Chapter 2:

“Are you sure?” I asked, more panicked now than I had been my whole time in the wasteland.

“Of course I'm sure!” She snapped. “Wedding can wait!”

Lily moved into action right away. “Alright alright, everypony clear the way!” She announced, pushing me and Ruby towards the back of the room and out, leaving a large group of very confused and worried ponies.

“Alright, just breath, everything will be alright.” I found myself saying to Ruby, who was already doing a very good job of breathing. It was a good thing we were based out of a hospital, because we had attracted a lot of doctors and medics who were more than happy to give us medical services in exchange for protection in the hospital.

“I know how to breath!” Ruby snapped, glaring at me and crying out in pain. “I'll fucking kill you Cane!” Oh God, she's not using my first name, that can't be good...

“Hey, hey, let us take over from here.” A voice called from behind us. Ruby's doctor, Doctor Pepper, ran up behind us, still dressed for the wedding, we probably should have thought to bring him along in the first place. Nurse Ratchet ran up with him, his date to our wedding.

“Oh thank Celestia,” Ruby groaned, “no offense Sugar but you panic too easily.”

They took Ruby from me and guided her away quickly with Lily trailing behind them.

“Dude what are you doing?” Brutus asked, running up to me with the rest of the group.

“Where's Ruby?” CB asked.

“Hospital wing...” I said dumbly, pointing towards the hall they had gone down.

“So WHY are you here?” Brutus demanded, hurrying off down the hall.

“Come on Daddy!” CB said, pulling me along with her magic until I snapped out of it and rushed along with my friends.

We ran into the waiting area, Lily was standing just outside the doors to the delivery area. “Uhh, they've asked that we wait here.” She said, blocking us from going in further.

“What?! Why?!” I asked, worried now that something was wrong.

“That's why.” Lily said. “Cane you freak the fuck out way too hard way too fast, just relax...”

“Yeah but...”

“No buts!” Crackshot cut me off. “Go sit! Everything will be fine. I've seen my family through dozens of births, hell I performed some of the deliveries, and I haven't had a single one go wrong. This is, medically, the best The Collective has ever been equipped in it's history. You don't have any reason to worry, she's in good hooves.”

Crackshot shoved me towards a row of chairs, plopping down beside me, CB on the other side, shedding her uncomfortable wedding dress before sitting down and cuddling against my side. “Don't worry daddy, we'll all wait here with you. I'm excited to finally have a sister, I was always sad that I didn't have one.”

“Well you just remember what we talked about.”

“I know, I know.” She smiled.

//////////
11 months, 11 days ago

“But Sugar...I'm not sure about this...”

“Well you're the one that wanted to do this.”

“I know, but I forgot how weird it was.”

“I'm not sure if I should be offended.”

“We'll call it a compliment...Can't we start with something smaller?”

“It's not like we have access to a whole variety of them.”

“But it's just so big.”

“THAT I'll take as a compliment.”

“Shut it you.”

“Look, all you have to do is reach out and take it.”

“Easy for you to say, I bet you do this all the time.”

“Not as often as you might think.”

“After you and Rosa got together?”

“Well we worked in the same place and we both worked long hours so it didn't happen often.”

“I'm still not sure about this.”

“You'll be fine. Just take it slow and I'm sure you'll find you enjoy it soon enough.”

“That's just a big boost to your ego.”

“Quit making excuses and do it.”

“You still say that like it's the easiest thing in the world.”

“Do you want me to start without you and you can just join in when you're ready?”

“N...no...”

“Well we can sit here all night if we need to, it's not like we have anything else to do right now.”

“Yeah but...”

“Eventually someone will come looking for us. Brutus would probably find it really awkward to walk in on this.”

“Why? He's done this before.”

“But it's us, just sitting here looking dumb.”

“Who're you calling dumb bub?”

“You're stalling again, it's not that hard.”

“Says you!”

“Well if you wanted it softer you should have told me before we started.”

“You're a jerk.”

“WOULD YOU TWO JUST EAT YOUR DAMNED FETTUCINI?!” CB snapped around a mouthful of pasta.

“But it has bacon in it!” Ruby whined.

“IT IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS! And Daddy spent two hours cooking it! No one cooks anymore! This is awesome!”

“You two are so mean!” She groaned, leaning in and slowly, delicately biting some of the noodles and sucking them into her mouth. She chewed them slowly, still hesitant, but I could see in her eyes she was enjoying it and soon enough she was speeding up to a proper eating speed.

“See? It's good.” CB nodded happily. It was just the three of us having dinner together in one of the family quarters of the base, a real family meal for the first time ever, it was awesome.

“I still can't believe we get to eat this.” Ruby said, starting to eat more happily, despite her complaints of the bacon being too crispy and that there was just too much food in the bowl for her to eat, and truth be told I had probably made way more than I needed to.

This amazing meal had been an unexpected surprise. After unlocking the data archives and decrypting the servers, Venture had unlocked a basement section that I hadn't been aware existed. Inside were dozens of massive walk in freezers, each filled with floor to ceiling stockpiles of food. Crate after crate of pasta and sauces, bails of hay, frozen fruit and vegetable juices, as well as a five silos worth of frozen grains, and a whole living database of seed specimens, able to be planted and grown again if Equestria were ever restored. All told he had enough food stored away to feed probably a thousand ponies for 6 months.

The Collective had leaped at the chance to have this massive storehouse of food at their disposal, they were planning on using it to become a trading hub if they could manage, and Venture had happily given it to them, in exchange for admission to The Collective, which they had happily agreed to, stating that his time imprisoned in the American Wasteland had been time served though there was a serious probation imposed on him all the same, but he said he'd do anything he could to redeem himself, so they were giving him the chance.

Now they were organizing to set up the hospital as a hub for the Collective and move the main base of operations to the facility since the whole town was already partially fortified and they found themselves with a lot of extra ponies who had been displaced from their homes with nowhere else to go.

Word had come from the North that there had been some massive battle against against the Enclave and they had actually been forced back, but something had happened to their big wasteland hero in the process, I had tried contacting Homage but it seemed DJ Pon3 had someone filling in for him for a while.

“Alright fine...I guess it's good.” Ruby nodded, finishing her food.

“You're darn right it is.” CB said, sitting back and burping contently.

“You're both welcome.” I grinned. “I missed cooking real food. There's only so many ways you can do up that preserved crap before it all just tastes like mud.”

“So what are we going to do now?” CB asked excitedly, getting up from the table and floating all the dishes up into the air and carrying them into the small kitchen.

“What do you two wanna do?” I asked.

“We could watch a movie?” Ruby suggested, “since that was such a big hit last time.”

“I have full access to Venture's computers now too so we have everything here that I have back at my lab.”

“Oh yeah! Lets watch more movies!” CB cheered.

“Any requests?”

“I want explosions!” CB called, the sound of the sink coming on as she started to wash the dishes. “Huge, massive, mind blowing explosions!”

“So a Micheal Hay movie.” I laughed.

“Who?”

“He was a director, he made movies, with massive huge amazing explosions, and giant robots that turned into vehicles and fought each other.”

“WHAT?! WHY THE BUCK AM I ONLY LEARNING OF THIS NOW?! PUT EM ON PUT EM ON PUT EM ON!” CB cried.

I laughed and moved to the computer, digging through the files and pulling up the movies. I put it up on the large computer monitor I had swiped from the storage area, since I didn't have the massive multi-screen monitor that I used at the hospital.

Ruby moved to sit on the couch I had set up. I sat down beside her and smiled. “So? Feeling comfortable with me this close?” I asked, kissing her gently.

“Yeah I think I'm okay with it...after last night I think I'll be okay with you for the long haul.”

“So you were intentionally repeating the argument we had in bed last night?” I smirked.

“Well there's a difference between a bowl of pasta and your penis, but the two conversations certainly were shockingly parallel,” she chuckled, “but both situations ended up with me enjoying myself a lot more than I expected.”

“I told you acclimatizing you first would help.”

“You just wanted to work me over with a sex toy.” She said, speaking quieter when the sink in the kitchen turned off.

“Well duh,” I nodded, “I'm a guy, that's like the second best thing I could do with you...the first best being the thing we did AFTER...”

“Hush.” She said, blushing deeply. It was funny, I had seen her chagrined and embarrassed before, but now I could actually visibly see her blushing despite the colour of her coat. I leaned in to kiss her again, only to find myself being shoved away.

“Lets start this up!” CB cheered, pushing her way between me and Ruby and cuddling up between the two of us.

“Yes ma'am.” I smirked, starting the film, then dimming the lights in the room.

“What's this movie called?” Ruby asked.

“Transmogrifiers.”

“Wow, that's a mouthful.”

“You get used to it.”

“If you say so.”

The movie started and I happily settled in for a nice quiet night with my girls.

//////////////

Now:

“Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.”I muttered, pacing the waiting room anxiously. It was the middle of the night now, CB and Xem were asleep on one of the couches along the back of the wall, my friends were all sitting around quietly, reading or talking to each other, Brutus was actually getting some work done with a couple soldiers that had showed up.

“You're gonna wear a hole in the carpet.” Venture said, looking up from the tablet in his magical grasp.

“Bite me, you made me miss the birth of my first child so just shut your muzzle.” I snapped.

“Dude, harsh,” Lily said sternly, “it's fine to be worried, but don't turn into a jerk.”

“No it's okay, he's right.” Venture replied before I could apologize. “I did do that to him, he's right to be annoyed.”

“Okay, you're not allowed to start beating yourself up about that stuff again either.” Lily said. “It's been a year, I think you've more than redeemed yourself.”

“I don't think I'll ever redeem myself.” He sighed.

“I...I need to get some air.” I said, heading towards a balcony and walking out into the cold night air, leaving Venture and Lily to argue about his penance.

“Having a baby eh?” A voice asked, making me jump. A unicorn mare walked out from the shadows where the chairs lined the walls. She was a lighter shade of blue than I was and had a mane that was almost the exact same shade, but she had a white mark on her head that came down from her horn and ran down part of her mane like highlights. “They're all kinds of stress aren't they, and not even born yet.” I realized she spoke with a Trottingham accent.

“Uhh yeah, my first, seems I don't cope well with the stress,” I said, “I thought maybe some fresh air would help, I didn't realize anyone else was out here.”

“Oh it's alright, I wasn't going to stay long. I have a thief to find.”

“A thief? Are you a solider?”

“Oh no no, nothing like that. You can call me TT.” She said, smiling and looking out at the wasteland beyond the hospital, the faint glow from the lights of Manetown a short distance away. The cutie mark on her flank was a black circle with what looked like four arrows pointing at each other in the middle to form a cross. “The thief I'm looking for is mine.”

“Your what?”

“My thief.”

“Oh of course, that makes perfect sense now.” I paused as I thought it through. “You're looking to find someone who stole you...were you a slave?” I asked as it dawned on me.

“Hmm...I don't know about slave, I was certainly a willing participant most of the time.”

“W...Well I have lots of friends here in The Collective that might be able to help you track this former owner down.” I offered. Clearly this mare wasn't all there and I was worried about what harm she might do to herself or others if she was burying most of the crazy.

“Oh no thank you.” She said, looking over at me and grinning. “I was here to meet with Mare-Do-Well.” She said, pointing to Firebird in the waiting area, who was currently asleep with a book beside her.

“Wait you know who she is?” I asked.

“I know many things Doctor Cane.” She said simply. “Like I know you're going to be needed momentarily.”

Before I could speak again the ER doors opened and the nurse came out. “Doctor Cane?” She called, looking around the room.

“How did you...” I turned back but the mare was gone from the balcony. I didn't have time to search, I hurried back inside.

“Somepony would like to see you.” The nurse said when I slid to a stop in front of her.

She took me back into the hall and into a room a few doors down.

Ruby lay on the bed, looking haggard and beyond exhausted, a little pink blanket wrapped in her forelegs and she was nuzzling it happily.

“Hey you...” She said quietly when she saw me. “Come here...”

I walked over slowly and she held the blanketed bundle carefully out to me. Inside was the most beautiful little olive green unicorn filly, cooing curiously at me.

“Hey there Candy...” I said softly, leaning down and cuddling her lovingly, kissing her little face gently. “She's so beautiful.” I looked up at Ruby, leaning in and kissing her next.

“I know right?” Ruby chuckled. “Is there anything I can't do well?”

“You can't cook to save your life.”

“Is now really the time for sarcastic wit?”

“Meh.” I shrugged and snuggled the baby again, getting a curious look from the baby again.

“G...Guys?” CB called softly from the door. She was keeping her distance but looked very hopeful. No one else was with her.

“Come see your sister.” Ruby said and CB trotted happily into the room.

I stepped aside and let CB hop up on the chair beside the bed. “Hi Candy.” She giggled, looking down at the baby. “We're going to have so much fun together, and you'll make an awesome scapegoat when I break stuff.”

“Oh good, I'm glad you have long term plans for her CB.” Ruby said, rolling her eyes a little.

“Hey, a girls gotta have all the bases covered.” She shrugged.

Candy got a very concerned look on her face for a moment. “What's wrong with her?” CB asked, but was answered a moment later when the baby sneezed right in her face.

Ruby and I burst out laughing as CB cried out in horror and fell back, but the combination of confusion at the sneeze and the laughter made Candy start to cry.

“Aww no baby girl don't cry.” Ruby cooed, hugging the baby close and rocking her gently in her forelegs, humming softly.

“Come on CB, lets go back to the waiting room and let some of the others come back and see the baby okay?” I asked.

“Yeah okay.” She nodded, heading back out of the room. Candy had already started to settle down again.

“Do you want me to stay in here with you?” I asked but Ruby shook her head.

“I can manage just fine thanks,” She said, grinning softly, “Send in Brutus and Crackshot?” She asked.

“You got it.” I said, starting out of the room.

“Sugar...I love you.”

“I love you too Ruby.”

Footnote: Level up

New companion added: Candy Cane (Unicorn filly)

Companion Perk added: Sweet as Candy: While traveling with Candy you are 25% more likely to engage in random friendly encounters, I mean who doesn't want to see a baby? However you suffer from a -2 to Endurance and -1 to Stamina, and your sex life? Forget about it.