Twin Troubleby flaminkomageChaptersNew SchoolMood SwingsFrozen YogurtAuntie ScootalooAzure DashNew SchoolNew School After moving back to Cloudsdale with their parents, Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies must now enter their new school in Ponyville. Will they survive? "Dashie... are you sure they can't go to the Cloudsdale Public School?" Soarin asked his wife, Rainbow Dash. Dash simply shook her head, before sitting down across from him on the dining table. "Soar... think of it this way. If anything were to happen, they'd be safe with my friends, and some of their children. Don't you think that would be the best for them?" she asked. Soarin raised an eyebrow. "Your friend's children?" he questioned. Dash nodded. "Yeah. I mean, not every single friend of mine. But, Rarity's daughter Starlet is there, along with Twilight's filly Illusion, as much as the kids hate her, and Applejack's adopted son Adobe! Pinkie and Fluttershy's kids are all younger, but Sandy and Strong will at least have three trustworthy friends, right?" Soarin thought about this, before shrugging, and nodding. "Yeah... I guess so," he complied. Dash smiled, as she heard the clopping of hooves, resulting in two foals with their school bags on, and big smiles on their faces. "We're ready to go, Mom!" Sandstorm said, turning to her brother, who only nodded. "Yeah! Let's go!" Stronghold said, starting to trot out of the large cloud house. Soarin smiled, and waved to them, but Dash only frowned. "Hey! Wait up! I'm coming with you!" she yelled out, flapping her wings to catch up with them. Soarin furrowed his eyebrows. "Dashie... I think they'll be fine. It's only a ten minute flight, and besides, I don't think you should be flying while you're pregnant," he said. Dash bit her lip, as she stared at the figures of her two young children. She shook her head. "No. I'll go with them. Just to be safe. And anyway, I'm only one month, I'll be fine," she said, blowing her husband a kiss, and closing the door, as she and the kids made their way out. Soarin stared after them, and shrugged, going back to his coffee and newspaper. "Oh! This is so exciting!" Sandstorm exclaimed, getting giddy all of a sudden. Stronghold just pretended to barf. "You're kidding, right? How can you be excited about school?" he asked. Sandstorm grinned, and started to think. "How can you NOT? There's so much to see, and so much to do! School's so fun!" she exclaimed, flying higher, and faster after every word. Dash giggled, and looked at her son. "Don't worry, Strongy. I'm with you. As a filly, I couldn't stand school! I was just too awesome for it!" she said, earning a laugh from the baby blue colt. Stronghold flew besides his mother. "Oh good. I'm not alone!" he said, glancing up to his sister, who was doing a few excited loops in the air above them. Dash and Stronghold burst out laughing, as they flew side by side to the Ponyville Schoolhouse. "Welcome, class! Go right on inside, and pick your desks for the year!" Miss Cheerilee exclaimed. Sandstorm and Stronghold entered the large red building, and looked around them. The small classroom had a large chalkboard, plus a teacher's desk at the front, plus many rows of desks scattered throughout the rest of the room. Sandstorm released a small squeal, and ran over to one of the desks in the middle of the room, emptying her bag, and settling herself in. Stronghold rolled his eyes, and sat down in the desk to her left, taking out his own belongings, and putting them inside. Then, a small grey colt with a bright green mane trotted up to them, with a tall orange mare with a blonde mane close behind. Sandstorm and Stronghold both looked up, as the grey colt set his things inside the desk besides Stronghold's, and took a seat. He turned to the twins, and gave them a small smile. "Hey," he said simply, turning back to looking at the desk. The orange mare rolled her eyes, and turned to Dash with a smile. "Adobe was never one to talk a lot," she explained, giving her a hug. Dash returned it, and pulled away. "Hehe... I get it, AJ," she said, turning to her own foals, embracing them in a tight hug. "Will you two be alright?" she asked. They both nodded with reassuring smiles. "Yeah, Mom. We're going to be fine. No need to be so overprotective, you know!" Stronghold insisted, rolling his eyes slightly. Dash frowned, as Sandstorm nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Mom. Take a chill pill. We've got it under control," she said. Dash bit her lip, and looked away, memories of her past flooding back to her. She shook her head, and waved slowly at them, her smile fading as she saw them looking away from her. Applejack came up to her with a small smile. "Aint easy watching your kids grow up, is it?" she asked. Dash only sighed, and nodded. "Yeah..." she said, starting to walk out, but was stopped by two other mares. "Oh, darling! What's gotten you in the slumps?" Rarity asked, shoving her daughter into view, as she made her way around Dash and Applejack. Twilight was following close behind, with her eyes on a young filly. "You'll be safe now, won't you?" she asked. The little orange filly only nodded, her purple mane dropping in a style almost identical to her mother's behind her. "Yes, Mom. I'll be fine," she insisted, grabbing a seat behind Sandstorm. Twilight raised an eyebrow, but cautiously nodded. "Oh, alright. Bye, Illusion. I'll be coming to pick you up at three o'clock, okay?" she said. Illusion nodded. "Okay, Mom. Bye," she said, waving to her mother as she stepped out of the classroom with Dash and Applejack. Rarity though, was settling her filly into the seat behind Stronghold. "Remember darling, just do your best!" she said. The snow white filly with a silver mane only nodded. "Okay, Mom. Bye, love you," she said, giving Rarity a kiss on her cheek. The older unicorn smiled, and walked out the door as well, starting to talk with Twilight, Dash, and Applejack, as the four of them walked away from the schoolhouse. Stronghold looked besides him, and met the eyes with the grey colt from earlier. He gave him a wave, and smiled. "Hey! I'm Stronghold Skies," he said. Adobe looked down, and grinned. "I'm Adobe," he said quietly. Stronghold raised an eyebrow, but shrugged nevertheless. "Nice to meet you, Adobe. Who are your parents?" he asked. Adobe looked up with wide eyes. Stronghold instantly knew he said something he shouldn't have, and backed away slightly. "Um... did I say something wrong?" "I never knew my parents," Adobe said. Stronghold's eyes widened. "What?" "Yeah... I was put in an orphanage at a very young age. Just a few years ago, two wonderful ponies came to it. Well, actually, one pony, and one dragon, and they adopted me! It was possibly the happiest day of my life!" Adobe went on, his frown turning into a large smile. "Well, that's wonderful!" Stronghold exclaimed. Adobe smiled, and nodded. Stronghold then turned behind him, to see a white filly, and an orange filly sitting at two desks. Sandstorm turned around, and did the same. "Hey there! I'm Rainbow Sandstorm," she said. Starlet looked up, and smiled wide. "Oh, hello, Rainbow Sandstorm! It's nice to meet you!" she exclaimed. Sandstorm chuckled inwardly. "Just call me Sandstorm," she said. Starlet grinned, and nodded, before locking eyes with Stronghold. "Hey," she said. Stronghold gave her a small smile, and nodded. "Hey," he replied. "I'm Stronghold." "Starlet. Pleasure." "Yeah... you too." "Oh look! It's the brats!" a new voice chimed in. Sandstorm and Stronghold both groaned, and looked over at the orange filly with an annoyed glare. "Illusion," Sandstorm said with disgust. Illusion scoffed. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Sandstorm," she said, snorting slightly. Stronghold looked between the two mares, before shrugging, and turning back to Adobe. Sandstorm, not wanting to be a bother to anypony anymore, turned away from the group, and proceeded to look through her school books for the year. She smiled, as she gazed down upon the many subjects the class would go over. Suddenly, a turquoise blue colt plopped down onto the seat to her left, groaning as a mare put different bags down in front of him. She had a golden mane, and the same colored coat as the colt. "Why couldn't I go to the Cloudsdale Public School? Why Ponyville, of all places?" he asked. The older mare scoffed. "Because apparently, you need to be in good financial standings for that..." she mumbled. The younger pony sighed, and started rummaging through his books. "Alright, Mom. You can leave, now," he said. The mare's expression softened, as she planted a small kiss on her son's forehead. "Alright. Let Ms. Cheerilee know if you need anything. I'll be back in a few hours," she said, before trotting out the door. Sandstorm glanced over at the colt, who's golden mane was falling over his eyes. She smiled, and poked her head up slightly. "Hey," she said, earning a confused look from the colt. "Uh... hi?" he said uncertainly. Sandstorm quirked her eyebrow. "Why are you sounding so unsure?" she asked. The colt looked away. "Well, because nopony's ever really talked to me before..." he said. Sandstorm's eyes widened. "You mean... you've never had a friend?" "Yep. Pretty much." "Well, you've got one now! I'm Sandstorm!" Sandstorm introduced in a lively tone. The colt smiled slightly. "Oh. Well, my name is Lightning Bolt. But you can call me Bolt," he said. Sandstorm nodded, and leaned back in her chair. "This is exciting, isn't it?" she asked suddenly. "What is?" "School! It's so exciting to be here!" she exclaimed, earning a weird look from the colt besides her. "What? How can you like scho-" "DID I JUST HEAR SOMEPONY SAY THEY DIDN'T LIKE SCHOOL?" a new voice chimed in. Sandstorm and Bolt both turned around to see Stronghold looking at them excitedly. Sandstorm groaned. "He did. His name's Bolt," she said, gesturing to the turquoise colt besides her. Stronghold grinned. "Oooh! You and I are going to be great friends!" he exclaimed. Bolt looked surprised, but shrugged. "Class! It's time to get started!" Ms. Cheerilee yelled, immediately silencing them all. Sandstorm looked up eagerly, waiting to see what wonders her new school would offer. "Class dismissed." All the little fillies and colts rushed outside, and into the front gardens of the schoolhouse. Sandstorm instantly met up with Starlet, Adobe, Bolt and her brother, as they all looked around for their parents. Bolt then came up to Sandstorm. "Do you need help finding your parents?" he asked. Sandstorm shrugged. "Nah. It's no big deal. You should go find your mom!" Rainbow Dash and Soarin, who had been standing nearby, suddenly noticed Sandstorm talking to the turquoise colt. "Hey who do you think that colt is?" Soarin asked her. Dash looked at him with a confused glance. "Hmm... I'm not sure, but I can't help feeling like I know him from somewhere..." she said mysteriously. Dash and Soarin trotted up to Sandstorm and her companion, and looked upon them curiously. "Oh! Hey, Mom!" Sandstorm said, looking up at her mother. Dash smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. "Hello, my little angel. How was your first day of school?" she asked. Sandstorm grinned. "It was awesome! I made so many cool friends! Like Starlet, Adobe, and even this dude, Lightning Bolt!" she said. Dash gasped, as something inside her clicked. She quickly looked over to Bolt with raised eyebrows. "Lightning Bolt? Is that your name?" she asked. Bolt's eyes widened, as he nodded. "Uh... yeah," he said uncertainly. Dash released an inward gasp, as she quickly looked around her. "Where are your parents?" she asked. Bolt started to look around him. "Um... my mom should be here any moment, now," he said. Suddenly, the turquoise mare from the beginning of the school day came up to them, only looking at her son. "Ah! Bolt! That's where you were! Talking to..." she started, before finally noticing Sandstorm. "Hey... I could've sworn you were-" "Lightning..." a new voice cut in. The mare quickly whipped around, to come face to face with her old pal. Her eyes dialated, as she realized what was happening. "Rainbow Dash?" she choked out. Dash grabbed Sandstorm's tail, and pulled her away from Bolt. "Lightning Dust. How ya been?" she asked in a low voice, before gesturing over to Bolt. "This your kid?" Dust's eyes narrowed, as she slowly nodded. "Yes. You got a problem with that?" she asked. Dash glared at her, before bringing Sandstorm to her side. "No. As long as you keep him away from my Sandstorm," she said. Lightning smirked, and did the same with Bolt. "My pleasure, and tell your kid to stay away from my Bolt," she said. Dash scoffed, and whipped around. "Deal," she said, as she started walking away with Soarin and Sandstorm. "What? But Mom-" Sandstorm started. "No buts, young lady," she said, as she grabbed Stronghold from near her, and put him on her back. "Oh! Hey, Mom!" he said casually. "What's up?" "Nothing is up, mister," Dash replied. "We're going home." Mood SwingsMood Swings Soarin, Sandstorm and Stronghold must now battle with Rainbow Dash, as she goes through her furious mood swings... a simple, yet challenging part of her pregnancy. Soarin was sitting down in the living room of their cloud house, taking a few deep breaths, as he cherished the few moments without his wife. Not in that way, but ever since a few weeks ago, Rainbow Dash had become extremely moody. It was, of course, her pregnancy acting up, but that didn't stop it from being horrid. No... Rainbow Dash was a special case. Once, she even pushed Soarin's head down the toilet! She threw soap into his mouth, and made him clean the house inside and out with a toothbrush! She definitely knew how to liven things up around the house. Of course, Soarin was the target for most of her attacks, which didn't suit him well... he was quite annoyed, to be honest. But alas, he couldn't do anything, he could only pray. Suddenly, the clopping of hooves were heard coming from the steps. Soarin grimaced slightly, but turned his expression into a bright smile, as he got up to go greet his wife. "Morning, sweetie," he said, kissing her on her cheek. "How did you sleep?" "Argh. It felt as if a thousand pin cushions were stabbing into my back. Hey! I can do that to you, if you'd like!" she said innocently. Soarin's eyes widened, as he took a few steps away from her. "Hehe... I'm good..." he said nervously. Dash glared at him, and nodded, before clutching her stomach tightly. Soarin instantly changed his expression to a one of worry, as he cast a nervous glance at her. "Dashie? Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder. She quickly nodded, before rushing to the bathroom. Soarin realized what was happening, and rushed behind her to try and help. "Sandstorm! Stronghold! Get your flanks in here!" Dash yelled out to the twins from the kitchen. It was a Saturday, which meant no school, so Sandstorm and Stronghold were kept inside the house, with their angry mother. Sandstorm and Stronghold both rushed inside the kitchen, and quickly took a seat, not wanting to cause any issues with the pregnant mare. Although Dash was only about a month in, she definitely didn't seem like it. Her abdomen had already started to grow in size. "We're here, Mom," Sandstorm said quietly, as Dash plopped a sandwich down in front of them. Dash shot her daughter a nasty glare. "I never said you had to speak!" she spat, heading to her own seat, and beginning to eat her daisy sandwich. She then suddenly spit it out, grimacing. "Yuck! This is gross!" "Dashie... I think they can go..." Soarin tried. Dash shook her head. "They are far too young to go for a slumber party," she said, crossing her hooves. Soarin sighed. "Dashie... they're going to be fine. Trust me on this one. Besides, they're eight! What harm could they cause?" he asked, shrugging slightly. Dash shot him a disgusted look. "Oh, I don't know? Trash the house?" she tried. Soarin shook his head. "I'm sure there's going to be a responsible parent there..." he said. Dash let out a loud snort. "Yeah... like Rarity's responsible," she said. "And who's going to be there anyway? Don't you have like a guest list or something?" "Yeah. I know that Adobe and Illusion are going to be there," Soarin replied. Dash laughed. "Heh... the twins at a sleepover with Illusion? That'll turn out perfectly!" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Soarin frowned. "Sandstorm told me that she and Stronghold have started to get along with her," he said. Dash shook her head. "I really doubt that. Now do you really want to be arguing with me about something like this?" she asked with a threatening stare. Soarin groaned. "Really Dashie... is all of this stuff really-" he started, before being cut off. Rainbow Dash raised her hoof, and slapped him hard on the cheek. He winced at the impact, as Dash started to breath heavily. She looked upon the bruise that was beginning to form on her husband's face, as she let out a soft cry. "Oh my god! Soarin!" she yelled, as he sat down on the bed from the slap. She quickly lowered herself besides him, desperately clinging to his coat. "I'm so sorry!" Soarin let a small tear escape. Rainbow Dash could hit hard, that was for sure. And his cheek was still throbbing from the pain. He looked over to her with a shocked expression. She had never done that before! No matter how moody! He looked into her eyes, her tearful, watery eyes. She gasped as she saw his tears, that were now falling freely down his cheek. Soarin didn't move. He just looked at her with a hurt expression. Rainbow Dash's mouth opened slightly, shocked at what she did. How could she do that to him? He was her husband for ponies sake! She felt absolutely awful about it. The two just sat there for a few minutes, not daring to say a word. Suddenly, Soarin lifted his hooves up, and behind her back. Dash was confused, but knew he wouldn't hurt her. She let him tightly grasp her arms, and roughly pull her in. Dash landed hard onto Soarin's chest, instantly wrapping her own hooves around him, closing her eyes tightly shut. Soarin did the same, as he bent his face in, nuzzling her mane. Dash rested her head onto Soarin's chest, and softly settled inside his strong embrace. The two broke. They broke into tears at the exact same moment, crying to their heart's content. Soarin collapsed down inside once he heard his sweet, beloved Dashie's cries. He tightened his embrace around her, pulling her in closer as he cried to himself. This wasn't about the slap. It wasn't even about the slumber party. This was their emotions. The emotions that had been bottled up for so long. The emotions from their elope, Dash's first pregnancy, meeting all their friends and family again, being alone for almost nine years. It hurt. A lot.. The two wept freely in each other's arms. Soarin couldn't believe that Dash had been hiding this from him for such a long time... as did Rainbow Dash. She had only seen him cry once before. When he left her for that short amount of time. But ever since the elope, something just felt... different. Not from outside, but from the inside. Rainbow Dash and Soarin felt like something was missing. And now they knew what it was. It was each other. Since Sandstorm and Stronghold were born, Rainbow Dash and Soarin barely ever had any time for each other. They always had to tend to themselves, or the children at some point or another. They couldn't just simply relax, and enjoy each other's company in a sweet, romantic way. Dash suddenly let go of Soarin, and looked up to him with her tearful eyes. "You know what?" she asked, as Soarin stared back into his wife's eyes. "Let the kids go to the slumber party," she said. "You and I need some alone time together." "That's the best thing I've heard all week." Frozen YogurtFrozen Yogurt Sandstorm, Stronghold, and their friends get together for a nice afternoon of frozen yogurt. Will it all go smoothly? "Hey, guys! Wanna join us for some froyo after school today?" Adobe asked the rest of his friends. Sandstorm, Stronghold, Starlet, and Illusion all nodded. "Sounds fun!" Sandstorm said happily. "Yeah! I'm always up for some frozen yogurt!" Starlet said, giving her colorful friend a hoof-slap. Adobe nodded, turning to Bolt. "You wanna join us?" he asked. Bolt's head snapped up, as he looked at the five ponies. Who were all giving him encouraging smiles. He gulped nervously, and nodded. "Uh... y-yeah... I'll come," he said, shrinking down. Sandstorm frowned, and reached her hoof out to place on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry! We're all your friends, here! Come on!" she said. Bolt looked up to her, and nodded. "Yeah.. okay," he said, before looking at the others with small smiles. "Just... don't ruin anything, Sand, 'kay?" Illusion said in a teasing manner. Sandstorm shot her a small glare, and sighed, making a slight 'coo-koo' sign with her hoof. Illusion scoffed, and crossed her own hooves with a small smirk. Sandstorm let out a light giggle, and proceeded to conference with Bolt about the answers on their partner quiz. "What did you get for seventeen?" she asked. Bolt scanned his paper, humming slightly to himself. "Forty-two. You?" he asked. Sandstorm nodded. "Yeah. I got forty-two as well. What did you get for eighteen?" she asked, looking at her quiz with a confused glance. "I couldn't get that one." "I think the answer's twelve. But I could be wrong," Bolt said, giving the baby-blue mare his paper. Sandstorm looked over his work, before realizing her mistake. Her eyes widened. "Oh! I added seventeen, and not seven!" she said, before quickly grabbing her pencil, and making a few adjustments on her quiz. Bolt smiled, and nodded. "Don't you hate it when you make a simple copying error like that?" he asked. Sandstorm instantly nodded. "Yeah! And I make them so often, so I can never really tell..." she remarked. Bolt nodded. Meanwhile, Starlet was struggling with her own quiz, and her partner wasn't being of much help. "Argh... if I add the six, and carry over the three... hey Stronghold! What'd you get for number seventeen?" she asked. Stronghold hummed to signal he heard her, and shrugged. "I dunno," he said. Starlet peeked at her partner's paper, and saw that he had an answer written down for said problem. She groaned. "But, you have an answer! What did you get?" she asked. Stronghold shrugged again. "I dunno," he said. Starlet mentally screamed in frustration, and swiftly snatched the paper out of his hooves. "Hey!" "Sorry 'bout that! I just need an answer!" she said, before looking at the sheet. "Fifty-seven? Good enough for me!" Sandstorm, Stronghold, Adobe, Illusion, Starlet and Bolt all headed up town for the frozen yogurt they had decided upon. They entered the café slowly, and all took a seat next to one another. "Ah... ten's a good age. We're kinda in the middle of foal years... you know?" Adobe said, reclining in his seat. The others all laughed, and nodded. "Although, it was a little hard to convince our mom to let us come. But Dad got around to her later," Stronghold said, reaching for a cup to fill. Sandstorm nodded, and took her own. "Yeah. Mom's overprotective. Guess it has something to do with her past. At least, that's all she told us," she said. The other's nodded, before taking a small bowl each, and starting to pick out flavors for their yogurt. "Mm... cake batter looks good. What about strawberry?" Sandstorm hummed to herself, as she reached for the cherry dispenser. "Nah... cherry's good." "Cherry? How strange... I always liked lemon..." Bolt said, coming up behind her. Sandstorm turned around to see him filling up his cup with the bright yellow treat. She smiled. "I never actually tried lemon before... is it that good?" she asked, eyeing his cup. Bolt immediately nodded. "Heck yeah! Lemon's the best!" he said, moving over to the topping area. Sandstorm sighed, and filled her cup with a little of the lemon flavored yogurt. She looked upon her cup, which now had cherry, and lemon, but decided on one more flavor. "Orange..." she said, going over to the dispenser for the orange flavor. She smiled, as she filled her cup to the brim with the creamy goodness, and went over to the toppings area. "Hey! Your cup's the same color as your mane!" Bolt said, as he looked upon her choices. Sandstorm's eyes widened in realization, as she frantically nodded. "Yeah! I didn't even realize that!" she said, as she took a few pieces of fruit and put them into her cup. The six fillies and colts sat down at a nearby table with their snacks, and began to munch on them, bite by bite. "Oh, this is good. This is very very good..." Illusion said, as she ate her grape yogurt. Sandstorm and Bolt both sat down next to each other, and started to eat their own. "Oh! Lemon's actually not that bad!" Sandstorm remarked, tasting the bright yellow treat. Bolt nodded vigorously. "Told you! Lemon's my favorite!" he said. Sandstorm shrugged, before looking into her brother's cup. "Could I try the strawberry?" she asked, putting her spoon inside the bowl. Stronghold groaned, as he let her take it. Sandstorm smiled happily, as she popped the spoon into her mouth, releasing a sigh of content as the yogurt reached her tastebuds. Bolt softly smiled to himself as he looked upon the happy filly. Why couldn't his mother see what he did? Sandstorm was amazing! She was kind, caring, sweet, beautiful... his mother was just wrong. "Hey, Sandy? You-" he started, before being cut off by said filly. Sandstorm stuck a spare spoon filled with cherry yogurt into his mouth. He gasped, as it slid into his mouth, and swallowed it, letting the taste run down his throat. "Gah! Cherry! Yuck!" he exclaimed, quickly spooning his lemon yogurt into his mouth, getting rid of the horrible taste. Sandstorm chuckled. "Sandy? Where did that come from? No one calls me that besides my parents..." she said. Bolt's eyes widened. "Do you not want to be called Sandy?" he stammered. Sandstorm giggled, and shook her head. "Nah... it's fine. I like it! Sounds even better coming from you!" she said cutely, sticking her tongue out in the process. Bolt smiled. "Alright then, Sandy..." Auntie ScootalooAuntie Scootaloo Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies meet their aunt. What'll happen during their first encounter? "Sandy, Strongy, can you come here for a second?" Rainbow Dash called out to the twins. The filly and colt hobbled into the room and looked into the eyes of their mother. "Yeah, Mom?" Sandstorm asked, glancing over to her brother. Soarin flew into the room, and smiled at his wife, swiftly pecking her lips and nodding towards the children. They gave slight noises of disgust towards the couple showing affection, but didn't say anything in fear of getting in trouble. "Your mother and I are going out for a little while," he said. Stronghold's eyes widened. "Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked in excitement. Dash quirked her eyebrows. "What?" she inquired. "We're staying home, ALONE?" Stronghold asked with wide eyes, and tone full of hope. "Absolutely not," Dash quickly replied. Stronghold slumped down, and frowned. "What? But we're old enough!" he insisted. Dash shook her head firmly. "No. You two are not ready for that yet. Maybe in a few years, okay?" she asked. The twins glumly nodded. "Yeah yeah. Where are you going?" Sandstorm piped up. Soarin smiled at his daughter, and picked her up. "That, my dear, is classified information," he said with a wink. Sandstorm rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, sure. Who are we staying with?" she asked. Rainbow Dash grinned. "You'll be staying with a great pony. My sister," she said, picking up Stronghold. Stronghold's eyes widened. "You have a sister?" he asked in a flat voice. Dash shrugged. "Well, not technically. But I took her under my wing when she was very young. Around the same age as you two, I suppose," she said. The twins nodded, before fluttering out of their parent's hooves. "What's her name?" Sandstorm asked. "Well, you'll know her by Auntie Scootaloo." "Rainbow Dash! Soarin! Haven't seen you two since the wedding!" an orange mare said with a raspy voice. Dash smiled, as she embraced the younger pony. "And I see you're expecting a third!" "Scootaloo!" she exclaimed, leading her inside the house. "And... yeah... we are." "Well, duh. That's what I just said!" Dash rolled her eyes. "How's the club going?" she asked. Scootaloo shrugged. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and I are doing fine. We're thinking of starting our own band!" she said, stomping her hooves in excitement. Dash gasped. "Uh... who's going to be singing in this band?" she asked nervously. Scootaloo laughed. "Oh don't worry. That's Sweetie Belle's department. We don't want a repeat of that other time," she said. Dash sighed in relief. "Oh good," she said, chuckling slightly to herself. Soarin then jumped into the conversation. "The kids are in the room over there, they're been waiting for a while to meet you," he said. Scootaloo nodded, before trotting inside the room Soarin pointed out. Sandstorm and Stronghold were sitting on the floor, playing a game of cards. "Hey! That's cheating! You can't use a fish on a snake!" Sandstorm complained. Stronghold shook his head. "Yeah I can! Look!" he exclaimed, before flicking the cards out of his sister's hooves and laughing. Sandstorm gasped, and pounced on the colt angrily. "HEY!" Dash yelled, jumping in the middle of the scene. "NO FIGHTING!" "Relax, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said, trotting up to the trio. Dash raised an eyebrow, before getting up and moving over by Soarin. This would be interesting. Scootaloo walked over to the twins, and knelt down to their level. "Oi you," she said, quickly looking over to Stronghold. "You know throwing other pony's cards isn't nice." "But she-" "Uh uh uh! No butts, those go on the end of a pony's flank," Scootaloo said, causing the twins to burst into laughter. Scootaloo smiled. "You know it's true." "I like you!" Sandstorm suddenly said in-between her fit of giggles. Scootaloo grinned. "You're funny!" "Oh, that's just me," Scootaloo said, flipping her mane and striking a ridiculous pose. This of course, only caused more laughter in the twins. "Who are you, anyway?" Stronghold said. Scootaloo looked over to Dash with a cheeky smile. "I'm Scootaloo," she said. Sandstorm and Stronghold's jaws dropped. "You're Auntie Scootaloo?" Stronghold asked in disbelief. "You sound surprised," Scootalooo said. "I am! How can somepony so funny be related to MOM?" Stronghold asked with wide eyes. "HEY!" Rainbow Dash yelled from behind them. "IT'S TRUE!" Stronghold yelled back. "Well, to be honest, we're not related by blood. She's just kind of... awesome. She inspired me to become what I am today, actually!" Scootaloo said fondly. "It's true, I am pretty awesome," Dash spoke up again. The twins, and their aunt, both rolled their eyes. "Yeah Mom, we know." Stronghold shrugged with a small smile "Anyway, we have to get going. Thanks for foalsitting, Scoots," Dash said, giving the mare a rough noogie. Scootaloo giggled. "It's not a problem, Dash. We'll be fine here," she said, as Dash and Soarin opened the door to the outside. "Bye, Sandy. Bye, Strongy," they both called out. The twins gave them hasty replies, before they spread their wings and disappeared to wherever it was that they were going. Azure DashAzure Dash Rainbow Dash gives birth to her foal... but how will this affect Sandstorm and Stronghold? Warning: This chapter contains mild childbirth descriptions. It isn't too severe, but I just want to give the warning out before people start screaming at me for their discomfort. "Sandstorm! Stronghold! Get down here for breakfast!" Rainbow Dash yelled, straining her eleven-month old stomach. She let out a light gasp, as she quickly turned to get some oats out from the cupboard. Soarin walked in at that time, and saw his wife with her hooves in the air, and reaching for something in the closet above her. His eyes widened as he instantly flew over to her to help. "Rainbow Dash! What did I tell you about working?" he asked. Dash rolled her eyes, as he lifted her up and placed her down. She groaned, as Soarin's mouth opened. "You know you could have the baby at any moment!" "Yeah, Soarin. I'm well aware. But just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm helpless. In fact, I recall telling you the same thing when I was pregnant with the twins!" Dash exclaimed. Soarin shrugged, and nodded. "Yeah, and I know you don't want to feel underpowered, but you have to understand this is for your own good! I love you, Dashie, and if you ever got hurt, I don't think I could ever live with myself," he explained. Dash rolled her eyes again, and simply nodded, acknowledging that she had understood. "Soar, I love you too, but please don't act too overprotective, 'kay?" she asked. Soarin have her a small smile, and nodded, cupping her cheeks and leaning in. "Deal..." he said softly, just as he was about to close the gap between them. Suddenly, there was a jolt behind them, with a small crash, as they quickly separated and looked towards where the commotion was coming from. "Ewwwww!" Stronghold Skies suddenly yelled, as his twin-sister cooed. "Awwwww!" Rainbow Sandstorm said, squishing her cheeks up in a manner very similar to her mother's. Soarin and Dash's eyes widened, as they realized the children had witnessed what had just happened, but shook it off. They were still too young to understand what it all meant fully. "Anyway, breakfast's ready," Dash said, leading her foals to the table for their chow down session. "SOARIN GET YOUR LAZY BUTTCHEEKS RIGHT DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the kitchen later that day. The twins were at school, leaving the mare and her (quite flustered) prince charming alone. "Yes, Sweetheart?" Soarin called out, trotting down the stairs with a distressed look plastered across his face. Dash snorted heavily. "Oh don't you 'Sweetheart' me," she started, before pointing to something on the ground. "Now, tell me what this is." Soarin raised his eyebrow. "Um... one of Stronghold's Wonderbolt action figures?" Dash nodded. "Correct." "Honey, what's wrong this time?" Soarin said with a light groan. "What is is doing ON THE FLOOR OF MY KITCHEN?" Dash yelled. Soarin took a few steps back. "Babe, this is hardly anything to get flustered about. I'm sure Strongy must have just accidentally-" "THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS IN THE DASH HOUSEHOLD!" "Don't you mean the Skies' household?" Soarin challenged. Dash stopped dead in her tracks, and cleared her throat. "Pardon?" she asked in a dangerously low voice. "Nothing, nothing," Soarin coughed out, not wanting to get into another pointless argument. Dash stuck her nose up, and shook her head. "Anyway, I was just about to- oooohhh..." she suddenly stopped talking, and let out a light groan. Soarin was instantly by her side. "Dashie?!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?" Dash began breathing heavily, faint liquid beginning to take the shape of a small puddle beneath her hind legs. Soarin gasped. "DASHIE! YOU'RE WATER BROKE!" "OH, REALLY NOW?! I DIDN'T NOTICE." "WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING, BUFFOON. YOU ARE." "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" "TAKE ME TO THE GODDAMN HOSPITAL YOU LITTLE-" "Come on Dashie... you can do it!" Soarin encouraged as Dash's hoof grappled tightly to his. The doctor nodded. "Yep, just one more push, Rainbow Dash! I can see his head," he said comfortingly. Dash grunted. "aaaGGHHHHH!" she yelled, before the doctor jumped up in joy. "It's a boy!" he said, handing the small colt to the nurses besides him for cleaning. Soarin instantly leaned down and pecked his wife's forehead. "You did it Dashie..." he said softly. "You brought our third little wonder to the world." Dash smiled. "It... was... totally... awesome," she breathed out, laying back in the bed. Soarin nodded, and kissed her once again. "It was all totally worth it in the end," he sighed out. Dash quirked her eyebrow. "What was?" she asked curiously. Soarin's mind drifted over to his wife's constant mood changes, as he let out a suppressed laugh. "Oh... nothing." "He's beautiful, Dashie," Soarin said, eyeing the dark blue colt in his hooves. The baby had a coat the color of night, with a short tuft of light blue hair sprouting from the top of his head. By the way it was growing out, Dash and Soarin could both easily tell it was going to turn into an identical copy of Soarin's mane. His eyes suddenly opened to reveal dark pools of magenta. "He... he really is," Dash said softly. "What are you naming him?" he asked. Dash smiled. "I was thinking... since Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies both have a bit of our names in them... maybe we could name this little fella... Azure Dash?" Soarin grinned. "It's perfect," he said simply, leaning in for a long kiss with his wife. Once they tore apart, Dash chuckled, aiming her gaze down to her new son. "Welcome to the world, Azure." "Can we come in now, Mommy?" Stronghold called through the door. Dash smiled, as she nodded to herself. "Come in, Sandy, Strongy," she called out, as Soarin went to the door and escorted the twins inside. Sandstorm and Stronghold both gasped as they laid their young eyes on the baby colt. "Is that... our brother?" Stronghold asked. Soarin nodded with tears in his eyes. "Sandy, Strongy... meet Azure," he said, as they both creeped closer to the colt in their mother's hooves. "Aww he's so cute!" Sandstorm exclaimed. Stronghold nodded enthusiastically, before his face suddenly fell into a heavy frown. Dash instantly noticed. "What's the matter, Strongy?" she asked. "Aren't you happy?" "Yeah... I am," Stronghold started. "But... does this mean you'll spend less time with me and Sandy?" Dash smiled. "Oh honey... of course the baby will take up most of Daddy and I's time... but that doesn't mean we love you any less, okay?" she said. Soarin nodded. "Mommy's right," he said. "We'll still play with both of you... but now, you'll have a new playmate! Little Azure!" "Okay..." Stronghold said, a smile inching up his face. Soarin and Dash grinned, before they beckoned the twins in for a giant group hug. "The Skies family... all together at last," Soarin sighed out. Dash gave him a look. "I thought we went over this."
New SchoolNew School After moving back to Cloudsdale with their parents, Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies must now enter their new school in Ponyville. Will they survive? "Dashie... are you sure they can't go to the Cloudsdale Public School?" Soarin asked his wife, Rainbow Dash. Dash simply shook her head, before sitting down across from him on the dining table. "Soar... think of it this way. If anything were to happen, they'd be safe with my friends, and some of their children. Don't you think that would be the best for them?" she asked. Soarin raised an eyebrow. "Your friend's children?" he questioned. Dash nodded. "Yeah. I mean, not every single friend of mine. But, Rarity's daughter Starlet is there, along with Twilight's filly Illusion, as much as the kids hate her, and Applejack's adopted son Adobe! Pinkie and Fluttershy's kids are all younger, but Sandy and Strong will at least have three trustworthy friends, right?" Soarin thought about this, before shrugging, and nodding. "Yeah... I guess so," he complied. Dash smiled, as she heard the clopping of hooves, resulting in two foals with their school bags on, and big smiles on their faces. "We're ready to go, Mom!" Sandstorm said, turning to her brother, who only nodded. "Yeah! Let's go!" Stronghold said, starting to trot out of the large cloud house. Soarin smiled, and waved to them, but Dash only frowned. "Hey! Wait up! I'm coming with you!" she yelled out, flapping her wings to catch up with them. Soarin furrowed his eyebrows. "Dashie... I think they'll be fine. It's only a ten minute flight, and besides, I don't think you should be flying while you're pregnant," he said. Dash bit her lip, as she stared at the figures of her two young children. She shook her head. "No. I'll go with them. Just to be safe. And anyway, I'm only one month, I'll be fine," she said, blowing her husband a kiss, and closing the door, as she and the kids made their way out. Soarin stared after them, and shrugged, going back to his coffee and newspaper. "Oh! This is so exciting!" Sandstorm exclaimed, getting giddy all of a sudden. Stronghold just pretended to barf. "You're kidding, right? How can you be excited about school?" he asked. Sandstorm grinned, and started to think. "How can you NOT? There's so much to see, and so much to do! School's so fun!" she exclaimed, flying higher, and faster after every word. Dash giggled, and looked at her son. "Don't worry, Strongy. I'm with you. As a filly, I couldn't stand school! I was just too awesome for it!" she said, earning a laugh from the baby blue colt. Stronghold flew besides his mother. "Oh good. I'm not alone!" he said, glancing up to his sister, who was doing a few excited loops in the air above them. Dash and Stronghold burst out laughing, as they flew side by side to the Ponyville Schoolhouse. "Welcome, class! Go right on inside, and pick your desks for the year!" Miss Cheerilee exclaimed. Sandstorm and Stronghold entered the large red building, and looked around them. The small classroom had a large chalkboard, plus a teacher's desk at the front, plus many rows of desks scattered throughout the rest of the room. Sandstorm released a small squeal, and ran over to one of the desks in the middle of the room, emptying her bag, and settling herself in. Stronghold rolled his eyes, and sat down in the desk to her left, taking out his own belongings, and putting them inside. Then, a small grey colt with a bright green mane trotted up to them, with a tall orange mare with a blonde mane close behind. Sandstorm and Stronghold both looked up, as the grey colt set his things inside the desk besides Stronghold's, and took a seat. He turned to the twins, and gave them a small smile. "Hey," he said simply, turning back to looking at the desk. The orange mare rolled her eyes, and turned to Dash with a smile. "Adobe was never one to talk a lot," she explained, giving her a hug. Dash returned it, and pulled away. "Hehe... I get it, AJ," she said, turning to her own foals, embracing them in a tight hug. "Will you two be alright?" she asked. They both nodded with reassuring smiles. "Yeah, Mom. We're going to be fine. No need to be so overprotective, you know!" Stronghold insisted, rolling his eyes slightly. Dash frowned, as Sandstorm nodded vigorously. "Yeah, Mom. Take a chill pill. We've got it under control," she said. Dash bit her lip, and looked away, memories of her past flooding back to her. She shook her head, and waved slowly at them, her smile fading as she saw them looking away from her. Applejack came up to her with a small smile. "Aint easy watching your kids grow up, is it?" she asked. Dash only sighed, and nodded. "Yeah..." she said, starting to walk out, but was stopped by two other mares. "Oh, darling! What's gotten you in the slumps?" Rarity asked, shoving her daughter into view, as she made her way around Dash and Applejack. Twilight was following close behind, with her eyes on a young filly. "You'll be safe now, won't you?" she asked. The little orange filly only nodded, her purple mane dropping in a style almost identical to her mother's behind her. "Yes, Mom. I'll be fine," she insisted, grabbing a seat behind Sandstorm. Twilight raised an eyebrow, but cautiously nodded. "Oh, alright. Bye, Illusion. I'll be coming to pick you up at three o'clock, okay?" she said. Illusion nodded. "Okay, Mom. Bye," she said, waving to her mother as she stepped out of the classroom with Dash and Applejack. Rarity though, was settling her filly into the seat behind Stronghold. "Remember darling, just do your best!" she said. The snow white filly with a silver mane only nodded. "Okay, Mom. Bye, love you," she said, giving Rarity a kiss on her cheek. The older unicorn smiled, and walked out the door as well, starting to talk with Twilight, Dash, and Applejack, as the four of them walked away from the schoolhouse. Stronghold looked besides him, and met the eyes with the grey colt from earlier. He gave him a wave, and smiled. "Hey! I'm Stronghold Skies," he said. Adobe looked down, and grinned. "I'm Adobe," he said quietly. Stronghold raised an eyebrow, but shrugged nevertheless. "Nice to meet you, Adobe. Who are your parents?" he asked. Adobe looked up with wide eyes. Stronghold instantly knew he said something he shouldn't have, and backed away slightly. "Um... did I say something wrong?" "I never knew my parents," Adobe said. Stronghold's eyes widened. "What?" "Yeah... I was put in an orphanage at a very young age. Just a few years ago, two wonderful ponies came to it. Well, actually, one pony, and one dragon, and they adopted me! It was possibly the happiest day of my life!" Adobe went on, his frown turning into a large smile. "Well, that's wonderful!" Stronghold exclaimed. Adobe smiled, and nodded. Stronghold then turned behind him, to see a white filly, and an orange filly sitting at two desks. Sandstorm turned around, and did the same. "Hey there! I'm Rainbow Sandstorm," she said. Starlet looked up, and smiled wide. "Oh, hello, Rainbow Sandstorm! It's nice to meet you!" she exclaimed. Sandstorm chuckled inwardly. "Just call me Sandstorm," she said. Starlet grinned, and nodded, before locking eyes with Stronghold. "Hey," she said. Stronghold gave her a small smile, and nodded. "Hey," he replied. "I'm Stronghold." "Starlet. Pleasure." "Yeah... you too." "Oh look! It's the brats!" a new voice chimed in. Sandstorm and Stronghold both groaned, and looked over at the orange filly with an annoyed glare. "Illusion," Sandstorm said with disgust. Illusion scoffed. "Well, it's nice to see you too, Sandstorm," she said, snorting slightly. Stronghold looked between the two mares, before shrugging, and turning back to Adobe. Sandstorm, not wanting to be a bother to anypony anymore, turned away from the group, and proceeded to look through her school books for the year. She smiled, as she gazed down upon the many subjects the class would go over. Suddenly, a turquoise blue colt plopped down onto the seat to her left, groaning as a mare put different bags down in front of him. She had a golden mane, and the same colored coat as the colt. "Why couldn't I go to the Cloudsdale Public School? Why Ponyville, of all places?" he asked. The older mare scoffed. "Because apparently, you need to be in good financial standings for that..." she mumbled. The younger pony sighed, and started rummaging through his books. "Alright, Mom. You can leave, now," he said. The mare's expression softened, as she planted a small kiss on her son's forehead. "Alright. Let Ms. Cheerilee know if you need anything. I'll be back in a few hours," she said, before trotting out the door. Sandstorm glanced over at the colt, who's golden mane was falling over his eyes. She smiled, and poked her head up slightly. "Hey," she said, earning a confused look from the colt. "Uh... hi?" he said uncertainly. Sandstorm quirked her eyebrow. "Why are you sounding so unsure?" she asked. The colt looked away. "Well, because nopony's ever really talked to me before..." he said. Sandstorm's eyes widened. "You mean... you've never had a friend?" "Yep. Pretty much." "Well, you've got one now! I'm Sandstorm!" Sandstorm introduced in a lively tone. The colt smiled slightly. "Oh. Well, my name is Lightning Bolt. But you can call me Bolt," he said. Sandstorm nodded, and leaned back in her chair. "This is exciting, isn't it?" she asked suddenly. "What is?" "School! It's so exciting to be here!" she exclaimed, earning a weird look from the colt besides her. "What? How can you like scho-" "DID I JUST HEAR SOMEPONY SAY THEY DIDN'T LIKE SCHOOL?" a new voice chimed in. Sandstorm and Bolt both turned around to see Stronghold looking at them excitedly. Sandstorm groaned. "He did. His name's Bolt," she said, gesturing to the turquoise colt besides her. Stronghold grinned. "Oooh! You and I are going to be great friends!" he exclaimed. Bolt looked surprised, but shrugged. "Class! It's time to get started!" Ms. Cheerilee yelled, immediately silencing them all. Sandstorm looked up eagerly, waiting to see what wonders her new school would offer. "Class dismissed." All the little fillies and colts rushed outside, and into the front gardens of the schoolhouse. Sandstorm instantly met up with Starlet, Adobe, Bolt and her brother, as they all looked around for their parents. Bolt then came up to Sandstorm. "Do you need help finding your parents?" he asked. Sandstorm shrugged. "Nah. It's no big deal. You should go find your mom!" Rainbow Dash and Soarin, who had been standing nearby, suddenly noticed Sandstorm talking to the turquoise colt. "Hey who do you think that colt is?" Soarin asked her. Dash looked at him with a confused glance. "Hmm... I'm not sure, but I can't help feeling like I know him from somewhere..." she said mysteriously. Dash and Soarin trotted up to Sandstorm and her companion, and looked upon them curiously. "Oh! Hey, Mom!" Sandstorm said, looking up at her mother. Dash smiled, and pulled her in for a hug. "Hello, my little angel. How was your first day of school?" she asked. Sandstorm grinned. "It was awesome! I made so many cool friends! Like Starlet, Adobe, and even this dude, Lightning Bolt!" she said. Dash gasped, as something inside her clicked. She quickly looked over to Bolt with raised eyebrows. "Lightning Bolt? Is that your name?" she asked. Bolt's eyes widened, as he nodded. "Uh... yeah," he said uncertainly. Dash released an inward gasp, as she quickly looked around her. "Where are your parents?" she asked. Bolt started to look around him. "Um... my mom should be here any moment, now," he said. Suddenly, the turquoise mare from the beginning of the school day came up to them, only looking at her son. "Ah! Bolt! That's where you were! Talking to..." she started, before finally noticing Sandstorm. "Hey... I could've sworn you were-" "Lightning..." a new voice cut in. The mare quickly whipped around, to come face to face with her old pal. Her eyes dialated, as she realized what was happening. "Rainbow Dash?" she choked out. Dash grabbed Sandstorm's tail, and pulled her away from Bolt. "Lightning Dust. How ya been?" she asked in a low voice, before gesturing over to Bolt. "This your kid?" Dust's eyes narrowed, as she slowly nodded. "Yes. You got a problem with that?" she asked. Dash glared at her, before bringing Sandstorm to her side. "No. As long as you keep him away from my Sandstorm," she said. Lightning smirked, and did the same with Bolt. "My pleasure, and tell your kid to stay away from my Bolt," she said. Dash scoffed, and whipped around. "Deal," she said, as she started walking away with Soarin and Sandstorm. "What? But Mom-" Sandstorm started. "No buts, young lady," she said, as she grabbed Stronghold from near her, and put him on her back. "Oh! Hey, Mom!" he said casually. "What's up?" "Nothing is up, mister," Dash replied. "We're going home."
Mood SwingsMood Swings Soarin, Sandstorm and Stronghold must now battle with Rainbow Dash, as she goes through her furious mood swings... a simple, yet challenging part of her pregnancy. Soarin was sitting down in the living room of their cloud house, taking a few deep breaths, as he cherished the few moments without his wife. Not in that way, but ever since a few weeks ago, Rainbow Dash had become extremely moody. It was, of course, her pregnancy acting up, but that didn't stop it from being horrid. No... Rainbow Dash was a special case. Once, she even pushed Soarin's head down the toilet! She threw soap into his mouth, and made him clean the house inside and out with a toothbrush! She definitely knew how to liven things up around the house. Of course, Soarin was the target for most of her attacks, which didn't suit him well... he was quite annoyed, to be honest. But alas, he couldn't do anything, he could only pray. Suddenly, the clopping of hooves were heard coming from the steps. Soarin grimaced slightly, but turned his expression into a bright smile, as he got up to go greet his wife. "Morning, sweetie," he said, kissing her on her cheek. "How did you sleep?" "Argh. It felt as if a thousand pin cushions were stabbing into my back. Hey! I can do that to you, if you'd like!" she said innocently. Soarin's eyes widened, as he took a few steps away from her. "Hehe... I'm good..." he said nervously. Dash glared at him, and nodded, before clutching her stomach tightly. Soarin instantly changed his expression to a one of worry, as he cast a nervous glance at her. "Dashie? Are you alright?" he asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder. She quickly nodded, before rushing to the bathroom. Soarin realized what was happening, and rushed behind her to try and help. "Sandstorm! Stronghold! Get your flanks in here!" Dash yelled out to the twins from the kitchen. It was a Saturday, which meant no school, so Sandstorm and Stronghold were kept inside the house, with their angry mother. Sandstorm and Stronghold both rushed inside the kitchen, and quickly took a seat, not wanting to cause any issues with the pregnant mare. Although Dash was only about a month in, she definitely didn't seem like it. Her abdomen had already started to grow in size. "We're here, Mom," Sandstorm said quietly, as Dash plopped a sandwich down in front of them. Dash shot her daughter a nasty glare. "I never said you had to speak!" she spat, heading to her own seat, and beginning to eat her daisy sandwich. She then suddenly spit it out, grimacing. "Yuck! This is gross!" "Dashie... I think they can go..." Soarin tried. Dash shook her head. "They are far too young to go for a slumber party," she said, crossing her hooves. Soarin sighed. "Dashie... they're going to be fine. Trust me on this one. Besides, they're eight! What harm could they cause?" he asked, shrugging slightly. Dash shot him a disgusted look. "Oh, I don't know? Trash the house?" she tried. Soarin shook his head. "I'm sure there's going to be a responsible parent there..." he said. Dash let out a loud snort. "Yeah... like Rarity's responsible," she said. "And who's going to be there anyway? Don't you have like a guest list or something?" "Yeah. I know that Adobe and Illusion are going to be there," Soarin replied. Dash laughed. "Heh... the twins at a sleepover with Illusion? That'll turn out perfectly!" she said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Soarin frowned. "Sandstorm told me that she and Stronghold have started to get along with her," he said. Dash shook her head. "I really doubt that. Now do you really want to be arguing with me about something like this?" she asked with a threatening stare. Soarin groaned. "Really Dashie... is all of this stuff really-" he started, before being cut off. Rainbow Dash raised her hoof, and slapped him hard on the cheek. He winced at the impact, as Dash started to breath heavily. She looked upon the bruise that was beginning to form on her husband's face, as she let out a soft cry. "Oh my god! Soarin!" she yelled, as he sat down on the bed from the slap. She quickly lowered herself besides him, desperately clinging to his coat. "I'm so sorry!" Soarin let a small tear escape. Rainbow Dash could hit hard, that was for sure. And his cheek was still throbbing from the pain. He looked over to her with a shocked expression. She had never done that before! No matter how moody! He looked into her eyes, her tearful, watery eyes. She gasped as she saw his tears, that were now falling freely down his cheek. Soarin didn't move. He just looked at her with a hurt expression. Rainbow Dash's mouth opened slightly, shocked at what she did. How could she do that to him? He was her husband for ponies sake! She felt absolutely awful about it. The two just sat there for a few minutes, not daring to say a word. Suddenly, Soarin lifted his hooves up, and behind her back. Dash was confused, but knew he wouldn't hurt her. She let him tightly grasp her arms, and roughly pull her in. Dash landed hard onto Soarin's chest, instantly wrapping her own hooves around him, closing her eyes tightly shut. Soarin did the same, as he bent his face in, nuzzling her mane. Dash rested her head onto Soarin's chest, and softly settled inside his strong embrace. The two broke. They broke into tears at the exact same moment, crying to their heart's content. Soarin collapsed down inside once he heard his sweet, beloved Dashie's cries. He tightened his embrace around her, pulling her in closer as he cried to himself. This wasn't about the slap. It wasn't even about the slumber party. This was their emotions. The emotions that had been bottled up for so long. The emotions from their elope, Dash's first pregnancy, meeting all their friends and family again, being alone for almost nine years. It hurt. A lot.. The two wept freely in each other's arms. Soarin couldn't believe that Dash had been hiding this from him for such a long time... as did Rainbow Dash. She had only seen him cry once before. When he left her for that short amount of time. But ever since the elope, something just felt... different. Not from outside, but from the inside. Rainbow Dash and Soarin felt like something was missing. And now they knew what it was. It was each other. Since Sandstorm and Stronghold were born, Rainbow Dash and Soarin barely ever had any time for each other. They always had to tend to themselves, or the children at some point or another. They couldn't just simply relax, and enjoy each other's company in a sweet, romantic way. Dash suddenly let go of Soarin, and looked up to him with her tearful eyes. "You know what?" she asked, as Soarin stared back into his wife's eyes. "Let the kids go to the slumber party," she said. "You and I need some alone time together." "That's the best thing I've heard all week."
Frozen YogurtFrozen Yogurt Sandstorm, Stronghold, and their friends get together for a nice afternoon of frozen yogurt. Will it all go smoothly? "Hey, guys! Wanna join us for some froyo after school today?" Adobe asked the rest of his friends. Sandstorm, Stronghold, Starlet, and Illusion all nodded. "Sounds fun!" Sandstorm said happily. "Yeah! I'm always up for some frozen yogurt!" Starlet said, giving her colorful friend a hoof-slap. Adobe nodded, turning to Bolt. "You wanna join us?" he asked. Bolt's head snapped up, as he looked at the five ponies. Who were all giving him encouraging smiles. He gulped nervously, and nodded. "Uh... y-yeah... I'll come," he said, shrinking down. Sandstorm frowned, and reached her hoof out to place on his shoulder. "Hey, don't worry! We're all your friends, here! Come on!" she said. Bolt looked up to her, and nodded. "Yeah.. okay," he said, before looking at the others with small smiles. "Just... don't ruin anything, Sand, 'kay?" Illusion said in a teasing manner. Sandstorm shot her a small glare, and sighed, making a slight 'coo-koo' sign with her hoof. Illusion scoffed, and crossed her own hooves with a small smirk. Sandstorm let out a light giggle, and proceeded to conference with Bolt about the answers on their partner quiz. "What did you get for seventeen?" she asked. Bolt scanned his paper, humming slightly to himself. "Forty-two. You?" he asked. Sandstorm nodded. "Yeah. I got forty-two as well. What did you get for eighteen?" she asked, looking at her quiz with a confused glance. "I couldn't get that one." "I think the answer's twelve. But I could be wrong," Bolt said, giving the baby-blue mare his paper. Sandstorm looked over his work, before realizing her mistake. Her eyes widened. "Oh! I added seventeen, and not seven!" she said, before quickly grabbing her pencil, and making a few adjustments on her quiz. Bolt smiled, and nodded. "Don't you hate it when you make a simple copying error like that?" he asked. Sandstorm instantly nodded. "Yeah! And I make them so often, so I can never really tell..." she remarked. Bolt nodded. Meanwhile, Starlet was struggling with her own quiz, and her partner wasn't being of much help. "Argh... if I add the six, and carry over the three... hey Stronghold! What'd you get for number seventeen?" she asked. Stronghold hummed to signal he heard her, and shrugged. "I dunno," he said. Starlet peeked at her partner's paper, and saw that he had an answer written down for said problem. She groaned. "But, you have an answer! What did you get?" she asked. Stronghold shrugged again. "I dunno," he said. Starlet mentally screamed in frustration, and swiftly snatched the paper out of his hooves. "Hey!" "Sorry 'bout that! I just need an answer!" she said, before looking at the sheet. "Fifty-seven? Good enough for me!" Sandstorm, Stronghold, Adobe, Illusion, Starlet and Bolt all headed up town for the frozen yogurt they had decided upon. They entered the café slowly, and all took a seat next to one another. "Ah... ten's a good age. We're kinda in the middle of foal years... you know?" Adobe said, reclining in his seat. The others all laughed, and nodded. "Although, it was a little hard to convince our mom to let us come. But Dad got around to her later," Stronghold said, reaching for a cup to fill. Sandstorm nodded, and took her own. "Yeah. Mom's overprotective. Guess it has something to do with her past. At least, that's all she told us," she said. The other's nodded, before taking a small bowl each, and starting to pick out flavors for their yogurt. "Mm... cake batter looks good. What about strawberry?" Sandstorm hummed to herself, as she reached for the cherry dispenser. "Nah... cherry's good." "Cherry? How strange... I always liked lemon..." Bolt said, coming up behind her. Sandstorm turned around to see him filling up his cup with the bright yellow treat. She smiled. "I never actually tried lemon before... is it that good?" she asked, eyeing his cup. Bolt immediately nodded. "Heck yeah! Lemon's the best!" he said, moving over to the topping area. Sandstorm sighed, and filled her cup with a little of the lemon flavored yogurt. She looked upon her cup, which now had cherry, and lemon, but decided on one more flavor. "Orange..." she said, going over to the dispenser for the orange flavor. She smiled, as she filled her cup to the brim with the creamy goodness, and went over to the toppings area. "Hey! Your cup's the same color as your mane!" Bolt said, as he looked upon her choices. Sandstorm's eyes widened in realization, as she frantically nodded. "Yeah! I didn't even realize that!" she said, as she took a few pieces of fruit and put them into her cup. The six fillies and colts sat down at a nearby table with their snacks, and began to munch on them, bite by bite. "Oh, this is good. This is very very good..." Illusion said, as she ate her grape yogurt. Sandstorm and Bolt both sat down next to each other, and started to eat their own. "Oh! Lemon's actually not that bad!" Sandstorm remarked, tasting the bright yellow treat. Bolt nodded vigorously. "Told you! Lemon's my favorite!" he said. Sandstorm shrugged, before looking into her brother's cup. "Could I try the strawberry?" she asked, putting her spoon inside the bowl. Stronghold groaned, as he let her take it. Sandstorm smiled happily, as she popped the spoon into her mouth, releasing a sigh of content as the yogurt reached her tastebuds. Bolt softly smiled to himself as he looked upon the happy filly. Why couldn't his mother see what he did? Sandstorm was amazing! She was kind, caring, sweet, beautiful... his mother was just wrong. "Hey, Sandy? You-" he started, before being cut off by said filly. Sandstorm stuck a spare spoon filled with cherry yogurt into his mouth. He gasped, as it slid into his mouth, and swallowed it, letting the taste run down his throat. "Gah! Cherry! Yuck!" he exclaimed, quickly spooning his lemon yogurt into his mouth, getting rid of the horrible taste. Sandstorm chuckled. "Sandy? Where did that come from? No one calls me that besides my parents..." she said. Bolt's eyes widened. "Do you not want to be called Sandy?" he stammered. Sandstorm giggled, and shook her head. "Nah... it's fine. I like it! Sounds even better coming from you!" she said cutely, sticking her tongue out in the process. Bolt smiled. "Alright then, Sandy..."
Auntie ScootalooAuntie Scootaloo Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies meet their aunt. What'll happen during their first encounter? "Sandy, Strongy, can you come here for a second?" Rainbow Dash called out to the twins. The filly and colt hobbled into the room and looked into the eyes of their mother. "Yeah, Mom?" Sandstorm asked, glancing over to her brother. Soarin flew into the room, and smiled at his wife, swiftly pecking her lips and nodding towards the children. They gave slight noises of disgust towards the couple showing affection, but didn't say anything in fear of getting in trouble. "Your mother and I are going out for a little while," he said. Stronghold's eyes widened. "Does that mean what I think it means?" he asked in excitement. Dash quirked her eyebrows. "What?" she inquired. "We're staying home, ALONE?" Stronghold asked with wide eyes, and tone full of hope. "Absolutely not," Dash quickly replied. Stronghold slumped down, and frowned. "What? But we're old enough!" he insisted. Dash shook her head firmly. "No. You two are not ready for that yet. Maybe in a few years, okay?" she asked. The twins glumly nodded. "Yeah yeah. Where are you going?" Sandstorm piped up. Soarin smiled at his daughter, and picked her up. "That, my dear, is classified information," he said with a wink. Sandstorm rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, sure. Who are we staying with?" she asked. Rainbow Dash grinned. "You'll be staying with a great pony. My sister," she said, picking up Stronghold. Stronghold's eyes widened. "You have a sister?" he asked in a flat voice. Dash shrugged. "Well, not technically. But I took her under my wing when she was very young. Around the same age as you two, I suppose," she said. The twins nodded, before fluttering out of their parent's hooves. "What's her name?" Sandstorm asked. "Well, you'll know her by Auntie Scootaloo." "Rainbow Dash! Soarin! Haven't seen you two since the wedding!" an orange mare said with a raspy voice. Dash smiled, as she embraced the younger pony. "And I see you're expecting a third!" "Scootaloo!" she exclaimed, leading her inside the house. "And... yeah... we are." "Well, duh. That's what I just said!" Dash rolled her eyes. "How's the club going?" she asked. Scootaloo shrugged. "Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and I are doing fine. We're thinking of starting our own band!" she said, stomping her hooves in excitement. Dash gasped. "Uh... who's going to be singing in this band?" she asked nervously. Scootaloo laughed. "Oh don't worry. That's Sweetie Belle's department. We don't want a repeat of that other time," she said. Dash sighed in relief. "Oh good," she said, chuckling slightly to herself. Soarin then jumped into the conversation. "The kids are in the room over there, they're been waiting for a while to meet you," he said. Scootaloo nodded, before trotting inside the room Soarin pointed out. Sandstorm and Stronghold were sitting on the floor, playing a game of cards. "Hey! That's cheating! You can't use a fish on a snake!" Sandstorm complained. Stronghold shook his head. "Yeah I can! Look!" he exclaimed, before flicking the cards out of his sister's hooves and laughing. Sandstorm gasped, and pounced on the colt angrily. "HEY!" Dash yelled, jumping in the middle of the scene. "NO FIGHTING!" "Relax, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo said, trotting up to the trio. Dash raised an eyebrow, before getting up and moving over by Soarin. This would be interesting. Scootaloo walked over to the twins, and knelt down to their level. "Oi you," she said, quickly looking over to Stronghold. "You know throwing other pony's cards isn't nice." "But she-" "Uh uh uh! No butts, those go on the end of a pony's flank," Scootaloo said, causing the twins to burst into laughter. Scootaloo smiled. "You know it's true." "I like you!" Sandstorm suddenly said in-between her fit of giggles. Scootaloo grinned. "You're funny!" "Oh, that's just me," Scootaloo said, flipping her mane and striking a ridiculous pose. This of course, only caused more laughter in the twins. "Who are you, anyway?" Stronghold said. Scootaloo looked over to Dash with a cheeky smile. "I'm Scootaloo," she said. Sandstorm and Stronghold's jaws dropped. "You're Auntie Scootaloo?" Stronghold asked in disbelief. "You sound surprised," Scootalooo said. "I am! How can somepony so funny be related to MOM?" Stronghold asked with wide eyes. "HEY!" Rainbow Dash yelled from behind them. "IT'S TRUE!" Stronghold yelled back. "Well, to be honest, we're not related by blood. She's just kind of... awesome. She inspired me to become what I am today, actually!" Scootaloo said fondly. "It's true, I am pretty awesome," Dash spoke up again. The twins, and their aunt, both rolled their eyes. "Yeah Mom, we know." Stronghold shrugged with a small smile "Anyway, we have to get going. Thanks for foalsitting, Scoots," Dash said, giving the mare a rough noogie. Scootaloo giggled. "It's not a problem, Dash. We'll be fine here," she said, as Dash and Soarin opened the door to the outside. "Bye, Sandy. Bye, Strongy," they both called out. The twins gave them hasty replies, before they spread their wings and disappeared to wherever it was that they were going.
Azure DashAzure Dash Rainbow Dash gives birth to her foal... but how will this affect Sandstorm and Stronghold? Warning: This chapter contains mild childbirth descriptions. It isn't too severe, but I just want to give the warning out before people start screaming at me for their discomfort. "Sandstorm! Stronghold! Get down here for breakfast!" Rainbow Dash yelled, straining her eleven-month old stomach. She let out a light gasp, as she quickly turned to get some oats out from the cupboard. Soarin walked in at that time, and saw his wife with her hooves in the air, and reaching for something in the closet above her. His eyes widened as he instantly flew over to her to help. "Rainbow Dash! What did I tell you about working?" he asked. Dash rolled her eyes, as he lifted her up and placed her down. She groaned, as Soarin's mouth opened. "You know you could have the baby at any moment!" "Yeah, Soarin. I'm well aware. But just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm helpless. In fact, I recall telling you the same thing when I was pregnant with the twins!" Dash exclaimed. Soarin shrugged, and nodded. "Yeah, and I know you don't want to feel underpowered, but you have to understand this is for your own good! I love you, Dashie, and if you ever got hurt, I don't think I could ever live with myself," he explained. Dash rolled her eyes again, and simply nodded, acknowledging that she had understood. "Soar, I love you too, but please don't act too overprotective, 'kay?" she asked. Soarin have her a small smile, and nodded, cupping her cheeks and leaning in. "Deal..." he said softly, just as he was about to close the gap between them. Suddenly, there was a jolt behind them, with a small crash, as they quickly separated and looked towards where the commotion was coming from. "Ewwwww!" Stronghold Skies suddenly yelled, as his twin-sister cooed. "Awwwww!" Rainbow Sandstorm said, squishing her cheeks up in a manner very similar to her mother's. Soarin and Dash's eyes widened, as they realized the children had witnessed what had just happened, but shook it off. They were still too young to understand what it all meant fully. "Anyway, breakfast's ready," Dash said, leading her foals to the table for their chow down session. "SOARIN GET YOUR LAZY BUTTCHEEKS RIGHT DOWN HERE RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Rainbow Dash yelled from the kitchen later that day. The twins were at school, leaving the mare and her (quite flustered) prince charming alone. "Yes, Sweetheart?" Soarin called out, trotting down the stairs with a distressed look plastered across his face. Dash snorted heavily. "Oh don't you 'Sweetheart' me," she started, before pointing to something on the ground. "Now, tell me what this is." Soarin raised his eyebrow. "Um... one of Stronghold's Wonderbolt action figures?" Dash nodded. "Correct." "Honey, what's wrong this time?" Soarin said with a light groan. "What is is doing ON THE FLOOR OF MY KITCHEN?" Dash yelled. Soarin took a few steps back. "Babe, this is hardly anything to get flustered about. I'm sure Strongy must have just accidentally-" "THERE ARE NO ACCIDENTS IN THE DASH HOUSEHOLD!" "Don't you mean the Skies' household?" Soarin challenged. Dash stopped dead in her tracks, and cleared her throat. "Pardon?" she asked in a dangerously low voice. "Nothing, nothing," Soarin coughed out, not wanting to get into another pointless argument. Dash stuck her nose up, and shook her head. "Anyway, I was just about to- oooohhh..." she suddenly stopped talking, and let out a light groan. Soarin was instantly by her side. "Dashie?!" he exclaimed. "What's wrong?" Dash began breathing heavily, faint liquid beginning to take the shape of a small puddle beneath her hind legs. Soarin gasped. "DASHIE! YOU'RE WATER BROKE!" "OH, REALLY NOW?! I DIDN'T NOTICE." "WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO DO?!" "I'M NOT DOING ANYTHING, BUFFOON. YOU ARE." "WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?" "TAKE ME TO THE GODDAMN HOSPITAL YOU LITTLE-" "Come on Dashie... you can do it!" Soarin encouraged as Dash's hoof grappled tightly to his. The doctor nodded. "Yep, just one more push, Rainbow Dash! I can see his head," he said comfortingly. Dash grunted. "aaaGGHHHHH!" she yelled, before the doctor jumped up in joy. "It's a boy!" he said, handing the small colt to the nurses besides him for cleaning. Soarin instantly leaned down and pecked his wife's forehead. "You did it Dashie..." he said softly. "You brought our third little wonder to the world." Dash smiled. "It... was... totally... awesome," she breathed out, laying back in the bed. Soarin nodded, and kissed her once again. "It was all totally worth it in the end," he sighed out. Dash quirked her eyebrow. "What was?" she asked curiously. Soarin's mind drifted over to his wife's constant mood changes, as he let out a suppressed laugh. "Oh... nothing." "He's beautiful, Dashie," Soarin said, eyeing the dark blue colt in his hooves. The baby had a coat the color of night, with a short tuft of light blue hair sprouting from the top of his head. By the way it was growing out, Dash and Soarin could both easily tell it was going to turn into an identical copy of Soarin's mane. His eyes suddenly opened to reveal dark pools of magenta. "He... he really is," Dash said softly. "What are you naming him?" he asked. Dash smiled. "I was thinking... since Rainbow Sandstorm and Stronghold Skies both have a bit of our names in them... maybe we could name this little fella... Azure Dash?" Soarin grinned. "It's perfect," he said simply, leaning in for a long kiss with his wife. Once they tore apart, Dash chuckled, aiming her gaze down to her new son. "Welcome to the world, Azure." "Can we come in now, Mommy?" Stronghold called through the door. Dash smiled, as she nodded to herself. "Come in, Sandy, Strongy," she called out, as Soarin went to the door and escorted the twins inside. Sandstorm and Stronghold both gasped as they laid their young eyes on the baby colt. "Is that... our brother?" Stronghold asked. Soarin nodded with tears in his eyes. "Sandy, Strongy... meet Azure," he said, as they both creeped closer to the colt in their mother's hooves. "Aww he's so cute!" Sandstorm exclaimed. Stronghold nodded enthusiastically, before his face suddenly fell into a heavy frown. Dash instantly noticed. "What's the matter, Strongy?" she asked. "Aren't you happy?" "Yeah... I am," Stronghold started. "But... does this mean you'll spend less time with me and Sandy?" Dash smiled. "Oh honey... of course the baby will take up most of Daddy and I's time... but that doesn't mean we love you any less, okay?" she said. Soarin nodded. "Mommy's right," he said. "We'll still play with both of you... but now, you'll have a new playmate! Little Azure!" "Okay..." Stronghold said, a smile inching up his face. Soarin and Dash grinned, before they beckoned the twins in for a giant group hug. "The Skies family... all together at last," Soarin sighed out. Dash gave him a look. "I thought we went over this."
