Chapter 1

Yellow Butterflies
By: Cowboy Appledash
“A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all. ”

Throughout my life, I have endured many hardships as well as times of fair play. I've made many friends, big and small and even some enemies. But the best friend I ever had was my mother. She was the mare that brought me into this world and at times threatened to take me out of it. But despite all of this, our relationship didn't last. One night after I got home from Flight School she wasn't there. Everything she owned was still in it's place, the house looked the same way it did when I had left that morning, the only difference was her absence.

As it turns out, after I had left, she went to the store to pick up supplies for my upcoming birthday party. Cloudsdale isn't the best city, and what happened to her effectively added to the statistics. She was raped, murdered and thrown off the edge of the massive cloudbank nearest the Everfree forest. After days of searching, the Cloudsdale guard had finally found her body.

A beautiful funeral service had been held, pegasus ponies young and old from all over Cloudsdale came to pay their respects, all but one. My father.

We had her cremated and spread her ashes in a small clearing outside Ponyville, all that I have left of her now is a tiny charm hanging behind my ear with some of her ashes secured inside. I can't say I don't remember her constantly, because I do, and at times, she's the reason I can't sleep. I stay up at night trying to figure out just what pony had decided to destroy my life and hers. But answers have never came, the Cloudsdale guards never found the pony responsible, leaving me permanently scarred.

Eventually, I moved to Ponyville, in the hopes that I could begin life anew. I've made five fantastic friends that I would give my life for at the drop of a hat, I love them in a way that only a mother could understand, they're like sisters to me and at times, they each remind me of her in their own ways.

My name, is Rainbow Dash, and one day I too hope to become a mother, like the one mine had always been.

I sat quietly at the end of the bar taking in the smoky atmosphere. It was a nice place given it's reputation. The subtle calligraphy that lined the white oak paneling along the interior walls of the establishment gave it an almost aristocratic feel. The stools along the bar had been hoofcrafted by the proprietor, their seats shined like new with their byzantium velvety material and beckoned ponies with an alluring sense of ultimate comfort. The bar itself was made from white oak, bordered by a very pristine steel polished to a chrome finish. All in all the place seemed as if the owner had taken some advice from Rarity.

In front of me stood a small empty glass of what was at one time Flint Easthoof's Hard Apple Cider from Sweet Apple Acres. Now that I think back to those days, I can't help but wonder what happened between me and Big Macintosh, but it's in the past now and we're still good friends him and I.

So lost in my thoughts was I, that I hadn't noticed the bar keep had placed another drink down in front of me up until he spoke to me.

“Courtesy of the Stallion over there.” He pointed with his hoof to a far corner of the establishment where I saw a rather attractive earth pony stallion whom politely waved, beckoning me over with his alluring aubergine eyes. “Why don't you head on over and thank him.” The barkeep smiled, almost provocatively.

I took the drink and consumed it's contents before I stood and trotted over to where the stallion sat. When I had reached him, I had plenty of time to take in his features, he was toned and muscular with a pristine Cambridge blue coat and teal mane. His cutie mark featured a guitar, suggesting he was a musician of some sort.

“My my, you are quite the sight miss...”

“Rainbow Dash. Thanks for the drink by the way.”

“No need to thank me, I just needed an excuse to be able to talk to you. When you came in I swear my heart must have stopped.”

“Wha-what? You're kidding right?” To be honest, I had expected something like this, but I didn't want to hear it.

“Not at all. Come, take a seat.” I obliged, sliding into the seat across from him. “I must say, that mane of yours goes wonderfully with your eyes.”

“Heh, thanks. I uh... I was born like this I guess.”

“Your mother must be very proud to have raised such a beautiful mare.”

I went cold, for him to come out and say that in casual conversation startled me. Nopony talked about my mom, not even my friends. I was silent for a few moments, I didn't know what to say or how to react for that matter. A few more seconds went by, followed by a few more.

“Yeah... I guess she would be if she were still around...”

“I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean to bring up such a sensitive topic. Here, let me buy you another drink to try and make up for it.”

The night went on much like that, save for the topic of my mother coming into play. Eventually three drinks became six, six became twelve and soon the two of us were stumbling our way to the inn that he was staying at. One thing led to another and the two of us made love, or so I thought at the time.

I awoke the next morning to a searing headache and an empty bed. On the bedside table I found some aspirin, a glass of water and a note that read.

Dearest, Rainbow Dash,

I regret to inform you that I must be in Stalliongrad within a few days and for that I apologize. But I must thank you for a most wonderful evening, I do hope we meet again someday.

Yours truly.

p.s. I left some Aspirin on the nightstand for your inevitable hangover.

“Yours Truly who?” I asked nopony in particular.

As the weeks went by, the signs became more and more prominent. Almost every morning I awoke feeling nauseous. Then later in the day I would have cravings for odd foods. I figured if anypony knew what was going on, it would be Applejack as she's had a foal before.

I swear, if I had been a weaker pegasus like Fluttershy I probably would've died leaving my cloud home. All the fatigue and other things I had to deal with nearly grounded me. I figured it'd be safer if I walked to AJ's place, surely the fact I was using my own hooves to travel would raise a few red flags.

Sure enough, the moment Applejack saw me trotting down the road toward her home she came galloping out the door looking both confused and worried.

“Before you ask. No, my wings aren't broken or anything like that.”

“Ah kinda figured as much sugarcube. But if'n they ain't broken, why ain'tcha flyin'?”

“Cause if I do I might crash... I'll be straight with you AJ. I... I think I'm pregnant.”

If the look on AJ's face wasn't reassuring me, her next few words broke me. “Boy howdy Rainbow. Congratulations, who's the lucky stallion an why ain't ya introduced me to 'im yet?”

I looked away ashamed. I didn't know who he was, or anything else about him for that matter. Surely AJ would have been disapproving if she wasn't my best friend, but being the mare she is she knew the answer right away.

“Oh, Ah'm sorry Rainbow.”

“Don't worry 'bout it AJ. I just figured, well, that you would know what to expect since you have a foal of your own an all.” I pawed at the ground and looked at everything but Applejack.

“Well RD.” Applejack coaxed me to look at her. “Ah ain't gonna lie, not because Ah can't, but because ya need to know. It's terrible bein' pregnant, late nights, getting' all sick like, eatin' weird food. List goes on, but lemme tell ya, havin' a foal of your own is a reward in itself, bein' a momma is probably the best thing that ever happened to me.” Applejack smiled warmly. Truth be told, I always knew my orange friend would make an excellent mother, so it's no wonder she likes it so much.

“Thanks AJ, can I make a request though?”

“What is it?”

“Since I don't wanna risk anything, could I stay here on the farm for a while?”

“Sure thing sugarcube, I'd be happy to let ya'll stay here.” I heaved a sigh of relief “On one condition.” My heart stopped, surely Applejack wasn't going to make me work while I was on the farm... Right?

“Ya'll gotta help Granny Smith out with whatever she needs if'n me an Mac ain't around.” Another sigh of relief. “And,” Applejack continued “Ya gotta watch mah foal while Ah'm out workin', usually Ah'd let Granny Smith watch 'im, but she's getting' long in the tooth and she's busy enough as it is.”

“Deal... So where am I gonna sleep?”

“Ah would say in my room with me, but, as ya'll are fully aware, Flint has that spot.” Applejack pondered for a moment. “Course Ah could always kick him out for a while an make 'im sleep with Mac.”

I giggled at the thought of the two stallions sleeping in the same small bed together.

“What the hay, Ah'll let ya have the guest room. Sound good?”

“It sure does AJ, thanks. You're an amazing friend you know that? Anyway, I'm gonna go head by Fluttershy's place and see if she can't get some stuff out of my house for me.

Three months had passed since I could no longer live in my own home. The signs of pregnancy were now all but ignorable. Some of the ponies around town would whisper amongst themselves when I would pass by them, but being the mare I am, I payed them no mind. They didn't know the truth, only my friends knew, and that's all that truly mattered.

As it turned out, I wasn't pregnant with one foal, but two. Dizygotic Twins, Twilight Sparkle had called them. I didn't know what that meant until it was explained to me that they would be non-identical or 'fraternal' twins. This didn't bother me so much as the fact that I would be having two foals at once as opposed to one.

After a while, I had come to realize that two foals would be a great thing, they wouldn't be lonely while I was away as they'd have each other. But on the other hoof, that also meant twice the hassle, which I knew would be a nuisance, but I would learn to live with it and cherish every moment I spent with them. Twilight had even been able to determine that there would be one colt and one filly. Given that information, I had to somehow pick names suitable for each. So my 'quest' of sorts began, to find good names for my children.

I had gone to every one of my friends, all of them gave their own ideas but none really clicked with me. Applejack's suggestions involved names based off of different apples, whereas Rarity gave more aristocratic suggestions. It had become clear that neither my friends, nor I, had any good ideas at the moment, so I decided to wait until the day I met my foals to come up with names.

At the peak of the third trimester, Buckston Hooves contractions had started plaguing me feverishly, refusing to allow me rest. My back ached constantly and my weight gain had sat heavily on my mind, reminding me that I was no longer the sleek, sexy flier I used to be.

Thoughts about giving birth swam through my head all day. 'How bad would it hurt?', 'How long will I be in labor?', 'Will they come out all right?'. It's all I could do during the day as AJ had tree's to buck, Big Mac didn't talk much, Apple Bloom was always in school, AJ's foal Barley ws usually asleep, Granny Smith was, well, Granny Smith, and Flint was the last pony I wanted to talk to about these kind of things.

I was on my way to the kitchen when it happened. I had just rounded the corner leading into the main room when my water broke. Not only was I embarrassed, I was also scared, there was nopony around and I was going into labor. I looked around nervously, I had to find somewhere to lay down and wait. I looked into the main room, there in front of the fireplace, the spot seemed perfect. It blocked any view from the door and provided a warm spot for my foals and I.

I carefully made my way over to the spot and laid down. It wasn't long before I started feeling the first contractions. They hurt way more than the Buckston Hooves contractions.

“AUUGHH! GRANNY SMITH!” I screamed as loud as I could, her hearing hadn't gone away completely, but I wanted to make sure she heard me. “I think they're coming!”

Let me tell you, that was the first and only time I'd seen Granny Smith run at a full gallop. She galloped right past me and out the door. 'What the hay is she doing? I'm about to give birth here!'. I heard her ring the dinner bell and holler like a madmare for AJ, Flint and Mac before she came inside smiling at me.

“Anything you'd like dearie?” She cooed.

“Uh...” I was drawing blanks. What else was I supposed to say? “Water?”

“Sure thing. Ya'll just stay put now, Applejack should be here any moment.” With that she sauntered off into the kitchen, followed by a series of clinks and bangs coming from within. “Anything else you'd like?”

“Uh... A blanke- AAUUGH! Blanket!?” I had to have something to wrap my foals in after all. “Make it two!”

“Comin' right up!” Another set of doors banging and the sound of soft linens being shuffled around. A minute later she came back into the room, a glass of water and two fleece blankets balanced on her rump. “Now where could Applejack be?”

No sooner had she rhetorically queried had Applejack come barging through the door. “Granny? Wha's goin' on?” She took one look at me and knew instantly “Whoa Nelly!” She turned around and went back out the door. “Big Mac, Flint, don't come in here! Just head on into Ponyville an get the girls ya hear? Rainbow's bout to pop!” Well, so much for bedside manner. I heard a muffled 'Eeyup' before AJ came back inside. “Ya'll doin' alright sugarcube?” The look I gave her said it all, she offered me a warm smile me before laying down by my side. “Ah'm here for ya RD. Just stay calm an we'll get through this together.

By the time the others had arrived I was a sweaty panting mess of a mare. My eyes were wet from crying and I was already on the verge of passing out. Twilight had brought a book titled 'Helping Hoof's Guide to Lending a Helping Hoof in Foal Birth'. Rarity had provided two blankets she made from high priced material, one blue and one pink. Pinkie Pie had brought cakes and other confectioneries which I obviously had no taste for at the moment. Fluttershy didn't bring anything in particular save for her knowledge from helping various critters out in this same scenario.

The minutes seemed to pass like hours and the hours like days. I was 4 hours in and still no closer to being done. Twilight had grown worried and feared I might need to be rushed to the hospital for surgery which I instantly rejected, I was going to go through with this, even if it killed me. Apple Bloom had long since returned, but quickly left after seeing me. Apparently she didn't want a cutie mark that involved helping mares give birth, go figure.

Another hour passed and I soon felt the first foal begin to make it's way out. “Keep going Rainbow, you're doing great.” Twilight said “Just keep pushing and you're halfway there.”

I obliged and less than a minute later I heard Applejack cheer. “Well we got the filly. Now we just need the colt.” I kept pushing, I just wanted to get this over with. Once again, I felt him making his way out. Soon I was blessed with two foals.

The first, my little filly, she bore a powder blue mane, purple coat and magenta eyes just like mine, she smiled brightly at me letting me know that she was alright. I knew then what to name her, Autumn, I didn't know why it just felt right. My colt, on the other hoof was completely different. He had a mane of blue, red and yellow which contrasted vividly against his white coat and bright blue eyes. He didn't smile like his sister though, instead he just looked at me curiously as if to say 'Who the hay are you?'. So I named him Flare for his shiny white coat.

Today, I stand outside the schoolhouse, waiting for my colt and filly. Every day I think back to the trials and tribulations I endured both bringing them into this world and keeping them safe from it. It warms my heart to see their smiling faces every morning and to softly sing them to sleep every night. I wouldn't trade this for the world nor the chance to be a Wonderbolt, although Autumn has taken a familiar admiration for them, whereas Flare always seemed entranced by my depictions of the royal guards of Canterlot. If I didn't know any better I could guess what their futures would behold right now, but I knew better.

I decided I would take them somewhere special to me this afternoon, the same place where I perfected my very first trick, and where we buried my mother. A little spot outside of Ponyville, near Whitetail wood at a clearing that provided an excellent view of the sunset.

Autumn was the first filly out the door when the school bell rang, she came galloping up to me smiling like always. “Mommy mommy!” Guess what I did today?”

I couldn't help but laugh softly. “What did you do today honey?”

“I did a backflip into a corkscrew and finished it off with a 'super speedy strut', just like you showed me!” Did I mention that she had a knack for trick flying like her mother? She was hovering at just eight weeks old if you could believe that.

“That's amazing!” I nuzzled her gently, just like my mother used to. “Just make sure you're careful okay?”

“I will.” She still had that goofy smile plastered on her muzzle. She was too adorable.

Moments later, Flare came walking out of the door, slow and quiet as always. “Hey Flare, did you have a good day at school?”

“Yeah...”

“Boring huh?”

“Yeah.”

“Well hey, why don't we go have some fun?” He looked up at me and offered a hopeful smile. “Let's stop by Auntie Pinkies place, get some snacks and go from there. Sound good?”

The chorused cheer was all the affirmation I needed. Autumn darted ahead of me, she knew the way to Sugarcube Corner by heart so by the time we got there she would be anxiously bouncing around waiting for us. Flare was content with walking close by my side under the protection of his mother as usual. When we reached the bakery, I saw Pinkie and Autumn running around together playing some silly game.

“Hey Pinkie, has she tired you out yet?”

“Psh, hardly. I can keep up with her all day!” She quipped.

“Yeah, hey, why don't you two head on inside. I gotta talk to Pinkie for a moment.” I watched as the two disappeared before turning to Pinkie Pie. “I'm gonna take them to the Whitetail Clearing today.”

Pinkie Pie's expression softened. “That's good to know, they have to know about their grandmother sooner or later.”

“Yeah... Think you could make them something special this time around?”

Her mood was always quick to change, and this time was no different. “Sure thing Dashie, I don't know what it'll be yet, but it's gonna be a 'Dash Family Special'!”

“Thanks Pinks.” With that we headed inside where I sat down and watched my two foals gaze longingly at all the treats on display.

Mere minutes later, Pinkie Pie had come out with three unique treats balanced atop her head. I could already tell, just by looking at them that they were packed full of sugar. I won't bother going into detail as to what they tasted like, as I have no real method of describing them. All I can say is that they were amazing.

We made it to the clearing without any hassle. Autumn had taken it upon herself to spread her wings and practice some more stunts. Soon enough Flare had gotten up the courage to fly around with her and dashed off. While they played I went to the spot my mother lay, her meager marble headstone was dirty and a little mossy from age, but the engraving read true like the day it had been crafted. It read '

Clear Skies Dash
A mother's love endures through all.

“Hey mom.” I spoke to her headstone, I didn't know if she was listening, but it just felt right. “I know it's been a while since I did any tricks for you... Or came to visit. But I brought something you might like.” I felt a tear make it's way down my cheek. “I'm a mom now too, Autumn and Flare are their names, I wish you could meet them. Flare acts just like pop used to, and Autumn is just like me.”

A soft breeze ruffled my mane and I looked to my foals out in the field.

“I'll be right back.” I cantered out to my foals, smiling as they played a game of tag, albeit fairly one-sided. “Hey, come on over here. I've got somepony I'd like you to meet.”

I led them over to my mothers grave and sat down.

“This is my mom, Clear Skies, she's your grandmother.” I didn't expect them to fully grasp what exactly was going on, but I introduced her like she was still alive nonetheless. “She never did get to meet you two, but I wish she could have.” I brought them close to me and nuzzled them tightly.

“Mommy?” Flare was the first to speak.

“Yes?”

“She's dead?”

“Yeah, she died a long time ago. But she's still alive in my heart.”

“Oh... Was she nice?”

“I've never met a nicer pony.”

Flare smiled at that thought. Autumn however, stood up and flew off into the meadow. I watched her as she flew around gathering what looked like flowers. She returned and carefully laid a colorful array of wildflowers in front of the stone. She turned her gaze back to me, her expression a somber one.

“I wish we could have met her.” Autumn walked back up to me and laid down.

“I do too.” I stood up wiping another tear from my eye. “Come on, let's head back home.”

As I walked I whispered to my mother and myself. “I'm sorry for what happened. I love you mom, we'll come back to see you soon.”

A small group of butterflies flew by, they were yellow in color. I think they were called 'Tiger Sallowtails'. Yellow was my mother's favorite color and she absolutely loved butterflies. I smiled, this moment was surely one I would cherish forever.

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