Part 1 - http://pastebin.com/GUSgXr1m
Part 2 - http://pastebin.com/XcvLmreh
Original paste - http://pastebin.com/niP8C82C

>You notice the door opening from the corner of your eye.
>Unfortunately the nurse that's entering the waiting room did not come for you.
>You tap your fingers in annoyance.
>Why did you even bother to get an appointment if you have to wait regardless?
>You move your legs around a little, trying to get comfortable on the chair that's designed for someone half your size, but there is just no way.
>A new twinge of pain coming from your arm interrupts your efforts.
"Derpy, can you please stop squeezing so hard?"
>She opens her eyes and looks up at you from her own chair before releasing some of the pressure she has on your arm with her forelegs.
>Your fingertips tingle slightly as your nerves are no longer being cut off and you rub them together to try and get rid of the feeling.
>Derpy meanwhile goes back to squeezing her eyes shut tightly, likely pretending she's anywhere but here.
>In an attempt to make her feel better you run your hand through her hair but you can already feel her clutching down on your arm again.
>You had anticipated that Derpy would not like to go back to the hospital but you didn't expect it to be this bad for her.
>Unfortunately you don't really have a choice in the matter.
>Derpy's heat is four days late now which is one of the first symptoms of hormonal deficiency.
>Several ponies in her family have suffered from it, and it seems that Derpy might be one of them.
>While not curable, even with magic, it is at least possible to treat the symptoms with relative ease.
>She'll just have to take some pills.
>"Mrs. Doo, the doctor will see you now."
>Fucking finally.
>As you try to get out of your seat, you're quickly remembered that there's still a pony attached to your arm.
>Your motion seems to have gotten Derpy's attention and she's looking up at you with questioning eyes.
"Come on, let's get out of here."
>As she doesn't stop clinging to your arm you add:
"I need you to let go of my arm now."
>Derpy takes a deep breath before finally letting go of your arm.
>"Okay."
 
>Following the nurse that came to get you, you notice that Derpy is walking really close to you.
>You're actively careful not to accidentally hit her with your legs as you walk.
>Thankfully you soon arrive at your destination, the nurse opening a door to your left.
>As you enter the room you see a yellowish unicorn mare in a white coat sitting behind a desk.
>The doctor, as you presume, seems to be intently reading a file on her desk, apparently not noticing your arrival.
>You're about to speak up, but when the nurse closes the door behind you, the doctor looks up and notices Derpy and you standing in front of her.
>With a polite smile she gets out of her chair and says:
>"Hello. I'm doctor Honey Fox."
>You grab her extended hoof and shake it.
"Hi, my name is Anonymous. Pleased to meet you."
>As doctor Fox' eyes shift lower you follow them and see that Derpy is hiding behind your legs.
>Resisting the urge to sigh you say:
"I'm sorry, she doesn't like hospitals very much."
>The doctor smiles at you, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes.
>"That's fine. What can I do for you?"
"Derpy's heat is late, four days by now.
Apparently there is a history of hormonal deficiency among her ancestry, so I'd like to get her checked for that."
>"Ah yes, I read about that in her medical record.
>Please sit down over there!"
>You sit down on that padded table thingie that doctors have for their patients to lie down on while they treat them.
>Originally you had planned for Derpy to sit next to you, but when she gets on the table after you she immediately crawls into your lap and tightly wraps her hooves around your torso.
>You simply do not have the heart to push her away with how scared she seems.
>From the corner of your eye you can see Doctor Fox walk towards you.
>She's levitating a small syringe in her magic.
>"Alright, the checkup is pretty straightforward and quick, I'll just need to take a little blood sample."
>When Derpy sees the syringe she buries her head deeply in your chest and you're glad that her legs aren't particularly strong.
>In an attempt to reassure her you kiss her on the top of her head.
"I will be with you the whole time, okay?
There's nothing to be afraid of."
>Doctor Fox has climbed onto the table next to you.
>"It will hurt a little, but when we're done you'll get a nice lollipop."
>You can tell that she's trying to sound reassuring, but you get the feeling she's used to her patients being more grown up.
>She's slowly bringing the syringe to a vein on Derpy's leg, but as soon as the metal touches Derpy, she starts trembling.
>With an annoyed sigh the doctor pulls the syringe away.
>"Anonymous, could you please keep her still?"
>You hold Derpy's left hoof still with both of your hands, feeling sorry for how hard this must be on her.
>As soon the needle touches her skin you can feel Derpy tense up.
>When the needle penetrates her vein, a quiet sob rocks Derpy's body and you can feel her warm tears staining your chest.
>Before you know it the doctor pulls the now filled syringe away and retrieves a lollipop from a nearby drawer.
>"See, that wasn't so bad.
>Here's your lollipop."
>You let go of Derpy's leg and she immediately grabs the lollipop from the doctor's magic, suckling on it with closed eyes while she curls up in your lap.
>She didn't go back to crushing your rib cage.
>As you pet Derpy's mane you wonder whether she felt betrayed when you had to hold her still or whether the sweetness of the lollipop just offers a welcome distraction from her misery.
>A quick glance at the doctor reveals that she seems to be intently concentrating while levitating the blood sample in front of her face.
>Now that she's facing away from you you can also get a look at her cutie mark.
>It's a somewhat scary looking syringe filled with some sort of green liquid.
>The doctor suddenly turns around, looking you straight in the eye.
>"I'm done with the test.
>The results are negative."
>You're immediately filled with relief when you hear that Derpy is not chronically sick.
>"It's possible that her heat is just late for no particular reason."
>Possible.
>Your relief is abruptly hampered.
"But it's also possible that her heat is late due to another illness?"
>The doctor nods.
>"I'm afraid so.
>I'll have one of the nurses run a few tests that require more time on the sample.
>If any of them are positive, we will let you know.
>In the meantime you should continue to monitor her heat cycle and look for anomalies."
>You nod.
"Anything else?"
>"That's about it.
>Although..."
>For a moment she looks at you with a weird expression.
"Yes?"
>"The two of you are married, yes?"
>You unconsciously touch your wedding ring.
"For a little over a year now, yes."
>"Have you considered that you might have gotten her pregnant?"
>Your heart skips a beat.
"Pregnant!?"
>"Yes. The two of you have ... consummated the marriage, right?"
>The doctor seemed to suppress a shudder when she hesitated.
"We did, but that's not the point.
The two of us are not the same species, there's no way I could have gotten her pregnant."
>The doctor puts her hooves up defensively.
>"Just a thought."
>She then retrieves a small paper box from the same drawer she got the lollipop from and levitates it in front of your face.
>There's some sort of text on the box, but you can't really read it with how the magic distorts the light.
>When you take the box the magic subsides and you can read what it says on the box:
>Happy Foal Pregnancy Test - Certainty in just sixty seconds.
>Below the text there's also an image of an overly happy looking couple, supposedly holding one of the pregnancy tests.
>"The standard blood testing includes pregnancy, but as I said it will take some time.
>Not all mares stop going into heat when pregnant, but it could still be the reason.
>Seeing as you have to be the responsible one you shouldn't just dismiss the possibility when the test is this simple."
>You sigh and put the box in your pocket.
"Alright."
>"I'm afraid that's all I can do for you today."
>She points at a document on her desk.
>"Please sign this so we can send it to your insurance company."
>Before you get up from the table you remember your earlier situation in the waiting room and check up on the pony in your lap first.
>Derpy seems to have stopped crying, but she's still curled up in your lap.
>Her eyes are closed and she barely reacts when you nudge her shoulder.
"Just a minute, she seems to have fallen asleep."
>She did say that she had trouble sleeping the last few nights so you can imagine that she's tired right now.
>You gently pick her up by the torso and put her on the table beside you.
>The document seems fairly standard, just asking you to confirm that you received the specified service.
>You put your signature on the line, a little wary that you didn't have the time to properly read the document before signing it.
>It's extremely unlikely that the hospital would scam their patients but you can't help but feel a little paranoid.
>"The blood tests will take four to six days in total.
>We will notify you of the results via mail."
>Usually Derpy is delighted when she finds a letter addressed to herself in the mail.
>Hopefully this will be one of those cases.
>With your business finished you pick up Derpy and put her over your shoulder.
>"Goodbye, Mr. Anonymous."
"Until next time, bye."
>As you close the door behind you you think that actually you would prefer it if you didn't have to come back to the hospital anytime soon.
 
>Luckily you don't get lost on the way out even though you weren't really paying attention where you were going when you followed the nurse earlier.
>You get a few weird looks when you carry an unconscious pony out of the hospital, but not any more than you'd usually get.
>When the warm rays of the sun hit your face you briefly stop to enjoy the feeling before heading off towards your house.
>On the way you wonder whether carrying Derpy on your shoulder was the best way to go.
>You wanted her to finally get some sleep but you don't think your shoulder is that comfortable.
>As you round the last corner on the way back you realize that it's already too late for afterthoughts.
>Oh well.
>After you close the door behind you you put down Derpy on the couch and cover her with a blanket.
>At this point you notice that Derpy no longer has the lollipop in her mouth.
>After a brief check you don't find it anywhere on your clothes, so it's now probably lying somewhere on the street.
>Feeling like you're forgetting something you think for a little bit and remember the pregnancy test in your pocket.
>It can't be, right?
>But as the doctor said you'll have to be the responsible one and once you're done with it you'll at least have certainty and you can stop thinking about it.
>With a sigh you carefully sit down next to Derpy and pull the test from your pocket.
>The picture of the overly happy couple is staring at you from between your hands.
>You grimace a little.
>Maybe you're being a little cynical here, but their happiness just seems so fake to you.
>You pull open one side of the box and retrieve a smooth plastic thingie with a cap on it.
>These tests are urine-based, right?
>Thankfully there are instructions on the back of the box.
>'Remove the cap and hold the absorbent end into a cup of urine for five seconds.
>In case of pregnancy two lines will appear in the window after about sixty seconds, otherwise only one line will appear'.
>What window?
>You flip the test around and find something that you would say qualifies as a window.
>Seems easy enough.
 
>Suddenly you feel a heavy impact to your chest.
>You try to jump up in a panic, but in your current position your feet just slide across the floor without effect.
>A second later when you're actually assessing the situation you notice that Derpy is now hugging you with her head buried in your chest and you take a deep breath to try and calm yourself down.
>You can understand that she would want a hug after what happened in the hospital but she could have at least given you a warning.
>Still you decide to not be an asshole and hug her back.
>"I don't want to go to the hospital again."
"Neither do I but when you're sick you sometimes don't have a choice."
>"Am I still sick?"
>Derpy is looking up at you with fearful eyes.
"The doctor looked at your blood sample and she said that you're not sick."
>She closes her eyes and gives a content sigh of relief.
>"I'm glad."
>You don't think she needs to know about the further testing that's going on in the hospital.
>She would just keep worrying and once again be unable to sleep.
>For a few moments you just sit on the couch together enjoying each other's warmth.
>"Anon, I want my pendant."
>Oh right, that.
>You get up from the couch and walk with Derpy into her mother's old office.
>After pulling the right key from your pocket you open the safe there and take out Derpy's marriage pendant: A glass foot on a small chain.
>She had insisted that she couldn't bring it to the hospital because hospitals are scary and she didn't want to lose it.
>At the same time she also wanted it to be safe while you were gone so you had to put it in the most secure place in the house.
>You think she's projecting her own evaluation of it's value onto others; She really likes that thing.
>After putting the pendant around her neck she begins with your ritual:
>"I have this pendant because minotaurs have hands but only you have feet."
"And I have this ring because only you have these beautiful golden eyes."
>You then give her a kiss.
>Over time this has become your way of saying 'I love you'.
 
>It had started when you were talking about what jewelry to get for your wedding.
>Everything was pretty much similarly cheap since any non-magical materials can be easily created in bulk.
>So you had said you wanted a golden ring because it reminds you of her eyes.
>Of course Derpy then wanted something that would remind her of you.
>You're the only creature in Equestria with feet, so Derpy wanted something in the shape of that.
>And since you had at one point told her that you were working with glass before you came to Equestria, she wanted her pendant to be made of glass.
>You didn't actually work with glass, but it's what you explained to Derpy silicon was when she didn't know the word.
>You think it's kind of funny how a pendant made of glass ended up being more expansive than a ring made of solid gold.
 
>When you pull away you can see Derpy smiling.
>"I need to pee."
>Romantic as ever.
>But this might be a good opportunity to use that pregnancy test and just get it over with.
"Don't pee just yet.
Wait until I'm there with you, okay?"
>"Okay."
>Sometimes you think it's a little worrying how she trusts others to the point that she doesn't even question their motives.
>But usually you're glad that she doesn't question yours since it makes dealing with her a lot easier.
>You go to the living room to go look for the pregnancy test.
>When Derpy jumped you you had it in your hand and you don't remember putting it away, so you probably dropped it then.
>The paper box you took it from is lying right in front of the couch, but unfortunately the test itself does not.
>You get on all fours and look across the floor at a shallow angle but you still can't find it.
>After trailing the edges of the floor with your eyes you can confirm that it's not there either.
>Fuck.
>You sit down on the couch to try and replicate the situation when you can feel something hard poke your butt.
>Seems like the test fell between the cushions when you dropped it.
>With the newly rediscovered test you head into the bathroom where Derpy is already waiting for you.
>"Can I pee now?
>I really need to go."
>Suddenly you remember that you need a cup to hold the urine in but the only cup in the bathroom is the one Derpy and you use for rinsing your teeth after brushing them and you don't want to use that one.
>You'd like to use a disposable paper cup but you're not sure where you have them right now and you don't want to keep Derpy waiting any longer.
>Fuck it.
"Almost, can you please sit down on the toilet for me?"
>The margin of error on the pregnancy test is probably huge anyways, so you'll just hold it directly into the stream.
>Derpy sits down on the toilet and you remove the cap from the test.
>"What's that?"
"It's something the doctor gave me when you were asleep."
>As soon as you mention the doctor Derpy's previously relaxed posture seems to stiffen somewhat.
"Don't worry, this will be much better than what happened at the hospital.
There are no needles, I just need you to pee on this."
>Derpy still seems a little nervous but you doubt that she will become any more comfortable than this.
"Can you now please pee for me?"
>After a small intake of air a thin stream of liquid starts pouring from Derpy's crotch, accompanied by a relieved sigh.
>You move the absorbent end of the test into the stream but even before it makes contact you can feel the warm, humid air rising from the toilet.
>When the stream hits the test a few droplets of Derpy's pee sprinkle against your hand and you turn it a little to deflect them away from you.
>You start counting the seconds and when you reach seven Derpy seems to be done peeing.
>Originally you wanted to keep the test in for ten seconds to compensate for it not being completely submerged but seven seconds is probably fine too.
>You shake off excess droplets from the test and sit down on the floor with the test in front of you.
>Now you'll just have to wait a little.
>After flushing the toilet Derpy sits down beside you to take a look at the thing that's holding your attention at the moment.
>"When Skydancer asked whether we are doing sick things like pee on each other I didn't know what she meant but now I understand."
>No, you're pretty sure she still doesn't understand.
>But talking with Derpy about fetishes is pretty low on your priority list right now.
>A red line seems to be forming in the window and it's slowly getting more distinct.
>Why did the instructions tell you to wait sixty seconds again?
>You can already see the line after not even thirty seconds.
>Something seems to get stuck in your eye, making the line seem out of focus.
>Strangely enough it doesn't go away when you blink.
>That's when you notice it.
>There is a second line.
>Instantly you can feel your heart pounding in your chest, your eyes fixated on the line.
>The line grows ever thicker until it's looking just like the first one.
>At this point you realize that you've been staring at the line as if waiting for it to disappear again.
>And then the reality of it all hits you.
>There are two lines.
>Derpy is pregnant.
>You press your palms against your temples in an attempt to keep from flipping out.
>"What does it mean?"
>Derpy is looking at you with a worried expression.
>"Am I sick after all?"
>You take several deep breaths to try and suppress the slight panic you're feeling right now and after a few seconds you don't exactly feel great, but you feel like you can handle the situation.
>"Anon, am I sick?"
>Right, the way you're behaving right now is probably pretty unsettling to her.
>So, Derpy is pregnant.
>She didn't cheat on you with a pony, did she?
>Most of the time she's with you or at least near you.
>Usually the only times you're separated for an extended period of time is when you go grocery shopping or something while she delivers the mail.
>Still...
"Derpy have you ever had sex with anyone but me?"
>She blinks once.
>"No, because we're married and that means that we're only having sex with each other.
>Why are you asking me this?
>I'm scared, Anon."
>You sigh.
>Maybe you really are the father after all.
>There's just so much in this world that you do not know, let alone understand.
>Is it really that unreasonable to think that you could have impregnated her?
>Regardless, Derpy has the right to know that she's pregnant.
>It's one thing to not tell her that there is still a slight possibility that she's sick after all, but when there is without a doubt something going on with her body she really needs to know.
>You take Derpy's hoof into one of your hands and look her in the eyes.
"You are not sick, this is something different."
>"Something ... different?"
"Yes, you see, when we first had sex I had told you that we couldn't make a baby together, but apparently I was wrong.
You're pregnant, Derpy."
>"I'm..."
>There's a moment of silence as the gravity of the situation sinks in.
>"But you..."
>She doesn't get further before she bursts into tears.
>Surprised by this turn of events it takes you a few seconds to pull her into a hug and comfortingly rub her back.
>This is not the reaction you were expecting.
"Hey, please don't cry, I'm here for you."
>"But you-",
>she starts, but gets interrupted by a sob,
>"but you said that getting pregnant on accident is really bad.
>And now I'm pregnant, but I didn't want to get pregnant."
It's been a long time since you have seen her this upset.
"Look, it's my fault that you got pregnant, not yours.
I'm the one who has to look out for things like that."
>Still your reassurements do little to calm her down.
>You spend the rest of the day comforting a crying pegasus.
 
 
>A sudden cough makes you look up from the book you're reading.
>Seems like Derpy is awake.
"Hey there, how are you feeling?"
>You lean over from the chair you had moved next to Derpy's bed and brush across her hair with your hand.
>It feels like her fever has gone down, though measurement by hand is pretty unreliable.
>You should get the thermometer.
>After another, short cough Derpy rises from her lying position.
>"I'm thirsty."
>Her voice is still hoarse and weak.
"Here you go."
>You hand her the sippy cup filled with water you had put next to her bed and she greedily drinks from it.
>After gulping a few times she puts it down and leans back against her pillow.
>"I don't like being sick.
>My head hurts and I feel hot and tired and I don't like feeling like that."
>With a sigh you resume stroking her mane.
"I don't like you being sick either, but I think the worst part is over now."
>For a few moments you continue to silently pet Derpy's mane as she pulls the blanket back over herself.
>"Am I sick because I'm pregnant?"
>You briefly stop your hand at the sudden question.
"No, I don't think that's why you're sick."
>At least not directly.
>Ever since you had revealed to Derpy that she was pregnant, she has been feeling kinda down and she fell sick shortly afterwards.
>The psychological stress might have been a negative factor, but it's impossible to tell whether she wouldn't have become sick anyways.
>The disease she contracted is apparently called the 'Feather Flu' though it does not seem to be restricted to pegasi.
>Most likely she caught it from a sick pony at the hospital, but you're not telling her that.
>She certainly doesn't need another reason to be irrationally afraid of hospitals.
>Fortunately you convinced Twilight to perform a checkup on her when she visited to investigate the case of Derpy's pregnancy.
>Turns out that as with everything Twilight has extensive theoretical qualifications in the field of equine medicince.
>Anyways, according to Twilight during your stay in Equestria the frequency of your magical aura has increased from 240 to 460 Terahertz.
>Ponies don't actually use metric units -though they have some ridiculous pony names for most of them-, but what it boils down to is that your aura has become more similar to that of Derpy which has a frequency of about 660 Terahertz.
>The measurements Twilight took at the time were very rough according to her and she said she'd repeat them once she got a specially attuned crystal from Canterlot, but what she could tell you was that a similar frequency in your aura is necessary for conception.
>So all things considered you probably really are the father.
"Do you feel like eating something?"
>Derpy silently looks at you for a moment.
>"Yes."
"Alright then, just wait here while I go get the soup."
>You're glad that this will probably be the last you'll see of that terrible soup.
>Back on earth your mother used to make chicken noodle soup for you when you were sick, but since that's not an option in Equestria you had asked twilight for the pony equivalent.
>Unfortunately the soup contains a lot of flowers and other plants that are not very tasty to humans.
>You had made a big bowl for Derpy, but when she lost her appetite you ended up eating most of it.
>At least it seems to be healthy.
>With a sigh you put the last of the soup into your Magical Mini Oven.
>Regardless of the world you live on, waiting even one minute for your food to warm up feels like an eternity.
>You should remember to go grocery shopping in the near future.
>With Derpy being sick you didn't for some time now and your supplies are running low.
>After a few more seconds the food seems to be warmed up, and after retrieving a spoon from a nearby cupboard you bring it to Derpy.
>She's still where you had left her, except now she's looking out of the window.
>From where the two of you have put your bed she can't see much more than a few roofs and the night sky though.
>As soon as you enter the room, she looks at you and smiles warmly through her tired eyes.
>"Feed me, Anon!"
>You sit down next to her and happily oblige.
>After all it would be a real pain if she were to spill anything onto the sheets.
>But you would be lying to yourself if you said you didn't like how happy she smiles whenever you feed her.
>To your surprise Derpy finishes the whole bowl of soup and even asks for more food afterwards.
>It's a good thing that she has regained her appetite, you think.
>After properly measuring her temperature, you can also confirm that her fever has definitely gone down.
"Does you head feel okay?"
>"It's still hurting but it's a lot better than when I woke up this morning."
>Earlier today ou were tempted to give her a pill of pony aspirin to ease the pain, but after checking with Twilight you decided against it.
>Apparently it can in some cases cause miscarriage when given to pregnant mares.
>You settled on giving her a placebo, nothing more than a piece of flour that Twilight had compressed into a pill.
>Fortunately it seemed to have been effective for Derpy as she seemed to be feeling better only ten minutes later.
>Being gullible seems to have it's perks.
>"I want to continue reading Special Agent Red Whip."
>You ruffle her hair.
"Sure thing."
>You put away the bowl and slip under the covers next to Derpy.
>When she cuddles up against your side you start reading where you left off earlier.
"I've got you now, special agent Red Whip."
 
>That night you have a weird dream.
>Your whole body feels heavy and hot.
>Suddenly there's a scratching pressure in your chest and you convulse as you cough hard.
>At this point you realize that you're awake, everything just feels really hazy as if you're dreaming.
>You reach for the clock on your nightstand, but you fail to grasp it and you let it fall down to the floor.
>When you try to reach for it you get another coughing fit and you fall back onto the mattress.
>"... sick."
>You're startled by a sudden voice coming from the side, strangely sounding near yet distant.
"W-what?"
>Your throat hurts as you try to speak.
>"I think you're sick."
>You try to focus your eyes on the source of the voice, but you're distracted by a blurry gray thing heading for your forehead.
>"You're really hot, Anon.
>I think you have a fever."
>Hot?
>If anything you feel cold.
>You shiver slightly and pull the blanket tighter around your body.
>Wait.
>Don't people with fever usually feel cold?
>Maybe you really are sick.
>You try your best to clear your head, but you're soon met with a throbbing pain and you clench your jaw.
"Derpy."
>Fuck, your voice sounds terrible.
>You clear your throat and with some effort you manage to take her hoof into your hand.
"Derpy, I need you to get Twilight.
I'm really sick and I need her help."
>Derpy seems to be making a troubled face.
>"Okay."
>Before you know it she has climbed off the bed and left the room, leaving you alone with your thoughts.
>You feel very thirsty.
>Remembering the sippy cup you had put on Derpy's nightstand you crawl over onto her side of the bed and reach for it.
>Fortunately you don't drop anything this time and you start drinking from it.
>The water feels cold and you shiver slightly.
>As you put it away you notice that Derpy is back in the room.
>She can't already be back from Twilight's place, can she?
"Derpy?
Where's Twilight?"
>Derpy's face seems to fill with determination.
>"You're sick and you need somepony to take care of you so I can't leave you alone and get Twilight."
>You don't have time for this.
"Derpy, please.
I'm really sick and I need help.
I need Twilight to take care of me."
>Derpy hangs her head, her face a mix of disappointment and a pout.
>"Okay."
>Once again she leaves the room but this time you're being quiet and listen to the sound of Derpy walking down the stairs.
>When you hear the dulled thud of the front door closing you release a breath you hadn't realized you were holding and lean back into your cushion.
>Might as well try to get some more rest while Derpy goes to get Twilight.
 
>Soon you can feel yourself slowly drifting off to sleep, but you quickly jerk awake when you can hear a loud pop from beside your bed.
>After your initial panic you can see Twilight and Derpy standing there with some saddlebags.
>Derpy seems to be swaying lightly, probably dizzy from being teleported.
"Hello, Twilight."
>You can't help but cough after you say that.
>"Morning, Anonymous.
>Seems like Derpy was right when she said you were really sick."
>You probably look as bad as you feel.
>Apparently no longer dizzy, Derpy jumps onto the mattress between you and Twilight, blocking your sight of her.
>"Look Anon, I went and got Twilight, just like you asked me to."
"Thank you, Derpy."
>"Did I do well?"
"Yes, you did very well."
>Elated by our praise Derpy hugs your chest trough the covers and you can see Twilight unload her saddlebags.
>Unsurprisingly they are filled with books, crystals and vials that contain various fluids.
>Twilight opens up one of the books and after silently reading for a few seconds she closes it again as she seems to be powering up a spell.
>A brightly glowing ray hits your feet through the blanket and you feel the familiar, tingling sensation of magic.
>The ray starts traveling up your body with the tingling feeling following in it's wake.
>When the ray reaches your stomach, Twilight pries Derpy off of your chest with her magic so she doesn't get in the way.
>Derpy doesn't seem happy about this development, but she doesn't struggle in Twilight's grasp and silently stays where Twilight puts her down.
>Eventually the ray reaches your head and you close your eyes to the blinding light.
>The magic seems to be lingering for several long seconds and you clench your teeth as you endure the sickening feeling.
>Suddenly the light and the tingling feeling stop and you relax significantly.
>You open your eyes to look at Twilight, still somewhat dazzled by the light.
"Well?"
>"It's as I suspected:
>You're sick with the Feather Flu."
>Great.
"How can I be sick with the Feather Flu?
Isn't that a pony disease?"
>Twilight deadpannes.
>"You impregnated a pony just a few weeks ago, but now you're surprised you can catch a disease from one of them?"
"Good point."
>"Anyways, I recommend that you stay in bed for now.
>If what you told me about human physiology is correct you have a very high fever."
>Twilight sighs.
>"Seems like instead of reordering my collection of arcane levitators I'll be looking after you two today."
>You two?
>Wait, that reminds you:
"Hey Derpy, aren't you still sick?"
>She looks at you for a second, pondering the question.
>"No."
>"She's still a little sick", Twilight interjects,"she doesn't have a fever or headache anymore, but she's still coughing from time to time.
>Especially after she flew full speed to my castle."
>You look at Derpy apologetically.
"I'm sorry for not thinking of you.
I have trouble putting thoughts together at the moment."
>Derpy looks at you with concern.
>"Does your head hurt?"
"Yes, but it's not that bad."
>Your head mostly just feels a little dizzy from Twilight's examination.
>Regardless Derpy turns to Twilight with a pleading look.
>"Twilight, can you give Anon some of that medicine that you gave me yesterday?"
>Twilight does not look amused.
>She opposed giving Derpy a placebo from the start because apparently for a doctor it's illegal to prescribe placebos to an unknowing patient.
>You don't understand why that would matter for Twilight who is not a doctor, but according to her she didn't want to do it on principle.
>Derpy is probably not helping the cause right now.
"I don't think that will work.
The medicine Twilight gave you yesterday is special because it only works for gray pegasi with golden eyes."
>You start coughing from talking too much, but before your body convulses you can see Derpy's face fall.
>As your coughing fit subsides you reach for the sippy cup only to realize that it's almost empty.
>After draining the last of it's contents you turn to the two mares in the room and ask:
"Can one of you fill this up with water for me, please?"
>Twilight is about to say something when Derpy shouts:
>"I'll do it."
>She then quickly takes the sippy cup from your grasp and runs off to the bathroom with it.
>Twilight grumpily rubs her ear.
>"Perhaps I'm not needed here after all."
>You can tell that she's being sarcastic but it's probably better to not needlessly annoy her when she's helping you out of her own good will.
"I really appreciate that you're here."
>Twilight smirks.
>"It would make me look pretty bad if a subject of mine died of the feather flu shortly after i paid them a doctorly visit."
>If you died?!
>Before you know what you're doing your face distort in horror and Twilight seems to panic slightly at your reaction.
>"A joke!
>It was a joke, Anon!"
>You sigh.
"Yes, I know, it's just that I didn't find that joke to be particularly funny when I feel pretty sick right now."
>Twilight puts on a pretty forced looking smile.
>"But don't you worry, because I'm here to take care of you now.
>Did you know that by receiving proper medical care your chances of dying to the feather flu decrease by fourty percent?"
>She keeps yammering on about statistics on the various kinds of flu and how to treat them, but you quickly lose track of what she's saying.
>It's probably because she has entered full lecture mode and doesn't bother to explain any of the technical terms she's using, but you also have trouble concentrating right now.
>At least Twilight's smiling genuinely now.
>Eventually Derpy returns with your filled sippy cup and after looking at Twilight for a second she walks up to you.
>As you take the cup from her mouth with one hand and pat her mane with the other as thanks.
>"... so let me start with that."
>You're just turning towards Twilight who seems to be finished with her speech when you feel an extremely weird sensation in your butt and you instinctively clench up in shock.
>Another coughing fit follows with Derpy climbing onto the bed next to you.
>She's saying something that you don't quite pick up over your own coughing but you think you heard your name in there once.
>After a few painful seconds you manage to stop coughing and try to look at Twilight, but find that Derpy has pretty much climbed on top of you and is blocking your vision.
>"Are you okay, Anon?"
>She seems to be pretty worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine now."
>You push yourself into a sitting position and take Derpy in your lap, for one to calm her down, but also so she stops blocking your vision of Twilight.
"What did you just do?"
>Twilight looks at you quizzically.
>"As I said, I just shifted the contents of your bladder and colon into the astral plane."
>There's a second of silence between the three of you that's only disturbed by the ticking of the clock you had previously dropped.
"Why?"
>"Because now you won't have to leave the bed to go to the bathroom."
>You're about to ask further questions when Derpy speaks up:
>"I don't want you to cast that spell on Anon again.
>He looked like he didn't like it and it also made him cough a lot and I don't want that."
>Twilight seems to be genuinely offended by Derpy's words.
>"Now listen here, what I just did is a standard procedure that's used in almost all of Equestria.
>It's not my fault Anon is being so childish about it."
>"But ... but you ..."
>You move one of your hands on Derpy's belly and start to rub it gently.
"It's okay, Derpy.
The spell didn't hurt me and next time Twilight will just tell me she's using it beforehand so I don't get surprised."
>Twilight stomps her hoof in anger.
>"But I did tell you I was going to use the spell beforehand.
>Didn't you listen? I-"
>Twilight is cut off by a sudden knock from the window.
>Curious she walks up to it.
>"Rainbow Dash? What's she doing here?"
>The moment Twilight opens the window with her magic Rainbow bursts in and lands right in front of her.
>"Twilight, a portal to Tartarus has opened and demons are pouring through."
>Twilight's expression turns grim.
>"Shit."
>Normally you would think about how Twilight has started to pick up some of the words you use out of habit, but right now you are more focused on what Rainbow Dash has just said.
>Demons invading Equestria sounds pretty bad.
>"Have you already informed the others?"
>"No, I flew straight to your castle, and then Spike told me you're here."
>Twilight nods.
>"Alright, Spike has probably already informed the princesses, so our first move should be to gather everypony else and check out the portal."
>Twilight looks at you apologetically.
>"Sorry, Anon but this takes priority.
>You understand, right?"
>You sigh.
"Yes."
>"I'll be back in a few hours, just hang in there."
>And with that Twilight and Rainbow Dash fly out the window, the flaps of their wings quickly fading away.
>Derpy winds out of your grasp to look at you.
>"What just happened?"
>She seems to be pretty worried.
>"Why is Twilight leaving with Rainbow Dash?"
"Because she's a princess and that means that there are important things she has to take care of."
>"But you're important and you said that you need Twilight to take care of you."
>You slide down into the pillow and sigh.
>"What Twilight is doing right now is even more important than me though.
>There are scary monsters coming to Equestria right now and Twilight has to get rid of them."
>Derpy puts down her head on your chest with a defeated expression.
>"So what do we do now?"
>You start petting her mane.
>"We'll just have to wait until Twilight gets back.
>I'm sure it won't take her long."
>Derpy doesn't seem pleased with your answer, but she seems to accept it.
>With nothing in particular happening at the moment you take a drink from the sippy cup with your free hand.
>At least Twilight and her friends have a good track record when it comes to fighting evil, so you're sure everything will be fine.
>You continue stroking Derpy's head until she suddenly pushes herself up so she's standing over you.
>"I'll take care of you, Anon, because to me you're more important than getting rid of monsters, and I'll do my best because I don't want you to be sick."
>You smile a little.
"Thank you, Derpy."
>She might not be as professional as Twilight, but the emotional support is definitely there.
>Suddenly you hear Twilight's voice booming in through the still open window and you jump a litle.
>"Citizens of Ponyville, this is a public service announcement."
>Okay, so she's using the voice amplification thingie in her castle.
>"A portal to Tartarus has opened near the Everfree Forest and Shadowwolf Demons are entering Equestria.
>We are currently working to close the portal and to send them back, but until then we advise you to stay inside your houses.
>You will be safe there."
>That's reassuring to hear.
>Still, unluckily the portal seems to be located near the side of Ponyville your house stands in.
>Maybe you should get to closing that window.
"Derpy, can you please close that window?"
>"Okay."
>She jumps off the bed and walks to the window, but just as she reaches for the handle she stops.
>"Anon, there are dark clouds swirling in the sky."
>Sounds ominous.
"That's probably just because of the portal.
Just close the window and come back here, okay?"
>After one last look out the window Derpy does as she's told and comes back to you.
>She seems distressed, so the moment she gets on the bed you pull her into a hug.
"Don't worry about the monsters.
Twilight said that we're safe inside the house and that means that the monsters can't get in."
>You can feel Derpy relax in your arms and you continue to hold her for a few minutes until she breaks the hug.
>From within your lap Derpy reaches for the nightstand with her head and when she pulls it back into view you can see that she has the book you've recently been reading to her in her mouth.
>She gets under the covers and takes the book in her hooves.
>"You read that book to me when I was sick, so now that you're sick I'll read it to you."
>Fine by you.
>Reading while lying down is bullshit anyways because you can hold up a book only for so long before your arms get tired.
>You feel a little cold again and curl up under the blanket as Derpy starts the story.
>"The rain felt cold against Red's coat as she left the head- headquarters..."
>Derpy is reading pretty slowly, but you feel like that's just what you need right now.
>Your mind still feels kind of foggy and you can feel your limbs grow heavy.
>Until now you had not realized just how exhausted you are.
>You start to pick up a low, distant rumble that's slowly getting louder.
>Before long it's a cacophony of sound but you can't make out anything specific or where it's coming from.
>You can feel the sound concentrate in the ceiling and it begins to form structure.
>There is a group of strong, serious ones and there is one who is lighthearted and young.
>The serious ones are doing something important but the young one does something that messes everything up and makes them all sink down into unrecognizable noise.
>In their final moments the serious ones of course blame the young one for their downfall and you can't help but feel bad for the young one.
>He clearly didn't mean to do all this, it was an accident, kind of like with...
>Like with...
>Wait.
>This isn't real.
>You try to move your body but find that you're paralyzed.
>After a moment of panic you manage to move your body just the tiniest of amounts.
>Eventually you manage to pull yourself from your dreamlike state and the noise dies down.
 
>"Red Whip smiled as she put her hoof on-onto her prize.
>My, my, what a glo-glorious secret w-weapon you have here."
>The first thing you notice is that Derpy is still reading.
>The next thing you notice is that her cheeks are flushed and that she's making an awful lot of mistakes while reading, even for her.
>"With the careful press- preci- precision her enemies have come to fear, Red Whip put Steel Rod's p-penis into her mouth."
>Oh, okay, you think you know now why she seems so distracted.
>She didn't even seem to notice that you were having a fever dream while she read.
>With considerably more effort than expected you'd have you manage to put your heavy arm onto her leg.
>The sudden touch seems to get Derpy's attention and she puts the book down to look at you.
"Let's stop reading."
>Fuck, your throat hurts.
>"Okay."
>Derpy puts the bookmark she made for you on Hearth's Warming Eve into the book and puts it onto the nightstand.
>As she sits back down next to you she rubs her hindlegs together.
>"Anon, I want to have sex with you."
"Sorry, Der-", you start, but a sudden coughing fit cuts you off.
"Sorry, Derpy, but right now I'm too sick for anything like that."
>You can see the disappointment on her face.
>"Once I'm feeling better we can kiss and have sex as much as you want, okay?"
>Derpy sighs.
>"Okay."
>Probably you'll have to re-read the part of the story you missed and you're confident that will put Derpy in the mood.
>You found she likes to roleplay as the characters of the novels you read together, especially when there is an erotic scene prior to which the strong, female lead character saved her love interest from danger.
>Also slowly fingering her and watching her get all turned on as you whisper the erotic story into her ear is just the best.
>Derpy still seems to be rubbing her hindlegs together.
>At least she's not in heat right now, so she should calm down soon enough.
>"Anon, I-"
>She is cut off by a sudden scratching noise.
>Derpy and you instinctively turn your heads towards the origin, just as the sound repeats itself.
>It seems to come from your front door.
"Derpy, could you please look out of the window and see if there's someone at our door?"
>You can't help but feel a little uneasy as you say this.
>Wouldn't a pony normally knock?
>As Derpy walks to the window the scratching increases in frequency and volume.
>Okay, now you feel really uneasy.
>Derpy looks out the window and her eyes grow wide.
>"Anon, there's a monster scratching on our door!"
>Instantly your heartbeat quickens and you can see Derpy begin to shiver.
>She continues to stare out the window for a second before she leaps into the air, and after gliding for a second, flies into your arms.
>The heavy impact makes you cough a little and you notice Derpy hugging your chest tightly.
>"Anon, I'm scared!"
>To be honest you are, too.
"Hey, remember what Twilight said: We're safe in our house.
The monster can't get in."
>You put your hands around Derpy as you try to calm her down.
>Is that even the right thing to do right now?
>Maybe panic, or at least fear is the correct reaction to this situation.
>"It can't get in, it can't get in, it can't get in, it can't get in..."
>Derpy seems to repeat Twilight's assertion like a mantra as she presses herself against you as hard as she can.
>Meanwhile the scratching on the door does not let up in the slightest.
>Your heart beats so hard you can feel it pulsating in your chest and you can also feel Derpy's heart beating against it from the outside.
>Before long the two heartbeats become indistinguishable to you and between the scratching and Derpy's murmuring against your chest everything feels like a thick sludge that you threaten to lose yourself in.
>Just as you start to feel nauseous the scratching suddenly stops.
>You try to listen to any more sounds but all you hear is Derpy's murmuring and the blood rushing through your ears.
"Hey, Derpy", you say as you nudge her.
>Derpy doesn't seem to notice it as she keeps murmuring with her eyes shut tightly.
>It doesn't even feel like the syllables she mutters have meaning anymore.
>You nudge her a little harder, and this time she stops and opens her eyes to look at you.
"The scratching has stopped.
I think the monster went away."
>Derpy looks into the direction the noise previously came from as if to ponder the thought before winding out of your grasp.
>She gallops to the window and looks out of it, before turning back to you.
>"You're right, the monster went away."
>You're instantly met with a wave of relief, glad that Derpy and you are safe.
>Derpy then looks out the window again.
>"Anon, there are more monsters walking around and they are scratching on other ponies' doors.
>And that one is messing up Lyra's flower bed!"
"Derpy, can you give me another hug?"
>You should probably get her away from the window before she worries too much.
>After one last look out the window Derpy turns around and walks back to you, before pulling you into a hug that you gladly return.
"Thanks. Out of all the ponies I've met you give the best hugs."
>"I was really scared when the monster scratched on our door even though Twilight said that the monsters can't get in, because I thought maybe the monster could still get in and I didn't like that because monsters are scary."
>You gently rub the back of her head.
"What do the monsters look like?"
>Derpy looks away for a second and shudders.
>"They look really icky, like wolves, but black and there's black goo dripping from them."
>Shadowwolf Demon sounds like a fitting name.
>You're glad that they apparently can't enter your home since according to Twilight the demons living in Tartarus are pretty evil.
>Realizing how cold and exhausted you feel right now, you lie down on the bed and pull Derpy under the covers with you.
"Can you keep hugging me and making me feel warm and safe?"
>You'd prefer it if she didn't go back to looking out the window.
>It's unlikely she'l see anything terrifying, but still it can't hurt to be safe.
>"Okay."
>She looks to be pretty serious about the task she's given and you can't help but kiss her on the forehead for how adorable she is.
>Derpy looks like she wants to say something but then she burries her head in your chest.
>As you enjoy Derpy's warmth you can occasionally hear some distant scratching, or the heavy steps of what you presume to be another demon from outside, but you do not hear any screaming of the sound of doors bursting.
>That's a good sign, you believe.
>It means that the demons really can't get into any of the houses and soon Twilight and the others will come and send them back to Tartarus.
>You try to focus on Derpy's breathing and eventually you feel like you're falling.
 
>You awaken with a start, and after a short period of disorientation you notice a weight on your chest.
>At first you think it's Derpy since she sometimes crawls on top of you in her sleep, but as it turns out you're merely covered with two blankets instead of one.
>You sit up in your bed to look around the room but can't spot her anywhere.
>Ugh, your head hurts.
>You also need to pee.
>Sighing you push back the covers and get out of bed.
>As you stand up you start to feel woozy and black spots appear in the corners of your field of view.
>You hold your head at the uncomfortable feeling and after a few seconds your vision returns to normal though you still feel a little dizzy.
>The journey to the bathroom, though actually quite short, feels like a marathon and you almost lose your balance when you round the corner to the bathroom.
>The cold air in the hallway makes you wish Twilight was here so you could have stayed in bed.
>You're glad when you can finally sit down on the toilet seat.
>As you pee you notice that the sky outside is pretty dark.
>Just how long have you been asleep?
>The windows in your bathroom are opaque, so you can't actually see the sky, but it looks like it's nighttime.
>After you flush you take a look at the clock you have in your bathroom only to discover that it's still early in the afternoon.
>The sky is probably dark because of some magic bullshit going on with the portal.
>You walk back to your bedroom, but the sudden clattering of metal coming up the stairs makes you stop.
"Derpy?"
>Fuck, maybe you shouldn't have talked so much earlier when your throat was hurting, now your voice is all but gone.
>After a few seconds you can hear some movement coming from downstairs, so Derpy is probably alright.
>It is Derpy you're hearing, right?
>A little worried you walk down the stairs and you almost trip near the bottom.
>When you enter the kitchen you can see Derpy standing between multiple pots on the floor.
>Right now she's looking back at you with an unhappy expression, probably alerted by your steps.
>Relieved that Derpy and you are still alone in the house you sit down on a chair.
"What happened?"
>"Huh?"
>With how weak your voice is right now Derpy apparently didn't understand you.
>She climbs into your lap and you repeat your question:
"What happened here?"
>Derpy breathes in.
>"So I was hugging you in bed so you feel warm and safe but then you fell asleep and you had a nightmare and you started talking in your sleep."
>You talk in your sleep?
"What did I say?"
>"I didn't understand most of the time but then you said my name and you seemed sad so I told you that I'm here and that you're safe and then you calmed down.
>But then I started feeling hungry and I was thinking maybe you're hungry, too, because I wasn't hungry at first when I was sick but maybe you're hungry and you said that soup is really good when you're sick so I wanted to make some soup for you.
>And then I put another blanket on you because I didn't want you to be cold when I'm not there to keep you warm and I went downstairs, but the only food we had left was potatoes and carrots, but then I remembered that there is a recipe for potato soup so I peeled and cut up six of them."
>You glance at the counter and see a cutting board and a few diced potatoes lying there.
>You also see one of the knives you normally don't let Derpy use lying there.
>"But then I needed a pot to make the soup in, and when I took one from the cabinet I had to cough and the pots fell from the cabinet onto the floor and one of them fell onto my head and that hurt".
>You look at her head and luckily you can't spot any injuries.
"Does it still hurt?"
>"A little."
>You give her a kiss on the top of her head.
"There. Feeling better now?"
>"I think my mouth hurts, too."
>She's looking at you with a straight face as she says this.
>You decide to humor her and give her a quick peck on the lips.
>"I'm not being a bad pony, because we're not kissing, you're only making the pain go away."
>It's just so cute how she felt the need to justify herself you can't help but smile.
"Of course you are."
>You wonder if Derpy actually believes what she just said or if she thinks she's being smart.
>This gives you an idea.
"Does your mouth still hurt?"
>When you ask Derpy that question she smiles briefly but then seems to force her face into a more neutral expression.
>"Yes."
>You feign a concerned look.
"Then maybe we should put a band-aid over it."
>From the way Derpy's face scrunches up you can tell that that is not the answer she wanted to hear.
>"No, we can't put a band-aid over it."
"Why not?"
>"Because ... because then I couldn't talk, and then you maybe ask me something important and I can't answer."
>For her that's actually a pretty good on-the-fly answer.
"Then what should we do?"
>She starts to smile excitedly.
>"We should kiss again!"
"But I thought we weren't kissing?"
>Derpy stops, apparently thinking about what you just said, before her face becomes panicked and she buries her head in your chest.
>Maybe you went a little too far with her.
>There's a moment of silence between the two of you and you begin to gently rub the back of Derpy's neck to hopefully show her you're not angry.
>"Anon?"
"Yes?"
>"My mouth wasn't actually hurting."
>She sounds genuinely sorry.
>You don't say anything, you just put your free arm around her back and let her finish.
>"But when you kissed me on the head I started to think about kissing on the lips, and then I was thinking that maybe if my lips hurt you'll kiss me there.
>And they didn't really hurt but I was thinking maybe they hurt a little and then I said they hurt because I wanted you to kiss me.
>But you said that we can't kiss when you're sick and I didn't want you to be angry with me so I said that it's not kissing, and I'm really sorry for lying, Anon."
"It's okay, I'm not angry.
I knew we were kissing, and when I said that we can't kiss I only meant really long and intense kisses because those are too exhausting for me right now.
Short kisses are okay."
>Derpy pushes her head from your chest and looks at you.
>"Can I get another one?"
>You don't see why not.
>Might as well make this one count to make up.
>You remove your hands from Derpy's neck and back and instead cup her face with them.
>For a few seconds you don't do anything but look into her eyes, those golden, unfocused eyes that you love so much.
>Just as you feel Derpy blush you close your eyes and press your lips against hers for several, long seconds.
>Derpy's lips are soft and warm and as much as you are tempted to push your tongue against them, you decide not to make this a deep kiss.
>Still, it is a wonderful feeling to express your feelings for her like that.
>When your lips part Derpy takes your hand between her hooves and presses it against her chest.
>"Can you feel my heart?"
"Yes."
>It's beating pretty fast, even for a pony heart.
>"This is how I feel when we kiss, because I always feel excited but also happy and my heart starts beating really fast."
>She then gives you a hug and puts her head against your chest.
>"And then I want to be really close to you and smell you and hear your heart, too, because it's also beating really fast and that means our kiss was special."
>You hold the pony in your lap, you hold her tightly, not because the kiss was special to you, but because she is.
>However, as much as her embrace warms you, you start to feel cold again.
"Derpy, I need to get back into bed."
>"Okay."
>She doesn't sound enthusiastic.
>You put her down on the floor and get out of your chair, again feeling a little dizzy when you get up.
>Derpy seems to sense your discomfort and looks at you with a worried expression.
>"Anon, are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
>You drag your tired body to the bottom of the stairs and once you climb the first step you can already feel the gravity working against you.
>Have the stairs always been this steep?
>When you're not even halfway there you have to stop and take a breath.
>"Anon, I don't think you're fine."
>Derpy is still looking at you worriedly, but more seriously this time.
>"You're sick and I need to help you."
"Like, how?", you ask between breaths.
>Derpy extends her wings and starts to flap, lifting herself of the ground and flying behind you.
>You're about to ask what she's doing when you feel two hooves grab you under your arms and pull you upward.
>It's not enough to lift you off the ground, but it's enough for you to press on.
>Though the direction of the lift you get from Derpy is varying with each beat of her wings, it's still helping you a lot.
>After the first few seconds you learn to time your efforts with Derpy's flapping and eventually you reach the top of the stairs.
>Derpy and you sit down on the ground, breathing heavily from the exertion.
>"You're heavy."
>For her you probably are.
>As much as you appreciate your chance to sit down and take a breath, being in contact with the cold floor is not exactly pleasant.
>Eventually you lift yourself from your sitting position and take the last steps of your journey, with Derpy quickly following behind you.
>When you finally reach your destination, you slip into the covers and pull the blanket around you tightly.
>Unfortunately the bed is not yet warmed up and the direct contact with the still cold covers makes you shiver.
>"Anon, I think you need me to keep you warm again."
>Before you can even answer Derpy has already slipped into the bed and you gladly embrace the warm pony next to you.
>In return Derpy puts her forehooves around your neck and pulls you close.
>"Don't worry, Anon, I'll make it nice and cozy for you."
>She then closes her eyes and puts her forehead against yours.
>The small smile she's wearing makes you think she's also doing this just because she wants to cuddle some more, but you're not complaining.
>You close your eyes too and relax in the hooves of your wife.
>After a short time the temperature in the bed becomes more bearable, and despite the slight pain in your head you feel at ease.
>Your peaceful cuddling is suddenly interrupted though when Derpy's stomach suddenly growls.
>Right, there was a reason why she was down in the kitchen.
>Actually you're feeling a little hungry herself.
>You sigh.
"Derpy, what exactly were you cooking in the kitchen?"
>Derpy opens her eyes and pulls back her head a little so she can properly look at you.
>"I wanted to make something to eat, but we only had ingredients to make potato soup, and you told me not to use sharp knives by myself but I didn't want to wake you up to ask so I just did it without asking."
>Right, you think she already told you as much before.
>The idea of Derpy handling sharp objects while you're not there with her does not sit well with you, but what's done is done you suppose.
>"And then I wanted to cook the potatoes but the pot fell onto my head and then you came."
>At least nothing bad happened with the knives.
"Derpy, I want you to go back into the kitchen and boil the potatoes so we have something to eat."
>Derpy looks kind of unhappy, but after a short "Okay" she complies, leaving you alone in the now thankfully warm bed.
>With nothing better to do you close your eyes and listen to the sounds of Derpy exiting the room.
>You hear her go down the stairs and enter the kitchen, and after a some time you can hear the tap running.
>There's some more movement where Derpy probably puts the filled pot onto the stove, shortly after which you can hear her trot back up the stairs, somewhat faster than before.
>She comes back into the room, smiling widely.
>"I did like you asked, Anon.
>Can I get a reward?"
>You have an idea what she wants and you smile a little.
"Depends on the reward."
>Unfortunately you're still so hoarse you're not sure if Derpy even managed to properly hear what you said.
>She seems to take your smile as confirmation though and with a flap of her wings she jumps on top of you, bringing her face right in front of yours.
>"I want to give you a kiss."
>Derpy's warm breath tickles a little as she locks eyes with you as much as she can.
"Okay."
>She could have easily gotten a kiss even without it being a reward but if that's what she wants you're happy to oblige.

>You close your eyes in anticipation as you Derpy slowly inches closer.
>With puckered lips you lie there, waiting for her to make contact.
>But for some reason she never does.
>Confused you open your eyes and see that Derpy has pulled back a little, currently looking at you with a dejected expression on her face.
>"Anon?", she begins, sounding like she's on the verge of tears, "Am I a bad pony?"
"A bad pony?"
>What is this about now?
"No, you're a great pony."
>Your words seem to have an immediate effect in raising her spirits, though she's still looking pretty miserable.
>With some effort you push yourself into an upright position so your eyes are on the same height as Derpy's, and more importantly, so you can pull her into a big, warm, reassuring hug.
>Though you can no longer see her face the way she gently rubs her cheek against yours makes you think it's just what she needed right now.
>The way Derpy's unkempt mane brushes against your face and tickles your nose is somewhat uncomfortable, but it's a small price to pay.
>After all almost everything becomes bearable if it means cheering up your wife.
"Why would you ever think that you're not a good pony?"
>You can feel Derpy tense up a little at your question but it's something you need to talk with her about.
>She takes a deep breath before starts explaining:
>"I was really happy when I was putting the pot with the potatoes on the stove because it meant that I'm doing something to help you and normally you're the one that's helping me."
>Her voice is so low you probably couldn't pick it up if she wasn't right next to your ear.
>"And then I started thinking about kissing again and I came back upstairs and when I was about to kiss you I started thinking that it's really good that you're sick because it means that you need my help."
>She pulls back a little so she can look into your eyes and you can tell from the way her ears are hanging that she's feeling genuinely sorry.
>"And that's a really terrible thing to think because being sick is bad and I don't want to be happy about you being sick."
>It hurts to see her get so upset over a mere thought, but at the same time you think it's also touching just how serious she's taking her relationship with you.
>Deciding that you've heard enough you gently put one of your hands on Derpy's cheek and wipe away a small tear.
>She leans into your touch, desperate for your attention.
"You're not a bad pony because you're not glad about me being sick, you're glad about being able to help me when I'm sick."
>Derpy seems to be nodding along with your explanation and you take it as your cue to elaborate.
"Bad ponies are happy about bad things happening but you're doing your best to take care of me because you're a good pony and good ponies are happy when they're helping others.
And earlier when I asked you to get Twilight for help you did it even though you wanted to take care of me yourself and that is proof that you really care more about me getting better."
>"You're right."
>The beaming smile Derpy is giving you right now almost makes it hard to believe that she was about to cry just a few seconds ago.
"So no more talk about you being a bad pony, alright?
You're actually a really good pony and the best wife I could ever have."
>"And you're the best husband I could ever have!"
>To accentuate her point Derpy latches onto your chest, tightly embracing you with her forelegs.

>She's been pretty self-conscious about being a 'bad pony' recently, hasn't she?
>Hopefully there won't be any more talk about that because when you said that she's a great pony you meant it.
>You'll just need to make her see what you can see, an honest, warm, and hard-working pony that would do anything for those important to her.
>Slowly you lie down on the bed again, pulling Derpy with you under the blankets.
>Her eyes are closed, but you can tell from her breathing that she's just savoring the moment as she cuddles up to you.
>Following Derpy's example you also close your eyes and relax as your limbs grow heavy.

>A sudden ringing sound pierces your world.
>You're confused and disoriented and you frantically cling on to the warm thing in your arms that makes you feel safe.
>Another sound mixes in with the ringing, more gentle and sort of familiar.
>"... so I need you to let go because the ringing means that the potatoes are done with cooking."
>Your senses seem to mostly clear up and you find Derpy looking at you with an expectant expression.
>You also find that you're still holding on to one of her whooves and you sheepishly let go.
>With her legs now free Derpy quickly climbs out of bed and leaves the room to ... what was it?
>Right, she said the potatoes are done with cooking so the next step in the recipe is to puree them.
>Hopefully this won't end last time.
>After she has moved down the stairs you can hear her move some stuff around in the kitchen until finally she seems to be turning on the Equestrian equivalent of a hand blender.
>From the sound of it she seems to immediately turn it off again though.
>You really hope this won't end like last time.
>Derpy quickly seems to resume her work however, giving you the impression that at least so far everything went fine.

>As you wait for Derpy to prepare your food a sudden coughing fit overcomes you, forcing you to painfully convulse on your bed.
>After a few seconds of agony you finally regain control of your lungs and you're actually really glad that you're already lying down because right now you're so fucking winded you would be regardless of the position you were in before.
>The coughing also didn't exactly help with your sore throat.
>You didn't notice until now, but apparently Derpy is done with making the soup because you can hear the characteristic sound of her whooves coming slowly up the stairs.
>When she finally enters the room you can see her carrying a bowl of soup in her mouth.
>Though it takes considerable effort you manage to sit up and Derpy promptly puts the bowl in your lap.
"Thanks", you manage to croak out.
>"I made the potato soup just like the recipe said and I didn't make a mess this time."

>Well it definitely looks like in the recipe.
>There's some saliva on the edge of the bowl running into it from when Derpy was carrying it with her mouth but honestly you don't care.
>You've already swallowed so much of her saliva that a few drops will hardly make a difference.
>Actually after not having eaten anything today you're so hungry you wouldn't care if it was anyone's saliva.
>Reaching for the spoon Derpy had put in the bowl for you, you use it to scoop up some soup and try to bring it to your mouth.
>Try, because right now your hands are too shaky to even do that, at least without making a mess.
>Frustrated you put the spoon down again.
>"Do you need help?"
>You take a look at Derpy who seems to be sitting near the edge of the bed on her haunches, eyeing you expectantly.
>Though it hurts your pride a little you nod, signaling to Derpy that yes, apparently you do need some help with feeding yourself.
>Your wife doesn't seem to have any reservations about it whatsoever though, quickly moving to your side with an excited smile on her face.
>Carefully she takes the spoon into one of her hooves, scooping up some soup as she moves it out of the steaming bowl.
>With a look of intense concentration she slowly brings the spoon to your mouth, teasing your nostrils with the smell of fresh food.
>The way the spoon is wavering slightly in her grasp despite her concentration is a little worrying to be honest, but it's still ten times more stable than if you were holding the spoon yourself.
>Just before the spoon reaches your mouth however, Derpy's face suddenly takes takes on that scrunch she always does when she's remembering something she almost forgot.

>"Wait!"
>She pulls the spoon away again, much to your annoyance.
>"I need to blow on it first."
>After taking a deep breath Derpy purses her lips and thoroughly blows on the spoon as your stomach gives a low grumble.
>After emptying her lungs once she briefly looks at you before blowing on the spoon a second fucking time.
>Oh, come on, the soup can't be that hot.
>After actually blowing on the spoon a second fucking time Derpy leads it back towards your face.
>At least now everything seems to be fine though as without further delay she puts the spoon into your mouth, allowing you to finally taste the soup that's been sitting in front of you all this time.
>Maybe she's sensing that you're a little annoyed with her because as she pulls the spoon away she says:
>"Blowing on hot soup is important because when you're not careful and you burn yourself bad accidents can happen."

>"Is it good?", Derpy asks you with a bright smile as you swallow.
>Well, the soup could use some salt, but it's definitely edible.
>You give Derpy an approving nod which takes her a short moment to fully register, but when she does it somehow makes her smile even brighter.
>With an excited flutter of her wings Derpy quickly scoops up another spoonful and briefly blows on it and you in turn open your mouth again, allowing her to feed you.
>This goes on for a few minutes and you notice that every time Derpy holds the spoon out to you she opens up her own mouth as if to show you how it's done.
>You're not sure if she's doing it consciously.
>Sooner than you expected though you find that you've had enough and motion for Derpy to stop.
>"Are you full?", she asks, actually sounding a little disappointed.
>You've only eaten only half of what you normally would but that's probably normal when you're sick.
>You nod to confirm that you're done eating and Derpy pulls the spoon away from your face pouting a little.
>After looking at it for a few seconds she begrudgingly puts it into her own mouth.
>"The soup tastes better when we make it together", she says after swallowing.
>After smacking her lips suddenly Derpy's face suddenly lights up. 
>"So when you're healthy again we have to make new soup together because the best food is made with love and I love you and that means that the food will be really tasty!"
>You gently put one of your hands on the back of Derpy's neck and start rubbing affectionately, causing her to close her eyes and let out a satisfied sigh.
"I'd love that."
>Your voice is still fucked but you think she got the message.

>"..."
>What?
>You swear you just heard something.
>"... you."
>That was definitely not just your imagination, you can hear a voice, and a pretty deep one at that.
>Apparently Derpy can hear it, too, if the way she's moving her ears is any indication.
>You turn your head curiously, trying to localize the origin of the sound.
>After a few seconds you manage to pinpoint it to the window, though it seems Derpy figured that out a little faster than you, already walking toward it slowly.
>What is this weird feeling you're getting in your stomach?
>With a flap of her wings Derpy jumps up onto the window ledge and her eyes go wide.
>"Anon, there are really many monsters and one of them is really big!"
>Maybe she should step away from the window.
"Derpy, come over here for a second."
>Unfortunately it doesn't seem like she heard you.
>"Twilight's standing in front of them and they're talking."
"Derpy..."
>She doesn't turn around, still looking out the window.
>"The mouth of the big one is glowing red!"
>Now that you pay attention to it there does seem to be a red glow coming from outside.
>Derpy should really be getting away from that window.
>You clap your sweaty hands to get Derpy's attention and you mentally berate yourself for not thinking of doing that sooner.
>Just as Derpy turns to look at you, however, the red light suddenly intensifies to the point where it is blinding, engulfing the whole room in it's menacing glow.
>And then you're hit by a terrible roar, busting the window and shaking the very foundations of your home.
>The shock wave is accompanied by a cloud of dust, coming in through the now shattered window as a hot wind, throwing small objects across the room and making you cough violently.
>"YOU FOOLS!", a deep, booming voice bellows, "YOU WILL REGRET NOT SUBMITTING TO ME WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE!"
>What the fuck is going on?

>Between your coughs you hear a multitude of sounds and voices echoing from afar.
>They all seem to meld together into one incoherent mass, though you can sometimes make out a single sound, like an angry yell or a dull impact.
>More notably though there are sudden, colorful flashes of light, so bright that they're visible to you even though the biting dust has made you squeeze you eyes shut tightly.
>Most of the flashes are followed by a loud, sharp bang shortly afterwards, not as powerful as the one that broke your window but still loud enough to resonate within your chest.
>You manage to stop coughing eventually and force your eyes open as an intense fear takes hold of you.
>As cool as battles between demons and wizards of any kind are, actually being near one is definitely not making you feel comfortable.
>It seems the lamp that had been illuminating the room before did not survive the initial blast, shedding only a fraction of the light it did previously onto the mess that was once your bedroom.
>The countless framed photos Derpy and you had taken together seem to lie broken on the floor along with everything else that wasn't particularly heavy or fixed to a wall.
>It took Derpy and you so much time and effort to take all those photos, to turn this room into a monument of your special bond, but now it has all been destroyed in mere seconds.

>Outside a particularly bright spell seems to be going off, filling the room with an intense, but somehow warm and gentle radiance.
>It only lasts for a brief moment, but what you saw feels like it burned itself into your mind.
>Among the rubble on the floor you saw one thing that stood out, something big and gray, stained with red.
>You would have screamed at the sight if you could.
>Before you even realize what you're doing you hastily get out of bed as pure horror takes over your body.
>Please not her, anything but her!
>Effectively blind from the constantly changing brightness you stumble forward, soon stepping into something pointy lying on the ground.
>It throws you off balance and you come down hard, unable to properly break your fall without your eyesight.
>With a groan you try to get up again when something warm suddenly tickles your face.
>It seems that with the way you fell down your head ended up right next do Derpy's.
>And she's still breathing.
>Though only a small comfort, at least the worst of your fears seems to have been dispelled.
>You get into a sitting position and carefully take her into your arms, feeling slightly sick when your fingers make contact with her sticky fur.
>Derpy's body shifts a little in response though you can't tell whether she's trying to turn towards you or trying to get away.
>Fuck, you're not causing her pain, are you?

>You inspect Derpy's head and find that her eyes are not fixated on anything, drifting aimlessly across the room in an apathetic stare.
>In an attempt to see if she's responsive you quickly wave your hand in front of her face with moderate success.
>Though her facial expression doesn't change her eyes seem to fixate onto your hand after a few seconds, eventually finding their way to your head.
>"Anon?"
>Derpy's face turns pained and she sniffles weakly.
>"Everything hurts."
>Before you can react, another massive blast shakes your home, causing you to hold on tightly to the pony in your arms.
>Adrenaline seems to be kicking in as Derpy's eyes shrink to the size of pinpricks and she basically tackles your chest.
>"Anon, I'm scared!"
>She's crying hysterically, staining your chest with blood and tears as her hooves wrap around your torso, painfully squeezing your rib cage with unrestrained force.
>You do your best to try and calm her down by gently rubbing that one spot behind her ears, but any progress you could be making is ruined by the next explosion, making Derpy wail in terror as she clings onto you for safety.
>A safety you cannot provide.
>There's nothing you can do but sit among the rubble and hope you'll make it.

>Suddenly there is an explosion that feels much closer than any other did before.
>Holy shit, did that spell just hit your house?!
>In addition to the expected bang there's also another sound coming from one of the corners of your house.
>It sounds like a low rumble combined with the sound of wood being strained far more than it's supposed to.
>What if your house collapses?!
>Until now you had felt confident that you and Derpy would be safe as long as you remained inside, but that confidence has just been quite literally shaken.
>If you stay inside your house it might collapse on you.
>If you go outside you could get caught up in the fighting.
>Whatever you do, you're fucked.
>Panic slowly wells up inside of you as you start to hyperventilate, trying to come up with a saving idea, but coming up with nothing.
>You need to stay calm.
>You need to stay calm!
>A weird numbness overtakes you as you repeat the sentence in your head in an attempt to stay in control of yourself.
>The pony at your side, the ringing in your ears, it all starts to feel distant, as if you weren't actually there, as if you were merely watching someone else sitting there on the floor.

>You barely register the loud scream coming in from the outside but it snaps you back to reality.
>You're still on the floor, with Derpy still clinging to your chest and the rapid flashes of spells being fired still blinding you.
>Wait, what was that?
>You tune out Derpy's crying as much as you can and try to listen again.
>The second time you hear it, there's no doubt: There's something moving inside your house.
>The very thought makes you feel like your heart just missed a beat.
>Twilight said no demon could get inside.
>But now there's probably a gaping hole in the wall.
>You start to hyperventilate again as you realize that the demon is moving up the stairs.
>This is it.
>There is no way you can get away in your current shape.
>But Derpy...

"Derpy ...", you manage to croak out with extreme effort.
>At first you didn't think she heard you, but then she looks up at you with reddened, tear-stained eyes, her body still being rocked by frequent sobs.
"Run ... away ..."
>When the meaning of what you just said sinks in, Derpy immediately goes back to crying loudly, somehow holding on to you even stronger than before.
>"No!", she shouts, "I don't want to leave you!"
>Why can't she just listen?
>Feebly you try to push her away from you as the steps arrive just on the other side of your bedroom door.
>When it opens you realize that it's too late and you close your eyes in defeat, awaiting your end.
>However, what actually happens is that your body is suddenly engulfed in the familiar tingle of magic and you feel the sudden jerk of being teleported.
>Confused you open your eyes and find yourself in a large, white room together with dozens of the other residents of Ponyville.
>Twilight seems to be standing next to you, but before you can speak up she teleports away again.
>You feel the greatest relief you have ever felt in your entire life as you realize that no demons ever entered your house and that you've just been evacuated from your house.
>With the knowledge that Derpy and you are now safe all strength seems to be leaving your body and you promptly pass out.

>You wake up feeling slightly wrong, like there's a warmth you're missing.
>It's not that you're feeling cold, quite the opposite, but something is not right.
>The white room you find yourself in doesn't seem familiar to you, nor does the similarly white bed you're lying in.
>You push back the freshly washed sheets, sitting up straight to get a better view of the room you're in.
>It's rectangular in shape and actually quite small, but at least there's a large window with a great view of Ponyville.
>There's another bed next to yours that looks like it has been used by someone, though right now you seem to be alone.
>You start to remember the series of events that put you in the hospital: Falling sick, having your house bombarded, and holding a scared, and bloodied Derpy in your arms.
>Speaking of which, where is she?
>As if on cue you start to pick up the faint sound of hoofsteps coming from behind a nearby door.
>It swings open shortly afterwards, revealing the pony of your life with a sleepy look on her face.
>She appears to be carrying a rather large muffin in her mouth but she promptly drops it to the floor the moment her gaze meets yours, suddenly wide awake.
>"Anon!"
>With a smile she gallops towards you, using her wings for a mighty leap that ends with her impacting your chest at full force.
>You do your best to catch her, though the inertia sends you reeling backwards, causing you to end up on your back with Derpy on top of you.
>"I've missed you", she says as she wraps her forehooves around your neck.
"I've missed you, too", you reply as you in turn wrap your arms around your wife, finally feeling the warmth you were missing.

>It's probably just your subjective perception, but being hugged by Derpy just feels a hundred times better than any blanket.
>Unfortunately the peacefulness of the moment is soon interrupted by another set of hooves approaching the now open door.
>They promptly stop in the doorway, making way for an unknown voice:
>"How often will I need to tell you to stay in your own bed!?"
>You don't know who's speaking, but she's sounding pretty exasperated.
>"But Anon's awake now", Derpy retorts with a little pout in her voice, squeezing you extra tight for emphasis.
>You can't see the other pony in the room with Derpy on top of you but you wave your hand in the general direction you assume her to be, hoping to diffuse the situation.
>Deciding that you should probably face whoever you're talking to you sit up in your bed.
>It takes some effort, mostly because you're being dragged down by the miniature horse still attached to your torso, but you manage without a problem.
>With Derpy now in your lap you see that there's a nurse pony with a white coat and a red coat standing next to your bed, thankfully not looking as sour as she sounded.
>Though there's still a hint of annoyance in her voice she sounds mostly neutral when she asks:
>"How are you feeling?"
>You take a moment to focus on the feeling in your body though the only thing that stands out seems to be the way Derpy's moving around in your lap to puff out her chest as if to show off in front of the nurse pony.
>Thinking that Derpy better not try to antagonize the nurse, you reply:
"Pretty well, actually."
>The nurse nods.
>"That's good.
>We had to give you a drug that's only been tested for ponies while you were unconscious, so it's a good sign that there don't seem to be any side effects."
>If the nurse in any way cares about Derpy's antics she's doing a pretty good job at hiding it.
"How long was I out?"
>"You and your wife came in with all the other casualties from the demon attack, so you've been here for about ...", she takes a moment to look at a nearby clock, " ... 39 hours."
>That thankfully sounds like a relatively short time though you wouldn't know.
>"Anyways, now that you're awake and feeling fine at first glance a doctor will soon give you a proper exam and depending on the results you might be able to return home soon."
>You nod.
>"If that's all I'll now check up on some of the other patients.
>Breakfast's in thirty minutes."

>Before you can reply she turns around and walks out the door again, apparently figuring that you'll speak up if you need anything else.
>She's about to shut the door behind her when she spots the muffin still lying in the doorway where Derpy had dropped it earlier.
>With an annoyed sigh the nurse gives the muffin a small kick, bringing it just barely into the room and eliciting an indignant huff from Derpy.
>You're not sure if the nurse even noticed though because not a second later the door is closed again, the muffled sound of her hoofsteps quickly fading away.
>"I don't like the nurse", Derpy says, sounding a little peeved, "She's mean."
"Come on, it's just a muffin", you reply in an attempt to appease your wife, figuring that the two of you should probably try to stay on good terms with the hospital personnel.
>You start to gently rub Derpy's belly in an attempt to calm her down but before anything can come of it she winds out of your grasp to look at you with a small scowl.
>"But when I woke up here I was really scared because you were sleeping but I couldn't wake you up and I started crying.
>And then the nurse came and she said that I need to calm down and get back into my bed and rest and when I asked her about you she told me that you'll wake up soon.
>And then I got back into my bed and I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn't stop thinking about you and I felt like I'm all alone so I got into your bed so I could cuddle with you and then I fell asleep because I felt safe and warm."
>You know that feeling.
>Gently you take hold of one of Derpy's forehooves, tenderly rubbing her frog with your thumb.
>"But then the nurse came back and she scolded me because I'm not allowed to cuddle with you when you're asleep.
>And then I asked why I'm not allowed to cuddle with you and the nurse said that it's against the rules, but it's a stupid rule because I'm cuddling with you all the time when you're asleep."
>Coming from anyone else that probably would have sounded pretty creepy.
>"And then I asked the nurse when you would wake up but she got angry at me and said that she doesn't know, but I didn't mean to make her angry.
>I just wanted to know when you'd wake up because she said that you'd wake up soon but I've been waiting for a really long time."

>Though Derpy's expression has been rather somber throughout most of her story, it abruptly brightens when she says:
>"But now you're awake again and that means that I'm allowed to cuddle with you again and that you can cuddle me back and that you're no longer sick."
>The happy smile she's giving you right now is kind of infectious actually, and it probably would have been a really sweet moment had it not been interrupted by a sudden growl coming from your stomach.
>Derpy's eyes widen a little as she seems to remember something and she quickly jumps off the bed before reappearing a few seconds later with the muffin from before in her mouth.
>She puts it down in front of you before saying:
>"The hospital food is yucky but there's a cafeteria where you can get tasty food."
>You know you have a special place in Derpy's heart when she's willing to share one of her muffins with you.
>You look at the muffin in question for a second, but your gaze quickly shifts onto something much more concerning than the feeling of hunger in your stomach.
"What happened to your legs?"
>You hadn't noticed the bandages until now because their color is almost the same as Derpy's coat, but now that you've noticed them they're impossible to unsee.
>Derpy follows your gaze, lightly rubbing one of her hooves across the bandages, before looking back at you.
>"The nurse said that I have glass lacer- lacera-, that my legs got cut by glass when the window broke but that the cuts are all shallow and that means that they hurt but they aren't dangerous."
>Though you're in no way glad that Derpy got hurt at all, you're quite relieved that no permanent damage seems to have been done.
"Seems like you're one lucky pony, aren't you?"
>"I thought that, too, but when Twilight came to visit she said that the window was probably made from enchanted glass that breaks away from ponies and that's why all the cuts are on my legs."
>Derpy's face falls a bit as she continues:
>"And then she said that our house got hit by a stray spell and that for now we can't go back to it because it's not safe and that made me feel sad."
>Damn.
>You wrap your arms around Derpy and pull her close for a hug, not only to comfort her, but also to appreciate her, that despite everything she's alright and still with you.
>She snuggles up against you with a satisfied hum, rubbing her cheek against yours as she wraps her hooves around your body.
>"And when you were asleep I've been thinking about our home, but the more I thought about it the less sad I became because what made our home special was that you're there with me, and you were still with me here."
>You'd say the feeling is mutual.
>Derpy pauses a bit before continuing:
>"But I've also thought about when the monsters attacked and when you said that you want me to leave, but I didn't want to leave because I was scared."
>Shit.
>"And that was really stupid of me because you wanted me to be safe and I didn't understand that and it would have made you really sad if something had happened."
>You hadn't been thinking about that part until now.
>To be honest your judgment was quite impaired at the time, though even now it would be difficult to tell whether Derpy should have left or stayed with you.
>You're about to assure her that she did nothing wrong when there's a sudden knock on the door.
"Yes?"

>The door opens and in comes Twilight with a tired, but happy looking smile.
>"Twilight!", Derpy almost immediately pipes up from your lap, "Anon's awake now!"
>"Hi, Derpy", Twilight says before looking at you with a small smirk, "Well, it certainly looks like it."
>Upon closer inspection you notice that Twilight is looking pretty bad right now.
>Not only does she have big bags under her eyes and an unkempt mane and tail, her entire posture seems to emanate exhaustion.
"Are you alright?"
>Twilight closes her eyes and lets out an almost annoyed sounding sigh.
>"Yes, yes, I'm just a little tired."
>"Sleeping is important", Derpy adds.
>Twilight makes a slightly incredulous face, the kind she always does when someone else says something she deems stupid but she doesn't quite want to be impolite, and you think to yourself that you should have just kept your mouth shut.
>"Yes, Derpy, sleeping is important.
>If things go well everything urgent will be done in a few hours and I'll be able to sleep as much as I want."
>Well, Twilight is an adult and you trust her to know how hard she should push herself.
>After all, being a princess puts her in a position where a lot of ponies depend on her coordination.

>"Anyways", Twilight says, looking at you with a more positive expression, "apart from the obligatory friendly visit there's another reason I'm here."
>She levitates a slightly opaque prism in front of your face and it takes you a moment to realize what it is.
>"While you were out I got my delivery of spectrometer crystals, so now I'll finally be able to give Derpy a proper examination."
>"No injections, right?", Derpy asks with a little worry in her voice.
>Twilight gives her a warm smile.
>"No injections.
>I'll just need to put this crystal against your belly for a few seconds, okay?"
>Derpy nods and Twilight carefully brings the crystal to Derpy's stomach as the glow of her horn intensifies.
>Wild colors appear inside of the crystal as Twilight closes her eyes and concentrates on the spell.
>"It tickles", Derpy says as she squirms a little in your lap, trying her best to keep still.
>The whole thing only lasts for a few seconds though as Twilight soon pulls the crystal away again, smiling widely at you.
"So?", you ask with anticipation in your voice.
>"As I expected", Twilight begins, "the foal in Derpy's stomach is definitely yours."
>You feel a weird sort of pride swell within your chest as all of your doubts are swept aside and you realize that you're going to be a father in the near future.
>Derpy seems unimpressed and even a little confused:
>"Of course Anon is the father, who else would it be?"
>Well, to be honest you'd rather not spoil the mood by talking about infidelity, so you just nervously laugh a little.
>You should have never doubted her.

>On another note, you can practically feel the tiredness evaporate from Twilight's body as an almost childlike excitement seems to overcome her.
>"This is so exciting", she says as she claps her hooves, "For the first time in recorded history a pony and an amagical being will produce offspring and I'll be able to document it."
>Though it's probably not what she meant by that you suddenly get the mental image of Twilight spying on Derpy and you through the bedroom window.
>"Also I should probably tell you that some basic divination has revealed that your foal will be healthy, probably even slightly healthier even than the average pony."
>You feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders.
>Though it didn't concern you too much at this exact moment, over the last few days you had worried quite a lot about whether or not a hybrid between pony and human would even be able to survive until birth.
>"I'm not so sure about the details of the foals biology though", Twilight says with a thoughtful face, "It's magical aura is still pretty blurred in terms of frequency so I can't tell whether it's a pony or a human."
>"I hope it's a human", Derpy speaks up, "because humans are big and cuddly and it would be kind of sad if Anon was the only human ever in Equestria."
>As far as you are concerned it's the ponies that are the cuddly ones though your perception is based on Derpy who is probably an outlier when it comes to that.

>"So", you say directed at Twilight, "is that what you did with the crystal? Analyze the foal's magical aura?"
>"Basically yes, but in practice it's a little more complicated than that."
>Twilight looks at the crystal for a second, which you notice is still glowing a little, before flashing you a small smile.
>"You know, there's another interesting thing that you can do with this crystal."
>With that she levitates the crystal in front of your face and your eyes widen a little at what you see:
>Through the crystal you see many colorful nodes interlaid with the physical world, flickering slightly like a million small candles in the wind.
>"Coincidentally magical auras have a similar frequency to visible light", Twilight explains, "so you can make them visible with relative ease."
>You take the crystal from her magical grasp and take a look around the room.
>Though most of the furniture doesn't seem to be very magical in nature, you think you can make out several moving shapes behind the walls.
>Curiously Derpy turns around to see what it is you're doing and you look at her to find that her body seems to be filled to the brim with brilliantly blue nodes.
>You also notice how your own body seems to contain some red knots though they're in no way as dense as Derpy's.
>Makes sense you guess considering Twilight called you an amagical creature before.
>Speaking of which you turn your head to look at Twilight but find to your surprise that you can't see anything coming from her.
>Apparently noticing your confused expression she says:
>"The crystal blocks out my own aura because otherwise I wouldn't be able to measure anything."
>Makes sense.
>"And also you'd probably have eye damage by now."
>Oh.

>"Anyways, I should probably get going now, I still have some things to take care of."
>You nod, holding the crystal out to Twilight but she just shakes her head.
>"Keep it.
>It was made especially for examining your foal and it's pretty useless otherwise.
>And also", she adds with a knowing smile, "you haven't yet discovered why I've actually given it to you."
"Alright then", you say with a raised eyebrow as Twilight trots over to the door.
>After saying your respective goodbyes you're once again alone with Derpy who's getting out of your lap to get a better view at the crystal.
>"what does it do?"
"Let me show you", you say with the same smile Twilight had given you earlier as you carefully put the crystal in front of Derpy's dominant eye.
>"You're all red!", she exclaims as she looks at you, presumably seeing what you did, before looking at her own body.
>"And I'm all blue."
>You let her look for a few more seconds before putting the crystal in front of your own eye again, now taking in Derpy's full body.
>The image is pretty monochromatic, but there's one thing that seems to be standing out:
>A small, brightly green spot right in Derpy's belly.
>With a giddy feeling in your stomach you bring the crystal back in front of Derpy's face, leading her gaze down towards the spot where you had seen the green light.
"Can you see that?"
>"Yes."
"It's our baby."
>A warm, motherly smile spreads across Derpy's face as the realization washes over her and she gently rubs her belly with one of her hooves.
>There have been baby screenings back on earth but you don't think that any of them could measure up to what you're experiencing right now.
>It's just you, your beautiful wife, and your baby, in a moment of total bliss.

>However, the tranquility of the moment is soon interrupted when Derpy's expression changes to one of grief and her eyes well up with tears.
"Hey, it's alright, I'm here with you", you say trying to comfort her, hoping to figure out what's wrong, "why are you crying?"
>"Because..."Derpy begins, but stops to choke back a sob, "because I'm a bad pony."
"Is this about you not leaving me because you were scared?"
>"No."
>You furrow your brows in confusion, but regret it a second later when Derpy averts her gaze.
>She didn't mistake that as you being angry, did she?
>You attempt to look into her eyes but she shies away from you, hiding her face behind her bandaged hooves.
>So far she's didn't elaborate on why she thinks that she's a bad pony, instead deciding to just quietly sob in a miserable pile in front of you.
>It breaks your heart to see her like this.
"Can you tell me why you think that you're a bad pony?"
>Derpy just quietly shakes her head, still not looking you in the eye.
>Shit, she must be feeling like she really fucked up.
"Look", you say as you gently one of your hands on Derpy's shoulder, affectionately rubbing the back of her neck, "You're the most important pony in my entire life and I love you very much."
>If nothing else Derpy is now at least looking at you.
"And when I see you cry it makes me hurt inside because I want you to be happy.
Please just tell me what's wrong so I can help you."
>"Do you promise you won't be angry with me?", she asks in a weak, almost frightened sounding voice.
"I promise."
>You could never be angry with her.

>Derpy closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, apparently preparing for what she's about to say.
>She still doesn't look back at you when she begins:
>"When you said that I'm pregnant that made me feel really sad because you said that it's really bad to get pregnant on accident, but after a while I started thinking about what having a foal means.
>I started thinking about raising it together with you and that made me feel happy."
>Another deep breath.
>"And just now when I saw the foal in my belly together with you I was thinking that it's really good that I'm pregnant on accident."
>A single tear escapes her eyes.
>"But that means that I'm really happy about something that's really bad, and that means that I'm a bad pony."
>Before she can get another word out you wrap her your arms around her, and she gladly accepts the sign of forgiveness, returning the embrace with her tiny hooves.
>'Forgiveness' might not be the right word here though, since there is nothing she did that would need to be forgiven.

"Listen", you say after collecting your thoughts for a moment, "There is nothing that you did wrong here, this is all my fault."
>She looks up at you incredulously.
"When I told you that getting pregnant on accident is bad I was wrong.
I fell in love with you and I thought that we would never be able to have a foal together, but now that you're pregnant I'm also really happy about it.
And I think that it doesn't matter that we didn't plan for it because you're the mare I love and I want to have many foals with you even if it's on accident."
>Before you can get another word out you're cut off by Derpy passionately pressing her lips against yours.
>You can feel her tongue prodding against your lips and you let her in, deepening the kiss as you tenderly rub the soft fur on Derpy's back.
>After a moment she breaks the kiss, breathing heavily.
>"I also want to have many foals with you", she says with tears in her eyes but no longer sad.
>The way she says it, the was she looks at you, it reminds you just why you love this pony so much.
>You pull her in for another kiss, this one more tender, but just as deep as the first one.

>When you separate Derpy cuddles up against you, bringing her body as close to yours as possible.
>"Twilight said that part of our house need to be rebuilt and when we do we have to add a room for the foal."
>You smile.
"A nice room with warm colors and lots of love."
>Derpy doesn't give you a verbal response but the way she's smiling makes you think she likes the idea.
>The two of you lie down on the bed and start spooning, with you using your much larger body to give your wife a warm, encompassing hug.
>You relax, enjoying the peaceful moment after all the tears of the last few days.
>After a few minutes Derpy's breathing becomes slow and regular, indicating that she's fallen asleep.
>You're breaking the hospital's rules right now, aren't you?
>After all you're continuing to cuddle with her even though she's asleep.
>...
>Derpy was right, it's a stupid rule.
>You carefully put one of your hands on Derpy's soft belly, causing her to happily murmur something in her sleep.
>You can't make out any details, but you think you heard your name somewhere.
>As you begin to gently caress Derpy's stomach you realize that right now you aren't just touching Derpy's belly.
>There's a new life growing right beneath your fingertips, a monument to your love for each other.
>With a smile on your face you drift off to sleep.

-fin