As Mist entered her third month of pregnancy, she spent more or less every night at Blue's apartment. It wasn't entirely out of a need for her to be looked after; They just wanted to be together. It all seemed perfect, but every relationship has its ups and downs. And Blue and Mist were headed for a serious downer...
It all began on a lazy Saturday. It started out like an ordinary day, but ended up becoming far worse.
Blue and Mist were sitting in the living room, cuddling together. By this point, Mist was really starting to get big.
"Boy, I am huge." Mist grimaced. "Must not be so much fun for you, hugging a big blimp like me, huh?"
"You're kidding, right?" Blue smiled. "This just means there's more of you to cuddle with. And I love cuddling with you."
"Thanks, Blue." Mist blushed. "You always know just what to say." Her stomach suddenly started growling. "Ooop. Sounds like the little one's hungry."
"Want me to get you something from the kitchen?" Blue asked.
"No, it's okay." Mist declined. "I can handle it."
Mist got up, and walked to the kitchen. Half-way there, her hoof collided with something.
"Ow!" She yelped, almost losing her balance. "What the-?"
Mist bent over, picking up the object she had collided with. It was a small golden statue of a Pegasus, wings spread, on a black stand.
"Oh hey, that's my 'Junior Speedsters Most Improved Technique' award!" Blue realized. "I've been wondering where that went!"
"And it turns out it was on the floor." Mist growled. "Seriously Blue, you need to watch where you leave your things. I could've broken my neck."
"Okay... slight overreaction?" Blue frowned. "You only stubbed a hoof. It's not the end of the world, you know."
"Oh, that's a fine attitude to have." Mist growled, her temper (fuelled by hormones) starting to flare. "Your fiancée almost suffers a terrible accident and lose our baby, and you just wave it off."
"Hey, I'm sorry I left it out." Blue apologized. "But I doubt a little trip would have been so bad. Worse-case scenario, you would have gotten a skinned knee or two. And the foal wouldn't have gotten hurt at all."
"Now that I think about it, you're always leaving your things out." Mist snarled. "You never clean up after yourself. What are you, twelve?"
"I like my stuff where it is." Blue growled defensively. "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that we're going to be married someday." Mist countered. "And I don't exactly relish the thought of having to clean up your messes all the time. I'm starting to feel like I'll have two foals to look after when this is done."
"Well pardon me, little miss neat freak." Blue sneered, standing up. "In case you've forgotten, I do have a full-time job and a pregnant mare to contend with. Forgive me if I suddenly find myself lacking the time to clean up a few things off the floor."
"Excuses, excuses." Mist snarled. "I have a full-time job too, you know. But I've never had trouble keeping my living space clean and presentable."
"Well, some 'full-time' jobs aren't as hard as others." Blue shot back.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Mist stared daggers at Blue.
"How hard can it be, just sitting around, reading books all day?" Blue snorted. "When I'm at the bar, I spend most of my time on my hooves, serving the customers. That's a real job right there."
"So you're saying my job isn't real?" Mist growled.
"Yeah." Blue nodded fiercely. "Yeah, I am!"
"Just the kind the tripe I'd expect from a former jock like you." Mist sneered. "If it doesn't involve strenuous physical activity, it doesn't mean anything, right?"
"You said it, not me." Blue huffed. "Besides, I stand by my point. I'm too busy to clean a few bits and bobs off the floor. Maybe you should have been more careful. Unless of course, being pregnant has deflated that overblown brain of yours."
"Okay, that's it!" Mist yelled. "I don't have to stay here and take this! I'm outta here! Out of this unclean hovel, where you're content to wallow in your own filth."
"Yeah, that's it." Blue said stubbornly. "Go back to your fancy castle, your majesty. It must have been so hard, slumming with us regular ponies... except that's how you started out, remember? You were just some country bumpkin filly living on a dirt farm out in the middle of nowhere! So who are you to judge how I live?"
"Don't you dare…" Mist growled, her anger at its peak. "Don't you dare knock Dodge Junction."
"It’s not me who's mocking it, your highness." Blue smirked. "With all that time living in the castle, you've forgotten how regular ponies live. So go on back there if you don't like it here. I'm sure it'll be better than slumming with a slob like me!"
"Finally, we agree on something!" Mist yelled, heading towards the front door. "Give me a call when you're ready to be civilized!"
"And why don't you give me a call when you're ready to get off your high horse?!" Blue roared.
"Fine!" Mist spat.
"Fine!" Blue retorted.
Mist left the apartment, slamming the door behind. Seconds later, Blue's anger started to fade. He sat back down, lay against the couch, and sighed heavily.
"What just happened?" He groaned.
As Mist marched over to the castle, she was still overcome with anger.
"Who does he think he is..." She muttered to herself. "Lazy slob... could have broke my neck..."
Mist continued her angry muttering all the way to the castle.
"Princess Mist." The guard bowed. "I was under the impression you were staying the night at Mr. Blazes?"
"There's been a change of plans." Mist said coldly. "Now kindly open the gate."
"Yes, your highness." The guard nodded, unnerved by Mist's dark mood.
Mist walked through the open gate, and into the castle. Stopping only to get a snack from the kitchen, she marched up to her room. Along the way, she crossed paths with Constell.
"Hey Mist, what's up?" Constell asked.
"Nothing." Mist frowned. "Absolutely nothing is up."
"What are you doing back here, anyway?" Constell asked. "I thought you and Blue-"
"Don't even say his name!" Mist yelled. "That buckin’ jerk. That callous, uncaring.... raaargh!"
"Okay, what happened?" Constell narrowed her eyes.
"None of your business!" Mist yelled. "I'm going to my room, so kindly leave me alone!"
Mist stomped down the corridor.
"Yeah, like that's gonna happen..." Constell smirked. "Just thank your lucky stars Celestia and Shine are away on a diplomatic visit. Shine wouldn't be so nice about this."
Mist entered her room, and, heeding the call of her aching ankles, threw herself on to her bed. She started punching her pillow, imagining it to have Blue's face.
"Stupid! Lousy! Jerk!" She roared, striking it over and over again. Her anger suddenly gave way to tears, and she buried her face in the pillow.
The next morning, Constell knocked on the door.
"Mist?" She asked. "Can I come in?"
"Go away!" Mist yelled.
"I was just asking to be polite, you know." Constell deadpanned, as she used her magic to force open the door. "Now, what the heck is going on with you?"
"Leave me alone." Mist turned away petulantly.
"No can do." Constell shook her head. "We're family, remember? And this is what family does. I'm not leaving until you start talking."
"Okay, fine." Mist sighed. "It all started yesterday..."
It took Mist a minute or two to fully explain things.
"Seriously?" Constell frowned. "That's what this is all about?"
"You sound just like Blue." Mist growled. "That unfeeling louse. I'm never speaking to him again!"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Constell waved her hooves. "Simmer down there. Don't do anything you might regret."
"He doesn't care about me, so why should I care about him?" Mist pouted.
"Of course he cares about you." Constell countered. "He saved your life, remember?"
"Which only makes him not caring now even worse!" Mist spat.
"Easy now." Constell urged. "All this anger can't be good for the foal."
As if on cue, Mist's stomach started growling.
"I'm starving." She declared. "You wanna help? Then get me some food!"
"Consider it done." Constell nodded, acknowledging Mist's condition. "But we're not done talking about this."
"Oh, goody." Mist rolled her eyes.
Meanwhile, Blue (who was in a similarly dark mood) opened up the bar. He tried to put what happened the day before out of his mind by focusing on his work. After an hour or so, Luxury entered the bar.
"Hey, pal." Luxury said in greeting. "Why the long face?"
"What's it to you?" Blue sneered.
"I'm your friend, remember?" Luxury pointed out. "Friends look out for each other. So what's up?"
"You wanna know what's up?" Blue growled. "Then I'll tell ya."
After another quick explanation, Luxury was left gaping.
"Wow." He frowned. "That sure escalated quickly."
"I know, right?" Blue said indignantly. "The mare stubs her hoof on something, and she goes ballistic!"
"Well, you didn't exactly help matters, did you?" Luxury pointed out. "Dissing her job, and her old home..."
"She started it!" Blue said petulantly.
"But you kept it going." Luxury countered. "Maybe you should... y'know, apologise?"
"Why should I?" Blue yelled stubbornly. "I'm not the bad guy here! Sure, it was my trophy she walked into, but it's not like I left it there on purpose! She's the one who should apologise for losing it over a little thing like that!"
"Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it is." Luxury declared. "What matters is that you love each other."
"Yeah, not really feeling the love right now." Blue growled.
"Of course you do." Luxury continued. "You fell in love at first sight. You've been dating for over a year. You're engaged, with a foal on the way. You're both crazy about each other. Do you really want to throw all that away because you're too stubborn to apologize?"
Blue looked back on all the good times he and Mist had together. Their first date, the first time she "slept over," their first Hearth's Warming Eve, their anniversary, and of course, the day he proposed to her... Every one of those moments was a wonderful, magical memory. The thought of tossing them all aside over such a minor disagreement suddenly didn't seem like such a good idea.
"Well... I guess not..." Blue frowned. "But-"
"No buts." Luxury interrupted. "I'm not going to watch you both throw this relationship away over a silly little argument, you hear me?"
"Yeah, I hear you." Blue frowned. "But what if it's too late? What if Mist won't accept my apology?"
"I'm sure she will." Luxury smiled. "But we won't know unless you try."
Back at the castle, Mist was devouring a small banquet's worth of food. Constell watched awkwardly, trying not to look too disgusted.
"Ah, that hit the spot." Mist smiled after finishing the last of it.
"You know, I've been thinking." Constell declared. "Maybe you were right to ditch Blue. You don't need him."
"Exactly." Mist nodded.
"You're a smart mare." Constell continued. "You can handle this without him."
"That I can." Mist agreed.
"He'd just hold you back, anyway." Constell declared.
"Oh, you have no idea." Mist snarled contemptuously.
"You've got the brains and the heart to handle carrying and raising a foal yourself." Constell smiled. "In the grand scheme of things, Blue is superfluous."
"Without a doubt." Mist sneered.
"So what if you're going to end up an unwed single mother?" Constell shrugged. "So what if it'll bring shame to both sides of the family? So what if the foal is going to grow up without a father? No big deal, right?"
Mist's face fell, then hardened.
"I-I know what you're trying to do." She stuttered. "You're trying to use reverse psychology to trick me into getting back with Blue. It won’t work. I know everything when it comes to that stuff."
"No tricks." Constell remarked. "Just the truth. Do you really want to be all by yourself in this? Raising the foal alone?"
"I won't be alone." Mist insisted. "I'll have all of you to help me."
"It won't be the same, though." Constell countered. "Some of the best times of my childhood involved just me and my dad. You really want to deprive your foal of that?"
"Well, I..." Mist frowned.
"And what about Blue?" Constell asked. "You guys were perfect together. You really want to throw all that away from some dumb little argument?"
Mist struggled to deny it, but she couldn't hold her feelings any more.
"...NO!!" She wailed. "I don't want that! I miss the big jerk, I really do! I just can't help it! And the foal... I don't want it to grow up without a father. I may have lost my dad, but at least I met him, even if I don't remember him that well! But if Blue and I stay apart, the foal may never know him at all..." Mist started crying. "What was I thinking?! I should never have said those things to Blue! And now, because of me, our foal is doomed to never know its own father! I don't want that for the poor thing! It deserves the love of both its parents, not just one!"
"Then why don't you go and make up with Blue?" Constell suggested.
"You know how stubborn Blue is." Mist sniffed, wiping her eyes. "He probably won't even accept my apology."
"Sure he will." Constell smiled. "I'll bet he misses you just as much as you miss him."
"Then wasn't he come here, then?" Mist asked.
"Maybe you should go to him." Constell told her.
"I know I should." Mist sighed. "But I don't know if I can."
"Sure you can." Constell smiled.
"I just... need some time to think about what I could say." Mist sighed. "Would you...?"
"Sure thing." Constell nodded, as she left the room. "Good luck."
Mist lost herself in thought, trying to come up with the most heartfelt apology she could. At the same time, Blue was awash with regret. Not even his work could take his mind off things.
'What can I say that can possibly make up for yesterday?' He thought. 'What am I going to do if Mist never talks to me again? If I can never see our foal, all because of my stubborn pride?'
At the end day, while closing up the bar, Blue decided to go for broke.
'Time to stallion up, Blazes.' He told himself. 'Swallow your pride, and get over to the castle. Apologize to Mist about yesterday. Even if she doesn't accept your apology, it's still the right thing to do.'
Blue marched all the way to the castle. Just as he was about to announce himself to the guard, the gates opened. To his surprise, Mist was on the other side.
"Mist?" He gaped.
"Blue." Mist said flatly, her expression unreadable.
"I... I've got something I want to say to you..." Blue stuttered.
"As a matter of fact, so do I." Mist declared.
For a moment, the two gazed at each other. Then...
"I'm sorry." They both said at once, before reeling with confusion. "Wait, you're sorry?"
"I'm the one who overreacted." Mist declared.
"But I'm the one who took it too far." Blue countered. "I should never have thrown in those digs about you. It was totally uncalled for."
"Neither was me calling you a slob and a foal." Mist sighed. "I was just so angry... luckily, I had somepony to help me see how wrong I was."
"Me too." Blue nodded. "I don't want to lose you, Mist. Not over something as petty as some misplaced trophy. And I want to be there when our foal is born. I want to help you raise it, too."
"I want that as well." Mist smiled. "So what do you say we forgive and forget?"
"Gladly." Blue grinned. "C'mere, you!"
Blue pulled Mist in for a kiss.
"Boy, I missed you." He sighed.
"I missed you too." Mist chuckled. "...So, is it okay if I stay over tonight?"
"You bet." Blue grinned. "I'll even clean up a little."
"You don't have to do that." Mist told him.
"I know." Blue smiled. "But I want to."
"Yeah?" Mist beamed. "Well, what I want is to snuggle with you on the couch, all night long."
"I think that can be arranged." Blue chuckled.
The once again happy couple walked back to Blue's apartment, side by side. Their relationship had only grown stronger from their disagreement, and they were more determined than ever to see Mist's pregnancy through to the end, together.