The North Star was making good time. Rainbow Dash found that she loved to sit on the deck of the sky-sailer, her head bowed over the side of the railing, eyes closed as she felt the wind blow through her mane and fur. To most ponies, the wind blowing was a singular feeling of force, a light coolness to the skin. But to a pegasus, every breeze was a treat to the senses. Like at that moment, Dash could sense the thunderstorm in the works for the farms below Canterlot, the light crackle of static in the air and the dampness that kissed at her fur. With a breath, she could smell the ozone cracking with mini lightning bolts, the faintest kisses of seawater that the rain was distilled from. With a smile, Rainbow took in a deeper breath, the spicy-sweet smell of liquid rainbow, the fuel of storms, filling her muzzle and racing down her spine. Some ponies say the pegasi race are addicted to rainbows, considering how much they use it as decorations and a fuel source. If Rainbow was honest with herself, they were probably right.

The sharp bite of cigarette smoke wafted into her nose, and Rainbow Dash turned towards its source in surprise, a light blush coloring her cheeks. Fleetfoot was smiling at her from the door to the bunk room, a lit cigarette dangling from her lips, smoking drifting up to tangle among her perked ears.

“How you feelin’, Dash?” she asked her softly, trotting over quickly.

Instinctively, Dash ducked her head, leaning against her fellow mare as Fleetfoot’s wing raised her wing to allow Dash to snuggle against her side. Despite Fleetfoot’s petite frame, it was a nice, comfy fit, and Rainbow Dash gave a contented, if shy, sigh of relief.

“Better. F-fresh air helps, I-I think,” she replied after a minute to acclimate, “W-wish I could fly.”

Fleetfoot’s wing gave Rainbow’s side a gentle squeeze.

“The doctors said you’ll have to wait till after the foal, Dash,” she reminded her softly, seeming rather sad about it herself, “We can’t risk it.”

Dash winced at them, closing her eyes tightly. The foal. The… thing growing in her belly, weighing her down every second with the reminder of… him. Master. She gave her head a weak shake, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“W-why?” she muttered, voice flat even to her own ears.

Fleetfoot lived up to her name. Rainbow Dash barely managed a squeak before she was flipped out from the other mare’s wing, surprised magenta eyes being peered into by firm, glacier blues. Had she made Fleetfoot mad? Had-

“Don’t,” Fleetfoot whispered, a faint, pleading tone coloring her words, “Don’t think down that path, please. T-trust… trust me. When you hold that foal in your arms… stare into her eyes… you’ll love it. No matter who the father is. You’re carrying her. You’re going to raise her, with your friends and us by your side.”

Rainbow’s heart was throbbing, like a giant claw was clutching at it, piercing it. Her left hoof slowly rose to rub a small circle on her swollen stomach. Something pressed back, just barely.

“W-what if I can’t stop seeing him in her?” she mumbled back, shaking under Fleetfoot’s gaze, “What if I-I’m a bad m-mom? I’ll be like one of those… t-those deadbeats from Guards, o-or- mmm!”

Fleetfoot’s hoof had smooshed into Rainbow’s muzzle, stopping the babbling pegasus. Her eyes were comforting, and her muzzle had twisted into a fond smile.

“This is coming from the pegasus who tried to get us to let that scooter filly into the Junior Speedsters early,” she teased, smile widening at the deep blush that raced down Rainbow’s neck, “Or who used that connection with that writer to send Daring Do to all those sick fillies in the Canterlot Hospice.”

“Y-you knew about that?” Rainbow blurted out, eyes wide.

She hadn’t told anyone about that, only Twilight and Ditzy, who had given her the idea in the first place, after Rainbow had overheard Twilight griping about lack of reading material for the chronically sick foals. She had known how it felt to be cooped up and surrounded by doctors day in and day out. Rainbow Dash had just wanted to spread her love of action stories, really. It had felt like the right thing to do.

Fleetfoot winked, eyes shining with pride, “We delivered them, in your name. You should have seen how happy they were, Dash… it made their year. Hell, it probably made their lives, getting those books from you. Foals love you, Rainbow Dash. You gave them hope. You give them hope again.”

The dainty hoof slowly reached around, a warm heat rushing through Rainbow as Fleetfoot’s hoof gave her rounded stomach a pat. To her surprise, a gentle pressure matched the movement. The foal…

“T-think so?” Rainbow whispered, ears laying back thoughtfully, “T-that… I’ll be a g-good mom, I mean.”

Fleetfoot didn’t answer, merely smiling at Rainbow Dash and pulling her into a tight hug, wings folding forward to embrace her vulnerable friend. Rainbow sniffed, closing her eyes and burying her snout into Fleetfoot’s neck. She wasn’t sure how any of this would go. Going home, having the foal… but with her friends at her side… with Fleetfoot and Spitfire… she would give it a chance, at the very least.
******************

Spitfire let out a relieved breath as she and the troop of Wonderbolts broke through the thunderhead above Ponyville, a smile stretching across her snout as she looked the township over. It had definitely undergone some changes since her last visit; a quartet of guard towers, made of purple manabrick, had been set up on surrounding hills, giving the Town Guard an unobstructed view of the countryside. On the western edge of town, bordering the tree-home of the Golden Oaks Library, sat the new air-dock: a floating structure of enchanted boards, set up to handle the bulk of the new sky-sailers that visited from Canterlot. The North Star had already docked the night before and unloaded its crowd of ponies, most of whom had been transferred to the Ponyville General Hospital.

“Hey boss!”

Fleetfoot’s trail of blue wind rocketed down from an overheard cloud, and Spitfire had to grin in relief; four Royal Rangers had been settled in the cloud banks with Fleetfoot, their only visible features being the gleam of their long rifles against the sunlight. The Royal Rangers, a group of snipers formed by Princess Luna during her recent military build-ups, were all highly trained batponies and pegasi, schooled in the ways of sharpshooting and camouflage by the Princess of the Night herself. Having a squad of them assigned to Ponyville, backed up by Princess Twilight’s Aurora Guard, did much to put Spitfire’s mind at ease. She nodded slightly in greetings as Fleetfoot came to a stop in front of the Wonderbolts’ column.

“How is she?” Spitfire asked her second softly, trying her best not to sound as worried as she felt.

“Good, actually,” Fleetfoot replied, and a world of worry lifted off Spitfire’s already weary withers.

She had already been loathe to let the young pegasus go to Ponyville, but the Princesses had needed the Wonderbolts to guard Gilda while they performed a battery of tests on the griffin, determined to make sure their ponies were safe from any hidden geas on her person. After an exhausting- and Spitfire had never seen any of the Princesses physically tired- search, they had declared Gilda safe to be around, and had transferred her to the undamaged portions of the Castle for questioning. Spitfire had only been free to leave once a new squadron of New Pegasus Air Wing had arrived to take up the slack of the re-assigned Wonderbolts.

“She’s staying in the Golden Oaks for the time being,” Fleetfoot continued, wincing, “...she doesn’t want to see her old home.”

Spitfire didn’t blame the mare one bit. Though the Crown had had Rainbow Dash’s home cared for and cleaned, it had always seemed a bit… tragic, lifeless even. Especially when the liquid rainbow had dried up from its reservoir, leaving nothing more than a lifeless, marble-like cloud home in the skies over Ponyville. A mausoleum to a fallen rainbow. Now just a sad reminder of a past Rainbow Dash could never go back to.

“Fleetfoot, get a patrol schedule going and get the boys to a barracks. I’m gonna go see her.”
*******************

Scootaloo did her best to remember the marching cadence as she trotted towards the Golden Oaks. If Princess Twilight wanted to see her, and not during scheduled Twilight Time, it had to be something serious! ...was she finally old enough to join the Aurora Guard? Applebloom certainly thought they were, and so did Sweetie Belle! Heck, most of the foals at school were getting interested in joining some of the new Youth programs that had popped up. The Pegasi Cloud Brigade had been interesting, with alot of the foals who joined up being taught emergency techniques for causing rain to stop fires, or how to send up beacon clouds. But considering that Scootaloo couldn’t fly, she had decided that her interests would be better put somewhere else.

It had been the Aurora Guard that had caught her interest most of all. Created specifically in the memory of Rainbow Dash, with their rainbow crests and cyan armor, they were all trained to be just as fierce and skilled as the Element. Encompassing all the pony tribes, and even the odd zebra or deer, they were widely known as being the best swordsponies in Equestria, and that their unicorns were some of the most skilled battlemages in the world. The thought made Scootaloo smile a bit. Rainbow Dash would be proud.

Rainbow… Scootaloo sniffed loudly, steeling herself before any tears could fall. Losing her big sister, at least in her mind, like that had been a hammer blow. Her idol, her friend, gone? Sweetie Belle had been a lifesaver during that time, sticking by her fillyfriend through it all, dragging her out of her self-induced stupor to keep up with Crusader activities and to do odd jobs around Ponyville with her. It had hurt at first, continuing on without her best “big pony” friend. Somedays Scootaloo even had the notion that Rainbow Dash might be alive, and hiding somewhere, hurt and unable to come home. After breaking her leg during one said “expedition,” Sweetie Belle had made Scootaloo promise never to do that again.

A blush crept across Scootaloo’s cheeks as she remembered that night in particular.

“Are you TRYING to get yourself killed!?” Sweetie Belle had snarled the second after she laid a trembling Scootaloo on the couch in Rarity’s shop.

They were both covered in dirt and blood, coats and manes soaked through by the pounding rain outside. It was dark outside and in the unlit house, but a lightning flash illuminated Sweetie Belle’s face. To Scoots’ horror, tears were streaming down the face of her best friend, green eyes clouded with pain.

“S-sweetie,” Scootaloo started, only to wince as Sweetie Belle’s hoof jabbed her in the barrel.

“NO! Not another word!” the petite unicorn snapped back, voice cracking a bit in not a little hysteria, “Y-you just… you just d-decide to march into the Everfree, on your own? D-don’t even tell us, don’t tell ME! You’re lucky Fluttershy’s birds saw you!”

Sweetie Belle leaned in close, giving a small sob; Scootaloo could feel the tears dripping onto her chest.

“I-I know it hurt losing Rainbow Dash. But h-have you e-ever even considered what it would d-do if we lost you? To Applebloom, or Pip, or… o-or to me?”

The kiss wasn’t planned. A desperate lunge forward by Sweetie Belle, knocking a stunned Scootaloo back against the cushions. Her lips were soft and insistent, and Scootaloo gave a quiet mew as Sweetie’s tongue pried open Scootaloo’s lips, darting into her stunned mouth. Scootaloo’s brain was in a haze, fried. This wasn’t like the Truth or Dare games. These weren’t the tiny pecks and shy giggles, the stolen glances while another of the Crusaders took a turn. This was passion, desperation made manifest, Sweetie Belle doing everything in her power to keep Scootaloo with her, to show her just why she couldn’t leave her like this again. And boy, did it work.

Scootaloo chuckled a bit, pausing in front of the library doors, doing her best to smooth back her stiffened wings. She would definitely have to visit Sweetie after this meeting, and hopefully pry her away from Rarity, who hadn’t left their side since getting back from Cloudsdale. Not that she was against kissing Sweetie in front of Rarity, just… that giant smile got a tad creepy sometimes. Clearing her throat, she reached up to tap her hoof firmly on the solid door.

“Come in!” came the distant reply, and Scootaloo obediently swung the door open, marching in and snapping off a smart salute.
“Hopeful Private Scootaloo, ready for-”
Her world stopped. Sitting on Twilight’s couch, her hind legs in casts, eyesbruised and frightened, and stomach swollen in what could only be advanced pregnancy was… was…
“R-rainbow Dash?” she managed in a breathy, squeaky voice, eyes widening to the size of saucers.
Her idol nodded slowly, a shaky smile spreading across her muzzle, which had a thin scar across the bridge of her snout.
“Y-you got big, Scoots…”
And with the rushing, swooping feeling of falling, the world went black for the filly.