Chapter 5: Slide
8 MONTHS UNTIL DUE DATE
Rainbow Dash had sent out an announcement to her closest friends. She didn’t say what it was going on exactly, but she just told them all to meet her in Twilight’s library on a certain day. It was here that she would be making an announcement. Six ponies stood around, chatting and gossiping about what the news might be.
“What do you think Rainbow might say?” Fluttershy asked to the white unicorn standing next to her.
“I haven’t the foggiest clue, but the anticipation is certainly driving me mad!” Rarity replied casually.
“Oh, I know! What could it be?” Pinkie Pie bounced in between the two ponies and interjected herself into the conversation “Maybe Rainbow Dash gathered us together to tell us she’s moving! Or maybe she’s going to say that she’s the member of a tribe of long lost pegasus warriors! Or just maybe she’s going to tell us that she’s going to start playing the tuba! I would love that! I could get a tuba playing buddy!”
Rarity raised an eyebrow at Pinkie Pie’s farfetched statements, “I hardly think it’s that last one, dear.”
Applejack was standing next to her older brother, whom Rainbow gave explicit instructions about bring along to the library for the important news. She looked to the purple unicorn next to her, “Do ya know what this is all ‘bout, Twi?”
Twilight shook her head, “No, you’re guess is as good as mine. The only thing I know is that Rainbow Dash asked to use the library for this, to which I allowed her, of course, but I’m just as puzzled as the rest of you.”
“Ah swear, that blue pegasus is crazier than a junebug in winter….” Applejack sighed as she fixed her brown hat.
The purple mare thought about what her friend said for a moment and then responded, “Remind me to ask you what you mean by that.”
“What? ‘Bout how Rainbow Dash is crazy?” the orange pony asked.
“No, about the junebug statement.”
The front door of the library opened, revealing Rainbow Dash. The chatter died down as everypony turned to look at the pegasus. It was the first time Big Mac had seen the pegasus in about a week. The small bump on her stomach had grown slightly, but if it was bothering her everyday routine, she didn’t let it show. Trotting up on to the staircase, she stopped halfway and looked out to her friends as if she was on a podium about to give a speech.
“Oh, Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Hi, Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie frantically waved her hoof in the air in an attempt to get Rainbow’s attention.
The expression on the pegasus’s face was blank, or rather it just didn’t have any real emotion to it. “Yes, I see you Pinkie Pie, hi,” she said before turning her attention back to the group as a whole, “So yeah, hey. I’m sure you’re all wondering why I called you all over here. Well, I got an announcement, or something like that.”
“Did you find out the gender of your baby?” Rarity spoke first.
Rainbow wasn’t expecting the question “Wha? No, I’m here to-”
“Is it a colt or a filly?” Pinkie Pie interrupted loudly.
“No, it’s not about the bab-“ Rainbow Dash was cut off.
“Do you have a name for him or her?” Fluttershy asked.
Finally, the pegasus shouted, “It’s not about the baby! Well, I guess it kind of is. Anyway, I think I figured out who the father is.”
The words quieted everypony down and caused them all to listen intently to the blue mare.
“Look, it’s not really that big of a deal. But, after doing some thinking and stuff about what I was doing on certain days and what not, I think I figured out who it was,” Rainbow calmly spoke, unintentionally building up the suspense in the room.
“Well?” Pinkie edged on, leaning more and more forward, looking as if she was about to fall flat on her face, “Who is it?”
She finally answered, “I figured out it was Big Macintosh.”
In unison, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Twilight all expressed surprise, “Big Mac?” They all turned to look at the two Apple siblings in the back. Both of them had a stunned expression on their face.
“Say what?” Pinkie Pie was the first to speak after what seemed like an eternity of silence and shock. Her voice stressed the second word as she also tilted her head.
Without missing a beat, the four ponies encircled Big Macintosh as they all started to pelt the stallion with questions.
“When did this happen?”
“Was it planned?”
“Do you want to be the father?”
“Why did you choose to make a baby with Rainbow Dash? Is it because babies are so adorable? Like the Cake twins?”
Big Mac couldn’t get a single word out. Just as one question was finished being asked, another one was flung right at him. He wanted to answer them truthfully, as that is how he had always been, but being under the pressure of all the ponies, it was becoming too much for him.
“Alright, back it up! Give Big Mac some breathin’ room!” Applejack pushed the other mares away from her brother, “Quit crowdin’ him!”
Finally able to breath, Big Mac looked around the library’s main room in hopes to find Rainbow Dash. However, it was apparent she used the sudden influx of attention on the red stallion as a cover to make a getaway and go undetected.
“Look, Big Mac will answer yer questions later, ‘kay? Jus’t give him some space right now,” Applejack defended her brother.
While he was not exactly thrilled about it, he knew he would have to answer a multitude of questions from a number of ponies for the next couple days. Sadly, Big Mac just wanted to ask a few questions to the blue pegasus that just directed the attention to him.