//------------------------------// // Meet the Kinda-Sorta-Semi-Friends // Story: Meet the Family // by Thunderscourge //------------------------------// A/N: To start, I would like to thank MaskedFerret for helping me out at Bronycon with brainstorming for this story. Go thank them, not me, for this! Anyways, thanks to Flare, Alicorn Spectrum Destiny, fatboi1000, Sirflysalot, Emerald Knight, shad0w2323, SageBrony07, SwimmingDalek98, SeventhBrony, Sean De Retro, Killabyte, Sadow Wolf, Rainbow87dash, WildStallion, Sothe17, moonview, Deathray783, Blue Streak, RainbowFlash96, MLPDavester, themouthofmush, Quillin Words, ROB24DOG, jlm123hi, Rokas, Lovepugkate, AllPowersCombined, Eden, DragoDog21, Graf Zeppelin, Vernerok87, Drgnwolf, Maskedferret, Bright0Night, Kenshinryuu, and rainbowangel409 for actually commenting last chapter and not just posting error corrections. Your support is always appreciated, and I love hearing from you all. Sorry about the wait, but without further adieu, the chapter! I hope you enjoy and that I can hear your thoughts in the comments below! “Hey Soarin, I got something to ask you.” It was a weekend and Soarin had not intended to do very much. While not ancient, age was certainly beginning to kick in for him and he felt an ache in his whole body from the stunts he had been pulling in their air shows. This was the reason he kept making sure he was assigned more teaching and paperwork duties than the actual shows. He was laying on the couch when Rainbow Dash approached him, and so he rolled over to face her while simultaneously wondering where the orange furball next to him had gone. He must have dozed off while watching morning cartoons with Scootaloo. “What is it?” Rainbow stopped beside the couch so she could lean in and rub her forehead against his face. The whole intimacy thing was new to her, but she could try a bit here and there. The other part of a relationship though was something she also was clueless about. She had been putting Soarin through the hoops meeting her family and friends, but she had not really reciprocated other than that one unfortunate run in with his parents. “You’ve met my family, my friends, Scootaloo, Scootaloo’s friends…” Rainbow Dash paused as Soarin’s eyes widened, likely a result of him seeing where this was going. To ease his tension a bit Rainbow smiled to him and spoke as chipper as she could manage, “I think it’s about time I meet some of your friends!” That made Soarin gulp in sudden self realization. He didn’t have a grand roster of friends…sure, he could count some ponies he met when he was in high school like Caramel, but that was kind of stretching the term. As for his other “friend” candidates…well, he was not too happy with them at the moment even if he was feeling a little less sore in that regard. Soarin averted his eyes from Rainbow’s, “Well, my bests friends were my fellow Wonderbolts, but we’re in a rough patch right now…” Rainbow was relentless though and did not give up against such weak resistance, “How about we fix that then? Invite them over for dinner.” “I…” Soarin could tell that this was going to be all she brought up the rest of the day, or week, if he did not relent at some point in some way, “If you want to, sure. I guess being mad at them forever wouldn’t do anypony any good.” Rainbow quickly pulled him into an embrace to demonstrate how pleased she was that she was getting her way, “That’s the spirit. Now I’ll work with All Thread and get everything ready. You just get them to come here!” Beneath her, Soarin was less enthusiastic. “Easier said than done…” Part one of Rainbow Dash’s ingenious plot was completed. Next, she needed to secure some actually good food so that Soarin didn’t have to cook. It was up to Soarin to grab those he considered friends and bring them, so she would make sure they had a nice meal waiting for them after their flight. “All Thread, you home?” Which meant she wouldn’t be cooking it. The bonuses of having a semi-kinda-retired butler living in the house. He appeared faster than Rainbow would have thought an older pony could have, but she was not one to balk at anypony’s speed and let the feat pass by without a word. “Yes mistress Dash. Is there anything you need assistance with?” Getting called “Mistress” made Rainbow feel older than she was, but she didn’t really care too much about the whole age thing. Her mom being like a decade or something older than her dad after all helped her get over such issues. Rainbow chuckled as she observed the old pony who was for some reason still wearing his butler outfit despite his semi-sorta-retirement, “Soarin is going to have some of his friends over and I wanted to have a nice dinner. Not really my style, so thought I’d ask you for help!” The bow given to her made Rainbow chuckle nervously. “Anything in particular that you require, mistress?” “Nah, anything should be good so long as it’s, you know, good.” As ever, her ability to convey what she needed and wanted was unparalleled. Two parts of the master plan were handled, leaving one very important piece left. Given how Scootaloo was not exactly happy with the Wonderbolts, having her home and eating with them would kind of be a joykill for the whole matter. Scootaloo was busy reading comic books upside down on her bed when Rainbow tracked the filly down. Her purple mane was hanging off the bed as her eyes intently poured over her precious Power Ponies book. Rainbow cleared her throat to get the attention of the enthralled filly, “Scootaloo, Soarin and I are going to need the house to ourselves tonight. Could you stay with Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle for the night?” That instantly captured the attention of Scootaloo, who rolled over on her bed and slid the comic across the sheets so she could shoot a large grin at her idol, “Sure! Need more candles?” Being surprised by where Scootaloo’s mind had jumped, Rainbow took a step back in embarrassment as her cheeks flushed red beneath her blue fur. “No!” she yelped desperately before regaining her cool and giving a fake smile, “I mean, thanks, but uh, we’re good. We’re just having company over and it needs to just be adults, okay?” “Fiiiiiiiiiine,” Scootaloo whined as she got up from her bed, “I’ll go see if they’re available. Maybe we can find out why Apple Bloom doesn’t appear in the older pages of her family photo album!” As Scootaloo exited the room past her Rainbow Dash giggled, “Yeah, you do that,” sending her off made Rainbow feel a little bad, but she knew it was for the best, “Have fun Scootaloo, don’t try anything too crazy for your Cutie Mark!” “Bye mom!” Scootaloo called from the staircase. Standing alone in Scootaloo’s doorway, Rainbow felt her heart seize up at that last word. Even after all this time the whole being a mother thing was new and uncomfortable, “Heh. Mom…” When Rainbow moved to leave the doorway she nearly backed into somepony else, causing her to flap into the air and whiz around to face the pony who she nearly hit. The nice dress clothes told Rainbow who it was even before she finished turning, “Woah, All Thread, you scared me!” The butler bowed and cleared his throat, “I apologize mistress. I only wished to inform you that I am prepared to retrieve whatever materials you require of me for tonight’s dinner.” Seeing as how she was done with her sinister, ultimate plan Rainbow felt bored. This caused her to receive this news in a much more enthusiastic manner than she normally would, “Awesome! Mind if I tag along? Might as well learn some of this fancy stuff.” “Grocery shopping is not what one would consider fancy.” Rainbow leaned forward in the air so that she could pat him on the head affectionately. “Hahaha, yeah, you keep thinking that.” On the way back Soarin had had a very awkward, short, but ultimately useful chat with the two mares he brought back with him. Something along the lines of “sorry” and “okay”, but he was not going to linger on it any longer. It was supposed to be a nice night, and he wouldn’t bring up such business if he could help it. “Rainbow, I’m back!” Across the cloud house Soarin could hear her call back. “You bring them?” As Soarin opened his mouth to confirm that yes, he had, Rainbow decided that appearing from out of nowhere was not something only All Thread could do. She whizzed into the hallway and up to the door with a smile on her face, looking straight at the mares standing behind Soarin who in turn took notice of Rainbow Dash. “Private,” Spitfire saluted, though her voice was the casual tone Rainbow Dash had heard at the Gala rather than the harsh one used at the Wonderbolt Academy. Rainbow Dash saluted back before welcoming her in with the same hoof, “Captain Spitfire.” The other mare, Fleetfoot, looked around the inside of the house with some curiosity as they all made their way towards the kitchen, “When Soarin said he was bringing us over to his house, I thought he meant Cloudsdale…” she turned between Soarin and Rainbow Dash with a single raised eyebrow, “How long has this been a thing?” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Nice to see you too, Fleetfoot.” “Still, not bad for an older stallion—” Soarin cleared his throat to cut off his blunt friend, “Anyways, why don’t we sit down and eat? I’m sure you guys are hungry.” The mention of food brought Fleetfoot off of the topic of Soarin’s successes to her increasingly rumbling stomach, “You can say that again. Where’s the chow?” The group made their way over to the dining room table, and after Spitfire and Fleetfoot sat across from Soarin and Rainbow they all set up to eat. As the others went about preparing to eat, the starving Fleetfoot had her attention caught by something in the corner of the room none of the others seem to have noticed. Spitfire tried to start a conversation as their exquisitely cooked meal began, “So…uh—” Fleetfoot cut her superior off with a sudden jab in the air with one hoof, “You have a butler?” The others looked to where Fleetfoot was pointing, and while Spitfire too was surprised both Soarin and Rainbow Dash were amused by Fleetfoot’s shock. Rainbow Dash nodded to the surprised Wonderbolt, “His name is All Thread. He’s a part of the family.” All Thread gave a customary bow before returning to standing in the background, ever ready to tend to whatever they might require of him and also within hoof’s reach of the extra meal he had cooked himself. “You have a butler,” Fleetfoot repeated, still not believing what was in front of her eyes even as she began to eat the food prepared by said butler. Soarin shrugged, just remembering that he had never really brought his family situation up at work before, “My family is rich. He was their butler until he came to stay here.” “Got any brothers?” Fleetfoot unabashedly questioned. “Or sisters?” Spitfire joked as she saw the money signs appear in Fleetfoot’s eyes. Their reactions made Soarin laugh a little, but he shook his head no, “Sorry. My parents were too annoyed by one foal to have another.” Things grew quiet again until Spitfire cleared her throat and tried to start another topic, “So…you two…” “Rainbow Dash and I have been doing this a long time. You know that much,” Soarin reminded Spitfire, who only nodded while trying to find words. “Never knew you were…well…” she looked around to make sure there were no fillies around, “Sleeping over.” Rainbow brought a hoof up to Soarin’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, this doesn’t effect and won’t effect our work at all. We’ve made sure of that.” That only received a nod from the mares, with Fleetfoot still distracted by the existence of a butler in the corner. Next it was Rainbow who attempted to bring something up to talk about, “But enough about us, I was hoping to get to know you guys a little better.” Fleetfoot brought a hoof to her chest before announcing half through a mouth of food, “Fleetfoot, single, interested in big, quiet stallions with money and land, not to mention the fastest Wonderbolt!” “Only for track related events,” Spitfire snorted, which both Soarin and Rainbow got in on with their own giggles. “Quiet!” Fleetfoot complained as the others all laughed at her. To get the heat off of Fleetfoot, Spitfire opened up about herself, “Well, I’ve been working with Soarin for close to fifteen years now. We both went to the same flight academy where we went on to succeed at completely different things.” Soarin continued to snicker, albeit now with another target, “You never were that great at your aerodynamics courses.” Spitfire was not about to let him get the last laugh though, “You see, the reason I think he is so slow compared to everypony else is that big brain of his that he doesn’t use half the time.” Fleetfoot began to crack up in her seat as she got the chance to riff on somepony else, “Especially when he sees pretty mares! Boy does he get distracted.” Rainbow smiled at them both before she snarked, “Funny, he seems perfectly fine when he flies with you guys.” Fleetfoot threw her hooves in the air as she let out a hearty laugh, “Oooooh, sick burn!” after calming down for a moment, Fleetfoot continued, “Nah, he’s just good about not looking at coworkers the wrong way. Of course, you had to come along and mess that up, but then again he seems to fly straight when he’s with you too.” “Ladies, ladies, you’re both pretty,” Spitfire interrupted with a big smile on her face, “But long story short, I’ve been working with this big dope almost as long as you’ve been alive.” That brought back memories for Rainbow Dash, “I remember getting posters of him when I was a filly, so yeah…” Spitfire nodded to that, “Your parents must have enjoyed hearing that you were dating your idol.” “You mean creeped out,” Fleetfoot pointed out with a snort. Rainbow shrugged, “Nah, my mom was pretty okay with it. Probably helps that I learned just the other day from my friend Twilight that my mom was the one who started the Wonderbolts, so bringing one of them home was a plus.” Silence met that statement as both Spitfire and Fleetfoot gaped. After a moment Spitfire managed to gather her thoughts and words so she could respond, “Wait, your mother is Firefly?” Rainbow Dash nodded with a nervous grin. Fleetfoot stared at Rainbow with disbelief, “And you have not brought this up before because…” Rainbow leaned back defensively, both amused and guarded about this new line of questioning. She had not really thought about the issue yet, and now she was being interrogated on the issue, “She never once mentioned it to me when I was growing up, I swear! Besides, I haven’t been seeing them that much the past few years.” Soarin nodded to the last point, “Yeah, I remember how they seemed to want you to visit more.” “You met with them and you didn’t get me an autograph of the famous Firefly! Soarin, how could you?!” Fleetfoot cried out indignantly. “Hey, I didn’t have a clue! She didn’t bring it up!” Spitfire was just as indignant and semi-furious, “How could you not know who our founder was? What is the matter with you!?” “I’m the one who suggested we make learning history a part of our entrance exam, not the one who actually had to study for that test!” Soarin explained to excuse his own lack of knowledge about their history. That had always been something Spitfire was better at anyways since she liked looking at all the mares and their uniforms in the books while Soarin was busy staring off into space. Rainbow found herself amused at this turn of events, “I had no idea my mom was that big a deal. No wonder she doesn’t go out much…” Spitfire continued to be a history buff, “Firefly retired and then dropped off the radar completely. She must have settled down and met your father. Without her though we wouldn’t exist!” That made Rainbow Dash understand her own mother’s silence on the matter a little more, “Makes sense she wouldn’t bring it up though, since she wouldn’t be able to live normally if everypony knew who she was…” “And you’re a blabbermouth, so the secret couldn’t be kept…” Soarin’s words trailed off as he realized what he was saying mid-sentence. “Hey!” “Oooh, that’s a ticket to the couch!” Fleetfoot joked as she sensed the incoming argument. “But I don’t want to sleep on the—” After they saw their guests off for the night, Rainbow Dash turned to Soarin with a big smile. She was grinning at him about how nopony had to argue about anything too serious. “That didn’t go too badly, right?” Soarin looked off into the dark night sky with its bright moon courtesy of Princess Luna and thought about the night. It had been a long time since he just did something fun with his friends…he ought to more, he supposed, because that might make betrayal issues less common. “Ehhh…I guess.” Rainbow Dash brushed against his cheek and gave him a quick peck on the muzzle, “Friends do stupid stuff. You just got to learn to get over it and move on.” Soarin returned the gesture, a smile forming on his own face, “You’re right.” A thought struck him that he had not really noticed until just then. “Where’s Scootaloo?” Rainbow Dash gave a shrug and a nervous laugh as she realized she wasn’t even that sure, “Carousel Boutique or Sweet Apple Acres for the night.” Perhaps, they both thought, they should go to some parents 101 classes. The mystery was solved when, in the distance, a large red fire erupted where Rainbow Dash knew there to only be farmland. “Sweet Apple Acres.” This was going to be a longer night than either of them expected.