“Grampa, grampa!” Cherry was fierce like a lion, wriggling and scrambling out of her father’s clutches as she half ran, half glided over to the older stallion who stood in their front lawn. She jumped up and clung to his green polo shirt in the smallest yet mightiest bearhug she could manage. Bow had the filly tightly in his arms, with any other foal, the hug might have been too tight.
 
“Ah, there she is, the greatest grand kid ever! The great, the mighty, and most amazing little fire brand to fly the equestria skies graces me with her presence. How’ve you been, rocket?”
 
“It’s been great! First, I made a ton of new friends! Like a whole classroom full, and I got an awesome new camera, I’m learning how to swim, there’s a big forest with a lot of big monsters in it , a bowling alley, apples for days, and I almost got my head chewed off by a red ant!” Cherry Bomber’s wings flittered excitedly. “It’s been crazy!”
 
Bow Hothoof chuckled deeply. “So you’ve been having fun without me, huh?”
 
For a moment Cherry paused, as if caught in a lie. “But it’s not as fun without you here!”
 
Bow smirked. “You don’t have to tell fibs for my sake, sweetness. I’m glad you like it here, I feel a lot better knowing you’ve settled in to Ponyville, the place where all of your mama’s finest memories were made.”
 
“What,” Dumb-bell walked up, interrupting their chat. “What was that about ants and chewing off your head?”
 
Cherry’s cheek’s puffed out in concentration. “Um, the teacher said I wasn’t supposed to tell nobody about that. Sooo…I’m not gonna say.”
 
Bow looked down at his grandchild then up at his son in law, who looked down at his daughter with a look of bewilderment. Cherry sunk down in his arms, cheeks still puffed, trying to stay resilient.
 
“I brought those firecrackers you wanted to see.” Bow said.
 
“YEEEAAH!” Cherry launched up, like a literal rocket, she even did a flip before plopping down onto his shoulders. “Can I see em? I wanna see them!”
 
“Let’s wait until later tonight, hun.” Bow answered as he tickled his granddaughter’s belly. “These babies look their best at night. Fountains, spinners, sparklers, got a few repeaters in there, we got the whole ninie yards really. And I even tried a few of your ideas, I think you’re gonna love them.”
 

 
Parental Glidance is the best episode this season has put out so far. I love Dash’s parents so much. There was a brief moment where I was conflicted about using them or keeping my headcanon parents for Dash. But her folks are just too adorable. I love how Dash is just like her parents but is in denial about it, from her crazy fangirling to her unpredictable moodiness, they are truly peas from the same pod. So adorable all around.
 
I have this headcanon that Dash’s parents are/were like the ultimate losers who put every ounce of their pride and self worth into their child. Like at prom if there was a prize for whatever the opposite of prom king and queen is, they won it. But they likely didn’t care. too busy being nerds in luv. This likely means Dash got her actual talent from somewhere else. So as far as my headcanon Dash mom is concerned (Aerheart) I think I’ll turn her into an aunt. I’d just recently given her a redesign and everything so I would feel bad to trash her now.
 
I know the fandom gushes all over Windy Whistles but my heart goes with Bow Hothoof. I was sold with him when he revealed his Rainbow Dash shirt, and won me over again with the angelic door thing, and then AGAIN when he ran out of the locker room crying “Is there nothing you can’t doooo.” Like omg he is the cutest stallion to ever be on this show.
 
What clinched the deal was the part where they start shooting fireworks out of that cannon, almost exploding the Wonderbolts. My headcanon for my now defunct Rainbow Dad (his name was going to be Spectral Rays) was that he inherited a fireworks factory from a crazy brother, and the Rainbow Dash family tree is filled with people who are either “Gotta Go Fast” or “It’s time to blow stuff up” with Cherry being the latest in the “blow stuff up” side of the family. So when I saw Dash’s parents throwing dangerous exploding fireworks at their daughter I was like “Well dang…that’s basically Cherry Bomber right there.” So I’m accepting the show’s canon and simply infusing it with my own headcanon.
 
This pic happens maybe a year or so after Hightide has been born. Cherry’s grandparents decide to fly down to Ponyville for a visit. Cherry is a pony after Bow’s own heart and she has missed him dearly.