Month 3, Part 1 - or, Baby Mine
Ditzy awoke to the smell of haybacon sizzling somewhere in the cloud-house. It had been one of her favorite meals back when she could afford really good foods like that regularly. Muffins and other baked goods had replaced it as a more budget-friendly alternative, and while she was just scratching the surface of what she could mix and pour into a tray, it just couldn’t compare. Rainbow, Celestia love her, had grabbed a pack just for this morning--and by the smell of things, actually wasn’t doing a half bad job.
And for the life of her, she didn’t want any of it.
The greasy, slightly-salty smell which used to send her (quite literally) flying to the kitchen was not agreeing with her at all. She tried to bury her head into her cloud-bed, but soon even the cloud mattress couldn’t block out the odor forever. She gave up and rolled out of bed with a moan and trotted down the hallway to the bathroom.
The faint scent of leaves and grass greeted her as she walked in, immediately securing the room as her favorite place in the house. A window carved out of the cloud wall fed a small breeze into the room--a necessity to keep the air fresh. Ditzy relieved herself and thanked her lucky stars that she had found a job in weather rather than sanitation--she did not envy the pegasi responsible for disposing of septic clouds.
As she kneaded her hooves to dry them from washing up, she felt something strange embedded in the cloud. Fabric. And not just any fabric, but something enchanted to not fall through the clouds that hid it. Whatever it was, it was fairly expensive--given the water-absorbing properties of the clouds they lived in pegasi didn’t have much use for towels.
She briefly pondered leaving whatever it was in place--after all, Rainbow was going well out of her way to help her, and digging up something she’d hidden (however badly) in her bathroom was a pretty big invasion of her privacy. Doing so in Cloud Kicker’s house would’ve ended with the discovery of some fairly interesting … devices. While Ditzy really doubted that she would find anything of that nature here, her curiosity got the better of her.
Whatever she was expecting, this certainly wasn’t it. She was at once surprised and not when the fabric in question turned out to be a Wonderbolts costume--and a pretty high-quality one at that. Ditzy giggled to herself as she remembered occasionally hearing Rainbow giving herself pep talks in the early morning--but the thought that those pep talks included a uniform was enough to push her over the edge into outright laughter.
It also explained the encompassing size of the bathroom mirror. The entire thing was one solid piece of thunderforged steel, one of the few pegasi-crafted materials imbued with the cloud-walking magic of its makers; it had been polished to a mirror-smoothness and was large enough that the bathroom had probably been built around it, stretching for almost two thirds the length of the room. She had always wondered why a pony as unconcerned about her appearance as Rainbow would want one so large, but now everything made sense.
As she turned to put her find back in its not-so-secret spot, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The costumed fluttered to the ground, banished from Ditzy’s mind as she scrutinized her reflection. She looked herself over from every angle--left, right, front, back, even balanced on her hindlegs for a moment. Then she flitted over to the other side of the mirror and checked herself again.
No matter what angle she looked from, she could still see the slight bump in her stomach.
It was barely there, and could almost be mistaken for normal weight gain. Hay, if she hadn’t spilled the beans at her ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party, she might have been able to pass herself off as a normal mare for a few more weeks. Up to now, her mind had still only half-accepted what was going on with--or rather in--her body. Even facing the fallout from her decision to leave home, the entire reason why seemed only half-real.
Now that she was beginning to show, it was almost impossible for her mind to lie to itself. Ditzy idly examined herself again, tracing her wingtip over the small bulge. It was ... her. And not her, at the same time.
A small growl emanated from her stomach a little in front of the bulge, bringing her out of her reverie. That, at least, had been a constant reminder of the changes taking place. Hunger quickly overpowered her desire for fresh air as she stepped out of the bathroom, still idly stroking her belly. Her stomach turned as she was greeted once again by the overpowering smell of grease, and she forced a smile onto her face as she flitted into the open foyer of the main room.
Rainbow stood guard over a metal pan, which sizzled on an angry-looking black cloud. She gave it the occasional kick to jostle another miniature-sized lightning bolt out of it, which in turn arced for the inverted lightning rod built into the bottom of the pan. Ditzy could hear her meal from across the room whenever Dash did so, as thunderforged steel has a knack for dispersing the heat from lightning.
“G’morning, Rainbow.” Ditzy scooped up a section of cloud and formed a seat in front of the table, unofficially claiming the place further away from the source of her latest torment.
The other mare absently waved back with a wing as she transferred a few strips onto a waiting plate. “Mor’ig!” She spat the spatula onto a waiting cloud of dirty dishes. “How are ya?”
“Fine,” Ditzy answered instinctively. She resisted the urge to facehoof; of course she wasn’t fine, why did she still insist on saying that? Her whole situation aside, she was feeling less than spectacular--the dull ache in her stomach hadn’t ever really faded since she had promised herself to stick with her new budget, and Rainbow’s offers to either rework her payments to the Cakes or help cover it herself had gone from well-meaning to a bit annoying. It was her mistake and she’d make up for it.
Beyond which, that smell … she found herself swallowing back bile again, vainly hoped the sensation would pass. She was hungry, if her growling stomach was any indication. Even her midnight raid of the ice-cloud hadn’t completely sated her; she also really hoped Dash didn’t have any plans for that last slice of cake... Either way, the ice-cloud was far cleaner than it had been, and her plundered food still hadn’t been enough.
It was harder keeping Redheart’s advice in mind than she had previously thought; her belly had the first hints of a bump, and the last echoes of her pride told her that her intake was to blame as much as the foal growing inside her. Fortunately, the more logical part of her mind had already assumed control, and she found an apple slice halfway to her mouth before she realized that she had picked it up.
“Eating for two now,” she chided herself. The too-sweetness of a gala apple overpowered her tastebuds, giving some relief from the heavy air of grease. It lasted about as long as the slice, and she scarfed down a few more in rapid succession to try and ease her nausea.
“I hope he likes bacon.” Rainbow kicked the cloud again, causing the pan in front of her to hiss again. Ditzy held her breath and flapped her wing to try and force the scent away from her.
“He?”
“Yeah.” Rainbow pointed a free hoof in the general direction of her stomach. Oh, right. Her foal.
“Well...” She swallowed. “Yeah, I mean--it’s my favorite too, y’know. I really appreciate it.”
Rainbow rolled her shoulders in a casual shrug, not even taking her eyes off the sizzling pan of haybacon. “No prob, Ditzy. You still like your haybacon extra-crispy, right? ‘Cause back in Flight Camp you always said it wasn’t crispy enough.”
Of course she had. It actually worked to her favor a bit, as it gave her a few more seconds to stall and try to think of a way out. “You got it!” Another apple disappeared down her muzzle, and she briefly pondered just going back to bed until her appointment.
“Awesome.” Rainbow gave the pan a quick toss to flip the bacon over, agiley dodging the grease that particular maneuver sent flying. “So, I got you haybacon just the way you like it, picked up some muffins from Sugarcube Corner, and Fluttershy gave me some eggs. Your appointment with Redheart is today, right?” When Ditzy confirmed that it was, Rainbow continued. “So yeah, I figured you should start things off with a bit of a bang.” Rainbow froze and gave a slight shudder. “Not that kind of bang ... dammit, Cloud Kicker.” She chomped down on the rubber handle and set the pan on a less volatile cloud. “Ya probably gotta cut down on this stuff before much longer, so I figured one more—waddaya call it, indulgence, would help out a bit.”
Ditzy fought back the sudden pressure in her throat as she looked at the plate coming her way. She couldn’t decline now, Rainbow had that look in her eye whenever she was really aiming to please--like when she’d shown off her routine for one of the instructors back in Flight Camp. Just getting the bacon had been an out-of-the-way trip for her, since most of her usual foodstuffs revolved around fruits and granola--her dedication to her Wonderbolts’ training meant that she avoided any kind of ‘fat flyer foods’ as much as she could.
Rainbow put the plate down in front of her, a proud smile on her face. Ditzy took one good look at the hellish food which had been tormenting her since she woke up, felt her stomach churn, and turned to the side to avoid vomiting on her breakfast.
Rainbow scrambled back. “Eew, Ditzy!”
Ditzy’s apology was cut off with another heave. She sincerely hoped nopony was out for a walk beneath Rainbow’s house at the moment. After emptying her stomach, she pushed the plate away from her and into the cloud, not daring to look at the food on it.
“S-sorry.” She wiped her muzzle, nearly heaving again at the smell.
Rainbow chuckled weakly. “C’mon, I’m not that bad of a cook anymore. Kinda had to brush up after my parents … well, Awesomom got over it really fast, and she’s a really good cook anyway.”
“Yeah, I know.” Ditzy’s giggle was cut short as she realized Rainbow was waiting for her to retrieve her plate from the cloud-table. “Um... don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m really not in the mood for haybacon. I’ve, um... the smell’s been making me sick all morning.
“Oh.” Ditzy knew from the slight crack in her voice that she was really trying not to be hurt. “Yeah, um … no worries then. Probably that morning sickness stuff Redheart toldja about, right? It’s just more for me, then.”
Ditzy nodded glumly as she stood up to go brush her teeth. “Sorry, Rainbow. I appreciate the effort, but...”
Rainbow shrugged and fished the plate out of the cloud-table, checking it over very carefully before digging into it. “Meh,” she said through a mouthful of haybacon. “Eh happesh.”
The tiny flecks of food which flew from Rainbow’s mouth as she spoke drove Ditzy over the edge, and she put a hoof over her mouth as she made a three-legged gallop for the bathroom. This time, at least, she made it.
An hour later, Ditzy still found herself feeling queasy. It probably didn’t help that she was muzzle-deep in a trash can, or that all she could smell right then was her own sick. She only vaguely felt the pressure of somepony’s hoof holding her mane out of the way as she heaved one last time, breathing heavily and hoping the pressure in her stomach was nothing more than a cramp.
After a few more seconds had passed, Ditzy allowed herself to be pulled away from the (mercifully contained) mess and guided to a sink, where a cup of mouthwash had been set out on the counter. She gratefully gargled, spat, and repeated when Nurse Redheart refilled the cup for her. After several cycles of this, the pegasus was satisfied that she had removed all hint of the awful taste and trotted back to the examination table.
“Sorry about that,” she offered with an awkward smile.
“It’s nothing to worry about,” Redheart told her as she washed her hooves. “Remember what my practice is--that’s not the first time morning sickness has struck in the middle of an examination. You at least made it to the can.”
Ditzy sincerely hoped the earth pony mistook her awkward laugh for a cough. “It got really bad earlier.”
Redheart dried her forehooves and trotted back to her patient. She knelt as onece again Ditzy lay before her with her hindlegs spread. “Has it been unmanageable, or painful? Or bloody, for that matter?”
“No, and it wasn’t even really bad until today.” Ghostly odors of bacon grease caused Ditzy’s stomach to grumble yet again, and Redheart instantly removed herself from between her patient and the trash can. Ditzy waved her off, forcing herself not to think of the treat Rainbow had worked so hard to put together for her. “It’s the weirdest thing, it’s my favorite breakfast that set it off...”
The earth pony resumed her half-completed examination. “Let me guess: something unhealthy and overflowing with sugar and/or grease?”
Ditzy nodded, though the gesture was lost as Redheart’s focus was decidedly lower on her body. “How’d you know?”
“Comes with the job.” Redheart tapped a hoof to her temple. “So, what was it?”
Ditzy fought down a small wave of nausea--honestly, was this going to happen every time she thought about it now? “Haybacon. I used to go nuts for it, and now … well, it still drives me nuts. Just in a totally different way.” She shot a rueful glance at the soiled trash can.
“Mm,” Redheart grunted. “I’m not really surprised by that. A lot of mares’ usual preferences go out the window when they start eating for two.” She prodded Ditzy one last time in such a way that she briefly wondered if she owed the other mare dinner, then went back to wash her hooves again. “All right, you’re set. See you again in two weeks!.”
The pegasus quite gratefully closed her hindlegs, and was about to ease herself off of the table when a thought occurred to her. “Before I forget...” Ditzy sheepishly stroked her belly with a wing. “I’m kind of showing by now. Um, about how long will it be until I can see … y’know...?”
Redheart chewed her lip as she thought. “If you’re three months in... Your foal would only just be beginning to take shape, but we could certainly take a preliminary sonogram.”
Dizty’s heart skipped a beat as she nodded. Something instinctive demanded it as much as her mind wanted it--a first glimpse, a justification for everything she’d gone through in the last, what had it been? Twelve weeks? Thirteen?
Redheart excused herself for a moment, and returned a brief moment later with a green unicorn stallion in tow. “Ditzy, this is Code Blue--he’s one of our generalists from triage.”
Code Blue shook her hoof. “Good to meet you, ma’am. I’ll be performing your ultrasound today.”
Ditzy cocked her head as she looked the stallion over. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t get it.”
Code Blue blinked. “Beg pardon?”
“There’s nothing about you that’s blue.”
Redheart couldn’t suppress a snicker. “That’s because they’re covered by his tail.”
A hasty cough didn’t quite cover up Ditzy’s mirth.
“In front of the new patient?” the unicorn huffed. “Really, Red?”
Redheart’s expression was one of complete innocence. “What? You live in a world dominated by mares--I’m just saying you should get out more.”
“I have a job to do.” Code Blue rolled his eyes, waiting for the two mares to finish their laugh at his expense. He stood in place until silence finally fell. “Like Red said, I’m Code Blue,” he said as if he had never been interrupted. “My special talent is magical imaging and diagnosis, and I’ve been working here for the better part of a decade.”
Ditzy apologetically forced a resurgent giggle into to a polite smile. “So this sonogram process--how does it work?”
“It’s pretty straightforward, really.” Code Blue’s voice took on the air of a professor about to launch into lecture. “All you need to do is lay back and hold still; I’ll cast the sonography spell and project the image.” He pointed to a conspicuously large blank area on the wall. “From there, Redheart will take a couple of pictures--most of them for your file, but a few for you to take home as well.”
As he spoke, Redheart was setting up a tripod near the head of the examination table. “You don’t have to worry about powder residue or vapors, either. I invested in luminescent-bulb cameras a little after I started my residency.”
Ditzy craned her head towards the unicorn as she laid back. “And the spell--”
“Totally harmless--this spell’s the latest and safest medical magic has to offer. It looks inside and does nothing else.” He droned on with the patient monotone of one who had answered such questions many times before. “High-level spells like this are only useable in triage when they have no effect on the patient. I promise, it’s perfectly safe.” He paused briefly. “Um, if you’re ready to start, would you mind moving your wing?”
Ditzy started a little--at no point in preparing for the sonogram did she remember covering her stomach. She grinned sheepishly and forced her wings against her back once again. Code Blue stepped up to her, and waited for her to nod her approval before casting the spell. The lights dimmed as a soft white beam emanated from his horn and homed in on the bulge in Ditzy’s abdomen. She closed her eyes and fought the sudden instinct to curl into a ball as she felt the magic pass through her midsection several times in rapid succession. It wasn’t a sensation she could describe--not a tingling or a buzzing, just a feeling of something both there and not there at the same time.
After a few seconds, another beam of light projected from Code Blue’s horn and expanded into a square, forming a black-and-white image against the wall. The spell ran its course through her a few more times before stopping almost perfectly aligned over her belly button. Ditzy knew the spell had run its course when the blinding glare of a lightblub burned through her eyelids as Redheart took her pictures. Ditzy turned her head for her first glance at the results of the scan.
It was so small that, at first, she couldn’t see it at all. White-and-black lines crisscrossed the wall, forming an (ironically) organic pattern that she couldn’t make out beyond a few outlines. She saw the slight shifts of the patterns, lines mingling as she rolled on her back for a better view.
And then it moved.
It was … barely visible, even now. Just a series of bumps and shapes in a whole image of bumps and shapes, a small little creature curled up on itself. Two large grainy blobs, and a few small ones, were all that Ditzy could make out. But when they moved on their own, even just the fractions of inches that they were capable of, that was all she needed.
“Oh.” Ditzy’s hoof went to the wall of its own accord, tracing around the foetal outline. No. That was the wrong word for it. This, here, now... “Hi, sweetheart. Oh my goddess, that’s really...”
“This part never gets old.” Redheart patiently waited for Ditzy as she ran her hoof around the projection. “We won’t be able to tell if it’s a colt or a filly for a while yet, though.”
Ditzy didn’t care in the least. When she asked for the procedure, she’d been hoping for--she didn’t know anymore. Some sign that everything she’d gone through so far was worthwhile. What she saw now went so far beyond that it was almost past words. She moved her hoof to let Redheart continue taking her pictures, sitting back and looking at her foal in utter contentment.
A troubled ‘hmm’ from the nurse finally broke her trance. “What is it? Is something wrong?” A familiar burning reignited in her stomach.
“No--goodness, no.” Redheart instantly put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “Your foal looks perfectly healthy, it’s just that … by this point, it’s limbs have started to form.”
“So how’s that a...” The question died on her lips as she checked back over the projection. The foal wiggled again, and this time she could see what the nurse was referring to--or rather, she couldn’t see them.
Redheart removed her hoof from Ditzy’s shoulder to stroke her chin. “If there aren’t any wings, that leaves two options. Code Blue, focus on the cranium would you?”
“Got it.” The stallion lowered his head slightly, bringing the tip of his horn directly onto Ditzy’s belly as the image on the wall zoomed in. “Beg your pardon.”
“S’okay.” Ditzy’s eyes came together in a rare moment of dual focus, looking over the image with an intense concentration she hadn’t felt since finals. After a few seconds she accidentally shifted in place, moving her body enough to reveal a small conical bump.
“It’s a unicorn, then,” Code Blue murmured. He pulled his head back just a little, zooming out just enough to show the entire body and the bud of a horn. He let Redheart take one last picture and backed away, popping his neck. “Red, I can get those developed while you finish up here, if you want.”
“Would you mind?” Ditzy blurted out. She rubbed the back of her head and gave an embarrassed little laugh. “S-sorry, I um … if you don’t mind, I’d like a copy of that last one.”
Code Blue chuckled as he and Redheart helped Ditzy back into a sitting position. “You’d be surprised how often I get asked that. I’ll get a copy made for you while you two finish up here.”
Ditzy was more than a little surprised. “You can do it that quickly?”
“Unicorn,” the stallion said, knowingly tapping a hoof to his horn. He levitated the camera around his neck and left the room.
Ditzy stretched her wings for a moment, then decided to lay down on the examination table, curling her legs beneath her. Redheart sat down next to the table, clipboard in front of her again.
“I just have a few more things and then we’ll be done. I know I’ve said it before, but you do need to make sure you’re getting a balanced diet.” She held up a forestalling hoof. “Haybacon or something along those lines is fine once in a while, so long as you balance it out with healthy foods.”
Ditzy nodded. “I’ve remembered. Pinkie Pie’s been teaching me to bake in her spare time. Though, um, it’s mostly just been recipies and mixing techniques. I don’t think the Cakes are really keen to let me near their kitchen again.”
The earth pony covered her mouth with the clipboard and very hastily turned a giggle into a strange cough. “I heard about that. I’m glad nopony got hurt.”
“Yeah.” Ditzy’s face fell slightly, but things had finally gotten to the point where she could think back on it and laugh.
Redheart didn’t miss the slight shift in her tone. “Everything okay? You did make it out of there unscathed, didn't you?”
Ditzy tried to wave her off. “Yeah, yeah, we’re all fine. It’s just been a little hectic, y’know? Paying ‘em back for that and saving for these visits has … eh, you don’t wanna hear about that.”
“Wait, you’ve been paying for these visits out of pocket?”
The pegasus nodded meekly. “When I left home, I got, um... Well, I don’t have insurance anymore. I kinda have to.”
Redheart frowned. “You’ve spent far too much time in the capital. From what I remember from school, insurance in the upper circles is privatized because some of the ponies there invest heavily in vanity work--tummy tucks, face-lifts, and other procedures that wouldn’t be covered by the Celestial Mandate. Reconstructive surgery is one thing, but anypony getting it just to improve their looks would have to pay out of their own coinpurses.”
Ditzy groaned and facehooved, the feeling of having overlooked something very, very obvious wearing on her. “That … would have been really nice to know a few months ago.”
“You didn’t know you didn’t need to pay for everything out of pocket?” Concern washed over Redheart’s face as she scooted herself a little closer to her patient. “Please tell me you’ve at least set aside enough money for food.”
“Of course I did! It’s just...” She stroked the bump in her stomach. “Rainbow’s put up with me for more long enough already, and a unicorn can’t exactly walk on clouds. Between paying the Cakes back and these appointments, I wasn’t totally sure if I could look for a new place.”
Redheart tenderly ran a forehoof over her the bump as well. “Well, now you know you can. You have another eight months to sort things out, and Rainbow doesn’t strike me as the kind of pony to just leave a friend hanging.”
“Yeah. She’s helped more than enough already, I really don’t wanna overstay my welcome.”
Redheart nodded again and helped Ditzy off of the examination table. The two of them finagled her saddlebags back in place around her, taking great care not to make them too tight around her womb, before turning to go. Ditzy opened the door to show herself out and found a hoof inches away from her eyes, shaking in place.
“I’m so sorry about that!” Code Blue instantly pulled his hoof back. “I came back from developing the pictures and was just about knock--”
“It’s fine. Really, you missed me,” she said with an almost entirely natural smile. A second later, she finished processing the rest of what he’d said. “Wait, you’re already done with the pictures?”
The stallion tapped his hoof to his horn. “Unicorn,” he said again. “I put a rush job on that last picture, since I figured you’d want your copy sooner rather than later. Even gotcha a frame, on the house.”
He levitated a small silver frame to her. Inside it was a black-and-white still of the foal, the bump on its forehead clearly visible. Ditzy stared for a moment, still not quite believing that this--this--was growing inside her.
Redheart came up alongside her, a soft smile playing on her lips. “Good timing, Blue. Is that one a thunderforged frame?”
He nodded. “Even though you’re probably not gonna be airborne much longer, I guessed you’d want that close at hoof.”
“I--” Ditzy shook her head, offering the frame back. “I’ll just take the picture, I know thunderforged steel’s expensive.”
Redheart put a hoof on her foreleg, pushing the picture back against her chest. “You’ve more than paid for it, Ditzy. It’s on us, okay?”
The pegasus cleared her throat and pulled both of her doctors into a wing-hug. “Thank you both so much, this--this really means a lot to me.”
Code Blue awkwardly patted her on the back. “You’re, um welcome?” He gave a quick awkward cough. “Y’know, your friends are out waiting for you. I bet they’d like to see this as well.”
Ditzy nodded and shifted the picture to her wing, then allowed Redheart to walk her down the hallway, her eyes not rising once from her picture for the entire journey. The occasional soft nudge from her guide kept her from getting too far off track--she only dinged an IV rack once on the way to the front. Even when they stopped, she only realized that they’d arrived when Redheart nudged her.
There were a few ponies waiting in the main lobby, but only three pegasi: Rainbow Dash had taken a seat-cushion near the middle of one section of wall, with Cloud Kicker and Fluttershy on either side of her. Fluttershy looked halfway ready to bolt, given who she was only one ponylength away from, but when the door opened she hurried forward to meet Ditzy. Cloud Kicker, for her part, got up to join them as well, allowing Fluttershy to keep Rainbow between the two of them.
Ditzy balanced her picture on her back to give her friends a wing-hug. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy instantly started looking her over, putting a hoof to her forehead and looking into her wall-eye. “I was so worried when Rainbow Dash told me you were sick! Is the foal okay?”
Ditzy giggled as her friend checked her. “I’m fine--really. It’s just some morning sickness. Just comes as part of the package.”
“I told you two it wasn’t anything to get worked up over,” Cloud Kicker said, an amused smile playing on her lips as she watched Fluttershy be--well, herself.
The smile fell a little when Fluttershy meeped and shrank back. “Sorry.”
Rainbow gave them both a look and kept her body between the two of them. “I wasn’t worried,” she said in a none-too-subtle attempt to change the subject. “I knew Derpy would be cool.”
For her part, Ditzy gave Fluttershy a reassuring nuzzle. “It’s sweet of you. I appreciate it, but really--I’m okay.”
“Okay. If you’re sure...”
“I’m sure.” Ditzy paused as she remembered her recent experience, her eyes misting slightly as she smiled. “In fact, I’m better than sure. I, um ... I got to see it. My foal, I mean.”
Rainbow’s eyes went wide. “Whoa! Really, you can see it already? I mean, you--um, totally look, like not-at-all pregnant.”
For her part, Fluttershy instantly switched gears, instantly coming out of her shell and bouncing around Ditzy like a filly on Hearth’s Warming Morning. “Did you take pictures? Please tell me you took pictures! Was it adorable? Oh, of course it was adorable--it’s your foal!”
“Nice,” Cloud Kicker said with a grin. “So ... any idea what it is?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It’s a foal. Duh. What else would it be?”
“Well of course it’s a foal.” Cloud Kicker gave her a playful smack on the back of the head. “But what kind? Colt or filly? Horn, wing, or hoof?”
Ditzy proudly retrieved her picture frame and pointed to a certain spot. “It’s gonna be a unicorn. You can just make out a bump right … there.”
In a rare moment of assertiveness, Fluttershy pushed her competitors out of the way and--very, very gently--took the frame into her forelegs. “It’s so adorable!”
“Hey!” Rainbow was just a little indignant at the sudden marehandling. “I wanna see too!”
Cloud Kicker frowned as she looked over Fluttershy’s shoulder, her eyes never leaving the barely-a-bump on the tiny skull. “Uh, Derpy? Did you just say it’s a unicorn?”
“Y-yeah,” Ditzy answered, her smile faltering a little. “Um...at that party, he was...” She laid her ears back and found she couldn’t quite finish the sentence. A sudden pressure on her back caught her off-guard, and she turned to see Rainbow and Fluttershy each draping a wing over her.
Cloud Kicker gingerly accepted the picture frame from Fluttershy. “I guess you’ll need to find somewhere else to stay before ... you know. Since it’s not a pegasus.”
“Oh yeah, huh?” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck, leaning against Ditzy slightly to balance herself. “I guess ... you can’t really stay at my place when the foal is born. Not that it hasn’t been totally, one-hundred-percent cool that you’ve been crashing at home, ‘cause it is. Ya just can’t really get thunderforged steel shoes for a foal.”
Ditzy blanched at the thought of hammering horseshoes onto a foal’s hooves. She cleared her throat and hastily changed the subject. “Thank you again for letting me stay, Rainbow, you’ve been a godsend so far. But, yeah, um, I’ve gotta start thinking about … heh, long-term. Gotta go groundside sooner or later.”
“Wanna go halfsies?” Cloud Kicker offered. “I’ve been saving up for a ground-house anyway.”
“Or you could stay with me,” Fluttershy added. “I wouldn’t mind at all.”
Ditzy forced herself not to meet Fluttershy’s enthusiastic, hopeful look--there would be no saying no to her if she met the pleading gaze she knew was plastered on her friend’s face. “I know you both have your own lives, and I really don’t want to step on your hooves. Especially when the foal comes, that’ll be a pretty big... deal...”
Cloud Kicker passed the picture off to Rainbow. “You’d be saving me money on a new place too, so it wouldn’t be the that bad. Besides, having somepony else around to help take care of the foal would be a good idea.” She grinned as she recalled some of the antics from her family’s compound. “Hay, sometimes back home it took the entire clan to handle things.”
“I’d love to have you all around when--well, when it’s more than me, but I know this is gonna be... big. Like, long-nights and stuff big. Even before then I don’t wanna be in the way.” Ditzy looked her friend in the eye. “You’ve got an entire clan to deal with, this’d just be me. I wouldn’t say no to having you around, but I’m not gonna ask you to let me get underhoof.”
“And what if Eep—er Fluttershy,” Cloud Kicker quickly corrected herself. “I mean, what if we want to have you underhoof?” She hardly seemed surprised when Fluttershy nodded in agreement.
Dizty let go of Rainbow to hug the other mares. “It’s not just wanting me underhoof, it’s--having a foal around, too. Everything’ll change--your visits, Cloudy, or Fluttershy’s animals, they’re all gonna have to work around our needs.” My needs, food, job stuff, and when it’s born, feedings, late-night stuff...” She quickly found herself leaning against them for support as her legs turned to jelly. “Goddess, I don’t even know what else yet. I haven’t even started thinking that far ahead.”
Rainbow put the picture aside as the three of them walked Ditzy to a seat-cushion. “We’ll help you. You know we’ll be there whenever you need it.”
“Damn right we will,” Cloud Kicker said with a nod. “You think we’re gonna stop being your friends just because it’s a little inconvenient?”
A pair of grey wings pulled them all close. Ditzy fought back tears as she hugged her friends, overwhelmed by just how much they were offering her. “Th-thank you so much.”
Cloud Kicker let Ditzy rest her head on her shoulder, gently nuzzling her. “No problem, Derpy.”
They remained like that for a while as Ditzy held them. She didn’t say anything beyond the occasional sniffle or cough, nor did anypony else. They didn’t need to. Redheart eventually came by once with a box of tissues, which Ditzy gratefully accepted.
“S-so, um...” She broke the hug to wipe her eyes. “Now that, um ... I’m gonna try to figure something out, okay? I really, really appreciate what you’ve all offered here, but I don’t wanna step on your hooves unless I really need to. Not on my own, but I gotta start owning up to this.”
Cloud Kicker nodded. “Wanna try to make your own way? Alright, I guess I can understand that.”
“Yeah, I can respect that too.” Rainbow didn’t quite hide her own tissue in time, earning a knowing chuckle from Cloud Kicker. “We just want what’s best for you and your foal.”
Fluttershy, however, wasn’t quite as sold as the rest of her friends. “But... it’s going to be so hard! Are you sure I can’t help out? I have a bed I’m not using, as long as I sleep on the couch.”
Ditzy tried her hardest not to giggle. “Thanks--really, thanks. You’re always welcome, all of you. At my house.”
Fluttershy shook her head, still not quite convinced. “But how would you pay for it? Not to say you’re not capable of fending for yourself but a house is a lot of money.”
“It turns out I, uh, didn’t need to pay for this medical stuff out of pocket.” Ditzy ran a tired hoof across her forehead. “It’s a--a stupid thing I didn’t think of. Still, I can start saving for a ground-house now, right?”
“Yeah, you could,” Cloud Kicker said, “but they aren’t cheap. Even with the bits I’ve got from months of work and what I had saved up from before, I’m only about halfway there myself.”
Rainbow cocked her head. “Like, how much would it cost for a ground-house?”
“The place I’m looking at runs about sixty thousand bits, and it’s pretty much just bachelorette pad. Not really a lot of room for raising a foal.”
“And that’s one bedroom...um....” Ditzy’s eyes went wide as she tried to sort out the math behind that. “Oh feathers.”
Cloud Kicker nodded. “S’why I was willing to share. Picking up a three bedroom place would be cheaper than both of us getting our own house.”
“Sheesh, that is a lot, isn’t it?” Rainbow rubbed her chin. “Makes me glad I stuck with clouds, ground-houses are expensive.”
“Yeah, no kidding.” Cloud Kicker offered Ditzy a sympathetic look. “Sucks to not have any of that family money, doesn’t it?”
“I can make it work.” From her tone of voice, not even Ditzy could say she believed herself.
“We can at least look and see what’s out there, right?” Rainbow offered. “Maybe there’s like a sale somewhere.”
Cloud Kicker shuffled her wings and nodded again. “I’m already keeping an eye on the market for myself. Wouldn’t be hard to look for for something for you as well.”
“It can’t be much different than finding an air lot to park my house,” Rainbow said.
“It’s far more than air rights,” Fluttershy replied. “There’s furniture to consider, as well as bills and rent, and... Ditzy? Are you okay?”
Ditzy tried to nod, shaking in her friend’s grasp. “Oh goddess, I really didn’t think this through... That’s a lot of stuff to pay for.”
Cloud Kicker instantly sat down beside her. “Look, you’ll be fine Derpy.” She took a deep breath, and then very slowly added. “Worst case, I could always make up with my folks in exchange for getting you some help.”
“I won’t ask you to do anything like that for me.” Ditzy let out a long sigh, extending a grateful wing to rest on Cloud Kicker’s shoulder. “My brother’s still talking to me, I’ll write him and see what we can work out.”
“I’ll keep an eye on the housing market too,” Fluttershy offered. “I use a lot of newspapers for the birdhouses anyway, I’ll just double-check them before I change them out.”
Rainbow nodded. “Yeah, we have months to figure things out. We’ll find something that works for ya.”
Ditzy’s grateful reply was cut off by a low growl from her stomach. Stupid morning sickness. So far she hadn’t been able to eat anything. Still, now that she was well away from the smell of (ulp) haybacon, she might have a chance of keeping something down. “Y’know, um, Cloudy … I know you and Rainbow have weather stuff to get back to, but if you girls can spare a little more time, I’m kinda hungry again.”
Rainbow shrugged away Ditzy’s apologetic look. “Sure, no prob. We’ll just take an early lunch.”
Cloud Kicker went ahead of the group and opened the door for them. “So, foodward bound, then?”
“Mmm, definitely.” Ditzy wrapped a wing around Fluttershy and Rainbow both, taking care not to pull them too tightly against her stomach. “I wonder if Pinkie’s finished working on those apple-and-kumquat muffins yet?”
“I’m sitting on the opposite side of the table from Derpy if muffins are on the menu.” A small smile played on Cloud Kicker’s lips as she spoke. “Makes life less complicated.”
“I only ran you over the one time,” Ditzy grumbled, though she couldn’t quite suppress a grin of her own.
Rainbow smirked at the memory. “It was only the one time too, ‘cause after that nopony ever sat next to you when they were having muffins.”
Ditzy was about to reply when she saw a pair of ponies coming their way. She moved aside to let them pass and froze as she recognized them: Sticks and Stones. Cloud Kicker and Rainbow Dash glared at them as they passed by, and Fluttershy protectively stepped in front of Ditzy.
Sticks limped past them, his back right leg stiffly working to propel him towards the hospital. A faint odor of burn cream emanated from his flanks, which were liberally wrapped in gauze down to his knees. The yellow stallion kept his gaze on the ground, ears pressed against his skull as he shuffled past. His companion wasn’t in much better shape, but he glared at all four mares as he passed by, matching Cloud Kicker’s gaze as he hobbled past.
For her part, Cloud Kicker ‘accidentally’ stuck out a hoof, sending him sprawling to the ground. “Sorry about that, Stoney. Here, lemme help you.”
Stones didn’t quite bite back a whimper as she hauled him up by his bandaged rear.
“Cloud Kicker!” Ditzy shouted.
Cloud Kicker put on a look of perfect innocence. “Just helping him out. It’d be a shame if he went and got himself hurt doing something stupid, wouldn’t it?” Sunlight glinted off of her horseshoe as she gave him a helpful smack on the rump.
“Yes, goddess damn you!” Stones screamed, wiggling in her grasp. “I already told you we’ll leave her alone!”
Fluttershy looked away, pretending not to hear anything while pointedly stepping in front of Ditzy’s line of sight. Rainbow, on the other hoof, looked eager to offer Stones her own ‘encouragement.’ Instead, she just whistled and joined Fluttershy as they waited for Cloud Kicker to finish. Cloud Kicker, for her part, pulled Stones aside and whispered to him before sending him on his way with another spank.
With the two bullies well on their way, the four mares resumed their trek. Ditzy cast one look backwards, feeling a bit put off. “What happened to them? Did I smell burn cream?”
Cloud Kicker pulled her a bit closer with her wing. “Remember that lightning cloud that went rogue the other day?” she asked. “Well, now we know where it went.”
“Huh.” Rainbow shuffled her wings. “So that’s where it went.”
“I hear those clouds can be awful mischievous when they get loose,” Fluttershy agreed with a small nod.
Ditzy shot a horrified look at Cloud Kicker. “You didn’t!”
“Dunno what you’re talking about there, Derpy,” Cloud Kicker shrugged. “You know me. Not a thought in my head other than who I’m gonna bang next.”
Her growling stomach cut off any attempt from Ditzy to make her worries known, but as the four of them made their way to Sugarcube Corner, she reminded herself yet again to never get on Cloud Kicker’s bad side.
A good meal and a hard day of work went a long way to help Ditzy bury her concerns. Sugarcube Corner was back in business, the worst of the damage having already been repaired a few days after the incident, and the day’s workload was a fairly light one. Since the local farmers were in the middle of their harvests, the need for irrigation had largely passed. As such, most of the weather team’s responsibilities fell to dealing with the feral weather blowing in from the nearby Everfree Forest, though the wild climate seemed to be in a cooperative mood.
Ditzy had spent most of the day with Rainbow, idly cruising over the western border of Sweet Apple Acres, where the farm and the forest were separated by a familiar dirt path. She idly wondered how Fluttershy managed on her own, living as far away as she did; Ditzy could only just make out part of her cottage from the air, right at the edge of the weather team’s workzone. In fact, she was fairly sure that a certain manager had extended the region just for that one cottage...
Speaking of Rainbow, Ditzy turned in time to watch her tackle the last cloud in the area. She circled around it in a multicolored blur, packing it in on itself tighter and tighter before taking off into the sky. Ditzy just lost sight of Rainbow when her warcry reached her ears. A sudden blue bolt shot down from on high, a Mach cone forming around it as Rainbow picked up speed. She slammed into her target hard enough to vaporise it, sending grape-sized puffs of cloud in all directions. Dizty giggled as little cloudlets pelted her, dispersing with a series of pifts as they made contact.
Rainbow kept going, doing far more aileron rolls than a pony probably should have at those speeds and pulling up with a flourish that belied the literal gravity of the situation. If she had been groundside or seated on a cloud, Ditzy would have stomped her hooves in applause. Since she was airborne, she instead banked right and made her way over.
“Nice one, Rainbow!” she called out.
Rainbow waved back to her, corkscrewing a few more times before leveling out alongside her. “Made that one up myself a bit after I started here. I figured, why send a whole team of ponies when ya just need one?”
“So I was here because...?” Ditzy gave her a knowing look.
“Just wanted to let ya know what you can do when you’re in better flying shape.” Rainbow took the lead, heading back into town. “That stuff’s way too rough for a pregnant mare, but maybe later I could teach you how to do it.”
Ditzy humored her, not entirely sure that Rainbow hadn’t just wanted an audience for her awesomeness. “Maybe, yeah.”
Rainbow waved to a tan earth pony down in the orchards as they passed overhead. “So I was thinking--”
“I thought I smelled something burning,” Ditzy interrupted with a smirk.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Oh laugh it up … anyway, what I was trying to say is that we probably need to figure something out for dinner. I was gonna do chili hay fries, but since greasy stuff seems to set you off...”
Ditzy cleared her throat, the mere mention of grease bringing unwelcome smells to mind. “Yeah, I probably needed to lay off of it anyway. Maybe a fruit salad or something?”
If Rainbow was disappointed by the lack of greasy goodness, she didn’t show it. “Sure! I needed to stop by the office to pick some stuff up, so we’ll just grab everything at the market while we’re in town.”
Ditzy nodded and banked slightly to correct her course. She’d left her saddlebags at the city hall anyway, so it would all be an easy round trip. The two of them flew in silence, occasionally waving to the ponies below them as they headed back into town.
The Ponyville City Hall wasn’t too hard to spot even from a distance, and once the two mares were overhead it was just a question of landing. Enough weather ponies came and went that the architects had designed a small runway at the back of the building which by law had to be clear of any non-pegasi during working hours. Rainbow made a precision insertion just outside of the door, while Ditzy gave herself the entire length of the runway to slow down for a landing. Ever since her quite literal run-in with Pinkie Pie, she’d been careful to give herself more room than she thought she’d need.
This time around, though, she was able to bring herself to a stop well short of where she thought she’d be, and hastily cantered to her friend. “Sorry about the wait.”
“Ah, no worries.” Rainbow stretched her wings, then went to get the door for her. One of the stallions beat her to it. “Oh, cool. Thanks, ‘lane.”
“Thank you!” Ditzy chirped, following Rainbow in as far as the main hallway. Rainbow took a left to head to her office, while Ditzy turned right to head to the mares’ locker room.
She stepped under one of the the shower heads and pressed a tile in the wall to start the water. A gasp escaped her lips as icy-cold water sprayed down, hastily pulling the temperature lever towards the ‘Warm’ side of the selection. The water quickly adjusted, and before long Ditzy let out a contented sigh as her soreness ebbed and washed away. She stepped up and closed her eyes, feeling her coat and feathers plaster against her body.
Several minutes passed in relative silence as she circled in place, working the kinks out of her back bit by bit. Her wings opened instinctively for further relief. She wasn’t out of shape by any stretch, even with her recent increase in appetite, but life amid the noble families in Canterlot was far more sedate than the blue-collar lifestyle Ditzy found herself in. Her muscles has been less and less sore at the end of the day as time passed, but she still had a ways to go to catch up to even Cloud Kicker or Raindrops.
After groping blindly for a moment, she found a hoof-sized panel alongside the temperature lever and pressed it. Given the torrents already coming down on her body, she smelled rather than felt the soap mix in with the hot water--a subdued but pleasing scent of sage. The main door opened several times as mares entered and left, but the water held Ditzy’s attention until she heard Rainbow call out to her. “Hey Ditzy. You doing okay?”
Ditzy wiped her eyes and turned to see Rainbow set her saddlebags on a bench. “Yeah, I’m good.” She closed her wings to let her friend-cum-boss use the showerhead beside her. “Bit tired, though. The area near Fluttershy’s place didn’t seem that far away last time around.”
“Getting a little weighed down?” Rainbow teased, though a hint of concern flashed in her eyes.”If you want, I can post you someplace closer to the office. You know, so you don't have to fly as far.”
“I already told you I'm okay, Rainbow.” Ditzy let the pressure off of the shampoo pedal and started scrubbing the bugs out of her mane. “Mares can keep going until a few days before they give birth, from what Redheart's told me. 'sides, I still gotta exercise.”
“I guess. But the second you feel like it's too much, tell me.”
“I will, I will.” Ditzy braced again to step up towards the showerhead. “I swear, you’re as much of a mother hen as Fluttershy some days.”
Rainbow flicked a wingful of water at her. “You take that back.”
“Oh don’t you start with that!” Ditzy said, flicking her in return.
“Oh yeah, whatcha gonna do about it? Rainbow took the challenge to heart and stood on her hindlegs, flapping in place and--well, showering her friend.
Ditzy tried to respond in kind, but she couldn’t match the volume of mist Rainbow’s well-toned wings could generate. Instead, she thought back to a trick from Flight Camp and opened her mouth under the spray, collecting water until her cheeks bulged out like a chipmunk. She closed an eye and took aim, smirking at Rainbow’s look of horrified recognition before taking the entire mouthful of water to the face.
“Gotcha!” Ditzy grinned triumphantly and reached a hoof upwards and tilted her showerhead, further drenching Rainbow.
Still sputtering, Rainbow reached up and returned the gesture. Before long, the two of them were laughing like schoolfillies, heedless of the increasing number of mares staring as their waterfight intensified. Rainbow tilted her showerhead just a little higher, arcing the stream right into Ditzy’s face; Ditzy brought a hoof up to shield herself, leaning against the wall to brace herself. Unfortunately, she happened to lean right against a particular lever, sliding it until the temperature marker was firmly in the blue.
“HOLY FEATHERS--COLDCOLDCOLD!!” Rainbow yelped, her wings snapping shut against her sides. “You wanna play that way? All right bubblebutt, take this!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Ditzy cried in a doomed attempt to save herself. “That was totally an accidAAAAHAOOOHOHOO!!!” She dropped to all fours, shielding herself with her wings as she cut off her water flow. “Aaah! Gaaaah that’s cold, no more!”
Rainbow grinned triumphantly, holding the stream for a few seconds longer before she suddenly felt the disapproving look from every mare in the locker room. Even as Ditzy’s friend, apparently good-natured teasing could only go so far when a pregnant mare was involved. It was like one vast, silent, X-chromosomal agreement that she’d missed. Probably because she’d slept through it or something like that. She hastily killed the water flow and was about to offer Ditzy a towel when the door burst open. Cloud Kicker’s wings were already unfurling as she cantered into the locker room.
“And there I go getting my hopes up about all that shrieking when it’s just you two having a water fight.” She shook her head good-naturedly even as her wings straightened out. “For shame, leading a mare on like that.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Not everything’s about your kind of fun, you know.”
“For shame,” Cloud Kicker said again. “Anyway, I remembered to grab a few papers on the way back from the Carrot property.”
“Anything new?” Ditzy asked, her question partially muffled as she dried her mane off.
“A few things, yeah.” Cloud Kicker reached into her saddle bags and pulled out a stack of papers.
“Ooh, thanks!” Ditzy’s mane stood on end as she pulled the towel off of her head. “I haven’t had a lot of luck yet with the ads I’ve looked at.”
“I've got ads for a couple of places too,” Rainbow reminded her.
Cloud Kicker smiled. “Cool. Maybe we can both find something today. ‘Cause that’s kinda the point here, boss.”
“I still found more of ‘em,” Rainbow muttered.
“Deflate that big head of yours, Dash,” Cloud Kicker chided.
Ditzy rolled her eyes at them, tapping a hoof impatiently. “Did any of the places look big enough for me?”
“All of ‘em, really,” Rainbow said. “You’re not going to need the ‘wide load’ entrance for a while.”
Cloud Kicker cuffed her on the back of the head. “Real sensitive, boss. Look, keep an eye out for some stuff for me, okay? I’ll be with you two in a bit.”
“‘A bit’?” Ditzy arched an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with now?”
Cloud Kicker jerked her head towards a mare who smiled at her from a half-enclosed shower stall. “Medley’s been eyeing me since I got here. I’ll join you two later.” She winked at them and trotted away, giggling loudly as a teal hoof shot out and dragged her inside.
Rainbow blushed and cantered towards the door, Ditzy close behind her. “C'mon, let’s see if we can finish up before she does, for a change.”
“Might not be hard at this rate,” Ditzy said as several other mares followed Cloud Kicker into the steamy confine.
Rainbow groaned and hurried out. “C’mon, it’s your turn to make dinner. Once we’re done here, muffins await!” She laughed as Ditzy wiped a bit of drool from her mouth. “Jeez, at this rate I wouldn't be surprised if your foal ended up being half-muffin, with how many of them you go through.”
Ditzy smiled and stroked her side as she walked. “Heh, you say that as if it's all I eat. I get fruits and veggies too.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but most of those are crammed into muffins.”
“Well I'm still getting them,” Ditzy shot back. She felt a friendly wing on her back.
“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow gave her friend a gentle squeeze. “I’ll tease ya, but you’re really taking care of that little filly or colt.”
“It's nice to have help. Even if you are a bit of a mother hen,” Ditzy added with a playful wing-nudge.
“I am not!” Rainbow said, said, though she didn’t nudge her back.
“Says the mare who won't let me near the stove-cloud.”
“Because I've seen you set clouds on fire.”
“Technically the cereal was on fire,” Ditzy countered. “And it was just the one time. And I was in a hurry to get out the door.”
“Uh-huh,” Rainbow shook her head. “Tell you what, I'll help pay for some cooking lessons after the foal's born. Either that or sign the kid up for emergency fire-fighting lessons.” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “Probably both, given who it’ll be taking after.”
Ditzy snorted. “Thanks, but you've spent way more than enough on me already.”
“It's what friends are for,” Rainbow said, giving her another squeeze.
“Yeah, banks too.” Ditzy’s smile froze ever so slightly. “Seriously, I know I've gone through a lot of food since you let me crash at your place.”
“You needed it, I had it, end of story,” Rainbow said in a firm tone.” You don't owe me a thing.”
“It's still not fair to you,” Ditzy insisted. “Even with what I chip in, I've cleaned out your ice-cloud more than a few times.”
“Look, drop it. It's just food--if you didn't eat it, it'd just stay in my ice-cloud until I threw it out.”
“It's bits too! A lot of them.”
Rainbow thought for a moment, and when she spoke again her words came out a lot more deliberately. “Bits come and go. Friends are more important. 'sides, I woulda just spent them on Wonderbolts shows and stuff. Spending them on you and your kid … that's a way better investment.” She looked around to make sure to make sure nopony was in earshot. “And … honestly? It feels a lot better spending it on somepony else than just doing stuff alone.”
Ditzy choked and smiled at her friend through misty eyes. “Thanks again, Rainbow. I know you're not the type of pony to give up on a friend, but hearing that still means a lot to me.”
Rainbow gave her one last squeeze as they trotted up to an empty table, then let go and grabbed a seat-cushion for Ditzy before she let her sit down.
“Mother hen,” Ditzy teased again, though she couldn’t deny to herself how nice it felt to have the extra padding. “C'mon, I wanna see some of the places you've found!”
Rainbow sat down on the other side of the table and split the pile of advertisements between them. She sorted out the ones that were obviously outside of Ditzy’s price range and passed the rest her way. Ditzy occasionally reached for them while working through her own pile. Her eager smile quickly gave way to a neutral frown as she tossed more and more on the floor beside her. Finally, she held onto one long enough to give it a second lookover.
“This one isn’t too bad.”
Rainbow accepted the advertisement from Ditzy, wincing as she read the description. “C'mon--that place?”
“It's a--it's a fixer,” Ditzy offered weakly.
Rainbow’s eyes focused on the phrase ‘Mild issue with load-bearing wall(s).’ “Fixer-upper? You're kidding me.”
Ditzy tried to smile. With that kind of rent, I'd have money left over for home projects.” She glanced back at the paper in her friend’s hooves. “A lot of them.”
Rainbow sighed. “Let's just keep looking.”
“Yeah.” Ditzy gingerly took the paper back from Rainbow and put it in her small pile to her right. “Wow, um, real estate's doing pretty well in Ponyville, huh?”
“It’s a growing town,” Rainbow said as she set another application aside. “S’close enough to Canterlot to make travel easy, but far enough that it isn't too crowded or expensive.”
The two mares sifted through the papers in silence for a while, their respective pile of rejects growing ever larger. Rainbow saw Ditzy’s frown grow a little more as she tossed aside yet another application. “Sooooo...” she drew the word out, simultaneously trying to distract her friend and buy time to think. “You thought about a name?”
Ditzy shrugged, only partially paying attention. “Well, I was just gonna call the place 'home'--it's not exactly the Doo Manor.” She realized from Rainbow’s stifled laugh that she hadn’t been talking about the house.
“I’m sure ‘Doo Manor’ will look great on the birth certificate,” she said with a laugh.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ditzy reached a wing across the table to nudge Rainbow, but then sat back to think for a moment. “I really don't know... there haven't been any non-pegasi in my family for a long time, and I can't really choose a name anyway if I don't know if it's a colt or a filly.”
“Rainbow's a good name. Nice and gender-neutral too--you could always go with ‘Blitz’ if it’s a colt.”
Ditzy giggled and shook her head. “You’re totally shameless. Besides...” she bit her lip pensively. “What if it's white, like him?”
Rainbow frowned. “Oh, yeah. You ever think of trying to get in contact with that guy?”
“...I don't know who he is,” Ditzy admitted after a moment’s pause. “Before that party, I’d only seen him a few other times on campus.”
“Surely you know somepony who knows him or a friend of his or something. A teacher or...” Rainbow stopped herself mid-sentence. “Do you … y'know, want him to be part of this?”
“No idea.” Ditzy shook her head, then forced a grin onto her lips. “And, uh, don't call me 'Shirley.'”
Rainbow could help but snort at that. “That was terrible, and you should feel terrible.”
Ditzy’s smile became less forced, and even grew a little bit as she found another one for her small pile of acceptable offers. “This one's a bit small for me, but Cloud Kicker might like it.”
“Huh,” Rainbow offered neutrally. “Were you seriously thinking of sharing a place with her?”
“Well, she offered, so maybe for a bit. Y’know, keep us both on our hooves until she can find her own place.”
Rainbow ran a hoof through her mane, casting a poorly-hidden backwards glance. “Hope she doesn't bring company home too much.”
“I was thinking that too. I don't wanna get in her way, but I dunno how well that would work out for the two of us.” Ditzy’s gaze also traced back to the locker room, where a large group of stallions had gathered outside the door, ears eagerly pressed against the wall. She shared a small smile with Rainbow, then went back to the papers in front of her. Paper after paper was flicked aside until she another one briefly caught her eye. This one’s kinda--oh, that's … wow, never mind.”
“What?”
“Well...” Ditzy reluctantly showed her. “It's nice, but the down payment is massive.”
Rainbow whistled at the figure. “Yeah but … it's nice.”
“It's not bad for a fixer.” She pointed to the description. “Really good, actually, from what it says here.”
Rainbow sighed and rubbed her chin. “I can always put in a little overtime, and I know Cloud Kicker’s good for it.”
Ditzy instantly shook her head. “You've both already given me a lot more money than is fair, and I can't keep going off of hoofouts forever. If I’m gonna support this foal I gotta start supporting myself first.”
“Don't you want the nicest place possible for your foal?”
“I can do a lot of work to the place,” Ditzy argued. “I've got another eight months!”
Rainbow gave an exasperated sigh. “Yeah, and if you stress yourself out doing it that's not good for the foal either, right? So just let us do this and make it easier on all of us.”
“I gotta find a place before I can fix it.” The paper fluttered to the side of the table, and Ditzy reached for another one only for her hoof to scrape across the table. “...feathers. Was that really everything from the last three weeks?”
“Everything I could find plus Cloud’s stuff,” Rainbow said with a nod.
Ditzy dug through her miniscule pile of options and fished out the first one she’d looked at. “It could be homey.”
Rainbow snorted in disbelief. “I think the word is ‘homely.’”
“That too.”
“C'mon, let us help you.” Rainbow gently pushed the advertisement out of Ditzy’s hooves. “That other place is perfect and you know it.
“I can't keep accepting charity, Rainbow. If I'm going to do this I need to be able to support my foal without mooching off of my friends, and you girls don't exactly have my family's funds.”
“This isn't charity--and so what if we're not rich? Big deal,” Rainbow snorted angrily. “We're here for you and they're not.”
The instant those words left her mouth she wished she could take them back; Ditzy whimpered and looked away. Rainbow reached out to her, but drew her hoof back. “Ah, jeez … I’m sorry, that was stupid.”
“Ya thu-think?” Ditzy snapped. She cleared her throat several times before turning back to her friend. “I know you didn’t mean it like that, but … just shut up next time, okay?”
They sat together for a moment, Ditzy’s sides quietly heaving as she worked to force a neutral expression. “I wanna go home, Rainbow. But I can’t.” Her hoof traced across the papers in front of her. “So I have to get a new one. That hurts.”
Rainbow got up and sat beside her friend, stroking her back. “I’m sorry, okay? I’ll … get food ready tonight, or something.”
Ditzy wiped her eyes before speaking. “I didn’t think we had a lot left, after the haybacon.”
“Oh yeah, huh?” Rainbow’s ears perked as a thought hit her. “Wait, how are we out of food again? We just stocked up three days ago!”
“Yeah, well I’m not the only one raiding the ice-cloud at night,” Ditzy said with a chuckle. She hadn’t meant to burn through a week’s worth of food so quickly, but thus far the closest she’d gotten to stopping herself was when she passed up a jar of pickles. Although that may have been due less in part to her self-control and more because of Cloud Kicker’s alternate suggested uses for them.
Cloud Kicker had a tendency to ruin food like that.
Ditzy reached for her saddlebags, only to see Rainbow buckling them in place around her. “You know I can carry groceries too, right?”
“Uh-huh,” Rainbow murmured, either ignoring or oblivious to the fact that she looked like she’d been packed into a very large haydog bun. “I also know you’re not supposed to strain yourself.”
“It’s just food,” Ditzy grumbled, although she could tell from the way Rainbow was politely ignoring her that there was no changing her mind.
“Really? You think you can carry that much food by yourself?”
Rainbow opened her mouth to argue back, then scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Since you put it that way, there actually is something you can do for me.”
Ditzy instantly perked up. “Yeah?”
“I need you go find Fluttershy or Cloud Kicker to lend me a hoof. And walk or fly really slowly when you go get them, ‘kay?”
Ditzy’s frustrated groan followed Rainbow all the way to the door.
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Awesome update is awesome. Just the right amount of d'aww and friendbonding.
Lots of great moments in this one. More Derpy trying to get her poor life in order. Just no breaks at all.
Nice one. I was actually about to go to bed when this came up, so I was like "I don't have time for this one tonight..." And less than a moment later, I was like, "Yeah, I do."
The hospital scene was adorable.
That was fantastic! Totally worth waiting! I'm looking forward for more updates soon
All the winning. Also, I really feel sorry for anypony walking under Dash's house while Derpy was staying there
This update wasn't in my inbox, I saw it on the feature page. It's happened three times before now, and I wanna make sure it's just a glitch on my part.
It'd be interesting to meet the father. I don't suppose that he'll stick around, but it'd be unfair to judge him until he actually has screen time (as it were).
1941496
not sure it was from you, I got the same problem
anyway a really nice chapter
just a thing : the following text is written 2 times
“Would you mind?” Ditzy blurted out. She rubbed the back of her head and gave an embarrassed little laugh. “S-sorry, I um … if you don’t mind, I’d like a copy of that last one.”
Code Blue chuckled as he and Redheart helped Ditzy back into a sitting position. “You’d be surprised how often I get asked that. I’ll get a copy made for you while you two finish up here.”
1941519
When I mark it as unread it shows up there. Must be publishing glitches (and I have experienced quite a few, especially with unpublished chapters).
Chock up another well written chapter to Comma-Kasie! The only thing that I noticed/that kinda bugged me was that Flutters seemed really at ease around Cloud Kicker for this early on in the Winniverse timeline. Or did the whole 'Ditzy is having a foal' thing take precedent over other issues?
1941519
Ach, damn gderps. Thanks for letting me know.
1942075
Fluttershy is gearing towards Nurture Mode. By this point, she'd share a cave with a dragon, then guilt it into moving out to make room.
Always happy to help. It's nice to see the four of them getting along so well, especially given how strained things have gotten in the present.
1941496
1941519
It's not just you guys, the number of unread chapters in my header bar didn't change when this chapter was published or when I clicked on it.
Happy to help! So much friendship and cuteness!! A really great, tender chapter.
1942946
Fixed, thank you.
Commence read then.
Ha. Code Blue. You're not blue.
It was really nice seeing the sincere side of Rainbow. When she's not thinking about herself, she's genuinely one of the best friends anypony could ask for.
Another awesome chapter!
Minor correction:
Probably should be "didn't"
Caring Dash is always fun to read about. She means really well, but doesn't quite always think things through.
I am still so rooting for the father to eventually (but not in this fic) be revealed to be Shining Armor.
1941435 Hah! I was thinking the same thing after the haybacon incident.
Yay an update! It becomes harder and harder to contain my excitement every time I see an update from one you you guys.
Oh please, PLEASE tell me that Dinkys father isnt who I think he is.....
See, now you're just being mean, CK.
Can't wait for next chapter!!
1943624
Fixed, thank you!
Welp, I've been personally called upon to comment, so here goes!
It is definitely interesting to see a story from Derpy's POV because she plays such a pivotal role in Life and Times. I am curious to see how her relationship with Cloud Kicker transforms from 'old friends' to whatever it can be classified as in Life and Times, and also to see if that transformation is even within the scope of this story. Either way, seeing Derpy's integration into Ponyville society will be great because she is canonically an entrenched and accepted local figure.
Also, I wonder how the possible Shining Armor dynamic might play a part.
Now, all of that was conjecture and curiosity about the future of this story. That's simply because the story's only just getting started. I can't wait to see it continue!
Great chapter! The only thing that bugs me is the thought of ponies getting morning sickness. Horses are supposed to be incapable of vomiting, though I suppose canon proper already proved that ponies can with the baked bads incident... Whatever, I'm just being nitpicky.
Interesting...
Yes! Yes! Yes! It LIVES!!
I started following this back in October, but ended up removing it from my reading list at the end of December. I figured the story had been abandoned after ~3 months with no updates.
I am glad to be proven wrong.
I really enjoyed the scene with Ditzy and the sonogram. (Code Blue - pfffftt
) Nothing like seeing Baby's first moves and realizing "Lieber Gott! We just created a new person!", followed closely by "Bohze Moi! What if they end up like me?!". Very touching.
Those pickles may be conveniently sized and shaped for those types of activities, but they are steeped in brine and vinegar. No good could possibly come from that no matter how horny you are. (Maybe if you had some sort of Johnny Cash fetish...)
that is all
i573.photobucket.com/albums/ss173/blackjack0202/BisonYes.png
An excellent read! I've been having a ton of fun reading the various Winningverse stories and this is no exception.
Update
This story is so consistently brilliant I'm surprised I haven't gone blind yet
An update! Commence the YES button! Activate the "Reading Mode Squee"! (Yeah, I'm totally being a mature, grown-up person when reading these kinda stories).
And it was glorious!
Now I can hardly wait for how Ditzy comes up with the name.
Also,
Reading though this, I can see the similarities to The Life and Times Of A Winning Pony... Cloud Chaser for the most part...
I like the meme throw-ins as well.... "That joke was bad, and you should feel bad"
Excellent work, I read though this when Chapter 2 came out.
Interesting story, very enjoyable read. Well-written, good grammar and pacing. Interesting subject matter, too, a mundane and serious issue, very interesting. Looking forward to seeing progress. And not just because my favorite pony is the central character.
Good portrayal of Rainbow Dash, too - always nice to see her demonstrate why she qualified for Loyalty, and not just a one-dimensional jock tomboy. I like fics where she has a friendly relationship with Derpy/Ditzy. And it's all kinds of hilarious seeing her coming to terms with suddenly being an adult in an adult world. (Being myself fresh outta college, I can relate.)
Oh, and an interesting tidbit of info: Morning sickness is actually a defense mechanism against suspected toxins and the like. It's essentially the body saying "Get that junk outta here before it gets to the baby!" Yes, a mother's body will protect her baby better than it protects itself. Isn't life grand?
This chapter drove me to tears... The portion in the hospital... The touching moment between Ditzy and Dashie on the way to the restaraunt... Even the fun moment in the showers!
Oh Celestia! This is by far the best chapter... As i said, the Hospital scene was well written.
However, it gripped my heart hard when she finally got to see her baby! TwT
Well written good sir...
I really hope this updates again sooner rather than later. I have no Idea why, but there is something about a pregnant pony story. There just so damn adorable and a good level of drama is always thrown in. Plus it's where ponies come from which is most certainly not a bad thing.
Argh!, I didn't get the update notice!
WHY!!!
Anyway, this was my face pretty much the whole chapter >
Until the ultrasound.
pinkie.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw2883-Rainbow_Dash_leg_wiggle_1.gif
That was so. Fucking. Adorable.
Have an adorable Derpy.
denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw7539-FillyDerpy.icantstopwatchingit_77470b_3990615.gif
Need more update and sooner, and I love the story
1966605 I love ur cute derpy
1943975 Who do you think it is?
1983184 I think, or better I FEAR, it's Blueblood...
1984603 O-oh. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! NONONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!! WE CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN!!!! WE'LL BOYCOTT IF WE HAVE TO!!!meep...
1987839 if it really is him then its too late for that anyways^^ lol
When i first found this, it was one in a million stories i was browsing through.
After reading it, it was awesome.
Also, I need more
so much daw it almost exploded my heart. the seen with the ultrasound
this is the second time a fanfic has made me cry. liked
typo
Inappropriate quotation mark.
Missing quotation mark.
Is this a Simpson reference I see?
Missing quotation mark again, you seem to miss a lot of those, don't you?
I accidentally my sentence. Also, yet another quotation mark missing.
Anyway, solid chapter. As a whole, the chapter was heartwarming.
I look forward to the next chapter.
Screw being at work right now, I lol'ed at that.
Minor typos.
Great story love what this whole group of winningverse stories does to put a spin on the norm. look forward to more chapters and other stories.
I had to look up "friend-cum-boss" before I said anything. Great chapter, great story!
Am I the only one who really doesn't like Cloud Kicker?
1989788
Hope it's Shining. Really, really hope it's Shining. It might be a little awkward, but it'd be a fun read. Kicky doesn't like Shining, Twi doesn't like Kicky, Dinky's Shining's foal, Cadence doesn't even have her own foal by Shining yet. Hoo, that's some GOOD drama and resolution if it is.
If it's Blueblood... well, fuck Blueblood. Assassinate that sumbitch.
YES. Passively vindictive Fluttershy is possibly the only Fluttershy I -really- like.