Vinyl brushed her bright blue mane from her face, resting her head against the cool brick wall of The Club, resisting the urge to shiver. The summer night may have been warm, but a five hour set coupled with the heat generated by the crowd of ponies on the dance floor had caused Vinyl to drum up quite a sweat. Her white coat shone with moisture and strings of her mane were soaked and hung limply, sticking to the sides of her head.

“Whatta night,” she breathed, letting out a contented sigh.

Any other night, she would have stuck around and drank. One of the perks of working as a DJ was that there was never any shortage of alcohol; most ponies were more than happy to send a few drinks up to the stage if they liked the music. Even now, she had a decent buzz. She would have liked to keep it fueled, but even the promise of drinks on the house wasn’t enough to get her to sit through Neon’s mindless noise.

“Yeah. It’s been a good night.” She said cheerfully, not caring if anypony heard her.

Humming to herself, Vinyl trotted down the sidewalk, making her way to one of the more crowded roads. The Club was tucked away on a side street, and until The Club closed, no cabs would be nearby.

In any other city, ponies may have looked at her strange, for wearing her sunglasses this late at night. But as she turned onto the main road, where the bright signs turned night into day, she fit right in. She breathed in the city air, a small smile playing over her face.

Ponyville had peace and quiet, Canterlot had the class, but Manehatten was where you felt alive.

Vinyl decided to flag down a taxi further down the road. She felt the sudden need to experience the city. Her city. She had lived here her entire life, and she couldn’t stand to live anywhere else.

“Oh my. You look like you’ve had quite the night.”

Vinyl halted as she looked around. She was out in front of Manehatten Concert Hall. She’d seen it before, but she’d never been inside. She hated fancy dresses with a passion, and she was the kind of pony that would never be invited to play there. The sidewalk bustled with ponies, most of them in upscale clothing. Fancy dresses and tuxedos abounded. It was certainly as far away from Vinyl’s scene as she could manage to get.

That mare, however...

She stood elegantly. Unlike the rest of the ponies making their way from the concert hall, this mare only wore a simple bow tie cravat. Her dark, charcoal gray hair hung down one side of her head, contrasting with the lighter gray of her coat. Her lovely lavender eyes were staring at Vinyl, a demure smile on her face. Subtle, but it was there. And it was beautiful.

Vinyl’s heart sped up. She levitated her glasses off of her face, to get a better look at her eyes. Hastily, she brushed her still damp hair back, trying to coax it back to its normal, spiky look. She gave the mare what she hoped was a confident smile. A tendril of her mane slid across the side of her face, hanging down over her left eye.

The grey mare gave a giggle, pressing a hoof to her mouth in a cultured motion.

Upper class. She had to be. The thought hit Vinyl’s heart, making it nearly sink. The mare walked by her, giving her that sweet smile once more, opening the door of a carriage waiting by the side of the road. Of course she had her own private carriage.

Then the mare turned to face her, head tilted slightly to the side as if considering her. Finally, she smiled.

“Would you like a ride? Miss...”

“Scratch!” she said quickly, her voice several tones higher than normal. She coughed.

“I mean, Scratch. Vinyl Scratch.” Vinyl did her best to hide her confusion. An upper class pony like her offering her a ride out of the blue? This kind of stuff never happened, even in Manehatten.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Vinyl Scratch.” The mare simply stood there, holding the carriage door open.

Vinyl gave another sweep of her hoof through her hair as she stepped up into the carriage. She sat down on the plush seat, pressing herself up against the opposite end to give the mare plenty of room.

“And you are?”

“Octavia.” She closed the door behind her, taking the seat across from Vinyl, tilting her head just a bit, that strange, sweet smile never leaving her face. “Octavia Philharmonica.”

==========

“A second date. You.”

“Yep.” Vinyl grinned from ear to ear, shifting left and right as she eyed her roommate with ruby red eyes, her trademark shades perched on her horn. Bon-Bon stared back with wide eyes, her jaw ready to hit the floor.

“But...but....but...” Bon-Bon was at a loss, the right words just out of reach.

“But...” Vinyl grinned, dragging out the word. Bon-Bon twitched.

“You don’t....you don’t do second dates! You’ve never done second dates! You barely even do first dates!”

Vinyl gave a casual, noncommittal shrug. “Hey, things change. Even for me.”

Vinyl understood her shock. She had never been very conservative. As an up and coming DJ in the club circuit of Manehatten, alcohol and sex were never very far apart. Vinyl had never exactly considered herself a slut, but if she met a good looking stallion or mare, she didn’t see the harm in jumping into the bedroom after a few drinks.

Bon-Bon hadn’t exactly had an easy time of it. In the few short years they’d lived together, Bon-Bon would find a strange pony in the kitchen or bathroom with disturbing regularity. Often, with Vinyl still in close proximity. The apartment was a cozy one, and Vinyl had never been known for being quiet even when outside of the bedroom. The relative thinness of the walls had simply become a fact of life, and earplugs were always a good investment.

“Vinyl...” Bon-Bon searched for the right way to phrase it. “You...”

“I know, I know!” Vinyl threw up her front hooves, before she began circling the couch. “But...I can’t help it! She’s beautiful, she’s funny, and she’s....I don’t know! She’s wonderful.”

Vinyl practically buzzed with energy, her legs twitching as she paced around the apartment. Her eyes were bright and shining, and her smile was unlike anything Bon-Bon had ever seen.

“Wow.” Vinyl’s energy was infectious, and Bon-Bon grinned as well. “She really got to you, didn’t she?”

Vinyl nodded enthusiastically.

Both of them knew how dramatic a change this was in Vinyl’s life. Vinyl’s philosophy on her love life could be best described by the phrase “buck it and chuck it.” Bon-Bon had never seen a previous partner of Vinyl’s return for a second round. Vinyl was never upset about it; they both simply shared a night of fun, and then went their separate ways.

“Did you...you know?” Bon-Bon asked tentatively.

Cheerfully, Vinyl shook her head. “Nope! We just had a few drinks! Nothing else!”

It was strange, and Vinyl could understand the look of confusion that crossed her roommate’s face, though she wasn’t sure what was Bon-Bon found more shocking; that Vinyl had gone out on a date that hadn’t ended in a bedroom, or the fact that she was so cheerful about that it.

Vinyl had finally stopped moving, opting instead for a flying dive onto the couch, lying face down on the cushions, her hind legs hanging over the hoofrest.

Bon-Bon gave a sigh. “Are you going to maybe, I don’t know, shower before you lay on the couch?”

“Nah. I’ll do it tomorrow. I’ve got time, after all.”

Bon-Bon sighed as she made her way to her room. Some things would never change.

==========

Vinyl couldn’t help but feel out of place. She knew that Octavia had been upper class from the private carriage they had taken to Vinyl’s chosen bar on their first date. She hadn’t expected Octavia to manage reservations at La Couronne De Luna. Vinyl had expected to be shooed away at the front door, regardless of who she was with. She didn’t think she’d seen so many dresses and tuxedos in her life.

“You look uncomfortable, Vinyl. Is this restaurant not to your liking?”

Octavia watched her from the other side of the table, a wineglass held between her hooves.

“No, It’s...amazing!” Vinyl said, doing her best to keep her voice down for once, to fit with the candlelit mood. “Just...not what I’m used to.”

Octavia did that lovely motion again, putting her hoof up to her mouth to cover her laugh. Vinyl’s heart gave a throb. It was so cute and refined at the same time.

Vinyl’s sunglasses lay on the table, next to her fork. She had worn them into the restaurant, naturally. They were so much of a habit, going anywhere without them was like forgetting her horn.

“Do not be self-conscious, Vinyl. You are not here with any of these other ponies. You are here with me, and I am more than happy to be here with you.”

Vinyl couldn’t resist reaching a leg up to brush over her mane, trying to smooth down her usual spiked hair. “I just...don’t fit in...”

“Who said anything about fitting in?” Octavia said, reaching over the table to take one of Vinyl’s hooves in her own. “If you had fit in with this crowd, I never would have offered you a ride. Have you ever looked at yourself, Vinyl?”

Octavia rolled her wine around in the glass, lifting it to her muzzle and taking a sip before continuing. “You stand out brilliantly against all that you are with. Your entire appearance cries out to the world that you are your own pony.”

Vinyl looked down, her eyes focusing on their hooves. As Octavia spoke further, she felt her cheeks fill with heat. She had never heard anyone speak about her that way.

“You’re saying a lot about a pony that you just met last night.”

“I have seen nothing that shines doubt on my interest in you, Vinyl Scratch.” Octavia gave her hoof a squeeze. “Now stop being concerned with everyone else, and let us simply enjoy our night together.”

Vinyl lifted up her own wine glass. She tried to drink it like she had seen Octavia, inhaling the scent as she took a sip. It smelled like...wine. Truth be told, she didn’t know what Octavia saw in wine. Vinyl preferred harder stuff. Shrugging, she downed the glass.

Octavia simply smiled at her. Vinyl smiled back. Octavia was right. Around her, Vinyl could just be herself.

“More wine, Vinyl?”

Vinyl held out the glass. “Fill ‘er up, Octy!”

Octavia laughed as she tilted the bottle, pouring more wine than usual for a wineglass. “Octy? Are we at the point where I get a nickname now?”

“Why not? It’s cute! What would you rather I call you?” Vinyl said, as she drank her wine.

“I would prefer that you call me your lover.” Octavia said, a playful, flirtatious tone in her voice.

It was all Vinyl could do to not choke on her wine.

==========

“By Celestia’s big royal flank, I have never had better food!” Vinyl laughed, leaning against Octavia’s shoulder. “Thank you so much. That musta cost more than I make in a year.”

“One of the perks that comes with being the first chair cellist of the Royal Canterlot Symphony.” Octavia leaned into Vinyl, nuzzling the side of her head. “My carriage will be coming around soon. Perhaps we can make our way back to my place?”

Vinyl considered things. She could easily admit the truth to herself; that she’d love to follow Octavia home and buck her until they were both exhausted. Vinyl stepped back, looking at Octavia. She looked back, slightly confused.

“Octy...” Vinyl started, before she hung her head with a sigh. Determined, she looked back up at her. “Look. I....Like you. A lot.”

Octavia watched her calmly, as Vinyl kicked a hoof at the ground. “I’m...I’ve had a lot of sex. With a lot of ponies. I used to just....you know. One night stands.”

When the look on her face told her that Octavia wasn’t judging her, Vinyl straightened herself up and continued. “I don’t want this to turn into that. I don’t wanna just buck it and chuck it again.”

She trailed off as the valet brought Octavia’s carriage to the side of the road. Octavia reached out to slide a hoof through Vinyl’s hair.

“I understand, Vinyl.”

Vinyl couldn’t resist. She leaned in, pressing her lips against Octavia’s in a sudden kiss, more of a quick and simple peck than anything else. The motion felt strange to her. Kissing had never been high on her list before. Sex may have been intimate, but it didn’t feel right to kiss beforehand.

“I have to return to Canterlot to perform in two days. I do hope we can get together once more before then?”

“Tomorrow night!” Vinyl said quickly.

Octavia chuckled. “Tomorrow night it is.”

Octavia turned towards her carriage, before she paused. She turned back to face Vinyl, leaning in and returning the kiss, lingering for just a few seconds more than Vinyl’s own.

“Do not keep me waiting for you, Vinyl Scratch.”

Vinyl blushed, nodding as Octavia once again caressed her mane, before turning and stepping into her carriage. Vinyl’s eyes trailed over Octavia’s flank as she moved, watching until the door closed.

It wasn’t until the carriage pulled away that Vinyl realized the sudden longing in her heart. Suddenly, she couldn’t wait for tomorrow night.

==========

Vinyl couldn’t resist giving a laugh as she stumbled through the door of her apartment. The haze of alcohol had settled nicely over her body, a familiar feeling. Less familiar was the thumping in her chest at the sight of Octavia, who closed the door as she stepped into the apartment behind her.

Vinyl had chosen their date location this time. Vinyl didn’t want to subject Octavia to some shady bar where Vinyl spent so much of her time, so she had chosen one of Manehatten’s casual clubs. It had seemed like a nice middle ground. They had gotten a booth in the back and simply talked the night away over several rounds of drinks. Vinyl had expected both of them to be drunk at the end of the night. Vinyl had succeeded in her own goal; she drank often enough to build up quite the tolerance. However, she was surprised that Octavia could still walk a straight line. It was as if she had been drinking nothing but water.

“You can really hold your liquor, can’t ya?” Vinyl wrapped her hooves around Octavia’s neck, leaning in close to look into her eyes, those hypnotic lavender baubles that she could stare into forever.

Octavia reached up and pulled Vinyl’s sunglasses off of her eyes, tossing them onto the couch with a flick of her hoof.

“You should not hide your eyes like that. Such a lovely and entrancing shade.” Octavia leaned in to plant a soft kiss on Vinyl’s muzzle, a quick and playful peck. “So...Shall we?”

Vinyl leaned heavily into Octavia’s mane, which held a distinct, sweet vanilla scent. She relaxed against her; she could breath that scent all night long. “Shall we...what?”

“Oh Vinyl, what else did you invite me here for? A cup of coffee?” Octavia leaned in close and trailed a not-so-subtle lick over Vinyl’s ear from base to tip, drawing a shudder from her body. “What you want is very nearly what I want.”

Vinyl pulled herself up as straight as her drunken body would allow. She looked into Octavia’s face. She wasn’t sure if the heat in her face was from the alcohol or from the blush that she always seemed to get when she looked at her. She gave a flick of her head. Octavia followed the movement, eyes settling on the bedroom door.

Octavia dragged her flank across Vinyl’s own as she moved past, treble clef meeting eighth note for a split second. Vinyl turned to follow her, watching Octavia’s tail swing back and forth over her flank, her eyes wide and staring.

“Do not make me wait too long, Ms. Scratch.” Octavia turned to look over her shoulder, her smile nothing short of seductive as she pushed open Vinyl’s bedroom door, vanishing inside.

Vinyl shook herself out of her stupor, tripping over her own hooves as she practically ran to the door. Thankfully, Octavia didn’t seem to mind the mess. She stepped deftly over piles of discarded clothing and records as she made her way to the bed, standing next to it as she turned and watched the door.

Vinyl didn’t bother being as subtle. She all but ran to Octavia, kicking up a storm of loose wires and CDs in her wake. Octavia’s hooves blurred, catching Vinyl’s body as she pivoted, throwing her with a bounce onto the mattress. Octavia threw her head back, giving an amused laugh as she pounced onto her, straddling the white unicorn.

Her mane hung down on either side of her head as she looked down into Vinyl’s face. There were no words. Vinyl’s eyes were wide and hopeful, her breathing heavy. As Octavia’s lips met hers, her eyes closed. She arched her back, her back hooves stretched out, kicking with every movement of Octavia’s tongue against hers.

Octavia broke off the kiss, looking down into Vinyl’s face with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Vinyl could have sworn that that they almost looked sad. Octavia leaned down, kissing her lips once more, a simple peck that slowly made it’s way down the side of her muzzle, to kiss at her neck and throat. Vinyl closed her eyes once more as Octavia’s hoof trailed gently through her mane.

“Vinyl?”

“Yeah Octy?”

“I am truly sorry.”

Vinyl never had a chance to ask why. Sudden pain shot through her neck as Octavia bit down, a pair of fangs piercing the side of her neck. Octavia’s hoof running through her mane suddenly pushed down with a strength far beyond that of an earth pony, holding her in place. Vinyl let out a sudden pained gasp, hooves lashing out to strike at Octavia’s body, but she could have simply struck the mattress for all the damage she inflicted.

Her horn ignited with a magical glow as Vinyl summoned her concentration, forcing it through the pain to levitate her away, but the magic simply sloughed off of Octavia’s body, unable to find any hold.

Vinyl let out a strangled scream of pain as Octavia slid her fangs forward, widening the punctures, her tongue pressing into the holes to coax more blood from the wounds. Vinyl struggled, but Octavia held her tight. Octavia let out a satisfied moan, deep in her throat with each swallow of blood.

Vinyl’s breathing became heavier as a numbness set in, the pain easing and being replaced by a twisted type of enjoyment. Each time Octavia’s tongue slid into one of the punctures, it forced a shiver of unexpected pleasure. Vinyl knew it should hurt, like it had when Octavia had first bit down, but something had changed; she couldn’t help but relax under her ministrations.

The ceiling swam above her head, the posters on the ceiling, her own posters from her original DJ sets, slowly slipped out of focus. Her heart was pounding, struggling to pump the thinned blood in her veins.

She gasped out, crying for help with a voice that grew progressively more soft. There was no one who could come to help. Bon-Bon was out for the night, and Vinyl couldn’t help but remember that it had been at her own insistence, wanting privacy when she asked Octavia upstairs. Vinyl let out a dazed laugh, a single “Ha!” as she realized that it had all but sealed her fate.

Her legs were weak. She struggled to lift one, her hit little more than a light thump against Octavia’s head. It rested there, feeling her soft mane against her hoof. She couldn’t help it. Vinyl slid her hoof through Octavia’s mane, before it dropped with a thump onto the mattress.

It was tough to focus. She didn’t want to stay awake any longer. Letting out a soft sigh, she closed her eyes, and sank blissfully into darkness.

==========

Birds. Vinyl could hear birds. The afterlife had birds? She blinked open her eyes, trying her best to bring things into focus. She could see herself. Posters. The windows showed that dawn wasn't far away. The sky was just beginning to shift into a shade of dark purple.

“Do not try to move. You will be slightly weak for quite some time.”

Vinyl turned to look towards the voice, a pain shooting through her neck. She lifted a hoof up to her neck, the soft feeling of gauze meeting her hoof.

Octavia was standing next to the bed, those beautiful lavender eyes focused on hers.

“You...You’re...” Vinyl croaked out, her throat and mouth dry, the wounds on her neck giving a painful throb as she tried to speak.

“Please, Vinyl.” Octavia said, pointing her hoof towards a glass of juice resting on the nightstand. “Neither of us wants to have that discussion.”

Octavia shifted back and forth as Vinyl drank the juice, wincing with each swallow. “There...was something between us, Vinyl. I truly did not wish to do this to you.”

Octavia looked down, focusing on the floor instead. Vinyl had seen that look before, on the faces of many of her drunken suitors. The look of shame and regret.

“There was simply no time to find another pony. Rather, another pony who would have what you were so willing to give.”

“I didn’t want to give you anything.” Vinyl groaned out, trying to raise herself up off of the bed, only for Octavia’s hoof to push into her chest, gently forcing her back down onto the bed.

“Do not overexert yourself.” Octavia said sternly. “You need rest.”

Vinyl settled back onto the bed as her head spun. She shut her eyes to attempt to regain her faculties.

“It was the blood of passion, Vinyl. It is difficult to explain to a pony.” Octavia paused as she tried to formulate the best way to explain. “Picture the most exotic dishes served at the finest restaurant in Canterlot.”

Vinyl simply stared at her, trying to ignore the feelings of exhaustion and dizziness running through her. She was unsure how to think about being compared to a dish at a fine restaurant.

“I felt what was between us, Vinyl Scratch. And for ruining that, I apologize.” Octavia turned towards the door. "I feel that you know enough to understand that I need to leave before the sun comes out. I enjoyed myself, Vinyl Scratch. Goodbye."

“W-Wait!” Vinyl called out, forcing herself to stand up as Octavia walked out of the bedroom. As she pulled herself to her hooves, dizziness exploded in her head, and she slumped to the floor.

Vinyl could do nothing but watch as Octavia opened the front door. She looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Vinyl’s for one last time. There was no expression on her face.

“Don’t look for me.” Octavia said simply, before she turned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Vinyl shut her eyes tight, trying both to calm the nausea that ran through her body, and to stem the sudden, uncontrollable flow of tears that dripped from her eyes.

And that was how Bon-Bon would find her, two hours later.

Author's Note

Loosely inspired by the fic "The Unconverted One" by Mavinator5

While this story is labeled as incomplete, you can, at least at the moment, consider this a one shot. Depending on the reception, I may or may not continue the story. This was just an idea that had lodged itself in my head and needed to be written, nothing more.