The usual quiet of the Carousel Boutique was replaced by the sounds of a rather distraught colt as he tried to keep away from his Aunt Rarity.
“Clay, please stay still! I have to take your measurements!” Rarity frowned as she tried to get her measuring tape across his small body.
Clay's only response was more squirming and crying.
“Clay, dear, I know you don’t like to wear clothes but you must look presentable for the princess’s arrival.” Clay simply made a raspberry at her.
“Sweetie Belle! Be a dear and try to keep Clay still long enough that I can get the proper measurements.” She shouted struggling with the colt.
“I’m on it, Sis!” Sweetie Belle ran up to her sister and Clay trying to think of a way to make him stay still. “Hmmm, I could use my magic to hold him still.”
“Sweetie Belle, you are still learning! I’d rather not have you use magic on a living creature until you have it mastered. We don’t want to hurt our little nephew do we?” As Rarity spoke Clay grabbed Rarity’s hair and gave a firm tug.“Ow! Clay, that hurt!”
Clay giggled at her discomfort.
“Oh, I do hope that Rainbow Dash gets here soon. I love Clay, but he can be such a handful.” Clay gave another tug.
No sooner had the words left her mouth that they heard the front door bell ring. And in walked Rainbow Dash with Scootaloo.
“Hey Rarity how are things with Clay?”
“They could *ow* be *ow* better!” Rarity gave a pleading look to her friend. “Please make him stop before he rips something out!”
Dash and Scootaloo chuckled at Rarity’s obvious discomfort. She then walked over to Clay and gave him a stern look.
“Clay sit still now.” She said in a low tone.
As if by magic, Clay stopped pulling on his Aunt's mane and sat down quietly while looking up at her with a blank stare. Dash smirked while Sweetie Belle and Rarity stared in amazement.
“How did you get him to stop?” Rarity questioned.
“He knows that I’m in charge.” Dash turned to the others. “You just have to be assertive, tell him what you want him to do, look him straight in the eye and…”
“Rainbow…he’s gone.” Scootaloo interrupted.
“What!” Dash spun around and sure enough Clay was nowhere to be seen. “Clay…Clay…Clay come on out I don’t have time for games!”
Dash looked around franticly her chest starting to tighten. “Did any of you guys see where he went!?”
They all shook their heads.
“Come on help me look!”
Dash, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Rarity galloped around the boutique looking under every pile of fabric and every room of the building. After five minutes of searching they couldn’t find a single trace of him. As they met up in the center of the boutique Dash was starting to panic when her friends and protégée turned up empty hooved.
“Oh no…oh no….oh no…” Dash began to hyperventilate.
“Rainbow, calm down. I’m sure that Clay is here somewhere. The front door is locked so he couldn’t have left the building.” Rarity said.
“Uh…actually, I didn’t shut the door.” Scootaloo replied rubbing the back of her head.
“Oh Celestia! I’m going to look for him outside! Rarity, Sweetie Belle, you stay here and keep looking! Scootaloo you’re going to help me look!” Without a word Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo ran outside and took to the sky.
The day ticked by and neither Rainbow, nor Scootaloo had found Clay in Ponyville, nor had anypony seen him. Rainbow returned to the Boutique downcast and sick with worry.
“Please tell me you guys found him?” Dash said begging.
“I’m sorry Rainbow we didn’t find him anywhere.” Rarity said sorrowfully.
Dash fell back on her haunches and looked to the ground distraught.
“I can’t believe this is happening.” She sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
Rarity walked over to Dash trying to think of something to comfort her friend, but she knew that the only way to make Dash feel better was to find her son. As the ponies all hung their heads in depression, the front door bell rang and Rarity walked over to open the door.
“Rainbow Dash! You will not believe this!” Rarity shouted in disbelief.
Rainbow turned her head, and to her amazement she saw Princess Celestia herself with a little yellow foal clinging to her neck.
“Clay!” Rainbow Dash ran to them, leaving a small rainbow trail behind her, and took the baby in her arms.
“Oh Clay, I was so worried! Don’t ever scare me like that again!” Dash peppered his face with small kisses, forgetting that the Princess was even there.
“This foal is yours, Rainbow Dash?” Celestia said surprised.
“Uh, yeah I’m taking care of him…how did you find him your highness?”
“I was making my way to the celebration for my arrival when I spotted this colt wandering the streets.” Celestia nuzzled against Clays face, and he gave a small giggle. “I started looking around town and asked if they knew who his mother was, but everypony was too busy groveling to notice the infant. So I decided that maybe one of the elements would be able to give me a straight answer. I stopped by the Carousel Boutique to see Rarity and, well you know the rest.”
Dash’s face fell. She hung her head in shame. “You must think I’m a horrible parent.”
“Rainbow Dash everypony makes mistakes, and parents are no exception. The important thing is that you learn something from that mistake.” Celestia gave a reassuring smile.
“I have Princess. I’m going to pay more attention to this little guy.” She nuzzled her face against Clay's smiling. “And maybe put a bell on him next time.”
The others gave a small chuckle.
“Well, now that everything has ended on such a happy note, why don’t we go attend that celebration?”
Dash and the others nodded in agreement and they left the Boutique, ready to enjoy themselves. They all wore smiles on their faces, but none where as happy as Rainbow's. She had learned something important that day. She learned that she loved Clay more than she thought she did, and that just like flying, being a good parent would take time and practice. And since she was already an ace flier, she knew that someday she would make an ace mom.