Princess Cadance watched Rainbow Dash with mild concern. The little filly was currently sitting across a resteraunt table from her with her face hidden in her forelegs, which were folded into a makeshift pillow. Cadance had shows her numerous restaurants scattered across Canterlot and, in the end Rainbow had settled on a fast-food joint on a street corner. It was fairly crowded, a lot of foals scampering about and playing in a sizable zone set off to one side for that very purpose.
Rainbow said nothing when the waiter brought her the food she had ordered. A rather sizable plate of hay burgers, a side of prench fries and a tall cup of apple juice. The waiter looked at her expectantly for almost a second before seemingly remembering who it was he had just served food to. He gave a bow and then backed away. Rainbow snorted derisively before picking up one of the burgers in her hooves.
“Is what Blueblood said still bugging you?” Cadance asked gently from across the table. Rainbow merely nodded in response, digging into her burger immediately afterword. Cadance sighed. “Believe me when I say you’ll learn to tune him out… his father’s pretty much given up on putting sense into him.”
“He’s a massive jerk.” Rainbow snorted through a mouthful of burger.
“He is…” Cadance looked down slightly before getting up from her seat in the booth. Rainbow glanced up and then scooted over when Cadance motioned towards her seat. “Your status is also getting to you, isn’t it?”
“Been officially recognized as ‘Princess Rainbow Dash’ for only a day and already it’s worn out it’s welcome, if you ask me…” Rainbow mumbled tiredly. “I mean, I’m all for ponies praising me when I do awesome stuff. Hay, I live for moments like that,” she took another bite from her burger. “But I haven’t done anything with this title of mine yet and already I’ve got almost every single pony I meet treating me like Celestia.”
“Aren’t you going to call her ‘Mom’?” Cadance attempted to correct, though she instantly fell silent at the harsh glare Rainbow shot her way.
“No. Not mom. She adopted me, yeah, I get that… but that’s relation by paperwork only. She’s… I appreciate what Celestia is doing, really I do. I mean, I have a home now and I’m cared for and I’m not at that stupid orphanage… but…” Rainbow closed her eyes and visibly wilted. “...She isn’t my mom. My mom. My real mom was named Windy Whistles…” Rainbow fell silent and then slipped a few fries into her mouth.
Cadance nodded softly. “I think I understand…”
“Windy Whistles was mom to me,” Rainbow continued after she swallowed her fries. “To call anypony else that name, especially in earnest… it’d be like betraying her,” Rainbow’s gaze hardened considerably. “And I am not going to betray her… or her memory.”
Cadance smiled softly before draping a comforting wing over Rainbow Dash. “For somepony your age, that’s a pretty mature view.”
Rainbow let a small smile form on her own face before digging into another burger. Once that one was devoured she let out a small grunt. “I still don’t wanna deal with all these ponies praising me when I haven’t done anything yet.”
Cadance looked thoughtful for several seconds before leaning down slightly. “Hey, let me tell you something, okay?”
“Hm?”
“I get what you’re going through,” Cadance smiled warmly, lowering her voice a little. “I was born a pegasus. I was raised in a village inhabited and run mostly by earth ponies. That was where my foal hood was spent. It was a really relaxed place, frankly. Then, though, I became a princess. I earned my horn, I was adopted as Princess Celestia’s Niece and, well… It was a big adjustment for me, too.
“All of the praise, all of the ‘favor seeking.’ Some ponies were outright afraid of me just because of my status,” Cadance lost her smile a bit. “It was… disheartening, to say the least. I mean, sure, I’d accomplished some things back home, but nothing that should matter to the ponies here. I was a princess, though and, suddenly, everypony was either scared of me or seeking my favor or mercy in one way or another.”
“How’d you deal with that…?” Rainbow asked, listening intently.
Cadance’s smile returned in full. “Simple; I realized that it was because they didn’t really know me, yet. I was a princess, true, but my role wasn’t determined just yet. But I pursued my passions, my goals, my desires. I helped many ponies through personal matters and had the honor and privilege and helping many ponies find their true loves. I’d say that it was about a year ago that, for all of that and more, I was given the title of the Princess of Love. I found my place and, in so doing, taught everypony who I am.”
Rainbow couldn’t help the small whistle she tried to make. She frowned when it just came out as a long puff of air, but then smiled. “Wow… eh-heh. That’s quite the story there, Cadance,” she then got a thoughtful look on her face. “Hang on… if I’m a princess now, why didn’t Celestia give me a horn?”
Cadance laughed outright at that. “It’s not quite that simple, Rainbow. Becoming an alicorn usually requires the accomplishment of some great deed which will be felt across Equestria for years to come. And besides, it’s possible to have the ‘prince or princess’ title and not be an alicorn.”
Rainbow grimaced. “Blueblood?”
“And his dad, Highblood. Both of them have the title of prince, albeit only honorary. They don’t have wings to display, though.” Cadance confirmed with a nod.
Rainbow nodded and then dug into the last of her burgers. Cadance removed her wing from Dash slowly and gave her a bit more personal space, now that she was feeling better.
“So, hypothetically speaking, if you were to try and earn an alicorn horn and a full Princess Title, what would that title be?” Cadance asked with genuine curiosity. Rainbow sat back in her seat and blinked a few times with thought.
“I’d say… uh… probably the Princess of Awesomeness!” She declared before thumping a hoof on her chest.
Cadance raised an eyebrow.
“No good? How about…” Rainbow puffed up her chest. “The Princess of Coolness!”
Cadance let the eyebrow fall and covered her mouth with a hoof, struggling to keep in her chortles. Rainbow huffed indignantly.
“Hey, what's so funny?”
“N-nothing, I swear…” Cadance lied, her giggles coming through unabated now.
“The Princess of Radicalness does not approve of this mockery!” Rainbow barked before sitting down and glowering at her now empty platter of food.
‘So… which is it? Awesomeness, coolness or radicalness?” Cadance grinned at the little filly.
“Stop it.”
Rainbow Dash had made many a questionable decision in her young life. She had pulled pranks on ponies she really shouldn’t have. She had slept through a substantial number of classes on athletic flying and exercise routines. She had used counterfeit bits one time (although she swears up, down, sideways and backwards that she didn’t know they were fake.) and, now, she was lamenting her most recent blunder.
“Why did I think bowling was a good idea?” She asked with a snort and glaring at the 7-10 split at the end of her lane. Her ball was returning to her.
Cadance smiled gently at Rainbow. “I think you said it was because you were wanting to do something a bit more, as you said, ‘down to earth.’ We wanted you to relax and so you picked this.”
Rainbow grunted, clearly frustrated with herself. “Yeah, let’s just make sure we don’t tell anypony about this little mistake of mine, alright?”
“You’re doing great, though!” Cadance said optimistically, nudging Rainbow’s wing with a smile.
Rainbow shot Cadance a deadpan glare. “Pass me that manual, would ya?”
Cadance raised an eyebrow, but otherwise complied, passing the filly a small pamphlet of rules and scoring instructions. Rainbow flipped it open and skimmed it for a few minutes before glaring back up at Cadance.
“Okay, I don’t really get these numbers and stuff, but what I do get is that, if the maximum possible score is three hundred at the start, then I mucked it up,” Rainbow pointed to the automated score chart, displaying her score as being a mere fifty four, and she was on her last throw. “We must have very different standards on ‘great’ performance.”
Cadance laughed sheepishly, brushing some of her mane back with a hoof absently. “Okay, okay, sorry. I was just trying to be supportive.”
Rainbow frowned a bit more solemnly. “Yeah… yeah, I know. Just… don’t overdo it, alright? Don’t cheer me on like that when I’m losing.”
Cadance lost her sheepish smile at the returned despondency in Rainbow Dash’s voice and posture. Rainbow turned away, plucked the bowling ball from where it awaited her and then casually thumped it out into the lane, not even bothering to look and see if it did anything of note.
“I think I’m ready to head back to the castle.”
Cadance looked after Rainbow sympathetically before glancing back at the bowling lane. The ball struck the pin on the right in just such a way that it was sent slowly wobbling towards its neighbor. In a stroke of luck, the wobbling pin collided with the other.
Both of the pins toppled over.
When the two at last returned to Canterlot Castle, it was just in time to cross paths with Princess Celestia leaving her school for the day. Twilight was trotting along by her side with a smile on her face before glancing over and spotting the approaching Cadance and Rainbow Dash. “Cadance! Hello!’ Twilight called excitedly while waving her hoof frantically.
“Good afternoon Twilight! Oh, it’s so good to see you again! How was class?” Cadance asked, crouching down slightly to let the lavender filly tackle-hug her.
“It was good, but now the real good part begins!” Twilight answered cheerfully before smiling back at Celestia. “Princess Celestia, you said you were going to show me transfiguration magic today, right?”
Cadance raised an eyebrow and Celestia nodded. “Key word being ‘show’, Twilight. Transfiguration spells are rather delicate in many ways and require a lot of focus. I don’t want you trying this type of spell just yet. I want you taking notes and listening,” Celestia then trotted up to Rainbow Dash, who was standing idly off to one side, looking down. Instantly, Celestia lost her smile to a worried frown. Nevertheless, she managed her optimistic and motherly voice. “Hello, Rainbow Dash. Was your day with Cadance a pleasant one?”
Rainbow looked up at Celestia and nodded half-heartedly. “Yeah. It was…”
Celestia’s lips thinned with thought. She looked to Cadance for answers.
“We had a run in with Prince Blueblood earlier. He was… inconsiderate when talking about Rainbow’s… past,” Cadance began, slowly breaking her embrace with a now uneasy looking Twilight. “We went out for hayburgers and a game of bowling after that. I think Blueblood’s words are still bugging her.”
“I see…” Celestia knelt down to be at eye level with Rainbow Dash, uncaring that she was in public when she did so. “Is there anything more to it, Rainbow?”
“A… a little.” Rainbow confirmed with a nod, looking down. “I, uh… something Cadance said reminded me of, well, my parents.”
Celestia glanced at Cadance, who immediately wilted under the realization. “Oh… oh, I am so sorry, Dashie…” Cadance said softly, employing a nickname that Rainbow couldn’t help but snort in amusement at.
“Dashie? Heh, that reminds me of Gilda…”
Celestia’s horn lit up for a moment, but she thought better of it. The magical aura left her horn and, instead, she extended a wing down to the ground in a sort of makeshift ramp. “Come on up, Rainbow.”
Rainbow blinked, sharing a confused glance with Twilight. “Um… aren’t you doing some kind of teaching thing with Twilight?”
“I am. But that does not mean you have to be alone. I’d love it if you joined Twilight and I, even if only for the distraction.” Celestia said reassuringly, shooting them both a warm, motherly smile.
Twilight offered no objections, despite looking mildly unsure. Rainbow sagged but nodded gratefully. “Sure. That sounds good to me.” She then clambered up onto Celestia’s back, nestling down between her wings and feeling immediately relaxed by the soft, cushiony bed.
Celestia rose to her full height before looking to Cadance. “Princess Cadance, please arrange a meeting for me to speak with Blueblood and Highblood as soon as Twilight’s private lesson is over.”
Cadance nodded with an almost predatory grin forming on her face. “I’d love to,” she then knelt down and pat Twilight on the back of the head. “You be nice to Rainbow, okay? She’s had a bad day.”
“I can tell.” Twilight said before nodding her agreement. With that said and done, Celestia and Cadance parted ways, with Twilight following along at Celestia’s hooves and, on occasion, glancing worriedly to Rainbow Dash resting on Celestia’s back.