Chapter 1
Shock
“Miss Rainbow?” Nurse Tenderheart waved her hoof in front of the cerulean blue pegasus’s faces. The young mare’s violet eyes were distant and glassy. “Miss Rainbow Dash!”
Like a thunderclap, Rainbow Dash was back to reality. She was breathing harshly, harder than if she had ran a race across the sky. Her eyes were wide. She wanted to say something, scream but the words were stuck in her throat.
“Miss Rainbow, are you alright?” Nurse Tenderheart asked worriedly. It was a stupid thing to say but there was little more she could do. She stroked the young mare’s back in a comforting motion. “It will be okay.”
“Nurse…” It was a whisper, a tiny little plea. Rainbow Dash swallowed hard. It was difficult for her to produce the words. Her mouth was so awfully dry. “Tell me that it isn’t true, please….”
Nurse Tenderheart lowered her gaze to her two front hooves. As much as blue earth pony wanted to deny the fact for the sake of this young mare, honesty compelled her to say otherwise. “I’m sorry Miss Rainbow.” Her voice was gentle. “But it’s positive.”
The words exploded in Rainbow Dash’s ears. She shut her eyes tight, gritting her teeth as reality bit into her skin. Her cerulean blue flanks were pale from shock and she so wanted to hide her face under her hooves.
She didn't expect this to happen.
"Miss Rainbow, will you be okay?"
Seriously, this was not supposed to happen! She was supposed to go for the tryout with the Wonderbolts at the end of the year. It was all planed out.
"Rainbow Dash?" Tenderheart's concerned voice cornered her. It dragged her back to this small room in Ponyville, with its claustrophobic white walls. She didn’t want to be here, in this clinic anymore. Yet she wasn't sure where to go.
Rainbow Dash swallowed the sour taste that rose up from the hollow pit of her stomach and showed her bravest smile. "Yeah. Don't worry. I'm fine." She answered reassuringly. "I will be fine."
Nurse Tenderheart's hoof came to rest on Rainbow Dash’s shoulder. The cerulean mare tried to stand. "Wait, Miss Rainbow." Her voice turned serious. "Don't leave just yet. We have a lot of things to discuss."
Rainbow Dash nodded weakly. "Can we talk about it later?"
"We could schedule an appointment next week. Do you know what are you going to do about it?"
‘It’… a short little word that thunder right in her ears. "I don't know."
Nurse Tenderheart sighed heavily. Letting go of Rainbow Dash's shoulder, she move to occupy the small couch on Rainbow Dash’s left.
"Was it consensual?" It was a disgusting question to ask. No stallion, certainly not in Ponyville would ever force himself on a mare, but there were rules to follow.
Rainbow Dash bit her bottom lip and shrugged. "Yeah..."
“Do you remember when it might have happened?”
Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. Tears were beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. "I don’t remember. It might have been one of the parties I attended. I don’t know."
Nurse Tenderheart sighed again. It was still too early to guess, perhaps a month or two. "Can you remember anything about him? What kind of pony was he? "
Rainbow Dash snapped to face Tenderheart. "I was drunk, okay! Pinkie Pie always lays out too much alcohol. Are you blaming me?"
"No, but…" Nurse Tenderheart paused. “There could be complications if he wasn’t a pegasus. Only pegasi foals can float on clouds. A Unicorn or an Earth pony foal would fall right through a cloud ceiling.”
The colour drained out of Rainbow Dash’s face. "I didn’t think about that. Like I said before–"
"It is okay." Tenderheart cut in. "It just happened, right?"
"Yeah,” Rainbow Dash gave a quick nod.
"Do you think you can try remembering him?"
"I don't know." Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I need to clear my head first."
"I’ll schedule an appointment, same time next week?”
“Sure, whatever.” Rainbow Dash stood up.
“You should speak to your family. There are options."
“My parents are dead. No siblings.” Rainbow Dash said as a matter of fact.
‘The poor thing’, Tenderheart sighed heavily. She wished she could do more but the best she could do was to see the young cerulean mare safely out the door before she had to see another patient.
Before Rainbow Dash left the medical examination room, she turned to Nurse Tenderheart again. "Hey, are you one hundred percent sure it's positive?"
Sighing, Nurse Tenderheart could only nod. "Yes." She confirmed. "It's positive."
*** *** ***
Rainbow Dash flew aimlessly around Ponyville. She had no specific place to go. She had taken the day off from her job as Ponyville’s weather manager. Yeah, she was the boss. The big weather boss of a no name town in the middle of nowhere. Sure, it looked good on paper, a pony her age making weather manager. The quick promotion should have been a star in her mane, a sign of talent and of a pony that was going places.
Instead, it was as good as being put out to pasture. Nopony in the know would argue any different. She had been kicked out of Equestria Weather Service main office at Cloudsdale and sentenced to serve the ruined remains of her career in a town so small a pony like Pinkie Pie could remember every pony’s name. She had ruffled one too many important feathers but was too talented to simply dismiss in a more common fashion.
She looked up at the sky. It was blue, cloudless, no sign of rain. She huffed. Team cloud 9 was slacking off on the job again. When the boss is away, the ponies come out and play, as the saying goes.
Rainbow Dash was distracting herself. She was ignoring the red dragon in the room.
Seriously, how was she supposed to solve this big problem? It was just an accident, a mistake. Her breathing was heavy and tense. How ironic that the event changing her life forever was one which she had no real recollection off. Her life was taking a tail spin on an out of control dive.
The most recent of Pinkie Pie’s parties she had attended was a month ago. Apple Jack’s big brother, Macintosh was there. They weren’t even really friends, just acquaintances, your sister’s friend, stuff like that. Just two ponies celebrating Twilight Sparkle’s birthday, hanging out with the others and drinking Pinkie’s damned Friendship cocktails.
Maybe they drank too much that night. She certainly had, not that it took much with her light body. Most pegasi couldn’t drink much, unlike Fluttershy who drank like a fish. She remembered not being able to get her wings to beat in proper sequence and Macintosh’s strong flank supporting her as they walked to Sweet Apple Acres. Why there she had not a clue. He must have convinced her it was better to sleep off the alcohol at the farm rather than on the floor of SugarCube Corner. They were talking and laughing all the way, swaying to each others motion and she, leaning into his warm red flank for support.
"You wanna know something?" She had said to him, hiccupping from too much alcohol. "You're hot." She giggled. Her head was light. She felt like she was flying. "You’re so hot… and strong too. Your green eyes are very pretty."
"Eeyup." He admitted easily. Maybe he didn't realize those words escaped his mouth.
Her hooves slipped and started to fall. Instinctively, he drew her closer with all intension of keeping Dash on her legs. Instead they ended up stumbling on the floor. Him on top and her beneath. Thank goodness they had safely arrived at Sweet Apple Acres; otherwise they would end up lying on some street in the middle of Ponyville.
"But I guess you never knew that." She looked up, unperturbed by his massive muscular body that covered her like a warm red blanket.
"Know what?" Big Macintosh asked the blue pegesus mare pinned beneath him.
"That I thought of you that way." She looked at him with half-lidded eyes.
"Really?" He chuckled easily.
"Yeah…" She moved upward until their faces were impossibly close, lips barely touching. "So hot it makes me want to kiss you right now…"
There, Rainbow Dash concluded. It must have happened.
The next day, she woke up with a terrible hangover in Big Macintosh’s bed and little memory of the night before. She decided not to talk about that matter. She would just pretend that nothing happened between them. Nothing was going to change anyway. They weren't really friends and quite comfortable with that relationship as it was.
She buried that one night’s memory at the back of her head. They continued their lives according to their usual routines, meeting each other on occasion, like usual, like normal as the day before.
Without Rainbow Dash realizing, her wings had carried her to Sweet Apple Acres and with a loud thump crashed into Apple Jack, knocking the pale orange pony onto her haunches.
“What in the hay! Look where you are flying Rainbow Dash.” Apple Jack got off the ground. “You nearly upset my apple cart.” She wiggled her body a little to straighten the cartload of apple behind her.
It was just one straw too many. Rainbow Dash burst into tears, like a breaking rain cloud. Tears rained out of her violet eyes.
Apple Jack was just dumb struck. “Ah’ didn’t mean to be that harsh.” Of all ponies, Apple Jack could not bare to see Rainbow Dash crying, it just didn’t seem natural. "Don't cry." She used her hoof to brush the tears away. "Now care to tell what the matter is?"
Rainbow Dash bowed her head. She didn't dare to look her friend in the face. With a small shaken voice, she said…
"I'm pregnant."
Apple Jack’s Stetson hat fell neatly off her head.
"Wh-what?" Her eyes widened. "Are you sure?"
Rainbow Dash nodded, sobbing quietly. "I haven’t been feeling so hot lately. I thought it was stomach flu or something, but it wouldn’t go away. So I went to the clinic. Nurse told me it's positive."
Apple Jack took a long deep drag of air, what in tarnation do you say in moments like this. She wasn’t a wordsmith or something but she had to try. Rainbow Dash needed to hear that her friends were with her. She took another moment, unconsciously crushing a dead leaf on the ground with her front hoof.
“There now,” She patted Rainbow’s shoulder lightly. "You don't have to go this alone.”
She was turned to Rainbow Dash’s teary face. "Me, Twi, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie, we’ll take care of you. Ah’ll be there if you need me.” She smiled hoping to wipe away Dash’s troubled expression. “That’s a promise of a lifetime, you hear."
Rainbow Dash dropped onto her hunches. "What should I do? Soon it will be hard to cover…" She put her front hooves on her still flat stomach. "What will every pony think of me? Ponies will talk. Ponyville is such a small place.”
Apple Jack followed her gaze. "We'll think of something." She knew Dash wasn’t ready to settle down, certainly not with a foal. This turn of events must've been shocking as hay.
"Maybe… I should…. you know…. abort it. It will save me from more trouble."
"Now listen here, don’t you speak another word about doing that Rainbow Dash." Apple Jack became very serious, almost crossed with her friend.
"But, A.J–"
"Not another word of that. And don't worry, Dash. You can count on me and the rest of the girls."
Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. How could she not worry? She was the one with the growing belly "Hey…" She drew Apple Jack’s attention. Her eyes were clouded with uncertainty. "Do you know where Macintosh is?"
*** *** ***
“Oh hay…”
Apple Jack careful undid the harness around her back, mindful to undo every buckle. It forced her to think. It couldn’t be what she was thinking. Maybe.. just maybe Dash was better acquitted with Macintosh than she had known. All her pegasus friend wanted was a kind word or something from her brother. Horsefeathers. Who was she kidding? That acquaintance was probably the cause of this mess in the first place.
It took every bit of self control not to bolt and run up to that dumb older brother of hers. With a slight pushed, she left the apple cart on the side of the path. Even at moments like these, a small corner of her mind, hoped that Apple Bloom and her two friends wouldn’t try anything with her apples. Cutie Mark Crusaders Apple Jugglers were no longer welcomed at the Ponyville’s town square. And there was a matter of a fine from the Major’s office for littering which would be coming out of Apple Bloom’s allowance.
She knew the place where Big Macintosh would always be whenever he was free from work. Rainbow Dash trailed behind her, head hanging low between hooves and not even flying. From afar, they could hear his humming from under an apple tree. “Big Macintosh,” Apple Jack yelled at the top of her lungs. “Get your big, red hide here right this minute.”
Apple Jack glanced at Rainbow Dash but her friend was finding her own front hooves rather more interesting than the going on around her. “Dash,” she asked gently. “Do you want to go talk to him or would rather have ma’ do the talking.”
“I can do it,” Rainbow Dash said more to herself than to Apple Jack. “Just..”
Apple Jack understood. “Ah be in hollering distance if you need me..” and backed away, to give Dash the privacy she needed.
Being alone yet not, made meeting Macintosh a little easier. Rainbow Dash approached the big red pony. "Macintosh."
His face was passive as usual. It could be even be described as bored, apart from the little glances he kept throwing in the direction of his younger sister, Apple Jack. He was a hard buck to read
Gathering all her courage, she blurted out, "I need to ask."
Big Macintosh brows arched high, the stick of grass fell limp between his lips. "What do you wanna ask?" Big Macintosh studied her expression in confusion. "Dash…What is it? Something wrong?"
"I have to know …" She tried to steady her voice. He stomach began to heave, she felt sick. "After Pinkies Pie’s party the other month… did we… did we…“ Her voice died in a whisper.
Why was he just standing there with that broken stick of hay in his mouth? He just stared at her, wordless as if cruelly forcing her to continue? He made no effort to put the pieces together. He just stood there.
Rainbow Dash jerked her head up in anger. “Do I have to spell it out?” she yelled. “Did we have S. E. X.!”
“Sis..” A young filly appeared out of nowhere. Apple Jack nearly jumped nearly four feet straight into the air. How did her little sister move so quiet like? “What’s AssEeeAxe?” Apple Bloom asked having heard Rainbow Dash.
“Apple Bloom!” By Princess Celestria’s mane this wasn’t the time to be going about explaining the birds and the bees, and the proper use of protection. “Git!” She held up a hoof. “Get back to the house this minute!”
“What ah do?”
“Just git. And don’t come out for another hour. Big pony business.”
“This is so unfair!” the small olive yellow pony complained.
Apple Jack stomped her hoof sending Apple Bloom scampering away.
“Why was everypony so crabby today?” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath. Luckily she had spotted a cart of apples at the side of the dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were free.
“Are you the father of my foal?” Rainbow Dash waited for an answer, she needed an answer. But the large red stallion just stood there, as rigid as ice. His eye fixed on some unseen thing on her snout. She began to wonder if her decision to confront him with the news was right.
"Ah’ can’t rightly say."
She wasn’t sure if she heard him right. He couldn’t have meant that, but yet he looked for all the world like he didn't care at all.
"You bastard…" Rainbow Dash neighed angrily, her wings flew open. Without telling her directly, the implication was there, that she was that kind of pony… because she had come from a big city? She shoved a hoof into his thick muscular chest. "How dare you talk to me like that! Of course the foal is yours. What do you think I am?”
Big Macintosh was quiet for such a long time.
Her anger was suddenly spent. "Okay." It was a whisper. Rainbow Dash didn’t care if he could hear her but she remained speaking that way. She forced her eyes close and snapped her wings shut. “Okay, I understand…" She turned and walked away. This had been a mistake. Her foot steps grew quicker. What had she been thinking? She galloped passed Apple Jack. She had to get away from here.
“Big Macintosh? Dash!” Apple Jack yelled as the fleeing pegasus. This was beginning to become mighty troublesome.
He exhaled heavily, scratching the back of his head. “Ah’ didn’t mean that.”
“Ah’ don’t know what you meant, but we’ll be talk about this later.” Apple Jack shouted and ran after Rainbow Dash. She had to catch up before Rainbow got a little more sense and started flying. Good thing she was a strong runner. “Slow down,” she shouted
Heedless Rainbow Dash continued running. She seized the cerulean pegasus’s tail by her teeth. “Ah’ said, slow down!” Although in reality Apple Jack sounded rather muffed with so much rainbow coloured hair in her mouth.
Instinctively Rainbow Dash threw open her wing and started a sequence of strong wing beats.
“Horse apple!” Her eyes grew wide as Rainbow Dash lifted into the air. She dug her hooves into the ground, tearing tracks of dirt into the ground. Then with a hard tug that only Earth pony muscles could do, she pulled Rainbow Dash into a stumbled landing.
Before the dust had settled, Apple Jack was already on her hooves. “What in blazes Rainbow.” She spun around to pegasus in the dust. “You nearly dragged me into the sky!”
Rainbow Dash was curled up on the ground, her face and snout under her front hooves and her wings tucked tightly to her sides. Her eyes were again wet with tears. Why did it hurt so much? Why should she care if Macintosh wasn’t interested? He wasn’t anypony important.
“Oh Dash…" Apple Jack whispered softly upon seeing the tears. “Crying don’t suit you.”
But deep down, Rainbow Dash knew why. She cried not for herself but for the foal growing inside her womb. She cried because the pony who fathered her foal didn't acknowledge its’ existence. It would not have a father, or herd of parents, siblings and half siblings. She was about to bring into Equestria another pony that would never have a real family, just like herself.
No, it was worse. Rainbow Dash cringed.
She had a family. She had faint memories of one before she became an orphan. Her foal would not even have that. So she cried for her foal's future. She cried because she knew there would be unkind whispers. Whispers of the absent family herd that something was wrong with the Rainbow line. Children could be cruel.
Apple Jack leaned close to nuzzle the cerulean pegasus.
“Ah heard what he said.” She spoke and continued a little more softly, “Not that I was purposefully ease dropping or anything.”
Apple Jack paused. “But this is my brother we are talking about. And ah know my brother. The thing you heard was totally different from the thing he said.” Apple Jack hoped. “You mistook him. He is the responsible sort, not very good with managing the money side of a farm but the sort of pony that will honour his commitments. He’ll be there.”
Minutes passed. No pony can cry forever, especially a pony like Rainbow Dash.
“A.J, what am I going to do?” Her voice was still shaky.
“Let’s go to Twilight’s and think things over. It will be quiet there and not over run by critters like Fluttershy’s.” Speaking of which, that Angel Bunny of Fluttershy gave her a serious case of the heebie-jeebies. That rabbit didn’t seem quite right.
*** *** ***