Rainbow Dash, Con Extreme, and Speeding Ticket were in their cloud house. Fluttershy and Ranger were visiting while Creature was at work, since he couldn't come up to the clouds anyway. The parents watched the two young foals race around the house. They laughed when suddenly Rainbow didn't feel so good and ran into the bathroom and threw up. Fluttershy hurried after her and held her mane back. Con followed quickly. Speeding and Ranger looked at each other before slowly entering the bathroom.
"What's wrong with Mom?" Speeding asked. Con looked at her.
"She just doesn't feel too good right now," He said.
"But she was ok a minute ago," Ranger protested.
"Sometimes grown mares suddenly get sick," Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash stopped puking and wiped her muzzle off with her hoof.
"I'm alright, Speed," Rainbow said, "It was probably just something I ate." But Rainbow knew it had nothing to do with food. She hadn't eaten anything out of the ordinary. What could it be?
"Ok," Speeding said, walking up and hugging her mom.
After Fluttershy and Ranger went home later that day and Speeding had gone to bed, Con and Rainbow looked at each other nervously.
"I'm gonna go to the store," Rainbow said, grabbing a couple of bits. Con kissed her.
"Hurry," He said. Rainbow nodded and dashed off, down to the ground and to the store. She raced in, grabbed something, threw the bits on the counter, and flew quickly back home. After a few minutes, she looked at the little stick and gulped.
The next day after Speeding got out of school, she flew home after doing a lap or two in the sky with Ranger. She had been spending more and more time with him lately, and their friends had noticed.
"Gee, Speeding and Ranger sure are spending a lot of time together," Word Smith said.
"Ooh, maybe they're planning a surprise party!" Party Animal said.
"But it's not anypony's birthday," Extra Credit said. The group looked up at the two Pegasi. Speeding was waving at Ranger as she flew up to her cloud home in the sky.
"Mom, Dad! I'm home!" Speeding cried as she shut the front door behind her. Her parents walked in. wearing nervous smiles, "What's with you two?" Rainbow and Con looked at each other and sighed.
"Speeding, you're going to be a big sister in a couple of months," Rainbow spoke softly. Speeding stared at her mom. She knew how this went. Her friend, Pizzazz, had gone through it when her baby sister was born. As had Sistine when Pizzazz was born, and Melody when Sistine was born. She wasn't going to fall for the 'best thing ever' act.
"Isn't that exciting?" Con asked. There it goes. The act. Speeding backed up alittle and before her parents could say anything, she turned around and bolted out the door. She flew straight to the Everfree Forest and found Ranger. She collapsed next to him. She started sobbing.
"Speeding, what's wrong?" Ranger asked, bending down to look at the yellow filly.
"M-my parents are-are having another f-foal," Speeding sniffed.
"Well, congrats!" Ranger grinned, "But why are you crying?"
"Haven't you heard what Pizzazz and Sistine and Melody said?!" Speeding yelled, "They all said that when their little sister came, their parents didn't pay them any attention!" Ranger frowned.
"Well, that can't be right," He said, "When Aunt Whisper was born, Gramma and Grampa still paid attention to Mom. That's what she said, at least."
"That's cuz she's your mom," Speeding said, "They're supposed to comfort you and make you feel better, even if they don't tell the truth! Friends are always supposed to say the truth. Expessially Buck's mom to her friends."
"Well, then, let's go ask her," Ranger said, "She'll deffiantly tell the truth."
"Ok," Speeding sighed. The two flew off to the apple farm, where they found Applejack bucking trees.
"Hey, young'uns," She greeted, "Buck ain't here. He's at the park with the rest of the gang."
"Actually, we're not here for Buck," Ranger said, "Speeding wants to know what happened when Apple Bloom was born."
"What'd you mean?" Applejack asked.
"I mean, did your parents not pay as much attention to you?" Speeding asked.
"Oh, well," Applejack looked at the two foals, "Why do ya wanna know that?"
"My parents are having another foal," Speeding muttered.
"Well, tell them Ah said congratulations," Applejack smiled, "So, ya wanna know what happened when Apple Bloom was born?" The two nodded, "Well, my parents weren't really around after Apple Bloom was born, so mah Granny Smith and Big Mac was takin' care of us. They kinda were really busy with Apple Bloom, so they didn't have much time fer me. Sometimes Ah was working the field alone while tey was feeding her or trying to get her to sleep. An' then there was those times e'ry night where she would wake up crying. But after a few years, she grew up and everything was fine." She opened her eyes, which she had close a minute ago, and saw that both foals were gone, "Hey, where'd they go?"
Speeding was rushing through town, tears in her eyes as she flew between ponies and buildings. Ranger was right behind her, trying to catch up with her and dodge the angry ponies.
"Oh, excuse me," He said, "Pardon. Sorry, just trying to get through. SPEEDING, WAIT UP!" But she didn't wait up. She was going faster than ever, trying to get away from everything. What Applejack had said was exactly what she feared. She had left before the mare could finish, but she got the basic idea. Her parents were going to be too busy to care about her. And the foal would wake her up every night. She entered the forest and dove deep inside, weaving throughout the twisted vines and trees.
Finally, she stopped, exhausted. Panting, she fell on the forest floor and began bawling. Some of her cries came out as howls, and she unknowingly attracted timber wolves. She didn't look up until she could smell their breath and hear their growls. When she did, she stared in horror as the wolves surrounded her, closing in on her. She closed her eyes tightly, as if thinking it was all a dream, or that they would go away if she did so. She opened her eyes a bit.
No such luck.
As the timber wolves closed in, barely half a hoof away from her, Speeding was too terrified to remember that she had wings. She closed her eyes, ready for the attack, but it wasn't until she heard two muffled 'THUMPS' that she opened her eyes. Standing there were her parents!
"Stay away from our daughter!" Rainbow yelled, kicking a timber wolf with her back hooves, reducing it to sticks. The two fought off the remaining wolves while Speeding stared in shock. After they were all gone, Rainbow and Con galloped over to Speeding and embraced her. They then became angry.
"What were you thinking?!" Con asked.
"Running into the Everfree Forest!" Rainbow added. Speeding folded her ears back.
"So?" Con asked, "What were you thinking?"
"That you wouldn't care about me anymore," She said quietly, tears sliding down her cheeks. Her parents looked at each other in shock then back at Speeding.
"Why would you think that?" Con asked, lifting Speeding's chin. Speeding looked away.
"Because of the new foal," She mumbled.
"Where'd you get a ridiculous idea like that?" Rainbow asked.
"Pizzazz told me that when Aqua was born, her parents didn't pay any attention to her," Speeding said. Con sighed.
"Speeding, that's not true," He said, "When your little brother or sister is born, sure, we'll have to spend a lot of time take care of him/her, but we'll always have time for you." Speeding looked up at her parents and hugged them.
"I'm sorry," She said. The family flew home to their house in the clouds.
For the next eleven months, Speeding helped her parents out with getting ready for the foal. Her favorite part was painting the new room with cloud paint. On the day of the arrival, the family was laying around in the family room. Speeding was reading her favorite book series, Wonderfoals. It was really the only book series she read. When she heard her dad cry out, she looked back at the couch to see her parents quickly getting up. Speeding stood up.
"What's happening?" She asked, worried.
"The foal's coming," Rainbow said. The family raced over to the hosptial. Speeding waited outside the room in the hall with her dad. After a little while, the doctor pony came out and told them they could enter. Speeding nervously followed her dad into the room and over to the bed. In her mother's hooves was a small filly with blue fur and a light chocolate mane and tail. She was, of course, a Pegasus.
"Hi Mom," Speeding said, putting her front hooves on the side of the bed to get a better look.
"Hey Speeding," Rainbow said weakly, smiling.
"Can I see her?" Speeding asked.
"Of course," Rainbow said. Con helped his oldest daughter onto the bed.
"What's her name?" Speeding asked. Rainbow looked over at Con, who walked over and set one hoof next to Rainbow.
"How about Hoodwink?" He said.
"That's pretty," Speeding said.
"Hoodwink it is," Rainbow laughed lightly. Speeding looked at the little filly.
"Hi, Hoodwink," She whispered, "I'm your sister, Speeding."