Yawning as she entered the kitchen, Rainbow smacked her lips a few times to moisten her mouth from her sleep the night before. Her hooves dragged as the dusk sunlight shone through the windows, causing her to squint a little. Some of her bones cracked during this routine which only made her recoil. A young filly trotted up to her and greeted her in a boisterous voice. Much to her annoyance, Rainbow reminded herself that this household's residents were at their most energetic in the morning.

"Didja sleep well?" Applebloom asked as she led her to a table to sit in a chair, "Ah was over at Sweetie Belle's showing mah new cutiemark when Ah got a phone call from mah big sister tellin' me tah stay the night. She told me that there were uh buncha photography ponies or somethin'. What happened? Was it madness? Is everythin' OK?"

"Uh-huh," Rainbow murmured, giving her best effort to keep her eyelids up.

"Oh, and did Ah mention? Ah finally got mah cutiemark!" Thrusting her hip towards the Pegasus, she inspected the design which was an apple with various shades of pink and orange that rested on a flower which appeared to be a lily. "D'ya like it? Huh? Huh?"

"Yeah, it's real nice," Rainbow assured, trying to bring more flocculation in her voice. She knew how important her cutiemark was to Applebloom and did not want to be responsible for bringing down her mood over the fight she had last night. "Congrats."

"Who knew it'd be an apple of all things," she exclaimed as she exited the kitchen.

"Who knew?" Rainbow told herself quietly with a smirk. From the corner of her eye, she caught Applejack in her peripheral vision leaning on her countertop.

"Good mornin'," she called out, "Ah already made the coffee half an hour ago so y'all can pour yourself a cup if ya want."

"Thanks," Rainbow yawned, watching Applejack join her at the table from a seat opposite to her.

"Sorry ya had tah sleep on the couch. If Ah'd knew you were stayin' over Ah'd let ya share the bed with me." Rainbow grimaced slightly at the idea of sharing a bed with Applejack. At every sleepover they had since they were fillies, the country mare always had the tendency to kick in her sleep.

"It’s fine, I'm not too sore."

"And Ah take it you're gonna apologize to Braeburn?"

Rainbow snorted. "You can't make me say I'm sorry. I'm a grown mare and I can make decisions on my own."

"RD, ya really hurt his feelings. And with him bein' on the cover of tabloids now, he's under a lot of stress. You aren't the only one in this relationship."

"We aren't dating," Rainbow hissed as she crossed her arms.

"Ah'm not saying it's a datin' relationship but y'all still got one. Let’s face, y'all got some pretty strong ties that can only hinder your relationship if y'all have bad blood between ya." Applejack set her cup down with a loud clank. "Ah'm not sayin' this is gonna be easy, but you're gonna make it right. And Ah mean it." Rainbow twiddled with the edge of the tablecloth.

"Whatever. I'll do it, OK?" For Applejack, that answer was good enough.

"So how did ya get rid of the paparazzi so quickly anyhow?" she questioned.

"I had my manager send off a decoy. It's amazing how fast they will follow a pony with an oversized hoodie and rainbow wig." A honk was heard from outside, causing them to both turn around to see a large Pegasus with a wagon behind him.

"Who's that?"

"My driver that Top sent me," Rainbow enlightened, heading towards the back door, "I have an interview with Soarin for some show that I need to get to." Applejack raised an eyebrow as she trailed behind her friend.

"How convenient," she said.

"I forgot to tell you so sue me. In fact, I wasn't even planning to stay the night, so you can't blame me for anything." Rainbow felt a hoof on her shoulder as she reached for the doorknob.

"You're gonna come back, right?" She saw Rainbow turning the door handle to mumble something. "Right?"

"I said yes, OK?" Rainbow snapped as she let herself out, "Geesh!"

……………………………….

The show 'Happy Talk' had been a program that Rainbow grew up with. Filled with news of celebrities along with its silly skits and light-hearted tone, it had become one of Equestia's beloved television programs. Even the most grave ponies cannot help but crack a smile due to the hosts and the warm environment they bring with the cameras present to catch it. The four ponies shared their guffaws as they teased one another at the Wonderbolt Headquarters.

"OK, OK, I have to bring this up," one of the interviewers them alerted, reaching from behind her chair, "I think I fell in love with you all over again, Soarin, for this."

"Oh no!" he shouted, turning to a deeper shade of red. She held up a magazine with a picture of him on the cover. Due to the dark atmosphere of the photograph, the lighting picked up all the details of his athletic body. "I was hoping you guys would forget about that.”

"Forget about this?" she teased, "I don't think anypony will be forgetting about this sizzling shoot. What camera do I point this to?" One of the cameraponies waved his arm to get her attention. "Didja get it, Jon?" She faced Soarin again. "We rarely get to see you without your Wonderbolts costume on along with your hair down like in this photo, so it's a nice little treat I may say."

"They airbrushed some parts," he added light-heartedly.

"Yeah right. Listen to me, Cold Copy," Rainbow cut in, addressing the reporter by her name, "He's acting coy. We've been sharing the same locker room for years now and that's the real deal."

"Ooo," she cooed, "Answer it for your female base, are ya single?" He gave a meek nod, suppressing his smirk. "There you have it, fillies!"

"Speaking of significant others," Cold Copy's partner interjected, "Rainbow, who's the mysterious colt with you in these pictures that's all over the news?"

"A friend," she stated defiantly, noting the two reporters exchanging suspicious looks, "What, doncha trust me?"

"No no, we trust you. It's just the words out of your mouth that we don't trust," he joked, receiving an elbow nudge from his co-worker.

"Don't worry, Outcue, the truth will come out eventually," Cold Copy noted with a wink, "You must be excited for the foal, I bet."

"You're pregnancy is causing quite the scandal," Outcue pointed out, "How does that feel?"

"Oh, you mean the Anti-Rainbow Dash club?" Rainbow jested, "Yeah I know about that. It's weird because it's not like I'm the only pregnant mare in the world, you know."

"But you're certainly the biggest," Outcue responded, taking a moment to pause, "Figuratively speaking, that is. You've maintained your figure quite well." Rainbow rolled her eyes with a playful swat.

"Well, duh!"

"So there's a lot of pressure on you to marry the foal's father. Any comments?"

"Look, I understand it's a moral thing and it's morally right and blah blah blah. But I'm letting things play out and my critics should let me live my own life. I am a grown mare after all! They should just mind their own business and leave my baby outta it. I mean, it can't even defend itself yet!"

"So are you ready to be a mother?" She shrugged.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Rainbow commented.

"I have a feeling you're gonna be a great mom!" Cold Copy reassured.

"An awesome mom!" Outcue joined in.

"Awww we're one big mushy, happy family," Rainbow announced, feeling a gentle supportive rub on the shoulder from Soarin. She returned the favor by giving him a warm grin. Suddenly, she saw the interviewers' eyes rise above her head at their faces lit up slightly.

"I see a familiar Wonderbolt we all know and love," Outcue rejoiced, "Come over here Spitfire!"

"I don't want to interrupt your thing," she replied, staying behind the camera. Soarin extended his arms out after slapping them on his lap a few times.

"C'mon!" he called out, "You can use me as a seat." Unintentionally, the yellow mare galloped over to the group and landed on top of Soarin.

"There's the beautiful Spitfire!" Outcue presented.

"Oh please, I'm nothing much!"

"Yeah right, I'm no fillyfooler, but I won't deny that I have a rather strong attration for you," Cold Copy joked, turning to one of the cameramen, "Am I allowed to say that on camera?"

"Hey you guys!" she greeted, "What's up? What's the latest scoop?"

"We were just here talking about Rainbow becoming a mother and Soarin's magazine shoot and what's coming up next for the Wonderbolts," Cold Copy filled in, "Hey, why don't you greet our viewers for us?"

"Sure thing!" she agreed, "Hello fellow fans, it's your mare Spitfire!"

"Radical! I'm Cold Copy-"

"And I'm Outcue and remember-"

"'It's all smiles here on Happy Talk'!" they concluded simultaneously.

"And clear!" one of the staff members pronounced causing all the cameras to turn off. After exchanging their gratitude the sports ponies and hosts part ways to continue their work schedules. As the three Wonderbolts sauntered down the hallways, Soarin told the two female pesasi that he had to meet up with coach Hard Ball to perfect his triple topsy turvy flip for the next game. Rainbow followed Spitfire into the locker room where she helped her unload all of her items out of the locker.

"To tell you the truth, I'm sorta stalling myself from going back to my friend's barn," Rainbow blurted out.

"Why?" Spitfire probed, reaching for one of her bags to set on the bench.

"'Cause I kinda had a huge argument with my foal's father." She grimaced at her own words. Other than 'Braeburn', she had no idea what else to call him.

"Uh oh, that's not good," Spitfire commented, "What's up?"

"Well, we fought for many reasons, the main one being that his picture is now all over the news."

"Oh I knew he looked familiar," she murmured, setting her goggles on top of her bag. "I remember you pointing him out to me a few months back."

"I hate confrontations so I'm just gonna stick here for a while. And promise me you're telling nopony about this. That you know who the father is and all of that."

"Cross my hear hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Where did you learn…how did-" Rainbow cut herself off, "Nevermind. Make should you don't break that promise. Trust me, a certain pony will be upset if you do."

"You have my word, kid."

"And what's with all of this stuff anyway? Why are you clearing out your locker?" Spitfire halted for a moment with her jacket in her arms. Her eyes trace the inside of the compartment and she slowly set it down. Much to Rainbow's surprise, Spitfire's face dropped when she met Rainbow's.

"Now it's your turn to keep a promise," she whispered, coming closer to her, "I haven't told anypony yet except for Top Boss and the coach, but I'm retiring soon." Rainbow's eyes grew wide as her mouth drooped open.

"You're what?" she exclaimed, placing her flank onto the bench that touched her thighs.

"I haven't built up the guts to announce it to everypony yet, but after this season I'm done. This is my last season." The blue horse searched her teammate's expression.

"You're joking right? What about the team? What about you?"

"Face it, I've been here way before you. I'm been here way before Soarin. Heck I even remember when Hard Ball was a new coach," Spitfire said, placing a hoof on her associates shoulder, "I've had a good, long run here. Wonderbolts have been my passion, and it still is, but I need to experience the rest of my life. I'm going home with more soreness and scratches and bruises than ever before. My prime is running out and I've fought that idea for a long time. But you know what? I'm OK with it now. I'm not going to look back at pictures of my past and wish I can go back to that time. I'm going to appreciate my accomplishments and seek for new opportunities to live my life to the fullest." Noticing her counterpart's eyes began to brim, she wrapped her arms around her in an embrace.

"Sorry," Rainbow apologized, "It's just…I've looked up to you all my life. A-and everything is just happening so…so fast…."

"Listen to me," Spitfire requested, pulling back, "This is just the beginning for you. I have to say I've been in this industry since a young age, even a little younger before you got in, so believe me when I tell you this: I've never seen an athlete like you before. Your skills, determination, charisma…you say you look up to me all the time, but whenever I see you, I know I'm in a presence of an icon. You're gonna work your hardest through this whole entire thing. The pregnancy and working out and championships and everything and you're gonna make me proud. Got it?"

"Yeah," Rainbow murmured, blowing her bangs from her eyes. "Got it."

……………………….

Inside the barn, the blonde stallion wiped the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his arm. Making wood figurines had become a hobby of his from growing up with mostly fillies during his adolescence. In total, he had five sisters, four of them being younger than him which made him the third youngest if he included two brothers in the mix as well. The statuette he had currently been working on was a sparrow bird. Everypony had always applauded him on his special touch with the crafts and art activities. It was just something he had always had a knack for he would humbly explain. Rubbing the side of it against the sandpaper on the table, he took a second to sneeze and continue his work. After sniffing a few times, he saw a shadow engross his work space that was swallowed by the golden sunlight only moments ago. He turned around to find a familiar silhouette by the barn doors.

"Gesundheit," the expecting horse proclaimed, walking in. To her dismay, he twisted back around and proceeded to smooth out the splinters from his piece. "Listen, I'm sorry that we argued yesterday." He stopped for a moment and maintained his work focus. "Did you hear me? I said I was sorry."

"Yeah Ah heard ya," he confirmed quietly.

"Well, do you accept my apology or what?" Putting down the wooden bird, he completed faced forward to glare at her.

"No, Ah don't."

"Why?" she whined, stomping closer to him, "I came over here like everybody wanted me to. I'm really, really, really sorry, OK? I don't want any hard feelings between us, so just accept my apology."

"Ya really don't get it, do ya?" he asked, his glaze becoming harder. "This has been goin' on for a while, Rainbow, and Ah have held mah tongue for far too long."

"Wha do you mean? You mean the magazine thing? That'll blow over and if you really need them, I can request some of the best bodyguards for you if you're nervous about the paparazzi."

"Not that!" he snapped. He took a slow breath and shook his head. "It's you blamin' me for everythin'. Look, Ah understand that you're 'fraid of the foal comin' and fer your career at the Wonderbolts. But have ya ever thought about how Ah feel?"

"I…I thought you were excited," she whimpered, sitting on a pile of hay next to him.

"Ah am," he reassured, giving a faint grin that faded rapidly, "But Ah got nerves about it, too. Ah mean, Ah'm gonna be a father. And Ah got a life back in Apploosa that Ah now have tah reconsider and rearrange for it. Ah never wanted to mention it to ya 'cause Ah was afraid you'd get even more stressed out. But Ah got feelings too, RD, and everypony's got a breakin' point and sometimes Ah think you don't realize that the same rule applies fer me." Stillness filled the air causing Rainbow to struggle to inhale.

"You're scared about being a father?"

"A little."

"I'm sorry," she stated, reaching for Braeburn's shoulder with her hoof that he shrugged off, "Really, I am. You're right, I need to acknowledge that you do have feelings and thoughts and that you are your own pony. Sometimes, I think to myself that I have the most amazing support and you are a large reason why I have pushed myself through this. It's you that gives me the inspiration and drive to have this thing and try to move forward to motherhood. You care for me immensely and… I need to do the same for you. I'm sorry for doubting you and questioning you and…just acting like a jerk. In the back of my mind, I'm always afraid that one day, you'll just leave or something. I don't know why but I am." From the corner of his eye, he saw her now peering through the barn door, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Why do ya think Ah'm such a bad pony?" he asked, his tone soft, "Why d'ya think Ah'll betray ya like that?"

"'Cause they usually do." Braeburn wanted to probe her more, but he decided to keep his mouth shut. "When I'm scared, I tend to lash out. And when I'm frightened…I hide." She let out an uneasy laugh and threw her head back. "I haven't contacted my parents since the pregnancy. Did you know that? Not one call."

"Why?"

"I've always had a strained relationship between my parents and I. See, you're use to this big family business whereas I have no idea how it works."

"Why are y'all strained? Do they not love ya?"

"Of course they loved me! Like all parents." She sighed and looked down. "I snuck out a lot when I was a kid. I was rebellious and talked back to them a lot. We did have our sweet moments like any family; in fact we had a lot of them. They were proud of my flying records at school and supported me at all of my flying tournaments. But I neglected school a lot and they saw it in my academic grades. I put a lot of worry on them and of course the separations and fighting didn't make matters any more helpful. I told them I wanted to join the Wonderbolts and always said screw school. They wanted me to get my studies in order but I was too busy fantasizing about being in that beautiful Wonderbolts costume. I see now that they meant well but at the time I thought that they were against me and my wishes. Finally, when I was the appropriate age, I moved out. I've been too scared to call my parents since I found out I'm having a foal and they only know through news sources. I-I want to call them, but I don't know how or what to say. I haven't really told anypony that, but I'm starting to think that I can really open up to you now."

"Ah'm glad we can open up to each other like this. And Ah think ya should call them. Ya got it in ya tah repair relationships."

"I don't know," she doubted, "Braeburn? Why do you like me?"

"How d'ya mean?"

"I don't know. As a pony, I guess. My critics are right. I'm careless, crass, arrogant, and childish." She gave a snort. "Some element of loyalty. The only pony I'm loyal to is myself and my selfishness."

"Now, that ain't true, Miss Dash. This is a mighty noble thing ya did and Ah'm proud of ya for that." He turned towards her and leaned in closer. "Remember way back in Apploosa when we were in the fields? Before we went into the barn and, well, ya know."

"Yes, Brae," she grunted sheepishly.

"Ah remember ya were in bad mood. And Ah mean worse than usual. Ah knew somethin' was up and that's when we went on our walk. Ah remember ya tellin' about some Thunderwing fellah or one another that ya were seein' and that ya saw him with another mare. Two-timin' ya." Rainbow cringed at the memory.

"Who cares? I sure didn't," she lied, "I didn't like him much anyway."

"Ah never saw ya so sad in mah life. We've know each other since we were little horses due to mah cousin Applejack and your friendship and Ah never seen ya so heart broken. Ah wanted tah cheer ya up by doin' a hay climbin' contest like we use tah when we were younger. And, well, ya know where that ended up. Anyway, Ah'd like tah believe that for that moment, Ah truly made ya happy." A small giggle escaped through her lips.

"Suuure, that's the reason why we mated," she sarcastically remarked. She gave him a tiny shove, causing him to break out in a smile.

"Mah point is Ah'm not exactly sure why Ah care fer ya so much. Maybe it's 'cause we've know each other for a while now, especially over these past few months. But ya put up a front like yer some tough pony. And don't get me wrong, you're a very strong filly. But Ah know that's not like ya. Ya also have certain vulnerability that Ah find endearin'. Ah know that underneath some o' yer crazy antics and traits, there's a kind, sweet, lovin' pony. And when Ah see it and experience it, Ah know that it's the true you."

"Really?" she replied, blinking her eyes. "You mean that?"

"Yeah, Ah do," he confirmed drawing closer to her until their snouts hovered near each other, "You just gotta learn to let down yer guard." Her eyelids began to lower until she heard a miniscule voice shriek from the back of her head.

"I-I can't…" she trailed off, watching his eyes flicker open, "My driver's outside. I stayed here longer than expected. I gotta go."

"Oh," he mustered, reaching for his hat on the table to place on his head.

"B-but, uh, I'm really glad we had this talk. Thank you for this," she retorted, heading for the barn door. She had sworn she heard Braeburn say good-bye but her thoughts hammered against the walls of her mind. Circles spun in her vision as she galloped to the cab. The Pegasus tied to the cart set down his newspaper and glowered at her.

"Finally!" he shouted, "About time! Where to? Home?"

"Yeah, sure," she concurred, hopping into the wagon. As they took off, the breezes from his wings ahead of her fanned off the sweat from her face. Swallowing hard, she shut her eyes and hoped that it was the winds that caused them to sting so much.

"Darn it," she cursed.