To a spectator, such as Scootaloo, it seemed like Rainbow Dash had just tackled a would-be trespasser and now prepared to deliver her own brand of justice to the culprit. However, a much friendlier exchange had occurred. While Rainbow did tackle the pink pegasus, it wasn’t an act of aggression; it was an enthusiastic greeting highlighted by a hug that would make a chiropractor cringe.
“Mom!” Rainbow exclaimed, happily. “What are you doing here?”
“Let me up, and I’ll tell you,” the mare replied, laughing.
“Of course. Heh heh heh…”
“Thanks for that; I’m happy to see you, too. Anyway, I got your letter. Your dad and I talked it over, and we felt it would be best for us to come down and talk to you, personally. Unfortunately, your dad’s got a whole mess of work-related nonsense going on, so I came down here alone.”
“Everything alright?”
“Yeah; just the life of a supervisor caught sorting out someone else’s mess,” she huffed in irritation. “He sends his regards, and he wanted me to tell you he loves you and wishes you the best.”
“That was really thoughtful of him.”
“Hey, you know how much we both love you, Rainbow.”
“Yeah; I love you guys, too.”
The two shared a warm hug, neither wanting the moment to end. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem. However, there was one detail suddenly all but forgotten.
“Hey, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo called. “What’s going on up there?”
“Oh, shoot!” Rainbow muttered.
“Forget someone?” her mother asked.
“Yeah; friend of mine who I left down below.”
“Well, let’s go see this friend of yours; don’t want to leave her down there too long.”
“Right.”
After a playful nudge between mother and daughter, the two made the short flight back to where Scootaloo sat.
“Sorry about that,” Rainbow laughed. “Just wanted to say ‘hello’ to my visitor here.” She gestured to the older mare.
“Rainbow Dash, who is she?” Scootaloo asked.
“This is my mother,” Rainbow warmly answered.
“Name’s Firefly,” the visitor answered. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Scootaloo. My daughter’s told me some nice things about you.”
“Has she? She told me some things about you, too,” Scootaloo responded in surprise.
“Like what?” Firefly asked. “Nothing too embarrassing, I hope.”
“She told me how you and her dad were always there for her and said I reminded her of a song you used to sing to her,” Scootaloo nervously summarized.
“Hey, you don’t have to be afraid of me, kid,” Firefly whispered. “I can be pretty imposing when it’s needed, but I’m not one to harm a friend.”
“Friend?” Scootaloo asked in disbelief. “But we’ve only just met.”
“You’re a friend of Rainbow’s,” Firefly observed. “That makes us friends by default!”
“Thanks!” Scootaloo replied.
“So what were you guys up to before I got here?” Firefly asked.
“Actually, I’m wondering something,” Rainbow said. “How long were you up there waiting for me, Mom?”
“Not that long,” Firefly answered, smiling. “Just got to Ponyville maybe five or ten minutes ago.”
After a quick nod, Rainbow Dash answered her mother’s question.
“Scootaloo and I were just…hanging out for a bit.”
“Oh,” Firefly responded. “Just the kind of thing I like to do. Anything exciting happen?”
“I took her to this secret hideout of mine, we sat and talked for a bit, then we came back to town and stopped at Sugarcube Corner for a bit, then came here. I honestly was not expecting you to show up,” Rainbow explained.
“I’m sorry; I’ve always had a rotten habit of that,” Firefly lamented.
“Mom, it’s fine,” Rainbow sternly responded. “You don’t need to apologize. You’re family, and you’re always welcome to visit me.” Rainbow calmly drew her mother into a hug that was happily returned. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart,” Firefly whispered through tears of gratitude.
Scootaloo shifted uneasily at the display in front of her; she loved her parents, but always found it uncomfortable or embarrassing when they hugged or kissed her in public.
“Uh…nice Cutie Mark, Firefly,” she said, wanting something different to talk about.
“Oh!” Firefly said, perking up at the mention of her name. “Thank you.”
“What does it mean?” Scootaloo asked, pointing at the twin blue lightning bolts on the elder pegasus’s flank.
“I’ve interpreted it to represent my lightning-quick reflexes and speed,” Firefly explained. “Of course, my husband likes to joke about it representing the lightning-quick temper I had when we first met.” She snickered at the thought. “Cue our dismay when we found out that my temper was inherited and magnified.” She eyed her daughter.
Rainbow Dash laughed sheepishly under her mother’s words and gaze.
“I…don’t know what you’re talking about, Mom.” Rainbow shifted her eyes.
“Come on, stop kidding yourself, Rainbow,” Firefly said. “That temper got you into some serious trouble plenty of times; way too many to count.”
“Yeah, I know…” Rainbow muttered.
“So how did you get your Cutie Mark?” Scootaloo asked. “I keep trying to get one, but nothing works.”
“I got mine when I discovered that I could move as fast and agile as the lightning,” Firefly answered. “What are you good at, Scootaloo?”
“My scooter,” she answered, motioning to the vehicle strapped to her back.
“Then that’s where you should start,” Firefly said, simply.
“Right; I’ll do that,” Scootaloo replied.
“Hey, Scootaloo,” Rainbow said, softly. “Why don’t you head on home? I know I said we’d hang out here for a bit, but it’s been a while since I’ve actually seen my mom, and there’s a few things I’d like to discuss with her. We can hang out at any time, so don’t worry about that.”
“That’s alright,” Scootaloo replied. “I’ll see you around. It was nice meeting you, Firefly.”
Rainbow Dash warmly smiled as she watched Scootaloo board her scooter and speed off toward her home.
‘Mother’ actually doesn’t sound that bad, she thought.
“What’s on your mind, Rainbow?” Firefly asked with concern.
“Not too much,” Rainbow answered. “Just super proud of Scootaloo and still a bit overwhelmed by this business with Soarin.”
“I understand. Let’s walk around for a bit. I’ve always found that to be effective at sorting things out.”
“Yeah, I’m fine with that.”
With that, the two mares walked through town and carried their own conversation amid the friendly chatter of the Ponyville townsfolk around them.
“You’re really fond of Scootaloo, aren’t you?” Firefly asked.
“You bet I am,” Rainbow answered. “I love all my friends, but there’s just something unique about having her around. In a way, it’s like I’m looking at myself.”
“You and Fluttershy had that dynamic; your father and I always loved seeing it.”
“Fluttershy and I still have that dynamic, but now it’s sort of spread to the rest of our friends.”
“That’s good; it always makes your father and I happy to hear good news.”
“I feel the same way.”
“Now what about this Soarin guy?”
“He’s a bit of a goofball who decided to wait until yesterday to confess his love for me.”
Firefly laughed.
“Yes, I know that. I meant, what are you going to do about him?”
“What do you think I should do?”
“Get to know him and think about whether or not he’s the kind of guy you’d like to spend the rest of your life with.”
“Friendship; it’s all I wanted, it’s what Soarin initially wanted, and it’s what Rarity suggested as a starting point.”
“So you don’t share this guy’s feelings?”
“Not right now. I can consider him a friend, but you know me, Mom. I’ve never thought about love before; never wanted or needed it. The only future I’ve dreamed of is a spot with the Wonderbolts.”
“You’ve never thought about anything except friendship or joining the Wonderbolts partly because of the drama you endured back in school. I can respect that much. However…” Firefly sighed. “I remember what you put in that letter, and…I have a lot to say about it.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“I stand by my prior suggestion; make friends with him and see if he’s the one for you, but allow me to extend that thought. This guy’s got his heart on you; no one else. Yeah, it annoys you that he waited; your father did the same thing to me. He had a crush on me, which I detected, but he was always too flustered to say it until he decided to ask me out. That was our first date, and it was then that he was able to say ‘I love you.’”
“I knew how he felt about me, so I waited, and that patience was rewarded. The premise between you and Soarin is the same; he openly loves you, and now he’s waiting for you to act. You may not feel anything now, but give him a chance; go for it. There’s no such thing as never needing love in your life. I gave your dad a chance, and it was the best decision I ever made.”
“Mom…” Rainbow whispered. “Out of all the mares in Equestria, he fell for me—someone who’s never said a word about dating or romance or any of that nonsense. He’s got plenty of better choices than me; plenty of mares that would return his affection in a heartbeat. He may want me, but he has no idea of what he’s getting himself into.”
“I think he does; he knows who you are and what you’re like, and he knows how you can act sometimes, yet he still fell in love with you. Why would he do that?”
“He said he fell in love with me because of what’s in my heart.”
“There you go. You have no reason to question him or doubt yourself. Just as with me and your dad, the love started out one-sided, but we gave it a chance, took it slowly, and the rest is history. You and Soarin can have that, too. He sounds like he would be an amazing guy to get with and I can’t help but think you two would complement each other well.”
“Thanks for that, Mom.”
With her mother’s pep talk to go on, Rainbow Dash felt a lot better about Soarin’s approach and agreed with the statements made in regards to it.
Yeah, I can do this, Rainbow thought. I just have to go for it and at least give him a chance, like Mom said.
“Oh, would you look at that…” Firefly said, suddenly.
Rainbow looked around and stopped upon noticing the sight that caught her mother’s attention. During the conversation, the two had made their way to the opposite end of town, finding themselves under the shadow of a tall oak tree.
“’Golden Oaks Library’,” Firefly read from the sign by the door.
“Twilight’s house,” Rainbow added.
“Well, let’s go say ‘hi’!”
Before Rainbow Dash could do or say anything further, Firefly had already let herself in the library. With a sigh, Rainbow joined her mother.
“Hello! How can I help you?” Twilight warmly greeted.
“Just stopping by to say ‘hello,’” Firefly answered.
“Hey, Rainbow!” Twilight said, happily. “How’s everything going for you?”
“Everything’s fine,” Rainbow answered. “How about you?”
“Great,” Twilight replied. “So who’s the mystery mare here?”
“My name’s Firefly,” the “mystery mare” answered. “I’m Rainbow Dash’s mother.”
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you,” Twilight replied.
“It’s an honor to meet you…” Firefly politely said as she bowed, “…Your Highness.”
“I… Thanks,” Twilight whispered, blushing slightly.
“Princess Twilight,” Firefly began, “how has my daughter been treating you?”
“Same as always,” Twilight laughed. “She’s a good friend, even though she can be a bit of a pain at times.”
“Hey, I’m still here, you know,” Rainbow cut in.
“I know,” Twilight laughed. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Yeah, sure,” Rainbow said, smiling.
“Actually, Rainbow, I’m glad you came by,” Twilight said, suddenly.
“What for?” Rainbow asked.
“There’s someone who dropped by not too long ago; someone who really wants to talk to you,” Twilight answered. “He’s right over there.” She pointed to a bookshelf near the stairs and the visitor browsing it.
Rainbow Dash followed her friend’s gesture to the bookshelf and sighed upon recognizing Twilight’s latest patron.
“Soarin…” Rainbow whispered. After taking and releasing a deep breath, she approached the stallion distracted by Twilight’s books and addressed him. “So you decided to visit me directly this time.”
“Of course,” the blue pegasus answered. “Just wanted to clear the air a bit.” He turned around and sighed, prompting Rainbow Dash to take a few steps back.
“This is about yesterday, isn’t it?” Rainbow asked, nervously.
“Yes,” Soarin confirmed. “There are a few concerns I’d like to address.”
“There’s some stuff I’d like to say, too, but why don’t you go first?”
“I’m sorry I sprung that on you…without any prior warning. I understand you felt a bit awkward; I had no intention of doing that to you. I’d also like to apologize for the whole ‘pitiful Soarin’ thing; the more I thought about it, the more it sounded like I was guilt-tripping you. Now…what do you want to say?”
“I accept your apology,” Rainbow replied. “I did talk to my friends about you, and I even got my mom to come down and sort me out. Turns out, my dad had more or less the same problem as you; he admired my mom, but was afraid to talk to her. When he finally asked her out, he was able to confess everything. Unfortunately for you, I didn’t get the hint the way Mom did. She waited for him, and she gave him a chance even though she didn’t feel anything toward him.”
“My parents gave it a chance and took things one step at a time, and all of that paid off; they got to know each other, my mom was able to share my dad’s love, and they’ve been together since then. Mom said I should go for it, since your heart’s only set on me, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
“I will be your friend for now, and I will allow you to get to know me better. I can’t say that I love you just yet, but hey… My mom’s under the impression that this can work. I’ve learned not to doubt her.”
The room fell silent in the wake of Rainbow Dash’s honesty, the only noticeable responses being a look of disbelief from Soarin and smiles from Twilight and Firefly.
“Rainbow Dash…” Soarin whispered, crying softly. “I thank you for this.” He pulled her close and wept openly. “I almost felt like…giving up… I-I thought about what you told me and what I told you, and…I just didn’t really know what else to do. Thank you for giving me a chance; I promise I won’t let you down.”
“Hey, no problem, Soarin. Your feelings toward me are sincere, so you have nothing to worry about. You’re an awesome guy, and I can only imagine what it’d be like walking by your side, so to speak. Besides, I never abandon my friends.”
“I love you…”
“I know.”
The two held the warm embrace for a while longer as they thought about what their friendship could provide. When both were calm, they took a step back and smiled at each other. As they held the wordless exchange, Rainbow and Soarin forgave each other for any confusion or other negative feelings their previous words had caused between them.
With the air officially cleared, Rainbow Dash and Soarin rejoined Twilight and Firefly.
“Twilight, thank you for putting up with me,” Soarin sighed in relief.
“Not a problem at all,” Twilight replied.
Soarin flashed his trademark smile and took a glance at the room around him, but froze when his eyes met Firefly’s.
“I— You—“ he stammered.
“Wait, what?” Firefly asked, raising an eyebrow and smiling in confusion.
“I guess I should introduce you,” Rainbow noted.
“No need to tell me,” Firefly said, dismissively. “This is Soarin; the guy you mentioned to me in your letter as well as the conversation we had earlier.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” Rainbow confirmed, chuckling softly.
She turned to Soarin and cleared her throat.
“Soarin,” Rainbow began, “this is—“
“FIREFLY!!!!” Soarin exclaimed in a deafening shout rivaling the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
“Ow…” Twilight whispered under the ringing in her ears. “This is a library, you know; a warning would’ve been nice, too.”
“Sorry,” Soarin whispered, sheepishly smiling like a foal.
“Wait a minute,” Rainbow said in suspicion. “How do you know my mom?”
Soarin’s eyes widened as his mind was fully blown by his friend’s unexpected question.
“You mean she’s—“ he asked in shock as he gestured between Firefly and Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, she’s my mother,” Rainbow confirmed. “So how do you know her?”
“The reason I wanted to become a Wonderbolt,” Soarin beamed, “was her.”
“You don’t say,” Rainbow replied. “Same with me, except I haven’t made it in yet.”
“You survived the academy, so you’re not too far off,” Firefly observed, the comment both a reminder and a bit of encouragement.
“Thanks, Mom,” Rainbow said, smiling.
“Wait a minute,” Twilight said, suddenly. “Rainbow Dash, your mother is a Wonderbolt?!”
“Former…” Firefly confessed, sadly. “I was a Wonderbolt years ago, but not anymore.”
“I’m so sorry,” Twilight apologized. “What happened?”
“I was forced into an early retirement by a rather nasty accident I got into,” Firefly explained. “I don’t really remember exactly what happened; I just remember losing control in mid-flight, hitting the ground, and waking up in the hospital.”
“Dad and I were there practically every day she was stuck in that hospital bed,” Rainbow remembered. “Mom told me she was glad I wasn’t there when she crashed; the doctors kept saying she was lucky to be alive. She had to stay in the hospital for like a year or something; it did not feel right not having her at home. Then, after she healed, they told her that it would be best for her to quit the team. I hated them for that…”
“I remember hearing about your accident and I actually cried when you had left the team,” Soarin added. “I remember wanting to visit you in the hospital, but my parents didn’t feel too comfortable with that idea, so I sent you ‘get well’ cards instead.”
“I have a big box full of the greeting cards and letters my fans sent me while I was recovering from that crash; as a matter of fact, I replied to some of them first chance I got,” Firefly said, misty-eyed.
“Really?” Soarin asked. “So you still have the cards I sent you?”
“Yes,” Firefly answered. “You were one of the fans I replied to, Soarin.”
“That’s right! I used to brag to my friends about being pen pals with you. I remember Spitfire giving me a hard time over it, then later telling me that she wanted on the team. She was competitive and not much for performing, but she looked into the Wonderbolts and liked what she saw, thanks to me.”
Soarin and Firefly both laughed for a bit before the ex-Wonderbolt spoke.
“Ah, yeah, I remember hearing about that…”
“So how long were you with them before your accident?” Twilight asked.
“I got in right after getting married, but I took some time off when I had Rainbow, so figuring all of that in, I had just started my tenth year of active membership and my second year as captain,” Firefly answered.
“You…were…captain?” Twilight asked, smiling brightly.
“Yes, and I was quite proud of it,” Firefly smiled in response.
“We all were,” Rainbow added. “But when Mom had that accident…she just wasn’t the same.”
“There’s nothing that can be done about it now,” Firefly calmly replied. “I wouldn’t have even pulled through that without all the support I got.”
“Just imagine if I had been able to visit you in the hospital,” Soarin mused. “Rainbow and I would’ve likely met each other back then.”
“That would’ve been interesting,” Rainbow laughed. “We’d have already been friends by now.”
“Actually…you two did meet once,” Firefly said, “but it wasn’t a friendly meeting, as I recall.”
“Wait… Huh?” Rainbow muttered, taking a step back.
“I’m kind of curious, as well,” Soarin added.
“Easiest way would be to show you,” Firefly noted. “I just can’t believe I didn’t pick up on it when I read Rainbow’s letter…” she whispered to herself.
“You have a picture or something?” Rainbow asked.
“The exact picture’s at home, but I can at least recreate it,” Firefly answered.
“This should be interesting…” Rainbow sighed.
“Soarin, Dash, switch places with each other,” Firefly commanded. “You’ll see why I’m doing this in a moment.”
Without a word, the two younger pegasi followed the odd request, putting Soarin directly in front of Firefly and Rainbow Dash directly in front of Twilight.
“Now what?” Rainbow asked.
“Step away from each other, just a bit.”
They obeyed and looked back at Firefly.
“Perfect,” she said. “Now…” She stepped between Rainbow and Soarin and faced Twilight. “…imagine that Twilight’s a camera and just stare straight at her; Twilight, you stand in front of me.”
“Wait a minute…” Twilight replied. “What?”
Any attempt to stifle a laugh failed Rainbow Dash as a snicker turned into a torrent of laughter.
“Baa ha ha ha…!” Rainbow laughed. “I know Twilight likes trying new things, but this is just too much!”
“Ha ha, very funny, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight deadpanned. “Sparing the jokes about how I’m ‘best camera’ now, can we move this along?”
“This…feels familiar,” Soarin noted.
“Starting to come back to you?” Firefly asked.
“Yeah,” Soarin calmly answered.
“Allow me to fill in the blanks,” Firefly offered, smiling. “The Wonderbolts were having a Family Day event, so a lot of us had loved ones there. Given the expected turn-out, we held the festivities at Canterlot Castle. We had our performance, fun and games for the kids, a chance to mingle with everyone, and so on; best day of the year for many of us.”
“Rainbow and I were standing around and waiting for my husband to return from the concession stand. Rainbow wanted a picture so we went over to do that. As we waited for the photographer to show up, one of my teenage fans came over and asked for a picture. I was just about to reply when I heard a tiny voice saying, ‘Back off! I was here first!’”
“I told Rainbow to shape up or I’d have her dad take her home. She knew not to test me, so she conceded to my invitation for all three of us to be in the picture.”
“And after I got the picture done, you signed it and gave me a hug, and my parents never saw me any happier than after I met you,” Soarin added in conclusion. “As soon as I got home, my parents framed that picture for me, and it’s been one of my most prized possessions.”
“That’s… Wow…” Rainbow whispered.
“Who would’ve guessed that a bad-tempered filly I saw at a Wonderbolt airshow thirteen years ago would later wind up being the mare I love?” Soarin asked, slowly looking over to Rainbow Dash.
“Yeah, funny how that works,” Rainbow answered, meeting Soarin’s gaze.
“This is really scary…”
“Yeah…”
“And while that was happening, I had just started my magic studies,” Twilight mused. “Where did the time go?”
“I know what you mean,” Firefly replied. “You two…” She nudged Rainbow Dash and Soarin. “…have a lot of catching up to do. I look forward to hearing how things turn out.”
“We’ll…keep you updated,” Rainbow laughed.
“I wish you luck,” Firefly said. “If you’ll pardon me, I should be heading back to Cloudsdale. Take care of yourselves and let me know if you have any concerns.”
With a heartfelt exchange of farewells, Firefly departed the library and headed home.