What makes Mother's Day special to you? What are your family traditions? Write a two-page long explanation. Due Friday.
Rainbow M. Dash
My name is Rainbow Dash, and I have the coolest family on the entire planet! Mother's Day is the awesomest holiday in the world because it reminds me of that.
Mother's Day is special to me because of a lot of reasons. Every Mother's Day, Uncle Spectrum and Uncle Cardinal and me go out and have fun the whole day. We go to the park and have a yummy lunch and then we go to a Wonderbolt's show!!! My uncles are the coolest ponies on the entire planet.
Sometimes on Mother's Day Uncle Spectrum gets really quiet and sometimes sad. But then we have so much fun together and play lots of exciting games so he gets happy again. It's my favoritest day in the entire year. Uncle Cardinal says that just because I don't have a mommy to celebrate with doesn't mean that I shouldn't have fun. I love him a lot.
I have two uncles because they love each other a lot and they don't need to have an aunt. And they take care of me because my mommy and my daddy went away a long time ago. I'm lucky because it's just like having two daddies. And everypony knows that daddies are the bestest part of having parents.
Sometimes I see other fillies going out with their mommies on Mother's Day to go get lunch or get hooficures together. I'm glad that I have uncles so that I don't have to get a hooficure. It would be silly to see them with their hooves painted though.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have a mommy or maybe an aunt. But Uncle Cardinal says that I'm special because I get two uncles, not just one. And I get to live with them. So I like Mother's Day for more than one reason. First of all I like it because of the Wonderbolts show and the fun games. But the second reason I like it is because it reminds me of how special my family is. So even if my family tree looks funny, I still have the best family ever. And Mother's Day is special because it reminds me of this.
Spectrum bit his lip, letting out a slow, shuddering breath. He swiped at his eyes, praying that he didn't look as though he'd been crying. Everything had to be perfect for his niece—or, as he preferred to think of her, his daughter.
The door to his bedroom swung open and an exuberant voice rang through the room. "Knock, knock, lazy pants," sang his husband, giggling and flying over to the desk. "Better start getting ready for—aw, Spec." Cardinal noticed Spectrum's expression and folded his wings, sitting down at the desk with his husband. "I know that today's rough for you, with your sister gone and all, but—"
"Look at this," blurted Spectrum, his blue neck turning red. He slid his daughter's report across the desk. "Just look at it."
Cardinal's forehead looked up, but his face softened. "She got a gold star," he said lovingly. Spectrum crossed his forehooves.
"That's not the point, Cardinal. She's, she's so...clueless. No, naive. It's just, just, she has no idea what it's like to have a mother. She only knows what it's like to have fathers—to have fathers who are really just her uncles." He sniffled again and wiped a few tears out of his eyes. "I'm sorry, Cardinal. You've got to go through this every Mother's Day."
"Come on, Spec, you know I don't care about that." Cardinal tousled Spectrum's multicolored mane. "Just shows how much you care about Dash."
Spectrum sighed, taking the paper back from his husband and stared at it as if it held the recipe for the meaning of life. "I know. She seems happy enough, and she's even got a few friends. It's just —it's just when I see papers like this that I wonder what's going through her mind. She's so trusting and innocent. How could she know what it's like to have a mother?"
"I know." Cardinal's voice grew louder with barely-suppressed rage. "Your stupid, daughter-of-a-draconequus sister—sorry." He sighed, his red cheeks growing redder. "It's just that sometimes...well, I just get mad at her, okay? Especially on days like this when she makes you upset. I know that she's your younger sister and all, but..." He let his sentence go unfinished.
"Believe me, I know," Spectrum sighed. His sister, being the irresponsible mare that she was, had run off to have a child with a dashing stallion. Then, as soon as the baby was born, she'd run off again, leaving Spectrum and Cardinal, who was only his coltfriend at the time, to take care of the baby. They'd adapted to having a child in no time, naming her Rainbow Dash after her grandmother, but they'd never quite forgiven Spectrum's sister.
"Doesn't help that she looks so much like your sister, either," muttered Cardinal, almost to himself. The two stallions sat in silence for a moment before Cardinal grinned. "Sure does help that she looks like you, though. She's going to grow up to be the most beautiful mare on this planet."
"Oh, come on," muttered Spectrum, blushing and nudging his partner. Cardinal pecked him on the cheek, ruffling up his rainbow-hued mane. The two stallions sat in a more peaceful, calm silence before Spectrum spoke up in a subdued tone.
"I really do wish that she could know what it's like to have a mother, though. Even a real father instead of just, you know, two uncles."
"Yeah." Cardinal gave him a pat on the back with a wing, biting his lip. Then he flapped his wings and gave Spectrum a cocky grin, his usual brash confidence back. "But she gets something that other fillies never get: two totally awesome uncles to live with."
Spectrum smirked, taking one last glance at Rainbow's essay before flying away from the desk. "I swear, she gets her mane from me and her ego from you."
The two stallions hear a knock at the door." Uncle Spectrum? Uncle Cardinal? Can I come in?" squeaked a tiny filly.
Spectrum paused for a split second. "C'mon in, Dashie!" he called, swiping at his eyes a final time before his daughter tumbled into their bedroom, tiny and fast and full of laughter and life. Spectrum looked at his daughter and saw her pale blue coat and rainbow mane and tiny wings. He saw his sister, her mother, the feminine comfort that neither him nor Cardinal would ever be able to provide.
Then he stopped. He saw the brash, cocky arrogance that Cardinal had taught her. He saw his own inquisitive, bright attitude. And he saw her choppy rainbow mane, the thing that reminded him that no matter how odd the family might be, they were still family.
"Are we gonna go?" she asked, giggling and flying around the room like a hummingbird. Cardinal caught her and wrapped her into a tight bear hug, tickling her hooves. She squealed with delight.
"I'm ready if you are, Dashie," he said, burying his face into her belly and blowing. She squirmed, her rough voice squeaking and cracking as she laughed. Cardinal glanced over at Spectrum. "Spec? You ready for the awesomest Mother's Day ever?" He and Rainbow Dash shared a cocky grin.
Spectrum felt a smile trace his own face. "Sure am," he said, spreading his wings and preparing to fly out of the room.
"Yay!" Rainbow disentangled herself from her Uncle Cardinal's forehooves and wrapped herself around Spectrum's neck. "You guys are the bestest, coolest family in the entire world! Are we gonna go to the park now? And then lunch? Can I get hay fries? The Wonderbolts are gonna be really really really really cool, right?"
Spectrum smiled and nodded his head knowingly while Cardinal tried to keep up with all of his daughter's questions. Confusing and tangled up as their family situation might seem to some ponies, Spectrum knew that he couldn't be happier.
Rainbow Dash has it right, he thought to himself.
Their family might look strange on a family tree. He might have his own doubts about it sometimes. But no matter what happened, they would still always love each other.
He smiled back at his family and walked forward, preparing for another Mother's Day.
