The mother and daughter were not on speaking terms for a while, they didn't even say 'Good Morning' or 'Goodnight' to each other, they were now obviously very distant. Rainbow, personally, didn't blame Cue for being mad at her she knew she said some things that she was regretting now. She hated herself for calling her daughter a liar and saying that she didn't want to look at her. Just the memory of saying those things brought her to tears, she knew she hurt her Cumulus badly with her words that were like venom. On the day of her date with Soarin she was considering not going do to her mood at the moment, she felt that she would only be a damper on the entire date. She was pacing and thinking how she was going to tell Soarin that she wasn't going to be going out with him tonight. Would he be angry? Would he see this as an excuse? She was thinking for an hour before she heard a knock on the door and tensed, her long time crush was here, she was going to simply ask if it's possible to postpone the date until she was in a better mood. She took a deep breath and went to answer it. When the door opened, she didn't expect who she saw! It wasn't Soarin, but Commander Spitfire! Rainbow blinked to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
"C-Commander Spitfire?"
"Yep! How ya holdin up?"
"G-good I guess...would you like to come in?"
"Sure!"
Rainbow stepped aside and let Spitfire enter, they entered the living room and Spitfire seated herself in one of the armchairs.
"Ehm...can I get you anything?"
"No thanks, I actually came to talk to you."
"About what?"
"You see your daughter-"
Rainbow facehoofed, "I...am...so...SORRY!"
"For what?"
"For her crashing your party and well - the rest."
"I'm the one who didn't think to tell her not to accept any drinks."
"I..."
"Look, back on topic here...your daughter came to talk to me and..."
Rainbow's eyes widened as she gulped, she had called Cue a liar on this! This was the ultimate parenting mistake, one mistake that she probably wouldn't be able to take back."
"Rainbow Dash? You okay?"
Rainbow snapped out of it, "Sorry, can you repeat that?"
"Well, Cue came to talk too me about you joining the Wonderbolts."
"She did?"
"Yeah, she said that you've given up so much for her that she wants to give you something back."
Rainbow suddenly felt the ultimate pang of guilt, 'What have I done?'
"Um...Spitfire, can you excuse me? I have to talk to Cue about something..."
"Sure, no problem."
Rainbow then went upstairs to Cue's room, she opened the door to see her trying to read her physics book. She was trying to study, but she was too depressed to do so, she was under the impression that she and her mother's relationship that they had before was over. She was thinking of the good times they had, like her 5th birthday, she was playing hide and seek with her Mom in the house. She was hiding under the kitchen table trying not to laugh as her Mom walked around trying to find her.
"Where are you?" she sang. "Come out! Come out!"
She laughed a little, "I'm coming to get you!"
Cue couldn't help but giggle but then she heard her mother approach. She quietly squirmed away to hide in the living room behind the couch as Rainbow said, "Come here you little rascal, I'm coming to get you!"
She looked under the table and laughed when she didn't see her there, "Where is my little birthday girl? I'm going to gobble her up when I find her!"
Cue was about to try and switch hiding places and backed out from behind the couch when her Mother saw her, she picked up Cue and pretended to gnaw at her belly turning Cue into a laughing mess! Rainbow then blew into Cue's belly making her laugh harder.
'Is it over?' she thought to herself in the present day.
Her Mother's voice interrupted her thoughts, "Cue?"
"What do you want?" Cue asked sharply.
"Cue, I came to..."
"I'm studying for a physics test I have to take tomorrow."
It was apparent that Cue was still mad at her for not hearing her out, so Rainbow flew over to her desk and closed the book. She did this in a manner that said, 'I really need to talk to you.'
"Cue...Commander Spitfire is downstairs..."
"So you believe me now?"
"Why didn't you just tell me what you wanted to ask her?"
"Would you have believed me?"
"I....well...look, I was mad, and I wasn't thinking. I wasn't thinking about how to handle this situation...you didn't exactly come with a manual."
Cue smiled a little at the joke.
"Why didn't you just ask to go?"
"You would've said 'no.'"
"I...I...okay, yes, I would have but I would've...I don't know how to respond to that."
Rainbow thought for a moment, "Okay, your reasons were good, but this still doesn't excuse the fact that you snuck out and were drinking and doing....you know...with that stallion."
"I know..."
"Okay, I'm willing to cut you a mulligan, since you technically WEREN'T lying to me...I'm going to take 1 week off of your punishment...IF...you promise that this wont happen again."
"I promise."
"Good."
Cue was about to open her book again when Rainbow stopped her, "Listen, you know I'm only doing this because-"
"You love me."
"Yes, Cue...you are very important to me. I mean not a second goes by that I don't think about....the fire."
Cue looked at her sympathetically, "Mom, you shouldn't be worried about that...I'm alive...you got me out of there."
"Cue, I'm a Mom! I'm SUPPOSED to worry! Ever since the day you came to me I've always worried abot you!"
"Mom, you don't need to worry so much, seriously you need a vacation. Speaking of which, what are you gonna tell the Commander?"
Rainbow had honestly not thought about the offer, should she take it? Cue went through great lengths just to ask Spitfire if she was still qualified, but still, she didn't feel comfortable leaving Cue home alone for that long while she was on tour. But still, Cue wasn't a baby anymore and she did have 5 Aunts to look after her and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. This has been her dream since she was a filly! Why was this so hard? She thought for a moment then went back downstairs with Cue following.
Commander saw them both and said to Cue, "Hey! Haven't seen you in 3000 years!"
Cumulus laughed, "You saw me last week!"
"Oh! Duh! NOW I remember! Yeah, I heard you got yourself in trouble."
"Yeah, but you saved me from having a month grounding."
"Happy to help! But, anyways, Rainbow what do you say to joining?"
Rainbow looked at Cue then back to Spitfire, "When do I start?"
"Really?" Cue asked excitedly.
"Yep!"
"Well, since you have family to look after...we can compromise on a schedule."
"Can it wait? I have a date tonight."
"You have a date?" Cue asked.
"Oh yeah, Soarin was telling me about it. How about tomorrow?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright then, have fun on your date."
"Thanks Commander."
Spitfire then left; once the door shut behind her Cue said, "You...have a date...with Soarin...THE SOARIN?!
"Yeah, he's gonna be here at 7."
"I can't believe you finally said yes to a date with Soarin!!"
"Yeah I did, and it's just one date."
"No, Mom, you need to see where this goes! You're gonna be seeing a LOT of each other now and well...how awkward would that be if you just dropped him after one date?"
"So now you're a dating expert?"
"Dandelion has been with 10 stallions in high school, each one she went on at least 10 dates with to see if it went anywhere. If they make it past 10 good dates, she went on further to 20 to see if it went any further. She also has a 3 strike system, 3 bad dates, he's out and she moves on."
"That's a bit harsh."
"It's just the way she does it."
"What if the stallion breaks up with her first?"
"She does cry for, like, an hour and she moves on, but my point is to at least give Soarin a chance."
Rainbow made an exasperated sigh, "Alright, alright, I'll do it."
"Alright Mom!"
"But don't get your hopes up, with us both being on the Wonderbolts, it might not work."
"Sure, you're just saying that Mom."
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Aren't you supposed to be studying?"
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready?"
"What are you saying? I AM ready!"
"Mom, I may be blind, but know you and I both know that you hardly ever do something with your mane."
"Yes I do! I do my mane up for the Grand Galloping Gala!"
"The Gala doesn't count, you kinda have to for that. It's a formal occasion."
"Look, my mane is untamable, it does what it wants to."
"Okay, I'm getting Aunt Rarity."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's 6:30 Soarin's gonna be here at 7, there's no time!"
"I'm sure we can convince her!"
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Fine."
"Yay! C'mon!" Cue exclaimed while tugging on Rainbow's hoof, leading her out the door.
Once at Carousel Boutique, Cumulus and Rainbow entered. As they did, they heard the familiar sound of the tiny bell ringing and Rarity saying, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is-"
"Chic and Magnifique!"
Rarity saw that it was Cumulus and Rainbow Dash, "Oh! Hello girls! Anything I can help you with?"
"Aunt Rarity, we have a problem..."
"And what's that?"
"I have this thing tonight and..."
"Mom, it's not a thing."
Rarity looked confusedly at them.
"Let's just say that there's a stallion involved."
Rarity gasped and grabbed Cue's cheeks, "Autumn FINALLY did it?!"
"Did what?" said Cue's muffled voice.
"Oh, um, never mind."
Rarity let go of Cue's face, feeling a little embarrassed, "But, if you don't have the thing then..."
"I do Rarity!" Rainbow exclaimed.
"Oh, well, why didn't you just say so?"
"Because you were too busy giving my daughter a face massage?"
Cue was now rubbing her numb cheeks.
"Oh, dear, I'm so sorry."
"What were you saying about Autumn?" Cumulus asked.
Rainbow was curious about this as well.
"Umm...I...so! What would you like me to do?"
"Well, basically make my Mom's mane look nice for her date."
Rarity thought about what she could do and still please Rainbow, then she got it! She would just braid it! She sat Rainbow down and got to work, she did a magnificent diagonal dutch braid on her with tiny braids in it and tied it off with a clear rubber band and wrapped one of the tiny braids around it and draped the braid over Rainbow's shoulder. She then combed Rainbow's bangs to the side and used hairspray to make them stay in place. She spun Rainbow around in the chair and Rainbow herself was shocked at who she saw! Who was this pony? Was this her? It couldn't be her!
"So what do you think Mom?" Cue asked.
"I look...amazing!"
Rarity beamed.
"Rarity, you are awesome! Once again!"
After they left Carousel Boutique, they went home to wait for Soarin. And by the time they got there it was 6:55 and Cue immediately sat on the couch and had her Mom go upstairs and wait for her cue to come down. Cumulus waited the living room for the next 5 minutes waiting for Soarin to knock. When he finally did, Cue composed herself and went to answer it.
"Hello?" she asked when she opened it.
"Hi Cue, feeling better?"
"Yeah, but grounded for 3 weeks."
"Well that sucks."
"Yeah, but, you wanna come in?"
"Sure, thanks."
He entered and stood behind the couch, "So where's your Mom?"
"She's upstairs, hold on...Mom! Soarin's here!"
That was Rainbow's cue to make her entrance, she took a deep breath and came out of her room and down the stairs. When Soarin saw her, his heart stopped, he blushed beet red and his mind went blank. This was the same Pegasus he asked out?! He never knew she could be this gorgeous!
"Soarin? You okay?" Rainbow asked.
"I..uh...I..I..I..I..."
"Is the hair too much? I can take it down if it's..."
"Nono! It's not that, it's just that you look...fantastic."
Rainbow blushed and went down the stairs and stood in front of him, he then started to sweat a little.
"Nervous?" Rainbow asked.
"A little."
Rainbow laughed a little; they then started to leave when Rainbow turned back to Cue who was about to shut the door, "Are you sure you're gonna be okay on your own?"
"Mom, I'm gonna be fine, I mean...what kind of shenanigans can I get into?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "No drinking, no stallions, no parties, got it?"
"Yeah, I got it! Now go!"
Soarin was hovering not far from the house waiting for Rainbow, she then joined him and they took off. Cue closed the door and hoped for the best.
Once the couple was at Soarin's house, which was out in Cloudsdale, they entered. Rainbow was just as nervous as Soarin, she liked him and was hoping that this would go somewhere because she thought he was really sweet and funny behind the tough Wonderbolts persona. Soarin knew what Rainbow was like behind the 'too cool' persona that she used to put on, she was a dedicated Mother, she was loyal to her friends, family, and her decisions. Ever since Cumulus came into her life, it changed her into a more responsible being, all of her decisions revolved around her daughter and Soarin was determined to become a Father figure for Cue even if the relationship didn't work.
"So, ready to make pizza? In the most literal way possible," Soarin joked.
Rainbow sighed and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, so where's the kitchen?"
Soarin led the way, it was through the living room and down a small hallway, "Here we are."
The kitchen was HUGE! Three ovens two sinks and one long island in the middle.
"Are you sure you don't have cooks to make the pizza for us?" Rainbow asked.
"Okay, so I kinda overdid it because I have a big budget, but in my family, we love to cook...it's sort of a thing we do."
"Oh, that's cool!"
"Yeah, that explains the kitchen."
"Kinda does..."
"You wanna have a seat? You'll most likely get lost in all these cupboards."
"Point taken."
She then seated herself in one of the island's chairs as he got out the flour.
"So, where's your family from?"
"Our roots start in Roam, and some of my ancestors came to Manehattan and others went to Cloudsdale. I learned to cook when I was around 6, my grandparents owned a Roaman restaurant there and ownership has been passed down throughout the family."
"Do your parents own it now?"
"Yeah, they saw I wasn't as passionate about it, before I became a Wonderbolt I was a cook there to earn some money to get into the Academy. My parents understood that I was my own pony, that I wanted different things in my life, so they let me go to the Academy and actually threw a big party when I got on the team."
"Wow, your family sounds really nice!"
"They are, they're a bit embarrassing too...especially my older brother, Celestia forbid if he met you."
"What would he do?"
Soarin laughed as he got out the cheese, "He'd tell stories about me in my diaper years and my teen years."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"Yeah, but I didn't tell you that during my early teen years, I had a mouthful of braces."
Rainbow snickered and covered her mouth with her hoof.
"Yeah, yeah, I know...I was a dork."
Rainbow was trying hard not to laugh, she just could not imagine him with braces, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm done."
"You sure?"
"Yeah."
"'Cuz, I'll throw flour at you if you're not! No, I'm just kidding."
"Har, har, har..."
He laughed and said, "Alright, I'll mix this together and we'll get started on the dough."
"Cool."
He mixed the flour water and yeast together until it got to a semi doughy texture and assisted Rainbow in kneading it. He stood behind her with his hooves on hers and guided them until he felt she could do it on her own.
"You're doing good!"
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, you got it."
She smiled and kept kneading it until Soarin told her to stop and let it rise for a bit, they placed it in a bowl and got to work on the sauce which Soarin did himself. He said that she would have to kill him for that recipe; once the dough was risen, he took it out and showed Rainbow how to toss it.
"It's all in the hooves," he said as he tossed like a pro.
He then handed it to Rainbow who tossed it a little sloppily at first, then she started to get the hang of it.
"I got it!"
"Alright Dash!"
Once it was tossed enough, it was placed on the tray, the sauce, cheese and spinach was spread on it, and was put in the oven for baking. During the entire process, Rainbow was amazed at how easy it was to work with Soarin, she felt something rise up in her chest just looking at him. She didn't know what that feeling was, but it felt nice, she then realized what it was: she was falling in love with him. She smiled, not having a problem with this fact. Soarin was really sweet, funny, honest, he didn't have a problem with her being a single Mom and the colt can cook! How could she not like him?
"So what's your story?" he asked.
"Huh?"
"We've been over my story, what's yours? I mean...before Cumulus?"
"Oh, well...saved Equestria countless times, fangirl trying to get into the Wonderbolts...you know it."
"No family or..."
"Oh...well...my Mom just up and left when I was a few months old and my Dad, he passed away from brain cancer a year before Cumulus came along."
"What was he like...your Dad? I'm sorry for asking it's just...you never mentioned him."
"It's okay, he was...he was a great Dad, though overprotective at times, he was funny, he was fun, caring, and a bit shy too."
"He does sound like a great Dad, you miss him?"
"Everyday."
She had honestly never shared these feelings with anyone before, and she liked how comfortable she felt telling this to Soarin. She took it as a good omen as he took the pizza out of the oven. They ate and talked about pretty much everything, Soarin was happy to find out that Rainbow finally joined the Wonderbolts, Rainbow laughed at some funny moments that happened on the team, Soarin listened and laughed at some funny stories from Cue's diaper years, and Rainbow was shocked to find out that he and Spitfire's alleged relationship was a rumor and that everypony on the team still teases them about it. After the pizza was eaten, they still talked and were enjoying each other's company, until Rainbow saw that it was 10:30 on the clock.
"I'd better get home, I need to make sure Cue didn't break any regulations."
"I get it, would you like me to fly you home?"
"Sure."
They flew back to Ponyville and made it back 5 minutes before 11:00, when they landed on the doorstep, Soarin asked, "So, would you be willing to go on a second date?"
Rainbow thought about what Cue said about giving Soarin a chance and said with a smile, "Yes."
Soarin lit up, as Rainbow was about to open her door, Soarin took her hoof.
"There's one more thing I want to do..."
Rainbow looked at him confusedly, "What?"
He slowly leaned in, closing his eyes and kissed her on the lips. Rainbow's eyes widened in surprise but they slowly closed as she took pleasure in the kiss, when they parted, both were blushing. Soarin looked at her with a bright smile and said, "Good night."
"'Night."
He then took off and Rainbow went inside feeling the same amount of happiness that she had felt when she first saw Cumulus as a baby. She ascended the stairs drunken with the compassionate feelings she felt, she stopped in front of Cue's room and saw her asleep at her desk, her head laying on her crossed arms over her book. Rainbow smiled and went in to wake her up and get her in her real bed.
She shook her slightly, "Cue...honey..."
"Hrrmgeroff?"
She woke up and yawned, "Who is it?"
"It's me...c'mon, get up..."
Rainbow helped her up and guided Cue to her bed, "How was your date Mom?"
"I'll tell you in the morning," Rainbow replied as she layed her daughter down. "Right now, you just get some sleep, you've worked yourself to the bone."
"Okay," Cue whispered as she fell back asleep.
Rainbow then went to her own bedroom, undid her hair, combed it out and went to bed. Though having quite a bit of trouble doing so, she was too aroused from the kiss to sleep. Back at Soarin's house, he was going through the same thing as he layed in his bed.