Hope

Completely out of place in the small hospital, a human paced nervously outside a maternity ward. A muted silence hung in the hall, broken occasionally by the squeak of sneakers on the polished floor. Clammy hands wrung each other as he waited for any news from the nurse.

Suddenly two nurses rushed by, hooves clopping loudly as they pushed inside. For a brief moment, the man hears a pony moaning slightly in pain. He reaches out towards the door, held in place by a promise. They didn't know what to expect. No magic could tell them if the child would be human or not.

He thought that over a moment. Not human. That wasn't the right word. As long as she was born healthy it didn't matter.

Only a few minutes later, the kind face of Nurse Redheart poked out from the swinging door. The human was comforted by her soft smile. "Is...is she okay?"

The nurse nodded, pushing the door open. "Why don't you see for yourself, dad?"

Tentatively entering the brightly lit maternity room, he can see his minty colored lover framed by the white curtains of the hospital bed. Even though her face is glowing, he can tell she's exhausted. Her mane is all frizzed out, her fur matted slightly with sweat. He smiles at her. She's still gorgeous.

Cradling a white blanketed form, Lyra beckons him over. Wordlessly, he reaches for the small bundle, grasping it gently. She was big for a pony child. Parting the blanket slightly, a wave of surprise and shock washes over him. Big hazel eyes stare up at him, as a completely human face greets him from the cozy blanket. She has a sprout of mint colored hair, in homage to her mother. Looking at Lyra for some explanation, she simply looks warmly back at him. 'It was just simply impossible', he thought. And yet here she was, his human daughter. Born from a pony he loved.

Cradling her tiny body to him, the human felt a single manly tear well up. If this was some kind of dream, he wished it would never end.

As he held her, however, a creeping twinge of fear ran up his spine. There was definitely something wrong with her legs. He could feel incorrect bends and joints under the blanket. Looking around, he realized only now the general looks of unease on the faces of nurses and doctors. He reached up with a shaky hand, pulling the blanket aside, eyes wide as he saw the rest of his child.

She did in fact have a human head. Tiny human hands and perfectly formed fingers reached out at the new world in front of her. She even had a tiny human outie bellybutton. But below that, everything changed. Smooth, peach skin gave way to a fine coat of soft fur, matching Lyra's own color. Her legs were like a foal's; powerfully muscled and reverse jointed, ending in soft hooves. He could see the tuft of a tail behind her.

He looked up, finding the maternity ponies averting their gaze. Only Nurse Redheart offered him a comforting smile. There were murmurs of disapproval or shock throughout the ward. Looking over to Lyra, he could only think of one thing to say.

"She's perfect."