You chuckled as you felt a hoof brush your shoulder, tilting your head to see Fluttershy lying on the deck chair closest to you, her eyes half lidded as she dozed in the afternoon sun. A shadow fell over her and you glanced over your shoulder, finding one of the resort’s staff holding a tray in her magical aura. The mare set it on the table next to you with a wink, then moved over to the next group of ponies, a mix of young mares and stallions, taking their drinks orders.

You passed your wife her soda and took your cocktail, sighing as the fruity taste graced your tongue. Fluttershy gave a small groan as she brought her drink up, gazing longingly at your own. you had allowed her some wine at the reception, but no alcohol since. Still, the resort in the mountains of Yellowstallion National Park provided an almost perfect place for the pair of you to relax.

It was your second week there, and whilst you wouldn’t consummate your new union just yet, to which Fluttershy was a bit frustrated, but you still did other things with her. Even the group of youngsters were relatively quiet when they saw her condition, going so far as to help if she looked like she was struggling. You finished your drink and got up, standing next to Fluttershy whilst she sipped the last of hers, then helped her up.

It was time for her daily exercise, a gentle swim in the pool. The resort was fairly empty right now, so you had arranged with the resort staff to use the shallow end for this purpose. They immediately said yes once they checked your booking, and it was when you asked the receptionist later on that you found out you had been given the same perks as the Wonderbolts themselves.

Which meant not just a clear shallow end, but the whole pool being empty for about an hour. You jumped in first, then turned and helped Fluttershy gently ease herself into the water. She moved to where her hoofs almost touched the floor, then turned to nuzzle your cheek. “You can go swim on your own if you want, I’ll be fine.”

You cupped her cheeks with your hooves and kissed the tip of her muzzle, smiling softly at her as she giggled. You pulled away and started to swim towards the deep end, ensuring to keep glancing over your shoulder at your wife. You had almost made it to the deep end, preparing to turn around when you heard panicked splashing.

You got your wings above the water and flapped over to Fluttershy, pulling her to the most shallow part of the pool. The mare wrapped a hoof around your neck and squeezed tightly. Then you saw the pained look on her face. “Fluttershy, what’s wrong?”

“T-t-t-he foal! I think i-i-it’s coming!” You dropped a hoof to her stomach, finding that it did seem to be tensing and untensing rapidly. You pulled the mare from the water and helped her back over to the deck chairs, setting her down on one, then immediately looked for a member of staff. One of the younger stallions, a unicorn, came trotting over with worry.

“Excuse me, is there something I could help wi… oh. Er, I can assist to make her comfortable. My father is a doctor.” You nodded to him, and he moved closer to your mare, his horn glowing softly. A bundle of towels were floated over and he gently pushed her down, your hoof held in hers. “She’s only just started. Just remain with her whilst I go get somepony more qualified.”

With that he turned and galloped towards the resort’s main building.

You sat with worry outside the hospital room, your mare having been inside for over five hours now. The door cracked open and you jumped out of your seat, the nurse appearing and smiling at you. She beckoned you inside and you quickly followed, immediately moving next to the bed and placing your hoof over Fluttershy’s.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and she smiled weakly up at you. There was a tube going into her leg, a line leading up to a bag, which you assumed was full of pain medication. A unicorn stallion entered and nodded to you, then lifted up the blanket covering Fluttershy’s rear legs. He pulled back out and lifted up her chart, making some changes with his magic. “Well, Mrs Runner, you’re coming along nicely. We’re going to take you to the delivery room now.”

An orderly came and moved to the head of the bed, beginning to wheel it away, and you slowly let go of Fluttershy’s hoof. “Sky… don’t leave me.” You weren’t going to do that anyway, falling into step behind the earth pony as he pushed her along the corridor. It didn’t take long for her to enter another room, where a small trolley was placed next to her bed.

“Mr Runner, have you been told where to go?” You nodded to the doctor and climbed up onto the bed. He used his magic to help Fluttershy sit up and you slid behind her, then felt her back press against your chest and wrapped your hooves around her, resting them gently on hers. “Perfect, it shouldn’t be too long now. I just have to get a few more things and we’ll be ready.” The doctor slipped out of the room.

“Sky, I’m scared.” You nuzzled the back of your wife’s head and squeezed her gently, showing her that you were there for her, no matter what happened. She suddenly tensed up and let out a loud scream, before falling back against you, breathing heavily. “Sky…”

“DOCTOR!” The door burst open and the stallion returned, taking the situation at a glance. He turned to the corridor and said something you couldn’t make out, then entered with two nurses. They were immediately around the bed, the stallion spreading Fluttershy’s legs apart.

“Okay, Mrs Runner, on the next contraction, I need you to push.”

“But… that’ll hurt!”

“Shy…” She tilted her head back up, finding you smiling softly down at her. “...it’s going to hurt, but I’ll be right here with you, all the time.” She started to nod, but then scrunched her eyes up tight, and you could feel her stomach muscles tighten. They loosened again and the mare screamed once more, her forehooves now gripping yours tightly.

“Very good, Mrs Runner, I can see the head. Do the same on the next contraction.” She was breathing heavily, and her head dropped towards her chest as the next one came, your forehooves almost being crushed as she seemed to transfer the pain to you. “Okay, the shoulders are free, one more and that should be it.”

Your ears then twitched, the sound of a foal crying finally registering with you. Fluttershy took a few deep breaths and then tensed up, pushing the foal out the last little bit. The nurses immediately cut the umbilical cord, one cleaning the foal whilst the other cleaned the new mother. Once that was done, the nurse with your foal approached the bed with it wrapped in a blanket, the doctor next to her. “Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Runner. You have beautiful, healthy pegasus colt.”

He was passed into Fluttershy’s waiting forehooves, the crying stopping almost immediately as he sensed his mother, whose head rolled back against your shoulder with a giggle. “And you thought we were going to have a filly!” You couldn’t help but chuckle at that, looking down to see your wife’s face, both a happy and exhausted expression upon it. You leant down and kissed her cheek, then felt something moved towards you.

Your forehooves came up instinctively, both holding onto your colt firmly and gently. His rolled back from the disturbance and his eyes fluttered open, revealing irses of the same shimmering cyan as his mother’s, and you couldn’t do anything to stop the tears from starting to fall.

You turned your head when you felt a kiss on your cheek, which Fluttershy followed with one to the tip of your muzzle. “Okay, we’ll leave you in peace now, and come back to check on you soon.” You nodded to the doctor who smiled back at you and turned to leave, but stopped by the door. “Oh, I almost forgot! A rather brash mare by the name of Applejack demanded to know where you were. I had security keep her in reception for now. What would you like me to do?”

“It’s okay, she’s my cousin. You can send her in.” He nodded at you and gently closed the door, and your colt suddenly started crying again. You weren’t sure why, not until his small stomach made a quiet grumble. You chuckled as Fluttershy took him back from you and slipped him under the blanket, where the crying stopped immediately. You shifted in the bed so that Fluttershy was to your side, and turned to look at her. “Mrs Runner, I love you.”

“I love you too, Mr Runner.” She brought up a hoof and wrapped it around your head, pulling you into a passionate kiss.

“Ah hope y’all are gonna get some rest before ya do that again.” You pulled away with with a chuckle, looking to the door to see Applejack grinning at you. “Ah can see the youngin’s hungry, so Ah’ll be back in awhile. Ah just wanted to see if Applebloom could come with me.” You gave the mare a nod and she closed the door on you again.

The lump under the blankets began to shift about, and then the fabric lifted into the air. It dropped down once more, but you were quick enough to catch your colt, and took the blanket off of him. He blinked at you once and then yawned, his eyes starting to droop. You dropped back to the floor and placed him in the clear plastic basket next to the bed, which was lined by a few soft blankets.

You wrapped him in them and then climbed up next to Fluttershy, who snuggled down against your side, both of your gazes locked on your foal. “Sky… can I name him? I… have one ready… um, if you don’t mind, that is.” Even after all the time you had spent with her, she was still that shy mare you met in Ponyville on your first day.You made her giggle as you kissed her forehead, then nodded to her. “I want to call him… Freedom Bolt.”

You blinked a couple of times, trying to work it out. Then your eyes went wide as you realised he was conceived the night before you ran away. You smiled at Fluttershy and nodded in agreement. The door cracked open slightly and you heard a pony enter, but couldn’t see them. The pony then jumped up onto the chair, butter-yellow forehooves resting on the plastic cot as she stared down in wonder. “Aw, ‘e’s so cute! Can Ah hold ‘im?”

You just gave a chuckle and ruffled Applebloom’s mane, pulling her over to the bed and close to your side. “Once he wakes up, yes. Right now, let’s just let him rest. Fluttershy too.” She gave a little nod and then you noticed Applejack leaning against the door frame, smiling at the scene in the room. She trotted in and sat on the chair, placing a hoof gently on your shoulder.

“Well Sky, looks like yer gonna have yer hooves full fer a few years now. Ah guess y’all wanna head back to Ponyville soon as. Ah can go start packin’ yer things up at the resort, if ya’ll want me to?”

You gave a nod and she slipped from the chair, motioning the young filly to follow. She just gave a groan as she went to move, but giggled as you nuzzled her cheek. She turned around and kissed the tip of your muzzle, then hopped down from the bed and joined AJ as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Never did you think that either of the royal sisters would have nothing to say, but Luna was proving you wrong right there, her mouth open in awe as Freedom Bolt stared up at her from between her forelegs, happily chewing on her mane. You were sat opposite her on the library’s other couch with a massive grin, Fluttershy pressed close against your side. Celestia was pouting at the Moon Princess from her place next to her sister. “Come on, Lu! You’ve had your turn!”

“Hush, Tia. The little one is resting.” You chuckled, amazed that ponies who had lived for millennia could descend into bickering siblings over a foal. He let her mane go and began to giggle as Luna bent down and blew raspberries on his stomach, his tiny hooves flailing against her muzzle ineffectively. He suddenly wriggled quite hard and fell from her grip, a golden aura surrounding him and gently lowering him to the floor. “Oh my, I am sorry, I did not mean to drop him!”

You just smiled at Luna as Bolt started to crawl across the floor to where Applebloom and her friends were sat reading books on foals, you and Fluttershy having agreed to let them foalsit with supervision from an adult. He caused them to giggle as he climbed over them, and finally stopped when he bumped into a massive leg.

Big Mac looked down to see Bolt looking up at him, his forehooves stretched out wide. The stallion lowered his head with a chuckle, lifting it back up with the colt laying between his ears, his inquisitive eyes roaming over the room, before they settled on you. You stood from the couch and got ready, having done this with Applebloom when she was younger. You closed your eyes and ‘felt’ Mac move, Bolt giggling as he was thrown through the air.

Your eyes snapped open and you jumped up, catching him in your forehooves, and then gently flapped back to the floor. Your ears splayed back when you saw the glare Fluttershy was giving you, her forelegs crossed as well. You smiled sheepishly at her, then passed Bolt to Celestia, whose grin only got wider as your colt decided it was time for a nap, snuggling close against her chest. Your features dropped as there was a knock on the door, the young dragon making his way over. “Spike… stop. I’ll get it.”

He gave you a nod as you slowly trotted to the portal and opened it, glancing over the ponies stood there, then stepped to the side. You heard Fluttershy give a small gasp as your parents walked in, their heads bowed low, Fleetfoot following. You had promised your wife that you would slowly start to let them into your life again, but didn’t tell her you had invited them for that day.

You trotted over to her and nuzzled her cheek, then pulled away with a smile. “Are you ready?” She gave you a small nod and got up from the couch, and the pair of you made your way over to the three fillies, who looked up at you with innocent smiles, which caused you to chuckle. “Right then, listen to what Mac tells you, and everything will be fine. Understand?”

They all nodded at you, and you noticed both Fluttershy’s and your parents following you towards the door, the other ponies getting ready to leave too. Applebloom hopped up next to Celestia and accepted Bolt from her, the two alicorns standing up to leave as well. You said your goodbyes as the ponies started making their way to their destinations, leaving just Spike and your cousin in the library with the trio. Twilight had decided to head to Sugarcube Corner with the other four mares, where she would more than likely spend the evening.

You turned from the door and draped your wing over Fluttershy’s back, smiling at the two older couples and your sister. “Well then, shall we?” They nodded at you and you began walking through the town, heading towards the restaurant where Posey and Parchment Dust were taking you in celebration of your first foal.

Author's Note

Almost there! Heh, how many of you expected them to have a filly?