Chapter 18 – The Missing Musician

After hearing Vinyl Scratch’s grief-stricken exclamation about her missing wife, Ford Mustang and Rainbow Dash walk their Unicorn friend out of the hospital’s lobby as the stallion gently asks, “Okay Vinyl, just take your time and tell us what’s been going on with you and Octavia.”

Once she takes a deep breath, Vinyl explains herself as calmly as possible, “Well… Tavi wasn’t feeling too good lately. She spent more time in the bathroom than usual. So she decided to go see a doctor and figure this out. I asked her if she wanted me to come along, but she said she’ll been fine and presumed she caught the flu or something. So I waited and was chillaxing in my studio to help pass the time. Usually, at some point, Tavi would come in and tell me to turn down that racket. Hehe… She’s so cute when she gets all cranky like that, you know.” she reminisces with a small, chuckling smile before resuming her story in a more distraught manner. “But that’s the thing… she didn’t! By the time I finished up my recording, Tavi hasn’t come back home yet! She’s been gone for hours! Once I realize this, I immediately ran to the hospital and… well you know the rest.”

With the light-colored Unicorn feeling discouraged once again, Rainbow goes up to her and pulls her in a one-leg hug while saying to her in a reassuring voice, “Don’t worry, Scratch. We’ll find Octavia together.”

Her husband follows it up with a nod and a smile, and Vinyl breaks into a grateful smile as her red eyes start to get watery. At once, the emotional Unicorn squeezes her rainbow-haired friend and says to her softly, “Thank you.”

Once their hug has ended, Rainbow hovers up and instructs the two, “Alright, we’ll cover more ground if we split up. Ford, you go with Vinyl and check out any of Octy’s favorite hotspots. I’ll go solo to see if I can spot her from the air.”

Truth be told, Ford cringes on that plan as he lightly rebuts her, “W-wait, you’re going by yourself? Rainbow, I would feel more at ease if I can manage the sky for you instead.”

Understanding his constant concern, Rainbow shakes her head and explains herself, “Mustang, I’m not gonna do any reckless up there. Believe me, a search like this requires flyers to take things slow as they do a wide, thorough scan on the ground below.” Then, she pulls her stallion in closely and whispers to him, “Besides, I think it’s best you stick with Scratch for now. She could really use the company and you’re better at this than me.”

Ford looks back at Vinyl and observes the pitiful expression on her face. So he faces Rainbow once again before nodding to her request. “Okay, I’ll follow your lead, Rainbow. But let’s meet back at Vinyl’s house in about an hour if none of us can find Octavia by then.” he advices as he points to a clock tower nearby.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Rainbow responds as she and Vinyl nod simultaneously.

“Just… please don’t strain yourself.” he pleads to his wife while stroking her cheek tenderly.

“I won’t, Mustang. I promise.” And they end it with a quick farewell kiss before Rainbow flies up and begins her aerial search at a steady pace.

With a heavy sigh to relieve his worries, Ford faces his DJ friend and issues with a determined smile, “Let’s go, Scratch.”

Sharing with the same enthusiasm as him, Vinyl agrees with a grin, “Right. Follow me.” And she leads the expedition by galloping ahead as the volunteering Pegasus follows her behind.

High above Ponyville, Rainbow Dash does her best to take her time to scout the area as her continuing search gives her a bird’s eye view of the whole town. From up there, she can see every distinct detail from the bustling ponies down below thanks to her very sharp eyes. But after covering most of the opened streets, she extends her search outside of town, and the next place she checks out is the public park.

From there, she examines a lot of leisurely activities that can found at the park on such a lovely spring day, including kite flying, having picnics, and playing outdoor games such as Frisbee tossing. But the vigilant mare couldn’t get too distracted by such things at this point. She has a missing pony to find, and she isn’t going to let Vinyl down now.

Suddenly, she spots a likely candidate on a lone bench next to a big, shady tree. But Rainbow had to make sure this is the one without making a fool out of herself as she quickly goes over her mental checklist.

Warm grey coat: Check!

Long, raven-colored mane and tail: Check!

A treble clef Cutie Mark: Check!

An amethyst-encrusted wedding ring: Check!

And for absolute certainty, a white collar with a pink bowtie attached to it: Double Check!

Displaying a big, accomplished smile on her face, Rainbow flies down and makes a soft land right beside Octavia, which greatly startles the cellist out of her subtly low-spirited trance.

“Octy, there you are!” the hovering Pegasus greets with a broad grin.

Still alarmed by Dash’s arrival, Octavia responds in a panicky tone, “O-oh! Rainbow Dash! What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you, of course!”

“M-m-me?”

“Yeah! Vinyl said you were really sick and had to go to see a doctor. So Ford and I decided to come look for you.”

“O-oh… is that right?” she stammers in response as she averts her nervous eyes away from her friend.

“Hey, are you okay?” Rainbow asks once she notices Octavia’s strangely timid demeanor. “You’re awfully quiet than usual. Here, you stay right there and let me fetch Scratch--!”

“NO!”

The cellist’s high-pitched reaction nearly breaks Rainbow out of her flying, and shook-up Pegasus stares with frozen eyes at the equally wide-eyed Earth Pony while Octavia tightly covers her muzzle up with her fore hooves. In their awkward silence, the grey mare gradually lowers her forelegs and she diverts her flustered gaze away from Dash once again before speaking up in a hesitant voice.

“I mean… not yet… I just need more time.”

Renewed with concern, Dash sits down next to the dismayed musician and meekly asks, “Octy, what’s going on with you? Did something happen at the hospital?”

Reluctant to answer, Octavia lets out a heavy sigh and vaguely explains herself. “I don’t know how this could have happened to me in the first place.”

“Come on. Talk to me, Octavia. What exactly are you referring to?”

“Oh Rainbow Dash, I feel so conflicted! I’m not even too sure on how I should feel right now!” But before she gets a little too carried away like before, she reverts back to a flustered manner and finally comes clean with her plight, “I just found out that I’m… I’m pregnant.”

Moments after they split from the hospital, Vinyl Scratch leads Ford Mustang on a frantic search for her wife as they explore the possible locations that Octavia would be. They check out her favorite restaurants and places to shop. They even ask some of their friends they pass by. But nobody can verify on when they last saw Octavia recently. With no ideas for the time being, Ford directs the increasingly agitated Vinyl to one of the benches that encircle the town square’s watering hole.

“Ugh! It’s no use!” Vinyl grunts as she plops heavily on the seat. “We just asked Lyra and Bon Bon and checked nearly every place in Ponyville, and we still can’t find her!”

“Hey, don’t give up just yet.” Ford says as he sits down next to her. “We still have time to find her.”

“I shouldn’t have let her go by herself!” she criticizes herself as she shakes her head furiously. “I should have stand beside her if she learned something life-threatening!”

“H-hey, come on. Don’t say it like that--!”

“But it’s the only explanation I can think of, Mustang!” she retorts in a severely hysterical voice as fresh tears begin to leak out of her big, ruby eyes. “If I were there by her side when that happened, I would have been able to comfort her or something! And now she’s out there! Alone! Completely freaked out on the grave news she was given, and I’m unable to be there where I’m needed the most! I’m such a useless pony!”

As the distressed mare weeps nonstop over her futility whilst covering her sorrowful face, Ford gently pulls his grieving friend in for a comforting embrace before he reassures her softly, “Oh Vinyl, please don’t be so hard on yourself. You are definitely not as useless as you make yourself out to be. And believe me, I know what it’s like to feel like an absolute failure to somepony you truly love.”

After calming down a bit, Vinyl puzzles on his latest statement before saying to him, “What do you mean by that, Ford?”

A bit indecisive at first by what he is indicating, Ford reluctantly answers her question with another question, “Do you… recall what happened at the end of Rainbow Dash’s foal shower?”

Vinyl ponders on that recollection before she casually replies, “A little, yeah. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“Well you see… I have reason to believe that Rainbow… might not make it in the end.”

From hearing that unanticipated response from the reluctant stallion, Vinyl’s eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets before she screeches in immense shock, “What?! Mustang, how can you even say such a thing like that?!”

“Let’s just say… my Draconian Magic allows me to see things that I didn’t want to see in the first place.” he answers uncomfortably.

“What, you mean like seeing into the future?”

Grudgingly, he quietly nods to serve as his response, and the stunned DJ attempts to take it all in before she eventually comes up with a proper reaction to this disheartening news, “Oh my gosh… Ford, I-I had no idea! Wait, does Dash know about this? And what about the twins? Are they gonna be okay?”

Understanding her growing concern over what he just shared, Mustang answers with a small yet reassuring smile, “Yes. We talked about this months ago. And as far as I know, the twins will be fine. But we weren’t certain on how to share it with everypony else just yet.”

“Then why are you sharing this with me?”

“Because I want to share with you on something I’ve learned from my own troubling experience. If Octavia is diagnosed with something fatal, then you should spend as much time with her as you can. Make them count for her, show her on how much you love her, and cherish those precious moments for as long as possible. It’s the very least you can do for her before her time comes.”

Taking his advice to great consideration, Vinyl Scratch engages in such rare deep thought over this important matter of hers. But as her discouragement begins to build from the inside, Ford lays a soft hoof on her shoulder as he bears a comforting smile for her.

“And we will find her, Scratch. Don’t you worry about that.”

From such welcoming reassurance from him, Vinyl displays a small yet positive smile, and she pulls the Pegasus in for grateful hug while expressing her deep gratitude, “Thanks, Mustang. You really are the best friend a gal like me could ask for.”

Happy to see her smiling at last, he tightens their embrace slightly as he responds with a friendly grin, “And you’re the coolest friend a guy like me could ever ask for. Well, second to Rainbow Dash, of course.”

“Phooey!” she pouts humorously before she shifts in a more serious manner. “Thanks for sharing all of this with me. I really hope that Dash will pull through in the end.”

Smiling over her consideration, he concurs with her, “Believe me, I wish for the same thing.”

“Hey, I almost forgot. Why were you and Dash at the hospital to begin with? Did you two… find the cause of her affliction yet?”

“Well, that was half of the reason why we were there, but no, she’s still in good health thankfully. Actually, the other half was because we got the chance to see the twins for the first time thanks to their sonography.”

Her eyes widen with excitement as she grins with delight, “That’s great, Mustang! What was it like?”

“Oh, it was so cool, Vinyl!” he answers with much enthusiasm. “There was a Unicorn who used ultrasound to show us a 3D projection of the twins! I’ve never seen anything like that before, not even with ultrasound! Ah, and the way they wiggle inside… so cute!” he squeaks in a strangely adorable manner.

“Wow! A spell to uses sound to create pictures, eh? Hey, that does sound pretty well-suited for my own skills! Still, I’m super stoked for you guys! Oh, what I would give to share a moment like that with Tavi! Well… if we ever get that chance to say the least.” she adds in a mildly dejected tone.

“Hey hey, none of that, Scratch.” The grinning Mustang shushes her with a fore hoof. “Let’s find Octavia first before we jump into conclusions, alright?”

Smiling once more, she chuckles a little, “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Now, let’s think about this some more. If Octavia needed a nice, quiet place to herself, where would she be?”

“Well… when it comes to peace and quiet, she would often take her cello outside to practice if I get a little carried away with my jams and such. Mostly she would be at the park and--!”

At the mention of that one location, Vinyl becomes completely speechless and slowly but surely, she brightens up with that big, toothy grin of hers before fully expressing her optimism, “Wait… THAT’S IT! I know where to look! Come on, Mustang! There’s no time to lose!”

“Whoa whoa what?!”

With Dash’s delayed response, the Pegasus stares in complete shock at the silent Earth Pony as Octavia blushes unnervingly while once again diverting her eyes away in shame.

“B-But how?! I mean unless--!” Then Rainbow stops herself from saying that one possibility in mind before she gazes suspiciously at the cellist. “Octy, you didn’t…!

“No, I would never do that to Vinyl!” she retorts furiously at that accusation. “How dare you even considered that I would cheat on her like that!”

Hastily, Rainbow holds her hooves up in defense and takes back what she just said. “Okay okay! My bad! I didn’t mean step on any hooves like that.”

From receiving the Pegasus’s swift but earnest apology, Octavia calms down and replies in a softer tone, “Sorry. It’s just… I still can’t believe this. I’m carrying somepony else’s foal, and I don’t even know how I became pregnant to begin with!”

“Hey, not to be so blunt or anything, but you’re not too upset about this, are you? I mean, compared to Vinyl, I thought you would look forward to being a mother someday.”

“Well… that is true.” She admits with a small smile. “I’ve always dreamed on having a little foal of my very own. But even with my pregnancy being unintended, that’s not what I’m so worried about. Vinyl Scratch loves me, and she trusts me with all of her heart. So if I tell her about this, she’ll fell completely betrayed and will never forgive me for this. So that’s why I’m here: trying to figure out how I became pregnant before I can explain myself to her.”

“But no matter what I’ll say to her, it wouldn’t be enough to convince her!” she carries on her heartache as she gradually breaks down in tears. “I’m so scared on what she will say to me and what’s going to happen to our marriage! I simply can’t bear the thought of losing my wife over something like this!”

As the devastated mare carries on with her heavy grieving, Rainbow begins to feel rather uneasy in the situation she’s in. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help out with Octavia’s stressful dilemma; she just doesn’t considered herself that good over talking about somepony else’s feelings, no matter how schmaltzy they can be. That kind of comforting is usually her husband’s shtick. Still, she came this far just to find Octavia, and she not going to give up from the mission she was entrusted.

“Hey, it’s okay, Octy.” Rainbow says gingerly as she gently strokes the lamenting Earth Pony’s back with a soft, feathery wing. “I understand where you are coming from. Really, I do. But you’re forgetting that this is Vinyl Scratch we’re talking about!” she addresses with an upbeat grin. “Ponyville’s DJ-PON3 who is just as cool and awesome as me!”

Once she takes the time to wipe some of her tears, Octavia responds in a cynical, sniveling tone, “I doubt she will be that levelheaded once she finds out about this."

“You’re wrong, Octavia. For somepony who has known her for years, you still have no idea on much that mare loves you. You know, I still remember the times me and Scratch would hang out together at the late-night clubs, whether she was running the gigs or not. But often times, when we shared some drinks, she would always bring you up at some point in our conversations.”

“Really? What did she say about me?”

“Oh you know, the usual.” she shrugs with a witty smirk. “How fussy you can be sometimes. How cute you look every time she provokes you.”

To Rainbow’s gratification, her lighthearted quip is enough to cause Octavia to break into a giggle as she agrees with a budding grin, “Yep, that’s definitely my Vinyl.”

“But yeah, I can tell right away that she was head over heels for you. Yet she could never bring herself to finally admit it to you. That is, until my husband came along. Still, she thinks nothing but the world of you. Even if you did find somepony better than her, she only wants you to be happy no matter what.”

From hearing Rainbow’s strong, encouraging words over her wife’s devotion for her, the cellist’s worries begin to die down as a calming smile stretches across her face. From noticing that positive change from the local musician, Dash smiles with confidence as she wraps a foreleg around Octavia whilst bring her statement to a close.

“So trust me, Scratch will be a damn fool if she even thinks about divorcing you over something like this. Plus, if she is that stupid to do that to you, I’ll just have to knock some sense in her myself.” she adds with a crafty chuckle.

Matching with Dash’s clever smirk, the cellist offers with as much shrewdness as her winged friend, “I can always lend you my frying pan if it ever comes to that.”

Impressed by Octavia’s deviousness, Rainbow grins alongside her as she compliments her with a wink, “Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. So, ready to go find her?”

Feeling much better now, the smiling Earth Pony answers with a soft nod before she is about to stand up from her seat. But suddenly, she stops in place as she and Rainbow Dash turn to their left once they hear a familiar shout from the distance.

“TAVIIIII!!”

Octavia knows where that is coming from. She can recognize that rambunctious outcry from just about anyway. Galloping at full speed across the meadows is none other than Vinyl Scratch, making a mad dash towards her bewildered beloved as she leaves a trail of irrepressible tears from her extremely emotional eyes. And catching up with her is the remainder of her search party, Ford Mustang, who is flying right behind her.

“V-V-Vinyl--?”

But the Octavia's opening statement is abruptly cut short when Vinyl nearly tackles her off the bench she is sitting on. Once she recovers from that head-on grapple, she looks down and her gaze is met with Vinyl’s, whose continuously sniveling face looks just as juvenile as the little filly she would act from time to time.

“Why didn’t you come home right away?!” Vinyl exclaims in-between her sniffling. “Do you have any idea on how long you’ve been gone?! I was worried sick about you! Don’t you ever do that to me again!”

Sobbing uncontrollably, the Unicorns shoves her face into the cellist's soft, furry chest and squeezes her mare tightly, refusing to let go of her while she continues to let it all out. A bit touched by her wailing wife’s constant worry, Octavia pulls her in warmly and strokes her wild, blue mane while apologizing softheartedly, “I am so sorry, sweetie. I didn’t mean to take so long. I won’t ever leave you alone like that again. But Vinyl… there’s something I need to--!”

“I know.” she replies sobbingly.

A bit taken aback by her quick response, Octavia stammers in response, “Y-you… you do?”

“Yeah. Okay, well not exactly.” she clarifies with an awkward grin before readdressing herself in more serious tone, “But I know that you’ve been going through a rough time right now, and I want you to know that whatever happened at the hospital, I will always be there for you no matter what.”

As Vinyl grasps her wife’s hooves tenderly, Octavia beams greatly over the DJ’s never-ending devotion before returning the reassurance right back, “Oh Vinyl, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that from you. But don’t worry. I’m not going to die anytime soon.”

From hearing this extraordinarily good news, Vinyl’s eyes take a break from the waterworks before she verifies in a stuttering voice, “Y-you’re not? Really?”

“Far from it actually.” Octavia answers with a subtle giggle. “In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I just didn’t know how to share this with you.”

With her initial worries put to rest, Vinyl lets out a heavy sigh of relief before she breaks into her signature, carefree grin, “Well if it’s good news, how bad can it really be--?”

“Vinyl, I’m pregnant.”

Like its namesake, Octavia’s eye-opener leaves Vinyl Scratch wide-eyed and deeply flabbergasted, which caused her grin to shrink drastically before she comes up with a simple yet proper response to her wife’s earthshattering news, “…Say what?”

“I’m… pregnant.” she repeats with more reluctance this time.

Ford Mustang is just as equally shock as Vinyl, but he is even more surprised when he notices his wife not reacting much to this at all. With a bewildered look, he silently gazes at Rainbow Dash for a confirmation on this, and she answers with a simple nod before they look back at the ongoing scenario between the two musicians.

Breaking the awkward silence first, Vinyl shrieks in amazement, “YOU ARE?! Are you absolutely sure--?!”

“Yes, I’m certain!” Octavia snaps before explaining all that she knows. “I made them run the tests again, and the results were still the same! But I swear, I don’t know how this could be possible! I would never do something so cruel like--!”

“Whoa, hold on a second!” Vinyl interrupts her in an urgent manner. “How long has it been since you were with foal?”

“Over two weeks.” she admits halfheartedly before her nerves get the best of her. “But I can’t remember on anything I did that could cause--!”

But once again, the cellist stops her allegation, not because Vinyl was interrupting her this time, but because of the expression on her face. Octavia expects her wife to be horrified, hurt, or even angry on what she has to confess, but definitely not happy based off of those big, jubilant eyes and that overstretched, gaping smile of hers.

And just before Octavia can question her wife about her sudden change in outlook, the spontaneously cheerful Unicorn literally springs into action as she bounds energetically around whilst she fully expresses herself in unrestrained jubilation.

“YEEESSS!! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!”

As the overjoyed DJ continues her constant frivolity while she bounces around the bench like an energetic bunny, Octavia, Rainbow, and Ford are completely baffled by the Unicorn’s random behavior. In the midst of their combined stupor, the Earth Pony is the first one break out of that as she inquires with concern and bewilderment.

“V-Vinyl! Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? You’re taking this unbelievably well!”

But the grinning mare is too distracted by her own merriment as she laughs out loud, “YES, IT WORKED! IT REALLY WORKED!”

“What worked? What are you talking about?” the other musician asks with her patience running thin.

At once, Vinyl grabs Octavia by the shoulders as she points something out with a continuous grin, “Tavi, don’t you remember what we did on Hearts and Hooves Day this year?”

“I… remember some aspects of that night.” she answers mildly with a growing blush consuming her face.

“You know~!” Vinyl replies shrewdly with a teasing, sultry smirk. “Where I did that thing… with my horn--!”

“Okay, Vinyl! No need to go into full details in front of everypony!” she hushes her up with a maddening blush. “But what does that have to do with--?!”

But then, she stops herself as she recollects on that unforgettable night of theirs. How her eager wife persistently made that one particular request that was so unorthodox. Yet her curiosity and Vinyl's usual puppy-dog eyes got the best of her and she permitted the anxious Unicorn to carry out the deed. And truth be told, she enjoyed a lot better than she had anticipated. But more importantly, their night of intimacy happened over two weeks ago, roughly the same time where she was mysteriously conceived.

Once she believes to have found the best, possible answer, the dumbfounded Octavia says to her ever so grinning wife, “Wait… you're saying that…?”

Seeing how Octavia is realizing this, Vinyl nods knowingly as she says with a proud smile, “Yep. I did a lot of research on magically-induced conceptions ever since Princess Celestia nearly blurted it out at Dash’s foal shower. And once I found the right spell for us, I wanted to make this Hearts and Hooves Day just as special for you as it was for me. You know, as a gift for both of us.”

“Then… what we did that night… is the result of my… p-pregnancy?”

“Yeah, don’t you see, Tavi? It’s not just your baby; it’s our baby!”

From hearing Vinyl’s strong emphasis, the cellist shakes like an autumn leaf as she stammers out her indescribable astonishment, “Our b-b-baby?”

The ecstatic Unicorn nods once more to confirm what she says is absolutely true. And as Octavia processes this staggering revelation, the flabbergasted Earth Pony looks at her smooth stomach before she strokes it lightly. Knowing on what is growing inside of her, Octavia bears a shaky yet contented smile as she quietly repeats to herself.

“Our… baby.”

Overwhelmed with so many mixed feelings, Octavia breaks down immensely as fresh, overflowing tears pour across her flustered cheeks, and Vinyl approaches her with renewed concern, “Hey, what’s the matter, Tavi? Aren’t happy about this? This is what you wanted, right?”

“Y-y-yes, of course!” the overly emotional mare answers in a blubbering manner. “I’ve never been this happy since the day I married you! But I thought I was carrying somepony else’s foal, and I was so afraid that you might hate me for that as well as… leave me.”

Sensing her wife’s fear, Vinyl bears a compassionate smile as she gently pulls her weeping mare in closely whilst comforting her, “Oh Tavi. I could never do that to you. I know you better than that. Even if the foal isn’t mine in the first place, I would be more than happy to raise it right alongside with you.”

Secured within the DJ’s warm embrace, the sniffling Octavia looks up and locks her pitiful gaze with Vinyl’s soft, crimson eyes and her kindhearted smile. Unable to contain herself from how truly fortunate she is to have Vinyl in her life, the trembling Earth Pony wraps her forelegs around her wife’s neck and smothers her with lots of kisses while whispering her deepest gratitude for everything.

“Thank you. Thank you.”

As the two mares carry out their tenderhearted moment, Ford lightly sighs from this as he is relieved that everything has worked out in the end. Then he glances at his equally smiling wife and could have sworn he sees something leaking from her one of her magenta eyes.

“Hey, is that a tear I see?” he says with a shrewd smirk.

“Y-yes--NO!” she restates sharply as she quickly wipes whatever was on her rosy cheek. “It’s just… my allergies, that’s all.”

“Funny. I figure your hormones might serve as a better excuse for you than that.” he criticizes lightheartedly with a chuckle.

As expected, Mustang earns himself a playful punch to the shoulder from the flustered Rainbow Dash before they share a brief giggle, and he pulls her in with a wing with her leaning against him. As the Pegasi continue to bear witness on the overjoyed couple, the two musicians break into spontaneous laughter as they shed a few more blissful tears over their now-confirmed foal on the way.

But then, Octavia ceases her jubilation so suddenly as she remains completely still while displaying an expressionless look on her face before asking her wife, “Wait, so you knew about this concept all along and didn’t bother to tell me?”

Vinyl Scratch also stops her joyous laughter before she answers with a sheepish grin, “Well… more or less. I wasn’t too certain if it will work or not, so I figure I would just leave it as a nice surprise for you if it did work.”

“So all this time, I’ve been worrying myself to death… for NOTHING?” the cellist emphasis in a shaky yet agitated tone.

“Yeah, I guess so. Heh-eh, it is pretty funny when you think about it, isn’t it?”

“Hilarious.” the deadpan mare replies with a subtle growl.

Vinyl may be oblivious to notice her wife’s threatening tone, but Ford can recognize it since the first time he spent the night at the musicians' house. Instinctively, he takes a few steps back, and Rainbow looks at her slightly cautious husband with a puzzled brow. But before Dash can question him, the two Pegasi are taken by surprise when Octavia quickly lifts up her staggered wife with her strong forelegs and flings her onto her back. With the dumbstruck Vinyl Scratch saddled in place, Octavia walks up to the two Pegasi and presents a courteous smile to them.

“Thank you so much for the consolation, Rainbow Dash. It was certainly nice getting a chance to know you.”

“Likewise.” she smiles right back. “We should hang some more.”

“Agree. Perhaps I can interest you in some lunch this Friday?”

“Why, that sounds simply delightful!” she accepts in a fake aristocrat accent.

The two mares share a good laugh before Octavia gives her thanks to the stallion as well, “And thank you for your help as well, Ford.”

“You’re welcome, Octavia.” he replies with a gracious smile. “And congratulations on your first foal.”

After nodding to her two friends, Octavia turns to her speechless wife with a deadpan stare and begins her long march towards their home. “Let’s go, Vinyl. The three of us have a lot to talk about once we get home.”

“Th-three?” she asks nervously.

“Yes… you, me, and the frying pan.”

With the mention of that foreboding tool from her evil-smiling partner, Vinyl’s red irises shrink drastically in fear, and she frantically squirms in place like a fish on dry land while desperately calling out for aid.

“HELP! HELP! SOMEPONY HELP ME! SHE’S A MAD MARE I TELL YA! A MAD MARE!!”

But the pleas from the mare crying wolf go unheard as the two musicians leaves the park’s premise while Ford and Rainbow wave goodbye to them.

“Well… that was a pretty eventful day, wasn’t it?” Ford says with a clever smile.

“Yep!” Rainbow agrees before going down the list with a humorous grin. “We got to see our twins for the first time, went on a wild goose chase, another set of friends are having a kid on their way, and Vinyl Scratch is about to get the pounding of her life!”

From Dash’s double entendre, he adds with a witty chuckle, “With those two, I’d say it’s an everyday occurrence for them.”

They have a nice laugh at the expense of Scratch’s expected plight, but as their laughter dies down, so does Ford’s smile before he hesitantly confesses to his wife, “Dashie, I have to tell you something. I… told Vinyl about my visions.”

“Oh, how come?” she asks with mild curiosity.

“Because I was trying to comfort her when she assumed that Octavia had a terminal illness. So I thought it would have been best to share my own understanding on that matter. I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that, mind you.” he states shamefully.

“Hey, it’s cool, Ford.” she reassures with a forgiving smile. “You only did what you thought was best, right? I won’t hold that against you.”

A bit relieved from her reassurance, Mustang figures it might be best to bring this up, “So speaking of which… are we ever going to tell the rest of our friends and your father about this?”

“I… I guess so.” She says halfheartedly. “Just give me some more time about this. I’ll let you know soon enough.”

“Of course.”

After they take flight and head on home, a strange thought crosses her mind and she shares it with her husband, “By the way, do you have any idea on what Scratch was talking about when she said ‘magically-induced conceptions?’”

A bit taken back from such a curious subject, Ford pauses for a moment and recalls his time as a human on Earth where he used to read various fanfiction involving his favorite Background Ponies. From that recollection, he develops a very uncomfortable blush, and he turns his head away from Rainbow’s inquisitive gaze while replying in a very cryptic, bashful manner.

“I… might have a general idea about that.”

Author's Notes:

I'm going to do my best to update them as soon as possible, but the future chapters may take longer than usually. Mostly some new ideas came to mind, so it may take awhile before they're fully developed. I hope at best I can make those updates biweekly, but we'll just have to wait and see.

In any case, thank you for your patience as always.