The music was loud, Cue had a hard time trying to find Commander Spitfire amidst all the noise and whatnot. Nopony would answer her question on where she'd find the Commander, she was already in there for ten minutes and on the brink of giving up but finally a familiar voice called her name, "Cumulus? What are you doing here?"
The voice came from Commander Spitfire, she was on a neon blue bean bag chair with an apple martini when she thought she saw a familiar face. She blinked twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things or even worse, drunk. But even in the laser lights and multi colored spotlights, she knew that Cutie Mark anywhere. She then excused herself from the conversation with two fans and approached the blind mare who was obviously looking for somepony. The questions that were going on in her mind while she approached were, 'Why is she here?' 'Who is she looking for?' 'Does Rainbow know she's here?'
"Commander?" Cue called back as soon as she recognized the voice.
"What in the name of Celestia are you doing here, Cue? Does your Mom know you're here?"
"I came here to ask you something and...no."
"She is going to KILL you if she finds out about this!"
"Look, what my Mom doesn't know wont hurt her."
Spitfire sighed and sipped her martini, "Okay, what is it you want to ask me so you can get home before your Mom notices."
"I was wondering if my Mom is still qualified for the Wonderbolts."
Spitfire raised an eyebrow, "This couldn't have waited until after the show tomorrow?"
"I wanted to talk to you about it A.S.A.P! Besides, I would've had to get through bodyguards just to ask you."
"Good point," Spitfire took another sip of her drink and continued, "Yes, she still is qualified, we told her that if she ever changed her mind, to give us a call and we'd enlist her immediately. But what do you want us to do? Talk to her or something?"
"Yes! Exactly! Give her a pep talk...please! I want to give her something back because of all that she's done for me."
Spitfire admired what lengths this mare was going through for her Mother's happiness, "Alright, I'll see what I can do kiddo."
"Thank you so much!"
"Now get on home before your Mom wakes up and I'll keep you out of trouble."
"Yes ma'am."
Spitfire then walked away and Cue was trying to navigate herself to the door but was having trouble do to the size of the crowd of ponies in the building. She felt completely lost when somepony offered her a drink, thinking it was punch, she accepted it. It had a different taste to it but in the end, she liked it. This punch tasted like apples but it had a certain 'kick' to it, this was the only way she could explain it. After that cup was down, she felt like she needed more of it. She asked for another cup of whatever that punch was and it was given to her after the second cup, she began to feel a little loopy, her speech was beginning to slur and she couldn't walk a straight line. But, she didn't care, she downed another 8 cups before she had no realization of what was going on around her. She was soon making slurred jokes with punchlines that made no sense, telling her darkest secrets, and even sloppily dancing in a way that would embarass most. This dancing caught the attention of a stallion who approached her with a wide grin and asked her to dance with him.
"Sure! Y-you big...boy!" Cue giggled.
Just outside the dance floor, Soarin, the most eligable bachelor in the Wonderbolts and the one all the fangirls wanted noticed the crowd of ponies crowded around somepony on the dance floor. He was curious to see what the commotion was all about so he parted his way through the crowd and was shocked to find what he saw! It was Rainbow Dash's daughter Cumulus dancing in a VERY inapropriate fashion with another stallion and everypony else was either laughing or cheereing them on. He had seen her before at the past Galas with her mother and this WASN'T the Cue that he knew, it was apparent that she was drunk he then knew that he needed to intervene before Cue did something that she would regret.
"Alright! That's enough! Break it up!" he shouted.
He managed to split the pair up and shooed the stallion away who, by the disappointed look on his face, had other things in mind besides dancing with her.
"Aww...don't be such a PARTY pooper!" Cue laughed while playfully nudging him.
"Cue? You're not..."
"I'm not having FUN thanks to you!"
"Alright, Cue, I think it's time we got you home."
"Home is where the heart is!" she sang.
Soarin face hoofed, "That's what happens when there are no restrictions of alcohol consumption at these things."
Soarin took her hoof and draped her across his back, "Okay, it's gonna be a bumpy ride Cue...this isn't the first time I've done this."
He then made his way to the door and flew out to Rainbow's house; on the way there, Cue threw up on an unsuspecting bystander who was walking back to his house from the party.
"Hey! What gives?"
"Sorry!" Soarin called down to the bystander, "She's drunk!"
The bystander was then understanding though still upset and went to hose himself off. Once they were at the house, Soarin was a little hesitant to knock on the door because of Rainbow and her possible reaction but he knocked anyway knowing Cue's condition.
Rainbow hadn't gotten up once because of a nightmare, she'd been talking to Twilight about what has been going on and it was a big relief on her. She was now asleep not even thinking about Cue sneaking out and doing the activities she was doing. This would all change when Rainbow heard a knock on the door, Rainbow's eyes shot open and she checked the time. It was currently 1 AM, 'Who would be coming here at this time of night?' she thought to herself.
She got up anyway and went to the door tired eyed, when she opened the door, she thought she was hallucinating! She saw Soarin, the one stallion who she had a crush on since she was 16, (which was the same time he joined the Wonderbolts) with Cumulus draped over his back who looked really sick. She didn't expect this out of Soarin because of the past 3 Galas that she went to.
"Soarin? Why is Cue -"
Soarin interrupted her with a sigh, "Long story short, she was the life of the party, I'll tell you that much."
Rainbow's eyes widened and her pupils now the size of pinheads, "You snuck out! Didn't you?"
Cue answered, "Noooooo, I was going to a party without your permission."
Rainbow face hoofed, "I am very sorry about this Soarin."
"Hey, it's no problem."
"So...what exactly happened for her to get this sick?"
"You REALLY don't want to smell her breath right now."
Rainbow's anger towards Cue rose, "YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING?!?!"
"No, I had punch! And it was good punch!"
Rainbow was now boiling angry and her eye was twitching.
"Are you mad, Mom?" Cue asked.
"Believe me Cumulus, there has never been a time in the past 18 years where I felt like smacking you!"
"Can we save the yelling for when I'm not around and when she's sober?"
Rainbow composed herself and let him bring Cue in.
"Just lay her on the couch and I'll get some coffee started," she said.
"Oh, no thanks."
"It's not for you, it helps with a hangover."
"How do you know that?"
"My grandma used to be an alcoholic and I had to take care of her sometimes."
"I so tired..." Cue groaned.
"Soarin, keep her awake, she might go into cardiac arrest if she goes to sleep."
He nodded, "Come on, Cue, just stay awake."
"I don't wanna."
"Cue, come on, this is all because of you."
Cue only groaned as Rainbow came with a cup of black coffee.
"Here Cue, drink this."
Cue obeyed and clearly didn't like the taste of black coffee.
"Eew!"
"You brought this on yourself you know," Rainbow stated.
Cue hadn't been much of a coffee drinker and she definitely wasn't going to be one now. After 2 hours and numerous cups of coffee, she was coming back to her sober self.
"Ugh, my head is buzzing...."
"You tired?" Rainbow asked.
"Yeah...what time is it?"
Rainbow looked at the clock, "3 AM."
"Can I go to bed now?"
"Sure, I'll help you up there."
Rainbow put one of Cue's forelegs around neck and supported her up the stairs to her room. Once there, she laid her on the bed and placed a blanket over her; within a few seconds she was asleep. Rainbow then went back downstairs still incredibly angry with her daughter.
"You okay?" Soarin asked.
Rainbow's head jolted up, she remembered that Soarin was still there and she actually felt herself blushing a little bit out of both awkwardness and her affections toward him. Soarin himself was doing the same, he'd liked Rainbow ever since that first Gala when she'd saved his pie. She was fast! Insanely fast! He also thought she was pretty with her rosy eyes and rainbow mane and to top it off, the way she gave up her dream for a baby that she decided to keep out of her own conscience, that only intensified his affections. They'd talked at the past Galas and at the past 3 he attempted to ask her out, all of which she said no because she felt that she was too busy for a relationship at the moment. He began scratching the back of his head in awkwardness, "Well, this was an interesting way of meeting up again."
"Yeah."
"Look, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble..."
"It's not a problem, you did the right thing...I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at Cumulus right now more than ever."
"Oh, well...okay. So umm, I'm on tour in Ponyville until next Friday and I was wondering if you'd like to...possibly..."
"Soarin, you know I don't like saying 'no' to you but I've got a lot on my mind right now with Cue getting drunk and making sure she's on a short leash from now on..."
"I get it...sorry."
The truth was that Rainbow was scared of a relationship with him, any other stallion would be fine. But it could risk him losing his job because the Wonderbolts have a strict rule about a member's private love life being in the spotlight. They want the focus to be on the team and the performances, not who's dating who and if this rule is broken the member or members are kicked off the team. She didn't want to risk him losing his job and/or a REALLY emotional break up between them.
"It's okay..."
She said that so awkwardly that Soarin caught it, "Rainbow, there's something else to this isn't there?"
"No there isn't..."
"Yes there is Rainbow. Look I really think you are an amazing mare...I like you, and I can tell that you like me...just tell me why you keep rejecting me."
Rainbow sighed, "Okay, yes...there is something that's holding me back...and it's the rule."
"We don't have to go anywhere public, we can go hang out at each others houses for dinner."
"Isn't there a...you know...risk in that?"
"What kind of risk?"
Rainbow raised an eyebrow as if she were saying, 'Really? You don't know?'
Soarin finally got the hint, "Ah! No! Nono! Nothing like that! I swear!"
Rainbow now knew that Soarin was not going to take 'no' for an answer.
"Alright, one date and if it doesn't go anywhere...then we can go our separate ways. I owe you that much for helping Cue."
"Alright, I'll pick you up at 7 next Friday and we can go over to my house and make some pizza."
"Sounds great."
"See you then."
He then left and Rainbow went back up to check on Cue, she was fast asleep in her bed and still breathing to her intense relief. She then went to her own bed and tried to fall asleep, finding it hard to do so when her mind was full of colliding emotions. But at around 4 AM, she finally did.