“Absolutely not!” boomed the light grey mare. She long been remembered as a quiet and tempered mare but the mother's tension and flare had both swelled with her pregnant body... and she was clearly in no mood for japes concerning the babe's name.

“Aww, why not?” Her husband asked, a deep blue unicorn who glimmered a grin from atop his regular chair. The mother herself had taken to a bedding of cushions and could barely lift herself unaided and yet, it seemed, she was ready to fly across the room and smack him in the face if need be.

“I am not naming my daughter 'Damsel'.” she declared, seeped in disgust at the mere suggestion.

“At least give it a chance.” Dusk tried again, beaming to his own mockery.

Twilight was not amused. “Yes, yes. Shining Armour and Damsel in distress... wouldn't they just be the daintiest of siblings.” her tone fell flat, burdened by great masses of sarcasm.

Dusk didn't reply for a little while, losing himself in the morning paper, a regular routine he had taken to for avoiding his wife's little 'moods'. Eventually though the temptation of provocation welled deeper then caution and he looked up, grinning. “Shining Armour liked the idea, sort of.”

“You asked him?!” she replied, as though such a suggestion beggared belief.

“Sure, why not? It'll be his little brother or sister after all so I asked him what he thought-”

“And he rallied to your ludicrous proposition of Damsel did he?”

Dusk laughed, ever one to take merriment from the gentle teasing of his beloved. “Not exactly. He came up with 'Princess', for a girl at least.”

Twilight lay there, prone and stunned. Those two were unbelievable. Utterly unbelievable. “You boys...” she started, more despairing then angry. “Our daughter is not a princess.” she said bluntly, throwing an equally bludgeoning glare at her husband.

“She'll forever be my princess...” Dusk replied, drifting off dreamily at the thought of it. As big a show of teasings and quips he put on, the man was a giant softy of mushy feelings on the inside.

She left him like that for a while, then curiosity got the better of her. “Go on then. What if its a boy? What name did our darling son pick out for a little brother?”

Dusk broke back to reality and instantly reeled to laughter. “Oh yes.” he said, savouring the thought. “That one was almost as good. He came up with-” a pause, for dramatic effect, that resulted only in another burning gaze of frustration. “'Squire'.”

“Oh you are kidding me.” Completely lost at this point, Twilight put a hoof to her face and sighed. “You're as bad as each other. You really are.”

They returned to silence and sat respectfully across from one another. After a while Dusk's mocking grin fell to something more heart-warming as he finally readied to take the matter seriously. “Actually, I've been thinking that if its a girl we might name her after you.”

A momentary blush flushed her cheeks but Twilight struggled against it. “You old romantic fool.” she told him, defiant of her betraying cheeks. As she calmed however the idea soured and she shook her head. “I don't want her to merely take my name.” she said sternly.

“Oh really? Why ever not?” he was genuinely surprised, tone gave it away even better then his face.

“I want her to...” she found herself caressing the prominent bulge and thinking of the child to be. “I want them, to be their own child. I think its important they know we love them but... also that they can go on to do whatever they want with they lives, our support behind them and our pride to take them to their feet. At least until they grow strong enough to walk themselves and find a place in this world.”

“Now who's being the romantic fool?” Dusk asked, the trickster grin coiling back across his lips.

“Oh shut up.” she countered, more teasing then angry. She stuck out her tongue and pulled a face of someone half her age.

“Very well then... a name of their own but one that forever hold their parent's love?” He paused and thought about it for a while, gazing listlessly into a lost horizon. Twilight watched and found herself drifting away from thought, so much so she gave a slight start when he shuddered back to reality and look at her. “A name for the one born of Twilight to burn brightly for all to see... Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight herself stopped in awe and stared at her husband, a warm and loving smile tempering her lips. “Twilight Sparkle.” she repeated in turn.

...

“And if its a boy?” Dusk asked after a while.

“Dusk Shine I suppose.”

Author's Note

Prompt #23: “Namesake”
Two pony parents discuss what to name their foal.

I'm surprisingly pleased with this one, regardless of the fact it's fluffy yet again fluffy. I jumped to 23 because that's the one that caught my inspiration... and that was the whole point of doing these writing challenges.