"So you think they're two girls?" Winter asked with a glowing smile on her face.
It was early in the morning as Rainbow Dash was slowly chomping down on some pancakes slathered in hot sauce and ice cream. The blue-coated mare looked somewhat exasperated with bags under her eyes and her mane a frazzled mess. The mare continued to eat her meal with a placid look and seemed to be in a trance. She was still relatively unaware Winter said anything continuing with her meal until Rainbow Dash felt a gentle nudge hit her shoulder. The daredevil then turned her head and looked over to see that Winter was still waiting for an answer, but Rainbow Dash had forgotten the question.
"What did you say?"
"Oh, just wondering if you think we still have girls? or maybe the gender got swapped?"
"Of course, they're fillies," Rainbow mumbled as she finished what was left of her breakfast, chomping down the rest of her food, thinking that it should be evident that her foals will be fillies.
Winter trotted over with concern on her face as she asked, "how can you know?"
"Because….I…I just know! This visit is pointless; I know their gender and tribe will be," Rainbow Dash snapped back, being abit more grouchy than average and not wanting to go to the hospital, especially with the history test of the Wonderbolts hanging over her head.
"Ok, ok," Winter backed off as she stepped back, seeing her marefriend needed a moment. The daredevil didn't mean to snap, but she was more worried about the test she had later on the Wonderbolt Reserves. She wasn't perturbed about it until this week when Twilight basically forced her to study. The daredevil mare has tried to study in her own sense. Still, she was starting to have contractions and pain, the constant morning sickness, and her teats constantly filling up and needing to be milked had her focus split, making that much harder to study. In fact, the mare wasn't feeling confident at all as she placed her hooves over her eyes and cried, "Look, I know what my daughters are. I'm much more worried about the test."
"Right, I know how that might make you feel," Winter replied.
Rainbow Dash nodded as she finished wiping her mouth with a hoof and then drank down some nasty tasting tea that tasted like dirt. She wanted to spit it out, but she remembered how Zecora said it would help her digestion and keep her babies healthy. So Rainbow Dash swallowed the tea down and groaned as it somewhat upset her stomach. She then popped the vitamins in her mouth, swallowed, and rose up, groaning from the aches in her limbs. Rainbow Dash spread out her rather pregnant body then said, "well, I will still do my yoga with Fluttershy to help me relax; I'll be at the hospital after that."
"I'll come with you," Winter chirped.
"Ok, thanks," The pegasus chirped as she fluttered over her marefriend. Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smile. She had always been there for her throughout her pregnancy journey; whenever she felt down or needed her, it was always comforting knowing she'll be there for her. Winter then continued to trot along with the daredevil mare out of her house and flew out into the air as they headed towards Fluttershy's cottage.
After a long relaxing yoga session, Rainbow Dash was lying down on a hospital bed, looking up at the ceiling tiles above her head. She winced, feeling a cold cream being rubbed all over her rather sensitive pregnant belly even though the initial shock did feel good after a minute of a screen nearby showing two grey blobs moving about. The mare was feeling somewhat stunned, seeing her foals looking now with tiny wings. Nurse Redheart took a hoof to her face. It was a lot to take in, seeing how they were growing relatively fast and how adorable they looked with the two foals curled up next to each other.
Nurse Redheart squinted at the screen, seeming to be looking for any issues or complications as she said, "so I see no issues, their heads are down, so we can do a natural birth or a C section if you choose, but regardless it seems they're healthy and your birth should be rather smooth."
"That's good to hear," Rainbow Dash said with a relieved sigh as seeing with all of this magic involved with her birth, that was a good thing to hear.
"Also, as we assumed, both your foals are fillies! And the tribe is pegasi! congratulations!"
"Yeah! I knew that already!" the blue-coated mare snapped back, seeing as the nurse only confirmed what she already knew.
"Well, it's good to confirm your assumptions, right?" Winter replied rather excitedly as she flapped her wings.
Despite Rainbow Dash feeling like there was nothing really to be excited about, she couldn't help but admire seeing her marefriend getting so excited. It made her feel good that she was pretty happy and invested in being with her throughout this process and dealing with her grumpiness.
"Well, I suggest we milk your teats before you leave? they look rather swollen."
Rainbow Dash wasn't sure if she had time; looking over at the clock overhead, her test was at twelve, and it was already eleven p.m. But her teats were also feeling somewhat bloated, so she exclaimed, "yes, please hurry. I have a test coming up!"
"Ok, Mrs. Grouchy, just hold on a sec," the nurse responded angrily. The mare then hooks the cups to her teats and started to run the machine. There was a low hum as the engine ran, and Rainbow Dash could feel the pressure from her teats release with the milk slowly pulled out. The mare laid her head back and relaxed, letting the pumping machine work. While she lay there, Rainbow Dash couldn't help but think about all the work she's done up to this point. Not only is she's becoming a part of the Wonderbolt Reserves, but seeing her pregnancy is nearing its end. She is probably two months away from giving birth and Rainbow Dash could hardly wait. She will not only be able to give birth before the Equestria Games. She will see her foals, and despite not really wanting this pregnancy, it was something that she had come to look forward to.
As the machine stopped and the plastic cups were removed from her teats. The mare felt somewhat relieved as she and Winter made their way out of the hospital. AS they were now in the streets of Ponyville Winter turned her head towards her marefriend and asked, "So you ready?"
The daredevil wanted to reassure her marefriend that she was fine and was ready to take this test and nuzzled her. "Yeah, let's go! There's no time to waste!" The two pegasi then set off from the hospital and set their course to Cloudsdale.
Not long after the hospital visit, Rainbow Dash found herself in a rather dull classroom filled with seats made for adults, a chalkboard at the front of the room, and a clock overhead. There were no windows, only light coming from the ceiling lights, making the place rather dim. Other recruits were there, all sitting down in their chairs, some chatting and whispering. Most were looking down at some note cards, trying to get in some last-minute studying. She was somewhat nervous with the rather claustrophobic atmosphere and her overall nervousness about the test. But she sucked down her worries and trotted over to a seat with her name written on a name tag. She blushed, seeing her desk was extra wide, giving her room to sit, and as she did, the chair made screeching noises making the other test takers nearby snicker. Rainbow rolled her eyes, trying to ignore everypony else, mainly having conquered her self-consciousness about her body and what others thought of her. Rainbow Dash looked up at the clock seeing they still had ten minutes until the test officially started, and at this point, she hoped the test would start sooner so she could get this over with. Then she heard somepony shout.
"Hey, Rainbow Dash, glad you made it!"
The daredevil turned her head to see Soarin trotting over; he looked rather excited, smiling.
"Yeah, I know I'm finally here, and I did take your advice," Rainbow mumbled, feeling rather sheepish from her lack of studying. Still, she did try to take Soarin's advice from when they were both in the hospital together. As Soarin marked her down as present on a clipboard, he said, "Hey, don't sweat it; you'll do fine; this test is straightforward. Also, just wanted to say thanks for helping me get into the Equestria Games. I wouldn't have made the Cloudsdale relay team without you."
"Yeah, of course, don't mention it," Rainbow said with a smug grin feeling rather proud she made an impression on Soarin. However, she paused; as much as she was worried about passing, she didn't need special treatment in becoming a reserve and snapped, "Hey, you better not go easy on me! I can pass this test without help!"
Soarin snickered behind a hoof, then said, "of course not! besides that's not up to me."
"Wait, whose grading?"
"Alright, lazy bums! Place any notes or study material in this trash can now! There will be no cheating on my test!" Spitfire shouted as she came stomping into the classroom.
The other ponies all did as she asked, throwing their notes and study books into the trash bin. Rainbow Dash didn't have anything; Spitfire came by her desk as she eyed her. "Hey Rainbow Dash, just because you're pregnant doesn't mean I'll go easy on you."
"You better not! After I give birth, I'll be one hundred twenty percent ready to be a Wonderbolt!" Rainbow snapped back.
"You better."
Spitfire then slammed a packet of paper onto Rainbow Dash's desk; the captain of the Wonderbolts trotted to the front of the classroom, turned around, and shouted, "now listen up! This multiple choice test will determine if you understand the pride and history of what it means to be a Wonderbolt! The test has twenty questions, and you need at least a seventy-five percent to pass! You have one hour, and pencils go down when the time's up. Is that clear!"
"Yes, mam!" everypony shouted at once.
"Now, there will be no cheating or talking if you wish to use the bathroom; it's too late now! You should've gone before we took the test."
The other test takers groaned, and Rainbow Dash gulped, feeling a pang in her bladder. Still, she held her "pee" and concentrated on the test, trying to ignore her bodily functions. But her need to pee continued to grow inside her and what was worse was her tired brain seemed unable to concentrate on the answers below. She could feel sweat going down her forehead and knew that she would fail. Rainbow Dash decided she'll just guess and hope she'll pass at this point. The mare looked down at the first question on her test.
1. When were the Wonderbolts formed?
A The Anniversary of the First Annual Celestial Year of Peace
B First Annual Wonderbolt Day
C General Firefly's Birthday!
D The First Nightmare's Night
Rainbow Dash scratched her chin with a hoof and grumbled, "I'm sure Twilight mentioned this? But what was the answer!" The daredevil pounded her hoof to her head, trying to remember what she said. Eventually, she gave up, slamming her hooves over her face as she took her pencil into her mouth and grumbled, "I think it's C Firefly's birthday."
She was going to bubble in an answer, then she heard a thump. Rainbow Dash paused as she looked down and wondered…Did one of my foals kick?
Rainbow Dash looked around and seeing nopony else, she seemed to hear what she just heard or felt. She was going to bubble in the answer again. She listened to another Thump. The mare then trialed her pencil down to the other solutions, D and B, received thumps against her belly. Then when he put her pencil on A, nothing happened. Rainbow Dash then bent her pencil to the answer and bubbled it in. She realized that the foals were wearing her of bubbling in the wrong answer! But her foals may have remembered!? But how would they know what she's talking about? How would they even know why she was taking this test? Is she just overthinking things!?
Rainbow Dash gulped, being instead worried as she realized she hadn't answered a single answer and looking up at the clock, she had half an hour to finish. The only way she'll pass is if she can hope her babies can help her "cheat" she then bent down over her paper and started to bubble in the answers listening to her foals' kicks.
As the test finished, Spitfire took the papers and then went to the front of the class as she graded them one by one, taking a red marker to grade the test papers in front of them. Rainbow Dash twiddled her hooves, waiting impatiently as Spitfire rose up and handed the papers out like an angry teacher. When she approached Rainbow, she eyed her and snapped, "you didn't cheat, did you?"
"N…no! Of course not!?" Rainbow cried out; she wasn't lying, seeing going off her babies kicks to answer the test isn't technically cheating.
Spitfire then placed the papers down on her desk, and Rainbow's eyes went wide, seeing a big red 100% on her test. Rainbow flipped through the packet and saw that she got every question right.
"Well, welcome to Reserves Rainbow Dash! After the Equestria Games and after you give birth, I hope that we'll see you on flying alongside with us!"
"Of course!" Rainbow squeaked, being somewhat surprised as she rose up from her desk and flew out of the schoolhouse, still being instead embarrassed her foals passed her test for her. As she came out of the building, Winter turned her attention to the daredevil mare and asked, "so, how did you do?"
Rainbow Dash decided to prank her marefriend a little just for fun as she placed a hoof over her eyes and groaned, "oh, you don't want to know!"
"Come on, it can't be that bad," Winter meeped, looking somewhat concerned.
Rainbow placed the papers into the innards of her wings, which made Winter get rather peeved. "Oh, come on! Stop being so stubborn!"
"No, you can't; it's horrible! I think they'll kick me out of the Reserves! My dreams of being a Wonderbolt are dashed!" Rainbow cried out, dramatically flopping down on the clouds below.
Winter then flew over as she took the paper from the wings and looked over the grade and her heart seemed to stop as she gasped, "you got a hundred!"
"Yeah, can you believe it!?" Rainbow dash burst out with a smile.
"That's amazing!" Winter squealed as she flew over and hugged Rainbow Dash, and they embraced each other, wrapping each other in their wings. They held each other for sometime as Rainbow did feel relieved believing from this point forward it'll be smooth sailing.
Just then Derpy clumsily flew down over the two pegasi and took out two letters. "Um…Rainbow Dash?"
"Yeah, it's me; just hoof me the letters Derpy," the daredevil grumbled, being rather grumpy with the moment between her and Winter now interrupted. She took the letters from Derpy's hooves and looked over a scroll that looked like one of Twilight's old friendship lessons. She untied the red ribbon around the parchment and unfurled the scroll, which exploded with flame, making her wince. As the fire faded she then began to read.
Good Morning
I Comet have come to say that it is time for us to discuss the future of the goddess Phoenix. I know you previously said that you decided on being the mother and raising our goddess in Ponyville; however, we must come to inspect your household and your town later this Friday. I look forward to visiting you and seeing your world.
Sincerely
Captain Comet
Rainbow Dash groaned as she wasn't looking forward to being inspected that she was going to be a mother. She then opened the other letter (a bright pink envelope), and this second letter exploded with confetti. The pegasus spat the confetti out and started to read.
Good Morning, Rainbow Dash!
You're invited to your own baby shower this Friday! We have everypony coming, including Winter's friends!
Love your super excited best friend, your foals auntie, and your soon-to-be bride's maid.
Pinkie Pie!
Rainbow Dash felt the anxiety and stress this morning coming over her again! Not only was this Captain Comet coming to inspect her home! She fell into Winter's hooves as she looked right into her eyes and said. "Hey, what's the matter?"
"I have a baby shower with Pinkie Pie on the same day when I have to have this Captain Comet come over!?"
Winter brushed Rainbow's mane out of her eyes; she said, "well, I'll be here for that, and I'm sure Comet will love seeing that her goddess will grow up here in Ponyville."
Rainbow Dash gulped as she knew there wasn't much to worry about overall. Still, she wasn't feeling reassured by Pinkie Pie's antics, self-doubt, and worrying about the embarrassing presents she'll receive from this "baby shower," she wasn't feeling reassured. But…looking back over at the 100% on her test, seeing that she can get over this one if she can get through this second mountain with the help of Winter and her foals.