**Finally a Family: Part II

"Push!"

Rainbow did as she was told, centering all of her strength on her midsection. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and used every muscle in her body to begin pushing the first foal out. She could feel it slowly easing through the birth canal, but Rainbow felt like it wasn't moving fast enough. She just wanted this pain to be over with.

Dr. Crowning was still in his position at Rainbow's lower half, preventing the foal from being born too fast. As he held light pressure on Rainbow's vaginal lips, he counted her through her first push. "...Eight, nine, ten!" he said, "That's it, Rainbow. Stop and take a few deep breaths."

As Rainbow inhaled deeply, Soarin leaned in and whispered, "Great job, Dashie! You can do this!"

Rainbow wanted to reply, but right as her husband ceased speaking, she heard the inevitable command from her doctor. "Ready, Rainbow?" Dr. Crowning asked. The pregnant mare nodded. "Okay...Push!" Again, she did as she was told, using every ounce of strength she possessed to deliver the foal.

Even though she was already fully dilated, Rainbow felt that the foal was stretching her beyond her limits. Now she realized why Mrs. Cake had told her that the actual birthing process was the most painful part of labor and delivery. Part of Rainbow felt like she couldn't handle the pain any longer, but another part of her knew that once the foals were out, the pain would subside. With that in mind, Rainbow kept her efforts focused solely on giving birth to the two foals that were inside of her.

Once another ten seconds had passed, Rainbow ceased pushing, but only had time for a few more breaths before she was told to begin pushing again, as she needed to make as much progress as possible before the contraction was over.

"That's it, Rainbow! Keep going!" Dash's midwife said in an encouraging tone.

"...Seven, eight, nine, and ten! There we go!" Dr. Crowning said as Rainbow exhaled, "Just relax for a bit, Rainbow, then we'll keep going when the next contraction hits. Okay?"

"Uuuggghhh..." Rainbow groaned, her body searching for any kind of energy she could use to continue, "Okay..."

As Soarin reached up with a rag to wipe the layer of sweat on his wife's forehead away, he said, "You're doing great, Dashie. I know you can do this."

"Soarin..." Rainbow weakly said, "It hurts so bad..."

"I know it does, Dash," Soarin replied, giving his wife a kiss on the cheek, "But just think; pretty soon, when it's all over, you're gonna be holding two brand new foals all your own!"

"D-Don't you mean our own?" Rainbow asked between breaths.

"Exactly," Soarin replied, kissing the base of his wife's right forehoof.

The act of love brought a small smile to Rainbow's face, but it only lasted for about four seconds before...

"AAAHHHH!!!!!" Rainbow bellowed.

"Okay, Rainbow," Dr. Crowning commanded as he got back into position, "Deep breath in...aaaaaannd...push!"

Rainbow began to push once again, her muscles straining to move the foal further along through the birth canal. While she pushed, she could feel something just barely poking out of her opening, and it remained that way when the ten seconds had passed. After a few more deep breaths, she resumed pushing, screaming as she felt the head of the first foal spread her lower lips open wide. Even with that pain surging through her, Rainbow held on, knowing she'd have immense relief in the next several minutes.

The bell at the Ponyville Schoolhouse rang out audibly, and a large group of fillies and colts scurried out of the small, red structure, eager to get home and enjoy the rest of the day. A certain trio of fillies, however, didn't run off immediately. They just casually walked out of the schoolhouse while having a conversation.

"Hey, guys?" Scootaloo asked, "Have you, like, been noticing Diamond Tiara lately? I'll bet 'ya a month's allowance she's got eyes for Pip!"

"I've been noticing that, too!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Seems like those two have really gotten along ever since the election!" Apple Bloom added, "Well, at least after we helped her realize who she wanted to be."

"Exactly!" said Scootaloo.

"When do you think Pip's gonna ask her out?" Sweetie Belle asked in a mischievous tone with half-lidded eyes.

"Heck if I know," said Apple Bloom, "I doubt that's gon' happen, anyway."

"Heh...You never know, Apple Bloom..." Scootaloo finished. As she did, the three fillies heard running hoof beats headed toward them, so they turned their heads to the pathway that lead to the school's entrance, only to see Applejack headed their way, an excited smile on her face.

"Hey, you three!" the farm fare said as she stopped in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Hi, Applejack!" the trio said in unison.

"Hey, listen," Applejack continued, "I don't know if y'all got anythin' planned for right now, but if 'ya do, that's all gon' have to wait."

"What's goin' on?" Apple Bloom asked, a slightly concerned look on her face.

"Well..." AJ continued, pausing for dramatic effect, "One of you three's about to become an aunt!"

Scootaloo's eyes instantly went wide. "Wait, what?!?" she asked.

"That's right, Scootaloo!" AJ continued, "Rainbow Dash went into labor less than a couple hours ago! Now, I don't know how long it'll be before the foals are born, but I figured I may as well come get 'ya and bring 'ya to the hospital!"

"Oh my gosh! No way! It's actually happening!" Scootaloo exclaimed in excitement, hovering a couple of inches off the ground.

Apple Bloom's face soon sported a slightly disappointed expression. "Aw, come on, sis..." she said to AJ, "I wanna see Rainbow's foals, too..."

"So do I..." Sweetie Belle said, sadly. Both the unicorn and earth pony fillies assumed AJ was here only to get Scootaloo.

"Hey, did I say y'all had to go home?" the orange farm mare asked.

Both Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's faces lit up as they looked each other in the eyes. They soon started bouncing up and down, exclaiming random excitable interjections as they did.

"Wow!" Scootaloo continued, "I can't believe this! Rainbow Dash must feel so wonderful right now!"

"UUUGGGHHH!!! IT HURTS!!!" Rainbow bellowed, her voice nearly cracking.

"Just relax, Rainbow," Dr. Crowning said, "The head's out now. You can take a little break."

As the earth pony stallion suctioned out the foal's nose and mouth, Soarin once again wiped the sweat off his wife's brow. "Dash, I'm so proud of you!" he whispered, "You're doing amazing!" Rainbow, like many times in the past several minutes, only groaned in response.

As his wife relaxed, the pegasus stallion became curious as to what a foal being born actually looked like. He had pictured it many times during and after health class during his school days, and he figured it was quite the miracle to behold. However, when he looked down between his wife's legs, the sight nearly made him vomit. It was significantly more disgusting than he had once thought. He decided to watch the rest of the show further back, where Rainbow's belly would block some of the action.

Even though she was in immense pain, Rainbow couldn't help but giggle internally at the sight of Soarin nearly becoming sick to his stomach. She mustered a weak smile and asked, "Get a good view, Soarin?"

Maintaining a smile, Soarin rolled his eyes and replied, "Oh, stop it..." Rainbow chuckled lightly, but almost instantly felt the next contraction bear down on her, and she moaned in agony once again.

Dr. Crowning, thankfully, had already finished clearing the amniotic fluid out from the foal's mouth and nose. He quickly got back into position once he heard his patient's screams and said, "Ready, Rainbow?" The cyan mare nodded. "Alright. Deep breath, and...push!" As Rainbow resumed pushing, the stallion turned the foal ninety degrees to the right to allow the shoulder area to come out. Right after he did, he could slowly see the rest of the foal's neck emerging, and he continued to count to ten as the foal continued to exit the birth canal.

Rainbow exhaled once she heard Dr. Crowning mention the number ten. However, it was routine for her at this point to only breathe as much as she could for five seconds before she started pushing again. She had already felt the stallion turning the foal inside her canal, and now, as she resumed her efforts, she felt him turn the foal back to the position it was originally in.

At this point, Rainbow knew she was closer than ever to delivering the foal, but the pain was so intense that she felt she could go no further. However, some random thought came to her mind at what seemed like the oddest of times, but once she thought about it for a few seconds, it made perfect sense. Part of her brain was telling her that she was using so much strength and energy that she may as well have been accelerating in the air to do a sonic rainboom. At last, Rainbow had a plan to distract herself from the pain, albeit temporarily.

"Alright, Rainbow, this is it!" Dr. Crowning said as his patient stopped pushing.

"Come on, Dashie!" Soarin whispered into his wife's ear, "You're so close!"

Rainbow said nothing. Before her doctor could tell her to push again, she took one last deep breath in and continued moving the foal through her birth canal. At the same time, since her eyes were already closed, she imagined herself using every ounce of strength in her body to flap her wings as hard as she could, hoping to achieve the rare feat that she had already done more than once. In all reality, her wings remained pinned to her sides as she pushed, but in her head, she was flying at an impressive speed, something she had enjoyed doing all her life.

Even though most of her mind was focused on achieving a sonic rainboom, Rainbow could still feel all the real-life sensations her body was experiencing. She felt more of the foal exit her as she went along, and at the same time, she visualized a cone-shaped cloud forming in front of her, signifying that she was close to breaking the sound barrier. With a valiant effort, she used every muscle in her body to move forward, and she could feel the end approaching with every second that passed. She sensed herself getting closer...and closer...and closer...until finally...

"Dash! Look!" Soarin whispered excitedly into his wife's ear.

The first thing Dash saw when she opened her eyes was Dr. Crowning holding a crying, squirming foal in his forelegs. Rainbow felt a small towel being laid across her chest as the earth pony stallion set the foal down on it. Instinctively, Dash held the newborn foal in her own forelegs, watching it continue to cry and move in place.

Dash didn't say anything. Her face sported a shocked expression as she looked at the foal she was holding. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes were wide, but not completely so. She lay there panting, trying to comprehend what was going on. Did she really just deliver a foal? Was the foal in her forelegs really hers? So much was happening in Dash's brain that she couldn't do anything more than sit there and look at the crying newborn.

Eager to determine the foal's gender, Soarin lifted one of its hind legs and looked between them, leaning in close to Dash's ear once he had solved the mystery. "Dash!" he whispered, "It's a filly! We have a daughter!" He then wrapped his left foreleg around his wife's neck.

By now, Dash's mind was slowly coming back to reality, and after thinking about the entirety of her pregnancy one more time, her mind told her that the foal in her arms was what she had been waiting for all this time. When it finally hit her that she was a mother, the corners of Dash's mouth slowly turned upward, and her facial expression turned to one of complete and utter elation. Still panting slightly, Dash whispered, "...A...A daughter?"

"Yes, Dash," Soarin whispered back, relieved to hear his wife speak, "We have a daughter, and it's all thanks to you. You did wonderfully. I'm so proud of you." He finished by kissing her on the cheek.

Both Rainbow and Soarin then took a good look at their newborn daughter. Her coat was the exact same color as her father's, and her mane was cyan, just like her mother's fur, with a thin line of white straight down the middle. Her tiny wings remained folded to her sides as her crying gradually slowed, the warmth of her mother's body starting to comfort her.

Soarin looked to his right as Dr. Crowning neared him with a pair of surgical scissors. "Soarin," he began, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"Absolutely," the new father replied. Sitting on his rump, Soarin took the scissors in his forehooves and opened them, aiming them in-between the two sets of clamps where the doctor had already cut off the blood supply from the umbilical cord. Soarin moved the scissors forward, and with a few quick snips, the newborn filly was separated from her mother.

As Dr. Crowning took care of business down at the other end, Soarin stood back up, turning to face his wife and daughter. As he stared lovingly at the filly in Dash's forelegs, he heard his wife whisper, "Bright Skies..."

Soarin instinctively looked out the nearby window, seeing a cloudless sky outside with Celestia's sun shining majestically. "Yeah, Dash," Soarin replied, "It's a beautiful day out there."

"No, I...I wanna name her Bright Skies," Dash replied, looking her husband in the eye.

After meeting his wife's gaze, Soarin looked back at his daughter, realizing that the colors of her coat and mane truly represented a bright, sunny day with minimal clouds in the sky. After several seconds of thought, Soarin looked his wife in the eyes once again and said, "I love it, Dash." He then turned his head to the right, leaning in to get closer to his daughter's ears. "Happy birthday, Bright Skies," he whispered, "We're really happy you're here."

A few tears were already flowing down Dash's cheeks as she closed her eyes and hugged her daughter closer, sobbing happily as she did. At the same time, Bright Skies got several good whiffs of her mother's natural scent, locking them away in the recesses of her brain.

After several more seconds, Dash pulled away as Nurse Redheart said, "Alright, Rainbow. We need to get your daughter weighed and cleaned up now, okay? You can just have Soarin bring her over to the scale."

This made Dash worried. In the past minute, she had already formed such an unexplainable connection with her new daughter that she didn't want to let her go. At the same time, however, her common sense told her to trust the experts, so she reluctantly handed Bright Skies and the towel over to Soarin, who took the white, fluffy material in his teeth, picked his daughter up, and set her down on the scale, which had already been adjusted to account for the weight of the towel.

Bright Skies immediately started to get a little fussy, as she had grown accustomed to the warmth of the outside of her mother's body, which had suddenly vanished. However, she calmed down as she sensed another source of warmth very close to her. Soarin was leaning over the scale as his daughter was weighed, and Bright Skies began taking in her father's natural scent, storing it in the same place she stored her mother's.

Meanwhile, Dr. Crowning had instructed Rainbow to push a couple of more times, and Bright Skies' placenta was soon out of her. However, these small pushes triggered another contraction, and Dash could feel the second foal rapidly entering the birth canal. The pegasus screamed again, and, right as Nurse Redheart documented Bright Skies' measurements, Soarin covered his daughter's ears, not wanting her to have such a loud noise on her mind.

"Rainbow Dash," Nurse Redheart spoke, "I'm going to take your daughter to the newborn nursery. I'll bring her back after you deliver the second foal, okay?"

"Whatever!" Dash said, pain overtaking her body, "Just get the other foal out of me!"

"Don't worry, Dash," Dr. Crowning said, "We're just about to do that." As Nurse Redheart placed Bright Skies on a cart made for newborn foals and exited the room with the foal in tow, Dr. Crowning got back into position at Rainbow's vaginal opening, applying the same amount of pressure to her lower lips. "Ready?" he asked. Dash nodded, and as she did, her midwife and Soarin each grabbed one of her forelegs, allowing her something to put pressure on as she delivered the second foal. "Alright, then. Deep breath, aaaaaannd...push!"

The door to the waiting room opened, and three energetic and excited fillies trotted in, along with a slightly annoyed, albeit excited on the inside, Applejack. "Hey! Look who's here!" Twilight said, smiling at the sight of four more of her friends.

"Hey, Twilight!" the Cutie Mark Crusaders replied in unison.

The purple alicorn then looked over to Applejack and noticed that her mane was slightly frazzled. "Uhhh...you okay, Applejack?" she asked.

"Who, me?" AJ replied, "I'm perfectly fine, Twilight. It's just that these three right here..." She gestured to her younger sister and her two friends. "...Wouldn't stop bouncin' off'a every single wall they could find."

"I can't help it!" Scootaloo immediately said, beginning to bounce up and down.

"Me, neither!" Apple Bloom said, starting to mimic her friend's actions.

"Neither can I!" Sweetie Belle followed up, also beginning to do what Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and, for that matter, Pinkie Pie, were all doing.

Twilight immediately empathized with her orange earth pony friend. It hadn't been too long since she'd had to try and keep not just three, but four, overly excited and energetic mares under control, but in the end, it seemed that both she and AJ let it slide, as their cyan friend's inevitable delivery date had finally arrived.

The alicorn smiled at the orange earth pony, and AJ smiled back. Why should she be upset, anyway? This was a happy occasion.

After a few more seconds, AJ walked over to the bench and sat next to Twilight. She then asked, "Where in the hay is Spike? I figured he'd be here by now."

Right then and there, the waiting room door opened again, albeit louder than last time. This caused not only the entire group to look at it, but it also prompted Pinkie Pie and the Cutie Mark Crusaders to stop bouncing. Standing in the doorway was a not-too-happy-looking baby dragon who was panting slightly.

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed, happily, "There you are!" She then quickly trotted over to her dragon assistant. "Thank you so much for staying behind a bit longer. I hope it wasn't too much trouble for you to clean up everything."

Spike stared up at Twilight with a blank expression. He was silent for a good ten seconds before replying, "Wasn't too much trouble...? Wasn't too much trouble!? Geez, Twilight! Couldn't you have at least come back after bringing Rainbow by and used a spell to clean everything up!? Not even the Cakes could stay and help! They said they had another gig after the shower!"

Everypony was silent. Twilight then thought about how much there was to clean up in the dining room and realized why Spike was feeling the way he was. The alicorn squee'd guiltily at her friends, then turned back to face the dragon, her face sporting an apologetic expression as she replied, "I'm sorry, Spike. I think I may have underestimated how much we had done over there. I guess I was too worried about how Rainbow was doing that I didn't even consider the fact that I had left you there alone to take care of everything. Can you forgive me?"

Spike stayed silent for several seconds before his response came. "Well, let's just put it this way. Even though it looks like I'm furious at you, Twilight, I'm not. I have no reason to be, anyway." His facial expression then changed to an excited one. "I mean, Rainbow's about to have twins, for crying out loud!"

"Woo-hoo!" Pinkie Pie cheered, resuming her energetic bouncing.

Twilight smiled at her pink friend, then faced Spike once again, hugging him as she replied, "Thanks, Spike."

"Hey, no problem, Twilight!" the baby dragon replied. After a few more seconds, he asked, "So, any idea how Rainbow Dash is doing?"

The alicorn closed her eyes as she replied, "Oh, I'm sure she's doing just fine."

Rainbow couldn't help but scream bloody murder as the second foal's head made its way out of her after what seemed like forever. She had been told this delivery would be easier than the first, but the amount of pain she was enduring told her otherwise.

As the foal's head emerged completely, Dr. Crowning told his patient to relax and take another break, but right as he began to suction out any unwanted amniotic fluid, he made a startling discovery. "Uh-oh," he said, not sounding too happy, "We've got a problem here."

Large amounts of adrenaline instantly flowed into the veins of both Rainbow and Soarin. "What's wrong?" Soarin asked, sweat beginning to form on his brow as a result of his sudden anxiety.

"Looks like the cord is wrapped around the foal's neck," Dr. Crowning replied.

"What!?" Rainbow exclaimed, "How is that possible!?"

"It happens from time to time, Rainbow," the doctor continued, "It's still pretty serious, though, as we don't want the oxygen supply to the foal's head to be cut off completely. Just give me a few seconds to try and unravel it." As Rainbow kept breathing, Dr. Crowning tried to move the umbilical cord to a different spot, one where it wouldn't cut off the foal's oxygen supply. Unfortunately, it was wrapped around the foal's neck rather tightly, and Dr. Crowning could do little to resolve the issue with his hooves alone. The earth pony stallion lifted his head to face Nurse Redheart and said, "Scissors, please."

"Here you are," Redheart replied, handing over a pair of surgical scissors.

Dr. Crowning immediately took them and brought them down to the foal's head. "Sorry, Soarin," he said, "Looks like you're gonna have to miss out on cutting this one."

"Don't worry about it, Doc," Soarin replied, "Just do what you gotta do." Even though the pegasus stallion was very worried about the current situation, he knew the unborn foal was in good hooves.

With careful precision, Dr. Crowning slowly cut the umbilical cord, and once it was loose, he was able to unravel it away from the foal's neck, but not without clamping both ends first. He then finished suctioning out the foal's nose and mouth, then put all his utensils to the side and got back into position. "Ready, Rainbow?" he asked.

"Is the foal okay?" Rainbow asked in return.

"Looks like everything's going to be fine, Rainbow," Dr. Crowning replied in reassurance. Rainbow smiled at her doctor, but began wailing in agony a mere two seconds later. The doctor then knew he no longer needed a vocal response to his question. "Okay, Rainbow. Deep breath in, and...push!"

Rainbow did as she was told. Once again, she used every ounce of strength in her body to push the foal out of her. Just like the first time, she felt her doctor turn the foal ninety degrees, allowing the shoulder area to exit her tunnel. Unfortunately, the sheer amount of pain that was coursing through her body made her feel the slightest bit helpless and/or alone, and her newfound mother's instinct made her begin to worry about her daughter. As she finished pushing, Rainbow cried out, "WHERE'S BRIGHT SKIES?!?!?!?"

Soarin immediately moved as close to his wife as he could and replied, "She's fine, Dash. She's perfectly fine." He then gave her a reassuring kiss on the cheek. "You'll see her again in a few minutes. Don't worry."

Hearing her husband's words made Rainbow relax a little, and her mind came back to reality in time for her to convince herself that he was right. With that, she took another deep breath and, without waiting for Dr. Crowning to tell her, started pushing again. At this point, she could feel the foal moving through her a little bit faster than Bright Skies, so she told herself not to take too long in-between ten-second intervals, as the more pushing she did, the quicker the foal would arrive.

As Rainbow felt the foal's forelegs come out of her, which was followed by Dr. Crowning turning the unborn infant back to its original position, she decided that she didn't need to envision herself doing a sonic rainboom this time around. She had already delivered one foal, and now she knew that this one would supposedly be out quicker, so she decided to just have her mind focused solely on getting the second foal out. However, there was one thing that was troubling her. The foal had begun to emerge with its cord wrapped around its neck, and she was unsure if it would cry upon its birth. She didn't want it to be whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit without her getting the chance to hold it. Still, even with that uncertainty on her mind, Rainbow new she was very close to delivering her second foal, so she forced her mind to focus on delivering it.

"...Nine, ten!" Dr. Crowning said as Rainbow began breathing deeply again, "Alright, Rainbow. One more push and you'll have yourself another foal!"

Rainbow smiled and replied between breaths, "Let's...hhhh...do this..."

"There we go. That's what I like to hear. Ready?" Rainbow nodded. "Okay, then. Deep breath, aaaannd...push!" Once again, Dash pushed with all her might. It was painful, but her mind slowly brightened up as she felt something she had been longing to feel.

As the foal's hind legs and tail began to leave her canal, Rainbow opened her eyes and watched in amazement as her second foal was born. Dr. Crowning lifted up the foal, which, to everypony's surprise and relief, was crying rather loudly, even louder than Bright Skies had initially cried. As the doctor handed the foal over to its mother, Rainbow welcomed her second child with open arms, and she quickly brought it close and began sobbing happily once again. "Oh my gosh..." she whispered, her voice laden with short, euphoria-laden bursts of laughter that were a result of her tears of joy. Her close proximity allowed the foal easy access to the embers of its mother's natural scent, and it swiftly locked them away in its brain, just like its sister.

Rainbow pulled away slightly after about fifteen seconds, and, out of curiosity, lifted one of the foal's hind legs, and both she and Soarin were able to determine its gender at the same time. Looking happily into each other's eyes, they whispered, "It's a colt!" in unison.

Rainbow faced her newborn son once again and kissed him on the forehead, then leaned back so she and her husband could look at him. He had a beautiful cyan coat, just like his mother, and his mane was the same color as his father's, except he had one feature that he shared with his sister, which was the thin line of white down the center.

Soarin's concentration on his new son was broken as he heard Dr. Crowning say, "Hey, Soarin, maybe you don't have to miss out on cutting the cord after all!"

"Huh?" Soarin replied, confused as to why his wife's doctor would say that, given that he had already cut the cord himself.

"Here," Dr. Crowning replied. As he handed Soarin another pair of scissors, he fastened a clamp on another part of the cord, one that was about an inch away from the foal's belly. Soarin immediately knew what the other stallion was getting at, so he aimed the scissors forward and snipped the rest of the cord away. Once that was finished, the excess cord was properly discarded, and Dr. Crowning continued his residual work at Rainbow's lower end.

Unlike with Bright Skies, Rainbow was less reluctant to hand her son over to Soarin this time around, as she knew that the quicker the foal's measurements were taken, the sooner she'd get him back. As Rainbow delivered the placenta and had the electrodes removed from her abdomen, Soarin brought the infant over to the scale, where Nurse Redheart documented his weight and length. Soarin kept his snout close to his son's, allowing the newborn to take in his father's scent and put it in his brain. Once all that was finished, the foal was wrapped in a blanket and brought back to Rainbow, who already had her lower half covered by the bed's blanket once again, where she happily reaccepted him into her cradling embrace.

As Rainbow gently stroked her son's mane with her right forehoof, she asked, "Hey, Soarin?"

"Yeah, Dashie?" Soarin replied.

"What should we name him?"

Soarin immediately wished he had thought about names before all this happened. "Uhhh..." he began to reply, scratching his head, "You know, I'm sorry. I'm drawing a complete blank here."

Before Rainbow could reply, a loud scream could be heard from a mare next door, who was most likely in the final throes of labor. "Hmmm...that's odd," Rainbow's midwife said, "These walls are usually soundproof."

"Guess she's having as hard of a time as I did," Rainbow remarked, giggling lightly.

Soarin let out a small chuckle. "Heh...Who knows?" he said, "For all we know, she could've been heard all the way up in the stratosphere!"

Rainbow's midwife and Soarin both giggled at the stallion's remark. However, Rainbow said nothing. Instead, her eyes widened in thought as she looked down at her son, and then she got a brilliant idea. Looking back at her husband, Rainbow said, "You know, Soarin, that doesn't sound all too bad!"

"Wait, what?" Soarin replied, "Hearing another mare scream while we're high in the sky?"

"No. I mean..." she paused, gesturing her son upwards slightly, "Stratosphere!"

And then it all hit Soarin. He realized that he may have just named his son without even thinking. "Stratosphere..." he thought to himself. It then occurred to him that he and Rainbow both loved flying, and doing so always took them into the stratosphere. Looking back at Rainbow, the stallion replied, "That's sound perfect, Rainbow. Bright Skies and Stratosphere." He sighed. "Wow, just saying them together like that nearly made me shiver."

"I know," Rainbow replied, "Me, too." She then sported a concerned look that seemed to come out of nowhere. "Wait, hang on. Speaking of..."

"Bright Skies?" Nurse Redheart asked, happily. She had just returned to the room, Bright Skies in tow on the cart. Both mother and father looked on in awe as their daughter was returned to them, and then Rainbow realized that she needed to reposition her son. She was soon holding him with just her left foreleg, allowing Nurse Redheart to hand over Bright Skies, whom the pegasus mare took in her right foreleg.

And now, for the very first time, Rainbow Dash was holding her two newborns. She looked at one, and then the other, and repeated the process multiple times. By now, the majority of her labor pains had vanished, and they were replaced by feelings of pure joy. "To think these two were inside of me this whole time..." Rainbow thought to herself. Being able to finally meet her two little ones after nearly eleven months made Rainbow feel elation like she'd never felt before, and the same could easily be said for Soarin.

"Aw...Now isn't that beautiful?" Nurse Redheart asked, looking at the two foals sleeping in their mother's embrace.

"It sure is..." Soarin whispered.

"Hey, Soarin?" Rainbow asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Yeah?" the stallion replied.

"I just realized something. We don't have anything ready for the foals when we get home."

Soarin's eyes widened slightly, but went back to their normal state rather quickly. "Don't worry, Dash," he replied, "We can worry about that later. Looking at you and the foals right now, I don't think a few missing things at home is worth worrying about."

Rainbow looked back at the foals she was holding, and after a few seconds, she smiled and replied, "You're right, Soarin."

"Anyway," Redheart said, "Rainbow, I think now would be the perfect time to have the foals begin nursing."

Rainbow's head jerked upward when she realized exactly what Nurse Redheart was talking about. "Oh...that?" she asked, a concerned look on her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Redheart replied, apologetically, "I didn't know if..."

"It's fine," Rainbow interrupted, "I know what you're saying, but...I don't know if that's really my thing. I mean, I know there's, like, one or two benefits to doing so, but..."

"Oh, there's more than that, Rainbow!"

"There is?" Rainbow asked in reply, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! Aside from basic nutrition, nursing will reduce your foals' risk of developing allergies and/or other medical problems later in life."

"It will?"

"Absolutely! Also, throughout the first few stages of a foal's life outside the womb, it's important that they have a strong emotional connection with their mother, and nursing is the best way to ensure that happens. Basically, it will prevent your foals from developing any emotional difficulties later on."

"Really?" Rainbow asked, her facial expression becoming more surprised than concerned.

"Yes! Definitely!" Redheart continued, "Plus, nursing has benefits for you, as well!"

"Huh? How?"

"Well, not only with you feel closer than ever to your foals, which is just as healthy for the mother as it is for the foals, nursing will help shrink your uterus back down to its original size faster, thus returning your body to its normal figure!"

"Wait, seriously?? You mean I can fit back into my Wonderbolt's flight suit quicker?"

"Well, if you'd like to put it that way, then yes! Also, nursing will save you the cost of foal formula, which I think we can all agree has gotten really expensive these days." Rainbow and Soarin nodded. "Now, Rainbow, I'm sure you have plenty of milk already waiting for your two little ones."

"I think you're right, nurse," Dash replied, cringing lightly at a slightly uncomfortable sensation she was about to bring up, "I think I'm feeling a couple of wet spots on my hospital gown."

Wanting to see if her theory was correct, Nurse Redheart lifted Dash's blanket up and looked toward her lower area, instantly eyeing two areas of slightly darkened fabric right where the mare's nipples were. "Well, then!" Redheart continued, "I was right! Looks like your body's ready whenever your are, Rainbow!"

Rainbow was shocked at all these revelations. Despite being physically ready to feed her foals outside the womb for the first time, she couldn't make the decision to do so immediately, as she had just learned about its many benefits mere seconds ago. What was something she thought would make her look 'uncool' was now something she knew would be immensely wonderful for her two new children.

After a while, Soarin leaned in and said, "Come on, Dashie. Don't you wanna give these future Wonderbolts a healthy start to their lives?"

Rainbow couldn't help but giggle at what her husband had just said. With names like Bright Skies and Stratosphere, Rainbow could sense that her two foals would have destinies related to the wide, open sky that she and Soarin loved so much. Looking once more at each of her babies, Rainbow said, "Alright. I'll give it a shot."

"Wonderful!" Redheart replied, reaching a forehoof up to move Rainbow's blanket off of the mare completely.

After Rainbow handed Bright Skies over to Soarin, she gestured to her hospital gown and asked, "Hey, could I take this thing off first?"

"Absolutely," Redheart replied.

"Thanks," Rainbow finished. Setting Stratosphere down next to her, Rainbow reached behind her back and untied her hospital gown, and then proceeded to take it off completely. By now, her swollen cyan teats were visible, and each nipple eagerly awaited the arrival of the foals' mouths, clearly shown by the tiny beads of milk on the tips of each one.

Soon, Bright Skies and Stratosphere were free of the blankets they had been wrapped in, and they were set down near their mother's teats. Rainbow was still sitting up, albeit at a slight angle, as she waited for her foals to begin. She thought that maybe her foals had to be guided to her nipples, but that thought was put to rest as Redheart said, "Let them find their way to your teats, Rainbow. Foals instinctively want to nurse right after they're born, so trust me. They know what to look for."

"Got it," Rainbow replied. Pretty soon, she could see her foals pushing themselves up next to her teats with their tiny forelegs, and before she knew it, they lowered their heads slightly, mouths agape as they each took a nipple into their mouths. Bright Skies latched on first, and Stratosphere followed his sister's actions a few seconds later. "Ugh..." Rainbow grunted as her foals began to suckle. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth slightly at the sudden discomfort.

"Don't worry, Rainbow," Nurse Redheart said, "This is normal. It'll hurt less and less once your teats get used to being suckled like this."

Rainbow only nodded before looking back down at her nursing children. Redheart was keeping a close eye on them as well, checking to see if they had latched themselves on properly. By the way they were suckling, she was sure they had done just that.

Rainbow sat there in silence as she watched her two newborns feed themselves. At first, the discomfort prevented her from thinking about what she was really doing, but as it slowly faded away, Rainbow's mind was slowly being filled with emotion. It finally hit her that she was actually feeding her foals from her own body. It was a feeling that nothing in the entire world could explain. As her smile slowly returned, her newfound connection with her foals seemed to strengthen out of nowhere, and now, even though she had originally wanted to wait, she was as happy as ever to be a mother.

Rainbow turned to face her husband. "Soarin..." she whispered, "This is...amazing..."

"It sure is, Dashie," Soarin replied, also whispering, "I'm so proud of you. You did such a wonderful job. Everyone's gonna be so happy when they see our foals."

"Yeah, but...can that wait a while? This moment feels too perfect..."

Soarin took once more glance at his foals nursing from their mother before replying, "Sure, Dash." He then kissed her on the lips. After that, Nurse Redheart left the new parents alone with their foals. Dr. Crowning and Rainbow's midwife had left long ago, so now, it was just Rainbow Dash, Soarin, Bright Skies, and Stratosphere, altogether in the same, quiet, blissful room, finally a family.

Author's Note

Well, at long last, Rainbow Dash and Soarin are the proud parents of two healthy, happy foals. I'm sure all of us, including myself, are happy that this event has finally transpired. I'd like to thank you all for your patience and willingness to stand by me as I wrote this story.

Oh, and if you think this story is over, it's not. I have plenty more chapters planned for this story. I know some of you may think I should turn the rest of those chapters into a sequel, but the whole point of the title Putting Her Dreams Aside was to have Rainbow transition into motherhood before returning to her lifelong dream of being a Wonderbolt. Hopefully, these others chapters won't take too long.

This chapter was posted today in honor of a dear friend of mine, an elderly lady from northeastern Ohio whom I had met several years ago. She passed away on February 16th of this year, aged 111. Today, which is December 12th, she would have turned 112.