“Hnnnngh!”

“Hang on! We're almost there!”

“Not… Fast… Enough! Uuuuuuugh Mother why does this hurt so much!?”

“Just hang on! I know you can do it!” I said. She wasn't looking too well.

I would have used a stronger numbing spell, but Ruby warned that kind of magic might hurt the baby. Even teleporting would be risky.

So the next best thing I could do? Pick her up and make a dead sprint like a bat outta hell to the hospital as soon as her water broke.

I just don't think all the shaking from me running helped much.

“Ok misses Lockhart, push!” Nurse Redheart said. Mimic did so with all her might, her strength being shared with the hand she was using to crush mine.

“Come on Mimic. I know you can do it.” I ebbed on.

“You better hope to Great Mother Above that I-” She froze, like her brain just blue-screened.

“Ah, the painkiller finally took effect.” Nurse Redheart said. “I was wondering when the epidural would kick in.” Just as Redheart said that Mimic relaxed back into the bed.

“Ooooooh~” She sighed.

“Misses Lockheart? We need you to push some more.” Redheart said.

“Oh, right.” She replied before taking a deep breath and started pushing. Soon enough she began panting again when she kept pushing.

“That’s it! It's crowning! Keep pushing!” Redheart yelled.

“Aaaahaa!” Mimic screamed, guess the painkiller was starting to wear off. There was a comical slurping sound and then a loud ‘POP’.

Yes, that seriously happened. I cannot make that kind of bullshit up. A baby literally popped out my girl’s vagina.

“Congratulations! It’s a colt!” Redheart cheered. But to me the world pretty much went black for me as soon as I heard my baby wailing. There wasn’t Redheart, there wasn’t a hospital room. It was just me, Mimic, and my son.

My son.

My first, son. My first of many, but still.

I am here, I have just witnessed the birth of my first child.

…

Is it weird that I feel intense accomplishment?

Anyway, I managed to gain some sense of reality when my son was wrapped in some cloth and floated towards me, I heard some muffled words as I took him into my arms.

He was so small. I mean, he was about the same size as any normal human baby, but still, he was just so small… I could hold his head in my hand and lay his tiny body across my arm if I wanted too.

“Oh Ember, he’s beautiful.” Mimic wheezed. “Can I hold him?” I turned to her and nodded feverishly.

“Of course, he's your son too.” I said while I carefully handed my little hybrid to my wife. He calmed down a great deal when Mimic took hold of him. He opened his eyes for the first time and I was amazed at what I saw.

His pupils were slitted, he had two layers to his irises; the inner one being yellow, the outer being a light grey. And the whites of his eyes were the only normal thing about them.

And then I looked at his body.

It was normal, for a humanoid changeling. His chitin was dark blue with an ashy white tint to it. It sort of looked like he rolled around in flour or something like that.

He also had holes in his arms and legs; easily fixable. But my eyes gravitated towards his ba-

Oh my god…

he has the most adorable pair of gossamer wings I've ever seen!

…

Since when did I fully turn gay?

“Ember? Honey?”

“Huh?” I tear my eyes from my pride and joy.

“What do you want to name him?” Mimic asked. I realized my son has gone this whole time without getting a name and immediately started thinking about a good one. I spent a couple minutes thinking about it before I came to a good name.

“Does Mark sound good to you?” I asked.

“I think that's a wonderful name.” She turned to our newly named son. “My little Mark.” She nuzzled Mark, making him giggle. I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

He turned those big eyes towards me when he heard my laughter. He had this awed look on his face. Like he hasn’t seen anything like me before.

I know we’re the first humans he’s ever seen, and Redheart and the other ponies being the first he’s ever seen too. But it’s still funny.

“Goodwill? Could you get me a blank certificate?” I heard Red ask.

“Yes ma'am.” he other pony replied before walking off.

“Excuse me,” Redheart continued. “Would you allow me to check your foal?” I went to nod, but Mimic’s motherly instincts took over.

“And why would you do that?” She asked hotly.

“Sweety, she just wants to make sure there's nothing wrong with Mark.” In turn to Redheart. “Right?” She nodded nervously.

“Yes,” She said in a wavering voice. “I just need to perform a few harmless tests.” At the word ‘tests’, Mimic held Mark closer to her chest.

“It's ok Mimic. She's doing for his well-being. I'll go with her and make sure everything’s good if you want.”

“Yes!” She said suddenly. “I mean. Yes.” She repeated in a softer tone. “Alright.” She handed Mark to me, I held my arms out and smiled a little when he started at them. He started to squirm when he was in my arms. But I managed to calm him down with a few shushes and ‘it's ok’. It helped a little when I held my hand in front of his tiny face. Mark stared at it quizzically and grabbed one of my fingers, and then started sucking on it.

God fucking damn it, he's cute.

Anyway, Mimic felt more at ease when I did that. And had a smile on when Redheart lead me out the room, though, I saw some lingering worry behind it.

“Thank you,” Red said when the door closed. “for making that easier for me. Usually mares tend to guard their foals like that.”

“It was nothing.” I responded. “Same thing with women where I come from.”

“So you've had experience with these situations?”

“No,” I shook my head. “it’s more stories from my parents and friends that painted the image, so to speak.”

“Ah.” She nodded understandingly.

“And besides,” I continued. “I'm more glad at the fact this wasn't a miscarriage.” Redheart stumbled a little when I said that.

“E-excuse me, but, did you just say ‘miscarriage’?” She asked, and I nodded.

“It's sort of a common thing for women of my species.” I said sagely. “I know it sounds screwed up. But, yeah...”

“O... Oh my. I would never think…” I nodded.

“Yeah, and that's not even the half of it.”

“What could be worse than a miscarriage?” She asked.

“For humans, a lot of things.” I answered. “From birth defects, to genetic screw ups, to birth complications.” I listed off.

“Oh my Celestia.” Redheart gasped. “That sounds horrible!”

“It is. But, it's not as bad as it sounds, kind of.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if a woman gives birth to a child. And there's something wrong with them physically or mentally mainly. There are programs and stuff out there that can help raise and take care of the kid.”

“Oh. That sounds like a department Princess Celestia herself founded.”

“That sounds like something she would do.”

“Yes…” The conversation kinda died at this point. It was getting a little awkward by the time we got to a pair of doors.

“Here we are.” Redheart said while opening one of the doors. I walk in after her and immediately noticed all the other babies. I remember that they have this area in hospitals on Earth. The name of it just eludes me.

Redheart takes me towards the back of the sectioned room. Where there another normal looking door.

The room behind it, however, was not.

The walls were covered in paintings of small animals playing with ponies. The ceiling was painted to look like the morning sky. And the floor was covered in carpeting. Something my talons found quite comfortable.

“If you will set him on the table please.” Redheart said. “I will be right back with Doctor Tender Care.” I nodded and she left the room. I looked at the table situated in the middle of the room and saw that is was padded. It almost looked like a little bed.

I walk over to the table and gingerly set Mark down on it. I couldn't help but notice the padding was very soft. Like, laying on a cloud soft. Kinda put me at ease with setting Mark on the table. And why I would worry about something like that? No clue. He did squirm a little when I laid him down. But I kept him distracted by tickling him.

He's really ticklish.

It was really fun to play with him like that. Like, it felt really awesome just to be there making my son happy. I never thought I'd be like that with any kid. Any previous interactions I had with children was just me not saying ‘fuck’ all the time. But, I guess having your own child sort of changes you in that aspect.

Oh fuck me to tears, I just realized Mimic might want to stop cursing.

“He is so cute.” Mimic said.

“I know babe.” I said. “Also kinda cool he's already learned to walk.”

“We changelings are fast learners.” She said, a little smugly I might add.

“Well let's just hope he has my human intelligence.” That confused her a little.

“Isn't that the same thing?” She asked, and I shook my head.

“There's a difference between how fast someone could learn something and their level of understanding.”

“What?”

“Hear me out, if Mark really is a fast learner, good for him. But it'd be useless if he doesn't understand what he learns. He could know that two plus two equals four. But if he doesn't know how or can't explain why two plus two equals four, he really won't learn anything.”

“Ooooh… I guess that makes sense.”

“Yeah. So-”

“Ff… Faaa… Faaaahst.”

Oh my god. Did Mark just-

“Ffffaaaaasssth.” Holy fucking shit. He did.

He just said his first word. My one-year-old son just said his first word. We've been teaching him how to walk and he manages to parrot a word.

Mimic’s giving the same look from when Mark walked five feet without falling. I’m not imagining things then.

“He just-”

“I know!” I interrupted. I rushed up to her and Mark. “What did think we can get him to say now?”

“Don’t know!” She said joyfully. “Marky.” She said, gaining Marks attention. “Can you say mommy?” She asked. Though, it was completely unnecessary to ask.

“Mo-mmie.” She repeated with annunciation.

“Mmm...” Mark tried. “Mah…” He struggled with the foreign sounds. Foreign for him anyway. “Mahmmie.” He finished.

“Good enough!” Mimic said while hugging the kid. Of course, he didn’t understand what the word really meant, he only got his brain a year. The fact that he said it semi-correctly so soon was a huge achievement in of itself. “Now try daddy. Dah-die.”

“Dah… Daah...”

*Come on Mark.* I thought. *You can do it.*

“Daaahddie.” He finally said.

“That’s it!” Mimic cried. Further cuddling Mark, who giggled at the affection. I couldn't help but just watch. And feel a weird sense of pride that my son is doing things a baby his age wouldn’t normally do.

*Why didn't I have kids sooner?* I asked myself.

-Probably because parents before have said having kids turns into hell when they grow up?- Embris suggested.

*Eh… fair enough.*

Author's Notes:

Seventy chapters...

God damn. Didn't think I'd write this much dribble.