Pinkie and Dash by Anti-Pony (2011/1/26)

	It had been about a month since Twilight had given birth. Spike had been inconsolable for a week, the labour was long and Twilight was exhausted before it had even begun. She hadn't even been able to muster the energy for magic for half the pregnancy as it was. She was fine, but she'd barely managed to look at her baby and say how beautiful he was, and give Spike one brief loving smile, then just like that she fainted. The next week had drawn out for what seemed like forever. When he got the news she'd woken up Spike had rushed home, only to miss her going back to sleep. She was alright now, but very tired. It took another week before she started getting out of bed again, and Spike was always nearby, keeping her from doing too much.

	It became custom for Applejack to show up around early morning, Fluttershy was pretty much sleeping in their spare bed anyway so she let her in and they took care of things... AJ would bake, Fluttershy would babysit... when she could get Spike to let her. He spent all his time switching between cradling the baby, and cuddling Twilight close. After a few days everyone finally began to relax... the baby was healthy, and Twilight's depression began to fade away. She started chatting more about what she'd missed in the last few months, and AJ and Fluttershy updated her on things in the village.

	She was surprised to hear about AJ and Big Mac, but somehow it made sense. It had always been odd that she'd never seen AJ so much as mention a mother, just Granny Smith... and it never clicked that Granny was just her name, like the apple. When Applebloom stopped by she wouldn't quit rambling about her parents and inadvertently informed Twilight she had upcoming siblings. AJ seemed a little like she was holding back, but she seemed happy about it. She did half say something about just worrying how Applebloom would feel, but she apparently was excited and bouncier than Twilight had ever seen her. So overly bouncy that AJ avoided bringing her too often. She didn't quite get why AJ thought she'd be upset about things, after all if Big Mac was adopted, what was wrong? But everyone seemed happy and more content that she recalled in a long time... she didn't give it too much thought. She was just glad everyone was happy.

	Twilight and Spike were busy with their new family anyway. The doctor had suggested they take at least 6 months out before they even consider having another foal... Twilight and Spike both wanted to have a big family. Both were worried about the depression setting in again, but Twilight was sure they'd manage. Spike was more worried. After all the time he'd spent cuddling and consoling her, he was worried Twilight might not handle a second pregnancy... he already had to convince her she hadn't been a nuisance as a partner... but now she was confident again and excited for the future, a little nervous, but excited. The doctor also suggested they avoid anything too physical for Twilight for a while, but despite being dizzy still, she had started giving Spike hints and talking about how they could go gently and slowly. He was still resisting, but she was getting apprehensive about it and he was starting to give in a little... she really seemed to be getting worried their physical relationship was waning... and he couldn't watch her being sad for much longer without doing something. He had explained at least three times in two days that she just needed to rest and they'd get back into it soon, but there was only so much he could convince her to wait before they snuck into the shower together and fooled around a little. She cheered up after that.

	There wasn't much privacy outside of that anymore anyway, at least for a few more days, until Fluttershy didn't need to stay over and help. One day in particular, AJ baking away, Fluttershy feeding the baby, Spike and Twilight still asleep... Fluttershy insisted Spike stay in bed... if he moved Twilight would wake up. Twilight was a little mad everyone knew that about her now, but it kept her resting more and that was good. Today Rainbow Dash turned up for a change, not so much to see the baby, though she did pause long enough to make the same comment everyone did, as much as because she wanted to talk to her friends.

	Dash flopped her front on the counter in the kitchen and groaned. "I've done it again..." she muttered... "She's mad at me."

	AJ chuckled, "Here we go again, you should have figured this out by now Sugarcube..." Dash just gave her a look, and sighed loudly.

	"Congratulations", Fluttershy murmured, looking up from burping the baby. She always knew... Dash frowned even more. "How many will this make now?"

	AJ blinked, "Wait, you serious? How the hell do you always..." looking at Fluttershy, then at Dash, "She right Sugarcube? Good grief, how are you two managing all this..."

	Dash frowned about as big as they'd ever seen her frown. She refused to answer for a moment, then sighed loudly, "Yes, it's true... ten if it's twins again..." Twins again... why did her family have to be full of twins... she didn't even have a twin sister. It misses a generation sometimes her mother had said... ha ha. Why couldn't it have missed THIS generation...

	"Good lord... you should start using protection hun" AJ started, getting a look of death in return.

	"We do, I don't know why it doesn't work!" Dash groaned. "Am I the ONLY pony in the whole of Equestria who didn't know girls can get girls pregnant?! Seriously, the first time I was shocked nobody even flinched..." It had been a hell of a day... she didn't know what to make of it all.

	"You did miss a lot of sex ed back in the day. You were always skipping class and racing and stuff", Fluttershy smiled, "But it's not like you can't afford it, the store's doing well. And you still coach the team even if you can't fly with them. So, what did you say that upset her this time?"

	"Just..." Dash sighed deeply, "I was whining about not being able to fly again. It's just... it's been like, five years in a row, I've only been able to fly for like, six months out of that... I'm putting on weight too. I don't even look like an athlete anymore..." Dash sighed again, "After this lot I'm just going to outright go to Celestia about some kind of permanent birth control magic or something... nobody should have this many kids."

	Fluttershy giggled. "Oh, you love them. You're just mad because it's always you who ends up pregnant." Dash scowled. It was true. And it wasn't even about the flying really, it was that they said the more masculine pony in a girl girl couple never got pregnant. Pinkie was not more of a tough, athletic pony... was she? She was pink for crying out loud... Pink and sweet and understanding... and ridiculously forgiving... Dash sighed... the important thing was she'd upset her again and she needed to fix that.

	AJ chuckled. "I swear, who do we know who isn't having kids, apart from you Sugar Cube." smiling at Fluttershy. Fluttershy smiled back. She was mildly jealous... she'd been babying animals for years but never found a guy, or a girl... Heck, she kind of imagined Big Mac would eventually ask her out, until she heard the news. She was glad to move into work with baby ponies anyway. One week without her babying and the meadow was doing fine... she felt silly she'd been babying them at all now. Angel seemed happier without her coddling anyway.

	"You know what you need to do Dash." Fluttershy passed her a piece of paper and a pencil, "Get writing." Smiling at her. Dash sighed deeply, took the pencil in her mouth and began working on a song. They usually took her very little time... she'd been rather surprised the first time... Pinkie had been so upset and thinking Dash regretted their relationship, and it was crazy but writing her a song and singing it was all she could come up with when explaining it normally didn't work... she felt stupid doing it, and even more now that every pony knew... but it worked. Sometimes she thought Pinkie was just manipulating her a little... but she couldn't leave her upset either. Even if she kind of suspected she was just pushing for another song. She looked at Fluttershy, and Fluttershy nodded, "Yes, I'll wake Spike up when you finish and come take care of your kids whilst you sing to her."

	AJ giggled. "I'd love to hear that, boy howdy..." She grinned at her angsty looking friend... "Oh come on, I bet you have a great singing voice..."

	"I don't." She stopped writing, and took a deep breath. "Ok... that's everything I think... Fluttershy?" Fluttershy was allowed to look at the note briefly, and nodded, smiling. Dash could trust her not to laugh or tell anyone... she blushed darkly all the same. She never found it easy to say how she felt.

	"Very heartfelt." She said. "That should get her talking to you again."

	They set off, leaving Spike and a groggy Twilight looking after their baby, and having a late breakfast with AJ.

	 Fluttershy quickly rounded up the kids and gave Dash a little nod. "We'll go play with the animals in the meadow... let's say for a couple of hours, ok?" Winking... Dash didn't quite know how to respond for a moment, then nodded back.

	"Yeah, thanks Fluttershy... I mean it... dunno how I'd have managed..." Dash was stopped by Fluttershy.

	"Save it for Pinkie, ok? Good luck..." and with that she was off, 8 overly boisterous foals bounding along with her, the soft sound of Fluttershy telling them everything was fine just audible as they went out of sight. Dash sighed, she hated the idea she was worrying her kids too... they were her world, why couldn't she let go of flying... it's not like she had more fun before they'd gotten together... how could she even ask herself that?

	"Pinkie, you there?" Dash bit her lip, looking inside the shop. Pinkie was mixing something, always cooking... that's why she was putting on weight... all this sweet stuff was just lying around everywhere... Pinkie kept saying she liked Dash like that, but she was supposed to be an athlete... wasn't she?

	"Hello Dash!" Pinkie smiled, "I still love you but I'm not talking to you right now!" Dash sighed... she always did that... She sounded chirpy, but not like when she was happy. Dash got out her note and cleared her throat, checking she'd locked the door behind her... Pinkie spoke, and Dash gulped... she always waited for the song... this wasn't good.

	"It's not gunna work this time Dash" She practically sung it... Dash felt her heart droop... this was it, she'd done it, she'd really fucked it up... why couldn't she get over this... and worse, Pinkie suddenly stopped the silent treatment... she looked deadly serious... she almost never looked that serious... "Dash, we need to talk. Like... really need to."

	"Pinkie I..." Dash started, and Pinkie interrupted.

	"No, I mean, I need to talk to you. You need to be a listeny listener. Or was it listeny listenerson. It doesn't matter..." Pinkie looked seriously at Dash, and Dash found it hard to look in her big, worried eyes. "This has to stop Dash..."

	Dash blurted out, "I'm sorry, I do love you and the kids, I do... and everything, I just... it's not like I regret..."

	"That's not it, I know that." Pinkie sighed, and held Dash's head to look into her eyes, "This is about Rainbow Dash and you."

	Dash looked confused, mouth agape... she felt horrible, she just kept walking into it... in front of her kids she whined about how she hadn't been able to fly for ages... she knew she had a right to feel that way, and she felt a little hurt that Pinkie seemed to disagree, but she knew she was also basically seeming to reject them... her kids wouldn't know better... a tear rolled down her cheek.

	Pinkie continued, as usual she seemed to read her mind... "I'm not even saying you can't be sad about being stuck on the ground, silly... this is about Rainbow Dash, the super duper speedy pony who won that award as lead of her team..." gesturing to the trophies in the cabinet, "Who lived her dream and did it all. Then she found herself somebody who loved her." She put Dash's hoof on her chest, apparently as part of the example... Dash just looked puzzled. But she knew better than to interrupt... maybe this time this would make sense.

	"Then there's you, confusey confuserson. The girl who lived her dream, was content with it and then moved on to new dreams. I watched her play with her kids, and cuddle with her lover, and say she was the happiest she'd ever been, even more than the day she won those things. I even believe her when she says it." Pinkie pulled a 'are you following me' face. Dash bit her lip... she was trying to. "I remember the look on her face when her first twins were born... how she cried... how proud she was of her team when they pulled together under her coaching... and this bit is important"

	"And how she accepted that she wasn't a super fast teenage pony looking for awards and adoration anymore, and that her Pinkie Pie loved her more than anyone else could, no matter how fast she flew. Am I making sense?" Pinkie tilted her head a little.

	"I think..." Dash felt somewhere between being very small, and very close to a breakthrough on something important... "You're saying..." Pinkie stared at her, very close, showing signs of excitement... did she finally get the speech right... she'd spent years trying to get her friends to understand her... even after the parasprites they didn't always follow her wording... even the pony she'd spent every day with for years... she didn't always follow her properly.

	Dash took a deep breath, "I'm... I'm still trying to pretend I'm this athletic, sporty pony... even though I don't want to be racing and getting awards anymore... like... I was putting so much effort into showing off and focusing on Rainbow Dash... who she was... the image... that it's making it hard for me to settle into the life I have now?" She looked at Pinkie quizzically... "I... I have always been kind of focused on being the fastest... how I was gunna be in the Wonderbolts... I guess I'm not even really that young anymore." Pinkie gave her a slight glare, "Ok, yeah, I'm young, I meant I'm not teenager young... ok?"

	Pinkie let out a sigh of relief. "So... do you get what I mean?" Dash continued to think about it... "You don't want to go win contests again do you?" Dash shook her head. "You don't want to go back to being Rainbow Dash, lead flier?"

	"No, I don't. I got the awards... it was kind of empty, before..." Pinkie was grinning widely... her nose pressed against Dash's. "before you. Even when we were just friends playing pranks... until the day you went and kissed me like that... and then when..." and Dash blushed... she put a hoof against her belly, "You know, I complain every time but then when I look in their eyes for the first time... it just... it feels like my heart's gunna explode."

	"Well duh" Pinkie grinned, and kissed her deeply, the taste of candy on her lips. "So can you please try and let old Dash stay in the past? New Dash has a better life anyway, I think." Pinkie pulled a bit of a face, grinning, rolling her eyes, "For a start, she's got what... Fluttershy said two hours right? It's been about twenty minutes I think..." turning and heading towards the bedroom... grinning over her shoulder and slipping a lollypop from the counter into her mouth.

	"New Dash still needs to find better contraception..." She muttered... following and smiling contentedly to herself, leaving the note on the table.

	For the first time in five years, Dash felt like she had figured out her life. She was Rainbow Dash, retired star flier... she missed flying, but it wasn't important. She had a family, and they were her everything.

https://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/01/story-anti-pony-story-series.html