Outside the wind was howling, the snow was blowing ferociously, and the cloud house above Ponyville was quiet and warm. Inside that house were two married Wonder Bolts, Rainbow Dash and Soarin Skies, with their oldest colt, Spectrum Skies, their middle colt, Snowy Dash, and their three day old filly, Color Wheel. The house was calmer than normal, mostly due to Dash and Color Wheel taking a nap and Soarin keeping Spectrum and Snowy quiet so they could sleep.
"Tag, your it again Snowy." Spectrum said for the hundredth time that night.
"I'm not even playing anymore Spectrum. I stopped playing like 20 minutes ago." Said a very unamused Snowy Dash.
"Ohh, come on. One more time, I promise I'll take it easy on you this time." Snowy just looked away and said nothing, his white mane with navy blue streaks in it and his white wings the only thing visible. "Please, please, please, please, ple-"
"I SAID NO!!! WHAT PART OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERS-" Snowy started screaming but was soon cut off by a much more threatening voice and in a tone that sent chills down the colts spines,
"I thought I told you both to be quiet so your mother and sister could sleep. I promise you both if they wake up because of either of you you're in big trouble. You know your mother hasn't got much sleep since Color was born. If I have to tell you again, you-"
"Soarin?" He was cut off by the voice of his wife and the tiny grunts of Color Wheel waking up from her nap. Soarin's eyes shot to the top of the stairs and into the tired eyes of his beloved wife. "Is everything alright, I heard screaming and thought someone was hurt. Color woke up to so there's no chance of falling asleep again." Dash said with a big yawn followed by the little filly in her hooves to stir and open her emerald eyes. Her rainbow mane covered some of her eyes but Dash quickly moved the strands away before she could start crying. Her light blue coat looked just like her fathers.
“Dashie? Why don’t you let me take Color so you can sleep? It looks like you need it more than I do honestly.” Soarin said sincerely. Snowy and Spectrum just sat there and waited for the their dad to scold them again.
“Nah it’s fine. Besides, I couldn’t go back to sleep anyway.” She said looking at her sons with a playful little grin. “I’m gonna go get Color’s bottle, she’s probably hungry.” With that said, Dash climbed down the rest of the stairs and walked over to Soarin and whispered in his ear, “Don’t be so hard on them. They were just playing with each other. You can’t tell me you didn’t get like that with your brothers. I’m sure they’ve learned their lesson, just go easy on them.” She pecked his cheek and smiled at him. He looked at the colts then back at Dash who was looking at him a playful “You know I’m right, as usual."
Soarin sighed and said, “Ok, you’re right I shouldn’t yell at them like I do. Dang I hate it when you’re right.” He said playfully as he looked at Dash as she turned away and headed into the kitchen.
“I’m always right” She said before she disappeared. Soarin chuckled and turned to Snowy and Spectrum who looked mortified when their dad looked at them. “Don’t worry, you guys aren’t in trouble. You’re mother has a way of making everything better.” The colts visibly relaxed and sighed. “I’m sorry.” Soarin quickly apologized. Snowy and Spectrum’s eyes grew three times the size.
“Why are you sorry daddy? We were the ones acting up and you didn’t wake mom up?” Snowy said tilting his head and dropping his ears.
“I know but I yell at you guys when I shouldn’t. I was a colt to and I know you guys just want to play. Heh, me and your uncles used to cause so much trouble when we were younger, drove our parents nuts. You guys haven’t done half the stuff we used to do and the stuff you do isn’t half as bad hehe.” Soarin chuckled as he recalled the memories with his brothers. When he didn’t hear anything in response he looked down and saw his colts in front of him sitting down with starry eyes. “You guys want to hear about it don't you?”
“Yes” They replied in unison, but there was a third voice that said yes. They all looked over and standing in the kitchen doorway with Color Wheel in one hoof and a bottle on the floor in front her was Dash. “I think a story would be perfect right now. It’s not like there’s anything else we can do with the storm outside.” She said as she looked at her boys. Her colts looked very excited and Soarin looked amused, “and I bet if your really nice to daddy he’ll make some of his famous hot chocolate and I can start a fire. I’m sure there are other stories to tell.” As soon as the words “chocolate” left her muzzle the colts were immediately up on their hind legs with their front hooves on their dad's chest with the biggest puppy dog eyes Soarin and Dash had ever seen. Soarin looked up at Dash with wide eyes as his colts continued to beg. “There is no way you’re gonna be able to so no to that. If you can you’re not the softy I married.” Dash said with a sly smirk.
“Alright let's go. You guys go get ready while I-“ Soarin never got a chance to finish because before he could blink, Snowy and Spectrum were already in the kitchen. Dash looked back and giggled at the sight of her over eager sons.
“What were you saying? I don’t think they care.” Dash said in a fit of giggles. Color Wheel started giggling along with her mother even though she had no idea why her mom was giggling. Soarin smiled and walked over to her. When he got close enough he nuzzled her cheek and kissed her nose. He bent down and gently kissed Color’s head. The little filly cooed at the touch of her father and looked up into the loving eyes of her parents. Dash looked into Soarin’s deep emerald eyes and he gazed into her beautiful magenta ones. They started to lean towards each other, less than a centimeter apart-
“DAD! COME ON!” Both of there eyes shot open. There noses were touching but they were just short of eachother. Soarin groaned and Dash just playfully sighed. Snowy and Spectrum’s head popped out of the kitchen, “Ewww!” they said in unison. Soarin pulled away and playfully glared at the colts.
“Fine. If you thought that was disgusting you guys might want to go back in the kitchen.” Soarin said with a devilish grin as he looked at Dash who had a quizzical look on her face.
“What are you talking ab- mphhh” She was cut off when Soarin grabbed her shoulders, pulled her towards him without crushing Color Wheel, and kissed her on the lips. Dash began to close her eyes and kiss back. It was just a simple kiss but the colt’s reaction was priceless. Snowy’s white face looked a little green and Spectrum’s cyan face was turning red from embarrassment even though they were the only ones there.
“Ok you’ve proven your point you guys can stop now.” Snowy whined. Soarin and Dash pulled apart and Color Wheel just looked up at them, she had no idea what was going on so she just kept looking at her mother and father. “Alright we get it, you guys love each other and express it in a very disgusting way, can we go make the hot chocolate now dad?”
“Did you guys get all the ingredients and supplies out?” Soarin said with a knowing grin, still holding onto Dash’s shoulders. The colts just looked at each other nervously. “I take that as a no. Did you wash your hooves?” The colts just continued to look at eachother. “Why don’t you go do that so I can help mommy or else, we ain’t making it.” The colts disappeared into the kitchen and the sound of running water was heard. Dash and Soarin both chuckled. “Alrighty then. Let’s go put that fire on.”
“Are you sure you’ll have time? You know Snowy and Spectrum take after their mother. There charming, fast, and awesome.” Dash said as they made there way over to the fireplace. Soarin put the wood in the fireplace and lit it. Dash grabbed some blankets and pillows and set them around the fireplace. Color was on the couch watching her parents. She thought the pillows and blankets were her nursery were she played. She started crawling towards them and didn’t realize the couch ended. Soarin looked back to see Dash placing the pieces of furniture around the fire, he also saw his filly getting close to the edge of the couch. He panicked and rushed over to her in a nick of time because just as he got there she had reached the end of the couch and didn’t stop. Soarin gasped and caught her and pulled her up to his chest. Dash looked towards them after hearing her husband gasp. “What happened? Are you alr-“ she cut herself off when she heard Color start crying. She completely forgot about what she was doing and rushed over to see what was wrong with her little girl.
“Shhh, shhhhhh, it’s ok, daddy’s got you, you’re all right, shhhhhh.” Soarin said to the crying infant. When Dash approached, Soarin gently gave Color Wheel to her and the filly’s cry’s started dying down from the familiar warmth of her mother and father. Dash started stroking the fillies mane. “She started crawling off the couch. I got to her and she started falling. I think she’s ok, probably just a little scared.” The filly stopped crying and opened her eyes, she looked at her dad with watery eyes and started reaching for him with her tiny, light blue hooves.
“I think she wants her daddy right now.” Dash said softly giving Color back to her dad. “Thank goodness you caught her. Just another way of proving what a terrible mother I am.” Dash said shamefully. Soarin looked at her with surprise. “I almost let or daughter fall off a couch and all the other things that happened when Snowy and Spectrum were babies, don’t look at me like that.”
“No ones perfect Dashie. I made mistakes to. At least it all worked out right.” Soarin replied. Dash just smiled and Soarin looked down to see the filly start snuggling into his chest.
“Mom? Dad? Is Color Wheel ok? What happened?” Spectrum said from behind Soarin. Both parents looked back to see a worried Snowy Dash and Spectrum Skies. “We’re still gonna have story time right?” Both parents chuckled.
“Color’s fine, she just had a little accident. Yes we’re still having story time, as long as you’re both ready this time.” Soarin said handing Color back to Dash who cradled the filly in her forehooves. “Let’s go.” With that said both colts brightened up and raced back to the kitchen. With one last kiss on the cheek Soarin followed.
Dash laid down by the fire with Color Wheel snuggled against her chest. Even though she couldn’t put a hoof on it, Dash felt like there was something she was forgetting. She looked around, blankets, check, fire, check, hot chocolate, getting there, kids, hard to forget, one goofy husband, of course that’s a check Dash just couldn’t remember what she had forgotten. She soon shrugged thinking it wasn’t important enough to remember. Color started to fidget lightly, causing Dash to look down and smile. Color was already a hoof full but so were Snowy and Spectrum when they were little(er). Dash thought back to when she had them. When Spectrum was born, it was a nightmare. Neither Soarin or Dash knew how to be parents, they got the hang of it but when Dash found out she was pregnant with Snowy when Spectrum was only 1 and half, that was challenging. Dash giggled as she remembered Soarin running around like a chicken without a head. She felt so bad during the last few months of her pregnancy Soarin was-
Her thoughts were interrupted when Color started sniffling, signaling she was about to start crying. As quick as she could, Dash cradled the filly and started rocking as best she could while laying down. She was so lost in thought she didn’t realize how long it had been since the boys went to the kitchen.
“Looking for this.” Soarin’s voice said from above her. Dash looked up and mentally face hoofed when she saw Color’s bottle in Soarin’s hoof. “At least she can enjoy something with the rest of us.” He said with a sly tone. Little did he know how stupid Dash felt for forgetting to feed her own daughter. Soarin handed the bottle to Dash before she could say anything. Before Dash had time to blink, Snowy and Spectrum were already laying down beside her with there own hot chocolate.
“Looks like someone’s excited.” Dash said as she looked at her colts you began nuzzling into her left side which was facing the fire. Soarin smiled at the sight of his children snuggled up to their mother. He put Dash’s drink in front of her, seeing how her hooves were full. “Thanks Soar.” Dash said as Soarin laid down in front of her with his right side facing the fire. He continued to gaze at his family as Dash began to feed Color, who happily accepted it. The look on Dash’s face was kind as she looked at their daughter eating, her face was that of a caring mother who wanted nothing but the best for her little ones. He shifted his gaze to Snowy and Spectrum, who had begun sipping their yummy beverage while cuddled up to Dash’s side. He couldn’t be happier. He had a loving wife who blessed him with three wonderful foals.
“You guys ready to hear the story now?”