//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Sweet Disposition // Story: Wonderful // by Closer-To-The-Sun //------------------------------// Chapter 3: Sweet Disposition “Rainbow Dash….is pregnant?” Applejack spoke, “Ah….Ah jus’ don’t get it….” “Can we go see her, nurse?” Fluttershy asked. Nurse Redheart shook her head, “Sorry, she needs her rest. However, she shared the same reaction as most of you. She didn’t believe it herself.” “I still can’t believe it,” Twilight commented. “I can’t believe that Rainbow Dash would find a stallion before me!” Rarity spoke with a bit of an attitude. All of the ponies turned to stare at her for her remark, “What? It’s a compliment.” “Well, I guess we’ll just come back tomorrow then. Thank you very much for your help, Nurse Redheart,” Twilight thanked the nurse and headed towards the exit. The rest of the ponies followed suit. They trotted back and began to chat amongst themselves again. “This is some really big news. To think one of our friends is going to become a mother,” Rarity mused happily. Fluttershy agreed, “It really is exciting, I’m really happy for Rainbow Dash.” “Who’d ya think the father is?” Applejack asked aloud. “Not sure, but I think Rainbow will tell us tomorrow. Still, this is really exciting, the birth of a new pony in Ponyville? I don’t think since the Cake Twins that we had somepony being born in our town,” Twilight was trying to recall. “I’m super-duper excited! This means I get to throw a baby shower! I need to start planning right now! Or maybe I should have started planning earlier? Gah! I’m already behind!” Pinkie bounced up and down as she rambled on. “Calm down, Pinkie, we can plan for all of that latter,” Twilight insisted. Pinkie didn’t do what the purple mare recommend, “But I was super excited in there, but I had to be good because it was a hospital, and now I’m too excited and nervous to be calm!” Big Mac, who had been silent for this entire time since learning of the news, was following behind the mares. In his head, he was doing some thinking. As if he was piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of a cloudy sky, the stallion was doing his best to figure out what could have happened. His mind seemed to freeze in place when he came to a conclusion. “Ah’ll see ya’ll tomorra!” Applejack bided her friends farewell as she began to trot back to the farm with her older brother. “Can ya believe it, Big Mac? One of our friends is gonna be a mother soon,” she tried to strike up a conversation as they trotted. Big Mac didn’t answer the question. Instead, he spoke about what was on his mind, “Applejack….ah think ah might know who the father is ta Rainbow Dash’s baby….” This caught the orange pony’s attention, “Really now? Anypony ah know?” “Uh….” Big Mac was regretting to have said anything, “it might have been me….” Applejack glared straight at her older brother. The look she gave him was almost poisonous and Big Mac tried his best to not make eye contact. “Jus’ what in Equestria are ya talkin’ ‘bout? Yer kiddin’ me, right?” He didn’t want to talk, for fear of burying himself deeper. But he knew better than to keep silent around his sister, “Uh….well, one night a few months ago, we were at a bar an’ when we came back to the farm, we both kinda blacked out and don’t remember what happened….” Applejack sighed, “Ya both blacked out, huh? Well, it’s possible ah guess, but this is highly unlike both of ya….an’ ah know fer a fact that ya know better, Big Mac.” Big Mac turned to look at his sister. She was still glaring at him, “Ah know….ah jus’ don’t know what happened….promise me ya won’t say anythin’ ta Granny Smith?” The orange mare nodded, “Ah promise, but tomorra, we are gonna head straight over ta Rainbow Dash an’ ask her what she knows about this. First thing.” ---------------------------------------- The next morning, Applejack and Big Mac trotted right over to the hospital to visit Rainbow Dash. While it didn’t exactly show on his face, the red stallion was anxious about visiting the pegasus. He wasn’t so much worried about the news of the baby, but rather he was more nervous about talking with Rainbow about her being pregnant. Whether he was responsible or not for the incident, it was concerned about his friend. Stepping into the hospital, the medicinal scent hit Big Mac’s nostrils right away, already making him wanting to escape. He followed his sister up to the front desk where Nurse Redheart waited. “Mornin’, Nurse Redheart. Is it possible that we can see our friend Rainbow Dash?” Applejack greeted. After fiddling with some papers, the nurse replied, “Certainly. She is quite popular today, though I can easily see why after she was rushed in yesterday. She’s down this hallway, fourth door on your left.” Redheart pointed down one of the hallways. “Thank ya kindly,” Applejack tilted her hat to the nurse as she led the way down the hallway. The hallway was long and vacant, reminding him of the waiting room just the day before. Bare walls, little to liven up the monotone mood. The hoofsteps of his own hooves and his sister’s echoed through the empty hallway, adding to Big Mac’s dislike of the hospital. To him, everything about the building just seemed unnatural. “Big Mac, snap out of it, we’re here,” his sister called him out of his own little world, pointing out that they had arrived to the correct room. The removable card on the door read ‘Rainbow Dash’, the pony they were seeking out. Opening the door, the Apple siblings entered the small room. Easily noticeable in the center was Rainbow Dash lying down on the bed, reading a book. Elsewhere in the room, however, there were numerous colorful balloons. It seemed as if they had all floated to the wall edges and didn’t bother Dash anymore. Applejack knocked on the now open door, “Hello? Anypony home?” Rainbow looked up from her book to see the two ponies partly in the room. She closed up the book and placed it aside. She readjusted herself in her bed and sat up, “Oh, hey! Come in, come in.” With the invite, the siblings trotted in and up to Dash’s bed. Applejack pointed up to one of the balloons and asked, “Lemme guess, Pinkie Pie?” Laughing, Dash nodded, “Who else? As much as I love that crazy pink pony, I think this is a bit overkill. I mean, some of the balloons say ‘it’s a boy’ and some say ‘it’s a girl’. Can’t she wait a bit?” Applejack chuckled softly, “That’s our Pinkie, alright. So how ya doin’? Everything okay?” “Yeah, everything is going alright, no complaints except for what Nurse Redheart insists is normal,” Rainbow continued, “Oh, and Twilight coming in and giving me a crash course on what I’m going through.” “Ya mean ‘bout the pregnancy?” the orange mare asked. Rainbow nodded, “Yeah. I mean, I’m happy she told me some of it, but I didn’t need to know about the birds and the bees, ya know?” the pegasus laughed as her hind legs shuffled slightly under the blanket, “Anyway, the egghead says I’m around three months along with the pregnancy, so that means nine more to go.” “Speakin’ of yer pregnancy, Rainbow, Big Mac an’ ah were wonderin’ do ya know who the father is?” Applejack was careful with her words, not wanting to see nosy with her question. “You’re curious, too? Well, you’re not the first to ask, let me tell ya. Rarity spent the good half of an hour trying to get an answer out of me. Anyway, the truth is, I don’t know. I can’t think of who it could be or anything like that. I mean, I didn’t even know I had this thing inside of me until yesterday,” the pegasus explained. “Well, what ‘bout mah brother here?” Applejack bluntly added. The sheer candidness of the earth pony’s statement shocked both Big Mac and Rainbow Dash. The both of the ponies on the receiving end were dead silent about the comment. While Big Mac turned his head to look anywhere but at the two mares, Rainbow’s face had turned red. Finally, Dash replied, “Well, I don’t remember doing anything with him….” Dash rubbed her head at the comment as if it would jog her memory. Turning to her brother, Applejack spoke, “Well, what do you think, Big Mac?” Still not looking at the two, he spoke, “Ah don’t know….” “Wait, hold up,” Rainbow interrupted. Both turned their heads to look at her, “There was that night we both got smashed and can’t remember anything. Maybe something happened then?” “Possibly,” Big Mac stated. “Well, at least this puzzle is gettin’ somewhat solved,” Applejack spoke. “Eh, don’t worry about it,” Rainbow casually waved her hoof and let out a laugh, “What’s in the past is in the past, not like we can change it now, right?” Rainbow Dash’s carefree attitude didn’t exactly sit well with the Apple siblings. “But ya still have ta care fer that little pony ya got inside ya.” “I know, not like I’m just going to do anything stupid, AJ,” the pegasus replied. “Ah guess yer right ‘bout that. So when do ya get out?” Applejack asked. Rainbow had to think for a moment, “Nurse Redheart said I can probably get out in a couple days if all the check ups and what not go without a problem.” “Alright. Well, Big Mac an’ ah still got some work ta finish up on the farm. Ya take care of yerself now, Rainbow,” the orange mare bided farewell to her friend as she headed towards the door. Big Mac was following behind. “Hey, Big Mac?” the blue pony called out. The stallion turned to see Rainbow looking directly at him, “Hmm?” “Never got to say thanks for helping me out yesterday, getting to the hospital and all. So….yeah, thanks,” Dash had a warm smile on her face. A smile appeared on Big Mac’s face as well, “Think nothin’ of it, Miss Rainbow Dash.” The pegasus let out a laugh as she smirked, “I’m telling ya, you don’t have to call me that. Just Rainbow Dash is fine, or even just Dash, whatever. But just please drop the ‘miss’, will ya?” Letting out a small chuckle himself, Big Mac replied, “Take care.” He followed his sister out of the room, leaving Rainbow Dash to continue her book.