Little Wing groaned from her position on her parents’ sofa, on her back with her various limbs splayed in whatever direction they felt like. Her parents sat in armchairs across from her, while Misty Gust sat near the sofa just softly stroking Little Wing’s mane in comfort.
They had been sat in near silence for Celestia knows how long, though the source of Little Wing’s discomfort was all too clear. She was due any day now, after all. Her greatly expanded womb certainly supported this fact, and for Little Wing that due date could not come soon enough.
“Feels like I’m carrying the biggest potato ever grown. Spliced with iron,” Little Wing moaned, getting a titter from the others at her… unique comparison. “What? I mean it, this would be my punishment in Tartatus…”
“I know, dear. I’ve been through it as well,” Windy Whistles pointed out. “But you’ve been very brave so far.”
“…Bwah,” Little Wing just responded, rolling her eyes.
“I mean it,” Windy continued. “It’s not the easiest job, carrying a foal. But it is a rewarding one. Any day now, you will get to meet the baby and you’ll see.”
“I blame Silver Breeze,” Little Wing continued, and they had to wonder if she was even listening to her mother. “I bet he was a fat baby. And that gene has been passed on.”
“I suppose I’m talking to a brick wall, then…” Windy muttered with a pout.
“Now dear, you remember how you were with Dashie,” Bow lightly reminded his wife. “I’d never been so scared in my entire life.”
Windy’s pout increased. “Not. Helping.”
“She’ll be fine,” Misty Gust cooed over Little Wing. “She’s just as excited to be a mama as I am, aren’t you?”
Despite her foul mood, Little Wing looked up and offered her special somepony a small smile. “Yes honey. I am.”
“So, you’re still not going to find out the gender?” Bow enquired.
“It’s due any day, so it’s a bit late now,” Little Wing deadpanned.
“And we want it to be a surprise,” Misty Gust added in. “We’ve talked about filly and colt names. I think we’ve nailed down one for each… unless we end up changing our minds.”
“I don’t know, I’ve still got a few suggestions!” Windy proclaimed enthusiastically.
“More…?” Little Wing said in disbelief. “The last load you gave us was practically a novel!”
“Don’t be dramatic,” Windy dismissed. “It was only twelve pages.”
“And that was the shortened version,” Bow claimed. “I do believe we have the rest still around somewhere…”
“Thanks, but… we’ll sleep on it,” Misty softly refused. “For now, though, we’re pretty set in our choices.”
“Any sneak peeks?” Windy asked hopefully.
“Nope.”
The older mare drooped. “Aw, drat!”
“Don’t worry Mum. Any day now, you will get to meet the baby and you’ll see,” Little Wing parroted with a smirk. “And I think you’re being very brave about it.”
“Hush, you!”
Little Wing just chuckled. “What goes around comes around.”
The mare’s amusement was cut off, however, when she winced from a particularly volatile kick her foal saw fit to administer.
“Owch…”
“I guess my grandfoal is on my side,” Windy teased her daughter.
“Ugh, please don’t encourage the demon spawn…”
“Does that make you the demon?” Bow remarked with a small laugh.
“I’m getting there…”
“You’re not a demon, Wing,” Misty chided with a bop on her wife’s nose, which crumpled up a little in annoyance. “What you are is dramatic.”
“Yeah, well… If we have a second, you’re doing the carrying next time,” Little Wing decided as she looked directly up at her wife’s amused face, returning the boop in great vengeance. “And I’ll be sure to remind about allll of this!”
Misty leaned in with a coy grin. “Is that a challenge?”
Little Wing returned that very grin. “Maybe…”
The light grey mare chuckled. “Well, let’s get through one first, yeah?”
“Eh, you’re probably right,” Little Wing conceded, finally sitting up properly and allowing Misty Gust to settle down on the sofa next to her. She put a protective hoof on her stomach, her mood rising a bit. “And with the trouble the foal’s already given me, just wait to they’re flying and running.”
“Well, it’s a good thing our resident Wonderbolt has the speed to catch them,” Misty remarked. “Who knows, maybe it’ll be like you with Dash, and you’ll inspire the kid to join up.”
“Yeah…” Little Wing mused. “And I’m already thinking up the many, many, laps I’ll make them do for the many months of hell they’re putting me through.”
“Or just bill them the rent they owe you,” Bow Hothoof joked.
Little Wing gave him the briefest of bemused looks, before rolling her eyes and moving on.
“So, speaking of them, have you heard from the other Wonderbolts as of late?” Bow then enquired. “I know you miss flying with them.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to coming off of maternity leave, my wings are getting dusty,” Little Wing responded, giving her wings a quick stretch in demonstration. “Of course, Scoots checks in quite often, and Soarin does whenever Dash does. The Captain… well, she’s always in hardcore training mode every time she does.”
“Only because it makes you squirm,” Misty added in. “Though she is treating the foal like her most prized future recruit.”
Bow chuckled, before asking: “And how is the reservist they’ve got filling in for you doing? Heard much about that?”
Little Wing considered for a moment. “From what I’ve heard, they-”
Little Wing suddenly gave a sharp gasp, and she grasped her stomach in shock. Misty was holding onto her in an instant, and all faces looked towards her with worry. A few moments of silence passed them by, before Little Wing waved a hoof to signal that she was alright.
“Are you okay, dear?” Windy asked tenderly.
“Y-yeah… that was just a weird- Gack!”
Little Wing nearly doubled over as the pain returned, and suddenly began feeling like she had wet herself. A rather odd sensation, but one completely overridden by the soul crushing pain taking over her body!
“Oh my…” Misty whimpered suddenly, and she began to tremble.
“W-what is it…?” Little Wing asked through clenched teeth, taking in deep breaths.
“I-I think it’s starting!” Misty shouted, shooting up off of the sofa. “Her water’s broke!”
“WHAT!?” everypony else, including Little Wing, all shouted at once.
“H-hospital!” Bow stammered out in a mild panic. “We should go. Right now!”
“Yeah, I gathered that…” Little Wing said as she unsteadily got to her hooves. She could at least still walk, but by Celestia she was not enjoying herself at that moment!
“Come on,” Misty cooed as she began to lead her wife away, burying her own sudden onset of terror and anxiety. “You did want it to happen soon…”
Little Wing’s parents followed close behind. But while Bow looked about ready to faint, by great contrast there was a noticeable spring in Windy Whistles’ step.
“Oh, this is going to be the best-”
“MUM!” Little Wing shouted in pain and completely uncontrolled terror from the fact that she was about to have a baby. “NOT! NOW!”
Cloudsdale General Hospital
The pain had decidedly not abated after the family’s panicked rush to the hospital, and if anything was progressively getting worse each passing second. The moment they had arrived, Little Wing had been admitted and seen to by a sizable team of doctors and midwives as she was carted off for all sorts of last minute medical checks and preparations. It was all a mad flurry that seemed to both pass by in an instant and yet go on for several millennia, which did little to alleviate the mare’s extreme hormone and pain induced aggravation nor the nail biting fear the rest of them were feelings during the insanity.
And not only did they have to deal with everything going on in the hospital around them, they also now had the arduous task of sending out messages to everypony else about what was going on. They did their best to do just that, even as the hours ticked on by and the tension remained as constant as ever. Since Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were all the way out in Ponyville, it would likely take them some time to arrive. They were also doing their best to get in touch with Silver Breeze to tell him of the foal’s impending arrival, though he seemingly wasn’t home. Not that they were going to stop until he’d been informed, however, even if they had to track him down the old-fashioned way.
If the old-fashioned way was convincing the Wonderbolts to locate him for a surprise aerial extraction.
Better to leave that as a last resort.
More hours passed on by, until the medical ponies finally announced that Little Wing was undergoing the final stages of labour in the delivery room, and her family had all been urged to wait patiently in the waiting room.
Well, ‘patiently’ was a strong word…
“Nghhhh,” Misty half cried in her seat, being patted on the back by Windy Whistles. Bow was currently absent from the room, leaving the two mares alone. “She’s okay, right…?”
“Yes, dear. She’s fine,” Windy replied softly. “This is all normal. Why, just under a year ago I was waiting here for little Sky Dancer.”
“Yeah… I guess…”
They had been doing this routine of worry and comfort since the final delivery began. And to be honest, Windy knew all too well that the process never got any less terrifying. Not that she would tell that to Misty Gust during a time like this, that would not go down well…
So the older mare just continued to pat her back as soothingly as possible, as that was probably all that was keeping Misty from truly freaking out.
“T-this is probably what Little Wing felt like when waiting for her results from the final Wonderbolt’s exam, huh…?” Misty noted with a half-hearted chuckle.
Windy just smiled and nodded in response, though internally was raving about how much worse this truly was to that.
Yes, smiling and nodding was definitely more productive.
“I got him!” Bow suddenly announced as he burst into the waiting room… right past a rather annoyed looking nurse.
The mares both gave him blank looks.
“Silver Breeze!” he elaborated. “He’s apparently on his way now.”
“Oh, thank goodness for that,” Windy said while breathing a sigh of relief. “Hopefully Violet and Ace should be here any minute, too.”
“Yeah…” Misty muttered from her seat, taking in further deep breaths.
“Er, would you like me to get you a book to pass the time?” Windy suggested. “I do know you enjoy a good read!”
“N-no thanks…” Misty turned her down. “I don’t think I could concentrate on a book right now…”
“Oh, of course, dear. I understand.”
It was then that Bow Hothoof looked towards the door, a grimace crossing his face as he started to prance in place. “Well I can’t blame her, this is taking too long!”
Misty’s eyes widened. “W-what do you mean ‘too long’!?”
Windy looked at her husband with what could only be described as a shooty look. He stopped immediately, trying to shove his own panic down a little as he gave them both an apologetic and highly sheepish smile.
“Never mind him, he’s just nervous,” Windy dismissed, continuing her usual back patting as the younger mare’s coat somehow seemed to go from it’s light grey to a pale white.
And the, mercifully, the door opened… and a foal’s wails could be heard inside.
If the doctor said anything, Misty Gust didn’t hear it as her vision and other senses all seemed to tunnel into that room. As if on autopilot, she got up from her seat and began to slowly trot towards the threshold into the delivery room. Windy might have said something, something supportive perhaps, but it was lost on Misty as she finally emerged into the room.
The foal quietened down as Little Wing began to hum a quiet lullaby to it, rocking the child slowly and steadily in her forehooves. The foal gave a whimper, and then a small hiccup before seemingly drifting off to sleep.
Little Wing looked up, seeing her wife standing dumbstruck at the end of the bed. The medical staff were piling out to give the couple some space, though her parents were peeking in through the doorway.
“Hey…” Little Wing tiredly greeted. “About that demon spawn…”
That comment seemed to knock Misty Gust from her stupor, and she just shook her head in bemusement as she rounded the bed and sat herself down beside Little Wing and their new…
Son. The foal was a pegasus colt.
He had a dark brown mane and tail, dark enough that it was very nearly a clear black rather than a brown. Meanwhile, his coat was only the slightest bit darker than Little Wing’s, and even shared the eye colour of his mother.
A perfect little colt, in their eyes. He snored lightly, and on inspection he had no human aspects to give away his unusual ancestry. Neither a horn, a potential they’d considered when thinking how Little Wing’s current body was formed…
Just a little baby pegasus, sleeping soundly in his mother’s grasp.
“Hi there, Little Gale.”