Chapter 13
13
“Alright, who’s next?”
“Your daughter, Venom, is here, your majesty.”
“Venom… which one is that?” Chrysalis said, scratching her head for a moment. “Aren’t there multiple Venoms? Eight… or nine, or is it eight now? Isn’t somepony keeping track of this?”
“She is here regarding a punishment for sneaking out again,” a servant said as the doors to the royal chamber opened up.
“Oh, that Venom! Ugh, that Venom,” Chrysalis slouched in her seat as the tiny changeling was lead up towards the throne. “I had heard she was still sneaking out, but I suppose she finally got caught... again.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Alright, let’s get this over with,” Chrysalis said, gesturing for Venom to approach the throne. The little changeling complied, her head hung low. She was fully aware that she was in big trouble again. “Come now, head up little one. Show your mother your face.”
“Yes, mom.” Venom lifted her head, but she didn’t look up at Chrysalis. She didn’t need to look to know the cross expression she was wearing. The Queen had told all her daughters over and over again that they are not to stray far from the Hive, but Venom had broken that rule on more than just a few occasions. She’d been caught flying back late from Ponyville last night, so now she was due to receive a royal spanking.
“Hmm.” Chrysalis scratched her chin. She looked Venom up and down, leaning from side to side to take her in from several angles. “My… you’re rather fat.”
Venom had no idea how to respond to that. She looked down at her own body, which by pony standards was still rather skinny for a child; however, Chrysalis was not judging her by pony standards. For a changling, Venom had plump cheeks and an ample gut. She had all the signs of being well fed.
“Tell me, Venom… where is it that you go when you sneak off?”
“… Ponyville.”
“Ah… Ponyville.” Chrysalis had never even heard of such a place. She shot a look to one of her changelings stationed by her side. He nodded his head to signal that it was indeed an actual town somewhere in Equestria. “Of course… Ponyville… so what’s in Ponyville?”
“I have a friend there.”
“A friend?” The confession shed some much needed light on the situation for Chrysalis. At such a young age, even a friendship could provide ample food. She didn’t know how in the world Venom had managed to make such a good friend, especially considering many a young changeling gets captured attempting such a thing. “I see… a friend.” Chrysalis smiled a wicked smile.
“Y-yes.” Venom hadn’t seen her mother smile like that before.
“My, what a clever little filly you are, to make a friend like that,” Chrysalis said. Venom instantly perked up, delightfully surprised by the sudden praise. She had expected to be scolded for breaking her mom’s rules, but that expectation had been turned completely upside-down. “I guess you will be wanting to see your friend again in the future, won’t you?”
“Yeah! I was gonna go see her tomorrow!”
“Ah, very good.” Chrysalis turned to another changeling waiting nearby. “Let the guards know that this child of mine has my permission to leave on her own tomorrow.”
“Very good, your majesty.”
“You mean I don’t have to sneak out?” Venom was a bit disappointed. Sneaking out was kind of fun.
“Nopony should have to sneak out to see their friend,” Chrysalis said, sounding just as sweet as she could manage. “Just let me know whenever you’re going on a little playdate.”
“I will! Thank you!”
“Oh, no need to thank me.” Chrysalis picked up Venom with her magic, levitating the little changeling over to her lap. She set her down and stroked her mane tenderly. “It’s a big, bad world out there full of bad ponies who want to hurt us. I only make my rules so that you and all two hundred something of your sisters can be safe. Not all of them can be so fortunate as you are, little Venom. Making friends is hard for a young changeling.”
“It wasn’t so hard! Taboo is super nice!”
“Oh, is Taboo your little friend?”
“Yeah! And tomorrow, she says she’ll introduce me to her other friends too!”
“My, how wonderful for you,” Chrysalis said while still petting Venom, who was enjoying the affection from her mother. “How special you are to have so many friends at such a young age. You’ve made your mother very proud.”
Venom didn’t say anything in response again. She just hummed happily while her mother brushed back her hair. She’d never been so kind and gentle to her before, but getting this attention from her was exactly what she’d hoped for when she snuck off to Canterlot. Chrysalis doted on her a little while longer before setting her back down.
“Alright, your mother has other business to attend to. Run along and play,” Chrysalis said, sending the little changeling out with a smile. Venom giggled as she trotted out, the joyful sound bouncing about until the doors shut behind her. Chrysalis’s dour expression fell across her face again as she turned to the guard beside her. “I want that one moved into her own room with a guard posted outside for protection. She is to be secretly monitored whenever she leaves the Hive, and I want reports of any interesting developments.”
“It will be done, your majesty.”
“Oh, do we know how many of my daughters are named Venom?”
“There are seven others according to the last count, your majesty.”
“Well, I would like their names changed.” Chrysalis reclined on a hoof and stared at the doors to her chamber. “And there is no need to keep the weak complainers. Who is next?”
“Ha! Read ‘em and weep!” Rainbow Dash tosses four positive pregnancy tests onto her sleeping husband, who didn’t so much as twitch in acknowledgement. He just slept among the little pink sticks, sawing many a log without so much of an inkling of his wife celebrating all around him. “One in the oven! Yeeeeeah!”
Thunderhead rolled over and continued to sleep. In lieu of waking him up, Rainbow Dash simply exited the room and left him to sleep among the excessive proof positive of their successful marital activities. She descended into the den and swept Tank up into her hooves.
“Good news, buddy! We’re adding another little pony to the family!” Rainbow Dash said, spinning the tortoise around. His reaction was only slightly more animated than Thunderheads, but Rainbow Dash didn’t waste much time on the reptile. She set him down on the couch on her way out the door, making sure to lock up behind herself without losing a second. She already knew where she was going first, and on excited wings it didn’t take her long to get there. In less than a minute, she was already knocking on Fluttershy’s door.
“Anypony hoooome?” Rainbow Dash already knew the answer, but her giddiness made her all the more impatient. She bounced up and down in front of the door until a wide-eyed Fluttershy opened it up. She had Willow in her carrier strapped to her bosom, who smiling swung her hooves and cooed absently.
“Rainbow Dash? I was just about to go see you,” Fluttershy said, coming outside and closing the door behind herself. “You won’t believe what I just found out!”
“You’re pregnant.”
“… Okay, maybe you will believe it.” Fluttershy blinked twice before the full absurdity of her friend knowing that sank in. “W-wait, how did you-”
“I’m pregnant too!” Rainbow Dash said, putting a hoof around Fluttershy’s shoulder in order to give her a tight embrace her without crushing Willow.
“That doesn’t explain how you kne-” Fluttershy had to stop once again and realize she was once again forgetting the far more important aspect of what Rainbow Dash had said. “Oh my! Congratulations!”
“Thanks! You too!” Rainbow Dash backed off and spread her wings. “So, who are we gonna go tell next?”
“Well, I was going to tell you first, but I guess that’s done already,” Fluttershy said, looking up at the clouds to think a little. She gently bounced Willow up and down, making the little filly gurgle happily. “I probably shouldn’t tell Timey until he comes home or he won’t be able to focus on his work. I guess you already told Thunderhead…”
“I did the best I could.”
“Did you tell Taboo yet?” Fluttershy asked.
“She’s got a playdate with the Cakes and Venom. She said they’re going to play around in the apple orchard.”
“Well, basically everypony lives between here and Sweet Apple Acres,” Fluttershy said. “We can make our way there and tell anypony we see on the way. Oh, but we should stop by Rarity’s first. Once she knows, everypony will find out sooner or later.”
“That sounds like a plan.” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy went on their way, making their first destination Carousel Boutique. They had a little ways to walk, but there was no shortage of things to discuss on the way there. “This is gonna be awesome! Me and you, pushin’ out kids together. I’ll be looking to you for some pointers!”
“Oh, it’s not like I’m an expert or anything,” Fluttershy said with a little blush. “It’s only my second time…”
“Yeah, but that’s one more time than I’ve done it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “I gotta be convincing enough that Taboo believes that I’ve done this once before.”
“You’ll probably fool us all.” Fluttershy giggled to herself. Having been down this road once before, she could already imagine how Rainbow Dash was going to cope with the “fun” parts of pregnancy. “Just act like you normally do.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing, nothing.” Fluttershy gave Willow a little pat on the head, but the little filly was already getting tuckered out for an early morning nap. “So, Venom seems to come around pretty often now. I assume this means you’re okay with her and Taboo being friends?”
“Considering how few friends her own age she has, I figure any friend is a good friend at this point,” Rainbow Dash said, even if she said so reluctantly. The tiny changeling had grown on her a bit, but there was one character that still didn’t sit well with her. “I just wish that darn vulture didn’t follow her everywhere.”
“Aww, but Buzzword is such a sweetie,” Fluttershy said in defense of the gargantuan buzzard. “The way he’s always looking out for her, and scaring off ponies she doesn’t know, and expelling highly corrosive stomach acid onto her enemies.”
“I guess that bird does keep her from blowing her cover every time she comes by.” Rainbow Dash was forced to admit that even Buzzword had his good side. There was one other thing she had to admit, but it was concerning the young changeling. “Who knows, maybe a changeling will actually be just the kind of friend she needs further down the road. It isn’t conventional, but…”
“Your family isn’t one for convention.”
“Besides, they have a good time together. It’s nice to know Taboo isn’t spending all her time just by herself or with one of us. With Venom, she gets some companionship and some fresh air.” Rainbow Dash smiled deviously. “Kind of reminds me of two different little fillies.” Fluttershy pursed her lips and looked away from Rainbow Dash, pretending she wasn’t listening.
“Oh look, Carousel Boutique,” Fluttershy said in order to change the subject; however, she suddenly got a lot more than she bargained for when Pokey Pierce literally flew out of the door and landed right on his face in the street. A few other objects flew after him, objects he rose to try and dodge. The thrower of these objects soon appeared in the doorway, and she began throwing verbal abuse at him as well.
“You bumbling idiot! This is all your fault!” Rarity said, hocking a mannequin head at her husband’s head with her magic. Pierce dodged it, but the assault was far from over. “Get out! Get out and don’t come back! I never want to see your stupid face again! Do you hear me?!”
“Yes, babe, I hear you,” Pierce said, with a seemingly inappropriate smile on his face. He looked far too happy considering what was going on. Rarity threw a chair at him and then slammed the door to the Boutique shut. He stood there with the same silly grin on his face just staring at the door, but it didn’t take him long to notice the two ponies who had just stood by to watch the whole display. “Oh, hey you two!”
“Don’t ‘hey’ us!” Rainbow Dash said, darting right up to Pierce. “What the heck did you do to Rarity? If you hurt her, I swear I’m gonna-”
“Dash, not in front of Willow.” Fluttershy looked down and noticed her child was asleep. “Oh… well, I guess you can make whatever threat you want as long as you do it quietly.”
“Trust me, you’ve both got the wrong impression,” Pierce said, chuckling for some reason neither mare could figure out. “She’s probably gone back to her dreamy state again, I guarantee it. She’s going to want to talk to both of you. Look, I’m gonna go let my folks and the in-laws know the news. See ya, ladies!” Just like that, Pokey Pierce began to trot merrily down the street away from the Boutique. All Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy could do was look at one another in confusion; however, they didn’t ignore Pierce’s invitation to talk to Rarity for themselves.
“What do you think he meant ‘back to her dreamy state?’ I swear I’m going to lay him out flat the next time I see him,” Rainbow Dash said, leading the way up to the Boutique’s door. Fluttershy followed behind quietly, not wanting to wake Willow and not really having any objections to the plan. Rainbow Dash opened the door to the Boutique up, finding that the inside was oddly serene. The only sound was a quiet, gentle humming from one side of the lobby.
Both mares poked their heads in, noting the awesome carnage that Rarity had no doubt kicked up around the store in her fury. In the middle of the disarray was Rarity, but she looked neither like she was in the same fit of rage as just a few minutes ago or bawling like a pathetic sad-sack as she was want to do in periods of extreme stress. Instead, she was smiling whilst thoughtfully knitting something. She looked up momentarily to see her friends staring at her from the doorway.
“Oh, hello girls,” Rarity said as if it was any other Tuesday. “Sorry about the mess.”
“Are you okay?” Fluttershy dared to ask, uncertain if Rarity was about to go off on another rampage at the slightest notice.
“Oh, me? Ah… ha ha, yes. I’m fine… fantastic, even.” Rarity was acting odd, and not in a way she usually did. Even she seemed unsure of how she felt, but based on her smile and the slow, steady movement of her knitting needles her state of mind really did seem like a peaceful one. “Oh girls, I’ve got some terribly wonderful news: I’m pregnant.”
“You too?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe it. “Wait, seriously? You?”
“Have been for over a month, it seems,” Rarity said, looking down at her stomach. “Oops.”
“That explains everything,” Fluttershy said, taking a closer look at the tiny booties that Rarity appeared to be knitting. “And you’re feeling okay?”
“It’s a bit scary, but exciting too,” Rarity confessed. “Well, I guess I don’t have to explain it to you, darling. You’ve already been there once. It’s a bit selfish of me, but I kind of wish you would get pregnant again so I wouldn’t have to do this alone…”
“Oh Rarity, you’re not alone,” Fluttershy said, joining Rarity in the middle of the floor along with Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, I know I’ve got Pierce too, but he’s even more clueless than me.”
“No, she means-” Rainbow Dash was cut off by Rarity before she could finish.
“I know you’ll be there for me anyway. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t expect you two to do something so drastic just for my sake.”
“But that’s why we’re here,” Fluttershy said, finally getting her chance to fully explain. “Rainbow Dash and I are pregnant. We just found out today.”
“… Oh, well that changes things entirely,” Rarity said before clearing her throat. “We simply all must spend more time together, so that I look a little less like a whale.”
“There’s the Rarity we know and love,” Rainbow Dash said, patting Rarity on the back. “Congrats on the kid. Just think of all the fun the three of us will have when we’ve all got kids the same age! My son is gonna be the little ladies’ man with all the filly friends he’ll have!”
“So sure it’s a colt?” Rarity asked.
“And so sure ours are fillies?” Fluttershy said, looking down at Willow. “Well… I suppose I wouldn’t mind another girl.”
“Of course you two are having girls,” Rainbow Dash said, putting her hooves around both ponies. “You’re too girly not to!”
“That’s not how genetics work, darling,” Rarity told her. The reminder didn’t do anything to deflate Rainbow Dash’s ego, not that Rarity really expected it to. “Buuut… I suppose having a little lady would be fun. Oh, I do hope she’s a tomboy!”
“Really?”
“Oh my.” Fluttershy looked over at Rainbow Dash, both ponies confused at Rarity’s sentiment. Neither party was absolutely sure they even heard her right. “A tomboy?”
“Yes, a little tough filly that I can put into adorable little outfits and then she’ll make a cute little pouty expression because she’d rather go play in the mud or wrestle or something! Oh, it’s so adorable I can hardly stand it!” Rarity said, getting up on her hooves. “Yes, maybe Rainbow Dash is right! My little filly… goodness, I’d better start thinking up some names… and I need to tell my parents!”
“We were gonna make the rounds around town to deliver the news,” Rainbow Dash said. “You want to join us?”
“This place is huuuuge!” Pumpkin exclaimed for the billionth-ish time. “How do they get so many apples off the trees?”
“The Apples work hard to get the job done,” Scootaloo said, leading a procession of four ponies through the orchard’s hills. “A little hard work goes a long way kiddos, remember that.”
“Yes ma’am,” Pound said, but none of the fillies were listening.
“This place is even bigger than the Hive,” Venom said, looking up at the young fruits dangling from the tree branches. She cocked her head, still unclear on many things. “There are this many trees, but you say it’s not a forest. Why are there so many trees? I don’t get it.”
“I told you: it’s for food. You know? To eat?” Scootaloo still wasn’t completely used to the idea of looking after the little changeling, but overall Venom had been completely harmless. She had a lot of questions about rather obvious things, but other than that she came off as a normal filly. Scootaloo herself wasn’t exactly sure why Venom hadn’t disguised herself, but at the same time she didn’t pretend to know everything about changelings.
“You eat the trees?”
“No, we eat the apples,” Taboo said, providing some clarification. “They’re really good.”
“And you can bake them into all kinds of pastries!” Pumpkin said. “Like apple pie, apple fritters, apple crisp, apple turnovers, apple tarts!”
“Okay.” Venom continued staring up at the trees. “What’s a pastry?”
“You really aren’t from around here,” Pound said, turning around to take another look at Venom. He had tried not to stare before out of fear, but he was starting to find her more confusing than scary. “Don’t they have a bakery near that Hive place you live?”
“No, it’s a wasteland!” Venom said with a little smile, not that anypony understood exactly what she was so happy about. “There’s no bakery there… I think. What does a bakery look like? Can you live in it?”
“Yeah, me and Pound live in a bakery!” Pumpkin said, putting a hoof around Venom and pointing to the sky as if to paint a picture. “There’s lots of cake and pie and cookies and chocolate and candy and sugar and-”
“Do all ponies live in bakeries?” Venom asked.
“No, not all of them.”
“… But most of them?”
“I don’t live in a bakery,” Taboo said, adding her two bits to the odd conversation. “You’ve been to my house, Venom. It’s different from a bakery.”
“Is that because it’s in the sky?” Venom was starting to piece everything together, although the picture she was getting wasn’t entirely factual. “So the wingless ponies live on the ground in bakeries.”
“Well, I live in the bakery too,” Pound said in order to reiterate.
“And that is another thing I don’t understand,” Venom said, furrowing her brow in thought. “If you and Pumpkin are siblings, why is it that you have wings and she has a horn?”
“We’re just different,” Pumpkin said with a shrug. “Our parents don’t have horns or wings. That’s just how it goes sometimes! Everypony in the family is different.”
“And you only have one sibling?” Venom asked, still very perplexed. “And it’s a boy and not a girl?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Pound asked before he realized he was hopelessly outnumbered in terms of boy to girl ratio right now.
“Yeah, silly, we’re twins!” Pumpkin didn’t realize her statement would go right over Venom’s head, who only replied by tilting her head to the side. “We were born at the same time!”
“Isn’t that how it’s usually done?” Venom’s question brought a very pregnant pause in the conversation.
“Hey, Venom.” Scootaloo felt a lot more interested in the conversation all of a sudden. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“I don’t have any brothers,” Venom said. “But I do have sisters.”
“Older sisters?”
“Older sisters?” Venom asked the question right back to Scootaloo. “I don’t know. We are all ‘twins.’”
“You have twin sisters?” Scootaloo understood the implication of the use of the plural here. “Exactly how many sisters do you have?”
“Mother said there are two hundred of us.”
“You have two hundred sisters?!” Pound shouted, utterly astounded by the mere thought of such agony. He had enough trouble with just one twin sister, but he couldn’t imagine how annoying two hundred Pumpkins would be.
“That’s a lot of changelings,” Scootaloo said with wide eyes. “Two hundred?”
“Aww, that’s no fair,” Taboo said. She kicked a little stone out of her way. “I don’t even have one sister. Mommy says she’s going to get me a brother.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Venom said with a dismissive shrug. “But what is your brother going to be like?”
“What is he going to be like?” Taboo was the one who tilted her head this time. After a few seconds of thought, she quickly smiled again. “He’s going to be like me!”
“Like you?!” Every hair on Scootaloo’s body shot up on end. She stopped dead in her tracks, causing Pound to run right into her back leg. This caused a chain reaction until all the young ponies were seated on their behinds. Scootaloo spun around, not doing a very good job at looking unconcerned. “Like how?”
“You know,” Taboo said, her tone becoming rather meek. She dropped her head and looked off to the side. “… A pegasus.”
“… Oh, right, a pegasus!” Scootaloo, despite her nervous sweat, did her best to play off her sudden panic attack. “How silly of me! I should’ve realized! Stupid Scootaloo, you should’ve known that!” Her self-scolding was only partially in jest. Scootaloo realized she’d nearly caused an uproar over nothing, which she vowed not to do in the future.
“Okay, a pegasus,” Venom said. She crossed her forelegs and nodded sagely. “So which kind is the pegasus?”
“Pegasi have wings,” Taboo explained very briefly.
“And no horn?”
“No horn,” Taboo said. “A pony with wings and a horn is an alicorn like Princess Twilight or Nimbus. You remember Nimbus, right?”
“So a pegasus has only wings,” Venom said, nodding to herself again. She looked up, straight at Taboo. She looked at the filly’s wings, folded gently at her sides. Venom turned around and looked at Pound. She stared at his wings, tufted with tan feathers. She ruminated a while longer, but the expression on her face said something wasn’t adding up. “Wait… I’m confused…”
“Ah, what’s there to be confused about?” Scootaloo asked, not wanting to continue this vein of conversation any longer than she needed to. “Unicorns have horns, pegasi have wings, alicorns have both and earth ponies have neither. That’s it!”
“But that doesn’t explain-”
“It explains everything,” Scootaloo said before Venom could get another word out. “Hey, who wants to see the clubhouse? Wouldn’t that be distracti-err, fun? Fun! Would that not be fun?”
“That would be fun,” Pumpkin said. Scootaloo was glad she could rely on the little unicorn to be up for anything she suggested.
“Sure,” Taboo said, willing to play along. “But what’s confusing you, Venom?”
“It’s just tha-” Once again, Venom was not allowed to finish.
“Hey look, apple trees!” Scootaloo was running out of material. She laughed nervously, which drew questioning stares from three of the four young ponies. Pumpkin looked over at the tree, just as gung-ho about this tangent as the last.
“… Just that I think there’s a category missing,” Venom said, finally completing her thought. Scootaloo could do nothing to stop it now. Taboo looked ready and willing to listen and contemplate whatever question Venom was about to ask. She wanted to cover her ears and block it out, but she found she was already doing so. She cringed and waited for the bombshell to drop. “Because if those are the only categories, that would mean that…”
“Here it comes!”
“I’m an alicorn.”
“… Huh?” Scootaloo hadn’t done a very good job of covering her ears as she heard the entirety of what Venom said with wonderful clarity. Taboo and the others had heard it too, and from the looks on their faces they found her argument very compelling. “You’re not an alicorn.”
“I know that,” Venom said, clarifying her question. “I’m a changeling. What makes me a changeling and not an alicorn, since I have a horn and wings?”
“I mean, well, it’s gotta be the… umm.” Scootaloo didn’t know how to answer. She probably hadn’t been paying attention the day in school they covered this subject.
“Is it the holes?” Pumpkin asked, pointing to the holes in Venom’s hooves. “Nopony else has holes.”
“That’s true,” Pound said, looking at the holes for himself. “Do all your sisters have holes?”
“Yeah, and so does my mom and all the guards,” Venom replied, finally figuring it all out for herself. “So it’s the holes!”
“It’s gotta be.” Pumpkin and Pound were both sure in their assertion, and the answer appeared to satisfy Venom as well. Scootaloo, for her part, just heaved a sigh of relief.
“Well, I’m glad we settled that.” Scootaloo lead the group onwards again.
“It’s a small difference, but it’s important,” Venom said, sticking her nose in the air as she followed behind the group. “Otherwise, ponies wouldn’t know I was a changeling!”
“Yeah, right.” Scootaloo snickered to herself, but she didn’t dare let Venom or the others see it. “C’mon, I’ll show you all the clubhouse.”
Scootaloo marched deeper into the orchard, with Pound following right at her heels. Pumpkin skipped along in a close second with Venom bringing up the rear. The group only got a few feet in this fashion before Venom stopped and turned around, having noticed that one pony was missing. Taboo was right where they left her, eyes fixed on something behind her.
“Are you coming?” Venom called to her friend, getting the filly’s attention. Taboo perked up and trotted to catch back up. The two rejoined the line promptly, walking briskly as if the delay hadn’t happened; however, the last pony in line was never quite in step with the others.
“Weeeeee’re baaaack!” Pinkie Pie said, bursting into the bakery with Pound and Pumpkin in tow. The Cakes were hard at work behind the counter, but Mrs. Cake managed to tear herself away from icing the cupcakes long enough to greet her children and live-in assistant.
“Welcome back. Did you have fun at Sweet Apple Acres?” she asked. As per usual, the Cakes were not fully aware of the whole story. Both Mrs. Cake and her husband were under the impression Pinkie had taken the twins to see Applejack, Roseluck, and Applerose for a little visit to the orchard. In reality, the twins had met up with Taboo and Pinkie Pie had taken Gummy out hunting for truffles. Sadly, only the former experience had any luck. All Pinkie and Gummy managed to find were a bunch of rare edible mushrooms.
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun!” Pumpkin said, bouncing up and down in place. “We even made a new friend!”
“Really? What’s your new friend like?” Mrs. Cake asked.
“She’s holey.” Pound was not one for embellishing the story or beating around the bush, which Mrs. Cake new and further served to confuse her. Mr. Cake had heard their son’s declaration as well, and the couple exchanged a confused glance.
“She’s… holy?”
“Maybe the holiest!” Pumpkin only added to the confusion. Of course, both twins were intent on honoring the promise they made to Venom before they left to not reveal her identity. She had stressed it was important for a spy to keep their real name a secret. Even though Pound had his doubts and Pumpkin didn’t really understand, they agreed to it since even the adults like Pinkie and Applejack had said to do so as well.
It was strange for the twins, having to keep so many secrets. It is generally difficult to get such young ponies to keep so many things under wraps, especially when the party they were keeping in the dark was their own parents. Pumpkin and Pound loved their parents no doubt, and they certainly wouldn’t want to hurt them by keeping secrets; however, the true mastermind behind the secrecy was far too clever for that to stop her.
“C’mon you two, let’s go upstairs,” Pinkie said, sweeping up the twins and putting them onto her back. They were almost too big for that anymore, but Pinkie wasn’t thinking about that. “It looks like these two don’t have a clue!” Pinkie giggled innocently, with the twins following right in suite. The mare had successfully turned keeping secrets into a game, and a very enjoyable one at that. The danger, the intrigue, and the knowing did make it thrilling for the twins.
As the others went upstairs, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were merely left to shrug their shoulders. They were all too willing to write events off as Pinkie Pie just being Pinkie Pie and that she was unfortunately rubbing off on the twins. They always talked about how they hoped they would inherit her optimism and unflappable spirit, but they drew the line at her unstoppable tendency for wacky shenanigans.
“I wonder who they met,” Mrs. Cake said, returning to her cupcakes.
“It beats me,” Mr. Cake replied as he took a piping hot carrot cake out of the oven. He set it on the rack to cool and then faced his wife. “Some kind of saint, it sounds like.”
“Saints are fine by me,” Mrs. Cake said. “So long as they aren’t spending time with that strange filly again.”
“I guess so. Anypony is better than her.”
In the Cake household there was an unspoken divide between the young and the old. In the middle, there was a Pie. As long as she was there to manage things, both sides could remain in their camps until the right time to reveal all arrived.
“Just remember to stay close, alright?” Rainbow Dash said to Taboo, residing quietly upon her back as they flew. “This shouldn’t take too long, but there might be a lot of ponies we don’t know there. I don’t want you running off, alright?”
“Okay.” Taboo got basically same speech everytime she went out with mommy. She always listened and obeyed, without complaint. She didn’t really want to wander out among the ponies she didn’t know anyway.
“And afterwards we’ll go to grandma and grandpa’s.” Rainbow Dash hadn’t initially wanted to take Taboo to Cloudsdale today, but things hadn’t worked out in her favor; however, she couldn’t risk missing today of all days. Spring Training for the newest group of Wonderbolts had just finished with the induction of the newest members, which meant registration for the next round of Spring Training started today.
Spring Training was the real deal for Wonderbolt hopefuls. The Wonderbolt Academy was a requirement for even qualifying for Spring Training, but it was far from the only one. Past records and correspondence played a huge role in eligibility, and in reality the Wonderbolts should already have an advance list of ponies they’d even consider considering for registration prepared at this point. Rainbow Dash’s eagerness to register early was not due to any doubts on her part that she might not qualify for entry, but she did have a certain growing concern.
To register a pony must show up in the feather and flesh at Wonderbolt HQ, which is high up in Cloudsdale. With one extra passenger, Rainbow Dash’s window of opportunity for being able to make the flight to Cloudsdale was set to close in the future. Registration isn’t open every day during the summer or fall due to the Wonderbolt’s touring schedule being in full swing during those months. Time for registering would be over and done once winter began, but Rainbow Dash figured she would definitely not be able to fly at that point anyway.
The other concern was the recruitment cap set on Spring Training. The cap differs year to year based on how many ponies got recruited last year, how many shows they expect to book next year, and a few other variable metrics such as injury and illness. Going on the first day as early as possible was an absolute must for Rainbow Dash because the Wonderbolts did not believe in reserving seats on the team. They just figured that the most dedicated would find a way to make it work, rain or shine or lack of babysitter in Dash’s case.
It was early enough in the morning that Thunderhead working early had also affected her plans. Without anypony to ask right at the last minute, Rainbow Dash decided just to take Taboo along for the ride since it would present a nice opportunity to visit the grandparents anyway.
Wonderbolts HQ came into view, seated atop a high plateau on the edge of Cloudsdale. There was a rumor that they had built it far away from Cloudsdale Stadium so that they could include flying back and forth from HQ to their practice grounds as part of their warm-up when practicing for performances. While the stadium served as the mock stage, the grounds of the HQ held every last bit of equipment needed to train an effective flying force. The building itself was somewhat modest, since what the Wonderbolts really needed was the wide open space.
“Doesn’t look like anypony else is around,” Rainbow Dash said, noting the empty skies all around. She landed right next to the front door, the only sound her own hooves touching down on the stones. “Maybe we’re the first ones here!”
Rainbow Dash had, unfortunately, gotten her hopes up too soon. As soon as she opened the door, she was met with the backside of a pony standing in what appeared to be a very long line. She craned her neck to see the front, which did indeed lead all the way up to the front desk. Beyond that, there were other ponies sitting around in the lobby staring up at the clock.
“… I guess the extra weight slowed me down,” Rainbow Dash said, looking down at the just barely visible bump developing on her stomach. In reality she knew here hemming and hawing over whether or not to take Taboo was what made her late,and Taboo had to go pee right before they left. Rainbow Dash let Taboo jump off her back and stand close to her. She absently put one wing down over the filly, further protecting her from prying eyes. Luckily, most everypony else was engrossed in their own little world. “Well… this should be fine.”
“Are you kidding me?!” Cloudchaser stomped her hooves and grunted from right behind Rainbow Dash. “I even got up super early to get in! Uuuugh, this is so stupid!”
Taboo got a little closer to Rainbow Dash. She wasn’t particularly fond of Cloudchaser, but then again neither was Rainbow Dash. Both of them scooted a little closer to the stallion in front of them, away from the dismal Cloudchaser.
“Hey, I saw that.” Cloudchaser caught them in the act. “Don’t think you can ignore me.”
“Oh, hey Cloudchaser! I didn’t see you there,” Rainbow Dash said, not even trying to hide the fact that she was lying. “I suppose you’re here to register?”
“No, I’m here to see Soarin’.”
“Ha, yeah, good one.” Rainbow Dash was surprised Cloudchaser had a sense of humor about her obsession with the uniform.
“I wasn’t joking.”
Rainbow Dash was now much less surprised. “You do know that he has a special somepony… right?”
“…”
“Are… are you crying?” Rainbow Dash almost felt bad for Cloudchaser, who was managing to keep a straight face as tears streamed down from the corners of her eyes.
“Big girls don’t cry, Dash… big girls don’t cry.” Cloudchaser kept not crying for a few minutes while the line moved slowly forward, a period which Rainbow Dash was blessed with silence. The peace wasn’t meant to last though as Cloudchaser wasn’t one to just stand around waiting. “So, what’s new with you?”
“Oh… you know… pregnant.”
“What the what?” Cloudchaser got super bug-eyed. She started at Rainbow Dash’s stomach, not that she really knew what to look for. “Seriously? Out of wedlock?”
“I’m married.”
“You got married?!” Cloudchaser was shouting now, attracting no less than just a little attention. “To who? When did you get a boyfriend?”
“Thunderhead, the stallion who was guarding me at night.” Rainbow Dash blinked at the mare a couple of times. “Cloudchaser, you were at the wedding!”
“… Was I?” Cloudchaser got real quiet for a second. Rainbow Dash had never seen the mare focus so intensely. “Huh, I guess so. I think I remember the reception was fun.”
“Thanks?” Rainbow Dash secretly hoped that she would get the very last spot for Spring Training just so there wouldn’t be one left for Cloudchaser. It was a mean sentiment, but Rainbow Dash really didn’t want this mare to be a potential coworker.
“So, one on the way and you’re trying out for the Wonderbolts.” Cloudchaser ran a hoof through her mane and looked off to the side. “I just hope being that ambitious helps more than it hurts.”
Rainbow Dash especially wasn’t fond of how she could sometimes say something kind of smart. The only thing she could do was continue to wait as the line moved forward with mechanical predictability. Ponies left the line, the lobby, and the building at a regular clip. Eventually, Rainbow Dash had her turn at the front desk which began her stint of waiting in a chair. Taboo sat silent next to her in a chair right in the corner of the lobby. Even with Cloudchaser’s outbursts, they’d managed to keep a low profile. Nopony paid them much mind, especially once they were out of the way. Rainbow Dash was still worried, having seen what she thought might be a few concerned looks in their direction.
“Is it gonna be much longer?” Taboo asked, speaking up for the first time since they arrived.
“I should be next,” Rainbow Dash said. “We can leave after the interview.”
“Rainbow Dash?” A secretary popped in from the back and looked around.
“See, what did I say?” Rainbow Dash stood up and headed over, with Taboo following close behind. “I’m here.”
“It’s time for your interview,” the mare said, gesturing for her to follow her into the back. Rainbow Dash complied, but the secretary stopped leading her for a moment. She looked down, but didn’t say anything for a few seconds. “… Um… only you, ma’am, are allowed back here.”
“Really?” Rainbow Dash looked down at Taboo, who was already looking up at her. Neither party wanted to leave the company of the other. “But, she’s my daughter and we came here alone.”
“Those are the rules.” The secretary snapped at them. Rainbow Dash figured she’d best comply, as much as she absolutely did not want to. She looked back at the waiting room. There were only a few ponies left, since only a few showed up after Cloudchaser. Rainbow Dash thought of asking her to look after Taboo, but chances were that Cloudchaser would be called next. Besides, she didn’t really trust the mare anyway. Rainbow Dash got down at Taboo’s level and managed a smile.
“Just go wait in the corner for me to come out, okay? I won’t be more than five minutes.”
“… Promise?”
“Don’t even sweat it,” Rainbow Dash said, standing back up. “Now go. I’ll be right back.” She followed the secretary into the back while Taboo watched the door close. Slowly, she turned around and walked back to her seat. As she went along, she made the mistake of looking over to where some other ponies were sitting.
They were all watching her. Even when she looked away, she could feel them watching her. She walked faster and got into her seat as fast as she could, but even in the corner they could all see her. Even if they were only looking out of the corner of their eyes, she knew they were watching. She recoiled, dropping her head and pinning her ears back. She didn’t like being alone like this. She wished five minutes could be over already, but it hadn’t even been one yet.
Her ears twitched. Even with them pinned back, she could hear the ponies whispering to each other. She didn’t listen to what they were saying; she didn’t want to. Taboo remained as still as possible, too afraid to do anything else. The room felt like it was getting smaller, and time felt like it was getting longer. Taboo closed her eyes, but she couldn’t help but hear it all going on around her.
She heard somepony get out of their chair, instantly prompting her to open her eyes back up. There was a stallion walking towards her, a stallion she did not recognize. She clamped her eyes shut and recoiled as far back into her chair as possible. Time became agonizingly slow. She was powerless to do anything but listen as the stallion got closer and closer. Once he was right next to her, he stopped and stood there. As suddenly as he had gotten up, he sat back down in the seat right next to her.
Taboo popped one eye open. Whoever the stallion was sitting next to her, he didn’t spare her a glance as he sat between her and the rest of the room. He looked straight ahead, nearly unblinking. He still looked very angry, so his presence did nothing to allay Taboo’s fears; however, she continued to stare at him while he refused to look at her. Bit by bit, the background whispers seemed to fade away. Before Taboo knew it, the door to the back opened up again.
“Taboo!” Rainbow Dash practically came flying out, skidding to a halt before her daughter and the stallion seated next to her. She stopped and stared at him for a moment. “Thunderlane? What’re… what’re you doing?”
“Keeping the peace,” he said, standing back up.
“How noble of you,” Rainbow Dash said, deadpanning her eyes at him.
“I wouldn’t recommend bringing her back here,” Thunderlane said, looking down at Taboo for just a moment. Taboo retreated to the safety of her mother’s side, taking refuge beneath her wing. Thunderlane was far too intense for her, and she didn’t at all want to come back to this place. “I thought you were gonna play it smarter than that.”
“I couldn’t help it,” she said, heading towards the door with Taboo. Thunderlane followed right behind them, still eclipsing everypony else’s view of Taboo. “You’re being especially jumpy.”
“Because this reflects on all of us from Ponyville.” Thunderlane calmed down a bit, reminding himself that getting angry at the two of them wasn’t going to make things better. He went as far as the front door, but stopped there while Rainbow Dash and Taboo continued on. “I’m just trying to help.”
“Thanks for that,” Rainbow Dash said, turning to give Thunderlane one last piece of advice. “But our family can handle its own affairs.” She lifted Taboo onto her back and took off, leaving Thunderlane in the dust. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him now, but rather she was upset she had to trust him at all. This trip had turned into a debacle, and his intercession had only punctuated that. Rainbow Dash didn’t bother pondering what might’ve happened if he hadn’t stepped in.
“He was scary…”
“Hmm, who, Thunderlane?” Rainbow Dash asked. She looked up at her passenger long enough to see her nod. “Don’t worry, he’s not scary. He just acts tough.”
“But that’s scary.” Taboo had a point. He hadn’t said a word to her when he tried to help her. He hadn’t even smiled at her, let alone looked at her. It was almost like he hadn’t wanted to acknowledge she was even there. Something about that made her gut twist into a knot. “Are we going to go to grandma and grandpa’s now?”
“We’re going straight there,” Rainbow Dash told her. “Everything is fine now, so just relax.”
For some reason, neither party felt like relaxing.
“Eeyup.”
“Mmhmm.”
“Yeah.”
“Jeez, the days have gotten long.” Thunderhead took a good gulp of his coffee. The other three stallions were drinking cider, but seeing as he just woke up and had to get to work in an hour drinking alcohol was wildly inappropriate. Despite their fourth member’s different choice of beverage, the four of them standing outside together drinking still felt right to the other three. It was if their group was whole.
“Isn’t that good news for you?” Pierce asked, drinking from his flagon. “Short nights mean short work for you, right?”
“It doesn’t work that way,” Thunderhead told them. “I still have to work the same hours. It’s just now the sun is up during the first hour, which hasn’t stopped being weird.”
“I can’t even wrap my head around being nocturnal,” Turner said. “I have a hard enough time just waking up at night if Willow starts crying. Thankfully she sleeps pretty well at night.”
“Yeah, lucky you,” Pierce said. “Poor Macintosh here can’t go one night without Applerose waking him and his wife up.”
“Eeyup.”
“I bet your second child makes up for the first one,” Pierce said, wishing a little mayhem on his friend’s head. His life was so peaceful that he needed something to shake things up, Pierce figured. “I get the feeling my kid is gonna be a hoofful too.”
“So says you two,” Thunderhead said. “I’m actually kind of scared to think how nuts our kid is gonna be. If she’s related to Dash, I get the feeling raising her won’t be easy.”
“Eeyup.”
“Hey, how do you think I feel?” Pierce asked, finishing off his drink. “Rarity takes a lot of maintenance, so having a tiny version of her won’t be any easier.”
“It won’t be easier period.” Turner smiled to himself and swirled his drink. “But don’t worry because I’ll be glad to give you all the advice you want on being a father.”
“Please, I bet Fluttershy does, like, eighty percent of the work,” Pierce said as he gazed into his empty cup. “No offense man, but taking care of tiny things is kind of her M.O.”
“He’s got a point.”
“Eeyup.”
“Hey, I’m not some slouch!” Turner took a deep drink, only to have some go down the wrong pipe. Once he was finished choking, he finished his defense. “I’ve been planning our children’s futures; I’m the big picture parent.”
“But can you change a diaper?” Pierce’s question went unanswered by Turner, who opted to stare up at the orange sky. “I totally can. Rarity has me practice on a watermelon. I’m already committed to putting in time on the little things, so I don’t think I need any advice from you.”
“You’re making it sound like I’m a bad parent,” Turner said, actually feeling a little guilty.
“I’m sure you’re fine,” Thunderhead said, comforting the poor stallion. The guy really did try, at least according to what Rainbow Dash said Fluttershy told her. “All I know is that with me and Dash’s schedules, it’s gonna be a tough adjustment.”
“You’re already taking care of Taboo, so it can’t be that much of an adjustment,” Pierce said, but Thunderhead shook his head.
“Dash’s current job is a little more friendly in that regard, but if she gets into the Wonderbolts…”
“Ah, therein lies your challenge,” Turner said. “Well, at least you all won’t get bored.”
“I don’t think we’re doing this to stave off ennui.”
“At least you’re doing it on purpose,” Pierce said, patting Thunderhead on the back.
“Yeah, no kidding.” Turner sighed and finished off his drink in one go.
“Eeyup.”
“Hey, you all drinking outside?”
Everypony looked up to see Soarin’ flying overhead. None of them had any idea what he was doing in the neighborhood, but it didn’t take terribly long to figure out what or rather who he’d be in Ponyville for. Even with that mystery solved, the four wondered what he could possibly want now.
“Not Thunderhead,” Turner said. “He has work.”
“I know that! We work together.”
“Work is a strong word for what you do.” Thunderhead finished his coffee, wishing it was actually alcoholic for a moment.
“The outside of the Boutique seems like an odd place for this,” Soarin’ said. The other stallions had no objections to the venue, especially since there was a good reason for it.
“Most of our wives are in there,” Pierce told him. “It’s a pregnancy thing.”
“Dash is trying to stay as active as she can,” Thunderhead said. “Rarity and Fluttershy are along for the ride. I suppose keeping in shape together is easier than doing it alone.”
“Fluttershy seems to be enjoying it.” Turner smiled to himself, thinking of all the times his wife had complained about being unable to be up and about the last time. This time she kept saying she was getting all her desire to move out of the way now so she didn’t regret it once she had to slow down. “It’s making the pregnancy a little easier.”
“Haha, you guys are crazy!” Soarin’ flew a loop and continued to laugh down at them. “I don’t think I could ever have kids! That’d be waaay too much responsibility and stuff. I just want it to be me and my mare and whatever we wanna do! Later!” As suddenly as he appeared, Soarin’ flew off into the darkening sky. In his wake, the remaining for stallions were left to look at each other with similar concern.
“He doesn’t want kids?” Turner said, scratching his head. “Do you… do you think he knows?”
“He has to… I mean, we know and we’re not going out with Pinkie Pie,” Thunderhead replied. “She talks about it without prompting. One time she told me and Dash that she wanted one foal for every day of the week at least.”
“Once she came into my shop and told me she wanted as many foals as there are rooms in Canterlot castle.” Turner put a hoof to his chin. “And then she bought seventy-eight alarm clocks.”
“That’s nothing,” Pierce said, getting ready for a doozy. “One time I overheard her telling Rarity she wanted more foals than possible combinations of three scoop cones down at the ice cream parlor.”
“Is that lot?” Thunderhead asked.
“Eeyup.”
“They’ve got twenty three flavors, man. I did the math. It’s over twelve thousand.”
The four stallions stood in profound silence for a few seconds.
“… He really doesn’t know.”
“He does not know.”
“Nopony told him.”
“Nnope.”
The clattering of construction filled the house, which was making Rainbow Dash just a little more than irritable. Her mother sat nearby knitting and maintaining the peace, knowing full well that her daughter was likely to snap at any moment. Her other mother, the one of the in-law variety, sat next to her reading a Daring Do book that Rainbow Dash had recently finished. Despite all the racket, the two olders mares were the very picture of serenity. The only other pony handling it as well as they were was fast asleep upstairs, but he wasn’t being counted among the living currently.
“Aaargh! Can’t they wait to do this?” Rainbow Dash was full of complaints today. Her wings felt too heavy to get out and do any kind of flying today and her aching hooves were killing her once again. She was only halfway through this pregnancy deal, but part of her want to back-up and maybe not do it. If there was anything the mare hated, it was definitely being forced to rest.
“Now Dashie, you know Taboo is going to need her own room,” her mother said. “You want Taboo all moved in there so you have room for the foal in your room, don’t you?”
“Stop talking to me like a child!” Dash flipped her pillow over and placed it over her ears. “Are they going to be done soon?”
“It shouldn’t be that much longer,” Stormy said. She glanced up from her book and looked upstairs where the noise was coming from. “Once all the pieces are in place, it should quiet down.”
“Bark bark!” Pretzel’s tongue lolled in and out of his mouth as he stood guard in front of the couch. Tank was standing nearby, acting as a second line of protection for his master.
“Just try and relax,” Palette said, setting down her knitting for a moment. “Focus on the fact that nopony is going to bother you to do anything. You’re free to just be a lump on the couch.”
A couple of particularly loud bangs resonated from upstairs.
“Can’t I be a bump somewhere quieter?” Rainbow Dash sat up and hurled her pillow the stairs. When her attack did nothing to quiet things down, she flopped back down in defeat. She would’ve given anything to just hand off the whole pregnancy thing to somepony else and go flying around right about now. She put a hoof on her stomach and grumbled. “You’d better be thankful for all of this.”
“Did you and Thunderhead decide on a name yet?” Stormy asked. “He told us that you’re positive it’s going to be a boy, so you must have a name or two in mind.”
“Yeah, I’ve got some ideas,” Rainbow Dash said, gladly taking up a different avenue of conversation. The construction sounds actually did seem to be calming down, and she would rather do anything than wallow in her own misery. “I’m thinking Ace Rider or Blitz Zephyr.”
“Of course,” Palette said, rolling her eyes. “Wonderbolts.”
“Naming him after a Wonderbolt will ensure he becomes a Wonderbolt himself one day,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her belly a little more. “He’s going to have big shoes to fill with such a prestigious namesake and being the son of the best Wonderbolt of all time!”
“Aww, Hardy is going to be sad that you won’t name it after him,” Stormy said with a little pout. She’d kind of wanted it to be named after him too. “Maybe we can combine the names, like Hard Rider or Blitz Knocks.”
“Birdie would want it to be named after himself too,” Palette said. Even if her husband had never explicitly said so, she knew how he thought.
“I’m not naming my kid Birdbrain,” Rainbow Dash said. “No offense, but it’s just not a very Wonderbolt-y name. Neither is Blitz Knocks… but Hard Rider…”
“See, it works!” Stormy said, clapping her hooves together. “With a name like that, I’m sure he’ll be very fast.”
“Oh, Birdie will be so disappointed.” Palette picked up her knitting again and returned to work on it with a bit of remorse. Rainbow Dash rolled her owns eyes, but after she’d done that she noticed something odd about what her mother was making.
“Is that for my kid?” she asked, pointing at the little hat that was almost half formed in Palette’s hooves.
“Of course it is. You didn’t think it was for you, did you?”
“Why’s it pink?!”
“Oh, about that.” Palette resume knitting, her face remaining passive as she worked with mechanical precision. “It might still be a girl.”
“Nope, no girl,” Rainbow Dash said. She was that sure in her convictions. “He’s in my body, so I think I’ve got a good idea of what he’s like.”
“Is that so?” Palette didn’t so much as look up from her work, which Rainbow Dash did not like one bit. She wouldn’t preferred it if she’d at least managed to ruffle her mother’s feathers just a little. “If you say so, I’ll trust you.”
“And yet you’re still making that silly hat!”
“I don’t think it’s so silly,” Stormy said, returning to her book. “There’s still a chance…”
“A girl wouldn’t be so bad,” Palette said. “Why, I’m sure Taboo would love to have a little sister. Wouldn’t you?”
Something stirred from beneath the couch. It struggled to emerge at first, but soon enough a tiny head with two pillows pinned over either ear emerged. Taboo did not at all like the sound of the construction, and thus had retreated somewhere much quieter. Even so, she still had managed to hear her grandma’s question.
“Yeah, I’d like a little sister.” Taboo managed to answer the question before another loud crash was heard upstairs, forcing her to retreat back into the recesses of the couch.
“Yeah, yeah, say whatever you want.” Rainbow Dash put both hooves on her belly, rubbing them both counterclockwise as she grinned down at it. “This little guy is gonna be a Wonderbolt, that’s for certain.”
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Keep saying that Rainbow. The more you do the more likely Karma will bite you in the plot
6028920
Her foal could be a little earth pony filly... Oh the sounds of dreams shattering while Taboo gets into shenanigans with her lil sister
yay, now we get chapter after chapter on mod swings, strange food cravings and a gigantic baby shower party
. And all of it will have this strange sense of nostalgia.
Rarity's reason for wanting a tomboy is priceless
I am reading.
I stop using my eyes and they just remain pointed at an arbitrary few pixels of white page. I begin a long inward breath, causing me to stretch my chest slightly. I hold it and then push it right back out.
"Welp, time to watch the world burn, then."
I continue reading.
What if Rainbow has an earth pony?
What did you calculate for the ice cream combinations? From combination, permutation, repeated combination and repeated permutation, the only method that gets over 12000 at 3 out of 23 is the repeated permutation (12167).
However, I don't think most people would count a "strawberry-strawberry-lemon" cone separately from a "strawberry-lemon-strawberry" cone.
As we're counting scoops and not flavors, repetition is probably valid, so I'd go with the repeated combination (3 out of 23 = 2300).
Love to see updates!
6030165
I don't want to live in a world where scoop order doesn't matter. There is logic behind the order, logic dictated by what flavor I would like in my mouth first, which flavors are good when they melt into each other, and which flavor I want to fill the cone at the end. I can't believe you'd just come in here and even deign to think it was okay to disregard the flavor order. How dare you. How. Dare. You.
Additionally, this.
6030385 Wherein ice-cream flavor is spoken of in a sexual manner. Or maybe I've been watching too much...internet comedy.
6029159
could you at least wish that it was a pegasus? if it's anything else then she has to move out of her grand cloud house
NOTHING IS FOR CERTAIN!
6031084
Oh I never said that I wished it was an earth pony, just that karma could bite Rainbow with how much she's saying that it's going to be a pegasus colt.
6030385 You are a saint! You understand the natural order of things deigned in this universe. To say order of flavors does not matter is a grave sin!
Mac sells apples and apple accessories.
I gonna guess that Fluttershy and Rainbowdash have bat pony babies since they were bats when they conceived them. It's probably not going to happen, cause the first night guard Luna spoke of had children the same way and Luna never mentioned any abnormalities in the births. But meh it's what I thought might happen until Luna mentioned that.
Soarin'... You poor, poor stallion...
Heh. Just caught up w this. Loving it so far!
Hehehe this was fun! Thanks for the update.
With a name like Hard Rider, he would be good at something, but it probably wouldn't be flying. I hope Dash does have a son, just because it would be such a twist. At this point, with how adamant she is on the subject, it's painfully obvious that she's going to have a filly, and for it to be a colt would be a lovely shock.
Anyway, I think you were maybe hinting at Pinkie being pregnant also, which, with Rarity's surprise pregnancy, makes this feel like you realized how obsessed you were with shippings and foals that weren't needed for the story, but still had to satisfy a neurotic need to have them in there, and so decided to rush through them as fast as you could. Because of this, I was a bit surprised Twilight didn't come in wailing about how she put out on the first date and got knocked up; crying about how slutty a princess she is and how disappointing her family was going to be.
Slightly less surprised that Applejack didn't suffer from a surprise virgin pregnancy.
Well, if anything, at least we're getting this all out of the way now so the story can actually progress to something besides being a ship-fic for the rest of the journey.
Hard Rider grows up to become a porn star...
Its gonna be TOM!
The Cakes are in the anti-Taboo faction?
And I find Chrysalis' "good will" towards Venom's friends ... concerning.
There are very few things that can inspire a women to say those things,with that amount of rage,to her husband. Rarity is preggers.
.......so Chrysalis has chosen an heir?
Please let it be that.
Also, Soarin. Yeah. Um....you are dense!!
At this point, I'm rather curious/concerned about Venom's paternity...
Wouldn't it be hilarious if, after saying all that, Dash gave birth to a male Flutershy, mentally wise?