It truly amazed Rarity how much time had passed and how quickly it seemed to do so. To think that it had already been months since her wedding to Soarin (roughly three months and counting), and already she couldn't imagine life without him.
No marriage was perfect though. Even now that Soarin had semi-retired from the Wonderbolts there were still arguments, largely over the fact that Rarity had to juggle her responsibilities to her boutiques and to Twilight's school. More than once they had gone to bed angry and Soarin had slept on the fainting couch.
Through it all though the young couple had stayed together. Rarity had even taught Soarin a thing or two about sewing so that he could manage Carousel Boutique in her absence.
But thinking back to the wedding, there was one detail that kept lingering in Rarity's mind. It wasn't necessarily a big detail but it was still one that refused to leave her alone no matter what. Friends and family had been invited to the wedding, Rarity had even been given away by her father. But at no point did the fashionista remember even seeing Soarin's parents, let alone talking to them. Come to think of it, she had no recollection of ever hearing about Soarin's parents or family. That struck her as odd.
"Rainbow Dash and Starlight hardly ever talked about their parents, and that was because they had a strained relationship. Or a 'delicate relationship' as Rainbow put it," Rarity thought to herself. "Is that the case with Soarin? I know it's rude to pry about such subject matter, but I can't help but be curious."
So it was that the young mare decided to ask about the Wonderbolt's parents. But before she would get a chance to ask, fate would intervene.
It all started like any other day of married life for Rarity. Wake up, shower, comb her mane so it was just right, and all before her husband would get up (Soarin it seemed was not an early riser).
Yet just after breakfast had concluded and Rarity was ready to ask, there was a knock at the door. Suspecting nothing, she trotted over to answer it. Probably one of her friends coming to fetch her for an important task, or drop something off.
However, the pony who greeted Rarity's eyes when she opened the door was a surprise in every sense of the word.
This pony was a pegasus mare who couldn't be more than fifty years of age at best (and she looked much younger than that). She had a slightly sturdy build to her, a lovely light pinkish-purple coat, eyes a dazzling ruby red in color, a black mane and tail with midnight blue streaks, and a cutie mark depicting a guitar and a heart.
"Hello," The mare greeted in a voice that sounded warm, welcoming, and most of all jolly. "You are Rarity Belle, are you not?'
"Huh? Oh, yes, yes," Rarity nodded and corrected. "Although now the name is actually Rarity Belle Rogers, or just Rarity Rogers. I'm sure you've probably heard about it in the papers."
The mare smiled. "Indeed I have. It was front page news everywhere! And that's why I knew I had to come and see you! Is Soarin with you, by any chance?"
Rarity confirmed the mare's question. "He is. May I ask what your interest in him is?"
The pegasus mare cleared her throat. "Why, hasn't he ever told you? I'm his mother, Amy Keating Rogers."
Rarity's mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes widened! "You're Mrs. Rogers?!"
Amy confirmed with a wink. "Yes I am. I'm surprised he hasn't told you about me yet. When he was but a little colt he used to love being around me every waking minute of the day. Oh, he was just the cutest little colt you ever did see," And then she cleared her throat. "Can I see him?! It's been so long, I hope I'll still recognize him!"
At that very moment, who should appear in Amy's line of sight but Soarin himself? Immediately, his eyes locked upon the mare, and he let out a gasp! He almost couldn't believe what he was seeing as he rushed towards her! "Mom!" He happily exclaimed.
As if she'd been waiting for just such an occasion, Amy opened up her hooves and let Soarin charge full tilt into her embrace. "Oh, my little Wonderbolt. It's been so long." She happily cooed.
Soarin appeared to let out a faint sniffle as a few happy tears streamed down his cheeks. "I missed you so much, Mom! I was beginning to think I'd never see you again!"
"Well my son, that's why they always say 'Never say never'." Amy winked as she stroked her son's mane lovingly with a hoof.
Though Rarity was deeply moved by the display of affection she was witnessing, she couldn't help but feel left out of some important context, especially since she'd only just met Mrs. Rogers a few moments ago. "Perhaps it would be best if you and your son came inside, Amy? Or do you prefer Mrs. Rogers?" She inquired.
"Just Amy will do, thank you," Amy happily replied as she finally, gently pushed Soarin away. "And sure, I'll come inside. I'm sure you must have lots of questions."
Rarity led Soarin and Amy inside, opting to move to the kitchen to brew up some tea. It was customary for the young fashionista to do this whenever she had guests, she found that it helped to lighten the mood (even if someponies politely declined to drink their tea).
While she was boiling the kettle, the unicorn with a pristine white coat attempted to make idle conversation. "So, Amy, why is that I've only just now learned of your existence? I never recall Soarin mentioning you, or inviting you to his wedding to me. A shame, I would've loved to have met you as you seem like a nice mare."
Soarin quickly explained to his wife. "Well, for years now my mom has had a new job. A job that keeps her very busy," A sigh escaped his lips. "I tried to write letters to her all the time, but after a short while they stopped coming. Eventually I gave up. I assumed the worst, much as I tried to convince myself otherwise. I am so glad I turned out to be wrong."
"Oh, honey," Amy cooed at Soarin. "I never meant to let myself get so caught up in my line of work. I kept meaning to respond to your letters, but before long I found myself always forgetting about them or just never getting around to writing out my responses."
"What is your current line of profession, if I may ask?" Rarity commented in curiosity.
Amy smiled. "Why, I work for the reimagined Countess Coloratura of course. I do all sorts of things: Plan her concerts, work on her public image, seek out venues, organize charity appearances, even help her write some of her songs," She playfully ran her hooves through her mane as she overly dramatically exclaimed. "Sometimes it's enough to drive me crazy!"
Soarin smiled back at his mom. "It all pays off though. I've heard Countess Coloratura's new music so many times, and I know a lot of ponies who are big fans of her."
"Even if she really goes by her foalhood nickname of 'Rara'," Rarity giggled. "Applejack told me the story."
"Hey, I like Rara better than some stuffy countess." Soarin playfully ribbed at his wife.
The fashionista quickly decided it would best to change the subject. As luck would have it, that was when the tea kettle chose to go off, so she rose to fetch it. "Do you prefer anything in your tea, Amy? I sometimes add sugar or milk to it so it'll taste better," She offered. "I could even add honey. It makes it too sweet for my tastes, but Soarin absolutely adores it."
"I prefer my tea plain, but I'll drink anything you put in it." Amy simply nodded in response. Rarity levitated over a cup of the beverage a moment later, with a bag of sugar and a packet of honey on the side.
After the tea was downed there was a silence that filled the air for a bit. Nopony really wanted to ruin the tranquility of the moment.
Still, Rarity's questions had only been partially answered so far. "So, Soarin, what about your father? I assume you have one?"
Soarin nodded, albeit slowly. "Yeah, I do. We keep in touch every now and then, and sometimes he comes to see me just to chat. But honestly, even when I was a little colt I never really felt as close to him as I did my mom," He looked across to Amy. "Probably because I remember you always being there for me. You'd let me bounce on your knee, take me out for flying lessons, and even bring out your guitar to sing me songs whenever I had trouble going to sleep."
"It was nothing, just what a mother has to do sometimes," Amy waved a hoof. To Rarity, she added. "My husband and I eventually agreed to a long distance relationship. Now he watches the house, and I work hard. I should probably go to check on him next. I'll bet Soarin 'accidentally' forgot to invite him to the wedding."
Soarin blushed as he massaged the back of his neck with a hoof. "Hadn't even told him I was dating Rarity, let alone going steady with her. It's not that I didn't want to tell him, but being a Wonderbolt with a special somepony kept me very busy. Plus, sometimes I can be a bit forgetful. It's kind of how I got my nickname of 'Clipper'."
Rarity giggled as she told Amy. "Apparently it's Wonderbolt tradition to give every member of the team their own embarrassing nickname, all stemming back to an accident from when they were just starting out. It's supposed to teach them humility, so that they'll always remember what it was like to be on the bottom of the totem pole so to speak."
Now it was Amy's turn to giggle. "If you like embarrassing stories, I can bring Soarin's baby pictures next time. So many memories attached to each one. If you and Soarin have foals of your own someday, I have a feeling you'll wanna do the same. Trust me, I speak from experience."
At that, the young couple blushed collectively. They had only just been married for a few months. Foals were the last thing on either of their minds at the moment. "Eh, I think we're covered just occasionally foalsitting Sweetie Belle and her Crusader friends," Soarin suggested. "Gotta at least wait until I'm back with the Wonderbolts and built up enough seniority before I can even think of having my own family."
"And between my boutiques, my teaching at Twilight's school, and the occasional map mission or royal summons, I for one don't foresee foals for many, many years to come. Especially since a nanny wouldn't come cheap." The young fashionista added as she seconded her husband's notion.
"Well, you never know. I wasn't planning to have foals at such a young age, but after I had Soarin I could never imagine my life without him. Whenever you're expecting, just make sure I'm one of the first to know," Amy insisted with a wink. "I'd make a terrific grandmother," Then she rose from her seat, glancing at the clock. "But I've kept you both here long enough. I'm sure you've probably both got important things to do, and customers to tend to in this lovely boutique. I'll be on my way now. Hopefully we can make this an annual thing. Like a spa date or something."
However, as Amy was about to trot to the door and leave, Soarin pleaded with her. "Wait, Mom! Don't go just yet!" With the best pair of pleading, puppy dog eyes he could muster up, he asked her. "Can you at least bring out your guitar and sing one song before you go? It'll be just like old times."
"I don't see why not," Amy commented as she went to retrieve the aforementioned musical item. "How does 'I Am Just a Pony' sound?"
"Mom, you could make anything sound great!" Soarin encouraged.
Author's Note
This was an idea brought about by a comment from MixMassBasher who about two prequels prior posted a comment inquiring about Soarin's parents. Which in turn sparked the idea for this stand alone sequel.
Amy Keating Rogers confirmed in interviews that the character of Soarin was based off of her own son (she wrote "The Best Night Ever" when the character was given his name, as well as "The Ticket Master" when he made his first canonical appearance). And yes, that is her official OC that's shown in the cover art. It's a fan drawing of it.
