//------------------------------// // Epilogue // Story: Simple Things // by Arbiter Balemead //------------------------------// "Fluttershy I-I don't know what to say...except that I'm really flattered. I-I mean... you really want it to be me?" I gawked at her. This was sort of random. Well, not really. We'd talked about it last week, although we weren't thinking about it THIS way. "Yes. Wait... does that mean there is a spell for it?" She asked me hopefully. "Well, yes." She smiled brightly at me. I tried to not appear doubtful, but something about the way her smile began to fade told me I didn't do a good job at it. "Listen, Fluttershy, I'm not sure we're ready for this. I mean, I know we've been together for years, but this is a big step. Now, I'm all for it if you think we're ready, but are you absolutely sure?" "Positive." I resisted the urge to say that only fools are positive to my marefriend. "Okay. One second." "You want to do it now?" Her smile spread open. I giggled a moment, levitating a book down from the nearby shelf. "No, no. I'm just going to go over the facts with you." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ She opened the book and started scanning through it. She stopped at some parts for a moment, seemingly fascinated by tiny details. I couldn't hold back a giggle at the sight of her getting distracted by reading. Even while reading. She found the page she was looking for, and showed it to me. "I did some research on it after that little conversation last week, and I found these little things about it." I started reading through some of the facts. "Caring for foals can be very hectic, but completely worth it to a loving parent. It will be demanding, seeing as foals have many needs that they cannot tend to by themselves. As they grow and develop into full blown ponies they will go through many equally chaotic stages- Twilight I already know all this. I was a foal once." "I know, it's just..." She trailed off. "Twilight, we both live where we work. Staying home with a foal won't be hard." I said warmly. "Exactly! We don't even live together! If we can't live together, then how can we have a foal together? Obviously we aren't ready for a foal, right?" She sounded a little frantic at this point. Her eyes were wide, pupils shrunk slightly, and her eyebrows were scrunched together and raised the way they would be if she was... Afraid. "Twilight. Are you afraid to have foals with me?" I asked, just a little hurt at the idea. "No! Well... yes, but not the 'with you' part. I'm just a little...what if I'm not a good mom?" She looked at me in a way that reminded me greatly of Angel when he was trying to apologize. Big eyes, worried expression, and a subtly quivering lip. "Twilight." I scooted closer to her and wrapped her in a hug. "You will be, I promise. Besides, I'll be there the whole time, right beside you. And about us not living together?" "Yeah?" "You could move in with me. I can't really move into town and still take care of the little critters..." "And I can still work here." She finished for me. "It's not a long walk at all. I really could move in with you, and Spike and me could help out at your house and-" "Twilight?" "Huh?" "Calm down, please." I said, smiling warmly. She gave me a sheepish grin. "Right, sorry." She smiled sheepishly at me, to which I replied with a kiss. "So uhm... When will we do the spell thing?" "We CAN do it now. If you want." She said, getting up. She levitated the book on children up to where it belonged, and pulled another one down from another shelf with her magic. She opened it up and found a bookmarked page. "It's a little complicated, and very intimate." "Wh-what do you mean?" "I mean it'll...feel weird for both of us." She replied awkwardly. "Oh. That doesn't really matter; I still want to do it." "Okay....It's a simple procedure. As the middle-mare, I take one mare's DNA, or in this case mine, and give it to the other, which is you." "Okay." Her horn began to glow as she started working her way through the spell. Weird wasn't the right word for how it felt... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It'd been more than nine months sense we'd made the decision to have a foal. Now I'm sitting in the waiting room, waiting for Nurse Redheart to get back to me. Well, not sitting. I'm surprised there isn't a trench in here from all my pacing, really. "Twilight?" I turned to look at the nurse. She smiled widely at me. "Congratulations. Come with me." I followed her through a maze of hallways until we arrived at Fluttershy's room. I walked in and found her on the bed cradling a little bundle in her arms. I pecked her on the cheek before peeking at the bundle she was holding. I found myself looking at an adorable, green coated foal. It opened it's eyes and looked at me for just a moment, and my heart just melted. "What should we name her?" Fluttershy asked. I thought about it a moment, then suggested a name. She said she liked it, and handed her to me. As I sat on the chair by the bed, happily cradling my new pegasus daughter I proudly proclaimed, "Welcome to Equestria, Dew Drop."