The outer edges of Cirrusnatti came into view. I had been flying for who knows how long, and the edges of the cloud city were a relieving sight. I had been dying to visit my old home, but 'fate of the world' issues usually stopped a friendly visit to my city. There were so many memories, both good and bad, living here that it was almost a sin that I hadn't visited earlier.
From the many phone calls from old friends and my dad, it seemed like I was a pretty big deal. There hadn't been a local hero from Cirrusnatti for almost an entire century! The last guy was some guard who took a blade for Princess Celestia. She awarded him some medal, and that was that.
I remembered reading about him in school, and how the story really got to me. It just seemed odd that the princess gave his coffin a medal, and all but forgot about him. A real hero didn't need to take a blade, or even need a medal! A real hero was someone who did things for the sake of helping other people.
It was at that time, my dream came into full realization. I wanted to be a real hero! The kind of mare who was known for her courage and stunning good looks! The mare who saved kittens and put out fires!
Looking back, it was a pretty lame dream, but when I was eight, that was all I ever wanted. And now look at me! I was one of the most famous fliers on The Wonderbolts. My entire town screamed my name, and I haven't visited once since being recruited. I guess some people were just born heroes!
I set my hooves down on the main road running through the city, and a vicious wave of nausea hit me. I looked around at the shops, and darted into a local coffee shop.
"H-hey!", I said to the barista, "Can I use your bathroom?"
She looked shocked at me, and nodded wordily. I scanned the building, and spotted the fillies room. My hooves carried me through the door, and eventually, the closest stall.
I bent over the toilet, and emptied whatever was left in my stomach. I never felt a more violent wave of vomit, and the pain in my stomach continued to build. Tears were forming in my eyes, threatening to go down with the puke.
I put my back to one of the walls, and hugged my knees close to my chest. The pain in my stomach hadn't dulled, and it even seemed like it was getting worse. I could feel the tears streaming down my concealed face, and I allowed my self to choke out a single sob.
"M-ma'am?", a voice came from the door, "Are you okay in there?"
I sniffed loudly, and tried to form the words in my mouth. Instead of a coherent answer, another choked sob came out.
"Do you need me to call somebody?", the voice asked, "A family member, a friend, a doctor even?"
The strength was slowly returning to my body, and I did my best to stand up.
"I...I think I go this," I muttered to the stall door, "Can I just have a minute?"
"Okay ma'am, just contact any of us if you need help."
I unlocked the stall, door and looked at the voice.
She was a few inches shorter than me, and also looked like she was a few years younger too. Her eyes were a vibrant sapphire color, and her gold hair was tied down under her uniform cap. Over her black t-shirt, a brown apron was tied around her waist and hung over her neck.
Her face was a mess of confusion and worry, and she was wringing her hands in anticipation.
"Hey...wait a minute," she said quietly, "Aren't you a Wonderbolt?"
"Oh, w-well, um, yes, but I'd really appreciate it if you-"
"Oh my gosh! Aren't you Rainbow Dash?!" she asked rather loudly.
"Yes, but-"
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! I'm like your biggest fan!"
Any trace of worry she once had was now flooded with her admiration and giddiness. If her voice got any louder, I'd never be able to leave the coffee shop.
"Shh!" I hissed at her, "Just...just stay quiet! I need to get out of here without any incident!"
"But you're like a massive hero here! How could I just keep this a secret?"
"Because your biggest idol is asking you nicely! Please, I'm not feeling too hot, and my dad's expecting me. Do it for me?"
The barista nodded, and her smile faded from her face.
"Okay," she sighed, "I'll leave you alone."
I felt bad about killing this mare's dreams, but I doubt a crowd of admiring fans would appreciate being attacked with projectile vomit. The less attention she gave, the easier my daring escape would be.
I walked out of the bathroom as stealthily as I could, and closed the door quietly. The patrons of the shop were either buried in their laptops, or deep in conversation.
I guess this'll be easier than I thought, I thought.
"Hey! Isn't that that Wonderbolt mare?"
"Who Rainbow Dash?"
"Oh my Celestia! It is her!"
"We love you Rainbow Dash!"
Fuck...
The crowd began to swell, and I was pinned against the restroom door. Everybody seemed to have a piece of paper or body part that desperately needed signing, and it seemed like my former plans would have to wait.
I sighed, and grabbed a permanent marker from somebody, and began my quest to leave the shop without loosing too many articles of clothing.
Note to self, viciously beat Dr. Mindbend at my next appointment.
After my perilous experience at the hands of the rabid coffee shop fans, I was all but certain that the rest of this trip would be uneventful by comparison. I knew these streets like the back of my hand, and I was able to take some short-cuts to avoid any more fan confrontations.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my fans like family, but I was focused on one particular family member today. My old apartment building came into view, and I took a sigh of relief. I was finally home.
It wasn't the most glamorous place in the sky, nothing like Ponyville, but it was where I had lived almost my entire life. I remembered the first time I invited Fluttershy over, and how scared of the place she was! She was totally set on the fact that we'd be mugged, or kidnapped, or murdered, or raped.
Looking back, she had her points, but I always told her that if anything happened, my Mom would kick the flank of anybody who touched a hair in my mane.
When my mother wasn't being an untouchable badass, she was probably the kindest person I knew. She would go out of her way just to assure that Fluttershy always felt comfortable. She made that apartment seem like a palace.
Growing up, I never complained or asked why that we lived in such a small place. All the other kids had wondrous cloud homes or even just a nicer apartment than me, but never once did cry over it. Of course, my friends were a little...offed on the first time coming to our little home.
I took a few steps up to the rusted call box, and took a look up at the sweeping wall. The stains of mold and other grime stood in contrast to the sand colored bricks, drawing lines all the way up to the roof. Some of the visible windows were either painted black, or were just plain boarded up.
It was a really off putting site to anyone who probably had a brain, but I couldn't help smiling whenever I visited. There were just too many memories to be superficial about the appearance of the building.
I pressed the small button for my old apartment, and smiled even wider.
"Hello?" the crackle of the intercom said.
"Dad?" I asked back.
"Well I'll be damned. Rainbow, is that you?"
"Do I have another sister that I need to know about?"
"Well...Not one you need to worry about."
"Dad!"
"I'm just kidding! Come on up!"
I opened the door, and started the ever daunting task of climbing thirteen flights of stairs.
I gave a few quick raps on the door of my old home, thanking Celestia it hasn't changed too much. I could hear a small clamor coming from the other side, mixed with a few mismatched footsteps. After what sounded like a small war finishing up, my dad opened the door.
"My little Dashie," he said, pulling me into a warm hug, "It's been way too long!"
I squeezed him tighter, burring my face in his shoulder.
"I know dad," I said through his shoulder, "I promise it won't be this long between visits again."
We separated from each other, and I got a good look of him after so long. Age had been kind to him, even if it was a little obvious in his face. Wrinkles drew themselves around his eyes and nose, and his coat had faded quite a bit. His once prismatic mane had also dulled; the colors had lost most of their vibrance.
"Anyway, stupid hellos aside, why not come in?" he asked me jokingly.
"Cause I might meet a sister I never knew about!" I said, and punched him lightly in the arm.
"Ha-ha!"
He closed the door, and walked over to the kitchen. The small little apartment was a little messy, but not all that different. He still had the big, brown couch that we had for as long as I could remember. He still had those stupid red curtains that mom hated with every fiber of her being. Even the paint on the walls was the same, but even with all of these reminders of a better time, my old home still felt so...alien.
"So," Dad called from the kitchen, "What are you thirsty for? Water, soda, milk, or maybe something a little harder?"
He removed two bottles of lager from the fridge, and just smiled.
"Ooh, jeez Dad! I'd love to, but, uh, Spits says that I kinda need to...cut back on my alcohol consumption," I said sheepishly, rubbing my arm.
"Oh," Dad said, his smile shattered, "I get it."
He replaced one of the lagers into the fridge, and closed the door. Dad looked genuinely crushed. It was apparent that he'd been waiting a long time for this moment.
Dad sat down on the couch, and patted the seat next to him. I sat, and looked down at the floor for a while.
"Okay Dashie," he said noticing my behavior, "You have something important to say, don't you?"
I nodded, trying desperately to avoid his magenta eyes.
"Dad, this is really complicated, and it's kind of awkward to ask, and I just-"
"Dashie," Dad said, cutting my panicked ranting off, "Just ask away."
"What...what did mom do when she found out that she was...was...going to be a mother? I mean, like, how did she take it at first?" I said through a mental wall.
Dad took a hearty sigh, and reclined into the couch, taking his turn to avoid my gaze. The words in his mouth were causing him visible pain, and I swore I could see a tear.
"Your mother", he began, "Was...a little less than happy to find out she'd be a mother."
I stared in honest disbelief. Never in my life could I see my mother unhappy to see me. Mom always loved me, even before she...left. Why would she hate being pregnant?
"It hit her like a freight train, knowing that he care-free life was now over," he continued, "She just had no idea what to do."
"D-Dad, I don't understand," I said with a fading voice.
"Your mother, before she met me, had her own unique way of living. She saw everything at a break-neck, supersonic speed, and hardly ever slowed down to see the world like the rest of us," Dad began, "Firefly had a hard time coming to terms with anything that happened to her. Every little moment of trauma was just brushed under the rug, and put onto the back burner. Hell! I was lucky she slowed down to even acknowledge me."
"But pregnancy, looming motherhood, that was the figurative wall that slowed her down. I still to this day wonder what her plan was even going to be. Granted that her..."problem" was half my fault, but she took this burden all alone. I couldn't get to her. Captain Jetstream couldn't get to her. Her own damn parents couldn't even her to talk about it. She just...shut down."
The story felt like a dagger in my stomach, and with each additional word, an extra twist to the blade. All of my memories of Mom until she died were some of the best I ever had. She was always so happy and bubbly and awesome, I couldn't believe that I once hindered her.
"It got worse as it went on," Dad continued, "You...well you...could've been...dead."
"W-what?" I asked, avoiding the weight to the words, "Dad, I don't get this! I don't get any of this!"
"You mother felt so devastated to the point where at one point she saw death as her only escape," Dad said.
He paused for a moment, allowing the words to echo around the empty halls. He took a deep breath, and opened his mouth, but the words just rotted away.
"I...I don't even know what to say, Dashie," he said, his voice quavering signifigantly, "Your mother almost took her own life because of a pregnancy. I wish I could tell you a happier story, but I think you know how it ends."
"It's okay, Dad," I said, doing my best to soothe him, "I asked you a question, and you answered me honestly."
He just looked off to the side, almost like he was looking at his late wife.
"Can I ask you one now?" he asked the wall.
"Yeah, Dad, please ask me one," I said to his adverted eyes.
"Why are you asking me this? Such...an odd question, it just strikes me as weird," he said, reuniting his eyes with mine.
"Well, uh, Dad," I began, not sure how to respond to his queary, "I think...I'm not certain, but I have a feeling that...I might be pregnant myself."
I readied myself for some halestrom of emotion, but all I got was a stern, powerful look.
"Promise me one thing," he said listlessly.
"W-what, Dad?"
"Don't behave like your mother. Love this foal even before they're born. Give them a chance to feel things like happiness and joy without even having to be alive. Enjoy motherhood before it even has a chance to hurt you," he said, pouring ever emotion left in him into that one small speech.
"I promise," I said back to him, brandishing a warm smile.
He laughed joyfully, and hugged me. The fact of his upcoming grandchild finally hitting him. A few tears fell, but his elation was obvious. He was going to be a grandfather, and his grandchild is going to have the best mother in the world to raise him!