Rainbow Dash's heart thumped against her chest. Each resounding beat made her ribcage vibrate. The falling golden blip continued to plummet to the earth below. The mare's eyes bulged wide filling the full length of their sockets. The air streamed against her coat the faster she moved. In some ways, she felt excited to move so fast, but today wasn't the time for excitement.
“Gotta make it! Gotta make it!” She chanted rapidly.
The tiny image of Gale was starting to sink slowly into the ground. Rainbow Dash's breathing labored. Just a little closer now. The mare's thoughts turned frantic hoping to make it in time. Her front legs held out hoping to catch her little prize. Time seem to slow as the pony and the griffon both moved towards their destination.
“Gotta make it! Gotta make it!” Rainbow Dash repeated in succession.
Gale's shape was closer to the ground. Almost there, just a few more feet. With a final burst of speed, Rainbow Dash shut her eyes as she gave it her all. For a second, her mind blanked out not noticing what had happened.
Wark?
The telltale sound alerted her to the outcome of her attempts. Taking a quick look, her mood elated seeing the bundle of feathers nestled safely in her hoofs. All the while she descended to the ground with a satisfied grin upon her face.
“You okay little guy?” Rainbow Dash asked.
The tiny griffon merely looked up at his imprinted parent and grinned patting his paw playfully. Rainbow Dash blinked in surprise. All of that and he wasn't the least bit fazed. It didn't make much sense in her opinion.
“Wow! That was a close one!” Pinkie Pie's voice exclaimed right next to her rainbow maned friend.
Rainbow Dash leapt in surprise, nearly dropping Gale in the process. “Pinkie?! Where did you?” Rainbow began to ask, but quickly realized this was Pinkie Pie after all. “You know what? Never mind.” she finished with a slight tone of defeat in her voice.
“Is he okay?” Pinkie Pie asked examining Gale.
Rainbow Dash pulled the griffon away finding Pinkie's space a little too close for comfort.
“Yeah he's fine. Doesn't really seem phased at all.” A fragment of pride etched in her voice. They may not have been blood related but at least the kid was bold; or at the very least too young to ascertain what danger was.
“You know? Thinking back on it, maybe the balloon idea wasn't the best idea.” Pinkie Pie realized.
Rainbow Dash shot her friend a look. “Ya think!?”
Sensing the rising anger, Pinkie Pie backed off a bit. “W-w-well.....you agreed with it.” speaking in her defense, she had a point. Realizing such, Rainbow Dash backed off, remembering that she indeed had a hoof in the aforementioned balloon idea.
“Yeah, I guess it was a pretty dumb idea.” Rainbow Dash admitted. Even she had to agree when something she did was unwise.
“Really dumb! I mean, I know I came up with it, but you actually went along with it.” Pinkie Pie acknowledged.
A numb nod signaled her agreement with the mare.
“I mean it's almost like you weren't even Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie Pie's eyes widened for a moment. “Wait a moment.” Her eyes then lowered with suspicion. “Maybe you're not Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie Pie jutted her face into Rainbow Dash's with a look of utmost seriousness. “Alright buster brown! What have you done with the real Rainbow Dash?!”
Rainbow Dash's response to the bizarre accusation merely amounted to, “Are you kidding me?”
“You didn't answer my question!” Pinkie Pie pointed her hoof into her friend's face. Rainbow Dash responded by slapping it away, but that didn't deter Pinkie's accusatory gaze. “So what should I call you? Imposter Undash?” Pinkie Pie's gaze broke momentarily as ponderation set in. “No wait, that's not a good name at all” Pinkie Pie's voice trailed off into a mostly unintelligible mumble as she tasted various names for the “imposter”.
Rainbow Dash didn't have time for this. “Knock it off Pinkie! I'm real!”
Pinkie Pie stood silent for a moment of observation, noticing that little Gale didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable around the mare. The pink pony narrowed her left eye in a suspicious glance. “Okay, fine, but I got my eye on you.”
“Yeah you do that.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes in response.
Looking down at her little charge, the pegasus found it amazing how unfazed the little one was. It was impressive to say the least. If this was on a more biological note, pride would have been felt. Yet somehow, Rainbow Dash didn't feel right for emotional bondage just yet; least not now. At the moment, she felt she didn't deserve a mother's pride. Particularly since she wasn't anypony's mother.
XXX
“You did what?!”
Rainbow Dash winced slightly at her friend's words. After that disastrous flying lesson, Rainbow Dash had gone to the one pony she felt would be best suited for matters such as this; least in terms of information.
Twilight tried to ascertain her friend's reasoning as to her choices in a matter such as this. The news had of course been shocking to the violet unicorn. After her friend had left in such a vibrantly colored mood, a part of her felt slightly complacent that things would work out.
“I could understand you wanting to teach him to fly, but didn't you think that maybe tying him to a bunch of balloons wouldn’t be a good idea?”
Rainbow Dash raised a hoof to argue her defense, but wisely put it down realizing how fruitless it would be.
“Now that I think about it, you really accepted your situation rather quickly.” Twilight added with a hint of skepticism. It really made the two think as they realized that one couldn't just accept a new addition such as this. It seemed very out of character.
“All right!” Rainbow Dash threw her hoofs up in the air, “I messed up! I don't know what I'm doing, and the balloon idea was stupid! Happy now!?” With a huff, Rainbow Dash crossed her hoofs together accentuating her frustration.
A look of sympathy became evident upon Twilight's face. Upsetting her friend wasn't her intent even if she was trying to make a point. Frankly this was a new situation for both of them and honestly, Twilight was beginning to feel like a simple answer wouldn't fix this.
“Look I understand.” Twilight began.
“How could you possibly understand? You don't have a kid.” Rainbow Dash retorted, striking down whatever words of comfort the unicorn had to say.
“Alright fine! I don't understand exactly, but I can still sympathize with you.” Twilight swiftly replied.
Both girls fell silent for a brief moment. After each other's outburst, the conversation was starting to take a stressful turn; not the intended result.
A loud sigh emanated from Rainbow Dash, a clear sign of relieving any of the stress she currently held. “There has to be an easier way to deal with this.” The pegasus was at her wit's ends. It finally dawned upon her, that this wasn't something she could just easily do. Teaching Gale how to fly wouldn't be as easy as clearing away the sky. Least that was easy for her.
“I think I have an idea.” Twilight announced.
The mare trotted over to her desk taking out a piece of paper. Using her magic, she levitated it toward her friend. “I found this today and thought it might be perfect.”
Rainbow Dash viewed the letter with uncertainty, particularly when she read what it entailed.
Ponyville Mommy and Me Class
5:00 pm Mon-Fri
Bond with your baby
and learn skills in motherhood
“Mommy and Me?” Rainbow Dash repeated the writing, each word in an assortment of red, blue, yellow, and green. Looking away, Rainbow pondered the viability of this option. “I don't know Twi.” Pursing her lips for a second and turning her eyes away, a fuddled mess of decisions weighed upon her.
“Trust me, I think this would really help you.” Came Twilight's reassurance.
“But aren't those things all cutesy?” A shudder shook the pegasi's body.
Visions of giggling mares gossiping about who was wearing what or what their husbands were up to. Then there was the babies, oh Celestia she could just imagine the crying babies, the dirty diapers; It all didn't set well in her mind. Then again, what other choice did she have? This class seemed like an opportunity, and after what had happened earlier, she didn't want any repeat mistakes. Especially not with a child's safety being at risk. If she could go back in time, she would kick herself for even thinking her idea was a good one.
Reluctance continued to plague her face. For a second, Twilight was about to say something out of concern, or at least help with her friend's decision.
“I'll do it.” Rainbow Dash's face straightened together showing a steely resolve. Her eyes matched that expression conveying the choice she had just made.
She just hoped she was making the right choice this time.
RRRIPPPP!
The two ponies were suddenly distracted by the sound. Looking towards the window, they noticed Gale sliding down the curtain his claws making several thin lines within the fabric.
“Sorry.” Rainbow Dash sheepishly blushed.
A/N: For the record, the reason this was so late was a combination of lack of motivation and writer's block. Towards the end, it was more of the latter. Anyway, review, critique, say whatever you want about the story.