A/N: this was written as a gift for JakeHeritagu (Author of the Silent Ponyville series and the Pregnant Scootaloo Tumblr) after chatting with him for hours during a livestream session. Watching the newest update of Pregnant Scootaloo take shape under his talented hands was a delight. I highly recommend the tumblr if you like Scoots, because he’s got her personality down.
PS. I am still working on ‘Of Muffins and Tales’ but I just had to write this for him. XD
~*~*~*~*~
Scootaloo wasn’t quite sure what had woken her. She shifted uncomfortably, her fetlocks achy and swollen. Some nights were like this; her changing body making rest nearly impossible. She rose from the comfortable bed Fluttershy had settled her in and wandered to the window of the tiny hut. She pushed her bangs out of her eyes and realized that the window was fogged up. A swipe of her hoof cleared the glass and she was greeted by the sight of black clouds looming. It had been hot and muggy this morning, but she hadn’t expected a storm. Weren’t the weatherponies supposed let ponies know when they were planning a massive storm like this one looked to be?
“Celestia’s nipples, can’t they do one thing right when I’m not there?” grumbled a sleepy voice behind her.
Scootaloo wasn’t sure whether she was more amused by the profanity or Dash’s bedhead. The rainbow-striped mane was sticking up every which way and there was a stray brown-speckled feather behind one ear. “What do you mean?”
Dash yawned and scrubbed a hoof through her mane. “This storm wasn’t supposed to be scheduled till tomorrow night, so we’d get enough rain for the crops.”
“Oh.” Scootaloo shook her head. “Does it matter so much if it’s just a day early?”
Dash shrugged, “Depends. If it was hay season, it’d be bad, ‘cause the hay needs to cure in the sun and not get rained on. Corn’s gotta have just the right amount of water, and carrots can’t get too much or they’ll rot in the ground when it’s too wet.”
Scootaloo blinked. “Wow, I didn’t know all that.”
Dash chuckled sheepishly. “When you’re friends with ponies Like Twilight and Applejack, you kinda pick things up whether you like it or not.”
Scootaloo stretched her achy legs out, one by one. “I’m sorry if I woke you, Dash. Sometimes I have to get up and move around.” She used a hoof to rub her distended belly. “This little guy won’t always let me sleep.”
Dash’s ears pricked and she glanced at Scootaloo’s swollen belly. “Is the baby restless?” Her voice was surprisingly eager.
Scootaloo ducked her head, embarrassed. “Um, not right now. He’ll start waking up close to dawn and kicking me to make sure I know it’s time to get up.” She rubbed a spot low on her stomach. “Right now, I think the foal’s using my bladder as a pillow. Excuse me.”
~*~*~*~*~*~
When she came out of the bathroom, Dash was standing by the window where she had been, forehead furrowed as she stared out at the looming storm.
“Dash?” Scootaloo asked. “What’s the matter?”
Dash’s ears flickered to catch her voice before returning to lie flat against her skull. “You weren’t the one that woke me, Scoots,” she muttered, flaring her uninjured wing restlessly. “I heard a noise and when I woke up, I realized Shy was gone.”
“Gone?” Scootaloo couldn’t help but swallow, feeling her heart drop into her stomach. Why would Fluttershy leave in the middle of the night? The timid pegasus didn’t even like to be out after dark most nights, so what would drive her out of her cottage so late? “Was it—?”
Out of nowhere, Dash’s wing whapped her over the head. “Don’t even finish that sentence, kid. She left a note. Said she forgot something at Rarity’s and that it was so important she couldn’t wait till morning.”
Wincing, Scootaloo rubbed her head. “Ow! But, then, why—?”
“—Am I worried? Cause that storm is due to be a nasty one and Shy’s not a strong flier. And with this busted wing I can’t go to her rescue.” Dash tossed her mane out of her eyes in frustration.
“Um, Fluttershy’s smart enough to ground herself if she gets into trouble. She’ll be okay if she walks. Wet but okay.” Scootaloo interjected.
Thunder rumbled outside, rattling the windows and waking Apple Bloom with a frightened squeak. She hid her head under the covers and shivered.
Scootaloo hurried to comfort her, but Dash only grew more agitated. “By Celestia, she’s probably cowering under a bush somewhere at this point! She hates storms like this.” Dash grimaced and pulled the door open against the push of the wind. “You girls stay here; I’m going to go look for her.”
Scootaloo shook her head fiercely. “I’ll help you. Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
Dash scowled down at her. “You are in no condition to go traipsing around in a storm, Scoots!”
Scootaloo forced her pregnant body to stand straight and tall. “I am in perfectly fine condition, and Fluttershy needs our help. I’m going with you, whether you like it or not!” She stamped a hoof and gave the taller mare a better-not-argue-with-me look.”
It was clear Dash was torn between worry for Fluttershy and the need to protect Scootaloo.
Apple Bloom settled it. “Both of y’all get out there. The sooner ya find her, the sooner we can all be safe and dry inside.” The earth pony filly reared up out of her nest of blankets, expression firm. “Ah’ll stay here and let y’all know if she gets back before the two of you.”
Dash flicked her ears in surprise. “And how you gonna do that, squirt?”
Apple Bloom smirked. ”GET GOING!” Her bellow was enough to give Princess Luna’s Traditional Royal Canterlot Voice a run for its bits. “That’s how,” she added in her normal tone.
Scootaloo wasn’t about to give Rainbow Dash a second chance to object and scooted out the door and into the teeth of the storm. Wincing at a gust of wind that lashed rain into her face she glanced back at Dash. “Was this storm supposed to be so wild? I can’t think this is that good for the crops!”
Dash brought her uninjured wing up to shield her eyes. “No,” she shouted back over the roar of the wind. “But this close to the Everfree, there are some untamed weather systems, this storm probably got tangled up with one and brewed up something nasty.” She shook rain off her muzzle. “I think the rest of the Weather Team’s probably up there trying to steer things right now. Hope none of them get hurt too.”
Scootaloo nodded and hunching her shoulders against the storm, trotted up the path, instinctively using her wings to shelter her bulging belly from the worst of the wind and rain. “Fluttershy!?”
Dash shouted too, but all that came back to them was the drumming of the rain, and the lashing wind. They trotted up the path, keeping their eyes open for any sign of the butter-yellow mare.
Thunder crashed so close that they both jumped and that was when Scootaloo heard a small, frightened ‘eep’ in the numbing silence that followed. “Dash, this way!” she shouted, forging off the path and into the underbrush at the very edge of the forest. Mud coated her legs and sucked at her hooves with every step and the branches clawed at her wings and sides.
“Fluttershy!” Dash shouted behind her.
A timid “Here!” came from their left, under the hollow of a long dead tree. Fluttershy was crouched in the small hollow, her wings caped protectively over a tiny fox kit. She looked up as they approached, tears swimming in her eyes. “Scootaloo? Dash?”
“You idiot!” Dash fussed. “You trying to get yourself killed for that ball of fluff?”
Fluttershy’s lower lip trembled but she scooped the fox close to her chest with a scratched and bloodied foreleg. “The thunder startled me and I fell,” she explained. I tumbled down here where I found him all alone and crying. He was scared and I couldn’t leave him.”
Dash heaved a sigh. “Fine, fine. Grab the little guy and let’s get out of here before we all get washed away.”
Limping, Fluttershy inched her way out of the hollow. She settled the fox on her back between her wings and stumbled back toward the path. Once they were out of the trees, Dash sighed and shouldered against Fluttershy, supporting her.
Scootaloo took the other side, arching her wing over the other mare’s back to shelter the quivering fox that peered at her with bright black eyes.
Apple Bloom was waiting for them, holding the door open against the wind. She’d lit a fire in the fireplace and held a heap of towels in the hoof that wasn’t holding the door. “Ah was gettin’ worried,” she said as they stumbled inside, draping towels over any protruding body part she could reach.
Dash shook a soggy forelock out of her eyes, “You’re not the only one.”
When they were all drying in front of the fire, Fluttershy calmed her newest animal friend while Apple Bloom bandaged the older mare’s scraped foreleg.
Dash humphed and wrung water out of her mane and tail. “That’s just like you, Shy,” she grumped. “Get yourself killed for a critter.”
Fluttershy looked up at her friend with a small smile. “I’d do the same thing for you, Dash.”
Dash softened and lay down beside the mare. “I know. Doesn’t mean you’re not soft in the head for it, though.” She tugged on a damp lock of Fluttershy’s pink mane. “What sent you running of in the middle of the night? Couldn’t it have waited until morning?”
Fluttershy eeped and ducked her head. “W-well,” she explained softly. “B-before you two got here, Apple Bloom told me about the fight she and S-Scootaloo had and how she’d gotten so mad she threw away a birthday present she’d gotten for her, because her birthday is the day after tomorrow, right?” she looked at Apple Bloom for confirmation and received a nod in return. “I thought that I could run to Rarity’s and pick up something for her so she’d have time to wrap it and give it to her. I worried about it until I couldn’t sleep and so I figured Rarity would-still-be-up-and-Icouldgetsomethingfromher.” She finished all in a rush, blushing under their scrutiny.
“For me?” Scootaloo asked, blushing. “You didn’t have to do that for me, Fluttershy. You either, Apple Bloom. I was just going to wait until Sandy was done with her new job to celebrate my birthday, cause it’s not that important.”
Apple Bloom scowled at her. “Of course, it’s important, silly! It’s the day one of my best friends was born.”
Fluttershy reached under one of her folded wings and passed a wrapped parcel to Apple Bloom. “I didn’t know if it was something you would pick for her, but Rarity recommended this and I d-didn’t know w-what else to get.”
Apple Bloom took the package and smiled. “Ah’m sure it’ll be fine. Miss Rarity has good taste.” She turned and presented the package to Scootaloo. “Here ya go.”
Scootaloo blinked and ducked her head. “But it isn’t my birthday yet.”
“So?” Apple Bloom frowned. “If Ah want to give it to ya early, that’s my right. Maybe we can consider it mah part of the apology for being mean and angry too. Kay?”
Scootaloo felt tears well in her eyes and reached over. But instead of taking the package, she tugged Apple Bloom into a hug. “I don’t need one of those. I have my friend back.”
Dash chucked and reached over to pick up the package. “Then I’ll take this.”
“Hey!” Both fillies protested indignantly, breaking the hug to glare at her.
Dash laughed and tucked it under her wing. “Just until her birthday. I think I’ll go see Pinky and see if she’s willing to come out here and throw a party.” She mock-glared at Fluttershy. “I’ll wait until morning, though.”
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom laughed at Fluttershy’s bright red face and the way she tried to hide her head under her wing.
~~the end~~