>The cold air burns in your lungs as you run through the night, moving considerably slower than just a few minutes ago when you left your home.
>For one you're simply getting tired from running around with the added weight of a pony in your arms, but also because for some reason the road to the hospital is really fucking poorly lit.
>You'd rather not trip and accidentally crush Derpy under your body.

>Still her pained groans push you on move as quickly as you can in this near darkness, getting ever closer to the single illuminated building in the distance.
>Thankfully you're almost there now.

>After a few more minutes you finally walk through the front door of the hospital, temporarily blinded by the bright light assaulting your eyes.
>The hospital's foyer looks pretty much exactly like it did the last time you were here except for the fact that this time around it's completely devoid of ponies.
>It's also dead silent except for your heavy breathing and the occasional cry from Derpy.

>Slightly unnerved by the absence of any staff you walk up to the empty receptionist's desk, ringing the small bell on top of it as you readjust the grip you have on Derpy, careful not to put any pressure onto her swollen belly.
>For a second the sound of the bell seems to echo from the hospital's empty halls, but other than that the bell didn't seem to have had any effect.

>Another contraction runs through Derpy's body and judging by the volume of Derpy's cries they're getting stronger.
>You tap your fingers on the counter, hoping you'll be able to see a doctor soon.
>However, when after a few seconds there are still no life signs of any hospital personnel you start to get a little nervous and ring the bell again.

>"Yes, yes, I'm coming", a female voice sounds from one of the corridors, soon followed by the characteristic clopping of hooves against a hard surface.

>A nurse pony emerges from a nearby corridor, briefly stopping in her tracks when she spots you, eyeing you with a surprised expression on her face.
>She was probably expecting a pony.
>The nurse quickly overcomes her stupor though, taking a seat behind the counter.

>"What can I do for you?", she asks, sounding a little tired as she puts on her reading glasses.

"My wife is in the tenth months of her pregnancy and she's going into labor", you explain, still a little out of breath.

>"So the baby is coming early?", the nurse asks as she opens up one of the folders on her desk.

"Possibly?", you reply, clearly unsure, "We don't really know the physiology of our baby, so it's hard to say."

>"I see", the nurse says thoughtfully as she traces her hoof over the document in front of her.
>You feel like she's kind of weirded out by the situation you put her in but you honestly couldn't care less right now because just then Derpy is hit by another birth pang and you gently rub her back to try and soothe the pain a little.
>The nurse is still looking at the document.

>What the fuck is taking her so long?

>Finally the nurse seems to be finding what she was looking for though, quickly getting out of her chair after putting away her glasses.

>"Follow me!"

>The nurse leads you down the same hallway she came from, eventually opening a door to your left that leads to a small room with a padded table at it's center.

>"Wait here", the nurse instructs, "I'll go get the doctor."

>As the clopping of the nurse's hooves grows distant you carefully sit down on the table, slowly brushing aside Derpy's mane to see how she's doing.
>She still seems to have her eyes squeezed shut tightly, though she opens them when she feels the gentle touch of your hand.

"How are you doing?", you ask as you lovingly stroke her mane.

>"My stomach hurts", Derpy says, "like a really bad cramp."

>So apart from the expected birth pains nothing else seems to be wrong at least.
>It seems to be hurting pretty badly but so far she's actually been holding up pretty well considering she hasn't shed a single tear.

>Your thoughts are promptly interrupted by the sound of approaching hooves coming from the hallway.
>A few moments later two ponies enter the room, a unicorn mare with a yellowish coat, known to you as Dr. Honey Fox, and another, younger unicorn that you don't recognize.

>"Hello, Anonymous, Derpy", the doctor briefly greets you with a slight hint of tiredness in her voice, "I believe it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Indeed it has", you say with a small smile.

>The last time you saw her was right after the demon attack a few months ago when she had surprisingly taken your side when you got into an argument with a nurse, putting emotional relief over strict adherence to rules.

>"Hello, Doctor Honey Fox", Derpy says just as another contraction hits her body, making the latter part of her greeting sound more like a groan.
>It also makes her clutch down tightly on your arms with her hooves and even though it does hurt a little, judging by the face Derpy is making it's nothing compared to what she's feeling right now.

>"I know it hurts", the doctor says warmly as she walks up to Derpy and gently puts one of her hooves against her belly, "I've actually given birth two times myself already."
>"But you're safe here with us and we'll stay with you the whole time."
>"Okay?"

>You're not entirely sure how much of Derpy's facial expression was due to worry or pain but the doctor's words seem to make her feel a little better.

>"Okay."

>"By the way this", the doctor says as she points at the younger mare next to her, "is my niece Golden Glow."
>"She's a nurse in training and she'll be assisting me today."

>"Hello", she greets meekly and now that you get a closer look at her you notice that she looks quite a lot like her aunt, except younger and also fucking tired.

>Probably not used to a nurse's work schedule yet.
>Oh well, she's only the assistant so it probably won't matter either way.

>"Anyways", the doctor begins, looking at Derpy "The first thing you need to do is lie down onto your side and get comfortable because this whole thing will take quite a while."

>"How long?", Derpy asks.

>"A couple of hours, it's a little different for everypony."
>"Now, as I said, please lie down onto your side."

>Reluctantly Derpy let's go of you and complies, resting her head in your lap.

>"You'll soon feel the need to push", the doctor then continues, as she starts to do a checkup on Derpy "But it's very important that you don't overexert yourself."
>"Just do what comes naturally to you."

>Derpy looks up at you still with a little worry left in her eyes but when you take hold of her hoof and give her a warm smile her expression brightens, filled with confidence.
________

>There are quite a few things that are different depending on whether you live on Earth on in a world full of talking horses, but the experience of giving birth is probably not one of them.
>The first hour went by relatively quickly but after that time seemed to slow down to a crawl.

>The whole thing is just so damn repetitive.

>Derpy would be hit by a contraction and push and the doctor and you would encourage her and reassure her but it just doesn't feel like any progress is being made at all.
>You just hate seeing her like this, writhing in anguish with no end in sight.

>Though to be honest you're also a little proud of her for holding up so well despite the obvious pain.
>Normally her pain threshold is pretty low but right now she's managing to stay calm and collected despite everything.
>She's doing a good job and you make sure to tell her whenever you can.

>The doctor also does her part, telling Derpy about her two children and about the joys and challenges of being a mother and Derpy seems to soak up every word.
>Eventually the doctor seems to run out of things to tell about her children though, instead telling you about her job at the hospital.
>Apparently a large part of the staff is sick right now, thinning out the remaining nurses and doctors.

>Despite that Derpy and you seem to be getting a sort of preferential treatment though thanks to the nature of your case.
>A regular couple only seems to be getting a nurse to assist with the birth of their foal, but because Derpy and you are anything but a regular couple the two of you are getting an actual doctor.

>Unfortunately after a little more than three hours the door suddenly bursts open, revealing a male doctor that you don't think you've ever seen before.

>"Honey Fox, we have a type D emergency in room 180 and we need you ASAP", the doctor blurts out, clearly out of breath and not even awaiting Honey Fox' answer before disappearing again.

>"Sorry, I gotta go", Dr. Honey Fox says grimly as she gets up, "Golden Glow, I need you to take over from here."

>Golden Glow, who had until now just silently stayed in the background, struggling not to fall asleep is suddenly wide awake.
>She seems to be about to object when she is preempted by Derpy:

>"But you said you'd stay with us!"

>The feeling of betrayal is clear in her voice.

>"I know", the doctor says apologetically, "but there are other ponies who need my help really bad right now."

>Derpy just silently stares at her, causing the doctor to avert her eyes as she hastily leaves the room.

>"I'm sorry", she says as she looks back one last time just as your wife is hit by another contraction.

>As the galloping of the doctor's hooves fades into echoes and Golden Glow begins to hyperventilate the first of many tears flows from Derpy's eyes.

>The next few minutes feel like a slow, but unstoppable downward spiral.
>The pain Derpy is in seems to be getting worse or at least her cries of pain are getting louder.
>Occasionally small tears leak from her eyes and just like the contractions they are becoming ever more frequent.

>You do your best to try and help her to stay calm but you feel like it's a losing battle.

>Golden Glow doesn't seem to be overly happy with the way things are developing either.
>For the most part she had silently observed the doctors work from the back lines but now that the responsibility is on her it's becoming increasingly apparent that she's not feeling ready for it at all.

>It hasn't even been 45 minutes since the doctor left but it feels like so much more time has passed.

>After a particularly hard contraction Derpy seems to finally break down, crying openly with her head in your lap.

"Derpy...", you say sympathetically as you stroke her mane trying to come up with something more to say but coming up with nothing.

>"It hurts", Derpy yammers between sobs, her voice full of misery, "I want to go home."

"Derpy!", you say as you take hold of her hoof, causing her to look at you through tear-filled eyes, "I know it's hard, and I know it hurts, but you need to stay strong."
"Our daughter is in there and she wants to get out so she can be together with us."
"And for that she needs your help, not mine, not Twilight's, only yours"

>You pause for a moment to let the words sink in.

"And I know that you can do it because even though you cry a lot you're a really strong pony that always does her best and never gives up."

>It's a little hard to tell Derpy's reaction to your words because just then the birth pangs are picking up again, but somehow her expression seems different, stronger.

>"I-I can see the head", Golden Glow reports from between Derpy's legs, "Keep pushing!"

>Derpy does as she's told, gritting her teeth as she visibly gives her all.
>You use your thumb to gently rub the frog of her hoof, wishing you could do more to help her.

>Suddenly there is a shift in Derpy's body, like a huge weight has suddenly been lifted from her shoulders.
>Her eyes shoot open as she takes deep, exhausted breaths, accompanied by a surprised gasp from Golden Glow.

>Did she...?

>Your thoughts are cut short when a new sound hits your ears:
>A loud, high pitched cry in a voice you've never heard before in your life.

>You look towards the source, filled with excitement, but find that Golden Glow is blocking the view of the source, levitating it in her magical grasp.
>If you didn't still have Derpy's head in you lap you would have jumped off the table right this instant to get a better view.
>As such you resign to merely moving your upper body a little though it doesn't seem to be doing much.

>You've been waiting for months, you'll be able to wait for a few more seconds.

>Golden Glow takes a deep breath as the aura of her magic changes and a small, burning blade appears in front of her, scaring you for a second before cutting the umbilical cord and disappearing again.
>The motion is swift and precise, starkly contrasting her trembling limbs.
>She moves over to a small tub and carefully submerges whatever she's holding into it, causing it to stop crying as it's embraced by warm water.
>Finally she magicks over a small blanket, wrapping up your baby as she turns around with a nervous look on her face.

>"I-I cut the umbilical cord and I washed her", the nurse pony stammers out as she puts your daughter into your waiting arms, "I did what you're supposed to do with foals but your baby isn't a pony and I'm not sure if what I did was correct and-"

"Don't worry", you say, cutting her off, "You did well."

>You think Golden Glow is relieved to hear that though you can't really tell because right now your attention is focused solely onto the small bundle in your hands.
>A small, human head sits at it's top, undeniably making her your daughter.
>Her eyes are closed but she's moving her tiny limbs under the blanket, apparently grumpy and you instinctively sway her back and forth a little to try and calm her down.

>This is your daughter.
>You made this.

>A weird sense of pride fills you at the realization and you couldn't possibly suppress the smile on your face even if you wanted to.

>"Let me hold her!", Derpy pipes up from your lap and you gladly oblige, unwrapping your daughter from her blanket and laying her against her chest.
>A warm, motherly smile graces Derpy's lips as she wraps her hooves around your newborn child, calming her down with gently hums.

>Now that you see the full body of your daughter you also finally understand why Twilight was unable to determine whether your baby would be a pony or a human:
>While she does have the upper body of a human at her midriff it gives way to the furry, lightly gray body of a pony, complete with tiny hooves and a cute tail.

>As the night turns into dawn you join your family in their embrace, bathed in the warm rays of the sun.

Two and a half years later:
>Emerald Axe casts a divination spell to scan a spherical area with a radius of two miles for other ponies.
>Calculate the minimum amount of mana necessary for this.

>Wasn't there basically the same exercise just two pages earlier?

>"Daddy!", your daughter complains from within your lap, causing you to put down the textbook in front of you.

>You sigh and look at her to figure out what she wants though the small pout on her otherwise cute face already gives you an idea.

>"I want mommy", she says for the third time in not even fifteen minutes now, and to be honest it's slowly getting on your nerves.

>Still, you calmly tell her the same thing you told her before:

"Mommy is at work right now, Sunshine."
"You'll just have to wait."

>You're pretty sure she doesn't yet fully understand what you just told her, but considering how grumpy her expression has gotten she does seem to understand that you won't just make mommy appear out of thin air.
>She's swinging her little fists up and down in frustration and you think to yourself that at least right now her name isn't all that fitting.

>You can understand how she feels, though.
>Derpy should have been home more than an hour ago and you'd like for her to come home soon, too.

>A few months after Sunshine's birth Derpy wanted to go back to her job as the local mailmare and surprisingly Skydancer was more than happy to take her back because apparently the replacement she had for Derpy was really awful at her job.
>However, because Derpy can hardly take her daughter with her when delivering the mail the two of you had to come to an arrangement a little different from before:
>Instead of delivering the mail together you'd stay at home and look after Sunshine while Derpy goes and delivers the mail by herself.

>So far it's been working out pretty well, you even managed to get a job where you'd review school textbooks from home when Derpy isn't around.
>It's nice to have a little extra income like that because even in Equestria children are a very hefty investment.

>Just as you're thinking that however, you can hear the sound of the front door opening, making the eyes of your daughter light up.

>"I'm home!", Derpy shouts across the house and you quickly lower sunshine to the floor before she can try to get out of your lap herself and accidentally fall down in her excitement.

>"Mommy!", she returns happily as she runs off, a little unsteady on her hooves.
>She leaves your field of view and a few seconds later the sound of her hooves disappears, instead being replaced by Derpy's gentle humming.

>With a small smile on your lips you get out of your chair and walk into the hallway where you see pretty much what you expected:
>Sunshine has run up to Derpy and given her a big hug before the latter could even get to taking off her scarf.
>Your wife doesn't seem to mind though, returning the hug with one of her forehooves as she kisses the top of her daughter's head.

>Seeing them together like this reminds you pf just how similar they look despite the difference in species.
>They have the same unkempt, blond hair, the same gray coat and - at least when it comes to color - the same eyes.

>Eventually Sunshine seems to have enough though, breaking the hug with Derpy and allowing her to take off her scarf.
>You crouch down and also give your wife a welcoming hug, using the opportunity to plant a brief kiss against her lips.

>"There was a lot of mail today", she explains with her head on your shoulder, "but now I'm done and I'm glad that I'm home."

"I'm also glad that you're home", you say as you gently rub her body with your hands, paying special attention to her swollen belly where your second child is growing.
"For a second I was worried that your pregnancy might be slowing you down but it's probably a little too early for that, isn't it?"

>Before Derpy can answer Sunshine mimics what you were doing, putting her hands against her mother's stomach.

>"Mommy's got a big belly."

>"That's right", Derpy replies with a big smile as she dislodges herself from your shoulder to look at Sunshine, "And in a few months you're going to be a big sister."

>"Big sister!", Sunshine repeats cheerfully, though she suddenly contorts her face when there's a loud growl coming from her stomach.
>"I'm hungry."

>"Then let's get to cooking", Derpy says as she leads Sunshine into the kitchen.

>At first you had thought that having a baby with Derpy would be pretty stressful because you'd essentially have to take care of both Derpy and Sunshine at the same time, but actually Derpy has grown quite a lot from becoming a mother.
>She's been working really hard to learn how to take care of her daughter and in the process she has also learned how to take care of herself.

>Of course there are still things that she can't do on her own like almost anything that involves paperwork, but she has learned a lot of things, from changing a baby's diapers to planning meals and buying groceries accordingly.
>As you watch Derpy take a knife into her mouth you're reminded of her biggest achievement though:
>She has learned how to cook by herself and especially how to handle knives.

>It's been months since the last time she has cut herself and while she might still be only average at most for her it's a huge improvement and a testament to her dedication.
>You're so proud of her.

>With a smile on your face you enter the kitchen and start helping your wife even though she doesn't really need your help anymore because as with everything cooking becomes much more fun if you do it together with the one you love.

-fin