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Meet the Parents4,812 words
Meet the Scootaloo5,331 words
Meet the (small) Friends5,005 words
Meet the Grandparents5,590 words
Meet the OTHER Parents4,448 words
Meet the Life4,338 words
Meet the (big) Friends3,499 words
Meet the Captain3,684 words
Meet the Grandparent3,985 words
Meet the Birthday4,162 words
Meet the Kinda-Sorta-Semi-Friends3,120 words
Meet The Ex-Friend4,114 words
Meet the Guest7,062 words

Meet the OTHER Parents

A/N: An update in a week? Didn't think it was possible, did ya? Now, I can't churn out every one-shot in this series in this amount of time but I'm glad I was able to do this one at least in a timely fashion.

Thank you to those who commented on the last chapter, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter and can let me know what you think after it!

Soarin shook off the last of Cloudsdale’s chills as he arrived in Ponyville, the windy city having chilled the unprepared Wonderbolt just as he left. It’s altitude and tendency to make the snow clouds that other areas experienced was an annoying combo for any without proper weather protection. Soarin, having left to just visit Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, hadn’t thought to bring anything warm.

Sunny Ponyville felt like such a relief to him even after all the flying, and the stallion felt himself smiling as he touched down on the fluffy clouds Rainbow Dash had her house situated on.

“Knock knock, anypony home?” Soarin playfully called out as he knocked on Rainbow Dash’s front door, fully expecting the energetic Scootaloo to rush and open it. That didn’t happened, and after a moment Soarin wondered if Rainbow was home at all.

As soon as this thought entered his head he heard Rainbow’s voice deep inside the house call out to him, “Be there in a sec, Soarin.”

Soarin could open the door with his own key, but he found not letting himself in to other pony’s homes to be more polite. Even though he spent the majority of his free time there he didn’t really live there. Dash had let him stay over a couple nights of course, but that was more towards the beginning of the relationship when neither could pry theirself from the other.

After a minute of waiting the door opened and Soarin looked at Rainbow Dash, her eyes a bit groggy as she yawned, “Sorry about that, I was just going through some documents I have to fill out that Twilight brought me concerning Scootaloo,” she turned her head towards the inside of the house to invite him in as she retreated into it herself.

“Is it going well?” Soarin asked thoughtfully, taking into account his other half’s tired appearance. She had likely been doing these papers a while, and their Wonderbolt practices assuredly were no easy task for a new girl like her. A pony body could only handle so much.

As if to resist the notion she was mortal, Rainbow assumed a more energetic face as she and Soarin stopped in the front of the house at her behest, “Yeah, I guess. A lot of work though.”

Soarin decided that if she wanted to be up and about despite her tiredness that he had best roll with it, “So, what do you want to do today Dash?” the lack of an orange ball of energy felt odd to Soarin, “Where’s Scootaloo?”

The totally-not tired Rainbow Dash grew a look on her face that Soarin knew to fear, one of mischievous intention, “She’s off crusading with her friends for their Cutie Marks. I asked her to be gone most the day, not that she minded.”

The lighter blue pony decided also to try and roll with whatever it was his illustrious and hardheaded marefriend had intended for them, “Oh, so you have something in mind?”

Her only response was a gesture towards a table in the hallway, a piece of paper with symbols and text on it being the only object Soarin noticed.

“What’s this?” he asked as he inspected it further.

His eyes shot fully open in surprise as he realized just what it was, Rainbow Dash confirming his suspicions simultaneously, “Directions. I did some snooping around and found where your family lives. We’re dropping by and saying hello.”

“Do I get any say in this?” he quivered, trying to bite his lip to keep himself from breaking down.

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes smugly, thus oblivious to Soarin’s expression, as she jokingly responded, “Nope! You met my parents, so it’s my turn to face the same torture.”

Thinking further into the matter, Soarin began to doubt that this was actually a thing and regained some of his composure accordingly, “Do they know we’re coming?”

The answer, however, made him about ten times more nervous to the point his teeth chattered.

“Nah, I thought it’d be more fun to stop by all spur of the moment!”

Soarin did take his time to pick his jaw up from the ground, but Dash was still oblivious to his plight due to her having closed her eyes again to laugh. After he accomplished the task of pulling his nerve together, Soarin cleared his throat and tried to assess the situation so he could prepare himself thusly.

“Alright then-”

“How soon do you think you’ll be ready to go, Soarin?”

His jaw dropped again, but his recovery time was quicker, “You want to go now? As in this minute?”

A snort and eyes rolling greeted him, “Well duh, it’s a long flight. Now go put on your spare Wonderbolt dress shirt you keep here. I want you looking good for your own parents.”

Glad she had thought ahead like that, especially given his parent’s...taste, Soarin nodded and promised himself that things weren’t going to be as bad as he thought, “What are you going to wear?”

“Nothing. I’m not going to dress up all fancy because that’s not the kind of pony I am. I would be a bad marefriend if I didn’t make sure you weren’t looking good for them though.”

Now she was just messing with him.

“I don’t understand you,” Soarin lamented weakly, but found himself chuckling. He was amused by her logic, but also was about to fall over in panic. The stallion was unable to tell which of these two things caused his laughter.

Dash stuck her tongue out at the male Wonderbolt, “Don’t try to, go get dressed,” she only retracted the tongue to kiss him on the cheek, “I guess I’ll bring my coat at least. That way I don’t freeze to death in the snowstorm dad warned me about.”

“Woah, this place is ginormous!”

Rainbow Dash had, in a way, described their destination upon arrival.

What she had left out was that the giant cloud mansion was second in elegance and regality to what she witnessed in Canterlot at the Gala, Twilight’s party and the Wedding. Her eyes were starry as she squeaked at the sheer intensity of the place.

Soarin’s eyes, however, were dull.

“Yeah, it is…”

Standing on the edge of the cloud where they landed, Rainbow turned to Soarin with a somewhat concerned and somewhat playful look, “What’s wrong Soarin? Homesick?”

“No, it’s not that…” he paused before putting a fake cheerful face on, “It’s nothing. Let’s go in. It’s cold out here.”

It was indeed, the two having just made it through a terrible blizzard to reach the residence. A light shield spell was erected around the mansion, allowing them some comfort and allowing them to see more than ten feet away from themselves now.

Still cold despite the spell as a result of their altitude, the two Pegasi raced over towards the front doors. They stopped at the few steps leading up to them as Rainbow slowed her dash to a halt, once again admiring the excellent look of the place. She had always taken pride in her own home’s design, and greatly admired older styles such as it and now found herself finding similar traces in this one.

Soarin hopped to the top of the wide, large, yet few stairs and pointed over to the side where he was heading/

“The doorbell is over here-” he was cut off by Dash flitting over to the double-door and knocking a hoof on it, snorting in laughter at the display as he tried to put off the bad thoughts in his mind, “That works too I guess.”

It took a moment, but one of the large and ornate doors slowly opened a crack to reveal a white coated stallion with a grey mane and grey trimmed moustache, a full body black suit adorning his body. His face was stoic, not revealing an emotion as he eyed over the floating mare before glancing over to the stallion beside her.

“Hey…” Soarin greeted meekly, not able to form any words in his mouth now that this was happening and the nervousness jumped up his throat.

The white pony bowed his older head, “Master Soarin, we were not expecting you.”

Soarin rubbed a hoof against his neck and laughed, “I don’t see how you could be, given that I haven’t spoken to the ponies in this house for nearly a decade…” the lightblue stallion calmed his nerves for a moment before smiling at the servant, “It’s good to see you though Alth.”

Rainbow Dash landed beside Soarin and smiled to the other pony as well, only to draw his attention again, “I see you’ve brought company,” ‘Alth’ cracked the door open more and gestured for the two visiting ponies to enter. Rainbow Dash thanked him just as he held a hoof out to her, “Miss, would you care for me to take your coat?”

“Uhhh...sure,” she wasn’t exactly sure how to treat this other pony, not ever having had a servant before and not having interacted with the ones in Canterlot. Still, being a down-to-earth kind of pony despite being a pegasus she shook his hoof before she handed him the coat she had brought, “I’m Rainbow Dash by the way, it’s nice to meet you mister...”

The servant bowed again, Dash’s coat in hoof, “I am known as All Thread, head butler of this residence. It is a most humbling occasion to meet one of Equestria’s most decorated heroes and accomplished mares, miss Dash.”

The element of Loyalty found herself blushing, ego having been stroked, “Aww shucks, you don’t have to get into all of that. I’m just like any other pony,” ego in three, two, one… “If only a bit more awesome.”

Finishing his bow, closing the door and placing the coat on a hanger in three graceful motions the butler then looked over to Soarin with a professional demeanor, “Should I note your parents of your arrival or shall we let you surprise them?”

Soarin searched the floor for comfort, “I would rather catch them off guard, to be honest.”

“As you wish, sir. It is good to have you home again. I will lead you to your family.”

The seasoned Wonderbolt flashed a smile at the elder pony, “Thank you, Alth.”

The butler accepted Soarin’s gaze with a small nod before turning and doing what he had said he would, bringing them to their likely destination.

“You guys have your own butler? That’s so cool!” Rainbow Dash whispered as they followed All Thread through the ‘ginormous’ house.

“Well, we have more than one…” Soarin replied with a shrug, his voice disinterested. Rainbow noticed the look, but misunderstood it as an attempt by him to not make himself sound all-that.

“Wait, really?” the mare glanced around as the trotted to see if she could spot more, although with no success as they walked down a long hallway, “How awesome is that?”

Soarin groaned as they trotted onward, his stomach doing backflips, “I wouldn’t know...haven’t seen them all in years. Last time I really lived in this house was when I was ten. So many boarding schools, academies and training camps since then…”

“But you’re back now, right? I can’t believe you haven’t even visited in awhile,” Rainbow stated, incredulous that anypony would pass up all this.

“Heh, I wonder why that is…”

As All Thread stopped in front of another pair of large doors, Soarin and Rainbow Dash followed suit, the latter also blinking confusedly.

Had Soarin just snarked?

All Thread pressed the doors both open, revealing a suitably large dining hall where two ponies sat at a table with many suited ponies tending to them. Rainbow Dash glanced around the room quickly before the head butler cleared his throat to announce the entry, “Presenting Master Soarin and his esteemed guest, miss Rainbow Dash.”

The record scratched as the two seated ponies glanced over to All Thread and the two blue ponies behind him, both of their faces dropping ever so slightly as they did so. One, an eloquently suited elder stallion pegasus with a Cobalt mane and coat, was slightly more shocked than the other, a light purple pegasus mare in an expensive dress with a darker shade of purple for her hair.

The seated mare was the first to speak as the servants, All Thread included, departed at the behest of the cobalt stallion, “Soarin?”

Soarin and Rainbow Dash both approached the table where the two seated ponies found themselves rising to their feet. Rainbow Dash, not wanting to interrupt whatever hug or whatever moment the family would have, kept quiet and let Soarin talk as the two groups met in the room, “Hey...long time no see.”

Neither Soarin or his parents moved to embrace or greet the other physically to Rainbow’s surprise, but the father did speak, “I’ll say, boy. Look at you in your Wonderbolt dress uniform. How have your shows been going?”

Soarin’s voice took a serious turn that Rainbow Dash hadn’t really experienced outside of their training, her special somepony usually even being relaxed in that environment, “I haven’t been doing shows in awhile, I’m helping out the flight academy at the moment. I’m letting some of the newer guys get acclimated to the whole thing.”

The father snorted derisively, a small scowl appearing on his face to Rainbow’s confusion, “What a pity. Nopony hails a drill sergeant.”

Sensing a sour mood, Rainbow Dash laughed in an attempt to lighten it, “Well, I guess I’m nopony then because I think Soarin’s great.”

The father inclined his head to her, “Indeed. Who are you again? Rainbow Dazzle?”

His wife patted her husband’s hoof with one of her own gently, “I think it was Dash, dear,” she glanced up and down Rainbow Dash before speaking again, her voice directed at Soarin, “Such a young mare. You find her on your way here, Soarin?”

Rainbow Dash’s brow scrunched up as she tried to wrap her head around what was just said, trying to find a light in which what was said was not offensive and failing to do so.

All Thread reentered the room with some refreshments, but he quickly noted the mood and placed them silently down at the now abandoned table.

Soarin made no attempt to justify what his mother said, his voice instead stern as he responded to her, “Rainbow is my marefriend and we’ve been together officially for half a year now.”

His father spoke up next, face forlorn, “I suppose one could do worse than a decently fit mare who is young-”

“That’s not really a compliment-” Rainbow complained, only to be ignored.

“-but couldn’t you have at least wooed your Wonderbolt Captain? I hear she has some very high class connections, and she is undoubtedly more classy than this mare.”

Dash could not believe this. The cogs of her mind were beginning to shift and turn, Soarin’s nervousness beginning to make more and more sense to her.

Her pride, however, came first as she scoffed at the two high society snobs, “Uhm, hello? Standing right here?”

Soarin’s mother walked over to Rainbow Dash’s side and inspected her further, even prodding her with a hoof as she did so, “And that’s not even mentioning this one’s highly emotive nature. Imagine bringing such a thing to a dinner or social gathering, or the children-”

Dash batted the mare’s hoof away, face contorted in disgust, “First off, I’m not a thing, I’m a pony just like either of you two high society snobs! Second, I’m Soarin’s marefriend, not my captain, not some obscenely wealthy heiress, or anything else that might suit your ridiculous notion of what would make a ‘good’ wife.”

Soarin’s parents gasped, shocked that this impudent mare was telling them off. In the corner of the room, All Thread found himself almost smile after the disheartening things that had been said about miss Dash just moments prior were replaced with her standing up for herself.

Soarin felt himself grin as Rainbow ranted at his parents, reaching out and touching her closest front hoof with his own. There were worse ways of dealing with snobby parents than to have your marefriend stand up against them.

Rainbow calmed herself with Soarin’s touch, taking a breath to do so even more as she finished, “And lastly, I love your son, not you, and if the feeling is mutual that is just fine with me! Now I’m beginning to get why he doesn’t like seeing you two!”

“Such crude-” Soarin’s father started to say before he was cut off.

“Oh stop trying to act like you’re better.”

The purple mare in the room gaped as she looked to the speaker, awestruck by their audacity, “Soarin?”

Said pony turned around and started towards the door, his marefriend following behind him with a huff directed at the other ponies, “Come on Dash, I think I’ve shown you enough,” at the door Soarin turned to face his parents with a sad expression, “Feel free to apologize anytime, but if you don’t I won’t be seeing you again until your eulogies.”

Nopony said anything else as the two younger Pegasi left the room.

“That was...harsh.”

Rainbow Dash and Soarin had backtracked to where they had landed, making haste once out of sight of the parents so that they could remove themselves from that environment.

Soarin choked back some tears as he studied the cold cloud beneath him, “Sorry Dash, I just...I can’t stand them,” a sniffle escaped his lips as he thought back to his years here, “Always belittling me, always acting all high and mighty, as if everypony else is beneath them just because they have money...”

Soarin glanced over to his marefriend and wiped his face, not wanting to look too weak in front of her, “And the way they treated you…”

Rainbow could see that there really was some strain here between Soarin and his family, and actually felt bad that she had forced this upon him in a way. He was too nice to just say no even if he didn’t want to do it, and now he was almost in an outburst of tears.

Dash wrapped her hooves around him gently, bringing her head into his fur and nuzzling against it, “Hey, I can handle it…So what if your parents are jerks? You’re still the best guy there is, even if they don’t realize it.”

Soarin wrapped his own hooves around Dash, thankful for having such a perfect special somepony. Some might laugh at him for being sensitive, but Rainbow instead accepted and loved him for it.

The two Pegasi kept themselves wrapped up in one another for what might have been eternity with how time passed for them, only stopping and pulling from one another when they heard another pony approach them on the cloud.

All Thread stood a few feet from them, his suit wet from the light snow dripping across it, with a hoof stretched out towards Rainbow with a familiar object, “Your coat, madame.”

Rainbow took the object, glad that she hadn’t forgotten it since she was sure she never would have returned for it, “Thank you…”

All Thread bowed to her politely before turning to his former master and stating, “I take it we will not be seeing you again for some time, Master Soarin.”

Soarin shook his head sadly, “No...no I don’t think so.”

Now the butler pony gave another bow, this one slower and with a tinge of sadness attached with the words that accompanied it, “Well then, take care of yourself sir,” pausing, he looked to the side at Rainbow Dash as she put her coat back on, “You too madame. I apologize for the uncouth behavior you were subjected to.”

Rainbow Dash smiled at him and shrugged, not really caring if two ponies couldn’t stand her. She had the ones that mattered, “Hey, it’s fine. And thank you for remembering my coat. If you ever stop by Ponyville, don’t be afraid to visit!”

Soarin felt himself smile at how well Rainbow was taking all of this, “Or if you’re ever by the Wonderbolt part of Cloudsdale.”

All Thread took another bow, this one of a parting kind, “Farewell young Masters. I suggest you travel with vigilance with the storm passing by.”

He took his leave and returned to the mansion, leaving Rainbow Dash and Soarin where they were standing before. A moment passed before Rainbow had something cross her mind.

“How’s a decent pony like him working for them?”

Her coltfriend let out a saddened breath, “Honor, I believe. His father served them, as did his father...it’s a sad cycle, honestly. I wish special talents weren’t so genetic in their nature.”

“Like how the Apple family all specialize in apple products? Can’t believe Scootaloo’s friend Apple Bloom hasn’t really figured that out yet…”

Soarin felt a smile threaten to tug at his lip, only to decide not to fight it and let himself smile. What did he have to worry about after all? Rainbow Dash was more of a real family member to him now than either of his parents, and it was her that he cared about more than anything.

“You ready to go back to Ponyville? I don’t really care to stay near Cloudsdale while this storm continues.”

Rainbow laughed, “Sure. Let’s get something to eat when we get back, because I’m starving! I thought we would at least get a bite to eat here.”

The two took flight and headed ‘home’, grateful to one another and fine with weathering the blizzard in their way with one another.

It was late when they got back, so late that Rainbow Dash had decided to let Scootaloo sleep over at Rarity’s house with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, and rounding on nine o’clock by the time they touched down by a restaurant that was still open at the hour.

The two had largely been silent on the way back, so it was only when they sat down that Soarin found it in himself to confront the issue faced earlier that day.

“So, about that...sorry, I knew they weren’t going to be nice but I didn’t think they would be-”

What cut Soarin off would be the most to-the-point yet powerful three words he would likely hear.

“Wanna get married?”

Rainbow Dash had said it so casually that Soarin almost thought she was joking, but the thoughtful expression on her face told him otherwise. The stallion found his mind racing once more that day as he was put on a spot most stallions likely couldn’t say they’ve been in.

“W-what?”

Rainbow snorted snarkily before pointing a hoof gently at him across the table they were seated at, “Do. You, Soarin. Want. To. Marry. Me.”

“Well, uh...I…” Soarin found himself not sure what to say, but he knew what the answer in his heart was. He also knew why he hadn’t been the one asking the question, “Of course I do Dash, b-but-”

“But what?” Rainbow questioned, face growing a tad bit distraught. Had she asked too soon? At the right time?

“We haven’t been together that long, and you’re still young-”

Oh, that. Rainbow rolled her eyes, getting sick of how other ponies would take note of their age difference when she herself didn’t care in the slightest except that he might not have Soarin as long as she wanted to in the long run.

“So?”

“It’s just…” the older Wonderbolt sighed and lowered his head, barely able to meet Rainbow’s eyes, “Well, do you want to do this to get back at my parents or to just get married for us?”

“Is both an alright answer? I’ve been thinking about the idea for a while now, and they just made up my mind on asking,” Rainbow found her voice go from tough to being soft as she continued, still not used to being emotionally vulnerable even after dating Soarin for so long, “So...do you want to?”

Soarin took a breath before looking up fully with a smile on his face, happy tears in his eyes, “Yes, Dash, I want to marry you. If you’re absolutely sure you want to.”

Rainbow reached a hoof across the small table to touch one of his, a gentle smile on her muzzle, “We live together, you’re shaping up to be like Scootaloo’s dad, my parents love you, and my friends think you’re great. Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re the mister perfect most fillies daydreamed about while I was out playing sports and beating up guys.”

With that, she leaned across to kiss him, catching Soarin by surprise at first until he returned the kiss.

“I love you.”

It was a plain fact for Soarin, but to Dash it still brought red to her blue furred cheeks.

“If it was anypony else I’d tell them to stop being so mushy. I...like you too.”

Soarin chided her playfully, “Come on, I know you know how to say it.”

Dash giggled as he began playing with her back legs under the table with his own, “Okay, I love you, alright?”

“Not so hard, huh?”

“Yeah...not hard at all.”

A/N: Thank you for reading, and I hope I can hear what you thought in the comments below! Your support inspires me, and I'd love to hear from you all!

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