Mistress Do Well: Hearth's Warming

by milesprower06

"Dad, I'm A Fillyfooler and I'm Dating My Kidnapper."

Cloudsdale this time of year was considerably brighter in the evening hours than it usually was at any other time of the year. By Hearth's Warming Eve every year, Cloudsdale had finished spreading winter to every area where the weather wasn't magically controlled by unicorn populations, like Canterlot and Vanhoover.

Rainbow Dash glided over the early evening skies above the cloud-built metropolis of her hometown. Hearth's warming decorations dotted the cloudscape as pegasi made their way to various functions around the city. Probably the main attraction tonight was a Wonderbolts performance in the Cloudiseum. But that wasn't what brought her home, no. For the first time since she had returned to Ponyville over three months ago, she had written her parents and told them she'd be coming back for Hearth's Warming. Twilight had thought the best idea would be to tell their families separately about them being together after everything that had happened. Rainbow was nervous about it, but she was going to have to tell them eventually. No doubt it would come up over dinner, or even before.

Heck, it wasn't even only that it was Twilight that was making her nervous; did her parents have any inkling that she was into mares, that she had gone that way?

She also wondered how Twilight would be faring with her conversation, nay, the entire dinner. She knew that the only member of her family she had been in touch with over the past year was her older brother, who had eventually forgiven her for her role in everything that had happened. The last contact that Rainbow had made with her parents, aside from the note she had left them when she left for the Crystal Empire was a letter explaining that she had returned to Ponyville, and would be staying there for the time being, having returned to her job as head of the Ponyville Weather Patrol.

The cyan pegasus began to descend once she saw her old house down below, gliding down to the front walk. Landing with a soft thud, she trotted up to the front door and rang the doorbell. The front door opened, and aside from the smell that immediately wafted out and reminded her of childhood memories, she laid eyes upon her dad, Bow Hothoof, whom she had to thank for her rainbow mane and tail.

"Hey dad. Happy Hearth's Warming." Rainbow greeted.

Having not seen his daughter in over three months, he pulled her into a very strong hug, nearly knocking the wind out of her. The closest thing she could compare it to was a hug from Pinkie.

"Same to you, sweetheart. Welcome home." Her dad said, stepping aside and ushering her in. Rainbow wasn't even three steps inside before she was again wrapped into the hooves and wings of her mom, Windy Whistles. She had inherited her mother's cerise eyes, and her coat was much closer to hers than her dad's darker grayish blue.

"You don't know what it means to see you again, Dashie." Windy said, releasing her from the tight embrace.

"I think I've got some idea," Rainbow said with a chuckle as she briefly rubbed her wings. "Dinner ready already? I can smell the stormcloud soup already." Rainbow said, taking off her scarf and hat, and hanging them on the coat rack.

"You know it. When you told us you were coming, it was the first course I put on the list." Bow told her as he returned to the kitchen, where a pot was currently simmering on the stove. After a few more stirs, he carried the pot over to the table, where Windy and Rainbow had taken their seats. He quickly served up steaming ladles of his daughter's favorite childhood soup before taking his seat across from Rainbow.

"So how have you been, hun? We haven't heard from you since you wrote us saying you were staying in Ponyville." Windy said, beginning to sip at her soup.

"Well, to start off, I've gotten better since I was here last. I'm really sorry I took off without saying anything, I was still in a pretty bad place mentally. But when I got back to Ponyville, things... Things started to slowly get better. I'm just trying to figure out the best way to tell you guys how things have gotten better." Rainbow began to explain, taking her first spoonful of soup.

"Rainbow, if you feel like you need to tell us something, then you should just come out and say it. Don't be afraid."

"Mom... Dad..." Rainbow said, pausing to take a deep breath.

"Twilight and I are... Together." She finished, feeling like she had to claw that sentence out of her throat and immediately shoveled in another spoonful of soup, just to have something in her mouth.

"You... What?" Windy asked, not sure if she heard her daughter correctly.

"You and Twilight? Together, like, seeing each other?" Bow asked. Rainbow clarified by nodding, gulping down her mouthful of soup.

"Dashie... After what they did to you... How can you even..."

"Mom, she got me out of that absolute hell. Then when I took off angry and scared out of my mind, she stayed in town waiting for me in case I ever came back. And when I did, I started to feel better about myself, for the first time all year."

"Sweetheart, I'd honestly think long and hard about whether you're still in a bad place mentally." Windy Whistles said. Rainbow's eyes widened in shock, but couldn't bring herself to respond before her mom got up from the table in disbelief. Her dad called after her, but she departed down the hall to her room, shutting the door without another word.

"This was exactly what I was afraid of. This is why we knew it would be best if we went to see our separate families for Hearth's Warming." Rainbow said, her gaze falling to her soup as she fought back tears.

"So her family doesn't know either?" Bow asked.

"I think her brother knows, but no, I don't think she ever told her parents." Rainbow said, continuing to eat her soup, not wanting it to get cold.

"You've gotta admit, kiddo. It does sound rather... Odd... That you two are seeing each other, after what they did to you... After you wandered for a year."

"Dad... Nothing had worked." Rainbow started, tears pricking her eyes. "Running away didn't help. Isolating myself didn't help. Coming home to you didn't help. And... I'm really, really sorry that I have to tell you this, but even trying to hang myself didn't help. I hated that I missed them. After what they did to me... I hated it with every fiber of my being. But I wanted my sanity back. I'm sorry, I guess I'm loyal to a fault. A really, really big fault. What they did to me was wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that my priorities had gotten really messed up. The simple fact remains that Twilight snapped out of it and got me out of there. Because of her, I'm here right now. If I didn't go back to Ponyville, I don't think I ever would have gotten better, and they wouldn't have either. They were just as shattered as I was, dad. We've spent the last two months slowly piecing each other back together. Fluttershy was even worse off than I was."

Rainbow suddenly wondered how the Apple Family Hearth's Warming festivities were going, seeing as how one temporary member of that household was being regarded and treated as a fully grown foal, for rehabilitative purposes.

"Rainbow, you don't have to justify your choices to me. And you don't have to justify them to your mother, either. I love her, and I know she'll come around, even if it costs me a night or two out on the couch. The plain and simple truth is, that we're not going to agree with every single choice you make, but you know what? That doesn't matter. If you've found a way to function on a daily basis without spending a fortune on therapy, that's good enough. If you and Twilight love each other, that's good enough. It doesn't matter what anypony else says. The circumstances that brought you two together... Nopony else is going to understand it, because nopony else went through it. Nopony else was there. It may not be the fairy tale romance you'd enjoy telling, but it is what it is."

"Thanks, dad. It means a lot to hear you say that." Rainbow replied, after swallowing her bite of soup.

"Hun, you're just as stubborn and hard-headed as your mother, and I think that's for the best, especially when it comes to your relationships. I love your mother more than anything, and if she had listened to her parents about me, there's a fair chance that you wouldn't be here right now."

"It's just... What do we do now? I don't really want to go through another awkward Hearth's Warming. Last year's was lonely enough." Rainbow admitted.

"You want to know what I think you should do? I think you should finish your bowl of soup, and throw your scarf and hat back on, and go spend Hearth's Warming with Twilight." Her dad said.

Rainbow honestly wasn't expecting a suggestion like that. Maybe a 'wait here, I'll go talk to your mother' or perhaps a 'we can still have a nice Hearth's Warming just the two of us', but not 'spend it with somepony else'.

"You want me to leave?" Rainbow asked.

"No, but I want you to have an enjoyable Hearth's Warming, I want it to be better than whatever you went through by yourself last year. I know your mom will eventually come around, but you don't have to wait around for her to do that. If anypony can make it to the Crystal Empire by morning with energy to spare, it's you. I'll mail your gifts down to Ponyville, and you can open them whenever you want."

Rainbow turned and looked at the clock above the kitchen sink. It was half past six. At this point she wouldn't even need to hurry... Might even have time for a quick errand.

"Dad... I'm sorry." Rainbow said, relenting to his decision as she polished off the last of the soup in her bowl.

"You don't have to be, Dashie. It was great to see you, and I know you'll come around again. Give Twilight and her family my best, and have a great Hearth's Warming." Her dad replied, getting up from his seat and came around the table to hug his daughter. They squeezed each other affectionately, with Rainbow still sniffling away more tears. Bow walked her to the door, gave her the scarf and hat that had been hung up barely 10 minutes ago, and opened the front door.

"Fly safe, sweetheart."

Bow stood there as his Rainbow turned, and took off from the front porch, staying to watch as she became a speck against the evening sky.

Comments

[Bobby23]

The story continues, time to strap in for the emotional ride. Great first chapter.

[milesprower06]

9907020
Not gonna be as long as you think. Just some short character analysis this time around.

[Bobby23]

9907121
Better then nothing. I'll take what you got, thanks.

[Koshka5]

Damnn I havent thought of this story in so long! glad to see its still alive in some way

[Dragon Turtle]

Even before it got so somber, I was surprised to read these two Windy and Bow. They aren't shouting at all.

[milesprower06]

9907408
I changed their mannerisms, considering what their daughter went through.

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

It's great to see this series continuing! Thanks!

[milesprower06]

9911790
Yeah, back when I wrote Extradition, no info was available about her parents.