//------------------------------//
// First Light 
// Story: Stormy Seas 
// by Rahheemme 
//------------------------------//

Several days later, Fizzle went into labor. It was early in the morning, close to 4am. She hadn’t been able to sleep much from the ache in her belly she mistook for something else. Of course, the obvious answer lingered in the back of her mind, but as strongly as her body told her she was ready, the mare herself was far from it. Deep in denial of what was happening, she did everything she could think of to relax. But after hours of painful cramps that grew closer and closer together, Fizzle finally accepted they were contractions and headed for the hospital.

Ponyville was empty at that time of night. There was no one around to watch as the heavily pregnant mare stumbled toward the hospital on the other end of town. Her progress was slow, her laboring body forced her to stop every few minutes to ride out a contraction. More than once, she cried out in barely-suppressed agony, her voice echoing far in the thin night air. Part of her wanted to go back, to simply curl up in bed and beg for this to be over as soon as possible. But this wasn’t about her. The best chance for both Fizzle and her son would be at the hospital, so she pressed on.

Ponyville General wasn’t a busy hospital at its most active. They most commonly treated minor bumps and bruises, broken wings, and the occasional burn caused by an inexperienced unicorn practicing magic. At that time of night, the hospital – while nominally open – was practically deserted aside from a pair of mares chatting across opposite sides of the front desk. Fizzle breathed a sigh of relief once she spotted other ponies, but it was quickly overtaken by a gasp of pain as another contraction rippled through her.

One of the mares spotted Fizzle across the lobby. “Ma’am?” she called out. “Ma’am, can we help you?”

Fizzle opened her mouth to speak, to explain what was happening, but nothing came out but a choking sound. Suddenly, her body decided to speak for her. Feeling a pop deep inside her, Fizzle’s water broke, releasing a torrent of fluid to fall in a splash to the lobby’s tile floor. The release in pressure was actually a relief to the laboring Fizzle, who finally managed to gasp, “My baby!”

The two nurses stared at her for just a moment in shock, then sprang into action together. The one behind the counter snatched a phone to alert the maternity ward of an incoming patient while the other disappeared around a corner before returning with a wheelchair. Before she knew it, Fizzle was being rushed to the second floor at breakneck speed. Doctors and nurses spilled out of the woodwork at full gallop, following behind them. Somebody told Fizzle that she would be just fine, so she chose to believe them as she was wheeled into the delivery room.

The process was both slower and faster than she’d have liked. She was rushed to a bed, strapped to it in a humiliating position, and probed between her legs by a unicorn doctor with some very cold magic. However, after this, Fizzle was told she wasn’t dilated enough and they would have to wait until she was fully ready for delivery. She barely had time for the anxiety to work its way in in between the barrage of questions she was being asked. When was her scheduled due date? Was she allergic to any medications? Were there any complications to her pregnancy? In the middle of this, there was one question Fizzle didn’t have an answer to.

“Would you like any of your visitors in the delivery room?”

Fizzle, through the discomfort of labor, cocked her head. “Visitors?”

The nurse trotted to a curtain across the room and pulled it back. There, standing behind the observation window, was a small crowd of ponies. In front, Pinkie Pie stood with her face pressed to the glass, as if trying to push her way through, then gave Fizzle an enthusiastic wave once they met eyes. Behind her stood Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy – the usual suspects – all looking tired, but not displeased. 

“How…” Fizzle stared in disbelief. “It’s the middle of the night. I didn’t tell anyone I was…”

“It’s a small town. Word gets around quick,” said the nurse with a shrug. 

The crowd behind the window parted as Mrs. Cake stepped up to the window. With a smile, she touched her hoof to it and gave Fizzle a nod. Out of all of them, she was the only one that didn’t seem the least bit afraid.

Fizzlepop Berrytwist gave birth to her foal several hours later, as the dawn was breaking on the other side of the window. Lying in bed, barely able to keep her eyes open, she enjoyed the moment of quiet while the nurses tended to the baby and watched the sunrise.

“Dawn Chaser,” she muttered. The name came to her effortlessly. Whoever his father was, whatever kind of pony he was, that would be his name.

There was a gentle knock on the door. A plump, older nurse trotted in, holding a bundle. Fizzle, as exhausted as she was, sat bolt upright as she met her son for the first time. She unwrapped the cooing, squirming colt from the blankets he was swaddled in and took in her first, real look at him.

“Ah, I see,” she said under her breath. “So he’s your father…”