The Hollow Kingdom of Octavia

Exhibit C

"So what's new in the lives of the rich and famous?" Pony Joe asks his late night customer. Octavia finishes chewing her dainty bite of cinnamon roll before answering.

"Nothing. They are still rich and they are still famous."

"I hear those Crystal Empire Royals are running around tonight. Did you get a glimpse of them?" Joe asks. He is just separated far enough from the high life to be curious about it. "Do you think the meeting went well?"

"The Crystal Kingdom is run by Celestia's niece and her former Captain of the Guard, so of course it went well. The last thing you'll ever need to worry about is an attack from the Crystal Empire," Octavia tells him. She takes another bite of her pastry, savoring the sweet, sugary taste in her mouth. "Come to think of it, I didn't see the Prince around."

"He'd probably prefer to knock a few back with his old soldiering buddies, if you ask me," Joe says, but his suggestion is solid. Back when Shining Armor was still Captain of the Guard, he never attended overly formal events. Octavia is slightly surprised he even attended his own wedding, which his bride ironically almost missed.

Octavia takes has another nibble of her pastry while she wonders what Shining Armor's evening must have been like. She imagines he sat around with a gaggle of inebriated stallions while exchanging stories of sexual conquest. Octavia doesn't know much about how stallions operate when they're alone.

"Do you want me to cut your roll into tiny pieces?" Joe asks, levitating a butter knife from under the counter. "I'm sure it would help you take even more microscopic bites."

"Don't tempt me," Octavia replies, feigning indignation with a dramatic turning up of her nose. "You just want me to finish so you can close the shop and go home."

"No, of course not. If that happened, I'd get lonely."

Octavia can't help but smirk a bit at what Joe thinks is clever flirting. Octavia can't say she's had much better, but that's not what is at issue. In fact, there is no issue. Octavia is flattered for sure, but she won't allow Joe the satisfaction of knowing that, not yet. It's too fun to watch him squirm.

"I thought you'd be used to that by now," Octavia says without one indication that she might be joking. Considering the number of times he has used that line, there is a part of her that's dead serious.

"Well... if you feel that way about it, maybe you should just get that to go," Joe promises, but it's an empty promise. If he kicked her out, Octavia would refuse to talk to him. Joe would really get lonely then. "Or maybe I should tell Vinyl you've had sweets three times this week."

"Three times isn't a big deal."

"It's Tuesday." He leaves out the part where it has only been Tuesday for less than an hour. "You'll be in big trouble."

"My only crime is that I'm a mare who likes sugar and honey a bit more than average," Octavia says. "And if it's such a big issue, I just won't come by the rest of the week."

"No, please, I couldn't bear that," Joe says with a dismissive roll of his eyes. He doesn't just make false promises, he knows how to spot one on somepony else. "I can't trust any of these other shops to fatten you up."

"Hey." Octavia shoots a glare at Joe, who quickly steps back behind the metaphorical line.

"Alright, alright, you win. Eat at your own pace," he tells her, chuckling to himself as he walks off to start closing up. Octavia finishes her treat in silence. She bids goodnight to Joe before heading home, only stopping once to let out a particularly loud yawn. No matter how tame her day is, Octavia doesn't last long after midnight hits. Tired and pining for sleep, Octavia wishes she had Vinyl's ability to stave off sleep for days on end. Then again, she might do that because of the side effect of some drug she happens to take.

After a long walk through Canterlot's nighttime streets, Octavia's front door is a welcome sight. She is about to go for the key in her bag when she remembers that Vinyl said she would be back by now with her friend. Octavia has only to turn the unlocked handle to allow herself inside.

Octavia notes that there are about five or more strange ponies inhabiting her living room. She doesn't stop to count all of them because at least three seem to have a notable volume of blood on their coats. This is enough to give her pause. This is enough to make her concerned.

Despite the suddenness of the situation, Octavia does not freak out. She stands there with her mouth shut and her eyes wide open like any self-respecting pony would do. In the meantime, Octavia wonders what she should do in lieu of panicking, but nothing comes to mind. The ponies in her flat have noticed her by now, so she knows she has to say something.

"Friends of Vinyl?"

It is at that moment that Octavia realizes that if she walked in to find a burglar, her first thought would be the intruder was a friend of Vinyl's. She does not know whether this is a defense mechanism to keep her calm or an association between ponies who hang out with Vinyl and a life of crime. She does know, however, that now is not the time to worry about that.