Chapter 14: Special Delivery!

It's been almost three months since everypony had returned to Ponyville, most of them now settled back into their old routines, except for Spike. Now his days consisted of making sure Twilight was feeling okay, and then running over to the boutique to do the same for Rarity. Of course the two mares worried that he would tire himself out from running around so much, but everyday he told them it was okay, even denying help from the other girls when they offered.

This morning Twilight woke up to the sound of smashing as Spike attempted to make breakfast for her, some curses coming up from the kitchen. She moved to head downstairs, but stopped when she heard Spike sigh happily, putting a full plate down on the table in the middle of room, rubbing to soot of his forehead afterwards.

"Still attempting to cook?" Twilight asked with a smile, receiving a grunt from Spike. He quickly walked outside and shook himself off, a black cloud floating up around him and getting into Rainbow's flight path.

"HEY WATCH IT SPIKE!" Rainbow shouted as she coughed out the soot and shook herself off.

"Sorry!" Spike yelled back up before coming inside, the Pegasus quickly flying in after him, her tail nearly getting caught in the door. Rainbow laughed as she landed by the table, her hoof about to grab a bundle of hay bacon so she could stuff her face.

"Hi Rainbow" Twilight said flatly before laughing, the surprised looked on Rainbow's face making her want to start giggling like a school filly. The Pegasus was caught of guard by Twilight sitting at the table happily unaware of what was going on.

"Did nopony stop by here yet?" Rainbow asked, shoving her face full of hay bacon as soon as she could.

"Why should somepony stop by?" Twilight asked calmly, her eyes focusing on Spike as he walked behind Rainbow Dash, "Spike's here for now"

"Well, he shouldn't be" Rainbow said, spitting out bits of the hay bacon onto Twilight's table.

"Why not?" Spike asked defensively, wondering why Rainbow would say something like that even thought she knew about Twilight's situation.

"Because Rarity's been in labor for almost two hours now, duh!" Rainbow said somewhat irritated before she realized why Spike was here, "Nopony came to tell you, seriously?!" Spike was gone before Rainbow was able to finish her sentence, leaving the confused Pegasus with the equally confused Twilight.

"Rarity's having her foal now?" Twilight asked quickly, her eyes asking Rainbow the same question.

"Yeah, although the doctors are worried for both her and the foal" Rainbow said sadly, "Two weeks early and not a normal foal, they weren't ready for this"

"Of course they weren't..." Twilight said quietly as she looked at the floor before jumping to her hooves, "Come on Rainbow, we need to be there for them!"

"But Rarity said it was going to be family only!" Rainbow cried as she was pulled away from her hay bacon forcefully, reluctantly turning around to fly when the library, and her bacon, was out of sight. Twilight continued to run until she arrived at the hospital, which was a feat only made possibly by her magic acting like short stilts the entire way there.

"If we can't wait inside..." Twilight said as she pushed open the door, revealing a waiting room filled with the others girls, "Then we'll wait here"

"But Twilight, the hay bacon..." Rainbow whined, raising a hoof towards the path they had come from. Rainbow felt something long and soft hit across the back of the head, so she jumped up, only to find that Applejack had hit her with her hat.

"Stop whinin', it don't fit you at all" Applejack said with a laugh as she put her hat back on, leading the other two mares to their respective seats.

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Six hours had passed since Twilight and Rainbow had arrived, joining the rest of the girls in their wait outside in the waiting room. According to Applejack Spike was lead in as soon as he opened the front doors, not even having to stop for them to realize who he was here for. Most of the ponies had fallen asleep except Twilight and Rainbow, both of them worried about their friends health too much to be able to close their eyes now.

*THUD*

Everypony woke up completely when they heard something hit the floor, and they looked they found the large purple dargon face first on the cold tile floor... snoring?

"Did he fall asleep as soon as he got out here?" Applejack asked, poking him absentmindedly with her hoof, making him groan every time.

"His hand must hurt a lot, I wonder what happened to it..." Pinkie asked out loud as she looked at Spike's right hand, which was almost pulsating from being squished, judging by the looks of it. Twilight, having been attending pregnancy classes with Rarity, knew what had happened, making her laugh quietly to herself.

"What's so funny Twilight?" Rainbow asked, giving the Unicorn a confused look.

"Rarity made him like this," Twilight said happily as she lifted Spike up so she could put him in a chair, "She ran him ragged in there..." Everypony watched as Spike was placed neatly in one of the hospital chairs, his head falling down onto his chest as he was let go. As the group walked away they heard him mumbling about how much his hand hurt and how much he loved Rarity and his newborn foal. Eventually the group found Rarity's room, the scorch marks on the ceiling and walls pointed it out.

"Why is the foal doing that?" Fluttershy asked as she stopped next to one of the larger marks, being too scared to carry on.

"It's something baby dragons do, it's similar to teething" Twilight replied, her words making Fluttershy calm down a tiny bit, the idea of seeing a baby dragon had piqued her interests. As Twilight pushed open the door a nurse pony ran out, pushing her and the girls aside.

"AMETHYST STOP DOING THAT!" Rarity shouted from the other side of the door, prompting her friends to rush in, finding her fighting with a strange dragon pony baby that was spitting fire everywhere. Once they were inside Twilight used her magic to rub the baby's neck, making it stop spitting fireballs.

"Oh thank Celestia he stopped!" Rarity cheered as she laid the baby down in her forelegs, "Thank you Twilight"

"No problem," Twilight smiled at Rarity, her attention quickly being grabbed by the baby, "Who's this?"

"This is Amethyst, and he's the best baby in the world..." Rarity cooed as she went to nuzzle Amethyst's nose, which was pony-like, as was his body, but he had very distinct dragon features. When Twilight looked down at him she felt two things pop up inside of her. One, she was amazed at this new baby, being a mix of dragon and pony, it was something many could only imagine, and two, in just a few short months she would be here, alone...

"Everything alright dear?" Rarity asked, having noticed the sad look on Twilight's face when she handed Amethyst off to the girls for a little while.

"Soon I'll be here, just like you, but I won't have anypony like Spike..." Twilight said sadly, her gaze glued to the floor as she tried to not cry. For a mare like her, Celestia's own student and sister to a princess and the captain of the guard, to be having a foal all by herself? It was still too much for her to handle.

"It's okay Twilight, we'll be here for you" Applejack said, holding Amethyst towards Twilight so she could take him. Once she held him it felt as if all her worries went away, and now she couldn't wait to have her own foal to hug and hold like Rarity did with Amethyst. Only a few more months, and then I won't be alone anymore... Twilight thought as she and the girls laughed and talked about the baby until the nurses came in and shooed them away. That night, Twilight felt ready to have her foal without a single bit of fear.