//------------------------------// // Dedication // Story: It takes a village // by Sarcastic Brony //------------------------------// “Again, it was no trouble, Darling,” Rarity says with a small smile. “In fact, it’s rather upsetting to see her go! Why I wouldn’t mind keeping her forever if you asked.” Hearing Rarity say that makes Anon chuckle. He still can’t believe how accepting his friends are. He was sure that at least one of them would be adverse to the whole situation, but that hasn’t been the case. The nervousness of taking care of a child has been calmed, thanks to their attitude. “I’ll be sure to have her visit more often. I think she’ll need to know all the rules of being a proper lady like you when she grows up.” Rarity feels a blush on her face as she smirks at Anon and throws her curl behind her neck. “Well, when you put it that way, I’ll prepare myself to teach her everything I know.” Anon notices Faith yawn a bit in her basket. “Looks like it’s time to head home. Thank you again, Rarity. I hope you and Sweetie Belle enjoy the cupcakes.” “I’m sure Sweetie will be thrilled. Goodnight, Anon. My door is always open, should you need me.” Anon gives Rarity one last nod before heading back toward his home. It’s not very late yet, but he wants to try and adjust a bit with having a child at home. He makes sure she’s all covered up and quickly walks toward his house. Anon makes it home peacefully. Thankfully, the news about his child hasn’t spread just yet; the girls have kept it to themselves so far, and he’s thankful for that. While he knows everyone here in Ponyville is friendly, they can be a bit skittish as well. He just hopes that because his child is, well, a child, that it’ll curb any overreaction that would happen if she were older. Anon shakes these thoughts away. If anything, Twilight will help settle things if they were to get out of hand. Anon decides to trust in his friends and put his problems on the backburner. He walks up to his door and lets himself in. No reason to lock your door in Ponyville; theft isn’t a thing here. However, he does notice that someone has entered his home while he’s been gone. “That you, Anon?” That’s Rainbow’s voice. Not an uncommon occurrence. She likes to stop by and chill at his house from time to time. So he’s not upset by her showing herself in. “Yup!” Anon can hear her walk toward the front door, and as soon as she sees him, her eyes move to the basket he’s holding. “How’s she doing?” she asks. “Fine. Rarity was watching her today and even made her a dress.” Anon walks past Rainbow and into the living room, setting Faith down next to the couch. He falls next to her, exhausted from all the excitement today. However, as he looks over to the basket, he notices Rainbow standing there, looking at his daughter. This is weird for Anon to see, as he can see a confident motherly attitude to Rainbow as she looks at his child with a small smile on her lips. It’s as if Rainbow is in another world. “You ok?” Anon asks. Rainbow breaks out of her daydreaming as she looks at Anon. “What? Oh! Yeah, totally fine. Just wondering if your daughter was alright.” “She’s tired from all the excitement.” Anon leans over and makes sure her blanket if fully covering her. “I think she’ll be fine in the basket for now. You stop by just to see Faith?” Rainbow’s face turns a bit red, but she ignores it as she walks over to the other side of the couch and jumps on top. “N-No... I thought maybe we could hang out some? You know, read or maybe play a game.” Anon lets out a sigh. “It better not be that Daring Do fanfic of yours again.” Now Rainbow is frowning. “I told you that I’m working on it.” “Rainbow, you wrote yourself into the story. That’s one thing, but you also made it to where you save Daring Do from literally everything. It’s completely Mary Sue.” “I said that I’m working on it.” “Well if it’s not that, then what is it?” Rainbow looks away from Anon as she pulls out a book from under her wing and hands it over to him. “I, um, thought this could help.” Anon takes the book Rainbow is holding out for him. He notices how the book looks somewhat weathered, but still in excellent condition. “Raising a foal,” Anon reads the title to himself. “My dad had that book. You know, when mom passed. I don’t know if it helped him when raising me, but I think he did an awesome job.” Anon knows that Rainbow can be very tomboy-like in her everyday life, acting as if things that other mares like aren’t her thing, but in the end, she too is a mare. Anon could see it in how she looked at Faith. It’s a weird, vulnerable side he’s seen mostly when they’re alone. Because of how different Anon is, Rainbow found some comfort in him that she couldn’t find with anypony else. It’s why she’s told him so much about her life and also shared with him some embarrassing stuff too. “Thanks, Rainbow. You’re right; your dad did a great job.” Rainbow looks at Anon with a huge blush on her face before looking away quickly. “N-Now let’s cut the sappy stuff. You making dinner? I’m starved.” Anon shakes his head with a smirk. He’s not surprised. Rainbow, in the end, loves to freeload whenever the opportunity arises. “Yeah, I’ll get ri-” Suddenly Faith starts crying. Anon would say that her sudden cries where the thing to surprise him, but what grabbed his attention was how fast Rainbow jumped out of her seat and moved in front of the basket. She seems concerned, a look the girls had earlier today when Faith started crying. Is this part of that herd stuff Twilight was talking about? “Anon, when’s the last time you fed her?” Rainbow asks. “I think it was when Applejack fed her. I don’t think Rarity fed her.” “This morning?! She’s probably starving!” Dammit... Anon is a bit angry with himself. With his friends helping him so much, he forgot to make sure that his daughter is well taken care of. He needs to make sure she's properly fed, and if she’s anything like a baby from earth, she’ll eat a lot. Not only that, but it’d take more than ten minutes to get to AJ’s place to ask for help. “Applejack is at home, and it’s already getting late,” Anon remarks. “I’ll do it!” Rainbow says without hesitation. “You?” “Yeah? Got a problem with that?” “Rainbow, you understand what you’re asking, right?” Rainbow’s face becomes a bit red. “Yeah, but there’s no other choice, and I’m not going to let you walk her all the way to Applejack’s.” Rainbow doesn’t even wait for Anon to say anything as she gently picks Faith up from her basket, lies on her side just as Applejack did, and sets Faith by her stomach. Anon is a bit shocked by her initiative, but in many ways Rainbow is right. He can’t walk Faith all the way to Applejacks. It’s starting to get cold, and he can’t put her at risk for his mistakes. So Anon keeps his mouth shut and lets Rainbow do her thing. Still, is it working? “Is she, um... You know?” “I don’t knOW!” Rainbow jerks some but settles quickly. “That was surprising. Whoa, this feels weird.” “Did she bite you?” “No, it’s just like, I felt my teats get bigger.” Now Anon feels his face cover in a blush. If Rainbow is anything, it’s blunt. “Are you producing?” Anon decides to use the same line Twilight did. It’s so odd for Anon to be talking about this still and the fact that Rainbow looks sort of zoned out during this process doesn’t help either. “Yeah, totally weird. It’s like I can feel another part of my body working. A part I never knew existed!” “Are you in pain?” She shakes her head. “Not at all. In fact, it feels rather nice. Like I’m, I don’t know, helping to save Equestria or something.” Anon can only assume some complicated brain chemicals are going on that stem from their ancestors. Twilight would probably have good insight on this, but Anon is still shocked that this is happening. “Well... I guess I’ll make dinner for us, seeing as I pretty much owe you for doing this.” “Yeah, I’ll be in when she’s done.” “Alright.” Anon walks away and into the kitchen. This is so weird, and it’s hard for him to grasp the entire concept of what’s happening here. Still, Rainbow is doing him a huge favor. Not just Rainbow, but all of the girls. He has to think up of some way to repay them. Dinner is nice and all, but he wants to go all out and show them how much he appreciates their help. Not only that, but he needs to make sure that all of Faith’s needs are met, whether he’s with her or leaving her with a friend. That’s what a father does, right?