Rainbow Dash looked down at the little white stick in utter disbelief. At the end of the piece of plastic was the worse thing she could imagine at the moment, a single pink cross. She was pregnant.
After a drunken one night stand, Rainbow Dash finds herself unexpectedly expecting. That's right! She's gonna be a mom!-
-But first she's gotta survive the eleven months of cravings, mood swings and morning sickness.
Follow her on the most trying eleven months of her life, along with her older brother, bestfriend and mom.
I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!, nor do I claim ownership for it's characters, ideas or merchandise. The thoughts displayed in this story do not represent the company (Hasbro's) views and should be not thought as such.
Dedicated to my maternal grandparents, some of the first people to encourage me to follow my dreams.
My Unexpected Gift - Chapter One
A Single Pink Cross
Rainbow Dash looked down at the little white stick in utter disbelief. At the end of the piece of plastic was the most confounding, most terrifying thing she could imagine, a single pink cross. She was pregnant.
It wasn't that she didn't want to be a mom. She couldn't be a mom, or at least not right now. She was a Wonderbolt, a celebrity. If there was one thing Rarity was right about when it came to celebrities, it was that they had to keep up their image.
But that wasn't her main concern. No, it was that she didn't want to bring a kid into the world so the paparazzi could hound the foal the moment after he/she took their first breath. Nopony deserved that, nopony.
'Well, I guess it's too late for that now.' Rainbow silently sighed, self-hatred boiling inside of her.
How could she be so stupid? She hadn't had a colt friend in over ten months, even longer since she slept with somepony, or at least so she thought. Yet again, give her enough cider and she was as tipsy as Berry Punch on a good day. Now she was pregnant and didn't even have the slightest clue as to who the father was.
What would happen when word of this got out to the media? What would happen to her career? The Wonderbolts would be greatly troubled if their star performer couldn't perform for a year, even under the circumstances of a maternity leave. Would she be forced to resign? She forced those questions to the back of her mind in favor of a much more pressing one: how would her friends react? What about her brother? How would he react?
'There's only one way to find out.' Rainbow tried to reassure herself, though failing miserably.
The flight down to the Ponyville library was the longest one she ever took. Not by distance, of course, as she could see Books & Branches Library from her bedroom window. No, rather emotional exhaustion and brain numbing anxiety over the conversation she was just about to have with one of her closest confidantes and best friends.
With her mind preoccupied, she didn't notice where she was going. That is until her head collided with the library-in-a-tree, the surprise temporarily stunning her and causing her to plummet to the base of said library-in-a-tree.
"Ugh..." Rainbow moaned as she rubbed the place where the bark met her forehead, a bump already forming.
"Rainbow!" Twilight called out in alarm as she ran over to her unexpected visitor and helped Rainbow up, immediately taking note of her most recent crash wound, "Let's get some ice for that bump."
"So, any particular reason you crashed into my library today?" Twilight asked, trying to make some light conversation.
The two mares were sitting across from each other in the library's foyer. Rainbow Dash was holding an ice pack to her head while Twilight drank her tea.
"Yeah, but it's about that book we're reading for book club." Rainbow spoke cautiously, using the code phrase for "keep the foals out of earshot".
The whole idea of using their weekly book club to disinterest the young fillies who might be listening came after the whole Gabby Gums fiasco. While the girls had been forgiven, it had finally occurred to their caregivers and mentors that the girls were always listening, and some information might be sensitive or even classified information! Thus, they came up with this special phrase.
"Don't worry, Spike is at Sweet Apple Acres playing with the Crusaders," Twilight assured her friend.
"Ok, that's good. I don't want this out yet." Rainbow replied, a little bit more relaxed.
"Does it have anything to do with those nausea spells you were telling me about the other day?" the student-turned-princess inquired, recalling a conversation they had a few days prior.
"Y-yeah," the cyan mare stuttered momentarily, having completely forgotten about that conversation.
"What's wrong?" the young princess questioned, her concern for her rainbow-maned friend growing by the second.
Tears were beginning to prick at the edges of Rainbow Dash's eyes. What if Twilight never wanted to speak to her again? No, she couldn't do it.
"Rainbow..." Twilight started, caution and concern palliating in her voice.
"I'm pregnant." Rainbow said at a volume barely above a whisper, but just loud enough to reach the Princess of Friendship's ears.
If it weren't for her mouth being open, Twilight's jaw would have hit the floor. She stared her friend in the eye, looking for any sign of doubt, none of which she could find. Instead, they were full of fear and something else, though she couldn't quite place her hoof on it.
After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Twilight asked the million bit question, "Who's the dad?"
Rainbow looked down at her hooves trying to hide herself as to not look her friend in the eye. That other something was definite in Twilight's mind. It was shame.
"Rainbow," the element of magic asked a little sterner than before, "Who's the dad?"
"I don't know. I had too many and brought a stallion back to my hotel room." the small pegasus admitted fearfully.
Tears began at this point to openly flow down the athlete's face. The magically gifted unicorn was stunned. Her loyal friend crying was as rare as her successfully performing a sonic rain-boom, a feat she had managed only a hoof full of times before. She had to do something, anything, to comfort her.
"Rainbow..." Twilight sighed, stroking her friend's rainbow mane sympathetically, "You're a strong, independent mare. I'm positive you'll be a great mom, whether or not your foal has a dad."
"That's just it, Twi," the pregnant mare cried softly, finally beginning to calm down, "I don't think I can mother a child. I already feel crummy, barely getting to see you guys anymore. You can survive without me while I'm on tour, though. A foal wouldn't be able to. Oh Twilight, what should I do?"
Twi thought for a second before responding.
"You could put it up for adoption," the pink highlighted mare suggested, "but if that's the only reason, you do realize you could always leave your foal with us while your on tour or even take it with you?"
The colorful pegasus wanted to point out the other reasons, but the bump was starting to make her head truly pound so she opted to give a nod, This, unfortunately, made her head even throb more than anticipated and caused a painful wince to follow.
"Well, it's not like the baby's coming tomorrow." the Princess' prized pupil reminded her, "You have time to think over your options."
"Yeah, I guess I do." the sky blue pegasus calmed.
"Have you told the others yet?" the purple mage asked casually as she got up to pour another cup of tea for herself and replace Rainbow's now watery ice pack.
"No, you were the first one I came to." the rainbow maned pony admitted, "I was going to tell them one at a time."
"Well, I would prefer if you would stay for a few more minutes." the purple pony expressed her concerns as she magically switched the old not-so-cold pack with a fresh one, "That was quite the blow to the head."
Glad to know at least one pony in her life was there, Rainbow tossed her friend a very gratified smile, "Hey Twi"
Rainbow Dash trembled as she approached her next stop on the list of ponies she needed to see. Though slightly calmer than she was on the way to the library, the anxiety from whom she was about to have this discussion with was making up for it. It wasn't that she disliked Rarity, far from it really, but the white unicorn had a tendency to be rather... judgmental.
Rainbow took a deep breath before opening the door to the boutique and sounding the shop bell.
"One moment darling and then I'll be right with you!" the fashionista called out in a sing song voice from the back room.
After a few minutes, she appeared from behind the workroom door. Her lenses were on, meaning that she had just been working on a design.
"Hello darling, welcome to Carousel Boutique. How can I-" the designer started her generic custom greeting only to realize it was her celebrity athlete friend, "Oh my stars, Rainbow! I wasn't expecting you to come home from spring training this early!"
"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to be back so soon either." Rainbow replied with an anxious chuckle, rubbing the back of her head with her fore hoof, "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."
Rarity placed her glasses on the counter and looked at Rainbow intently. The brash pegasus knew she had to get it over with, like Twilight told her as she was leaving, she would need her friends in the coming times.
"You gotta Pinkie Pie promise me that you won't blab to anypony about this and we'll still be friends after I tell you." Rainbow pleaded, hoping her intuitive pal hadn't somehow already figured it out.
While the unicorn could not tell the future like a certain pink party planner, she always seemed to see this stuff a mile away. Rainbow blamed it on a combination of mystery and romance novels.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Rarity chanted while doing the various movements.
She would have normally been more reserved about agreeing to her pink friend's name given promise, but something in Rainbow's voice told her that this was really important to her.
"Rarity," Rainbow took a deep inhale and let it out in an attempt to calm her rattling nerves, "I'm pregnant."
Rarity looked rather bewildered for a moment, but elated the next.
"Oh, that's wonderful, Rainbow! I have so many outfits for newborns that I know you'll just love! Who's the dad?" the stylist enthused.
Rainbow took a sigh of relief only to be cut short upon processing her friend's last statement. This was the moment she was dreading. Breathing deeply, she answered.
"I don't know." the Wonderbolt admitted rather ashamed of the events that lead to this.
What her cyan friend said caught Rarity off guard. How could she not know the identity of the father? It wasn't like with the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Rarity whined, though she would have insisted it was complaining.
Rainbow exhaled slowly, "I got wasted after our show in Manehattan and took a stallion back with me to the hotel."
Rarity looked dumbfounded at her rainbow maned friend. She slept with a stallion she didn't even know! And she was intoxicated on top of that!
"Rainbow..." the white unicorn exhaled, "I won't cease to be your friend because of one inebriated mistake."
Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.
"But that doesn't mean I agree with your reckless behavior! Maybe you should have stayed near your brother. He would never let some drunk off his hide stallion sleep with you, whether or not he himself was sober." Rarity chastised.
"I know, Rare, I know." Rainbow muttered quietly.
Overall, Rainbow was pleased with her friends' reaction to the news. It made Rainbow feel a beam of confidence about her next destination, Sugar Cube Corner. The only worry she had was that Pinkie would already somehow know and have a surprise party waiting for her. Oh, and making a mess with her stomach all over the bakery floor. Morning sickness is quite the drag, as she was quickly discovering.
Rainbow Dash opened the door to bakery to find that it was operating as normal, much to Rainbow's relief. Mrs. Cake was at the register finishing up with a customer and the pegasus started towards her.
"Thank you, Ditzy. Enjoy the muffins." the baker thanked her number one customer before turning to the next pony, "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, how may I- oh Rainbow! Your home earlier than usual! What can I help you with sweetie?"
"Hi Mrs. Cake, I came to see Pinkie. She up in her room?" the pegasus greeted before motioning to the staircase.
"Yes, you can go head on up. She said she was expecting somepony." Cup Cake confirmed before sending the daredevil up.
The cyan mare gulped. Maybe she did already know. Rainbow went up the stairs and knocked on her pink friend's door.
"Come in~n!" the hyper mare sang in a sing song voice.
Rainbow took a breath and entered, part of her fearing what might be waiting for her. To her pleasure, and her stomach's revolution, it was just Pinkie and pan of freshly frosted cupcakes.
"Hiya Rainbow! My Pinkie Sense told me you and a little you were coming over today! Wow, that's strange! It's only you! My Pinkie Sense has never been wrong before, except for once while visiting my parents, but that's a different story." Pinkie rattled off in one breath, making it hard for Rainbow to follow.
While she might have been missing a few chunks of details, she got the basic idea. Pinkie's sixth mysterious sense told her that she pregnant, but the partying mare hadn't registered that's what her sense was saying.
"Pinkie, please stay calm. I have something to tell you, but you need to keep it between us and the girls for at least a little a few days or so. I know you can do it, and I've seen you do it, even though it was really hard," Rainbow urged before taking a deep breath, "I'm... pregnant. I don't want the whole world to know yet."
"Oh, that explains it! Would you like a cupcake? I remember when Mrs. Cake was pregnant with the twins, she ate a lot." Pinkie implored.
'Oh yeah,' Rainbow noted to herself, 'Mrs. Cake has first hoof experience. Maybe I could ask her for some tips or something.'
"Y-yeah, I'd love one." Rainbow replied, trying her damnedest to keep a straight face, as she plopped one of the confections into her mouth. She did so only out of politeness. Her stomach was doing an impressive aerial stunt inside her and she was sure she was starting to turn green around the gills.
"How do you like it?" Pinkie inquired in a bizarre happy yet subdued tone that she used only when she had seen through somepony, "I'm sorry I didn't ask first. You were looking really queasy, but the chamomile in that cupcake should help with that. It will make you really tired once it kicks in. I promise you it's safe for the foal, but it'll make you really drowsy."
Rainbow wasn't sure how to respond to that. Of course she knew. PInkie probably knew the second she see her eyes on her friend, Rainbow's attempt to hide her unsettled stomach be damned. Pinkie, despite what everypony said, had nearly mastered the language of the body in all its nuances.
"Thanks." It wasn't like she was planning on doing much else today. She was going to tell Fluttershy and Applejack when she knew no Crusaders were going to show up.
"Can you please stay? It kicks in pretty fast and I don't want you to fly home if you are drowsy."
