Rainbow Dash entered the bar excited to catch up with an old friend.

“Hey AJ! Good to see ya!” the cyan pegasus greeted.

“Hi, Dash. Yeah, sorry I’ve had to cancel a couple times.”

“Naw,” Rainbow Dash assured as she bellied up next to Applejack. “I can’t be mad at you for being a good wife. How’s Rarity doing?”

“Hanging in there. She was truly excited for us to meet today, though.”

“Yeesh, that must be some stomach bug she caught,” Rainbow Dash noted. “Poor thing. Right before her birthday, too.”

“Yeah, maybe not the greatest timing on our part…” Applejack muttered softly.

“Timing?” Rainbow Dash wondered to herself.

“What can I get you two lovely mares this evening?” interrupted the bartender.

“I think we both want a hard apple cider, yeah?” Rainbow Dash said, turning to Applejack.

“Yes please, bartender,” the farmer confirmed.

“You’ve got it!”

As the bartender left, Rainbow Dash took out an envelope.

“Oh, speaking of Rarity’s birthday, here’s my card. Got a gift card in there, too. To a sushi place… awkward…”

Applejack laughed.

“It’s alright. She’ll get to enjoy it eventually. Thanks Dash, I’m sure she’ll be very glad you thought of her.”

“It’s a shame, though,” Rainbow Dash said. “I know she loves sushi. You think she got unlucky and ate a bad batch?”

Rainbow Dash didn’t want to pry too much, but couldn’t suppress her concern. She was no doctor, but didn’t most stomach bugs only last a day or two? Not most of the week?

“No, she hasn’t had sushi in a while,” Applejack said confidently. “We’re… uh… not… sure what happened. But the doctors say there’s nothing to worry about. She’s just gotta stay hydrated and get through it.”

The bartender came with the drinks before Rainbow Dash could respond.

“Good thing you two planned a low key birthday for her, huh?” Rainbow Dash remarked.

“Yeah, we needed to save the bits. Celestia knows we’ll need them.”

“Don’t we all,” Rainbow Dash joked. But then she put her wing around her glass and lifted it towards Applejack.

“To Rarity,” she said.

“To Rarity,” Applejack responded as they both toasted and took a sip.

“And to you,” Rainbow Dash continued. “Have you been alright? You’re not the one sick, obviously. But I imagine you’re going through a completely different sort of hard time.”

Rainbow Dash recalled the times she took care of Fluttershy when they were kids. She was happy to do it, but it definitely made her sympathize with Applejack now.

“It is a different kind of agony seeing Rarity so miserable,” Applejack agreed. “And no matter how much I do to help her, it’s not like I can magically take away her suffering. Today was an alright day compared to the others, but I’m still more worried than I should be.”

“I know it can be hard to believe ponies when they say things are gonna be fine,” Rainbow Dash started. “But I know a tough pony when I see one, and you and Rarity are definitely tough.”

Even though Rainbow Dash didn’t say things like that often, it made the times she did all that more genuine.

“Thanks Dash. But enough about me. How the heck have you been?”

As the pair walked home, Rainbow Dash realized the last time she and Applejack talked was after Rarity's early pregnancy loss. She was so concerned about Rarity that she forgot about her friends’ whole baby making thing. Though, perhaps that was for the best. If there was news Applejack wanted to share on that front, good or bad, she’d say so. But the thought made Rainbow Dash reflect on the night’s events. Was Rarity’s stomach bug just a stomach bug…?

“Thanks for a nice night, Sugarcube,” Applejack said as they approached her house.

It all clicked as Applejack walked away. Rainbow Dash knew she could be wrong. She knew that Applejack might even be angry that Rainbow Dash figured out her secret. But the excitement was too much for those blue wings to handle.

“Wait, Applejack!!!”

Applejack could barely make out her friend’s rainbow blur coming towards her before she was on the ground from a tackle like hug.

“Congrats, AJ!!! You’re going to be the best parents!! I know how much you both wanted it to happen. You almost had me, you clever mare!”

“Okay, okay Dash,” Applejack said with a smile as the two got on their hooves again. “Thank ya, friend. We’re very excited. It’s still early though, so keep it on the dl, alright?”

Rainbow Dash’s excitement lessened, but she of course understood her friend’s request.

“Can I come in, though? Just for a moment?”

Applejack opened the door and readily welcomed her friend inside.

“Of course."

Author's Note

This was sort of inspired by when Joey finds out about Chandler and Monica in Friends. Hence the title, though he finds out in a different episode. I considered making my fanfic also about Rarity and Applejack’s relationship with more specific references to Friends, but I think this turned out way better!