Octavia took a seat, somewhat exhausted from the work. "Wow...I never knew I was lacking so much energy...well, it does make sense after all..." She said with a small smile, bringing a hoof to her belly, noticing it was a little heavier than before. It was then that a distant memory suddenly rushed to the surface. "Oh no...oh no oh no oh no!" She quickly hurried up off her seat and moved as quickly as she could to find Vinyl. In her rush, she nearly knocked over Twilight who, with the assistance of Trixie, was helping move a large section of wall out of the way.
"Oh goodness, I am so sorry, Twilight!"
"It's alright Octavia," Twilight said with a smile. "Is everything alright? You look like you've just seen a ghost."
"I need to find Vinyl right away," Octavia said. "It's really important..."
"Oh, well let's go find her!" Twilight said, Trixie giving a small grunt of disapproval. The two unicorns moved the broken section of wall out of the way, and the three set off to find Vinyl.
"Trixie doesn't quite see the point of all this..." Trixie started, but immediately changed her tone when Twilight raised an eyebrow. "...but if Twilight Sparkle deems it necessary, then Trixie shall not object," she said with a haughty tone, blushing all the while.
"You know, you're really bad at hiding your emotions," Twilight laughed.
"Trixie is not! Trixie is just trying to be more compassionate and kind to other ponies as Twilight wishes," Trixie said as she made a futile attempt at hiding her blush behind her silver mane. Twilight giggled at this, Octavia shaking her head with a smile.
"Almost reminds me of when I first met Vinyl. I could not STAND her; she was loud, crass, over-active and crude...but, over time I learned to look past it and saw her real personality. If Trixie is willing to go this far to change herself...she must really care about you Twilight," Octavia said with a smile. Twilight blushed hotly at her words.
"Yeah...I know," she said, moving a little closer to Trixie, who smirked slightly. The three found Vinyl talking to Applejack as they took a break.
"Howdy, Octavia, how're ya feelin'?" Applejack asked.
"I am doing alright, Applejack. Thank you for asking...would you mind if I spoke to Vinyl for a moment?"
"Sure thing," Applejack said, taking a step back.
"What's up Octy?" Vinyl asked. She then read the nervous look in her eyes, frowning slightly. "What's the matter?"
"Vinyl, I completely forgot we had an appointment with Doctor Haysworth today! He wanted to see me today to check on the growth of the baby," Octavia said with a sigh. Vinyl face-hoofed.
"I can't believe we forgot about that! There's no way we'll get back to Canterlot in time for-" Twilight interrupted by clearing her throat.
"Sorry about that, but you don't really need to worry. Nurse Redheart's clinic is open today, so you can go see her if you need anything," Twilight suggested.
"You're right! Come Vinyl, if we hurry we might be able to make it in time! Twilight, would you mind leading the way?" Octavia asked.
"Sure. C'mon Trixie," Twilight said.
"You are welcome to come too Applejack," Octavia offered.
"Naw, Ah'm alright. Ah'm sure Mac still needs mah help. Y'all go on without me. Ah'm gonna git back to work," Applejack said. They said their goodbyes and began to make their way towards Ponyville Clinic. After about a ten minute walk, they made their way through the doors and Octavia went up to the receptionist.
"Yes, hello. Is Nurse Redheart in?" Octavia asked.
"Yes she is, may I ask for your name?" The receptionist asked in return, taking a pad and pencil.
"Octavia Philharmonica. I have an appointment scheduled for today for prenatal examinations," Octavia said.
"Alright Miss Philharmonica, just have a seat in the lobby and we'll call you when she can see you, and congratulations!" The receptionist said, handing her a slip of paper with a number on it.
"Thank you, that is very kind of you," Octavia smiled, taking the slip and returning to the waiting area. Octavia and Vinyl sat across from Twilight and Trixie as they waited.
"You really are not obligated to stay..." Octavia said. "I will not be upset if you need to leave."
"It's fine, Octavia. This would be a major learning experience for me, and I'm not one to turn down something as educational as this," Twilight said.
"Trixie is only going along for the ride," she said flatly, to which she received a small nudge from Twilight. "...but Trixie is grateful you are being courteous to her and Twilight."
"So tell me Octavia, how far along are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Twilight asked.
"Oh, not at all. I would say I am around a month in. I have noticed that I lack the energy I used to have, and I can feel my belly getting heavier."
"How interesting. It seems your exhibiting all the normal signs of a pregnancy, putting aside the unnatural conception of the foal..." Twilight said, her eyes shining at the possibilities of everything she could learn from this. "What about the gender?"
Vinyl and Octavia looked at one another. "Uh, we don't know yet," Vinyl said.
"Is there a way to determine it before the foal is born?" Octavia asked.
"Well, I read recently in the newest issue of Popular Magics that a new spell was created that allows you to see a two-dimensional image of a foal in utero."
"That is absolutely correct, Twilight," Nurse Redheart said as she walked up. "It requires a unicorn to perform the procedure. What happens is the magic permeates the skin, and creates an imprinted image of the foal in the magical field. What happens then is the unicorn draws the magic back out, and displays the image on a nearby wall for the parents to see, somewhat like a projector used in classrooms. It just so happens that we just recently hired a technician as part of our staff, so if you would like he can perform the procedure for you."
"There is nothing potentially dangerous in this, is there?" Octavia asked.
"Absolutely not," Nurse Redheart reassured. "All it does is make an imprint and that's it."
"Hm...well, I suppose that would be alright...I am kind of excited," Octavia smiled. Vinyl was grinning from ear to ear.
"I'm actually gonna see my kid! Ha!" Vinyl said, excited.
"We'll get to that after the examination. Come along, Octavia," Redheart said as Octavia got up from her seat, following the nurse into the examination room.
"So, tell me about you two. When are you two gonna get hitched?" Vinyl asked with a small smirk. Both Twilight and Trixie froze in their seats, their faces turning a deep shade of red at the sudden question. "I can see you two haven't even thought about it. You might wanna start on that- you're cute together," Vinyl said. These two are so easy...
"I-uh-well..." Twilight stuttered.
"Trixie...well...she..." Trixie stuttered as well.
"What, you don't wanna spend the rest of your days together, waking up in bed together, taking baths together.." Vinyl then leaned forward. "...Having steamy moments together?" Vinyl said, raising an eyebrow. The two couldn't even speak from the mental images now surging through their minds. This continued for a good half hour before Nurse Redheart appeared.
"She's done with her examination, and it went very well. Everything is where it should be. If you want to see the ultrasound, now's the time," Nurse Redheart said. The three mares got up from their seats and followed the nurse into the examination room, Octavia laying on the table in the center, soft music playing through the tiny speakers in the ceiling. Vinyl took her place next to Octavia, Twilight and Trixie standing nearby. The door opened and a gray unicorn entered, his deep blue mane offsetting his bright green eyes.
"Alright, Miss Octavia. My name is Ray and I'll be doing your ultrasound today," he said in a kind voice. "I want you to just lay still and I'll do all the work." He then took his place on the other side of her. He focused what magic he could into the tip of his horn, and touched it to Octavia's belly.
Octavia could feel the warm waves of magic sweeping through her, startling her somewhat. Vinyl instinctively moved closer to Octavia, nuzzling her slightly to keep her calm. "It's alright...I'm right here, Octy..." she whispered, placing a hoof on her shoulder. After a few minutes, the unicorn smiled.
"Are you two ready to see your baby?" Octavia and Vinyl nodded, eager to see. The unicorn took a step back, and used his magic to bring the image to life on the wall in front of them: it showed a tiny foal, smaller than they had ever seen, curled up in the fetal position as it slept. Vinyl and Octavia stood in stunned silence as their eyes took in the first sight of their child. It was then that Octavia felt her heart swell- she had fallen head over hooves for the image of her child. She couldn't help but shed a few tears at the sight, pulling herself closer to Vinyl.
"That's...our kid...our baby..." Vinyl whispered, unable to take her eyes off the image, feeling tears threatening to spill down her face, regardless of the smile playing across her face.
"Yes, Vinyl...our baby," Octavia whispered in return. Twilight and Trixie watched quietly, Twilight smiling brightly at the beautiful sight. She leaned her head into Trixie's neck, Trixie smiling warmly as her tail twisted itself around Twilight's.
"I'll leave you four alone..." Nurse Redheart said softly. She quietly slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her.