An Unexpected Delivery (A SorinDash Story)

(Credits)
Before we begin, I would like to point out a few things. First of all, this is my first real fanfic, so take it easy on me! Second, this fanfic was inspired by an amazing piece of artwork called 'Rainbow Dash In Labor.' I could not find the name of the artist(s), but I would like to give them kudos for the great art he/she/they made. The reference for the pregnancy progression is 'Luna's Pregnancy' by 20thX5150. Now, on with the show!- Pegasister64")
(Prologue)
The screams were ear piercing, but they were fading... Rainbow Dash was believed to be the fastest flier in all of Equestria, But now, she was more like the fastest faller in Equestria. She could not fly, the pain was too unbearable to move. Spitfire had warned her about this. Why was Rainbow Dash so selfish? She should have just sat out of the show, she could have cheered on her colleagues from the bleachers, but Rainbow had pushed herself too far. Rainbow brought her hooves to herself, making her fall even faster. Soarin, her newlywed husband, dove to rescue her. Thankfully, Soarin was fast and caught up with her in no time. He grabbed her Wonderbolt uniform, which was now a little tight around the edges according to Rainbow Dash. He started to reverse their fall, but now Soarin had to reverse his falling speed and his wife's speed and weight. They were closing in on the ground Soarin turned to his crying wife. "Don't worry, it'll all be ok... I-I promise!" Soarin knew that he didn't have much time...
"Pause it there!" A voice called out off camera. The video playing on screen paused immediately. Stopping right before Rainbow Dash and Soarin hit the ground. Rainbow Dash stepped in front of the screen to reassure Anypony who was watching. "Hey, Everypony! Rainbow Dash here! Now, I'm sure you're wondering what the hay is going on. Before I explain that, this is not one of those 'the camera adds like 50 pounds' incidents. That's actually me. Now, to answer all your questions, I'll have to back up the footage a bit. About a year earlier... yes a year earlier... It was the day neither I or Soarin would ever forget..."

[Month: 1 Time remaining: 10 months]
Rainbow Dash returned from the doctor's office late that day. She held a sheet of paper in her saddlebag. She started to consider something in her head. "Am I really ready for this? I mean, Soarin's gonna freak!" Rainbow Dash spread her wings, preparing to fly back to her home, the Cloudominium, high up in Cloudsdale. Before she took off, she was greeted with a familiar Fuschia mane. "Hi, Dashie! How was your visit with the doctor today?" Rainbow Dash brushed off the fact that Pinkie knew about her appointment without any memory of ever telling her about it. "It went good Pinkie. I have to tell you something, but you have to keep it to yourself, ok?" Pinkie Pie nodded her head frantically, her curly mane bobbing up and down. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Rainbow Dash sighed, she was still unsure she wanted to tell Pinkie, but she knew that Pinkie never broke a promise. "Ok, Pinkie... I'm... um... I'm pregnant..." Pinkie stood still with a serious expression. With that same expression on her face, Pinkie slowly raised her hoof. She placed a spotted party hat on Rainbow Dash's head, and slowly pulled out her party cannon. As Pinkie lit the fuse, her frown quickly turned to a wide smile. The party cannon blasted confetti into Rainbow Dash's face. Pinkie was clearly overjoyed over the news, but she gasped, swiped her hoof over her mouth, and motioned her hoof as if she was throwing something away. Rainbow Dash shot a confused look at Pinkie but brushed off her strange gesture. Finally, Rainbow Dash took off for Cloudsdale. She approached the door and reached for the doorknob. She paused. Rainbow Dash realized something that she had not felt for years. Rainbow Dash was scared. What if Soarin didn't want a foal? What if he would just up and leave her over the news? What if she would have to give the foal up? Rainbow Dash sighed, ready to face anything that was thrown at her. She approached Soarin. "Hey, Soarin. I'm back" Soarin turned and smiled tenderly at his wife. They had been married for a few months now. He chortled quietly "When I told Spitfire that you were a no-show to practice today, she practically blew a gasket!" Rainbow chuckled softly. "Soarin, I have something to tell you..." Soarin realized he had forgotten to ask about the appointment. "Oh, Right! Stupid me! How did the appointment go? Any news from the doctor?" Rainbow nodded slowly, her face serious. Soarin realized that Rainbow Dash was upset about something. "Honey, what's wrong?" Rainbow Dash held back her fears. She explained that the doctor did tell her something, and she would be on medicine for a while. "Soarin, I know this is going to be a change, but I promise that it'll all be ok... I promise... Soarin... um..." Rainbow Dash handed Soarin the paper she was holding in her saddlebag. Soarin looked at the paper confused at first. As he realized what it meant, his confusion changed to shock. His gaze changed to his wife. Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. Soarin grabbed his wife. He was overjoyed that he would be a father in only eleven months! The couple laughed and cried tears of joy for a few minutes before they settled down on the couch, pondering would happen to them in the next few months. This would be a change for the both of them, but they would be ready.

[Month: 4 Time remaining: 7 months]
About four months later, Rainbow looked down at her midsection. She was starting to show signs that she was, in fact, pregnant. Her stomach was starting to grow larger and larger with the passing days. The first time she realized these changes, she was nervous that it would be easier for her friends to notice. Not to mention that Pinkie wasn't holding up as well as Rainbow had hoped. Rainbow Dash made it a point to finally tell her friends and family her secret. She invited her five friends and her parents over for dinner at the Cloudominion. Of course, Rainbow soon received seven RSVP letters. Rainbow Dash stopped by the nearby market and purchased what she needed for dinner that night. Tomatoes, about two small bags of wheat, lettuce, and other assorted vegetables. She walked up to the counter to pay for her groceries. The pony at the counter was a familiar gray-colored, yellow maned, Pegasus with golden eyes. She was the friendliest Pegasus that Rainbow Dash ever knew. Unfortunately, this Pegasus mare was born with walleyes, and eye conditioned often called "lazy-eye". Walleyes often resulted in one's eyes to look in directions unwanted by the person. Most ponies mocked her for her condition, and considered her "retarded" But she didn't care. He name was Ditzy "Derpy Whooves" Doo. Ditzy looked at Rainbow Dash, or at least Rainbow thought she was. Ditzy spoke with a slight slur in her voice. "Hello, Dashie! How are..." Ditzy shifted her gaze to Rainbow's midsection. "Ohmigosh! Really!" Rainbow Dash blushed slightly. Ditzy, or Derpy as she called her, was one of her closest friends growing up, she was loyal and never left you once she was your friend. Derpy covered her mouth and gasped quietly, she knew that look. She already had her own little filly at home. "I'm sorry... I won't tell Anypony... Is this all you're buying?" Rainbow Dash nodded. She emptied her bags onto the counter. Derpy calculated the amount, although she didn't look like much, Derpy was surprisingly smart. "It's only three bits Dashie" Rainbow Dash looked impressed. "Yeah, we're having a special on wheat today, buy one bag, get one free!" "Cool!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The clock behind Derpy chimed 4:00. Rainbow Dash gasped, she had to get dinner ready by 5:00 to account for Anypony who showed up early! She paid for her groceries, scooped up her bag, thanked Derpy, and flew off for Cloudsdale. Rainbow could still fly fast, but not as fast as she once did, and she was growing slower by the day. It didn't help that her belly was feeling heavier every day. If this was her foal, it was not gonna be easy when it was ready to be born. Soon, Rainbow Dash reached the Cloudominium. She started to prepare dinner, but the guests started arriving earlier than she expected! Pinkie rushed into the kitchen to see her friend. Twilight had cast a cloud walking spell to help her earth-pony and unicorn friends walk in Cloudsdale. "Pinkie, why are you all so early!" Rainbow Dash asked. Pinkie laughed "Nopony has seen you for a long time, Dashie! We just couldn't wait!" Rainbow Dash told Pinkie to keep the other ponies out of the kitchen until dinner was ready. "Okie-Dokie, Loki!, And with that, the party-pony bounced into the living room. After an "entertaining" 45-50 minutes, Rainbow Dash had Soarin set the table, and Rainbow Dash, more cautiously than normal, made her way to the dining room. "Rainbow Dash, is everything alright? Pinkie was keeping us out of the kitchen. She was saying you wanted us not to go in there..." Twilight Sparkle asked, slightly concerned. Rainbow Dash reassured her friends that everything was alright. "Alright Everypony, me and Soarin called you all here for a good reason..." Rainbow Dash had now successfully made her friends and family worried in one sentence, but she didn't want to pat herself on the back just yet. "Girls... and dude... I'm afraid... I-I'm." Pinkie couldn't contain herself she was practically flying out of her seat. Rainbow Dash laughed "I'm pregnant... I told Pinkie the day I learned I was, and she's been keeping it under wraps for about five months now." Rainbow Dash stood up to reveal her now extended belly. Her friends and parents were either laughing hysterically or crying out of happiness. Eventually, Rainbow Dash joined the happy troupe laughing and crying along with them. "Oh, goodness! I'll have to make all kinds of outfits for the foal!" Rarity said. She was already fantasizing about all the colors, designs, and patterns. "Alright Rarity, but nothing too girly if it's a filly" Rainbow Dash joked. All the girls went on to tell Rainbow Dash about their contributes to the foal's life. "Do we even know the gender yet?" Windy Whistles asked. "We wanna make it a surprise, so no, and we won't! Not until the foal is born." Rainbow Dash felt stronger now. Her friends and family all knew about the foal and were there to support her if she needed it.

[Month: 5 Time remaining: 6 months]
The days seemed to go by faster than Rainbow Dash herself now. Rainbow Dash was slowing down, despite the attempts she made to fight it. Rainbow Dash was slowly growing more tired, cranky, and craved strange foods. Just the other day she ate peanut-butter and carrots, which Rainbow Dash thought wasn't all that bad. Even in the state she was in, Rainbow Dash was required to attend all Wonderbolt meetings. Spitfire agreed to numb her training a bit, but she would have to try to, at least, keep up. Rainbow Dash agreed, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Rainbow Dash looked down once again. Her belly was now about three times the size it used to be. Rainbow sighed heavily. She was happy to be a mother soon, but she was nervous as well. She had heard from her mother that when the time came for the foal to be born, she won't expect it. This foal was going to be a trip... but Rainbow would be prepared for the unexpected. Rainbow had been making her routine appointments with the doctor, but during their UltraSounds, she asked for them to study what they had to, but not to tell her anything about the foal's gender. In fact, she asked them not to tell her anything about the foal, only if it was healthy or not. The doctors told her that the foal was healthy. Rainbow Dash was relieved to hear this and left the doctor's office. She went to Twilight's palace. She needed to borrow a few books from her. Twilight directed her to the library, they approached the section marked "parenting". "These books should answer your questions. It includes titles such as 'So, You're Expecting' by Crystal Rose, a very popular author in her time, 'Pregnancy and You' by my mother, Twilight Velvet, and 'Where the Apple Falls' by Apple Cart. A relative of Applejack I believe." Rainbow checked out all three of the books and trotted off to read them. The books actually answered a lot of her questions, especially Mrs. Twilight's book. Having had two foals, Mrs. Twilight had some experience with the whole scenario. All of Rainbow's questions were answered in "Chapter 3: When the Time Comes". "When I was expecting my first child, who is now married with a filly of his own, I was worried, like most first-time mothers. I watched myself grow larger and larger by the month. I was worried that if I grew any larger, I would hurt my unborn foal by only moving! But luckily, I had my husband to help me through my insecurities. When the time came for my son to be born, the pain was unbearable, but it was unexpected. At the time, I was writing this very book! The waves and shocks of pain resonated around my entire body, I felt helpless, I couldn't move to help my foal if anything went wrong. Sadly, my husband was not home at the moment, so I was alone. Alone with my foal, begging to see the world. I dragged myself to my bed, if I was going into labor, I wanted to be comfortable at least. I forced myself onto the bed and lay there for hours it seemed, riding out the pain and constant contractions. After what seemed an eternity, it finally happened. My entire body ached, and a strange feeling came about me. My little foal was finally coming. I drew my hooves to myself, trying to tense my body to not only numb the pain, but to make the process go by just a little faster. I felt a warm liquid trail out of my body. Soon, I felt a round, but slightly hard, object exit my body. I sighed heavily. It was over, but it was far from finished. The pain was still lingering, but my foal screamed out, waiting to be held by his mother. I still could not move, but I summoned what strength I had left to use my magic. I weakly used my magic to draw the wet little foal to myself. He was perfect. From his mane right to his little hooves. I fell asleep with my foal in my arms. Ruined sheets and dirty blankets were the least of my worries. This might seem like a tragedy to all mothers-to-be, but don't worry, when my husband eventually returned, he immediately retrieved a few doctors. They were surprised how well the procedure had gone without them. The foal was perfectly fine, although a bit larger than most, I was fine, all was well. And forever, I will annoy my son, saying that he was born at home and that I did it by myself."

[Month:7 Time remaining: 4 months]
Rainbow Dash sighed, she had just woken up from her fourth nap today, and it was only 12:00. She was now about half the speed she once was. Rainbow Dash felt slow, and she didn't like it. "Only four months left..." Rainbow Dash reminded herself. She could now barely fly, but she had just enough speed to keep up with her fellow Wonderbolts. For the first time in three months, Rainbow Dash looked at herself in the mirror. Her mane was matted, her eyes appeared darker and sleep-deprived, and she felt and looked horrible. Not to mention that she had gained an exponential amount of weight over the last seven months. She hardly got any sleep, when she started to relax, her foal would toss and turn inside of her, forcing Rainbow Dash to lay awake. He foal was clearly as energetic as she was! She was constantly being battered by a seemingly defenseless foal. When Rainbow Dash didn't expect it, she would be kicked so hard, it caused her to trip over her own hooves, almost tripping herself. "When this thing is born, it'll be too soon..." Rainbow Dash muttered to herself. Pregnancy was hard, but she was only about halfway through. She decided to walk around town. It had been a while since she had just allowed herself to just see the sights of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash stopped at the local spa. Although she didn't like to mention it, Rainbow Dash enjoyed pampering herself every now and then. "Hi, Aloe, Lotus." Rainbow Dash greeted the twin spa owners. The two ponies nodded, "Just the usual, Mrs. Dash?" Rainbow Dash nodded, "But with..." Rainbow Dash looked down at her midsection again. "... slight adjustments." The mares nodded and started to prepare for Rainbow's treatment. Her spa day was very different than what Rainbow remembered, but then again, Aloe and Lotus had to take special precautions now. Her hot-tub was more lukewarm, Her facial was done surrounded with strangely comforting scented candles, and her hooficure was done slower than normal. Despite all the changes, Rainbow Dash had a wonderful time at the spa that day. She thanked Aloe and Lotus, paid for her treatment, and left. Rainbow Dash left that spa slightly more rested than a few moments ago. She had half a mind to turn right back around and ask what those candles were. When she eventually decided to do so, Aloe told her that it was infused with special lavender oils and extracts. Rainbow Dash also asked where she could purchase some for herself. Lotus told her that they could be purchased at the Ponyville marketplace. Rainbow Dash immediately went to the marketplace and purchased three or five of the sweet-scented candles. That night, Rainbow slept better than she had in the last four months. Rainbow Dash kept referring to the candles she would light in her room at night for the last few months. Apparently, the foal liked the smell of lavender. If the foal was happy, so was Rainbow Dash. The next day, Rainbow Dash woke up refreshed. All of her friends agreed that she looked like new that morning. Rainbow Dash suddenly remembered, the Wonderbolts had a huge performance at the end of the year! She spoke with Spitfire about the oncoming performance. Spitfire told Rainbow Dash that in her current state that she would not be allowed to perform in the show. Rainbow Dash was outraged! Sure she was packing on a few pounds due to the foal, but she could still perform for her fans. Spitfire sighed, "Dash, I won't stop you from doing what you love, but I strongly advise you think it through BEFORE you attempt to perform. Just... don't Dash... We're getting to a point that I may have to ask you to stop for a while. Not forever, just until your foal is born. You never want to think for yourself, this time, you might have to."

[Month:10 Time remaining: 7 weeks]
"Ugh..." Rainbow Dash moaned. She slowly sat up on the doctor's table. "Ok, Mrs. Dash, everything is in order. Just a reminder, your due date is just around the corner!" the doctor reminded. Rainbow Dash shot the poor stallion a look as cold as ice itself, "DON'T remind me..." These last nine and a half months had been hard on both Rainbow Dash and Soarin. Rainbow couldn't wait any longer, the foal was due in 49 days, but it seemed like an eternity to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash would visit her friends to see what they were doing, planning, or making for her foal. Applejack had built a cradle to rock the foal to sleep. Fluttershy had found her old music box, the music box played the tune that she sang for Applebloom and her friends. Pinkie Pie had built a new nursery in the Cloudominium! How she did it in one day, was a mystery to Rainbow Dash. Twilight had given her all sorts of foal-friendly storybooks. Rarity was still designing clothing. Three for both the genders, one for a unicorn, one for an earth pony, and one for a Pegasus. The Pegasus outfits seemed more probable to Rarity, so she spent most her time on them. Spike had made a special rattle filled with his old scales, which made a pleasing rattle when they hit each other. The rattle itself was covered in all kinds of gems and jewels. Rainbow Dash was happy that her friends were ready to help her with her foal. Her mother and father gave her all kinds of parenting and birth advice. The point that they emphasized the most is that she remains calm throughout the moment. Rainbow Dash believed that she would be brave, after all, she was Rainbow Dash! The Element of Loyalty! Despite all the advice and gifts, Rainbow Dash found that a lot had changed in the last year (give or take). She could not swing her hoof back without hitting her belly, her wings were practically useless now, and she was about the speed of Granny Smith! The kicking and shifting weren't as frequent as it once was, although Rainbow Dash could feel her foal growing stronger. Either by her intuition or the increasing pain. Despite Spitfire's warnings about her performing, Rainbow Dash continued to show up to practices and rehearsals. Every time Rainbow Dash showed up in her uniform, Spitfire sighed and looked at Rainbow Dash worried. Spitfire was her coach, that didn't mean she wasn't her friend. While she was flying, Rainbow Dash was hit with another "hit below the belt" as she jokingly called it. When she felt it, she fell a few feet, but eventually caught herself, taking to the sky once again. Spitfire approached the telephone booth. She clicked the receiver a few times and dialed. "Hello?", the voice on the other end answered. "This is Spitfire. I need you to send a few medics to the
Wonderbolt's next show, we have a heavily pregnant member with us, and I just want to be safe." The mare on the other end replied, "Alright, Miss Spitfire, I'll inform Dr. Stable as soon as possible." "Thank you" Spitfire sighed, and hung up. Rainbow Dash may not be ready to admit defeat, but Spitfire was. Spitfire never told Rainbow Dash about this, but this one moment would soon benefit not only Rainbow Dash but also her unborn foal. Spitfire pulled Rainbow Dash aside for a while. "Are you sure you want to do this, Dash? You can just sit out on this one." Spitfire said. Rainbow Dash groaned. She had already explained this once! "For the last time, Spitfire, YES I'm sure about this. This is MY foal, I can do what I want to do." Rainbow Dash trotted off angrily, Spitfire was worried, Somepony was going to get hurt. If not one, two poor ponies. And there would be only one pony to blame.

[Month 11 Time remaining: T-minus 5:40]
It was finally the day. Rainbow Dash made her final visit to the doctor. She could not wait for this all to be over, but surely, she had enough time to do one little show. Rainbow Dash approached the stadium. She felt a little strange, but she dismissed it as simple stage fright. Rainbow Dash took another blow, but she stood tall, pushing through the pain. Rainbow Dash approached the center of the stadium. The fans cheered, the screams sounded like thunder before a storm, and Rainbow Dash was the lightning. What she didn't see, was that in the crowd, there waited the doctor's Spitfire had called for seven weeks earlier. The fanfare kicked off, and so did the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash was as slow as ever, but she managed to stay close to their tails. Soon after they took off, what Spitfire feared the most became a reality. A warm liquid trailed along Rainbow Dash's leg. Rainbow's eyes grew narrow. "Oh no..." She looked back in fear. "N-not now!" Rainbow Dash took a hard hit. Then another, and another. The pain was so unbearable, Rainbow Dash stopped flying and used her wings to hold her belly, which now felt like it was on fire. Rainbow Dash had started falling towards earth. Rainbow Dash started screaming, out of a combination of fear and pain. Soarin watched as his wife started to fall, and he dove after her. Spitfire watched in horror, she had warned her, now all she could do was watch. She sent the doctors to help, and they did, with their supplies along with them. Soarin was fast and caught up with her in no time. He grabbed her now stretched out Wonderbolt uniform. he started flapping to reverse their fall, but it was too much for Soarin. They neared the ground. "D- Don't worry... everything will be alright... I promise" Then everything halted. Rainbow Dash's tail felt the cold, hard ground right underneath her. the doctors had reached them just in time. With their combined strength, they safely landed Rainbow Dash, who was by now heavily in labor. The doctors screamed and yelled. So did Rainbow Dash. Amid all the screams and the running ponies, Rainbow Dash looked around, she saw that Soarin, the stallion that saved her and her foals life, her husband, was right there beside her. After hours of screaming and pain, it all stopped. Rainbow Dash opened her eyes wide. It was over. While the doctors swaddled the foal, they informed her that she had given birth to a healthy little colt. But names would have to wait. As the doctor's prepared to bring Rainbow Dash to the hospital for some much-needed care, it all started up again, the pain returned, the thrashing and kicking returned, and most of all, the tears returned. The process started all over again. Rainbow's whole body pushed and churned in unexpected ways. And once again, after hours of screaming, and pain, it was all over. It was all the same, however, this little foal was a filly, a sweet, little filly for Rainbow Dash to call her own. It was all over. Rainbow Dash had survived pregnancy, but a new task waited. Raising her twin foals, Featherfly, and Lightning Flash. They were both Pegasi. The colt was deep-blue with a rugged mane that resembled his father's. His mane was navy with rainbow-colored stripes and streaks. His hooves were yellow and lined with his blue pelt. The filly was more lightly colored, more white than blue. Her mane was short but multi-colored like her mother's. They were perfect. Rainbow Dash wouldn't have asked for it any other way.
(Thank's for bearing through my explicit explanations! -Pegasister64)