Octavia lay next to Vinyl, watching the white mare with a sort of languid, sleepy fascination through lidded eyes. Vinyl was engrossed in the newest Daring Do book, a series Octavia had picked up for Tambourine, but Vinyl had been far more taken with it.
Her eyes trailed over Vinyl Scratch's entire form, taking in her bent head, the engrossed look on her face, her gently curving torso and smooth, rounded flank, which - though she would never admit it - Octavia had to fight the urge not to give an affectionate smack.
She's beautiful, Octavia thought dreamily, sighing as she watched the relaxed, even rise and fall of her lover's side as she breathed.
The glossy, soft-as-spider-silk tail flicked absently, tickling Octavia's muzzle and startling her out of her reverie with a sneeze. The grey mare shook her head, rubbing her muzzle against her hoof to rid it of the itch before returning to gazing openly at the pony laying beside her.
Vinyl turned her head to look over her shoulder at Octavia. Noticing the absent expression, and the open stare at Vinyl's flank, the wild-maned mare winked knowingly, flicking her tail into Octavia's face again. "See somethin' ya like, Octy-Pie?"
"Oh! Uh, erm..." Octavia flushed before giggling softly. "Oh, what the hay, I can say whatever I want. So, yes, yes I do see something I like. And, Vin', I would appreciate it if you didn't call me by the plural of a form of aquatic life."
"I thought Octy-Pie was a very cute nickname," Vinyl replied, looking hurt. "Besides, being called Octy-pus can only lead to being called Octy-Pussy, and that is an admittedly nauseating theory. Sushi, whether alive or otherwise, is fine for eating, but... down there..." She winced. "Ugh. Sounds terrible."
"I have to agree with you on that on, Darling," Octavia agreed, pushing the Octy-pussy thought as far into the dustiest corner of her mind as she could. "But honestly, Octy, 'Tav, 'Tavi, 'Tavia, and Celestia know what else are all better the Octy-Pus, or Octy-Pussy. Those are horrendous."
"Eh, you're right, I guess," Vinyl shrugged, looking bored with the entire conversation, "But still, Octy-Pie is cute. It's because I think you're so cute I could just eat you. You know, like pie?"
"That is a rather strange comparison - ugh - " Octavia grunted suddenly. "This foal business is not good, when it goes so fast. My skin is all sore and stretched out-feeling. And it keeps kicking me,"
"It's kicking? Really?" The white unicorn wore an expression of delight as she rubbed one of her forehooves over her wife's bulging stomach. "That's great, Octy!"
"Why does it make you so happy?" Octavia batted Vinyl's hoof away irritably. "It hurts, and it always happens at night, when I don't want to be bothered by a foal, I just want to sleep."
Vinyl looked at her somewhat scornfully. "You better get used to it, Baby. It'll only get worse once she's born."
"Oh, you know what I mean. It's not exactly... pleasant... to have something kicking you from the inside of your stomach."
"Uterus. If she was in your stomach, that would just mean you'd eaten somepony's foal," Vinyl corrected, earning a glare from her annoyed wife.
"Since when have you gotten all scientific, Vinyl?"
"Besides, doesn't it make you feel kinda - I don't know, excited, maybe? - that there's something alive inside of you, that we created, that's going to be born soon? Isn't that part nice?" Her voice dropped to a soft, rather sad tone. "Because, if that doesn't make you even a little bit excited, I don't know if you should even be a mother, 'Tavi. The reason why so many mares look at pregnancy as more then an irritating side-effect to having foals, is that there's something... something a little bit magical about knowing that the funny feeling in your gut is a pony, that wouldn't even exist without you, one that's yours to love and take care of, no matter what. Doesn't that make up for the soreness and the morning sickness and the weird cravings and everything you keep complaining about?"
Octavia stared at the strange, sane Vinyl Scratch laying beside her, a pleading look on her white face, luminous crimson eyes large and trembling. "You know what, Vinyl? You're right. It more then makes up for it, and I'm sure I will appreciate it more once it's over. It's just... I feel like I'm constantly snapping at you, Vin', and I'm sorry. It's not my fault..." She trailed off, toying with the sheets in her hooves.
Octavia felt tender hoof around her shoulders, caressing her cheek, as Vinyl Scratch gave her a gentle kiss before turning her face to look into her eyes. "I understand, Octavia. I was pregnant once too, remember? A long eight years ago, but still. I know what it's like. You have nothing to apologize for. Now, are you going to allow me to feel our foal's kicking, or are you going to explode again?"
Octavia smiled. "I'll let you. I'm glad you've still got your convenient habit of changing the subject as soon as you think an argument has been solved. For a minute there I thought somepony had replaced my wife with her sane, normal, twin."
Vinyl placed first her hoof on Octavia's stomach, then her ear, resting her head lightly against the rounded, furry body. "I hear her heartbeat, 'Tavi. She's definitely there. Oh! And I now she just high-hoofed me! She did, really! She gave me a brohoof, I felt it!"
Octavia patted the fuzzy blue head on her stomach lightly, stroking the feather-soft hair lovingly. "I believe you, Vin'. But, I've been thinking about, how you know, maybe we should name her before she's born this time. I think it would be nice."
"Whatever you want, Babe. She's all yours." Vinyl glanced up at her briefly.
"No, she's yours too. But thank you. I think we should stick with the musical names though, to keep it familiar. Do you have any suggestions?"
"I don't know. It took me like, weeks to come up with Tambourine, and that was just because I saw one at the grocery store. What about Allegrezza, or something? Isn't that one of your musical terms? I mean, I still like Wubsy, but I trust you'll reject that again."
"Allegrezza is nice, I guess, but one of my colleagues is named that. And besides, it's kind of a common name. And, you're right, I still say no to Wubsy. Treble Joy?"
Vinyl made a face which, under any other circumstances, Octavia would have felt the need to her warn her that it would stick that way.
"No? Alright, how about..." She toyed with her long, lustrous mane absentmindedly. "How about Grace Note?"
"Wha's that?" Vinyl's voice was muffled, her muzzle buried in Octavia's fur.
"A grace note, in music, is a little note stuck in somewhere unexpected, and it's very quick, if you stop listening for even a second it's gone, and you never even know it was there. It would suit her, because, you know, the whole pregnancy in a day thing."
"Yeah... That does make sense." Vinyl pulled her head up for a moment to look at Octavia. I've never heard of a grace note before, but it sounds like it's a perfect name for this filly. Do you know anypony else with that name?"
"No."
"It's not a colleague, or an aunt, or anything?"
"No."
Vinyl turned her face back into Octavia's stomach. "What do you think of being a Grace Note, huh? You cheeky little thing, sneaking up on us all in one night. It suits you, you know."
Octavia giggled softly. "I don't know if she can her you, but I think it's a yes."
"Well, that's settled, then," Vinyl said, sitting up and looking at the clock. She yawned largely. "Celestia, it's late. We should go to sleep, Octy-Pie."
"I thought we vetoed that nickname, Marshmallow," Octavia replied, using an old jibe.
"Well, if I'm a marshmallow, it's only fair that you're a pie. That way we can say our relationship is a very sweet one."
"That's ridiculous, Vinyl," Octavia said, curling into a comfortable position and drawing the blanket up around her chin. "Now, goodnight, Darling, I love you."
"Love you too, Babe," Vinyl answered, stifling a yawn as she fitted herself into position around her wife's curled up body.
They lay silent, enjoying one another's embrace and waiting for sleep to overtake them for a while, each in her own silent thoughts.
Then Octavia spoke softly, her voice floating through the darkness to Vinyl's ears. "What do you think Tamby is going to think of the name? She didn't seem to like the Grace Note very much, you know."
"You know what I think, Octy?"
"What?"
"I think she's... jealous." The word was whispered directly in Octavia's ear, and the grey mare flicked it softly, feeling it hit Vinyl's cheek.
"I know that much, silly. But, don;t you think we should do something for her? You know, to make sure she knows we still love her as much as we did before?"
"Hmmm," Vinyl paused, thinking. "Tell you what. Tomorrow, you don;t have practice, because it's Sunday, Tamby doesn't have school, also because it's Sunday, and I don't have any gigs until nine at night. We'll have a special day, just for her."
"Do you think it'll work?"
"Absolutely. We'll have a special, do-everything-Tamby-likes-to-do day, and she'll be convinced we still love her, and everything will be great again. Alright?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"No problemo, Babe." Octavia felt Vinyl kiss her ear gently. "Can you sleep now?"
"Yes. Goodnight again, Sweetheart."
"Goodnight, Octy. Sleep well."