Not So Secret

Chapters

Poker Face
Heavy Lifting
New Release
Measuring Up
Littering
Party Favors

Poker Face

“GAME NIGHT!”

Pinkie Pie’s voice echoed through the halls of the stone castle, creating a chorus composed of only a single voice. Instead of trotting, she hopped forward every three feet, the loud clack of all four hooves hitting the floor as loud as a clap of thunder.

“GAME NIGHT!”
Clack.
“GAME NIGHT!”
Clack.
“GAME NIGHT!”

Clack.

After navigating the labyrinth of Twilight’s castle, she landed in front of a simple wooden door that seemed strangely out-of-place compared to the grand architecture that surrounded it. Pinkie pulled on the rope tied around her back to make sure the stack of board games was secure, then knocked on the door. Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and bucked the door open with a hard kick, slamming it inward.

“GAME NIGHT!”
“GAAAHHH!” screamed Twilight as the door hit the back wall with a bang.

“Pinkie, dear, there are better ways to announce your presence,” Rarity said. She’d been applying eyeliner when Pinkie kicked the door open and had accidently drawn a long, black line across the side of her face she hadn’t yet noticed.

“Oop! Sorry!” Pinkie cleared her throat before trotting to the table in the middle of the room and calmly setting the stack of board games in the center. “Game night,” she whispered.

She, Twilight, and Rarity were gathered in the Ponyville library, a good five miles away from the castle Pinkie had just emerged from.

“Can you close the door?” Twilight asked, pointing to the doorway that currently led somewhere different than the windows next to it. “The others won’t be able to get in while it’s still connected to the castle.”

Pinkie Pie hooked her tail around the door and lassoed the door closed. The instant it shut, a faint knock came from the other side before Fluttershy poked her nose and one eye through the gap.

“Am I early?” she asked. “I can come back later if you need me to.”

“Nonsense, darling! Come inside!”

Fluttershy slipped through the doorway as if she was trying to avoid bothering the wood by opening it too far. She blinked around the room, her ears swiveling on top of her head. “Are the others coming tonight?”

“Applejack’s train should be coming into town soon,” Twilight said, swiveling around to check the clock. “But I don’t know where Rainbow Dash is. She never misses game night.”

“She’s been a bit under the weather lately,” Rarity said, casting Twilight a knowing look. “She’s been moving a bit... slower than usual.”

Twilight met her eye and sighed, returning Rarity’s comment with a shrug.

“I’m sure she’ll get here when she gets here... “

“Oh, were we supposed to bring something?” Fluttershy asked, glancing at the pile of games on the table. “I left the house so fast, I didn’t have time to get ready.”

“No, this is just Pinkie Pie’s personal collection.” Twilight blinked and cocked her head at Pinkie. “But why did you leave them at the castle?”

“I keep stuff like this stashed everywhere!” Pinkie ducked under the table, which bucked and wobbled as she crawled under it. She emerged between Twilight and Rarity, spitting out a deck of playing cards that had been duct-taped to the underside.

“Well, at least she’s prepared,” Rarity said with a snicker.

“But... prepared for what?” asked Twilight.

“You never know where game night’s gonna happen next!” Pinkie giggled and returned to her spot on the other side of the table by crawling back underneath it.

She poked her head out just in time to watch the door to the library swing open and a set of orange hooves trot inside. Applejack stopped, paused, then tilted her head upside-down to make eye contact with Pinkie under the table.

“Pinkie Pie,” she said with a polite, formal nod.

“Applejack,” Pinkie replied with the same inflection.

“Glad to see nothin’s changed since I’ve been gone.”

“Weeell, not nothing has changed…” Pinkie said with a sly wink. AJ frowned, trying to parse out what she meant, but realized what she was trying to do and simply gave up.

“Howdy, y’all,” Applejack said, sighing as she shrugged off her heavy saddlebags next to the library door, next to the rolling suitcase standing by her side. “Hope ya didn’t start without me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Rarity said, smiling. Applejack glanced at the smear of eyeliner across her face, but decided not to mention it. For all she knew, it was there for a good reason.

“Did you come straight from the train station?” Twilight asked. “I thought you might want to go home first.”

“Naw, I missed two month’s worth of game night already. Don’t plan on skipping out on this one.” Applejack turned to the rolling suitcase and gently laid it on its side before opening it, revealing its only contents: her hat. She dusted it off, then put it on her head with a quiet sigh of relief.

“How are your cousins doing?” Fluttershy asked.

“Bout the same as last year, though most of the little ones ain’t quite so little anymore,” said Applejack as she took one of the cushions at the table. “The orchard’s twice the size of Sweet Apple Acres, it's why they need so much help with the harvest. Course, we got quality over quantity, here.”

“Always the competitive one, aren’t we?” Rarity smirked.

“Only when I know I can win,” Applejack said confidently, tipping her hat. “And I’m pretty dang sure of it whenever I play…” She paused, glancing up toward the ceiling, then around the room. “Wait, where’n the hay is Rainbow Dash?”

“She’s supposed to be on her way,” Twilight said. “She’s just late.”

“Late and Rainbow Dash ain’t even in the same language. She’s usually the one here first.”

“Well... she’s been a little... uh... “ Twilight bit her lip and shuffled her wings, glancing toward Rarity.

“It’s... a bit of a delicate subject, but we-”

“Hey! Hey hey hey hey hey! I’m here! I’m here!”

The five ponies looked up toward one of the second floor windows, where Rainbow Dash was hovering outside and knocking on the glass. Twilight opened it with magic and let the pegasus flutter inside, the beat of her wings billowing her friend’s manes. When she landed, Applejack couldn’t help notice how out of breath she was.

“Was wonderin’ when you’d finally show up!” Applejack said, forgetting Rarity’s interrupted comment. “Thought you were scared to get your tail kicked again.”

“Yeah, right. I’m the only actual competition you’ve got, AJ.”

“Didn’t you win last time?” Rarity asked Fluttershy under her breath.

“By a lot,” she responded.

“Good, can’t wait to make you eat them words,” Applejack said. She smiled, but as she looked over Dash, she couldn’t ignore there was something different about her. Maybe their time apart made it more obvious, but Rainbow Dash seemed tired and had faint bags under her eyes. Her voice was lightly raspy and she clearly didn’t have the energy she used to. Even when she playfully jabbed Applejack in the shoulder, it wasn’t with the same strength. Stranger, she didn’t seem sick. Rather than losing, she seemed to have gained weight, with a very slight paunch in her middle that hadn’t been there when Applejack left.

“So what are we playin’ tonight?” she asked, changing the subject. “I been itching for some Appleoosa Hold ‘Em.”

“I’m not much for poker, I’m afraid,” Rarity said with a shrug.

“Only cuz you don’t know how to bluff,” Dash told her. “Every time you get a good hand, you start wiggling in your seat and bet everything you have.”

“And I take it you’re the expert?” Rarity said, leaning over the table and raising an eyebrow. “At bluffing?”

“Y-yeah, totally. You’ll never know what I got, I’m like a statue.”

“I changed my mind,” Rarity said, tapping her hoof on the table. “Appleoosa Hold Them. I want to play.”

“Well, it was AJ’s turn to pick anyway,” Twilight said. She stood from the table, tapping her chin. “I know I’ve got a rulebook for poker variations somewhere around here…”

“Aw, don’t worry ‘bout it,” Applejack said, reaching for the deck of cards that had been in Pinkie Pie’s mouth ten minutes before. “My family practically invented the dang game. I know it by heart.” She opened the pack and dumped the cards on the table, then spread them around in an attempt to shuffle.

“Hold on a minute. Spike!” Twilight called out.

A muffled voice came from the loft of Twilight’s bedroom. Spike emerged from the dark, his eyes half-closed and a blanket trailing behind him. He trudged down the stairs with heavy steps, grumbling under his breath as he approached the table. Taking the cards, he divided them into two piles and shuffled them together with his dexterous fingers.

“Thanks, Spike!” Twilight chirped.

“Muh,” was all he said as he scratched the inside of his nose and went back upstairs.

“Hey, Rainbow,” Applejack said under her breath while Spike was shuffling. “Listen, my uncle makes the best apple moonshine in Equestria and sent me home with six jars worth of it. Clear as mountain water and goes down smooth as silk. Let’s you and me get rid of it after the game’s over.”

Rainbow Dash’s eyes lit up for just a moment, but her face quickly fell as she shuffled her wings and rubbed the back of her head.

“That sounds awesome but I… I uhh... I just started this new diet for the Wonderbolts. Can’t do any alcohol for a while, sorry.”

“C’mon, you can do a cheat day every once in a while, can’t ya? I ain’t gettin’ trashed all by myself.”

“Sorry AJ, Spitfire’s orders. I don’t wanna get in trouble.”

“Oh... Alright. Sure thing, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled, but furrowed her brow once Dash looked away. She’d never been one to turn down free booze. Usually it was Applejack herself that was the moderating force. She didn’t want to fault her friend for being healthy, but there was something fishy about it.

The game started with Twilight as the dealer. With their first hand, Applejack tried not to smirk when she realized just how right Dash was about Rarity’s poker face; she could read her like a book. Applejack turned to snicker about it with Dash, but found her seat empty.

“Be right back!” shouted the blue smear darting into the nearby bathroom. The door slammed and locked behind her.

“That was quick,” Rarity sighed, absentmindedly stacking her chips.

“She’ll be back in a second,” Fluttershy said to Applejack.

Dash was back a few minutes later, looking slightly woozy.

“Sorry guys, my bad. Too much water at practice I guess.”

They played through, with all the players making their bets. When Pinkie slid all her chips to the center of the table, the other five stared at her once they realized she hadn’t even looked at her cards.

“I like to live a little…” She wiggled her eyebrows. “...Dangerously.”

“Fold,” Applejack said.

“Fold,” Rarity sighed.

“I think I might fold, too,” Fluttershy muttered.

“All in,” Rainbow Dash said, pushing her chips into the center and eyeing Pinkie suspiciously.

“Aw yeah…” Pinkie smirked, rubbing her hooves together. “It’s all coming together…”

With the only two players betting all their chips on the first hand, Twilight simply flipped the center cards. The ten of diamonds, the Jack of Clubs, and the King of Diamonds.”

“Aw dang,” Pinkie pouted. “I don’t have any of those cards.” She flipped over her own hand, revealing the Ace of Diamonds and the Queen of Hearts. When she caught the others staring at her, she scratched her head. “Wait, how do you play this game again?”

“Hang on, I wanna do over!” Dash said, pointing at Pinkie. “She didn’t even look at her cards, how is-”

She suddenly stopped, clamping her lips shut as her eyes widened. She backed away from the table and darted back into the bathroom, slamming the door shut again.

“Y’all, should we call a doctor?” Applejack asked. “I’m pretty sure she’s sick.”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Fluttershy said, softly.

Before she could press for an answer, Dash appeared again, stumbling across the floor and smiling like nothing was wrong. When she collapsed beside Applejack, she could smell toothpaste on her breath.

The game continued as best it could with Rainbow Dash stopping every few minutes to run for the toilet. Applejack, every time, was shocked at the inaction of her friends, but couldn’t get an explanation out of them before Dash herself returned. She could hardly pay attention to the game (though she still won a couple rounds), but as she put the pieces together in her head, a clearer idea began to take form.

Lack of energy, frequent trips to the bathroom, mysteriously gaining weight.

Applejack’s eyes widened as she turned to stare at Rainbow Dash. She had just called Rarity’s bluff -- the way she chewed on her hair made it obvious -- and met Applejack’s stare.

“You uh... you doing okay, AJ?” Dash asked, swallowing.

“Rainbow Dash are… are you-”

Dash opened her mouth to respond, but made an ugly retching noise instead of any words. With one hoof clamped over her mouth, she threw herself into the air before disappearing into the bathroom yet again.

“We really need to get more bleach…” Twilight sighed.

“Listen,” Rarity said, wiggling her ear. In the quiet, they could hear the groaning of pipes before the muffled hiss of water came from beneath the door. “She turned the shower on. She’ll be a while.”

“Y’all, am I going crazy?” Applejack hissed, leaning forward. “Or is she…”

“We are... reasonably sure Rainbow Dash is pregnant,” Rarity said, her voice hushed.

“Reasonably? She ain’t told you?”

“No, she hasn’t,” Fluttershy said. “Not yet, anyway.”

“We discussed it while you were gone,” said Twilight. “There’s got to be a reason she hasn’t told us, so we aren’t going to force it out of her until she’s ready.”

“This ain’t a secret you can keep for long,” said Applejack.

“Maybe she doesn’t know yet,” Fluttershy suggested. “Maybe she just thinks she’s sick.”

“She knows,” Applejack frowned. “Who’s the daddy?”

“No idea,” Twilight shrugged. “That might be the reason it’s a secret.”

“That’s daggum ridiculous. There ain’t no reason in the world for her to keep this from us. We’re her friends, right?” Applejack huffed and threw her hat down in frustration, tapping one of her hooves on the floor.

“It’s something she’s going through, Applejack,” said Fluttershy, gently. “I know you’re hurt, but you can’t force it out of her.”

“You’re dang right I’m hurt!” With a grumble, Applejack picked up her hat and dusted it off before placing it back on her head. “Just puts a sour taste in my mouth, is all. Maybe I’m old-fashioned, but this ain’t the kinda thing you lie to your friends about.”

“But you know what she’s like,” said Rarity. “She’s embarrassed! She can’t stand for any of us to think she’s weak and hates being coddled.”

“Well this ain’t about just her anymore! She’s got a foal to think about, now.” Applejack sighed and slumped against the table. “I ain’t happy ‘bout being lied to but… if y'all think she needs some space, then fine. Not like she can keep it a secret for much longer.”

“I’m just looking forward to seeing Dash with a big baby belly!” Pinkie giggled. She’d spent the conversation stacking all of the chips she’d won in a huge tower that rose four feet above their heads. “I wonder if she’ll let me babysit? I’m the best babysitter in town! Except for all the other ones. You think she’ll still be able to fly? She’ll look like a bumblebee! Maybe she-”

Twilight, who was sitting nearest to Pinkie Pie, jammed a hoof in her mouth and shushed her as the bathroom door creaked open. Rainbow Dash staggered out, her wings drooping at her sides and trailing on the floor. The bags under her eyes had deepened, but she gave her friends a weary smile.

“H-hey guys! I just remembered, I had a... training session with Spit...Soarin.”

“Spitsoarin,” Applejack said, flatly.

“I mean Soarin! And Spitfire. They’re both there. Yeah. Got a... got a thing to... do. Sorry! Gotta-” She paused and gulped, forcing down another wave of morning sickness. “Gotta split! Bye!”

She beat her wings and took to the air, gliding with all the grace of a badly-made paper airplane. On her way out, Applejack frowned as she caught another look at the slight curve to Dash’s stomach, which seemed more obvious than ever.

“She better let the cat outta the bag soon,” she said, taking Dash’s leftover chips and cards. “Before I start gettin’ mad.”

“She will, just be patient,” Rarity said, waving a dismissive hoof.

“You sure about that?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. “You remember who we’re talkin’ about?”

Rarity, who was about to respond, suddenly paused and scratched her chin.

“Well it’s... certainly not a secret she can keep forever... is it?”

Heavy Lifting

Pinkie rocked in place as she stared at the kitchen timer on top of the oven in Sugarcube Corner. She was convinced that it wouldn’t work correctly if someone wasn’t looking at it, so she always kept a determined glare on it as it ticked quietly along. She leaned forward, squinting her eyes as the dial drew closer and closer to zero, her tail quivering behind her, pulled taut as piano wire. Despite being an inanimate object, this made the kitchen timer nervous.

The instant the arrow hit zero, Pinkie shrieked “DONE!” and knocked it aside as she opened the oven door. On the center rack was a muffin tray, but what it held was something very, very far away from muffins. Pinkie Pie didn’t have a name for what she’d just finished baking; the closest she could come to describing it was a kind of crunchy fudge-taffy, but that was assuming they were even edible.

“Oooooooooooh,” she said, sniffing the warm air spilling out of the oven. “It smells... really bad!” With a giggle, she carefully removed the tray and waited for her experiment to cool before transferring them to a plate, which they stuck to like rubber cement. Pinkie flipped the plate upside-down, watching how the six little lumps of something clung to the ceramic, then shrugged.

“Okie-dokie, Dashy!” she cried out as she bounced from the kitchen to the dining room. “Your whatchamacallits are done!”

Rainbow Dash was leaning against the front counter, tapping her hooves excitedly and fanning her wings as Pinkie brought out the snack.

“Oh yeah, oh yeah!” Her mouth was watering as Pinkie slid the plate in front of her. “Oh man, these smell awesome!”

“If you say so!” chirped Pinkie Pie. “Need sprinkles and frosting? Like...a lot of sprinkles and frosting?”

“Nope! I think I’m all good with-” Dash suddenly froze, smacking her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she gazed off into space. “Hey! Got any cinnamon? No, wait, something sour. Or salty. Or both. You guys have pickles?”

“Dashie, this is a bakery.” Pinkie paused. “Of course we have pickles!”

Outside, just a few blocks away, Applejack was pulling a cart heavy with half a dozen baskets of fresh apples from the farm. If the weight was bothering her, she didn’t show it. Beside her, Twilight was taking turns between trotting on the ground and keeping pace from the air. Even after growing used to her new wings, she could never seem to decide where she wanted to be.

“Are you sure you don’t need any more help?” Twilight asked, grimacing at the way the wooden cart creaked under the full baskets.

“You already did more than your share, sugarcube, don’t wear yourself out,” Applejack said with a smile. “I made this trip more times than you can count.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t make it easier.” Twilight beat her wings and hovered over the cart, tapping a hoof to her chin. “The right teleportation spell and we can drop these off at the back door!”

“Magic ain’t no trade-off for good work ethic, Twi. ‘Sides, I already feel bad about askin’ a dang princess to help pick apples.”

“Why? It was fun! I could use some fresh air, anyway.”

Twilight descended and landed next to Applejack, mid-trot. She noticed that all her winged friends took to the air differently. Dash tended to flit from side-to-side like a hummingbird while Fluttershy -- true to her name -- had an airy kind of lightness not unlike a butterfly. The way Twilight flew was unique, with an ethereal grace that seemed more like she was floating through water than air.

“It ain’t good to knock down ripe apples from the high branches. We end up losin’ more than we can handle,” Applejack explained. “Always good to have somebody with wings to lend a hoof. I usually ask Rainbow Dash to help out but she…” She trailed off and ended with a frustrated huff. “Well, you know.”

“You’re still angry with her?”

“And I’m gonna stay angry so long as she keeps bein’ stubborn,” Applejack said, stomping a hoof into the dirt.

They were nearing the front door to Sugarcube Corner, so Applejack was forced to shake off the bad mood she’d put herself in. After parking the cart next to the door, she ducked inside. “Howdy!” she called out. “Mr. Cake? Got your order in!”

“Hey Applejack!” shouted Pinkie from behind the counter. “The Cakes took the twins to the doctor, they’ll be back later.”

“Hey AJ! Hey Twilight!” said Dash through a full mouth, turning and giving her friend a wave.

Applejack felt a tension in her chest at the sight of Rainbow Dash, but forced a smile and returned her greeting. When Dash turned back to whatever she was eating, Applejack’s eyes traveled down to the obvious, rounded bulge to her underside. Anyone with eyes could tell she was midway through her pregnancy, but as the weeks passed and it became impossible to deny, deny was all Dash did. She maintained a different excuse for every change that came over her and was better than ever at dodging direct questions. The only thing she couldn't hide with a lie was the baby bump she was carrying.

“Is that Pinkie?” Twilight asked as she walked backwards through the door, carefully levitating one of the baskets of apples inside. “Oh, and Rainbow Dash! I didn’t know you were here!”

“Just stopped by for a snack,” Dash said. “The diet lets me have one cheat day every week.”

“The diet,” Applejack repeated with a sigh. That seemed to be Dash’s go-to.

“Well! You’re…Well, it’s...doing good! You’re looking really uh…” Twilight’s eyes flicked to Dash’s belly for a fraction of a second. “...Healthy!”

“You feelin’ okay, Dash?” Applejack said with a flat tone. “Ain’t gettin’ sick no more?”

“Why are you still asking me that?” Dash snorted. “I got over that stomach thing months ago!”

“Well. Y’know.” Applejack said through gritted teeth. “Just. Makin’ sure.”

“What are you, my mom? Don’t worry about me so much!” Dash gave her curved belly an absentminded scratch with a hoof before turning to Pinkie. “Hey! You got any lemonade?”

Applejack followed Twilight outside and helped her unload the baskets from the cart.

“This is what I’m talkin’ about,” she said once they were out of earshot. “It’s been months, Twi, and she ain’t said a dang word. Look at her! If she don’t got a bun in the oven, I’ll eat my daggum hat.”

“It is getting a little… worrying,” Twilight muttered, shuffling in place. “I expected her to admit it once she started to show. Then I suppose my first question is why?”

“Pride. Plain and simple. She’s probably got it in her head we’ll think less of her or some nonsense like that.” Applejack hefted out one of the baskets and let it fall to the ground with a heavy whump. “Pride and fear. The only thing that makes sense to her is just keep denyin’ it.”

“So what do we do?” Twilight asked, lifting another basket out with magic. “Confront her? Or just keep pretending it isn’t happening?”

“You come at her too hard, she’ll just double-down on the lie. And I ain’t about to go eleven months with her pissin’ down my neck and tellin’ me it’s raining.”

Applejack unloaded the last basket, where it kicked up a cloud of dust as it hit the ground. Frowning, she took off her hat and spun it on the end of her hoof, staring at the ground as the gears in her head turned.

“I think what we gotta do is tease it out of her,” she said after a long silence. “Force ain’t gonna work, so we gotta be smart about it. Put some pressure on her ‘til she decides to tell us the truth on her own.”

“That could work!” Twilight said, her expression brightening. “Sort of letting her know her friends are here for her without making her feel threatened. Especially if all of us work together.”

“Well... that might be the nice way of doin’ it,” Applejack said with a chuckle. “But I figure Rainbow Dash needs tough love every once in a while to knock some sense into her head.”

“Do you think that’s wise?” Twilight asked, frowning. “You said it yourself, she’s stubborn.”

“I know.” Applejack put her hat back on and headed for the door of Sugarcube Corner. “So am I.”

Trotting confidently up to the bar, she settled next to Dash and tapped a hoof on the counter to get Pinkie Pie’s attention. “How’s about you pour me one of them lemonades, too?” Applejack glanced at Dash with a sly look that evaporated one she caught a glance of the remaining sticky balls on the plate. “Dash, what in the hay are you eatin’?”

“Oh uh... I dunno!” Dash shrugged and held one of them up to the light. “It’s something Pinkie made for me! I don’t think there’s a name for it.”

“I just put everything Rainbow Dash asked for in a pan, then baked it!” said Pinkie as she slid Applejack a glass of lemonade. “There’s dark chocolate and caramel and gummy worms and taffy and coffee and a teeny tiny bit of cayenne pepper.”

Applejack grimaced as she glanced to the lone pickle in the center of Dash’s plate.

“And a pickle.”

“And a pickle!” Pinkie giggled.

“Your new diet’s got you eatin’ some weird stuff,” Applejack said, looking Dash in the eye as she spoke. “Givin’ you some cravings?”

Dash froze, only for a fraction of a second, but recovered quickly with a nonchalant shrug as she took a bite of the pickle.

“That’s just what it does, y’know? When your body gets used to foods ya don’t normally eat, it makes other stuff taste better!”

“I hope you don’t mind me sayin’ so, but it don’t really look like that diet of yours is workin’ too good.” Applejack leaned back and cast a long, deliberate glance at Dash’s protruding belly. “Seems like you’re gaining more weight than losing it. Wonder why that is?”

“Well, y’know, it’s like, y’know, lots of carbs and stuff,” Dash answered quickly, scratching the back of her head. “It’s all about bulking up during the winter so that you can turn it all into muscle later on!”

“Winter? I thought it was April!” Pinkie Pie called from the kitchen. “Did they move the seasons again?”

“I... I mean, you can do it in spring, too. Bulking up in spring is... is actually better cause then you can work all the weight off later in the winter when it’s cold.”

“So that’s when you’re plannin’ to lose all that weight?” Applejack asked, smirking. “Right around... November, you think?”

“I uhhhh... I guess? M-maybe sometime around... around then.” Dash cleared her throat, then stalled by draining her glass of lemonade. “But that’s the thing about the diet, you bulk up a lot, but then you lose the weight super fast and it all turns into muscle.”

“Oh I’m sure, I’m sure,” Applejack nodded. “I’ll bet you could lose about...ten or twelve pounds, all at once.”

“Uh... p-probably not... that much weight,” Rainbow Dash said, subtly touching a hoof to her stomach. “Maybe more like six or...maybe seven.”

“I hate exercise,” Pinkie said, sticking her tongue out. “Not unless it includes a trampoline.”

“Hey, uh, wasn’t Twilight with you?” Dash asked, clearly changing the subject. She dropped down from the bar, her belly bouncing slightly from the impact, and headed for the door. Applejack turned and found that Twilight hadn’t followed her inside.

“This is gonna be harder than I thought,” Applejack sighed, tapping a hoof on the counter. She drank the rest of her lemonade and tossed a couple bits on the counter. “Dash didn’t say nothing to you, did she?” she asked Pinkie.

“Nope! But I gave her one of these, just in case.” Pinkie ducked under the counter, then pulled out a large stack of flyers drawn in crayon. They read ‘Pinkie Pie’s Babysitting Service’ above an elaborate image of Pinkie juggling a trio of foals. Beneath it, in ink and different handwriting, was another line that read ‘Disclaimer: Pinkie Pie will not juggle your children.’

Applejack found Dash outside next to the cart with four of the six baskets of apples missing. Twilight was also nowhere to be seen.

“Did she try to move those things all by herself?” Applejack groaned. “I told her they’re heavier than they look, even with magic.”

“There she is,” Dash said, pointing. Twilight rounded the corner of the building, dragging her hooves and panting. Her mane was disheveled and she was covered in dirt and dust.

“Just... just two more!” Twilight said with a weary smile. She clenched her teeth and stared at one of the remaining baskets, her horn glowing with a purple haze. It floated a few inches off the ground, wobbled in the air for a moment, then fell back in place.

“Ugh, forget it,” Twilight grumbled. She took a deep breath and grabbed the edge of the basket with her teeth, dragging it back where she came.

“Geeze, that looks heavy,” Dash said, gliding over to Twilight’s side. “I’ll get the other side if you-”

“NO!” Twilight shouted, letting go of the basket and knocking a few apples to the ground. She paused, glancing between Dash and Applejack, then forced herself to smile. “I mean... I can do this with Applejack’s help! You don’t need to do any heavy lifting.”

“You sure?” Dash raised an eyebrow. “It probably wouldn’t be so hard with both... of…” She trailed off, touching a wing to her belly as if remembering it was there. “...Well, I guess Applejack is better at, y’know, big heavy stuff, so this is probably her specialty. My body’s built more for speed.”

“You sure ‘bout that?” said Applejack. “Because you ain’t lookin’ too aerodynamic right now.”

“It’s just a little extra winter weight! You can hardly tell!” Twilight quickly added. She hesitated, then continued with, “But even if it wasn’t, that doesn’t mean we won’t still love you as you are! Friendship is about... about loving your friends even when they change or... things change for them and sticking with them no matter what happens in their lives!”

Dash glanced between Twilight and Applejack, shuffling in place uncomfortably.

“I guess?” She cleared her throat and took to the air, her wings beating harder than usual to carry the extra weight of her middle. “Hey, I’ll see you guys later. I got... weather team stuff to do. See ya around.” With that, she took off, wobbling uneasily in the air before a gust of wind carried her up and over the buildings.

“Real smooth, Twi,” Applejack frowned.

“I panicked! I’m not good at coming up with stuff on the spot!” Twilight grumbled and kicked the basket. “We just need to be more subtle.”

“Let’s tell the others to give it a shot. We’ll get the truth out of her one way or another.” Applejack picked up the basket of apples and hefted it onto her back like it weighed next to nothing, then added, “Though if we don’t, I think the foal will end up doin’ that for us, anyway.”

New Release

“You really didn’t like the ending?”

“No way! Did you? I thought it ruined the whole book!”

“Are you sure you’re not overreacting?”

“Well, maybe not the whole book, but it was still stupid!”

Twilight cocked her head, raising a curious eyebrow at Dash. The two of them were on their way to Ponyville’s local bookstore to pick up the latest Daring Do novel and spending the trip arguing about the last one. This was an afternoon they’d planned for the next release, but the fact that it was Rainbow Dash who had suggested they walk there was enough to throw Twilight off guard. Not that she could blame her; Dash wasn’t in a position to be doing much flying, lately.

“I thought it was refreshing! You hardly ever see Daring Do get a moment of weakness, she’s always saving the day without much effort. If you ask me, watching her fail once in a while makes her more relatable. I think it shows how much the writer’s grown.”

“Why would I wanna read a book about Daring Do where Daring Do loses?” Rainbow Dash scoffed in disgust. She flapped her wings like an angry chicken, but only rose a few inches off the ground. “And her getting captured? Come on, she’s gotten out of way worse situations than that! It felt like something the new writer just made up so something bad would happen.”

“You mean contrived?”

“There’s a word for that?” Dash paused and scratched her chin. “Huh. Well, yeah! It felt ‘contrived.’”

“But isn’t it boring to just read about Daring Do succeeding all the time? That ending makes me want to read the next book so much more! The whole reason we like her is because of the struggle. You really should read the essay I wrote about the series.”

“Hey, Twi?” Dash sighed and looked her friend in the eye with a gentle smile. “I’m not gonna do that.”

“Fine. But you get my point.”

While Dash continued to complain about her loathing toward the last book, Twilight slowed her gait and stole a glance at her friend’s middle. Dash’s belly inched ever bigger by the week: she looked roughly six or seven months along, if the diagrams from the library were any indication. Though she didn’t seem uncomfortable, Rainbow Dash was beginning to walk with an awkward, wide-legged shuffle as her stomach pushed her hips and back legs apart. It even very slightly swayed from side-to-side with the rhythm of her trot.

Twilight sighed and frowned to herself. Dash’s ever-advancing pregnancy had grown too apparent to ignore, but that was exactly what Twilight had to do. It drove her crazy that she was mere inches away from her friend’s very first foal, but had to needlessly dance around the subject. She had a million questions to ask, but knew asking them wouldn’t do any good.

When she realized she’d been staring at Dash’s baby bump for too long, Twilight shook her head and pulled herself back to the present.

“And in the prequel books, we find out Daring Do was trained by a circus escape artist, so she can break out of anything. But then she can’t get to the temple in time because she’s tied up? With ropes? Like, c’mon!”

“The ropes were magic. Anyway, how have you been? I haven’t seen you in a while. It seems like you’ve been spending a lot of time in Cloudsdale lately.”

“Huh? Oh, I guess so,” Dash said with a shrug. “I wanted to see my folks for a little bit and spend time with S...sssssssome friends. Friends you don’t know, from out of town, they went to another school.”

“I’m not from here.”

“Yeah, that’s probably why you don’t know them.”

“I- Okay, sure. How are you parents? Are they excited about the-” Twilight bit her tongue and spluttered. “About...seeing you? Again? Their daughter? That they love?”
“Oh totally, I haven’t been home in a while. They’re helping me get ready for the foal...tball
season. Foal-tball is what we call the little league back home. I’m... gonna...be a volunteer coach in the fall. Yeah.”

“Oh! G-great!” Twilight said with a smile. “I’m sure they’ll be a... big help.”

Independently of one another, Twilight and Rainbow Dash thought to themselves how much awkwardness they could have avoided if they were just better liars.

“Look! We’re at the bookstore!” Twilight shouted with a relieved sigh.

The cozy little building on the east end of town might as well have been Twilight’s dream home, a shabby little cottage practically overflowing with books. Every square inch that wasn’t taken up by shelves had cushions and chairs for customers to use at their leisure. They even had an old cat. Every bookstore needs a cat.

“I wish we’d gotten here when they opened,” Twilight huffed, shuffling her wings. “I hope they aren’t sold out already.” There was a poster on the window advertising the release of the new book. Behind it, the store was bustling with activity.

“Hey Twi, you go on ahead,” said Rainbow Dash, motioning her forward. “Grab a copy for me, I’ll stay out here.”

“Huh? Why, is something wrong?”

“Nah, I’m okay. I just gotta...preen, that’s all. Feathers are looking kinda ragged.” Dash fanned out her wings and nibbled at her feathers for a moment. Twilight cocked her head to the side, then realized Dash had grown too big for both of them to walk through the front door side-by-side.

“Oh come on, your wings look fine. If you don’t hurry up, they’ll be gone by the time you get inside!”

Dash grunted and frowned, tapping her hooves anxiously in the dirt. With a resigned sigh, she tucked her wings away and followed Twilight inside, her rounded belly brushing the sides of the small door frame.

“Mmmmm, smell that?” Twilight said. “I love old bookstore smell.”

“Just kinda smells like...wood. And dust.”

“And paper! C’mon, the new releases are at the back!”

Twilight skipped excitedly down the cramped rows of bookshelves, weaving in between startled customers with surprising agility. If the other ponies were surprised to see the local alicorn princess darting through them like an over-caffeinated filly, they were even more so by the pregnant Wonderbolts flyer carefully inching her way down the narrow corridor of books.

“Sorry. Sorry. ‘Scuse me. My bad. Gotta get through here…” Dash muttered to the customers as they tried to squeeze out of her way. Her bulging sides brushed against everyone she passed by and more than once knocked a book off its shelf. Despite the inconvenience, the customers -- mostly older mares -- were surprisingly patient and even gave Dash sympathetic smiles as she passed by them.

“Who puts the new releases at the back of the store?” Dash grumbled once she caught up to Twilight. She ignored her, flipping through a copy of the new book in her hooves. Far from being sold out, the entire back wall of the store was dedicated to the series, with dozens of copies still available. Dash forgot her bad mood and quickly snatched one of the books off the shelf as if it would run away if she let go of it.

“Daring Do and the Legend of the Raven King,” Dash said, reading the title out loud. The cover was a striking image of Daring Do standing in an empty field while a black bird took flight against a white, cloudy sky above her. “Awesome.”

“If you guys don’t see me leave the castle for a few days,” said Twilight, “this is why.”

“Twi, it’ll only take you like four hours to finish this.”

“You think I’m only going to read it once?” Twilight closed the book with a soft whump and let out an excited squeal before dropping it in the tote bag she’d brought with her. After passing a second bag to Dash, she chewed on her lip and hesitated for a moment. Now came the hard part.

“There’s a couple other books I need to pick up while I’m here,” said Twilight. “Could you help me out?”

“Uh...you sure?” Dash shuffled uncomfortably and subtly touched a hoof to her belly. “It’s just that... the dust in here is making my allergies go crazy.”

“It won’t take long!”

Without taking no for an answer, Twilight pulled Rainbow Dash behind her as she headed toward the opposite end of the store. Dash grumbled, following after her dutifully and only stopping to pick up yet another stack of books her belly knocked over. By the time she caught up to her, she realized with a look of horror what section Twilight was standing in: maternity and childcare.

“Wh-wha-what are you... What are we doing here?” Dash asked, struggling to keep her voice calm.

“Oh, Cadance and my brother are thinking about having another baby,” Twilight said casually, without looking up from the books. “I thought it would be nice if she was a little more prepared the second time around.”

“Oh. Uh. Yeah, good idea.” Dash cleared her throat and looked at the crowded shelf. “You gotta be prepared for...all that.”

“Maybe this one…” Twilight levitated a book off the shelf, making sure to angle it so Dash could see over her shoulder. The title read Building a Nest: A Guide to Pegasus Parenting above a photo of a feather in a nest.

“Hmm. Cadance and Flurry have wings, but Shining doesn’t. I’ve heard this one was good, but maybe not for them.”

While fighting every instinct in her body to put the book back where she found it, Twilight committed the sin of setting it down on the shelf next to her and consciously looking away. She waited a few seconds before peeking out of the corner of her eye, finding the book gone and Dash’s tote bag hanging a little heavier off her neck. Twilight smirked.

“This one’s a classic, even my mom had a copy,” she said, taking out a well-worn paperback of My Little Baby: Motherhood Miracle. “Oh, wait, she already gave hers to Cadance last time.” Twilight set the book down on the shelf, just below Dash’s nose, then looked away. Like before, a few moments later, and the book was mysteriously gone.

Applejack was determined to get Dash to admit the truth, but Twilight thought that was missing the point. Whether she would admit it or not, her friends needed to be there for her in whatever way they could. If Dash was going to be sneaky about her pregnancy, then maybe her friends needed to be sneaky about their support, too.

“Maybe this one? Flying Fitness: Maternity Edition? Cadance is already in good shape, she doesn’t need this one.” She put the book down and picked another. “This one’s about balancing motherhood as an athlete. That doesn’t really fit Cadance, either.”

“Nah, not really.” Dash hesitated, then gingerly pulled a book out of the shelf. “You...you think she’d like this one?” It read Beautiful Mess: Surviving the Struggles of Your First Foal.

“I don’t think so. She already had Flurry Heart, remember?”

“Oh... Y-yeah. I’ll just...put this one back, then.” Dash put the book gingerly back on the shelf, then cast Twilight a side-eye glance. Pretending not to notice, Twilight turned around and waited for the book to mysteriously ‘vanish.’

“Wow, I’m so surprised,” Twilight said after ten minutes of searching. “This store usually has a much better selection.”

“Y-yeah,” Dash said, struggling as the weight of her tote bag pulled on her neck. “W-weird.”

The two of them headed toward the counter, which was staffed by an older mare with a silver mane and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.

“I suspected I’d see you at some point today, Princess,” the mare chuckled as Twilight handed her the Daring Do book. “Only one?”

“For now. Trust me, you’ll see me again soon.” Twilight paid and took her book before stepping aside. Waiting until she got home would’ve been agony, so she began to read the first chapter while Dash approached the register.

“Just one for me, too,” Dash said, grunting as she hefted the heavy bag on the counter. “And a...few others.”

“Just a few,” the mare said, raising an eyebrow at the pile of books. As she rang them up, Dash shuffled uncomfortably in place, touching a hoof to the left side of her belly. She jumped, made a soft ‘Oh’ sound, and stole a glance at her rounded barrel. Twilight peeked over the edge of her book just in time to watch a soft flutter of motion push out from inside Rainbow Dash. She quickly ducked behind the book to hide her giggle.

“Alright, that comes to twenty-seven bits, total,” said the mare. As Dash fished for her coin purse, she glanced down at the pegasus’s belly and asked with a casual air, “When are you due?”

“D-Due?” Rainbow Dash froze, her eyes darting around the room, before saying in a loud voice, “Uhhhhh... Pruh-Probably sometime next week! Gotta get my books back to the library before they’re due, can’t really afford a late fee, ha ha ha!”

“Library?” The mare cocked her head to the side. “No, I meant-”

“Twenty-seven bits right? Here’s thirty-two keep the change I don’t need a receipt gotta go now BYE.”

Dash shoved all her new books into the tote bag and hurried away from the register, not caring about her awkward pregnancy waddle as she rushed to the door. Twilight, who hadn’t been paying the slightest bit of attention, glanced up from her new book just in time to watch her friend’s rainbow tail disappear around the corner.

“Dash?” Twilight dropped the book in her bag and rushed outside, finding Rainbow Dash catching her breath next to the door.

“W-wow, all that dust,” she panted. “Makes it hard to breathe. Guess I needed some fresh air pretty bad.”

“Are you feeling okay?” Twilight asked. Dash glanced up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah? I’m fine! Why are guys always acting like I’m made of glass or something?” She stood up straight and adjusted her bag, trying to hide her labored breathing. Twilight forced herself to smile, despite her concern.

“If you say so. Hey, make sure to let me know when you finish the book! I’ll need someone to talk to about it,” said Twilight as they began walking back.

“Yeah, me too. I’ll need someone to complain to if the ending sucks as bad as the last one.”

“You’re really hung up on that ending, aren’t you?” Twilight said. “Did it really bother you that much?”

“I guess. I dunno.” Dash sighed and slowed her gait slightly. “It’s like... the Daring Do books are cool ‘cause when she saves the day or whatever it...makes me feel like I can get through hard stuff too, y’know? It really bums me out to see her blow it.”

Twilight read between the lines and felt her heart ache for her friend. She moved to Dash’s side and extended a wing-hug across her back, having to reach extra far to span the bulging width of her belly.

“But that’s why the new book is going to be so exciting!” Twilight said, cheerfully. “We get to see all the great things Daring Do’s going to do to make everything okay in the end.”

“...How do you know everything’s gonna be okay?” Dash asked, shuffling under Twilight’s wing. “You haven’t read it yet.”

“Because she can do anything,” Twilight answered. “And I believe in her.”

Measuring Up

After closing the door to her boutique at the end of the day, Rarity gave the showroom a once-over to check whether everything was in order. Polished marble counters gleamed like river stones and the floor-length mirrors seemed clear enough to step through. The mannequins, clad in sensuous fabrics of her own design, were elegantly posed and arranged, with not a fold out of place. Evening sunlight bathed the high-ceilinged room in golden rays, catching motes of dust that hung suspended in the light like sediment beneath the waves of a still ocean. But there was a scuff on the tile next to the front door.

“My God, this place is a disaster,” Rarity cried, her voice booming in the empty room. She magically summoned a wet rag from upstairs and dropped it on the floor, scrubbing away the marking on the floor. “Really, Rarity, how do you ever expect to make any headway this season when you let your showroom collapse like this? You might as well set up shop in Applejack’s barn!”

The light tinkle of a bell caused her ear to twitch. Opal had padded near-silently down the stairs and had taken her spot on a cushioned chair next to the front desk. Rarity, abandoning the rag, lifted the cat high in the air with magic and wiped the seat down with a lint roller before setting her down again. Opal was unphased.

“Ugh, the burden of success, Opal. It’s a fair bit heavier than I expected,” Rarity sighed. “Now that Canterlot designers know where to find me, the expectation of perfection is higher than I could ever imagine. There’s no telling who could waltz through my door one afternoon; the showroom should be fit for royalty.”

Opal yawned and licked the end of her paw. Rarity owned a cat primarily so she could have a face to talk to that wasn’t her own reflection in a mirror. She still did that, too.

“On the contrary, royal visitors would be much easier to handle. I’ve already made my first impressions with most of them, it’s the Canterlot high society we need to impress.” She returned to the scuff mark on the floor and found it still stubbornly visible when she lifted the rag. Rarity spat on it, then screwed up her face and let out a low growl as she tried and failed to rub it away.

“Take a note, Opal,” Rarity said, while actually talking to herself. “Let’s consider requiring a customer dress code in the future. Slippers, socks, and-”

A knock on the front door echoed through the showroom, bringing her train of thought to a sudden halt. Her first instinct was to ignore it, letting the ‘Closed’ sign on the door speak for her, but considered that the trip from Canterlot was long enough that travelers could only just be getting into town. Like she told Opal: there was no telling who could walk through the door next.

“Just a moment!” she called. Rarity made a few more attempts at rubbing away the scuff mark, then sighed and resigned to the easier option: moving the elaborate fountain display from the upstairs closet that she’d bought specifically to cover stubborn marks on the floor. At the door, Rarity checked her reflection in the mirror she’d mounted to the back of it for the purpose of fixing her mane before greeting customers. Once satisfied, she cleared her throat and opened the front door with ease and grace like she’d just woken up from a long and pleasant nap.

“He-llo, darling! Welcome to- Oh.” Rarity’s elegant affect dropped instantly. “Hello, Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey Rarity!” Dash said, shuffling on the doorstep. “What’s up? You uh...you busy?”

“Not especially.” Rarity frowned and glanced back to the circular window set high in the ceiling of her showroom, left unlocked for pegasus customers, but more specifically Rainbow Dash. This might have been the first time she’d seen Dash use the front door. Looking at her, Rarity didn’t have to guess why.

“Awesome. I kinda sorta...need your help with something. And you gotta keep it quiet, okay? Don’t tell anybody.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, her heart raced, and her pupils dilated. These were some of her favorite words to hear, second only to, ‘Did you hear what so-and-so said?’

“Of course, darling, I’d be more than happy to help. Come inside, I can’t have you standing outside letting all the fresh air in.” Rarity stepped aside -- very far aside -- and let Dash waddle past. She was far into the throes of her pregnancy at that point, her belly beginning to widen out at the sides while hanging below her with a distinct, observable weight. The foal, whoever’s it was, was certainly on the healthy side. Dash’s back legs struggled as her belly spread them apart, forcing her to walk with a stiff-legged shuffle. Flying, clearly, was out of the question.

“I was just closing up for the day, but I can always make time for friends,” Rarity said, pushing the door closed. Dash stood awkwardly in the middle of the showroom, absentmindedly rubbing her belly with one wing. She had a saddle bag slung over her back, but the straps were unable to fully reach around her barrel.

“Thanks, Rarity. It’s, uh, kinda embarrassing, y’know?”

“There’s no such thing as ‘embarrassing’ with me, darling. Tell me anything you need, I’m here for you.” She summoned a pair of wide, thick-cushioned chairs for them both, as well as a kettle of tea that appeared on a nearby table with a soft ‘poof.’ “Can I get you anything to eat, dear?”

“Nah, I’m good.” Dash shuffled back and awkwardly fwumped into the chair, which was only barely wide enough to carry her new girth.

“Tell me everything, what’s on your mind?” Rarity stirred a lump of sugar into her tea and
sipped it while keeping an eye on Dash. “Nothing will leave this room if you don’t want it to.”

“Uh, okay?” Dash raised an eyebrow and gave a suspicious side-eye to the teacup floating next to her head. Ignoring it, she fished into her saddlebag and removed a thin, blue and yellow garment with her teeth. “I ripped my Wonderbolts uniform today. Can you fix it for me?”

“Of course, of course.” Rarity sipped her tea and stared at Rainbow Dash expectantly, slowly blinking at her. Dash cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. Neither spoke. After minutes of silence, Rarity frowned, her eyes flitting to Dash’s bulging stomach. “Is...is that what you needed to tell me?”

“Oh. Yeah.”

“I thought you said it was embarrassing?”

“It is! See, I’ve been on this diet lately. Y’know, you basically need to eat whatever you want to bulk up before-”

“Yes, yes, I’ve heard about the ‘diet,’” Rarity interrupted, rolling her eyes while sipping tea. She tapped her hoof against the china, the light ‘clink’ sound filling the empty room. While she frowned, squinting her eyes at her, Dash shuffled uncomfortably in her chair, looking anywhere but directly at Rarity. One of her hooves migrated to the surface of her belly, but she jerked it back once she realized what she was doing.

Rarity let a smile creep across her face.

“Well, no sense is burning daylight, is there?” She made both teacups vanish with a soft poof before dropping to her hooves and guiding Dash across the room. The pregnant pegasus waddled awkwardly behind her and had to be helped onto a raised pedestal in the center of the showroom. “Certainly I can fix the material, but it would just tear all over again unless we can alter the garment to fit your...eh...physique.”

Rarity summoned a long tape measure, cracking it in the air like a whip and making Dash jump.

“We’d need some fresh measurements to get started. You wouldn’t mind, would you darling?”

“Pfft, what? Nah, why would I...why would I mind?” Dash said with an exaggerated shrug, even as she fluttered her wings with nervous energy. “But it’s like, y’know, I’m gonna be losing this weight pretty fast, so I don’t wanna waste your time or whatever.”

“You seem rather confident,” Rarity said, absentmindedly widing the tape measure around her leg. “I have no doubt, of course, but I’d like to take some contingencies into mind.”

“Conten-what?”

“It might be safe to measure a little on the loose side, darling. Just in case your...diet doesn’t work right away.”

Dash furrowed her brow and cocked her head to the side. “Huh?”

“It would be a bit prudent if…” Rarity paused to think of the right words, then huffed and stamped her hoof on the ground. “I’m going to alter your suit in case you gain any more weight.”

“C’mon, Rarity, I’m not that big,” Dash said, laughing a little louder than was natural. Rarity glanced down at Rainbow Dash’s belly, which was sagging heavily between her back legs like a ripe fruit, then clucked her tongue.

“Of course not, darling,” she said, tossing her mane out of her eyes and forcing a smile. “But it’s so much easier to make alterations a size too big rather than too small.”

“Is it?” Dash scratched her chin and shrugged. “You’re the pro, I guess. Whatcha need me to do?”

“Not a thing, just hold still for me.” Rarity sighed and produced a quill and paper to jot measurements down on. She started with the inseam between Dash’s front legs, stretching the tape measure from her left hoof up to her shoulder. This was all for show; Rarity knew all her friend’s measurements by heart, but needed to stall for time to make things seem natural.

After a few silent minutes spent measuring the length of Dash’s legs, Rarity let out a sigh, practiced extensively to seem perfectly nonchalant.

“You know, it’s quite a coincidence you should come by,” Rarity said. “I just happened to run into your captain Spitfire just earlier today.”

“Oh...yeah?” Dash paused. “You guys talk?”

“Just for a moment. I made a few inquiries about the fabulous formal uniforms the Wonderbolts wear. Military styles are coming back into trend very soon.”

“Oh. I guess so. They’re pretty cool,” Dash said, letting out a quiet sigh.

“Frankly, I prefer them to the normal outfits, though I suppose they aren’t exactly aerodynamic.” Rarity climbed onto the platform and walked around Dash, measuring the length from her neck to her rump. “I hate to be so predictable, but I simply melt at the sight of a stallion in uniform, don’t you?”

“I-I dunno.” Rainbow Dash coughed. “Sometimes...I guess…”

“And you’ve certainly got an embarrassment of handsome stallions in the Wonderbolts.” As Rarity finished a full walk-around of Dash, she stopped in front of her and sighed, making a show of chewing her lip. “Rainbow Dash, you were honest with me this afternoon, so it’s only fair I make the same effort. I’m afraid I’ve...found myself head-over-hooves with one of your Wonderbolt teammates.”

Dash froze, her mouth half-open and her eyes wide with an emotion much stronger than simple surprise. Rarity fought the urge to smirk. She was getting warmer.

“I’m just as surprised as you are, darling! Like a filly with a crush!” Rarity sighed and tossed her mane again, staring wistfully into the air. “I’ve scarcely spoken a word to him, yet I can’t get him out of my mind. It’s dreadfully embarrassing, as you can imagine. Even the sound of his name puts butterflies in my stomach.”

“Who?” Dash asked, taking a step forward.

“Only the most debonair stallion to ever take to the skies,” Rarity giggled. “Thunderlane.”

Dash blinked at her for a split second, then let out a deep, relieved sigh that ended in a faint chuckle.

“Thunderlane? Yeah, he’s cool, I guess. He’s a good flyer when you can get him going. Got kind of a lazy streak, y’know?”

“Oh.” Rarity’s eyes darted around the room and she trotted to Dash’s side to stall for time. After tossing the measuring tape across her back, Rarity crouched and pulled it underneath the pegasus’ low-hanging belly. “Well...if it were only that, then it wouldn’t be so shameful to admit.” Rarity sat back and pulled the measuring tape tight, making Dash wince. She was too big for the two ends to meet.

“The truth is... he isn’t the only Wonderbolt that’s stolen my heart,” Rarity said, tugging the tape until it wrapped tight around Dash’s middle. “It isn’t just Thunderlane but also... Rapidfire.”

“Rapidfire’s alright. He likes to gamble, owes me some bits I’m not sure I’m ever gonna get. He’s probably single, though. Want me to talk to-” Dash grunted uncomfortably as Rarity pulled the tape even tighter. “Easy, Rarity. I got... uhh... f-food...in there. Big lunch.”

“If it were only just the two I had to choose from,” Rarity said, marking the measurements of Dash’s belly on her notepad. “But I’m also hopelessly pining for… uh... Silver Zoom.”

“Who?” Dash looked back and raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah! Silver Zoom. I don't know a whole lot about him. Seems cool.”

“But if only that were all,” Rarity said, slumping dramatically against Dash’s bulging side. She could feel a subtle movement from the foal inside. “More than them all, I’m simply infatuated with your teammate Fire Streak.”

“Fire Streak retired, like, a while ago.” Dash shuffled in place, trying to shake Rarity away. “Can you get off?”

“Of course, the others are simply childlike crushes compared to the true love I have for...er...the blue one. The light blue one.”

“Soarin?” Dash whirled around faster than a mare of her size should’ve been capable of and stared at Rarity, still slumped on the floor.

“Yes!” she gasped, leaping to her hooves and fanning herself. “Oh Soarin. Just his name makes my heart race…”

“I...I…” Dash shuffled her wings again and swallowed. Rarity, who had been silently congratulating herself, recognized the sudden fear on her friend’s face and made an effort to backpedal.

“O-Of course, I don’t have a shadow of a chance with the man,” Rarity said, sighing wistfully and looking off into the middle distance. “That’s what makes this so mortifying. I’ve barely spoken a word to him.” She paused, glancing at Rainbow Dash while avoiding the pegasus’ pregnant middle. “You wouldn’t happen to know if he’s seeing anyone, would you?”

“Why are you asking me for? What am I, his mom?” Dash quickly spluttered.

“Mm. Pity. I suppose I could always ask him myself, should I ever have the opportunity.”

“N-nah, you don’t...you don’t gotta do that…” The pegasus fluttered her wings again. If she were lighter, she would’ve been flitting through the air with nervous energy. “I’m... pretty sure I heard Soarin is seeing someone. And that it’s...uh…” Dash cleared her throat and touched a hoof to her belly. “...Pretty serious.”

“Oh no! That’s awful! It makes me feel even worse knowing I’m pining after a taken stallion. I’m simply sick with envy for the lucky mare. Any idea who it might be, darling?”

“How should I know!?” Dash snapped. She waddled back to Rarity and turned around. “Can we hurry this up? I got practice in the morning.”

“Of course, of course. Forgive me, I’ve caught a bit of the gossip bug, haven’t I?” Rarity chuckled and went back to work. While her head was only inches away from the taut surface of Dash’s belly, a soft, gentle motion prodded from inside.

I certainly hope your father will be more forthcoming about all this, Rarity thought, watching the foal get comfortable inside their stubborn mother.

The silence only lasted a few minutes before Dash herself broke it.

“It’s not like I’m stalking him or whatever, y’know? I don’t know all that stuff about his personal life.”

“Of course, darling.”

“He’s just a teammate. A good flyer, fun guy. We get drinks sometimes after practice sometimes, but that’s it.”

“Yes, darling.”

“Soarin’s kind of a party animal, he isn’t really your type. Even if he was single, you guys wouldn’t get along. Thunderlane’s pretty cool, I could put a word-”

“Spread your wings, Rainbow, let me get your wingspan.”

“Oh, sure.” Dash spread her wings out as Rarity stretched the tape measure from tip to tip. “Like I was saying, Soarin’s got a lot of energy, plus he’s a night owl. You two wouldn’t really work. He’s totally a nice guy, don’t get me wrong, really genuine dude. I just figure you guys wouldn’t get along. And I hear he’s real happy with whoever he’s with, so you might as well forget it.”

“Funny,” Rarity said. “I was under the impression you didn’t know much about him.”

Dash swallowed. “Well, not as well as you guys, but he’s a teammate, y’know? We see each other a lot and we...hang out sometimes and…” She shuffled uncomfortably and stomped a hoof on the ground. “Hey, you got my measurements or what?”

“Nearly there, darling, nearly there,” Rarity said, checking her notepad. “I have to say, your numbers have changed in a remarkably short amount of time. I certainly hope this diet will be as effective as you claim.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll be back to normal before you even know it.”

“Oh, I naturally have the greatest faith in you, Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity. She tossed the tape measure over her shoulder and stepped down from the platform, reading through the measurements she’d taken. “There! That’s all I need!”

“Awesome, thanks a ton Rarity.” Dash stopped at the edge of the platform and hesitated before taking a very slow, very careful step down, letting out a sigh once all four legs were on the floor. “Want me to come back tomorrow morning?”

“Nonsense, this won’t take twenty minutes. Besides, I never let my work out of the shop without seeing it on someone, first.” Rarity trotted to her sewing table, levitating Dash’s Wonderbolts uniform behind her. “Feel free to wait, of course. I don’t know what fits in your ‘diet,’ but there’s a slice of cheesecake in the kitchen you can help yourself to.”

“Cheesecake?” Dash tapped at the floor, glancing over her shoulder. “I guess a cheat day is okay every once in a while…”

Rarity glanced up at watched Dash shuffle out of the room before chuckling to herself and turning to the garment in front of her. She’d only dabbled in maternity clothing a few times before and scarcely ever worked with stretchy, skin-tight materials, so altering a Wonderbolts uniform to fit a pregnant mare posed a unique challenge. Still, the task was simple as long as Rarity was diligent with her measurements and precise with her cuts. Naturally, she always was.

She finished just in time for Dash to return from the kitchen with a sleepy, satisfied look in her eye and crumbs at the corner of her mouth. After locking eyes with Rarity, she hastily turned aside and wiped her face clean.

“All finished!” Rarity said, hopping up from the sewing machine. “Try it on, I’m afraid I’ll need to see you dressed to make sure everything is accurate.”

“N-nah, I’m sure it’s fine,” Dash said, shrugging. “Besides, you gotta close up soon, right?”

“I never leave a task half-finished, Rainbow. Come-come, while we still have daylight.” Rarity tossed the uniform to Dash, where it draped over her head. With a sigh, the pegasus took it down and carefully stepped into it, pulling the fabric over her swollen belly.

It fit. Mostly. Dash’s pregnant stomach filled the extra fabric without stretching it too far. Rarity had taken steps to make sure it could accommodate her all the way to term without making it too obvious. The stitching was a hair too obvious and the extra material didn’t quite match the original colors, but it was a serviceable job. The sight of a heavily pregnant Wonderbolt would be enough to distract from the imperfect work.

“Man, this feels so much better,” Dash sighed, flexing her legs and cantering in a circle. As she moved, the fabric pulled tight against her belly. By the time she was full term, it would fit her like a glove. “It feels just like it did before I got pre…” She froze and faked a cough before continuing. “Promoted. Promoted from cadet.”

“I can imagine,” Rarity said, raising her eyebrow with a smirk. “You’ve got a lot of room to fill with your...promotion.”

“Yeah I...I guess... ” Dash scratched her stomach through the fabric, then flapped her wings and took a wobbly, awkward ascent into the air. “Sorry, gotta go. Doctor’s appointment tomorrow.”

“Of course, darling. Tell Soarin I said hello, will you?”

“Why? Why do you think I’m gonna see Soarin? I didn’t say anything about that, what are you even talking about?” Dash cleared her throat and began to sink toward the floor, forcing her to flap twice as hard to keep her heavy body airborne. “Uh...Bye.”

Rainbow Dash exited through the window with all the grace of a deflating balloon. Rarity waited until she was gone before grinning ear-to-ear and clicking her hooves on the floor. There was nothing more exciting than knowing something before anyone else.

“Take a note, Opal,” she said to herself through her cat. “Find an excellent bottle of wine for the lucky father. Shame there isn’t a proper cigar seller outside of-”

Rarity froze, her eye catching the pair of blue feathers Rainbow Dash had left behind on the floor. With a loud, exasperated groan, she stamped her hoof and went for her broom and dustpan.

“Honestly, must I do everything myself?”

Littering

Twenty feet above the tree canopy of the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy hovered in place before turning around and saying something she never thought she would hear in her entire life.

“Rainbow Dash? Do you need me to...slow down?”

Far behind her and about ten feet lower to the ground, Rainbow Dash was struggling with all the strength in her wings to stay in the air. Really, it was a testament to how strong a flyer she was that she was able to lift her heavily pregnant body off the ground in the first place. Unfortunately, keeping herself in the air was about the best she could do. She wobbled uneasily and beat her wings as fast as a hummingbird, kicking her legs impotently as if to push the ground farther away from her. More than once, she dipped low enough for her hooves to skim the treetops, but she always managed to avoid falling through them completely.

“I’m fine!” Dash shouted, veering to the right before correcting her trajectory.

“Not much farther now,” said Fluttershy, watching Dash very gradually close the distance between them. “I-if you want, I can go on ahead while you catch-”

“I got it!” She was only capable of grunting a few short words at a time. As she passed, Fluttershy could hear her labored, wheezing breath. On any other day, she would have suggested they continue by hoof, but time was of the essence. Dash’s slow, ponderous flying speed was still faster than walking.

“It’s right in that valley ahead, underneath the big spruce tree!”

“Which...one...is that?”

“The conifer in the middle of a clearing.”

“The what?”
“The uhmmm…” Fluttershy cleared her throat and overtook Dash with a single beat of her wings. “Nevermind. Follow me.”

She led them to the base of a thick, towering spruce that kept the surrounding underbrush at bay and made a clearing. Fluttershy landed first and immediately turned to make sure Dash didn’t hurt herself. The expectant pegasus descended quickly, dropping out of the sky like a stone, but her quick reflexes caught her and she managed to slow her descent. Fluttershy let out a quiet sigh of relief once all four of Dash’s hooves were on the ground.

“I’m sorry, the trip was longer than I expected,” she said as Dash panted, her wings drooped at her sides. “Maybe we should...catch our breath.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dash wheezed. “I can...go all day.”

“Oh, I know, but uhh… I think I’m feeling a little winded.” Fluttershy mimed wiping sweat from her brow with a wing. “You wouldn’t mind if I rested, would you?”

“No…” Dash coughed. “No problem.”

Fluttershy drank from the canteen she’d brought with her, taking the opportunity to cast a sidelong glance at Dash’s belly. She was very clearly near the end of term, her middle hanging low and heavy between her legs. Every so often, she could spot a twitch she was unsure came from the foal or Dash herself. It wasn’t uncommon for a pegasus mother to keep out of the sky this close to the birth. Though she was young, Fluttershy had faint memories of her mother being confined to the ground a few months before Zephyr Breeze’s birth. She worried that Dash’s stubborn determination to keep her ‘secret’ could hurt the foal.

“You got any water left?” Dash said with a hoarse whisper as she gestured to the canteen. Fluttershy passed it over and watched as Dash tipped it over her open mouth and drained it, soaking her face just as much as her parched throat. “Oops. Sorry, ‘Shy. It’s hot out here.”

“It sure is,” Fluttershy agreed as a gust of chilly wind made her shiver.

“So where are we headed? What’s the big animal emergency?”

“There’s a den under the tree here that I think belongs to the bobcat we’re looking for,” Fluttershy said. “I’ve never seen her there, but I’ve tracked her to this area before.”

“Whoa, a bobcat?” Dash’s eyes lit up. “That’s awesome, I’ve never seen one of those before!”

“They’re sneaky, not very social. It took a while for this one to trust me.” Fluttershy paused, then ducked behind her mane and kicked at the ground anxiously. “...I named her Bluebell.”

“What’s the deal? Is she hurt? Should we get a doctor?”

“She’s not hurt, but she needs help. A doctor from town would just scare her off.”

“If she’s not hurt, what does she need-” Dash froze, her eyes staring past Fluttershy’s head. “Whoa.”

Turning with slow, deliberate movements, Fluttershy followed Dash’s gaze and spotted a tawny, gray shape on the edge of the clearing. Bluebell stared at them, frozen mid-step like time had stopped, her eyes wide and piercing even from that distance.

“Don’t be afraid,” Fluttershy said, calmly. “If you look nervous, it makes her nervous.”

“I-I’m not nervous,” Dash stammered. “Is...is that the right one?”

“That’s Bluebell,” Fluttershy nodded. She stared right into the bobcat’s eyes and slowly, deliberately blinked her eyes before looking away.

“How can you tell?”

“She has a notch in her right ear and her eyes are slightly different colors.” Fluttershy paused and added, “Well, and she’s-”

“There she goes!” Dash interrupted. Bluebell turned her attention away from the two ponies and strode across the clearing to the other side of the tree. “Man, she’s bigger than I thought.”

“She’s a little bigger than most females typically are.”

“So what’s wrong with her?” Dash asked, glancing at Fluttershy once Bluebell was out of sight. “Just a checkup? We gotta fight off some bears or something?”

“No fighting,” Fluttershy smiled. “She’s in labor. She’ll probably have her kittens today.”

Dash’s enthusiastic expression dropped instantly into one of fear. Swallowing, she touched a hoof to her own belly without realizing it.

“In...labor? We’re gonna…help her give birth?” She shuffled her wings. “D-do we have to watch?”

Fluttershy was already on her way across the clearing, occupied with double-checking the supplies she’d brought in her saddlebag. With heavy panting and the shuffle of grass underhoof, Dash caught up to her with a hurried waddle.

“Y’know, she seems pretty tough, right? She’s been takin’ care of herself this whole time, maybe she, like, doesn’t even want our help. We know where she is, so we can...give her some time and come back later?”

“No,” Fluttershy said.

“How do you know it’s today? Maybe she’s just...uhh...coming back to take a nap or something?”

“Oh, it’s today. I’ve been tracking her for a while, she’s at the end of her gestation period.”

“Hey, I got an idea!” Dash grunted and hobbled in front of Fluttershy, stopping to catch her breath. “How about you stay here with Bluebell so I can get everyone else to come help out, too!”

“If we crowd her, all it would do is put her under stress.” Fluttershy kept walking and turned a gentle loop past Rainbow Dash. “Two will be plenty.”

On the other side of the tree, where the shade of its branches cast cool shadows across the clearing, the two ponies stopped.

Dash frowned, her ears swiveling back on her head. “Where’d she go?”

“Shhhh,” said Fluttershy, putting a hoof to her lips. She continued, in a low whisper, “Remember to keep your voice down and don’t make any quick movements….um, please.”

“Okay, okay, got it,” Dash said under her breath, swallowing.

“She won’t hurt you, but we don’t want to cause her any more stress.” Fluttershy paused, her mouth open, then cleared her throat and added, “I’ll need your help, okay?”

“Yeah, r-right,” Dash said, shuffling in place before forcing a smile. “I’m here for ya, ‘Shy. We got this.”

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Fluttershy smiled.

“By the way, I’m probably gonna throw up.”

“...Oh. Well...that’s okay, I guess.”

“Right on!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat and headed for the tree. She hadn’t been entirely truthful with Dash: she could have easily handled Bluebell by herself, but wanted her friend there as a spectator. Dash was still refusing to admit to her very obvious pregnancy, even as her due date closed in. Fluttershy wasn’t as duplicitous as Rarity or as determined as Applejack, but she still wanted to help in some way. When Bluebell started showing signs that her labor was approaching, Fluttershy had the idea of bringing Dash along to watch as a sort of indirect birthing class. Maybe seeing the miracle herself would make Dash less afraid of the day her own child decided to come.

Bluebell’s den was a hollowed-out burrow underneath the tree, concealed from the sun by thick roots. Fluttershy quietly pushed aside the branches blocking the opening and waited for her vision to adjust before spotting the pair of vibrant, feline eyes staring at her from the darkness.

“He-llo, Bluebell!” Fluttershy cooed, her voice high and gentle. The bobcat didn’t move, only keeping her eyes locked suspiciously on the pegasus. She usually didn’t let Fluttershy get this close, but she wasn’t in any condition to run. She lay on her side on a bundle of dried leaves, her breathing heavy and rapid. Her sides noticeably bulged -- not entirely unlike Rainbow Dash’s.

Dash herself crept up behind Fluttershy and peeked over her shoulder. At the sight of a strange pony, Bluebell’s eyes widened and she hissed, shuffling farther back into her den.

“It’s alright, it’s alright…” said Fluttershy. “This is my friend. We’re going to help you, okay? We’re only here to help.”

“Whoa,” Dash muttered. “She’s huge.”

“Bobcats usually have litters of three, but I think she might be carrying four.”

“Geeze, poor girl. Good thing ponies only have one at a time.”

“Dash, could you please look through my bag for me and get the little plastic box with a green lid?”

“Sure, sure.” Rainbow Dash went back to where Fluttershy had left her bag and dug through it until she found the container and returned with it in her mouth. “Thith it?”

“Perfect!” Fluttershy slowly opened the lid and removed a small cut of fresh salmon she’d bought that morning. Bluebell shuffled back a little as Fluttershy put the fish on the ground near her head, then gave her space. The bobcat sniffed the offering suspiciously, then quickly snatched it up, her mouth making faint smeck sounds as she chewed.

“There you go. Good girl, Bluebell. Good girl.” Fluttershy moved forward once Bluebell had stopped eating and risked extending her hoof into the den. This time, the bobcat didn’t move away and only flinched a little as Fluttershy began gently stroking her side. “That’s it, that’s it. Good girl.”

“That was easy,” Dash said.

“Because I’ve been getting to know her for a while. It took a long time before she let me touch her.” Fluttershy crouched on her haunches and shuffled a few inches farther into Bluebell’s den. “It looks like she’s pretty far into labor. The kittens could come at any time.”

“You must be pretty good at figuring out due dates like that,” said Dash, scratching the back of her head.

“It’s all about paying attention,” said Fluttershy, feeding Bluebell another slice of fish. “And being patient.”

“Can you...do that with ponies?”

Fluttershy turned and looked up at Rainbow Dash, eyes momentarily glancing at her late-term belly. “...Sometimes.”

“H-hey, is she supposed to be panting like that?” Dash asked, shuffling in place. Bluebell had dropped her fish to the ground and was taking heavy, rapid breaths, her tongue hanging out like a dog’s. Her wide paws flexed, white claws visible just for a moment as she dug them through the dirt.

“She’s getting closer,” Fluttershy said. “Dash, I need the blue towel from my bag and the disinfectant cream.”

“Is it hurting her?” Dash said, wincing. Fluttershy’s order had gone in one ear and out the other. “She looks like she’s dying.”

“Dash.” Fluttershy snapped. “Get the blue towel and the disinfectant cream.” She paused, blinking. “Um...please.”

“R-right. Yeah, got it.” Dash hesitated a moment more, her wings instinctively wrapped around her belly, before hurrying back to the bag.

“Be strong, Bluebell,” Fluttershy cooed softly. “Not just for yourself, okay?”

The bobcat made a faint sound somewhere between a chirp and a squeak.

“Got it,” Dash said as she returned, her hooves making heavy thump sounds in the grass as she waddled back and dropped the towel on Fluttershy’s head. “You want the cream? Whatcha want with the cream? You want it now? I got the cream.”

Fluttershy shook off the towel and gently tucked it underneath Bluebell, who only slightly squirmed in protest. After wiping her hooves in the cream, she shuffled to the side to give herself room to peek underneath the bobcat’s tail.

“It’s almost time,” she said, glancing back at Dash. “The first kitten is almost on its way!”

“How can you tell?” Dash crouched as best she could, her belly grazing the dirt, and looked past Fluttershy. At the sight, she scrambled away and made a dry heave, flapping her wings impotently like an angry parrot. “Huuuhhh, no no no no oh my God noooo…”

“There you go...There you go…” Fluttershy whispered to Bluebell, stroking her side. She touched her hoof to the furry mound and could feel the slight shifting of the kittens inside. “Whenever you’re ready, don’t worry.”

When Dash had calmed down enough to listen, Fluttershy had her retrieve a bottle of water and a washcloth from the bag. She soaked the cloth in water before holding it for Bluebell to drink from in little sips. After a few more minutes, she turned and lay flat on her side, taking rapid breaths. Fluttershy looked beneath her tail again and said, “Oh!”

“Are they coming? Is it happening?” Dash gagged again and had her tail pinned flat between her back legs. “D-do I have to watch?”

“Yes, the kittens are coming,” answered Fluttershy. “No, you don’t have to watch.”

“O-okay.” Rainbow Dash hesitated, then shuffled closely beside Fluttershy to watch.

“She’s listening to her body,” Fluttershy explained. “Telling her when the right time to push is.”

“I-is it hurting her?”

“Animals don’t show pain like we do, especially cats. It can be hard to tell.”

Suddenly, Bluebell’s heavy breathing came to a halt and the muscles in her sides suddenly clenched. Fluttershy could hear Dash groan in sympathetic pain, her wings shuffling.

“Okay, the first kitten is starting to crown.” Her voice was calm and easy, drowning out the stress noises coming out of Dash. “There we go, you’re doing great. Good girl, Bluebell. Good girl.”

“Oh my God oh my God oh my God oh my God…” Dash mumbled under her breath, her teeth clenched so hard Fluttershy could hear them click. “Hhhhhnnnnnggghhh.”

“That’s it, that’s it, take a breath,” Fluttershy said to Bluebell as she stopped pushing. “You’re doing so good.”

“I think I’m gonna throw up.” Dash made a gulping sound and gasped. “Okay, no I’m not.”

“Alright, here comes the next contraction,” said Fluttershy as Bluebell’s body tensed up again.

“Are they supposed to be so close together?”

“They are during active birth.”

“How is she supposed to breathe?”

“She does it in between contractions.”

“Is it okay that she’s on her side like that? Doesn’t she need to be standing up?”

“Only ponies do that. She’s just fine as long as she’s comfortable.”

“Okay, but what happens if the foal- I mean, the kitten-” Dash’s eyes flicked to the baby emerging from Bluebell and shuddered again, her train of thought grinding to a halt. “Oooooohhhhhhhh no, no no no no. How- Oh my God, how is she stretching that much?”

“It’s alright, her body knows what to do,” said Fluttershy, holding the washcloth up to the bobcat’s face so she could drink.

“But what if it tears?”

“...It might, but she’ll be alright as long as it doesn’t get infected. It’s why we’re here.”

“If she tears, I think I’m gonna pass out.” Dash hissed through her teeth. “How is something that big supposed to come outta me?”

Fluttershy’s ears twitched and, for the first time in minutes, she turned to look at Rainbow Dash. She stared at her with wide eyes before Dash cleared her throat and said, “I mean...her?”

“Of course,” Fluttershy smiled patiently before turning back to Bluebell. “The baby seems big, but her body’s been preparing for this the whole pregnancy. She’s ready for her kittens to come into the world to meet us.” When the contraction passed and the bobcat stopped pushing to catch her breath, she scratched the back of her head affectionately. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?.”

“Yeah. It’s…” Dash gagged again and swallowed. “Pretty...great.”

“I think this is it,” said Flutttershy as she spread the towel out with room to catch the newborn kitten. “You’re almost there, girl. You can do it.”

Bluebell raised her head just long enough to look Fluttershy in the eye, then laid it back down to push. All of the cat’s powerful muscles clenched at once, finally enough to push the little lump of wet fur free of her birth canal. The newborn kitten struggled on the towel before taking their first breath of air and crying out with a loud, high-pitched squeak as they wobbled to their paws.

“There you are!” Fluttershy cooed, giving the kitten room to move. “Welcome to the world, little one!” Its eyes were squinted closed and its fur was still wet and matted flat, but it fought to stand with encouraging strength and called out for its mother.

At the sound of her newborn, Bluebell began calling back with the same chirping sound as before, moving her paws and trying to stand.

“Not yet, not yet,” Fluttershy said before gently moving the kitten from the towel to Bluebell’s side, where the mother could see them and the baby could start to nurse. “There they are! Healthy and safe. Everything’s okay.” As she talked to the two bobcats, the kitten crawled forward into its mother's fluffy mass of fur and found a nipple to nurse from.

Rainbow Dash had fallen suspiciously quiet after the first kitten was born, but Fluttershy didn’t have the time to worry about her. Her estimation was correct -- three kittens followed quickly after the first, each around the same size save for the last, the biggest by two inches. After waiting to make sure there wasn’t a surprise fifth kitten, Fluttershy let out a deep sigh. Once all the kittens were nursing, she wiggled out of the den. “There, all done.”

She turned to Rainbow Dash, ready to apologize for bringing her along, but found the pegasus staring at the newborn kittens with wide-eyed wonder while silently weeping.

“Dash? Are you...okay?”

She turned to Fluttershy, as if suddenly remembering she was there, and wiped her nose on her leg. “Th-they’re ssss-so...small.”

“It’s okay! It’s okay, they’ll get bigger soon-”

“I love them,” Dash whimpered, her eyes brimming with tears. “I love them so much.”

Fluttershy had never seen Dash cry like this and was at a complete loss for words. Her wings softly cradled her belly and she rocked in place, pointing at the kittens and babbling almost incoherently.

“They got little ears and their noses are pink and their little tiny paws I love them so much.”

“I know, I know,” Fluttershy said, stroking Dash’s mane with a wing. “Let’s give them some space, okay?”

Dash nodded, sniffing again as she stood and waddled away, her wings gripping her belly tightly. When she’d calmed down enough to speak, she said in a hoarse voice, “C-can you gimme a minute?”

“Of course. No rush.”

As Fluttershy packed up her bag, leaving the towel behind in Bluebell’s den, Rainbow Dash found a secluded, comfortable spot against the tree and sat with her back against it, her hooves roaming the taut surface of her belly as she gazed up at the sky, lost in thought. Every so often, she sniffed again and wiped her nose, but was otherwise quiet. When Fluttershy finished packing up, she caught a faint smile on Dash’s face.

“Are you ready to go?” she asked. Rainbow Dash let out a deep, contented sigh and nodded.

However, as she moved to stand, she instead leaned over a thick root and threw up out of sight.

“O-oh!” Fluttershy winced, stepping back and shuffling her wings. “O-okay, maybe we should...walk back to town…”

Author's Note

Sorry for the wait! One more chapter to go
Also sorry the title sucks on this one, I'll change it if I think of something better

Party Favors

The hardest part about putting a party together was getting everyone in one place at the same time. Pinkie Pie, the event’s organizer, had a system. The party started at 6, but she told Twilight -- who always had a habit of arriving early -- that it was at 6:30. Rarity’s invitation (the only one Pinkie made, specifically for her) had the party listed as starting at 5 due to the mare’s habit of showing up fashionably late and already fashionably tipsy. Applejack and Fluttershy were always punctual, so they were given the true starting time of the party. Rainbow Dash, the guest of honor herself, was told the party would start at 4 on the expectation she would forget about the party, remember, get distracted, forget about it again, and then finally hurry over in a panic at the last minute.

Thanks to her system, all five of Pinkie’s friends arrived at Sugarcube Corner promptly at 6pm.

“Welcome! Welcome!” Pinkie cheered as they filed inside, Rainbow Dash coming in last and pushing the door shut behind her. “I’m so happy everyone could make it! Did you find the place okay?”

“Pinkie, we’ve been here. Like, a lot.” Twilight remarked.

“Yeah, but did you?”

“You don’t happen to have a refreshments table, do you darling?” Rarity said, lifting a bag with three distinctive necks of champagne bottles sticking out of the top. “It isn’t a party without mimosas, now is it?”

“You sure you brought enough champagne?” Applejack asked with a snort.

“Well, I did have a fourth,” Rarity said, checking the bag. “But a certain someone might have gone ahead and finished it off.” She gave Applejack a wide smile, put a hoof to her lips, and whispered ‘Sshhhhhh’ before staggering over to the big table in the center of the room.

“You guys have no idea how long I’ve been looking forward to this,” Rainbow Dash said, fluttering her wings excitedly. “I needed a break. Wonderbolts practice has been killing me.”

“I’m sure it has,” said Applejack flatly, not disguising the lingering look she gave the pegasus’ belly. While there were technically only six party guests in attendance, none of them could ignore the presence of the seventh nestled inside Dash. Her belly had almost tripled in size since the last time they’d all been together and she looked like all it would take was a hard sneeze to send her into labor. Still, she definitely and obstinately refused to mention the pregnancy that was steadily nearing its end.

“Hey, I don’t wanna complain or whatever,” Dash asked, scratching the back of her head. “But why are we having my birthday party a month early?”

“Well, y’know, I’ve got a lot of princess...stuff...going on next month,” Twilight said. “But I didn’t want to miss your birthday, so I thought it would be better if we did it now.”

“I’ve got an exhibition in Canterlot the same week,” Rarity said, mixing herself another mimosa in the champagne glass she’d brought. “I would just hate to blow off your party.”

“And I got an apple thing. Or somethin’.” Applejack sighed, rolling her eyes.

While the party was left to Pinkie to organize, it was actually an idea of Rarity’s, who was determined to throw Rainbow Dash a foal shower whether she knew it or not.

“Guys, that’s...you didn’t have to do all this,” Dash said with a sniff. To her friends’ surprise, her eyes began welling up. “I woulda been okay, you didn’t…” She cleared her throat and sniffed again, a tear rolling down her cheek. “This is really cool of you guys…”

“Oh darling!” Rarity put down her glass and hurried to Dash’s side. “Darling, of course we wanted to! We couldn’t have you be alone while-”

“Yo, is that a cake?” Dash shouted as she wiped her tears and waddled past Rarity, who stood frozen in place with a hoof still outstretched. She slowly put it back down on the ground, flipped her mane out of her eyes and cleared her throat.

“Well. Nevermind, then.”

Dash’s mouth was watering as she approached the wide sheet cake that took up a third of the folding table it sat on. The icing was a combination of blue and pink and had a message written on it, reading ‘Congratulations On The Foal.’ However, directly behind the last word, someone had badly drawn the word ‘Day’ in green icing, cramming it in the little space between it and the edge of the cake.

“I asked the Cakes to make it just for you!” Pinkie Pie chirped as she came bounding up to her side.

“So...what’s a ‘Foal Day?’” Dash asked, cocking her head.

“Oh, that’s just what earth ponies call a birthday!” Pinkie whipped her head around and stared at Applejack. “Isn’t that right?”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever you say,” Applejack said as Rarity poured her a very strong mimosa.

“Would it be cool if I got a piece early?” Dash glanced over her shoulder and rubbed her belly. “I know I’m supposed to wait, but I haven’t eaten since lunch and…”

“Why not!? It’s your party, silly!” Pinkie nudged Dash out of the way and carefully cut a sizable square of cake and moved it to a paper plate without spilling a crumb. Dash raised her eyebrows at the filling inside.

“What kinda cake is it?”

“It’s mostly chocolate, but I got them to add in some special stuff. Like caramel and marshmallow creme and cayenne pepper and cinnamon.”

“Whoa.” Dash snatched the plate away from Pinkie and took a bite. The moment it hit her tongue, she tossed her head back and groaned. “Oh man, that’s good.”

“Glad you like it!” Pinkie hesitated, watching Dash devour the slice of cake. She glanced down at the mare’s stomach, discreetly took a glob of icing onto her hoof, and threw it onto Dash’s belly.

“Oopsie! I’m so clumsy!”

“What?” Dash said, looking up from her cake.

“Sorry, Dashy! Lemme get that for ya!” Pinkie snatched a nearby napkin and crouched as she rubbed the spot away, using it as an excuse to feel Dash’s baby bump. “Geeze-louise, I’m getting it everywhere!”

Pinkie flopped onto her back and crawled underneath Rainbow Dash, effectively hidden underneath her belly. Once she was directly underneath, she turned her head and pressed her ear to the warm, taut surface and listened carefully.

“Uh, Pinkie? What are you doing?”

“Quiet!” Pinkie snapped, holding her breath as she bit her lip. After a few seconds, she was able to tune out the sounds of the room and could hear the heavy, rhythmic thump-thump, thump-thump of Dash’s heartbeat. Pinkie bit her tongue and held her hooves to Dash’s belly, swishing her tail across the ground. Then, for a split second, she heard a very faint sound beneath the heartbeat, something that might have been a light gurgle if not for the way it matched the rhythm of Dash’s heart.

“Eeeeeeeeee!” Pinkie shrieked, making Dash and the foal jump simultaneously. “I heard it! I heard it!” She squealed, kicking her hooves against the ground and filling the room with a rapid clopclopclopclopclopclop.
“H-heard what? What are you talkin’ about?” Dash asked. Pinkie quickly scrambled to her hooves and stared at Dash with a flat expression.

“Oh, nothing. Sorry I got all that icing on you.” She picked up the plastic spatula in her teeth. “Want more cake?”

Across the room, Applejack finished her drink and set the glass down on a table with a sigh. “This is gettin’ damn ridiculous,” she whispered to Rarity. “She’s about to pop and she still won’t admit it.”

“Lighten up! Maybe it’s all an act and she’s going to surprise us at the very end! You never know!” Rarity answered, slurring her words together. Applejack narrowed her eyes and frowned.

“Rarity, how many mimosas have you had?”

“It’s a party, darling. Who’s counting?” She gave Applejack an exaggerated wink as she took another sip from her glass.

“Hellooooo down there!” called a voice from the top of the stairs. Mrs. Cake came halfway down and poked her head around the corner. “I’ll just be two shakes of a lamb’s tail, don’t mind me! You all doing okie-dokie down here?”

“Okie-dokie-smokie-loki-malokie!” Pinkie cried out.

“Thanks again for letting us use the shop tonight!” Twilight said as Mrs. Cake crept down to the landing.

“Of course, dearies! How could I say no to you girls? Especially for such an occasion.” Mrs. Cake glanced around the room until her eyes fell on Rainbow Dash and lit up. “I just couldn’t help making a quick appearance!”

Mrs. Cake quickly trotted across the room and threw herself on Dash, pulling her into a tight, motherly hug.

“Oh, I remember when you were just a little thing! Now look at you! Congratulations, Rainbow Dash!”

“I’m not pregn- I mean, congratulations to what?” Dash shuffled in place once Mrs. Cake released her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t know what I’m talking- The baby, dearie! Congratulations on the foal! When are you due?”

“There’s no baby, I’m not pregnant.”

Mrs. Cake’s smile faltered a little as a wrinkle appeared between her eyes. She blinked at Dash, one ear folding down on top of her head. After a long, tense silence, Mrs. Cake burst into a fit of room-filling laughter.

“Oh my stars, you girls are a hoot and a half! Have yourself some fun tonight! This might be your last chance for a while, dontcha know.” Mrs. Cake snorted laughter and gave Dash’s belly an unexpected pat. “‘There’s no baby,’ hah! I swear, I can be so gullible sometimes!”

Mrs. Cake cut herself a small slice of cake and ate it on the way up the stairs.

“Mm, golly, I missed my Craving Cake. Maybe we should sell these more often…”

Dash’s friends stared at her in silence, waiting for her to speak first. She shuffled in place, glancing at all of them in turns, then bit her lip and touched a hoof to her belly.

“So uhh…can we do presents now?”

Pinkie Pie went into the back room to retrieve the wagon of presents while the others gathered around the table in the center of the room. Rarity was seated next to Dash and was pouring herself another mimosa, which was about three parts champagne to one part orange juice.

“Can I make you one of these, darling?” she asked.

“Nah, that’s okay. I can’t do...orange juice.”

“More for me!”

“Okay Dashie! Which one first?” asked Pinkie as she stacked the wrapped gifts on the table. Dash tapped her hooves excitedly before her face turned to a frown as she considered what might have been the most important question she’d ever been asked.

“Uhhhhhh that one!” she said, pointing to the largest box at the end of the table. Pinkie moved to get it, but Dash interrupted. “No wait. That one.”

Pinkie spun around and moved to the other end of the table for the elegantly wrapped black-and-silver gift bag.

“Stop. The one in the middle, the little one.”

Pinkie dropped the bag back on the table and sighed on the way to the small, flat gift between the others.

“Hang on. I changed my mind, gimme the-”

“Just pick one!” Applejack shouted, banging a hoof on the table.

“Geeze, AJ, I’m right here! You don’t gotta yell.” Dash frowned, swished her tail, then nodded for Pinkie to bring her the smallest gift, first.

“That’s mine! That’s from me!” Twilight said, bouncing giddily at the end of the table that creaked as she rocked it.

“I think I coulda figured that out,” Dash said, holding up what was clearly a gift wrapped book. However, after tearing the wrapping paper away with her teeth, she found it was actually three books: brand-new editions of the Daring Do children’s book spin off ‘Da Adventures of Dawing Doo.’

“Oh...They’re, uh....K-kids books, huh?” Dash swallowed and forced a smile even as she shuffled her wings uncomfortably.

“Maybe, but nobody can call themselves a Daring Do fan without owning the full collection, can they? And besides, they’re remarkably well-suited for older readers, too!”

“‘Wet’s go down to da fowest and pway in da wiver today,’' Rainbow Dash slowly read from one of the volumes.

“The...the language takes some getting used to, I’ll admit.” Twilight cleared her throat and added, “Well, now you’ve got the full set! Maybe...someone else will enjoy them a little later.”

Dash pointed to one of the two bigger packages on the table and Pinkie slid it towards her. She opened it to find it contained a special baby-carrier made for pegasi to fly with their baby strapped underneath them.

“Oh, that’s from me,” said Fluttershy, raising a hoof at the far end of the table. “It straps around your wings so you can fly while carrying your…” She hesitated and chewed on her lip. “Well, whatever you want to carry, I guess.”

“Okay?” Dash lifted the carrier out of the box and puzzled at it before her face lit up. “Hey, yeah. I bet I can use it for exercise, too! You just gotta put the bars through the holders, right?” She gestured to what were clearly holes meant for a foal’s legs. “I’m probably gonna need it to work off all the weight this diet put on me. Did I tell you guys the Wonderbolts put me on this-”

“Okay! Next present!” Pinkie interrupted, grabbing the fancy gift bag and tossing it to Dash.

“Oh oh oh, this one’s from me!” Rarity said, bouncing excitedly and sloshing what might have been her fourth mimosa onto the table.

Dash turned the bag upside-down and dumped out three packages containing elastic girdles.

“Now, you are going to love these to get your figure back,” Rarity said, slurring as she bumped against Dash. “They’re for athletes because they...they squeeze the muscles to... help them get back into shape, you see?” Rarity fell into a fit of sloppy laughter and silently mouthed ‘I don’t know’ to Fluttershy across the table.

“Oh cool, like compression shirts?” Dash nodded and rubbed her bloated middle. “Y’know, I think I might actually need these after the foal comes.”

Silence crashed across the room, the five mares all staring at one another. Dash glanced up, a puzzled look crossing her face before being replaced by fear.

“I MEAN. DIET. THE DIET. WHEN THE DIET IS OVER.”

“No. Horseapples, that is not what you said!” Applejack shouted, banging a hoof on the table. “You’re damn near ready to drop that foal by the end of the week! Just admit it already!”

“I don’t know what you’re even talking about,” said Dash, forcing a calm, even tone to her voice even as her wings trembled.

“Dash, we know you’re worried, but you really can tell us the truth,” Twilight interjected. “We’re not going to think any less of you after-”

“Hey hey hey! We still got presents to get through! Let’s go! I want some more cake!” Dash said, raising her voice to drown out Twilight’s. She snatched the package Pinkie was in the middle of handing her and quickly tore it open. All arguments were stopped cold once Dash took out of the box an intensely unsettling clown doll with enormous, realistic eyes, a rictus grin, and a rattle that sounded more like a snake than a baby toy.

“That’s mine!” Pinkie said, clapping her hooves together. “Isn’t he the cutest?”

“Wow, he’s...totally something,” Dash said, nodding slowly as she turned the doll and found the eyes seeming to follow her. With a polite smile to Pinkie, she quickly put the doll back in its box, hidden from sight, but not from their dreams. “Okay, last one. This from you, AJ?”

“Yep,” said Applejack through her teeth as she forced a smile. “From me.”

“I bet it’s some kinda game you think you can smoke me in,” Dash said as she pulled away the wrapping. “Even if it’s a set-up, I can still whip your butt in anything you throw-”

Dash finally glanced at the gift she was unwrapping and stopped. It was diapers. An extra-large pack of them.

Applejack watched with a sly smirk, tapping her hoof on the table and playfully swishing her tail. Dash blinked and swallowed before returning the look with a casual chuckle. “H-hey, what’s with the...diapers?”

“Oh, I just happened to notice you been runnin’ to the bathroom a whole awful lot, lately,” Applejack said, slowly. “Granny Smith had herself the same problem for a while, but found the diapers real helpful whenever she had a little accident. I just figured I’d help you out, is all.” She sat up and tipped her hat back. “If you don’t need ‘em, I could always...take ‘em back.”

Rainbow Dash’s face fell as she realized what everyone else did: she was stuck. Only three options presented themselves to her. Dash could accept the diapers and maintain her lie, but be forced to accept an even more embarrassing one. She could deny everything and lose out on possibly the most valuable item for a new parent to have. Or she could finally admit to the truth like Applejack wanted.

Dash swallowed and her eyes flicked between Applejack and the diapers, but she otherwise didn’t move. After nearly thirty seconds of silence, Applejack sighed and stood from her seat.

“Well, I figure one of my uncles could use a set of-”

“N-no!” Dash snatched back the package of diapers, her eyes wide. After a moment, she took a deep breath and released it through her mouth. “I...I guess I can’t really hide it anymore…”

A sigh went through the room as a tension was finally released. Applejack smiled and settled back in her seat.

“All we wanted was the truth, Rainbow Dash. You didn’t have ta do all this sneakin’ around-”

“I started to realize this diet puts a lotta strain on my bladder, y’know?” Dash continued, looking at the table. “Lotta fluids and everything, so sometimes I guess I just can’t...hold it all in.”

Applejack stared at her, her jaw slack in disbelief. “Are you kidding me?”

Dash opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly clenched her teeth and caught her breath. Her eye twitched slightly and her wings shifted. A moment later, she hauled herself out of her seat and uncomfortably shuffled away from the table.

“Actually, I think I’m about to have an accident right now so lemme just go to the bathroom real quick just two seconds I’ll be right back be right back,” Dash said in one breath as she waddled into the nearby restroom and kicked the door shut behind her with a loud slam.

Applejack made a loud groan and collapsed against the table, beating her head against the wood. “I swear, she’s about to drive me outta my skin.”

“She’d better not take too long in there,” said Rarity as she peered into the bottom of her empty glass. “This champagne is going through me like water through a hose.”

“I don’t understand it,” Applejack said, looking up at the others. “I just do not understand. Why is she still doin’ this?”

“It’s a sunk-cost fallacy,” Twilight explained. “She spent so much time trying to convince us she wasn’t pregnant that now she doesn’t think she can stop.”

“How much time has she got left?”

Twilight glanced at Fluttershy, who said, “We’re thinking just about a week or two. Give or take a couple days.”

“So we got just about that long to put her nose in it and force her to tell us the truth.” Applejack screwed her face into a determined scowl. “That diaper stunt was the best I got, but I can think of somethin’ else to drag it outta her.”

“Applejack…” Twilight frowned and shifted her wings. “Have you stopped to think that...maybe it doesn’t really matter?”

“Doesn’t matter? She spent eleven whole months tryin’ ta gaslight us into-”

“It’s not our job to interrogate her. We’re her friends. We don’t need the truth to still be there for her.”

“She’s not making it easy, granted,” Rarity said. “But we know how she is.”

“She’ll come around eventually,” added Fluttershy. “Once she sees the baby, she’ll probably realize how silly she’s been.”

“And until then, I don’t see a reason to really force it,” said Twilight. “She’s doing her best. I can tell.”

“I thought it was kinda fun, like a game!” Pinkie giggled. “She’s just making the surprise last even longer.”

“How could y’all just...I mean... Y’all are just gonna let her sit there and lie without…” Applejack swallowed and looked at her friends, then down at the table. She tapped her hoof, deep in thought, then tossed her hat down with a frustrated huff.

“I been so daggum mad at how stubborn she’s been,” she mumbled to herself, “that I never even looked at what I was doin’.”

“It’s Rainbow Dash, after all,” Twilight said with a smirk. “She always comes around in the end, even if it takes her a little longer.”

“I guess y’all are right,” Applejack sighed. “I figure I was so determined to drag the truth out by force that I wasn’t given her the room to feel safe admittin’ it herself. ‘Course she’s scared. Who wouldn’t be?” She made a tch sound and shook her head. “Guess I gotta make it up to her, now.”

The bathroom door was yanked open with a loud slam, making everyone jump. Rainbow Dash stumbled out of the doorway, panting and trembling with panic in her eyes.

“Hey, so I gotta go, guys. I forgot I had a-” She paused and winced in pain for a few seconds, then shouted. “I don’t know! Something else!”

Dash galloped for the door, beat her wings, and took to the air faster than any of them had seen her move in months. As the others watched her soar away from Sugarcube Corner, Rarity slid out of her seat and stumbled for the bathroom. “Finally…”

“What was that all about?” Twilight asked.

“Do you think she-” Applejack began, but was interrupted by a frustrated groan as Rarity came out of the bathroom, shaking her hooves dry.

“Rainbow! At least put down a towel if you’re going to make a mess.”

Fluttershy hurried past Rarity for the bathroom and glanced at the pool of liquid on the tile floor.

“Rarity, that’s not water. That’s Dash’s water.”

“Her water? You mean…” Rarity stared down at her hooves in horror and shuddered. “I will need several showers.”

“She’s in labor?!” Twilight shouted, flapping her wings in a panic. “The foal’s coming early?!”

“Yep, definitely Dashie’s foal,” Pinkie nodded to herself.

“What do we do? Where did she go?” asked Fluttershy.

“Hopefully the hospital, if she’s got any brains in her head,” said Applejack. “Twi, you and Fluttershy go ahead of us. Even with that foal in her belly, she’ll still beat us there from the air.”

The two winged ponies nodded before taking to the air, following the Dash’s path above the buildings. The other three hurried across the ground, with Applejack taking the lead. Pinkie hopped beside her -- somehow keeping pace -- and happily giggled to herself.

“Baby baby baby! We finally get to see Rainbow’s baby! If it’s a boy, she should name him Crimson Bolt! And if it’s a girl, she should name her Rainbow Dash 2!”

“Stop stop stop!” Rarity panted as she slowed to a stop. “I was not prepared to run today. You all will have to go on without-” She gagged as the two full bottles of champagne she drank came back to haunt her. “Go on without me.”

“Dagnabbit, we don’t got time-” Applejack began, but Pinkie shushed her before hopping to Rarity’s side.

“Hey Rarity, I bet if we get there soon enough, Dash will let you hold the foooaaal…” She sang the last word, drawing it out as she wiggled her eyebrows. Rarity glanced up and met Pinkie’s eyes, her own sparkling at the idea. She clambered upright and took a deep breath before tying her mane back in a ponytail.

“Let’s go.”

It took about twenty minutes to them to gallop across town to the hospital, where they found Twilight and Fluttershy standing outside and looking up at the sky.

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked while Rarity stopped to vomit in a trashcan. “What are y’all doin’ out here?”

“We don’t know where Rainbow is. They won’t let us pass unless we know what room she’s in,” said Twilight.

“Won’t let ya? You’re a dang princess, just make ‘em!”

“You know I can’t do that, AJ. They’re just doing their jobs.”

“We thought maybe we beat Rainbow Dash here, so we’re waiting to see if she’s coming,” said Fluttershy.

“Maybe she went to Cloudsdale?” asked Applejack.

“I hope not. That’s too far away, especially if her water’s already broken.”

“She’s probably been in labor all day and never noticed,” added Twilight.

“Dang it…” Applejack grumbled. “None of this woulda happened if I hadn’t spooked her.”

“Hey!” Pinkie shouted, bouncing over the other’s heads and pointing to the hospital. “Is that Soarin?”

The rest of them whirled around and spotted the young stallion staggering out of the front door of the hospital, looking exhausted as he leaned against a nearby bench. He froze once he realized he was being watched, then gave a casual wave and tried to take to the air.

“Grab him,” said Applejack.

Twilight gripped Soarin’s tail by magic and kept him from flying away as Applejack took a running leap and landed on his back, pinning him to the ground.

“H-hey everybody!” Soarin stammered, as if he wasn’t pinned face-down in the dirt. “Never thought I’d find you guys here. Wh-where’s Rainbow Dash?”

“Cut the crap, loverboy,” Applejack growled, squinting her eyes. “We know it’s your foal. Now, what room is she in?”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Soarin said, trying to wiggle out from under Applejack. She didn’t move. “I was here getting a Wonderbolts physical!”

“Hasn’t this gone on long enough?” Twilight said with a scowl. Soarin’s eyes widened as he glanced at all the mares in turn, as if counting how outnumbered he was. Swallowing, he flapped his wings impotently against the ground.

“She said she’d beat me up if I told anyone…”

“So?” Applejack said. “Rainbow Dash said she’d beat me up eight times just this week and we ain’t ever fought but once.” She paused and looked away. “Wait...twice. Maybe three times.”

“We’re just here to support her,” Fluttershy said, gently. “You don’t have to protect her from her own friends. Where is she?”

Soarin chewed on his tongue, furrowing his brow. After a tense moment of silence, he sighed and said, “Second floor maternity wing, room 201.”

“Thank you,” Twilight sighed as Applejack climbed off and helped him off the ground. “Hang on, what are you doing out here then?”

“The...the doctors thought I was gonna faint,” he chuckled, scratching the back of his head. “So they told me to get some fresh air.”

“If you’re gonna faint, then faint!” Applejack shouted, pointing to the door. “But you better get your butt back in there and stay put with the mother of yer dang foal! She ain’t ever needed you like she needs you now!”

“B-but she…” Soarin swallowed and folded his ears back. “O-okay…” On his way back inside, he stopped at the doorway and glanced back.

“Boy, don’t make me go get my shotgun!” Applejack yelled, stomping a hoof in the dirt.

“Maybe we should give the two of them some space,” Twilight said, gently.

“Horseapples, I ain’t leavin’ until I know both her and that foal are safe,” said Applejack as she marched directly through the sliding doors. The others glanced at one another, shrugged, then followed her.

After arriving at the maternity ward, the five of them hung around in the waiting room, occasionally getting up to ask one of the nurses the time. Applejack spent most of the time pacing back and forth, too anxious to keep still. Fluttershy was equally as nervous, but kept to her seat and preened her wings. Twilight occupied herself with a tiny book she apparently carried with her at all times for just such an occasion. Pinkie Pie realized she’d left the cake behind and had run back to get it. Rarity had taken a seat by the window and put on a very large pair of sunglasses. The rest of them were fairly certain she’d fallen asleep.

After almost seven hours, all of them but Applejack had nodded off at least once. It was she who the nurse addressed on the way out into the lobby.

“Are you Miss Rainbow Dash’s friends?” she asked. At the sound of her name, the five mares all looked up and climbed to their hooves.

“Yes, ma’am. Why, somethin’ wrong?”

“Nothing wrong at all. She and the foal are doing just fine,” the nurse said with a smile and sigh. “They’ll be ready for visitors in about an hour.”

“Oh thank God,” Applejack groaned, flopping into her chair and releasing all the tension she’d kept bottled up. “I swear, that featherbrain is gonna be the death of me.”

At the end of the hour, the nurse returned and led the small crowd of ponies and one half-eaten cake to a small, comfortable room at the end of the hall. Inside, Rainbow Dash was sitting up in bed, her mane tousled and sweaty and with bags under her eyes and a tired smile on her face. In her lap was cradled a tiny foal with an eggshell-white coat and a vibrant, chromatic mane like their mother’s. At the sound of gasping, the foal turned and squinted open their emerald green eyes.

“Look at that face!” Rarity cooed. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“A boy,” said Dash, her voice hoarse.

“A...a colt! How marvelous!” Rarity backed away and waited until she was out of sight, then scowled and passed over a bag of bits to Pinkie Pie. “Damn it.”

“He’s right healthy, I can tell,” Applejack said, grinning from ear to ear. “You got a name for him yet?”

“I got no idea. I think Soarin’ had some ideas.”

“Where is he?” Twilight asked, glancing around.

“I think he fainted a few hours ago. They took him to another room,” Dash shrugged. The foal made a cooing sound and wiggled in her lap, then turned over on his side and stretched his tiny wings.

“Hey...guys...I know I’ve been acting kinda weird for a while. Just a lotta big changes going on, y’know? I was freaking out all the time and didn’t know what to do.” Dash sighed and looked down at her baby, scratching between his wings as she continued. “But you guys have been so cool about it, looking out for me even while I was...well, it was cool of you. That’s all.”

“All we ever wanted was what’s best for ya, Dash,” said Applejack, peering down at the foal and tipping her hat back. “You don’t ever gotta be scared of what we think.”

“I know, I know. But when I get scared, I just freak out and my mouth says stuff on its own.”

“That’s all in the past now.” Applejack nudged the foal gently under his chin and scratched behind his ear. “Just finally glad I get to meet this little fella.”

“Everybody, I want you to meet my son,” Rainbow Dash said, holding up the foal for the room to see. A panicked expression crossed her face and she blurted out, almost immediately, “WHO I’VE DECIDED TO ADOPT!”

Applejack’s face fell completely blank like her brain was dribbling out of her ears.

“I had a gastric bypass scheduled for today and I just saw this little guy in the nursery and found out he just got dropped off here! So, y’know, I didn’t think I wanted to be a mom, but I figured this surgery was gonna be a new start, y’know? So I thought ‘what the hay’ and signed all the papers and stuff.”

“W-wow, that’s...so...selfless of you,” Twilight said, forcing a grin. Behind her, Rarity was biting her tongue to force down a fit of laughter. “It’s amazing how much he looks like you.”

“I know, right? That’s how I knew we belonged together. So now he’s my son. My adopted son.” Dash glanced up. “AJ, you alright?”

Applejack was not alright. Her lips were pursed in a tight frown, her teeth clenched behind them. She stood in the center of the room, fuming and panting like an angry bull while glaring at Rainbow Dash. At last, she furiously spiked her hat on the floor and marched out of the room. The rest of them could hear her muffled shouting and swearing all the way down the hall, ending in a loud slam as a door was kicked open.

“What’s her problem?” Dash asked as she scratched her new foal under his chin.

Author's Note

Final chapter! Thank you all for the support! I hope you enjoyed it!

Lessons learned: This is maybe the first story series I've posted online without finishing it all beforehand, so I probably won't do that again. You guys came up with a lot of fun speculation and guesses for where it was going. They were fun to read, but I didn't want to get influenced and take someone else's idea, some of which were really good. I ultimately stuck with the ending I'd planned on at the start, which I still think is pretty entertaining. It blew up more than I expected, hope you guys had fun!