Shouting and rowdiness had always filled up the locker rooms for various amounts of reasons. Perhaps there could be an argument from a fumble that a player made in the game. Or maybe it could be more jubilant screams for an athlete's birthday. The Wonderbolts liked to tease their players on their birthday, especially if they protest during the singing of the 'Happy Birthday' song. It could even be simply that they teammates are talking loudly from the excitement of the most recent race. Today, however, the enthusiasm was for the rainbow-maned mare that was making her way through the athletic bodies. Struggling to carry her dress, she flung it over her shoulder and scurried down the locker aisle.

"Looks like Dashie is gonna be an old ball and chain!" a pony joked. She stuck her tongue out at him and searched behind her. Something had been forgotten she told herself but she could not figure out what exactly. A voice caused her to snap her head forward to see that it was her coach, Hard Ball.

"Congrats, kid," he said, ruffling her mane, "You have our best wishes." A honk was heard that sent the expecting mare hurrying to the exit.

"Sorry you guys, I gotta go!" she called out. Applause exploded along with jesting whistles. She waited until it died down to say, "Thank you, all of you." Nerves took over her body and she found her teeth almost chattering in anxiety. Pulling the door open on the cab, she threw her dress in and slid into her seat. When the driver turned around to check on her, she saw the cabpony's eyes flicker with interest.

"Big day for you today?" he interviewed, adjusting his hat.

"Kinda," she retorted, "To Apploosa. I just need you to take me there; I can walk to the building once where I'm there." As the stallion started to trot, Rainbow stared out of the windows of the cart. Reaching into the bag that held her dress, she reached for the headpiece and placed it only her head. The material fell over her eyes which made her take it off. Bright reflections sparkled on her face as she examined the diamonds of the tiara. Even for a tomcolt like her she had to admit that it was an appealing headpiece. The cart suddenly came to a halt that jarred her body forward. Announcing that they had reached Apploosa, the driver opened the door for her and escorted her out from the cab.

"Do you wish for me to help you with your things?" he requested, peering at the dress in the back.

"Nah, I got it," she confirmed, reaching for it. A group of ponies then ran up to her and assisted her to the church nearby. Surprisingly, there were a great amount of guests, mostly standing of the stairs chatting. But strangely, she had no recognition of any of them. Some seemed to not have any relation to Braeburn or anypony else in the Apple family. Shaking her thoughts from her head, she realized that the rushing mares were none other than her friends.

"Isn't this exciting, Rainbow?" Twilight asked, getting closer to her cyan counterpart, "You're gonna be a wife today! I can't believe you said you said yes to Braeburn!"

"Oh how romantic!" Rarity gushed, leading her to the dressing room, "Now let's hope you hadn't grown too much since the last fitting."

"Where's Fluttershy and Pinkie?" she questioned, pulling her gown down.

"They're putting on their bridesmaids' dresses," Twilight answered. Awareness developed in Twilight's face causing her to tug Rarity towards the door, "We need to get dressed!"

"But what about her make-up?" Rarity complained, holding up mascara, "Rainbow can't walk down the aisle looking like this!"

"We're behind the schedule by three minutes! Let's go!" The door began to slam until it was ceased by Applejack's leg. Fussing with her sleeves, she entered the room while kicking the door behind her.

"Dang frilly dresses," she cursed, then smirking at the sight in front of her, "Well looky who's a blushin' bride!"

"Oh cut it out," Rainbow ordered, fixing her veil.

"Why so grumpy, sugarcube?" Rainbow glared at her reflection and watched Applejack walk up to the table next to her. "This is your weddin' day, ya should be happy."

"It's not my wedding day," Rainbow clarified, crossing her forelegs, "This is Rarity's dress. The decorations are Pinkie's. The bird choir is Fluttershy's. The management is Twilight's. And Braeburn was the one who came up with the idea to marry. This is not my wedding. I didn't even want a wedding. And I still don't. I've feel as if I've lost my identity. I mean, Applejack, who am I?"

"Who are ya?" she repeated, "Well, you're Rainbow Dash. And you are not here right now to pick up your phone. So please leave a message and you'll get back to somepony as soon as you can." Rainbow furrowed her eyebrows as she gazed in bewilderment at her friend.

"C-come again?" A sharp tone was emitted from a bird that flew into the room and Applejack resumed speaking again.

"This is Rainbow Dash. And you are not here to right now pick up your phone. So please leave a message—"

………………..

-And I'll get back to you as soon as I can.-

Bolting up from the bed, Rainbow searched the surroundings. Back in her home, she surveyed her answering machine that blasted her own voice. Everything from the hospital last night completely evaporated from her memory. On her dresser was a paper that was folded in half. Reaching for it, a couple pieces of paper slid from the stationary onto her lap in bed. She blinked viciously to get her sight in focus to read the handwriting.

"'Dear Rainbow'," she read out loud, scratching her head, "'After the ultrasound, you fell asleep in the lobby. The nurse left her business card with all of her contact information if you even need to talk to her about the foal.'" She picked up the business card that fell on her lap and continued scanning the paper. "'We called in a taxi from Cloudsdale to make sure you got home OK. The charges are on us so there are no worries. Take care and we'll see you again soon. Love Fluttershy, AJ and Brae.'" There was another piece of paper on her comforter which she attained for. The words 'Just a reminder' sprawled across it and she flipped it to its other side. It was a dark picture with tinges of gray and white smudges and she soon figured out that it was her ultrasound picture. Unexpectedly, a laugh escaped her lips and she immediately covered her mouth from waking up Tank. Although she was not completely sure what she had to look for, her face beamed at the reminiscence of the event. Gently, she set the image aside against her bed lamp and gazed. Her answering machine went off after the series of phone rings and Spitfire's voice accompanied it afterwards.

-Dash, where are you? We have been calling you all morning!-

Rainbow reacted speedily and clutched the phone to bring it to her ear.

"Hello? Hello?" she sputtered out shakily, breaking out of her previous calm demeanor, "Hey Spitfire, is that you?"

-Yeah it's me! Where have you been?-

"I've been sleeping, why what's up?"

-Oh, she's been sleeping she says.- Her sardonic tone instantly brought fear to Rainbow. She had a hunch where this conversation was heading to.

"Spits, what's wrong?"

-Well let’s see, we send the trainer to your house yesterday morning and we find out you're gone. You're just missing! We try calling you over here and get no response. Later that afternoon, Roca-pony call trying to get you an appointment to try on the new samples but we have to tell them that you're unavailable. Then we are the ones getting the calls that you had to be rushed to the E.R.!-

"W-where did you hear that?" she stammered, bringing her hoof to her mouth.

-Everybody who's anybody in the media is calling our publicists and employees and even the athletes about it! We're worried sick about you! We've been calling and we don't know if you're OK or not. This isn't like you Rainbow! What's going on?-

"I-I-I can explain it to you when I get over there, I promise!"

-Yeah, well, you better get over here fast 'cause we'd like to hear it!-

"Ok, Ok, and Spits?"

-What?-

"I'm s-sorry." A heavy sigh was heard on the other side of the line.

-Don't worry about it, OK? At least you're safe. Just get over here.-

After hearing the click, Rainbow tossed her phone onto the edge of her bed and turned to the photo of the unborn horse.

"D'ya see how much trouble ya costin' me?" she murmured, swinging her legs over to get out of bed.

Letting herself out of the house, she shrunk back at the unanticipated bursts of light from the cameras while feeling the microphones bump into her snout. Panicking as she held her newly injured nose, Rainbow tried to push the reporters out of her way with little luck. She had become accustomed to paparazzi over the years but this had the first time where their behavior was aggressive towards her. The questions were hard to make out for her due to the fact that there were numerous amounts of journalists yelling at once. She beseeched them to give her space but grew irritated when they refused to follow her orders.

"Rainbow Rainbow!" the loudest colt called out, shoving his tape recorder near her face, "There are rumors that you and the Wonderbolts are having it out. Have a couple words as a response?"

"Yeah, screw you!" Finding an open space within the crowd, the Pegasus reminded them why she was a world-class racer as she zoomed away.

……………………………

"They called us saying that you were rushed to the E.R. while holding your stomach as if you were in pain. Some sources are saying that you had to go because of food poisoning, some say appendix burst, and others say pregnancy," Spitfire explained, pushing against the entrance door while the reporters tried to burst in. "But I want to hear it in your own words. Why were you rushed to the emergency room?"

"Well, it was one of those reasons you listed," she pointed out, fixing her mane. It was fascinating to Rainbow how the co-captain did not even balk at the invading ponies.

"A guessing game, huh? I'm always good at these. Let's see…didja get food poisoning from that southern friend of yours a couple days back?" Spitfire asked, locking the door, "Although I don't think the reporters would be going this ballistic over it." At one the windows behind her, Rainbow spotted a paparazzo holding a tabloid to the glass. The headline read the word pregnant followed by a question mark with a picture of Rainbow sporting a sizable abdomen. When did they take that and how did they print it so fast? Rainbow thought to herself, galloping to pull down the blinds.

"It, uh, was really bright in here," Rainbow lied when she saw a bewildered look on her teammate's face.

"Hmm, if it was an appendix burst, wouldn't ya had surgery and needed to rest now?  I guess that's ruled out." A loud guffaw seeped from her causing Rainbow to flinch slightly. "Of course, you couldn't fit your costume the other day. Don't tell me you're pregnant." She laughed more, doubling over in amusement and turned grave when she made eye contact with the athlete. "Oh no."

Rainbow ducked her head in humiliation.

"Oh please, please, tell me it was food poisoning."

………………………….

"I don't believe it, you're gone for thirty-six hours and you're pregnant," coach Hard Ball mumbled, wiping his mouth.

"I-I'm sorry," Rainbow blurted out, "It wasn't planned at all. I-I didn't mean for this to happen. I can't believe that it happened. I wish this didn't happen, I-"

"Alright, kid, we get it," Top Boss cut in. "You made a mistake. Everypony does." The two stallions exchanged looks. "I just don't know how this'll work out. You just signed a contract as a spokespony, for Luna's sake."

"And you're my star player, you're a valuable asset." Rainbow's eyes traced the plant that rested on the desk ahead of her.

"What are you planning on doing with it?" Spitfire asked quietly, leaning against the office door. She shrugged stiffly, unable to make a sound. "Have you thought about it? Did you talk to your doctor about it when you found out?"

"Barely," she retorted, "It seems like every doctor or nurse I've seen, they'll say that they will talk about them with me. And, well, they never got around to talking about it." Top Boss called Spitfire over to him and whispered in her ear. She grimaced at the stout pony, and glanced over to Rainbow. She was busy tugging on the brown leaves of the shrub to notice their assessment.

"Listen, Dashie," Top Boss said, causing Rainbow's posture to spring up, "I'm gonna have you see a doctor. Somepony that will sit you down and clear all the questions in your head, OK? And Spitfire will take you." Wordlessly, Spitfire tapped her on the shoulder to escort her out of the office. Trailing behind her, Rainbow asked the yellow mare what the manager had whispered to her. Spitfire twisted her body around and walked backwards to progress with Rainbow towards the elevator.

………………………..

Almost a deja-vu feeling from the hospital experiences and the fitting, the winged pony pulled on her neckline of the hospital gown. She had been in the middle of a conversation with the doctor, his hooves handing her information sheets. His. It seemed wrong to Rainbow that a male horse was informing an inexperienced mare on a topic with such femininity. The words he verbalized rung in her head, making it difficult for her to concentrate. He had told her about the three options she could decide on. The first was the most 'orthodox', as he put it, and that was to carry through the pregnancy full term and keep the baby. The other had been her preferred way, giving up the foal once it was born. The third, however, was a choice she had not even considered. The doctor's words had trouble registering with her. Not just in the context but also the medical and professional terms he spat out.

"So wait," Rainbow interjected, trying to get her thoughts in order, "is it safe?"

"It is one hundred percent safe," he affirmed, "Just like the previous two plans, abortions will be done in a careful, sterile environment such as this hospital if you choose to do so. Most young mares will go through an abortion because they are at a busy time in their lives and won't have time to support and raise the foal."

"W-what's the procedure?"

"First we give you pills to take for a few days to remove the placenta from the uterine walls. Then you would come back to us and we'd remove the fetus. In my years of doing this, most of the mares had been athletes just like you. With adoption, many young mothers grow attached to their children and go through emotional distress once when they're given up. Even if they decide to have an open-adoption. Some feel that with abortion, it provides them instant relief from their worries and stress."

"So what you're saying is all my problems would go away, just like that?" Her mind wandered into the memory of the last race she had won. She would miss the rush that she became enamored with. How would the public perceive her if she gave up the foal in an adoption? Would they see her as a pony who gives up? Who's irresponsible and hands over her problems to other ponies to take care?

A nurse came in and called the doctor over to check on another patient in the adjacent room. "If you'll excuse me, Miss Dash. Have a look at the pamphlets and ask me any of your questions when I return." The equestrian glared at the door shutting closed and glanced at the pamphlet next to her.

"What would you think of me if I did this?" she questioned, glimpsing at Spitfire who was sitting in the furthest corner.

"If you went through the pregnancy?" she replied, squinting at the split-ends of her mane that she pulled down to her sight. Facing her counterpart, Spitfire noticed that Rainbow was displaying a brochure for her to see. "Oh," she mumbled, watching her associate unfold the pages. "Listen, RD, lots of mares have an abortion. There's nothing wrong with it."

"I don't even want to flip through this…" her voice trailed off, covering her magenta orbs. "I don't know, Spits, this does seem to be the easiest way out now that I think about it. Would I be a bad pony if I did this?"

"No, you won't be. You'd be a pony who had to make a hard decision to accommodate to your lifestyle. I'm not going to view you as a bad pony. Nopony is going to see you as a bad pony. At least nopony that matters. It's your body and your choice and they need to respect that." She sat in stillness as she surveyed her friend staring at the pamphlet. "Listen, before you make a final decision and get ahead of yourself, why don't you wait till the doctor can talk to you. That's what you're here for, right? To get the full details on your options, right?" There was no response. "Right?" Silence. Spitfire got up to bring the other leaflets to her that touched the expecting mare's thigh. "Here, here, look at these."

"If I just get an abortion, all this mess would be over with," Rainbow thought out loud, "No swollen hooves or weight gain or slandering from everypony." Shaking her head, she regained her focus and recalled the night before. "Thinking about it, what kind of life would it have it I decided to carry through term? I mean, I-I'm going to give it to complete strangers! What if they beat it or abandon it or never love it?"

"Rainbow, are these the hormones talking or something?" Spitfire worried, placing a hoof on her shoulder, noticing her breath acceleration increasing.

"You just never know how they'll be behind closed doors." Rainbow let out a heavy sigh. "Ever since I found out about the foal, I've regretted my actions and been wanting my life to go back to normal, but if I never see the foal in the first place, then I'd never go through all that emotional pain like the doc was saying…." The yellow pony clapped her hooves after she became partially unresponsive.

"Hey, hey!" she exclaimed, "What's going on, Rainbow? You're turning pale!" The blue horse jumped from the seat and galloped to the door.

"I-I can't do this anymore! I can't, I just can't!"

"OK, OK, no need to get antsy, alright?" she consoled, rubbing her back, "At least wait till the doctor gets back."

"No, I need to get outta here!" she demanded, flinging it open. Her body bolted out until she stopped herself from crashing into the hallway wall before her. Smacking her back against it, she buried her face into her hooves, her body pulsating with each sob.

"Rainbow! D-don't worry, just relax! You're scaring me!" Spitfire rushed to her and wrapped her arms around her as they slid lower on the wall. "If you feel like you have to do this, then do it. Just…don't even think about it and go with your gut."

"I-I'm not even thinking straight anymore, I don't know what to do!" she cried, trying to hold back her hiccups.

"Oh Rainbow please stop crying," Spitfire begged, cradling her weeping friend.

"I can't help it," she admitted, "Just so much has happened these past few days. A-and I've been holding in these particular feelings about it, you know? I-I guess it's all coming out at once. I'm just so confused, c-caught off guard about everything."

"Nopony is forcing you to do anything," she informed, aiding her up, "What I said back there was not a lie. It's your body, your foal, your decision."

"O *hic* OK."

"So what do you want to do?" Rainbow pondered for a moment.

"I want to take a maternal leave. Don't know what's going to happen after that, b-but I'll *hic*, I'll risk it. I can't get rid of the foal. I-" Her shoulders suddenly felt weightless and her tears started to dry. "I can't get rid of it," she repeated quietly. "That ultrasound, that stupid ultrasound, made me realize that you know what? There's something living in me. And it was moving so much. A-and its little heartbeat! It was so fast!" She laughed as she wiped her moist cheeks. "I can tell it's gonna be the fastest little guy in the world! And I can't ruin that. I can't ruin its life. 'Cause then it's gone and I have nopony else b…but m-myself to blame. " Spitfire embraced her quietly, choosing her words carefully.

"Alright, you've had a rough week. I'll tell the boys in charge and you can rest at home. I'll tell them that you weren't feeling too good. Deal?"

"D-deal."

"Awesome, now let’s get outta here."

……………………………….

"I don't know what came over me," Rainbow said, pulling the covers up to her chin, "It was pretty intense. I, like, couldn't stop crying and I didn't know why I was crying so much."

-You were upset.- Braeburn's voice from the phone machine answered, -You have a lot of emotions in ya and especially when they're escalated like yours in your condition, you're probably goin' tah have some emotional responses like the one ya had earlier.-

"Believe it was more than just hormones making me go crazy. I think," Rainbow responded, turning towards her phone, "I kinda wanted this thing the whole time. Not like wanting like as in I need to be a mother and be all nurturing and caring sorta thing but, I don't know. I kinda feel sorry for it. I think subconsciously, I've felt sorry for it, but I held in my thoughts about it and tried to convince myself to do anything but keep it and that's when everything just all came up." Rainbow reminded herself to stay away from the psychology section of Twilight's library; she was really starting to sound like a hardcore egghead now.

-Why d'ya feel sorry for it?-

"Not sure. I felt the same for Tank when I first got him. And now I'm really attached to him. It was really unexpected." Passing him a piece of lettuce from her dresser, she grinned as she observed him munching on it. "If the foal was still there after the whole racing scenario, maybe I'm meant to have it. Yesterday night, when we saw it for the first time-" She cut off to clear her throat. "I realized that no moment like that could compare to that." The other line stayed quiet. "Brae? What are you doing?"

-Nothin'.-

"Well, don't get too excited," she chuckled, "we still have a lot to figure out. Like where it’s gonna live and all that stuff. Both of us will have to go out of our ways to make sure that this kid will live the most normal life it possibly can."

-Sounds like a plan tah me. Are ya gonna hear back from Spitfire 'bout your coach and manager's reactions in regards to keepin' it?-

"Yeah, most likely tomorrow. Hope they aren't too peeved about it."

-To tell ya the truth, Rainbow, I ain't too happy about them tellin' ya tah get an abortion.-

"They didn't technically tell me to get an abortion, they told me to review my options," Rainbow explained, moaning to think for a moment, "I don't know, it's hard to word it, but they just want what they think is best for me, my future, and my career. I think they're just use to celebrity ponies having that done all the time that they thought I would think the same way. They'll understand my stance on my decision. And if they don't, well, they can't afford to lose me permanently because I'm the favorite."

-And oh so humble.- he jested receiving a playful snort on the other line.

"It's true! I didn't make that up!" Rainbow mocked back, "Anyways, I better get some rest, it's getting late. And Braeburn?"

-Mmm-hmm?-

"Thank you for being so supportive and such an awesome friend. And as cheesy as this'll sound, I know you'll be a great father." He let out an easy laugh.

-And Ah know that'll you'll be a wonderful mother.-

Rolling her eyes, she good-humoredly added "I highly doubt that. I bet you're just saying that to make me feel better."

-Eeyup.-