//------------------------------// // Hello, Little Sister // Story: The Veins Run Deep // by Thunderblast //------------------------------// The following week, everything in Bloodvein's colony returned to normal. No more flood worries, no more cave-ins, nothing to be concerned about. The new colony town was completely built up on thick, but soft clouds high in the sky. From that altitude, the city of Vanhoover could now be clearly seen most of the time when the low-level clouds were not obscuring the view. Equestria was far bigger than Blood originally imagined. From his new home, which was certainly bigger than his last, he could see for at least a hundred, maybe two hundred miles out. Obviously he couldn't see it all, but he could only imagine how big the land was. Around seven o'clock in the evening, Bloodvein sat at his desk in his room finishing up homework he received at school. His grades had not been the best, yet he still felt some confidence in himself and was determined to complete the second grade. His father, Skywatcher, paid not much care to his grades, as he was still somewhat shaken from recent events. Rather, he was more than relieved that his entire family were safe, as were Midnight and Bloodvein about each other. As Blood worked on his homework, a familiar squawk rang out, causing Blood to flinch and drop his pencil. Before he could do anything else, a brown-and-white feathery mass swooped past his head and perched at the top of his desk. "Gah, darn it, Talon!" Blood scrambled his hooves as the eagle swooped next to him. Talonfang simply puffed his chest out and let out a quiet squawk, shutting his wings tightly to his side upon landing. Blood groaned and resumed working, focusing on the final few questions on the piece of paper. Though school was Monday through Thursday, and he had all weekend to get his homework finished, Bloodvein worked hard and powered through all three annoyingly-lengthy quizzes in just two hours. He went over the next question, thinking it over a couple of times before storming up the answer, and quickly writing it down with near-perfect spelling. As he moved on to the next question, his eagle lifted a talon to scratch his neck, reaching his neck down and giving him a nip to the ear. Blood yelped and quickly leaned back up, dropping his pencil and rubbing his ear simultaneously. "Ouch! Stop it Talon!" He glared at the bird, wanting desperately to take him and throw him out the window, but knew he would just fly back anyways. He then returned his attention to his homework, picking his pencil back up and thinking of what to put on the next unanswered question. At the door, Skywatcher caught Bloodvein's squeal when Talon flew in, and quietly flew upstairs to see what happened. Luckily, he was just in time to see the eagle bite Blood's ear and snickered at his reaction. He continued to watch closely as the eagle flapped his wings into Bloodvein's face. "Pffgat!" Blood jumped, spitting a brown feather out of his mouth, then he growled at the eagle. "Can you not? I'm trying to think here, featherbrain!" Talon simply squawked and puffed his chest back out. "Oh, I see how it is. You wouldn't be the one laughing if I bit you on the... uh," Blood hit a stump. "...where are your ears?" Skywatcher burst out laughing at his stalemate. Blood jumped once more, but at his father's sudden laughing. He quickly turned around and stared at his dad. "Don't laugh, he's picking on me!" Blood pouted as Skywatcher slowly entered the room, but stopping in front of his bed. He continued to chuckle, then wiped at his eye. "That was golden, son." "Oh, haha, very funny. Just keep him out while I work, please." "Blood, he's your pet, just put him in his cage," Sky pointed a hoof to the small rounded cage hanging from the ceiling just next to the side of Blood's desk. Bloodvein groaned. "Yes dad. Come on you lump of feathers," Blood reached a hoof up, allowing Talonfang onto it and bringing him over to the opposite side of the desk, placing him into the cage and shutting it. "There, now he shouldn't..." Skywatcher snickered. "...nip at your ears." Blood rolled his eyes, then turned his seat and resumed working. "Oh, come on, you have to admit. That was quite humorous." "Suuuure it was," Blood kept his eyes on his homework, biting his lip with his right fang in concentration. "What did the teacher give you now?" Sky walked up to Blood's side, looking down at his homework. "Simple multiplication, nothing more." "I see. Are you hungry? I'm about t—" Before he could finish, a loud scream could be heard from downstairs. Both Skywatcher and Bloodvein jumped, and the two ponies quickly looked behind them at the door. "Honey?!" Skywatcher yelled downstairs and galloped out of the room. Bloodvein quickly hopped out of his chair and followed close behind. By the time they raced downstairs, Midnight was leaning against the back of the couch, holding her bloated foal bump in pain. Skywatcher gasped and ran up to her. "Honey, what's wrong?!" "Sh-she's coming!" Midnight gasped, breathing in heavily, then screaming in pain again. She slipped from her grip on the couch. Skywatcher quickly grabbed hold of her, then lifted the pregnant mare onto his back. "Bloodvein, come on, let's go!" Sky opened the door and galloped out towards the town's hospital. Blood briefly hesitated and ran after his dad, shutting the door behind them and followed them all the way to the hospital, which was three rows of houses down. Other bat ponies watched as they ran by, Midnight screaming and groaning in pain as they raced by. Minutes later, the trio reached the hospital and ran inside. "M-my wife, the foal is coming!" Skywatcher panted and looked between the receptionist and a nurse, his blue pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Without a moment to spare, a doctor ran out with a stretcher bed, allowing Skywatcher to carefully lay Midnight in it as they wheeled her away. Bloodvein then ran into the hospital, panting and out of breath. He was well behind his father, but came in at the right time. Skywatcher picked Bloodvein up and set him on his back and galloped after the doctors and his wife. The doctors and nurses finally stopped at a vacant hospital room and left her bed backed against the wall, and quickly started birth procedures. The hospital guard, however, denied Skywatcher and Bloodvein entry. "B-but, my wife is in there! Let us in!" Skywatcher hissed at the guard, stomping his hoof. "Not until after the birth. Please wait, sir!" The guard snarled back, glaring at the stallion and the colt. Skywatcher grumbled and sat down on a chair outside of his wife's room, Bloodvein sitting next to him and holding his hoof. "M-mom will be okay, right, Dad?" Sky glanced over at Blood, tearing up. "Y-yes, of course, son." "Mr. Watcher, and Bloodvein?" A doctor, still with a mask over his muzzle, peeked his head out of the room, eying the stallion and the colt. "Y-yes?" Skywatcher jumped up, staring the doctor right in the eye with some concern. "Congratulations. You knew in advance, but, I shall repeat for tradition. It is a filly!" He pulled his mask down and smiled. "Your wife is ready to see you now, but we have her on some powerful pain killers, which means she will be asleep the rest of the night and maybe tomorrow as well." Skywatcher smiled, then reached out and pulled the bat pony into a tight hug, squeezing the poor pony's lungs out. "Thank you!" He rocked him gently, before releasing the doctor. "Come, Blood," Sky smiled, tearful in the eyes, a rare sight for him, but not so much as of lately. Blood trembled a bit in anxiety and climbed off the chair, following his dad into the room. "Hey, boys," Midnight smiled tiredly, holding a blanketed grey little filly in her hooves. She slept quietly, and had a light-purple mane, with little thestral wings closed at her sides. "Hey, honey," Skywatcher smiled and sat on the floor next to the bed. "She's... beautiful," more tears built in his eyes as he set them on the little foal sleeping soundly. Bloodvein trotted over and hopped onto a chair to get a full view of the newborn foal. He gasped and smiled at the sight, wanting to squeal with excitement, but knew he had to keep quiet. "Is that..." "Yes, son," Skywatcher smiled at Blood. "It's your little sister," Midnight continued for Sky. Blood smiled even more, wiping a tear away. "W-what are we going to name her?" "Uh," Skywatcher turned to Midnight, who shrugged, then turned back to Bloodvein. "Why don't you name her this time?" He smiled. "M-me?" Blood fluttered his wings some. "H-how about... Dawn... Dawn Blossom!"