> One of the Guys > by Sweet_Harmony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Introduction > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Firefly calmly walks towards the local cafe in Azura, Cloudsdale, doing her best to resist the strong urge to fly instead of walking along the cloudwalks. She’s nearly eleven months pregnant, and as much as her wings tell her to lift off into the air, her heart, her doctor, and more specifically, her husband, tell her not to. The pink pegasus mare exhales and walks into the sweet shop to be greeted with the smell of sugar and chocolate and a group of mares calling her over. "Hey, Firefly! Over here!" calls Magnolia, an ivory pegasus mare, from a table by the window. With her are four other mares, all also pegasi - Sundaze, a crystal-blue mare with a gift for skydancing, Rose Valley, a rosey-pink mare with a loving heart, Jet Storm, a stormy-gray mare with a headstrong attitude, and Amethyst, an amethyst-purple mare with a knack for jewelry. The five mares have been Firefly’s best friends since their first year of flight camp when they were fillies, and growing up together made their bond more like a sisterhood than a friendship. Words can never express how thankful she is for them to still have each other after all those years as they start the next chapter of their lives. The mare smiles and walks towards them, taking a seat next to Amethyst. "Hey guys!” she greets them before spotting the plate in the center of the table. “Ooh, chocolate cupcakes." She helps herself to three cupcakes and works at peeling the wrapper off of one to take a bite. "You excited, Fire?" Sundaze asks, referring to the pegasus' unborn foal. "Oh yeah, totally," she replies, swallowing her treat before continuing, "I’ll admit, though, it’s daunting. I don't think I can think of another time when I was really anticipating going through drastic pain for something I really wanted. Gives a new meaning to the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’," she chuckles. "That's how I felt before I had my son," the blue mare says. Sundaze already has a little colt who’s about to turn a year old. “I remember that day,” Jet Storm chuckles lightly. “That was a rollercoaster.” “Oh, you have no idea,” Sundaze shakes her head with a light smile. "I have yet to have a child, but I don't doubt it will," Amethyst states. “I can only imagine how nerve-wracking the wait must be.” "It can get really bad sometimes,” Magnolia says with a small laugh. “It’s a lot to prepare for, but it’s certainly was worth every ounce of it," she states, referring to her own little filly. "I'll admit, I'd probably be very nervous if I was carrying a child, but I'm sure I would feel the same way," Rose Valley said. "I doubt I’m ever gonna get to that point, seeing how often bad luck always strikes my love-life,” Jet scoffs lightly as she reaches for another cupcake for herself, “but I’ll take your word for it.” Firefly smiles sheepishly with a slight eye-roll. "You guys are starting to make me feel awkward. I still vividly remember in high school how I kept saying that I wouldn't have a kid for a long time," she chuckles. "We weren't very surprised, sweetheart. Your rambunctious nature never struck most ponies as the type to ‘settle down’," Amethyst comments with a small laugh, taking a sip from her smoothie. “Aside from Jet Storm, of course. She might have you beat on that aspect.” “See, I can’t say anything because you’re not wrong,” the stormy-gray mare huffs, feigning annoyance as she takes a large bite of her cupcake and prompting a wave of laughter to pass through the friend group. But Firefly’s laughter trails off, her face slightly stiffening into a cringe of discomfort. "You alright?" Magnolia asks her. The pegasus takes a small breath before nodding her head and looking back up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little twinge. I'm good," Firefly says, giving a reassuring smile to her friends. "Are you sure?" Rose asks. "I've been having them for a while now. It's nothing," the mare says. "If you’re sure..." Rose trails off. "So when are you due, again?" Sundaze asks as she picks up a cupcake. "A week from now, if I’m remembering correcting," Firefly replies, taking another bite from her cupcake. "Wow, okay then. You and Spectrum got the nursery set up already, right?" Sun asks. "Yeah, we set it up a few weeks ago. Thanks again for putting up that crib and rocker for us, Dazey," Firefly says, trying her best to not let her discomfort show as another slight contraction hits her. "Oh, don’t mention it," the mare says with a small wave of her hoof. "Oh! I almost forgot! Firefly, dear, I have some baby clothes for you. I left them in my shop in my hurry to meet you all, though," Amethyst says while putting down her smoothie. "That's fine, Amy. We can go get them after I'm done with this last cupcake," Firefly says before she takes a final bite out of her last cupcake. She swallows and wipes her mouth before standing up slowly and letting out a small breath. "Alright, I think we’re good,” she says with a smile, her friends standing to follow her out. "Thank you again, Olive!" Magnolia calls to the teenage mare behind the counter. "No problem, Mrs. Magnolia! Enjoy your day!" the waitress replies with a smile and a wave. Back at Amethyst’s jewelry shop, Skylark Jewelers, Amethyst brings her friends up to her nice apartment above the store and workshop. She briefly goes through her things before taking out a white bag. "Since we have yet to see the little foal's colors, I went ahead and bought some each color of the rainbow, though it's mostly reds and blues. I'm sure you'll make them work," Amethyst explains while handing the bag over to her pregnant friend. Firefly looks through them and smiles graciously at the mare. "Thanks a bunch, Amy. These'll definitely come in hand--" Firefly is cut off by a sudden, sharp gasp. Her friends rush over to her side as she leans forward, a hoof right under her large belly. "Oh, my goodness. Are you alright?" Sundaze asks as she and Rose Valley help to support her. The pregnant mare silently gasps as another wave of pain rushes through her and presses her lips together as she lets out a long breath through her nose. Firefly lets out a shaky breath and rubs her face. “I think my water just broke,” she states simply. "Oh, well whaddya know? It has,” Jet says, trying to keep the air light and relaxed with minor humor. It seems to work, as Firefly lets out a shaky laugh and shrugs her shoulders. “I guess this is it,” she says, the other mares joining her in nervous excitement. Magnolia proceeds to take charge of the situation like the leader she is. "Alright, well I think we know what this means. I’ll call the midwife before we head out. Sundaze, Sheer, Amethyst, you’re with me. She shouldn’t progress very much on the trip there, but support is always nice. Rose Valley, go up to Firefly's and get her maternity bag, then go find Spectrum Streak. He should be on his last hour on weather duty. Come on, girls, time waits for no one," Magnolia instructs. They all comply quickly and their little operation is put into motion. Rose Valley quickly darts out of the open window as fast as she can towards Firefly's home. Sheer Jet and Magnolia each lay a hoof on Firefly's shoulders, guiding her towards the door as Sundaze and Amethyst bring up the rear, all the while giving soothing words of encouragement and excitement to keep the air around them light and relaxed. Firefly is in a dizzying daze of anticipation and excitement. While it’s only uncomfortable at the moment, she has an idea of what was coming and is already dreading the actual delivery. Fear and excitement pulse through her. If things go according to plan, she'll soon be holding her own little bundle of joy in her hooves. Rose Valley flies towards the weather team's office, Firefly's maternity bag strapped to her back. She flings the door open frantically, startling some of the members relaxing in the lounge in seeing the usually-composed mare so frazzled. She quickly glides down the halls to find Firefly's husband, Spectrum Streak, in the mess hall with a few of his teammates. "Spectrum!" the mare calls. The stallion's ears perk up at his name and he turns his head to see one of his wife's best friends flying towards him with an anxious expression. His smile drops, knowing something is going on. "Rose? What happened?" he asks while standing up from the table. Valley takes a few short breaths before giving him the two words he'd been waiting to hear for a while now: "It's time." Spectrum Streak's eyes grow to be the size of dinner plates as his ears stand straight up on his head. Without a second thought, he wolfs down the rest of his hayburger and bids his teammates goodbye, getting a few "good lucks" as he flies out of the building with Rose Valley close behind. "When did this happen?" he asks her as they fly. "We went to Amethyst's because she had bought Firefly some baby clothes. Right in the middle of thanking her, her water broke and we brought her out as quickly as possible," Rose explains. The Azura County Hospital suddenly comes into view, and Spectrum flies faster, braking hard as he skids across the cloudwalk. Rose lands as he comes to a stop, and both of them run into the hospital. “I’m sorry for the sudden fly-in,” Spectrum apologizes as he regains his breath. “I’ve been told that my wife’s water broke, and I need to see her.” The receptionist smiles in understanding as she looks at her screen. "Of course, sir, can I have a name, please?” she asks politely. “Firefly.” The mare types up the name and looks through a file before looking up and pointing down a hallway. "She's in room 1127 down in the delivery wing of the ER sector. From what the doctors say in the most recent update, she's progressed rather quickly, so you might wanna hurry. Make sure to stop at the desk for your hoofbands before finding her," she informs him. The stallion utters a quick thank you before hastily galloping down the hallway, Rose right on his tail. It only takes a moment for the receptionist at the next desk to print out and tie off the informative bracelet around their hooves before Rose hands him Firefly’s maternity bag and Spectrum is down the hall again to find his wife. Rose Valley sighs in relief as she turns around. She sees her friends sitting in the corner of the waiting area, talking amongst themselves as they wait. She walks over to them, engaging in their conversation shortly after she sits down. They all did their part; now all they can do was wait. An hour or two passes before the loud wails of a baby are heard from down the hall. The five mares in the waiting room look at each other in mild curiosity. "Do you think it's theirs?" Sundaze asks no one in particular. To answer her question, Spectrum Streak walks into the room with a tired smile on his face. "She did it, you guys," he says simply. The mares sigh in relief and relax a bit as Amethyst sits up a bit. "Are we allowed to see her?" she asks him. The stallion nods and the mares quietly follow him down the hall. When they come to the door, the doctor is just walking out. He gives Spectrum Streak a smile of congrats before walking down the hall towards the lobby. Spectrum carefully opens the door and the mares file in one by one, gasping quietly at the precious sight before them. A very tired, but proud and astonished Firefly, holds a little foal wrapped up in a red blanket in her arms. Her electric blue mane was messy and matted, but her tired smile is a smile nonetheless as she looked down at her newborn foal. She looks up and gently motions with her head for her friends to come over as Spectrum makes his way next to his wife. "Oh, Firefly... he's beautiful," Amethyst coos as she looks down at the little colt. He has a red coat and orange mane and tail, and little red wings are folded gently against his back. The foal opens his eyes to reveal beautiful magenta-pink orbs. "He is, isn’t he…?" Firefly says softly, still smiling down at her son. "Have you guys picked a name for him, yet?" Sheer Jet asks, looking over at the new parents. Firefly picks up her gaze to meet her husband's, and they have a brief conversation through their eyes before smiling. "Heat Wave," Spectrum Streak answers, placing a hoof underneath his son's head. "His name is Heat Wave." "It's perfect," Rose Valley comments. “It’ll suit him wonderfully,” Magnolia smiles at the little family. The little family of three are very happy for the next year. Then, their family expands to a family of five. Then, eight. Then, nine... Oh, boy. > Chapter 1 - Baby Girl > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Six years later . . . It’s summer again in Equestria, and Firefly is once again in Azura County Hospital, this time giving birth to her seventh child. Since she had her first colt, Heat Wave, she and Spectrum Strike conceived twice more. However, those two pregnancies resulted in five more colts. First were the twins, Sun Strike and Lightning Strike, who were birthed two years after Heat Wave. Then, miraculously enough, a set of triplets arrived two years later - Forest Mist, Cold Flurry, and Rolling Thunder. Heat Wave had just recently turned six-years-old, and has proved to be a very energetic and caring colt. With little brothers close to his age, he spends a lot of time with them and does his best to be a good big brother. Heat learned that he was a role model for his brothers at an early age, and he is very determined to be a good one. Even at his young age, he is very family-oriented, and he loves his brothers very much. He was absolutely ecstatic to learn that another sibling was on the way. Heat Wave's newly-discovered Cutie Mark is a bright yellow sun with three thin rings of fire radiating outward from it, earned by helping his father create heat waves during the summer. He doesn’t have the best grasp on it just yet, but he’s eager to learn, and that makes the child that much more endearing. Sun Strike and Lightning Strike, the twins, are four-years-old and are very, very closely-knit. Sun Strike is the older twin by two minutes and is known as the big ball of smiles and sunshine, always doing his best to make his family and friends smile and be happy. He just recently-earned Cutie Mark - a yellow smiling sun with sun rays shining freely and peeking through some clouds - was discovered by him realizing his talent of creating bright sunny days or spotlights through the clouds. He has an orange coat the same color as Heat Wave's hair and a nice shade of lightning yellow for his mane and tail. His eyes are a beautiful shade of golden-amber. Lightning Storm, however, differs from his twin a bit and is more on the crazier side. Like his name implies, Lightning Strike is very energetic and unpredictable and is known for being the family’s little daredevil. Because of his non-existent fear of hurting himself, he's a big ball of energy, adrenaline, and child-like aggressiveness. Firefly and Spectrum Streak have had multiple instances where he’ll give them a large scare, and him always pulling his brothers into his rambunctious games never help very much. Lightning Storm has yet to earn his cutie mark, but his family suspects it might have something to do with his reckless behavior and daring mannerisms. He has an electric shade of yellow for his coat and feathers, identical to the shade of Sun Burner's mane and tail, and a nice forest green for his own mane and tail. His eyes are a stormy gray-blue. Forest Mist, Cold Flurry, and Rolling Thunder turn two-years-old in a few months and are just as closely knit altogether as the twins are. Forest Mist, the eldest triplet, has proven to be calmer than his brothers, though that's bound to change at some point. He has his moments where he can be a typical crazy toddler, but most of the time, he's a rather good boy. Still learning how to pronounce certain letters and sounds, Mist is an adorable goody-two-shoes that tries his best to stay on the good side of ponies and the safe side of the barrier, unlike Lightning Strike who throws himself at anything and everything dangerous and risky for a young colt. However, Mist is slowly showing signs of being a very smart colt and is being influenced by his brothers to be a little more sneaky - well, as sneaky as a toddler can get. Forest Mist’s naturally-quiet nature allows him to get away with things more than his brothers can. This sneakiness comes in handy whenever he steals the cookie jar for his brothers. His knack for being a good boy keeps him from getting caught, so any of his five brothers normally take the blame. Forest has Lightning Strike’s forest-green mane color as his coat color and has a nice shade of bright blue for his mane and tail, his eyes a sky blue color. Cold Flurry is the middle triplet, and like Forest, he has also proven to be a very clever colt. He figured out how to create makeshift snow not too long ago, although it was by complete accident. He also has shown to have a great love of the cold, so winter has become his best friend. While his family is bundled up in heavy-duty winter attire, he'll be standing around with nothing but a sweater and scarf, despite how much his mother scolds him for not being keeping his other attire on. He has a bright blue coat and wing color, exactly like Forest Mist's blue mane and tail, and has a nice shade of purple as his own mane and tail color. His eyes are a gray-purple in color. And then, there's Rolling Thunder, the youngest triplet and brother. Like how Cold Flurry loves the cold, Rolling Thunder loves the rain, especially thunderstorms. Whenever he hears the strong sound of heavy rain pounding on the roof, or a clap of thunder echoing through the sky, or sees a bright flash of lightning over the clouds, he gets indescribably excited. Thunder has a purple coat and wing color just like Cold Flurry's mane and tail color and has a red mane and tail color exactly like Heat Wave's coat and wing color, and his eyes are a nice shade of royal blue. All six brothers are very closely-knit and are a nice little band of troublemakers. While they have their moments, they are a very rowdy but friendly bunch and spend the majority of their time with one another. The biggest thing that has brought them together is airball, an airborne version of soccer. It was their parents’ favorite sport as kids and is still, to this day, a very popular game in most pegasus-heavy communities. Heat Wave, even at his young age, shows a lot of potential to be an amazing airball player one day, and his brothers follow the eldest colt in suit. Firefly loves all of her boys with everything she has, husband included, but she had wanted a little filly to raise as well. At least one. Never in a million years did she expect to have as many children as she did, but she had secretly wanted to have a big family. Growing up as an only child, she wanted more than one child so her children wouldn't be as lonely as she was around the house. She said she'll be done after this last foal, colt or filly. She is hoping for a filly, though; and admittedly, so is Spectrum Streak. In the waiting room are Firefly's friends who are watching her six sons along with some of their own children. Amethyst and Jet Storm sit next to each other while carrying their little fillies. Amethyst had her first child nearly a year ago, a filly named Diamond Platinum. Jet Storm’s curse on her disastrous love-life had lifted a few years ago and allowed her to marry happily. She had a filly around the same time that Amethyst had Diamond Platinum. They sit side by side while watching over Lightning Strike and Forest Mist, who are playing with little pony action figures on the floor in front of them. Nearby are Magnolia and Rose Valley. Rose Valley had a little filly named Fluttershy a few months ago, whom she is carrying in her arms now, and Magnolia is a few months pregnant with her fourth child. She had a set of twins around the time Firefly’s twins were born. They both make small talk as they watch over Cold Flurry and Rolling Thunder, who are sitting together on the floor in front of Fluttershy. Heat Wave and Sun Strike sit on either side of Sundaze, who recently found out she’s pregnant with her second child. "Are you two excited?" Sundaze asks the colts. They nod their heads. "I wonder if it's gonna be another colt or a filly," Sun Strike thinks out loud. "I think it might be a colt," Heat says to his brother. Sundaze arches an eyebrow. "And why is that?" she asks him. "Well, I only have little brothers. This next one should be a colt, too, right?" he asks innocently. Sundaze chuckles lightly. "But what if it ends up being a filly? Would you still like her?" she inquires lightly The oldest colt nods. "Yeah, but I wouldn't know what to do with her. I mean, other fillies usually play dress up and all of that other girly stuff," he says, recalling the fillies he's met and seen in school. Sundaze smiles. "You're mother definitely wasn't like that," she tells him. "Really?" Sun asks. Sundaze nods. "Mmhm. In fact, she spent most of her time practicing flying and playing sports that she ended up disliking dresses and other girly things very much. She had more friends that were colts than mares, did you know that?" They shake their heads "no" as she continues to speak. "You are a family that loves sports, and you're all pegasi. Maybe you two can teach her sports and flying tricks when she gets older - or, better yet, how to be just as good as an airball player as you," she told them. The brothers looked at each other with excitement. Airball is a popular pegasus sport that’s like an airborne version of soccer. All six brothers love the sport, and the older boys really like teaching others how to play airball because of how great they know they are at it for their ages. "That would be so cool!" they say in unison. Sundaze lets out a brief laugh before the doctor walks into the waiting room. She and the other mares look up at him, waiting for an update on their friend. "I am happy to say that Firefly has had a successful delivery - not a single hiccup. A very smooth and healthy process," he says with a smile. The mares sigh in light relief and happiness. Lightning Strike then taps Amethyst's arm, causing the mare to look down at the little colt. "Can we see Mommy now?" he asks her. His brothers overhear his question and ask the same thing. Amethyst has to smile. Lightning and his brothers have asked that question frequently within the past two hours, so knowing that their mother is okay now has made them anxious to see her. Amethyst glances at the doctor who nods his head with an affirmative smile in reply. "Of course we can, sweetheart. Come on, boys, let's go see Mommy," she calls softly to the colts. They follow her down the hall quietly, the mares following closely and carrying the toddlers and infants. They reach Firely's hospital room and carefully peek in to see her and her husband having a quiet conversation. Hearing the door open, Firefly turns her head and her face lightens up when she sees her sons. "Mommy!" they call in unison. Spectrum sees his wife flinch briefly before he softly shushes the boys to quiet down. They trot up to the bed and greet their mother with hugs, all of which she returns and enjoys greatly. Heat Wave, the twins, and Forest Mist sit on the edges of the bed while Cold Flurry and Rolling Thunder lay on either side of their mother. "You look tired, Mom," Heat states, noticing his mother's tired eyes that are normally so full of energy. Firefly lets out a small chuckle before patting her son's head. "Yes, Heat Wave, I'm very tired. But for a good reason," she tells him with a soft smile. "Your belly got smaller, too. Did the foal come out?" Sun Strike asks. Spectrum Streak lets out a small chuckle as Firefly smiles a bit more. "The foal did come out, Burner," she confirms for him. "Ith that why you all tiywed, Mommy?" Forest asks, eyeing his mother's messy mane. His mother continues to smile. Her sons have that child-like innocence that always brings a smile to her face. "Mmhm," she nods. Rose Valley quietly walks over to her best friend, cradling little Fluttershy in her arms. "Do you know if it's a colt or a filly yet? I know how much you wanted a filly," she asks. Heat Wave and Sun Strike perk up at this, remembering their earlier conversation with Sundaze. "Yeah, Mom! Do you know yet?" Heat Wave asks, quietly, but full of energy. "Please say a filly. Please say a filly," Sun Strike says, holding his hooves together like he’s pleading. Firefly and Spectrum laugh lightly. "I thought you two said you wanted the foal to be a colt," Spectrum says. "Hey! We can change our minds!" Sun says defensively. Their father holds up his hooves in fake surrender with a silent chuckle. He catches a glimpse of Sundaze laughing to herself silently and makes the connection on his own with an amused shake of his head. "Sorry, boys, but we don't know if the foal's a colt or filly yet," Firefly tells them just as a nurse opens the door, pushing a baby cart into the room. "But, we're about to find out." Her sons turn their heads and eagerly await the revealment of their new little sibling. "Congratulations! You now have a perfectly healthy little filly," the nurse says softly, carefully giving the foal to her mother. Firefly and Spectrum smile proudly as they gaze upon their first and only little filly. And she is absolutely beautiful. She has a cyan blue coat and wings and a stunning rainbow mane, just like her father's. She lets out a squeaky yawn and opens her eyes, revealing the same dazzling magenta orbs as Heat Wave’s. The nurse smiles at the sight before quietly exiting the room. "Oh, Firefly... she's gorgeous!" Magnolia says with a large smile, looking over the filly's dainty features. "She certainly is. Just like her mother," Spectrum adds on, giving his wife a kiss on her forehead. Her grin widens even more if it’s even possible. She almost can't believe it. She finally received the filly she'd always wanted, and the family she’d dreamed of having is finally complete. She lets a barely-noticeable tear drip down her face as she continues to gaze down at her filly. Firefly can tell just by looking at her, like she had with her sons, that this foal is going to go very far in life. "I have this feeling that she's gonna be a hoofull. I can tell by that slight troublesome gleam in her eye," Jet Storm teases. The adults in the room share a brief chuckle. "Of course she will,” the mother chuckles lightly. “Her brothers certainly were, and some more than others." She sees Heat Wave and his brothers glancing at the little bundle on her arms and gestures softly with her head to come over. "Come here and meet the new foal, boys," she says to them. They carefully crawl over to her and peer at the little face in the bundle of blue blanket, and all smile as they see the newest addition to the family. "She's so cute!" Lightning Strike says, nuzzling his snout very softly against hers, causing the filly to squeal softly before looking at the new faces around her. "Her eyes are the same colors as yours, Heat Wave," Spectrum tells his eldest son. Heat tilts his head slightly, realizing what his father said is very much true. "Oh yeah... they are!" the colt says with a smile. "Ith a fiwy, Momma?" Cold Flurry asks as he peeks over Lightning's shoulder. His mother nods in confirmation. "Yes, Flurry, it's a filly," she told him. "Yay for fiwy!" Rolling Thunder says from his mother's side. Firefly let out a small chuckle and pats his head gently. "That's right, Thunder, it's a filly," she says, trying her best to hold back her laughs. "What are you gonna name her?" Sun Strike chimes in. Firefly looks up at her husband who gives her a soft smile. "You’ve wanted a filly for a while. Why don't you name her?" he suggests softly. Firefly looks down at her filly, then up at her six sons sitting with her on the bed. That's when she notices something incredible - their colors. Red to orange, orange to yellow, yellow to green, green to blue, blue to purple, purple back to red… and then comes her little rainbow-maned filly, who's hair reflects the rainbow on a clear blue sky. Firefly smiles, knowing the perfect name. "How do you feel about ‘Rainbow Dash’?" she asks her husband in a hushed voice. Spectrum Streak smiles at the suggested name. "It's perfect," he says. Firefly smiles and looks back to her sons. "Her name is Rainbow Dash," the mother says. "No doubt she'll live up to it," Magnolia predicts, looking down at the small little filly with a soft smile. "'Rainbow Dash'... I like it!" Sun Strike says, trying the name out for himself. "Our new little sister, huh?" Heat Wave said, looking into the eyes of his baby sister. "Right you are, buddy," his father tells him. "Your little sister, Rainbow Dash."