> Flurry Heart's Story: Calming of the Storm
>  by AleximusPrime
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Knowing Dash, she probably woke the kids up a few hours ago.” Gallus told Flurry, as he and Spike flew with her to Rainbow Dash’s house just outside of Ponyville.  “She used to sleep in a lot, but that all changed when she started having kids.”
“I feel bad I haven’t met her kids yet.” Flurry replied. “I remember meeting Thunderhead a few years ago when Twilight was having a Council of Friendship meeting.”
“Hehe, well her oldest is quite a handful.” Spike told her.
“Oh yeah.  Storm Streak, I believe?”
“That’s him, and then there’s Lightning Flash and she just gave birth Misty Blitz earlier this year.  She’ll be taking Misty with her when she goes to see her parents, but they’ll be back later this afternoon and Thunder usually gets home before supper.”
“Well I can’t wait to see them!”
“Alright, there’s her house.” Gallus said, pointing down.
“Oh, she lives on the ground now?” Flurry asked.
“Yup.  It’s a lot cheaper than a cloudominium, but it’s a cozy little home.”
They all flew down to the ground and made their way to Rainbow Dash’s new house.  It was a nice little home with some adornments that made it resemble houses in Cloudsdale, but was surrounded by hedges and a few trees.  In the front lawn, Flurry could see a scooter and some toy trucks scattered about.  They landed on the road and walked on the pathway to the front door.
“It’s past breakfast so Stormy’s probably in rare form right now.” Gallus jested as he stopped in front of the door and knocked.
A few moments later, the door opened.  Flurry was expecting Rainbow Dash to open, but she looked down to see a young pegasus colt looking at her.  He was blue with hair that consisted of the colors green, blue and purple.  His cutie mark was three yellow lightning bolts, and he had Rainbow Dash’s eyes. This was undoubtedly Storm Streak.
“WHOA!  MOMMY, MOMMY, GALLUS, SPIKE AND THE PRINCESS ARE HERE!!!” he hollered.
“Stormy, how’s it goin’ bud?” Gallus said as he gave Stormy a fist-bump.
Stormy then opened his tiny yet powerful wings and began to fly around Flurry to inspect her.  He was a lot faster than Flurry was expecting, though his cutie mark suggested he was just as talented as his mother.
“Wow!  Your wings are HUUUUUGE!” he said, opening one of her wings up and measuring her feathers. “You must be able to fly really fast with these wings!”
“Hehe, well I’m not that bad at flying.” Flurry bashfully replied.
“She had her first flight the day she was born.” Spike told Stormy.
“Wow, really Spike?!  That’s before when Pound Cake started flying!  THAT’S SO AWESOME!!!” Stormy said, putting his hooves up against both his cheeks and squeezing them hard.
Rainbow Dash finally arrived at the door behind Stormy, as he continued to squeal in excitement.  She had her six-toned rainbow hair cut shorter than it used to be back in her early days as a Wonderbolt and looking somewhat similar to her mother’s.  With a smile, she patted her eager little son on the head to calm him down.

“Alright, kiddo, settle down.” she said as Stormy lowered himself to the ground.
“Mommy, look at the princess’s wings!  Aren’t they cool?” He said, tapping his hooves on the ground.
“I see em, Storm, and remember: we call her Flurry Heart, ‘kay?” she politely reminded him.
“Oh, right, Flurry Heart.  Can I call you Flurry for short?”
“Hehe.  Everypony does.” Flurry replied. “It’s great seeing you again, Rainbow Dash!”
“Back at ya, Flurry!” Rainbow Dash said as she gave Flurry a hug. “Thanks for bringing them over, Gallus.
“No problem, Dash.” Gallus replied.  “She had quite a time at the Cake’s the other day.”
“Oh, I know!  I wish I could have been there, but Pinkie and Cheese stopped by last night to discuss me being one of the bridesmaids.  First Stormy’s cutie mark and now Pinkie’s wedding!  This is shaping up to be quite a year!”
“Not to mention Flurry figuring out who wields the Elements and beating Scutellum!” Spike added, petting Flurry on the head as she blushed.
“What was that battle like?!” Stormy said, zooming up right into Flurry’s face. “Did the changeling breathe fire like a dragon? Or shoot lasers from his eyes?!  I heard they can turn into bigger animals! I saw Ocellus turn into a giant bug one time!  It was so cool!”
“Shhhh, Storm, let’s go easy on Flurry.” Rainbow Dash said, pulling Stormy in next to her with her wing.  “I’m sure she can tell you what the battle was like later, but for now, let’s invite them inside.”
“Well guys, take care!” Gallus said, waving and taking off.
“Thanks, Gallus!” Flurry called back to him.
They all walked inside and Rainbow Dash showed them in to her living room.  There was a smaller pegasus colt sitting on the ground with some toy blocks.  He had a coat that was a lighter shade of blue than his mother’s, hair with streaks of red, blue and yellow, and some blue eyes. He had no cutie mark yet.  Across from him was a baby pegasus filly in a diaper, chewing on one of the blocks.  She had a very bright blue coat, blue hair with yellow streaks in it and large yellow eyes.
“Flash, Misty, look!  We have visitors!” Rainbow Dash said to her kids in a silly voice.
The colt looked over to Flurry and then stood up.   Rainbow Dash went over and picked up the baby and set her next to him.
“That’s Lightning Flash, and this little one’s Misty Blitz. Say hi, guys!  She’s a princess!”
“Hi.” Lightning Flash said, waving as his little sister just smiled and giggled.
“Hey there!” Flurry said, waving back.
Stormy came in and stood next to his siblings while Rainbow stretched her arms around them to line them up.

“This is the gang!” she said. “Stormy, Flashy, and Misty.”
“Are you really a princess?” Lightning Flash asked Flurry.
“Hehe.  Yup.  I don’t really like wearing crowns, but I’m a princess.  You can call me Flurry though.” Flurry responded.
“Flurry and Spike are going to be staying with you guys while I’m out with Grammy and Grampy.”  Rainbow Dash told her kids.
“Yaaaay!  Uncle Spike’s here!” Lightning said, as he and Misty went over to play with Spike.
“Flashy, Misty, how you guys doin’?” Spike said, picking them both up in his arms.
“So how old are they again?” Flurry asked.
“Storm is seven, Flash is five, and Misty’s still a few months old.  They’re growing up fast.  Storm just got his cutie mark earlier this year after he broke a record for the mile-dash for his age group in flight camp.  Everypony said it was the most amazing thing they ever saw.  He left behind these awesome lightning bolt streaks as he did it.  Got himself a trophy and all.  So proud of this little guy!”
Stormy smiled big and cozied up next to his mother as she put her arm around him.  Flurry felt so happy to see that Rainbow Dash started such a close-knit family and that her son was already following in her foot-steps.
“Stormy looks like he really takes after his mother.” Flurry said.
“You bet!” Stormy said.  “Mommy reads me a chapter of Daring Do every night, and we watch the new Power Ponies cartoon every Saturday morning when a new episode comes out!”
“We’re both huge geeks and athletes.” Rainbow Dash added, snickering.
“I take full responsibility for getting him into Power Ponies!” Spike called to Flurry as he ran around the house, letting Flashy and Misty chase him with Stormy eventually joining in.
“So Scootaloo is coming over in a few minutes?” Flurry asked Rainbow.
“Yup.  She’s my go-to mare for whenever I need a babysitter.” Rainbow told her.  “She knows the house like the back of her hoof, and she can handle crazy little Stormy.”
Off to the side, there was a big thump as Stormy tackled Spike to the ground.
“DRAGON-PILE!” Stormy shouted as Flashy and Misty came over and began to bounce on his belly.
Flurry looked on and giggled at the sight.  Rainbow Dash laughed and tried to calm her kids down.
“AAARRGH!  THERE ARE TOO MANY OF THEM!!!” Spike shouted while laughing.  “RAINBOW DASH, HELP ME!  THEY’RE SLAYING THE DRAGON!”



“Alright, alright, you little squirts!” Rainbow said. “Uncle Spike’s not a trampoline you know.  Come on, let’s go show Flurry the rest of the house while we wait for Scootaloo to come over.”
“Ooooh!  Flurry, wanna see my Power Pony action figure collection?!” Stormy said, excitedly to Flurry.
“Sure, Stormy!” Flurry replied.
She filed in with the kids to their toy room with Rainbow Dash and Spike following close behind.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flurry was sitting down in the middle of the floor of the playroom.  Rainbow Dash kept most of the kids’ toys in this room in boxes for them to have fun with throughout the day. She had a Power Ponies play-set in front of her as Stormy flew around with some Power Ponies action figures in his hands, pretending they were fighting each other in midair.
“PEW, PEW, PEW!!  YOU WON’T GET AWAY THIS TIME, MANEIAC!!” he shouted.  “MUAHAHA!  WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT, MASKED MATTER-HORN!!”
“BUT I’M FILI-SECOND!  I’M FASTER THAN YOU, MANEIAC!” said Flashy, bringing in another action figure to join in with his brother.
Flurry giggled at Stormy and his brother as they continued playing with their toys.  She then had an idea to join in.  She reached over and grabbed a larger action figure.
“Speed won’t be enough, Fili-Second!” she said. “I’M SADDLE RAGER!  DON’T MAKE ME ANGRY!” 
“HA!  YOU’RE DONE FOR, MANEIAC!” added Flashy.
Stormy dropped his Maneiac figure to the ground as they all started smacking her with the Power Ponies figures.  Before declaring victory, Misty walked over and used her mouth to throw a little squishy spider on top of her.
“GAH!  SPIDEY!” she said.
“Uh…NOOOO, MY WEAKNESS!!!” cried Stormy, imitating the Maneiac in pain.
“We did it, Power Ponies!  We’ve defeated the Maneiac once again!” Flurry said, putting her figure in the air.
“Oh hey guys, what’d I miss?” Spike said as he put a small figure of Hum-Drum in front of them and the kids began to laugh.
In the doorway, Rainbow Dash watched as Flurry and Spike played with her kids.  Spike then started taking some stuffed animals and piling them on top of the Maneiac toy as the kids joined in.  Flurry walked away towards Rainbow Dash but continued laughing.
“They’re something else, aren’t they?” Dash asked Flurry.
“They sure love their Power Ponies.” Flurry replied. “I’m just sorry I forgot to bring my Radiance action figure to Ponyville.  I had no idea Stormy loved them so much.”
“Yeah, he’s been begging me to get him the Radiance figure lately to complete his collection, but I keep telling him Heart’s Warming Day is coming.”
“I’m guessing he really loves Zapp since you turned into her thanks to that magic comic book a while ago”
“I got him a figure of her for his birthday, but he always wants me to use her when we’re playing since I was Zapp in that weird little adventure.  He even lets me keep her in my room.  Hehe. I guess he’s judged me worthy.”
Suddenly the doorbell rang, and Dash’s ears perked up.
“Oh, that must be Scoot!  Kids, get ready!  Scootaloo’s here!” she called to Stormy and the others.
“SCOOTALOO’S HERE!!!” Stormy shouted. 
They all rushed past their mother to answer the front door.  Stormy got to the door first and pulled it open. A full-grown orange pegasus mare with purple hair appeared in the doorway with a big smile on her face as she looked at Stormy.  Flurry had met Scootaloo briefly a few years ago during one of Twilight’s monthly Council of Friendship meetings along with her friends, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They were now employed at the School of Friendship and Scootaloo was a gym teacher for the sports teams.  In her spare time, she would babysit Rainbow Dash’s kids when she had the chance.  She had clearly grown very fond of them and had been watching over Stormy since he was a baby.
“STORM STREAK!  How’s my little, blue speedster doin’?!” she said, giving Stormy a big hug.
Flash and Misty came in to join the hug.  After they were done, she walked over to give Rainbow Dash and Spike a hug too.  
“Flurry!  Haven’t seen you in a while!” Scootaloo said, patting Flurry on the head.
“Great to see you, Scootaloo!” Flurry replied.
“Glad you’re here, Scoots.” Rainbow said to her old friend. “I haven’t been able to hang out with Mom and Dad for a while and they really wanted to see this Wonderbolts show, so if you wouldn’t mind just watching after them for the next few hours, that would be great.”
“No problem, Rainbow Dash.  These two little trouble makers aren’t goin’ nowhere!” Scootaloo said, pulling in Stormy and Flashy while she gave them noogies.
“Alright.  I just gotta get some things around for Misty and then I’ll take her with me to Cloudsdale.”
“Mommy, I love when Scootaloo babysits us, but can I come? Pleeeease?” Stormy asked his mother.
“Storm, I told you: I really wanted you to stay here to meet Flurry, but next time the Wonderbolts have a show, we’ll go see them together. Kay?”
“Okay.”
Stormy was a bit disappointed at what his mother said, but seemed to quickly shrug it off.  Rainbow Dash then went into her kitchen to get her baby-care bag for Misty. Scootaloo stayed behind with the rest of them.
“So guys, did you hear about what Flurry did the other night?” Scootaloo asked Stormy and Flashy.
“Spike said she found out Gallus and the gang were the new Elements of Harmony!” Stormy replied, enthusiastically.  “They shot the big red monster with a rainbow and he went all like BLOOOOOSH!!!”
“And he was a changeling all along!” Flashy joined in.
“True story.  Flurry and I were there.” Spike said proudly, standing next to the alicorn princess.
“Boy, Flurry’s had quite an adventure so far in Ponyville!” Scootaloo added. “Well hopefully things don’t get too adventurous here today. Time to relax and get to know Dash’s family.  Thunder’s coming over tonight too and we can all watch the Power Ponies Movie!”
“Aw yes!  I never got to see that movie in theaters earlier this year cuz of school!” Flurry said.
“You’re gonna love the movie, Flurry!  It’s the coolest thing ever!” Stormy whooped as he hovered around her.
“Alright, alright, don’t spoil anything, Pipsqueak.” Scootaloo said, putting her hoof on his head as he returned to the ground.
“Well I’ve got everything ready guys!” Rainbow Dash called to them as she was preparing to go out the door with Misty in one of her arms. “I’ll be back later with Grammy and Grampy!  Take care, and you behave, alright Stormy?”
“You got it, Mommy!” Stormy said, saluting to his mother.
Everyone else bid farewell to Rainbow Dash as the door closed and she took off with Misty to Cloudsdale.
“So guys, did you get to show Flurry around the house already?” Scootaloo asked Rainbow Dash’s kids.
“Yeah!  We showed her our Power Ponies figures!  Flurry has a Radiance figure back at her home in the Crystal Empire!”  Stormy said.
“Awesome!  Well hey, I stopped at Sugarcube Corner and got you guys some cookies!  Wanna go eat them in the kitchen?” Scootaloo said, pulling out a bag of treats from her knapsack.
“COOKIES!” Flashy shouted.
“Aw yeah!  Snickerdoodles!” Stormy joined in.
“There’s a few for you in there too, Flurry.  And for you Spike: a giant gem-chip cookie!”
“Oh Scootaloo, you shouldn’t have!” Spike said as his eyes widened and he began to lick his lips.
Scootaloo lead Stormy and Flashy in to the kitchen as Flurry and Spike followed close behind.


A few hours passed and Lightning Flash was taking his afternoon nap.  Stormy was old enough to not need to nap anymore but would rest if he needed to. He obviously still had enough energy to move around today.  Flurry noticed how he would pace around the house, check the clock and look out the window every so often.  When he noticed she was watching him, he would pretend to be distracted by something else like his toys, or he would just fly around in the house.  She was a little worried he was sad about not being able to go to the Wonderbolts show, but Spike thankfully kept him busy by playing with him.  Meanwhile, Flurry was having a conversation with Scootaloo in the living room.
“So after hearing about what happened just outside of Canterlot with the ‘Trio’, my confidence sort of grew.” Scootaloo said as she told Flurry about the time she finally learned to fly. 
“How did you finally do it?” Flurry asked.
“I asked Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to help me out.  We made a little catapult and launched me off a big rock over a pond just in case I fell down.  After a few failed attempts, I finally decided to jump off of a small cliff that had a lake right below it.  They were uneasy to let me do it, but I told them I wasn’t afraid.  I sat there at the top for a few minutes, breathing deeply, and then finally I let myself fall off.  I started flapping and suddenly I felt myself moving like I could control my direction.  When I was about to hit the water, I angled my wings just right and started moving upwards. I kept flapping and before I knew it, I was flying!”
“So all it took was jumping off a cliff?”
“I figured if I put myself in a more frightening spot, it would make me more likely to do it, and it worked!  I only needed one try!  I went over to Rainbow Dash while she was practicing with the other Wonderbolts and surprised her when I just started flying around in front of her. You should have seen the look on her face!”
“I’ll bet she was so happy for you!”
“Oh she was!  I haven’t seen her freak out that much since she BECAME a Wonderbolt!”
“Well I’m glad you learned to fly eventually, even if it was a little later than it is for most pegasi.”
“Yeah, I’m still envious of you, Little Miss Learns-to-Fly-the-Day-She’s-Born!”
“Hehehe!”
“By the way, did Dash show you the rest of the house yet?”
“I saw some of Stormy’s room earlier.  He has a few of his favorite toys set up in there so he wanted to show me a few of them.”
“Did he show you Rainbow Dash’s display room?”
“I don’t believe so?  Is that where she keeps all her Wonderbolts memorabilia?”
“Sure is!  You wanna see it?”
“Definitely!”
Scootaloo hopped down from the couch she was sitting on and walked Flurry up to a room across from Rainbow Dash and Thunderhead’s bedroom. It was a guest room but had some space for a large display cabinet and some mantles.  The cabinet had a glass door with several Wonderbolt flight suits inside.  There were a dozen or so trophies on the mantle and some medals hanging around the wall. To the left were some photos of her with the other members of the team.
“Whoa!” Flurry said, as she stared at the display. “She’s got quite a collection!”
“This is from all the time she had being a Wonderbolt.  I watched her when she won this trophy right here.”
Scootaloo pointed to a large golden trophy with a statue of a pegasus pony flying and wearing goggles.  There were several other trophies with the same shape.  They all seemed to be going in an order of progress that Rainbow Dash accomplished over the years.  Her times for each one got better as time went on.
“I think I was at the show she won this one at!” Flurry said, pointing to another trophy.
“Yup, that was a big one!  Thunder and the boys saw her there too.”
“So how did she meet Thunder?”
Scootaloo then turned to some pictures taken of Rainbow Dash with her husband, Thunderhead.  The photos progressed from when they were dating to their wedding photo to when they first had Storm Streak.
“Well he was flying around just outside of the WB headquarters when she spotted him and really admired his flying.  They had a little chat and got to know each other better and then when the Trio attacked, he showed up and helped the other pegasi distract Tirek.  They started dating not long after that and they quickly fell in love.  They were married a year later and then Stormy came along and the family was started.  Dash turned into one awesome mother.” 
“And she quit the Wonderbolts before Misty was born?”
“Yup.  She was going to start maternity leave anyway, but that was when she quit.”
“Glad to hear she enjoyed all of it.  Must feel great for her kids to have a mother that amazing.”



As Flurry and Scootaloo were talking, they didn’t notice that Stormy was behind the doorframe, listening to them as he peeked his head in. He looked happy to hear them talking about how his parents met, but when he heard them mention Rainbow Dash quitting the Wonderbolts, his expression changed.  He looked slightly miffed at the mention of his mother not being in the Wonderbolts anymore.  He moved away from the door and looked around suspiciously until he flew off downstairs. Scootaloo continued to talk about Dash.
“The great thing about Rainbow Dash is that she really matured after meeting Thunder.  Even she admits she was a bit cocky in her youth, but I think becoming a mother was just the thing she needed.  She quit the Wonderbolts to make time for her family.  That alone makes me so proud to say how much I always looked up to her. Her kids are so lucky to have her as a mother.”
“They sure are.”
Flurry looked at one of the family photos of Rainbow Dash with her husband and all her kids.  She felt so happy to see them together like this.  Her experience in Ponyville was great so far because she got to see what it’s like when families get to live happily and don’t have to worry about the enormities of royal life like she did back in the Crystal Empire. As boisterous as Stormy was, she knew it must have been because he was so happy to have her as his mother.  He got to hear all the awesome stories she could tell him of her life, not just as a Wonderbolt, but an Element of Harmony.
“Hey Scootaloo?” Flashy called from downstairs. “I’m awake now. Can we do the hoof painting?”
“Sure, Flashy!  I’ll be right down!” Scootaloo called back.  “Well, looks like Flashy’s ready for some arts and crafts time.  He loves showing me how he draws.  You wanna come join us?”
“Sure!  Does Stormy wanna do it too?”
“He’s not as into it as Flashy is, but who knows, maybe he’ll wanna give it a try this time.”
“Good idea.  I’ll go ask him.”
Scootaloo flew downstairs to get things ready for Flashy while Flurry flew off to find Stormy.  Little did she know, Stormy was already waiting for her in the toy room, but he wasn’t in the mood for hoof-painting.  He had big plans, but he needed Flurry to help him out.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


	Chapter 3

Flurry flew into the toy room to find Stormy.  She expected to see him over by the toy box, playing with his action figures, but he was standing in front of one of the windows, staring outside.
“Stormy?” she asked.
“Flurry!  There you are!” he said, turning around and running over to her.
“What were you looking at outside?”
“Canterlot!  That’s where the Wonderbolts show is that Mommy went to!”
Stormy looked around and made sure that no one was in the doorway listening to them and began whispering to her.
“Flurry, you wanna go?”
“Uh…go where?”
“The Wonderbolts show of course!  We might make it in time for the rest fo the show before autographs!”
“Wait, you mean like sneaking off to go there?”
“Yeah, Scootaloo’s distracted right now and Spike’s asleep. Look!”
Stormy pointed over to the corner where Spike was lying down on his back.  There was a comic book on his belly that he was in the process of reading before he dozed off.
“But Stormy, you know we can’t just go off to see the show, right?”
“Sure we can!  You can do that cool teleporting thing!  We could go there and then we can come right back here real quick!”
“Well, technically that wouldn’t work.  I can’t teleport that far yet and if I could, I can only appear in an area I’m familiar with and the only two places in Canterlot I know well enough are most of the rooms in Twilight’s palace and Donut Joe’s.”
“Aw.  Well…well we can just fly up there then.”
“But Stormy, we’ll be in huge trouble if we do.  That’s running away.  Rainbow Dash has told you not to run away, right?”
“Well Mommy’s not here right now, and I just…I gotta get to that show!  Come on Flurry, pleeeease?!”



Stormy hopped up and down on his hooves with a smile from ear to ear.  Flurry looked scared.  She wasn’t sure how to deal with this little colt.  She didn’t want to make him angry, but she knew she had to do the right thing regardless.  She took a deep breath and continued.
“No Stormy.  I just can’t let that happen.  I came here to befriend you today and a good friend wouldn’t lead another friend to trouble.”
Stormy stopped smiling and looked rather grumpy.
“It’s okay.  We can always go another time.  Tell you what: the next time there’s a Wonderbolts show, I’ll see if I can get my parents to send us some free tickets and we’ll all go together.  We can even bring Pound and Pumpkin along.”
Stormy sighed and waited a few seconds till he finally seemed to understand.
“Okay.”
“Awesome!  Well hey, Scootaloo and Flashy are gonna start hoof-painting.  Wanna join in?”
“I guess so.”
Stormy started smiling again and Flurry thought perhaps he had finally come around.
“Great!  Hey Spike?” Flurry called to her dragon friend.
“Uh…um…oh!  How long was I asleep?” he asked, getting up off of the ground.
“Not long.  Me and Stormy are going to go do hoof-painting with Scootaloo and Flashy if you wanna join us.”
“Oh sure!  You ready Stormy?” Spike said.
“I’m ready.” Stormy replied.
They all went into the kitchen where Flashy was sitting at the table and Scootaloo was looking around for some paint bottles.  The table was covered in newspaper so Flashy would not make a mess and there was a bowl of water next to him.  Scootaloo finally found the bottles and put them on the table.
“Alright Flashy, what do you wanna paint?” Scootaloo asked him.
“I’m gonna paint Flurry!” Flashy said, excitedly.
“Awesome!  Show her what you’ve got!”
“Oh, well I probably won’t be that noticeable on white paper.” Flurry told Flashy. “Here, let me mix in a tiny bit of magenta with the white and I might stand out.”
Flurry used her magic to squirt out some paint from the bottles and mix them together.  He immediately dabbed the tip of his hoof in it and started painting on the paper.
“I’m gonna paint your coat color first, Flurry.” he said as he continued to work.
“Flashy, draw me next to her when you’re done!” Stormy told his brother.
“Good idea, Stormy!” Scootaloo replied. “You’re doing great there, Flashy!  Let me go see if we have any colors close to aqua in the cupboard back here.”
Scootaloo went back to look for more paint while everyone else watched Flashy.  Stormy continued watching, but kept looking closely at Flurry and Spike.  When he had the chance, he finally snuck off and started walking quietly up the stairs.  Once he was at the top, he went to the window between his parents’ bedroom and the guest room and slowly opened it.
“If Flurry’s not gonna help me, then I’m gonna have to do it myself.” he said as he flew out.
He forgot to close the window behind him, but he made it through and took off to Canterlot.  Back down in the kitchen, Scootaloo put more paint on the newspaper for Flashy and he started coloring Flurry’s hair on the picture.
“He’s pretty good!” Flurry said.
“Yup, a little future artist here, no doubt.” Scootaloo added.
“So we’ve got the future artist and the future Wonderbolt so far. Right Stormy?” Spike said as he turned his head, but could not see Stormy anywhere. “Stormy?  Where’d ya go?”
Flurry suddenly had a worried look on her face and looked to the side to see Stormy was no longer next to her.  She remembered what he was saying earlier about wanting to sneak out to see the Wonderbolts show, and a feeling of panic suddenly took her.
“Eh, he probably went to the bathroom or get his own paint or something.” Scootaloo told Spike.
“Uh, guys…actually…” Flurry said as she began to walk in towards the stairs.
She noticed a bit of a draft coming in to the house and felt it coming from upstairs.
“Flurry?  What’s the problem?” Spike asked.
“I think…I think Stormy might have run off.” she said.
“Oh he’s fine.  He likes to sneak off like that sometimes.” Scootaloo told them.
“No, Scootaloo, look!”
Flurry flew up the stairs with Spike and Scootaloo following behind.  She pointed to the window.  It was open all the way and the curtains were windswept.
“I’m sure he’s still around, he might’ve just left the window open to let some air in.” Spike said, trying to calm Flurry down.
“He asked me earlier if we could sneak off to the Wonderbolts show.  I told him we can’t do it and I thought he listened, but I think he actually did it by himself!” Flurry cried.
“Alright everyone, let’s not panic.  STORMY!?  WHERE ARE YOU!?” Scootaloo said, calling Stormy while flying around the house to find him.
They all began to check each room in the house: the bedrooms, the living room, the toy room, even the cellar.  Scootaloo knew Rainbow Dash’s house very well and eventually she started to see Flurry was right.
“STORMY?!  STORMY!!!” Scootaloo said as she continued to zip all over the house, checking every single nook and cranny she could imagine.
“I haven’t found him either Scoot.” Spike said, meeting her in the living room.
“I tried using a low-level x-ray spell and I can’t find him anywhere either.” Flurry said, coming downstairs.  “He’s not even in the attic!”
“Oh nononono!  Dash is gonna kill me!” Scootaloo said, frantically.
“It’s the Wonderbolts show!  He went there, I just know it!” Flurry told her.
“Then we’ve got to go there!”
Scootaloo flew around the house, locking doors from inside and turning off lights.  She went into the kitchen and grabbed the keys to the front door and checked to make sure the oven was off.
“Did Stormy run off?” Flashy asked her.
“We think he went to the Wonderbolts show.  Come on, Flashy.  We’re gonna go find your brother.”
Flashy jumped down from his high-chair and followed Scootaloo, Flurry, and Spike out the front door.  Scootaloo locked the door behind them.  Since Flashy wasn’t able to fly very long just yet, Spike picked him up to carry him.  Flurry took the bag that she had brought with her, which had the Journal of Friendship inside.  She had a feeling this day would end with a friendship lesson that Stormy might need. Scootaloo hid the key underneath a nearby rock that Rainbow Dash showed her in case she would need to leave the house one day.
“Alright, guys, let’s find him.  Stormy, you naughty little colt!  You’d better be there!” Scootaloo said as they took off to Canterlot.


Just outside of the gates of Canterlot, Stormy flew onward. He eventually stopped and realized that he’d have to get in past the guards whether he chose to walk in through the gate or flew over it.  Princess Twilight had guards keeping watch of the skies these days, especially since there were concerns about Queen Chrysalis returning.  Either way, he would need a ticket to a special event or some other form of clearance to get past them, which meant he wouldn’t be able to get in at all.  Stormy stopped flying and landed behind a bush to make sure they wouldn’t see him. He then realized there was a unicorn family arriving to the gates with a baby-stroller, but the mother was holding the baby with her magic while feeding her.  He waited patiently till they walked by and then snuck into the stroller.
“Welcome to Canterlot.  Can we see your clearance?” one of the guards asked.
The father unicorn flashed a small ticket to them and they were finally in past the gates. Stormy figured he could hide in this stroller so he wouldn’t be spotted, but the mother eventually had to put her baby back.  He quickly zoomed out of the stroller and hid underneath a nearby vendor table.  He lifted the cloth draped over the table to get a good look around.  The streets were full of ponies on their way to various events taking place in the city, while others were just going about their business and buying things in the market. He noticed some ponies carrying Wonderbolt-themed goods, talking about how great the show was.  This most likely meant the show was already done.
“Oh no, I’m too late!  Oh wait, they’re still doing autographs.  Good, I just gotta get to Spitfire.  I’m gonna have to make sure nopony sees me.  I can’t let Mommy know I’m here just yet.” he said to himself as he began to slink around underneath all the vendor tables ahead.
He saw someone with a large cart full of apples inside that was headed for the area the Wonderbolts did their show in.  He quickly jumped inside the cart and hid himself underneath he apples, waiting till he was close enough to the racetrack.  Meanwhile, Flurry, Spike, Flashy, and Scootaloo were all flying over to the gates to get inside.
“Welcome to Canterlot.  May we see…oh, Flurry Heart, is that you?” the guard asked, instantly recognizing the princess of the Crystal Empire.
“We’ve got a bit of a situation, sirs.” Flurry said, bowing politely to the guards.
“Rainbow Dash’s son ran off and we think he went to the Wonderbolts show!” Scootaloo told the guards.
“The Wonderbolts show?  That was done almost a half hour ago.” the other guard told her.
“Are the autographs still going?”
“Well they do autographs for about two hours until they close the whole place down.  You might catch him waiting in line.  We’ll let the other guards know he’s missing.”
“Thank you so much!  Come on, guys, hurry!”
The guards lowered their spears and the four of them rushed in. The crowd of ponies in the streets would make it very difficult to find Stormy, but Scootaloo was certain he had already made his way to where the show was being held.
“We best head to the racetrack.  If any of you guys see Rainbow Dash and her parents, let me know.” Scootaloo told them.  “I hate to stress her out, but if anyone can find him, it’s her.”
“Stormy!!  Where are you?” Flurry began to call for the mischievous little colt.
“STORM!  HEY!” Spike joined in.  “Don’t worry, Flashy.  We’ll find your brother.”
“I hope he’s okay.” Flashy replied.
On Stormy’s end, he had gotten close enough to where the racetrack was.  It was a one-sided stadium that was built some time after Twilight became leader. The bleachers were on the inside while there were concession stands located on the outer side for snacks and merchandise.  The autograph lines were usually located somewhere out there.  Stormy had been to this racetrack before with his mother and remembered where he could find the line for autographs.  He quickly exited the apple cart and headed to the entrance. There were guards waiting there too, so he tagged along with a large group of kids since they didn’t notice him in the back.  The chaperons gave the guards their tickets.  Stormy was finally inside and left the group to search for the autograph line.  He eventually saw Spitfire at a table a few yards away with the other Wonderbolts.
“There she is!” Stormy said, grimly.
Ignoring the rope barrier and long line in front of him, he zoomed forward to meet her, but was stopped by a tall security guard pony, wearing sunglasses, a blazer, and a hearing device wrapped around his ear.
“Whoa there, kid!” the officer said, putting his hoof in front of Stormy. “You gotta wait in line just like the rest of them.”
“What?  But that line is too long!  I need to see Captain Spitfire now!” he shouted at the guard.
“Sorry kid, but rules are rules.  Where are your parents anyway?  Is somepony with this kid?”
“Hold on, officer.” said Spitfire, walking forward. “That’s Rainbow Dash’s son.  I’ll take it from here.”
“Oh.  My apologies, Captain.”
Near the entrance, Scootaloo and the others had already made their way past the guards and she desperately began to ask some random ponies for help.
“Have you seen a little blue colt with blue, green, and purple hair?  He’s got a cutie mark with three yellow lightning bolts!” she said to them.
“Scoot!  Over there!” Spike said, pointing to the front of the autograph line where Spitfire began to talk to Stormy.
“So kid, what brought you out here?  I thought Dash just came with her parents today.” Spitfire asked him.
“What brought me here?  I’ll tell you what brought me here!” Stormy began to rant at her.
“STORMY!!!” Scootaloo, Spike, and Flurry all shouted, standing behind the rope.
Stormy looked to the side to see all of them.  He was shocked they had already caught up and found him.
“Storm Streak, get over here this instant!” Scootaloo barked.
“No, Scootaloo!” he called back.  “I need to tell her something!”
Stormy then turned back to an already confused Spitfire and began to hover in front of her to look more intimidating.  Flurry put her hooves to her cheeks and Spike began to bite his claws rapidly.  Scootaloo felt powerless to stop him and did not want to cause even more of a scene, so she was already too late to intervene.  Stormy was already asserting himself too much for her to be able to stop him.  He had been waiting for this moment for a while now to confront the captain of the Wonderbolts and he finally had his chance to call her out.
“YOU KICKED MY MOTHER OUT OF THE WONDERBOLTS!” he snapped.
The others gasped loudly at he sound of Stormy’s words.  Spitfire looked at him, with her mouth hanging open and her eyes widened.  The security guards around him and a few of the other Wonderbolts looked very confused.
“Oh no…” Flurry said.


> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stormy continued to loom over Spitfire.  He had his arms crossed and still looked very angry.  The other Wonderbolts were confused at what they had just heard.  Spitfire felt humiliated.  She knew this wasn’t true, but she couldn’t understand why Rainbow Dash’s own son threw such an accusation at her.  She struggled to respond to him.
“You…you think I kicked your mom out of the Wonderbolts?” she asked.
“Yes, that’s the reason she’s no longer in it!” he barked at her.
The guards let Scootaloo and the others by since they could already tell Stormy belonged to them.
“Spitfire, I’m sooooo sorry about this!” Scootaloo said, rushing in between them.
“Stormy, come on, you know Spitfire would never do that to your mother!” Spike said.
“Stormy, is this the reason you wanted me to run off with you to the show?” Flurry asked.
“Yes, Flurry.  Mommy was a great Wonderbolt, but she had no reason to leave so Spitfire must have kick-“
“Storm Streak?!  Is that you?!”



Stormy stopped talking and looked up to see where the voice came from.  He saw Rainbow Dash hovering in the air as she held Misty Blitz.  She was with both of her parents, Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof. They both appeared scared, but Rainbow did not look happy with what she was seeing.  She motioned for Windy to hold Misty while she would handle Stormy. She flew down and landed in front of her son to talk with him.  Stormy finally landed on the ground.  He was a bit scared at first that his mother had found him like this, but his expression quickly returned to anger.  He wasn’t going to give up on Spitfire just yet.
“Storm, what are you doing here?  I told you to stay home!” she said, firmly.
“I came to tell her off, Mommy!” he said, pointing to the Captain of the Wonderbolts.
“I’m sorry, Dash.  I don’t know what’s gotten into him.” Spitfire said, nervously.
“Don’t be sorry, Spit.  My son’s got some explaining to do.”
“Mommy, she kicked you out!  I just know it!” Stormy began to explain to his mother.
“Storm, I told you, I quit the Wonderbolts myself.  Your father told you that too.”
“No Mommy, you wouldn’t just quit the Wonderbolts.  You were so good at it, you had no reason to quit!”
“Had no reason?”
Rainbow Dash stood and thought for a second.  She realized now that her son had taken her retirement rather badly, he just didn’t realize why she did it.  He never told her how angry he was about it so she figured he understood, but she didn’t think he would blame it on Spitfire.  He clearly had this day planned for a while now.
“Storm, I did have a reason: I quit because you guys needed me. I needed to be a stay-at-home mom.” she explained.
“You…you did it because of us?” Stormy said, puzzled.
“Yeah, I couldn’t tackle being both a Wonderbolt and a mother at the same time so I decided to retire early and stick with my family.”
Stormy looked down at the ground and thought hard, but he couldn’t figure it out.  At seven years, he hadn’t really understood the importance of what his mother was saying. He thought for certain he was right about Spitfire, but he was in disbelief that his mother would actually willingly quit something she was so good at.  It made him almost feel disappointed in her.
“I don’t understand.  You’re not a quitter, Mommy.”
“Stormy, here, this might help.” Flurry said, walking in next to him with the Journal of Friendship.  “First of all, you know your mother was the Element of Loyalty once, right?”
“Yeah, one of the Elements of Harmony.  She’s told me all about her adventures: how she beat bad guys like Lord Tirek.”
“Yes, that’s right, but here’s how she did it…”
She opened the book up to a page that showed pictures of Rainbow Dash getting ready for the Equestria Games at Rainbow Falls.  Stormy couldn’t read very big words just yet so she had to explain things for him from the book.



“Back when she and her friends were representing Ponyville for the Equestria Games, the Wonderbolts offered for her to join their team since they thought she’d be better off with them, but in the end, she had to choose Ponyville.  She had to choose loyalty.  If it weren’t for her decision, she wouldn’t have gotten the Wonderbolts pin from Spitfire, which was one of the six keys they needed to beat Tirek.  Don’t you see?  If she hadn’t remained true to her Element of Harmony…”
“Then Tirek would have won.” Stormy said, finishing her sentence as he started to realize what she was talking about.
“Exactly!”
“But how does that mean she should have quit the Wonderbolts?”
“Because she loves you, Stormy.  She chose you and your brother and sister over the Wonderbolts, and that’s not a bad thing.”
Stormy raised his eyebrows a little and his ears perked up. He had finally figured everything out.
“I didn’t quit the Wonderbolts because I wanted to, Storm. I did it because I had to.  I wanted to stay with you guys.  Sometimes we have to give up one dream to follow another.” Rainbow Dash said, putting her hoof under her son’s chin.
“And I never once held it against her for doing so.” said Spitfire, putting her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder as a few of the other Wonderbolts gathered around her.  “We enjoyed having her, but everypony’s gotta move on at some point.”
“Plus, if I didn’t do it, I wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with you, Flashy and Misty like I do.  Scoot’s a great foalsitter, but she’s busy over at the School of Friendship sometimes and your father’s got a full-time gig for the Ponyville weather-control.  I was really starting to miss you guys, so in the end, I was happy to retire if it meant spending more time with my awesome kids.”
Stormy no longer looked angry.  He appeared sad now and felt very bad for what he had done.  He finally got why his mother had to quit and why her tendency to be loyal to others was her greatest strength.  Flurry was right: Rainbow Dash’s loyalty had helped them defeat powerful foes in the past, and although he didn’t realize it till now, it helped to bring them closer as a family.
“I…I guess I didn’t think about that.” he said. “You’re right, Mommy.  You did have a good reason for quitting.”
“There.  Now what do you say to Spitfire?”
Stormy walked up to Spitfire and spoke to her rather bashfully.



“I’m sorry, Captain Spitfire.  I shouldn’t have blamed you.  I just didn’t know why my mom quit so I got angry with you.  I won’t do it again.”
“Aw, no worries, kid.  We all make mistakes.” she said, patting him on the head as a smile began to form on his face.  “I can understand wanting to stand up for your mother like that.  Rainbow Dash sure is something else.  And I can definitely see where you get your spunk from now too. Ya know, it’s impressive how you were able to make it this far to me without getting caught by any of the guards. You just might make some good Wonderbolt material one day.”
Stormy’s eyes widened and he smiled huge as he looked back at his mother and began to tap his hooves on the ground in excitement over what Spitfire just said.
“Alright, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves just yet.” Rainbow laughed as she put her wing around her hyperactive son.
“Aw, Stormy, you scared us for a minute there!” said Windy as she and her husband walked in to talk with their grandson.
“We’re glad to see you’ve learned your lesson though.” Bow added.
“Thanks Grampy.” Stormy replied.  “Sorry you had to see that.  I shouldn’t have gotten mad.”
Rainbow watched with a smile on her face as her son went in to hug his grandparents.  She then turned to Flurry.
“Thanks for the help there, Flurry.” she told her. “That entry was a pretty crazy time in my life, but it was really awesome how you used that for Stormy.  He’s already learning the importance of loyalty.”
“Happy to help.” Flurry replied as she put the Journal of Friendship back in her bag.
Behind them, Scootaloo had been hovering anxiously next to Spike, hoping things would work out, and she was relieved to finally see the issue resolved.  She wiped her forehead clear of the sweat on it and let herself fall into Spike’s arms.
“PHEW!  Glad that got taken care of!” she said.
Spike smiled, shook his head back and forth and rolled his eyes while Flashy giggled at the sight.



Everyone returned to the house and began to prepare supper. After they were done eating, they waited for Thunderhead to get home from work.  Stormy was playing with a small plushie of Spitfire he dug out from his toy box, now that he had put aside his anger with her.  Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash were watching Flashy finish his painting and Flurry was at a small desk, writing her friendship report to her aunt.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
There comes a time in somepony’s life when they have to give up one thing to pursue something else.  We all move on to greater things, but when it comes to something really important like family, choosing family is the right thing to do.  It never hurts to follow your dreams, but sometimes we are called to focus on what matters more, like a loving spouse or children that you need to be there for.  Your good friend Rainbow Dash reminded me today how loyal she is and that she was right to quit the Wonderbolts, even if she loved being one.  Her son, Storm Streak learned this today, and he’s very happy to know his mother loved him so much that she chose him over her dream.
Your niece,
Flurry Heart


Flurry finished writing her letter and handed it to Spike. After he sent the letter, Stormy and Flashy came to Flurry and showed her Flashy’s painting of her and Stormy.
“Aw.  It looks great, Flashy!” she said as she held the painting on her hoof.
“Thanks for helping me today, Flurry.” Stormy told her.  “You were right about Mommy: she was right to stay with us.  You’re an awesome friend!”
Stormy and Flurry hugged as Rainbow Dash and her parents watched with big smiles on their faces.
“You’re welcome, Stormy.” Flurry replied. “We’ll have to get together again soon with Pound and Pumpkin.”
“Yeah, and we need to introduce you to Apple Chip and Annie Smith!”
“Of course; Applejack’s twins.  I’d love to see them too!”
“Alright everyone, we’ve got the Power Ponies Movie ready to watch!  Who wants some popcorn?!” Bow said as Windy turned on their TV monitor.
“ME!!” Stormy and Flashy shouted in unison.
They all went to the living room to gather in front of the TV. Rainbow Dash had already seen this movie so she began to clean up around the house a bit until she heard the front door open.  She looked to see her husband, Thunderhead walk in.  Thunder was a greyish blue pegasus stallion.  His mane and tail were darker blue and had a yellow lightning-bolt shaped streak going through it.  His cutie mark was a dark cloud with a bolt of lightning underneath.  He was wearing a work vest for this weather-pony job and put it on a nearby coat-hanger.
“Dash, I’m home!” he said.
“Hey, you!” she said as she walked over to him and rubbed her nose against his.
“How’d it go with Flurry?”
“It went great!  We had a little issue with Stormy earlier, but it’s all been taken care of now.”
“Uh oh.  What did he do this time?”
“Well, let’s just say we really should have talked with him more about why I quit the Wonderbolts.  I guess he thought Spitfire actually kicked me out cuz he had a hard time believing I would even quit.  Thankfully, Flurry told him about that one time I had to choose my friends over the Wonderbolts and he gets it now.  I don’t think it really registered in his head just yet that my family is way more important.”
“Aw, poor Stormy.  Well I’m glad you got that worked out with him.”
Thunder put his wing around her and gave her a kiss on her forehead as they snuggled up to each other.
“I’m glad you made the right decision too, Dash.  Our kids are gonna turn out just fine now that you’re stay-at-home.  Our son grew a lot today if you’d ask me.”
Rainbow and Thunder looked into the living room to see everyone in front of the TV.  Stormy and Flurry sat next to each other to share some popcorn while Spike laid down on his belly and allowed Flashy and Misty to sit on his back as he munched on his own popcorn.
“I knew Twilight was right to have Flurry visit Ponyville.” Rainbow continued.  “She’s going to do amazing things here.”



	THE END