The Fan She Never Knew

Rainbow Dash stepped out from behind the curtain. Hooves clopped against the hard cement floors of the auditorium; a wave of unruly sound that she had revelled in for many years: the sound of excitement.

She stepped up to the podium, and the applause died down as silence fell across the audience. One pony coughed softly in the back row. Rainbow cleared her throat.

“Fillies and Gentlecolts!” she announced, beginning her speech. “Being a Wonderbolt was always my dream, and the dream of countless other bright-eyed pegasi since the very day the organization was founded. And tonight, in this very auditorium, for the hoofful of ponies ambitious enough, talented enough, and tenacious enough to stick with it through thick and thin, those dreams will become real. With me on this stage today are some of the most impressive young fliers Equestria has ever seen. It is my honor, to present to you, the graduating class of Wonderbolt Academy 1129!”

The curtain behind her lifted and Rainbow stepped to the side of the stage as the audience erupted in applause. Six ponies, clad in their brand new, official Wonderbolt uniforms hovered just over the stage as they were introduced.

Rainbow Dash held out a small diploma. “Skylark, of Appleoosa!” The small green mare floated forward proudly and accepted the proffered scrip.

“Thank you, Commander Dash!” she said, beaming from ear to ear. Rainbow smiled softly at her and then turned to the next pony in line.

“Golden Sunset, from Cloudsdale!” A gruff stallion whose color matched his name approached next, nodded to Rainbow, and accepted his diploma wordlessly before retreating back.

“Stormy Seas, from Vanhoover!” A blue and great streak darted forward, snatched the paper from Dash’s hooves, spat out a quick “Thanks!” and darted back to her spot.

“Bay Singer, from Ponyville!” Rainbow smiled as the young stallion with the rainbow mane stepped forward. His coat was slightly darker than hers, and the colors of his mane matched her own, though in the opposite order. He had to be pretty awesome, looking so much like her. And he would be a Wonderbolt, too!

But his eyes were downcast, refusing to meet her gaze as he approached and silently took the diploma, and then he nearly dropped it as he hovered back to join his peers. Rainbow’s smile turned to a frown for a moment, but then she turned to the next pony.

“Snow Storm, from Las Pegasus!” A pale blur turned a quick loop as a white stallion with an ice-blue mane showed off his skill right there on the stage. Rainbow wasn’t about to critique his form right there on the spot, but… it needed work.

“And finally, Silver Lining, from Canterlot!” A dark grey mare with a silver mane dropped to the ground and trotted to Rainbow on her hooves, before politely accepting her diploma and returning to her place.

“Let’s give our new graduates another round of applause!” Rainbow announced, gesturing widely across the six ponies.

The crowd erupted in cheers as a stampede of hooves slapped the ground incessantly. The new graduates were the center of attention for several minutes, until the uproar finally settled into a dull clatter. Finally, the new Wonderbolts shuffled off-stage, and the curtain dropped again as Rainbow Dash stepped back up to the podium.

The din ceased as she stood up again. “But, as much as we love to see fresh blood in the Wonderbolt uniform, with the addition of the new, comes the loss of the old,” she said somberly. “It’s been said by many ponies over the years that with age comes wisdom. And that’s true. But also with it, comes a loss of ability. A loss of speed. And an opportunity for the new to step in and take over for the old. Six Wonderbolts tonight will be retired. And we honor them tonight as well. But first, they would like to share with you something special.”

She stepped away from the podium. “Their final performance!” Rainbow whooped, taking off straight into the sky and bursting through the top of the cloud-build auditorium. The clouds swirled and dissipated in all directions as five more ponies joined Rainbow Dash in the sky; twirling, looping, diving, and screaming at breakneck speeds in perfect formation.

Tears filled Rainbow’s eyes as she performed - her last performance as a Wonderbolt after all these years. The dreams of young ponies were coming true tonight, but her dream was finally coming to an end.

Bay Singer watched with disgust as Commander Rainbow Dash took off straight up into the air. It was as if she exuded a sense of arrogance and smugness, constantly. Even in something as simple as a high-speed vertical take-off, she seemed to ooze with her own ego, and it absolutely infuriated him. And though she and the other senior Wonderbolts were retiring tonight, he could tell that their skills put the incoming freshman class to shame.

He was used to that. After all, everything Rainbow Dash had ever done had always put him to shame.

There was no need to watch the performance that would only make him angry. He was pissed enough as it was: the auditorium was packed. Not a single seat was empty, except for one seat near the front, among the seats reserved for each graduate’s family.

His father had been absent his entire life; Bay didn’t even know who he was. But his mother!? After all of the work he put in to become a Wonderbolt? Something he’d done just to make her proud?

This was something he had done just to be noticed by her! And now she wasn’t even here!

Bay Singer closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His mother would never look at him the same way she looked at that arrogant blowhard, Rainbow Dash. All he’d ever wanted was even a fraction of his mother’s attention, but Rainbow Dash always hogged it all. Tears welled up in his eyes, squeezing between tightly closed eyelids and running down the fur of his cheeks.

It was okay to cry here. Nopony would see - everypony’s attention was on the performance. He opened his eyes again to a blurred view of the crowded seats; a miasma of smeared colors that he couldn’t pick out. It was better like this. Her seat didn’t look empty if he couldn’t make out the individual outlines of ponies seated around her space.

He had worked so hard to get here, because he thought if he was a Wonderbolt, like Rainbow Dash, his mother would finally notice him… and she didn’t even show up to congratulate him. He knew it wasn’t really his mother’s fault. He knew it was irrational to expect her to come to the graduation, but that empty seat…

He knew, truly, that nothing he could do would ever make her notice him...

Because nothing could bring back the dead.

The reception after the graduation - restricted, of course, to the Wonderbolts and their families - was in full swing. Or what passed for ‘full swing’ with the somewhat bittersweet mood.

Streamers were strung about the party venue and congratulatory balloon bouquets at every table. Bombastic decor in Wonderbolts yellow and blue adorned every inch of the walls, with a centrally framed posterboard with some of the best action-shots in the history of photography pinned to it. Even Pinkie Pie would have been impressed.

Rainbow Dash turned away from the buffet table with a daisy and spinach sandwich on her plate, drizzled with a bit of vinegar and a side of hay fries. It wasn’t the worst meal, but it wasn’t exactly health food - not that she had a pressing need to keep quite as fit as she’d been for the last several years.

Her parents, Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles, waved at her from across the room. Her mother’s mane had grown out so much that Dash barely recognized her since the last time she’d spent time with her parents. Windy’s mane was parted such that it framed her face… and hid a lot of her wrinkles. And her dress was an absolutely fabulous emerald green, with a signature flair that was almost certainly Rarity’s work - not that Rainbow had any sophisticated knowledge of fashion to describe it further.

Dash trotted across the room, pushing past Spitfire, who was talking animatedly with her mother, Stormy Flare.

“That’s my girl!” Bow said happily as Rainbow approached. The silver strands in his otherwise prismatic mane and the tailored suit he wore really gave him a look of elderly sophistication completely at odds with his personality. “You really put on a great show out there tonight!”

“Pfft,” Rainbow scoffed. “All of my shows are great!”

“Because you’re in them!” Windy cheered, raising her glass. “And we’re so proud of you!”

“Yes, to all of our great shows, and to many more for the Freshman class!” Soarin announced from the table behind her. A show of glasses raised all around them, followed by a cheer.

Rainbow smiled abashedly. “Thanks, mom and dad.” She took a bite of her sandwich and chewed thoughtfully for a few moments. “It’s a little weird, though.”

“What’s that?” Windy asked.

“Well, I’ve wanted to be a Wonderbolt my entire life. It’s all I ever dreamed of, and all I ever wanted. Now that I’m retiring… I really don’t know what to do anymore. I thought I might become a flight coach, like Uncle Blaze was for me, but I don’t know.”

Windy and Bow exchanged a knowing look. “Well, you could do that,” Bow said. “I think that would be a wonderful job. And it would make your mother so happy.”

“Oh, it would!” Windy announced. “With a job like that, you could settle down with a nice stallion and you can finally give us that grandfoal we’ve always wanted!”

Subdued giggles came from another table as Rainbow rolled her eyes. She couldn’t afford to have a foal; the impact it would have on her performances would--

She didn’t have time to raise a kid; she was too busy with--

Rainbow froze, a daisy hanging out of the corner of her mouth, as she realized that she did not have the two (very real) excuses that she’d always relied on. “Uh… I’m too old for that?” she squeaked.

“Nonsense, kiddo.” Her father laughed boisterously. “You’re only 43! Plenty of mares still have foals at your age.”

“Only the crazy ones,” Rainbow muttered under her breath.

“Well, I don’t know about plenty,” Windy added, jabbing her husband in the ribs with a hoof, “but it’s certainly not impossible.” Bow flinched, but his smile remained undeterred.

Rainbow pondered the idea. It wasn’t that she had never wanted to settle down and have kids - indeed, she didn’t want the awesomeness that was Rainbow Dash to end when she passed. But she’d never made it a priority before. And though she’d had no shortage of ponies asking her out, she’d literally never dated a stallion in her entire life. Fortunately, Zephyr Breeze had given her plenty of practice turning ponies down.

“Look, Rainbow,” Bow said, pointing across the room. “Why don’t you talk to that stallion sitting alone over there? He’s got the same mane as you, and prismatic manes are a recessive trait. Wouldn’t your kids just be the most awesome thing ever, looking just like their mom?”

Rainbow had to admit, having a foal that would be just as awesome as she was made the idea slightly more appealing than it otherwise might have been. She looked across to where he was pointing. The rainbow-maned graduate was sitting there, alone. Bay Singer, was it? He didn’t look comfortable at all.

“Go on,” Bow said, pushing her with a wing. “Give it a shot. Just walk up to him and… y’know… flirt a bit.”

“But I’m terrible at flirting!” Rainbow protested.

“Oh, you’ll be fine,” Windy chastised her. “You have to start somewhere, and it is that time of year!”

Bay Singer nibbled idly on a piece of celery, staring at the rest of the food on his plate. His mind was swimming with questions he didn’t have answers for: Why had he come to the reception? If he was doing everything for his mother’s approval, why shouldn’t he just quit now that she was gone? And after all these years, he still had no idea why his mother was so obsessed with Rainbow Dash, anyway.

A shifting shadow out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked up. Commander Dash was there, almost right in his face. The very last pony he wanted to see right now, much less speak to.

“Hey,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof dismissively. “My parents are really weird, and they’re making this uncomfortable for me, so… can we just chat for a few minutes?”

Bay grimaced. “I’d rather not, if it’s all the same to you.”

Rainbow laughed dryly. “It’s not, unfortunately.” She pulled out a chair and perched on it. “My parents are kinda forcing me to talk to you.”

“Your parents…?” Bay raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you a little old to be bossed around by them?”

“Yeah,” Rainbow shrugged. “They’re pushing me to find a coltfriend. Wanted me to come hit on you.”

Bay Singer’s face fell. His own reasons for disliking Rainbow Dash were entirely personal, but this was his first real interaction with her outside of the brief moment where he accepted his diploma just a couple of hours prior. She seemed so… dismissive of him. Apparently deeming him not even worthy of flirting with. But why? Did she have something against him? What had he done to deserve this strange torment?

“And you don’t want to flirt with me,” Bay said, bitterly. “Well, that’s no surprise. The top Wonderbolt is so stuck on herself that she can’t even flirt with a low-ranking member like me, but arrogant enough to come and make fun of me for it?”

Rainbow drew back, eyes widening. “Wh-what? No, that’s not it at all. I actually think you’re quite attractive, but…”

Bay Singer turned his head, his ear twitching. Had he heard her right? Rainbow Dash thought he was attractive? That was… unexpected. She could probably get any stallion in the world if she wanted, and yet she thought he was attractive?

“But?” he asked aloud, not really sure if he wanted to know the actual answer.

“Well, honestly, you looked pretty down,” Rainbow replied. “And maybe a little angry. And that’s pretty strange, considering that today is supposed to be a big day for you.” Rainbow knocked her hoof against the table a few times. “So, I don’t actually care what my parents want, really. I don’t have anything against you, I’m just bad at flirting. And I wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

This mare was confusing. Bay Singer glared at her for a few moments. “Everything’s fine. I just hate you,” he finally muttered.

Rainbow seemed stunned by his response. Bay pointedly ignored her, returning to the food on his plate.

“I’m sorry,” Rainbow whispered.

... She’s what? Bay jerked his head up and stared at her again, this time with confusion. “Why?”

“Well, hate is a really strong emotion to get from somepony I’ve basically never met, so… either I’ve done something horrible to you and don’t even remember it, or... I… I don’t know. I’m not actually good at personal relationships, and I’ve been a pretty lousy pony in the past, so… whatever it is, I’m sorry.”

She had no idea. He knew she had no idea; his hatred was completely misplaced, and he knew it, but…

But… she deserved at least some context.

“My mom,” Bay said softly. “She died yesterday.”

Rainbow stopped, her mouth hanging open. Clearly she didn’t see the connection. Which was to be expected.

“Yeah, I know,” he continued. “She was your biggest fan, and would never stop talking about you. And just seeing you is reminding me of her all over again. So if you would just give me some space for, oh, I don’t know, a few forevers, I’d really appreciate that.”

“My biggest fan?” Rainbow repeated, absently.

Oh, right. Rainbow Dash had a reputation for her huge ego. And he’d just walked right into it. Bay sighed in resignation. “Yes, your biggest fan.”

“…Can we talk about her?”

“Why? So you can boost your already over-inflated ego? I’ve asked you to leave me alone.”

Rainbow balked. “No, I just… I just want to know. Who my biggest fan was.”

“Why?!” Bay exploded. “So you can rub it in my face that she’s dead? Piss off!”

Rainbow toppled out of her chair as he shouted, fluttering her wings into a hover. Ponies seated at tables all around them stopped their conversations and turned to look at the commotion.

“No! I just… sorry. I’m sorry. You’re right, I’m being selfish. I’ll go now. But… selfish or not…” Rainbow looked around, for the first time in many years feeling uncomfortable with the attention she was getting. “If you need to talk to somepony,” she said softly, “I would love to hear more about her.”

“Go away, Rainbow Dash,” he shouted.

Rainbow turned and quickly flew back the way she’d come. The conversation resumed, but Dash could hear some less-than-kind words said about her.

“That sounded like it went poorly,” Bow said as Rainbow took her seat at the table again.

“Yeah, he seems to hate me,” Rainbow replied. “Said his mom just died and that she was my biggest fan.”

Her mother fidgeted in her seat. “Who was his mom?”

Rainbow thought back on the conversation she’d just had. “Don’t know, he didn’t say.”

There was a momentary pause as Rainbow’s parents did that ‘wordless communication using just your eyes’ thing that some couples seemed to be able to do. Rainbow hated it when they did that.

“Well, that’s alright,” Bow said. “Maybe it’s best if you don’t get involved with him.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. That much was plainly obvious.

Bay Singer watched Rainbow Dash from a distance for the next half hour. She seemed… less excited than usual. Less chipper. The little voice inside his head - the one that was cruel and selfish - burst forth.

Good. Let her suffer.

He knew, logically, that she hadn’t ever done anything to hurt him, but the way his mother always fawned over her - ignoring him entirely in favor of attending all of her events, clipping all of her newspaper articles, gushing about her achievements to anypony in earshot and giving no attention whatsoever to his own accolades - it had left him with a bitterness that he’d always tried to quash.

And now that his mother was gone, he wanted Rainbow Dash to suffer.

...So why did he feel bad that he blew up at her like that?

Because it’s not fair to her.

The other little voice inside his head - the one that told him right from wrong - spoke up. And it was right; this wasn’t fair to Rainbow. She had even tried to help him. She didn’t deserve to suffer just because he had. He knew that, rationally, but his heart was filled with hatred for the mare who took his mother’s love away.

He also knew he needed to at least apologize to her. Maybe not right away, it could wait. She was with her parents now. But…

His thoughts were interrupted as her parents stood from the table, kissed Rainbow on the cheeks, and slowly made their way out of the reception hall. Rainbow continued to sit, staring at her plate.

Let her suffer more. Even her parents have abandoned her.

Go on. Talk to her.

Conflicting thoughts floated around inside of his mind. His heart was troubled. He needed to leave - that would be the only way he could get his mind off of it. He stood up, intent on making his way toward the exit, but that path would take him right past where she sat.

Admit your mistake and make amends!

Cuss her out when you leave!

The voices raged.

The plate refused to do any stunts, no matter how hard Rainbow Dash willed it. It was foolish, of course. She knew that, but it was keeping her mind occupied, instead of racing about how her ‘biggest fan’ was, apparently, dead?

The sound of clopping hooves approached, and Rainbow looked up to see Bay Singer trotting toward her. She looked down at her plate again. The hoofsteps continued past, but stopped a few paces away.

“Commander…” Rainbow looked up. “Look, I’m sorry, too,” he said. “You were just trying to cheer me up. I admit, I don’t like you, but I also don’t really know you, so…” his hooves shuffled around a bit. “Could you, maybe, stop by my house tomorrow? I think it would do me some good to talk about it. And then I can show you what I mean about my mom being your biggest fan.”

Rainbow smiled warmly. “I wouldn’t mind hanging out, even if we don’t talk about your mom. Sometimes just having somepony around helps after you lose somepony important to you.”

He nodded wordlessly, hesitated for a few moments, and then turned and walked away. Rainbow watched him go, all the way until he reached the door and his rainbow tail disappeared from sight.

Bay Singer buried his face in the couch cushion. Not because he was tired. He’d slept plenty, even if it wasn’t the best sleep he’d gotten. It was because he simply didn’t want to get off the couch and face the world - the one where Rainbow Dash would be coming to visit.

He shouldn’t have invited her. Or at least, he should have set an agreed upon time. Heck, maybe she wouldn’t even show up. He never told her where he lived.

But Rainbow Dash could find her. If you lived in Ponyville, Pinkie Pie - the crazy pink mare over at Sugarcube Corner - would be able to find you. And everypony knew that if you wanted to find someone, Pinkie would tell you how. And Rainbow was supposedly friends with the batty mare.

There was a knocking on the door. Great. She was here.

Bay Singer groaned and shoved his head under the cushion. Maybe she would go away if he just ignored the door.

Another knock. “Bay Singer? It’s me, Rainbow Dash. I know you’re in there.”

Bay Singer let out a deep sigh and fluttered off the couch.

You could just tell her to go away. You don’t need to let her in.

She doesn’t deserve to be ignored, you know…

The voices in Bay’s head continued to argue as he floated toward the door. His hoof rested on the door knob. It was now or never.

And since he had made the mistake of feeding her ego, she probably wasn’t going to take ‘never’ for an answer.

The door swung open and Bay Singer stood in the doorway. This was the first time since the stage that they’d both been standing on even ground, and she’d been slightly busy then. Now she had the opportunity to look him over.

Rainbow was short, even for a mare, so, like most stallions, he stood quite a bit taller than her. She looked up to meet his eyes, where his disheveled mane betrayed the fact that he had probably just rolled out of bed. He had a prominent jawline and a squared muzzle that reminded her a lot of her dad.

And while Rainbow had never looked at her dad in a sexual light, she’d always been attracted to ponies who shared his features. Rainbow could remember Twilight once explained to Flurry Heart why the filly found white stallions with blue manes so attractive. Genetic attraction, she’d called it. It certainly seemed to apply to Bay Singer: now that she had time to look him over, he was pretty good looking, but he also resembled her dad in a lot of ways.

“Hey,” she said. “I know I’m probably a little early.”

“Not really,” he muttered. “You, uh…” He fidgeted for a moment. “You can come in.” He turned aside and ushered her into his home.

Rainbow stepped across the threshold, and immediately stopped. There were many things her attention could have been on - the dilapidated couch, the coffee table that barely seemed to be standing, the badly stained rug with a half-dozen holes in it…

But it was the walls that held her eye. Every last tiny fleck of wall space was covered with posters, newspaper clippings, and photographs. All of them of Rainbow herself. Everywhere she looked, it was like she had stepped into a shrine toward herself.

“What in Equestria…” Dash mumbled, looking about the room. She had not expected to see anything that would put her parents’ fandom to shame, and yet...

“I told you. My mom was your biggest fan.”

“Yeah…”

Rainbow leaned in close to read one of the articles - one attached to a remarkably young photo of herself. It was from a school newspaper in Cloudsdale, and it was about one of her first victories in the Best Young Fliers competition. She must have been really dedicated to have tracked this one down.

“I don’t have much in the way of food,” Bay said, “But there’s some cereal in the kitchen if you’re hungry.”

“Mhmm…” Dash hummed, continuing to walk slowly around the perimeter of the living room, marvelling at the collection. “You weren’t kidding about your mom.”

“She’s always followed your career with great interest,” Bay replied. “Been doing it since before I was ever even born.”

Rainbow looked at Bay, who was chewing on some bran flakes at the kitchen table and watching her wander about. “Before you were even born? Just how old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

Rainbow paused. “That’s… long before I was ever a Wonderbolt.” Why would Bay’s mother have taken interest in a nopony?

“Believe me, I know. I remember when you got into the Reserves. She was so excited, she wouldn’t shut up.”

Rainbow nodded.

“You know how excited she got when I qualified for the Reserves?” he continued. “Not at all.”

It reminded her of her own parents. How she’d felt smothered by their affections constantly. As much as she’d hated that, at least they cared. But if they had been so obsessed with anypony else that they’d ignored her...

Ouch. Rainbow’s shoulders slumped. It was hard to even imagine how tough that must have been for him. She turned away from the all-encompassing shrine and hovered over to the kitchen table, picking up the bowl of bran flakes he’d poured for her.

“I’m sorry, Bay. I had no idea. You didn’t deserve that.”

His hoof was tensed up like he wanted to punch somepony, shaking. “No, I didn’t. But she never paid any attention to me, no matter how hard I tried. I thought… I thought if I could be more like you… If I could just be a Wonderbolt…”

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. Rainbow set aside the bowl and grasped his shaking hoof in her own. “Bay…” She gazed into his flooding eyes.

Tears fell down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and shook his head. “I hated you,” he whispered.

“Hated?” That was past-tense.

He nodded, opening his eyes again. “I really did. But now that I’ve started talking to you… you’re just…” He looked up at the ceiling, trailing off as he sniffled.

“It’s okay if you hate me,” Rainbow said softly, looking around again. Even the kitchen was adorned with Rainbow Dash newspaper clippings and a full-size ‘Best of the Wonderbolts’ poster on the fridge. She nodded sadly and squeezed his hoof. “I would probably have hated me too.”

He choked down a sob. “She’s gone. She’ll never see me as a Wonderbolt. Like you…”

Rainbow Dash embraced Bay Singer. “It’ll be okay. I...”

Bay put a hoof on her shoulder and pushed her away gently. “These chairs are...”

A quick glance showed that the chairs at the kitchen table were practically falling apart. Rainbow nodded. But she was still going to try and give him a hug - the poor stallion really needed one.

She looked back toward the living room. The couch was dilapidated and ratty, but it seemed like it would hold up under two ponies’ weight.

With a soft smile, she fluttered toward the living room, taking her bran flakes with her, and motioning for him to follow.

Bay sniffled as Rainbow settled herself onto the couch with her cereal, and patted the couch cushion next to her.

Why was she being so nice?

He walked over to the couch, taking a seat on the opposite end. She grabbed his hoof and pulled him close for a hug. It was warm, comforting, and entirely foreign.

“Why are you so nice to me?” he wondered softly.

“Because everypony deserves to be treated with kindness,” Rainbow replied, squeezing him tight. “And even if it wasn’t intended, you suffered because of me. And I’m sorry for that.”

Never in his life had Bay Singer ever been quite so intimate with a mare. Even his own mother had never held him close like this. It made him feel… safe. He buried his muzzle into the small mare’s fur.

“You’re making it hard to hate you,” he mumbled into her chest.

“It’s okay,” Rainbow said soothingly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to.” He felt one of her hooves stroking his mane as she whispered reassurances.

This was what he’d wanted. Not from Rainbow Dash, but from his mother: to be embraced. To be more than just ‘the worthless kid’. He curled up into her embrace, careful not to smother the small mare, but not wanting her to let go. His eyes opened for a moment, and saw two small mounds of flesh just a few inches from his muzzle.

Those were teats.

His breathing stopped. Not once in his life had he ever been so close to a mare’s teats. She continued stroking his mane, oblivious to his new predicament.

“Everything will be okay,” Rainbow softly said. “You can hate me if you want, but I’m here to talk if you need it.”

As she spoke, she adjusted her posture. Her teats shifted and danced ever-so-slightly with the movement. It was mesmerizing. He knew this wasn’t appropriate; he needed to pull away, before he…

Rainbow Dash held Bay Singer close, the same way her mother had always comforted her as a filly. It wasn’t the most natural thing for her to do, but he seemed like he needed it. And his mother wasn’t here to do it for him.

It was a little awkward, mostly because of his size and the relatively small couch, but there was something about doing this that felt… right. Was it her motherly instincts kicking in?

You could settle down with a nice stallion and you can finally give us that grandfoal we’ve always wanted!

Her mind wandered back to the conversation she’d shared with her parents just the day before. Would she make a good mother?

She glanced down as Bay seemed to be trying to sit up and create some distance between them. Perhaps she’d smothered him a bit too much. She raised her hooves and allowed him to sit up, which he did - rather quickly. Bay Singer’s head was turned away from her, probably to hide his tears as he got comfortable.

But her attention was drawn to the semi-erect stallionhood between his legs. Was he… because of her?

Wouldn’t your kids just be the most awesome thing ever, looking just like their mom?

Her father’s words floated to her mind, entirely unbidden.

You’re only 43! Plenty of mares still have foals at your age.

“Only the crazy ones,” Dash muttered under her breath, still transfixed on Bay’s half-chub.

You have to start somewhere, and it is that time of year!

Her reputation hadn’t been built on sanity.