//------------------------------//
// A new arrival 
// Story: Darkness Returns 
// by BronyNathan 
//------------------------------//

	8 1/2 months later...

It was around two in the morning. Woodwind, the girls, and Hairline and Teeny had been waiting for at least seven hours in the Hospital waiting room. Doctors and nurses walked by, continuing their rounds, leaving them to wonder and wait about Fluttershy. 
"C'mon! When are we going to go see her?" Pinkie asked, getting more and more anxious by the minute. 
Rainbow, who had been out cold, tossed the magazine that was draped over her face at her. 
"Pinkie Pie! Come on! We've been her for hours and I finally just gotten to sleep!" She groaned rolling back over on her makeshift bed of two chairs pushed together. Pinkie stuck her tongue out at her and continued her anxious pacing. 
"Hmmm, Twilight, could you be a dear and turn out the lights?" Rarity asked, just barely keeping her eyes open. 
Twilight used her magic to dim the lights in the baron waiting room. She put her book down since she couldn't read in the dark and walked over to Woodwind, who was pacing just as much as Pinkie.
"Woodwind, you need to calm down. She'll be ok." Twilight said, placing her hoof on his shoulder. He sighed and sat down on the floor, looking at Squeak and the twins who were out cold snuggled up next to AppleJack.
"I know, Twilight. But I can't help but worry about her. Remember how much trouble she had with the twins? And don't get me started on her pregnancy with Squeak." He said getting a little more anxious now. 
Twilight forgot how much of a scardy pony he could be when it came to his family. 
"She's fine. Soon we'll be able-"
She was cut off as one of the doctors opened the ER wing doors and approached them.
"Told you." She said nudging his shoulder.
"Are you Woodwind?" The Doctor asked, checking his clipboard. Woodwind approached him anxiously. 
"How is she doctor? Is she ok?" 
The doctor smiled. "She's fine. She wants to see you." 
The girls were now awake smiling at him, waving him anxiously off to go see her. Squeak woke up and ran to his side. 
"I wanna see her, too!" She said hopping up and down. 
The walk to her room seemed to take an eternity. The winding halls and twists and turns of the hospital threw him off. 
The Doctor stopped at a closed door and checked his clipboard again. 
"She's in here. She's pretty tired so keep it brief." 
He strolled off down the hall and continued his work. 
Woodwind slowly opened the door; nurses going every which way, cleaning up sheets and throwing away medical gloves and other things. Fluttershy was laying in the bed, smiling down at the blanket in her arms. She looked over to see Woodwind in the doorway with Squeak sitting on his head like usual. 
"Hi." She whispered as soft as she could. "Come in you two."
Squeak flew off and fluttered over her mother, looking down at the small foal in her arms. Woodwind tiptoed over to them and looked down. 
The foal was sound asleep. It's light brown mane sticking out, covering its tiny yellow face. 
Woodwind smiled as the foal began to yawn and suck its hoof. Woodwind motioned to a nurse, who came over to them.
"Hey squirt," He whispered to Squeak. "Why don't you go with the nurse and get the others. Sound good?"
Squeak smiled and nodded, following the nurse back to the lobby. 
Woodwind crawled into the bed with Fluttershy, holding her close and stoking the foals face. 
"Well? Is it a mare or a colt?" He asked smiling widely.
She giggled. "Its a colt. What should we name him?" 
He thought hard about it. He had so many names on his mind over the past few months, but after seeing him, none of them seemed to fit. 
"I-I don't know. What do you think?" He asked, scratching his head. 
"Well, I named the twins, so I think you should name him. If that's ok with you." she said, giving him a kiss. 
He thought for a few minutes. What would be a good name for him?
He only had one name in mind. Someone he never thought would save him, his family.
"How about Cole?"
Fluttershy was taken aback by the suggestion. 
"Why Cole? If you don't mind me asking." She said quizzically.
"Well if it weren't for what he did, we wouldn't be here today. He stepped in and fought two of the most powerful creatures imaginable. He may have been bad once, but I owe him. And I think carrying on his name is the least we can do."
Fluttershy smiled at the loyalty he showed for one of his oldest friends.
"Well, if that's what you want, then ok, Cole it is." 
The foal smiled and cooed slightly at his name. 
The door opened to the room and the others came in. 
"Hey, y'all. How is everythin' goin'?" AppleJack asked walking to the bed. 
"I wanna see the new baby!" Pinkie Pie yelled running through everyone to get a glimpse. The baby looked up at her and giggled, reaching for her hair. 
"Can I hold the baby? Please, please pleeeeaaase?" She pleaded, giving them the puppy dog eyes. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and smiled, passing the foal to her.
She carefully took him and sat on the chair in the corner, rocking him while he wrapped his hooves on her hair giving it playful tugs.
"So, girl, thats baby number four, huh?" Rainbow said nudging her old friend. She went to Woodwind and whispered in his ear. 
"Take it easy, huh? She's pretty delicate."
He had to chuckle at that. Fluttershy may have a shy and delicate demeanor, but when she wanted to spend some "personal" time with him...
There was nothing "delicate" about her.
Woodwind smiled as everypony said their "ooh's" and "awes". Teeny and Hair-line brought their camera and took a picture with all of them together. It was a great family gathering.
Woodwind was feeling a little cramped. He kissed Fluttershy and stepped out for a little bit to get some air in the gardens. 
He sat on the bench, watching the moths fly around the torches that lit the way. He smiled and laid down, putting his forelegs behind his head. 
He felt his legs being pushed off and somepony sit down beside him.
He looked up to see Teeny lighting one of Hair-lines famous grape flavored cigarettes on the lamp next to them. 
"Brought another one down for you, sir." She said smiling. 
He grinned and snatched it up, lighting it on the lamppost as well.
"You know you don't have to call me sir anymore right? It's been so many years and i'd like to forget that part of my past."
She smiled and stared into his eyes. 
"Every part of it?" She said quietly. 
He knew what she was referring to. It was obvious. 
"I thought it was you who'd want to forget about that." He said taking a long drag of the cigarette. 
"Well, some things are just hard to forget I guess. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Hair-line and everything, but some wounds just don't heal."
"Both physical and mental." He said smirking. "I remember Cole saying that when he talked about his girlfriend leaving him. Poor guy."
"So I heard you named your son after him." She said as she blew out the grape smelling smoke. "After what that bastard did to us?" 
He frowned and remembered Earth. It was gone, he knew that, and Cole was the last surviving human in existence. 
"The human race died with him on that mountain top. He gave his life so my daughter could have hers back. I owe him a debt I can't repay." 
Teeny took this all in. She felt a pang of regret thinking about home and all the people she left behind. 
"Do you think they found a new world? I mean, that machine was a dimension breaker."
"I wouldn't know. I'd like to think so, but..." He trailed off, trying not to think about it. Teeny placed her hoof on his.
"Hey, Woody. It's ok. Don't think about it." She said frowning.
He ran his free arm across his face and it came away wet. He didn't realize he'd been crying. 
"Woody, we have our lives here. Lives we would have never been able to have if it weren't for this world. I have a family, you have a family, granted we're ponies so it's kind of weird, but I love my children and my husband with all my heart. I know you do, too. If we had been sent back to Earth, we'd be skeletons in the dirt." 
She finished her cigarette and spit it into the trash. "And I know after all the fighting we've gone through, we weren't meant to die in a battle we couldn't even fight." She said standing him up and hugging him.
"We're marines, and we fight for what we believe is right. And we fight to win!" she finished.
"Ho-rah." Woodwind said, letting go of his friend. 
"I'm going back inside. I'll see you in there?" 
He smiled and sat back down. 
"Yeah, I'll be in in a few. Just tell Fluttershy for me." 
"Can do, sir." she yelled back as the door closed. 
Woodwind lifted up his wing and pulled a pipe out from under it. He hadn't told Fluttershy he smoked since she'd most likely disapprove, but after over a year of working two jobs non-stop to support her and the foals? 
Well, some habits were made in the process. 
"Never been one for grape." He said smiling, lighting up the clove flavor tobacco inside. 
The taste reminded him of Christmas ham with his family before the war started. He hadn't eaten meat in about ten years, but it didn't matter too much to him. Plants and hay actually grows on you once you get used to it. 
He sat there another few minutes until all the tobacco was gone. He gingerly placed the pipe back under his wing and turned to go back inside. 
"Ahem." a voice came from behind. 
But before he could react, something hit him and the world went black.


To be continued....