Grazioso

Chapters

Three Words
Sacrifice?
Dark Visitor
Prologue
Finale

Three Words

Vinyl Scratch opened her eyes and immediately regretted it. Sometime during the night, the purple blanket she had hung over the window to block the light had fallen, letting the sun shine into her room in all it's blinding glory. After a few moments of gathering courage, the white unicorn she let her eyes part, just enough to squint out the window. Calculating the angle of the sun, she grumbled to herself quietly. It was too early for a DJ of her stature to be awake. It wasn't even noon yet.

Her musings were cut short as an iron grey hoof suddenly reached around her waist as a pair of soft lips brushed against her cheek. Abruptly Vinyl changed her mind about being awake early. Usually by the time she crawled out of bed, her sweetheart had gotten out of bed and was either off to practice or cooking lunch, depending on the day. Vinyl layed in the embrace, wanting the moment to last forever. But being the active and energetic pony she was, she got bored eventually. She turned her head and looked at the beautiful face only inches from her own. Octavia's eyes were closed, but Vinyl sensed she was at least partially conscious. She hated to ruin the moment, but it was almost noon and the DJ was hungry.

"Good morning, Octy."

The reply from the sleeping mare was mumbled and illegible.

"Muffmmb."

Vinyl couldn't help but smile. Usually it was Octavia waking her up and almost never the other way around. Vinyl fully intended on making the most of the situation. It wasn't often enough she got to spoil her lover. She very carefully extracted herself from the embrace and blankets. Vinyl had slept next to the wall, so she had to slowly climb over her sleeping love and the myriad pillows she liked to sleep with. After accomplishing this, she made her way to the kitchen to make breakfast. She decided to make Octavia's favorite breakfast, pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream.

Even though it had been a while since Vinyl had really cooked anything more intricate than a warmed up pastry, it wasn't long before she had a delicious looking pile of pancakes. She stacked them on two plates and placed them on the table. She then added the strawberries and whipped cream, being extra careful as to make the arrangement look as appetizing as possible. Then she filled two cups of the finest Apple Family apple juice and took them to the table as well as the silverware. On a sudden whim of inspiration, she went to a small flower box in the window and picked three of the lovely roses Octavia liked to grow there. Vinyl stuck these in a small vase with water and put that in the middle of the table. She then stepped back to admire the setting. Such a complete meal was rare for her, much less with a vase of roses. Maybe living with Octavia was beginning to rub off on her. Vinyl thought this was a good thing. She looked at the table and scrunched her nose. Only was thing was missing: a certain grey sleepyhead.

When Vinyl walked into the room, the sleeping form was still exactly where it was when she got up. She looked at Octavia's gorgeous form and tried to decide on an appropriate way to wake her. After a few moments of indecision, her eyes fell on a grey pillow that had fallen of the bed onto the floor. It was medium sized, and fairly firm. It was one Octavia had brought with her when she moved in. It was too firm for Vinyl's taste, who liked her pillows to be nice and mushy. They did have one very good purpose though. Vinyl wrapped her magic around the pillow, lifting it to a point several feet above Octavia's head. As she did, she admired the grey tint of her usually white magic, a sign of her deep infatuation with the grey mare. Vinyl's smile widened, and without further hesitation, she dropped the pillow. It landed on target with a hearty POMF.

"Muffmmb affmmb."

Vinyl giggled at the pillow-impeded speech.

"Good afternoon! I made lunch. Get up."

Octavia reached up and removed the pillow blocking her words.

"Be there in just a second, dear."

"You better, or I won't be as courteous next time."

"You, courteous? That'll be the day."

Vinyl just smiled and turned to go back to the kitchen, but as she was walking to the door, a familiar grey pillow came rocketing across the room to smack her in the back of the head with impeccable aim. Vinyl reversed and ran to the bed, jumping right on top of the culprit.

"Ok then! No more Miss Nice Mare!"

With that, Vinyl started tickling Octavia under her arms, the one place she had found to be vulnerable. Octavia shrieked and tried to stop the torture by shoving her hoof into Vinyl's very ticklish side. After a few minutes of furious wrestling, the two ponies both gave up on making the other surrender. Vinyl had remained on top, so she got off the bed first and turned to walk towards the still waiting food.

"Breakfast is gonna be cold if you don't hurry, Octy."

Octavia climbed out of bed and stretched, then started walking towards the kitchen after the white unicorn.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. What did you ma- Oohh pancakes! With strawberries and whipped cream! My favorite!"

Octavia clapped her front hooves together, then rushed to kiss Vinyl on the cheek before taking a seat at the table. She beamed at the food in front of her, waiting on Vinyl to take her seat before starting on the stack of pancakes with a vengeance. Halfway through, she stopped and grinned widely at Vinyl, who was matching her bite for bite, and was halfway through as well.

"These are the best pancakes you have ever made! However did you make these without waking me?"

Vinyl smiled, waiting to swallow her food before replying, another good habit acquired from her much more cultured roommate.

"Very carefully. Besides, you were out like a rock. Wasn't that hard."

"The thought of you doing anything carefully is hard to grasp."

"I can be careful! I just choose not to most of the time 'cause it's boring."

Octavia rolled her eyes and went back to her breakfast. After both of the ponies had finished, Vinyl gathered the plates and silverware and put them in the sink for washing.

"So what's on the agenda today, Octy?"

Octavia paused and thought for a moment.

"I'm supposed to help Frederic with some of the arrangements for our ensemble in a little bit. We have a big show in a month and we all are working overtime making sure it's perfect."

This struck Vinyl as rather odd, seeing as Frederic was an incredible composer. Vinyl had gotten over her seething dislike of him after her and Octavia had gotten together and had talked to him a few times at some of Octavia's concerts. She had even came to admire him a little once she learned he is responsible for a lot of the music the ensemble played. But she mentally shrugged.

I guess even pros need help sometimes. Can't get better help than my Octy!

"Alrighty then, have fun!"

Octavia smiled at Vinyl.

"What do you have planned today?"

"I've got a gig to do at that bar down near the square. You know, the one with the fountain out front that lights up?"

"You mean The Spiked Mane?"

Octavia made a face. She wasn't the biggest fan of the new bar in town. It catered to the younger crowd, the kinds to wear more dye than was found in a textile factory, along with crazy accessories like collars with studs and leather. They loved to blast loud dance music at all hours of the night, which made it the perfect habitat for Vinyl Scratch. Still, Octavia was happy for her partner, seeing as the bar was very popular, with hundreds of ponies going there every night despite the cold weather when most stayed in. Getting a show there was quite the accomplishment.

"Yeah, that's it! Apparently the dude in charge heard me at some other small gig and liked me! So a few days ago he asked me if I'd like to do a night at his place. If the crowd likes me, he says it'll be a regular thing!"

"Well congratulations, Vinyl! You know i'm not into that genre of music, but I know that is a very popular place. I hope it goes well! The extra money from a regular schedule will help us a lot."

Vinyl smiled. Vinyl's old roommate Bon Bon had moved out soon after Vinyl started dating Octavia, and she had asked if Octavia wanted to move in. She gladly accepted, and the two had been living in harmony. After Octavia had lived with Vinyl for long enough to know it would work, she had cancelled her rent at her apartment, fully moving into the small blue-sided house. It had helped ease both Vinyl's and Octavia's bills, but through the winter there were less demand for musical performances, so both Octavia and Vinyl had been hard stretched. But they had stuck together and persevered. Now it was late January, so business was at it's lowest. Now with this newest development it looked as if their financial pressure was about to ease. Octavia glanced at the clock and realized it was almost two.

"Well Vina dear, I must get ready. Thank you for a fantastic breakfast."

She kissed the blushing DJ and went to the bathroom. By the time she exited, looking groomed and clean, Vinyl had finished with the dishes. Octavia struck a pose when Vinyl looked at her.

"How do I look?"

Vinyl looked at her and thought she had never seen a more beautiful sight.

"Totally ravishing."

Octavia blushed and embraced Vinyl and nuzzled her neck for a moment before heading to the door.

"Goodbye, Vinyl dear! Good luck with your show tonight."

"Thanks! Good luck with your stuff too! Bye!"

With that, Octavia left. Vinyl sat down on the couch and smiled. It had been nine months since Octavia had moved in, and to Vinyl it had been the best time of her life. Waking up to those gorgeous purple eyes every day, spending every night cuddled in front of the television, or out on the town, seeing what there is to see and doing what there is to do.

The next few weeks were as good as weeks had ever been. Vinyl had impressed the crowd and the operators of The Spiked Mane, and had since been DJing there almost every night. She had been ecstatic when she had found out, and had been in a good mood ever since. The only thing that was bothering her was that Octavia had been spending a lot of time out, often saying she was helping Frederic with arrangements. Often she wouldn't get home until after Vinyl had left to go DJ. She was always vague when Vinyl questioned her about it, simply saying they were working on arrangements for the upcoming concert and were working late to make sure it was perfect. She wouldn't even say exactly when or where it was. Vinyl found herself sitting on the couch one evening before work, thinking.

I hate to be nosy. Besides, I trust her more than anypony. I just wish we could have dinner. We haven't had a nice dinner since I started at The Spiked Mane.

She shook her head, shaking her lightning blue mane around and tried to clear her head. She looked up at the calender hanging nearby, and with a shock realized it was only two days until Valentine's Day. She had forgotten how close it was, and she still hadn't made plans.

At least with a steady job now I can afford to get Octy something nice. Jewelry? Or maybe a fancy bow tie? I have to go shopping. Ugh.

An hour later found Vinyl walking around the shopping district, looking in windows and occasionally going in stores. It seemed that every store had some kind of special going, and it made deciding which store to go to very difficult. Vinyl had spent more time thinking about a gift, and she had decided on a nice necklace, preferably musical in nature. She spotted a jewelry store that looked hopeful, and noticed there was a flower store next to it.

A bouquet would be perfect! She loves flowers. Maybe some in a pot so she can plant them in the flower garden.

Vinyl trepidatiously approached the jewelry store. it wasn't exactly somewhere the DJ felt very comfortable. Too many expensive breakable things. She entered the store and looked around. It was extremely clean, with glass counters with glittering accessories making up a lot of the space, many with display cases full of less expensive items on top. Vinyl walked around the store, eyeing many of the pieces. There were several she really liked, until she saw the price tag on a few of them. She felt nauseous after seeing the extremely high price on a few of the necklaces. The last counter she looked through was the one the went next to the cash register. By now she had noticed there didn't seem to be anypony watching the store, then she noticed cameras in every corner of the store. She figured that the pony in charge was behind the curtain in the doorway behind the register. Still, shouldn't they be out here trying to persuade her to spend more bits?

She decided it didn't really matter until she wanted to buy something, as she wasn't planning on stealing anything. She started examining the exquisite necklaces in the counter by the register, and one caught her eye. It was a simple silver chain that had what looked to be a small silver cello hanging from it.

That's perfect! It's not too expensive either.... Better get it before somepony else does.

The pony in charge must have noticed Vinyl eyeing the necklace intently, because at that moment she heard the curtain swoosh aside and a shadow fall over her as she bent looking at the necklace.

"Hey good timing. I wanna buy this necklace. The silver one wi-"

At that moment she looked up and almost fell over in shock as she saw the pony watching he store. Lyra. Her tyrannical ex-fillyfriend whom she hadn't seen in months, and last time they talked it didn't end well. Vinyl hadn't missed her at all. To Vinyl it seemed as if she had an odd glint in her eyes, something between rage and extreme sadness.

"Yes, Vinyl, the one with the cello. I knew you would want that one. I'll just put it in a gift box for you. Is that all?"

Lyra's voice seemed to convey the same conflicting pain revealed in her eyes. She was speaking too carefully, too stiffly, as if she was trying to hide any feelings she was having. It also seemed as if she was perilously close to having a breakdown, but whether it was one of rage and screaming or one of depression and crying, Vinyl didn't plan to find out.

"Yeah, just that one. Octavia will love it."

Vinyl intentionally said Octavia's name, even though she knew it would push Lyra closer to the edge in her emotions. She was hoping to get some reaction from Lyra, who had taken a very strong dislike to Vinyl's lover very quickly. But no avail, as Lyra simply retrieved the necklace and put it in a small gift box, the same bland expression with a barely contained explosion in her eyes. Vinyl watched her closely the whole time as she rang up the price, took the bits and gave the receipt and warranty. Vinyl knew her ex well enough to know whatever she was feeling was extreme. Usually Lyra could hide her true emotions very well, and only reveal the ones that would help her manipulate those around her. Vinyl wanted to get out of there before Lyra cracked any more, as the look in her eyes had worsened somewhat. She accepted her receipt and change, grabbed the box with the necklace and high-tailed it out of there. She didn't slow down until she was halfway down the block and realized she forgot to stop at the flower store.

Great.

Vinyl walked back the direction she had came, glad that when she fled the jewelry store, she had taken the path in front of the flower store, meaning she didn't have to walk past the store with Lyra in it again. She made a mental note to avoid that store in the future.

Not that I'm afraid of Lyra. Nonsense. That store was just too expensive. Yeah, that's it. Keep telling yourself that.

Vinyl reached the flower store and paused outside. She didn't mind the scent of flowers, but a whole building filled with nothing but scenty flowery scents? Total headache. Vinyl was about to walk in when she spotted a very familiar grey coat and black mane. Vinyl smiled.

So Octavia decided to get me some flowers? Great minds think alike.

Vinyl decided she didn't want to ruin the surprise for Octavia, so she elected to wait outside until Octavia left to buy flowers. But that didn't mean she was going to leave. Vinyl walked back to the edge of the window where she could make a quick escape if need be and watched her love as she browsed flowers. However, after a minute, another familiar looking pony approached Octavia. This surprise was less nice.

Frederic? What in Equestria are you doing here?

The other pony greeted Octavia as Octavia greeted him. He then turned and pointed at a large bouquet Octavia had seemed interested in. The two conversed about it, along with a few others Vinyl had seen Octavia pause at while browsing the store. At length they returned to the first one they had admired and seemed to make a decision. Frederic said something to make Octavia blush as she grabbed to bouquet to purchase. Vinyl fumed a little from her vantage point by the window. Then she realized the two ponies were about to exit the store. She quickly ducked into the alley beside the store. She peeked around the corner a moment later just in time to see the pair walking away from her, side by side. The flowers were tucked into a bag on Octavia's back. Vinyl sat in the dirt in the alley and pondered what she had seen.

I'm supposed to be the only one to make Octy blush like that. What the hay is going on?

She shook her head and gathered her unruly thoughts.

You're just being dumb. Frederic is helping her shop, THAT'S IT. Calm down. You trust her absolutely, and she trusts you. Now go buy some flowers and go home before she does so you can hide them.

Vinyl went into the flower shop and was immediately hit with waves of aromas nature had never intended to be smelled all at the same time. The effect was overwhelming. She quickly bought a nice pot of blue flowers and exited before her nose was permanently injured. Content with the days purchases, and forcibly not thinking about Frederic, Vinyl made her way home and hid the presents. It wasn't very long before Octavia came home, no trace of flowers, or indeed anything else other than her cello.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Vinyl came out of the kitchen where she had been trying to find a snack and greeted Octavia.

"Heya. How was doin' stuff with people?"

Octavia rolled her eyes and smiled.

"The stuff was boring, and the people were too. I'm just glad to be home. I'm tired and hungry. What's there to eat?"

"Not a lot. I used a lot making lunch the other day. There's cereal."

Octavia made the face she reserved for when Vinyl had said something silly.

"Foals cereal. I can never understand why you adore that stuff so much."

Vinyl smiled.

"Sugar! I need tons of energy for the active lifestyle I lead."

"Sleeping until two and playing music all night? Very demanding."

Octavia laughed, but made herself a bowl of cereal anyway and joined Vinyl on the loveseat next to the television. Vinyl thought she could detect the faint smell of the flower store, but only just. She decided to not say anything at the moment.

"Vinyl, you working tonight?"

"Yeah. Gotta be there at nine."

"Oh, good. There's enough time for a movie and cuddle. I feel like we haven't done that in ages."

Vinyl smiled. There was nothing she liked more than a good cuddle to make all her worries melt away.

Vinyl opened her eyes, and immediately closed them and groaned.

I really need to hang that blanket back up. Oh well, it's Valentine's Day!

She had been very careful the past two days, making sure Octavia never needed to go into the closet in the spare bedroom where the flowers and necklace were hidden. Which wasn't that hard, as there wasn't anything important in there.

Vinyl opened her eyes and looked out the window. She decided it couldn't have been later than ten.

Well today is a special day, so I guess I'll let it pass.

She rolled over to see Octavia's purple eyes looking back at her. She hadn't realized the other mare was awake.

"Well good mornin' to you."

"Good morning, Vinyl. Sleep good?"

"Yup. How 'bout you?"

"Not too bad. You snored though."

"Well next time I'll try to restrain my unconscious decisions."

Octavia kissed Vinyl and got out of the bed and stretched. Vinyl eyes her appreciatively.

I sure am lucky to be able to wake up to THAT.

Octavia turned her head as she was stretching and caught Vinyl's eyes on her. She blushed.

"Have I ever told you I hate it when you look at me like that while I stretch?"

"All the time, Octy."

"Yet you still insist on doing it."

"Oh yeah."

Octavia giggled and turned back to the unicorn, still in bed and wrapped in blankets.

"I have something to do this morning, Vina, but it won't take long. I'll be back in two hours. We'll go out for lunch. Okay?"

"Okay then. I'll probably be right here."

With that, Octavia left. as soon as Vinyl heard the front door close she hopped out of bed. She retrieved the necklace and flowers from their hiding spot. She had kept the flowers watered, but they were looking a bit sad from the lack of sunlight in the closet. Vinyl put them in the window and let them get some rays while she took a long, hot bath. Two hours later when Octavia returned, there was a pot of nice blue flowers on the table, with a sheepish white unicorn beside them.

"Hey, I know you like flowers, so I got you some."

"Oh, blue tulips! Vinyl, they're gorgeous!"

This earned Vinyl a kiss and a hug, but she wasn't done yet.

"I got you something else too, Octavia."

"Oh Vinyl, you used my whole name. You never do that. What is it?"

The grey pony was practically dancing in excitement. Vinyl reached with her magic to lift the box from the floor behind her and gave it to Octavia, who opened it and immediately let a squeal of excitement. Vinyl though she had very rarely seen her so excited.

"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh VINYL! It's gorgeous! Oh, help me put it on! Is it on? Where's the mirror? It looks splendid! Thank you Vinyl, thank you! I love it!"

Octavia spent several minutes in front of the mirror admiring the silver cello now hanging just below her ever present bow tie. She then turned to Vinyl and enveloped her in the tightest and longest hug she had ever received.

"Vinyl, you are the best."

"I know, Octy, but even the best need to breathe."

Octavia laughed and loosened her grip, choosing instead to look into Vinyl's red eyes.

"And now, Vinyl, it's my turn. Get your jacket, I've made reservations."

Vinyl put on her jacket and followed into the frigid February air, asking questions about where they were going. But Octavia was stubbornly refusing to reveal, saying only for Vinyl to keep up. After a few minutes of quick trotting, Vinyl suddenly recognized the road they were on.

"Say, Octy, isn't this the road to the Apple Family farm?"

"Nothing escapes you, does it?"

"Nope. Nothing gets past these shades. They're the source of all my power and awesomeness."

"I'm sure they are. Now hurry up Vinyl, we're almost there and it's cold out here."

They kept a brisk pace for another few minutes until Octavia turned down a dirt driveway. Vinyl knew where they were. It was one of the Apple Family's various barns. This one was one of the bigger ones. She had been to several parties here, but one stood out in her memories more than others. A question suddenly pushed through her nostalgia.

"Why are we going to this barn, Octy?"

"You'll see. Come on!"

Octavia led the confused DJ straight to the doors of the barn and turned to face her.

"Happy Valentine's day, Vinyl."

Octavia opened the doors and Vinyl gasped. There was a large wood fireplace happily roaring in the far side of the barn, which had been extensively decorated. There were large cloth drapes hanging, hiding a portion of the large barn on either side. The middle of the barn had been cleaned of apple growing equipment and now there was only a single table, bearing two sets of dinnerware, a bouquet of roses, and a tall candle. There was a large piano sitting in the far corner. Vinyl walked toward the table, then looked back at Octavia.

"What in the world.. You did all this?"

"I didn't do all of this by myself, Vinyl."

Octavia smiled, and at the same time the piano began to play. Vinyl looked at it to see Frederic had emerged from somewhere behind the curtains to start playing a smooth and romantic melody. All of a sudden, it hit Vinyl. The long days away planning arrangements, the flower shop. It all made sense. Except it didn't.

"But Octy, as awesome as this is, surely it didn't take two and a half weeks of "planning arrangements" to do all this?"

"Oh Vinyl. I wasn't just planning and doing all this. I had to work some overtime with the Apple family to afford this, and also so I could use their barn. Please, take a seat."

Vinyl obliged, and Octavia took the seat across from her and called out to more ponies hiding behind the curtains.

"Food may now be served!"

Immediately three ponies wearing aprons bearing the crest of a local high-end resteraunt came out from behind the curtains, two bearing trays of wonderful smelling food, and the third with a bottle of wine. The plates were arranged and the wine glasses were filled in no time, and like ghosts the waiters faded back to behind the curtains. Octavia lifted her glass in a toast.

"To the most wonderful pony in the world."

"It's narcissistic to toast to yourself, Octy."

"Oh, you charmer, you."

The next three hours were a blur to Vinyl. Partially because of the timeless feeling given by the piano playing, the fire roaring, and the glittering purple gems across the table. But it also could have been the wine. Nevertheless, it was one of the best nights Vinyl could remember. She told Octavia so later that night, as they layed in bed, cuddled up close to ward off the winter chill.

"It would have been nothing without you, Vinyl dear."

This gave Vinyl a warm fuzzy feeling deep within her chest, one she had felt before, but only with Octavia.

"Vinyl, I want to tell you something."

Vinyl immediately tensed. Somehow she knew it would be something good. She also knew it would be very important. She knew tonight would be a night she would never forget. She pulled Octavia's body closer to hers, and somehow she knew exactly what Octavia was going to say, moments before she said it, and she knew how she was going to respond. And never will she forget that moment.

"I love you, Vinyl Scratch."

"I love you too, Octavia Philharmonica."

Sacrifice?

Vinyl enjoyed watching as Octavia inspected her cello. She examined the bow and the strings for any signs of fraying or wear, of which there were none. She carefully tuned the instrument, years of practicing enabling her to know when it was just right by ear alone. After tuning it, she layed the instrument down on a clean blanket and began to polish it with expensive natural oils gathered from far off forests. The dark wood seemed to soak up the precious chemicals, and to Vinyl seemed as if it began to glow in a dark, rich sheen that only the finest of woods are capable of. After this was done, Octavia placed the cello in the custom made case by the door.

Vinyl had watched her throughout the whole process, and noted the love in her eyes when she tended to her cello, but when Octavia turned to find the DJ's bright red eyes watching her, the spark of love in her eyes intensified. Vinyl had precious posessions of her own, and while her turntables were handmade of only the best materials and craftsponyship, she knew she would give up everything she owned if she had to for her lover. There was nothing in the world Vinyl loved more than to wake up in the morning (or afternoon as was more often the case) to see Octavia's rich violet eyes and hear her soft and caring voice.

Vinyl sighed from the loveseat she was curled up on as Octavia sat down next to her, laying her grey head across the white unicorn's neck, letting her black mane intertwine and contrast with the DJ's lightning blue in a cataclysm of contrasts, yet nothing ever felt more natural to either mare.

Life is good.

"What time do you have to go to your gig, Octy?"

"I shall have to leave here by seven, so I can be there and ready for soundcheck at eight."

Vinyl checked the time. Four o'clock. Plenty of time for a nice cuddle in front of the newly installed fireplace in the living room, where they were currently situated. It had been too warm to fully enjoy it when it was installed, but it was approaching the middle of fall, and the nights had just enough of a chill to warrant a fire. Octavia had payed for the fireplace as her present to Vinyl for their one year anniversary a few months ago.

In return, Vinyl had bought the custom cello case now sitting next to the door. Octavia's old one had been showing signs of wear, and she feared it didn't have the protection her precious instrument deserved. The new case was wrapped in thick, black, high quality leather, and had gold plated hinges and clasps. The interior was padded with thick, purple carpeting, and had a treble clef matching Octavia's cutie mark enbroidered on the underside of the lid. The mark was also stitched on the outside of the case on either side. The structure of the whole case was made of aluminum, making it very tough and light, given its size. Even with the leather wrapping and the plush insides, it barely weighed any more than the old wood and plastic case, yet was many times more secure. Vinyl had also commisioned for a lock to be fitted to the clasps for the times Octavia was called away to the big cities for a show. When she did go somewhere and wanted to lock the case, Octavia kept the key on a simple silver necklace she always wore, the miniscule key dangling next to a small silver cello charm bought for her by Vinyl. She wore this necklace almost always, except when she was in the shower or sleeping. Any time Vinyl saw the necklace, her mind immediately sprang to the night of the one year anniversary. It had been a wonderful night.

Five o'clock came and went, with the mares still cuddling on the couch, listening only to the fire crackling and the other's breathing. Six o'clock came and went in the same manner. At a quarter to seven, Octavia reluctantly raised her head.

"Vinyl, dear, I have to go."

"Aww, Octy. I was warm."

"You can be warm again when I get home. It won't be too long."

Octavia stood and went to the bathroom to make sure she was suitable to go out in public. There would be a make-up pony there to make her ready for the stage, but she still had to go out in public to get there.

Octavia came out of the bathroom looking much the same as she had entered, and found Vinyl still laying on the couch.

"Do you have to work tonight, Vina?"

"Naw. The boss said I can take a night off 'cause I stayed late for that birthday party last night."

"Oh, good. I'll see you when I get home. Should be around eleven."

"Aight. Knock 'em dead, Octy. Be safe."

Octavia came over and kissed Vinyl before hefting her cello onto her back. She called back over her shoulder as she was leaving.

"Bye, Vinyl! Don't burn the house down!"

"For Luna's sake, it was only one chair!"

Vinyl thought she heard a laugh, but couldn't be sure, as the door had already closed behind the grey musician. Vinyl used her magic and put another log on the fire from the stack beside the fireplace. She curled back up on the loveseat and started to nap, impatiently waiting for Octavia to return.

Vinyl woke sometime later to see the fire had almost burned down to embers. She levitated another piece of wood on and layed her head back down.

Wait a sec. That was a hefty piece I put on earlier. Should have lasted most of the night. Where's Octy?

She looked at the clock on the wall. It was just past two in the morning.

What? She should have been home hours ago. I guess some snobs delayed her for no reason like they like to do.
A lot.

Vinyl did her best to put the worry out of her mind.

She's fine. She'll be home soon with some wild story about some silly reason why they wouldn't let her leave. It's happened before. Just not three hours late....

Vinyl layed her head back on the couch and tried to fall back asleep.

Suddenly there was a knock, like a hoof on wood. Vinyl sat bolt upright as she tried to determine the source. The knocking came a few more times. Vinyl decided it was coming from the door.

Visitors? At this hour? No way.

Even though they were both very social ponies, the two mares almost never had visitors at the house. Much less at two in the morning. Vinyl stood and slowly approached the door. When she was only a few feet away, the knocking came again. She opened the door with apprehension, ready to shut and lock it with speed if need be. But instead of a thief or miscreant, there stood two very nervous looking policeponies. The pony that had been knocking had a coat was a dark brown with a slightly lighter mane. The other was standing slightly behind, and was light grey with a white mane. He looked almost too young to be a policepony.

"Are you Vinyl Scratch? Roommate to Octavia Philharmonica?"

The brown pony spoke. Vinyl only nodded, words not coming to the usually talkative unicorn.

This is bad.

The brown pony seemed to be having difficulty decided what to say next.

"Miss Scratch.... My name is Iron Badge, and this is Rook.......There was an accident.... Octavia has been injured. I do not know details, but it's quite serious."

Vinyl's blood seemed to leave her head in an instant, leaving her incapable of thought or speech. After a second of gasping in silence, it all flooded back and she had an overload of thoughts. She managed to calm her unruly mind enough to croak out a responce to the police pony.

"Where is sh..... What hap...... Is she alri.... Where is she!?"

"She has been taken to Ponyville Hospital. We th- OOF!"

The policepony was almost knocked off his hooves as something resembling a white and blue bolt of lightning shot past him and into the darkness in the general direction of the hospital.

Vinyl's went from shocked and sluggish to working at super speed. She did a fast mental calculation. It would take her almost fifteen minutes to reach the hospital at the pace she was going, an eon to the beleaguered pony. Without pausing to this if what she was about to do was possible or not, she concentrated and brought as much magic as she could gather to her horn. She then extended the magic out and wrapped it around her body, and instead of casting a complicated spell, she simply pushed. Immediately her speed almost doubled. Her legs were moving faster than anypony but the one casting the spell could believe. There weren't many ponies out at this hour, but the rare pony that did see Vinyl pass saw nothing more than a white and blue figure, shrouded in grey and moving faster than a speeding pegasus.

Within minutes Vinyl was at the door of the hospital. She let her magic go and slowed back to galloping pace as she entered the reception room. There was a small white mare tending the front desk, and she seemed shocked to see Vinyl rushing in like she was. Vinyl was in no mood to waste time.

"Octavia! Where is she? What room!?"

"R.. Room two-oh-three. Miss...!"

Vinyl took off at down the empty hallway next to the desk, hooves skittering on the tile floors as she fought for traction. At the end of the hallway, she ran up the stairs to her right, almost knocking over somepony coming down the stairs. She emerged onto the second floor, the room she seeked only one door down from the stairwell entrance. Vinyl rushed to the door, noting the light coming from this door was the only one lit along the desolate hall. She opened the door and looked inside, for she couldn't actually enter. The entire room was filled with doctors and equipment, explaining why there were none elsewhere in the building. Through a momentary gap in the bustle of the room, Vinyl caught a glimpse of a grey coat and black mane.

"Octavia!"

Immediately, every face turned to her, if only momentarily. There was still a lot of work for the doctors to do, and they couldn't be distracted. However, one doctor closest to the door put down the papers he had been reading and came to Vinyl at the door. He came out into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He then turned to the panicked unicorn.

"Vinyl Scratch?"

"Yea. What happened? Is she alright? What's going on?"

The doctor, a dark red earth pony, put one hoof on Vinyl's shoulder.

"We don't know exactly what happened. All we know, is at about nine o'clock, there was some sort of accident at Octavia's performance. There were several ponies brought to us, but Octavia is the only one seriously injured."

"How is she!?"

Vinyl fought to resist the urge to run into the room, but the small part of her mind that was still rational held her back, telling her the doctors needed room to work.

"She is unconscious, which is probably a good thing. There are several large lacerations along her left side, and some broken bones, mostly around her left hip. There were also some large splinters in her side. There are most likely many more internal injuries we don't know about yet, but we are doing everything we can. It looks to me as though something large and wooden fell on her from the left side."

The doctor shifted uncomfortably. Vinyl had stood without moving while listening to the doctor, eyes trained on him without wavering. He lowered his eyes to the floor.

"To be honest, it's pretty bad. I'm not a talented and seasoned unicorn like a lot of the doctors in there, so they don't tell me much, but I can see they are worried. Octava is injured very badly, and her condition is critical. But don't worry Miss Scratch, we will do anything and everything to make sure Octavia pulls through this just fine. I wish I could tell you more. But for now, why don't you go to the waiting area? Nap on the couch, read magazines? I promise that I will personally bring you news updates as often as I can."

Vinyl attemped to swallow the knot in her throat and nodded. She turned around and slowly walked back down the stairs and the hallway to the reception room. The mare who was at the counter when Vinyl first arrived was still there, and watched until Vinyl sat down, then came over.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I heard about what happened. Feel free to stay here all night, there's always somepony on duty. And if you need anything at all, please just let me know."

It seemed to Vinyl as if the world was falling apart.

There's only so much a pony can take. Even I have limits....

Vinyl knew she was on the verge of a breakdown. She didn't want to have it here in a public area, but at the same time she didn't want to sob alone. She settled for staring blankly at the floor as the kind nurse softy rubbed the back of her neck and shoulders, both mares doing nothing more than waiting for the red doctor to come bearing news.

Almost five hours later, at ten minutes until eight, he came. Vinyl almost didn't even notice, so deep was she in silent rumination. She suddenly realized she was hearing hoofsteps coming down the hallway, and looked up to see the doctor who had spoken to her earlier. Jumping from her place on the couch, she ran down the hallway to meet him.

"What news? She's ok? She'll be fine?"

The doctor hesitated before nodding.

"She seemes to be doing marginally better.We have stitched up the lacerations on her side, and removed all the splinters. We have set what broken bones we could, and have to surgically alter one. However, we also discovered she took a heavy blow to the left side of her head, resulting in a concussion. We scanned her thoroughly and she does not seem to have any damage to the brain. We have done almost everything we can. Her condition seems to be as stable as it's going to get. Now it is just up to her."

Vinyl dropped her gaze to the floor, as she had for several hours.

"Octy is strong. She'll pull through."

She has to.

The doctor bowed his head for a few seconds, then looked back at Vinyl.

"I will personally be monitering Octavia's condition for the rest of my shift. In four hours, if there is no worsening of her condition, and she seems to be stable, I will see if I can convince them to let you see her. It is unorthodox, but I can see you care about her very much. Until then, I have prepared one of the staff break rooms for you to stay in. It's more comfortable than the waiting room, and quieter. The staff have agreed to use one of the other break rooms."

Vinyl felt herself blush at all the trouble this unnamed doctor was going through just for her. Under other circumstances, she would have probably rejected the offer, but at the moment she was just grateful to be this close to Octavia. She thanked the doctor, who then gave her directions to the room. She found it, and barely registered anything in the room other than the soft couch she passed out on.

She awoke an indeterminable time later. The lights were bright, and hurt her eyes. She realized her trademark shades were at home still. The couch was not as soft as it seemed when she first layed down, and was coarse and smelled stale. The whole room had a feeling of being used often and appreciated little. Vinyl sat up and placed her hoofs to her face, letting tears escape through her tightly closed eyes for several long minutes before grtting her teeth and cutting off the flow.

Not yet. It is not the time or place for this.

She sat up and surveyed the room. It was only then she noticed a small note on the table beside her.

"Vinyl: Octavia's condition has gotten slightly more stable. You seemed like you needed your rest, so I did not wake you. However, when you wake up, show this note to the nurse on duty in Octavia's room and they will allow you visits, but no more than an hour a day. Take care."

Below that was a signature, but it was illegible. Looking at the clock, Vinyl realized with shock she had slept for almost eight hours, and it was now nearing four in the afternoon. She clutched the note tightly and set off for Octavia's room. She arrived and opened the door to find the small nurse from the night before changing some bandages on Octavia's side.

"Oh! You're awake. You may come in. Have a seat, there on her uninjured side. I will be done shortly here. I can't leave the room, but you won't even notice I'm here."

Vinyl did as the nurse said, taking a seat beside her love. She stared at the eyes, closed and unseeing, the ears, laying limply instead of catching every sound around, the mouth, barely open and still, instead of saying words of comfort. Vinyl reached up and very softly held Octavia's hoof. The nurse was finished cleaning and replacing bandages quickly, and retreaded to the far side of the room wordlessly, and sat reading some charts and taking notes. Vinyl lost track of time, although she was sure it had been more than an hour. The scratching of the pencil and the regular beeping of the heart moniter were the only sounds.

Beep...

The nurse left, and a different one came in, one Vinyl didn't recognize. This nurse came over and took notes on a clipboard from all the machines beside the bed, as well as checking the bandages. Vinyl expected to be ordered out at any moment, but it never came. Once the nurse was done writing everything she needed down from the machines, she left the room. A minute later she came in and took the seat vacated by the previous nurse. She sat reading a magazine, every so often coming and taking more notes off the machines. Vinyl sat without moving the entire time, still holding Octavia's right hoof.

All of a sudden, her stomach growled. The sound was loud in the silence of the room, making both Vinyl and the nurse jump in thier seats. The nurse smiled at Vinyl once she realized the sourse of the noise.

"There's a cafateria at the end of the hallway. Go get something to eat. You may return after."

Vinyl did so, realizing she hadn't eaten anything since the night previous. After eating a good sized meal, which she had to force down with a combination of juice and willpower, she returned to her silent watch at Octavia's bedside. Because she had eaten, she found her mind was now starting to function somewhat, although it was still sluggish from lack of sleep. She continued to sit without moving, but her mind was now a blur of activity compared to before. She silently pleaded with Octavia to awaken from her coma.

Then a beeping shattered the silence like a hammer to glass, causing Vinyl and the nurse to leap to their feet. One of the machines had started blinking red and beeping urgently. Simultaneously, Octavia's breathing changed. It seemed to be struggling to escape and return, leaving the grey mare gasping in a sickening manner. The nurse ran into the hall screaming for a doctor, while Vinyl could only stare as Octavia gasped. She had no idea what was happening, only that it was bad.

Finally, two doctors, including the generous red stallion, came running into the room. Vinyl took several steps back to allow them to work. They did many things very quickly which Vinyl had no knowledge of, but none seemed to have any effect. More doctors poured in throughout the process. After long, agonizing minutes of frenzied work, almost all the machines suddenly turned red, and the beeping from the heart moniter, which had become frenzied and unrythmic beeping, changed to a single, unbroken, and forlorn tone. The doctors seemed stunned at this. For all their failed attemps, and all their knowledge, all their medicine and machines and magic, they had lost this battle.

Everything had failed.

No pony knew what to do.

But Vinyl did.

Somehow, she knew how to do what almost a dozen trained doctors could not. Seeing the team of professionals standing helplessly around the mare she loved so deeply set something off deep within her, something primal and incomprehensible. Vinyl decided to trust this primordial instict. She didn't have anything left to lose. She pushed through the crowd and looked at Octavia's face, which had turned slightly red. She lowered her horn to several inches above Octavia's chest, just above the silver cello necklace. She gathered her magic, every bit she could find within her body, and then some more. It seemed as if she was mustering the magic out of empty space, yet came it did. She didn't stop to think about the consequences to herself, only that she was not going to allow Octavia to die.

All her love, her life, her very soul was poured into her horn, and when it felt as if she was about to explode, she began pouring it into the lifeless grey body in front of her. She did not concentrate on the injuries, or any specific part of the body. Instead, she sent her magic searching for Octavia's very life esscence, the spark needed to turn the shell of flesh back into a living being. She poured every possible bit of magic she could into Octavia, but it seemed the more she ejected, the more power she conjured, and faster. The flow of magic out of the horn swelled and grew, like a river steadily destroying a dam that had held it back. The grey cloud surrounding Octavia had grown and thickened around Vinyl as well, to the point no pony in the room could see either mare, only a single bright point that marked where Vinyl's horn was visible through the grey cloud surrounding them. A sound was becoming audible to every pony, a turbulent and deep roar, like thunder echoing across an open prairie, but continuous and infinitely more malevolent. The sound grew louder, and the cloud darker, until all that was visible was a point of pure white among a black cloud. Then there was a bright flash, and every pony in the room was knocked away.

In the aftermath of the magical explosion, Vinyl lay on the cold floor, fighting to retain consciousness. As her vision began to fade and all became dark, she was aware of only a single sound.

Beep...

Dark Visitor

Everything she has ever seen, done, heard, or thought was layed bare in front of her. Every failure, every success, every brilliant inspiration, every horrible mistake. She can't escape, but she isn't a prisoner. The darkness she is floating in is impossibly big, but claustrophobic. She is nothing but herself. But who is she? Here in this confined infinity, she slowly found identity. One letter at a time, a label, a description, a name came together.

V....
I....
N....
Y....
L....

VINYL.

The name seemed to suit her. She felt like Vinyl. She was Vinyl.

Vinyl was content to float. Alone, crowded, whatever this place was. It felt familiar, comfortable somehow.

Then, in the distance, so small it was almost invisible, a white point. Vinyl moved toward the point. It grew larger, and larger as she approached, slowly obscuring everything else, until finally it is all she can see. It swamps her field of vision. Then come the smells. The smells of a hospital room. Then the sounds. Then the feeling of a bed under her back, and a pillow under her head.

Vinyl gasped and opened her eyes. She layed very still for a few seconds, her mind a hive of activity. She felt her body, like weight pressing down on her from all sides. The oppression of being confined to a single prescence seemed odd after the spiritual freedom she had just exited. Then she realized that was only her dreams, her own mind. She closed her eyes for a second, pondering. Her head was buzzing with questions. Where was she? Why she was there? How did she get into this bed? Why does her horn feel so funny?

Then, she turned her head to see purple eyes staring at her. The eyes were deep, hypnotic, and filled with concern. They were the most gorgeous thing Vinyl had ever seen. Then Vinyl's eyes focused, and she saw the eyes belonged to a grey mare with a jet black mane. Vinyl was still reeling, confused, unable to form a coherent thought, except for one.

"You're....beautiful....."

The grey mane smiled, and placed a hoof on Vinyl's shoulder.

"Vinyl.."

That voice....

Then it all came back in an instant. Octavia. She was dying. Vinyl used her magic. The dark cloud, the roaring. The explosion. Then.... Now.

Vinyl gathered what strength she could and sat up. She propped herself up with her forelegs and rested, for simply sitting up had taken more than she had expected. After a moment, she dared trying to speak again.

"What happened?"

Octavia leaned in and kissed Vinyl on the forehead.

"You saved me, Vinyl. The doctors don't know how or what you did. All I know is I woke to find myself in a hospital bed, with ponies scattered all around the edge of the room like they had been blown back, with yourself lying next to my bed on the floor. Almost all the machines near me looked scorched and bent, like they had been burned and hit with a hammer at the same time. My bedsheets were bunt and smoking. Yet, despite all this destruction, I was unharmed. The last thing I remember before that was at the concert, going from make-up to get my cello. Now I'm here, and you're there."

Vinyl blinked away tears as she relived the moments before she had fallen unconscious.

"I don't know what I did. I just know you died, Octy. I watched you DIE. I felt like every part of me, every atom, every cell, was on fire. I knew you couldn't die. You just couldn't. I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't at least try to save you. I love you, Octavia. And I was not going to spend a lonely life wondering what life would be like if you were here, so I did something about it."

By the time she had finished speaking, Vinyl was out of breath. She had to lay back down on her pillow and rest for a moment.

Octavia leaned closer to Vinyl, so they could continue speaking without Vinyl having to speak louder than a whisper or hold herself up.

"I think I can guess at what you did, Vinyl. I remember reading it in an old history book way back in school. I don't remember all of it, but I remember reading how a long time ago, a unicorn stallion cast a powerful spell to save something, I think it was his village from a flood. Anyway, the story says that he wasn't powerful enough to save his village by himself, but he was so selfless, and loved his villiage so much, he actually converted part of his soul into magic to cast the spell, and so he saved the villiage. But it also said that he never could use magic again, because he used up the magic part of his soul, if that makes any sense to you."

Vinyl thought about this for a minute. Now that Octavia mentioned it, that did sound awfully familiar. The DJ hoped she hadn't used all her magic up, but at the same time, Octavia was worth it.

No matter how I am affected by whatever I did, I have Octavia. That's enough.

"Well, I certainly feel like I went a bit overboard. My horn hurts pretty bad. Does it look any different?"

Octavia got an odd look in her eyes, and didn't answer. Instead she reached over to the small table next to the head of the bed, and picked up a small mirror. She handed it to Vinyl, who held it mirror-side down for a moment before lifting it up to look at her horn.

Except it wasn't a horn anymore. It wasn't anything. There was no trace of her white, spiraling horn that signified her as a magic using unicorn. Just a smooth white forehead with a few strands of lightning blue hair falling over it. Vinyl stared at this for several long seconds, trying to fully grasp the implications.

No more magic... For anything... Ever... I know I didn't use magic as often as other unicorns, but still.... It was a part of who I am....

And it was true, Vinyl was actually considered a frugal unicorn, often only using her horn for things she would find difficult to do without. She usually DJed without it, flipping the switches and dials and changing records using tricks with her hooves. So her job was still secure.

She didn't often use magic around the house. It was usually just as easy to do something manually instead of having to concentrate hard enough to use magic, especially when she was sleepy. Sometimes she used magic to keep a hot bath hot for longer, but that could be done easy enough.

Vinyl looked at Octavia. The look in the amethyst eyes while they studied Vinyl was enough to make her heart melt.

"As long as I have you, Octy, I think I can manage without magic."

"I knew you'd say that, silly. Now I need to go find that doctor. He said to get him when you wake up."

Octavia stood up gingerly, as if in pain. Vinyl's brow creased with worry.

"You ok, Octy?"

Octavia smiled and stretched.

"I'm fine, just a little sore. It's not everyday I get resurrected from the dead."

She kissed Vinyl and left in search of the doctor. A few minutes later she returned, a familiar red stallion behind her. Vinyl smiled at him. She made a mental note to ask him his name and thank him for the break room he had cleared just for her. He walked over to her bedside.

"Hey there, Vinyl. Finally awake, I see. Few more weeks and we were about to give up."

"What!? How long was I out?"

Octavia rolled her eyes at the doctor.

"Don't mind him. You've only been out for about twenty-four hours."

The doctor smiled sheepishly.

"It's true. I just couldn't resist."

Vinyl sat for a second, then started laughing so hard, her sides hurt and when she finally finished she was gasping for breath.

"Oh, doc. That was good. I give you full marks on that. I'll remember that one."

"Anyway, Vinyl, down to business. I have been monitering you fairly closely, and from what I can tell you're in fine condition, just weakened. You have no injuries that time alone can't fix, and so I have decided that, if you agree, you may leave. You are perfectly allowed to stay here, of course, but I believe you will want to spend your time recouperating at home?"

"Of course, doc! I'd hate to cause any more trouble here than I already have."

"Doctor, are you sure she's alright? That's not the Vinyl I know."

"Be quiet, Octy."

The doctor just smiled and shook his head at thier playful banter. Octavia smiled and put her hoof on top of Vinyl's. The pair shared a smile, the kind only those deeply in love are allowed to share.

"Well then, I have paperwork to go settle before you may leave. I should be back within the hour."

The doctor left the room. Octavia and Vinyl sat and talked for several minutes about whatever came to mind, mostly about how little Vinyl's now absent horn would affect her life. After a little while, the doctor returned with a clipboard holding several papers.

"Alright Miss Scratch, if you'll sign here, and here, and here on this one. On this one, sign here, initial here, date and signature there. Last one, sign here, here, here, here and here, and you're done! Allow me to get you a wheelchair and we can cart you out of here."

"Wait, hold on a sec. I wanna try to walk out of here myself."

Octavia and the doctor looked at her with concern.

"Are you sure, Vina? You're awfully weak. I can push you, no problem."

"Lemme try, Octy."

Octavia smiled. That's the Vinyl she knew and loved.

Vinyl pulled the thin blanket she had been laying under off. She carefully swung her hind legs around so they gently rested on the floor. Bit by bit, she started to put weight on them. When she was convinced they would hold, She brought her front legs down. For a second, nopony moved as Vinyl stood unaided. Then they started laughing and clapping thier hooves. Vinyl smiled as if she had won a million bits.

"Octy, you big worrywart. Told you I can do this!"

Octavia smiled as she watched Vinyl take several cautious steps around the hospital room.
The doctor watched from the doorway.

"Well, I can see the wheelchair isn't needed anymore. You two are free to go. Vinyl, if you get to feeling very weak, don't hesitate to come back. I'll personally see to it you are taken care of. Same goes to you, Octavia. Get well soon. Take care, ya'll."

As he turned to leave, Vinyl remembered a question she had meant to ask.

"Doctor! What's your name?"

He just smiled as he turned his head to reguard the white hornless unicorn.

"Just call me The Doctor."

And then he left. Octavia and Vinyl gave each other a look of confusion, then put it out of their minds as they slowly walked to the exit. Vinyl was walking slowly and carefully, but she was indeed walking.

It took them almost half an hour to make it to the front doors of the hospital, and from there more than an hour to walk home, in which both mares had to stop and rest several times. The walk was further impeded by various ponies who came up to wish them well and ask if they needed any assistance. The sore and weary duo both denied help, but thanked all and told the well wishers their offers to help may be called upon later, but for now they just wanted to walk home.

They eventually arrived at the small, blue sided house. Going inside, Vinyl immediately made for the couch and collapsed on it, smiling and sighing. Octavia went to the kitchen and poured two glaases of apple juice, which she took to Vinyl on the couch before sitting beside her. They drank the juice, not saying anything, just resting.

After some time had passed, Vinyl noticed her partner was sitting very still. She looked over to see Octavia asleep sitting, with her head resting on the back of the couch. It looked uncomfortable, so Vinyl roused herself from her spot and stood. She was still feeling weak, but felt she was strong enough to carry Octavia to the bed. She stood on her hind legs only and gently lifted Octavia with her front legs. It was strenuous, but doable, provided she hurried. So step by step, Vinyl carried the sleeping mare to thier bed and layed her down, and climbed in beside her. She was tired, but felt very accomplished. She turned onto her side and put a foreleg over Octavia before falling into a blissful, dreamless, exhausted sleep.

The next two weeks progressed slowly, but steadily. Octavia's cello had been recovered from the wreckage of the theater, where apparently half the ceiling had simply collapsed. Several ponies had been injured, but all were expected to recover. The custom case had done it's job well, and the cello had survived without a mark.

Both Vinyl and Octavia slowly recovered from their weakness, but still staying in the house for the most part. Usually, there isn't much to do around the ScratchPad (as Vinyl insisted upon calling it), but they had a steady stream of visitors to occupy them. Some were friends, stopping by to see if they needed any help or anything from town, but these weren't usually needed, as many also brought food. Vinyl liked those guests the most, as she loved food more than most things, or indeed ponies. She also liked the fact that all the cooked food meant Octavia didn't have to cook and could rest.

Other visitors were reporters and journalists, as well as a growing number of scientists and doctors. The word about what had happened at the hospital seemed to have gotten out, and such an event was sure to cause much wonder. After a week and a half of unanswerable questions, Vinyl stopped opening the door to any pony she didn't recognize. Octavia thought this was rude, but welcomed nevertheless, as she got a fair share of questions herself, and hers were usually the stranger ones. What was it like to die? Did you see a light? What did it feel like? Octavia had heard these questions more than enough, and didn't have an answer to a single one.

Day by day, the never ending crowd of visitors died down as the word got out they were only seeing ponies they knew.. After about three weeks, they had all but stopped coming. So late one afternoon while the two mares were napping, when there came a knock on the door, Vinyl didn't hesitate to go open it. Who she found there was quite surprising, however.

"Princess Luna! What are you do- I mean, welcome!"

Vinyl bowed as she said this, but Luna objected.

"Please, Vinyl Scratch, don't bother with honorifics or bowing. I am here as simply Luna, come to check on the two most gossiped about ponies in Equestria."

Vinyl stood up, and seemed to find the princess's request a bit odd. But she didn't comment on it, rather leading the way into the living room.

"Well, come right in Pr.. Luna. We didn't expect any royalty, or I would have cleaned a bit and woke Octavia up as well."

"Oh, don't worry about it, Vinyl. Allow her to rest. She needs it. We'll just talk quiet as to not wake her. And as for the mess, you should see my room at the castle. My sister is the neat one. I'm more about organized chaos."

"Well that's something we definately have in common! Say, I remember when you came here for Nightmare Night, you were talking all funny, using 'we' and all. What happened to that?"

"Oh, you mean the Royal Voice. I have since learned that is outdated and seen as odd in these times, so I dropped it. My sister has been educating me on how times have changed."

Vinyl sat down in the large chair, and offered Luna a seat on the couch. Luna sat, admiring the quaint room.

"This is a wonderful place you have. I've always wanted a small house, far from the city's hustle and bustle."

"Why can't you? I mean, you are a Princess. You can pretty much do what you like."

"I wish it were so. Sadly, I have many duties as Princess that require me to be at the castle almost all night, every night."

"Of course, Pri.. Luna. Would you like something to drink or eat? We have a ton of leftovers from visitors."

"Oh, please don't worry yourself. I just ate breakfast."

"Breakfast? It's almost dark! Do you sleep all day, too?"

"It is required of me, Vinyl. I stay up all night, governing the moon and stars and other night business, and so I sleep all day."

"I see. I can totally relate. As a DJ, I'm usually up with the moon and getting home at sunrise. Speaking of it, isn't it about time for you to raise the moon?"

"Why, yes it is. Would you like to watch?"

"Totally!"

Luna smiled. It wasn't often she got to show off. She sometimes even felt under appreciated, but then somepony like Vinyl would remind her that ponies did indeed love the night. She closed her eyes, and a faint amaranthine glow surrounded her horn. Vinyl felt a pang of jealously at the horn, but then thought about Octavia in the next room and out it out of her mind.

After a moment, Luna opened her eyes.

"Done."

"No way! That's it? That looked easy."

"Oh, Vinyl. If only it was easy. Then I could have some other pony do it and I could sleep in!"

"Ah, I get it. It's some alicorn magic thing?"

"Yes, it is. Now why don't you go look outside?"

Vinyl went over to the window and pushed it open. Outside, just coming over the horizon, was the moon. But it was bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than she had ever seen it. She heard Luna speaking from the couch.

"I heard a scientist pony talking about what you did, Vinyl. I had never heard of such a thing happening, although when I told Celestia, she mentioned it had, once. A stallion by the name of Shining Force stopped a huge flood from destroying his village, but in the process used all his magic. Celestia said it is because his wife and kids were in the village and couldn't get out in time, and he loved them more than anything in the whole of Equestria. Somehow you did the same thing he did, something only possible when a unicorn loves something or somepony as much as a single heart can love. I find this incredibly romantic and beautiful. How long have you two been in love?"

Vinyl stared at the moon for another few seconds before answering.

"We've been dating for a year and five months, and we met almost two years ago. It's been the best two years of my life."

Luna had to blink away tears, so sweet was the sentiment. Never had she seen two ponies so deep in love. She asked a question she thought was an obvious one.

"So have you two considered marriage yet?"

Vinyl started at this, and gave Luna a shocked glance before looking at the moon again and sighing.

"Yeah, we've talked about it about it, but it's pointless. Gay marriage may be legal, but is frowned on. It might ruin our careers if we announced that. I've seen it happen. Thought you knew. Truth be told, I was thinking you would disapprove of our.... partnership."

Luna simply smiled.

"My dear, it would by very hypocritical for me to judge you on that matter."

A confused look came over Vinyl's face as she regarded the Princess.

"Isn't hypocritical when you say something, then do the opposite yourself?"

"Yes, Vinyl, it is."

"So you... you're... Ohmigawd! Luna! But... You're royalty! Isn't that improper or something?"

"It wasn't when I was last around. It's distressing that it is viewed as it is now. It used to be that a pony could love whomever he or she wanted. It's a sad state of affairs to be judged on your love."

"Yeah... I've been thinking about proposing anyway. Maybe some quiet ceremony, off in the woods or something. Ten, maybe fifteen ponies there. Small, private kind of thing. But I don't know how Octavia would feel about it."

"Well, have you asked her? She might feel the same way."

"I mentioned it once. We agreed it would be the best thing to do. Only problem is, there's only one pony in this area licensed to marry couples, and Octavia doesn't trust him. Says he's too familiar with some of the snooty Canterlot crowd, and she wouldn't put it past him to sell the secret to a tabloids for a few bits. Had a funny name. Pay-der something."

"Pater Matrimonium?"

"Yeah that's him!"

Luna sighed.

"I am familiar with him. Sadly, I would not put him past him to do that either. Are there none else who can do it?"

Vinyl left the window and went back to her chair.

"Not unless we went to Canterlot. It's an awfully long trip, though. We both are going to be busy soon, too. We've been out of commission for a few weeks now and we need to get back to work. If only there was someone else with the authority...."

At the word 'authority' Luna perked up. Her sudden movement made Vinyl jump in her seat.

"Vinyl! I just had a wonderful idea! I'm a Princess, none have more authority than me! Anything I or my sister say is respected by almost everyone! We can say things others without our positions can't!"

Vinyl started to catch on to what Luna was saying, but wasn't sure and didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Where are you going with this?"

"I can wed you! I have the authority, I can arrange everything for you, and you don't have to pay a cent! And I would love to see the pony that criticizes a couple blessed by a Princess."

"No way! Luna, you'd do that for us? I mean, that's a lot! It would mean everything to us, but still! You'd have to fly all the way here, weddings aren't cheap, and you'd have to leave all your duties off for at least a day..."

Luna interrupted the excited DJ as politely as possible.

"Pardon me, Vinyl. Allow me to explain. Weddings might not be cheap, but you forget, I have the entire coffers of the Royal Family at my disposal for what I deem fit, and I have never met ponies more worth marriage. Also, I wasn't thinking so much of me flying here as I was you coming to Canterlot for a week. Think of it as my wedding present to you."

Vinyl sat and thought about it for a minute. Luna simply smiled at the hornless white unicorn as she ruminated. Finally, after seeing there was no counter argument, Vinyl gave in.

"I would be honored, and I'm sure Octavia will be as well. Damn, will she be surprised!"

"Yes I imagine so! Going to sleep, and waking engaged, with no less than a Princess presiding over the marriage. Quite a dream."

"Oh yeah. Now I just have to figure out how to say it."

"That I will leave to you, Vinyl. It's been a very, very long time since I have even thought of romance. I'll have to ask Tia about marriages these days..."

"Tia?"

"Celestia. Apologies. Sisterly nicknames and all. I feel comfortable enough around you to relax somewhat."

"I'm flattered. Not everyone can befriend a Princess!"

"Not many indeed. Everypony keeps getting distracted by our titles and forgetting that we are ponies too. That's another reason I came by tonight. I just wanted to get out and see some regular ponies and be treated like one."

"Well, I'm glad you thought of us. It's been a pleasure getting to know you, Luna."

"And likewise, Vinyl."

Luna glanced at the clock.

"Oh dear! How did it get so late? You must be tired. And you have quite a day ahead of you. You should get some rest."

Vinyl yawned and shrugged.

"I suppose so. I don't think I'll tell her for a day or two, though. I want to go get her a ring first and do it proper."

"I believe I can help there, Vinyl. I know the jeweler here in Ponyville. He mended a necklace for me a few months ago. I'll ask him if he can make you a good deal."

"Thank you very much, Luna. I am indebted to you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just trying to be more than a simple Princess that raises the moon."

"Well, I think you're doing a great job. I can't wait to see what you come up with for the wedding."

"Are you wanting anything in particular? A theme or overall tone? Or any special requests?"

"None that I can think of, Luna. You just do whatever you like."

Luna's wings opened halfway as she clapped her front hooves in excitement.

"Gnarly! I can't wait!"

"Gnarly?"

"Apologies. Old slang I seem to have kept."

"I like it! Gnarly!"

Luna smiled and stood, taking a few steps toward the door.

"Well, I must go. I have a few things to take care of, not to mention a wedding to plan! I will personally come to bring you the news when I have set the date and arrangements. I expect it will be fairly soon, possibly within a month if that's okay."

"Yes, Luna, that would be great. Thank you once again."

Vinyl bowed to the Princess Of The Night as she walked outside into the chilly air and spread her magnificent wings.

"See you soon, Vinyl! Take care! Tell Octavia I said hello!"

"Will do! Fly safe!"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Octavia spent the next three days wondering why Vinyl seemed to be acting more strange than usual. Going off to the market for no reason, or a reason that made no sense. Finally, on the evening of the fourth day, she found out.

She came home from a short cello practice to find Vinyl standing by the door, jacket and shades on as if she was about to leave.

"Going somewhere?"

"Yes, and so are you, Octy! Leave the cello by the door, we won't be long."

Octavia obeyed, and followed her lover out into the chilly dusk. The sun had just set, and the moon was due to rise any minute. Vinyl led the confused Octavia to a hill just outside town. The hill was modest, but tall enough to raise above the trees, offering a breathtaking view of the moon just beginning to appear above the horizon. Octavia gasped as she beheld it, for it was more beautiful than she had ever seen it.

She turned to Vinyl, only to find she had to look down. Vinyl had gotten down to her knees, and had produced a small box from within her jacket.

"Vinyl... Is that what I think....."

"Octavia Philharmonica. You are the most wonderful pony I have ever had the fortune to meet. I want to be there for you every day for the rest of your life. Will you be mine, forever? Will you marry me?"

Vinyl opened the box. Inside was a ring, just the right size for Octavia's left leg. It was a gold band, mostly plain, except for a thin line of treble clefs engraved around the circumference.

"Yes, Vinyl! Of course, yes!"

Octavia felt herself tear up as she shakily took the ring and slid it over her left hoof, where it settled on her leg snugly. She never wanted to take it off.

Vinyl stood, and wrapped her forelegs around Octavia's neck, who returned the favor. After a handful of minutes of kissing and happy tears, they broke apart.

"Oh Vina! This is wonderful! Let's have the ceremony as soon as we can. I don't want to wait a minute longer than I have to."

"Don't worry about that. Princess Luna has it covered."

"What!?"

"Come on. Tell you the story on the way home. I'm freezing."

Vinyl told Octavia about the evening Luna had visited, finishing just as they walked in the house and sat down to cuddle in front of the warm fire.

"Oh, Vinyl. Only you could have a conversation with a Princess and learn a new slang word."

"It's just my natural charm. Everypony just wants to be my friend."

Octavia sighed dreamily as she layed her head on Vinyl's shoulder.

"I can't believe we're actually engaged. That's so exciting! And being wed by the Princess herself. Seems like my days just keeps getting more eventful when I'm with you. I'm almost afraid for my next birthday. Who knows what you're plan.... Why are you smiling like that? What are you planning? Vinyl!"

Prologue

WARNING: Some grown-up language and innuendo.

It was the kind of warm summer night Vinyl Scratch loved the most. Crickets chirping, countless stars in the sky, and a club full of ponies waiting on her to party the night away. She was the best, if only, DJ in the town of Ponyville, and there was only one club, and that meant it was the best place to be on a Friday night. In other words, the perfect place for Vinyl. There was nothing more the white unicorn loved more on a beautiful summer night than to spend it in that particular club blasting various forms of trance, electro, dance, techno, and rock music. She had gained a veritable reputation as a talented DJ, and even though she had gotten offers to play at clubs as far off as Manehatten, she had refused, choosing to stay at her simple life at a simple club. Rarity was the owner and operator of the establishment, and Vinyl had never had a better boss.

Vinyl came around a corner, and there was the club. The Sapphire was usually packed with ponies, and tonight was no exception. A line stretched down the block, waiting to get in, held back by two massive stallions wearing tight black shirts and sunglasses. Vinyl chuckled at the sight of them.

Sunglasses at night? Well, I guess they are payed to be big, not smart.

The hypocrisy made a faint whooshing sound as it flew over Vinyl's head.

The white DJ walked past the line and right up to the bouncers, who let her in immediately. She smiled at the groans and complaints of the numerous ponies still stuck in line. Once inside the doors, she was greeted by flashing lights of every color, thumping bass music, and a sea of ponies dancing, drinking, or just sitting in booths trying to shout over the music, a task that was about to prove impossible once Vinyl got situated. As she reached the edge of the crowd, ponies began to turn and notice her, parting to either side to let her pass and shouting greetings. Vinyl just smiled and kept walking. Before long, the majority of the ponies in the club knew she had entered.

Mares and gentlecolts, the real party has just arrived.

Vinyl climbed up onto the stage and got behind her beloved control panel. Turntables, equalizers, a computer, and some synthesizers laid out before her in a meticulously arranged pattern. The multitude of knobs and switches might have confused a lesser DJ, but to Vinyl they were home. She put on her headphones and flipped a few switches, killing the music and turning on her microphone. Her voice boomed across the floor.

"How the hell yall doing tonight!?"

A roar rose from the crowd, but not nearly loud enough to satisfy Vinyl.

"I can't fucking hear you!"

Another roar, this one shaking the walls around the excitable crowd. Vinyl grinned widely. This was where she felt comfortable. All her worries melted away when she was here. Her music, her turntables, and her crowd always made a bad day better, and a good day ecstatic. Vinyl yelled into the mic again.

"And a good evening to you all! DJ-Pon-3 in the house! Are you ready to ROCK!"

A deafening third roar. These ponies were really ready to party.

"As I understand it, we have a birthday going on tonight! Cherilee, where are you? There's the birthday mare! Hey babe, your drinks are on me tonight! Happy birthday!"

Cherilee blushed and waved at the DJ, and presumably yelled a thanks, but was impossible to hear over the cheering. A silly hat was already perched crooked on her head, and the crowd around her looked already drunk. Vinyl loved it when there were special occasions like this, and always made sure they were fantastic. Cherilee was an old and very close friend of hers, so she was going to make damn sure tonight was going to be the best birthday ever.

"One more thing! I want this to be your best damn birthday ever, so I made you a little something. Who wants to find out what it is?"

Every pony cheered, and Cherilee blushed again.

"Well, here you go! I wrote you a song, Cherilee, and I dare say it's my best song ever! I worked very hard on this, so I hope you love it! So get your flank on the floor and get ready to move!"

The crowd around Cherilee swelled as she was swept to the middle of the dance floor, and Vinyl started hitting switches and turning knobs. Bass and synth swelled through the speakers, and the crowd started to dance. Then the lyrics hit. Vinyl had written them, but had never done vocals before, and so had gotten a friend to record them. She was very proud of them.

Hey Cherilee, hey Cherilee
I'm afraid to see you after school
I can't come to your office
and tell you that you're cool

It's not about my tests
or about my homework you should grade
I don't want you to tell me
I just want to go on a date

Hey Cherilee, hey Cherilee
Hey Cherilee, hey Cherilee
Hey Cherilee, I think I'm in love with you

Vinyl's grin threatened to split her face in two when she saw Cherilee's reaction to the lyrics now blasting over the sound system. The teacher kept dancing though, being too drunk to really care. Vinyl had spent several nights on this song, and it seems her efforts had paid off. Once the song was over, the crowd begged for an encore, and another after that. Vinyl put that song and a few others that were almost as good on a playlist and put it on repeat. She then left her Fortress of Bass, as she called it, and went onto the dance floor to dance with Cherilee and the other party goers.

Sweaty and tired, she eventually left the floor and went back to her booth. Song after song pounded through the speakers, each one carefully tuned by the DJ's careful hooves. She hated using magic to do her job, and was proud of the fact she almost never needed to use it. It had taken her years of practice to get as good as she was without it.

Hours later, even the energetic Vinyl needed a break. She turned the volume down a bit to give ponies a chance to talk, and put the computer on shuffle. She went to the bar and got a drink, and turned to survey the crowd. The crowd had shrunk a little since the birthday party had left, but there were still a lot of ponies there. Through a miniscule break in the crowd, Vinyl spotted the fluffy pink mane she had been looking for. Weaving her way through the crowd, she came up behind the pink pony the fluffy mane belonged to. Vinyl came up behind Pinkie Pie and spoke into her ear.

"Hey girl! Lemme taste some of your cotton candy!"

Pinkie turned around and winked mischievously at Vinyl.

"Hey DJ! Why don't you thump my bass!"

Vinyl laughed and enveloped Pinkie in a hug.

"Nice to see you, Pinks. Come on over here. I wanna talk to you."

"Okey dokey!"

The party pony followed Vinyl through the crowd back to a booth in the far corner. Vinyl liked it because it was at the very edge of the bar, but was out of the way enough ponies weren't standing all around it. She yelled at Berry Punch, the barmare, for a drink for Pinkie. Once Vinyl and Pinkie had drinks and were comfortable, Pinkie turned her concentration back to the DJ across from her.

"Alright, I'm here! What's up?"

"It's Lyra."

"Oh no. What now?"

"I just don't know what the hell to do anymore. It seems like everything I do is wrong."

"Well, as your best friend, you know what I'm going to say. I've been saying it since before you got together!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm starting to think you may have been right."

"My Pinkie Sense never lies!"

"I guess so."

"What's the problem now, anyways?"

"She accused me of cheating on her."

"Again? With who?"

"You!"

"Oh, Vinyl, I'm flattered! But you know I'm taken."

"Wait, what!? Did not know! Spill!"

"Yupp, it's official. I'm in love with parties!"

"You're ridiculous, Pinks. Anyway, apparently someone told her we are friends, and that I was at Sugarcube Corner all day the other day. That's enough for her to go off the deep end."

"Hey, it's not my fault I can't bake a five foot tall cupcake on my own! Oh well. Vinyl, I seriously think you should break up with her. Everyone who knows you to says so, and I've been telling you this, like, FOREVER! You have had the worst year I've ever seen you have, and it's always because of her."

"She wasn't always that bad! It's just the past few weeks."

"A few months ago she wouldn't let you go to one of my parties for some silly reason! I still haven't forgiven her for that, Vinyl!"

"I forgot about that."

"I noticed! Please, Vinyl, at least think about it."

"I am Pinks, I really am. Say, do you mind if I crash at your place for the night?"

"Of course you can! I love it when you stay! But why for?"

"Cause I wouldn't put it past Lyra to be waiting at my house for me to come home so she can bitch some more."

"Seriously!? Did you give her a key?"

"Yeah, last month. I don't know why. Ever since then she's been popping up at the most random times for no reason. I wouldn't mind it, but if I'm there and just chilling, she gets mad because I'm not spending all my time with her."

"That has to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Ugh. I can barely hear you over this place. What time is your shift over?"

"I'm off now. I was just coming in tonight for Cherilee's party."

"Oh, wasn't it great! I got her that hat! It was one of my last party hats! I need to get more. Anyways, you wanna go back to my apartment? I have food and movies and candy and stuff!"

"You had me at food! Let me find Rarity and tell her I'm off for the night."

"Okey dokey lokey! I'll wait outside."

Vinyl stood from the booth, and went to the back room, where Rarity was sitting over some paperwork.

"Hey, boss. You need me for anything else? Cherilee’s party just left, so I was gonna go for the night."

"Oh, that's fine. Is Pinkie Pie still here?"

"Yeah, I'm actually going with her to her place."

"Would you be a dear and give her this jacket? She gave it to me to sew a button back on."

"Sure thing, boss! You have a good night!"

"Same to you, Vinyl!"

Vinyl took the violently pink jacket from Rarity and left the club. She found Pinkie leaning against the wall in the alley next to the club.

"Hey Pinks! Here's your pink jacket. Rarity got it fixed."

"Yay! This is my most favoritest jacket! Ugh, would you just throw it over my back and button it around my neck? I just got mud on my hooves and cleaning that thing sucks."

"Sure thing."

Vinyl was halfway through buttoning up the jacket when a very angry voice rang through the alley.

"VINYL SCRATCH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

SHIT.

Vinyl turned, and sure enough, there was Lyra. She looked very upset.

"Hey, calm down, Lyra. I was just putting Pinkie's jacket on for her, cause her hooves are dirty and it's her nice jacket."

"Oh, I'm sure! And it just so happens you were in a dark alleyway too!"

"Lyra, really, she was just-"

"Shut up, Pinkie! I guess it's also a coincidence Rarity just told me I just missed you because you two were going back to Pinkie's for the night? I'm not stupid, Vinyl!"

"Hey! You do not tell my friends to shut up! And yes, I'm going to Pinkie's! I didn't want to go home and find you on my couch waiting to yell at me for working tonight!"

"You weren't even supposed to work tonight! You'd rather DJ for a friends party than spend time with me!"

"Well that's because you've been a bitch lately!"

Lyra and Pinkie both gasped, although Pinkie's seemed decidedly happy.

"What did you call me!?"

"I called you a bitch! The past few weeks have been hell. You've been accusing me of one thing after another! All you ever do is tell me what I'm doing wrong, and no matter what I do I'm never right! I'm sick of it! I'm done with you. I'll take this."

Tears welled in Lyra's eyes as Vinyl's blue magic grabbed the house key hanging on a chain around Lyra's neck and yanked it off. Lyra flinched and stared first at the floating key, then at Vinyl. The DJ's eyes were hidden behind her ever-present blue shades, but behind them, they were seething. Without looking back, Vinyl turned her back on Lyra and walked away down the alley, with Pinkie following, a small bounce in her step.

The full magnitude of what had transpired didn't hit Vinyl until they got back to Pinkie's apartment. Vinyl walked in and was barely aware of anything except the pink couch she collapsed onto, head in hooves, sobbing. Tears ran from her eyes, and collected on her shades. Pinkie sat beside her and started rubbing her back and crooning reassuring words into her ears.

Before long, Vinyl had cried all she was going to. She never did like crying too much, especially in front of her friends. She looked up at Pinkie with red eyes, and the pink party pony simply smiled.

"I'll make you hot chocolate and some food. Find a movie to watch, and after that I'm going to run you a nice bubble bath. You're going to relax tonight, tomorrow, and any other days I deem necessary!"

"Oh, Pinks. You're too sweet. Thanks a ton. I don't know how I would live without you."

"Quite well, I should expect. You're too stubborn for life to get you down for long, me or no me! But no me would be rather boring, I think."

Before Vinyl could form a rebuttal, Pinkie trotted to the kitchen, and sounds of cooking soon emanated. Vinyl turned her attention to selecting one movie from the large pile next to the large television in front of her, reading them aloud as she dug through the stack.

"How to Lose A Mare In Ten Days? Pass. My Big Fat Pegasus Wedding? Gag. The Bridesmare's Diary? What the hell, Pinks? Where are all the good movies?"

"On the other side! You're in the sob section!"

"More like the vomit section!"

Vinyl moved to the other side of the television, where another plethora of movies awaited, although these were significantly better. She eventually decided on an older action move. She put it in and started it, and before the previews were over, Pinkie came in, somehow balancing a half dozen plates on her forelegs, walking on her back legs, and had two cups balanced on her head.

"Seriously, Pinks, you gotta teach me how to do that."

"No can do! It's a secret!"

"It's defying the laws of physics, is what it is."

Pinkie just winked at the confounded unicorn as she set the plates and cups on the table, and the ponies ate as the movie played out.

Later that night, when all the food was eaten and the movie watched, Vinyl was preparing her bed on the couch. She had her pillows and blankets layed out just perfect, and was about to crawl in when a wave of despair hit her like a bag of bricks. Before she could stop them, tears welled in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. A sob accompanied one particularly large tears, and before she could help herself, she was crying uncontrollably into her pillow. Pinkie heard the commotion and came from her bedroom to see if she could help.

Half an hour later, the sobbing showed no signs of abating. Vinyl just could not seem to curb the flow. All the stress from the past few months was pushing its way out of her system and all she could do was hold on and wait for it to drain out in her tears. Pinkie was in the same position as before, rubbing her back and neck and whispering reassuring words into her ear.

Abruptly, Vinyl felt herself being lifted to her hooves and led.

"Wha.. Where are we going?"

"I'm taking you to my bed, silly. You're in no condition to sleep on that old hard couch. You need comfy and fluffy, pronto!"

Vinyl was lead to Pinkie's bedroom, where she was pushed into the extremely soft bed and forcibly tucked under the blankets. After making sure Vinyl was comfortable, the pink pony started to walk away. The still sobbing Vinyl called after her.

"Where are you going, Pinks?"

"I'm gonna sleep on the couch. I figure you need your alone time."

"Get your flank back here! You are not going to leave me all by myself."

Pinkie came back into the room and climbed onto the bed next to Vinyl. As soon as she was situated, Vinyl enveloped her in a hug and continued to cry into the cotton candy pink mane for hours.

The next morning, Vinyl woke to the sound of running water. After a moment, she identified it as Pinkie's shower in the next room. This struck her as odd, as Pinkie hated to shower in the morning. It tended to flatten her curly mane.

After some minutes, a very wet Pinkie came into the room. Vinyl stared at her from the comfort of the bed. She had rarely seen Pinkie without her trademark fluffy mane, and every single time it was shocking. The pink pony always looked as if she had shrunk in size. Vinyl inquired as to the morning shower.

"What are you showering for, Pinks? You don't usually shower in the morning."

"I don't usually have my bestest friend crying into my mane all night. It was all teary and gooey."

"Oh! My bad."

"It's all good! So, what do you have to do today?"

"Well, usually Lyra demands I spend time with her before work, but now I'm a single mare, I guess I'll just chill until work."

"Free time is the best time! I wish I had more free time, but Sugarcube Corner keeps me pretty busy. I'd have sooo much fun with extra time. I could have parties, and more parties, and more parties!"

Vinyl smiled at the excitable party pony.

Nothing in the world can keep her down. Maybe I should take lessons.

Vinyl got out of bed, and the mares went into the living room.

"Well, Pinks, thanks a ton for feeding me and letting me sob on you all night. Especially feeding me."

"It's not a problem at all! If you ever need more sobby girl time, you know where I live!"

"Oh, I hope I'm done. I hate crying, especially over something stupid."

"It's not stupid! You spent a whole year with her. It's only natural you'd have some kind of negative reaction to breaking up, even if she was being a meanie. You just became so attached, it was hard to let go, even if there was a good reason to. She became so integral to your life that once she's gone, you don't know what to do."

Pinkie's appraisal of the situation surprised Vinyl with the astuteness and accuracy. Even if Pinkie was known for being a little goofy, she was very knowledgeable about ponies' feelings. Vinyl knew this, and she was still caught off guard whenever Pinkie gave some insight to things Vinyl was clueless about. Her extensive vocabulary was also a bit surprising.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Pinks. I'll just go and watch sad movies until I feel better."

"Or happy ones! Laughter is better than not laughter! Oh, and are you working tonight?"

"True, true. And yes I am. See you there?"

"See you there!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl was woken by a pounding on her door. Instead of answering, she pulled her blanket over her head and yelled at the door.

"I'm not home!"

Pinkie Pie's voice rang out from the other side of the door.

"Vinyl! It's been three weeks, and you have done nothing but work and mope! Let me in!"

Vinyl reluctantly left the couch she had spent the night on and went to her front door. She unlocked it and opened it to find a very indignant Pinkie.

"Pinkie, I'm fine. I just haven't felt like doing much lately."

"You're being all depressed and boring! You need to be happy and glad and fun! Lyra isn't worth being sad over!"

"I'm not sad about her! I'm just enjoying all the free time I have now."

"Lies! All lies! Tomorrow, party at Applejack's, at the big barn, seven o'clock. Be there! No arguments!"

"Aww, Pinkie, I don't have any of my portable turn ta-"

"No! No working! You're coming to hang out! Rarity is doing the music, I'm doing the food, Rainbow Dash is doing the decoration, and Twilight Sparkle is doing..... Whatever she does! You just be there!"

"Okay, okay, okay. I'll be there Pinks. Seven o'clock. Big barn. Party."

"Okey dokey! See ya there!"

And then the pink pony left. Vinyl shut the door and sank back onto the couch in blissful silence. She felt bad lying to her friend like that, but she didn't want anypony worrying about her.

Truth be told, Pinks was right. Dammit, Lyra! Why did you have to get into my head so good! Maybe a party will do me good.

And so the next night found Vinyl forsaking her now-usual schedule of watching a sad movie, eating ice cream, and crying herself to sleep. Instead she was trotting her way through the countryside just outside of Ponyville to the largest barn on the Apple family's ranch, to the party that Pinkie was so adamant Vinyl was to attend. She still wasn't so sure she wanted to go, but parties were always good, especially when PInkie was involved. A boring party was impossible with that pink party wonder on the scene. Vinyl chuckled to herself as she remembered a few of the more memorable moments from Pinkie's past parties.

A few miles down the road, the barn came into view. It was even larger than Vinyl remembered it, being at least two hundred feet long and three stories tall. The doors were wide open, and light was spilling across the gravel road, as were a number of party-goers. Vinyl was fashionably late as always, so the party was in full swing. Music was thumping, lights were flashing, and every few minutes, a resounding BOOM would echo across the fields from Pinkie's Patented Party Popper cannon shooting balloons and confetti everywhere.

Vinyl walked into the barn to see it was absolutely packed with ponies. Vinyl didn't immediately spot Pinkie, so she walked over to a very long and very full buffet along one side of the room and occupied herself with sampling all the morsels of food offered. Once she felt satisfied that the food was up to par for a party, she turned her attention to the swarm of ponies. They were dancing, drinking, some were playing beer pong, others were socializing, and some were eating at the buffet. What ever the activity, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Except that one.

Vinyl's eyes were drawn to the only pony in the entire barn not seemingly enjoying herself. The mare was a middling shade of grey, with a long and flowing dark grey mane. Her cutie mark was a purple treble clef, and she was wearing a matching purple bowtie. Her eyes were a light violet, and she carried herself with a certain grace and poise that Vinyl found very attractive.

The beautiful mare didn't seem to be enjoying the party though, just tolerating it. She stood at the end of the buffet table and was nibbling at a plate of strawberries in a blase manner. Vinyl watched her from the other side of the room for a few minutes, wondering who she was. Abruptly, the grey mare looked up and made eye contact with Vinyl before she could avert her gaze. Before she looked away, Vinyl noted that the grey mare looked a little lost. Vinyl thought about going over and asking for the pretty mare's name. Before she could decide on what to do, her concentration was broken by a loud BANG from the middle of the room.

There's Pinkie! She'll know who that is.

Vinyl trotted to the middle of the crowd, now covered in confetti and cheering, and found Pinkie wheeling her cannon to the back of the barn to reload it.

"Pinks! Wait up!"

"Hey Vinyl! I was wondering if you made it! Isn't it great! The food is great, the music is great, and all the ponies are having FUN!"

"All but one, Pinks! Who's that grey mare over by the buffet table? The one with the treble clef cutie mark?"

"Oh, that's Octavia Philharmonica! She's new! Moved here from Manehatten, I think. Some big music school. I invited her because she doesn't know anypony here but me, and she needs more friends, because without friends she'll be sad, and if she's sad, she won't be happy, and of she's not happy-"

"I'm going to interrupt you there, Pinks. I just wanted to know her name. I'll go talk to her and make friends. No pony is allowed to not have fun at your party!"

"Okey dokey! I gotta go reload my cannon!"

Pinkie and her explosive contraption trundled away, and Vinyl went back to her previous spot, watching Octavia and trying to gather her courage to go introduce herself.

Octavia Philharmonica...... Pretty name for a pretty mare...... Go on, go over there! She needs someone to talk to.

Vinyl was wracked with indecision for a further few minutes. The plate of strawberries got lower and lower, and Vinyl felt like if she didn't do something by the time they were gone, she never would get a chance. After a time, there were only two strawberries left, and Vinyl still had no ideas.

Just gonna have to wing it I guess. Here goes nothing!

She carefully walked over to the grey mare. When she was a few paces away, Octavia noticed Vinyl, and turned her attention to the approaching white unicorn. Vinyl was almost put off by her disinterested expression, but decided to give it a shot anyway. In what seemed like no time at all, Vinyl was standing face to face with Octavia.

"Uh.. Hi there."

"Hello."

"So... Enjoying the party?"

"Oh, not really. I was enjoying these strawberries more."

"I noticed. Uh, not that I was watching you or anything!"

Octavia smiled and giggled a little, and Vinyl felt that maybe Octavia was more friendly than she had looked.

"It's fine, I noticed you watching me for the past few minutes. I knew you to come introduce yourself eventually."

"Well, that's right! I'm Vinyl Scratch, DJ extraordinaire."

"A DJ you say? That is fascinating. I am Octavia Philharmonica, cellist extraordinaire."

"Cello? That's pretty nifty! You play with any groups?"

"Yes, actually. I just moved to Ponyville a month ago for that reason. There is a group of classical musicians that do recitals in this area, and they asked me to join them. Ponyville is in the direct center of our circuit, so it's never a very far journey to the various concert halls."

"Well, that's awesome! I only really play at one place. I don't know if I could handle playing at a different place every time."

And so on went the conversation. The two musical mares talked for hours and hours, about their shared interests, their different interests, and anything else that came to mind. Vinyl learned that Octavia was from a small town very far to the north, her favorite food was pancakes and strawberries, and she didn't like to use contractions or slang while talking. In turn, she revealed she was from Ponyville, she hated blueberries, and had barely passed language class in school.

As Vinyl and Octavia talked, the party started to wind down. The time was approaching dawn, and many ponies were leaving to prepare to go to work, school, or if they were lucky, sleep. And still they talked. Eventually, Applejack came to tell them the party was over.

"Ya don't have to go home, but ya can't stay here."

"Alright, Applejack. I'll see ya around!"

"Say, I don't think I know yer friend here. I'm Applejack, apple farmer."

"I am Octavia Philharmonica, cellist."

"Pleased to meet ya. Maybe next time we can chat some more, but I got an awful hankering fer my bed. I'll see you gals around."

"See ya!"

"Farewell, Applejack. It was a pleasure to meet you."

The two mares left the barn into the predawn darkness. The stars were just beginning to fade, but were still very visible and shining. They stopped on the top of a hill just outside the barn. Stretching into the distance stood rows upon rows of apple trees, covered in dew and glittering in the starlight. Octavia sighed as she beheld the crystal clear skies.

"My, it sure is beautiful out here. I am rarely awake at this time of night."

"I'm rarely asleep. Usually this is about the time I get off work. It is kinda pretty. I guess I've seen it so much I got used to it."

"It must be dreadful to be awake all night and sleep all day. Do you never have time to spend time with friends?"

"I don't have many friends. Pinkie Pie is my only real good friend, and she's at the club as often as I am."

"I see. Well, you may be used to being awake this late, but I am not. I think I shall go home and to bed."

"Yeah, same here. Say, it was nice talking to you tonight. We oughta hang out sometime."

"I agree. We should spend some more time together soon."

"How about Wednesday of next week? There is a really big monthly market day in the square. It's really fun."

"That sounds agreeable. What time?"

"Noon sharp?"

"Perfect. Meet you at the north side of the market, beside the jewellers?"

"I can do that. See you later!"

"Yes, see you there."

Octavia walked off into the darkness. Vinyl watched her until she could be seen no more. She stayed on the hilltop for a little while, gazing at the stars and thinking about what had transpired that night.

Well, the party went better than expected.

Vinyl Slowly walked down the hillside and down the road. She walked, lost in thought, not paying attention to where she was going. Before long, she found herself at home. Unlocking the door, the DJ went inside to go pass out until it was time to go to work. She dreamed of treble clefs and cannons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vinyl woke just in time to realize she was almost late.

Eleven forty five!? Dammit! Why do I have to be so lazy!

Vinyl leaped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. She used her magic and combed her wily blue hair, brushed her teeth, put on her shades, and lightly sprayed on her best perfume all at once. After successfully getting ready without any major incidents, Vinyl made a final check, and then set off for the market at five minutes until twelve.

I can make it. I can make it!

At seven minutes past noon, a very tired Vinyl arrived at the jewlers at the north side of the market. She looked around, searching the crowded square for Octavia. Seeing no sign, Vinyl got panicked.

I blew it, I'm late, she's left. The nicest mare you've ever met and you already blown it. Good job. Maybe next time I should-

"Vinyl!"

Vinyl whipped around to come face to face with the very mare she had been looking for.

"Oh! There you are, Octavia! Didn't even see you there."

"You ran right past me, silly. I am surprised you did not spot me."

Vinyl chuckled and ran a hoof through her mane, which had fallen back to its usual spiked tangle.

"Heh... Well, I was in a hurry. I was running a bit late."

"Well, we are both here now, so shall we?"

"Yeah, let's."

As they wandered around the tables and booths, they talked more small talk and Vinyl realized she had left out one detail about herself. She was wondering if she should admit to Octavia or not. The thought invaded her mind while she was helping Octavia decide which beret to get from a table piled high.

If I tell her I'm gay, she might not want to be my friend, 'cause that's all we are, and that's all I think of her. Got it? She's only a friend. You do NOT have a crush on a mare you just met. But if I don't tell her and she finds out, what will she think? Gah! Why am I so complicated?

Vinyl pushed the worry out of her mind and focused on the task at hand.

"What do you think, Vinyl? The blue beret, or the red?"

"Blue, most definitely."

Octavia payed the stallion selling the hats, and they delved back into the crowd, Octavia now sporting a jaunty blue beret. More purchases eventually followed that, and by the time they went to a small cafe to enjoy dinner in the encroaching dusk, they both had saddlebags bulging with impulse buys. As Octavia ate her small salad, she eyed the green tie Vinyl had bought.

"Vinyl, I still say you should have gotten the blue tie. It would match your mane beautifully."

"Well, I still say you don't need a fish shaped lamp."

"That lamp is gorgeous!"

"And so is my tie."

Octavia laughed, and took another bite of salad.

"So Vinyl, tell me, what do you do other than work? You've told me all about DJing and Ponyville, but not as much about yourself."

"Well, I don't do much else. Nowadays, my life is pretty much either DJing or waiting to DJ."

"Surely you do something else. What do you do in between the hours of sleep and work?"

"Watch gooey romance movies, mostly. I like to write music too, but I have to have a wave of inspiration first, and those are rare. I hate when I'm forced to write music. I prefer to let it flow."

"I completely understand that. Once, I was asked to write a five minute duet with a violin for a wedding, and I only had a week to do it. I simply could not find any inspiration. I thought I was going to fail miserably, and never get hired again. I think I slept about one night out of the whole week. Two days before the wedding, I finally got five minutes of what I felt was the worst music ever composed. The night of the wedding, I was so nervous, I could barely tune my cello. But, I went out, and we did our duet, and it's become one of my most popular pieces-"

Vinyl quickly sat straight up and pointed at Octavia, almost overturning her plate of daffodil sandwich.

"Ahh! You did it! You said one!"

"One what?"

"A contraction! I heard it!"

"I did not! I always use perfect grammar."

"You said 'it's,' don't bother arguing, I heard you!"

"I..... It was one small slip! I am not perfect."

"Well, you had me fooled."

"What?"

"Nothing!"

Vinyl blushed at her slip. To cover herself, she clumsily took another bite of her sandwich. She glanced up and noticed Octavia's dreamy eyes fixed on the DJ's glasses, face bland but with a hint of something in the magenta eyes. Vinyl chewed, trying to figure out what was in those spellbinding eyes.

Is it curiosity? Did she figure it out? No. It looks like, amusement? I'm so lost.

Vinyl continued to study the eyes for well over a minute, until they blinked, and it was like waking from a dream. Both mares sat awkwardly in silence for a few seconds, trying to look anywhere but into the other's eyes. Vinyl was the first to risk a look, and what she saw confused her further.

Octavia seemed to be blushing, which wasn't the reaction Vinyl was expecting. More thoughts whizzed in the white DJ's mind, none of them helpful revelations.

Now what's the significance of that, I wonder.....

"Vinyl, may I ask you something?"

Dammit, here it comes! She knows! She's gonna get freaked out and leave and never talk to you again and then she'll tell everypony you're a freak and you'll never get hired again and then everypony will-

"Yes, Octavia?"

"Why do you always wear those glasses?"

Wow. Nice way to overreact, Vinyl.

"Well, these glasses are just kinda my thing. I got them from my parents when I graduated high school. I just loved them to death, and started wearing them. After awhile, it just became habit, and now it's to the point I can't be without them. I feel weird."

"Hm. That's interesting. I'm almost the same with my bowtie. I just feel naked without it."

"It's a very nice bowtie. Where'd ya get it?"

Octavia smiled as she reached up to lovingly caress the purple bow on her neck. Vinyl felt a small twinge of jealousy for the unmoved cloth ornament.

"Oh, there is not really much of a story. I bought it for myself after my first performance. It went great, and I felt so good, I thought I needed a souvenir. I went to a nearby dress shop and was looking at nice jewelry, and this thing caught my eye. It was many times cheaper, and I felt it was more classy, so I bought it. At first I just wore it for performances, and it became a trademark of mine. Then I started wearing it for formal occasions, then all the time."

"It suits you very well. Is it silk?"

"Of course. I settle for nothing but the best."

Nothing but the best, eh? I guess that kinda marks me out, doesn't- STOP IT!

They lapsed into another silence, but this one was far less awkward. Vinyl had her head turned slightly towards her now empty plate, but her eyes were studying Octavia again. Her purple shades hid her eyes and let her stare without fear. Octavia was sitting quietly, finishing her salad.

Once Octavia was finished with the salad, the pair paid for the food and left the market. There was little sunshine left, and the shadows grew so long as to be indistinguishable. Street lamps were already being lit, and most ponies were making their way home. A few ponies were still walking the streets, but the majority of crowd from the market was gone.

The booths were not closing, however. The night market as almost as intense as the day market. In the darkness, lit by the streetlamps, vendors laid out wares that were more targeted to the night crowd. Leather clothing, accessories with metal rivets and studs, candles in odd shapes and colors, and paintings and pictures of dark and macabre scenes. Vinyl walked the streets, entranced by the sights of the night life. Octavia seemed a bit ill at ease. Vinyl noticed this, and was thinking about suggesting they go elsewhere. Just before she could, however, she spotted a familiar flash of teal down the street.

No. NO, nonono, please no, not HER.

But it was. As Vinyl and Octavia wandered down the street, they got closer and closer to the pony Vinyl really didn't want to see. Vinyl started wracking her mind for ways to head in another direction without seeming suspicious. But before she could, Lyra spotted them.

For a moment, Vinyl's ex simply stood there, a blank look on her face. Vinyl stopped walking. Octavia stopped beside her, and looked at Vinyl, who was still locking eyes with Lyra, who was now only ten yards away. Octavia followed Vinyl's gaze and saw Lyra, and then looked back at Vinyl. By now Lyra had noticed the other mare standing beside Vinyl, and was looking between the two. Vinyl saw first the confusion, then the tears in Lyra's eyes. Then the tears burst forth with a sob, and Lyra ran off down the street, leaving a trail of tears and confused shoppers in her wake. Vinyl stared after her, mind blank as to how to react. A voice crisp and gentle, like running stream water, washed through her reverie and brought her back to the real world.

"Vinyl? Who was that?"

"Uh... Long story. I don't.... It's a long story."

"It is alright. If you feel like talking, I am here. If not, I am still here for you."

"But.... You barely know me."

"Well, help me get to know you well enough, then."

"Okay..... Let's go to my house then. It's only a few blocks down, and I wanna set down these heavy bags. It's a long story."

"So you have said. Lead the way."

Soon, the bags were discarded, and the pair of mares were sitting in rocking chairs on Vinyl's back porch, a bottle of fine Apple family apple juice and a pair of cups on a table between them. Octavia seemed very content to rock, drink juice, and gaze at the stars barely beginning to twinkle in the growing dark, but Vinyl knew the questions were coming. She nursed a cup of apple juice and waited for the inevitable. In the quiet, it seemed as if every detail had taken on a more vibrant hue, as if to mock her of her internal war. She thought and thought and thought of how she would answer, but when the the question came, she still didn't know what to say.

It seemed like such an innocuous question, nothing meant to be intrusive or personal. But to Vinyl, it was as if Nightmare Moon lived in the syllables. The fact it was delivered in such a sweet voice only made it sting more. A voice as delicate as a young flower, as refreshing as a spring breeze, as soothing as a hummingbird's hum. But it wasn't just the question that scraped against her ears like a raw bit on teeth, it was the fact that she was about to lay on the line a fact that could break the friendship before it even got a chance to begin.

Vinyl had never before had a problem admitting she was gay. She had always been comfortable in the fact, having been aware of it earlier than most were aware what sexuality meant, or could spell it. It was just a fact of life for her, something she never had to hide, or think about consciously. All of a sudden, though, it seemed like it was a dragon sitting on her back, crushing her. She had always been aware of the fact a lot of ponies thought homosexuality was evil, twisted, or sick, but she had never cared of them. They had always been boring stiffs, anyways. But now Vinyl felt herself hoping, almost praying to Celestia that Octavia wasn't one of those. She just seemed to nice to be judgemental. Either way, Vinyl was about to find out.

"So Vinyl, that mare in the market, what was that about?"

Okay, Vinyl, just do it. Do it now! If you don't do it, you never will! NOW!

"That was Lyra. Sh.... She.... Is my ex. We broke up about a month ago."

Vinyl felt the stone dam around her words break, and her blocked thoughts became a rushing flood. She could not control it, and neither could she even find where the words were coming from. It was as if they were coming from outside her, like some other pony using her mouth. But she didn't care; they were saying what she needed to.

"We had been dating a year and a bit. It started off great, but then she changed. She turned into a b- uh, unpleasant mare. She became so controlling, so suspicious. If I did anything without her specific approval, it meant I was cheating on her, or doing something illegal, or something. There was always something. It went on for a few months like that. The few ponies who knew all told me the same thing: I should leave. And I knew they were right, Lyra was hurting me. I just couldn't. I don't know, maybe I just got used to it. I accepted the fact she was in control, her authority. I just kept getting stepped on, and I couldn't do anything about it. Well, about a month ago, she accused me of cheating on her with a close friend of mine, and I don't know why, but it was different that time. Unlike the other times, I could do something about it. I broke up with her. I took my house key off her neck, and walked away. I thought I would feel so liberated with her gone, and I did, but I just spent it laying around and doing nothing. I was lost without her dominating my life. I jumped out of the frying pan and into the freezer. Then Pinkie invited me to the party, and I met you there. That's my life for the past year and a half."

Vinyl hadn't looked at Octavia during the entire soliloquy, choosing to intently study the left arm of her chair instead. She was expecting a gasp, sharp words, hooves walking away, something of that nature. However, all she heard was the quiet creaking of a chair rocking to and fro on the boards beneath them. After several long minutes, Vinyl risked a glance at Octavia.

Instead of angry eyes or a frown, Octavia was sitting just as she had been before the story: rocking in the chair, sipping juice, and gazing at the stars. Vinyl looked back at the arm of her chair, not sure what to expect. It was as if Octavia had listened to her explain the weather. After more quiet creaking, Vinyl couldn't stand not knowing what Octavia thought any more.

"Well?"

"Well, what, Vinyl?"

"You.... Mad? Shocked?"

"Neither, really. Every pony has relationship problems, and bad relationships. I am just glad you finally did what you needed to."

"But... What about..... My being gay?"

"What about it?"

"Well.... A lot of ponies think it's nasty, or improper, and you just seem very.... Proper."

"Oh, Vinyl. You cannot judge a book by its cover. You have the same secret I do. As for the relationship, honestly, I am glad you ended it youself. It can be so difficult. Actually, the whole story makes me think of a line from a song."

"What song?"

"The name escapes me at the moment, but the line goes 'Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay.' "

"That's.... Cool, I guess. what's it mean?"

"Well, to me, the song as a whole means that one who turns themself into a beast, shunning society and rejecting emotion, living at will, only on need and instinct, will no longer feel the emotional pains of ponies as brought on by society. It pretty much means that if you cannot strive above the regular pony ideals, then drop below them, and thrive in the realm of the beast."

"Uh..... Beast... What?"

"Oh, my apologies. I get carried away sometimes. That was the song as a whole. The line itself seems to mean although something is destroying you, but you won't leave. Being stubborn, I suppose. It's all terribly abstract, but I love it."

"I think I understand. You're really good at this."

"I like more than just the classical music that I play. I love to listen to and analyze all kinds."

"Well, I mean the feelings stuff too."

"Music is what feelings sound like."

Vinyl could not think of anything to say in response. It was such a beautiful sentiment, she could not bear to spoil the moment following up with something anything less than that. Vinyl settled for refilling their glasses with more apple juice, then turning back to gaze at the stars, not glowing and twinkling merrily in the dark sky.

In the silence, Octavia sighed. Vinyl turned to find azure eyes on her. She met the gaze, and felt her heart skip a beat. They were so peaceful, so kind, Vinyl never wanted to look away. The eyes did her a favor by looking away first. Octavia looked at the moon, now high in the night sky.

"Vinyl, I am having a wonderful time with you, but it is late, and I am tired. I believe I shall go home to bed."

"Yeah, it's been a long day. I'll probably do the same."

Vinyl did her best to sound nonchalant, but in her mind she was begging for the grey mare to stay just a little longer.

"Vinyl, are you free Saturday morning?"

"I.. uh... Yeah."

Vinyl could barely contain her excitement.

She's going to ask me to hang out! Yes!

"Would you like to come over to my apartment? I would like to cook for you. It's been a long time since I have cooked for anypony, and I would like to see if I am still a good cook."

"Yeah, that sounds great! I'm always down for food."

Octavia gave Vinyl her address and set a time for ten in the morning, then she gathered her bags and left. As soon as she was out of sight, Vinyl danced around her living room, clutching the piece of paper with Octavia's address on it. She was so excited, she thought she would never sleep, but as soon as she lay her head in the pillow, exhaustion hit and she drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday morning was upon Vinyl almost as fast as she wanted it to be. She woke at eight, and spent the morning uncharacteristically grooming herself. Hair was fixed precisely, glasses were cleaned, and coat groomed. She spent half an hour pacing her house, determined not to let her eagerness allow her to be unfashionably early. At nine thirty, she allowed herself to leave.

It wasn't a very long walk to Octavia's apartment, but Vinyl walked slowly, her mind embroiled with thoughts of Wednesday night. She had the nagging feeling something had escaped her, and for some reason she couldn't put her hoof on it. There was a detail somewhere, begging to be noticed, but she was failing to grasp it.

Finally, Octavia's building was in view. Vinyl walked up the stairs to the third floor, then down the hallway to room three twelve. Vinyl raised a hoof to knock, but the moment before her hoof hit wood, her mind found what it had been searching for in Wednesday night. It was one small sentence, but Vinyl wasn't sure how she had missed it. The implications were astronomical.

She said, "You have the same secret I do."... Could that mean.... NO WAY. How did I miss that!?

Lost in her deep thought, Vinyl's hoof forgot it was suspended in air, and fell against the door. The thump made Vinyl jump, and before she could regain her composure, the door opened. Octavia seemed slightly surprised to see Vinyl's hoof hanging in midair where the door had been. There was a pause as Vinyl stared at Octavia. Octavia was the first to recover.

"Well, Vinyl, are you coming in?"

"You... Uh. You said.... Wednesday night.. You said not to judge the the book by its cover, and then the part about the secret.... Does that mean..... Are you.......?"

Vinyl snapped her mouth shut once she realized what she was saying. She had let her mouth run faster than her brain and once again, she was afraid it had gotten her into a world of trouble. Octavia didn't immediately react, and Vinyl blushed and started to feel a bit anxious. She felt like she had outdone herself this time.

After a tense minute that seemed like an hour, a smile slowly etched it's way across Octravia's face. She winked, and turned away from a very confused Vinyl to walk back into he apartment.

"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, breakfast is getting cold. You coming?"

"Yes!"

[A/N] Song used it "Love Me, Cherilee" By WoodenToaster and TheLivingTombstone. Used with permission.

Finale

The wind carried the refreshing scent of roses. A few dozen well-dressed guests sat at round tables underneath a large white awning. Behind them, a large ice statue stood, two glittering birds intertwined around a flowering rose. Outside, the sky was blue and clear, not a cloud to be seen. The faint sound of crashing waves could be heard from the bottom of the cliff, past which the ocean stretched to the horizon, and beautiful backdrop to complement the beautiful day.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to witness a union......."

On a podium in before the crowd stood three ponies. The pastor, dressed in somber grey robes, holding a brown book from which he read. Facing each other in front of him stood two mares. Octavia Philharmonica and Vinyl Scratch looked deep into each others eyes as they listened to the ceremony being read aloud. Nothing could distract them from this moment.

Looking close, Vinyl could see shy tears of joy gathering in Octavia's violet eyes, and she knew she had ones to match in her own. For the past three months, she had anxiously waited for this day. She had exercised the most patience she ever had while she waited for Princess Luna to come back and tell them the wedding was ready. Finally, when word came, Vinyl thought she was about to explode from excitement.

So now here they were, on a bluff high over the Eastern Sea, just outside of Canterlot. Princess Luna had searched far and wide for the best place, and to both mare's opinions, she had succeeded. Iron grey cliffs towered a hundred feet above the ocean's frothing swells, gleaming in the afternoon sun like uncountable gemstones. In the opposite direction, rolling green hills gently curved away towards the horizon. Canterlot loomed overhead, high upon the mighty mountain, a lone sentinel of the plains.

"Are there any here who have prior claim to Vinyl Scratch, and object to this marriage?"

Vinyl's breath faltered, and her heart seemed to jump into her thoat. She had gotten so lost in Octavia's eyes, she hadn't realized how far into the ceremony they were. She knew no pony had any objections, but that didn't mean it wasn't a tense moment regardless.

Silence.

"Are there any here who have prior claim to Octavia Philharmonica, and object to this marriage?"

Again, a moment of suffocating silence. Somepony coughed, but no objections were made.

"Octavia Philharmonica, do you take Vinyl Scratch to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

Octavia barely hesitated,her gaze remaining on Vinyl for just another second, before looking at the pastor, breaking eye contact for the first time the entire ceremony. Her voice came out proud and strong, but not loud. The wind was the only noise throughout the whole congregation, and even it held its breath while Octavia spoke.

"I do."

"Vinyl Scratch, do you take Octavia Philharmonica to be your lawful wedded wife, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

Vinyl's heart suddenly decided to start beating in the place that her voice had just vacated. She felt a foolish smile accompany a blush to her face, before she turned to the pastor. She spoke, but her voice came out in such a whisper she wasn't sure if anypony but the pastor and Octavia heard.

"I do."

"By the power vested in me by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and the Grand Courts of Canterlot, I now pronounce you wife, and wife. Even unto death, may you live in each other’s hearts. You may now kiss the bride."

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Vinyl relaxed against the soft pillows and sighed. The windows were open, tempting in any spring breeze that happened to pass. The gauze curtains fluttered gently, indicating a light wind had been tempted in, even if Vinyl couldn’t feel it. She could, however, feel Octavia cuddled up against her on a large pile of pillows. Her dark mane smelled lightly of citrus, with just a hint of other scents, mingling together to create a silhouette of aromas.

It was the afternoon after the ceremony, and after the various celebrations Vinyl and Octavia had retired back to the high tower suite reserved for them for the entire week. They had spent two nights there so far, and were looking forward to another three nights of blissful peace and supreme luxury, with every amenity a pony could wish for.

Vinyl closed her eyes for what she thought was only a moment, but when the hornless unicorn opened her eyes and leaned up from her place upon the pile of pillows, it was dark. She looked out of the open windows, up to the moon that now hung in the sky, like a glowing vessel upon a dark sea, slowly making its voyage from one patient horizon to another. Stars floated like so many miniscule fish around the ship that was the moon, shining and shimmering and scintillating.

As Vinyl was contemplating this, she realized she was cold. It was still early in the spring, and the night air still had a hint of frost to it. However, for one reason or another, Vinyl had a nagging suspicion that she shouldn’t be as chilly as she was. Further introspection into the situation lead Vinyl to the answer: Octavia had gone. Vinyl’s new wife had been keeping her warm with body heat, but now had vanished. The white DJ decided her first course of action should be finding her beloved.

Vinyl stood, much to the protest of various joints and ligaments that had become accustomed to the soft and lumpy pillows. She made her way across the suite to the master bedroom, and looked in the doorway. She was greeted by the sight she had been hoping for: Octavia sound asleep in the massive circular bed. Pillows and blankets were sprawled around her, and she had somehow burrowed into them, making an arrangement that looked more like a nest than a bed. Either way, the grey musical mare looked comfortable.

Vinyl leaned against the door frame, enraptured by the sight before her. Octavia looked so peaceful, Vinyl simply couldn’t bring herself to risk waking her wife up by climbing into bed.

My wife.... Heh..... That’s gonna get some getting used to......

Vinyl rested her head on the door frame, watching Octavia’s sides rising and falling with her breathing. Vinyl smiled, and managed to tear her eyes away from the beautiful mare in the bed. She walked through the several rooms of the suite, closing windows as she went. The chilled wind has picked up slightly, and the last thing she wanted was for Octavia to wake up cold.

The last window to close was the glass door leading to the balcony. Vinyl closed it behind her as she walked outside. She had a wonderful view of Canterlot, and countless miles of countryside beyond. The Everfree Forest stretched off to her left, rolling hills and plains directly ahead, with the sea far to her right, perfectly flat and endless. Vinyl’s vivid blue mane fluttered in the breeze as she surveyed the sleeping city below her. It was all dark, and not a pony was to be found. She smiled. The DJ loved nights like this. She adored her time with Octavia, and treasured each moment, but she still liked her alone time as well. Even though loud music was her forte, she liked the sound of silence sometimes. Her eyes tracked across the empty battlements of the castle below her. All was dark and quiet. Then, she spotted a window that was lit, about one story down and across from hers.

It was beside a door that opened balcony, much like hers. She could see the door was open, and Vinyl thought she could almost see a figure standing in the doorway, but it was too dark to be sure. The light from the window was too faint to illuminate much beyond the window. Then her suspicions were confirmed as the shape moved, walking further onto the balcony and into the moonlight. Vinyl realized it was Princess Luna.

Vinyl could see Luna’s head turn toward her, and knew the Princess was looking at her. Abruptly, Luna’s wings opened and the alicorn took flight, soaring towards her. For a few seconds, Vinyl got to admire the Princess as she flew, so graceful and elegant. Then Princess Luna landed beside her on the balcony, and Vinyl was awed by her regal bearing and posture. Vinyl bowed deeply, but was ushered up by the Princess.

“Please, Vinyl, you know you don’t have to bow when we are in private.”

“I know, Your Majesty, It’s ju-”

“Luna, please. Just Luna. You know I just want to be treated like a regular pony every now and then.”

“Yeah, I just forget sometimes.”

Vinyl stood from her bow and sheepishly smiled up at the Princess, and found that Luna was smiling back at her.

Alright, be casual. Treat her like any other pony.

“So, Luna, how is your night going?”

Luna shuffled her wings in what seemed to Vinyl as a mildly annoyed manner, then walked over to the rail around the balcony and sat. She looked out towards the ocean, tranquil and infinite.

“The same as any other night, I suppose. I raise the moon, sit around for some hours, then lower it. Sometimes I do some paperwork. Sometimes I read. It gets a little lonely at times.”

“Why don’t you have more to do? I mean, a whole kingdom to help run, surely you have something to do?”

“You forget, my sister had a thousand years to get accustomed to ruling on her own, and even I must admit, she has the process very streamlined and efficient. Even she is not as busy as one would expect.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

Vinyl walked over to sit beside the Princess and contemplate the waters. For a moment the two sat quietly, simply enjoying the peace and calm. Luna was the first to break the silence.

“I guess.... Even though I do some work.... I feel a little.......... Useless.”

Vinyl took a moment to reply. Here was the Princess, confiding in her. It would not do to speak hastily.

“You’re not useless. You organized the best wedding ever, not to mention you bring the beautiful night.”

“Yes, but it’s nothing compared to what Tia does.”

“Maybe... You should take it as a blessing. Spend the extra time doing what you desire. Surely you can find something that interests you. And not all ponies sleep at night. I’ll bet you can find a lot of friends around.”

“Hmm. I suppose I could take it as that. Some friends would be nice.”

“Well, you got me and Octy!”

Luna smiled at Vinyl.

“Yes, I suppose I do. Off to a good start, I would think.”

“Of course! Anytime you’re bored or lonely or whatever, come to our place! If Octy isn’t up, I almost definately am.”

“I will keep that in mind. It is always lovely to see you you two.”

Another bout of silence engulfed the balcony. This time, it was Vinyl who spoke first.

“Luna, can I ask you something?”

“You just did.”

Vinyl stared at the Princess for a moment, dumbstruck. Then Luna cracked a little smile as Vinyl caught on.

“Yes, Vinyl, you may.”

“Oh, you’re good. Anyways, what I wanted to ask you was, why were you so enthusiastic about me and Octy’s wedding? I mean, I’m eternally grateful, but what about us caught your eye? We’re just two simple mares.”

“You mean, other than the fact you did something most ponies thought were impossible to save her? Well, to be completely honest, I was fascinated by how much you two are in love. It’s..... Quite poetic.”

As Vinyl mulled over these words, Luna looked at her, the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

“And to be more honest, I was a little bit jealous.”

“You, jealous? Of what?”

“Of your love. It’s not exactly something I nor my sister get to experience.”

“Love?”

“Yes. We love our kingdom, and all our subjects, but in a much broader sense. The love you share is more intimate, more.... Tangible.”

“Well, what’s to stop you from finding love?”

Luna frowned, and gazed at the sea with such intensity Vinyl thought it would simply evaporate.

“We’re immortal, Vinyl. We can find love, and surely enough, we have both developed light infatuations over the years, but it is never to be. It would be terrible to let ourselves fall in love, and watch our beaus age and grow old, and eventually die. It is a heartbreak both Tia and I have had to cope with, and after so many years, we have learned to deaden our hearts to those around us. It is a lonely and cold existence, but we do what we must.”

Vinyl looked up to the Princess and was shocked to see tears flowing from her eyes. Luna saw her notice and made to wipe the treacherous tears away, but others followed. Vinyl had not realized how deeply Luna was hurting, how lonely she was. Soon, Luna gave up trying to hide her tears and let them flow freely. So great was her sorrow that the Princess laid down on the balcony floor to cry into her hooves. The hornless unicorn put her hoof on Luna's shoulder.

"Don't cry, Luna. You'll find somepony."

Luna sniffed and wiped away more tears.

"That’s all I want, more than anything. But at the same time, I don't want to. If I do, I will love them, and I will have to watch them age and die. I have had to see it a thousand times, with many, many friends, and even a few lovers. It hurts, Vinyl. A pain that time can scarcely heal. I think out of all the ponies in the world, you will understand."

"I guess I do, but not completely. She is still with me."

"And for that, you are most fortunate."

"Yes..."

Quiet reigned on the balcony once more, but it was not total. Luna still sobbed quietly, with Vinyl's hoof still on her shoulder. After roughly half an hour, the tears had run their course, and the Princess stood again.

"Vinyl, I would like to thank you very much for talking to me tonight, and being so understanding. I did not realize how much I needed this."

"It's my honor, Luna. Every pony needs a good friend to vent to once in awhile."

"Yes.."

"You are always welcome at our house if you ever need to talk again."

"I will be sure to visit as often as I can. For the meantime, I have a few things yet to do before moonset."

"Alright. If you're free, you should come over here tomorrow evening after you raise the moon, and me, you, and Octy will have dinner."

“I would like that, but are you sure Octavia will not mind?”

“I’ll convince her.”

"I will see you tomorrow, then."

“See ya!”

And with that, the Princess spread her wings and flapped them twice, lifting her just high enough to glide over the railing and back down to her own balcony. Upon landing, she turned back and waved to Vinyl, who waved back. Then the Princess went back inside, as did Vinyl.

Vinyl went back to the bedroom where Octavia was sleeping, still curled up in the middle of her nest of blankets. This time, Vinyl did not stop in the doorway, but walked to the bed and carefully crawled in to cuddle around Octavia. The grey mare mumbled a little in her sleep, but did not awake as Vinyl pulled some blankets around and over herself. As she wrapped her leg around Octavia's middle, exhaustion hit her, and she felt her eyes closing, drifting off to deep sleep. Before she lost consciousness, she mumbled a few inaudible words.

"I love you, Octy..."

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Octavia rocked in her rocking chair. The fall air was just beginning to show a hint of winter chill, but it was nowhere enough to send her inside. The leaves were still green, the flowers were still blooming and the birds were still chirping, so she had no reason to go in from the front porch that was now affixed to the front of the blue house on the edge of Ponyville. The blue siding had began to fade just the slightest amount, and Vinyl had been griping about getting somepony to repaint it.

Octavia smiled to herself as she passed the time by rummaging through this memory and many others, occasionally chuckling to herself as she found a particularly humorous one, which was often with Vinyl around. The blue maned wonder had long since retired from DJing and moved on to own a large record company, but she still had that trademark spunk.

Soon, Vinyl came around the corner down the block, walking towards the house. One of the perks of owning the company was getting to choose her own hours, and Vinyl hade it a point of fact to never stay late, choosing to spend her afternoons and evenings with her love. Octavia waved when she noticed her wife approaching.

Octavia rose from her seat to greet Vinyl when she reached the porch. The two shared a quick kiss, then headed inside. No doubt Vinyl was hungry. They went to the kitchen, where Vinyl sat as Octavia prepared a quick salad.

"Have a good day at the office, love?"

"Not too bad. I'm just waiting on a few demos from a few groups to see if they're contract worthy. Other than that, I have peons to do all the boring stuff."

"What about Equalizer? How is her first day going?"

"Excellent. She already knows more than half the studio staff. She bonded pretty quickly with Silver Strings. When I left he was showing her how to operate the recording booth."

"Really? Silver Strings, the big grey pegasus? He seemed like such a dry fellow."

"Nah, you just gotta talk to him about what interests him. He has no use for anything else."

"I see. Well when will she be home?"

"I dunno. Call her. She's supposed to get off in a few minutes or so, but she was having such fun I'd bet she'll stay late."

"Oh, that's fine. I don't want to meddle. Celestia knows I hated it when my mother did."

"Yeah same here. However, I always gave my mother a lot more trouble than just staying out late at cello practice."

"Yes, Vinyl, I know. You were such a wild filly! It's a wonder they didn't lock you up."

"It wasn't for lack of trying, I tell you that."

Octavia set the bowl of salad in front of Vinyl and kissed her forehead.

“Well I’m rather glad they failed. Now, I’m going to play my cello for a bit. Enjoy your salad.”

“Hey, while you’re at it, play that one piece you were playing last night. I like that one.”

“I never thought I’d see the day when you would admit to liking classical music.”

Vinyl shot her a look, but Octavia had already left the room. Vinyl busied herself with eating the salad, and soon the sounds of cello music wafted through the house. It was an energetic piece, flowing through Vinyl’s ears like a coursing stream, rapid and undulating. Vinyl closed her eyes and gently swayed to the tempo, a smile tugging at her lips. Then, she opened her eyes as she had an epiphany.

Jumping up from her seat, Vinyl rushed to the music room. Octavia gave her a questioning look as she entered, but Vinyl waved at her to keep playing. She did, but Vinyl received another confused look. That look became understanding and excited when Vinyl got behind her old DJ booth and started to power up the electronics.

The first switches were for Octavia’s cello, which had two wireless pickups in the body, routed to a few of the speakers around the DJ booth. The treble notes sang with undisputed clarity, and the bass notes thrummed with authority.

Vinyl sat back on her stool and simply enjoyed the amplified cello for a moment. Then, when she judged it was the right moment, her hoof reached out and stabbed a button. Immediately, a simple beat began to accompany the cello. The bass hits were muted, so not to overpower the cello, and the hi-hat was at an uptempo pace, with a high snare counting out the measures.

Octavia closed her eyes and her smile gave way to a blank face, not out of irritation, but because she was focusing so much on the music there was no room for extra thought for needless things like expressions. She swayed with her cello, bow sawing at the strings as her hoof glided up and down the neck, pinching the strings just right, with the grace and care of a professional.

Vinyl pressed more buttons and turned more knobs, adding a flowing melody behind the cellos. The room swelled and throbbed with the music. Vinyl reached up to a hook on the wall behind her. Hanging there were her old purple shades,a layer of dust on them. She had not worn them in years, but now she wanted nothing less. She blew the dust off and put them on. As they settled on her face, she felt a feeling she had not felt in years. A mischievous smile stretched across her face, and she swung her head to the beat. She knew the glasses would stay on, so she did not worry.

More button were pressed, switches flipped and knobs turned. Driving electronic sounds mixed into the cello and the beat. Years ago, Octavia would have protested against such an intrusion, but instead she rocked her body to the beat, playing the cello even more intently so not to be lost in the symphony. The song they were making was chaotic, and of seemingly opposite tastes, but beautiful at the same time. The driving club music was pounding and heavy, and the lines of the cello danced around the harsh electronic pulses and howls, tying it all together to create one beautiful song.

Octavia’s mane swirled around her as she danced, playing, never missing a note. Vinyl cast one foreleg into the air, grinning wildly. Their song resonated through the room, the house, even echoing out into the street. Ponies walking past gave looks toward the house, but those who knew the ponies that live there smiled, a few even stopping to listen. One pony in particular was walking towards the house.

Equalizer walked in the front door, and immediately headed to the music room. She looked in the door, her dark blue mane spilling over her purple eyes. An iron grey hoof reached up to tuck it behind the horn spiraling out of her forehead. She smiled when she saw the cause of all the commotion. Neither of the mares in the rom were facing her, so she was able to watch and enjoy the music for nearly ten more minutes. At that point, Octavia had worn herself out and had to stop. Vinyl cut down the beats, synths and melodies to a fade out. Once the room was quiet, it seemed to shrink, as if the music had been pushing the walls back.

“Guys, why don’t you record another album? That was awesome!”

Vinyl and Octavia both jumped and turned to the doorway. They smiled when they realized it was just their daughter standing there. Vinyl giggled as they hung her glasses back on their spot on the wall.

“Cause, we don’t wanna put all these other hard working artists out of work.”

"Aw, come on, mom! Just one! Last time you did, it went to the top of the charts in days and stayed there for almost a year!"

This time it was Octavia who answered, smiling as she set her cello back into its old and scarred case. It was the same one it had been in when the building had collapsed on her.

"How do you know we didn't just record a new song? Surely out of all that stuff on that mess over there, you wouldn't think there's a record button?"

"I... I don't know. Is there?"

Vinyl ruffled Equalizer’s hair as she walked past, headed back to the kitchen.

"Of course there is. I just recorded that whole thing. I think that makes six or seven new songs over the past few months. Octy, we definitely need to do this more often. I think that was our best yet. Now come on, I feel like cooking."

"Celestia preserve us."

"I heard that, Equalizer!"

Vinyl heard both of the mares behind her giggle as they made their way to the kitchen. She went to the cabinets and started taking a tally of what she had to work with.

“Let’s see..... Rice, various spices... Hey Octy, we got any of that broccoli left?”

“Yes, dear.”

Moving to the fridge, Vinyl glared intently at the various foods there, as if forcing them to cook. After a moment, she gave up and looked around the rest of the fridge.

“Oh! Lookie here! Bourbon! I can make that bourbon fried salad with rice that Luna gave me the recipe for!”

“Oh, that was delicious when she made it! And speaking of Luna, Equalizer, will you invite Luna to dinner please?”

“Sure, Mom.”

Vinyl set about preparing her salad in a large skillet while Equalizer scribbled a quick letter on a piece of nearby paper. Octavia looked over her shoulder and made a face of mock disgust.

“Dear me, Equalizer. Your writing is as bad as Vinyl’s.”

This earned her a glare from Vinyl, who was adding some brown sugar and bourbon to the ingredients browning in the skillet. Octavia responded with an innocent smile, batting her eyelashes in a way she knew Vinyl was weak for. Indeed, Vinyl just smiled and turned back to preparing the rice.

Once the letter was written, it disappeared in a dark blue haze, and the cloud flew out the nearby window and vanished into the sunset. Octavia sat down at the table and read a magazine while Equalizer watched Vinyl crush some pepper flakes and garlic to flavor the mixture. After a few minutes, a midnight purple vapor floated into the kitchen and solidified into a letter in front of Equalizer. She read the few lines on it quickly and tossed it aside.

“She said she’ll be here in about ten minutes.”

“Oh good. I can’t wait to see what she thinks of my extraordinary cooking skills!”

“Extraordinary in how terrifying it is to see?”

“It’s not that bad!”

Vinyl’s last sentence was punctuated by a burst of flame from the skillet, where an excess of bourbon had caught on fire. Vinyl grabbed the skillet and moved it off to a burner that wasn’t lit, and let it burn itself out.

“I meant to do that. Adds flavor.”

Octavia laughed and turned back to her magazine, reading an article about a new music hall being built in Canterlot.

“I’m sure. Did you also mean to leave the rice cooking too long?”

“It’s not cooking too long!”

Vinyl quickly took the rice off the stove and set it off to the side to cool.

“See? Perfect!”

Equalizer walked around the counter and examined the food.

“Well, look at that. It looks like you actually made something edible, mom!”

“I always make good stuff!”

“Except for the time you tried to make waffles.”

“They were good!”

Octavia looked up at Vinyl from across the kitchen.

“You caught one on fire, Vinyl. Waffle batter. ON FIRE. I still don’t know how you did that.”

“It must just be my flaming good looks.”

“Oh, you’re a flamer all right.”

”Hush, Octy!”

All three of the ponies laughed, then Vinyl and Equalizer set about setting the table with four spots. Octavia set her magazine down and helped them, glancing at the clock.

“Just about time.”

Right on cue, a soft thump was heard on the other side of the front door, followed by knocks.

“Come in!”

The front door opened and Luna walked in. She was as tall and regal as always, even without her crown and other royal accoutrements. She smiled as Equalizer rushed to give her a hug.

“Aunt Luna!”

“Equalizer! How are you my dear?”

“I’m great! My first day of work was today!”

“That’s right, I forgot! How was it?”

“Totally awesome! I got to play around with all kinds of really expensive equipment!”

"That sounds fantastic. I am glad to hear you're enjoying it."

Vinyl looked up from where she was setting the last of the cutlery from the table.

"Yeah, I was amazed she was home in time for dinner. I was half expecting her to ask to stay the night."

Luna eyed the food on the table.

"Speaking of dinner, that looks like a familiar recipe."

"Yep! After you made it for us last week, I decided to try and one-up you."

"Well, let us see! I am famished."

"Well it's ready. Everybody, dig in!"

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After all the dishes and plates were all washed and put away, Luna and Vinyl went outside to sit on the porch to bid adieu another day. Vinyl sipped on a glass of wine, while Luna had opted for a mug of apple cider. They sat, not speaking, for a while, watching in the night sky. Vinyl was gazing at the waxing gibbous moon, while Luna seemed to be staring at nothing in particular.

“Vinyl?”

“Yeah.”

“You remember what you said to me the day of your wedding, that evening on the balcony?”

“Vaguely, yes.”

“What if I told you I was thinking about following your advice?”

“I would be extremely happy, and ask you who.”

“Oh, I know you would. But I think I shall keep it a secret for now. I haven’t even revealed it to said pony yet.”

“Well, when you do, I wanna hear everything! You know how nosy I am.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to keep you updated.”

The rest of the evening passed in a similar and pleasant manner. The mares chatted about random trivial matters until it was close to midnight. The nearly full moon hovered almost directly above, and the stars glittered in the clear sky. Vinyl sat down her empty glass next to an almost empty bottle.

“Well, Luna, I hate to, but I need to be heading to bed. Work beckons in the morning.”

“Of course. Thanks for the dinner, it was incredible.”

“Anytime! Will you be able to come down Friday?”

“I believe so.”

“Cool. See ya then!”

“Good-bye.”

Vinyl watched as Luna stood and stretched her wings, dark and beautiful. She took off into the night sky, only visible as a silhouette, a dark spot where the stars were blocked. Vinyl watched Luna until she was no longer visible, then headed inside to go to bed.

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Princess Luna stood on a hilltop not far from the edge of the cliff, looking out over the ocean. It was a spot she had not visited in almost twenty years, and she felt bad for not coming sooner. It was a wonderful place, close enough to Canterlot she could come often, but far enough that it was completely isolated from the noise and bustle of civilization. She liked to come here to be alone, to think about life's great mysteries unbothered. She looked at the stone plinth, the only feature to the entire hilltop. It had been covered in lichen and moss in twenty years, a fact that bothered Luna. She used some magic to remove it, leaving the stone clean. She read the inscription on the face of the stone, one she had chosen herself, almost a hundred years ago when she had the monument built.

"Here lies Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Philharmonica. Ever in life and ever in death, none shall share the indefinable love they had. May their music play forever in the heavens."

A single tear fell from Luna's eye, but it was not one of sadness, but of joy, because she was remembering all that she had learned about love from these two mares.

From behind her, a violet unicorn walked out from the trees and came beside Luna. She noticed the tears on the Princess’s face, and gently wiped them away before nuzzling her neck affectionately. The pair stood, gently cuddling, until the sun set and Luna raised the moon.

The unicorn turned and walked away, heading back to the castle. Luna turned to follow, but hesitated at the headstone. She summoned a cloud of violet magic, and enchanted flowers began to grow around the stone, blooming in purple. She smiled, and turned to follow her love.