A Long Hall
Big Macintosh squinted his eyes at the white hall and pale florescent lights that illuminated it. He wrinkled his nose at the smell of disinfectant, even knowing how critically important it was to the safety of all in the building he still hated it.
“Are you lost?” A gentle voice asked him, the clopping of hooves on the linoleum floor coming to a sudden halt.
Big Macintosh looked down at the cream colored nursing mare that had stopped next to him and stared up at the stallion with worrying eyes. “Eenope,” He said simply, his eyes returning to the far end of the hall. The nurse seem unsure, but gently nodded and trotted past him.
He would make it down that hall that was a simple fact. She, or rather they, were at the end of that hall and no force in Equestria or beyond could keep him from them. Not the princesses’ and Discord’s power combined would stop him, and yet even without their efforts Big Macintosh’s progress down that simple hall was slow.
Their friends had not been so slow to reach the end of the hall, having arrived hours before Rainbow Dash had managed to find him returning with his delivery cart many miles out of Ponyville. She had delivered the news and rushed ahead unable to wait on the slow running of such a heavy earth pony as him.
Big Macintosh chewed on his tongue, Pinkamina had promised him not to do this without him. He had wanted to wait by her side, to stay on the farm and be there in case it came early. She’s assured him, Pinkie promised him, that it wouldn’t come until he got back. He was never meant to make his way down this hall alone, to be allowed time to think, to worry about anything but her, what she was going through at that moment, and getting her to where and to do what she needed.
That time was past now, the receptionist told him when he arrived, all that had passed. She had arrived without him and so had the foal. He had been so prepared for that, preparing only for that every free moment of every day since they had found out and now that time had passed without him and he didn’t know what to think about anymore.
Ponies always spoke of his reliability and his stoic ability to deal with any situation that he was faced with and roll with it. The truth was that he hated change and the unexpected, well not Pinkamina’s unexpectedness, that was expected unexpectedness.
Big Macintosh went over that last thought a second time and let out a chuckle, that didn’t make any sense. But then that was Pinkamina, she was simultaneously the most stable and the most chaotic part of his life, she kept him safe and exposed him to all the wonders and dangers of the world. She was the stoic one, she was the one who could handle anything and it was only because of her example that he could do the same. While she was with him he could do anything.
“Big Macintosh!” Applejack’s voice rang out as she rushed to her brother and wrapped him in a tight hug.
Big Macintosh’s eyes went wide as he looked around to see all their friends and family around him smiling with a joy that went beyond his arrival. The only exception was Rainbow Dash whom crossed her arms and tried to glare at him as she said, “It took you long enough,” But she couldn’t help but let a joyful smile spread across her face as well.
Big Macintosh looked back at the hall that now lay behind him and wondered how he had come to cross it so suddenly, it had seemed so long before.
“Ye all git back an’ let ‘im through,” Granny Smith chided the assembled ponies nudging them aside with a firm poke of her snout. “Let ‘em go an’ git a proper look at his wife and child, he’s spent ‘nough time worrin’ already, right.” She looked up and met her grandson’s eyes, giving him an understanding look.
“Eeyup,” He agreed and quickly trotted past their friends and family, Applejack letting go of him as he started towards the door to the recovery rooms.
Unlike the first hall this one was so short he didn’t even remember passing through it. The next thing he knew he was standing in the hospital room looking down at Pinkie Pie whom dozed quietly in her hospital bed. Sunlight streamed in from the nearby window alighting her exceptionally messy mane and worn face. She had never looked so beautiful.
He waited, seconds or hours it didn’t matter, until she stirred and slowly woke up. She looked up at him and smiled both wide and wearily, “Mackie.”
“Pinkamina.” They greeted each other. Big Macinotsh rose up and took her shoulders in his hooves before leaning in and pressing his forehead against hers. He wished he could embrace her more tightly, but he was too strong and she was too weak at the moment.
They stayed like that for a while before she let out a little sniff and a few tears began to leak from her eyes. “I’m sorry Mackie, I broke my Pinkie promise.”
Big Macintosh gave a small chuckle at that and quickly moved to kiss away her tears, then planted another on her lips reassuring her it was all right.
Pinkie Pie smiled up at him as he pulled away, and with one last sniffle pulled up the tightly wrapped bundle in her hooves. “Big Macintosh meet your daughter, Apple Pie.”
Big Macintosh looked down and took in the sight of the foal in his special somepony’s arms. It was a tiny pink earth pony filly with her father’s orange mane twisted with her mother’s crazy curls.
Big Macintosh beamed at Pinkie Pie and then down at his foal as he took her into his hooves and brought her up to his face. “Howdy there darling.”