1. Rainbow Dash’s heavy sigh made Scootaloo raise her eyes away from the book resting between her hooves. She looked worriedly towards the cyan mare, who closed the cover of her own novel and pushed it away. The two of them were supposed to be having a relaxing girls’ day, but the older pony didn’t seem to be enjoying herself very much.

“Dash? You okay? Need anything? Sandwich? Glass of water?” Scootaloo asked quickly, leaping to her hooves. Rainbow shot an annoyed glance at her adopted sister, trying to shift around her taut, incredibly round belly.

“No, I’m fine. He’s just…trying to get comfortable.” She groaned, trying to convince her unborn son to quit hanging out right on her kidney. Though she’d observed it multiple times over these past few months, the ripple that traveled up and down the mare’s pregnant belly fascinated the orange pegasus. She tilted her head slightly. “It doesn’t seem like he’s got a lot of room.”

“He wants out, I know it. He’s just gotta get the right idea.” Dash said tiredly, tucking her forelegs underneath her and looking rather forlorn. “I just hope that, once he is out, I’ll know what the heck I’m doing.”

Scootaloo frowned. “What do ya mean?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders, slightly mumbling as if she was embarrassed, “I don’t, y’know…know how this is gonna go. I know Soarin is gonna be a good dad, but I need to be a good mom too. I just…don’t know how to do it. Or if I’m going to figure it out in time.” She lifted a wing and covered her face with her primaries, her ears falling. Scootaloo noticed the smallest amount of moisture on the older pony’s cheek, but she didn’t say anything.

Instead, she walked closer to the mare she called her sister, lying beside her and placing a gentle hoof against her swollen tummy. Dash looked up in surprise as the teenager began to quietly speak.

“Hey, little guy. Scootaloo here. I know we’ve chatted once or twice, but there’s somethin’ you gotta know, so listen up. This mare is gonna be the best mom you could ask for. Not every mom is the same. But take it from me, kid – yours is always going to be there for you. She may not always say the right thing, and can be super stubborn. But no matter what happens, no matter what you decide to do, she’s got your back. She’s gonna teach you all the great things about life. I’m gonna help, of course, but she gets first dibs. You’re never going to have to worry kid…because I don’t have to.”

The rainbow-maned pegasus couldn’t help the surge of emotion that crashed over her in that moment (fueled by those ever-annoying hormones). Another set of tears fell from her magenta eyes as she lifted a wing and wrapped it around her little sister, pulling her close and giving her an affectionate nuzzle.

“Thanks kiddo. I’m glad I’ll have you to help me get this right…whenever he finally decides to come out.”

1. Though his birth didn’t go quite as smoothly as hoped (Jet’s antics ended with him tangled up), a few days in the <span class="caps">FICU</span> and that was all he needed, it seemed. This fireball of a foal certainly put his new parents’ skills to the test. Jet was a strong colt, and he walked, talked, and flew earlier than his parents had expected (Dash likes to jokingly blame this on Annie’s influence). Once he gets his wings underneath him, it was a challenge for Soarin and Dash to keep him grounded. At first, its almost a surefire guarantee that Jet was going to follow in his parents’ hoofsteps as a Wonderbolt. However, that doesn’t quite end up being the case after his grandfather introduces him to his record collection, his mother takes him to his first concert, and…

2. “Hey, why don’t ya take a crack at it? Give Old Faithful a few moments of your time, see what she has to say.”

“Wow…Thanks Uncle Ash! Tell me where my left hoof goes again?”

And that was all she wrote. Jet continued to get lessons from his “uncle” (and occasionally Aunt Jackie). He fell deeply in love with music overall, and there were plenty of nights in which his parents would discover him asleep, guitar still held in his hooves. While Dash was a bit disappointing when her son pursued a completely different path than the one she initially imagined for him, she remained in his corner 100%. She has attended several of his shows, and finds herself deeply impressed with the music that her son composes. Its obvious, when she sees him belting his heart out, that he feels the same way singing as she does flying through the sky.

1. “Oh, evening, Jetstream. I can’t exactly say its a pleasure to see you here, but I will take delight in…oh, what’s the phrase? ‘Telling you so.’”

Just as his mother, Jet has his own rivals throughout his life. One of the more annoying ones is Golden Strings, the uptight and pretentious son of Diamond Tiara. At only fourteen, Gold is a highly accomplished harpist, and has a particular penchant for engaging his audiences with extraordinary notes and chords that seem to be made of magic. However, his attitude is highly off-putting to the friendly pegasus. While most of Gold’s words elicit a mere eyeroll from Jet and Tom, the guitarist will be the first to admit, there have been a few shows in which he’s gotten a little show-offy to teach that stingy know-it-who-all a lesson or two.