grassy ridge near the big Roundhill. The path got narrow about a third of the way up, and her belly swayed, threatening to throw her off balance. Rainbow managed to keep her footing, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

Slowly and carefully, she eventually reached the top. Ahead of her stretched a plain that looked like the rocks had been cut flat, and beyond it another ridge just like the one she had climbed, itself stretching both directions into the distance.

Rainbow looked down. It was even steeper. She didn't know what would happen if she fell and she didn't want to find out.

"You know, kid, this would be a lot easier if you could walk."

She found the rocks on this side of the ridge not as loose, which helped immensely. With care, Rainbow descended the ridge, eventually reaching the bottom.

Thankful to be on level ground again, she looked around for the Roundhill or its tunnel. She spotted a black shape some distance away and made her way towards it.

Before long, she met the Roundhill once again by another small tunnel, this one leading downward at an angle. Rainbow sat down by the entrance before easing herself onto her side. Her legs didn't hurt at all from the trip, but she wanted to all the same.

The Roundhill sat motionless, facing her for a moment before turning and disappearing into the tunnel.

Rainbow leaned her head over to call into the tunnel. "I hope you don't want me to follow you down there, because I don't see any caves around here."

She laid her head down again. "What am I even doing? Is this going to be the rest of eternity? Chasing the Roundhill around?"

Some time later, the Roundhill returned, dragging a flat, white, curved object behind it. Rainbow took a second to recognize it.

"Oh. That's why you came to Equestria?" She smiled. "That's funny. I've been trying to do the same thing. At least until..." She waved her hoof. "Well, you know that part."

The Roundhill set the eggshell on Rainbow's bulging belly.

Rainbow smiled. "Something like that, yeah." She looked up at the sky. "Equestria's a great place, you know. I hope you and your kids enjoy it as much as I did."

When she looked down, the Roundhill had gone back down the tunnel, soon returning with another piece of shell to set on her belly.

After several minutes' work, it had retrieved enough shell to cover Rainbow's foal entirely. After it placed the last piece, it stopped next to Rainbow's chest. Rainbow decided to stroke it. "Does your kind ever meet your parents? You were the only one in the world, right? I'm not sure how that works. My parents were... a little much, but I know they cared about me. And I care about my foal. Does any creature care about you?"

The Roundhill pressed itself up against her. She continued to pet it. "There's so much I don't know. About the world, about magic, about you. I can't imagine what you don't know. But that's okay. Everything's going to be okay. This is Equestria. Everything always works out."

The sky above Rainbow faded, but she didn't care. The horizon faded. Reality came undone around them. But it was okay. Everything was going to work out.

It was dark. Rainbow was falling.

Before she could notice anything else, Rainbow hit the ground. Landing on her back, she tumbled down a steep, soft slope. Unable to stop herself, she could only roll over and over downhill, feeling small branches cut her skin.

Eventually the ground leveled out and she stopped, flopping on her side. Rainbow groaned.

She felt sore all over. Her muscles burned. It felt as if she'd sprinted across Equestria. She tried to lift her head, but she had no strength to do it.

Ahead of her, the shell of the full-sized Roundhill glinted in an orange light.

Rainbow looked up. In the black sky, orange sparkles shone above her. She grimaced and waited for them to fall to earth.

The sparkles did not fall. Instead, one turned white, then another nearby, then a third. More patches of the sky turned from orange sparkles to white stars shining in the night sky. The orange light of the moon soon turned white as well. Before long, the sky was clear of any trace of the Roundhill's influence.

Turning her attention to the ground, Rainbow saw much of the grass was dead. But she also saw some green shoots remaining.

She gave them a breathless laugh. "I think... I think I did it."

The Roundhill sat exposed but silent.

Rainbow tried to move but her muscles yelled at her to stop. Instead, she looked at the massive dark shape ahead of her.

"Okay, question one... am I the last pony in Equestria? Because if anything happened to Rarity I'm going to crawl back into whatever that was and stomp you flat."

Rainbow took a deep breath. She couldn't move, but she was alive. As she thought about it, she'd been sore before. It always went away eventually. And she supposed that what she did counted as an extreme activity. All she had to do was wait it out.

Something inside her contracted.

Her eyes went wide. "Now? Kid, your sense of timing needs—ergh. Come on, stop that."

After a short while the contraction stopped.

"Okay. I gotta find somewhere." She put her forehooves under herself and pushed. Her chest rose about a foot before she slipped and hit the grass again.

"Right here. Right here's good." She panted.

She tried to remember what to do. There was going to be a nurse in a hospital walking her through it. A few minutes later, she contracted again.

There was something about pushing. Rainbow tried to push, but she had no strength to push with. She could only grit her teeth.

"Hey, kid," she forced out, "remember what I said? I promised you I wouldn't scream. And I'm not. You're not going to hear me scream." As if on cue, she held back a cry of pain.

The contraction again stopped. Rainbow took deep, painful breaths.

"It's going to happen," she panted. "I'm going to do this."

Rainbow could only wait for her next contraction. Whatever it was in her body controlling them had decided to ignore the fact that it barely had the strength to contract with. She was going to have the foal or die trying.

She tried to push the possibility from her mind. She knew that some mares died in childbirth. But she refused to let that be her fate after everything that had happened.

More contractions followed, each as painful as the last, each a reminder she was still alive.

"Come on... come on... that the best you got?" Rainbow licked her lips. "So many things have tried to kill me. One thing succeeded a few times. But a foal... a foal isn't going to do it ARGH."

She'd lost count of the contractions. All she knew was that the moon had moved a noticeable distance since she'd fallen from the Roundhill, which sat impassive to her suffering.

"Hit me again, let's go. I can take it. I can—" The contraction came harder than any before. Something in her subconscious clicked. Rainbow pushed. She pushed and pushed with everything she had left. It felt like she was being split in two.

All she could do was push.

Then she was still. Her heart pounded and her chest heaved. Sweat ran down her face.

Something was supposed to be happening.

Rainbow tried to relax, but something was wrong.

Something very important was supposed to be happening.

She searched her addled mind for what she was forgetting.

Something absolutely critical was supposed to be happening.

Rainbow gasped and looked towards her rear. There in the moonlight was a small pale blue figure, lying motionless.

"No." She propped herself up on her elbows with strength she didn't have.

"No no no no." Frantically, inch by inch, she dragged her front end around.

"Please no, please no. You gotta..."

A trembling hoof reached for the body. Just before it touched, Rainbow heard the tiniest gasp.

Loud crying pierced the air.

Rainbow let out her breath and flopped back to her side. Then slowly, more deliberately, she shifted her front end to meet the newborn filly.

Scooping up her daughter, Rainbow held her close. "Shhh. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. Nothing's going to happen to you. Mommy's here. Mommy's going to keep you safe." The filly's crying faded, wrapped in the weak hooves of her mother. "So, what kinda pony is my kid?"

Rainbow held her out and looked her over. "Hah, knew it. I was going to say something... but I forgot what in all the commotion." She paused. "You are kinda cute, though."

She held her child close once again. "By the way, my name's Rainbow Dash, but you can call me Mom. Nice to finally meet you." A wing shuffled its way over the foal. "Here, your other mom likes it when I do this. Let's just stay here for a bit, okay?"

There was a voice in the distance. It took Rainbow a moment to realize her daughter wasn't talking to her. Another voice joined it. They were getting closer.

"It came from this way." She knew the voice, but couldn't quite recall who it belonged to.

"I'm just glad that orange sparkling stuff stopped when it did. Any longer and I'd've been a goner. I'm still a little woozy from it."

"It was the most concentrated near the Roundhill, so it's safe to assume the majority of the damage was localized to this area."

"Where was it? Y'all heard it too, right?"

"It has to be around here some—Rainbow! She's over here!"

Rainbow soon found multiple ponies standing over her. One particularly beautiful one pushed the others out of the way.

"Are you okay? What was that sound? What happened?"

Rainbow smiled. "Hey, babe..."

She opened her wing.

"It's a unicorn."

Worth the Wait

Rainbow Dash glided through the air. Below her, the shell of the Roundhill glistened in the sun. Around the creature, the dirt had been dug all the way down to the bedrock. By ponies who weren't new mothers, she noted. After other ponies had polished the rock to a sheen, some very smart unicorns had drawn up a really big magic circle around the Roundhill.

A lot of those smart unicorns were standing on the circle, with a princess in each quarter. Some of them darted to and fro relaying messages.

One much smaller unicorn also darted to and fro between the legs of the adults. In the sky, Rainbow waited silently for the filly to make the tactical error of moving into the open. She saw her chance, swooped down, and deftly scooped up Tempo Reprise, spinning and throwing her into the air.

Rainbow did a half loop and caught her giggling daughter on her chest. She looked into those pretty rose-colored eyes and couldn't help but giggle back. She ran her hoof through Tempo's dark purple mane, mussing up the orange stripe running through it.

"Rainbow, could you come down here?" Rarity called from below.

A quick flick of her wings brought Rainbow and Tempo to her wife. "What's up, babe? Besides Tempo." She tossed her foal a few inches before catching her again.

Rarity batted her eyes. "Dearie, not to be a bother, but can you keep a little more control over our unicorn foal near the magically sensitive, world-destroying alien? Just as a minor precaution?"

"She'll be fine," Rainbow said. "Besides, the two of us and the Roundhill are buddies now." She flew to the shell. "Us and it are like this." She put her hoof on her heart, then on the Roundhill, which gave the familiar glow in response. Tempo watched her mother, then put her own hoof on her guts before sticking it out. Rainbow let her touch the shell, which glowed in response to her, too.

"See? Best friends. It won't do anything to us."

The noise Rarity made did not exude confidence. "Really, I hardly see why either of you need to be here in the first place. At least we could have left Tempo with Pinkie."

Nearby, Princess Twilight spoke up. "Because we still don't know the full extent of its capabilities or sensitivities. We suspect that Rainbow's and Tempo's presence will have a calming effect on it, giving us the best possible chance of safely moving it."

Rainbow flew to her. "I just said that, Twilight."

Tempo spotted her favorite toy sticking out of Rarity's saddlebags and struggled in Rainbow's grasp towards it. Rainbow moved close enough for Tempo to grab the plush hourglass, then set her down.

"Besides," Rainbow said, watching a purple and orange tail vanish under the crowd, "we can't miss this. If we're going to zap Tempo's godmother to another planet, we have to be there to say goodbye."

"Ah, yes," Rarity replied, "of course. We absolutely must say goodbye to—" She looked away. "—Tempo's godmother."

Touching down next to Rarity, Rainbow put her wing over her. "Come on, babe. This is the last time we're going to see it." She looked up at the black shell. "And to be honest, despite what I said, I'm going to feel better once it's gone."

"Speaking of looking, maybe you should go look for your foal." Rarity smiled.

Rainbow returned the smile. "My foal now, huh? My cute, smart, precious, only foal?"

"I have told you already, I am perfectly satisfied with just one child." Rarity turned to her. "Which you should go find before she gets herself into trouble."

Taking off, Rainbow said, "I'll go make sure she's not destroying the world or anything."

It took no time at all to spot the dark blue shape moving past the other unicorns and move in. Seconds later, both foal and toy were safely in Rainbow's hooves and on their way back to Rarity.

"Rainbow," Rarity said as she approached. "Twilight said we're about ready to begin, so why don't you take her to a safe distance?"

"Sounds good to me. Come on, kid, let's find a nice place to watch." She looked at the Roundhill and quietly added, "See you later. And..." She lifted Tempo for a moment. "Good luck."

A short flight brought them to the ridge, the same ridge that they had climbed so many times before. Rainbow set Tempo down, catching her with a wing and sitting down before she could run off.

"Hey, kid. I had quite the experience with that thing, and I don't know how much of that you shared. All the bookworm ponies still don't know what was going on." She looked down to see big rose eyes looking back at her, their owner giving her rapt attention. Rainbow smiled at her foal. "Though maybe you'll be the one to figure it out, huh? That'd be pretty great."

She squeezed her daughter tight. "You got a whole life ahead of you, kid. I'm glad I got to make that happen. Oh hey, looks like the show's about to start."

Ahead, dozens of horns had lit up. The three princesses that Rainbow could see shone brightest of all. White fire traced its way around the magic circle. Rainbow couldn't help but look down to make sure that Tempo was watching. When she looked up, spirals of pure white had risen from the circle, swirling with energy. They danced around each other and into each other, soon forming into a single column surrounding the Roundhill.

Even at their distance, Rainbow could hear the power building. "Come on, buddy," she whispered, "just stay asleep for a few more seconds and it'll all be better. You're going somewhere safe, I promise."

"Oh!" She reached down and picked up Tempo, propping up one of her forehooves. "Byebye, Roundhill! Tempo, can you say byebye? Say byebye!"

Tempo looked into the light. "Byebye!"

With an immense whoosh, the column of light shot into the heavens, arcing slightly as it went into the distance above. Gaps appeared at the base of the column, spreading and climbing. Seconds later, the light was gone, revealing ponies surrounding a large empty space.

Rainbow let out a breath. "And that's that." She gave Tempo a big hug, which the filly returned. "Rarity and the others did a good job, didn't they? Big load off my mind, for sure." She bopped Tempo's nose. "Now I only have you to deal with."

Tempo blew a raspberry in response.

Rainbow set her down and turned her around. "Look, Rarity's coming!"

Tiny hooves took off down the ridge towards her. Rainbow leisurely glided behind.

With all the might of a year-old filly, Tempo lept into her mother's waiting hooves. Rainbow returned the plush hourglass to Rarity's saddlebags and gave her a kiss to go with it.

A blue glow enveloped their daughter and deposited her on Rarity's back. "I think that went quite well," Rarity said. "It was rather brighter than I expected; I'm going to be seeing spots for the rest of the day."

Rainbow chuckled. "Any excuse to make me watch the kid more. I get it."

Walking towards the ridge, Rarity replied, "With everything you've done for her and Equestria's sake, I'm willing to sacrifice a little responsibility out of the goodness of my heart."

With a roll of her eyes, Rainbow answered, "Your generosity knows no bounds, babe. But you know what? I don't even mind that much."

She looked towards the horizon.

"Because I'm feeling pretty good about the future right now."

Author's Note

Thanks for reading.

Maybe the Roundhill got sent to some lifeless world. Maybe the Care Bears have a nasty surprise coming their way. Who can say for sure?

Many thanks to everyone who helped iron out the plot.

Also special thanks to Perrydotto, who helped design an adorable filly, which you can see here: https://twitter.com/perrydraws/status/1241155505009102850

Preparing for the Future

Rainbow Dash sat on her rump, forelegs crossed. "You know I don't want to be here."

"Yes, dearie," Rarity replied, "you've said that every ten minutes since we got here."

"Trainers, sure. Ponies to check out my flexibility and strength and tell me how I can get more awesome? Bring them on. But doctors to tell me I'm not being pregnant right? Hate it." She tapped her hind hoof against the carpet.

She looked around the small office. Only one other couple was there: a nervous-looking mare and a stallion trying his best to comfort her. She averted her eyes to the variety of charts and pictures of smiling mares on the walls, all of them looking more pregnant than Rainbow.

Turning back to Rarity, she sighed. "First Captain Spitfire tells me my four months in the outside formations are up and benches me, and now this. Can today get any duller?"

The far door opened and a unicorn stallion poked his head out. "Misses Rarity and Rainbow Dash?"

The couple stood and followed him through a short hallway into an examination room. Inside, he turned to them and gave a slight bow.

"I'm Doctor Tender Care." He looked at Rarity and motioned to the metal exam table. "Why don't you lay up there and I can have a look at you."

Rarity's eyes widened and her lips pursed.

Glancing between them, Rainbow cut in, "Actually, I'm the one carrying it." She stepped forwards.

"Of course." He motioned again to the table. "Tell me what's going on."

Rainbow climbed up and rolled onto her back. The metal surface was as cold as it looked. She rolled her shoulders in an attempt to get comfortable. A look at Rarity confirmed that she wasn't yet in a mood to talk, so Rainbow figured she had to say it.

"Well, I'm seven months along, and..." She waved her hoof over her belly, which was still flat. "Rarity's been reading a bunch of books that all say I should have something by now. I don't think it's that big of a deal, but she's getting worried so here we are."

"Okay, let me see what's happening." Doctor Care lowered his head, laying his horn flat across Rainbow's stomach. It lit up and the doctor hummed quietly.

Sitting up, Rainbow said, "Hey wait a second. Twilight said pony wombs blocked magic and stuff. Something about not hurting the foal. What are you doing?"

Rarity's ears perked up.

The doctor looked Rainbow in the eye. "It's true that I can't see into your uterus. But what I can do is check its exterior, its size and shape and muscle tone and so on."

Rainbow laid back again. "Oh, that makes more sense."

"Just be careful with it, okay?" Rarity said.

Turning her head to look at her, Rainbow answered. "He's a doctor. Also? This was your idea."

She looked back to see the doctor's glowing horn across her belly again. He closed his eyes for a few seconds.

"I bet this is your first foal," he said.

"Yeah," Rainbow answered, trying her best to hold still. "How can you tell?"

The horn moved forwards and backwards across Rainbow's underside. "Your body's never stretched out like this before, so you're still very firm. Your foal is the right size for how far along it is, but your abdominal muscles are very strong, so they're holding your uterus up high inside you. To be honest, I've only ever seen this with earth ponies.

"If I feel around a bit..." He paused and Rainbow felt a strange pressure inside her. She shifted her weight a little.

Doctor Care continued: "I don't feel anything out of the ordinary with your uterus. I could even take a guess at your foal's race."

"Please don't," Rainbow answered.

He laughed. "All right, I won't. But overall, I'd say you're doing just fine."

"So." Rainbow took a moment to think. "It's going to get even bigger, right? Are my abs going to squish it or something?"

Moving around to table to Rainbow's side, he replied, "No, nothing like that. As it grows, it'll simply run out of room and push its way down. You'll fill out before you know it."

"Hear that, babe?" Rainbow turned to Rarity. "I'm filling out."

"Yes, Rainbow, I heard."

Rainbow climbed down off the table.

Approaching the doctor, Rarity said, "Thank you so much for seeing her. It's a relief to hear she's doing well." She and Rainbow headed towards the door.

"It's no problem at all." He paused. "Although, I have to say your names sound familiar. Are you the couple who conceived with the experimental spell?"

Rainbow grit her teeth. "Ugh, I'd almost forgotten how that felt."

"Yes, we are," Rarity replied for her.

Doctor Care reached up and shook Rainbow's hoof. "Then I'm happy to have met you. I've read the papers and you're doing a great thing for the field."

"Uh yeah," Rainbow answered, "thanks. See you around."

Rainbow followed Rarity out of the office, through the hospital, and outside into the late winter snow.

Just past the hospital grounds, Rainbow spoke up. "That wasn't so bad. Good to know—"

Rarity raised a hoof and slammed it into the ground, causing Rainbow to jump.

"The nerve of that stallion!" she shouted.

Rainbow's ears went back. "Wha?"

"Looking at me and thinking that I was pregnant! When you're the one who eats three times as much as I do and craves something new every week!" She snorted. "He said you weren't showing because of your muscles. I don't have muscles like yours. Am I showing?"

Rarity presented her flank. Rainbow looked her wife's body over. "To be fair, babe, me not looking pregnant is why we came. But uh, no, you look the same. And—" She reached up and prodded Rarity's side. It easily yielded to her snow-covered hoof. "—yeah, nothing."

Turning away and stomping through the slush, Rarity said. "Exactly! How could he think that I'm pregnant and you're not?"

Hesitating, Rainbow could only say, "Um..."

Rarity spun around.

Rainbow could only give the first reply that came to mind "Pickles!" She forced a smile. "Let's get some pickles." She opened her wings and hovered just above the ground. "I don't even feel bigger, really. Totally understandable. But some pickles will let the foal get nice and big inside me so everypony can see how pregnant I am. I'll meet you at the restaurant, babe."

Raising a hoof, Rarity answered, "Don't fly too fast, Rainbow. You are with foal, remember."

Rainbow turned away to keep Rarity from seeing her sour expression. She took off towards her next meal, spewing snow in her wake. A left bank aimed her just past the corner of a building.

"Rainbow!" Rarity chastised.

With a look back, Rainbow said, "Rarity, would you—"

An impact to her wing interrupted her reaction. Rainbow hit the snow, tumbling several feet across the terrain. "Ow ow ow."

A moment later, Rarity was at her side. "Rainbow! I just told you to be careful. Are you okay?"

Her wing throbbed. Rainbow got to her feet. Looking over, she opened and closed her wing a few times. "Not broken. That's good. Geez that smarts." She looked at Rarity but decided against arguing. "Let's... let's get those pickles."

The morning sun woke Rainbow up as it always had. She rolled out of bed and gave a yawn. Outside the bedroom window, the first greenery of spring glistened in their dew. At Rarity's insistence, Rainbow hadn't participated in Winter Wrap-Up that year. She chalked it up as another perk of pregnancy.

Rarity walked out of the bathroom, her mane wrapped in a towel. "Good morning, dearie."

"Mornin', babe." Rainbow stretched herself out.

She heard a gasp. "Rainbow!"

"Huh? What is it?" She looked at Rarity.

Pointing her hoof, Rarity said, "Stretch again! I see a bump!"

"What, really?" Rainbow straightened herself out and turned to look. Right at her navel, her belly curved outward just a little. She stared at it. "Woah. Hang on, lemme get a better look."

Rainbow climbed onto the bed and rolled onto her side, stretching herself out to produce the bump again. Rarity clambered up next to her.

Running her hoof across her stomach, the bump felt hard. "There it is. That's freaky."

A white hoof set itself on the blue fur. "That's our daughter."

Rainbow relaxed, allowing the bump to vanish. She prodded the area and felt its resistance again. "Wow."

Stroking Rainbow's belly, Rarity said, "I think it's time to celebrate our new arrival."

"With breakfast?" Rainbow lifted her head up. "Because there's these little chocolates that Bonbon makes with bits of alfalfa in them and—"

The hoof moved from Rainbow's belly to her lips. "After breakfast, of course, we should go shopping for everything the foal will need."

"Like a crib and stuff? I'm not due for another, uh"—she did some mental math—"three and a half months. Isn't it a little early for this stuff?"

Climbing off the bed, Rarity said, "It's never too early to be prepared. Besides, I promised myself I would wait until I saw the bump."

Rainbow relaxed, sprawling herself out on the sheets. "Cool. You go shopping, I'll stay here and watch the foal grow."

"Rainbow." Rarity's eyebrows dropped.

Returning a smile, Rainbow said, "Well we can try it the other way around, babe, but I don't think that'd work."

Rarity rolled her eyes. "You need to come too. As the foal's mother—"

"—father—"

"—you need to have some say in her room."

After taking enough time to groan, Rainbow rolled off of the bed. "Yeah. Fine, whatever. But I gotta eat something first. I'm starving."

Rarity sighed. "And to think you'll need to eat even more when you're nursing."

Rainbow sat backwards on the wooden chair, hooves crossed on top of its back. She rested her chin on her forelegs and watched Rarity meander her way around the furniture store.

Eyeing one of the cribs up and down, Rarity said, "If the foal is anything like me, she'll want the fanciest, most-decorated crib she can get. Something tasteful for her to look at while she's in it."

Moving only her eyes, Rainbow answered, "And if she's anything like me, she'll want it to be sleek and light, with racing stripes on it. Also a latchable cover if she's a pegasus."

Rarity walked to another. "Speaking of, we'll need a magic-resistant latch if she's a unicorn. I suppose we could get one after she's born if we had to."

"Good morning." The store's owner, whose name was Wooden something, approached Rainbow. "It looks like your wife's expecting an addition to your family."

"Yeah," Rainbow said. "She's doing all the expecting. I'm just pregnant with it."

Spinning around, Rarity shouted, "What did he just say about me?"

Rainbow raised her head an inch. "He wants to know what kind of crib we want, babe."

Rarity glared at him suspiciously for a second before turning back to the inventory. "I was thinking a tasteful white, as I expect our daughter will be light-shaded."

"Ah," Wooden replied, "but you have to consider that your newborn foal will be very messy, so if the paint getting stained will bother you, you'll be doing a lot of cleaning."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous, I won't be bothered by a bit of dirt," Rarity said with a wave of her hoof.

"You totally will," Rainbow commented.

After clearing her throat, Rarity said, "Perhaps something darker would suit us better."

Fifteen minutes later, Rainbow and Rarity emerged from the store, magically levitating a dark wooden crib, a small mattress, several sheets, and a washing basin.

"You know, babe," Rainbow said, looking at their purchase, "I can carry that. My wing stopped hurting a week ago."

With a smile, Rarity answered, "I know. But you're already carrying something very important."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. They walked a short way before Rainbow said, "Oh yeah, that reminds me. How's this sound: 'Hope you enjoyed the trip, but you're flying yourself from now on.'"

"I'm... sorry?" Rarity turned her head towards Rainbow.

Trotting forward to move by Rarity's side, Rainbow said, "Well, so many parents say something cheesy like 'You're so beautiful' or 'Welcome to Equestria' that I figure we mix it up a little, you know? So that one if she's a pegasus. How about this for a unicorn: 'With all the magic that went into making you, you'd better become a wizard.' Get it? Magic?"

Turning her head forwards again, Rarity said, "Maybe you should let me handle the introductions, dearie."

"Oh I got one! 'Hey, yours isn't the first horn I've had stuck in there.'"

Rarity stopped in her tracks and faced Rainbow again. "I will not have the first words our daughter hears be a sex joke!"

Rainbow backed up a step. "Okay, fine, I'll come up with something else. If it's a pegasus, I can say 'Wow you flew right on out of there!' What if it's an earth pony, though?"

While Rainbow thought, they walked a few more steps.

"'So that what all the kicking was about!'"

Rarity stopped again. "Is it kicking?"

"Um..." Rainbow paused to think. "I felt something this morning, but it might have been gas."

Moving towards the Boutique's front door, Rarity said, "If it was an earth pony, it would certainly explain all the fruit you've been eating."

"I can work with that."

Rarity opened the door. "Dearie, while I put these away, why don't you head to the next store? I'll meet you there."

"Sure thing, babe." She turned and left.

A staggering array of items sat on the shelf in front of Rainbow: bottles, toys, diapers, a few thermometers, magic doodads claiming to be the only way to keep a foal safe, and anti-magic doodads claiming to be the only way to keep a foal safe.

She heard Rarity's voice approaching. "Have you gotten everything already?"

Without a word, Rainbow looked at Rarity, then back at the shelf.

"Seriously, dearie, it's not that difficult." Random items took on a magic aura and levitated towards them. "We'll need bottles to feed her, a pump for your milk, a thermometer to check on her, some extra towels, a night light or two, ooh this toy looks just delightful!"

Rainbow looked at it all. "See, this is why you're going to be Mom. I'm completely lost here."

"Good morning," an orange pegasus said, approaching them. "Are you two shopping for a newborn?"

"Oh yes, dear," Rarity answered, flashing a smile. "We have a filly on the way and we're stocking up."

"Congratulations!" The clerk looked at Rarity. "When are you due?"

Rarity tensed up straight. The hovering inventory fell to the floor. A bottle bounced off of Rainbow's snout.

"That's it!" she shouted, "I am going on a diet, and we are not doing any more foal shopping until you're the size of an apple cart!"

Rarity stomped out of the store. Rubbing her snout, Rainbow looked at the aghast clerk. "Sorry. Hey, wait!" she called out, "Rarity, you have the money! How am I supposed to pay for these?"

After scooping up a bottle and placing it on the shelf, she turned back to the poor pegasus.

"I-I'm sorry, I thought I heard you say she was the mother, so I assumed—" She shifted backwards.

"Yeah, I get it, it's cool." Rainbow patted her side. "It's in here, though." She returned another bottle to the shelf. The clerk placed a few items next to it. "Not looking forward to getting home."

After everything was back in place, Rainbow turned to leave. Looking behind her, she said, "See you again when I'm the size of an apple cart, I guess." She smirked. "Wonder if I'll fit through the door."