Rainbow Dash had stayed with Fluttershy in her cottage the entire last month of her pregnancy. She wanted to keep her company, make sure she wasn't stressing herself out too much, and to help out with cooking and cleaning. Though the rainbow-maned pony's cooking skills were questionable, Fluttershy appreciated all the help she could get from her mate. She also thoroughly enjoyed the other Pegasus's companionship and felt more at ease knowing there was always going to be somepony around in case anything happened.

Although Rainbow Dash was not thrilled about sleeping in a bed instead of on a cloud, it was a small sacrifice to make to be able to sleep with her beloved and keep her comfortable. Nighttime became a routine for the two ponies now living together: eat supper, wash up, cuddle outside and watch the stars, go upstairs to bed, Rainbow Dash would give Fluttershy a gentle massage until she fell asleep, then the blue pony would allow herself to drift off into dreamland. Both ponies gained great joy from living together and very much enjoyed the roles they had taken on in each other's lives.

On a clear summer night, the two pony mares found themselves staring up at Luna's moon and the stars she had raised. The moon was waxing and nearly full, providing a bright silver light that illuminated all of Equestria at night. The stars twinkled brightly on the midnight-blue sky and made the constellations look like they were dancing.

Rainbow Dash had dragged a cloud just big enough for both of them close to the ground so they would have something soft to lie on. It was only a few feet off the ground so even Fluttershy -very heavy in her last month of pregnancy- could easily fly up and enjoy the heavenly feeling of the soft cloud. The cloud supported all the contours of the ponies' bodies which provided Fluttershy's back with great relief.

Both ponies were laying down comfortably, Fluttershy pressed firmly against Rainbow Dash's side. The blue Pegasus gently groomed her mate, eliciting soft moans whenever she hit a tender spot. Rainbow Dash lightly kissed Fluttershy's eyelids before working her way down her crest, grooming the luxuriously soft pink mane. She spent a lot of time on Fluttershy's back, gently massaging the tired muscles. Fluttershy was slightly disappointed to have the warm body move from beside her, but was quickly lulled into relaxation by Rainbow Dash's magic hooves working over her sore back. The blue pony's hooves moved in practiced motions around the spine and down the sides of the heavily pregnant pony.

Rainbow Dash gasped, and stopped what she was doing for a minute. "What is it?" Fluttershy asked sleepily.

"I felt it move!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She quickly put her hooves back to Fluttershy's enormous stomach. "I felt it again!"

Fluttershy smiled maternally down at her mate who now had her ear pressed to the warm yellow belly. Rainbow Dash nuzzled Fluttershy's stomach as she continued to feel movement from within. She had never felt something so incredible in her whole life. At that moment, everything became real to Rainbow Dash. Inside of Fluttershy was a small creature that would change both of their lives forever. Emotions welled up in her that she didn't know she could feel. Tears began to stream from her rose colored eyes and on to Fluttershy's glossy coat.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked worriedly; she had never seen the other pony cry before.

"I-I'm just so glad that all of this happened- is happening! I love you so much and I already love our foal. I am so ready to start our new life together with our little foal," Rainbow Dash said, joyful streams of water coming from her eyes.

Through happy tears, Fluttershy said, "I love you too." Rainbow Dash's words meant the world to her, and none of this would have been possible without her. "Rainbow Dash, look!" She whispered and gestured up to the sky.

A meteor shower was beginning above them. Shining stars blazed across the sky and fell into the atmosphere, only to disappear. The lights skipped and flew across the dark sky. It was like they had their own private light show that Princess Luna made especially for them. The two ponies fell asleep curled up together on the soft cloud while the sky fell above their heads.

...

Rainbow Dash awoke to the glory of Celestia's sun rising. The love of her life was still curled up and fast asleep next to her. It wasn't often that Rainbow Dash got up early enough to see the sun rise, but she was glad she did today; it was a spectacular sight. The blue pony gently rested her head on her mate's neck and watched the sun make it ascent through the sky.

Once the sun had completed its path to the heavens above, Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy begin to stir. The blue pony lifted her head so Fluttershy could stretch out. "Good morning beautiful mare," Rainbow Dash greeted.

A soft rose color met Fluttershy's cheeks. "Good morning," she responded.

Rainbow Dash felt her stomach rumble. "Breakfast time!"

Fluttershy giggled at Rainbow Dash's audible hunger. The pair got up and went inside to fix breakfast. Rainbow Dash went to work brewing a fresh pot of coffee while Fluttershy started making some warm mashed oats and bran with brown sugar and apple slices. Soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of coffee, oats, and sugar. The oven that Fluttershy had used to make the crispy oat mash made the house a comfortably warm temperature.

The two Pegasus ponies took their meal to the kitchen table and began to eat. It was a simple breakfast, but artfully arranged nonetheless. Fluttershy had placed the apple slices on top of the thick oatmeal in a circular pattern and sprinkled brown sugar around the fruit. Once the coffee that Rainbow Dash had put on was finished percolating, she put it into two large mugs. Hers was black, Fluttershy's had copious amounts of sugar in it.

The mares enjoyed a peaceful breakfast with some quiet conversation about one thing or the other. They made their way around to talking about names for their foal, which they had discussed several times with no definitive answer, no possible solution.

"What about Rapid Beat!" Suggested Rainbow Dash.

"Oh… um… I don't… really like that. Oh! What about Ladybell?" Fluttershy responded.

"Ehh… Too sweet! What about… I got nothin'," sighed Rainbow Dash dejectedly.

Fluttershy chuckled softly, "I don't have anything either. It's okay; we'll know when our foal is born." She smiled at Rainbow Dash, and the blue pony got lost in her deep turquoise orbs.

"Let's got take a look at the nursery," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Okay, that might give us some ideas."

The pair walked upstairs to where they had made the spare room into a nursery for their foal. The walls were painted pink and blue. On the pink walls there were pictures of butterflies and hearts. On the blue walls there were pictures of clouds with rainbow lightening bolts reaching out from beneath, like Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. They had bought a crib that was fairly large and very soft. The bedding was all down feathers densely packed to provide gentle support while still being very soft. The bed was covered in fleece sheets that matched the walls.

The room was ready for a foal and so were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. All the toys were there, a mobile hung above the crib. The floor was re-carpeted with brand new pink carpet. The two soon-to-be parents stood just inside the doorway looking over the clean, fresh-smelling room knowing that this was probably the only time it was ever going to be this clean. Fluttershy pressed her head under Dash's chin for a small embrace. The two ponies stood there like that for a long time, just enjoying each other's company and daydreaming about what was to come.

….

The rest of the day went very similarly to that morning: the two mares just hung out and enjoyed the nice quiet time they had together. Fluttershy knew in that instinctive maternal way that she would foal soon. She could feel much more movement than normal and her stomach had dropped quite a bit. She was ready for this. They were ready for this.

Nighttime came and the two Pegasus mares found themselves outside, like every night, to watch the stars. It was a brilliant full moon that brought light to the otherwise dark sky above Ponyville. The moon was so bright that it nearly eclipsed the stars that usually kept it company in the night sky. The air was still, save the gentle summer breeze that wafted through the sky that made the air not feel quite so heavy.

That night, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves cuddled up in the sweet grass just outside of Fluttershy's cottage. Rainbow Dash yawned and laid her head down on Fluttershy's stomach to rest. The rhythmic rising and falling of the pregnant belly nearly lulled Rainbow Dash to sleep. Then she felt Fluttershy's whole body tense. As the yellow pony's stomach contracted and wretched, a small moan managed to escape her tightly clenched jaw. Fluid poured out of the yellow pony as her water broke.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Rainbow Dash fretted. She stood up, then seeing her mate in pain, quickly laid down at her side again. "Fluttershy! I-is there anything I can do?" Rainbow Dash seemed far more nervous than the pony that was actually going through all the physical discomfort.

"N-no… honey…I'm…fine," she panted through contractions. "Just stay… right… here… loveyou."

"I love you too," Rainbow Dash said, nuzzling the now sweating pony.

Fluttershy's entire coat gleamed with perspiration in the light of the moon. Her tail flicked as she tried to reposition herself to get more comfortable. Rainbow Dash tried to groom her struggling mate as they laid sprawled out in the grass. Fluttershy's nostrils flared rapidly, trying to suck as much oxygen in as possible. Every muscle in her body was tense; Rainbow Dash could feel it as she gently stroked Fluttershy's trembling body.

And then, quite suddenly, everything stopped; the breathing, the pain, the stress, the heartbeats. For Rainbow Dash, it felt like time halted eternally, when in reality only a few seconds had passed since Fluttershy's body had calmed. Rainbow Dash thought something was wrong, but was reassured when Fluttershy said, "It's time. Are you ready to meet our new foal? She'll be here soon."

Tears rolled down Rainbow Dash's face. "Yes, I am so ready to meet our baby!" Rainbow Dash watched in silent awe as Fluttershy delivered a miracle.

….

Dear Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,

Time is drawing near for Fluttershy to have her foal. I think it would be in the best interest of Fluttershy and all Pegasus ponies if she were to foal here in Canterlot. Please speak with her and inform me soon as to when you can come.

Princess Celestia

"Huh," Twilight commented to herself after reading the princess's letter.

"What did she say?" Asked Spike.

"Well, she thinks that Fluttershy should foal in Canterlot."

"That's probably a good idea," remarked Spike.

"Yeah, I think it's a great idea. I just didn't realize how fast 11 months goes by!" Twilight laughed a bit.

"Yeah, time sure does fly!" chuckled Spike. "Do you think we should go find Fluttershy and tell her about the letter from Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, I think that's a great idea," Twilight announced confidently.

The little purple pony placed the letter from the princess into her saddlebag which she then slipped over her withers and left her library home. Spike ran to catch up with her and jumped on her back, looking for a ride. He had to endure a slightly annoyed glare from Twilight, but she let him stay there. The pony and dragon pair walked through Ponyville, relishing in the beautiful weather. Celestia's sun shone brightly above and not a cloud in the sky.

As they made their way through Ponyville, Twilight couldn't help but notice that there were no birds in town. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen any bunnies or squirrels either. The little unicorn would have thought that all of the creatures would be out enjoying the loveliness of the day, but it would seem not. She shrugged it off and continued on her way to Fluttershy's cottage.

The closer the two friends drew to Fluttershy's cottage, the more plentiful the birds and other creatures became. When they neared the humble home of the yellow Pegasus pony, there was an abundant concentration of little woodland creatures. They all chirped happily and flitted around. It seemed like all of the animals of Ponyville were at the gentle pony's home that bordered the Everfree Forest.

Twilight could almost make out a blue pony-shaped blotch through the mess of feathered creatures flying around. And, a yellow one maybe? She just kept walking closer to the cottage, sure that she would soon find her two Pegasus friends. Sure enough, when she got through the hundreds of birds and other woodland creatures that had gathered there she saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and…

"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Twilight exclaimed when she saw a tiny blue and pink pony cuddled between her friends.

Fluttershy smiled tiredly at her unicorn friend. Rainbow Dash looked so proud she might just burst. The little foal looked to be not even a few hours old yet. Fluttershy had just finished cleaning it off. The precious little foal was a light blue color, with a pink and blue streaked mane. Her large eyes were the same color as Fluttershy's and took up most of the newborn's face.

"Good morning Twilight," Fluttershy greeted. "You're just in time to see our little filly take her first few steps." Fluttershy rose to her feet, a little shaky, but not too bad. Rainbow Dash rose beside her. They looked down at their newborn who was wanting the comfort and warmth she had just moments before. Fluttershy gently nudged the little blue flank to encourage her daughter to stand up.

The new pony managed to get her front hooves flat on the ground and was almost able to straighten her legs out before she flopped over in the grass. Fluttershy nudged her again, but left her face closer this time to help balance the little filly. The tiny blue Pegasus managed to stand all the way up and take half a wobbly step before she fell this time. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy chuckled softly before encouraging their new baby to try again.

After about 15 minutes the hours-old foal was walking around. She wasn't perfectly stable, but she could get herself close enough to her mother to root for milk. Fluttershy nursed her daughter for the first time in the clear morning air. After she got her fill, the curious little foal began looking around at all the different creatures around her. The birds chirped triumphantly at the baby's first successful feeding and flew around her. The little one wanted to watch everything that was going on around her and in doing so, lost her balance and hit the ground with a soft thud.

"How sweet!" Was all Twilight Sparkle managed to say as she made her way closer to the new filly. "Hi there baby," she cooed.

The small blue pony squealed with her tiny voice and moved a little closer to the purple unicorn. She inquisitively sniffed the air around her and then spotted Spike. In seeing the baby dragon, she raced back to her mothers, hiding between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's forelegs.

All three mares and Spike shared a laugh before Fluttershy prompted her offspring to go back towards Twilight. This time the foal went a little farther. She got close enough that Twilight could gently nuzzle her soft baby fur. She didn't stay with Twilight long before she returned to her parents.

"This is a wonderful miracle," started Twilight Sparkle. "Congratulations, both of you. I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," the two new mothers replied in unison.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get some rest and be with your foal," Twilight said as she turned to leave the happy family.

"Oh, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called. "You'll tell Princess Celestia?"

"Oh! I completely forgot! That's why I came here in the first place," Twilight laughed. "She sent me a letter asking if you wanted to foal in Canterlot. Too late I guess. I'll let her know that the foal is here."

"Thanks Twi," said Rainbow Dash as she proudly grinned down at her new daughter.

Twilight and Spike left the three Pegasus ponies to have time as a family, and returned to her library home. She began to compose a letter to the princess:

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am pleased to inform you that Fluttershy had her foal! A healthy little filly. Please come down as soon as you can to see her and her proud parents.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,

That is wonderful news, my dear. I am certain they are quite pleased. I will be down later this afternoon. I am looking forward to seeing you again and the new foal.

Princess Celestia

Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she read that Princess Celestia was looking forward to seeing her again. The princess still had it, that uncanny ability to turn Twilight into a pile of mush. She loved being in Ponyville with all of her best friends, but she did miss her mentor quite a lot; more than she cared to admit to herself.

Checking the clock, the purple unicorn noticed that it was already 11 am. That wouldn't give the other girls much visiting time before the princess arrived. Nor would it allow for Fluttershy and the foal to rest. Well, it'll have to be a short visit for the girls, Twilight thought to herself. She would fix lunch for her and Spike, then go round up Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

It was noon by the time Twilight and Spike finished eating and left the library to find the other mares. As luck would have it, Applejack had her apple cart set up in Ponyville to sell apples, which meant that Twilight wouldn't have to backtrack and go all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight trotted happily up to the hardworking earth pony.

"Hi Applejack!" The purple pony greeted.

"Well, hey there Twilight. What're y'all up to today?" The farm pony asked.

"Fluttershy had her foal! I was up to see her this morning and she is adorable! I thought you and the girls might want to see her," offered Twilight.

"Well sheeout! That's great! I would love to go see them," smiled Applejack. "I'll just have to close up shop here."

The earth pony quickly closed up the small apple stand and followed Twilight to find the other two mares. They reached Sugar Cube Corner first. There, they found Pinkie Pie shoving her face with a new creation of Mrs. Cake's.

"Mmmmm! ! Iloooooveeeeeepie! Oh!Higirls! What'sgoingon?" Pinkie spewed words that Twilight and Applejack barely caught.

"Well, Fluttershy had-"

The pink earth pony gasped, interrupting Twilight. "OHMYGOODNESS! DidFluttershyhaveherfoal?Oooooh! Didshedidshedidshe?" Pinkie looked at the two stupefied ponies in front of her with huge eyes.

Twilight chuckled at the typically manic pony's antics. "Yes, she did. We're heading out to see her if you would like to come with us?"

"Oooooh! Iwouldloveto!" Bounced Pinkie. ".Cake!" She bid farewell to the owners of Sugar Cube Corner and followed Applejack and Twilight outside.

The growing group of ponies passed Carousel Boutique. Rarity, seeing all her friends, stepped outside to greet them. "Good afternoon ladies. What brings you all together here on this fine day?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie. "Fluttershyhadherfoal! We'regoingtoseeitrightnow! Comewithus!"

"Oh! That is simply wonderful!" Exclaimed Rarity. "Let us go see this new miracle."

Now complete, the group of mares and Spike headed back in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. Twilight had wanting to give them a bit more time to get settled, but she knew that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would want to see their other friends. It had been over an hour since Twilight left, so she hoped that another visit wouldn't be too overwhelming.

Fluttershy greeted the herd of her friends when she saw them, "Oh, hi girls." She had her little foal laying down sleeping cuddled up next to her.

"Howdy Fluttershy," Applejack greeted quietly.

"Hello darling, you look marvelous!" Praised Rarity.

"Hi! Awww, she's so cute!" Pinkie Pie said in an excited whisper.

Fluttershy smiled at her friends, then down at her sleeping filly. Her ear flicked back when she heard a noise. Tilting her head up she saw something graceful fly overhead, then something smaller following it. The objects in the sky landed on the ground and presented themselves as Princess Celestia and Philomena.

"Princess!" Greeted Twilight. "I didn't think you would be here so soon." She trotted over and hugged the tall alicorn.

"It is lovely to see you my dear," Princess Celestia said, returning the embrace. She looked over at the pair of Pegasi with a small, sleeping foal in between them. She walked over to see the new baby. "What a beautiful foal. Congratulations Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," the princess looked lovingly down at her newest subject. "I brought your friend to see you and your foal, Fluttershy." At that, Philomena flew down from the tree she was perched in and landed next to Fluttershy on the ground. She nuzzled her dear friend who cared so much about her and gentle nuzzled the small foal.

"Thank you Princess Celestia. Thank you Philomena," Fluttershy said as she received Philomena's embrace.

"This is a wonderful miracle and might save the Pegasi race. You three are very special ponies," Princess Celestia said warmly.

"Thank you Princess," Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy responded in unison.

"Girls," the princess called to the group of mares that were standing out of the way. "You may come see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's new foal."

The girls eagerly made their way over to the new foal and its mothers. "I don't bite," winked Princess Celestia as they walked up, giving her a wide berth.

Twilight hung close to the princess. She had really missed her over the last couple of weeks and she didn't realize how much until she saw her again. Her fresh smell was one that Twilight recognized as a crisp autumn morning filled her nostrils as she stood with her shoulder gently pressed against Celestia's foreleg. She felt a great energy whenever she was close to the princess.

The mares cooed over the tiny blue and pink foal. The little one was woken up by all of the commotion and noise of her parents' friends. She let out a big yawn that sent a chorus of "awws" passing through the crowd of mares. They all took their turns nuzzling the new baby and grooming it gently. She had that new baby smell and soft baby fur.

Finally, one of the mares, Rarity, asked, "What did you name her?"

"We named her Talya," answered Fluttershy. "It's Turkish for the awakening of nature and joyful tidings."

"How sweet! I love it," commented Rarity.

"It suits her mighty fine," said Applejack.

As the group of friends cooed and gushed over the new foal, Princess Celestia noticed that her favorite student looked a little down. "Why so glum, Twilight? This is a wondrous occasion, you should be happy my dear."

Twilight smiled weakly back at the princess. "Oh, I am. It's just… I really miss being in Canterlot and learning new things about magic and… I really miss you," Twilight finished, blushing slightly.

"I miss you too," said the princess as she bowed down to give her student a hug. "You know, now that this has been shown to be a successful method of reproducing Pegasi, I'm going to need help with all the other Pegasi who want to do this. Would you care to join me back in Canterlot?"

Twilight gasped. "Yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!" She bounced happily around, then stopped herself. Clearing her throat she said, "I would love to."

So, it was settled; that night, Twilight was to go home with the princess. All of her friends had an impromptu, yet still amazing goodbye party for her and Spike. Twilight would miss her friends, but she knew that she and the princess would be back to visit to check on the foal and she could visit then.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been absent from the goodbye party. They were both exhausted and needed to stay with Talya. They said their own farewells to Twilight before she left. They knew that even though she would miss her friends, she would ultimately be happier with the one she loved. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash admitted that if they were in her position, they would have done the same thing.

Now alone, the two new parents and their little one were curled up outside in the long grass. The trio of Pegasi watched Celestia's sun set and be replaced by Luna's spectacular moon and stars. With Talya fast asleep, the two Pegasus parents started to nod off. Before they were lost in dreamland, Rainbow Dash whispered, "I love you Fluttershy."

"I love you too Rainbow Dash." They shared a quick kiss then fell asleep blissfully under the night sky.

….

AUTHOR'S NOTE: And it's done! I really hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking of doing a story about Twilight's life after this story when she goes back to Canterlot with Celestia. We'll see. I'm crazy busy with university starting up and working, but there's always time for ponies!

Much love to everyone who took the time to read this story! ~AshMiliuTave