Chapter 9: Skip The Charades
4 MONTHS UNTIL DUE DATE
The next month around Ponyville was pretty uneventful for Rainbow Dash and Big Mac. The pegasus was considered ‘grounded’ by the Ponyville weather force due to her pregnant state and put on maternity leave. While she objected the idea heavily, she did enjoy the time off to read in the library and just be lazy. As for the stallion, Big Mac had his normal duties around Sweet Apple Acres. Nevertheless, the two ponies still continued to spend plenty of time with one another. Most of the time it would be for either lunch or dinner, in which Rainbow would exhibit both her newfound appetite and cravings. Though, despite everything, Dash would keep trying to get cider, only to be stopped by either Big Mac or somepony else who knew better than to allow her to drink.
One evening, Big Mac and Rainbow Dash were returning back to Sweet Apple Acres after a sort of dinner date. Dash never liked using the term date as she felt that she would have to live up to an expectation of a perfect mare.
“So, ya enjoy yerself?” Big Mac asked as they trotted up onto the porch of the house.
“Yeah, I did, though I think I scared some of the ponies there about how much I could eat,” Rainbow laughed as she followed behind the red stallion.
Big Mac laughed a bit as he held the front door open for the blue pegasus, “Well, you are pregnant after all.”
Entering the living room and taking a seat on the couch, Rainbow hit her hoof against her growing belly, “Yup, I’m eating for two!”
Following her inside, Big Mac watched Rainbow showcase her stomach. The infant inside was certainly growing. Big Mac would guess just by looking at it was about the size of Big Mac’s own hoof.
“So what’cha wanna do, big red?” Rainbow asked as she lounged on the couch.
“Ah was gonna ask ya the same thin’,” the red pony replied.
Rainbow thought for a moment, “How about you see if you can find a blanket or something? Something tells me I might need to crash here for the night.”
Big Mac nodded, “Alright.”
The red stallion trotted out of the room and went up the stairs. Opening up the hallway closet, he took a large quilt from the closet. Carefully returning down the stairs with the quilt on his back, he trotted into the living room. However, Rainbow Dash was not in the room.
“Miss Rainbow Dash?” Big Mac called out. He put the quilt down on the couch were the blue mare was just moments ago.
His ears twitched as a noise came from the kitchen. Moving towards the sound, he entered the kitchen and found were Rainbow Dash was. She was at the table in the middle of the room, which looked as if it had just been ransacked. Dash had a bottle of cider in her hoof and was drinking straight from it.
“Miss Rainbow Dash!” Big Mac rushed to her side and stopped her drinking of the cider. Struggling slightly, he managed to take the bottle away from the pegasus. “What were ya doin’?”
“What do you think? I needed a drink!” Rainbow struggled to try and retrieve the bottle from Big Mac.
“Ya can’t drink, yer with child!” Big Mac insisted, keeping the bottle away from Rainbow, but having difficulty in doing so as time continued.
Dash continued to wrestle toward the cider bottle, “I’m well aware of that, now give me the bottle! I haven’t had a drink in a long time.”
Lightly pushing Dash away to break free from the wrestling, Big Mac turned toward the sink and poured the cider down the drain, emptying the bottle.
Enraged, Rainbow shouted, “What in Equestria was that for? That cider was still good!”
“That’s not the point and ya know it. Ya can’t be drinkin’ in yer condition,” leaving the glass bottle in the sink, Big Mac turned back to face Rainbow.
“It’s my freaking body, why can’t I indulge a little, huh?”
Big Mac raised his voice slightly, “Because of the baby, of course.”
“One single drink isn’t going to kill it!”
“That’s not the point, Miss Rainbow Dash, ya have ta think ‘bout the baby’s well-bein’,” Big Mac urged.
“Oh, so I can’t be myself because of this growth inside of me? Even despite the fact that I didn’t even want it?” Rainbow’s volume grew, “I have to change everything I do because of this thing?”
The stallion tried his best to keep his calm, “That’s not what ah’m tryin’ ta say.”
“Then what are you saying? Please, enlighten me, Big Mac,” Rainbow put her hooves up to Big Mac and pushed him away, “Why don’t ya just skip all of the charades and get to what you want me to be? You want me to be a perfect little filly for ya, don’t ya?”
“Miss Rainbow Dash, please let me spea-“ Big Mac was cut off.
The pegasus continued her rant, “Am I supposed to be this picture perfect pony for you? Or do you want me to be something else?”
Finally speaking firmly, Big Mac replied “Yer actin’ as if yer reckless actions won’t have any affects the child. Ya can’t jus-“
“Oh, quit acting like you’re all high and mighty, Big Mac!” Rainbow raised her voice even louder, “If I’m correct, you’re the one that got me in this situation. At least that’s what I told you, anyway. Heck if I know whose kid this could be!”
Big Mac’s face lost all expression at what Rainbow had said, “Wh-What do ya mean?”
Dash repeated herself, still shouting, “I just told ya, this baby could be any number of stallions, not like I can remember! Is that the Rainbow Dash you care so deeply for? Is it?”
The red stallion was silent and didn’t respond. He couldn’t find the words he needed or wanted to say.
“Answer me!” Rainbow barked as she raised her hoof up and hit Big Mac across his face.
The attack surprised both of the ponies. Raising his hoof up to face, Big Mac rubbed his jaw where Rainbow’s hoof had made the impact. They looked at each other; Rainbow’s anger had given way to shock at what she had just done, while Big Mac was in a state of disbelief. The two stared at each other in silence; the only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of the wind blowing outside.
Rainbow Dash broken the stillness between them with an apologetic voice, “Big Mac….I’m sorry….I didn’t mean to….” She trailed off as she spoke, not finishing her sentence.
In a burst of energy, Big Mac trotted away from the scene and out of the kitchen. Going into the living room, he trotted straight out the front door, out into the night. Behind him, the blue pegasus called out to him, pleading with him to stop and turn around. Her voice was sincere and repentant, but Big Mac continued out. As soon as he trotted off the porch, he saw his sister trotting the opposite way, toward the house.
“Howdy, Big Mac. Where ya off to?” Applejack asked. She didn’t get a reply as the stallion trotted right past her into the grove of apple trees. The orange pony watched as he trotted into the grove and disappeared. Turning her head, she saw that Rainbow Dash was standing on the porch of the house, also seeing the red stallion vanished into the night.