BPT: A Midnight Stroll through Time

by Wolven5

38. Fish Taled Miracles - Part 6

Any day now… he thought as he read his book, rubbing his hoof over his swollen belly.

Midnight was due any day now; his pregnancy was coming to an end. He’d had his check-ups with Doctor Ocean Heart periodically, had showed to be suffering no complications, and yet each day he was nervous.

Rip spent his time fishing and caring for little Tidal and helping Midnight. Often, he had Mama Tsunama come by and watch his two charges, and Mama Tsunama was all too happy to help. Although Midnight wished she didn’t insist he eat so much of her smoked salmon, his stomach protested very loudly.

Still, Midnight worried. When Rip had given birth to Tidal, it had looked agonizing – He’d explained the birth was flexing the stomach muscles to tighten the brood pouch, forcing the foal to exit out the seam that appeared once the water broke.

Not only that, Midnight had come to a decision – He was going to keep his foal, and he was going to stay in Horseshoe Shores for a while longer to raise it before resuming his time-travels, and bring his baby along.

Regardless of how this foal wound up inside him, he was growing to love it, and he would love it even more once he saw it for the first time. As the due date was approaching, he’d gone over notes on what to name his foal. He’d come up with several for both genders but wasn’t sure which would be suiting until he saw his child for the first time.

Midnight had considered using the spell Star Swirl had left him to go straight home to his proper time, but he was hesitant, partly because he was certain he had other roles in history to play, and also because the spell sent subjects out of their proper time back to their proper time. What if he used it and his foal didn’t come with him? After all, it would be born in this time, and the spell might not bring it along with him. He’d considered using the spell while he’s still pregnant but even if he were willing to risk the temporal repercussions of not playing out his historical roles his condition prevented him from casting powerful magic.

As he sat on his chair, he read while also watching baby Tidal play with the stuffed shark toy his father had gotten for him. The little colt giggled as he hugged his shark, making Midnight smile at how cute the colt was and how watching him play filled him with a happy sense of wonder.

Then Tidal looked up at Midnight and held up his hooves, Midnight smiling as he knew Tidal wanted to be picked up. His aura gently engulfed Tidal, making him laugh as he rose up. His tiny wings flittered, Midnight smiling, Lately, Tidal had been flapping his little wings more and more, and he always enjoyed it when his father took him flying.

Midnight placed Tidal on his lap, the colt looking up at him with a smile, and placing his little hooves on Midnight’s belly, babbling curiously.

“That’s right, Tidal,” Midnight chuckled, “Uncle Midnight has a baby in him, just like you were in your dada! Very soon, you’re gonna have a little playmate.”

“An’ I’m lookin’ forward to seein’ yer little one.”

They both turned to see Rip coming in as she took off his scarf and hat, Tidal laughing as he held out his hooves to his father. Rip chuckled as he went over and picked up his son, giving him a kiss.
“Ah, didja miss dada, me bucko?”

“I’m sure he did, like a slow-healing scab,” Midnight cracked, Rip scowling at him.

“Well, nothin’ you can say can damper me spirits t’day, mate,” Rip smiled, “hauled in quite a catch!”

“Really? I gotta see this,” Midnight groaned as he heaved himself up, Rip going over and helping him.

“Easy there, mate,” Rip helped Midnight to his hooves. “Steady as she goes.”

“I’m not a ship, Rip,” Midnight quipped when a wet splash on his hooves startled him. “What th-”

“Oh… shiver me timbers! Yer water broke!” Rip declared, and almost instantly Midnight began to hyperventilate as he realized.

“The baby’s coming!!”

“A’ight, mate, calm down!” Rip spoke assuringly, “Start yer breathin’ an’ let’s get ya to Ocean Heart!”

Getting Midnight to Ocean Heart was much harder than it had been to get Rip to Ocean Heart when he went into labor.

The whole time, Midnight was trying to concentrate on his breathing but he was so nervous and the contractions were starting. Rip carried Tidal with a foal-carrier Midnight had made, and he yelled for the locals to alert Ocean Heart.

“I’ve got to stop, I’ve got to stop!” Midnight cried as his contractions grew worse.

“Somepony get a blanket or something!” Rip shouted as he pushed some cheap knickknacks off a merchant’s table and helped Midnight lie down on it.
“A’right, keep breathing, yer doin’ good!”

“Where is Ocean Heart?!” Midnight snapped as he groaned from his contractions.

“I’m here!”

Ocean Heart hurried over and timed Midnight’s contractions before applying acupressure, “Alright, Midnight, you’re doing well! How does this feel?

“B-better!” Midnight groaned. It still hurt like tartarus but not so bad as before. “I… I think I can make it the rest of the way.”

“Alright, everypony clear the way!” Ocean Heart called out, “Rip, help me move him!”

They arrived at Ocean Heart’s clinic, which also served as her home, and she immediately set things up and brought out warm water and towels. Ocean Heart got situated to receive the foal while Rip was at midnight’s side.
“The seam has fully opened, and the contractions appear to be three minutes apart.”

“Yer doin’ great, Midnight,” Rip assured, “jus’ focus on yer breathin’.”

“NNNNGGGHH!!” Midnight gritted his teeth as his body compelled him to do something it was never originally designed to do. He heard Rip and Ocean Heart talking, to him, to each other, but his mind didn’t register the words. It was too busy on the agony he was feeling.

“It’s time, Midnight, push!” Ocean Heart instructed.

“RRRRGGHHH!!” Midnight screamed as he felt something poke him inside before it slid through the seam of his pouch.

“I see a horn, it’s a unicorn!” Ocean Heart reported. “Keep it up!”

“Yer alright, bucko!” Rip assured. “Push!”

Midnight took another deep breath and pushed at the same time he screamed, and the action was rewarded by the fussing crying of a foal.

“It’s a filly!” Ocean Heart happily declared.

Midnight gasped in sweet relief, closing his eyes as the pain faded away. He heard Ocean Heart caring for the foal as it fussed and then she turned around to show the filly, all bundled up.
“Midnight, meet your daughter.”

Midnight’s mind cleared as he realized what he’d just heard. Without even thinking he held out his arms and Ocean Heart gladly placed the bundle in his hold. He looked down at the face of his daughter, her coat was the same aquamarine as her mother’s mane while her own mane was sapphire liker father’s coat but with a pure white highlight, and her eyes were the same turquoise as the eyes of the stallion looking at her in wondrous daze.

The filly calmed a bit as she peered up at her father curiously, while Midnight lifted his free hoof to touch her face. The filly looked at the hoof and grabbed it with her own to suckle on, and the action spurred a light chuckle from Midnight.

“Well, mate?”

He looked up at Rip and Ocean Heart, the both of them smiling as the pegasus asked, “Does the lass have a name?”

Midnight regarded his daughter again and considered for a moment.

“Lily Wave,” Midnight decided. “Her name is Lily Wave.”

The following weeks after his daughter’s birth were happy for Midnight. Lily Wave filled him with such a joy he hadn’t felt since the vision he’d had where he and Twilight were married with a daughter (whose name he never found out) and an unborn foal Twilight had been certain would be their son.

Every day, he happily watched over Lily and Tidal both while Rip continued fishing. To his delight, Tidal happily welcomed Lily and they played together. He proudly showed Lily to their neighbors and practically treated the tiny filly like a princess.

Midnight also regained his full powers and started practicing his magic to brush up on his skills, feeling he might have gotten rusty.

But before long, he knew it was time.

One fine morning, he spoke with Rip as they had breakfast, the both of them feeding their kids.

“I’m leaving, Rip.”

Riptide looked at Midnight, who added, “And I’m taking my daughter with me. It’s been long due for my departure.”

Rip regarded Midnight and this time he had no illusions that Midnight really meant he would be leaving. And this time, he was probably gonna succeed in doing so.

“Is it really a good idea?” Rip asked. “Sweet Lily’s still quite small.”

“Perhaps but soon she’ll be having magic surges and it’d be safer to go now before they come and… I’ve been here too long already,” Midnight stated as he fed his filly her bottle. “Lily might not have been planned… but I’m glad I had her. This entire year… it’s one I’ll never forget.”

“…I guess this time, it’s for real,” Rip said sadly.

Midnight put the bottle down and burped Lily before going over to pull Rip into a hug.
“You’ve been a dear friend to me, Rip. I… I’ll miss you so much.”

“And I ye… little brother,” Rip sniffled as he returned the hug.

Midnight let Lily play with Tidal while he went into town to buy baby things to bring. When he came back to the pier, he brought out his Time Stone and regarded it. In some ways, he had grown to hate his creation.

He recalled what Star Swirl told him, how the stone had three mystic signatures, one his own, the second Star Swirl’s, and the third from an unknown party. Midnight hadn’t really considered what that meant before but now he wondered.

Why did his stone have Star Swirl’s mystic signature and who did the third belong to? Star Swirl’s signature being in it made no sense as he’d been long dead when Midnight had created this accursed stone. But the third made him wonder, did somepony purposefully sabotage his work?

He considered the Hooded Pony, whom he couldn’t decide was friend or foe.

But then he sensed a burst of magical energy and realized, It’s coming from Rip’s house!

He galloped the rest of the way to Rip’s home and heard crying and rip saying, “Lily, sweetheart! Please put tha’ down!”

He threw open the door and saw Tidal crying and looking like he’d been soaked and Rip was hunkering down, his eyes on Lily! The little filly was whimpering in fright, her horn enveloped in a turquoise aura, her eyes glowing, and Rip’s fishing rod and a net and even a harpoon were floating overhead.

“My baby!” Midnight cried as he reached out with his power to tame his daughter’s.

But something went wrong.

The moment his aura mixed with his daughter’s a ripple of power fluxed, and Midnight lost concentration of the power and felt a familiar magic ignite!

His Time Stone glowed, the objects fell, Rip hurrying over and shielding Lily from anything sharp, and they both gasped to see Midnight as the Time Stone’s power enveloped him.

“NO!!!“ Midnight hammered against the bubble containing him, his eyes looking at Lily, who watched in confused fear as her father was taken from her… in a Wink of Light.

Author's Note:

What happened here was the magic surge - Lily Wave was experiencing one and when Midnight tried t use his own to counter his daughter's magic the unpredictable flux somehow activated the Time Stone and Midnight was unable to stop it for some reason

Comments

[SweetSunbeam 61619]

...Okay, I may have been upset at Midnight being raped...But separating him from his Daughter?! Not Cool!

[Pontiac56]

ooh, next chapter is not going to be good for Midnight...

[Mr_Moon]

Nooooooo Lily

[bioskyrim]

*was listening à sad song* fuck I m crying now !

[Jacensolo43]

How the HELL is this better then slavery!? I thought rape was bad but THIS!? Taking him from his DAUGHTER!? Why!? WHY!? Give a dn good reason WHY you did that! One of -if not THE- worst crime you can POSSIBLY commit to ANYONE! Give a god dn fing reason WHY THE FK YOU DID THAT!

Edit: I'm going to read the next chapter, and i sincerely hope that the next arc is halfway better...