Home Sweet Home

by ACTASAP

Morrow's Diner

RING RING RING RING

Thunderlane let out a barely audible groan as his alarm clock went off, waking him from his peaceful slumber. It took every amount of strength he had just to lift his hoof up to search for the source of that evil ringing. His hoof flailed around for about a minute until it finally found its target and silenced the clock. He was about to allow himself to drift back to sleep but then he realized that his wife was no longer wrapped in his hooves and after forcing his eyes up, he saw she was missing from their bed.

Thunderlane forced himself out of bed to find his wife, but before he could start his search, he noticed the time on his alarm clock, 6:02. He wasn’t fully awake yet, so maybe his eyes were just playing tricks on him, since he always set his alarm to go off at 7. He rubbed his eyes and held the clock up for closer inspection, only to see that the time was now 6:03. Before he could question this oddity any more, Rainbow Dash entered the room, holding a cup of coffee in her hooves.

“Good you’re up, I made coffee if you want some,” she said as she took a sip of her coffee.

“I think something’s wrong with my clock, it went off an hour earlier than when I set it,” he thought out loud. He was considering just writing it off as a strange occurrence and forget about it for now. Although, if it continues happening then he’ll have to take it to Time Turner to see if he could repair it.

“Oh that was me, I got up about a half hour ago and I set your clock to go off at six.” Thunderlane was a little more than annoyed when she admitted this, but his face didn’t show it. He figured he could still go back to sleep so no harm was done.

“Did you forget that you’re on vacation? You’re not with the Wonderbolts right now so you don’t have to get up at ridiculous hours, and neither do I.” Thunderlane fell back into bed, trying to fall back asleep but that was interrupted when he felt his wife’s hoof poking him.

“Well I got you up this early because I thought we could go for an early morning flight, just like we used to when we were both Wonderbolts. Besides, it would be great exercise.” As soon as he heard that last part, Thunderlane understood her motives. He had caught her yesterday staring at his stomach and how much weight he’d put on. She tried to pass it off as if she’d been lost in thought but he knew she was really taken aback by it.

Raising Silverwing wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do by himself. Sure, he would occasionally get help from his brother, Scootaloo, or Rainbow’s dad, but most of the time he had to take care of him alone, and that could get very stressful at times To make matters worse, he didn’t have much free time anymore, so he could no longer work out like he used to when he was a Wonderbolt.

He could tell her that. Tell her that his weight gain was due to having to raise their son all by himself, but then he knew what would happen. She’d feel guilty and blame herself, insisting that she was a horrible wife; he couldn’t do that to her. Besides, a little exercise probably wouldn’t kill him, even if it was this early in the morning.

With a heavy sigh, Thunderlane ignored the voice in his head telling him to go back to sleep and lifted himself out of bed. “All right, let me get a cup of coffee first and then we’ll go out flying.”

Rainbow smiled and gave her husband a quick kiss on the cheek. “Good, I can’t remember the last time we went out flying together.”

“Six months ago, when you came home for our anniversary,” he answered.

“Oh yeah, it just feels like it’s been forever,” Rainbow claimed.

“Sure it does, now lets get this over with,” is what Thunderlane wanted to say. Instead, he took a brief moment to stretch his legs and wings and then followed his wife downstairs.This was going to be a long morning, but thankfully he had breakfast at Morrow’s to look forward to, and the chance to introduce Rainbow to a new friend.

--------

Thunderlane quickly scanned his surroundings and once he was certain his wife wasn’t watching him he wiped some sweat from his brow. They had been flying laps above their house for about forty minutes now, but his wings had started to tire ten minutes ago. As usual, his wife didn’t even seem to be breaking a sweat, but then again this was probably just a daily routine for her.

The dark gray pegasus suddenly felt a hoof tap him on his back, but when he looked back all he saw was a rainbow blur zipping right past him.

He felt like he should be frustrated over not being able to keep up with her, but he had to remind himself that she had always been better at this than him. He had been perfectly content with doing duet routines with her, but when Rainbow got pregnant with Silverwing, Thunderlane got to fly solo. However, he quickly discovered that his wife was much more popular with the fans than he was.

No matter how hard he tried, he could never really excite the crowd like he used to when he flew with his wife. Whenever he’d look down on the crowd while he was performing, he’d always see bored expressions, and some would even leave their seats. In fact, it was reported that concession stands sales would go up whenever he was doing his routine. It made his decision to retire much easier.

There were still some fans who were disappointed when he announced his retirement since he wouldn’t be returning to perform with his wife, but that disappointment quickly faded once Rainbow returned. While his popularity faded after going solo, she became more popular than ever. It made sense to him though, her moves were always bigger, flashier, and required more skill than his. She was simply better than him and she deserved her popularity.

Thunderlane was so lost in thought that he was caught off guard when his wife zipped past him again, but this time she turned back around and approached him.

“Wow you really are rusty, that’s the fifth time I’ve lapped you,” Rainbow playfully gibed him.

“I don’t really get to do much flying these days unless it’s with Silverwing, and even then I have a hard time keeping up with that kid.” The married couple shared a small chuckle at this.

“Don’t worry, now that I’m back I’ll be sure to whip you back into shape,” she said as she lightly patted his stomach. Thunderlane knew she was just being playful and that there was no malice in her words, but it still didn’t feel good when she poked fun at his weight. Still, he felt the need to put on a happy face and take it as the joke she intended it to be.

“Yeah I did let myself go a bit. I guess I’m lost without your guidance,” Thunderlane chuckled with a hint of nervousness, but thankfully Rainbow didn’t seem to pick up on it.

“Well my guidance isn’t doing you any good if we’re just hovering here. C’mon, let’s see some hustle,” Rainbow commanded, but Thunderlane didn’t budge.

“Don’t you think we should call it quits for now?” Thunderlane asked.

“Nah, we’ve only been flying for 40 minutes.”

“But we still have other things we need to do. Both of us are going to need a shower after this and do a little preening. We have to feed Tank, then wake up Silverwing and get him ready to go meet our friends at Morrows Diner.”

“We could easily go for another 20 minutes and still have enough time to make it to Morrow’s by 9.”

“Y’know, they say that when you start a new exercise program and you should always start small and work your way up to more advanced stuff. Maybe 40 minutes is a good starting goal and each time we go out flying we’ll go for a few minutes longer than before.”

Rainbow Dash placed a hoof under her chin, pondering her husband’s preposition. “All right, we’ll compromise. 10 more minutes.”

Thunderlane let out a defeated sigh, it was clear she wasn’t going to give up on this. Ten extra minutes was probably the best he could hope for. “Fine.”

“Well then let’s not waste any more time,” Rainbow said with a smirk before flying away with Thunderlane trying to follow her, or else she’d start teasing him again.

-------

“Can’t we go any faster?” Silverwing whined. The four-year-old colt sat on his mother’s back, holding onto her neck as they flew to the diner. Thunderlane flew ahead of them so he could lead the way. The diner wasn’t far from their house so they were flying slow and leisurely, much to their son’s annoyance. Although, that wasn’t the only reason for their lack of speed.

Just as they were finishing their morning workout, Rainbow felt her wings start to ache again. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as it was yesterday when she was doing those stunts for her son, so she thought a hot shower might help her feel better. It did, but her wings still didn’t feel like they fully recovered yet, so she had no objections when Thunderlane suggested a more laid-back flight.

“Be patient Silver, we’ll get there soon enough,” Thunderlane told him.

Rainbow could feel her son fidgeting around on her back. She didn’t understand how this kid could be this anxious and impatient just to go to a simple diner. If she had been some random mare that happened to witness this scene, she’d think the colt was going to an amusement park or some kind of sporting event. Although, his enthusiasm did spark her curiosity on how good the food really was at this place.

After about six minutes of leisurely flying, they finally arrived at a place that Rainbow would describe as small and quaint, with a sign in the window that read ‘Morrow’s Diner’. Silverwing wasted no time hopping off his mother’s back and running towards the door.

“Don’t go too far Silver, wait for us,” Thunderlane called out but was ignored by his son, who entered the diner. His parents tried to follow him, but a light green pegasus stallion with a yellow mane and tail blocked their path.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to intrude but you’re Rainbow Dash aren’t you?” he asked, while Thunderlane looked through the window.

“Yep, that’s me.” Rainbow would have thought of a cooler response, but she was a little more concerned about catching up with her son. Her eyes shifted back to her husband, who had now moved away from the window. He wasn’t panicking, so she saw that as a sign that their son was OK.

“I had heard that you lived in this town, but I just wanted to make sure it was you. Besides, how could I pass up the chance to meet the greatest Wonderbolt of this generation.” A proud smirk found it’s way onto Rainbow’s face.

“Well I don’t like to toot my own horn, so that’s why I let other ponies do it for me. I’d love to continue chatting with a fan, but me and my husband should really get back to our son.” Even if Silverwing was OK now, she didn’t want to leave him alone in the diner for too long.

“All right, but how about a quick autograph before you go?” The stallion asked as he pulled out a pad and pencil from his saddlebag.

“Sure, I guess I could do that for a loyal fan. I assume you want my husband’s autograph too?” Rainbow asked, but the stallion’s smile dropped. He turned to Thunderlane, staring at him for a moment before turning back to her.

“I’m sorry but I don’t really know who your husband is.” Rainbow’s head shot back and she gave the stallion a look similar to one she might give a pony that said they didn’t know who Celestia and Luna were.

“You don’t know Thunderlane, the best wingpony in all of Equestria? We always performed together when we first started out as Wonderbolts and we were very popular with the crowd. You must be a new fan and that’s why you don’t recognize him, but trust me, he was one of the all-time greats,” Rainbow proudly stated. She looked to her husband to see that even though he was smiling, there was a trace of uneasiness to it.

“Well I’ve been a Wonderbolt fan for almost my entire life, but now that you mention it, I do vaguely remember you performing with somepony when you started out.” The light green pegasus sounded slightly annoyed.

“And that pony was Thunderlane, my husband. Since we performed together it might be cool to get both our autographs. So what do you say?”

The Wonderbolt fan remained silent, as if he had to actually think about this for a moment. After about ten seconds, he finally responded with an emotionless “OK”.

Rainbow Dash stepped aside so that Thunderlane could give him his signature first, noticing that he looked as indifferent as the stallion. After her husband jotted his name on the paper, she then signed her name on the same piece of paper. The pegasus thanked them and then went along his way.

“You do realize that he probably only took my autograph because he was scared he might not have gotten yours without it?” Thunderlane asked.

“Yeah, and I signed it on the same page as yours just to make sure he wouldn’t just throw it in the trash or something like that. I guess we better get in there before Silverwing starts causing trouble,” Rainbow said with a chuckle as they walk to the door.

“I’m sure he’s fine, when I looked through the window he was talking to Cinnamon Swirl.” Rainbow Dash stopped in her tracks and raised an eyebrow at her husband.

“Who?” she asked but he didn’t answer, he just held the door open for her.

When she walked in she spotted her son talking to a red pegasus with a green mane who looked about eight years younger than Rainbow. She was also wearing a waitress outfit that covered up her cutie mark.

They were tucked away near the kitchen doors having a private conversation, whispering so Rainbow couldn’t make out what they were saying. The red mare, who had knelt down to Starking’s level, wrapped one of her forelegs around him and used her other foreleg to give him an affectionate rub on the head.

Thunderlane smiled at this sight, but Rainbow felt like her stomach was twisting in knots. It was awkward seeing another mare, other than Pinkie Pie, being this close with her son, especially since she was a stranger to her.

The mare lifted herself up and walked towards Thunderlane, with Silverwing following her as if he was a loyal dog. She gave him a warm, friendly, smile as she spoke. “Hey there, I was just asking your son what you’ve been feeding him lately. At the rate he’s growing he’ll be as big as a house.”

“Hey don’t look at me, I’ve mainly fed him various vegetables, hay, and one treat a day. It must be those flapjacks he orders here. So I think the better question is what have you and your grandfather been putting in the food?” Thunderlane questioned her as if he was a royal guard interrogating a suspect, but the smirk on his face showed that he was just messing with her.

“Oh just the usual, eggs, flour, sugar, oh and this secret growth formula that grandpa gave me when I was younger, but I can’t possibly see how that would have an effect on him.” Cinnamon Swirl tried to sound serious but after a few seconds her face finally started to crack as both her and Thunderlane started snickering.

Rainbow felt invisible as she watched her husband interact with this mare as if she was an old friend, while also ignoring her. Even her son, who would rarely give her a moment's rest yesterday, was more interested in the conversation between his dad and the waitress. She let out a small cough to try and get their attention.

“Hi, you must be Rainbow Dash.” The waitress approached her with a smile on her face, but it didn’t feel as genuine as the one she had given her husband earlier. It seemed like every muscle in her mouth was for forcing her to look happy. “You family has told me so much about you.”

“Really, because they haven’t told me anything about you.” Rainbow felt her husband’s wing nudge her after she said that. She looked back to see him with a disapproving look on his face that read ‘be nice’. Despite this, the red furred mare was lightly chuckling at her remark.

“Don’t worry, I’m not surprised. Even if they had mentioned me before, I’m sure a high ranking Wonderbolt like you would have bigger things on her mind than a simple waitress,” she said with an innocent tone that made Rainbow Dash want to roll her eyes.

“Well life as a Wonderbolt can get pretty hectic at times, but now that I’m on a three-month vacation I’ll have to take time to get to know you better,” Rainbow said, reluctantly trying to be civil due to her family’s sake.

“I guess I better start off by introducing myself. I’m Cinnamon Swirl, I’m a waitress here, but I’m sure you figured that out already due to my uniform. I also help out in the kitchen on Tuesdays and Saturdays and I make the pastries every morning.” Cinnamon pointed to a glass case with some cookies, danishes, brownies, and cinnamon buns which, as much as Rainbow hated to admit it, looked delicious.

“It’s first come first serve with them, and once they’re gone that’s it for the day. So you might want to buy one soon because they’re pretty popular with our patrons,” Cinnamon added. Rainbow Dash was annoyed by the smugness in her voice, but she had to admit that she was being a little hypocritical.

“It certainly sounds like keep yourself busy,” Rainbow said the first thing that came to her mind.

Cinnamon nodded in response, “My grandpa owns this diner, so I try to do as much as I can to help him out.”

“I’m guessing your grandfather is Morrow,” Rainbow commented, even though she wasn’t particularly interested in the diner’s name.

“No, Morrow was my grandma. She was always a huge source of inspiration for my grandpa and was always supportive of his decision to open up his own diner. Sadly, she passed away before this place could open so he decided to name it Morrow’s Diner in her honor. Also he couldn’t name it after himself because no pony would eat at a place called Stinky’s Diner.”

Once Rainbow noticed that her both her son and her husband were laughing at Cinnamon’s joke she quickly forced out a laugh, hoping they didn’t notice her hesitation.

“I’d tell you about myself but I’m guessing my family’s already done that.”

“Yes I suppose they have. You son was just telling me about that vacation you mentioned earlier, which I was very happy to hear about. You have such a wonderful family and I’m sure it must kill you to constantly be away from them, but now you can finally spend some nice, quality time together.”

Sure, her words seemed kind and friendly enough and she was certainly cheerful and peppy, although obviously not to the same level as Pinkie Pie, but something about her just didn’t feel right. When Cinnamon spoke with Thunderlane it felt genuine and natural, but when the waitress spoke with her it felt insincere.

Before Rainbow could question this any further, she heard a familiar voice call out “Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash, over here.” The cyan mare turned her head to see a pink mare, a white mare, and a yellow mare wave her over to their booth.

“It seems like your friends are anxious to catch up with you, so I won’t keep you.” Cinnamon told her before turning her attention to Thunderlane and Silverwing “As for you two, I see that your favorite booth is available.”

“The one next to the window?” Silverwing excitedly asked.

“The one next to the window.” Cinnamon gave the small colt a pat on the head with her wing.

Rainbow ignored the uncomfortable feeling she got from the mare friendliness towards her family and she headed for her friend’s table. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were sitting on the left side of the booth and Fluttershy was sitting by herself on the right side, so Rainbow Dash sat next to her foalhood friend.

If there was any hint of Rainbow’s wariness towards the waitress on her face, then it was replaced by a huge grin after seeing her friends again.

“Rainbow Dash, so good to see you again, darling,” chirped Rarity.

“We’ve all really missed you a lot,” Fluttershy added, giving her foalhood friend a small hug.

“Thanks, I’ve missed you girls a lot too and I really appreciate all of your letters. They always made me feel like I was back in Ponyville chatting with my old friends. So I guess we’re just waiting-”

Before Rainbow could finish her sentence, a lavender alicorn walked through the door. Her eyes darted across the diner until they stopped in the direction of her friends’ booth and she made her way over there, taking a seat next to Pinkie Pie.

“Sorry I’m late everypony. My guards were insisting on accompanying me into the diner, thankfully I convinced them to just wait outside. Out of everything that’s changed since I’ve become a princess, the extra security is still something I’m getting used to,” Twilight explained to her friends, before turning her attention to Rainbow Dash.

“Ponyville just hasn’t been the same ever since you left Rainbow, it’s good to have you back. Pinkie told us you’re on a three-month vacation.”

“Yeah but I’ll talk about that once AJ gets here.” Rainbow noticed the smile start to fade from Pinkie’s muzzle when she said that.

“Actually Applejack’s not coming,” Pinkie waited for her friends to let out their disappointed groans before she continued. “It’s her day to work in the fields while Soarin’ watches their kids, and since it’s close to harvesting time she couldn’t take time off to join us for breakfast.”

After a few seconds of silence, Pinkie’s dreary expression switched to a more joyful one as her ears perked up. “Although, she did tell me to ask Rainbow Dash to bring Silverwing over tomorrow so he can have a playdate with Starking. That should give you two plenty of time to catch up with each other.”

“This won’t be the same without Applejack, but at least you’ll get to spend some time with her tomorrow,” Fluttershy commented and the other three nodded in agreement.

“Do you not see her that often?” Rainbow asked her friends. She could imagine that taking care of a farm and a foal with brittle bone disease would take up most of AJ’s time.

“We usually visit her at Sweet Apple Acres once a week and sometimes we’ll see her in the marketplace, selling her apples. I think Fluttershy meant that it’s more important that you see her rather than us, since you’re always out of town,” Rarity stated.

“How has Starking been doing?” Rainbow asked.

“He’s been great. He hasn’t had an accident in a while and he even started flying two weeks ago.” Pinkie’s reply caused Rainbow to cock an eyebrow at her friend.

“What do you mean he started flying? Starking’s an earth pony.” Rainbow figured Pinkie probably had him mixed up with another foal.

“Oh we wouldn’t dare rob Applejack of the chance of telling that story but trust me, it’s a very sweet one,” Rarity teased. This only made Rainbow’s curiosity elevate, but she knew she wasn’t going to get any answers until tomorrow.

“You girls could come with me when I go visit her tomorrow,” Rainbow suggested before adding “I’m sure AJ won’t mind.“

“I’d love to but Cheese is supposed to come back home tomorrow from that party he threw in Baltimare,” Pinkie said, causing a smug smile to find its way onto Rainbow’s face.

Rainbow Dash always felt a sense of pride whenever Pinkie talked about her marriage with Cheese Sandwich since they hooked up while planning her and Thunderlane’s wedding.

“I’m afraid I can’t go either. I have an awful lot of work to do that I really need to catch up on,” Rarity sighed.

“I promised Dr. Goodall that I would lend a hoof at the clinic tomorrow, so unfortunately I also won’t be able to make it.” Fluttershy said as Rainbow gave her an understanding nod.

One of the few times Rainbow took time off of work was to help a grieving Fluttershy after learning of Angel’s passing. The yellow mare had became a bit of a shut-in., never leaving her cottage unless it was necessary and only interacting with her friends and the animals. Her friends hoped to cheer her up by spending time with her, but ultimately, it was Discord who was the most helpful by telling her “You know, I’m gonna live for thousands of years; that means that, sadly, some day I’m going to lose you just like you lost Angel. Would you like it if I became a sad hermit after you’re gone, or for me to continue living and spending time with my still living friends while sharing stories about you?”

Fluttershy took her friend’s words to heart and helped come to terms with her grief and move on with her life. She also started volunteering at the veterinary clinic every now and then so she could try to help other pet owners, and if possible, prevent them from losing their pet. She continued to take care of the wild animals too and even got help with that from Discord, something Rainbow always wanted to see.

Rainbow’s train of thought was interrupted when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye that stole her attention. She turned her head slightly to see her husband and son’s booth where the waitress was taking their drink order. However, she seemed to be engaged in a conversation with them as they were both giggling at something she had said.

The cyan mare narrowed her eyes at this scene. ‘Come on, it doesn’t take that long to take a drink order and most restaurants would probably fire you for taking so long. So move on to the next table already,’ Rainbow thought to herself.

As if she had read her mind, Cinnamon Swirl finally moved along and approached their booth. Rainbow quickly averted her eyes and pretended to be engrossed in her friend’s conversation, which was now about the Crystal Empire, by nodding her head until the waitress came to their table. She had the same cheerful expression she had seen her with before, so Rainbow Dash didn’t think she caught the irritated stare she was giving her a few seconds earlier.

“I’ll get your drink orders as soon as Applejack gets here,” she said in a peppy tone.

“Actually, Applejack won’t be joining us today darling,” Rarity informed Cinnamon, who frowned at this news. This was the first time Rainbow saw this mare without a smile on her face.

“Aw, that’s too bad. I always enjoy hearing how her son’s doing. You really have to admire her for all the hardships she has to overcome.” The group of friends, even Rainbow Dash, smiled at the waitresses statement to show their approval.

“Well then, I guess I can take your drink orders now. Let me guess, milk for Pinkie, orange juice without pulp for Rarity, tea for Fluttershy, and grape juice for Twilight.” The waitress and the four mares shared a chuckle, confirming that her predictions were correct.

“That just leaves you, Rainbow Dash. If I were a betting mare, I’d say you’d want a cup of coffee to start the day,” she guessed with a slightly cocky tone that irked Rainbow.

“You might have been right, if I didn’t have a cup of coffee earlier this morning.” As petty as it was, Rainbow felt pleased with herself for making her wrong, but she tried not to let it show.

“Well four out of five isn’t bad. So what will it be then?” Rainbow opened her mouth to answer her but quickly closed it once she realized she didn’t know what drinks they served.

“One moment.”

After grabbing a menu that was on the table, she quickly looked through the drinks but nothing looked too appealing to her at the moment. She considered ordering apple juice, which is what Applejack probably would have gotten, but she always felt that that was more of a drink for foals. Rainbow let out an inaudible groan, she really hated what she was going to say.

“Just get me the coffee,” Rainbow mumbled.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you. Could you repeat that?” Cinnamon asked.

“I said I think I’ll have the coffee anyway, nothing else looked that interesting,” she said in nice and friendly manner.

“If you want my advice, you should get the orange juice like Rarity ordered. We use only the freshest oranges around and squeeze them to perfection,” the waitress suggested, much to Rainbow’s annoyance.

She felt a temptation to give a snarky response like ‘if I had wanted orange juice then I would have asked for orange juice’. Instead, she remained polite and civil in her reply “No thanks, I’ve never really cared for orange juice.”

“All right, then I’ll be back with your drinks shortly.”

“Wait,” Pinkie called out before Cinnamon could leave their table. “could you set aside a cinnamon bun for me?”

Cinnamon Swirl smirked at her as she leaned in closer to the table. “I already have, but let’s just keep that between you and me…..and the four of you.”

They all chuckled at the waitress’s joke, except for Rainbow Dash. However, when she noticed her friends laughing she once again forced herself to laugh along, until Cinnamon left.

“Whenever I’m out of town on princess duties, I always go to at least one diner or restaurant. Yet I’ve never found one that could match this place in service,” Twilight stated and the others voiced their agreement.

“Yes, Cinnamon Swirl does a really good job at making you feel welcomed. She certainly lives up to the phrase ‘service with a smile’,” Rarity commented.

“Whenever I come here Cinnamon always asks me how my animals are doing. She even let me put up some flyers in the diner for animals that really needed a good home,” Fluttershy said, perking up a little bit.

“Plus her pastries are the only ones that come close to the ones me and the Cakes make,” Pinkie chimed in.

Rainbow Dash was doing the best she could to ignore her friends praise of the waitress by shifting through the menu. She wished she could share her friend’s admiration, but something about this mare’s upbeat attitude was very off-putting to her.

“So Twilight, are you coming with me to see Applejack tomorrow?” Rainbow asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Didn’t you hear me earlier when I said I couldn’t go? I have a meeting with Cadence tomorrow at the Crystal Empire to discuss preparations for the next Crystal Fair.” Twilight told her, but Rainbow gave her a smirk.

“Crystal Empire, eh. Be honest, are you really meeting with Cadence or are you just going to make out with that royal guard boyfriend of yours.” Rainbow snickered at her teasing but when she looked to her friends to see if they also found it funny, she noticed they were dead silent as they gave each other uncomfortable glances.

“Flash and I broke up about two months ago.” An agonizing silence filled the air after Twilight said that. Rainbow Dash gave an uneasy rub to the back of her head and avoided eye contact with her friend.

“I’m sorry to hear that…I thought you two made a cute couple.” It wasn’t much, but Rainbow hoped her words would help after she had stuck her hoof in her mouth.

“Yes and I hope you still aren’t blaming yourself for this break up. No matter how much work you put into them, some relationships just fail.” Rarity gave her friend a comforting pat on the back.

“Thank you and don’t worry, I got over blaming myself. There were some signs that I either didn’t notice or ignored that showed that our relationship was in trouble. I had asked him about transferring over here as my guard so we could see each other more often but he wasn’t interested in moving to Ponyville. Now I can understand not wanting to move, but every time we visited each other he never really seemed enthusiastic about our dates. It’s as if he was bored of our date, bored of me. We already didn’t see each other that often so you’d think he’d be a little more excited,” Twilight solemnly explained to her friends.

“Well then that’s his loss,” Rainbow angrily replied, the only reason she didn’t slam her hoof on the table was because she didn’t want to make a scene. “If he didn’t appreciate how awesome you are than he didn’t deserve you. You did the right thing breaking up with him.”

“Actually he broke up with me. He sent me a letter saying that he just couldn’t deal with being in a long-distance relationship anymore so he was ending it,” Twilight said with a tone almost as soft as Fluttershy’s.

“....Oh…..” Rainbow Dash was cursing herself for not being able to think of something comforting or reassuring to say.

Just then, Cinnamon Swirl came to their table with a tray of drinks on her back, interrupting the awkward moment. For once, Rainbow was actually happy to have her here.

Cinnamon set the tray on the table and passed out the drinks to the ponies that ordered them, but she hesitated for a moment when giving Twilight her grape juice. “You seem distraught Twilight. Are you still feeling down about your break up with Flash Sentry?”

“I’ll admit that it still kinda hurts but I have responsibilities as a princess and can’t let myself be troubled too much. Being here with my friends certainly helps,” Twilight said.

“I”m happy to hear it’s helping and I’d like to help you by getting your order. So what will it be?” Cinnamon Swirl asked, not guessing their orders this time, much to the relief of Rainbow.

“I think I’ll have two fried eggs on a piece of toast,” said Twilight.

“I’ll take an order of waffles a la mode please,” said Pinkie.

“I always did enjoy the french toast here, I’ll have that,” said Rarity,

“The vegetable omelette sounds nice,” said Fluttershy.

Rainbow was about to give her order but Cinnamon Swirl spoke before she could. “Since this is your first time here I’d recommend having-”

“I’ll take the scrambled eggs with a side of hay bacon,” Rainbow interrupted, her with a harsher tone than she’d have liked, but at this point she couldn’t help it. This mare didn’t know what her taste and preferences were when it came to food, so who was she to tell her what she should order.

The waitress seemed a little taken aback by her tone of voice, but she quickly switched back to the same smile she had all morning. “That’s good too.”

Once Cinnamon left, Rainbow saw her friends glare at her, except for Fluttershy, who gave a much softer, yet still disappointed look.

“You really shouldn’t be so harsh with Cinnamon,” Fluttershy muttered.

“Fluttershy’s right dear, you’re being quite rude,” Rarity added.

“Sorry but I was getting annoyed with her trying to tell me what I should get, without even knowing me. If I had wanted her recommendations, I would have asked for it,” Rainbow complained.

“She’s just trying to be nice,” Twilight replied.

“A little too nice,” Rainbow said under her breath while pouting.

The cyan mare watched as the waitress approached her son and husband’s booth. She gave Silverwing a small box of crayons, which he immediately used to work on the activities on the placement, and gave Thunderlane today’s newspaper. It looked like it didn’t take her long to get their orders but she still stuck around and chat with them just like before. This time, however, when Rainbow looked into the red mare’s eyes she could’ve sworn she saw admiration and affection being directed towards her husband.

“Are you feeling OK Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked, breaking Rainbow’s concentration.

“Yeah….Why do you ask?” Rainbow raised her eyebrow at her friend’s question..

“Well, it sounded like you were grinding your teeth,” Fluttershy respond with a softer voice. Rainbow didn’t realize she was doing that, but with the way she was feeling right now she wouldn’t put it past herself.

“....I guess I’m just getting a little impatient waiting for our food. I must be hungrier than I thought.” Rainbow Dash struggled trying to come up with a decent lie, so she settled for this terrible one. Judging from the looks of incredulity she was getting from her friends, they weren’t buying it.

“Rainbow Dash will you please tell us what’s bothering you?” Twilight pleaded with a concerned tone.

“Yeah, how are we supposed to make you feel better if we don’t know what’s wrong?” Pinkie added.

Rainbow Dash tried to avoid eye contact with her friends, but all that did was cause her gaze to shift back to her family and Cinnamon Swirl. Their dialogue was inaudible to her, but she guessed that Thunderlane had just given her a compliment due to the waitress’s smile. It was the same kind of flirty smile that she used to give him when she first released how much she truly loved him.

“Have you noticed how friendly Cinnamon seems to be with my family, especially Thunderlane?”

Her friends gave one another confused glances until Rarity finally spoke up “Darling, are you implying that Cinnamon has feelings for your husband?”

“Come on, you don’t find anything suspicious about how she keeps lingering around my family’s booth or how she’s being overly friendly with my husband?” Rainbow was careful not to raise her voice in this public place to avoid drawing attention to herself.

“It may seem like she’s been overly friendly but that’s just how she normally acts around her friends. Sure she may be lingering around their booth, but if you’d look around you’d see that it’s a slow morning today with not a lot of customers, so it gives her some time to chat with some friends. I assume the only reason she’s not talking with us is because she knows we haven’t seen you in a while and would like to catch up,” Twilight explained, only to be given a dirty look by Rainbow.

“No, I know that look, it’s the same kind of look I used to give Thunderlane when I discovered my feelings for him,” Rainbow pointed out.

“Perhaps she just flirting with him so she can get a bigger tip,” Rarity suggested, but Rainbow shook her head at this.

“If you had seen the way she acted when we first walked in, the way she tousled my son’s mane and the flirty banter she shared with my husband. You’d have thought she was their wife and mother.”

“But she’s not their wife and mother, you are. So there’s really no reason to be all worked up about this,” Fluttershy reminded her but Rainbow rolled her eyes at this.

“All I’m saying is that it’s frustrating and uncomfortable to see some random mare having the type of homely interactions with my family that I should be having. I’m sure Pinkie would feel the same way if it was Cheese Sandwich instead of my husband, just like Rarity would also be flipping out if it was Spike,” Rainbow complained

“Don’t you think it’s possible that you’re being a bit paranoid because in your last relationship Soarin’ broke up with you after he discovered he had feelings for Applejack. So you feel threatened by Cinnamon’s friendly interactions with Thunderlane,” Twilight theorized, but Rainbow cocked an eyebrow.

“Threatened?” Rainbow asked with a slightly harsh tone.

“Yes, but if you ask me this isn’t just about your husband, I also think you feel intimidated by Cinnamon’s relationship with your son. You’ve always been nervous about motherhood ever since you first found out you were pregnant and you seem to be afraid that this mare might be more of a mother to him,” Twilight explained. Rainbow remained speechless for a moment but the anger portrayed in her eyes spoke volumes, so much so that it actually startled the alicorn princess.

“No pony asked you!” Deep down she knew that there was a kernel of truth in Twilight’s words but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it to her friends or to herself. “Guess there are some things you don’t know everything about and relationships seem to be one of them. No wonder Flash broke up with you.”

Rainbow’s eyes went wide with shock when she realized what she had actually said, followed immediately by her friends gasps. She already felt guilty but the hurt look she was getting from Twilight made the cyan mare feel like she wanted to bury her head in the dirt.

“I’m…I’m sorry, that was way out line and really uncool of me,” Rainbow softly apologized, almost scared to look at her friends.

“Thank you for apologizing, but maybe I also stepped over my boundaries too. How about we just forget the whole thing,” Twilight said with a friendly smile, that Rainbow was happy to return.

“Why don’t you tell us about your first day back home Rainbow?” Fluttershy suggested as a way of changing topics.

“You should have seen the look on Thunderlane’s face when I told him about my three month vacation, I thought he was going to faint. My son was just as excited to have me back home and eager to have me watch him fly. He’s pretty good for his age but he can be a bit cocky and sometimes tries things he’s not ready for, but still good,” Rainbow boasted.

“I wonder where he picked up those traits from,” Rarity mumbled, but Rainbow didn’t hear it.

“Then the three of us spent the entire day playing and flying until it was dinnertime. A little later I tucked Silverwing into bed and read him a story. I’d say that was an awesome day, don’t ya think?” Rainbow asked her friends, as if she was seeking their approval.

“It sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy stated and the rest of their friends nodded in agreement.

“I can’t wait till I can have similar experiences with motherhood that you, Pinkie, and Applejack have had,” Rarity commented, piquing the interest of her friends.

“Have you and Spike considered adopting a foal?” Rainbow asked, but Rarity broke eye contact and stared at the ground. She lifted her head up a moment later with a happy, but nervous, smile.

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to tell you girls something…..I’m pregnant,” Rarity said after taking a deep breath.

Her friends started at her with wide eyes and slightly lowered jaws, except for Pinkie Pie. The party pony pulled her friend into a big hug and said “Congratulations, I can’t wait to throw your baby shower.”

“How did that happen?” Fluttershy asked.

“That same way all babies are created, only it happened between a pony and a dragon,” Rarity explained.

“But is it even possible for a dragon and a pony to breed?” Rainbow asked.

“Spike and I never thought so but in 11 months we’ll have proof.”

“I am curious about the science and biology behind this, but I think I speak for all of us when I say, we’re very happy for you and Spike,” Twilight said and all of her friends nodded in agreement.

Rarity smiled and breathed a small sigh of relief. “Thank you, all of you. I must admit, I was nervous about telling you about my pregnancy, afraid you’d think the worst of me, but now I just feel so foolish. Although I can assure you I was much more skittish when I told Spike about this.”

“Don’t worry about it, I think we’d feel the same way if we were in your situation. So how did Spike react when you broke the news to him?” Rainbow asked.

“When I finally worked up the courage to tell him he seemed confused at first, just staring at me with an unreadable expression. I feared he was angry and that he would let out a beastial roar or break something. Then he ran up to me and pulled me into a loving embrace. A little later he told me that one of two things happened, either he miraculously impregnated me or I was having an affair, and the latter seemed much more unrealistic,” Rarity explained, blushing at that last part.

“That sounds really sweet. If there’s anything you ever need just come to one of us and we’ll be happy to help you,” Fluttershy offered.

“Thank you and I’m sure I’ll need all the help I can get, especially since I have no idea what to expect from this pregnancy. This baby probably won’t be a normal pony, so does that mean I shouldn’t expect a normal pregnancy?” Rarity wondered out loud.

“You and Spike should ask Princess Celestia about this. If something like this has happened before then she’d probably know about it and would be able to shed some light on your situation so you’d know what to expect,” Twilight advised.

“Spike has already contacted Celestia about this and she said she’d like to meet with us this weekend to discuss it,” Rarity told her.

At that moment, Cinnamon Swirl came to the table with their orders, forcing them to end their conversation.

-------

“It really was great catching up with all of you again,” Twilight commented.

Breakfast had been finished and paid for, now all that was left was for the five friends to say their goodbyes.

“We must do something like this again when Applejack can be with us,” Rarity insisted.

“That would be nice, it would be just like the old days when we first became friends,” Fluttershy stated.

“Ooh, maybe I could throw a just like the ol’ days party,” Pinkie enthusiastically suggested.

“Heh, a good ol’ fashioned Pinkie party sounds awesome. It was really cool seeing all of you again and thank you for inviting me to breakfast. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rejoin my family.”

Rainbow waved her friends goodbye before heading over to her family’s table. Both of their plates were bare, except for a few crumbs and some syrup stains on her son’s plate.

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something, but Silverwing energetically spoke first “Mom! Mom, I had flapjacks!”

Rainbow couldn’t help but chuckle at her son’s excitement. “Is that so? What did your dad have?”

“I had an omelette with cheese and mushrooms and a bagel on the side,” Thunderlane answered.

“Not as cool as Flapjacks,” Silverwing muttered matter-of-factly.

“It’s also not as messy and it seems like you still have some syrup on your face.” Rainbow grabbed a napkin from the table and used it to wipe her son’s right cheek. The young colt squirmed, trying to escape his mother’s cleaning, but she had her hoof wrapped around him to prevent this.

“Really? I thought I got it all,” Thunderlane let out an exasperated sigh.

“It’s just a tiny spot on his cheek, easy to miss. In fact, I’d bet that he probably licked his plate again after you cleaned him up when you weren’t looking. So, are we ready to go?” Rainbow asked after cleaning her son’s face.

“We’re just waiting on our check,” Thunderlane told her as he raised his hoof up, signaling for Cinnamon to come over with their check.

“I take it you two enjoyed your breakfast?” Cinnamon asked.

“Perfect as always, as was your service,” Thunderlane complimented the waitress. It was hard to tell with her red fur, but Rainbow could have sworn she saw her blush.

“You’ll have to come back sometime on a Tuesday or Saturday so I can cook for all of you,” Cinnamon offered.

“Of course we will. I’d love to treat my family to a meal made by one of Ponyville’s best cooks,” Thunderlane said, making Rainbow want to groan. She was beginning to understand how her husband put on that extra weight.

“Y’know, tomorrow’s a Tuesday, why don’t you just come by for dinner,” Cinnamon’s tone suggested that she was joking but Silverwing looked as if she had just said it was Hearth’s Warming Day.

“Can we mommy? Can we? Can we?” Silverwing pleaded.

“Sorry squirt but we’re going to be busy tomorrow. We’re going to Sweet Apple Acres so you’ll get to play with Starking.” Silverwing’s face lit up when his mother told him this. However, he still didn’t seem as enthusiastic as he was when he thought they were coming back here tomorrow.

“It will be nice to talk with Soarin’ again and I’m sure you’re anxious to see Applejack again, since Cinnamon already told me that she couldn’t make it today,” Thunderlane mentioned before lifting himself out of the booth to pay the check.

While he was doing that, Cinnamon turned her attention towards Rainbow Dash. “So, how did you enjoy your first breakfast at Morrow’s Diner?”

“It was good. The coffee was nice and the food was delicious,” Rainbow genuinely answered, even if she wasn’t fond of this mare, she had to admit that the food was good. “Sorry I can’t really go into much more detail but I’m not much of a food critic.”

“That’s all right. It’s just nice to know you enjoyed it and my grandpa is going to be thrilled to hear that. He’s a big fan of the Wonderbolts.”

“Is that so?” Rainbow asked, anticipating an autograph request.

“Yeah, you should have seen just how excited he was the first time your husband came in here,” Cinnamon mentioned, surprising Rainbow.

“Really? Most ponies seem to forget about Thunderlane’s time as a Wonderbolt.” Rainbow could feel herself starting to warm up to this mare.

“Not my grandpa, he recognized him the instant he came into his diner and told me that this was a special customer. I must admit that I’m not the biggest Wonderbolt fan so I didn’t see it but the more he came in, the more I started to notice what my grandpa was talking about, especially when I saw how loving and devoted a father he was.” Cinnamon stared blankly in space for a moment, as if she was reflecting on her fondest memories of him. A pleasant smile slowly appeared on her face just as Rainbow’s started to fade.

“You really are a lucky mare to have somepony like him. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to meet another stallion like him and I can have as lovely a family as yours.”

And just like that, any warm feelings Rainbow was starting to feel towards her were gone and replaced again with suspicion and uneasiness. She wasn’t even sure how to respond to this, but thankfully Thunderlane came back after paying his check, so she didn’t have to. Instead, she moved closer to him to the point where their bodies were only an inch apart. Then she affectionately wrapped a hoof around his neck and planted a kiss on his check.

“Ready to go now?” Rainbow asked with a slightly seductive tone. Her left eye wandered to find Cinnamon Swirl, but when she found her she was just staring at them with a smile.

Thunderlane looked confused by this sudden display of affection but his cheeks and ears were flush red, so she knew he was enjoying this. “Y-yeah sure.”

“Be sure to say hi to Applejack for me when you see her,” Cinnamon called out to the pegasi family as they were leaving.

Rainbow held open the door for her son and husband but before she walked out she took one last glance back at Cinnamon to see her still staring and smiling at her as she waved goodbye. The cyan mare couldn’t help but find this eerie as she closed the door behind her.

Comments

[SageBrony07]

Wow. I just can't help but wonder. Is this the Jealousy that is painting Rainbow's vision or is it real. I can't wait to see how this develops in the future. Great job and thanks for the update.

[mexfan]

Im starting to like this story, especially the way you portray the anxiousness and doubt of someone who cant be with their family all the time. Normally I would find this kind of story boring but you somehow caught my interest.

[RadicalDishonesty]

There is... a whole lot of hidden unhappiness here.