//------------------------------// // Chapter 22: Rainbow's New Dream // Story: Violet Hill // by TorontoFCBrony //------------------------------// "Guys... I don't want to do this alone. I want him to be there with me. I wish he could be there to hold my hoof," Rainbow Dash pleaded with her five friends. It was the expected day that she was going to give birth, and she still felt like she was not ready for it. Even after all these months, she was still not mentally prepared to be a mother. Pinkie leaned in and gave Dash a hug, with which the mare winced in a little pain at the sudden jolt from her pink friend. "You're not alone, Dashie! We're all here with you today." "Yes, darling," Rarity added. "We will be here by your side as long as you need us." On this scary yet joyous day, the only thing that Rainbow and her friends had to do was just wait for when the time had come. "Do you know if it will be a filly or a colt?" Applejack asked. Rainbow rubbed her mane with her hoof and replied, "To be honest, I'm not too sure. I could've found out if I went to the doctor, but I wanted it to be a surprise." "Ooh ooh! I love surprises!" Pinkie shouted out. "Maybe it will have ten legs! Or it will be an Alicorn! Oh, or a dragon!" Spike looked at Pinkie with one eyebrow cocked up. Rainbow giggled at Pinkie's adorable humour, even if she was serious. "Not that kind of surprise, Pinkie. I just don't know if it's a filly or a colt, but it's going to be a normal pegasus foal." After a few more minutes of talking, Rainbow cringed in pain. "Ahhhh... Ooooo..." she grumbled. "Oh, Rainbow, are you going into labour?" Twilight asked in concern as soon as she saw Rainbow cringe in pain. Rainbow leaned into her stomach in an attempt to stop the pain. After a few seconds, her face slowly returned to normal and she was able to lean back up. "No... I think I'm all right. I think that was just a contraction. I don't need to go yet." "All right, Rainbow Dash. Just let us know when it's time to take you to the hospital," Twilight reminded the pegasus while giving her a tap on the shoulder. "Remember, darling: if there is only five-to-seven minutes between contractions, it's time to go," Rarity reminded Rainbow. "Thanks, we're not quite there yet though," the blue mare replied. Rainbow had more and more contractions as the day went on, but they still weren't close to each other. Eventually, at about seven in the evening, when all of the other ponies were starting to get tired (Pinkie Pie fell asleep on the arm of Rainbow's couch), Rainbow finally squeaked out. It wasn't really in pain, it was more of confusion. Her water had broken, and it was time for them to go to the hospital. Pinkie Pie instantly reached her hooves out and pulled out a stretcher, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. Twilight used her magic to lift Rainbow up and put her on the stretcher. "This is so exciting," Twilight started to say. "I've always read about foalbirth in books, but now I can finally see it happen. It will be great for my studies with Princess Celestia. I can't wait to write a letter to-" "Uh, giving birth here! Can we please get going? " Rainbow interrupted. “Also, could you not watch me for studies while I’m giving birth? That is just too weird.” Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Twilight each grabbed a corner of the stretcher to take her across the path to the hospital. Spike hopped on Pinkie's back, and the two of them led the way making sounds like a fire truck to alert all the others to get the buck out of the way. Thankfully it was a quiet late March day, and the weather was warm enough so that Rainbow was comfortable with the blanket that Twilight put over her. They were making record time, until... "Stop!" Pinkie Pie yelled out. The wheels of the stretched made a screech as the four ponies pushing it stopped. "Pinkie, why in tarnation are we stopping?" Applejack asked. Pinkie Pie reached down to the ground and pulled up something in her hoof. "I found two bits." "We don't have time for this," Twilight reminded. "Oh, right," the hyper pink animal realised. "Let's get going! Wee woo wee woo wee woo." Ponies all looked out of their windows when they heard the commotion, but none of them had any issues when they had noticed that it was time for a new foal to be born in Ponyville; and they were especially happy to see that it was going to be Rainbow's foal. She was loved throughout the town and cared for by everypony due to what she went through. Pinkie kept running and burst through the sliding glass front doors of the hospital, smashing the glass, while not even flinching. The receptionist pony at the desk had a look of shock when she saw the glass shatter, and Pinkie was completely unhurt. The pink pony was just so focused in escorting the others to the hospital. "I assume Rainbow's finally having her foal today," Nurse Redheart said as she walked through the doors when she heard the noise. "I'm sorry about the door," Twilight apologized. "Oh, don't worry about it, dear," the nurse replied, “you'll pay for it later!” The other ponies just glared at Pinkie, who was now sucking on a lollipop that she found on the desk. They couldn't stay mad at the party pony, though. She was just too funny and sweet to get mad at. All of the mares and Spike came over to give Rainbow a few words of encouragement. She managed to give them a worried smile in reply. As the nurse came by and put her front hooves on the back of the stretcher to push Rainbow away, Twilight said a few words of comfort. "We believe in you, Rainbow. If there's anypony who could do this, it's you. Stay strong. We love you." Rainbow smiled back as Twilight stroked the colourful mane of the mare in labour. Nurse Redheart pushed Rainbow Dash into one of the many rooms of the hospital, where the stallion doctor came in. "Hello, Miss Dash. It's great to see you again," he said. Rainbow just looked back at him and didn't say anything. She was sweating and breathing quite heavily. "Let's get this done, shall we?" he said while getting himself ready to deliver the new filly or colt. -------------------------------------- Meanwhile, the other mares and Spike were waiting in the waiting room, as the name of the room suggested. "I wonder if Rainbow Dash is doing all right," Fluttershy wondered. They could then hear Rainbow's screams coming from down the hallway. "Does that answer your question?" Applejack asked. The ponies wanted to laugh at the humour of the situation, but they just couldn't laugh at one of their best friend's expense. -------------------------------------- While the others were waiting and worried, Rainbow found herself in agonizing pain. In fact, it was far worse than she had originally expected. Twilight had forced the pegasus to read up about pony pregnancy, but it's very different to read about it than to experience it firsthand, or firsthoof, rather. Rainbow yelled in agony, yet knew that she needed to keep pushing, keep trying, keep going. She needed to do it for Soarin. Just as her pain had reached a peak, it was all over. Dash could hear the cries of a little filly in the room. She slowly opened her left eye, and then her right eye. She was still sweating, but as soon as she saw the little crying eyes of her filly, she knew that it was all worth it. After a few seconds of cleaning the young filly up, the doctor gave her over to her mother. Rainbow, with the little filly in her hooves, had a tear from her eye. It was a tear of happiness. All of the pain and heartbreak she went through was worth it to her at this moment. The little filly had a mane of red, orange, yellow and violet with a large amount of dark blue in the middle. She also had the lighter blue fur of her father. The filly stopped crying when she felt a loving hug from her mother, and she finally opened her eyes, revealing that her eyes were the brilliant green eyes of her father. Rainbow's heart nearly melted at the sight of her new daughter. After allowing the mother and daughter to share their first few moments together, the doctor said, "She's truly beautiful. What would like to name her?" Rainbow hadn't really given much thought to what she was going to name her filly. That isn't saying that she was irresponsible or lazy about something as important as this, but she just didn't think that she was ready for a foal until it was finally over. There was one name that always stood out in her mind, though. It was a name that related back to the time that she first fell in love with Soarin. "Violet... Her name is Violet," Rainbow said quietly while looking towards the big green eyes of her filly. The doctor responded, "Violet; I like it. It's very unique. I will just step out to finish the birth certificate for Violet. Your friends and family can come in to visit now." Normally Rainbow would have felt hurt at heart upon hearing the word 'family.' Her friends were the only family she had left; at least until this day. She now had a family. In fact, she was now the head of her own family. Rainbow could hear the excitement in her friends' voices as the came down the hallway. As they opened the doors, they saw the shining light from the sun coming in through the windows and shining on the mare and her filly. "Gosh, she sure is beautiful," Applejack said as she took off her hat and leaned in to see the filly. "Wow, she is simply gorgeous, just like her mother," Rarity complimented, at which Rainbow blushed a little. "I really like her mane," Fluttershy said while stroking the filly's mane very lightly with her hoof. Violet looked back up at Fluttershy with her wide eyes, which caused the yellow pegasus' heart to nearly melt. "Can I hold her?" Twilight asked, to which Rainbow agreed. She trusted her friends well enough to let them hold the newborn. Twilight used a small portion of her magic to hold the filly, while let her land softly in her front hooves. The magic stayed around the filly as Twilight held her, just as a safety measure. "I am so proud of you," Twilight added with eyes full of liquid pride. "Let auntie Pinkie Pie hold her now!" Pinkie shouted at the top of her lungs. Violet's eyes opened wide and her mouth made an O shape, and then she burst out crying. "Pinkie! Why in tarnation would scream so loud?" Applejack asked while trying not to be loud herself. Twilight gave Violet back to her mother, and as soon as the filly felt the loving touch of her mother, she instantly stopped crying, which nearly exploded the hearts of the other mares. "Girls, I think we should go," Twilight suggested. "Rainbow and Violet need their rest. They've had a long day." The other mares agreed, except for Pinkie, who sadly said, "But I didn't even have a chance to hold her." "You kind of blew that chance away, sugarcube," Applejack pointed out as everypony left the room. Rainbow could hear the voices of her friends slowly getting quieter as they walked down the hallway and out of the hospital. The new mother looked at the young daughter in her hooves. Violet looked back up and gave a small smile at her mother, which was her first ever smile. The mare leaned in to gently kiss her young filly, and said, “I already love you with all my heart. You are the most precious thing in my entire life. You are my new dream.”