This Is How You Know
The night came quicker than expected, giving something for the audience of the recently finished symphony performance. They all waited outside of the concert hall, shivering from both the cold and the remaining energy from the esteemed Canterlot Symphony. While some ponies had left to retire for the evening, a few waited outside, eagerly hoping to congratulate each pony of the symphony. Some time had passed before the main doors to the concert hall opened. The small crowd of ponies turned to face the talented mares and stallions who had performed for them a short while ago. There was much praise being sent around to the musicians as they thanked them for taking time to come down and enjoy the hard work and dedication they put into this rare event. You see, winter concerts were very scarce in Canterlot because of the weather conditions and the number of ponies who wanted to take a trek through the slushy streets, but tonight was a special occasion. The owner of this famous establishment had turned 70 today, and, to his complete surprise, the conductor and his musicians felt that it would be a pleasant gift and a way of saying “Thank you” for giving so much of his time and sweat into keeping this place running. After the show, the owner came down and thanked them all for such a wonderful performance. He turned to the audience, shared a couple of jokes, and dismissed them for the evening.
As the crowd continued to talk and laugh with each other, one musician in particular observed from the side entrance alleyway. Although she did enjoy the praise of highbrow Canterlot ponies, tonight she just wanted to retire. With her cello on her back and saddle bag at her side, she went on her way down the sidewalk, watching the first signs of evening snowfall hit the ground. She never minded the cold weather, as it gave her a nice break from constantly performing. She didn’t hate playing the cello, but to have a nice break before the rush of Spring and Summer performances never hurt anypony. She was glad to have a part in this symphony, seizing the opportunity to audition after a friend from another town told her of an opening for a cellist. She couldn’t pass up this chance, and after a week or so, she was the new Canterlot Symphony cellist. It was like a dream come true for the classical mare. In a few weeks, it will be my second year as their cellist she thought with a warm smile, pausing for chariots before crossing the street.
The mare crinkled her nose as she made her way to her apartment building, the smell of food from a nearby restaurant wafting out into the city streets. Another reason why she loved playing at that theater was that it was so close to her apartment. She didn’t have the loveliest view of Canterlot, but she didn’t live in a rat hole either. It was nice and small, fit for her and a guest if they wanted to stay over. If, that is, if her roommate was out of town. She approached the apartment building, greeting the doorman with a hello. He smiled and tipped his hat
“How was your performance, Octavia?”
“Oh, it was splendid, Bellhop. He never expected the surprise,” Octavia replied back with a smile, adjusting the cello case draped over her back.
“Wonderful! Have a good evening, Miss”
“Same to you,” she said before heading inside. Octavia enjoyed the ambiance of the lobby and even the bustling nights of ponies rushing in and out. It gave her a sense of being at home. It was like whenever she visited her mother and father. They always said that she had a place back home with them, and it comforted her, just like now as she looked around the lobby a bit. Save for one pony at a table silently reading and enjoying a steaming cup of coffee, it was close to empty. Octavia smiled and moved on into the elevator and pressed 5. She started to wonder if her roommate was back yet. Assuming she was, Octavia prepared for the thump of bass music and the countless forms of noise complaints taped to her door. As the elevator doors slid open, she stepped outside and made her way down the hall. Surprisingly, no loud music could be heard tonight, and the floor didn't shake with each beat. Instead, it was quiet. Unusually quiet, as a matter of fact. Octavia set her cello case down and knocked on the door.
“Hello? Are you home yet?” No answer followed.
Octavia frowned, and began to fish around in her bag to find her keys. Grasping them in one hoof, she carefully placed the correct key into the door lock and twisted, pushing the door into her apartment. “Vinyl, I’m back!” she called again, placing her cello case down near the entrance. Still, the silence of her apartment welcomed her. She shrugged a bit and proceeded to her couch, only to discover that none other than the DJ herself was sleeping soundly on the couch. Her mane was ruffled and her glasses were lopsided on her face. Octavia couldn’t help but giggle as she spotted the small stain from Vinyl’s drool. What am I going to do with this mare she thought, gently tapping the mare on the shoulder. Vinyl opened her eyes, turning a bit and looking straight into Octavia’s magenta eyes. She blushed a bit and scrambled to get up, straightening her glasses and regaining any composure she had left.
“Oh, hey Octy! I, um, I was just waiting up for you!” Vinyl smiled, wiping some of the drool off of her face. Octavia smiled again, plopping down on one of the loveseats.
“Really? That doesn’t seem like you at all. Did you not want to stay for any after party?” The DJ groaned, brushing down some of her
“No, not really. The crowd was a bit too rowdy this evening”
“That’s refreshing coming from the self proclaimed party queen”
“Hey, I have my limits just like anypony else!” Octavia smiled.
“Of course, Miss Scratch. Who am I to speculate?” Vinyl thought genuinely for a moment.
“Well, you’re my roommate, my best friend I’ve known since fillyhood...” Octavia held back a laugh, earning a confused look from her friend. “What?”
“You didn’t have to answer, Vinyl”
“Oh...right! I knew that, haha,” she responded, rubbing a hoof through her blue streaked mane. Octavia smiled and trot into her bedroom, leaving Vinyl on the couch. The alabaster mare stretched out wide, looking outside to see the snow had started to fall.
“So, how was the concert?”
“It was wonderful! Mr. Bass Clef was pleasantly surprised by our gift to him. He’s such a wonderful stallion” Vinyl smirked.
“You’re not havin’ feelings about your boss, are ya?” Octavia stuck her head out from her bedroom door.
“He’s 70, Viny,l” she deadpanned, making the DJ on the couch immediately feel uncomfortable. “I don’t think his wife would handle that well either” Octavia removed her bowtie and set it on the dresser, combing back some stray hairs before returning to her friend.
“Alright, alright! Sorry, ok?”
“Oh, don’t worry about. All in good fun”
“Sure” Vinyl sighed. “Good fun” Octavia noticed her unusual behavior.
“Now, what’s gotten wittle Vinyl Winyl down, hmm?” she mocked, smiling as she ruffled up Vinyl’s mane.
“Cut it out, you!” Vinyl swatted at Octavia’s hoof.
“Come now, what is really the matter? You do seem to be out of it this evening”
“Nah, I’m totally fine. I was just thinking a bit earlier about some stuff”
“Oh? Would you like to share?” the other mare hesitated, flopping onto her back with a sigh.
“I guess I could...so, uh, you’ve been with other ponies before, right?”
“Could you elaborate?” Octavia replied, looking at Vinyl. “And could you maybe take off your glasses? They offset the mood a bit”
“Do I have to?”
“Not if you want to sit in silence for the rest of the evening” she shrugged, earning a groan from the reluctant mare. She proceeded to take her glasses off and set them on the coffee table. It was hard for Octavia not to stare into her entrancing, crimson eyes.
“Octavia. Taaaviii. Earth to egghead, come in egghead”
“Wha-huh?”
“You were staring again,” she said plainly. Octavia shook her head a bit,
“I apologize. I know how you hate that. Anyway, continue”
“As I was going to say before, I just want your advice about....feelings...”
“Feelings? Like happy and sad feelings?” she asked as she tried to hold back a laugh. Vinyl sighed in annoyance.
“No, Tavi, I’m not a foal. I mean feelings about other ponies. Y’know...love” this was what peaked Octavia’s interest.
“Go on”
“You see...okay, I really like this pony. She’s-”
“She?” Octavia sounded a bit more surprised than she wanted to sound. This took into effect almost instantly as Vinyl winced at her tone, silence enveloping the room around them. Octavia cleared her throat, regaining her composure once more. She never knew Vinyl was a fillyfooler, and momentarily wondered if that term was vulgar. “Wait, I've seen you in relationships with stallions before...” Vinyl gulped.
“I, uh...my barn door goes both ways, if you get what I’m saying...do you hate me now?” the question lingered for a bit, but Octavia replied with a strong “No”
“What?”
“I don’t hate you, Vinyl Scratch. If the years of being friends with you have taught me anything, it’s that you’re full of surprises. We’re all unique in some sort of way, and you are unique in some many ways. Now, I do not care whether or not you likes stallions and mares. I’m here to listen and give you advice. Continue, my dear friend” Vinyl was at a loss for words. That was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to her.
“Thank you, Octavia” she said finally, sitting up against the armrest. “Sincerely...thank you for that”
“Yes, I am pretty spectacular” Octavia replied smugly, rewarded with a pillow thrown at her. “Hey!”
“Was that me? I could have sworn that an invisible pony picked up that pillow and thrown it at you”
“Let’s get back to the topic on hoof, shall we?”
“Um, sure. I guess we can get the train rolling again”Vinyl took a moment to breath out heavily. “There’s this...this mare that I can’t seem to get out of my mind. There’s not a day that goes by without me thinking about how right at that moment, I could be holding her tight in my hooves...it’s like she’s put me under her alluring spell and I can’t break free. Maybe it’s something in the way she moves....or how she woos me with just a glance toward me. I really...” she paused for another moment, looking up into the ceiling as if she could somehow float up. Octavia smiled at her, shaking her head a bit. It looks as like somepony got bit by the love bug. Pretty hard, as a matter of fact! “I think I really love this mare....that’s something nopony would expect me, of all ponies, to say, isn't it?”
“I concur”
“So...Octavia...what do you think I should do about her?” asked Vinyl, looking at her friend for the first time in a while. Octavia looked on with warm, welcoming eyes and a small smile. Great Celestia, did Vinyl love that smile.
“Well, what would happen if said mare turned you down?”
“Oh god, I....I didn’t even think about that.... Well, what do I have to lose, right? I mean, I’d be.... I would really.... I’d hate myself...”
“Why? You would certainly be doing nothing wrong” Vinyl shifted down a bit.
“I know, but it would mean that I wouldn’t be good enough for her” Octavia rolled her eyes.
“Come now, don’t be so dramatic. You are definitely good enough for anypony” Vinyl turned to her, a small smile on her face.
“Do...you really think I am?”
“I know you are. I think you should go up to her, look her in the eyes, and tell her exactly how you feel. If she says yes, then everything turned out as you had expected. If she says no, then I’m positive you both with be great friends. Is that good advice?” Vinyl nodded, staying quiet for a while. “Hello? Are you still with us, Vinyl?” there was no response, let alone any movement from Vinyl at all. After a couple of minutes, Vinyl shifted to the side of the couch that was closer to her classical friend. Looking her right in the eyes, Vinyl spoke.
“Octavia, I have to tell you something” Octavia sat there, partially confused.
Wait, what?
“Something that I’ve been...meaning to tell you for a long time”
Oh....oh no....
“I don’t really know if I can say this any other way really”
No, Vinyl, don’t say it...
“Octavia Philharmonica... I love you” Vinyl had said it. For her, it felt like an entire weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For Octavia, it felt like that weight now rested on her shoulders, the expression of total shock plastered on her face.
“What did you just say?” the question came as a bit of a shock to the DJ.
“I said that I love you. All the way to the stars and back. Wow, it’s so good to finally say this!”
“How long...?”
“Since, like, Sophomore year of college!” Vinyl asked, almost too eagerly.
“I think...”
“Uh huh?”
“I think I need to go....”
“Wh...what? No, no we can talk it out, right? Y-you said that you would understand!”
“I...I can’t think about this right now....” Octavia stumbled up out of her chair, trotting quickly to the door. Vinyl had gotten up as well, tears welling up in her eyes. Octavia had put on a coat and her saddlebags, heading right for the door.
“Please, Octavia! We can work this out!”
“I can’t....Vi...I don’t know....” Octavia looked back, meeting her gaze. “I’m....I’m sorry....” and with that, she left, the door shutting softly behind her. It was as if somepony stabbed her straight through her heart. She wanted this evening to be where she confessed her feelings for the one she cared for the most. Now, it was just a night of heartbreak and misery. Vinyl collapsed to the floor, curling up and sobbing into her hooves.
What went wrong?
Author's Note
So, this was something I quickly whipped up a couple of nights ago and I just wanted to upload it. It might be really rough, so PLEASE feel free to point out dialogue problems, grammar mistakes, and words I misspelled. Thanks for giving it a read.
As the night continued on, the temperature had began to drop, only aiding in the snow itself. A small blanket had covered the ground that didn’t happen to be in the middle of the road. Now, most sane ponies would be rushing inside to be welcomed by the warmth of their home and loved ones. It was certainly not the time to be outside at all, let alone wandering alone. But Octavia knew where she wanted to go. Tonight, unlike others, had been surprisingly better compared to other nights. There were no gale force winds that blew the socks off of somepony and the snow was light, which meant it could be brushed away easily.
To Octavia, who used a hoof to fix her winter coat, none of this mattered. The only thing, or should she say the pony, she could even think about was her roommate. Three simple words had driven her away from their shared apartment and out into the cold. Three Celestia-damned words had caused her to panic and leave. How she remained so calm in that situation, nopony knows. Octavia thought of Vinyl’s face the moment she had confessed her undying love for her. It was like staring straight into the eyes of somepony under the influence of a love potion, except... Vinyl wasn’t. If it had been somepony else, then the situation would have been dealt with maturely and with a conversation.
Octavia ran through the scene for the millionth time that night, and finally realized she had acted like a frightened foal. Who wouldn’t? It could have been a lot worse. At least I didn’t laugh in her face she thought. She had reached her destination, sighing with relief. Now she could finally get out of this weather.
~
“Fire crackling? Check. Good book? Check. Hot chocolate?”Lyra took a sip of the steaming cup. She smiled and set it back down. “Check! A very delicious check, if I may add,” she said to herself, opening the book and beginning to read. It was a book recommended to her yesterday. Reading books wasn’t really something she did for fun, but Lyra can never turn down a thrilling Science Fiction adventure. Bon Bon, a good friend of hers, had given it to her as a birthday present. A kind gift that had been living on Lyra’s shelf for a year now. Since the mood was right and the growing sense of boredom she was experiencing, Lyra had decided to take it off her shelf and start reading.
She had just finished the first chapter when somepony had knocked on her door. Lyra sighed, getting up from her oh so comfortable spot on the couch and making her way toward the door. She wasn’t really expecting anypony to come over to her home at this hour, so seeing Octavia stand there in the snow in front of her house was a bit surprising.
“Good evening, Miss Heartstrings,” Octavia replied formally. Lyra giggled.
“C’mon, Octavia. We’ve known eachother forever! No need to be so formal,”
“Sorry. Force of habit,”
Would you like to come inside? The weather seems to be getting worse by the hour,”
“That would be lovely, thank you,” Octavia trot past her mint green friend and into the safety and warmth of Lyra’s cozy abode. The grey musician set down her saddlebag, admiring the welcoming feel of her living room. “I’m sorry for disturbing you this evening”
“Nah, it’s a pleasure to have you over! I was just, uh, reading n’ stuff,” Octavia smiled.
“You? Reading?”
“Why not, huh? I’ve got nothin’ else to do,” Lyra shrugged.
“Do you still practice your instrument?” Octavia asked, laying down on one of Lyra’s loveseats.
“Everyday! I just do that in the morning. So, can I ask why you’re here at such a late time? It’s not like you to randomly show up at my house,” Octavia nodded and gave a heavy sigh, laying her head on the armrest.
“Lyra, what I’m about to tell you does not leave this room under any circumstance. Do you understand?” Lyra smiled.
“You can count on me! So, what is it? Gossip? News? A secret spy? GOSSIP?” Octavia held up a hoof, silencing the excited mare.
“I... I really don’t know how to explain this. This evening I came home from a concert to Vinyl like most nights. She’s sleeping on the couch, I wake her, we talk about the concert, et cetera. Then, she starts to ask me for advice. Apparently she has this one pony that she fell head over hooves for. It was romantic, even for Vinyl. I tell her what anypony would tell a love stricken pony in this situation. I said to be forward, confident, and honest. To look her” Lyra was about to chime in. “In a second. To look her in the eye and tell her the truth. Then she...looked toward me and told me she loved me,” The reaction Lyra had to this wasn’t what Octavia had expected at all.
“Really? That’s great! I’m so happy for you two,”
“What?”
“You came over to tell me the news, right? Aww, I knew you two were a cute couple,” Octavia was dumbfounded, giving Lyra a quizzical look. “What?”
“This isn’t a good thing!”
“Oh.... It isn’t?
“N-No!” Octavia stammered. “We’ve been friends forever and now she just springs this on me out of the blue?!”
“Octavia, I don’t think deep feelings for another pony appear ‘Out of the blue.’ Considering both of you have been really close for a lifetime, I wouldn’t be surprised. IN FACT, Bon Bon owes me 20 bits,” Lyra said matter-of-factly. Octavia let out a heavy sigh, debating whether or not it had been a good idea to go to Lyra for advice or comfort. “Alright, alright, I’ll be serious. Do you love her back?” Octavia seemed a bit surprised by the question.
“Well, I, uh, haven’t really thought about it...”
“Really?”
“Give me a break Lyra, this happened to me only moments ago” Octavia snapped back, her comment coming out harsher than she intended it to sound.
“Sheesh, alright. You must be pretty worked up about this,”
“It’s just something that totally threw me for a loop,”
“Don’t take any offence to this, but couldn’t you have just had a talk with her to work everything out? I think you might be overreacting a little bit,”
“Well, that, um, was definitely a possibility, but I just couldn’t look at her after she told me. I’ve always taken matters of love a bit more seriously than other ponies. I’ve only dated one other stallion in my life, and it seemed to only last until he moved away. To tell you the truth, I’m not so much into love like I was when I was younger. Everypony I knew had a marefriend or a coltfriend, so I figured it must have been the popular thing to do. Now...love comes close to never, and when I was put into that situation, I didn’t know how to react,” Lyra sat in silence for a couple of moments before she spoke.
“So, what do you think of her now?”
“I don’t think anything less of her whatsoever. We grew up together and shared too many experiences to let something like this get in the way of our friendship. At least, that’s what I believe. Now I just know that she has this admiration for me that has been developing over the past couple of years and I just became shocked and confused. I guess that’s why the rational part of me flew out the window when I had left, Octavia played with her mane, thinking back to Vinyl.
“Do you like her?”
“Well, of course I like her. She’s my friend” Lyra shook her head.
“No, do you like her in the way that she likes you? Do you love her?” silence followed this question, just as before. Octavia opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself as she thought about this question for a few moments more.
“Lyra... I don’t know. It might sound like a cop-out or an excuse, but I really don’t know. A part of me is saying that I don’t and a relationship would compromise things. Then another, tiny part of me says that maybe, just maybe, I could give it a chance for Vinyl’s sake. I know that sounds terrible, but what’s the worst that can happen?”
“Whenever a pony says that, something bad usually happens,”
“Lyra!”
“Sorry! Hey, Octavia, thanks for coming over and talking to me. I’m glad I know that you can trust me,” Octavia narrowed her eyes.
“Can I? Will you promise not to tell anypony else?” Lyra gave Octavia a salute.
“You have my word,” Octavia gave a single nod and sunk back into the loveseat, closing her eyes.
“Thank you for letting me talk with you. I’m just worried about Vinyl,”
“I’m sure she’s fine!”
~
For Vinyl Scratch, these past few hours could not have gone any slower. Every minute felt longer and, over that long stretched period of time, her mane, coat, and tail became a tangled mess. Vinyl’s eyes filled with tears for the umptenth time that evening, her hooves matted with dried tears from before, but she didn’t care. Nothing really mattered to her anymore. Octavia, the pony she cared for and trusted the most, surely hated her for being a fillyfooler. She rolled over in her bed, clutching the sheets and sobbing hard into them. Tonight was supposed to be magical. Vinyl had just thought, even if she turned her down, that’d they would still at least be friends. All confidence and hope about an evening filled with romance dissipated when Octavia frantically trot right out the door. After that, it felt as if the world around her came crashing down. Is it even worth it? she wondered, wiping at her eyes. She got up from the bed, traveling to the bathroom. Vinyl turned on the light, looking into the mirror and surveying the damage. Her mane was tangled to high hell and she suspected that her tail was in the same boat. Her eyes were red from crying, which was no surprise. Vinyl sighed sadly, shrugging at her reflection. She thought, at this point, that there was no point in crying anymore. She surrounded a brush in her magic, hopelessly trying to brush her mane back to its spiky form once again. Maybe if I get some sleep that I’ll forget about all of this Vinyl put the brush back down in defeat, making a mental note to shower in the morning. By morning, I’ll be fine, right?
“Right?”
Author's Note
A terrible chapter that I spent a while working on. I will also be working on another story that will come out tonight or when I get back from a trip. As always, please tell me of grammar and spelling mistakes and I hope you enjoyed this. Have a happy fathers day :)
