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Octavia gave a heavy sigh. Her emotions jumped back and forth between screaming out in anger, and curling up into a ball and crying for hours. Her thoughts were weighing heavily on her heart.

'Why me…? Why, of all ponies, did this have to happen to me?' She thought, grasping for an answer that just wasn't there.

'My life has been completely up-ended…what am I supposed to do? How am I going to support or care for my foal, when I travel so much? Not to mention I do not get paid very much, seeing as the periods of time between performances can stretch…' She sighed again.

A cold sensation ran through her as a dreadful realization hit her.

'My career…when the Canterlot Enquirer finds out, they will tear my reputation to shreds! Not only did I get myself pregnant, I got myself pregnant- with a MARE!'

Octavia let out a small whimper as she trotted towards a nearby coffee shop, one that she and the rest of her band would always go to after a concert.

"My ensemble…what will they say? What will they think of me? How can I look them in the eye and tell them I am going to be a mother?"

"O-ho, is this true? Well, congratulations!" A familiar voice said from behind her, sending a massive chill up her spine.

Octavia wheeled around, and her worst nightmare had come true. The rest of her ensemble was standing before her, having heard every word.

"Well? How far along is the foal?" Frederic asked. The brown earth pony with soft green eyes swept a few strands of his long white mane out of his face. As the piano player of the group, his voice was smooth and flowing.

"Th-three weeks…" Octavia said, her voice barely a whisper.

"WHAT?!" The other mare in the group yelled at the top of her lungs. The blue mare stared curiously at Octavia, waiting for an answer. She was the tuba player of the group, and the constant need of air had helped her lung capacity as well as completely destroyed her sense of hearing.

"BEAUTY BRASS! YOU'RE YELLING AGAIN!" Frederic yelled in return.

"Oh, terribly sorry! You know how bad my hearing is, right Harpo?"

The purple pony nodded, not saying a word. The harp-player said very few words, choosing to stay silent than share his opinion. He simply stared at Octavia, a small smile on his face.

"So, how long has she been with foal, Frederic?" Beauty Brass asked, eager to know.

"Around three weeks, Beauty Brass." He responded.

"WHAT?!" She yelled again, her hearing having given out at a particularly bad moment, causing ponies passing by to look over in confusion.

"THREE WEEKS, BEAUTY BRASS! STOP-YELLING!" Frederic screamed, trying to keep his composure.

"Ohhh! That's wonderful news!" Beauty Brass trotted over to Octavia, taking her forehooves into hers.
"Congratulations, Octavia!"

Octavia looked close to tears. "…How? How are you able to still look at me the way you do? I got myself pregnant for Celestia's sake! You all know how busy our schedule is! How can I possibly take care of a foal with the way our lives are? How can you even look at me the same?! I have completely disgraced myself and-"

She was cut off as Frederic planted a hoof over her mouth.

"Octavia, you needn't worry what we think of you. We aren't just your band-mates, we're your friends. We've been performing together for so long, don't you think it'd be strange if we WEREN'T happy for you?" He smiled softly. Both Beauty Brass and Harpo nodded in agreement.

"We could not be any happier for you, Octavia. To be honest, we figured it would only be a matter of time, seeing as Vinyl was particularly open the last time we went drinking after a concert." He chuckled.

Octavia's face burned with embarrassment. "She…she did WHAT?!"

"Oh, she spared not a single detail. One particular line stuck with me." The brown pony then thought for a moment, bringing the line up from his memories.

"Ah, here it is: "I like your horn like I like my liquor: thick and hot on the way down." He chuckled.
Octavia felt like she was going to faint. Never in her LIFE would she have believed Vinyl would ever repeat that.

'…Okay. It is official. I am going to be locked away for the rest of ETERNITY once I find Vinyl.' She said inwardly, her rage shooting to a level that she twitched violently for a brief moment then relaxed.

"Um…Octavia, are you well?" Frederic asked, having noticed the violent twitch.

"Oh, I am quite alright. I did not think that I could ever feel the way I just felt, and I am pretty sure that if it ever happens again, I might not live through it." She said simply.

"Right…either way, we are absolutely ecstatic about the news. When are you due to deliver?"

"Doctor Haysworth said sometime next September." She said, calming down.

"Excellent. We wouldn't miss it for the world, isn't that right everyone?"

"WHAT?!" Beauty Brass yelled again, having spaced out mid conversation.

"SHE'S DUE IN SEPTEMBER, BEAUTY BRASS! PAY ATTENTION, YOU DEAF NITWIT!" He yelled, finally losing his composure.

"I get it, sheesh…no need to yell…" Beauty Brass said, clearly offended.

Harpo simply shook his head and gave Octavia a look that read "What can I say?"

Octavia then laughed for the first time all day. She felt her spirits being lifted and her fears melting away. She knew that if anyone would be there to support her, it would be Vinyl and her ensemble. She then smiled warmly.

"Thank you everyone…I needed this. I have been very conflicted over the news, but maybe now I can start to move forward." She said, feeling more relieved in hours.

"I'm glad we were able to help. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have other matters to attend to. Come along now you two." Frederic said, ushering Beauty Brass away, Harpo following quietly.

They left Octavia to her thoughts. 'Alright, now that all is said and done, I have a certain unicorn to find. She and I are going to have a loooong talk.' She thought, preparing a lecture the likes of which had never been heard before.