Spike sat in the waiting room, wings cloaked over his shoulders on the edge of his seat. He was hunched over slapping his knees in an anxious rhythm, his heels bouncing along. He felt his brow beading with sweat as he would look over to the clock from time to time. A toothpick that he had picked out of a bowl was smoldering and smoking lightly at the end after he sneezed while picking it up, though he never noticed and let it be.
He had been sitting around this waiting room for 8 hours, going from sitting, to pacing, to standing, and cycling through again. Rarity had been in the delivery room with Nurse Redheart and the doctor for over 14 hours herself. Spike couldn't help but worry himself insane. Twilight and his friends had done their best to calm him but at the moment they were away.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash offered to go get everyone some food since they'd been getting hungry, Pinkie had gotten distracted by a group of ponies who were walking by with balloons and flowers and went off to go throw some mini-parties for any patient having a birthday in the hospital, Fluttershy had worried herself into passing out and was taken to her own room to lie down, and Twilight had only recently left to search for a new book after she had finished the one she was reading.
Somehow though, Spike hardly noticed they were gone. This was something that he was a part of. Sure this was an important moment for all his friends, but any moment, Nurse Redheart would walk out that door and Spike would be a father. But what if she doesn't? What if she says the baby didn't make it? What if it doesn't like me? Is Rarity okay? I should have stayed back there longer! These thoughts plagued him regardless of any attempts at comfort he received. In fact some of them had been going through his mind on and off since they had begun talking of children. There was the occasion he would voice a worry to Rarity, and she seemed to find the words to calm him. But Rarity wasn't with him right now, and his friend's words, while comforting, did little to improve his mood.
Then he paused. His rhythmic slapping and bouncing came to a halt and he took a long and deep breath. As he leaned back in his seat, he noticed for the first time that most of the lights were off, with only one or two lighting up the counters. It wasn't surprising, after all it was well past midnight. However, where the words of his friends had failed to calm him, this darkness brought him peace. He thought back to the night he had taken Rarity out. The night of their first kiss. Was it really four years? He could have sworn it was merely an hour ago. He began swimming through his memories of his and Rarity's time together. There was actually a smile growing across his face, and his muscles began to relax.
He thought back eleven months when he first heard the news. "Spikey." She had giggled with that sway in her hips as she walked through the door. It had been a pretty busy day, and Spike remembered the exact look on her face. Lyra and Bon-Bon were there when she sauntered up to the dragon, beckoning him to lower his head so she might whisper her news into his ear. During that moment he felt something warm him from the inside. He lifted her in both his arms, twirling about behind the counter as customers diverted their attention from shopping to the happy couple, recently turned expecting parents.
It didn't take too long for her to show signs either, as Spike had upped the portions of their meals and began taking on more shop duties, though Rarity would still be stubborn. Even in the later months, she insisted on completing her orders. Spike would step in when he could, but backed away when Rarity became...difficult. But he acted the part of her loyal husband, fulfilling any request that she had for him and beyond. There were times Rarity seemed uncomfortable, a large portion of which came from the changes to her figure, but Spike never saw her as any less beautiful and wiped the worries away from the pregnant pony. Yes it was a lot of work for the dragon, but he found himself honestly enjoying a lot of it.
The two of them were caught a bit off guard in the hours before heading to the hospital. Spike had only just begun preparing breakfast for the two of them when Rarity called out for him. He had run back down into the caverns to find her on the bed. "It's happening." And that was all she had to say before Spike scooped her up in his cradling arms, making his way out of the boutique and directly towards the Canterlot Hospital. After bringing her to her room, Rarity had Spike send a letter off to Twilight, and the gang was assembled in Canterlot by the hour with a bit of magical aid. He remembered the look in her eye as she smiled at him, holding her hoof as they both acknowledged that something great was on it's way. "Oh, Spikey...Spike...Spike..."
"SPIKE!" Twilight's voice snapped the dragon back into reality. She'd returned with a new book floating by her side. "You okay Spike?"
"Yeah. No problems, Twilight. Just thinkin' was all." Spike grinned.
"You still nervous?" But even before she finished the question, Spike knew the answer.
"Ya know... I'm not so much anymore...Things have worked out great so far for Rarity and I...we'll be fine." The dragon smiled even wider and brought a smile to Twilight's face as well.
The lavender unicorn gave a giggle. "That's good to hear. You always worry so much about things like this."
Spike's smile turned into a dumb grin. "You know me." He looked around the waiting room again as Twilight took her seat and saw the others return within a half-hour span. Pinkie was dusted with decorations and glitter with a party hat on and a kazoo in her mouth, Fluttershy was being escorted back by a nurse, and Dash and Applejack had their saddlebags filled with everypony's orders. After everypony was handed their food, Spike went to take a bite from his sapphire when he felt a calmness rush over him. He simply dropped the gem and placed a claw to his heart. "It's here..."
Sure enough, Nurse Redheart made her way into the waiting room, and motioned for Spike to follow her. He simply stood without a word and walked after her. As he approached Rarity's room, the light glowing through it's window called to him like a beacon. His guide stood to the side of the door, allowing him to open it for himself. As he approached, he heard the sound of an infant crying, and could see the head of his beloved, cloaked in sweat and wearing a face of pure exhaustion, but still managing a smile more radiant than Celestia's sun, or Luna's stars. He grabbed the door, and let it open before him, revealing his family, and seeming to halt the cries.
Rarity turned her head up to Spike with that tired smile of hers. "Spike...Come say hello." She looked back down to her forehooves, both of which were wrapped around their own bundled blanket, one pink and the other blue. The dragon's eyes flew wide open, and he had to look back at his beloved unicorn, who nodded in confirmation. "Yes, we've gotten a bit more than we intended. Aren't they lovely?" The blue glow of Rarity's magic pulled away the tops of the blankets to reveal the faces of the newborns. On the left was the one draped in blue, his fur a light purple like his father's scales, and small tufts of light green mane covered his head. "This is Nail, he looks almost complete pony, but he has dragon wings, and your eyes, love. I know you can't see them since he's sleeping, but they look just like yours." Spike reached down to pick up the blanketed baby, cradling it in his arm and observing it closely, soaking up every detail of it's tiny face. Already he felt tears building in his eyes. "And this one..." Rarity brought Spike's attention back to his other child. "Is Mythic." Spike absorbed the little one's image. She looked more draconic, from the shape of her muzzle, to the light green scales under her chin. Her coat and horn appeared to be almost identical to Rarity's, with the same shade of purple for her mane as well. Her eyes were open, curious and quiet, she observed the new world around her with large amber eyes. She also seemed to have a tiny little fang poking out from under her top lip. "I can already tell she likes you, darling. Stopped crying when you stepped in."
Spike scooped up his new daughter into his free arm and looked directly in her eyes, which seemed to elicit a small giggle from the infant. This pushed him over, and tears were streaming down his cheeks as he tried desperately to stretch his smile wider, to an adequate size for his joy. "You look like your mommy, little one." Is all he was able to say.
There were a number of 'awws' and gasps around Spike as the girls filed in to get a look at the babies. Spike turned to show them off with a look of pure pride and ecstasy across his face. "They're adorable!" Fluttershy cooed as she stepped up for a closer look.
Everypony got a turn to hold them, and praise Spike and Rarity for their beautiful children. "These are your aunts little ones; Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and AJ and Rainbow Dash."
"Amazing. The first half-breeds between dragon and pony." Twilight uttered, as she held Mythic in cradled arms.
"They aren't half, anything Twilight." Spike Smiled. "They're whole kirin."
Twilight nodded in agreement. "Of course, Spike."
"Not to belittle anything, but... they're what now?" Rainbow Dash asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Qilin, or kirin, as Spike stated, is an old draconic word for pony, usually termed for unicorns." Twilight was quick to explain as always. "And honestly, that's probably appropriate." She handed Mythic back to Spike who returned the infant to her mother, who accepted her eagerly.
Mythic seemed almost tuckered out when she hit her mother's side, and gave a yawn and closed her eyes. Rarity smiled and nuzzled the foal's head before receiving Nail as well. She looked back up to Spike. "My apologies darling, but the three of us are going to get some sleep. It's been an exhausting night."
Spike took a seat by Rarity's bed and calmly stroked at her hoof with his claws. "Of course." And with that Rarity drifted off with children in hoof.
"You should definitely try getting some sleep too Spike. You aren't going to be getting as much as you want for quite a while after this." Pinkie giggled as she stepped up next to the dragon. Though when she came by, he didn't respond. His eyes were closed with his head on the edge of the bed. "Welp, enjoy it while you can." She snickered.
All the other ponies filed out of the room, before Twilight was the only one at the door. Looking back at the new family her number one assistant had helped start, she couldn't help but feel a tear drip down her muzzle as she gave a light nod, hit the lights and closed the door behind her.