The World Beneath Her Wings

by Void Chicken

Shattered Destinies

Rarity sipped from her teacup. "After I finished sewing, we sat down there for a while, wondering if we'd be fed. Then you and Starlight appeared and rescued us."

Writing on a scroll, Twilight asked, "Is there anything else you remember?"

While Rarity and Twilight talked, Rainbow lounged. She was back in Twilight's castle, laying on a couch much more comfortable than the stone floor of a cave. She had only been there overnight, but one night was enough to not want to ever return.

Setting a hoof on her belly, she quietly said, "Sorry about all that. You okay in there?"

The foal shifted slightly.

"Yeah, your first adventure. Didn't think you'd get one until you were at least a few years old." Rainbow smiled. "Could have gone better, but it worked out in the end, right?"

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "Are you ready to give your report?"

"Huh? Sure." Rainbow moved to stand up.

Rarity set down her teacup and hurried over. Pushing Rainbow back into the cushions, she said, "Oh, no no no. Rainbow needs her rest. Twilight, debrief her over here." She levitated the cup back to her lips.

With a scroll and quill in her magical grip, Twilight walked over and sat down. "Tell me about your experiences. Anything I can send as testimony to Princess Celestia."

Shifting herself to get more comfortable, Rainbow said, "I showed up at the front door of the place, and there were these two salamander jerks in armor. They treated me like I was a stray dog or something." Reflexively, she glanced around the room. Fluttershy was not there. "One of them said something like Rarity was inside. I asked about her, but that didn't go anywhere, so I started flying. I found an empty room and decided hey, if they weren't going to help me find her I'd do it myself. Then this salamander lady walked in not wearing anything and apparently they have a thing about not being seen without clothes because she started screaming and throwing things at me." Rainbow waved a hoof for effect.

"I dodged them all because I'm awesome like that, of course. I got out into this big hallway and tried a door. Inside were a dozen of the meanest-looking salamanders you ever saw, battle-trained warriors. I tried to avoid them, but they blocked the way out. The only way I could get through was to fight!"

Rarity choked on her tea.

"One of the big ones swung at me, but I deftly avoided it. I flew across the room and socked one of the others in the face! Pow!" With a punch in the air, Rainbow went on, "I was all over the place; you should have seen it! Boosh! Wham! One of them threw a chair at me, but I was too fast for him. I kicked and punched and it was awesome! Then two of them picked up the table and hurled it at me. They almost got me, but I flew out under it and knocked their heads into each other. It was great."

A door slammed. Rarity was no longer in the room. In front of Rainbow, Twilight sat with her quill hovering away from the page, her face flat.

"You fought off a dozen warriors," she said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said with a smile crossing her face. "I mean—" She straightened up. "They attacked me. I had to defend myself, you know." With a scowl, she looked aside. "Not like it helped. Some jerks in armor jumped me and chained me up. They dragged me in front of their mayor or their king or whatever he was."

Sighing, she said, "Then he started calling me a violent, sex-crazed animal. I tried to explain how I was just trying to find Rarity but he kept saying that proved I only wanted sex. I wish I could have punched him in the face. I'd show him violent."

Rainbow flopped her head onto the couch cushion. "Then they threw me in that cave with Rarity and you got the rest from her."

"Anything else?" Twilight asked, setting her quill in her ink bottle.

"I don't know," Rainbow said, "besides all that stuff where they kept calling me stupid. And Rarity getting mad at me for coming. I guess she expected me to sit around while she was in trouble?"

Lowering the scroll, Twilight said, "Rainbow, you know—"

"No." Rainbow stood up and hopped down off the couch. "Not again. I got enough of that from Rarity. I don't need it from you." She looked up and opened her wings. "I'm going flying. Go write to Princess Celestia about how much of a violent idiot I am or whatever."

She launched herself out the window. Outside, the sun neared the horizon.

Punching her way through a cloud, she told her foal, "Can you believe her? It's not like I knew she was kidnapped until they told me. I couldn't get that far and then abandon her." She dropped down and sat on another cloud. "You understand, right? You were there, after all. You know, if I could have you in Rarity instead, I'd..." She paused. "I don't know. Forget it."

Rainbow looked out over the clouds for several minutes in silence. Ahead of her, the setting sun lit them from below in a striking orange. Eventually, she said, "If you're a pegasus, I'm going to take you flying. I'll show you what it feels like to have the wind running across your wings. I'll teach you every trick I know. You'll be the most awesome filly in the flight academy, I promise.

"And if you're not?" She smiled. "Then I guess you should enjoy flying while you can, right?"

Looking down, she saw Carousel Boutique. Rainbow knew Rarity was inside. "Life lesson from your dad, kid: you shouldn't put off things you don't want to do."

She stayed where she was.

"Another lesson is that your father is a terrible role model and you shouldn't try to be like her."

A few more minutes passed.

"Let's just get this over with."

Hopping off the cloud, Rainbow swooped down and landed as gently as she could inside the bedroom.

Immediately, the smell of bath salts hit her nose. She could see candle light flickering in the otherwise dark bathroom.

"Rarity?" Rainbow softly called.

She could hear the intake of breath, followed by its release.

"I'm in the bath, Rainbow," Rarity's voice said.

Rainbow took a few steps towards it.

"And I'd like to be alone," Rarity continued. "I am in dire need of relaxation, and I would get it best by myself."

Grimacing, Rainbow said, "Okay. I'll be downstairs." She moved towards the hallway.

"Wait," Rarity said. Rainbow heard the water splash. "Before you go. I need to know something."

Rainbow stopped. "What?"

"You have to be completely honest with me. Did you really get into a fight with the salamanders?"

Rainbow winced. "Yeah. But I might have over—"

"Enough. I need the truth, Rainbow. No matter how you think I'm going to react, or what I'm going to think about you. This is important. Do you understand?"

"Uh-huh." Rainbow shrank back a little.

"Rainbow Dash. Did they hit the foal?"

"Um, I think—"

"No 'I think'. Yes or no. Did they hit the foal?"

After taking a breath, Rainbow answered, "No, Rarity. They didn't hit the foal."

Rainbow heard a long, drawn-out sigh. "Get your own dinner," Rarity said. "We'll talk tomorrow."

Slinking down the stairs, Rainbow told her foal, "That means we're sleeping on the couch. You're going to be more comfortable tonight than I am."

Laying down on the couch, Rainbow said, "Here, I got a story for you. It's called Rainbow Dash and the Major Screwup. It's about an awful parent who puts her own daughter in danger." She crossed her forelegs and lay her head on them.

---

The morning sun shone in through the kitchen windows. Pulling off her apron, Rainbow walked out into the dining room. She heard hoofsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hey," she told Rarity. "I cooked breakfast. I've been wanting eggs, so I made some. Sunny side up. There's toast too if you're hungry."

After a pause, Rarity sat at the table and picked up her fork.

They ate in silence. Rainbow looked up between bites, but Rarity's attention was exclusively on her meal. Before long, Rarity had finished.

"Did you like it?" Rainbow ventured.

"Yes," Rarity answered. "Thank you. I am going to the spa."

She stood up, turned, and walked towards the front door.

Rainbow opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. "Yeah. Okay. I love you."

The door closed behind Rarity. With a sigh, Rainbow kept eating.

Soon she had finished her plate and cleaned up. "What do I do now?" Rainbow asked nopony in particular. She felt the foal move. After thinking, she said, "You're right. Some fresh air will do us both some good."

Rainbow went out the front door and into the morning sky. Flying lazy arcs over Ponyville, she searched below for anything that might distract her from her thoughts. Motion near Fluttershy's cottage caught her eye, and she swooped down towards it.

Outside, Fluttershy, Twilight, and a congregation of her animals were discussing something.

Holding a very large crab, Fluttershy came into hearing range. "...a little like this."

Twilight rubbed the crab's shell. "It does feel very similar. One more thing: have any—oh, good morning, Rainbow."

Touching down behind Fluttershy, Rainbow said, "Hey, what's up?"

"We were just discussing the Roundhill creature. I think Fluttershy's right in that it's some kind of crustacean-like animal. I was just about to ask if any of her animals had ever seen or heard about it or any other creatures like it elsewhere in the world."

"No," Fluttershy answered, "None of them have ever mentioned—"

A series of sharp squeaks interrupted her. Bending down, Fluttershy scooped up a gopher that had run to the front of the crowd.

"What is it, Pappo?" she asked. Pappo squeaked in response. "Really?" Fluttershy paused between questions to listen. "Where? I see. And what did they find? Oh, my. Okay. And did they find any others? All right. Thank you very much, Pappo. That was very helpful."

Pappo scurried down Fluttershy's leg, into a hole under a tree, and out of sight.

Turning to Twilight, Fluttershy said, "Pappo said her friends had discovered the Roundhill before. From her directions, they found the same one we did. They dug around and there weren't any holes in it or any way else to get in, and the shell goes all the way down to the bedrock, though she admits they didn't explore the whole thing. It's very big. She's never heard of any other Roundhills, though."

With a nod, Twilight said, "Starlight and I are going to go back to investigate it some more this afternoon, so if your animals think of anything else, be sure to let us know." She turned and walked away.

"I'll be sure to!" Fluttershy called after her. Turning to Rainbow, she said, "I'm sorry about that. Twilight's been studying it very hard and I have to admit I'm very curious about it too. Is there anything you needed?"

"Nah," Rainbow said, laying down in the shade of the cottage, "I just wanted to hang out for a while."

A bear made confused growling noises and held his hands out from his sides.

"Oh, no, Harry," Fluttershy answered, "Rainbow isn't getting fat. She's pregnant."

Glancing at Harry, Rainbow added, "Bear's lucky I'm secure with my body." She chose not to mention the possible consequences of getting into a fight with a bear.

With an embarrassed smile, Fluttershy said, "He wasn't trying to be mean. Most of these animals have never seen a pregnant pony up close before. Oh!" She leaned in towards Rainbow's belly. Motioning her animals closer, she said, "Look! You can see it moving."

Rainbow could feel it moving, too. She looked at herself to see bumps shifting around her belly.

"Hey Fluttershy," she asked, "you know how in some horror movies you can see a creature moving under a pony's skin? That's how it's been back there."

A squirrel hopped up on top of Rainbow's foal.

"I don't watch horror," Fluttershy answered. "But there is a creature moving under your skin right now."

"Yeah, but in the movies it bursts out and the pony's screaming and everything." Rainbow paused. "And this is going to burst out and... the pony's going to be screaming." She sighed.

Fluttershy smiled. "At least you're only having one. Mindy here—" She motioned to the squirrel that had sat itself on Rainbow's belly. "—is expecting a whole litter of six in two and a half more weeks. It's her first time, too, so you two have a lot in common."

Looking at Mindy, Rainbow noticed that she was pretty round. She said, "Mine's bigger. And I have like another month, so you know. Going to be huge by the time it comes out."

Rainbow propped her front end up. Mindy scrambled off of her. "You know what?" Rainbow said. "I'm a tough pony. I can take whatever the foal can give me. I'm not going to scream and that's a promise." With a look at her belly, she said, "You hear me? The first thing you hear during your birth isn't going to be your dad's screaming. I'm gonna push you out without a peep."

A bluejay made some confused chirping. Fluttershy explained, "Yes, Rainbow's pregnant, but she wants to call herself the father." More chirping. "Birth is very painful for ponies, you see. We have large heads and it's difficult to push them through." Another couple of chirps. "No, birds lay eggs, so you won't have to worry about any of that if you decide you want to have chicks."

Shifting to make herself more comfortable, Rainbow said, "It'd be nice if ponies came from eggs. Rarity and I could take turns sitting on it." She rubbed her sizable bump. "Instead I get to take you with me wherever I go, right, kid? You get to stay warm without my butt on your head. Bet that's nice at night, under my blankets and in my belly."

"You talk to it?" Fluttershy looked at her.

Dropping her hoof to the ground, Rainbow looked back. "Yeah. Why, is that weird?"

Fluttershy straightened up and waved her hoof. "No no, it's just when I thought of you being pregnant, I didn't realize that meant there was a foal—I mean, of course there's a foal inside you, but it's a pony, too and—oh I sound like such an idiot."

Getting to her hooves, Rainbow said, "It's cool. I get it. You only see me every once in a while with this big bump, but I get to carry this around all the time." She smiled. "I want to give my kid every chance she can get, you know? When I talk to her, I like to think she's listening, getting all those words in her little brain. If that'll make her a smarter kid, then I'll talk to her all day."

"It sounds like you're going to be a great mother," Fluttershy said. "I mean, great father." She giggled.

Rainbow stretched. "Speaking of taking care of little creatures, mind if I stick around? I figure you can show me the ins and outs of raising animals. Maybe if I get practice with them, it'll help me be ready for the foal."

Leading the way around the back of the cottage, Fluttershy said, "Of course! She's not a pony, but Drummer's fawn has been feeling under the weather for the past few days..."

---

The sun had passed its highest point in the sky. Below it, two pegasi, an unborn foal, and an assortment of animals had just finished eating.

Rainbow closed her eyes and sat back. She had eaten every scrap that would fit down her throat, and she didn't have to worry about putting too much weight on as a result. Pregnancy still had its perks.

A few confused bear growls drifted through her ears, followed by Fluttershy's voice. "I don't know which of you ate more." A pause for more growling. Fluttershy's conversation went on, "Rainbow's always eaten more than I do, since she works a lot harder. And she's eating for two now. Well, I don't know how much her foal needs to eat. Of course she's her daughter, but I don't see why—I suppose she might get her eating habits from Rainbow."

"You hear that, kid?" Rainbow interrupted, opening her eyes. "You're gonna be packing it away, just like dad. If you're as athletic as I am, then we're going to have some great times."

The foal kicked and squirmed.

"That's my girl."

Rainbow stood up. "I'd better get back home. I don't want Rarity to get worried, you know?"

A small team of squirrels started collecting the plates. Rainbow noticed that Mindy was among them.

"Of course," Fluttershy said, using a wing to push some of the dishes closer together.

Hopping into the air, Rainbow said, "I'll come back tomorrow so you can show me some more caretaking tricks. Later!"

She shot upwards, leaving Fluttershy's goodbyes behind. Closing her wings against her sides, Rainbow let inertia take her the rest of the way above the clouds. Her wings popped open again just before gravity took over. Turning towards town, Rainbow dropped into a dive.

"How's the ride, kid?" she called over the wind with a laugh. "I can't show you the real fancy stuff again until you're out, but I hope you enjoy what I can do."

Rainbow swooped towards Carousel Boutique before pulling up again. She traced two large loops in the sky to bleed off her speed before gliding into the bedroom window. A four-hoof landing completed her flight.

Exhaling, Rainbow shook off her wings and folded them up.

The bedroom door opened and Rarity entered. She took a few steps into the room, then stopped.

Rainbow hesitated. "Hey," she said. "How was the spa? You uh, get relaxed?"

Turning around, Rarity took a step towards the door. Seconds later, Rainbow was blocking the way. "Rarity," Rainbow said.

"Please move," Rarity answered.

With a stamp of her hoof, Rainbow said, "No. We can't keep doing this."

"Rainbow, I need to—"

"What we need," Rainbow raised her voice, "is to work this out." She stepped forward, pushing Rarity into the room. With a kick of her hind leg, she closed the door.

"I have been trying to relax, to clear my head, but every time I think about what you did—" Rarity's eyes landed on Rainbow's body. "—all I can think about is how you needlessly risked our daughter's life."

"Look," Rainbow said, taking a step sideways. "I'm sorry, okay? But I was telling the truth last night. The salamanders didn't hit the foal. It's fine."

"And that is exactly the problem!" Rarity shouted.

Shifting back, Rainbow said, "What?"

"The foal's fine, the foal's fine," Rarity said. "Every time, that's what you say. You throw it into danger and justify it afterwards by saying it wasn't hurt this time! And every day it gets larger and more exposed while you get more complacent."

Rarity stepped forward. "I don't care what you call yourself, you are her mother, and you need to act like it! I was hoping that carrying a foal for close to a year would instill some maternal instincts in you, but you've proven me wrong time and again. This entire time you have treated it as nothing more than a parasite to be endured instead of a child to be treasured."

Shrinking back, Rainbow mumbled, "I'm sorry, Rarity."

"Sorry isn't enough. I know that pregnant mares don't have the stamina that they normally do. I know for a fact that your body is telling you to slow down. And you are clearly ignoring it in favor of cheap thrills. The foal is my daughter too, so if you won't take initiative for her well-being, then I have no choice." She jabbed a hoof at Rainbow. "From now on, no more stunts. In fact, no more flying."

"I—" Rainbow blinked. "WHAT?"

"You clearly do not know your limits, so you can't be trusted to stay within them. The foal is the most important thing in your life, and you need to care for it more than you need to fly."

Eyebrows dropping, Rainbow replied, "I can do both and it'll be just fine."

"Again, 'just fine'. Rainbow, that is a pony and it needs protection." Rarity pointed to Rainbow's belly.

Putting her hoof to her chest, Rainbow asked, "And what am I? A womb with legs?"

"You are a mother." Rarity's glare met Rainbow's.

Rainbow paused. "You said this is your foal. It's also mine." She took a step past Rarity. "It's in my womb, my body. I'm the one who's been carrying it for the past ten months." Another step. "And I can take care of myself and her."

Rainbow's gaze landed on the open window. Rarity followed it.

Through gritted teeth, she growled, "Rainbow Dash, don't you dare."

Taking a few more steps, Rainbow opened her wings. "It's my body and I will do what I want with it. And you can't stop me."

Rainbow shot out the window and into the sky. She spun upwards as tightly as the weight in her gut would let her. Below, Rarity was yelling something very angry, but Rainbow didn't listen.

"I don't believe her!" she ranted to nopony in particular. "No flying? Come on! I know what I can do with..." She looked back. "With you." She loosened her turns. "Aw geez, I'm sorry you had to hear all that. What am I going to do now? If you thought the salamanders were bad, you don't want to see what Rarity wants to do to me right now."

With a sigh, Rainbow added, "I'm being an awful father again. You hardly deserve this."

Looking forward, Rainbow spotted a short train pulling out of the station, much like the one she'd taken the week before to find the Roundhill. "Let's go hang out with Twilight, kid. Get this off our minds."

Catching up with the train was easy work, and she set hoof on the balcony of the last car before letting herself in. Inside were Twilight, Starlight, and a small library's worth of books and scrolls. Both ponies looked up at the sound of the door.

"Rainbow?" Twilight asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey. Room for one more?" Without waiting for an answer, she lay down on a free seat and set her head on her hooves.

"Is something wrong?" Twilight asked.

"I don't want to talk about it." She didn't want to think about it. "Let me just hang out here, all right?"

Reluctantly, Twilight and Starlight started a conversation with each other. It was something about magic and that Roundhill thing.

Staring up at the window and at the sky, Rainbow wondered if she should spend the next month with her parents until the foal was born. Then again, when they got the news that they were going to be grandparents, they almost exploded with joy. And they did explode fireworks. She'd rather take her chances with the salamanders again than put her foal in that environment.

Rainbow shook her head. Instead, she could ask Twilight. Her castle had a lot of rooms. She could spare one for a month. As a bonus, it had enough rooms that Rarity would have a hard time finding her unless Twilight spilled the beans.

Planting her forehooves on the seat cushion, she quickly pushed herself upright. "I'm trying to get my mind off of that," she grumbled. Rainbow marched herself to Twilight and Starlight.

She planted her butt on the floor. "Okay, tell me all the magic junk about what you're doing."

---

The ponies walked down the ridge. Ahead, the Roundhill sat under its blanket of dirt and grass. Rainbow could still see the small black patch where Applejack had dug the week before. Twilight and Starlight each carried several books in their saddlebags.

She had been lectured on Roundhill theories and magic for the ride until the train had pulled off to the siding. Rainbow had already forgotten it all, but pretending to be interested had been enough to distract her. Then, at her own insistence, Rainbow carried four large books in each of her bags, in addition to the scroll collection.

Walking across the grass, she grumbled to herself under the weight. "I'm not some piece of livestock to be mindlessly bred. This is my body, and I'm having the foal on my terms."

When she reached the base of the Roundhill, she dropped her saddlebags to the grass before laying herself down next to them.

"Starlight," Twilight called, "why don't you get started?"

Starlight levitated a book from her bag and paced back and forth, glancing between it and the Roundhill.

Sitting down in front of Rainbow, Twilight asked, "Is something going on between you and Rarity?"

The only answer she got was a groan.

"Do you need to talk things out again?"

Rainbow looked away from Twilight and up the slope of the Roundhill. "She doesn't want to talk. She only wants to order me around."

Reaching a hoof out to point Rainbow's head at her, Twilight said, "Is it about the foal? I'm sure you can work something out."

"The only thing that'll satisfy Rarity is if I come crawling back to her, kiss her hooves, lay down on the couch, and not leave it until I give birth." Rainbow heaved a sigh. "And the worst part is, that sounds like my best option."

"I'm sure she doesn't want you to suffer. She's just concerned for the foal's well-being." Twilight moved her head to stay within Rainbow's field of view.

"Well I can keep it safe without her 'help'." She turned her head away.

"Twilight?" Starlight called. "I have Gemstone's Deep Probe ready."

Looking at Rainbow, Twilight said, "I know you're going to get through this. You've gotten through everything else." She stood and turned. "I'm coming."

Rainbow shifted enough to get a good look at the two. They discussed something out of earshot before Twilight's horn illuminated. A stream of magical energy flowed into the grass on the side of the hill, then dissipated. Twilight sounded confused. Pulling out another book, Starlight made some suggestion, which Twilight seemingly tried, to the same effect. Watching it was more compelling than thinking about what to do once she saw Rarity again.

This repeated several more times, until the two of them did the spell together. Suddenly, the ground shook. Rainbow looked up to see the side of the hill sliding down towards her. Eyes wide, she scrambled to her feet and into the air. Twilight shouted a warning, took off, scooped Starlight up, and carried her away.

Twilight and Starlight landed some distance away. Rainbow landed a few yards to the side. She turned to see the entire grass hillside falling away, revealing the full Roundhill amid a cloud of settling dust. Its segmented black shell shone in the afternoon sun, featureless except for a misshapen dark blue splotch near what Rainbow could only assume was its front.

Cracks shot out from the Roundhill's base across the landscape. Motion above caught Rainbow's attention. The sky directly over the Roundhill had turned a deep orange. Expanding outwards, the orange sky swept over the ponies' heads, evaporating every cloud it touched on its way to the horizon.

"It's alive!" Starlight yelled.

"It can't be alive!" Twilight said. "We checked! It was dead!"

A white field appeared on top of the Roundhill. It swept down its sides, covering it in a solid shimmering glow unlike any magic field Rainbow had ever seen. Steam arose from where it touched the grass.

"Whatever it's doing, it can't be good," Twilight said.

Starlight lowered her head. "Then let's stop it!"

A burst of blue magic shot out from Starlight's horn and struck the Roundhill. The field covering it rippled, but only slightly.

Tendrils of white energy crossed that field towards a glowing point facing directly at the ponies.

"Um..." Rainbow said, backing away from Starlight. She could hear a distinct crackling coming from the Roundhill.

"Starlight, look out!" Twilight shouted. She flew into Starlight's side, knocking her out of the way.

A white-hot beam lanced out from the Roundhill and past Rainbow with a deafening crack. She clamped her eyes shut and the purple afterimage burned across her vision. Behind her, a boom echoed out.

Rainbow opened her eyes long enough to find a small bump in the terrain to scramble behind. Turning around, she saw a cloud of rock settling around the ridge, which had a glowing hole punched straight through it.

Starlight fell next to Rainbow, crouching low.

Grabbing her, Rainbow yelled, "Starlight! What's going on?"

"I don't know!" she answered.

"Where's Twilight?"

"I don't know!"

An orange sparkle drifted down from above.

"What's that?"

"I don't know!"

Looking at the Roundhill, Rainbow saw that there were so many sparkles falling near it, they had become an orange fog. Closer to the ponies, more sparkles joined the first.

As Rainbow watched, a sparkle hit the grass, instantly withering it. She jerked back.

"What's it doing?!" Starlight shouted.

Rainbow tried her best to dodge the sparkles, but they fell increasingly thicker, several landing on her back, until they were coming down like snow.

Steadily, Rainbow felt weaker and weaker. Soon she couldn't stand, and collapsed on the dead grass. She felt so heavy. Cold spread up her legs and through her body. With the last of her strength, she moved her head to see Starlight laying motionless nearby.

"Rarity..." she breathed. The world dimmed from her vision. "I'm..."

Comments

[TCC56]

Oh Celestia damn it Rainbow Dash, you stubborn feathered mule.

[Ninjadeadbeard]

There had better be a happy ending for all this. I don't want to start a riot, but I will.