Author's Note

Here comes the feels train! All aboard!

Chapter 28 “A Little Miracle”

Ember’s head turned as a loud, thunder-like sound rippled through the chamber, startling everyone else that was in the Den. “What was that?,” Speckle questioned, her body now tense as she was on alert.

“Probably Collin. He's the only one I know who can break the sound barrier when he's under stress. I’ll go see what's going on.” The stallion stood and quickly trotted to the cave's entrance, where he saw said pegasus crash landing onto the ground with a thud. “Collin!,” The Lead cried, rushing over to his fallen comrade. Collin heaved and coughed from the impact, but he rose to his hooves.

“I-I'm fine. Just got a little light headed and lost my balance. Where's Sirena?”

“She's in the Den. But you're not going in there like that.”

The pegasus growled, his eyes flashing white. “Darn it, Ember. I knew you'd be like this. Why not?”

Ember's face deadpanned. “Have you seen yourself lately? You're covered in blood and scratches. The least you could do is clean yourself up.” He then turned and called, “Speckle?” She was out in a flash, slowing down once she saw Collin.

“Oh, geeze. Looks like those vampires didn't take too kindly to being told 'no’, huh?’

“He needs to get cleaned up, Speckle.”

“Got it.”

Her horn instantly began to glow, and the pegasus was lifted up into the air. He started to spin, feeling a cool mist begin to form around him. As he spun faster, the blood dripped off his body as water washed it away. He then suddenly stopped, causing him to hold his head as he became dizzy. Once lowered back to the ground, Speckle darted back inside to tend to her friend. Collin was about to follow her when Ember stopped him by raising a hoof, stepping towards him to press a featherlight kiss to the tip of his muzzle.

“Collin… before you go, I just wanted to say… I'm proud of you, bud. And know that wherever life takes you three, whether it's sticking with us or moving on, you have my complete support.” The second in command's previously annoyed stare turned soft, and his bottom lip started to quiver. Ember's eyes rolled, but he chuckled. “Hey now. Don't waste your tears on me. Save those for when you see the baby. Now go. Your mate needs you.”

“Ember...I...thank you.”

Collin walked swiftly into the Den, his eyes locking onto Sirena's laying frame. She was drenched in sweat, her coat sticking close to her body and her now wavy mane resting on her back. Valentine sat calmly in between the mare’s raised hind legs, giving her instructions in a soft tone. Speckle was at her side, letting gentle words of encouragement escape her lips to further comfort the lilac pegasus. Both unicorns looked up when he approached, Speckle giving him a soft smile. “She's doing very well. Had a couple flare ups when she started having contractions, but other than that things are going smoothly.” He smiled back and reached out, gently taking ahold of one of Sirena's hooves. She turned her head towards him, her magenta eyes widening as she took him in.

“Collin…”

“I'm here, Darling. I'm here.”

The mare laughed tiredly. “Took you long enough. Our son is taking his sweet time on coming out. What happened?”

Collin's eyes darted around as he tried to come up with a believable answer. “Uh, thorns. Fell into a big patch of them on the way back.” Sirena's eyes narrowed.

“Collin, there aren't any thorn patches around here for miles, and even if there were, I don't see a single one sticking out of you.”

The stallion chuckled nervously, though it was short lived as the mare suddenly cried out in pain. “Ah! H-He’s moving down!” Valentine moved and spread her legs open even further.

“Ok, Sirena. Je vais avoir besoin de vous pousser jusqu'à ce que je voie la tête.” (Ok, Sirena. I'm going to need you to push until I see the head.)

She did so, hissing through clenched teeth as she pushed, her eyes squeezed shut and her grip on Collin's hoof growing tighter.

“Arrêtez!,” (Stop!) The dark pink unicorn suddenly exclaimed, her horn glowing red.

Sirena's wings ruffled as she felt her walls stretch and a large mass get slowly get pulled out of her. Then her and her mate’s ears perked when they heard it: a tiny cry as their son took in his first life giving breaths. Tears sprang into her eyes once they opened, although she could barely see straight as the umbilical cord was cut and Speckle and Valentine cleaned the foal and rubbed him dry. Her sight regained as her friend came back to her, holding the baby close to her chest as she beamed.

“Congratulations, you two. He’s beautiful.”

He was given to his mother, who looked down at him with awe. He was a tiny thing, not much longer than Collin's hoof. Donning a teal coat and blue tipped wings, his little nose twitched as he slept. “Hi there, little one.,” she cooed softly. The tears that welled in her eyes before came back in full force, and she let those tears of joy and happiness roll down her face. Collin shed a few tears of his own, wiping them away quickly before anyone else saw them. “Can I.. can I hold him?” He asked timidly, slightly fearing that his mate's motherly instincts would kick in and she wouldn't wish to give her child to anyone, not even him. But to his relief, she nodded, handing the foal over. He cradled him in his arms, taking note of how soft and velvet like the little one's coat was. “Hey there, little guy. You're just a cutie, aren't you?” The foal turned his head towards his father's voice, his ears perking up slightly as he listened to the sound. Sirena laughed lightly.

“I see who he's attracted to now.” Her face then became thoughtful. “Soundwave.”

The stallion looked up. “Pardon?”

“His name. Soundwave.” He turned it over in his head before smiling and looking back down at the tiny pegasus in his hold.

“Guess what, little buddy. Your name is Soundwave now! How do you like that?”

He could of swore he saw the corners of the foal’s lips turn up in a smile, but he then blinked and saw that they were back to normal. Either way, he was happy, and as he handed his son back to his mother's waiting arms, he knew she was happy too. He lifted his eyes to see Speckle standing there while Valentine had left, a bright smile on her face. He smiled back at her, mouthing a silent 'thank you’ before curling up beside Sirena. She had transferred little Soundwave to her chest, where he was eagerly sucking from one of her milk filled teats, tiny smacks could be heard as he sucked. Collin watched on with interest, his gaze shifting as she rested a hoof on top of his. “We’re parents now.”,she noted, tucking her wings at her sides. He draped a wing over her back as he moved closer, kissing her forehead.

“Yeah, we are. We're parents to the best little miracle we could ever ask for.”

“Praise the stars.”, a voice sounded behind them. Collin's head swiveled and he saw Ember approach, a warm grin gracing his features. For the first time, the pegasus could no longer see the Lead as his mentor and coach. Instead, he saw him as a close friend. “I guess I shouldn't call you Rookie anymore, huh? You’ve clearly outgrown that stage.” Collin smirked.

“Perhaps calling me Lead would be more fitting.”

The red earth pony scoffed. “Please. You ain't leaving the nest just yet, so that means you're still under me. But… Lead Alpha Collin does have a nice ring to it. I’ll consider it.” He looked at the baby still latched to Sirena's breast. “He’s a cute little thing. What's his name?”

“Soundwave.”, the mare replied, gently pulling the foal off and rubbing his back, slowly bouncing him up and down to get him to burp. He finally did after a few minutes, the sound pleasing. She laid him down beside her, covering him with a wing. “Sweet dreams, little one. We love you.”