True Colors

by Toxic_Rainbow_

Chapter 1

Nine months later

---

Mirage blinked slowly, her surroundings still a bit hazy. She was jerked back to reality by something small wriggling around in her hooves.

She looked down, and for the first time, she saw a patch of rainbow-hued hair sticking out of a soft, pink blanket. She smiled at the little pony in her forelegs, fully realizing that she had just given birth to her second daughter. Mirage pulled the top of the blanket down slightly, revealing her daughter's scrunched up face. Her fur was the color of the sky and her mane was a full spectrum of color, just like her grandmother's. Every now and then, her small eyelids would flutter open, revealing a flash of brilliant magenta. Her face remained fairly calm, considering what she had just gone through. Occasionally, she would scrunch up her petite nose in agony and open her small mouth to cry out. Her cries were sharp and short, though, ending as soon as her mother consoled her.

Mirage jerked her head up at the sound of a small cry coming from several feet away. She paused momentarily to take in her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the bright light that illuminated everything in the room, making her squint slightly. She then heard the steady beeping of the heart monitor next to her. She felt the weight of the scratchy sheets on top of her and the soft cloud mattress that she lay on. Memories came flooding back to her. Rushing to the hospital in the early morning hours, the panic, the pain, the cries of her new baby. A second whimper brought Mirage out of her reverie and she looked up towards the source of the sound. She found a white door, cracked slightly open, leading to the hospital hallway. She stopped and listened intently to the voices drifting in through the doorway.

---

"But Daddy, I wanna go see my sister now!" Spectrum Breeze stood in the hallway of Cloudsdale Central Hospital, complaining to her father, Cold Thunder.

"I told you, not now," he said with a quick glance down at his daughter.

"Why?" she said in a long, whining tone.

"Because I said so." At that moment, an old mare with a chromatic mane ambled towards them.

"Thunder! Spectrum! How nice to see you both," she said in her naturally harsh tone.

"Grandmother!" Spectrum squeaked, abandoning her complaints and rushing over to the elderly mare. The four-year-old threw her forelegs around her grandmother's light purple leg.

"Ah! Chroma! I was wondering if you were coming," Cold Thunder said politely.

"My daughter is giving birth. Yes, I am mad about it, but that is not enough to deter me from coming," she said, gently shaking Spectrum off her leg.

Cold Thunder suddenly felt something hard hit him on his shoulder. The pain was then accompanied by a familiar voice. "Thunder! We've been looking all over for you! We heard the foal was here."

He turned to see his brother smiling sincerely at him, with his hoof resting on Thunder's shoulder, indicating the source of the pain. His brother's wife was looking cluelessly around the hospital. Thunder had never liked his brother and often wanted nothing to do with him. Thunder was not born as a part of his wife's esteemed bloodline. He had simply married into it. However, he adopted their beliefs and traditions as if they were his own. Seeing his brother always reminded him of what he really was.

Still, he turned to his younger brother and forced a smile. "Gravity Wave! It's been too long. And Omega! You're looking lovely."

His brother's wife was snapped out of her daydreams at the sound of her name. "Oh! Thunder! Thank you! We really should get together more often," she said, giving him a quick hug.

Gravity Wave turned to Chroma, smoothing his navy colored mane away from his face. "Chroma! How lovely to see you! I don't believe we have gotten together since Spectrum was born. How are you faring?"

Chroma simply looked down her nose at him and made a small grunt as her only response. Gravity looked at Thunder, his blue eyes reflecting the awkward atmosphere. Thunder looked down at Spectrum, who had ceased her whining since her relatives had arrived.

"Spectrum, why don't you go with your aunt Omega, and get something to eat. You have had a long day and you must be hungry," Thunder said sweetly.

Spectrum looked up at him with pleading, green eyes. "But I haven't gotten to see my little sister yet."

Thunder tensed slightly, but still managed to speak kindly. "There will be plenty of time for that later. Go on."

Spectrum looked down and trudged off with her aunt in tow. Chroma was the first to speak up after they were out of sight. "Maybe you should go too, Gravity. I wish to speak with my son-in-law in private."

Gravity paused for a moment, wanting to refuse, but then deemed in unwise and shuffled around a nearby corner.

A brief moment of silence passed before Thunder broke it. "What do you wish to speak to me about?"

Chroma's dark purple eyes drilled into him as she spoke seriously. "I did not ask for another granddaughter."

Thunder's tone turned harsh, "I know. I did what I could, but I couldn't hurt Mirage. I want that nuisance gone more than anything, but it would cause Mirage a great deal of pain. I cannot bear to see her get hurt."

"I understand that. Still, it was your responsibility and you failed." she sighed, sounding almost sad. "Mirage had always respected our traditions. She lived by them. She loved them. When she was little, I would tell her stories of our ancestors, every night she would ask for more information. I never saw this coming. It now feels to me that you are the only one who respects our family traditions. I remember the look on your face when we first told you about our way of life. You reminded me so much of Mirage. You were so eager to learn more."

Chroma placed a hoof on Thunder's shoulder and spoke to him with sincerity. "You may not be family by blood, but you are in my heart. Please, I beg of you, right this wrong. Make our family pure again."

"I will not kill that thing, if that is what you are insisting. Trust me, I never wanted this to happen, but killing it would look bad. It would put our family under a shadow of mock and scorn forever. Not to mention that it would cause Mirage a great deal of sadness. I regret not acting sooner, before it was too late, but the past is the past. Now, all we can do is hope for the best."

Chroma lowered her hoof and turned away. "Very well. I can't say I blame you. Do what you wish, just make sure that little brat knows her place." Chroma walked away slowly, her old body carrying her farther and farther down the hall.

Thunder turned towards the door of his wife's hospital room and took some deep breaths. He then heard quiet hoofsteps approaching him from behind. He turned to see Gravity looking expectantly at him.

"I heard all that, you know," Gravity said.

Thunder turned away and remained silent. "Why do you insist on being a part of something you're not?" Gravity asked sincerely. "This isn't your family. Who gets to be a part of it is not up to you."

Thunder whipped around, facing his brother. Fury flared within him as his violet eyes stared Gravity down. "This IS my family. They are a better family then you will ever be. Go away. You don't belong here, and you sure as hell don't have any right to tell me what to do."

Gravity kept his gaze locked with Thunder's as he spoke. "Fine. I will go. Just remember that that little girl in there is your own daughter. She is your own flesh and blood, just like Spectrum. So, you better start treating her like it."

Gravity turned and trotted briskly down the hall. Thunder sighed and sat on a nearby bench, trying to put his thoughts in order.

He then registered the sound of hoofsteps coming his way, and looked up just in time to see Spectrum and Omega approaching him.

"I thought you two were going to get something to eat. Why are you back so early?" he said.

"I'm sorry, Thunder. Spectrum just wouldn't stop complaining about not seeing her sister yet. So, I agreed to bring her back." Omega explained, her empty, orange eyes staring at him.

Thunder sighed and looked at his daughter. "Alright, Spectrum. You can go see the baby. Just don't stay too long, we need to get home soon."

"Yes! Oh, thank you, Daddy!" Spectrum squealed. The filly turned and ran over to the door to her mother's hospital room, easing it open and stepping through the threshold.

---

Mirage snapped her eyes away from the door as it began to open, hoping not to get caught eavesdropping.

"Mother?"

Mirage gave a small smile upon hearing her daughter's voice and looked at the small, white filly who had just entered the room.

"Come on over here, Breezie. There's somepony I want you to meet," Mirage said as she returned her gaze to the filly in her hooves.

Spectrum approached the bed where her mother lay and tilted her head to get a better view of the blue, wriggling pony in the pink blanket. Spectrum's breath caught in her throat at the sight of her little sister. She was so small, so fragile, yet so stunning.

"Can I hold her?" Spectrum asked in a quiet voice, as if the silence around them was a piece of ornate china and she was afraid of breaking it.

Mirage offered no response other than gently placing the newborn in her daughter's forelegs. Spectrum maneuvered so that her weight was resting on the edge of the bed and she could support the foal's head. Spectrum looked down on the little pony and could not suppress her proud smile. This was her sister. Someday she would teach her everything she knew. She could teach this filly how to fly, how to read, and so much more. She would watch this amazing pony grow up and become someone great.

"Hi, little foal. I'm your big sister," Spectrum cooed. The young filly's eyelids fluttered open to reveal rose-colored irises, which then focused on the white pony who was speaking to her. Spectrum gasped at seeing the brilliant color of her sister's eyes. "What's her name?" Spectrum asked her mother without ever tearing her gaze away from the blue foal.

Mirage smiled at the sight of her two daughters before answering, "Rainbow Dash. Her name is Rainbow Dash."

Author's Note:

Welp. Here it is, the first official chapter! Woot. Hope you enjoyed it!
Also, special thanks to homy_dog34 for being a great proofreader and generally being awesome.

Comments

[youngnuck]

Love it so far! Please keep it coming!

[Flying-Claw]

Daaw, awesome Chapter ! Can't wait for more !