The snow of winter had been cleared away as per the tradition of ‘Winter Wrap Up’, spring weather was already settling over the land, and just about every citizen in the country of Onorus was standing or sitting near their radio sets as news stations broadcast around the country. A tense excitement had settled over the nation, from coast to coast, on navy ships and in the cockpits and control towers of the air force, to the airships that patrolled and carried cargo. The news was coming from Canterlot, leaving the entire nation on edge. Even in the Crystal Empire, Celestia and her cabinet stood by the radio, listening for the latest update.

For Dominic, it was the tensest, most stressful moment of his entire life. More stressful than the battle for Denver, or the decision to create the Onorussian Republic. He paced back and forth in the waiting room of Canterlot General, Lunar Marines kept the press at bay while he could hear the distant sound of Maria crying out from the delivery room. The room had originally been meant for ponies, meaning it wasn’t big enough for Dominic or Luna to squeeze into, meaning they were forced to wait outside. Luna had her eyes closed in meditation, though Dominic could tell she was hiding the worry under her calm surface.

Sweat ran down Dominic’s face, the collar of his dress shirt was undone, his tie and coat sat discarded on a nearby seat. His feet ached from the constant pacing, the baby wasn’t supposed to arrive for another two weeks, and Maria had been in labor for nearly seven hours. There was little he could do, and that made him more angry than he cared to admit. All his combat training, all his political power, useless in the face of his greatest challenge yet. He had said more than a hundred ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘Our Fathers’, as that was really the only thing he could do. He would’ve killed for a pack of cigarettes, but he didn’t want his son’s first smell of him to be an acrid scent.

“You’re going to wear through your shoes at that rate.” Luna spoke up quietly as she opened her eyes, breaking her meditative silence. Dominic looked at her without stopping his pacing, unsure of how to respond. “She will be fine, you know that…”

“What if something goes wrong? What if there’s something wrong with the baby? We didn’t have nearly enough tests done…” Dominic mumbled as he continued pacing, Luna stood up from her sitting position and stopped him with a wing. She quietly ushered him towards a seat and then sat beside him, his foot began tapping rapidly as he looked over at her.

“Close your eyes.” Luna said sternly, Dominic opened his mouth to protest. “Listen to your Insegnante.” The mare said, that titled caused Dominic to quietly sigh and close his eyes. She hadn’t used that title until she had finished training him, meaning she wasn’t kidding. “Now take breaths and repeat after me, keep repeating until I tell you to stop…” Dominic relaxed his shoulders and took several breaths, doing his best to blot out the sound echoing down the hall. “Maria will be fine. The baby will be fine. Everything will be fine.”

“Maria will be fine… The baby will be fine… Everything will be fine…” Dominic mumbled, repeating the words over and over again. Time seemed to blend together, the sound of his voice drowned out the distant voice, the repeating mantra kept his mind in a constant rhythm. It chugged along like a hardy locomotive, offering him a bit of respite from the stress. Luna meanwhile had taken to pacing back and forth, her hooves quietly echoing against the tile floor of the hospital waiting room.

Down the hall, in the delivery room, Doctor Patterson and her staff were preparing for what would be the most crucial part of the delivery. They had no choice but to carry it out naturally, as there weren’t sufficient tools to perform a C Section. Maria was being as much of a trooper as she could, sweat pouring down her face as she gritted her teeth in pain. Patterson could tell by looking that it wouldn’t be long now, seven hours of intense work would come to an end in a loud and chaotic moment. It had been years since Patterson had delivered a baby, but she had been studying like mad since Maria had come to her, now she had to hope that she hadn’t lost her touch.

“Okay, you’re doing great. Just a little more.” She said to Maria, the woman was pretty much at the end of her limit. “On my go, okay?” The woman nodded exhaustedly, her hair soaked with sweat. “One… Two… Three… Go.” Maria gritted her teeth and gave another push, never in her life had she felt such pain, Patterson got into position. “That’s it! That’s it! Almost there!”

“Fuck!” Maria shouted in pain, continuing to push.

“You don’t want the kid to hear you sayin-” One of the technicians chimed up.

“Shut the fuck up and get him out of me god damn it!” Maria shouted, leaning her head back and trying to control her breathing. Seconds later the room was filled with a new sound, it cut through the beeping of the heart monitors and the other noises associated with hospital equipment. Shrill and loud, and full of life. The cry of a newborn.

“It’s a boy!” Doctor Patterson said gladly, she and her staff went about the usual procedures of cutting the cord and drying the baby, then weighing him. Maria watched quietly, recovering from the ordeal as best she could. “And what a boy! Eleven pounds!” The baby was crying loudly as they finished their procedures, before finally wrapping him up in a warm blanket and putting a little knit cap on his head to preserve his body heat. Finally, Patterson walked him over to Maria. Tired and aching, the woman still managed to reach out and for the first time took her infant son into her arms. The baby quieted down as he felt the loving embrace around him, and Maria felt tears welling in her eyes. He was very pink, with expressive brown eyes and a scruffy head of black hair.

“H-Hey…” Maria said as she looked at him, the doctors were cleaning her up and adjusting the hospital bed while the little boy looked up at his mother curiously. “Welcome t-to the world, little guy.” The woman quietly looked at Doctor Patterson, appearing a bit uncertain. “C-Can Dominic and Luna see him?”

“We’re going to take him to get a more thorough check up while we move you to recovery, then they can see him.” Patterson replied in a gentle tone, Maria nodded quietly and looked back at the bouncing baby boy in her arms. “You can hold him a bit longer if you like.”

“I think I will…” Maria replied as she held the little baby’s head against her chest, she then paused as she felt a sudden wave of exhaustion crash over her. “A-Actually… I don’t know if I can stay awake much longer…” Patterson nodded and stepped forward, taking the baby from Maria as gently as she could.

“When you wake up he’ll be in a crib next to your bed.” The Doctor assured her, Maria nodded and laid her head back. Patterson handed the child off to one of the nurses in the room before removing her rather gruesome looking smock, she proceeded to step out into the hallway and walk towards the waiting room. It took her a couple minutes, allowing the nursing staff to move Maria out of the delivery room as well as the baby. When Patterson arrived she was surprised to see both Luna and Dominic pacing back and forth in step with one another. They stopped simultaneously when they saw patterson, worry starting to creep across their faces. “Mister and Misses Occisor, you have a son.” Relief washed over the two of them, somewhat. “Maria is doing fine as well, she’s just resting, and we’re checking on the baby to make sure there’s nothing we could’ve missed. Given his size though, I think he’s going to be okay.”

“How big is he?” Dominic asked, then paused, he wasn’t sure why he had blurted that out. Patterson chuckled softly.

“Eleven pounds.” Patterson revealed, Dominic’s smile grew wide as he slumped back into a seat, resting a hand on his shaved head. Luna was equally relieved to hear the news, and surprised to hear the weight of the child, considering that it was quite a large number. She supposed that was why he had come early, and why it had taken so long during labor. “If you’ll follow me, you can come to the recovery room.”

Luna and Dominic followed Patterson through the hallway, passing hallways that had been cordoned off by Lunar Marines to prevent paparazzi from getting inside. Hospital staff and patients still roamed the floor, but it was far less active than normal. The pair found themselves entering a rather nice looking room, Maria lay in a hospital bed with her head off to the side and her eyes closed. Patterson left them with a brief farewell, when she was gone Dominic approached Maria’s bedside and gripped her hand. To his surprise she squeezed it back weakly. With that Dominic turned and walked to one of the chairs set up beside Maria’s bed, Luna sat beside him and draped her wing over his shoulder.

As the news began to spread through the hospital it gradually made its way to the reporters and paparazzi waiting outside, of course it was only officially released by a spokesperson. The news spread through the country like wildfire, thanks in no small part to the availableness of radios. The country breathed a collective sigh of relief at knowing that the child had come safely and securely, even if they didn’t have a name for him yet. In some smaller towns there were celebrations, the larger cities saw people listening in bars and restaurants. Hours passed, for Dominic and Luna it was still tense, even as the sound of celebration began to echo through the city outside.

“Is this what it was like?” Dominic quietly asked as he looked over at Luna, the mare raised an eyebrow at him. “When I got banged up in that riot… You know? You were next to me when I woke up.” The man quietly looked towards Maria, her chest rose and fell softly as she rested from her ordeal. “Is this what it felt like?” Luna paused for a couple seconds, then she nodded and leaned her head back against the wall.

“In some ways yes, but… I think I’m far more worried now, mainly because of the baby.” The alicorn admitted, Dominic could understand that. He himself was growing rather impatient with the doctors, they kept telling him that his son would be brought into the room soon, but he hadn’t seen him. He hadn’t seen him once since he had been born, and his frayed temper was starting to flair.

“Where the fuck are they with him? Where the hell is my son?” Dominic said in frustration as he looked at the door, he stood from his seat and once again began to pace back and forth. “Hours after he’s been born and I haven’t seen him once. What the fuck kind of fly by night, shameful, disgusting operation is this? Huh? Where is my son!?” Luna would’ve quieted him down, but she shared his sentiment. The door to the room opened, and Dominic turned to face it, prepared to let whoever came through know just how he really felt. He pointed his finger, but stopped when he saw that it was a nurse pushing a plastic crib in front of her.

Dominic’s frustration melted away as he saw the crib moved next to Maria’s bed, with a very special eleven pound person inside it. The nurse, a white earth pony, simply nodded politely and left, only stating that the doctor would arrive shortly. Dominic and Luna approached the crib, peering down into it and getting their first good look at the new life among them. It was love at first sight, a maternal and paternal instinct to protect and care for the little one overcame them. For Luna he was the most adorable, loveable little bundle she had ever seen. He looked around confusedly at the two new people. Dominic smiled widely as he reached his finger down next to the child’s grasping hand, tiny little fingers wrapped around it tightly, causing the man to chuckle.

“You know… He looks just like me?” Dominic said proudly, his smile growing wider as he felt his son’s hand clasped around his finger. The man carefully reached into the crib and lifted his son with the most gentle movements he could muster, holding the swaddled baby in his arms as he smiled widely at Luna, the mare was smiling widely as well as the little guy stared at her flowing mane curiously. “Wouldn’t you agree? He looks just like me? He has his mother’s eyes, but my rugged good looks…” Luna rolled her eyes but continued to smile, the man quietly set the boy back in his crib and sighed. “I need a second to recalibrate… Do you mind if I step out?”

“Go ahead.” Luna said, Dominic nodded and walked out of the room. He stopped and pulled a box from his suit jacket, it was moderately sized and made of wood. As he walked he opened the box and looked inside, there were a dozen or so cigars inside. Just enough for the Lunar Marines that had been working so hard on that floor, he wandered through the hospital and gradually handed them to the thestrals and even some humans, until finally the box was empty. It had only taken him fiftee minutes, and during that time he had managed to go to the bathroom, before finally he returned to Maria’s recovery room.

Doctor Patterson was there, and she was going over the basics with Luna, all things that they had read through in their books. Of course, she was happy to explain that everything with the baby was fine, and that they had kept him for so long just to be sure. It was that kind of dedication that rapidly redeemed her in the eyes of Dominic and Luna. Eleven pounds of adorable baby boy, healthy as a horse, and strangely calm. He hadn’t cried all that much, preferring to sleep and look cute. The conversation was rather boring, and really didn’t cover anything of note. Once again Luna and Dominic were left to watch over Maria and their newest family member.

Dominic’s thoughts turned to his father and mother, bitter sweet memories of his family flooded his mind as he sat at Maria’s bed side. He watched as his little baby boy would occasionally fidget while he slept, every time he saw his son he couldn’t help but smile. Never in his life had he felt so happy, so fulfilled. The man quietly stood from his seat, catching Luna’s attention. He walked to the crib beside Maria’s bed and looked down at his boy, those expressive brown eyes stared back at him. Luna watched as the man placed his finger into the crib, allowing it to be grabbed by the strong tiny fingers.

“My son…” Dominic said softly as he continued looking down on his son. “What great things will you accomplish?” The man’s tone was warm, his baritone voice resonating through the voice. He took his finger from his son’s grasp and booped the baby on the nose. “Look at his strong Roman nose. Those tiny broad shoulders. I could never deny he was mine.” Luna could hear Dominic choke up on the last sentence, watching quietly as he wiped his eyes. “If Maria wakes up, I’ll be out in the hall… I have some things I need to think over.”

“Alright.” Luna replied as she watched Dominic walk away from the crib and out into the hall, Luna stood up and walked towards the crib to get a better look at the little boy. He seemed a little surprised by her, and Luna could sense perhaps he was afraid too. “Hello, little one.” Luna said softly as she sat beside the crib to look down into it. “I’m your mother… Or, your other mother. It will probably be confusing growing up in a family like ours, but you’re going to have so much more love…” The mare’s tone remained positive and loving, causing the baby to stare at her with a happy look. “You are absolutely adorable, you know that? Yes you are.” The slight bit of baby talk made the child smile more due to the tone alone.

A couple seconds later he seemed to change, and then began to cry loudly. Luna was a bit surprised and worried as he began crying louder. Maria stirred in the bed and groggily sat up, looking around nervously as she heard her child crying. She looked over at the crib and sighed softly, Luna seemed relieved to see her awake.

“He just started crying, I don’t know why…” Luna said nervously, Maria rubbed her head before gesturing quietly for Luna to nudge the crib closer. Luna complied and moved the crib, allowing Maria to lean over and pick the baby up.

“Shhh… Shh…. It’s okay.” Maria said softly as she cradled him in her right arm while she used her left to undo a couple buttons on her hospital gown. It fell down, causing Luna to blush as she caught sight of Maria’s bare breast. The woman didn’t seem to mind and moved the crying baby close to her exposed chest, sighing softly as she felt him latch onto her nipple. She cradled him a bit more, letting him suckle as infants often do. “He was just hungry…” Maria said to Luna who had relaxed, she looked down at her son with a soft smile. “See? You’re okay, little one…”

“I was worried I’d frightened him, I know I can be a bit loud.” Luna said softly, Maria shook her head. “Dominic’s out in the hall, he’s been worried sick, but happy. If that makes sense.” The woman nodded and looked down at the babe on her breast, then to the door that lead to the outside hallway.

“I think maybe he’s a bit more scared of me.” Maria said with a slightly edgy tone, Luna raised an eyebrow at her. “All the books said to expect the mother, me, to basically become a full on bitch the first few days after giving birth.” Luna hadn’t read that part of the books, she’d been more fascinated by just how many different books there were in the first place. “I guess you aren’t afraid though, which is nice.” Maria looked down at herself and seemed to grimace. “Fuck… I look like the pillsbury doughboy, even with this little guy out of me.”

“You do not, you’ve just got a litt-”

“I’m fat, damn it!” Maria snapped, Luna realized what the books had apparently meant. The woman sighed softly and adjusted her grip on her son. “I’m sorry…” Luna only nodded, Maria looked down at the baby in her arms. “So, we’re certain it’s a boy now… We should name him. We can’t just keep calling him baby.”

“I believe Dominic was fond of the name Tiberius or Trajan…” Luna said as she looked to the door, Maria rolled her eyes quietly. “From what I’ve read of Rome’s history, both of them were actually very highly regarded leaders.”

“I think Dominic likes Tiberius because he’s a nerdy trekkie, even if he won’t admit it.” Maria said, brushing a bit of the child’s hair out of his eyes. “Truth be told… I do kind of like it. It’s bold… Powerful.”

“I’m rather fond of Altair or Bellatrix, but you can tell why I would like an astronomical name...” Luna replied with a bit of a smile, casting a brief look to her starry mane. The door to the room opened and Dominic cautiously poked his head in, after seeing that he wasn’t in any sort of real danger, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He smiled at Maria, Luna, and his son. “Good timing, we were just talking about names.”

“I was thinking something maybe a bit more conventional… Michael… Jacob… Dominic.” Maria said with a slight smirk, Dominic looked up at the mention of his own name. To Luna and Maria’s surprise he shook his head.

“Don’t name him after me.” He said with a firm tone. “I don’t want him to think he has to live up to my name, and also… If you yell for one of us, we’ll both end up shouting ‘What?’ back, then you’ll get annoyed and it’ll get confusing.” Maria and Luna blinked a bit at his reasoning, and it made sense in both regards. “I don’t really mind Michael, but Jacob doesn’t really seem to fit him, especially now that we know how big he is.”

“I like Bellatrix or Altair…” Luna said again. “Maria, Dominic… I love you both very much, and I love my son as well…” She looked at both of them cautiously, even though she knew better. “That said, he has your hair, your eyes, and that oh so Roman nose…” Luna looked at the baby quietly, humming softly. “I’d like for him to have something of mine as well.” Dominic and Maria exchanged glances, both of them could tell that it was the right thing to do, it was Luna’s right as a mother to at least have some tie to her child.

“That… Seems fair.” Maria said softly as she looked at her son. “So… Altair Tiberius Occisor?” She asked, looking around the room for feedback, Luna smiled and nodded happily, as did Dominic. “Altair… My little Altair… I like it. It rolls off the tongue nicely, you know?” Maria looked at her husband and smiled faintly. “Go get the doctor so we can tell her.”

“Okay, while I’m out I can get something to-” Dominic began.

“Just go get the doctor!” Maria snapped in an almost demonic sounding voice, Dominic’s eyes widened and on instinct he gave her a quick salute before dashing out of the room. Luna blinked quietly, she’d never seen him act that way before, then again… Maria never really lost her temper before. At least, not all at once. Altair didn’t seem to notice, he was too busy gorging himself. It was going to be a difficult first couple of days, that was easy for everyone to tell. That being said, the nation of Onorus was more unified than before, as the diverse nation bonded over the birth of what was potentially the heir to the throne, so to speak.

Author's Notes:

Next stop? Midnight screaming and crying! Followed by some more Cold War stuff, very hush hush. I didn't go into other stories for this chapter like I normally do because I figured it should just be a chapter devoted to a single event, and most of the other characters would be paying attention to the radio broadcast, so it would just be sort of boring...

I think this video seems appropriate for a joke of the day, especially since Dominic is going to make plenty of 'Dad Jokes' soon enough.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlVL8XJ-_UM