Twilight nearly jumped as the door to her home flew open. She had half expected it to be Spike, seeing as the dragon had been absent for most of the whole “Mommy Dash” fiasco, or even Applejack for that matter. But, she was met with neither.
“Well that was a waste of time!” Rainbow Dash griped as she entered. Gale sat upon her back jerking his head up in a lethargic manner. Smacking his beak, he settled himself back down upon the pegasi's back.
“Come on Rainbow Dash don't be angry!” Pinkie Pie trotted after her friend with a look of utter distress. “I'm really, really, really, sorry!” She pleaded.
Rainbow Dash turned around keeping a hoof upon Gale to prevent him from falling off. “Well did you stop to think that maybe giving him a double fudge filled cupcake as a snack wasn't a good idea?”
“A what?” Twilight questioned.
“He was hungry and you didn't bring any snacks for him.” Pinkie Pie argued.
“How was I supposed to know? I thought this Mommy and Me thing would have something, I mean it's like a school right? Shouldn't they have lunch?”
“Well the school house doesn't have a-” Twilight tried to cut in.
“Besides, why'd you come along anyway?” Rainbow Dash interrupted, but directing the question to Pinkie Pie.
“Just had to make sure you were actually you.” Pinkie Pie eyed her friend suspiciously.
Immediately, Rainbow Dash facehoofed. “Oh for the love of Celestia not this again! I told you I'm not some imposter, I'm the real Rainbow Dash!” She attempted to reason but could still note the suspicious look upon Pinkie's face. “All right sure, I know I adjusted to this whole motherhood thing rather quickly, and it probably wouldn't seem like something I would do, but just ugh!” Growing frustrated Rainbow Dash just gave up trying to convince her friend she wasn't a fake. Who knew supposedly acting a little out of character would cause such a dilemma.
“Okay girls.” Twilight managed to get her say in. “What on Equestria actually happened?”
Rainbow Dash appeared pensive when Twilight asked that. Scratching her own hoof on the floor, she nearly turned around and left, but didn't. “Let's just say you can't feed this little guy cupcakes, don't get in a fight at a Mommy and Me class, and it's possible to get banned from said class.”
Turning around completely, she trotted right outside the door, not even bothering with a goodbye.
Pinkie Pie stood there dumbfounded and disappointed. Most of all she felt upset with herself.
“Don't worry Pinkie Pie, she'll get over it.” Twilight put a comforting hoof upon her friend's back.
The pink pony smiled at her friend's words. Things hadn't gone exactly how Rainbow Dash had planned, but they had already been through a lot as friends. Something like this wouldn't break them apart. By tomorrow, everything would be just right.
“So where's Spike and Applejack?”
Pinkie Pie's random question caught Twilight by complete surprise.
XXX
Rainbow Dash sat herself down upon the bench. It had been a long day and frankly she just wanted it to end. The past few days had not been how she imagined her week would have gone. One moment she was at the top of her prime, and now she was.......this. Gale sat beside her snoring away. Occasionally he stirred making a tiny sound. Reacting to a dream no less.
“Why do you look so down Rainbow Dash?”
Rainbow Dash slowly averted her attention from Gale and noticed Scootaloo standing beside her.
“Oh hey.” Rainbow Dash greeted unenthusiastically.
Scootaloo showed no signs of being upset with her idol. Instead she took a seat on the opposite side of the bench.
“You look really tired.”
Rainbow Dash slunk further downward, only stopping when her hooves reached the ground. “You don't know the half of it Scoots.”
Scootaloo looked at the still slumbering Gale. “So you're really going to be his mom?”
“How'd you know that?” Rainbow Dash asked in surprise.
“Well I heard Rarity told Sweetiebelle, and then she told Apple Bloom and then she told-”
“I get it.” Interrupted Rainbow Dash.
Silence followed as a great frustration could be sensed between the two girls, built up into a wall. Rainbow Dash sat there staring off into the Ponyville skyline. A squeak from Gale turned both their attention to him.
“I think you'd make a great Mom.” Scootaloo said hopefully.
Dash didn't even bother a smile. So far the concept of motherhood didn't seem to fit with her.
“No really! You're so awesome all the colts and fillies look up to you!”
That was true. Having her own fan club was testament to that.
“Being a “mother” isn't exactly the same as stopping a carriage.” Rainbow Dash argued. “You mess up once and the kid could turn out rotten.”
“Well then you keep trying.” Scootaloo piped up.
Rainbow Dash was taken by a surprise. Did those words actually come out of Scootaloo? For a brief moment Rainbow Dash considered this out of character for the filly but paid it no mind.
“That what me and the other Crusaders do. Sure we haven't found our cutie marks yet, but that doesn't stop us from trying.” Scootaloo recalled all their previous failures to find their purpose. Each time they were left defeated and disappointed. “And I know for a fact Rainbow Dash doesn't give up!”
The words sank in, she absorbed it like a sponge. A lot of thoughts went through her mind at that moment, but it all amounted to the same thing.
“Thanks Scoots, I needed that.”
Picking up her charge, the griffon child stirred slightly but didn't wake. Sleeps like a log Rainbow Dash thought.
“You're okay now?” Scootaloo asked hopefully.
“I don't know.” Came the answer, but a smile was evident upon the older mare's face. “But like you said, Rainbow Dash doesn't give up.”
And with that she took to the air leaving a proud Scootaloo behind; proud with herself that she managed to cheer up the only sister figure she had.
Gale lay close to Rainbow Dash's chest, for a brief moment he opened his eyes but closed them all the same feeling the warmth of pony fur against him. The road would be a hard one, that much was certain. As much as the filly's words had cheered her up, so much still ached at her. So much to do and with what was already in her life, she pondered how she could fit a child in there. In no time flat she landed upon her cloud home. Whatever it was, it could wait till the morning. One of the first order of business was to procure a proper child's bedroom.
XXX
“And then what happened?”
“Sorry, that's it buddy.”
“What?! Aww come on!”
Little Gale pouted in his bed, upset that the tale had reached its conclusion. Cut too short if you asked him. Rainbow Dash sat beside the child with a small grin forming upon her cyan muzzle.
“Come on you know it's five minutes past your bedtime already.”
Gale opened his beak trying to argue his viewpoint, but shut it quickly. Crossing his front legs together he pouted once more. The entire situation was unfair to him.
“Besides, you know what tomorrow is right?”
Rainbow Dash's sudden question brought Gale right out of his bad mood. “My first day of school!” The young griffon piped up.
Twin looks of determination spontaneously appeared upon mother and son's faces. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak as the both of them shoved their faces in front of each other.
“Are you ready?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I'm ready!” Gale shouted determinedly.
“Are you ready?!”
“I'm ready!”
“Who's my little champ?”
“I am!”
“Who's my little champ?”
“I am!”
“Who's going to show everypony!?”
“I AM!”
The last display ended with a giggle fit as Rainbow Dash wrapped Gale in a hug. “Love you buddy.” Rainbow Dash said giving Gale a kiss upon the forehead.
Gale looked up at her with his shining golden eyes. “Love you too Mommy.”
Settling into his bed, Gale closed his eyes and gently rested his head. Rainbow Dash quietly exited the bedroom and trotted to her own. So much had changed in the years. Rainbow Dash hadn't imagined her life turning out quite like this. The day when that little egg was left in her care had started everything. Looking back on it now, she was thankful for it. Little Gale had grown from that small hatchling, but he was still just as active. Being raised under the fastest pegasus in Equestria had been a factor, but she supposed Gale also got that from his biological mother. She hadn't heard from Gilda since she abandoned her child. Every time Dash looked at Gale, it was like staring at her former friend. The only difference was the alterations Rainbow Dash had made when Gale was younger. The child's fringe of head feathers and tail tip were now died in a rainbow assortment of colors. Gale was her biggest fan next to Scootaloo that is, so it made sense for him to want to emulate his role model.
Scootaloo had long grown into a teenager and had since then earned her cutie mark along with the rest of the crusaders. That didn't deter her admiration towards Rainbow Dash, and she served as a sort of big sister to Gale; in all aspects of one would expect of an older sibling. Another way of putting it would be “tough love”; annual birthday hoof noogies. Gale wasn't so fond of those, but there was no malice in the elder pegasi's actions. Plus she served as a reliable babysitter.
It wasn't just personality, Gale had inherited much of her interests. The Daring Doo series were among Gale's favorites, but his favorite story was the tale of his adoption. Though the version she had just relayed was an abridged version. The true version was longer and far more accurate. Twilight, or rather Princess Twilight now as still a unicorn in the abridged version. Nevertheless, the events still were more or less the same. Save for some puffed up events that bedtime had prevented her from telling. More could be said, but Rainbow Dash only cared about getting some sleep at the moment.
The pegasus tucked herself in and drifted off to sleep. Right before she did, she felt something small and feathery brush up against her.
“Goodnight Gale.” She muttered but a tiny little snore was her only response. Soon her snores joined in as well, and mother and son were off into dreamland together.
The End.....