• Published 15th Oct 2013
  • 8,158 Views, 822 Comments

The Start of Something New - Rhino



No one ever said being a new parent was easy, especially if your wife is a changeling. Regardless, there is a little one on the way, and Rhino and Gel will have to learn how to be parents, as well as dealing with the first pony-changeling hybrid.

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Chapter 26: Sunday out

A ding echoes through the kitchen of a house meant for two but now only used by one. Mane Goodall lets out a yawn as she takes the coffee pot and pours herself a cup, stirring in just the right amount of milk and sugar. Taking a sip of what many would call 'liquid waking' she lets out a slow breath of contentment. One hoof lazily turns on the radio, the volume low enough to where you can hear things are being said, just not what was said. The details weren't important, it's just after living with her perkier sister for years, having the house to herself got far too quiet at times.

With another sip, she heads towards the front door to retrieve her usual paper, her tail swinging back and forth. On one particular swing though, the mass of strands catches just enough on the side of her saddlebag to make it fall to the floor from it's usual propped position.

*Squeak*

The mare's ears perk up at the unexpected sound. "'Squeak'? Now why would there be a squeak coming from my bag..." Forgoing her usual routine, the blue-maned mare leans down, having to tuck away her long mane behind and ear, it's usual bun that keeps it from getting in her way forgone on the lazy morning. With a flick of her nose the flap to her bags opens, revealing what appears to be the usual assortment of papers and veterinary tools inside.

"Hmm..." Sticking her head in very much like some of her patients would do when curious, the mare sifts around before another squeak sounds from the bag and she withdraws her head, now clutching a rubber fish in her mouth. Taking it with a hoof, she looks at it curiously. This particular fish sparks a familiarity she did not expect.

"Mr. Bubbles? Now why would you be in there and not with Mercury, being squeaked proudly?" The toy of course doesn't respond, but she didn't exactly expect it to. A memory of the night two days ago springs to mind, more vividly the image of a particular silver-furred friend scurrying around in her bag.

A smile grows on the mare's face, bigger than the one she had with her first sip of coffee. "Oh ho, is that it then? My little friend left me a little surprise? Such an important one too..." She squeaks the toy once, an amused giggle coming of her along with it. "Silly fox... I'll have to give him his toy back at work, and give him a little kiss for being sweet."

With her morning cheered up considerately from it's usual dull feeling, she sets the fish down next to her coffee and trotts merrily out to get the paper.

***

Over at a more familiar household, the lazy Sunday morning tradition holds water here as well. The little pink foal giggles as she plays her current game: trying to catch Mercury's elusive tail. Both the fox and foal bound over, around, and sometimes simply sit on the stomach of the navy nymph of the house. Off to the side, her husband watches with a wide grin on his face even while he plays with Selena, Specter, and a yarn ball.

As the pink and silver duo once again perch themselves on his wife's stomach, the stallion chuckles while the foal swipes at the tail. "So love, how does it feel to be the designated playmat for once instead of it being me?"

"Well..." She taps her chin, looking over at him coyly. "I think it's cute. Though I wish I could shrink down to join them..." She shrugs slightly, making sure not to disrupt the game of the ones on top of her. "But who knows how Ruby might react to that..."

He simply laughs more. "I think she'd probably squeal cutely, hug you, then play with you. I think the only time she'll be sore about it is when she gets hungry again." He pauses as Specter leaps and clings onto the ball, only to have the unicorn roll it away right towards the cat.

Selena immediately pounces on both, somehow knocking the ball away. She pins the squirrel to the ground, licking him twice before chasing after the yarn, rolling onto her back and tossing it up into the air.

Gel giggles at this, a small smirk on her lips. "It's nice to see them so friendly, like that..." She turns to Rhino and tilts her head, quirking an eyebrow curiously. "So you're saying you'd be alright staying on the sidelines while I played with our daughter?"

"Hmm..." Rhino smiles knowingly as he watches Specter bound back over to Selena. "Well, either that, or... I become so overwhelmed by the cuteness of the situation that I end up cuddling both my little girls. I hope for your sake Ruby likes to share me." He winks.

"Fair enough. For me to join them, though..." She sighs, shaking her head just as their filly leaps onto Mercury, happily nuzzling him and nipping his nose. "I don't think they'll be moving anytime, soon..."

"You may be right." He walks over, leaning down and nuzzling the nymph. "Still, not much of a loss considering we get that cute view." He motions downward as the fox's tail thrashes around as he lets out a snickering-type sound that they interpreted over time as the fox equivalent of full-out laughter.

As the filly continues pinning and nuzzling the silver pet, his bushy tail flicks all around, even brushing over her nose. As it does this, Ruby scrunches up her face, whining quietly for a moment before she lets out a sudden high-pitched sneeze. Looking stunned afterward, she suddenly sneezes again before she can even recover, the force of which causes her to fall off her mother, sneezing again from the floor.

Gel quickly flips over, catching Mercury with her magic before picking the filly up, holding her to her chest. "Don't worry, sweetie, I'm here."

The tiny foal sneezes a few more times, the force wracking her body before they subside. She whines her unhappiness tiredly as she snuggles up to her mother, trying to get closer to her as she sniffs.

Rhino quietly walks up, looking down at the filly, concerned. "That was quite the fit..."

"Yes, it was..." She tenderly nuzzles her, trying to cheer their daughter back up. "I wonder what that was about..."

Ruby nuzzles against her mother as the stallion responds. "Not sure... I know I sneeze pretty much everytime I use pepper if I'm not careful... She's not allergic to the pets, otherwise we would have seen it by now. I think her nose just probably got a bit agitated from his tail."

"But..." She bites her lip, trying to keep her concern internalized, for the filly's sake. What if she's ill? S-she's yet to get an immunization, after all...

He blinks. Oh, right... we probably should get her those so she doesn't get sick... at least her starting ones anyway. But... do changelings normally get immunizations as well? I mean you explained that the older they get the more their cells starts adapting to fight diseases anyway, but what about when they're young?

We generally never do... She taps her chin, thoughtful. Well... unless they're somehow snuck into Equestrian hospitals... but that's rather hard to pull off...

He raises an eyebrow at her while Ruby paws at the nymph's chest, wanting to nuzzle more. Do our pony immunizations work on changelings as they do us? No adverse side effects or lessoned results?

I don't think there's ever been a case of that... She nuzzles the filly once more, smiling sweetly at her. Besides... I think our little treasure is more pony than changeling...

As the filly hugs her mother's muzzle, a small content sound coming from her, Rhino hums thoughtfully. Well... we actually have no idea the percentages, but regardless... I'm unsure as to how a normal immunization would affect her. Probably won't do anything out of the ordinary, but... I'd rather get a second opinion to help decide. Well, besides yours of course, love, yours counts as well.

She smirks at him, eyes lidded slightly. Being an ex-medic for the hive does have its perks. She shakes her head, nodding towards the door. Maybe we should ask Twilight for help. She would be the best to ask for a second opinion, right?

Exactly what I was thinking. He nods, leaning down and nuzzling the filly himself. She is the only one in town besides us with experience with Ruby's type of hybrid.

Then it's agreed! Gel smiles, pecking their daughter's forehead. "Ruby, we're going to go see Twilight. You remember her, right?"

She looks at the nymph blankly before reaching up and grabbing onto her muzzle again. "Mama!"

"Mmph!" She blinks, turning to Rhino with a sheepish expression. I guess I'll be carrying her over, then...

You know you love it. He looks over to the pets, Mercury partially curled around one of Gel's hooves while Selena lays a distance away. One of her paws lies protectively on her yarn ball while the other lays even more protectively on Specter's back. "You three feel like a trip into town, then Twilight's? We'll probably head to the hospital afterwards."

The Russian blue yawns before rolling onto her side, hugging the squirrel to her chest. Purring softly, she closes her eyes and falls asleep with him in an embrace.

The nymph shrugs, lifting Mercury up onto her back. I think they'd rather spend the time alone with each other, love.

That or she decided for him The stallions remark wryly as the squirrel struggles a moment before resigning himself to the cuddle session and snuggling closer. Cute.

She nods, placing the bags and their filly on his back, in that order. "I'll say." She watches as Ruby nuzzles the back of Rhino's neck, her little hooves trying to hug him tight, and smiles warmly. "Almost as cute as that..."

He chuckles, floating her bags over and gently setting them on her back as she did for him. "What? Given up on carrying her already?"

She quirks an eyebrow at him. "I do need to breathe, Rhino. And you know you love how she enjoys being on your back." She winks as she heads towards the door. "Just like in the Plan, remember?"

"True." He cranes his neck around, giving the filly a good nuzzle and kiss. "I'm surprised your mother is the only one who has ever accused me of being a changeling given my own insatiable needs for love."

"I..." Gel pauses in the foyer, unsure. "I don't know how to respond... oh, we should tell her that her order of marble is on its way... I wonder if Hydro would be willing to relay that message for us, if we run into him first..."

"Agreed, we'll keep an eye out for them." He walks out of the room, curling his tail around Gel's as he comes up to her. "And if we don't see them, we'll just tempt her over with time with her granddaughter."

"Sounds good to me." She giggles, leaning against him as the two head out the front door. "Maybe we could even watch her as she works with the stone..."

There is a click, and the house is silent, save for the soft breathing of the two remaining pets. One of them peeks open an eye, the other following as she sees that the ponies have left. She nudges the black squirrel with her nose, purring softly. 'They're gone.'

'That's nice...' Specter snuggles closer to Selena, nuzzling her chest and neck.

She gives him a lick up the cheek before standing up, stretching luxuriously. 'Don't you see? This is the perfect time to go ask Miss Fluttershy!'

Looking up at her, the squirrel nods, knowing what she is getting at. He stretches out on the ground himself. 'Right... shall I go fetch our note then?'

'Please do.' She smiles, happily nuzzling him. 'Thanks, Spec.'

His tail twitches happily as he gives her a kiss on the cheek. 'No problem, Selly.'

The cat purrs happily, sauntering out of the room. 'I'll be by the back door. Try to be quick, hmm?' She winks and steps out into the hall, leaving him alone in the room.

With one last smile, the squirrel suddenly zips over to the bookshelf and begins to climb with the zippy speed his kind is known for. At the very top of the shelf, behind a few books, he pulls out a simple folded note. Holding it in his mouth, he leaps, spreading the skin the stretches between his arms and legs to glide out of the room and towards the kitchen. His tiny black claws hit tile and, note in mouth, he bounds over towards the grey cat.

'Perfect.' She giggles, stepping outside and holding the flap of the cat door open for him. 'Let's go see Miss Fluttershy... I'm sure she'll be happy to see us, again.'

He easily slips through the door, sitting down and taking the note from his mouth once outside. 'Do I get a lift for the journey?'

She rolls her eyes and lowers herself down, smiling wryly. 'I'd have liked a "please", but I don't mind doing it for you, either way.'

He alights onto her back, nuzzling her affectionately. 'I was just checking. Thank you, Selly. I can make it up to you later if you want.'

'I'll hold you to that.' She purrs softly as they make their way down the road, heading to the cottage where their friend resides.

The pets work their way into town, taking the alleys and outskirts to avoid being under any pony hooves on their journey. Soon enough though, the bustle of town is once again fading as they pad down a familiar dirt path. The entire world seems to get a little brighter as they approach. Bird houses start appearing, meaning more birdsong, various dens equal more wildlife scurrying around enjoying itself. Finally, as they crest a hill, they seem the humble cottage of the local animal caretaker.

Selena stops on the bridge before the house, smirking at her passenger playfully. 'This is it. Do you think Angel is nearby?' She glances around, suddenly concerned.

He looks around as well, the boss bunny's attitude well known from residents of the cottage both current and former. 'I certainly hope not... but you're much bigger now than you were when you were a kitten, maybe you can get him to keep his tongue civil now?'

'Maybe.' She licks her paw before continuing to stride along the path. 'I hope he's learned some good manners, by now.'

Specter scoffs. 'Not likely, learned how to pretend to have good manners so he doesn't get in trouble maybe.' He sees a few female bunnies hop past them, heading the direction they just came from. 'But, who knows? Maybe he found a nice girl that knocked some sense into him.'

'We can only hope.' They arrive at the front door, the feline looking up at it before turning to him. 'How, exactly, do we get her attention?'

Thinking over how the animal lover usually responds to things, the squirrel comes up with an idea. 'You could meow loudly so she wonders what's wrong and hurries to us.'

She nods, taking a deep breath as she steels herself to-

'Oy!'

She screeches, jumping back off the stoop. She stares with wide eyes at the white rabbit standing in front of the door. 'A-Angel Bunny...'

'What are you tossers doing back here?' He narrows his eyes, pointing at the two of them. 'You have your family. You don't need another, do you?'

Specter stands up straight atop Selena's back, one paw stroking her head to calm her as he faces the other rodent. 'We're just here to see Miss Fluttershy.'

He opens his mouth to respond but stops, his ear twitching right before the door is thrown open. The bunny is sent flying off into the river nearby, his little legs flailing in panic.

The pony of the house swings her head back and forth frantically, trying to find the source of the yowl she had heard. Her aqua eyes eventually lock onto the two pets just below her stoop, and she immediately crouches down to their level "Oh my goodness, is everything okay little ones? I heard a cry for help."

Selena looks up at her, mewling softly before turning to Specter. 'Do you still have the note?'

He nods, pulling out the note from where he had it pinned under one foot. As he offers it, the pegasus takes it with a wing. "Oh? What's this?" She reads the small paragraph typed onto the page, her eyes going wide and her face turning a bit red as she gets to the end. "Oh... my... you two want to start a family?"

The feline smiles before she tilts her head, confused. 'Why is she doing that with her cheeks, Spec?'

He shrugs. 'I have no idea. Mom and Dad do that too, though Mom turns blue instead of red.'

Fluttershy's wings shuffle as she looks around before turning back to the two. "Well, I guess you are of age... and if you really don't know..." She takes a breath before opening the door to her cottage. "Here, come inside and I'll explain how things usually work. I really wish there were some birds and bees around to help me with this, but most of them are busy today."

Selena moves forward, nuzzling and rubbing her side along her leg as she passes, purring softly. 'Thank you, Miss Fluttershy.'

The caretaker giggles as they pass. "You're very welcome, and I am glad you came to me of course, this is just usually something animals tend to discover on their own, not ask about." Fluttering over them, she lands on a cushion on one side of her table, gesturing for them to sit opposite her.

Certain that he wouldn't slip off her back, she jumps onto the table in front of her. She sits down, her tail flicking idly as she looks up at the butter yellow pegasus.

She nods as Specter slides of the cat and snuggles next to her. "Ok, where to start... ah! Ok, Selena, now you know those times of the year where you find yourself always being warm and uncomfortable?"

***

*Knock knock knock*

The sound of hoof on wood announces the family's arrival at Golden Oaks. The streets around them were starting to fill as ponies began their days, yet the quietness and repetitive movement of the walk had lulled Ruby into an early nap curled against and partially into her father's mane.

Her mother smiles softly at this endearing sight, giggling quietly. She really does look like she'd always be on your back. She sighs and shakes her head, her thoughts gaining a teasing tone. Darn your enchanting fluffiness.

He takes a small step closer, pressing his side to hers and rubbing playfully. There you go, a bit more fluffy for you. Just let me know if you want to use me as a pillow.

I'll hold you to that tonight, love. She tugs on his tail slightly, giggling brightly, just before they hear the sound of hoofsteps from inside.

The knob is enveloped in a sparkling rose aura before it twists, opening the portal to reveal the local librarian. Twilight smiles as she sees her visitors. "Oh, it's you two, or four should I say! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Twilight." She blinks, scratching her head a bit. "Honestly, I thought you'd be invested in a book, this morning... n-no offense."

The lavender unicorn giggles. "None taken. I actually was, but Spike is eating breakfast and the sounds of gems crunching tends to leave one unable to completely immerse themselves."

At that moment, the voice voice of her assistant calls out. "Who was it, Twi?"

She opens her mouth to yell back, but pauses as she sees the dozing foal. Straightening a moment, she calls out in a barely louder than normal voice. "It's Gel, Rhino, and Ruby!" Turning back to them, she gestures inside. "Would you like to come in?"

The nymph nods, smiling warmly. "Yes, please." She glances at Rhino, gesturing for him to go first.

He does so, giving Twilight a smile and nod as he passes, which she returns. Trotting to the rough center of the room near her wooden horse head statue, the stallion looks around as Gel walks in and the librarian shuts the door behind her. As Mercury braces two paws on Gel's head while he stands up to look around as well, Twilight speaks once more.

"So, what brings you to the library today?" She asks simply.

"Actually, this one does." Rhino motons his head backwards towards the foal.

"Oh?" Twilight instantly looks intrigued. "Has she been showing any other strange powers? Acting odd? It's been a while since I've seen her so I'm afraid I'm a little out of date."

"No, she seems to be having less magical surges, recently..." She sighs, rubbing the back of her neck. "We're here today to... ask about vaccines..."

"Oh, right... she is about the age where she should get her first immunizations." She nods to herself.

Rhino explains. "The plan is pretty much just to head to the hospital and get her them like normal, but I had a slight concern that her being a hybrid might have risks. After Gel and I spoke, we decided we'll likely go through with it, but we wanted your opinion as well."

She smiles. "Well, I'm honored that you would let my opinion weigh in something that affects your only foal. I'll definitely give you my thoughts if you wish, though, might I ask to be able to examine Ruby before giving them? I just want to be sure of some things." Her horn lights up and a few books float over, one of anatomy and one of foal growth.

"I don't mind, as long as we can stay nearby." The navy changeling smiles, bumping Rhino's side. You know, to make sure she doesn't get upset.

As the stallion nods, Twilight smiles brightly. "Excellent! Don't worry though, I won't be doing much. Let me just go get a few things and we can do everything right here on the table." With a swish of her purple tail, she heads down into the basement.

Gel sighs softly, turning to her stallion with a small frown of concern. Rhino, there's... another thing I'm concerned with... She gestures to herself. What if the ponies at the hospital... you know, overreact?

He raises an eyebrow at her. How so? Ruby looks like any other foal...

She rubs the bridge of her nose, trying to keep calm for Ruby. To me, love. My kind still isn't completely welcomed, around here...

He closes his eyes, breathing steadily as he answers, his words solid and itemized. You are not seeking treatment. You are the mother of a foal making sure to do what you can to make her healthy. I will be with you the whole time. They cannot legally separate you from her in any way. If somepony makes a comment, we will ignore them or I will silence them. If somepony denies her treatment, I will see to it that it is the last treatment they will have the ability to even perform legally. I frankly don't care what they may think, both you and Ruby shall be treated cordially. End of story. His nostrils flare with every breath by the end of his list, a small fire behind his barely opened eyes.

Gel blinks, feeling the stallion's ire leaking into the air. What confuses her is the fact that, despite the fire in his eyes, it's about the same level of anger as one who lost a bet. She walks over, tenderly nuzzling his cheek. "It won't have to come to that, love. I'm sure that we could get the Princesses to help, if it gets that bad... maybe even mentioning their name could nip the problem in the bud."

"Perhaps..." He breathes easier as he levitates Ruby off his back, but changes course from the table and puts her in one foreleg against his chest instead. "I prefer to just go in not expecting problems at all." He kisses Gel on the cheek.

"Sounds like a good philosophy, to me..." She sighs, leaning up against him and closing her eyes. "I guess I'm just a little silly for not seeing the silver linings easily..."

"Nothing wrong with being security conscious, you know I'm just as paranoid about that as you are." He holds Ruby close between them. "I just stay hopeful the other part of the time because it's better for my psyche."

She chuckles, shaking her head. "I see..." Her ear twitches, and she turns to the basement door.

Twilight emerges from below, measuring equipment, scales, and a magnifying glass floating ahead of her. "Sorry about that, turns out my magnifying glass wasn't put back where it needed to go."

"Not a problem." The nymph smiles warmly, glancing at the scales curiously. "Um... are you... taking her measurements, again?"

The mare nods. "Yes. It's important to chart her growth given how small she started out. This could prove invaluable data for any future parents of hybrids."

Gel just shrugs. "I suppose that'd be very helpful." Especially to Luster and Octavia...

True, I wonder how long it will take Twilight to get word of them. A chuckle sounds inside his head as the mare speaks once more.

"Right, now, if you could just levitate her onto the table..." She lets the sentence hang in order for the stallion to do so.

Showing his usual resistance to anything in the realm of letting someone besides him or Gel holding his daughter, the stallion slowly levitates the snoozing foal onto the surface.

Gel nuzzles his cheek, smiling softly. It'll be fine, love. It's just going to be like every time before...

I know... I know... He watches as Twilight gently lifts the filly onto the scale with her own levitation, setting her down and sliding the weights around to determine her exact weight.

She looks up at the two of them. "I take it she's still drinking plenty of milk in order to maintain this growth?"

The navy changeling chuckles, nodding her head slowly. "Oh, definitely. Takes after her father, that way."

Twilight giggles, "Oh yes, I definitely remember him casually drinking over a quart of milk during some of our one our interviews." She nods to the scale and scribbles down the numbers just as a certain pink filly starts to stir from the cold pan she was set in.

Ruby slowly blinks open her eyes, her gaze falling on the lavender unicorn. She stares at her for a moment before she holds her hooves out, hopeful. "Ba?"

"Umm..." Twilight looks over to the parents. "Translation?"

Rhino shrugs. "Honestly I don't know. It's sort of her fallback word for when she doesn't know a specific word for something." Nevertheless, he steps a bit closer to the table, just in case.

"Oh, okay then." She looks back down at the foal, levitating her off the plate and onto the table with a bit of magic. "I'm just doing your measurements again, sweetie. Nothing bad." She brings over the ruler, measuring the foal's shoulder height.

The filly slowly stands, toddling over to the edge of the table. She reaches out to Twilight, whining softly at the inability to reach her before sitting and giving the mare a doe-eyed stare, forelegs held open to her. "Hug?"

You can practically hear the mare's heart melt at the sight as she coos. "Aww~!" She gives Gel a look. "May I?"

The nymph giggles and smiles warmly, nodding. "You may. Please be careful, though..."

"I will." She walks forward and sits down next to the table, spreading her forelegs out on it and smiling warmly to the filly.

Ruby squeals in excitement, leaping up and hugging her chest as much as possible. She nuzzles the soft lavender fur, cooing happily.

Twilight gently wraps her hooves around the filly, nuzzling her back. "Always the affectionate one aren't you, Ruby? You never seem to mind standing still while I measure as long as you get that love afterwards."

Gel giggles at the purr from their daughter. "Oh, my... I think she's starting to take after Selena..."

Rhino chuckles as well. "She is in that impressionable stage. I just didn't expect her to mimic the pets..." He turns his head towards the silver fox on Gel's back. "Anything you're teaching her I need to know about?"

Almost at the same time, Ruby and Mercury look at him and stick their tongues out at him. The nymph can only laugh at the cute, if silly, action.

Rhino covers his eyes with a hoof, shaking his head. "Oh dear..."

Twilight joins in the light laughing as she sets Ruby back down on the table. "Well, from all that I have to say her mental abilities are coming nicely, maybe a little above average." She grabs the ruler again in her magic, but keep one hoof on the filly's side to distract her and/or keep her still, depending on how she reacts to it.

She nuzzles the mare's hoof, a surprisingly feline mew of happiness escaping her lips. She opens her eyes and spies her father, beaming and reaching out for him. "Dada!"

He chuckles at his daughter as he too walks up next to the table, reaching out a hoof and stroking the little filly. "Well, at least I still get words and not meows."

Twilight smiles at him, resuming her measurement of the filly's various lengths. "Thanks, I always know this is the hardest part. Somehow the smaller the pony, the harder it is to keep them still."

Ruby grabs his hoof with her own, happily starting to nibble it affectionately. Her ear twitches as the mare measures it, but her attention is completely on the stallion.

The unicorn giggles more as she measures leg length, remarking to Gel. "Who needs a pacifier when you have him around, right?"

She laughs, shaking her head. "So true. I think it's his fur, personally..."

"I could see that." Twilight nods as she takes the ruler away. "Ok, now this last one is actually for today since you're taking her to get injections," she raises up her magnifying glass, "I'm just going to check that the common veins the doctors use are all there."

Gel blinks, tilting her head in confusion. "How... how does a magnifying glass help with that, exactly?"

"Because a foal's veins are smaller and more subtle than an adult pony's." She explains simply as she takes one of Ruby's legs in a hoof, part the fur with magic and peering through the magnifying glass as she scans them.

"Oh..." She slowly nods. "I suppose that makes sense... especially since she's still smaller than an average filly..."

Twilight nods. "Yes, though definitely much less so now than a month ago. At this rate, I think she'll be normal size in another month or two." She pulls away. "Alright, everything seems to be in it's normal place. We're done."

Rhino chuckles. "Just because you say we're done, doesn't mean I suddenly lose the title of 'chewable'." He motions his head towards the filly who is still biting his hoof before he does a bit of careful twisting. She ends up in her usual position of being held in a foreleg against his chest, only now she has the added bonus of still being able to chew the hoof attached to the leg.

The pink pony coos softly, nuzzling her father's chest. She continues to nibble the edge of his hoof, happily purring like a kitten.

The stallion remarks to his wife. "You know, she might also get the purring from you. I do recall you making that sound occasionally... just this morning in fact."

She blushes brightly, poking the floor shyly with a hoof. "M-maybe... I've never made a 'mew', though. That's from Selena..."

Spike walks in at that moment, licking a bit of glittering jewel dust from his lips. "What's all this meowing and talking about cats I keep hearing?"

Twilight smiles at him. "Just admiring Ruby, Spike. Did you wash your dishes?"

"Of course I did." A smirk grows on his face. "I washed yours too."

"Oh..." the unicorn clears her throat awkwardly, "well, thank you for that."

Gel giggles, shaking her head as she walks over to Spike. She hugs him, gently nuzzling him before backing away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. "How's my favorite dragon doing?"

He smiles, puffing out his chest. "Great! Twilight's been giving me more responsibilities around here! How's being a mom going?"

"Wonderful!" The nymph titters, looking back at the sleeping filly who continues to nibble Rhino's hoof. "She is our little treasure... and she loves us just as much as we love her..."

"That's always good. Oh! Hey, I just remembered..." he walks back into the kitchen and comes back out with a card, "you said you wanted my recipe for dumplings, right? Well, I finally had the thought to write it down as I was making them." He offers the card to her.

Gel smiles warmly, taking the card in her magic. "Thank you, Spike." She leans down and pecks his cheek, tucking the card into her saddlebag. "I'll try it out, tonight! I hope they're as good as yours..."

The drake laughs as a wide smile and light blush grace his cheeks. "I'm sure you'll do great. You'll have to work hard to measure up to my magic fingers though." He wiggles his claws for emphasis.

"I don't doubt it." She holds up a forehoof, letting it change into an exact copy of his claws. She winks, letting each one wave in series. "You do have quite the advantage, though... and a good reputation with cooking, to boot."

Not caring that his caretaker is in range, the drake continues. "Hey, it was either get better at cooking through experience, or teach Twilight how to cook at all. I chose the less impossible option."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!" The unicorn interjects with red face.

"Twi, you burnt salad." Spike deadpans.

Her flush brightens. "T-that was a fluke! Rainbow Dash scared me when I was assembling it and I put a bit too much magic through my horn."

"Still ended up in burnt salad." He snarks back, a cheeky grin on his face.

The librarian seems to be chewing on her words a moment before she huffs and straightens up, marching to the kitchen. "I'll show you, I'll make a salad that impress even you!"

He calls after her. "Good, the fire detector needs testing!" He laughs to himself as he turns back to Gel, speaking to himself. "Heh, good one, Spike."

The nymph quirks an eyebrow at this. "Surely she isn't that bad... right?"

"Well..." The drake relents. "She can actually make a mean bowl of cereal."

The stallion listening in can't help but let out a snicker.

"It's a start, I guess..." She shrugs, turning to Rhino. "And I'm sure she can learn... I did, after all... and if not," she gestures out a nearby window, "she could always go to that restaurant down the way. The one with the horseshoe-shaped fries?"

He nods. "Oh yeah, she loves that place! Something about the sauce they put on the burgers..."

"That... might explain some things..." She taps her chin, thoughtful. "I wonder if we should go there, sometime..."

Rhino speaks up. "We could always go after work sometime, maybe check and see if Spike could come with us."

The dragon nods quickly. "Yeah, that'd be sweet!"

"Perfect!" Gel giggles, rushing forward and pecking her stallion on the cheek. "How about tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me. We'll just pack Ruby's milk and we're good to go." He smiles at her while the drake behind her does a small victory dance.

She glances at the dragon, smiling shyly. "Still better than me..."

"Maybe, but you're more flexible." Rhino nips her ear teasingly.

She squeaks, her cheeks swiftly flushing vibrant blue. "T-true..."

"Anyway," the green stallion turns to Spike, "we should actually probably get going. We've still got to head to the hospital and get Ruby her shots."

Spike nods a slight grimace on his face. "Good luck, at least she not like me where they need to use special scale-piercing needles."

Gel blinks, staring at him blankly. "Scale piercing... needles?"

He tilts his head at her. "Well, yeah. Dragon scales are tough, you know. It's not like there's a part of me that isn't covered by them either."

"And these needles..." One of her eyes twitches as she raises a hoof. "Could they... pierce chitin?"

He thinks a moment. "No... I don't think so. They're specially enchanted to pass through exactly what dragon scales are made of. Apparently some big researcher in Canterlot made them after a trip to the dragon lands to be used on the dragon ambassadors when they came with him." He shrugs. "It's not like there are many dragon looking for injections anyway, so there aren't that many around. At least that's what Twilight told me when I asked why we had to wait months for them to order it."

The nymph breathes a sigh of relief, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry about the questions, I just... was worried that we wasted a Wednesday afternoon..."

He looks at her curiously. "What? You had a changeling that needed to go get shots or something?"

"Well... not exactly..." She backs up slightly, quite unsure how to elaborate.

He shrugs, waving a hand. "Eh, it's cool if you guys don't have time to talk about it. I understand."

"Thank you, Spike." She smiles, opening her saddlebag and pulling a small sapphire out. "Maybe this could help as an apology, just in case?"

"There's nothing really to apologize for..." he locks his eyes onto the small treat, "but well, I'm never really going to turn down a gem."

"Well, then..." She giggles and floats it over to him. "Think of it as a thank you for the recipe."

He grabs the jewel, giving it a lick. "Well, you're quite welcome." He tosses a look back towards the kitchen. "I'd better go check on Twi, it's a bit too quiet in there for me. I'll see you guys tomorrow though, right?"

"See you then, Spike." She waves at him before turning to Rhino, noting the filly still nibbling his hoof in her sleep. "So... how long do you think she'll do that, for?"

He shrugs as he turns towards the door. "I'd imagine until she either wakes up and sees something that distracts her, or until that biting turns to sucking and she realizes my hoof doesn't give milk."

"Maybe..." She scratches her head, confused. "How are you going to walk, until then?"

"Well, admittedly I usually don't go three legged when I'm walking through town, but I don't see any harm in it right now." He stands up, his one leg still curled under and around the foal to be both bed and toy.

Gel moves up against his side, smiling softly. "Don't worry, love. I can be your support, if you need me to."

As they move toward the door, he nuzzles her before giving her a quick kiss on the lips. "I know you will."

***

"...and that should be everything you need to know. It's just all about knowing the signs and your partner." Fluttershy nods, having found the conversation much easier once the momentum got going.

On the other hoof, Selena found herself becoming more embarrassed as the conversation continued. Her tail twitches around Specter as she attempts to digest just what was said. 'So... that's how that works...'

The pegasus covers her mouth with a hoof. "Oh my, I didn't mean to embarrass you... I thought you came here to learn all that."

'Well... we didn't quite expect... that...' She looks to the pet next to her, concerned. 'You alright, Spec? You haven't... reacted, yet...'

The squirrel, whose face had remained blank after they had gotten into the details, suddenly shivers and shakes his head. He looks to the pony with ears folded back. 'Does... does it hurt the female?'

Fluttershy shakes her head quickly. "Oh no, well, a little at first, but after that it feels very good."

The feline blinks, considering this for a moment before pulling him close, looking up at the mare resolutely. 'If that's what it takes for us to have a family... then I'll be alright with any amount of ache.'

Even as the squirrel nuzzles his girl, the mare's ears fold downward. "Well, umm, about that... There is actually a slight problem."

Selena tilts her head, frowning slightly at her hesitance. 'What's the matter, Miss Fluttershy?'

Fluttershy's mane comes forward to cover part of her face as she speaks quietly. "I'm truly sorry, but... normally critters of the same species have babies. I don't think squirrels and cats can normally have families..."

Specter's ears stand straight up. 'What?'

'But... we...' The grey feline mewls plaintively, her entire body seeming to deflate at the words. 'I was... looking forward to having kittens...'

The squirrel wraps his arms around Selena. 'Hold on now, it'll be fine...' He looks to Fluttershy. 'You said we normally different species don't have babies. So... it has happened?'

"Yes, it has!" She leans forward, her own eyes full of sorrow as she sees the sad pets. "Things like this have happened before, it's how griffons and hippogriffs came around. It's just... we need to think of somepony who could help." She wracks her brain, desperately thinking of how to make the situation better. "Or maybe... some zebra."

Selena taps the mare's nose, curiosity overtaking her sadness. 'Miss Fluttershy? What do you mean, "some zebra"?'

Seeing how it didn't make the cat sadder, she explains. "Well, there's a friend of mine, who is a zebra, named Zecora. She is an expert when it comes to all kinds of potions. Maybe she has something that could help you..."

'So... we might be able to have kittens...' Her eyes widen slightly. 'If she has the right potion?'

The mare nods. "Yes, she's had potions for almost everything. Her walls are always covered in different ones."

The cat looks at her quietly for a moment before turning to the squirrel, hopeful. 'Then... she might have the one we need?'

'Sure seems that way.' He licks her face affectionately. 'We should try her and see.'

She nuzzles his cheek and turns to the mare, smiling softly. 'Could you take us to see her, Miss Fluttershy?'

The pegasus is nodding almost immediately. "Oh yes, but umm..." her whole countenance seems to deflate, "I can't actually do that today. Sundays are my busy days when I restock and make sure everything is ready so I can get it done quickly during the week. Is tomorrow ok?"

'That'd be great!' Selena purrs, moving forward to gently touch noses with the caretaker. 'Thank you so much for everything.'

"I'm happy to help." She rubs her nose lightly on the cat's, a common sign among animals. "Now, did you want to just drop by again, or if it would be better, would you prefer me to come pick you up?"

'I think it'd be best to be picked up...' She turns to Specter, mewing softly. 'We wouldn't want them to be concerned, would we?'

He puts a paw to his chin as he looks down. 'Would she even gt there early enough for that excuse to work though? I mean... I guess we could check, but I think Mom and Dad will start to wonder if we say we just want to stay home again.'

'I don't know...' Selena turns to her, tilting her head to one side. 'Would you be able to, Miss Fluttershy?'

"Well, um, that depends. How early do I need to be there?" She asks.

Specs answers. 'We usually leave for work at like... 7 in the morning. So, a bit before then.'

"Hmm... well, I'm usually up fairly early, so... yes I can do that." She points out the window with a hoof. "You two live in that big house on the other side of town, just outside of town itself, correct?"

Selena nods, smiling warmly. 'That's right.'

Fluttershy smiles back. "Ok, I can be there."

'Great!' She scoops the squirrel onto her back and leaps off the table, brushing against the mare's leg gently. 'Thank you, again, Miss Fluttershy.'

"Oh, you're very welcome. I do wish you both luck." She reaches down and pets the two of them before fluttering over to the door and opening the bottom half for them.

The two of them leave the cottage, heading back down the dirt path and past a dripping white rabbit. Selena smiles at this, but makes sure to stay out of the bunny's sight.

He stalks past them, grumbling to himself as he shakes himself before reentering the house. As they walk away, Specter remarks wryly, sounding as though he's suppressing a laugh. 'He looked like a rat when his fur was slicked down...'

'Please. That's an insult to rats everywhere.' She winks at him as they cross the bridge, slowly making their way back into town.

'Yeah, you're probably right. That was mean of me.' He snuggles down a bit more on her back, rubbing his head on the back of hers. 'So... we learned a bit today.'

'Yes, we did.' She goes silent for a moment. 'I... don't know what think of it...'

'Well,' he begins, 'when you think about it, I guess we weren't that far off. We knew the general area we were working in for you... we just didn't know exactly where or what to do. Of course... we had no idea of my part in it.'

'That's... true...' She sighs, glancing over her shoulder at him. 'Still kind of hard to believe, to be honest.'

He tilts his head at her. 'Which part?'

'The fact that it's how kittens are made.' Selena shakes her head. 'I have to wonder if Ruby was made the same way...'

Shrugging, the squirrel sets his head down on her to look ahead of them. 'It seemed to be a thing across all species, so I guess so.' His face wrinkles. 'I... don't like to think about Mom and Dad doing that though.'

'Fair enough...' She shudders softly. 'Still... I guess the... pain aspect is a little daunting...'

'I don't want to hurt you...' He licks her ears soothingly. 'But she did say it didn't last long, so that's something.'

She stops on the edge of town, purring at his actions. 'I guess...'

He continues licking. 'Is there anything I can do to make you feel better when we get home? I could get your yarn ball or something.'

'I don't know...' An ear twitches away as a thought occurs to her. 'Actually... didn't Miss Fluttershy also say it feels "very good"?'

Nodding, the squirrel pauses. 'She did, why?'

'Well... maybe that could help me feel better?' She looks at him, curious. 'It's worth a shot, right?'

'I... suppose so.' He strokes her head gently with his claws. 'You really want to though?'

She closes her eyes, purring softly as his paws rub over her head. 'I do...'

'Ok then.' He scratches behind her ears. 'If we like it... I guess we'll see about doing it more. If we don't, well, we got the painful part out of the way.'

'True...' She continues their walk, but suddenly stops and ducks behind a salespony's tent.

'Hey, why'd you-' The black squirrel cuts himself off as he spots Rhino and Gel ahead of them with Ruby and Mercury, all of them walking towards the hospital.

She waits for them to pass before rushing along the alleyways, making sure to be as quiet as possible. 'We can't have them seeing us outside the house, can we?'

He nods against her, all four limbs holding on with practised ease. 'They trust us to not go wandering off when it could be dangerous. For all they know, we're still home... wait... exactly why are they going to let us go with Fluttershy tomorrow? Do we just tell them the truth?'

She slows down as they reach the other side of town, tilting her head to one side. 'I don't know... they trust Miss Fluttershy... and I guess we could tell them...'

'Maybe... wouldn't they be worried or want to come with us? I don't really want to make a huge deal out of going, I just want to go, get the potion, get back.' He huffs. 'I mean, I guess they'll find out anyway, but... I don't know... maybe we just come up with an excuse?'

'Fair enough...' She starts down the path to the house, her ears twitching. 'I hope you'll be coming up with that, though...'

'I'll... see if I can come up with something...' He nestles himself against her once more and sighs contently.

***

The family enters the Ponyville hospital, heading straight for the check-in desk. The lobby is as much as one might expect, white walls, chairs just uncomfortable enough so you can't fall asleep in them, and a few ponies scattered about biding their time until their turns come up. Rhino still holds Ruby in his foreleg, the foal still chewing on his hoof, using it as her teething ring for now.

Gel stays close to his side, nervously glancing at each pony as they pass by. Her tail grips his tighter, tugging slightly as her anxiety grows.

Feeling this, he stops, pausing for a moment before they reach the desk. He nuzzles her soothingly as he whispers. "Relax, love. It'll all be fine. I promise."

She smiles sheepishly, her ears dipping slightly. "Am I nervous? I'm not nervous. What are you talking about?" She titters, waving her hoof at him. "Stop being so silly, Rhino."

He raises one eyebrow before stepping closer to her so that their sides are pressed together. "Well then, shall we check in? That way we aren't standing out here in the middle of the lobby while you... aren't nervous."

She blushes softly, nodding quickly in response. "Y-yes, please."

He smiles, nuzzling her once more before they walk up to the desk attended by a slightly bored looking blue mare in a nurse's cap. Her expression as she looks over the newspaper is not uncaring, but more the look of one whose job gets very repetitive. Such assumptions are seemingly confirmed when she asks in a sincere but nonetheless rehearsed tone while not looking up yet, "May I help you?"

"Um, yes, please." Gel puts a hoof on the counter, smiling warmly. "We're here to get our daughter her immunizations... we, um, didn't need an appointment, did we?"

"Walk-ins are fine," she brings out a clipboard with a hoof and sets it on the counter looking up as she does so. Her eyes widen upon seeing Gel, she doesn't comment on it, but her voice becomes a little quieter as she continues. "S-simply fill this form out and bring it back when you're done." She withdraws her hoof quickly and smiles nervously.

The nymph blinks, tilting her head to one side. "Thank you, Miss..." She trails off, looking down at the desk, her brow furrowing slightly in confusion.

The earth pony mare speaks quietly again. "Tenderheart..." She keeps up her smile.

She smiles softly, nodding to her. "Miss Tenderheart. Lovely name..." She picks up the clipboard and walks off to the side, sitting down in one of the hard chairs. She glances at a couple ponies nearby as they whisper to each other, making sure not to draw attention to herself as she does so.

Rhino sits down next to her, looking down at the paper. "Ah, good old hospital paperwork. I suppose I should have expected it given the only thing they've ever had to do with Ruby was when I sent them a copy of her birth certificate."

"True..." She fills out the first page, her ear twitching as she recalls each fact about their child. At one point, however, she has to stop and stare, perplexed. "Rhino?"

"Hmm?" He looks up at her from where he had been nuzzling a lightly cooing Ruby.

The navy nymph turns to him, concerned. "Did we ever find out... what her blood type is?"

He blinks. "Oh dear... no we didn't... We could probably get that done while we're here."

"Probably a good idea..." She skips the section and continues to write, ignoring the odd chuckles coming from the duo in the corner.

He looks down at their slumbering foal. "I hope she doesn't get too upset by all these needles she'll see today. It's not going to be fun."

"I don't think that should be an issue." She smiles softly and quietly purrs, gently nuzzling his cheek and quietly whispering. "We just need to be positive, and it'll rub off on her..."

"I hope it's as simple as that." He whispers back, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I just know I hated shots when I was little, let alone blood draws."

"Like I said, we just keep her attention on us, and everything should go fine." She giggles, pecking his lips lovingly. "Trust me."

"I can do that." He smiles and glances down at the almost complete paperwork before looking back to his daughter. "I wonder if she'll be awake for it..."

The nymph shrugs, shaking her head. "I don't know. I imagine losing contact with you might influence that, though." She turns back to the form, quickly filling out the rest of what she knows.

"Hmm..." He unconsciously tucks the foal in closer to himself, but says nothing more.

She sighs with relief as she finishes the paperwork. "There we go... shall I take this to the front so you can spend a bit more time cuddling Ruby?" She giggles, nodding to the sleeping filly nuzzling the fur of his chest.

He chuckles at the sight as well. "I don't see why I can't do both." He stands up, wrapping the clipboard in his aura. "Why don't you rest your hooves and I'll take care of this and ask about a blood test while we're here?"

"Sounds nice..." She pokes at the seat beneath her with a hoof. "Though I think I'd prefer to stand, considering..."

"Don't worry, love." He nuzzles her affectionately. "We'll be back home with all our soft comfortable furniture soon enough."

She giggles, playfully nipping his nose. "I can't wait, Rhino..."

Laughing, he says a simple word. "Good." Giving her a smile, he turns around and heads to the desk, beginning to converse with the mare there.

"You know," the taller of the corner duo says, his voice just loud enough to carry over to the nymph's ears, "I could never stand bug bites. Why in the world do such annoying parasites even exist?"

The second form, in a voice that is obviously female, remarks back. "Oh, come now, even ants have their places as they clean up the corpses of other animals. Of course that doesn't mean the mosquito that bites you doesn't deserve a good smack for it."

"Too true. And the ones that use poison are even more bothersome." He chuckles as the sole changeling nearby stiffens at his words. "They can seem so innocuous, but then they strike when your guard is down."

Gel bows her head, jaw clenched and body trembling. It takes a great deal of will, but she keeps herself from reacting to their veiled taunts and threats.

The mare shivers. "You know, I have to wonder if any insects use a mind-altering toxin..." She taps her chin with a hoof. "After all, it's probably better to turn another being into something useful that outright kill them..."

The nymph bites her tongue, turning away from these ponies to hide her misty eyes. Their distaste - their unvoiced anger - hurts her very core like a lance of lightning.

As if in direct opposition to that feeling, a sudden sensation of softness graces her head and neck as a familiar green coat rubs against it.

She squeaks, looking up into the warm brown eyes of her stallion. She doesn't hesitate to embrace him, burying her muzzle in his shoulder as her body begins to shake.

The blue pony can only stare, the corners of his mouth pulled firmly down in disapproval. He turns to the mare, shaking his head and muttering to her. "I'll give them one thing. They can sure fake emotions when the situation calls for it."

A single pricked green ear can only make out the words 'fake emotions', but that's plenty for it to understand. Rhino leans down, simply holding his wife as he expresses his love for her to calm her down. "The pediatric wing isn't seeing anyone else at the moment, so we should be in there soon."

She nods, her voice slightly strained. "T-that's good..."

As predicted, a few moments later a white mare with pink mane and nurse's cap comes out of the back. "Mr. and Mrs. Nexus?"

The stallion nudges his wife gently. "See? In already. Do you want to go ahead or would you rather me walk with you?"

"W-with me, please..." She shyly smiles, brushing a lock of mane behind an ear, the jewelry there catching the light and turning it into a twinkle.

He smiles at this, his necklace glinting in the same way. "There's those beautiful eyes. Come on then." With her staying pressed against him, the stallion walks toward the nurse, keeping himself between his wife and the other waiting ponies.

As they get closer, the couple can feel the stares of the two ponies until they get right in front of them and the stallion's bag is lightly kicked by it's owner in front of Rhino’s front hoof.

The unicorn stops immediately before he trips and hurts the foal in his grip. His horn quietly lights up as he scoots the bag back under the chair, a single card falling out. Without even looking at the other couple, he remarks casually and quietly. "Wolf fathers get rid of those who threaten their mate or pups." He continues walking with Gel, not even giving the other two a chance to respond.

A quiet remark is heard after a few moments of stunned silence behind them. "Dear... what is that card that fell out of your bag? It says: PALS..."

Gel's gait swiftly turns stilted, her heart skipping a beat as the words reach her. Rhino... d-did you hear that?

One was a member, one wasn't. We've dealt with their words before, nothing we didn't handle. He smiles at the nurse, who smiles just as bright back, even letting out a small 'aww' as she looks down to the sleeping foal.

She smiles softly as she genially nods to the white mare, even while her thoughts are filled with concern. But from the way they acted... what if he's trying to recruit her, or something?

I'm not sure there's anything we can do, love. They seemed set on their path, so I'm not sure what would convince them otherwise.

The nurse smiles equally as bright to Gel. "Good morning to both of you, my name is Nurse Redheart and I'll be helping you with your little filly today. Follow me and we'll get you a nice room." She turns around, her pink tail guiding them as she walks down the hall.

The nymph sighs in relief, her tail entwining with her stallion's own. "Thank you, Miss Redheart. Today has been... eventful, to say the least."

A giggle is heard from the mare. "Really? I always found Sundays were relaxed and Tuesdays were the eventful days."

"I meant for a Sunday..." She sheepishly laughs, rubbing the back of her neck. "Sorry that wasn't clear..."

"Oh it's fine, just chatting away to make the walk less boring." She stops in front of an open door and motions them in. "Here we are. Now, you came in for her first round of immunizations, and it said you also wanted a blood test to determine type?"

Gel nods, going inside and sitting down in one of the seats there. "That sounds about right... you, um, don't need to take measurements, do you?"

As Rhino comes in, the nurse responds. "Well, at her age we usually leave it up to the parents. Usually they only get those if they're concerned or curious about growth rates."

"Oh." She nervously chuckles, squirming in her seat. "I just asked because Twilight already took them..."

"Twilight Sparkle?" Redheart closes the door so they are all privately in the room. "Why would she... oh, I see." She lets out a few laughs. "I guess she's either helping you out while also getting a bit of raw data for her next book."

The nymph blinks, tilting her head to one side. "You know about her book? May I ask how?"

"Well, quite a few of us in the medical community were intrigued by the first published work detailing new facts on a barely known species." She smiles softly at the pink bundle of adorableness carried by her father. "Judging by one section of the reproduction section, I'd say this little one may start off another work by herself."

"That certainly seems to be the case. I'd say she visits us or we visit her every week or so." She laughs quietly, playfully bumping her stallion's side. "Isn't that right?"

He nods. "It does definitely help having someone else to go to for opinions when surprises pop up involving Ruby. Still, surprises or no, she's still our little angel."

"Aren't they all?" Redheart smiles brightly at them before turning to the counter where a kit had been left with everything they would need. "Let's see... how about we start with a small blood draw so that can be getting identified by one of our unicorns while we do the immunizations?"

"That... sounds fine to me." Gel slowly nods, tapping her chin as she watches the sleeping filly slowly begin to stir. "Is it... alright if someone holds her hoof while you do that?"

"You both can hold her as much as you like." She pulls out a small needle and an empty syringe. "As long as she stays still, it's fine, I know this isn't fun for anypony."

Ears standing up to show he's listening, Rhino is focused instead on the small pink form as she lets out a yawn.

Her emerald eyes blink open, landing on his face as they focus. She coos happily, reaching up and booping his nose. "Dada."

He chuckles as his heart seems to swell. Leaning down, he nuzzles her as he speaks. "Enjoy your little nap, Ruby?"

She squeals, hugging his muzzle as well as she can. She nods once before nipping his nose, giggling brightly.

As the stallion smiles, Redheart turns to Gel. "Just can't stop being adorable even if they wanted to, right?"

"I don't mind." The nymph smiles as the filly starts climbing up his body. "It's something special about her..." She jumps as a certain silver muzzle pokes out of her husband's saddlebag, tentatively sniffing the air before retreating back inside. Her gaze snaps to the mare, and she hopes she didn't notice.

The nurse continues speaking as if nothing happened. "Well, as much as I'm sure she likes it in his mane, I'm afraid I have to be the bad pony here and tell you it's probably better if we do this while she positioned somewhere a bit more stable in case she squirms or tries to run. Wouldn't want her to fall or hurt herself."

"True..." She glances at Rhino, gently tapping his shoulder. "That's not a problem for you, is it?"

"Hmm?" He looks to her as their filly drapes herself over his head. "Oh yes, no problem. Umm... here," he lifts the filly off himself with a bit of magic and walks over to the padded table in the room, setting her down on it, "Gel, why don't we both stand over here with her and we'll see if we can get her still."

The navy changeling watches the pink pony start to chew on his hoof once more. "If you think it'd help..." She walks over and tenderly strokes Ruby's mane, giggling at the quiet purr this elicits from her.

Redheart hums thoughtfully to herself as she walks over with her supplies. "And here I thought she'd be active after a nap." She readies the antiseptic and numbing wipes.

The filly quickly turns to the mare, her eyes flashing brightly before a brilliant ball of light appears above them. She lets go of his foreleg, her magic grabbing the nurse's hat and putting it on her own head, babbling happily even as it falls down over her eyes.

"Ruby," her father glances at the light ball above them before lifting up the edge of the cap to see the filly's face, "it's not nice to take other pony's things you know..."

The nurse simply laughs. "Oh I don't mind too much. It's definitely not the worst thing to happen to me or that hat. Besides, she's young, at that age I'm not sure they understand things like right and wrong. Their surges just seem to respond to whatever whim they want."

She sticks her tongue out and pokes his nose, giving him a raspberry.

Gel shakes her head, turning to Redheart. "I think she's as ready as possible, at the moment."

"Works for me." Leaning forward, the earth mare presses the wipe against Ruby's upper foreleg, letting the cold liquid in it seem through her coat to her skin.

The nymph watches the filly, uncertainty clear in her eyes. However, seeing that she is more focused on her oversized headwear, the young mother sighs quietly, a soft smile on her lips.

Redheart holds the wipe there a little longer before nodding and taking it away. Picking up the syringe in her mouth, she narrows her eyes and moves it toward the filly. Distracted and unable to see due to the hat, Ruby doesn't react. The nurse pokes the needle into the numbed area of the foal's foreleg, immediately pulling on the syringe's plunger to begin taking a bit of blood.

Gel sighs in relief, knowing that the filly is going to be fine. She blinks and looks up, squinting at the ball of light as it slowly descends behind Rhino.

With the light behind him, his silhouette can be seen through the fabric of her headwear. Ruby reaches out to him with her left foreleg, the one that didn't currently have a needle in it. She swipes the air a couple times, trying to find his hoof. "Dada..."

Smiling as the nurse withdraws the needle, now filled with the red fluid, Rhino leans down so her hoof touches his nose. "Right here, sweetie. You did very well."

She babbles, bringing her other hoof up and hugging him. She happily nuzzles him, despite the cloth covering her eyes.

Chuckling, he brings up a foreleg and wraps it around her, bringing her against his muzzle. "Who's my silly filly?"

Redheart simply smiles as the scene, capping her needle. "I'll be right back as soon as I go drop this off."

The nymph nods, smiling in return. "Okay, Miss Redheart." She watches the mare exit the room and then turns to her stallion. She blinks, seeing what appears to be her husband wearing a nurse's cap in confusion before it stirs. Ruby peeks out from underneath it, her emerald eyes all that are visible with Rhino's mane and the headwear covering her, causing her mother to laugh softly. "She sure can move fast, can't she?"

Smiling, Rhino remarks. "Yep, our own little spiderfilly." With a small twinkle in his eye, the smile turns to a grin as he looks to his wife. "Does it look odd with me having the nurse's cap on for once instead of you?"

Her cheeks flush bright blue before she turns away, her mane falling in front of her face. "N-not really... I think it makes you look cute... more so with Ruby peering out like that..." She bites her lip, squirming slightly. I still prefer when you... wear your doctor's coat...

"She does make everything more adorable by being there." He agrees, even as he thinks back to her. I take it this morning's round of 'curing your heat' is wearing off?

It is... She sits down quickly, pinning her tail underneath her to keep it under control. She glances at their filly again, eyes wide as she sees her trying to grab her father's horn with her hooves.

He rolls his eyes upward to see her. "I'm just the full package aren't I? I get to be bed, cuddle blanket, and jungle gym. Of course, Mommy's got all that too plus being a food source." Looking over to his wife, he continues. "Why is she always more fascinated with my horn than yours anyway? Think it's because yours is smooth and mine has a spiral?" Don't worry, love. This is our last stop while we're out, I'll take care of you again when we get home.

"I think it's because yours is familiar while being different." She shakes her head, her wings fluttering momentarily. I hope you're prepared to fill that promise...

As his filly taps on his horn, the stallion maintains an admirable poker face as he answers his wife with a slight sensual growl to his mental voice. Repeatedly.

She shivers, biting her lip to hold back a soft mewl of desire. Even if... I want you to take control?

You seem to vary in what you want while you're like this, so I'll leave that up to you when we do it. Before he can say more, the door opens and the nurse strolls back in.

"Alright, they said your results should be done by the time I'm finished giving these last two injections." Pausing a moment, she tilts her head at the nymph. "Are you alright? You seem a bit stressed and tense..."

Gel sheepishly smiles, shrinking in on herself a bit. "J-just a little... preoccupied with a certain cycle..."

The mare nods understandingly. "Oh don't worry then, I'll have you out of here as soon as possible." She bring over the other two needles and another numbing wipe. "I just got over mine last week so I'm not surprised others are getting hit around this time."

The nymph chuckles, shaking her head. "At least you only have two a year..."

Redheart counters as Rhino pries the filly off his horn and sets her back down on the table. "At least yours are half as long."

"And more intense." She sticks her tongue out at her. "I swear, the potions can only do so much... without them, I think I'd be riding him all day long." She nods towards her stallion, blushing as soon as she realizes what she just said. "Um... p-please keep that between us, Miss Redheart..."

The white mare merely waves a hoof. "Nothing any other mare hasn't thought before, especially those with husbands." She applies the wipe to the filly's other foreleg this time. "Plus, I think this falls under confidentiality anyway."

"G-good." She squirms where she sits on the ground, unsure what else to say. Her gaze falls on the filly, who, in turn, stares at the needles with wide eyes.

Rhino sees this as well. "Oh dear..." He places one hoof next to the foal, rubbing her side.

Almost knowingly, Redheart nods at the situation. "Well, I honestly didn't think I'd be lucky enough for her not to notice the second time."

"Especially with the hat still on Rhino's head." She glances at it and chuckles, finding the sight unbelievably silly. It appears that Ruby thinks the same, laughing brightly before eagerly nuzzling his foreleg.

He nuzzles the filly back, but his eyes are on the nurse. "You've got your distraction."

She nods, moving in with the first shot, muttering quietly. "Just hold that pose..." The needle goes in and she pushes down on the plunger.

The filly squeaks, biting the stallion's limb to distract herself from the sudden pierce of the metal tip. Her eyes squeeze shut, her little hoof gripping his tightly for emotional support.

His eyes showing the pang of his heart, the stallion touches his head lightly to hers as the nurse pulls the needle out.

She nods. "Ok... just one more. Be brave little one." She quickly gets out the next needle and brings it into play as well.

Ruby looks up at him, her emerald eyes wide and pleading. "D-dada..."

Grimacing as another pang hits him, he nuzzles her soothingly. "Almost done... just another moment..."

Gel leans down, tenderly pecking her forehead. "It's going to be fine, sweetie... we're right here..."

The nurse pulls the now empty needle out of the foal. "And done." Pulling out three small smiley face bandages, she puts them on all three needle marks. "There you go, three happy faces to help you not be mad at the mean nurse."

Ruby blinks, turning to look at the white mare. She touches a hoof to hers, smiling softly.

Gel chuckles, shaking her head. "I think all is forgiven, Miss Redheart."

The mare smiles softly. "Good, I try to make things as quick as possible for the little ones, but things still usually end up being uncomfortable."

"Injections in a nutshell." Rhino comments as he turns to Gel, motioning to their daughter. "Did you want to carry her on the way home? She's had plenty of snuggle time with me already."

The navy changeling giggles, nodding in response. "I think I'd like that." She reaches out and carefully picks the happily cooing filly up, holding her close and gently nuzzling her before standing. She stops at that point, looking to him in mild concern. "You'll help make sure I won't fall... right?"

In response, he simply stands up, walking over to her and pressing his side to hers, giving her a nuzzle.

Redheart smiles at this. "A lot of love in this family. Oh!" She focuses on Gel specifically. "Just a small reminder: any injections tend to make foals a bit drowsy afterward, so don't be surprised if she nods off. Just something to think about." She winks as she opens the door.

"Thank you for the heads up, Miss Redheart." She giggles, leaning up against her stallion as they exit the exam room.

"Not a problem. My sister, Tenderheart, will check you out at the front desk. Everything should be covered so all we'll need is a signature." In a quieter voice she adds, "If possible, could you be the one to speak to her, Mrs. Nexus?"

Gel blinks, brow furrowing in confusion. "Me?" She glances at the desk as they near it and slowly nods. "I... I guess I could..." She approaches the blue mare, making sure to stand opposite her. "Um... Miss Redheart told me you only need my signature?"

The mare swallows but still maintains her professional smile as she nods. "Yes, everything is covered, we just need you to sign... h-here." She quickly slides forward another clipboard before withdrawing her hoof.

The nymph tilts her head to one side, concerned, but does as instructed. With a quick flourish of the quill, her full name is added to the page - a fact she realizes almost immediately. Fuck. I just... She bites her lip, turning away with a slight blush.

The mare takes the clipboard back, a quick glance at the name causing her to have to clear her throat. "Umm... yes... that's everything. Have a nice day... and umm... you have a very cute little filly."

"Thank you." She smiles warmly, inclining her head respectfully to her. "I hope you have a nice day, too... and a nice week, if possible."

As the mare smiles back, Redheart waves the nymph back over, having stood over to the side with Rhino.

Gel walks back over, a small frown on her lips. "Is, uh... is there a reason you wanted me to do that... instead of Rhino?"

The nurse nods. "Yes, sorry for not telling you, but... my sister is still always nervous around changelings. I'm sort of gradually showing her that you're nice in order to get her more comfortable and not see them as any different from anypony else. It's a gradual process, but it's been working. Thank you for helping."

"You're welcome..." She chuckles, shaking her head. "You could've told me, though... I probably looked silly, just then..."

"You looked natural, that was the point." The mare smiles. "Now, I believe you and your husband had some things you needed to... take care of at home?"

Her tail flicks, and a blush spreads quickly across her cheeks. "I was... trying to repress those thoughts, for now..."

"Good luck with that." Redheart smiles cheekily as she adjusts her hat and turns around while Rhino stands next to his wife. "Have a wonderful day."

"I certainly plan to..." She looks to her stallion, feeling her body start to grow warmer. "I just hope that Ruby won't mind us being occupied for an hour... maybe two..."

As they turn around and head out the clinic, he leans toward her ear, whispering quietly as he looks down to their foal. "We'll just have to keep an ear out in case she needs us. That or we'll have to do some sneaky things while cuddling under a blanket. Either way, you may have to keep quiet." He ends his statement with a light nip to her ear.

"I don't mind." She smiles coyly at him as they walk down a nearly empty street, glancing at the sleeping foal in question. "Something tells me she'll be out for a while, yet..." She sticks her tongue out at him. "Too bad I'll still need to stay quiet, hmm?"

"Muffled works for me, I can still hear the intent behind it." He grins cheekily. "I'm more curious how you're going to stay quiet, after all, my lips aren't always an option, and your hoof doesn't work too well."

She turns away, her cheeks a vibrant blue. "Let's just say... we might need a new pillow or two, in that case..."

"A worthwhile sacrifice." He chuckles as the little family heads home.